cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dorsal horn administration of L-arginine accentuates the pressor response evoked by activation of muscle mechanoreceptors

Abstract Recent work from our laboratory suggests that nitric oxide production in the dorsal horn has a modulatory influence on the pressor reflex evoked by static contraction of skeletal muscle. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that nitric oxide production in the dorsal horn is involved in producing the pressor reflex elicited by activation of skeletal muscle mechanoreceptors. Cats were anesthetized with α-chloralose (80 mg/kg) and urethane (100 mg/kg) and a laminectomy was performed. With the exception of the L 7 dorsal root, the dorsal and ventral roots from L 5 to S 2 were sectioned on one side. Muscle mechanoreceptors were activated by manually stretching the ipsilateral triceps surae muscle 1.5 cm. To block nitric oxide synthase, a 50 mM solution of nt-nitro- l -argenine methyl ester ( l -NAME) (a dose that altered the pressor reflex to static contraction) was microdialyzed into the dorsal horn at L 6 and S 1 . Dialysis of l -NAME failed to attenuate the peak change in mean arterial pressure evoked by muscle stretch (45±6 mmHg before and 44±9 mmHg after 2 h of l -NAME dialysis). On the other hand, 2 h of l -arginine dialysis (50 mM) increased the peak pressor response to muscle stretch from 43±3 to 57±5 mmHg. These data suggest that administration of l -arginine enhances the excitability of dorsal horn cells receiving input from muscle mechanoreceptors, thus increasing the pressor response evoked by activation of this type of muscle afferent neuron.
Investigation of the use of photon counting x-ray detectors with energy discrimination capability for material decomposition in micro-computed tomography

Recently developed solid-state detectors combined with high-speed ASICs that allow individual pixel pulse processing may prove useful as detectors for small animal micro-computed tomography. One appealing feature of these photon-counting x-ray detectors (PCXDs) is their ability to discriminate between photons with different energies and count them in a small number (2-5) of energy windows. The data in these energy windows may be thought of as arising from multiple simultaneous x-ray beams with individual energy spectra, and could thus potentially be used to perform material composition analysis. The goal of this paper was to investigate the potential advantages of PCXDs with multiple energy window counting capability as compared to traditional integrating detectors combined with acquisition of images using x-ray beams with 2 different kVps. For the PCXDs, we investigated 3 potential sources of crosstalk: scatter in the object and detector, limited energy resolution, and pulse piluep. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we showed that scatter in the object and detector results in relatively little crosstalk between the data in the energy windows. To study the effects of energy resolution and pulse-pileup, we performed simulations evaluating the accuracy and precision of basis decomposition using a detector with 2 or 5 energy windows and a single kVp compared to an dual kVp acquisitions with an integrating detector. We found that, for noisy data, the precision of estimating the thickness of two basis materials for a range of material compositions was better for the single kVp multiple energy window acquisitions compared to the dual kVp acquisitions with an integrating detector. The advantage of the multi-window acquisition was somewhat reduced when the energy resolution was reduced to 10 keV and when pulse pileup was included, but standard deviations of the estimated thicknesses remained better by more than a factor of 2.
Beam breakup in one-turn and two-turn energy recovery linacs

Abstract The capital and operating costs of an energy recovery linac (ERL) may be reduced by multi-turn operation, which uses more than one pass of acceleration and deceleration. However, the beam current limit due to multipass beam breakup (BBU) may be decreased. As an example, we study a 1-GeV ERL with average current of 100 mA, which is a possible source of bright synchrotron radiation. A one-turn design with a single superconducting L-band linac is compared to a two-turn single-linac design. In simulations, the BBU threshold currents of the two-turn design are about one-half as large as the one-turn thresholds. If the linac’s strongest higher-order modes are damped to obtain quality factors of a few thousand, 100-mA currents are possible in both designs. Thus, a two-turn ERL may be a feasible path to reduce the linac cost and machine size.
Florida – sunshine robotics

Describes the work undertaken at the Florida Atlantic University Robotics Center. Outlines the Center’s mission and infrastructure and looks in detail at the teaching activities – aimed at graduate students. Also describes a number of the research activities currently in progress.
Effect of Feeding Moderate Levels of Commercially Agenized Flour to Dogs.

