cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
As Eniac turns 50: perspectives on computer science support for science and engineering

1996 marks the 50th anniversary of Eniac. Eniac's creation gave birth to an era of remarkable technical progress. Eniac's line of descendants include most computers in use today: laptops, PCs, workstations, as well as supercomputers. As the next century is about to begin, the paper reflects on where the age of computing has brought us so far and where we might find ourselves in the future. It focuses on science and engineering applications.
Yield and quality of subterranean and white clover―bermudagrass and tall fescue associations

(.)Our objective was to compare forage yield and quality of an annual and perennial clover overseeded on perennial grasses differing in seasonal productivity patterns. Common bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.)Pers.], Kentucky 31' tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and a mixture of the two were established on a Catalpa silty clay soil (fine, montmorillonitic, thermic Fluvaquentic Hapludoll) and oversown in the fall with annual Mt. Barker' subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) and perennial Regal' white clover (T. repens L.)(.)
Existence criterion for nonessential singularities of the second kind

The stability of a single-input single-output multivariable system is governed by the zeros of the numerator as well as the denominator of its multivariable transfer function. Where the relatively prime numerator and denominator polynomials share a common zero, the transfer function is said to have a nonessential singularity of the second kind. Such a singularity on the stability region boundary mandates more complicated stability tests than would otherwise be needed. Thus, their existence must be known. A criterion for their existence is described in this short paper.
A phased array antenna testbed for evaluating directionality in wireless networks

One of the most important components of any mobile system is the antenna; antenna design can overcome or cause a number of problems that then must be addressed at other technology layers. Modern mobile platforms are beginning to include novel antenna technology such as MIMO and beam steering; these technologies increase the complexity of evaluating the effectiveness of topology formation algorithms, routing and overall performance due to the large number of configuration states the system can contain. Directional antennas allow for significant improvements in link quality and spatial reuse in wireless communication. Traditional antennas with fixed direction are effective but unable to respond to station mobility or a dynamic environment including such factors as wind and foliage growth. There is a growing body of work on using steerable and sectored antenna systems to harness the efficiency of directional antennas while retaining the flexibility of ad-hoc networks; however, there has been very little work on implementation and measurement of such networks.We examined the physical-layer properties of directional links in two real RF environments, and have evaluated higher-layer strategies for utilizing these antennas. Our results indicate the topology formation process must be a network operation, and that simple link-by-link topology optimization is likely to lead to poor overall performance. These observations drive the formation of the testing and evaluation tools we have developed. This paper describes the tools, methodology and metrics we are using in the evaluation of topology formation algorithms using a dynamically steerable phase array system.
Oscillatory Fluid Flow Through a Porous Medium Channel Bounded by Two Impermeable Parallel Plates

In the absence of the inertia effects, the analytic solution to the fully developed oscillatory fluid flow through a porous medium channel bounded by two impermeable parallel plates is presented.
A computational study on the structures of methylamine–carbon dioxide–water clusters: evidence for the barrier free formation of the methylcarbamic acid zwitterion (CH3NH2+COO−) in interstellar water ices

We investigated theoretically the interaction between methylamine (CH(3)NH(2)) and carbon dioxide (CO(2)) in the presence of water (H(2)O) molecules thus simulating the geometries of various methylamine-carbon dioxide complexes (CH(3)NH(2)/CO(2)) relevant to the chemical processing of icy grains in the interstellar medium (ISM). Two approaches were followed. In the amorphous water phase approach, structures of methylamine-carbon dioxide-water [CH(3)NH(2)/CO(2)/(H(2)O)(n)] clusters (n = 0-20) were studied using density functional theory (DFT). In the crystalline water approach, we simulated methylamine and carbon dioxide interactions on a fragment of the crystalline water ice surface in the presence of additional water molecules in the CH(3)NH(2)/CO(2) environment using DFT and effective fragment potentials (EFP). Both the geometry optimization and vibrational frequency analysis results obtained from these two approaches suggested that the surrounding water molecules which form hydrogen bonds with the CH(3)NH(2)/CO(2) complex draw the carbon dioxide closer to the methylamine. This enables, when two or more water molecules are present, an electron transfer from methylamine to carbon dioxide to form the methylcarbamic acid zwitterion, CH(3)NH(2)(+)CO(2)(-), in which the carbon dioxide is bent. Our calculations show that the zwitterion is formed without involving any electronic excitation on the ground state surface; this structure is only stable in the presence of water, i.e. in a methyl amine-carbon dioxide-water ice. Notably, in the vibrational frequency calculations on the methylcarbamic acid zwitterion and two water molecules we find the carbon dioxide asymmetric stretch is drastically red shifted by 435 cm(-1) to 1989 cm(-1) and the carbon dioxide symmetric stretch becomes strongly infrared active. We discuss how the methylcarbamic acid zwitterion CH(3)NH(2)(+)CO(2)(-) might be experimentally and astronomically identified by its asymmetric CO(2) stretching mode using infrared spectroscopy.
Scorpion venom (Leiurus quinquestriatus) elicits accumulations of inositol phosphates and cyclic AMP in guinea pig cortical synaptoneurosomes

