cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Occult haemoglobin in fish skin mucus as an indicator of early stress

Early induced stress may result in the release of free haemoglobin into the skin mucus of teleostean fishes. If this were the case, it could be indicated quickly and simply by the colour change of a commercially available haemoglobin test strip. Preliminary tests on Mugil cephalus (grey mullet) encouraged more extensive investigations with Chanos chanos (milkfish), Caranx ignobilis (papio), Albula vulpes (bonefish), and Chaetodon miliaris (butterfly fish). The results indicated that unstressed individuals of these species have no detectable haemoglobin in their skin mucus but, within 2–4 min, the pigment will appear in occult amounts if stress is applied. Additional studies confirmed that it was haemoglobin and no other possible contaminants in the mucus which caused the colour change of the test strip. The technique is simple and quick, and is itself harmless to the fish. It is of immediate potential value to fish culturists for the detection of early stress conditions. Efforts can then be made to lessen or remove the stress conditions before debility and possibly overt disease take over. A further application of the technique may be the identification of individuals genetically better able to resist disease.
A refractory lift‐off process with applications to high‐Tc superconducting circuits

A refractory stencil lift‐off process utilizing Nb/Cu bilayers is described that is suitable for materials, such as the high‐transition‐temperature superconductors, which must be deposited on hot (up to 1000 °C) substrates.
Playing with play : a test case of "ethocriticism"

Abstract This paper provides both a concrete illustration and a theoretical discussion of ‘ethocriticism’, that is the application of ethological concepts to literary criticism. The illustration superimposes a basic model of animal play on three French literary masterpieces featuring the theme of play. In spite of the different periods, styles and genres of these examples, the play activities of the characters are found to be consistent with some general characteristics of animal play and to fulfil the same long range function for the social group involved in the work as play does for the species in the animal world. The first part of the theoretical discussion examines the conditions of an optimum use of ethocriticism without challenging its overall legitimacy. It suggests that the method is most convincing when going beyond the literary content and, instead, comparing the structures and functions of the literary forms to structures and functions of various animal behavior. The second part attempts to situate ethocriticism in relation to the major contemporary trends in literary theory. The extent to which it could gain ground depends on how radically these theories deny the connection of ‘words’ and ‘things’. Ethocriticism remains acceptable to any theory allowing for the presence in literary texts of behavioral components autonomous from the historical and collective determinism of language. Finally, if one agrees with the truly creative role of artistic forms as a positive existential response to the elusive concept of reality, the most promising vein of ethocriticism should, here again, focus on the biological elements as metamorphosed into formal structures rather than as content. Thus the fundamental energies we share with the rest of life as well as our uniqueness as a species would be respected.
Effects of ischemia and other procedures on the brain and retina of the gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus).

Abstract The Mongolian gerbil was highly susceptible to cerebral ischemia induced by ligation of the common carotid arteries. Bilateral ligation was uniformly lethal. Unilateral ligation produced ischemic lesions, sometimes lethal, in the brain or the brain and eye of over half the subjects. The gerbil was also highly susceptible to water intoxication, a finding that may be related to peculiarities of its water metabolism. The gerbil had no special advantage for the study of other adverse factors explored. The gerbil deserves a place in laboratories of experimental neurology, especially those concerned with cerebrovascular disorders, the visual system, or water intoxication.
Early palliative care improved quality of life in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic NSCLC

Source Citation Temel JS, Greer JA, Muzikansky A, et al. Early palliative care for patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. N Engl J Med. 2010;363:733-42. 20818875
Evaluating a health sciences library residency program: what have we learned?

In difficult economic times, institutions must make decisions about their core values and where they should concentrate their limited resources. Survival of vital programs can take precedence over other programs that are recognized as valuable, but not essential. Funding for immediate needs can, and often does, preclude funding for future needs. Such was the issue facing the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) regarding its Academic Resident Librarian Program. Initiated in 1981 as a post-graduate appointment for librarians who were new to the profession and lacking librarianship experience, the program was suspended in 2007 for reevaluation and study. UIC has estimated that it costs the university approximately $14,000 per resident for recruiting and training, in addition to their salaries. This study was designed to determine what the value of the program is to the former residents, whether the goals of the participants in the UIC Library of the Health Sciences (LHS) residency program matched or reflected those of UIC, and if UIC should continue investing in the program. A survey was designed to probe the initial motivation for those entering the residency, their satisfaction with the program, their greatest challenges, their biggest rewards, new skills they developed, their retention rate in health sciences librarianship, and the most and least valuable aspects of the program. The results provide insight for institutions considering establishing a similar residency or evaluating current programs. The responses also provide a view of the issues that new health sciences librarians face during the beginning years of their careers.
A simple procedure for calculating rockwell hardness conversion relationships for metallic alloys

