cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spatial organization of biochemical cues in 3D-printed scaffolds to guide osteochondral tissue engineering.

Functional repair of osteochondral (OC) tissue remains challenging because the transition from bone to cartilage presents gradients in biochemical and physical properties necessary for joint function. Osteochondral regeneration requires strategies that restore the spatial composition and organization found in the native tissue. Several biomaterial approaches have been developed to guide chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). These strategies can be combined with 3D printing, which has emerged as a useful tool to produce tunable, continuous scaffolds functionalized with bioactive cues. However, functionalization often includes one or more post-fabrication processing steps, which can lead to unwanted side effects and often produce biomaterials with homogeneously distributed chemistries. To address these challenges, surface functionalization can be achieved in a single step by solvent-cast 3D printing peptide-functionalized polymers. Peptide-poly(caprolactone) (PCL) conjugates were synthesized bearing hyaluronic acid (HA)-binding (HAbind–PCL) or mineralizing (E3–PCL) peptides, which have been shown to promote hMSC chondrogenesis or osteogenesis, respectively. This 3D printing strategy enables unprecedented control of surface peptide presentation and spatial organization within a continuous construct. Scaffolds presenting both cartilage-promoting and bone-promoting peptides had a synergistic effect that enhanced hMSC chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation in the absence of differentiation factors compared to scaffolds without peptides or only one peptide. Furthermore, multi-peptide organization significantly influenced hMSC response. Scaffolds presenting HAbind and E3 peptides in discrete opposing zones promoted hMSC osteogenic behavior. In contrast, presenting both peptides homogeneously throughout the scaffolds drove hMSC differentiation towards a mixed population of articular and hypertrophic chondrocytes. These significant results indicated that hMSC behavior was driven by dual-peptide presentation and organization. The downstream potential of this platform is the ability to fabricate biomaterials with spatially controlled biochemical cues to guide functional tissue regeneration without the need for differentiation factors.
Receptor localization maximizes information acquisition in natural cell environments

Cells in natural environments like tissue or soil sense and respond to extracellular ligands with intricately structured and non-monotonic spatial distributions that are sculpted by processes such as fluid flow and substrate adhesion. In this work, we show that spatial sensing and navigation can be optimized by adapting the spatial organization of signaling pathways to the spatial structure of the environment. We develop an information theoretic framework for computing the optimal spatial organization of a sensing system for a given signaling environment. We find that receptor localization maximizes information acquisition in simulated natural contexts, including tissue and soil. Receptor localization extends naturally to produce a dynamic protocol for continuously redistributing signaling receptors, which when implemented using simple feedback, boosts cell navigation efficiency by 30-fold. Broadly, our framework readily adapts to studying how the spatial organization of signaling components other than receptors can be modulated to improve cellular information processing.
Coupled accelerated stress tests for comprehensive field reliability — Synergistic effects of moisture and temperature cycling

IC components are exposed to a variety of environmental effects in their usage environments. These include exposure to warm and humid ambient environments, sequences of power and temperature cycles as well as exposure to extreme hot and cold temperatures in the manufacturing and shipping flow as well as in the field during customer use. The mechanical integrity of polymeric materials used in packaging and the fragile extremely low-k di-electric materials in the chip are significantly influenced by moisture absorption and cold temperature exposures. Furthermore, the combined effect of moisture exposure and temperature or power cycling accelerates chip — package failures significantly. A complete assessment of the cumulative amount of moisture exposure as well as the number of temperature cycles and temperature extremes from shipping/storage and through end-customer use is required to guarantee product reliability. This paper will examine the need for combined moisture and temperature cycle stresses for process/product certifications to risk assess true field reliability. Current JEDEC standards do not incorporate combination stresses. This paper will take a first step towards proposing such a standard combination stress for product qualifications.
From Bad to Worse: A Social Contagion Model of Organizational Misbehavior

Much of the literature related to organizational misbehavior focuses on individual level determinants while giving very little attention to the social factors. Although some scholars have suggested that organizational misbehavior is socially contagious, the mechanism that may facilitate such transmission has not been theorized or meaningfully tested. I argue that a work group's misbehavior influences individual member misbehavior through the creation of social information (i.e., awareness and prevalence of misbehavior), and this relationship is moderated by motivation (i.e., injustice), group factors (i.e., cohesion and informal sanctions) and personality (i.e., negative affectivity and honesty/humility). I use a longitudinal research design to test this model by investigating the change in work team members' behavior over time and using a sample of 35 work teams and 175 team members.
Serotonin synthesis with rat brain synaptosomes: Effects of L-DOPA, L-3-methoxytyrosine and catecholamines

