cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanical modeling of tiled Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) microdisplay

Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) microdisplays is a viable technology for applications in projection and near-to-eye displays. As the performance of the microdisplay is related to the image quality, the characterization and understanding of the critical factors affecting the image quality need to be studied. The overall objective of this work is to establish a quantitative understanding of the functional performance of the tiled LCoS microdisplay as a function of thermal gradients and mechanical stress. The initial design calls for a three-tile configuration. Such a device needs to be assembled to very exacting tolerances, and must be able to undergo all of the assembly, and operating conditions without significant changes in the critical parameters, namely tile gap, cell gap and/or, silicon tile warpage. The ongoing work deals with the thermomechanical performance simulation of the 3-tile LCoS microdisplay during operating conditions. The focus of this work is to maintain the critical parameters, cell and tile gap, within the prescribed tolerances. Finite element analysis has been used for this purpose and three-dimensional quarter symmetry models have been built to conduct a thorough study of the effect of operating conditions on the critical parameters. The proposed initial design was further improved by conducting parametric studies on material and dimensional parameters. Further, the sub-modeling technique has been used to conduct convergence studies that are essential in finite element analysis.
Board Meetings, Committee Structure, and Firm Performance

In this study, we study the relationship between the level of board monitoring activity and firm value for a broad panel of firms over a six-year period from 1999 to 2005. We develop and examine several proxies for the level and intensity of board monitoring based on board activity and committee structure. Our first proxy is the number of annual board meetings and our second proxy relates to the number of director-days devoted to monitoring. We use pooled and fixed effect structural models to examine the relationship between firm value and board monitoring as captured by these proxies. Other proxies we use are based on the committee structure reflecting the increased political and regulatory focus on the role of these committees. Specifically, we use the shift to a fully independent Audit and Compensation Committee and the initiation of a Nominating Committee to proxy for an increase in monitoring activity. We show that prior performance, firm characteristics, and governance characteristics, appear to be a important determinants of board monitoring activity as captured by our proxies. We also show that the efforts of a board are driven by corporate events, such as an acquisition or restatements of financial statements. Our results indicate that the increased oversight and monitoring by the board has led to some increase in firm value.
A generalized Gompertz-Rayleigh model as a survival distribution

Abstract A generalized Gompertz-Rayleigh distribution is proposed as a potential survival distribution for the case of modeling dual components of risk acting on a population. The hazard function is expressed as the sum of two risks. The early risk component allows for either a high initial death rate that can decrease rapidly or an initial death rate that increases to a maximum before decaying. The late risk component is generally relatively constant with the possibility of an increase after a long followup period. An example is provided based on data collected on 569 patients who were operated on for the simultaneous replacement of aortic and mitral heart valves at the University of Alabama in Birmingham Medical Center.
Models for liquid–liquid partition in the system dimethyl sulfoxide–organic solvent and their use for estimating descriptors for organic compounds

Partition coefficients for varied compounds were determined for the organic solvent-dimethyl sulfoxide biphasic partition system where the organic solvent is n-heptane or isopentyl ether. These partition coefficient databases are analyzed using the solvation parameter model facilitating a quantitative comparison of the dimethyl sulfoxide-based partition systems with other totally organic partition systems. Dimethyl sulfoxide is a moderately cohesive solvent, reasonably dipolar/polarizable and strongly hydrogen-bond basic. Although generally considered to be non-hydrogen-bond acidic, analysis of the partition coefficient database strongly supports reclassification as a weak hydrogen-bond acid in agreement with recent literature. The system constants for the n-heptane-dimethyl sulfoxide biphasic system provide an explanation of the mechanism for the selective isolation of polycyclic aromatic compounds from mixtures containing low-polarity hydrocarbons based on the capability of the polar interactions (dipolarity/polarizability and hydrogen-bonding) to overcome the opposing cohesive forces in dimethyl sulfoxide that are absent for the interactions with hydrocarbons of low polarity. In addition, dimethyl sulfoxide-organic solvent systems afford a complementary approach to other totally organic biphasic partition systems for descriptor measurements of compounds virtually insoluble in water.
Antigenemia in Recently Acquired Acute Toxoplasmosis

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), designed to detect low concentrations of antigens of Toxoplasma gondii, was used to determine whether antigenemia is present in patients with recently acquired acute toxoplasmosis. The ELISA detected antigenemia in 15 (65.2%) of 23 sera from 22 patients with recently acquired acute toxoplasmosis. Antigenemia was not detected in sera from 28 normal (seronegative for antibodies to Toxoplasma) individuals or from 55 individuals chronically infected with T. gondii. Sera from 13 individuals who were not infected with Toxoplasma but who had circulating rheumatoid factor were positive with normal and Toxoplasma-infected rabbit IgG but not with the F(ab)2 fractions. Sera from each of the 15 patients in the acute phase of infection did react with the F(ab)2 fraction of Toxoplasrma-infected rabbit IgG but not with the F(ab)2 fraction of normal rabbit IgG. In preliminary studies, toxoplasma antigens were also detected in amniotic fluid and cerebrospinal fluid of newborns with congenital toxoplasmosis. Antigenemia has been demonstrated in humans during the acute phase of infection with a number of different organisms, and detection of such antigenemia has proved useful as a diagnostic procedure [1-4]. Recent studies in laboratory animals 15] and in humans [6] have suggested that antigenemia may be present during the acute phase of infection with Toxoplasma gondii as well. We report here our findings of antigenemia in a significant percentage of patients with a recent history of the lymphadenopathic form of recently acquired acute toxoplasmosis, and we also report a rapid and simple method for detection of toxoplasma antigenemia.
One-Dimensional Dynamic Compressive Behavior of EPDM Rubber

