cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simulating Runoff from Small Grazed Pasture Watersheds Located at North Appalachian Experimental Watershed in Ohio

Abstract Runoff from grazing pasture lands can impact water quality in receiving streams if not well managed. Management consists of conservation practices to reduce runoff and pollutants transport. Simulation models have been effectively used to design and implement these conservation practices. The Agricultural Policy Environmental Extender (APEX), a process-based hydrologic model, was used in this study to simulate the management impacts on surface runoff from three small grazed pasture watersheds located at the North Appalachian Experimental Watersheds near Coshocton, Ohio. Specific objectives of this study were to 1) calibrate the APEX model and test runoff predictions against measured runoff and 2) simulate the long-term impacts of different management scenarios on surface runoff. Results show that the APEX model simulated surface runoff reasonably well with the coefficient of determination (R2) and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency values varying from 0.49 to 0.72 and from 0.25 to 0.60 for calibration and validation, respectively. After validation, the APEX model was run for 37 yr (1975 − 2011) for long-term scenarios to analyze the impacts of soil properties and management on surface runoff. Data from this study indicated that keeping the watershed land use as a hay meadow instead of grazing significantly reduced cumulative runoff by 58 − 67%. Buffer strips of perennial grasses resulted in decreased simulated runoff. To simulate the impacts of soils on runoff, the surface (0 − 5 cm) soil properties of the toe position were applied to the entire grazed watershed. Subsequently, the increase in soil richness resulted in reduction (≤ 5%) in surface runoff. The simulation results from the present study demonstrate the benefits of hayed meadow over grazed pasture and further predict the decreased trend of runoff due to soil properties change and buffer strips.
Spectral Functional-Digraph Theory, Stability, and Entropy for Gene Regulatory Networks

Spectral graph theory is an indispensable tool in the rich interdisciplinary field of network science, which includes as objects ordinary abstract graphs as well as directed graphs such as the Internet, semantic networks, electrical circuits, and gene regulatory networks (GRN). However, its contributions sometimes get lost in the code, and network theory occasionally becomes overwhelmed with problems specific to undirected graphs. In this paper, we will study functional digraphs, calculate the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of their adjacency matrices, describe how to compute their automorphism groups, and define a notion of entropy in terms of their symmetries. We will then introduce gene regulatory networks from scratch, and consider their phase spaces, which are functional digraphs describing the deterministic progression of the overall state of a GRN. Finally, we will redefine the stability of a GRN and assert that it is closely related to the entropy of its phase space.
Role of Sirtuins in Regulation of Cardiac Adaptation Associated with Hypertrophy

Lysine-acetylation within a protein is considered as a functionally relevant post-translation modification regulating activity of the target protein. While protein acetylation is regulated by acetyl-transferases, deacetylation is catalyzed by deacetylases. Recently a family of nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent deacetylases, called sirtuins, has been identified, which are emerging as key regulators of many biological functions, spanning from cell growth to longevity. Among the seven sirtuin isoforms (SIRT1–SIRT7) expressed in mammalian cells, two isoforms SIRT1 and SIRT3 have been studied with some detail for their roles in regulating cardiac adaptation to increased workload. SIRT1 was found to regulate Akt signaling and plays an essential role for the development of cardiac hypertrophy. SIRT3 on the other hand was found to act as a negative regulator of cardiac hypertrophy, which also protects cardiomyocytes from oxidative stress-mediated apoptosis. The mechanism behind anti-growth and anti-apoptotic activity of SIRT3 seems to stem from its ability to deacetylate several mitochondrial target proteins and thereby promoting overall function of mitochondria to generate less reactive oxygen species (ROS) and more ATP synthesis. As both SIRT1 and SIRT3 are activated by physical exercise and calorie restriction, some of the cardiac benefits arising from these interventions are likely to be stemming from the activation of these two molecules. This chapter gives a brief overview of sirtuin biology and then focuses on the opposite roles of SIRT1 and SIRT3 to regulate cardiac remodeling associated with hypertrophy.
Determination of specific peptide-micelle interactions using NMR spectroscopy

The use of micelles to model membranes and structurally stabilize peptide hormones such that their structures may be determined has many advantages. For example, organic solvents do not mimic the chemically anisotropic environment of the cell membrane, nor do they sufficiently restrict the conformational freedom of the peptide. We have shown that opioid peptides bind strongly and specifically to micelles, such that their structures may be determined using high resolution NMR [1-3].
Accountability Pressure: Regression Discontinuity Estimates of How NCLB Affects Student Behavior

In this paper we examine how failing to make adequate yearly progress under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), and the accountability pressure that ensues, affects various non-achievement student behaviors. Using administrative data from North Carolina and leveraging a discontinuity in the determination of school failure, we examine the causal impact of accountability pressure both on student behaviors that are incentivized by NCLB and on those that are not. We find evidence that, as NCLB intends, pressure encourages students to show up at school and to do so on time. Accountability pressure also has the unintended effect, however, of increasing the number of student misbehaviors such as suspensions, fights, and offenses reportable to law enforcement. Further, we find some evidence that this negative response is most pronounced among minorities and low performing students, who are the most likely to be left behind.
Latino Destinations and Environmental Inequality: Estimated Cancer Risk from Air Toxics in Latino Traditional and New Destinations:

