cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An optical technique for the in-situ measurement of species concentration in double diffusive convection

Abstract This paper proposes a non-intrusive experimental method based on absorptiometry, suitable for the in-situ measurement of species concentration in flowing aqueous solutions. The method is applicable to solutions containing a pre-selected species. The technique appears to be promising for use in double diffusive convection. One of the major advantages of the method lies in the fact that it is an optical method and, as such, non-intrusive, yet accurate.
The pathology of atrial septal defect

Abstract An atrial septal defect most commonly occurs at the fossa ovalis. Those defects occurring in other areas are usually part of a complex malformation. A defect involving the lowermost part of the atrial septum is usually part of persistent common atrioventricular canal. In the latter condition, a cleft may involve the tricuspid or the mitral valve or both, and an interventricular communication may be present. A defect superior to the fossa ovalis is usually associated with anomalous connection of some of the veins from the right lung to the right atrium or to the superior vena cava. A defect in the postero-inferior angle of the atrial septum is usually associated with absence of the coronary sinus and termination of the left superior vena cava in the left atrium. In the uncomplicated state of atrial septal defect, the pulmonary arterial bed is enlarged and the right atrial and ventricular chambers are enlarged, but the walls are not hypertrophied. In atrial septal defect, occlusive pulmonary vascular lesions may occur as a complication and underlie the development of pulmonary hypertension. If pulmonary hypertension develops, the right-sided chambers remain enlarged, but their walls become hypertrophied.
Effect of marked weight loss on adiponectin gene expression and plasma concentrations.

Objective: Adiponectin is the most abundant protein secreted by adipose tissue and is inversely associated with adiposity and insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hypothesis that marked weight loss, induced by gastric bypass surgery (GBS), would increase adiponectin gene expression in both upper and lower subcutaneous body fat and increase plasma adiponectin concentration. Research Methods and Procedures: Adiponectin subcutaneous abdominal and femoral adipose tissue gene expression, determined by using quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, and adiponectin plasma concentrations, determined by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, were evaluated in six extremely obese women (BMI = 57.1 ± 4.1 kg/m2) before and 1 year after GBS. Results: After GBS, subjects lost 36 ± 5% of their initial body weight and showed increased insulin sensitivity, manifested by a marked decrease in homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance from 10.7 ± 4.1 to 1.4 ± 0.3 (p < 0.05). Adiponectin gene expression increased 8- to 15-fold in subcutaneous abdominal and femoral adipose tissues (p < 0.05). Plasma adiponectin concentrations increased from 5.2 ± 0.9 to 8.4 ± 1.2 μg/mL (p < 0.05). Discussion: These data show that marked weight loss induced by GBS increases adiponectin gene expression in both upper- and lower-body subcutaneous fat. The increase in adipose tissue adiponectin production resulted in an increase in plasma adiponectin concentrations, which likely contributed to the decrease in insulin resistance observed after weight loss.
Mathematical analysis of the whole core injection method accuracy for measuring phenanthrene biodegradation rates in undisturbed marine sediments

Rates of 14C-phenanthrene mineralization in contaminated, undisturbed marine sediments were measured using the whole core injection method to assess microbial natural attenuation activity as a function of sediment depth. Submerged sediments were sampled from Eagle Harbor, a marine superfund site in Puget Sound. Experiments show significant biodegradation activities (0.0012-0.0036 day(-1)) in the sediment horizons from 0 to 10 cm. The purpose and scope of this paper is to evaluate the range of experimental conditions giving valid results; a mathematical simulation described competing contaminant 14C-phenanthrene diffusion and simultaneous biodegradation (Monod kinetics), both retarded by sorption. The effect of aging was examined with two sorption models in presumed pseudo-homogenous sediments having effective properties. The simulation predictions provide quantitative guidelines for the successful use of the whole core injection method. (1) The effective Monod constant KS' in sediment is increased by a large partition coefficient KP between sediment and water and makes the apparent 14C-phenanthrene biodegradation approach first-order kinetics. (2) When KS'>1 mg(-1) l(-1), the measured 14C-phenanthrene biodegradation extent is biased by inadequately distributed injected tracer only when less than 7% of the sediment horizon is initially probed and mixed with injected tracer. (3) A short incubation time (<20 days) is necessary when a mobile indicator, e.g., gaseous 14CO2, is used. For longer incubation times, predictions show that a 14CO2 indicator diffuses to adjacent horizons, thus smearing the depth profile of biodegradation. (4) This method employing a radiolabeled tracer provides accurate biodegradation rates for freshly contaminated sediments, and represents an upper limit to the natural phenanthrene biodegradation extents if the contaminant is aged over 50 days.
Time of onset of estrus in gilts

