cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
11-color, 13-parameter flow cytometry: Identification of human naive T cells by phenotype, function, and T-cell receptor diversity

11-color, 13-parameter flow cytometry: Identification of human naive T cells by phenotype, function, and T-cell receptor diversity
Ever Present: Attention and Alertness in the Unawake

Unlike patients diagnosed with traditional sleep disorders, this subject displays persistent equivalence of consciousness even while asleep. This poses a set of epistemic challenges to ideas of what constitutes sleep, self, and awareness.
Measurement of DSM-III, Axis II.

Abstract Ten scales measuring DSM-III Axis II Personality Disorders are reviewed, three self-report scales and seven interviews. Reliability, validity, and closeness in conception to DSM-III concepts are examined. Suggestions for areas in need of future work in the development of these scales are made.
A physiologically based description of ethylene oxide dosimetry in the rat.

A physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PB-PK) model providing a quantitative description of ethylene oxide (ETO) dosimetry in the rat was developed by integrating information on physiology, tissue solubility of ETO, and rate constants for ETO metabolism and binding. The PB-PK model consisted of nine compartments; liver, lung, testis, brain, fat, venous blood, arterial blood, richly perfused and poorly perfused tissues. The tissue: air partition coefficients of ETO, determined by vial equilibration, were similar among the various tissues (range 44–83). The rate constants for glutathione (GSH) conjugation, hydrolysis, and hemoglobin (Hb)- and DNA- binding were estimated from published data and by conducting in vivo inhalation exposure studies. The model adequately predicted the concentrations of Hb and DNA adducts, hepatic and extrahepatic GSH, and urinary N-acetyl-S-(2-hydroxyethyl)-cysteine following inhalation exposures of 1.2 to 1,200 ppm and intravenous administration of 1 to 100 mg/kg of ETO in male...
Potentially Deceptive Health Nutrition-Related Advertising Claims: The Role of Inoculation in Conferring Resistance.

Objective:This study sought to examine the efficacy of inoculation message treatments to facilitate resistance to health nutrition–related (HNR) commercial food advertising claims.Design:Data were collected across three phases extending across a 5-week period conducted over two semesters at a Midwest US university. A 2 × 3 between-subjects factorial design was adopted, with multivariate and univariate analyses being used to interpret the results.Setting:Pittsburg, USA.Method:Participants were emerging adult undergraduate students (aged 18–25 years) recruited from introductory communication courses. A total of 167 students participated in Phase 1 of the work, of whom 152 completed Phase 2 and 145 completed Phase 3 (resulting in an 86.8% retention rate). Among these, 45% were men.Results:The results indicated (F(3, 129) = 9.83, p < .001, partial η2 = .18) that compared to control (M = 5.20, standard deviation [SD] = .84), participants who received an inoculation treatment experienced greater Phase 3 attitud...
Potential of extracellular microRNAs as biomarkers of acetaminophen toxicity in children.

Abstract Developing biomarkers for detecting acetaminophen (APAP) toxicity has been widely investigated. Recent studies of adults with APAP-induced liver injury have reported human serum microRNA-122 (miR-122) as a novel biomarker of APAP-induced liver injury. The goal of this study was to examine extracellular microRNAs (miRNAs) as potential biomarkers for APAP liver injury in children. Global levels of serum and urine miRNAs were examined in three pediatric subgroups: 1) healthy children (n = 10), 2) hospitalized children receiving therapeutic doses of APAP (n = 10) and 3) children hospitalized for APAP overdose (n = 8). Out of 147 miRNAs detected in the APAP overdose group, eight showed significantly increased median levels in serum (miR-122, -375, -423-5p, -30d-5p, -125b-5p, -4732-5p, -204-5p, and -574-3p), compared to the other groups. Analysis of urine samples from the same patients had significantly increased median levels of four miRNAs (miR-375, -940, -9-3p and -302a) compared to the other groups. Importantly, correlation of peak serum APAP protein adduct levels (an indicator of the oxidation of APAP to the reactive metabolite N-acetyl-para-quinone imine) with peak miRNA levels showed that the highest correlation was observed for serum miR-122 (R = 0.94; p
Progressive optic nerve cupping and neural rim decrease in a patient with bilateral autosomal dominant optic nerve colobomas.

PURPOSE: To document progressive optic nerve cupping and neural rim decrease in a patient with normal intraocular pressures and bilateral autosomal dominant optic nerve colobomas. METHODS: The ophthalmology records, stereoscopic fundus photographs, and visual fields of a 27-year-old woman with familial (autosomal dominant) optic nerve colobomas were reviewed. The appearance of the optic nerves was documented over a 13-year period (1985 to 1998). RESULTS: Despite repeatedly normal intraocular pressures, the patient showed progressive optic nerve cupping and neural rim decrease in both eyes. Visual field testing was available over a 5-year period (1993 to 1998) and was abnormal, but no progression was seen. CONCLUSIONS: This case of progressive cupping and neural rim decrease in a patient with autosomal dominant optic nerve coloboma in both eyes may provide insight into the optic nerve cupping associated with normal tension glaucoma. Careful follow-up of patients with optic disk colobomas or patients is indicated to detect possible optic nerve changes or field loss.
Tumor Suppression at the Mouse INK4a Locus Mediated by the Alternative Reading Frame Product p19 ARF

