cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rocket-Based Combined-Cycle Propulsion Technology for Access-to-Space Applications

NASA's Office of Aero-Space Technology (OAST) established three major goals, referred to as, "The Three Pillars for Success". The Advanced Space Transportation Program Office (ASTP) at the NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Ala. focuses on future space transportation technologies under the "Access to Space" pillar. One of the main activities over the past three years has been on advancing the hydrogen fueled rocket-based combined cycle (RBCC) technologies. The RBCC effort that was completed early this year was the initial step leading to flight demonstrations of the technology for space launch vehicle propulsion. Aerojet and Boeing-Rocketdyne designed, built and ground tested their RBCC engine concepts. In addition, ASTROX, Georgia Institute of Technology, McKinney Associates, Pennsylvania State University (PSU), and University of Alabama in Huntsville conducted supporting activities. The RBCC activity included ground testing of components (e.g., injectors, thrusters, ejectors and inlets) and integrated flowpaths. Inlet testing was performed at the Lewis Research Center's 1 x 1 wind tunnel. All direct connect and free-jet engine testing were conducted at the GASL facilities on Long Island, New York. Testing spanned the Mach range from sea level static to Mach 8. Testing of the rocket-only mode, simulating the final phase of the ascent mission profile, was also performed. The originally planned work on these contracts was completed in 1999. Follow-on activities have been initiated for both hydrogen and hydrocarbon fueled RBCC concepts. Studies to better understand system level issues with the integration of RBCC propulsion with earth-to-orbit vehicles have also been conducted. This paper describes the status, progress and future plans of the RBCC activities funded by NASA/MSFC with a major focus on the benefits of utilizing air-breathing combined-cycle propulsion in access-to-space applications.
Effectiveness of household reverse-osmosis systems in a Western U.S. region with high arsenic in groundwater.

Abstract It is well known to the public in Lahontan Valley in rural Nevada, USA, that local aquifers produce water with varied, but sometimes very high concentrations of arsenic (> 4 ppm). As a result, many residents of the area have installed household reverse-osmosis (RO) systems to produce drinking water. We examined performance of RO systems and factors associated with arsenic removal efficiency in 59 households in Lahontan Valley. The sampling results indicated that RO systems removed an average of 80.2% of arsenic from well water. In 18 of the 59 households, arsenic concentrations exceeded 10 ppb in treated water, with a maximum in treated water of 180 ppb. In 3 of the 59 households, RO treatment had little effect on specific conductance, indicating that the RO system was not working properly. Two main factors lead to arsenic levels in treated water exceeding drinking-water standards in the study area. First, arsenic concentrations were high enough in some Lahontan Valley wells that arsenic levels exceeded 10 ppb even though RO treatment removed more than 95% of the arsenic. Second, trivalent As+ 3 was the dominant arsenic species in approximately 15% of the wells, which significantly reduced treatment efficiency. Measurements of specific conductance indicated that efficiency in reducing arsenic levels did not always correlate with reductions in total dissolved solids. As a consequence, improvements in taste of the water or simple measurements of specific conductance made by technicians to test RO systems can mislead the public into assuming the water meets safety standards. Actual measurements of treated water are necessary to assure that household RO systems are reducing arsenic concentrations to safe levels, particularly in areas where groundwater has high arsenic concentrations or where As+ 3 is the dominant species.
Evaluating the effectiveness of academic development: principles and practice

How can academic developers provide evidence of the effectiveness and ‘added value’ of their work to the key stakeholders within their institutions? This is the question that challenges the reader ...
Methyl farnesoate binding proteins in tissues of the spider crab, Libinia emarginata

Methyl farnesoate (MF) binding proteins (MFBPs) were found in the ovaries, testes, accessory glands, and hemolymph of the spider crab Libinia emarginata, by photoaffinity labeling the tissues in vitro with tritiated farnesyl diazomethyl ketone ([3H]-FDK). Specificity was demonstrated by competitive displacement of [3H]-FDK with MF. SDS-PAGE followed by fluorography revealed several labeled proteins in the hemolymph and testes with molecular masses ranging from 29 to 116 kDa, and two in the ovary that were 97 and 70 kDa. Tissues from reproductive animals bound twice as much label per gram weight compared to those that were from non-reproductive crabs.
Algebraic Criteria for Qualitative Analysis of Nonlinear Dynamics in Biochemistry

Aggregate modeling can approximate the convex hull of local matrices to nonlinear dynamics for any given accuracy. The authors use aggregate models to extend sufficient conditions for asymptotic stability of linear differential inclusions to nonlinear dynamics. An example illustrates the applicability of the proposed criteria to the analysis of nonlinear biochemical reaction chains.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
The “Stimulus Field” for Interpersonal Phenomena: The Source of Language and Thought About Interpersonal Events

