cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Seizure in Patient with Neurofibromatosis and Amygdala Low-Grade Glioma.

A 31-year-old male with history of bipolar disorder, suicidal attempts requiring inpatient hospitalization, and seizures on antiepileptic medications presented with increasing seizure frequency. He was neurologically intact yet had multiple facial, axillary, and inguinal flat pigmented macules (cafe au lait spots) and ophthalmologic examination with iris hamartomas (Lisch nodules) consistent with neurofibromatosis type 1. Electroencephalogram was notable for multiple right temporal lobe seizures with anterior temporal interictal epileptiform discharges. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a T2 hyperintense mass centered in the right amygdala, contiguous with the cystic area. Preoperative intracarotid sodium amobarbital testing showed left-sided language and memory dominance. The patient was operated on for right amygdalohippocampectomy, and initial pathology was consistent with a low-grade neuroepithelial neoplastic process. Further pathologic examination found hypercellular proliferation of predominantly bland, spindled cells with scattered, embedded neurocytic elements with dysplastic appearance, consistent with low-grade glioma. The patient was clinically diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type 1.
Holocene environmental changes inferred from biological and sedimentological proxies in a high elevation Great Basin lake in the northern Ruby Mountains, Nevada, USA

Abstract Multi-proxy analyses were conducted on a sediment core from Favre Lake, a high elevation cirque lake in the northern Ruby Mountains, Nevada, and provide a ca. 7600 year record of local and regional environmental change. Data indicate that lake levels were lower from 7600 to 5750 cal yr BP, when local climate was warmer and/or drier than today. Effective moisture increased after 5750 cal yr BP and remained relatively wet, and possibly cooler, until ca. 3750 cal yr BP. Results indicate generally dry conditions but also increased climatic variability from 3750 to 1750 cal yr BP, after which effective moisture increased. The timing of major changes in the Favre Lake proxy data are roughly coeval and in phase with those recorded in several paleoclimate studies across the Great Basin, suggesting regional climatic controls on local conditions and similar responses at high and low altitudes.
Laser system development for gravitational-wave interferometry in space

A highly stable and robust laser system is a key component of the space-based Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, which is designed to detect gravitational waves from various astronomical sources. The baseline architecture for the LISA laser consists of a low-power, low-noise Nd:YAG non-planar ring oscillator (NPRO) followed by a diode-pumped Yb-fiber amplifier with ∼2 W output. We are developing such laser system at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), as well as investigating other laser options. In this paper, we will describe our progress to date and plans to demonstrate a technology readiness level (TRL) 6 LISA laser system.
Consequences of Nonadherence and Correlates of Adherence

Adherence failures can be costly from a patient’s, economic, clinical, and research perspectives. In order to target those patients and families who may need assistance with enhancing their adherence, we need to identify factors which predict adherence. The purpose of this chapter is to review the consequences of nonadherence and studies which have examined predictors of adherence.
Lake Drawdown: A Debate on the Value of 2 Inches of Water

This study uses the hedonic price model to estimate the effect a change in water level has on the value of real estate on Lake Koshkonong in Wisconsin. Hedonic techniques are employed to show that a 2 inch reduction in the lake’s water level had a significant effect on Lake Koshkonong’s shoreline property values. The body of existing research demonstrates that changes in both the subjective and objective indicators of value is important for estimating the implicit value of water quality in hedonic analyses. This paper provides new evidence on the economic harm created by the reduction of water levels and the concurrent publicity created by the action.
State Tax Malpractice Actions: Statutes of Limitations

Malpractice actions against attorneys have escalated in number and dollar magnitudes in recent decades. Malpractice actions against accountants also have grown in number and size. Tax malpractice suits have reflected these general trends. Such suits arising out of tax shelters have garnered lots of headlines, but more conventional types of tax transactions have spawned a larger number of cases. Most tax malpractice suits involve federal taxes. However, as Part I below demonstrates, a number of malpractice suits involve only state and local taxes or a mix of state, local, and federal taxes. Regardless of the types of taxes involved, state law typically provides the rules that govern tax malpractice cases. Thus, malpractice law deserves the attention of state and local tax practitioners, and it will be the subject of this and some future installments of this column.
Connections between Reading and Writing: What the Experts Say

(1996). Connections between Reading and Writing: What the Experts Say. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 70, No. 2, pp. 103-105.
Sunday School Teacher, Culture Warrior: The Politics of Lay Leaders in Three Religious Traditions*

Objectives Political theorists have praised civic organizations as spaces for open political deliberation. But their leadership structure privileges some voices over others. In congregations, clergy set the context for political discussion. We argue that volunteer religious leaders also shape political talk in local churches. Lay leaders serve as political opinion leaders within local churches, with the power to either deepen or bridge political polarization over religion and morality. Methods We compare lay leaders across three religious traditions, using a unique measure from the 2005 Baylor Religion Survey. Results Lay leaders in evangelical, mainline, and Catholic traditions are more politically active than other attenders, but evangelical lay leaders are also more morally conservative than others in their tradition. Comparing across traditions, we argue that evangelical lay leaders foster greater political cohesion within their tradition. Conclusion We identify voluntary group leadership as a mechanism that allows civic organizations to generate political presence.
Cross-Language Question Answering at the USC Information Sciences Institute