Abstract The INK4a tumor suppressor locus encodes p16 INK4a , an inhibitor of cyclin D-dependent kinases, and p19 ARF , an alternative reading frame protein that also blocks cell proliferation. Surprisingly, mice lacking p19 ARF but expressing functional p16 INK4a develop tumors early in life. Their embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) do not senesce and are transformed by oncogenic Ha- ras alone. Conversion of ARF +/+ or ARF +/− MEF strains to continuously proliferating cell lines involves loss of either p19 ARF or p53. p53-mediated checkpoint control is unperturbed in ARF -null fibroblast strains, whereas p53-negative cell lines are resistant to p19 ARF -induced growth arrest. Therefore, INK4a encodes growth inhibitory proteins that act upstream of the retinoblastoma protein and p53. Mutations and deletions targeting this locus in cancer cells are unlikely to be functionally equivalent.
Status of recent results on image restoration in multidimensional systems theory

The restoration of images which have been degraded is a key problem in image processing. This is normally required following the acquisition of sensor data and prior to detailed image analysis and understanding. Many physical processes responsible for image distortion or degradation may be modeled by systems which are linear (shift-invariant or shift-variant) and various restoration procedures exist in these situations. Very recently, an efficient recursive scheme has been described[1] to recover images corrupted by blurs that may be modeled by linear shift-variant systems. For any 2-D discrete first quadrant quarter-plane causal linear shift-variant (LSV) system, whose impulse response is a K-th order degenerate sequence, a K-th order state-space model was obtained. This model is recursive and is based on a three-term recurrence formula relating any point in the state-space to its three closest neighboring points and the current input. The state-space model was extended in order to model 2-D discrete LSV systems with support on a causality cone. Subsequently, the 2-D quarter-plane causal and weakly causal discrete models were generalized to the n-D(n>2) case. The resulting state-space models are recursive and are based on a (2n-1)-points recurrence formula, which for the causal case uses the (2n-1)-closest neighboring points in addition to the input in order to compute any current output state. For the weakly causal case, the (2n-1) computed outputs required are not, in general, the closest neighbors to the output presently being computed. Conditions for the existence of a 2-D state-space model for the inverse system were obtained and with these conditions satisfied, a state-space model of the inverse system is readily derivable from the original one. Models for the 2-D LSV system and its inverse can be used to perform analysis and deconvolution problems very efficiently. This was substantiated from derived expressions for space-time computational complexities.
Coated Carbon Hemoperfusion Provides Limited Clearance of Protein-bound Solutes

This study assessed the capacity of a cartridge containing coated granular carbon to clear protein-bound solutes. Clearances for test solutes were measured while an albumin solution representing plasma was pumped from a 10 L reservoir through the cartridge at a rate of 200 mL/min for 5 h. Clearance values for phenol red, phenytoin, and indican were well below the limit imposed by the plasma flow and declined with time. The clearance of phenol red, which was the most tightly bound solute, fell from 38 +/- 12 to 17 +/- 2 mL/min. Additional studies revealed that the cartridge contained enough carbon to absorb all the protein-bound test solutes, but that the rate of their clearance was limited by the inability of granular carbon to take up solutes rapidly at a low concentration. The rate of solute uptake at low concentration was shown to be much greater when carbon was in powdered rather than granular form. A device in which approximately 50 g of powdered carbon was recirculated in the dialysate compartment of hollow fiber kidneys cleared phenol red and phenytoin more rapidly than the hemoperfusion cartridge containing 300 g of coated granular carbon. These results indicate that hemoperfusion over coated granular carbon provides limited clearance of protein-bound solutes.
Kinetic properties of Kv4.3 and their modulation by KChIP2b.

Abstract KChIPs are a family of Kv4 K + channel ancillary subunits whose effects usually include slowing of inactivation, speeding of recovery from inactivation, and increasing channel surface expression. We compared the effects of the 270 amino acid KChIP2b on Kv4.3 and a Kv4.3 inner pore mutant [V(399, 401)I]. Kv4.3 showed fast inactivation with a bi-exponential time course in which the fast time constant predominated. KChIP2b expressed with wild-type Kv4.3 slowed the fast time constant of inactivation; however, the overall rate of inactivation was faster due to reduction of the contribution of the slow inactivation phase. Introduction of [V(399, 401)I] slowed both time constants of inactivation less than 2-fold. Inactivation was incomplete after 20 s pulse durations. Co-expression of KChIP2b with Kv4.3 [V(399, 401)I] slowed inactivation dramatically. KChIP2b increased the rate of recovery from inactivation 7.6-fold in the wild-type channel and 5.7-fold in Kv4.3 [V(399,401)I]. These data suggest that inner pore structure is an important factor in the modulatory effects of KChIP2b on Kv4.3 K + channels.
HEAO Observations of X-ray bursts from MXB1730-335

