cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
DEAMINATION OF TRANS-2-METHYL- AND TRANS-2-PHENYLCYCLOPROPYLAMINES

The deaminations of trans-2-methyl- and 2-phenylcyclopropylamine hydrochlorides in acetic acid solution have been examined. A major product in each case was an allylic chloride, and the amount of chlorides increased when the chloride ion concentration was increased. With the methyl-substituted amine, increasing the chloride ion concentration changed the major chloride product from crotyl chloride to methallyl chloride. The addition of lithium perchlorate led to a reduction in the amount of chlorides formed. These results indicate that an ion pair is involved in the reaction. The deamination of the related open chain amines gave only small amounts of chlorides. B3LYP/6-31G* calculations found cyclopropyldiazonium chloride to prefer to have the chloride ion over the cyclopropyl ring. The transition state was located, and when followed down to products, allyl chloride was found. Similar calculations for the methyl-substituted series led to crotyl chloride from the ion pair with one chloride ion and to methal...
Abnormal regulation of proximal tubule renin mRNA in the Dahl/Rapp salt-sensitive rat

Abnormal regulation of proximal tubule renin mRNA in the Dahl/Rapp salt-sensitive rat. Background The precise pathogenesis of salt-sensitive hypertension in the Dahl rat is unknown. Abnormalities in renal hemodynamics and NaCl handling have been implicated, and may relate to changes in the activity of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system. Methods Circulating, juxtaglomerular and intrarenal (glomerular and proximal tubular) renin were studied in Dahl/Rapp salt-sensitive and salt-resistant rats fed with a normal (0.5%) or high (4%) NaCl diet. Circulating and juxtaglomerular renin were assessed by measurement of plasma renin activity and renin secretory rates. Glomerular and proximal tubular renin mRNA were assessed by microdissection and quantitative competitive RT-PCR. Results Circulating and juxtaglomerular renin were suppressed by high dietary NaCl in salt-sensitive rats (plasma renin activity, 0.5%, 10.9 ± 0.7 vs. 4%, 7.9 ± 0.3ng/ml/hr, P P 3 copies/glomerulus, P 3 copies/mm tubule, P = NS), but was suppressed in salt-resistant rats (0.5%, 9.5 ± 2.8 vs. 4%, 3.2 ± 1.2 × 10 3 copies/mm, P Conclusions Failure to suppress proximal tubular renin in response to high dietary NaCl may result in increased local generation of angiotensin II and enhanced proximal tubular NaCl absorption, and thereby contribute to the generation of salt sensitive hypertension.
A LENGTH AFTEREFFECT FROM GRATING ADAPTATION: NOW YOU SEE IT . . . NOW YOU DON'T

Adaptation to a grating of short bars has the effect of increasing the apparent length of a subsequently viewed test bar, and adaptation to a grating of long bars has the effect of decreasing the apparent length of a subsequently viewed test bar. However, decreasing the interspace between the long adaptation bars has the effect of (1) negating the length aftereffect and (2) reducing the apparent width of the test bar viewed by the retina previously adapted to the grating of long bars.
Power-Efficient Relay Selection for Decentralized Distributed Space-Time Block Coding

Distributed space-time-block-coding (Dis-STBC) achieves diversity through cooperative transmission among geographically dispersed nodes. In this paper, we present a power-efficient relay-selection strategy for decentralized Dis-STBC in a selective decode-and-forward two-stage relaying network. In particular, each decoded node broadcasts a small amount of information with limited power. This node then utilizes its own and its neighbors' information to decide whether or not to act as a relay for the source information. In this way, only part of the decoded set will act as relays. The outage analyses and simulations illustrate the power-efficiency advantage of the proposed strategy.
A requirement for kit in embryonic zebrafish melanocyte differentiation is revealed by melanoblast delay

Exploring differences in gene requirements between species can allow us to delineate basic developmental mechanisms, provide insight into patterns of evolution, and explain heterochronic differences in developmental processes. One example of differences in gene requirements between zebrafish and mammals is the requirement of the kit receptor tyrosine kinase in melanocyte development. kit is required for migration, survival and differentiation of all neural crest-derived melanocytes in mammals. In contrast, zebrafish kit is not required for differentiation of embryonic melanocytes during normal development. When melanoblast development in zebrafish embryos is delayed by injecting morpholinos targeted to the mitfa gene, we show that these delayed melanoblasts fail to differentiate in kit mutants. Thus, we show that there is a kit requirement for melanocyte differentiation in zebrafish when melanoblast development is delayed. Furthermore, we show that kit is not involved in maintaining melanocyte precursors through the developmental delay, but instead is required for differentiation of melanocytes after the block on their development is removed. Finally, we suggest there is a heterochronic shift in the onset of melanocyte differentiation between fish and mouse, and developmental delay of melanoblast development in zebrafish removes this heterochronic difference.
EFFECTIVENESS OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADES FOR PREDICTING COLLEGE GRADES OF BLACK STUDENTS: A REVIEW AND DISCUSSION1

