cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Middle Pleistocene formation of the Rio Grande Gorge, San Luis Valley, south-central Colorado and north-central New Mexico, USA: Process, timing, and downstream implications

Abstract The Rio Grande is the fourth longest river in North America extending over 3,000 km from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico. The Pleistocene evolution of this river from individual subbasins into a coalesced fluvial system has been long debated. Herein, we constrain the middle Pleistocene evolution of the northernmost and largest Rio Grande basin, the San Luis basin, and the timing of incision of the Rio Grande Gorge, based on new geologic mapping, 3He surface exposure dating, and U-series dating on pedogenic carbonates. 3He dating of shoreline deposits of closed basin Lake Alamosa and fluvially scoured bedrock along the Rio Grande gorge rim indicate the San Luis basin was connected with southerly Rio Grande basins and progressively incised since ∼400 ka. Waning tectonic activity, coupled with the hydrologic response to intensified middle Pleistocene glaciation, drove southward spillover of Lake Alamosa ∼400 ka, expanding the river's drainage basin by nearly 24,000 km2, and adding recharge areas in the high-altitude, glaciated San Juan, Tusas, and Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Geologic barriers to streamflow on the Taos Plateau were breached and basin tributary drainages were integrated and inset into their present canyons ∼250-200 ka, with approximately 120 m of incision during ∼400-200 ka. Previous work demonstrates that southerly streamflow through basins south of the SLB terminated into a large, rift-related bolson complex until the middle Pleistocene, and most axial Rio Grande river incision has occurred since 630 ka. We propose that middle Pleistocene integration of the SLB was the major geomorphic event that eroded Plio-Pleistocene tectonic and volcanic barriers and re-established flow of the Rio Grande from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico.
Developing L2 writing teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge of genre through the unfamiliar genre project

Abstract Genre-informed approaches to writing pedagogy have grown in influence and prominence over the past 25 years. Because of the crucial importance of writing teachers’ in the implementation of genre-focused instruction, more research investigating the impact of teacher education practices on teachers' genre knowledge and awareness is needed. This study examines the effect of a project designed specifically to promote L2 writing teachers pedagogical content knowledge of genre. This “Unfamiliar Genre Project” (UGP), asked teachers to research an unfamiliar genre, write their own genre example, and design curriculum to teach the genre to a multilingual student population of their choice. Drawing on data from multiple drafts of each teacher’s project, feedback from their instructor and peers, written reflections, and audio-recorded follow up interviews, this study seeks to answer the following research question: How does participation in the UGP impact teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge of genre, if at all? Results show that despite some significant challenges the teachers developed specialized knowledge of the rhetorical nature of genre along with knowledge of and empathy for L2 students’ writing challenges through completing the project. Implications for future research and teacher education pedagogy are considered.
Vernacular Latin Americanisms. War, the Market, and the Making of a Discipline

Sin limitarse al contexto estadunidense, este trabajo escenifica la escision del latinoamericanismo entre hispanistas peninsulares, academicos estadunidenses e intelectuales latinoamericanos, quienes configuraron agendas de investigacion diferenciadas y espacios de reflexion inseparables de preocupaciones geopoliticas y comerciales, entre 1900 y 1960. Desde la historia intelectual y la sociologia cultural, Degiovanni desecha esencialismos y relatos hagiograficos. Su mirada a escala continental supera discusiones estancas e inutiles para aprehender las implicaciones de los multiples lugares de enunciacion de los saberes latinoamericanistas.
The Value of Herbarium Collections to the Discovery of Novel Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease, a Case Made With the Genus Eriodictyon

Plants, in particular those with a history in traditional medicine, hold enormous potential as sources of new therapies for dementias such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). The largest collections of plants can be found in herbaria all over the world, but the value of these collections to AD drug discovery has been significantly neglected. As a proof of principle, we investigated the neuroprotective activity of herbarium specimens of Eriodictyon (yerba santa), a genus with a long history of usage by the indigenous tribes in California to treat respiratory and age-related complications. Dichloromethane extracts were prepared from leaves of 14 Eriodictyon taxa preserved in the SD Herbarium located at the San Diego Natural History Museum. The extracts were tested for neuroprotection in nerve cells against oxytosis and ferroptosis and for anti-inflammatory activity in brain microglial cells exposed to bacterial lipopolysaccharide. In parallel, the levels of the flavanones sterubin, eriodictyol and homoeriodictyol were measured by mass spectrometry. Several Eriodictyon species presented strong neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory activities. The protective properties of the extracts correlated with the amount of sterubin, but not with eriodictyol or homoeriodictyol, indicating that sterubin is the major active compound in these species. The occurrence of eriodictyol and homoeriodictyol may be predictive of the phylogenetic relationship between members in the genus Eriodictyon. The data offer insight into the traditional use of yerba santa across indigenous tribes in California, while demonstrating the value of herbarium collections for the discovery of novel therapeutic compounds for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Role of Senescent Renal Cells in Pathophysiology of Diabetic Kidney Disease.