Abstract A new, simplified procedure for converting Rockwell hardness numbers between the normal and superficial scales has been developed. The method, based on a reverse Meyer analysis, essentially computes the hardness from the stress-strain curve of the alloy. The analysis is based on the concept of the Rockwell hardness as the intersection of a generic loading curve representing the process and a material flow curve. The model was applied to both normal and superficial Rockwell scales and yielded Rockwell conversions for aluminum alloys, cartridge brass and steel in good agreement with published values. The use of this technique also simplifies the selection of appropriate Rockwell scales for conventional hardness tests.
Quality Management Procedures Influence the Food Safety Practices at Childcare Centers

Childcare in the United States (US) has become a necessary part of life for most working parents with the increased use of center-based childcare over the past three decades. Approximately 13 million preschoolers attend some form of childcare. Literature indicates the main predictors of quality childcare programs are adequate experience and specialized training of childcare staff. A growing concern among researchers, however, is the limited training among childcare professionals in the area of food safety. Children have minimal control of food safety risks because other people prepare their meals. A questionnaire was developed and mailed to childcare center directors in Texas and Iowa to identify the demographic, food safety and other practices that influence the training and decisions made by childcare center directors. Results indicate the need of continual management and food safety training for both directors and staff in order to provide a safe environment for young children.
Thermionic emission characteristics of sintered tungsten-rhenium alloys

Multiconstituent refractory metals, capable of operating at high temperatures, provide greater heat rejection, hence lighter, denser and more efficient thermionic energy converters. Thermionic energy conversion offers unique advantages such as increased power levels and densities which are prime requisites for crucial future space applications. Investigation of these multiconstituent metals for efficient thermionic energy conversion is the object of the present research activity.
A new restriction endonuclease from the anaerobic bacterium, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, Norway

The purification and characterization of a new restriction endonuclease, Dde 1, from a sulfate-reducing, anaerobic bacterium, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, Norway, is reported. The enzyme recognizes the sequence (see formula index) and cleaves at the position indicated by the arrows. The enzyme preparation obtained is suitable for restriction mapping an ligation.
Intermediation Costs in an Agricultural Development Bank: A Cost-Function Approach to Measuring Scale Economies

The cost-output relationships and production technology in the Agricultural Development Bank of Honduras are analyzed using a translog model. Scale economies for the average branch are not significantly different from one. They are a function of output levels reflecting U-shaped cost surfaces. Product-specific economies of scale are substantially different. Returns to scale of lending activities approach unity, whereas there are important unexploited economies to the expansion of deposit mobilization. Cost complementarities between lending and deposit mobilization indicate advantages of joint provision of financial services over the traditional specialization in lending of agricultural development banks in developing countries.
CHARACTERIZATION OF α-ADRENOCEPTOR SUBTYPES IN THE CORPUS CAVERNOSUM OF PATIENTS UNDERGOING SEX CHANGE SURGERY

Purpose:: To characterize the subtypes of α1- and α2-adrenoceptors in the human corpus cavernosum from patients undergoing sex change surgery.Materials and Methods:: Saturation and competition radioligand binding studies were performed for characterization at the protein level. α1-Adrenoceptors were labeled with [3H]prazosin and [3H]tamsulosin, while α2-adrenoceptors were labeled with [3H]RX 821002. α1-Adrenoceptor subtype mRNA was additionally determined by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and RNase protection assays.Results:: Human corpus cavernosum expressed ∼32 and ∼22 fmol./mg. protein α1- and α2-adrenoceptors, respectively. Competition studies with the α1A-selective antagonists 5-methylurapidil and (+)-niguldipine and the α1D-selective BMY 7378 revealed a mixed α1A/α1B-adrenoceptor population with no evidence for α1D-adrenoceptor protein. In contrast α1D-adrenoceptors were readily detected at the mRNA level. Competition binding studies with the α2A-selective oxymetazoline and the α2B-...
Improved limits on long-range parity-odd interactions of the neutron

We show that a previous polarized $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ experiment at Princeton, plus E\"ot--Wash equivalence-principle tests, constrain exotic, long-ranged ($\ensuremath{\lambda}g0.15\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{m}$) parity-violating interactions of neutrons at levels well below those inferred from a recent study of the parity-violating spin precession of neutrons transmitted through liquid $^{4}\mathrm{He}$. For $\ensuremath{\lambda}g{10}^{8}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{m}$ the bounds on ${g}_{A}{g}_{V}$ are improved by 11 orders of magnitude.
Structural Analysis of AgI and Au/AgI Nanocomposite Films by Powder X-ray Diffraction: Evidence for Preferential Orientation

