cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neurite outgrowth and differentiation of rat cortex progenitor cells are sensitive to lithium chloride at non-cytotoxic exposures

Neuron-specific in vitro screening strategies have the potential to accelerate the evaluation of chemicals for neurotoxicity. We examined neurite outgrowth as a measure of neuronal response with a commercially available rat cortex progenitor cell model, where cells were exposed to a chemical during a period of cell differentiation. In control cultures, the fraction of beta-III-tubulin positive neurons and their neurite length increased significantly with time, indicating differentiation of the progenitor cells. Expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein, an astrocyte marker, also increased significantly with time. By seeding progenitor cells at varying densities, we demonstrated that neurite length was influenced by cell-cell spacing. After ten days, cultures seeded at densities of 1000 cells/mm(2) or lower had significantly shorter neurites than cultures seeded at densities of 1250 cells/mm(2) or higher. Progenitor cells were exposed to lithium, a neuroactive chemical with diverse modes of action. Cultures exposed to 30 mmol/L or 10 mmol/L lithium chloride (LiCl) had significantly lower metabolic activity than control cultures, as reported by adenosine triphosphate content, and no neurons were observed after ten days of exposure. Cultures exposed to 3 mmol/L, 1 mmol/L, or 0.3 mmol/L LiCl, which encompass lithium's therapeutic range, had metabolic activity similar to control cultures. These cultures exhibited concentration-dependent decreases in neurite outgrowth after ten days of LiCl exposure. Neurite outgrowth results were relatively robust, regardless of the evaluation methodology. This work demonstrates that measurement of neurite outgrowth in differentiating progenitor cell cultures can be a sensitive endpoint for neuronal response under non-cytotoxic exposure conditions.
Application of a high accuracy finite difference technique to steady, free surface flow problems

The spatially third-order accurate QUICK finite difference technique is applied to the solution of the depth-integrated equations of motion for steady, subcritical, free surface flow in a wide, shallow, rectangular channel with and without an abrupt expansion. The conservative, control-volume discretization of the equations of motion and the use of QUICK in approximating required cell and cell face average quantities is discussed. Results presented show that it is possible to obtain stable solutions for advective free surface flows without resorting to implicit numerical smoothing.
The Effects of Retesting on the Mechanical Properties of the Brain Tissue

This research is intended to examine the amount of changes that can happen in material characteristics after retesting. Stress relaxation test is conducted on the same samples of the swine brain tissue for several times in small and large deformations. The mechanical properties of the substance are calculated before and after retest and the constants of the tissue, as mechanical characteristics, are determined and compared. Short- and long-term moduli, relaxation times and relaxation functions are of those data that are calculated and compared to understand how much they decay after repeating the experiments. The results show that applying different tests on one sample slightly changes the mechanical properties of the tissue and, as a result, it is partly possible to perform more than one test on the same sample resulting in less sample preparation, time and effort.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Pupillotonia, hyporeflexia, and segmental hypohidrosis: Autonomic dysfunction in a child

Pupillotonia-areflexia (Holmes-Adie syndrome) and segmental hypohidrosis are described for the first time in a child. The sweat chloride concentration was markedly elevated and thermoregulation was disturbed. Additional findings were apparent absence of the fungiform papillae of the tongue and lack of overflow tearing, both features of familial dysautonomia.
Rhodopsin, 11-cis vitamin A, and interstitial retinol-binding protein (IRBP) during retinal development in normal and rd mutant mice.

Biochemical and immunological techniques were used to determine the emergence of interstitial retinol binding protein (IRBP), rhodopsin, and stored retinyl esters (all-trans and 11-cis) during retinal development in normal and rd mice. IRBP could be demonstrated at embryonic Day 17 (E17), corresponding to an early stage of inner segment development. Although all-trans retinyl esters were present earlier, 11-cis retinyl esters did not appear until postnatal Days 6–7 (P6–P7), corresponding to rod outer segment (ROS) disc formation. Rhodopsin was detected at the same developmental stage. The proportion of 11-cis retinyl esters reached a maximum of 40–50% at P15–P20. Thereafter, the proportion dropped, due to more rapid accumulation of the all-trans isomer. Rhodopsin and IRBP increased in parallel with ROS elongation up to P25, when the ROS had reached their mature lengths. The increases then continued up to P40–P50. In rd (retinal degeneration) mice, IRBP and rhodopsin were identical with the controls until P12, but then dropped as the photoreceptors degenerated. Synthesis and secretion of IRBP in vitro was less than 10% of the controls in rd retinas at P26, when only 4–5% of the photoreceptors survived. The quantities of retinyl esters (mainly stearate and palmitate in the ratio of 6:1, respectively) stored in dark-adapted mouse eyes progressively increased as the animals aged, representing 0.5 mole eq. of the rhodopsin at 8 months. Although retinyl esters (11-cis and all-trans) also accumulated in rd mouse eyes up to P12, little further increase occurred. At P93, the retinyl esters (0.01 nmole · eye−1) were only 4% of the controls at P91. A peak in the proportion of 11-cis isomer occurred at P10–P20, but it averaged only 15% of the total ester and declined to 5% at P93. These findings support the hypothesis that IRBP is synthesized by the rods and cones, and suggest that its synthesis and secretion are initiated when the photoreceptor inner segments start to differentiate. 11-cis Retinoids and rhodopsin do not appear until the outer segments start to form. It is suggested that in the rd mouse the absence of photoreceptors, perhaps coupled with lack of normal interphotoreceptor matrix, leads to a loss in the ability of the pigment epithelium to store retinyl esters.
The effect of vitamin B12 on the blood serum protein and lipoprotein in the developing chick embryo.

