cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Concurrent isolation and characterization of oligodendrocytes, microglia and astrocytes from adult human spinal cord.

Abstract A cellular preparation of highly enriched oligodendrocytes was obtained from adult human spinal cord by Percoll gradient centrifugation followed by either differential adhesion or fluorescence-activated cell sorting after immunostaining with an antibody against galactocerebroside (Ol). The adherent and O1-negative cell fractions were ⪢96% microglia. The non-adherent and O1-positive fractions were ⪢96% positive for the oligodendrocyte markers O4 and O1, 0–2% positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein, and were devoid of neuronal or microglial markers. If the oligodendrocyte fraction was co-cultured with purified dissociated rat dorsal root ganglion neurons, the oligodendrocytes adhered to the axons and their numbers increased over a 4 week period. However, myelin sheaths were not produced around axons in these cultures. In contrast, if the oligodendrocyte cell fraction was grown alone in culture for ⪢3 weeks, the number of oligodendrocytes decreased and a layer of astrocytes developed underneath the oligodendrocytes. The oligodendrocytes could be eliminated from these cultures by subsequent passaging, thus producing cultures of pure astrocytes. The astrocytes accumulated both K + and glutamate with kinetic properties similar to those reported for rodent astrocytes. We suggest that these astrocytes arose in part from an O4/O1-positive precursor which did not initially express glial fibrillary acidic protein. These results define a relatively simple method by which highly enriched populations of oligodendrocytes, astrocytes and microglia can be obtained from adult human spinal cord.
A direct method for determining moments of final state distributions in molecular collisions

A method is developed for directly determining the energy moments of final state distributions in molecular collisions. The method involves the solution of a coupled master-like equation for moments (of a chosen order) corresponding to different possible initial conditions (states) of the collision system. This direct moment equation is derived from exact quantum mechanics through the application of the generalized cumulant expansion approach previously developed. Two levels of treatment are considered : one in which all molecular degrees of freedom are allowed to be fully correlated, with the only approximation on the dynamics being the truncated cumulant expansion ; and a second where only a subset of the complete set of degrees of freedom is treated by the first level of treatment, and effects due to motions of the remaining degrees of freedom are averaged over. A classical mechanical direct moment equation is also derived. Applications of the direct moment (DM) method using a classical impulsive appro...
Effects of ambient temperature upon diurnal activity in nutritionally iron-deficient rats

Urinary catecholamine excretion is increased in rats that suffer from dietary iron deficiency. This is apparently a compensation for impaired heat production, since such animals are unable to maintain body temperature in cold environments. Evidence is presented that such animals do not increase voluntary activity as a compensatory mechanism under conditions of cold stress.
Beta-adrenergic receptor regulation of growth factor protein levels in human choroidal endothelial cells.

Remodeling of the choroidal vasculature is a prominent factor in age-related macular degeneration. While many of the growth factors involved in this vascular remodeling are known, their regulation remains much less so. The hypothesis of the present study was that stimulation of human choroidal endothelial cells with the beta-adrenergic receptor agonist isoproterenol would lead to an increase in pigment epithelial derived factor (PEDF) and angiopoietin 1 (Ang1), markers of a stable vasculature. Protein levels of PEDF and Ang1 were significantly increased following stimulation with isoproterenol. However, isoproterenol also significantly increased protein levels of vascular endothelial cell growth factor, which is active during vasculature remodeling. These data suggest that beta-adrenergic receptor agonists are likely upstream of a number of growth factors implicated in ocular disease and have multiple effects on choroidal endothelial cells. Modulation of this signaling in the choroid may offer a new avenu...
Vibration signature and modal analysis of multi-stage gear transmission

Abstract An analysis is presented for multi-stage multi-mesh gear transmission systems which predicts the overall system dynamics and transmissibility to the gear box or the enclosed structure. The modal synthesis approach of the analysis treats the uncoupled lateral/torsional modal characteristics of each stage or component independently. The vibration signature analysis evaluates the global dynamics coupling in the system. The method synthesizes the interaction of each modal component or stage with nonlinear gear mesh dynamics and modal support geometry characteristics. The analysis simulates transient and steady state vibration events due to torque variations, speed changes, rotor imbalances and gear box support motion excitations. A vibration signature analysis scheme examines the overall dynamic characteristics of the system, and the individual modal component responses. The gear box vibration analysis also examines the spectral characteristics of the support system.
Carbon structures in silicon carbide derived carbon