The purpose of this study was to reexamine the value of high school grades (relative to standardized test scores) for predicting college grades of black students. Data from previous studies and from a predominantly black university were analyzed. Results tend to indicate that high school grades do not consistently make the greatest contribution in predicting college grades of black students, perhaps particularly of men, whereas they do for whites. Unreliability of grade reporting, invalidity of grades in high school, restriction in range due to selection processes, and intergroup differences in personality characteristics were advanced to explain this phenomenon. Further research on this problem was suggested in view of the fact that many selective institutions are relying heavily on high school grades in their selection of black students.
Trends of lipoprotein variables from childhood to adulthood in offspring of parents with coronary heart disease: the Bogalusa Heart Study.

Although dyslipidemia among offspring of parents with coronary heart disease (CHD) has been known, the development of this adverse relationship with respect to specific lipoprotein variables from childhood to young adulthood has not been elucidated. This aspect was examined in a young adult cohort with (n = 271) and without (n = 805) a parental history of CHD followed longitudinally since childhood by repeated surveys from 1973 to 1991. Trends in fasting lipoprotein variables by parental CHD status were assessed by Lowess smoothing curve and Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE). In multivariate analyses adjusted for race and sex, parental CHD associated positively with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, P [lt ] .01) and triglycerides (P [lt ] .05) mainly at the young adulthood age, whereas a positive association was noted with very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) during both childhood and young adulthood (P [lt ] .05). The positive association between parental CHD and LDL-C in young adulthood persisted independently of body mass index (BMI) and fasting insulin, but disappeared when fasting glucose was added to the model. With respect to triglycerides and VLDL-C, inclusion of BMI, insulin, and/or glucose eliminated the adverse association with parental CHD. These observations suggest that parental CHD is just one more explanatory variable that loses its partial contribution to lipoprotein profiles in their offspring when other strongly interrelated contributory variables such as age, body fatness, and measures of glucose homeostasis are taken into account. Information on these risk variables in conjunction with parental or family history of CHD may enhance the potential of CHD risk assessment in youth.
Poverty and economic development: not as direct as it may seem

Abstract The relationships among various subsets of economic development, poverty, crime, and/or income inequality have been separately investigated in several theoretical and empirical studies. However, there has been very little empirical analysis on the interdependence among all these variables in one framework. This paper examines the causality between economic development and poverty while incorporating crime and inequality. It employs a co-integration test, a 4-variable vector autoregressive (VAR) model, and a Granger test in the US over the period 1959–2001. Findings reveal a feedback loop mechanism between economic development, poverty, and crime. Interestingly, income inequality as measured by the Gini coefficient has no important impact on any of the variables.
A New Monotypic Genus, Ananthura, from Tropical Africa (Asteraceae, Vernonieae)

A new genus, Ananthura H. Rob. & Skvarla (Asteraceae, Vernonieae), is described for Vernonia pteropoda Oliv. & Hiern in Oliv. of Central Africa. The genus has broad median shields on the involucral bracts and lophate, strongly tricolporate pollen. It is placed in the subtribe Gymnantheminae. The name V. urophylla Muschl. is lectotypified.
Life-time of the Mesotron

IN a recent note1, Prof. P. M. S. Blackett seeks to link quantitatively the observed life-time of the mesotron to other constants of Nature. I should like to propose what seems to me a simple and direct deduction of this quantity by relating it to the theory of the nature of the mesotron which I recently advanced2.
Discrete-time adaptive control of plants with unknown output dead-zones

Abstract For discrete-time plants with unknown dead-zones at the output we propose a new controller structure with an adaptive dead-zone inverse. We consider two control problems; one when only the dead-zone is unknown, and the other when the whole plant is unknown. We allow the dead-zone to be with unequal slopes. The proposed controller structure results in a linear parametrization which is crucial for developing adaptive update laws. We prove the signal boundedness for the closed-loop system, and for a special case we establish asymptotic tracking. Simulation results show that our adaptive control schemes improve system performance.
The next e+ e- linear collider

Following the recent realization by the worldwide high energy physics community for the need of a next generation e+ e- collisions machine, we review the main reasons for such a proposal, and the current status of that endeavor. General aspects of the physics program, the collider itself, and its detectors are covered.
Branch support via resampling: an empirical study

