cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification of actin-binding protein in membrane of polymorphonuclear leukocytes

A NEW protein with a high molecular weight and found in rabbit alveolar macrophages1, causes actin filaments in sucrose solutions to form a solid gel when warmed to room temperature. With transmission electron microscopy, the actin filaments were observed to be bound into branching interconnecting bundles2. The new protein was called actin-binding protein (ABP). Similar consistency changes, which are due to gelation of actin associated with other proteins, have been observed in sucrose extracts of Acanthamoeba and glycerol extracts of sea urchin eggs3,4. ABP was subsequently isolated from extracts of chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) leukocytes5. The CML leukocyte ABP had identical properties to the analogous protein isolated from the rabbit alveolar macrophage. The CML leukocyte ABP in the presence of actin produced a gel that structurally resembled the hyaline ectoplasm of a pseudopod. Since particle contact with the phagocytic membrane leads to generation of a pseudopod, it seemed reasonable that ABP might be associated with the membrane. Using an antibody directed against CML leukocyte ABP coupled with indirect immunological stains, we were able to localise ABP to the cytoplasmic surface of the membrane of normal polymorphonuclear leukocytes.
Phase-Field Modeling of Microstructure Evolution in Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing

In this study, the microstructure evolution in the powder-bed electron beam additive manufacturing (EBAM) process is studied using phase-field modeling. In essence, EBAM involves a rapid solidification process and the properties of a build partly depend on the solidification behavior as well as the microstructure of the build material. Thus, the prediction of microstructure evolution in EBAM is of importance for its process optimization. Phase-field modeling was applied to study the microstructure evolution and solute concentration of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy in the EBAM process. The effect of undercooling was investigated through the simulations; the greater the undercooling, the faster the dendrite grows. The microstructure simulations show multiple columnar-grain growths, comparable with experimental results for the tested range.
45. Is there potential for use of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine as a post-treatment adjuvant?

Background The quadrivalent HPV (qHPV) vaccine (Gardasil®; Merck and Co., Whitehouse Station, NJ) is licensed to prevent anorectal HPV related disease in men and women through age 26 years. We demonstrated previously that qHPV was associated with decreased risk of recurrent HSIL among men who have sex with men (MSM; HR 0.50, 95% CI 0.26–0.98; P = 0.04). We endeavoured to determine if qHPV was effective in preventing condyloma development and recurrence in older MSM patients. Methods: A non-concurrent cohort study of patients vaccinated with qHPV compared with non-vaccinated patients. Those with a history of condyloma were disease free for 1 year. Results: 313 patients with a mean age of 42 years were followed for a median of 981 days. During 773.6 person-years follow-up, condyloma developed in 10 (8.6%) vaccinated patients (incidence 3.7 per 100 person-years) and 37 (18.8%) unvaccinated patients (incidence 7.3 per 100 person-years; P = 0.05). Multivariable hazards ratio showed that qHPV was associated with decreased risk of anal condyloma development (HR 0.45; 95% CI 0.22–0.92; P = 0.03). Kaplan–Meier (KM) survival analysis showed significantly reduced recurrence out to 4 years (cumulative incidence vaccinated 0.1 vs unvaccinated 0.25; P = 0.04). In the smaller subset of 103 patients with a history of condyloma, KM survival analysis showed striking separation of curves in the vaccinated vs unvaccinated with the cumulative incidence of recurrence (0.15, 0.35, respectively) but it did not reach significance (P = 0.12). Conclusions: The qHPV vaccine appears to prevent incident and recurrent condyloma in patients older than 26 years and might be a useful post treatment adjuvant.
Selection of volunteers for telephone crisis intervention centers.

This research explores the selection of telephone crisis-intervention volunteers. Both demographic information and personality variables differentiate 30 accepted from 30 rejected volunteers and al...
Relationship of hardiness and religiousness to depression and anger.

Both hardiness and religiousness share spirituality, in the sense of searching for meaning in one’s life, and have been shown to have a buffering effect on stresses that maintains and enhances performance, morale, and health. This study investigates how hardiness and religiousness compare in their relationship to depression, anger, and the coping and social support mechanisms whereby they may have these relationships. Participants were military and governmental personnel who completed accepted measures of hardiness, religiousness, and other variables on a volunteer basis. Correlational and multiple regression analyses showed that, by comparison with religiousness, hardiness has the larger and more comprehensive negative relationship with depression and anger, and positive relationship with coping and social support. The conceptual and empirical implications of these findings are discussed.
Optical 2-D image transforms with wavelength multiplexing

Abstract Wavelength multiplexing is being used to perform a linear 2-dimensional transform with separable kernal of a 2 dimensional image. As an experimental demonstration, an 8 × 8 Walsh-Hadamard transform is accomplished serially, line by line.
Operational Assessment of Heavy Air Tankers

