cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Drosophila glutamate receptor RNA expression in embryonic and larval muscle fibers

Glutamate is the excitatory transmitter at neuromuscular synapses in Drosophila, and electrophysiological studies indicate that the receptors for glutamate are concentrated in muscle fibers at synaptic sites. Acetylcholine is the excitatory transmitter at vertebrate neuromuscular synapses, and previous studies have shown that accumulation of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) at synaptic sites is controlled both by transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms. The transcriptional pathway culminates in selective expression of AChR subunit genes in nuclei near the synaptic site, causing AChR mRNA to accumulate in the synaptic region of the muscle fiber. We used a cDNA encoding a subunit of the Drosophila muscle glutamate receptor (DGluR-II) to determine the temporal and spatial expression pattern of the DGluR-II gene during embryogenesis and in larval muscle. We show that DGluR-II mRNA is first expressed at stage 12 of embryogenesis and that expression is detected in developing dorsal, lateral, and ventral somatic muscles within the next 2 hr. By stage 16 DGluR-II mRNA is expressed in all somatic muscles and in pharyngeal muscles. In third instar larvae DGluR-II mRNA is expressed in all body-wall muscle fibers. DGluR-II mRNA, however, is expressed throughout the larval muscle fibers and is not concentrated within muscle fibers at neuromuscular synapses. These results indicate that although the DGluR-II gene is expressed in somatic muscle cells it is not selectively expressed in nuclei near the synaptic site.
Induced co-flow and laminar-to-turbulent transition with synthetic jets

A detailed numerical solution of the fluid flow patterns engendered by a synthetic jet has been carried out. The synthetic jet is caused by a reciprocating piston assembly which is attached to a large, stationary cavity. It was found that a significant momentum efflux is produced by the synthetic jet assembly. Also, fluid entrainment by the synthetic jet causes a coincident flow around the exterior of the cavity (self-induced co-flow). Numerical solutions allow the investigation of the effect of reciprocation stroke length and piston speed on the resulting flow patterns and momentum flows. For all investigated cases, the contribution made by the co-flow to the momentum flowrate is found to be small. In order to account for the simultaneous existence of both laminar and turbulent regions, two numerical approaches were taken. One approach used the Shear Stress Transport (SST) turbulence model while the other used a newly devised transitional turbulence model. Of particular interest was a comparison between the predicted locations of the laminar-to-turbulent transition based on the two independent models. The excellent agreement between the two models reinforces the use of the SST model throughout the domain.
A New Genus and Two New Species of Venezuelan Chiggers with Eyes in the Scutum (Acarina: Trombiculidae)

Peltoculus, n. gen. (type-species Trombicula almae Brennan, 1968), P. bobbiannae, n. sp. off Thomasomys hylophilus from Tachira, Venezuela and Hoffmannina reedi, n. sp. off Thomasomys laniger from Trujillo, Venezuela, are described.
Tissue Kallikrein-Modified Mesenchymal Stem Cells Provide Enhanced Protection Against Ischemic Cardiac Injury After Myocardial Infarction

Background: Genetically modified mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising approach to the treatment of cardiac injury after myocardial infarction (MI). Methods and Results: Rat MSCs were transduced with adenovirus containing human tissue kallikrein (TK) gene (TK-MSCs), and they secreted human TK into culture medium. Cultured TK-MSCs were more resistant to hypoxia-induced apoptosis and exhibited reduced caspase-3 activity compared to control GFP-MSCs. The effect of TK-MSC injection on cardiac injury was evaluated in rats at 1 and 14 days after MI. At 1 day after MI, human TK expression in the myocardium was associated with improved cardiac function and decreased inflammatory cell accumulation, proinflammatory gene expression and apoptosis. The beneficial effect of TK-MSCs against apoptosis was verified in cultured cardiomyocytes, as TK-MSC-conditioned medium suppressed hypoxia-induced apoptosis and caspase-3 activity, and increased Akt phosphorylation. At 2 weeks after MI, TK-MSCs improved cardiac function, decreased infarct size, attenuated cardiac remodeling, and promoted neovascularization, as compared to GFP-MSCs. Furthermore, the TK-MSC-conditioned medium, containing elevated vascular endothelial growth factor levels, stimulated the proliferation, migration and tube formation of cultured human endothelial cells. Conclusions: Our results indicate that TK-modified MSCs provide enhanced protection against cardiac injury, apoptosis and inflammation, and promote neovascularization after MI, leading to cardiac function improvement. (Circ J 2013; 77: 2134–2144)
A sequential procedure for individual identity verification using ECG

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is an emerging novel biometric for human identification. One challenge for the practical use of ECG as a biometric is minimizing the time needed to acquire user data. We present a methodology for identity verification that quantifies the minimum number of heartbeats required to authenticate an enrolled individual. The approach rests on the statistical theory of sequential procedures. The procedure extracts fiducial features from each heartbeat to compute the test statistics. Sampling of heartbeats continues until a decision is reached--either verifying that the acquired ECG matches the stored credentials of the individual or that the ECG clearly does not match the stored credentials for the declared identity. We present the mathematical formulation of the sequential procedure and illustrate the performance with measured data. The initial test was performed on a limited population, twenty-nine individuals. The sequential procedure arrives at the correct decision in fifteen heartbeats or fewer in all but one instance and in most cases the decision is reached with half as many heartbeats. Analysis of an additional 75 subjects measured under different conditions indicates similar performance. Issues of generalizing beyond the laboratory setting are discussed and several avenues for future investigation are identified.
Leukocyte-Mediated Endothelial Injury

