cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Postponed Pituitary Homotransplants into the Region of the Hypophysial Portal Circulation in Hypophysectomized Female Rats

Pituitary homotransplants were made by the parapharyngeal approach in Long-Evans rats after posthypophysectomy periods of approximately 60, 200 and 375 days. The rats were about 40 days of age at hypophysectomy and, during the posthypophysectomy- pretransplantation periods, did not gain in weight or have sex cycles. The donors were Long-Evans males about 15 days old. Most of the recipients were autopsied 75 days after the transplantations were made. Except for a few recipients which showed no effects, 2 types of response occurred. In both types there was a gain in weight and activation of the proximal epiphysial discs of the tibiae. In one type there were regular sex cycles, an almost complete repair of the reproductive organs, adrenal cortices and thyroids, and fertility. Lactation was absent or deficient. In the other type there were no sex cycles and no repair of the reproductive organs or adrenal cortices, but some repair of the thyroids. Measurements showed little or no growth of the transplants. Typ...
A “marker” technique to monitor treated industrial wastewater effluents

Abstract In toxicological research with hazardous substances (e.g. carcinogens), wastewater effluent from the test facility must be free of such substances before discharge into the environment. An industrial wastewater processing plant employing adsorbers of carbon and XAD-2 resin is described; however, chemical assays of each batch of treated effluent must certify the absence of all test agents. Elution profiles and adsorption isotherm tests with the test agents vs. the two adsorbents provided the basis for a “marker” technique which should eliminate the necessity to assay for all test agents in each batch of processed effluent. A rationale is presented for periodic introduction of a “marker” (gentian violet) into the primary adsorbers. If detected in the effluent, the “marker”, which elutes from the adsorbers before most of the test agents would signal impending depletion of the adsorbent which could then be replaced. Recommendations to modify the industrial wastewater treatment plant and to implement the “marker” technique are presented as cost-effective alternatives to extensive and laborious chemical assays.
Metaphor comprehension: a computational theory.

Metaphor comprehension involves an interaction between the meaning of the topic and the vehicle terms of the metaphor. Meaning is represented by vectors in a high-dimensional semantic space. Predication modifies the topic vector by merging it with selected features of the vehicle vector. The resulting metaphor vector can be evaluated by comparing it with known landmarks in the semantic space. Thus, metaphorical predication is treated in the present model in exactly the same way as literal predication. Some experimental results concerning metaphor comprehension are simulated within this framework, such as the nonreversibility of metaphors, priming of metaphors with literal statements, and priming of literal statements with metaphors.
Sentinel node biopsy site used as full thickness skin graft donor for cutaneous melanoma.

Abstract Background: Wound defects after wide local excision (WLE) for cutaneous melanoma can occasionally require the use of skin grafts for closure. Harvesting the skin graft can result in an additional wound. Methods: The increasing use of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy in cutaneous melanoma at our institution has facilitated the development of an alternative technique for obtaining donor skin. The proposed method utilizes the skin overlying the SLN as the skin graft donor site. Sixteen patients underwent WLE of intermediate to thick melanomas with SLN biopsy and full thickness skin graft harvested from the SLN biopsy site. Results: After a median follow-up of 12 months, there were no graft failures. There were 2 partial graft losses. There were no wound complications. There were no melanoma recurrences. Conclusions: In cases where primary closure is not technically feasible or cosmetically favorable, the use of the SLN incision site as a skin graft donor provides the surgeon with an effective repair and spares the patient an additional skin graft donor site defect.
A brain magnetic resonance imaging study of pituitary gland morphology in anorexia nervosa and bulimia.

Abstract Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain was used to examine the morphology and dimensions of the pituitary gland in 18 patients with eating disorders (8 anorectics and 10 bulimics), in comparison with 13 healthy volunteers. None of the 18 patients with anorexia or bulimia had any radiological evidence suggestive of pituitary macroadenoma. cyst, or empty sella. Measurements revealed that the anorectics and bulimics had smaller pituitary gland cross-sectional areas (p
Lidar-acoustic sensing of clouds

Abstract Delta-k lidar acoustic sounding is examined as a technique for sensing cloud particle size parameters. The method is based on the size dependence of the movement of the particles in response to an acoustic wave transmitted into the cloud. The density change of the particles induced by this motion is detected with the delta-k lidar technique. A simple, one parameter cloud particle model is used to estimate the performance of the method at ranges from 3 m to 10 km. These performance estimates indicate that the technique may practical for both remote and in-situ sensing of cloud particle size parameters.
Condis Crystals of Small Molecule VI. The Differences Between Smectic and Condis Phases, Evaluated by a Solid State 13C NMR Study of N,N′-bis(4-n-octyloxybenzal)-1,4-phenylenediamine (OOBPD)

