cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Growth of CsLiB 6 O 10 thin films on Si substrate by pulsed laser deposition using SiO 2 and CaF 2 as buffer layers

CsLiB6O10 (CLBO) thin films are grown on Si (100) and (111) substrates using lower index SiO2 and CaF2 as buffer layers by pulsed KrF (248 nm) excimer laser ablation of stoichiometric CLBO targets over a temperature range of 425 to 725°C. A CaF2 buffer layer is grown on Si by laser ablation while SiO2 is prepared by standard thermal oxidation. From extended x-ray analysis, it is determined that CaF2 is growth with preferred orientation on Si (100) at temperatures lower than 525°C while on Si (111) substrate, CaF2 is grown epitaxially over the temperature range; this agrees well with observed reflection high energy electron diffraction patterns. X-ray 2θ-scans indicate that crystalline CLBO are grown on SiO2/Si and CaF2/Si (100). Analysis of reflectance spectra from CLBO/SiO2/Si yields the absorption edge at 182 nm. Surface roughness of the CaF2 and CLBO/CaF2/Si film are 19 and 15 nm, respectively. This relatively rough surface caused by the ablation of wide bandgap CaF2 and CLBO limits the application of CLBO for waveguiding measurement.
Adhesion prevention in the rabbit with sodium carboxymethylcellulose solutions

With the use of a rabbit surgical model, the ability of 1%, 2%, and 3% solutions of sodium carboxymethylcellulose to reduce postoperative uterine adhesions was determined. At all concentrations sodium carboxymethylcellulose was more effective than either 32% dextran 70 or heparinized lactated Ringer's solution. Neither the dextran nor Ringer's solution had a significant (p less than or equal to 0.05) effect. The beneficial effects of sodium carboxymethylcellulose were closely dose-dependent (correlation coefficient 0.97). Sodium carboxymethylcellulose is highly effective in reducing postoperative adhesions in laboratory animals, and additional studies are warranted to further define its efficacy and safety.
Laparoscopic gastropexy relieves symptoms of obstructed gastric volvulus in highoperative risk patients

Abstract Background Operative repair of obstructive gastric volvulus is challenging. In high-operative risk patients with obstructive gastric volvulus, we perform laparoscopic reduction of gastric volvulus and anterior abdominal wall sutured gastropexy. This case series reports our experience with this operation. Methods We reviewed the charts of all patients who presented with obstructive gastric volvulus and underwent laparoscopic gastropexy between 2007 and 2013. Results Eleven patients underwent laparoscopic gastropexy. Median age was 83 years (50 to 92). Six patients presented with chronic obstruction; 5 presented with acute obstruction. Median postoperative hospitalization was 2 days (1 to 39). Two patients required reoperation for displaced gastrostomy tubes. At median follow-up of 3 months (2 weeks to 57 months), all patients remained free of gastric obstructive symptoms and recurrent episodes of volvulus. Only 1 patient received nutrition via gastrostomy tube. Conclusions Laparoscopic gastropexy can treat obstructed gastric volvulus in highoperative risk patients. Because of associated morbidity, gastrostomy tubes should be placed selectively.
The Application of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons to the Soil and Roosts Effectively Controls Lice of Poultry

Abstract The control of poultry lice is essential to the economic operation of successful poultry farms. This is due to the fact that when abundant the attack of these ectoparasites greatly reduces the vigor of laying and breeding stock. A great deal of investigational work has been performed relative to the control of these parasites. However, the majority of the methods developed are quite laborous as they require handling of the individual birds by the operators. More staisfactory methods are desirable. Creighton et al. (1943) demonstrated that applications of sulfur to soil in poultry yards would contribute to the control of lice on poultry, due apparently to the dusting habits of the birds. Investigations have now been made by the authors in which comparative effectiveness tests have been made with three of the recently developed chlorinated hydrocarbons. The chemicals used in the tests were Velsicol 1068 (chlorodane), benzene hexachloride, and dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane . . .
Increased sensitivity to dextran sodium sulfate colitis in IRE1β-deficient mice

The epithelial cells of the gastrointestinal tract are exposed to toxins and infectious agents that can adversely affect protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and cause ER stress. The IRE1 genes are implicated in sensing and responding to ER stress signals. We found that epithelial cells of the gastrointestinal tract express IRE1β, a specific isoform of IRE1. BiP protein, a marker of ER stress, was elevated in the colonic mucosa of IRE1β–/– mice, and, when exposed to dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) to induce inflammatory bowel disease, mutant mice developed colitis 3–5 days earlier than did wild-type or IRE1β+/– mice. The inflammation marker ICAM-1 was also expressed earlier in the colonic mucosa of DSS-treated IRE1β–/– mice, indicating that the mutation had its impact early in the inflammatory process, before the onset of mucosal ulceration. These findings are consistent with a model whereby perturbations in ER function, which are normally mitigated by the activity of IRE1β, participate in the development of colitis.
Radiation induced vascular injury after stereotactic radiosurgery for trigeminal neuralgia: case report

