cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hypoxic conditions induce Hsp70 production in blood, brain and head kidney of juvenile Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (L.)

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of hypoxia, elevated ammonia levels and crowding on the physiological and cellular stress responses of juvenile Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (L.). The experiment was designed to be representative of prevalent harvest practices often encountered with this species. The levels of innate and inducible heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) were measured in blood (packed cells), brain, liver, muscle and head kidney tissues of tilapia exposed to hypoxic stress (f4.9–0.3 mg l 1 dissolved oxygen), reduced water levels which tripled the fish/unit of water and an increase in ammonia levels from below detection limits on Day 1 to less than 0.5 mg l 1 at the end of 48 h. A highly significant increase in Hsp70 (***P<0.0001) was detected in packed blood cells, brain, and muscle tissues in test fish compared to control treatments, but no differences were observed among treatments in liver (*P=0.93) and head kidney (*P=0.24) tissues. A highly significant increase (***P<0.0001) was detected in serum glucose levels due to hypoxia treatments, and a statistically significant difference was detected among serum cortisol levels (*P<0.05). The Hsp70 results reported here suggest that a physiological response as well as an inducible cellular stress response occurs in this species subjected to these stressful conditions, and that the cellular responses are tissue-specific and have not been observed in other teleosts species. D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Evaluation of Corn Gluten Feed as a Dietary Ingredient for Pond‐Raised Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus

Abstract.— This study was conducted to evaluate corn gluten feed as an alternative feedstuff in the diet of pond-raised channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. Three 32%-protein diets containing 0%, 25%, or 50% corn gluten feed were tested. Channel catfish fingerlings (average weight: 57 g/fish) were stocked into 15 0.04-ha ponds at a rate of 18,530 fish/ha. Five ponds were used for each dietary treatment. Fish were fed to satiation once daily for a 147-d growing period. No differences were observed in feed consumption, weight gain, feed conversion ratio, survival, or fillet protein concentration among fish fed the test diets. Fish fed diets containing 25% and 50% corn gluten feed exhibited a lower level of visceral fat and a higher carcass yield than fish fed the control diet without corn gluten feed. The diet containing 50% corn gluten feed resulted in a lower level of fillet fat and a higher level of moisture than the control diet. There were no visible differences in the coloration of skin or fillet of channel catfish fed diets with and without corn gluten feed. Results from this study indicated that channel catfish can efficiently utilize corn gluten feed at levels up to 50%n without adverse effect on feed palatability, weight gain, or feed efficiency. Corn gluten feed may be beneficial in reducing fattiness of channel catfish and improving carcass yield by reducing the digestible energy to protein ratio of the diet.
A method for determining tissue sulfate.

A method for the determination of the inorganic sulfate present in rat liver homogenates has been developed. In order to determine sulfate, a protein-free extract is required. The classical protein precipitation methods of preparing protein-free extracts gave 2.5-40% recovery of added /sup 35/SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/. Separation of the protein by ultrafiltration gave only 29% recovery when 0.15 M KCl was the homogenizing medium. A homogenization medium containing 0.154 M NH/sub 4/OH and 20 g EDTA per liter gave 102 +/- 11% recovery of added /sup 35/SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/ when the protein was separated by ultrafiltration.
Common and unique elements of the ABA-regulated transcriptome of Arabidopsis guard cells

In the presence of drought and other desiccating stresses, plants synthesize and redistribute the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA). ABA promotes plant water conservation by acting on specialized cells in the leaf epidermis, guard cells, which border and regulate the apertures of stomatal pores through which transpirational water loss occurs. Following ABA exposure, solute uptake into guard cells is rapidly inhibited and solute loss is promoted, resulting in inhibition of stomatal opening and promotion of stomatal closure, with consequent plant water conservation. There is a wealth of information on the guard cell signaling mechanisms underlying these rapid ABA responses. To investigate ABA regulation of gene expression in guard cells in a systematic genome-wide manner, we analyzed data from global transcriptomes of guard cells generated with Affymetrix ATH1 microarrays, and compared these results to ABA regulation of gene expression in leaves and other tissues. The 1173 ABA-regulated genes of guard cells identified by our study share significant overlap with ABA-regulated genes of other tissues, and are associated with well-defined ABA-related promoter motifs such as ABREs and DREs. However, we also computationally identified a unique cis-acting motif, GTCGG, associated with ABA-induction of gene expression specifically in guard cells. In addition, approximately 300 genes showing ABA-regulation unique to this cell type were newly uncovered by our study. Within the ABA-regulated gene set of guard cells, we found that many of the genes known to encode ion transporters associated with stomatal opening are down-regulated by ABA, providing one mechanism for long-term maintenance of stomatal closure during drought. We also found examples of both negative and positive feedback in the transcriptional regulation by ABA of known ABA-signaling genes, particularly with regard to the PYR/PYL/RCAR class of soluble ABA receptors and their downstream targets, the type 2C protein phosphatases. Our data also provide evidence for cross-talk at the transcriptional level between ABA and another hormonal inhibitor of stomatal opening, methyl jasmonate. Our results engender new insights into the basic cell biology of guard cells, reveal common and unique elements of ABA-regulation of gene expression in guard cells, and set the stage for targeted biotechnological manipulations to improve plant water use efficiency.
Are Plush Dorms and Fancy Food Plans Important Drivers of College Cost

