cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The National Research Council report on the Colleges of Agriculture at the Land Grant Universities: some issues of interest to poultry science

The recently released National Research Council report, Colleges of Agriculture at the Land Grant Universities: Public Service and Public Policy (NRC 1996), may be of particular interest to poultry scientists. The dramatic changes in U.S. agriculture, which were among the factors that spawned the NRC's interest in a study of the land grant colleges, are probably nowhere more evident than in the poultry industry. Furthermore, there is considerable discussion in the report about the value of multi-state and multi-disciplinary efforts in teaching, research, and extension. The need to attract nontraditional students to poultry science curricula and to produce graduates well-suited for modern, vertically integrated agricultural enterprises, such as poultry, are a high priority.
Mitosis detection for stem cell tracking in phase-contrast microscopy images

Automated visual-tracking systems of stem cell populations in vitro allow for high-throughput analysis of time-lapse phase-contrast microscopy. In these systems, detection of mitosis, or cell division, is critical to tracking performance as mitosis causes branching of the trajectory of a mother cell into the two trajectories of its daughter cells. Recently, one mitosis detection algorithm showed its success in detecting the time and location that two daughter cells first clearly appear as a result of mitosis. This detection result can therefore helps trajectories to correctly bifurcate and the relations between mother and daughter cells to be revealed. In this paper, we demonstrate that the functionality of this recent mitosis detection algorithm significantly improves state-of-the-art cell tracking systems through extensive experiments on 48 C2C12 myoblastic stem cell populations under four different conditions.
Socially Responsible Organizational Buying: Environmental Concern as a Noneconomic Buying Criterion:

The greening of corporate America has added a new and different type of criterion to some organizational buying decisions—social responsibility. Scholars have given little attention to such nonecon...
Endogenous dynorphins inhibit excitatory neurotransmission and block LTP induction in the hippocampus

Although anatomical and neurochemical studies suggest that endogenous opioids act as neurotransmitters, their roles in normal and pathophysiological regulation of synaptic transmission are not defined. Here we examine the actions of prodynorphin-derived opioid peptides in the guinea-pig hippocampus and show that physiological stimulation of the dynorphin-containing dentate granule cells can release endogenous dynorphins, which then activate kappa 1 opioid receptors present in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus. Activation of kappa 1 receptors by either pharmacologically applied agonist or endogenously released peptide reduces excitatory transmission in the dentate gyrus, as shown by a reduction in the excitatory postsynaptic currents evoked by stimulation of the perforant path, a principal excitatory afferent. In addition, released dynorphin peptides were found to block the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) at the granule cell-perforant path synapse. The results indicate that endogenous dynorphins function in this hippocampal circuit as retrograde, inhibitory neurotransmitters.
Distinguishing between abstraction and addition as the first step in the reaction of a nitroxyl radical with cyclohexene.

An unambiguous method for distinguishing between abstraction−addition and addition−abstraction mechanisms (and mixtures thereof) in the reaction of 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl with a specifically deuterated cyclohexene, 1,2-dideuteriocyclohexene, is demonstrated.
Kinetic properties of bovine brain protein L-isoaspartyl methyltransferase determined using a synthetic isoaspartyl peptide substrate.

Proteinl-isoaspartyl methyltransferase, an enzyme enriched in brain, is implicated in the repair of age-damaged proteins containing atypical, isoaspartyl peptide bonds. We have investigated the kinetics of methylation using a synthetic peptide substrate having the structure Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-isoAsp-Ala-Ser-Gly-Glu. Double-reciprocal plots of initial velocity versus concentration of S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) at different fixed concentrations of peptide gave straight lines converging at a positive 1/v value and a negative 1/AdoMet value. The product S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy) was a competitive inhibitor towards AdoMet and a linear mixed-type inhibitor towards peptide. These results are consistent with the rapid-equilibrium random sequential bi-bi mechanism previously proposed for the enzyme, but they also reveal the formation of the deadend, enzyme-peptide-AdoHcy, complex. The rate constants were:V max=32–34 nmol/min/mg,K peptide=7.6–9.4 μM,K AdoMet=1.9–2.2 μM, α=0.43–0.53,K AdoHcy=0.08 μM, γ=2.9. The interaction factors α and γ indicate that binding of enzyme to peptide increases its affinity for AdoMet and decreases its affinity for AdoHcy. Methylation was linear with time throughout the transfer of 2 mol of methyl groups/mol of enzyme. This absence of burst kinetics suggests that slow release of products cannot explain the low turnover number.
Ontological Hierarchical Clustering for Library-Based Microbial Source Tracking

Pyroprinting is a novel library-based microbial source tracking method developed by the Biology department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Biologists conducting research using pyroprinting rely on methods for partitioning collected bacterial isolates into bacterial strains. Clustering algorithms are often used for bacterial strain analysis of organisms in computational biology. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering, a commonly used clustering algorithm, is inadequate given the nature of data collection for pyroprinting. While the clusters produced are acceptable, pyroprinting requires a method of analysis that is scalable and incorporates useful metadata into the clustering process. We propose an ontology-based hierarchical clustering algorithm OHClust!, a modification of the agglomerative hierarchical clustering algorithm. OHClust! uses metadata associated with the data being clustered to direct the order in which the individual data points and sub clusters are compared to each other. This paper describes OHClust! and compares it to agglomerative hierarchical clustering.
Viscous Scalar Conservation Law with Nonlinear Flux Feedback and Global Attractors

