cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Muscle relaxants and histamine release

Many anaesthetic drugs and adjuvants can cause the release of histamine by chemical (anaphylactoid) or immunologic (anaphylactic) mechanisms. While both types of reactions can be clinically indistinguishable, they are mechanistically different. In anaphylactoid reactions, only preformed mediators are released, of which histamine may be the most clinically important. In true immunologic reactions, mast cell degranulation occurs, and many vasoactive substances (including histamine) are released. Clinical signs and symptoms of both classes of reactions include hypotension (most common), tachycardia, bronchospasm, or cutaneous manifestations. Anaphylactoid reactions may occur commonly under anaesthesia in response to many drugs, including induction agents, some opiates, plasma expanders, and curariform relaxants. Anaphylactic reactions are far less common than anaphylactoid reactions, but they nevertheless represent more than half of the life-threatening reactions that occur in anaesthetic practice. Muscle relaxants are the most frequently implicated class of drugs; suxamethonium is the most common agent implicated in anaphylactic reactions during anaesthesia, but even drugs without apparent chemical histamine release (i.e., vecuronium) are frequently implicated in anaphylactic reactions.
Involvement of c-Abl, p53 and the MAP kinase JNK in the cell death program initiated in A2E-laden ARPE-19 cells by exposure to blue light

The lipofuscin fluorophore A2E has been shown to mediate blue light-induced damage to retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells. To understand the events that lead to RPE cell apoptosis under these conditions, we explored signaling pathways upstream of the cell death program. Human RPE cells (ARPE-19) that had accumulated A2E were exposed to blue light to induce apoptosis and the involvement of the transcription factors p53 and c-Abl and the mitogen activated protein kinases p38 and JNK were examined. We found that A2E/blue light caused upregulation and phosphorylation of c-Abl, and upregulation of p53. Pretreatment with the c-Abl inhibitor STI571 and transfection with siRNA specific to c-Abl and p53 prior to irradiation reduced A2E/blue light-induced cell death. Gene and protein expression of JNK and p38 was upregulated in response to A2E/blue light. Treatment with the JNK inhibitor SP600125 before irradiation resulted in increase in cell death whereas inhibition of p38 with SB203580 had no effect. This study indicates that c-Abl and p53 are important for execution of the cell death program initiated in A2E-laden RPE cells exposed to blue light, while JNK might play an anti-apoptotic role.
Osteosarcoma of the spine: experience in 26 patients treated at the Massachusetts General Hospital

Abstract Background context Because of the low incidence, treatment recommendations for spinal osteosarcoma are guided by the results of small series and case reports. Many include patients who presented for treatment over the course of three to four decades. Purpose The goal of this investigation was to report the treatments, results, and overall survivorship of 26 patients treated for osteosarcoma of the spine at a single institution. Study design Retrospective prognostic series (Level III evidence). Patient sample Twenty-six patients treated at a single center for osteosarcoma of the spine over a 26-year period. Outcome measures Estimation of patient survival, local recurrence, and the presence of metastatic disease. Methods We performed a retrospective review of cases of osteosarcoma involving the spine treated at our institution between 1982 and 2008. Medical charts, radiology reports, pathology reports, and operative notes were reviewed for all patients. Available imaging studies were also reviewed. The log-rank test was used to compare baseline differences between groups. Survivorship analysis was performed using Kaplan–Meier methodology. The effect of Paget osteosarcoma, type of resection, presence of local recurrence, tumor size, surgical margins, and metastases on overall survival were also investigated using the log-rank test. Results Twenty-six patients were included for review in this study. Twenty individuals were treated surgically, and 24 were treated with radiation with a mean dose of 62.2 Gy (range 20–84.7 Gy). Twenty-five patients received chemotherapy. Of those treated surgically, seven received en bloc resection. The median overall survival for all patients in our series was 29.5 months (standard error 14.7, 95% confidence interval 0.6–58). Local recurrence developed in 7 patients (27%), and metastasis occurred in 16 individuals (62%). Patients with Paget osteosarcoma had worse overall survival (p Conclusions Results presented here confirm a poor prognosis for patients with spinal osteosarcoma. Although combination therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and high-dose radiation, achieve adequate short-term survival, the 5-year mortality rate remains high.
Wireless network compression: Code design and trade offs

Traces derived from the real-world mobile network traffic show significant inter-client redundancy among packets. This has inspired new solutions to reduce the amount of redundancy present in the data in order to manage the explosive traffic. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to leverage this redundancy by employing a novel network compression technique using wireless helper nodes. A Helper node provides the side information, that it obtained via overhearing, to mobile clients and assists the wireless gateway to more effectively compress each new packet when serving every new client. We investigate the potential benefits of wireless network compression from an information-theoretic point of view. We also describe a coding mechanism which adapts the two-part coding scheme to wireless network compression. We optimize this coding scheme to achieve minimum cost communication in the network. We also characterize the trade-off between the number of bits sent by the wireless gateway and the number of bits sent by the helper to a client.
On the use of the Weierstrass-Mandelbrot function to describe the fractal component of turbulent velocity

