cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quasi-invariant behavior of thermophysical features for interpretation of multisensor imagery

The fusion of information from different sensors can provide features that cannot be obtained from either of the sensors. In this paper we examine a feature that is obtained from the fusion of information sensed from thermal (long wave infrared) and visual imagery. Robust object recognition requires object features that are invariant to scene conditions and viewpoint. Previous effort in developing such features using explicit constraints of invariance has mostly considered only visual data. The investigation of the variation of quasi-invariant features for different ranges of viewing/scene parameters has also been limited to geometric features derived from visual imagery. Such investigation has not been performed for features derived from multisensory imagery or from thermal (infrared) imagery. In this paper we conduct a detailed analysis of the variation of invariant and quasi-invariant features that have been proposed for the analysis of thermal (infrared) imagery, and also for the integrated analysis of thermal and visual imagery. The features are based on thermophysical models of energy exchange between the object and the scene. Examination of feature variation is based on simulating the various scene and object energy components for varying scene parameter values and predicting the feature value. This approach eliminates the expensive and impractical task of collecting real imagery under all possible scene conditions. We develop thermophysical object models based on equivalent thermal circuits. The models use a small number of nodes to predict the surface temperatures (thermal image gray levels) and to predict the feature values on the surfaces of complex objects. This approach reduces the computational cost of simulation and facilitates model construction. The sensitivity of the features to object and scene parameter variations is evaluated. The features are shown to be relatively robust within specific ranges of scene conditions.
Application of synthetic biology in cyanobacteria and algae.

Cyanobacteria and algae are becoming increasingly attractive cell factories for producing renewable biofuels and chemicals due to their ability to capture solar energy and CO2 and their relatively simple genetic background for genetic manipulation. Increasing research efforts from the synthetic biology approach have been made in recent years to modify cyanobacteria and algae for various biotechnological applications. In the article, we critically review recent progresses in developing genetic tools for characterizing or manipulating cyanobacteria and algae, the applications of genetically modified strains for synthesizing renewable products such as biofuels and chemicals. In addition, the emergent challenges in the development and application of synthetic biology for cyanobacteria and algae are also discussed.
Functional reconstitution of prokaryote and eukaryote membrane proteins.

Abstract A new strategy for the functional reconstitution of membrane proteins is described. This approach introduces a new class of protein stabilizing agents—osmolytes—whose presence at high concentration (10–20%) during detergent solubilization prevents the inactivations that normally occur when proteins are extracted from natural membranes. Osmolytes that act in this way include compounds such as glycerol and higher polyols (erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol), sugars (glucose, trehalose), and certain amino acids (glycine, proline, betaine). The beneficial effects of osmolytes are documented by reconstitution of a variety of prokaryote and eukaryote membrane proteins, including several proton- and calcium-motive ATPases, cation- and anion-linked solute carriers (symport and antiport), and a membrane-bound hydrolase from endoplasmic reticulum. In all cases, the presence of 20% glycerol or other osmolyte during detergent solubilization led to 10-fold or more increased specific activity in proteoliposomes. These positive effects did not depend on use of any specific detergent for protein solubilization, nor on any particular method of reconstitution, but for convenience most of the work reported here has used octylglucoside as the solubilizing agent, followed by detergent-dilution to form proteoliposomes. The overall approach outlined by these experiments is simple and flexible. It is now feasible to use reconstitution as an analytical tool to study the biochemical and physiological properties of membrane proteins.
Instable osmoreceptors and deficient thirst in hypothalamic hypopituitarism

A unique abnormality of osmoreceptors is reported in a child with hypothalamic hypopituitarism. Anterior pituitary testing revealed deficiency of GH, TSH and ACTH. The clinical course was characterized by fluctuation between dehydration of diabetes insipidus and coma of water intoxication. Plasma/Urine osmolality ranged from 263/110 mOsm/kg to 325/187 mOsm/kg. Osmotic threshold (OT) was determined by isovolemic infusion of hypertonic saline. An abrupt decrease of 30% or more of free water clearance defined the OT. During a hyponatremic episode the OT was detected at 263mOsm/kg. While hypernatremic OT was found at 300 mOsm/kg. These values are significantly different from the 286.6± 0.9 (M±SD) mOsm/kg found in 6 healthy volunteers. The presence of endogenous vasopressin, and the normally functioning volume receptors was demonstrated by the normal urine concentration when dehydrated. With plasma osmolality as high as 3O7mOsm/kg the child denied any feeling of thirst. The data indicate an instability of the osmoreceptors and a deficiency of thirst mechanism with intact volume receptors.
Compact non-local modeling of impact ionization in SOI MOSFETs for optimal CMOS device/circuit design