The March 18, 1978 burst activity of the rapid burster MXB 1730-335 was studied by examining 58 minutes of quick-look data for the A2 and A4 experiments on HEAO 1. Very large, moderately sized, and small bursts are characterized. Type II bursts were found to show a spectral softening during burst decay. The existence of flux was sought in the 85-160 keV energy range, and it was found that the large type II bursts contain less than 5% of their total X-ray energy in this range. The implications of the lack of a hard X-ray flux with respect to accretion instability models of X-ray bursts are considered.
2.3.2 Lessons Learned for Systems Engineering Capability Assessments

Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems-Akron (NE&SS) has completed a continuous assessment against the Systems Engineering Capability Model (SECM), EIA/IS-731. This assessment was conducted in three stages: Quick Look, Incremental and Final. The Quick Look took several days to conduct. The two year Incremental assessment established the processes to assure compliance with them in the organization. The one week Final assessment validated the Level 3+ capability of the organization. Lessons learned at each assessment stage are applicable to all engineering assessments when evaluated against any type of assessment model. This paper summarizes our assessment process and discusses our lessons learned. Setting out to conduct an assessment and improvement process can be confusing, especially for an organization at lower levels of capability maturity. This paper is focused on planning future assessments by organizations with limited prior assessment experience.
Characteristics of calmodulin phosphorylation by the insulin receptor kinase

Calmodulin is a substrate for the insulin receptor kinase. The time sequence of events resulting in insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of calmodulin was analyzed at a number of different insulin concentrations using partially purified solubilized insulin receptor preparations from rat adipocytes. The respective insulin concentrations needed to reach half-maximal binding, phosphorylation of the beta-subunit of the insulin receptor, and phosphorylation of calmodulin were 4.5 X 10(-10), 4.3 X 10(-10), and 3.9 X 10(-10) M, respectively. At all insulin concentrations, the time to reach 50% of the maximum (defined as the value obtained at 60 min) occurred in the sequence: insulin binding less than beta-subunit phosphorylation less than calmodulin phosphorylation. Insulin binding and beta-subunit phosphorylation occurred almost immediately, whereas there was a lag phase preceding calmodulin phosphorylation. Although stoichiometry was generally low under routine assay conditions (0.01-0.10 mol phosphate/mol calmodulin), it could be increased 4.3 +/- 0.5-fold (n = 5) by pretreating the calmodulin with 0.1 N NaOH. Insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of calmodulin was exclusively on tyrosine residues. The calmodulin molecule in animals contains only two tyrosine residues, located at positions 99 and 138. The amount of phosphate incorporation into a semisynthetic calmodulin (VU1) which contains only one of these tyrosine residues (tyrosine-138) was half that obtained with porcine or chicken calmodulin. Therefore, insulin, via its receptor kinase, stimulates the phosphorylation of calmodulin; calmodulin can be phosphorylated on both tyrosine residues 99 and 138.
Different command neurons select different outputs from a shared premotor interneuron of crayfish tail-flip circuitry

In the crayfish a bilateral pair of interneurons (the 13's) are involved in the generation of two types of tail-flip escape responses, one mediated by giant neurons and the other by nongiant circuitry. The 13's make a variety of output connections with the motoneurons and with other interneurons involved in tail flipping. The motoneuronal outputs include strong synapses on telson flexor motoneurons, whose activity during tail flips mediated by lateral giant fibers would be maladaptive. The lateral giants always drive the 13's, but also drive inhibitory neurons that prevent the undesirable outputs of the 13's while permitting their adaptive outputs to be expressed. It is often adaptive for tail flips initiated by nongiant circuitry to utilize the telson flexor muscles that 13 strongly excites. During such tail flips 13 is often fired, and this firing is important in driving the telson flexors.
Kaposi's Sarcoma: Absence of Cytomegalovirus Antigens

Using an immunohistochemical method, we could not detect cytomegalovirus antigens in the tissue of Kaposi's sarcoma but could in the cells of control sections from tissues known to be infected by that virus. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that high antibody titers to cytomegalovirus found in patients with Kaposi's sarcoma are not due to infection of neoplastic cells by the virus, as a secondary event; our data supports the conclusions of others that exposure to cytomegalovirus may be a primary event in the pathogenesis of Kaposi's sarcoma.
Model simplification — Three applications

Abstract This paper explores the possibility of model simplification in the context of ecological models. The techniques of simplification have arisen in a variety of disciplines and have received only limited attention in ecological studies. We applied some of these techniques in three instances and report our results in this paper. All of our simplification exercises were successful in the sense of making the models under scrutiny less complex. We present our results here as a demonstration of some of these simplification techniques and to generalize about the applicability of simplification to ecological models.
Cascaded Binary Counters with Feedback

A simple general method for analyzing any given cascaded binary counter feedback configuration is presented. The count can be determined directly from the diagram without the need of writing equations of any form. The synthesis of cascaded binary counter feedback configurations is also discussed, and a table of feedback configurations with the minimum number of feedback connections is presented.
Recidivism study of New Mexico's convicted DWI offenders 2000-2003.

