cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An acoustic remote sensing method for high-precision speed estimation of micro-UUVs

Understanding the dominant sources of acoustic noise in unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) is important for passively tracking UUVs and for designing quieter propulsion systems. This work describes how the speed of a vehicle can be passively measured by the unique high frequency acoustic signature of a brushless DC motor propulsion system. First, the causes of high frequency tones were determined through direct measurements of two micro-UUVs and an isolated thruster. From this analysis, the vehicle noise was mapped to speed and the common and dominant features of noise were established: strong tones at the motor's pulse-width modulated frequency and its second harmonic, each of which is a carrier with sidebands at frequency intervals equivalent to the propeller rotation frequency multiplied by the poles of the motor. Field experiments were performed where the speed of two micro-UUVs was predicted by measuring the sidebands of the two dominant tones. When the mapping of rotational to translational speed of the UUV was known, this method produced speed predictions with 0.004 m/s accuracy. These findings are applicable to many off-the-shelf vehicles available today which rely on brushless DC motors and can be easily integrated into passive acoustic security systems for target motion analysis. [Work supported by the Department of Defense NDSEG program, ONR, and Draper.]
Cornus officinalis var. koreana Kitam polyphenol extract decreases pro-inflammatory markers in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages by reducing Akt phosphorylation

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Cornus officinalis var. koreana Kitam (CO) is found predominantly in China but also in Korea and Japan and has been used in Eastern medicine for over 2000 years to treat several conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease. Chronic inflammation underlies the pathogenesis of these diseases. The mechanisms by which CO may exert its anti-inflammatory effects have not been well defined. Aim of the study We aimed to determine whether Cornus officinalis var. koreana Kitam extract (COE) attenuate the inflammatory response induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in RAW 264.7 macrophages, and to elucidate the mechanisms which contribute to these anti-inflammatory effects. Materials and methods COE was prepared using ethanolic extraction, followed by solvent evaporation and freeze-drying. RAW 264.7 macrophages were treated with 0, 50, 100, 200 and 400 μg/ml of COE. After 2 h, cells were treated with 100 ng/ml of LPS for 6 h. Cells were then collected for whole cell protein expression analysis of signaling and inflammatory molecules via western blot. Results Pre-treatment with 100, 200 and 400 μg/ml of COE significantly reduced Akt phosphorylation in LPS stimulated macrophages compared to LPS alone (P ≤ 0.003). NF-κB expression was significantly attenuated with 400 μg/ml of COE compared to LPS treatment alone (P = 0.01). LPS induced cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression, which was significantly decreased by treatment with 400 μg/ml COE (P = 0.0001 and 0.02, respectively). COE dose-dependently decreased LPS-induced expression of interleukin (IL)-1β (P ≤ 0.0008) and IL-6 (P = 0.01). Conclusion In summary, COE attenuated the inflammatory response induced by LPS in RAW 264.7 macrophages, likely due to Akt inhibition.
Sexual Health Behaviors and Pregnancy Risk Among Hospitalized Female Adolescents

OBJECTIVES To describe sexual health behaviors, contraceptive use, and pregnancy risk among hospitalized female adolescents. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional survey of hospitalized female patients aged 14 to 21 years at 2 academic medical centers to assess sexual health behaviors, contraceptive use, contraceptive counseling receipt, and factors associated with pregnancy complications (eg, diabetes, teratogenic exposure). We calculated the validated Pregnancy Risk Index (PRI) (number per 100 who will become pregnant in the next year). RESULTS Among 177 participants (mean age 16 years, SD 1.5), 75 (43%) were sexually active. At last vaginal sex, 65% reported condom use; 49%, reversible contraception; and 12%, long-acting reversible contraception (LARC). Past-year contraceptive counseling was reported by 73% of sexually active female participants and was associated with increased use of reversible (P = .001) and dual contraception (P = .03) but not LARC (P = .24). The mean PRI among all participants was 4.75. Nearly three-quarters (73%) had a medical comorbidity or teratogenic exposure. Those with teratogenic medication use had the lowest PRI of 0.32 (P CONCLUSIONS Hospitalized female adolescents had a PRI similar to that of adolescents in the general population. However, nearly three-quarters had a medical comorbidity and/or teratogenic exposure, which increased risk for pregnancy complications. Contraceptive counseling was associated with increased reversible and dual contraception use but not LARC use. Efforts to improve comprehensive contraceptive counseling, highlighting LARC, are critically needed in this population.
Chemical Genetic Screen in Drosophila Germline Uncovers Small Molecule Drugs That Sensitize Stem Cells to Insult-Induced Apoptosis

