cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aflatoxin conducive and non-conducive growth conditions reveal new gene associations with aflatoxin production

Research on aflatoxin (AF) production has traditionally focused on defining the AF biosynthetic pathway with the goal of identifying potential targets for intervention. To understand the effect of nitrogen source, carbon source, temperature, and pH on the regulation of AF biosynthesis, a targeted cDNA microarray consisting of genes associated with AF production over time was employed. Expression profiles for genes involved in AF biosynthesis grouped into five clades. A putative regulon was identified consisting of 20 genes that were induced in the conducive nitrogen and pH treatments and the non-conducive carbon and temperature treatments, as well as four other putative regulons corresponding to each of the four variables studied. Seventeen genes exhibited consistent induction/repression profiles across all the experiments. One of these genes was consistently downregulated with AF production. Overexpression of this gene resulted in repression of AF biosynthesis. The cellular function of this gene is currently unresolved.
Redefining Firm Boundaries in the Face of the Internet: Are Firms Really Shrinking?

I present two models for exploring the impact of the emergence and diffusion of the internet on vertical and horizontal firm boundaries. I argue that the effect of the emergence and diffusion of the internet on a firm's boundaries is a function of the firm's determinants of costs, moderated by the information dependence and tacitness of the firm's value-adding activities and the organizational technology that underpins the firm's primary activities. Contrary to previous research, the models suggest that the emergence and diffusion of the internet should also expand some firm boundaries.
The Self-Directed Search and Career Self-Efficacy:

This paper presents the results of a study aimed at furthering understanding of the meaning of responses to Holland's Self-Directed Search (SDS). Drawing on current social cognitive theory, this study provides some evidence that SDS Summary scores might be predictive of respondents' future self-efficacy expectations. A significant relationship was found between responses to the SDS and an instrument specifically designed to measure career self-efficacy, the short form of the Task-Specific Occupational Self-efficacy Scale (TSOSS). Evidence for the validity of the SDS in predicting career self-efficacy is provided by the correlational patterns and gender differences shown in the responses to both the SDS and TSOSS. Implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.
Personality Changes Associated with a Sojourn in Japan

Abstract In order to determine whether personality changes occur in teenagers during 1-month homestays in Japan, the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) was administered to 154 exchange students and to 112 control students who did not travel abroad. The CPI was administered prior to the exchange, again at its conclusion, and a third time 4 months later. Antecedent information was collected using a pre-exchange questionnaire. Analysis of covariance was used to determine whether the pretest and posttest scores for the two groups were significantly different. Non-parametric tests were used to determine whether overseas group antecedent sub-populations changed differently. The overseas group increased in flexibility and independence and became less conventional compared with the control group. Exchangees who were the first members of their families to travel abroad and those who personally paid a high percentage of their trip expenses changed the most. Travelers who had studied a foreign language for one...
The van Cittert-Zernike theorem in atom optics

Abstract The van Cittert-Zernike theorem of classical optics is generalized to the situation of matter-wave optics. Applying a Green's function method the first- and second-order correlation functions of the matter field emitted from an incoherent source are calculated, and the results are compared to the case of electromagnetic waves.
Relationships between E-Learning Systems and Learning Outcomes: A Path Analysis Model

This study applied path analysis modeling to examine the relationships between e-learning systems and students' satisfaction and their perceived learning outcomes in the context of university online courses. Independent variables included are e-learning system quality, information quality, computer self-efficacy, self-regulated learning behavior as potential determinants of online learning outcome. A total of 674 valid unduplicated responses from students who have completed at least one online course at a university in the Midwest were used to fit the path analysis model. The results indicated that system quality, information quality, and self-managed earning behavior significantly affect students’ satisfaction and two hypothesized variables (system use and computer self-efficacy) failed to show any effects on students satisfaction.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detection of the murine brain response to light: temporal differentiation and negative functional MRI changes.

Abstract Using a 9.4 T MRI instrument, we have obtained images of the mouse brain response to photic stimulation during a period between deep anesthesia and the early stages of arousal. The large image enhancements we observe (often >30%) are consistent with literature results extrapolated to 9.4 T. However, there are also two unusual aspects to our findings. (i) The visual area of the brain responds only to changes in stimulus intensity, suggesting that we directly detect operations of the M visual system pathway. Such a channel has been observed in mice by invasive electrophysiology, and described in detail for primates. (ii) Along with the typical positive response in the area of the occipital portion of the brain containing the visual cortex, another area displays decreased signal intensity upon stimulation.
Electron transfer in fixed-nuclei systems: A comparison of propagator descriptions

Site‐to‐site electron transfer rates in a fixed‐nucleus system are described using the polarization propagator, the time‐dependent number operator, and the electron propagator. We show that given a proper choice of the initial state, the first two agree with each other. The number‐operator expression forms an upper bound to the transfer rate given by the electron propagator. Numerical studies on two‐site and three‐site Hubbard models indicate that the electron propagator in the Hartree–Fock approximation provides a good approximation to the initial transfer rate, for a wide choice of electron repulsion strengths.
Environmental Fate and Effects of the Lampricide TFM: a Review

