cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of electrophoretic karyotyping and DNA-DNA hybridization in yeast identification

Contour-clamped homogeneous electric field (CHEF) gel electrophoresis was used to separate intact, chromosome-size DNA of different species of Saccharomyces and Zygosaccharomyces. Strains of the same Saccharomyces species had similar electrophoretic karyotypes. However, reproducible differences between individual bands indicated that strain-specific chromosome length polymorphism (CLP) is widely spread in these organisms. Strains of Zygosaccharomyces spp. showed karyotype differences beyond chromosome length polymorphism. A new, DNA-DNA hybridization technique was developed to test conspecificity, using individual chromosomes as templates to prepare randomly primed, radioactive probes. Under our conditions of stringency, species and chromosome-specific hybridization reactions were achieved with these probes. Using isolated chromosomes of Sacch. cerevisiae, Sacch. bayanus, and Zygosacch. rouxii as templates for probe preparation, conspecificity of strains was established, and closely related yeast species were distinguished with high reproducibility. This method is an efficient tool for studying genetic diversity of a given yeast species. Also, it can assist in yeast species identification and taxonomy.
The role of the free jejunal graft in reconstruction of the pharynx and cervical esophagus

Reconstruction of the pharynx and cervical esophagus presents a formidable problem for the head and neck surgeon. The use of a free jejunal graft offers a reliable and effective means of performing this reconstruction. Experience with 17 cases forms the basis of this report, which emphasizes technique and complications.
Do the new cluster sources also produce isomers

The experimental and theoretical effort in the Chemistry Division of the Naval Research Laboratory in the area of clusters is briefly reviewed. We have focused on the effects of structural isomers and “magic number” structures on distributions of cluster sizes and, more recently, on the role of isomers in chemical reactions. The focus of this work is on whether or not the existence of a magic cluster size precludes there being more than one isomer of that size. Various theoretical methods have been used to study the sometimes magic 9-atom alkali-halide cluster ions. It is possible, but not compelling, that isomers of this cluster size are produced in sputtering sources of clusters. Under certain experimental conditions the relative intensity of the 60-carbon-atom ion appears so great as to suggest that no isomer other than the proposed icosahedral structure can be present. The geometry of this unique structure has been optimized using two local density functionals to predict some of its special properties. For the case of the magic C ion, theoretically the two lowest-lying isomers are clearly linear and monocyclic. Experimentally, both forms are observed with cyclic form predominant.
Pattern selection in three-dimensional magnetoconvection

Abstract Weakly nonlinear Boussinesq convection in an imposed vertical magnetic field is studied. Stress-free boundary conditions are used at top and bottom of the layer where the magnetic field is assumed to remain vertical. Both steady and oscillatory convection are considered. Among all the spatially periodic patterns steady rolls are the preferred pattern when the onset of convection is steady state; in the overstable regime a variety of spatially and temporally periodic patterns may be stable depending on the parameters. These include in particular a pattern called alternating rolls; the location of stable alternating rolls appears to be consistent with recent numerical simulations of compressible magnetoconvection where such patterns have been found. In certain cases the conduction solution loses stability directly to spatially periodic patterns with nonperiodic time dependence. The analysis of the possible patterns and their stability takes advantage of existing results from equivariant bifurcation theory and uses the critical wavenumber selected by the linear stability calculation as a function of the imposed magnetic field.
High Local Curvature Reduces Migration Rate in Spreading Multi-Layer Tissues

Development requires the concerted movement of complex tissues, composed of multiple cell types. The in vivo mechanics of tissue migration remains largely unknown, despite significant progress in understanding collective migration of confluent monolayers. To bridge this gap, we study migration in Xenopus laevis animal cap tissue explants, which are composed of two cell types spreading in concert: a multi-layer mesenchymal layer covered by an epithelial layer. To probe the mechanics of spreading, we investigated differences in spreading rate in explants ranging in initial area from 0.12mm2 to 2.63mm2. The average spreading rate increases with explant size, from 22±5µm/hr for the smallest to 45±5µm/hr for the largest explants. Since both edge curvature and the number of cells change with explant size, either could lead to the increase in spreading rate. Changes in curvature could affect the distribution of forces along the explant's edge. E.g., these forces in regions of low curvature would work more cooperatively, leading to a faster spreading rate. However, the difference in spreading rate can also be explained by intercalation between layers and programmed height change in the cells. Larger explants have more cells, thus these changes would lead to a faster spreading rate than in smaller explants. To distinguish between these models, we investigated the local spreading rates in explants with multiple curvatures, such as triangular explants. In these explants, spreading rate is lowest for regions of high curvature, even when the distance, and therefore number of cells, is greater between the edge and the center of the explant. Thus, our results indicate that the local rate of tissue migration depends on the initial curvature of the explant.
Long-term inhalation screening studies of benzene, toluene, o-xylene, and cumene on experimental animals.