This article introduces the concept of “stimulus field” and describes the role it plays in understanding common thought and language. A stimulus field specifies the psychophysical reality of any particular domain of phenomena. Consistent with various writings in “ecological psychology,” this article proposes that cognition about interpersonal phenomena is adapted to the stimulus field of those phenomena and, therefore, that our understanding of the relevant thoughts and language should specify and take account of that reality. The central assumption of this article is that, in the absence of knowing the true stimulus field for interpersonal phenomena, interdependence theory can fruitfully serve as a provisional specification of that field. After an overview of interdependence theory, this article summarizes some of the implications of this strategy. It shows that the theory helps us understand some of the presently known facts about the cognition of interpersonal phenomena and suggests hypotheses about ot...
Extracting Information from Optical Fields through Spatial and Temporal Modulation

We present techniques for obtaining information through spatial and temporal decomposition of optical fields. Limiting cases of sub-wavelength and extended objects is discussed.
A Probabilistic Model for the Spatial Distribution of Party Support in Multiparty Electorates

Abstract Spatial models of electoral competition locate voters and parties at points in euclidean space—representing issue positions—and specify utility of voters for parties as functions of these positions. Utility functions may also have stochastic components unassociated with issues. In this article probabilistic models are compared in which the utility function incorporates distance between voter and party positions (proximity model) or a scalar product (directional model). Model specification is significant because of its relation to party strategy and the resulting spatial distribution of parties. Maximum likelihood is used to estimate parameters of a mixed directional and proximity model—with stochastic and strategic components—from data in Norwegian and Swedish election studies. Expected spatial distributions of voters by party support are determined for the multiparty electorates of Norway and Sweden. Unlike previous deterministic work, which strongly favors the directional model, the results obt...
The American-Israeli Alliance: Raison d'etat Revisited

Long before the advent of the 1973 war, -the United States had devised a policy that manifested its broad and deep commitment to Israel's security. The commitment was evidenced not only in repeated public pronouncements of support by successive administrations (Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan), but also by an unusual constancy of support in Congress: massive doses of economic and military aid, special privileges granted to Israel and its citizens, and close coordination between the two countries on many economic, diplomatic, and military matters. 1 How can one explain satisfactorily the solidity and longevity of this special, perhaps unique, relationship? What are the forces that cement the ties? And, finally, what does the future hold for the relationship between Israel and the U.S.? The Palestinian scholar, Professor Walid Khalidi, attributes Washington's Middle East policy to the predominance of domestic and global concerns. In his view, domestic and geopolitical strategies have been allowed to play paramount roles, at the expense of the regional variable. This, he contends, is why U.S. policy toward the Palestine problem and the Arab-Israeli conflict since the 1940s has consistently gone awry.2 Similarly, Paul Findley, a former congressman from America's heartland, clearly and convincingly delineates the extraordinary influence of the
Crying a Thesis

This article revisits a narrative space opened by writing a master’s thesis on history teachers’ identity since a biographic-narrative approach. Teacher identity is understood as a process of becoming through a complicated conversation about our educational experience; a conversation with ourselves and others. The work takes the shape of a play in which multiple voices come together to tell this story.
Roepke Lecture in Economic Geography—Crises, Geographic Disruptions and the Uneven Development of Political Responses

The current financial crisis may be deeper and more far reaching than earlier ones except the Great Depression, but it fits into an all-too-common pattern of capitalist development experienced over the past 40 years. What can Marxian theory, with its focus on crisis formation and the internal contradictions of capital accumulation, teach us about the nature of capitalist crises, and what can the actual experience of the crisis teach us about Marxian theory? In what ways has the distinctive geographic unfolding of the crisis-all the way from subprime lending in specific locations to disruptions and spatial fixes in patterns of financial, commodity, capital, and labor flows-contributed either to the deepening of the crisis or to its partial resolution? How, finally, can adequate responses to the crisis tendencies of capitalism and the stresses of endless compound growth be articulated in these times? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
The Philosophy and Rhetoric of Auditor Independence Concepts

This paper analyzes the rhetoric surrounding the profession’s presentations of auditor independence. We trace the evolution of the character of the auditor from Professional Man in the early years of the twentieth century to the more public and abstract figures of Judicial Man and Economic Man. The changing character of the auditor in the profession’s narratives of legitimation reflects changes in the role of auditing, in the economic environment, and in the values of American society. Economic man is a self-interested and shallow character who offered the auditing profession little protection against involvement in corporate scandals. In the wake of recent accounting scandals, the profession is calling for a return to the character of Professional Man to restore trust in audits and the financial markets.We also analyze the philosophical bases of the metaphors surrounding auditor independence. These metaphors, particularly the metaphor of independence as separation, create problems in conceptualizing independence concepts. How can you discuss appropriate relationships when your basic concept is one of separation, or no relationship? On the other hand, relational concepts of independence are also flawed if they are not based on a firm moral foundation. We suggest how the profession can act to rebuild its moral foundation through recognition of collective responsibility.
Cytokine Therapy for Crohn's Disease: Advances in Translational Research

Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), the two idiopathic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), affect almost two million individuals in North America and several million worldwide. Cytokines are important in the pathogenesis of CD, and their manipulation has successfully reduced disease severity and maintained remission. Following the discovery of novel cytokines and the role they may play in gut mucosal immunity, as well as the emergence of new concepts and changing paradigms in CD pathogenesis, the roles of several cytokines have been elucidated and tested in both preclinical animal models and clinical trials of patients with IBD. Complementary to this, proof of concept for new cytokine targets is rapidly developing, with the possibility of future cytokine-based therapies that may offer greater specificity and decreased toxicity for the treatment of CD. This review discusses novel concepts in CD pathogenesis and the roles of cytokines in the initiation and perpetuation of disease. In addition, we review applications of cytokine-based therapies in human clinical trials and preclinical animal studies. Finally, we discuss novel cytokine targets not yet investigated in vivo and describe their potential contribution to CD pathogenesis.
Diuretic effect of acute hypoxia in humans: relationship to hypoxic ventilatory responsiveness and renal hormones

Acute hypoxia causes increased sodium and water excretion. Animal studies suggest that this renal response is largely driven by direct peripheral arterial chemoreceptor stimulation, independent of accompanying changes in ventilation and acid-base status. Whether the diuresis and natriuresis observed in humans made acutely hypoxic are caused by peripheral chemoreceptor stimulation is not known, but, if so, we hypothesized that people with a high ventilatory response to hypoxia (high peripheral chemosensitivity) should have greater diuresis and natriuresis than those with a low ventilatory response to hypoxia. The isocapnic hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) of 16 subjects on a fixed sodium intake was measured, as were their urinary volume and sodium and bicarbonate losses during 6 h of breathing air (in a normobaric environmental chamber) and, on the subsequent day, 12% O2. The isocapnic HVR correlated positively with hypoxic diuresis (r = 0.87) and natriuresis (r = 0.76). In contrast, the isocapnic HVR did not correlate with bicarbonate excretion, despite the expected respiratory alkalosis of acute hypoxia. The magnitude of diuresis and natriuresis with hypoxia did not correlate with changes in circulating aldosterone, renin, atrial natriuretic peptide, vasopressin, or a digoxin-like immunoreactive substance. These findings are compatible with a role of the peripheral arterial chemoreceptors in mediating the renal response to hypoxia in humans. The efferent pathway remains unknown.
Getting Beyond “Good Job”: How to Give Effective Feedback

This article is the fourth in a series by the Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics (COMSEP) reviewing the critical attributes and skills of superb clinical teachers. The previous article in this series reviewed the vital importance of direct observation of students.(1) The purpose of this article is to describe how to use the information gained from the direct observation, namely the role of feedback. Although too often used interchangeably, encouragement, evaluation, and feedback are quite distinct. Encouragement (eg, "good job!") is supportive but does nothing to improve the learner's skills. Evaluation is summative and is the final judgment of the learner's performance. Feedback, however, is designed to improve future performance. This article focuses on feedback-what it is, why it is important, some of the barriers to effective feedback, and how to give helpful feedback.
A vision of the future for the Air Force (and perhaps the whole DoD)

The Air Force has enthusiastically endorsed at its most senior levels, advanced thinking with regard to the application of information technology. Information superiority is a regularly emphasized core competency, and the AF is developing the concept of an enterprise wide integrated management for C2 with the application of information technology as the core component. Recently, the notion of a Joint Battlespace Infosphere (JBI) has emerged as an idea; extending beyond the bounds of the Air Force, which could have significant impact on both the operational procedures of the Air Force and on the technologies that support them. This paper discusses some, but not all, of the many issues that are involved in developing the JBI, and it provides a couple of pointers to research topics that would be beneficial towards furthering the JBI concept.
The Myosin I SH3 Domain and TEDS Rule Phosphorylation Site are Required for In Vivo Function

The class I myosins play important roles in controlling many different types of actin-based cell movements. Dictyostelium cells either lacking or overexpressing amoeboid myosin Is have significant defects in cortical activities such as pseudopod extension, cell migration, and macropinocytosis. The existence of Dictyostelium null mutants with strong phenotypic defects permits complementation analysis as a means of exploring important functional features of the myosin I heavy chain. Mutant Dictyostelium cells lacking two myosin Is exhibit profound defects in growth, endocytosis, and rearrangement of F-actin. Expression of the full-length myoB heavy chain in these cells fully rescues the double mutant defects. However, mutant forms of the myoB heavy chain in which a serine at the consensus phosphorylation site has been altered to an alanine or in which the C-terminal SH3 domain has been removed fail to complement the null phenotype. The wild-type and mutant forms of the myoB heavy chain appeared to be properly localized when they were expressed in the myosin I null mutants. These results suggest that the amoeboid myosin I consensus phosphorylation site and SH3 domains do not play a role in the localization of myosin I, but are absolutely required for in vivo function.
The Utility of an Extensive Postchemotherapy Staging Evaluation in Patients Receiving Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Bladder Cancer