Use of 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) is limited geographically to the Great Lakes basin where it is the principal agent used in control of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus). It is clear from available data that TFM has effects on the environment, but the effects reported are transient. Individual organisms and aquatic communities return to pretreatment conditions after lampricide treatments have concluded. TFM is not persistent, is detoxified, and presents minimal long-term toxicological risk. TFM is relatively nontoxic to mammals. Treatment levels do not pose a threat to wildlife. However, TFM is an estrogen agonist and additional testing to define the nature and magnitude of this effect will likely be required. Because stream treatments are done on 3 to 5 year cycles, and exposures are limited to approximately 12 h, minimal risk to aquatic organisms is expected.
Characterization of sub-10-fs pulse focusing with high-numerical-aperture microscope objectives.

Dispersion precompensation with a prism sequence and a third-order dispersion mirror resulted in negligible broadening of sub-10-fs pulses at subwavelength spot sizes when the pulses were focused with microscope objectives and moderate apertures. At larger apertures, lens chromaticity and spherical aberration led to an effective pulse broadening of up to 1.3×, depending on the aperture size and the detector position. The data suggest that intensities exceeding 1014 W/cm2 can be produced directly from femtosecond pulse oscillators.
Optimal scoring of the Multidimensional Pain Inventory in a chronic pain sample.

The Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI) is one of the most commonly used self-report instruments in pain settings. The MPI can be used to classify patients into three clusters or its nine scales can be treated as dimensions in efforts to understand patient heterogeneity. Previous research suggests the existence of a fourth cluster, whose members have been labeled ‘repressors,’ that emerges with the addition of a defensiveness scale to the MPI. The current paper compared the abilities of MPI cluster and dimensional models with and without a measure of defensiveness to capture variability in validating variables related to personality, psychopathology, physical functioning, and treatment outcome in a chronic pain sample. Results suggest that dimensional models consistently outperform cluster models in explaining variance in outcome variables, and that the addition of a measure of defensiveness increments the validity offered by the MPI scales. Implications for the assessment of pain patients are discussed.
UHF class-E power amplifier based upon multi-harmonic approximation

At high frequencies class-E power amplifiers operation is limited by the device drain parasitics so that true-transient operation is not possible, hence harmonic approximation is used based upon the second and/or the third harmonic control using either transmission-line or lumped-element resonators. The class-E amplifier described in this paper employs a multi-harmonic network to control the device reactances at intrinsic drain up to ten harmonics. Based upon classic design equations, the impedances are close to their optimum values for lower-order harmonics producing 90% efficiency for an ideal device resembling true-transient class-E operation at high frequency. Nevertheless, a working prototype presents an efficiency of 85% with 10-W output power at 400MHz fundamental-frequency using a GaN FET.
Macrophage Polarization during Murine Lyme Borreliosis

Infection of C3H mice with Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, reliably produces an infectious arthritis and carditis that peak around 3 weeks postinfection and then spontaneously resolve. Macrophage polarization has been suggested to drive inflammation, the clearance of bacteria, and tissue repair and resolution in a variety of infectious disease models. During Lyme disease it is clear that macrophages are capable of clearing Borrelia spirochetes and exhausted neutrophils; however, the role of macrophage phenotype in disease development or resolution has not been studied. Using classical (NOS2) and alternative (CD206) macrophage subset-specific markers, we determined the phenotype of F4/80(+) macrophages within the joints and heart throughout the infection time course. Within the joint, CD206(+) macrophages dominated throughout the course of infection, and NOS2(+) macrophage numbers became elevated only during the peak of inflammation. We also found dual NOS2(+) CD206(+) macrophages which increased during resolution. In contrast to findings for the ankle joints, numbers of NOS2(+) and CD206(+) macrophages in the heart were similar at the peak of inflammation. 5-Lipoxygenase-deficient (5-LOX(-/-)) mice, which display a failure of Lyme arthritis resolution, recruited fewer F4/80(+) cells to the infected joints and heart, but macrophage subset populations were unchanged. These results highlight differences in the inflammatory infiltrates during Lyme arthritis and carditis and demonstrate the coexistence of multiple macrophage subsets within a single inflammatory site.
Effect of modulation on the onset of thermal convection

The stability of a horizontal layer of fluid heated from below is examined when, in addition to a steady temperature difference between the walls of the layer, a time-dependent sinusoidal perturbation is applied to the wall temperatures. Only infinitesimal disturbances are considered. The effects of the oscillating temperature field are treated by a perturbation expansion in powers of the amplitude of the applied field. The shift in the critical Rayleigh number is calculated as a function of frequency, and it is found that it is possible to advance or delay the onset of convection by time modulation of the wall temperatures.
A molecular dynamics study on defect reduction in thin film Cd 1−x Zn x Te/CdS solar cells