You're not going to a university to join a spa. President Obama to a group of students There should be a more Spartan aspect to education that is more conducive to learning. You are looking at a cu...
Croonian Lecture: The Bearing of Cytological Research on Heredity

The privilege of speaking in this historic centre of learning was first accorded to me more than 30 years ago, through the extraordinary kindness of Prof. Huxley to a young and unknown student. I would like to think it more than a fancy that to the same source, possibly, I may trace the distinguished honour of having been invited, after the lapse of many years, to speak here once again on the subject of cytology in its bearing on heredity. Of all Huxley’s wise and felicitous sayings none has more persistently lingered in my memory or appealed to my imagination than one which vividly pictured, 35 years ago, the basic phenomenon that the cytologist seeks to elucidate. Suggested, no doubt, by the researches of Hertwig, Strasburger, and Van Beneden, then but recently made known, this well-known passage is as follows:- “It is conceivable, and indeed probable, that every part of the adult contains molecules derived from both the male and the female parent; and that, regarded as a mass of molecules, the entire organism may be compared to a web of which the warp is derived from the female and the woof from the male. And each of these may constitute an individuality, in the same sense as the whole organism is an individual, although the matter of the organism has been constantly changing” (1878).
Bilateral control in teleoperation of a rehabilitation robot

One applications of teleoperation principles is of a manipulator that might be used to augment function in a disabled person. An individual with a paralyzing injury may have complete loss of motor and sensory function in his or her arms, which limits his or her ability to interact with the environment and perform simple tasks such as feeding or turning pages. One way of enhancing functionality is to employ a telemanipulator that might take the place of a care giver, thus providing the person with increased independence. This paper describes how a high level spinal cord injured individual would use head movement to control a robot. It is felt that the key to successful manipulation is in attaining a sense of force and position proprioception. This natural proprioception exists in cable operated prosthetic arms and simple tools such as mouthsticks or laser beam pointers where the user is physically linked to the device. This sense of proprioception is being emulated using a head controlled master-slave arrangement. The goal is for the disabled individual to operate a manipulator and utilize proprioceptive as well as visual feedback. This would lessen the mental burden on the user and ultimately make the device more acceptable.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Heparanase Stimulation of Protease Expression Implicates It as a Master Regulator of the Aggressive Tumor Phenotype in Myeloma

High levels of heparanase are an indicator of poor prognosis in myeloma patients, and up-regulation of the enzyme enhances tumor growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis in animal models. At least part of the impact of heparanase in driving the aggressive tumor phenotype is due to its effect on increasing the expression and shedding of the heparan sulfate proteoglycan syndecan-1, a molecule known to promote myeloma progression. The present work demonstrated that elevation in heparanase expression in myeloma cells stimulates sustained ERK phosphorylation that in turn drives MMP-9 expression. In addition, urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and uPA receptor expression levels increased, and blocking the proteolytic activation of either MMP-9 or uPA inhibited the heparanase-induced increase in syndecan-1 shedding. Together these data provide a mechanism for heparanase-induced syndecan-1 shedding and, more importantly, demonstrate that heparanase activity in myeloma cells can lead to increased levels of proteases that are known to play important roles in the aggressive behavior of myeloma tumors. This in addition to its other known biological roles, indicates that heparanase acts as a master regulator of the aggressive tumor phenotype by up-regulating protease expression and activity within the tumor microenvironment.
Spectrum sampling reflectometer

In this work we demonstrate that the semi-continuous wavelength spectrum used by a reflectometer for thin-film determination can be replaced by a small set of fixed-wavelength sources. We demonstrate how this spectrum sampling reflectometer (SSR) can be implemented with low-cost visible light-emitting diodes (LEDs). A detailed analysis of the system is provided, showing how measurement error and the number of sources affect accuracy. A bench-top SSR was constructed that consisted of five low-cost LEDs with central wavelengths that ranged from 450 to 650 nm. Thickness measurements of the SSR were compared with measurements made by other commercially available equipment with <5% variation.
Parasitic capacitance removal of sub-100 nm p-MOSFETs using capacitance–voltage measurements

Abstract Capacitance–voltage measurements are performed on sub-100 nm high-k/metal gate p-MOSFETs to extract the intrinsic capacitance per gate length. This is then repeated on simulated devices using finite element modeling to compare to the experimental results. The intrinsic channel capacitance for the simulated devices is isolated from the parasitic capacitance, allowing for the comparison of analytic models of parasitic capacitances to the simulation.
Historical Evolution of Instructional Technology in Teacher Education Programs: A Ten-Year Update.