BACKGROUND Stereotactic radiosurgery is increasingly used for the treatment of medically unresponsive trigeminal neuralgia. CASE DESCRIPTION We present the case of a 69-year-old man with trigeminal neuralgia who underwent stereotactic radiosurgery after a failed balloon compression procedure. The radiosurgery also failed to provide the patient with any significant pain relief, and microvascular decompression of the trigeminal nerve was performed 10 months later. At operation, two adjacent veins and the superior cerebellar artery were noted to have focal changes consistent with atheromatous disease. CONCLUSION We postulate that the recent radiation exposure resulted in the observed vascular injury. As a result, patients having trigeminal neuralgia radiosurgery need to be followed carefully for possible delayed ischemic events secondary to radiation-induced vascular injury.
Experimental demonstration of XPM compensation for WDM fibre transmission

Distributed compensation for cross-phase modulation (XPM) by solving the coupled nonlinear Schrodinger equations in digital backward propagation is demonstrated experimentally. The results show that XPM compensation provides significant improvement over self-phase modulation compensation.
Vector formulation for Ronchi shear surface fitting

Ronchi interferometry is an optical testing technique similar to shearing interferometry. A coherent wavefront is interfered with a sheared form of itself by placing a periodic grating at, or near, the focus of an optical system. The resultant interference pattern contains information about the wavefront's slope in a direction perpendicular to the grating structure. The wavefront can be reconstructed from two orthogonal slope data sets via the process of sampling, ordering, and fitting. This paper develops a linear-algebra vector notation model of the interferogram sampling and fitting process.
Landau-level mixing and skyrmion stability in quantum Hall ferromagnets

We present a Hartree-Fock study that incorporates the effects of Landau-level mixing and screening due to filled levels into the computation of energies and states of quasiparticles in quantum Hall ferromagnets. We use it to construct a phase diagram for skyrmion stability as a function of magnetic field and Zeeman coupling strengths. We find that Landau-level mixing tends to favor spin-polarized quasiparticles, while finite-thickness corrections favor skyrmions. Our studies show that skyrmion stability in high Landau levels is very sensitive to the way in which electron-electron interactions are modified by finite thickness, and indicate that it is crucial to use models with realistic short-distance behavior to obtain qualitatively correct results. We find that recent experimental evidence of skyrmions in higher Landau levels cannot be explained within our model.
Factors Influencing the Corrosion of Boiler Steels in Municipal Incinerators

Abstract Corrosion resulting from the action of flue gases and accumulated deposits in municipal incinerators has been studied by means of a probe consisting of boiler steel specimens. Corrosion ra...
Hsp104 Catalyzes Formation and Elimination of Self-Replicating Sup35 Prion Conformers

The protein-remodeling factor Hsp104 governs inheritance of [PSI+], a yeast prion formed by self-perpetuating amyloid conformers of the translation termination factor Sup35. Perplexingly, either excess or insufficient Hsp104 eliminates [PSI+]. In vitro, at low concentrations, Hsp104 catalyzed the formation of oligomeric intermediates that proved critical for the nucleation of Sup 35 fibrillization de novo and displayed a conformation common among amyloidogenic polypeptides. At higher Hsp104 concentrations, amyloidogenic oligomerization and contingent fibrillization were abolished. Hsp104 also disassembled mature fibers in a manner that initially exposed new surfaces for conformational replication but eventually exterminated prion conformers. These Hsp104 activities differed in their reaction mechanism and can explain [PSI+] inheritance patterns.
The Mafia, the market and the state in Italy and Russia

Pino Arlacchi (1983) La mafia imprenditrice (Bologna: II Mulino); translated by Martin Ryle as Mafia Business: The Mafia Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (London: Verso, 1986), $13.95, ISBN 0‐86091‐892‐0. Raimondo Catanzaro (1988) II delitto come impresa: storia sociale della mafia (Padua: Liviana Editrice); translated by Raymond Rosenthal as Men of Respecc: A Social History of the Sicilian Mafia (New York: Free Press, 1992), $22.95, hardback, ISBN 0‐02‐905325‐0. Diego Gambetta (1992) La mafia siciliana: Una industria della protezione privata (Turin: Einaudi revised paperback edn, 1994); translated as The Sicilian Mafia: The Business of Private Protection (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1993), $39.95 hardback, ISBN 0‐674‐80741‐3. Salvatore Lupo (1993) Storia della mafia dalle origini ai giorni nostri (Rome: Donzelli Editore). Alexander Stille (1995) Excellent Cadavers: The Mafia and the Death of the First Italian Republic (New York: Pantheon), ISBN 0679425799. Stephen Handelman (1995) Comra...
Intraclonal variation in proliferative potential of human diploid fibroblasts: stochastic mechanism for cellular aging