Recently developed molecular dynamics models have been applied to study the formation of defects during growth of ZnTe-on-CdS multilayers. Our studies indicated that misfit dislocations are formed during growth, and the dislocation density can be reduced if the ZnTe layer is grown in a nano island configuration as opposed to a continuous film. These results highlight the use of molecular dynamics methods in providing valuable defect formation mechanism insight and guiding experimental efforts to produce high efficiency Cd 1−x Zn x Te solar cells.
High efficiency thin-film GaAs-based MSM photodetectors

To increase the sensitivity of high speed GaAs based metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetectors, thin film inverted MSMs (fingers on the bottom) have been fabricated and compared to bulk MSMs. The inverted MSMs exhibit a record 95% external quantum efficiency, a bandwidth of 5.9 GHz, and <5 nA dark current at 10 V bias.
Supercritical Fluid Extraction from Soil and HPLC Analysis of Cyanazine Herbicide

Efficacy of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) for the recovery of cyanazine (2-[[4-chloro-6-(ethylamino)-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl]amino]-2-methylpropionitrile) from soil was investigated. A reverse-ph...
Elastic–Plastic Multi-Asperity Contact Analysis of Cylinder-on-Flat Configuration

The contact interaction between a rough cylindrical body (i.e., with asperities) and a deformable smooth flat was investigated using the finite-element analysis. Analysis included both elastic-plastic deformation and friction. Further, the effects of several parameters of rough surface on the evolution of the contact area with increasing contact load were investigated. These were radius, number, constraint, and placement of asperities. Contact area of rough surface is smaller than its counterpart of smooth surface, and this decrease depends on number, radius, constraint, and placement of asperities. The elastic material behavior results in considerably smaller contact area than that from elastic-plastic material behavior. The evolution of contact area with increasing contact load is of the complex nature with elastic-plastic material deformation since the yielded region widens and/or deepens with increasing load depending on number, radius, and constraint of asperities. The effect of constraint on the asperity depends upon its nature (i.e., from either sides or one side) and radius of the asperity. The effects of these several parameters on the contact area versus applied load relationships are expressed in the graphical form as well as in terms of equations wherever possible.
Asymmetries in Cost-Volume-Profit Relation: Cost Stickiness and Conditional Conservatism

Cost-volume-profit (CVP) analysis is based on a linear model of earnings behavior. However, recent research documents two potential sources of asymmetry in earnings: cost stickiness and conditional conservatism. We examine the implications of these asymmetries for CVP analysis and develop an “asymmetric CVP” (ACVP) framework incorporating both phenomena. ACVP estimates for Compustat/CRSP data reveal dramatic deviations from the standard CVP model (attributed to both stickiness and conservatism). These asymmetric deviations lead to major conceptual revisions in CVP analysis and have a large impact on various CVP benchmarks.
Occurrences of forest butterflies in the farm bush savannah outside a forest reserve in Ghana, West Africa

The willingness of a species to leave a forest fragment is a prerequisite for subsequent dispersal across the intervening non-forested landscape. Species with stringent fidelity to the forest patch will be isolated from populations in other fragments and predisposed to factors that promote extinction of local populations. Here, we document which fruit-feeding, forest-dwelling butterflies occur in the farm bush savannah outside an afrotropical forest reserve in order to gain a first approximation of those potentially dispersing across it. Standard fruit-baited traps hung at 80 m inside the forest, the forest edge and 12 and 50 m into the savannah matrix were used to characterize communities in the different habitats. A total of 1616 specimens were collected from the 19 traps, representing 90 species. Rarefied species richness was generally comparable across habitats. Multivariate ordination analyses, which integrate species composition and relative abundance in addition to richness, uncovered two broad community types, i.e. forest (edge plus 80 m inside) and matrix. Relative fidelity to forest habitat was investigated for the 45 species that were represented by at least five individuals. More than half of the forest-associated species showed relaxed fidelity to forest habitat and were commonly trapped in the matrix. Although forest generalists and dry forest species were expected to be more commonly trapped outside the forest relative to wet or moist forest species, there was no relationship between the relative occurrence of species in matrix versus forest habitat and their habitat association category.
A study of cultural bias in field guide determinations of mushroom edibility using the iconic mushroom, Amanita muscaria, as an example

A Study of Cultural Bias in Field Guide Determinations of Mushroom Edibility Using the Iconic Mushroom, Amanita muscaria, as an Example. Mushroom field guides teach identif- ication skills as well as provide information on the edible or toxic qualities of each species of wild mushroom. As such they function as modern-day village elders for an increasingly urban, nature-ignorant population. This paper identifies underlying cultural bias in the determination of mushroom edibility in English-language field guides, using the iconic mushroom, Amanita muscaria, as an example. We explore a selection of ethnographic and medical texts that report the use of A. muscaria as a food, and we accept parboiling as a safe method of detoxifying it for the dinner table. Mushroom field guides, however, almost universally label the mushroom as poisonous. We discuss the cultural underpinnings and literary form of mushroom field guides and demonstrate that they work within a mostly closed intellectual system that ironically shares many of the same limitations of cultural bias found in traditional folk cultures, but with the pretense of being modern and scientific.
Estimating linear-nonlinear models using Renyi divergences.