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the leading cause of kidney failure in the USA, representing ~ 44% of all cases of kidney failure. Advancements in both glucose management and inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system have significantly improved prognosis for individuals with DKD, yet DKD continues to affect 30–40% of people with type 2 diabetes and is still a major predictor of mortality in this population. Thus, new interventions are required to address this significant health burden. One potential target for intervention is cellular senescence. Senescence permanently arrests cell division in response to genotoxic, oncogenic, or metabolic stresses—coupled to the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, proteases, and other molecules that can have potent local and systemic effects. This senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) explains how a relatively small number of senescent cells can promote pathology, and a growing number of degenerative conditions have been found to be caused or aggravated by senescent cells. Many SASP factors are also associated with loss of kidney function. Targeted elimination of senescent cells prevents the development of several degenerative pathologies. Since senescent cells appear in the proximal tubules and podocytes of patients with DKD, they are an appealing target for intervention in these disorders. Here, we review the current literature linking senescence to DKD and speculate on the likely routes to intervention in a clinical setting.
Mitigation of multipacting in 113 MHz superconducting rf photoinjector

Superconducting rf (SRF) photoinjectors are one of the most promising devices for generating continuous wave (CW) electron beams with record high brightness. Ultrahigh vacuum of SRF guns provides for long lifetime of the high quantum efficiency (QE) photocathodes, while SRF technology provides for high accelerating gradients exceeding $10\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MV}/\mathrm{m}$. It is especially true for low frequency SRF guns where electrons are generated at photocathodes at the crest of accelerating voltage. Two main physics challenges of SRF guns are their compatibility with high QE photocathodes and multipacting. The first is related to a possibility of deposition of photocathode materials (such as Cs) on the walls of the SRF cavity, which can result in increased dark current via reduction of the bulk Nb work function and in enhancing of a secondary electron emission yield (SEY). SEY plays critical role in multipacting (e.g., an exponential growth of the multipactor discharge), which could both spoil the gun vacuum and speed up the deposition of the cathode material on the walls of the SRF cavity. In short, the multipactor behavior in superconducting accelerating units must be well understood for successful operation of an SRF photo-injector. In this paper we present our studies of 1.2 MV 113 MHz quarter-wave SRF photoinjector serving as a source of electron beam for the coherent electron cooling experiment (CeC) at BNL. During three years of operating our SRF gun we encountered a number of multipacting zones. We also observed that presence of ${\mathrm{CsK}}_{2}\mathrm{Sb}$ photocathode in the gun could create additional multipacting barriers. We had conducted a comprehensive numerical and experimental study of the multipactor discharge in our SRF gun. We had developed a process of crossing the multipacting barriers from zero to the operational voltage without affecting the lifetime of our photocathode and enhancing the strength of multipacting barriers. We found a good agreement between the results of simulations and our experimental data.
Assessing Differential Item Functioning in a Teacher Self-Assessment of Cultural Responsiveness:

The Assessment of Culturally and Contextually Relevant Supports (ACCReS) was developed in response to the need for well-constructed instruments to measure teachers’ cultural responsiveness and guid...
A Conceptual Framework for Choice of Form for Acquisition Contracts

The objective of this work is to create a comprehensive conceptual framework for informing the choice between firm-fixed price and cost-plus contract forms in acquisition or procurement contracts. The effects and relative magnitudes of quality and productivity incentives, economic profit, allocation of risk, and the option value of contract changes between the two contractual forms is discussed.
Purification and characterization of a methionine aminopeptidase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Methionine aminopeptidase (MAP), which catalyzes the removal of NH2-terminal methionine from proteins, was isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The enzyme was purified 472-fold to apparent homogeneity. The Mr of the native enzyme was estimated to be 36,000 +/- 5,000 by gel filtration chromatography, and the Mr of the denatured protein was estimated to be 34,000 +/- 2,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme has a pH optimum near 7.0, and its pI is 7.8 as determined by chromatofocusing on Mono P. The enzyme was inactivated by metalloprotease inhibitors (EDTA, o-phenanthroline and nitrilotriacetic acid), sulfhydryl-modifying reagents (HgCl2 and p-hydroxymercuribenzoic acid), and Zn2+. Yeast MAP failed to cleave methionine p-nitroanilide. Among 11 Xaa-Ala-Ser analogues (Xaa = Ala, Asp, Gln, Glu, Ile, Leu, Lys, Met, Phe, Pro, and Ser), MAP cleaved only Met-Ala-Ser. MAP also cleaved methionine from other tripeptides whose penultimate amino acid residue is relatively small and/or uncharged (e.g. Pro, Gly, Val, Thr, or Ser) but not when bulky and/or charged (Arg. His, Leu, Met, or Tyr). Yeast MAP displayed similar substrate specificities compared with those of Escherichia coli (Ben-Bassat, A., Bauer, K., Chang, S.Y., Myambo, K., Boosman, A., and Chang, S. (1987) J. Bacteriol. 169, 751-757) and Salmonella typhimurium MAP (Miller, C., Strauch, K. L., Kukral, A. M., Miller, J. L., Wingfield, P. T., Mazzei, G. J., Werlen, R. C., Garber, P., and Movva, N. R. (1987) Proc. Natl, Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 84, 2718-2722). In general, the in vitro specificity of yeast MAP is consistent with the specificity observed in previous in vivo studies in yeast (reviewed in Arfin, S. M., and Bradshaw, R. A. (1988) Biochemistry 27, 7979-7984).
Impact of Dietary Quality and Nutrition on General Health Status