The success of resampling approaches to branch support depends on the effectiveness of the underlying tree searches. Two primary factors are identified as key: the depth of tree search and the number of trees saved per resampling replicate. Two datasets were explored for a range of search parameters using jackknifing. Greater depth of tree search tends to increase support values because shorter trees conflict less with each other, while increasing numbers of trees saved tends to reduce support values because of conflict that reduces structure in the replicate consensus. Although a relatively small amount of branch swapping will achieve near-accurate values for a majority of clades, some clades do not yield accurate values until more extensive searches are performed. This means that in order to maximize the accuracy of resampling analyses, one should employ as extensive a search strategy as possible, and save as many trees per replicate as possible. Strict consensus summary of resampling replicates is preferable to frequency-within-replicates summary because it is a more conservative approach to the reporting of replicate results. Jackknife analysis is preferable to bootstrap because of its closer relationship to the original data.© The Willi Hennig Society 2010.
PROSPERITY OR PRICE STABILITY

There is a choice to be made because pursuing further disinflation is likely to be at the cost of growth. Joining the EMS will only reinforce these costs of disinflation while adding little in terms of tangible benefits. All available evidence indicates that the last few points of inflation, as a country gets to near-zero, are the hardest to eliminate. But they are also the least worthwhile because inflation is already so low. From the perspective of the past twenty years what difference can we plausibly find between an inflation rate of 3.5 or 2.4 percent, or 5 percent for that matter? Cost benefit analysis suggests stopping short of total victory rather than going all the way. It is worth asking whether the time is now ripe for a dramatic shift of objectives from disinflation to building the basis for a sustained growth in manufacturing.
Local toxicity in regional perfusion with anticancer compounds.

Summary o 1. A series of 25 animals underwent hind limb perfusion with a cytotoxic compound. Ten animals received nitrogen mustard, eight received Methotrexate, and seven received Mitomycin C. 2. The doses were calculated in terms of multiples of the amount that can be administered systemically without causation of more than minimal toxicity in the average human patient. For nitrogen mustard the multiples ranged from 17 to 21 times the weight of exposed tissue; for Mitomycin C, from 17 to 27; and for Methotrexate, 10 to 17. 3. Virtually all perfusions cause tissue edema. Part of this is related to administration of a cytotoxic compound. The degree of drug influence is similar for Mitomycin C, Methotrexate, and probably nitrogen mustard. 4. There is a highly significant correlation between the amount of perfusion edema and the cytotoxicity as measured by clinical and histopathologic criteria. This increase in toxicity occurs only when cytotoxic compound is available for sequestration in edema fluid. In the absence of sequestration edema, relatively large doses of cytotoxic compounds occasion only slight toxicity. 5. Systemically administered corticosteroids have no significant influence on cytotoxicity.
Diabetic Neuropathy: Medical and Surgical Approaches

This article establishes the most critical, practical, and successful treatment options and their controversies for the practicing clinician caring for the patient with symptomatic diabetic neuropathy from the available literature.
Neuropharmacology of learned flavor preferences

Innate and learned flavor preferences influence food and fluid choices in animals. Two primary forms of learned preferences involve flavor-flavor and flavor-nutrient associations in which a particular flavor element (e.g., odor) is paired with an innately preferred flavor element (e.g., sweet taste) or with a positive post-oral nutrient consequence. This review summarizes recent findings related to the neurochemical basis of learned flavor preferences. Systemic and central injections of dopamine receptor antagonists implicate brain dopamine signaling in both flavor-flavor and flavor-nutrient conditioning by the taste and post-oral effects of sugars. Dopamine signaling in the nucleus accumbens, amygdala and lateral hypothalamus is involved in one or both forms of conditioning and selective effects are produced by D1-like and D2-like receptor antagonism. Opioid receptor antagonism, despite its suppressive action on sugar intake and reward, has little effect on the acquisition or expression of flavor preferences conditioned by the sweet taste or post-oral actions of sugars. Other studies indicate that flavor preference conditioning by sugars is differentially influenced by glutamate receptor antagonism, cannabinoid receptor antagonism and benzodiazepine receptor activation.
Integrated actions of masticatory muscles: simultaneous EMG from eight intramuscular electrodes

In 29 normal persons with complete dental arches, the muscular activity of the temporalis, masseter, medical pterygoid, anterior belly of the digastric, mylohyoid and geniohyoid muscles was studied electromyographically with bipolar fine wire electrodes during various mandibular movements--both resisted and unresisted. Action potentials were recorded on FM magnetic tape and each experiment was also videotaped. Temporalis muscle was active during centric closing of the jaw with either contact of the teeth, or against resistance; during free lateral movements to the ipsilateral side, either against resistance or occlusal contact; during incisor gum chewing, molar gum chewing on ipsilateral or contralateral sides, during normal mastication; and during forceful centric occlusion. Activity occurred in the masseter and medial pterygoid muscles during the following movements; closing the jaw slowly either without occlusal contact or with occlusal contact and against resistance; free lateral movement to contralateral side, either against resistance or with occlusal contact; protraction of the jaw either without occlusal contact or with occlusal contact; swallowing either saliva or water; incisor gum chewing with either the ipsilateral or contralateral molars; normal mastication; and during forceful centric occlusion. Activity occurred in the digastric, mylohyoid and geniohyoid muscles during the following movements; opening of the jaw either slowly or maximally against resistance; closing the jaw against resistance; free lateral movement to ipsilateral and contralateral sides, either against resistance or with occlusal contact; protraction against resistance of the jaw either without or with occlusal contact; swallowing saliva and water; and protraction of the tongue. They work in antagonism (reciprocally) during gum chewing and normal mastication.
2010 Mid-America Orthopaedic Association Physician in Training Award: predictors of early adverse outcomes after knee and hip arthroplasty in geriatric patients.