Abstract The blood serum proteins and lipoproteins were studied in vitamin B 12 -deficient and normal chick embryos at 12, 15, 18, and 21 days of age. In the deficient embryo the blood serum proteins showed little change until the time of hatching. At this age the serum protein was decreased significantly, and the β-globulin fraction was correspondingly decreased. The total lipide and lipoproteins of the serum underwent rapid changes during embryonic development. For the B 12 -deficient serum the total lipide and β-lipoproteins were increased, whereas the α-lipoproteins were decreased at all stages of development.
The effects of acidification on human milk's cellular and nutritional content.

Fortification of human milk for preterm infants is necessary and a common newborn intensive care practice. Currently, acidified human milk as part of a human milk fortifier is being fed to preterm infants. However, there are little data on the acidification effects on mother’s milk. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of acidification on human milk’s cellular and nutritional composition. One hundred milk samples were collected from eight mothers who had infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. All milk samples were frozen at 4 °C. The frozen samples were thawed and divided into two equal aliquots, control and acidified. The control milk sample had its pH determined while the other sample was acidified to pH 4.5. Each milk sample was examined for pH, white cells, total protein, creamatocrit, lipase activity and free fatty acids. Mean pH of the human milk control was 6.8±0.1 (M±s.d.) with the acidified milk at 4.5±0.1. Acidification caused a 76% decrease in white cells, a 56% decrease in lipase activity and a 14% decrease in the total protein but a 36% increase in the creamatocrit. Acidification of human milk causes significant changes of the milk’s cellular and nutritional components that may not be beneficial to preterm infants.
Anatomic characterization of endocardial substrate for hemodynamically stable reentrant ventricular tachycardia: identification of endocardial conducting channels.

Background Detailed anatomic characterization of endocardial substrate of ventricular tachycardia (VT) is limited. Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine the endocardial dimensions and local electrogram voltage characteristics of the reentrant circuit. VT-related conducting channels corresponding to zones of slow conduction may be identified. Methods Electroanatomic mapping was performed in 26 patients with uniform VT. Entrainment mapping was performed in 53 VTs, of which 19 entrance, 37 isthmus, 48 exit, and 32 outer loop sites were identified. The color display of voltage maps was adjusted to identify conducting channels associated with VT circuits. A conducting channel was defined as a path of multiple orthodromically activated sites within the VT circuit that demonstrated an electrogram amplitude higher than that of surrounding areas as evidenced by voltage color differences. Results Forty-seven (84%) of 56 entrance or isthmus sites were located within dense scar ( Conclusion (1) Most entrance and isthmus sites of hemodynamically stable VT are located in dense scar, whereas exits are located in the border zone. (2) VT-related conducting channels may be identified by careful voltage threshold adjustment. These findings have important implications regarding strategies for substrate-based VT ablation.
Graphite furnace vaporization of polycyclic aromatic compounds with laser-induced fluorescence of vapors to fingerprint complex environmental materials☆

Abstract Laser-excited fluorescence of aromatic molecular vapors produced in a graphite furnace was investigated as a rapid screening method for polycyclic aromatic compounds and as a fingerprinting technique for environmental and other complex samples. Samples are vaporized by a gradual temperature gradient, causing samples to separate based on volatility. A photodiode array collects fluorescence spectra of transient compounds in the graphite furnace. A three-dimensional display of fluorescence spectra vs furnace temperature produces a unique plot which allows fingerprinting of samples. The graphite furnace is capable of reaching high temperatures, allowing the direct analysis of environmental samples such as oils and solid samples, providing a rapid characterization of samples often too difficult to analyze by other techniques.
Factors associated with weight change in an elderly population

