cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A new sock electrode for recording epicardial activation from the human heart: one size fits all.

Simultaneous recording of epicardial activation from multiple sites during open heart surgery is essential for studying unstable ventricular arrhythmias. A previously described sock electrode array for this purpose requires custom-woven nylon sock material and expensive machined button electrodes. The limited compliance and elasticity of nylon requires that a new sock be individually fitted for each heart. Despite careful fitting, 17-20% of electrodes do not make satisfactory epicardial contact in dogs. Further, electrodes frequently dislodge from the sock and wires break at the button electrode solder joint. Recognizing these limitations, we formed a new sock from Xspan tubular dressing material and devised electrodes that attach securely to the sock. In six dogs, 90% +/- 3% of electrodes made satisfactory contact using the same Xspan sock, significantly (p less than .01) more than with the nylon sock despite far less labor. The same size X span sock with 60 snap electrodes was used to record from 27 human hearts of widely different dimensions. Satisfactory epicardial contact was obtained in 90% +/- 14% of electrodes in the 18 patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) and 75% +/- 15% of electrodes in the nine patients with coronary artery disease. In no case did an accessory pathway fail to conduct following sock placement. The hemodynamic effect of the Xspan sock was evaluated in four dogs and was found to be minimal. Both the Xspan sock and the snap electrodes are easily made from inexpensive, readily available materials. The same Xspan sock accommodates a wide range of heart sizes, and the electrodes supported by the Xspan sock record significantly better and with less dislodgement and wire breakage than previous socks.
Improved staining of unembedded brain tissue

Abstract An improved procedure for the application of commonly used cell and fiber stains to brain tissue cut on the freezing microtome is described. The procedure allows simultaneous staining of a large number of sections prior to mounting on slides. Some advantages of the procedure are that relatively thick sections (which would not normally adhere to slides during staining) can be readily stained, impregnation is enhanced, and staining time is substantially reduced.
On using exponential parameter estimators with an adaptive controller

Typical adaptive controllers are restricted to using a specific update law to generate parameter estimates. This paper investigates the possibility of using any exponential parameter estimator with an adaptive controller such that the system tracks a desired trajectory. The goal is to provide flexibility in choosing any update law suitable for a given application. The development relies on a previously developed concept of controller/update law modularity in the adaptive control literature, and the use of a converse Lyapunov-like theorem. Stability analysis is presented to derive gain conditions under which this is possible, and inferences are made about the tracking error performance. The development is based on a class of Euler-Lagrange systems that are used to model various engineering systems including space robots and manipulators.
A pathway involving farnesoid X receptor and small heterodimer partner positively regulates hepatic sirtuin 1 levels via MicroRNA-34a inhibition

Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is a NAD-dependent deacetylase that is critically involved in diverse cellular processes including metabolic disease, cancer, and possibly aging. Despite extensive studies on SIRT1 function, how SIRT1 levels are regulated remains relatively unknown. Here, we report that the nuclear bile acid receptor farnesoid X receptor (FXR) inhibits microRNA-34a (miR-34a) in the liver, which results in a positive regulation of SIRT1 levels. Activation of FXR by the synthetic agonist GW4064 decreases hepatic miR-34a levels in normal mice, and consistently, hepatic miR-34a levels are elevated in FXR-null mice. FXR induces expression of small heterodimer partner (SHP), an orphan nuclear receptor and transcriptional corepressor, which in turn results in repression of p53, a key activator of the miR-34a gene, by inhibiting p53 occupancy at the promoter. MiR-34a decreased SIRT1 levels by binding to the 3′-untranslated region of SIRT1 mRNA, and adenovirus-mediated overexpression of miR-34a substantially decreased SIRT1 protein levels in mouse liver. Remarkably, miR-34a levels were elevated, and SIRT1 protein levels were reduced in diet-induced obese mice, and FXR activation in these mice reversed the miR-34a and SIRT1 levels, indicating an intriguing link among FXR activation, decreased miR-34a, and subsequently, increased SIRT1 levels. Our study demonstrates an unexpected role of the FXR/SHP pathway in controlling SIRT1 levels via miR-34a inhibition and that elevated miR-34a levels in obese mice contribute to decreased SIRT1 levels. Manipulation of this regulatory network may be useful for treating diseases of aging, such as metabolic disease and cancer.
For-Profit Colleges and Universities and the Latina/o Students Who Enroll in Them

Although for-profit institutions continue to enroll large numbers of students, less is known about the for-profit institution itself, the reasons for its proliferation, or even students’ impetus for selecting for-profit options over not-for-profit options. This statement is particularly true for the Latina/o student population despite their overrepresentation at for-profit colleges. This article presents an overview of for-profits followed by insights into Latina/o pathways to postsecondary education using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS) 2002-2006 panel, collected on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
Positioning Periods: Menstruation in Social Context: An Introduction to a Special Issue

