cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effect of KATPChannel Activation on Myocardial Cationic and Energetic Status During Ischemia and Reperfusion: Role in Cardioprotection

The role of cation and cellular energy homeostasis in ATP-sensitive K(+)(K(ATP)) channel-induced cardioprotection is poorly understood. To evaluate this, rapidly interleaved(23)Na and(31)P NMR spectra were acquired from isolated rat hearts exposed to direct K(ATP)channel activation from nicorandil or pinacidil. Nicorandil attenuated ATP depletion and intracellular Na(+)(Na(+)(i)) accumulation, delayed the progression of acidosis during zero-flow ischemia and prevented ischemic contracture. The K(ATP)channel inhibitor 5-hydroxydecanoate abolished these effects. Pinacidil did not alter Na(+)(i)accumulation, ATP depletion or pH during ischemia under the conditions employed. Both agonists greatly improved the post-ischemic functional recovery. Both agonists also dramatically improved the rate and extent of the reperfusion recoveries of Na(+)(i), PCr and ATP. The Na(+)(i)and PCr reperfusion recovery rates were tightly correlated, suggesting a causal relationship. Separate atomic absorption tissue Ca(2+)measurements revealed a marked reperfusion Ca(2+)uptake, which was reduced two-fold by pinacidil. In conclusion, these results clearly indicate that while K(ATP)channel-induced metabolic alterations can vary, the functional cardioprotection resulting from this form of pharmacological preconditioning does not require attenuation of acidosis, cellular energy depletion, or Na(+)(i)accumulation during ischemia. Rather than preservation of cationic/energetic status during ischemia, the cardioprotective processes may involve a preserved capability for its rapid restoration during reperfusion. The enhanced reperfusion Na(+)(i)recovery may be enabled by the improved reperfusion cellular energy state. This accelerated Na(+)(i)recovery could play an important cardioprotective role via a potential causal relationship with the reduction of reperfusion tissue Ca(2+)uptake and resultant reperfusion injury.
Conjugate natural convection in a planar thermosyphon with multiple inlets—II. Heat transfer

Abstract The heat transfer results for the numerical investigation of a planar open loop thermosyphon with conducting walls are presented. Laminar natural convection is due to heating the left ascending channel of a modified ‘U’ type thermosyphon with an upper and lower inlet in the right descending channel. Governing parameters investigated include the Rayleigh number ( Ra ), the ascending channel aspect ratio ( Ar ) and the lower inlet width ( W 2 ). Another parameter which combines the heated wall geometry and thermal conductivity is demonstrated to correlate the heat transfer results well. The average non-dimensional heat flux (Φ) is strongly affected by the wall thermal conductivity, primarily due to conduction resistance of the heated wall. For restrictive W 2 and low Ra , Φ decreases. At large Ra , however, Φ depends little on W 2 . This is due to compensating inflow at the outlet (recirculation).
Your scrap, my scrap! The flow of scrap materials through international trade

With increasing international trade of secondary materials it is imperative to start including it in our analysis of recycling systems. The goal of this work is to set a materials-flow based foundation to do so. We provide a method for calculating the flow of scrap1 materials through an interconnected network of international trade. All analysis is presented through the specific example of copper scrap collected in USA, Germany, and Japan, which are leading generators of copper scrap. Results show how the open-economy form can contrast with a closed-economy one, and how different trade networks of the three countries result in different flows, decay rates, and potential recycling returns.
A dissociation of the effects of control and prediction

Abstract On three different tests we assessed the ability of a feedback stimulus presented during inescapable shock exposure to mimic the effects of control over shock offset. We found that animals exposed to inescapable shock with a feedback stimulus and animals that received escapable shock demonstrated equivalent levels of fear conditioned to the shock context; moreover, these two groups showed less fear than animals exposed to inescapable shock without feedback. This pattern of group differences was observed also on a shuttlebox escape test. However, on an appetitive noncontingent test we observed that feedback did not affect responding. On this test animals previously exposed to inescapable shock with and without feedback demonstrated an equivalent pattern of responding that was different from that of the escape group. This dissociation of the effects of control and feedback lends support to the notion of independence of action for control and prediction.
Using the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction to Identify Promising Message Strategies to Promote Healthy Sleep Behavior Among College Students

This research used the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction (IMBP) to examine cognitive predictors of intentions to engage in healthy sleep behavior among a population of college students. In doing so, we identify promising message strategies to increase healthy sleep behavior during college. In Phase 1, members of a small sample of undergraduates (n = 31) were asked to describe their beliefs about expected outcomes, norms, and perceived behavioral control associated with sleep on an open-ended questionnaire. We analyzed these qualitative responses to create a closed-ended survey about sleep-related attitudes, perceived norms, control beliefs, behavioral intentions, and behavior. In Phase 2, a larger sample of undergraduate students (n = 365) completed the survey. Attitudes and perceived behavioral control were the strongest predictors of both intentions to engage in sleep behavior and self-reported sleep behavior. Control beliefs associated with time management and stress also had substantial room ...
Bandwidth management and congestion control framework of the broadband network architecture