SummaryThese results demonstrate that dogs can be fed a ration containing moderate levels (30%) of commercially agenized flour for long periods of time (12-14½ months) without developing running fits or electroencephalographic abnormalities.
Usefulness of Consumer Education Concepts as Perceived by Current and Former Homemaking Students

Current and former students enrolled in Consumer and Homemaking Education were investigated to determine how they perceived the usefulness of consumer education concepts taught in all home economics subject areas. The sample included 912 students from various sized schools throughout Texas. Data were gathered by a rating-scale questionnaire. Findings indicated that current and former students’perceptions of the usefulness of consumer education concepts taught in a specialized course and in the subject areas differed significantly at the 0.01 level with the exception of the areas of child development and family living. Further, both current and former students perceived consumer education concepts in home economics subject areas as more useful than consumer education concepts taught in consumer education alone. Significance of background variables was determined by using multiple classification analysis of variance statistical procedure. Variables which were significant included: enrollment status, community size, number of home economics courses taken, and sex of the respondent. However, the significant interaction of specific variables was not uniform for all the consumer education concepts. This means a variety of motivational strategies and learning experiences for males and females with varying backgrounds will need to be used to determine the best results for teaching the consumer education concepts perceived by students to be less useful. The authors concluded that for best results, basic consumer education concepts should be interfaced with home economics subject areas. This makes a strong argument for consumer education to be taught in all aspects of Consumer and Homemaking Education.
Investigation of Two Analytical Wake Models Using Data From Wind Farms

A code ‘Wind Farm Optimization using a Genetic Algorithm’ (referred as WFOG) was developed for optimizing the placement of wind turbines in large wind farms. It utilizes an analytical wake model (by Jensen et al.) to minimize the cost per unit power for the wind farm. In this study, a new wake model by Ishihara et al. is tested in WFOG. The wake model takes into account the effect of atmospheric turbulence and rotor generated turbulence on the wake recovery. Results of the two wake models are compared with data from Horns Rev and Nysted wind farm. The maximum error (Horns Rev wind farm) for Ishihara’s wake model was 7% as compared to 15% for Jensen’s wake model. The optimal results obtained in earlier studies (using Jensen’s wake model) are compared to wind farm configurations obtained for Ishihara’s wake model. The optimization is carried out for the simplest wind regime: Constant wind speed and fixed wind direction.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Ambiguous Psychological Misconceptions

True/false test questions have been used to identify misconceptions about psychology (e.g., Vaughan, 1977). Brown (1984) examined nine such questions and found that the "correct" answers were misleading. In this article seven additional true/false test questions are examined and shown to be too ambiguous to he used in measuring students' understanding of psychology.
Effect of orientation on plasmonic coupling between gold nanorods.

Radiative coupling of induced plasmonic fields in metal nanoparticles has drawn increasing attention in the recent literature due to a combination of improved experimental methods to study such phenomena and numerous potential applications, such as plasmonic nanoparticle rulers and plasmonic circuitry. Many groups, including ours, have used a near-exponential fit to express the size scaling of plasmonic coupling. First, we show experimental agreement between previously simulated nanorod coupling and plasmonic coupling in electron beam lithography (EBL) fabricated nanorods using the near-exponential expression. Next, we study the effect of nanoparticle orientation on plasmonic coupling using EBL and DDA simulations. We develop a mathematical relationship that is consistent with our findings and quantitatively describes plasmonic coupling between nanorods as a function of orientation, separation, induced dipole strength, and the dielectric constant of the medium. For applications utilizing plasmonic couplin...
A power-constrained MPU roadmap for the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS)

Technology roadmaps help predict requirements for future technologies and guide ongoing technology research and development. The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) [1] has been published since 1999; it is fully revised in odd-numbered years and updated in even-numbered years. In this paper, we describe a modeling framework to predict future characteristics and implied technology requirements of the ITRS microprocessor (MPU) ‘system driver’, following Moore's Law scaling under power constraints. The outcomes of this modeling effort are the basis of ITRS updates to be published in the 2009 ITRS edition.
TDP-43 in Alzheimer's disease is not associated with clinical FTLD or Parkinsonism.

Widespread deposition of TAR DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43), a major protein inclusion commonly found in frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can also be seen in a subset of cases with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Some of these AD cases have TDP-43 immunoreactivity in basal ganglia (BG) and substantia nigra (SN), regions that when affected can be associated with parkinsonian signs or symptoms, or even features suggestive of frontotemporal dementia. Here, we examined the presence of clinical features of FTLD, parkinsonian signs and symptoms, and BG atrophy on MRI, in 51 pathologically confirmed AD cases (Braak neurofibrillary tangle stage IV–VI) with widespread TDP-43 deposition, with and without BG and SN involvement. All 51 cases had presented with progressive cognitive impairment with prominent memory deficits. None of the patients demonstrated early behavioral disinhibition, apathy, loss of empathy, stereotyped behavior, hyperorality, and/or executive deficits. Furthermore, TDP-43 deposition in BG or SN had no significant association with tremor (p = 0.80), rigidity (p = 0.19), bradykinesia (p = 0.19), and gait/postural instability (p = 0.39). Volumes of the BG structures were not associated with TDP-43 deposition in the BG. The present study demonstrates that TDP-43 deposition in pathologically confirmed AD cases is not associated with a clinical manifestation suggestive of FTLD, or parkinsonian features.
Biomimetic Approaches for Fabricating High-Density Nanopatterned Arrays

