cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Observation of oxygen vacancy ordering and segregation in Perovskite oxides

Oxygen vacancies are known to dominate the overall electrical behavior of perovskite oxides, which are used in many applications. Although theories have been developed to explain the effect of these vacancies and the defect chemistry of perovskites, there has yet to be incontrovertible evidence of the fundamental origins of the structure-property relationship. However, recently developed technologies in scanning transmission electron microscopy, such as Z-contrast imaging and EELS combined with in-situ heating experiments, provide a new opportunity to address vacancy characteristics and defect chemistry on the basic atomic level. In this paper we discuss the practical aspects of these techniques and demonstrate their application to the characterization of defect chemistry and vacancies in ordered micro-domains, at domain boundaries and at grain boundaries.
Sound-meaning relationships in speakers of Urdu and English: evidence for a cross-cultural phonetic symbolism.

Twelve English- and 12 Urdu-speaking males, ranging in age from 18 to 30 years, were asked to assign pure-tone frequencies as a "best fit" to visually presented shapes. Six basic figures were employed (circle, ellipse, right triangle, isosceles triangle, along with two historical psycholinguistic forms--uloomu and takete) and varied on three dimensions of size, complexity, and density. The results of the study indicate that there was consistency in the assignment of pure-tone frequencies to the dimensions of the figures and that the pattern of assignment was generally similar for both English- and Urdu-speaking subjects alike. Specifically, for both language groups, round figures (circles and ellipses) were assigned significantly lower frequencies than other stimuli. Also, complex and dense figures (i.e., those designed to simulate "visual depth" and "visual texture," respectively) received significantly higher frequency settings than those stimuli not possessing these dimensions. Additional analyses revealed several factors that may have contributed to the observed pattern. For example, Urdu subjects of the English proficiency produced frequency assignments that closely resembled those of the English-speaking subjects, while subjects of low English proficiency produced a pattern that was somewhat different, particularly with regard to round, complex figures. Length of residency in the United States (6 months, 1 year, or 2 years), however, did not significantly influence frequency assignments for the Urdu subjects. These results are discussed in terms of "cross-cultural" versus "language-specific" phonetic symbolism.
Engaging Fundamentalism: The Case of Women's NGOs in Pakistan

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have recently become the focus of much scholarly debate. Yet, we know little about the pressures that NGOs face and the contexts that they operate within, for most empirical research focuses solely on the relationship between NGOs and the state. By contrast, this article focuses on the relationship between women's NGOs and religious fundamentalism in Pakistan. I rely on ethnographic data collected in Pakistan between January and June 2004 to argue that Islamic fundamentalism poses a unique challenge to women's NGOs in the country. I examine the various strategies and responses used by women's NGOs in Pakistan to counter fundamentalism. I conclude with a critique of the strategies employed by women's NGOs and discuss their possibilities and limitations for bringing about structural changes in the position of women in Pakistan.
Environmental, medical, and family history risk factors for Parkinson's disease: a New England-based case control study.

Controversy persists about the etiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). Pesticides, herbicides, well-water consumption, head injury, and a family history of PD have been reported as risk factors for PD. The purpose of this study was to (1) investigate the impact of environmental factors on PD risk (2) estimate the chronology, frequency, and duration of those exposures associated with PD; and (3) investigate the effects of family history on PD risk. One-hundred and forty PD cases were recruited from Boston University Medical Center. The control group was composed of 147 friends and in-laws of PD patients. Environmental, medical, and family history data were obtained by structured interview from each participant for events recalled prior to PD onset for cases, or corresponding censoring age for controls (mean age = 56 years of age for each group). A traditional stratified analysis, adjusting for birth cohort and sex, was employed. Four factors were associated with increased risk for PD: (1) head injury (OR=6.23, confidence interval [CI]: 2.58-15.07); (2) family history of PD (OR=6.08, CI: 2.35-15. 58); (3) family history of tremor (OR=3.97, CI: 1.17-13.50); and (4) history of depression (OR=3.01, CI: 1.32-6.88). A mean latency of 36. 5 (SE=2.81) years passed between the age of first reported head injury and PD onset. A mean latency of 22 (SE=2.66) years passed between the onset of the first reported symptoms of depression and onset of PD. Years of education, smoking, and well-water intake were inversely associated with PD risk. PD was not associated with exposure to pesticides or herbicides. These findings support the role of both environmental and genetic factors in the etiology in PD. The results are consistent with a multifactorial model. Am. J. Med. Genet. (Neuropsychiatr. Genet.) 88:742-749, 1999.
Complexation of Cu(II) Ions with the Lowest Generation Poly(amido-amine)-OH Dendrimers: A Molecular Simulation Study

Classical molecular dynamics simulations and density functional theory calculations are performed to obtain insights about the attachment of the copper(II) ion to the lowest generation poly(amido-amine) dendrimer, G0-OH, in aqueous solutions. Various initial configurations of the ion relative to the dendrimer sites are tested and it is concluded that both the solvent as well as-in a lesser degree for low generation dendrimers-the folding of the dendrimer branch play an important role in copper(II) ion complexation. The presence of solvent and branch folding retain the ion close to the atomic binding sites consisting mainly of amide oxygen as well as hydroxyl oxygen but also tertiary amine nitrogen. A discussion of currently available experimental results in Cu(II) complexation in larger generation dendrimers is provided.
Should You Use Open-Source Software Applications in Your Practice?

