cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Desiccation on Certain Normal Immune Bodies

Shakell1 claims to have overcome these objections to a certain degree. By freezing liver and guinea-pig serum, while desiccation was going on, over sulphuric acid in vacuo, hydrolysis was prevented, the diastatic ferment of the liver and the complement of the serum were preserved. On dissolving the dried serum a clear solution resulted. Harris2 applying this method to rabic brains, demonstrated activity after 4 months, the virus retaining from Ys to Vz its original virulence. Van Steenberge* was able to maintain virulence for several months by spreading brain emulsion in thin layers on porcelain plates and desiccating very rapidly in vacuo. Marie4 repeated these experiments with some success. Shakell and Harris5 believe that the thinly spread material is frozen by the rapid evacuation, that freezing maintains the particles in their normal relations so that the concentration of salts and other substances, which at ordinary temperature are in solution, is prevented. Drying, they believe, proceeds from the surface from cell to cell. In our opinion this explanation does not seem adequate. It is quite possible that the spreading and rapid drying facilitates the cell to cell drying, while the cold may play an entirely different role by checking processes of a fermentative nature. In our experiments, serum dried in the upper part of the desiccator which was not immersed in the freezing mixture, but evacuated under the same conditions, showed a lower agglutinating index than the serum that was frozen. Achalme's6 work with smallpox vaccine helps to bear out this point. He states that the action of glycerol is not directly bactericidal, but by extracting the soluble ferments from the cells sets free an agent which is the destructive element. He maintains further that glycerol added to the crude material acts better than when added to the finely triturated substance, as in the latter case the ferments are set free more completely, and being in excess attack not only the bacteria, but the vaccinal agents as well. Burrows and Cohn,7 in a quantitative study of the evaporation of blood serum, found that prolonged warming attendant on drying in a current of air
Next Needed Steps in the Evolution of American Education Finance and Policy: Attenuating a Judicially Imposed Policy Distraction, Activating a Balanced Portfolio of K-12 School Reforms, Advancing Rationality as a Goal in Pursuing Productivity, Advocating Change in a Responsible and Effective Manner.

This article asserts that although there has been a consistently increasing demand on both the national and state levels for alignment of resources (inputs) to improved student outcomes (outputs), the lack of a systematic and well-defined policy portfolio has limited reform effectiveness. This article specifically examines the overreliance on standards and curriculum as reform mechanisms and the often distracting and unproductive judicial interventions connected to equity and adequacy litigation.
Autoimmune Responses against Photoreceptor Antigens during Retinal Degeneration and their Role in Macrophage Recruitment into Retinas of RCS Rats

Autoimmunity may contribute to retinal degeneration. The studies examined the evolution of autoimmune responses against retina in naive dystrophic RCS rats over the course of retinal degeneration. We showed that anti-retinal autoantibodies and T cells are generated in response to the availability of antigenic material released from dying photoreceptor cells during retinal degeneration but with distinctive activation trends. Passive transfer of anti-retinal antibodies enhanced disease progression by disrupting the BRB, upregulating MCP-1, attracting blood macrophages into retina, and augmenting apoptotic photoreceptor cell death. Our findings directly link anti-retinal autoantibodies to activated macrophage entry and their possible role in neurodegeneration.
Effects of in vitro hypoxia on depolarization-stimulated accumulation of inositol phosphates in synaptosomes.

The effects of potassium and in vitro histotoxic hypoxia (i.e. KCN) on phosphatidylinositol turnover in rat cortical synaptosomes were determined. [2-3H] Inositol prelabelled rat synaptosomes were prepared from cerebral cortex slices that had been incubated with [2-3H] inositol. Depolarization with 60 mM KCl increased [2-3H] inositol phosphates in a time dependent manner. Depolarization with 60 mM KCl increased [2-3H] inositol trisphosphate transiently at 5 s. K+ induced rapid formation of [2-3H]-inositol bisphosphate and maintained an elevated level for at least 5 min. K+ stimulated gradual formation of [2-3H] inositol monophosphate with time. One minute of hypoxia enhanced potassium-stimulated [2-3H] inositol bisphosphate formation. However, 30 min of hypoxia impaired potassium-stimulated accumulation of [2-3H] inositol phosphates. The effects of histotoxic hypoxia were all dependent upon calcium in the medium and on K+-depolarization. Thus, hypoxia altered the K+-induced accumulation of inositol phosphates in prelabelled synaptosomes in a time dependent, biphasic manner that was calcium dependent.
Severity of symptoms of depression and anxiety as predictors of duration of psychotherapy.

The present study explored predictors of the duration of therapy exclusive of outcome utilizing data on 77 patients at St. John's University Center for Psychological Services. Measures of time in therapy were the total number of sessions attended and the number of sessions attended within the first six months of therapy. A bivariate Pearson product-moment correlation matrix was constructed, comprised of measures for time in therapy, severity of symptom measures, treatment modality (psychodynamic or cognitive-behavioral), age, and sex. There was a significant correlation between scores on state anxiety and the total number of sessions as well as between scores on state anxiety and number of sessions attended within six months, but no other correlations between measures of severity of symptoms and time in therapy were significant (p > .05). The results indicate that severity of symptoms does not significantly predict the duration of therapy.
The organic Solar System.