Abstract It is shown that the Weierstrass-Mandelbrot function simulates the irregularity in a turbulent velocity record and yields correct forms for the energy and dissipation spectra. In particular, the universal properties of a corresponding multi-fractal function are demonstrated by showing its ability to reproduce and explain turbulent flow spectra measured near the walls of straight and curved channels and in the obstructed space between a pair of disks corotating in an axisymmetric enclosure. The simulation capabilities of the multi-fractal function strongly suggest that turbulence is fractal in the frequency range of the turbulent energy spectrum where the slope of the logarithm of the spectrum, G, is −3
Peaker Outsourcing for Service Systems with Time-Varying Arrival Rates

This paper studies a service system which functions as a cost center and has to meet quality constraints under non-stationary arrival rates. We propose the use of 'peaker' capacity services, characteristically used by the electric power industry for handling peak-load demands for power generation. Analogously, specialized teams of servers handle the base-load of transactions every day, and the in-house or outsourced peaker team services the peak-load demand. We study how peaker ownership choice and cost and profit optimizing behavior influence optimal peaker architecture (outsourcing and capacity decisions).
Cryopreservation of hybridomas

A method for the long-term storage of hybridoma cells in liquid nitrogen is described. Hybridoma cells are harvested in logarithmic phase of growth and suspensed in freeze medium containing dimethylsulfoxide. Using a programmable freezer, the cells are frozen very slowly (1°C/min) and then transferred rapidly to liquid nitrogen refrigerators. Consequently, the hybridoma cells can be stored for long periods without substantial loss of viability and with minimal biochemical changes.
Factors governing the analytical supercritical fluid extraction and supercritical fluid chromatographic retention of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

The molecular connectivity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) correlates well with retention data for several supercritical fluid chromatographic systems. The quantitative effect of microextractor cell geometry on supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) efficiencies of PAHs from octadecyl-bonded sorbents is compared with that seen upon varying the fluid density for the same system. Relative recoveries were increased by up to a factor of two, for coronene, by employing short broad extraction vessels, 1:1 length:I.D., compared to using long narrow vessels, 20:1 length:I.D. The average relative recovery increase was 121% with a large dependence on compound type, increasing ca. linearly with fused ring number for the PAHs studied. A similar relative recoveries increase was achievable by increasing the fluid density by 0.12 g ml−1 with a small dependence on the compound type (decreasing linearly with fused ring number).
Elevated maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein associated with an asymptomatic tubal pregnancy at 20 weeks' gestation.

Background Most tubal ectopic pregnancies become symptomatic in the first trimester and rarely progress to the second trimester. Elevated maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) has rarely been associated with second-trimester tubal pregnancy. We present a case of a 20-week asymptomatic tubal pregnancy identified by elevated MSAFP. Case An asymptomatic 22-year-old woman at 20 weeks' gestation was evaluated with a targeted fetal survey for an abnormally elevated MSAFP. The ultrasound examination revealed an extrauterine gestation. The patient was taken to exploratory laparotomy, and a total salpingectomy was performed. Conclusion Although rare, a second-trimester ectopic pregnancy must be considered in the differential diagnosis of elevated MSAFP. A careful ultrasound scan should rule out an extrauterine pregnanc.
The length of x14+x24+x34+x44 as a sum of squares

We show that the quartic form x14+x24+x34+x44 cannot be written as a sum of three squares of homogeneous real quadratic forms.
Aerosol invariance in expanding coagulating plumes

We demonstrate that the total number of particles in an evolving aerosol plume is limited in a predictable way by the competing rates of coagulation and atmospheric dispersion, and is generally independent of the details of particle nucleation or growth. Using a simplified phenomenological model, expressions are derived from which the time variation in the total number of aerosols generated by localized sources can be calculated, as can their size distribution and local concentrations. Consideration of various microphysical processes contributing to aerosol plume development leads to the conclusion that the potential nucleation of enormous numbers of fine particles (for example, in high-altitude aircraft wakes and volcanic eruption clouds) does not affect the total number eventually dispersed throughout the atmosphere. We show that, after a suitable period of time (which is quite short relative to the time scales of regional and global dispersion), the aerosol population (total number, or concentration) is independent of the initial number, and instead depends in a simple way on the average coagulation kernel and plume dispersion rate. In terms of these basic physical parameters, we define a unique dimensionless number that fully determines the time evolution of the aerosol population, and show how this invariant number can be applied to estimate the properties of particulates emitted by high-altitude aircraft.
Aerial Spores of Neozygites fresenii (Entomophthorales: Neozygitaceae): Density, Periodicity, and Potential Role in Cotton Aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae) Epizootics

