cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis of GM1 gangliosidosis based on detection of urinary oligosaccharides with high performance liquid chromatography

Abstract An improved, rapid, and sensitive method for the biochemical diagnosis of GM 1 gangliosidosis based on the detection and quantification of urinary galactosyl-oligosaccharides with high performance liquid chromatography was developed. The oligosaccharides, in 50–100 μ1 of urine, were converted to radioactively labeled oligosaccharide-alditols with NaB 3 H 4 and fractionated on commercial silica-amine bonded, high performance liquid chromatography columns. Delineation between infantile, juvenile, and adult onset subtypes of GM 1 gangliosidosis was possible by analysis of the levels of the excreted oligosaccharides and their characteristic elution profile. Infantile and juvenile patients contain identical numbers of oligosaccharide fractions (13 resolved components) but can be distinguished by 3–10-fold lower levels of oligosaccharides in juvenile patients and, in some cases by a disproportionately lower concentration of high molecular weight compounds. Adult onset patients were distinguished by substantially lower concentrations of urinary oligosaccharides, 130-180-fold below those in infantile patients, and the apparent absence of high molecular weight oligosaccharides.
Transgenic crops: a view from the US extension service.

This communication discusses the current situation in the USA with regard to the growing of transgenic crops, with particular reference to soybeans, corn, cotton and rice. High costs of production and low prices require and greater production efficiency and transgenic crops help to achieve this goal, particularly with soybeans, cotton and rice.
The polarization of fluorescence of DNA stains depends on the incorporation density of the dye molecules.

Background The fluorescence induced by polarized light sources, such as the lasers that are used in flow cytometry, is often polarized and anisotropic. In addition, most optical detector systems are sensitive to the direction of polarization. These two factors influence the accuracy of fluorescence intensity measurements. The intensity of two light sources can be compared only if all details of the direction and degree of polarization are known. In a previous study, we observed that fluorescence polarization might be modified by dye–dye interactions. This report further investigates the role of dye density in fluorescence polarization anisotropy. Methods We measured the polarization distribution of samples stained with commonly used DNA dyes. To determine the role of fluorophore proximity, we compared the monomeric and a dimeric form of the DNA dyes ethidium bromide (EB), thiazole orange (TO), and oxazole yellow (YO). Results In all dyes sampled, fluorescence polarization is less at high dye concentrations than at low concentrations. The monomeric dyes exhibit a higher degree of polarization than the dimeric dyes of the same species. Conclusions The polarization of fluorescence from DNA dyes is related to the density of incorporation into the DNA helix. Energy transfer between molecules that are in close proximity loosens the linkage between the excitation and emission dipoles, thereby reducing the degree of polarization of the emission. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
On rates of convergence of stochastic relaxation for Gaussian and non-Gaussian distributions

Abstract We obtain rates of convergence of stochastic relaxation (heat bath algorithm) for continuous densities which have the form of bounded perturbations of Gaussian densities. The rates are calculated in the spaces of square integrable functions with respect to these desities in which the operator generated by the stochastic relaxation process has the form of a product of projections.
PHYSIOLOGICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL MODIFICATIONS OF PLANTAGO MAJOR (PLANTAGINACEAE) IN RESPONSE TO LIGHT CONDITIONS

Physiological and morphological differences between Plantago major L. (Plantaginaceae) growing in full sunlight and shaded conditions were examined. Photosynthesis of isolated leaves was saturated by irradiance around 300 jAE m-2 sec-' and 170 ,uE m-2 sec-', respectively. In contrast to previous studies of sun/shade leaf responses, initial slopes of curves from shaded plants are significantly less than those taken from full-sun plants. Within the 400-500 nm and 600-700 nm ranges, leaves 5.0 cm or longer are essentially opaque, transmitting less than 1.25% of incident light. Chlorophyll content per unit leaf area is nearly equivalent for leaves from plants growing under the two extremes in light levels. Morphometric comparisons indicate shaded plants bear fewer leaves, have less leaf overlap, lower total leaf area, and longer petioles than full-sun plants. Leaf elongation rates are lower and the duration between the emergence of successive leaves is longer in shaded plants. Computer analyses of both types of rosette morphology reveal shaded plants have an equal or greater capacity to intercept light than fullsun plants, principally because of the minimization of leaf overlap and the large variation in the deflection angles of leaves in shaded rosette morphologies. Simulations, calculated on the basis of light interception, and taking into account the transition between photosynthate-importing and -exporting leaves, predict relative growth rates for full-sun and shaded rosette morphologies that are in reasonable agreement with empirically determined leaf growth rates. However, the data indicate that significant physiological and morphological differences exist among leaves from a single rosette, and among developmentally comparable leaves from rosettes growing under different ambient light environments. Differences among leaves on a single plant must be accommodated in computerized techniques attempting to simulate light interception and its consequences on potential growth rates. THIS PAPER deals with the consequences of leaf
Increasing the Replicative Capacity of a Naturally‐Occurring RNA Template

