cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hybrid Nanomaterial Scaffolds for Specific Biomedical Applications

Highly porous nanomaterials like aerogels, hybrid crosslinked aerogels (X-aerogels) and xerogels exhibit a broad range of tailorable properties such as the pore size, surface area, surface chemistry and mechanical strength. The versatile manufacturing route of sol-gel synthesis and various tunable properties makes aerogels and xerogels attractive candidates for biomedical applications including tissue engineering, sample collection applicators and engineered microenvironments for three-dimensional cell culture. The present study explores meso- and macroporous inorganic-organic hybrid aerogels prepared via sol-gel processing for two different applications, namely, as scaffolds for cell culture and as potential materials for sample collection applicators.
Accessory Spleens in domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). II. Increased frequency in hematological diseases and experimental induction with phenylhydrazine

Analysis of several inbred strains of rabbits with high (30–50%) frequencies of accessory spleens revealed that hereditary hematological diseases, autoimmune hemolytic anemia and lymphosarcoma, occurred in some of them. Twenty-one per cent of individuals in these strains, though phenotypically normal, had globulin-coated (Coombs'-positive) erythrocytes. These findings supported observations of increased frequency of accessory spleens in human beings with similar diseases (e.g., autoimmune hemolytic anemia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, “secondary hypersplenism,” Gaucher's disease, hereditary spherocytosis, etc.) and suggested that accessory spleens represent physiological responses to demand for phagocytic capacity provided by the reticuloendothelial system in the spleen, rather than as passive developmental anomalies. This hypothesis predicted that simulation of the basic defect might yield a laboratory model for the induction and study of accessory spleens in rabbits. Phenylhydrazine was used for this purpose and it was shown that the frequency of accessory spleens in 80 rabbits so treated was 45%. Most of these accessories appeared to arise de novo because pretreatment examination in situ by laparotomy revealed a naturally occurring frequency of about 7.5%. These results supported, and provide a basis for, observations by surgeons that subsequent to an initial splenectomy, during which spleniculi were noted to be absent, recurrent indications for splenectomy would later reveal functional accessory spleens. No evidence was found to relate anemia, per se, or cardiovascular anomalies to the increased frequency of accessory spleens in rabbits. It was suggested that heritable factors limit the upward expression of accessory spleens in “normal” populations, as well as during the course of certain diseases and of phenylhydrazine treatment.
The metamorphic history of LL-group ordinary chondrites

A study of feldspar grain size and microprobe analysis of coexisting orthopyroxene, olivine, diopside, and metal in twenty equilibrated LL-group chondrites and clasts defines the conditions of metamorphism, indicates the relative position of samples within the parent body, and suggests an accretionary-metamorphic history. Variation of mineral chemistry indicates a range of equilibrium temperature and parallels textural variation, providing two continuous relative temperature scales, based on mean feldspar grain size and the calcium content of orthopyroxene coexisting with diopside. Maximum equilibrium temperatures range from less than 600° up to 950°C. The total Tschermak's component in orthopyroxene indicates that maximum pressure was less than 1 kbar, and a pressure gradient correlates directly with temperature. A reduction sequence, evident from systematic variation of iron in ferromagnesian silicates and metal, correlates inversely with temperature. The maximum permissible sampling depth for the formation of surface breccias (2/10 r) also limits pressure to less than 1 kbar. The LL parent body had a minimum radius of 200 km, determined using the permissible sampling depth and published cooling rates. The data are broadly consistent with simple reheating of colder material within a completely accreted body. This model may have problems with volatile depletion, a required lack of impact sampling during metamorphism, and the timing of the event. The data are more consistent with accretion of colder material on a hot but cooling surface. Both models apparently require a recycling process during accretion to account for the reduction sequence.
Desensitization protocols improving access and outcome in transplantation

Abstract Sensitization to antigens of the HLA and ABO system has been the biggest barrier to access in renal transplantation and, increasingly, in transplantation of other organs. Additionally, antibody to donor antigens has been shown to result in injury to the graft ranging from catastrophic, irreversible hyperacute rejection to the slower, more insidious, chronic form of rejection. The problem of access has been recognized globally and has been the incentive for measures to overcome the disadvantage experienced by the sensitized patient. However, early attempts to reduce sensitization achieved only transient success. Newer immunosuppressive agents that affect B-cell function or viability have permitted the development of treatment protocols to eliminate and, potentially, downregulate donor-specific antibodies. The use of these protocols has achieved successful transplants that were HLA and/or ABO incompatible prior to treatment and, as such, has provided some patients with their only opportunity for transplantation.
Diel variation in the thermal tolerance of Gambusia affinis affinis (Pisces:Poeciliidae).