Background Geriatric patients experience more adverse events owing to early complications after TKA or THA related to preexisting comorbidities. However, associations between patient and surgery variables, including age, BMI, and comorbidities with complications are unclear. Knowing these relationships is necessary for developing risk stratification, defining contraindications, and predicting complications and adverse outcomes.
Rennin coagulation of enzymatically dephosphorylated casein.

MANY of the properties of milk depend on the existence of large aggregates of casein1, the ‘molecular’ weights of which are in the region of 108. When calcium-binding substances such as citrate or oxalate are added, these aggregates are rapidly reduced in size2 to a ‘molecular’ weight of about 105, the specific value being highly dependent on pH, temperature and ionic strength3. The mechanism whereby calcium effects the formation of the aggregates is unknown, but it has often been assumed that the first step is combination with the phosphate groups of casein, and it has been suggested4 that the calcium ions might cross-link adjacent casein molecules. In recent years it has been found that various phosphatases will catalyse the removal of phosphate groups from casein under mild conditions of pH and temperature5,6. Thus enzymatic dephosphorylation should be a useful tool in studying the role of casein-bound phosphate in the reactions of milk dependent on calcium. The clotting of milk by the enzyme rennin is dependent on calcium1, and is a reaction which lends itself to precise study.
Cipherstream covering for secure data compression

Because of its ability to compress and encrypt plaintext simultaneously, embedment of stream cipher rules into Elias-type entropy encoders provides a fast and secure means of data compression with the ability to hide cipherstream information in the case of a known plaintext attack. Compression and security improve by continually updating the statistical representation of the plaintext. Simulations on images from a variety of classes compare the compression ratios and computational costs of the novel system to those of traditional compression-followed-by-encryption methods.
Comparing predictions of PEM fuel cell behavior using Maxwell–Stefan and CFD approximation equations

Abstract This study examines the accuracy of solving the multi-component equations for a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) by using a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique. This technique uses an approximated multi-component (AMC) model with a correction term that guarantees the overall mass balance. Accuracy is assessed by comparing the species concentration computed with the Maxwell–Stefan and the corrected AMC models. This comparison is important because the structure of some CFD programs does not permit the direct use of the Maxwell–Stefan equations and this leads to confusion in the literature and to implications that CFD predictions are not accurate because a different set of transport equations and mixture diffusion coefficients are used. Here, it is shown that this controversy is ill-founded because the maximum error between the two models is less than 5%. Thus, the use of the corrected AMC model is appropriate for PEMFC applications.
Streak Camera System Spatial Resolution Limitation By Mcp Image Intensifiers

The contribution to the degradation of image resolution fidelity in streak camera systems by proximity -focus MCP image
The rehabilitation of a street railway

A small town street railway system, three years ago a source of reproach, under home ownership and managment becomes a joy and pride.
Polar Rain Entry of Galactic Electrons into the Inner Heliosphere

The understanding of the relative intensity variations in cosmic ray ions and electrons with respect to solar modulation is a grand challenge for cosmic ray modulation theory. Although effects of the heliospheric neutral sheet, gradient-curvature drifts, and merged interaction regions provide qualitative explanations for observed solar cycle variations of high energy protons and ions, these effects do not account for the anomalously high intensities of high energy galactic electrons at 22-year intervals of the solar magnetic solar cycle. From the similar modulation responses of protons and heavy ions it does not appear that cosmic ray pressure effects, dominated by protons, can account for the charge-sign asymmetry of cosmic ray modulation. External factors including modulation in the heliosheath and polar linkage to the interstellar magnetic field are examined as potential causes of symmetry breaking for electron modulation with respect to the solar magnetic polarity at solar minimum.
Hydraulic Property Estimation Using Piezocone Results

Governing underground water flow, hydraulic properties such as hydraulic conductivity or coefficient of consolidation are major geotechnical parameters. Determination of hydraulic properties, however, is traditionally time consuming and expensive. This research proposes an easy and economical way of determining the hydraulic properties of soils through piezocone penetration tests. Pore pressure responses of soils from piezocone penetration tests are numerically analyzed herein by the coupled theory of mixtures, which is based on the large strain elastoplasticity. Using the numerical results, the effects of input parameters are evaluated. Simple equations are also derived for a faster estimation of the hydraulic conductivity or the coefficient of consolidation of soils. The hydraulic properties predicted by these derived equations agree reasonably with the measured results.
A facility reliability problem: Formulation, properties, and algorithm