Abstract Experiments were done with a fraction of rat brain containing mitochondria and synaptosomes. L -DOPA∥ ( K t 0·3 m M) and L -3-methoxytyrosine ( K t 0·5 m M) were found to be competitive inhibitors of tryptophan accumulation, while dopamine and l -noradrenaline had no effect on the accumulation of tryptophan. Furthermore, L -DOPA ( K t 5·6 μ M) was about 100 times more potent than L -3-methoxytyrosine in inhibiting the synthesis of 5HT from tryptophan. The inhibition of 5HT synthesis by L -DOPA appeared to be competitive to tryptophan and was not linear at concentrations of L -DOPA higher than 1 μM. L -DOPA also interfered with the rate of deamination of 5HT synthesized in vitro . Dopamine and l -noradrenaline also inhibited the synthesis of 5HT.
The Impact of a Professional Development Program on Elementary Teachers’ Science Knowledge and Pedagogical Skills

Teacher professional development plays an important role in a teacher’s growth and every year school districts spend a large portion of their budgets in professional development activities. However, as districts face increasing budget cuts, funds for professional development compete against other district priorities. As a result, partnerships between school districts and teacher training institutions can play an important role in supplying school districts with professional development activities to fit their teachers’ needs. This article describes a partnership between a school district and a local university to provide over 100 hours of professional development to 30 elementary school teachers. Results from the evaluation of the program indicate that the program had a significant impact on participating teachers’ perceptions of their science knowledge and pedagogical skills.
Smartview Lower Minimums: A Synthetic Vision Guidance System

SmartView™ Lower Minimums (SVLM) is a Synthetic Vision Guidance System (SVGS) that has been developed as a Flight Path Vector (FPV) Primary Flight Display (PFD) with additional pilot in the loop control display elements and system integrity monitors. SVLM is based upon previously certified Primus Epic® avionics architecture with a software update to an existing Primus Epic SmartView certified display. The flight instrument design enables any typically trained pilot to fly a more tightly controlled approach easily and routinely, achieving a sustained level of performance for the entire instrument approach procedure. SVLM is intended to enable lower than standard approach minimums at Category (CAT) I and CAT II airfields with a CAT I trained crew.
Integration of simulation modeling and inductive learning in an adaptive decision support system

Abstract This paper presents a decision support system (DSS) with inductive learning capability for model management. Simulation is used as the primary environment for modeling manufacturing systems and their processes. We propose an adaptive DSS framework for incorporating machine learning into the real time scheduling of a flexible manufacturing system and flexible flow system. The resulting DSS, referred to as pattern directed scheduling (PDS) system, has the unique characteristic of being an adaptive scheduler. While the bulk of previous research on dynamic machine scheduling deals with the relative effectiveness of a single scheduling rule, the approach presented in this study provides a mechanism for the state-dependent selection of one from among several rules. We address the PDS approach in the context of a model management system (MMS), with built-in simulation and inductive learning modules for heuristic acquisition and refinement. These modules complement each other in performing the decision support functions. Computational results show that such a pattern directed scheduling approach leads to superior system performance. It also provides a new framework for developing adaptive DSS.
Assuaging Death and Assigning Blame: A Lyric Analysis of Mormon Murder Ballads

Recently, there has been a growing interest in understanding the Mormon Church. While many approaches discuss contemporary Mormon culture, this article uses Fisher's narrative approach as a theoretical foundation for deconstructing 19th century Mormon culture through the use of its ballads. Specifically, this article investigates how Mormon and non-Mormon lyrical representations of violence influenced the beginnings of Mormon culture. Results demonstrate four Mormon cultural approaches to outside aggression. These approaches can be used to understand contemporary Mormon responses to actual or symbolic violence.
The influence of human and environmental exposure factors on personal NO2 exposures

The US Environmental Protection Agency's (US EPA) Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) deployed a total of over 2000 nitrogen dioxide, NO2, passive monitors during 3 years of field data collections. These 24-h based personal, residential outdoor and community-based measurements allowed for the investigation of NO2 spatial, temporal, human and environmental factors. The relationships between personal exposures to NO2 and the factors that influence the relationship with community-based measurements were of interest. Survey data from 136 participants were integrated with exposure findings to allow for mixed model effect analyses. Ultimately, 50 individual factors were selected for examination. NO2 analyses revealed that season, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and residential gas appliances were strong influencing factors. Only modest associations between community-based measures of nitrogen dioxide and personal exposures impacted by various exposure factors for heating (r=0.44) or non-heating seasons (r=0.34) were observed, indicating that use of ambient-based monitoring as a surrogate of personal exposure might result in sizeable exposure misclassification.
REFLECTION AND TRANSMISSION PROPERTIES OF HOLOGRAPHIC MIRRORS AND HOLOGRAPHIC FABRY-PEROT FILTERS. III. HOLOGRAPHIC FABRY-PEROT FILTERS