Abstract In this paper we study the forced viscous scalar conservation law on (0, 1) with the nonlinear flux feedback at the boundary. Global existence and uniqueness are established for L ∞ bounded initial conditions and forcing functions. Under an appropriate growth condition on the flux function and nonlinear dissipation at the boundary, we show the existence of an absorbing set that absorbs the whole space L ∞ (0, 1), and the existence of a compact global attractor in the L ∞ topology.
Hyperoxia induces Egr-1 expression through activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 pathway.

Early growth response gene (Egr-1) is a stress response gene activated by various forms of stress and growth factor signaling. We report that supraphysiologic concentrations of O(2) (hyperoxia) induced Egr-1 mRNA and protein expression in cultured alveolar epithelial cells, as well as in mouse lung in vivo. The contribution of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38 MAPK and PI3-kinase pathways to the activation of Egr-1 in response to hyperoxia was examined. Exposure to hyperoxia resulted in a rapid phosphorylation of ERK 1/2 kinases in mouse alveolar epithelial cells LA4. MEK inhibitor PD98059, but not inhibitors of p38 MAPK or PI3-kinase pathway, prevented Egr-1 induction by hyperoxia. The signaling cascade preceding Egr-1 activation was traced to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling. Hyperoxia is used as supplemental therapy in some diseases and typically results in elevated levels of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) in many lung cell types, the organ that receives highest O(2) exposure. Our results support a pathway for the hyperoxia response that involves EGF receptor, MEK/ERK pathway, and other unknown signaling components leading to Egr-1 induction. This forms a foundation for analysis of detailed mechanisms underlying Egr-1 activation during hyperoxia and understanding its consequences for regulating cell response to oxygen toxicity.
Absence of Focal Compensatory Enlargement or Constriction in Diseased Human Coronary Saphenous Vein Bypass Grafts An Intravascular Ultrasound Study

Background No in vivo data are available on the occurrence of compensatory enlargement or vessel constriction in diseased human coronary saphenous vein bypass grafts (SVBGs). The aim of this intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) study was to examine to what extent lumen reduction is accompanied by (1) vessel wall thickening and (2) arterial wall constriction in SVBGs. Methods and Results We used IVUS to examine 43 SVBGs from 42 patients (32 men, 10 women; mean age, 72±5 years) 8 to 23 (11±4) years after SVBG. IVUS images were obtained with a 3.5F monorail ultrasound catheter with a 30-MHz frequency and were analyzed at the lesion site, the reference site, and an intermediate site. The lumen area was significantly (P<.01) decreased; the vessel wall area (SVBG cross-sectional area minus lumen area) and the plaque area (area within the external elastic lamina minus lumen area) were significantly (P<.01) increased from the reference site through the lesion site. However, SVBG cross-sectional area was the same at th...
An analysis of learned kin recognition in hymenoptera

Abstract A model is developed to explain data on the probability with which a strange conspecific hymenopteran female will be accepted into a group of sisters. The analysis is based on a genetic labeling system (primarily odors) of m loci and n i equally frequent alleles at the i -th locus ( i = 1,…, m ). Three recognition mechanisms are considered (viz: genotype recognition; foreign-label rejection; and habituated-label acceptance) where all three mechanisms depend on individuals learning the labels represented in their group. The probability with which non-kin will be accepted into large sibling group is calculated for a number of different labeling systems. These different labeling systems are compared and a comparision is also made between the three recognition mechanisms mentioned above. A general expression is then derived, in terms of the number of loci and alleles in the labeling system and the size of the sibling group, for the probability with which “strang” sisters are accepted into a group of sisters with whom they have had no prior contact. These results are applied to existing data on the primitively eusocial sweat bee Lasioglossum zephyrum and the present indication is that recognition in L. zephyrum can be modeled by foreign-label rejection with a genetic labeling system of four or five loci with eight to ten alleles in total (i.e. each locus will have two or at most three alleles).
The transformation of testosterone by Tetrahymena pyriformis.

Abstract [4- 14 C]-Testosterone was completely transformed into multiple 14 C-products when incubated with cultures of Tetrahymena pyriformis , strains W and II-1. One of the principal 14 C-products was identified to be 4-androstene-3β,17β-diol. Verification of the identification of this product was obtained by thin-layer and gas-liquid chromatography, recrystallization, and mass spectrometry.
VERNACULAR CABS: JITNEYS AND GYPSIES IN FIVE CITIES

Abstract Although there is an extensive literature on taxis and taxicab drivers, this is not the case for jitneys (gypsies). After a definition of “vernacular” is provided, the paper proceeds with an overview of vernacular cab operations in five American cities: Chattanooga, Chicago, New York, Omaha and Philadelphia. The overviews are based on library research, interviews and the participant-observation method (as jitney driver in Omaha). An overwhelming number of vernacular operations are in the hands of blacks; a few, in New York City, are run by Puerto Ricans. After the overviews—or ethnographies—are presented, the paper concludes with a discussion that touches on why these cabs are de facto taxis , the validity of “vernacular” as a term for the cab systems reviewed, why there has been a neglect of the vernaculars as a research topic, and the importance of vernaculars for policy analysis.
A new illusion demonstrates long-range processing.

