cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Contrasting genomic patterns and infection strategies of two co‐existing Bacteroidetes podovirus genera

Summary Bacterial viruses (phages) are abundant, ecologically important biological entities. However, our understanding of their impact is limited by model systems that are primarily not well represented in nature, e.g. Enterophages and their hosts. Here, we investigate genomic characteristics and infection strategies among six aquatic Bacteroidetes phages that represent two genera of exceptionally large (∼70–75 kb genome) podoviruses, which were isolated from the same seawater sample using Cellulophaga baltica as host. Quantitative host range studies reveal that these genera have contrasting narrow (specialist) and broad (generalist) host ranges, with one-step growth curves revealing reduced burst sizes for the generalist phages. Genomic comparisons suggest candidate genes in each genus that might explain this host range variation, as well as provide hypotheses about receptors in the hosts. One generalist phage, φ38:1, was more deeply characterized, as its infection strategy switched from lytic on its original host to either inefficient lytic or lysogenic on an alternative host. If lysogenic, this phage was maintained extrachromosomally in the alternative host and could not be induced by mitomycin C. This work provides fundamental knowledge regarding phage-host ranges and their genomic drivers while also exploring the ‘host environment’ as a driver for switching phage replication mode.
A family of candidate taste receptors in human and mouse

The gustatory system of mammals can sense four basic taste qualities, bitter, sweet, salty and sour, as well as umami, the taste of glutamate. Previous studies suggested that the detection of bitter and sweet tastants by taste receptor cells in the mouth is likely to involve G-protein-coupled receptors. Although two putative G-protein-coupled bitter/sweet taste receptors have been identified, the chemical diversity of bitter and sweet compounds leads one to expect that there is a larger number of different receptors. Here we report the identification of a family of candidate taste receptors (the TRBs) that are members of the G-protein-coupled receptor superfamily and that are specifically expressed by taste receptor cells. A cluster of genes encoding human TRBs is located adjacent to a Prp gene locus, which in mouse is tightly linked to the SOA genetic locus that is involved in detecting the bitter compound sucrose octaacetate. Another TRB gene is found on a human contig assigned to chromosome 5p15, the location of a genetic locus (PROP) that controls the detection of the bitter compound 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil in humans.
From Hilbert Spaces to Dilbert Spaces: Context Semantics Made Simple

We give a first-principles description of the context semantics of Gonthier, Abadi, and Levy, a computer-science analogue of Girard's geometry of interaction. We explain how this denotational semantics models ?-calculus, and more generally multiplicative-exponential linear logic (MELL), by explaining the call-by-name (CBN) coding of the ?-calculus, and proving the correctness of readback, where the normal form of a ?-term is recovered from its semantics. This analysis yields the correctness of Lamping's optimal reduction algorithm. We relate the context semantics to linear logic types and to ideas from game semantics, used to prove full abstraction theorems for PCF and other ?-calculus variants.
Designing planar magnetron cathodes: analysis and experiment

Summary form only given, as follows. Planar magnetron cathodes have arching magnetic field lines which concentrate plasma density to enhance ion bombardment and sputtering. Typical parameters are: helium at 1 to 300 milli-torr, 200 to 2000 gauss at the cathode, 200 to 800 volts, and plasma density decreasing by ten to a thousand times within 2 to 10 cm from the cathode. A 2D, quasineutral, fluid model yields formulas for the plasma density: n(x,y), current densities: j(x,y), j/sub e/(x,y), j/sub +/(x,y) the electric field: E/sub y/(y), and the voltage between the cathode surface and a distant plasma. Experiments shows that T/sub e/(3/spl rarr/8 eV) adjusts to ensure that /spl alpha//sub 0//spl tau/ /spl ap/2.5 in helium for ionization rate /spl alpha/(l0/sup 4//spl rarr/10/sup 5/s/sup -1/), and electron transit time to the unmagnetized plasma /spl tau/ (10/spl rarr/100 /spl mu/s). Helium glow discharge cathode fall A/sub 0//spl tau/ is about 2.5, though this occurs at much higher voltage.
Abstract P015: Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 and Echocardiographic Measures of Cardiac Structure and Function among African Americans: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Introduction: Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), an endocrine hormone, induced left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy through direct action in experimental animal models. The association of FGF23 with echocardiographic measures in humans is relatively uncharacterized. Hypothesis: Higher levels of FGF23 will be cross-sectionally associated with more adverse echocardiographic measures of LV structure and function. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 2086 African-American adults (66% female, median age 55) from a subset of the ARIC Study, a community-based cohort in the United States. Intact active FGF23 was assessed in blood samples collected at ARIC visit two (1990-1992). Echocardiography was performed at visit three (1993-1995) in participants recruited at the Jackson field center only. We used multivariable linear regression to evaluate the associations of FGF23 (per 15 pg/mL change) with echocardiographic measures after adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors assessed at visi...
Lipogenesis mitigates dysregulated sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium uptake in muscular dystrophy

