cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pulse EPR Spectroscopic Characterization of the S3 State of the Oxygen-Evolving Complex of Photosystem II Isolated from Synechocystis.

The S3 state is the last semi-stable state in the water splitting reaction that is catalyzed by the Mn4O5Ca cluster that makes up the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II (PSII). Recent ...
Special Session: Pathways into Engineering Education Research

Our project explores a holistic approach to understand the identity transformation of traditional engineering faculty to engage with engineering education research. This work is part of a larger project that seeks to understand best practices of mentor-mentee relationships between engineering education researchers and engineering faculty entering the EER field. The overall project is a mixed methods study with Cognitive Apprentice Model (CAM) as the guiding framework [1]. In an effort to increase the community of engineering education researchers conducting engineering education research and to support research in the professional formation of engineers (PFE), the NSF has awarded Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (RIEF) grants to engineering faculty with little or no experience conducting social science research. The RIEF grants support a two-year collaborative research project where the engineering faculty member is mentored by one or more engineering education researchers. Since 2016, the PFE: RIEF program has supported over 35 projects across over 40 institutions. Engineering faculty are the primary educators of future engineers but are often not trained in engineering education research or approaches to implement research based instructional strategies (RBIS) despite the potential benefit to student development and outcomes. Therefore it is important to understand how engineering faculty are trained in engineering education research by engineering education researchers to promote synergistic activities between these two communities. Engineering faculty may not identify as engineering education researchers and failure in implementation or achieving less than the desired student outcomes can also hinder faculty motivation to adopt instructional innovation [2]. Overcoming these barriers and successfully training engineering faculty as engineering education researchers will expand and diversify engineering education research community. As more engineering faculty join the engineering education community they will bring new perspectives and ideas, and will promote collaboration between engineering education researchers and engineering practitioners. This community will facilitate interactions across teams to share experiences, resources, and expand networks. The goal is to build a community with multi-modal communication (i.e., in person meetings, online communication, etc.) to nucleate engineering faculty mentees and engineering education research mentors to create a community supporting the NSF PFE: RIEF program.
Developing the eMedical Student (eMS)—A Pilot Project Integrating Medical Students into the Tele-ICU during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the demand for virtual healthcare delivery and highlighted the scarcity of telehealth medical student curricula, particularly tele-critical care. In partnership with the Penn E-lert program and the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) established a tele-ICU rotation to support the care of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The four-week course had seven elements: (1) 60 h of clinical engagement; (2) multiple-choice pretest; (3) faculty-supervised, student-led case and topic presentations; (4) faculty-led debriefing sessions; (5) evidence-based-medicine discussion forum; (6) multiple-choice post-test; and (7) final reflection. Five third- and fourth-year medical students completed 300 h of supervised clinical engagement, following 16 patients over three weeks and documenting 70 clinical interventions. Knowledge of critical care and telehealth was demonstrated through improvement between pre-test and post-test scores. Professional development was demonstrated through post-course preceptor and learner feedback. This tele-ICU rotation allowed students to gain telemedicine exposure and participate in the care of COVID patients in a safe environment.
Thinking Together: Lecturing, Learning, and Difference in the Long Nineteenth Century: edited by Angela G. Ray and Paul Stob, 2018, University Park, PA, Pennsylvania State University Press, 264 pp, $89.85 (hardcover), $34.95 (paperback), ISBN: 978-0-271-08087-1.

Remapping the historical terrain of popular learning in the U.S., Angela G. Ray and Paul Stob’s edited collection Thinking Together guides readers to attend more sensitively to the social complexit...
A three-stage, deep learning, ensemble approach for prognosis in patients with Parkinson’s disease