Dynamic compressive stress-strain curves at various strain rates of an Ethylene-Propylene-Diene Monomer Copolymer (EPDM) rubber have been determined with a modified split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB). The use of a pulse-shaping technique ensures that the specimen deforms at a nearly constant strain rate under dynamically equilibrated stress. The validity of the experiments was monitored by a high-speed digital camera for specimen edge deformation, and by piezoelectric force transducers for dynamic stress equilibrium. The resulting dynamic stress-strain curves for the EPDM indicate that the material is sensitive to strain rates and that the strain-rate sensitivity depends on the value of strain. Based on a strain energy function theory, a one-dimensional dynamic constitutive equation for this rubber was modified to describe the high strain-rate experimental results within the ranges of strain and strain rates presented in this paper.
Ultrafast solvation dynamics at binding and active sites of photolyases

Dynamic solvation at binding and active sites is critical to protein recognition and enzyme catalysis. We report here the complete characterization of ultrafast solvation dynamics at the recognition site of photoantenna molecule and at the active site of cofactor/substrate in enzyme photolyase by examining femtosecond-resolved fluorescence dynamics and the entire emission spectra. With direct use of intrinsic antenna and cofactor chromophores, we observed the local environment relaxation on the time scales from a few picoseconds to nearly a nanosecond. Unlike conventional solvation where the Stokes shift is apparent, we observed obvious spectral shape changes with the minor, small, and large spectral shifts in three function sites. These emission profile changes directly reflect the modulation of chromophore’s excited states by locally constrained protein and trapped-water collective motions. Such heterogeneous dynamics continuously tune local configurations to optimize photolyase’s function through resonance energy transfer from the antenna to the cofactor for energy efficiency and then electron transfer between the cofactor and the substrate for repair of damaged DNA. Such unusual solvation and synergetic dynamics should be general in function sites of proteins.
Comparison and quantitation of Ia antigen expression on cultured macroglia and ameboid microglia from Lewis rat cerebral cortex: analyses and implications.

Abstract We isolated two subclasses of astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and ameboid microglia from Lewis rat cerebral cortex and analyzed Ia antigen expression on each glial cell type by immunofluorescent microscopy and cytofluorometry. All of these expressed little or no Ia without interferon-γ (IFN-γ) treatment. Following IFN-γ treatment, Ia expression was observed on a majority (∼ 80%) of ameboid microglia, on half (∼ 55%) of the type 1 astrocytes, on a small number (∼ 7%) of type 2 astrocytes, but not on oligodendrocytes. These findings suggest that the type 1 astrocyte and microglia may play more predominant roles in Ia-related, immune-mediated intracerebral lesions although the type 2 astrocytes may also be involved.
Controllable states in compressible elastic dielectrics

Ein kontrollierter Zustand ist definiert als einer, in welchem eine endliche statische Verformung und entweder das elektrische Feld oder das dielektrische Verschiebungsfeld anfanglich vorgeschrieben sind. Es kann gezeigt werden, dass der resultierende Zustand ohne Volumkrafte oder Ladungen in jedem homogenen, isotropen und zusammendruckbaren Dielektrikum hervorgerufen werden kann.
Siderophore-Mediated Dissolution of Hematite (α-Fe2O3): Effects of Nanoparticle Size

This study focused on the effects of particle size (3.6, 8.6, and 40 nm) on hematite dissolution by the siderophore desferrioxa- mine-B (DFOB) at pH 3, 5, and 7 and 22°C, to 48 hours. In the presence of DFOB, batch dissolution was enhanced and consisted of an initial fast release of “labile” Fe followed by “steady state” dissolution. Dissolution rates decreased with increasing pH and were up to an order of magnitude faster for particles <10 nm. The <10 nm particles have a more hydroxyl-rich (near) surface structure and likely contain a higher density of surface active sites, resulting in faster dissolution kinetics. These results suggest that hematite nanoparticles <10 nm in size are likely to have enhanced bioavailability to aerobic microorganisms.
Contact Toxicity and Residual Efficacy of Indoxacarb against the European Earwig (Dermaptera: Forficulidae)