Abstract Rats, guinea pigs, monkeys, and dogs were exposed repeatedly, 8 hr a day, 5 days a week, for a total of 30 exposures over a 6-week period or continuously for 90–127 days to the vapors of benzene, toluene, o-xylene, or cumene. Pre- and post-exposure body weight, hematologic data, and the mortalities occurring during the exposures are presented as well as biochemical data from one of the benzene exposures.
Pulsed laser deposition of rhombohedral (Ba,Sr)TiO3 thin films on LiNbO3 substrates

Abstract (BaxSr1−x)TiO3 (BST) thin films have been deposited on z-cut LiNbO3 (LNO) substrates using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Both the structure and electrical properties of the film have been characterized. The structure of the film, determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), is neither cubic nor tetragonal as exhibited in the bulk material. The film structure is rhombohedral, and exhibits a phase transition at a temperature that is similar to the corresponding Tc of the bulk ferroelectric material. This is the first report of a rhombohedral phase for BST.
Body size and whole blood sugar concentrations in mammals.

Abstract 1. The concentration of sugar in the whole blood of a series of 73 mammalian species is negatively correlated with body weight. 2. The increase in blood sugar with decreasing size is related to the higher weight-specific metabolic demands of small mammals.
Estimation for mixtures of Markov processes

Finite mixtures of Markov processes with densities belonging to exponential families are introduced. Quasi-likelihood and maximum likelihood methods are used to estimate the parameters of the mixing distributions and of the component distributions. The E-M algorithm is used to compute the ML estimates. Mixture of Autoregressive processes and of two-state Markov chains are discussed as specific examples. Simulation results on the comparison of quasi-likelihood and ML estimates are reported.
Lattice dynamics in Ba x Sr 1 − x TiO 3 single crystals: A Raman study

The lattice dynamical properties of ${\mathrm{Ba}}_{x}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{TiO}}_{3}$ single crystals with $x=0.05$, 0.1, 0.2, 0.35, and 0.5 have been studied by Raman spectroscopy in the temperature range $5--300\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}.$ We present the data on the composition and temperature dependence of the phonon modes in ${\mathrm{Ba}}_{x}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{TiO}}_{3}$, in particular, the soft modes. At low temperatures, the well-defined $E$ and ${A}_{1}$ soft modes have been observed in the crystals of all compositions studied. For low $\mathrm{Ba}$ content $(xl0.2)$ the soft modes extrapolate to zero and remain underdamped in the entire temperature range, indicating the displacive type of the ferroelectric phase transition. For $x\ensuremath{\gtrsim}0.2$, i.e., in the composition range of the ${\mathrm{Ba}}_{x}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{TiO}}_{3}$ phase diagram where three ferroelectric phases exist, the soft modes exhibit less softening and become heavily damped in the temperature range corresponding to the orthorhombic and tetragonal phases. This demonstrates that the order-disorder-type behavior becomes stronger with increasing $\mathrm{Ba}$ content. However, no first-order Raman scattering in the cubic phase was observed in ${\mathrm{Ba}}_{x}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{TiO}}_{3}$ of compositions studied, in contrast to pure ${\mathrm{BaTiO}}_{3}$. The temperature behavior of the ${A}_{1}$ soft mode indicates that the ferroelectric phase transition is of the first order in ${\mathrm{Ba}}_{x}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{TiO}}_{3}$ with $x\ensuremath{\gtrsim}0.2$, and turns into the second order for smaller $\mathrm{Ba}$ concentrations.
Three-Dimensional Time-Resolved Inlet Guide Vane-Rotor Potential Field Interaction

To investigate and quantify the three-dimensional time-varying characteristics of inlet guide vane (IGV) wakes, including the effect of the potential field of a downstream rotor, a series of experiments are performed in a highspeed fan stage. The unsteady three-dimensional velocity and total pressure fields downstream of the IGVs and upstream of the rotor have been measured across one vane passage and time resolved over several rotor blade passage periods. These unique data will be compared with several wake correlations and analyzed to determine the time-varying characteristics of the IGV wakes. Earlier two-component velocity measurements identified a unique interaction occurring between the rotor potential field and the IGV wakes. The rotor potential field increases as the IGV wakes approach the rotor, resulting in a constructive/destructive interaction. Measurements of the IGV wake at times of maximum and minimum interaction show that the constructive interaction increases the velocity deficit and semiwake width as the distance from the rotor decreases. A two-dimensional vortical‐potential gust splitting analysis will be implemented to determine the vortical and potential harmonic wake gust forcing functions upstream of the rotor over one rotor blade passing period.
Adequacy of Hospital Discharge Status as a Measure of Outcome Among Injured Patients