Abstract In this paper we describe an integrated set of procedures for bandwidth management and congestion control in IBM's broadband network architecture for high speed networks. These controls operate at two different time scales, at the connection level and at the packet or cell level. Major connection level controls are path selection, admission control and bandwidth allocation. These controls are applied at the connection setup time and are based on the connection characterization and the network state at that time. Packet level controls are access control, traffic monitoring and intermediate node buffer management. Because of their smaller time scale, they do not rely on any feedback information from the network. The main focus of this paoer is to reconcile the different time scales of these controls, and define how they interplay to ensure proper network operation. The ideas presented in this paper are being implemented and deployed in several test-beds and field trials for experimental validation.
Don't play me: EVE Online, new players and rhetoric

Among successful MMOGs, EVE Online is an oddity, as it thrives in spite of a punishing learning curve. In EVE new players are assaulted with massive amounts of information and successfully making it through the first few days of play is an accomplishment. In effect, EVE instructs new players not to play it, to go back to other, easier games instead. Using rhetorical analysis, this paper analyzes the impacts of EVE's design and the discussion surrounding the game to articulate how EVE demonstrates a counterintuitive route to developing a successful, long-lasting niche game with a vibrant, committed community of players.
Roman Catholicism in the University of Cambridge: St Edmund's House in 1898

The question in 1898 of the recognition by Cambridge University of St Edmund's House, a Roman Catholic foundation, might initially seem to involve questions irrelevant in the modern university. It can, however, be seen to raise issues concerning modernity, the place of religion in the university and the role of the university itself. This article therefore sets this incident in university history in wider terms and examines the ways in which the recognition of St Edmund's House was a chapter in the history of liberalism, in the history of Roman Catholicism, in the history of education and in the history of secularism.
The Egyptian farm labor market revisited

Abstract Egyptian evidence loomed large in the old debate between proponents of surplus labor and their neo-classical critics. The paper uses the recent experience of this labor market to revisit the issues. the unprecedented changes engendered by the oil boom basically confirm the neo-classical view. One may discern the following ‘stylized facts’ of the Egyptian farm labor market: (1) both supply and demand for labor are inelastic with respect to the wage; (2) real wages are very flexible, rising, and then falling sharply with international oil prices; (3) supply shifts explain these real wage changes; (4) these are in turn primarily the outcome of international labor migration; (5) regional wage disparities remained roughly constant during the past decade. The conclusion draws some implications for poverty alleviation and for the political economy question of how the benefits of the regional oil boom were shared.
Contemporary management of pediatric lateral sinus thrombosis: A twenty year review

Abstract Objectives A case of pediatric otogenic lateral sinus thrombosis is reported, followed by a substantive literature review. Design 104 patients were reviewed, culled from published case reports from 1993 to 2011 on the PubMed database. Methods All full text case reports on the PubMed database from 1993 to 2011 with patients less than or equal to 16 years of age that outlined specific treatments were included. Results 73% of patients were male and average age of presentation was 7.7 years. The most common symptoms were fever, headache, and otalgia, while the most common signs included otorrhea and neck stiffness. CT scans had a sensitivity of 87% and MR studies had a sensitivity of 100%. Single bacterial organisms were isolated in 46% of cases, with beta hemolytic streptococcus, streptococcus pneumoniae, and staphylococcus aureus being most common. Management included broad spectrum antibiotics (100%), mastoidectomy (94%), manipulation of the thrombosed sinus (50%), and anticoagulation (57%). The mortality rate was one in 104 patients. Morbidities occurred in 10% of patients and included cranial nerve palsy, sensorineural hearing loss, stroke, and septic hip joint. Conclusion Lateral sinus thrombosis is a rare but treatable complication of otologic disease in the pediatric population, warranting a high index of suspicion. Management should include broad spectrum antibiotics and surgical removal of all perisinus infection. Anticoagulation is not definitively associated with improved outcomes and warrants further investigation.
13C NMR spectroscopy of conventional and microwave heated vital wheat gluten

Abstract The mobility of gluten and carbohydrate polymers in vital wheat gluten that was heated by microwave radiation or conventionally at different starch-water ratios was studied. MacRitchie fractions were prepared and evaluated by SDS-PAGE and 13 C NMR. The major groupings of gluten polymers were present in most MacRitchie fractions. Few differences associated with heating were found in the mobility of amino acid moieties as measured by 13 C NMR. Mobilities associated with carbohydrates appeared to be affected by starch-water ratios and to a lesser extent by heating method as the fractionation proceeded. Implications for rheological analyses are discussed.
Fourier properties of the fan-beam sinogram.