Muscular dystrophy is accompanied by a reduction in activity of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA) that contributes to abnormal Ca(2+) homeostasis in sarco/endoplasmic reticulum (SR/ER). Recent findings suggest that skeletal muscle fatty acid synthase (FAS) modulates SERCA activity and muscle function via its effects on SR membrane phospholipids. In this study, we examined muscle's lipid metabolism in mdx mice, a mouse model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). De novo lipogenesis was ~50% reduced in mdx muscles compared to wildtype (WT) muscles. Gene expressions of lipogenic and other ER lipid-modifying enzymes were found to be differentially expressed between wildtype (WT) and mdx muscles. A comprehensive examination of muscles' SR phospholipidome revealed elevated phosphatidylcholine (PC) and PC/phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) ratio in mdx compared to WT mice. Studies in primary myocytes suggested that defects in key lipogenic enzymes including FAS, stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1), and Lipin1 are likely contributing to reduced SERCA activity in mdx mice. Triple transgenic expression of FAS, SCD1, and Lipin1 (3TG) in mdx myocytes partly rescued SERCA activity, which coincided with an increase in SR PE that normalized PC/PE ratio. These findings implicate a defect in lipogenesis to be a contributing factor for SERCA dysfunction in muscular dystrophy. Restoration of muscle's lipogenic pathway appears to mitigate SERCA function through its effects on SR membrane composition.
The Columbia River Treaty Renegotiation from the Perspective of Contract Theory

This paper contributes to the literature on transboundary water agreements by analyzing the Columbia River Treaty renegotiation from the perspective of contract theory. Contract theory has become a powerful part of the economics toolbox but it is much less well known outside of the discipline than game theory. We demonstrate the importance of the concept of contract completeness in identifying efficient contractual arrangements that can consider the tradeoffs of increased flexibility. The limited objectives of the first treaty meant that it was possible to write a complete contract. Climate change and more complex stakeholder interests have moved any future agreement into the realm of incomplete contracts. Alternative types of incomplete contracts are considered as potential future treaty arrangements. The approach used in this study should provide a more general framework for working through potential treaty designs from an efficiency standpoint.
Deep Brain Stimulation Exacerbates Hypokinetic Dysarthria in a Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease

Motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) follow the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) treats some parkinsonian symptoms, such as tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia, but may worsen certain medial motor symptoms, including hypokinetic dysarthria. The mechanisms by which DBS exacerbates dysarthria while improving other symptoms are unclear and difficult to study in human patients. This study proposes an animal model of DBS-exacerbated dysarthria. We use the unilateral, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model of PD to test the hypothesis that DBS exacerbates quantifiable aspects of vocalization. Mating calls were recorded from sexually experienced male rats under healthy and parkinsonian conditions and during DBS of the subthalamic nucleus. Relative to healthy rats, parkinsonian animals made fewer calls with shorter and less complex vocalizations. In the parkinsonian rats, putatively therapeutic DBS further reduced call frequency, duration, and complexity. The individual utterances of parkinsonian rats spanned a greater bandwidth than those of healthy rats, potentially reducing the effectiveness of the vocal signal. This utterance bandwidth was further increased by DBS. We propose that the parkinsonism-associated changes in call frequency, duration, complexity, and dynamic range combine to constitute a rat analog of parkinsonian dysarthria. Because DBS exacerbates the parkinsonism-associated changes in each of these metrics, the subthalamic stimulated 6-OHDA rat is a good model of DBS-induced hypokinetic dysarthria in PD. This model will help researchers examine how DBS alleviates many motor symptoms of PD while exacerbating parkinsonian speech deficits that can greatly diminish patient quality of life.
An immunohistochemical study of CD4, CD8, TIA‐1 and CD56 subsets in inflammatory skin disease

Background: Antibodies to CD4, CD8, TIA-1, and CD56 are available which perform well in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue. While previous studies have investigated CD4 and CD8 subsets in inflammatory skin disease, few have specifically addressed TIA-1 and CD56 reactivity in benign dermatoses. Given that CD8, TIA-1, and CD56 are linked to aggressive lymphoproliferative disorders (i.e. subcutaneous panniculitic T-cell lymphoma, natural killer (NK), and NK/T-cell lymphomas), it would be important to determine their specificity for cutaneous hematologic malignancies. This investigation was undertaken to determine the frequency with which common, benign dermatoses express these four markers. We also sought to determine whether the ratio of CD4- to CD8-positive cells could be used to distinguish among the dermatoses, especially the superficial and deep perivascular ones. Methods: Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded sections from a variety of common inflammatory dermatoses were stained with antibodies to CD4, CD8, TIA-1, and CD56. Positive reactions were scored as a percentage of the entire mononuclear cell infiltrate. Results: All of the dermatoses represented in the study showed TIA-1- and CD56-positive lymphocyte subpopulations. On a case-by-case basis, the percentage of positive cells varied, and while all cases were positive for TIA-1, many were completely negative for CD56. For TIA-1, the percentage of positive cells ranged from 21 to 59%, and for CD56, from < 1 to 9%. The CD4:CD8 ratio ranged from 1.0 to 6.0 but was never less than 1.0. In addition to lymphocytes, TIA-1 also stained polymorphonuclear leukocytes, eosinophils, and mast cells. Conclusion: TIA-1- and CD56-positive lymphocytes are common participants in routine inflammatory dermatoses, and therefore these markers are not specific for aggressive lymphoproliferative disorders. Using only immunohistochemical data, the ratio of CD4- to CD8-positive lymphocytes could not be used reliably to separate the superficial and deep perivascular dermatoses from one another. Finally, mast cells are positive for TIA-1 and are commonly seen in normal and inflamed skin, and thus TIA-1 is not specific for cytotoxic T lymphocytes.
‘For More and Better Water, Choose Pipes!’ Building Water and the Nation on Kilimanjaro, 1961–1985*