Context.—Crude mortality rates at the time of hospital discharge are commonly used to assess the quality of care provided to patients hospitalized following trauma.Objectives.—To evaluate the adequacy of hospital death rates as an outcome measure following trauma and to determine the influence of noninjury illness as a cause of hospital death and the frequency of postdischarge death.Design.—Retrospective cohort analyses using hospital discharge data for injured patients cross-linked to death certificate data that provided 1 year of follow-up for all patients discharged alive.Patients.—A total of 90048 injured patients admitted to all acute care hospitals in the state of Washington from 1991 through 1993 and discharged with at least 1 diagnosis coded in the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification to indicate trauma.Main Outcome Measures.—Death in the hospital and death within 30 days of hospital discharge.Results.—Among 1912 injured patients with in-hospital deaths, 825 death certificates (43%) listed a noninjury cause of death. The overall mortality rate at hospital discharge was 21.2 per 100000 hospitalized injured patients, and was 12.1 per 100000 for trauma deaths and 9.1 per 100000 for those designated as nontrauma deaths. Patients with trauma-related death designations were younger (mean age, 51.5 years vs 77.9 years), had shorter lengths of stay (median stay, 2 days vs 5 days), and sustained more severe injures (P<.001). Including the 1273 deaths that occurred within 30 days of hospital discharge increased rates for trauma-designated deaths to 14.1 per 100000 and increased rates for nontrauma-designated deaths to 21.3 per 100000.Conclusions.—Hospital discharge death rates are incomplete measures of death frequency for injured patients. Designation of the cause of death, especially among older, hospitalized, injured patients often reflects preexisting medical conditions. Adequate assessment of mortality following trauma requires measurement of the frequency of death following hospital discharge.
Asymmetric stable equilibria of non-neutral plasmas.

A pure electron plasma, confined within an azimuthally symmetric boundary by a coaxial magnetic field, has an equilibrium shape which is cylindrical. We apply perturbations which break the azimuthal symmetry and deform the plasma into a noncircular shape that is stationary in the laboratory frame. These asymmetric equilibria form a broad new class of stable equilibria. A theoretical model correctly predicts the plasma shapes and explains their stability.
The lipid composition of the Blastocladiella emersonii γ particle and the function of γ-particle lipid in chitin formation

Lipid was extracted from isolated γ particles of Blastocladiella emersonii and characterized by means of column and thin-layer chromatography. The major lipid component was a glycolipid. When isolated γ particles were incubated in the presence of the substrate for chitin synthetase, UDP-[1-14C]GlcNAc, labeled glycosyldiglyceride and labeled chitin were formed. When labeled glycolipid was added to a γ-particle preparation along with unlabeled substrate, labeled chitin was again produced. Electron micrographs of γ particles incubated with substrate showed in vitro formation of chitin fibrils. A model is presented correlating the ultrastructural changes in γ particles during zoospore encystment with the biochemical events leading to chitin formation.
Flow around phoronids: Consequnces of a neighbor to suspension feeders

Dye visualization was used to assess the effects of closely spaced conspecifics to the flow microhabitat of the benthic suspension feeder Phoronopsis viridis Hilton (Phoronida), which lives in dense populations over a wide range of natural densities. Spacing between upstream-downstream neighbors affected water movement near the animals and the source of water processed by their filter-feeding tentacles. Visualization of flow around and between pairs consisting of living and model P. viridis revealed that water encountered tentacle crowns (lophophores) via upward transport from near the sandy substratum rather than from above the lophophore, close spacing of individuals ( 1 lophophore apart) to negative at high densities (≤1 lophophore apart).
Determining centromere identity: cyclical stories and forking paths

The centromere is the genetic locus required for chromosome segregation. It is the site of spindle attachment to the chromosomes and is crucial for the transfer of genetic information between cell and organismal generations. Although the centromere was first recognized more than 120 years ago, little is known about what determines its site(s) of activity, and how it contributes to kinetochore formation and spindle attachment. Recent work in this field has supported the hypothesis that most eukaryotic centromeres are determined epigenetically rather than by primary DNA sequence. Here, we review recent studies that have elucidated the organization and functions of centromeric chromatin, and evaluate present-day models for how centromere identity and propagation are determined.
The riskscape and the color line: Examining the role of segregation in environmental health disparities

Environmental health researchers, sociologists, policy-makers, and activists concerned about environmental justice argue that communities of color who are segregated in neighborhoods with high levels of poverty and material deprivation are also disproportionately exposed to physical environments that adversely affect their health and well-being. Examining these issues through the lens of racial residential segregation can offer new insights into the junctures of the political economy of social inequality with discrimination, environmental degradation, and health. More importantly, this line of inquiry may highlight whether observed pollution--health outcome relationships are modified by segregation and whether segregation patterns impact diverse communities differently. This paper examines theoretical and methodological questions related to racial residential segregation and environmental health disparities. We begin with an overview of race-based segregation in the United States and propose a framework for understanding its implications for environmental health disparities. We then discuss applications of segregation measures for assessing disparities in ambient air pollution burdens across racial groups and go on to discuss the applicability of these methods for other environmental exposures and health outcomes. We conclude with a discussion of the research and policy implications of understanding how racial residential segregation impacts environmental health disparities.
Effects of price fluctuations in livestock and meat products on vegetable protein markets

