cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anatomy-based inverse planning simulated annealing optimization in high-dose-rate prostate brachytherapy: significant dosimetric advantage over other optimization techniques.

Purpose To perform an independent validation of an anatomy-based inverse planning simulated annealing (IPSA) algorithm in obtaining superior target coverage and reducing the dose to the organs at risk. Method and Materials In a recent prostate high-dose-rate brachytherapy protocol study by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (0321), our institution treated 20 patients between June 1, 2005 and November 30, 2006. These patients had received a high-dose-rate boost dose of 19 Gy to the prostate, in addition to an external beam radiotherapy dose of 45 Gy with intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Three-dimensional dosimetry was obtained for the following optimization schemes in the Plato Brachytherapy Planning System, version 14.3.2, using the same dose constraints for all the patients treated during this period: anatomy-based IPSA optimization, geometric optimization, and dose point optimization. Dose–volume histograms were generated for the planning target volume and organs at risk for each optimization method, from which the volume receiving at least 75% of the dose (V 75% ) for the rectum and bladder, volume receiving at least 125% of the dose (V 125% ) for the urethra, and total volume receiving the reference dose (V 100% ) and volume receiving 150% of the dose (V 150% ) for the planning target volume were determined. The dose homogeneity index and conformal index for the planning target volume for each optimization technique were compared. Results Despite suboptimal needle position in some implants, the IPSA algorithm was able to comply with the tight Radiation Therapy Oncology Group dose constraints for 90% of the patients in this study. In contrast, the compliance was only 30% for dose point optimization and only 5% for geometric optimization. Conclusions Anatomy-based IPSA optimization proved to be the superior technique and also the fastest for reducing the dose to the organs at risk without compromising the target coverage.
Impact of Aerosol Intrusions on Arctic Boundary Layer Clouds. Part I: 4 May 1998 Case

Abstract The objective of this paper is to assess the impact of the entrainment of aerosol from above the inversion on the microphysical structure and radiative properties of boundary layer clouds. For that purpose, the Los Alamos National Laboratory sea ice model was implemented into the research and real-time versions of the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System at Colorado State University. A series of cloud-resolving simulations have been performed for a mixed-phase Arctic boundary layer cloud using a new microphysical module that considers the explicit nucleation of cloud droplets. Different aerosol profiles based on observations were used for initialization. When more polluted initial ice-forming nuclei (IFN) profiles are assumed, the liquid water fraction of the cloud decreases while the total condensate path, the residence time of the ice particles, and the downwelling infrared radiation monotonically increase. Results suggest that increasing the aerosol concentrations above the boundary layer may ...
Numerical Analysis of Heat Transfer during Surface Pasteurization of Hot Dogs with Vacuum-Steam-Vacuum Technology

The objective of this study was to validate the fundamental heat-transfer mechanism governing the process of vacuum-steam-vacuum surface pasteurization of hot dogs. It was hypothesized that the steam could not directly flow into the pores below the surface of hot dogs, and the heat was transferred into these areas by conduction. A numerical analysis program was first developed to estimate the heat-transfer coefficient between steam and hot dogs and was then used to simulate the temperature distribution at different locations below the surface. The hypothesis and computer simulation model were successfully validated using hot dogs surface-inoculated with Listeria innocua. Results showed that the heat from saturated steam must be conducted into the interior to kill L. innocua harboring in the pores and irregularities below the surface of hot dogs. Results of computer simulation and biological validation also suggested that heating must be maintained at 138 degrees C for at least 25 s to achieve a complete elimination (> 8 log colony-forming units per gram) of L. innocua from hot dogs.
Sperm motility initiation factor is a minor component of the Pacific herring egg chorion

Polyclonal antibodies were generated to the 105 kDa herring sperm motility initiation factor (SMIF) and used to explore the role of SMIF in sperm-egg interaction. Using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting with SMIF antibodies, it was demonstrated that SMIF is present as a minor (4–7% of total chorion protein) component of the chorion. The major polypeptides in the chorion migrated at 117 kDa and in a grouping between 48–54 kDa, with other minor bands above and below. The only detectable glycosylated component was the 105 kDa band, which was resolved at two isoelectric points (8.22 and 8.31) after isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis. Using antibodies to SMIF, fertilization was blocked, sperm motility was inhibited in vitro in the presence of solubilized SMIF and SMIF binding sites on sperm were localized. Lastly, SMIF was localized to the region of the herring egg that encircles the micropyle.
Why a Big Mac Is a Good Mac: Associations between Affect and Size