The TextMap-TMT cross-language question answering system at USC-ISI was designed to answer Spanish questions from English documents. The system is fully automatic, including question translation from Spanish to English, question type determination, rewriting to generate expected answer structures, search in the target collection and on the Web as a side collection, and answer selection from among the plausible candidates that were found. A development test collection with answer patterns for 100 questions in English and Spanish was used to assess the effect of question translation on each processing stage, and some adjustments were made to the question translation process to minimize these effects. Two runs were submitted, both of which sought to return exact answers. For the better of the two runs (which omitted an additional Web-based answer validation stage), the top-ranked answer was scored as correct in 56 of 200 cases, 53 of which were judged to be supported by the content of the target collection.
Imprinted Polymer Microrings as High-Performance Ultrasound Detectors in Photoacoustic Imaging

Development of both fundamental research and clinical applications of photoacoustic imaging call for ultrasound detectors of high sensitivity, flat frequency response, and compact size, which are not easily satisfied by traditional ultrasound detectors. Therefore, many alternative ultrasound detectors have been investigated in recent years and a representative one is the imprinted polymer microring resonator-based detector. This review covers its principle, device fabrication, characterization and application, with an emphasis on how the microring's unique properties make it act as a high-performance ultrasound detector in photoacoustic imaging systems. The imprinted polymer microring has high detection sensitivity, broadband frequency response, compact size, and good operation robustness. Application of microrings in photoacoustic tomography generates truthful reconstructed images; use of microring in photoacoustic microscopy leads to improved image resolution; and the detector's compact size makes it promising for photoacoustic endoscopic applications. When integrated with other electromagnetic wave absorbers, novel applications such as real-time terahertz pulse detection can be realized.
Multidimensional Snapshots of Chemical Dynamics

Over the past decade, more and more reactions have been probed directly at the ultrafast time scales at which they occur. However, technical constraints meant that these studies were usually limited to a one-dimensional reaction coordinate. In their Perspective, Stolow and Jonas draw attention to a new generation of experiments, which provide insights into the multidimensional evolution of chemical reactions. These experiments have, for example, shed light on the structural evolution of peptides as they fold, and have shown how the electron cloud rearranges on the molecular frame as an atom breaks its bond and leaves the parent molecule.
Circadian Organization in Non-Mammalian Vertebrates

All organisms exhibit significant daily rhythms in myriad functions from molecular levels to the level of the whole organism. In nonmammalian vertebrates, several sites are significantly involved in driving these many rhythms; these sites include the pineal organ, the eyes, and the suprachiasmatic area of the hypothalamus. Depending on the species, the pineal and/or the eyes are the loci of circadian pacemakers that interact with pacemakers located in the hypothalamus to control subordinate (peripheral) clocks that, in turn, drive rhythmicity at the cellular and tissue levels. Daily light–dark cycles can entrain circadian rhythms, and light can be perceived via the pineal, via the eyes, and via deep brain photoreceptors.
A progestin antagonist blocks vaginocervical stimulation-induced fos expression in neurones containing progestin receptors in the rostral medial preoptic area.

Vaginocervical stimulation (VCS) has a variety of effects on the brain, physiology and behaviour. Previous work demonstrated that a progestin antagonist blocked neuronal response to VCS (i.e. Fos expression) in the absence of progesterone in some neurones, and suggested that some of the effects of VCS on the brain are mediated by ligand-independent activation of progestin receptors (PRs). Although it had been reported previously that some of the cells in which VCS induces Fos expression also contain PRs, it had not been determined if a progestin antagonist blocked Fos expression in these particular neurones. The purpose of this experiment was to determine if a progestin antagonist decreases Fos expression specifically in cells that also express PRs in the preoptic area and ventromedial hypothalamus. As has been shown previously, VCS increased Fos-immunoreactive (ir) expression in the particular areas studied. In the rostral medial preoptic area, VCS increased Fos expression in cells that coexpressed PRs, as well as in cells that do not. However, in the caudal medial preoptic area, VCS only increased Fos expression in cells that did not coexpress PRs. Injection of the progestin antagonist, RU 486, decreased Fos expression in the rostral, but not caudal medial preoptic area, and it decreased Fos expression only in cells that coexpressed PR-ir. In contrast to a previous report, in the present study, the progestin antagonist did not inhibit VCS-induced Fos expression in the ventromedial hypothalamic area. The results of this experiment suggest that the progestin antagonist inhibits VCS-induced Fos expression in some neurones by blocking PRs, and they provide further support for the idea that VCS influences neuronal response in some cells by ligand-independent activation of PRs in those cells.
Fatigue Failure Mechanisms in Unidirectional Composites