Scorpion (Leiurus quinquestriatus) venom (ScV) stimulated accumulations of cyclic AMP and turnover of phosphatidylinositol in guinea pig cortical synaptoneurosomes. The concentrations of ScV that were necessary to increase cyclic [3H]AMP accumulation were lower than those required to stimulate formation of [3H]inositol phosphates from phosphatidylinositol. In the presence of 10 μM 2-chloroadenosine, ScV induced a dose-dependent synergistic accumulation of cyclic AMP with an EC50 value that was comparable to the EC50 required for stimulation of phosphatidylinositol turnover. Tetrodotoxin partially inhibited cyclic AMP accumulations elicited by ScV indicating that at least part of such responses are due to activation of voltage-dependent sodium channel. Tetrodotoxin virtually completely blocked formation of inositol phosphate stimulated by ScV. High concentrations of Mg2+ (30 mM) did not block responses to ScV indicating that release of neurotransmitters was not involved. Membrane potential changes could not be detected at concentrations of ScV that triggered the biochemical responses. Stimulation of phosphatidylinositol turnover by ScV appears to depend on an increase in influx of Na+ in synaptoneurosomes, presumably due to slowing of the inactivation of voltage-dependent sodium channels by α-scorpion toxin, a component of ScV. At least in part, the stimulation of cyclic AMP accumulation by ScV correlates with increases in phosphatidylinositol turnover.
Protonated Nitrous Oxide, NNOH(+): Fundamental Vibrational Frequencies and Spectroscopic Constants from Quartic Force Fields

The interstellar presence of protonated nitrous oxide has been suspected for some time. Using established high-accuracy quantum chemical techniques, spectroscopic constants and fundamental vibrational frequencies are provided for the lower energy O-protonated isomer of this cation and its deuterated isotopologue. The vibrationally-averaged B0 and C0 rotational constants are within 6 MHz of their experimental values and the DJ quartic distortion constants agree with experiment to within 3%. The known gas phase O−H stretch of NNOH+ is 3330.91 cm−1, and the vibrational configuration interaction computed result is 3330.9 cm−1. Other spectroscopic constants are also provided, as are the rest of the fundamental vibrational frequencies for NNOH+ and its deuterated isotopologue. This high-accuracy data should serve to better inform future observational or experimental studies of the rovibrational bands of protonated nitrous oxide in the interstellar medium and the laboratory.
Studies on the mechanism of desensitization of the parathyroid hormone-stimulated calcium signal in UMR-106 cells: Reversal of desensitization by alkaline phosphatase but not by protein kinase C downregulation

The involvement of protein kinase C (PKC), cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), and other phosphorylation mechanisms in the rapid desensitization of the [Ca2+]i response to parathyroid hormone (PTH) stimulation was investigated in osteoblast-like UMR-106 cells. A 5 minute preincubation of the cell suspension with phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDB) decreased the response to PTH in a concentration-dependent manner. 1-Oleoyl-2-acetyl-r-glycerol (OAG) pretreatment likewise decreased the PTH response. Staurosporine, a potent protein kinase inhibitor, completely prevented the desensitization caused by PDB. These PDB and staurosporine effects were also observed in 3 mM EGTA-containing medium ([Ca2+]free < 10(-8) M). A 5 minute pretreatment of cells with 1 microM forskolin had no effect on the calcium response to PTH. Homologous and PDB-induced desensitizations differed in several respects. Staurosporine pretreatment resulted in only a slight restoration of the PTH response under conditions of homologous desensitization. Chronic treatment with phorbol ester prevented the desensitization of the PTH response by acute phorbol treatment but not the homologous desensitization. Both homologous and PDB-induced desensitization were relieved by alkaline phosphatase treatment, consistent with the involvement of phosphorylation in the desensitization. This alkaline phosphatase effect on desensitization was inhibited by L-phenylalanine. These results suggest that PTH receptor homologous desensitization involves phosphorylation process(es) other than or in addition to those of PKC.
Visuomotor restriction of one eye in kittens reared with alternate monocular deprivation.