Abstract A comprehensive but compact non-local model for impact ionization current in scaled SOI MOSFETs is developed. The model, applicable to both fully depleted and non-fully depleted SOI CMOS, is intended for device/circuit simulation and has been implemented as post-processing in a circuit simulator SOISPICE [J. G. Fossum, SOI-SPICE-4 (FD/SOI and NFD/SOI MOSFET Models). University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (March 1995)]. The model is based on transforming the empirical field-dependent impact ionization rate into a carrier temperature-dependent one via a quasi-steady-state approximation of the energy balance equation. The model is valid for weak as well as strong inversion. It is verified via predictions of structure-dependent drain-source breakdown and current kinks in a variety of floating-body SOI MOSFETs. SOISPICE simulations reveal insight into the design optimization of scaled SOI CMOS devices and circuits in which the breakdown, due to the parasitic BJT driven by impact ionization, must be controlled.
The end of the post-colonial state in Africa? Reflections on changing African political dynamics

Examination of the political trajectory of African states since the terminal colonial period suggests that, by the 1990s, the 'post-colonial' label still widely employed was losing its pertinence. The term acquired widespread currency not long after independence in acknowledgment of the importation into new states of the practices, routines and mentalities of the colonial state. These served as a platform for a more ambitious form of political monopoly, whose legitimating discourse was developmentalism. The colonial state legacy decanted into a patrimonial autocracy which decayed into crisis by the 1980s, bringing external and internal pressures for economic and political state reconfiguration. But the serious erosion of the stateness of many African polities by the 1990s limited the scope for effective reform and opened the door for a complex web of novel civil conflicts; there was also a renewed saliency of informal politics, as local societies adapted to diminished state presence and service provision. Perhaps the post-colonial moment has passed. AT THE MOMENT OF THE GRAND ENTRY OF AFRICAN STATES into the world consort of nations in 1960 (17 out of 53 achieved sovereignty that year), the primary discursive referent for the new polities was 'post-independent'. From an African nationalist perspective, widely shared in the academic community, the achievement of independence was a defining historical moment, the culmination of an epic struggle. Incorporating visions of liberation, transformation and uplift, the independent African state was a newborn polity. As 'new states', African polities appeared to shed the colonial chrysalis. By subtle metamorphosis, over time the routine descriptor for African states became 'post-colonial'. This semantic shift was not innocent of meaning. Formal sovereignty and anti-colonial struggle gradually became less salient as defining attributes than the colonial origins of the African state; more crucially the wholesale importation of the routines, practices, Crawford Young is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of WisconsinMadison. An early version of this paper served as a keynote address for a conference on 'Beyond the Post-Colonial State in Central Africa?' organized by the Centre of African Studies of the University of Copenhagen in December 2001.
Methodology for measuring malonaldehyde as a product of lipid peroxidation in muscle tissues: A review

The purpose of this review is to summarize concerns regarding the formation and quantification of malonaldehyde as a product of lipid peroxidation in muscle tissues. The spectrophotometric thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method is the most frequently used test for malonaldehyde quantification, especially in muscle tissues, as a marker of lipid peroxidation. However, the TBA method has been criticized as lacking specificity and adequate sensitivity towards malonaldehyde. High performance liquid and gas chromatographic methods offer better specificity and sensitivity for malonaldehyde detection. The TBA method, however, may be preferred over the chromatographic method because of its simplicity, especially when a large number of samples need to be analyzed in a short period of time on a daily basis. In addition, the TBA method has been correlated with other objective and subjective methods of measuring lipid peroxidation and its specificity can be improved with the use of a solid phase extraction C18 cartridge.
Changes in right heart haemodynamics and echocardiographic function in an advanced phenotype of pulmonary hypertension and right heart dysfunction associated with pulmonary fibrosis

Background Pulmonary hypertension (PH)-targeted therapy in the setting of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is controversial; the main clinical concern is worsening of systemic hypoxaemia. We sought to determine the effects of gentle initiation and chronic administration of parenteral treprostinil on right heart function in patients with PF associated with an advanced PH phenotype. Methods Open-label, prospective analysis of patients with PF-PH referred for lung transplantation (LT). Advanced PH was defined as mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) ≥35 mm Hg. We compared haemodynamics, Doppler echocardiography (DE), oxygenation, dyspnoea and quality of life indices, and 6 min walk distance (6MWD) before and 12 weeks after parenteral treprostinil. Results 15 patients were recruited in the study. After therapy, there were significant improvements in right heart haemodynamics (right atrial pressure (9.5 ± 3.4 vs 6.0 ± 3.7); mPAP (47 ± 8 vs 38.9 ± 13.4); CI (2.3 ± 0.5 vs 2.7 ± 0.6); pulmonary vascular resistance (698 ± 278 vs 496 ± 229); transpulmonary gradient (34.7 ± 8.7 vs 28.5 ± 10.3); mvO2 (65 ± 7.2 vs 70.9 ± 7.4); and stroke volume index (29.2 ± 6.7 vs 33 ± 7.3)) and DE parameters reflecting right heart function (right ventricular (RV) end diastolic area (36.4 ± 5.2 vs 30.9 ± 8.2 cm2), left ventricular eccentricity index (1.7 ± 0.6 vs 1.3 ± 0.5), tricuspid annular planar systolic excursion (1.6 ± 0.5 vs 1.9 ± 0.2 cm)). These changes occurred without significant alteration in systemic oxygenation, heart rate, or mean systemic arterial pressure. In addition, improvements were seen in 6MWD (171 ± 93 vs 230 ± 114), 36-Item Short Form Health Survey Mental Component Summary aggregate (38 ± 11 vs 44.2 ± 10.7), University of California, San Diego Shortness of Breath Questionnaire (87 ± 17.1 vs 73.1 ± 21), and brain natriuretic peptide (558 ± 859 vs 228 ± 340). Conclusions PH-targeted therapy may improve right heart haemodynamics and echocardiographic function without affecting systemic oxygen saturation in an advanced PH phenotype associated with RV dysfunction in the setting of PF.
Energetics of nose and mouth breathing, body size, body composition, and nose volume in young adult males and females

