cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An electrophoretic study of the thermal‐ and reductant‐dependent aggregation of the 27 kDa component of ammonia monooxygenase from Nitrosomonas europaea

Standard protocols for sample preparation for sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) typically involve the combined use of heat and a reductant to fully disrupt protein-protein interactions and allow for constant ratios of SDS-binding to individual polypeptides. However, 14C-labeled forms of the membrane-bound, active-site-containing 27 kDa polypeptide of ammonia monooxygenase from Nitrosomonas europaea undergo an aggregation reaction when cells or membranes are heated in the presence of SDS-PAGE sample buffer. The aggregate produced after heating at 100 degrees C is a soluble complex which fails to enter the stacking gel in discontinuous SDS-PAGE gels. The extent of the aggregation reaction is dependent on the temperature of sample preparation, and the reaction exhibits first-order kinetics at 65 degrees C and 100 degrees C (rates constants = 0.07 and 0.35 min-1, respectively). The rate of the aggregation reaction is further dependent on the concentration of reductant used in the sample buffer. However, the concentration of SDS does not significantly affect the rate of aggregation. The aggregated form of the 27 kDA polypeptide can be isolated by gel-permeation chromatography in the presence of SDS. The aggregated protein can also be returned to the monomeric state by incubation at high pH in the presence of SDS. The aggregation reaction also occurs with 14C2H2-labeled polypeptides in other species of autotrophic nitrifiers and a methanotrophic bacterium which expresses the particulate form of methane monooxygenase. We conclude that strongly hydrophobic amino acid sequences present in ammonia monooxygenase are responsible for the aggregation phenomenon.
Thermal stresses on membrane based microdevices

We developed a closed form analytical solution for thermal stresses on membrane based “released” MEMS devices. As all the layers forming the membrane has thicknesses close to one another, the assumption of having thick substrate fails. We employed stress superposition principles to obtain the intrinsic stresses caused by coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch of the membrane layers. We also accounted for the membrane release. We illustrated that for a bilayer strip consisting of a thin film on a thick substrate, our formulation simplifies to the well-known Stoney equation. The results indicate that the thermal stress can be minimized by the appropriate choice of dielectric materials, metal electrode selections and deposition tools. Replacing the silicon nitride (Si3N4) layer deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) with a silicon oxide (SiO2) layer deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PEVCD) reduces the average thermal stress by 93%.
Degenerate nonlinear parabolic boundary value problems

for t > 0, and x E Q C R”. Here Q is a smooth bounded domain, and the boundary condition could be either linear (e.g. Dirichlet, Neumann, Robin, or periodic) or nonlinear Robin type, i.e. on K2, -&J&J E j?(u). Also the diffusion coefficient 4 is allowed to degenerate on the boundary, i.e. 4 = 0 possibly on X2. We solve (1) using semigroup theory. The idea is rather simple. (1) can be written as an ordinary differential equation du/dt = Au in a suitable Banach space X, which we take to be (C(a), 11. ii,). The b oundary conditions are absorbed in the domain of definition of the operator A. We show that A is m-dissipative or essentially m-dissipative (which means the closure A of A is m-dissipative), and then apply the Crandall-Liggett theorem (61. This theorem says that in this case, A generates a contraction semigroup T(t), and iffE D(A), i.e. fis in the closure of the domain of A, then T(t)fis the unique solution to the initial value problem
Separation of glucose polymers by hydrophilic interaction chromatography on aqueous size-exclusion columns using gradient elution with pulsed amperometric detection

Abstract Maltooligosaccharides were submitted to hydrophilic interaction chromatography on three aqueous size-exclusion columns. When mobile phase compositions were 0% to 40% (v/v) acetonitrile in water, the chromatographic mechanism was by size exclusion on all three columns; at concentrations ⪰ 50% (v/v) acetonitrile, the carbohydrates were fractionated by partition chromatography (0.88 > k ′ > 143; where k ′ is the solute capacity factor), and the order of elution was reversed. When maltooligosaccharides were eluted from the three columns using isocratic mobile phases in which the concentration of acetonitrile was varied from 50% to 75% (v/v), a negative linear relationship ( R 2 > − 0.973) existed between retention and solvent strength; retention increased as the polarity of the mobile phase decreased. When the composition of the mobile phase was 65% acetonitrile in water, a correlation ( R 2 > 0.99) was found in all three columns between the degree of polymerization and the retention of the oligosaccharide. With gradient elution, the Protein-Pak 60 column resolved N-acetylneuraminic acid, rhamnose, arabinose and a mixture of commercially available glucose polymers; the between-run precision of the retention times ( n ; 16) for the chromatography varied from 0.09 to 0.64% (relative standard deviation). the chromatography was applied to the analysis of enzyme-hydrolyzed starch digests.
Hydrogenation of Olefins in Supercritical CO2 Catalyzed by Palladium Nanoparticles in a Water-in-CO2 Microemulsion