At several points during the growth of a clone of human embryonic lung fibroblasts in vitro, 100 to 200 cells were removed at random and the proliferative potential of each cell was determined. At each sample point, a wide variation in remaining population doubling ability was observed among the individual cells and the distributions of doubling potentials were distinctly bimodal. Furthermore, the two cells arising from a single mitosis differed in their ability to proliferate by as many as eight population doublings (256-fold in the number of cells produced). The results suggest that a stochastic process is responsible for determining the limited proliferative potential of human embryonic lung fibroblasts.
Action patterns of immobilized dextranase

Abstract Dextranase, isolated from Penicillium funiculosum and P. lilacinum , was immobilized on porous, silanized-silica beads and a phenol-formaldehyde resin. A commercial dextran of relatively low molecular weight (∼2 × 10 6 ) was degraded by immobilized dextranase, with the formation of reducing sugars, but with little decrease in viscosity. In contrast, soluble dextranase caused rapid loss of viscosity, but only a slight increase in reducing sugar. Native dextran of high molecular weight, from Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B-512 (F), was attacked very slowly by immobilized dextranase, with the release of oligosaccharides of low molecular weight.
Experimental determination of the efficiency of the grey neutron detector

Abstract The energy dependence of the efficiency of the grey neutron detector was measured in the energy range 30–1400 keV by means of the associated activity technique and the flux integration technique. A maximum deviation of 3.5% from the theoretical calculated efficiency curve was found. The detector was used to measure the energy dependence of the 7Li(p,n) cross section.
Alkali-metal negative ions. I. Photodetachment of Li - , Na - , and K -

Photodetachment cross sections of the negative ions of the three lightest alkali-metal atoms have been calculated using configuration-interaction wave functions for the initial state and close-coupling scattering wave functions for the final state. Pronounced structure obtained at the threshold for leaving the neutral atom in the first excited state is due to a combination of real resonance behavior and the threshold law for collisional excitation. The range of validity of this law is, however, found to be very narrow. The shape of the cross sections in this region is in excellent agreement with experimental measurements. Results are also presented for the angular distribution of the photoelectrons following photodetachment with simultaneous neutral excitation, for the dipole polarizabilities of the negative ions, and simple analytic formulas for the radiative attachment coefficients.
A Customizable Automotive Steering System With a Haptic Feedback Control Strategy for Obstacle Avoidance Notification

Increased global use of motorized vehicles has led to a higher number of automotive crashes involving human injuries and fatalities. Greater driver awareness through haptic feedback can provide vital information from the vehicle and surroundings to the driver while minimizing driver distraction. In this paper, steering wheel haptic feedback will be provided to increase the drivers' knowledge of the roadway and driving conditions. This increased knowledge should enable the driver to avoid obstacles presented in the roadway earlier than without any feedback. A high-fidelity customizable driving simulator was utilized to provide nine different levels of sinusoidal haptic feedback via the steering wheel. Mathematical models for the vehicle steering system, with adjustable controller gains, were developed to create torsional feedback. The testing included 25 human subjects ranging in age and driving experience. Driver preferences for feedback amplitude and frequency were gathered, whereas driver/vehicle performance was used as the measure of feedback effectiveness. The laboratory results demonstrate that haptic steering feedback improved driver performance as measured by a 62% reduction in obstacle hit rates, small reductions in peak steering wheel angle and peak vehicle yaw rate, as well as a nearly 10 m (32.8 ft) increase in reaction distance to the obstacles. The research contribution is the successful application of an advanced steering simulator with a steering control strategy to introduce supplemental haptic feedback to the driver through the steering system for roadway avoidance notification.
Aging Issues: Unanswered Questions in Marital and Family Therapy Literature.

Researchers have reviewed couple and family therapy journals to determine the extent to which issues concerning older populations are addressed. In an effort to extend previous work, we conducted content analyses of 957 articles published in three of the leading marital and family therapy journals between 1997 and 2006. From the articles, 27 (2.8%) mentioned aging or included older adults in their sample. Results indicate that the number of articles emphasizing older adults has not substantially increased. While this result has been substantiated by other researchers in previous years, a new finding in this study concerns the quality of articles on aging issues. The articles reviewed in this study indicated a greater focus on aging issues and addressing issues during this life cycle stage.
The benefits of meditation: experimental findings

This work looks at meditation and its possible benefits. Differences between an experimental group that practiced meditation for a period of 14 weeks and a control group that did not meditate are a...
Journeys toward an Authentic Self

This review explores the central themes and species ideology of Bolt, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, and Beverly Hills Chihuahua. All suggest incremental changes in human attitudes toward animals but all strongly confirm the mainstream view of animals as domestic companions and as models of human society. Whatever the limitations of their imagining of nonhuman existence, however, these films promise to raise awareness of some challenges faced by nonhuman animals in a human world.
What's Coming Off the Shelves? A Reference Use Study Analyzing Print Reference Sources Used in a University Library

To what extent is the print reference collection being used? Use of the print collection at a small private university was tracked for a four-month period. The results suggest that the reference collection is too big and underused.
The effects of antiviral chemicals on potato virus X-I