This is the first report on densities of aerial spores of a Neozygites species and one of only a few reports on field dispersal of aerial spores of an entomopathogenic fungus. Densities of primary conidia of Neozygites fresenii (Nowakowski) Batko in the air over cotton fields during epizootics in the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover showed a clear diel periodicity. Peak discharge of primary conidia occurred between 0100 and 0500 hours. Few aerial spores were present between 0900 and 2400 hours. Densities of primary conidia as high as 58,327/m 3 of air were recorded at 0300 hours on 24 July 1993 during an epizootic in a commercial cotton field in St. Francis County, Arkansas. Microscope slides placed in the field to collect N. fresenii spores indicated that significantly higher spore numbers were collected 30.5 cm from the soil surface than 61, 122, or 183 cm from the surface. Capilliconidia were also present in the air, but in most cases in much lower densities than primary conidia. Rotorod samplers are relatively inexpensive, portable, and can be powered with a small battery. Rotorod samplers may be more practical than Burkard samplers for monitoring aerial spores over cotton fields, unless accurate hourly data over long periods are required.
Cities, Productivity, and Quality of Life

Technological changes and improved electronic communications seem, paradoxically, to be making cities more, rather than less, important. There is a strong correlation between urbanization and economic development across countries, and within-country evidence suggests that productivity rises in dense agglomerations. But urban economic advantages are often offset by the perennial urban curses of crime, congestion and contagious disease. The past history of the developed world suggests that these problems require more capable governments that use a combination of economic and engineering solutions. Though the scope of urban challenges can make remaining rural seem attractive, agrarian poverty has typically also been quite costly.
Thermal imaging of the temporal bone in CO2 laser surgery: An experimental model

The unique properties of lasers create an enormous potential for specific treatment of chronic ear disease. Despite the widespread acceptance and use of the laser, however, a complete understanding of the time- and space-dependent temperature distribution in otic capsule bone immediately after pulsed laser exposure has not been elucidated. Using a liquid nitrogen-cooled mercury-cadmium telluride infrared detector, the temperature distribution in human cadaveric otic capsule bone was determined immediately after pulsed (100 msec) carbon dioxide laser exposure (0.3 to 4.0 W; 200 microm spot diameter). The time- and space-dependent temperature increases and thermal diffusion were determined as a function of the laser power density and were found to vary linearly.
Tracheal perforation after thyroidectomy.

A 55-year-old woman presented to our Emergency Department with progressively worsening neck swelling, dysphagia, and dyspnea after a coughing fit approximately 3 h before arrival. Her symptoms developed rapidly after the coughing fit. The neck swelling was painful and made breathing difficult. Of note, the patient had a total thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid carcinoma 4 weeks earlier. On examination, vital signs were as follows: temperature 37.2 C (99.0 F) orally, blood pressure 136/88 mm Hg, pulse 92 beats/min, respiratory rate 16 breaths/min, and SaO2 97% on room air. The patient looked uncomfortable but was able to speak normally. A homogeneous neck mass was noted. A picture of the
Notes on Marxism and sociology in the USA

Fifteen years ago it was fashionable to declare the American Marxist a rare species.1 Since the popularity of Marxism was considered a byproduct of economic decline, its endangered status was taken to be an ineluctable sign of the fundamental soundness of American capitalism. In retrospect this analysis seems lame at best, if only because Marxism has recently gained new strength, particularly in the universities. The evidence of this strength is all around us. For the first time, Marxian graduate programs have been instituted in several American universities in sociology as well as many of the other social sciences. Marxist scholarly journals have proliferated,2 and articles on Marxist themes occasionally make their way into mainstream journals.3 Books by Marxist writers have recently succeeded in winning several of the most prestigious awards of various professional associations. And a large number of American colleges and universities can claim to have Marxists on their faculties. It is revealing that this Marxist renaissance has occurred in the absence either of a major depression, or of any obvious qualitative changes in the American social structure.4
Mini-clinical evaluation exercise as a student assessment tool in a surgery clerkship: lessons learned from a 5-year experience.

Background The mini-clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX) used for clinical skill assessment in internal medicine provides in-depth assessment of single clinical encounters. The goals of this study were to determine the feasibility and value of implementation of the mini-CEX in a surgery clerkship. Methods Retrospective review of mini-CEX evaluations collected for surgery clerkship students at our institution between 2005 and 2010. Returned assessment forms were tallied. Qualitative feedback comments were analyzed using grounded theory. Principal components analysis identified thematic clusters. Thematic comment counts were compared to those provided via global assessments. Results For 124 of 137 (90.5%) students, mini-CEX score sheets were available. Thematic clusters identified comments on 8 distinct clinical skill domains. On the mini-CEX, each student received an average of 6.5 ± 2.2 qualitative feedback comments covering 4.5 ± 1.2 separate skills. Of these, 42.7% were critical. Comments provided in global evaluations were fewer (2.9 ± 0.6; P P Conclusion A mini-CEX can be incorporated into a surgery clerkship. The number and breadth of feedback comments make the mini-CEX a rich assessment tool. Critical and supportive feedback comments, both highly valuable, are provided nearly equally frequently when the mini-CEX is used as an assessment tool.
Alternative voting systems in stock car racing