This article compares a family of methods for characterizing neural feature selectivity using natural stimuli in the framework of the linear-nonlinear model. In this model, the spike probability depends in a nonlinear way on a small number of stimulus dimensions. The relevant stimulus dimensions can be found by optimizing a Renyi divergence that quantifies a change in the stimulus distribution associated with the arrival of single spikes. Generally, good reconstructions can be obtained based on optimization of Renyi divergence of any order, even in the limit of small numbers of spikes. However, the smallest error is obtained when the Renyi divergence of order 1 is optimized. This type of optimization is equivalent to information maximization, and is shown to saturate the Cramer-Rao bound describing the smallest error allowed for any unbiased method. We also discuss conditions under which information maximization provides a convenient way to perform maximum likelihood estimation of linear-nonlinear models from neural data.
New lower nicotine cigarettes can produce compensatory smoking and increased carbon monoxide exposure

Potential reduced exposure products (PREPs) are marketed as a means to reduce exposure to tobacco toxicants. Quest cigarettes, a new type of PREP, use genetically modified tobacco to provide a nicotine step-down approach, and are available as 0.6, 0.3 and 0.05 mg nicotine cigarettes. However, these cigarettes deliver equivalent levels of tar (10 mg). Prior research on low nicotine cigarettes suggests smokers will compensate for lower nicotine delivery by increasing their puffing behavior to extract more nicotine. This study tested the hypothesis that compensatory smoking will occur with this PREP as nicotine levels decrease, increasing exposure to tobacco toxins. Fifty smokers completed a within-subject human laboratory study investigating the effect of cigarette nicotine level on smoking behavior. Cigarette nicotine level was double-blinded and order of presentation counter-balanced. Breath carbon monoxide (CO) boost was used as a biomarker of smoke exposure; total puff volume to assess smoking behavior. Total puff volume was greatest for the 0.05 mg nicotine cigarette and CO boost was moderately greater after smoking the 0.3 and 0.05 mg cigarettes compared to the 0.6 mg nicotine cigarette. These data provide novel behavioral and biochemical evidence of compensatory smoking when smoking lower nicotine cigarettes. Although marketed as a PREP, increases in CO boost suggest this product can potentially be a harm-increasing product.
Burn Injury Reduces Neutrophil Directional Migration Speed in Microfluidic Devices

Thermal injury triggers a fulminant inflammatory cascade that heralds shock, end-organ failure, and ultimately sepsis and death. Emerging evidence points to a critical role for the innate immune system, and several studies had documented concurrent impairment in neutrophil chemotaxis with these post-burn inflammatory changes. While a few studies suggest that a link between neutrophil motility and patient mortality might exist, so far, cumbersome assays have prohibited exploration of the prognostic and diagnostic significance of chemotaxis after burn injury. To address this need, we developed a microfluidic device that is simple to operate and allows for precise and robust measurements of chemotaxis speed and persistence characteristics at single-cell resolution. Using this assay, we established a reference set of migration speed values for neutrophils from healthy subjects. Comparisons with samples from burn patients revealed impaired directional migration speed starting as early as 24 hours after burn injury, reaching a minimum at 72–120 hours, correlated to the size of the burn injury and potentially serving as an early indicator for concurrent infections. Further characterization of neutrophil chemotaxis using this new assay may have important diagnostic implications not only for burn patients but also for patients afflicted by other diseases that compromise neutrophil functions.
Qualitative and quantitative skeletal muscle ultrasound in late‐onset acid maltase deficiency

Introduction: Acid maltase deficiency (AMD, or Pompe disease) is an inherited myopathic disorder of glycogen degradation. Diagnosis is often delayed. Muscle ultrasound could improve diagnosis. Methods: We compared skeletal muscle ultrasound images from adults with AMD (n = 10) to other myopathies (n = 81) and, in AMD, compared qualitative (Heckmatt) and quantitative (backscatter) ultrasound measurements with strength and function. Results: Qualitative ultrasound was abnormal in at least one muscle in all AMD subjects. Ultrasound patterns specific for AMD were: normal triceps brachii despite abnormalities in elbow flexors (89% vs. 17%, P < 0.0001); focal abnormalities affecting deep more than superficial biceps brachii (40% vs. 4%, P = 0.002); and more severe involvement of vastus intermedius than rectus femoris (40 vs. 11%, P = 0.03). In AMD, both qualitative (Heckmatt) and quantitative (backscatter) ultrasound measures increased with decreasing strength and function. Conclusions: Muscle ultrasound identifies the presence and specific patterns of AMD pathology, measures disease severity, and can help in the diagnosis of AMD. Muscle Nerve 44: 418–423, 2011
COLOR MEASUREMENT AS PREDICTOR OF CONSUMER RATINGS OF MILITARY RATION ITEMS