Abstract Carbide derived carbon (CDC) produced by etching SiC in halogens has been investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Depending on experimental conditions, CDC may contain sp3- or sp2-bonded carbon phases. Amorphous carbon, poorly ordered turbostratic carbon with lattice spacing exceeding values of 0.35 nm as well as highly ordered graphite were observed. sp3-Bonded structures consist of mainly lonsdaleite and cubic diamond nanocrystals. Hexagonal diamond polytypes and n-diamond have been synthesized. During the annealing process, diamond nanocrystals eventually transform to sp2-bonded carbons. The transformation process of hexagonal diamond nanocrystals produces spherical onion type structures. These structures appear either hollow or dense. The latter shows a decrease in lattice spacing compared to d/n values for graphite. Graphitic structures include multi-wall nanotubes, polyhedral particles and ribbons. The graphitization during chlorination of samples may eventually lead to the formation of planar graphite.
Approximation of the Sine-Wave Response of Photographic Emulsions

In recent years several attempts have been made to approximate experimentally determined sine-wave responses of photographic emulsions by a mathematical function. In this paper, curve-fitting techniques, using four types of functions with a single parameter, were applied to those sine-wave response curves which did not show appreciable adjacency effects. The Bravais-Pearson correlation coeffcients indicated that the 1/(1+N2)-type function, suggested by several authors, fits the sine-wave response curves of the tested emulsions best.
Schizophrenia classification with single-trial MEG during language processing

Language disorder is a core symptom associated with schizophrenia. This study investigates schizophrenia classification based on brain activity during language processing. 6 healthy controls and 6 schizophrenia patients were instructed to read words and sentences silently while 248 channel magnetoencephalography (MEG) signals were recorded. For each trial, power spectral features were extracted in 8 frequency bands from all channels which form a spectral-spatial feature set. Top features ranked by F-score were fed into machine learning based classifiers for patient and control classification. Following cross validation procedure, 98.94% and 99.78% accuracies were achieved in classifying 470 word trials and 450 sentence trials, respectively. The high accuracy indicates abnormalities of brain activity during language processing in patient group and show that MEG patterns reflecting such abnormalities can be used to discriminate schizophrenia patients from healthy subjects. The proposed scheme may have potential application in schizophrenia diagnosis and classifying other mental diseases.
Cell position regulates endodermal differentiation in embryonal carcinoma cell aggregates

Abstract It has been suggested that cell position regulates endodermal differentiation in mouse embryo inner cell masses and in aggregates of embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells. This hypothesis states that cells at the interface between the cell mass and blastocoel fluid or culture medium differentiate into endoderm, whereas internally located cells follow alternative developmental pathways. To test the cell position hypothesis, pluripotent PSA-1 cells were aggregated with hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase-deficient, parietal-like, endodermal cells. The resulting aggregates consisted of cores of PSA-1 cells surrounded by endodermal cells. Autoradiography was used to distinguish between endodermal cells that were the products of EC cell differentiation and the exogenous endoderm. Alkaline phosphatase staining was used to distinguish EC cells from endodermal cells. As predicted by the cell position hypothesis, the PSA-1 EC cells, all of which were internally located, did not differentiate into endodermal cells. Nonspecific inhibition of differentiation did not account for the lack of PSA-1-derived endoderm since the PSA-1 cells in such aggregates did differentiate into columnar ectodermal-like cells. Similar experiments were also conducted with F9 cells. In this case, aggregation cultures contained retinoic acid to induce F9 cells to differentiate into visceral endoderm. In cultures containing F9 cells surrounded by parietal-like endodermal cells, no F9-derived endoderm was detected either autoradiographically or by assaying for α-fetoprotein production, a visceral endoderm marker. Thus, retinoic acid-induced endodermal differentiation was also regulated by cell position. Collectively, the above results provide strong evidence for the hypothesis that cell position regulates endodermal differentiation in aggregates of EC cells.
Financing global health 2012: describing the sources and recipients of development assistance for health

Abstract Background Since 2009, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) has released annual estimates of development assistance for health (DAH) from 1990 onward. This study updates these estimates, including preliminary results for 2011 and 2012, to explore trends in DAH over the past two decades. Methods IHME utilises a framework that identifies the entities involved in different steps of the transfer of DAH from source to recipient countries. Our estimates account for transfers between the channels to avoid double counting. We rely on a variety of accounting methods and statistical models to generate our annual database. To identify the amount of DAH allocated to different health focus areas, we used project codes, titles, and descriptions reported by channels of funding, among other sources. Findings Total DAH increased 2·1% year-over-year in 2012 to US$28·1 billion from $27·4 billion, although the total in 2012 was slightly below that of 2010 ($28·2 billion). In 2012, DAH channelled through bilateral agencies decreased 4·4% to $11·5 billion, while GAVI continued to realise a very strong rate of growth to $1·8 billion. In 2010 (the most recent year for which these data are available), sub-Saharan Africa received the largest share of DAH. However, many of the countries with the highest disease burden did not receive the most DAH. Interpretation After a decade of rapid growth from 2001 to 2010, DAH has plateaued from 2010 to 2012. Traditional DAH channels are being forced to recalibrate policies and practices to adapt to a new global health financing landscape. This evolution in funding is occurring as new information emerges about epidemiological profiles around the world, such as the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors 2010 Study. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The funders had no role in writing the manuscript or the decision to submit it for publication.
The effects of environmental oxygen levels on the respiratory function of hemocyanin in the crabs, Libinia emarginata and Ocypode quadrata