In this work, alternative voting methods are compared to determine NASCAR rankings for the Sprint Cup Series. All of these methods make use only of the final placement of each driver in each race. We then construct a set of metrics to determine the effectiveness of each of these voting methods when compared to one another and the actual NASCAR scoring system. Finally, we attempt to generate a more optimal method, as defined by those same metrics, using a real-coded genetic algorithm. Our results show that most of the alternative voting methods vastly outperform the actual NASCAR system. Likewise, the method produced by the genetic algorithm outperforms even the best of the alternative methods.
The Oxford handbook of leadership, edited by Michael G. Rumsey

The title of this book is likely to attract a great deal of interest from students, scholars and practitioners of human resource development, especially considering the fact that leadership continu...
Parents’ At-Home and At-School Academic Involvement with Young Adolescents

A process-person-context model was used to investigate parental academic involvement with a nationally representative sample of young adolescents. Fathers of young adolescents were less involved at school than were mothers but similarly involved academically at home. Parents of struggling students were involved more in homework assistance and parents of successful students were involved more at school than were other parents. Parent educational level operated as a main effect and as a moderator. High school graduates helped their children with homework more than did parents who were not high school graduates; college-educated parents were involved more at school. Parents’ academic involvement at home was associated negatively with young adolescents’ academic grades and a standardized achievement test score, but associated positively with young adolescents’ school orientation. Parental at-school involvement was associated positively with young adolescents’ academic grades but not with either the standardiz...
THE EFFECT OF TESTOSTERONE PROPIONATE ON THE GENITALIA, PROSTATE, SECONDARY SEX CHARACTERS, AND BODY WEIGHT IN EUNUCHOIDISM1

With the synthesis of testosterone from cholesterol by Butenandt and Hanisch (1), and by Ruzicka and Wettstein (2), and the successful largescale commercial application of their processes, it is at last possible to undertake substitution for the testis in man. Although not as yet established as the actual hormone, testosterone has been obtained from bull testis by David, Dingemanse, Freud and Laqueur (3) and, with the exception of certain of its own esters, is the most potent of known androgens. It will repair castration defects practically completely in male animals. The literature dealing with this evidence has been reviewed recently by Koch (4) and need not be dealt with here. In 1936, Miescher, Wettstein and Tschopp (5) discovered that various fatty acid esters of testosterone not uncommonly stimulated the prostate and seminal vesicles of the rat more than did testosterone itself. This was true especially of the formate, acetate, propionate and butyrate, and not at all of the palmitate and stearate wh...
Genome-wide analysis of the skeletogenic gene regulatory network of sea urchins

A central challenge of developmental and evolutionary biology is to understand the transformation of genetic information into morphology. Elucidating the connections between genes and anatomy will require model morphogenetic processes that are amenable to detailed analysis of cell/tissue behaviors and to systems-level approaches to gene regulation. The formation of the calcified endoskeleton of the sea urchin embryo is a valuable experimental system for developing such an integrated view of the genomic regulatory control of morphogenesis. A transcriptional gene regulatory network (GRN) that underlies the specification of skeletogenic cells (primary mesenchyme cells, or PMCs) has recently been elucidated. In this study, we carried out a genome-wide analysis of mRNAs encoded by effector genes in the network and uncovered transcriptional inputs into many of these genes. We used RNA-seq to identify >400 transcripts differentially expressed by PMCs during gastrulation, when these cells undergo a striking sequence of behaviors that drives skeletal morphogenesis. Our analysis expanded by almost an order of magnitude the number of known (and candidate) downstream effectors that directly mediate skeletal morphogenesis. We carried out genome-wide analysis of (1) functional targets of Ets1 and Alx1, two pivotal, early transcription factors in the PMC GRN, and (2) functional targets of MAPK signaling, a pathway that plays an essential role in PMC specification. These studies identified transcriptional inputs into >200 PMC effector genes. Our work establishes a framework for understanding the genomic regulatory control of a major morphogenetic process and has important implications for reconstructing the evolution of biomineralization in metazoans.
Crafting analytical tools to study institutional change

Most powerful analytical tools used in the social sciences are well suited for studying static situations. Static and mechanistic analysis, however, is not adequate to understand the changing world in which we live. In order to adequately address the most pressing social and environmental challenges looming ahead, we need to develop analytical tools for analyzing dynamic situations - particularly institutional change. In this paper, we develop an analytical tool to study institutional change, more specifically, the evolution of rules and norms. We believe that in order for such an analytical tool to be useful to develop a general theory of institutional change, it needs to enable the analyst to concisely record the processes of change in multiple specific settings so that lessons from such settings can eventually be integrated into a more general predictive theory of change.
Primary sclerosing cholangitis and the risk of colon neoplasia in patients with Crohn's colitis.