This research tests the relative ability of body size factors and sex to explain variation in nose volume and to explain metabolic measures during rest and moderate exercise in 50 young adults. It uses standard anthropometric measures plus two new measures of nose morphology (nose/face angle and nose volume) and evaluates body composition with a device for air displacement plethysmography. Standard physiological measures were obtained in nose-only and mouth-only breathing conditions with subjects at rest and using moderate exercise. A factor representing linear and bulk measures of body size and a factor representing lean body mass explain subjects' variation in nose volume, resting volume of oxygen consumed (VO2), and resting ventilation volume (VV) better than subject's sex does. By contrast, during exercise, sex explains VO2 and VV better than do body size factors, probably because hormone-mediated muscularity in males produced greater work output. Nose breathing was found to be more energetically efficient in most but not all subjects, but additional research is needed to explore this finding further. Qualitative comparisons between modes of breathing and the application of this research protocol to studies of climate-related patterns of nasal variation are discussed.
Short sampling intervals reveal very rapid root turnover in a temperate grassland

Although root growth and mortality play critical regulatory roles in terrestrial ecosystems, little is known about the temporal scale of these dynamics. In temperate grasslands, root dynamics may be particularly rapid because of the high proportion of production allocated to very fine root biomass. In this study, we used minirhizotron tubes to estimate root growth and mortality in an upland grassland in Yellowstone National Park that was grazed by migratory herds of ungulates. Monthly rates of root growth and mortality were estimated from May to September 2005, by measuring the elongation (growth) and disappearance (mortality) of roots at 3-day intervals. Average daily growth (millimeters of root length) was approximately 5 times greater in May and June than in July, August, and September. Average daily mortality (millimeters of root length) did not differ among months. A comparison of the June–September rates of root growth and mortality derived from sampling at short (3-day) and long (1-month) time intervals indicated that the long sampling intervals underestimated both growth and mortality by approximately 60% relative to the short intervals. These results suggest that estimates of grassland root dynamics from minirhizotrons are influenced significantly by sampling interval length, and that rapid root turnover may play a more critical role in regulating energy and nutrient fluxes in temperate grasslands than has previously been recognized.
Molecular sieving and mass spectroscopy reveal enhanced collagen degradation in rabbit atheroma.

Background: Collagen degradation is the major mechanism of atherosclerotic plaque destabilization. It is unknown whether collagen breakdown is involved into formation of early atherosclerotic lesions. Methods: Current paper describes a novel collagen degradation assay based on a combination of molecular sieving and mass spectroscopy. The first step of the assay consists of the extraction of total collagen from tissue. This extract includes both intact collagen and its breakdown products. Molecular sieving is used to isolate low molecular weight collagen fragments. Since the low molecular weight fraction of the extract may contain some non-collagenous molecular species, the collagen-specific amino acid hydroxyproline is quantified using mass spectroscopy. Results: This assay was validated in various experimental systems with known/predictable level of collagen breakdown in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo. When applied to cholesterol-fed rabbit aorta, it revealed enhanced collagen degradation in rabbit atheromas compared to unaffected aortic regions. Conclusion: A novel assay has been developed to demonstrate enhanced collagen degradation in rabbit atherosclerotic plaques. Accurate quantification of collagen breakdown products should provide a new relevant end point in the analysis of plaque development and stability.
Doing business in Second Life: e-commerce in 3D online environment

Avatar-based 3D virtual worlds provide an unprecedented environment for e-commerce that potentially allows online shoppers to have similar shopping experience as they have in physical stores. However, existing 3D virtual worlds are lack of critical components for successful e-commerce. Second Life is the only 3D platform that currently enables a user to operate a virtual business with real earnings. In this paper, we analyse the Second Life as a 3D e-business environment. We propose a conceptual framework and discuss the possibility of adapting the traditional 2D e-commerce architecture to the 3D virtual world.
Infrared study of the interactions of moisture with filter paper and the moisture quenching of solid-matrix room temperature phosphorescence

Abstract Infrared data and solid-matrix room-temperature phosphorescence data were correlated with the Young's modulus data of filter paper which contained various amounts of adsorbed moisture. The results acquired and results from earlier work revealed new insights into the effects of moisture on the phosphorescence quenching of adsorbed phosphors. The hydrogen-bonding network in the amorphous region of filter paper was very influential in permitting room-temperature phosphorescence occur. In addition, moisture adsorption resulted in a decrease in the modulus of filter paper which, in turn, had a major affect on the magnitude of intensity of solid-matrix phosphorescence. The concept of the filter paper matrix participating in the quenching of phosphorescence with the adsorption of moisture on paper was considered.
The Consequences of Replacing Histidine 356 in Isocitrate Lyase fromEscherichia coli