Dietary excesses and inadequate physical activity increase risk of obesity and chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers Protein energy malnutrition, nutritional anemia, nonalcoholic liver disease, and osteoporosis are associated with nutrient deficiencies that increase risk of oral diseases and conditions Government, health agencies, and health foundations define dietary guidelines and patterns supported by evidence-based research and presented in formats to increase health promotion and disease prevention Oral health care professionals and nutrition professionals can participate in healthcare teams to provide nutrition education and counseling to promote optimum oral health
Local resonance and Bragg bandgaps in sandwich beams containing periodically inserted resonators

Abstract We study the low frequency wave propagation behavior of sandwich beams containing periodically embedded internal resonators. A closed form expression for the propagation constant is obtained using a phased array approach and verified using finite element simulations. We show that local resonance and Bragg bandgaps coexist in such a system and that the width of both bandgaps is a function of resonator parameters as well as their periodicity. The interaction between the two bandgaps is studied by varying the local resonance frequency. We find that a single combined bandgap does not exist for this system and that the Bragg bandgaps transition into sub-wavelength bandgaps when the local resonance frequency is above their associated classical Bragg frequency.
A parallel algorithm for the general LU factorization

An algorithm for computing in parallel the general LU-factorization of a matrix is presented. As special cases, one obtains the Doolittle, Crout, and Cholesky methods. The algorithm was implemented and tested on the Cray X-MP/48. 10 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.
Influence of Collisions on the Magnetic Susceptibility of an Electron Gas. II. The Constant Susceptibility

An expression is derived for the collision correction to the constant magnetic susceptibility of an electron gas. Using a perturbation technique, a general expression is obtained for the free energy of a collection of electrons moving in a uniform magnetic field and scattered by a set of randomly distributed impurity centers. The expansion of the free energy is carried out in ascending powers of the scattering potential to terms of fourth order; this is necessary in order to determine the effect of collisions on the nonperiodic part of the susceptibility. The free energy is evaluated for impurities represented by a short-range screened Coulomb potential. The second-order correction to the free energy, needed in the evaluation of the constant susceptibility, is in agreement with earlier results; the third-order contribution to the free energy gives a further correction to the periodic susceptibility. The fourth-order correction to the free energy contains the first correction to the constant susceptibility along with additional corrections to the periodic part. In agreement with the prediction of Peierls, it is found that the influence of collisions on the constant susceptibility is small, provided $\ensuremath{\eta}\ensuremath{\gg}\frac{\ensuremath{\hbar}}{\ensuremath{\tau}}$, where $\ensuremath{\eta}$ is the Fermi energy and $\ensuremath{\tau}$ is the effective collision relaxation time, for which an explicit expression is obtained. The steady diamagnetism is shown to be increased in magnitude by the collision of electrons with impurities.
View-independent human motion classification using image-based reconstruction

We introduce in this paper a novel method for employing image-based rendering to extend the range of applicability of human motion and gait recognition systems. Much work has been done in the field of human motion and gait recognition, and many interesting methods for detecting and classifying motion have been developed. However, systems that can robustly recognize human behavior in real-world contexts have yet to be developed. A significant reason for this is that the activities of humans in typical settings are unconstrained in terms of the motion path. People are free to move throughout the area of interest in any direction they like. While there have been many good classification systems developed in this domain, the majority of these systems have used a single camera providing input to a training-based learning method. Methods that rely on a single camera are implicitly view-dependent. In practice, the classification accuracy of these systems often becomes increasingly poor as the angle between the camera and the direction of motion varies away from the training view angle. As a result, these methods have limited real-world applications, since it is often impossible to limit the direction of motion of people so rigidly. We demonstrate the use of image-based rendering to adapt the input to meet the needs of the classifier by automatically constructing the proper view (image), that matches the training view, from a combination of arbitrary views taken from several cameras. We tested the method on 162 sequences of video data of human motions taken indoors and outdoors, and promising results were obtained.
Pharmacodynamics of Different Insecticides in Microplitis croceipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a Parasite of Lepidopteran Larvae