Purpose: P. R. Edholm, R. M. Lewitt, and B. Lindholm, “Novel properties of the Fourier decomposition of the sinogram,” in Proceedings of the International Workshop on Physics and Engineering of Computerized Multidimensional Imaging and Processing[Proc. SPIE671, 8–18 (1986)] described properties of a parallel beam projection sinogram with respect to its radial and angular frequencies. The purpose is to perform a similar derivation to arrive at corresponding properties of a fan-beam projection sinogram for both the equal-angle and equal-spaced detector sampling scenarios. Methods: One of the derived properties is an approximately zero-energy region in the two-dimensional Fourier transform of the full fan-beam sinogram. This region is in the form of a double-wedge, similar to the parallel beam case, but different in that it is asymmetric with respect to the frequency axes. The authors characterize this region for a point object and validate the derived properties in both a simulation and a head CT data set. The authors apply these results in an application using algebraic reconstruction. Results: In the equal-angle case, the domain of the zero region is ( q , k ) for which | k / ( k − q ) | > R / L , where q and k are the frequency variables associated with the detector and view angular positions, respectively, R is the radial support of the object, and L is the source-to-isocenter distance. A filter was designed to retain only sinogram frequencies corresponding to a specified radial support. The filtered sinogram was used to reconstruct the same radial support of the head CT data. As an example application of this concept, the double-wedge filter was used to computationally improve region of interest iterative reconstruction. Conclusions: Interesting properties of the fan-beam sinogram exist and may be exploited in some applications.
APOCALYPTIC PROPHECIES IN HIMS IN THE UMAYYAD AGE

Hims, ville de Syrie qui, apres la conquete arabe, en 635 ap. J.-C., fut peuplee en partie par des Yemenites. Les propheties apocalyptiques prononcees sous les Omeyyades refletent les luttes entre les representants de diverses tribus d'Arabie. Introduction de la figure, shiite a l'origine, du Mahdi
Structural properties of the graph algebra K3

The algebras Qn describe the relationship between the roots and coefficients of a non-commutative polynomial. I. Gelfand, S. Gelfand, and V. Retakh have defined quotients of these algebras corresponding to graphs. In this paper we find the Hilbert series of the class of algebras corresponding to the graph K3 and show that this algebra is Koszul.
Consonance and dissonance in visual music

The concepts of consonance and dissonance broadly understood can provide structural models for creators of visual music. The application of words such as 'harmony' across both music and visual arts indicates potential correspondences not just between sensory elements such as pitch and colour but also with the manipulation of tension and resolution, anticipation and stability in visual music. Concepts of harmony have a long history in proportions of space, colour and motion as well as music that artists can now exploit with new technologies. I will offer examples from my own work as well as techniques from artists such as Oskar Fischinger and John Whitney.
Analysis of individual remodeled nucleosomes reveals decreased histone–DNA contacts created by hSWI/SNF

Chromatin remodeling enzymes use the energy of ATP hydrolysis to alter histone–DNA contacts and regulate DNA-based processes in eukaryotes. Whether different subfamilies of remodeling complexes generate distinct products remains uncertain. We have developed a protocol to analyze nucleosome remodeling on individual products formed in vitro. We used a DNA methyltransferase to examine DNA accessibility throughout nucleosomes that had been remodeled by the ISWI and SWI/SNF families of enzymes. We confirmed that ISWI-family enzymes mainly created patterns of accessibility consistent with canonical nucleosomes. In contrast, SWI/SNF-family enzymes generated widespread DNA accessibility. The protection patterns created by these enzymes were usually located at the extreme ends of the DNA and showed no evidence for stable loop formation on individual molecules. Instead, SWI/SNF family proteins created extensive accessibility by generating heterogeneous products that had fewer histone–DNA contacts than a canonical nucleosome, consistent with models in which a canonical histone octamer has been ‘pushed’ off of the end of the DNA.
Expression of a constitutively active erythropoietin receptor in primary hematopoietic progenitors abrogates erythropoietin dependence and enhances erythroid colony-forming unit, erythroid burst-forming unit, and granulocyte/macrophage progenitor growth.