Background and aim: Crohn’s colitis (CC) is associated with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). However the risk of colon cancer or dysplasia in CC and PSC is unclear. Our aim was to study the risk of colon neoplasia in CC in patients with and without PSC. Methods: This is a nested, case-control cohort study of all patients diagnosed with concurrent CC and PSC, seen at the Cleveland Clinic between 1985 and 2012. Forty-three patients with both CC and PSC were compared with a random sample of 159 CC controls without PSC during the same period. Results: Seven (16.3%) of 43 CC patients with PSC developed colon cancer or dysplasia, compared with 22 (13.8%) of 159 controls (P ¼ 0.98). Of seven colon neoplasia cases in the PSC group, 100% occurred proximal to the splenic flexure, compared with 50% (11/22) cases of colon neoplasia in controls occurring in the proximal colon (P ¼ 0.001). Based on Cox regression analysis, male gender independently increased the risk of neoplasia [hazard ratio (HR) ¼ 2.68; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.30–5.54; P ¼ 0.008], as did age at CC diagnosis (HR ¼ 1.29; 95% CI 1.14–1.47; P < 0.001), while the use of azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine was protective (HR ¼ 0.30; 95% CI 0.13–0.70; P ¼ 0.005). The presence of PSC did not increase the risk for colon neoplasia (HR ¼ 0.45; 95% CI 0.18–1.13; P ¼ 0.09). Conclusions: CC patients with PSC appear not to be at increased risk of developing colon neoplasia. Among patients in our cohort with colon neoplasia and concurrent PSC, the neoplasia occurred in the proximal colon in all cases.
Performance and the i860 microprocessor

The internal design of the i860 CPU, which exploits pipelining and parallelism more than previous microprocessors, is described. The i860 uses RISC concepts and memory-performance optimizations in several novel ways. Other innovations include simultaneous floating-point operations similar to digital signal processing, a two-instruction-per-clock mode, fast floating-point pipelines graphics instructions, and high-bandwidth registers and caches on-chip. These features make it one of the fastest single-chip processors available. >
Cardiac Functional Analysis by Electrocardiography, Echocardiography and in situ Hemodynamics in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Mice

Diabetic animal models are used extensively to dissect the mechanisms underlying diabetic cardiomyopathy. For such studies, detection of cardiac dysfunction is critical, and therefore, the present study comparatively examined cardiac function in mice 100 days after strepotozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes using three complementary techniques: electrocardiography (ECG), echocardiography and left ventricular (LV) hemodynamic analysis. Histological changes were also assessed by periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-positive materials and Masson's trichrome staining and immunohistochemical staining for type IV collagen. ECG monitoring for 2 hr in diabetic and control mice revealed no abnormality. By echocardiography, diabetic mice showed significant decreases in LV chamber diameter at end-diastole and end-systole but no other abnormalities, as compared to control mice. Hemodynamic evaluation in diabetic mice revealed that although basal parameters of cardiac function were similar to control, β-adrenergic responsiveness was significantly reduced in diabetic mice, indicating a loss of inotropic reserve and early myocardial dysfunction. Histological staining showed mild but significant increases in interstitial fibrosis in diabetic mice, confirming early diabetic cardiomyopathy. These results indicate that despite examination by ECG and resting hemodynamic may not sensitive approaches to reveal early diabetic cardiomyopathy, resting echocardiography and stressing hemodynamic analysis by evaluation of contractile provocation and inotropic reserve are able to uncover the evidence of early subtle mechanical dysfunction.
Comb-Type Trends in a Selected Population

Abstract Data on comb type were obtained between 1961–68 on 4318 chicks produced from pedigree matings of 201 sires and 545 dams used in a project of selection for dressing percentage. The frequencies of comb types in the original group were 0.29, 0.32, 0.15 and 0.24 for single, pea, rose and walnut, respectively. In 1968, the frequencies were 0.17, 0.41, 0.16 and 0.26. The increased frequency of pea comb was significant.
Stimulus-Response Compatibility

As was discussed in Chapter 1, the first step that must be taken in the creation of a general implementation of the chunking theory of learning, is the generalization of the model of task performance. In this chapter, we do exactly this, through the analysis and modeling of performance in a set of related stimulus-response compatibility tasks. This excursion into compatibility phenomena is a digression from the primary focus on practice, but it is a necessary step in the development of the chunking model. We will return to the discussion of practice in Chapter 4.
Modulation of Invasive Phenotype by Interstitial Pressure-Driven Convection in Aggregates of Human Breast Cancer Cells

This paper reports the effect of elevated pressure on the invasive phenotype of patterned three-dimensional (3D) aggregates of MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. We found that the directionality of the interstitial pressure profile altered the frequency of invasion by cells located at the surface of an aggregate. In particular, application of pressure at one end of an aggregate suppressed invasion at the opposite end. Experimental alteration of the configuration of cell aggregates and computational modeling of the resulting flow and solute concentration profiles revealed that elevated pressure inhibited invasion by altering the chemical composition of the interstitial fluid near the surface of the aggregate. Our data reveal a link between hydrostatic pressure, interstitial convection, and invasion.
Taxonomy of Aerobic Marine Eubacteria