Having a robustly designed supply chain network is one of the most effective ways to hedge against network disruptions because contingency plans in the event of a disruption are often significantly limited. In this article, we study the facility reliability problem: how to design a reliable supply chain network in the presence of random facility disruptions with the option of hardening selected facilities. We consider a facility location problem incorporating two types of facilities, one that is unreliable and another that is reliable (which is not subject to disruption, but is more expensive). We formulate this as a mixed integer programming model and develop a Lagrangian Relaxation-based solution algorithm. We derive structural properties of the problem and show that for some values of the disruption probability, the problem reduces to the classical uncapacitated fixed charge location problem. In addition, we show that the proposed solution algorithm is not only capable of solving large-scale problems, but is also computationally effective. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2010
Magnetic properties of rare earth clusters

We report results of Stern-Gerlach deflection experiments on terbium clusters, which resemble earlier results for gadolinium clusters. As in gadolinium, we observe two distinct behaviors: clusters that are superparamagnetic and clusters that are described by a locked-moment model. The magnetic behavior is highly size dependent. Certain clusters make a transition from locked-moment to superparamagnetic behavior with increasing temperature and, in this process, exhibit an intermediate behavior. Both superparamagnetic and locked-moment clusters have magnetic moments per atom well below the bulk value. We show that oxygen atoms attached to the clusters have little effect on the clusters' magnetic properties and are not responsible for the two distinct behaviors observed in rare earth clusters. We also present preliminary results from studies on dysprosium clusters.
Measurement of photoacid generation kinetics in photoresist thin films via capacitance techniques

A novel technique for determining the Dill C rate constant for photoacid generation has been investigated. This technique involves using capacitance measurements of interdigitated electrodes (IDE) coated with chemically amplified resist to monitor the generation of photoacid within the resist polymer matrix. It is shown that a linear relationship exists between measured capacitance of the IDE and photoacid or PAG concentration within the polymer matrix. Based on this linear relationship, a method is developed for calculating the Dill C parameter for chemically amplified resists based on interdigitated electrode capacitance data. This approach is demonstrated by measuring the Dill C parameter for acid generation using 248 nm exposure of triphenylsulfonium triflate photoacid generator in a poly(p-hydroxystyrene) matrix. A Dill C parameter value of 0.0445 was calculated using this capacitance method which is in good agreement with other literature reported values for this PAG.
Competitor-mediated coexistence: Interactions among three species of benthic macroalgae☆

Abstract Manipulative field experiments were used to determine the mechanism of coexistence of three species of benthic macro-algae ( Eisenia arborea Areschong, Halidrys dioica Gardner, and Pterocladia capillacea (Gmelin)) which occur in a narrow band of substratum from 0.3 to 2.3 m below MLLW on Santa Catalina Island, California. Eisenia forms a canopy and excludes Halidrys from areas beneath this canopy. Pterocladia occurs in the space beneath the Eisenia canopy. Upon canopy removal, Halidrys grows adventitiously, excludes Pterocladia , and preempts all space on the substratum. However, Pterocladia is not physiologically restricted to being an understory plant. When the canopy is removed and Halidrys is prevented from entering the area, Pterocladia flourishes. Pterocladia persists in the community because of its ability to utilize the refuge from its superior competitor, Halidrys , afforded by the Eisenia canopy. Eisenia , the competitive dominant to Halidrys , therefore, mediates the coexistence of Halidrys and its inferior competitor Pterocladia in a manner similar to the role that predators and physical disturbance play in other marine communities.
Bound adenosine diphosphate and adenosine triphosphate in resting and contracting muscle

Abstract Resting muscle contains bound ADP in sufficient quantity to indicate that all the actin is present in the fibrous form, and that the binding in vivo is present to the same extent as has been found with the isolated protein. There is sufficient bound ATP to support the hypothesis of multiple binding sites to myosin. Tetanic contraction does not lead to any shifts between free and bound ADP or ATP. It is postulated that these multiple binding sites of ATP to myosin may act as bridges between the myosin and actin filaments which the electron microscopy studies have shown to be present in muscle. It is also postulated that these multiple binding sites of ATP to myosin prevent the change in conformation about the active center of the ATPase portion which would be necessary for the catalytic action to be manifested.
Improvements in food analysis by thermal neutron capture prompt gamma-ray spectrometry

The thermal neutron prompt gamma-ray activation analysis (PGAA) facility, operated by the US Food and Drug Administration and National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research, has been redesigned to lower background radiation levels and improved analytical capabilities. Analysis of 22 element standards and food and botanical certified reference materials revealed significant sensitivity increases and lower limits of detection for H, B, C, N, Na, Al, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Fe, and Cd. Mass fractions for these elements, as well as Mg, Al, Si, Ti, Mn, Fe, Cu, I, Zn, Sm, and Gd, were determined for 6 dietary supplements.
A robust inverse regression estimator