Abstract Carbon-13 NMR spectra have been obtained for N,N′-bis(4-n-octyloxybenzal)-1,4-phenylenediamine (OOBPD) in the condis and smectic phases. Sharp, well-resolved spectra were obtained without magic angle sample spinning in the smectic phases under the conditions of cross-polarization or single carbon pulse followed by high-power proton decoupling. The smectic I-to-smectic C transition involves a discontinuous change in 13C chemical shifts due to a large degree to orientational disordering. Similar behavior was found between the spectra of smectic C and the isotopic state. Order parameters for various smectic phases are calculated based on the observed differences in 13C chemical shift between the isotropic state and the smectic phase. The spectra were measured at different sample orientation with respect to the external magnetic field, and show that reorienting the smectic molecules in a magnetic field is facile. Larger difference can be found between the spectra obtained by cross polarization and th...
Co-stimulation and T cells as therapeutic targets

Full activation and differentiation of resting T cells into effector T cells requires at least two signals, the first through engagement of the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) by the antigen-major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on antigen-presenting cells (APCs), and the second by engagement of co-stimulatory molecules such as CD28, on T cells by ligands such as CD80/86 on APCs. Effector T cell differentiation is associated with proliferation, secretion of cytokines and expression of additional surface molecules. These inducible structures may have stimulatory (ICOS, OX40 and 4-1BB) or inhibitory (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen (CTLA)-4) potential. To the extent that T cells have a role in particular immune-mediated diseases, interruption of T cell co-stimulation is a potentially worthwhile approach to the treatment of those conditions. This article summarises the experience in treating rheumatological disease by perturbation of T cell co-stimulation, and also describes structures that could be future targets for this type of therapeutic approach.
Goodness of fit tests in mixed effects logistic models characterized by clustering

Mixed effects logistic models have become a popular method for analyzing clustered binary data. However, methods to assess goodness of fit are not well developed. Recent work conducted for the ordinary logistic regression model provides the basis for a newly computed mean and variance for the Pearson and the unweighted sums of squares statistics for the mixed effects logistic model. A simulation study was conducted to evaluate the performance of these statistics. The factors that were varied were the number of clusters, the number of observations within a cluster, the magnitude of the correlation, and the number and type of covariates included in the model. Reported simulations results show that the unweighted sums of squares and Pearson statistics have adequate Type I error rates and are recommended for use in evaluating goodness of fit in certain settings.
The Changing Presentation of Choledochal Cyst Disease: An Incidental Diagnosis

Background. Choledochal cysts are uncommon biliary lesions. Due to the evolution of imaging and laparoscopic surgery, we sought to describe our last 3 years experience with the presentation and management of choledochal cysts in adults. Methods. A retrospective review of a prospectively established database of adults who were managed for primary choledochal cyst disease between 2005 and 2008 was performed. Results. Between 8/2005 and 8/2008, 14 adults were managed for primary choledochal cyst disease. The average age was 41 years (range 17–86) and 79% were female. Presentations included biliary sepsis (3), pancreatitis (2), abdominal pain (3), or painless jaundice (1). Three patients had the cyst found during laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and two had an incidental finding after CT scan for an unrelated issue. The length of stay for those who had the cyst removed was 7.8 days (range 5–11). There were no operative or post-operative complications. Conclusions. Over the last 3 years 36% of our patients with choledochal cysts presented after incidental finding, either during a laparoscopic operation or after a CT scan for an unrelated problem. Increasing utilization of laparoscopy and CT scan for abdominal complaints has lead to a change in the pattern of presentation.
Confrontation naming after anterior temporal lobectomy is related to age of acquisition of the object names

Decline in visual confrontation naming ability may occur as a postacute complication of left anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) for the treatment of intractable mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. In this study of 26 left ATL patients who demonstrated postsurgery decline on a standardized naming measure, it was hypothesized that naming performance would be significantly associated with specific attributes of the object names. We investigated the relation between performance on the Boston Naming Test (BNT) and the following attributes of the test items: living versus nonliving category (L/NL), word length (WL), written word frequency (WF), and age of acquisition (AoA). Regression analyses revealed that AoA and WF were significant predictors of preoperative group performance. AoA was the only significant predictor of performance after left ATL. For the 17 individuals who demonstrated a statistically meaningful decline on the BNT, as indicated by a Reliable Change Index, individual logistic regressions demonstrated that AoA was the strongest and most consistent predictor of postoperative success/failure for items that had been named correctly preoperatively. Consistent with the literature on naming errors in elderly normals and patients with aphasia or semantic dementia, the results provide evidence that object names learned in late childhood are among the most vulnerable when there is a decline in object naming ability. Investigation of additional attributes and semantic knowledge for the concepts represented by the pictured objects will be necessary to determine whether the naming deficit associated with TLE and ATL reflects an impairment of phonological word-form retrieval, semantics, or both.
The effects of orthognathic surgery on speech production