The antiviral properties of Malachite green and thiouracil with regard to potato virus X were studied using tissue culture technique. Stem nodal tissues of Russet Burbank potatoes were grown in culture using modified White's medium enriched with gibberellin and containing Malachite green at the rate of 2, 4, 6, 10 and 15 ppm or thiouracil at the rate of 5 and 10 ppm. Stem tissues grew well with no evidence of phytotoxicity due to the presence of antiviral chemicals. Antiviral properties of these chemicals were evaluated by inoculating the leaves ofG. globosa with the extract of the apical portion of the newly developed shoots. As the concentration of Malachite green was increased, the detectible amounts of virus activity was generally reduced, and the number of apparently virus-free tips was increased. Thiouracil treatment at 5 ppm reduced the detectible virus activity present in the new shoots, but there were no antiviral effects at a concentration of 10 ppm.
Abundant ketone isolated from oily Plakortis sponge demonstrates antifouling properties

Marine sponges of the Genus Plakortis are typically unfouled; they can have a distinctive pleasant smell and an oily surface. A significant quantity of fragrant oil was obtained from a Jamaican Plakortis sp. by cryo-trap. The oil was determined to be exclusively 2-decanone. The antifouling character of the oil was evaluated by its effects on surface attachment of a gram negative bacterial model using confocal fluorescence microscopy as well as its effects on the attachment of Dreissena polymorpha (zebra mussel). The ketone dramatically inhibited attachment of the bacteria and zebra mussels. The results suggest that the oil impacts establishment of related epifauna on the Plakortis sponge in nature. Although the aliphatic ketone alone is not a potential commercial alternative for antifouling coatings, incorporating the functionality into coating design should be considered in future studies.
Narrative Mapping of Social Worlds: The Voice of Experience in Alcoholics Anonymous

At the threshold of an unfamiliar social world, newcomers may seek knowledgeable or experienced others for orientation, information, and advice. Oldtimers, “pros,” and veterans, in turn, may draw upon their personal experience to offer “narrative maps” of the new psychosocial geography. The prepresentations of reality contained in narrative maps may shape newcomers' decisions, actions, and discourse. Despite their ubiquity and significance, however, narrative maps have received scant attention as a topic of sociological inquiry. The personal narratives in meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous provide a rich opportunity to explore how experienced members articulate a version of the past, population, practices, and problems of a new world. The contexts, uses, and consequences of narrative mapping are considered.
Dynamics and Measurement of Smokes III—Drag and Orientation of Chain Aggregates in an Electrical Mobility Spectrometer

Simultaneous measurements of electric mobility and geometric size have permitted determination of the drag force of chain aggregates as a function of Knudsen number for the orientation prevalent in a differential electric mobility classifier (DMA). The measurements indicate that chains are oriented along the field lines (i.e., in the ∥ orientation) in a DMA. In combination with earlier measurements of drag in the ⊥ orientation with an aerosol centrifuge (Part II; Kasper, 1982b), these data give a complete description of the translational drag on fibrous particles in the Knudsen number regime below about 10. Indirectly, these measurements also present a validation of the shape factor concept and the equivalent diameters D AE, D VE, and D ME associated with it (Part I; Kasper, 1982a).
The Commuter's Time-of-Use Decision and Optimal Pricing and Service in Urban Mass Transit

Abstract This paper incorporates the commuter's time-of-use decision into a model of optimal pricing and service in urban mass transit. The model is closely related to the highway bottleneck model, with waiting time at a transit stop treated analogously to queuing time at a bottleneck. The difference arises in the intermittent nature of mass transit capacity provision. It is shown that (1) increased ridership leads to higher average user cost, and (2) the relationship between service frequency and ridership does not conform to the well-known square root principle.
High flux mesoporous MCM-48 membranes: Effects of support and synthesis conditions on membrane permeance and quality

Abstract This communication reports experimental efforts to synthesize defect-free mesoporous MCM-48 membranes with improved gas flux. We demonstrate a facile and inexpensive method of synthesizing defect-free supported MCM-48 membranes with improved N2 and CO2 permeance (>2 × 10−7 mol/m2 s Pa) employing asymmetric supports for the membrane synthesis which contain layers of macropores possessing different pore sizes. The membranes prepared on asymmetric α-alumina supports displayed higher gas permeance than those fabricated on symmetric supports (N2 permeance
The role of the sodium pump in the developmental regulation of membrane electrical properties of cerebellar Purkinje neurons of the rat

The postnatal development of the rat cerebellum has been well described morphologically and functionally. However, information regarding the electrical characteristics of Purkinje neurons during development is sparse. Using standard intracellular recording, the basic electrical properties of Purkinje neurons in cerebellar slices were compared at different postnatal ages. There was a significant, progressive increase in the resting membrane potential (RMP) of Purkinje neurons with age as well as a small but significant decrease in the cellular input resistance (Rin). The cardiac glycoside, ouabain (1 mM), an inhibitor of the sodium pump, depolarized Purkinje neurons significantly more with age. The magnitude of the increase in depolarizing activity of ouabain was equivalent to the magnitude of the increase in membrane potential. The number of ouabain binding sites was also found to increase with age suggesting an age related increase in the number of sodium pump sites. These results suggest that the predominant cellular mechanism which underlies the increase in membrane potential of Purkinje neurons during development is an increase in the density of Na+, K+ pump sites and in the contribution of the electrogenic sodium pump.
Experimental Investigation of Axial Field Limitations in MHD Generators