The content and emphasis of the introductory technology courses for undergraduate preservice teachers has historically been examined, with the earliest study conducted by Stracke in 1932. In an attempt to identify trends in the course DeKieffer conducted a series of studies over ten year intervals, in 1947, 1957, 1967, and 1977. In 2000 the first in a similar series of ten-year studies was conducted, and this 2010 study is the first update to that study. Results indicate that the introductory technology course has gone through a particularly dynamic era recently, with nearly half of all topics appearing as new in 2010. Of particular note among the new topics are SMART Boards and Web 2.0 technologies such as Blogs, Wikis, and Professional and Social Networking Sites.
Effect of an intra-oral nasal dilation appliance on 3-D nasal airway morphology in adults

To determine the effects of a nasal dilation appliance on 3-D nasopharyngeal airway patency. The sample comprised 187 adults (98 males, 89 females) with a history of sleep-disordered breathing. Acoustic rhinometry readings were taken from all patients before and after the intra-oral placement of a nasal dilation appliance (OASYS®). The mean left and right nasopharyngeal airways were reconstructed in 3-D, and the data from the right and left nostrils were subjected to principal components analysis (PCA) and finite-element scaling analysis (FESA). Comparing the pre- and post-treatment 3-D mean, left nasopharyngeal airways using PCA, the first two eigenvalues accounted for 96% of the total shape change, and statistical differences were found (p < 0.01). Similarly, for the right side, significant differences were detected between the mean pre- and post-treatment 3-D nasopharyngeal airways (p < 0.01) using PCA. Using FESA to quantify and localize changes after the placement of the nasal dilation appliance, the 3-D mean, normalized, left nasopharyngeal airway was found to be 14% wider in the anterior nasal valve region and 28% wider in the distal regions, while the 3-D mean, normalized, right nasopharyngeal airway was 13% wider in the anterior nasal valve region and 27% wider further distally. The use of an intra-oral nasal dilation appliance may be useful in the management of nasopharyngeal conditions, such as snoring, upper airway resistance syndrome, sleep-disordered breathing, and obstructive sleep apnea, especially in cases where nasal obstruction is demonstrable.
Entertainment, Education, or Propaganda? A Longitudinal Analysis of China Central Television's Spring Festival Galas

Previous research on the Chinese media focused on political propaganda in the information media. This project extends this stream of research to analyze mass mediated entertainment, China Central Television's annual Spring Festival Galas, in the previous 26 years. Based on 475 performances from a sample of 13 complete Galas, this study confirmed a high presence of political propaganda and social education content. Among the many dominant values, values related to national pride and the traditional New Year observed an increased presence in the Galas over the years. Results are discussed in light of the Chinese media, social, and political environment.
Impact of Familial Factors and Psychopathology on Suicidality Among African American Adolescents

Racial differences in familial factors, psychopathology, perceptions of social support, and socioeconomic status were examined in a matched sample of African American and White suicidal adolescents (N = 90) during a psychiatric hospitalization. Exploratory analyses suggest that significant differences were found in family support and its association with psychopathology, but most noteworthy were the many similarities between the two adolescent groups. The results presented in this study represent new knowledge on the characteristics of African-American adolescents at high risk of suicidal behavior, and replace conventional wisdom with empirical knowledge about an aspect of human behavior for this population. Implications for social work practice, suicide prevention, and future research are discussed.
Concepts and Measurement of Agricultural Productivity

Along with Fabricant, U.S. agricultural economists recognized early the inadequacy of partial productivity indexes such as output per man or yield per acre. By 1947 U.S. Department of Agriculture economists were experimenting with the total factor productivity approach (Cooper, Barton, and Brodell). Based on later work by Loomis and Barton, the USDA instituted regular statistical series on total outputs, inputs, and total factor productivity. Thus, I do not believe that I have to convince this audience of the importance of the total factor productivity concept. I will limit my discussion to issues involved in implementation of the concept.
Studying how flocculation affects acoustic reflection

In inland estuaries and shallow coastal waters, small particles of organic matter, such as organic waste and debris or bacteria, clump together to form an aggregate known as floc. Flocculated particles can span a range of sizes, from a few micrometers to a few millimeters, and the properties and concentration of floc have a strong influence on water quality. To infer the properties of floc particles, researchers have proposed using acoustic backscatter measurements, a common technique for estimating sediment concentrations. To do so, however, requires an understanding of how the properties of floc particles affect acoustic wave reflection.
Isolation of phosphophoryn from human dentin organic matrix