Flight data collected by various P2V and P3A air tankers in actual operation over several seasons have been used to construct statistical information on aircraft usage and maneuver load spectra in this role. The data used for this report consist of 5316 flight files, collected during the 2008 and 2009 fire seasons. Flights have been divided into multiple phases, separating the segments when retardant is dropped from others. Basic flight parameters such as airspeed, altitude, flight duration and distance, bank, and pitch angles are shown in statistical form. Vertical accelerations are used to construct V−n diagrams for comparison with the manufacturers’ data. Airframe cycle times are shown to be approximately 45 min. Several coincident flight events are shown and compared with operational limits when available. The altitudes, the normal accelerations, and the airspeeds have not revealed any operation outside of the established boundaries. Relatively large dive and roll angles were prominently present durin...
Cell lineage analysis of germ cells of Drosophila melanogaster

THE initial events of differentiation of genetically identical nuclei within the eggs of higher organisms are generally believed to be triggered by a heterogeneous distribution of substances within the egg1,2. One of the clearest examples of such differential distribution of determinative substances concerns the posterior polar plasm of some insects. Morphological observations suggest that all cleavage nuclei in such insects have identical developmental potential, and that only the few nuclei that chance to migrate to the posterior polar region and thus to include a sufficient quantity of the morphologically distinguishable polar plasm, acquire the capacity to give rise to the germ line3. Various experimental approaches4–8 have provided very strong, although not compelling 9 evidence for such a causal relationship between the polar plasm and germ line differentiation. Genetic fate mapping experiments described here strongly suggest that the germ cells of Drosophila melanogaster originate from the posterior-most region of the blastoderm, and they unequivocally rule out the possibility that the germ cells originate from a mid-dorsal position10. The posterior-most location of the germ cells supports, or at least is consistent with, the notion that the polar plasm determines whether or not a given cleavage nucleus will acquire the capacity to differentiate into a germ cell.
Adolescents and Movie Ratings: Is Psychological Reactance a Theoretical Explanation for the Forbidden Fruit Effect?

Adolescents were recruited to participate in an experiment to assess whether psychological reactance can provide a theoretical explanation for the forbidden fruit effect in the context of movie rating restrictions. In addition to examining if movie ratings served as antecedents to freedom threat perceptions, we investigated the role authoritarian parents had on freedom threat perception and reactance arousal. Results indicated that a movie with an NC-17 rating was perceived as a stronger freedom threat than R and PG-13 rated movies. Interestingly, adolescents who perceived their parents to be authoritarian were less likely to view movie ratings as a freedom threat. As expected, freedom threat perceptions were positively associated with psychological reactance. Reactance, in turn, was positively associated with both first and third person attitudes. The results are discussed with an emphasis on the theoretical and practical implications of the findings.
Large Mass Hierarchy from a Small Extra Dimension

We propose a new higher-dimensional mechanism for solving the hierarchy problem. The weak scale is generated from the Planck scale through an exponential hierarchy. However, this exponential arises not from gauge interactions but from the background metric (which is a slice of ${\mathrm{AdS}}_{5}$ spacetime). We demonstrate a simple explicit example of this mechanism with two 3-branes, one of which contains the standard model fields. The phenomenology of these models is new and dramatic. None of the current constraints on theories with very large extra dimensions apply.
PIV Measurement of the Transient Fluid Flow due to the Adsorption of Particles

The particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique is used to study the physics of particle adsorption and the spontaneous dispersion of powders that occurs when particles come in contact with a fluid-liquid interface. The dispersion can occur so quickly that it appears explosive, especially for small particles on the surface of mobile liquids like water. The measurements show that the adsorption of a spherical particle causes an axisymmetric streaming flow about the vertical line passing through the center of the particle. The fluid directly below the particle rises upward, and near the surface, it moves away from the particle. The flow, which develops within a fraction of second after the adsorption of the particle, persists for several seconds. The flow strength, and the volume over which it extends, decrease with decreasing particle size. The streaming flow induced by the adsorption of two or more particles is a combination of the flows which they induce individually.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Relationship between self-esteem and internal-external control for men and women.

Fish and Karabenick ( 1971) investigated the relationship between Rotter's (1966) Internal-External Control Scale and Janis and Field's (1959) Feelings of Inadequacy Scale for males only. AS predicted, there was a significant correlation of -.28 (p < .001), indicating that men with higher self-esteem tend to be internally oriented. Such an outcome is not surprising since earlier investiga[ions have indicated that internals describe themselves as being self-confident, independent, assertive, persevering and insightful, while externals tend to describe themselves unfavorably, as being self-pitying, anxious and inadequate. In light of recent studies which indicate that many of the correlates of locus of control differ for men and women (Hjelle & Clouser, 1970; Platt, Pomeranz, Eisenman, & DeLisser, 1970; Ryckman, Martens, Rodda, & Sherman, 1972), it was decided to administer the same measures to 178 men and 204 women registered in introduccory psychology during a class to check the correlation for women.
PICASSO: an end-to-end image simulation tool for space and airborne imaging systems II. Extension to the thermal infrared: equations and methods