Abstract A family of dimension reduction methods was developed by Cook and Ni [Sufficient dimension reduction via inverse regression: a minimum discrepancy approach. J. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 100, 410–428.] via minimizing a quadratic objective function. Its optimal member called the inverse regression estimator (IRE) was proposed. However, its calculation involves higher order moments of the predictors. In this article, we propose a robust version of the IRE that only uses second moments of the predictor for estimation and inference, leading to better small sample results.
Bacteriostatic effect of sequential hydrodynamic and ultrasound-induced stress

Aims To elucidate the mechanism of action of a nonchemical microbial control technology employing coupled hydrodynamic and ultrasound-induced stress. Methods & Results The effects of a laboratory model system using a commercial nonchemical device on Pseudomonas putida revealed growth and respiration were inhibited without a loss of viability from the treated population. Damage to cell membranes was evident using fluorescent microscopy and a reporter strain containing lux genes fused with a membrane damage stress-response promoter. Other reporter strains also indicated the possible involvement of DNA and protein repair systems. A consequence of treatment was a reduced ability to form biofilms. Conclusions The nonchemical device caused a biostatic effect on treated cells induced by sublethal damage to several cellular systems, including cell membranes. Significance and Impact of the Study The study demonstrates that biostasis can be an effective mechanism for microbial control in some industrial systems and provides insight into understanding and applying this device and other nonchemical microbial control technologies to real-world problems of microbial contamination.
A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of albendazole compared with metronidazole as treatments for infections with Giardia duodenalis.

Background Metronidazole is the most commonly used drug for the treatment of giardiasis in humans. In spite of its therapeutic efficacy for giardiasis, low patient compliance, especially in children, side effects, and the emergence of metronidazole-resistant strains may restrict its use. Albendazole has been used to treat Giardia duodenalis infections in recent years. However, efficacy studies in vivo and in vitro have produced diverse results as to its effectiveness. A moderately benign side effect profile, combined with established efficacy against many helminths, renders it promising for treatment of giardiasis in humans. Methodology and Principal Findings We performed a search in the PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, the ISI Web of Science, LILIACS, and Cochrane Controlled Trials Register for trials published before February 2010 as well as in references of relevant research and review articles. Eight randomized clinical trials (including 900 patients) comparing the effectiveness of albendazole with that of metronidazole were included in meta-analysis. After extracting and validating the data, the pooled risk ratio (RR) was calculated using an inverse-variance random-effects model. Albendazole was found to be equally as effective as metronidazole in the treatment of giardiasis in humans (RR 0.97; 95% CI, 0.93, 1.01). In addition, safety analysis suggested that patients treated with albendazole had a lower risk of adverse effects compared with those who received metronidazole (RR 0.36; 95% CI, 0.10, 1.34), but limitations of the sample size precluded a definite conclusion. Conclusions/Significance The effectiveness of albendazole, when given as a single dose of 400 mg/day for 5 days, was comparable to that of metronidazole. Patients treated with albendazole tended to have fewer side effects compared with those who took metronidazole. Given the safety, effectiveness, and low costs of albendazole, this drug could be potentially used as an alternative and/or a replacement for the existing metronidazole therapy protocols in the treatment of giardiasis in humans.
Prevalence of obstructive coronary artery disease in patients with and without prior stroke undergoing coronary angiography for suspected coronary artery disease.

This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and severity of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in 64 men and 38 women (mean age 71 ± 9 years) with previous stroke and in 102 age- and gender-matched patients with similar coronary risk factors without previous stroke who underwent coronary angiography for chest pain. Obstructive CAD was present in 100 of 102 patients (98%) with previous stroke and in 84 of 102 (82%) patients without previous stroke (p
A biomass-based marine sediment energy harvesting system

This paper presents the design of a new underwater energy harvesting system, which would provide persistent and sustainable power supply for remote underwater sensing and surveillance devices. The system consists of a marine sediment microbial fuel cell (MFC) and the associated power management system. The MFC exploits bacterial metabolic activities associated with the redox reaction to generate electrical energy directly from biodegradable substrates. The power management circuit collects the energy harvested by the MFC and boosts the output voltage to a sufficient and stable level for loads such as sensor devices. Simulation results of the power management integrated circuit in a 90nm CMOS process demonstrate the expected functions and the significant improvement in energy conversion efficiency.
Work in progress - Prototyping the Engineer of 2020: A curricular examination of two exemplary institutions preparing undergraduate engineers