A variety of alternative approaches to lithography have been investigated to address the many challenges currently associated with scaling of feature sizes. One of the more cost-effective techniques has been to use the intrinsic self-assemblying properties of AB diblock copolymers to make polymer thin films as nanometer etch masks. A more etch-resistant film can be fabricated through enrichment of domains within the block copolymer thin films with metals such as silicon. In contrast to previous methods for mineralizing polymer thin films, we demonstrate here a biomimetic approach for synthesizing two-dimensional silica nanopatterns at neutral pH and mild temperatures within polystyrene-b-poly-4-vinylpyridine thin films. We further show that one can employ these benign synthetic conditions to fabricate sub-20 nm features of phase change materials (PCM) while keeping the PCM film in its amorphous state in order to study the effect that scaling these materials has on their crystallization temperatures.
Luria's neurodevelopmental stages in relation to intelligence and academic achievement in kindergarten and first grade

Theoretical models describing the relationships among Luria's (1973) Stage 3 neurodevelopment (perceptual‐motor or modality‐specific processing), Luria's Stage 4 neurodevelopment (more abstract or modality‐free integration of information from two or more modality‐specific areas), intelligence, and academic achievement were evaluated using structural equation modeling. Kindergarten and first‐grade scores of 230 children on the Reitan‐Indiana Neuropsychological Test Battery for Children Aged 5 to 8 were used to test models examining whether, as Luria's model suggests, achieving Stage 4 neurodevelopment is associated with initial learning of academic subjects. Although Stage 3 and Stage 4 were related in kindergarten and in first grade, they were more highly related in first grade, consistent with the theoretical claim that Stage 3's relationship with academic learning is fully mediated by an indirect path through Stage 4. Furthermore, neurodevelopmental factors appeared to be important in predicting academi...
Effects of Massed and Distributed Practice on the Learning and Retention of Second-Language Vocabulary

AbstractHigh school students enrolled in a French course learned vocabulary words under conditions of either massed or distributed practice as part of their regular class activities. Distributed practice consisted of three 10-minute units on each of three successive days; massed practice consisted of all three units being completed during a 30-minute period on a single day. Though performance of the two groups was virtually identical on a test given immediately after completion of study, the students who had learned the words by distributed practice did substantially better (35%) than the massed- practice students on a second test given 4 days later. The implications of the findings for classroom instruction and the need to distinguish between learning and memory are discussed.
A logistic multilevel model for civic engagement and community group impact in the digital age

Prior research has demonstrated that a citizens' socioeconomic status is a significant determinant of the extent of citizen involvement via ICT [18]. Others have focused on its impact on civic engagement in terms of community group impacts, finding that such groups play an important role in increasing citizen involvement within democratic processes [8]. Thus, previous research has examined effects aggregated at the 'individual level' and 'group level,' respectively. This paper seeks to reconcile these levels in order to assess the impact of ICT on civic engagement. Our study examines the interplay of individual level and community group level factors through analysis of the data from a household survey (N=717) taken in Blacksburg, Virginia in 2005. This study identifies the idiosyncratic influences at both levels by applying a multilevel model (specifically, a logistic hierarchical linear model). In particular, we verify the positive impact of community groups utilizing ICT in increasing civic engagement. This research will be used to form the basis of a comparative study of civic engagement through eGovernment portals, mobile technology and social media, and to assess their impact on facilitating group communication and sensemaking.
Blood Pressure Regulation to Prevent Progression of Blunt Traumatic Intracranial Hemorrhage in Stable Patients

Target blood pressure (BP) in stable (non-hypotensive) patients with acute isolated blunt traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (TICH) is unknown. To address this issue, our study correlated BP with radiological volumetric progression (RP) and neurological deterioration (ND) in these patients. A retrospective review of hemodynamically stable adults (n = 184) with isolated TICH not requiring emergent surgery consecutively admitted to a Level I trauma center. BPs before admission computed tomography (CT) scan (CT1) and between CT1 and a follow-up CT (CT2) were correlated with TICH volume and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) during these time periods. Predictors for deterioration were studied. Primary outcomes were increased measured TICH and decreased GCS at the CT1–CT2 interval. Age (57 years), % male (73), ISS (17), % falls (77), comorbidities (1.2/pt), and % anticoagulation (20) were similar in patients with or without RP (n = 107, 58 %) or ND (n = 34, 18 %). By univariate analysis, RP patients had an average systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP), and mean BP (MAP) similar to non-RP patients; whereas ND patients compared to non-ND patients had a higher mean admission DBP (p < 0.02) and MAP (p < 0.04), a higher mean admission peak MAP (p < 0.01) and DBP (p < 0.01), a higher CT1–CT2 interval peak DBP (p < 0.01) and peak MAP (p < 0.01), and a lower CT1–CT2 nadir SBP (p < 0.04). Spearman rank correlation test did not show association among average SBP, MAP, DBP, absolute or % change in BPs, and absolute or % change in TICH volumes in any phase. Multivariate analysis identified higher nadir admission SBP [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.29 per 10 mmHg increase] and lower peak MAP during the CT1–CT2 period (AOR 0.71 per 10 mmHg decrease) as independent predictors of RP, and a peak DBP in the CT1–CT2 interval (AOR 1.48) as an independent predictor of ND. Other predictors of ND included bilateral admission TICH (AOR 3.31) and increased injury volume (AOR 1.36), while the number of comorbidities/patient (AOR 4.34), bilateral injury (AOR 3.12), and midline shift (AOR 4.34) predicted RD. A comprehensive dynamic analysis correlating repeated BP determinations with quantifiable repeated parameters of TICH deterioration (injury volume and GCS) did not demonstrate a clinically relevant protective target BP value. Current practices of BP control in this specific group of patients should be further investigated. Prognostic, Level II study.
Fibroma of tendon sheath