Cancer stem cells, in contrast to their more differentiated daughter cells, can endure genotoxic insults, escape apoptosis, and cause tumor recurrence. Understanding how normal adult stem cells survive and go to quiescence may help identify druggable pathways that cancer stem cells have co-opted. In this study, we utilize a genetically tractable model for stem cell survival in the Drosophila gonad to screen drug candidates and probe chemical-genetic interactions. Our study employs three levels of small molecule screening: (1) a medium-throughput primary screen in male germline stem cells (GSCs), (2) a secondary screen with irradiation and protein-constrained food in female GSCs, and (3) a tertiary screen in breast cancer organoids in vitro. Herein, we uncover a series of small molecule drug candidates that may sensitize cancer stem cells to apoptosis. Further, we have assessed these small molecules for chemical-genetic interactions in the germline and identified the NF-κB pathway as an essential and druggable pathway in GSC quiescence and viability. Our study demonstrates the power of the Drosophila stem cell niche as a model system for targeted drug discovery.
A Pediatric Grading Scale for Lingual Tonsil Hypertrophy

Lingual tonsil hypertrophy (LTH) is a common finding for children with residual obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) following an adenotonsillectomy. Secondary to the significant morbidity associated with OSA, identification and treatment of residual OSA are paramount. A dedicated LTH grading scale for children does not exist. The current adult LTH scale is impractical for children. Imaging is not routine for children, since it frequently requires sedation. We present a pediatric LTH grading scale with substantial interrater reliability to facilitate standardization of endoscopy findings and promote outcomes-based research for OSA surgery in children.
An aspect-oriented communication middleware system

This paper describes a Java-based communication middleware, called AspectJRMI, that applies aspect-oriented programming concepts to achieve the following requirements: (1) modular implementation of its features, including those with a crosscutting behavior; (2) high degree of configurability and adaptability; (3) performance similar to conventional object-oriented communication middleware systems, such as CORBA and Java RMI. In AspectJRMI, users may explicitly select the features provided by the middleware infrastructure, according to their needs. Most of these features have a crosscutting behavior, including interceptors, oneway calls, asynchronous calls, value-result parameter passing, and collocation optimizations. In this case, they are implemented as aspects. The design of AspectJRMI follows a set of principles, called horizontal decomposition, to achieve pluggability of aspects to the core middleware implementation. This paper presents the programming interface and the implementation of AspectJRMI. It also presents experimental results of its performance.
The thermomechanical properties of gutta-percha: I. The compressibility of gutta-percha

Abstract Sample wafers of compounded dental gutta-percha and uncompounded dental-grade gutta-percha were compression tested to 20,000 pounds in uniaxial and triaxial systems. Unrestrained flow in the uniaxial series prevented development of stress levels sufficient to produce molecular compression. Negligible molecular compression did occur in the triaxial series but only above a stress level of approximately 2,000 p.s.i. Below this level there was a reduction in volume due to consolidation and collapse of voids. Compressibility values for compounded dental gutta-percha proved to be less than that of water, considered for all practical purposes to be incompressible. Gutta-percha material undergoes compaction and not true compression during its clinical application; therefore, no molecular “spring-back” can be expected to assist in the seal at the dentin-gutta-percha interface. Reduction in apparent volume is due to consolidation and collapse of voids.
Support Vector Machines for Spatiotemporal Analysis in Geosensor Networks

Geosensor networks are a growing source of spatiotemporal data. However, the raw data generated by these networks, as simple collections of readings from point locations, allow little analysis to be conducted directly. As such, this research presents support vector machine based methods for the extraction of estimates for the spatial extent of areal events from geosensor data and demonstrates how these results can serve as a basis for spatiotemporal analysis. Support vector machines are a recently developed class of machine learning algorithms that have seen considerable application due to their attractive generalization properties and ability to efficiently handle large datasets. While traditionally applied to classification problems, this research demonstrates how these methods can be applied to geosensor applications where decision boundaries can be interpreted as representations of the boundaries of the spatial extent of events. Once derived, these estimates are shown as capable of serving as input for existing methods for spatiotemporal analysis and enabling description of the evolution of spatiotemporal phenomena in terms of movement and deformation. As coverage of geosensor networks increases, with sensors becoming smaller and cheaper, applications of the techniques described in this research are foreseen in environmental science, public health, and security informatics.
Active-site ionizations of papain. An evaluation of the potentiometric difference titration method.

The underlying assumption of the potentiometric difference titration method, as applied to the evaluation of the sulfhydryl-dependent ionizations in the active site of papain, is that the pKa of His-159 is independent of whether the neighboring sulfhydryl (Cys-25) is protonated or methylthiolated. That this idealized assumption may not strictly apply is indirectly indicated by the larger pKa of His-159 in S-methylpapain versus that in S-methylthiopapain, as determined from fluorometric titrations (Δ pKa= 0.32 ± 0.05, 25°C). On the basis of the Wegscheider principle of the equivalence of protons and methyl groups, the potentiometric difference titration method will underestimate the concentration of thiolate-imidazolium ion pair in the active site versus that of the thiol-imidazole tautomer, provided that there is no significant H-bonding interaction in the latter species.
Stimulus-independent semantic bias misdirects word recognition in older adults

Older adults' normally adaptive use of semantic context to aid in word recognition can have a negative consequence of causing misrecognitions, especially when the word actually spoken sounds similar to a word that more closely fits the context. Word-pairs were presented to young and older adults, with the second word of the pair masked by multi-talker babble varying in signal-to-noise ratio. Results confirmed older adults' greater tendency to misidentify words based on their semantic context compared to the young adults, and to do so with a higher level of confidence. This age difference was unaffected by differences in the relative level of acoustic masking.
Notations and Mathematical Preliminaries

The purpose of this chapter is to familiarize the reader with the mathematical notations, definitions and theorems that are used in wavelet literature. Important mathematical concepts are briefly reviewed. We recommend that readers return to the relevant sections of this chapter if unfamiliar mathematical concepts present themselves during the course of later chapters.
Diagnostic molecular markers in thyroid cancer.