The reflection and transmission coefficients of holographic Fabry–Perot filters (HFPF's) are derived. Angular selectivities and wavelength sensitivities of the HFPF's on transmitted light are investigated. The effects of transmission by a HFPF on the spectrum and on the coherence properties of a partially coherent incident light are also analyzed. Numerical examples are presented for the case in which the incident light is generated by a Gaussian Schell-model source.
Occupational exposures and spontaneous abortion: Lawson et al

360 American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology This month, Journal Club members discussed a nested retrospective cohort analysis of women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study II, a prospective cohort study of 116,430 US nurses. This study, which has been in progress since 1989, evaluates the influence of a number of variables on health outcomes. Upon enrollment, the women, who ranged in age from 25–42 years and represented 14 states, completed mailed questionnaires that asked about their medical and reproductive histories. Follow-up questionnaires are sent every 2 years. In 2001, all participants were mailed a questionnaire that inquired whether they had experienced at least 1 pregnancy since 1993 and whether they were actively employed as a nurseduringthemost recentof thosepregnancies. If so, they were eligible to participate in the nested study. The women who agreed to participate and completed a supplemental questionnaire investigating occupational activities and exposures during that pregnancy make up the study population. The authors examined 5 potential occupational exposures: anesthetic gases, anticancer drugs, antiviral drugs, sterilizing agents, and x-ray radiation. In addition, data on lifestyle characteristics, such as night-shift duty, heavy lifting, alcohol consumption, caffeine consumption, and smoking, were collected. Exposure was classified as “yes” for any exposure of 1 hour per day or more. The authors assessed the risk for spontaneous abortion according to history of exposure.
Experiments on discretely heated, vented/unvented enclosures for various radiation surface characteristics of the thermal load, enclosure temperature sensor, and enclosure walls

A comprehensive experimental investigation has been performed to determine the heat transfer processes occurring within an oven-like enclosure. The main focus of the work was to identify the thermal response of a load to a number of operational parameters including the radiation surface finish of the load itself and the surface finishes of the oven temperature sensor and the oven walls. In addition, the effect of the presence or absence of venting of the oven was investigated. The thermal response of the load was slowed significantly as its reflectivity was systematically increased. When the oven temperature sensor was operated either with a blackened surface or with a highly reflecting surface, the thermal response of the load was hardly affected. In the case in which the oven walls were highly reflecting and the thermal load was highly absorbing, a higher heating rate was observed. When the oven vents were sealed, the heating rate was minimally affected.
Development of a 13C-optimized 1.5-mm high temperature superconducting NMR probe

Abstract We report a 1.5-mm NMR probe based on high temperature superconductors operating at 14.1 T optimized for 13C detection. The probe has a total sample volume of about 35 microliters (μL) with an active volume of 20 μL and provides exceptional mass sensitivity for 13C detection. The probe also has excellent 1H sensitivity and employs a 2H lock; 15N irradiation capability can be added in the future. The coils are cooled to about 20 K using a standard Agilent cryogenic refrigeration system, and the sample temperature is regulated near room temperature. The coil design considerations are discussed in detail. This probe is ideal for directly detected 13C NMR experiments for natural products chemistry and metabolomics applications, for which 35 μL is an optimal sample volume. The outstanding 13C sensitivity of this probe allowed us to directly determine the 13C connectivity on 1.1 mg of natural abundance histidine using an INADEQUATE experiment. We demonstrated the utility of this probe for 13C-based metabolomics using a synthetic mixture of common natural abundance metabolites whose concentrations ranged from 1 to 5 mM (40–200 nmol).
The comparative morphology of the fungal mat and ball of Trichophyton rubrum.

A CDC strain ofTrichophyton rubrum was grown on solid medium and in shake cultures. The resulting forms (mat-like and spheroidal, respectively) were prepared for sectioning and study by the freeze-drying technic. The results indicate certain similarities and differences in growth and pigmentation patterns, depending upon the method of culture. Pigmentation is not random but occurs in specific areas of the fungal clone. The relationship between each form and their pigmentation patterns is briefly described and discussed.
The Role of Behavioral Research in the Conservation of Chimpanzees and Gorillas

Chimpanzees and gorillas are among man's closest living relatives, sharing most of the human genetic code and having many similarities to humans in anatomy, physiology, and behavior. Like humans, these apes make and use tools and have strong family bonds. Chimpanzees even show population-specific behaviors similar to those of human cultures. However, chimpanzee and gorilla populations are in dramatic decline due to bushmeat hunting, habitat loss, and the varied risks of small, isolated populations. The first step in conserving the world's ape populations in the wild is to recognize and understand the complexities of these threats. Mitigating the risks takes a deeper understanding of ape behavior. This article provides examples of how gorilla and chimpanzee behavioral studies intersect with, and are critical to, conservation efforts.
Real-time matched-filter imaging for chemical detection using a DMD-based programmable filter