Evaluation is a core topic of interest in both social psychology and linguistic theory, but there are relatively few social-cognitive studies examining the “online” consequences of affective metaphor. The experiments presented here sought to investigate such online consequences in relation to an understudied class of metaphors linking evaluation to size (i.e., “bigger is better”). Consistent with such metaphors, we found that positive (vs. negative) words were evaluated more quickly (Experiment 1) and accurately (Experiment 2) when presented in a larger (vs. smaller) font size. Parallel and opposite effects were found for negative words. A third experiment demonstrated that words presented in a larger font size were evaluated more favorably, thus extending size effects to evaluative judgments. Together, the studies converge on the importance of size metaphors for understanding evaluation from a social-cognitive perspective.
Infrared dielectric function of p -type Ge 0.98 Sn 0.02 alloys

The dielectric function of heavily doped $p$-type ${\text{Ge}}_{0.98}{\text{Sn}}_{0.02}$ alloys was determined using infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry. The free holes contribute a Drude-like term to the dielectric response, from which the resistivity and carrier relaxation time can be determined. The transport parameters extracted from such optical experiments are similar to those found for pure Ge with comparable doping levels. Optical transitions between the split-off, light-hole, and heavy-hole bands contribute a second term to the dielectric function. The overall line shape of the dielectric function corresponding to these transitions shows differences between ${\text{Ge}}_{0.98}{\text{Sn}}_{0.02}$ and pure Ge. These differences may provide important clues to the valence-band electronic structure of ${\text{Ge}}_{1\ensuremath{-}y}{\text{Sn}}_{y}$ alloys.
Line strengths for Δv3=1 transitions in isotopic CS2 species with a stabilized tunable diode laser

Abstract We describe a spherical Fabry Perot etalon which is utilized as an internally coupled Fabry Perot Interferometer (icFPI). This icFPI uses piezoceramic translators for high frequency internal pathlength modulation and for controlled scanning of the icFPI cavity length. A tunable diode laser (TDL) is phase locked to the pathlength modulated icFPI, reducing laser phase noise and improving the precision of the wavenumber scale (in cm -1 ). This stabilized laser system produces spectra with normal line shapes instead of first or second derivative line shapes normally associated with systems in which the laser emission wavelength is modulated in order to achieve stabilization. Line strengths of the 13 C 32 S 2 , 13 C 33 S 32 S and 13 C 34 S 32 S isotopes of CS 2 were measured in the Δ v 3 =1 fundamental region using the stabilized TDL system.
On the Limits of Estimating the Maximum Wind Speeds in Hurricanes

AbstractThis study uses an observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) approach to test the limitations of even nearly ideal observing systems to capture the peak wind speed occurring within a tropical storm or hurricane. The dataset is provided by a 1-km resolution simulation of an Atlantic hurricane with surface wind speeds saved every 10 s. An optimal observing system consisting of a dense field of anemometers provides perfect measurements of the peak 1-min wind speed as well as the average peak wind speed. Suboptimal observing systems consisting of a small number of anemometers are sampled and compared to the truth provided by the optimal observing system. Results show that a single, perfect anemometer experiencing a direct hit by the right side of the eyewall will underestimate the actual peak intensity by 10%–20%. Even an unusually large number of anemometers (e.g., 3–5) experiencing direct hits by the storm together will underestimate the peak wind speeds by 5%–10%. However, the peak winds of jus...
Structured Population Dynamics: An Introduction to Integral Modeling

A single species is often modeled as a structured population. In a matrix projection model, individuals in the population are partitioned into a finite number of stage classes. For example, an inse...
Supramolecular bionanocomposites 3: Effects of surface functionality on electrical and mechanical percolation

Percolation phenomena in bionanocomposites composed of the bioplastic polylactide and surface decorated supramolecular multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are investigated. MWCNTs with three distinct surface chemistries—a native surface, a hydroxyl functionalized surface, and a short hydrocarbon functionalized surface—are prepared and studied. Two experimental methods are used to determine percolation thresholds; melt rheology provides a measure of the mechanical percolation threshold and electrical impedance spectroscopy provides values of the electrical percolation threshold. The MWCNT-loading level required to obtain mechanical percolation is systematically found to be lower than the loading level needed to achieve electrical percolation. Hydroxylated MWCNTs have the highest percolation thresholds of 1.8 (mechanical) and 6.7 wt % (electrical), which is attributed to aggregation caused by hydrogen bonding. Alkane-grafted MWCNTs have lower percolation thresholds of 0.76 (mechanical) and 2.8 wt % (electrical). However, untreated MWCNTs have the lowest thresholds of 0.16 (mechanical) and 1.5 wt % (electrical). The reduced percolation threshold observed upon conversion of the hydroxylated surface to the alkylated surface is attributed to morphological differences—functionalization disrupts hydrogen bonding and leads to better nanotube dispersion. The combination of higher inherent conductivity and more favorable nanotube-polylactide interactions implies that unmodified MWCNTs are preferred to produce electrically conductive bionanocomposites. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011.
DiAngelo, R. (2012). What Does it Mean to be White? Developing White Racial Literacy; Fasching-Varner, K. (2012). Working Through Whiteness: Examining White Racial Identity and Profession with Pre-Service Teachers; Lensmire, A. (2012). White Urban Teachers: Stories of Fear, Violence, and Desire