New Mexico law requires all convicted DWI offenders to be screened by an alcohol and drug abuse screening instrument. This brief article presents the findings of a paper given at the Traffic Records Forum in Buffalo, NY in 2005. The authors report on a study undertaken to demonstrate how convicted Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) offenders are screened and tracked in New Mexico, to describe how data analysis is achieved through linkage of databases for convicted DWI offenders in New Mexico, and to describe recidivism rates of convicted DWI offenders. Results showed that outpatient treatment was recommended by the client tracking program (CTP) for 73% of convicted DWI offenders. Just prior to their DWI arrests, 50.9% of convicted DWI offenders consumed alcohol obtained directly from restaurants, bars, or stores where liquor is sold. Native Americans had the highest re-arrest rates. Younger convicted DWI offenders had the higher re-arrest rates. And 10.2% of convicted DWI offenders with one prior conviction had a re-arrest. The authors conclude that data linkage of various datasets provides more complete information than that available through the individual databases.
Safety and efficacy of early atropine injection for dobutamine stress cardiac magnetic resonance: a single center experience

Dobutamine is an effective pharmacologic stress agent commonly used in cardiac stress testing, but has several well documented adverse effects including serious arrhythmias and myocardial infarction. The most common dobutamine protocol is to infuse an increasing dose of 10 µg/kg followed by 20, 30, then 40 µg/kg until target HR is achieved. Atropine may be added after the 40 µg/kg infusion if target heart rate is not achieved. An alternative strategy for dobutamine infusion involves earlier atropine administration, i.e. infusion of atropine after the 10, 20, or 30 µg/kg doses of dobutamine. In the echocardiography literature this strategy has been shown to have a better safety profile while maintaining the ability to achieve target heart rate. Dobutamine stress CMR may benefit from adopting a similar protocol.
Method behind the madness: An examination of stalking measurements

Stalking is defined in a variety of ways within state statutes and social science and, therefore, researchers have not standardized how to define or operationalize this phenomenon. These disparate definitions and approaches to measurement have important implications for the validity, reliability, and generalizability of knowledge about stalking victimization and perpetration across different contexts. The purpose of this article is to identify patterns in defining and measuring stalking and to advance the field by offering recommendations for measuring stalking more consistently in the future. Methodological procedures of 56 peer-reviewed published stalking studies are examined and implications for future stalking measurement are discussed.
Sufficient conditions for the Lipschitz continuity of QP-based multi-objective control of humanoid robots

In this paper we analyze the continuity properties of feedback controllers that are formulated as state-dependent quadratic programs (QP), with specific application to motion control for humanoid robots. With a desire to achieve multiple simultaneous goals in locomotion and manipulation, we develop a generalized QP-based control law through the use of multiple control Lyapunov functions (CLFs). Motivated by simulation studies showing cases where QP-based control loses Lipschitz continuity, the main result of this paper is a set of sufficient conditions under which such continuity properties will hold. This result provides conditions under which any number of tasks encoded as CLFs can be simultaneously exponentially stabilized. Finally, these results are demonstrated in a simulation of a simple humanoid robot climbing a vertical ladder.
Crypsis influences escape decisions in the Round-tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma modestum)

Flight initiation distance (predator–prey distance when escape begins) increases as predation risk increases. Prey should have longer flight initiation distance when their background, movement, or current posture reduces crypsis. Flight initiation distance of ectotherms may increase at lower body temperature to compensate for slower running speed. However, for cryptic prey, fleeing might increase the probability of being detected. The Round-tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma modestum Girard, 1852) is eucryptic and resembles small stones. We predicted that flight initiation distance by P. modestum is shorter among stones than on uniform sand. Because movement and upright posture disrupt crypsis, we predicted that flight initiation distance is greater after movement and when standing than when still and lying on the ground. As predicted, flight initiation distances were shorter on a rocky than sandy area, when lying flat than standing, and while immobile than after moving. We measured running speed and flight...
Two ATS Recommended Protocols for Administration of Methacholine Are Not Equal

Background. The 1999 American Thoracic Society methacholine challenge guidelines stated that the 5-breath dosimeter method of methacholine administration is similar to the 2-minute tidal breath method. Recent data has disputed this assertion. We examined the differences in the diagnosis of asthma using these two methods. Methods. Data were abstracted from a prospectively generated pulmonary function database over 4 years. During the first 2 years the 5-breath dosimeter method was used, and the subsequent 2 years the 2-minute tidal breath method was used. The effect of the delivery technique was assessed by crude and adjusted odds ratios, controlling for known confounders and group differences. Results. A total of 907 subjects underwent methacholine challenge testing during the 4-year study period: 19.3% of the subjects tested with the 5-breath dosimeter method and 31.2% of those tested with the 2-minute tidal breathing method had a PC20 ≤ 8.0 mg/mL (OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.4 to 2.58, p < 0.001). The ability to ...
CH4 storage on compressed carbons