Level-1 evidence supports the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in the management of muscle-invasive bladder cancer.1,2 In recent years, these findings have resulted in the increased use of NAC before radical cystectomy (RC) in the United States.3 The enrollment criteria for the 2 largest randomized trials of NAC in bladder cancer2,4 required a clinical diagnosis of muscle-invasive disease (clinical stage T2-T4). After the completion of NAC, patients proceeded directly to cystectomy without a repeat staging examination. Based on these study protocols, this management strategy has become the standard of care for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. At our institution, we routinely perform a restaging evaluation after the completion of NAC but before proceeding to RC. This evaluation involves a chest radiography or chest computed tomography scan (CT), cross-sectional imaging of the abdomen and pelvis (either CT or magnetic resonance imaging), endoscopic examination of the bladder under anesthesia, and a bimanual examination. This extensive restaging evaluation, including endoscopic and bimanual examination, is not routinely performed by all urologists, and its clinical utility is unclear. Furthermore, in patients managed with RC alone, there are often discrepancies between the clinical stage assigned at the time of diagnosis and the pathologic stage determined by analysis of the RC specimen.5–7 The lack of correlation between clinical and pathologic stage compromises accurate assessment of patient prognosis at the time of diagnosis.8 In patients receiving NAC, there is likely to be an even greater discrepancy between clinical and pathologic stage, as NAC leads to pathologic downstaging in a significant percentage of patients.2 It is unknown whether a restaging evaluation performed after the completion of NAC allows for the more accurate prediction of pathologic stage after RC. The purpose of the present study was thus 2-fold. First, we aimed to assess the clinical utility of an extensive restaging evaluation after NAC and determine how often the results of this restaging evaluation change patient management. Second, we investigated the correlation between clinical stage on postchemotherapy restaging evaluation and pathologic stage after RC, to determine whether restaging improves the assessment of patient prognosis.
An experiment-based quantitative and comparative analysis of target detection and image classification algorithms for hyperspectral imagery

Over the past years, many algorithms have been developed for multispectral and hyperspectral image classification. A general approach to mixed pixel classification is linear spectral unmixing, which uses a linear mixture model to estimate the abundance fractions of signatures within a mixed pixel. As a result, the images generated for classification are usually gray scale images, where the gray level value of a pixel represents a combined amount of the abundance of spectral signatures residing in this pixel. Due to a lack of standardized data, these mixed pixel algorithms have not been rigorously compared using a unified framework. The authors present a comparative study of some popular classification algorithms through a standardized HYDICE data set with a custom-designed detection and classification criterion. The algorithms to be considered for this study are those developed for spectral unmixing, the orthogonal subspace projection (OSP), maximum likelihood, minimum distance, and Fisher's linear discriminant analysis (LDA). In order to compare mixed pixel classification algorithms against pure pixel classification algorithms, the mixed pixels are converted to pure ones by a designed mixed-to-pure pixel converter. The standardized HYDICE data are then used to evaluate the performance of various pure and mixed pixel classification algorithms. Since all targets in the HYDICE image scenes can be spatially located to pixel level, the experimental results can be presented by tallies of the number of targets detected and classified for quantitative analysis.
Color-Coding Politics: Creating Meaning About “Red States” and “Blue States” in U.S. Newspapers Between 2003 and 2007

During the 2000 Presidential election between George H. W. Bush and Al Gore, journalists often used the terms blue states and red states to describe the political landscape within the United States...
Fever without source in children 0 to 36 months of age.

Although fever in the young child (0-36 months) is a common clinical problem, the evaluation and treatment of febrile children remain controversial. Furthermore, universal vaccination with the hepta-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) has changed the epidemiology of invasive bacterial disease in young children. This article addresses the approach to febrile neonates (0-28 days old), young infants (1-3 months old), and older infants and toddlers (3-36 months old) in the PCV7 era.
A limited sampling strategy for pharmacokinetic directed therapy with intravenous busulfan