Background Diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) is informed by the presence of progressive motor and non-motor symptoms and by imaging dopamine transporter with [123I]ioflupane (DaTscan). Deep learning and ensemble methods have recently shown promise in medical image analysis. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a three-stage, deep learning, ensemble approach for prognosis in patients with PD. Methods Retrospective data of 198 patients with PD were retrieved from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative database and randomly partitioned into the training, validation, and test sets with 118, 40, and 40 patients, respectively. The first and second stages of the approach extracted features from DaTscan and clinical measures of motor symptoms, respectively. The third stage trained an ensemble of deep neural networks on different subsets of the extracted features to predict patient outcome 4 years after initial baseline screening. The approach was evaluated by assessing mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), mean absolute error (MAE), Pearson's correlation coefficient, and bias between the predicted and observed motor outcome scores. The approach was compared to individual networks given different data subsets as inputs. Results The ensemble approach yielded a MAPE of 18.36%, MAE of 4.70, a Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.84, and had no significant bias indicating accurate outcome prediction. The approach outperformed individual networks not given DaTscan imaging or clinical measures of motor symptoms as inputs, respectively. Conclusion The approach showed promise for longitudinal prognostication in PD and demonstrated the synergy of imaging and non-imaging information for the prediction task.
Impact of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocol on oncologic outcomes

Objectives: To determine if adherence to enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol decreases the time to adjuvant therapy in gynecologic oncology patients undergoing laparotomy. Methods: After implementation of an ERAS program based on published guidelines at a single academic institution, women were identified over a 12-month period who underwent a planned exploratory laparotomy for suspected gynecologic malignancy and met criteria for adjuvant treatment. Prior to initiation of the ERAS program, pre-ERAS patients were identified by ICD-10 diagnosis codes and CPT laparotomy codes over a two-year period. Patient data was collected including demographics, adherence to ERAS protocols, type of and time to adjuvant treatment. The two groups were compared by mean difference using odds ratio and relative risk with 95% confidence interval. Results: We identified 52 women in the post-ERAS cohort and 99 in the pre-ERAS cohort who met criteria. Patient characteristics including disease site, type of adjuvant treatment, ASA, BMI, and length of surgery were similar between groups. Approximately one half of the patients had ovarian cancer, 54.0% in pre-ERAS and 50.8% in post-ERAS. There was a similar rate of chemotherapy as adjuvant treatment, 76.5% in pre ERAS and 76.9% in post ERAS. A total of 25 ERAS protocol elements were audited, and 10 were included for this analysis. The mean difference in time to adjuvant treatment between the 2 groups was 5.6 days (95% confidence interval 29.3- 36.8). Ovarian cancer patients underwent adjuvant treatment 10 days earlier in the pre-ERAS group compared to the post-ERAS group (95% confidence interval 31.3-43.1). Download : Download high-res image (228KB) Download : Download full-size image Conclusions: After implementation and adherence to ERAS protocols, gynecologic cancer patients undergoing laparotomy returned to adjuvant oncologic therapy quicker than a pre-ERAS cohort, with ovarian cancer patients achieving a 10-day improvement in time to adjuvant chemotherapy. The entire post-ERAS group met the goal of 42 days from surgery to adjuvant treatment set out by SGO and the Commission on Cancer as an evidence based quality metric. Overall, our study demonstrated that gynecologic oncology patients undergoing laparotomy reach their next step in cancer treatment faster than a pre-ERAS program.
A Hybrid Non-Contact Ultrasonic System for Sensing Bond Quality in Tow-Placed Thermoplastic Composites

A novel non-contact nondestructive evaluation system is proposed for sensing bond quality in tow-placed graphite/PEEK thermoplastic composites. The inspection tool consists of a hybrid ultrasonic system which employs laser generation of narrow-band surface waves with fiberoptic light delivery, and signal detection by air-coupled transduction. The fiberoptic link enhances flexibility and remoteness of the laser source from the test piece. The system output is not influenced by the poor light reflectivity of the test graphite/PEEK material. Signal narrow-banding by light spatial modulation enhances the measurement sensitivity and avoids detrimental material ablation while allowing control of the surface wave penetration depth. The theory of the laser generation of narrow-band surface waves is reviewed and the generation efficiency as a function of the wave propagation direction in the composite is discussed.The inspection capabilities of the proposed system are demonstrated by successful detection of a seri...
Vanilloid receptor-1 as a regulator of gut homeostasis (MUC8P.800)