Abstract 1. 1. Thermal lethals varied over a 24 hr period for male and female fish and significant differences were found among the testing periods for both sexes. 2. 2. Female G. affinis were more heat tolerant than males. 3. 3. No significant difference was found between the mean thermal lethals of gravid and non-gravid females. 4. 4. A daily rhythm in heat resistance is evident in G. affinis but its significance is unknown; some evidence suggests that it may have survival value.
Factor XII promotes blood coagulation independent of factor XI in the presence of long-chain polyphosphates.

Background Inorganic polyphosphates (polyP), which are secreted by activated platelets (short chain polyP) and accumulate in some bacteria (long chain polyP), support the contact activation of factor XII (FXII), and accelerate the activation of factor XI (FXI).
Tragedy and the Meaning of School Shootings.

School shootings are traumatic events that cause a community to question itself, its values, and its educational systems. In this article Bryan Warnick, Benjamin Johnson, and Samuel Rocha explore the meanings of school shootings by examining three recent books on school violence. Topics that grow out of these books include (1) how school shootings might be seen as ceremonial rituals, (2) how schools come to be seen as appropriate places for shootings, and (3) how advice to educators relating to school shootings might change the practice of teaching. The authors present various ways of understanding school shootings that may eventually prove helpful, but they also highlight the problems, tensions, and contradictions associated with each position. In the end, the authors argue, the circumstances surrounding school shootings demonstrate the need for the "tragic sense" in education. This need for the tragic sense, while manifest in many different areas of schooling, is exemplified most clearly in targeted school shootings.
Expression of type I collagen mRNA in glomeruli of rats with passive Heymann nephritis

Expression of type I collagen mRNA in glomeruli of rats with passive Heymann nephritis. In passive Heymann nephritis (PHN) glomeruli exhibit marked basement membrane expansion around subepithelial immune deposits but they fail to show any change in mRNA levels of type IV collagen, laminin or fibronectin by Northern and slot-blot analysis, or in the amount or distribution of type IV collagen or laminin by immunohistology for up to 12 weeks after disease onset. On the other hand, in situ hybridization (ISH) revealed the appearance of positive cells exhibiting mRNA for the α1 chain of rat type I collagen two to three weeks after the onset of PHN in all glomeruli of all rats. Positive cells persisted for at least eight weeks. In many glomeruli, the location of the clusters of silver grains suggested that they were in visceral epithelial cells. In controls injected with normal sheep IgG, and in early PHN (
Analysis of Confidence Lower Limits of Reliability and Hazard Rate for Electronic Stability Control Systems

This article describes an evaluation method for reliability and hazard rate of lifetime distribution confidence lower limits for electronic stability control (ESC) system using test data from multistage and subsystems. This method provides estimation that can potentially and significantly reduce the amount of testing, without sacrificing the one-sided confidence level of reliability. This also allows quicker design verification and validation for ESC systems. The method is derived under the assumption that the reliability parameter is a random variable with a given distribution function, and the product's reliability increases monotonously during the development process. This new method is applied to the analysis of reliability of an ESC system. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
What's Next for Nutrition Labeling and Health Claims?: An Update on Nutrient Profiling in the European Union and the United States

Nutrient profiling of foods is defined as the science of categorizing foods based on their nutrient composition. Nutrient profiles, based on some combination of key nutrients relative to calories, can have multiple applications. For health professionals, identifying nutrient-dense foods using nutrient profiling can be a valuable tool for consumer education and dietary guidance. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans referred specifically to nutrient density as a way to help consumers identify the most nutrient-rich foods within and among food groups. For regulatory agencies, nutrient profiles can be the basis for disallowing nutrition or health claims and for regulating advertising to children. The European Union has adopted nutrient profiling as the basis for regulating nutrition and health claims. Whereas the US approach has emphasized positive nutrients, the European approach has focused squarely on the foods' content of fats, trans-fats, sugars, and sodium. As a result, the development of competing nutrient profiles by researchers, regulatory agencies, and the food industry in the European Union and the United States has been marked by different priorities, pressures, and concerns. However, the development of nutrient profiles needs to follow specific science-driven rules. These include the selection of reference nutrients and reference amounts, the creation of an appropriate algorithm for calculating nutrient quality scores, and the validation of the chosen scheme against objective measures of a healthy diet. Additional studies need to test the usefulness of the concept among nutrition professionals and among consumers
Development of an α-complementation system for mycobacterial promoter analysis