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME: To identify contributors to weight change in cognitively intact, community-dwelling elderly individuals. Low body weight and unintentional weight loss are highly predictive of mortality and morbidity in the elderly population (Fischer and Johnson, 1990). Data from the Georgia Centenarian Study collected during 1988 and 1992 were used to determine if self-reported weight change during the past year was associated with demographic factors or physical health status. Participants were cognitively intact, community-dwelling elderly persons aged in their 60s (n = 86), 80s (n = 91), and 100s (n = 75). Weight change within the population was distributed as follows: 27.4% lost weight, 57.1% maintained weight, and 15.5% gained weight. Chi-square analyses were used to identify contributors to weight change. The centenarian cohort was three times less likely to gain weight than those in their 60s (P = 0.07); however, gender, race, and socio-economic status were not significantly related to weight change. In the total sample, elders were three times more likely to gain weight if they were diabetic (P - 0.06), and thyroid conditions (P = 0.06). Furthermore, the elders' perceived health status was significantly related to weight change. Elders were twice as likely to lose weight if they perceived their overall health as being worse now than it was five years ago (P
Effects of some leaf-emitted volatile compounds on aphid population increase

A role of some volatile compounds produced by plant tissues may be as defensive molecules against various pests, including arthropods. Volatile six-carbon compounds derived in plant tissue from polyunsaturated fatty acids via lipoxygenase/hydroperoxide lyase reduced tobacco aphid fecundity at certain concentrations when added to headspace vapor to which aphids were exposed. Both C6 aldehydes and alcohols were effective, with the alcohols having greater activity. (Z)-3-Hexenyl acetate at levels in the headspace similar to those of the alcohols and aldehydes did not reduce aphid fecundity. A 6-hr exposure period to the C6 aldehydes and alcohols was needed for maximum effect on the aphids feeding on tobacco leaves. Analysis of the direct versus indirect effects of these compounds indicates that the volatile aldehydes had both direct effects on aphid fecundity and indirect effects due to induced changes in the leaves upon which the aphids were feeding, while only indirect effects were observed for the alcohols. Tomato leaves have the capacity to produce volatile compounds at levels that impact aphid population increase, with the volatiles produced from crushed leaves having a much larger effect. The C6 aldehydes and alcohols may be components of the fecundity reduction seen with tomato volatiles; however, volatile terpenes showed no effect. These results can be of significance for the genetic alteration of plants for improved aphid resistance.
Extension of the lean limit through hydrogen enrichment of a LFG-fueled spark-ignition engine and emissions reduction

abstract In this experimental investigation the affect of hydrogen addition to a landﬁll gas-fuelednaturally-aspirated spark-ignition engine was explored. Hydrogen concentrations of 0%,30%, 40%, and 50% by volume were added to simulated landﬁll gas (60% CH 4 and 40% CO 2 ).Efﬁciency, coefﬁcient of variance of indicated mean effective pressure, and CO emissionswere measured from near stoichiometric mixtures up to the lean operating limit. Engine-out NOx emissions were compared to predicted future best available control technologytargets for NOx emissions in landﬁll gas-to-energy projects. From this study, it wasdetermined that with 40% hydrogen by volume untreated exhaust NOx emissions can meetthe 0.22 g/kWh NOx target while retaining 95% of baseline power and low CO emissions.a 2009 Professor T. Nejat Veziroglu. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Landﬁll gas (LFG) is produced by anaerobic decomposition ofbiodegradable material in a landﬁll. LFG is typically composedof40–60%methanebyvolume,withcarbondioxideandminoramounts of other compounds including nitrogen, oxygen,ammonia, sulﬁdes, mercaptans, hydrogen, carbon monoxide,and non-methane organic compounds [1–3]. The particularratio of gases is landﬁll speciﬁc and depends on the environ-mental conditions and waste compositions. For instance, LFGfrom municipal landﬁlls can be as low as 40% CH
On the transitivity of the posterior Pitman closeness criterion

Abstract This paper determines conditions under which the relation that an estimator is posterior Pitman closer than another, is transitive, for estimating one-dimensional and multi-dimensional parameters. Posterior Pitman closeness is a Bayesian version of the Pitman closeness criterion for pairwise comparison of estimators. Estimators are compared on the basis of the posterior probability of being closer to the parameters of interest. If transitivity is obtained, then if one estimator is better than another, it is also better than all the estimators that the second one is better than. We show that one-dimensional transitivity obtains when the posterior has unique median. In several dimensions one needs uniqueness of the posterior medians of all linear combinations of the parameters and the existence of a posterior ‘multivariate median’. A ‘multivariate median’ of the distribution of the R n-valued random vector Y is a point m ϵ R n such that for any a ϵ R n , the (real) random variable a'Y has (univariate) median a'm. Thus, transitivity of the posterior Pitman closeness criterion in several dimensions is closely related to the existence of a ‘best’ estimator under the criterion. We provide an example that can arise from a multinomial density and Dirichlet prior where the criterion is not transitive.
Albumin-binding domain conjugate for near-infrared fluorescence lymphatic imaging.