Nanometer-sized metallic palladium particles can be synthesized by hydrogen reduction of Pd2+ ions dissolved in the water core of a water-in-CO2 microemulsion. The Pd nanoparticles, stabilized by the micromeulsion and uniformly dispersed in the supercritical fluid phase, are effective catalysts for hydrogenation of olefins. Examples of rapid and efficient hydrogenation of water-soluble and CO2-soluble olefins catalyzed by the Pd nanoparticles in supercritical CO2 are given.
Shamanism and San Pedro through Time: Some Notes on the Archaeology, History, and Continued Use of an Entheogen in Northern Peru

This paper discusses archaeological, historical, and contemporary ethnographic evidence for the use of the San Pedro cactus in northern Peru as a vehicle for traveling between worlds and for imparting the “vista” (magical sight) necessary for shamanic healers to divine the cause of their patients' ailments. Using iconographic, ethnohistorical, and ethnographic evidence for the uninterrupted use of this sacred plant as a means of access to the Divine and as a tool for healing, it describes the relationship between San Pedro, ancestor worship, water/fertility cults and also the common symbolic associations between San Pedro and wind-spirits. It closes by suggesting that the more than 2000 year time-depth of using this plant as a means for accessing the realms of Spirit and as a tool for healing should serve to challenge the unfortunate tendency in the contemporary United States to consider this plant as a “recreational drug.”
Caveolin and Thrombospondin Expression During Hepatocellular Carcinogenesis

Macroregenerative and dysplastic nodules (MDNs) are hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) precursor lesions and exhibit distinct vascular profiles relative to adjacent cirrhotic liver. Recent microarray analysis of MDN identified aberrant expression of caveolin-1 and thrombospondin-1, genes suspected to play a role in tumorigenesis at other sites. We used immunohistochemistry to localize caveolin and thrombospondin expression in 14 MDNs from livers with hepatitis C cirrhosis and in tissue arrays that included samples of MDNs, HCC, and nonneoplastic liver. Hepatocytes were uniformly negative for caveolin. Sinusoidal endothelial cells exhibited increased caveolin expression in MDNs relative to adjacent cirrhotic liver in most (28 of 36, 78%) MDNs evaluated. However, few HCCs showed increased caveolin expression as compared with nonneoplastic liver (5 of 19, 26%). Unpaired arteries showed strong positive endothelial cell staining. Thrombospondin staining was weak or negative in hepatocytes in nearly all (77 of 92, 84%) MDNs and in 46 of 49 HCCs evaluated (94%). Sinusoidal endothelial cells were negative for thrombos pondin, but hepatic arteries and MDNs showed positive mural staining; portal veins were positive both in vessel walls and in endothelial cells. The altered expression profiles of these genes identified in microarray analysis are not likely related directly to malignant transformation of hepatocytes but rather to an alteration in the vascular supply to these lesions. The results illustrate the critical role of histologic techniques in interpretation of microarray data.
Shock wave focusing by curved walls and staging of beam induced thermonuclear microexplosions

Because of the technical difficulties associated with the production of ultrashort beam pulses, the efforts to release energy from thermonuclear microexplosions are mainly directed at present towards confinement in a high-Z material solid wall, as in the original proposal by the author for relativistic electron beam induced fusion. The most common approach today is by the implosion of a solid high-Z material shell, for example, with an intense relativistic electron beam. We will show that better utilization of the beam energy may be possible with beam bombardment of a curved concave wall, setting off a shock wave which can be focused precisely onto the thermonuclear target. In addition, by a proper variation of the atomic weight and density in the layer of the wall material to be ablated by the energy deposition of the beam, the pulse length of the shock wave can be made substantially shorter than the pulse length of the beam.
RATE OF ANAEROBIC DEGRADATION OF ASCORBIC ACID IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION.

The pH rate profile of the rate of disappearance of ascorbic acid from aqueous solution under anaerobic conditions has been determined at 96°. The dependency on pH is surprisingly low over pH range of 1-11. The profile shows a small but apparently real maximum at pH = pKa 1 , an effect which can be rationalized by assuming formation of a salt-acid complex in solutions. The anaerobic rate shows buffer dependency but relatively small ionic strength effect.
Carbon storage at defect sites in mantle mineral analogues

The mode of carbon storage in Earth’s mantle is unclear. High-pressure laboratory experiments on mantle analogue materials reveal that significant quantities of carbon can be stored in tiny defects within the minerals, providing an efficient mechanism for carbon storage in the mantle.
Synthesis and evaluation of anionic polymer-coated capillaries with pH-independent electroosmotic flows for capillary electrophoresis

Abstract A capillary coating method was developed using a sodium-2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonate (NaAMPS) polymer. Capillaries coated with this anionic polymer exhibited pH-independent electroosmotic flows (EOFs). Capillaries with a particular EOF rate could be synthesized simply by changing the molar ratio of NaAMPS to neutral acrylamide in the polymer mixture. The pH-independent EOF of the coated capillary changed less than 1.5% over 20 days of routine, intermittent use. Capillary lifetime with a continuously applied electric field of 286 V cm −1 was about 60 h. Reproducibility of the coating procedure was 1.7% R.S.D, in observed EOF for independently synthesized capillaries. The pH-independent EOF of these capillaries as well as their selectable flow-rates (via synthesis) should prove useful in micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MECC) at low pH values and for expansion of the separation window in MECC, as well as for more versatile separations of various species in the capillary zone electrophoresis mode.
Use of virtual patients in an advanced therapeutics pharmacy course to promote active, patient-centered learning.