The intestinal mucosa is exposed to myriads of foreign antigens. Hence the immune responses elicited to innocuous antigens in the gut are highly regulated to avoid overt inflammation. CX3CR1hi macrophages , also known as regulatory macrophages, play a critical role in maintenance of immune homeostasis in the gut. Thus therapeutic strategies leading to increase in CX3CR1hi macrophages would be beneficial for treatment of inflammatory diseases. Our present study demonstrates that Vanilloid receptor 1 (VR1), an ion channel previously identified on sensory neurons, is specifically expressed in the CD64+CX3CR1hi macrophages in intestinal lamina propria (LP). VR1-/- mice under normal steady state conditions have significantly reduced number of CX3CR1hi macrophages as compared to wild type counterpart. This data indicates a homeostatic role of VR1 and its endogenous ligands in regulating inflammation and maintaining immune tolerance in the gut. Interestingly, engagement of VR1 by orally administering its exogenous ligand Capsaicin (CP), the pungent component of chili peppers, increases the frequency of CD64+CX3CR1hi macrophages in LP. Furthermore we have shown that CP administration plays a key role in promotion of tolerance via the induction of immune-suppressive CD4+IL10+ IFN- γ+FoxP3- Tr1 cells in IL27 dependent manner. The therapeutic relevance of this phenomenon is highlighted by our study that oral administration of CP to NOD mice provides protection from Type 1 diabetes.
Revealing the exciton fine structure of PbSe nanocrystal quantum dots using optical spectroscopy in high magnetic fields

We measure the photoluminescence lifetime $\ensuremath{\tau}$ of excitons in colloidal PbSe nanocrystals (NCs) at low temperatures to 270 mK and in high magnetic fields to 15 T. For all NCs, $\ensuremath{\tau}$ increases sharply below 10 K but saturates by 500 mK. In contrast to the usual picture of well-separated ``bright'' and ``dark'' exciton states (found, e.g., in CdSe NCs), these dynamics fit remarkably well to a system having two exciton states with comparable---but small---oscillator strengths that are separated by only $300--900\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{eV}$ depending on NC size. Importantly, magnetic fields reduce $\ensuremath{\tau}$ below 10 K, consistent with field-induced mixing between the two states. Magnetic-circular dichroism studies reveal exciton $g$ factors from 2--5, and magnetophotoluminescence shows $g10%$ circularly polarized emission.
Dielectric Analysis of Thermoset Cure.

All dielectric measurements involve the determination of the electrical polarization and conduction properties of a sample subjected to a time-varying electric field. Section 2 addresses dielectric measurement methods, the various instruments and electrodes, and their calibrations. Section 3 examines the microscopic mechanisms giving rise in the observed microscopic dielectric properties, and Section 4 explores in detail the effects of temperature and cure on these properties. Finally, Section 5 contains a selected bibliography of applications of dielectric analysis to the study of thermoset cure.
Extracting, Tracking, and Visualizing Magnetic Flux Vortices in 3D Complex-Valued Superconductor Simulation Data

We propose a method for the vortex extraction and tracking of superconducting magnetic flux vortices for both structured and unstructured mesh data. In the Ginzburg-Landau theory, magnetic flux vortices are well-defined features in a complex-valued order parameter field, and their dynamics determine electromagnetic properties in type-II superconductors. Our method represents each vortex line (a 1D curve embedded in 3D space) as a connected graph extracted from the discretized field in both space and time. For a time-varying discrete dataset, our vortex extraction and tracking method is as accurate as the data discretization. We then apply 3D visualization and 2D event diagrams to the extraction and tracking results to help scientists understand vortex dynamics and macroscale superconductor behavior in greater detail than previously possible.
Radius of clusters at the percolation threshold: A position space renormalization group study

Using a direct position-space renormalization-group approach we study percolation clusters in the limits → ∞, wheres is the number of occupied elements in a cluster. We do this by assigning a fugacityK per cluster element; asK approaches a critical valueK c , the conjugate variables → ∞. All exponents along the path (K−K c ) → 0 are then related to a corresponding exponent along the paths → ∞. We calculate the exponent ρ, which describes how the radius of ans-site cluster grows withs at the percolation threshold, in dimensionsd=2, 3. Ind=2 our numerical estimate of ρ=0.52±0.02, obtained from extrapolation and from cell-to-cell transformation procedures, is in agreement with the best known estimates. We combine this result with previous PSRG calculations for the connectedness-length exponent ν, to make an indirect test of cluster-radius scaling by calculating the scaling function exponent σ using the relation σ=ρ/ν. Our result for σ is in agreement with direct Monte-Carlo calculations of σ, and thus supports the cluster-radius scaling assumption. We also calculate ρ ind=3 for both site and bond percolation, using a cell of linear sizeb=2 on the simple-cubic lattice. Although the result of such small-cell calculations are at best only approximate, they nevertheless are consistent with the most recent numerical estimates.
Building learning organizations: The individual-culture interaction