We consider the template-directed autocatalytic synthesis of RNA strands by Qβ-replicase. We introduce a mutation on a naturally-occurring template, MDV-1RNA, for the replicase. The autocatalytic activity is improved over that of the original system. We demonstrate that this enhancement is not the result of an acceleration of the replica assembling process itself. Instead, the initiation step is enhanced as a consequence of the mutation which has the effect of destabilizing the folding structure of the internal recognition site.
Implementation of web-based manufacturing process aid in the electronic assembly shop floor

This paper addresses the implementation of a web-based manufacturing process aid (WMPA) system to improve the quality of products in the electronic assembly shop floor by accelerating assemblers' training and products' revision progress. In the design of experiments, traditional paper-based MPA instructions are compared to the WMPA system in terms of total assembly time, the learning curve, and the number of assembly mistakes. For the novices' group, the experimental results indicate that the WMPA system can be an efficient training tool that shortens the learning curve and improves assembly accuracy by 74 and 42 %, respectively for two independent products. There is no obvious difference for the mean assembly time during first product production. However, 3.6 % improvement for the assembly time during the comparatively complicate product is observed.
Resolving the electronic and nuclear effects of MeV ions in polymers

Abstract The electronic and nuclear stopping effects produced by MeV ion bombardment in polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) and polyethylene (PE) were separated by stacking thin films of the polymers. The resulting layered system consisting of each polymer was bombarded with 3.5 and 5.0 MeV alpha particles. A layered system was selected such that the first layers experienced most of the effects of the electronic energy deposited and the last layers received most of the effects of the nuclear stopping. The electrical conductance and the changes in the chemical structure were measured by direct resistivity measurements, Raman microprobe analysis and FTIR. Post-irradiation analyses of the films indicated differences in these properties in the various film layers which are attributed to the individual effects of the stopping powers in the polymer films.
Effects of N-acetyl-l-cysteine and ascorbic acid on mutagen-induced chromosomal sensitivity in patients with head and neck cancers☆

Abstract The protective effect of N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) and ascorbic acid on mutagen-induced chromosomal breakage was determined using human lymphoblastoid cell lines as well as freshly cultured lymphocytes from patients with head and neck malignancies and healthy control subjects. Mutagen sensitivity was determined using the previously described bleomycin exposure assay. The toxicities of different concentrations of NAC and ascorbic acid, as well as both the preincubation and dose-dependent protective effects of these two agents, were analyzed. Both test drugs proved to be effective in diminishing mutagen-induced chromatid breakage in established lymphocyte cell lines. In freshly cultured lymphocytes, NAC given in doses ranging from 0.1 to 10 mmol/L decreased the number of mutagen-induced breaks per cell in a range from 23% to 73%, and ascorbic acid decreased chromosomal breakage by 21% to 58% in a dose range from 0.01 to 1 mmol/L. The results of this study demonstrate the protective effect mediated in vitro by both NAC and ascorbic acid against mutagen-induced chromosomal damage. A similar in vivo phenomenon may explain the differences in occurrence of head and neck cancer between populations with different dietary backgrounds.
Modeling topic coherence for speech recognition

Statistical language models play a major role in current speech recognition systems. Most of these models have focussed on relatively local interactions between words. Recently, however, there have been several attempts to incorporate other knowledge sources, in particular longer-range word dependencies, in order to improve speech recognizers. We will present one such method, which tries to antomatically utilize properties of topic continuity. When a base-line speech recognition system generates alternative hypotheses for a sentence, we will utilize the word preferences based on topic coherence to select the best hypothesis. In our experiment, we achieved a 0.65% improvement in the word error rate on top of the base-line system. It corresponds to 10.40% of the possible word error improvement.
Inaccuracy of Certain Commercial Enzyme Immunoassays in Diagnosing Genital Infections With Herpes Simplex Virus Types 1 or 2

Type-specific serologic results may be inaccurate if not based on glycoprotein G (gG). Commercial tests based on crude antigen (Zeus Scientific, Raritan, NJ; Wampole Laboratories, Cranbury, NJ; DiaSorin, Stillwater, MN) and one using gG-1 and gG-2 (Focus Technologies, Cypress, CA) were compared with Western blot on serum samples from patients with culture-documented first symptomatic episodes of genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 (n = 17) or HSV-2 (n = 49) infection or recurrent genital episodes (HSV-1, 30; HSV-2, 49). Concordance with Western blot results was 56% for Zeus, 63% for Wampole, 52% to 54% for DiaSorin, and 83% for Focus. Sensitivity and specificity. respectively, for HSV-1 were 77% and 53% (Zeus), 91% and 35% (Wampole), 98% and 8% (DiaSorin), 94% and 70% (DiaSorin predominant antibody), and 83% and 90% (Focus); for HSV-2 they were 88% and 81% (Zeus), 92% and 83% (Wampole), 96% and 54% (DiaSorin), 38% and 98% (DiaSorin predominant antibody), and 98% and 96% (Focus). Type-specific serologic testing for HSV should be performed with gG-based tests for accurate diagnosis of symptomatic genital herpes.
Computational techniques for inelastic stress and fracture analyses