Purpose The aim of this study was to develop and characterize a novel peptide imaging agent for noninvasive near-infrared fluorescence imaging of protein transport by the lymphatics. An imaging agent consisting of a cyclic albumin-binding domain (cABD) peptide, with sequence, Arg-Leu-Ile-Glu-Asp-Ile-Cys-Leu-Pro-Arg-Trp-Gly-Cys-Leu-Trp-Glu-Asp-Asp-Lys, was conjugated to a near-infrared fluorophore, IRDye800CW, allowing for enhanced vascular uptake, retention, and fluorescence imaging.
Impact of visual field loss on health-related quality of life in glaucoma: the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study.

Purpose To examine the association between health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and visual field (VF) loss in participants with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) in the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study (LALES). Design Population-based cross-sectional study. Participants Two hundred thirteen participants with OAG and 2821 participants without glaucoma or VF loss. Methods Participants in the LALES—a population-based prevalence study of eye disease in Latinos 40 years and older, residing in Los Angeles, California—underwent a detailed eye examination including an assessment of their VF using the Humphrey Automated Field Analyzer (Swedish interactive thresholding algorithm Standard 24-2). Open-angle glaucoma was determined by clinical examination. Mean deviation scores were used to assess severity of VF loss. Health-related QOL was assessed by the Medical Outcomes Study 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) and 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25). Linear regression and analysis of covariance were used to assess the relationship between HRQOL scores and VF loss after adjusting for sociodemographic variables and visual acuity. Main Outcome Measures The 25-item NEI-VFQ and SF-12 scores. Results A trend of worse NEI-VFQ-25 scores for most subscales was observed with worse VF loss (using both monocular and calculated binocular data). Open-angle glaucoma participants with VF loss had lower scores than participants with no VF loss. This association was also present in participants who were previously undiagnosed and untreated for OAG (N = 160). Participants with any central VF loss had lower NEI-VFQ-25 scores than those with unilateral or bilateral peripheral VF loss. There was no significant impact of severity or location of VF loss on SF-12 scores. Conclusion Greater severity of VF loss in persons with OAG impacts vision-related QOL. This impact was present in persons who were previously unaware that they had glaucoma. Prevention of VF loss in persons with glaucoma is likely to reduce loss of vision-related QOL.
GONADAL FUNCTIONS IN 24 PATIENTS AFTER BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION

The long term follow-up of patients after bone marrow transplantation (BMT) allows for a more precise definition of its potential side-effects. Gonadal functions are potentially sensitive to several procedures regularly used for BMT preparations, either total body irradiation (TBI) or high dose regimen chemotherapy. We present a series of 24 patients aged at least 14 years previously treated by BMT, either before or after onset of puberty. There were 17 boys and 7 girls. Mean age at BMT was 13,2 for the boys and 11,2 tor the girls. 11 did not show any sign of pubertal development at the time of BMT. The indications for BMT were ALL in 11, ANLL in 2, lymphoma in 4, Chronic leukemia in 1, aplastic anaemia in 4 and solid tumors in 1. 13 received allogenic BMT and 11 autologous BMT. All the 7 girls, whatever the types of preparations and BMT, developed severe ovarian failure. Of the 17 boys, all 5 who have received previously testicular irradiation for ALL relapse and TBI before BMT have evidences of leydigian dysfunction (Δ). The evolution of the others 12 is summarized in the table according the status of puberty and conditioning regimens. Of the 9 given chemotherapy only, 3 were prepubere at BMT and 2 of these developed Sertolian dysfunction. In conclusion, this study confirms the constant ovarian dysfunction after BMT in girls. For the boys even in the group of patients given only chemotherapy there was evidence of secondary testicular dysfunction regardless of the respective timing ot BMT and the onset of puberty.
Bypass Tract in Patient with Palpitations

Multiple bypass tracts are not uncommon. They may be seen in 5% to 15% of patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. This article provides a case study of a patient with a 15-year history of palpitations. Mismatch in atrial and ventricular activation confirmed the presence of two left-sided bypass tracts.
Coronary thrombolysis and the new biology

Remarkable progress in the treatment of heart disease is chronicled by the remarks of the distinguished plenary session speakers who have addressed the College during the past 10 years (Table 1). Recently, fibrinolysis has proved to be a particularly powerful means of treating patients with acute myocardial infarction. Accordingly, in this year’s address, it is a privilege to discuss some of the novel and significant contributions of molecular biology to the progress in coronary thrombolysis. Results from Washington University that will be presented reflect vigorous efforts by many colleagues. In addition, we have had extensive help from numerous talented and gracious collaborators from centers throughout the world, such as Desire Cohen at the University of Leuven. To paraphrase John Zinman, a director of the Wills Physics Laboratory of the University of Bristol, they have made our activities in the molecular biology and biochemistry of coronary thrombolysis a joyful experience in the tradition of research he described as “a romance of discovery-a creative enterprise in which the only enemy is ignorance” (I). Coronary thrombolysis is a long-standing concept. Liquefaction of the blood has been recognized for more than a century. The fibrinolytic properties of streptokinase were identified more than 50 years ago. Thus, we must ask, why has enthusiasm been delayed until relatively recently? Several paradigm shifts have punctuated the change. Working with Eugene Braunwald and colleagues at the University of California at San Diego, who demonstrated that infarct size could be reduced by diminution of myocardial oxygen requirements and that infarction was a dynamic process, we and others (2) showed that the extent of infarction was an important determinant of prognosis. In elucidating the phenomenon of coronary spasm, Attilio Maseri and coworkers showed that coronary angiography was safe, even in patients with an acute coronary syndrome. Soon after, Rentrop and colleagues documented recanalization after streptokinase in
Likelihood-Based Approach to Gene Set Enrichment Analysis with a Finite Mixture Model