Toxicity and fate of several insecticides topically applied to adults of Microplitis croceipes (Cresson), a larval parasite of Heliothis spp., were compared. LC50’s ranged from 0.008 to 0.658 μg per insect; order of toxicity was methyl parathion > dieldrin > aldrin > malathion > dimethoate > cis -permethrin > trans -permethrin > DDT > fenvalerate. Differences in susceptibility (ca. 2-fold) between the cis and trans isomers of permethrin, and the appreciable tolerance of M. croceipes to these compounds as well as to DDT and fenvalerate, did not appear to be related to differences in rates of penetration or metabolic degradation. These variations in susceptibility may be due to differences in interactions of the compounds with neural receptors. Comparisons of the topical toxicity data for cis/trans -permethrin and fenvalerate on M. croceipes with data reported for unparasitized third instars of the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.), indicate that the parasite has a considerable selective advantage over the pest (ca. 25- and 300-fold, respectively). The relatively high level of toxicity of malathion (LC50 = 0.04 μg per insect) to M. croceipes was most likely related to the extremely rapid penetration of the compound, coupled with its metabolic transformation to the highly toxic oxygen analog (malaoxon). Comparative in vitro studies of enzyme activity in homogenate preparations indicated the specific activities of glutathione-dependent transferases in adult M. croceipes abdomens and midguts of fifth instar tobacco budworms were somewhat similar. However, the specific activity of soluble esterases was ca. 100-fold higher in the pest. In vivo and in vitro determinations of aldrin epoxidase demonstrated the presence of an active monooxygenase system in M. croceipes; however, the activity of this enzyme is somewhat less in the parasite than in the tobacco budworm.
Meaning and Measurement of Plasticity

Abstract ALTHOUGH the word “plasticity” is widely used in the arts and sciences, it has no definite quantitative meaning (6, 7), yet the plastic properties of matter are of enormous importance in many industries. As scientific study of materials has increased, it has become more and more desirable to attain to a clearer idea of what is involved in this concept, to the end that plasticity may ultimately be quantitatively defined and measured. The emergence of the word from common usage into the realm of technical words with well-defined meaning for quantitative considerations has been accompanied by considerable difficulty and confusion. Plasticity does closely relate to other properties of materials and the phenomena wherein plasticity may be an important factor are so varied that the role it plays may be overshadowed by and confused with the interplay of elastic and hardness phenomena on the one hand, and permanent set and viscous flow on the other. Reference to a few comments found in the literature wil...
Results from the First Year of Observations with the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe

The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) has produced all-sky maps in five frequency bands between 23 and 94 GHz that can be used to study the CMB. We present an overview of the results from an analysis of maps made with one year of data. The highlights are that a) the flat ΛCDM model fits the data remarkably well, an Einstein-deSitter model (Ωtot = 1, Ω Λ=0) does not; b) from the polarization of the CMB there is evidence of the birth of the first generation of stars at zr ∼ 20; c) when the WMAP data are combined and compared with other cosmological probes a cosmic consistency emerges: multiple different lines of inquiry lead to the same results. The best-fit flat cosmological model to just the WMAP CMB data shows that the matter density is Ωmh2 = 0.14 −0.02+0.02, the baryon density is Ω bh2 = 0.024 ± 0.001, and ns = 0.99 ± 0.04. WMAP continues to operate, and so results will improve.
Fathers in attachment theory and research: a review

This paper provides a brief history of attachment research on fathers as a backdrop against which the other contributions to this volume can be viewed. Empirical research on child–father attachment progressed in four phases and began before Bowlby in 1969 published the first volume of his attachment trilogy. During each phase a different set of questions emerged. Initially, researchers compared fathers to mothers as potential attachment figures. More recent studies emphasize the notion that mothers’ and fathers’ roles as attachment figures and their influences on child outcomes may be different and complementary. At the same time, calls for a family approach to attachment studies are increasing.
Top-down vs. bottom-up risk assessment: Consistent, contradictory or complimentary?

Probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) of newly designed space systems is an intricate task due to the uniqueness of each mission's objectives and architecture, and the corresponding lack of relevant data regarding the components and environments. Finding one good source of information is hard enough, but it is even more challenging when multiple, partially relevant sources of information are required or available for the task. Top-down approaches, which are based on analogous systems with well-documented performance records, are usually good at highlighting the challenges in a historical context but the results need to be adjusted when applied to a new design with no or little real flight history. On the other hand, while bottom-up approaches are good at capturing the risk of a system that is comprised of at least some components with demonstrated reliabilities and has a specific design, environment and operational concept, the method is heavily dependent on the analyst to define the failure modes and capture the failures caused by component interaction or by environment hazards such as micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD). This difficulty challenges the completeness of a bottom-up model and makes it difficult to produce bounding risk estimates. In this study, the consistencies and contradictions between the risk estimates of top-down and bottom-up approaches are explored by using both methods to estimate the failure probability of major subsystems of two National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) exploration missions. The comparison between the sources of information used by each approach reveals biases, the risk impact of design decisions, and the amount of uncertainty that exists in each analysis. The output of the two approaches is then aggregated using the Bayesian inference method, which provides a platform for designers to improve their design by asking what-if questions regarding hypothetical test scenarios, redundancy decisions, or diverse backup plans. This paper contains a summary of the comparison, highlights the differences in results between approaches, and describes the inference model implementation and insights.
High‐Strength Alumina/Alumina:Calcium‐Hexaluminate Layer Composites

The strength degradation of alumina/alumina:calcium-hexaluminate/alumina trilayers, after damage from Hertzian contacts, is evaluated. Relative to the monolithic alumina and alumina:calcium-hexaluminate constituent layer materials, the trilayers show markedly improved strength retention in the damaged state at high contact loads. The outer, fine-grained alumina layers are classically brittle, characterized by cone cracking, whereas the inner alumina:calcium hexaluminate layer is essentially quasi-plastic, with a well-defined “yield” zone that consists of distributed microdamage. The improved strength behavior of the trilayer composite is rationalized in terms of a synergistic interaction between the contact-induced deformation modes in the two layers, with each mode partially ne-gating the effectiveness of the other as a source of failure. This result offers the prospect of hybrid structures with hard outer layers, to provide wear resistance, and soft, tough underlayers, to inhibit brittle fracture.
CHEMICAL KINETICS IS TURING UNIVERSAL

We show that digital logic can be implemented in the chemical kinetics of homogeneous solutions: We explicitly construct logic gates and show that arbitrarily large circuits can be made from them. This proves that a subset of the constructions available to life has universal (Turing) computational power.
Challenges in multi-mode transmitter design

The future of wireless communication can be considered as plethora of heterogeneous systems operating together with current and legacy technologies. One view point of Fourth generation wireless communication is the seamless integration of wide variety of systems (Cellular -- GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS and WLAN) for efficient service provision. Unfortunately, conventional GSM/GPRS transmitter architectures are designed to deliver constant-envelope half-duplex signals and have little in common with UMTS architectures, which generate envelope-varying full-duplex signals. Also, OFDM shows its high sensitiveness to non-linear effects, so it requires more linear amplification than other modulation schemes. Multi-carrier modulated signal has a very large peak power, so the influence of non-linear amplifier becomes large. Increase in peak power leads to input signal saturation, which leads to non-linear amplitude distortion and that leads to out of band radiation and degradation of BER. As a result, combining these transmitters within one multimode handset can be an expensive proposition. This paper explores and proposes several possible architectures for implementing multi-mode multi-band transmitters which provides all the necessary functionality for both linear and non-linear modulation schemes. There are a number of different architectures that can be employed to implement a multi-mode transmitter. However, the trade-offs between power consumption, linearity, baseband complexity and implementation issues have resulted in a favoured architecture for supporting both non-linear and linear modulation.
Demonstration of T200 on Human Langerhans Cell Surface Membranes

We have demonstrated the presence of the glycoprotein T200 on the surface of human epidermal Langerhans and indeterminate cells by immunoelectron microscopy with the use of a monoclonal antibody. No other epidermal cells were positive. The presence of T200 on Langerhans cells confirms their hematopoietic origin because T200 is limited to hematopoietic cells and neoplasms. Although the function of T200 is not known, antibodies directed against T200 have been previously shown to inhibit accessory cell and natural killer cell activities. While the existence of a possible relationship between Langerhans cells and natural killer cells is unclear, Langerhans cells are important in cutaneous accessory cell functions; therefore, T200 may be important in understanding the biology of Langerhans cells and their relationship to other cells in the immune response.
Wind Tunnel Measured Effects on a Twin-Engine Short-Haul Transport Caused by Simulated Ice Accretions

A series of wind tunnel tests were conducted to assess the effects of leading edge ice contamination upon the performance of a short-haul transport. The wind tunnel test was conducted in the NASA Langley 14 by 22 foot facility. The test article was a 1/8 scale twin-engine short-haul jet transport model. Two separate leading edge ice contamination configurations were tested in addition to the uncontaminated baseline configuration. Several aircraft configurations were examined including various flap and slat deflections, with and without landing gear. Data gathered included force measurements via an internal six-component force balance, pressure measurements through 700 electronically scanned wing pressure ports, and wing surface flow visualization measurements. The artificial ice contamination caused significant performance degradation and caused visible changes demonstrated by the flow visualization. The data presented here is just a portion of the data gathered. A more complete data report is planned for publication as a NASA Technical Memorandum and data supplement.
The quest for a three-dimensional theory of ship-wave interactions