Abstract Isocitrate lyase from Escherichia coli has been expressed in transformed E. coli JE10 cells lacking the isocitrate lyase ( icl ) gene. After directed mutagenesis of icl by the restriction-site elimination method, partially purified isocitrate lyase mutants in which His 356 has been converted to Lys, Arg, Gln, Asp, or Leu have been characterized after induction of transformed, induced JE10 cells. Values of k cat compared to those for wild-type (wt) enzyme (100) at 37°C, pH 7.3, are 18, 1, K m values for the 1:1 Mg–isocitrate complex (in millimolar units) are: 0.13, wt; 0.11, H356K; and 0.63, H356R. Further chromatographic purification of isocitrate lyase yields highly purified wt, H356K, and H356R enzymes. The pH profile of the stability of isocitrate lyase, which has never been reported, showed that the H356R enzyme was unstable in the pH range investigated; the wt and H356R variant differed but each was sufficiently stable to study the pH dependence of catalysis. The log k cat /pH profiles for highly purified wt and H356K enzymes are roughly bell-shaped and have p K a and p K b values for dissociation of an ionizable group on the enzyme–substrate complex of K m vs pH were different for the wt and H356K variant. Values of p K a and p K b (derived from log k cat / K m plots vs pH) for the dissociation of an activity-related ionizable group on the variant were 5.3 and 7.6, whereas the analogous p K b value for the wt enzyme was 8.4. The data suggest that His 356 is an important functional residue in isocitrate lyase, perhaps in deprotonating isocitrate during catalytic cleavage.
THE RELATION OF LIPIDS TO OESTRIN AND PROGESTIN IN THE CORPUS LUTEUM OF THE SOW

Evidence obtained in the last few years indicates that the sex hormones may be allied chemically and physiologically to lipids, particularly to cholesterol which, it would appear, may very well in time be found to be the mother substance of these important chemical messengers of the body. The method of preparing progestin as developed by Allen (1) might well be taken for a method to separate some lipid. Butenandt (6) has recently suggested formulas for oestrin and androsterone which bear many points of resemblance to the latest formula deduced for cholesterol by Windaus (10). The lipid composition of the ovary and corpus luteum has been found to vary with the sexual cycle. Bloor, Okey and Corner (2) have presented the most complete data available in this respect with reference to the corpus luteum of the sow. Boyd (5) has shown that a similar relationship holds for the ovary of pregnant and pseudopregnant rabbits. Preliminary experiments in this laboratory by Elden (8) have shown that the oestrin and prog...
Dynamical adjustment of quasi-synoptic data sets in the Eastern Mediterranean: testing a full basin coastal methodology

The availability of nearly synoptic basin-wide data sets, has provided the basis for the extension of a regional coastal methodology to full basin. The kinematic boundary conditions for a quasi-geostrophic model in an arbitrary domain, (partially) open or closed and simply- or multiply-connected, are briefly reviewed. A method for the implementation of these conditions with real ocean data is presented for the full Eastern Mediterranean and subregions, and the sensitivities are discussed. Objectively analyzed maps are produced for model initialization. Simulations of two-week duration are carried out in the Levantine and the full Eastern Mediterranean basins to determine the best domain-average amplitude for the barotropic mode and the best treatment of coastal constraint.
Phase I Completed: An Empirical Assessment of the 1990 CAAA

With the conclusion of Phase I trading of SO2 allowances, the EPA declared the allowance trading policy to be a success. The time had come to include cap-and-trade programs in the arsenal of effective policy tools. In terms of reducing atmospheric emissions of sulfur dioxide, the program appears to be successful. It is not clear, however, whether or not the program has minimized the cost of achieving the emission reductions. The measure of the true success of a market-based incentive program, however, has yetto be quantified: Has the program resulted in converging marginalabatement costs across participant plants? In this study I report theshadow prices of Phase I power plants from 1994 to 1998 anddetermine that there are more costs to be saved within theambitious public policy experiment.
Evidence for radionuclide transport by sea ice

Ice and ice-borne sediments were collected across the Arctic Basin during the Arctic Ocean Section, 1994 (AOS-94), a recent US/Canada trans-Arctic expedition. Sediments were analysed for 137Cs, clay mineralogy and carbon. Concentrations of 137Cs ranged from 5 to 73 Bq kg−1 in the ice-borne sediments. Concentrations of ice samples without sediment were all less than 1 Bq m−3. The sediment sample with the highest 137Cs concentration (73 Bq kg−1) was collected in the Beaufort Sea. This concentration was significantly higher than in bottom sediments collected in the same area, indicating an ice transport mechanism from an area with correspondingly higher concentrations. Recent results from the application of ice transport models and sediment analyses indicate that it is very likely that sediments are transported by ice, from the Siberian shelf areas to the Beaufort Sea.
Pegfilgrastim-Induced Hyperleukocytosis

