cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Etiology of nondisjunction in humans

Aneuploidy is the most common class of chromosome abnormality in humans, occurring in at least 0.3% of newborns and approximately 50% of spontaneous abortions. Considered as a class, it is the most common known cause of mental retardation and the leading cause of pregnancy loss. Despite the high frequency of aneuploidy, its obvious clinical importance, its severe impact on human reproduction, and the 35 years of research since the first human chromosome abnormality was described, we still know very little about its causes, let alone the contribution of environmental exposures. Recently, however, with the advent of molecular and molecular cytogenetic techniques and advances in reproductive biology, a body of evidence has been generated that is beginning to shed light on the incidence, origin, and etiology of human aneuploid conditions. The bulk of this evidence comes from two sources: 1) studies of the incidence of aneuploidy in the cells of origin, namely oocytes and sperm; and 2) examinations of meiotic stage, parent of origin, and meiotic recombination in trisomic conceptuses, both liveborn and abortuses. Using a multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) approach, it is now possible to screen on extremely large number of human sperm to determine chromosome-specific rates of disomy. Likewise, because of the introduction in the past decade of in vitro fertilization technology, a population of human oocytes suitable for aneuploidy screening became available. The examination of the cells of origin of aneuploidy, the sperm and oocytes, has provided data on the incidence of chromosome aberrations and valuable insight into possible mechanisms of nondisjunction. Additionally, the recent identification of multiple, highly informative DNA polymorphisms on all human chromosomes has made the determination of parental origin and the analysis of recombination a straightforward matter. We now know that the vast majority of trisomic conceptuses are maternal in origin, that increased maternal age is associated with nondisjunction, and that the amount and position of recombination on nondisjoined chromosomes is altered. In this review we will restrict discussions to these recent developments and to new models of the mechanism(s) of human nondisjunction based on the molecular cytogenetic analyses. Additionally, we will discuss the direction of future epidemiological research made possible through the development of molecular and molecular cytogenetic techniques. These technological advances have now allowed for a systematic search for genetic and environmental components to human nondisjunction.
Isolation of embryonic chick myosatellite and pluripotent stem cells

The current study outlines the isolation and culture of two populations of cells derived from Day 11 embryonic chick leg muscle and associated connective tissues. The two populations consisted of myogenic lineage-committed stem cells (myosatellite stem cells) and lineage-uncommitted stem cells (pluripotent stem cells). After long-term culture the lineage-uncommitted stem cell population displayed differentiated phenotypes suggestive of the following adult tissues, fibroblasts, muscle, fat, cartilage, and bone.
Software Project Management and Quality Engineering Practices for Complex, Coupled Multiphysics, Massively Parallel Computational Simulations: Lessons Learned From ASCI

Many institutions are now developing large-scale, complex, coupled multiphysics computational simulations for massively parallel platforms for the simulation of the performance of nuclear weapons and certification of the stockpile, and for research in climate and weather prediction, magnetic and inertial fusion energy, environmental systems, astrophysics, aerodynamic design, combustion, biological and biochemical systems, and other areas. The successful development of these simulations is aided by attention to sound software project management and software engineering. We have developed "lessons learned" from a set of code projects that the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Agency has sponsored to develop nuclear weapons simulations over the last 50 years. We find that some, but not all, of the software project management and development practices (rather than processes) commonly employed for non-technical software add value to the development of scientific software and we identify those that we judge add value. Another key finding, consistent with general software industry experience, is that the optimal project schedule and resource level are solely determined by the requirements once the requirements are fixed.
RELATION BETWEEN BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA AND CANCER OF THE PROSTATE: A Prospective and Retrospective Study

Abstract Prospective and retrospective epidemiological studies have been conducted to study the relation between benign prostatic hyperplasia (B.P.H.) and prostate cancer. In the prospective study, 296 B.P.H. cases and 299 age-matched controls were traced until death or Dec. 31, 1972. The age-adjusted death-rate from prostate cancer was 3·7 times higher in the B.P.H. group than in the controls. For the retrospective study, hospital records of 290 prostate-cancer cases and 290 age-matched controls were compared. Matched-pair analysis of the antecedent hospital admissions revealed a relative risk of 5·1 for prostate cancer in patients seen earlier for benign prostatic enlargement. These findings suggest the need for a controlled clinical trial of prostatectomy as a preventive measure for prostatic cancer in symptom-free B.P.H. patients who have additional epidemiological characteristics associated with a high risk for prostate cancer.
Application of a Recursive Method for Registration Error Correction in Tracking with Multiple Sensors