Abstract High-dose busulfan is widely used in allogeneic and autologous marrow transplantation preparative regimens. Variation in the area under the concentration/time curve (AUC) for oral busulfan results in substantial risk of over or under treatment with excess risk of toxicity or relapse. Use of the IV formulation reduces this variability by eliminating variability in absorption. Variability due to drug metabolism remains, but simplified pharmacokinetic study may be employed to achieve a specific target AUC. In conventional sampling strategies for determining AUC after oral administration, 12 samples are used over 6 hours to assure accurate tracking of erratic absorption. With IV busulfan there is no necessity for measuring plasma levels during the infusion because busulfan pharmacokinetics are well described with a single-compartment, first-order elimination model. In theory, only peak and trough levels should be necessary, but for assurance of reliability in clinical decision making, it must be possible to identify outlier values. This process requires at least 4 samples. We studied a total of 59 adult patients receiving a 2-hour IV busulfan infusion to develop a limited sampling strategy (LSS). At the end of a 2-hour infusion, we collected 11 samples from 18 patients and compared the AUC obtained when all samples were used with the AUC obtained when samples were collected only hourly. The mean AUC calculation was 5% higher (1002 versus 956 μM-min) and the coefficient of variation (CV) was substantially better (4.6% versus 8.2%) when only the postinfusion samples were used. A follow-up study of 41 consecutive patients demonstrated that all patients were easily evaluable with a coefficient of variation (CV) for the AUC of 2.6%. To validate this approach, we analyzed pharmacokinetic data on 60 patients in the phase II clinical trial of the IV formulation described by Anderson et al. Data on an additional 36 patients from a companion study also were analyzed. The AUC based on all 11 samples from each patient were compared with the AUC based on the 5 postinfusion samples. The results of this analysis confirmed comparable reliability and possibly superior precision of the University of Alabama at Birmingham 5-sample LSS. These results validated that LSS for IV busulfan will make possible meaningful and accurate comparisons of busulfan versus TBI-based preparative regimens and comparison of dose intensity of busulfan-containing preparative regimens in trials of submyeloablative transplantation. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2002;8(11):619-24.
Lebesgue approximation model of continuous-time nonlinear dynamic systems

Traditional model-based approaches are based on periodic iterations, where the continuous-time model is discretized with a fixed period. Despite the easiness in analysis and design, such periodic approximation model may be undesirable from the computation-efficiency point of view. This paper presents the Lebesgue-approximation model (LAM) of continuous-time nonlinear systems, where the iteration is activated on an "as-needed" basis, but not periodically. We show that the proposed LAM behaves exactly the same as a specific event-triggered feedback system, through which the properties of the LAM can be studied. We provide a sufficient condition to ensure asymptotic stability of the LAM and derive theoretical bounds on the difference between the states of the LAM and the original continuous-time system. The LAM is then integrated in the particle-filtering approach for fault prognosis. Simulation results show that the LAM can dramatically reduce the number of iterations in prognosis without sacrificing accuracy and precision.
A Generalized Bergman—Schiffer Inequality

A classical result of Bergman and Schiffer, on analytic continuation of functions of two complex variables in terms of quadratic inequalities, is generalized to an abstract setting. The resuhs in this setting contain previous results by FitzGerald, Donoghue, Hengartner and Schober, and Hamilton.
Communication patterns for interconnecting and composing medical systems

This paper proposes a set of communication patterns to enable the construction of medical systems by composing devices and apps in Integrated Clinical Environments (ICE). These patterns abstract away the details of communication tasks, reduce engineering overhead, and ease compositional reasoning of the system. The proposed patterns have been successfully implemented on top of two distinct platforms (i.e., RTI Connext and Vert.x) to allow for experimentation.
Mutual Self-Focusing and Modulational Instability in Cold Atomic Vapors

We discuss mutual self-focusing of light and cold atoms. Stable stationary solutions corresponding to atom-optical solitons are found as well as modulational instability under conditions of optical self-defocusing.
THE PARADOX OF MODERNITY: CURRENT DEBATES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY*

Talk of modernity is plagued with paradox. A relativist stance towards modernity—the claim, for example, that modernity is just one cultural configuration among others—seems to contradict itself. The concept of “cultural configuration,” and similar notions (such as “language game,” “discourse,” “community,” or “myth”), are themselves the products of modern intellectual research and debate. If the relativist claim is true, it appears to undermine the validity of those very conditions of modern intellectual debate that make the claim thinkable. But to argue for modernity's superiority over other cultural configurations seems equally problematic. If the criteria of superiority are themselves modern, then the argument appears question-begging. But if the criteria are not modern, then these non-modern criteria (by which the superiority of the modern can be discerned) would appear themselves to be superior to modern criteria.
Excitation-Scanning Hyperspectral Imaging System for Microscopic and Endoscopic Applications.

