cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fragile graphs with small independent cuts

A graph is called fragile if it has a vertex cut which is also an independent set. Chen and Yu proved that every graph with n vertices and at most 2n-4 edges is fragile, which was conjectured to be true by Caro. However, their proof does not give any information on the number of vertices in the independent cuts. The purpose of this paper is to investigate when a graph has a small independent cut. We show that if G is a graph on n vertices and at most (12n-7)-3 edges, then G contains an independent cut S with |S|d3. Upper bounds on the number of edges of a graph having an independent cut of size 1 or 2 are also obtained. We also show that for any positive integer k, there is a positive number µ such that there are infinitely many graphs G with n vertices and at most (2-µ)n edges, but G has no independent cut with less than k vertices. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 41: 327341, 2002 This work was partially done during Graph Coloring Workshop sponsored by Erdos Center in the Summer 1999 at Budapest, Hungary.
An experimental study of heavy metal attenuation and mobility in sandy loam soils

Abstract Column flow-through experiments reacting wastewater solutions with sandy loam soil samples were performed to study heavy metal attenuation by two soils with different physical and chemical properties. Reacted soil columns were leached with synthetic acid rain to study the mobility of attenuated heavy metals under leaching conditions. This study demonstrates that cation exchange, surface adsorption, chelation with solid organic material, and precipitation were the important attenuation mechanisms for the heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ph, and Zn). Adsorption on soil hydrous oxide surfaces was the primary attenuation mechanism for Cd and Zn in both soils, and for Cu in a soil with low organic matter content. Wastewater solution pH is also an important factor that influences the retention of heavy metals. Cadmium, Cu, Cr, and Zn became mobile after prolonged application of spiked wastewater solution, either through saturation of soil adsorption sites or due to decreasing pH. Only Cr, Pb, and Mo, which are attenuated primarily through precipitation, show significant net retention by soil. Acid rain water removed heavy metals left in the column residual pore solution and weakly sorbed heavy metals in the soils, and has the ability to mobilize some strongly attenuated heavy metals, especially when the soil organic matter content is high. The results have important applications in predicting heavy metal mobility in contaminated soil, the disposal of acid mine drainage, and assessing the risks of landfall leachate leakage.
Characterization of the mouse nuclear orphan receptor TR2-11 gene promoter and its potential role in retinoic acid-induced P19 apoptosis

The complete mouse orphan nuclear receptor TR2-11 gene structure and its 5'-untranscribed region were characterized. This gene contains 14 exons, with the first exon encoding only the 5'-untranslated sequence. The regulatory region of this gene was characterized by using reporter assays that define the minimal promoter activity in a sequence 212 nucleotides upstream from the translation initiation site. Furthermore, it was concluded that splicing of intron 1 is required for efficient promoter activity. Reporters driven by this promoter were induced by retinoic acid (RA) in COS-1 cells supplied with exogenous retinoic acid receptor-alpha (RAR(alpha)) and retinoid receptor X-beta (RXR(beta)). Binding of RAR(alpha)/RXR(beta) to the minimal promoter region was demonstrated in gel retardation assays. In P19 cells, both the endogenous TR2-11 gene and the reporters driven by this promoter were induced by RA in a protein synthesis-independent manner, and overexpression of TR2-11 protein resulted in cellular apoptosis in the absence of RA. The regulation of TR2-11 by RA and the implication of TR2 up-regulation in P19 cellular apoptosis are discussed.
The Impact of Roommate Personality on Achievement: An Exploratory Study and Model of Analysis.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of personality characteristics, academic ability, and achievement among pairs of male dormitory roommates. OPI factor scores were developed for five groups of roommate pairs who were identified as exhibiting similar achievement and ability patterns. The scores were analyzed to provide an indication of the degree of similarity or difference between the individual pairs on the personality measures and to determine if there were important trends evident in the data within groups. The results suggest that personality may have a differential effect on achievement among students of different ability levels. For example, there was evidence that average- and low-ability students earn higher grades when paired with high-ability students of similar personality profiles.
Distribution and formation of isocitritase.

A NEW reaction of tricarboxylic acids, and the possibility of an alternate oxidative pathway, was indicated by the demonstration by Campbell, Smith and Eagles1 of glyoxylate formation from citrate by extracts of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. By a preliminary fractionation of the pseudomonad extract, particularly by the removal of aconitase, Smith and Gunsalus2 demonstrated the stoichiometry of the reaction as: and showed that this enzyme system, which we termed ‘isocitritase’, required magnesium ion and a mercapto compound as activators. Also following the lead of Campbell, Smith and Eagles, Saz3, although he did not separate the aconitase from the pseudomonad extracts, has concluded from reaction-rates that isocitrate is the substrate, and from inhibitor data and stimulation by yeast kochsaft that both organic and inorganic activators are required. Olson4 has also recently reported glyoxylate formation from tricarboxylic acids by Penicillium chrysogenum and other fungi, including baker's yeast, by what appears to be an isocitritase mechanism.
Patterns of Remote Memory in Amnesic and Demented Patients