Open-source software development has become popular with some segments of the health IT community, with the premise that end users, who best understand the problems to be solved and stand to gain from effective solutions, can drive innovation and collaborate on creating applications to improve clinical practice. In this column, we briefly review the general concepts of open-source applicationstohelpyoudecidewhether you can adopt them to improve your
Transferrin modulation of colony stimulating factor elaboration by adherent blood and bone marrow cells

When added to cultured normal, adherent blood and marrow cells at concentrations of 25-100 micrograms/ml (3 X 10(-7) to 1.3 X 10(-6) M), human transferrin enhanced colony-stimulating factor (CSF) elaboration. Fe saturated and relatively unsaturated Tf were equally effective in increasing CSF release, but soluble ferric nitriloacetate was ineffective. Dose-dependent increases in CSF release by adherent blood and marrow cells occurred in serum-free media and the continuous presence of Tf was necessary for this effect. Using a monoclonal anti-Tf receptor antibody, normal blood mononuclear cells contained no detectable Tf receptor positive cells. However, after 5 d culture in serum-free medium, Tf receptor positive cells were identified among normal adherent blood cells, and the per cent receptor positive cells increased with Tf concentration. We conclude Tf modulates CSF production from normal, adherent blood and marrow cells in vitro. These findings indicate a possible role for Tf in intramedullary regulation of normal granulopoiesis.
Covalent binding of molecules to CNBr-activated agarose: parameters relevant to the activation and coupling reactions.

Abstract The amount of [2- 14 C] glycine and 125 I-labeled IgG coupled to CNBr-activated agarose under varying experimental conditions was determined. The optimal activation time was indicated by plateauing of base consumption. The amount of glycine bound was linearly proportional to the concentration of CNBr employed for activation, up to 80 mg CNBr/ml of agarose. The amount of IgG coupled was independent of CNBr concentration, at 40 and 120 mg CNBr/ml of agarose. Glycine and IgG binding to activated agarose, stored in neutral buffer, decayed at different rates. The binding of glycine and IgG by stored agarose became half-maximal by 22 and 115 h, respectively. The coupling reaction reached completion in less than 30 min, as determined by glycine binding. Glycine inhibited the binding of IgG better than several other small molecules. Immunofluorescent studies demonstrated that IgG, IgA and IgM were bound uniformly throughout the agarose beads.
The influence of supradiaphragmatic splanchnicectomy on the heart in hypertension

Abstract This is a study of the cardiac aspects in 384 patients with arterial hypertension, treated surgically by the operation of bilateral supradiaphragmatic splanchnicectomy and lower dorsal sympathetic ganglionectomy. The findings suggest that this surgical treatment may have beneficially influenced the destiny of a significant percentage of hypertensive patients.
Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome due to a Single Nucleotide Change in the Hypoxanthine-Guanine Phosphoribosyltransferase Gene (HPRT Yale)

Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT: E.C. 2.4.2.8) is a purine salvage enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of hypoxanthine and guanine to their respective nucleotides. Complete deficiency of HPRT is associated with the Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, an X-linked disorder manifested by hyperuricemia, mental retardation, choreoathetosis and compulsive self-mutilation.1 Partial deficiency of this enzyme leads to overproduction of uric acid, which results in the development of a severe form of gout.2 By sequence analysis of tryptic peptides, single amino acid substitutions have been defined in four HPRT variants.3 However, most HPRT deficient subjects have insufficient amounts of mutant protein for this type of analysis. Furthermore, the HPRT gene is very large (44 kb) and Southern blot analyses of genomic DNA from most HPRT deficient subjects are normal.4, 5 On the other hand, more than 80% of HPRT deficient subjects have normal quantities of HPRT specific messenger RNA (mRNA).5 These characteristics, together with available techniques for cDNA cloning, provide the necessary rationale and tools for the identification of mutations which leads to dysfunctional HPRT.
Contribution of 5-Hydroxytryptamine1B Receptors and 20-Hydroxyeiscosatetraenoic Acid to Fall in Cerebral Blood Flow After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Background and Purpose— This study examined the interaction between 5-hydroxytryptamine1B (5-HT1B) receptors and 20-hydroxyeiscosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) in contributing to the acute fall in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in rats. Methods— The effects of intracisternal injection of 0.3 mL of arterial blood, artificial cerebrospinal fluid, and 5-HT on rCBF and the levels of 20-HETE and 5-HT in cerebrospinal fluid were measured in rats pretreated with vehicle, a 5-HT1B receptor antagonist (isamoltane hemifumarate), or an inhibitor of the synthesis of 20-HETE (HET0016). The effects of HET0016 and isamoltane on the vasoconstrictor response and changes in [Ca2+]i to 5-HT were also studied in middle cerebral arteries and vascular smooth muscle cells isolated from these vessels. Results— 20-HETE and 5-HT levels in cerebrospinal fluid rose from 172±10 to 629±44 ng/mL and from 6±4 to 1163±200 nmol/mL, respectively, after SAH. rCBF fell by 30% 10 minutes after SAH, and it ...
Determinants of laplacians for world sheets with boundaries