Current microscopic and endoscopic technologies for cancer screening utilize white-light illumination sources. Hyper-spectral imaging has been shown to improve sensitivity while retaining specificity when compared to white-light imaging in both microscopy and in vivo imaging. However, hyperspectral imaging methods have historically suffered from slow acquisition times due to the narrow bandwidth of spectral filters. Often minutes are required to gather a full image stack. We have developed a novel approach called excitation-scanning hyperspectral imaging that provides 2–3 orders of magnitude increased signal strength. This reduces acquisition times significantly, allowing for live video acquisition. Here, we describe a preliminary prototype excitation-scanning hyperspectral imaging system that can be coupled with endoscopes or microscopes for hyperspectral imaging of tissues and cells. Our system is comprised of three subsystems: illumination, transmission, and imaging. The illumination subsystem employs light-emitting diode arrays to illuminate at different wavelengths. The transmission subsystem utilizes a unique geometry of optics and a liquid light guide. Software controls allow us to interface with and control the subsystems and components. Digital and analog signals are used to coordinate wavelength intensity, cycling and camera triggering. Testing of the system shows it can cycle 16 wavelengths at as fast as 1 ms per cycle. Additionally, more than 18% of the light transmits through the system. Our setup should allow for hyperspectral imaging of tissue and cells in real time.
Additions to the Phycomycete Flora of the Douglas Lake Region. II. New Chytridiaceous Fungi

(1956). Additions to the Phycomycete Flora of the Douglas Lake Region. II. New Chytridiaceous Fungi. Mycologia: Vol. 48, No. 2, pp. 270-277.
A Topical Spray to Enhance Plant Resistance to Cold Injury and Mortality

A novel topical spray was developed to increase resistance to both cold damage and cold mortality in plant foliage, flowers, and fruits. In environmental chamber experiments, application of the spray to monocot and dicot foliage lowered the environmental temperatures associated with the first onset of cold injury and with cold mortality from 2.2 to 9.4 F, compared with controls sprayed with tap water, over an effective temperature range (depending on species) of 0 to 32 F. The threshold temperature for flower mortality was lowered from 2.2 to 3.2 F depending on species. Mature fruit suffered significantly less freeze damage when pretreated with the spray formulation. The spray is composed of ingredients that are non-toxic to plants, humans, and other animals. The patent-pending formulation has been commercialized under the trade name FreezePruf.
Finite Element Simulation of PVDF Ultrasonic Sensor for Airflow Detection

According to the special demand of high-frequency direction of ultrasonic sensor for the airflow detection,the circular PVDF film in the PVDF ultrasonic sensor was studied in this article.The finite element model of the circular PVDF film was established and the electric and sonic properties were modeled.The effects of the film thickness and diameter on the sonic properties parameters were analyzed,and the regularity of change of the sonic properties was discussed.
Permeation and gating properties of a cloned renal K+ channel

The renal K+ channel (ROMK2) was expressed in Xenopus oocytes, and the patch-clamp technique was used to assess its conducting and gating properties. In cell-attached patches with 110 mM K+ in the bath and pipette, the reversal potential was near zero and the inward conductance (36 pS) was larger than the outward conductance (17 pS). In excised inside-out patches the channels showed rectification in the presence of 5 mM Mg2+ on the cytoplasmic side but not in Mg(2+)-free solution. Inward currents were also observed when K+ was replaced in the pipette by Rb+, NH4+, or thallium (Tl+). The reversal potentials under these conditions yielded a selectivity sequence of Tl+ > K+ > Rb+ > NH4+. On the other hand, the slope conductances for inward current gave a selectivity sequence of K+ = NH4+ > Tl+ > Rb+. The differences in the two sequences can be explained by the presence of cation binding sites within the channel, which interact with Rb+ and Tl+ more strongly and with NH4+ less strongly than with K+. Two other ions, Ba2+ and Cs+, blocked the channel from the outside. The effect of Ba2+ (1 mM) was to reduce the open probability of the channels, whereas Cs+ (10 mM) reduced the apparent single-channel current. The effects of both blockers are enhanced by membrane hyperpolarization. The kinetics of the channel were also studied in cell-attached patches. With K+ in the pipette the distribution of open times could be described by a single exponential (tau 0 = 25 ms), whereas two exponentials (tau 1 = 1 ms, tau 2 = 30 ms) were required to describe the closed-time distribution. Hyperpolarization of the oocyte membrane decreased the open probability and tau 0, and increased tau 1, tau 2, and the number of long closures. The presence of Tl+ in the pipette significantly altered the kinetics, reducing tau 0 and eliminating the long-lived closures. These results suggest that the gating of the channel may depend on the nature of the ion in the pore.
Fractionation and Immunological Properties of a DNA-rich Preparation from Brucella abortus.∗†:

SummaryA DNA-rich preparation, obtained from Brucella abortus by extraction with 0.5% phenol, was fractionated by differential ultracentrifugation, and its immunilogical properties were studied. The antigens that precipitated antibodies from the sera of rabbits injected with the crude DNA preparation were concentrated in a fraction consisting essentially of DNA and only about 2% protein. This fraction did not elicit the formation of precipitating antibodies, whereas a protein-rich fraction with no reactive antigens did. Treatment of the reactive antigens with DNase altered some of their properties. On the basis of present evidence, it is suggested that the DNase-sensitive antigens are complexes containing DNA.
Entubulization repair of severed cavernous nerves in the rat resulting in return of erectile function.