Highlighting two higher education institutions that have been identified as exemplary in preparing engineering undergraduates for 2020, this work in progress paper focuses on what these institutions are doing to prepare their students. Using case study approaches, findings suggest that engineering undergraduate students gain contextual competence, design and problem solving, and interdisciplinary competence skills through curriculum redesign efforts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Howard University. These design efforts include innovative teaching strategies, year-long undergraduate research opportunities, and extracurricular activities.
‘Abdicate’ and ‘Contract’ Restored

John Miller's response to my article about the meaning of' abdicate' and 'contract' in the Glorious Revolution is both interesting and perplexing.' Miller's essay is interesting, in part, because he agrees with two of the major premises of my article; it is perplexing because he does not understand this to be so. Perhaps a restatement of my central contentions will help to set the stage for the reexamination of the Glorious Revolution that both Miller and I advocate. There are four central arguments contained in my article, two historiographic, and two historical. For reasons of space and grace, I will confine my comments to these central issues. First, I will address the historiographic points. The organizing historiographic principle of my article was that a new wave of tory historians in general, and J. P. Kenyon in particular, has distorted the meaning of the Glorious Revolution by selectively ignoring evidence which does not conform with their vision of the event. Kenyon wrote an entire book about the meaning of the Revolution without understanding what seems to me the key body of documents for discerning parliament's intentions the conference debates between lords and commons. Nor did Kenyon acknowledge accurately the lords' perceptions of theory and fact as contained in their journals.2 My intentions were to show how these two small bodies of sources plus Kenyon's anachronistic understanding of the ambiguous verb 'abdicate' drastically alter our understanding of the reality he purports to reveal. The sources demonstrate that the Revolution was far more complex as a matter of both theory and practical politics than tory historians of recent years have admitted. What I contend is not that my short essay is the last word on the Glorious Revolution. On the contrary, it was my hope that revelations about current misunderstandings would reopen the debate and result in more research and reconsideration of the issues I raised. My six pages or so on contract theory, for example, do nothing more than begin a discussion that it would take volumes to end. That is precisely the point of the article. Miller shares my belief that scholars should examine all relevant sources, thus implicitly corroborating my criticism of Kenyon. For some reason, however, he chastizes me for not utilizing other significant documents even though those documents shed no new light on the particular issues I discuss and even though it was Kenyon who claimed to offer a book-length synthesis of intentionality and reality in I 688-9.
Modulation strategies for direct-link drive for open-end winding AC machines

Switching common-mode voltages generated by conventional pulse-width modulated inverters are known to cause bearing currents in ac machines. These undesirable currents may result in bearing damage. A direct-link drive for open-end winding ac machines has recently been proposed. Some advantages of the drive include: 1) common-mode voltage suppression, 2) no storage elements, and 3) ability to achieve up to 1.5 times the peak input phase voltage across the machine phase windings. In this paper, pulsewidth modulation strategies for the drive are proposed. Two strategies are based on space vector modulation and suppress common-mode voltage at the machine terminals. One carrier-based strategy achieves 1.5 times the peak input phase voltage across the machine phase windings but causes switching common-mode voltage at the machine terminals. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the operation of the drive.
Amphiphilic Cationic Nanogels as Brain-Targeted Carriers for Activated Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors

Progress in AIDS treatment shifted emphasis towards limiting adverse effects of antiviral drugs while improving the treatment of hard-to-reach viral reservoirs. Many therapeutic nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) have a limited access to the central nervous system (CNS). Increased NRTI levels induced various complications during the therapy, including neurotoxicity, due to the NRTI toxicity to mitochondria. Here, we describe an innovative design of biodegradable cationic cholesterol-e-polylysine nanogel carriers for delivery of triphosphorylated NRTIs that demonstrated high anti-HIV activity along with low neurotoxicity, warranting minimal side effects following systemic administration. Efficient CNS targeting was achieved by nanogel modification with brain-specific peptide vectors. Novel dual and triple-drug nanoformulations, analogous to therapeutic NRTI cocktails, displayed equal or higher antiviral activity in HIV-infected macrophages compared to free drugs. Our results suggest potential alternative approach to HIV-1 treatment focused on the effective nanodrug delivery to viral reservoirs in the CNS and reduced neurotoxicity.
A handheld data acquisition system for use in an undergraduate data acquisition course

A handheld data acquisition (DAQ) system was designed and built for use in an undergraduate engineering course. The system is based on a PocketPC computer and a low-cost serial DAQ card. The DAQ system runs under WindowsCE, an embedded real-time operating system. The DAQ hardware is supported by a free development system and custom software that allows applications to be tested under emulation with simulated I/O before being downloaded to the DAQ hardware. Several lab experiments were developed that complement the DAQ hardware.
The management of distributed organizational knowledge