This paper addresses the issue of the correction of registration errors due to the presence of biases in the measurements when multiple sensors are used for tracking targets. The problem is formulated as one of recursively estimating biases, and is addressed by an application of the technique, using an augmented Kalman filter, of simultaneously estimating the sensor biases and the state vector (of track parameters), the latter assuming that no biases are present. Simulation results are presented comparing the performance of the recursive algorithm with that of a generalized least squares method, which is applicable when targets with known positions are available for measurement by the sensors. Results are also presented for a two-sensor case when the extended Kalman filter is used as the tracking filter.
Assessment of vegetation response to drought in nebraska using Terra-MODIS land surface temperature and normalized difference vegetation index

Eight-day composite Terra-MODIS cumulative LST and NDVI timeseries data were used to analyze the responses of crop and grassland cover types to drought in Nebraska. Four hundred ninety 1 km pixels that included irrigated and non-irrigated corn and soybeans and three grassland cover types were selected across the state of Nebraska. Statistical analyses revealed that the majority of the land cover pixels experienced significantly higher daytime and nighttime LSTs and lower NDVI during the drought-year growing season (p < 0.01). Among the land cover types analyzed, grassland experienced the highest increase in daytime LST and decrease in NDVI.
Restoration of Norepinephrine and Reversal of Phenotypes in Mice Lacking Dopamine β‐Hydroxylase

Mice with a targeted disruption of the dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) gene are unable to synthesize norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine. These mice have elevated levels of dopamine in most tissues, although the levels are only a fraction of those normally found for NE. It is noteworthy that NE can be restored to normal levels in many tissues after a single injection of the synthetic amino acid precursor of NE, L-threo-3,4-dihydroxyphenylserine (DOPS). In other tissues, NE can be restored to normal levels after multiple injections of DOPS, whereas in the midbrain and cerebellum, restoration of NE is limited to 25-30% of normal. NE levels typically peak approximately 5 h after DOPS administration and are undetectable by 48 h. Epinephrine levels are more difficult to restore. The elevated levels of dopamine fall modestly after injection of DOPS. S(-)-Carbidopa, which does not cross the blood-brain barrier, inhibits aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase and effectively prevents restoration of NE by DOPS in the periphery, while allowing restoration in the CNS. Ptosis and reductions in male fertility, hind-limb extension, postdecapitation convulsions, and uncoupling protein expression in dopamine beta-hydroxylase-deficient mice are all reversed by DOPS injection.
Radial decay law for large‐scale velocity and magnetic field fluctuations in the solar wind

[1] Solar wind data from Helios 1 and 2 and from Voyager 1 and 2 are used to show that between 0.3 and 20 AU in the ecliptic plane, the total energy per unit mass contained in the velocity and magnetic field fluctuations decays approximately as a power law of the form R−α, where R is the heliocentric distance in astronomical units (AU) and −0.64 ≤ α ≤ −0.41. It is also shown that to the first order of approximation, this quantity is independent of the effects of solar cycle variations. An analysis of OMNI data at 1 AU from 1969 through 2002 shows that the Alfven ratio, the ratio of kinetic energy to magnetic energy in the fluctuations, exhibits large solar cycle variations rising from 1 or 2 at solar maximum to 8 or 9 either near solar minimum or a couple of years before minimum. This is due to the fact that the kinetic and magnetic energy in the fluctuations both undergo solar cycle variations, with the kinetic energy increasing to a maximum around solar minimum and the magnetic energy decreasing to a minimum around solar minimum. It is found that these effects appear to offset each other so that the sum of the kinetic plus magnetic energies does not exhibit noticeable solar cycle variations.
Cyclotron resonance in two interacting electron systems with application to Si inversion layers

We have investigated the cyclotron resonance for two degenerate electron systems interacting with one another through the electron-electron collision time ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{e}(T)$ defined as the relaxation time of the relative momentum. The coupled kinetic equations for the total and the relative momentum are solved in the presence of a static magnetic field and a frequency-dependent electric field. The solution for the power absorption is discussed in terms of the concentration ratio of the electrons, $\frac{{n}_{1}}{{n}_{2}}$, and the parameters $\frac{{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{1}}{{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{e}}$, $\frac{{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{2}}{{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{e}}$, where ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{1,2}$ are ordinary scattering times. We find that our results are consistent with the observed temperature dependence of the cyclotron resonance of inversion layer electrons in Si, for $T\ensuremath{\gtrsim}25\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$K. At lower temperatures also, the frequency dependence of ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{e}$ becomes important and affects the cyclotron resonance in a two-electron system, even as $T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$.
Short-term solar power prediction using a support vector machine

Abstract This paper proposes a least-square (LS) support vector machine (SVM)-based model for short-term solar power prediction (SPP). The input of the model includes historical data of atmospheric transmissivity in a novel two-dimensional (2D) form and other meteorological variables, including sky cover, relative humidity, and wind speed. The output of the model is the predicted atmospheric transmissivity, which then is converted to solar power according to the latitude of the site and the time of the day. Computer simulations are carried out to validate the proposed model by using the data obtained from the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB). Results show that the proposed model not only significantly outperforms a reference autoregressive (AR) model but also achieves better results than a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN)-based model in terms of prediction accuracy. The superiority of using transmissivity over sigmoid functions for data normalization is testified. Simulation studies also show that the use of additional meteorological variables, especially sky cover, improves the accuracy of SPP.
The two nonallelic insulin-like growth factor-I genes in Xenopus laevis are differentially regulated during development