The menstrual cycle is often conceptualized in the biomedical literature as a unidimensional, biological, and pathological aspect of women’s bodies and health. Feminist social science scholars recognize that the biological event of menstruation is experienced and perceived within a broader sociocultural context. The authors of articles in this special issue address the myriad ways menstruation is positioned within this social context, and the consequences for women’s well-being, cognitive functioning, health, sexuality, and social status. Authors examine menstruation as a social stigma, the positioning of menstruation in popular culture, contextual factors relevant to menstruation across the lifespan, the ways women negotiate menstruation in their lives, and the role of women’s social location in shaping their attitudes toward and experiences with menstruation. Implications for future research, education, activism, and clinical intervention are considered.
An architectural solution for the inductive noise problem due to clock-gating

As we approach Gigascale Integration, chip power consumption is becoming a critical system parameter. Clock-gating idle units provides needed reductions in power consumption. However, it introduces inductive noise that can limit voltage scaling. This paper introduces an architectural approach for reducing inductive noise due to clock-gating through gradual activation/deactivation of units. This technique provides a 2/spl times/ reduction in ground bounce on a 16 bit ALU simulated in SPICE, while reducing simulated SPEC95 performance by less than 5% on a typical superscalar architecture.
A Late Medieval Syrian Pilgrimage Guide: Ibn Al-Awrānī's Al-Ishārāt Ilā Amākin Al-Ziyārāt (Guide To Pilgrimage Places)1

Pilgrimage to the tombs of holy persons, known as ziyāra (lit. a visit, visiting) was a fundamental aspect of devotional life throughout the medieval Near East. Medieval Muslims composed pilgrimage guides reflecting their pilgrimage experiences and those of others. Such guides, known collectively as "kutub al-ziyārāt" (pilgrimage guides), meant to be employed at tombs and shrines, mention places efficacious for prayer, obtaining baraka (blessings), achieving cures, and fulfilling supplication for worldly and spiritual needs. This study looks at the first known Syrian pilgrimage guide which was composed during the sixteenth-century Ibn al-awrānīs-Ishārāt ilā Amākin al-Ziyārāt (Guide to Pilgrimage Places). It also explores the genesis of the ziyāra genre in Syria and offers a number of suggestions as to its late emergence there. This is followed by an annotated translation of the guide.
On the eigenvalues of sums of Hermitian matrices. II

Let A, B, and C be Hermitian matrices with C = A +B. There are several known sets of inequalities linking the eigenvalues of A and B with those of C. In particular, there is a family of inequalities due to Amir-Mo6z [1] and another family due to Hersch and Zwahlen [2, 6]. In a recent paper [5] by the present authors, a set of inequalities is presented which is both simpler and sharper than the Amir-Modz inequalities. The purpose of this paper is to present a new and simple formulation of the Hersch-Zwahlen inequalities, for which the proof is easy. Our proof is a simplification of the proof of these inequalities presented by Smiley [4]. In § 2 we give our version of the Hersch-Zwahlen inequalities, and in § 3 we show the equivalence between our inequalities and those of Hersch-Zwahlen. In § 5 we show that the inequalities of this paper and the inequalities of [5] are not independent in the sense that each family of inequalities may be deduced from the inequalities of the other family. In § 7 we obtain inequalities involving singular values.
Relationship between serum and biliary bile acids as an indicator of chenodeoxycholic and ursodeoxycholic acid-induced hepatotoxicity in the rhesus monkey.

The relationship between serum and biliary concentrations of bile acids was studied in 20 rhesus monkeys which developed hepatotoxicity after six months of treatment with 40 and 120 mg/kg/day doses of chenodeoxycholic (cheno) and ursodeoxycholic (urso) acids, respectively. During the treatment, lithocholate—all of which was unsulfated—increased several-fold both in serum and in bile. There was a significant correlation between serum and biliary concentrations of lithocholate. Similarly close correlations existed between the serum and biliary concentrations of the conjugates of cheno and urso which increased during treatment with the respective bile acids. The serum levels of cholate and deoxycholate remained normal, although their concentrations in bile decreased considerably during treatment with cheno and urso, respectively. Further studies have to establish whether serum determinations of lithocholate can also be used in man to study the role of this bile acid in the liver function abnormalities which develop in some patients treated with cheno or urso and/or whether measurement of serum cheno and urso could be useful for the monitoring of patient compliance with the respective bile acid treatment.
Purified Wnt5a Protein Activates or Inhibits β-Catenin–TCF Signaling Depending on Receptor Context