The price of meat products will influence sales of vegetable protein in markets where both products compete directly. Fluctuations in livestock product prices have an impact on market growth of vegetable proteins, especially in the short term and for products in the retail consumer market. Initially the market for a vegetable protein product in retail markets may be cyclic, growing only when the price of competing animal protein is high and increasing. The suceess of a new vegetable protein product may depend to a great extent on the timing of its introduction. High animal protein prices could help the new product achieve enough market penetration or share to become established. Taste and other factors in addition to price would determine its ultimate acceptance. The long term market for vegetable proteins will be affected more by the relative differences between the price fluctuations. Changes in consumer taste, concern over health and food safety, and the ultimate “statue” of vegetable proteins will all help shape the long term growth.
Transparent, luminescent terbium doped zirconia: development of optical-structural ceramics with integrated temperature measurement functionalities

We present a method for the preparation of transparent Tb doped zirconia (Tb:ZrO2) ceramics that luminesce in the visible. The visible luminescence is temperature dependent, yielding samples that have integrated temperatures sensing capabilities. Our approach is to simultaneously react and densify ZrO2 and Tb4O7 using current activated pressure assisted densification (CAPAD). The Tb dopant serves to both stabilize the tetragonal phase of zirconia and for emitting light. The Tb:ZrO2 ceramics have an excellent combination of structural and optical properties; the toughness is comparable to yttria stabilized zirconia and the transparency in the visible is high. Moreover, the luminescent lifetimes are long and amenable to luminescent thermometry. The ceramics have promise as thermal barrier materials and high-strength windows with “built-in” temperature measurement capabilities.
Characterization of Ca2+ uptake in plasma membrane vesicles isolated from guinea pig ileum smooth muscle

Abstract We have characterized ATP-dependent Ca 2+ transport into highly purified plasma membrane fraction isolated from guinea pig ileum smooth muscle. The membrane fraction contained inside-out sealed vesicles and was enriched 30–40-fold in 5′-nucleotidase and phosphodiesterase I activity as compared to post nuclear supernatant. Plasma membrane vesicles showed high rate (76 nmol/mg/min) and high capacity for ATP dependent Ca 2+ transport which was inhibited by addition of Ca 2+ ionophore A23187. The inhibitors of mitochondrial Ca 2+ transport, i.e., sodium azide, oligomycin and ruthenium red did not inhibit ATP-dependent Ca 2+ uptake into plasma membrane vesicles. The energy dependent Ca 2+ uptake into plasma membranes showed very high specificity for ATP as energy source and other nucleotide triphosphates were ineffective in supporting Ca 2+ transport. Phosphate was significantly better as Ca 2+ trapping anion to potentiate ATP-dependent Ca 2+ uptake into plasma membrane fraction as compared to oxalate. Orthovanadate, an inhibitor of cell membrane (Ca 2+ -Mg 2+ )-ATPase activity, completely inhibited ATP-dependent Ca 2+ transport and the Ki was approximately 0.6 μM. ATP-dependent Ca 2+ transport and formation of alkali labile phosphorylated intermediate of (Ca 2+ -Mg 2+ )-ATPase increased with increasing concentrations of free Ca 2+ in the incubation mixture and the Km value for Ca 2+ was approximately 0.6 – 0.7 μM for both the reactions.
Identification of three neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) gene mutations in vestibular schwannomas.

Vestibular schwannomas (VSs) are common benign tumors of Schwann cell origin and are frequently found in patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). We analyzed 15 sporadic VSs for mutations in the NF2 gene. We detected mutations in three of the tumors, two of which contained loss of heterozygosity (LOH). One of the tumors contained a novel mutation, a 19-bp deletion in exon 4. The two other tumors contained an identical mutation, a complete exon 4 deletion. The exon 4 deletion represents the second most frequently reported mutation of the NF2 gene in VSs.
The prevalence of dextromethorphan abuse among high school students.

To the Editor .— Dextromethorphan is the d-isomer of the codeine analog, levorphanol, and the active ingredient in >100 over-the-counter cough and cold preparations. Reports of dextromethorphan abuse date back to the 1960s.1,2 There is some evidence suggesting that when used inappropriately at very high doses (eg, 1500 mg/day), dextromethorphan can result in a dependence-like syndrome.2 Psychological symptoms of dextromethorphan intoxication can include euphoria, an altered sense of time, paranoia, and disorientation as well as tactile, visual, and auditory hallucinations. Physical symptoms include but are not limited to hyperexcitability, ataxia, and nystagmus.3 These symptoms bear a remarkable similarity to those seen with phencyclidine (PCP), a powerful dissociative anesthetic that has also been abused since the 1960s.4 Research on the pharmacology of dextromethorphan shows that it is metabolized by the liver enzyme CYP2D6 to dextrorphan, a metabolite with an affinity for N -methyl-D-aspartate receptors, which explains the PCP-like effects that can result from consuming higher-than-recommended doses of the drug.5,6 Earlier research suggested that dextromethorphan abuse was sporadic and declining7; however, recent case reports about its misuse have again …
Report on UBDM-05: Workshop on Utility-Based Data Mining

In this report we provide a summary of the First International Workshop on Utility-Based Data Mining (UBDM-05) held in conjunction with the 11th ACM SIGKDD International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining. The workshop was held on August 21, 2005 in Chicago, IL, USA. This workshop was geared toward researchers with an interest in how economic utility factors affect data mining (e.g., researchers in cost-sensitive learning and active learning) and practitioners who have real-world experience with how these factors influence data mining applications.
High flow nasal cannulae therapy in infants with bronchiolitis.