Indoxacarb (Arilon 20WG) was evaluated against a nuisance pest, the European earwig (Forficula auricularia), and was found to be an effective contact toxicant with residual activity on substrates commonly encountered in urban environments. Within 16 h of being directly sprayed with indoxacarb, ≥90% of earwigs from two populations were either ataxic, moribund, or dead, and 100% displayed these symptoms of severe intoxication at 1 d. Brief exposure (5 min or 1 h) to dried residues on either a porous (pine wood) or non-porous (ceramic tile) substrate also was sufficient to cause severe intoxication of earwigs within 1 d. In all bioassays, indoxacarb-treated earwigs showed no signs of recovery during the 21-d observation period. In outdoor urban habitats, intoxicated earwigs would be more vulnerable to desiccation, predation, or pathogens leading to higher mortality than in a laboratory setting.
Heat Transfer and Flow on the Squealer Tip of a Gas Turbine Blade

Experimental investigations are performed to measure the detailed heat transfer coefficient and static pressure distributions on the squealer tip of a gas turbine blade in a five-bladed stationary linear cascade. The blade is a 2-dimensional model of a modem first stage gas turbine rotor blade with a blade tip profile of a GE-E(sup 3) aircraft gas turbine engine rotor blade. A squealer (recessed) tip with a 3.77% recess is considered here. The data on the squealer tip are also compared with a flat tip case. All measurements are made at three different tip gap clearances of about 1%, 1.5%, and 2.5% of the blade span. Two different turbulence intensities of 6.1% and 9.7% at the cascade inlet are also considered for heat transfer measurements. Static pressure measurements are made in the mid-span and near-tip regions, as well as on the shroud surface opposite to the blade tip surface. The flow condition in the test cascade corresponds to an overall pressure ratio of 1.32 and an exit Reynolds number based on the axial chord of 1.1 x 10(exp 6). A transient liquid crystal technique is used to measure the heat transfer coefficients. Results show that the heat transfer coefficient on the cavity surface and rim increases with an increase in tip clearance. 'Me heat transfer coefficient on the rim is higher than the cavity surface. The cavity surface has a higher heat transfer coefficient near the leading edge region than the trailing edge region. The heat transfer coefficient on the pressure side rim and trailing edge region is higher at a higher turbulence intensity level of 9.7% over 6.1 % case. However, no significant difference in local heat transfer coefficient is observed inside the cavity and the suction side rim for the two turbulence intensities. The squealer tip blade provides a lower overall heat transfer coefficient when compared to the flat tip blade.
The big push, industrialization and international trade: The role of exports

Abstract This paper analyzes the “late” industrializations of South Korea and Taiwan, and how they can be produced by an export promotion policy. The paper adopts an open economy version of the well-known big push model. Thus, it recovers neoclassical accounts of industrialization through exports, complementing previous literature, which tends to show the existence of the big push, but is scarce on trade mechanisms to produce it. The model fits well with some stylized facts of the industrializations in East and Southeast Asia. I also apply it to a comparison of the education policies of East Asia and Latin America.
Income Inequality, Mobility, and Turnover at the Top in the US, 1987-2010

Abstract While cross-sectional data show increasing income inequality in the United States, it is also important to examine how incomes change over time. Using income tax data, this paper provides new evidence on long-term and intergenerational mobility, and persistence at the top of the income distribution. Half of those aged 35-40 in the top or bottom quintile in 1987 remain there in 2007; the others have moved up or down. While 30 percent of dependents aged 15-18 from bottom quintile households are themselves in the bottom quintile after 20 years, most have moved up. Persistence is lower in the highest income groups.
Differential Diagnosis of Angina Pectoris

The diagnosis and differential diagnosis of angina pectoris depend on obtaining an adequate history. Problems in diagnosis arise because of confusion of terminology, language difficulties, symptoms resembling noncardiac disease or vice versa, and the coexistence of angina pectoris with disease of other organs. Problems in differential diagnosis arise because symptoms resembling angina may result from disease or abnormal function of the brain, skeletal system, gastrointestinal system, or structures in the bony thorax or within the thoracic cage. The most difficult problems in differential diagnosis arise from psychoneurosis and gallbladder disease. Careful history taking will resolve the problem in most instances, prolonged observation will settle the question in others. To date, no objective tests have been adequate to determine whether or not the patient is subject to attacks of pain due to the physiologic effects of coronary artery pathology or dysfunction.
N-methylpiperidinemethyl, N-methylpyrrolidyl and N-methylpyrrolidinemethyl esters as PET radiotracers for acetylcholinesterase activity

Abstract The N -[ 11 C]methylpiperidinyl esters are used as radiopharmaceuticals for measuring brain cholinesterase activity. We have synthesized a series of N -methylpiperidinemethyl ( 1 ), N -methylpyrrolidinyl ( 2 ) and N -methylpyrrolidinemethyl ( 3 ) esters and examined the effects of sterric constraint and stereochemistry on cholinesterase-mediated cleavage. Acetylcholinesterase exhibited a preference for primary esters 1 and for the R -isomers of both 1 and 2 . Biological data for ( S )- N -[ 11 C]methyl-2-piperidinemethyl acetate ( 1a ) were similar to [ 11 C]AMP. These data better define the structure-activity relationships for cholinesterase radiotracers and provide lead compounds for 18 F- labeling.
Sex differences in purchasing textbooks online