Hyperspectral imaging sensors have proven to be powerful tools for highly selective and sensitive chemical detection applications, but have some significant operational drawbacks including a detection time-lag due to the large computational overhead of the matched filter analysis of the resulting data cubes. For applications where only a single chemical is of interest or real-time detection is desired, an intelligently designed multispectral sensor can trade high resolution and continuous spectral coverage for an in-line optical matched filter, enabling snapshot chemical detection with nearly no image processing requirements. Such a system can operate with little loss of performance, greatly reduced data volume, and at a fraction of the cost. We have recently developed a high-speed, high-resolution, programmable spectral filter based on a DLP® digital micro-mirror device (DMD) that mimics a conventional band-pass filter by operating on the spectrum without disturbing the underlying image. Our DMD-based filter can independently choose or reject dozens or hundreds of spectral bands and present them simultaneously to an imaging sensor, forming a complete 2D image. With this new technology, even very complicated matched filters can be implemented directly into the optical train of the sensor, producing an image highlighting the target chemical within a spectrally cluttered scene in real-time without further processing. Examples of matched-filter images recorded with our visible-spectrum prototype will be displayed, and extensions to other spectral regions will be discussed. Finally, we will discuss strategies for implementing more sophisticated clutter-suppressing matched filters on the DMD-based system, including schemes that approximate the subtlety of post-processing algorithms by utilizing the DMD’s duty-cycle-based gray-scale capability.
A comparison of three methods of preparing children for surgery

Research on the preparation of children for surgery is beginning to focus on practical issues of implementation. The purpose of the present study was to determine if a videotape of a preoperative class would be as effective as the class itself in preparing children for surgery, and to see how both would compare with brief individual preparation by a nurse. Each of sixty 3-to 12-year-old children scheduled for minor ear, nose, or throat surgery received one of these three types of preparation. Children who attended the preoperative class displayed fewer negative behavioral reactions during the preoperative injection and trip to surgery than those who saw the videotape. There were suggestions of differences that did not reach statistical significance between the nurse's explanation group and the other two groups. Children in the nurse's explanation group appeared to display fewer negative reactions than those in the videotape group, but more than those in the preoperative class group. The personal contact and opportunities for active participation provided by the preoperative class, and to a lesser extent by the nurse's explanation, are variables that require more intensive investigation.
Clinical evaluation of brushing time and plaque removal potential of two manual toothbrushes.

: Aim: To compare plaque removal efficacy of Oral-B CrossAction (CA) used for 1 min with an American Dental Association (ADA) manual toothbrush used for 2 or 5 min in an examiner-blind, three-treatment, six-period crossover study. Materials and methods: After refraining from all oral hygiene procedures for 23–25 h, subjects were randomly assigned to one of nine possible six-period (visit) treatment sequences. Plaque was assessed at baseline (Rustogi Modified Navy Plaque Index). Post-brushing scores were recorded after brushing with a marketed dentifrice and the assigned toothbrush for the specified duration. The same procedure was followed at each of six subsequent visits. Clinical measurements were carried out by the same examiner. Results: Forty subjects completed the study. All three treatments effectively removed plaque from the whole mouth, along the gingival margin and from approximal surfaces. Whole mouth and gingival margin plaque removal scores with CA for 1 min did not differ significantly from scores with the ADA toothbrush used for 2 min. The ADA brush used for 5 min showed significantly greater whole mouth (P < 0.001) and gingival margin (P < 0.001) plaque reduction than the two other treatments. Approximal plaque removal scores did not differ between the three treatments. Conclusions: Efficient plaque removal can be achieved after 1 min of brushing with CA. The amount of plaque removed did not differ significantly from that achieved with the ADA brush after 2 min of brushing. Greater whole mouth and gingival margin plaque removal scores were seen with the ADA brush after 5 min.
Women and microcredit: alternative readings of subjectivity, agency, and gender change in rural Mexico

Within the last two decades, the growth of microcredit, or the provision of small loans to poor borrowers, has become a key development initiative in the Global South. This is particularly important for questions of gender relationships, as the majority of microcredit recipients worldwide are low-income women. However, most assessments of microcredit and gender emphasize issues of individual empowerment rather than the large-scale political implications of credit provision. In this article, I critique the use of mainstream empowerment models employed in the assessment of microcredit's ability to provoke changes in gender relationships. I argue that these models often fail to describe microcredit's effects on women's lives due to their epistemological framework, which pushes aside questions of geographical and historical specificity in pursuit of a universally empowered microcredit subject. Examining a mainstream empowerment model I used to conduct research in rural Mexico, I highlight these problems and p...
Deterioration of Wilson's Disease Following the Start of Penicillamine Therapy-Reply