Axial field breakdown in nonslagging wall, combustion-driven MHD generators was characterized by a rapid decline in axial voltage and a change in the mode of current transport from a relatively diffuse mode to a highly constricted and destructive mode. Cinephotographic records obtained for a simplified configuration demonstrated that breakdown could be initiated either in the plasma or in the interelectrode insulator. Breakdown resulted only when a threshold voltage was exceeded, with the voltage increasing with insulator gap size. For the electrode wall configuration studied, the threshold voltage for plasma-initiated breakdown was significantly higher than that for insulator-initiated breakdown. For the maximum voltages achieved in the full generator experiments, only insulator-initiated breakdowns were observed. No qualitative difference in anode and cathode wall breakdown behavior was observed. The threshold voltage for the generator configuration was lower than the value observed for the same insulator gap size in the simplified experiments; however, the qualitative features were similar.
An impression technique for osseointegrated implants.

For restorations with osseointegrated implants, it is imperative that the impression accurately record the threedimensional relationship of the implant fixtures. A technique using dental floss interwoven between square transfer copings interconnected with Duralay (Reliance Dental Mfg. Co., Worth, Ill.) resin has been recommended when the Branemark (Nobelpharma AB, Gateborg, Sweden) implant system is used.’ This technique is time-consuming for the dentist and occasionally uncomfortable for the patient. The following technique is fast, accurate, and minimizes patient discomfort.
Burst switching architecture for a video-on-demand server

Modern optical transmission technology using wavelength division multiplexing can support aggregate transmission speeds on the order of hundreds of gigabits per second, but photonic switching speeds are relatively more constrained at the present time. Burst switching has recently been proposed as a solution, where long segments of data with identical destinations and quality-of-service objectives are handled together as unified switchable entities. In this paper we examine application of this concept to video-on-demand servers, and analyze the performance. A burst-switching distributed-server architecture is proposed. It is shown that the switch performance may be enhanced by using recent concepts of bifurcated input queueing switches.
Probabilistic representation and transmission of earthquake ground motion records

A relatively simple and straightforward procedure is given for representing analytically defined or data-based covariance kernels of arbitrary random processes in a compact form that allows its convenient use in later analytical random vibration response studies. The method is based on the spectral decomposition of the random process by the orthogonal Karhunen-Loeve expansion and the subsequent use of least-squares approaches to develop an approximating analytical fit for the data-based eigenvectors of the underlying random process. The resulting compact analytical representation of the random process is then used to derive a closed-form solution for the non-stationary response of a damped SDOF harmonic oscillator. The utility of the method for representing the excitation and calculating the mean-square response is illustrated by the use of an ensemble of acceleration records from the 1971 San Fernando earthquake.
Integrated Hull Design, Boundary-Layer Control, and Propulsion of Submerged Bodies

Power requirements of large submerged bodies at high Reynolds numbers are optimized by the hydrodynamic synthesis of body design, boundary-layer control, and propulsion. Conventional rigid skin, all turbulent boundary layers, and a single suction slot are accepted as realistic engineering constraints. A 3:1 body has been designed and has been tested in a wind tunnel at a Reynolds number of 10; the wake drag has been found to be CDW = 0.002, and the equivalent suction drag CDS = 0.0142 yielding a total equivalent drag CD = 0.0162 (based on volume). This can be compared to CD = 0.0235 for the best conventional streamlined body (Akron airship model). A total engine power coefficient has also been determined, Cp* = 0.01585, while a conventional streamlined vehicle with stern wake propeller has a Cp* = 0.0215, thereby showing a net gain of 26%. There is a possible tradeoff between suction and propulsion powers allowing the total power coefficient to decrease to CP* = 0.0100 and to reach a 50% power gain.
Nasal and oral consonant similarity in speech errors: Exploring parallels with nasal consonant harmony

Previous research has found that ‘similar’ sounds interact in phonological nasal consonant harmony, wherein certain consonants become nasals when the word contains a nasal (e.g., Kikongo: /-kun-idi/ → [-kun-ini] ‘planted’). Across languages, stops and approximants are chiefly affected, especially voiced consonants and ones that match in place of articulation with the nasal. Three experiments investigated whether a parallel occurs in consonants showing greater likelihood to interact in speech errors with nasals. The experiments, which elicited errors using the SLIPS technique with English speakers, revealed the following asymmetries in consonants’ participation in errors with nasals: (i) voiced stops (b, d) > voiceless stops (p, t), (ii) voiced stops with same place > voiced stops with different place, and (iii) approximants (r, l) > voiceless stops (p, t). These correlate with preferentially affected segments in nasal consonant harmony. The data support a uniform phonological similarity scaling for nasal-...
1998 Thomas Baron Award Lecture : Learning multiphase flow