Abstract α-Complementation is the restoration of β-galactosidase (β-Gal) activity to a lacZ mutant via expression of a differentially altered mutant. Here we report the development of an α-complementation system for the mycobacteria. Mycobacterium smegmatis α-acceptor strains were constructed employing both a novel lacZ α-acceptor allele, termed lacZΔPvuII, and the widely exploited α-acceptor allele lacZΔM15. These α-acceptor alleles were integrated into M. smegmatis strain mc2-155 using the suicide vector pINT-Δ. The resultant α-acceptor strains, TSm-629 (lacZΔPvuII) and TSm-630 (lacZΔM15), were highly transformable with plasmids, lacked detectable β-Gal activity, and were not drug resistant. Five potential plasmid-borne α-donor fragments were expressed from the Mycobacterium bovis hsp60 promoter in order to determine their abilities to complement either of the two α-acceptor strains. β-Gal activity was restored to both strains TSm-629 and TSm-630 by expression of the lacZ X-90 α-donor encoding 1021 amino acids (aa). More importantly, β-Gal activity was restored to strain TSm-629 by expression of the CyB α-donor encoding 85 aa, whereas β-Gal activity was restored to strain TSm-630 by expression of the AatII α-donor encoding 205 aa. Interestingly, these two α-donor/α-acceptor pairs were independent and did not complement each other. In addition, expression of the α-donor commonly employed in Escherichia coli cloning vectors, such as pUC19, did not restore β-Gal activity to either of the M. smegmatis α-acceptor strains.
Early Reading Achievement of Children in Immigrant Families : Is There an Immigrant Paradox?

This article examines whether longitudinal reading trajectories vary by the generational status of immigrant children as they begin formal schooling through the 3rd grade. The results of the hierarchical linear model indicated that 1st and 2nd generation children (i.e., those born in a foreign country and those born in the United States to foreign-born parents, respectively) had higher achievement scores at the spring of kindergarten than did 3rd generation children. Yet, controlling for race/ethnicity and maternal education fully reduced the 1st generation advantage. In addition, 1st generation children grew in reading achievement at a faster rate than did 3rd generation children. Controlling for a host of proximal and distal factors that included demographic, race/ethnic, family, and school characteristics somewhat reduced the association between generational status and rate of growth. First and 2nd generation children continued to increase their reading scores at a faster rate than did 3rd generation children. It is likely that additional factors not measured in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey-Kindergarten cohort, such as selection, cultural, or motivational factors, would be useful in further explaining the immigrant advantage.
Transcription of proteinase 3 and related myelopoiesis genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with active Wegener's granulomatosis.

Objective Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) is a systemic inflammatory disease that is associated with substantial morbidity. The aim of this study was to understand the biology underlying WG and to discover markers of disease activity that would be useful for prognosis and treatment guidance. Methods Gene expression profiling was performed using total RNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and granulocyte fractions from 41 patients with WG and 23 healthy control subjects. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to search for candidate WG-associated molecular pathways and disease activity biomarkers. Principal components analysis was used to visualize relationships between subgroups of WG patients and controls. Longitudinal changes in proteinase 3 (PR3) gene expression were evaluated using reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction, and clinical outcomes, including remission status and disease activity, were determined using the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score for WG (BVAS-WG). Results Eighty-six genes in WG PBMCs and 40 in WG polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) were significantly up-regulated relative to controls. Genes up-regulated in WG PBMCs were involved in myeloid differentiation, and these included the WG autoantigen PR3. The coordinated regulation of myeloid differentiation genes was confirmed by GSEA. The median expression values of the 86 up-regulated genes in WG PBMCs were associated with disease activity (P = 1.3 × 10−4), and WG patients with low-level expression of the WG signature genes showed expression profiles that were only modestly different from that in healthy controls (P = 0.07). PR3 transcription was significantly up-regulated in WG PBMCs (P = 1.3 × 10−5, false discovery rate [FDR] 0.002), but not in WG PMNs (P = 0.03, FDR 0.28), and a preliminary longitudinal analysis showed that the fold change in PR3 RNA levels in WG PBMCs corresponded to changes in the BVAS-WG score over time. Conclusion Transcription of PR3 and related myeloid differentiation genes in PBMCs may represent novel markers of disease activity in WG.
Advancing psychological jurisprudence

Recent articles and literature reviews within the field of social science and law point to the importance of developing interdisciplinary jurisprudence. An overview of psychological jurisprudence is presented. Next, three approaches to the specific construction of psychological jurisprudence are reviewed. Finally, the relationship between legal psychology and psychological jurisprudence is discussed. Language: en
Estimation of population size in closed animal populations from mark-resighting surveys

The problem of estimating the size of a closed population based on the results of a certain type of mark-resighting sampling design is considered. The sampling design is similar to the commonly used multiple capture-recapture design. However, with some animal populations this procedure is more economical and easier to use. Sampling is done by first tagging a number of randomly selected animals with visible markers and later randomly sighting them on several occasions and counting the number of tagged animals. This type of sampling procedure is being used in several wildlife population monitoring studies. Some approximate statistical inference procedures which are based on the binomial approximation are available in the literature. Exact statistical inference involves dealing with the hypergeometric distribution. In this paper, classical and Bayesian inference procedures related to the exact sampling distribution and several other approximate procedures are given. Applications of these procedures for a real data set and for a couple of simulated data sets are provided. A limited simulation study is also given to demonstrate the performance of the proposed procedure.
Fast Multipole Burton-Miller Boundary Element Method for Two and Three-Dimensional Acoustic Scattering