The respiratory function of the hemocyanin (Hcy)-containing blood in the aquatic spider crab, Libinia emarginata, and the terrestrial ghost crab, Ocypode guadrata, was studied in animals exposed to normoxic and hypoxic conditions a t 25°C. In L. emarginata low concentrations of Hcy, although 90% O2, saturated at the gill, necessitate a high blood and water convection strategy. O. quadrata has blood with a higher concentration of hemocyanin which is 96% O2 saturated at the gill, obviating a very high rate of blood circulation. During progressive hypoxia convection initially increases on both sides of the gill in L. emarginata while in O. quadrata cardiac output decreases. Blood pH increases with decreasing ambient P, below 60 torr in L. emarginata, inducing a greater hemocyanin O2 affinity.
LEIS and AES on sputtered and annealed polycrystalline Pt-Ru bulk alloys

Low energy ion scattering spectroscopy (LEIS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) were performed on sputtered and UHV annealed polycrystalline Pt-Ru bulk alloys over the entire compositional range. LEIS spectra were acquired with an estimated sputter damage of less than 0.5% of a monolayer by employing 4He + ions with an energy of 2 keV and a current density of 20nAcm2. The partial overlap of the scattering peaks of Pt and Ru made it necessary to devise a method to numerically fit the data. LEIS showed that sputter-cleaning with 0.5 keV Ar+ ions at 63° incidence does not effect any preferential sputtering. Annealing at 800°C in UHV causes a strong surface enrichment in Pt for equilibrated Pt-Ru alloys. The alloy with a hcp bulk lattice (9.5 at% Pt) exhibited a larger segregation than the fcc alloys (> 35 at% Pt), which we rationalized with the lattice mismatch between the bulk and the surface face structure, resulting in a loosely packed surface. Second-layer compositions of annealed specimens were extracted from AES and LEIS data, utilizing a calibration method based on Auger signals of the continuously sputtered surface. A smooth decay of the enriched outermost layer composition towards the bulk composition was assessed. The platinum surface enrichment of annealed bulk alloys was contrasted with the segregation observed for bimetallic supported clusters of Pt and Ru. Ideal solution thermodynamics, utilizing surface free energy data and molar surface area data from the literature, was able to predict the measured segregation for the UHV annealed bulk alloys.
The Effects of Plant Composition and Diversity on Ecosystem Processes

The relative effects of plant richness (the number of plant functional groups) and composition (the identity of the plant functional groups) on primary productivity and soil nitrogen pools were tested experimentally. Differences in plant composition explained more of the variation in production and nitrogen dynamics than did the number of functional groups present. Thus, it is possible to identify and differentiate among potential mechanisms underlying patterns of ecosystem response to variation in plant diversity, with implications for resource management.
Why Is There No Affirmative Action in Britain

Political scientists generally pay great attention to the creation of policies, but relatively little to the absence of policies. This article examines the reasons why Great Britain has not developed affirmative action policies, and in doing so, tries to shed some light on why the United States has. The author finds that both institutional and cultural factors explain the absence of preferential treatment in Great Britain, in particular the salience of the immigration issue, the absence of a leading oppressed group, the structure of the Labour Party and the electoral system, and the centralization of the British political system. The author argues that Great Britain seems to be moving along a different trajectory from that of the United States and that although their antidiscrimination policies are less developed than those in the United States, they may be more effective in the long term. As a result, the British experience may hold lessons for the United States.
Continuous pH monitoring during pretreatment of yellow poplar wood sawdust by pressure cooking in water.

Yellow poplar wood sawdust consists of 41% cellulose and 19% hemicellulose. The goal of pressure cooking this material in water is to hydrate the more chemically resistive regions of cellulose in order to enhance enzymatic conversion to glucose. Pretreatment can generate organic acids through acid-catalyzed degradation of monosaccharides formed because of acids released from the biomass material or the inherent acidity of the water at temperatures above 160°C The resulting acids will further promote the acid-catalyzed degradation of monomers that cause both a reduction in the yield and the formation of fermentation inhibitors such as hydroxymethyl furfural and furfural. A continuous pH-monitoring system was developed to help characterize the trends in pH during pretreatment and to assist in the development of a base (2.0 M KOH) addition profile to help keep the pH within a specified range in order to reduce any catalytic degradation and the formation of any monosac-charide degradation products during pretreatment. The results of this work are discussed.
Undergraduate Training for Specialists in Poultry Science