Abstract This article is the summary of the 1998 Thomas Baron Award Lecture prepared by one of the pioneers and creative researchers in the gas–solid flow systems area, the late Professor S.L. Soo. Unfortunately, Professor Soo passed away before he was able to present this lecture.
A Fluorescent Probe for the Detection of Myeloperoxidase Activity in Atherosclerosis-Associated Macrophages

Summary The myeloperoxidase (MPO)-derived oxidant hypochlorous acid (HOCl/OCl − ) is implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and other inflammatory states. We have synthesized an imaging probe, sulfonaphthoaminophenyl fluorescein (SNAPF), that selectively reacts with HOCl. SNAPF detects HOCl produced by stimulated MPO-expressing cells cultured from human whole blood, as well as HOCl from bone marrow (BM)-derived macrophages isolated from transgenic mice that express human MPO. Two lines of evidence indicate that SNAPF permits the in vivo imaging of HOCl production. First, we used this approach to demonstrate HOCl production by neutrophils in experimental murine peritonitis. Second, we detected HOCl production by MPO expressing cells in human atherosclerotic arteries. Thus, fluorescence reflectance imaging by SNAPF may provide a valuable noninvasive molecular imaging tool for implicating HOCl and MPO in the damage of inflamed tissues.
Tax competition and redistribution policy of local governments competing for business capital

Abstract Independent local economies, in a national environment, often attempt to redistribute income. The implications of decentralized redistribution are studied when capital is mobile and labor, provided by skilled and unskilled workers, is immobile. Local governments also supply a production public good (e.g., facilities for an industrial park), and select tax and expenditure policies to maximize community welfare. These policies are characterized when the community simply maximizes the aggregate disposable income of its residents, and when a redistribution objective enters the community optimization calculus. Redistributing communities are found to offer a more favorable environment for business by both subsidizing business capital and supplying more of the production public good. These policies foster a misallocation of the nation's capital stock and an oversupply of public services to business.
Three Models of the Falling Rate of Profit

Three models are presented which hold in common the assumption of imperfect competition but differ in their treatment of technical change. When technical change is purely endogenous (Model I) or exogenous (Model II), the rate of profit declines to some steady-state value, either as capital accumulates or as time passes. Dynamic wage-profit curves describe the paths over time of the product wage and profit rate. Under a combined form of technical change (Model III), the slope of the dynamic wage-profit curve is indeterminate but it converges on some steady state. These steady states are the terminus of a historical process rather than the equilibria of the models. The models invite comparisons between neoclassical and Marxian theory.
The development and structure of the Chinese Thesaurus for subject indexing

In the information age, a thesaurus still remains as an important retrieval tool. The purposes of this article are to review the development and nature of the Chinese Thesaurus (CT), and to examine its organizational structure and functions in Chinese information indexing. As the largest, and most comprehensive indexing retrieval devices for Chinese language, the Chinese Thesaurus and later the Chinese Classified Thesaurus (CCT) have played key roles in the standardization of Chinese retrieval language, and contributed greatly to the modern development of knowledge organization and information processing in China.
Research on Process Mineralogy of Potassium-Rich Shale

The process mineralogy of potassium-rich shale from Chaoyang of Liaoning, China, was studied. Research results showed there are much less variety and smaller quantities in mineral compositions. Calculated mineral composition by means of chemical composition analysis combined with XRD, MLA, IR and TG-DSC analyses showed that main minerals with were Potassium-feldspar, muscovite, biotite and illite, and gangue minerals were quartz and small amounts of hematite. Potassium-rich minerals such as potassium-feldspar and muscovite contact smoothly with quartz respectively, and there was the direction arrangement among potassium-feldspar, quartz and muscovite in the shale. And quartz and hematite were main cement in the shale. The influences of the research results on the potassium extraction from potassium-rich shale were distinct.
Geo-Referencing of Video Flow From Small Low-Cost Civilian UAV

This paper presents a method of geo-referencing the video data acquired by a small low-cost UAV, which is specifically designed as an economical, moderately functional, small airborne platform intended to meet the requirement for fast-response to time-critical events in many small private sectors or government agencies for the small areas of interest. The developed mathematical model for geo-locating video data can simultaneously solve the video camera's interior orientation parameter (IOP) (including lens distortion), and the exterior orientation parameters (EOPs) of each video frame. With the experimental data collected by the UAV at the established control field located in Picayune, Mississippi, the results reveal that the boresight matrix, describing the relationship between attitude sensor and video camera, in a low-cost UAV system will not be able to remain a constant. This result is inconsistent with the calibrated results from the previous airborne mapping system because the boresight matrix was usually assumed to be a constant over an entire mission in a traditional airborne mapping system. Thus, this paper suggests that the exterior orientation parameters of each video frame in a small low-cost UAV should be estimated individually. With the developed method, each video is geo-orthorectified and then mosaicked together to produce a 2-D planimetric mapping. The accuracy of the 2-D planimetric map can achieve 1-2 pixels, i.e., 1-2 m, when comparing with the 43 check points measured by differential GPS (DGPS) survey.
What Is RSS and How Can Libraries Use It to Improve Patron Service