This report describes four patients with fibroma of tendon sheath. The tumors were slowly enlarging, firm nodules that were adherent to tendon sheaths of the volar aspect of the fingers or palm. One lesion was recurrent. Microscopically, they consisted of lobulated, hyalinized, collagenous masses that contained spindled and stellate fibroblasts and an array of slitlike spaces. There were small pseudopods and seperate foci of tumor in adjacent connective tissue. These may explain the propensity of fibroma of tendon sheath to recur.
A general approach to optomechanical parametric instabilities

We present a simple feedback description of parametric instabilities which can be applied to a variety of optical systems. Parametric instabilities are of particular interest to the field of gravitational-wave interferometry where high mechanical quality factors and a large amount of stored optical power have the potential for instability. In our use of Advanced LIGO as an example application, we find that parametric instabilities, if left unaddressed, present a potential threat to the stability of high-power operation.
Effect of continuous versus multiple intermittent light exposures on rat retina

The damaging effects of continuous light exposure to the albino rat retina have been well documented. However, the cumulative effects of multiple light exposures are not well defined. We therefore compared the retinal injury induced by a single 24 hour light exposure with that caused by three intermittent exposures of 8 hours each. Eight dark-adapted albino Lewis rats were exposed for 24 hours to green fluorescent light (490-580 nm) at an illuminance level of 175 foot-candles. A second group of 8 rats was exposed under similar conditions in three split doses of 8 hours each at intervals of 7 days between each exposure. Recovery was allowed in total darkness, and the animals were sacrificed 2 weeks following the last exposure. Retinal damage was assessed by morphometry and light and electron microscopy. Mild cumulative retinal injury, mostly in photoreceptor cells with relative sparing of the retinal pigment epithelium, was seen in the split dose group, while extensive damage involving photoreceptor cells and retinal pigment epithelium was noted in the group exposed continuously for 24 hours.
A note on constructing infinite binary words with polynomial subword complexity

Most of the constructions of infinite words having polynomial subword complexity are quite complicated, e.g. , sequences of Toeplitz, sequences defined by billiards in the cube, etc. In this paper, we describe a simple method for constructing infinite words w over a binary alphabet { a,b } with polynomial subword complexity p w . Assuming w contains an infinite number of a ’s, our method is based on the gap function which gives the distances between consecutive b ’s. It is known that if the gap function is injective, we can obtain at most quadratic subword complexity, and if the gap function is blockwise injective, we can obtain at most cubic subword complexity. Here, we construct infinite binary words w such that p w (n ) = Θ (n β ) for any real number β > 1.
Strategic use of the unsayable: Paradox as argument in Gödel's theorem

Godel's Theorem was the mathematical proof that has been said to mark the loss of certainty in formal logic; Lyotard named it as the beginning of the post‐modern reformulation of the nature of knowledge. Godel's proof is also an eloquent paradigm‐changing text, demonstrating the inability of language, however perfect, to represent reality in a way that guarantees unambiguous communication. Instead, he uses paradox as an alternative form of argument that creates certainty through performance.
Sustained solutions for conservation laws

We consider completely exceptional models for 3 × 3 systems of conservation laws having a given geometric interaction structure. We show that the model for the equations of gas dynamics has globally bounded solutions which do not decay, and conjecture that similar behavior occurs for the full Euler equations. Moreover, other 3 × 3 systems with nontrivial Lie algebra have exponentially growing modes. Thus a necessary condition for globally bounded solutions is that the geometric structure be the same as that of the gas dynamics equations, namely the system must be symmetric hyperbolic. We introduce a simple numerical scheme in which the approximations are exact weak solutions, so that there is no residual, and convergence follows easily. This allows us to explain most observed phenomena of periodic solutions.
Calculation of pKa values of nucleobases and the guanine oxidation products guanidinohydantoin and spiroiminodihydantoin using density functional theory and a polarizable continuum model.