Objective. To assess student satisfaction and learning of course objectives following the integration of virtual patient cases designed to promote active, patient-centered learning in an advanced therapeutics pharmacy course.Design. A dynamic virtual patient platform that incorporated a branched-narrative, decision-making teaching model was used in an advanced therapeutics course to supplement lecture content.Assessment. Presimulation and postsimulation tests were used to assess student learning. The use of virtual patients significantly enhanced student learning for both higher- and lower-level test questions (p<0.001 and p=0.01, respectively). Students agreed or strongly agreed that the virtual patient cases provided an effective way to learn (72%), were enjoyable (69%), and were appropriate in content (80%), and that more should be incorporated (59%).Conclusion. The use of virtual patients in an advanced therapeutics practicum effectively promoted active, patient-centered learning; engaged students in ...
Lane following system for a mobile robot using information from vision and odometry

The primary objective of our lane following system is to autonomously drive a mobile robot between two parallel lanes. Usually, the low sampling rate and the visibility of the environment are the main limitations of the vision sensors in a lane following system. In this paper, a higher sampling rate odometry sensor is integrated with a vision-based system using an Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF). The lane following system is implemented on a Pioneer 2 mobile robot and the experimental results indicate the applicability of the approach.
Scholarly conformity: Origins, framework, applications and implications

This paper examines the concept of social conformity and provides a theoretical framework to conceptualize and operationalize scholarly conformity, a specific type of social conformity in the process of scholarly communication. It proposes that scholarly conformity can be conceptualized and operationalized by citations (which constitute by the most formal and official way to show "attachment" and "conformity" to authorities and/or popularities). It suggests that one of the most important applications of scholarly conformity is to indicate the evolution of a research community as five phrases of a life cycle. Potentials and limitations of studies in this issue are also provided.
Reliable intraocular pressure measurement using automated radio-wave telemetry.

PURPOSE To present an autonomous intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement technique using a wireless implantable transducer (WIT) and a motion sensor. METHODS The WIT optical aid was implanted within the ciliary sulcus of a normotensive rabbit eye after extracapsular clear lens extraction. An autonomous wireless data system (AWDS) comprising of a WIT and an external antenna aided by a motion sensor provided continuous IOP readings. The sensitivity of the technique was determined by the ability to detect IOP changes resulting from the administration of latanoprost 0.005% or dorzolamide 2%, while the reliability was determined by the agreement between baseline and vehicle (saline) IOP. RESULTS On average, 12 diurnal and 205 nocturnal IOP measurements were performed with latanoprost, and 26 diurnal and 205 nocturnal measurements with dorzolamide. No difference was found between mean baseline IOP (13.08±2.2 mmHg) and mean vehicle IOP (13.27±2.1 mmHg) (P=0.45), suggesting good measurement reliability. Both antiglaucoma medications caused significant IOP reduction compared to baseline; latanoprost reduced mean IOP by 10% (1.3±3.54 mmHg; P<0.001), and dorzolamide by 5% (0.62±2.22 mmHg; P<0.001). Use of latanoprost resulted in an overall twofold higher IOP reduction compared to dorzolamide (P<0.001). Repeatability was ±1.8 mmHg, assessed by the variability of consecutive IOP measurements performed in a short period of time (≤1 minute), during which the IOP is not expected to change. CONCLUSION IOP measurements in conscious rabbits obtained without the need for human interactions using the AWDS are feasible and provide reproducible results.
Skeletal Microdamage: Less About Biomechanics and More About Remodeling

The mechanical consequences of skeletal microdamage have been clearly documented using various experimental methods, yet recent experiments suggest that physiological levels of microdamage accumulation are not sufficient to compromise the bones’ biomechanical properties. While great advances have been made in our understanding of the biomechanical implications of microdamage, less is known concerning the physiological role of microdamage in bone remodeling. Microdamage has been shown to act as a signal for bone remodeling, likely through a disruption of the osteocyte-canalicular network. Interestingly, age-related increases in microdamage are not accompanied by increases in bone remodeling suggesting that the physiological mechanisms which link microdamage and remodeling are compromised with aging.
Multiple Plantago species (Plantaginaceae) modify floral reflectance and color in response to thermal change