The inflammatory response is characterized by leukocyte adherence to the vessel wall and subsequent infiltration of tissue by emigrated leukocytes.1 Leukocytes contain or are capable of producing a number of products that can potentially cause cell injury or modify cell function (reviewed in Ref. 2). Consequently, many investigators have proposed a causal relationship between leukocyte accumulation at sites of inflammation or immune reaction and associated vascular and tissue injury. Leukocyte-mediated injury of vascular endothelium as an “innocent bystander” has been implicated in the pathogenesis of a wide variety of clinical disorders some of which are listed in Table 1.
Preliminary definition of a “critical region” of chromosome 13 in q32: Report of 14 cases with 13q deletions and review of the literature

We report on 14 patients with partial deletions of chromosome 13q. These patients exhibit a wide spectrum of phenotypes. Deletions limited to proximal bands q13-q31 are associated with growth retardation but not with major malformations. We review the literature since 1975 and summarize 13q deletion cases which have a phenotype involving one or more major malformations and mental retardation. Analysis of the breakpoints of these cases, as well as those reported by us, supports the hypothesis that only deletions involving at least part of band q32 are associated with major malformations and digital abnormalities. Patients with more distal deletions have severe mental retardation but do not have major malformations or growth retardation. A group of patients in whom the breakpoint is stated to be within q32 has had an intermediate phenotype. This suggests that it may be possible to define subregions within q32 whose deletion is associated with particular developmental defects.
Centrosome duplication: Three kinases come up a winner!

Abstract Despite over one hundred years of research, the duplication of the centrosome is a poorly understood process. Three recent papers — exploring three different kinases — may have provided the answer.
Changes in Aldose Reductase After Crush Injury of Normal Rat Sciatic Nerve

: The response of aldose reductase (AR) to crush injury was studied in normal rat sciatic nerve. Enzyme activity and immunoreactivity of AR were determined at intervals of 1, 5, 14, 28, and 35 days after crush and correlated with histologic and immunocytochemical observations. During nerve degeneration in the distal segments of crushed nerves, a significant reduction in AR activity was detected. At 5 and 14 days, coincident with Schwann cell proliferation, enzyme activity decreased by nearly two- and fourfold, respectively. Although activity of AR increased by 28 days during nerve regeneration, it was not restored to normal levels at 35 days. Similar reductions were observed with the immunoblotting of the enzyme. Quantitative analysis of immunogold labelling on electron micrographs confirmed that proliferating as well as remyelinating Schwann cells contained reduced gold particle density compared to Schwann cells of noncrushed myelinated fibers. Immunoblots of P0, a marker for the degree of Schwann cell differentiation or myelination, showed that the temporal sequence of changes in P0 paralleled that of AR. Thus expression of AR is a function of differentiated or mature Schwann cells. The putative volume regulatory role of AR in Schwann cells may become superfluous during Wallerian degeneration.
Acute compression ulnar neuropathy at Guyon's canal resulting from lipoma

There is no reported case of acute compression neuropathy of the ulnar nerve at Guyon's canal that has resulted from lipoma. This report describes a 53-year-old carpenter who presented with a 2-day history of ulnar neuropathy. Exploration yielded a lipoma with interstitial hemorrhage that measured 6.5 by 3.7 by 2.0 em.
The nature of the catalytic domain of 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetases.

2′-5′-Oligoadenylate (2-5(A)) synthetases are a family of interferon-induced enzymes that are activated by double-stranded RNA. To understand why, unlike other DNA and RNA polymerases, they catalyze 2′-5′ instead of 3′-5′ phosphodiester bond formation, we used molecular modeling to compare the structure of the catalytic domain of DNA polymerase β (pol β) to that of a region of the P69 isozyme of 2-5(A) synthetase. Although the primary sequence identity is low, like pol β, P69 can assume an αββαβββ structure in this region. Moreover, mutation of the three Asp residues of P69, which correspond to the three catalytic site Asp residues of pol β, inactivated the enzyme without affecting its substrate and activator binding capacity, providing further credence to the concept that this region is the catalytic domain of P69. This domain is highly conserved among all 2-5(A) synthetase isozymes. Biochemical and mutational studies demonstrated that dimerization of the P69 protein is required for its enzyme activity. However, a dimer containing a wild type subunit and an inactive catalytic domain mutant subunit was also active. The rate of catalysis of the heterodimer was half of that of the wild type homodimer, although the two proteins bound double-stranded RNA and ATP equally well.
Increase of RNA synthesis with DNA replication in sea urchin blastulae