The Wnts comprise a large class of secreted proteins that control essential developmental processes such as embryonic patterning, cell growth, migration, and differentiation. In the most well-understood “canonical” Wnt signaling pathway, Wnt binding to Frizzled receptors induces β-catenin protein stabilization and entry into the nucleus, where it complexes with T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor transcription factors to affect the transcription of target genes. In addition to the canonical pathway, evidence for several other Wnt signaling pathways has accumulated, in particular for Wnt5a, which has therefore been classified as a noncanonical Wnt family member. To study the alternative mechanisms by which Wnt proteins signal, we purified the Wnt5a protein to homogeneity. We find that purified Wnt5a inhibits Wnt3a protein–induced canonical Wnt signaling in a dose-dependent manner, not by influencing β-catenin levels but by downregulating β-catenin–induced reporter gene expression. The Wnt5a signal is mediated by the orphan tyrosine kinase Ror2, is pertussis toxin insensitive, and does not influence cellular calcium levels. We show that in addition to its inhibitory function, Wnt5a can also activate β-catenin signaling in the presence of the appropriate Frizzled receptor, Frizzled 4. Thus, this study shows for the first time that a single Wnt ligand can initiate discrete signaling pathways through the activation of two distinct receptors. Based on these and additional observations, we propose a model wherein receptor context dictates Wnt signaling output. In this model, signaling by different Wnt family members is not intrinsically regulated by the Wnt proteins themselves but by receptor availability.
Identification of BFN1, a Bifunctional Nuclease Induced during Leaf and Stem Senescence in Arabidopsis

Nuclease I enzymes are responsible for the degradation of RNA and single-stranded DNA during several plant growth and developmental processes, including senescence. However, in the case of senescence the corresponding genes have not been reported. We describe the identification and characterization of BFN1 of Arabidopsis, and demonstrate that it is a senescence-associated nuclease I gene. BFN1 nuclease shows high similarity to the sequence of a barley nuclease induced during germination and a zinnia (Zinnia elegans) nuclease induced during xylogenesis. In transgenic plants overexpressing the BFN1 cDNA, a nuclease activity of about 38 kD was detected on both RNase and DNase activity gels. Levels of BFN1 mRNA were extremely low or undetectable in roots, leaves, and stems. In contrast, relatively high BFN1 mRNA levels were detected in flowers and during leaf and stem senescence. BFN1 nuclease activity was also induced during leaf and stem senescence. The strong response of the BFN1 gene to senescence indicated that it would be an excellent tool with which to study the mechanisms of senescence induction, as well as the role of the BFN1 enzyme in senescence using reverse genetic approaches in Arabidopsis.
The Examination of Cystolithic Hairs ot Cannabis and other Plants by means of the Scanning Electron Microscope

A number of plants similar in appearance to marijuana (Cannabis sativa) were examined using the scanning electron microscope. This information may be of assistance in identifying marijuana in routine investigations using the optical microscope.
Complex karyotypic mosaicism as a result of non‐disjunction and subsequent centromere fission

Karyotypic discrepancy among four different cell types is described in tissues derived from a pregnancy terminated because of chromosomal anomalies. Chorionic villus cells demonstrated 46,XX (direct preparation) and 46, XX/47,XX,+marl (cultured cells) karyotypes, while fetal skin fibroblasts had a karyotype of 47,XX,+ 18 and the placenta showed a triple mosaicism of 47,XX, + 18/47,XX,+mar1/48,XX,+ 18,+mar2. The origin of this complex chromosomal distribution and its significance are discussed in comparison with findings in similar cases.
Comparison between molecular dynamic based and knowledge based potentials for protein side chains.

Abstract Parameterizing protein coarse-grained models from atomic-level force fields is a relatively new and promising approach in protein modeling. Here, dihedral angle potentials for the amino acid side chains are derived using molecular dynamic simulations. These are compared to those obtained using the traditional knowledge based approach, where the potentials are obtained from known protein structures. Side chain potentials consist of two- or three-dimensional dihedral angle histograms with a 20° resolution. The simulations for the amino acids are carried out in explicit water using variants of the united atom Gromos force field, in the all-atom OPLS-AA/L force field, and in implicit solvent using variants of the Amber force field. It was found that the knowledge-based and molecular dynamic potentials are significantly correlated, with correlation coefficients in the upper 0.70. Nevertheless, in energy minimization tests performed on a group of proteins keeping the backbones fixed, the knowledge-base...
A numerical study of the asymptotic evolution and breakup of Newtonian and viscoelastic jets

Numerical and asymptotic methods are used to study the surface-tension driven instability of the jet. For the Newtonian case, we establish a relationship between the initial shape of the jet and the asymptotic approach to breakup. For the Oldroyd-B fluid, no breakup occurs, and we study the evolution of the jet for large time. On the other hand, the numerical solutions show finite time breakup for the Giesekus model. For the upper convected Maxwell model, nonunique discontinuous solutions exist, and the choice of the physically appropriate solution depends on regularizing terms in the equations. We discuss one such regularization involving higher order derivatives resulting from taking into account the axial curvature of the free surface.
Does Foreign Aid Support Autocrats, Democrats, or Both?