In the second of two essays looking at organic chemistry that can be found in the Solar System, Bruce C. Gibb focuses on the gas and ice giants as well as their satellites — concluding the tour on Saturn's fascinating moon Titan.
RETAILING STRATEGIES FOR TODAY'S MATURE MARKETPLACE

Since nearly all types of consumer products end up in retail stores, the retail scene affects a wide range of businesses. However, retailers are competing in a marketplace characterized by maturity, overcapacity, intense price competition, and an essential “sameness” among stores. Retailers will need new strategies to be successful.
What “Purpose” Means to Youth: Are There Cultures of Purpose?

This study explores how youths' own definitions of purpose correspond with the dimensions of Damon, Menon, and Bronk's (2003) definition, and whether youths' definitions form bases for cultures of purpose that encompass youths' content of, confidence in, and integration of their purposes. Four cultures of purpose emerged: Supported, Strivers, Givers, and Disciples. The Supported focused on reasons and meaning for what they could gain from others and were confident in tandem with support received. Strivers aimed for primarily standard career success goals but felt uncertain. Givers felt certain about their aims to help others. Disciples, who tended to provide the most complex definitions, felt certain about their faith-focused purpose to serve God. These cultures of purpose provide insights about how purpose content and coherence function to integrate youths' experiences, and how some cultures may be more likely to provide a foundation for further development of purpose.
Physical states and pomeron poles in the dual pion model

Abstract The methods recently developed by Brower for proving the no-ghost theorem for the Veneziano model with α(0)=1 are applied to the dual pion model. We construct operators that generate all the physical states and prove that there are no ghosts for space-time dimensionality d⩽10. In the critical dimension d=10 we find that the pomeron singularities arising from nonplanar loops are simple poles. A new fully symmetrical model (a sort of “pionic” version of the Shapiro-Virasoro model) is formulated and conjectured to correspond to the multi-pomeron amplitudes.
Immunophenotypic features by multiparameter flow cytometry can help distinguish low grade B-cell lymphomas with plasmacytic differentiation from plasma cell proliferative disorders with an unrelated clonal B-cell process.

Summary Highly sensitive flow cytometry studies may incidentally identify B cell clones when used to assess plasma cell clonality in bone marrows. Clinical history, which can help differentiate related clones (low grade B cell lymphoma with plasmacytic differentiation/LBCL-PD) from unrelated ones (plasma cell proliferative disorder (PCPD) with an unrelated B cell clone), is often unavailable in referred specimens. We sought to identify morphologic or phenotypic features that would help predict the significance of these clones in the absence of history. We included only cases with identical light chain B and plasma cell clones, as determined by 6-color flow cytometry with additional DNA ploidy analysis, in which the relationship between clones could be established by review of medical records. There were 26 cases; 18 were related (14 were Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia) and eight were unrelated (seven multiple myeloma). Features seen exclusively in LBCL-PD include CD19+/CD45+ clonal plasma cell phenotype (66·7%, P = 0·0022) and morphologic features such as paratrabecular bone marrow involvement, increased mast cells, and plasma cells surrounding B-cell nodules. Aneuploidy was identified exclusively in PCPD cases (75%, P = 0·000028). We conclude that CD19+/CD45+ clonal plasma cell phenotype and aneuploidy are useful in distinguishing related clones (LBCL-PD) from unrelated clones (PCPD).
A possible magnetic wake of Titan: Pioneer 11 observations

The characteristics of the magnetic signature measured by Pioneer 11 during the several hour interval around the crossing of Titan's L shell have been found to be consistent with plausible models of the interaction of a 200 km/s corotating magnetized plasma with a conducting or magnetized object. The observed manner in which the magnetic fluctuations varied throughout the interval, the average magnetosheath/ambient field amplitude ratio, and the occurrence of a field minimum at the time of closest approach to the axis of the extended Titan tail are all consistent with the detection of a magnetic wake roughly 145 RT downstream from Titan. In addition, values of the plasma mass density derived from the interaction geometry are consistent with an upper limit inferred from in situ plasma measurements obtained during the outbound leg of Pioneer's trajectory at Saturn. Although two magnetic events of similar duration occurred within 10 hours and on either side of the Titan related event, they coincided closely with probable passage of the spacecraft through tail and/or ring current systems. In addition, the character of the Titan interval appears to differ from the other two in a number of other important aspects.
Open‐loop vibration control of elastic structural elements

This paper discusses a general technique for vibration control of simple, continuous mechanical systems. The discussion involves giving the expressions for the response of an illustrative element (fixed-free bars) to a sinusoidal disturbance and then formulating the problem of open-loop vibration control of this system as a mathematical programming problem. The final step uses numerical optimization techniques to find the control forces. When these techniques are used, the amplitude of the system's steady state response is minimized. The discussion also shows that while this method effectively controls the vibration, it has a great deal of flexibility in accomplishing its stated purpose.
Design and modification of EGF4KDEL 7Mut, a novel bispecific ligand-directed toxin, with decreased immunogenicity and potent anti-mesothelioma activity