Abstract Details of a unified creep—plasticity theory, based on the concept of an internal time, are presented, and a geometric interpretation of such a theory is given. A ‘tangent-stiffness’ formulation, for the finite-element/boundary-element calculation of weak solutions of the strain-history in the structure, is presented. An implicit algorithm of generalized mid-point radial mapping for computing the stress-history at a material point for a given strain-history is given. Appropriate crack-tip parameters that may be used to correlate the creep-crack-growth data for single—dominate-flaws in structures operating at elevated temperatures are discussed.
Facilitating transitions in language development for children using AAC

Several major transitions in language use take place during the first 5 years of life. Each transition allows the child to move to a higher level of complexity of expression and to accomplish commu...
Phaeton Mast Dynamics: On-orbit characterization of deployable masts

The PMD instrument is a set of three custom-designed triaxial accelerometer systems designed specifically to detect and characterize the modal dynamics of deployable masts in orbit. The instrument was designed and built as a payload for the NuSTAR spacecraft, but it is now sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory's DSX project. It can detect acceleration levels from 1µg to 0.12g over a frequency range of 0.1Hz to 30Hz, the results of which can support future modeling and designing of deployable mast structures for space. This paper details the hardware architecture and design, calibration test and results, and current status of the PMD instrument.12
Molecular mechanics calculations as predictors of enantioselectivity for chiral nucleophile catalyzed reactions

We present molecular mechanics (MM) calculations as models of activated complexes for the β-lactam forming [2+2] cycloaddition between imino ester 4 and the zwitterionic intermediates derived from ketenes and various chiral nucleophilic catalysts. Our method employs the use of Monte Carlo conformational searches utilizing the MMFF force field contained within the Macromodel program. These models accurately predict the sense of stereochemical induction observed experimentally. Also, the predicted energetic differences for minima leading to (R) or (S)-derived ketene facial selectivity correlate in a general sense with the magnitude of the enantioselectivity. This work establishes that our approach represents a viable method for the design of new nucleophilic catalysts a priori using MM calculations.
Design and Implementation of a Virtual Laboratory for Machine Dynamics

Laboratory experiments are considered to be a crucial component of engineering and science curricula by all stakeholders in the education process. In traditional laboratories, students develop practical skills and become effective professionals. However, the major drawbacks of traditional laboratories are their high demand on resources, significant maintenance costs and the inability to delivery the laboratory content in distance education. Virtual laboratory experiments represent a valuable option for educational laboratories, due to their advantages over traditional hands-on as well as remote experiments, including the ease of reconfiguring the experimental system, the high flexibility in the input specifications, the possibility of conducting experiments using devices otherwise infeasible and the option of re-running experiments multiple times. In response to the need for developing laboratory resources that provide a practical experience to online engineering students, this paper describes a simulation-based virtual laboratory, which is used at Stevens Institute of Technology (SIT) in a junior-level course on mechanisms and machine dynamics as a compliment to experimental work in the traditional hands-on laboratory. This virtual laboratory system alleviates the space, time and cost constraints associated with traditional laboratories and serves as an efficient teaching aid. It conveys to the students practical issues associated with actual experiments and provides learning outcomes that are comparable to those of traditional physical laboratories. The students have the opportunity to explore a wide range of experimental configurations and parameters. In addition, the system includes a realistic rendering of the experimental setup and its components, thus providing the students with a strong feeling of immersion, as if they were performing an experiment in a traditional laboratory.
Associations Between Local Weather Patterns and the Frequency of Sand Enteritis in an East Anglian Equine Hospital