Nanoparticle composite materials composed of AgI nanorods in porous alumina, and Au/AgI heterojunction nanorods, also in alumina, were synthesized via a template synthesis method and characterized using X-ray powder diffraction. The X-ray data suggest that electrodeposition of AgI nanoparticles at room temperature leads to a 50:50 mixture of the zinc blende (cubic) and wurtzite (hexagonal) morphs of AgI. Annealing the samples results in a conversion of cubic AgI to hexagonal AgI. Preliminary texture analysis of the samples suggests that the AgI nanorods are preferentially oriented within the pores of the host matrix such that the c-axis of the hexagonal phase is aligned with the pore axis, resulting in fiber formation. Annealing increases the degree of orientation substantially. Similar analysis of the Au/AgI heterojunction samples reveals that the presence of Au also increases the degree of alignment in as-deposited AgI. This work, which represents the first attempt to perform texture analysis on templat...
Extracting Number-Selective Responses from Coherent Oscillations in a Computer Model

Cortical neurons selective for numerosity may underlie an innate number sense in both animals and humans. We hypothesize that the number- selective responses of cortical neurons may in part be extracted from coherent, object-specific oscillations . Here, indirect evidence for this hypothesis is obtained by analyzing the numerosity information encoded by coherent oscillations in artificially generated spikes trains. Several experiments report that gamma-band oscillations evoked by the same object remain coherent, whereas oscillations evoked by separate objects are uncorrelated. Because the oscillations arising from separate objects would add in random phase to the total power summed across all stimulated neurons, we postulated that the total gamma activity, normalized by the number of spikes, should fall roughly as the square root of the number of objects in the scene, thereby implicitly encoding numerosity. To test the hypothesis, we examined the normalized gamma activity in multiunit spike trains, 50 to 1000 msec in duration, produced by a model feedback circuit previously shown to generate realistic coherent oscillations. In response to images containing different numbers of objects, regardless of their shape, size, or shading, the normalized gamma activity followed a square-root-of-n rule as long as the separation between objects was sufficiently large and their relative size and contrast differences were not too great. Arrays of winner-take-all numerosity detectors, each responding to normalized gamma activity within a particular band, exhibited tuning curves consistent with behavioral data. We conclude that coherent oscillations in principle could contribute to the number-selective responses of cortical neurons, although many critical issues await experimental resolution.
Intraosseous and central venous blood acid-base relationship during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Objective: The objectives of this study were: 1) to determine whether obtaining intraosseous (IO) blood samples was practical during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and 2) to compare the acid-base status (pH and partial pressure of CO 2 (PCO 2 ) of venous and IO blood during CPR. Design: A prospective repeated measure study. Setting: An animal laboratory at a university medical center. Interventions: Nine mixed breed piglets (mean weight 43 kg) were anesthetized, tracheotomized, and placed on a ventilator (Siemens 900C Elema, Sweden). Placement of a pulmonary artery catheter was done via a surgical incision in the neck. An IO cannula was then placed in the tibial marrow cavity. The animals were positioned under a mechanical thumper (Thumper, Michigan Instruments, Grand Rapids, MI) for chest compressions. Blood gases were analyzed during steady state (baseline) after five minutes of ventricular fibrillation and during CPR at seven, nine, 11, 13, 15, and 18 minutes. Main results: Blood samples for acid-base analysis were easily obtained from the IO sites during all sampling times. Mixed venous blood was slightly more acidic than IO blood, especially at 13, 15, and 18 minutes. However, there were no significant differences in pH and Pco 2 values between IO and central venous (CV) gases at all time intervals except the PCO 2 . At nine minutes, a significant difference (P < 0.006) was found in PCO 2 (59 ± 4 vs 47 ± 5 torr) for the CV versus IO sample, respectively. As the duration of CPR progressed, the differences in PCO 2 between IO and CV sites were clinically relevant (though not statistically significant). Conclusion: Obtaining blood from the IO site is practical during CPR. The divergence in values as CPR progresses suggests that, during longer periods of CPR, IO blood may reflect local acidosis and yield lower PCO 2 and higher pH values that CV blood. This finding may limit the usefulness of IO blood to judge acid base status as CPR progresses.
New Clinical Aspects of Stimulus Deprivation Amblyopia

An analysis of clinical data from 11 patients with stimulus deprivation amblyopia showed that amblyopia occurs after monocular visual deprivation that begins between birth and the age of 5¾ years and lasts for one to 36 months. Contrary to previous impressions, stimulus deprivation amblyopia does respond to occlusion therapy of the nondeprived eye. As a rule, improvement in visual acuity can be expected in patients whose visual deprivation began after the age of 30 months. In those patients whose visual deprivation began at birth or during infancy, treatment was unsuccessful when started after the age of 2½ years. However, clinical data from one patient treated successfully during infancy indicated that the deleterious effects of visual deprivation from birth may be preventable.
Conceptions of death in mentally retarded persons.