Two hundred and eighteen strains of nonfermentative marine bacteria were submitted to an extensive morphological, physiological, and nutritional characterization. All the strains were gram-negative, straight or curved rods which were motile by means of polar or peritrichous flagella. A wide variety of organic substrates served as sole sources of carbon and energy. The strains differed extensively in their nutritional versatility, being able to utilize from 11 to 85 carbon compounds. Some strains had an extracellular amylase, gelatinase, lipase, or chitinase and were able to utilize n-hexadecane and to denitrify. None of the strains had a yellow, cell-associated pigment or a constitutive arginine dihydrolase system, nor were they able to hydrolyze cellulose or agar. The results of the physiological and nutritional characterization were submitted to a numerical analysis which clustered the strains into 22 groups on the basis of phenotypic similarities. The majority of these groups were separable by a large number of unrelated phenotypic traits. Analysis of the moles per cent guanine plus cytosine (GC) content in the deoxyribonucleic acid of representative strains indicated that the peritrichously flagellated groups had a GC content of 53.7 to 67.8 moles%; polarly flagellated strains had a GC content of 30.5 to 64.7 moles%. The peritrichously flagellated groups were assigned to the genus Alcaligenes. The polarly flagellated groups, which had a GC content of 43.2 to 48.0 moles%, were placed into a newly created genus, Alteromonas; groups which had a GC content of 57.8 to 64.7 moles% were placed into the genus Pseudomonas; and the remaining groups were left unassigned. Twelve groups were given the following designations: Alteromonas communis, A. vaga, A. macleodii, A. marinopraesens, Pseudomonas doudoroffi, P. marina, P. nautica, Alcaligenes pacificus, A. cupidus, A. venustus, and A. aestus. The problems of assigning species of aerobic marine bacteria to genera are discussed.
Isolation of a Central Bottleneck of Information Processing with Time-Resolved fMRI

When humans attempt to perform two tasks at once, execution of the first task usually leads to postponement of the second one. This task delay is thought to result from a bottleneck occurring at a central, amodal stage of information processing that precludes two response selection or decision-making operations from being concurrently executed. Using time-resolved functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), here we present a neural basis for such dual-task limitations, e.g. the inability of the posterior lateral prefrontal cortex, and possibly the superior medial frontal cortex, to process two decision-making operations at once. These results suggest that a neural network of frontal lobe areas acts as a central bottleneck of information processing that severely limits our ability to multitask.
Quorum-sensing control of antibiotic synthesis in Burkholderia thailandensis

The genome of Burkholderia thailandensis codes for several LuxR-LuxI quorum-sensing systems. We used B. thailandensis quorum-sensing deletion mutants and recombinant Escherichia coli to determine the nature of the signals produced by one of the systems, BtaR2-BtaI2, and to show that this system controls genes required for the synthesis of an antibiotic. BtaI2 is an acyl-homoserine lactone (acyl-HSL) synthase that produces two hydroxylated acyl-HSLs, N-3-hydroxy-decanoyl-HSL (3OHC10-HSL) and N-3-hydroxy-octanoyl-HSL (3OHC8-HSL). The btaI2 gene is positively regulated by BtaR2 in response to either 3OHC10-HSL or 3OHC8-HSL. The btaR2-btaI2 genes are located within clusters of genes with annotations that suggest they are involved in the synthesis of polyketide or peptide antibiotics. Stationary-phase cultures of wild-type B. thailandensis, but not a btaR2 mutant or a strain deficient in acyl-HSL synthesis, produced an antibiotic effective against gram-positive bacteria. Two of the putative antibiotic synthesis gene clusters require BtaR2 and either 3OHC10-HSL or 3OHC8-HSL for activation. This represents another example where antibiotic synthesis is controlled by quorum sensing, and it has implications for the evolutionary divergence of B. thailandensis and its close relatives Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei.
The Value of Economic Incentives in International Politics

This essay presents a preliminary model of the factors that influence the value of positive and negative economic incentives in international politics. The first part of the article is a review of prior research findings on incentive value. It integrates several lines of research and organizes the findings into five categories that form the frame of a model of incentive value; target market characteristics, target political structure, characteristics of goods, world market conditions and sender state political structure. Since the studies used to create this frame focus primarily on negative incentives, the second part of the study tries to balance this bias with insights from cases of positive incentives. This analysis suggests some original points; it finds that capital goods are less useful as repeated rewards and that relational norms may affect the value of an incentive. The inductive portion of the analysis also highlights a major difference between negative and positive incentives. For while market forces work against limiting access to substitutes in negative incentives and thus decrease their value, limited alternatives were found to contribute to the value of positive incentives.
Metastability in the brain