Abstract We tested the ability of a constitutively activated erythropoietin receptor [EpoR(R129C)] to alter the growth requirements of primary hematopoietic precursors that terminally differentiate in culture. Two recombinant retroviruses expressing EpoR(R129C), spleen focus-forming virus (SFFVc-EpoR) and myeloproliferative sarcoma virus (MPSVcEpoR), were used to infect fetal liver cells that served as a source of hematopoietic progenitors. Methylcellulose cultures were incubated in the absence of any added growth factors or in combination with selected growth factors. EpoR(R129C) completely abrogated the Epo requirement of erythroid colony-forming units to form erythrocytes after 2-5 days in culture and did not interfere with the differentiation program of these cells. In the absence of added growth factors EpoR(R129C) did not enhance erythroid burst-forming unit development. In contrast to experiments in heterologous cell lines, EpoR(R129C) did not render progenitor cells independent of interleukin 3 or granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). However, when progenitors were cultured with added steel factor, but not with interleukin 3 or GM-CSF, EpoR(R129C) augmented the growth and differentiation of erythroid bursts, mixed erythroid/myeloid, and granulocyte/macrophage (GM) colonies. Furthermore, both viruses were capable of expressing EpoR(R129C) in erythroid, mixed erythroid/myeloid, and GM colonies. Thus an aberrantly expressed and constitutively activated EpoR can stimulate proliferation of some GM progenitors. The ability of EpoR(R129C) to abrogate the Epo requirement of primary hematopoietic cells, but not the requirement for other cytokines, is consistent with the induction of erythroblastosis in vivo.
Determination of Arylglycerol-β-Aryl Ether Linkages in Enzymatic Mild Acidolysis Lignins (EMAL) : Comparison of DFRC/31P NMR with Thioacidolysis

Enzymatic mild acidolysis lignins (EMAL) isolated from different species of softwood and Eucalyptus globulus were submitted to comparative analysis that included thioacidolysis, derivatization followed by reductive cleavage (DFRC), and DFRC followed by quantitative 31P NMR (DFRC/31P NMR). While gas chromatography (GC) was used to determine the monomer yields from both thioacidolysis and DFRC, 31P NMR studies quantified the various phenolic hydroxy groups released by DFRC. The monomer yields from thioacidolysis and DFRC were substantially different, with thioacidolysis resulting in higher yields. In contrast, an excellent agreement was obtained in the total number of β-aryl ether structures determined by thioacidolysis and DFRC/31P NMR, indicating that the combination of DFRC with quantitative 31P NMR overcomes, at least in part, the limitations presented by the DFRC method. Both thioacidolysis and DFRC/31P NMR were further used to better understand the lignin isolation process from wood. The results show ...
Circadian rhythm in rat H-reflex

We measured soleus H-reflex in the Sprague-Dawley rat as a function of time of day. H-reflex amplitude displayed a marked diurnal variation, even though background EMG and M-response amplitude were stable through the day. The H-reflex was largest in the late morning and smallest around midnight. Thus, its rhythm was opposite in phase to the circadian rhythm found in the primate H-reflex. This rhythm is a potentially confounding factor in studies of motor function. Furthermore, its existence implies that the CNS activity underlying a specific motor performance varies with time of day.
Differentiating unparticles from extra dimensions via mini black hole thermodynamics

A thermodynamics-based method is presented for differentiating mini black hole creation mechanisms in high energy parton collisions, including scenarios with large compactified extra dimensions and unparticle-enhanced gravity with real scaling dimension d U . Tensor unparticle interactions are shown to mimic the physics of (2d U - 2) noninteger extra spatial dimensions. This yields unique model-dependent production rates, Hawking temperature profiles, and decay multiplicities for black holes of mass M BH ∼ 1-15 TeV that may be created at the LHC and other future colliders.
Sociocultural Influences and Muscle Building in Adolescent Boys

Sociocultural influences on the use of muscle-building techniques, particularly food supplement and steroid use, were examined in a sample of 383 middle-school boys. A modified version of the tripartite influence model was evaluated with muscle-building techniques as the dependent variable. Results indicated that media, peer, and parent influences were independently related to the use of muscle-building techniques. Each was also partially mediated by social comparison tendencies. A comparison of boys who used food supplements to build muscles with those who did not indicated differences in peer, parent, and media influences; social comparison tendencies; body esteem; and depression. A comparison of boys who used steroids to build muscles with those who did not use steroids yielded the same differences. Results indicate the importance of considering sociocultural factors in designing prevention programs for boys.
Charles Darwin, embryology, evolution and skeletal plasticity

Summary Darwin provided us with the theory of evolutionary change through natural selection. Just as important to the science of biology was Darwin’s recognition that all organisms could be classified and were related to one another because they arose from a single common universal ancestor – what we know as the universal tree of life (UtoL). All the features of the skeletal biology of fish therefore can be explained, both in an evolutionary framework (ultimate causation) and in the framework of development, growth and physiology (proximate causation). Neither approach is complete without the other. I will outline the elements of Darwin’s theories on evolution and classification and, as importantly, discuss what was missing from Darwin’s theories. An important class of evidence for evolution used by Darwin came from embryology, both comparative embryology and the existence of vestiges and atavisms. After discussing this evidence I examine some fundamental features of skeletal development and evolution These include: the presence of four skeletal systems in all vertebrates; the existence of two skeletons, one based on cartilage, the other on bone and dentine; the modular nature of skeletal development and evolution; and the plasticity of the skeleton in response to either genetic or environmental changes.
A Methodology to Assess the Amounts of Pesticidal Mercury Used Historically in New Jersey