A multistage adaptive fast multipole method is used to accelerate the matrix-vector products arising from the Burton-Miller boundary integral equations, which are formed in a boundary element method. The present study considers the scattering of acoustic waves, generated by localized sources from bodies with rigid surfaces. Details on the implementation of a multistage adaptive fast multipole method are described for two and three-dimensional formulations. The code is verified through the solution of well documented test cases. The fast multipole method is tested for acoustic scattering problems of single and multiple bodies, and a discussion is provided on the performance of the method. Results for engineering problems with complex geometries, such as a multi-element wing, are presented in order to assess the implemented capability.
Effect of a Shortened-Duration Eptifibatide Infusion (75 mg) as Adjunctive Therapy for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention on Inhospital Cardiovascular Outcomes and Bleeding

A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted on patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) before and after a practice change which reduced the infusion duration of eptifibatide from 18 hours to the time required for completion of a single vial of 75 mg initiated during PCI. Primary end points were inhospital cardiovascular events, target vessel revascularization, and major or minor bleeding. The secondary end point was drug cost. A total of 1,647 patients received the standard-duration infusion (18 hours), and 1,237 received the short-duration infusion. The median infusion times were 18.1 hours (interquartile range 17.7 to 18.7) and 6.6 hours (interquartile range 5.6 to 11.3) in the standard- and short-duration groups, respectively. No differences were found for the rate of inhospital cardiovascular events (2.0% vs 1.9%, respectively; p = 0.78) or inhospital revascularization (0.2% vs 0.3%, respectively; p = 0.68). Also, no statistically significant difference was observed in major bleeding (standard 4.3% vs short 4.4%; p = 0.94) or minor bleeding (standard 3.3% vs short 2.3%; p = 0.09). In conclusion, using a shortened infusion reduced eptifibatide use by an average of 1.6 vials at cost savings of $823 per patient and resulted in no difference in inhospital cardiovascular events, revascularization, or bleeding.
Experimental Pulmonary Carcinogenesis with Asbestos

Abstract Three methods have been used to test the carcinogenic response of the lung and pleura of the rat to asbestos. No carcinogenic response of pulmonary epithelium or pleura was noted to either healing infarcts or implanted war pellets that contained asbestos. Sarcomas of the pleura and pericardium developed in 74% of rats in which the pleura was covered with an asbestos-impregnated fibrous glass coat. The fibrous glass alone caused only slight reaction, with complete healing. The last method may serve as an accurate and convenient means of quantitating the neoplastic response of the pleura to asbestos.
The role of LFA-1 in class II restricted, antigen-specific T-cell responses

Abstract We have studied the role of the murine lymphocyte function associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted responses of a panel of T-cell hybridomas to protein antigens. Monoclonal antibodies to LFA-1 showed a differential blocking effect in these responses that correlated with the overall “sensitivity” of a given hybrid to antigen and MHC as defined by other criteria already reported. This result differs completely from similar experiments in the CTL system where all clones regardless of their overall “avidity” for target cells are very sensitive to the blocking effects of anti-LFA-1. Further, we show that no blocking effects are observed in the response of our hybridomas when Class I or Class II transfected fibroblasts or cultured 3T3 fibroblasts are used as synthetic antigen presenting cells and the result is unaltered by preincubation of such cells with interferon-γ (IFN-γ).
Tumor necrosis factor-α regulates distinct molecular pathways and gene networks in cultured skeletal muscle cells.

Background Skeletal muscle wasting is a debilitating consequence of large number of disease states and conditions. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is one of the most important muscle-wasting cytokine, elevated levels of which cause significant muscular abnormalities. However, the underpinning molecular mechanisms by which TNF-α causes skeletal muscle wasting are less well-understood.
Discriminative stimulus effects of diazepam and buspirone in normal volunteers.