White privilege and white racial identity continue to be issues of concern for educators and researchers in the field of social justice education. Research and theory in the field of social justice...
Circadian Variation in Human Ventricular Refractoriness

Background The incidence of sudden cardiac death is highest in the morning hours. Although a circadian variation in myocardial ischemia may be responsible in part for this observation, other factors also may be contributory. It is not known whether a circadian variation in ventricular refractoriness exists that may be related to the increased morning incidence of sudden cardiac death. Methods and Results Nine subjects with primary conduction system disease, no evidence of structural heart disease, and permanent pacemakers were studied. Autonomic nervous system function as assessed by tilt table and baroreflex sensitivity testing was normal in all subjects. Using noninvasive programmed stimulation, ventricular effective refractory periods were measured hourly for 24 hours. Potassium, epinephrine, and norepinephrine levels also were measured hourly. In a subset of five subjects, ventricular refractory periods were again measured hourly over 24 hours during β-blockade. A significant circadian variation in ve...
The Mechanism of Electroless Cu Deposition: Extraction of the Oxidative and Reductive Electrochemical Half‐Cell Currents from a Complete Bath

By simultaneously measuring the copper deposition rate and the current, we have determined the partial currents corresponding to the oxidative and reductive half‐reactions for electroless Cu deposition from an EDTA, formaldehyde solution. These experiments were performed in a solution containing both copper and formaldehyde. The copper deposition rate was measured in situ with a quartz crystal microbalance. The resulting partial I/V curves are different from those obtained by others who used separated (one component missing) half‐cells. Specifically, we find that formaldehyde catalyzes the electrochemical reduction of Cu(EDTA). These observations help explain discrepancies between previously measured I/V curves for the independent oxidative or reductive half‐cells, and the predictions of mixed potential theory concerning the electroless Cu deposition rate.
Health care data, the epidemiologist's sand: comments on the quantity and quality of data

Massive amounts of health care data are currently available for epidemiologic review through improvements in computerization and electronic communication. Multiple abstracts of patient care data are collected, stored, retrieved, and analyzed to study health care practice and outcome. The high level of variation in data from these sources is noted. Examples of these data collections are reviewed and the issues of the quality of these data for research and evaluation are discussed. Increased amounts of poor quality data will not be helpful. Collections from the National Center for Health Statistics and other sources are cited as models for improved standards for quality data banks and registries, including the Centers for Disease Control National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance collection. Throughout, a metaphor relating quality of sand for the production of lens instruments to view scientific change is used.
The significance of gender in predicting the cognitive moral development of business practitioners using the sociomoral reflection objective measure

This study constitutes a contribution to the discussion about moral reasoning in business. Kohlberg’s (1971, in Cognitive Development and Epistemology (Academic Press, New York), 1976, in Moral Development and Behavior: Theory and Research and Social Issues (Holt, Rienhart and Winston, New York)) cognitive moral development (CMD) theory is one explanation of moral reasoning. One unresolved debate on the topic of CMD is the charge that Kohlbergian-type CMD theory is gender biased. This research puts forth the proposal that the issue may be elucidated by exposing an ambiguity in “gender” (Borna and White: 2003, Journal of Business Ethics 47, 89–99; Gentile: 1993, Psychological Science 4(2), 120–122; Unger: 1979, American Psychologist 34(11), 1085–1094). We use the Sociomoral Reflective Objective Measure (SROM) to measure CMD and the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) to measure gender as a psychosocial concept, rather than as a biological classification. The results of our study indicate that high femininity, measured as a psychosocial attribute, is associated with significantly lower Kohlbergian-type CMD scores among business practitioners. Sex moderates the effect of gender on CMD, but only indirectly. Our research also reveals that education plays a significant moderating role in the relationship between gender and moral reasoning. In addition, age has a significant direct effect on CMD scores of business practitioners.
Adult treatment panel II versus adult treatment panel III: what has changed and why?

The Third Report of the Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel [ATP] III) differs in several ways from the ATP II guidelines. Several principal advances include (1) new risk levels for major lipid measures, (2) increased emphasis on primary prevention, (3) inclusion of high-risk groups in secondary prevention, (4) broader lifestyle program, and (5) increased focus on implementation and adherence. The purpose of this article is to discuss the major changes in ATP III and to highlight the benefits of the new guidelines in the management of hypercholesterolemia in adults.
Refined estimates on the growth rate of Jacobi polynomials

The growth of the Jacobi polynomials P"n^(^k^,^@b^)(1-2@q^2) is studied as n and k are simultaneously increased along lines in the kn plane with n integral. In particular, we apply a correction to a result of Chen and Ismail to show that for 0 ~ when a>2@q/(1-@q). For -1
The Effects of Morphological and Wetting Properties of Porous Transport Layers on Water Movement in PEM Fuel Cells