Does foreign aid prop up recipient governments? Although many people argue that it does, there is little systematic evidence to support this claim. We argue that aid's effects on government survival depend on both the recipient's regime type and the analyst's time horizons. In the long run, continued aid helps autocrats more than democrats because the former can stockpile this aid for use against future negative shocks. However, because large stocks of aid reduce the marginal impact of current aid, current aid helps democrats more than autocrats. We test and find support for our argument with a survival analysis of 621 leaders in 123 countries from 1960 to 1999. Our results imply that donors should make both the nature of aid and the use of aid conditionality contingent on the domestic regime type of aid recipients.
A study of laser-generated strain fields with X-ray microdiffraction

Abstract In its 324-bunch mode of operation, the Advanced Photon Source (APS) allows new femtosecond (fs) laser pump/X-ray probe experiments to be developed. In this mode of operation, if one uses the tightly focused low pulse energy (nJ), high-repetition-rate fs-laser Ti:Sapphire oscillator on beamline 7ID, every laser and X-ray pulse can be temporally delayed with respect to each other, as the frequency of the laser oscillator and the X-ray bunches are both 88 MHz. This can result in a high-repetition-rate pump-probe experiment which uses X-rays from every bunch. This presentation describes an example of how coherent X-ray imaging and microdiffraction experiments may be used to study laser-generated strain fields in semiconductors. With an oscillator beam focused to 7 μ m onto GaAs, we have observed coherent X-ray diffraction patterns with a high-resolution camera. We have also studied the strain fields with a focused X-ray beam generated by a Fresnel zone plate. Results from the two X-ray techniques will be compared. These experiments may help to develop techniques that will be used at the future free electron laser sources where coherent and pump-probe experiments can be done simultaneously.
Species and size diversity in protective services offered by coral guard-crabs.

Coral guard-crabs in the genus Trapezia are well-documented defenders of their pocilloporid coral hosts against coral predators such as the Crown-of-Thorns seastar (Acanthaster planci complex). The objectives of this study were to examine the protective services of six species of Trapezia against corallivory, and the extent of functional diversity among these Trapezia species. Studies conducted in Mo’orea, French Polynesia showed the Trapezia—coral mutualism protected the host corals from multiple predators through functional diversity in the assemblage of crab symbionts. Species differed in their defensive efficacy, but species within similar size classes shared similar abilities. Smaller-size Trapezia species, which were previously thought to be ineffective guards, play important defensive roles against small corallivores. We also measured the benefits of this mutualism to corals in the midst of an Acanthaster outbreak that reduced the live coral cover on the fore reef to less than 4%. The mutualism may positively affect the reef coral demography and potential for recovery during adverse predation events through shelter of multiple species of small corals near the host coral. Our results show that while functional diversity is supported within the genus, some Trapezia species may be functionally equivalent within the same size class, decreasing the threat of gaps in coral protection caused by absence or replacement of any single Trapezia species.
American Pediatric Society John Howland Award 1997: Presentation1

President Johnston, Madeline, Mel, members of the Grumbach clan, APS members, and guests. It is with considerable pride and the greatest of personal pleasure that I introduce to you the recipient of this year's John Howland Award of the American Pediatric Society, Melvin Malcolm Grumbach(Fig. 1). Through his tireless and creative leadership over more than 40 years, Mel has made major contributions to science, clinical practice, education, and institution building. In doing so, he has left a permanent mark on virtually every aspect of academic pediatrics.
Connective Tissue Photodamage in the Hairless Mouse Is Partially Reversible

Photodamaged connective tissue in animal and human skin is characterized by excessive accumulations of elastic fibers, loss of mature collagen, concomittant overproduction of new collagen, and greatly increased levels of glycosaminoglycans. Formerly considered irreversible changes, we recently showed in hairless mice, post irradiation, that a band of normal connective tissue was laid down subepidermally. The present studies focused on 2 aspects of this repair: (1) whether repair would occur if animals were protected by sunscreens after dermal damage was induced and irradiation continued; (2) whether retinoic acid could enhance the repair process. To examine the first aspect, albino hairless mice were irradiated with Westinghouse FS 20 sun-lamps thrice weekly for 30 weeks. Sunscreens of high sun-protection factors were applied after 10 and 20 weeks. Not only was further damage prevented, but the damage incurred before sunscreen application was repaired. This appeared as subepidermal reconstruction zones containing normal, mature collagen and a network of fine elastic fibers. The second aspect was examined by applying 0.05% retinoic acid, topically, to animals preirradiated for 10 weeks. In contrast to controls treated with vehicle, the reconstruction zone was significantly wider in retinoic acid—treated mice. The enhanced repair was dose-related. J Invest Dermatol 88:l2s—17s, 1981
Near degeneracy surfaces and other implications of extended symmetry for phonons in alkali halide and other crystals

Abstract The role of extended symmetry in isobaric alkali halide crystal dynamics is examined with respect to: (1) further evidence for its validity, (ii) the prediction of the existence of surfaces of near degeneracies between pairs of phonon branches (subsequently confirmed by computer model simulation), (iii) more efficient parametrizations of phenomenological models for their phonon dynamics, and (iv) its usefulness in “understanding” the characteristic features of the dispersion relations of all alkali halides. It is possible that the symmetry may be a useful concept for other classes of crystals as well.
Intellectual Integrity: Examining Common Rituals in Early Childhood Curriculum.