• Patients with Huntington's disease (HD) were compared on three tests of remote memory with patients with alcoholic Korsakoff's syndrome (KS) and with control subjects. Though both patient groups were severely impaired in overall performance with respect to the normal control subjects on all three tests, striking differences were evident in the degree of loss for each decade interval. The patients with HD had as much difficulty identifying faces and events from the 1930s and 1940s as faces and events from the 1960s and 1970s. Thus, the pattern of their remote memory loss was "flat," that is, equal for all periods sampled. The retrograde amnesia of the patients with KS was characterized by a steep temporal gradient in which facts pertaining to the distant past were more accurately retrieved than facts concerning events that occurred just prior to the onset of their illness. Taken in conjunction with other recent studies of retrograde amnesia, these results suggest that neurologic patients exhibit at least three different patterns of remote memory loss.
Transport of glutamine in rat intestinal brush-border membrane vesicles

Transport of glutamine across the brush-border membrane of the rat intestine was examined using brush-border membrane vesicle (BBMV) technique. Osmolarity and temperature studies indicated that the uptake of glutamine by BBMV is mostly the result of transport of the substrate into the intravesicular space. Transport of glutamine was Na+-gradient dependent (out > in) with a distinct ‘overshoot’ phenomenon. Initial rate of transport of glutamine as a function of concentration was saturable both in the presence and absence of a Na+ gradient (out > in). Apparent Km of 3.50 and 3.34 mM and Vmax of 707 and 282 pmol/mg protein per 7 s, were calculated for the Na+-dependent and the Na+-independent transport processes of glutamine. The transport of [3H]glutamine by the Na+-dependent and the Na+-independent processes was severely inhibited by the addition to the incubation medium of other amino acids and unlabelled glutamine. Inducing a relatively negative intravesicular compartment with the use of valinomycin and an outwardly directed K+ gradient stimulated glutamine transport. This indicates that transport of the substrate by the Na+-dependent process is electrogenic in nature. Transport of glutamine by the Na+-independent process, however, appeared to be electroneutral in nature. These results demonstrate the existence of two carrier-mediated transport processes for glutamine in the rat intestinal BBMV, one is Na+-dependent and the other is Na+-independent. Furthermore, the results suggest that glutamine transport by the Na+-dependent process probably occurs by a glutamine/Na+ cotransport mechanism.
Attribution of antisocial symptoms in coexistent antisocial personality disorder and substance abuse

Two methods for diagnosing antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) were compared based on whether antisocial symptoms that occurred when subjects also experienced alcohol- or other drug-related problems were counted toward the diagnosis of ASPD. From a family study of alcoholism and ASPD, 93 male subjects who met ASPD criteria in the absence of substance-related problems were contrasted with 312 subjects who were diagnosed with ASPD regardless of whether criterion symptoms occurred along with substance-related problems. Subjects did not differ in types of antisocial behaviors, age of onset of behaviors, or comorbid psychiatric disorders except for alcoholism and drug abuse. A subgroup was contrasted on family history of psychiatric illness, with no differences noted between groups. Counting antisocial symptoms toward the diagnosis of ASPD regardless of whether symptoms occur during periods of substance abuse increases the observed population prevalence of the disorder, but does not change the observed phenomenology of ASPD or affect commonly accepted indicators of validity of diagnosis.
Maltose uptake in the Zea mays scutellum

Abstract Maltose transport in slices of the maize scutellum was demonstrated despite the presence of an active maltase situated at the cell surface. The maltase could be inhibited or destroyed by treatments (neutral pH during uptake, pretreatment in Tris buffer at pH 7·5, or in 0·01 N HCl) that allowed appreciable rates of maltose uptake to occur. Using Tris- and HCl-treated slices, it was found that at disaccharide concentrations of 50 and 100 mM, maltose and sucrose were taken up at very nearly the same rates. At sugar concentrations below 50 mM, sucrose was taken up at greater rates than maltose. The maltose content of the slices was directly proportional to the maltose concentration of the bathing solution, and about 4 hr were required for equilibration. From this, it is concluded that one way maltose enters the slices is by free or facilitated diffusion. However, endogenous maltose is utilized by the slices at rates that are much too low to account for the net rates of maltose uptake. Although the slices contain a high level of surface maltase activity, only a low level of endogenous maltase activity was found. This probably accounts for the slow utilization of endogenous maltose. Therefore, the existence of a specific maltose transport system is proposed; a system that contains a carrier saturable with maltose, but one that does not release free maltose into the cytoplasm.
Review of Cowboys and Cave Dwellers: Basketmaker Archaeology in Utah's Grand GULCH (Blackburn and Williamson, 1995) and Anasazi Basketmaker: Papers From The 1990 Wetherill - Grand Gulch Symposium (Bureau of Land Management 1993).