The tension fatigue behavior of unidirectional composites has been studied using model composites where bundles of E-glass and T300 graphite fibers were combined with ductile and brittle epoxies. Model specimens allowed one to monitor and identify the basic failure mechanisms which are difficult to detect in real composite coupons. Fatigue failure modes and the sequence of damage accumulation depended on the stress level. Matrix microcracks between fibers normal to the applied load were subcritical failure mechanisms which occurred early during fatigue in both glass and graphite bundles. In graphite fiber bundle, they were initiated at the interface along the fibers and were rather isolated. These microcracks were not deleterious in that they neither triggered fiber failures nor grew bridging the fibers. At medium and high cyclic stresses, degradation of the glass as well as the graphite bundle in the form of fiber failures was observed. In glass specimens, extensive interfacial failure and matrix cracking followed while in graphite bundles matrix cracking occurred close to the zones of accumulation of fiber breaks. At low stress levels, only matrix microcracking and few scattered fiber failures were seen.
Protecting the proteome: Eukaryotic cotranslational quality control pathways

The correct decoding of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) into proteins is an essential cellular task. The translational process is monitored by several quality control (QC) mechanisms that recognize defective translation complexes in which ribosomes are stalled on substrate mRNAs. Stalled translation complexes occur when defects in the mRNA template, the translation machinery, or the nascent polypeptide arrest the ribosome during translation elongation or termination. These QC events promote the disassembly of the stalled translation complex and the recycling and/or degradation of the individual mRNA, ribosomal, and/or nascent polypeptide components, thereby clearing the cell of improper translation products and defective components of the translation machinery.
Dynamic analysis and passive control of viscoelastically damped nonlinear dynamic contacts

Abstract This paper presents an analytical and finite element study on nonlinear contact dynamics and controls. Nonlinear dynamic contacts between eccentrically supported masses and simply supported beams are studied. Passive control of the dynamic contacts using viscoelastic dampers is also proposed and evaluated. A nonlinear contact finite element is modeled by a set of nonlinear stiffness and damping polynomial functions; and a nonlinear viscoelastic finite element is modeled by a Standard Linear Model with frequency-dependent nonlinear stiffness and damping functions. Analyses show that the dynamic contact force increases as the initial gap increases. Application of viscoelastic dampers can effectively reduce contact loads and prevent dynamic contacts. A simple design equation is also proposed.
Using ESI discovery teams to manage electronic data discovery

IntroductionThe importance of electronically stored information (ESI) in litigation has increased greatly over the past decade. Responding to the "discovery" requests made by all litigating parties has become a significant management function and cost center for organizations engaged in litigation. Today, over 92% of all business records and data are created and stored electronically; most are never reduced to hard copy. After civil litigation is filed, a pre-trial "discovery" phase occurs during which courts require litigants to identify and produce potentially relevant information to their adversaries. Settlements often occur before a trial is held, making ESI produced during the discovery phase and evaluated by the parties often determinative of litigation outcomes. Managing discovery of electronic information requires close coordination among managers with widely diverse technical IT expertise, litigation experience and operational authority. Multi-disciplinary "ESI Discovery Teams" are a key mechanism that can be used to achieve the necessary coordination and continuing oversight over enterprise discovery activities, particularly in larger organizations.A 2007 litigation survey of 253 U.S. corporations reveals that 83% had new lawsuits filed against them in 2006 implicating e-discovery management.1 The most common subject of these law-suits was labor/employment, contract enforcement and personal injuries. Litigation was also significant at smaller companies surveyed, 17% had at least one lawsuit claiming $20 million or more, and at mid-sized companies, 98% reported one or more lawsuits of $20 million or larger. Costs of litigation are high, 71% of the companies reported litigation costs exceeding $1 million per year and 40% had litigation costs over $5 million per year, excluding settlements or judgment amounts. Over half the U.S. firms surveyed use outside e-discovery IT vendors to collect, identify, verify, recover and produce ESI and 30% reported using outside legal counsel with special expertise in e-discovery. These e-discovery vendors had revenues of $1.95 billion in 2006, a 50% increase over 2005, and $130 million was spent for forensic software, data recovery and production.
Distinct regions of Cu(I).ACE1 contact two spatially resolved DNA major groove sites.