Purpose – The aim is the provide an introduction to RSS feeds.Design/methodology/approach – Description of the basic disc‐based audio‐video technologies.Findings – Provides the baseline for types of RSS feeds and readers such as which are one of two categories, web‐based, or desktop based.Originality/value – This paper is useful for information management professionals who seek greater understanding of the RSS feeds, uses in libraries and how to get started.
Reactive oxygen species from smooth muscle mitochondria initiate cold-induced constriction of cutaneous arteries

Cold constricts cutaneous blood vessels by selectively increasing the activity of smooth muscle α2-adrenoceptors (α2-ARs). In mouse tail arteries, α2-AR constriction is mediated by α2A-ARs at 37°C,...
A holistic view on low power design

The need for “green” systems has grown substantially over the last years. For a long time power has been a major design point mainly in the domain of handheld and battery operated devices. Driven by growing power density, rising energy cost, new legislation, environmental issues and the public awareness for it, power and energy efficiency is now more and more becoming a key differentiator for market success in almost all areas comprising microelectronic systems. Nowadays, power has to be taken into account in all development and fabrication steps, leading to new challenges in all areas from architectural planning to the final system.
Relay pursuit of a maneuvering target using dynamic Voronoi diagrams

This paper addresses the problem of the pursuit of a maneuvering target by a group of pursuers distributed in the plane. This pursuit problem is solved by associating it with a Voronoi-like partitioning problem that characterizes the set of initial positions from which the target can be intercepted by a given pursuer faster than any other pursuer from the same group. In the formulation of this partitioning problem, the target does not necessarily travel along prescribed trajectories, as it is typically assumed in the literature, but, instead, it can apply an ''evading'' strategy in an effort to delay or, if possible, escape capture. We characterize an approximate solution to this problem by associating it with a standard Voronoi partitioning problem. Subsequently, we propose a relay pursuit strategy, that is, a special group pursuit scheme such that, at each instant of time, only one pursuer is assigned the task of capturing the maneuvering target. During the course of the relay pursuit, the pursuer-target assignment changes dynamically with time based on the (time varying) proximity relations between the pursuers and the target. This proximity information is encoded in the solution of the Voronoi-like partitioning problem. Simulation results are presented to highlight the theoretical developments.
2nd World Congress of Herpetology

Temporary removal sampling was used to investigate the population dynamics of the salamander Desmognathus monticola in the southern Appalachian Mountains, USA. Sampling was conducted over 5 years, mainly in July, on one or two plots each year, with seven removal samples being taken in each set of samples. By using size-frequency distributions, it was possible to separately estimate population numbers for three juvenile age-classes and a mixed age-class of older individuals that included adults. Repetition of the procedure in successive years provided data for both time-specific (vertical) and cohort life tables. Fecundity values obtained by dissection and age data derived by skeletochronology provided a means for refining the life table. The results confirmed and extended earlier findings of life-history traits of D. monticola, and showed that annual survival rates of 0.5-0.6 are required for population equilibrium. Removal sampling is considered to be a promising technique for evaluating demographics in multispecies communities of desmognathine salamanders, but requires intensive sampling of relatively large plots over several years.
The use of dynamic modeling in assessing tritium phytoremediation

To minimize movement of tritium into surface waters at the Mixed Waste Management Facility at the Savannah River Site, tritium-contaminated groundwater released to the surface along seeps in the hillside is being retained in a constructed pond and used to irrigate forest acreage that lies over the contaminated groundwater. Management of the application of tritium-contaminated irrigation water needs to be evaluated in the context of the large amount of rainfall relative to evapotranspiration, the strong seasonality in evapotranspiration, and intra-annual and interannual variability in precipitation in this region. A dynamic simulation model of water and tritium fluxes in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum was developed to assess the efficiency (tritium transpired/tritium applied) of several irrigation management strategies. The model was parameterized using soil-water content data measured at 18 sites for the first year of the project and evaluated using tritium activity measurements made at the same 18 sites over 2.5 yr. The model was then used to evaluate several irrigation strategies. The 25-yr efficiencies (tritium transpired/tritium applied) of the irrigation strategies were related to the quantity of irrigation water applied. There was a strong (r2 = 0.99) negative linear relationship between irrigation water applied and efficiency. When a quasi-steady state has been reached in the system, the annual efficiencies of all the irrigation strategies were negatively correlated with annual rainfall. Quantification of these relationships allows irrigation managers to choose irrigation strategies based on desired long-term system efficiency, which differ with climate and irrigation strategy.
COULD A STALKED CRINOID SWIM? A BIOMECHANICAL MODEL AND CHARACTERISTICS OF SWIMMING CRINOIDS