Objectives To determine whether the introduction of heated humidified high-flow nasal cannulae (HFNC) therapy was associated with decreased rates of intubation for infants Study design A retrospective chart review of infants with bronchiolitis admitted before and in the season after introduction of HFNC. Results In the season after the introduction of HFNC, only 9% of infants admitted to the PICU with bronchiolitis required intubation, compared with 23% in the prior season ( P =.043). This 68% decrease in need for intubation persisted in a logistic regression model controlling for age, weight, and RSV status. HFNC therapy resulted in a greater decrease in respiratory rate compared with other forms of respiratory support, and those infants with the greatest decrease in respiratory rate were least likely to be intubated. In addition, median PICU length of stay for children with bronchiolitis decreased from 6 to 4 days after the introduction of HFNC. Discussion We hypothesize that HFNC decreases rates of intubation in infants with bronchiolitis by decreasing the respiratory rate and work of breathing by providing a comfortable and well-tolerated means of noninvasive ventilatory support.
Synthesis and spectroscopic properties of isomeric trideuterio‐ and tetradeuterio pyridines

The syntheses of the six possible isomeric trideuteriopyridines and the three possible isomeric tetradeuteriopyridines are described. These deuteriopyridines were characterized by their mass and NMR spectra.
Reproduction by Lake Michigan Fishes in a Tributary Stream

Abstract Three common Lake Michigan species (spottail shiner Notropis hudsonius, alewife Alosa pseudoharengus, and white sucker Catostomus commersoni) migrated into Little Pigeon Creek, a Lake Michigan tributary with a marsh upstream, to spawn during 1980. Spottail shiners, not previously documented as spawning in Lake Michigan tributaries, spawned when stream water temperatures reached approximately 18 C (7 C warmer than the 1-m depth contour in Lake Michigan), about 1 month earlier in this tributary than in Lake Michigan. Densities of spottail shiner larvae were higher in the stream than in the Lake Michigan beach zone, most likely due to high productivity of the stream and concentration of spawning adults in one area. Little Pigeon Creek produced an estimated 100,000 spottail shiner larvae per day at times of peak hatch, over a 12-day period. White sucker larvae were pelagic in surface waters of the marsh for 1–2 months, then drifted downstream into bottom waters of the stream. Alewife larvae occurred ...
Physical Characteristics of Pectoralis superficialis from Broiler Carcasses Chilled in Either Water or Sodium Chloride Solutions Under Commercial Conditions

Broiler carcasses were chilled in water only (control) or brine (NaCl) solutions for 45 min using a three step temperature reduction [21°C (prechill), 13°C, and 1°C] in all possible combinations of 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5% NaCl. Water or brine retention following chilling between any brine treatment and the control did not differ significantly (P < 0.05); however, control carcasses had greater driploss. Cooked meat from controls had higher shear force values, lower percent moisture, and lower NaCl concentration than meat from brine treatments. This indicated that all brine treatments tenderized broiler meat. As chill solution temperature was decreased, a more tender product resulted from increased NaCl concentration in the chill solution.
Incidental learning : The influence of associative similarity and formal similarity in producing false recognition

The present study was designed to test whether the occurrence of implicit associative responses (IARs) is primed by instructions to learn. There were two kinds of experimental (E) words in a 200-word list: E words presumed to have been elicited as IARs by earlier list words, and E words formally similar (FS) to earlier list words, but presumed not to have been elicited as IARs. The number of times S s reported that E words had been presented earlier (false positives) was compared with the number of false positives to control words. The results indicated that absence of instructions to learn did not reduce IAR occurrence below the level to which it was reduced by engaging in the orienting task. That is, S s performing the orienting task did not show increased error rates for E words presumed to have been elicited earlier as IARs. Performing the orienting task was responsible for interference for the FS class. It was suggested that this latter finding occurred because S s performing the orienting task responded to the words in the same way it is assumed S s respond to nonsense material.
Permanental compounds and permanents of (0, 1)-circulants

Abstract It was shown by the author in a recent paper that a recurrence relation for permanents of (0, 1)-circulants can be generated from the product of the characteristic polynomials of permanental compounds of the companion matrix of a polynomial associated with (0, 1)-circulants of the given type. In the present paper general properties of permanental compounds of companion matrices are studied, and in particular of convertible companion matrices, i.e., matrices whose permanental compounds are equal to the determinantal compounds after changing the signs of some of their entries. These results are used to obtain formulas for the limit of the n th root of the permanent of the n × n (0, 1)-circulant of a given type, as n tends to infinity. The root-squaring method is then used to evaluate this limit for a wide range of circulant types whose associated polynomials have convertible companion matrices.
Neutrophil and monocyte alterations in chronic dialysis patients.