In a previous paper in this series, we described how The Aerospace Corporation's Parameterized Image Chain Analysis & Simulation SOftware (PICASSO) tool may be used to model space and airborne imaging systems operating in the visible to near-infrared (VISNIR). PICASSO is a systems-level tool, representative of a class of such tools used throughout the remote sensing community. It is capable of modeling systems over a wide range of fidelity, anywhere from conceptual design level (where it can serve as an integral part of the systems engineering process) to as-built hardware (where it can serve as part of the verification process). In the present paper, we extend the discussion of PICASSO to the modeling of Thermal Infrared (TIR) remote sensing systems, presenting the equations and methods necessary to modeling in that regime.
Effect of Nitroglycerin on the Coronary Circulation in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease or Increased Left Ventricular Work

Except for the electrocardiogram objective evaluation of the functional state of the coronary circulation in man is often difficult. The nature of the coronary circulation in the presence of known coronary insufficiency has not been evaluated. In this report, 17 patients were studied of whom 14 had angina pectoris. Observations were made of coronary blood flow and hemodynamics both at rest and following administration of nitroglycerin. The authors conclude that resting coronary flow is normal, but cannot increase further with dilators. They consider this phenomenon a consequence of prior exhaustion of the dilator capacity of the arterioles in compensation for the atherosclerotic obstruction of the coronary tree. The "fixed flow" concept is suggested as an objective means of detecting coronary insufficiency. Nitrites probably relieve pain in some manner other than general coronary dilatation.
General results for the decays D → πℓν and B → πℓν

Abstract Results are given for the two form factors for D→ π l ν and B→ π l ν at the soft pion limit. The deriviation depends only on pion PCAC and heavy quark spin symmetry. The usefulness of these results is discussed.
Serum Obstruction of Aqueous Outflow in Enucleated Eyes

We perfused enucleated human eyes via the anterior chamber by the constant pressure technique. Infusion of human serum into the anterior chamber of enucleated human eyes for 30 minutes at 23 mm Hg pressure induced a 42% decrease in facility of outflow, which was not relieved by irrigation of the anterior chamber with balanced salt solution or alpha-chymotrypsin. Diluted serum also reduced the facility of outflow. Measured in a glass viscometer, diluted serum had less viscosity than undiluted, but interfered with outflow from the eye more than anticipated on the basis of viscosity alone. When we used lens depression to induce tension on the iridocorneal angle to simulate the effects of contraction of the ciliary muscle, outflow facility increased in control eyes that had not been exposed to serum and in serum-perfused eyes. However, the partial obstruction to outflow that had been induced by serum persisted. Normal serum components may become adsorbed or entrapped in the aqueous outflow system so as to obstruct outflow, and this may result in secondary glaucoma in eyes with chronic uveitis.
Ophiolites and oceanic crust

OPHIOLITES consist of a pseudostratiform sequence, of harzburgite, tectonite, ultramafic and mafic cumulates sometimes including gabbro and quartz diorite (plagiogranite) intrusions, dolerite dyke swarms, pillow lava1, and deep-sea sediments2–4. This assemblage occurs in all Phanerozoic mountain systems and is interpreted as fossil oceanic crust and uppermost mantle5–10. Outstanding problems include differences between the chemical properties of Ophiolites and rocks thought to represent present-day oceanic crust11,12, the lack in some complexes of recognised dyke swarms or cumulates, and the relative thinness of ophiolite mafic rocks compared with standard oceanic crustal sections5,8,13.
Chemically induced porphyria: prevention by prior treatment with phenobarbital.

The excessive induction of hepatic δ-aminolevulinic acid synthetase in rats after the administration of porphyria-inducing compounds is prevented by prior treatment with phenobarbital. Studies in vivo and in vitro indicate that phenobarbital prevents the induction of chemical porphyria by increasing the rate of detoxification of inducers by way of drug-metabolizing enzymes of the hepatic endoplasmic reticulum.
Robotic Surgery in Gynecology: An Updated Systematic Review

The introduction of da Vinci Robotic Surgery to the field of Gynecology has resulted in large changes in surgical management. The robotic platform allows less experienced laparoscopic surgeons to perform more complex procedures. In general gynecology and reproductive gynecology, the robot is being increasingly used for procedures such as hysterectomies, myomectomies, adnexal surgery, and tubal anastomosis. Among urogynecology the robot is being utilized for sacrocolopexies. In the field of gynecologic oncology, the robot is being increasingly used for hysterectomies and lymphadenectomies in oncologic diseases. Despite the rapid and widespread adoption of robotic surgery in gynecology, there are no randomized trials comparing its efficacy and safety to other traditional surgical approaches. Our aim is to update previously published reviews with a focus on only comparative observational studies. We determined that, with the right amount of training and skill, along with appropriate patient selection, robotic surgery can be highly advantageous. Patients will likely have less blood loss, less post-operative pain, faster recoveries, and fewer complications compared to open surgery and potentially even laparoscopy. However, until larger, well-designed observational studies or randomized control trials are completed which report long-term outcomes, we cannot definitively state the superiority of robotic surgery over other surgical methods.
The isostatic state of the lunar apennines and regional surroundings