In this paper, we study a parametric modeling approach to gene set enrichment analysis. Existing methods have largely relied on nonparametric approaches employing, e.g., categorization, permutation or resampling-based significance analysis methods. These methods have proven useful yet might not be powerful. By formulating the enrichment analysis into a model comparison problem, we adopt the likelihood ratio-based testing approach to assess significance of enrichment. Through simulation studies and application to gene expression data, we will illustrate the competitive performance of the proposed method.
An optical scanner based on electromagnetically actuated optical fiber

To meet the performance requirements for some applications, including small sizes, precise optics, low power consumption and non-electrical control in the devices, an optical fiber scanner using electromagnetic actuation has been developed. This paper acquaints a compact external magnetic field actuated fiber optic scanner, in which the main structure is an optical fiber coated with nickel magnetic gel. The advantages of device architecture are: (1) the scanner dimensions are in the same scales of an optical fiber diameter, (2) optical properties and information are well preserved in the fiber, and (3) the actuation control is external and requires no electrical wiring in scanner design and zero power consumption. In this work, magnetic properties of the nickel based ferromagnetic gel were measured in order to carry out the theoretical calculations of static response and resonant frequencies. With the dynamic waveforms of input and output signals from the position sensing device at both modes of resonant frequencies, we conclude that it is significant to operate at the resonant frequencies so that the scanner requires less power to reach large displacement and the oscillating motion of the scanner is purely sinusoidal. A simple and versatile rotary gel coating technique, static and dynamic performance characterization and potential applications of the fiber scanner will be discussed. Moreover, we will also discuss the practical issues in operation and possible waveform distortion that affects imaging and display quality.
What follows the storm? Research on the effect of disasters on conflict and cooperation

In the last decade the concept of disaster diplomacy has drawn interest to the links between major natural disasters and international conflict. This paper reviews the disparate set of works covering this relationship. This body of work, which draws on multiple disciplinary traditions extending over three generations, holds vast potential for political scientists that seek to understand the intersection of ecological catastrophe and politics. The latest wave of publications has the greatest potential to yield valuable and generalizable insight into political phenomena as well as to produce practical knowledge for disaster-related organizations and agencies, policymakers, and citizens. This paper reviews the three generations of literature and then makes suggestions along three lines of argument: (1) refining definitions of variables, (2) refining the concept of ‘disaster diplomacy’, and (3) using existing theories and concepts of interstate conflict.
Introduction: Modeling groundwater flow and reactive transport in physically and chemically heterogeneous media

The research community is actively studying subsurface fluid flow and reactive mass transport, where both the reactions and the transport are processes of primary importance. There are formidable challenges to overcome in advancing knowledge in this area. The subsurface has a challenging level of complexity in its physical and chemical properties. It is difficult to characterize this complexity because of many challenges presented in acquiring subsurface data. This difficulty in characterization creates, in turn, challenges in developing conceptual models for physical processes and biogeochemical reactions. The relevant length and time scales span a large range. There is nonlinear interplay between influences of heterogeneity in physical and chemical properties and the forces driving reactions between adjacent zones. Material properties may themselves be evolving with the chemical evolution of the system. Advances in our understanding of flow and reactive transport in physically and chemically heterogeneous media will likely come through a nexus of some of the following: (1) advancing the body of observational data from which processes can be characterized and modeled, including data on physical, chemical, and biological reactions and interactions; (2) combining information from experimentation at different scales: laboratory bench, mesoscale tanks, and in-situ at field sites; (3) advancing the body of observational data from which the heterogeneity of physical and chemical properties associated with these processes can be characterized and modeled; (4) developing upscaling methods to represent complexity at spatial scales below the model grid scale; (5) developing more efficient algorithms for solving large systems of coupled equations, and for estimating parameters; (6) using benefits of exponential growth in the speed of computational processing and digital storage when running simulations; and (7) using advances in visualization tools, which facilitate the interpretation of simulation results. To present the state of the science, a fullday session was organized for the 2004 Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, titled ‘‘Modeling Flow and Transport in Chemically and Physically Heterogeneous
Optimal spatial localization is limited by contrast sensitivity