The radiation and diffraction of water waves by ships can be analysed in classical terms from potential theory. The linearized formulation is well studied, but robust numerical implementations have been achieved only in cases where the vessel is stationary or oscillating about a fixed mean position. Slender-body approximations have been used to rationalize and extend the strip theory of ship motions, providing analytic solutions and guidance in the development of more general numerical methods. The governing equations are reviewed, with emphasis on the interactions between the steady-state velocity field due to the ship’s forward translation and the perturbations due to its unsteady motions in waves. Recent computations based on the boundary-integral-equation method are described, and encouraging results are noted. There is growing evidence that the influence of the steady-state velocity field is important, and the degree of completeness required to account for the steady field depends on the fullness of the ship. Benchmark computations are needed to test theories and computer programs without the uncertainty inherent in experimental comparisons.
Long Simple Sequence Repeats in Host-Adapted Pathogens Localize Near Genes Encoding Antigens, Housekeeping Genes, and Pseudogenes

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in DNA sequences are tandem iterations of a single nucleotide or a short oligonucleotide. SSRs are subject to slipped-strand mutations and a common source of phase variation in bacteria and antigenic variation in pathogens. Significantly long SSRs are generally rare in prokaryotic genomes, and long SSRs composed of iterations of mono-, di-, tri-, and tetranucleotides are mostly restricted to host-adapted pathogens. We present new results concerning associations between long SSRs and genes related to different cellular functions in genomes of host-adapted pathogens. We found that in the majority of the analyzed genomes, at least some of the genes associated with SSRs encode potential antigens, which is expected if the primary function of SSRs is their contribution to antigenic variation. However, we also found a number of long SSRs associated with housekeeping genes, including rRNA and tRNA genes, genes encoding ribosomal proteins, amino acyl-tRNA synthetases, chaperones, and important metabolic enzymes. Many of these genes are probably essential and it is unlikely that they are phase-variable. Few statistically significant associations between SSRs and gene functional classifications were detected, suggesting that most long SSRs are not related to a particular cellular function or process. Long SSRs in Mycobacterium leprae are mostly associated with pseudogenes and may be contributing to gene loss following the adaptation to an obligate pathogenic lifestyle. We speculate that LSSRs may have played a similar role in genome reduction of other host-adapted pathogens.
Progressive analysis-based perceptually transparent coder for still images

The encoding of images at high quality is important in a number of applications. We have developed an approach to coding that produces no visible degradation and that we denote as perceptually transparent. Such a technique achieves a modest compression, but still significantly higher than error free codes. Maintaining image quality is not important in the early stages of a progressive scheme, when only a reduced resolution preview is needed. In this paper, we describe a new method for the progressive transmission of high quality still images, that efficiently uses the lower resolution images in the encoding process. Analysis based interpolation is used to estimate the higher resolution image, and reduces the incremental information transmitted at each step. This methodology for high quality image compression is also aimed at obtaining a compressed image of higher perceived quality than the original.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Control of Catechol and Hydroquinone Electron-Transfer Kinetics on Native and Modified Glassy Carbon Electrodes

The electrochemical oxidation of dopamine, 4-methylcatechol, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, dihydroxyphenyl ethylene glycol, and hydroquinone was examined on several native and modified glassy carbon (GC) surfaces. Treatment of polished GC with pyridine yielded small ΔEp values for cyclic voltammetry of all systems studied, implying fast electron-transfer kinetics. Changes in surface oxide coverage had little effect on kinetics, nor did the charge of the catechol species or the solution pH. Small ΔEp values correlated with catechol adsorption, and surface pretreatments that decreased adsorption also increased ΔEp. Electron transfer from catechols was profoundly inhibited by a monolayer of nitrophenyl or (trifluoromethyl)phenyl (TFMP) groups on the GC surface, so that voltammetric waves were not observed. The ΔEp increased monotonically with surface coverage of TFMP groups. The results indicate that catechol adsorption to GC is required for fast electron transfer for the redox systems studied. Unlike Ru(NH3)6...
In Vitro Assessment of Embryo Viability