Abstract The interaction between the Cu(I)·ACE1 (CuACE1) transcription factor and its DNA binding site in the yeast metallothionein gene was studied by systematically altering the DNA sequence through base substitution, modification, and deletions as well as by altering the protein structure through chemical modification. We show here that CuACE1 is comprised of two distinct domains that contact DNA through minor groove interactions located between two major groove interaction sites. The minor groove interactions are shown to be critical for formation of a stable CuACE1·DNA complex. The NH2-terminal segment of ACE1 is shown to contact the 5′-most distal major groove site.
Surface chemistry and mechanical property changes of wood-flour/high-density-polyethylene composites after accelerated weathering

Although wood–plastic composites have become more accepted and used in recent years and are promoted as low-maintenance, high-durability building products, they do experience a color change and a loss in mechanical properties with accelerated weathering. In this study, we attempted to characterize the modulus-of-elasticity (MOE) loss of photostabilized high- density polyethylene (HDPE) and composites of wood flour and high-density polyethylene (WF/HDPE) with accelerated weathering. We then examined how weathering changed the surface chemistry of the composites and looked at whether or not the surface changes were related to the MOE loss. By examining surface chemistry changes, we hoped to begin to understand what caused the weathering changes. The materials were left unstabilized or were stabilized with either an ultraviolet absorber or pigment. After 1000 and 2000 h of accelerated weathering, the samples were tested for MOE loss. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to monitor carbonyl and vinyl group formation at the surface. Changes in the HDPE crystallinity were also determined with FTIR techniques. It was determined that structural changes in the samples (carbonyl group formation, terminal vinyl group formation, and crystallinity changes) could not be reliably used to predict changes in MOE with a simple linear relationship. This indicated that the effects of crosslinking, chain scission, and crystallinity changes due to ultraviolet exposure and interfacial degradation due to moisture exposure were interrelated factors for the weathering of HDPE and WF/HDPE composites.
Propachlor metabolism in soybean plants, excised soybean tissues, and soil

Abstract Propachlor was rapidly metabolized to a homoglutathione conjugate in the roots and foliage of soybean plants. No other competing reactions were observed. The homoglutathione conjugate was rapidly metabolized to the cysteine conjugate which was slowly converted to a variety of other metabolites, four of which were present up to 72 days after treatment. Those four metabolites were the malonylcysteine, malonylcysteine S -oxide, 3-sulfinyllactic acid, and the O -malonylglucoside conjugates of propachlor. A cysteine S -oxide conjugate was also observed as a transient metabolite. Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry was used to characterize the polar metabolites. Some metabolites were isolated and identified from both soybean plants and peanut cell suspension cultures. The terminal metabolites in soybean plants were concentrated in the roots and foliage. Less than 1% of the metabolites were present in the beans and pods of the mature plants. In a sandy loam soil, propachlor and the cysteine conjugate of propachlor were both metabolized in approximately the same ratio to the bound residue fraction and three major metabolites: N -isopropyloxanilic acid, 2-sulfo- N -isopropylacetanilide, and 2-(sulfinylmethylenecarboxy)- N -isopropylacetanilide. The methyl sulfoxide and methyl sulfone analogs of propachlor were characterized as minor soil metabolites. The major metabolites present in soybean plants grown in soil treated with propachlor were those produced in the soil and taken up by the plants. It was speculated that propachlor metabolism in the soil involved microbial activity and conjugation with glutathione or cysteine. It was concluded that homoglutathione conjugates are metabolized in soybean in a manner similar to the metabolism of other glutathione conjugates in species such as peanut.
Noise Due to Interaction of Boundary Layer Turbulence with a Compressor or a Propulser Rotor.

Abstract : The radiated sound due to a compressor or propulsor rotating blade row was investigated under various operating conditions and inflows. The propulsor was operated in air with different blade space-to-chord ratios, different flow coefficients and differing turbulence (non-isotropic) inflows. The inflows ingested are: (1) the natural boundary layer on the hub and annulus wall, (2) a tripped boundary layer on the hub, and (3) a fully developed boundary layer on the hub. The turbulence properties were also altered by placing a grid at the inlet. The mean velocity profiles, turbulence intensities, length scales, and energy spectra of the inflow were measured, as well as near and far-field acoustic spectra. A parametric investigation of the effect of inflow characteristics on the radiated sound has been made. Several length scales were found to exist simultaneously. The noise due to small scale turbulence seems to depend on, i.e., turbulence velocity normal to the blade divided by the axial length scale. The long eddies are also responsible for discrete tone production. (Author)
Emotional Closeness in Mexican-Origin Adolescents’ Relationships with Mothers, Fathers, and Same-Sex Friends

Research on the associations between parent–adolescent relationships and friendships among Latinos is limited. Drawing on developmental and ecological perspectives, we examined bidirectional associations between parental warmth and friendship intimacy with same-sex peers from early to late adolescence using a longitudinal cross-lag panel design. Parent–adolescent immigration status and adolescent gender were examined as moderators of these associations. Home interviews were conducted with 246 Mexican American adolescents (51 % female) when they were in early (M = 12.55; SD = .60 years), middle (M = 14.64; SD = .59 years), and late adolescence (M = 17.67; SD = .57 years). Modest declines in paternal warmth were evident from early to late adolescence, but maternal warmth was high and stable across this time period. Girls’ intimacy with same-sex friends also was high and stable from early to late adolescence, but boys’ intimacy with same-sex friends increased over this time period. In general, findings revealed that adolescents’ perceptions of parents’ warmth in early adolescence were associated positively with friendship intimacy in middle adolescence, and friendship intimacy in middle adolescence was associated positively with parental warmth in late adolescence. Some associations were moderated by adolescent gender and parent–adolescent immigration status. For example, there was an association from maternal warmth in early adolescence to friendship intimacy in late adolescence only for immigrant youth. These findings suggest that among Mexican American adolescents, their relationships with their mothers, fathers, and same-sex friends are intertwined closely and that gender and immigration status shape some of these associations during adolescence.
Finite Element Based Automated Analysis for Determining Ratchet, Shakedown and Elastic Limits