Abstract In the Fraser phase-illusion [Popple & Sagi. Vision Research, 40 (2000) 873–878] rows of Gabor patches appear tilted because successive elements are shifted in phase. We measured this bias in global orientation judgment, while varying the number of patches in each row, and their separation. We found that illusory tilt increases with the number of patches, at least up to ten patches for a separation of four carrier periods. This finding implies that the visual system is able to integrate information over large (>10°) strips of the central visual field. Our model shows that the tilt illusion might be the result of averaging the activity of oriented filters.
Studies on Ehrlich ascites cell nuclei: IV. Determination of nicotinamide adenosine dinucleotide pyrophosphorylase activity in nuclei isolated by an improved technique

Abstract A modification of a previously reported method for isolation of Ehrlich ascites cell nuclei has increased the yield of nuclei to 77 per cent. Cytoplasmic contamination based on DPNH cytochrome c reductase remained at the low level of 5 per cent. The amount of the enzyme DPN pyrophosphorylase recovered in the nuclear fraction was 80 per cent of that present in whole cells. This indicates that this enzyme is situated for the most part, if not entirely, in the nucleus of the Ehrlich ascites cell. Coupled with the fact that the nuclei have an excellent morphology under the microscope, the high recovery of this enzyme suggests that other nuclear enzymes may be sought for and studied in nuclei isolated by the method as now employed.
Photoinduced Nucleation of Water Vapor

Strong photoinduced nucleation of pure water vapor was found to occur in a wavelength range where no ultraviolet absorption of water vapor has been reported. Systematic studies were made of the dependence of the nucleation rate and the delay time for the initiation of nucleation on light intensity. The results obtained were accurately fitted by a phenomenological mechanism whereby the nucleation is initiated by clusters accumulating an appropriate number of photoexcited water molecules.
Segmentation d’images synchronisées à la respiration en TEP/TDM : étude sur fantôme

Resume L’objet de cette etude est d’evaluer la precision de methodes de segmentation par seuillage adaptatif en TEP/TDM synchronisee a la respiration et d’en deduire leurs indications et limites. Differentes acquisitions sur fantome ont permis d’etudier l’effet du mouvement, de la dimension des tumeurs et de l’activite de la tumeur par rapport au tissu qui l’environne. Le domaine de validite de ces techniques, basees sur la determination d’un seuil optimal, est etendu grâce a des mesures synchronisees sur fantome si l’amplitude maximum par image est inferieure ou egale a 7,5 mm et la tumeur de dimensions superieures a 17 mm. Lors d’examens de patients, une acquisition synchronisee permet, meme dans le pire des cas, de reduire suffisamment le deplacement dans l’image correspondante a l’amplitude relative la plus faible. Deux methodes de seuillage adaptatif sont ainsi proposees pour delineer des images d’acquisitions synchronisees dans le cas de tumeurs homogenes peu soumises a l’effet de volume partiel. Si la tumeur est inferieure a trois fois la resolution du systeme, une approche plus evoluee devra etre employee.
Fabrication, Characterization, and Spectral Properties of Indigo Blue Nanocrystals

Organic nanocrystals have been extensively studied in recent years for their unique optoelectronic properties and for applications in medicine. We report the first synthesis of nanocrystals from the dye compound indigo by reprecipitation. Scanning electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering reveal the particles to be approximately 10–20nm in size, among the smallest organic nanoparticles reported, while powder X-ray diffraction shows similarities to previously reported bulk crystals of indigo. The intense visual absorption peak of the nanoparticles is blue-shifted relative to bulk crystals, consistent with previous observations for nanoscale materials. Potential medical applications are discussed.
Effects of Light and Darkness on Biosynthesis of Carotenoid Pigments in Wheat Seedlings.

The seeds of most higher plants contain relatively small quantities of carotenoid pigments. Upon germination and early seedling growth in the absence of light, more carotenoids are synthesized. Both in seeds (4) and in dark-grown seedlings (3, 14, 2), the carotenoid fraction has been found to consist principally of xanthophylls, with carotenes being present in much smaller amounts. The biosynthesis of carotenoid pigments, w-hich can occur in total darkness, is greatly stimulated in light, much of the increase occurring in the carotene fraction (1, 2). The role of light in carotenoid biosynthesis has been studied intensively in a variety of plant materials by earlier investigators (10, 11, 7, 5). The study of Kay and Phinney (7) with corn indicated that lutein was the major constituent of darkgrown seedlings. On illumination, large increases occurred in 8-carotene and neo ,8-carotene. In French bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, Goodwin and Phagpolngarm (5) observed large increases in /3carotene and lutein in both cotyledons and leaves upon illumination of dark grown plants. It is the purpose of this paper to present the results of analyses of the carotenoid pigments of wheat seedlings grown in light and in darkness.
High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of plasma and urinary 1-ethyl-1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-1,8-naphthyridine-3,7-dicarboxylic acid.