This article examines two constructs - ritual and intellectual integrity - as they might unfold in early childhood settings. The authors use the popular practices of closed-ended crafts, calendar exercises, and worksheets to highlight the difference between learning experiences that have become formulaic habits and those that reflect rich and potent opportunities for children's thinking, imagining, and reflecting. The authors then analyze the calendar ritual and suggest ways to modify these experiences to indicate intellectual integrity and curricular depth that early childhood educators can offer to children.
Registration of planar film radiographs with computed tomography

The authors describe a method to register computed tomography (CT) data with planar film radiographs. Previous methods applied to the problem of CT-radiograph registration rely on determining the correspondence between occluding contours of the 3D surface in the CT data with 2D contours in the projection image. These methods implicitly assume that the correspondence is accurate, ignoring fundamental nonlinear differences in the underlying measurements. In contrast, the authors' emphasis has been to directly exploit the relationship between imaging devices. This is performed by registering radiograph data with intensity-corrected simulated radiograph data derived from CT measurements. The authors show that by exploiting the physical relationship between CT and radiograph measurements one can significantly improve registration accuracy. Concomitantly, the authors detail the relationship between CT and radiograph measurements and the primary factors influencing discrepancies between simulated and real radiograph data.
Wnt pathway regulation by demineralized bone is approximated by both BMP-2 and TGF-β1 signaling.

Allogeneic demineralized bone is used extensively as a clinical graft material because it has osteo/chondroinductive and osteoconductive properties. Demineralized bone powder (DBP) induces chondrogenic differentiation of human dermal fibroblasts (hDFs) in three-dimensional collagen cultures, but the initiating mechanisms have not been fully characterized nor has it been shown that bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) recapitulate DBP's effects on target cells. Among the many signaling pathways regulated in hDFs by DBP prior to in vitro chondrogenesis, there are changes in Wnts and their receptors that may contribute to DBP actions. This study tests the hypothesis that DBP modulation of Wnt signaling entails both BMP and TGF-β pathways. We compared the effects of DBP, TGF-β1, or BMP-2 on Wnt signaling components in hDFs by Wnt signaling macroarray, RT-PCR, in situ hybridization, and Western immunoblot analyses. Many effects of DBP on Wnt signaling components were not shared by BMP-2, and likewise DBP effects on Wnt genes and β-catenin only partially required the TGF-β pathway, as shown by selective inhibition of TGF-β/activin receptor-like kinase. The analyses revealed that 64% (16/25) of the Wnt signaling components regulated by DBP were regulated similarly by the sum of effects by BMP-2 and by TGF-β1. In conclusion, signaling mechanisms of inductive DBP in human dermal fibroblasts involve the modulation of multiple Wnt signals through both BMP and TGF-β pathways. © 2012 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 31: 554–560, 2013
Mapping magnetic susceptibility anisotropies of white matter in vivo in the human brain at 7 T.

High-resolution magnetic resonance phase- or frequency-shift images acquired at high field show contrast related to magnetic susceptibility differences between tissues. Such contrast varies with the orientation of the organ in the field, but the development of quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) has made it possible to reproducibly image the intrinsic tissue susceptibility contrast. However, recent studies indicate that magnetic susceptibility is anisotropic in brain white matter and, as such, needs to be described by a symmetric second-rank tensor( χ). To fully determine the elements of this tensor, it would be necessary to acquire frequency data at six or more orientations. Assuming cylindrical symmetry of the susceptibility tensor in myelinated white matter fibers, we propose a simplified method to reconstruct the susceptibility tensor in terms of a mean magnetic susceptibility, MMS=(χ(//)+2 χ(⊥))/3 and a magnetic susceptibility anisotropy, MSA=χ(//)-χ(⊥), where χ(//) and χ(⊥) are susceptibility parallel and perpendicular to the white matter fiber direction, respectively. Computer simulations show that with a practical head rotation angle of around 20°-30°, four head orientations suffice to reproducibly reconstruct the tensor with good accuracy. We tested this approach on whole brain 1 × 1 × 1 mm(3) frequency data acquired from five healthy subjects at 7 T. The frequency information from phase images collected at four head orientations was combined with the fiber direction information extracted from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to map the white matter susceptibility tensor. The MMS and MSA were quantified for regions in several large white matter fiber structures, including the corona radiata, posterior thalamic radiation and corpus callosum. MMS ranged from -0.037 to -0.053 ppm (referenced to CSF being about zero). MSA values could be quantified without the need for a reference and ranged between 0.004 and 0.029 ppm, in line with the expectation that the susceptibility perpendicular to the fiber is more diamagnetic than the one parallel to it.
Recent Advances in Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of sipuleucel-T1 as the first therapeutic cancer vaccine represents a major stride for this field. Sipuleucel-T consists of autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells, including antigen-presenting cells that have been activated ex vivo with a recombinant fusion protein. In addition to this vaccine, numerous other vaccine platforms are currently demonstrating evidence of patient benefit in multicenter, randomized Phase II and Phase III studies in a range of human cancers.
Mountain‐induced stagnation points in hydrostatic flow