In order to determine the ratchet and shakedown limit curves for even a simple component, such as a tube under a constant pressure load and cyclic thermal load, can be a daunting task when using conventional analysis methods (elasto-plastic cyclic finite element analysis) that require repeated iterative simulations to determine the state of the structure, elastic, shakedown, plastic or ratchet. In some cases, the process is further complicated by the difficulty in interpreting results of the cyclic loading to determine in which regime the structure is. Earlier work by Abou-Hanna and McGreevy was able to demonstrate limit load analysis of a structure whose yield strength is modified based on cyclic load, provided the ratchet limit [1]. The method, called Anisotropic Load Dependent Yield Modification (LDYM), was implemented by using a user subroutine with ABAQUS, a general commercial finite element code. The approach adopted provided ratchet limits for only one individual cyclic load value. The work presented here describes a process for analyzing the structure and determining the elastic, shakedown and ratchet boundaries all in one finite element simulation using only one analysis step. The approach manipulates the structure material behavior that enables the resetting of the material characteristics to their original values in order to be able to analyze the structure for different sets of cyclic and primary load combinations. The process was verified using problems available in the literature, such as the Bree tube and Ponter’s Holed Plate. Additionally, a tubular T-joint was used as an example of the effectiveness of the process for a three dimensional complex geometry. The tubular T-joint results are verified against baseline data from the iterative elastic-plastic simulations used to determine the elastic, shakedown, and ratchet limits. The work presented highlights the advantages and limitations of this numerical approach which requires little interaction with the analyst.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Acute and chronic effects of ketanserin on the electrophysiologic properties of isolated rabbit ventricular myocardium: particular reference to repolarization.

The acute and chronic cellular electrophysiologic actions of ketanserin, a selective blocker of 5-hydroxytriptamine (5-HT2) receptor, were examined in the isolated rabbit ventricular muscle. This work was prompted by the recent observations that small numbers of patients treated with hypertension develop QTc prolongation, rarely associated with torsades de pointes. At 1.0 Hz stimulation, ketanserin, 10−5 and 10−4M, prolonged the action potential duration (APD) (by 20% and 29%, respectively) and voltage-dependent refractoriness. At 10−4M, the maximal rate of rise of phase 0 of the action potential (Vmax) decreased 11%. Action potential amplitude and resting membrane potential were not affected by either concentration of ketanserin used (10−6 to 10−4M). Trains of stimuli at rates of 1.0 Hz or higher led to an exponential decline in Vmax to a new plateau level. The time constant for the recovery of Vmax from the use-dependent block was 1.3 second. Chronic administration of ketanserin (40 mg/kg/day, intramuscularly) caused a significantly prolongation of APD (106%; p < 0.01) and voltage-dependent refractoriness without effects on the action potential amplitude, resting membrane potential, and Vmax. These data indicate that ketanserin exerts significant class I effects with mild class III effects when superfused acutely, whereas chronic administration of ketanserin exhibits marked class III effects. Both effects of the drug are likely to exert significant antiarrhythmic actions.
Dissolved plutonium and americium in surface waters of the Irish Sea, 1973–1996

The Irish Sea contains elevated levels of 239+240Pu and 241Am discharged, over several decades, from the British Nuclear Fuels reprocessing plant at Sellafield, Cumbria. Data on both the temporal and spatial variations of these radionuclides are provided from surveys carried out over the period 1973–1996. Seawater concentrations have varied from year to year, concomitant with reductions in discharges, differences in transport behaviour (dependent upon the prevailing hydrographic conditions) and remobilisation. Over the period considered, the most noticeable change from the end of the 1970s to the most recent time is a decrease in dissolved 239+240Pu levels (≈4-fold). Concentrations of 241Am have remained relatively unchanged since 1976. Reductions in discharges have been significantly greater (e.g. ≈40-fold for 239+240Pu) and remobilisation from sediments contaminated by large discharges in the 1970s is presently the predominant source term to the water column. Estimates of the inventory in the dissolved phase are small (≈0.3 and 0.03% for 239+240Pu and 241Am, respectively) in comparison with that residing on the sub-tidal sediments. The dissolution half-time of 239+240Pu and 241Am from the surface sediment layer (top 5 cm) is estimated to be in the order of 58 and 1000 years, respectively.
A Mixed Lubrication Model for Cold Strip Rolling—-Part I: Theoretical