It is known that kittens reared in ways that restrict movement while visual stimulation is received exhibit deficits in visually guided behavior. Presumably, the behavioral dysfunction is due to a lack of sensorimotor coordination during visual exposure. The current investigation was undertaken to study this effect both physiologically and behaviorally. Two groups of kittens were normally reared until they were nearly 4 weeks old. They were then placed in a darkroom and exposed daily for 1–2 hours while one eye was occluded. On alternate days, alternate eyes were covered. One group was restrained in a body cast while a given eye was exposed, but the kittens were free to move about while the other eye received visual experience. A second control group was alternately occluded, but freely mobile during all exposures. An additional cat was also unrestrained during daily rearing periods and neither eye was ever occluded.
Ultra-low field NMR measurements of liquids and gases with short relaxation times

Abstract Interest in nuclear magnetic resonance measurements at ultra-low magnetic fields (ULF, ∼μT fields) has been motivated by various benefits and novel applications including narrow NMR peak-width, negligible susceptibility artifacts, imaging of samples inside metal containers, and possibility of directly imaging neuronal currents. ULF NMR/MRI is also compatible with simultaneous measurements of biomagnetic signals. However the most widely used technique in ULF NMR—prepolarization at high field and measurement at lower field—results in large transient signals which distort the free induction decay signal. This is especially severe for the measurement of signals from samples and materials with short T 1 time. We have devised an approach that largely cancels the transient signals. The technique was successfully used to measure NMR signals from liquids and gases with T 1 in the range 1–4 ms.
An open trial of venlafaxine for the treatment of late-life atypical depression.

Objectives The atypical subtype in patients with major depressive disorder is characterized by mood reactivity, significant weight gain or increase in appetite, hypersomnia, leaden paralysis and a long-standing pattern of interpersonal rejection sensitivity. Though atypical depression is well documented in younger patients, little attention has been paid to the atypical subtype in samples of late-life depressed patients. This study reports the patient characteristics and treatment results of an eight-week open-label trial of venlafaxine in a sample of older depressed patients with atypical subtype. Methods Patients received fixed dosing schedule (up to 300 mg/day) of venlafaxine (Effexor XR) for 8 weeks. Results In this sample of 17 patients, the mean age was 65.6 years and 77% were female. Most strikingly, 53% of patients presented with late-onset atypical depression defined as first episode after the age of 50. Fifteen of the 17 patients (88%) completed the eight-week treatment trial. The mean score on the HRSD 24-item decreased from 22.2 ± 5.1 at baseline to 11.8 ± 8.9 (p<0.001), and the mean total atypical item score decreased from 6.2 ± 1.6 to 2.8 ± 2.0 (p < 0.001). Remission was defined as a final HRSD ≤ 10 and a 50% reduction in baseline HRSD score. The intent-to-treat remission rate was 65% and the completer remission rate was 73%. Conclusions In this sample of late-life patients with atypical depression venlafaxine treatment was reasonably effective and well tolerated. However, the effectiveness of venlafaxine in this study must be considered in the context that this was an open trial of antidepressant medication. Insufficient attention has been given to the atypical subtype in late-life depression. Whether late-onset atypical depression is significantly different from early-onset atypical depression, and whether late-onset patients with atypical depression are significantly different from late-onset patients with other depressive subtypes are questions of compelling interest. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Graphic data on the Earth's main magnetic field in space

The applicability of a dipole representation of the earth's main magnetic field at high altitudes is discussed. Useful characteristics of the centered dipole approximation are presented in simple graphical form. Data that can be obtained from the charts include location of field lines, arc length along a field line, electron gyrofrequency, inclination (or dip), magnetic-field intensity, magnitude and direction of the gradient of the earth's field, and radius of curvature of the lines of force. The resulting accuracy is believed sufficient for many purposes.
MyoD and Regulation of Prostaglandin H Synthase

MM14 myoblasts, in contrast to their differentiation defective variant (DD-1) cells, do not synthesize detectable levels of prostaglandins or of the initial enzyme in the pathway of prostaglandin synthesis, prostaglandin H synthase (PGHS) but do exhibit readily detectable level of PGHS mRNA (Steiner, S., et al., 1991, Exp. Cell Res. 192, 643). These findings suggest a possible relationship between the myogenic phenotype and the synthesis of prostaglandins. This relationship was examined in the current study by analysis of the effect of transfection of DD-1 cells with a MyoD expression vector (termed MyoDD-1 cells) on expression of MyoD and synthesis of prostaglandins. Proliferating MyoDD-1 cells express readily detectable levels of MyoD protein and mRNA and exhibit markedly diminished levels of PGHS protein and prostaglandins. In contrast, serum-deprived MyoDD-1 cells express little MyoD mRNA or protein and exhibit a readily detectable level of PGHS protein despite having only a slightly higher PGHS mRNA abundance compared to growing MyoDD-1 cells. These studies are consistent with the hypothesis that MyoD expression contributes to the inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis.
Exploring the Associations between Relational Uncertainty, Jealousy about Partner's Friendships, and Jealousy Expression in Dating Relationships

This study investigated associations between relational uncertainty, jealousy about romantic partners' friendships, and jealousy expression. Using a survey, 201 participants responded to hypothetical scenarios detailing a partner's extradyadic friendship involvement. Self, partner, and relationship uncertainty predicted sexual, power, and companionship jealousy. However, relationship uncertainty completely mediated the influences of self and partner uncertainty on jealousy. Self and partner uncertainty were directly associated with communicative responses to jealousy. Influences of relationship uncertainty on jealousy expression were mediated by sexual, power, and companionship jealousy. These results highlight the role of different forms of friendship jealousy in shaping jealousy expression.
A submersed macrophyte index of condition for the Upper Mississippi River