Abstract A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the analysis of 1-ethyl-1,4-dihyrro-4-oxo-1,8-naphthyridine-3,7-dicarboxylic acid (I) in plasma and urine is described. A statistical evaluation of the assay technique has shown acceptable accuracy and precision at concentration as high as 2.0 μ/ml of plasma or 29.0 μ/ml of urine for samples augmented with I. As little as 0.08 μ/ml of I in plasma or 0.42 μ/ml of I in urine were quantitatively determined. The mean relative error for the assay of unknown concentrations of I in plasma and uring was +− 8% and =− 3%, respectively. This method was used for the analysis of I in the plasma and urine of rhesus monkeys following oral administration of 200 mg/kg of nalidixic acid.
Retaining optimism in the face of adversity.

Nicholas J. Pisacano was an optimistic man. Considered to be the founding father of the discipline of Family Medicine, Dr. Pisacano had already spent years working toward his goal when, in April 1963, he proposed the establishment of a certifying board to the American Academy of General Practice.
Evidence from x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy on the charge distribution in various chromium compounds

Measurements of various core-level binding energies in the compounds K3CrF6, K3Cr(CN)6 and Cr(acac)3 are reported. The binding energies of the LIII level of Cr in these compounds, and in Cr(CO)6 and K2CrO4, are analyzed to yield charge differences between the chromium atom in Cr(acac)3 and in the other compounds.
The eccentric face seal with a tangentially varying film thickness.

Eccentric face seal with tangentially varying film thickness, analyzing leakage flow proportional to eccentricity and surface waviness
The complete nucleotide sequence and genome organization of tomato chlorosis virus

The crinivirus tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV) was discovered initially in diseased tomato and has since been identified as a serious problem for tomato production in many parts of the world, particularly in the United States, Europe and Southeast Asia. The complete nucleotide sequence of ToCV was determined and compared with related crinivirus species. RNA 1 is organized into four open reading frames (ORFs), and encodes proteins involved in replication, based on homology to other viral replication factors. RNA 2 is composed of nine ORFs including genes that encode a HSP70 homolog and two proteins involved in encapsidation of viral RNA, referred to as the coat protein and minor coat protein. Sequence homology between ToCV and other criniviruses varies throughout the viral genome. The minor coat protein (CPm) of ToCV, which forms part of the "rattlesnake tail" of virions and may be involved in determining the unique, broad vector transmissibility of ToCV, is larger than the CPm of lettuce infectious yellows virus (LIYV) by 217 amino acids. Among sequenced criniviruses, considerable variability exists in the size of some viral proteins. Analysis of these differences with respect to biological function may provide insight into the role crinivirus proteins play in virus infection and transmission.
Is resection of pulmonary and hepatic metastases warranted in patients with colorectal cancer

Abstract Background: Conventional management of stage IV colorectal carcinoma is palliative. The value of resecting both liver and lung colorectal metastases that occur in isolation of other sites of metastasis is undetermined. Objectives: Our objectives were to (1) assess the efficacy of resecting both hepatic and pulmonary metastases, (2) investigate the influence of the sequence and timing of metastases, and (3) identify the profile of patients likely to benefit from both hepatic and pulmonary metastasectomy. Patients and methods: Of 48 patients identified with resection of colorectal cancer and, at some point in time, both liver and lung metastases, 25 patients underwent metastasectomy (resection group). The remaining 23 patients comprised the nonresection group. Risk factors for death were identified by multivariable analyses. Results: Median survival was longer after the last metastatic appearance in the resection group (16 months) than in the nonresection group (6 months; P P Conclusions: Younger patients with solitary metachronous metastases to the liver, then the lung, and long disease-free intervals are more likely to benefit from resection of both liver and lung metastases. Patients with risk factors also had better survival with resection than without resection. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1999;117:66-76)
Discriminative features for text document classification

The bag-of-words approach to text document representation typically results in vectors of the order of 5000–20,000 components as the representation of documents. To make effective use of various statistical classifiers, it may be necessary to reduce the dimensionality of this representation. We point out deficiencies in class discrimination of two popular such methods, Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI), and sequential feature selection according to some relevant criterion. As a remedy, we suggest feature transforms based on Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). Since LDA requires operating both with large and dense matrices, we propose an efficient intermediate dimension reduction step using either a random transform or LSI. We report good classification results with the combined feature transform on a subset of the Reuters-21578 database. Drastic reduction of the feature vector dimensionality from 5000 to 12 actually improves the classification performance.
“Irreversibility Line” and magnetic relaxation in a Sm1.85Ce0.15CuO4−y single crystal