Objective:To report a pediatric case of pegfilgrastim-induced hyperleukocytosis.Case Summary:A 3-year-old boy with medulloblastoma therapy presented with white blood cell (WBC) count 0.1 × 103/μL and absolute neutrophil count (ANC) 0.014 × 103/μL on day 27 following a course of induction chemotherapy. The patient received pegfilgrastim 200 μg/kg the following day. On his return 6 days later for the next planned course of chemotherapy, hyperleukocytosis was determined, with WBC 149 × 103/μL and ANC 110 × 103/μL (“neutrophil overshoot”). No sources of the elevated WBC count other than administration of pegfilgrastim (eg, steroids, antiepileptics, infection) were present. Chemotherapy was delayed until the WBC count had fallen to 35.2 × 103/μL (ANC 28.9 × 103/μL). No sequelae from this adverse effect occurred.Discussion:Pegfilgrastim has unique saturable neutrophil receptor-mediated clearance, the ability for self-regulation. Due to this clearance mechanism, hyperleukocytosis associated with pegfilgrastim us...
Is God a Utilitarian

In a well-known passage Mill defends his utilitarian theory against the objection that it is a godless doctrine. He argues,If it be a true belief that God desires, above all things, the happiness of his creatures, and that this was his purpose in their creation, utility is not only not a godless doctrine, but more profoundly religious than any other. If it be meant that utilitarianism does not recognize the revealed will of God as the supreme law of morals, I answer that a utilitarian who believes in the perfect goodness and wisdom of God necessarily believes that whatever God has thought fit to reveal on the subject of morals must fulfil the requirements of utility in a supreme degree.
Iterative Vessel Segmentation of Fundus Images

This paper presents a novel unsupervised iterative blood vessel segmentation algorithm using fundus images. First, a vessel enhanced image is generated by tophat reconstruction of the negative green plane image. An initial estimate of the segmented vasculature is extracted by global thresholding the vessel enhanced image. Next, new vessel pixels are identified iteratively by adaptive thresholding of the residual image generated by masking out the existing segmented vessel estimate from the vessel enhanced image. The new vessel pixels are, then, region grown into the existing vessel, thereby resulting in an iterative enhancement of the segmented vessel structure. As the iterations progress, the number of false edge pixels identified as new vessel pixels increases compared to the number of actual vessel pixels. A key contribution of this paper is a novel stopping criterion that terminates the iterative process leading to higher vessel segmentation accuracy. This iterative algorithm is robust to the rate of new vessel pixel addition since it achieves 93.2–95.35% vessel segmentation accuracy with 0.9577–0.9638 area under ROC curve (AUC) on abnormal retinal images from the STARE dataset. The proposed algorithm is computationally efficient and consistent in vessel segmentation performance for retinal images with variations due to pathology, uneven illumination, pigmentation, and fields of view since it achieves a vessel segmentation accuracy of about 95% in an average time of 2.45, 3.95, and 8 s on images from three public datasets DRIVE, STARE, and CHASE_DB1, respectively. Additionally, the proposed algorithm has more than 90% segmentation accuracy for segmenting peripapillary blood vessels in the images from the DRIVE and CHASE_DB1 datasets.
Clinical Experience With Radiotracer-Guided Thoracoscopic Biopsy of Small, Indeterminate Lung Nodules

Background Although computed tomography lung-screening programs report a 31% to 51% incidence of subcentimeter pulmonary nodules, 85% are too small to biopsy or interrogate with positron emission spectroscopy scans. We developed a technique using transthoracic percutaneous radiotracer injection with thoracoscopic radioprobe localization and excision for small pulmonary nodules. This report describes our series of the first 46 patients evaluated with this technique. Methods Forty-six patients (79% smokers; 52% males; median age, 64 years) were evaluated. Patient selection was based on the surgeon's anticipated difficulty in thoracoscopically locating small nodules because of lesion size or location. Computed tomographic-guided injection of radiotracer solution was made into or adjacent to the nodule the day of surgery. Intraoperative gamma probe localization, followed by thoracoscopic excision of the lesion, was subsequently performed. Results Median nodule size was 9 mm (range, 3 to 22 mm), and median depth was 5 mm (range, 0 to 50 mm). Forty-four (96%) of the lesions were successfully localized and excised. Median time from injection to surgery was 270 minutes. Failures were the result of inadvertent pleural or chest wall radiotracer placement. Forty-six percent (21 of 46) of the lesions were malignant, of which 71% (15 of 21) were primary lung cancers. Patients with lung cancer underwent lobectomy or segmentectomy. Fourteen of 15 were stage IA, whereas 1 was stage IIIB (6 mm primary with 4 mm intralobar metastasis). Complications were three pneumothoraces at the time of radiotracer injection. Conclusions Computed tomography-guided radiotracer localization of small pulmonary nodules combined with thoracoscopic excisional biopsy is feasible and safe. This technique successfully localized and excised the nodule in 96% of cases.
The Changing Face of Europe: European Institutions in the Twenty-First Century