In Reply. —We wish to respond to certain elements in the accompanying LETTERS TO THE EDITOR by Hoogenraad and Van Hattum and by Pall and coworkers concerning our recent article in theArchives.1 Hoogenraad and Van Hattum say "it would have been better to start treatment with zinc" in the patient in the case report, and "it is difficult to understand why Brewer and coworkers waited so long to switch over to zinc therapy." We made it clear in the article that the patient had been started on penicillamine by other physicians and the patient was not referred to us until six weeks after therapy had been initiated. As we said in the article, we did not switch the patient over to zinc therapy at that point, because we believed that the patient had already been through the syndrome of neurologic worsening from penicillamine. As our data show in theArchives
Spatially resolved concentration studies of ground state atoms and ions in an ICP: saturated absorption spectroscopic method

Abstract The saturated absorption spectroscopic method allows the direct determination of spatial distributions of absorbing species m a plasma to be made. Unlike most other emission and absorption methods which assume radial symmetry and require tedious Abel inversions, this method can be used regardless of the plasma symmetry because of its high spatial resolution. These characteristics are demonstrated with a 27.2 MHz ICP, utilizing short and long torches at power levels of 1.25 kW and 500 W for emission and fluorescence configurations, respectively. Distributions of Sr ground state atoms as well as Ba ground state ions were obtained under various conditions, using a single pulsed dye laser output as the spectroscopic probe in this diagnostic method.
Finite element methods for variable density flow and solute transport

Saltwater intrusion into coastal freshwater aquifers is an ongoing problem that will continue to impact coastal freshwater resources as coastal populations increase. To effectively model saltwater intrusion, the impacts of increased salt content on fluid density must be accounted for to properly model saltwater/freshwater transition zones and sharp interfaces. We present a model for variable density fluid flow and solute transport where a conforming finite element method discretization with a locally conservative velocity post-processing method is used for the flow model and the transport equation is discretized using a variational multiscale stabilized conforming finite element method. This formulation provides a consistent velocity and performs well even in advection-dominated problems that can occur in saltwater intrusion modeling. The physical model is presented as well as the formulation of the numerical model and solution methods. The model is tested against several 2-D and 3-D numerical and experimental benchmark problems, and the results are presented to verify the code.
Role of the hypophysis in the regulation of vitamin D metabolism.

Abstract Hypophysectomy of animals given maintenance levels of vitamin D and adequate levels of dietary calcium and phosphorus brings about a marked reduction in plasma 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 levels and a significant elevation in plasma 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 levels. The hypophysectomy, as expected, results in reduced growth and lowered plasma levels of inorganic phosphorus. The injection of growth hormone markedly increases plasma levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in hypophysectomized animals while bringing about a reduction in 24,25dihydroxyvitamin D3 levels. These results support the idea that the hypophysis plays a role in the regulation of vitamin D metabolism and that growth hormone either directly or indirectly is one of the hypophyseal factors bringing about this regulation.
Sand, soil, and pigeon droppings: Sources of indicator bacteria in the waters of Hanauma bay, Oahu, Hawaii

To investigate the deteriorating bacteriological water quality of Hanauma Bay, Hawaii, samples of shoreline water, sand, land runoff, and mongoose and pigeon droppings were analysed for fecal coliforms, E. coli and enterococci. The results indicate that the major sources contributing to periodic high levels of bacteria in the waters of the Bay are contaminants of the beach sand, such as pigeon feces.
Searching Digital Political Cartoons

The study of cartoons, manga, and graphic novels is of growing importance to humanity scholars. Managing cartoons for scholarly use presents two challenges: searching and understanding. Current cartoon archiving and searching projects either organize cartoons for browsing or manually record the symbols and the text in cartoons for searching. We propose to automatically detect the text lines in the cartoons, recognize the text using OCR, expand the scant text evidence in cartoons using related external text (such as news) to facilitate searching, process the text into character trigrams, and use the related external text as a context to facilitate the understanding of the cartoons. Preliminary experiment results are reported.
Biochemical Properties of Pork and Their Relationship to Quality III. Degree of Saturation and Moisture Content of Subcutaneous Fata,b

SUMMARY Degree of unsaturation and the moisture content of subcutaneous fatty tissue were compared to certain quantitative and qualitative traits of 247 pork carcasses. Degree of unsaturation and percent moisture of this tissue decreased as the fat content of the young animal increased; with mature packer sows, however, this pattern was not evident. Subcutaneous fat depots containing a greater amount of moisture and a relatively higher content of unsaturated fatty acids as determined by iodine number, were related to softer and leaner pork carcasses and were associated with less favorable palatability characteristics. Because lean, less firm carcasses possessed less intramuscular fat and therefore yielded pork cuts that generally had less desirable palatability, the subcutaneous fat characteristics may be associated only indirectly with quality attributes. Neither extent of unsaturation nor moisture content of the subcutaneous fatty tissue was related to the odor, as measured subjectively, of heated samples of fat.
Making mathematical reasoning fun: web-integrated, collaborative, and "Hands-On" Techniques (abstract only)