An experiment was conducted to determine when, during a 24-h period, gilts show the onset of behavioral estrus. Beginning on Day 16 of their first estrous cycle, 42 crossbred gilts were observed at 0600, 1200, 1800, and 2400 h for the onset of their second estrus. Fifty-five percent of the gilts had shown onset of estrus by 0600 h. None of the gilts showed the onset of estrus from 0600 to 1200 h, whereas 24% and 21% of the gilts had shown onset of estrus by 1800 and 2400 h, respectively. Chi-square analysis demonstrated that more (P < 0.025) gilts had shown onset of estrus by 0600 than by 1200, 1800, and 2400 h. When the data were combined for estrous checks by 0600 and 1800 h, 76% of the gilts had their onset of estrus by 0600 h as compared to 24% of the gilts by 1800 h (P < 0.005). In conclusion, more gilts had shown onset of estrus by 0600 h than at any other 6-h period.
Mechanism of TRPM7 Channel Inhibition by 2-Aminoethyl Diphenyl Borinate (2-APB)

2-APB is a widely used chemical compound in ion channel research. It inhibits numerous channels that include inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors, store-operated calcium channels, connexins and TRP family cation channels TRPC3, TRPC5, TRPC6, TRPM2, TRPM3 and TRPM7. Native and overexpressed TRPM7 channels are inhibited by 2-APB with IC50-s in the 70-170 μM range. A characteristic of TRPM7 channels is their inhibition by intracellular Mg2+ and acidic pH. using patch-clamp electrophysiology, we recorded native TRPM7 channel activity in Jurkat T lymphocytes and tested 2-APB at 10-300 μM for its ability to inhibit TRPM7 currents. When internal HEPES buffer concentration was low (1 mM), 100-300 μM 2-APB inhibited 60-70% of TRPM7 current with a slow time course. This inhibition was voltage-independent and reversible. Increasing the pH buffering capacity of internal solution to 140 mM HEPES abolished the inhibitory 2-APB effect. Simply making the internal recording solution alkaline, greatly diminished 2-APB inhibition. using single-cell pHi imaging with the fluorescent pH indicator BCECF, we found that at concentrations of 100 μM and higher, 2-APB potently acidifies the cytoplasm. A similar 2-APB-induced acidification was also observed in HEK293 cells, often used for TRPM7 channel overexpression. In contrast to 2-APB, its analog 2,2-diphenyltetrahydrofuran (DPTHF) did not produce cytosolic acidification, when applied at concentrations of 150-300 μM. We also found that Kv1.3 channels expressed in Jurkat T cells are modulated by 2-APB: the apparent voltage dependence of these channels was reversibly altered by the compound. Interestingly, this 2-APB effect on Kv1.3 channels did not depend on cytosolic pH. In summary, these experiments suggest that inhibition of TRPM7 channels by 2-APB is not direct but rather, can be explained by cytoplasmic acidification and resulting channel inhibition.
Copepod phylogeny: a reconsideration of Huys & Boxshall’s ‘parsimony versus homology’

A hypothesis of copepod phylogeny proposed by Huys & Boxshall (1991) was reanalyzed with the PAUP computer program by using TOPOLOGY and DELTRAN options to remove many character reversals. The remaining reversal characters were removed employing the Camin-Sokal Optimization Procedure. The resulting tree is two steps longer than the best fit tree (Tree C) obtained strictly by using parsimony criterion and optimizd with the same procedure. Further analysis revealed that the differences in these two cladograms are essentially due to the differential treatment of nine characters and varied assumptions of ‘missing state’ in another six characters as being apomorphies or plesiomorphies. Huys & Boxshall's hypotheses of character polarity in the copepods are shown not to be in conflict with the principle of parsimony. According to the principle of parsimony, their Tree C is the best supported phylogenetic hypothesis for Copepoda.
A practical training in software engineering methodology

This paper reports the application of large-scale software engineering methodology to small software projects. These projects were part of the curriculum of the recently launched Motorola Entry Level Training Program For Software Engineers, for college graduates. The results indicated that large scale software engineering methodology can be applied successfully to small projects. In addition, our results support most of Barry Boehm's findings in a similar study. The "deadline effect," as observed by Boehm holds especially true in our software projects and can be used to help manage software development.Contrary to Boehm's results, however, we found that programming including debugging is the dominant activity in small software product development. Possible reasons are given to explain this difference.
Time comparison of ICUs with and without digital viewing systems

ABSTRACT As hospital radiology departments and ICUs make plans to use or expand the usage of digital data outside ofradiology, the need to assess the requirements of the potential recipients in the ICUs has become more important.The present operations in an intensive care unit that uses digital viewing instead of film has been compared with aunit that does not. The difference in time between X-ray exposure and final image viewing was determined in bothsettings and compared. In this preliminary study significant differences were found between the two units. The oddsof having exam results actually accessed by the ordering physician in an hour or less were 9'i times greater for theunit with digital viewing capability than for the one without it. 1. INTRODUCTION It has been shown that rapid access to radiographic images and other radiology data can have a significantimpact on patient stay in an ICU environment1. The effect of image transmission to ICUs has been studied forseveral years. Several different schemes for controlling and transmitting data have been used. In many cases, theimages sent to the ICU were images digitized from conventional film by a laser digitizer"23'4. These systems requirehuman intervention to insure that the images were both digitized and transmitted. Other systems using computedradiography systems are more automatic -oftenrequiring little or no additional effort to transmit the images5'6. Thecommon feature in these systems is the ability to get information out of the radiology department to an ICU (or otherenvironment) for review by the clinician. This information, supplied to the clinician, is important for patient care.The application using computed radiography combined with image transmission has proven to be anespecially powerful combination. A computed radiography system provides the image to image consistency neededin the ICU environment, while the image transmission capability of the PACS provides the exam results to theclinician in a timely fashion.An important consideration in implementing a system such as this was the workload it imposed on the users,both in radiology and the ICU. It was considered important to provide only a small perturbation in the normal workflow in radiology and easy access to the images in the ICU. The computed radiography -PACScombination hasprovided this flexibility.
Stomatin Inhibits Pannexin-1-Mediated Whole-Cell Currents by Interacting with Its Carboxyl Terminal