Abstract With the advent and increasing adoption of methodologies to manipulate the mammalian embryo in vitro, increased emphasis is being placed on the predictive assessment of embryo viability in vitro. The development of viability assays that objectively measure the developmental competence of individual embryos will augment and accelerate selective genetic improvement of livestock through the use of embryo transfer, cryopreservation, genetic manipulation and in vitro embryo production procedures. The rationale, objective requirements and development of current methodologies used to assess embryo viability in vitro are reviewed. The specific advantages/limitations and application of several methodologies are discussed, and a novel multi-parametric evaluation strategy is proposed. The further development of novel or existing viability tests, that are rapid, non-perturbing, objective and of high resolution, will enhance success of in vitro embryo manipulation procedures, will improve the success of bovine embryo transfer programs, and will have potential application in exotic zoo/wildlife species and in human infertility programs.
Auditory nerve fiber representation of cues to voicing in syllable‐final stop consonants

Acoustic cues to the identity of consonants such as /d/ and /t/ vary according to contextual factors such as the position of the consonant within a syllable. However, investigations of the neural coding of consonants have almost always used stimuli in which the consonant occurs in the syllable‐initial position. The present experiments examined the peripheral neural representation of spectral and temporal cues that can distinguish between stop consonants /d/ and /t/ in syllable‐final position. Stimulus sets consisting of the syllables /hid/, /hit/, /hud/, and /hut/ were recorded by three different talkers. During the consonant closure interval, the spectrum of /d/ was characterized by the presence of a low‐frequency ‘‘voice bar.’’ The closure interval for the voiceless consonant /t/ was longer and lacked a voice bar. Most neurons’ responses were characterized by discharge rate decreases at the beginning of the closure interval and by rate increases that marked the release of the consonant closure. Exceptio...
Abstract 4143: Bz-423, a novel benzodiazpine, inhibits PI3 kinase signaling in ovarian cancer cells

Objective: Bz-423 is a 1,4-benzodiazepine with immunomodulatory and cytotoxic properties. The effect of Bz-423 on survival signaling in lymphoid neoplasms predicts activity against similar pathways in ovarian cancer cells. Having previously established the cytotoxic activity of Bz-423 against ovarian cancer, we now characterize the mechanism of action. Methods: Human ovarian cancer cell lines were maintained in culture. Cells were treated with Bz-423 or vehicle control. Cell survival and proliferation were evaluated, along with signaling mechanisms including the PI3-kinase-Akt-mTOR axis. DNA degradation (apoptotic fraction), mitochondrial function and caspase activation were evaluated by flow cytometry. Cytochrome c release and protein kinase activation were analyzed by immunoblotting. Apoptosome complex formation was monitored by gel filtration chromatography. Cellular ultrastructure was determined by electron microscopy (EM). Results: Growth inhibition and apoptosis were observed in all ovarian cell lines following treatment with Bz-423. Caspase-9 and −3 cleavage, along with cytochrome c release were seen, consistent with activation of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. Early mitochondrial changes identified by ultrastructural evidence of mitochondrial swelling and the accumulation of superoxide within 1 hr of treatment were seen. Bz-423 induced cell death was associated with inhibition of Akt activation through a oxidant dependent mechanism. Antioxidants blocked Bz-423-induced signaling. Conclusions: Bz-423 is a novel benzodiazepine being developed as a mitochondria targeted therapy, and displays anti-neoplastic activity against ovarian cancer cells in vitro. Results show that by acting on mitochondrial complex V, this compound inhibits PI3-kinase signaling, including the tumor survival factor Akt. PI3-kinase signaling is increasingly recognized as a survival and growth promoting mechanism in ovarian cancer. Since Akt inhibition by Bz-423 is dependent upon cellular bioenergetics and anti-oxidant balance, strategies employing this compound offer a selective new approach to target ovarian cancer cells. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4143.
Back to the future – when resource sharing seemed to work. The rise and fall of a successful consortial resource sharing network

In the early 1980s the state of Illinois formed a state‐wide resource sharing consortium under a state network called ILLINET, founded on an OCLC‐based bibliographic database and a consortium of 18 regional library systems. This consortium successfully supported resource sharing among all types of library for nearly 15 years. In the mid‐1990s, financial and technical developments led to the dissolving of the consortium and the realignment of some of its major academic library members with other academic libraries outside the original group. Thus what was once considered a model for the future of multi‐type library consortia became a dysfunctional and non‐operative organisation. This paper examines the financial, political, and technical factors that led to these changes and assesses the short‐ and long‐term impacts on resource sharing for users of the original consortium. Other similar resource sharing consortia models are examined and compared with the Illinois experience. Possible lessons and implications are discussed and possible outcomes listed.
D/H Exchange in Nitro Diastereomers

The two diastereomers of 4-nitro-1,3-diphenylpentan-1-one behave differently in deuterium for hydrogen exchange in DMSO-d6/D2O solutions using various bases as catalyst. Reaction of the erythro dia...
Derived electromyography is an accurate measure of shivering burden during targeted temperature management