Aim To identify climatic trends associated with the frequency of sand enteritis. Methods Horses were included if they: (1) had radio-dense intestinal contents or sand impaction confirmed at exploratory laparotomy; (2) originated from East Anglia; (3) presented between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2012. Historical weather data for East Anglia were obtained from the Met Office website. Associations between prevalence and climatic variables were examined separately for March–April and October–November. Results Ninety-two horses were included. Peaks in admissions of sand enteritis cases were seen in March–April (n = 21, 23%) and October–November (n = 25, 27%). The frequency of March–April cases was positively correlated with mean temperature in those months (r2 = 0.37); negatively correlated with frost (r2 = 0.58) and rainfall (r2 = 0.54) in the 2 previous months; and negatively correlated with sunshine in the preceding 3 months (r2 = 0.44). The frequency of October–November cases was positively correlated with higher average temperatures (r2 = 0.14) and fewer frost days (r2 = 0.16) in the preceding 3 months. Twenty-nine (32%) horses presented in a temporal cluster from September 2010 to April 2011 (P<0.001), coinciding with peak rainfall (121.6 mm; August 2010); peak frost (23.2 days); lowest mean temperature (0.0°C; both December 2010); and least sunshine (39.3 h/month; January 2011) recorded over the 8-year period. Conclusions In our population, spring cases of sand enteritis are more likely following dark, dry winters, and autumn cases more likely following hot summers. A wet summer followed by a cold dark winter may have contributed to the cluster of cases in 2010/2011. These weather combinations may adversely affect grass growth. Practical significance Weather patterns may have a role in the epidemiology of sand enteritis. Horses at pasture are likely to graze closer to the ground and ingest sand particles when grass growth is poor. Ethical animal research Not required by this Congress: retrospective analysis of clinical cases. Sources of funding: Polly Compston is supported by the Margaret Giffen Trust. Competing interests: None.
Cloud Computing: Should it be Integrated into the Curriculum?

Cloud computing has become increasingly popular among users and businesses around the world, and education is no exception. Cloud computing can bring an increased number of benefits to an educational setting, not only for its cost effectiveness, but also for the thirst for technology that college students have today, which allows learning and adopting to these new technologies easier for them. This study aims at investigating how cloud computing is perceived by college students and which factors have a tendency to encourage or discourage them to accept the cloud computing as part of their course curriculum. The results in this study reveal that all five factors, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived security, perceive speed of access, and perceived cost of usage are factors that play an important role in encouraging students to accept cloud computing as part of their core curriculum.
Instruction of Treg commitment in peripheral T cells is suited to reverse autoimmunity.

In order to exploit regulatory T cells in a clinical setting it is desirable to be able to generate such cells by a variety of antigens that elicit unwanted immune responses. This goal has been achieved by targeting antigen to dendritic cells under subimmunogenic conditions which results in the conversion of naive Foxp3 negative T cells into Foxp3-expressing regulatory T cells that are indistinguishable from what has been referred to as natural Treg. Such cells have the ability to interfere with immunity at early as well as late stages of the immune response during which effector cells have already been formed. This suggests that Treg cannot only be exploited to prevent immune responses but also to interfere with already established immunity.
Stretch Receptor-Like Organs in the Fly Larva: Their Possible Role in Growth Regulation

Typical insect stretch receptors and receptor-like organs present in larvae of Sarcophaga bullata and other flies contain associated cells which are suspected of passing secretory products into "target" organs by way of strands of connective tissue. In the fly larva, such organs are attached to leg rudiments, tracheal discs, muscles, the genital disc and gonads, and may be concerned with the neuroendocrine control of metamorphosis of these structures.
Purification and characterization of a fix ABCX-linked 2[4Fe-4S] ferredoxin from Azotobacter vinelandii

Ferredoxins that contain 2[4Fe-4S]2+/+ clusters can be divided into two classes. The "clostridial-type" ferredoxins have two CysXXCysXXCysXXXCysPro motifs. The "photosynthetic bacterial and nif-related" ferredoxins have one motif of that type and one more unusual CysXXCysX7–9CysXXXCysPro motif. In Azotobacter vinelandii three gene sequences have been reported that contain the latter motif, but until now none of the gene products has been purified. Here we report the purification of a small anionic [Fe-S] protein with yields of ∼3 mg per 500 g cell paste. NH2-terminal sequence analysis shows that this protein is the product of a previously sequenced A. vinelandii gene that is found upstream of fixA and is cotranscribed with fixABCX. That gene was originally named fixP, but since that gene designation is now commonly used for a very different cb-type cytochrome oxidase we have renamed the gene fixFd and its product Fix Fd. Its sequence places Fix Fd in the class of "photosynthetic bacterial and nif-related" 2[4Fe-4S]2+/1+ ferredoxins that includes Chromatium vinosum ferredoxin. Studies of the purified protein by Fe analysis, absorption, CD and EPR spectroscopies and electrochemistry confirm this characterization; the reduction potentials of the two clusters are –440 mV vs SHE. The fact that A. vinelandii synthesizes three different proteins with the same sequence motif, each of which is likely to have a different function, shows that although sequence motifs may be used reliably to classify ferredoxins by cluster type they cannot yet be used reliably for classifying ferredoxins by function.
Matrix theory and heterotic strings on tori

Abstract We consider compactifications of the matrix model of M-theory on S 1 / Z 2 × T d for d > 0 , and interpret them as orbifolds of the supersymmetric U(N) Yang-Mills theory on R × Td+1. The orbifold group acts both on the gauge group and on the Td+1, reduces the gauge group to O(N) over 1 + 1-dimensional fixed-point submanifolds, and breaks half of the supersymmetry. We clarify some puzzling aspects of the gauge anomaly cancellation in the presence of spacetime Wilson lines; in general, the Yang-Mills theory requires certain Chern-Simons couplings to supergravity background fields. We discuss the possibility that D8-branes are present as certain matrix configurations in the yang-Mills theory, and the fundamental fermions emerge as zero-modes. Finally, we point out that the correspondence between matrix theory and string theory suggests the existence of a multitude of non-trivial RG fixed points and dualities in orbifold Yang-Mills theories with eight supercharges in various dimensions.
Vagal input to lateral area 3a in cat cortex.