Fred Blackburn and Roy Williamson provide a rather enjoyable, if narrowly focused, history of Basketmaker archae­ology in Cowboys and Cave Dwellers. Basketmaker Archaeology in Utah's Grand Gulch (1995). In this, the School of American Research Press has produced an aesthetically pleasing, popular treatment of early North American archaeology, of the same genre as Melinda Elliott's (1995) Great Excavations. Archaeologists who find the journalstic prose, paucity of data, and lack of citations in such popular accounts unsettling should turn to Anasazi Basketmaker: Papers From the 1990 Wetherill - Grand Gulch Symposium (Bureau of Land Management 1993). This predecessor yet companion volume contains the detail, background, and contextual information necessary to criti­cally evaluate the significant scholarly contributions of the Wetherill - Grand Gulch Research Project (1986 - 1990). Given that most readers of the Bulletin would like to see more than the popular account can offer, I have taken the liberty of reviewing both volumes.
Phosphorescence from an EDA complex with nitrobenzene as an electron donor

Abstract Excitation of the EDA complex formed between the donor, nitrobenzene, and the acceptor, boron trichloride, gives rise to a phosphorescence centered at 579 nm with a quantum yield of 2.3 ± 0.1 × 10 -3 , which is assigned to the charge transfer triplet state of the complex. The formation constant of the complex was determined to be 50 ± 15 M -1 at 77 K. Photochemical quantum yield data at room temperature for the photoreduction of nitrobenzene as the nitrobenzene-boron trichloride complex to nitrosobenzene indicates reactivity increasing with boron trichloride concentration. A comparison of the phosphorescence and electrochemical data for the 1:1 EDA complexes between nitrobenzene, benzophenone and pyridine and boron trichloride predicts that the oxidation potentials for nitrobenzene and benzophenone are +1.32 and +1.63 V vs. the saturated calomel electrode, respectively, and reflect the availability of a non-bonding electron pair for complexation.
Anesthesia outside the operating room

The provision of anesthetic services outside the traditional operating room environment is a challenge to both the adaptability and sensibility of the anesthesiologist. In an effort to increase the comfort and safety of patients and to assist other physicians, we are increasingly asked to provide services for a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. These services are variably called “anesthesia” or “sedation” or “monitored anesthesia care” (MAC). No matter what the service is called, the basic principle is that the anesthesiologist is entrusted to provide the best in patient care, no matter what drugs or techniques we use.
Improving research on computers in science learning

Although research in Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) currently lacks a well-developed literature and experimental foundation, the number of papers relating to CAI at the 1985 NARST convention at French Lick Springs increased substantially over those presented at the 1984 meeting. This commentary critiques some of those papers and suggests implications for the conduct of research on computers in science learning. The spirit of inquiry and the willingness to share ideas at the 1985 NARST meeting at French Lick Springs enhanced the quality of the meeting and made possible the gathering of papers and information that are the basis for this commentary. One team of authors (Choi & Gennaro, 1985) was so generous as to provide us with software they had developed for their study. The willingness to share was impressive and can facilitate research and development.
Evidence for early selection: precuing target location reduces interference from same-category distractors.

In this study, we evaluated whether uncertainty about target location and category overlap between the target and the flankers played a role in recent findings (Miller, 1987) of semantic interference of irrelevant stimuli. In each of four testing conditions, subjects were required to identify a target letter surrounded by irrelevant flankers whose identity predicted the correct response. We varied (1) whether or not the target location was precued, and (2)the flanker’s category (digits vs. letters). We found a substantial effect of letter flankers when subjects were uncertain of the precise target location. However, this effect was greatly attenuated when attention was predirected to the target location. Similarly, a reduced flanker effect was observed when the flankers (digits) belonged to a different semantic category than the target. However, when the target location was precued, no effect of the semantic congruity of target and flankers was found. Coupled with previous research, these findings converge in establishing that both failures to maintain attention on the target location and the semantic congruity of target and flankers modulate the size of the effects from irrelevant stimuli. These results are discussed in the context of early and late selection views of selective attention.
Physiology of Oil Seeds: II. Dormancy Release in Virginia-type Peanut Seeds by Plant Growth Regulators

Germination, ethylene production, and carbon dioxide production by dormant Virginia-type peanuts were determined during treatments with plant growth regulators. Kinetin, benzylaminopurine, and 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid induced extensive germination above the water controls. Benzylaminopurine and 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid increased the germination of the more dormant basal seeds to a larger extent above the controls than the less dormant apical seeds. Coumarin induced a slight stimulation of germination while abscisic acid, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, and succinic acid 2,2-dimethylhydrazide did not stimulate germination above the controls. In addition to stimulating germination, the cytokinins also stimulated ethylene production by the seeds. In the case of benzylaminopurine, where the more dormant basal seeds were stimulated to germinate above the control to a larger extent than the less dormant apical seeds, correspondingly more ethylene production was induced in the basal seeds. However, the opposite was true of kinetin for both germination and ethylene production. When germination was extensively stimulated by the cytokinins, maximal ethylene and carbon dioxide evolution occurred at 24 and 72 hours, respectively. Abscisic acid inhibited ethylene production and germinaton of the seeds while carbon dioxide evolution was comparatively high. The crucial physiological event for germination of dormant peanut seeds was enhancement of ethylene production by the seeds.
Estrogenic action of β-HCH through activation of c-Neu in MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells

β-HCH is known to be a poor agonist for the estrogen receptor (ER), and yet it has been shown to act like an estrogen in stimulating foci formation in MCF-7 cells. We investigated the reason for such an action of β-HCH, using a rat prolactin-luciferase reporter system transfected to MCF-7 cells. We found that the presence of c-Neu (erbB2), ER and ERE is needed for β-HCH to act estrogenic at the transcription activation level in this cell line. We compared the action of β-HCH to that of EGF which is known to act estrogenic without being an agonist for ER in this cell and found that their action patterns are quite similar, the only difference being that the former action is blocked by an antibody against c-Neu and the latter by both c-Neu and EGF receptor antibody. We concluded that β-HCH's estrogenic action in this cell model is mediated through "ligand-independent activation of ER pathway".
Future directions for day care research: An ecological analysis

The present state of our knowledge regarding the impact of child care outside the home is summarized in order to highlight our limited understanding of the day care phenomenon. Bronfenbrenner's (1977) recently postulated model of the ecology of human development is then presented in terms of day care to provide the foundation of a theoretical analysis of the potential influences of this approach to child rearing. With this ecological model described, important, but as yet generally unresearched and thus unanswered questions regarding the effects of day care are considered at each ecological level of analysis: the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. The issues raised highlight the need to look beyond the influence of day care on the developing child to its possible impact upon the family, community, and society.
The Story of Memes: On the Origin of Interorganizational Information Systems (IOISs)

Due to globalization, the emergence and evolution of Interorganizational Information Systems (IOIS) has increasingly gained interest among researchers and practitioners. Yet, the extant literature in organizational theory and I.S. does not provide much insight on why a particular IOIS project has been selected for implementation over the others or why some variations of a particular IOIS have been adopted whereas others were not. Taking into account the complex interaction between IOIS and the various social institutions and communities of practice that are involved in IOIS development, use, and regulation, we propose a theoretical approach and a set of propositions to help understand the emergence and evolution of IOIS. We conceptualize IOIS as a Complex Adaptive System (CAS) and ideas and concepts that lead to the creation of an IOIS and its components as memes. Our IOIS theory of emergence and evolution is inspired by two complementary evolutionary perspectives from Charles Darwin and Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck.
Single-channel 2R Regeneration in Quasi-Continuous Dispersion-Managed Nonlinear Medium

We demonstrate single-channel 1.5-dB eye-opening improvement in a dispersion-managed modification of Mamyshev’s regenerator. This is a first step toward realization of multi-channel 2R regeneration via dispersion management.
Purification of Bovine Immunoglobulin G via Protein G Affinity Membranes

Breakthrough curves of bovine immunoglobulin G (IgG) solutions from a recombinant protein G affinity membrane cartridge were significantly affected by flow velocity and feed solution concentration. Increasing the flow velocity decreased the amount of IgG bound to the membranes prior to breakthrough and broadened the breakthrough curve. Increased feed solution concentration allowed more IgG to bind prior to breakthrough but did not affect the shape of the curve. In batch incubation experiments, sorption of IgG to the membranes was slow, requiring 27 h to reach equilibrium. Sorption did not follow single-solute Langmuir kinetics. Desorption of IgG from the membranes during elution was flow rate dependent and produced multiple IgG peaks. These observations were interpreted using slow, competitive, and heterogeneous multisolute sorption of the IgG subclasses to the affinity membranes.
Repeated exposure attenuates the behavioral response of rats to static high magnetic fields

Abstract Exposure of rats to high strength static magnetic fields of 7 T or above has behavioral effects such as the induction of locomotor circling, the suppression of rearing, and the acquisition of conditioned taste aversion (CTA). To determine if habituation occurs across magnetic field exposures, rats were pre-exposed two times to a 14 T static magnetic field for 30 min on two consecutive days; on the third day, rats were given access to a novel 0.125% saccharin prior to a third 30-min exposure to the 14 T magnetic field. Compared to sham-exposed rats, pre-exposed rats showed less locomotor circling and an attenuated CTA. Rearing was suppressed in all magnet-exposed groups regardless of pre-exposure, suggesting that the suppression of rearing is more sensitive than other behavioral responses to magnet exposure. Habituation was also observed when rats underwent pre-exposures at 2–3 h intervals on a single day. Components of the habituation were also long-lasting; a diminished circling response was observed when rats were exposed to magnetic field 36 days after 2 pre-exposures. To control for possible effects of unconditioned stimulus pre-exposure, rats were also tested in a similar experimental design with two injections of LiCl prior to the pairing of saccharin with a third injection of LiCl. Pre-exposure to LiCl did not attenuate the LiCl-induced CTA, suggesting that 2 pre-exposures to an unconditioned stimulus are not sufficient to explain the habituation to magnet exposure. Because the effects of magnetic field exposure are dependent on an intact vestibular apparatus, and because the vestibular system can habituate to many forms of perturbation, habituation to magnetic field exposure is consistent with mediation of magnetic field effects by the vestibular system.
On the physiological role of α2-macroglobulin