To study the potential role of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) during early embryogenesis, we have used the amphibian Xenopus laevis, a versatile model of vertebrate development. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based cloning strategies, we have previously identified two different nonallelic Xenopus IGF-I genes (IGF-I' and IGF-I"). Both are expressed in similar quantities in adult liver. We now report the use of a modification of the reverse transcription-PCR method, designated RNA template-specific PCR (RS-PCR), to detect IGF-I messenger RNA (mRNA) from single oocytes and embryos. The same primer pair was used to amplify both IGF-I' and IGF-I" mRNAs. Slot blot analysis of the RS-PCR products with internal oligonucleotide probes that specifically recognize IGF-I' or IGF-I" sequences revealed that only IGF-I' mRNA was present in follicles surrounding mature (stage VI) oocytes; neither IGF-I mRNA was present in follicles surrounding less mature oocytes (stages I and IV) or within oocytes or unfert...
Medical education for a changing future: new concepts for revising texts

Summary. Recent psychological research suggests how to simplify texts and translate quantitative concepts into the language of clinical medicine.
Persistence of abnormal REM sleep response to ethanol as a result of previous ethanol ingestion.

Ethanol was administered to Sprague-Dawley rats for 4–6 weeks following which these animals thrived in a manner comparable to a naive control group. Over 6 months after an ethanol-free interval, the alcohol-exposed animals responded to a test dose of ethanol with a greater disturbance in REM sleep than noted in the naive group.
Stochastic process models for linear structure behavior

Linear systems are good approximations of the input-output relationship for many real systems. In practice, ensembles of nominally identical systems can seldom be adequately represented by a single linear system. Some accommodation needs to be made for representing inherent ensemble randomness. One approach would be to use a parameterized model of the system, with the random nature captured in discrete parameters of the parameterized model. Another approach is to use data measured from each system in the ensemble to represent the random nature of the ensemble in a non-parametric form. This is the approach described in this paper. There are several different types of data that could be collected from each system in the ensemble, each type capable of capturing the input-output behavior of the linear system: input-output time domain data, perhaps with specific excitation sequences [1,2]; Markov parameters [2,3]; and Frequency Response Functions (FRFs) [2] to name a few. We choose to work with FRF data because many system attributes can be easily interpreted by inspection of the FRF [4]. FRF data can also be used directly for control design [5,6,7]. This paper develops a Karhunen-Loeve expansion [8] representation for linear system behavior based on FRF data to develop a compact representation of the uncertainty inherent in an ensemble of systems. This non-parametric, compact, representation of the distribution of linear systems can then be used to characterize the performance and stability of a given feedback control law, as well as for control law design [5,6,7].
A possible Mössbauer effect in neutron capture

Direct radiative neutron capture onto a nucleus embedded in a lattice leads to recoil effects that are somewhat more complicated in principle than those present for conventional Mossbauer absorption, emission or resonant scattering processes. We have explored the theory for such recoil effects, and have found: (1) that under conditions in which the momentum of the incident neutron and emitted gamma are matched approximately, a Mossbauer pip that is broadened and shifted is predicted to occur; (2) that in the presence of highly nonthermal lattice excitation, possible anomalously large energy transfer with the lattice is predicted.
Pollen Analyses of Surface Materials from the Southern San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Information about modern pollen deposition is needed to interpret fluctuations in the postglacial pollen record in mountain regions. Thirty-five samples of surficial water-laid sediment and moss were collected in the vicinity of Durango and Silverton, Colorado, from sites ranging between 6850 and 12,600 feet above sea level. The regional differences in pollen concentration are not clearly shown when, as is the common practice, the pollen taxa are expressed as percentages of the total pollen at each site. Various site factors can obscure existing trends. Pollen concentrations in surface samples are most easily compared by examining ratios determined by the frequencies of only two pollen types in the sample. The effect of other pollen is thus excluded. Three ratios are examined utilizing combinations of pine (Pinus), spruce (Picea), oak (Quercus), and sage-brush or wormwood (Artemisia) pollen. These taxa are easily identified and comprise the bulk of the pollen in the samples. The ratios Picea/Pinus, Artemisia/Quercus, and Pinus/Quercus exhibit linear trends when plotted against elevation on semilogarithmic paper; their relations to elevation can be approximated by exponential functions. Several factors affect the value of a ratio. For example, the Picea/Pinus ratio depends upon: (1) elevation (and the control that the moisture and temperature regime exerts on vegetation); (2) density of the surrounding forests; (3) size of the basin in which the pollen accumulates; and (4) statistical variation associated with random counting errors. The highest values of Artemisia pollen, released late in the flowering season, were found in sediments of cirque lakes above timber line. The cirque lakes remain frozen until midsummer, overflow with meltwater until late in the pollination season, and then become standing bodies of water until the fall freeze. The cirque lake sediments are deficient in early-season pollen. The logarithm of certain pollen ratios may be correlated with elevation because environmental factors associated with elevation control the distribution of the plants in mountain regions. If the elevations of the vegetation zones varied in the past because of different climatic conditions, the ratios of the taxa at any one site would be expected to change and indicate an “apparent elevation” different from the present. Study of the apparent changes in elevation of a site in the Animas Valley region, based on variations in the pollen ratios of its post-glacial sediments, may provide evidence of past climate fluctuation.
Moral courage in the workplace: moving to and from the desire and decision to act