Abstract IT IS fitting that we members of the Poultry Science Association assembled here for the thirty-second annual meeting of our society should devote a little time to the consideration of the next generation. It is probable that 20 years from now more than half our membership will be made up by persons who are now in high schools or at still earlier stages in the long process of learning. In the next few years these boys will be entrusting to us their college education. What kind of training shall we recommend to them? Let us hope that we may profit by the mistakes of the past, that we may see ahead only a little way in the future, and that we may be able to turn out men who will be a credit to themselves, to their institutions, and to our profession. I have been asked to discuss the requirements . . .
Relationships between standing vegetation and leaf litter in a paratropical forest: Implications for paleobotany

A paratropical floodplain forest in southern Mexico was investigated to determine the effect of heterogeneity within the standing vegetation on the taxonomic composition of the accumulating plant litter. Twelve study sites over 20 km of the Rio San Pedro were sampled. Four subenvironments of the floodplain were defined on topography, geomorphology, and distance from the channel. Litter samples collected from the channel or in low-lying areas close to the channel (forebanks) generally show low species richness and are homogenous throughout the study area. Litter samples taken from levees and overbank facies (back-levees) are more heterogeneous, species-rich, and tend to reflect the local flora with greater accuracy than do channel samples. This analysis of modern samples analogous to paleobotanical collections from rocks of fluvial origin indicates that paleofloras sampled for reconstructing regional paleoecology and making inferences regarding paleoclimate will be improved by multiple sampling from a range of different subenvironments.
Structure and function of the conserved 690 hairpin in Escherichia coli 16 S ribosomal RNA: analysis of the stem nucleotides.

Nucleotides 680 to 710 of Escherichia coli 16 S rRNA form a distinct structural domain required for ribosome function. The goal of this study was to determine the functional significance of pairing interactions in the 690 region. Two different secondary structures were proposed for this hairpin, based on phylogenetic and chemical modification studies. To study the effect of pairing interactions in the 690 hairpin on ribosome function and to determine which of the proposed secondary structures is biologically significant, we performed an instant-evolution experiment in which the nine nucleotides that form the proposed base-pairs and dangling ends of the 690 stem were randomly mutated, and functional mutant combinations were selected. A total of 96 unique functional mutants were isolated, assayed in vivo, and sequenced. Analysis of these data revealed extensive base-pairing and stacking interactions among the mutated nucleotides. Formation of either a Watson-Crick base-pair or G.U pair between positions 688 and 699 is absolutely required for ribosome function. We also performed NMR studies of a 31-nucleotide RNA which indicate the formation of a functionally important base-pair between nucleotides 688 and 699. Formation of a second base-pair between positions 689 and 698, however, is not essential for ribosome function, but the level of ribosome function correlates with the predicted thermodynamic stability of the nucleotide pairs in these positions. The universally conserved positions G690 and U697 are generally portrayed as forming a G.U mismatch. Our data show co-variation between these positions, but do not support the hypothesis that the G690:U697 pair forms a wobble structure. NMR studies of model 14-nt and 31-nt RNAs support these findings and show that G690 and U697 are involved in unusual stacking interactions but do not form a wobble pair. Preliminary NMR structural analysis reveals that the loop portion of the 690 hairpin folds into a highly structured and novel conformation.
Facets of the fern

The Experimental Biology of Ferns. Edited by A.F. Dyer. Pp.657. (Academic: London, New York and San Francisco, 1979.) £37.50; $79.
Comparative osteometrics of the hominoid wrist joint, with special reference to knuckle-walking

Morphometric data on the wrist joints of hominoid taxa have been compared using a variety of quantitative techniques. A major axis always results which is clearly interpretable as a functional-morphological correlate of knuckle-walking. Man is relatively similar to African apes in this factor while Asian apes are at the opposite extreme; cercopithecoids appear to be roughly intermediate. The two or three subsidiary statistical axes are of interest and complicate the evolutionary interpretation of these results, but are unrelated to knuckle-walking adaptation.
Interactions between Rhizobia and Lectins of Lentil, Pea, Broad Bean, and Jackbean

A quantitative method was developed to measure the binding of fluorescent-labeled lentil ( Lens esculenta Moench), pea ( Pisum sativum L.), broad bean ( Vicia faba L.), and jackbean ( Canavalia ensiformis L., DC.) lectins to various Rhizobium strains. Lentil lectin bound to three of the five Rhizobium leguminosarum strains tested. The number of lentil lectin molecules bound per R. leguminosarum 128C53 cell was 2.1 × 10 4 . Lentil lectin also bound to R. japonicum 61A133. Pea and broad bean lectins bound to only two of the five strains of R. leguminosarum, whereas concanavalin A (jackbean lectin) bound to all strains of R. leguminosarum, R. phaseoli, R. japonicum, and R. sp. tested. Since these four lectins have similar sugarbinding properties but different physical properties, the variation in bindings of these lectins to various Rhizobium strains indicates that binding of lectin to Rhizobium is determined not only by the sugar specificity of the lectin but also by its physical characteristics. The binding of lentil lectin and concanavalin A to R. leguminosarum 128C53 could be inhibited by glucose, fructose, and mannose. However, even at 150 millimolar glucose, about 15% of the binding remained. The binding of lentil lectin to R. japonicum 61A133 could be inhibited by glucose but not by galactose. It is concluded that the binding site of lentil lectin to R. japonicum is different from the binding site of soybean lectin to R. japonicum.
Adaptationism, exaptationism, and evolutionary behavioral science