Abstract We report on the static and dynamic magnetic behavior of a Sm 1.85 Ce 0.15 CuO 4− y single crystal for fields ranging from 20 Oe to 6 kOe. The irreversibility line, extracted from static magnetization versus temperature measurements in different magnetic fields H , shows power law behavior with an exponent that changes at ∼ 1 koe from 1.7 for fields H ⩽1 kOe to 3.5 for H ⩾ 1 kOe. The magnetic relaxation study shows that for values of the applied field greater than 600 Oe, an extrapolation of the normalized relaxation rate S n to zero temperature gives a non-zero value. Thismay be indicative of nonthermally activated relaxation processes. For 1 kOe, S n versus temperature exhibits two peaks, a possible indication of the presence of two pinning mechanisms. A distribution of activation energies for the pinning barriers was inferred to explain the experimental observations. The distribution functions were calculated from magnetic relaxation data taken in different applied magnetic fields.
Collagen induces cytokine release by fetal platelets: Implications in scarless healing

Abstract In previous studies the authors demonstrated that unlike adult platelets, fetal platelets respond poorly to collagen. When platelets make contact with the exposed collagen at the site of injury, the result is activation, aggregation, and degranulation with the release of cytokines and growth factors. This sequence of events is well characterized in adult wounds, which heal with an acute inflammatory response and dense scar formation. In sharp contrast, fetal dermal wounds heal without an acute inflammatory response and minimal scar formation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that collagen, abundant at the site of dermal injury, is a poor inducer of cytokine release by fetal platelets. This could explain, in part, the minimal inflammation accompanying fetal dermal wound healing. Platelet suspensions from six fetal Yorkshire swine at day 80 of gestation (term, 114 days) were exposed to either arachidonic acid, 0.5 mg/mL, collagen, 0.19 mg/mL, or saline. The release into plasma of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β1), and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-AB effected by these agents was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to correlate the biochemical findings with ultrastructural changes and showed that arachidonate-treated platelets were aggregated and devoid of granules. In contrast, collagen-treated platelets had undergone conformational changes but showed only a moderate change in the quantity and homogeneity of their secretory granules compared with saline-treated controls. There was a significant increase in TGF-β1 release into plasma after treatment with collagen (6.64 ± 0.36 ng/mL) and arachidonate (7.64 ± 0.77 ng/mL) compared with saline (4.74 ± 0.36 ng/mL), P P
Relationships between size-specific sediment preferences and burial capabilities in juveniles of two Alaska flatfishes

Laboratory experiments with juvenile Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis Schmidt) (31–150 mm TL) and northern rock sole (Lepidopsetta polyxystra Orr and Matarese) (15–150 mm TL) were conducted to examine relationships between sediment preference, burial performance, and general morphological characteristics. Both species demonstrated significant size-dependent changes in sediment choices during the first year of life. Highest sediment selectivity occurred in the smallest individuals of both species. There was a strong positive relationship between sediment choice and ability to bury quickly and completely, although the choices made by rock sole were less specific than those of comparably sized halibut and were less closely concordant with burial capability. In both species, fish >80 mm TL were relatively nonselective, except that they avoided sediments with the largest grain size (i.e., granules and pebbles). Pacific halibut have narrower, more powerful bodies than rock sole and were stronger burrowers than rock sole. Rock sole were more cryptic than halibut in general locomotion and color-matching capability, and appear to depend to a lesser extent on burial for survival than do halibut. Association with sediment is the first line of defense for juvenile flatfishes, and the relationships shift rapidly with fish size during the first year of benthic life. Therefore, habitat descriptions and models for young post-settlement flatfishes need to be made for narrow size classes.
Comparison of rubella and nonrubella young deaf adults: implications for learning.

To investigate the effects of rubella on the performance of deaf subjects, a group of 30 rubella young deaf adults was compared to a group of 30 nonrubella young deaf adults on a series of measures...
Selection of Optimal Modulation Frequencies in Multi-Frequency DOT

Use of multi-frequency DOT for reconstruction of optical properties is investigated. Choosing appropriate frequency values by considering system noise and using multi-parameter Tikhonov regularization, improvement is demonstrated using phantom data with multi-frequency reconstruction.
Stress and alcohol interaction: an update of human research.