Portions of the Upper Mississippi River are listed as impaired for aquatic life use under section 303(d) of the United States Clean Water Act by the State of Minnesota's Pollution Control Agency and Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources for exceeding turbidity and eutrophication standards. To help regulatory agencies address Clean Water Act requirements, we developed a submersed macrophyte index (SMI) for the Upper Mississippi River. Aquatic macrophytes are a critical driver of the ecology of the Upper Mississippi River. Because they are rooted, they integrate the effects of long and short term physical and chemical disturbance. Fifty-four submersed macrophyte-based attributes were evaluated for inclusion in the index by testing their range, responsiveness to a published multimetric stressor gradient, scope of impairment among least impaired samples, and redundancy. Four attributes were ultimately selected as metrics for the SMI including (1) percent frequency of occurrence, (2) 95th percentile of maximum depth of submersed macrophyte occurrence, (3) total rake score, a measurement of abundance quantified by the proportion of rake tines filled by aquatic macrophytes, and (4) 95th percentile of submersed species richness. The SMI separated least and most impaired samples. Using the validation dataset, the stressor gradient explained 36% of the variation in the SMI. There was a significant downriver increase in SMI scores mostly due to the effect of Lake Pepin, in the middle of Pool 4 of the Upper Mississippi River, which serves as a settling basin for transported suspended solids, increasing water clarity and improving conditions for submersed macrophyte growth in areas downstream of the lake. Proximity to a navigation dam also affected SMI scores, which consistently decreased from the sample immediately above a dam to the sample immediately below. The individual metrics within the SMI appear to be driven by two principal forces: light penetration and hydrologic conditions created by navigation dams. The correspondingly low SMI scores where listed impairments occur substantiate the use of our SMI to detect such impairments. A significant relationship between the stressor gradient and our SMI further confirms our index's ability to detect anthropogenic stresses on the Upper Mississippi River. Our index is the first developed in North America using aquatic macrophytes for assessing large river ecosystem condition.
Contextual Factors Related to Math Anxiety in Second-Grade Children

As the United States falls farther behind other countries in standardized math assessments, the author seeks to understand why U.S. students perform so poorly. One of the possible explanations to U.S. students’ poor math performance may be math anxiety. However, math anxiety in elementary school children is a neglected area in the research. The author aimed to close the gap in knowledge about math anxiety in children by examining contextual factors related to math anxiety in second-grade children. The author used the theory of triadic reciprocity as the theoretical model in this study in which children (n = 91) and their parents (n = 81) completed a series of self-report measures on math anxiety, math self-concept, reading self-concept, math self-efficacy, and aspects of the home math environment. Results indicated that the strongest predictor of math anxiety in second-grade children was their level of math self-concept. The addition of environmental factors did not significantly increase the amount of va...
Protein Surface Patterning Using Nanoscale PEG Hydrogels

We have used focused electron-beam cross-linking to create nanosized hydrogels and thus present a new method with which to bring the attractive biocompatibility associated with macroscopic hydrogels into the submicron length-scale regime. Using amine-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) thin films on silicon substrates, we generate nanohydrogels with lateral dimensions of order 200 nm which can swell by a factor of at least five, depending on the radiative dose. With the focused electron beam, high-density arrays of such nanohydrogels can be flexibly patterned onto silicon surfaces. Significantly, the amine groups remain functional after e-beam exposure, and we show that they can be used to covalently bind proteins and other molecules. We use bovine serum albumin to amplify the number of amine groups, and we further demonstrate that different proteins can be covalently bound to different hydrogel pads on the same substrate to create multifunctional surfaces useful in emerging bio/proteomic and sensor technologies.
Leukotriene antagonists in nasal polyposis: a meta-analysis and systematic review

BackgroundLeukotriene antagonists (LTAs) provide a potential strategy for the management of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP), which is often refractory to medical and surgical t...
Revisiting the logical and research considerations of competitive advantage

This commentary addresses the main points made in the recent article by T. C. Powell on the logical and philosophical flaws in the main thesis of strategy research. Each one of Powell's three points is refutable. The main thesis of strategy research retains logical causation given a reasonable definition of the main explanatory variable. Strategy theory is falsifiable when the implied assumptions of the theory are exploited and the endogeneity of its explanatory variables is considered. The characterization of strategy research as pragmatic instrumentalism void of progress to the objective truth is a proposition without any logical or empirical support. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Novel Online Structure Damage Identification Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA)