• Premise of the study: Understanding how plant reproduction responds to temperature has become increasingly important because of global climate change. Temperature-sensitive plasticity in floral reflectance is likely involved in some of these responses. Such plasticity, which underlies thermoregulatory ability, affects reproductive success in Plantago lanceolata. To see whether other Plantago species also show thermal plasticity in reflectance, we measured plasticity in P. lagopus, P. coronopus, P. major, P. subulata, P. albicans, P. tomentosa, P. maritima, and P. weldenii.• Methods: We induced plants to flower at two temperatures in growth chambers and recorded floral reflectance (362–800 nm).• Key results: All species were thermally plastic in visible and near-IR regions. Species and populations differed in response. Some showed greater variation in reflectance at warm temperature, while the reverse was true for others. Plasticity was greatest in the P. lanceolata clade. Cosmopolitan species were not more plastic than were geographically restricted species.• Conclusions: The data suggest that (1) thermal plasticity is an ancestral trait for Plantago, (2) plasticities in visible and near-IR regions have evolved along different pathways within the genus, and (3) phylogenetic history partially explains this evolutionary divergence. Our data combined with those of previous studies suggest that global climate change will modify floral reflectance and color in many plant species. These modifications are likely to affect plant reproductive success.
The development of a science process assessment for fourth-grade students

In this study, a multiple-choice test entitled the Science Process Assessment was developed to measure the science process skills of students in grade four. Based on the Recommended Science Competency Continuum for Grades K to 6 for Pennsylvania Schools, this instrument measured the skills of (1) observing, (2) classifying, (3) inferring, (4) predicting, (5) measuring, (6) communicating, (7) using space/time relations, (8) defining operationally, (9) formulating hypotheses, (10) experimenting, (11) recognizing variables, (12) interpreting data, and (13) formulating models. To prepare the instrument, classroom teachers and science educators were invited to participate in two science education workshops designed to develop an item bank of test questions applicable to measuring process skill learning. Participants formed “writing teams” and generated 65 test items representing the 13 process skills. After a comprehensive group critique of each item, 61 items were identified for inclusion into the Science Process Assessment item bank. To establish content validity, the item bank was submitted to a select panel of science educators for the purpose of judging item acceptability. This analysis yielded 55 acceptable test items and produced the Science Process Assessment, Pilot 1. Pilot 1 was administered to 184 fourth-grade students. Students were given a copy of the test booklet; teachers read each test aloud to the students. Upon completion of this first administration, data from the item analysis yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.73. Subsequently, 40 test items were identified for the Science Process Assessment, Pilot 2. Using the test-retest method, the Science Process Assessment, Pilot 2 (Test 1 and Test 2) was administered to 113 fourth-grade students. Reliability coefficients of 0.80 and 0.82, respectively, were ascertained. The correlation between Test 1 and Test 2 was 0.77. The results of this study indicate that (1) the Science Process Assessment, Pilot 2, is a valid and reliable instrument applicable to measuring the science process skills of students in grade four, (2) using educational workshops as a means of developing item banks of test questions is viable and productive in the test development process, and (3) involving classroom teachers and science educators in the test development process is educationally efficient and effective.
Walkable scores for selected three east Texas counties: physical activity and policy implications

Introduction: Physical activity has become an important intervention against overweight and obesity cases in the USA and worldwide. One key aspect of physical activity is walking, which has been identified as a component that can easily be incorporated into one’s lifestyle. Recent studies on physical activity have focused on promoting walking as a health enhancing endeavor. In 2010, the proportion of Texas adults who reported no participation in leisure time activity (26.7%) was significantly higher than the national average (24.4%). However, many Texans, like most Americans, are sedentary. Purpose: This study examined the walkability of the environments in selected counties in east Texas including Wood, Van Zandt and Smith counties. Methods and material: The data was drawn from the Walkscore.com and was based on all the zip codes in the three counties in east Texas. The community capitals were used a framework for analysis. Results: Only three (8.82%) zip codes had walkable scores between 70 and 89; five (14.71%) had scores between 50 and 69; four (11.76%) between 25 and 49 and 22 (64.71%) had a score below 24. Discussion: The vast majority (26, 76.47%) of zip codes are highly dependent on vehicle transport. Conclusions and recommendations: Stakeholders need therefore to focus on causes for the minimal walkability so that practical interventions are generated to enhance the physical activity friendly infrastructure so as to enhance the well-being of the residents in these three east Texas counties.
Raptor Presence Along an Urban–Wildland Gradient: Influences of Prey Abundance and Land Cover

Abstract Native animals are affected differently by urbanization. Some species respond favorably and thrive in human-dominated landscapes, but others are extirpated. Raptors are often sensitive to changes in land cover and prey abundance. We therefore used a combination of broadcast surveys and incidental observations while spot-mapping to evaluate the influences of these two variables on the presence of raptors at 21 sites from 2004–2008 along an urban-to-wildland gradient in western Washington, U.S.A. We detected three species of hawks: Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus), Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii), and Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis); and five species of owls: Northern Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium gnoma), Western Screech-Owl (Megascops kennicottii), Barred Owl (Strix varia), Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) and Barn Owl (Tyto alba). Models that included specific land-cover elements as independent variables explained presence for all species better than models including only prey abundance....
The application of Evolutionary Neural Network for bat echolocation calls recognition