The Bernoulli and hydrostatic relations are used to derive an exact diagnostic equation relating wind speed to the integral of vertical displacement aloft. The form of this equation does not support the “kinetic energy” concept of flow stagnation proposed by Sheppard (1956). Linear theory estimates of the displacement integral are used to predict the occurrence of stagnation points as a function of hill shape and ambient shear. For a long ridge perpendicular to a weakly sheared flow, stagnation begins aloft, thus allowing wave breaking and transition to a severe state. For a ridge aligned with the flow, waves dispersively weaken aloft and stagnation occurs first on the surface. This allows density surfaces to intersect the ground and the low-level flow to split around the hill.
Integration of sensory information via central thermoregulatory leptin targets.

Abstract The adipocyte derived hormone leptin acts in the brain to regulate body weight, food intake and energy expenditure. Even though it is well accepted that leptin regulates energy expenditure at least in part by modulating thermogenesis, the exact mechanisms are not clear. Particularly, it is unclear which central circuits regulate thermogenic leptin actions and if and how these may interact with feeding circuits. Within the last decade our understanding of central thermoregulatory circuits has increased substantially and allowed the identification of leptin target neurons (those expressing the long form leptin receptor — LepRb) that are involved in the sympathetic control of the heat generating brown adipose tissue (BAT). Indeed, LepRb neurons in the preoptic area and dorsomedial hypothalamus are part of the known thermoregulatory circuits controlling sympathetic premotor neurons that are located in the raphe pallidus. Thermoregulatory control and food intake are both regulated by leptin signaling pathways, even though distinct neuronal pathways have been described, respectively. Nevertheless, feeding status and control of body temperature and energy expenditure are tightly interconnected, but it is unknown how these aspects are connected within leptin signaling pathways to result in appropriate output signals ( e.g. BAT thermogenesis). Indeed, cold-induced thermogenesis is potently blocked during fasting, which instead triggers an active decrease in energy expenditure and body temperature, a state known as torpor. In this article we will review recent data characterizing central thermoregulatory LepRb pathways and speculate on potential integration mechanisms that may relay anorexic and thermoregulatory leptin action to control energy homeostasis.
Synthesis of high refractive-index melt-stable aromatic polyphosphonates

The synthesis of aromatic polyphosphonates based on the step polymerization of various bisphenols and dichlorophenyl phosphine oxide was investigated. The effect of catalyst, type, concentration, and polymerization time were systematically varied to obtain high molecular weight polymers. Very high molecular weight tough, ductile materials with a high degree of optical clarity were synthesized. In contrast with the aromatic polycarbonates, the refractive index was increased from 1.58 to 1.60 (for the bisphenol A-based system) and 1.64 for a biphenol-based system. The latter was still an amorphous soluble polymer as a result of the non-coplanar nature of the phenyl phosphine oxide bond, unlike the analogous polycarbonate. Hydrolytically stable melt-processable cumyl phenol end-capped polyphosphonates were successfully achieved for the first time. Rheological studies show that these end-capped systems are melt-stable at 200 °C, whereas the systems of initially higher molecular weight but without any well-defined end capping clearly degraded quickly probably as a result of an acid-catalyzed hydrolysis process. Extensive high char yields were produced upon pyrolysis in either nitrogen or air, suggesting good fire resistance. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2904–2910, 2001
Gamma ray effects on trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica.

Cultures of Entamoeba histolytica were subjected to pure gamma radiation from a cobalt-60 source. No effect upon population growth was noticed following dosages below 100,000 RAD. A noticeable increase in lag phase was observed following exposure to about 100,000 RAD. A dose of more than 195,300 RAD resulted in death as indicated by failure of cultures to grow. The relation between increasing lag phase and increasing dosages of radiation is represented by a logarithmic straight line.
Speed Enhancement of Displacement and Strain Field Measurement Using Graphics Processing Unit