Normal human dentin was demineralized in 0.6 N HCl and then extracted in 1.0 M NaCl, 0.5 M Tris/HCl, pH 7.6 in the presence of neutral protease inhibitors. All of the soluble phosphorus-containing proteins were extracted directly in the 0.6 N HCl demineralizing solution; none were collected in the 1.0 M NaCl neutral pH extraction. The principal phosphoprotein was precipitated from solution by 1.0 M CaCl2 and subjected to further chromatographic purification. This fraction proved to be a typical phosphophoryn with Asp and Ser+PSer, in near equimolar amounts, accounting for ∼75 residue percent of the protein. The second major organic phosphate-containing component was a peptide, M4 ∼2,000. It was calcium precipitable and its amino acid composition showed a relationship to phosphophoryn. The residual collagenous matrix, which also contained organic phosphate, was digested with CNBr and the phosphate-containing moiety isolated. This had a composition indicative of a complex of collagen and phosphophoryn. Thus, in spite of the reports by Leaver and colleagues that human dentin contains neither soluble nor matrixbound phosphophoryns, these data show that human dentin, like rat, hamster, rabbit, porcine, and bovine dentins, does contain a phosphophoryn as a major noncollagenous protein.
RF and Microwave Photonic techniques in biomedical applications

This invited paper addresses various “Microwave Photonics” techniques developed for biomedical applications. The first application is using RF photonics technique for calibration of ultrasound transducers operating at high-frequencies without spatial field averaging compromise. In particular a broadband fiber-optic based hydrophone probe is reported for measurements of acoustic fields at the frequencies up to 100 MHz. In another application of microwave photonics, tissue spectroscopy is performed using multi-wavelength absorption and scattering in near infrared. A high speed and high power laser driver is designed with a flat frequency response using RC speed up circuits in high power lasers. Phantom experiments are performed to extract optical parameters. Multi-frequency data fitting algorithm is performed to extract optical parameters of the phantom model simulating a breast tissue. The optical parameters (μa, μs') are extracted with a very good accuracy. These low cost techniques are replacement for other expensive sub-centimeter spatial resolution medical imaging methods.
MetaQC: objective quality control and inclusion/exclusion criteria for genomic meta-analysis

Genomic meta-analysis to combine relevant and homogeneous studies has been widely applied, but the quality control (QC) and objective inclusion/exclusion criteria have been largely overlooked. Currently, the inclusion/exclusion criteria mostly depend on ad-hoc expert opinion or naive threshold by sample size or platform. There are pressing needs to develop a systematic QC methodology as the decision of study inclusion greatly impacts the final meta-analysis outcome. In this article, we propose six quantitative quality control measures, covering internal homogeneity of coexpression structure among studies, external consistency of coexpression pattern with pathway database, and accuracy and consistency of differentially expressed gene detection or enriched pathway identification. Each quality control index is defined as the minus log transformed P values from formal hypothesis testing. Principal component analysis biplots and a standardized mean rank are applied to assist visualization and decision. We applied the proposed method to 4 large-scale examples, combining 7 brain cancer, 9 prostate cancer, 8 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and 17 major depressive disorder studies, respectively. The identified problematic studies were further scrutinized for potential technical or biological causes of their lower quality to determine their exclusion from meta-analysis. The application and simulation results concluded a systematic quality assessment framework for genomic meta-analysis.
Interaction between scientists and nonscientists in community-based watershed management: Emergence of the concept of stream naturalization

The authors' personal experience in watershed planning and decision making in the agricultural Midwest is described to illustrate how: (1) formalization of the process of community-based management is not sufficient to guarantee that local people will meaningfully consider scientific information and opinion when making decisions about watersheds, and (2) genuine social interaction between scientists and nonscientists requires a considerable investment of time and energy on the part of the scientist to develop personal relationships with nonscientists based on trust and mutual exchange of information. This experience provides the basis for developing a general conceptual model of the interaction between scientists and nonscientists in community-based watershed management in the agricultural Midwest. An important aspect of integrating science effectively into community-based decision making is the need to revise existing concepts to accommodate place-based contexts. Stream naturalization is introduced as an alternative to stream restoration and rehabilitation, which are viewed as inappropriate management strategies in human-dominated environments. Stream naturalization seeks to establish sustainable, morphologically and hydraulically varied, yet dynamically stable fluvial systems that are capable of supporting healthy, biologically diverse aquatic ecosystems. This general goal is consistent with the types of stream-management practices emerging from community-based decision making in human-dominated, agricultural landscapes. Further research on the linkages between geomorphological and ecological dynamics of human-modified agricultural streams over multiple spatial and temporal scales is needed to provide a sound scientific framework for stream naturalization.
Natural history of the asymptomatic/minimally symptomatic patient with severe mitral regurgitation secondary to mitral valve prolapse and normal right and left ventricular performance☆