Abstract Compressibility indices and CH 4 uptake capacities were determined for three commercially produced carbons, using a specially designed cell, developed for a high pressure thermal gravimetric analyzer. The cell was used during CH 4 uptake measurements on non-compacted and compacted carbon materials, while maintaining a constant sample volume. Compressibility, piece density, and CH 4 uptake capacities were measured for carbons having different particle sizes, after physical blending, and before and after coke deposition. Pore size distributions and pore volumes was obtained. Compaction of the activated carbons and a graphite powder increased the CH 4 uptake per unit volume of the material beyond that expected from densification. The data suggested that compaction and physical blending provides additional CH 4 adsorption sites in inter-particle voids.
Melting behavior of SnBi alloy droplets during continuous heating

Relatively few experimental studies have been conducted to investigate the melting behavior of solid solutions during heating. Unlike pure metals, the melting of a binary alloy is accompanied by the redistribution of solute between the solid and liquid phases. In addition, while the superheating of pure metals is difficult to attain, it has been observed that relatively high levels of constitutional (concentration) superheating can be achieved in bulk samples through the application of rapid heating rates. These investigations also reported that at high rates of heating, supersaturated (superheated) solid retained within the volume of a grain decomposes rapidly (melts) with the development of a plate-like morphology once a certain level of superheating above T{sub S} is reached. The mechanism is not well understood but involves the formation of alternating bands of liquid and solid within the supersaturated grain. Thermal analysis of fine powder samples (5-20 {mu}m diameter) has proved to be a very effective method for analyzing metastable phase equilibria and evaluating possible reaction pathways leading to the formation of metastable phases during solidification. The present investigation represents an extension of the droplet technique to investigate the path of morphological evolution during melting of solid solution alloys in the Sn-Bimore » system. A systematic evaluation of the melting process and the onset of metastable effects have been attained by analyzing the dependence of the melting signal on the applied heating rate.« less
Concentration and chain‐length dependence of thermodynamic interactions in polyethylene isotope blends

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements of interactions in polymer blends, χ NS , generally depend on blend concentration Φ, even though χ NS is evaluated with a model that assumes that the thermodynamic interaction parameter χ FH = χ NS is independent of Φ. Londono et al. have reported XNS to increase by ∼ 4x when Φ drops below 0.05 in polyethylene isotope blends. The relation between scattering and thermodynamics is addressed with incompressible Flory-Huggins theory wherein the thermodynamic interaction parameter χ may vary with concentration Φ and degree of polymerization N; here χ NS (Φ)) ¬= χ(Φ). For polyethylene isotope and similar polyolefin blends, the strong upward curvature of χNS implies a modest (ca. 30%) increase of χ. Macroscopic phase behavior is unaffected because the shape of the binodal remains essentially unchanged. The Φ-dependence of χ NS in turn depends on N, leading to the following empirical expression for the thermodynamic interaction parameter: χ(Φ, N) = β - (2γ'/NΦ 1 Φ 2 )(Φ 1 ln Φ 1 + Φ 2 ln Φ 2 ) For polyethylene isotope blends at 155°C, β = 2.85 x 10 -4 and γ' = 0.15. Simple Flory-Huggins behavior with χ FH = β is recovered when N approaches infinity. The source of the Φ- and N-dependent second term is not known.
Isosteres of Natural Phosphates. Methylene and Hydroxyrnethylene Analogues of Tyrosine O-Phosphate

Abstract The ability of phosphonic acid analogues isosteric with natural phosphate esters to Serve as inhibitors of enzymatic phosphate hydrolysis has been documented in a wide variety of systems.1 The use of such an analogue in place of the natural phosphate ester provides a functionality which the enzyme may not be able to distinguish from the natural ester, but which is incapable of being hydrolyzed. In some instances the use of hydroxymethylene analogues has resulted in a greater degree of recognition, and resultant inhibition of hydrolytic activity, than the simple methylene analogues.2 On this basis, the methylene and hydroxymethylene analogues of tyrosine O-phosphate appear to be reasonable candidates to Serve as inhibitors for phosphoprotein phosphatases and alkaline phosphatase, and as probes for biological mechanisms.
Indolactam V/GLP-1-mediated Differentiation of Human iPS Cells into Glucose-Responsive Insulin-Secreting Progeny

Nuclear reprogramming of somatic tissue enables derivation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from an autologous, non-embryonic origin. The purpose of this study was to establish efficient protocols for lineage specification of human iPS cells into functional glucose-responsive, insulin-producing progeny. We generated human iPS cells, which were then guided with recombinant growth factors that mimic the essential signaling for pancreatic development. Reprogrammed with four stemness factors, human fibroblasts were here converted into authentic iPS cells. Under feeder-free conditions, fate specification was initiated with activin A and Wnt3a that triggered engagement into definitive endoderm, followed by priming with fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF10) and KAAD-cyclopamine. Addition of retinoic acid, boosted by the pancreatic endoderm inducer indolactam V (ILV), yielded pancreatic progenitors expressing pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 (PDX1), neurogenin 3 (NGN3) and neurogenic differentiation 1 (NEUROD1) markers. Further guidance, under insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and N-[N-(3,5-Difluorophenacetyl)-L-alanyl]-S-phenylglycine t-butyl ester (DAPT), was enhanced by glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) to generate islet-like cells that expressed pancreas-specific markers including insulin and glucagon. Derived progeny demonstrated sustained expression of PDX1, and functional responsiveness to glucose challenge secreting up to 230 pM of C-peptide. A pancreatogenic cocktail enriched with ILV/GLP-1 offers a proficient means to specify human iPS cells into glucose-responsive hormone-producing progeny, refining the development of a personalized platform for islet-like cell generation.
Analytical behavior of connections to concrete-filled steel tubes