High-resolution gravity and topography data taken over the Apennine Mountains have been used to compute their isostatic state. Results show that the Apennines are uncompensated; thus this state implies that the lunar crust and upper mantle have been strong enough over 3.9 b.y. to support the load exerted by this topographic excess. The Apennines produce a maximum shear stress of 60 bars at a depth of 60 km. A lower bound on the lunar crustal viscosity of 10 to the 27th power P is calculated on the basis of the assumption of a 10% relaxation over 3.9 b.y. Studies of a broad negative regional anomaly located between Maria Serenitatis and Imbrium necessitate a locally thicker crust to satisfy the observed data. This anomaly may have been produced by a lateral transport of crustal material from beneath the giant impact basins as a result of rebound at the crust-mantle interface.
Can facial metrology predict gender

We investigate the question of whether facial metrology can be exploited for reliable gender prediction. A new method based solely on metrological information from facial landmarks is developed. Here, metrological features are defined in terms of specially normalized angle and distance measures and computed based on given landmarks on facial images. The performance of the proposed metrology-based method is compared with that of a state-of-the-art appearance-based method for gender classification. Results are reported on two standard face databases, namely, MUCT and XM2VTS containing 276 and 295 images, respectively. The performance of the metrology-based approach was slightly lower than that of the appearance-based method by only about 3.8% for the MUCT database and about 5.7% for the XM2VTS database.
Explorer 35 measurements of low-energy plasma in lunar orbit

Explorer 35 measurements of low energy plasma in lunar orbit made by planar multigrid sensor programmed as retarding potential analyzer
Auger characteristics of BaO layers on various substrates

Abstract The charge transfer interactions between a BaO monolayer adsorbate and various substrates were determined from interatomic Auger transitions (Ba 4d, Ba 5p, valence) in the 65 to 75 V energy range as well as from the changes in the O KLL lines in the 480 to 520 V region. The results showed that a greater charge transfer existed between O and oxide-forming metals such as W and Nb than on “noble” metals such as Ir and Rh. (For the purpose of this paper, these metals were designated here as “interactive” and “noninteractive” respectively.) For the interactive case, the majority of the contribution to the negative charge on the O seemed to come from the substrate rather than the Ba and these electrons also appeared to be bound more tightly. For the noninteractive substrates, there were fewer and more loosely bound electrons on the O and these were obtained mostly from the Ba rather than from the substrate. However, the smaller charge transfer noted between the O and these substrates was compensated here by a sizeable charge transfer interaction between the Ba and the substrate, i.e. the Ba giving 6s electrons to the substrate, thus becoming more positively charged. Variations were noted in the intensity of the interactions between the BaO adsorbate and different substrates of the same type (i.e. either interactive or noninteractive types), and these are discussed as are also the effects of BaO-BaO interactions.
Evidence for serpentinization of the forearc mantle wedge along the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica

[1] Characterizing the hydration state of the forearc mantle wedge yields valuable information on frictional stability at the downdip edge of subduction megathrusts. Simultaneous inversion of P- and S-wave arrival times collected as part of the Costa Rica Seismogenic Zone Experiment yields 1D and 3D P- and S-wave velocity models (VP and VS) for the Nicoya Peninsula segment of the Middle America Trench. Nicoya Peninsula 1D velocity models show similar velocity gradients to country-wide 1D velocity models from 5–30 km depth but diverge at expected Moho depths due to proximity to the subducting Cocos plate. 3D VP values range from 7.2–7.6 km/sec in the forearc mantle wedge. Receiver functions computed at Global Seismic Network station JTS in northwestern Costa Rica confirm these VP values, yield VP/VS of ∼1.85, and place the continental Moho at 36 ± 4 km depth. VP and VP/VS are consistent with 15–25% serpentinization of the forearc mantle wedge.
Loss of P retinal ganglion cell function in resolved optic neuritis

To determine the relative loss of P and M (X and Y) ganglion cell function in unilateral resolved optic neuritis, 10 patients with 20/20 or better Snellen acuity in both eyes had contrast sensitivity testing, color vision testing, and automated perimetry. We used contrast sensitivity gratings of 0.5 cycles per degree (cpd) with a rate of counterphase temporal modulation of 30 Hz and gratings of 11.4 cpd at 1 Hz. On 1 trial, patients responded when they detected the pattern of the grating and on the next trial when they 1st perceived movement. There was a significant difference in the 1 Hz high spatial frequency pattern and movement results suggesting loss of P cell function. Two patients were unable to perceive any movement with their involved eye with this target, but could detect the pattern. There was no significant difference between the involved and uninvolved eyes in the low spatial frequency pattern detection values. This is a function ascribed to the M cell. There was also loss of low spatial frequency movement detection. Although there was significant depression of the entire visual field in the involved eye, the probability plots showed the most significant loss in the cecocentral area. Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue color testing was also abnormal. Greater involvement of P than M ganglion cell axons may explain these contrast sensitivity abnormalities, central scotomata, and color vision loss.
Retinoids and photodamage