A novel online structure damage identification using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) techniques and the perceptron backpropagation neural network is presented. There are three phases to execute this method. In Phase I, system modal information, frequencies and mode shapes, are calculated. Phase II is for damage location identification; the Residual Force Vectors (RFVs) are computed as input to the first neural network. Then the network was trained to simulate damage location identification. Phase III is the severity identification step. The PCA method is used to modify the input for the second neural network. Then this network identifies the severity. There are three advantages of using the PCA method, First, PCA method characterizes the original modal information precisely. Second, PCA method creates the unique data for different damage cases unlike other modal property based data. Third, the accuracy of the damage identification improves significantly, when compared with previously developed methods. This method can be operated online for the real time structural damage identification.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
ENaC is regulated by natriuretic peptide receptor-dependent cGMP signaling

Epithelial sodium channels (ENaCs) located at the apical membrane of polarized epithelial cells are regulated by the second messenger guanosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP). The mechanism for this regulation has not been completely characterized. Guanylyl cyclases synthesize cGMP in response to various intracellular and extracellular signals. We investigated the regulation of ENaC activity by natriuretic peptide-dependent activation of guanylyl cyclases in Xenopus 2F3 cells. Confocal microscopy studies show natriuretic peptide receptors (NPRs), including those coupled to guanylyl cyclases, are expressed at the apical membrane of 2F3 cells. Single-channel patch-clamp studies using 2F3 cells revealed that atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) or 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-cGMP, but not C-type natriuretic peptide or cANP, decreased the open probability of ENaC. This suggests that NPR-A, but not NPR-B or NPR-C, is involved in the natriuretic peptide-mediated regulation of ENaC activity. Also, it is likely that a signaling pathway involving cGMP and nitric oxide (NO) are involved in this mechanism, since inhibitors of soluble guanylyl cyclase, protein kinase G, inducible NO synthase, or an NO scavenger blocked or reduced the effect of ANP on ENaC activity.
Ultrastructural bases for metabolically linked mechanical activity in mitochondria. II. Electron transport-linked ultrastructural transformations in mitochondria.

Isolated mitochondria are capable of undergoing dramatic reversible ultrastructural transformations between a condensed and an orthodox conformation. These two conformations are the extremes in ultrastructural organization between which structually and functionally intact mitochondria transform during reversible respiratory cycles. It has been found that electron transport is required for the condensed-to-orthodox ultrastructural transformation which occurs in mitochondria under State IV conditions, i.e., under conditions in which exogenous substrate is present and ADP is deficient. Inhibition of State IV electron transport at the cyanide-, antimycin A-, or Amytal-sensitive sites in the respiratory chain results in inhibition of this transformation. Resumption of electron transport in initially inhibited mitochondrial systems, initiated by channeling electrons through pathways which bypass the inhibited sites, results in resumption of the ultrastructural transformation. The condensed-to-orthodox transformation is DNP insensitive and, therefore, does not require participation of the coupling enzymes of the energy-transfer pathway. It is concluded that this ultrastructural transformation is manifest by the conversion of the chemical energy of electron transport directly into mechanical work. The reversed ultrastructural transformation, i.e., orthodox-to-condensed, which occurs during ADP-activated State III electron transport, is inhibited by DNP and parallels suppression of acceptor control and oxidative phosphorylation. Mechanochemical ultrastructural transformation as a basis for energy transfer in mitochondria is considered with respect to the results presented.
A university's educational program in computer science

After a review of the power of contemporary computers, computer science is defined in several ways. The objectives of computer science education are stated, and it is asserted that in a North American university these will be achieved only through a computer science department. The program at Stanford University is reviewed as an example. The appendices include syllabi of Ph.D. qualifying examinations for Stanford's Computer Science Department.
Valuing ARM Rate Caps: Implications of 1970–84 Interest Rate Behavior

This paper computes how coupon rates on hypothetical default-free 1- 3- and 5-year adjustable rate mortgages with various caps and teaser rates issued during the 1970–76 period would have had to be set in order for the ARMs to have earned the market rate of return over a 7 1/2-year holding period. The 1970–84 period includes both a relatively stable interest rate experience (1970–77) and a “worse case” sharply rising rate environment (1977–84). Thus the calculations include the entire gamut of margins that lenders might need to charge for various caps in order to earn the market rate of return. What margins lenders should be charging at any point in time depends on the relative likelihood of future interest rate paths, e.g., the 1970–77 pattern versus the 1977–84 pattern. More formally, the appropriate charge depends on the slope of the yield curve and the perceived volatility of interest rates.
Monodisperse Au11 clusters prepared by soft landing of mass selected ions.

Preparation of clean monodisperse samples of clusters and nanoparticles for characterization using cutting-edge analytical techniques is essential to understanding their size-dependent properties. Herein, we report a general method for the preparation of high surface coverage samples of monodisperse clusters containing an exact number of atoms. Polydisperse solutions of diphosphine-capped gold clusters were produced by reduction synthesis. Electrospray ionization was used to introduce the clusters into the gas phase where they were filtered by mass-to-charge ratio allowing clusters of a selected size to be deposited onto carbon coated copper grids at well controlled kinetic energies. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) analysis of the soft landed clusters confirms their monodispersity and high coverage on the substrate. The soft landing approach may be extended to other materials compatible with an array of available ionization techniques and, therefore, has widespread utility as a means for ...
Avian cell line - Technology for large scale vaccine production.