Metastability is a property appearing in a system of non-linearly coupled non-linear oscillators wherein the units exhibit simultaneously a tendency to function autonomously (local segregation) and a tendency for coordinated activity (global integration). This property has been observed to emerge in systems with broken symmetry (different intrinsic frequencies of the constituent oscillators) when a threshold of the balance between local and global coupling strength is reached. Such a system provides an optimal flexibility, ie. the system presents attraction without attractor and can rapidly shift from one tendency to another. We hypothesize here that metastability is a principle underlying neuro-cognitive organization.
An electron paramagnetic resonance study of Mn2+ uptake by the chick chorioallantoic membrane

Mn2+ uptake in the chick chorioallantoic membrane, an embryonic epithelial tissue which transports Ca2+ in vivo was studied using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Mn2+ was used as a paramagnetic analog for Ca2+, since there is evidence that Mn2+ is accumulated by the Ca2+ transport mechanism. After 1.5 h of uptake the EPR spectrum of the Mn2+ in the membrane indicated that 89% of the Mn2+ was in a spin-exchange form, indicating close packing of Mn2+. The Mn2+ spacing was estimated from the line width to be about 4.7 A. The remaining Mn2+ was very likely Mn2+ hexahydrate. At pH 7.4 the spin-exchange spectrum tended to broaden when uptake was inhibited, while at pH 5.0 the spin-exchange spectrum was completely abolished in the presence of inhibitors. The EPR spectrum of Mn2+ in the chorioallantoic membrane had a broader line width than that of Mn2+ in isolated mitochondria, suggesting that in this tissue mitochondria are not directly involved in divalent cation transport. These EPR studies support the concept that divalent cations are sequestered in high concentrations from the rest of the cell contents during transcellular active transport.
Performance comparison of a BIPV roofing tile system in two mounting configurations

This paper examines the performance of a building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) roofing system commonly available to residential markets. In particular polycrystalline Si PV roofing tiles were integrated with concrete roofing tiles in two mounting configurations being used by roofing contractors. In the first configuration the tiles were directly mounted to the roof sheeting allowing little to no airflow under the PV modules. In the second configuration furring strips were attached to the roof deck to create a counter-batten system to which the roofing and PV tiles mount. This counter-batten system provides an air gap between the roof deck and the PV/concrete tiles which allows for convective cooling. A complete data acquisition system was applied to both mounting configurations and they were monitored for a summer period in Golden, Colorado. A performance comparison is presented for the systems while both are gauged against free-standing ack-mounted polycrystalline Si PV modules. As expected, modules mounted directly to the deck operated at higher temperatures and produced less power than those on a counter-batten system while both systems operated at higher temperatures than rack-mounted modules.
Substance p-induced increase in vascular permeability in the rat trachea does not depend on neutrophils or other components of circulating blood

An intravascular injection of substance P is known to increase vascular permeability in the rat trachea. Electrical stimulation of the cervical vagus nerve produces a similar response, presumably by releasing substance P or other tachykinins from sensory nerve endings. In the present study, we sought to determine whether the increase in vascular permeability induced by intravascular substance P or by vagal stimulation requires the presence of neutrophils or other components of circulating blood. To eliminate circulating blood, we perfused into the aorta of anesthetized rats an oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit solution containing albumin and monastral blue, a colloidal pigment that does not cross normal tracheal blood vessels. We then injected substance P intravascularly or electrically stimulated the right cervical vagus nerve. Increases in vascular permeability were quantified by using a microspectophotometer to measure the amount of extravasated monastral blue in tracheal whole-mounts. We found that the elimination of neutrophils and other components of circulating blood did not prevent the increase in tracheal vascular permeability induced by intravascular substance P or by vagal stimulation.
Nanopipette-Based Electroplated Nanoelectrodes

Here, we report a nanopipette-based electrochemical approach to prepare metal nanoelectrodes with excellent control over electrode size, shape, and thickness of the insulation wall. Nanoelectrodes are prepared by electrochemical plating in a laser-pulled quartz nanopipette tip immersed in a liquid gallium/indium alloy electrode, which not only protects the ultrasmall quartz tip but also starts electrodeposition from the tip orifice. This versatile approach enables reproducible fabrication of electrodes of several different metals, including gold, platinum, silver, and copper. Moreover, nanoelectrodes with varying sizes can be easily prepared by focused ion-beam milling. A unique aspect of this method is the control over the thickness of quartz insulation walls relative to the size of the electroactive surface enabling control of the RG (defined as the radius of the insulating sheath over the radius of the active metal electrode). As such, these nanoelectrodes may be especially attractive as useful nanopro...
Intervertebral Disc Herniation: Pathophysiology and Emerging Therapies