Penfield's sensory homunculus included visceral organs at its lateral extreme, and vagal input was recently identified lateral to the intraoral representation in primary somatosensory cortex (S1) o...
Performance evaluation of a six-axis generalized force-reflecting teleoperator

Recent work in real-time distributed computation and control has culminated in a prototype force-reflecting telemanipulation system having dissimilar master (cable-driven force-reflecting hand controller) and slave (PUMA 560 robot with custom controller), extremely high sampling rate (1000 Hz), and low loop computation delay (5 ms). In a series of experiments with this system and five trained test operators covering more than 100 h of teleoperation, performance in a series of generic and application-driven tasks with and without force feedback was measured, and with control shared between teleoperation and local sensor referenced control. Measurements defining task performance include 100-Hz recording of six-axis force-torque information, task completion time, and visual observation of predefined task errors. It is shown that all performance measures improved as capability was added along a spectrum of capabilities ranging from pure position control through force-reflecting teleoperation and shared control. Performance was maximal for the barehanded operator. >
Ethical and professional issues in career assessment with diverse racial and ethnic groups

This article examines the recent contributions in the vocational psychology and counseling psychology literature in the areas of multicultural and career assessment. The foundational skills that are essential for culturally competent assessment are presented, and a process model for culturally appropriate vocational assessment with ethnically diverse individuals is presented. The components in the model include culturally encompassing information gathering, culturally appropriate consideration of assessment instruments, culturally sensitive administration, and culturally appropriate interpretation of the data. Issues relevant in the vocational assessment process with ethnically diverse populations and professional considerations are reviewed at each stage of the culturally appropriate career assessment model.
Concern for our vulnerable prenatal and neonatal children: a brief reply to Giubilini and Minerva

This is a response to Giubilini and Minerva arguing that, on the basis of the similar moral status of the fetus and infant, infanticide is justifiable for many of the same reasons that justify abortion. It argues that, although the authors are correct in claiming the logical connection between abortion and infanticide, they are mistaken in their moral anthropology and so misunderstand which way the reasoning should cut. It concludes with an exhortation-especially to fellow pro-lifers-to have a different kind of discourse on these matters.
Integrating social class into vocational psychology: Theory and practice implications

Although social class plays a salient and significant role in career development and occupational attainment, social class is underrepresented in vocational psychology theory, scholarship, and practice. Vocational psychologists are in a unique position to meet the career development needs of persons from all social classes by integrating a fuller understanding of social class into their scholarship and practice. This article provides an interdisciplinary review of conceptualization and operationalization of social class, the consideration of social class by theories of career development, the impact of social class upon career development processes, and implications of social class for career counseling and assessment. Through helping vocational psychologists more deeply understand social class and its interconnections to career development and occupational attainment, this article intends to create a springboard for the further integration of social class into vocational psychology scholarship and practice.
Single-Molecule Study of Human Topoisomerase II

Topoisomerase II is an essential enzyme that maintains genomic integrity by simplifying global DNA topology through supercoil relaxation, decatenation of linked chromosomal DNA, and DNA unknoting. This is achieved by generating a transient double-stranded break in one DNA segment through which a second double-stranded segment is passed prior to religation of the break. Failure or prevention of DNA religation leads to double stranded DNA breaks and fragmentation of the genome. Thus, the DNA cleavage reaction of human topoisomerase II (hTopo II) is one of the most successful targets for anti-cancer drugs. In order to develop effective anti-cancer drugs, it is critical to understand the detailed mechanism of DNA supercoil relaxation driven by hTopo II. One of the two isoforms of human Topoisomerase II, hTopo IIα, preferentially relaxes positive supercoils, a feature it shares with only one other type II topoisomerase; E. coli topoisomerase IV. Here, we have investigated the mechanism of DNA supercoil relaxation by hTopo IIα using single molecule magnetic tweezers experiments. We measured the DNA relaxation rate of positive and negative supercoils and found that positive supercoil relaxation was ∼2 times faster than negative supercoil relaxation. This result indicates that the relaxation mechanism of hTopo IIα is different from that of topoisomerase IV, which displays an almost absolute preference for positively supercoiled DNA in single-molecule experiments. Our data further suggest that there is a small, ∼30%, difference in the processivity of hTopo IIα relaxing positive versus negative supercoils. These data, together with twist dependent relaxation rate measurements, allow a detailed comparison with the mechanism of chiral discrimination by E. coli topoisomerase IV, and suggest possible mechanisms of chiral discrimination by type II topoisomerases.
Towards a Compositional Multi-modal Framework for Adaptive Cyber-physical Systems