In 1967, the government of Tanzania announced the Rural Water Supply Programme, an ambitious plan to provide piped water to the Chagga-speaking peoples of Mount Kilimanjaro. One of many development projects conceived during the period of Ujamaa socialism, its proponents claimed that it would fuel economic and social development by providing ‘more and better water’ to the people. This article contends that while projects such as the Rural Water Supply Programme were often couched in the values of Ujamaa, they also were crucial to the nation-building strategy of the majority party, the Tanzania African National Union (TANU). Political leaders, notably President Julius Nyerere, hoped to use water as a means of establishing a national presence inside rural communities in a way that would touch the daily lives of nearly everyone. This presence, in turn, would help to guide rural development, undermine ‘traditional’ forms of authority, and solidify the position of the national party in local affairs. On Kiliman...
Carbonized layer formation in ion implanted photoresist masks

Abstract The formation of a carbonized layer in positive photoresist after high dose ion implants has been studied as a function of the implant parameters. In this study SEM observations of the carbonized layer were used to confirm that the physical scattering characteristics of the ions within the photoresist determine the extent to which the carbonization, or increase of the relative carbon concentration, can occur. The thickness of the carbonized layer was found to be directly dependent on the energy and atomic species of the ions, and to be relatively independent of the ion beam current and the total ion dose. The role of the ion dosage in the formation of the carbonized layer is discussed, and the wet and dry etch characteristics of the carbonized layer are presented.
Abnormalities in weight status, eating attitudes, and eating behaviors among urban high school students: correlations with self-esteem and anxiety.

Purpose: The study's objective was to determine the prevalence of abnormalities in weight, eating attitudes, and eating behaviors among an urban teenage population. Methods: Measures of weight, height, and blood pressure were obtained from 1,001 students attending regularly scheduled physical education classes in a New York City high school the population of which was 66% black and 23% Hispanic. The mean age was 16 years old; 55% were female and 45% were male. Approximately three quarters of the students completed the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a questionnaire on eating behaviors. Results: By percent ideal body weight (%IBW), 25% of students were obese (>20% above IBW), 18% were overweight, and 5% were underweight. Abnormal EAT scores (>21), were found in 6% of males and 15% of females. Students reported that they had engaged in the following nutritional behaviors at least three times in the past week: eating candy (59%), skipping breakfast (58%), skipping lunch (42%), eating fast foods (28%), and skipping dinner (14%). Self-esteem was high in 60%, medium in 21%, and low in 19%. Mean self-esteem was significantly higher ( P r = .40, P r = .29, P Conclusions: Among this population of urban high school students there were: (a) a large number of overweight adolescents; (b) a significant subgroup with eating attitudes suggestive of an eating disorder; and (c) high levels of self-esteem and normal levels of anxiety, which were independent of weight status.
Less is more: lymphodepletion followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplant augments adoptive T-cell-based anti-tumor immunotherapy

Adoptive T-cell immunotherapy combined with non-myeloablative lymphodepletion has emerged as the most effective immunotherapy treatment for patients with metastatic melanoma (objective response rates of 50%). The mechanisms underlying this major advance in the field of immunotherapy include the elimination of regulatory elements and increased access to activating cytokines. This results in the activation of low-affinity T cells, enabling them to destroy tumors. We propose that a more complete depletion of the patient's immune system followed by transplantation with hematopoietic stem cells, which can be genetically modified, would be more effective in the treatment of metastatic cancer.
Team Edward or team Jacob?: how user-generated content is transforming young adult literature

This poster is part of a larger project which examines how the Internet is influencing transmedia cultural products created for teens, and challenging the traditional role of librarians as arbiters of taste within the realm of young adult (YA) literature. The overall research focuses on four case studies that explore the effect of the Internet on YA literature and how it is created, evaluated, and read. Results from one such case study, based on books in Stephenie Meyer's bestselling Twilight series [1], are presented here. Fan activity around Twilight demonstrates how teens create user-generated content which publishers are able to transform into powerful, socially-networked marketing material which is created and disseminated by the users themselves. This in turn causes a disintermediated relationship between publishers and their teen consumers, and as a result, raises important questions about what happens to YA librarians' conventional role as taste-makers in the field, and about the types of YA books that will be published in the future.
The structure of 1-methyl-1-silaadamantane as determined by gas phase electron diffraction