The use of molecular assays to analyze clinical tissues in the diagnosis and management of thyroid cancer, similar to other tumors, will likely allow for more accurate characterization of the aggressiveness of individual tumors and may allow for the early diagnosis of recurrence. The application of these methods to thyroid nodules and nodal metastases is less encumbered by difficulties arising from amplification of transcripts in non-thyroid cells. For these tissues, these assays are likely to be used clinically in the near-future. New data arising from cDNA arrays identifying novel markers of malignancy or tumor aggressiveness make this a growing area of interest. The use of molecular assays in diagnosing distant metastases is more problematic due to issues with ectopic expression of either full length or splice variants of genes thought to be thyroid-specific. Assay quantitation is a complex problem owing to variability in the level of expression of “housekeeping” genes and the variety of phlebotomy and RT-PCR methods reported. Additional research in this area is clearly required before a recommendation can be given regarding clinically applicability of these tests.
Absence of the aflatoxin biosynthesis gene, norA, allows accumulation of deoxyaflatoxin B1 in Aspergillus flavus cultures

Biosynthesis of the highly toxic and carcinogenic aflatoxins in select Aspergillus species from the common intermediate O-methylsterigmatocystin has been postulated to require only the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, OrdA (AflQ). We now provide evidence that the aryl alcohol dehydrogenase NorA (AflE) encoded by the aflatoxin biosynthetic gene cluster in Aspergillus flavus affects the accumulation of aflatoxins in the final steps of aflatoxin biosynthesis. Mutants with inactive norA produced reduced quantities of aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)), but elevated quantities of a new metabolite, deoxyAFB(1). To explain this result, we suggest that, in the absence of NorA, the AFB(1) reduction product, aflatoxicol, is produced and is readily dehydrated to deoxyAFB(1) in the acidic medium, enabling us to observe this otherwise minor toxin produced in wild-type A. flavus.
Fostering 21st-Century Skills in Constructivist Engineering Classrooms With Digital Game-Based Learning

Video games can be considered constructivist instructional materials because of their potential to promote student-centered opportunities in the classroom. Since the emergence of this educational trend, called digital game-based learning, several studies have been conducted to evaluate the effect that learning or recreational video games have had on learners and on their mastery of learning objectives. Many of these studies have focused on specific sets of skills that specific video games can promote. Nevertheless, there is evidence that any type of video game, regardless of its learning or recreational nature, can help students develop certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) that could be useful for engineering courses and projects. This evidence also suggests that digital game-based learning contributes to 21st-century skills that are necessary for competitive engineering professionals. This literature review will describe the KSAs that could be promoted in constructivist-oriented classrooms when learners engage in any type of video game. This research paper will focus on how engineering students can develop 21st-century KSAs that are implicit in each gaming opportunity, such as high-order thinking and decision-making skills, persistence, socialization, leadership skills, self-confidence, and autonomy and self-regulation.
Serum Inhibin and Disease Status in Women with Ovarian Granulosa Cell Tumors

Abstract Objective. To determine if immunoreactive inhibin assayed in serum from women with granulosa cell tumors correlated with tumor burden, reflected response to treatment, or predicted recurrent disease. Study design. Serum samples were collected following bilateral oophorectomy (BSO) with or without other indicated surgery in 15 patients with granulosa cell tumors. Inhibin radioimmunoassay (RIA-Inh) was performed on all samples and results were correlated with tumor burden, disease status, and treatment response. Results. Fifteen patients had serum assayed for inhibin with levels ranging from 0 to 7470 U/liter. In 4 patients with measurable recurrent disease, inhibin levels correlated directly with tumor burden ( r 2 = 0.96). Four patients had serum drawn during clinical remission and in all 4 patients elevated inhibin levels predated recurrence by a median interval of 11.5 months (range 7–20). The remaining 7 were treated for primary disease and were in clinical remission with a median follow-up of 33 months (range 9–53). Four of these 7 patients were surgically staged: 2 were FIGO Stage I and inhibin levels fell to 0 U/liter; 2 patients had metastatic disease (Stage IIc and IIIa) and their inhibin levels were found to be elevated following complete resection. The remaining 3 were not surgically staged, and all had elevated inhibin levels while in clinical remission, suggesting occult disease. Of the 15 total patients, 1 who was treated with chemotherapy for recurrent disease was followed with serial inhibin levels. She showed a complete response to therapy with inhibin levels falling from 975 to 0 U/liter with 15 months follow-up. Conclusions. Serum inhibin levels reflect tumor burden and may be valuable in assessing response to chemotherapy or predicting recurrent disease in women with granulosa cell tumors who have had BSO. Serum inhibin level evaluation should be incorporated into large-group trials of therapy for granulosa cell tumors.
Color classification of corn germplasm using computer vision

A color classification program was developed for classifying the corn germplasm into seven different color groups based on kernel colors. This heuristic based rule supervised color classification program has an overall accuracy of 99%.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Hydrogen evolution from Pt/Ru-coated p-type WSe2 photocathodes.