The pannexin-1 (Panx1) channel (often referred to as the Panx1 hemichannel) is a large-conductance channel in the plasma membrane of many mammalian cells. While opening of the channel is potentially detrimental to the cell, little is known about how it is regulated under physiological conditions. Here we show that stomatin inhibited Panx1 channel activity. In transfected HEK-293 cells, stomatin reduced Panx1-mediated whole-cell currents without altering either the total or membrane surface Panx1 protein expression. Stomatin coimmunoprecipitated with full-length Panx1 as well as a Panx1 fragment containing the fourth membrane-spanning domain and the cytosolic carboxyl terminal. The inhibitory effect of stomatin on Panx1-mediated whole-cell currents was abolished by truncating Panx1 at a site in the cytosolic carboxyl terminal. In primary culture of mouse astrocytes, inhibition of endogenous stomatin expression by small interfering RNA enhanced Panx1-mediated outward whole-cell currents. These observations suggest that stomatin may play important roles in astrocytes and other cells by interacting with Panx1 carboxyl terminal to limit channel opening.
Interest rate volatility and the macro rational expectations hypothesis

Abstract In this paper, we augment the Barro-Mishkin quarterly output model with interest rate volatility and test this model for rationality, neutrality, and the distinction for anticipated and unanticipated changes in aggregate demand. The significant role of interest rate volatility indicates that findings from previous studies need to be re-examined with this respecified model. The results reveal that while rationality is maintained, monetary neutrality is rejected. The rejection of zero interest rate volatility effect corroborates previous work by Evans and Tatom. We also find significantly different effects of anticipated and unanticipated variables for money growth. Our findings strengthen Mishkin's empirical results but reverse those of Frydman and Rappoport. The results provide further evidence that demonstrates the importance of interest rate volatility in determining and explaining business fluctuations.
Automated generation of adaptive test plans for self-adaptive systems

Self-adaptive systems (SAS) can reconfigure at run-time to mitigate uncertainties posed by environments for which they may not have been explicitly designed. High-assurance SAS applications must continually deliver acceptable behavior for critical services, enabling the need for run-time validation techniques. To this end, run-time testing can provide additional assurance that an SAS will continue to behave as expected while executing under unknown conditions. This paper introduces Proteus, a framework for adaptive run-time testing on an SAS. Proteus facilitates both execution and adaptation of run-time testing activities to ensure that the SAS continues to execute according to its requirements and that both test plans and test cases continually remain relevant to changing operating conditions. We demonstrate our approach by applying it to a simulated self-adaptive remote data mirroring network that must efficiently diffuse data while experiencing adverse operating conditions. Experimental results suggest that Proteus can reduce the number of executed irrelevant, false positive, and false negative test cases at run time to ensure that online testing activities remain relevant as the SAS encounters uncertainty.
Hydrogen as a technological medium for the formation of nanostructures in Sm–Co ferromagnetic alloys

We present a survey of the results of application of various modes of hydrogen treatment of ferromagnetic materials based on the SmCo5 compound aimed at the formation of anisotropic nanostructures, namely, of mechanochemical milling, thermal treatment [hydrogenation, disproportionation, desorption, and recombination (HDDR)] of alloys in hydrogen, and the combination of milling in hydrogen with HDDR. It is shown that HDDR enables us to get alloys containing the SmCo5, Sm2Co17, and Sm2Co7 phases with grain sizes within the range 60–100 nm and the single-phase magnetic behavior. The anisotropic powders with microstructural grain sizes within the range 40–75 nm and coercive forces higher than 40 kOe were obtained after milling in hydrogen combined with HDDR. A combined method of processing including the procedure of milling of the alloys in hydrogen and HDDR treatment is proposed for the formation of the microstructure of ferromagnetic alloys with high dispersion and high magnetic properties. It is experimentally demonstrated that the formation of anisotropy in ferromagnetic alloys by disproportionation and recombination is possible if the residual amounts of the main phase of the alloy remain in the metal after disproportionation.
The Relation between Social Cohesion and Smoking Cessation among Black Smokers, and the Potential Role of Psychosocial Mediators