Chronic renal failure patients maintained on dialysis have an increased risk for infection. This article summarizes research that has been done on the function of neutrophils (PMNs) and monocytes from chronic hemodialysis (HD) and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. The studies involving the HD patients showed that there is a decreased PMN in vitro chemotactic response, decreased C5a receptors on both PMNs and monocytes, and decreased oxidative metabolic responses of PMNs and monocytes to the chemotactic stimuli C5a and formyl-met-leu-phe (fMLP), but not to nonchemotactic factors. The results of studies involving phagocytosis have been conflicting and are discussed in this paper. Due to the basic principles of peritoneal dialysis, this treatment approach depletes the peritoneum of phagocytic cells, adversely affects the function of peritoneal WBCs, dilutes the existing opsonins, and alters the physiologic environment of the peritoneal cavity. Studies of peripheral PMN and monocyte function in CAPO patients have shown that, similar to HD patients, they also have decreased C5a receptors and decreased oxidative metabolic responses to the chemotactic factors C5a and fMLP. Although the factors contributing to the risk of infection in chronic dialysis patients are multifaceted, there are definitely alterations in PMN and monocyte function.
Photoeffects in ZnSiP2

Photoconductive and photovoltaic effects have been studied in n-type ZnSiP2 platelets prepared from the vapor phase. The spectral responses extend from 1.5 eV to beyond 3.1 eV with peak signals in the 2.2-2.7 eV interval. Intrinsic (band-to-band) photoexcitation occurs at all energies, arising from the shallow energy dependence of the optical absorption edge. Trapping effects limit the photoconductive response time to 4xl0-3sec. Peak spectral responsivity and detectivity values of 840 V/W and 9.5xl09cm Hz 1/2 W−1respectively are found for one sample.
Differentiating a Ligand's Chemical Requirements for Allosteric Interactions from Those for Protein Binding. Phenylalanine Inhibition of Pyruvate Kinase.

The isoform of pyruvate kinase from brain and muscle of mammals (M1-PYK) is allosterically inhibited by phenylalanine. Initial observations in this model allosteric system indicate that Ala binds competitively with Phe, but elicits a minimal allosteric response. Thus, the allosteric ligand of this system must have requirements for eliciting an allosteric response in addition to the requirements for binding. Phe analogues have been used to dissect what chemical properties of Phe are responsible for eliciting the allosteric response. We first demonstrate that the L-2-aminopropanaldehyde substructure of the amino acid ligand is primarily responsible for binding to M1-PYK. Since the allosteric response to Ala is minimal and linear addition of methyl groups beyond the -carbon increase the magnitude of the allosteric response, we conclude that moieties beyond the -carbon are primarily responsible for allostery. Instead of an all-or-none mechanism of allostery, these findings support the idea that the bulk of the hydrophobic side chain, but not the aromatic nature, is the primary determinant of the magnitude of the observed allosteric inhibition. The use of these results to direct structural studies has resulted in a 1.65 Angstroms structure of M1-PYK with Ala bound. The coordination of Ala in the allosteric amino acidmore » binding site confirms the binding role of the L-2-aminopropanaldehyde substructure of the ligand. Collectively, this study confirms that a ligand can have chemical regions specific for eliciting the allosteric signal in addition to the chemical regions necessary for binding.« less
A psychosocial view of social deviancy

By offering negative sanctions for certain types of behavior, a society preserves its stability and reaffirms its norms. What is labeled as “deviant” varies from social context to social context. The social worker should not be preoccupied with deviant behavior per se, but with the individual, himself. He should treat the deviant within the same metapsychological perspective that he utilizes for the treatment of any patient. He studies the patient's wishes, conflicts, and life story, and particularly focuses on where psychosexual maturation has been halted. Treatment of the deviant patient or client within a solid social work perspective seeks to offer a maturational experience.
Linear approximations to &#8730;x 2 +y 2 having equiripple error characteristics

An equiripple error constraint was used to design linear approximations to \sqrt{x^{2} + y^{2}} . Several examples are presented including one having a peak error of less than one percent, which is significantly less than the error obtained by using other design criteria. The mean and standard deviation of the relative error are also tabulated as are earlier results obtained by other authors.
Diagnosis and management of hereditary paraganglioma syndrome due to the F933>X67 SDHD mutation

Background. The hereditary paraganglioma syn- dromes (PGLs) are autosomal dominant conditions with an increased risk for tumors of the sympathetic and parasympathetic neuroendocrine systems. The recognition of patients with heredi- tary PGL and identification of the responsible gene are important for the management of index patients and family members. Methods. We present the clinical, radiological, biochemical, and family history findings of a 15-year-old boy patient with a glomus vagale versus glomus jugulare tumor. Results. Evaluation of the family history and the patient's his- tory led to the identification of a familial succinate dehydrogenase subunit D (SDHD) gene mutation (F933>X67), consistent with a di- agnosis of hereditary PGL1. Although this family had all head and neck tumors, this SDHD mutation has previously been described in a family with primarily functional pheochromocytomas. Conclusions. This case report highlights the variable expres- sivity of a single mutation in SDHD, (F933>X67). Careful and com- prehensive screening is warranted for individuals at risk. V C 2008
Morphological shared-weight neural network for pattern classification and automatic target detection