In a series of studies, female students at an urban university tended to demonstrate fewer computer/Internet skills than male students, and their level of skill was a more consistent predictor of purchasing textbooks online. These results were not replicated at a rural state college with less computer-skilled students.
YouTubeCat: Learning to categorize wild web videos

Automatic categorization of videos in a Web-scale unconstrained collection such as YouTube is a challenging task. A key issue is how to build an effective training set in the presence of missing, sparse or noisy labels. We propose to achieve this by first manually creating a small labeled set and then extending it using additional sources such as related videos, searched videos, and text-based webpages. The data from such disparate sources has different properties and labeling quality, and thus fusing them in a coherent fashion is another practical challenge. We propose a fusion framework in which each data source is first combined with the manually-labeled set independently. Then, using the hierarchical taxonomy of the categories, a Conditional Random Field (CRF) based fusion strategy is designed. Based on the final fused classifier, category labels are predicted for the new videos. Extensive experiments on about 80K videos from 29 most frequent categories in YouTube show the effectiveness of the proposed method for categorizing large-scale wild Web videos1.
Idiopathic membranous nephropathy in pediatric patients: presentation, response to therapy, and long-term outcome.

Idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) is one of the most common causes of primary nephrotic syndrome in adults. However, it is a relatively rare entity in the pediatric population and there is a paucity of data about the incidence, prognosis, and optimal treatment of IMN in children and adolescents. We conducted this study to evaluate pediatric patients with IMN in order to clarify the presentation, response to therapy, and clinical outcome. A retrospective chart review was performed on patients identified with biopsy-proven IMN between 1988–2005. Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus or hepatitis-related lesions were excluded. The following data were tabulated: age, gender, ethnicity, presenting clinical and laboratory findings, proteinuria in a first morning urine specimen, estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFRe), histopathology, type and duration of treatment, and clinical status at final evaluation. 13 cases of IMN were identified out of 460 renal biopsies performed for evaluation of primary kidney disease during the study interval. Mean age was 9.6 ± 4.6, gender 6 M:7 F, ethnicity 8 W:2 B:3 H. At the initial visit hematuria was present in 9 patients, edema in 5, nephrotic-range proteinuria in 5, and hypertension in 3. Mean urinary protein:creatinine ratio 3.3 ± 2.5 and all patients had a normal GFRe. Classic glomerular findings of IMN were seen in all renal specimens, with concomitant interstitial changes in 2 cases. Treatment included an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker in 11 cases. Most patients were also given immunosuppressive medications – prednisone in 10, a calcineurin inhibitor in 5, and mycophenolate mofetil or azathioprine in 3 patients. At the last follow-up, 42 ± 35 months after the diagnostic biopsy, 7 children were hypertensive and the urine protein:creatinine ratio was 2.3 ± 3.1. The mean GFRe was 127 ± 57 mL/min/m2. Three patients had Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 3, all of whom were also hypertensive. IMN is a rare but serious glomerulopathy in pediatrics. We estimate that it accounts for approximately 3% of renal biopsies. Long-term prognosis is guarded because approximately 50% of patients may have evidence of progressive kidney disease.
Shock pulse attenuation in a nonlinear viscoelastic solid

Abstract T hin , one-dimensional shock pulses were generated in a nonlinear viscoelastic material (polymethyl methacrylate) by a new experimental technique. The observed pulse attenuation was compared with an approximate theory based on the viscoelastic shock amplitude equation. The central assumption of this approximate theory is that the unloading wave propagates as a simple wave. Given an initial pulse shape it is shown that the attenuation and the pulse shape at any later time are accurately approximated. The calculated attenuation in polymethyl methacrylate agreed well with the experimental results.
Uric acid synthesis in embryos of the pulmonate pond snail, Limnaea palustris: evidence for a unique pathway

Abstract 1. 1. Uric acid accumulates in the kidney and urates accumulate in the foot and digestive gland of L. palustris embryos as these organs differentiate. 2. 2. Terminal catabolism of purines in 6-day embryos is apparently similar to that in other animals. 3. 3. The intact pyrimidine ring of uracil is apparently incorporated into xanthine and uric acid in 6-day embryos, as indicated by the conversion of uridine-2-14C to uric acid-2-14C. This pathway has not been reported in any other organism.
Paperless healthcare: Progress and challenges of an IT-enabled healthcare system