Abstract This paper presents a non-linear 3-D finite element study on a variety of details for connections to concrete-filled steel tubes. An analytical study was needed to verify connections that might be suitable for seismic conditions. This research focused on the connection to circular steel tubes, because this shape presents more detailing difficulties compared to the square tube counterpart. Analytical models were generated using eight-node shell elements for the structural steel components, and 20-node 3-D brick elements for the concrete core. Each element had the capacity for material inelastic and geometric non-linear behavior. To verify the accuracy of the analytical models, results were compared to available test data. Parameters used in this analytical study included: the diameter-to-tube wall thickness ratio, the applied axial load on the column, and the moment-to-shear ratio of the girder. Analytical results suggest that connections which transfer load from the girder to the concrete core potentially offer better seismic performance than connections to the steel tube alone. Connections to the steel tube only exhibit large distortion of the tube wall around the connection region. Components that transfer girder forces into the concrete core exhibit better strength and stiffness characteristics than a simple connection to the tube face. However, the improvement in behavior depends on the type components penetrating the concrete core. Connections in which the girder extends through the composite column offers the most effective method in developing the ideal rigid girder connection behavior.
A Dynamic Electrocardiographic Concept Useful in the Diagnosis of Cor Pulmonale Result of a Survey of 200 Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

The results of a survey of 200 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) revealed that the electrocardiographic criteria used in the past are relatively poor delineators of cor pulmonale in COPD, either in its early or late stages. The study offers a dynamic concept designed to aid in discovering right ventricular (RV) complications in COPD-the coupling of arterial blood gas analysis and four electrocardiographic fluctuations which signal RV abnormality. Where arterial O2 saturation fell below 85% and pulmonary artery mean pressure (PAm) was 25 mm Hg or greater, one or more of these four fluctuations were seen in patients with cor pulmonale: (1) a rightward shift of the mean QRS axis of 30° or more; (2) T-wave abnormalities in right V leads; (3) ST depressions in leads II, III, and aVF; and (4) transitory right bundle-branch block. With recovery of better arterial saturation and decrease in PAm they subsided. Thus, a clinical appraisal of patients with COPD should include serial analyses of arterial blood gas plus serial electrocardiograms if early (and hence reversible) RV abnormality and cor pulmonale are to be uncovered.
Priming of locomotor initiation by electrical stimulation in the hypothalamus and preoptic region in the anesthetized rat

Abstract electrical stimulation at a locomotor site can prime (i.e., shorten the latency to initiate) stepping elicited by subsequent stimulation of the same or a different site. We tested for the priming effect in representative sites along the medial forebrain bundle, and determined if its magnitude showed regional differences. Rats ( n = 20) were anesthetized with Nembutal and held in a stereotaxic apparatus over a wheel. Stepping was detected by accelerometers attached to the hindlimbs. Priming and test trains of stimulation (0.5-ms cathodal pulses, 50 Hz, 25–75 MA, 7–9-s train duration) separated by 20 s were delivered every 90 s. When the priming and test stimulations were applied to the same site, the priming effects were similar along the entire extent of the medial forebrain bundle. When the priming and test sites were different, the priming effect depended on their relative positions. Anterior stimulation primed posterior sites at magnitudes comparable to those produced by stimulating the same posterior site. Posterior stimulation primed anterior sites at a level half of that produced by stimulation of the same anterior site. This pattern was found for priming and test sites that were ipsilateral and contralateral. Priming is a general and robust phenomenon with properties that may be useful for studying locomotor initiation pathways.
A phase-sensitive technique to measure small changes in laser frequency: application to measure the shift and broadening of a saturated absorption line of OsO4

A phase-sensitive technique was used to measure the sensitivity to operating conditions of the output frequency of a highly stable carbon dioxide laser, which operated on the 10-μmm R(0) transition (28.8 THz) and was locked to the saturated absorption of the Q(15) transition of OsO4. Periodic changes in the operating conditions were imposed on the laser and the resulting changes in the output frequency were measured through phase-sensitive demodulation of the heterodyne beat with a second CO2 laser of much lower stability. Shifts as small as 50Hz could be detected by this technique. The results are in good agreement with previous measurements which employed an infrared frequency chain.
Hysteresis and Stick-Slip Motion of Phase Boundaries in Dynamic Models of Phase Transitions