Abstract The natural history of patients with severe nonischemic mitral regurgitation (MR) from mitral valve prolapse, who are asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic and have normal right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) performance, has not been evaluated previously. To define natural history in this population and to determine if any objective variables could predict disease progression, 31 patients were followed annually with severe MR due to prolapse, who at entry were asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic and had normal RV and LV performance at rest by radionuclide cineangiography. Average follow-up in patients not reaching surgical end point was 4.7 years. The Kaplan-Meier product limit estimates were used to determine the rate of progression to either “operable” symptoms or to previously defined “high risk” ventricular performance descriptors, if the latter occurred first. Univariate comparisons of Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariate Cox proportional hazards analyses were used to define prognostically important variables measured at entry. Fourteen patients developed symptoms warranting referral for operation; none developed high-risk ventricular performance descriptors. The annual end point risk was 10.3%. Of all covariates, only change in RV ejection fraction from rest to exercise was significantly associated with disease progression. Annual risk of progression to surgical end point was 4.9% in the subgroup in which this parameter increased with exercise and 14.7% in the subgroup without an increase (p = 0.04). Patients with severe MR due to mitral valve prolapse, who are asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic with normal ventricular performance, can be expected to progress to surgical indications at an annual rate of 10.3%. The change in RV ejection fraction during exercise is useful in predicting the likelihood of such progression.
2009 H1N1 Influenza Infection-Related Hospital Admissions: A Single Center Experience with Adult Patients in West Texas

Background. Clinical information collected during the first wave of influenza pandemics may provide important projections about disease activity during subsequent waves. Methods. We performed a retrospective study of hospitalized patients with 2009 H1N1 influenza infection during the second wave and compared our findings with literature reports from the first wave. Results. There were 31 admissions, including 15 to the intensive care unit (ICU). Twenty-five patients (81%) had at least one chronic medical condition; 12 patients (39%) were obese. Thirty-three percent of the ICU patients and 75% of the non-ICU patients were admitted within 48 hours of symptom onset ( 𝑃 = 0 . 0 3 ). Infiltrates on CXR were seen in 60% of the ICU group and 19% of the non-ICU group within 48 hours of admission ( 𝑃 = 0 . 0 3 ). Forty-three percent of the ICU patients and 71% of the non-ICU patients received oseltamivir within 48 hours of illness. All non-ICU patients survived; 73% of the ICU patients survived ( 𝑃 = 0 . 0 4 3 ). Conclusions. Our patients in the second wave resembled patients reported from the first wave of the 2009 pandemic and had similar mortality rates. Delayed medical attention possibly explains the high number of ICU admissions in our study.
Interaction of the erythropoietin and stem-cell-factor receptors

MUTATIONS in the KIT transmembrane protein-tyrosine kinase receptor1 affect erythropoiesis, resulting in fewer committed late progenitors (colony-forming unit erythroid, CFU-E) in the fetal liver2. As the survival and proliferation of CFU-Es depend absolutely on erythropoietin (EPO)3, these results suggest that CFU-Es cannot proliferate or mature further unless both the KIT and EPO receptor4 signalling pathways are functional. How KIT affects proliferation or differentiation of CFU-Es is not clear. Here we show that the KIT ligand SCF (for stem-cell factor) can replace EPO in supporting the growth and survival of HCD57 cells, an EPO-dependent erythroid-progenitor cell line expressing high levels of KIT5. SCF supports the proliferation of 32D cells6 that express KIT only if they also express the EPO receptor. In HCD57 cells, SCF rapidly induces tyrosine phosphorylation of the EPO receptor, and KIT physically associates with the extended box 2 region7 in the cytoplasmic domain of the EPO receptor. Our results indi-cate that KIT may activate the EPO receptor by tyrosine phosphorylation to induce further proliferation and maturation of CFU-Es.
At the Helm, Kirk or Spock? The Pros and Cons of Charismatic Leadership

Charisma is seen as a generally positive attribute for a leader to possess, yet many studies give it a “mixed report card”: finding it can have little or no effect, or worse a negative effect. This paper develops a model to explain why. The key insight is that presenting the cold hard truth is often incompatible with simultaneously firing up followers—a tradeoff exists between information and inspiration. In particular, a temptation exists to hide bad news behind upbeat rhetoric. Rational followers understand such appeals conceal bad news. But as long as any followers are swayed by such appeals—respond to the leader’s charisma—rational followers’ pessimism is tempered, and more so the more charismatic the leader. Hence, a more charismatic leader can generate better responses from all followers with an emotional appeal than can a less charismatic leader. This is a benefit to charisma. But this power has a dark side: a highly charismatic leader is tempted to substitute charm for action—she is less likely to learn relevant information and, on certain margins, works less hard herself—all to her followers’ detriment.
Continuous Space-Time Semantics Allow Adaptive Program Execution

A spatial computer is a collection of devices filling space whose ability to interact is strongly dependent on their proximity. Previously, we have showed that programming such a computer as a continuous space can allow self-scaling across computers with different device distributions and can increase robustness against device failure. We have extended these ideas to time, allowing self-scaling across computers with different communication and execution rates. We have used a network of 24 Mica! Motes to demonstrate that a program exploiting these ideas shows minimal difference in behavior as the time between program steps ranges from 100 ms to 300 ms and on a configuration with mixed rates.
Computational Modeling of Dynamics of Single Bubbles Emanating From Capillary-Tube Orifice in an Isothermal Liquid Pool