An efficient computational method has been identified that uses B3LYP density functional theory, IEF-PCM solvation modeling with a modified UFF cavity, and Boltzmann weighting of tautomers to predict the site-specific and global pKa of DNA nucleobases and their oxidation products. The method has been used to evaluate the acidity of guanidinohydantoin (Gh) and spiroiminodihydantoin (Sp), two highly mutagenic guanine oxidation products. The trend observed for the pKa values of Gh (9.64 and 8.15) is consistent with the experimentally observed values for guanidine cation (13.7) and hydantoin (9.16). The pKa1(calc) value for deprotonation of Sp cation (Sp+ → Sp) is very close to the experimentally observed pKa1 for 8-oxoG and is consistent with the similarity in their structures. The data suggest that the imide (N7) proton in Sp is considerably more acidic than that in Gh, possibly due to the presence of the through-space electronic effects of the carbonyl group located at C6. This difference in the acidity of...
Students’ Perception of International Business Curriculum: An Explorative Study—Case of Lebanon

Economic development depends on business education for a thriving and secure society. A skilled workforce that can create, innovate, and increase business opportunities fosters an environment of prosperity that provides jobs and enhances the quality of life among its citizens. This article examines the environment, content, and delivery of business education in Lebanon. It analyzes curriculum content and the students' perceptions of the value and applicability of the curriculum. It also explores the shift in emphasis toward an international perspective in curricula and its importance for the academicians as well as practitioners to understand the methods, techniques, and activities that are being used to prepare the future business workforce. This study presents ideas and perspectives about how business and international curricula in Lebanon are perceived. Data for this article were collected in Lebanon and reflects the students' perspective on its international business curriculum.
`Living Flesh': Animal—Human Surfaces

While historically animal art served cultural ends toward appropriating and domesticating animals, contemporary art considers the possibility of meeting animals outside of human terrains and outside of cultural ideas about human and animal subjectivity. In such art the relationship between canvas as surface and animal body as surface undoes historical appropriation of the animal. The work of artists Olly and Suzi provides a test case for breaching the divide between human worlding and the `poor in world' or mere surface lives of the animal as explicated by Martin Heidegger. The artists' paper spread out as surface between the animal and the artists creates a contact zone between the surface lives of animals and the work of art. What develops is a productive site for pidgin language that counters human interiority as the space of rational thought.
Initial Progress of Children Identified with Disabilities in Michigan's Reading First Schools

This 2-year longitudinal study examined initial evidence of progress in reading for 1,512 children with and without identified speech-language and/or learning disabilities (LD-SLD) in the context of the explicit literacy instruction provided in Michigan's Reading First (RF) schools. The findings suggested that children with LD-SLD labels demonstrated significantly slower growth compared to children without LD-SLD labels. Children considered more at risk also demonstrated slower progress in oral reading fluency (but not reading comprehension) compared to children considered less at risk. Implications are discussed in relationship to the extent of instructional support needed by children identified as LD-SLD in the mainstream, and in terms of the specific dimension of reading skills as a criterion.
Complications of hand-assisted laparoscopic renal surgery: single-center ten-year experience.

Objectives To review our perioperative complications during the first decade of using hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy using a sleeve (HALN). HALN is a minimally invasive procedure first reported by our group in 1997. Methods After institutional review board approval, the charts of the patients who had undergone HALN, hand-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, or hand-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy from 1997 to 2007, at our institution, were retrospectively reviewed. Standard laparoscopic procedures were not included. The relevant patient characteristics, operative details, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, body mass index, comorbidities, medications, and complications were recorded. Results A total of 227 consecutive patients had undergone Hand-assisted laparoscopic renal surgery, and all their charts were reviewed. Of these 227, 134 were radical HALN, 37 were nonradical HALN, 42 were hand-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, and 15 were hand-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy. Complications developed in 59 patients (26%): 8% major and 18% minor. The procedure-specific complication rate was 29% for radical HALN, 27% for nonradical HALN, 33% for hand-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy, and 17% for hand-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy. Complications included blood transfusion in 6%, urinary retention in 4%, ileus in 4%, and wound infection in 4%. From 2003 through 2007 (n = 163), our overall complication rate was 22% (8% major and 13% minor). From 1997 to 2002 (n = 65), the overall complication rate was 38% ( P = .02). The American Society of Anesthesiologists score and the use of systemic steroids were associated with the occurrence of perioperative complications. Conclusions Our results have shown that hand assistance provides a safe, minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure. Our complications rates were comparable to those with other standard and hand-assist series, although the spectrum of complications varied. Hand-assisted laparoscopic renal surgery could be a method by which to improve patient access to minimally invasive nephron-sparing surgery.
Phase Change Behavior of Biomedically Relevant Solutions