Bisection is one of several spatial localization tasks that achieve hyperacuity performance levels. We find that optimal bisection thresholds, and hyperacuity tasks in general, are no better than might be expected from simple contrast detection and discrimination performance. The three-line bisection task can be described in terms of the test-pedestal paradigm where the test pattern is a horizontal dipole and the pedestal is a horizontal three-line pattern with equal spacing between the lines. When the dipole test is added to the center line, the line shifts up or down, depending on the test polarity. For low contrast pedestal lines at the optimal separation, the bisection threshold falls between the observer's own dipole contrast detection threshold and the bottom of the dipole contrast discrimination dipper function. At higher pedestal strengths performance degrades with a slope of about 0.5-0.7, similar to that found in contrast discrimination tasks. Therefore, bisection performance is compatible with expectations based on contrast discrimination data. At large pedestal line separations (> 10 min) bisection thresholds in min are about 1/60 the separation and relatively independent of pedestal strength. These findings are consistent with the idea that two processes are involved in limiting bisection performance; the first limit is based on contrast sensitivity of the system and the second limit to performance is based on a local sign or position tag processing. Finally, when bisection is compared with Vernier acuity and blur resolution tasks, where the test is also a dipole, bisection performance falls roughly midway, better than Vernier acuity but worse than blur resolution.
An experimental study of the effect of the presence or absence of living visual aids in high school biology classrooms upon attitudes toward science and biology achievement

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects resulting from the presence or absence of living material in the biology classroom on knowledge of biology and attitudes toward science and sciencing. An experimental design employed random assignment to treatment and control groups. A separate-sample pretest-posttest control group design was used with 111 biology students from a medium-sized suburban high school. The treatment was administered for 16 weeks. The treatment group held class in a room containing live plant and animal displays attractively maintained. The control group students held class in a general purpose classroom containing no living materials. Students in the treatment group performed higher on both dependent measures (knowledge of biology and attitude toward science and sciencing) than those in the control group. The findings are interpreted as suggesting that living displays in the classroom serve to stimulate interest and curiosity which in turn influence attitude and achievement.
BW extension in shunt feedback transimpedance amplifiers using negative miller capacitance

The large input capacitance seen at the input of transimpedance amplifiers (TIA) used in optical receivers is usually the primary BW bottleneck. A new approach for increasing the BW of shunt feedback TIA's utilizing negative miller capacitance is presented which incurs no significant power, area or noise penalty. With this technique, 10 Gb/s performance is made possible with the usage of just a single common emitter stage resulting in a low power and low area design. The differential TIA was implemented in a 0.18 mum SiGe BiCMOS technology and consumes 10.9 mA from a 1.8 V supply. It provides 495 Omega gain, 7.7 GHz BW and has a noise density of 5.8 pA / radic(Hz) @ 1 GHz. The technique is not technology dependent and may be applied to CMOS designs as well.
Geometric subspace methods and time-delay embedding for EEG artifact removal and classification

Generalized singular-value decomposition is used to separate multichannel electroencephalogram (EEG) into components found by optimizing a signal-to-noise quotient. These components are used to filter out artifacts. Short-time principal components analysis of time-delay embedded EEG is used to represent windowed EEG data to classify EEG according to which mental task is being performed. Examples are presented of the filtering of various artifacts and results are shown of classification of EEG from five mental tasks using committees of decision trees.
A new technique for the implementation of programmable-Q MOSFET-C filters

A new technique for the implementation of programmable-Q MOSFET-C filters is introduced. The technique uses nonlinear circuits in the feedback path of the filter, allowing the tuning of Q through DC control voltages. The resulting topology is fully compatible with MOS technology. In addition, the center frequency omega /sub 0/ of the filter is also programmable via DC voltage controlled transconductance elements. An interesting connection between programmability, design automation, and physical layout of analog integrated circuits is discussed. The application of this technique to a second-order biquad filter is presented, along with computer simulation results. >
Modifying min-cut for hardware and software functional partitioning

The Kernighan/Lin heuristic, also known as min-cut, has been extended very successfully for circuit partitioning over several decades. Those extensions customized the heuristic and its associated data structure to rapidly compute the minimum-cut metric required during circuit partitioning; thus, those extensions are not applicable to problems requiring other metrics. In this paper, we extend the heuristic for functional partitioning in a manner applicable to the codesign problem of hardware/software partitioning as well as to hardware/hardware partitioning. The extension customizes the heuristic and data structure to rapidly compute execution-time and communication metrics, crucial to hardware and software partitioning, and leads to near-linear time-complexity and excellent results. Our experiments demonstrate extremely fast execution times (just a few seconds) with results matched only by the much slower simulated annealing heuristic, meaning that the extended Kernighan/Lin heuristic will likely prove hard to beat for hardware and software functional partitioning.
A global database of soil respiration data