Summary Retarded subjects (N = 79, mean age 19.9 years, mean IQ 61.9) were given a series of Piagetian tasks and interviewed to determine their degree of understanding of death. Age was not significantly related to an understanding of death on any of the measures. However, Piagetian cognitive levels were significantly related to a more realistic comprehension of death on three measures, indicating that cognitive development is related to an increasingly complex understanding of death by the mentally retarded person.
Low Temperature Growth Of Barium Strontium Titanate Films By Ultraviolet-Assisted Pulsed Laser Deposition

Barium strontium titanate (BST) thin films were grown directly on Si substrates by an in situ ultraviolet (UV)-assisted pulsed laser deposition (UVPLD) technique. With respect to films grown by conventional (i.e. without UV illumination) pulsed laser deposition (PLD), the UVPLD grown films exhibited improved structural and electrical properties. The dielectric constant of a 40-nm thick film deposited at 650 °C was determined to be 281, the leakage current density was approximately 4×10-8 A/cm2at 100 kV/cm, and the density of interface states at the flat-band voltage was found to be approximately 5.6×1011 eV-1 cm-2 X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy investigations found that the surface of the grown films exhibited an additional Ba-containing phase, besides the usual BST perovskite phase, which was likely caused by stress and/or oxygen vacancies. The amount of this new phase was always smaller and very superficial for UVPLD grown films, which can explain their better overall properties.
Exact derivation of the Dyadic Green’s functions of carbon nanotubes using microscopic theory

In this paper, a general theory for the electromagnetic fields interaction with nanotubes was formulated. The purpose was to replace current strategies that do not carefully distinguish between the macroscopic and microscopic Maxwell's equations used in deriving the electrodynamics of nanotubes. A new approach was presented based on the symmetry group of the CNT. This avoided using the conventional, inaccurate, effective-boundary condition method of traditional electromagnetics. General expressions for the fields were derived using a susceptibility model. The new formulation was used to derive exact dyadic Green's functions for a source and observation points located arbitrary around the CNT medium.
Induction of mutagenic DNA damage by chromium (VI) and glutathione.

Certain chromium (Cr) compounds are known to be carcinogenic in humans and mutagenic in cell culture. However, the mechanism of Cr mutagenesis is not well understood. It appears that intracellular reduction of Cr by agents such as glutathione plays a role in the induction of DNA damage. We have used a simian virus 40-based shuttle vector to investigate the relationship between chromium-induced DNA damage and Cr mutagenicity. The treatment of the plasmid pZ189 with Cr(VI) plus glutathione (GSH) induced DNA strand breaks and reduced the plasmid biological activity, whereas Cr(III) treatment with or without GSH did not give rise to such DNA damage. When Cr(VI)/GSH-or Cr(III)/GSH-treated pZ189 was replicated in mammalian cells, a dose-dependent increase in mutant frequency was observed with Cr(VI)/GSH-treated pZ189, but not with Cr(III)/GSH-treated plasmid. About 43% of the mutants from Cr(VI)/GSH-treated pZ189 were deletion mutants. The remainder were base substitution mutants, mostly GC {r_arrow} AT transitions and GC {r_arrow} TA transversion. This pattern of mutagenesis is similar to that observed with other agents that cause oxidative DNA damage such as ionizing radiation and H{sub 2}O{sub 2}. These results support the hypothesis that Cr mutagenesis can be induced by the generation of reactive oxygen intermediates during themore » reduction of Cr(VI) by glutathione. 45 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs.« less
A monopole superdirective array

In principle, the end-fire directivity of a linear periodic array of N isotropic radiators can approach N/sup 2/ as the spacing between elements decreases, provided the magnitude and phase of the input excitations are properly chosen. Thus, the directivity of a two-element array of isotropic radiators would approach a value of four, that is, 6 dB higher than that of a single isotropic radiator. We have conducted a theoretical, computational, and experimental study for a two-element superdirective array of resonant monopoles. In agreement with the theoretical and computational curves, the measured gain of the monopole array does indeed continually increase with decreasing spacing of the monopoles, provided the relative magnitudes and phases are maintained. However, for very small separation, maximum achievable gain is not reached due to the presence of ohmic loss.
Nanotechnology-derived hydrogels for cardiac tissue replacement

The national organ transplant waiting list is growing five times faster than the rate of organ donation, indicating a need to provide a more plentiful source of tissue replacements. Furthermore, the national number one cause for human death is heart disease. Because of the high percentage of heart failure and a low number of successful organ donations, studies are now focusing on the design of new generation biomaterials and functional tissue constructs for specialized tissue repair and replacement. Developing such biomaterials requires the fabrication of scaffolds that mimic in vivo extracellular matrices (ECM). The objective of this study was to design a 'smart' biomaterial that mimics conditions in vivo, creating a micro-and nano-environment suitable for healthy cardiac tissue growth and function.
Locomotor performance of hatchling fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis): Quantitative genetics and morphometric correlates