Abstract We evaluate the modular dependence of functional determinants which arise in the path integral approach to N -string scattering amplitudes. At the tree level, these determinants are associated to the scalar and vector laplacians defined on world sheets homeomorphic to spheres with N > 3 holes. Our result is a generalization to these surfaces of Selberg's trace formula.
CdS thin films—speed of response characteristics

Abstract This paper reports experimental results on the speed of response characteristics of CdS thin films implanted with Bi ions at 30 keV with doping densities varying from 1013 to 1015 ions cm-2. It is reported herein that the speed of response decreases with decreasing light intensity for the implanted CdS thin films and time constants increase with increasing doping densities. A wavelength dependence of the speed of response was experimentally observed. The trap distribution is found to be nearly linear in a shallow depth below the conduction band.
NATIONAL SOCIAL WELFARE COMMITMENTS UNDER THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION

The Reagan Administration has cited significant support, among state and local officials, for the “principle” of reduced federal involvement in a range of policy functions. The administration has referred to that support in presenting its case for new federalism, but has failed to acknowledge that support reflects two distinct critiques of existing federal policies. The first critique focuses on the legitimacy of national standards regarding social welfare, while the second focuses on the effectiveness of existing efforts to address those standards. Based on an assessment of the distinct expectations implied in the two different criticisms and the specific provisions of the new federalism proposal, it is argued here that the effectiveness of national, state and local social welfare efforts will inevitably be undermined if those provisions become operationalized—thus that those provisions can not be reconciled with support for a national social welfare commitment. Support for the principle of decentralized authority over policy functions among local officials, who in many cases support the notion of a national social welfare commitment, is hypothesized to reflect their concern with the immediate impact of fiscal stress on their jurisdiction's ability to provide essential services. That support represents an effort to increase local discretion regarding the use of intergovernmental revenues in order to meet short-term critical obligations rather than a lack of support for national social welfare commitments, as assumed by the Reagan Administration.
The Relationship between Students' Information-Processing Styles and Logo Programming:

This study explored the relationships among information-processing styles, Logo programming, academic achievement and cognitive abilities. Drawing and writing activities were used to identify top-down and bottom-up processing styles of students in grades two through six during a 15-session Logo programming course. Processing style was related to Logo success, academic achievement and cognitive ability. Top-down processing, as measured by the writing activity, was positively related to Logo programming success, field independence, holistic tendencies, and general academic achievement. In addition, Logo success and academic achievement were positively correlated. Implications and future research considerations are discussed.
WebQuests: can they be used to improve critical thinking skills in students?

The WebQuest, an inquiry-oriented, Web-based classroom-learning tool, invented by Dodge (1997), is discussed in terms of its applicability to classroom learning situations. Specifically discussed is its ability to inspire critical thinking in students. The WebQuest format, as defined by Dodge (1997), is compared to a critical thinking framework established by Weinstein (2000). It appears that WebQuests meet all six of Weinstein's key elements in critical thinking and therefore are powerful tools for inspiring critical thinking skills in students. Further research is recommended to affirm this notion.
Serendipity? Are there gender differences in the adoption of computers? A case study

In a study of the effect of learning styles of patent examiners on adoption of computers, there was an important serendipitous finding: women showed a greater propensity to adopt than did men. Moreover, within the sample of women covered in the study, adoption of the computer related to a preference for abstract thinking, scientific education, and effective use of training. No such relationships were found within the group of men. Women were more encouraging to others than men but less assertive in assisting others to learn how to use the computer, implying that the socialization of men and women affects their behavior. The data also suggest that there are important implications of these findings for programs intended to train men and women to use the computer. This paper speculates on the reasons for and implications of these findings.
Analysis of acrylamide in a complex matrix of polyacrylamide solutions treated by heat and ultraviolet light.