Abstract For most Americans, a trip to the doctor's office or a hospital stay necessitates that medical personnel search through paper charts and records as care is administered. This remains the status quo, despite the increasingly large role that electronic communication plays in other aspects of our business and personal lives. The elevated use of information technology (IT) in healthcare settings—primarily via utilization of electronic health records (EHRs), which allow information to be readily communicated and shared among healthcare providers—has been advocated as a means of improving quality of care and helping to control healthcare costs over the long term. Yet, hastened implementation of healthcare IT will require considerable cost incursion in the near term, and will present various other challenges that must be addressed. Herein, we examine the merits and benefits of healthcare IT, as well as the costs and other challenges that may serve as obstacles to its wider implementation and use. We conclude with a set of recommendations designed to increase the likelihood that extensive expansion in the use of healthcare IT will yield the desired benefits.
An etalon stabilized 10-GHz comb source using a slab coupled waveguide amplifier

An optical comb source based on a slab-coupled optical waveguide amplifier (SCOWA) is presented. The laser is harmonically mode-locked at 10.287 GHz repetition rate and stabilized to an intra-cavity Fabry-Perot etalon via Pound- Drever-Hall locking. The Fabry-Perot etalon serves as a reference for the optical frequency of the comb-lines and suppresses the fiber cavity modes to allow only a single longitudinal mode-set to oscillate, generating a frequency comb spaced by the repetition rate. The pulse-to-pulse timing jitter and energy fluctuations are < 2 fs and < 0.03%, respectively (integrated from 1Hz to 100 MHz). Fundamental to this result is the incorporation of the SCOW amplifier as the gain medium and the use of an ultra-low noise sapphire-loaded cavity oscillator to mode-lock the laser. The SCOWA has higher saturation power than commercially available gain media, permitting higher intra-cavity power as well as available power at the output, increasing the power of the photodetected RF tones which increases their signal-to-noise ratio. A high visibility optical frequency comb is observed spanning ~3 nm (at -10 dB), with optical SNR > 60 dB for a cavity with no dispersion compensation. Initial results of a dispersion compensated cavity are presented. A spectral width of ~7.6 nm (-10 dB) was obtained for this case and the pulses can be compressed to near the transform limit at ~930 fs.
Compressive Buckling of Sandwich Plates on Longitudinal Elastic Line Supports

In this paper an analysis of the stiffness requirements for compressive buckling of simply supported rectangular plates supported on longitudinal lines of elastic springs with stiffness independent of buckle wave length is extended to honeycomb core sandwich plates with isotropic faces and with cores which carry no bending stress and have orthotropic transverse shearing properties. The axes of orthotropy of the core are parallel to the plate edges. Calculations have been carried out for long plates with various core stiffness properties. The results indicate that the elastic support stiffness required to achieve buckling with nodes at the supports increases significantly as the core shear stiffness decreases. When the support stiffness depends on the buckle wave-length, however, as for a longitudinal stiffener, the required beam bending stiffness of the stiffener is not affected as much and may actually decrease with decreasing core shear stiffness.
An examination of stability in cohesive zone modeling

Stable crack propagation hinges on the driving force and the resistance. In the context of a cohesive approach to fracture, properly resolving the cohesive zone ensures that the resistance is in equilibrium with the driving force. Additional restrictions on the mesh size can stem from crack stability. For high strength, low toughness (brittle) materials, the requirements for stability can exceed those for cohesive zone resolution. Examples in 1-D and 2-D reveal that decrements in the mesh size transition the system from indefinite to positive definite. Moreover, small decreases in the mesh size beyond the transition provide substantial reductions in the condition number. We contrast a physical instability resulting from material properties, geometry, or boundary conditions from a numerical instability resulting from the mesh size and propose that the selected discretization should ensure that the cohesive zone is both resolved and stabilized.
Combinatorial temporal patterning in progenitors expands neural diversity

Human outer subventricular zone (OSVZ) neural progenitors and Drosophila type II neuroblasts both generate intermediate neural progenitors (INPs) that populate the adult cerebral cortex or central complex, respectively. It is unknown whether INPs simply expand or also diversify neural cell types. Here we show that Drosophila INPs sequentially generate distinct neural subtypes, that INPs sequentially express Dichaete, Grainy head and Eyeless transcription factors, and that these transcription factors are required for the production of distinct neural subtypes. Moreover, parental type II neuroblasts also sequentially express transcription factors and generate different neuronal/glial progeny over time, providing a second temporal identity axis. We conclude that neuroblast and INP temporal patterning axes act together to generate increased neural diversity within the adult central complex; OSVZ progenitors may use similar mechanisms to increase neural diversity in the human brain.
Ensemble Based Data Fusion from Parietal Region Event Related Potentials for Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease

As a natural consequence of steady increase of average population age in developed countries, Alzheimer's disease is becoming an increasingly important public health concern. The financial and emotional toll of the disease is exacerbated with lack of standard diagnostic procedures available at the community clinics and hospitals, where most patients are evaluated. In our recent preliminary results, we have reported that the event related potentials (ERPs) of the electroencephalogram can be used to train an ensemble-based classifier for automated diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. In this study, we present an updated alternative approach by combining complementary information provided by ERPs obtained from several parietal region electrodes. The results indicate that ERPs obtained from parietal region of the cortex carry substantial complementary diagnostic information. Specifically, the diagnostic ability of such an approach is substantially better, compared to the performance obtained by using data from any of the individual electrodes alone. Furthermore, the diagnostic performance of the proposed approach compares very favorably to that obtained at community clinics and hospitals.
Localization and partial purification of a neutral-active phospholipase A2 from BCG-induced rabbit alveolar macrophages.