In our target article, we discussed the standards of evidence that could be used to identify adaptations, and argued that building an empirical case that certain features of a trait are best explained by exaptation, spandrel, or constraint requires the consideration, testing, and rejection of adaptationist hypotheses. We are grateful to the 31 commentators for their thoughtful insights. They raised important issues, including the meaning of “exaptation”; whether Gould and Lewontin's critique of adaptationism was primarily epistemological or ontological; the necessity, sufficiency, or utility of design evidence, phylogenetic analyses, homology, and molecular genetics in distinguishing exaptations from adaptations; whether adaptationists accept adaptationist hypotheses too quickly; and the real utility of adaptationism to human behavioral science. We organize our response along the major points of the target article, in some situations defending our original claims and in others modifying them. While debate on these issues will undoubtedly continue, we are cautiously optimistic that the main points of the target article (as modified by our response) will help move the debate in a positive direction.
Computers in the training of inquiry

The era of microprocessors provides an opportunity for examination and restructuring of university-level education in psychology. Computers may aid in the development of environments based upon sustained and deepening inquiry on the part of students from their earliest contact with psychology. We have been developing a computerized system for the exercise of skills in psychological inquiry appropriate both as a teaching tool for beginning undergraduates and for the research of permanent and visiting professors. In this paper we discuss our philosophy, some aspects of the organizational and human factors problems involved, and issues of hardware and software design.
Responses of skilletfish Gobiesox strumosus to high temperature and low oxygen stress

Abstract This study quantified physiological responses of skilletfish Gobiesox strumosus exposed to thermal and oxic stress. Fish acclimated at 12, 22 and 32 degrees C had low oxygen tolerance values (mean +/-s.d.) of 0.40 +/- 0.09, 0.40 +/- 0.08 and 0.35 +/- 0.03, and critical thermal maxima (mean +/-s.d.) of 33.2 +/- 0.5, 38.1 +/- 0.0 and 39.5 +/- 0.3 degrees C, respectively. Furthermore, G. strumosus were oxygen conformers at all acclimation temperatures, i.e. the fish allowed oxygen consumption rates to decrease with ambient oxygen concentration. High temperature tolerance, low oxygen tolerance and decreasing metabolic rates during hypoxic events allow the fish to survive harsh environmental conditions encountered in their natural environment.
Screening for substance use among ethnic minority adolescents: Patterns and prevention approaches

The purpose of this study was to determine if differences exist in the patterns of drug use between adolescent ethnic minorities from African American, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American backgrounds through the use of the Adolescent Substance Battery. The clinical use of the ASB has been used to evaluate and monitor adolescents who are suspected of drug abuse. To evaluate these differences systematically, a sample of 152 ethnic minority adolescent diagnostic assessments were analyzed. Gender differences were found, as 64% of the sample were males and 36% were females. Ethnic differences were found, as 56% of the sample were African American, and 75% of these were males. A total of 60 adolescents, or 39% of the sample, was diagnosed as chemically dependent. The analysis of substance use by ethnic minorities would appear to be helpful in developing ethnic‐ and gender‐specific prevention, intervention, and treatment programs.
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology: Status, Potential and Roadmap

In recent years, nanoscience and nanotechnology have attracted much attention and have posed much significant potential in many areas of societal interest. For instance, opportunities are presented for help solving global energy needs with environmentally clean solutions, increasing the quality of life through improved medicine and health care, improving the productivity of agriculture industry, and providing the benefits of information technology everywhere. Recent development of nanomaterials has enabled ever-clean cloths and nanobiosensor devices. NEMS in concert with nanoelectronics would help develop intelligent nanorobots for unique applications. In Feynman's words, "There is a plenty of room at the bottom." Although semiconductor industry calls its sub-100nm technology as nanotechnology, the room is much bigger than that of nanoelectronics. In this talk we will review the status along with potentials in various fields. Further we will discuss what can bring the realization of nanotechnology industry with some degree of acceleration in the world that becomes flatter and promotes international collaborations and competition.
Correct measurement of birefringence in a nonuniform medium

The birefringence of an object is usually obtained from its retardation. For an object of variable refractive index and optic axis orientation, a matrix procedure should be used for relating the retardation to the birefringence. There are many cases in the literature where this correct procedure has not been used. The correct procedure is illustrated for the case of a polymer spherulite.
Determining the importance of human capital for growth using a Bayesian averaging of classical estimates approach