Social cohesion, the self-reported trust and connectedness between neighbors, may affect health behaviors via psychosocial mechanisms. Relations between individual perceptions of social cohesion and smoking cessation were examined among 397 Black treatment-seeking smokers. Continuation ratio logit models examined the relation of social cohesion and biochemically verified continuous smoking abstinence through 6 months post-quit. Indirect effects were examined in single mediator models using a nonparametric bootstrapping procedure. All analyses controlled for sociodemographics, tobacco dependence, and treatment. The total effect of social cohesion on continuous abstinence was non-significant (β = 0.05, p = 0.10). However, social cohesion was associated with social support, positive affect, negative affect, and stress, which, in turn, were each associated with abstinence in adjusted models (ps < 0.05). Results suggest that social cohesion may facilitate smoking cessation among Black smokers through desirable effects on psychosocial mechanisms that can result from living in a community with strong interpersonal connections.
Sudden unexpected death in a toddler with Williams syndrome

We report a toddler with Williams syndrome (WS) complicated by congenital heart disease and a seizure-like episode who died suddenly several hours after uneventful cardiac catheterization. The cardiovascular anomalies and their association with sudden death as well as the clinical neurological and neuropathologic abnormalities identified in WS are delineated and discussed.
Electrospinning of beta silicon carbide nanofibers

Silicon carbide exhibits many unique properties such as its mechanical robustness, chemical inertness, and thermal stability, which make the material appealing for many applications. Some of these applications include its use as a support for nanocomposites or as a high temperature filter material. The ability to fabricate nanofibers of SiC could enhance its utility in these applications. In the current study, nanofibers of β-SiC have been fabricated through the technique of concentric electrospinning. This method demonstrates the ability to fabricate uniform SiC nanofibers with a diameter ranging from 1 to 2 nm, the smallest to date.
Refractive Index of Nitrogen, Water Vapor, and Their Mixtures at Submillimeter Wavelengths

Molecular masers have been used to measure the refractive index of nitrogen, water vapor, and their mixtures at wavelengths of 337micro, 311 micro, and 28 micro. A discrepancy between the new measurement and microwave values for pure nitrogen is at present unexplained.
The Early Childhood Professional Mentoring Group: A Forum for Parallel Learning.

Novice professionals entering the fields of early childhood education and early childhood special education face many challenges and often feel disconnected from the support system that nurtured them during their teacher education programs (Brindley, Fleege, & Graves, 2000). The Early Childhood Professional Mentoring Group (ECPMG) was established to develop a forum of support for recent graduates of our university's Masters programs in Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education, and to create a process for exploring and evaluating the ways that our programs are preparing professionals for practice. In order to gain insight into the process and the value of the group, throughout its 1st full academic year, we, as cofacilitators, conducted a 45-minute debriefing session after each monthly meeting, which was tape recorded and transcribed. During these sessions, we reflected on the group's dynamics, topics or themes presented, and our own ways of participating, collaborating, and making meaning of ...
A first-principles molecular dynamics approach for predicting optical phonon lifetimes and far-infrared reflectance of polar materials

The Lorentz oscillator model is well-known for its effectiveness to describe the farinfrared optical properties of polar materials. The oscillator strength and damping factor in this model are usually obtained by fitting to experimental data. In this work, a method based on first-principles simulations is developed to parameterize the Lorentz oscillator model without any fitting parameters. The high frequency dielectric constant is obtained from density functional perturbation theory, while the optical phonon frequencies and damping factors are calculated using an analysis of ab initio molecular dynamics trajectories. This method is then used to predict the far-infrared properties of GaAs, and the results are in good agreement with experimental data.
Nitrogen Retention Capacity of a Northern Hardwood Forest Soil Under Ammonium Sulfate Additions

To determine the N-retaining capacity of a beech-dominated stand in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, we added (NH{sub 4}){sub 2}SO{sub 4} at three levels (40, 160 and 520 kg N{center_dot}ha{sup {minus}1}{center_dot}yr{sup {minus}1}) to replicate plots in monthly increments for two years, and measured NH{sub 4}{sup +} and NO{sub 3}{sup {minus}} concentrations in monthly samples from zero-tension lysimeters. The two lower treatment levels failed to increase N loss through the deepest soils horizon when compared to controls. Plots under the highest treatment level retained >95% of the added N; NH{sub 4}{sup +} accounted for 77% of the leaching loss. The treatments caused an accumulation of exchangeable NH{sub 4}{sup +} in the soil, but concentrations of exchangeable NO{sub 3}{sup {minus}} remained small, even after samples were incubated at room temperature. Leaching, uptake by plants, and the increase exchangeable NH{sub 4}{sup +} accounted for 3-25% of the added N. Accumulation of available N without nitrification contradicts common expectations concerning N saturation. It was not clear why excess N was not nitrified. 74 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs.
Effects of glycine and GABA on the ganglion cells of the retina of the skate Raja erinacea