Speech characteristics of 20 patients who underwent orthognathic surgery for correction of various skeletal defects were studied before surgical treatment and at periodic intervals postoperatively. Patients completed questionnaires that focused on their perceptions of appearance and oral function after orthognathic surgery. Approximately 60% of the patients demonstrated preoperative articulation errors. These were classified as mild because they did not interfere with the ability to be understood. Periodic testing indicated positive changes in articulation for a majority of those who had exhibited preoperative errors. None of the subjects experienced postoperative deterioration in their articulation. The subjects' perceptions of their individual operations were positive on all variables assessed.
Cellular characteristics and specificity of alloactivated regulatory T cells modulating T-cell-mediated responses

The characteristics of human alloactivated regulatory T (Tr) cells influencing the proliferative responses of mixed lymphocyte reactions (MLR) were analyzed based on relative major histocompatibility complex (MHC) specificity, proliferative requirements, Fc receptor expression, and buoyant density. Optimal Tr-mediated suppression required MHC homology with the responder, but not the stimulator populations. In addition, Tr suppression consisted of both proliferative and nonproliferative components. By either Fc receptors for immunoglobulin G (IgG) (Tγ) or buoyant density, no precursor populations predestined to differentiate into specific Tr subpopulations could be delineated. However, fractionation of the Tr populations by buoyant density demonstrated slowly sedimenting suppressor subpopulations and rapidly sedimenting amplifier cells with the net effect representing a balance among these differing functional subpopulations. Finally, the Tr suppressive populations failed to demonstrate FcIgG surface receptors therefore indicating that both T-γ and T non-γ subpopulations are capable of differentiating into alloactivated T non-γ suppressor cells.
On the complexity of sign-nonsingularity and equal unions of sets

A family of nonempty sets has the equal union property (EUP) if and only if there exist two nonempty disjoint subfamilies having the same union. If, in addition, every set in the family is used, we have the full equal union property (FEUP). A family with more sets than points always has the equal union property. On the other hand, if there are more points than sets, recognizing both the EUP and FEUP is NP-complete. A recent striking and difficult result by Robertson, Seymour, Thomas, and independently, McCuaig, implies that for square families (the same number of sets as points) recognition of the EUP is polynomial-time. In contrast to this, we give a simple argument below to show that FEUP is NP-complete in the square case.
Ligand-induced conformational dependence of hemoglobin in sickling interactions☆

Abstract It is generally accepted that the deoxy-conformation is required for the polymerization of hemoglobin S which results in gelation and sickling, and that Hb F does not interact with Hb S. Gelation experiments performed on mixtures of deoxy-Hb S or deoxy-Hb C Harlem ( α 2 β 6val,73Asn with various cyanmethemoglobins (which have a fixed oxy-confornation regardless of the presence of oxygen) show that (1), although cyanmet-Hb S does not gel on deoxygenation, cyanmet-Hb A participates equally as well as deoxy-Hb A does in gelation with deoxy-Hb S; this indicates that the deoxy-conformation is necessary for the Hb contributing the β 6Val -determined binding site, but is not required for the participatory role of non-S hemoglobins in gelation; (2) unlike deoxy-Hb F, cyanmet-Hb F does participate in gelation with deoxy-Hb S, as well as do deoxy- or cyanmet-Hb A; this constitutes a surprising reversal of the conformational dependence seen with Hb S in gelation, and suggests that the non-S hemoglobins provide complementary and/or secondary interaction sites whose conformational requirements are different from that of the β 6Val -determined site; (3) deoxy-Hb C Harlem (which alone interacts much less than pure deoxy-Hb S, but gels in mixtures with deoxy-Hb A as readily as does deoxy-Hb S) does not participate in gelation with cyanmet-hemoglobins A, F or S; this (together with earlier findings that Hb Korle-Bu ( α 2 β 2 73Asn ) participates very little in gelation with Hb S or Hb C Harlem ) suggests that β 73Asn may interfere with gelation in more than one manner, depending on the conformational state of the non-S hemoglobin and on whether the substitution is present on the same chain as the primary ( β 6Val ) site or on a separate β chain. In view of recent ultrastructural data, theoretical considerations of Pauling concerning liquid crystals, and model building, the present data are viewed in terms of a suggested polymeric structure: a packed helix with a low pitch, having about six molecules per turn, which permits the existence of primary and secondary interacting sites.
The origins of social emotions and self-regulation in toddlerhood: New evidence