A parametric study of the effect of wetting and in proton exchange membrane (PFM) fuel cells morphological properties of the cathode porous transport layer (PTL), also known as the gas diffusion layer (GDL), on water transport in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells has been conducted using a two-dimensional network model that captures the two-phase capillary flow behavior. The effect of PTL wetting properties is explored by considering four contact angle values. The effect of the morphology is analyzed using six pore size distributions. These six pore size distributions are generated by varying the scale and shape parameters in Weibull probability distribution functions. Also, the effect of a microporous layer (MPL) on water transport in the PTL is considered. Inclusion of the MPL resulted in a significant increase in the percolation pressure and a reduction in the PTL water content due to the formation of a few localized fingers which serve as water conduits. When defects in the MPL were considered, the PTL water content remained low with percolation pressures reduced to values similar to a PTL without an MPL.
Significance of Insect Remains in Asphalt Deposits: ABSTRACT

Asphalt deposits at Rancho La Brea, Carpinteria, McKittrick and Sulphur Mountain have been studied for insect remains. An astonishing number of species has been found varying in size from about 1 millimeter to 3 inches. The four deposits studied present three distinct types: Rancho La Brea and Carpinteria were open pools due to upward surge of asphalt, with consequently constant movement in the liquid asphalt. The McKittrick field was due to chimneys opening on hillsides and the slow flow of the asphalt down the slopes caught many insects and small animals, with the larger animals only caught in the pools formed at the bottom. Sulphur Mountain is an almost vertical flow down a mountain side with small pools caught on ledges. Here as in McKittrick the insects are deposited where they die. The stratification of the McKittrick field will permit climatic correlations and also studies in the gradual change of insect characters over a long period of time. The finding of certain carrion insects indicates the time required for complete submersion of the animal. This took up to three months at La Brea, but two to three years at McKittrick. End_Page 188------------------------------ The large number of aquatic insects in the deposits poses a number of interesting questions. The continuous deposition of asphalt from Middle Pleistocene to this day gives a wonderful opportunity for paleoecological study. End_of_Article - Last_Page 189------------
Estimated Effective Chimney Heights Based on Rawinsonde Observations at Selected Sites in the United States

Abstract The plume rise equations of Briggs (1975) for variable vertical profiles of temperature and wind speed are described and applied for hypothetical short and very tall chimneys at five National Weather Service rawinsonde stations across the United States. Annual average effective chimney heights are presented and from other available data additional information on plume behavior is deduced. For example, based on the 0515 CST soundings at Nashville, 61% of the effective plume heights for 50 m chimneys were in a temperature inversion, but only 21% of the plumes for 400 m chimneys were so constrained. Ordinarily, such plumes would be in a fanning configuration. Most of the plumes from tall chimneys (60%) were above an inversion, practically isolated from the ground. Overall, 98% of the short-chimney plumes were reached by the afternoon mixing height, but only 85% of the tall-chimney plumes were reached. Such information supports the obvious presumption that the effluent from tall chimneys remains airb...
Targeting a Homogeneously Glycosylated Antibody Fc To Bind Cancer Cells Using a Synthetic Receptor Ligand

The targeting of a glycosylated antibody Fc fragment to bind to cancer cells by site-selective incorporation of a synthetic ligand is described. Homogeneously glycosylated immunoglobulin G subclass...
On the role of minicomputers in structural design

Results are presented of exploratory studies on the use of a minicomputer in conjunction with large-scale computers to perform structural design tasks, including data and program management, use of interactive graphics, and computations for structural analysis and design. An assessment is made of minicomputer use for the structural model definition and checking and for interpreting results. Included are results of computational experiments demonstrating the advantages of using both a minicomputer and a large computer to solve a large aircraft structural design problem.
DNA relaxation mediated by Ustilago maydis type I topoisomerase; modulation by chromatin associated proteins

Ustilago maydis topoisomerase I relaxes superhelical DNA in the absence of any co-factors. The reaction reaches a defined end-point proportional to the amount of enzyme added and an analysis of the reaction by Hill plot transformation indicates that at least two molecules of topoisomerase must interact with the DNA to catalyze relaxation. The addition of purified Ustilago histone H1 reduces the stoichiometric amount of topoisomerase I required by 50%. H1 histone may function to enhance DNA relaxation through a cooperative mechanism. The purified HMG-like protein from Ustilago also enhances DNA relaxation mediated by the topoisomerase. Whereas H1 stimulates topo I-mediated DNA relaxation through a processive mode, the HMG-like protein enhances through a distributive mechanism. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the interaction of chromosomal proteins with topoisomerase can influence DNA topology, and mechanisms are proposed to explain this enhancement.
46,XX gonadal dysgenesis with epibulbar dermoid

Pure gonadal dysgenesis with 46,XX genotype is a rare abnormality with unknown etiology. Although sensorineural deafness has been described with 46,XX gonadal dysgenesis, the majority of reported cases of 46,XX gonadal dysgenesis have no associated physical abnormalities. We report a patient with 46,XX gonadal dysgenesis associated with epibulbar dermoids and preauricular skin tags, the classic ocular and skin manifestations of Goldenhar sequence (oculoauricular vertebral dysplasia). We propose that our patient may represent a new and previously unreported syndrome.
Perception of threat cues in post-traumatic stress disorder: semantic processing without awareness?