Design and modification of EGF4KDEL 7Mut, a novel bispecific ligand-directed toxin, with decreased immunogenicity and potent anti-mesothelioma activity
An efficient two-step synthesis of mono-, di- and triureas from resin-bound amides

Abstract An efficient method for the solid-phase synthesis of mono-, di- and triureas from resin-bound monoamines, diamines and triamines is described. The exhaustive reduction of solid support-bound amides generated the requisite amines, which, following treatment with isocyanates and cleavage, provided the corresponding ureas in high purity and good yields.
Malignant brenner tumor of the ovary: Electron microscopic study of a case responsive to radiation and chemotherapy

A patient with malignant Brenner tumor of the ovary is presented. The tumor responded to combined therapy with radiation plus doxorubicin + cyclophosphamide despite earlier failure on a single alkylating agent (levophenylalanine mustard). The patient next exhibited a brief response to chemotherapy with hexamethylmelamine + cyclophosphamide + amethopterin + 5-fluorouracil. The histologic findings and ultrastructure of the tumor are discussed in detail. The morphologic features are consistent with the proposed origin of Brenner tumors from coelomic epithelium through a process of secondary urothelial metaplasia.
Coherent detection of Terahertz via laser induced plasma with controlled optical bias

Common air-breakdown coherent detection techniques rely on either large DC bias across plasma or second harmonic contribution from the supercontinuum to provide a local oscillator field. Here we report coherent detection by purposely injecting second harmonic.
The solubility of the liquid oxysulfide phase in liquid Fe-O-S alloys

The solubility of the liquid oxide phase in liquid Fe-O alloys has been measured for the temperature range of 1378 to 1740 °C. Also the solubility of the liquid oxysulfide phase in liquid Fe-O-S alloys has been determined for the composition range of 0.08 to 0.30 wt pct oxygen and 0 to 0.5 wt pct sulfur. The oxygen content of liquid iron saturated with the liquid oxide phase is log O = −6358/T + 2.76. The standard free energy for the formation of the oxide phase is: xFe(l) + O(pct) = FexO(l); ΔG° = 242.4 − 0.0829T + 166,990/T(kJ). The equation for the standard free energy in the temperature range of 1550 to 1650 °C may be written as: −117.5 + 0.0496T (kJ). The effect of composition on temperature of saturation of liquid Fe-O-S alloys with the oxysulfide phase is:T(K) = −6358/(log pct O − 2.76) - (pct S)x [554 + 135.0(log O − 2.77)]. The relationship applies for the composition range of 0.15 to 0.30 wt pct oxygen and 0.0 to 0.5 wt pct sulfur and temperatures from 1480 to 1680 °C.
Alterations in rat brain [3H]-TCP binding following chronic phencyclidine administration

Rats were chronically infused with phencyclidine (PCP, 13.3 mg PCP.HCl/kg/day) or saline, s.c., for 10 days using osmotic minipumps (n = 5 for each group). Twenty-four hours after the cessation of dosing, the rats were sacrificed, and brains were removed for analysis of PCP receptor binding. Saturation studies of the binding of [3H]-TCP to brain homogenates revealed statistically significant increases in the maximum binding capacity (Bmax) and decreases in the affinity for [3H]-TCP in the PCP-treated group.
Passive Transport of C60 Fullerenes through a Lipid Membrane: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study

To investigate the implications of the unique properties of fullerenes on their interaction with and passive transport into lipid membranes, atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of a C60 fullerene in a fully hydrated di-myristoyl-phoshatidylcholine lipid membrane have been carried out. In these simulations the free energy and the diffusivity of the fullerene were obtained as a function of its position within the membrane. These properties were utilized to calculate the permeability of fullerenes through the lipid membrane. Simulations reveal that the free energy decreases as the fullerene passes from the aqueous phase, through the head group layer and into the hydrophobic core of the membrane. This decrease in free energy is not due to hydrophobic interactions but rather to stronger van der Waals (dispersion) interactions between the fullerene and the membrane compared to those between the fullerene and (bulk) water. It was found that there is no free energy barrier for transport of a fullerene from t...
Influence of age on the development of hypothyroidism by propylthiouracil feeding in the chick (Gallus domesticus)