Instrumental color measurements were investigated as a method of assessing ration quality after long term storage. Six items were stored at five temperatures from 4 to 60C and withdrawn after 7, 31, 91, 182, 365, 730 and 1095 days. They were assessed for color (CIELAB L*a*b* values, hue angle and chroma), consumer acceptance, and attribute ratings. Color variables varied consistently for only applesauce and cheese spread. L* values were investigated to measure acceptability. Consumer acceptance ratings were divided into two equal sets. The first was used to determine the relationship between the mean score and L* value, then to predict acceptability. Predictions were compared to the second set of scores and type 1 and 2 error rates determined. Although error rates were high by usual statistical standards, they were equal to or lower (although not significantly different) than those based on the mean consumer acceptance score.
3-Phosphoserine transaminase mutants of Escherichia coli B.

Mutants lacking 3-phosphoserine:oxoglutarate transaminase require pyridoxine and serine for growth.
Multicomponent Nonlinear Stochastic Dynamic Analysis by Tail-Equivalent Linearization

AbstractThis paper extends the Tail-Equivalent Linearization Method (TELM) to the case of a nonlinear mechanical system subjected to multiple stochastic excitations. Following the original formulation, the method employs a discrete representation of the stochastic inputs and the first-order reliability method (FORM). Each component of the Gaussian excitation is expressed as a linear function of standard normal random variables. For a specified response threshold of the nonlinear system, the Tail-Equivalent Linear System (TELS) is defined in the standard normal space by matching the design points of the equivalent linear and nonlinear systems. This leads to the identification of the TELS in terms of a frequency-response function or, equivalently, an impulse-response function relative to each component of the input excitation. The method is demonstrated through its application to an asymmetric, one-story building with hysteretic behavior and subjected to bi-component ground motion. The degree of asymmetry i...
Noticing relevant problem features: activating prior knowledge affects problem solving by guiding encoding

This study investigated whether activating elements of prior knowledge can influence how problem solvers encode and solve simple mathematical equivalence problems (e.g., 3 + 4 + 5 = 3 + _). Past work has shown that such problems are difficult for elementary school students (McNeil & Alibali, 2000). One possible reason is that children’s experiences in math classes may encourage them to think about equations in ways that are ultimately detrimental. Specifically, children learn a set of patterns that are potentially problematic (McNeil & Alibali, 2005): the perceptual pattern that all equations follow an “operations = answer” format, the conceptual pattern that the equal sign means “calculate the total,” and the procedural pattern that the correct way to solve an equation is to perform all of the given operations on all of the given numbers. Upon viewing an equivalence problem, knowledge of these patterns may be reactivated, leading to incorrect problem solving. We hypothesized that these patterns may negatively affect problem solving by influencing what people encode about a problems. To test this hypothesis in children would require strengthening their misconceptions, and this could be detrimental to their mathematical development. Therefore, we tested this hypothesis in undergraduate participants. Participants completed either control tasks or tasks that activated their knowledge of the three patterns, and were then asked to reconstruct and solve a set of equivalence problems. Participants in the knowledge activation condition encoded the problems less well than control participants. They also made more errors in solving the problems, and their errors resembled the errors children make when solving equivalence problems. Moreover, encoding performance mediated the effect of knowledge activation on equivalence problem solving. Thus, one way in which experience may affect equivalence problem solving is by influencing what students encode about the equations.
Structural adaptation versus strategy coordination in decisionmaking organizations

This paper presents an analytical model to study the joint impact of organizational structure and message format on the performance of decision-making systems. Unlike the traditional formulation of M-ary hypothesis testing with dependent measurements, we explicitly consider the structure of a task environment, and determine the optimal subtask of each member in the organization. It is shown that the decision accuracy improves if the organization adapts its structure to that of the task; however, the efficiency of such reconfiguration depends on the communication constraints. >
Distribution and Stock Structure of Blue Catfish and Channel Catfish in Macrohabitats along Riverine Sections of the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway

Abstract The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway transformed the Tombigbee River into a series of reservoirs and navigation channels linking the Tennessee River with the Gulf of Mexico. The resulting macrohabitats—bendways (original Tombigbee River channels cut off by construction of navigation channels), channels, and tailwaters—support populations of blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus and channel catfish I. punctatus. I studied distribution and stock structure of these fishes using gill nets fished overnight throughout a 2-year period. Blue catfish and channel catfish were captured in all three macrohabitats. Of these fish, 45% of the blue catfish and 39% of the channel catfish were of stock size (≥30 cm and ≥28 cm for blue catfish and channel catfish, respectively). Tailwater catches tended to yield larger fish for combined substock- and stock-sized fish for both species. However, for stock-sized fish considered separately, size differed little among macrohabitats. Catch per unit of effort (CPUE, fish/net-night)...
Catecholamines Block the Antimitogenic Effect of Estradiol on Human Glomerular Mesangial Cells

