cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Describing the Composition of Individualized Education Plans for Students With Traumatic Brain Injury.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the features of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) for a cohort of students with traumatic brain injury (TBI) to help elucidate curr...
Bacterial communities of the Salvia lyrata rhizosphere explained by spatial structure and sampling grain

Advancements in molecular technology have reduced the constraints that the grain of observation, or the spatial resolution and volume of the sampling unit, has on the characterization of plant-associated microbiomes. With discrete ecological sampling and massive parallel sequencing, we can more precisely portray microbiome community assembly and microbial recruitment to host tissue over space and time. Here, we differentiate rarefied community richness and relative abundance in bacterial microbiomes of Salvia lyrata dependent on three spatial depths, which are discrete physical distances from the soil surface within the rhizosphere microhabitat as a proxy for the root system zones. To assess the impact of sampling grain on rarefied community richness and relative abundance, we evaluated the variation of these metrics between samples pooled prior to DNA extraction and samples pooled after sequencing. A distance-based redundancy analysis with the quantitative Jaccard distance revealed that rhizosphere microbiomes vary in richness between rhizosphere soil depths. At all orders of diversity, rarefied microbial richness was consistently lowest at the deepest samples taken (approximately 4 cm from soil surface) in comparison with other rhizosphere soil depths. We additionally show that finer grain sampling (i.e., three samples of equal volume pooled after sequencing) recovers greater microbial richness when using 16S rRNA gene sequencing to describe microbial communities found within the rhizosphere system. In summary, to further elucidate the extent host-specific microbiomes assemble within the rhizosphere, the grain at which bacterial communities are sampled should reflect and encompass fine-scale heterogeneity of the system.
In Search of Evidence for Using Noninvasive Ventilation for Severe Acute Asthma.

* Abbreviations: IMV — : invasive mechanical ventilation NIV — : noninvasive ventilation Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is appealing for the treatment of severe asthma because it likely avoids the potential airway and lung trauma of intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). In this issue of Pediatrics , Smith et al1 illustrate the compelling appeal of NIV in clinical use, showing that centers with high use of NIV in 2014 doubled their use of NIV in the next 4 years and that NIV is more common as a mode of respiratory support than IMV. … Address correspondence to Michael D. Johnson, MD, MS, Primary Children’s Hospital, 100 N Mario Capecchi Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84108. E-mail: mike.johnson{at}hsc.utah.edu
Dry-pressed lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (NCM) cathodes enabled by holey graphene host

Abstract There is an increasing demand for electric vehicle batteries with higher energy densities that can be manufactured with low cost utilizing environmentally friendly processes. Lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxides (NCM), such as LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 (NCM523), are commonly used in commercial lithium ion batteries for electric vehicle applications. These cathodes are typically fabricated using environmentally hazardous, energy intensive, and time-consuming solvent-based slurry casting processes. Polymeric binders, also required for cathode preparation, add weight and can undergo parasitic reactions during battery cycling. Here we report a facile, solvent-free, binder-free, and rapid cold-press electrode fabrication process to prepare high mass loading NCM cathodes within minutes. This process is enabled by the use of holey graphene, a unique lightweight, compressible carbon nanomaterial that serves as both a binder and an electrically conductive matrix. NCM cathodes fabricated by this method are stable and exhibit good active material utilization. A significant advantage for the dry-press process is that the electrode mass loadings can be readily increased simply by adding more composite powder to the compression molding die, resulting in improved areal capacities that are attractive for applications requiring high energy per unit footprint.
Enhanced super-resolution reconstruction of T1w time-resolved 4DMRI in low-contrast tissue using 2-step hybrid deformable image registration.

Purpose Deformable image registration (DIR) in low-contrast tissues is often suboptimal because of low visibility of landmarks, low driving-force to deform, and low penalty for misalignment. We aim to overcome the shortcomings for improved reconstruction of time-resolved four-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (TR-4DMRI). Methods and materials Super-resolution TR-4DMRI reconstruction utilizes DIR to combine high-resolution (highR:2x2x2mm3 ) breath-hold (BH) and low-resolution (lowR:5x5x5mm3 ) free-breathing (FB) 3D cine (2Hz) images to achieve clinically acceptable spatiotemporal resolution. A 2-step hybrid DIR approach was developed to segment low-dynamic-range (LDR) regions: low-intensity lungs and high-intensity "bodyshell" (=body-lungs) for DIR refinement after conventional DIR. The intensity in LDR regions was renormalized to the full dynamic range (FDR) to enhance local tissue contrast. A T1-mapped 4D XCAT digital phantom was created, and seven volunteers and five lung cancer patients were scanned with two BH and one 3D cine series per subject to compare the 1-step conventional and 2-step hybrid DIR using: (a) the ground truth in the phantom, (b) highR-BH references, which were used to simulate 3D cine images by down-sampling and Rayleigh-noise-adding, and (c) cross-verification between two TR-4DMRI images reconstructed from two BHs. To assess DIR improvement, 8-17 blood vessel bifurcations were used in volunteers, and lung tumor position, size, and shape were used in phantom and patients, together with the voxel intensity correlation (VIC), structural similarity (SSIM), and cross-consistency check (CCC). Results The 2-step hybrid DIR improves contrast and DIR accuracy. In volunteers, it improves low-contrast alignment from 6.5 ± 1.8 mm to 3.3 ± 1.0 mm. In phantom, it improves tumor center of mass alignment (COM = 1.3 ± 0.2 mm) and minimizes DIR directional difference. In patients, it produces almost-identical tumor COM, size, and shape (dice> 0.85) as the reference. The VIC and SSIM are significantly increased and the number of CCC outliers are reduced by half. Conclusion The 2-step hybrid DIR improves low-contrast-tissue alignment and increases lung tumor fidelity. It is recommended to adopt the 2-step hybrid DIR for TR-4DMRI reconstruction.
Patient-Derived Xenograft Engraftment and Breast Cancer Outcomes in a Prospective Neoadjuvant Study (BEAUTY).