Abstract 1. 1. Propylthiouracil (0·15 per cent) was fed in mash to chicks aged 16 and 37 days for a period of 27 days and then were taken off propylthiouracil (PTU). 2. 2. Body weight, liver weight, liver glycogen, thyroid weight, plasma cholesterol and serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) were determined at various time intervals after initiation of PTU feeding and then when taken off PTU. 3. 3. On initiation of PTU feeding the hypothyroid changes mostly occurred earlier and were more severe in the younger chicks than in the older ones. 4. 4. Reverse changes (i.e. towards normal values) after taking chicks off PTU were faster in the older birds compared to the younger ones. 5. 5. Irrespective of the age at the start of PTU feeding, it took one week before normal growth rate was resumed after taking chicks off PTU. 6. 6. Results of these studies suggest that younger birds show more severe symptoms to the hypothyroid effect of PTU. However, given enough time after taking chicks off PTU, except for body weight, all the biochemical changes of hypothyroidism disappear, at least under the conditions of present study.
A Solubility Model for Aqueous Solutions Containing Sodium, Fluoride, and Phosphate Ions†

A computational model is developed to calculate thermodynamic phase equilibria in aqueous solutions of fluoride, phosphate, and hydroxide up to 100 °C. A variety of data are used, including isopiestic and electromotive force measurements, freezing point data, vapor pressure data at 100 °C, heat capacities, heats of dilution, and solubility measurements. Pitzer's ion-interaction treatment is used to model electrolyte solutions, and many unknown parameters are determined from existing data through nonlinear least-squares fitting. Phase equilibria are determined by minimization of the total Gibbs energy using a modification of the code SOLGASMIX. Results calculated using the model accurately predict phase equilibria from many quantitative experiments. Qualitative experiments are performed to evaluate calculated solubilities in regions of sparse or nonexistent data; the calculated results are reasonable and exhibit a general qualitative agreement with such data. Model predictions are useful in understanding p...
Cu(In, Ga)Se2 thin film solar cells with buffer layer alternative to CdS

Progress in fabricating Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells with ZnS(O,OH) buffer layers prepared by chemical bath deposition (CBD) is discussed in this paper. Such buffer layers could potentially replace CdS in the CIGS solar cell. Total-area conversion efficiency of up to 18.6% has been reported previously using ZnS(O,OH) prepared by CBD. The reported 100 nm CBD ZnS(O,OH) layer was prepared by at least three consecutive depositions, which would make it a relatively expensive replacement for CdS. The recent development of a ZnS(O,OH) layer that enabled to obtain high-efficiency devices using a single-layer CBD is reported in this paper. A 14.4%-efficient device is obtained by using one-layer CBD ZnS(O,OH) on commercial-grade Shell Solar Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 (CIGSS) absorber and an up to 17.4% device is obtained by using two-layer CBD ZnS(O,OH) on an NREL CIGS absorber.
Trajectory Learning for Activity Understanding: Unsupervised, Multilevel, and Long-Term Adaptive Approach

Society is rapidly accepting the use of video cameras in many new and varied locations, but effective methods to utilize and manage the massive resulting amounts of visual data are only slowly developing. This paper presents a framework for live video analysis in which the behaviors of surveillance subjects are described using a vocabulary learned from recurrent motion patterns, for real-time characterization and prediction of future activities, as well as the detection of abnormalities. The repetitive nature of object trajectories is utilized to automatically build activity models in a 3-stage hierarchical learning process. Interesting nodes are learned through Gaussian mixture modeling, connecting routes formed through trajectory clustering, and spatio-temporal dynamics of activities probabilistically encoded using hidden Markov models. Activity models are adapted to small temporal variations in an online fashion using maximum likelihood regression and new behaviors are discovered from a periodic retraining for long-term monitoring. Extensive evaluation on various data sets, typically missing from other work, demonstrates the efficacy and generality of the proposed framework for surveillance-based activity analysis.
The Electrical Breakdown of Vacuum Insulated Electrodes under Radio Frequency Stress

The electronic and ionic theories of vacuum breakdown under the influence of RF fields are discussed. Theoretical calculations indicate that phenomena involving electrode ions in gaps of 0.2 cmandlargerare strongly influencedby time varying fields in the frequency range of 20 to 120 MHz. Similar gap conditions do not significantly alter breakdown when only field emission electrons are considered. Experimental equipment which can compare breakdown at RF to that at 60 Hz has been constructed. The results of experiments at 21. 4 MHz are best predicted by the electron theories of vacuum breakdown.
The unbearable racedness of being natural: A dialogue on the Gran Torino production between lead actor Bee Vang and Louisa Schein

At the age of just 16, Bee Vang (BV), a Hmong Minnesotan, was chosen from several hundred auditioners for the lead role of Thao in Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino. Now a 22-year-old student at Brown University focusing on global political economy and critical race studies, he dialogues here with media studies anthropologist Louisa Schein (LS) unpacking the dynamics by which the contemporary racial order is engendered and reproduced through the micropractices of film production – from casting, to on set, to the reception of the resulting film text – and reflecting on their insights from two years of collaboration. After the release, Vang and Schein developed a Gran Torino workshop on race, masculinity, sexuality, media and Asian Americans which they conducted at universities, film festivals and museums around the USA. What follows here, in keeping with film editing method, represents a cut, cropped and resequenced version of their conversation, which was originally conducted on skype chat.
A new approach to understanding the impact of circadian disruption on human health

