cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sensitivity of Flow Cytometric Assay for Measurement of Human Intracellular Heat Shock Protein 27

Abstract Increased expression of heat shock protein 27 (hsp27) is related to enhanced resistance of breast tumor cells to cytotoxic drugs and radiation therapy. Therefore, development of a rapid and sensitive method for detection of hsp27 may be useful for correlating tumor cell expression of hsp27 to breast cancer patients' clinical outcome. We have simultaneously assessed hsp27 levels in three different human cell lines (MCF‐7, MDA‐MB‐231, and Jurkat) by both Western blotting and flow cytometry. MCF‐7 hsp27 levels were consistently detected at higher levels, while MDA‐MB‐231 hsp27 levels were detected at very low levels when immunoblotting was performed. Hsp27 was not detected in Jurkat cells by immunoblotting. In contrast, hsp27 levels were detected by flow cytometry in all the cell lines, indicating a better sensitivity of this method. Although hsp27 was expressed in almost equal percentage of MCF‐7 (93±3.4%), MDA‐MB‐231 (97±1%), and Jurkat (95.5±1.9) cells, the fluorescence intensity of intracellular...
Meaningful Work: Connecting Business Ethics and Organization Studies

In the human quest for meaning, work occupies a central position. Most adults spend the majority of their waking hours at work, which often serves as a primary source of purpose, belongingness, and identity. In light of these benefits to employees and their organizations, orga- nizational scholars are increasingly interested in under- standing the factors that contribute to meaningful work, such as the design of jobs, interpersonal relationships, and organizational missions and cultures. In a separate line of inquiry, scholars of business ethics have examined meaningful work as a moral issue concerning the man- agement of others and ourselves, exploring whether there are definable characteristics of meaningful work to which we have moral rights, and whether there are moral duties to ourselves and others to fulfill those rights. In this article, we examine contemporary developments in both disci- plines about the nature, causes, and consequences of meaningful work; we explore linkages between these dis- ciplines; and we offer conclusions and research opportu- nities regarding the interface of ethical and organizational perspectives on performing and providing meaningful work.
Isaiah Bowman’s Forest Physiography

Isaiah Bowman’s book Forest Physiography (1911), subtitled Physiography of the United States and Principles of Soils in Relation to Forestry, was the first regional physiography text in the USA. This paper briefly describes Bowman’s background, the writing of the text, and its impact and legacy.
Non-stoichiometric disorder in ?-Nb2O5 at elevated temperatures

The electrical conductivity of polycrystallineα-Nb2O5 was determined for the oxygen partial pressure range of 100 to 10−20 atm and temperature range 700 to 1150 ° C. The data were found to be proportional to the −1/6th power of the oxygen partial pressure for the oxygen pressure range 10−20 to 10−9 atm, and proportional toPO2−1/4 for oxygen pressures greater than 10−9 atm. The region of linearity where electrical conductivity varies as the −1/4th power of\(P_{O_2 } \) increased as the temperature was decreased. Thermogravimetric measurements were carried out in the temperature range 950 to 1250 ° C. The deviation from stoichiometry inα-Nb2O5 (x in Nb2O5−x) as a function of partial pressure of oxygen showed two distinct regions, namely a region with an approximately −1/6th dependence on\(P_{O_2 } \) and a region where the deviation was nearly independent of oxygen partial pressure. The electrical conductivity and thermogravimetric data are consistent with the presence of small amounts of acceptor impurities inα-Nb2O5.
A REANALYSIS OF NEST STRUCTURE IN THE WEAVERS (PLOCEINAE) USING NUMERICAL TAXONOMIC TECHNIQUES

Summary. Variables of nest architecture and construction behaviour of 62 species of ploceine finches studied by Crook (1963) were reanalysed using multivariate statistical techniques. Phenetic assessments were based on 38 two-state characters for 48 OTUs. Product moment correlation coefficients and average distance coefficients were used as measures of similarity, and species were clustered using the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages. A three-dimensional model was constructed of species plotted with respect to the first three principal components extracted from a matrix of correlations among characters. Principal component and factor analytic techniques were employed to determine trends in character variation. The phenetic affinities expressed in the 3-D model and two phenograms show many similarities to the phenetic groupings deduced by Crook. However, there were also some differences in interpretation. Crook's Modes C and D were shown as distinct clusters in my analyses, but Modes A and B did not separate completely. In particular, the globular nest of P. baglafecht of Mode A, Type IV, grouped with kidney-shaped nests of species of Mode B, Type Va. The treatment of P. pelzelni, P. madagascariensis, and P. philippinus in my analysis differed somewhat from Crook's. The resulting cluster of F. sechellarum and M. malimbicus brought out some effects of standardising data on resulting interpretations of similarity. Species within the subtypes of Crook usually remained close together, but the affinities between subtypes (and types) often differed between our studies. The results of factor and principal component analyses indicate that the main trends in character variation concern those traits found together in (a) M. rubriceps; (b) A. unicolor and Pa. superciliosus; (c) forest birds; and (d) non-forest birds. These groups also are the main clusters. Differences in Crook's and my results are discussed and some of the advantages of utilising numerical techniques to describe similarity are mentioned.
Interaction Between Age and Race Alters Predicted Survival in Colorectal Cancer

Background Racial disparities in colorectal cancer persist. Late stage at presentation and lack of stage-specific treatment may be contributing factors. We sought to evaluate the magnitude of disparity remaining after accounting for gender, stage, and treatment using predicted survival models.
Molecular mechanisms of experimental salt-sensitive hypertension.