Since the 1990s, Latino migration patterns have shifted from traditional destinations to new destinations away from the Mexico border. Scholars note disparities between destinations in housing, cri...
Detection of CTC Clusters and a Dedifferentiated RNA‐Expression Survival Signature in Prostate Cancer

Rates of progression and treatment response in advanced prostate cancer are highly variable, necessitating non-invasive methods to assess the molecular characteristics of these tumors in real time. The unique potential of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) to serve as a clinically useful liquid biomarker is due to their ability to inform via both enumeration and RNA expression. A microfluidic graphene oxide-based device (GO Chip) is used to isolate CTCs and CTC clusters from the whole blood of 41 men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Additionally, the expression of 96 genes of interest is determined by RT-qPCR. Multivariate analyses are conducted to determine the genes most closely associated with overall survival, PSA progression, and radioclinical progression. A preliminary signature, comprising high expression of stemness genes and low expression of epithelial and mesenchymal genes, potentially implicates an undifferentiated CTC phenotype as a marker of poor prognosis in this setting.
Construction of Ideal Time Section Based on Multi-Source Measurement Data in Dispatch Control System

Measurement delay outliers adverse consequences, affecting the right conclusion of online power system analysis. In this paper, the possible measurement delay is given through the analysis of data acquisition and transmission process. Based on the verification platform of dispatching automation system, the measurement delay case is constructed. The influence of measurement delay on state estimation is analyzed quantitatively. A method of ideal time section based on unified time scalar in dispatch control system is proposed.
3399 Systematically Integrating Microbiomes and Exposomes for Translational Research

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Characterize microbiome metadata describing specimens collected, genomic pipelines and microbiome results, and incorporate them into a data integration platform for enabling harmonization, integration and assimilation of microbial genomics with exposures as spatiotemporal events. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We followed similar methods utilized in previous efforts in charactering and developing metadata models for describing microbiome metadata. Due to the heterogeneity in microbiome and exposome data, we aligned them along a conceptual representation of different data used in translational research; microbiomes being biospecimen-derived, and exposomes being a combination of sensor measurements, surveys and computationally modelled data. We performed a review of literature describing microbiome data, metadata, and semantics [4–15], along with existing datasets [16] and developed an initial metadata model. We reviewed the model with microbiome domain experts for its accuracy and completeness, and with translational researchers for its utility in different studies, and iteratively refined it. We then incorporated the logical model into OpenFurther’s metadata repository MDR [17,18] for harmonization of different microbiome datasets, as well as integration and assimilation of microbiome-exposome events utilizing the UPIE. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Our model for describing the microbiome currently includes three domains (1) the specimen collected for analysis, (2) the microbial genomics pipelines, and (3) details of the microbiome genomics. For (1), we utilized biospecimen data model that harmonizes the data structures of caTissue, OpenSpecimen and other commonly available specimen management platform. (3) includes details about the organisms, isolate, host specifics, sequencing methodology, genomic sequences and annotations, microbiome phenotype, genomic data and storage, genomic copies and associated times stamps. We then incorporated this logical model into the MDR as assets and associations that UPIE utilizes to harmonize different microbiome datasets, followed by integration and assimilation of microbiome-exposome events. Details of (2) are ongoing. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The role of the microbiome and co-influences from environmental exposures in etio-pathology of various pulmonary conditions isn’t well understood [19–24]. This metadata model for the microbiome provides a systematic approach for integrating microbial genomics with sensor-based environmental and physiological data, and clinical data that are present in varying spatial and temporal granularities and require complex methods for integration, assimilation and analysis. Incorporation of this microbiome model will advance the performance of sensor-based exposure studies of the (UPIE) to support novel research paradigms that will improve our understanding of the role of microbiome in promoting and preventing airway inflammation by performing a range of hypothesis-driven microbiome-exposome pediatric asthma studies across the translational spectrum.
Endosome motility defects revealed at super-resolution in live cells using HIDE probes.

We report new lipid-based, high-density, environmentally sensitive (HIDE) probes that accurately and selectively image endo-lysosomes and their dynamics at super-resolution for extended times. Treatment of live cells with the small molecules DiIC16TCO or DiIC16'TCO followed by in situ tetrazine ligation reaction with the silicon-rhodamine dye SiR-Tz generates the HIDE probes DiIC16-SiR and DiIC16'-SiR in the endo-lysosomal membrane. These new probes support the acquisition of super-resolution videos of organelle dynamics in primary cells for more than 7 min with no detectable change in endosome structure or function. Using DiIC16-SiR and DiIC16'-SiR, we describe direct evidence of endosome motility defects in cells from patients with Niemann-Pick Type-C disease. In wild-type fibroblasts, the probes reveal distinct but rare inter-endosome kiss-and-run events that cannot be observed using confocal methods. Our results shed new light on the role of NPC1 in organelle motility and cholesterol trafficking.
Compressibility Effects on the Scalar Dissipation Rate