A within-subject design was used to characterize the effects of dose manipulations on discriminative and self-reported effects of oral diazepam and buspirone. Subjects were trained to discriminate diazepam (10 mg) versus placebo (n = 10), or buspirone (10 or 15 mg) versus placebo (n = 9). The compounds were identified to subjects by letter code before discrimination training began. In later sessions, correct identifications at 2 hr after the oral administration of drug earned money. All subjects showed accurate discrimination performance during the test-of-acquisition phase. In a low-dose generalization phase, diazepam and buspirone produced dose-related increases in drug identifications across a four-fold range of doses. In a subsequent low-dose training phase, in which subjects were trained to discriminate progressively lower drug doses, the median lowest discriminable dose of diazepam and buspirone was 2.5 and 7.5 mg, respectively. Dose-response functions for drug identifications were shifted leftward in the low-dose training phase relative to the low-dose generalization phase, suggesting that reinforcement of progressively lower doses enhances drug discriminability. The self-reported effects of diazepam and buspirone were similar (e.g., both drugs increased ratings of drug strength and clumsy/uncoordinated) and different (e.g., diazepam but not buspirone increased ratings of drowsy/sleepy; buspirone but not diazepam increased ratings of tense/nervous). This study demonstrates discriminative and self-reported effects of diazepam and buspirone at doses lower than previously shown to be behaviorally active, and suggests that at commonly used clinical doses, diazepam is relatively more discriminable than buspirone.
Intraoperative nerve stimulation predicts postoperative potency

Abstract Objectives. Intraoperative nerve stimulation has been used to map the course of cavernosal nerve bundles to aid in nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy (RP). We sought to determine whether the intraoperative nerve stimulation response after removal of the prostate specimen predicts postoperative potency. Methods. We prospectively evaluated 63 consecutive patients undergoing RP. Among these 63 patients, 41 patients had a bilateral nerve-sparing procedure, and 22 underwent bilateral wide resection of the neurovascular bundles. Potency was determined at 1 year by direct patient interview. Results. Of the 22 patients with wide resection, 16 (73%) had no observed stimulated response, 4 (18%) had a measurable tumescence response, and 2 (9%) had detumescence. All 22 patients were impotent postoperatively. At a minimum follow-up of 1 year, of the 41 patients who underwent nerve-sparing RP, 27 (66%) had postoperative erections sufficient for penetration. Of the 30 men with an intraoperative stimulated tumescence response, 24 (80%) were potent; of the 6 with a detumescence response, 2 (33%) were potent; and of the 5 with no stimulated nerve response, 1 (20%) was potent. A tumescence response was significantly more predictive of postoperative potency than no intraoperative response ( P = 0.017). Conclusions. An intraoperative tumescence response with stimulation of the neurovascular bundles after prostate specimen removal is more likely to correspond to successful postoperative sexual function after nerve-sparing RP than is no response.
Understanding factors of successful engagement around energy consumption between and among households

An increasing number of researchers are using social engagement techniques such as neighborhood comparison and competition to encourage energy conservation, yet community reception and experience with such systems have not been well studied. We also find that researchers have not thoroughly investigated how different households use these systems and how their uses differ from one another. We explore these questions in a 4-10 month field deployment of a social-energy monitoring application across 15 households, in two distinct locations. We contribute results that describe conditions under which these techniques were effective and ineffective. Our results imply that understanding factors such as a building, or community's layout, context knowledge of community members, accountability and adherence to social norms, trust, and length of residence are key for future design of social-energy applications.
A quantitative and validated SAGE transcriptome reference for adult mouse heart.

Abstract Transcriptome comparisons facilitate the identification of developmental, aging, and disease-related genes. To quantify the functionally active genome of adult C57BL/6 mouse heart (AMH), we used serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) to sequence a total of 88,860 tags or 23,941 unique tags. Over 66% of the unique tags matched either known genes or ESTs. Mitochondrial transcripts accounted for 18.7% of the total transcripts, whereas sarcomeric proteins accounted for 3.2% of all tags. After comparison of AMH expression profiles obtained by SAGE and cDNA arrays, we observed numerous quantitative discrepancies (for example: arrays, mt-Co1 > mt-Co2 > mt-Co3; SAGE, mt-Co1 » mt-Co3 ≥ mt-Co2). We carried out quantitative PCR analyses as an independent test of transcript abundance and determined that SAGE yielded quantitatively reliable data. These SAGE results thus represent the first quantitative expression profile of AMH and serve as a reliable transcriptome reference to identify dynamic changes in cardiac gene expression.
Religion and Family Relational Health: An Overview and Conceptual Model

This paper presents a review of research addressing religion and family relational health. Strengths of the extant data include the correlation of three dimensions of religious experience (religious practices, religious beliefs, and religious community) with certain aspects of mother–child, father–child, and marital relationships and specific connections between the three dimensions of religious experience and family relationships are identified. Key weaknesses in the research at present include a paucity of research examining the hows, whys, and processes involved behind identified religion–family correlations and a lack of data on non-nuclear families, families of color, interfaith families, and non-Christian religions including Judaism and Islam. Implications for clinical practice and recommendations for future research are offered.
Electron paramagnetic resonance in exchange-coupled systems with unlike spins. II. The intermediate-coupling regime

We analyze the transverse dynamic magnetic susceptibility of an isotropic exchange-coupled system with unlike spins in a uniform external field. An approximate theory for the susceptibility is developed which interpolates between results obtained previously in the limits of strong and weak intersystem coupling. The expression for the susceptibility involves both thermodynamic and relaxation parameters, both of which are shown to be related to various spin-spin correlation functions. When the equal-time correlation functions are evaluated by treating the intersystem interactions in the molecular-field approximation, the resulting expression for the susceptibility is equivalent in form to that obtained from Bloch equations derived by Barnes and Zitcova-Wilcox in their analysis of the resonance of magnetic impurities in metallic hosts.
Overcompensation by Plants: Herbivore Optimization or Red Herring?