Light and dark patterns are the major synchronizer of circadian rhythms to the 24-hour solar day. Disruption of circadian rhythms has been associated with a variety of maladies. Ecological studies of human exposures to light are virtually nonexistent, however, making it difficult to determine if, in fact, light-induced circadian disruption directly affects human health. A newly developed field measurement device recorded circadian light exposures and activity from day-shift and rotating-shift nurses. Circadian disruption defined in terms of behavioral entrainment was quantified for these two groups using phasor analyses of the circular cross-correlations between light exposure and activity. Circadian disruption also was determined for rats subjected to a consistent 12-hour light/12-hour dark pattern (12L:12D) and ones subjected to a "jet-lagged" schedule. Day-shift nurses and rats exposed to the consistent light-dark pattern exhibited pronounced similarities in their circular cross-correlation functions and 24-hour phasor representations except for an approximate 12-hour phase difference between species. The phase difference reflects the diurnal versus nocturnal behavior of humans versus rodents. Phase differences within species likely reflect chronotype differences among individuals. Rotating-shift nurses and rats subjected to the "jet-lagged" schedule exhibited significant reductions in phasor magnitudes compared to the day-shift nurses and the 12L:12D rats. The reductions in the 24-hour phasor magnitudes indicate a loss of behavioral entrainment compared to the nurses and the rats with regular light-dark exposure patterns. This paper provides a quantitative foundation for systematically studying the impact of light-induced circadian disruption in humans and in animal models. Ecological light and activity data are needed to develop the essential insights into circadian entrainment/disruption actually experienced by modern people. These data can now be obtained and analyzed to reveal the interrelationship between actual light exposures and markers of circadian rhythm such as rest-activity patterns, core body temperature, and melatonin synthesis. Moreover, it should now be possible to bridge ecological studies of circadian disruption in humans to parametric studies of the relationships between circadian disruption and health outcomes using animal models.
Using statistical and machine learning to help institutions detect suspicious access to electronic health records

Objective To determine whether statistical and machine-learning methods, when applied to electronic health record (EHR) access data, could help identify suspicious (ie, potentially inappropriate) access to EHRs. Methods From EHR access logs and other organizational data collected over a 2-month period, the authors extracted 26 features likely to be useful in detecting suspicious accesses. Selected events were marked as either suspicious or appropriate by privacy officers, and served as the gold standard set for model evaluation. The authors trained logistic regression (LR) and support vector machine (SVM) models on 10-fold cross-validation sets of 1291 labeled events. The authors evaluated the sensitivity of final models on an external set of 58 events that were identified as truly inappropriate and investigated independently from this study using standard operating procedures. Results The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the models on the whole data set of 1291 events was 0.91 for LR, and 0.95 for SVM. The sensitivity of the baseline model on this set was 0.8. When the final models were evaluated on the set of 58 investigated events, all of which were determined as truly inappropriate, the sensitivity was 0 for the baseline method, 0.76 for LR, and 0.79 for SVM. Limitations The LR and SVM models may not generalize because of interinstitutional differences in organizational structures, applications, and workflows. Nevertheless, our approach for constructing the models using statistical and machine-learning techniques can be generalized. An important limitation is the relatively small sample used for the training set due to the effort required for its construction. Conclusion The results suggest that statistical and machine-learning methods can play an important role in helping privacy officers detect suspicious accesses to EHRs.
A fate map of the epiblast of the early chick embryo

We have used carbocyanine dyes (DiI and DiO) to generate fate maps for the epiblast layer of the chick embryo between stage X and the early primitive streak stage (stages 2–3). The overall distribution of presumptive cell types in these maps is similar to that described for other laboratory species (zebrafish, frog, mouse). Our maps also reveal certain patterns of movement for these presumptive areas. Most areas converge towards the midline and then move anteriorly along it. Interestingly, however, some presumptive tissue types do not take part in these predominant movements, but behave in a different way, even if enclosed within an area that does undergo medial convergence and anterior movement. The apparently independent behaviour of certain cell populations suggests that at least some presumptive cell types within the epiblast are already specified at preprimitive streak stages.
Breathing easy with pathogen inactivation

In this issue of Blood, Corash and colleagues report the results of a blinded expert analysis of patient experiences in the SPRINT trial of transfusion of pathogen-inactivated platelets and document the lack of any pulmonary toxicity of this approach to providing safer platelet transfusion.
Dental Microwear and Microstructure in Early Oligocene Primates From the Fayum, Egypt: Implications for Diet