A recently developed headspace/solid-phase microextraction/gas chromatograph (GC) equipped with a nitrogen−phosphorus detector (NPD) (HS/SPME/GC/NPD) method was used to analyze acrylamide formed in an aqueous polyacrylamide solution (25%) treated by heat or photo-irradiation. Original polyacrylamide contained 0.43 ± 0.11 μg/mL of acrylamide. When polyacrylamide solution was heated at 70 °C for 16 h with 0.5% potassium persulfate, the amount of acrylamide increased to 1.02 ± 0.11 μg/mL. When polyacrylamide solution was irradiated by UV (λ = 300 nm) for 16 h with 0.05% 2-anthraquinone sulfate sodium salt, the amount of acrylamide increased to 1.14 ± 0.54 μg/mL. Polyacrylamide has been used in cosmetic formulations. The present study, therefore, suggests that there is another route of acrylamide exposure to humans in addition to foods and beverages.
Multiple-front solutions for the Burgers-Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation

Abstract In this work, we study a completely integrable dissipative equation. The Burgers equation is extended by using the sense of the Kadomtsev–Petviashvili (KP) equation. The new established Burgers–KP equation is studied by using the tanh–coth method to obtain kink solutions and periodic solutions. We also apply the powerful Hirota’s bilinear method to establish exact N-soliton solutions for the derived integrable equation.
Management of aggressive pituitary adenomas and pituitary carcinomas

Pituitary tumors are benign but not uncommonly invade locally into adjacent tissues such as the cavernous sinus and dura. Some of these invasive tumors exhibit varying degrees of resistance to standard therapy and tend to recur. Early prediction of which pituitary tumors will recur and/or exhibit an invasive phenotype remains difficult despite introduction of several tissue-based molecular markers. Management of these recurrent invasive pituitary tumors usually comprises combination medical, surgical and radiation therapy but in some instances is suboptimal. Earlier diagnosis of invasive/recurrent pituitary tumor and application of aggressive multi-modal therapy at presentation may be advantageous in some cases. Clinical trials to develop additional therapeutic options are needed for this subgroup of pituitary tumors. Although it is not yet possible to diagnose at presentation, the subset of pituitary tumors that will become invasive and/or recurrent pituitary tumors, broader use of molecular markers and standardization of histopathological criteria for “atypical” pituitary tumor features have assisted earlier diagnosis. Aggressive therapy early in disease may be warranted and exploration of recently available targeted therapies may improve disease management.
Phosphorylation of troponin and myosin light chain by cAMP-independent casein kinase-2 from rabbit skeletal muscle

Casein kinase-2 from rabbit skeletal muscle was found to phosphorylate, in addition to glycogen synthase, troponin from skeletal muscle, and myosin light chain from smooth muscle. Troponin T and the 20,000 Mr myosin light chain are phosphorylated by casein kinase-2 at much greater rates than glycogen synthase. The V values for the phosphorylation of troponin and myosin light chain are nearly an order of magnitude greater than that of glycogen synthase; however, the Km values for these two substrates are greater than that for glycogen synthase. The kinase activities with the various protein substrates are stimulated approximately three- and fivefold by 5 mm spermidine and 3 mm spermine, respectively. Heparin is a potent inhibitor of the kinase when casein, glycogen synthase, or myosin light chain is the substrate. However, with troponin as substrate the kinase is relatively insensitive to inhibition by heparin. The amount of heparin required for 50% inhibition with troponin as substrate is at least 10 times greater than with casein as substrate. The phosphorylation of troponin by casein kinase-2 results in the incorporation of phosphate into two major tryptic peptides, which are different from those phosphorylated by casein kinase-1. The site in myosin light chain phosphorylated by casein kinase-2 is different from that phosphorylated by myosin light chain kinase.
Studies of methyl derivatives of 1,2-dicarbaclovopentaborane(5)

Abstract The thermal stability of C,3-dimethyl-1,2-dicarbaclovopentaborane(5) was examined in the liquid and vapor states. Pyrolysis of the liquid at 130° yielded a trimethyl and two tetramethyl derivatives of 1,2-C 2 B 3 H 5 plus trimethylborane and nonvolatile solids. The vapor diluted in helium was unreactive at 115° but at 220° partially reacted to give C,5-(CH 3 ) 2 -1,2-C 2 B 3 H 3 and C,3,5-(CH 3 ) 3 -1,2-C 2 B 3 H 2 . No rearrangement of the 1,2-carborane cage structure was observed, and the higher methylated derivatives were more stable than C,3-(CH 3 ) 2 -1,2-C 2 B 3 H 3 . C,3-(CH 3 ) 2 -1,2-C 2 B 3 H 3 reacted with 2,4,6-collidine to produce a red complex. The significance of the stability of the methylated 1,2-C 2 B 3 H 5 structure is discussed in relation to other experimental and theoretical studies of the carboranes.
Association of Phosphofructokinase-M with Caveolin-3 in Differentiated Skeletal Myotubes DYNAMIC REGULATION BY EXTRACELLULAR GLUCOSE AND INTRACELLULAR METABOLITES