Extensive well-controlled clinical studies performed over the past 5 years have demonstrated a consistent, dose-dependent, statistically significant improvement in the appearance of photodamaged skin after 3-6 months of daily treatment with topical 0.001-0.1% tretinoin cream. Clinical changes included decreases in surface roughness, irregular pigmentation, fine and coarse wrinkling, and sallowness. Actinic keratoses have also been reported to decrease in size and number. Blinded analysis of biopsies from more than 500 subjects showed that there was compaction of the stratum corneum, an increase in the number of granular layers, thickening of the epidermis and a decrease in epidermal melanin. There were no detectable histological changes in any dermal parameters. The specific cellular mechanisms by which retinoic acid (RA) exerts its beneficial effect on photodamaged skin are currently the subject of intensive investigation. It is well established that RA enters the nucleus where it binds to an RA receptor (RAR), and that the RA-RAR complex then binds to specific RA response elements in the DNA, modulating the expression of target genes. It is thus likely that RA improves at least some aspects of photoageing by modifying cellular differentiation programmes, as retinoids have been shown to do during embryogenesis, in malignantly transformed cells and in skin affected by certain dermatoses.
Deoxyhexanucleotide containing a vinyl chloride induced DNA lesion, 1,N6-ethenoadenine: synthesis, physical characterization, and incorporation into a duplex bacteriophage M13 genome as part of an amber codon.

Organic synthesis and recombinant DNA techniques have been used to situate a single 1,N/sup 6/-ethenoadenine (epsilon Ade) DNA adduct at an amber codon in the genome of an M13mp19 phage derivative. The deoxyhexanucleotide d(GCT(epsilon A)GC) was chemically synthesized by the phosphotriester method. Physical studies involving fluorescence, circular dichroism , and /sup 1/H NMR indicated epsilon Ade to be very efficiently stacked in the hexamer, especially with the 5'-thymine. Melting profile and circular dichroism studies provided evidence of the loss of base-pairing capabilities attendant with formation of the etheno ring. The modified hexanucleotide was incorporated into a six-base gap formed in the genome of an M13mp19 insertion mutant. Phage of the insertion mutant, M13mp19-NheI, produced light blue plaques on SupE strains because of the introduced amber codon. Formation of a hybrid between the single-strand DNA (plus strand) of M13mp19-NheI with SmaI-linearized M13mp19 replicative form produced a heteroduplex with a six-base gap in the minus strand. The modified hexamer (5'-/sup 32/P)d-(GCT(epsilon A)GC), after 5'-phosphorylation, was ligated into this gap by using bacteriophage T4 DNA ligase to generate a singly adducted genome with epsilon Ade at minus strand position 6274. Introduction of the radiolabel provided a useful marker for characterization of the singlymore » adducted genome, and indeed the label appeared in the anticipated fragments when digested by several restriction endonucleases. Evidence that ligation occurred on both 5' and 3' sides of the oligonucleotide also was obtained. The M13mp19-NheI genome containing epsilon Ade will be used as a probe for studying mutagenesis and repair of this DNA adduct in Escherichia coli.« less
Structure of the angiogenesis inhibitor ovalicin bound to its noncognate target, human Type 1 methionine aminopeptidase.

Methionine aminopeptidases (MetAPs) remove the initiator methionine during protein biosynthesis. They exist in two isoforms, MetAP1 and MetAP2. The anti-angiogenic compound fumagillin binds tightly to the Type 2 MetAPs but only weakly to Type 1. High-affinity complexes of fumagillin and its relative ovalicin with Type 2 human MetAP have been reported. Here we describe the crystallographic structure of the low-affinity complex between ovalicin and Type 1 human MetAP at 1.1 A resolution. This provides the first opportunity to compare the structures of ovalicin or fumagillin bound to a Type 1 and a Type 2 MetAP. For both Type 1 and Type 2 human MetAPs the inhibitor makes a covalent adduct with a corresponding histidine. At the same time there are significant differences in the alignment of the inhibitors within the respective active sites. It has been argued that the lower affinity of ovalicin and fumagillin for the Type 1 MetAPs is due to the smaller size of their active sites relative to the Type 2 enzymes. Comparison with the uncomplexed structure of human Type 1 MetAP indicates that there is some truth to this. Several active site residues have to move “outward” by 0.5 A or so to accommodate the inhibitor. Other residues move “inward.” There are, however, other factors that come into play. In particular, the side chain of His310 rotates by 134° into a different position where (together with Glu128 and Tyr195) it coordinates a metal ion not seen at this site in the native enzyme.
COLICINE K : VI. THE IMMUNE RESPONSE OF HORSES TO A COLICINOGENIC STRAIN OF ESCHERICHIA COLI.