Crystalline p-type WSe_2 has been grown by a chemical vapor transport method. After deposition of noble metal catalysts, p-WSe_2 photocathodes exhibited thermodynamically based photoelectrode energy-conversion efficiencies of >7% for the hydrogen evolution reaction under mildly acidic conditions, and were stable under cathodic conditions for at least 2 h in acidic as well as in alkaline electrolytes. The open circuit potentials of the photoelectrodes in contact with the H^(+)/H_2 redox couple were very close to the bulk recombination/diffusion limit predicted from the Shockley diode equation. Only crystals with a prevalence of surface step edges exhibited a shift in flat-band potential as the pH was varied. Spectral response data indicated effective minority-carrier diffusion lengths of ~1 μm, which limited the attainable photocurrent densities in the samples to ~15 mA cm^(–2) under 100 mW cm^(–2) of Air Mass 1.5G illumination.
The European Union and consolidating democracy in Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract Since the integration process commenced, there has been debate over whether the countries in Central and Eastern Europe have seen a surge or decline in democracy after signing accession treaties to join the European Union (EU). Drawing upon a sample of 24 Central and Eastern European countries, I test whether EU candidates and members have experienced an increase in levels of democracy since the onset of accession, as opposed to their non-EU neighbours. I also test the effects of EU candidacy and membership on state-level civil liberties and political rights. These analyses are conducted while controlling for relevant factors: gross domestic product per capita, trade openness and type of democratic — parliamentary versus presidential — system. All countries in Central and Eastern Europe that have complete and comparable data available are included in the empirical analysis. In conclusion, I find that there is a positive and significant relationship between integration and civil liberties.
Publishers Joining Forces through CrossRef

CrossRef is an independent membership association for building shared technologies. It has an unusual mission: to improve access to published scholarship through services that require collective agreement among competitors in scholarly and professional publishing. The CrossRef network today covers millions of articles and other content items from several hundred publishers. This article looks at how far CrossRef has come since it launched in 2000 and what has to happen going forward in order for the service to arrive at a truly comprehensive linking network for scholarly and professional content online. Serial Review 2004; XX: XXX-XXX.
Overcoming Barriers in Intimate Partner Violence Education and Training of Graduate Social Work Students

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a highly prevalent problem detected frequently in the social work field, and also extends to the personal lives of social workers and students, with compelling evidence that professionals and students are often victims of IPV. However, students continue to lack substantive knowledge of IPV. This article addresses the need for increased IPV education and training for social work students and professionals by measuring IPV education, knowledge, and attitudes among students, while also examining the incidence of student personal experience with IPV and exploring the role this experience plays in identifying and safely intervening in IPV situations.
A Mechanism for the Specific Immunogenicity of Heat Shock Protein-Chaperoned Peptides

Endogenously synthesized antigenic determinants are generally presented on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules, whereas exogenous determinants are presented by MHC class II molecules. Here, it is shown that exogenous antigens chaperoned by a heat shock protein can be channeled into the endogenous pathway, presented by MHC class I molecules, and recognized by CD8+ T lymphocytes. This pathway is functional only in a subset of macrophages among the cell types tested. These observations provide a basis for the tumor-specific and virus-specific immunogenicity of cognate heat shock protein preparations and offer a mechanism for the classical phenomenon of cross-priming.
Risk aversion in the theory of expected utility with rank dependent probabilities

Expected utility with rank dependent probability theory is a model of decision-making under risk where the preference relations on the set of probability distributions is represented by the mathematical expectation of a utility function with respect to a transformation of the probability distributions on the set of outcomes. This paper defines, based on Gâteaux differentiability, measures of risk aversion for such preferences which characterize the relation “more risk averse” and applies these measures to the analysis of unconditional and conditional portfolio choice problems.
The effects of gun possession arrests made by a proactive police patrol unit