An Evolutionary Neural Network (ENN) is developed to identify bats by their vocalization characteristics. This is in an effort to identify local bat species as a large number of bat fatalities near wind turbines have been reported. ENN is based on the Genetic Algorithm, which can be used for optimization of the weight selection of the neural network. We then compare ENN with different classification techniques. In the scope of bat call classification, ENN is a new technique that can be effectively used as a bat-call classifier. This research will help in developing mitigation techniques for reducing bat fatalities. The ENN algorithm is developed in MATLAB.
An economic analysis of the demand for scientific journals

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that economic analysis can be useful in modeling the scientific journal market. Of particular interest is the efficiency of pricing and page policies. For example, would the community be better off if more copies or pages are produced, or similarly, should the journal be produced at all? In order to calculate losses due to the inefficiencies, demand parameters are statistically estimated and used in a discussion of market efficiency. Although more refinement is needed for both the specification of the demand functions and proxies for variables, the techniques used permit the establishment of lower bounds on the net benefits stemming from journals (assuming that there are additional social benefits). The responses of individuals and institutions to changes in pages are shown to differ. Thus, the analytic framework facilitates the evaluation of current trends toward the selective dissemination of information to individuals.
Neuron–oligodendrocyte interaction in neuroinflammation

Axons are the most vulnerable component of the nervous system because of their specialized structure. However, less attention has been focused on axons compared with the neuronal cell body in the study of various neurological diseases involving the central nervous system. In multiple sclerosis, although the principal targets of autoimmunity are myelin and oligodendrocytes, progressive axonopathy becomes apparent during the chronic phase of the disease, which correlates with the progression of clinical disability. This fact prompted us to reexamine the mutual relationship between axons and oligodendrocytes. In the past decade, our knowledge of this relationship has been rapidly expanded, and we now realize that the oligodendrocyte is not just a partner for saltatory conduction. The present review summarizes our current basic knowledge of the mutual relationship between axons and oligodendrocytes with relevance to MS research.
Effect of Microstructure on the Properties of TiB2 Ceramics

Samples of a TiB2 ceramic containing 0 to 10 wt% Ni were fabricated by hot-pressing. Several properties, including fracture strength, indentation fracture toughness, and thermal expansion (between 25° and 1000°C) were measured. Resulting data were correlated with sample microstructure and composition.
Use of the U.S. serial set in an academic institution: a collection management tool

Abstract Use of the U.S. Serial Set at one university library was investigated for a two-year period — January 1984 through December 1985 — by utilizing circulation and in-house use data. The Serial Set documents represented 10.9 percent of the U.S. documents collection and accounted for 2.3 percent of the recorded use of this collection. Findings indicate that approximately 40 percent of Serial Set use could be satisfied with holdings of the most current 10 years. With the exception of the most recent 10-year period, use was relatively constant regardless of imprint date. Social science faculty and their students were the primary users. Use data, such as those reported herein, provide a foundation for collection management decisions concerning selection, acquisition, retention, and remote storage.
Life Extending Control of Mechanical Systems* using Symbolic Time Series Analysis

The paper presents real-time life extending control of complex mechanical structures based on the anomaly information generated via symbolic time series analysis. The underlying concept is experimentally validated on a multi-degree of freedom mass-beam structure excited by oscillatory motion of two shakers. The control policy is formulated based on the analysis of stochastic time series data of ultrasonic sensors collected under identical loading conditions. Experimental results demonstrate feasibility of the real-time control strategy for fatigue life extension of polycrystalline alloy structures
Pattern measurements of reflector antennas in the compact range and validation with computer code simulation

The measurements were performed at the University's compact range facility. They demonstrated: (1) the excellent dynamic range that can be achieved with antenna pattern measurements in a compact range facility; and (2) the excellent validation achieved for the calculated patterns of two 8-ft diameter reflector antennas. The compact range has a rolled edge modification to its reflector and uses a pulsed radar system to eliminate the clutter interference such that a dynamic range of more than 80 dB can be obtained. The measured far field patterns of two 8-ft reflector antennas, a prime focus fed antenna and a Cassegrain antenna, at 11 GHz were compared with those calculated by Ohio State University's Reflector Antenna Code. The computer code simulation's approach is also briefly described. >
Exposure to nicotine enhances its subsequent self-administration: Contribution of nicotine-associated contextual stimuli