Abstract 1. 1. The activity of α 2 -macroglobulin bound trypsin towards a wide spectrum of synthetic and natural substrates has been investigated. Native plasma proteins tested (fibrinogen excepted) were highly resistant to α 2 -macroglobulin bound trypsin whereas denatured casein, hemoglobin and fibrin were hydrolyzed at a greatly reduced rate. However, degradation in 20 h may amount to 80% of that observed with free trypsin. The proenzymes trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen were activated rapidly by α 2 -macroglobulin bound trypsin. In a period of 30 min α 2 -macroglobulin bound trypsin activated about half as much zymogen as did free trypsin. The peptide hormones angiotensin and vasopressin were destroyed almost as rapidly by α 2 -macroglobulin bound trypsin as by free trypsin. Hydrolysis of synthetic substrates was reduced about 20% by complexing of trypsin with α 2 -macroglobulin. Interaction of α 2 -macroglobulin bound trypsin with fibrinogen appeared to be biphasic, leading first to clot formation and subsequently to clot lysis. Free trypsin acted indiscriminately on fibrinogen and formed no clots. Thus, complex formation with α 2 -macroglobulin narrowed the specificity of trypsin to resemble that of both thrombin and plasmin. 2. 2. Thrombin bound by α 2 -macroglobulin, contrary to earlier reports, was found to retain clotting activity although at a reduced rate. This residual clotting activity of α 2 -macroglobulin bound thrombin is analogous to the slow fibrinolytic activity of α 2 -macroglobulin bound plasmin and may play a role in the “hemostatic balance”. 3. 3. The implications of these findings in acute pancreatitis and certain coagulopathies have been pointed out.
The Critical Intersection of Documentary & Journalism: Hell House and Rhetorical Articulation

Because of their mutual interest in nonfiction storytelling, documentary and journalism are assumed to be quite similar, which results in confusion and misunderstanding. This article addresses this problem by analyzing the differences between these two forms, demonstrating ways in which documentary can help to articulate journalism, enhancing our literacy in both areas. After an analytic discussion of these differences, an analysis grounded in rhetoric shows how literacies in the two nonfiction forms can illuminate each other. These questions are brought together through a critical rhetorical analysis of the documentary Hell House (2001).
Presenting Your Best: Web-Based Applications for Library Instruction

Library instruction in academic, health sciences, and hospital libraries is an evolving concept. Content, the intended learner, and various teaching models influence the creation of library instructional tutorials and presentations. Standard programs such as PowerPoint and Keynote are often used to generate these instructional materials. However, new and dynamic web-based presentation applications have the potential to improve the learning experience for patients and health care professionals. This column will briefly touch on library instruction and standard presentation creators, but will mainly concentrate on six web-based applications that can be used for the creation of library instructional presentations.
Supporting Business Continuity During a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak: A Collaboration of Industry, Academia, and Government

Abstract Since 2006, a collaborative group of egg industry, state, federal, and academia representatives have worked to enhance preparedness in highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) planning. The collaborative group has created a draft egg product movement protocol, which calls for realistic, science-based contingency plans, biosecurity assessments, commodity risk assessments, and real-time reverse transcriptase–PCR testing to support the continuity of egg operations while also preventing and eradicating an HPAI outbreak. The work done by this group serves as an example of how industry, government, and academia can work together to achieve better preparedness in the event of an animal health emergency. In addition, in the event of an HPAI outbreak in domestic poultry, U.S. consumers will be assured that their egg products come from healthy chickens.
Auxin Transport Is Required for Hypocotyl Elongation in Light-Grown but Not Dark-Grown Arabidopsis

Many auxin responses are dependent on redistribution and/or polar transport of indoleacetic acid. Polar transport of auxin can be inhibited through the application of phytotropins such as 1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA). When Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings were grown in the light on medium containing 1.0 microM NPA, hypocotyl and root elongation and gravitropism were strongly inhibited. When grown in darkness, however, NPA disrupted the gravity response but did not affect elongation. The extent of inhibition of hypocotyl elongation by NPA increased in a fluence-rate-dependent manner to a maximum of about 75% inhibition at 50 mumol m-2 s-1 of white light. Plants grown under continuous blue or far-red light showed NPA-induced hypocotyl inhibition similar to that of white-light-grown plants. Plants grown under continuous red light showed less NPA-induced inhibition. Analysis of photoreceptor mutants indicates the involvement of phytochrome and cryptochrome in mediating this NPA response. Hypocotyls of some auxin-resistant mutants had decreased sensitivity to NPA in the light, but etiolated seedlings of these mutants were similar in length to the wild type. These results indicate that light has a significant effect on NPA-induced inhibition in Arabidopsis, and suggest that auxin has a more important role in elongation responses in light-grown than in dark-grown seedlings.
Demonstration of AC & DC motors and drives in a university classroom environment