AbstractErectile dysfunction is a significant complication of radical pelvic surgery in men. Using the rat as an experimental model, we investigated the feasibility of repairing surgically ablated cavernous nerves utilizing silastic tube nerve growth conduits filled with nerve growth enhancing media. Known fertile male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four surgical groups consisting of nerve ablation, immediate nerve reconstruction utilizing the entubulization technique (two groups) and control. The nerve ablation group had five mm. sections of the cavernosal nerve excised bilaterally. The entubulization nerve graft group had five mm. sections of the cavernous nerve excised bilaterally, followed by immediate microsurgical reconstruction with a silastic nerve tube conduit filled with either Matrigel and heparin (MA) or Matrigel and heparin plus acidic fibroblast growth factor (MA/aFGF), interposed between the severed cavernous nerve stumps bilaterally. The control group underwent sham operati...
A Cytokine-Independent Approach To Identify Antigen-Specific Human Germinal Center T Follicular Helper Cells and Rare Antigen-Specific CD4 + T Cells in Blood

Detection of Ag-specific CD4(+) T cells is central to the study of many human infectious diseases, vaccines, and autoimmune diseases. However, such cells are generally rare and heterogeneous in their cytokine profiles. Identification of Ag-specific germinal center (GC) T follicular helper (Tfh) cells by cytokine production has been particularly problematic. The function of a GC Tfh cell is to selectively help adjacent GC B cells via cognate interaction; thus, GC Tfh cells may be stingy cytokine producers, fundamentally different from Th1 or Th17 cells in the quantities of cytokines produced. Conventional identification of Ag-specific cells by intracellular cytokine staining relies on the ability of the CD4(+) T cell to generate substantial amounts of cytokine. To address this problem, we have developed a cytokine-independent activation-induced marker (AIM) methodology to identify Ag-specific GC Tfh cells in human lymphoid tissue. Whereas Group A Streptococcus-specific GC Tfh cells produced minimal detectable cytokines by intracellular cytokine staining, the AIM method identified 85-fold more Ag-specific GC Tfh cells. Intriguingly, these GC Tfh cells consistently expressed programmed death ligand 1 upon activation. AIM also detected non-Tfh cells in lymphoid tissue. As such, we applied AIM for identification of rare Ag-specific CD4(+) T cells in human peripheral blood. Dengue, tuberculosis, and pertussis vaccine-specific CD4(+) T cells were readily detectable by AIM. In summary, cytokine assays missed 98% of Ag-specific human GC Tfh cells, reflecting the biology of these cells, which could instead be sensitively identified by coexpression of TCR-dependent activation markers.
Kin recognition is a nutrient-dependent inducible phenomenon.

ABSTRACTRecognition and response to prospective competitors are crucial variables that must be considered in resource distribution and utilization in plant communities. Associated behaviors are largely mediated through the exchange of low-molecular weight exudates. These cues can significantly alter the root system architecture (RSA) between neighboring plants and are routinely sensitive enough to distinguish between plants of the same or different accessions, a phenomenon known as kin recognition (KR). Such refined discrimination of identity, based on the composition and detection of patterns of exudate signals is remarkable and provides insight into the chemical ecology of plant-plant interactions. The discovery that KR occurs in Arabidopsis thaliana provides a model system to resolve many of the mechanistic questions associated with this process. We hypothesized that the low-molecular weight cues which direct changes to the RSA during KR was driven by nutrient availability. Here we present evidence in ...
Evaluating mountain meadow groundwater response to Pinyon-Juniper and temperature in a great basin watershed

This research highlights development and application of an integrated hydrologic model (GSFLOW) to a semiarid, snow-dominated watershed in the Great Basin to evaluate Pinyon-Juniper (PJ) and temperature controls on mountain meadow shallow groundwater. The work used Google Earth Engine Landsat satellite and gridded climate archives for model evaluation. Model simulations across three decades indicated that the watershed operates on a threshold response to precipitation (P) > 400 mm y-1 to produce a positive yield (P-ET; 9%) resulting in stream discharge and a rebound in meadow groundwater levels during these wetter years. Observed and simulated meadow groundwater response to large P correlates with above average predicted soil moisture and with a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) threshold value > 0.3. A return to assumed pre-expansion PJ conditions or an increase in temperature to mid-21st century shifts yielded by only ±1% during the multi-decade simulation period; but changes of approximately ±4% occurred during wet years. Changes in annual yield were largely dampened by the spatial and temporal redistribution of evapotranspiration (ET) across the watershed. Yet, the influence of this redistribution and vegetation structural controls on snowmelt altered recharge to control water table depth in the meadow. Even a small-scale removal of PJ (0.5 km2) proximal to the meadow will promote a stable, shallow groundwater system resilient to droughts, while modest increases in temperature will produce a meadow susceptible to declining water levels and a community structure likely to move toward dry and degraded conditions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Cytogenetic Analysis for Suspected Chromosomal Abnormalities; A Five Years Experience.