This paper presents the speed enhancement of displacement and strain field measurement using graphics processing unit (GPU) towards real-time field measurement. The displacement and strain field measurement technique to be enhanced is a vision-based dot centroid tracking (DCT) method which measures the darkness of each pixel in gray scale, identifies dots marked on a specimen, derives dot centroids using pixel darkness information and derives displacement and strain fields by tracking the centroids and deriving and interpolating the nodal displacements and strains. The proposed enhancement begins by finding parallel processes in both the image analysis phase and the field estimation phase. The centroid derivation and tracking of marked dots in the image analysis phase are computed independently for each marked dot whereas the derivation, interpolation and estimation of the displacement and strain field are computed parallel as well with respect to the interpolated points which covers the evaluated field. The proposed enhancement then accelerates the displacement and strain field estimation by storing the pixel and dot information as a predefined index look-up table and a new measurement in a shared buffer in the GPU’s shared memory. The use of the shared buffer with a look-up table avoids the duplicated memory allocation and contributes to not only speed but also memory usage. Numerical examples have first investigated the validity and performance of the proposed enhancement through parametric studies. A comparison with field measurement using only a central processing unit (CPU) shows that the proposed enhancement gains at least 10 times speedup when the same accuracy is attained. The proposed approach was then applied to the displacement and strain field measurement of a rail in a three-point bending test under relatively fast periodic loadings, and its ability to capture real-time behavior has been demonstrated.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Day-night variation in the enzymatic dephosphorylation of ATP in hamster liver fractions.

Abstract Male hamsters kept on a cycle of 12 hr light and 12 hr darkness were active during the dark period. Adenosine triphosphatase activity in the mitochondrial and in the total homogenate fractions of liver taken from hamsters during their active period was 21–25 per cent higher than in the fractions taken during the inactive period. In the post-microsomal supernatant, ATP dephosphorylation was 41 per cent higher during the active period than during the inactive period.
Performance analysis of single carrier and multicarrier DS‐CDMA systems over generalized fading channels

Using a recently developed moment generating function-based approach for the performance evaluation of digital communications over fading channels, we present a unified approach for the exact performance analysis of binary direct-sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) systems operating over generalized frequency-selective fading channels. The results are applicable to single carrier systems employing RAKE reception as well as to multicarrier DS-CDMA systems with frequency diversity. Aside from simplifying previous results both analytically and computationally, the proposed approach also gives a solution for many situations which heretofore defied a simple form. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Active avoidance performance in genetically defined mice

It has been concluded by several investigators that active avoidance performance in mice is primarily influenced or even determined by a single gene. The genetically defined strains C57BL/6 and BALB/c have provided evidence that an aberrant development of pyramidal cells and mossy fiber configuration in the hippocampus of BALB/c mice also is determined by a single gene. As a test of the generality of the single gene influence on avoidance learning, and to examine the relationship of the hippocampal defect to avoidance learning, adult male mice of the inbred progenitor strains C57BL/6ByJ and BALB/cByJ and their seven recombinant inbred strains were tested in a variant of the shuttle-box paradigm used in previous studies. BALB/c were found to acquire the avoidance response at a faster rate than C57BL/6, consistent with most earlier reports, but performances of the recombinant inbred strains failed to dichotomize about the progenitor strains. The rank order of performance scores for the recombinant inbred strains was different from that reported in previous studies. Thus the present data failed to support the interpretation of a single major gene influencing active avoidance learning. It is concluded that avoidance learning and performance cannot be considered as unitary variables and that the interaction of genetic with environmental factors, including the conditions of the specific testing situation, are important considerations in any interpretation of genetic effects. No relationship between the hippocampal lamination defect and avoidance performance was demonstrated.
River Enhancement in the Upper Mississippi River Basin: Approaches Based on River Uses, Alterations, and Management Agencies

The Upper Mississippi River is characterized by a series of locks and dams, shallow impoundments, and thousands of river channelization structures that facilitate commercial navigation between Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Cairo, Illinois. Agriculture and urban development over the past 200 years have degraded water quality and increased the rate of sediment and nutrient delivery to surface waters. River enhancement has become an important management tool employed to address causes and effects of surface water degradation and river modification in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. We report information on individual river enhancement projects and contrast project densities, goals, activities, monitoring, and cost between commercially non-navigated and navigated rivers (Non-navigated and Navigated Rivers, respectively). The total number of river enhancement projects collected during this effort was 62,108. Cost of all projects reporting spending between 1972 and 2006 was about US$1.6 billion. Water quality management was the most cited project goal within the basin. Other important goals in Navigated Rivers included in-stream habitat improvement and flow modification. Most projects collected for Non-navigated Rivers and their watersheds originated from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the USDA were important sources for projects in Navigated Rivers. Collaborative efforts between agencies that implement projects in Non-navigated and Navigated Rivers may be needed to more effectively address river impairment. However, the current state of data sources tracking river enhancement projects deters efficient and broad-scale integration.
A Revision of Stratigraphic Nomenclature for Middle Precambrian Rocks in Northern Michigan