Caveolin-3 is a member of the caveolin family of proteins that is primarily expressed in striated muscle cell types (skeletal and cardiac). Here, we show that an approximately 80-kDa protein specifically co-immunoprecipitates with caveolin-3 expressed in differentiated skeletal C2C12 myotubes. Microsequence analysis of this approximately 80-kDa polypeptide revealed its identity as a key regulatory enzyme in the glycolytic pathway, namely phosphofructokinase-M (PFK-M). Pulse-chase experiments demonstrate that PFK-M associates with caveolin-3 with a significant time lag after the biosynthesis of PFK-M. In addition, we show that this interaction is (i) highly regulated by the extracellular concentration of glucose and (ii) can be stabilized by a number of relevant intracellular metabolites, such as fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, which are known allosteric activators of PFK. While the bulk of these experiments were performed in C2C12 cells, identical results were obtained using mouse skeletal muscle extracts. Taken together, our results suggest that glucose-dependent plasma membrane recruitment of activated PFK-M by caveolin-3 could have important implications for understanding the mechanisms that regulate energy metabolism in skeletal muscle fibers.
Humidity and Photochemistry

IN the course of an investigation of the ultra-violet irradiation of solid films of uracil and thymine1, certain inconsistencies were observed in the irradiation of thymine films which were unexplainable at the time and therefore not reported. Information now available has led to an investigation of the influence of humidity, more properly the vapour pressure of water, on this photochemical reaction, and evidence is presented here that humidity is a factor in this reaction.
Integrated modeling of the electric grid, communications, and control

Purpose – This paper aims to address a central concern in modeling and simulating electric grids and the information infrastructure that monitors and controls them. The paper discusses the need for and methods to construct simulation models that include important interactions between the physical and computational elements of a large power system.Design/methodology/approach – The paper offers a particular approach to modeling and simulation of hybrid systems as an enabling technology for analysis (via simulation) of modern electric power grids. The approach, based on the discrete event system specification, integrates existing simulation tools into a unified simulation scheme. The paper demonstrates this approach with an integrated information and electric grid model of a distributed, automatic frequency maintenance activity.Findings – Power grid modernization efforts need powerful modeling and simulation tools for hybrid systems.Research limitations/implications – The main limitation of this approach is ...
Eddy turbulence, the double mesopause, and the double layer of atomic oxygen

Abstract. In this study, we consider the impact of eddy turbulence on temperature and atomic oxygen distribution when the peak of the temperature occurs in the upper mesosphere. A previous paper (Vlasov and Kelley, 2010) considered the simultaneous impact of eddy turbulence on temperature and atomic oxygen density and showed that eddy turbulence provides an effective mechanism to explain the cold summer and warm winter mesopause observed at high latitudes. Also, the prevalent role of eddy turbulence in this case removes the strong contradiction between seasonal variations of the O density distribution and the impact of upward/downward motion corresponding to adiabatic cooling/heating of oxygen atoms. Classically, there is a single minimum in the temperature profile marking the location of the mesopause. But often, a local maximum in the temperature is observed in the height range of 85–100 km, creating the appearance of a double mesopause (Bills and Gardner, 1993; Yu and She, 1995; Gusev et al., 2006). Our results show that the relative temperature maximum in the upper mesosphere (and thus the double mesopause) can result from heating by eddy turbulence. According to our model, there is a close connection between the extra temperature peak in the mesosphere and the oxygen atom density distribution. The main feature of the O density height profile produced by eddy turbulence in our model is a double peak instead of a single peak of O density. A rocket experiment called TOMEX confirms these results (Hecht et al., 2004). Applying our model to the results of the TOMEX rocket campaign gives good agreement with both the temperature and oxygen profiles observed. Climatology of the midlatitude mesopause and green line emission shows that the double mesopause and the double layers of the green line emission, corresponding to the double O density height profile, are mainly observed in spring and fall (Yu and She, 1995; Liu and Shepherd, 2006). Further observations of the oxygen atom densities and the double mesopause would improve our understanding of the impact of turbulence on critical mesospheric parameters.
Improving Markov chain classification using string transformations and evolutionary search

Markov chain classification or n-gram modeling, as it is sometimes called, is a very common and powerful tool for many problems that involve sequences of finite tokens. It has been used in a wide range of tasks, including natural language modeling, author identification, protein similarity searches, and even bird-song recognition. Clearly, an improvement in the Markov chain classification will have broad implications in many fields. Our new system, called SCS, improves upon Markov chain classification by introducing a preprocessing step in which an arbitrary set of transformation functions are performed on the input sequences. Since the space of possible transformations is unbounded, a genetic algorithm search is used to search for functions that improve classification. We show that GA is able to consistently find preprocessing functions that substantially improve the performance of the Markov chain model.
The DX center and other tin-related defects in AlGaAs semiconductors

Al x Ga1-xAs semiconductors doped with both natural and enriched119Sn have been studied by Mossbauer spectroscopy (MS) to help to determine the atomic-scale nature of a deleterious, deep-level defect known as the DX center. Spectra have been acquired in the dark at 76 K and under sub-bandgap illumination at 4 or 10 K to distinguish the DX center from the substitutional shallow donor defect. Although electrical differences are clearly detected in these two states, no difference in the Mossbauer spectra are observed. Unexpected high Sn contents, determined by quantitative MS, demonstrate a large non-electrically active Sn fraction in some samples and this may be obscuring the observation of the DX center by both X-ray absorption spectroscopy and MS. Grinding the single-crystal layers into fine powders leads to an Sn defect that is attributed to a surface-oxidized site.
Temperature and Gelling Agent Effects on In Vitro Microtuberization of Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.)