The growth dynamics (inception → departure) of isolated gas bubbles, emanating from a capillary-tube orifice submerged in isothermal pools of different liquids is computationally investigated. The complete set of continuity and transient Navier-Stokes equations are solved, and the gas-liquid interface during the bubble growth process is tracked using a volume of fluid (VOF) method. Computational solutions that describe the dynamic behavior — incipience, growth, and pre-departure necking — of a single bubble growing from tips of sub-millimeter-to-millimeter-scale capillary orifices in stagnant pools are presented. The parametric effects of liquid properties (surface tension and viscosity, in particular), capillary diameters, and air flow rates on the bubble shape, its equivalent diameter, and growth times are described. Furthermore, these results are shown to be in excellent agreement with the available experimental data, and they fundamentally highlight the ebullience structure and the role of liquid-gas interfacial tension on the bubble evolution.© 2008 ASME
The radiographic appearance of the tracheobronchial tree as an indicator of visceral situs.

Abstract To arrive at an accurate anatomic diagnosis in patients with complex cardiovascular malformations or abnormal position of the heart, the situs of the viscera, or more specifically, that of the atria, must be known. Since the situs of the atria always corresponds to that of the tracheobronchial tree, the latter is a very reliable indicator of visceral (atrial) situs. A chest roentgenogram taken in the anteroposterior or posteroanterior projection will show the anatomy of the air-filled trachea and main bronchi, thus indicating whether there is situs solitus, situs inversus or “situs ambiguus”. The latter term is introduced to indicate that in many patients with asplenia or polysplenia syndrome, the visceral situs cannot be determined because of symmetrical development of normally asymmetrical organs.
Lexipafant Inhibits Platelet Activating Factor Enhanced Neutrophil Functions

Abstract Platelet activating factor (PAF) enhances polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) superoxide (·O2−) production, CD11b expression, and elastase release, all essential components in the pathophysiology of multiple-organ failure. This study was designed to determine the effects of Lexipafant, a PAF receptor antagonist, on PAF-mediated PMN functions. PMNs from 10 healthy volunteers were isolated and pretreated with various concentrations of Lexipafant (0–100 μM). PMNs were then incubated for 5 min with 200 nMPAF for·O2−detection or 2000 nMPAF for elastase measurement and activated with 1 μM N-formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine. The mean rate of·O2−production was determined by a cytochromecreduction assay (nmole·O2−/min/1.33 × 106PMN ± SEM). Elastase release was measured by the cleavage of the synthetic elastase substrate Meo-Suc-Ala-Ala-Pro-Val-pNA (mean elastolytic activity ± SEM). In parallel experiments, PMNs were incubated with 200 nMPAF for 30 min following pre-treatment with Lexipafant and CD11b expression was determined by flow cytometry (mean fluorescence intensity ± SEM). Statistical analysis was performed using repeated-measures ANOVA (P
Prioritizing industries for occupational injury prevention and research in the Services Sector in Washington State, 2002–2010

The Services Sector, as defined by the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA), is comprised of a diverse industry mix and its workers face a variety of occupational exposures and hazards. The objective of this study was to identify high-risk industry groups within the Services Sector for prevention targeting. Compensable Washington State workers’ compensation claims from the Services Sector from 2002 through 2010 were analyzed. A “prevention index” (PI), the average of the rank orders of claim count and claim incidence rate, was used to rank 87 Services Sector industry groups by seven injury types: Work- Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs), Fall to Lower Level, Fall on Same Level, Struck By/Against, Caught In/Under/Between, Motor Vehicle, and Overexertion. In the PI rankings, industry groups with high injury burdens appear higher ranked than industry groups with low counts or low rates of injury, indicating a need for prioritizing injury prevention efforts in these groups. In the Services Sector, these 7 injury types account for 84% of compensable claims in WA. The industry groups highest ranked by PI across the injury types included: Services to Buildings and Dwellings; Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support; and Waste Collection. WMSDs had the highest compensable claims rates. Services is a large sector of the economy, and the substantial number, rate, and cost of occupational injuries within this sector should be addressed. Several Services Sector industry groups are at high risk for a variety of occupational injuries. Using a PI to rank industry groups based on their injury risk provides information with which to guide prevention efforts.
Effects of Photic History and Illuminance Levels on Male Golden Hamsters

Four-week-old male hamsters, born and raised in total darkness or in LD 14: 10 (hr) were exposed to several low levels of illumination for 14 weeks. Analyses showed that testicular weights were significantly affected by both photic history and illuminance levels. Animals born in the dark possessed larger testes than those born in LD cycles and, further, displayed less responsiveness to levels of illumination below those required to suppress pineal function. While gonadal responses to photic duration may be said to be “all or none,” those resulting from insufficient illuminance levels are seemingly graded. Thus, the pineal gland may act indirectly as a photodosimeter at low illuminance levels.
NodeMD: diagnosing node-level faults in remote wireless sensor systems