Abstract The structure of 1-methyl-1-silaadamantane (MSA) has been determined by gas phase electron diffraction. There appears to be somewhat less ring strain at the silicon bridgehead of MSA than in the previously studied 1-methyl-1-silabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane (MSBH). The average SiC bond length [1.879(3) A is comparable to those found in acyclic organosilicon systems. Also, the average CC bond length (1.547(2) A) is only slightly longer than that observed for adamantane (1.540(2) A). Valence angles at the silicon bridgehead experience only a moderate perturbation away from their unstrained tetrahedral values. On this basis it is expected that MSA should be somewhat less reactive than MSBH under S N 2 conditions according to the reaction mechanism suggested by L.H. Sommer.
The Effect of Loans on Time to Doctorate Degree: Differences by Race/Ethnicity, Field of Study, and Institutional Characteristics

In 2003, the median accumulative federal loans for doctorates were $44,743, triple the amount of $14,927 in 1995. This increase was faster than other groups with associate's, bachelor's, or master's. Using Survey of Earned Doctorate data, this study clarifies the effects of loans on time to doctoral degree.
Continuous reactor preparation of thermoplastic modified epoxy‐amine prepolymers

This paper describes a new continuous reactor method to prepare thermoplastic modified epoxy prepolymers for aerospace prepregs with the aim of replacing traditional batch reactors. Compared with batch reactors, the continuous reactor is capable of producing epoxy prepolymers through simultaneous dissolution of polyethersulfone (PES) and 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone in tetraglycidyl-4,4′- diaminodiphenylmethane (TGDDM). In addition, concurrent chain extension reactions advance prepolymer molecular weights to desired viscosities in less than 2 min of mean residence time. Optical micrographs were used to define how process temperature influences PES dissolution in TGDDM in a continuous reactor. Kinetic studies confirmed that the chain extension reaction in a continuous reactor is similar to that in a batch reactor, and the molecular weights and viscosities of prepolymers were readily controlled through reaction kinetics. Atomic force microscopy was used to confirm similar cured network morphologies for formulations prepared from batch and continuous reactors. Additionally tensile strength, tensile modulus and fracture toughness analyses concluded that mechanical properties of cured epoxy matrices produced from the two reactors were equivalent. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
On domination and independent domination numbers of a graph

Abstract For a graph G , the definitions of domination number, denoted γ( G ), and independent domination number, denoted i ( G ), are given, and the following results are obtained: Theorem. If G does not have an induced subgraph isomorphic to K 1,3 , then γ ( G ) = i ( G ). Corollary 1. For any graph G , γ ( L ( G ))= i ( L ( G )), where L ( G ) is the line graph of G . (This extends the result γ ( L ( T ))= i ( L ( T )), where T is a tree. Hedetniemi and Mitchell, S. E. Conf. Baton Rouge, 1977.) Corollary 2. For any Graph G , γ ( M ( G ))= i ( M ( G )), where M is the middle graph of G .
Analysis of on-sky sodium profile data and implications for LGS AO wavefront sensing

Astronomical adaptive optics (AO) systems are beginning to make extensive use of ~598 nm lasers projected onto the mesospheric sodium layer in order create artificial guide stars. This technique allows increased sky coverage with improved AO system performance. This approach is also dependent on the abundance and distribution of sodium atoms in the mesosphere and as a result present a unique set of difficulties not seen with natural stars. The sodium layer exhibits time dependent variations in density and altitude, and has a variable structure. The non-zero thickness and finite range of the sodium layer results in elongation of the LGS image due to perspective effects that are particularly significant for AO systems using Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors (SHFWS) on extremely large telescopes (ELTs) such as the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). Both sodium layer variations and elongation will increase the error in the wavefront measurement. In order to understand these effects we have collected profiles of the sodium layer using off axis observations of a laser guide star at the Lick Observatory. In this paper, we will describe the analysis of these profiles and the implications of this analysis for the design of improved wavefront sensors (especially sampling, field of view) and SHWFS centroiding methods.
Effects of Processing Set and Rating Delay on Retention and Impression Accuracy

Summary A test and extension of Anderson and Hubert's model of memory for personality impressions is reported. The model suggests that memory for impression is independent of memory for the information that produced the impression. S s were told either to remember sets of trait adjectives describing persons or to form impressions. Measures of liking for the stimulus persons, recall, and recognition were administered either immediately or after 48 hours. The results supported the basic model in that the two-day delay was accompanied by considerable forgetting of the traits but had no effect on the accuracy of impressions. The results extend the empirical base and generality of the model. Small but significant correlations between retention and impression accuracy suggested that the separate memory systems are not completely independent. Accuracy was correlated with retention to a greater extent for the retention-set S s than for the impression-set S s. This partially supports an extension of the model to i...
In vitro analysis of the Escherichia coli RNA polymerase interaction with wild-type and mutant lactose promoters.