Scalar dissipation rate plays an important role in combustion, especially for fast chemistry in non-premixed flames. Even for finite-rate chemistry, it is a parameter of major importance in models ...
Alternative flaps in autologous breast reconstruction

The gold standard for autologous reconstruction in the post-mastectomy patient remains the deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flap, although many women may not be candidates for abdominally based free tissue transfer. In this scenario, there are several other donor site options based from the thigh (transverse and diagonal upper gracilis flaps, profunda artery perforator flap, lateral thigh flap) and trunk (lumbar artery perforator flap, superior and inferior gluteal artery perforator flaps). This study will review the history, relevant anatomy, surgical technique and outcomes for alternative flaps in autologous reconstruction. Additionally, preoperative imaging (CTA, MRA) and novel applications (stacking flaps, neurotization) in breast reconstructive microsurgery will be discussed.
Organic acid shift reagents for the discrimination of carbohydrate isobars by ion mobility-mass spectrometry

Carbohydrates are the most abundant class of biomolecules on Earth with a diverse array of biological functions. It is hypothesized that they likely had an important role in the development of life on the primoridal Earth as well. Since sugars have a variety of possible isobaric structures, it is necessary to characterize oligosaccharides beyond their molecular weight. Ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) is a promising characterization technique for this purpose, as it is based on differences in charge and collision cross section (CCS). This study reports on the use of new noncovalent ligands as shift reagents to aid in the IM separations of disaccharides. A variety of organic acids were tested as shift reagents with traveling wave IM with the most promising ones being further investigated by drift tube IM. Drift tube IM provided higher resolution separations for the large majority of disaccharide complexes studied. Combining CCS results of the two most promising shift reagents allowed for the complete differentiation of all eight disaccharide standards examined in this study.
TensorSV: structural variation inference using tensors and variable topology neural networks

Genomic variation inference is an important sub problem in whole genome assembly. For the well-established human genome, additional information is available from the reference that allows data representations to depart from assembly graphs. One recent method using a convolutional neural network (CNN) and image-based representation, outperformed other algorithms in resolving single nucleotide variations (SNVs). This same representation was used to call deletion structural variations (SVs) but was unable to be applied to other SV types like inversions. We present a variable topology method along with a novel data representation suitable for a wide range of genomic variation inference. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this representation for SVs by training CNN ensembles with tensors derived from the 1000 genomes phase 3 high coverage dataset for detecting deletion and inversion types and comparing the results to well established methods. Our pure ML method facilitates a new direction in SV inference technique, where feature selection and region filtering are no longer needed to maintain low false positive rates.
Distinguishing Spastic and Dystonic Features in a Patient With a History of Brainstem Encephalitis: A Clinical Case Study

Purpose One role of a speech-language pathologist (SLP) is to differentially diagnose motor speech disorders to aid physicians, typically neurologists, in establishing a medical diagnosis. The pres...
Serum from COVID-19 patients early in the pandemic shows limited evidence of cross-neutralization against variants of concern

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) results in a variety of clinical symptoms ranging from no or mild to severe disease. Currently, there are multiple postulated mechanisms that may push a moderate to severe disease into a critical state. Human serum contains abundant evidence of the immune status following infection. Cytokines, chemokines, and antibodies can be assayed to determine the extent to which a patient responded to a pathogen. We examined serum and plasma from a cohort of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 early in the pandemic and compared them to negative-control sera. Cytokine and chemokine concentrations varied depending on the severity of infection, and antibody responses were significantly increased in severe cases compared to mild to moderate infections. Neutralization data revealed that patients with high titers against an early 2020 isolate had detectable but limited neutralizing antibodies against newly circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. This study highlights the potential of re-infection for recovered COVID-19 patients.
A UNIFIED QUANTUM HALL CLOSE-PACKED COMPOSITE BOSON (CPCB) MODEL

Single-wavelength Landau cyclotron orbitals (SWOs) have been used as quantum Hall basis states to reproduce integer quantum Hall plateaus in a two-dimensional (2D) close-packing representation. But at the high magnetic fields B that correspond to fractional Hall plateaus, these SWOs are too small to give close packing. It is conventionally assumed that the fractional quantum Hall states are formed from collective electron excitations (CEEs). However, by invoking the use of multiple-wavelength Landau orbitals (MWOs), we can close-pack the fractional Hall plateaus in the same manner as the integer plateaus. Quantum Hall plateaus are characterized by the filling fractions ν≡ne/nφ=k/m, where k=1, 2,... (all integers) and m=1, 3,... (all odd integers), and where ne and nφ are the 2D electron e and magnetic flux φ=h/e densities, respectively. A composite particle (CP) is a bound state of an electron and m flux quanta φ. If m is even or odd, the CP is a composite fermion (CF) or composite boson (CB). In the CEE models, both CF and CB formalisms have been used. In the alternative MWO approach introduced here, the close-packed MWOs on a ν=k/m plateau each contain m de Broglie wavelengths λ. Each MWO traps mφ external flux quanta, produces mφ diamagnetic induced flux quanta, and carries the filling fraction ν, which accounts for the extreme accuracy (one part in 108) of the Hall plateau conductance, σH=νe2/h. Since m is odd, these MWOs are CB states, and they form a boson condensate of close-packed composite boson (CPCB) states. The m=1 (m<1) CPCBs tile the integer (fractional) Hall plateaus. The filling fraction index k corresponds to k layers of CPCB orbitals. Plateau formation itself is due to the linear B dependence of the density of CPCB states. The CPCBs are decoupled from the semiconductor substrate, and hence may have large m* effective mass values. THE MWOs near the ν=1/2 non-plateau region are m=2 CF states.
Joint sulci detection using graphical models and boosted priors