A "hands-on" AC & DC motors and drives demonstration center was installed in a classroom at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). Available equipment includes an AC Drive, an AC induction motor, a DC Drive, a permanent magnet DC motor and a torque- RPM transducer. The equipment will be used to demonstrate AC & DC drive technology and induction motor parameters to MSOE students in a variety of scenarios. Students will compare theory to actual motor and drive parameters. This will lead to better student awareness of the advantages of motors and drives, consistent with the curriculum requirements at MSOE.
Multiple Mechanisms Contribute to the Robust Rapid Gamma Interferon Response by CD8+ T Cells during Listeria monocytogenes Infection

A subset of CD8+ T cells can rapidly secrete gamma interferon (IFN-γ) in an antigen-independent and interleukin-12 (IL-12)- and IL-18-dependent manner within 16 h of infection with the intracellular bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. This rapid IFN-γ response is robust enough to be detected directly ex vivo and is not observed following infection with intracellular bacterial pathogens that remain sequestered within host cell vacuoles. We demonstrate here that three distinct pathways can lead to rapid secretion of IFN-γ by CD8+ T cells during L. monocytogenes infection: (i) a direct cytokine-inducing activity encoded by the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin (CDC) listeriolysin O (LLO) acts within the infected cell, (ii) the pore-forming activity of LLO promotes cytosolic localization of bacterial products that trigger cytosol-specific signaling pathways, and (iii) the sustained presence of high concentrations of bacterial products can exogenously trigger cytokine production. Although it has been suggested that CDC protein toxins may act as Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) agonists to trigger proinflammatory cytokine secretion, we show in this report that TLR4 signaling is not required to induce a maximal rapid IFN-γ response by CD8+ T cells. The results presented here indicate that multiple mechanisms contribute to the induction of rapid IFN-γ secretion by CD8+ T cells during Listeria infection and that care must be taken when interpreting the results of in vitro assays, since the contribution of each pathway can vary depending on how the assay is performed.
Effect of Aspect Ratio on Tensile Bond Strength for Butt Joint of Internal Fracture—Theoretical and Experimental Analysis

A general formula for the tensile bond strength of a butt joint in the case of internal fracture is given in terms of a simplified model constructed from measurable parameters. The stress distribution under large plastic deformation is obtained from the stress equilibrium on the horizontal symmetry plane of the adhesive film. The yield condition of Mises or Tresca was employed. The theoretical formula shows good agreement with experimental results. The contraction ratio of lateral contractive strain to longitudinal tensile strain at yielding of the adhesive is given as a function of the aspect ratio and is independent of the adhesive materials used. The empirical relation between the bond strength and the contraction ratio is expressed by a single curve and also is independent of the adhesive materials used. The theoretical and empirical equations obtained indicate that the bond strength for the butt joint of internal fracture depends on both the yield strength and the aspect ratio of the adhesive.
The STAR Program: an innovative approach to teaching the scientific method to high school students

Although many high school students have heard of the scientific method and can name its separate steps - make observations, develop a hypothesis, collect data, analyze the data, and write up the results - few students have actually used this method to study the world around them. And while some classroom science projects do address the entire process, schools are often limited by time, location, or resources. As a result, student science projects usually focus on only part of the scientific process. Student Training in Aquatic Research (STAR) was created to address this need and to offer students the opportunity to experience science in an outdoor setting. The program parallels what teachers are teaching in the classroom and guides students while they develop their own research project at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), a 2900-acre research facility of the Smithsonian Institution in Edgewater, Maryland. Working with scientists and state-of-the-art equipment, students learn about scientific research as well as ecology in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. We have found, however, that both students and instructors have also learned some more intangible lessons about doing real research in the field. This paper describes how the program works, the organizations and people who help make it happen, how the program reaches its goals, and what we've learned about teaching science to high school students.
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor contributes to the proliferation of human medulloblastoma cells.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated member of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH)/PER-ARNT-SIM (PAS) transcription superfamily, is known to regulate the toxicity of polyaromatic halogenated hydrocarbon environmental chemicals, most notably dioxin. However, the AhR has also been implicated in multiple stages of tumorigenesis. Medulloblastoma (MB), a primary cerebellar brain tumor arising in infants and children, is thought to originate from abnormally proliferating cerebellar granule neuron precursors (GNPs). GNPs express high levels of the AhR in the external germinal layer of the developing cerebellum. Moreover, our laboratory has previously reported that either abnormal activation or deletion of the AhR leads to dysregulation of GNP cell cycle activity and maturation. These observations led to the hypothesis that the AhR promotes the growth of MB. Therefore, this study evaluated whether the AhR serves a pro-proliferative role in an immortalized MB tumor cell line (DAOY). We produced a stable AhR knockdown DAOY cell line [AhR short hairpin RNA (shRNA)], which exhibited a 70% reduction in AhR protein levels. Compared with wild-type DAOY cells, AhR shRNA DAOY cells displayed an impaired G1-to-S cell cycle transition, decreased DNA synthesis, and reduced proliferation. Furthermore, these cell cycle perturbations were correlated with decreased levels of the pro-proliferative gene Hes1 and increased levels of the cell cycle inhibitor p27kip1. Supplementation experiments with human AhR restored the proliferative activity in AhR shRNA DAOY cells. Taken together, our data show that the AhR promotes proliferation of MB cells, suggesting that this pathway should be considered as a potential therapeutic target for MB treatment.
Embedded Alamouti space-time codes for high rate and low decoding complexity