The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8608.2007.00484.x
Movement-based checkpointing and logging for failure recovery of database applications in mobile environments

In this paper, we present an efficient failure recovery scheme for mobile database applications based on movement-based checkpointing and logging. Current approaches take checkpoints periodically without regard to the mobility behavior of mobile users. Our movement-based checkpointing scheme takes a checkpoint only after a threshold of mobility handoffs has been exceeded. The optimal threshold is governed by the failure rate, log arrival rate, and the mobility rate of the mobile host. This allows the tuning of the checkpointing rate on a per-user basis. We identify the optimal movement threshold which will minimize the recovery cost per failure as a function of the mobile node's mobility rate, failure rate and log arrival rate. We derive the mobile database application recoverability, i.e., the probability that the recovery can be done by a specified recovery time deadline. Numeric data are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of our approach with its applicability given.
Portable smart messages for ubiquitous Java-enabled devices

Recent advances in wireless technology allow Java-enabled devices, such as Smart Phones and PDAs, to create mobile ad hoc networks, over which distributed applications can be executed. Although Java shields the programmers from the heterogeneity of the hardware platforms, a common middleware architecture is needed to support a cooperative execution environment in these networks. In this paper, we present a portable runtime system for smart messages (SMs), a middleware architecture based on execution migration, that we designed and implemented on top of an unmodified Java virtual machine. To facilitate portability, we have designed a lightweight migration mechanism based on Java bytecode instrumentation. This mechanism is suitable for mobile ad hoc networks where limited bandwidth and mobility impose constraints on the amount of data transferred. The experimental results for applications executed over wireless networks of HP iPAQs demonstrate the feasibility of our portable runtime system.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Predator Control: the Non-Native Red Fox as a Case Study

Non-native vertebrate predators pose a severe threat to many native species, and a variety of management programs are aimed at reducing predator effects. We sought to assess the effects of predator-control programs by analyzing changes in prey and predator populations based on data commonly collected in these programs. We examined data from a predator-control program that primarily targets the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes regalis) in central California. Red foxes negatively affect populations of native waterbirds, particularly the endangered California Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris obsoletus). Using a combination of matrix population modeling, simple difference equations, and statistical analysis, we analyzed data on removed predators and monitored prey populations. Past control efforts succeeded in depressing fox numbers in local areas over 3-month intervals, and there was a significant, positive relationship between the growth rate of local Clapper Rail populations and the successful trapping of red foxes in the preceding year. By modeling the effect of different fox-removal rates, we found that a stable or declining population could be achieved by removing a minimum of 50% of the adults and 25% of the juveniles. Under trapping rates of 50–70%, the proportion of the fox population composed of immigrants averaged 20–52%. In contrast to the current management approach, elasticity analyses suggested that changes in adult survival rates had relatively little effect on long-term population growth. Overall, our approach indicated that predator control was effective in the short term, but for longer-term success it may be necessary to redirect efforts to control juvenile and immigrant foxes. Our analytical approach is potentially useful for evaluating current control programs aimed at reducing the effects of predators on native species.
Estimating the size of tendu leaf and bidi trade using a simple back-of-the-envelop method.