In recent years, there has been increased attention to the development of “moral,” “social”, or “self-conscious” emotions, such as embarrassment, shame, and pride, in 2- and 3-year olds. In the present study, 17-month-olds' behaviours in several contexts were observed; and observations of behaviours of their parents were obtained. Results indicated that toddlers did react appropriately to the situations, and their behaviours in the semi-naturalistic situations cohered as three factors: a guilt factor, an embarrassment factor, and an anxiety/inhibition factor. Embarrassed behaviour included a smile accompanied by indications of embarrassment (gaze aversion, lip press, lip bite, and/or body touching/self-adaptors). Moreover, parental behaviours systematically predicted children's behaviour patterns, but self-recognition was unrelated to most behaviours. Implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.
Vigabatrin Inhibits Seizures and mTOR Pathway Activation in a Mouse Model of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder and cause of significant morbidity and mortality. Although antiseizure medication is the first-line treatment for epilepsy, currently available medications are ineffective in a significant percentage of patients and have not clearly been demonstrated to have disease-specific effects for epilepsy. While seizures are usually intractable to medication in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), a common genetic cause of epilepsy, vigabatrin appears to have unique efficacy for epilepsy in TSC. While vigabatrin increases gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels, the precise mechanism of action of vigabatrin in TSC is not known. In this study, we investigated the effects of vigabatrin on epilepsy in a knock-out mouse model of TSC and tested the novel hypothesis that vigabatrin inhibits the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, a key signaling pathway that is dysregulated in TSC. We found that vigabatrin caused a modest increase in brain GABA levels and inhibited seizures in the mouse model of TSC. Furthermore, vigabatrin partially inhibited mTOR pathway activity and glial proliferation in the knock-out mice in vivo, as well as reduced mTOR pathway activation in cultured astrocytes from both knock-out and control mice. This study identifies a potential novel mechanism of action of an antiseizure medication involving the mTOR pathway, which may account for the unique efficacy of this drug for a genetic epilepsy.
The effects of stereoisomers of 2-amino-6(7)- and 9-amino-6-trifluoromethylbenzonorbornenes on food intake, brain serotonin concentration, and monoamine oxidase activity in the rat

Summary To evaluate the importance of the conformation of fenfluramine in eliciting its various central nervous system effects, the isomers of 2-amino-6(7)-and 9-amino-6-trifluoromethylbenzonorbornene were employed as conformationally defined analogs of norfenfluramine. In this series of isomeric amines, the ulexo-2 and ulanti-9 isomers resemble the fully extended conformation of fenfluramine, whereas the ulendo-2 and ulsyn-9 isomers resemble the folded conformation. The ulexo-2 and ulanti-9 isomers were equi-effective in reducing food intake in the rat, but were approximately seven times less potent than fenfluramine. The ulendo-2 and ulsyn-9 isomers had no effect on food intake up to a dose of 40 mg/kg. All of the isomers were as effective as amphetamine in inhibiting brain monoamine oxidase type B. These isomers also inhibited monoamine oxidase type A to the same extent as type B, but were significantly less potent than amphetamine in inhibiting this form of the enzyme. The effects at anorectic doses on brain serotonin (5-HT) concentration were also studied. Although fenfluramine decreased brain 5-HT concentration, the ulexo-2, ulsyn-9 and ulanti-9 isomers had no significant effect. The ulendo-2 isomers caused an 11% decrease in 5-HT concentration, but this effect was observed at higher doses of the compound. The data suggest that the fully extended conformation of fenfluramine is preferred over the folded conformation for eliciting its anorectic activity. However, no conclusion can be made for the conformational requirements for the other biological responses investigated in this study.
A unified earthquake-resistant design method for steel frames using arma models

The objective of this paper is to develop a unified earthquake-resistant design method for moment-resisting steel frames, including the design earthquake via a dynamic ARMA model. Important features of this design method are: (i) to make it possible to incorporate inherent uncertain features of design earthquakes into the design process itself through the dynamic ARMA model, (ii) to provide a simplified design formula for a preliminary design of moment-resisting steel frames based upon the concept of stiffness-oriented design and (iii) to facilitate the formulation of a new probabilistic multi-objective optimal design problem aimed at finding the design with the minimum level of designer's dissatisfaction. In this optimal design problem, constraints and objectives are handled in a unified manner after a feasible design is obtained. A design example is presented to demonstrate the validity of this unified design method and to examine the convergence of response statistics. Finally, the generality and practicality of this design method are assessed.
Feigin-Fuchs derivation of SU(1,1) parafermion characters

Abstract We use the Feigin-Fuchs Coulomb gas construction, with two free gaussian bosons, to study the representation theory of the SU(1,1) parafermion models. We derive the chiral algebra and highest weights for unitary finitely reducible models, and calculate the irreducible parafermion characters which correspond to continous and discrete unitary SU(1,1) representations.
Dispersion of small amplitude solutions of the generalized Korteweg-de Vries equation