Abstract Contextual stimuli present during nicotine exposure can come to act as conditioned stimuli and have been shown to play an important role in ongoing nicotine self-administration. In the present study, we characterized the effects of contextual stimuli previously paired with non-contingent nicotine exposure injections on subsequent nicotine self-administration. Rats were exposed to five injections of either saline or nicotine (0.4 mg/kg, i.p.) in either their home cage or a self-administration chamber with the levers retracted. Two weeks later, they were allowed to self-administer nicotine (30 μg/kg/infusion, IV) under fixed ratio (FR) schedules of reinforcement across 12 consecutive sessions. Lastly, responding under a progressive ratio (PR) schedule was assessed. Rats exposed to nicotine in the self-administration chamber subsequently increased their intake of nicotine across the FR test days, obtaining more infusions on average by days 7–12 compared to their saline exposed controls. This increase was not due to nicotine exposure alone as rats exposed to nicotine in the home cage did not show this effect. It was also not due to differences in the final ratio achieved between nicotine and saline exposed rats. Although rats exposed to nicotine in the self-administration chambers displayed reduced discrimination between the active and inactive levers during FR testing, they showed increased motivation to self-administer nicotine under the PR schedule. These results indicate that exposure to nicotine can enhance its subsequent self-administration and highlight the contribution of nicotine-associated contextual stimuli to the work output rats ultimately emit to obtain the drug.
Mission-Focused, Productivity-Based Model for Sustainable Support of Academic Hematology/Oncology Faculty and Divisions

Reorganization of a faculty practice and salary structure to achieve a mission-focused, productivity-based paradigm is possible. This model targets academic hematology/medical oncology divisions but could serve as a framework for other departments or schools of medicine.
Inhibition of Candida parapsilosis Mitochondrial Respiratory Pathways Enhances Susceptibility to Caspofungin

Among the Candida species, Candida parapsilosis has a unique mitochondrial respiratory network. The addition of inhibitors of the respiratory pathways in three clinical isolates of C. parapsilosis with high (≥2- μg/ml) MICs of caspofungin significantly (fivefold) decreased caspofungin MICs but did not change fluconazole MICs.
Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species Differentially Regulate Toll-Like Receptor 4-Mediated Activation of NF-κB and Interleukin-8 Expression

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) has been identified as a transmembrane protein involved in the host innate immune response to gram-negative bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Upon activation by LPS recognition, the TIR domain of TLR4 signals through MyD88 to activate the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) pathway, a critical regulator of many proinflammatory genes, including interleukin-8 (IL-8). Emerging evidence suggests that reactive oxygen species (ROS) can contribute to diverse signaling pathways, including the LPS-induced cascade. In the present study we investigated the role of ROS in TLR-mediated signaling. Purified Escherichia coli LPS, a highly specific TLR4 agonist, elicited an oxidative burst in the monocyte-like cell line THP-1 in a time- and dose-dependent manner. This oxidative burst was shown to be dependent on the presence of TLR4 through transfection studies in HEK cells, which do not normally express this protein, and with bone marrow-derived macrophages from C3H/HeJ mice, which express a mutated TLR4 protein. LPS-stimulated IL-8 expression could be blocked by the antioxidants N-acetyl-l-cysteine and dimethyl sulfoxide at both the protein and mRNA levels. These antioxidants also blocked LPS-induced IL-8 promoter transactivation as well as the nuclear translocation of NF-κB. These data provide evidence that ROS regulate immune signaling through TLR4 via their effects on NF-κB activation.
Analysis of momentum adaptive filtering algorithms

This article analyzes the momentum LMS algorithm and other momentum algorithms using asymptotic techniques that provide information regarding the almost sure behavior of the parameter estimates and their asymptotic distribution. The analysis does not make any assumptions on the autocorrelation function of the input process.
A generalized force-modified potential energy surface for mechanochemical simulations

We describe the modifications that a spatially varying external load produces on a Born-Oppenheimer potential energy surface (PES) by calculating static quantities of interest. The effects of the external loads are exemplified using electronic structure calculations (at the HF/6-31G∗∗ level) of two different molecules: ethane and hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-s-triazine (RDX). The calculated transition states and Hessian matrices of stationary points show that spatially varying external loads shift the stationary points and modify the curvature of the PES, thereby affecting the harmonic transition rates by altering both the energy barrier as well as the prefactor. The harmonic spectra of both molecules are blueshifted with increasing compressive “pressure.” Some stationary points on the RDX-PES disappear under application of the external load, indicating the merging of an energy minimum with a saddle point.
Emergency Response Transport Forecasting Using Historical Wind Field Pattern Matching

Abstract Historical pattern matching, or analog forecasting, is used to generate short-term mesoscale transport forecasts for emergency response at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. A simple historical pattern-matching algorithm operating on a database from the spatially and temporally dense Eastern Idaho Mesonet is used to generate a wind field forecast, which then is input to an existing puff diffusion model. The forecasts are rated both by a team of meteorologists and by a computer scoring method. Over 60% of the forecasts are rated as acceptable. The forecasts also are compared with a persistence method, using both a subjective human evaluation and root-mean-square error calculations.
Strong Deep Recirculations in a Two-Layer Wind-Driven Ocean