Textbook descriptions usually portray the Fayum anthropoideans as frugivores, with Parapithecus grangeri including a folivorous component in its diet and Apidium a component of hard-object feeding. Recent work with modern mammals has shown that analyses of both dental microwear and dental microstructure may yield insights into diet and tooth use. The purpose of this study was to combine these two techniques to gain a better perspective on the paleobiology of the Fayum higher primates. Dental microwear analyses involved the use of high resolution epoxy casts of Aegyptopithecus, Parapithecus, and Apidium housed in the Duke University Primate Center. Scanning electron micrographs were taken at x500, and all microwear features in each micrograph were digitized. For microstructure analyses, molar teeth were sectioned in a variety of planes, lightly etched, and photographed in the SEM. Results of the dental microwear analyses indicate that the three Fayum anthropoideans all clustered with modern primate frugivores but that there were also significant differences between Aegyptopithecus and the other two Fayum genera. By contrast, dental microstructure analyses showed important differences between Apidium and the other two genera. The reason for these differences probably lies in a combination of body size and dietary differences, with Aegyptopithecus occasionally feeding on hard objects and Apidium maximizing wear resistance through a unique emphasis of radial (rather than decussating) enamel.
Selecting the most representative sample is NP-hard: Need for expert (fuzzy) knowledge

One of the main applications of fuzzy techniques is to formalize the notions of "typical", "representative", etc. The main idea behind fuzzy techniques is that they formalize expert knowledge expressed by words from natural language. In this paper, we show that if we do not use this knowledge, i.e., if we only use the data, then selecting the most representative sample becomes a computationally difficult (NP-hard) problem. Thus, the need to find such samples in reasonable time justifies the use of fuzzy techniques.
Cleavage in Some Sedimentary Rocks of the Central Valley and Ridge Province, Maryland

The Cacapon Mountain anticline of the folded Appalachian Mountains contains rocks ranging in age from Early Silurian to Early Devonian. The Middle Silurian Bloomsburg Formation approximates a thin, viscous plate embedded in a less viscous medium. The presence of scolithuslike burrows, useful as strain markers, makes the Bloomsburg Formation an excellent unit for studying the folding of a sedimentary plate. Examination of the microscopic fabric of rock containing a so-called “fracture cleavage” reveals the presence of discontinuous, platy zones containing tectonically oriented quartz and mica fragments. It is deduced that the shape and orientation of the quartz fragments is largely due to differential solution; however, there is some evidence of mechanical rotation of the fragments. As the “fracture cleavage” does not fit the classical definition (being locally penetrative), it has been designated S p cleavage for the purposes of this paper. Finite strain analysis shows that the cleavage postdates lithification, that it formed perpendicular to bedding and parallel to the plane of the finite strain ellipsoid containing λ 1 and λ 2 , and that it is a plane of flattening. The S p cleavage is interpreted as a phenomenon marking a transition point in the material behavior of the rock. The transition point was reached after the rock underwent a maximum two-dimensional irreversible strain of e = 0.06. This small strain is in contrast to the values of e = 0.30 that have been suggested for slaty cleavage. During progressive deformation, the S p cleavage became structurally passive, permitting it to be used as a strain marker in the determination of strain about fold profiles (ac surface). Limited field evidence suggests that the preferred orientation shown by burrow cross sections may be controlled by paleocurrent directions, making the burrows a possible current indicator. Finally, it is suggested that the fabric imposed by the burrowing organisms may have localized and controlled the development of the S p cleavage.
Micro propulsion in liquid by oscillating bubbles

This paper presents a micro propelling mechanism that may be possibly used to propel a micro medibot (medical robot) that can swim inside of animal/human bodies. A key contribution of this work is that, to our best knowledge, for the first time we microfabricate micro propelling devices based on bubble oscillation and prove the propelling mechanism in micro scale. The measured propelling speed is up to 45 mm/s and the generated propelling force is estimated to be up to 6 μN, which is strong enough not only to propel the propelling device itself but also to carry a large attached object of even several millimeters.
Thiophene hydrodesulfurization catalysis on supported Ru clusters: Mechanism and site requirements for hydrogenation and desulfurization pathways

Abstract Kinetic and isotopic methods were used to probe elementary steps and site requirements for thiophene hydrogenation and desulfurization on Ru metal clusters. Turnover rates for these reactions were unaffected by whether samples were treated in H 2 or H 2 S to form metal and sulfide clusters, respectively, before reaction. These data, taken together with the rate and extent of sulfur removal from used samples during contact with H 2 , indicate that active structures consist of Ru metal clusters saturated with chemisorbed sulfur at temperatures, pressures, and H 2 S levels relevant to hydrodesulfurization catalysis. Turnover rates and isotopic data over a wide range of H 2 , H 2 S, and thiophene pressures are consistent with elementary steps that include quasi-equilibrated H 2 and H 2 S heterolytic dissociation and thiophene binding with η 1 (S) or η 4 coordination onto sulfur vacancies. We conclude that hydrogenation proceeds via addition of protons (H δ+ , as –S–H δ+ from H 2 or H 2 S dissociation) to η 4 thiophene species, while desulfurization involves C–S activation in η 1 (S) species aided by H δ− species formed via H 2 dissociation. Reactant concentrations influence hydrogenation and desulfurization turnover rates to the same extent, suggesting that the involvement of similar active structures, consisting of vacancies on sulfur-covered Ru clusters. Smaller turnover rates and stronger H 2 S inhibition on smaller Ru clusters for hydrogenation and desulfurization routes reflect the stronger sulfur binding and the smaller vacancy concentrations on small clusters, which contain exposed atoms with lower average coordination. A preference for η 1 (S) over η 4 thiophene species at the higher sulfur coverages that prevail on smaller Ru clusters causes desulfurization and hydrogenation rate ratios to increase with decreasing cluster size. We conclude that hydrogenation and desulfurization routes require similar active sites and that weaker M–S bonds lead to higher concentrations of kinetically-relevant sulfur vacancies. These elementary steps and site requirements are likely to also prevail on metals and sulfides with M–S bond strengths similar or higher than Ru–S, for which vacancy sites are also present as minority species.
Teaching Paraprofessionals of Students With Autism to Implement Pivotal Response Treatment in Inclusive School Settings Using a Brief Video Feedback Training Package