An analytical model for strip rolling in the mixed lubrication regime is developed. The average Reynolds equation for Christensen surfaces with the arbitrary Peklenik surface pattern parameter is combined with an analysis for asperity flattening under conditions of bulk plastic flow to treat lubrication in the mixed regime. An inlet zone analysis and the influence of pressure on viscosity are included and, by using special numerical techniques, the model can be used over a wide speed range. Presented as a Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers paper at the World Tribology Congress in London, United Kingdom, September 8–12, 1997
Immunocytochemical localization of l-glutamate decar☐ylase, gamma-aminobutyric acid transaminase, cysteine sulfinic acid decar☐ylase, aspartate aminotransferase and somatostatin in rat retina

Abstract The regional distribution and cellular location of GABA-synthesizing enzyme, l -glutamate decar☐ylase (GAD), GABA degradating enzyme, GABA-transaminase (GABA-T), taurine synthesizing enzyme, cysteinesulfinic acid decar☐ylase (CSAD), aspartate and glutamate converting enzyme, aspartate aminotrasferase (AAT), and somatostatin have been visualized in the rat retina by immunocytochemical methods. GAD immunoreactivity was found to be concentrated in the inner plexiform layer. A moderate to weak staining of GAD was found in the inner nuclear layer. The distribution of GABA-T immunoreactivity was similar to that of GAD with the exception that a weak to moderate staining of GABA-T was also observed in the outer plexiform layer. CSAD immunoreactivity was seen in every layer with the heaviest staining in the inner plexiform layer, and moderate staining in the inner and outer nuclear layers and ganglion cell layer. AAT immunoreactivity was mostly concentrated in the outer nuclear layer; there was weak staining in the inner nuclear layer and inner and outer plexiform layer. Dense somatostatin staining was seen in the inner plexiform layer and moderate staining was present in the inner nuclear layer, outer plexiform layer and ganglion cell layer. These findings suggest that in rat retina, GABA-containing cells occur in some types of amacrine cells only, while taurine and somatostatin appear in both amacrine and horizontal cells. AAT immunoreactivity was primarily associated with the photoreceptor cells suggesting that AAT may be used as a marker for aspartegic/glutamergic cells and their endings in the central nervous system.
Field, laboratory, and modeling study of reactive transport of groundwater arsenic in a coastal aquifer.

A field, laboratory, and modeling study of As in groundwater discharging to Waquoit Bay, MA, shed light on coupled control of chemistry and hydrology on reactive transport of As in a coastal aquifer. Dissolved Fe(II) and As(III) in a reducing groundwater plume bracketed by an upper and a lower redox interface are oxidized as water flows toward the bay. This results in precipitation of Fe(III) oxides, along with oxidation and adsorption of As to sediment at the redox interfaces where concentrations of sedimentary HCl-leachable Fe (80−90% Fe(III)) are 734 ± 232 mg kg−1 and sedimentary phosphate-extractable As (90−100% As(V)) are 316 ± 111 μg kg−1 and are linearly correlated. Batch adsorption of As(III) onto orange, brown, and gray sediments follows Langmuir isotherms and can be fitted by a surface complexation model (SCM) assuming a diffuse layer for ferrihydrite. The sorption capacity and distribution coefficient for As increase with decreasing sediment Fe(II)/Fe. To allow accumulation of the amount of sed...
Pareto Optimality in Electoral Competition

The core of welfare economics consists of the proof that, for certain classes of goods, perfectly competitive markets are efficient in that they provide Pareto optimal allocations of these goods. In this paper, the efficiency of competitive elections is examined. Elections are modeled as two-candidate zero-sum games, and three kinds of equilibria for such games are identified: pure, risky, and mixed strategies. It is shown, however, that regardless of which kind of equilibrium prevails, if candidates adopt equilibrium strategies, an election is efficient in the sense that the candidates advocate Pareto optimal policies. But one caveat to this analysis is that while an election is Pareto optimal, citizens can unanimously prefer markets to elections as a mechanism for selecting future policies.
Exo70 interacts with phospholipids and mediates the targeting of the exocyst to the plasma membrane

The exocyst is an octameric protein complex implicated in the tethering of post-Golgi secretory vesicles to the plasma membrane before fusion. The function of individual exocyst components and the mechanism by which this tethering complex is targeted to sites of secretion are not clear. In this study, we report that the exocyst subunit Exo70 functions in concert with Sec3 to anchor the exocyst to the plasma membrane. We found that the C-terminal Domain D of Exo70 directly interacts with phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. In addition, we have identified key residues on Exo70 that are critical for its interaction with phospholipids and the small GTPase Rho3. Further genetic and cell biological analyses suggest that the interaction of Exo70 with phospholipids, but not Rho3, is essential for the membrane association of the exocyst complex. We propose that Exo70 mediates the assembly of the exocyst complex at the plasma membrane, which is a crucial step in the tethering of post-Golgi secretory vesicles for exocytosis.
Morphological Analysis of Telechelic Ureidopyrimidone Functional Hydrogen Bonding Linear and Star‐Shaped Poly(ethylene‐co‐propylene)s