The establishment of an immortalized continuous cell line derived from quail cells was undertaken by Baxter in order to develop a new cell line platform for vaccine production that is free of genetically modifying sequences. Important vaccines and viral vectors are still produced in embryonated chicken eggs or primary chicken embryo fibroblasts. However, the substitution of primary cells by a continuous cell line has several advantages. Although primary avian tissue for virus replication is provided by specific pathogen-free (SPF) production plants, sterility during vaccine production on embryonated eggs is difficult to guarantee, and the constant risk of contamination necessitates the addition of antibiotics. In addition, the supply of embryonated SPF eggs could be a limiting factor in vaccine production if increased amounts are demanded by the vaccine manufacturers, e. g. in case of a pandemic outbreak. The same is true for approaches where primary fibroblast monolayer cultures are used. Thus, avian cell lines have become a modern option for vaccine manufacturing and will definitely replace egg and primary fibroblast technology.
Controlled nucleation in freeze‐drying: Effects on pore size in the dried product layer, mass transfer resistance, and primary drying rate

A novel and scalable method has been developed to enable control of the ice nucleation step for the freezing process during lyophilization. This method manipulates the chamber pressure of the freeze dryer to simultaneously induce nucleation in all product vials at a desired temperature. The effects of controlled nucleation on the drying rate of various formulations including 5% (w/w) mannitol, 5% (w/w) sucrose, and a mixture of 3% (w/w) mannitol and 2% (w/w) sucrose were studied. For a 5% (w/w) mannitol, uncontrolled ice nucleation occurred randomly at product temperatures between -8.0°C and -15.9°C as the vials were cooled to -40°C. Controlled ice nucleation was achieved at product temperatures between -2.3°C and -3.7°C. The effect of nucleation control on the effective pore radius (r(e) ) of the cake was determined from the product temperature profiles using a pore diffusion model in combination with a nonlinear parameter estimation approach reported earlier. Results show that the value of r(e) for 5% (w/w) mannitol was enlarged from 13 to 27 μm by uniformly inducing nucleation at higher temperatures. Applying the resistance parameters obtained from the pore diffusion model for 5% (w/w) mannitol, optimized cycles were theoretically generated and experimentally tested, resulting in a 41% reduction in primary drying time.
Genetic variation in the alternative splicing regulator RBM20 is associated with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Background Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a leading cause of heart failure and death. The etiology of DCM is genetically heterogeneous. Objectives We sought to define the prevalence of mutations in the RNA splicing protein RBM20 in a large cohort with DCM and to determine whether genetic variation in RBM20 is associated with clinical outcomes. Methods Subjects included in the Genetic Risk Assessment of Defibrillator Events (GRADE) study were aged at least 18 years, had an ejection fraction of ≤30%, and an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). The coding region and splice junctions of RBM20 were screened in subjects with DCM; 2 common polymorphisms in RBM20 , rs942077 and rs35141404, were genotyped in all GRADE subjects. Results A total of 1465 subjects were enrolled in the GRADE study, and 283 with DCM were screened for RBM20 mutations. The mean age of subjects with DCM was 58 ± 13 years, 64% were males, and the mean follow-up time was 24.2 ± 17.1 months after ICD placement. RBM20 mutations were identified in 8 subjects with DCM (2.8%). Mutation carriers had a similar survival, transplantation rate, and frequency of ICD therapy compared with nonmutation carriers. Three of 8 subjects with RBM20 mutations (37.5%) had atrial fibrillation (AF), whereas 19 subjects without mutations (7.4%) had AF ( P = .02). Among all GRADE subjects, rs35141404 was associated with AF (minor allele odds ratio=0.62; 95% confidence interval=0.44–0.86; P = .006). In the subset of GRADE subjects with DCM, rs35141404 was associated with AF (minor allele odds ratio=0.58; P = .047). Conclusions Mutations in RBM20 were observed in approximately 3% of subjects with DCM. There were no differences in survival, transplantation rate, and frequency of ICD therapy in mutation carriers.
On Seeing Reddish Green and Yellowish Blue

Four color names—red, yellow, green, and blue—can be used singly or combined in pairs to describe all other colors. Orange, for example, can be described as a reddish yellow, cyan as a bluish green, and purple as a reddish blue. Some dyadic color names (such as reddish green and bluish yellow) describe colors that are not normally realizable. By stabilizing the retinal image of the boundary between a pair of red and green stripes (or a pair of yellow and blue stripes) but not their outer edges, however, the entire region can be perceived simultaneously as both red and green (or yellow and blue).
Synaptic plasticity: The basis of particular types of learning

A new twist to the relationship between synaptic plasticity and learning and memory is revealed by the latest series of studies comparing animal behavior with electrophysiological recordings in the hippocampus.
Benign upper extremity tumors: factors associated with operative treatment