Purpose: Patient-derived xenografts (PDX) are a research tool for studying cancer biology and drug response phenotypes. While engraftment rates are higher for tumors with more aggressive characteristics, it is uncertain whether engraftment is prognostic for cancer recurrence. Patients and Methods: In a prospective study of patients with breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) with taxane ± trastuzumab followed by anthracycline-based chemotherapy, we report the association between breast cancer events and PDX engraftment using tumors derived from treatment naive (pre-NAC biopsies from 113 patients) and treatment resistant (post-NAC at surgery from 34 patients). Gray test was used to assess whether the cumulative incidence of a breast cancer event differs with respect to either pre-NAC PDX engraftment or post-NAC PDX engraftment. Results: With a median follow-up of 5.7 years, the cumulative incidence of breast cancer relapse did not differ significantly according to pre-NAC PDX engraftment (5-year rate: 13.6% vs. 13.4%; P = 0.89). However, the incidence of a breast event was greater for patients with post-NAC PDX engraftment (5-year rate: 50.0% vs. 19.6%), but this did not achieve significance (P = 0.11). Conclusions: In treatment-naive breast cancer receiving standard NAC, PDX engraftment was not prognostic for breast cancer recurrence. Further study is needed to establish whether PDX engraftment in the treatment-resistant setting is prognostic for cancer recurrence.
Same Scandal, Different Standards: The Effect of Partisanship on Expectations of News Reports about Whistleblowers

This experiment (N = 591) tests whether audiences adjust their standards for what qualifies as fair journalism based the transparency of news editors, the source of the news, and the target of an a...
Evaluating algorithmic fairness in the presence of clinical guidelines: the case of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk estimation

The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association guidelines on primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) recommend using 10-year ASCVD risk estimation models to initiate statin treatment. For guideline-concordant decision making, risk estimates need to be calibrated. However, existing models are often miscalibrated for race, ethnicity, and sex based subgroups. This study evaluates two algorithmic fairness approaches to adjust the risk estimators (group recalibration and equalized odds) for their compatibility with the assumptions underpinning the guidelines9 decision rules. Using an updated Pooled Cohorts dataset, we derive unconstrained, group-recalibrated, and equalized odds-constrained versions of the 10-year ASCVD risk estimators, and compare their calibration at guideline-concordant decision thresholds. We find that, compared to the unconstrained model, group-recalibration improves calibration at one of the relevant thresholds for each group, but exacerbates differences in false positive and false negative rates between groups. An equalized odds constraint, meant to equalize error rates across groups, does so by miscalibrating the model overall and at relevant decision thresholds. Hence, because of induced miscalibration, decisions guided by risk estimators learned with an equalized odds fairness constraint are not concordant with existing guidelines. Conversely, recalibrating the model separately for each group can increase guideline compatibility, while increasing inter-group differences in error rates. As such, comparisons of error rates across groups can be misleading when guidelines recommend treating at fixed decision thresholds. The illustrated tradeoffs between satisfying a fairness criterion and retaining guideline compatibility underscore the need to evaluate models in the context of downstream interventions.
optical Instruments for Remote Sensing from Space

This review covers the optical design of passive remote sensing optical instruments. The review concentrates on the design of spacebome multispectral cameras and imaging spectrometers. The major designs that have been produced over the past ten years are discussed, and new designs for future imaging spectrometers are presented.
What Are the Sources of Country and Industry Diversification

In this paper, we develop a new framework in which one can analyze industry and country effects by examining their underlying return components. We find that the global cash flow factor explains on average 48% of the variation of industry cash flows and the global discount rates explain 43% of the variation of industry discount rates. These are more than double the explanatory power of the two factors over country cash flow and discount rate variations, which are 23% and 13% respectively. This suggests that global factors are much less important for return components at country level than at industry level. The larger benefits of diversification across countries than across industries are thus driven more by better diversification of expected returns, although better diversification of cash flows also drives the result. Moreover, emerging markets tend to have much smaller co-movements of both dividends and equity risk premiums with those of the world, suggesting a lower degree of integration with the world goods and financial markets. This appears to be the basis for emerging market diversification.
Gene activation in human diploid cells. Age-dependent modifications in the stability of messenger RNAs for nonhistone chromosomal proteins.