Abstract Research suggests that anxiety-disordered patients semantically process, without awareness, threat cues occurring in unattended prose passages during dichotic listening (Mathews, 1984). In the present study, we attempted to demonstrate unaware semantic processing of threat cues in Vietnam combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Control Ss included alcoholic and normal veterans, all without combat experience. To provide a rigorous test of the hypothesis, we employed a dichotic listening procedure that strictly controlled the S's attentional resources and prevented momentary attention shifts from producing results spuriously suggesting semantic processing without awareness. The processing measures included skin conductance responses and shadowing errors following presentation of threat words related to Vietnam, phonetically similar words, words threatening for other anxiety-disorder groups and neutral words. The results were inconsistent with the semantic processing without awareness hypothesis, suggesting that previous data adduced as evidence for the phenomenon may have stemmed from prose shadowing procedures that permitted momentary awareness of threat cues on the unattended channel.
Structures of Invertebrate Hemoglobins

Hemoglobin is widely distributed among the invertebrates. Intracellular hemoglobins consist of relatively small molecules with mol wts of 15–17,000 or dimeric, tetrameric or octameric aggregates of 15–17,000 mol wt subunits. Sequence homology is present but not extensive in those pigments which have been studied and the characteristic myoglobin fold of vertebrate hemoglobin occurs in at least two invertebrate hemoglobins. The wide array of aggregation states among invertebrate hemoglobins provides some simple models for understanding homotropic functional properties exhibited by many of these pigments. Polymeric extracellular hemoglobins are present in annelids molluscs crustacean arthropods and nematodes. Annelid extracellular hemoglobins and chlorocruorins consist of 3 × 106 mol wt two-tiered hexagonal arrays of submultiples which in turn are based on polypeptide chain subunits of mol wt 14–16 000. Molluscan extracellular hemoglobins are constructed from a different subunit arrangement. In the planorbid snail and clam extracellular hemoglobins the subunits appear to be 175 000 and 300 000 mol wt linear series of 15–17 000 dalton oxygen binding domains respectively. Planorbid snail native hemoglobin presents circular structures 200 A in diameter in the electron microscope with 10-fold symmetry in at least one view, and clam extracellular hemoglobins are huge 345 by 1200 A rodlike structures. Crustacean extracellular hemoglobins are also polymeric pigments and at least in a few species appear to have subunits which are tandemly linked oxygen binding domains. The polymeric hemoglobins of nematodes have molecular weights of about 330 000. The subunit molecular weight and heme content suggest a value of 40,000 daltons which set the nematode pigments apart from all other hemoglobins so far studied. An overview of invertebrate hemoglobin structures and some of the questions they pose are presented in this paper.
Resisting Foucauldian Ethics: Associative Politics and the Limits of the Care of the Self

This paper examines one strand of the ‘turn to ethics’ in recent political theory by engaging with Michel Foucault's late work on ‘the care of the self.’ For contemporary thinkers interested in how democratic politics might be guided, informed, or vivified by particular ethical orientations, Foucault's inquiry into ancient ethics has proved intriguing. Might concentrated ‘work on the self’ contribute to efforts to resist and remake present-day power relations? This paper endeavors to raise doubts about the Foucauldian inspired view, which regards a reflexive relation of the self to itself as a privileged site for critically engaging with existing configurations of power. To do so, I offer a close reading of Foucault's scholarship that examines his work on ethics together with his well-known theory of power. I demonstrate that Foucault's distinctive theory of power, if read carefully, alerts us to the limits of the care of the self as a strategy for making power relations more equitable, open, and responsive to democratic constituencies. As I show, disciplinary power and biopower target collectivities by ‘individualizing’ and ‘massifying,’ respectively, and thereby diminishing the potential ‘counter-power’ generated by pluralistic association. If this dimension of Foucault's thought is appreciated, the ‘care of the self’ appears as a very limited resource for challenging these de-politicizing effects. Yet this paper also draws on Foucault's thought in order to stress the importance of re-orienting debates concerning the relationship between ethics and politics toward associative rather than reflexive practices of freedom.
Exact transient results for penny-shaped crack growth under combined loading