A methodology using existing, accessible public information is presented for the estimation of amounts of mercury that may have been applied to soils historically on agricultural land in the U.S. Estimations based on national agricultural consumption data reported by the Bureau of Mines can be apportioned further to the state and county level. For comparison, estimates using crop recommendations are presented, which can be considered to provide an upper-bound estimate of amounts potentially used on individual farms. In New Jersey, approximately 318,000 lb of mercury as an active ingredient could have been applied on approximately 150,000 acres of cropland and golf courses in the period 1921 to 1990. Based on crop recommendations, as much as 600,000 to over 1,000,000 lb of mercury could have been applied.
SED-ML Script Language

The Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML) is a XML format describing simulation experiments, so that they can be easily exchanged independent of software tools that created them. This document describes the SED-ML Script, a Python based shorthand that makes it easy to create / edit SED-ML documents.
Inappropriate shock delivery by implantable defibrillators with dual chamber pacing during nonsustained ventricular tachycardia in patients with heart block.

Transvenous implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) have improved the management of patients with ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF).1–5 Many patients with sustained VT/VF have bradyarrhythmias and nonsustained VT.6–9 Shock delivery due to nonsustained VT would be an undesirable feature. Abortive shock capability (noncommitted shocks) is a feature available in devices to prevent delivery of shocks for nonsustained VT.6–8 Recently, the availability of dual chamber pacing capability has improved the efficacy of ICDs by obviating the need of separate pacemaker implantation in patients with VT/VF and concomitant bradyarrhythmias.10 However, interaction between bradyarrhythmias and VT/VF has not been described and has important clinical implications. We report a case in which a patient with complete atrioventricular (AV) block and ventricular arrhythmias received an inappropriate shock following spontaneous termination of nonsustained VT, showing an important shortcoming of devices with these features.
Early childhood teacher candidates’ perceptions about inclusion

Abstract The purpose of this research was to examine the beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge of early childhood teacher candidates within the state of Texas about the inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classroom. The “Inventory of Opinions About Persons with Disabilities” (IOPD) was utilized to collect self‐report data from preservice educators in their last semester of practical experience (i.e., student teaching or final intern semester) in 10 Texas universities. The return rate of the inventories was 70.85%, with data from 172 useable inventories reported in this study. The research questions indicated early childhood teacher candidates held positive self‐perceptions (mean = 2.0388) about their beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge related to inclusion and students with disabilities. However, the participants reported less positive attitudes about training (mean = .09884).
Health maintenance organizations and persons with severe mental illness.

Many if not most scenarios for reform of the U.S. health care system imply that health maintenance organizations (HMOs) will continue their rapid growth. Some advocates argue that a comprehensive health care system should offer services to the severely mentally ill on the same basis as the physically ill. Others note that severe mental illness has traditionally been addressed by a separate, social service system which, for all its deficiencies, has at least provided some level of care. Still others contend that allowing severely mentally ill persons “barrier free” access to health care would be prohibitively expensive. Inspired by this debate the author reviews our knowledge about HMOs and persons with severe mental illness. It is argued that workers in community mental health programs need to understand HMOs and their potential contribution to providing services for persons with severe mental illness.
Ileal transposition provides insight into the effectiveness of gastric bypass surgery

Despite dramatically increased research efforts to discover cures for the rising health issue of obesity, bariatric (obesity) surgery remains the most effective treatment. Obese people and especially those classified as morbidly obese often suffer from associated co-morbid conditions such as type-II diabetes. In most cases, bariatric surgery results in rapid and sustained decreases in excess body weight. Recent reports have identified significant improvements in glucose homeostasis after surgery that are coincident and often precedent to any measurable weight loss. These studies suggest an inhibition or enhancement of a "factor" within the intestinal tract that improves glycemia independent of body fat stores. These observations have sparked renewed investigation into the mechanisms underlying successful obesity surgeries such as gastric bypass. It is becoming increasingly clear that restriction and malabsorption are not the only two mechanisms important for inducing long-term weight loss or the improvements in diabetes. Investigating the hypothesis that the distal intestine (ileum) holds additional answers into a third mechanism, I used the model of ileal transposition to help identify endocrine changes in the gut following obesity surgery. This review will explore the model of ileal transposition and speculate on its usefulness as a tool to dissect out additional mechanisms underlying effective obesity surgeries. Also discussed will be the ileal-produced hormone glucagon-like peptide and its role in mediating the improvements in diabetes and weight loss after bariatric surgery.
Listening Assessment: The Watson-Barker Listening Test.

Abstract This article discusses the need for valid and reliable measures of listening behavior and how the Watson-Barker Listening Test was developed to measure the listening abilities of adults and mature college students. Sections of the article describe the nature and forms of the test, various validation procedures and research studies using the test. The claims of validity are partially supported by the data, and the Watson-Barker Listening Test has gained wide acceptance.
Selection of aptamers for molecular recognition and characterization of cancer cells.