The localization and partial purification of a Ca2+-dependent, membrane associated phospholipase A2 (phosphatide 2-acylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.4) from BCG-induced rabbit alveolar macrophages is described. Phospholipase A activity was determined using autoclaved Escherichia coli, the phospholipids of which were labelled in the 2-acyl position with [1-14C]oleate. Sonicated macrophages or granule preparations exhibited maximal phospholipase A2 activity at pH 7.0, with 5 mM Ca2+. Activity was quantitatively recovered in the pellet after centrifugation of homogenates at 100 000 x g, indicating that the enzyme is membrane-associated. At least two populations of macrophage granules were separated that contained phospholipase A2 activity. Plasma membranes enriched 15-fold with respect to alkaline phosphodiesterase I were devoid of phospholipase activity. The enzyme was purified 1278-fold in a yield of 34%, was active over a broad pH range, and was extremely sensitive to low concentrations of Ca2+. Mg2+ and Mn2+ would not substitute for Ca2+, 1 mM EDTA completely inhibited enzymatic activity. Absolute specificity for the 2-position was demonstrated using 1-[1-14C]stearyl-2-acyl 3-sn-glycerophosphorylethanolamine as substrate. Phospholipase A2 activity was inhibited by the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent indomethacin; the amount of drug required for 50% inhibition was 5 . 10(-4) M.
Role of growth hormone in the alteration of carbohydrate metabolism induced by oral contraceptive agents.

To assess the role of growth hormone (GH) secretion in causing the deleterious effect of oral contraceptive agents (OCA) on carbohydrate metabolism, tolbutamide tolerance tests were performed on 13 normal females and 8 hypopituitary women on thyroid and glucocorticoid replacement before starting and 3 and 6 months after taking OCA. After a combined oral agent, the normal subjects showed no change in fasting glucose, free fatty acid (FFA), and insulin concentrations, but did manifest (after resting 45–60 min) marginally increased fasting GH and, as expected, glucocorticoid levels. There was a significant impairment of the glucose fall and an enhancement of both GH response and FFA recovery following tolbutamide. Although the insulin response was unchanged after OCA, the responses in the same subject on three separate tolbutamide tests were significantly correlated with each other. This suggests that the quickly releasable pool of insulin remains constant in a single individual and is unaffected by OCA. The...
Microcirculations in turbulent flows.

Velocity circulations over infinitesimal fluid contours (microcirculations) are considered. A statistical evolution of microcirculations is studied (in particular, initial tendencies) with various initial orientations of fluid contours relative to the vorticity field. The obtained exact results suggest another direction for numerical experiments in turbulence.
Rhesus Leukocyte-associated Herpesvirus, II. Natural and Experimental Infection

Leukocyte-associated herpesvirus (LAHV) commonly infects Indian rhesus monkeys both in the jungle and in laboratory colonies. Experimentally inoculated and naturally infected rhesus monkeys have been shown to harbor LAHV for long periods without signs of illness. Virus was most readily isolated from lymphoid tissues and peripheral blood leukocytes, but was also occasionally present in oropharyngeal swabs. Complement-fixing but not neutralizing antibodies were shown in several other species of Old World monkeys, which suggests that infection with related viruses may occur in other primates. The long-term persistence of LAHV in rhesus monkey leukocytes provides a useful model for evaluation of the relationships between herpesviruses and their hosts.
The rise of the robo notice

Examining the conflicting claims involving the use of automated tools in copyright-related notice-and-takedown procedures.
Experimental and Theoretical Investigation into the Gold-Catalyzed Reactivity of Cyclopropenylmethyl Acetates

Cyclopropenylmethyl acetates have been shown to undergo rapid and stereoselective gold catalyzed rearrangement to Z-acetoxydienes in high yield. DFT calculations have shown that while several reaction pathways can be envisaged only a single, ring-opening one operates.
Program to determine growth and decline functions from semi -longitudinal data

Descrlpdon. The semi-longitudinal method is appropriate for computing growth functions of subject characteristics when two or more measures are available for each of a large number of subjects over any part of the lite span. It is not necessary that the measures be taken at the same chronological ages (CA) for all individuals. The rationale for the semi-longitudinal method is presented in Fisher and Zeaman (1970). The program computes an average slope of the function for each CA interval using data from all subjects whose measures either fall within that interval or span it. These slopes determine the shape of the semi-longitudinal function. The absolute level of the curve is determined by a least-squares tit of the curve to the mean cross-sectional values for each interval. Regression coefticients. m and b. are computed for the equation x = m(l leA) + b. where x is the slope of the semi-longitudinal function corresponding to each C A interval. The correlation coefficient for the regression is also computed. This linear regression function should tit well when the growth function is logarithmic.
Timolleon's Misssion to Sicily and its Political Background

(1960). Timolleon’s Misssion to Sicily and its Political Background. The Historian: Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 1-22.
Koch is dead.