Abstract Application of glycine and GABA caused inhibition of light-evoked activity from different populations of ‘ON’ center ganglion cells in the retina of the skate ( Raja erinacea ). Cells affected by glycine were not affected by GABA and vice-versa. Addition of 100 μM strychnine to the glycine-containing perfusate caused a resumption in light-evoked responses of the cells. The action of GABA was antagonized by 100 μM bicuculline methochloride, but not by picrotoxin. Autoradiography revealed the presence of [ 3 H]glycine accumulating amacrine cells.
SERCaMP: a carboxy-terminal protein modification that enables monitoring of ER calcium homeostasis

Depletion of ER calcium can lead to cell death and is implicated in numerous diseases. Secreted ER calcium-monitoring proteins (SERCaMPs) are secreted in response to ER calcium depletion. SERCaMPs ...
Enhancing the Effectiveness of Work Groups and Teams

Teams of people working together for a common purpose have been a centerpiece of human social organization ever since our ancient ancestors first banded together to hunt game, raise families, and defend their communities. Human history is largely a story of people working together in groups to explore, achieve, and conquer. Yet, the modern concept of work in large organizations that developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries is largely a tale of work as a collection of individual jobs. A variety of global forces unfolding over the last two decades, however, has pushed organizations worldwide to restructure work around teams, to enable more rapid, flexible, and adaptive responses to the unexpected. This shift in the structure of work has made team effectiveness a salient organizational concern.Teams touch our lives everyday and their effectiveness is important to well-being across a wide range of societal functions. There is over 50 years of psychological research—literally thousands of studies—fo...
Electrocardiographic Findings in Patients With Diphenhydramine Overdose

QT interval prolongation and torsades de pointes ventricular tachycardia have been reported after therapeutic doses and overdosage of second generation antihistamines, such terfenadine and astemizol. Diphenhydramine (DPHM), a first generation H1 antagonist, is the most frequently used antihistaminic drug. Despite its widespread use, there are no data about cardiac action and electrocardiographic consequences of DPHM overdose. The 12-lead electrocardiograms of 126 patients (mean age 26 +/- 11 years) who had DPHM overdose were evaluated. The ingestion of large doses of DPHM (in majority of cases the dose was >500 mg) was primarily suicidal. Repolarization duration, dispersion, and morphology were evaluated in DPHM overdose patients and compared with those of healthy subjects. Mean heart rate of DPHM overdose patients was 103 +/- 25 beats/min. The QTc duration was significantly longer (453 +/- 43 vs 416 +/- 35 ms, respectively, p <0.001) and mean T-wave amplitude significantly lower (0.20 +/- 0.10 vs 0.33 +/- 0.15 mV, respectively, p <0.001) in DPHM-overdose patients than in control subjects. Dispersion of repolarization was significantly lower in DPHM-overdose patients than in control subjects (42 +/- 25 vs 52 +/- 21 ms, respectively; p = 0.003). None of the DPHM-overdose patients experienced torsades de pointes. In conclusion, DPHM overdose is associated with a significant increase in heart rate and a significant but moderate QTc prolongation. None of the studied patients, including those who had apparent QTc prolongation, experienced torsades de pointes ventricular tachycardia.
5‐Thianthrenyl‐5‐ylium Perchlorate

[35787-71-4] C12H8ClO4S2 (MW 315.77) InChI = 1S/C12H8S2.ClHO4/c1-2-6-10-9(5-1)13-11-7-3-4-8-12(11)14-10;2-1(3,4)5/h1-8H;(H,2,3,4,5)/q+1;/p-1 InChIKey = RABXTOXCGQBKCR-UHFFFAOYSA-M (reagent commonly used as a one-electron oxidant) Alternate Names: thianthrene cation radical perchlorate, thianthrenium perchlorate. Solubility: sol in sulfuric acid, nitromethane, acetonitrile, 1,2-dichloroethane. Form Supplied in: dark, reddish brown/purple crystals; not available commercially. Analysis of Reagent Purity: UV–Vis (e546(acetonitrile) = 8.5 × 103); 5-line ESR spectrum in acetonitrile (g = 2.0087);1 iodimetric assay (92%).2 Preparative Methods: prepared by combining a solution of thianthrene (Th) in CCl4 with HClO4 in acetic anhydride and stirring at room temperature overnight.1, 3 The resulting crystals are used without further purification; recrystallization is unsuccessful due to low solubility.1 Handling, Storage, and Precautions: shock sensitive. A freshly made 1–2 g batch exploded violently after being dried and transferred from a sintered-glass filter to a Petri dish. It is advised that the reagent be synthesized in small amounts (ca. 100 mg) and filtered through glass fiber paper and used immediately. Friction caused by glass stirring rods can result in detonation. To avoid decomposition, the reagent should be used without long delay, away from moisture.
Custom local search

Many popular online services provide "local" or "yellow-pages" search, but none of them allow users to customize the search over user-specified data. This paper describes a novel system for providing custom local search over user-provided spatial datasets logically combined with detailed street-level vector data. We present the algorithms and architecture underlying our prototype system, which handles complex queries and elegantly solves the problem of parsing terms from multiple datasets in the presence of ambiguity and misspellings. We show that the system provides custom local search with precision and recall figures that often exceed that of a commercial local search service. Further, we show that our system scales gracefully with the number of individual custom data sets being served simultaneously.
Predator responses to novel haemolymph defences of western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera) larvae