1. The immunization of horses with the colicinogenic bacillus E. coli K235 L + O(m) stimulates antibodies which precipitate and neutralize colicine K and neutralize the heterologous colicine I as well. 2. Unlike rabbits, horses evoke predpitating antibodies for the sialic acid-containing polysaccharide colominic acid.
A rapid silver-free method for staining the myenteric plexus.

A method is presented for the relatively rapid demonstration of the myenteric plexus. Saturated Sudan black B in 70% ethanol followed by 0.01% aqueous buffered thionin were used on intestinal peels (whole-mounts) to stain myelinated and unmyelinated fibers and neuron cell bodies, respectively. In contrast to accepted silver methods, these two kinds of fibers were distinguished clearly; Schwann cell nuclei and nodes of Ranvier were visible. Preparations had the following attributes: relatively low optical density coupled with high visual contrast, freedom from metallic “mirroring,” low background staining of subjacent muscle fibers, and presentation of a polychromatic picture. The entire procedure was under the complete and repeatable control of the operator. Perikaryon and nuclear morphology were clearly demonstrated. The limitations of this method are that it does not provide good visualization of individual unmyelinated neuronal processes and does not permit preparation of permanent slides.
Removal of Nonspecifically Bound Proteins on Microarrays Using Surface Acoustic Waves

Nonspecific binding of proteins is an ongoing problem that dramatically reduces the sensitivity and selectivity of biosensors. We demonstrate that ultrasonic waves generated by surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices remove nonspecifically bound proteins from the sensing and nonsensing regions of the microarrays. We demonstrate our approach for controllably and nondestructively cleaning the microarray interface. In this work, SAWs were generated using 128 YX lithium niobate, chosen for its high coupling coefficient and efficient power transfer to mechanical motion. These waves propagating along the surface were coupled into specifically bound and nonspecifically bound proteins on a patterned surface of 40 mum feature size. Fluorescence intensity was used to quantify cleaning efficacy of the microarrays. Our results have shown that excess protein layers and aggregates are removed leaving highly uniform films as evidenced by fluorescence intensity profiles. Selected antigen-receptor interactions remained bound during the acoustic cleaning process when subjected to 11.25 mW of power and retained their efficacy for subsequent antigen capture. Results demonstrate near-complete fluorescence signal recovery for both the sensing and nonsensing regions of the microarrays. Of significance is that our approach can be integrated into existing array technologies where sensing and nonsensing regions are extensively fouled. We believe that this technology will be pivotal in the development and advancement of microsensors and their biological applications.
Optimal Geometric Control of Power Buffers

Modern power electronics are capable of regulating loads with bandwidths so high that they essentially enforce constant power on millisecond timescales and contribute to system-wide voltage instability problems. Active front-end control of such loads that implement a power buffer function has been shown to mitigate instability, but has relied on complicated hybrid control techniques. This paper proposes a geometric control surface that implements the power buffer function by coupling the input impedance to the stored energy and by altering the source and load dynamics. The surface is derived from optimal control theory where importance is placed on maintaining continuous input impedance and retaining as much local energy as possible. The optimal control is a tradeoff between the needs of the system and the needs of the load. This paper introduces a geometric control surface based on a change of variables that simply and effectively implements a power buffer function. The formulation and implementation of the optimal surface are presented, in addition to experimental validation of the new power buffer control law.
Applications of Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence

Chemiluminescence (bioluminescence) arises from the excited states of products of an exothermic reaction. It is analogous to photoluminescence in that the individual excited molecular species are not in thermal equilibrium with their neighbors nor with the solvent molecules. Since relaxation to stable energy levels occurs at rates corresponding to vibrational collision frequencies (ca. 1012 sec−1) the negative free energy change in the chemical reaction leading to the electronically excited product must occur as a single step. During the lifetime of the excited state (ca. 10−9 sec) of the product molecule, non-luminescent pathways such as quenching (formation of non-fluorescent excimers), energy transfer to non-fluorescent acceptors and intramolecular radiationless deactivation may compete with the luminescent transition to the ground state. In general, three criteria must be satisfied simultaneously to achieve a sensible chemiluminescence. These are $$- \Delta F \geqslant \frac{{hc}}{{{\lambda _m}}}$$ where ⋋ is the long wavelength limit for excitation of the product molecule and ∆F is the free energy change for the reaction.
Spontaneous Post-Hypnotic Amnesia and Spontaneous Rehypnotic Recovery in Repressers

The Salpetriere school of hypnosis posited that true hypnotic effects occur spontaneously in people with repressive tendencies. Consistent with this early position, the current study indicates that both spontaneous amnesia after hypnosis and spontaneous recovery during rehypnosis are statistically associated with repression (but not with hypnotic suggestibility). In contrast, both suggested forgetting and suggested recovery are statistically associated with hypnotic suggestibility (but not with repression). Whereas the latter effects of suggestibility are attributable to the demand characteristics of hypnotic suggestions, the spontaneous effects of hypnosis on repressers' memories are not reducible to social psychological principles.
Suppression of activation and costimulatory signaling in splenic CD4+ T cells after trauma-hemorrhage reduces T-cell function: a mechanism of post-traumatic immune suppression.