The increased growth rates, higher total biomass, and increased seed production occasionally found in grazed or clipped plants are more accurately interpreted as the results of growth at one end of a spectrum of normal plant regrowth patterns, rather than as overcompensation, herbivore-stimulated growth, plantherbivore mutualisms, or herbivore enhanced fitness. Plants experience injury from a wide variety of sources besides herbivory, including fire, wind, freezing, heat, and trampling; rapid regrowth may have been selected for by any one of the many types of physical disturbance or extreme conditions that damage plant tissues, or by a combination of all of them. Rapid plant regrowth is more likely to have evolved as a strategy to reduce the negative impacts of all types of damage than as a strategy to increase fitness following herbivory above ungrazed levels. There is no evolutionary justification and little evidence to support the idea that plant-herbivore mutualisms are likely to evolve. Neither life history theory nor recent theoretical models provide plausible explanations for the benefits of herbivory. Several assumptions underlie all discussions of the benefits of herbivory: that plant species are able to evolve a strategy of depending on herbivores to increase their productivity and fitness; that herbivores do not preferentially regraze the overcompensating plants; that resources will be sufficient for regrowth; and that being larger is always ‘better’ than being smaller. None of these assumptions is necessarily correct.
On the asymptotic stability of the solution of a linear viscoelastic continuous shaft

Abstract We study the vibrations of a whirling shaft which satisfies the linear viscoelastic stress-strain relation for a Kelvin model. The solution of the problem is obtained by using theory of Laplace transform, integral equations, compact operators and oscillating functions, it is shown that the model is asymptotically stable for ω2 less than or equal to the least eigen-value of the system otherwise unstable, where ω is the frequency of the whirling shaft. The result is represented in the form of a stability theorem.
Experimental characterization of the effects of geometric parameters on evaporative pumping

Abstract This study is interested in determining the experimental relation between the suction pressure and evaporation rate from the upper surface of a flat, thin porous membrane, which naturally draws water from a reservoir, and its microchannel feeding system. The effects of three main design parameters of a water delivery system on the evaporation rate of the membrane are considered: (i) the diameter of the microchannels irrigating the membrane, (ii) the length of the irrigating microchannels, and (iii) the surface area of the membrane. Additionally, we also evaluated the effect of the pumping height (i.e., the vertical distance between the membrane and the main reservoir) on the evaporation rates for the three design parameters. While the maximum evaporation rate from the membrane is a function of the membrane’s properties (e.g., permeability and porosity), as well as the ambient conditions (e.g., temperature, pressure and humidity), this study focused on determining the geometric parameters of closed water-feeding microchannels that properly hydrate a porous membrane while not impeding evaporation. Results indicated that the evaporation rate was mostly unaffected by the channel dimensions considered. Moreover, evaporation rates increased with increasing surface area (between 20.3 cm 2 and 176.7 cm 2 ) but at a decreasing rate of return. Finally, the suction pressures achieved were inversely related to hydrodynamic pressure drop and were unaffected by the membrane diameter.
First report of leaf spot caused by Alternaria alternata on switchgrass in Tennessee.

Field-grown seedlings of ‘Alamo’ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) from Vonore, TN exhibited light brown-to-dark brown leaf spots and general chlorosis in June 2009. Symptomatic leaf tissue was surface sterilized (95% ethanol for 1 min, 20% commercial bleach for 3 min, and 95% ethanol for 1 min), air dried on sterile filter paper, and plated on 2% water agar amended with 10 mg/liter rifampicin (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO) and 5 μl/liter miticide (2.4 EC Danitol, Valent Chemical, Walnut Creek, CA). Plates were incubated at 26°C for 4 days in darkness. An asexual, dematiaceous mitosporic fungus was isolated and transferred to potato dextrose agar. Cultures were transferred to Alternaria sporulation medium (3) to induce conidial production. Club-shaped conidia were produced in chains with branching of chains present. Conidia were 27 to 50 × 10 to 15 μm, with an average of 42.5 × 12.5 μm. Morphological features and growth on dichloran rose bengal yeast extract sucrose agar were consistent with characteristi...
A direct monte carlo evaluation of the derivative of the born-oppenheimer potential between two ions in liquid sodium