This paper explores the importance of a variety of human capital measures for growth using the Bayesian Averaging of Classical Estimates (BACE) approach proposed by Sala-i-Martin, Doppelhofer, and Miller (2004). BACE combines standard Bayesian methods with the classical approach to address the problem of model uncertainty. A new data set is constructed that includes 27 human capital variables. The analysis shows that multiple human capital measures are robustly significant for growth. Some of these variables are IQ scores, the duration of primary and secondary education, average years of primary education, average years of female higher education, and higher education enrollment.
Structural and Functional Maturation of Cardiomyocytes Derived from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Despite preclinical studies demonstrating the functional benefit of transplanting human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (PSC-CMs) into damaged myocardium, the ability of these immature cells to adopt a more adult-like cardiomyocyte (CM) phenotype remains uncertain. To address this issue, we tested the hypothesis that prolonged in vitro culture of human embryonic stem cell (hESC)- and human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs would result in the maturation of their structural and contractile properties to a more adult-like phenotype. Compared to their early-stage counterparts (PSC-CMs after 20–40 days of in vitro differentiation and culture), late-stage hESC-CMs and hiPSC-CMs (80–120 days) showed dramatic differences in morphology, including increased cell size and anisotropy, greater myofibril density and alignment, sarcomeres visible by bright-field microscopy, and a 10-fold increase in the fraction of multinucleated CMs. Ultrastructural analysis confirmed improvements in the m...
Hierarchical Organization of Auditory Temporal Context Sensitivity

Some of the most complex auditory neurons known are contained in the songbird forebrain nucleus HVc. These neurons are highly sensitive to auditory temporal context: they respond strongly to the bird’s own song, but respond weakly or not at all when the sequence of the song syllables is altered. It is not known whether this property arises de novo in HVc or whether it is relayed from the properties of neurons in afferent nuclei. To address this issue, we recorded from neurons in both HVc and its afferent nuclei, collectively called field L. Experimental tests were designed to determine the degree of auditory context sensitivity in field L and HVc. Tests were also performed to compare the responses to individual syllables and syllable combinations to see whether these responses could account for the response seen to the entire song. Our results show a substantial increase in the auditory temporal context sensitivity between field L and HVc. Most field L neurons respond equally well both to normal song and to temporally manipulated versions of the same song. A few field L neurons show sensitivity to local temporal structure, such as the sequence of syllable pairs. In contrast, HVc neurons are highly dependent on the song’s local and global temporal structure. This shows that HVc neurons can integrate auditory context over periods much longer than neurons in field L and suggests that additional mechanisms are required to explain the marked sensitivity of HVc neurons to the temporal structure of the bird’s own song.
Diet (n-3) Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Content and Parity Affect Liver and Erythrocyte Phospholipid Fatty Acid Composition in Female Rats

The fatty acid composition of membrane phospholipids affects the physicochemical properties of the membrane and thus influences cell function. In this study, the effects of 1-4 sequential pregnancies on the phospholipid fatty acid compositions of the maternal liver and erythrocytes were determined in female rats fed diets containing alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), ALA and preformed docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; ALA+DHA), or minimal ALA (low ALA). Virgin females, fed the diets for commensurate durations, served as a control for reproduction. Liver and erythrocyte total phospholipid compositions were determined at weaning by TLC/GC. In both tissues, significant main effects of diet and reproductive status were detected for many fatty acids, but a significant interaction of diet, reproductive status, and duration of treatment (no. of reproductive cycles or equivalent time period for virgins) was detected only for DHA, 22:6(n-3). Primiparous dams fed the ALA and low ALA diet had decreased liver DHA content of 31% and 74%, respectively, compared with virgin females fed the ALA diet. Liver DHA did not decrease further after additional reproductive cycles. Liver DHA content was unchanged in parous dams fed the ALA+DHA diet, but virgin females fed this diet exhibited a 50% increase in liver DHA after 13 wk of treatment. Changes in erythrocyte DHA were of similar magnitude and time course to those observed in liver, suggesting that this tissue may serve as a marker for liver DHA status.
The link between nanoscale feature development in a negative resist and the Hansen solubility sphere

By systematically studying development of a high resolution, negative electron beam resist, hexa-methyl acetoxy calix(6)arene, we have elicited a more general understanding of the underlying development mechanisms for negative resists. Using the three dimensional Hansen solubility parameters for more than 40 solvents, we have constructed a Hansen solubility sphere (HSS). From this sphere, we have estimated the Flory Huggins interaction parameter for solvents with hexa-methyl acetoxy calix(6)arene and found a correlation between resist development contrast, nanoscale patterned feature quality, and the polymer-solvent solubility. Conducting Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in a liquid cell, we have measured swelling for hexa-methyl acetoxy calix(6)arene in four solvents. The swelling measurements indicate that the HSS gives an indication of the Flory-Huggins interaction parameter. These measurements provide new insights into the development behavior of nanoscale features – necessary for obtaining the ultimate lithographic resolution. In addition, it demonstrates a methodology for choosing appropriate polymer-solvent combinations for nanoscience applications. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 2091–2105, 2009
An overview of statistical planning to address subgroups in confirmatory clinical trials