Among the key characteristics of cyber-physical systems are the ability to adapt to changes during operation, the multidimensional complexity of multi-functionality and the underlying heterogeneous distributed architecture, as well as resource use efficiency. In this paper, we propose a compositional multi-modal approach to modeling, analyzing, and designing such systems. We introduce a general framework for modeling and compositional analysis of multi-mode systems on a distributed architecture that facilitates adaptivity, efficient use of resources, and incremental integration. We present some preliminary results, and we describe some of the remaining challenges and future directions.
Effects of tissue stretching or cell shrinkage on penetration depth of macromolecules in a rat fibrosarcoma

Interstitial penetration is critical for drug delivery in tumor tissues. To experimentally determine the penetration depth of macromolecules at the steady state, rat fibrosarcoma tissues were sectioned into 600 /spl mu/m slices and incubated in solutions of dextrans with molecular weights of 10 kDa, 70 kDa, and 2000 kDa, respectively. After incubation, 10 /spl mu/m cross-sections were taken and imaged to determine normalized steady-state concentration profiles as a function of molecular size. 10 kDa dextran had a relatively uniform concentration distribution. However, the concentration profile was nonuniform for 70 kDa dextran and the least uniform for 2000 kDa dextran. Stretching or incubation of tissues in 1 M mannitol solution improved the penetration of macromolecules in tissues. These results indicate that creating more interstitial space by either stretching or reducing cell size improves macromolecule distribution in tissues.
Reliability-Based Design Optimization of Nonlinear Aeroelasticity Problems

This paper introduces a methodology for the reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) of nonlinear aeroelastic problems. It is based on the construction of explicit flutter and subcritical limit cycle oscillations (LCO) boundaries in terms of the design variables. The boundaries, generated using a Support Vector Machine (SVM), can then be used to efficiently evaluate probabilities of failure and solve an RBDO problem. Test results are presented demonstrating the construction of flutter boundaries as well as LCO boundaries for problems with structural nonlinearities. The solution of an example of RBDO problem is also provided.
High filter imaging of cardiac jets reduces variability: insights from computer modeling

Color Doppler flow mapping has become a widely used technique for detection of regurgitant flow through heart valves. While the technology allows for effective detection of these lesions, quantification of their severity by color Doppler has not been achieved in the clinical setting. This study addressed the hypothesis that elevation of wall filters beyond the levels needed to eliminate structure noise can produce more stable images of jets in the face of previously demonstrated causes of variability. >
Titanium tetrachloride supported on atom transfer radical polymerized poly(methyl acrylate‐co‐1‐octene) as catalyst for ethylene polymerization

Ethylene polymerizations were performed using catalyst based on titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) supported on synthesized poly(methyl acrylate-co-1-octene) (PMO). Three catalysts were synthesized by varying TiCl4/PMO weight ratio in chlorobenzene resulting in incorporation of titanium in different percentage as determined by UV-vis spectroscopy. The coordination of titanium with the copolymer matrix was confirmed by FTIR studies. The catalysts morphology as observed by SEM was found to be round shaped with even distributions of titanium and chlorine on the surface of catalyst. Their performance was evaluated for atmospheric polymerization of ethylene in n-hexane using triethylaluminum as cocatalyst. Catalyst with titanium incorporation corresponding to 2.8 wt % showed maximum activity. Polyethylenes obtained were characterized for melting temperature, molecular weight, morphology and microstructure. The polymeric support utilized for TiCl4 was synthesized using activators regenerated by electron transfer (ARGET) Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP) of methyl acrylate (MA) and 1-octene (Oct) with Cu(0)/CuBr2/tris(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl)amine (Me6TREN) as catalyst and ethyl 2-bromoisobutyrate (EBriB) as initiator at 80 °C. The copolymer poly(methyl acrylate-1-octene; PMO) obtained showed monomodal curve in Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) with polydispersity of 1.37 and copolymer composition (1H NMR; FMA) of 0.75. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 7299–7309, 2008
Collaboration as a Tool to Improve Career and Technical Education: A Qualitative Study of Successful Collaboration Among Extension Agents and Agricultural Science Teachers

Collaboration among Extension agents and agricultural science teachers has the potential to increase the reach of both organizations to serve clientele in obtaining critical skills and knowledge important to Career and Technical Education. However, successful collaboration requires barriers to be minimized and aspects of facilitation be maximized. In order to understand how to encourage collaboration among agents and teachers, one must first understand the history of both organizations.
RiceRBP: A Resource for Experimentally Identified RNA Binding Proteins in Oryza sativa