Abstract The release of DNA synthesis by addition of thymidine after FUdR inhibition of DNA synthesis in sea urchin blastulae results in a stimulation of RNA synthesis. The addition of exogenous RNA polymerase to in vitro systems for RNA synthesis containing chromatin of FUdR and FUdR-thymidine treated embryos revealed that chromatin DNA of the embryos undergoing DNA synthesis is a better template for the enzyme.
Preservice Legal Training Concerning Issues and Rights of People With Disabilities: A National Survey

While the legal system has made significant contributions to reform in special education in the past 20 years, the role of the nation's law schools in providing preservice training concerning the rights of people who are disabled is less certain. A survey of law schools in the United States to determine the extent of such training made available to law students revealed that most law schools responding to the survey have since 1975 provided training by infusing disability rights content in existing courses. Lawyers who have entered law practice over the past 15 years have had a greater opportunity to complete some training on the rights of people who are disabled. The likelihood of access to a larger pool of attorneys knowledgeable of the rights of people with disabilities has implications for continued reforms in areas such as education, employment, transportation, recreation, and housing.
Treatment of fatigue in fibromyalgia

Clearly, fatigue is a large and challenging problem for those suffering from fibromyalgia. It adds greatly to the morbidity and disability associated with the disease. In the management of this specific symptom in fibromyalgia, attention should first be focused on identifying comorbidities that may be present and contribute to fatigue. As with other symptoms of fibromyalgia, education is a critical component of management. This can be done by the practitioner, with available free resources, or with specialized cognitive behavioral programs. This education process can be augmented with a variety of other nonpharmacologic therapies, especially very gradually increasing, low-impact, aerobic exercise programs. Numerous pharmacologic therapies may also be helpful as an adjunct to treatment. Classes of compounds that raise central levels of norepinephrine or dopamine appear to be the most specific for management of fatigue. There are also many medications used to combat fatigue in other disorders that have not yet been adequately explored as to the possible benefits in alleviating the fatigue of fibromyalgia. Advances in the management of fatigue in fibromyalgia are likely to come from a variety of directions. Easier access to well designed nonpharmacologic therapies is essential, because these treatments are underutilized in clinical practice at present. Improvements in pharmacologic therapies will come from new insights into mechanisms, especially those that might only be present in subsets of patients and would respond to more targeted therapies.
Estimation of Monotone Functions via $P$-Splines: A Constrained Dynamical Optimization Approach

Estimation of monotone functions has broad applications in statistics, engineering, and science. This paper addresses asymptotic behaviors of monotone penalized spline estimators using constrained dynamical optimization techniques. The underlying regression function is approximated by a B-spline of an arbitrary degree subject to the first-order difference penalty. The optimality conditions for spline coefficients give rise to a size-dependent complementarity problem. As a key technical result of the paper, the uniform Lipschitz property of optimal spline coefficients is established by exploiting piecewise linear and polyhedral theories. This property forms a cornerstone for stochastic boundedness, uniform convergence, and boundary consistency of the monotone estimator. The estimator is then approximated by a solution of a differential equation subject to boundary conditions. This allows the estimator to be represented by a kernel regression estimator defined by a related Green's function of an ODE. The asymptotic normality is established at interior points via the Green's function. The convergence rate is shown to be independent of spline degrees, and the number of knots does not affect asymptotic distribution, provided that it tends to infinity fast enough.
Rolling tachyon in brane world cosmology from superstring field theory

The pressureless tachyonic matter recently found in superstring field theory has an overabundance problem in cosmology. We argue that this problem can be solved in the brane inflationary scenario if almost all of the tachyon energy is drained (via coupling to the inflaton and matter fields) to heating the Universe, while the rest of the tachyon energy goes to a network of cosmic strings (lower-dimensional BPS D-branes) produced during the tachyon rolling at the end of inflation.
Fuel Property Effects on Air Force Gas Turbine Engines-Program Genesis

The Air Force has conducted a series of investigations to quantify the effects of certain fuel properties on the operability and durability of its aircraft gas turbine engines. Initially these efforts were conducted on a small number of engines intended to be representative of the majority of gas turbine engines in the Air Force inventory. The testing was conducted exclusively in rigs representing the combustor and fuel nozzle components of these engines of interest. Test fuels for these programs were blended to achieve specific property variations. Based on results of these evaluations, a second generation of test activity in the fuel effects area was formulated. Engine system selection was broadened to include more considerations. Test fuels were reduced in number and priorities for modification of certain fuel properties were adjusted. This paper presents the primary test results of early fuel effects programs and the background which dictated the structure of the second, more comprehensive program.
A reversal in dipole moment for adsorbed hydrocarbons on Pt(111) due to coadsorbed alkali

Abstract It is demonstrated here that an adsorbed alkali atom (Cs) can induce such a strong dipole in a coadsorbed hydrocarbon like cyclohexane or cyclopentene on Pt(111) that the direction of the dipole of the hydrocarbon/substrate complex is completely reversed. This results in attractive lateral interactions between the hydrocarbon and the alkali.
Gas—liquid chromatography of 3-chloropropanediol

To improve the gas chromatographic properties of 3-chloropropanediol, a phenylboronic acid derivative was prepared. This method appears to be suitable for trace analysis of the title compound. Epichlorohydrin, 1,2-propanediol, and 1,2-dichloropropanol were among the structurally related compounds shown not to interfere. The structure of the derivative was confirmed by gas chromatography-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy utilizing a matrix isolation interface and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
Using incentives in surveys of cancer patients: do “best practices” apply?