Abstract Exact transient solutions are obtained for penny-shaped crack growth in an elastic material. The material is loaded by a general combined tension in-plane shear/torsion field and. for consistency with the crack shape, the field varies axisymmetrically about the crack center axis. Solution construction is in terms of a general 3D dislocation distribution, and draws on exact results derived previously for 2D plane crack growth. For generality in attacking more complicated problems in the future, the solution method makes no appeal at the outset to axisymmetry. nor to the lack of geometric characteristic length. The general expression for the 3D displacement solution vector is presented, and two important cases worked out. One of these—uniform combined loading—is also examined from the viewpoint of fracture mechanics: It is found that the relative importance of any one of the three fracture modes to the fracture energy rate depends on crack growth rate as well as on the loading itself.
Complementation of Physiological and Behavioral Defects by a Slowpoke Ca2+ ‐Activated K+ Channel Transgene

: The Drosophila slowpoke gene encodes a large conductance calcium-activated potassium channel used in neurons, muscle, and some epithelial cells. Tissue-specific transcriptional promoters and alternative mRNA splicing generate a large array of transcripts. These distinct transcripts are thought to tailor the properties of the channel to the requirements of the cell. Presumably, a single splice variant cannot satisfy the specific needs of all cell types. To test this, we examined whether a single slowpoke splice variant was capable of complementing all slowpoke behavioral phenotypes. Null mutations in slowpoke cause animals to be semiflightless and to manifest an inducible "sticky-feet" phenotype. The well-characterized slowpoke transcriptional control region was used to direct the expression of a single slowpoke splice variant (cDNA H13) in transgenic flies. The endogenous gene in these flies had been inactivated by the slo4 mutation. Action-potential recordings and voltage-clamp recordings demonstrated the production of functional channels from the transgene. The transgene completely complemented the flight defect, but not the sticky-feet phenotype. We conclude that distinct slowpoke channel isoforms, produced by alternative splicing, are not interchangeable and are required for proper function of different cell types.
Sequential filtering for dispersion tracking and sediment sound speed inversion

Dispersion curves in ocean environments are accurately estimated from received signals through the extraction of instantaneous modal frequencies and corresponding arrival times for long-range propagation. The ultimate goal is to estimate sediment sound speed using the extracted dispersion pattern. The approach extends work previously conducted in dispersion tracking with sequential filtering, improving on the latter technique. The sequential state-space method that is developed for the extraction of time-frequency information from specific time instances relies on a representation of those as a sum of elemental pulses, resulting from analysis of the received field. The method is tested on synthetic noisy data with different noise levels. After dispersion probability density functions are estimated via a particle filter, they are subsequently employed for sound speed inversion. Correct mode identification is a challenge impacting inversion; this is demonstrated through two examples and a way to remedy the problem is discussed.
Effects of buoyancy on gas-jet diffusion flames: Experiment and theory☆

Theoretical and experimental research on the effects of buoyancy on gas-jet diffusion flames is described. Part of this research involves an assessment of existing data obtained under reduced-gravity conditions. The results show that uncertainties in the current understanding of flame structure exist and further research is required before reliable predictions of ignition, stabilization, and propagation of flames under microgravity conditions can be made. Steady-state and transient theories have been developed and used in the analysis of existing drop-tower data and new data obtained from a stationary experiment involving inverted flames. The result of this research has led to the definition of a microgravity experiment to be performed in space.
Morbidity and mortality among older individuals with undiagnosed celiac disease.

Background & Aims Outcomes of undiagnosed celiac disease (CD) are unclear. We evaluated the morbidity and mortality of undiagnosed CD in a population-based sample of individuals 50 years of age and older. Methods Stored sera from a population-based sample of 16,886 Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents 50 years of age and older were tested for CD based on analysis of tissue transglutaminase and endomysial antibodies. A nested case-control study compared serologically defined subjects with CD with age- and sex-matched, seronegative controls. Medical records were reviewed for comorbid conditions. Results We identified 129 (0.8%) subjects with undiagnosed CD in a cohort of 16,847 older adults. A total of 127 undiagnosed cases (49% men; median age, 63.0 y) and 254 matched controls were included in a systematic evaluation for more than 100 potentially coexisting conditions. Subjects with undiagnosed CD had increased rates of osteoporosis and hypothyroidism, as well as lower body mass index and levels of cholesterol and ferritin. Overall survival was not associated with CD status. During a median follow-up period of 10.3 years after serum samples were collected, 20 cases but no controls were diagnosed with CD (15.2% Kaplan–Meier estimate at 10 years). Conclusions With the exception of reduced bone health, older adults with undiagnosed CD had limited comorbidity and no increase in mortality compared with controls. Some subjects were diagnosed with CD within a decade of serum collection, indicating that although most cases of undiagnosed CD are clinically silent, some result in symptoms. Undiagnosed CD can confer benefits and liabilities to older individuals.
Quadratic Assignment Problem Algorithms and the Location of Indivisible Facilities