Abstract Serum stimulation of early as well as late passages of nondividing WI-38 human diploid fibroblasts to proliferate, results in DNA synthesis beginning at 12 hours and mitosis at 20 hours. A 2-fold increase in the transcriptional activity of chromatin isolated from early and late passage WI-38 cells is evident one hour following serum stimulation. An increased synthesis and association with the genome of two defined molecular weight classes of nonhistone chromosomal proteins one hour following serum stimulation of early and late passage cells is also observed. The increased chromatin template activity and nonhistone chromosomal protein synthesis occur in early passage cells stimulated to proliferate in the presence of actinomycin D. However, when late passage WI-38 cells are stimulated in the presence of actinomycin D, increases in chromatin template activity and nonhistone chromosomal protein synthesis are not observed one hour following serum stimulation. The possibility that nonhistone chromosomal protein synthesis and activation of transcription early during the prereplicative phase of the cell cycle in early passage human diploid fibroblasts may be regulated at the translational level is discussed. Consideration is also given to the possibility that there may be an age-dependent modification in such a regulatory mechanism.
Context-Specific Synchronization for Atomic Data Types

Highly concurrent and reliable atomic data types are crucial for the design of distributed systems. Deferred update (DU) and update-in-place (UIP) are two common recovery strategies for implementing atomic data types. These two strategies place incomparable constraints on the conflict relations between concurrent operations resulting in incomparable synchronization protocols. Also, the conflict relations used are usually static in the sense that the algorithms do not use the context-specific information that may be available in the system. In this paper, a new synchronization mechanism that employs a hybrid recovery scheme by using both DU and UIP is proposed. Furthermore, the protocol is dynamic in the sense that the context-specific information is also used to determine conflict relations among concurrent operations on the atomic data types.Another extension is the use of ordered shared relationship between locks to execute conflicting operations concurrently. Thus, the execution of operations is never delayed in the proposed protocol, however, the commitment of the transactions invoking these operations may be delayed due to the restriction imposed by the ordered shared relationship between locks. We also demonstrate that the sets of histories accepted by a two phase locking protocol using either DU or UIP are proper subsets of the set of histories accepted by the proposed protocol.
Impact of Liquid Swine Manure Application and Cover Crops on Ground Water Quality

Introduction The primary objective of this project was to determine the impact of appropriate rates of swine manure applications to corn and soybeans based on nitrogen and phosphorus requirements of crops, soil phosphorus accumulation, and the potential of nitrate and phosphorus leaching to groundwater. Another purpose of this long-term experimental study was to develop and recommend appropriate manure and nutrient management practices to producers to minimize water contamination potential and enhance the use of swine manure as fertilizer. A third component of this study was to determine the potential effects of rye as a cover crop to reduce nitrate loss to shallow groundwater.
Encouraging Behavior Change in Credit Counseling: An Application of the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM)

This paper first describes the characteristics and behaviors of consumers who seek credit counseling. It then introduces major concepts of the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM) and demonstrates how TTM can be applied in the setting of consumer credit counseling. Practical issues related to the application are also discussed.
AlphaLISA immunoassays: the no-wash alternative to ELISAs for research and drug discovery

PerkinElmer's bead-based AlphaLISA® immunoassays are designed for the detection of analytes in biological samples. These chemiluminescent, no-wash assays are ideally suited for miniaturization and automation. They exhibit remarkable sensitivity, wide dynamic range and robust performance that compares advantageously with conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Family Law in the World Community

The second edition of this casebook has been updated and trimmed, although it retains a wide range of topics and materials. It covers a variety of private international law issues, including child abduction, child custody, adoption, child support enforcement, and recognition of marriages and divorces. The book also explores the impact of public international law on both domestic and international regulation of the family, using topics such as family violence and the rights of the child. Finally, the book uses comparative law materials to examine traditional family law topics, such as the regulation of marriage, the rights of same-sex couples, adoption, reproductive freedom, and more.
Minimizing maintenance cost for offshore wind turbines following multi-level opportunistic preventive strategy