Given that students with autism spend the majority of their days in school settings, largely supported by paraprofessionals, it is important that these paraprofessionals receive adequate training. The author investigated a training package consisting of modeling and video-based feedback as a means of enabling paraprofessionals to implement Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) in the inclusive school setting. A multiple baseline design across four paraprofessional -focal student pairs was employed. The findings suggest that the training package was effective and efficient in improving paraprofessional PRT implementation and levels of involvement as well as social communication target behaviors of the students with autism. Generalization across activities and students, maintenance, and social validity were also assessed.
High-performance liquid chromatography method for determination of hydrogen peroxide in aqueous solution and application to simulated Martian soil and related materials

A new method for determination of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is described. H2O2 reacts with iodide in the presence of ammonium molybdate and vanillic acid resulting in the formation of iodovanillic acid which is quantified by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and detected by UV absorption at 280 nm. The method provides a detection limit of ∼0.1 μM and is easy to implement. Iodovanillic acid is stable, allowing multiple measurements of the same sample, and the separation power of the HPLC yields high selectivity against potential interferences. This method will be useful for many environmental applications. The method has been applied to quantify the photochemical production of H2O2 by aqueous suspensions of various minerals and soils.
Die Eroberung von Taxol

Uber Taxol, eine der neuesten, viel gepriesenen Wunderwaffen zur Bekampfung von Krebs, sowie uber die Pazifische Eibe (Taxus brevifolia), aus der es gewonnen werden kann, ist viel geschrieben worden[1]. In diesem Aufsatz gewahren die Autoren einen Blick hinter die Kulissen und berichten offen uber ihre „Begegnung” mit dieser beruhmten Verbindung und insbesondere uber ihre Totalsynthese, die eine besondere Herausforderung bedeutete[2 – 6]. Einmal mehr zeigte sich, das Totalsynthesen hervorragende Gelegenheiten bieten, neue Synthesestrategien zu entwickeln und neue Reaktionen auszuarbeiten. Auch die Schilderung von personlichen Tugenden, die zur Meisterung der Totalsynthese komplexer Verbindungen gefordert sind, kommt nicht zu kurz.
XMRV accelerates cellular proliferation, transformational activity, and invasiveness of prostate cancer cells by downregulating p27(Kip1).

BACKGROUND Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related retrovirus (XMRV) is a recently discovered gammaretrovirus that was originally detected in prostate tumors. However, a causal relationship between XMRV and prostate cancer remains controversial due to conflicting reports on its etiologic occurrence. Even though gammaretroviruses are known to induce cancer in animals, a mechanism for XMRV-induced carcinogenesis remains unknown. Several mechanisms including insertional mutagenesis, proinflammatory effects, oncogenic viral proteins, immune suppression, and altered epithelial/stromal interactions have been proposed for a role of XMRV in prostate cancer. However, biochemical data supporting any of these mechanisms are lacking. Therefore, our aim was to evaluate a potential role of XMRV in prostate carcinogenesis. METHODS Growth kinetics of prostate cancer cells are conducted by MTT assay. In vitro transformation and invasion was carried out by soft agar colony formation, and Matrigel cell invasion assay, respectively. p27Kip1 expression was determined by Western blot and MMP activation was evaluated by gelatin-zymography. Up-regulation of miR221 and miR222 expression was examined by real-time PCR. RESULTS We demonstrate that XMRV infection can accelerate cellular proliferation, enhance transformation, and increase invasiveness of slow growing prostate cancer cells. The molecular basis of these viral induced activities is mediated by the downregulation of cyclin/cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p27Kip1. Downstream analyses illustrated that XMRV infection upregulates miR221 and miR222 expression that target p27Kip1 mRNA. CONCLUSIONS We propose that downregulation of p27Kip1 by XMRV infection facilitates transition of G1 to S, thereby accelerates growth of prostate cancer cells. Our findings implicate that if XMRV is present in humans, then under appropriate cellular microenvironment it may serve as a cofactor to promote cancer progression in the prostate. Prostate 72:886–897, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Does Angiotensin-(1–7) Contribute to Cardiac Adaptation and Preservation of Endothelial Function in Heart Failure?