In this paper, we describe a new way to generate molecular probes for specific recognition of cancer cells. Molecular medicine will require a large number of probes for molecular recognition and characterization of a variety of diseased cells. Aptamers, single-stranded DNA/RNA probes, are poised to become a chemist's antibody and have the potential to serve as molecular probes for a variety of biomedical applications. By applying newly developed cell-SELEX (cell-based systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) against whole living cells, panels of aptamers have been evolved from an initial DNA library to characterize target cells at the molecular level. Ramos cells, a B-cell lymphoma cell line, were used as target cells for the generation of effective molecular probes. By taking advantages of the repetitive and broad enrichment strategy, the selected aptamers could bind to target cells and other closely related cell lines in variant patterns with an equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) i...
DISTORTED2 encodes an ARPC2 subunit of the putative Arabidopsis ARP2/3 complex.

Summary Arabidopsis trichomes are unicellular, branched structures that have highly constrained requirements for the cytoskeleton. The ‘distorted group’ genes function downstream from microtubule-based branch initiation, and are required during the actin-dependent phase of polarized stalk and branch expansion. Of the eight known ‘distorted group’ genes, a subset encode homologs of ARP2/3 complex subunits. In eukaryotic cells, the seven-protein ARP2/3 complex nucleates actin filament networks that push on the plasma membrane and organelles. In plants cells, the existence and function of an ARP2/3 complex is unclear. In this paper, we report that DISTORTED2 (DIS2) encodes a paralogue of the ARP2/3 complex subunit ARPC2. DIS2 has ARPC2 activity, based on its ability to rescue the growth defects of arpc2 (arc35Δ) null yeast cells. Like known ARPC2s, DIS2 physically interacts with ARPC4. Mutations in DIS2 cause a distorted trichome phenotype, defects in cell–cell adhesion, and a modest reduction in shoot FW. The actin cytoskeleton in dis2 trichomes is extensive, but developing branches fail to generate and maintain highly organized cytoplasmic actin bundles.
Cytochrome P450-mediated prostaglandin ωω-1 hydroxylase activities in porcine ciliary body epithelial cells

Abstract The ocular hypotensive effect of topically applied prostaglandins (PGs) is well documented. Although PGs introduced in the posterior chamber accumulate in the anterior tissues (e.g. iris/ciliary complex), little is known about the metabolism of PGs by these tissues. We have recently found that non-pigmented epithelial (NPE) cells and pigmented epithelial (PE) cells are readily separated from porcine ciliary body and cytochrome P450-dependent xenobiotic metabolism is considerably higher in NPE cells than in PE cells. We have therefore investigated in this study the cytochrome P450-mediated PG ω ω-1 hydroxylase activities of porcine ciliary epithelial cells. The NPE cells show about three times higher activities than do PE cells; the NPE cells, in fact, demonstrate the highest PG ω ω-1 hydroxylase activities among different ocular tissues. Both ω and ω-1 hydroxylases show broad substrate specificities and hydroxylate PGA1, A2, E1, E2, and lauric acid. The ω ω-1 hydroxylase activities of NPE and PE, as determined with PGA2 and lauric acid as substrates, are enhanced or induced by treatment of primary cultures of the individual epithelial cells with clofibrate, both activities reaching maximum levels within 48 hr of induction. The induced activities are inhibited almost completely by cycloheximide and actinomycin D. The ω ω-1 hydroxylase activities of both NPE and PE cells require NADPH and molecular oxygen, are associated with the microsomal fraction, respond to inducers such as clofibrate, and are inhibited by metyrapone and SKF525 A (inhibitors of P450 enzymes). These results support the suggestion that PG ω ω-1 hydroxylations by NPE and PE are cytochrome P450-mediated reactions. The primary association of P450-mediated ω ω-1 hydroxylase activities with NPE cells supports the contention that ciliary NPE cells play an important role in the metabolism of xenobiotics as well as endogenous substances (autacoids) in the anterior part of the eye.
Changing Priorities and Programs in Toxic Waste Policy: The Emergence of Economic Development as a Policy Goal

This article examines recent changes in toxic waste policy in the United States. It argues that major deviations from the framework established by the Comprehensive Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) have occurred. Examples include a shifting of program authority to the states, a modification of traditional command and control program structures, and perhaps most important, the adoption of economic development as a core program goal. More than two dozen pieces of federal legislation currently regulate toxic materials. Of these, three define the broad regulatory framework that has controlled these substances for the past 20 years. They are the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976 (TSCA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA), and the Comprehensive Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). Each is targeted to a different period in the life cycle of hazardous material. TSCA sets out rules for the review and analysis of new chemicals. The goal is to identify dangerous chemicals as they are developed so that appropriate control strategies can be devised before they cause human harm. RCRA charges the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop standards for current waste management. CERCLA targets the cleaning of existing toxic waste sites. Together, these laws create a complex network of regulations that attempts to control toxic materials from inception to disposal. 1
Seamless data-rate change using punctured convolutional codes for time-varying signal-to-noise ratio