This paper discusses the problem of assigning locations to indivisible facilities and its relation to the quadratic assignment problem. It also develops two suboptimal algorithms, one dealing with the general quadratic assignment problem and the other with an interesting special case. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons with existing suboptimal algorithms are presented.
Scalable solutions for interactive virtual humans that can manipulate objects

This paper presents scalable solutions for achieving virtual humans able to manipulate objects in interactive virtual environments. The scalability trades computational time with the ability of addressing increasingly difficult constraints. In time-critical environments, arm motions are computed in few milliseconds using fast analytical Inverse Kinematics. For other types of applications where collision-free motions are required, a randomized motion planner capable of generating motions of average complexity in about a second of computation time is employed. The steps required for defining and computing different types of manipulations are described in this paper.
A Catastrophic Presentation of Adult Croup

Figure 1. (A) Chest radiograph upon arrival to the emergency department. (B) A magnified view of airway section of chest radiograph to demonstrate “steeple sign” (a tapering of subglottic airway) indicating airway narrowing as marked by arrow. Figure 2. Computed tomography neck without contrast at the level of the arytenoid cartilages after intubation showing complete obliteration around the endotracheal tube (arrow) of airway at the level of glottis, and below (seen in other images).
Role of Cytoskeleton in Controlling the Disorder Strength of Cellular Nanoscale Architecture

Cytoskeleton is ubiquitous throughout the cell and is involved in important cellular processes such as cellular transport, signal transduction, gene transcription, cell-division, etc. Partial wave spectroscopic microscopy is a novel optical technique that measures the statistical properties of cell nanoscale organization in terms of the disorder strength. It has been found previously that the increase in the disorder strength of cell nanoarchitecture is one of the earliest events in carcinogenesis. In this study, we investigate the cellular components responsible for the differential disorder strength between two morphologically (and hence microscopically) similar but genetically altered human colon cancer cell lines, HT29 cells and Csk shRNA-transfected HT29 cells that exhibit different degrees of neoplastic aggressiveness. To understand the role of cytoskeleton in nanoarchitectural alterations, we performed selective drug treatment on the specific cytoskeletal components of these cell types and studied the effects of cytoskeletal organization on disorder strength differences. We report that altering the cell nanoarchitecture by disrupting cytoskeletal organization leads to the attenuation of the disorder strength differences between microscopically indistinguishable HT29 and CSK constructs. We therefore demonstrate that cytoskeleton plays a role in the control of cellular nanoscale disorder.
Influence of Temperature on Germination and Growth of Spores of Emetic and Diarrheal Strains of Bacillus cereus in a Broth Medium and in Rice

Germination and growth of Bacillus cereus spores from emetic and diarrheal strains were measured in Trypticase soy broth (TSB) and in autoclaved rice/beef extract from 5°– 55°C. Growth for some strains occurred from 15°– 50°C, and little difference was noted between responses of diarrheal and emetic types or between media, except a higher maximum population was achieved in rice. Germination was more extensive in rice than in TSB at <15°C and was generally more extensive for diarrheal strains in either medium.
Obesity Prevalence in Low-Income Preschool Children in Oklahoma

Objective. To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in low-income preschool children in Oklahoma and to identify potential race/ethnic disparities. Methods. Subjects included 39 151 children aged 2 to 4 years who participated in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in 2009. Body mass index percentiles were calculated from the child’s height, weight, sex, and age. Results. In 2009, 30.7% of Oklahoma’s children in WIC were overweight, including 13.7% obese. Disparities by race/ethnicity were greatest for obese children: prevalence was 18.8% for American Indians (odds ratio [OR] = 1.8, confidence interval [CI] = 1.54-2.03) and 17.2% for Hispanics (OR = 1.6, CI = 1.52-1.73) compared with 11.8% for non-Hispanic whites, whereas African Americans were less obese (OR = 0.9, CI = 0.79-0.98). Conclusion. Obesity rates in low-income Oklahoma children are highest among American Indians and Hispanic children. Interventions aimed at these high-risk groups need t...
Genetic–environmental interaction in “intelligence”: I. Biometric genetic analysis of maze performance of Rattus norvegicus

Three litters from each of 11 inbred strains of rat were tested in a Hebb-Williams maze. Substantial (p ) genetic and interaction effects were found. Data were analysed in terms of theories of delay of reinforcement, incentive motivation, and adrenergic-cholinergic balance in task performance. A genetic variable with characteristics reminiscent of Spearman's “g” was found, possibly implicating a single underlying biochemical mechanism.
On the estimation of the order of a moving-average process

The problem of estimating the order of a moving-average process will be considered. The procedure of estimation is to test whether the correlations \gamma(i) of the output observation approach zero after the i 's are greater than the order of the process.
Glitch-free design for multi-threshold CMOS NCL circuits

In this paper, a novel design is proposed for eliminating glitches and signal bounces during wake-up events that result from incorporating multi-threshold CMOS (MTCMOS) into asynchronous NULL Convention Logic (NCL) circuits. A one-stage 8x8 NCL array multiplier is designed using the proposed method and compared with the previously published paradigm. Evaluation results of glitches, throughput, and power efficiency have shown advantages of the proposed design in all these categories over the state-of-the-art. The effect of supply voltage scaling on the proposed design is also examined and presented.
Localized vascular regression during limb morphogenesis in the chicken embryo. I. Spatial and temporal changes in the vascular pattern.