The effects of treatments within demographic and clinical subgroups of patients are of major interest in most confirmatory clinical trials. Potential factors for defining subgroups include gender, age, disease severity, and geographic region. A major statistical issue for the interpretation of treatment comparisons for subgroups is whether the role of a subgroup is inferential, supportive, or exploratory through respectively corresponding to a primary, key secondary, or hypothesis-generating assessment. This article discusses statistical planning to control type 1 error for the multiple comparisons that correspond to the scope of prespecified inferential subgroups, and it provides some suggestions for addressing the type 2 error that can pertain to prespecified supportive subgroups. Treatment comparisons for exploratory subgroups without a priori specification should always have a very cautious interpretation that accounts for how random variation can influence their pattern of results, although the sugge...
Quercus virginiana root attributes and lateral stability after planting at different depths

Planting depth and irrigation can impact root and trunk growth following landscape installation in various soil types; however, impact on lateral tree stability is unknown. Quercus virginiana Mill. trees were installed at four landscape planting depths into a well drained sandy soil and grown for six years under two irrigation regimes. There was no impact of planting depth on trunk diameter or height in the first five growing seasons after planting; however, trees irrigated regularly had 10 mm larger trunk diameter than trees not irrigated. There was no impact of planting depth or irrigation on bending stress required to tilt trunks to 1 ◦ ,2 ◦ and 5
An input-output stability analysis of a fuzzy controller for a missile autopilot's yaw axis

This paper develops an input-output stability analysis on the basis of the rules, and the control input values generated by the fuzzy controller for each "cell partition" of the phase plane. It is assumed that the rule-base has been designed for a linear plant whose approximate model is available. Furthermore, the rules may have been derived using the operator manual-type if-then rules or based directly on the approximate model. The method is based on formulating an input-output dissipative map and then applying a Lyapunov-like analysis for stability convergence. For a linear system, an input-output mapping may always be formulated as an energy-like function. By proper choice of outputs, and the inputs generated by the fuzzy controller, the energy-like function is forced to be dissipative fairly easily by applying the Kalman-Yakubovich lemma. It is a known fact that the linearized model of a stable nonlinear system should be stable in the neighborhood of the equilibrium point. Thus, this allows the Kalman-Yakubovich lemma to be applied in this neighborhood, in the formation of a dissipative input-output map. Subsets of the rule base are considered in each of the four quadrants of the state space. >
Reconciling performance and programmability in networking systems

Challenges in addressing the memory bottleneck have made it difficult to design a packet processing platform that simultaneously achieves both ease-of-programming and high performance. Today's commercial processors support two architectural mechanisms - namely, hardware multithreading and caching - to overcome the memory bottleneck. The configurations of these mechanisms (e.g., cache capacity, number of threads per processor core) are fixed at processor-design time. The relative effectiveness of these mechanisms, however, varies significantly with application, traffic, and system characteristics. Thus, programmers often struggle to achieve high performance from a processor that is not well-suited to a particular deployment.To address this challenge, we first make a case for, and then develop a malleable processor architecture that facilitates the dynamic reconfiguration of cache capacity and number of threads to best-suit the needs of each deployment. We then present an algorithm that can determine the optimal thread-cache balance at run-time. The combination of these two allows us to simultaneously achieve the goals of ease-of-programming and high performance. We demonstrate that our processor outperforms a processor similar to Intel's IXP2800 - a state-of-the-art commercial Network Processor - in about 89% of the deployments we consider. Further, in about 30% of the deployments our platform improves the throughput by as much as 300%.
Size matters: size-based scheduling for MPEG-4 over wireless channels

For bursty traffic with a large peak-to-average ratio and a stochastic channel, is it possible to minimize the response time of every flow while maximizing the effective channel utilization and maintain fairness? This is the question we address in this paper. In wireless networks with a single shared channel, channel arbitration is a core issue for flows with throughput and timeliness requirements on the uplink and peer-to-peer links where the instantaneous demand is not known. This paper presents a link layer frame scheduling algorithm for delay-sensitive variable bit rate traffic, such as high-rate multimedia (MPEG-4), over a wireless channel. We evaluate our scheduling algorithm over two Medium Access Control (MAC) architectures and compare it to four scheduling strategies that cover a range of classes: TDMA, proportional share algorithms, real-time scheduling algorithms, and size-based scheduling algorithms. Detailed simulation results, with full-length MPEG-4 movie traces over a fading wireless channel, show that Fair-Shortest Remaining Processing Time (Fair-SRPT) outperforms other algorithms in terms of QoS performance, channel utilization efficiency and response time under all utilization levels and channel error rates. Our Fair-SRPT scheme avoids the classical SRPT problems of preferring small jobs by using normalization to mean reservations. An attractive feature of the proposed approach is that it can be implemented with no modifications to the IEEE 802.11e and IEEE 802.15.3 high-rate personal area network standards.
Toward a Shared Understanding of Lasallian Research: A Report on the Second Annual Symposium on Lasallian Research