In a time-varying signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) environment, the symbol rate is often changed to maximize the data return. However, the symbol-rate change has some undesirable effects such as changing the transmission bandwidth and perhaps causing the receiver symbol loop to lose lock temporarily, thus losing some data. We propose an alternate way of varying the data rate without changing the symbol rate and therefore the transmission bandwidth. The data rate change is achieved in a seamless fashion by puncturing the convolutionally encoded symbol stream to adapt to the changing SNR environment. We have also derived an exact expression to enumerate the number of distinct puncturing patterns. To demonstrate this seamless rate-change capability, we searched for good puncturing patterns for the Galileo mission (14,1/4) convolutional code and changed the data rates by using the punctured codes to match the Galileo SNR profile of November 9, 1997. We show that this scheme reduces the symbol-rate changes from 8 to 2 and provides a comparable data return and a higher symbol SNR in a day.
ASSESSING UNIVERSITY TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER: A MEASURE OF EFFICIENCY PATTERNS

There have been very active and significant studies done in the area of university technologies transfer (UTT). One interested topic among them is to measure performance of the UTT. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has been regarded as a proper approach to measure the university technology transfer efficiency (UTTE). However, current studies stay in identifying efficient and inefficient universities and related output or input variables which could contribute to improve their efficiencies. This study is intended to understand further how the universities recognized efficient are different and the changes of their performance over years. For this purpose, this study proposes a new approach, the efficiency pattern diagram, to identify changing patterns of the technology transfer of 17 efficient universities out of 51 US universities from 2001 to 2004. Five efficiency patterns are identified by this study: "newly emerging", "strengthening", "strong", "weakening", and "declining". The properties of each pattern and limitations of the approach are discussed with verification of the pattern by extending them to 2005.
A 12-Bit Vernier Ring Time-to-Digital Converter in 0.13 $\mu{\hbox {m}}$ CMOS Technology

A 12-bit Vernier ring time-to-digital converter (TDC) with time resolution of 8 ps for digital-phase-locked-loops (DPLL) is presented. This novel Vernier ring TDC places the Vernier delay cells and arbiters in a ring format and reuses them for the measurement of the input time interval. The proposed TDC thus achieves large detectable range, fine time resolution, small die size and low power consumption simultaneously. A pre-logic unit is developed to measure both positive and negative phase errors for DPLL applications. The TDC achieves a large detectable range of 12 bits with core area of 0.75 × 0.35 mm2 in a 0.13 μm CMOS technology. The total power consumption for the entire TDC chip is only 7.5 mW with a 1.5 V power supply, while operating at a clock frequency of 15 MSPS.
The Averaged America: Surveys, Citizens, and the Making of a Mass Public

The Averaged America: Surveys, Citizens, and the Making of a Mass Public. By Sarah E. Igo. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2007. 408p. $35.00. If I told you that this book is about the history of survey research in America, would you read it? If I told you that much of the book deals with Alfred Kinsey's reports on human sexuality, would that pique your interest?
From the Meḥ fil to the printed word: Public debate and discourse in late colonial India

In 1905, the Urdu writer ‘Abdul Halim Sharar published a critical review of Brijnarayan Chakbast’s new edition of Pandat Daya Shankar Kaul Nasīm’s (1811–43) maṡnavī (‘Narrative Poem’), Gulzār-e Nas...
Domestic Humanitarian Law: Developing the Law of War in Domestic Courts

Several states have been engaged for years in armed conflicts against non-state actors outside their territory. These conflicts implicate a wide array of difficult questions related to international humanitarian law (‘IHL’). Yet for structural and political reasons, the international community has not attempted to craft a new treaty to regulate these armed conflicts, and state practice is not yet sufficiently robust to crystallize new rules of customary international law. Although we have no new international rules to guide states’ conduct in these contexts, that is not to say that we have no new rules at all to regulate these types of armed conflict. The new rules simply stem from non-international sources. Domestic courts of certain states have played a significant role in establishing new rules to govern how those states must conduct themselves during these armed conflicts. These courts have stepped in to interpret, extend, and craft laws applicable in armed conflict, producing what this chapter terms ‘domestic humanitarian law’ (‘DHL’). DHL is important for two reasons. First, it establishes detailed, legally binding rules by which particular states’ militaries must conduct themselves in extra-territorial conflicts. Second, the existence of DHL will have a significant effect on future IHL developments. DHL will affect the production and content of customary rules, the likelihood of future agreements about IHL, and the substance of those future rules in the event such an agreement emerges. The proliferation of DHL has the propensity to reduce international calls for a new treaty and complicates the initial negotiating positions of states whose courts have produced DHL. But DHL has advantages as well for IHL development, akin to the U.S. constitutional idea that U.S. states serve as experimental ‘laboratories’ in which different approaches to problems are tested. Because states will continue to face serious challenges in developing new IHL treaty rules on the international stage, the production of new interpretations and norms in U.S. and other domestic courts represents a potentially important phase in the development of IHL. As importantly, the phenomenon of DHL allows us fruitfully to explore the nature of domestic court decisions more generally in the project of international law creation.
Supervised control of cooperative multi-agent robotic vehicles