Abstract Two methods have been used to study the interaction of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase with the wild-type E. coli lactose promoter ( lacP ) and with various lacP mutants. Using a nitrocellulose filter binding assay, we have compared the association kinetics of in vitro heparin-resistant RNA polymerase- lacP complexes formed with the wild-type promoter (as represented by a lacO - Z deletion) and several catabolite gene activator protein(CAP)-independent mutant promoters. Analysis of six mutants has shown that the more lac expression is relieved from catabolite repression in vivo , the faster lacP saturates with RNA polymerase in vitro . A transcriptional system directed by purified lacP -containing restriction fragments has provided a more quantitative analysis of the binding reaction. Whether in the presence of CAP, 25% glycerol or in the absence of a positive affector, promoters whose expression is less dependent on CAP saturate faster with RNA polymerase and to higher levels. The L157 lac promoter mutation, which is thought to inhibit a functional RNA polymerase-promoter interaction, has been examined. Although RNA polymerase binds the L157 mutant promoter fragment in a filter-retainable complex to levels slightly higher than those attained by the wild-type lac promoter, transcriptional studies have revealed that such complexes are unable to efficiently initiate RNA synthesis. CAP and 25% glycerol have no appreciable effect on the initiation frequency. These methods have also been used to determine the extent of the promoter sequence that is required for the formation of a stable and functional RNA polymerase-DNA complex, lacP which has been endonucleolytically restricted to different sizes as well as a novel ligation product of endonucleolytically destroyed promoter fragments has been examined for the ability to interact with RNA polymerase. A sequence specificity upstream from the semi-conserved RNA polymerase binding heptanucleotide is found to be necessary for optimal utilization of the lac promoter.
Comparable Surges of Luteinizing Hormone Induced by Preoptic or Medial Basal Tuberal Electrical Stimulation in Spontaneously Persistent Estrous or Cyclic Proestrous Rats

A previous report demonstrated in cyclic proestrous rats electrically stimulated in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) or the arcuate nucleus-median eminence (ARC/ME) region a close parallel in the progressive increase of serum LH with increasing stimulation time. The present report compares the LH surges induced in middle aged spontaneously persistent estrous (SPE) rats by electrical stimulation of the two regions. Electrical parameters were those previously used. In Series I, MPOA stimulation of SPE rats for 60 min or ARC/ME stimulation for 45 min produced serum LH concentrations 60 and 90 min after stimulation began that were essentially identical to those in proestrous rats similarly treated. In Series II, stimulations were prolonged to 120 min to determine whether LH would continue to rise with the longer stimulation. These rats were all chosen from one shipment and all were born on the same day. Sequential blood samples were taken before stimulation and 60, 90, 120, and 150 min after stimulation began. SPE rats were stimulated in either the MPOA or the ARC/ME and, for comparison, a few proestrous rats that had remained cyclic were stimulated in the MPOA. LH concentrations in these cyclic rats rose more abruptly than in the previous study to amounts significantly higher at both 60 and 90 min, but by 120 min the respective means were not significantly different. In the SPE rats, the 60-min LH levels resembled those in Series I. They continued to rise during the second hour, but only to average levels approximately half those attained in proestrous rats stimulated for 120 min. The comparative increments in MPOA-stimulated and ARC/ME-stimulated rats were similar, although all means in the latter were somewhat higher. The results agree with previous indications that stimulation of either the MPOA or the ARC/ME activates the rostral or caudal portions of a unitary preoptic-tuberal system. Although the tendency of SPE rats to release smaller amounts of LH may result from age-related lowered pituitary responsiveness to LHRH, only future study can determine whether a given degree of preoptic-tuberal stimulation releases equivalent amounts of LHRH in SPE and proestrous rats. Nevertheless, the absence of spontaneous LH surges in SPE points to a primary deficiency in control mechanisms impinging on the preoptic-tuberal system or in its responsiveness thereto.
Methanol exposure interferes with morphological cell movements in the Drosophila embryo and causes increased apoptosis in the CNS

Despite the significant contributions of tissue culture and bacterial models to toxicology, whole animal models for developmental neurotoxins are limited in availability and ease of experimentation. Because Drosophila is a well understood model for embryonic development that is highly accessible, we asked whether it could be used to study methanol developmental neurotoxicity. In the presence of 4% methanol, approximately 35% of embryos die and methanol exposure leads to severe CNS defects in about half those embryos, where the longitudinal connectives are dorsally displaced and commissure formation is severely reduced. In addition, a range of morphological defects in other germ layers is seen, and cell movement is adversely affected by methanol exposure. Although we did not find any evidence to suggest that methanol exposure affects the capacity of neuroblasts to divide or induces inappropriate apoptosis in these cells, in the CNS of germ band retracted embryos, the number of apoptotic nuclei is significantly increased in methanol-exposed embryos in comparison to controls, particularly in and adjacent to the ventral midline. Apoptosis contributes significantly to methanol neurotoxicity because embryos lacking the cell death genes grim, hid, and reaper have milder CNS defects resulting from methanol exposure than wild-type embryos. Our data suggest that when neurons and glia are severely adversely affected by methanol exposure, the damaged cells are cleared by apoptosis, leading to embryonic death. Thus, the Drosophila embryo may prove useful in identifying and unraveling mechanistic aspects of developmental neurotoxicity, specifically in relation to methanol toxicity. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol 60: 308–318, 2004
Morality, care, and international law