We introduce a new family of space-time codes called embedded Alamouti space-time (EAST) codes which offer high rate, a nonvanishing determinant and low decoding complexity. The family is parameterized by both the number of transmit antennas, which can range from two to eight, and by the rate, which can range from one to half the number of transmit antennas. The EAST codes combine a modified version of the perfect space-time codes with an Alamouti embedding. For rates higher than one, the resulting space-time codes are simultaneously lower in decoding complexity and better performing than all known previous constructions in terms of the error probability achieved on a quasistatic Rayleigh fading channel with a given dimension.
Patient and parental scar assessment after single incision versus standard 3-port laparoscopic appendectomy: long-term follow-up from a prospective randomized trial

article i nfo Single-incision Laparoscopy Appendectomy Cosmetic Pediatrics Background: Single site laparoscopy for appendectomy is a technique with several case series suggesting a cosmetic advantage, but without prospective comparative data. We conducted a prospective, randomized trial comparing single site laparoscopic appendectomy to the standard 3-port approach, including scar assessment at early and long-term follow-up. Methods: Enrolled patients over 12 years old and parents of patients less than 12 years old were asked to complete the validated Patient Scar Assessment Questionnaire (PSAQ) at early follow-up around 6 weeks and by phone after 18 months. The PSAQ consists of 4 scored subscales: Appearance, Consciousness, Appearance Satisfaction, and Symptom Satisfaction. Each subscale has a set of questions with a 4-point categorical response (1 = most favorable, 4 = least favorable). The sum of the scores quantifies each subscale. Results: Early questionnaires were obtained from 98 3-port and 100 single-site patients with the single-site approach producing superior overall scar assessment (P = 0.003). By telephone follow-up, questionnaires were completed by 49 3-port and 56 single-site patients at a median of 25 (18-32) months. In this longer- term follow-up, overall scar assessment was not significantly different between groups (P = 0.06). Conclusion: Patients or parents express superior scar assessment with the single site approach at early follow- up, but this difference disappears in the long-term.
Feedback stabilization and tracking of constrained robots

Mathematical models for constrained robot dynamics, incorporating the effects of constraint force required to maintain satisfaction of the constraints, are used to develop explicit conditions for stabilization and tracking using feedback. The control structure allows feedback of generalized robot displacements, velocities, and the constraint forces. Global conditions for tracking, based on a modified computed-torque controller and local conditions for feedback stabilization, using a linear controller, are presented. The framework is also used to investigate the closed-loop properties if there are force disturbances, dynamics in the force feedback loops, or uncertainty in the constraint functions. >
The US health care system: Part 1: Our current system

The US health care crisis is of great concern to American neurologists. The United States has the world's most expensive health care system yet one-sixth of Americans are uninsured. The cost and volume of procedures is expanding, while reimbursement for office visits is declining. Pharmaceutical costs, durable goods, and home health care are growing disproportionately to other services. Carriers spend more for their own administration and profit than on payments to physicians. This first article on the US health care system identifies problems and proposes solutions, many of which are championed by the American Academy of Neurology through its legislative and regulatory committees.
Antimicrobial Resistance in Salmonella enterica Serovar Heidelberg Isolates from Retail Meats, Including Poultry, from 2002 to 2006

Salmonella enterica serovar Heidelberg frequently causes food-borne illness in humans. There are few data on the prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility, and genetic diversity of Salmonella serovar Heidelberg isolates in retail meats. We compared the prevalences of Salmonella serovar Heidelberg in a sampling of 20,295 meats, including chicken breast (n = 5,075), ground turkey (n = 5,044), ground beef (n = 5,100), and pork chops (n = 5,076), collected during 2002 to 2006. Isolates were analyzed for antimicrobial susceptibility and compared genetically using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and PCR for the blaCMY gene. A total of 298 Salmonella serovar Heidelberg isolates were recovered, representing 21.6% of all Salmonella serovars from retail meats. One hundred seventy-eight (59.7%) were from ground turkey, 110 (36.9%) were from chicken breast, and 10 (3.4%) were from pork chops; none was found in ground beef. One hundred ninety-eight isolates (66.4%) were resistant to at least one compound, and 49 (16.4%) were resistant to at least five compounds. Six isolates (2.0%), all from ground turkey, were resistant to at least nine antimicrobials. The highest resistance in poultry isolates was to tetracycline (39.9%), followed by streptomycin (37.8%), sulfamethoxazole (27.7%), gentamicin (25.7%), kanamycin (21.5%), ampicillin (19.8%), amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (10.4%), and ceftiofur (9.0%). All isolates were susceptible to ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin. All ceftiofur-resistant strains carried blaCMY. PFGE using XbaI and BlnI showed that certain clones were widely dispersed in different types of meats and meat brands from different store chains in all five sampling years. These data indicate that Salmonella serovar Heidelberg is a common serovar in retail poultry meats and includes widespread clones of multidrug-resistant strains.
Grating Stabilized High Power 980nm Pump Modules