Software failures in wireless sensor systems are notoriously difficult to debug. Resource constraints in wireless deployments substantially restrict visibility into the root causes of node-level system and application faults. At the same time, the high cost of deployment ofwireless sensor systems often far exceeds the cumulative cost of allother sensor hardware, so that software failures that completely disable a node are prohibitively expensive to repair in real worldapplications, e.g. by on-site visits to replace or reset nodes. We describe NodeMD, a deployment management system that successfully implements lightweight run-time detection, logging, and notificationof software faults on wireless mote-class devices. NodeMD introduces a debug mode that catches a failure before it completely disables a node and drops the node into a stable state that enables further diagnosis and correction, thus avoiding on-site redeployment. We analyze the performance of NodeMD on a real world application ofwireless sensor systems.
Centralisation and Fiscal Arrangements in Nigeria

The phenomenon of increasing centralisation of governmental authority is often discussed in the development literature, yet there has been little specific, quantitative research in this area. In this short article I hope to make an analysis of the centralisation phenomenon in Nigeria's development, based on such research, using the evolution of the federal fiscal arrangements as a case-study.
Star alkoxysilane molecules, gels and appreciably tough glasses

A family of hybrid organic–inorganic network materials—the star gels and glasses—has been synthesized from highly functional poly(alkoxysilane) molecular precursors. The starting silanes comprise an atomic, linear or cyclic core with multiple flexible arms which terminate in network-forming trialkoxysilane groups. With typically 12 alkoxysilane groups per molecule, gelation rates in aqueous or formic acid media can be extremely high, but can be attenuated several orders of magnitude by choice of solvent system. Transparent, non-porous glasses generated from gels include large, flexible rings. Compressive stress–strain and nanoindentation tests indicate very high levels of toughness and show no evidence of any plastic deformation even under stresses which fracture fused silica. Inclusion of 5% of a star silane will substantially toughen purely inorganic glasses. The organic content of the networks can be increased by lengthening the arms; the inorganic content can be increased via co-gelation with simple tetraalkoxysilanes such as TEOS. Fluorine-bearing silanes have been used to surface-modify elastomers via “fluoroinfusion” in which sol–gel-generated networks interpenetrate those of the rubber. Gelation chemistry, kinetics, network architecture and relaxation behavior of the star glasses are discussed in the review.
Synthesis of Co-Drugs of Akylating Agents and Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories

Co-drugs of the anti-inflammatory agents dexamethasone and prednisone, and antineoplastic agents melphalan and chbrambucil, were synthesized using an esterification reaction. The carboxylic acids were activated using dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) and dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) to give esters (llp, 16a)9-fuoro-I I, 17,21-trihydroxy-16-methylpregna-1,4-diene-3,20-dione 21-{4’-[bis(2”chloroethyl)amino]-L-phenylalaninate) hydrochloride, 17,21-dihydroxypregna-1.4diene-3,11,2O-trione 21-{4‘-[bis(2“-ch1oroethy1)amino]-l-pheny1a1ani~te~ hydrochloride, (1 lp, 16a)-9-fuoro-ll,l7,21-trihydroxy-l6-methyl-pregna-l,4-diene3,20-dione 21 -{4’-[p-[bis(2”ch1oroethy1)amino]pheny1]-butyrate) 17,21-dihydroxypregna-l.4-diene-3,11,20-trione 21-{4’-[p-[bis(2’’-ch1oroethy1)-amino] phenyll-butyrate) . Preliminary investigations have shown that these esters are hydrolyzed to their component drugs and show comparable in vitro activity to the parent drugs.
The Meaning of Boredom in Organizational Life

Lack of vitality and creativity within an organization is often attributed to widespread boredom and the underlying lack of personal meaning members associate with their work process. However, expl...
Mass‐directed fractionation and isolation of pharmaceutical compounds by packed‐column supercritical fluid chromatography/mass spectrometry

An automated packed-column semi-preparative supercritical fluid chromatography/mass spectrometry (SFC/MS) system incorporating mass-directed fraction collection has been designed and implemented as an alternative to preparative HPLC and preparative HPLC/MS (PrepLC/MS) for the purification of pharmaceutical compounds. The system incorporates a single quadrupole mass spectrometer and a supercritical fluid chromatograph. Separations were achieved using a binary solvent system consisting of carbon dioxide and methanol. Purification of SFC-separated compounds was achieved incorporating mass-directed fraction collection, enabling selective isolation of the target molecular weight compound and eliminating the collection of undesired compounds (e.g., by-products, excess starting materials, etc.). Cross contamination between fractions and recoveries of the system were investigated. Mass spectrometer ionization with basic mobile additives is discussed, and examples of preparative SFC/MS chiral separations are presented. Early experiences suggest SFC will be a powerful and complementary technique to HPLC for the purification of pharmaceutical compounds. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Data exchange pricing for distributed multiutility operations