Understanding the phase change behavior of biomedically relevant solutions is critical to the development of cryopreservation and cryosurgery protocols. In the present study, the phase change characteristics, particularly thermodynamically non-equilibrium phenomena including supercooled ice nucleation and eutectic formation, of various compositions and concentrations of biological solutions with/without glycerol as a cryoprotective agent (CPA) were investigated using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and cryomicroscopy. The eutectic transitions (crystallization and melting) were observed in not only water-NaCl binary solutions, but also phosphate buffered saline (PBS) solutions. The eutectic transitions in both water-NaCl and PBS solutions were depressed during freezing far below their thermodynamic equilibrium eutectic temperatures. Contrary to freezing, eutectic melting starts very close to the thermodynamic equilibrium eutectic temperature during thawing. However, the eutectic transitions disappeared when a small amount of glycerol (∼0.1M) was added.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Spin-dependent scattering and giant magnetoresistance

Abstract We consider the origins of the spin-dependent scattering which is believed to be responsible for the giant magnetoresistance effect. We argue on the basis of first-principles calculations of the electronic structure, magnetic moments, and electrical resistivities that this spin-dependent scattering originates largely from the tendency of spin-dependent atomic potentials to ‘match’ in one of the spin channels of magnetic alloys or multilayers. We also argue that the matched channel will tend to have a lower density of states at the Fermi energy. Both of these effects will contribute to the GMR. We argue that there is the potential for a very large GMR in an ideal system, but that spin-independent scattering possibly coming from misaligned spins near the interfaces prevents its observation.
Interaction of epidermal growth factor with adult rat liver parenchymal cells in primary culture.

Abstract Adult rat liver parenchymal cells in primary culture exhibit specific saturable binding of 125 I-labeled murine epidermal growth factor (EGF). The Scatchard plot of the binding data obtained at 36 °C was curvilinear yielding two apparent dissociation constants of 1.5 × 10 −10 m and 1.2 × 10 −9 m with 27,000 and 57,000 sites per cell, respectively. The binding data obtained at 2 °C yielded a linear Scatchard plot with an apparent dissociation constant of 4.4 × 10 −9 m and 78,000 sites per cell. Exposure of the hepatocytes to EGF at 36 °C resulted in a loss of EGF binding capacity due to down regulation of receptors. The cells recovered the capacity to bind EGF upon incubation in medium which did not contain EGF; this recovery was inhibited by cycloheximide. The cultures appeared to internalize and degrade bound EGF at 36 °C but not at 2 °C. The degradation of EGF was inhibited by chloroquine, an inhibitor of lysosomal enzymes. These data indicate that liver specifically binds and further processes EGF, and therefore, may be a physiological target tissue for this growth factor.
Estimation of a common multivariate normal mean vector

Let X 1,..., X N be independent observations from N p (μ, Σ1) and Y 1,..., Y N be independent observations from N p (μ, Σ2). Assume that X i 's and Y i 's are independent. An unbiased estimator of μ which dominates the sample mean % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9qq-f0-yqaqVeLsFr0-vr% 0-vr0db8meaabaqaciGacaGaaeqabaWaaeaaeaaakeaaceWGybGbae% baaaa!3A32!\[\bar X\]for p≥1 under the loss function L(μ, % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9qq-f0-yqaqVeLsFr0-vr% 0-vr0db8meaabaqaciGacaGaaeqabaWaaeaaeaaakeaacuaH8oqBga% qcaaaa!3B03!\[\hat \mu\]) = (% MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9qq-f0-yqaqVeLsFr0-vr% 0-vr0db8meaabaqaciGacaGaaeqabaWaaeaaeaaakeaacuaH8oqBga% qcaaaa!3B03!\[\hat \mu\]− μ)′Σ−1 1(% MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9qq-f0-yqaqVeLsFr0-vr% 0-vr0db8meaabaqaciGacaGaaeqabaWaaeaaeaaakeaacuaH8oqBga% qcaaaa!3B03!\[\hat \mu\]− μ) is suggested. The exact risk (under L) of the new estimator is also evaluated.
Are tyrosine kinases involved in mediating contraction-stimulated muscle glucose transport?

Muscle contractions and insulin stimulate glucose transport into muscle by separate pathways. The contraction-mediated increase in glucose transport is mediated by two mechanisms, one involves the ...
Sustainability: Living within One’s Own Ecological Means

Abstract: This paper provides a critical review of sustainability, including its definitions, dimensions, measurements, and practices, as well as approaches to achieve sustainability. It raises questions about conventional definitions and argues for taking into account the geographic dimension of sustainability for better understanding of the regional differences in sustainability and transition to sustainability. The paper proposes that sustainability should be defined as ―living within one’s own ecological means.‖ This definition pays attention to regional disparities in biocapacity and ecological footprint. It realizes that not all people’s present and future needs may be met in all regions of the world. Keywords: sustainability definition; sustainability transition; sustainability science; ecological footprint; Environmental Kuznets Curve; geography; weak sustainability; strong sustainability 1. Introduction An enormous increase in publications on sustainability has accompanied imperative concerns over global environmental degradation and climate change [1]. Focusing on understanding the complex dynamics of human-environment interactions, the resulting field of sustainability science has been expanding at an accelerated pace and in multiple directions [2-6]. The meaning of sustainability has been broadening and deepening. In introducing
Measurement of uniaxial anisotropy in Rogers RO3010 substrate material