Ureidopyrimidone (UPy) end-functionalized linear and star-shaped poly(ethylene-co-propylene)s (hydrogenated polyisoprene) with molecular weights between 12K and 90K and narrow molecular weight distributions (PDI = M w /M n, < 1.10) were studied with SAXS and AFM. These hydrogen bond end-functionalized polymers (0.45-1.14 mol.-% UPy end-groups) unexpectedly exhibited microphase separated domains with interdomain spacings of approximately 10-15 nm suggesting a solid-state clustering of the hydrogen bonding end-groups beyond simple dimerization. The interdomain spacings that were obtained from SAXS measurements systematically increased with molecular weight and decreased for monofunctional oligomers relative to telechelic analogs of the identical molecular weight. Variable temperature AFM measurements confirmed the presence of microphase separation at the surface for the star-shaped UPy end-functional poly(ethylene-co-propylene) and revealed a decrease in phase contrast upon heating to 130 °C with retention of the microphase separated texture.
Age-diameter relationships of Quercus species in relation to edaphic factors in gallery forests in Northeast Kansas

Abstract Age-diameter relationships were evaluated for Quercus macrocarpa and Q. muehlenbergii in relation to soil and topographic factors in 18 gallery forest stands in northeast Kansas. Tree diameter was significantly correlated with age (r2 = 0.33−0.96, P
Inadmissibility of the uniformly minimum variance unbiased estimator of the inverse Gaussian variance

The uniformly minimum variance unbiased estimator (UMVUE) of the variance of the inverse Gaussian distribution is shown to be inadmissible in terms of the mean squared error, and a dominating estimator is given. A dominating estimator to the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) of the variance and estimators dominating the MLE's and the UMVUE's of other parameters are also given.
Climate change discourse in mass media: application of computer-assisted content analysis

Content analysis of mass media publications has become a major scientific method used to analyze public discourse on climate change. We propose a computer-assisted content analysis method to extract prevalent themes and analyze discourse changes over an extended period in an objective and quantifiable manner. The method includes the following: (1) sample selection; (2) preparation of the text segments for computer processing; (3) identifying themes in the texts using exploratory factor analysis; (4) combining identified themes into higher order themes using confirmatory factor analysis; (5) using factor scores to interpret themes obtained from public discourse; and (6) tracking the main themes of public discourse through time. We apply the proposed methodology to the analysis of the articles published in the New York Times on climate change during the period from 1995 to 2010. We found a gradual decline in the volume of material within the “Science” topic and an expansion of themes classified under the “Politics” topic.
The Economics of Horticultural Biotechnology

Abstract Technological change has driven economic progress in agriculture and will continue to play a crucial role in die 21st century. The latest wave of technological change in agriculture is based on die ability to specifically modify crop genetics dirough recombinant DNA techniques. Biotech crop varieties have been adopted on a wide scale in some agronomic crops, but horticultural crops face hurdles for commercialization. Market barriers are blocking die production of biotech horticultural crops diat have already been developed. High costs for research, development and regulatory approval combined with the small acreages planted and the diversity of varieties limit die potential for profitable applications of biotechnology for many fruits and vegetables, tree fruits and nuts, and nursery and landscape crops. Like most technological changes in agriculture, die introduction of modern biotechnology has met with spirited political opposition from some quarters. Such opposition could discourage adoption of...
Effects of continuous exposure of navel oranges to nitrogen dioxide

Abstract The continuous exposure of navel orange trees to 0.5 and 1.0 ppm of nitrogen dioxide for 35 days caused severe defoliation and leaf chlorosis. Exposure of the trees to 0.25 ppm and lower levels caused increased leaf drop and reduced fruit yield. At present it seems unlikely that atmospheric concentrations of oxides of nitrogen in the test area are causing injury to citrus.
Spatio-temporal phase-contrast imaging of tenuous laser plasma structures

We demonstrate a pump-probe phase-contrast method that reconstructs the spatio-temporal profile of plasma structures at density as low as 1016 cm−3. The method is compatible with very thin, very long, even turbulent media.
Effect of surfactant on casting metalorganic films and writing copper metal patterns

A highly effective wetting agent and emulsifier, Triton X-100 detergent is introduced to metalorganic solutions. When applied to a substrate, this detergent/metalorganic solution promotes the formation of a uniform spin-on thin film with good adhesion. The precursor, copper formate film, was spin-deposited with a metalorganic solution prepared by a solvent mixture of methanol and Triton X-100 (50:1 by volume). KrF laser (248 nm) direct writing of high-purity copper patterns on glass and polyimide substrates has been achieved. When the laser beam is imaged through a slit device, periodic copper metal structures with a linewidth of ∼2.5 μm are observed, which may be attributed to result from Fraunhofer diffraction. A general process for casting homogeneous amorphous films on substrates from a solution of molecular or ionic metalorganics dissolved in the neutral or charged micelles is proposed.
Model for the origin of the Yakutat block, an accreting terrane in the northern Gulf of Alaska