Abstract. Soil respiration – RS, the flux of CO2 from the soil to the atmosphere – is probably the least well constrained component of the terrestrial carbon cycle. Here we introduce the SRDB database, a near-universal compendium of published RS data, and make it available to the scientific community both as a traditional static archive and as a dynamic community database that may be updated over time by interested users. The database encompasses all published studies that report one of the following data measured in the field (not laboratory): annual RS, mean seasonal RS, a seasonal or annual partitioning of RS into its sources fluxes, RS temperature response (Q10), or RS at 10 °C. Its orientation is thus to seasonal and annual fluxes, not shorter-term or chamber-specific measurements. To date, data from 818 studies have been entered into the database, constituting 3379 records. The data span the measurement years 1961–2007 and are dominated by temperate, well-drained forests. We briefly examine some aspects of the SRDB data – its climate space coverage, mean annual RS fluxes and their correlation with other carbon fluxes, RS variability, temperature sensitivities, and the partitioning of RS source flux – and suggest some potential lines of research that could be explored using these data. The SRDB database is available online in a permanent archive as well as via a project-hosting repository; the latter source leverages open-source software technologies to encourage wider participation in the database's future development. Ultimately, we hope that the updating of, and corrections to, the SRDB will become a shared project, managed by the users of these data in the scientific community.
A method of sampling coarse river‐bed material

This determination of the size of material on the bed of a stream is based upon an analysis of the relative area covered by particles of given sizes. The method is applicable to those rivers which flow on coarse material and may be waded during periods of low water. Sampling consists of measuring the intermediate axis of 100 pebbles picked from the bed of the channel on the basis of a grid system. From this sample a frequency distribution is drawn from which the desired size parameters are read. The advantages of the areal sampling procedure over bulk sampling are (1) that it is applicable to very coarse materials, and (2) that it provides a more representative sample of an entire reach of a stream.
Nutritional Assessment and Support in Long-term Care Facilities:

In recent years, malnutrition has become recognized as a widespread phenomenon with significant potential for complicating the course of medical treatment and compromising quality of life for hospi...
Tyrosine phosphorylation is involved in reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton in response to serum or LPA stimulation

Tyrosine phosphorylation is known to regulate the formation of focal adhesions in cells adhering to extracellular matrix (ECM). We have investigated the possible involvement of tyrosine phosphorylation and the focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in the cytoskeletal changes induced by serum or lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) in quiescent Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts. As shown previously by others, quiescent cells stimulated with serum or LPA reveal a rapid reappearance of focal adhesions and stress fibers. Here we show that this is accompanied by an increase in phosphotyrosine in focal adhesions and specifically an increase in the tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK. The LPA-stimulated reappearance of focal adhesions and stress fibers is blocked by inhibitors of phospholipase C but not by pertussis toxin (PTX), indicating that this LPA signaling pathway is mediated by phospholipase C activation and does not involve PTX-sensitive G proteins. In the absence of serum or LPA, these cytoskeletal effects and the tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK can be mimicked by sodium orthovanadate in conjunction with hydrogen peroxide, agents that inhibit protein tyrosine phosphatases and thereby elevate levels of phosphotyrosine. Two tyrosine kinase inhibitors, erbstatin and genistein block both the serum-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK and the assembly of focal adhesions and stress fibers. Two other tyrosine kinase inhibitors, tyrphostins 47 and 25, previously shown to inhibit FAK, failed to prevent FAK phosphorylation or the reassembly of focal adhesions and stress fibers in response to serum. However, these inhibitors did prevent FAK phosphorylation and cytoskeletal assembly in response to lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), one component of serum previously shown to stimulate assembly of focal adhesions and stress fibers. Our findings suggest that the response to serum is complex and that although FAK phosphorylation is important, other tyrosine kinases may also be involved.
Wind-driven surface transport in stratified closed basins Direct versus residual circulations

The wind-driven circulation in a moderately large, stratified basin Lake Tahoe, California-Nevada, is studied using a numerical model. Direct circulations, in which the current directions remain relatively constant and the mean circulation formed over several days resembles the instantaneous circulation, and residual circulations, in which the currents fluctuate continuously and the mean circulation is characterized by small net displacements of parcels after large oscillations, are found. The lake's double gyre, dominated by the large anticyclonic northern gyre, differs from the single cyclonic gyre reported for other stratified basins, and examination of the modeled vorticity budget in the surface layer shows that the curl of the wind stress must be included to obtain the observed direct double gyre circulation.
Seasonal Phenology and Biology of Calocoris norvegicus (Hemiptera: Miridae) in Pistachios and Associated Host Plants