Many herbivorous arthropods use defensive chemistry to discourage predators from attacking. This chemistry relies on the ability of predators to rapidly learn to recognize and avoid offensive stimuli. Western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), employs multifaceted chemical defences in its haemolymph, which may contribute significantly to its success as a major economic pest. Here, we test the hypothesis that agrobiont predators can rapidly learn to recognize and avoid WCR larvae, and will thereby reduce their contribution to WCR suppression. In controlled feeding assays, the effectiveness of WCR haemolymph defences varied across three predator taxa (crickets, centipedes, and ants). Centipedes (Chilopoda: Lithobiidae) were minimally affected by WCR defences, but crickets [Gryllus pennsylvanicus Burmeister (Orthoptera: Gryllidae)] spent less time feeding on WCR than on an undefended control prey, house fly maggots. However, we uncovered no evidence indicating that experienced crickets rapidly learn to avoid WCR larvae, indicating that haemolymph defences offer few, if any, survival benefits for WCR. Colonies of ants [Lasius neoniger Emery (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)] switched from low worker participation in initial attacks on WCR to higher worker participation in subsequent attacks, indicating an attempt to overcome, rather than avoid, WCR haemolymph defences. These results suggest that a diverse assemblage of natural enemies will show a diverse array of behavioural responses to toxic pest prey, and highlight the importance of behavioural diversity in driving the function of natural enemy assemblages.
Evaluation of cytotoxic, genotoxic and inflammatory responses of nanoparticles from photocopiers in three human cell lines

Background: Photocopiers emit nanoparticles with complex chemical composition. Short-term exposures to modest nanoparticle concentrations triggered upper airway inflammation and oxidative stress in healthy human volunteers in a recent study. To further understand the toxicological properties of copier-emitted nanoparticles, we studied in-vitro their ability to induce cytotoxicity, pro-inflammatory cytokine release, DNA damage, and apoptosis in relevant human cell lines. Methods: Three cell types were used: THP-1, primary human nasal- and small airway epithelial cells. Following collection in a large volume photocopy center, nanoparticles were extracted, dispersed and characterized in the cell culture medium. Cells were doped at 30, 100 and 300 μg/mL administered doses for up to 24 hrs. Estimated dose delivered to cells, was ~10% and 22% of the administered dose at 6 and 24 hrs, respectively. Gene expression analysis of key biomarkers was performed using real time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) in THP-1 cells at 5 μg nanoparticles/mL for 6-hr exposure for confirmation purposes. Results: Multiple cytokines, GM-CSF, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IFNγ, MCP-1, TNF-α and VEGF, were significantly elevated in THP-1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Gene expression analysis confirmed up-regulation of the TNF-α gene in THP-1 cells, consistent with cytokine findings. In both primary epithelial cells, cytokines IL-8, VEGF, EGF, IL-1α, TNF-α, IL-6 and GM-CSF were significantly elevated. Apoptosis was induced in all cell lines in a dose-dependent manner, consistent with the significant up-regulation of key apoptosis-regulating genes P53 and Casp8 in THP-1 cells. No significant DNA damage was found at any concentration with the comet assay. Up-regulation of key DNA damage and repair genes, Ku70 and Rad51, were also observed in THP-1 cells, albeit not statistically significant. Significant up-regulation of the key gene HO1 for oxidative stress, implicates oxidative stress induced by nanoparticles. Conclusions: Copier-emitted nanoparticles induced the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, apoptosis and modest cytotoxicity but no DNA damage in all three-human cell lines. Taken together with gene expression data in THP-1 cells, we conclude that these nanoparticles are directly responsible for inflammation observed in human volunteers. Further toxicological evaluations of these nanoparticles, including across different toner formulations, are warranted.
Reducing Automatically Activated Racial Prejudice Through Implicit Evaluative Conditioning

The authors report a set of experiments that use an implicit evaluative conditioning procedure to reduce automatically activated racial prejudice in White participants in a short period and with relatively few trials. Experiment 1 demonstrated that participants were unaware of the repeated conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus (CS-US) pairings of Black-good and White-bad. In Experiment 2, the procedure was found to be effective in reducing prejudice as indicated by an evaluative priming measure of automatically activated racial attitudes. In Experiment 3, this reduction in prejudice was found to persist throughout a 2-day separation between the conditioning procedure and the administration of the dependent measure. The implications of the present findings for the persistence of automatically activated racial prejudice are discussed.
A sparse‐matrix canonical‐grid method for scattering by many scatterers

A new efficient algorithm based on the decomposition of strong and weak interactions among scatterers is proposed. The weak interactions, which account for the majority of the required CPU time and memory, are calculated using a canonical grid with a translation addition theorem. This facilitates the use of FFT and results in an N log N-type efficiency for CPU and O(N) for memory.
Biological techniques: Wrapped around the heart.