Since independence from the British in 1947, India has relied heavily on forest resources, including extraction of tendu leaves, to provide livelihood options for its marginalised tribal and forest-dependent communities. Tendu leaves are used to make bidis, an indigenous leaf-rolled cigarette made from coarse uncured tobacco, tied with a coloured string at one end. It is widely smoked in the Indian subcontinent and is gaining popularity globally, especially in USA, Germany, Middle East, Eastern Europe and Japan (Tobacco Board of India 2010). Bidis are harmful and pose a serious challenge to the health of youth globally and especially in the US where a health advisory warns of the potential harm (CDC http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/tobacco_industry/bidis_kreteks/). Curiously the use of tendu to make bidis is more recent, with the accidental discovery of tendu as the most suitable leaf to wrap tobacco and make bidis. The tendu tree (Diospyros melanoxylon or the black or east Indian ebony) grows in degraded deciduous forests of peninsular India, where once sal trees (Shorea robusta) were felled to make railway sleepers. Tendu leaves are available for plucking soon after the tobacco crop is ready and cured, when most other deciduous trees have shed their leaves in summer (April–June). Tendu leaves have all the characteristics of an excellent wrapper material—they are large and pliable, and do not crack on rolling when dry; their leathery texture is also more acceptable than the veins and rough textures of other leaves; and they match well with and augment the taste of tobacco, without interfering with the tobacco flavour. The first bidi factory was set up in 1911 in Jabalpur in erstwhile Central Provinces (now in the state of Madhya Pradesh), where tendu was most abundantly available. Bidis found wide consumer acceptance especially during the ‘Swadeshi andolan’ (a civil disobedience movement to boycott Imperial British goods during India’s struggle for independence) which was started by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920. This uplifted the prestige of the bidi that even educated Indians started smoking bidis instead of cigarettes. The two World Wars further spurred the use of bidis as they accompanied Indian soldiers to far-flung places (Lal 2009).
PROTEOLYTIC PROCESSING OF VEGF-A AFFECTS BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY WITHOUT ALTERING VEGFR-2 PHOSPHORYLATION LEVELS

+ but not from E / mice. To further explore this apparent requirement for E-selectin in endostatin action, we manipulated E-selectin expression in cultured human endothelial cells. When E-selectin was induced by interleukin-1 or LPS, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and human dermal microvascular endothelial cells each became markedly more sensitive to inhibition by endostatin in a VEGF-induced cell migration assay. To dissociate E-selectin expression from other consequences of endothelial activation, HUVEC were transduced with an adenoviral human E-selectin expression construct: these cells also showed increased sensitivity to endostatin and this effect required the E-selectin cytoplasmic domain. These results indicate that E-selectin plays important and previously unrecognized roles in the anti-angiogenic activity of endostatin in vivo. E-selectin may be a useful predictor and modulator of endostatin efficacy in anti-angiogenic therapy.
Gα selectivity and inhibitor function of the multiple GoLoco motif protein GPSM2/LGN

Abstract GPSM2 (G-protein signalling modulator 2; also known as LGN or mammalian Pins) is a protein that regulates mitotic spindle organization and cell division. GPSM2 contains seven tetratricopeptide repeats (TPR) and four Gαi/o–Loco (GoLoco) motifs. GPSM2 has guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor (GDI) activity towards both Gαo- and Gαi-subunits; however, a systematic analysis of its individual GoLoco motifs has not been described. We analyzed each of the four individual GoLoco motifs from GPSM2, assessing their relative binding affinities and GDI potencies for Gαi1, Gαi2, and Gαi3 and Gαo. Each of the four GPSM2 GoLoco motifs (36–43 amino acids in length) was expressed in bacteria as a GST-fusion protein and purified to homogeneity. The binding of each of the four GST–GoLoco motifs to Gαi1-, Gαo-, and Gαs-subunits was assessed by surface plasmon resonance; all of the motifs bound Gαi1, but exhibited low affinity towards Gαo. GDI activity was assessed by a fluorescence-based nucleotide-binding assay, revealing that all four GoLoco motifs are functional as GDIs for Gαi1, Gαi2, and Gαi3. Consistent with our binding studies, the GDI activity of GPSM2 GoLoco motifs on Gαo was significantly lower than that toward Gαi1, suggesting that the in vivo targets of GPSM2 are most likely to be Gαi-subunits.
Isolation and genetic characterization of human coronavirus NL63 in primary human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells obtained from a commercial supplier, and confirmation of its replication in two different types of human primary kidney cells

Cryopreserved primary human renal proximal tubule epithelial cells (RPTEC) were obtained from a commercial supplier for studies of Simian virus 40 (SV40). Within twelve hrs after cell cultures were initiated, cytoplasmic vacuoles appeared in many of the RPTEC. The RPTEC henceforth deteriorated rapidly. Since SV40 induces the formation of cytoplasmic vacuoles, this batch of RPTEC was rejected for the SV40 study. Nevertheless, we sought the likely cause(s) of the deterioration of the RPTEC as part of our technology development efforts. Adventitious viruses in the RPTEC were isolated and/or detected and identified by isolation in various indicator cell lines, observation of cytopathology, an immunoflurorescence assay, electron microscopy, PCR, and sequencing. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) was detected in some RPTEC by cytology, an immunofluorescence assay, and PCR. Human Herpesvirus 6B was detected by PCR of DNA extracted from the RPTEC, but was not isolated. Human coronavirus NL63 was isolated and identified by RT-PCR and sequencing, and its replication in a fresh batch of RPTEC and another type of primary human kidney cells was confirmed. At least 3 different adventitious viruses were present in the batch of contaminated RPTEC. Whereas we are unable to determine whether the original RPTEC were pre-infected prior to their separation from other kidney cells, or had gotten contaminated with HCoV-NL63 from an ill laboratory worker during their preparation for commercial sale, our findings are a reminder that human-derived biologicals should always be considered as potential sources of infectious agents. Importantly, HCoV-NL63 replicates to high titers in some primary human kidney cells.
A Fan-Beam Radiator Using Waveguide's Narrow Wall for Horizontal Polarization and High Power