Local sequential conversion of estradiol to hydroxyestradiols and methoxyestradiols by CYP450 and catechol-O-methyltransferase, respectively, contributes to the antimitogenic effects of estradiol on glomerular mesangial cell growth via estrogen receptor-independent mechanisms. Catecholamines are also substrates for catechol-O-methyltransferase and therefore, might abrogate the renoprotective effects of estradiol by inhibiting formation of methoxyestradiols. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the antimitogenic effects of estradiol on human glomerular mesangial cell proliferation and collagen synthesis in the presence and absence of catecholamines. Norepinephrine, epinephrine, and isoproterenol abrogated the inhibitory effects of estradiol on cell number, DNA synthesis, and collagen synthesis. For example, serum-induced DNA synthesis was inhibited from 100% to 62+/-1.9% by 0.1 micromol/L estradiol, and these inhibitory effects were reversed to 91+/-1.9% by 1 micromol/L epinephrine, 90.7+/-3.3% by 1 micromol/L isoproterenol, 87.5+/-2.8% by 10 micromol/L norepinephrine, and 92+/-1% by 10 micromol/L OR486 (catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor). The interaction of catecholamines with estradiol was not affected by phentolamine or propanolol, alpha- and beta-adrenoceptor antagonists, respectively. Similar to estradiol, the antimitogenic effects of 2-hydroxyestradiol were abrogated by epinephrine, isoproterenol, and OR486. In contrast to estradiol and 2-hydroxyestradiol, the antimitogenic effects of 2-methoxyestradiol were not attenuated by epinephrine, isoproterenol, or OR486. Norepinephrine, epinephrine, and isoproterenol inhibited the conversion of both estradiol and 2-hydroxyestradiol to 2-methoxyestradiol. Our findings suggest that catecholamines within the glomeruli might abrogate the antimitogenic effects of estradiol by blocking the conversion of 2-hydroxyestradiol to 2-methoxyestradiol.
Mobilities of isotopic ions in gases

It is shown from the two-temperature theory of gaseous ion transport how the mobility of one isotope in a particular gas at fixed temperature can be obtained as a function of the ratio of electric field strength to the gas number density directly from mobility data of a different isotope of the same ion. This “aliasing” procedure is tested by comparing values calculated from the mobility of 40Ca+ in He with those determined ab initio for a heavier, naturally-occurring isotope of Ca+. It is accurate enough that it obviates the necessity in future work of making calculations for more than one isotope.
On the evolution of a solitary wave in a gradually varying channel

diverging channel show good agreement with the prediction a (dimensionless wave amplitude) K b-8. The experiments and numerical solutions for the linearly converging channel show that the wave growth is well approximated by ax b-*. The discrepancy between the diverging and converging channels is shown to be due to nonlinear effects associated with the choice of the spatial variable as the slow variable in the generalized KdV equation. The measured and computed profiles display the predicted ‘shelves’ of elevation and depression in the converging and diverging channels, respectively.
Method for comparing visual field defects to local RNFL and RGC damage seen on frequency domain OCT in patients with glaucoma.

To relate structural (anatomical) and functional (behavioral) measures of glaucomatous damage, a method is described for comparing visual field defects to local retinal ganglion cell (RGC) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thicknesses. Thickness maps of the RNFL and the RGC + inner plexiform layer, obtained with frequency domain optical coherence tomography (fdOCT), were transformed into probability maps by comparing them to a normative group. As demonstrated in patients with glaucomatous damage to the macula, the probability map associated with the patient’s visual field can be directly compared to the fdOCT probability maps by taking into consideration the displacement of the RGCs.
Regression based circuit matrix models for accurate performance estimation of analog circuits

Automated analog circuit synthesis techniques depend on fast and reliable estimation of circuit performance. This paper presents a highly accurate method of estimating performances by constructing models of the circuit matrix instead of the traditionally used performance models. Device matching in analog circuits is utilized to identify identical elements in the circuit matrix and reduce the number of elements to be modeled. Experiments conducted on three operational amplifier topologies demonstrate the effectiveness of the method in achieving correct performance prediction. Results show that the performances can be predicted within a mean error of 0.1% compared to a SPICE simulation.
Multiliteracies Theory and Gifted Education: Creating “Smart Spaces” in the Language Arts Classroom