A shared-weight neural network which performs a novel gray-scale morphological hit-miss transform operation for feature extraction is introduced. The network is applied to general pattern classification and automatic target detection (ATD) problems. The network is compared to the linear shared-weight network and a minimum average correlation energy (MACE) matched filter approach. A training method designed to suppress the background output for ATD problem is presented. Experimental results show that this morphological network is fast in training and is superior for gray-scale pattern classification and ATD.
Low Prices are Just the Beginning: Price Image in Retail Management:

Recent managerial evidence and academic research has suggested that consumer decisions are influenced not only by the prices of individual items but also by a retailer's price image, which reflects a consumer's impression of the overall price level of a retailer. Despite the increasing importance of price image in marketing theory and practice, existing research has not provided a clear picture of how price images are formed and how they influence consumer behavior. This article addresses this discrepancy by offering a comprehensive framework delineating the key drivers of price image formation and their consequences for consumer behavior. Contrary to conventional wisdom that assumes price image is mainly a function of a retailer's average price level, this research identifies several price-related and nonprice factors that contribute to price image formation. The authors further identify conditions in which these factors can overcome the impact of the average level of prices, resulting in a low price ima...
Finding hierarchy in directed online social networks

Social hierarchy and stratification among humans is a well studied concept in sociology. The popularity of online social networks presents an opportunity to study social hierarchy for different types of networks and at different scales. We adopt the premise that people form connections in a social network based on their perceived social hierarchy; as a result, the edge directions in directed social networks can be leveraged to infer hierarchy. In this paper, we define a measure of hierarchy in a directed online social network, and present an efficient algorithm to compute this measure. We validate our measure using ground truth including Wikipedia notability score. We use this measure to study hierarchy in several directed online social networks including Twitter, Delicious, YouTube, Flickr, LiveJournal, and curated lists of several categories of people based on different occupations, and different organizations. Our experiments on different online social networks show how hierarchy emerges as we increase the size of the network. This is in contrast to random graphs, where the hierarchy decreases as the network size increases. Further, we show that the degree of stratification in a network increases very slowly as we increase the size of the graph.
Observation of the photoscattering effect from supercontinuum-generating germanosilicate fiber

We observe a photosensitivity apparently different from that associated with fiber grating inscription in a supercontinuum-generating germanosilicate fiber. Transmission of intense femtosecond ~800 nm pulses in the heavily Ge-doped fiber progressively produces a waveguide at the entrance of the fiber. The waveguide behaves as a multi-millimeter long fiber bandpass filter which scatters away light with wavelength shorter or longer than 850 nm. This photosensitivity is therefore termed as the photoscattering effect. A model incorporating color center formation is proposed to explain the underlying mechanism. A 5-photon absorption process likely serves as the common origin of this effect and the ~800 nm photosensitivity producing low-loss waveguides in bulk silica glass and Type I-IR fiber Bragg gratings in side written optical fibers.
Laser annealing of amorphous NiTi shape memory alloy thin films to locally induce shape memory properties

We present the results of a crystallization study on NiTi shape memory thin films in which amorphous films are annealed by a scanning laser. This technique has the advantage that shape memory properties can be spatially distributed as required by the application. A kinetics study shows that nucleation of the crystalline phase occurs homogenously in the films. Consequently, the laser annealing process produces polycrystalline films with a random crystallographic texture. The crystallized films have a uniform microstructure across the annealed areas. The material in the crystalline regions transforms reversibly to martensite on cooling from elevated temperature and stress measurements show that a significant recovery stress is achieved in the films upon transformation.
There can be turbulence in microfluidics at low Reynolds number

Turbulence is commonly viewed as a type of macroflow, where the Reynolds number (Re) has to be sufficiently high. In microfluidics, when Re is below or on the order of 1 and fast mixing is required, so far only chaotic flow has been reported to enhance mixing based on previous publications since turbulence is believed not to be possible to generate in such a low Re microflow. There is even a lack of velocimeter that can measure turbulence in microchannels. In this work, we report a direct observation of the existence of turbulence in microfluidics with Re on the order of 1 in a pressure driven flow under electrokinetic forcing using a novel velocimeter having ultrahigh spatiotemporal resolution. The work could provide a new method to control flow and transport phenomena in lab-on-a-chip and a new perspective on turbulence.
Optimum design of “road-friendly” vehicle suspension systems subjected to rough pavement surfaces