Purpose – This paper aims to estimate the effects of gun possession arrests made by a specialized, proactive police patrol unit in the Houston Police Department (HPD).Design/methodology/approach – Time series analyses are used to estimate the effects of weekly gun possession arrests on weekly counts of gun crimes in Houston, TX. Models isolate the effects of arrests made by the proactive patrol unit from gun possession arrests made by other HPD officers.Findings – Citywide and beat‐level analyses show that the proactive unit made meaningful contributions to existing levels of illegal possession arrests. Time series analyses using weekly data show that these additional arrests are associated with significant declines in offences committed with guns. Findings support existing evidence that shows police can affect serious crimes by targeting firearms that are illegally possessed and carried.Research limitations/implications – The analysis can not precisely determine whether additional patrol presence or arre...
Thermoelectric power of Ba(Fe 1 − x Ru x ) 2 As 2 and Ba(Fe 1 − x Co x ) 2 As 2 : Possible changes of Fermi surface with and without changes in electron count

Temperature-dependent, in-plane, thermoelectric power (TEP) data are presented for Ba(Fe${}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}$Ru${}_{x}$)${}_{2}$As${}_{2}$ ($0\ensuremath{\leqslant}x\ensuremath{\leqslant}0.36$) single crystals. The previously outlined $x\ensuremath{-}T$ phase diagram for this system is confirmed. The analysis of TEP evolution with Ru doping suggests significant changes in the electronic structure, correlations, and/or scattering occurring near $~$$7%$, $~$$30%,$ and possibly $~$$20%$ of Ru-doping levels. These results are compared with an extended set of TEP data for the electron-doped Ba(Fe${}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}$Co${}_{x}$)${}_{2}$As${}_{2}$ series for which initial angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and transport studies have identified $x~0.02$ as the concentration at which the Lifshitz transition takes place. In addition to $x~0.02$ the Co levels of $x\ensuremath{\approx}0.11$ and 0.22 are identified as concentrations at which similar changes occur.
Use of Direct-Infusion Electrospray Mass Spectrometry To Guide Empirical Development of Improved Conditions for Expression of Secondary Metabolites from Actinomycetes

A major barrier in the discovery of new secondary metabolites from microorganisms is the difficulty of distinguishing the minor fraction of productive cultures from the majority of unproductive cultures and growth conditions. In this study, a rapid, direct-infusion electrospray mass spectrometry (ES-MS) technique was used to identify chemical differences that occurred in the expression of secondary metabolites by 44 actinomycetes cultivated under six different fermentation conditions. Samples from actinomycete fermentations were prepared by solid-phase extraction, analyzed by ES-MS, and ranked according to a chemical productivity index based on the total number and relative intensity of ions present in each sample. The actinomycete cultures were tested for chemical productivity following treatments that included nutritional manipulations, autoregulator additions, and different agitation speeds and incubation temperatures. Evaluation of the ES-MS data from submerged and solid-state fermentations by paired t test analyses showed that solid-state growth significantly altered the chemical profiles of extracts from 75% of the actinomycetes evaluated. Parallel analysis of the same extracts by high-performance liquid chromatography-ES-MS-evaporative light scattering showed that the chemical differences detected by the ES-MS method were associated with growth condition-dependent changes in the yield of secondary metabolites. Our results indicate that the high-throughput ES-MS method is useful for identification of fermentation conditions that enhance expression of secondary metabolites from actinomycetes.
A Rural Tenant Organizing Model: The Case of TUFF-Vermont

Abstract The community organizing literature, in general, and the social work literature, in particular, contain many examples of urban-based community organization practice but little about rurally based community organization practice. By providing a case example of rural-based community organizing practice in Vermont, which combined several different community organizing models, this paper addresses the imbalance. The success of this statewide tenant organizing effort can yield important lessons for rural community practitioners.
Defect reduction by nitrogen purge of wafer carriers

Nitrogen purge of wafer carriers is driving defect density reduction at critical process steps. We discuss the mechanism of defect creation and how nitrogen purge improves defect density. We report on experimental split data from in line inspection and the impact at electrical test. The effect on volume manufacturing is demonstrated.
Intracerebroventricular injection of rats: a sensitive assay method for endogenous pyrogen circulating in rats.

Abstract : Intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of endogenous pyrogen (EP) into rats causes dose-related fever. To compare this procedure with the usual assay method, iv injection into rabbits, a preparation of crude rabbit EP was titrated by both methods. The rat icv injcetion procedure gave results simil in linearity and magnitude of response to the conventional rabbit iv method, but was found to be at least 50-fold more sensitive. The icv assay worked for human as well as rabbit EP and for partially purified as well as crude preparations. Plasma from human or animal sources did not interfere. The rat icv and rabbit iv assay methods were also compared in their ability to detect a pyrogen in filter-sterilized plasma from rats infected with the live vaccine strain (LVS) of Francisella tularensis. The rat icv method gave fevers of 1 deg with 0.05-ml samples of the filtered plasma from infected rats, but no fever with plasma from control rats. The pyrogen was partially purified from the infected rat plasma. It was found to be heat labile and nondialyzable, and was tentatively identified as rat EP. The less esnsitive rabbit assay was unable to detect the plasma pyrogen using 0.05- and 1.00-ml samples. These observations suggest that icv injection into rats is a useful and sensitive assay method for EP, particularly when only small volumes are available for testing.
Small Perturbation of Stochastic Parabolic Equations: A Power Series Analysis☆