Approximately 2.6 % of the US population visits a physician for treatment of spinal disorders annually (Fraser 2009) with costs of $7.1 billion from lost work days alone (Ricci et al. 2006). “Herniation” of the intervertebral disc is one of the several spinal disorders that contribute to this very high incidence, with potential to cause significant pain, neurological deficit, and functional disability in affected individuals. Herniation presents as a protrusion or extrusion of discal tissue into the epidural cavity, resulting in nerve root impingement and disc tissue exposure (Fig. 19.1). Both mechanical compression and tissue exposure contribute to pain and disability associated with intervertebral disc herniation (Goupille et al. 1998; Mixter et al. 1934; Olmarker and Rydevik 1991). In areas innervated by the affected nerves, it is commonly seen as low back pain, radiating leg pain (i.e., radiculopathy or sciatica), muscle weakness, gait abnormality, muscle atrophy, asymmetric reflexes, or loss of function (Atlas et al. 2005; Frymoyer 1988; Hart et al. 1995). The incidence of sciatica related to intervertebral disc herniation peaks between the fourth and fifth decades of life and is most frequently associated with herniations between the L3 and S1 vertebral levels (Atlas et al. 2005; Awad and Moskovich 2006). The severity of herniation symptoms in the cervical or lumbar regions has been shown to relate to the size or nature of the herniated fragment, whether it is simply protruding into the neural cavity, extruded, or completely sequestered from the parent structure.
Small Cell Carcinoma

Small cell carcinomas are highly malignant tumors composed of relatively small uniform cells with scant cytoplasm and stippled nuclear chromatin pattern. An ultrastructural hallmark of these tumors is the presence of membrane-bound, electron-dense granules that contain a variety of active peptide moieties. Small cell carcinomas occur in middle age and older individuals with a mean age of 59 years. Cough, hemoptysis and chest pain are symptoms associated with the development of tumor masses in the lung. On chest radiographs and computed tomography (CT), small cell carcinomas appear as hilar or perihilar masses, often in continuity with mediastinal lymphadenopathy and lobar collapse. A small percent of tumors are peripherally located and in these instances the radiographic presentation will be that of a solitary lung nodule. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanning is useful in patients with extensive disease and also in the determination of prognosis.
Student-Driven Classroom Technologies: Transmedia Navigation and Tranformative Communications

This research explores middle school students’ attitudes toward learning with technology and proposes a design-based approach to formulating instruction that includes innovative classroom technology use with computers and communications technologies placed in the hands of students. The intent of this study was to inform practice and theory on sustainable, student-driven use of information and communications technology (ICT) that goes beyond the implementation of school technologies for word processing, delivery of lessons, and data processing. The focus of the recommended approach is teaching and learning that provides classroom opportunities for discourse and student choice in the selection of traditional and technology-based media for transmedia navigation. The authors contend that transmedia navigation will create avenues for classroom innovation and encourage students to think, interact with instructional content, and engage in transformative communications.
Future monetary policy rules in forward guidance

US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) projections for the federal funds rate are inherently subject to revision with the availability of new data. But when issued jointly with projections for macroeconomic aggregates, they also contain conditional information about the intended future policy reaction function. This paper develops a statistical framework for inferring implicit policy rules from this form of commitmentless forward guidance. Projections from 2012-2015 suggested a rule for 2016-2017 which meaningfully differs from that which characterized policymaking before the beginning of the zero lower bound environment in 2008.
On the Solution of a Class of Nonlinear Partial Difference Equations

A systematic method for isolating certain nonlinear partial difference equations which are solvable by the method of inverse scattering is discussed. The equations are characterized by the dispersion relation (amplification factor) of the associated linearized equation. Corresponding to every neutrally stable linear scheme is a nonlinear difference equation which converges to an exactly solvable nonlinear evolution equation in the continuum limit. Explicit solition solutions are given.
Energetics and Kinetics of Epitaxial Island Formation on Lattice Mismatched Patterned Substrates

Spontaneous self-assembly of nanostructures has been a problem of long-standing interest for fabricating advanced electrical and optical devices. One approach towards controlled self-assembly is epitaxial growth on topographically patterned substrates, where surface features act as preferred sites for island formation. The substrate shape addressed here is a periodic array of rectangular mesas. Strained-layer growth on such substrates has been observed to form as islands on the edge, in the center, or at a combination of those locations on the top of the mesa. The purpose of this investigation is to discern whether these morphologies are driven by energetic or kinetic mechanisms. An energetic analysis is done under the assumption that the system free energy consists of surface free energy and strain energy. Strain arises due to a lattice mismatch between the film and substrate materials. The film and substrate are treated as two-dimensional linearly elastic solids with similar elastic properties. Under the constraint of fixed volume, various island arrangements and shapes are compared to determine low energy configurations. Islands are assumed to have the shape of a circular arc, and island positions at the center of the mesa and on the mesa edges are considered for one, two, and three island systems. For symmetric configurations, depending on mismatch strain, surface energy, volume, and relative substrate dimensions, it is found that either the configuration with a single centered island or the configuration with two edge mounted islands may be favored. Allowing for asymmetry, a single island placed on one edge of the substrate mesa is generally the low energy configuration. This occurs because islands located near the edge of a raised mesa are most efficient at relaxing mismatch strain due to an increased compliance. Kinetic simulations of morphological evolution during combined deposition and surface diffusion are also conducted in order to identify possible metastable or slowly evolving non-equilibrium states.