RNA binding proteins (RBPs) play an important role not only in nuclear gene expression, but also in cytosolic events, including RNA transport, localization, translation and stability. Although over 200 RBPs are predicted from the Arabidopsis genome alone, relatively little is known about these proteins in plants as many exhibit no homology to known RBPs in other eukaryotes. Furthermore, RBPs likely have low expression levels making them difficult to identify and study. As part of our continuing efforts to understand plant cytosolic gene expression and the factors involved, we employed a combination of affinity chromatography and proteomic techniques to enrich for low abundance RBPs in developing rice seed. Our results have been compiled into RiceRBP (http://www.bioinformatics2.wsu.edu/RiceRBP), a database that contains 257 experimentally identified proteins, many of which have not previously been predicted to be RBPs. For each of the identified proteins, RiceRBP provides information on transcript and protein sequence, predicted protein domains, details of the experimental identification and whether antibodies have been generated for public use. In addition, tools are available to analyze expression patterns for the identified genes, view phylogentic relationships and search for orthologous proteins. RiceRBP is a valuable tool for the community in the study of plant RBPs.
Blueprints for behavior: genetic specification of neural circuitry for innate behaviors

Innate behaviors offer a unique opportunity to use genetic analysis to dissect and characterize the neural substrates of complex behavioral programs. Courtship in Drosophila involves a complex series of stereotyped behaviors that include numerous exchanges of multimodal sensory information over time. As we will discuss in this review, recent work has demonstrated that male-specific expression of Fruitless transcription factors (Fru M proteins) is necessary and sufficient to confer the potential for male courtship behaviors. Fru M factors program neurons of the male central and peripheral nervous systems whose function is dedicated to sexual behaviors. This circuitry seems to integrate sensory information to define behavioral states and regulate conserved neural elements for sex-specific behavioral output. The principles that govern the circuitry specified by Fru M expression might also operate in subcortical networks that govern innate behaviors in mammals.
Atherosclerosis in C3H/HeJ Mice Reconstituted With Apolipoprotein E-Null Bone Marrow

Previous studies showed that reconstitution of atherosclerosis-susceptible C57BL/6 (B6) female mice with apolipoprotein E (apoE)-deficient (apoE−/−) bone marrow resulted in markedly increased atherosclerosis, despite the fact that plasma lipid levels were unchanged. To determine whether apoE−/− bone marrow would increase atherosclerosis in an atherosclerosis-resistant strain, female C3H/HeJ (C3H) mice were lethally irradiated and reconstituted with bone marrow from either C3H.apoE−/− mice or wild-type C3H mice. Four weeks after transplantation, the mice were fed an atherogenic diet for 12 weeks. We found that reconstitution of C3H mice with apoE−/− bone marrow resulted in a slight reduction in plasma apoE levels and a dramatic reduction in apoE and apolipoprotein B (apoB) in the aortic wall. Plasma apoB and cholesterol levels were unchanged, as were atherosclerotic lesions at the aortic root. These data indicate that reconstitution of C3H mice with apoE−/− bone marrow has no effect on atherosclerosis susceptibility and that apoE promotes accumulation of apoB in the vessel wall.
Reconfiguration of 'data connectivity trees' in large dynamic networks

An infrastructure network often maintains nodes that participate in the distribution of video and/or content from a server to clients. To support these application sessions, the infrastructure network needs to maintain logical connectivity between the server and client entities, realized through transport-level path segments that interconnect one or more intermediate nodes. The connectivity can be viewed as an acyclic graph, i.e., a tree whose vertices include the nodes containing the client and server entities with edges set up over the intervening path segments. The paper deals with reconfiguration algorithms to handle the addition or removal of a vertex due to application-level actions like a client joining the distribution session or a server leaving. Dynamic network changes may also trigger the reconfiguration of a distribution path at the session level. With reconfiguration activities occurring asynchronously at the connectivity management level, coordination among these activities is required so that the reconfigured distribution path maintains the tree-structure (i.e., the connectivity graph remains acyclic). The paper provides an algorithmic framework that employs loosely synchronized time-stamp ordering to coordinate between multiple reconfiguration activities. Policy functions that prescribe constraints on the tree setups (e.g. minimum cost trees) can augment our algorithms to suit specific application domains. The usefulness of our framework in distribution path setups under resource constraints is also described. The framework is evaluated using discrete-event simulation.
The Effects of Tacit Knowledge on Earnings Management Behavior in the Presence and Absence of Monitoring at Different Levels of Firm Performance

ABSTRACT: Archival and behavioral research suggests that discretionary accruals are managed to increase bonuses when the risk of being discovered is lowest. While such strategic behavior has been suggested in past research, this study experimentally manipulates two important situational variables (monitoring of discretionary accruals and firm performance relative to a specific bonus range) to provide more direct evidence of such behavior. Further, we investigate whether knowledge of how to manage earnings strategically is learned tacitly over time through experience in a series of three studies. While more experienced participants in study 1 acted more strategically than less experienced participants, it is difficult to say that this is due to tacit knowledge rather than another variable that is related to experience in the same way as tacit knowledge. To further clarify this point, we performed study 2 to establish that novices do not behave strategically the way experienced participants do, and our resu...
Ice Consumption during the Chilling of Eviscerated Poultry as Influenced by Insulation of Chill Tanks