The literature on alcohol and stress in human subjects carried out since 1981 is reviewed. The review covers selected aspects of the interaction of alcohol and stress. (1) Most of the review focuses on the role of stress on alcohol ingestion. Retrospective research based on data from the Health and Nutrition Examination Survey indicated an increase in alcohol consumption with anxiety in certain groups of, as yet not well characterized, individuals. For example, although still insufficiently documented, stress does not appear to play a significant role in alcohol ingestion by women and the elderly. By contrast, stress does appear to play a role in the control of alcohol ingestion by adolescents. Prospective studies employing questionnaire-interview formats generally support an effect of stress on alcohol ingestion. However, studies employing male college aged social drinkers did not find a correlation between levels of stress and ingestion of alcohol. Alcoholics also differ in the reasons for drinking alcohol, but generally ingest alcohol to lessen anxiety/stress. It is clear that the Tension Reduction Hypothesis as originally postulated is no longer adequate. Many new models based on an interaction of alcohol and stress have been proposed to explain the control of alcohol consumption. Considering the multidimensionality of factors that appear to contribute to the control of alcohol ingestion, it is unlikely that a single model could possibly be relevant to alcohol ingestion under all conditions. More likely different models may be relevant to alcohol consumption under specific conditions, or for specific populations. (2) Alcohol has been reported to decrease anxiety in agoraphobics. The self-medication by agoraphobics may contribute significantly to their alcohol abuse. (3) Alcohol has also been reported to decrease tremor of the hands in stressed subjects as well as in patients with essential tremor. (4) Although a number of studies have employed electrodermal activity in studies aimed at the interaction of alcohol and stress, the results have been rather inconsistent. (5) The controversy on the purported beneficial effect of alcohol on the cardiovascular system persists. A number of studies have shown a J- or U-shaped relationship between alcohol ingestion and incidence of coronary heart disease. Alcohol may also influence stress-induced changes in blood pressure. Although a number of studies have demonstrated lower blood pressure in individuals ingesting less than two drinks per day compared with abstainers or heavy alcohol imbibers, the evidence is not conclusive. (6) It is not clear whether the interaction of alcohol and stress involves alterations in plasma catecholamines. Alcohol may lower elevated plasma catecholamines induced by some, but not all, stressors. The inconsistencies in data in the reviewed literature most likely reflect some of the many variables associated with alcohol and stress research. These are also briefly reviewed and include subject-, drug- and stress-related variables.
Effect of fly ash content and aggregate gradation on the durability of concrete pavements

In the regions where temperature fluctuations are large ranging from below freezing in winter to high temperatures in summer, concrete highway pavements fail because of poor durability rather than lack of strength. The effect of fly ash replacement of Portland cement and the use of dense aggregate gradation on the durability of concrete mixtures is studied in this research. Eight concrete mixtures were cast, four of them using the aggregates as per current specifications and the other four mixtures using dense graded aggregates. For each of these two gradations, different fly ash replacement amounts of 30, 35, 40, and 45% for Portland cement were used. All mixtures were designed for 6% air content, and 25–38 mm (1 to 1 1∕2 in.) slump for the freshly mixed concrete. The study shows that the increase of fly ash content from 30 to 45% increased the durability of concrete mixtures without the loss of compressive and flexural strengths. The concrete mixtures containing dense graded aggregates, and higher perce...
Quantification of compaction-induced crystallinity reduction of a pharmaceutical solid using 19F solid-state NMR and powder X-ray diffraction.

19F solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was investigated as an analytical technique to quantify the amorphous phase in a fluorine-containing pharmaceutical candidate. The crystallinity of Compound 1 was calculated using two 19F T1 relaxation-based methods. The first method employs both the pure amorphous and the crystalline reference standards while the second method is model independent and utilizes a single standard. The 19F solid-state NMR results were confirmed with powder X-ray diffraction methods. From X-ray diffraction data, two linear calibration curves were obtained from blends of crystalline and amorphous Compound 1: one is based on the total integrated intensity of selected diffraction peaks and the other on the total intensity of the amorphous halo at 2θ positions that have no interference from crystalline diffraction peaks. The crystallinity of Compound 1 after compaction calculated by both 19F solid-state NMR methods was in excellent agreement with the results from the X-ray calibra...
Design and implementation of a fully integrated compressed-sensing signal acquisition system

Compressed sensing (CS) is a topic of tremendous interest because it provides theoretical guarantees and computationally tractable algorithms to fully recover signals sampled at a rate close to its information content. This paper presents the design of the first physically realized fully-integrated CS based Analog-to-Information (A2I) pre-processor known as the Random-Modulation Pre-Integrator (RMPI) [1]. The RMPI achieves 2GHz bandwidth while digitizing samples at a rate 12.5× lower than the Nyquist rate. The success of this implementation is due to a coherent theory/algorithm/hardware co-design approach. This paper addresses key aspects of the design, presents simulation and hardware measurements, and discusses limiting factors in performance.
Efficient Sequential Designs with Binary Data

Abstract A class of sequential designs for estimating the percentiles of a quantal response curve is proposed. Its updating rule is based on an efficient summary of all of the data available via a parametric model. The logit-MLE version of the proposed designs can be viewed as a natural analog of the Robbins—Monro procedure in the case of binary data. It is shown to be asymptotically consistent, optimal, and nonparametric via its connection with the latter procedure. For certain choices of initial designs, the proposed method performs very well in a simulation study for sample sizes up to 35. A nonparametric sequential design, via the Spearman—Karber estimator, for estimating the median is also proposed.
Improving Variance Estimation in Biometric Systems

Measuring system performance seems conceptually straightforward. However, the interpretation of the results and predicting future performance remain as exceptional challenges in system evaluation. Robust experimental design is critical in evaluation, but there have been very few techniques to check designs for either overlooked associations or weak assumptions. For biometric & vision system evaluation, the complexity of the systems make a thorough exploration of the problem space impossible - this lack of verifiability in experimental design is a serious issue. In this paper, we present a new evaluation methodology that improves the accuracy of variance estimator via the discovery of false assumptions about the homogeneity of cofactors - i.e., when the data is not ''well mixed". The new methodology is then applied in the context of a biometric system evaluation with highly influential cofactors.
Noncoherent Rician fading Channel-part II: spectral efficiency in the low-power regime