Reduced immune function is frequently a consequence of serious injury such as trauma-hemorrhage (T-H). Injury may lead to reduced T-cell activation, resulting in decreased engagement of costimulatory molecules after antigen recognition and in subsequent immunological compromise and anergy. We hypothesized that inhibition of CD28 expression is one possible mechanism by which immune functions are suppressed after T-H. Male C3H/HeN mice (with or without ovalbumin immunization) were subjected to sham operation or T-H and sacrificed after 24 hours. Splenic T cells were then stimulated with concanavalin A or ovalbumin in vivo or in vitro, and CD28, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4), CD69, and phospho-Akt expression was determined. T-cell proliferation/cytokine production was measured in vitro. Stimulation-induced CD69, CD28, and phospho-Akt up-regulation were significantly impaired after T-H compared with sham-operated animals; however, CTLA-4 expression was significantly higher in the T-H group. Over a 3-day span, stimulated T cells from sham-operated animals showed significantly higher proliferation compared with the T-H group. IL-2 and IFN-γ were elevated in sham-operated animals, whereas IL-4 and IL-5 rose in the T-H group, revealing a shift from TH1 to TH2 type cytokine production after T-H. Dysregulation of the T-cell costimulatory pathway is therefore likely to be a significant contributor to post-traumatic immune suppression.
Topological order in a correlated Chern insulator

We study the effect of electron-electron interactions in a spinful Chern insulator. For weak on-site repulsive interactions at half-filling, the system is a weakly correlated Chern insulator adiabatically connected to the noninteracting ground state, while in the limit of infinitely strong repulsion the system is described by an effective spin model recently predicted to exhibit a chiral spin liquid ground state. In the regime of large but finite repulsion, we find an exotic gapped phase with characteristics partaking of both the noninteracting Chern insulator and the chiral spin liquid. This phase has an integer quantized Hall conductivity $2{e}^{2}/h$ and quasiparticles with electric charges that are integer multiples of the electron charge $e$, but the ground state on the torus is fourfold degenerate and quasiparticles have fractional statistics. We discuss how these unusual properties affect the outcome of a charge pumping experiment and, by deriving the topological field theory, elucidate that the topological order is of the exotic ${\mathbb{Z}}_{2}$ double-semion type.
Getting what we deserve: Health and medical care in America

Getting what we deserve: Health and medical care in America, by Alfred Sommer, Baltimore, MD, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009, 133 pp., including notes, US$21.95 (hardcover), ISBN-13 978-0-801...
Validation of Panel Damping Loss Factor Estimation Algorithms Using a Computational Model

Panel damping loss factors are estimated in full octave frequency bands with standard 1/3 octave band center frequency using a finite element model of a rectangular plate mechanically exited at a single point. The Impulse Response Decay Method (IRDM) and the Random Decrement (RD) techniques are studied for a range of loss factor from 0.001 to 0.1. The effect of considering varying numbers of response points was the primary focus. The effect of alternative time-domain filtering schemes for the RD method is also considered.
Multistage robust filtering for linear systems

A multistage robust filtering procedure is developed for a linear, discrete, stochastic system where state noise and initial state are assumed to be zero-mean Gaussian and partial measurement covariance norm is bounded from below. Using minimax approach, it is shown that the least favorable measurement density is multivariable patched Gaussian and the best estimate is multi-dimensional soft limiter.
Assessment of hippocampal and autonomic neural activity by point process models

The development of statistical models that accurately describe the stochastic structure of neural oscillations is a fast growing area in quantitative research. In developing a novel statistical paradigm based on Bayes' theorem and the theory of point processes, we focused our recent research on two applications. The first studies how hippocampal neural activity represents and transmits information, whereas the second is aimed at characterizing activity of the central autonomic network as involved in cardiovascular control.
Locally-adaptive and memetic evolutionary pattern search algorithms