Whether we should respect international law is in dispute. In the United States, international law is dismissed by the left as merely promoting the interests of powerful states. It is attacked by the right as irrelevant and an interference with the interests and mission of the United States. And it follows from the arguments of many liberals that in the absence of world government the world is in a Hobbesian state of nature and international law inapplicable. This article reviews the thinking of Kant, Locke, and Rawls, among others and shows how arguments against respect for international law can be answered. It questions arguments based on the analogy between states and individuals, and between international law as it has developed and law based on an ideal social contract between individuals. It then turns to the ethics of care, a recent addition to moral theory, and examines its major characteristics and recommendations. It considers how the ethics of care would view international law and the guidance this moral approach could provide for international relations. The article shows how the ethics of care is compatible with various current trends, and how thinking about globalization and greater international interdependence would benefit from greater attention to it. The article argues that the ethics of care would clearly support respect for international law as it has developed, but that it would even more strongly support addressing current problems in ways that would, in the longer term, make appeals to law and its enforcements ever less necessary. Keywords: international law; the ethics of care; moral theory; political theory; social contract; states; groups; Hobbes; Kant; Locke (Published: 16 September 2011) Citation: Ethics & Global Politics, Vol. 4 , No. 3, 2011, pp. 173-194. DOI: 10.3402/egp.v4i3.8405
Performance optimization of dynamic CMOS circuits through transistor sizing

One of the predominately used circuit styles in high-performance VLSI systems is dynamic CMOS due to its advantage in speed. However, the rising magnitude of circuits implemented on a chip, along with shrinking device size and process variations have increased the complexity of implementing dynamic CMOS circuit efficiently. Answering this challenge, this paper proposes a performance optimization technique for dynamic CMOS circuits that operates based on a Schmitt Trigger and pseudo pMOS feedback keeper. When implemented using IBM 90nm CMOS process, the proposed optimization technique has shown an improvement in worst-case delay by 44.84%, delay uncertainty by 55%, delay sensitivity by 34%, and power consumption by 36% when compared to their initial performances.
Preparation is Key: Lessons Learned from an ERM System Implementation

In 2001, the University of North Texas (UNT) Libraries developed their own electronic resource management (ERM) system to track their online resources and contracts. Over the past decade, the programming and upkeep for the homegrown system had become too much of a burden, and the decision was made to move to a vendor-supported ERM system. In the summer of 2012, UNT began the implementation of Innovative’s ERM module. This presentation covered the steps involved in that implementation and the lessons learned on how best to prepare for a radical shift in workflows and procedures.
First observation of lasing at 231 Å in neon-like nickel using the prepulse technique

We report lasing for the first time in nickel on the neon-like J=0→1, 3p→3s transition at 231 A as well as several weaker transitions including the J=2»1 lines at 298 A and 304 A. Amplification is seen only when the prepulse technique of using a low intensity prepulse before the main optical drive pulse is used to illuminate the nickel target. The prepulse technique is also shown to produce lasing in copper and dramatically improve the output of the germanium laser.
Automated forms-processing software and services

While document-image systems for the management of collections of documents, such as forms, offer significant productivity improvements, the entry of information from documents remains a labor-intensive and costly task for most organizations. In this paper, we describe a software system for the machine reading of forms data from their scanned images. We describe its major components: form recognition and “dropout,” intelligent character recognition (ICR), and contextual checking. Finally, we describe applications for which our automated forms reader has been successfully used.
Galanin Inhibits Performance on Rodent Memory Tasks

: Central administration of galanin produces performance deficits on a variety of rodent learning and memory tasks. Galanin impairs acquisition and/or retention of the Morris water task, delayed nonmatching to position, T-maze delayed alternation, starburst radial maze, and passive avoidance in normal rats. A primary site of action is the ventral hippocampus, with an additional modulatory site in the medial septum-diagonal band. The behavioral actions of galanin at rat septohippo-campal sites mediating cognitive processes are consistent with previous reports of inhibitory actions of galanin on acetylcholine release and cholinergically activated transduction at the M1 muscarinic receptor in rat hippocampus. The peptidergic galanin receptor antagonist M40 blocks the inhibitory actions of galanin on memory tasks. Treatment combinations of M40 with an M1 agonist, TZTP, improves performance on delayed nonmatching to position, in rats with 192IgG-saporin-induced cholinergic lesions of basal forebrain neurons. Nonpeptide, bioavailable, subtype-selective galanin receptor antagonists may provide tools to test the hypothesis that antagonism of endogenous galanin, which is overexpressed in the basal forebrain in Alzheimer's patients, can contribute to the alleviation of the cognitive deficits associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Methotrexate in the urine