Editor's Note: The goals of European integration after the Second World War were (1) to promote peace and stability on the continent and (2) to improve the material well-being of European peoples through greater economic activity and cooperation. With the end of the Cold War, the prospects for lasting peace seemed to many to become more tangible as the greatest ideological, political, and economic divide in Europe—represented dramatically and symbolically by the Berlin Wall—ceased to exist. Others reflecting on the meaning of the Cold War's end focused, instead, on rising instability. The return of brutal wars and ethnic cleansing in the Balkans and parts of the former Soviet Union suggested a less certain European future. Indeed, the growth, prosperity, stability, and peace realized in the western half of the continent, facilitated by multilateral organizations like the European Community and NATO, could soon be undermined by the radical changes in the new world order. What roles and responsibilities would these Cold War organizations have after the Cold War and into the twenty-first century? Were these organizations fit to deal with the new …
Shear Flows of Rapidly Flowing Granular Materials

Shear flows of granular materials are studied in an open channel. The wall shear is calculated from an open channel momentum equation which includes the density variations in the flow. An experimental technique was developed that allowed the measurement of the average density of the flow at different longitudinal locations in the channel. Two sizes of glass beads are examined and results show the variations in the wall shear as a function of various dimensionless parameters.
The Optimal Standardized Ileal Digestible Lysine and Total Sulfur Amino Acid Requirement for Finishing Pigs Fed Ractopamine Hydrochloride1

ABSTRACT A total of 1,887 pigs (97 kg initial BW) were used in a 28-d study to simultaneously examine standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys and SID TSAA requirements of pigs fed diets containing 5 ppm ractopamine HCl. Four SID Lys (0.66, 0.79, 0.92, and 1.05%) and 4 SID TSAA (0.47, 0.52, 0.57, and 0.63%) concentrations were evaluated. Methionine hydroxy analog was used as the Met source. The diet with the greatest concentration of both Lys (1.05%) and TSAA (0.63%) was used in each of the Lys and TSAA titrations; hence, there were 7 diets but 8 treatments. The Lys diets were formulated with a minimum SID TSAA-to-Lys ratio of 69%, and the TSAA diets were formulated with 1.05% SID Lys. From d 0 to 28, increasing SID Lys increased ADG (linear, P P = 0.76). Increasing dietary SID Lys improved G:F (linear, P P = 0.09). Although the response was linear, the greatest improvement in G:F was observed as the SID TSAA increased from 0.47 to 0.52%, resulting in an optimal SID TSAA-to-Lys ratio of 57% (at 0.92% SID Lys). Regression analysis indicated that the maximum G:F was obtained with a SID TSAA-to-Lys ratio of 58%. In summary, a SID TSAA-to-Lys ratio of no more than 58% optimizes growth performance of finishing pigs fed 5 ppm ractopamine HCl.
Odorant‐binding‐protein subfamilies associate with distinct classes of olfactory receptor neurons in insects

The olfactory receptors of terrestrial animals exist in an aqueous environment, yet detect odorants that are primarily hydrophobic. The aqueous solubility of hydrophobic odorants is thought to be greatly enhanced via odorant binding proteins (OBP) which exist in the extracellular fluid surrounding the odorant receptors. We have isolated and partially sequenced 14 candidate OBPs from six insect (moth) species. All 14 represent a single homologous family based on conserved sequence domains. The 14 proteins can be divided into three subfamilies based on differences in tissue specific expression and similarities in amino acid sequences. All 14 proteins are specifically expressed in antennal olfactory tissue. Subfamily I represents previously described pheromone binding proteins (PBP), which are male-specific, associate with pheromone-sensitive neurons, and are highly variable in their sequences when compared among species. Subfamilies II and III are expressed in both male and female antennae, appear to associate with general-odorant-sensitive neurons, and are highly conserved when compared among species. The properties of the subfamily II and III proteins suggest these are general-odorant binding proteins (GOBP). The properties of the respective insect OBP subfamilies suggest that they have different odorant binding specificities. The association of different insect OBP subfamilies with distinct classes of olfactory neurons having different odorant specificities suggests that OBPs can act as selective signal filters, peripheral to the actual receptor proteins.
Avoiding the Ends: Internal Epitope Tagging of Proteins Using Transposon Tn7

Peptide tags fused to proteins are used in a variety of applications, including as affinity tags for purification, epitope tags for immunodetection, or fluorescent protein tags for visualization. However, the peptide tags can disrupt the target protein function. When function is disrupted by fusing a peptide to either the N or C terminus of the protein of interest, identifying alternative ways to create functional tagged fusion proteins can be difficult. Here, we describe a method to introduce protein tags internal to the coding sequence of a target protein. The method employs in vitro Tn7-transposon mutagenesis of plasmids for random introduction of the tag, followed by subsequent Gateway cloning steps to isolate alleles with mutations in the coding sequence of the target gene. The Tn7-epitope cassette is designed such that essentially all of the transposon is removed through restriction enzyme digestion, leaving only the protein tag at diverse sites internal to the ORF. We describe the use of this system to generate a panel of internally epitope-tagged versions of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae GPI-linked membrane protein Dcw1 and the Candida glabrata transcriptional regulator Sir3. This internal protein tagging system is, in principle, adaptable to tag proteins in any organism for which Gateway-adapted expression vectors exist.
An integrated 2.4 GHz CMOS RF front-end