ABSTRACTIt was found that in vitro microtuberization of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) was affected considerably by temperature and gelling agent. The best results were obtained in cultures maintained at 20–22° C in dark. Moreover, considerable increases in number, average weight and yield of microtubers was obtained on media solidified with gelrite compared to agar, when used as gelling agent. Number of microtuber formation and their weight had significant positive relationship (r = 0.630 and r = 0.771 respectively) with microtuber yield per plantlet.
Setting the agenda for health communication research and development: scholarship that can make a difference.

(1989). Setting the Agenda for Health Communication Research and Development: Scholarship That Can Make a Difference. Health Communication: Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 11-15.
Sequence variants in the 5′ flanking region of the leptin gene are associated with obesity in women

Few mutations have been found in the human leptin gene and the relationship between leptin gene sequence variation and human overweight is uncertain. To determine whether sequence variation within the leptin gene and its regulatory elements contribute to extreme obesity, we screened ∼3 kb of the 5′ flanking region and the three exons in 125 unrelated extremely obese (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2) and 86 average weight women (BMI 0.10), and the allele frequencies of three of these variants differed between obese and average weight Caucasian women (+19, χ2= 4.46, p= 0.035; −1823, χ2= 4.36, p= 0.037; −2548, χ2= 5.73, p= 0.017). Nine infrequent sequence variants were detected (q < 0.05) but they did not occur more often among obese women compared with those of average-weight. For extremely obese women, three polymorphisms (+19, −188, and −633) predicted the degree of obesity. Allelic variants may influence the regulation of the leptin gene and thereby influence body weight, particularly among extremely obese women. However, given the low variability in coding regions and the high variability in the 5′ flanking region, discerning the functional significance of each variant is likely to be difficult.
Review of "Boolean Functions and Computation Models by Peter Clote and Evangelos Kranakis", Springer-Verlag, 2002

This wide-ranging monograph covers a number of research areas including Boolean functions and Boolean circuit families, propositional proof systems, sequential and parallel models of computation, and function algebras. If anything links them all together, it is surely complexity.
Negative feedback control of the nitric oxide/cGMP pathway in smooth muscle

Two major intracellular receptors for cGMP in smooth muscle are cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) and phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5), the latter of which contains both hydrolytic and allosteric sites for cGMP. We have shown that either one or both of these enzymes are involved in at least eight events leading to negative feedback control after nitric oxide-induced cGMP elevation: 1) increased hydrolysis of cGMP due to substrate elevation; 2) activation of PKG, which phosphorylates and activates PDE5; 3) enhanced phosphorylation of PDE5 by PKG due to exposure of the PDE5 phosphorylation site by elevated PDE5 hydrolytic site occupancy; 4) enhanced phosphorylation of PDE5 by PKG due to exposure of the PDE5 phosphorylation site by elevated PDE5 allosteric site occupancy; 5) increased sequestration of cGMP by PDE5 allosteric sites; 6) stimulation of PDE5 allosteric site occupancy by increased hydrolytic site occupancy; 7) stimulation of PDE5 allosteric site occupancy by increased phosphorylation of PDE5; and 8) conversion of PDE5 to a more active conformer by increased hydrolytic site occupancy. In concert, these events are predicted to result in increased cGMP breakdown and sequestration, producing negative feedback after cGMP elevation. The events could be explained by the presence of two interconvertible forms of PDE5: a less active conformer and a more active conformer that has increased cGMP hydrolytic activity, cGMP allosteric binding, and phosphorylation. By native PAGE (no SDS), cGMP or phosphorylation causes a gel shift consistent with a conformational change, and hydrolytic site-specific inhibitors such as sildenafil, vardenafil, and tadalafil cause a similar shift. Combined studies of xray crystal structures and site-directed mutagenesis identify three key amino acids (human Tyr-612, Gln-817, and Phe-820) in the PDE5 catalytic site that contribute importantly to high affinity of cGMP as well as potency and selectivity for PDE5 inhibitors. Binding of each of these ligands can initiate several of the cGMP feedback processes mediated by PDE5.
Laser spectroscopy of core-excited levels of neutral Rb

Knowledge of the locations and lifetimes of core-excited autoionizing levels is important for understanding many physical processes as well as for its applicability to the generation of coherent extreme ultraviolet (XUV) and soft x-ray radiation. Experimental results on a new technique which allows the measurement of autoionizing times, linewidths, relative level positions, and transition oscillator strengths of core-excited levels are described, all to unprecedented accuracy.
Show-all-Links: Identifying Hyperlinks in Websites That Use Non-Standard Formatting