A configuration for a narrow-band rugged high-power antenna with a horizontally polarized fan-beam radiation pattern is proposed. This antenna is a longitudinal aperture array in the narrow wall of an air-filled rectangular waveguide, and it produces intentional electromagnetic interference for military purposes. It is to be approximately vertically front mounted on a land vehicle operating in a war zone for neutralizing hot-wire detonators from a safe distance. Computational electromagnetic analysis is used for analyzing the individual array elements, and then standard microwave network analysis is used for the initial array design. Full-wave analysis is used to validate the resulting array design and an improved array design. Experimental data at 10 GHz is presented to further validate the full-wave analysis. A theoretical estimate for the power handling capability is presented for the final array design scaled to operate at a frequency in the industrial frequency band (902-928 MHz).
Evidence for the silicate source of relict soils on the Edwards Plateau, central Texas ☆

Relict soils provide insights into Quaternary soil formation and erosion on the Edwards Plateau of central Texas and into soil-forming processes in karst terranes. Late Quaternary climate-driven soil erosion produced a mosaic of thick and thin soils on the Edwards Plateau landscape. Thick soils on uplands of the Edwards Plateau are interpreted to be relicts of a formerly more extensive soil cover that was eroded during the late Pleistocene to middle Holocene. The relict, thick soils are silicate-rich and most commonly overlie the relatively silicate-poor Cretaceous Edwards Limestone, which supports the idea that the thick soils did not form from weathering of the underlying limestone. Other potential sources of silicates for the relict soils include dust, alluvial sediments, and the Del Rio Clay, a stratigraphically higher but locally eroded clay-rich unit. Here we investigate the geographic distribution, texture, clay-sized mineralogy, rare earth element geochemistry, and neodymium isotope composition of the relict soils. We have found that the relict, thick soils are deeply weathered soils that occur dominantly over the Edwards Limestone and have a high clay content and a neodymium isotope composition that is similar to that of the Del Rio Clay. Thus, we propose that in situ weathering of the Del Rio Clay, along with partial weathering of the upper portion of the underlying Edwards Limestone produced thick chert- and clay-rich soils over resistant limestone. In areas like the Edwards Plateau, where pure limestones are interbedded with clay-rich strata, the overlying clay-rich strata must be considered as a possible silicate source to soils on pure limestone bedrock.
Social Business: Defining and Situating the Concept

This chapter defines the concept of social business, including Type I and Type II social businesses. By situating social business in a broader range of related ideas, we clarify its evolution and distinctiveness. The authors also raise questions about issues that surface in the creation and study of social business, including the question of selfish human nature; the need for social performance indicators; understanding of social and cultural contexts; and the political implications of social change. This first chapter also describes the format of the rest of the book.
Do energy prices influence investment in energy efficiency? Evidence from energy star appliances

Abstract I examine whether electricity prices influence the likelihood that consumers purchase high efficiency appliances by using state-year panel data on electricity prices and the proportion of sales of new appliances that involve high efficiency “Energy Star” models. I find no evidence that electricity prices affect the propensity for consumers to choose high efficiency appliances. Point estimates are extremely small and precisely estimated. The findings suggest that price-based energy policies may be limited in the extent to which they increase investment in residential energy efficiency, which has been considered one of the lowest cost opportunities for reducing carbon emissions.
Actualistic Taphonomy: Death, Decay, and Disintegration in Contemporary Settings

When Leonardo da Vinci contended that fossil shells of Monferrato (Lombardy, Italy) were not left there by the biblical deluge, he argued the point by observing that neither live bivalves nor their empty shells possibly could have traveled 250 miles from the Adriatic to Monferrato in 40 days (MacCurdy, 1938; Cadee, 1990). Five centuries later, the approach pioneered by the Tuscan scholar has become a discipline in its own right: it will be referred to here as Actualistic Taphonomy. Taphonomy denotes the study of fossilization processes: a search for principles governing the transition of organismal remains from the biosphere to the lithosphere (Efremov, 1940). Actualistic denotes the study of present-day patterns and processes in search for clues helpful in investigating their historical records. Practitioners of Actualistic Taphonomy collect observations on death, decay, and burial of organisms in contemporary settings to aid and guide interpretations of diverse data offered by the fossil record. This special issue of PALAIOS includes eight case studies representing a diverse cross-section of the research themes of modern actualistic taphonomy. All projects have been conducted in the same study area (San Juan Islands, Washington State, USA), and represent the efforts of students who attended a 5-week field course offered in summer 2002 at Friday Harbor Laboratories of the University of Washington (Fig. 1). The fact that the eight projects offer such a diverse spectrum of research themes despite the similarity in geographic setting and logistics is an excellent demonstration of the remarkable intellectual breadth of actualistic taphonomy. FIGURE 1 —Diverse taphonomic research settings available around the San Juan Islands. (A) A sample of live and dead invertebrates obtained by dredging off the coast of San Juan Island (photograph by Adam Tomasových). (B) The well-sorted sand tidal flats of False Bay, San Juan Island; a few miles …
COMMUNITY: Climate Change and California's local health officers