Abstract This paper presents an optimum concept to design “road-friendly” vehicles with the recognition of pavement loads as a primary objective function of vehicle suspension design. A walking-beam suspension system is used as an illustrative example of vehicle model to demonstrate the concept and process of optimization. The hypothesis of isotropy is applied to the measured one-dimensional road profile so that a two-dimensional random field model of pavement surface roughness can be achieved. Dynamic response of the walking-beam suspension system is obtained by means of stochastic process theory. Three commonly used objective of suspension optimum design, including ride quality, suspension stroke, and road adhesion, are briefly reviewed. The minimization of the probability of peak value of the tire load exceeding a given value is proposed as an objective function. Using the direct update method, optimization is carried out when tire loads is taken as the objective function of suspension design. The results show that tires with high air pressure and suspension systems with small damping will lead to large tire loads. The concept proposed in this paper is applicable to generic cases, where more complex vehicle model and pavement surface condition apply.
Localization of remote odor sources by metal-oxide gas sensors in turbulent plumes

Numerous applications reported in the sensors literature have established metal-oxide gas sensors as effective devices for detecting and quantifying a broad range of chemical events. A critical question that could substantially expand their usage is the following: can they characterize the spatio-temporal stimulus characteristics for predicting the source location? We show that commercially-available metal-oxide sensors have a high enough temporal resolution for such a characterization. By selecting proper features of the sensor response and by maintaining a representative response database recorded from known locations in similar plumes, simple short-time measurements can accurately predict the displacement from the source to the sensing location. A key advantage of such a prediction scheme is its achieving the localization remotely and without a navigation within the plume.
Evanescent Bessel beam generation via surface plasmon resonance excitation by a radially polarized beam

A simple setup for generating evanescent Bessel beams is proposed. When a radially polarized beam is strongly focused onto a dielectric-metal interface, the entire beam is p-polarized with respect to the dielectric-metal interface, enabling excitation of surface plasmons from all directions. The angular selectivity of surface plasmon excitation mimics the function of an axicon, leading to an evanescent nondiffracting Bessel beam. The created evanescent Bessel beam may be used as a virtual probe for near-field optical imaging and sensing applications.
Modulation in the feeding prey capture of the ant-lion, Myrmeleon crudelis.

Ant-lions are pit-building larvae (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae), which possess relatively large mandibles used for catching and consuming prey. Few studies involving terrestrial arthropod larva have investigated prey capture behavior and kinematics and no study has shown modulation of strike kinematics. We examined feeding kinematics of the ant-lion, Myrmeleon crudelis ,u sing high-speed video to investigate whether larvae modulate strike behavior based on prey location relative to the mandible. Based on seven capture events from five M. crudelis ,t he strike took 17.6072.92msec and was characterized by near-simultaneous contact of both mandibles with the prey. Modulation of the angular velocity of the mandibles based on prey location was clearly demonstrated. M. crudelis larvae attempted to simultaneously contact prey with both mandibles by increasing mean angular velocity of the far mandible (65721 radsec 1 ) compared with the near mandible (35714radsec 1 ). Furthermore, kinematic results showed a significant difference for mean angular velocity between the two mandibles (Po0.005). Given the lengthy strike duration compared with other fast-striking arthropods, these data suggest that there is a tradeoff between the ability to modulate strike behavior for accurate simultaneous mandible contact and the overall velocity of the strike. The ability to modulate prey capture behavior may increase dietary breadth and capture success rate in these predatory larvae by allowing responsive adjustment to small-scale variations in prey size, presentation, and escape response. J. Exp. Zool. 313A, 2011. & 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc. How to cite this article: Lambert EP, Motta PJ, Lowry D. 2011. Modulation in the feeding prey capture of the ant-lion, myrmeleon crudelis. J. Exp. Zool. 313A:[page range].
Nano-structured vanadium: processing and mechanical properties under quasi-static and dynamic compression

We have processed fully dense, nano-structured vanadium (V), a bcc metal with a moderately high melting temperature (1910 � C) by high-energy ball milling followed by two-step consolidation. We have characterized the as-milled powder and the microstructure of the consolidated, fully dense material using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the grain size of the consolidated V is around 100 nm. Mechanical properties of the nano-structured V were studied under both quasi-static (strain rates in the range of 10 � 3 –10 0 s � 1 ) and dynamic compression (Kolsky bar, strain rates in the range of � 10 3 s � 1 ). A high-speed camera was used to observe the deformation and failure process of the specimen under dynamic loading. Cracking was observed along the loading axis under quasi-static compression. Under dynamic loading, nano-structured V fails in a very similar manner to nano-structured Fe and metallic glasses, i.e., via shear banding. � 2003 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Dynamic Kinetic Asymmetric Transformations of β-Stereogenic α-Ketoesters by Direct Aldolization†

Dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformations (DyKAT) of racemic β-bromo-α-keto esters by direct aldolization of nitromethane and acetone provide access to fully substituted α-glycolic acid derivatives bearing a β-stereocenter. The aldol adducts are obtained in excellent yield with high relative and absolute stereocontrol under mild reaction conditions. Mechanistic studies determined that the reactions proceed through a facile catalyst-mediated racemization of the β-bromo-α-keto esters under a DyKAT Type I manifold.