Shivering complicates targeted temperature management (TTM) by increasing metabolism, oxygen consumption, resting energy expenditure, and carbon dioxide production and is associated with lower brain tissue oxygen levels; all of these may limit the effectiveness of TTM. However, the recognition and measurement of shivering are subjective and ill-defined. The Bedside Shivering Assessment Scale (BSAS) is the only validated tool to describe the intensity of shivering. We hypothesized that the derived electromyography (dEMG) value measured by the bispectral index monitor (BIS) would agree with energy expenditure due to shivering, compared with the BSAS.
Design, fabrication and characterization of metal embedded thin film thermocouples with various film thicknesses and junction sizes

Micro thin film thermocouples (TFTCs) can provide measurements with high spatial and temporal resolution. If these micro sensors can be embedded in metals, tremendous benefits can be achieved for real industrial applications. In this study, a novel batch microfabrication technique, based on the thin film transfer technique and wafer-scale embedding process, was developed to fabricate and embed thin film sensors into an electroplated nickel structure. To investigate the performance of metal embedded TFTCs and the effect of size on their temporal and spatial resolution, TFTCs with different junction sizes and film thicknesses were fabricated and characterized. The dynamic response time of the sensor on a metal substrate, as measured by the pulsed laser heating method, indicates that TFTCs have a significantly faster response than conventional thermocouples. The static response of the embedded sensor is found to be linear with temperatures up to 900 °C while the thermal sensitivity of the embedded TFTCs (film minimal thickness > 100 nm) matched well with that of a standard K-type thermocouple. As the junction size is incremented, no significant differences in the thermal sensitivity were observed, nevertheless the temporal resolution reduced. Thinner film thickness results in a faster response but reduced thermal sensitivity for embedded TFTCs.
Apoptosis is developmentally regulated in rat growth plate.

Apoptosis occurs in the growth plate during normal and abnormal longitudinal growth. To investigate the role of apoptosis during growth plate maturation, apoptosis and apoptosis-related proteins were studied in rat tibial growth plates at 2, 4, 8, and 11 wk of age. Apoptosis was studied by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated deoxy-UTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) method, and immunohistochemistry was used to detect p53, caspase-3 and -6, the antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-x, and the proapoptotic proteins Bax and Bad. In all age groups studied, most apoptotic chondrocytes were terminal hypertrophic chondrocytes (THPCs) with a significant increase during development. At 2 wk, 0.108±0.026 THPCs were found to be apoptotic per millimeter of growth plate width; at 4 wk, 0.355±0.048; at 8 wk, 0.394±0.043; and at 11 wk, 1.084±0.069 (p<0.001; 11 wk vs 2, 4, and 8 wk). THPCs were negative for p53 immunoreactivity at 2 and 4 wk, whereas some THPCs were positive at 8 and 11 wk. Caspase-3 and -6 were found in proliferative and early hypertrophic cells at 2 wk, whereas mature hypertrophic cells and THPCs were negative. At later stages of development, mature hypertrophic cells and THPCs were stained for both caspase-3 and -6. Bcl-2 and Bcl-x were present in proliferative and early hypertrophic cells at 2 wk, whereas at older ages a decrease in staining was observed. At 2 wk of age, Bax and Bad immunoreactivities were localized in proliferative and early hypertrophic cells, whereas at 8 and 11 wk many mature hypertrophic cells and THPCs were immunoreactive for Bax and Bad. Our results show that apoptosis is developmentally regulated in the rat growth plate. In older animals, with decreased growth rate and growth plate height, apoptosis is significantly increased, especially in THPCs.
Asymptotic Methods for Solving Wave Propagation Problems in Porous Tubes, Channels and Spheres

*We consider the general boundary-value ODE that describes the wave motion inside porous tubes, channels, and spheres. Its corresponding physical problem is simultaneously dispersive and dissipative, exhibiting both oscillatory and damped behavior. The attendant second order equation is controlled by two keystone parameters: , e the inverse of the crossflow Reynolds number, and , S the Strouhal number. The presence of a third parameter  is also entertained. In this work, asymptotic solutions are obtained using WKB, compositescaling (CST), and generalized-scaling (GST) techniques. The last two methods are based on multiple-scale theory and lead to additional physical insight into the nonlinear scaling structure that characterizes the ensuing wave motion. The GST approach remains unique in that it obviates the need for guesswork or rationalization. Accordingly, the inner scales are deduced from the problem’s solvability condition. This procedure enables us to solve problems which were hitherto difficult or intractable by conventional multiple-scale expansions. By way of illustration, three examples are provided. In addition to being conjecture-free, the one-term GST solution is simple to derive, compact, of nearly second order in , e and capable of pinpointing the problem’s nonlinear scales. The CST’s main advantage lies in its minimal integrability requirement. In this work, two simple proofs are provided to show that the keystone CST scale, which is used at the basis of the compositescaling technique, does indeed return the problem’s inner and outer variable transformations in their respective regions of applicability.