Background Tumors are common in the upper extremity and are mostly benign and inconsequential. The purpose of this study was to determine factors associated with operative treatment for suspected benign tumors of the upper extremity.
Sensitivity of simulated phosphorus uptake to parameters used by a mechanistic-mathematical model

Chemical methods for determination of soil P available to plants do not take into account the effect of roots on P uptake by the plant. Moreover, the relative significance of root parameters, as compared to soil supply parameters in determining P uptake, is unknown. Simulation models have been verified for P uptake by corn (Zea mays L.) and soybeans (Glycine max L. Merr.). The objective of this paper was to use the Cushman simulation model, which has 11 plant and soil parameters, for a sensitivity analysis of the parameters involved in P uptake. Initial parameter values were those obtained from soybeans grown in Raub (Aquic Argiudoll) silt loam. Phosphorus uptake was simulated with each parameter changed independently, from 0.5 to 2.0 times initial value while all the other parameters remained constant. In addition, P uptake was simulated where interrelated parameters were changed according to their dependence. Root growth rate and root radius were the most sensitive parameters influencing P uptake. Soil P supply parameters were more sensitive than root physiological uptake parameters. Phosphorus concentration in soil solution affected P uptake more than the diffusion coefficient and buffer power. Reduction of root radius while root volume was maintained constant by increasing root length increased P uptake. Where both soil volume and root volume were kept constant, reduction of root radius to the size of root hairs or mycorrhizal hyphae gave the greatest P uptake.
The HECT Domain of the Ubiquitin Ligase Rsp5 Contributes to Substrate Recognition

Ubiquitin modification of endosomal membrane proteins is a signal for active inclusion into the Multivesicular Body (MVB) pathway, resulting in lysosomal degradation. However, the endosome represents a dynamic site of protein sorting with a majority of proteins destined for recycling, rather than MVB targeting. Substrate recognition by ubiquitin ligases is therefore highly regulated. We have investigated substrate recognition by the Nedd4 ortholog Rsp5 as a model for understanding ligase-substrate interactions. Rsp5 interacts directly with its substrate Cps1 via a novel interaction mode. Perturbation of this mode of interaction revealed a compensatory role for the Rsp5 adaptor Bsd2. These results highlight the ability of Rsp5 to interact with substrates via multiple modalities, suggesting additional mechanisms of regulating this interaction and relevant outcomes.
Household Income, Travel Behavior, Location, and Accessibility: Sketches from Two Different Developing Contexts

This paper analyzes the differences in travel behavior and location characteristics across different income groups in two cities in different parts of the world: Chile and China. Vehicle ownership rates, mode choices, trip rates and purposes, and travel times and distances are compared according to high-, middle-, and low-income terciles in Chengdu, China, and Santiago, Chile, with the use of recent household travel surveys. Household location characteristics are also compared, and different measures of accessibility are presented. Results suggest commonalities and differences and build a foundation on which future analytical models can be developed and more rigorous and comparable accessibility measures might be derived.
Respect for persons

Mr. Smith, a teacher, by establishing and maintaining good rapport with John who is a high school student from a ghetto area, has been successful not only in keeping John from dropping out of school but also in improving his attitudes toward learning and school work. The teacher is proud, rightly so, of his accomplishment and happy for John; John is glad to have such a caring teacher. One day John presents to the teacher in the faculty lounge a small item wrapped with a sheet of plain paper as a token of his appreciation. It is an expensive tie. "John, I appreciate it. Such a beautiful tie! You did not have to do this; you have shown me your appreciation all along by showing your progress and good work. How could you as a student afford such an expensive thing? You did not have to do this, Thank you." Soon, however, Mr. Smith finds out that John stole it from a nearby drug store. Mr. Smith does indeed appreciate John's sweet intention to show his gratitude for the help he extended, but he cannot approve of John's act of stealing. "Should I try to convince John that stealing is wrong even if his intention is good? . . . I should. But what if John is offended by my entering into dialogue with him on stealing? He has already said that it's no big deal." Then, he recalls what he has heard: stealing is not "such a bad thing" to a certain subcultural, socio-economic group. Mr. Smith now decides not to say or do anything to John about his admitted act of stealing, for he is worried that showing his disapproval might jeopardize the rapport with John he has painstakingly cultivated. Mr. Smith does not want to see John
Meta-analysis of studies assessing the efficacy of projective techniques in discriminating child sexual abuse