Abstract We study the long-time behavior of small solutions of the initial-value problem for the generalized Korteweg-de Vries equation ∂ t u + ∂ x 3 u + ∂ x F(u) = 0 (gKdV) u(x, 0) = g(x) . For the case where F(w)=¦w¦ s , with s > ( 1 4 )(23 − √57) ≈ 3.8625 , our results imply that if ∥g∥L11 + ∥g∥L22 is sufficiently small then sup r (1 + ¦t¦) 1 3 ∥u(t)∥ L ∞ . In particular, the solution tends to zero in the supremum norm. The proofs make use of Duhamel's formula and dispersion estimates for the linear propagator, as well as chain and Leibniz rules for fractional derivatives of compositions ∥DαF(u)∥Lp and products ∥Dα(fg)∥Lp, 0
Effect of viscosities on structure and instability of sprays from a swirl atomizer

Abstract The breakup phenomena of liquid spray sheets and jets are encountered in daily life as well as in various industrial applications. The onset of instability has a direct impact on the downstream spray development, and thus it is necessary to investigate the effect of liquid physical properties on this instability. The present paper focuses on the effects of liquid viscosity on the spray characteristics and instability during the transient operation of a swirl atomizer in a trigger sprayer via experiments. In the experiments, water–glycerol mixtures were used to simulate fluids with a wide range of viscosities. The transient displacement of the dispensing piston was measured. A high-speed digital video camera was used to visualize the near-nozzle spray structure. The digital images of the sprays were further processed in order to analyze the spray angle and the surface waves on the spray cone. By using the spatiotemporal diagrams, the surface wave temporal frequency was also analyzed for fluids with different viscosities. From the experimental results, it is seen that the fluid viscosity plays a critical role in controlling the liquid sheet breakup and atomization. More viscous fluids result in smaller average spray cone angles. The spray cone developed very fast during the early stage for less viscous fluids, while for the most viscous liquid, a very small cone angle with little breakup and atomization was observed. As the liquid viscosity increases, the cone collapses earlier with larger droplets in the end stage. In addition to the spray cone angles, the surface wave temporal frequency was also calculated from the recorded images. The results show that the surface wave temporal frequency depends on the dispensing time and the fluid viscosity, and is almost independent of the location in the near nozzle liquid cone. The results also indicate that the surface wave temporal frequency decreases with time.
Hyperglycemia in the intensive care unit: no longer just a marker of illness severity.

Background: Hyperglycemia is a common occurrence in critically ill patients. Recent evidence has demonstrated improved survival in patients in surgical intensive care units (SICUs) receiving "tight glycemic control." The mechanisms of this survival advantage are not well understood. Methods: A review of the English language literature pertaining to potential mechanisms affecting outcome in critically ill patients receiving insulin therapy, including recently published human trials evaluating mortality outcomes. Results: This review discusses the results of clinical trials of "tight glycemic control," considers mechanisms of hyperglycemia in critical illness, and reviews potential mechanisms of improved outcome related in the critically ill patient. Conclusions: A number of human studies have demonstrated improved outcomes in critically ill patient populations receiving insulin therapy with a target of euglycemia, suggesting at least part of the benefit of this therapy is normal blood sugar and not the eff...
College Students' Perceptions of Men and Women Choosing Teaching and Management: The Effects of Gender and Sex Role Egalitarianism.

Three hundred and thirty-eight undergraduate students (180 females, 158 males) rated the characteristics of protagonists presented in one of six hypothetical scenarios on 29 seven-point bipolar descriptors, and completed the Sex Role Egalitarian Scale (SRES; Beere, King, Beere & King, 1984). Protagonists' gender and choice of occupation (elementary education, secondary education, and management) were varied. Women obtained higher SRES scores than males. Overall, Maryann was rated more favorably than David, and secondary education was rated more favorably than management or elementary education. Factor analysis yielded four factors-adjusted worker, industrious worker, powerful worker, and creative worker—that were analyzed in 4 four-way analyses of variance examining effects of protagonists' gender and choice of career and subjects' gender and SRES. Results are discussed in light of stereotyping of males and females in female sex-typed professions.
Ten years of heavy-ion acceleration with a superconducting linac

Abstract This year, 1988, is the tenth anniversary of the first use of rf superconductivity to accelerate heavy ions. In June 1978, the first two superconducting resonators of the Argonne Tandem-Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS) were used to boost the energy of a 19F beam from the tandem, and by September 1978 a 5-resonator linac provided an 16O beam for a nuclear-physics experiment. Since then, the superconducting linac has grown steadily in size and capability until now there are 42 accelerating structures and four bunchers. Throughout this period, the system was used routinely for physics research, and by now the total time with beam on target is 35000 h. Lessons learned from this long running experience and some key technical developments that made it possible are reviewed in this paper.
Taste and olfaction in human obesity