We investigate hysteretic behavior in two dynamic models for solid-solid phase transitions. An elastic bar with a nonconvex double-well elastic energy density is subjected to time-dependent displacement boundary conditions. Both models include inertia and a viscous stress term that provides energy dissipation. The first model involves a strain-gradient term that models interfacial energy. In the second model this term is omitted. Numerical simulations combined with analytical results predict hysteretic behavior in the overall end-load versus end-displacement diagram for both models. The hysteresis is largely due to metastability and nucleation; it persists even for very slow loading when viscous dissipation is quite small. In the model with interfacial energy, phase interfaces move smoothly. When this term is omitted, hysteresis is much more pronounced. In addition, phase boundaries move in an irregular, stick-slip fashion. The corresponding load-elongation curve exhibits serrations, in qualitative agreement with certain experimental observations in shape-memory alloys.
Developmental strategy and life history traits of Meteorus ictericus, a successful resident parasitoid of the exotic Light Brown Apple Moth in California

Abstract The solitary endoparasitoid Meteorus ictericus has recently been found to be a dominant parasitoid of the invasive Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) in California. To better understand its current success and to evaluate its further potential as biological control agent, life history traits of this uniparental population of M. ictericus were studied. We hypothesized that the success of this parasitoid was due to (i) a preference for later instar host larvae, (ii) a broad window of host vulnerability facilitating synchronization with its new host, (iii) high fecundity and a developmental strategy that favors adult size, and (iv) a short generation time. While choice preference experiments revealed a bias toward the attack of 6th instar hosts due to their greater mobility confirming a preference for later instar host larvae, no-choice tests showed that parasitism was equal on 4th to 6th instar hosts and only marginally lower on 3rd instar hosts, indicating a broad window of host vulnerability. In contrast to expectation, lifetime fecundity was relatively low with a maximum of 33 cocoons produced, but increased when host larvae were renewed more frequently suggesting avoidance of the costs associated with self superparasitism. The developmental strategy was consistent with maximization of adult size at the expense of increased development time. The fit of the Briere 1 model to temperature-dependent development time yielded an upper and lower development threshold of 6.08 and 30.06 °C, and a short generation time in comparison with E. postvittana. We discuss these findings in the context of the developmental and life-history strategies of hymenopteran parasitoids, and the potential of M. ictericus for biological control of E. postvittana in California.
Absorption by the cecum of wild birds: is there interspecific variation.

The major functions proposed for the avian cecum--energy balance and osmoregulation--involve absorption of material from the cecum, yet little is known of these absorptive processes in wild birds. The magnitude of transport of compounds from the ceca depends on the concentrations of compounds in the ceca, the presence of transport pathways for those compounds, and the size of the reabsorptive surface. Interspecific variation in size of avian ceca is well documented, but the other two determinants of absorption are much less well studied. All ceca examined contained acetic, propionic, and butyric acid; water content varies from less than 70 to greater than 90%. Most other constituents have been quantified in just one or two species. A model for cecal transport, derived from studies of mammalian ceca but consistent with observations on birds, is described. A luminal (mucosal) Na+/H+ exchanger couples the absorption of Na+ to that of volatile fatty acids, which are absorbed in their uncharged (protonated) form; these two compounds are thereby mutually stimulatory in their absorption. The cecum also absorbs water, sodium, carbon dioxide, and probably some nitrogenous compounds (e.g., ammonia). Too few data exist to analyze interspecific variation in cecal transport in birds. However, variations in the following characteristics do exist: cecal contents, cecal absorptive surface area, transport characteristics of other regions of avian intestine (e.g., rectum), cecal transport among mammalian species, and histology of avian ceca. Studies of the physiological consequences of these variation should yield insight into the function and contributions of the avian cecum.
How Many Dvaravati Kingdoms? Locational Analysis of First Millennium A.D. Moated Settlements in Central Thailand☆☆☆★

Locational information about moated settlements derived from examination of aerial photographs of central Thailand is used to assess the degree of regional integration and political centralization during the sixth to ninth centuries A.D. around the Bay of Bangkok. A consideration of settlement size hierarchy, rank-size distribution, and geographical location suggests that the moated settlements were integrated into a single regional economic system by the end of the time under consideration. While it is argued that the moated settlements represent remnants of administrative hierarchy, it is unclear from the current data whether a single state-level polity or a series of smaller competing polities were present. Further investigation is needed to comprehend how the inhabitants of this region, who shared a common material culture and symbolic system, conceptualized their political relationships.
Gas Chromatography as a Reference Method for Moisture Determination by Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Near-infrared spectroscopic (NIRS) methods were developed to determine moisture in freeze-dried drug products with gas chromatography as the reference measurement. The gas chromatography method was optimized to provide a relative standard deviation of 1.1%. Because NIRS calibration models are limited by the quality of the reference measurement, all aspects of the GC technique were studied, including water standard preparation, operating conditions, and sample treatment. Vials of a freeze-dried drug product were prepared with water contents from 0.1 to 5.7% (w/w). NIR spectra were collected over the spectral range of 1100−2500 nm for these vials. Calibration models were established from these spectra by PLS regression analysis. Second-derivative spectra were used and spectral range and number of PLS factors were optimized for the lowest standard error of prediction (SEP). The best calibration was built with second-derivative spectra in the spectral range of 1850−1960 nm with three PLS factors and provided ...
Particle simulations of collisional transport in a high recycling, diverted tokamak scrape-off layer