A composite oceanic and continental terrane, the Yakutat block, is currently colliding with and accreting to North America in the northern Gulf of Alaska. Marine geophysical data indicate that the block has moved with the Pacific plate during Pliocene and Quaternary time, but are indeterminant about its previous movement history. A model that explains some observed geologic and structural features of the block is that it originated as a result of subduction of the Kula-Farallon spreading center beneath North America. In this model, the spreading center that formed the basaltic basement of the Yakutat block was offset from a spreading center to the south by a left-lateral transform fault 400–500 km long. Subduction of the northern spreading center about 45 m.y. ago sliced off part of the North America continental margin, attached it to the Kula plate, and initiated northward movement of the composite terrane as the Yakutat block. During Eocene and Oligocene time, migration of the southern spreading center toward North America truncated the Yakutat block on the south and left a fossil fracture zone that is now seen as the Transition fault. The southern spreading center subducted about 25 m.y. ago, and the Yakutat block has since traveled with the Pacific plate to southern Alaska.
Antitumor polycyclic acridines. 20. Search for DNA quadruplex binding selectivity in a series of 8,13-dimethylquino[4,3,2-kl]acridinium salts: telomere-targeted agents.

The growth-inhibitory activities of an extensive series of quaternized quino[4,3,2-kl]acridinium salts against tumor cell lines in vitro have been measured and their biological properties interpreted in the light of differential binding to different DNA isoforms. Selectivity for quadruplex DNA binding and stabilization by compounds were explored through an array of methods: UV absorption and fluorescence emission spectroscopy, surface plasmon resonance, and competition dialysis. Quadruplex DNA interaction was further characterized through FRET and DNA polymerase arrest assays. Telomerase inhibition, inferred from the TRAP assay, is attributed to quadruplex stabilization, supported by the strong correlation (R2 = 0.81) across the series between quadruplex DNA binding affinity and TRAP inhibition potency. Growth inhibition potency in the NCI60 human tumor cell line panel is more marked in compounds with greater DNA duplex binding affinity (R2 = 0.82). Quantification of relative quadruplex and duplex binding...
Inhaled Nitric Oxide Causes Perinatal Pulmonary Vasodilation Through a Ryanodine-Sensitive Activation of a Kca Channel † 1739

While the normal transition from fetus to newborn requires pulmonary vasodilation mediated by nitric oxide (NO), the mechanism for this remains incompletely understood. Recent evidence suggests that NO acts through K+ channel activation. We hypothesized that NO mediates perinatal pulmonary vasodilation through release of intracellular calcium, from a ryanodine-sensitive store to cause activation of a calcium-sensitive K+ (KCa) channel. To test this hypothesis we studied the effect of: (i) KCa block; (ii) voltage-gated K+ (Kv) channel block; and (iii) blockade of the ryanodine-sensitive store on NO-induced pulmonary vasodilation in acutely prepared, late-gestation fetal lambs (n=5). After a minimum recovery period of one hour, nitro-L-arginine (L-NA, 1 mg/min for 30 min), an NO inhibitor, was infused into the left pulmonary artery (LPA), and tracheotomy placed. Animals were ventilated with 100% O2 for 20 minutes, followed by ventilation with 100% O2 + inhaled NO (iNO) at 20 ppm for 10 minutes. In separate protocols, animals received intrapulmonary infusion of: (i) tetraethylammonium (TEA, 1 mg/min for 50 min), a preferential KCa blocker; (ii) 4-aminopyridine (4-AP, 1 mg/min for 17 min,), a Kv channel blocker; and (iii) ryanodine (5μg/min for 30 min), a blocker of intracellular calcium release, and ventilated as above.
Solar photovoltaic versus micro -hydroelectricity: A framework for assessing the sustainability of community-run rural electrification projects

One of the crucial steps in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is access to reliable and affordable energy. The majority of the people without access to clean and reliable energy sources live in rural areas. The advent of renewable energy technologies, such as solar photovoltaic (PV), wind and micro-hydroelectricity has allowed electricity to be generated independently of the national utility grid. The sustainability of such off-grid energy projects is crucial to foster socio-economic development of these local communities. Many studies have addressed the sustainability of rural electrification projects post-completion using indicators. However, these studies are fairly extensive and do not provide pre-implementation insights into the best rural electrification technology. In this study, we present a more holistic approach to decision making by analyzing two off-grid renewable technologies - solar photovoltaic (PV) and micro-hydroelectricity (MH) using a village in Ifugao Province in the Philippines as a case study. An analysis of social, technical, environment, economic and political (STEEP) dimensions that impact the success of the project is presented. A measure of the technology's potential to bring about positive change, termed total impact (TI), is estimated. Micro-hydroelectricity was projected to be a better alternative in this location.