Cost of energy generated from offshore wind is impacted by maintenance cost to a great extent. Cost of maintenance depends primarily on the strategy for performing maintenance. In this paper a maintenance cost model for offshore wind turbine components following multilevel opportunistic preventive maintenance strategy is formulated. In this strategy, opportunity for performing preventive actions on components is taken while a failed component is replaced. Two kinds of preventive actions are considered, preventive replacement and preventive maintenance. In the former, components that undergo that action become as good as new (i.e., the replaced components, are not just as good as new, but are actually new), but in the latter, ages of components are reduced to some degree depending on the level of maintenance action. Total cost associated with maintenance depends on the setting of age groups that determine which component should be preventively maintained and to what degree. Through optimum selection of the number of age groups, cost of maintenance can be minimized. A model is formulated where total maintenance cost is expressed as a function of number of age groups for components. A numerical study is used to illustrate the model. The results show that total cost of maintenance is significantly impacted by number of age groups and age thresholds set for components.
Computer-Based Learning Environments in Mathematics

This chapter attempts to set a perspective on where interactive technologies have taken us and where they seem to be headed. After briefly reviewing their impact in different mathematical domains, including arithmetic, algebra, geometry, statistics, and calculus, we examine what we believe to be the sources of technology’s power, which we feel is primarily epistemological. While technology’s impact on daily practice has yet to match expectations from two or three decades ago, its epistemological impact is deeper than expected. This impact is based in a reification of mathematical objects and relations that students can use to act more directly on these objects and relations than ever before. This new mathematical realism, when coupled with the fact that the computer becomes a new partner in the didactical contract, forces us to extend the didactical transposition of mathematics to a computational transposition. This new realism also drives ever deeper changes in the curriculum, and it challenges widely held assumptions about what mathematics is learnable by which students, and when they may learn it. We also examine the limits of Artificial Intelligence and microworlds and how these may be changing. We close by considering the newer possibilities offered by the Internet and its dramatic impact on connections among learners, teachers, and the immense resources that are becoming available to both. Our conclusion is that we are very early in the technological transformation and that we desperately need research in all aspects of teaching and learning with technology.
Spectroscopic and genetic evidence for two heme-Cu-containing oxidases in Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

Abstract It has recently become evident that many bacterial respiratory oxidases are members of a superfamily that is related to the eukaryotic cytochrome c oxidase. These oxidases catalyze the reduction of oxygen to water at a heme-copper binuclear center. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy has been used to examine the heme-copper-containing respiratory oxidases of Rhodobacter sphaeroides Ga. This technique monitors the stretching frequency of CO bound at the oxygen binding site and can be used to characterize the oxidases in situ with membrane preparations. Oxidases that have a heme-copper binuclear center are recognizable by FTIR spectroscopy because the bound CO moves from the heme iron to the nearby copper upon photolysis at low temperature, where it exhibits a diagnostic spectrum. The FTIR spectra indicate that the binuclear center of the R. sphaeroides aa3-type cytochrome c oxidase is remarkably similar to that of the bovine mitochondrial oxidase. Upon deletion of the ctaD gene, encoding subunit I of the aa3-type oxidase, substantial cytochrome c oxidase remains in the membranes of aerobically grown R. sphaeroides. This correlates with a second wild-type R. sphaeroides is grown photosynthetically, the chromatophore membranes lack the aa3-type oxidase but have this second heme-copper oxidase. Subunit I of the heme-copper oxidase superfamily contains the binuclear center. Amino acid sequence alignments show that this subunit is structurally very highly conserved among both eukaryotic and prokaryotic species. The polymerase chain reaction was used to show that the chromosome of R. sphaeroides contains at least one other gene that is a homolog of ctaD, the gene encoding subunit I of the aa3-type cytochrome c oxidase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A practical approach to evaluation of the germicidal efficiency of a general purpose military disinfectant.

Abstract The bactericidal activity of a general purpose disinfectant consisting of 25% sodium-o-phenylphenolate and 75% sodium-4- and 6-chloro-2-phenylphenolate was evaluated by a simulated in-use, surface-square dilution method. Common floor (asphalt, rubber, and unglazed tiles) and wall (stainless steel tile, ceramic tile, and painted wood) surfaces of various porosities and compositions were selected to simulate actual-use conditions. The method used consisted of inoculating the surfaces of 1-in. square sections of floor and wall covering with a test organism, air-drying the inoculated surface, applying the disinfectant, allowing it to act for 10 min, and recovering the survivors by plating. Confirmatory results of the standard phenol coefficient and use-dilution tests indicated 700 ppm of the disinfectant to be a safe use concentration. The in-use surface-square dilution studies have shown that this is a more than adequate safe concentration for stainless steel, both glazed and unglazed ceramic tile, and nonwaxed surface of asphalt tile. However, concentrations ranging between 2,500 and 6,000 ppm for plastic-fortified rubber tile, 1,500 and 2,000 ppm for waxed asphalt tile, and 2,000 ppm for painted wood were required to achieve 99.9% reduction of either Salmonella choleraesuis or Salmonella schottmuelleri. These results indicate that a disinfectant concentration derived from the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists use-dilution test cannot always be relied upon to provide a dependable index to actual safe use-dilution when a disinfectant is supplied to certain wall or floor surfaces.
Sequence‐specific fragmentation of benzyloxycarbonyl dipeptides by resonance‐enhanced multiphoton ionization