Is it possible to excite students about learning the mathematical principles that underlie high-quality software? Can they use a development environment for "hands-on" experimentation with reasoning? Is this possible without displacing existing content? The answer is a resounding yes "from the experiences of professors at several institutions" but it takes the right set of pedagogical principles, reasoning tools, and hands-on exercises. This laboratory will help educators transfer the excitement of learning how to apply mathematical reasoning in building high quality software, by adopting one reasoning concept at a time.The workshop will introduce a series of independent content modules that can be introduced in any course where mathematical reasoning might be taught -- from introductory programming and software engineering to data structures and algorithms. They are designed to supplement, rather than replace, existing course materials.Fees for this workshop will be covered for a limited number of attendees through an NSF award; limited travel support is also available. All participants are required to bring a laptop to participate in the computer-assisted exercises.
Expression of Nav1.8 sodium channels perturbs the firing patterns of cerebellar purkinje cells

Abstract The sensory neuron specific sodium channel Na v 1.8/SNS exhibits depolarized voltage-dependence of inactivation, slow inactivation and rapid repriming, which differentiate it from other voltage-gated sodium channels. Na v 1.8 is normally selectively expressed at high levels in sensory ganglion neurons, but not within the CNS. However, expression of Na v 1.8 mRNA and protein are upregulated within cerebellar Purkinje cells in animal models of multiple sclerosis (MS), and in human MS. To examine the effect of expression of Na v 1.8 on the activity pattern of Purkinje cells, we biolistically introduced Na v 1.8 cDNA into these cells in vitro. We report here that Na v 1.8 can be functionally expressed at physiological levels (similar to the levels in DRG neurons where Na v 1.8 is normally expressed) within Purkinje cells, and that its expression alters the activity of these neurons in three ways: first, by increasing the amplitude and duration of action potentials; second, by decreasing the proportion of action potentials that are conglomerate and the number of spikes per conglomerate action potential; and third, by contributing to the production of sustained, pacemaker-like impulse trains in response to depolarization. These results provide support for the hypothesis that the expression of Na v 1.8 channels within Purkinje cells, which occurs in MS, may perturb their function.
Environmental influences on photosynthesis within the crown of a white oak

Photosynthesis, leaf conductance, xylem pressure potential as well as six environmental factors were measured within the crown of a dominant, 18.9 m, white oak tree (Quercus alba L.) during the summers of 1974 and 1975. Photosynthesis was measured with a 14CO2 apparatus which enabled a description of the within crown and with leaf variations to be made. Photosynthesis averaged 7.0, 5.6 and 4.6 mgCO2 dm-2 h-1 for top, middle and bottom crown positions. High leaf temperatures and mid-day stomatal closure appeared to limit photosynthesis in the upper crown while light appeared limiting in the lower. Under conditions of a moderate drought, the lower crown's photosynthethic activity approached that of the upper crown. Seasonal shifts in photosynthesis were noted and these were related to shifts in leaf conductance associated with temperature or drought or both pre-conditioning. For example, the xylem pressure potential threshold for stomatal closure varied from-18.9 to-26.1 bars depending upon drought history. With the 14CO2 technique, photosynthetic activity was statistically uniform over the entire leaf surface; thus sampling location within a white oak leaf was not a matter of concern. Similarly, no statistically significant within-leaf variation was found with respect to leaf conductance.
Boredom and eating in obese and non-obese individuals

Abstract Psychosomatic theorizing about obesity holds that obese individuals eat to cope with anxiety and other emotional states. On the basis of the demonstrated unpleasantness of boredom, it was hypothesized that obese would eat more food when confronted with a boring task than with an interesting task. Food consumption of normals would not be influenced by the task. Sixty female subjects were pre-loaded with food until they reported being full. Each subject then engaged in either a boring or an interesting task. Consumption of available food while performing the task was measured. Self-report questionnaires indicate that the respective tasks produced boredom and interest as desired. The results indicate that the obese consumed significantly more food than normals, and that boredom markedly increases food consumption for both obese and normals. The predicted interaction between weight and task was not found.
Hardware and software co-design for robust and resilient execution

How do we design error-tolerant processors (and associated systems) that meet historically established high reliability standards, without exceeding fixed power budgets and cost constraints? This is the fundamental technological research challenge that present-day and future systems architects face. In the late CMOS era, device-scaling trends have resulted in an increased awareness of the various sources of unreliability at the component level. Designing and building robust processors is becoming increasingly challenging in the face of growing device susceptibility to transient and hard errors. Some solutions, such as those that circumvent the power problem today, have in fact been shown to worsen conditions for the emerging new device “reliability wall.” Future systems will require designers across all layers of the system stack to integrate adaptive design techniques, at both the hardware and software layers, to ensure robust and resilient execution.
MANICURE document processing system

MANICURE is a document processing system that provides integrated facilities for creating electronic forms of printed materials. In this paper the functionalities supported by MANICURE and their implementations are described. In particular, we provide information on specific modules dealing with automatic detection and correction of OCR errors and automatic markup of logical components of the text. We further show that the various text formats produced by MANICURE can be used by web browsers and/or be manipulated by search routines to highlight the requested information on document images.
Glycosphingolipids of human plasma lipoproteins.