C alifornia is already experiencing effects from climate change, such as earlier spring runoff and decreasing snow levels in lowand mid-mountain elevations. Recent climate modeling projects that these changes will grow larger over the coming century, depending on the path that global emissions take in the future.1 Even if global greenhouse gas emissions are reduced significantly, there will still be some amount of climate change because of inertia in the climate system. Therefore, in addition to developing programs to reduce emissions (i.e., mitigation), the state also needs to consider policies to respond to climate change (i.e., adaptation). These changes could have large impacts on public health both directly due to increases in heat-related illness and indirectly through changes in vectorborne disease, the increased frequency and severity of air pollution episodes, more severe wildfires, and other impacts. Prevention and preparedness are two pillars of public health. The state’s public health infrastructure needs to be prepared to respond to these challenges, which—though already evident—will likely be amplified by a changing climate. Much of the day-to-day protection of public health falls in the hands of the state’s local health officers who oversee county-level public health agencies. Each county in California, as well as three cities (Berkeley, Long Beach, and Pasadena), has its own department of public health (a total of 61 local health agencies). These local public health agencies are the institutions likely to be on the front line, managing the health risks associated with climate change. We conducted a survey of local health officers in order to gain a better understanding of how the threat of climate change is perceived by local health agencies. We also wanted to learn what tools are in place that could help local health agencies respond to the threat of climate change. Finally, we wanted to learn whether local health officers feel that they have adequate information and resources to respond to the public health threats associated with climate change, and what information and resources they feel that they need. This final question is the focus of this piece. The survey results reveal that local health officers believe that climate change is a serious risk to human health. Yet most health officers feel that they lack adequate information and resources to respond to this threat. Health officers indicate that information from the scientific community is an important element that can help them to feel more prepared to handle the public health risks associated with climate change.
GEOGRAFIC INDICATIONS OF ORIGIN OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD PRODUCTS

Agricultural producers have interest for their products to be more competitive on both, domestic and international market. They can achieve this if they have high quality products, which have specific, well recognized characteristics. Those products are with specific geographical characteristics. Those products have significantly bigger market price and value. Large number of European countries is involved in creation of preconditions for achieving the sign of protected designation of origin (PDO) for their products. In Serbia, large numbers of high quality products, which have all necessary characteristics to get the PDO sign, are not registered, and they are not protected. There is a low regulative concerning PDO product in Serbia and it also refers to low protection of intellectual rights concerning inventions, trademarks, authorized work, design, and PDO. Products from Serbia should be protected by the low regulative before and then if they satisfy the conditions of EU directives 510/06, then they can be exported to the EU.
Compatibility of propofol injectable emulsion with selected drugs during simulated Y-site administration

The compatibility of a new formulation of injectable propofol with selected other drugs during simulated Y-site injection was studied. Two milliliters of undiluted propofol injectable emulsion was combined with 2 mL of each of 112 other drugs in 5% dextrose injection or 0.9% sodium chloride injection. The liquids were diluted with 6 mL of particle-free high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-grade water and centrifuged for 20 minutes. A pipette connected to a vacuum line was used to remove the fat layer at the top and most of the aqueous phase. The remaining liquid was diluted with 9 mL of particle-free HPLC-grade water to facilitate visualization of any precipitate. The liquids were examined with the unaided eye in fluorescent light and with a Tyndall beam to enhance visualization of small particles. Samples were evaluated during the first 15 minutes and one hour after mixing. Propofol injectable emulsion was compatible with 98 of the 112 drugs testes. Fourteen drugs demonstrated incompatibilities, including precipitation, gel formation, and oiling out of cracked emulsions. During simulated Y-site injection, propofol injectable emulsion was compatible with most other drugs tested for one hour at approximately 23 degrees C
In-situ RF diagnostic for PECVD process control