Leaders working to transform the culture of their organization often observe that the reason the organization is not changing is that the employees themselves are not changing. However, employees who have been hired and promoted for years because of their ability to compete internally find it difficult to exhibit such qualities as openness and willingness to participate when top leaders determine that these qualities would benefit the organization. Based on a recent study, this article presents findings on how critically reflective employees change their organization and on which factors within the corporation encourage or inhibit their learning. It examines programs for change in light of current learning theory and offers suggestions for developing and encouraging critically reflective employees.
Outpatient treatment of autistic behavior

Abstract This study demonstrates the use of behavioral principles in the outpatient treatment of a case of childhood autism. Significant changes in the behavior of the child occurred following a 3-month period of treatment during which he was seen for 45 min, twice a week. The technique relied upon the active involvement and cooperation of parents and other significant individuals in the child's environment. Several implications for change in the traditional concept of child psychotherapy are discussed.
Paleolimnology of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica.

The McMurdo Dry Valleys presently contain more than 20 permanent lakes and ponds, which vary markedly in character. All, with the exception of a hypersaline pond, have a perennial ice-cover. The dry valley lakes, and lakes in other ice-free regions of continental Antarctica, are unique on this planet in that they consistently maintain a thick year-round ice cover (2.8-6.0 m) over liquid water. The persistent ice covers minimize wind-generated currents and reduce light penetration, as well as restricting sediment deposition into a lake and the exchange of atmospheric gases between the water column and the atmosphere. From a paleolimnological perspective, the dry valley lakes offer an important record of catchment and environmental changes. These lakes are also modern-day equivalents of periglacial lakes that were common during glacial periods at temperate latitudes. The present lakes are mostly remnants of larger glacial lakes that occupied the valleys in the past, perhaps up to 4.6 Ma ago. Two of the valleys contain evidence of being filled with large glacial lakes within the last 10000 years. Repeated drying and filling events since then have left a characteristic impression on the salt profiles of some lakes creating a unique paleo-indicator within the water column. These events are also marked in the sediments by the concentration and dilution of certain chemical constituents, particularly salts, and are also corroborated by carbonate speciation and oxygen isotope analysis. Stratigraphic analysis of dry valley lake sediments is made difficult by the occurrence of an 'old carbon' reservoir creating spurious radiocarbon dates, and by the high degree of spatial variability in lake sedimentation. From a biological perspective, the lakes are relatively simple, containing various taxa of planktonic and benthic microorganisms, but no higher forms of life, which is an advantage to paleolimnologists because there is no bioturbation in the sediments. Useful biological paleo-indicators found in the sediments include cyanobacterial filament sheaths, diatom frustules and other eukaryotic algal cells, protozoan cysts, photosynthetic pigments, and minerals (e.g. carbonates) associated with microbial activity. Future work will benefit from fully characterizing the connection between the ice covers, environmental conditions, and paleo-indicators, thereby allowing refinement of inferences made concerning the paleoenvironment. New dating techniques need to be tested in this environment to overcome the problems associated with radiocarbon dating. The establishment of a detailed and focused paleolimnological campaign is proposed.
Comparative Assessment of the Safety and Effectiveness of Radiofrequency Ablation Among Elderly Medicare Beneficiaries with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) use among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has increased dramatically over the last decade, but assessments outside specialized centers are lacking. This population-based study was intended to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of RFA when used to treat HCC.
Characterization of an immuno-dominant variable surface antigen from pathogenic and nonpathogenic Entamoeba histolytica.