Purpose Surveys of cancer patients are an important means of collecting data necessary to improve cancer prevention and control. However, health surveys generally are characterized by declining response rates, with incentives often employed to encourage participation. While successful, magnitude of effect is partially dependent upon situational characteristics of respondents, including health status. Given the health challenges experienced by cancer patients, it is unclear to what extent incentives can improve survey participation. In this study, we examine the effectiveness of monetary and non-monetary incentives in improving response to cancer patient surveys.
Genetic deficiency of adiponectin protects against acute kidney injury

Adiponectin is a multifunctional cytokine that has a role in regulating inflammation. Here we determined whether adiponectin modulates ischemic acute kidney injury. Compared with wild-type mice, adiponectin-knockout mice were found to have lower serum creatinine and less tubular damage or apoptosis following ischemia/reperfusion injury. This latter process was associated with decreased Bax and reduced activation of p53 and caspase-3. Targeted disruption of adiponectin was also found to inhibit the infiltration of neutrophils, macrophages, and T cells into the injured kidneys. This was associated with inhibition of NF-κB activation and reduced expression of the proinflammatory molecules IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1, and MIP-2 in the kidney after ischemia/reperfusion injury. Wild-type mice engrafted with adiponectin-null bone marrow had less kidney dysfunction and tubular damage than adiponectin-null mice engrafted with wild-type bone marrow. Conversely, adiponectin-null mice engrafted with wild-type bone marrow had similar renal dysfunction and tubular damage compared with wild-type mice engrafted with wild-type bone marrow. In cultured macrophages, adiponectin directly promoted macrophage migration: a process blocked by the PI3 kinase inhibitor, LY294002. Thus, our results show that adiponectin has a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of acute renal ischemia/reperfusion injury and may be a potential therapeutic target.
Biomechanics and orthotics of the foot in athletes

The normal weight-bearing foot moves through pronation at flatfoot to supination at toe off, but various structural deviations, such as hindfoot equinus and varus and forefoot valgus and valrus, may alter this pattern and predispose the foot to overuse injuries. A biomechanical orthotic, with appropriate forefoot and hindfoot posting, may help correct the underlying structural deviation and allow the athlete to return to competition. The orthopedist should understand enough about mechanics and terminology to communicate with professionals who fabricate orthotics.
Über 1.5‐Diamino‐2.6‐dihydroxynaphthalin

Es werden Moglichkeiten zur Herstellung von 1.5-Diamino-2,6-dihydroxynaphthalin-dihydrochlorid beschrieben, und es wird sein Verhalten gegenuber einigen Dehydrierungsmitteln untersucht.
In situ Sampler for Marine Sedimentary Pore Waters: Evidence for Potassium Depletion and Calcium Enrichment

A device for sampling the interstitial waters of deep-sea sediments in situ has been developed and tested. The sampler collects a series of samples over a depth of 1.5 meters in the sediment and thus makes possible the accurate delineation of chemical gradients existing in the pore waters. Samples collected in the North Atlantic indicate that significant gradients of K+ and Ca2+ exist in the sediments sampled. Interstitial solutions sampled between Ireland and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, are characterized by the depletion of K+ and the enrichment of Ca2+.
How Many Are Too Many? Managing OnLine Growing Pains

The Physical Chemistry OnLine Consortium (PCOL) is dedicated to enhancing undergraduate physical chemistry by encouraging faculty and challenging students to conduct short-term (~4 weeks) Webbased, mathematically sophisticated activities. PCOL projects involve students and faculty at geographically dispersed institutions. In the fall of 2000, PCOL sponsored three very different projects involving faculty and 175 students from 16 different institutions. This paper discusses strategies for dealing with the growing pains that our successful Web-based educational endeavor has encountered.
Role of Sleep Timing in Caloric Intake and BMI

Sleep duration has been linked to obesity and there is also an emerging literature in animals demonstrating a relationship between the timing of feeding and weight regulation. However, there is a paucity of research evaluating timing of sleep and feeding on weight regulation in humans. The goal of this study was to evaluate the role of sleep timing in dietary patterns and BMI. Participants included 52 (25 females) volunteers who completed 7 days of wrist actigraphy and food logs. Fifty-six percent were "normal sleepers" (midpoint of <5:30 AM) and 44% were "late sleepers" (midpoint of sleep ≥5:30 AM). Late sleepers had shorter sleep duration, later sleep onset and sleep offset and meal times. Late sleepers consumed more calories at dinner and after 8:00 PM, had higher fast food, full-calorie soda and lower fruit and vegetable consumption. Higher BMI was associated with shorter sleep duration, later sleep timing, caloric consumption after 8:00 PM, and fast food meals. In multivariate models, sleep timing was independently associated with calories consumed after 8:00 PM and fruit and vegetable consumption but did not predict BMI after controlling for sleep duration. Calories consumed after 8:00 PM predicted BMI after controlling for sleep timing and duration. These findings indicate that caloric intake after 8:00 PM may increase the risk of obesity, independent of sleep timing and duration. Future studies should investigate the biological and social mechanisms linking timing of sleep and feeding in order to develop novel time-based interventions for weight management.
Paraquat toxicity in a mouse embryonic stem cell model.