Although the foundation of Koch's postulates, that “if an agent is the cause of disease in one individual it should be capable of causing disease in a second individual,” is basically sound, the ritual that has evolved into present day experimental studies has obscured almost completely what occurs in natural processes outside the laboratory. Through a series of examples, it is emphasized that just bringing the host and the parasite together is not enough, but that the circumstances under which this is done is equally important. These circumstances include: the prior history of the host; the host's behavioral patterns, environmental conditioning, and disease history; the circumstances of exposure; and the environmental factors related to the host and the parasite. Of equal importance is the individual variation (genetic, physiologic, immunologic, etc.) of the host and the individual variation (strains, immunogenicity, pathogenicity, virulence, etc.) of the parasite. Because the rigor of the present day “s...
Vitamin K-dependent gamma-carboxyglutamic acid formation by mouse renal adenocarcinoma cells (RAG).

Previous studies have identified γ-carboxyglutamic acid as a constituent of one or more protein(s) synthesized by rat and chicken kidney microsomes in vitro in a vitamin K-dependent post-translational reaction [1]. Incubation of microsomes from a mouse kidney cell line (RAG) with [14C]NaHCO3 results in formation of protein-bound [14C]γ-carboxyglutamic acid. Incorporation is stimulated threefold by addition of the active vitamin K compound 2-methyl, 3-farnesyl, 1,4-naphthoquinone. At least 90% of incorporated, nondialyzable [14C] is situated in the γ-carboxyl group of γ-carboxyglutamic acid residues.
TRK-820, a selective kappa opioid receptor agonist, could effectively ameliorate L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia symptoms in a rat model of Parkinson's disease

Long-term therapy with L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) in parkinsonian patients is known to lead to dyskinesia within a few years, and repeated administration of L-DOPA is also likely to alter the expression of kappa opioid receptors in the basal ganglia, especially the striatum and substantia nigra pars reticulata, suggesting that kappa opioid receptors might be deeply involved in motor functions. Therefore, effects of TRK-820 ((E)-N-[17-(cyclopropylmethyl)-4,5alpha-epoxy-3,14-dihydroxymorphinan-6beta-yl]-3-(furan-3-yl)-N-methylprop-2-enamide monohydrochloride), a selective kappa opioid receptor agonist, were investigated on rotational behavior in unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-treated rats (hemi-parkinsonian rats) and on L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia produced by administering L-DOPA to hemi-parkinsonian rats for 3 weeks (dyskinesia rats). A single administration of subcutaneous TRK-820 significantly increased spontaneous ipsilateral rotational behavior of hemi-parkinsonian rats at 30 microg/kg though the efficacy was moderate and also significantly inhibited L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia at 10 and 30 microg/kg; this inhibition was reversed in the presence of nor-binaltorphimine, a kappa opioid receptor antagonist. In vivo microdialysis study, TRK-820 (30 microg/kg, s.c.) significantly inhibited L-DOPA-derived extracellular dopamine content in the 6-OHDA-treated striatum in dyskinesia rats, but not in hemi-parkinsonian rats. Moreover, the development of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia was suppressed by the 3-week co-administration of TRK-820 (3 and 10 microg/kg, s.c.) with L-DOPA. These results have suggested that TRK-820 ameliorates L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia with a moderate anti-parkinsonian effect by inhibiting L-DOPA-induced excessive dopamine release through kappa opioid receptors only in dyskinesia rats; therefore, TRK-820 is expected to become a useful agent for the treatment of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia.
Embolization of a uterine arteriovenous malformation followed by a twin pregnancy

Abstract Background Uterine arteriovenous malformation is a lesion that can cause recurrent pregnancy loss. Very few successful pregnancies have been reported after selective embolization of an arteriovenous malformation. Case A 42-year-old gravida 6 para 0 with a history of four first-trimester spontaneous abortions was found to have a uterine arteriovenous malformation by hysterosalpingogram, which was confirmed by magnetic resonance angiography. She underwent selective transcatheter embolization of the arteriovenous malformation. A twin gestation was later conceived via in vitro fertilization. The twins were delivered by cesarean at term. Conclusion Uterine arteriovenous malformation can be successfully treated with selective embolization, with good obstetric outcome.
Cachers, scavengers, and thieves: a novel mechanism for desert rodent coexistence.