Multiliteracies theory redefines what it means to be a literate, learned person by transferring the focus from a shared knowledge of Standard English to the ability to engage in creative cultural critique. Multiliteracies theory has implications for how educators identify and teach students gifted in language arts. This article describes how multiliteracies theorists have redefined literacy as being multimodal, situated, and having a social purpose. It further explores the four elements of multiliteracies pedagogy (situated practice, overt instruction, critical framing, and transformed practice) as these relate to gifted education in the language arts through curriculum units at the high school, middle school, and elementary school level.
The effect of perch diameter on escape behaviour ofAnolis lizards: laboratory predictions and field tests

This study investigated whether the escape behaviour of lizard species could be predicted by knowledge of their functional capabilities. In the laboratory, the eVect of perch support diameter on sprinting and jumping ability was measured in five species of Anolis lizards. In all species, sprint speed declined with decreasing perch diameter, but decreased perch diameter had little eVect on jumping ability. The escape behaviour of a lizard on a particular-sized support in nature was then evaluated as a function of the lizard's sprinting and jumping capabilities. As diameter decreased, lizards in all but one species tended to escape by jumping more frequently because jumping ability is less aVected by diameter than is sprinting ability. It was also predicted that species in which running ability declines greatly as diameter decreases should switch to escape by jumping more often than species that experience less of a decline in running ability. This prediction was not confirmed. Consequently, functional capabilities play a role in determining escape behaviour in Anolis lizards, but other factors may be important as well. ? 1996 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
Stimulation and Maintenance of Ejaculated Bovine Spermatozoan Respiration and Motility by Caffeine

on ejaculates from bullsdemonstratedthatspermatozoa in the presence of caffeine (6 mM) maintained the initial percentage of motility for at least 4 hr at 37C, whereas in the untreated sperm samples, 50% of sperm that were motile initially became immotile during 4 hr storage. Comparison of bulls yielding semen of original low motility with bulls yielding originally high motilityspermatozoa indicatedthatan immediate stimulation of sperm motilityby caffeine occurred inthelow motilityspecimens (32.2-49.3% motile) but not inthoseofhighmotility. Itispostulated that the effect of caffeine on spermatozoan motility and respiration is mediatedby one ofthecyclic nucleotides. This results in a somewhat unique effect, because sperm activity and sperm life, asjudgedby motility, areboth increasedwithcaffeineaddition.
Mirk kinase inhibition targets ovarian cancer ascites

The Mirk/dyrk1B gene is commonly amplified or upregulated in ovarian cancers, and Mirk is an active kinase in these cancers. Mirk mediates cancer cell survival by decreasing toxic ROS levels through maintaining expression of a series of antioxidant genes, possibly through its transcriptional activator functions. Mirk has the unusual property of being most active in quiescent cancer cells because of marked transcriptional downregulation by Akt/mTOR signaling and by MEK/erk signaling in cycling cells. Metastatic ovarian cancer cells form ascites, non-adherent multicellular aggregates floating within the peritoneal fluid. Most ascites cancer cells are in a reversible quiescent, dormant state, suggesting that Mirk might be expressed in these quiescent cells and thus a therapeutic target. The current studies show that ovarian cancer cell line spheroids that mimic ascites cancer spheroids were largely quiescent in G0/G1, and enriched in Mirk and the quiescence proteins, p130/Rb2 and the CDKI p27. Mirk kinase inhibition in spheroids made from established cell lines and in patient-derived ascites cancer cell spheroids reduced spheroid volume, disrupted spheroid structure to single cells, increased apoptosis, and decreased cell numbers. Earlier studies had shown that the mTOR inhibitor RAD001 increased transcription of the Mirk/dyrk1B gene, so treatments combined RAD001 with the most active Mirk kinase inhibitor. The number of ascites cells from 9 patients was reduced a similar amount by cisplatin, Mirk kinase inhibition or RAD001, but reduced substantially more, about 90%, by concurrent treatment with both the Mirk kinase inhibitor EHT5372 and RAD001. Addition of RAD001 increased the amount of toxic ROS induced by Mirk kinase inhibition. Two ascites samples taken one month apart gave similar drug responses, showing reproducibility of the techniques. Thus Mirk/dyrk1B kinase may be a therapeutic target in ovarian cancer ascites.
The Person of the Teacher

It’s a very old story, told all around the world. A stranger comes to a little community that’s been under great stress, where food is scarce, and where people have drawn away from each other and are looking out for themselves. The stranger manages to borrow a cooking pot and starts making soup. He begins with a “magic” ingredient, a stone, maybe a button, or even a nail. The community members become interested in what he’s doing, and each secretly comes for a look at the pot. The stranger stirs and tastes. “Ah, it’s coming along nicely,” he says. “But it would be really wonderful if it had just a little something extra, like a potato, maybe…,” he says to one visitor in just the way she needs to hear it. She goes off inspired to find something to offer. “…like a carrot,” he says in his just-right way to another. Later, “… a cabbage,” and then “…some beans.” And soon there’s a shy parade of community folks bringing ingredients and standing around a pot that’s now aswim with good things — enough for everyone. They share a meal. There’s even a little music. Someone sings; another finds his fiddle; there’s dancing into the night. And the stranger has already gone, picking up a new “magic” stone on his way to the next community.
Frequency Reliability Sensitivity and Robust Analysis for the Random Axial Vibration of Rod Systems