A 62-year-old man with a recent diagnosis of primary central nervous system lymphoma developed acute kidney injury (AKI) after administration of high-dose methotrexate. AKI developed within 48 h of therapy despite prior infusion of intravenous bicarbonate solution. Serum methotrexate level was 2.61 μmol/l at 24 h and 0.25 μmol/l 72 h after methotrexate administration. Urinalysis was negative for hematuria, proteinuria, or pyuria. Urine microscopy revealed amorphous brown precipitates (Figure 1). To determine whether these findings were consistent with methotrexate precipitation, we added sodium methotrexate solution to a buffered acidic solution (pH 4.7). The resulting precipitates (Figure 2) were similar in color and morphology to those observed in the patient's urine. Urine methotrexate level was 4.9 μmol/l as measured by fluorescence polarization immunoassay. Methotrexate-induced AKI is attributed to tubular obstruction due to precipitation of methotrexate, which may be exacerbated by low urinary pH and reduced tubular flow due to hypovolemia. To our knowledge, this is the first case of urinary methotrexate precipitates in the medical literature.
Aldosterone in obesity

Plasma aldosterone levels were measured in adults whose body mass index ranged from lean to obese. Blood was drawn while subjects rested supine for 30-90 minutes. Aldosterone was higher in obese subjects, but could not be explained by renin or K+. The best predictors of plasma aldosterone were abdominal obesity measured as waist/hip ratio or by CT scan, and insulin resistance measured by insulin or oral glucose tolerance tests, or euglycemic clamp. In one cohort, these correlations were limited to women; in the other, they were also found in men. In the women with a strong correlation between aldosterone and visceral fat, aldosterone also correlated with cortisol and DHEA-S. The data are consistent with an effect of visceral fat on adrenal steroidogenesis. Visceral adipocytes have a high rate of triglyceride turnover, and their circulation drains directly to the liver. In an experiment based on these characteristics, rat hepatocytes responded to fatty acids by releasing an unidentified secretagogue that stimulated aldosterone production by rat adrenal glomerulosa cells. The clinical data suggest that aldosterone participates in hypertension associated with the "Insulin Resistance Syndrome". The adrenal in viscerally obese subjects may be driven by a secretagogue released from the liver by fatty acids from abdominal adipocytes.
Self-Focusing of Light by Potassium Vapor

Raman-shifted ruby-laser light on the high-frequency side of the $^{2}P_{\frac{3}{2}}$ resonance line (7665 \AA{}) of potassium was self-focused by a dilute potassium gas.
A survey of glioblastoma genomic amplifications and deletions.

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is a malignant brain cancer that develops after accumulating genomic DNA damage that often includes gene amplifications and/or deletions. These copy number changes can be a critical step in brain tumor development. To evaluate glioblastoma genomic copy number changes, we determined the genome-wide copy number alterations in 31 GBMs. Illumina Bead Arrays were used to assay 22 GBMs and Digital Karyotyping was used on 8 GBM cell lines and one primary sample. The common amplifications we observed for all 31 samples was GLI/CDK4 (22.6%), MDM2 (12.9%) and PIK3C2B/MDM4 (12.9%). In the 22 GBM tumors, EGFR was amplified in 22.7% of surgical biopsies. The most common homozygously deleted region contained CDKN2A/CDKN2B (p15 and p16) occurring in 29% of cases. This data was compiled and compared to published array CGH studies of 456 cases of GBMs. Pooling our Illumina data with published studies yielded these average amplification rates: EGFR—35.7%, GLI/CDK4—13.4%, MDM2—9.2%, PIK3C2B/MDM4—7.7%, and PDGFRA—7.7%. The CDKN2A/CDKN2B locus was deleted in 46.4% of the combined cases. This study provides a larger assessment of amplifications and deletions in glioblastoma patient populations and shows that several different copy number technologies can produce similar results. The main pathways known to be involved in GBM tumor formation such as p53 control, growth signaling, and cell cycle control are all represented by amplifications or deletions of critical pathway genes. This information is potentially important for formulating targeted therapy in glioblastoma and for planning genomic studies.
Numerical Simulation of Winter Katabatic Winds from West Antarctica Crossing Siple Coast and the Ross Ice Shelf

Abstract Twenty-four-hour numerical simulations of wintertime surface winds under clear sky conditions over the West Antarctic ice sheet and its vicinity are performed using a hydrostatic, three-dimensional primitive equation model. Two initial states are examined: a state of rest, and a prescribed pressure field associated with katabatic winds from West Antarctica propagating across the Ross Ice Shelf. The Antarctic katabatic winds are mainly due to the strong radiative cooling of the ice slopes. The West Antarctic terrain is different from that of East Antarctica in two respects: its mean elevation is much lower, and the slope in the interior is steeper than near the margin at Siple Coast. The simulated surface wind regime reveals confluence zones just inland from the coast and diffluence zones around the crest of the terrain. The model results suggest that the continuation of katabatic winds beyond coastal confluence zones, which are sustained by cold-air drainage in the interior, has an important impa...
Variable temperature NMR characterization of α-glycine