The mechanism of fragment ion formation in resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) of benzyloxycarbonyl (CBZ)-derivitized dipeptides is presented. At 266 nm, the entire multiphoton process can be thought of as a two-part scheme where ionization occurs by resonant two-photon ionization followed by photodissociation of the created ions. When the energy of two photons exceeds the molecular ionization energy by a significant amount, REMPI has the advantage of producing both parent ions and low appearance energy fragments in large amounts. For CBZ dipeptides, resonant two-photon ionization at 266 nm produces parent ions as well as A type sequence ions with high abundance. On the other hand, a three-photon process (resonant two-photon ionization followed by parent ion photodissociation) forms sequence-related ions which also involve complex fragmentations of the CBZ chromophore. These results are compared to mass spectra obtained by other ionization/dissociation methods and to REMPI mass spectra of related compounds. Factors related to molecular structure elucidation based upon REMPI mass spectra are discussed. Enhanced isomer distinction is demonstrated for CBZ-leu-ala-OCH3 and CBZ-ile-ala-OCH3 based upon REMPI fragmentation.
The Effect of Elevated Free Fatty Acids (FFA) on the Sleep-Induced Human Growth Hormone (hGH) Peak

ABSTRACT Suppression of the sleep-induced hGH peak was attempted by the administration of heparin before sleep to raise plasma FFA. hGH output in the presence of elevated plasma FFA was suppressed to a mean of 47.4% of control values. These data suggest that the nocturnal secretion of hGH may not be totally independent of metabolic regulation, that plasma FFA affects hGH secretion and that hGH suppression in obesity may be related to plasma FFA elevation.
Comparison of different anticoccidials on processing characteristics and parts yield of broiler chickens.

Broilers were grown to 42 days of age on diets supplemented with salinomycin (60 mg/kg), monensin (99 mg/kg), or halofuginone (3 mg/kg) and continued on unmedicated diets to 49 days of age. There were no significant (P greater than .05) differences among anticoccidials in final body weight, feed conversion, or mortality rates. Samples of birds were processed for dressing percentage and parts yield. Both males and females fed salinomycin had significantly higher breast meat yield as a percentage of postchill weight than those fed halofuginone but not those fed monensin; differences were not significant for breast meat yield of males or females fed monensin or halofuginone. Males fed halofuginone had significantly heavier leg quarters than those fed salinomycin but not those fed monensin. Females fed salinomycin had significantly higher water uptake during chill than those fed monensin or halofuginone. Results of the present study indicate that the anticoccidial used in growing broilers may influence some carcass yield parameters.
Women sportscasters: navigating a masculine domain

Women sportscasters face considerable challenges when entering the male-dominated sports world. In the realm of sports culture, the ongoing competition among sports teams and athletes serves as a continual mechanism for constructing, validating and commemorating manliness. Sport is the nectar that nurtures the masculine self. It is a culture; the dominant culture in the United States where men rule and women are marginalized and objectified. This study reveals the barriers women encounter when they threaten the very arena in which men seek to get validation as males.
Effects of tenotomy on patients with infantile nystagmus syndrome: foveation improvement over a broadened visual field.

Purpose To investigate the effects of four-muscle tenotomy on visual function and gaze angle in patients with infantile nystagmus syndrome (INS). Methods Eye movements of nine patients with infantile nystagmus were recorded using infrared reflection or high-speed digital video techniques. Experimental protocols were designed to record the patients’ eye-movement waveforms, pre- and post-tenotomy, at different gaze angles. We used the eXpanded Nystagmus Acuity Function (NAFX) to measure tenotomy-induced changes in the nystagmus at primary position and various gaze angles. The longest foveation domains (LFD) were measured from fitted curves. Peak-to-peak nystagmus amplitudes and foveation-period durations were also measured. All measurements were made unmasked. Results All seven patients with narrow, high-NAFX, gaze-angle regions showed broadening of these regions of higher visual function. Three patients showed moderate NAFX improvement (13.9–32.6%) at primary position, five showed large improvement (39.9–162.4%), and one showed no NAFX change (due to his high pretenotomy NAFX). Primary position measured acuities improved in six patients. All patients had reductions in nystagmus amplitudes ranging from 14.6 to 37%. The duration of the foveation period increased in all nine patients (11.2–200%). The percentage improvements in both the NAFX and the LFD decreased with higher pretenotomy values. Conclusions In addition to elevating primary position NAFX, tenotomy also broadens the high-NAFX regions. This broadening effect is more prominent in patients who had sharp pretenotomy NAFX peaks. Four-muscle tenotomy produces higher primary position NAFX increases in infantile nystagmus patients whose pretenotomy values are relatively low, with the improvement decreasing at higher pretenotomy values. The tenotomy procedure improves visual function beyond primary position acuity. This extends the utility of surgical therapy to several different classes of patients with INS for whom other procedures are contraindicated. The pretenotomy NAFX can now be used to predict both primary position acuity improvements and broadening of a patient’s high-NAFX range of gaze angles.
Isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic assay of taxol in biological fluids and tissues using automated column switching