Abstract Earlier studies have shown differences between normal weight and obese humans in responsivity to external and internal stimuli. This study shows that normal weight and obese subjects do not differ in hedonic response to sucrose (taste) and benzaldehyde (odor). However, a perceptual typing of individuals based upon hedonic response is possible for both gustatory and olfactory processes. Ratings of pleasantness for the sweet taste of sucrose appear to generalize to the food-related odor of bitter almonds. The method of magnitude estimation as applied to the study of taste and olfaction in man may reveal relationships between changes in internal state and hedonic behavior.
An Analytical Method for the Measurement of Nonviable Bioaerosols

Exposures from indoor environments are a major issue for evaluating total long-term personal exposures to the fine fraction (<2.5 microm in aerodynamic diameter) of particulate matter (PM). It is widely accepted in the indoor air quality (IAQ) research community that biocontamination is one of the important indoor air pollutants. Major indoor air biocontaminants include mold, bacteria, dust mites, and other antigens. Once the biocontaminants or their metabolites become airborne, IAQ could be significantly deteriorated. The airborne biocontaminants or their metabolites can induce irritational, allergic, infectious, and chemical responses in exposed individuals. Biocontaminants, such as some mold spores or pollen grains, because of their size and mass, settle rapidly within the indoor environment. Over time they may become nonviable and fragmented by the process of desiccation. Desiccated nonviable fragments of organisms are common and can be toxic or allergenic, depending upon the specific organism or organism component. Once these smaller and lighter fragments of biological PM become suspended in air, they have a greater tendency to stay suspended. Although some bioaerosols have been identified, few have been quantitatively studied for their prevalence within the total indoor PM with time, or for their affinity to penetrate indoors. This paper describes a preliminary research effort to develop a methodology for the measurement of nonviable biologically based PM, analyzing for mold and ragweed antigens and endotoxins. The research objectives include the development of a set of analytical methods and the comparison of impactor media and sample size, and the quantification of the relationship between outdoor and indoor levels of bioaerosols. Indoor and outdoor air samples were passed through an Andersen nonviable cascade impactor in which particles from 0.2 to 9.0 microm were collected and analyzed. The presence of mold, ragweed, and endotoxin was found in all eight size ranges. The presence of respirable particles of mold and pollen found in the fine particle size range from 0.2 to 5.25 microm is evidence of fragmentation of larger source particles that are known allergens.
An introduction to mathematical biology

Mathematical Models of Biological Systems By Hugo van den Berg Oxford University Press (2010) 256 pages ISBN 978-0-19-958218-1 (paperback), 978-0-19-958219-8 (hardback) £27.50/$49.50 (paperback), £65/$117 (hardback) ![Figure][1] One of the key goals of modern cell and developmental
Ultrafast quantum well infrared photo detector

Quantum well infrared photo-detectors (QWIP) have found numerous application as sensitive fast photo-detectors. Applications for fast detectors include laser diagnostics, telecommunications and Compton scattering measurements. The high speed potential of QWIPs is enabled by a short carrier lifetime in the order of 5 pS. This short lifetime permit's design of a 40 GHz bandwidth detector. In this paper we report on the development of a QWIP with an integrated electrical co-planar waveguide. The QWIP is a 100 well structure that is almost completely absorbing over the wavelength range of 9 to 11 microns. Free space radiation at 105 GHz has been observed from these QWIPs, but devices made to exploit this speed have not yet been developed. It is necessary to integrate an electrical co-planar waveguide with the QWIP mesa. In this work we report on a QWIP fabricated with a gold air bridge to connect the top of the mesa to the center line of a gold co-planar waveguide. The co-planar waveguide is tapered to allow direct connection to 2.4 mm and smaller electrical cable. Initial tests indicate that the device has a 40 GHz or greater bandwidth.
Secondary decays and the helium lithium isotope thermometer.

Detailed sequential decay calculations that include both discrete states and unbound states in the continuum have been performed. Particular attention is paid to the lifetime of continuum states contributing to the process and to the role of the primary charge distribution. Comparisons to the recent data indicate temperatures greater than 7 MeV are model dependent and cannot be determined reliably. Furthermore, correct temperatures must be obtained from isotope yields via careful comparison with sequential decay calculations.
An algorithm to classify and monitor seasonal variations in vegetation phenologies and their inter-annual change