Hypertension has been defined operationally as the level of blood pressure (BP) at which the benefits of treatment exceed the risks.[1][1] It also has been defined in a more concrete way by the Joint National Committee on Hypertension (JNC-7) as, in adults, a systolic BP ≥140 mm Hg or a diastolic
Neuropsychological correlates of brain atrophy in Huntington's disease: a magnetic resonance imaging study.

Magnetic resonance imaging and a comprehensive cognitive evaluation were carried out in a series of 29 patients with mild to moderate Huntington's disease (HD). A factor analysis of the neuropsychological test scores provided three factors: a memory/speed-of-processing factor, a “frontal” factor, and a response inhibition factor. The memory/speed factor correlated significantly with measures of caudate atrophy, frontal atrophy, and atrophy of the left (but not the right) sylvian cistern. There were no significant correlations between the “frontal” or response inhibition factors and measures of cortical or subcortical brain atrophy. Our findings confirm that subcortical atrophy is significantly correlated with specific cognitive deficits in HD, and demonstrate that cortical atrophy also has important association with the cognitive deficits of patients with HD.
Microfluidic immunoaffinity separations for bioanalysis

Microfluidic devices often rely on antibody-antigen interactions as a means of separating analytes of interest from sample matrices. Immunoassays and immunoaffinity separations performed in miniaturized formats offer selective target isolation with minimal reagent consumption and reduced analysis times. The introduction of biological fluids and other complicated matrices often requires sample pretreatment or system modifications for compatibility with small-scale devices. Miniaturization of external equipment facilitates the potential for portable use such as in patient point-of-care settings. Microfluidic immunoaffinity systems including capillary and chip platforms have been assembled from basic instrument components for fluid control, sample introduction, and detection. The current review focuses on the use of immunoaffinity separations in microfluidic devices with an emphasis on pump-based flow and biological sample analysis.
Nonacid reflux in patients with chronic cough on acid-suppressive therapy.

Background It is generally accepted that extraesophageal gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms and their persistence despite acid-suppressive therapy are poor prognostic factors for antireflux surgery. Recent studies indicating that cough can be temporally associated with reflux episodes of pH 4 to 7 ( ie , nonacid reflux) reinvigorates the need for a more careful workup in patients with cough suspected to be due to GERD. Aim To evaluate the frequency of chronic cough associated with nonacid reflux and the response of these patients to laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication. Methods We retrospectively reviewed data from patients with persistent cough despite twice-daily proton pump inhibitor (PPI) with or without the use of nighttime regimens of histamine-2 receptor antagonist (H2RA), who had undergone combined multichannel intraluminal impedance and pH monitoring. The association of cough and reflux was evaluated by calculating the symptom index (SI) [positive if ≥ 50%]. A subset of patients with positive SI values for impedance-detected reflux with therapy was referred for laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication. Results Of 50 patients (38 female patients; mean age, 43 years; age range, 6 months to 84 years) who were monitored while receiving therapy, 13 patients (26%) had a positive SI for cough. The SI-positive group had a lower percentage of female patients and patients of younger age compared to the SI-negative group. Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication was performed in six SI-positive patients who became asymptomatic and stopped receiving acid-suppressive therapy during follow-up evaluations (median time, 17 months; range, 12 to 27 months). Conclusion Impedance pH monitoring should be performed while receiving therapy in patients with persistent symptoms who are receiving PPI therapy. A positive SI for nonacid reflux may be helpful in selecting patients who will benefit from antireflux surgery.
Hydrogen adsorption site on the Ni{110}-p(1 × 2)-H surface from time-of-flight scattering and recoiling spectrometry (TOF-SARS)

Abstract The adsorption site of hydrogen on the Ni{110}-p(1 × 2)-H surface resulting from saturation exposure to H2 at ∼ 310–350 K has been investigated by time-of-flight scattering and recoiling spectrometry (TOF-SARS). The recoiled neutral plus ion hydrogen atom flux resulting from 2–5 keV Ar+ or Ne+ pulsed ion beams incident on the surface was monitored as a function of crystal azimuthal angle and beam incidence angle. From classical trajectory calculations and shadowing and blocking analyses, it is concluded that hydrogen atoms are localized at the pseudo-three-fold sites on the (1 × 2) missing-row (MR) reconstructed Ni{110} surface; the (1 × 2) MR reconstruction is induced by hydrogen adsorption shown elsewhere [Surf. Sci. 259 (1991) 253]. Only the pseudo-three-fold site is consistent with all of the experimental data. The coordinates of the hydrogen adsorption site with respect to the nickel lattice were determined. The lateral distance of hydrogen from the 1st-layer Ni 〈1 1 0〉 rows is 1.56 ± 0.12 A and the vertical distance above the substrate is 0.21 ± 0.12 A, providing NiH bond lengths of 2.0 A to the two-layer Ni atoms and 1.5 A to the 2nd-layer Ni atom.
Measuring tobacco use in a prison population.