This report describes the analysis of taxol in human plasma, cell culture medium, and dog bladder tissue by isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with automated column switching. Cephalomannine was used as the internal standard. Biological samples were extracted with ethyl acetate, with a recovery of > 80%. Sample extracts reconstituted in 37.5% acetonitrile were stable in polypropylene tubes at room temperature for 22 h. The HPLC stationary phase consisted of a clean-up column (Nova-Pak C8, 75 x 3.9 mm I.D., 4 microns particle size) and an analytical column (Bakerbond octadecyl, 250 x 4.6 mm I.D., 5 microns particle size). Taxol and cephalomannine were monitored at 229 nm. Samples were injected onto the clean-up column and eluted with the clean-up mobile phase (37.5% acetonitrile in distilled water) at 1 ml/min. Concurrently, the analytical mobile phase (49% acetonitrile in distilled water) was directed through the analytical column at a flow-rate of 1.2 ml/min. A heart-cut fraction from 8 to 15 min was transferred from the clean-up column onto the analytical column. Loading of a second sample onto the clean up column while the first sample was eluting from the analytical column reduced the HPLC analysis time to about 15 min per sample. This method has a lower detection limit of 5 ng/ml and intra- and inter-day variations of < 5%.
Energy and environmental comparison of three variants of a family house during its whole life span

The aim of this study is to analyse and compare three variants of a family house in order to evaluate the total environmental impacts produced during the whole building life cycle. The first variant corresponds to the standard in force in Switzerland, the second alternative to the requirements of a quality control label for houses with low energy consumption and the third case is a very low energy consumption building. The three variants have the same architectural aspect but different insulation thicknesses and types, different energy production systems and the use of different renewable energies. The calculation of the environmental impacts is carried out by means of a life cycle analysis, which includes not only the impact related to the energy consumption during the occupancy stage, but also the materials manufacture, transport, replacement and elimination at the end of the building lifetime. The results are expressed with the Swiss and the UCTE (Union for the Co-ordination of Transmission of Electricity) electricity mix to analyse how they influence the building impact.
Ellison's “Repent Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman

(2001). Ellison's “Repent Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman. The Explicator: Vol. 59, No. 3, pp. 163-165.
Hemodynamic collapse during left ventricular lead implantation

Hypotension as a procedural complication during cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) implantation was reported in the initial randomized clinical trials. However, this phenomenon is not well characterized. We reviewed our CRT implantation experience to better understand this issue. There were 105 patients who underwent left ventricular lead implantation for CRT. Four patients had marked hypotension (systolic blood pressure < or = 50 mmHg) during the procedure. All had a history of hypertension and diabetes mellitus and were pacemaker dependent. Two had normal renal function, one had moderate renal insufficiency, and one was on dialysis. Three patients had ischemic cardiomyopathy. All had left ventricular ejection fraction < or =20% and were in New York Heart Association class III. Propofol and midazolam were used for sedation as standard protocol. Two patients had sudden hypotension when the coronary sinus was being cannulated, and two patients experienced sudden hypotension during left ventricular pacing. Cardiac tamponade as a possible cause was ruled out by echocardiography. We discuss possible mechanisms of sudden hemodynamic collapse during CRT implantation.
Extracellular Vesicles Secreted from Cancer Cell Lines Stimulate Secretion of MMP-9, IL-6, TGF-β1 and EMMPRIN

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are key contributors to cancer where they play an integral role in cell-cell communication and transfer pro-oncogenic molecules to recipient cells thereby conferring a cancerous phenotype. Here, we purified EVs using straightforward biochemical approaches from multiple cancer cell lines and subsequently characterized these EVs via multiple biochemical and biophysical methods. In addition, we used fluorescence microscopy to directly show internalization of EVs into the recipient cells within a few minutes upon addition of EVs to recipient cells. We confirmed that the transmembrane protein EMMPRIN, postulated to be a marker of EVs, was indeed secreted from all cell lines studied here. We evaluated the response to EV stimulation in several different types of recipient cells lines and measured the ability of these purified EVs to induce secretion of several factors highly upregulated in human cancers. Our data indicate that purified EVs preferentially stimulate secretion of several proteins implicated in driving cancer in monocytic cells but only harbor limited activity in epithelial cells. Specifically, we show that EVs are potent stimulators of MMP-9, IL-6, TGF-β1 and induce the secretion of extracellular EMMPRIN, which all play a role in driving immune evasion, invasion and inflammation in the tumor microenvironment. Thus, by using a comprehensive approach that includes biochemical, biological, and spectroscopic methods, we have begun to elucidate the stimulatory roles.
Science in the city AR: using mobile augmented reality for science inquiry activities