The general proceedings of the Second Annual Symposium on Lasallian Research are described in this brief summary. The authors provide an overview of the event's purpose and participants; summarize highlights of the program including keynotes, research presentations and workshops; and present the Lasallian Research Vision Statement derived from faciliated discussions among the assembled scholars.
Fast computation of generalized Voronoi diagrams using graphics hardware

We present a new approach for computing generalized 2D and 3D Voronoi diagrams using interpolation-based polygon rasterization hardware. We compute a discrete Voronoi diagram by rendering a three dimensional distance mesh for each Voronoi site. The polygonal mesh is a bounded-error approximation of a (possibly) non-linear function of the distance between a site and a 2D planar grid of sample points. For each sample point, we compute the closest site and the distance to that site using polygon scan-conversion and the Z-buffer depth comparison. We construct distance meshes for points, line segments, polygons, polyhedra, curves, and curved surfaces in 2D and 3D. We generalize to weighted and farthest-site Voronoi diagrams, and present efficient techniques for computing the Voronoi boundaries, Voronoi neighbors, and the Delaunay triangulation of points. We also show how to adaptively refine the solution through a simple windowing operation. The algorithm has been implemented on SGI workstations and PCs using OpenGL, and applied to complex datasets. We demonstrate the application of our algorithm to fast motion planning in static and dynamic environments, selection in complex user-interfaces, and creation of dynamic mosaic effects. CR Categories: I.3.5 [Computer Graphics]: Computational Geometry and Object Modeling; I.3.3 [Computer Graphics]: Picture/Image Generation. Additional
Relationships among knowledge, perception, treatment-seeking behavior, time-to-treatment and psychological distress in women with first time acute myocardial infarction.

By Hanem F. Mohamed Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality among women in the United States. Women are more likely to perceive their symptoms as less serious than men and they are less likely to seek treatment when these symptoms occur. Hence, their help seeking behavior might be delayed; a poor health outcome is one consequence. The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between knowledge of AMI risk factors and symptoms and perceptions of their symptoms seriousness, describe the relationships among knowledge of AMI risk factors and symptoms, perception of symptoms seriousness, treatment-seeking behavior, and time-to-treatment in women with first time AMIs, and to examine the direct and indirect effects of knowledge of AMI risk factors and symptoms, perception of symptoms seriousness, treatment-seeking behavior and time-to-treatment on psychological distress for women with first time AMIs. Based on Leventhal’s Self-Regulation Theory, a correlational cross-sectional design with path analysis was used. A convenience sample of 53 hospitalized women (mean age 60.3 years, SD, 13.7) with first time AMIs participated in face-to-face interviews after they were physiologically stable. Results showed that median time-to-treatment was three hours. One third of the participants perceived their symptoms as serious and one third perceived their symptoms as not at all serious. In addition, 67% of the participants used self-medication strategies to cope with their symptoms. The majority of women had high knowledge regarding typical risk factors and symptoms associated with AMI, and reported low knowledge regarding gender-specific risk factors and atypical symptoms of AMI. Regression analysis revealed that knowledge of AMI symptoms mostly predicted perception of symptoms seriousness. Controlling for education, race, marital status, type of treatment, and perception of severity of AMI, path analysis indicated that treatment-seeking behavior (avoidance), knowledge of AMI symptoms and perception of symptom seriousness had the most direct, indirect and total effect on tension/anxiety. In addition, time-to-treatment had a negative direct effect on tension/anxiety. Based on the findings from this study, recommendations for nursing practice, theory, and future research were articulated.
Diseases and Disorders of the Oral Cavity

The health of the oral cavity involves more than just the teeth and gingiva. A variety of oral-facial structures form an intimate relationship necessary for craniofacial health, an integral component of systemic health.
Add methionine to profit recipe : production

The proper feeding of calves and heifers is essential to the next generation of a dairy herd's profitability.
Output feedback performance recovery in the presence of uncertainties

Abstract We propose an output-feedback tracking controller for uncertain, nonaffine, nonlinear systems. The output feedback controller results in a closed-loop system with a three-time-scale structure; an extended high-gain observer estimates unmeasured states and uncertainties in the fastest time scale and dynamic inversion is used to deal with nonaffine inputs and input uncertainties in the intermediate time scale while the plant dynamics evolves in the slowest time scale. The dynamic inversion algorithm is based on sector conditions and results in exponential convergence of the inputs. Together with the extended high-gain observer, dynamic inversion results in performance recovery of a target system. The singular perturbation method is used to analyze the stability and performance of the system and numerical simulations are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the control design.