Abstract A semi-linear second-order stochastic parabolic equation is considered with coefficients, free terms, and initial condition depending on a parameter. It is shown that under some natural conditions the solution can be written as a power series in the parameter. The equations for the coefficients in the power series expansion are derived and the convergence of the power series is studied. An example from nonlinear filtering of diffusion process is discussed.
Identification and characterization of RPTPρ, a novel RPTPμ/κ-like receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase whose expression is restricted to the central nervous system

We describe the cloning, chromosomal localization and characterization of RPTPρ, a new member of the RPTPμ/κ phosphatase subfamily. Receptor tyrosine phosphatases in this subfamily are comprised of a MAM domain near the N-terminal, an immunoglobulin-like domain, four fibronectin type III repeats, a single transmembrane domain, and a large juxtamembrane segment followed by two intracellular phosphatase domains. An alternatively spliced mini-exon was identified in the extracellular segment of RPTPρ, between the fourth fibronectin type III repeat and the transmembrane domain. The RPTRρ gene was mapped to human chromosome 20 and mouse chromosome 2. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that RPTPρ expression was restricted to the central nervous system, and in situ hybridization studies showed that the RPTPρ transcript was distributed throughout the murine brain and spinal cord. Exceptionally high levels of the transcript were present in the cortex and olfactory bulbs during perinatal development, but were down-regulated during postnatal week two. The motifs found in the extracellular segment of type II receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases are commonly found in neural cell adhesion molecules, suggesting that RPTPρ may be involved in both signal transduction and cellular adhesion in the central nervous system.
Fate of atrazine in switchgrass–soil column system

Atrazine, a broad-leaf herbicide, has been used widely to control weeds in corn and other crops for several decades and its extensive used has led to widespread contamination of soils and water bodies. Phytoremediation with switchgrass and other native prairie grasses is one strategy that has been suggested to lessen the impact of atrazine in the environment. The goal of this study is to characterize: (1) the uptake of atrazine into above-ground switchgrass biomass; and (2) the degradation and transformation of atrazine over time. A fate study was performed using mature switchgrass columns treated with an artificially-created agricultural runoff containing 16 ppm atrazine. Soil samples and above-ground biomass samples were taken from each column and analyzed for the presence of atrazine and its chlorinated metabolites. Levels of atrazine in both soil and plant material were detectable through the first 2 weeks of the experiment but were below the limit of detection by Day 21. Levels of deethylatrazine (DEA) and didealkylatrazine (DDA) were detected in soil and plant tissue intermittently over the course of the study, deisopropylatrazine (DIA) was not detected at any time point. A radiolabel study using [(14)C]atrazine was undertaken to observe uptake and degradation of atrazine with more sensitivity. Switchgrass columns were treated with a 4 ppm atrazine solution, and above-ground biomass samples were collected and analyzed using HPLC and liquid scintillation counting. Atrazine, DEA, and DIA were detected as soon as 1d following treatment. Two other metabolites, DDA and cyanuric acid, were detected at later time points, while hydroxyatrazine was not detected at all. The percentage of atrazine was observed to decrease over the course of the study while the percentages of the metabolites increased. Switchgrass plants appeared to exhibit a threshold in regard to the amount of atrazine taken up by the plants; levels of atrazine in leaf material peaked between Days 3 and 4 in both studies.
Active micro and nano-structured glass fiber and waveguide devices

Optical and electron confinement are utilized to tailor the optical characteristics of active materials and photonic devices. A technique to incorporate semiconductor quantum dots into planar glass waveguides with low propagation loss is demonstrated. The waveguides are fabricated by potassium-sodium and silver-sodium ion exchange processes in glasses that contain PbS quantum dots with radii of a few nanometers. The unique optical properties of the quantum dots are preserved throughout the waveguide fabrication process. We also demonstrate novel compact fiber lasers based on active, highly doped fibers with photonic crystal cladding. The flexibility provided by microstructuring the fiber enables improved fiber laser performance and several Watts of laser output are generated from few centimeters of active fiber.
Individual mitochondrion characterization: a comparison of classical assays to capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection.

A method has been developed that uses capillary electrophoresis (CE) with laser-induced fluorescence detection (LIF) for measuring protein abundance in individual mitochondria collected from a discontinuous density gradient and labeled with Mitotracker Green. From these measurements we determined the distribution of protein content per mitochondrion and the relative abundance of mitochondrial proteins in density gradient fractions. In addition, this method is useful for counting mitochondria and, as a consequence, determining the number of mitochondria per unit volume or estimate mitochondria copy number per cell. It was determined that mitochondria accumulate in two interfaces defined by consecutive layers of 35% Metrizamide, 17% Metrizamide, and 6% Percoll. The presence of mitochondria in these interfaces was also confirmed using a modified Lowry assay that prevents interference from Metrizamide and Percoll and determines total protein content, and a succinate dehydrogenase assay that uses dichloroindophenol as an electron acceptor and that specifically indicates abundance of mitochondria. The CE-LIF analysis of mitochondrial properties, based on the individual mitochondrial determinations, has a wider scope than the average values determined by enzymatic or bulk protein assays.
Differential effects of isoflurane on high-frequency and low-frequency γ oscillations in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus in freely moving rats.