An elastic membrane cast around a three-dimensional printed model of a specific heart allows diverse aspects of cardiac function to be monitored and modified, and paves the way to new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
Tracking C. elegans swimming for high-throughput phenotyping

The model organism C. elegans is widely used for phenotype studies, where the behaviors of large numbers of individuals have to be measured accurately. Swimming motions exhibit unique aspects of their behavior, but are significantly more difficult to track than crawling motions. Filming multiple worms is necessary for high-throughput phenotype experiments, but adds to the complexity of tracking. Here we present a novel method to segment and track multiple swimming worms. Segmentation is done by low-level-vision processing followed by articulated model fitting. Tracking is performed by iteratively adjusting the articulated models to the successive frames. We tested our method on 404 videos and 2020 worms, and report results of 94.1% of worms tracked, which are valid 92.1% of the time. The models we use enable a cheap computation of a variety of measures of behavior. We report a quantitative comparison of three mutants using existing and novel phenotype measures, showing statistically significant differences of behavior.
Bound invariant Lyapunov functions: a means for enlarging the class of stabilizable uncertain systems

Inaccuracies between a physical system and its mathematical model are often accounted for via the introduction of uncertain parameters. This paper addresses the problem of stabilizing systems described by linear state equations whose matrices contain uncertain time-varying parameters whose values are unknown but are required to live in a prescribed compact bounding set. One approach to this stabilizability problem which has received attention in the literature is to construct a quadratic Lyapunov function. However, it has been shown that necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of such a quadratic Lyapunov function may require the execution of a non-linear feasible point search. Hence, recent work has focused on developing sufficient conditions for stabilizability which avoid a nonlinear programming problem. To this same end, this paper introduces the notion of stabilizability via a bound invariant (quadratic) Lyapunov function (BILF) which requires that the Lyapunov function be independent o...
Hellfire and Delinquency

Religious training is assumed to prevent delinquency by promoting the development of moral values, acceptance of conventional authority, and belief in the existence of supernatural sanctions. The relations between church attendance and these presumed consequences are examined. Children who attend church are no more likely than non-attenders to accept ethical principles; they are only slightly more likely than non-attenders to respect conventional authority; they are much more likely to believe in the literal existence of the Devil and a life after death. Those variables affected by church attendance, however, are unrelated to the commission of delinquent acts, while those variables strongly related to delinquency are unaffected by church attendance. The lack of a relation between church attendance and delinquency is thus “explained.”
Use of shear lag for composite microstress analysis Rectangular array

Abstract : A number of authors have employed shear lag theory to find the stress distribution near cracks in a uniaxially reinforced composite. Practical application of these equations has been hampered by the fact that they include a parameter h/d the magnitude of which is unknown. This parameter is evaluated for composites in which the fibers forms a rectangular array. (Author)
Measurement of the Landé g factor of the 5 D 5 / 2 state of Ba ii with a single trapped ion

We present a terrestrial measurement of the Land\'e $g$ factor of the $5{D}_{5/2}$ state of singly ionized barium. Measurements were performed on single Doppler-cooled ${}^{138}{\mathrm{Ba}}^{+}$ ions in a linear Paul trap. A frequency-stabilized fiber laser with a nominal wavelength of $1.762$ $\ensuremath{\mu}$m was scanned across the $6{S}_{1/2}\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}5{D}_{5/2}$ transition to spectroscopically resolve transitions between Zeeman sublevels of the ground and excited states. From the relative positions of the four narrow transitions observed at several different values for the applied magnetic field, we find a value of $1.2020\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.0005$ for ${g}_{5{D}_{5/2}}$.
Complications associated with prone positioning in elective spinal surgery

Complications associated with prone surgical positioning during elective spine surgery have the potential to cause serious patient morbidity. Although many of these complications remain uncommon, the range of possible morbidities is wide and includes multiple organ systems. Perioperative visual loss (POVL) is a well described, but uncommon complication that may occur due to ischemia to the optic nerve, retina, or cerebral cortex. Closed-angle glaucoma and amaurosis have been reported as additional etiologies for vision loss following spinal surgery. Peripheral nerve injuries, such as those caused by prolonged traction to the brachial plexus, are more commonly encountered postoperative events. Myocutaneous complications including pressure ulcers and compartment syndrome may also occur after prone positioning, albeit rarely. Other uncommon positioning complications such as tongue swelling resulting in airway compromise, femoral artery ischemia, and avascular necrosis of the femoral head have also been reported. Many of these are well-understood and largely avoidable through thoughtful attention to detail. Other complications, such as POVL, remain incompletely understood and thus more difficult to predict or prevent. Here, the current literature on the complications of prone positioning for spine surgery is reviewed to increase awareness of the spectrum of potential complications and to inform spine surgeons of strategies to minimize the risk of prone patient morbidity.
FACTORS INFLUENCING INCUBATION EGG-MASS LOSS FOR THREE SPECIES OF WATERFOWL