We examined heritabilities and correlations among measures of locomotor performance (speed, stamina) and among possible morphometric determinants of performance (hindlimb span, tail length) in families of hatchling lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis). We were particularly interested in determining whether these traits were heritable and thus might potentially respond genetically to selection. Moreover, we wished to determine whether speed and stamina are negatively genetically correlated, as suggested bya priori physiological and empirical considerations. All four traits appeared to be significantly heritable. Broadsense heritabilities were 0.33–0.36 for speed, 0.35–0.36 for stamina, 0.45–0.51 for hindlimb span, and 0.46–0.47 for tail length. Contrary to expectations, speed and stamina were not negatively genetically correlated. Hindlimb span and tail length, however, were negatively genetically correlated (but not phenotypically correlated). Hindlimb span and stamina were positively phenotypically correlated. Thus, for example, selection for longer hindlimb span could potentially result in shorter tails, contrary to evolutionary predictions based only on phenotypic correlations.
Complex diffusion on image graphs

Complex diffusion was introduced in image processing literature as a means to achieve simultaneous denoising and enhancement of scalar valued images. In this paper, we present a novel geometric framework for achieving complex diffusion on color images expressed as image graphs. In this framework, we develop a new variational formulation for achieving complex diffusion. This formulation involves a modified harmonic map functional and is quite distinct from the Polyakov action described in earlier work by Sochen et al. Our formulation provides a framework for simultaneous (feature preserving) denoising and enhancement. We present results of comparison between the complex diffusion, and Beltrami flow all in the image graph framework.
Hybrid Powertrain Optimization With Real-Time Traffic Information

Combining hybrid powertrain optimization with traffic information has been researched before, but tradeoffs between optimality, driving-cycle sensitivity and speed of calculation have not been cohesively addressed. Optimizing hybrid powertrain with traffic can be done through iterative methods such as Dynamic Programming (DP), Stochastic-DP and Model Predictive Control, but high computation load limits their online implementation. Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy (ECMS) and Adaptive-ECMS were proposed to minimize computation time, but unable to ensure real-time charge-sustaining-operation (CS) in transient traffic environment. Others show relationship between Pontryagin’s Minimum Principles (PMP) and ECMS, but iteratively solve the CS-operation problem offline. This paper proposes combining PMP’s necessary conditions for optimality, with sum-of State-Of-Charge-derivative for CS-operation. A lookup table is generated offline to interpolate linear mass-fuel-rate vs net-power-to-battery slopes to calculate the equivalence ratio for real-time implementation with predicted traffic data. Maximum fuel economy improvements of 7.2% over Rule-Based is achieved within a simulated traffic network.© 2013 ASME
Participatory research in an arts integration professional development program

Drama for Schools (DFS) is an arts integration professional development program rooted in critical pedagogy and constructivism that emphasizes partnerships between school districts and a major research university. As a part of the research initiative embedded in this professional development program, DFS began an Arts integration Research Teacher (ART) Fellow initiative. Four teachers who had been in DFS for at least a year participated in the ART Fellow program researching the impact of drama-based instruction in their classrooms. The purpose of this article is to present findings from the ART Fellows partnership and to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the model. Methods used in this analysis included measures of student outcomes and perspectives from both ART Fellows and DFS program staff. While findings were largely non-conclusive about the impact of arts integration on student outcomes, the ART Fellow program influenced how teachers and the DFS staff viewed participatory research as an extensio...
Hodgkin Lymphoma: An Update on its Biology with New Insights into Classification

In the past few years, there has been a greater understanding of the spectrum and biology of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). In standard texts, HL is classified as 2 distinct entities, namely nodular lymphocyte-predominant HL and classical HL (CHL). However, recent evidence suggests that CHL is not a single disease. Although the mixed cellularity and lymphocyte-depleted subtypes might be part of a biologic continuum, the nodular sclerosis subtype has a distinct epidemiology, clinical presentation, and histology. Nodular sclerosis HL might also be related to primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma and mediastinal gray-zone lymphomas. We present an update on the pathobiology of HL and discuss these biologic and clinical differences in this review.
Disentangling the Overlap between Tourette's Disorder and ADHD