Abstract: A biologically explicit simulation model of resource competition between two species of seed‐eating heteromyid rodent indicates that stable coexistence is possible on a homogeneous resource if harvested food is stored and consumers steal each other’s caches. Here we explore the coexistence mechanisms involved by analyzing how consumer phenotypes and presence of a noncaching consumer affect the competitive outcome. Without cache exchange, the winning consumer is better at harvesting seeds and produces more offspring per gram of stored food. With cache exchange, coexistence is promoted by interspecific trade‐offs between harvest ability, metabolic efficiency, and ability to pilfer defended caches of heterospecifics or scavenge undefended caches of dead conspecifics or heterospecifics. Cache exchange via pilferage can equalize competitor fitnesses but has little stabilizing effect and leads to stable coexistence only in the presence of a noncaching consumer. In contrast, scavenging is both equalizi...
Reverse-Engineering a Watermark Detector Using an Oracle

The Break Our Watermarking System (BOWS) contest gave researchers three months to defeat an unknown watermark, given three marked images and online access to a watermark detector. The authors participated in the first phase of the contest, defeating the mark while retaining the highest average quality among attacked images. The techniques developed in this contest led to general methods for reverse-engineering a watermark algorithm via experimental images fed to its detector. The techniques exploit the tendency of watermark algorithms to admit characteristic false positives, which can be used to identify an algorithm or estimate certain parameters.
Related Strontium Isotopic and Chemical Variations in Oceanic Basalts

Sr 87 /Sr 86 values in oceanic basalts range from 0.7012 to 0.7057 and correlate with basalt composition as measured by the ratio K 2 O/(Na 2 O + K 2 O). The distribution of data points on this plot can be approximated by the following ranges in Sr 87 /Sr 86 and K 2 O/(K 2 O + Na 2 O) respectively: (l) ocean ridge tholeiites—0.7020 to 0.7035 (one value 0.7012), 0.30. If the volcanism occurring throughout much of geologic time preferentially depleted rubidium and potassium relative to strontium in the mantle, preservation of the resultant heterogeneities is necessary to explain the isotopic and chemical differences among oceanic basalts. As a corollary to this long-term depletion of rubidium and potassium of the mantle, the primitive mantle or total crust-mantle system would have an Sr 87 /Sr 86 value higher than many oceanic basalts derived from zones that have undergone multistage histories. Therefore, we suggest that the potassic lavas with Sr 87 /Sr 86 higher than those of ocean ridge tholeiites and many island basalts represent the least depleted or most primitive mantle sampled by young oceanic volcanism.
Percutaneous fenestration closure with problematic residual native atrial septum

A variety of techniques have been utilized to close Fontan fenestrations. Among 20 patients who underwent a cardiac catheterization for fenestration closure, 3 patients had residual native atrial septum, forming an additional intermediate chamber on the pulmonary venous side of the fenestration. Three different methods were used to close these fenestrations.
Google Scholar and Academic Libraries: An Update

Purpose – This paper aims to update the authors' original 2005 study of Google Scholar's integration into ARL libraries' web sites. Have more ARL libraries added Google Scholar?Design/methodology/approach – The library homepages of the 113 ARL academic institutions were examined for paths or links to Google Scholar. The coding scheme focused on noting whether Google Scholar appeared on the library homepage, in the OPAC, and on various database lists and subject guides.Findings – The 2007 data indicate continued acceptance of Google Scholar and integration of this resource on the web pages of ARL libraries. The mean number of paths to Google Scholar more than doubled from 2005 to 2007. Partnering institutions were more likely to include paths to Google Scholar and the number of partnering institutions increased dramatically.Practical implications – This study is useful for those making decisions about integration of Google Scholar into library collections and services, particularly the web site.Originality...
Embryonic growth and trophotaenial development in goodeid fishes (Teleostei: Atheriniformes).

Embryonic growth and trophotaenial development are examined in two species of goodeid fish, Ameca splendens and Goodea atripinnis. During gestation of A. splendens, embryonic dry mass may increase from 0.21 mg at the onset of development to 31.70 mg at term. In G. atripinnis, embryonic dry mass ranges from 0.25 mg at the onset of development to 3.15 mg at term. Increase in mass is primarily due to the uptake of maternally derived nutrients by trophotaeniae, externalized embryonic gut derivatives. Trophotaenial development in both species is divisible into five phases. During the first phase, the anus is formed. The second phase involves dilation of the anus, enlargement of the perianal lips, differentiation of the hindgut absorptive epithelium, and formation of the trophotaenial peduncle. The third phase is characterized by a further marked hypertrophy and lateral expansion of the perianal lips that results in the formation of short trophotaenial processes. During the fourth phase, there is continued outward expansion of the inner mucosal surface of the trophotaenial peduncle that results in its eversion and lobulation. Placental function is established by this phase. Axial elongation and dichotomous branching of trophotaenial processes occurs during the fifth phase. Development of rosette and ribbon trophotaeniae differ in the degree of axial elongation during the fifth and final phase.
BUCCAL SMEARS IN THE NEWBORN FEMALE.

Buccal smears obtained from newborn females on the first day of life showed a significantly lower incidence of chromatin-positive cells than smears obtained from normal older females. A low chromatin count on the first few days of life may be normal. By the fourth day of life, the incidence of chromatin-positive cells was no longer low; a decreased chromatin count at this time may indicate an abnormality of the sex chromosomes.