The objective of this in vitro study was to use a mouse embryonic stem (mES) cell model to better understand pesticide injury that may adversely affect early pregnancy and to evaluate an antioxidant intervention. Undifferentiated D3 mES cells were incubated 24 h with control, reference dose (RfD), no observed effect level (NOEL), or lowest observed effect level (LOEL) of paraquat, a commonly used, toxic agricultural herbicide. Pesticide effects were evaluated at 0 and 24 h using assays for cell proliferation, total reactive oxygen species (ROS), viability, and alkaline phosphatase activity. Compared to 0 h, cell proliferation increased significantly in the 24 h control treatment and was stalled in all paraquat dilutions tested. ROS production and percent necrotic and apoptotic cells were significantly increased at all paraquat concentrations examined. Alkaline phosphatase activity suggested that cells remained undifferentiated during the study period. Experiments with ascorbic acid suggested that pesticide effects on cell viability and ROS production were minimized by the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin C. Data suggest pesticide-induced injury can occur very early in development and at concentrations predicted without health consequences. Mouse ES cells may provide a useful in vitro model for rapidly screening developmental toxicants and protective interventions.
The Souls of White Folk: W.E.B. Du Bois’s Critique of White Supremacy and Contributions to Critical White Studies

This article utilizes W.E.B. Du Bois’s often-overlooked classic essay “The Souls of White Folk” to develop a long overdue dialogue between Africana studies and critical white studies. It demonstrates the dialectical nature of Du Bois’s philosophy of race and critical race theory by comparing and contrasting his groundbreaking critiques of racism in The Souls of Black Folk with his reconstructed and decidedly more radical critique of the political economy of race, racism, whiteness, and white supremacy in “The Souls of White Folk.” The conception and critique of white supremacy that the author develops in this article does not seek to sidestep socio-legal race discourse as much as it intends to supplement it with the work of Du Bois et al. in philosophy of race, sociology of race, radical politics, and critical social theory. One of the main reasons this supplemental approach to critical white studies and critical race theory is important is because typically legal or law-focused studies of race confine theorists to particular political, social, national, and/or disciplinary discursive arenas, which is extremely problematic considering the fact that white supremacy is an international imperialist or global racist system.
Approximate Self-Consistent-Field Study of the ( N i F 6 ) 4 − Cluster

An approximate Hartree-Fock self-consistent-field (SCF) calculation has been carried out for the ${(\mathrm{N}\mathrm{i}{\mathrm{F}}_{6})}^{4\ensuremath{-}}$ cluster. Exponential-type orbitals with four independent radial functions were employed for the nickel $3d$ electrons, two radial functions for the fluorine $1s$ and $2s$ electrons, and one for the fluorine $2p$ electrons. A core potential was used to represent the metal ($1s\ensuremath{-}3p$) electrons. All one-electron integrals and all one- and two-center two-electron integrals were evaluated. A closed-shell SCF program was used with orbital occupation numbers adjusted to approximate the open shell. The results of comparisons at different stages in the convergence of the SCF iteration show large differences in $10Dq$ and the degree of delocalization. This implies that some of the earlier simplifications of the SCF treatment are not valid; that is, significant ligand ($2s\ensuremath{-}2{p}_{\ensuremath{\sigma}}$) mixing is found and the metal $3d$ functions make an important contribution to the bonding orbitals.
A ‘touch’ of the White platelet syndrome

Investigations into structural defects in platelets from a large family with the White platelet syndrome (WPS) separated the members into three groups. The first group of 22 members was the subject of our first report (White JG, Key NS, King RA, Vercellotti GM. The white platelet syndrome: A new autosomal dominant platelet disorder. Platelets 2004;15:173–184). A third group of 13 members had no abnormalities of platelet ultrastructure. The second group of 17 members, the focus of the present study, had a ‘touch’ of the WPS. Platelet counts, mean platelet volumes (MPVs) and platelet responses to aggregating agents were normal in ‘touch’ patients in contrast to platelets of those with the full WPS in whom these parameters were abnormal. Up to 13% of the full WPS platelets contained large, fully developed Golgi complexes, up to seven in number, extruding innumerable vesicles from the trans-Golgi face and filling the cytoplasm of many platelets. Many Golgi complexes had centrioles associated with them. ‘Touch...
Gradient bounds for weakly coupled nonlinear elliptic systems