The name Marquette Range Supergroup is proposed to supplant the term Animikie Series for middle Precambrian strata of the Northern Peninsula of Michigan and adjacent areas of Wisconsin. The Marquette Range Supergroup consists of the Chocolay, Menominee, Baraga, and Paint River Groups, as defined in previous literature. We feel that this new name to apply to Northern Peninsula rock units is appropriate, as continued investigations have failed to show unequivocal correlation between middle Precambrian rocks of Michigan and the Huronian Supergroup of Ontario. Although the equivalence of the Animikie Group in Ontario and Minnesota with parts of the Michigan rocks is likely, the Stratigraphic complexity of the Michigan sequence requires supergroup rank. The inherent confusion of an Animikie Group in Ontario and Minnesota, and an Animikie Supergroup in Michigan, makes a local name such as Marquette Range Supergroup preferable to Animikie for the middle Precambrian rocks of Michigan.
Attosecond X-Ray Photonics: All-Optical Quasi-Phase Matching for High Harmonic Generation

We use counterpropagating pulse trains to selectively enhance high-order harmonic generation from 70eV to 145eV using all-optical quasi phase matching. Enhancement factors up to x400 are obtained.
Dipeptidyl-Quinolone Derivatives Inhibit Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α Prolyl Hydroxylases-1, -2, and -3 with Altered Selectivity

Intracellular levels of the hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF) are regulated under normoxic conditions by prolyl hydroxylases (PHD1, 2, and 3). Treatment of cells with PHD inhibitors stabilizes HIF-1α, eliciting an artificial hypoxic response that includes the transcription of genes involved in erythropoiesis, angiogenesis, and glycolysis. The different in vivo roles of the three PHD isoforms are not yet known, making a PHD-selective inhibitor useful as a biological tool. Although several chemical series of PHD inhibitors have been described, significant isoform selectivity has not been reported. Here we report the synthesis and activity of dipeptidyl analogues derived from a potent but non-selective quinolone scaffold. The compounds were prepared by Pd-catalyzed reductive carbonylation of the 6-iodoquinolone derivative to form the aldehyde directly, which was then attached to a solid support via reductive amination. Amino acids were coupled, and the resulting dipeptidyl-quinolone derivatives we...
Evaluating composite ion exchangers (CIX) for improved stability of anaerobic biological reactors

Abstract An extensive laboratory study demonstrated that the stability of anaerobic biological processes can be improved and the process failure prevented by retaining specialty functionalized polymers inside the reactors. Such functionalized polymers, referred to as composite ion exchanger (CIX), are essentially microbeads of chelating exchanger encapsulated in fibrous, cloth-like polytetrafluoroethylene or Teflon. During the course of the investigation, severe stresses were introduced into a train of anaerobic reactors through organic and heavy-metal overloading of the feed. The reactors containing CIX successfully survived the stresses by dissipating the inhibitory hydrogen ions and dissolved heavy metals from the aqueous phase. The reactors containing no CIX always failed under stress conditions, all other conditions remaining identical. The CIXs were found to be chemically stable, durable, did not require any intermittent cleaning or regeneration, and occupied less than one percent of the reactor volume. Due to its thin-sheet like morphology, CIX can be easily introduced into or withdrawn from a biological medium without any difficulty. The proposed control technique does not warrant any external intervention and may replace the need for continuous dosage of excess alkalinity.
A systematic replication and a comparative analysis of CABAS

Comprehensive application of Behavior Analysis to Schooling (CABAS) is a behavioral model of schooling that incorporates components of other behavioral models and applies behavior analysis to teachers and supervisors as well as students. We report an experimental analysis of the application of CABAS to three classrooms in an Italian school for children with disabilities across one academic year, and a descriptive and comparative summary of school variables during the first year of CABAS at three schools in the U.S., along with data from the Italian school. The experiment in the Italian school used a multiple baseline design across three classrooms and was a systematic replication of a prior experiment by Selinske, Greer, and Lodhi (1991). The results replicated those reported by Selinske et al., with the application of the CABAS package resulting in significant increases in student objectives achieved, correct responses, and scripted instructional opportunities. The comparative analysis of the Italian and U.S. schools showed (a) students, teachers and supervisors in the Italian school achieved results comparable to those of the U.S. schools, and (b) all CABAS schools produced frequent occurrences of scripted or programmed opportunities to respond, which in turn resulted in steep acquisition slopes for attainment of educational objectives by the students.
COMPLEX GEOMETRY, ROTARY INERTIA AND GYROSCOPIC MOMENT EFFECTS ON DRILL VIBRATIONS

Abstract Increasing demand for better quality products and higher production rates requires a more complete understanding of drill dynamics. A transverse vibration model for drill bits is presented which includes the effects of gyroscopic moments and rotary inertia. The model is used to demonstrate the significance of these effects, and of complex drill geometries, on the natural frequencies of drill bit transverse vibration. Advances in bearing technology are likely to increase spindle speeds to more than 60 krpm; a speed at which gyroscopic moments and rotary inertia were found to have significant effect. The most significant parameter associated with complex drill geometries was found to be the number of flutes. Using a comparable three or four fluted drill versus a two fluted drill can increase the stiffness and, thus, the fundamental frequency of the drill bit by as much as 54%. Other complex drill geometry parameters (material properties, web taper, coolant holes) were not found to be as significant.