Abstract The circulation of a geostrophic, two-layer ocean with Ekman layers at the top, the bottom, and the interface and driven by an anticyclonic wind stress is determined by numerical integration. Inertial effects and lateral friction are ignored. A nominal ratio of upper- to lower-layer thicknesses of 0.15 leads to the formation of a region in the northwestern corner of the basin with lower-layer geostrophic contours that originate from and return to the western boundary layer. This region is referred to as unblocked. Elsewhere in the interior the lower layer is quiescent and the system behaves like a reduced-gravity system. The smallest amount of friction that could be treated by the variable grid procedure that was used leads to a western boundary layer with a width that is 0.1% of the width of the basin. For this limiting case fluid in the lower layer of the unblocked region flows out of the western boundary and turns southward and then southwestward to return to the western boundary layer as a re...
The Tell-Tale Heart (Now, Optically Mapped)

In Edgar Allan Poe's short story ([1][1]) published in 1843, a nameless narrator murders an old man, dismembers the body, and then hides it under the floorboards. When the police come to investigate, the murderer becomes quickly tormented by what he perceives is the sound of the dead man's heartbeat
Criminal Jury Uncertainty and Democratic Theory

Like the legislature, the criminal jury is a facet of American government that has traditionally enjoyed robust democratic credentials. In some ways, it perhaps even surpasses the legislature given its composition of only randomly-chosen lay citizens, who serve their civic duty with no apparent interests—electoral or otherwise. Yet although we may think of the jury as democratic in nature, almost as an intuitive matter, it is not exactly clear why we should think so. Indeed the electoral mechanism is conspicuously absent in the jury. What is it about the jury then that makes it a democratic institution?In this paper, I probe this question further and suggest a possible answer. I proceed by theoretically constructing, examining, and critiquing different democratic conceptions of the criminal jury. Ultimately, I find that most conceptions of the jury, which conceive of it as populist institution, representative institution, or deliberative institution, all capture important insights, but also all fall short due to problematic theoretical assumptions. After spelling out each of these conceptions and identifying their strengths and weaknesses, I will offer a more democratically defensible conception of the jury premised upon its role in institutionalizing uncertainty in the legal process.
A Statistical Approach for Testing Cross-Phenotype Effects of Rare Variants

Increasing empirical evidence suggests that many genetic variants influence multiple distinct phenotypes. When cross-phenotype effects exist, multivariate association methods that consider pleiotropy are often more powerful than univariate methods that model each phenotype separately. Although several statistical approaches exist for testing cross-phenotype effects for common variants, there is a lack of similar tests for gene-based analysis of rare variants. In order to fill this important gap, we introduce a statistical method for cross-phenotype analysis of rare variants using a nonparametric distance-covariance approach that compares similarity in multivariate phenotypes to similarity in rare-variant genotypes across a gene. The approach can accommodate both binary and continuous phenotypes and further can adjust for covariates. Our approach yields a closed-form test whose significance can be evaluated analytically, thereby improving computational efficiency and permitting application on a genome-wide scale. We use simulated data to demonstrate that our method, which we refer to as the Gene Association with Multiple Traits (GAMuT) test, provides increased power over competing approaches. We also illustrate our approach using exome-chip data from the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy.
Emergence, Survival, and Fecundity of Adult Cat Fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) Exposed as Pupae to Juvenile Hormone Mimics

Cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouche), adults exposed to sprays of methoprene, pyriproxyfen, or fenoxycarb as cocooned pupae emerged approximately 1 d earlier than adults from water-treated control pupae. Mortality of adult fleas, after exposure to juvenile hormone mimics as pupae, was increased over that of controls. Females had higher mortality than males within the first 48 h of feeding. Fecundity of females exposed as pupae to juvenile hormone mimics was not different from that of controls. Early emergence of preemerged adults from treated cocoons is discussed along with reasons for higher female susceptibility to juvenile hormone mimics.
Review Essay/The Economics of the African Slave Trade

The Transatlantic Slave Trade: A History. By James A. Rawley. (New York: Norton, 1981. xv + 452 pp. Maps, illustrations, tables, notes, and index. $24.95.) The Notorious Triangle: Rhode Island and the African Slave Trade, 1700-1807. By Jay Coughtry. (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1981. xiii + 361 pp. Illustrations, charts, tables, appendix, notes, bibliography, and index. $22.95.) Human Cargoes: The British Slave Trade to Spanish America, 1700-1739. By Colin Palmer. (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1981. xvi + 183 pp. Maps, tables, appendixes, notes, selected bibliography, and index. $19.50.)
The Relative Proportion of Stromal and Epithelial Hyperplasia is Related to the Development of Symptomatic Benign Prostate Hyperplasia