Transmission of information over a discrete-time memoryless Rician fading channel is considered, where neither the receiver nor the transmitter knows the fading coefficients. The spectral-efficiency/bit-energy tradeoff in the low-power regime is examined when the input has limited peakedness. It is shown that if a fourth-moment input constraint is imposed, or the input peak-to-average power ratio is limited, then in contrast to the behavior observed in average-power-limited channels, the minimum bit energy is not always achieved at zero spectral efficiency. The low-power performance is also characterized when there is a fixed peak limit that does not vary with the average power. A new signaling scheme that overlays phase-shift keying on ON-OFF keying (OOK) is proposed and shown to be optimally efficient in the low-power regime.
Complete denture secondary impression technique to minimize distortion of ridge and border tissues

A technique has been described with which a physiologic and anatomic registration of the attached and unattached tissue of the denture-bearing areas can be attained. Clear acrylic resin trays aid in eliminating excessive displacement at the secondary impression phase. Inadequacies of the mucostatic concept include: Failure to register the tissues, which are important for retention and stability Certain metal bases that are part of this procedure can be implemented by only a small number of technicians Increased cost There are two shortcomings of the tissue-loading technique for complete denture impressions. Resulting retention and stability lasts only for a short period of time. Unwanted ridge resorption and tissue changes occur.
THE USE OF GEL ELECTROPHORESIS IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF THE PARAPROTEINEMIAS.

Summary Gel electrophoresis was utilized to study 140 sera containing “paraproteins.” No consistent differentiation into the three basic immunologic types or the idiopathic type was possible. Since normal serum and paraprotein containing serum can be resolved into many discrete proteins, this technique may be very helpful in basic protein research.
Development of fluorinated benzothiadiazole as a structural unit for a polymer solar cell of 7 % efficiency.

a) fluorine is the mostelectronegative element, with a Pauling electronegativity of4.0, which is much larger than that of hydrogen (2.2);b) fluorine is the smallest electron-withdrawing group (vander Waals radius, r=1.35 , only slightly larger than hydro-gen, r=1.2 ). Furthermore, these fluorine atoms often havea great influence on inter- and intramolecular interactionsthrough C-F···H, F···S, and C-F···p
Cellular expression and antimicrobial function of a phylogenetically conserved novel histone 1x-like protein on mouse cells: a potential new class of pattern recognition receptor

A H1x-like protein (i.e., NCAMP-1) is expressed on the membrane and in GEs from fish NK-like cells. In the present study, we identify the imprinting control region mouse NCAMP-1 ortholog using NCAMP-1 polyclonal antibodies and mAb. Polychromatic flow cytometry revealed NCAMP-1 expression on PBLs (Gr-1 PMNs were 21.1% NCAMP-1; DX-5 NK cells were 12.2% NCAMP-1), mesenteric LN cells (CD11c DCs were 23.2% NCAMP-1; Gr-1 PMNs were 24.8% NCAMP-1; CD21 B cells were 17.8% NCAMP-1), and splenocytes (CD11c were 39.6% NCAMP-1; Gr-1 PMNs were 40.9% NCAMP-1; DX-5 NK cells were 24.3% NCAMP-1; CD21 B cells were 28.5% NCAMP-1). Western blot analysis using pNCAMP-1 and GEs from RAW 264.7 cells produced a 32-kDa signal. GEs from RAW 264.7 cells produced a significant reduction in Escherichia coli CFU. This antimicrobial killing activity was inhibited by pretreatment of the extract with (polyclonal) anti-NCAMP-1. Treatment with preimmune serum did not reduce bacterial cell killing. Confocal microscopy using NCAMP-1 and LAMP-1 mAb demonstrated that NCAMP-1 was located on the membrane and in cytosolic vesicles of RAW 264.7 cells and did not appear to colocalize with LAMP-1. NCAMP-1 may participate as a bifunctional protein on cells. It is expressed on the membranes of phagocytic cells, NK cells, and APCs in mice as well as in the granules of macrophages. In phagocytic cells, NCAMP-1 may participate in a nonregulated exocytosis pathway of cellular secretion. J. Leukoc. Biol. 86: 000–000; 2009.
3-Methyl-1-butanol production in Escherichia coli: random mutagenesis and two-phase fermentation

Interest in producing biofuels from renewable sources has escalated due to energy and environmental concerns. Recently, the production of higher chain alcohols from 2-keto acid pathways has shown significant progress. In this paper, we demonstrate a mutagenesis approach in developing a strain of Escherichia coli for the production of 3-methyl-1-butanol by leveraging selective pressure toward l-leucine biosynthesis and screening for increased alcohol production. Random mutagenesis and selection with 4-aza-d,l-leucine, a structural analogue to l-leucine, resulted in the development of a new strain of E. coli able to produce 4.4 g/L of 3-methyl-1-butanol. Investigation of the host’s sensitivity to 3-methyl-1-butanol directed development of a two-phase fermentation process in which titers reached 9.5 g/L of 3-methyl-1-butanol with a yield of 0.11 g/g glucose after 60 h.
Buckling of orthogonally stiffened finite oval cylindrical shells under axial compression