Gradient bounds are established for soultions of weakly coupled nonlinear systems of the form the function is shown to satisfy a maximum principle for each i=0, 1:2,…,m. The constants β,γ are chosen appropriately and f i is related to the nonlinear coupling terms h k ,(x,u). In establishing this result, an extension of previous gradient bounds for a single semilinear elliptic equation is obtained, one related to previous work of Payne, Stakgold, Sperb and others.
The joint response of stock and foreign exchange markets to macroeconomic surprises: Using US and Japanese data

Abstract This paper investigates the joint response of stock and foreign exchange (FX) market returns to macroeconomic surprises, employing a system method of estimation that allows for the cross-country and cross-market interaction for asset returns and risk premia. Using US and Japanese data, we find that US stock markets are asymmetrically responsive to domestic developments in output growth and interest rates but are not influenced by macroeconomic surprises from Japan. The surprise in the FX market seems to affect stock markets in the US and Japan, respectively. In particular, we find that the interest rate surprise in the US and inflation surprise in Japan tend to overstate the impact that these surprises would have on the respective stock market. The impact of the surprises would appear smaller if macroeconomic developments induced by the FX market were incorporated into the model.
Venusian Crustal and Lithospheric Properties from Nonlinear Regressions of Highland Geoid and Topography

Abstract Geoid and topography observations are used to constrain the density structure of the venusian lithosphere under the assumptions that convective stresses are small and local isostasy prevails. Results are presented for 13 venusian highlands, including Ishtar Terra. In general, Venus has a thick (200–400 km) thermal lithosphere which is thinned beneath volcanic highlands by as much as 80%, inducing slopes of 0.05 to 0.18 in the base of the lithosphere. From scalings of geoid/topography ratio and lithospheric basal slope as a function of internal Rayleigh number and viscosity contrast, we estimate lower bounds to these parameters of 10 7 and 10 5 , respectively. Several lines of evidence point to values near these lower limits, which puts Venus in the sluggish-lid regime of convection. There also exist several accumulations of crustal material, most notably Ovda Regio, where there may be as much as 90 km of crust.
A symmetry theorem and applications to nonlinear partial differential equations

On donne des applications d'un nouveau theoreme sur les proprietes de symetrie des solutions des equations differentielles non lineaires de la forme Lu=f(x,u) dans Ω u'∂Ω=0 ou ∂u/∂n/∂Ω=0 ou Ω est une region bornee ou non bornee de R n
The diary of the future: defining a self-documentation system with child design partners

This poster presents the early stages of developing a new self-documentation application for children ages 10-13.
Nanoscale Energy Conversion by Using Nano-Catalytic Particles

Burning or combustion is the most common energy conversion method of which the chemical energy stored is converted to the thermal energy during an oxidation process. Governed by the scaling and thermodynamic laws, there is a minimum size requirement (∼1 mm) for having a sustainable reaction. Conventional combustion or burning usually takes place when the reactants’ temperature is much higher than the body temperatures of biological beings. All heat engines including both external combustion engines and internal combustion engines were developed using this phenomenon; and reaction processes proceed in macroscale where big machines and large reaction chambers are often employed. As an attempt to mimic nature’s method of energy conversion, without external ignition, nano-catalytic particles could be self-heated very rapidly (in seconds) in the present of methanol or ethanol vapor/air mixture flow. Stable and reproducible spontaneous self-ignition and self-supporting combustion have been achieved at room temperature by exposing nanometersized catalytic particles to methanol-air or ethanol-air gas mixtures. Infrared thermography revealed that the thermal gradient near nanoparticles could be more than 100 times higher than what could be achieved in macroscale. The reaction releases heat and produces CO2 and water. Such reactions starting at ambient temperature have reached both high (> 600°C) and low (a few tenths of a degree above room temperature) reaction temperatures. The reaction intensity could be easily controlled by varying the fuel-air mixture. The application of this discovery might lead to the development of a new class of solid state electrical power generators which could convert fuel energy to electricity without any moving parts.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Simultaneous measurements of sodium column density and laser guide star brightness

We report on new results of simultaneous measurements of sodium layer column density and the absolute return flux from laser guide stars created by a monochromatic approximately 1 W CW laser, tuned to the peak of the sodium D2 hyperfine structure. The return was measured at the MMT while the sodium abundance was measured at the CFA 60 inch telescope, about 1 km away, with the Advanced Fiber Optic Echelle spectrograph. The laser frequency stability, which can greatly affect the return flux, was monitored at the same time in order to improve the measurement accuracy. After the correction for laser frequency jitter and atmospheric transmission, the absolute flux return above the atmosphere for circularly polarized light is 1.2 X 106 photons s-1 m-2 per watt launched above the atmosphere, per unit column density, which we taken as our measured mean over the year of N(Na) equals 3.7 X 109 cm-2 at Tucson. The solidification of a final well-determined relationship between the sodium laser guide star brightness and sodium layer column density is pivotal in the design of the next generation laser guide star adaptive optics systems. We also report the measurements and analysis of the relationship between the projected beam waist of the sodium laser and the resultant spot size on the sodium layer under typical atmospheric conditions. Since wavefront measured error is proportional to spot size, and also to 1/(root) power, minimum spot size is crucial for lowest laser power requirement. By projecting the laser through diffraction limited optics of 0.5 m diameter, roughly 3 r0, we have achieved the smallest artificial beacon yet recorded, about 0.8 arcsec.
A Review of the Nutrition Claims Made by Proponents of Organic Food