Abstract The algorithm presented in this paper classifies vegetation from annual Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NVDI) time series according to the shape of the temporal cycle. Shape is described using the Fourier components’ magnitude and phase. The degree of an NDVI cycle’s similarity to a predefined reference cycle is measured by the similarity in their amplitude ratios and in their phase differences. Tolerable deviations from the ideal ratios and differences can be set by the user depending on individual accuracy requirements. Tolerable vegetation coverage variation within a shape class is another user defined variable. The algorithm is invariant to cycle modifications including temporal shifts, vertical displacements, and intensity variations, modifications that may be caused by differences in climate, soil (-type, -water, -fertility), or topography, but are unrelated to the vegetation type. The output is a highly consistent clustering of NDVI cycles according to their shapes, which can be linked to distinct vegetation types or land use practices. Intra-class coverage variations in the form of continuous fields measured relative to the reference cycle provide additional information about vegetation covers. Based on the same principles, inter-annual vegetation changes can be monitored with the possibility to distinguish between coverage fluctuations and phenological variations/changes. The algorithms are independent from scene statistics and can be used to create spatially and temporally comparable classifications. Their potential is demonstrated using a 250 m MODIS NDVI time series (version 4) from the Middle East.
Phenomenology of Hemolysis in Turbulent Flows

Shear induced hemolysis (SIH) refers to the rupture of red blood cells in shear flows resulting in the release of hemoglobin into plasma. Hemolysis in turn triggers a chain of bio-chemical events involving all the components of blood leading to the formation of thrombosis (blood clots). While SIH is negligible in a healthy circulatory system, it is widespread in life saving blood contacting devices such as heart valves, ventricular assist devices, and blood pumps. Thus an accurate physical understanding of the process of hemolysis is critical towards developing better predictive models of SIH, particularly in the context of engineering future blood contacting devices that are significantly more blood cell friendly.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Reflection: The Importance of Making Meaning in E-Service-Learning Courses.

This article explores the use of critical reflection to facilitate the construction of knowledge resulting from participation in e-service-learning courses. Such an instructional approach integrates an interdisciplinary curricular framework with site-specific service-learning opportunities resulting in an environment richer and more accessible through the use of technology. By facilitating the reflection process through this combination of service learning pedagogy and an online course format, students are empowered to both assess individual learning goals as well as collaborate with others to make meaning of their individual service-learning experience. Results from this study indicate that students felt reflection was essential to learning through gaining multiple perspectives and being introduced to a diversity of ideas.
Efficient Continuous Scanning in RFID Systems

RFID is an emerging technology with many potential applications such as inventory management for supply chain. In practice, these applications often need a series of continuous scanning operations to accomplish a task. For example, if one wants to scan all the products with RFID tags in a large warehouse, given a limited reading range of an RFID reader, multiple scanning operations have to be launched at different locations to cover the whole warehouse. Usually, this series of scanning operations are not completely independent as some RFID tags can be read by multiple processes. Simply scanning all the tags in the reading range during each process is inefficient because it collects a lot of redundant data and consumes a long time. In this paper, we develop efficient schemes for continuous scanning operations defined in both spatial and temporal domains. Our basic idea is to fully utilize the information gathered in the previous scanning operations to reduce the scanning time of the succeeding ones. We illustrate in the evaluation that our algorithms dramatically reduce the total scanning time when compared with other solutions.
The Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities (ABLA) test predicts the relative efficacy of task preferences for persons with developmental disabilities.

Background Prior studies have showed that presentation methods could affect the accuracy of a choice assessment. Methods In the current study, high- and low- preferred work tasks were identified in nine adults with developmental disabilities. Both tasks were then introduced in pairs within a choice assessment using the actual tasks, pictures of the tasks and spoken descriptions of the tasks. Participants were also given the Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities (ABLA) test that evaluated their discrimination skills. Results For five of the participants, their consistent choice of preferred task was predicted by their discrimination skills as assessed by the ABLA. Conclusions These findings extend that of Conyers et al. whereby the systematic assessment of discrimination skills could predict the effectiveness of different presentation methods in this population.
Spatiotemporal patterns of fish community composition in Great Lakes drowned river mouths

Freshwater river mouths in large lakes are centres of biological activity, yet little is understood about the spatial and temporal dynamics of fish communities in these systems. In the Laurentian Great Lakes, we sampled littoral fishes over 3 years in six drowned (i.e., protected) river mouths to: (i) quantify spatial (among river mouths) and temporal (among years) variation, (ii) evaluate associations with environmental conditions and (iii) assess spatial patterns of community similarity. We sampled 6787 fish representing 43 species over the course of the study. Multivariate analyses indicated that variation in fish species composition was more strongly partitioned among river mouths than among years. Fish communities across the six river mouths were partitioned into three groups, a pattern we attribute to variability in anthropogenic disturbance and environmental conditions. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that fish species composition was associated with specific conductivity, vegetation cover, turbidity and pH, suggesting species–environment relationships are similar to those shown for Great Lakes coastal wetlands. Finally, we found a negative relationship between geographic distance and community similarity, suggesting that dispersal and/or environmental gradients play a role in shaping these river mouth fish assemblages. We conclude that Great Lakes drowned river mouths can harbour diverse and spatially variable fish assemblages that are driven by a combination of local and regional factors.
I Know How You Feel: The Warm-Altruistic Personality Profile and the Empathic Brain