We describe the next generation high power, single-mode 980 nm laser diode for EDFA pumping. The FBG-stabilized pump modules produce 0.7 W kink-free power with superior reliability and performance.
Gastric Bypass Surgery but not Caloric Restriction Improves Reproductive Function in Obese Mice

In women, obesity is associated with decrements in reproductive health that are improved with weight loss. Due to the difficulty of maintaining weight loss through lifestyle interventions, surgical interventions have become popular treatments for obesity. We examined how weight loss induced by Roux-en Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) or calorie restriction impacted expression of hypothalamic genes related to energy intake and reproduction. RYGB and calorie restriction induced equivalent weight loss; however, expression of the anorexigenic melanocortin pathway decreased only in calorie restricted mice. Serum estradiol concentrations were lower in calorie restricted mice relative to RYGB during proestrous, suggesting that RYGB maintained normal estrous cycling. Thus, the effects of RYGB for female mice, and possibly humans, extend beyond weight loss to include enhanced reproductive health.
Hodges-Vedejs metallation of oxazoles

Metallation of an oxazole followed by treatment with benzaldehyde results in a 4-substituted oxazole as the major product [1]:
Thermotropic Chiral Nematic Polymers as Optical Materials

Chiral nematic copolymers based on optically active cholesterol, dihydrocholesterol, (R)-(+)- and (S)-(−)-1-phenylethylamine, and (+)- and (−)- isopinocampheol were synthesized and characterized for the investigations of thermotropic and optical properties. Although helical sense does not appear to correlate with the sign of [α] D of the precursor chiral compound as suggested by the observations of cholesteryl and dihydrocholesteryl copolymers, the inversion of chirality in the pendant group, (R)-(+)- vs (S)-(−)-1-phenylethylamine, does lead to the opposite handedness in the resultant helical structure. To better understand the structure-property relationships involving helical sense and twisting power, systematic studies of the roles played by both nematogenic and chiral structures as well as other structural features of the comonomers should be conducted.
A Theoretical Study of the Effect of the Leach Interval on a Semidynamic Leach Test (Ansi/Ans-16.1-1986)

Numerical solution of Fick’s second law of diffusion demonstrated that the error introduced in the ANSI/ANS-16.1-1986 procedure, by assuming a zero surface concentration, varied from about 30% for a leachability index of 5 to about 0.1% for an index of 10. Waste forms typically have indexes of 7 or greater, implying errors of less than 5% with this assumption. The estimated leachability index differs from the actual value by less than 0.2 when the numerical solution is analyzed as input experimental data, except for a leachability index as low as 5 (essentially the value for water).
Probing the fastest spin, charge and energy flow processes in advanced materials using ultrafast x-rays

Using ultrafast x-rays from high harmonic generation, it is now possible to probe the fastest magnetic state changes in spintronic systems, the fastest energy flow in nanosystems, or the fastest phase transitions in materials.
Metallurgical Behavior of Inclusions in Tin-Containing Ferritic Stainless Steel

The smelting process of the new tin-contained ferritic stainless steel was studied based on metallurgical reaction balance under laboratory condition. The yield of tin in the melting process of the stainless steel and the effects of the addition of tin on the microstructure of stainless steels w ere analyzed. The formation and evolution of inclusions formed in deoxidation process of molten stainless steel w ere also analyzed. The results show ed that the yield of tin w as pretty high regardless of its low melting point. The enrichment of tin around the sulfide inclusions w as found in scanning electron microscope pictures and it is w hite in SEM,w hile it w as not found in or around the oxide inclusions. From the metallographic analysis, tin segregated to the grain boundary w hen its content w as higher than 0. 3%.
Case 38: Another Unprofessional Behavior

A colleague (Dr. X) participated in a clinical study. His involvement consisted of obtaining informed consent from the patients and collecting data and blood samples from about 1/3 of the 60 patients in the trial. The study was concluded. There were five authors. The draft manuscript was circulated around for all the authors to review. Dr. X strongly disagrees with the way the methodology section was written. He stated that the study was not randomized. Since the other four think that it was randomized and will not concede, Dr. X withdrew from the authors list.