Many websites adhere to their own custom style guides and no longer follow traditional usability standards such as the once ubiquitous, blue, underlined text link. Users may miss important information by not knowing which elements are clickable and which are not. The objective of this study was to determine whether or not an option to highlight all the hyperlinks (links) on a website would help users locate all of the page's available image and text-based links. All participants were shown two different websites and asked to click on all design elements that they thought were links. In the experimental condition, participants had the option of using a keyboard shortcut key that, when pressed, would highlight all the links on the website. In the control condition, this option was not available. Significantly more participants in the experimental condition found all of the links compared to the participants without the highlight option. If the design of a website prevents developers from implementing easily...
Characteristics of chromated copper arsenate-treated wood ash

The combustion of recovered wood from construction and demolition waste as biomass fuel is a common practice. When chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood is present as part of the wood fuel mix, concentrations of arsenic, chromium, and copper become elevated in the ash. The objectives of this study were to estimate the fraction of CCA-treated wood needed to cause the ash to fail regulatory guidelines and to test a series of solvents for the purpose of extracting the metals from the ash. Ash samples were prepared in an industrial furnace using samples of CCA-treated wood, mixtures of CCA-treated wood and untreated wood, and recycled wood waste collected at construction and demolition recycling facilities. Regulatory guidelines were evaluated by measuring total metals concentrations (using neutron activation analysis) and by conducting standardized leaching tests (toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) and synthetic precipitation leaching procedure (SPLP)) on the ash. Ten different solvents, ranging from distilled water to strong acids, were also tested for their ability to extract metals. Results of this study indicate that metal concentrations (chromium plus copper plus arsenic) can be as high as 36% of the ash by weight for treated wood samples containing high retention levels (40 kg/m(3)) of CCA. All ash samples from the combustion of 100% CCA-treated wood and mixtures containing 5% CCA-treated wood leached enough arsenic (and sometimes chromium) to be characterized as a hazardous waste under US regulations. Concentrated nitric acid, which was the most effective solvent tested, was capable of removing between 70 and 100% of the copper, between 20 and 60% of the chromium, and 60 and 100% of the arsenic for samples characterized by low retention levels. A particular finding of interest was the efficiency of distilled water and other weak solvents to extract measurable amounts of chromium, especially for ash samples containing low retention levels of CCA. Citric acid was particularly effective at removing arsenic (between 40 and 100%) for ash samples produced from wood containing low CCA retention levels.
Real-time object tracking and human face detection in cluttered scenes

This paper presents a real-time video surveillance system which is capable of tracking multiple persons and locating faces in moderately complex scenes. Rather than using heavily parameterized models for the tracking of foreground regions, we suggest the modeling of objects based on the bounding boxes that contain them. The algorithm describes a novel integration of dynamic reference frame differencing and coarse motion estimation to overcome the various occlusion problems encountered in multiple object tracking. Change detection is performed by taking the difference between the current frame and a dynamic reference frame, where the reference frame is adaptively updated over time to account for changes in the background, illumination variations, and the like. Video object segmentation establishes a mapping from this binary change detection map to an indexed segmentation map by utilizing coarse directional information in addition to the size and position of connected foreground regions. We employ adaptive linear predictive filtering of the bounding box model in conjunction with the motion displacement estimates to accurately track multiple occluding objects. Once the video is segmented into foreground and background areas, we search within a subset of the foreground bounding boxes using chrominance histogram matching to detect facial regions.
Submarine Slope Erosion along Permian Bank Margin, West Texas: ASBTRACT

Recent sea floor investigations, such as those of the western Atlantic-Blake Plateau region by Heezen and Stetson and coworkers, indicate extensive erosion by deep ocean currents on flat surfaces and on steeper submarine slopes. Evidence of small-scale submarine erosion of lithified crusts or skeletal material is increasingly being recognized, but few examples of ancient unconformities are known that represent appreciable erosion in a deep marine environment. Forming the 2 major unconformities of the Leonardian and Guadalupian strata of the Guadalupe Mountains of Texas required extensive erosion; that this erosion and the creation of numerous small channels and diastems in associated strata occurred in a continually submerged, relatively deep, marine environment best fits the present geologic data. The 2 unconformities are roughly parallel. They form the upper and lower boundaries of the dark basinal carbonates of the Cutoff Formation. The lower unconformity, disconformable shelfward, steepens basinward to 5-10° and truncates over 200 m of essentially flat-lying Victorio Peak bank margin carbonates before flattening basinward. This unconformity probably inherited the relief of a gentler bank margin depositional profile. Erosion steepened and caused bankward slope retreat for possibly hundreds of meters. The upper unconformity locally intersects the lower and is onlapped by about 300 m of the Brushy Canyon Formation, composed largely of deep water sandstones. These unconformities and associated diastems are generally smooth, sharp surfaces, showing scant evidence of the environment of erosion, but broad gentle undulations, and spoon-shaped, possibly closed depressions, some with tens of meters of relief, appear characteristic of both unconformities. Several V- to U-shaped basin-trending channels are present locally. The mid-Permian bank margin of the classic Guadalupe Mountain area appears to furnish an outcrop analog for some of the processes of both deposition and erosion along deep submarine slopes. The possibility that deep marine erosion created many unconformities of the geologic record should be considered seriously. End_of_Article - Last_Page 358------------
Do dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors increase the risk of heart failure?