In this paper we propose an automated approach for joint sulci detection on cortical surfaces by using graphical models and boosting techniques to incorporate shape priors of major sulci and their Markovian relations. For each sulcus, we represent it as a node in the graphical model and associate it with a sample space of candidate curves, which is generated automatically using the Hamilton-Jacobi skeleton of sulcal regions. To take into account individual as well as joint priors about the shape of major sulci, we learn the potential functions of the graphical model using AdaBoost algorithm to select and fuse information from a large set of features. This discriminative approach is especially powerful in capturing the neighboring relations between sulcal lines, which are otherwise hard to be captured by generative models. Using belief propagation, efficient inferencing is then performed on the graphical model to estimate each sulcus as the maximizer of its final belief. On a data set of 40 cortical surfaces, we demonstrate the advantage of joint detection on four major sulci: central, precentral, postcentral and the sylvian fissure.
From Web to Workplace: Designing Open Hypermedia Systems

In this book Kaj Gronbaek and Randall H. Trigg present a set of principles for the design of open hypermedia systems and provide concrete implications of these principles for issues ranging from data structures to architectures and system integration, and for settings as diverse as the World Wide Web and the workplace.The principles, which cover both hypermedia system processing and data structures, reflect results from decades of hypermedia research, including the popular Dexter hypertext reference model and the authors own extended object-oriented version of the Dexter model. One important principle is the notion of links as first-class objects outside the data. Emerging systems such as HyperWave, Microcosm, and Devise Hypermedia apply this principle to extend the capabilities of the Web. The authors also discuss the management of incomplete and dangling links, time-based media including video and sound, support for collaboration and shared hypermedia structures, worldwide distribution, and integration of third-party applications in open hypermedia systems.
Failure mechanism of the interturn insulation of low voltage electric machines fed by pulse controlled inverters

When induction machines are fed by fast switching inverters, their interturn insulation is electrically more stressed than in the conventional feed. When inverters are used steep voltage pulses of high repetition frequency occur. This can cause partial discharges (PDs) leading to insulation failure. The PD inception voltage and velocity of the resulting electrical ageing depend on the voltage characteristic, insulation design and temperature. These relations were investigated using laboratory models of interturn insulation, semiconductor-based pulse generator and as PD detector an UV-sensitive photo multiplier tube.
Time-Resolved Imaging of Single Retrovirus-Cell Fusion

Membrane fusion induced by retroviral envelope glycoproteins (Env) has been studied by imaging early events during single virus entry. Viral particles were visualized by incorporating a membrane dye and by entrapping GFP within the virus interior. Lipid and content (GFP) transfer from viruses to cells was simultaneously monitored by confocal microscopy. Content mixing usually occurred after lipid transfer, suggesting that fusion proceeded through a hemifusion intermediate. Our data also revealed that small pores connecting the viral and cell membranes are the key intermediate of retrovirus fusion. These pores can persist for several minutes before they either irreversibly close, aborting virus entry, or fully enlarge, leading to nucleocapsid delivery and infection. from 2005 International Meeting of The Institute of Human Virology Baltimore, USA, 29 August – 2 September 2005
Supervisory Liability After Iqbal: Misunderstood But Not Misnamed

Professors Sheldon Nahmod and Kit Kinports have both written excellent pieces about the supervisory liability aspect of Iqbal. See Kit Kinports, "Iqbal and Supervisory Immunity," 114 Penn. St. L. Rev. 1291 (2010); Sheldon Nahmod, "Constitutional Torts, Over-Deterrence and Supervisory Liability After Iqbal," 14 Lewis & Clark L. Rev. 279 (2010). Professor Nahmod lays out an impressive defense of the decision and concludes that the Court "got it right" in Iqbal when it adopted what he characterizes as the "constitutional" approach to supervisory liability, while Professor Kinports criticizes the majority’s failure to recognize a theory of supervisory accountability based on deliberate indifference to constitutional violations committed by subordinates, a theory that is not based on respondeat superior but on the supervisor's own culpability in causing a constitutional injury. Because no two law professors should ever be accused of agreeing about anything, I take a position that falls somewhere between the Nahmod and Kinports views. In short, I agree with Professor Nahmod that supervisory liability, as a form of individual liability, should be based on a constitutional violation by the supervisor. This is clearly what Iqbal requires. I also agree with Professor Kinports that deliberate indifference that "causes" one to be subjected to a constitutional violation by a subordinate should be actionable under the statutory language of § 1983, but I would be clear that the "deliberate indifference "standard is the "constitutional" one that requires a showing of actual subjective knowledge of a subordinate's wrongdoing and a failure to prevent, remedy, or address the problem. What I propose is a free-standing, uniform substantive due process standard for supervisory liability that would apply to all claims based on a supervisor’s "failure-to-___."
Challenges for the pathologist in the interpretation of laparoscopic hysterectomy and cytologic specimens in endometrial carcinoma