Objective: To identify similarities and differences in neuropsychiatric correlates in children with Tourette's syndrome (TS) and those with ADHD. Method: The sample consisted of children with Tourette's syndrome with ADHD(N=79), children with Tourette's syndrome without ADHD (N=18), children with ADHD (N=563), psychiatrically referred children (N=212), and healthy controls (N=140). Results: Disorders specifically associated with Tourette's syndrome were obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and simple phobias. Rates of other disorders, including other disruptive behavioral, mood, and anxiety disorders, neuropsychologic correlates, and social and school functioning were indistinguishable in children with Tourette's and ADHD. However, children with Tourette's syndrome plus ADHD had more additional comorbid disorders overall and lower psychosocial function than children with ADHD. Conclusions: These findings confirm previously noted associations between Tourette's syndrome and OCDbut suggest that disruptive behavioral, mood, and anxiety disorders as well as cognitive dysfunctions may be accounted for by comorbidity with ADHD. However, Tourette's syndrome plus ADHD appears to be a more severe condition than ADHD alone.
A STUDY OF THE DISSOCIATION OF THE RAWLINS STRAIN OF BACTERIUM TYPHOSUM WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ITS USE IN THE PRODUCTION OF ANTI-TYPHOID VACCINE

A study of the subcultures of the Rawlins strain of Bacterium typhosum used by twelve different laboratories for vaccine production showed that they all differed from recently isolated smooth strains in cultural characteristics, virulence and protective efficiency. Eleven of these Rawlins cultures gave both the flagellar and the somatic type of agglutination in anti-smooth rabbit serum, and the one culture so tested produced both flagellar and somatic agglutinins when injected into rabbits and man. Agglutination of neither the flagellar nor the somatic type can, therefore, be used as a test of the smoothness of a culture or as an index of immunity. Since the Rawlins strain differs from the smooth phase of Bacterium typhosumin cultural characteristics and in virulence, and is much less efficient than smooth strains as a protective antigen; and since the selection and maintenance of smooth cultures suitable for vaccine production present no serious difficulty, it would seem but logical to substitute virulent, smooth cultures for the very old Rawlins strain, if we are to expect the maximum protection from antityphoid vaccination.
Whisker primary afferents encode temporal frequency of moving gratings.

To investigate the encoding of behaviorally relevant stimuli in the rodent whisker–somatosensory system, we recorded responses to moving gratings from trigeminal ganglion neurons. This allowed us to quantify how spike patterns in these neurons encode behaviorally distinguishable tactile stimuli presented with the variability inherent in a freely moving whisker paradigm. Our stimulus set consisted of three grating plates with raised bars of the same thickness (275 µm) having different spatial periods (1.0, 1.1, and 1.5 mm) swept rostro-caudally past the whiskers at velocities ranging from 50 to 330 mm/s. This resulted in 20 presentations each of nine different temporal frequencies (ranging from 50 to 220 Hz) for every grating plate. We found that despite the additional degrees of freedom introduced in this freely moving whisker paradigm, firing patterns from the majority (83%) of trigeminal ganglion neurons were statistically distinguishable, and corresponded to the temporal frequency of stimulation. The r...
Synthesis and characterization of low-OH-fluor-chlorapatite: A single-crystal XRD and NMR spectroscopic study

Low-OH apatite of the compositional range Ca4.99-5.06(PO4)2.98-3.00F0.51-0.48Cl0.38-0.36OH0.14-0.12 was syn- thesized and characterized structurally by synchrotron-based single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), and multiple nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic techniques. The average structure is hexagonal with space group P63/m. The presence of scattering in the single-crystal diffraction data set, which is incommensurate within the average hexagonal structure, suggests the presence of localized short-range monoclinic domains. Complex lineshapes in the 31 P and 19 F MAS NMR spectra are also consistent with the presence of an incommensurate phase. No evidence was detected for splitting of the Ca2 site into two distinct sites (as had been previously reported for hexagonal ternary apatites). Structure refinement and 19 F{ 35
The impact of pulmonary hypertension on morbidity and mortality following major lung resection

OBJECTIVES: Pulmonary hypertension is considered a poor prognostic factor for or even a contraindication to major lung resection, but evidence for this claim is lacking. This study evaluates the impact of pulmonary hypertension on morbidity and mortality following pulmonary lobectomy. METHODS: Adult patients who underwent a lobectomy for cancer and had a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) performed within the year prior to the operation were included. Pulmonary hypertension was defined as an estimated right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) of ≥36 mmHg by TTE. The preoperative characteristics, intraoperative data and postoperative outcomes of patients with and those without pulmonary hypertension based on TTE were compared. A model for morbidity including published risk factors as well as pulmonary hypertension was developed by multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: There were 279 patients without pulmonary hypertension and 19 patients with pulmonary hypertension. Patients with pulmonary hypertension had a lower preoperative forced expiratory volume in 1 s and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide than patients without pulmonary hypertension and a higher incidence of tricuspid regurgitation and mitral regurgitation, but the groups were otherwise similar. The mean RVSP in the group of patients with pulmonary hypertension was 47 mmHg. Perioperative mortality (0.0 vs 2.9%; P= 1.0) and postoperative complications (57.9 vs 47.7%; P= 0.48) were not significantly different between patients with and those without pulmonary hypertension. The presence of pulmonary hypertension was not a predictor of adverse outcomes in either univariate or multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Lobectomy may be performed safely in selected patients with pulmonary hypertension, with complication rates comparable with those experienced by patients without pulmonary hypertension.
A data reduction approach for resolving the imbalanced data issue in functional genomics