INTRODUCTION Widespread tobacco use and high interest in quitting make prisons an ideal environment for smoking cessation interventions; however, little has been done to assist prisoners in their efforts to quit. Valid measurement of tobacco use is a prerequisite to evaluation of cessation programs, yet there has been only one published examination of tobacco use measures among prisoners. METHODS Tobacco use interviews were conducted with 200 male prisoners. Three measures of tobacco use, exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO), salivary cotinine measured by enzyme immunoassay (EIA), and salivary cotinine measured by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS), were evaluated using self-reported tobacco use as the reference. Optimum cutpoints were identified by maximization of the Youden index. RESULTS Carbon monoxide breath testing, though the poorest performing of the three measures examined, still had excellent discrimination (cutpoint >or= 4 ppm, sensitivity = 88.3%, specificity = 94.9%). Cotinine EIA performed better than eCO (cutpoint >or= 10 ng/ml, sensitivity = 92.2%, specificity = 94.3%) but poorer than cotinine LC/MS/MS (cutpoint >or= 9 ng/ml, sensitivity = 98.6%, specificity = 97.8%). DISCUSSION eCO had the poorest performance as a standalone test, though validity of the test may be improved with increased frequency of testing. False-negative results using cotinine EIA limit its utility as a standalone test, however, as part of a two-stage screening process it may reduce the cost of testing. Cotinine LC/MS/MS, while most expensive, was the most accurate standalone measure of prisoners' tobacco use.
Umbrella file system: Storage management across heterogeneous devices

With the advent of and recent developments in Flash storage, device characteristic diversity is becoming both more prevalent and more distinct. In this article, we describe the Umbrella File System (UmbrellaFS), a stackable file system designed to provide flexibility in matching diversity of file access characteristics to diversity of device characteristics through a user or system administrator specified policy. We present the design and results from a prototype implementation of UmbrellaFS on both Linux 2.4 and 2.6. The results show that UmbrellaFS has little overhead for most file system operations while providing an ability better to utilize the differences in Flash and traditional hard drives. With appropriate use of rules, we have shown improvements of up to 44p in certain situations.
A new high bit rate orthogonal IM/FSK scheme based on an all fiber realization, for AOLS applications

An all fiber, high bit rate IM/FSK orthogonal scheme is proposed for the combination of 2.5 Gbps label onto 40 Gbs payload via FWM and the realisation of AOLS via XPM, both based on DSF fiber. (2 pages)
Chagas disease in Texas: recognizing the significance and implications of evidence in the literature.

Abstract Chagas disease is endemic and is recognized as a major health problem in many Latin American countries. Despite the parallels between socio-economic and environmental conditions in Texas and much of Latin America, Chagas disease is not a notifiable human disease in Texas. Based on extensive review of related literature, this paper seeks to recognize the evidence that Chagas Disease is endemic to Texas but the epidemiological, parasitological and entomological patterns of Chagas disease in Texas are both different from and parallel to other endemic regions. We find that with a growing immigrant human reservoir, the epidemiological differences may be reduced and result in increasing incidence of the disease. Chagas disease should be recognized as an emerging disease among both immigrant and indigenous populations. Without proper actions, Chagas disease will place increasing burden on the health care system. Current medical treatments consist of chemotherapies that carry the risk of serious side effects; curing the potentially fatal disease remains equivocal. Therefore, as shown in South America, prevention is paramount and can be successfully achieved through intervention and education. We conclude that biogeographical research is needed to (1) distinguish the dynamic evolution of the agent–vector–host system, (2) document locations with greater risk and identify mechanisms responsible for observed changes in risk, and (3) assist in developing a model for Triatomid vector-borne disease in states like Texas where the disease is both endemic and may be carried by a sizeable immigrant population. Tracking of Chagas disease and planning for appropriate health care services would also be aided by including Chagas disease on the list of reportable diseases for humans.
A Model Environmental Nation? Canada as a Case Study for Informing US Environmental Policy

When considering Canadian environmental policy from the perspective of a scholar in the United States, Canadian Studies programs should be prepared to address the inevitable questions that might ar...
Combined modality treatment of localized unresectable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas

Abstract Since 1978, 86 patients with unresectable localized adenocarcinoma of the pancreas have been treated with a combined modality program using radioactive iodine 125-Implantation, external beam radiation, and systemic chemotherapy. Three treatment approaches were used with sequential modifications of the technique based on the course of disease and patterns of failure. Group 1 was comprised of 13 patients treated with a combination of implantation followed by a planned external radiation dose of 5000 to 6000 cGy delivered in 6 weeks. Group 2 included patients treated as in Group 1 followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. The most recent group of 54 patients, Group 3, has been treated since 1981 with implantation into the tumor of radioactive Iodine 125 seeds (12000 cGy minimal peripheral dose), perioperative chemotherapy (5-FU, Mito-C), and external beam irradiation (5000–5500 cGy) followed by further chemotherapy. Incidence of perioperative mortality has been reduced from 31% (1032) in Groups 1 & 2 to 7% (454) in Group 3. Clinical local control of tumor has been excellent in all three groups (84%). Analysis of the Group 3 results indicate that the problem of distant metastasis, in spite of adjuvant chemotherapy, still remains overwhelming (64%)—especially to the liver—and requires development of more effective regimens. Median survival in the three groups of patients is 5.5, 11.3, and 12.5 months. The 2-year survival is 0, 15, and 22%, retrospectively in the three groups.
Too attractive for its own good? South of broad, second/vacation-homes and resident attitudes

Abstract The research that follows ties together three topics of interest. These are gentrification, second/vacation-home impact on tourism destinations, and resident livability issues in a tourism dominated community. The study location is South of Broad, Charleston, SC, a historic corner of the city that has transitioned over the years from a traditional, upper-middle class neighborhood to what is today the most upscale part of town; but one heavily influenced by the second/vacation-home part-time residents that constitute a significant share of the area's homeowners. The paper considers, via a mixed-method research approach, how this tourism-oriented transition has affected the neighborhood and how it has been viewed by its residents. Describing the neighborhood's transition, the new term ‘aristophication’ is proposed.
Sexual selection in gallus: Effects of morphology and dominance on female spatial behavior.

Sexual selection has received a great deal of attention from field and laboratory researchers for over a century, but hard evidence of female choice of mates in mixed-sex groups remains scarce. Dominant males typically mate much more often than subordinants but evidence that females "choose" such males is elusive. In Gallus , which includes junglefowl and their domestic fowl descendants, females stay near and mate with dominant, territorial males. We demonstrate here that Gallus females in mixed-sex flocks who have no information about the social dominance status of males orient to, approach and stay near males with larger than average combs whereas females which do not have information about male dominance orient toward and stay near high ranking males. We verify that comb size correlates with male social rank. Hence, Gallus females do actively respond to "high quality" males; they apparently identify such males by male physical characteristics and, if available, information concerning male-male interactions.
Image preprocessing for fast multiple-frame super-resolution reconstruction

Super-resolution reconstruction algorithms have been demonstrated to be very effective in enhancing image spatial resolution by combining several low-resolution images to yield a single high-resolution image. However, the high computational complexity has become a major obstacle for the use of super-resolution techniques in real time applications. Most previous computationally efficient super-resolution techniques have been focused on reducing the number of iterations due to the iterative nature of most super-resolution algorithms. In this paper, we propose a region-of-interest (ROI) image preprocessing technique to improve the processing speed of super-resolution reconstruction. To better integrate the preprocessing with super-resolution, the proposed ROI extraction technique is developed under the same statistical framework as super-resolution. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method.
Properties of metabolic networks: structure versus function

Biological data from high-throughput technologies describing the network components (genes, proteins, metabolites) and their associated interactions have driven the reconstruction and study of structural (topological) properties of large-scale biological networks. In this article, we address the relation of the functional and structural properties by using extensively experimentally validated genome-scale metabolic network models to compute observable functional states of a microorganism and compare the “structure versus function” attributes of metabolic networks. It is observed that, functionally speaking, the essentiality of reactions in a node is not correlated with node connectivity as structural analyses of other biological networks have suggested. These findings are illustrated with the analysis of the genome-scale biochemical networks of three species with distinct modes of metabolism. These results also suggest fundamental differences among different biological networks arising out of their representation and functional constraints.
Focal plane resolution and overlapped array TDI imaging

In this paper we model sub-pixel image registration for a generic earth-observing satellite system with a focal plane using two offset Time Delay and Integrate (TDI) arrays in the focal plane to improve the achievable ground resolution over the resolution achievable with a single array. The modeling process starts with a high-resolution image as ground truth. The Parameterized Image Chain Analysis & Simulation SOftware (PICASSO) modeling tool is used to degrade the images to match the optical transfer function, sampling, and noise characteristics of the target system. The model outputs a pair of images with a separation close to the nominal half-pixel separation between the overlapped arrays. A registration estimation algorithm is used to measure the offset for image reconstruction. The two images are aligned and summed on a grid with twice the capture resolution. We compare the resolution in images between the inputs before overlap, the reconstructed image, and a simulation for the image which would have been captured on a focal plane with twice the resolution. We find the performance to always be better than the lower resolution baseline, and to approach the performance of the high-resolution array in the ideal case. We show that the overlapped array imager significantly outperforms both the conventional high- and low-resolution imagers in conditions with high image smear.
Effect of NO photolysis on NO y mixing ratios