The biology and seasonal phenology of Caloeoris norvegieus (Gmelin) were studied in pistachios, Pistaeia vera L., and associated host plants in the laboratory and four orchards in the Sacramento Valley. Nymphs were found in weeds in the orchards from late March; adults were found in early April and disappeared by late May. In beating-tray samples, adults were observed on pistachio clusters from 12 April until 25 May. Increases in numbers of adults in the beating-tray samples corresponded to high levels of epicarp lesion, ranging from 11 to 34%. Dispersal to pistachios coincided with the development of adults and was correlated with the drying of orchard weeds or cutting of alfalfa. C. norvegicus nymphs and adults were recorded on various host plants, which included several species of legumes, mustards, and orchard grasses. In late March, first instars hatched from diapausing eggs laid in the dried stems of wild radish, Raphanus sativus L., and wheat, Triticum aestivum L. Neither eggs nor first instars were found on pistachio limbs. In the laboratory, survival to adulthood was 92-98% on winter vetch, View villosa Roth, curly dock, Rumex erispus L., and wild radish, and 25% in wild oats, Avena fatua L. Oviposition was observed within all herbaceous hosts except wild oats.
Certifying measurement unit safety policy

Measurement unit safety policy checking is a topic in software analysis concerned with ensuring that programs do not violate basic principles of units of measurement. Such violations can hide significant domain-specific errors which are hard or impossible to find otherwise. Measurement unit analysis by means of automatic deduction is addressed in this paper. We draw general design principles for measurement unit certification tools and discuss our prototype for the C language, which includes both dynamic and static checkers. Our approach is based on assume/assert annotations of code, which are properly interpreted by our deduction-based tools and ignored by standard compilers. We do not modify the language in order to support units. The approach can be extended to incorporate other safety policies without great efforts.
Use of suppressive subtractive hybridization to identify Flavobacterium columnare DNA sequences not shared with Flavobacterium johnsoniae

Aims: To identify specific sequences in the fish pathogen Flavobacterium columnare not shared by Flavobacterium johnsoniae. Methods and Results: Suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) was used to selectively amplify and clone F. columnare-specific sequences. A highly virulent strain of F. columnare was used as tester and the type strain of F. johnsoniae was used as driver. After library construction, 192 clones were selected and sequenced. From those, 110 clones contained unique F. columnare-specific sequences that were verified using dot blot hybridization. Sequence sizes ranged from 55 to 872 bp with 45 363 bp sequenced in total. Conclusions: Specific F. columnare sequences representing all but one (motility related) functional categories were annotated. Several putative virulence factors were identified in F. columnare such as a collagenase, a chondroitinase, proteases, as well as drug resistance and iron transport-related genes. Significance and Impact of the Study: Suppressive subtractive hybridization is a cost-effective method for identifying genetic differences between Flavobacterium spp. The number of sequences available from F. columnare has been doubled.
Augmenting the generalized hough transform to enable the mining of petroglyphs

Rock art is an archaeological term for human-made markings on stone. It is believed that there are millions of petroglyphs in North America alone, and the study of this valued cultural resource has implications even beyond anthropology and history. Surprisingly, although image processing, information retrieval and data mining have had large impacts on many human endeavors, they have had essentially zero impact on the study of rock art. In this work we identify the reasons for this, and introduce a novel distance measure and algorithms which allow efficient and effective data mining of large collections of rock art.
Neutrophil plasticity: acquisition of phenotype and functionality of antigen-presenting cell

Accumulating lines of evidence now demonstrate that neutrophils can participate in adaptive immune responses directly or indirectly. Even more striking is their potential to acquire phenotypic and functional properties that are typically reserved for professional APCs. These newly emerging concepts of neutrophil heterogeneity and plasticity now challenge the classic view of neutrophils as terminally differentiated leukocytes fully committed to phagocyte functionality. Here, we present a brief overview of our current understanding of neutrophil plasticity by focusing on the acquisition of DC-like properties in culture and at sites of inflammation. Human and murine neutrophils acquire surface expression of MHC II, costimulatory molecules, and other surface markers of DCs when cultured in the presence of selected cytokines. The resulting populations also exhibit potent APC activities to present various antigens to T cells. "Unusual" neutrophils expressing DC markers have been detected in inflammatory lesions in human patients and mouse disease models. These findings imply that acquisition of DC-like properties by neutrophils at the sites of inflammation may represent a key process for linking the innate and adaptive arms of immune responses.
Airports and Bicycles: What Are Obstacles to and Incentives for Improving Bicycle Access?

Case studies examined how airport operators addressed bicycle access to their properties and the motivations and obstacles that they faced in light of new policies to integrate bicycles, along with transit and walking, into transportation planning, design, and construction and to increase the bicycle's role in the transportation system. Eight influential elements that emerged from the review of policy documents and research literature were used to guide interviews: governance structure, location, access roads, self-perceived environmental stewardship, spending restrictions on nonaviation transportation improvements, proximity to transit, policies and mandates to reduce environmental impacts, and land use constraints. Seven cases were selected on the basis of their inclusion in studies on key aspects of airport ground access: Oakland International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and Los Angeles International Airport, California; Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Washington; Boston Logan I...