In the late 1890s, the Finish physiologist Robert Tigerstedt made the fundamental observation that aqueous extracts of kidneys caused a prolonged rise in the blood pressure of anesthetized animals.1a The clinical significance of this finding remained unappreciated for more than 30 years until Hessel, a disciple of Volhart, provided evidence for the participation of renin in the production of what they termed “white hypertension.” Even in our current setting, roughly a century later, application of the observations made by the Scandinavian investigators continues to provide an illuminating example of the complexity of the scientific endeavors that make medical science an art of unrelenting inquiry and often of late recognition. In fact, continuing efforts to understand the biological actions of the renin-angiotensin system have led to impressive clinical applications that are reflected in current therapeutic approaches to the treatment of high blood pressure and the prevention of stroke, congestive heart failure, and end-stage renal disease. The introduction of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors expanded knowledge of the mechanisms through which the renin-angiotensin aldosterone system acts as a mediator of cardiovascular pathology and became the basis for the later development of orally active angiotensin II antagonists. Although the majority of clinical endeavors and research efforts continues to concentrate on pharmacological strategies aimed at interrupting the actions of angiotensin II (Ang II), emerging concepts suggest that the important homeostatic functions regulated by the renin-angiotensin system may be influenced, in part, by the actions of other angiotensin peptides derived from either …
Sharescape: an interface for place annotation

Many people use the Internet to search for geographically local information, with a growing number of websites dedicated to this task. However, it is not clear exactly how users integrate geographic search with content-based search, nor how to obtain reliable information about places in a geographic region. We created Sharescape, a map-based application in which information is contributed by community members. We conducted a user study to evaluate the utility of this means of obtaining information and to investigate how users integrate geographic and content-based search. Our results suggest that 1) maps create an implicit context in an interface that designers should honor, 2) community-maintained information about local geography has important benefits over information mined from web sites, and 3) users often are not aware of the privacy implications of their actions, and therefore designers should incorporate special privacy safeguards.
A Multinational Perspective on the Relation between Judeo-Christian Religious Beliefs and Attitudes of Environmental Concern

Drawing on a recent multinational survey of environmental attitudes and behaviors, we examined the relation between religious beliefs and environmental concern. Measures included the revised New Environmental Paradigm (NEP), Thompson and Barton’s ecocentrism and anthropocentrism scales, a 12-item proenvironmental behavior scale, a measure of biblical literalism, and a measure of religious importance. Data are reported from 2,160 university students from Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, the United States, and Venezuela. The data revealed a consistent pattern across countries. Respondents who expressed more literal beliefs in the Bible scored significantly lower on the NEP, lower on ecocentric environmental concerns, and higher on anthropocentric environmental concerns. No significant relation was found between biblical literalism and self-reported proenvironmental behavior.
Interstitial cellular and matrix restoration of cardiac valves after cryopreservation

Abstract Objectives: We previously characterized the porcine aortic leaflet interstitial cell phenotype as having both synthetic and contractile characteristics; that is, it is a myofibroblast. In this study we hypothesized (1) that the cryopreservation of aortic valves causes a significant reduction in cell density, (2) that it simultaneously causes alterations in representative components of extracellular matrix, and (3) that both of these processes are reversible. Methods: Seventy-two leaflets from 24 porcine aortic valves were studied. Whole valves were subjected to variable lengths of preharvest ischemia (group 1), ischemia followed by processing analogous to clinical methods (group 2), and ischemia followed processing with an organ culture type of resuscitation (group 3). Vital dye exclusion by cells enzymatically dispersed from leaflets was used to quantify viability. Electron and light microscopy, immunohistochemical assay, and a silicone rubber substratum contractility assay were used both in dispersed cell preparations and in leaflet cross sections to examine structural, ultrastructural, and functional changes across the 3 groups through a range of preharvest ischemic times. Results: Results indicated that harvest ischemic periods between 2 and 24 hours after donor death were not responsible for cell number reductions. During this interval overt dissolution of chondroitin sulfate simultaneous with a relative sparing of fibronectin was evidenced by immunohistochemical staining. Although not reduced in number, ischemic interstitial cells did show significant ultrastructural evidence of injury and suppressed monoclonal binding to vimentin and α–smooth muscle actin. After cryopreservation, viable cell numbers were always markedly reduced at all ischemic intervals and damage to both soluble extracellular matrix components and cell ultrastructure was increased. At all time and processing points, however, some retention of matrix secretory and cellular contractile capabilities was observed among the surviving cells. After the extended periods of preharvest ischemia (2-24 hours) followed by processing, a restitution of functioning cells was accomplished by means of whole-leaflet incubation in 15% fetal bovine serum. Conclusions: After application of the described methods, new cells within restored intact leaflets as well as in single-cell preparations demonstrated normal ultrastructure and contractile and synthetic functions (normal phenotypic expression). If functioning leaflet interstitial cells can contribute to homograft durability, bioengineering methods for pretransplantation cell repopulation could be refined with these techniques and applied to clinical valve transplantation. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1999; 118:36-49)