Learning from imbalanced data occurs frequently in many machine learning applications. One positive example to thousands of negative instances is common in scientific applications. Unfortunately, traditional machine learning techniques often treat rare instances as noise. One popular approach for this difficulty is to resample the training data. However, this results in high false positive predictions. Hence, we propose preprocessing training data by partitioning them into clusters. This greatly reduces the imbalance between minority and majority instances in each cluster. For moderate imbalance ratio, our technique gives better prediction accuracy than other resampling method. For extreme imbalance ratio, this technique serves as a good filter that reduces the amount of imbalance so that traditional classification techniques can be deployed. More importantly, we have successfully applied our techniques to splice site prediction and protein subcellular localization problem, with significant improvements over previous predictors.
Ethics and technical communication: a case for foundational approaches

The study of ethics is important for technical communication students and professionals because as workers and as citizens they confront ethical dilemmas and must act. The article describes and contrasts several foundational and nonfoundational ethical approaches. Analyzing two well known ethics cases from the perspective of the different approaches, it is argued that although foundational approaches are limited, they provide better insights than do nonfoundational approaches. Finally, the article describes a problem solving technique, based on foundational approaches and communicative ethics, that can be used by technical communication students and professionals to analyze ethical dilemmas.
Revolution as a Constitutional Concept

Although the concept of revolution was associated with a predictable cycling among static constitutional orders in seventeenth and eighteenth century republican thought, this article explores the idea of a dynamic or revolutionary constitution. It traces this idea back to a customary constitutionalism articulated in the French and American revolutions, and examines its fuller expression in the synthesis of Whig and antislavery constitutionalism developed by Abraham Lincoln.
Agglomeration Economies and the Role of Universities in the Regional Development of Southeast European Countries

Most of the Southeast European countries experience constrains in relation to science, technology and innovation policies. The main obstacle to achieving sustainable innovation systems in these countries is the lack of sustainable and long lasting cooperation in the field of technology transfer between the private sector and the universities. This paper gives a critical overview of the theories claiming that most of the innovative activities depend on the (non)existence of certain preconditions which lead to agglomeration economies and clustering of small firms around research universities in so-called technology districts, scientific parks and regional innovation systems. The paper builds upon the scientific literature exploring the geographic aspects of knowledge externalities and the localized relationships between the main stakeholders of the triple helix innovation model in the Southeast European countries. It features the results of a survey conducted over 50 Macedonian high technology firms. The paper tries to build a methodology for testing the effect of agglomeration on university technology transfer by relying on a triad of variables, i.e. university patent citations, number of graduates finding jobs in the area, and number of local faculty spin offs. This work gives a unique perspective to the analysis of agglomeration economies and their impact on the success rate of the university technology transfer by expanding the normative and socio-cultural model proposed by Gilson (1999). The empirical data complement the theoretical observations of the authors of this paper.
Resistance in the Grass Tribe Maydeae to Larvae of the Western Corn Rootworm

Eight species of Maydeae were screened for resistance to larvae of Diabrotica virgifera LeConte. There apparently was a vast difference among species in their ability to support rootworm larvae, but Tripsacum dactyloides (L.) L. was the only species that had a high degree of resistance. The type of resistance was either antibiosis or extreme nonpreference and might be transferable to corn if it is not too complexly inherited. With this research, the known host range of larvae of the western corn rootworm has been increased to 21 species of grass, excluding corn.
Penetration of Antiserum into the Central Nervous System of Monkeys Infected with Poliomyelitis.

It has been shown in the monkey infected with poliomyelitis that foreign serum injected intravenously cannot be detected in significant amounts in the cerebrospinal fluid nor in the CNS tissue.1,2,3 Other investigators4-7 using a variety of antibodies in normal and diseased conditions have noted similar impermeability of the blood-brain barrier.Netter and Debre8 in 10 cases of meningitis noted the presence of horse serum in the blood of 8 patients less than 20 minutes after intrathecal injection. Stern and Gautier5 introduced dyes and anti-serum into the spinal fluid and readily detected them in the blood, while the same substances when given intravenously did not appear in significant quantities in the cerebrospinal fluid. McKinley and Holden9 found B. coli “D” phage filterable from the cerebrospinal fluid into the blood, but not in the reverse direction. Burtenshaw4 following intraspinal injection of horse antimeningococcus serum observed that it rapidly decreased in quantity in the spinal fluid and qui...
The Role of Clinical Records in Narrative Medicine: A Discourse of Message