Background: Cortical γ oscillations are thought to play a role in conscious cognitive functions. Suppression of 40-Hz γ activity was implicated in the loss of consciousness during general anesthesia. However, several experimental studies found that γ oscillations were preserved in anesthesia. The authors investigated the concentration-dependent effect of isoflurane on spontaneous γ oscillations in two frequency bands and three distinct brain regions in the rat. Methods: Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were chronically implanted with epidural and coaxial depth electrodes to record cortical field potentials in frontal cortex, visual cortex, and hippocampus in waking and at steady-state isoflurane concentrations of 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2%. The γ power was calculated for the frequency bands 30―50 and 70―140 Hz. Temporal variation and interregional synchrony of γ activity were analyzed using wavelet transform. Loss of consciousness was indexed by the loss of righting reflex. Results: Rats lost their righting reflex at 0.8 ± 0.1% isoflurane. High-frequency γ power was decreased by isoflurane in a concentration-dependent manner (P < 0.001, 50% decrease at 0.8% isoflurane) in all brain regions. Low-frequency γ power was unaffected by isoflurane. The duration and interregional synchrony of high-frequency γ bursts was also reduced (P 1 < 0.001, 40% decrease at 0.8% isoflurane). Conclusions: Distinction between high- and low-frequency γ bands is important when evaluating the effect of general anesthetics on brain electrical activity. Spontaneous 40-Hz γ power does not indicate the state of consciousness. The attenuation and interregional desynchronization of high-frequency γ oscillations appear to correlate with the loss of consciousness.
Survival of Trichomonas gallinae in white-winged dove carcasses.

Survival of Trichomonas gallinae was examined in white-winged dove (Zenaida asiatica) carcasses to assess whether birds that have been dead up to 8 hr can be sampled reliably for this protozoan. Carcasses of 100 T. gallinae-positive white-winged doves were separated into four groups of 25 birds, representing 2, 4, 6, and 8 hr post mortem sampling intervals and placed into an environmental chamber maintained at 27 C and 75% relative humidity. Live T. gallinae were isolated in 96, 100, 100, and 92% of the carcasses at each of the respective post mortem intervals. The experiment was repeated with another 100 carcasses of T. gallinae-positive white-winged doves placed in the environmental chamber, this time maintained at 27 C and 40% relative humidity. Live T. gallinae occurred in 96, 100, 96, and 100% of the carcasses at each of the respective post mortem intervals. Across both trials, the overall ability to detect positive birds from sampling carcasses up to 8 hrs post mortem was 97%. An a posteriori experi...
Individual and contextual influences on delinquency: the role of the single-parent family

Research indicates that children are at risk for delinquency if they live in a single-parent family and if they live in areas with high levels of family disruption. Although there is a substantial amount of research on both the individual and aggregate relationships, examining delinquency at either of these two levels alone is not appropriate. Specifically, families do not exist in isolation as individual-level research inherently assumes, and aggregate research is concerned with explaining rates of delinquency as opposed to explaining influences on individual behavior. The current research used data from thirty-five schools, an important adolescent context, to determine the individual- and school-level effects of single-parent families on delinquency. The results from an overdispersed Poisson HLM regression model suggest both individual and aggregate effects, with a potential buffering effect of intact families regardless of any adolescents' specific family structure.
Isolation of duck haemoglobin messenger RNA and its translation by rabbit reticulocyte cell free system.

The isolation, partial characterization and proof of identity of the messenger RNA that codes for duck haemoglobin are reported here.
Stopping devices for 400-cycle motors

BECAUSE of its large size and complexity, the modern airplane requires many kinds of remotely or automatically controlled positioning systems.
A Brief Motivational Intervention for Treatment‐Refusing OCD Patients

Cognitive behavioral therapy involving exposure and response prevention (ERP) is the psychosocial treatment of choice for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Despite this, ERP is not widely used by mental health practitioners, and so dissemination of ERP and other empirically supported treatment (ESTs) has become a priority. Even so, utilization of ESTs such as ERP remains below 50% even among therapists who self-identify as having a cognitive behavioral orientation. Barriers to the acceptance of ERP include practical obstacles such as lack of training and the cost of treatment, but also patient variables such as treatment refusal. It has been estimated that approximately 25% of OCD patients refuse ERP. This paper describes a brief, 4-session readiness intervention (RI) designed to decrease ERP refusal among patients with OCD. In this study, 12 patients with OCD who had refused ERP were randomized to RI or wait-list (WL). 86% of participants in the RI condition and 20% of participants in WL condition agreed to begin ERP following the 4-week period. ERP following RI, but not WL, was associated with a decrease in OCD symptoms comparable to that observed in OCD patients who did not refuse ERP. However, ERP following RI was associated with a high drop-out rate (50%), a figure that exceeds that typically seen in OCD treatment studies. Techniques to reduce drop-out as well as directions for future research are discussed.
Lysine vasopressin attenuation of diethyldithiocarbamate-induced amnesia

The effect of lysine vasopressin on diethyldithiocarbamate-induced amnesia for a step-through passive avoidance task was studied in rats. It was determined that although the hormone attenuates the amnesia when it is administered prior to retrieval testing, it fails to do so when it is injected prior to training. These results are consistent with the reports of others which demonstrate the reversal of diethyldithiocarbamate-induced amnesia by catecholamine agonists.
Liquid crystalline phases of dendritic lipid-DNA self-assemblies: lamellar, hexagonal, and DNA bundles.