IT has been suggested that the only significant sink for odd nitrogen in the stratosphere is through transport of HNO3 to the troposphere1. As a result, if NO were to be injected in the middle or lower stratosphere, the change in odd nitrogen, NOy (NOy ≡ NO+NO2+HNO3+N), mixing ratio above the height of injection would be nearly constant. The photolysis of nitric oxide, however, and the subsequent reactions of nitrogen atom with nitric oxide act as a sink for odd nitrogens in the upper stratosphere. This mechanism has long been recognised as important to mesospheric chemistry2,3, and has also been included in many of the stratospheric models4–7. Its role in the stratospheric NOy budget, however, has not been analysed. This paper reports an investigation on the importance of this net NOy sink by means of a one-dimensional transport-kinetics model8.
Effects of voice harmonic complexity on ERP responses to pitch-shifted auditory feedback.

Objective The present study investigated the neural mechanisms of voice pitch control for different levels of harmonic complexity in the auditory feedback.
Automated calvaria analysis from computerized axial tomographic scans.

Abstract An automated off-line computer analysis that determines calvarial properties from CT images is described. The method provides 180 measurements of bone mass and thickness around the calvaria. The analysis also attempts to separate trabecular and cortical bone at segments in which characteristic differences are apparent. It compares these quantities for the left and right sides of the skull and finally it computes calvarial circumference.
Nonlinear optical spectroscopy for microscopic imaging - the effect of the pulse shape

We study nonlinear optical short pulse interaction with fluorescent molecules. The effect of pulse shape is considered for the first time on the efficiency of multiphoton imaging. Significance of the spectral shape and phase distortions of the ultrashort laser pulse has been demonstrated and applied for diagnostic imaging.
The Land of Allium: an exploration into the magic of place

Magical. A common adjective used to describe places. But does the magic of place spring from genius loci? Or could it be that we are the magicians, casting spells to transform places into what we desire (or what we fear)? Our sense of place is not a mirror on reality. We come to know places by inscribing our fantasies atop them, by writing onto the landscape our own imagined geographies. C.S. Lewis provides an intriguing glimpse into sense of place through the Pevensie children and their experience in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: a mere wardrobe becomes a complex fantasy world in which the children play and interact. As adults, and as societies, we take real geographies and treat them as Lewis's wardrobe, creating Narnias in the depths of our most mundane landscapes. In this paper I explore the magic of place through an autobiographical photo essay set in a nature preserve in eastern Kansas. The stories I tell highlight in a literary and artistic way the phenomenological aspects of sense of plac...
High speed recursion-free CORDIC architecture

This paper proposes a novel unrolled CORDIC (Co-Ordinate Rotation DIgital Computer) architecture based on parallel operations of a series of micro-rotation stages in the conventional CORDIC. To improve the speed and lower the energy consumption, a Wallace tree reduction is used for the summation of the computed parallel terms. For a large number of micro-rotation stages, a first order approximation is used to reduce the complexity while maintaining the output data accuracy. The circuit has been implemented using a 65nm process. The results show a speed improvement of 20% and an energy-delay reduction of 27% with a minimal expense of 5% increase in the circuit area relative to a conventional CORDIC architecture.
Coupling Of Ribosome And tRNA Dynamics During Translation

Comparisons of X-ray crystallographic and cryogenic electron microscopic structures of ribosomal complexes have led to the hypothesis that conformational dynamics of the ribosome, its transfer RNA (tRNA) substrates, and associated translation factors play important mechanistic and regulatory roles throughout all stages of protein synthesis. Using fluorescently-labeled components within a highly-purified in vitro translation system, we are directly characterizing structural changes of the translational machinery in real time using single-molecule Forster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) in order to elucidate the mechanisms through which these dynamics direct and regulate the individual steps of translation. Here we report new ribosome-ribosome, ribosome-tRNA, and tRNA-translation factor smFRET signals that have allowed us to fully characterize the intrinsic conformational dynamics of a ribosomal domain, the L1 stalk, as well as the coupling between L1 stalk and tRNA dynamics, throughout protein synthesis. Our data reveal that the translating ribosome can spontaneously and reversibly fluctuate between two global conformational states, and that transitions between these two states involve coupled movements of the L1 stalk and ribosome-bound tRNAs, accompanied by ratcheting of the ribosomal subunits. Furthermore, we find that elongation, release, and ribosome recycling factors uniquely recognize these global states of the ribosome and differentially affect transition rates between the two states. Thus, translation factor-mediated recognition and control over intrinsic dynamics of the ribosome plays a major mechanistic role during the elongation, termination, and recycling stages of translation. Our results support the view that specific regulation of the global state of the ribosome is a fundamental characteristic of all translation factors and a unifying theme throughout protein synthesis.
Plant stomata: a checkpoint of host immunity and pathogen virulence