An association between diabetes and the risk of heart failure has been seen in observational studies. The mechanism is undefined, and it remains unclear whether dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 this association is related to concomitant medical problems associated with diabetes (e.g., ischemic heart
Fusing multisensor and multisource data with implicit knowledge for monitoring

This paper describes a series of experiments in data fusion of remotely sensed multispectral satellite imagery, in-situ physical measurement data (temperature, pH, salinity), and implicitly encoded knowledge (contained in location and season) to predict values and classified levels of chlorophyll-a using an artificial neural net (ANN). ANNs inherently fuse data inputs and discover relationships to provide a fused interpretation of the inputs. The experiments investigated the effects of fusing data and knowledge from the three different types of sources: non-contact, physical contact, and implicit. The results indicate that fusing the three source types improved prediction of chlorophyll-a values and classification levels, and that the multisource ANN fusion approach might improve or augment present periodic sample point monitoring methods for chlorophyll-a.
Jet detrainment at a stratified interface

Using laboratory water-tank experiments, detrainment from a vertical jet rising through a density interface is explored. The experiments reveal that detrainment only occurs for a specific range of two governing parameters, the Richardson number associated with the vortices and the normalized interface height. The shape of the detrainment domain is explained with simple physical arguments involving velocity gradients, baroclinic torques between the pure unmixed fluid and the environment, and baroclinic torques between the mixed fluid and the surrounding fluid. Detrainment is only observed when the penetrating jet consists of fluid with two different densities.
Bull Sperm Binding to Oviductal Epithelium Is Mediated by a Ca2+-Dependent Lectin on Sperm That Recognizes Lewis-a Trisaccharide

Sperm binding to oviductal epithelium produces a reservoir in vivo that may serve to maintain sperm fertility and provide sperm for fertilization when ovulation occurs. Previously, it was determined that bull sperm binding could be blocked by fucoidan and its component fucose; furthermore, treatment of epithelium with fucosidase prevented binding. The present study was conducted to further characterize binding. Because fucose would probably be present on the epithelium as part of oligosaccharide moieties of glycoproteins and/or glycolipids, competitive binding inhibition activity was tested for fucose in five linkages commonly found in oligosaccharides. Binding inhibition was assayed by determining the concentration of motile, frozen/thawed sperm bound to fresh epithelial explants in the presence of test inhibitors. Initially, 5 monosaccharides were tested at 30 mM (fucose, mannose, sialic acid, glucose, N-acetyl glucosamine, and galactose), and only fucose significantly reduced sperm binding compared to vehicle control (p = 0.03). Of the oligosaccharides tested (lacto-N-fucopentaose I, 3-fucosyllactose, Lewis-X, Lewis-a, and GlcNAcbeta1-4[Fucalpha1-6]GlcNAc-O-Me), only Lewis-a significantly reduced binding, and it did so in a dose-dependent fashion (p = 0.009 at 12.5 mM). Ca2+ dependency of binding was examined. Sperm were incubated with explants in Tyrode's albumin lactate pyruvate (TALP) containing 2 mM CaCl2 or lacking CaCl2 and containing 2 mM EGTA. Sperm-binding density was reduced significantly in EGTA (p < 0.03) but could be restored by readdition of CaCl2. Also, live sperm were labeled with the oligosaccharide ligand Lewis-a conjugated to fluorescein isothiocyanate-tagged polyacrylamide. Sperm exhibited labeling on the head only in the presence of Ca2+. Labeling could be blocked by fucose or Lewis-a-polyacrylamide. It was concluded that bull sperm bind to an oligosaccharide ligand on the oviductal epithelium that resembles Lewis-a and that binding is Ca2+-dependent.
A study of optimal membrane triangles with drilling freedoms

Abstract This article compares derivation methods for constructing optimal membrane triangles with corner drilling freedoms. The term “optimal” is used in the sense of exact inplane pure-bending response of rectangular mesh units of arbitrary aspect ratio. Following a comparative summary of element formulation approaches, the construction of an optimal three-node triangle using the ANDES formulation is presented. The construction is based upon techniques developed by 1991 in student term projects, but taking advantage of the more general framework of templates developed since. The optimal element that fits the ANDES template is shown to be unique if energy orthogonality constraints are enforced. Two other formulations are examined and compared with the optimal model. Retrofitting the conventional linear strain triangle element by midpoint-migrating and congruential transformations is shown unable to produce an optimal element, while rank deficiency is inevitable. Use of the quadratic strain field of the 1988 Allman triangle, or linear filtered versions thereof, is also unable to reproduce the optimal element. Moreover these elements exhibit serious aspect ratio lock. These predictions are verified on benchmark examples.