The Exploratorium, a museum of science, art, and human perception in San Francisco, California, is developing science activities for informal learners to use with augmented reality (AR) browsers on mobile devices. We're experimenting with this technique to learn about engaging museum visitors, as well as other informal learners in our community, in personal inquiry. Using the Layar AR platform, we've developed a set of interactive science activity tools that smartphone users can use to explore phenomena via augmented exhibits at the museum and at locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. The tools, which are freely available, are part of our Science in the City video series and provide location-contextualized activities for different programs. This series introduces online visitors to stories about locations, people, and themes relating to natural phenomena and the built environment. The mobile AR science activity tools became available in the spring of 2011 in a Science in the City "layer" within the Layar mobile browser and via a link at the Exploratorium's website, www.exploratorium.edu/scienceinthecity.
Extreme ultraviolet observations of active regions in the chromosphere and the corona

Solar active regions in chromosphere and corona observed by EUV spectroheliometer aboard OSO-4 spacecraft, discussing ion formation and temperatures
Stress dependence of exciton relaxation processes in Cu 2 O

A comprehensive study of the exciton relaxation processes in ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{2}\mathrm{O}$ has led to some surprises. We find that the ortho-para conversion rate becomes slower at high stress and that the Auger nonradiative recombination rate increases with stress, with apparently no Auger recombination at zero stress. These results have important consequences for the pursuit of Bose-Einstein condensation of excitons in a harmonic potential.
Neuro-musculoskeletal and performance adaptations to lower-extremity plyometric training.

Plyometric training (PLY) is a very popular form of physical conditioning of healthy individuals that has been extensively studied over the last 3 decades. In this article, we critically review the available literature related to lower-body PLY and its effects on human neural and musculoskeletal systems, athletic performance and injury prevention. We also considered studies that combined lower-body PLY with other popular training modalities, as well as studies that applied PLY on non-rigid surfaces. The available evidence suggests that PLY, either alone or in combination with other typical training modalities, elicits numerous positive changes in the neural and musculoskeletal systems, muscle function and athletic performance of healthy individuals. Specifically, the studies have shown that long-term PLY (i.e. 3–5 sessions a week for 5–12 months) represents an effective training method for enhancing bone mass in prepubertal/early pubertal children, young women and premenopausal women. Furthermore, short-term PLY (i.e. 2–3 sessions a week for 6–15 weeks) can change the stiffness of various elastic components of the muscle-tendon complex of plantar flexors in both athletes and non-athletes. Short-term PLY also improves the lower-extremity strength, power and stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) muscle function in healthy individuals. These adaptive changes in neuromuscular function are likely the result of (i) an increased neural drive to the agonist muscles; (ii) changes in the muscle activation strategies (i.e. improved intermuscular coordination); (iii) changes in the mechanical characteristics of the muscle-tendon complex of plantar flexors; (iv) changes in muscle size and/or architecture; and (v) changes in single-fibre mechanics. Our results also show that PLY, either alone or in combination with other training modalities, has the potential to (i) enhance a wide range of athletic performance (i.e. jumping, sprinting, agility and endurance performance) in children and young adults of both sexes; and (ii) to reduce the risk of lower-extremity injuries in female athletes. Finally, available evidence suggests that short-term PLY on non-rigid surfaces (i.e. aquatic- or sand-based PLY) could elicit similar increases in jumping and sprinting performance as traditional PLY, but with substantially less muscle soreness. Although many issues related to PLY remain to be resolved, the results of this review allow us to recommend the use of PLY as a safe and effective training modality for improving lower-extremity muscle function and functional performance of healthy individuals. For performance enhancement and injury prevention in competitive sports, we recommend an implementation of PLY into a well designed, sport-specific physical conditioning programme.
The Coupled Response of a Dynamic Element Riding on a Continuously Supported Beam

The dynamic interaction between a Linear Induction Motor primary, modeled as a spring-mass-damper element, and its secondary-rail, modeled as a prestressed, continuously supported, infinitely long beam, is studied theoretically. The existence of two transition speeds is established. At the lower transition speed, the frequency and damping ratio of the coupled system response attain their minimum and maximum values, respectively. The system is unstable at speeds higher than the second transition speed. Using a rotating annular disk to simulate the secondary rail, measured values of the frequency and damping ratio confirm the validity of the mathematical model for speeds up to nearly the lower transition speed.
Feature-Driven Data Exploration for Volumetric Rendering