Stomata are microscopic pores formed by pairs of guard cells in the epidermis of terrestrial plants; they are essential for gas exchange with the environment and controlling water loss. Accordingly, plants regulate stomatal aperture in response to environmental conditions, such as relative humidity, CO2 concentration, and light intensity. Stomatal openings are also a major route of pathogen entry into the plant and plants have evolved mechanisms to regulate stomatal aperture as an immune response against bacterial invasion. In this review, we highlight studies that begin to elucidate signaling events involved in bacterium-triggered stomatal closure and discuss how pathogens may have exploited environmental conditions or, in some cases, have evolved virulence factors to actively counter stomatal closure to facilitate invasion.
Finite element modeling of a six-span bridge

Periodic inspection and testing of a structure is necessary to ensure its structural integrity and reliability. Visual inspection alone is not adequate to determine structural integrity. Internal damage and the damage in inaccessible areas are hard to detect in such investigations. Structural identification is a technique that may help to overcome these shortcomings. Developing the right analytical model of the structure plays a key role in ensuring that the model can be used in structural identification. Finite element modeling is the most commonly used tool in structural modeling. Finite element models usually have a high sensitivity to different structural parameters like stiffness, damping etc. Arriving at the correct values for these parameters is an important factor due to the model's high sensitivity to these values. Different kinds of iterative optimization algorithms have been developed to arrive at these values. This paper discusses one such algorithm and shows the application of this algorithm to the finite element model of a six span bridge.
Nurse—Surgeon Conflicts in the OR: Ethical Analysis Using the Four Box Method

Issues warranting ethical analysis frequently arise in nursing practice. This article describes a method for organizing ethically salient features of a case and shows how this method is used to evaluate clinical and professional dilemmas. The method is commonly referred to as the "four box method" because features of a case are organized under four topics: (1) medical indications, (2) patient preferences, (3) quality of life, and (4) contextual features. By scrutinizing a case in this fashion, relevant moral principles and conflicts among them are highlighted. The tool reflects a casuistic, or case-based, approach to decision making, which parallels the way medical decisions are routinely made. This system was designed for health care professionals, recognizing that ethical issues must often be addressed within time and other constraints. The four box method facilitates prompt but detailed ethical analysis.
Acoustical characterization of fluid-saturated porous media with local heterogeneities : Theory and application

A linear dynamic model of fully saturated porous media with local (either microscopic or mesoscopic) heterogeneities is developed within the context of Biot’s theory of poroelasticity. Viscoporoelastic behavior associated with local fluid flow is characterized by the notion of the dynamic compatibility condition on the interface between the solid and the fluid. Complex, frequency-dependent material parameters characterizing the viscoporoelasticity are derived. The complex properties can be obtained through determining the quasi-static poroelastic parameters, the properties of individual constituents, and the relaxation time of the dynamic compatibility condition on the interface. Relationships among various quasi-static poroelastic parameters are developed. It is shown that local fluid flow mechanism is significant only in the porous media with local heterogeneities. The relaxation time of the compatibility condition on the interface depends upon the details of local structure of porous media that control local fluid pressure diffusion. The new model is used to describe the velocity dispersion and attenuation in fully saturated porous media. The proposed model provides a theoretical framework to simulate the acoustical behavior of fully saturated porous media over a wide range of frequencies without making any explicit assumption about the structure of local heterogeneities.
A Summary of the Derivation of the Parameters in the Commentariolus from the Alfonsine Tables with an Appendix on the Length of the Tropical Year in Abraham Zacuto's Almanach Perpetuum

La derivation des parametres chez N. Copernic (1473-1543) telle qu'elle apparait dans ses Commentariolus, et la theorie du cycle des annees chez le savant juif du 15s. A. Zacuto.
A nitroxide-sterol derivative potently modifies cholesterol biosynthesis by normal and neoplastic guinea pig lymphocytes

Abstract Leukemic guinea pig lymphocytes (L 2 C) synthesise cholesterol in vitro at a forty-fold greater rate than normal cells. Equilibration (18 h) with lecithin or lecithin-cholesterol liposomes, respectively, enhances or suppresses sterol manufacture by normal lymphocytes but does not influence sterol production by L 2 C cells. In contrast, > 5·10 9 molecules/cell of a nitroxide-derivative of androstane, (17 β-hydroxy-4′,4′-dimethylspiro [5 α-androstan-3,2′-oxazolidin]-3′-yloxyl), commonly used as a membrane spin-probe, drastically inhibit sterol production by both normal and leukemic cells (maximum within 2 h). At 9 molecules/cell, this sterol stimulates cholesterol synthesis. 25-Hydroxycholesterol at low concentrations also stimulates sterol manufacture, whereas high concentrations are also inhibitory in both cell types.
Geometries and stabilities of 3d-transition metal-cation benzene complexes, M+Bzn (M = Sc–Cu, n = 1, 2)

Abstract The geometries of the 3d-transition metal-cation benzene (Bz) half-sandwich (C6v), M+Bz (M = Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu), and sandwich complexes, M+Bz2, in the respective staggered (D6d) and eclipsed (D6h) conformations are optimized using the B3LYP density functional in Gaussian 03. In both cases we find the respective dissociation energies (with respect to loss of one benzene molecule) to be approximately inversely proportional to the distance between the metal atom and the benzene ring(s) with the latter being only slightly deformed. For the half-sandwich complexes our results agree well with computed geometries and computed and measured dissociation energies from the literature. For the sandwich complexes, however, only measured dissociation energies are available, which turn out to deviate considerably from our results.
The surgical treatment of total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage.