ABSTRACT: Health-conscious consumers have an interest in knowing if the extra money they spend on organic food is justified. The organic food industry, therefore, has a large financial interest in convincing the public that the food they sell is healthier, tastier, and better for the environment. One area that the industry has concentrated on is the supposed nutritional superiority of their product. The importance of this area to the organic food industry can be seen by the vehemence in which it has attacked and tried to discredit a recent, widely circulated report submitted to the British government that found no scientific evidence for claims that organic food is nutritionally superior to conventional food. Two nongovernment organizations, the Soil Assn. in the United Kingdom and the Organic Center in the United States have been heavily involved in the promotion of organic food. Both of these organizations exert a great deal of influence with the media, and hence with consumers, in both countries. An examination of some of their actions will be included in this article.
Discrepancy in Perceived Decision-Making Roles and Argument Level within Marital Dyads

This study examined the relationship between discrepant perceptions of marital decision-making roles of 31 pairs of spouses and frequency of their marital arguments. Spouses were surveyed independently, and their responses compared to obtain scores on numbers of discrepancies and arguments. These arrays yielded a Pearson correlation of .60.
Moving beyond Vision: Fostering Cultural Change in a Bureaucracy

Over the course of two‐and‐a‐half years a new Town Manager tried several approaches aimed at altering the culture of the organization to reflect more closely his vision of how it should operate. Yet, the results of a survey administered to the organization′s senior management group at the end of this time revealed only minor change had occurred. To understand more fully some of the progress and difficulties he experienced as well as ways in which further advances could be made utilizes a life cycle perspective. Specifically, focuses on examining some of the complexities to be expected when an outsider attempts to revitalize a bureaucracy. Concludes with some advice on ways to foster cultural change more effectively.
A comparison of fast inverse discrete cosine transform algorithms

The discrete cosine transform (DCT) is often applied to image compression to decorrelate picture data before quantization. This decorrelation results in many of the quantized transform coefficients equaling zero, hence the compression gain. At the decoder, very few nonzero quantized transform coefficients are received, so the input to the inverse DCT is sparse, greatly reducing the required computation. This paper describes different styles of implementations of fast inverse DCTs designed especially for sparse data and compares them on workstation processors.
The Consequences of Teaching Critical Sociology on Course Evaluations

While there has been a great deal of literature addressing students’ perceptions of bias in the classroom, there has been little in the way of examining the relationship between the student evaluations and the pedagogy used to examine sociological issues in class. We conducted a case study that reviewed and coded the written comments on Professor Prew’s Introduction to Sociology course evaluations in the 2008-2009 academic year. We assessed whether there was a correlation between the quantitative feedback on evaluations and the open-ended comments regarding the professor’s critical sociological perspective. Using means, ANOVA, and correlations, we specifically tested to see if students who left qualitative comments that contain overtly negative assessments of Professor Prew’s critical sociological perspective evaluated the course more negatively than those who are neutral or complimentary regarding his perspective. The findings show a positive correlation between negative attitudes regarding critical sociology and lower evaluation scores.
Self-assembled Multi-walled Carbon Nanotube Coatings

Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNTs) grafting onto electrospun poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) nanofibers and silicon carbide (SiC) microfibers yields a layer by layer deposition of self assembled nanotube filaments or nanowires. PAN fibers were first functionalized with carboxylic groups through a sodium hydroxide treatment. Then, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDAC), a positively charged polyelectrolyte was adsorbed onto the fibers via electrostatic interaction. When placed in contact with the modified fibers, acid treated MWCNTs (ac-MWCNTs) self-assemble onto the polymer nanofibers. The electrical conductivity of nanofibers improves due to the formation of a continuous MWCNTs monolayer on the surface, as opposed to traditional incorporation of large amounts of nanotubes into the bulk of the polymer. The use of polymers capable of forming hydrogen bonding with ac-MWCNTs, e.g. polyamides, further offers a perfect scenario in which no binding agent (PDDAC) or polymer modification is required. Polyamide 11 (PA 11) has been electrospun to provide a dense network of 100 nm and greater fibers for deposition of ac-MWCNTs. The resulting mats yielded an electrical conductivity of about 0.1 S/cm.
Accretion, loss, and fractionation of martian water

Abstract A recently published model for accretion of water by Mars from asteroids and comets beyond 2.5 AU calls for Mars to have accreted 6–27% of Earth's ocean (equivalent to 600–2700 meters depth on Mars' surface) with a D / H ratio 1.2–1.6 times Standard Mean Ocean Water. This model is shown to provide enough outgassed water to account for the subsequent evolution of D / H because of loss of hydrogen and the D / H ratio in water of hydration found in martian meteoric minerals, but enhanced rate loss of hydrogen from early Mars is necessary to permit adequate fractionation to occur during the lifetime of the planet.
Antioxidative properties of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo).

The enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidative capacities of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) were investigated in water extracts and chemical buffer extracts. Bitter gourd and zucchini fruits were purchased from a farmer’s market and homogenized separately in water and in a native enzyme extraction buffer. Total phenolic compounds, free radical DPPH scavenging activity, SOD activity and β-glucosidase activity were assayed in the extracts. The average total phenolic compounds recorded in bitter gourd were 13.28 GAE/g fresh weights while in zucchini, the average was 8.67GAE/g fresh weight. This study also found that bitter gourd was 82.05% as effective as ascorbic acid in inhibiting the free radical DPPH while zucchini was 12.19% as effective. The results indicated that bitter gourd was significantly higher in antioxidant content and in β-glucosidase activities than zucchini (P
Integrated conversion, financial, and risk modeling of cellulosic ethanol from woody and non‐woody biomass via dilute acid pre‐treatment

Dilute sulfuric acid pre-treatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation is a technology widely studied as a potential pathway for conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol. Six feedstocks were evaluated in process and financial simulations. The woody feedstocks include natural hardwood, Eucalyptus, and loblolly pine while the non-woody feedstocks include corn stover, switchgrass, and sweet sorghum. Based on experimental and literature data, ethanol yields for the non-woody biomasses range from 315 to 328 liters per bone dry metric ton (L/BDt). Sweet sorghum that is pressed and washed to remove soluble sugars prior to dilute acid processing can have an ethanol yield of approximately 470 L/BDt. Natural hardwood and Eucalyptus produce ethanol yields of 336 and 309 L/BDt, respectively. When processing 700 000 bone dry metric tons per year, the non-woody biomasses have lower minimum ethanol revenues to achieve a 12% internal rate of return (MER@12%) than the woody biomasses. The non-wood MER@12% ranged from $0.70 to $080/liter while the MER@12% for natural hardwood and Eucalyptus was $0.84–$0.85/liter. The impact of feedstock composition variability on the net present value at 12% (NPV@12%) discount was estimated for corn stover, switchgrass, and loblolly pine. One standard deviation in the sample carbohydrate content for corn stover, switchgrass, and loblolly pine will impact the NPV@12% by approximately $40 M, $72 M, and $24 M, respectively. If recent historical cost and revenue variability continues for the life of the project the most attractive feedstock is squeezed sweet sorghum where the probability of achieving at least a 12% internal rate of return is 64%.
Prediction of Thermal‐Shock Resistance During Heating at Very High Rates

A method of treating spalling failure during initial heat-up is presented. The assumptions include very high rates of convective heating, failure at hot surfaces from shear stresses, statistical failure, and failure defined by multiple crack intersection. On the basis of this and other work, it is concluded that scale-model tests are, in general, inappropriate.
Distributed odor source localization

This paper presents an investigation of odor localization by groups of autonomous mobile robots. First, we describe a distributed algorithm by which groups of agents can solve the full odor localization task. Next, we establish that conducting polymer-based odor sensors possess the combination of speed and sensitivity necessary to enable real world odor plume tracing and we demonstrate that simple local position, odor, and flow information, tightly coupled with robot behavior, is sufficient to allow a robot to localize the source of an odor plume. Finally, we show that elementary communication among a group of agents can increase the efficiency of the odor localization system performance.
Evaluating Grower, Landscape Manager, and Consumer Perceptions of Azalea Lace Bug (Heteroptera: Tingidae) Feeding Injury

A survey using modified azalea stems was used to establish a “tally threshold value” for assessing azalea lace bug, Stephanitis pyrioides (Scott), feeding injury to azalea shrubs. Consumers and green-industry professionals, represented by ornamental growers, landscape architects, and landscape managers, recognized azalea lace bug injury when injured leaf area exceeded 2%. Purchase and treatment decisions of professionals and consumers were evaluated by surveying responses to Rhododendron indica variety alba ‘Delaware Valley White’ azaleas representing a range of damage. Survey participants also provided a brief biographical background and answers to questions regarding pesticide use, ability to identify diseases, pests, and beneficial organisms, and willingness to consider pesticide alternatives. Professionals and consumers expressed a strong interest in limiting urban pesticide use. The 2 groups indicated a hypothetically acceptable level of 6–10% plant damage by arthropod pests. A 2% injury threshold was used to determine the level of proportional damage (the percentage of leaves displaying 2% or more lace bug leaf feeding injury) resulting in either the rejection of plant purchase or initiation of treatment. A nonlinear curve was fit to treatment and no-purchase responses of professionals and consumers using a modified 3-parameter Mitscherlich nonlinear growth function. Half of the surveyed professionals and consumers indicated that damage proportions >10% (1.03% actual injury) were sufficient to reject an azalea for purchase. Proportional damage levels >43% (3.3% actual injury) would be necessary to prompt 50% of the respondents to initiate treatment of damaged azaleas to control lace bugs.
Silver Oncologic Tsunami: Quality Issues in the Senior Adult Oncology Population

The interface between cancer and aging has been explored in research conducted over the past 10 years. Critical topics relevant to the biology of aging and cancer include: immune senescence, telomere shortening, and roles of chronic inflammation and antigen stimulation.