The transport of particles and energy through a high recycling divertor scrape-off layer (SOL) in a tokamak is studied via a kinetic transport model. This model combines particle-in-cell (PIC) methods with Monte Carlo algorithms which simulate Coulomb collisions and charged/neutral interactions (charge exchange and electron impact ionization). The resulting transport code provides a fully kinetic description of transport and potential formation in a single spatial dimension (along the open field lines of the SOL) and two velocity components (parallel and perpendicular to those field lines). Plasma transport in the SOL system is modelled as a function of neutral particle recycling. The level of neutral recycling is varied by changing the average ionization frequency 〈νion〉 relative to the average Coulomb collision frequency 〈νc〉 over the range 0 ≤ ν' ≤ 0.25, with ν' ≡ 〈νion〉/〈νc〉. This study indicates that the plasma flow velocity, temperature and total kinetic energy flux decrease as the level of neutral particle recycling is increased. The variation of other transport quantities with neutral recycling intensity is presented, and the results are compared with those from other SOL transport models.
Analytical Period-1 Motions in a Periodically Forced Oscillator With Quadratic Nonlinearity

In this paper, period-1 motions in a quadratic nonlinear oscillator under excitation are investigated by the generalized harmonic balance method. The analytical solutions of period-1 motion for such an oscillator are presented by the Fourier series expansions. The stability and bifurcation analysis of period-1 motion is carried out via eigenvalue analysis. To verify the approximate analytical solutions, numerical simulations are performed for a better understanding of the parameter characteristics of the period-1 solutions, and the stable and unstable periodic motions are illustrated. The analytical period-1 solutions are different from the perturbation analysis.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
A Ligand-Receptor Mechanism in Plant-Pathogen Recognition

Two reports in this issue (p. 2060 and p. 2063) illustrate the molecular mechanism underlying the specificity of plant pathogens for certain plant species. In his Perspective, Lamb explains what these results teach us about signal transduction pathways in plants and how they provide a new tool for engineering crop plants.
The second-phase decoration of dislocations

Abstract A power-law exponent of −3 is found to govern the excess heat capacity during the growth of second-phase domains near dislocations. Good fits are obtained to published data on the melting and polymorphic transitions of diamantane.
Molecularly Tuned Size Selectivity in Thermal Processing of Gold Nanoparticles

This report demonstrates for the first time that the size selectivity of nanoparticles in the thermal processing solution of pre-synthesized nanoparticles can be achieved by molecularly tuning the chain length and concentration of alkanethiols.
Rapid and Reliable Method for Quantification of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis by Use of the BACTEC MGIT 960 System

Quantification of viable bacteria is a crucial foundation for many types of research. This seemingly simple task can be challenging, expensive, and imprecise for Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, a slowly growing organism (>24-h generation time) with a strong tendency to form large clumps (15). Studies of environmental survival, resistance to pasteurization or disinfectants, and quantification of the pathogen in milk and feces from infected animals are just a few examples that require precise and sensitive quantification of viable M. paratuberculosis cells. The first liquid culture system used for the detection of M. paratuberculosis in clinical samples was the BACTEC 460 system (Becton Dickinson, Sparks, MD), based on a modified 12B (radiometric) culture medium (8). An algorithm for converting cumulative growth index units in the BACTEC 460 system into the number of inoculated M. paratuberculosis cells was previously reported (21). This algorithm has been used both in its original form as well as in a more simplified form for multiple studies of M. paratuberculosis and has proven to be invaluable for studies of M. paratuberculosis survival in the face of multiple chemical, physical, and environmental challenges (16, 21, 26, 28-31, 34). The BACTEC 460 TB system has been replaced with the new nonradiometric BACTEC MGIT (mycobacterial growth indicator tube) 960 system (9, 15, 20), designed for the detection of mycobacterial species commonly found in human clinical samples (5, 15, 17). The system uses an oxygen-quenching fluorescent sensor in conjunction with software algorithms to determine when tubes are “positive,” i.e., when significant bacterial growth has occurred. This system has been adapted for the detection of M. paratuberculosis in veterinary clinical samples by using a new culture medium specific for M. paratuberculosis, called MGIT ParaTB medium (Becton Dickinson, Sparks, MD), and a modified algorithm built into the MGIT 960 instrument for the interpretation of fluorescence measurements made hourly for each culture tube (4). The advantages of the MGIT 960 system for culture, the recovery of slowly growing mycobacteria from clinical samples, have already been reported (18, 22, 25). The instrument reports results as time to detection (TTD) in days and hours. Just as with the BACTEC system, additional testing is required to confirm the identity of mycobacterial isolates, usually acid-fast staining and PCR (24, 32). The quantitative capabilities of the MGIT 960 system have not previously been explored. The goal of this study was to create a method for counting M. paratuberculosis cells analogous to what was previously reported for the BACTEC 460 system (21) using MGIT TTD data.