Monte Carlo methods for finding trial wavefunctions by minimizing the Monte Carlo standard deviation in the expectation value of the Hamiltonian are investigated for a periodically repeated system of 2 sodium nuclei and 22 electrons. Methods are described for using the biased selection technique to find reasonable numbers of statistically independent configurations in the regions where the wavefunction is sizable. A technique for making a direct Monte Carlo estimate of the derivative of the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) potential is described which numerically eliminates the part of the standard deviation in this estimate coming from the fluctuations within the ion cores. Finally, the resulting bound to the BO potential given by a rather simple trial wavefunction for the system at 1/14 the normal liquid density is presented.
Entrepreneurship in global innovation ecosystems

Established companies in countless industries have recognized the need to access globally dispersed knowledge networks to develop and acquire innovations necessary to better serve their customers. To maximize and coordinate their access to this diverse knowledge, some incumbents have developed innovation platforms whereby new ventures and smaller companies contribute their discoveries and innovations. These platforms allow incumbents to shape and control their ecosystems. These ecosystems have been fertile grounds for the creation of new ventures of different types. In this article, we explore the role of innovation ecosystems in birthing and supporting new ventures and inducing heterogeneity among them; discuss how these ventures’ entrepreneurial activities within these innovation ecosystems are likely to vary from those in other contexts; and consider the implications of such ecosystems for the strategic shifts that new ventures might experience in the course of their evolution. We pay special attention to the managerial challenges new ventures may encounter in developing, leveraging, and balancing their technological and marketing capabilities.
The relationship between emulsion freeze‐thaw stability and polymer glass transition temperature. I. A study of the polymers and copolymers of methyl methacrylate and ethyl acrylate

Emulsion polymers and copolymers of ethyl acrylate-methyl methacrylate containing varying amounts of methacrylic acid were subjected to three freeze-thaw cycles, following adjustment to a pH of about 9.5 with NH3. The minimum amount of acid required to obtain resistance to freezing and thawing was determined. Values for the glass temperature, (Tg) and minimum film formation temperature (MFT) of the polymer were correlated with the minimum required acid content, indicating that more acid is required as the glass temperature decreases. If a polymer is exceptionally hard so that its particles resist irreversible contact under large forces, it would be expected that little or no acid would be required to obtain freeze-thaw stability. On the other hand, if the polymer particle is so soft (low Tg) as to readily form aggregates, then very high acid amounts would be required. A plot of minimum weight per cent of acid versus Tg or MFT should, therefore, be hyperbolic approaching zero acid at very high Tg values and approaching very high acid levels at very low Tg values. This is indeed the characteristic of the plot of the experimental data.
Rate constants for the combination of trichloromethyl radicals and the electron-transfer reaction between hydroxymethyl radicals and carbon tetrachloride in solution

The rate constant for the bimolecular combination of trichloromethyl radicals in methanol is determined as a function of temperature by steady-state kinetics and electron-spin resonance (ESR) with modulated radical initiation. The rate constant is in accord with the Smoluchowski equation and indicates a diffusion-controlled radical termination. The temperature dependence of the rate constant for the electron-transfer reaction between hydroxymethyl radicals and carbon tetrachloride in methanol is determined, and is found to disagree with predictions of the Marcus theory. This disagreement is tentatively ascribed to the structure of the transition state. 37 references, 6 figures, 1 table.
Abstract 3273: Prolactin promotes breast lesion progression and alters tumor histotype

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Prolactin (PRL) is critical for mammary development and lactation. Epidemiological studies also support a role for PRL in breast cancer (1). In order to study the contributions of PRL to tumor development and progression, we developed a transgenic mouse model that expresses PRL in the mammary epithelial cells (NRL-PRL), mimicking the mammary PRL production in women (2). To explore the interactions of PRL and Wnts in mammary tumorigenesis, NRL-PRL mice were crossed with APCmin/+ mice, which have elevated canonical Wnt signals secondary to reduced β-catenin degradation. Females were administered a single ip dose of ENU (50 mg/kg body weight) at 35-40 days of age. This paradigm in the F1 (FVB/N x C57BL/6J) strain background resulted in few mammary tumors (14%) in NRL-PRL nonparous females. APCmin/+ animals developed tumors at a slightly higher incidence (27%), as previously reported (3). However, penetrance rose to 66% in NRL-PRL/APCmin/+ females, indicating that PRL potentiates APCmin/+-induced tumorigenesis (P=0.008). The presence of PRL also strongly impacted the tumor histotype (P<0.0001). The majority of tumors in APCmin/+ animals were composed of squamous nodules with pilar lesions (63%), while tumors in PRL/ APCmin/+ animals were most often adenocarcinomas of varying histotype (75%). Glands from younger age-matched nonparous females (120 d), prior to palpable lesions, were examined to begin to determine the mechanism of PRL actions. Analyses of “whole mounted” glands showed that both APCmin/+ and PRL/ APCmin/+ animals exhibited multiple epithelial hyperplasias. However, although the numbers of hyperplasias were similar between the two genotypes, the lesions were significantly larger in the PRL/ APCmin/+ glands (P<0.05). This correlated with an increase in the proliferation rate (P<0.01), but no change in apoptosis. Thus, PRL appears to promote tumor progression and affect factors influencing tumor histotype in the APCmin/+ model. The NRL-PRL mouse provides a means of studying how PRL promotes breast cancer alone and in conjunction with other oncogenes. 1Tworoger SS, Hankinson SE. (2008) J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia. 13:41-53. 2Arendt LM, Schuler LA. (2008) J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia. 13:29-40. 3Moser AR, Hegge LF, Cardiff RD. (2001) Cancer Res. 61: 3480-3485. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3273.
Cultural evolution in neural networks