An integrated low-power, low-noise radio-frequency (RF) receiver front-end is reported in this paper. It includes a single-ended low-noise amplifier (LNA) and a passive switching direct downconversion mixer. An on-chip interstage spiral inductor and an additional parallel capacitor are used to achieve a better noise performance. The LNA has a simulated noise figure of 0.17 dB and power gain of 12.9 dB. With a -30 dBm RF input, the mixer has a simulated noise figure of 7.8 dB, conversion gain of -2.2 dB, 1-dB compression point of -8 dBm, and input third-order intercept point (IIP3) of 14.4 dBm. This front-end is intended for 2.4 GHz 802.1 Ib applications.
Toward a Definition of Dance Education

(2000). Toward a Definition of Dance Education. Childhood Education: Vol. 77, No. 1, pp. 27-32.
Ex vivo detection of mesiobuccal canals in maxillary molars using CBCT at four different isotropic voxel dimensions.

Bauman R, Scarfe W, Clark S, Morelli J, Scheetz J, Farman A.Ex vivo detection of mesiobuccal canals in maxillary molars using CBCT at four different isotropic voxel dimensions. International Endodontic Journal, 44, 752–758, 2011. Abstract Aim To study observers’ ability to detect mesiobuccal (MB) canals in maxillary molars using iCAT cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) at different voxel dimensions and to assess the impact of clinical experience on accuracy of detection. Methodology Using 12 experimental models with two molars each, CBCT scans were acquired at four different voxel dimensions. From the cross-section view of these scans, 96 videos were generated. Five endodontic postgraduate students and two endodontic staff watched the videos and counted the MB canals in each root. Horizontal sections of the roots were evaluated under magnification to determine the true canal numbers. The detection of MB canals within the four resolutions was compared by odds ratio, and the weighted χ2 test compared detection accuracy to raters’ clinical experience. Rater agreement was measured by kappa statistics. Results Overall, 92% of the maxillary molars had two MB canals upon analysis of horizontal cross-sections. The CBCT detection increased from 60.1% at 0.4 mm voxel size to 93.3% at 0.125 mm voxel size. Significant differences (P < 0.01) were observed between the different resolutions except for the 0.2 and the 0.125 voxel scans. Second-year trainees were significantly (CI = 0.2929–0.712) more accurate than first-year trainees and endodontic staff at MB canal detection (87.9% against 77.1% and 76.8%). Intra-rater reliability increased with higher-resolution scans (41.1% to 96.4%). Conclusions The reliability of detection of maxillary molar MB2 canals in CBCT scans increased as the resolution improved. Accuracy of MB2 canal detection among observer groups could not be correlated with the observers’ level of clinical experience.
Singapore's Collective Bargaining in a Game of Wage and Exchange Rate Policies

In Singapore's system of tripartite collective bargaining, does the wage-policy maker consistently react optimally to the best move made by the exchange rate-policy maker (Nash-rule) or only to the state of economy (non-Nash rule)? This paper finds that the Nash-rule equilibrium is unstable and thus the non-Nash rule becomes more meaningful. Under the non-Nash rule, the simulated wage growth exhibits a counter-cyclical pattern and increases with the union of workers' bargaining power. The government's role appears to strike a balance between the interests of the employers' and the employees. Consistent with actual observations, the simulated exchange-rate appreciation has acted as a complement to wage growth from 1987 to 1995.
PPARγ Activation: A Potential Treatment For Pulmonary Hypertension

The pathobiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) involves multiple molecular pathways and environmental modifiers and is characterized by progressive obliteration of pulmonary arterioles, leading to increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), right heart failure, and death in approximately 40 to 60% of patients 5 years after diagnosis. There is emerging evidence that many key genes involved in PAH development are targets of the insulin-sensitizing transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma), and that pharmacological PPARgamma activation would lead to their beneficial induction or repression and subsequent antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, proapoptotic, and direct vasodilatory effects in the vasculature. PPARgamma acts downstream of bone morphogenetic protein receptor II (BMP-RII), which is the cell surface receptor that is mutated or dysfunctional in many forms of PAH. Because our recent clinical observations indicate that insulin resistance may be an environmental risk factor or disease modifier ("second hit"), we suggest that PPARgamma-activating agents might be beneficial in the future treatment of both insulin-resistant and insulin-sensitive PAH patients with or without BMP-RII mutations.
Some properties of discharged Glugea hertwigi (Microsporida) sporoplasms