During power deregulation, member companies are releasing their transmission grids to form ISOs/RTOs/Mega-RTOs and they cooperate to run the united system while to achieve their own economic goals. Since there are multiple existing state estimators distributed with different owners in one ISO/RTO/Mega-RTO, these neighbouring estimators in single power market can exchange their data, where the term 'data' refers to both raw instrumentation data and estimation results of other estimators. It has been demonstrated in our previous publications that carefully selected data exchange schemes improve the quality of estimators in individual entities on both estimation reliability and accuracy. In addition, data exchange is critical for the newly proposed textured distributed state estimation algorithm over the whole Mega-RTO grid. Since all the activities in a market environment need to be evaluated in terms of 'price', the following questions then arise: how to price data exchange activities in a power market? And how to search for the most valuable data exchange schemes in term of market price? In this paper a pricing methodology for data exchange is proposed based on the concept of marginal price. Furthermore, a systematic approach to search for the most valuable data exchange schemes is proposed based on some heuristic rules. Numerical tests verify that the proposed data exchange pricing method is valid and data exchange activities have major impacts on traditional measurement placement design.
Evidence for long-tailed distributions in the internet

We review evidence that Internet traffic is characterized by long-tailed distributions of interarrival times, transfer times, burst sizes, and burst lengths. We propose a new statistical technique for identifying long-tailed distributions, and apply it to a variety of datasets collected on the Internet. We find that there is little evidence that interarrival times and transfer times are long-tailed, but that there is some evidence for long-tailed burst sizes. We speculate on the causes of long-tailed bursts.
Categories and gatherings: Group selection and the mythology of cultural anthropology

Abstract If the term “group selection” is to have any meaning beyond mere semantics, it must refer to situations where individuals live in groups. Although the terminology of cultural anthropology suggests that humans live in bounded and enduring gatherings that might serve as group “vehicles” of selection, we argue that none of the terms asserted to be such an entity (i.e., clans, lineages, villages, bands, tribes, populations, societies, and cultures) fulfill this requirement. This is because these terms refer to: (1) reified abstractions, (2) groups only in the sense of categories of people instead of groups in the sense of people gathered together, or (3) gatherings that are much too fluid and fuzzy in their membership to be “vehicles.” Following Murdock (1972), we refer to this obsession with groups as “anthropology's mythology,” and we suggest that it is the result of our evolved capacity for categorical perception. Although classifying phenomena into categories is useful in many situations, it has hindered our understanding of human social organization and human evolution.
Estradiol is a potent protective, restorative, and trophic factor after brain injury

Estrogens are a group of pleiotropic steroid hormones that exhibit diverse mechanisms of action in multiple physiologic systems. Over the past 30 years, biomedical science has begun to appreciate that endogenous estrogens and their receptors display important roles beyond the reproductive system. Our growing appreciation of novel, nonreproductive functions for estrogens has fundamentally contributed to our knowledge of their role in human health and disease. Recent findings from the Women's Health Initiative have caused clinicians and scientists to question whether estrogens are protective factors or risk factors. In light of the dichotomy between basic science and clinical studies, this review will attempt to reconcile differences between them. We will focus on studies from our laboratory and others highlighting the beneficial properties of the most abundant endogenous estrogen, 17beta-estradiol, using in vivo and in vitro models of cerebral ischemia and neuronal injury. These studies demonstrate that 17beta-estradiol powerfully protects the brain using multiple molecular mechanisms that promote: (1) decreased cell death, (2) increased neurogenesis, (3) an enhancement of neurotrophic support, and (4) the suppression of proinflammatory pathways.
Leukocyte Integrin Mac-1 Recruits Toll/Interleukin-1 Receptor Superfamily Signaling Intermediates to Modulate NF-κB Activity

The leukocyte integrin Mac-1 (alphaMbeta2, CD11b/CD18) regulates important cell functions in inflammation, including adhesion, phagocytosis, and oxidative burst. Deficiency of Mac-1 reduces vessel wall inflammation and neointimal thickening after murine carotid artery injury. Although Mac-1 has been implicated in modulating AP-1 and NF-kappaB activity, the signal transduction pathways involved are undefined. cDNA array analysis of Mac-1-clustered compared with -nonclustered monocytic THP-1 cells showed increased expression of the signal transducer TRAF6 (TNF receptor-associated factor 6), leading us to consider the possibility that Mac-1 used a Toll/IL-1 receptor family-like signaling pathway. Mac-1-dependent activation of NF-kappaB was potentiated by wild-type, and attenuated by dominant negative, TRAF6- and TGF-beta-activated kinase (TAK1) constructs. IRAK1 (IL-1 receptor associated kinase), a kinase immediately upstream of TRAF6, coimmunoprecipitated with Mac-1. Taken together, these observations indicate that Mac-1 recruits a Toll/IL-1 receptor family-like cascade to modulate NF-kappaB activity. This represents a new pathway for integrin-dependent modulation of gene expression.