A new technique using a dual mode “RA resonator” to measure uniaxial anisotropy in planar substrates is applied to Rogers RO3010 material. When this technique was previously applied to FR-4, an unexpected result (a horizontal dielectric constant less than the vertical dielectric constant) was obtained. It is hypothesized that the unexpected result is due to the fact that FR-4 is inhomogeneous. For example the glass fiber weave embedded in the FR-4 epoxy is not uniformly distributed. To test this hypothesis, similar measurements are performed on Rogers RO3010 material, which is strongly anisotropic, perfectly homogeneous, and is known from independent measurements to have a horizontal dielectric constant greater than the vertical. Several modifications to the original RA resonator that increase the frequency range over which useful measurements can be acquired are described and demonstrated.
Do 8‐Month‐Old Infants Consider Situational Constraints When Interpreting Others’ Gaze as Goal‐Directed Action?

Some actions of agents are ambiguous in terms of goal-directedness to young infants. If given reasons why an agent performed these ambiguous actions, would infants then be able to perceive the actions as goal-directed? Prior results show that infants younger than 12 months can not encode the relationship between a human agent’s looking behavior and the target of her gaze as goal-directed. In the present experiments, 8-month-olds responded in ways suggesting that they interpreted an agent’s action of looking at object-A as opposed to object-B as evidence for her goal directed toward object-A, if her looking action was rational given certain situational constraints: a barrier separated her from the objects or her hands were occupied. Therefore, the infants seem to consider situational constraints when attributing goals to agents’ otherwise ambiguous actions; they seem to realize that within such constraints, these actions are efficient ways for agents to achieve goals.
Design and Evaluation of the iMed Intelligent Medical Search Engine

Searching for medical information on the Web is popular and important. However, medical search has its own unique requirements that are poorly handled by existing medical Web search engines. This paper presents iMed, the first intelligent medical Web search engine that extensively uses medical knowledge and questionnaire to facilitate ordinary Internet users to search for medical information. iMed introduces and extends expert system technology into the search engine domain. It uses several key techniques to improve its usability and search result quality. First, since ordinary users often cannot clearly describe their situations due to lack of medical background, iMed uses a questionnaire-based query interface to guide searchers to provide the most important information about their situations. Second, iMed uses medical knowledge to automatically form multiple queries from a searcher' answers to the questions. Using these queries to perform search can significantly improve the quality of search results. Third, iMed structures all the search results into a multi-level hierarchy with explicitly marked medical meanings to facilitate searchers' viewing. Lastly, iMed suggests diversified, related medical phrases at each level of the search result hierarchy. These medical phrases are extracted from the MeSH ontology and can help searchers quickly digest search results and refine their inputs. We evaluated iMed under a wide range of medical scenarios. The results show that iMed is effective and efficient for medical search.
Sites in the AAV5 capsid tolerant to deletions and tandem duplications

Gene therapy vectors based on adeno-associated virus (AAV) have shown much promise in clinical trials for the treatment of a variety of diseases. However, the ability to manipulate and engineer the viral surface for enhanced efficiency is necessary to overcome such barriers as pre-existing immunity and transduction of non-target cells that currently limit AAV applications. Although single amino acid changes and peptide insertions at select sites have been explored previously, the tolerance of AAV to small deletions and tandem duplications of sequence has not been globally addressed. Here, we have generated a large, diverse library of >10(5) members containing deletions and tandem duplications throughout the viral capsid of AAV5. Four unique mutants were identified that maintain the ability to form viral particles, with one showing improved transduction on both 293T and BEAS-2B cells. This approach may find potential use for the generation of novel variants with improved and altered properties or in the identification of sites that are tolerant to insertions of targeting ligands.
Cell-Mediated Crystallization of Calcium Oxalate in Plants

Plants make crystals of calcium oxalate in an intriguing variety of defined shapes. [Figure 1][1] illustrates a commercial preparation of calcium oxalate, which consists of a mix of crystals with variable sizes and irregular shapes. In contrast, crystals synthesized by plants typically exhibit quite
Oral amiodarone loading therapy. I. The effect on serial signal-averaged electrocardiographic recordings and the QTc in patients with ventricular tachyarrhythmias