The introduction of new and improved surgical techniques for treatment of endometrial carcinoma has been shown to be associated with histological artifacts making interpretation and diagnosis a challenge for the pathologist with an impact on clinical staging. In this review, challenging artifacts associated with the use of manipulated laparoscopic hysterectomies for endometrial carcinoma are discussed with a review of the literature. Topics discussed include the artifacts of vascular pseudoinvasion; endomyometrial cleft displacement, disruption of endometrial lining, nuclear crush artefact and positive peritoneal cytology. The pathologist should be aware of these artifacts in order to prevent diagnostic errors and unwarranted therapy for some patients.
SEARCHING THROUGH WORD LISTS

Two experiments are reported in which subjects searched through lists of words, looking for targets defined only in terms of their meaning (e.g. ‘any animal’). Under these conditions, scanning is much slower than when the target is a known word, or a member of a small fixed set. It is argued that printed words are processed in two stages, termed ‘stimulus examination’ and ‘memory examination’ respectively. Preliminary data relevant to other aspects of the scanning method are also presented: error rates, the importance of motivation, the extent to which words scanned over can be recognized later, and the relation between scanning and reading aloud.
SU-E-T-249: Evaluation of the Surface Rendering Patient Localization System for Proton Therapy Facility

Purpose: Proton therapy carries a number of dosimetric and radiobiological advantages for cancer patients and calls for rigorous quality assurance of patient registration. This work is a report of evaluation and use of surface rendering patient positioning system (AlignRTTM) in proton facility. Method and Materials: The AlignRT three‐camera system was installed in a specific non‐symmetric geometry, specific to the proton gantry room. Series of phantom shifts/rotations were done to assess the system performance versus shifts/rotations of the 6D PPS (Patient Positioning System) that accounts for proton gantry sag. 4D phantom (CIRS,inc.) was used to evaluate motion tracking capabilities of AlignRT. Finally, AlignRT installation was used for on‐line monitoring of thorax patients (emphasis on breathing motion). Retrospective analysis of breathing data was performed versus latest weekly 4DCT of these patients. Results: In case of the baseline images taken at specific PPS rotation angles, from which shifts were performed, the proton room‐specific 3‐camera AlignRTTM system shows satisfactory results with shifts/rotations within 0.5mm/0.3degrees maximum difference. The accuracy of SSD determination was within 1 mm. In case of treatment planning system‐generated baseline images and baseline images taken at PPS angle of zero degrees, the system performance depended on PPS rotation angle, the fact whether the AlignRT system had the nominal couch angle input, and the size of the shift. At shifts within +/−3cm from isocentric position, AlignRT system performed with accuracy of 2.0mm/0.3degrees maximum deviations for PPS rotation angles within 30degrees from the “golden standard” surface and for PPS rotations 90+/− 10degrees. At intermediate PPS angles (60+/−10degrees), accuracy shown: within 10mm longitudinal/lateral, sub‐millimeter vertical directions. Reproducibility of phantom position was within 0.5mm/0.3degree. The measured amplitude of the patient breathing motion was within 0.5mm from 4DCT. Conclusion: Installation of surface rendering patient positioning system (AlignRTTM) in proton room‐specific geometry was evaluated and used for patient positioning monitoring.
The Effects of Metal Ions on the Cytotoxicity and Selectivity of a Histidine-Containing Lytic Peptide

The histidine-containing peptide L5C (PAWRHAFHWAWHMLHKAA) is a histidine-rich lytic peptide. Interactions of some divalent metal ions with peptide L5C and their effects on the cell lysis activity of the peptide were studied. The presence of Cu2+ caused a secondary structure change (from random coil to α-helix) which resulted in the loss of cell lysis activity in peptide L5C. Binding of Zn2+ to peptide L5C also reduced the lytic activity of the peptide but Zn2+ did not affect the secondary structure of the peptides. Instead, Zn2+ induced peptide L5C aggregation. Unlike Zn2+ and Cu2+, Mg2+ had no significant effect on the activity of peptide L5C. Further experiments revealed that formed ion-peptide L5C complexes were sensitive to pH and dissociated in acidic solutions. Peptide L5C demonstrated improved pH-selectivity in the presence of trace amount of Zn2+. This property of histidine-containing lytic peptides can be used to improve their therapeutic effectiveness in the treatment of cancers.
Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) selectively and rapidly stimulates phosphatidylinositol turnover in GH pituitary cells: a possible second step of TRH action.