We have developed an intuitive method to semiautomatically explore volumetric data in a focus-region-guided or value-driven way using a user-defined ray through the 3D volume and contour lines in the region of interest. After selecting a point of interest from a 2D perspective, which defines a ray through the 3D volume, our method provides analytical tools to assist in narrowing the region of interest to a desired set of features. Feature layers are identified in a 1D scalar value profile with the ray and are used to define default rendering parameters, such as color and opacity mappings, and locate the center of the region of interest. Contour lines are generated based on the feature layer level sets within interactively selected slices of the focus region. Finally, we utilize feature-preserving filters and demonstrate the applicability of our scheme to noisy data.
Dynamics of the hydrate and amide groups of crystalline ribonuclease and lysozyme

Abstract We have used 2H magnetic resonance to study orientational ordering and dynamics of the hydrate and exchangeable hydrogens of crystalline RNase and lysozyme. In these proteins, a predominant fraction of the hydrate deuterons have negligible quadrupole coupling indicating that the solvate is orientationally disordered at room temperature. This observation is reconciled with the crystallographic observation of a substantial fraction of the water being “ordered” by proposing that water molecules readily move among most of the solvent locations including those sites identified in the X-ray structures. Support for this proposition is based on the observation that spin relaxation of the solvate is characterized by a single relaxation time indicating that the solvate deuterons are exchange averaged in the NMR experiment. With regard to the amide deuterons, the residual quadrupole coupling shows that the peptide planes librate with arms amplitude of 12−15° (287 K). Compared to a crystalline peptide ( T 1 ⪢ 100 s) or solid anhydrous poly-γ-benzyl-L-glutamate ( T 1 ≈ 1 s), spin relaxation of the amide deuterons in these hydrated proteins ( T 1 ≈ 0.2 s) is very efficient. Relaxation results are interpreted with a damped Langevin oscillator model and indicate that reorientation of the protein backbone has a distinctly stochastic nature as opposed to that of undamped solid-like oscillatory modes. Furthermore, while the hydrate is important in damping or plasticizing the backbone dynamics, it is apparently not entirely responsible for this effect.
Viability assays in organ preservation

Assays to determine the viability of preserved organs ideally must meet two important requirements: (i) in the clinical environment, they should allow the surgeon to determine if an organ will be viable when it is transplanted (this needs to be done in a noninvasive, nondestructive manner, and currently no such assay exists), and (ii) in the research environment, they should aid in the development of improved methods of organ preservation. Currently, however, the only reliable means of assessing viability is actual transplantation. Many conventional biochemical and physiological techniques have been used to describe the mechanism of preservation-induced injury and to help improve preservation. This paper reviews some techniques that have been used to aid in the development of organ preservation.
Environmentally benign solvent design by global optimization

Abstract Changes in environmental regulations have often resulted in the need to replace existing solvents with more environmentally benign substitutes. For example, solvents such as 1,1,1, trichloroethane are being phased out within the next few years. In general, ‘designer’ compounds, which have desired properties, can be obtained with the help of computer-aided molecular design (CAMD) approaches. In recent years, the above product design problem has often been posed as a mathematical programming problem. In this framework, the desired attributes of the compound are posed as performance objective and constraint functions. Nonlinear functions, such as those associated with solubility parameter models seen in solvent design, can lead to multiple local solutions (i.e. optimization minima). For these cases, the failure to design the globally optimal compound (using a local optimization approach) can introduce a source of uncertainty. Thus, there is a need for global optimization techniques in product design. To address this need, we have developed a new global optimization algorithm that exploits the structure of the CAMD formulation. We have used this algorithm to study the design of environmentally benign solvents for surface cleaning applications in the printing industry.
Spatio-temporal dynamics of attention to color : Evidence from human electrophysiology

This study characterized patterns of brain electrical activity associated with selective attention to the color of a stimulus. Multichannel recordings of event-related potentials (ERPs) were obtained while subjects viewed randomized sequences of checkerboards consisting of isoluminant red or blue checks superimposed on a grey background. Stimuli were presented foveally at a rapid rate, and subjects were required to attend to the red or blue checks in separate blocks of trials and to press a button each time they detected a dimmer target stimulus of the attended color. An early negative ERP component with an onset latency of 50 ms was sensitive to stimulus color but was unaffected by the attentional manipulation. ERPs elicited by attended and unattended stimuli began to diverge after approximately 100 ms following stimulus onset. Inverse dipole modelling of the attended-minus-unattended difference waveform indicated that an initial positive deflection with an onset latency of 100 ms had a source in lateral occipital cortex, while a subsequent negative deflection with an onset at 160 ms had a source in inferior occipito-temporal cortex. Longer-latency attention-sensitive components were localized to premotor frontal areas (onset at 190 ms) and to more anterior regions of the fusiform gyrus (onset at 240 ms). These source localizations correspond closely with cortical areas that were identified in previous neuroimaging studies as being involved in color-selective processing. The present ERP data thus provide information about the time course of stimulus selection processes in cortical areas that subserve attention to color.