The content and structure of glycosphingolipids (GSL) in human plasma lipoproteins were studies. The quantitative distribution of the neutral GSL(Glc-Cer, Gal-Glc-Cer, Gal-Gal-Glc-Cer, and GalNAc-Gal-Gal-Glc-Cer) and the principal ganglioside (AcNeu-Gal-Glc-Cer) within the different lipoprotein classes was similar to that of whole plasma. The total amounts (μmol glucose/100 ml plasma) of GSL in the plasma lipoproteins of three normal subjects were VLDL (very low density lipoproteins) (trace to 0.46), LDL (low density lipoproteins) (1.08–1.48), HDL2 (high density lipoproteins2) (0.62–0.85), and HDL3 (high density lipoproteins3) (trace to 0.28). In subjects with Lp(a) lipoproteins, HDL2 rather than HDL3 contained most of the GSL in HDL. When the data were corrected for differences in the plasma concentrations of the lipoproteins, the total amounts of GSL(nmol glucose/mg lipoprotein cholesterol) were VLDL(trace to 21.20), LDL(11.70–15.36), HDL2(8.50–9.10), and HDL3(3.12). No GSL were detected in lipoprotein deficient plasma. Mass spectrometry of the trimethylsilyl derivatives of the GSL in LDL showed major fragment ions characteristic of their individual structural components. The elevated plasma levels of the GSL(2–18 fold), in a homozygote for familial hypercholesterolemia, resided in LDL which contained an absolute increase (per mg lipoprotein cholesterol) of GSL. Most, if not all, of the plasma GSL are associated with plasma lipoproteins and may have an important role in their biological functions.
Liquid chromatographic approach to investigation of dissolved organic matter adsorptive fractionation and competitive displacement on minerals

Abstract Although physicochemical processes at liquid/solid boundaries are critical in several increasingly important areas of environmental science and engineering, research methods used to contact solutes and adsorbents have changed little in recent decades. We describe an emerging liquid chromatographic (LC) experimental approach which can be used to investigate various phenomena at liquid/solid boundaries, and we report its application in studies of Suwannee River Humic Acid (SRHA) adsorptive fractionation and phosphate competitive displacement on aluminum oxide coated quartz (AlQ). This LC-based approach is similar to continuous-flow column (i.e., breakthrough) methods. However, using the LC auto-injection system, `pulsed' (i.e., non-continuous) additions of adsorbate (or displacement agent) are made onto adsorbent-packed columns, and non-adsorbed (or displaced) ligands are monitored in multiple optical chromatographic detection channels. We applied the LC-based method in this area of research because (i) this method promises to be more efficient (in materials and analytical/experimental time) than conventional (batch and continuous-flow column) methods, and (ii) it generates unique data that reveal changes in of solution-phase adsorbate mixture compositions due to preferential adsorption or displacement effects. In an SRHA-AlQ adsorption study, detector signal ratios suggested preferential adsorption of high molecular weight (MW) SRHA constituents. When phosphate ions reacted with SRHA-saturated AlQ surfaces, these ratios indicated preferential displacement of low MW SRHA constituents. Adsorption and displacement results agreed, indicating relatively high MW SRHA constituents bound with greatest affinity. Results agree with previous studies of similar adsorbate–adsorbent systems conducted using conventional methods, which validates this method. Each of these experiments, which provided data on both adsorptive fractionation and competitive displacement, was completed in the timeframe of a typical chromatographic experiment and consumed
Gonyaulax monilata: population growth and development of toxicity in cultures.

SYNOPSIS. The development of three 8-liter and four 12-liter cultures of the photosynthetic dinoflagellate Gonyaulax monilata was followed for 4 months. Weekly estimates were made of population levels of this chain-forming flagellate, along with incidence of cells in chains and toxicity to fish. Guppies (Lebistes reticulatus) were used to assay toxicity. Populations reached a peak when cultures were 3–5 weeks old, declined during weeks 6–10, and tended to stabilize thereafter thru the 17th (final week). The percentage of cells in chains was related to the slope of the population curve; rapidly increasing populations had the highest proportion of long chains, suggesting that incidence of chains is an index of the growth phase in G. monilata. Peak toxicity was not reached until culture populations had been steadily declining for a month, indicating that most toxin is released by autolysis. The reproducibility of culture population and toxicity levels recommend the methods used for future studies.
Transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography in Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations Diagnostic Sensitivity and Association of Flow Velocity With Spontaneous Hemorrhage and Focal Neurological Deficit