TRH was found to rapidly influence 32PO4 incorporation into phospholipids of PRL-secreting GH pituitary cells. Analogs of TRH were found to exert similar effects, with potencies related to receptor-binding affinity. Additional PRL-releasing agents were also tested. Bombesin exerted a similar effect, whereas vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, 8-bromo cAMP, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, 50 mM K+, and scorpion venom toxin had no influence. Cationophore A23187 stimulated phospholipid labeling in a manner distinguishable from that of TRH. Chromatographic analysis showed the action of TRH to be restricted to the labeling of phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidic acid. Kinetic studies indicated a rapid influence of TRH on phosphatidylinositol breakdown, with subsequent accelerated 32PO4 incorporation into phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidic acid. These studies identified a rapid, receptor-mediated, cAMP-independent action of TRH on phospholipid metabolism. Similar effects of other hormones are believed to be in...
Legal issues and statistical approaches to reverse pay discrimination in higher education

There have been numerous lawsuits within higher education brought by females over pay inequity and many articles have been written on the topic. Although not as prevalent, there have been some recent instances where male faculty have claimed—with some degree of success—that the process used by their institutions to make salary adjustments for females was unfair and led to reverse pay discrimination. In this paper, we examine some of the legal issues and statistical approaches surrounding claims of reverse sex discrimination in pay in the field of higher education. We begin by reviewing the way in which legal cases examine sex discrimination in pay in academe and the different approaches that institutions can take to remove pay disparities for women. We show that across-the-board salary adjustments for women are less likely than individualized salary adjustments to raise concerns about the salary determination process and possibly reverse discrimination, and lead to lower costs to the institution. These differences arise regardless of the salary model specification used by an institution when making salary adjustments. Finally, we use a model developed by the plaintiffs in a salary equity study at one institution to demonstrate the effects of using different adjustment methods on the total cost to the institution when making salary equity adjustments for both genders.
Concentrations of 113m Cd in the marine environment

Reports on the detection of 113mCd in any type of environmental sample have been rare. The 113 mass chain yield is small relative to other longer-lived fission products, such as 90Sr and 137Cs, produced from uranium, plutonium and thorium fissions1. Also, only a small fraction of the 113 chain yield decays to 113mCd (ref. 2). Salter3 estimated that the 113mCd/90Sr activity quotient in thermonuclear fission should be 0.003. He stated that “this ratio is in good agreement with data from a few samples measured in the northern hemisphere prior to 1962 which have no 109Cd”. This, to our knowledge, was the first report of the detection of fission-produced 113mCd in the environment. Salter3 also calculated that 0.062 MCi of 113mCd and 0.25 MCi of 109Cd were produced by activation during the atmospheric detonation of the 1.4-megaton Starfish device on 9 July 1962 over Johnston Atoll. As both 109Cd and 113mCd are produced during neutron activation of stable cadmium, and 109Cd is not a fission product, the last part of Salter's statement is significant. The absence of 109Cd in samples collected before 1962 indicates that all nuclear testing before this time, which included all tests conducted at Enewetak and Bikini Atoiis in the Marshall Islands, could have generated 113mCd only as a fission product. It is therefore important to recognize that 113mCd could be present in other environments contaminated with fission product wastes discharged to the aquatic environment from other nuclear facilities. 113mCd has a half life4 of 14.6 ± 0.1 yr and decays predominantly by beta-particle emission. We present here a preliminary report of 113mCd concentrations measured in sediment and tissue samples of marine organisms collected around different atolls in the Marshall Islands.
Regulation of cyclic AMP production in adult human ciliary processes

Cyclic AMP production in intact ciliary processes from elderly human donors is subject to stimulatory and inhibitory control by various agents. Stimulation of cAMP production is observed with forskolin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, or the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol. Inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cAMP production is observed with endothelin-2 or PAC. The inhibitory effect of PAC is blocked by the specific alpha 2-adrenergic antagonist, yohimbine. Endothelin-2 has no effect on basal cAMP production. These data document the positive and negative regulation of cAMP responses in adult human ciliary processes and support the idea that cAMP is a key intermediate in the regulation of aqueous humor formation.
Isovector fields for problems in the mechanics of solids and fluids

Abstract Practical aspects of the application of isovector methods to equations of balance are summarized. The dimension reduction argument given in the appendix together with programs in the REDUCE-2 algebraic manipulation language reduce the computation time from man-years to a few mornings work at a computer terminal. Specific applications to commonly encountered problems are given. All isovector fields for the following systems are exhibited: steady incompressible viscous flows in 2 spatial dimensions; steady thermal boundary layer equations in 2 spatial dimensions; unsteady incompressible viscous flows in 3 spatial dimensions; and dynamic thermoelasticity in 3 spatial dimensions. These results give immediate information concerning the connectivity of the solution sets and similarity variables. In particular, it is shown that only solutions of the unsteady incompressible viscous flow equations with the same local continuity classes can be connected.
The Long-Term Relationships Between the Motivation for Change and Alcohol Use Severity Among Patients with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness

This study examined the long-term relationship of changes in the motivation to remedy alcohol abuse to alcohol use severity among patients with a dual diagnosis of substance abuse disorder and severe and persistent mental illness. Linear regression analyses showed that patients who increasingly recognized alcohol use problems over a 9-month period exhibited significantly greater alcohol use severity at 9 months and a significant increase in alcohol use severity over time. Moreover, patients who became increasingly determined to take actions against alcohol use over a 9-month period exhibited significantly lower alcohol use severity at 9 months and a significant decrease in alcohol use severity over time. The findings support Prochaska et al.'s transtheoretical model of the motivation for change. They suggest that the recognition of alcohol use problems comes along with learning adverse consequences of alcohol use and that increased determination to take actions is critical to the long-term behavioral changes in alcohol use.
Ecological engineering—the 7-year itch

Abstract Ecological engineering has developed at a considerable pace since 1989. A journal has been formed and has prospered, a professional society has developed, and a major international SCOPE project has started. Some ecological underpinnings of ecological engineering such as self-design have become well established, but the involvement of the engineering fraternity has been slower due to professional constraints. Ecological engineering, which involves both ecological and engineering disciplines, needs to integrate the two fields into a new meta-discipline that includes professional accreditation. Ecosystem restoration, possibly a sub-field of ecological engineering, also has such professional questions. Altogether, 12 fundamental questions about the future of ecological engineering are posed and six recommendations are given on possible approaches that need to be taken to insure a healthy development of the field.
Hafnia: Energetics of thin films and nanoparticles

Crystallization energetics of amorphous hafnia powders and thin films on platinum substrates was studied by differential scanning calorimetry and time-resolved high temperature x-ray diffraction. For initially amorphous 25 and 20 nm films from atomic layer deposition, crystallization enthalpy decreases from −38 to −32 kJ/mol, and crystallization temperature increases from 388 to 417 °C as thickness decreases. Enthalpy of water vapor adsorption on the surface of monoclinic hafnia was measured for both bulk powder and nanoparticles and was found to vary from −110 to −130 kJ/mol for coverage of ∼5 H2O/nm2. The enthalpies of monoclinic hafnia with various surface areas, prepared by crystallization and annealing of an amorphous hafnia precursor, were measured by high temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry. Under the previously used assumption that the interfacial enthalpy is 20% of the surface enthalpy, the surface enthalpy was calculated from experimental data as 2.8±0.1 J/m2 for the hydrated surface and 3.7±0.1 J/m2 for the anhydrous hafnia surface. These values are similar to those measured previously for monoclinic zirconia.
Multivariable Askey–Wilson function and bispectrality

For every positive integer d, we define a meromorphic function F d (n;z), where n,z∈ℂ d , which is a natural extension of the multivariable Askey–Wilson polynomials of Gasper and Rahman (Theory and Applications of Special Functions, Dev. Math., vol. 13, pp. 209–219, Springer, New York, 2005). It is defined as a product of very-well-poised 8 φ 7 series and we show that it is a common eigenfunction of two commutative algebras ${\mathcal{A}}_{z}$ and ${\mathcal{A}}_{n}$ of difference operators acting on z and n, with eigenvalues depending on n and z, respectively. In particular, this leads to certain identities connecting products of very-well-poised 8 φ 7 series.
The Effect of Higher Temperatures on Cotton Lint Yield Production and Fiber Quality

An optimal temperature range exists for cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). When Mississippi Delta cotton experiences temperatures above the upper threshold, as can occur during the summer, it is not entirely clear what growth parameters are affected by the heat. The objectives of this study were to document differences in agronomic and physiological performance for two cotton genotypes (SureGrow 125 and SureGrow 125BR) when grown under an ambient temperature control and a warm temperature regime (about 1˚C warmer). Field studies were conducted from 2003 through 2005. White bloom counts, nodes above white bloom (NAWB) data, dry matter partitioning data, lint yield, yield components, and fi ber quality data were collected. Genotypes responded similarly to the temperature regimes. Warmer temperatures resulted in lower NAWB data, indicating a slightly advanced crop maturity. In two out of three years, the lint yield from the warm regime was 10% lower than that of the control. This reduction was primarily caused by a 6% smaller boll mass, with 7% fewer seed produced per boll in the warm regime. Fiber produced in the warm temperature regime was consistently 3% stronger than fi ber in the control treatment. When temperatures become too hot, ovule fertilization may be compromised, leading to fewer seeds produced per boll, smaller boll masses, and ultimately, lint yield reductions. USDA-ARS, Crop Genetics and Production Research Unit, P.O. Box 345, Stoneville, MS 38776. Trade names are necessary to report factually on available data; however, the USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the standard of the product or service, and the use of the name by USDA implies no approval of the product or service to the exclusion of others that may also be suitable. Received 8 May 2007. *Corresponding author (bill.pettigrew@ars.usda.gov).
Regional assignment of 19 X-linked ESTs