The ability to empathize with other people is a critical component of human social relationships. Empathic processing varies across the human population, however it is currently unclear how personality traits are associated with empathic processing. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that specific personality traits are associated with behavioral and biological indicators of improved empathy. Extraversion and Agreeableness are personality traits designed to measure individual differences in social-cognitive functioning, however each trait-dimension includes elements that represent interpersonal social functioning and elements that do not represent interpersonal social functioning. We tested the prediction that interpersonal elements of Extraversion (Warmth) and Agreeableness (Altruism) are associated with empathy and non-interpersonal elements of Extraversion and Agreeableness are not associated with empathy. We quantified empathic processing behaviorally (empathic accuracy task using video vignettes) and within the brain (fMRI and an emotional perspective taking task) in 50 healthy subjects. Converging evidence shows that highly warm and altruistic people are well skilled in recognizing the emotional states of other people and exhibit greater activity in brain regions important for empathy (temporoparietal junction and medial prefrontal cortex) during emotional perspective taking. A mediation analysis further supported the association between warm-altruistic personality and empathic processing; indicating that one reason why highly warm-altruistic individuals may be skilled empathizers is that they engage the temporoparietal junction and medial prefrontal cortex more. Together, these findings advance the way the behavioral and neural basis of empathy is understood and demonstrates the efficacy of personality scales to measure individual differences in interpersonal social function.
Silencing diacylglycerol kinase-theta expression reduces steroid hormone biosynthesis and cholesterol metabolism in human adrenocortical cells

Diacylglycerol kinase theta (DGKθ) plays a pivotal role in regulating adrenocortical steroidogenesis by synthesizing the ligand for the nuclear receptor steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1). In response to activation of the cAMP signaling cascade nuclear DGK activity is rapidly increased, facilitating PA-mediated, SF1-dependent transcription of genes required for cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) biosynthesis. Based on our previous work identifying DGKθ as the enzyme that produces the agonist for SF1, we generated a tetracycline-inducible H295R stable cell line to express a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) against DGKθ and characterized the effect of silencing DGKθ on adrenocortical gene expression. Genome-wide DNA microarray analysis revealed that silencing DGKθ expression alters the expression of multiple genes, including steroidogenic genes, nuclear receptors and genes involved in sphingolipid, phospholipid and cholesterol metabolism. Interestingly, the expression of sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs) was also suppressed. Consistent with the suppression of SREBPs, we observed a down-regulation of multiple SREBP target genes, including 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutary coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA red) and CYP51, concomitant with a decrease in cellular cholesterol. DGKθ knockdown cells exhibited a reduced capacity to metabolize PA, with a down-regulation of lipin and phospholipase D (PLD) isoforms. In contrast, suppression of DGKθ increased the expression of several genes in the sphingolipid metabolic pathway, including acid ceramidase (ASAH1) and sphingosine kinases (SPHK). In summary, these data demonstrate that DGKθ plays an important role in steroid hormone production in human adrenocortical cells.
Taxonomy: racism versus fiscal conservatism in voting on segregationist provisions in Alabama’s constitution

On Election Day 2004, a razor-thin majority of Alabama’s voters rejected a proposed amendment to remove overtly segregationist language from the state constitution. Opponents had contended that approval would have opened the legislative door to significantly higher taxes. We employ the results from two earlier special elections to analyze the outcome. In 2000, voters supported repealing a constitutional provision prohibiting interracial marriages. Three years later, Alabamians were asked to reveal their preferences with respect to additional taxation. The evidence suggests that opposition to higher taxes rather than bigotry was decisive in the rejection of Amendment 2 in 2004.
Why Keynesianism triumphed or, could so many Keynesians have been wrong?

Defenders of laissez‐faire have not successfully explained the historical experience of the Great Depression. Unemployment was widespread and persistent and cannot be ascribed to government intervention. Legal restrictions offer at best a partial explanation of why real wages did not fall. The Keynesian world view is also supported by experience with investment and equity market volatility, the conversion of Lionel Robbins, the wartime recovery, and the success of postwar macroeconomic performance. Some concluding remarks address how the case for laissez‐faire might be revived.
Single-mask microfabrication of three-dimensional objects from strained bimorphs

Recently, techniques known as 'micro-origami' or 'strain architecture' have emerged for the fabrication of out-of-plane micro- and nanostructures by relaxation of a pair of strain-mismatched thin films. Applications of such structures include optical reflectors, actuators and micropositioners. We illustrate how control of the folding order can generate complex three-dimensional objects from metal-oxide bilayers using this approach. By relying on the fact that narrower structures are released from the substrate first, it is possible to create multi-axis loops and interlinked objects with several sequential release steps, using a single photomask. The structures remain planar until released by XeF2 dry silicon etching, making it possible to integrate them with other MEMS and microelectronic devices early in the process.