Examines the interaction between biological inheritance and cultural learning. The author describes a model in which organisms learn from teachers (or "conspecifics"). Learning in this scenario differs from that of standard machine learning in that a pool of teachers is assumed, and the best teachers are selected to train the students of the next generation. Additionally, the teachers' output includes a slight amount of noise, thus allowing some students to acquire new strategies and so become better than their teachers. This "cultural" form of transmission via learning can interact with biological transmission of behavioral tendencies. For example, students might evolve an ability to increase their physical proximity to teachers, which improves their fitness only indirectly. Similar arguments are used to suggest how communication mechanisms (language) and technological artifacts might evolve. Finally, the author suggests that the study of cultural and technological evolution may be necessary for the understanding and reproduction of higher-level human cognition.
Detecting copepod grazing on low-concentration populations of Alexandrium fundyense using PCR identification of ingested prey

Zooplankton grazing is often a significant loss term for phytoplankton populations, including harmful algae, impacting the development and decline of blooms. However, detecting and quantifying predation on phytoplankton is often challenging, particularly during early bloom stages when phytoplankton cell concentrations are low. In this study, we used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect ingestion of toxic dinoflagellates of the Alexandrium tamarense species complex by two copepods, Acartia hudsonica (laboratory population) and Calanus finmarchicus (field population). Recent ingestion of Alexandrium fundyense cells was indicated by positive amplification of an LSU rDNA fragment specific to A. fundyense from whole copepod extracts. In laboratory experiments, A. fundyense DNA was detectable for 2―4 h post-ingestion in A. hudsonica fed A. fundyense, but not detected in animals fed other phytoplankton, or starved. In field samples, ingestion of A. fundyense by C. finmarchicus was confirmed by PCR, including at four stations where the A. fundyense concentration was ≤ 14 cells L ―1 . At these low prey concentrations, ingestion rates on A. fundyense may have been as low as 1 cell copepod ―1 day ―1 . Nevertheless, simulations of A. fundyense population growth suggest that a few predators L ―1 have the potential to curb the early development of a slow-growing bloom, even if ingestion rates are extremely low. Low predation rates can still have a large impact when prey populations are small.
A 2.4 GHz direct conversion transmitter for Wimax applications

The evolving 802.16 WiMax and WiBro standards offer the possibility of high data rate wireless access for home and business users. The first generation systems are currently being designed and deployed in the licensed frequency bands centered around 2.5GHz and 3.5GHz. The use of high data rate OFDM modulations translates into challenging requirements for the transmitter in terms of spectral quality and EVM. In particular, this calls for low distortion, good signal balance and low phase error. This article focuses on the challenges and advantages associated with implementing a direct conversion transmitter in the Wibro band centered at 2.35GHz. A complete mixed signal implementation that includes a dual DAC, IQ modulator, LO synthesizer, variable gain amplifier and RF power detector is presented along with system-level measured results.
NAMD2: Greater Scalability for Parallel Molecular Dynamics

Abstract Molecular dynamics programs simulate the behavior of biomolecular systems, leading to understanding of their functions. However, the computational complexity of such simulations is enormous. Parallel machines provide the potential to meet this computational challenge. To harness this potential, it is necessary to develop a scalable program. It is also necessary that the program be easily modified by application–domain programmers. The NAMD2 program presented in this paper seeks to provide these desirable features. It uses spatial decomposition combined with force decomposition to enhance scalability. It uses intelligent periodic load balancing, so as to maximally utilize the available compute power. It is modularly organized, and implemented using Charm++, a parallel C++ dialect, so as to enhance its modifiability. It uses a combination of numerical techniques and algorithms to ensure that energy drifts are minimized, ensuring accuracy in long running calculations. NAMD2 uses a portable run-time framework called Converse that also supports interoperability among multiple parallel paradigms. As a result, different components of applications can be written in the most appropriate parallel paradigms. NAMD2 runs on most parallel machines including workstation clusters and has yielded speedups in excess of 180 on 220 processors. This paper also describes the performance obtained on some benchmark applications.