In this paper, we address some of technical challenges associated with supervised tactical mobility behaviors modeling and control of a group of cooperative multi-agent robotic vehicles. Cooperative task planning of robotic systems is a dynamic and complex problem and very challenging. The challenge comes from many avenues including task decomposition, assignment, resource allocation, and task execution and monitoring. Furthermore, the behavior-based control system requires a deliberative and reactive task planning capability for execution of cooperative tasks of mobile robots as well as adequate adaptability to learn new cooperative schemes to improve system performance in over-time. Another challenge of this problem is associated with sensory data gathering, distributed data processing, centralized/decentralized data fusion, and intelligent world perception modeling and comprehension of cooperative mobile robots. We propose a multilayered supervisory control architecture for coordinated task planning of a group of multi-agent robots. The supervisory controller allows control of robotic vehicles in either teleoperation, semi-autonomous, and/or autonomous modes.
Attentional Difficulties and the Effectiveness of a Visual Representation Strategy for Counseling Drug-Addicted Clients

Three hundred thirty-one opioid-addicted clients in methadone treatment were randomly assigned to counselors who used either mappingenhanced or standard counseling. Those counseled with mapping had lower percentages of during-treatment urine specimens that were positive for either cocaine or opiates, and they were rated by their counselors as having higher rapport, motivation, and self-confidence. Clients were further classified into those exhibiting either good or poor attention during an intake interview. The results suggest that clients with poor attention are more likely to have positive urines, but that this tendency appears to be reduced under mapping-enhanced counseling.
Estimation in Gaussian Graphical Models Using Tractable Subgraphs: A Walk-Sum Analysis

Graphical models provide a powerful formalism for statistical signal processing. Due to their sophisticated modeling capabilities, they have found applications in a variety of fields such as computer vision, image processing, and distributed sensor networks. In this paper, we present a general class of algorithms for estimation in Gaussian graphical models with arbitrary structure. These algorithms involve a sequence of inference problems on tractable subgraphs over subsets of variables. This framework includes parallel iterations such as embedded trees, serial iterations such as block Gauss-Seidel, and hybrid versions of these iterations. We also discuss a method that uses local memory at each node to overcome temporary communication failures that may arise in distributed sensor network applications. We analyze these algorithms based on the recently developed walk-sum interpretation of Gaussian inference. We describe the walks ldquocomputedrdquo by the algorithms using walk-sum diagrams, and show that for iterations based on a very large and flexible set of sequences of subgraphs, convergence is guaranteed in walk-summable models. Consequently, we are free to choose spanning trees and subsets of variables adaptively at each iteration. This leads to efficient methods for optimizing the next iteration step to achieve maximum reduction in error. Simulation results demonstrate that these nonstationary algorithms provide a significant speedup in convergence over traditional one-tree and two-tree iterations.
Energy gap for Yang–Mills connections, II: Arbitrary closed Riemannian manifolds ☆

Abstract We prove an L d / 2 energy gap result for Yang–Mills connections on principal G-bundles, P, over arbitrary, closed, Riemannian, smooth manifolds of dimension d ≥ 2 . We apply our version of the Łojasiewicz–Simon gradient inequality [16] , [19] to remove a positivity constraint on a combination of the Ricci and Riemannian curvatures in a previous L d / 2 -energy gap result due to Gerhardt [23, Theorem 1.2] and a previous L ∞ -energy gap result due to Bourguignon, Lawson, and Simons [10, Theorem C] , [11, Theorem 5.3] , as well as an L 2 -energy gap result due to Nakajima [42, Corollary 1.2] for a Yang–Mills connection over the sphere, S d , but with an arbitrary Riemannian metric.
Static atomic displacements in crystalline solid solution alloys

Atomic size differences induce static displacements from an average alloy lattice and play an important role in controlling alloy phase stability and properties. Details of this, however, are difficult to study, as chemical order and displacements are strongly interrelated and static displacements are hard to measure. Diffuse x-ray scattering with tunable-synchrotron radiation can now measure element- specific static displacements with an accuracy of {+-}0.1 pm and can simultaneously measure local chemical order out to 20 shells or more. Ideal alloys for this are those that have previously been the most intractable: alloys with small Z contrast, alloys with only local order and alloys with small size differences. The combination of precise characterization of local chemical order and precise measurement of static displacement provides new information that challenges existing alloy models. This paper reports on an ongoing systematic study of static displacements in the Fe/Ni/Cr alloys and compares the observed static displacements to these predicted by current theories. Availability of more brilliant 3rd generation hard x-ray sources will greatly enhance these measurements.