This paper presents findings from a longitudinal field study examining the problems of managing and transferring local knowledge beyond the specific context and workgroup in which the context and rules for that knowledge are understood. The ways in which a collaborative group managed and communicated local knowledge, translated across organizational boundaries are described. The findings demonstrate a fundamental contradiction between the situated, distributed nature of collaborative knowledge processes and the expectation that software systems provide codified knowledge. A model is presented that demonstrates a shift from individual knowledge to design knowledge, focusing on the dominant modes of knowledge deployment at different stages of design emergence. The role of specific representational genres, in mobilizing a move from one mode of knowledge manipulation to another may be significant in boundary spanning design.
Further progress in meeting recognition: the ICSI-SRI spring 2005 speech-to-text evaluation system

We describe the development of our speech recognition system for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Spring 2005 Meeting Rich Transcription (RT-05S) evaluation, highlighting improvements made since last year [1]. The system is based on the SRI-ICSI-UW RT-04F conversational telephone speech (CTS) recognition system, with meeting-adapted models and various audio preprocessing steps. This year's system features better delay-sum processing of distant microphone channels and energy-based crosstalk suppression for close-talking microphones. Acoustic modeling is improved by virtue of various enhancements to the background (CTS) models, including added training data, decision-tree based state tying, and the inclusion of discriminatively trained phone posterior features estimated by multilayer perceptrons. In particular, we make use of adaptation of both acoustic models and MLP features to the meeting domain. For distant microphone recognition we obtained considerable gains by combining and cross-adapting narrow-band (telephone) acoustic models with broadband (broadcast news) models. Language models (LMs) were improved with the inclusion of new meeting and web data. In spite of a lack of training data, we created effective LMs for the CHIL lecture domain. Results are reported on RT-04S and RT-05S meeting data. Measured on RT-04S conference data, we achieved an overall improvement of 17% relative in both MDM and IHM conditions compared to last year's evaluation system. Results on lecture data are comparable to the best reported results for that task.
Regulatory domain conformational exchange and linker region flexibility in cardiac troponin C bound to cardiac troponin I

Previously, we utilized (15)N transverse relaxation rates to demonstrate significant mobility in the linker region and conformational exchange in the regulatory domain of Ca(2+)-saturated cardiac troponin C bound to the isolated N-domain of cardiac troponin I (Gaponenko, V., Abusamhadneh, E., Abbott, M. B., Finley, N., Gasmi-Seabrook, G., Solaro, R.J., Rance, M., and Rosevear, P.R. (1999) J. Biol. Chem. 274, 16681-16684). Here we show a large decrease in cardiac troponin C linker flexibility, corresponding to residues 85-93, when bound to intact cardiac troponin I. The addition of 2 m urea to the intact cardiac troponin I-troponin C complex significantly increased linker flexibility. Conformational changes in the regulatory domain of cardiac troponin C were monitored in complexes with troponin I-(1-211), troponin I-(33-211), troponin I-(1-80) and bisphosphorylated troponin I-(1-80). The cardiac specific N terminus, residues 1-32, and the C-domain, residues 81-211, of troponin I are both capable of inducing conformational changes in the troponin C regulatory domain. Phosphorylation of the cardiac specific N terminus reversed its effects on the regulatory domain. These studies provide the first evidence that the cardiac specific N terminus can modulate the function of troponin C by altering the conformational equilibrium of the regulatory domain.
Role of Protein A in the Evasion of Host Adaptive Immune Responses by Staphylococcus aureus

ABSTRACT Heritable defects in human B cell/antibody development are not associated with increased susceptibility to Staphylococcus aureus infection. Protein A (SpA), a surface molecule of S. aureus, binds the Fcγ domain of immunoglobulin (Ig) and cross-links the Fab domain of V H 3-type B cell receptors (IgM). Here we generated S. aureus spa variants harboring amino acid substitutions at four key residues in each of the five Ig-binding domains of SpA. Wild-type S. aureus required SpA binding to Ig to resist phagocytosis and SpA-mediated B cell receptor cross-linking to block antibody development in mice. The spa KKAA mutant, which cannot bind Ig or IgM, was phagocytosed and elicited B cell responses to key virulence antigens that protected animals against lethal S. aureus challenge. The immune evasive attributes of S. aureus SpA were abolished in µMT mice lacking mature B cells and antibodies. Thus, while wild-type S. aureus escapes host immune surveillance, the spa KKAA variant elicits adaptive responses that protect against recurrent infection. IMPORTANCE Staphylococcus aureus causes recurrent skin and bloodstream infections without eliciting immunity. Heritable defects in neutrophil and T cell function, but not B cell or antibody development, are associated with increased incidence of S. aureus infection, and efforts to develop antibody-based S. aureus vaccines have thus far been unsuccessful. We show here that the Fcγ and V H 3-type Fab binding activities of staphylococcal protein A (SpA) are essential for S. aureus escape from host immune surveillance in mice. The virulence attributes of SpA in mice required mature B cells and immunoglobulin. These results suggest that antibodies and B cells play a key role in the pathogenesis of staphylococcal infections and provide insights into the development of a vaccine against S. aureus.