The paper is concerned with the frequency reliability sensitivity and related robust analysis problem for the random continuous vibration structure systems. Reliability analysis based on frequency is necessary for reliability problems of uncertain vibration structure systems. With the criterion that the absolute value of the difference between the natural frequency and forcing frequency, the reliability mode and the safety probability of the random systems are defined, and then The frequency sensitivity analysis method is quested by using the random perturbation technique, the reliability theory and sensitivity approach. Furthermore, the frequency reliability-based robust method of the random dynamic structural system was obtained by the robust and the optimization technology on the basis of frequency reliability and sensitivity design, which helped designers to establish acceptable parameter values and to determine the fluctuations of the parameters for the safe operations. Moreover, a numerical example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method. This study established theory basis for sensitivity and robust evaluation.
Heterozygosity, gender, and the growth-defense trade-off in quaking aspen

Although plant growth is generally recognized to be influenced by allocation to defense, genetic background (e.g., inbreeding), and gender, rarely have those factors been addressed collectively. In quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), phenolic glycosides (PGs) and condensed tannins (CTs) constitute up to 30 % of leaf dry weight. To quantify the allocation cost of this chemical defense, we measured growth, defense chemistry, and individual heterozygosity (H obs at 16 microsatellite loci) for male and female trees in both controlled and natural environments. The controlled environment consisted of 12 juvenile genets grown for 3 years in a common garden, with replication. The natural environment consisted of 51 mature genets in wild populations, from which we sampled multiple ramets (trees) per genet. Concentrations of PGs and CTs were negatively correlated. PGs were uncorrelated with growth, but CT production represented a major cost. Across the range of CT levels found in wild-grown trees, growth rates varied by 2.6-fold, such that a 10 % increase in CT concentration occurred with a 38.5 % decrease in growth. H obs had a marked effect on aspen growth: for wild trees, a 10 % increase in H obs corresponded to a 12.5 % increase in growth. In wild trees, this CT effect was significant only in females, in which reproduction seems to exacerbate the cost of defense, while the H obs effect was significant only in males. Despite the lower growth rate of low-H obs trees, their higher CT levels may improve survival, which could account for the deficit of heterozygotes repeatedly found in natural aspen populations.
Sexual Instrumentation

The application of engineering tools to life science problems has both generated the incentive and provided the means for quantitative measurement of physiological variables. This trend is clearly demonstrated in the development of instrumentation to quantify human sexual response. Current devices to measure this response in males and females have evolved through several device generations and reflect a high level of technical sophistication. Nonetheless, intriguing problems remain, notably in measurement stability, calibration and correlation with subjective arousal, and noninterference with the psychologically delicate process being monitored.
Effect of Morphological Fin-Curl on the Swimming Performance and Station-Holding Ability of Juvenile Shovelnose Sturgeon

Abstract We assessed the effect of fin-curl on the swimming and station-holding ability of juvenile shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus (mean fork length = 17 cm; mean weight = 16 g; n = 21) using a critical swimming speed test performed in a small swim chamber (90 L) at 20°C. We quantified fin-curl severity using the pectoral fin index. Results showed a positive relationship between pectoral fin index and critical swimming speed indicative of reduced swimming performance displayed by fish afflicted with a pectoral fin index < 8%. Fin-curl severity, however, did not affect the station-holding ability of individual fish. Rather, fish affected with severe fin-curl were likely unable to use their pectoral fins to position their body adequately in the water column, which led to the early onset of fatigue. Results generated from this study should serve as an important consideration for future stocking practices.
Effects of Surface Roughness and Patterns on a Surface- Approaching Pair of Aircraft Wake Vortices

Surface roughness can have significant effects on the behavior of a pair of wake vortices approaching to the surface. In this paper, the effects of surface roughness are investigated using numerical simulation. Different types of surface roughness are simulated for both solid, stationary rough surfaces and moving wave surfaces. It has been shown from the results that because of more complicated secondary vortices generated near these rough surfaces than near a smooth surface, wake vortex trajectories and strengths can be significantly altered.
Reply to Comment on 'Interface state recombination in organic solar cells'

The Comment by Deibel and Wagenpfahl concerning recombination in organic bulk heterojunction solar cells is discussed. A simple transport and recombination model supports our previous conclusion that the bias dependence of the cell photocurrent correctly identifies the recombination kinetics, and that at low illumination intensity the recombination is first order. The analysis suggests that the two points of view may be reconciled. The experimental evidence for bimolecular recombination and some general aspects of recombination are discussed.