Abstract Our experience with the surgical management of total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage includes an initial 10 years using closed heart surgery, a period of 12 years using extracorporeal circulation and open heart surgery, and a brief period using hypothermia with extracorporeal circulation and circulatory arrest. This latter method is simple and holds some promise for improving the overall results in the treatment of this lesion.
Detours on the Road to Autonomy: A Critique of the New York State Do-Not-Resuscitate Law

IN 1988 New York State passed legislation regulating the writing of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders. The legislation was intended to preserve and maximize patient autonomy. However, there have been 2 unintended consequences: futile resuscitation has become institutionalized and patients who want to protect themselves against the terror of approaching death by clinging to denial are deprived of this self-protective device, unless the physician fails to obey the law. In 1982 a grand jury found that a New York City hospital had been using covert DNR orders and routinely excluding patients from decisions about their resuscitation. 1 A subsequent New York State task force was charged with drafting legislation to regulate the writing of DNR orders, in particular to fashion a law that preserved and maximized patient autonomy. To that end it proposed that exceptions to the discussion of a DNR order directly with the patient be narrowly limited. The law was
Trapping of a Resonant Phonon in a Paramagnetic Spin System

The trapping of a resonant phonon in a noninteracting spin system is studied in the limit of zero temperature with the aid of the Heitler damping formalism. Starting from the initial condition that all but one of the spins are in the ground state, expressions are obtained for the distribution of emitted phonons and the distribution of excited spins. It is pointed out that the phonon distribution has a width which greatly exceeds the corresponding width in the single-spin problem. It is also noted that the spread of excitation cannot be characterized as a diffusive process, since the second moment of the spin distribution is asymptotically proportional to the square of the elapsed time. The significance of these results is discussed with particular reference to the normal modes of a coupled spin-lattice system.
Lower-thermospheric neutral winds at high latitude determined from incoherent scatter measurements: a review of techniques and observations

Abstract Neutral winds can be deduced from E-region incoherent scatter measurements of the ion velocity, in conjunction with measurements of the electric field and knowledge of the ion-neutral collison frequency. Measurement techniques and methods used to derive lower-thermospheric neutral winds are presented and compared. The sensitivity of the results to the ion-neutral collision frequency is discussed. Observations of the lower thermosphere at mid- and high latitudes show that neutral dynamics are influenced by both tidal oscillations and magnetospheric forcing. The tidal results obtained using Mesosphere-Stratosphere-Troposphere (MST), Medium-Frequency (MF), meteor, and Incoherent Scatter (IS) radars are generally consistent, and show the dominance of semidiurnal oscillations. At Chatanika, Alaska (65°N, 65Λ), the average summer semidiurnal oscillation reaches a peak amplitude of approximately 60 m/s at 110-km altitude. Recent measurements obtained using the IS radar at Sondre Stromfjord, Greenland (67°N, 74.5Λ), show a similar strong semidiurnal component in the neutral winds. The response of the neutral winds to magnetospheric forcing is in qualitative agreement with the results of three-dimensional global model simulations of the thermosphere, which predict deviations in the normal flows as a result of frictional coupling to the convecting ions. Auroral zone measurements at Chatanika show that the response is strongest in the morning sector, where enhanced zonal flow is detected during geomagnetically disturbed conditions. Recent polar cap measurements at Sondrestrom likewise show a response to enhanced ion convection during a highly disturbed interval.
Conversion gain and noise in a Josephson mixer

Abstract : Fundamental mixing at 36 GHz in non-hysteretic Nb point contacts has been observed with overall conversion efficiencies in the range 0.33 < or = eta < or = 4 and mixer noise temperatures in the neighborhood of ( Taub M) approximately 200K. The observed conversion efficiencies are in good agreement with the Resistively Shunted model. The observed noise can be accounted for by assuming that the Johnson noise in the shunt resistor is the only source of noise driving the junction. Somewhat larger noise is seen from resonantly coupled mixers than is seen when the mixer is driven from an rf current source. Fundamental mixing in hysteretic junctions is limited to a narrow if bandwidth and gives much larger conversion gain but also larger noise. Parametric amplification at the if frequency is seen in hysteretic junctions. Fourth order harmonic mixing with omega sub (LO)/2 pi at 9GHz has been achieved with performance almost comparable to fundamental mixing. Cavity mode mixing appears less promising. (Author)
MOTILITY ABNORMALITIES IN GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE

Motility abnormalities of the esophageal body associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have been known for years. The descriptions of these abnormalities, however, have been nonspecific, and although attributed to GERD in general, the association with specific pathologic injury is unclear. Although classic teaching has dictated that therapy, specifically fundoplication, should be altered on the basis of these abnormalities, the literature calls this into question. This article sheds light on these issues and formulates specific statements and guidelines as to the clinical importance of esophageal body motility abnormalities associated with GERD.
Structure and activity of ragweed antigen E. II. Allergenic crossreactivity of the subunits

Recently we have reported the isolation of the two subunits (alpha and beta) of ragweed antigen E (AgE) in their active form. In the present work we have compared the allergenic activity of the two subunits with native AgE by the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) and by inhibition of the RAST. Also, the amounts of IgE antibodies in 30 ragweed-sensitive sera bound to alpha and beta subunits as well as native AgE were measured by RAST. In all individuals the percentage of RAST binding was greatest to native AgE; however, varying patterns of reactivity to alpha and beta subunits were noted. In RAST inhibition experiments, free beta subunit was equally effective in inhibiting the binding of IgE antibody (from a pooled ragweed-sensitive sera) to immoblized alpha or beta subunit. Similarly, fluid-phase alpha subunit inhibited in a comparable manner the binding of IgE antibody to solid-phase alpha or beta subunits. In further RAST inhibition experiments 7 x 10(-13) moles of fluid-phase native AgE was required for 50% inhibition of the binding of IgE antibody to solid-phase native AgE. Larger molar amounts of fluid phase beta (3.5 x 10(-11) and alpha (3 x 10(-10) were needed for 50% inhibition of the binding of IgE antibody to solid-phase native AgE. AgE allergenicity as measured by RAST could not be totally reconstituted by recombination of equimolar quantities of alpha and beta subunits. Less than 1 x 10(-12) moles of fluid-phase native AgE inhibited the binding of IgE antibody to solid-phase alpha or beta, greater than 50%. Finally, the isolated chains are bioligcally active as demonstrated by their ability to provoke wheal-and-flare skin reactions in subjects allergic to ragweed pollen, and the activities of the chains were approximately equivalent on a weight basis to native AgE.
Relative dye-binding capacity of albumin from several species with HABA, bromocresol green and Spectru AB-2.

Abstract The relative dye-binding capacity of albumins from porcine, equine, ovine, avian, bovine, and canine sera was determined with HABA, Spectru AB-2, and bromocresol green. Evidence was presented to demonstrate the advantage of the bromocresol green procedure when the albumin content of serum from several species is determined.
Using Problem-Based Learning as a Tool for Learning To Teach Students with Special Needs.

This article describes how Problem-based learning (PBL) was used as a pedagogical tool to help prospective teachers (a) define various disabilities, (b) learn teaching strategies for inclusion settings, and (c) value collaboration with other professionals. Qualitative and quantitative data are reported about the influence of the PBL experience on 44 preservice teachers during a semester-long PBL experience. Our findings indicate that engagement in PBL can help prospective teachers begin to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to work with children with disabilities in a problem-solving atmosphere that models and emphasizes peer collaboration.
Differential innervation of protruder and retractor muscles of the tongue in rat

Protrusion and retraction of the tongue are essential components of such orofacial behaviors as mastication, respiration, and swallowing. Stimulation of the medial branch of the hypoglossal nerve yields tongue protrusion, while stimulation of the lateral branch yields tongue retraction in rat. We exploited the transsynaptic transport capabilities of pseudorabies virus to determine specific circuits that innervate protruder and retractor muscles of the rat tongue. Each group of muscles is innervated by distinct populations of hypoglossal motoneurons: caudal ventral and ventrolateral motoneurons form the largest proportion of those innervating protruders, whereas rostral dorsal motoneurons innervate retractors. Our primary finding was differential innervation of protruder and retractor motoneurons by premotoneurons in the lateral tegmental field: premotoneurons innervating protruder motoneurons were more ventral and ventromedial than those innervating retractor motoneurons. In addition, protruder motoneurons received projections from the ipsilateral lateral parabrachial nucleus but not spinal trigeminal nucleus or medial and ventral subnuclei of the solitary tract; the converse was true for retractor motoneurons. These results suggest segregation of functional networks that control hypoglossal motoneurons. The dorsal medulla, in or around the solitary tract, contains neurons specific to retractor motoneurons, and the region ventrolateral to the hypoglossal nucleus contains circuitry specific to protruder motoneurons. Common innervation of medial and lateral branch motoneurons is provided by premotoneurons in the raphe and gigantocellular reticular formation of the medial medulla. The midline medullary nuclei with diverse projections may coordinate complex behavior or modulate general motoneuron excitability, whereas the lateral reticular formation, with anatomically discrete projections, may control motoneurons that contribute to distinct orofacial behaviors.