Abstract The body heat of commercially processed poultry is removed by submerging the eviscerated carcass in a mixture of ice and water. The tanks used for this purpose are not insulated. This study was initiated to determine the effectiveness of insulation in reducing ice consumption during the chilling of eviscerated poultry. Two galvanized steel tanks 76.2 × 121.9 and 71.12 cm. deep were used to chill the poultry. One tank was insulated with expanded polystyrene sheets 1 2.54 cm. thick. Cut sheets of insulation were positioned on the sides and bottom of the tank with elastic bands. The open top of the insulated tank was also covered with a sheet of insulation. Into each tank were placed 96.26 kg. water, 81.65 kg. ice, and 45.36 kg. eviscerated chickens. The weights of individual chickens ranged from 1.36 to 1.47 kg. Initial water temperature was 22 ± 2°C., and ice temperature was 0°C. Copper-constantan …
Carbon sequestration on Mars

On Earth, carbon sequestration in geologic units plays an important role in the carbon cycle, scrubbing CO_2 from the atmosphere for long-term storage. While carbonate is identified in low abundances within the dust and soils of Mars, at <1 wt% in select meteorites, and in limited outcrops, no massive carbonate rock reservoir on Mars has been identified to date. Here, we investigate the largest exposed carbonate-bearing rock unit, the Nili Fossae plains, combining spectral, thermophysical, and morphological analyses to evaluate the timing and carbon sequestration potential of rocks on Mars. We find that the olivine-enriched (∼20%–25%) basalts have been altered, by low-temperature in situ carbonation processes, to at most ∼20% Fe-Mg carbonate, thus limiting carbon sequestration in the Nili Fossae region to ∼0.25–12 mbar of CO_2 during the late Noachian–early Hesperian, before or concurrent with valley network formation. While this is large compared to modern-day CO_2 reservoirs, the lack of additional, comparably sized post–late Noachian carbonate-bearing deposits on Mars indicates ineffective carbon sequestration in rock units over the past ∼3.7 b.y. This implies a thin atmosphere (≲500 mbar) during valley network formation, extensive post-Noachian atmospheric loss to space, or diffuse, deep sequestration by a yet-to-be understood process. In stark contrast to Earth’s biologically mediated crust:atmosphere carbon reservoir ratio of ∼10^4–10^5, Mars’ ratio is a mere ∼10–10^3, even if buried pre-Noachian crust holds multiple bars.
Encore, a gene required for the regulation of germ line mitosis and oocyte differentiation during Drosophila oogenesis

During Drosophila oogenesis, a stem cell daughter undergoes precisely four rounds of mitosis to generate a cyst of 16 cells interconnected by cytoplasmic bridges. One of the cells becomes the oocyte while the remaining 15 cells differentiate as nurse cells. We hve identified a gene, encore, that is involved both in regulating the number of germline mitoses and in the process of oocyte differentation. Mutations in encore result in exactly one extra round of mitosis in the germline. Genetic and molecular studies indicate that this mitotic defect may be mediated through the gene bag-of-marbles. The isolation and characterization of multiple alleles of encore revealed that they were all temperature sensitive for this phenotype. Mutations in encore also affect the process of oocyte differentiation. Egg chambers are produced in which the oocyte nucleus has undergone endoreplication often resulting in the formation of 16 nurse cells. We argue that these two phenotypes produced by mutations in encore represent two independent requirements for encore during oogenesis.
The New Legal Context of Indigenous Peoples' Rights: The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a momentous step both for indigenous peoples and the nations in which they reside. For the first time, the global community recognizes the unique rights of indigenous peoples and aspires to protect those rights. The new declaration is shaped by the historical trends of international law, and it will be implemented within the context of local and national law. To provide a better understanding of the declaration and to prepare citizens for its implementation, this essay examines how the international legal approach to rights will affect its implementation. Additionally, this article assesses issues of interpretation that may occur when the declaration is implemented. An examination of the application of the declaration in the context of American law provides an example of potential conflicts that may arise between national law and the declaration. Other legal sources of indigenous rights are described to provide a fuller picture of the w...
Safety Checking Formats for Limit States Design

The growing need for a unified approach to structural design for different construction materials and technologies is met by the limit states design approach. Several standards-writing committees currently are considering how best to implement practical limit states design criteria. This paper examines the relative advantages of several approaches proposed for this purpose, with regard to their ability to provide desired levels of reliability for all probable design situations. The choice of an appropriate approach is found to depend on fundamental characteristics of structural behavior, and thus might not be the same for different construction materials.