Morphogenesis of the vertebrate limb bud depends upon reciprocal interactions between epithelial and mesenchymal tissues. A characteristic limb vascular pattern is essential for normal limb outgrowth. The vascular pattern in the distal portion of the wing bud was examined by ink injection and compared to the sites of cartilage differentiation, as indicated by (35S)-incorporation. During development, avascular areas arose in three distinct locations within the vascularized mesoderm. These areas corresponded to the distal skeletal elements, referred to as digits 2, 3, and 4. Incorporation of radioactive sulfate was high in the avascular areas and low in the adjacent vascular tissue. Examination of autoradiographs of ink-injected limbs suggested that the appearance of avascular regions preceded the accumulation of sulfated cartilage matrix. These results indicate that remodeling of the limb vasculature is related to the formation of the skeletal pattern.
Comments on David Gruenewald’s “A Foucauldian Analysis of Environmental Education”

David Gruenewald's use of Foucault's way of understanding the connections between knowledge systems, the multiple ways in which they influence the exercise of power, and the resulting form of subjectivity makes a major contribution to understanding the double binds that make current approaches to environmental education more part of the problem than the solution. I think Gruenewald is essentially correct in making the argument that the way environmental education is integrated into the dominant way of thinking about educational practices, which in turn are based on the deep cultural assumptions (a symbolic ecology that Foucault calls a "regime of truth"), ensures that the cultural roots of the ecological crisis will not be addressed. His argument that the dominant discourse that governs most approaches to environmental education marginalizes any consideration of the social and ecojustice issues is also correct. The language of science, the industrial-driven marketplace, and the messianic drive to spread the Western form of individual subjectivity and supporting cultural assumptions exclude the language required to make explicit what is being subjugated. That is, theJanus face of science is seldom recognized, with the result that the role of science in advancing the Industrial Revolution, and the digital phase we are now entering, goes unchallenged. Thus, science is equated with emancipation and empowerment, and not with the delegitimation of the knowledge systems of other cultures and the marginalization of intergenerational knowledge that has not been monetized and thus has a smaller ecological footprint. As environmental education is so closely aligned with the supposedly culture-free epistemology of science,
Enhancement of human monocyte and peritoneal macrophage chemiluminescence activities in women with endometriosis.

: Preliminary reports indicate that products of human mononuclear phagocytes may contribute to the infertility associated with endometriosis. To determine whether the generation of reactive oxygen metabolites by blood monocytes and peritoneal macrophages is altered in women with endometriosis, the present study evaluated luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence (CL) in cells at rest and following stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) or serum-opsonized zymosan (SOZ). Peripheral venous blood and peritoneal fluid samples were collected from 60 infertile women undergoing diagnostic laparoscopy at midluteal phase and mononuclear phagocytic cell fractions were obtained by density gradient centrifugation. Whereas there was no significant difference between resting CL values in peripheral blood monocytes collected from women with and without endometriosis, PMA- and SOZ-stimulated monocyte CL was significantly greater in endometriosis patients. In contrast, there was a significant elevation in resting CL values when peritoneal macrophages from endometriosis patients were compared with macrophages obtained from patients with normal pelvic organs. It appears that chronic stimulation of macrophages in the peritoneal cavity provokes constitutive release of large quantities of reactive oxygen products in women with endometriosis. This may occur secondary to the accumulation of activated monocytes into the peritoneal cavity.
Rheumatoid arthritis in a chippewa band

The Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians in central Minnesota was screened for rheumatoid arthritis, with a 77% completion rate of the reservation census. Rheumatoid arthritis was found in marked excess, namely 6.8% of those evaluated or, minimally, 5.3% of the total band if all persons had been evaluated with no additional cases identified. This relatively closed population thus provides an opportunity to assess genetic and environmental factors of significance in this disease.
Joint adaptive distributed rate and power control for wireless networks

A novel adaptive distributed rate and power control (ADRPC) protocol is introduced for wireless networks. The proposed controller contrasts from others by providing nonlinear compensation to the problem of transmission power and bit-rate adaptation. The protocol provides control of both signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) and quality-of-service (QoS) support to bit-rate adaptation. Bit-rate adaptation is performed by local estimation of congestion levels, rendering little packet overhead, using Lyapunov based adaptive control methods. Performance of the proposed control scheme is shown through analytical proof and simulation examples.