The fabrication of advanced integrated circuits requires increased accuracy in process monitoring and active control. As higher production yields are required, the technology is moving from statistical process control to in-situ diagnostic techniques. A set of experiments was conducted to explore the feasibility of using radio frequency (RF) impedance probes to detect deviation of electrical characteristics of process chambers during wafer fabrication. A probe was integrated on a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) chamber to explore the sensitivity of the reactor electrical characteristics on the events of process drift or input parameter variation. We measured RF the voltage, current and harmonics, the phase angle and the impedance magnitude for a capacitively coupled reactor. A single frequency (13.56MHz) process for depositing SiO2 and a dual frequency (13.56MHz+350kHz) process for Si3N4 deposition were characterized. We investigated the dependence of the RF signature and process parameters such as RF power, pressure, gas flow and electrode spacing. We observed that there is a correlation between the film properties (especially stress) and the plasma electrical characteristics. Furthermore, RF probes can be used to detect chamber malfunctions such as lost of RF ground or wafer-out-of-pocket events.
Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Living Alone: Identifying the Risks for Public Health

The authors reflect on the article "Social Isolation: A Predictor of Mortality Comparable to Traditional Clinical Risk Factors" by M. Pantell, D. Rehkopf, D. Jutte, S.L. Syme, J. Balmes, and N. Adler which appears in a 2013 issue of the journal, and it mentions the efforts to identify the risks for public health. Research on one-person households in places such as Sweden, Finland, and the U.S. is provided, along with the causal links between living alone, social isolation, and loneliness.
Transmission of maternal muscle-specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK) to offspring: report of two cases

Familial occurrence of myasthenia gravis is uncommon and reports of maternal transmission of muscle-specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK) antibody myasthenia are rarer still. We report two families with maternal transmission of MuSK antibody myasthenia gravis to the offspring by different mechanisms. The first family demonstrates transmission genetic susceptibility of inheriting myasthenia gravis from MuSK antibodies, whereas the second one demonstrates transplacental transmission of MuSK antibodies at birth.
Choline Requirements of Turkey Breeder Hens

Abstract THE justification for added choline in the diets of turkey breeder hens seems to be based mostly on the known requirements of poults. Considerable research with chicken breeder hens indicates that additions of choline to semi-purified or extracted diets may increase egg size, yolk size, and hatchability of fertile eggs (Ringrose and Davis, 1946; Lucas, Norris and Heuser, 1946; Abbott and DeMasters, 1940; Burns and Ackerman, 1955). However, Gish, Kummerow and Payne (1949), Johnson (1954), Balloun (1956), and Daghir, Marion and Balloun (1960), have shown that choline added to practical diets may reduce egg production or hatchability of eggs. As far as the authors are aware, no critical work has been published regarding the choline requirements of turkey breeder hens fed corn-soybean meal practical diets. PROCEDURE Turkey breeder hens were kept in littered floor pens, and both natural mating and artificial insemination were used. The diets fed (Table 1) were…
Reviews and syntheses: measuring ecosystem nitrogen status – a comparison of proxies

Abstract. There are many proxies used to measure nitrogen (N) availability in watersheds, but the degree to which they do (or do not) correlate within a watershed has not been systematically addressed. We surveyed the literature for intact forest or grassland watersheds globally, in which several metrics of nitrogen availability have been measured. Our metrics included the following: foliar δ15N, soil δ15N, net nitrification, net N mineralization, and the ratio of dissolved inorganic to organic nitrogen (DIN : DON) in soil solution and streams. We were particularly interested in whether terrestrial and stream based proxies for N availability were correlated where they were measured in the same place. Not surprisingly, the strongest correlation (Kendall's τ) was between net nitrification and N mineralization (τ = 0.71, p
Consequences of Violent Victimization for Native American Youth in Early Adulthood

Native American youth are at an elevated risk of violent victimization. And because of their vulnerable position in society, they may also be at risk of experiencing a host of adverse consequences as a result of being victimized. Accordingly, using a subsample of 558 Native American youth and two waves of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (49.8 % female; 12-19 years at Wave I; 19-26 years at Wave III), we examined the effects of violent victimization during adolescence on a range of outcomes in early adulthood (poor health, depressive symptoms, suicidality, financial hardship, violent and property offending, alcohol problems, hard drug use, and marijuana use). We also assessed whether youth's attachments to family and to school moderate the effects of victimization on these outcomes. The results showed that adolescent victimization is linked to a small number of outcomes-poor health, depressive symptoms, and violent offending-and that the protective effects of social attachments are not widespread. Specifically, family attachments moderated the effects of victimization on poor health and depressive symptoms, and school attachments moderated the effects of victimization on property offending. These findings suggest that the consequences of victimization and the protective effects of social attachments may differ for Native American youth, and that further quantitative and qualitative research is necessary to understand these patterns.
Simulations of high linearity and high efficiency of class B power amplifiers in GaN HEMT technology

We describe the design and simulation of highly linear and highly efficient common source class B power amplifiers. Efficient broadband class B push-pull amplifiers are not feasible at microwave frequencies as baluns with desired broadband even-mode impedance are unavailable. We find, however, that a single-ended class B amplifier with bandpass filtering has an equivalent efficiency and linearity. Simulations of class B designs predict a power added efficiency (PAE) of 48% with 40 dBc of third order intermodulation product (IMD3) performance when biased close to the pinch-off voltage.