Recent convergence analyses of evolutionary pattern search algorithms (EPSAs) have shown that these methods have a weak stationary point convergence theory for a broad class of unconstrained and linearly constrained problems. This paper describes how the convergence theory for EPSAs can be adapted to allow each individual in a population to have its own mutation step length (similar to the design of evolutionary programing and evolution strategies algorithms). These are called locally-adaptive EPSAs (LA-EPSAs) since each individual's mutation step length is independently adapted in different local neighborhoods. The paper also describes a variety of standard formulations of evolutionary algorithms that can be used for LA-EPSAs. Further, it is shown how this convergence theory can be applied to memetic EPSAs, which use local search to refine points within each iteration.
Colonialism and Forestry in India: Imagining the Past in Present Politics

Forests in India are at the center of highly charged conflicts. Use of the past by the different historical subjects engaged in these contests over forest lands in India results in several threads intertwined across a shared frame. I shall try to unravel only one strand in this essay, namely, the official ideologies implicated in colonial forestry and the technologies of power that it spawned. I will show how the colonial state, drawing on several pasts, constructed the question of forests in India.
Radioactivity of the Earth and the Case for Potassium in the Earth’s Core

The radioactivity of the earth is an important parameter in understanding the dynamics of the planet and the evolution of the crust-mantle-core system but geochemical and geophysical approaches have had only a limited success in defining it. The opportunity of a direct estimate of the radioactivity of the earth by measurement of the geoneutrino flux takes on an added significance in this context. Such an independent new measurement will help resolve and/or clarify a number of questions about global scale processes in the earth and will help advance earth sciences.
Insecticidal Activity of Floral, Foliar, and Root Extracts of Tagetes minuta (Asterales: Asteraceae) Against Adult Mexican Bean Weevils (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

Experiments were conducted to determine speed of action and toxicities of extracts of Tagetes minuta L., a source of naturally occurring insecticidal compounds. LC50 values for male and female Mexican bean weevils, Zabrotes subfasciatus (Boheman), were determined for floral, foliar, and root extracts of T. minuta. The 24-h LC50 values ranged from 138 µg/cm2 for males exposed to the root extract (most susceptible) to 803 µg/cm2 for females exposed to the foliar extract (least susceptible). Increasing the duration of exposure to 48 h decreased all LC50 values 20-30 µg/cm2. Males were more susceptible than females. The time to incapacitation for 50% of the test insects (IT 50) for floral and foliar extracts indicated fast-acting, volatile components, whereas the root extract data indicated slower-acting components, likely a result of the interaction of photophase with timedependent efficacy. Floral and foliar extracts of T. minuta may be useful as insecticides for controlling stored-product pests.
208: Cardiac Transplant Anastomosis and the Need for Permanent Pacemaker Implantation: An Analysis of the United Network for Organ Sharing Database

Cardiac Transplant Anastomosis and the Need for Permanent Pacemaker Implantation: An Analysis of the United Network for Organ Sharing Database R.R. Davies, M.J. Russo, R.A. Sorabella, A.C. Gelijns, A.J. Mosckowitz, Y. Naka, J.M. Chen, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; International Center for Health Outcomes and Innovations Research (InCHOIR), Columbia University, New York, NY
Indirect consequentialism, suboptimality, and friendship

: Critics have persistently charged that indirect consequentialism, despite the best efforts of its defenders, ultimately fails to appropriately account for friendship in the face of the alienation generated by the harsh demands of consequentialism. Robert F. Card has recently alleged that the dispositional emphasis of indirect consequentialism renders its defender incapable of rejecting problematic friendships that are seriously suboptimal. I argue that Card's criticism not only fails to undermine indirect consequentialism, but in fact provides considerations that both help us to better understand the theory and ultimately weigh in favor of it over Card's own brand of sophisticated consequentialism.
Mediation of Pyrethroid Insecticide Toxicity to Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) by Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenases

Honey bees, Apis mellifera L., often thought to be extremely susceptible to insecticides in general, exhibit considerable variation in tolerance to pyrethroid insecticides. Although some pyrethroids, such as cyfluthrin and lambda-cyhalothrin, are highly toxic to honey bees, the toxicity of tau-fluvalinate is low enough to warrant its use to control parasitic mites inside honey bee colonies. Metabolic insecticide resistance in other insects is mediated by three major groups of detoxifying enzymes: the cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s), the carboxylesterases (COEs), and the glutathione S-transferases (GSTs). To test the role of metabolic detoxification in mediating the relatively low toxicity of tau-fluvalinate compared with more toxic pyrethroid insecticides, we examined the effects of piperonyl butoxide (PBO), S,S,S-tributylphosphorotrithioate (DEF), and diethyl maleate (DEM) on the toxicity of these pyrethroids. The toxicity of the three pyrethroids to bees was greatly synergized by the P450 inhibitor PBO and synergized at low levels by the carboxylesterase inhibitor DEF. Little synergism was observed with DEM. These results suggest that metabolic detoxification, especially that mediated by P450s, contributes significantly to honey bee tolerance of pyrethroid insecticides. The potent synergism between tau-fluvalinate and PBO suggests that P450s are especially important in the detoxification of this pyrethroid and explains the ability of honey bees to tolerate its presence.