This article is designed to unite theory and practice. The focus of attention is the impact of narrative medicine on clinical records. Specifically important is that records are created through dialogue, whereby patients are able to grow the record through their ability to offer critiques and alternative explanations. Merely allowing patients to peruse their records, through advances in technology, is not sufficient to facilitate this aim. Various theoretical and practical considerations are discussed that may facilitate patient involvement and the creation of more accurate and relevant patient records.
Discovery and characterization of novel small-molecule CXCR4 receptor agonists and antagonists

The chemokine CXCL12 (SDF-1) and its cognate receptor CXCR4 are involved in a large number of physiological processes including HIV-1 infectivity, inflammation, tumorigenesis, stem cell migration and autoimmune diseases. While previous efforts have identified a number of CXCR4 antagonists, there have been no small molecule agonists reported. Herein, we describe the identification of a novel series of CXCR4 modulators, including the first small molecules to display agonist behavior against this receptor, using a combination of structure- and ligand-based virtual screening. These agonists produce robust calcium mobilization in human melanoma cell lines which can be blocked by the CXCR4-selective antagonist AMD3100. We also demonstrate the ability of these new agonists to induce receptor internalization, ERK activation and chemotaxis, all hallmarks of CXCR4 activation. Our results describe a new series of biologically relevant small molecules that will enable further study of the CXCR4 receptor and may contribute to the development of new therapeutics.
An open-source automated continuous condition-based maintenance platform for commercial buildings

Many studies have documented that retro-commissioning provides energy savings ranging between 10 and 30%; in some cases, more than 50% of a building's energy consumption. Over the past two decades, retro-commissioning has evolved from being mostly a manual process to using functional testing to a semi-automated process of using monitored data to identify operational problems. Many of the issues that the retro-commissioning process identifies relate to the inability to manage and maintain building systems and controls associated with those systems. Even though retro-commissioning has proven to be cost-effective, only a small fraction of the buildings are commissioned and many buildings that are commissioned only implement a fraction of recommend retro-commissioning actions. Two primary reasons for lack of interest in retro-commissioning is a perception that: (1) retro-commissioning is expensive and (2) many retro-commissioning measures lack persistence. Many cities in the United States are mandating that s...
D-β-HYDROXYBUTYRATE DEHYDROGENASE: A MOLECULAR BIOLOGY APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF A LIPID-REQUIRING ENZYME

Publisher Summary D-β-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (BDH) is one of the best documented examples of a lipid-requiring enzyme. This chapter reviews the present knowledge of this lipid-requiring enzyme. BDH is normally membrane bound, associated with the mitochondrial inner membrane where it is inserted with its functional site accessible only from the matrix face. It is present in most mitochondria from mammalian sources, a notable exception being the liver of ruminants. D-β-hydroxybutyrate is an end product that passes out from the liver into the blood circulation as does acetoacetate. These ketone bodies are utilized for energy in the peripheral tissues such as heart, kidney, and skeletal muscle and even in brain. D-β-hydroxybutyrate must be converted back to acetoacetate by BDH in the peripheral tissues before it can be metabolized. The acetoacetate is converted to acetoacetyl CoA in the peripheral tissues with succinyl CoA as the CoA donor. The CoA transferase, required for this reaction, is lacking in liver so that liver produces but does not utilize ketone bodies. In diabetic rats, the BDH content in liver mitochondria was found to be reduced.
Design and analysis of a broad band transimpedance amplifier

This work presented the design and analysis of a wide-band low noise transimpedance amplifier (TIA) with broader bandwidth for fiber optic communication. Related formulae for the TIA are derived. The circuit is simulated in TSMC 0.25/spl mu/m process. Additional program is compiled to simulate the circuit gain and phase frequency responses.
BullyBlocker: towards the identification of cyberbullying in social networking sites

Cyberbullying is the deliberate use of online digital media to communicate false, embarrassing, or hostile information about another person. It is the most common online risk for adolescents and well over half of young people do not tell their parents when it occurs. While there have been many studies about the nature and prevalence of cyberbullying, there has been relatively less work in the area of automated identification of cyberbullying in social media sites. The focus of our work is to develop an automated model to identify and measure the degree of cyberbullying in social networking sites, and a Facebook app for parents, built on this model, that notifies them when cyberbullying occurs. This paper describes the challenges associated with building a computer model for cyberbullying identification, presents key results from psychology research that can be used in such a model, describes an initial model and mobile app design for cyberbullying identification, and describes key areas of future work to improve upon the initial model.