AbstractThe specific features of the prostate adenoma predisposing to the development of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) are unknown. Our objective was to determine whether the histological composition of the prostate adenoma is related to the development of symptomatic BPH. Prostate adenomas were obtained from men with asymptomatic BPH undergoing cystoprostatectomy for invasive transitional cell carcinoma, and from men with symptomatic BPH undergoing open prostatectomy, transurethral resection of the prostate and pharmacotherapy. The severity of bladder outlet obstruction was evaluated with the Boyarsky symptom score and uroflowmetry. The percentages of stroma, epithelium and glandular lumen were determined in the prostate adenomas via quantitative image analysis on a computer-assisted morphometry system. The prostate adenomas from the 33 men with symptomatic BPH contained 62 ± 1%, 15 ± 1% and 23 ± 1% of stroma, epithelium and glandular lumen, respectively. The prostate adenomas from 6 men...
BioMEMS Sensor Systems for Bacterial Infection Detection

The spread of drug-resistant bacteria represents a growing worldwide health problem. The most efficient way to fight drug-resistant bacteria is to detect their colonies, identify their type, monitor their growth, and destroy them before they reach the human body. A gravimetric biomedical micro-electro-mechanical sensor (BioMEMS) system operating in the pico-gram range (10−12 g/cm2) has been proposed for detecting growth of drug-resistant bacterial colonies. The sensor is based on a MEMS metal-coated thin piezoelectric membrane resonator. A combination of shear horizontal surface acoustic (SHSAW), Bleustein-Gulyaev, skimming and ‘leaky’ waves, generated in the resonator, are highly sensitive to mass, density, viscoelastic, and electrochemical changes at the resonator/bacteria interface. Measuring resonant frequency shifts of the composite resonator provides information about the mass and type of the bacterium colony growing on the resonator.
Diode-pumped Yb:YAG laser repetitively Q-switched at 100 kHz

The rare-earth ion Yb3+ has attracted attention within the diode-pumped solid-state laser community chiefly because its favorable quantum defect (from the InGaAs-diode-pumpable absorption feature at 941 nm and the lasing transition at 1.03 μm) creates the lowest known thermal load1 of any 1-μm laser dopant (i.e., 1/4 that of Nd:YAG). Moreover, its simple two-electronic-manifold spectroscopic character eliminates competing processes, such as excited-state absorption and upconversion, from degrading its laser performance. For high-average-power laser applications, YAG is the laser host material of choice because of its thermal ruggedness. Diode-pumped Yb:YAG lasers have been reported in various end-pumped geometries,2,3 with slope efficiencies up to 80% with respect to absorbed power.4 One way to scale the Yb:YAG laser performance to higher average power is to implement a transverse- or side-diode-pumped geometry by using rack-and-stack diode pump arrays, for example. Utilizing this pump geometry, we recently reported5 what is to our knowledge the highest pulse energy to date of 50 mJ/pulse in the first side-diode-pumped Yb:YAG laser demonstration, and we have now modified this laser for AO Q-switching operation.
Population Genetics of Bacteria in a Forensic Context

Publisher Summary Population genetics can be viewed as a subfield of evolutionary biology that focuses on genetic diversity within species, as opposed to differences between species and higher taxonomic groups, although this distinction is not always precise, especially in microbes. It plays a major role in forensics of human species. This chapter explains differences in population genetics between humans and microorganisms, illustrating ways in which useful forensic inferences might be drawn from microbial DNA sequences, and suggests avenues for future research. In contrast to the human DNA-based forensics, a perfect match between a bacterial forensic sample and some potential source is less definitive, owing to exact clones that may exist. Such exact clones reflect the asexual mode of bacterial reproduction. Microbiology laboratories often store clones and exchange them with other laboratories. The opportunity for exact clones to confound forensic source tracking is thus especially relevant in the context of forensic samples that may have come from a laboratory. Even one or a few genetic differences between a forensic sample and some potential sources can exclude certain scenarios while focusing attention on others. The pattern of differences among potential sources might; for example, implicate one of them as an intermediate or final stage in the derivation of a forensic sample. The issues emphasized in this chapter are more relevant for tracking a deliberate attack than a natural epidemic. In the latter case, the number of generations and accumulated genetic differences are generally much greater, the potential sources are not deliberately stored as clones, and perfect attribution is often less critical.
Separation and Identification of Minerals from Lignites

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the separation and identification of minerals from lignites. Outside of the laboratory, mineral separation is carried out for the primary purpose of providing a clean, pollutant-free coal for burning. Most methods depend on differences in gravity between coal and mineral matter, although the procedure must be varied in many cases to adapt to the nature of the mineral to be removed. The cleaning of coal is both an art and a science, as many factors interrelate to determine the ease and efficiency with which mineral matter may be separated from coal, and significant differences will be noted between coals of the same rank taken from different geologic environments. Several classic methods are available for the identification of minerals separable in quantity and in relatively pure form. Properties related to crystalline structure may be used for positive identification by ordinary visual means or by optical microscopy, depending on the size of the pure sample. The examination of dust dispersion slides or embedded thin sections by optical microscopy will reveal much information regarding the nature of the mineral matter based on observation of the refraction in air, color, and other optical properties dependent on the transmission of light.