The prospects of gene therapy have generated unprecedented interest in the properties and structures of complexes of nucleic acids (NAs) with cationic liposomes (CLs), which are used as nonviral NA carriers in worldwide clinical trials. An improved understanding of the mechanisms of action of CL−NA complexes is required to enable their widespread therapeutic use. In prior studies of CL-mediated DNA delivery, membrane charge density (σM) was identified as a key parameter for transfection efficiency (TE) of lamellar (LαC) CL−DNA complexes. The TE of CL−DNA complexes containing cationic lipids with headgroup valencies from 1+ to 5+ follows a universal bell-shaped curve as a function of σM. As we report here, the TE of CL−DNA complexes containing new multivalent lipids with dendritic headgroups (DLs) strongly deviates from this curve at high σM. We have investigated four DLs, MVLG2 (4+), MVLG3 (8+), MVLBisG1 (8+), and MVLBisG2 (16+), in mixtures with neutral 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycerophosphatidyl-choline (DOPC)....
U.S. Military Perceptions of Victories in Iraq, the “Long War” Against Terrorism, and the Enduring Rhetorical Power of the 2006 Counterinsurgency Manual

This essay undertakes a rhetorical analysis of the 2006 U.S. Army/Marine Counterinsurgency (COIN) Manual. The COIN manual, which was produced by a team of military experts and scholars led by General David Petraeus and General James Amos, reflects a significant departure from conventional warfighting doctrines. Shifting away from doctrines grounded in aggressive, preemptive, and overwhelming military force, the COIN doctrine focuses on counterinsurgency principles and on “winning the hearts and minds” of the Iraqi population. The essay concludes with a discussion of how the COIN doctrine will influence the way we think about decade-long irregular wars.
Learning and research in the cloud

Research and teaching in nanoscience can, and should, be thought as one joint endeavour. nanoHUB, a cyberinfrastructure that aims to use interactive cloud-based software to meet the needs of both code developers and end-users, is redefining research and education in nanoscience and engineering.
Applying the principles of stem-cell biology to cancer

Why are tumours heterogeneous, in terms of cell phenotype and proliferative potential, even in cases in which all cells are derived from a single clone? Ongoing mutagenesis can partially explain this heterogeneity, but it also seems that some tumours arise from small populations of 'cancer stem cells' that give rise to phenotypically diverse cancer cells, with less proliferative potential. These cancer stem cells are likely to arise from mutations that dysregulate normal stem-cell self-renewal. Using this information, it might be possible to devise more effective therapies.
Comparative studies on cortical representation of vision.

In this paper a new map of visual areas I and II of the cat's cerebral cortex is presented in figurine style. Comparative findings onVI andVII for the outer surface of the hemisphere in marmoset and slow loris are also given. The validity of classifyingVII withAII andS II questioned and the possible locus, between the striate cortex and the retrosplenial limbic cortex, for a “true”VII is suggested. The general plan of representation of the visual field inVI,VII and in posterior middle temporal visual area (MT), believed to be homologous with the suprasylvian sulcal area of Clare and Bishop, is illustrated for rabbit, cat and owl monkey.
Mutants of purine metabolism in cultured mouse and hamster cells

Abstract The regulation of purine metabolism in mammalian cells is poorly understood presently. A variety of mutants in hamster and mouse is now available for these studies. It is clear that selective methods provide the potential for isolation of a greater variety and number of such mutants. It is predicted that the methods are now available for extensive study of the purine biosynthetic pathway with respect to both its genetic organization and cellular regulation. These mouse and hamster mutants will undoubtedly facilitate our understanding of this multistep pathway which until recently has been limited to the study of rare human mutants.
Comparison of sib‐pair and variance‐components methods for genomic screening

The statistical properties of sib-pair and variance-components linkage methods were compared using the nuclear family data from Problem 2. Overall, the power to detect linkage was not high for either method. The variance-components method had better power for detection of linkage, particularly when covariates were included in the model. Type I error rates were similar to nominal error rates for both methods.
Candida infection of a prosthetic shoulder joint

A heroin addict developed a Candida parapsilosis infection in a prosthetic shoulder joint. Radiographs showed loose fragments of cement with prosthetic loosening. The patient was treated with removal of the prosthesis and intravenous amphotericin B followed by oral ketoconazole.