Glugea hertwigi spores were activated to discharge sporoplasms in Medium 199 with 3% gelatin at pH 9.0; the liberated sporoplasms were transferred to a maintenance medium with 6% gelatin (pH 7.0) supplemented with 2 mM ATP and 10% (v/v) fetal calf scrum. The spherical sporoplasms (measuring 3.5-4 mm in diameter) had single nuclei and had a cytoplasm rich in free ribosomes. Each G. hertwigi sporoplasm was initially bounded by an external (0.1-0.2 mm) satellite body adjoining the plasma membrane. The satellites displayed ordered membrane and appeared to merge with the sporoplasm 15-30 min after spore discharge. The external location of the satellite (in reference to the discharged sporoplasm) seems to be part of the normal sequence of events under the in vitro conditions provided. The surface of G. hertwigi sporoplasms does not bear an obvious surface coat; however, our cytochemical observations indicate the plasma membrane of the sporoplasm was somewhat responsive to concanavalin A-peroxidase, colloidal iron, and native ferritin. During the short term incubations of sporoplasms with ferritin, the particles permeated membrane channels extending into the sporoplasm cytoplasm.
Relationship of Virulence Factor Expression to Evolved Virulence in Mouse-Passaged Cryptococcus neoformans Lines

Serial passage of Cryptococcus neoformans in mice increases virulence relative to the nonpassaged line. Postpassaged lines showed no difference in the expression of most known virulence factors, with the exception that the more virulent lines had smaller capsules in vitro. These data imply that other mechanisms of virulence remain to be discovered.
The Impact of Herbicide-Resistant Rice Technology on Phenotypic Diversity and Population Structure of United States Weedy Rice

The use of herbicide-resistant (HR) Clearfield rice (Oryza sativa) to control weedy rice has increased in the past 12 years to constitute about 60% of rice acreage in Arkansas, where most U.S. rice is grown. To assess the impact of HR cultivated rice on the herbicide resistance and population structure of weedy rice, weedy samples were collected from commercial fields with a history of Clearfield rice. Panicles from each weedy type were harvested and tested for resistance to imazethapyr. The majority of plants sampled had at least 20% resistant offspring. These resistant weeds were 97 to 199 cm tall and initiated flowering from 78 to 128 d, generally later than recorded for accessions collected prior to the widespread use of Clearfield rice (i.e. historical accessions). Whereas the majority (70%) of historical accessions had straw-colored hulls, only 30% of contemporary HR weedy rice had straw-colored hulls. Analysis of genotyping-by-sequencing data showed that HR weeds were not genetically structured according to hull color, whereas historical weedy rice was separated into straw-hull and black-hull populations. A significant portion of the local rice crop genome was introgressed into HR weedy rice, which was rare in historical weedy accessions. Admixture analyses showed that HR weeds tend to possess crop haplotypes in the portion of chromosome 2 containing the ACETOLACTATE SYNTHASE gene, which confers herbicide resistance to Clearfield rice. Thus, U.S. HR weedy rice is a distinct population relative to historical weedy rice and shows modifications in morphology and phenology that are relevant to weed management.
Site-directed mutagenesis of the active site of diacylglycerol kinase α: calcium and phosphatidylserine stimulate enzyme activity via distinct mechanisms

Diacylglycerol kinases (DAGKs) catalyse ATP-dependent phosphorylation of sn-1,2-diacylglycerol that arises during stimulated phosphatidylinositol turnover. DAGKa is activated in vitro by Ca2+ and by acidic phospholipids. The regulatory region of DAGKa includes an N-terminal RVH motif and EF hands that mediate Ca2+-dependent activation. DAGKa also contains tandem C1 protein kinase C homology domains. We utilized yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which lacks an endogenous DAGK, to express DAGKa and to determine the enzymic activities of different mutant forms of pig DAGKa in vitro. Six aspartate residues conserved in all DAGKs were individually examined by site-directed mutagenesis. Five of these aspartate residues reside in conserved blocks that correspond to sequences in the catalytic site of phosphofructokinases. Mutation of D434 (Asp434) or D650 abolished all DAGKa activity, whereas substitution of one among D465, D497, D529 and D697 decreased the activity to 6% or less of that for wild-type DAGKa. Roles of homologous residues in phosphofructokinases suggested that the N-terminal half of the DAGK catalytic domain binds Mg-ATP and the C-terminal half binds diacylglycerol. A DAGKa mutant with its entire regulatory region deleted showed a much decreased activity that was not activated by Ca2+, but still exhibited PS (phosphatidylserine)-dependent activation. Moreover, mutations of aspartate residues at the catalytic domain had differential effects on activation by Ca2+ and PS. These results indicate that Ca2+ and PS stimulate DAGKa via distinct mechanisms.
Colonization and English ideologies in India: a language policy perspective

A language policy document on English teaching asserted that in India, “the colonial origins [of English are] now forgotten or irrelevant” (NCERT 2006: 1). Using data obtained in the course of a longitudinal ethnographic investigation into the language and literacy practices of young multilingual boys living at an anathashram (orphanage) in suburban New Delhi, India, I contest NCERT’s (2006) ideological framing. This study, employing the theoretical perspective of language ideology, demonstrates how the colonial encounter, in fact, continues to frame, inform, and regulate notions about the English language in India. Furthermore, this study sheds light on how the reductive ideological arc of language educational policy documents—such as the one articulated in NCERT (2006)—can enforce and enact a homogenizing gaze that glosses over ideological pluralities. The larger ambition of this exploration is to inquire how and why such ideological normativization is enforced in language educational policy discourse, as well as to consider its implications for educational equity.