The effect of amiodarone loading (1400 mg/day for 7 days) and maintenance therapy (400 mg/day) on the signal-averaged electrocardiogram (SAECG) and the QTc were evaluated in 14 patients. Daily recordings were taken for the first 7 days of loading and on the ninth, twelfth, fourteenth, and twenty-first day of maintenance therapy. All patients had inducible sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT), 10 of them had late potential (LP) positive recording, and four were LP negative during control measurements. Amiodarone loading significantly changed all SAECG indices and prolonged the QTc. Changes induced by amiodarone were present within 24 hours of administration. The time to reach peak effect varied from 6 to 9 days. The maximum increase in late potential duration (LPD) was threefold greater than the increase in filtered ORS duration or QTc (61% vs 18% vs 14%, respectively), suggesting a more pronounced effect on the reentrant pathway than on the remaining myocardium. Of the four LP negative patients, three became LP positive while receiving amiodarone. In conclusion, amiodarone affects all SAECG indices. However, the magnitude of the changes varies, being most pronounced on the LPD. Amiodarone affects the SAECG and the QTc within the first 24 hours. The time of onset of the peak effect varies from 6 to 9 days. LP negative patients with inducible VT frequently became LP positive during amiodarone therapy.
Representations related to CM elliptic curves

In [10], Mazur showed that the p-adic lifts of a given absolutely irreducible representation are parametrized by a universal deformation ξ:Gℚ, S → GL2() where has the form . (Here Gℚ, S is the Galois group over ℚ of a maximal algebraic extension unramified outside a finite set S of rational primes.) In [1, 3, 10], situations were investigated where the universal deformation ring turned out to be ℚp[[T1T2, T3]] (i.e. r = 3, I = (0)). In [2], the tame relation of algebraic number theory led to more complicated universal deformation rings, ones whose prime spectra consist essentially of four-dimensional sheets.
Biology of the Armored Scale Rhizaspidiotus donacis (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), a Candidate Agent for Biological Control of Giant Reed

The development, survival, and reproductive output of the armored scale Rhizaspidiotus donacis Leonardi (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) were determined as part of an evaluation of this scale for biological control of giant reed, Arundo donax L. Scale crawlers produced by females collected in southern France and Spain lived for less than two d in the absence of a host. On A. donax shoots held under a diurnally variable temperature regime (15-26°C), crawlers settled on leaf collars and axillary stem bases and completed the first instar within 14 d. Winged adult males emerged within six wk and lived 1.7 d in vials. Immobile adult females were observed 75 d after crawler release. Development time to adult was reduced 15% in males and 28% in females when scales were reared at a constant temperature of 26°C. Survival from crawler to adult was 20-25%. The generation time for laboratory-reared females was 170 d and their average life span was 203 d. Females from field collections produced an average of 85 live crawlers, 2.7-fold more than did colony-reared females. Across 31 field collections, female size was correlated to the percentage of scales that were reproductive. However, among eight collections from two Spanish sites, size varied but was not correlated to reproductive success. Peak reproduction from field collections occurred between November and March, and the scale completed two generations per year. Biological information about R. donacis will aid production, release, and field evaluation of this scale for biological control of invasive A. donax in North America.
Foot orthosis for the severe flatfoot in sports

The control of excessively pronating feet in athletes can be a prolonged and frustrating experience for both the doctor and the patient. The inverted orthotic technique has previously been described for making a device that has two basic applications: to control excessive subtalar joint pronation, especially where a Root or modified Root device cannot, and to invert the entire lower limb for such problems as medial knee pain. The authors present two case histories that highlight the indications of this orthotic device for the athletic population.
Silent sinus syndrome presenting as enophthalmos long after orbital trauma

Late enophthalmos is a well-known consequence of large orbital floor fractures. In rare cases, late enophthalmos can occur after direct trauma to the maxillary ostiomeatal complex and present as silent sinus syndrome (SSS). We report two cases of SSS manifesting as enophthalmos years after facial trauma. The first patient developed SSS 4 years after a minimally displaced orbital floor fracture. The second patient had progressive enophthalmos as a result of atelectasis of the maxillary sinus years after facial trauma and surgical repair of nasal fractures. There have been two prior reports of SSS presenting after orbital trauma. Our patients differ from these prior reports in that the enophthalmos was discovered years after the initial facial trauma. In the first patient, surgery addressing the blockage of the ostiomeatal complex arrested the enophthalmos; in the second patient, it reversed the enophthalmos.
Clinical and Immunologic Responses in Patients with Viral Keratoconjunctivitis

Of 120 individuals suffering from follicular conjunctivitis, with or without keratitis, 56 had epidemic keratoconjunctivitis caused by adenovirus type 8. The remaining 64 patients had keratoconjunctivitis produced by several different viruses, including herpes simplex, adenoviruses types 3, 7, 8, 16, 21, and 29, and others. Positive viral cultures were difficult to obtain after the first week of illness in most viral infections. Serologic tests were far more successful in indetifying causative agents. Hemagglutination-inhibition tests in adenovirus infections proved to be fast, accurate, and more sensitive than other serologic tests. Among the epidemic and nonepidemic adenovirus groups, the degree of corneal involvement in the infections appeared to be correlated with the level antibody against the infectious agent. Patients with low antibody titers had more severe keratitis than those with high titers. This correlation was true for both the epidemic and non epidemic patients.