Abstract Proton NMR spin–lattice relaxation times in the laboratory frame ( T 1 ) and in the rotating frame ( T 1 ρ ) were measured as a function of temperature for a static sample of α-glycine. Both T 1 and T 1 ρ data can be fit quantitatively by a single thermally-activated motion (the modulation of the dipolar coupling by random hopping about the threefold axis of the –NH 3 group), with no addition of other mechanisms at any temperature between 173 and 415 K. An activation energy of 21.7 ± 1 kJ/mol was extracted and is compared with previously reported values for both α- and γ-glycine. Such comparisons allow the correction of glycine polymorphs misidentified in the literature. The minimum in T 1 at 325 K corresponds to a correlation time of 0.53 ns. Chemical shifts as a function of temperature were measured by 1 H CRAMPS and by 13 C and 15 N CP/MAS experiments. These results are discussed relative to a previous report of anomalous electrical behavior in α-glycine within this temperature range.
A disturbance of late myelination as a trigger for Alzheimer's disease.

Speculations that active myelination might continue well into the postnatal period can be traced to the early part of the 20th century [8,12]. The idea that oligodendrocytes might continue to form myelin sheaths as late as the third decade was initially based on impressionistic evaluations of a relatively small number of cases [8,12]. Though lacking sound empiric data, this hypothesis had intrigued many neuroscientists for decades, but not enough to compel them to undertake studies directed at this question. In the 1980s, interest in this question was rekindled in the field of schizophrenia research when it was suggested that late postnatal developmental changes in the brain raised the possibility that postnatal maturational changes in the brain might serve as “triggers” for the onset of this disorder during late adolescence and early adulthood [3]. It was fitting that Paul Yakovlev’s own collection would provide the material needed to begin the search for such changes. In reviewing the Yakovlev’s slides, an increase in the amount of myelin staining in the superior medullary lamina (SML), a bundle of axons lying along the surface of the subiculum and presubiculum of the hippocampal formation, was apparent by gross inspection of an 11and 17-year-old in the collection [4]. These changes were so striking that a microscope was not required to see them. Given this fact, it is perplexing that Yakovlev had not described this change in the SML himself. Later, in1994, we went on to replicate this latter study and presented the first quantitative analysis of late postnatal myelin formation in human brain in a cohort consisting of 163 neurologically and psychiatrically normal cases [6]. We included older cases (i.e. into the eighth decade), so that we would be able to detect a plateau effect in subjects during the midlife period. As predicted from the first study [4], the amount of myelin staining in the SML was found to double during the second decade. A plateau effect was found, but it occurred during the third decade, not the fourth as Yakovlev had suggested
Modification of lima bean proteinase inhibitor with catalytic amounts of bovine and porcine trypsins

Lima bean proteinase inhibitor, Fraction 1, (nomenclature from Jones, G., Moore, S. and Stein, W. H. (1963) Biochemistry 2, 66–71) was treated with catalytic amounts of bovine α and β-trypsins at pH 2.85. The rate of cleavage was greater with β-trypsin, but slower in all cases than when porcine enzyme was used. This difference was shown not to be due to differences in enzyme inactivation. Upon prolonged incubation of the inhibitor, with any of the trypsins, additional cleavage products were observed. These results are discussed in terms of the Laskowski-Sealock compensatory mechanism.
Deep broad-band infrared nulling using a single-mode fiber beam combiner and baseline rotation

The basic advantage of single-mode fibers for deep nulling applications resides in their spatial filtering ability, and has now long been known. However, and as suggested more recently, a single-mode fiber can also be used for direct coherent recombination of spatially separated beams, i.e. in a 'multi-axial' nulling scheme. After the first successful demonstration of deep ( 5m AO equipped telescope such as the Palomar Hale 200 inch, the Keck, Subaru or Gemini telescopes.
Organization and the Mother Archetype A Jungian Analysis of Adult Development and Self-Identity within the Organization

This article explores the concept of organization as a manifestation of the mother archetype. Using the work of the depth psychologist C. G. Jung, the author contends that when the male identifies his ego with the organization he becomes one with the unconscious mother archetype that entraps and retards his adult development. Excessive concern for security, lack of independence, self-emasculation, inability to assume responsibility for one's actions, and lack of feeling become the hallmarks of such collective men. Ultimately, living in identification with an archetype results in the loss of control over one's perceptions and actions. In addition, the author contends that living in identification with the mother archetype also harms the organization.
Engineering of Immobilized Enzyme Systems

Abstract The advent of enzyme immobilization, allowing re-use of enzymes, and essentially eliminating product contamination, has greatly increased the potential of enzymatic processes for industrial use. Although this is a relatively new field of study, the literature is rapidly expanding. The compendium of references prepared by the New England Research Applications Center for Corning Glass Works now lists over 800 papers concerning immobilized enzymes. For this reason the scope of this paper is limited to immobilized enzyme engineering, including reactor design and performance. Although medical and analytical applications of immobilized enzymes are important, they will not be discussed as such here. Another large body of information concerning enzyme immobilization techniques will be treated only briefly as an introduction. Other general articles and reviews [1–5] may be useful in providing additional background information.