Presented herein is a theoretical investigation of the stability of an orthogonally stiffened, finite, oval cylindrical shell under axial compression for various types of boundary conditions. The mathematical model begins with the establishment of a set of suitable large deflection shell equations. The stiffeners are treated as classical beam elements having axial, bending, and twisting stiffnesses. The formulation includes prebuckling deformations and ring-stiffener discreteness. The problem is solved by employing a modal expansion together with the total energy expression. The modes of the expansion are generated from the numerical solution to the exact equilibrium equations and boundary conditions of a circular cylinder identical to the present one except for its constant radius of curvature which is equal to the average radius of the oval shell. The results for an infinitely long stiffened and unstiffened oval shell, under axial compression, agree very well with those of previous investigations. The effects of the types of support, the out-of-roundness of the oval, and the eccentricity of the stiffeners upon the stability of the oval cylinder are also presented.
THE ADDITIVITY OF CROSSING NUMBERS

It has long been conjectured that the crossing numbers of links are additive under the connected sum of links. This is a difficult problem in knot theory and has been open for more than 100 years. In fact, many questions of much weaker conditions are still open. For instance, it is not known whether Cr(K1#K2)≥Cr(K1) or Cr(K1#K2)≥Cr(K2) holds in general, here K1#K2 is the connected sum of K1 and K2 and Cr(K) stands for the crossing number of the link K. However, for alternating links K1 and K2, Cr(K1#K2)=Cr(K1)+Cr(K2) does hold. On the other hand, if K1 is an alternating link and K2 is any link, then we have Cr(K1#K2)≥Cr(K1). In this paper, we show that there exists a wide class of links over which the crossing number is additive under the connected sum operation. This class is different from the class of all alternating links. It includes all torus knots and many alternating links. Furthermore, if K1 is a connected sum of any given number of links from this class and K2 is a non-trivial knot, we prove that Cr(K1#K2)≥Cr(K1)+3.
Ideological Trends and Changing Party System Polarization in Western Democracies

Party system polarization has large effects on individual behaviour and on election consequences. For example, when the large parties are close to the median voter, any outcome creates congruent governments. When they diverge, governments are usually much further away. However, we know surprisingly little about the causes of party system polarization. This paper explores the relative influences and relationships between international ideological trends, domestic voter diversity and party system left-right polarization in Western democracies. Citizen self-placement data from the Eurobarometer, World Value and CSES studies, and party position data from the comparative manifesto project and CSES, are used to analyse these dynamic movements and their consequences from the mid-1970s through 2005.
Allocating Costs in a Collaborative Transportation Procurement Network

We study a logistics network in which shippers collaborate and bundle their shipment requests to negotiate better rates with a common carrier. In this setting, shippers can identify collaborative routes with decreased overall empty truck movements. After the optimal routes that minimize total cost of covering all the shippers' demands are determined, this cost is allocated among the shippers. Our goal is to devise cost-allocation mechanisms that ensure the sustainability of the collaboration. We first develop cost-allocation mechanisms with well-known properties from the cooperative game theory literature, such as budget balance, stability, and cross-monotonicity. Next, we define a set of new properties, such as a guaranteed discount from the standalone cost for each shipper, desirable in our setting, and propose several cost-allocation schemes that could lead to implementable solutions. We also perform a computational study on randomly generated and real-life data to derive insights on the performance of the developed allocation schemes.
Shape Segmentation and Applications in Sensor Networks

Many sensor network protocols in the literature implicitly assume that sensor nodes are deployed uniformly inside a simple geometric region. When the real deployment deviates from that, we often observe degraded performance. It is desirable to have a generic approach to handle a sensor field with complex shape. In this paper, we propose a segmentation algorithm that partitions an irregular sensor field into nicely shaped pieces such that algorithms and protocols that assume a nice sensor field can be applied inside each piece. Across the segments, problem dependent structures specify how the segments and data collected in these segments are integrated. This unified topology-adaptive spatial partitioning would benefit many settings that currently assume a nicely shaped sensor field. Our segmentation algorithm does not require sensor locations and only uses network connectivity information. Each node is given a 'flow direction' that directs away from the network boundary. A node with no flow direction becomes a sink, and attracts other nodes in the same segment. We evaluate the performance improvements by integrating shape segmentation with applications such as distributed indices and random sampling.
Modeling, synthesis, and validation of heterogeneous biomedical embedded systems

The increasing performance and availability of embedded systems increases their attractiveness for biomedical applications. With advances in sensor processing and classification algorithms, real-time decision support in patient monitoring becomes feasible. However, the gap between algorithm design and their embedded realization is growing. This paper overviews an approach for development of biomedical devices at an abstract algorithm level with automatic generation of an embedded implementation. Based on a case study of a Brain Computer Interface (BCI), this paper demonstrates capturing, modeling and synthesis of such applications.