Abstract Objective: This meta-analysis of 12 studies assesses the efficacy of projective techniques to discriminate between sexually abused children and nonsexually abused children. Method: A literature search was conducted to identify published studies that used projective instruments with sexually abused children. Those studies that reported statistics that allowed for an effect size to be calculated, were then included in the meta-analysis. There were 12 studies that fit the criteria. The projectives reviewed include The Rorschach, The Hand Test, The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), the Kinetic Family Drawings, Human Figure Drawings, Draw Your Favorite Kind of Day, The Rosebush: A Visualization Strategy, and The House-Tree-Person. Results: The results of this analysis gave an over-all effect size of d = .81, which is a large effect. Six studies included only a norm group of nondistressed, nonabused children with the sexual abuse group. The average effect size was d = .87, which is impressive. Six studies did include a clinical group of distressed nonsexually abused subjects and the effect size lowered to d = .76, which is a medium to large effect. Conclusion: This indicates that projective instruments can discriminate distressed children from nondistressed subjects, quite well. In the studies that included a clinical group of distressed children who were not sexually abused, the lower effect size indicates that the instruments were less able to discriminate the type of distress. This meta-analysis gives evidence that projective techniques have the ability to discriminate between children who have been sexually abused and those who were not abused sexually. However, further research that is designed to include clinical groups of distressed children is needed in order to determine how well the projectives can discriminate the type of distress.
A spectral boundary integral method for flowing blood cells

A spectral boundary integral method for simulating large numbers of blood cells flowing in complex geometries is developed and demonstrated. The blood cells are modeled as finite-deformation elastic membranes containing a higher viscosity fluid than the surrounding plasma, but the solver itself is independent of the particular constitutive model employed for the cell membranes. The surface integrals developed for solving the viscous flow, and thereby the motion of the massless membrane, are evaluated using an O(NlogN) particle-mesh Ewald (PME) approach. The cell shapes, which can become highly distorted under physiologic conditions, are discretized with spherical harmonics. The resolution of these global basis functions is, of course, excellent, but more importantly they facilitate an approximate de-aliasing procedure that stabilizes the simulations without adding any numerical dissipation or further restricting the permissible numerical time step. Complex geometry no-slip boundaries are included using a constraint method that is coupled into an implicit system that is solved as part of the time advancement routine. The implementation is verified against solutions for axisymmetric flows reported in the literature, and its accuracy is demonstrated by comparison against exact solutions for relaxing surface deformations. It is also used to simulate flow of blood cells at 30% volume fraction in tubes between 4.9 and [email protected] in diameter. For these, it is shown to reproduce the well-known non-monotonic dependence of the effective viscosity on the tube diameter.
Genetic association of determinants controlling resistance to mercuric chloride, production of penicillinase and synthesis of methionine in Staphylococcus aureus.

IT is generally accepted that the genetic determinant governing penicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus is located on an extra-chromosomal fragment1,2. This genetic determinant may exist in two alternative states, either as an extrachromosomal element or integrated into the chromosome3,4. Strains of staphylococci which are resistant to penicillin are often found to be resistant to mercuric chloride5. In addition, there is a genetic relationship between penicillin resistance and the chromosomal loci which govern the ability to synthesize methionine6.
Aortic valve surgery after previous coronary artery bypass grafting with functioning internal mammary artery grafts.

Abstract Background . Aortic valve surgery after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in the setting of patent pedicled internal mammary artery (IMA) grafts poses a high risk because of the underlying ischemic and valve disease. Unlike mitral valve surgery or CABG, in which aortic clamping (AoX) may be optional, aortic valve surgery uniformly requires AoX unless circulatory arrest is used. Management of the IMA graft in these circumstances has traditionally involved dissection and clamping to prevent regional myocardial warming and cardioplegia "washout" during AoX. An alternative strategy involves avoiding dissection of the IMA, leaving the IMA graft open and establishing moderate-to-deep hypothermia during AoX and cardioplegic arrest. To date, no study has been published documenting the safety and efficacy of the latter practice. Methods . A total of 94 patients who had patent IMA graft and underwent aortic valve surgery under AoX and cardioplegia between April 1992 and March 2001 were analyzed. The IMA was avoided and left open during AoX, and the patients were cooled systemically (median 20°C). Patients ranged in age from 55 to 90 years (median 73.5 years). Ejection fraction was 15% to 83% (median 50%). Of the patients, 18 (19%) underwent minimally invasive upper hemi-resternotomy. Analysis for predictors of outcome was performed. Results . The operative mortality, perioperative myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke rates were 6.4%, 7%, and 11%, respectively. No significant independent predictors of operative mortality or MI could be identified in the multivariate analysis, although a trend was shown for operative mortality with urgent procedures and patients requiring concomitant surgery of the ascending or arch aorta or aortic root. Advanced age and prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass predicted stroke in the multivariate analysis. There were five (5%) IMA injuries, all occurring during reentry or mediastinal dissection, but none in the subgroup of patients who underwent minimally invasive procedures. All patients survived. Conclusions . Patients undergoing aortic valve surgery after CABG in the presence of patent IMA represent a potentially high-risk group. Because AoX is almost uniformly required, a decision regarding the management of the IMA pedicle is needed. We have found that leaving the IMA undissected and unclamped is a reasonable strategy, provided that systemic cooling for myocardial protection is established to prevent regional warming and to compensate for cardioplegia washout effect during AoX.