Introduction Chromosomal abnormalities are the results of alterations in the number or structure of chromosomes causing significant human morbidity and mortality. They are responsible for a large proportion of miscarriages, developmental delay, disorders of sexual development, congenital malformations and mental retardation. Aim The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of different chromosomal abnormalities in North Indian patients referred for cytogenetic analysis. Materials and methods Total of 859 patients ranging from newborn to 37 years of age were referred to the division of genetics, Department of Paediatrics between 2010 and 2015, with a variety of clinical disorders; Down syndrome (DS), Turner's syndrome (TS) and Klinefelter syndrome; amenorrhea; ambiguous sex and multiple congenital malformations. Chromosomal analysis was performed on lymphocyte culture according to standard methods. Results Of the 859 cases studied, 371 (43.1%) had chromosomal abnormalities. The most common autosomal abnormalities were DS 302 (81.4%) and sex chromosomal abnormalities were TS 51 (13.7%). Numerical abnormalities were accounted for 353 (41.0%) and structural abnormalities 18 (2.0%), respectively. Various other chromosomal anomalies were also reported. Conclusion We have reviewed the incidence and distribution of chromosomal abnormalities and found higher rate of chromosomal abnormalities 43.1% in the referred cases. Our data suggest that chromosomal analysis is important tool in the evaluation of genetic disorders and helps clinicians to provide accurate diagnosis and proper genetic counselling.
In Patients with New Arteriovenous Fistulas, Are There Effective Strategies to Enhance AVF Maturation and Durability Beyond Waiting?

Autogenous arteriovenous fistulas are optimal conduits for hemodialysis due to their excellent long-term patency, low rates of infections and lower mortality rates. Yet, they are associated with a higher rate of failure to mature. As such, patient factors should be identified and modified, if possible, along with patient-centered surgical planning that includes the choice of vessels and techniques to yield the best possible outcomes for maturation. Furthermore, the postoperative period often requires a multidisciplinary team approach as arteriovenous fistula durability and maturation can be improved with appropriately timed endovascular or surgical interventions.
Some recent findings of chemopreventive agents for the respiratory tract using the hamster and mouse models

ED04-02 Two major strategies for advancing the field of chemoprevention will be discussed. The first focuses on identifying inhibitors that are effective when given at a late stage of precancer and could be administered over a short duration of time. The second deals with selection of agents for development that have been consumed or administered to human populations over a significant period of time with at most producing trivial side effects. Some recent findings pertaining to chemopreventive agents for the respiratory tract using animal models will be cited. For application of chemoprevention to human subjects there is a great advantage of utilizing agents that can be administered over a short period of time. Amongst the advantages is the increased likelihood that the subject will use the chemopreventive agent for a complete course. A second advantage is that a knowledge of the length of the course of administrations will facilitate evaluation and control of adverse effects. Currently most chemopreventive agents are used over a long period of time which is cumbersome and complicated. There are at least two classes of chemopreventive agents that fit the criterion of short duration of administration. One of these is termed interlockers. These are a hypothetical group of agents which act late in the precancer period and have the effect of producing the irreversibility of carcinogenesis which is characteristic of cancer (Wattenberg, Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers Prevention, 2006; 15, 1425-26). A second group of agents are those which affect tumor formation by aging as described by Campisi and others (Nature, 2006; 643, 1425-26). Of great interest are preventive agents for which a high degree of safety has been shown by intake in humans. A search for these has focused on three categories: a) Agents selected on a basis of mechanism. b) In a second group are agents for which there is epidemiological evidence for safety in humans as suggested by structural relationships and c) Compounds reported in literature which is difficult to access because of language or age. Examples of all three categories will be provided. The focus of research on agents likely to have applicability to the human increases the prospects of their ultimate utility for advancing the field of chemoprevention.
Force-directed layout of origin-destination flow maps

This paper introduces a force-directed layout method for creating origin-destination flow maps. Design principles derived from manual cartography and automated graph drawing to increase readability of flow maps and graph layouts are taken into account. The origin-destination flow maps produced with our algorithm show flows with quadratic Bezier curves that reduce flow-on-flow and flow-on-node overlaps, and avoid sharp or irregular bends in flow lines. A survey of expert cartographers found that flow maps created with our automated method are similar in quality to manually produced flow maps.