Abstract Many bird eggs lose ∼15% of their fresh mass before pipping, but individual species have been reported to lose 10–23%. Most published estimates have been imprecise due to small sample sizes. Moreover, published estimates of within- or among-species variance components of mass loss are virtually unknown. We modeled the influence of nest type, clutch size, and egg size on daily mass loss of Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), and Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) eggs and compared fractional mass loss among species. Mallard eggs in artificial nest cylinders lost more mass than those in ground nests, but were unaffected by nest initiation date. Average-sized eggs in Mallard ground nests, Mallard cylinder nests, and Common Goldeneye and Hooded Merganser nest boxes lost 7.9 g (15.2%), 10.8 g (20.3%), 10.3 g (15.5%), and 9.2 g (15.8%) of fresh mass, respectively. For all species, daily mass loss increased as incubation progressed and was affected by an interactio...
Abrupt hypokalemia with paralysis from a clinician's perspective.

Monogenic hypokalemic periodic paralysis (HypoPP) is an autosomal dominant genetic disease. HypoPP is more common in males than females and has a reduced penetrance in females. Attacks generally begin during adolescence. They are aggravated by exercise, sleep, stress, alcohol, and meals rich in carbohydrates and salt. The episodes last 324h. Attacks often feature a prodrome of stiffness or heaviness in the lower extremities. Some patients report that they can abort their attacks with mild exercise. Various preventive measures have been suggested, including a low-carbohydrate, low sodium diet, acetazolamide, dichlorphenamide, spironolactone, and triamterene, though none of these are very effective. Acute attacks are generally treated with potassium every 30min until strength returns. In patients with severe episodes who also experience gastrointestinal symptoms, parenteral potassium may be necessary. The electrocardiogram should also be monitored. The paralysis is due to abnormal muscle membrane excitability, commonly arising from mutations in the muscle calcium channel alpha1 subunit gene (CACNA1S) on chromosome 1q3132 or in a smaller number of cases, from a mutation in the skeletal muscle sodium channel SCN4A. The alpha1 subunit of the calcium channel contains the dihydropyridine binding site (receptor) that acts as a pore for conducting calcium ions in the T tubule. The mutation results in a reduction of the calcium current in the T tubule. During attacks, there is an influx of potassium into muscle cells and the cells become electrically refractile. The patients have an increased sensitivity to insulin-related effects on potassium. Exactly how the potassium is shifted from the extracellular to the intracellular space as a result of impaired function of the calcium channel dihydropyridine receptor is not entirely clear.
Surgical Treatment of Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma: Past, Present, and Future

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare malignancy that arises from the serosal membranes of the abdominal cavity. In 1972, Moertel published a paper characterizing the clinical course of patients afflicted with MPM and the now recognized clinical features associated with tumor progression within the abdominal cavity. 1 Borow first reported the association between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma that same year. 2 Despite the current recognition that MPM is a distinct entity from its pleural variant, progress in the treatment of patients afflicted with MPM has been hampered by several factors. First, it is an extraordinarily rare condition: only 10‐15% of all patients with mesothelioma present with the peritoneal form of the disease, and this translates into approximately 300‐400 cases in the USA annually. As a consequence, throughout the last two decades many clinical trials testing systemic agents for patients with malignant mesothelioma did not distinguish between those with the pleural versus the peritoneal form of disease. 3‐5 Many of these trials included a small number of patients with MPM and for whom no confident conclusions regarding efficacy of the experimental regimen could be made. It is now becoming increasingly recognized that patients with MPM have a distinct disease for which specific therapies should be developed. Another significant feature of MPM that has challenged our ability to understand the contribution of various therapeutic interventions to patient outcome is the remarkable variability in the biology of this condition. In 1973, Rogoff and colleagues reported outcomes in four patients treated at Memorial Sloan‐Kettering Cancer Center in New York using surgical cytoreduction and whole-abdominal radiotherapy. 6 Two of the four patients survived longer than 5 years. Antman and colleagues reported outcomes of 37 patients with MPM treated at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital between 1965 and 1984 and also noted that, while some patients progressed and succumbed rapidly, others survived for many years after treatment. 7 In their series, patients treated after 1982 underwent cytoreduction, placement of an intraperitoneal (IP) catheter, and received between 8‐10 cycles of IP doxorubicin and cisplatin. Subsequent to that 30 Gy of whole-abdominal radiation was administered. In their analysis, patients with smaller tumor burden and female gender had prolonged survival; those with epithelioid tumors did poorly compared with those with other histopathological types. Since that initial description, the use of multimodal therapy using cytoreduction with some form of high-dose regional chemotherapy has become increasingly
Effects of Surface Texturing on Cell Adhesion for Artificial Joints

One of the major issues of joint implants is their loss (detachment) and subsequent failure after a limited number of years in application. Understanding and improving cell adhesion to implanting materials to extend lifespan, lubrication, and self-regeneration properties are therefore substantially important. In this research, we investigate effects of surface properties, such as wettabilty and texture on cell culture for the purpose of biotribological applications. Materials used are polyurethane, polyvinyl alcohol, and glass. Surface analysis indicates that surface structures have profound impact on cells growth.