Subchromosomal localizations for 19 X-linked expressed sequence tags (ESTs) have been determined. Two ESTs are located in Xq28, adding two novel genes to this disease-rich region. The remaining ESTs are located primarily in the pericentromeric region, with most mapping to Xp11.1-p21.1. YAC and cosmid genomic clones have been isolated for several of these loci. Available cDNAs have been used to characterize the corresponding transcripts by Northern analysis in multiple human tissues.
Differentiation in vitro of hybrid eosinophil/basophil granulocytes: autocrine function of an eosinophil developmental intermediate

Granulocytes with the hybrid characteristics of eosinophils and basophils have been identified in the bone marrow and peripheral blood of humans with myeloid leukemias. We now describe a technique by which such hybrid granulocytes can be developed in vitro from normal cord blood precursors cultured in the presence of recombinant human interleukin (rhIL) 3 (350 pM) and rhIL-5 (200 pM) in a plastic vessel coated with Matrigel. After 14 d in culture, 90 +/- 3% (mean +/- standard error of the mean) of the nonadherent cells cultured in the Matrigel-coated flasks contained both eosinophil and basophil granules, as indicated by staining with Wright's and Giemsa stains. Of the nonadherent cells, 93 +/- 1% contained cyanide-resistant peroxidase, and 88 +/- 2% were toluidine blue-positive, characteristic of eosinophil and basophil granules, respectively. Transmission electron micrographs showed hybrid cells containing ultrastructurally distinct eosinophil granules with developing crystalline cores and basophil granules with reticular structures. These 14-d cord blood-derived cell cultures showed strong hybridization signals for eosinophil-derived neurotoxin by RNA blot analysis and contained 78 ng histamine per 10(6) cells. When the granulocytes were removed from cytokine-containing medium and suspended without Matrigel in RPMI 1640 medium containing 10% fetal calf serum (FCS), more than 80% of the granulocytes excluded trypan blue for as long as 5 d, and 93% had developed into eosinophils at 6 d. Conditioned medium prepared over 48 h from the 14-d cell cultures (hybrid granulocytes) sustained the 4-d viability in vitro of 78% of peripheral blood eosinophils from atopic donors. In comparison, 13% survived in RPMI 1640 containing 10% FCS alone. This viability-sustaining activity was nearly completely neutralized by an anti-granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) antibody and was only minimally reduced by anti-IL-3 or IL-5. Thus, cells possessing both eosinophil and basophil granules by both histochemical and ultrastructural analysis can be developed from normal progenitors in vitro in response to eosinophilopoietic cytokines and Matrigel. Their subsequent spontaneous development into mature eosinophils suggests that hybrid granulocytes are part of a normal developmental sequence during eosinophilopoiesis. Furthermore, these hybrid granulocytes are capable of autoregulation through elaboration of GM-CSF, which sustains their viability.
On the propagation and decay of gravitational waves

in which the g’s are the coefficients of a positive definite quadratic form and the quantities I’ and gii are functions of the variables x1, x2, x3 alone; it is to be understood of course that the second set of terms in the right member of (1.2) involves a summation over the values 1, 2, 3. It is natural to interpret the coordinate x0 as the time variable t in the system S, as indicated in (1.2), and to consider the coordinates x1, x2, x3 as the coordinates of a three dimensional Riemann space R whose fundamental metric form is given by dO2 = gij dXi dXi. (1.3) This point of view will be adopted in the following discussion. For later reference we note that the general form (1.1) reduces to the statical form (1.2) when h,= V2; hOi = 0; hij = gij, (i, j = 1, 2, 3). (1.4)
Adaptive-Optic Correction of a Regularized Compressible Shear Layer

Non-uniform, variable-density fields, resulting from compressibility effects in turbulent flows, are the source of aero-optical distortions which cause significant reductions in optical system performance. Adaptive-Optics (AO) is a technique used to correct for such spatially and temporally varying aberrations on an optical beam by applying a conjugate waveform correction to the beam. Traditional AO systems are bandwidth limited by real-time processing issues and wavefront sensor limitations. This paper presents an alternative AO approach using a phase-locked-loop control strategy. By using flow control to regularize the shear layer and its corresponding optical wavefront, the bandwidth necessary to make realtime corrections is effectively reduced by producing a more periodic and predictable optical signal. A feedback control approach has been simulated numerically performing real-time corrections to an aberrating wavefront due to propagation through a free shear layer. Several cases were studied for a variety of upper and lower Mach numbers. The numerical results show significant increases in the time-averaged Strehl ratio for the cases where the regularized wavefront contained a single dominant frequency. Further increases in the Strehl ratios were achieved after additionally removing tip/tilt. It was noted that tip/tilt error must be removed post AO corrections rather than prior in order to maintain a traveling wavefront necessary for this control strategy. In the highest Mach number case studied, regularization of the shear layer produced an optical wavefront containing both fundamental and subharmonic frequencies. Higher Mach number cases, such as this, may require the use of two frequency control which is currently being investigated further.