Modern stalked crinoids represent a relict fauna of once considerably higher diversity, as seen in their extensive fossil record. Comatulid crinoids, which lack a stalk and dominate modern crinoid diversity, have been interpreted as an evolutionary success story due to the increased mobility afforded by stalk loss. This mobility includes effective crawling and also swimming, often interpreted as anti-predatory escape strategies. Until recently it was assumed that stalked crinoids were incapable of active locomotion, but observations of an extant isocrinid have demonstrated that some can crawl relatively rapidly, perhaps in order to escape from benthic predators. Because the mechanics of crawling in stalked crinoids resemble the mechanics of swimming in comatulids, it is worth investigating whether a stalked crinoid would be capable of swimming. The feasibility of this scenario is tested using a biomechanical model of swimming in a stalkless crinoid and by applying the model to a stalked crinoid. The model demonstrates that the stalk imposes a heavy burden that limits the ability of a stalked crinoid to swim. Evolutionarily this might suggest that stalk loss was a key innovation that facilitated swimming; however, stalk loss alone is not sufficient to allow a crinoid to swim. Swimming would have allowed greater capability for escape from benthic predators than crawling. An evolutionary scenario is considered in which swimming evolved in a stalked crinoid to allow more effective escape from benthic predators subsequent to evolution of rapid crawling, precipitating eventual stalk loss.
Information theory in living systems, methods, applications, and challenges.

Living systems are distinguished in nature by their ability to maintain stable, ordered states far from equilibrium. This is despite constant buffeting by thermodynamic forces that, if unopposed, will inevitably increase disorder. Cells maintain a steep transmembrane entropy gradient by continuous application of information that permits cellular components to carry out highly specific tasks that import energy and export entropy. Thus, the study of information storage, flow and utilization is critical for understanding first principles that govern the dynamics of life. Initial biological applications of information theory (IT) used Shannon’s methods to measure the information content in strings of monomers such as genes, RNA, and proteins. Recent work has used bioinformatic and dynamical systems to provide remarkable insights into the topology and dynamics of intracellular information networks. Novel applications of Fisher-, Shannon-, and Kullback–Leibler informations are promoting increased understanding of the mechanisms by which genetic information is converted to work and order. Insights into evolution may be gained by analysis of the the fitness contributions from specific segments of genetic information as well as the optimization process in which the fitness are constrained by the substrate cost for its storage and utilization. Recent IT applications have recognized the possible role of nontraditional information storage structures including lipids and ion gradients as well as information transmission by molecular flux across cell membranes. Many fascinating challenges remain, including defining the intercellular information dynamics of multicellular organisms and the role of disordered information storage and flow in disease.
Researching Latin America, part two: A survey of how the new generation is doing its research

Students too often rely on Google for research, while demonstrating an alarming lack of awareness of other library resources. This is especially disconcerting to observe in graduate students who are expected to be experienced searchers and familiar with the resources in their fields. Following up on previous research done on US-based students, this paper seeks to assess the information-seeking behavior of Latin American graduate students. Student members of the Latin American Studies Association with mailing addresses in Latin America were contacted via mail and invited to respond to an online survey of their research strategies, including experience with bibliographic instruction and comfort level finding information on Latin America. Descriptive statistics were used to interpret the sample and Chi-squared tests to compare these results against those obtained in the previous survey. Respondents were found to feel comfortable and confident finding information using the preferred convenience of electronic media. They were also found to be unfamiliar with the research tools mentioned in the survey, and the majority had not received bibliographic instruction. There is clearly a need for faculty and librarians to work together to ensure these students are aware of the many available resources and to develop the information search skills they need to become effective researchers, scholars, or working professionals.
Insights into dynamic processes of cations in pyrochlores and other complex oxides

Complex oxides are critical components of many key technologies, from solid oxide fuel cells and superionics to inert matrix fuels and nuclear waste forms. In many cases, understanding mass transport is important for predicting performance and, thus, extensive effort has been devoted to understanding mass transport in these materials. However, most work has focused on the behavior of oxygen while cation transport has received relatively little attention, even though cation diffusion is responsible for many phenomena, including sintering, radiation damage evolution, and deformation processes. Here, we use accelerated molecular dynamics simulations to examine the kinetics of cation defects in one class of complex oxides, A2B2O7 pyrochlore. We find that, in some pyrochlore chemistries, B cation defects are kinetically unstable, transforming to A cation defects and antisites at rates faster than they can diffuse. When this occurs, transport of B cations occurs through defect processes on the A sublattice. Further, these A cation defects, either interstitials or vacancies, can interact with antisite disorder, reordering the material locally, though this process is much more efficient for interstitials than vacancies. Whether this behavior occurs in a given pyrochlore depends on the A and B chemistry. Pyrochlores with a smaller ratio of cation radii exhibit this complex behavior, while those with larger ratios exhibit direct migration of B interstitials. Similar behavior has been reported in other complex oxides such as spinels and perovskites, suggesting that this coupling of transport between the A and B cation sublattices, while not universal, occurs in many complex oxides.