Background and Purpose We sought to investigate (1) the sensitivity of transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD) for diagnosis of cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and (2) the association of feeding artery flow velocity profiles with spontaneous hemorrhage and focal neurological deficit in AVM patients. Methods We examined 114 consecutive AVM patients prospectively by TCD; 22 non-AVM patients with acute cerebral hemorrhage and 52 normal subjects served as controls. To estimate the association of blood flow velocity patterns in feeding arteries with spontaneous hemorrhage and focal neurological deficit, the total group of AVM subjects was divided into patients with and without a history of bleeding and also into those with and without clinical signs of “steal” (focal deficit unrelated to hemorrhage). Results Sensitivity for large and medium-sized AVMs was high (>80%), whereas 62% of small AVMs were missed. TCD was also highly sensitive (80%) in a group of five AVM patients with acute hemorrhage....
'In th'armor of a Pagan knight': Romance and Anachronism East of England in Book V of The Faerie Queene and Tamburlaine

In Book V of Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene , the knight Artegall turns Turk, donning 'th'armor of a Pagan knight' to infiltrate the court of the Souldan, allowing his fellow knight Arthur to defeat the tyrant with a mirrored shield, destroying him through an act of mimesis. Using this passage as a departure point, I argue that anachronism and mimesis, making the Muslim other a figure in a transhistorical drama and appropriating aspects of his identity for one’s own self-fashioning, were central to the construction of both the Turk and the Englishman in Elizabethan literature. I explore this dynamic in The Faerie Queene and Christopher Marlowe’s Tamburlaine , with a glance at the historical hybrid hero Scanderbeg’s role in the English literary imagination. The incorporation of Muslim figures into the romance space constructed by these texts highlights the hopes and anxieties attending cross-cultural contact and the commensurability of human beings, and the double-sided capacity of the English to become like those with whom they trafficked.
Optic Nerve Complex Imaging in Glaucoma Medicare Beneficiaries

Purpose: To assess the frequency of fundus photography and scanning computerized ophthalmic diagnostic imaging (SCODI) on patients receiving glaucoma care under Medicare.Methods: In this retrospective, observational, Medicare claims-based study, we used a 5% random sample, from 2006–2008, of Medicare beneficiaries, selected for International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) diagnoses of glaucoma or glaucoma suspect, who had greater than one year of follow up (N = 143,374). The proportion of patients with an ICD-9 diagnosis of glaucoma or glaucoma suspect who received fundus photography (Physicians’ Current Procedural Terminology, CPT 99250) or scanning computerized ophthalmic diagnostic imaging (SCODI; CPT 92135) was determined.Results: A total of 48% of patients did not have any form of imaging during the study period. Among those who were imaged, 27% were imaged only once. The use of fundus photography was significantly lower than the use of SCODI (p < 0.00005). A total of 75% of those i...
Mechanistic Insights from Animal Models of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are common chronic inflammatory conditions associated with substantial local and systemic morbidity. The genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity of these disorders presents great challenges to investigators of disease mechanisms. Valid and reliable animal models that combine the main elements of human skin and joint disease have not been developed, and this has hindered our ability to understand the complex immunopathology and develop treatments. Recently, novel animal models have been developed with the potential to greatly increase our knowledge of important mechanisms that underlie psoriatic skin and joint inflammation and bone remodeling. Herein, we discuss how recent models generated by use of promising new technologies are revealing novel inflammatory pathways that have promising therapeutic potential.
PLACEBO-CONTROLLED TRIAL OF LIVE ATTENUATED COLD-ADAPTED (CA) INFLUENZA A VACCINES (H1N1 & H3N2) VERSUS INACTIVATED WHOLE VIRUS INFLUENZA A (H3N2) VACCINE

PLACEBO-CONTROLLED TRIAL OF LIVE ATTENUATED COLD-ADAPTED (CA) INFLUENZA A VACCINES (H1N1 & H3N2) VERSUS INACTIVATED WHOLE VIRUS INFLUENZA A (H3N2) VACCINE
Influence of First-Generation White Apple Leafhopper (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) and Leaf-to-Fruit Ratio on Apple Fruit Size and Quality

Girdled limbs of ‘Campbell Redchief Delicious’ apple ( Malus domestica Bork-hallser) trees were treated with a factorial combination of four first-generation white apple leafhopper, Typhlocyba pamaria McAtee, populations and three leaf-to-fruit ratios. Fruit size, fruit soluble solids concentration, and fruit surface red color were related positively to leaf- to-fruit ratio, whereas none of the indices of fruit size or quality was consistently influenced by leafhoppers. These data indicate that action threshold levels for first-generation leafhoppers should be increased to three or more leafhoppers per leaf.
Design of optimal and broadband conformal SCMR systems

In this paper, the design of optimal Conformal Strongly Coupled Magnetic Resonant (CSCMR) Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) systems is considered. Also, a broadband CSCMR topology is proposed, which compared to the conventional SCMR, exhibits significantly larger bandwidth. Our designs are validated through measurements and simulation.