A 125-kD surface antigen of Entamoeba histolytica is recognized by 73% of immune sera from patients with amoebic liver abscesses. Using pooled human immune sera a cDNA clone (lambda cM17) encoding this antigen (M17) has been isolated from a lambda gt11 expression library of the virulent stain E. histolytica HM1:IMSS. Monospecific antibodies, purified by binding to phage lysate of lambda cM17, and mAb FA7 reacted exclusively with the 125-kD antigen by Western blot analysis. Surface binding and cap formation are observed with patient sera, purified monospecific antiserum, and mAb FA7. Corresponding genomic clones (pBSgM17-1/2/3) were isolated by hybridization with the cDNA clone. These contained an open-reading frame of 3345 bp, which is in good agreement with the mRNA size of approximately 3.0 kb as revealed by Northern hybridization with lambda cM17. The inferred amino acid sequence predicts a 125,513 dalton protein that contains 17 potential N-linked glycosylation sites and is unusually rich in tyrosine and asparagine residues. A distinctly hydrophobic NH2-terminal region may serve as membrane anchor or signal sequence. In contrast to conservation of an immunodominant epitope recognized in pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains by monoclonal FA7 and human immune sera, amplification and sequence analysis of a 1,4000-bp fragment of this gene from a fresh nonpathogenic isolate by use of the PCR demonstrate regions of significant sequence divergence in this antigen. A 1% sequence variability among different isolates of the pathogenic strain HM1:IMSS and a 12-13% variability between pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains are revealed by comparison to published partial amino acid sequences (Tannich, E., R.D. Horstmann, J. Knobloch, and H.H. Arnold. 1989. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 86:5118). Some restriction enzymes were found that allowed PCR diagnosis of nonpathogenic and pathogenic isolates with the exclusion of E. histolytica-like Laredo, suggesting that a detailed study of nonpathogenic and pathogenic isolates in relation to the M17 antigen sequence will provide a basis of differentiating isolates.
Octopamine: Presence in firefly lantern suggests a transmitter role

The lantern of the adult firefly is innervated by a nerve supply with endings similar to other known monoaminergic nerves. However, catecholamines could not be detected in the nerve endings and noradrenaline and adrenaline were relatively weak agonists in eliciting a flash of light when applied to the lantern in vitro. Firefly lanterns were assayed for octopamine using a sensitive, specific enzymatic assay in which octopamine is enzymatically converted to 3H-synephrine and quantitated by liquid scintillation counting. The presence of substantial amounts (125 ng/g tissue) of octopamine was demonstrated and confirmed by thin layer chromatography. On the basis of this and earlier work, it is suggested that the nerves to the firefly lantern are octopaminergic.
Growth and surface modification of LaFeO3 thin films induced by reductive annealing

Abstract The mixed electronic and ionic conductivity of perovskite oxides has enabled their use in diverse applications such as automotive exhaust catalysts, solid oxide fuel cell cathodes, and visible light photocatalysts. The redox chemistry at the surface of perovskite oxides is largely dependent on the oxidation state of the metal cations as well as the oxide surface stoichiometry. In this study, LaFeO3 (LFO) thin films grown on yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) was characterized using both bulk and surface sensitive techniques. A combination of in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) demonstrated that the film is primarily textured in the [1 0 0] direction and is stoichiometric. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy measurements show regions that are dominated by [1 0 0] oriented LFO grains that are oriented with respect to the substrates lattice. However, selected regions of the film show multiple domains of grains that are not [1 0 0] oriented. The film was annealed in an ultra-high vacuum chamber to simulate reducing conditions and studied by angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Iron was found to exist as Fe(0), Fe(II), and Fe(III) depending on the annealing conditions and the depth within the film. A decrease in the concentration of surface oxygen species was correlated with iron reduction. These results should help guide and enhance the design of LFO materials for catalytic applications.
The Order of Nature in Aristotle's Physics: Place and the Elements

Acknowledgements Abbreviations Part I. Place: 1. Aristotle's physics and the problem of nature 2. Nature and motion 3. Place 4. Void Part II. The Elements: 5. Inclination: an ability to be moved 6. Inclination as heaviness and lightness 7. Inclination: the natures and activities of the elements Part III. Nature As a Cause of Order: 8. The order of nature in Aristotle's physics Bibliography of works cited Subject and name index Index of Aristotelian texts.
Inhibitor studies of tabersonine metabolism in C. roseus hairy roots

Abstract The conversion of tabersonine to lochnericine and horhammericine was investigated in C. roseus hairy roots cell cultures. The accumulation of lochnericine and horhammericine, like tabersonine, was associated with growth. Through the use of oxygenase inhibitors, 1-aminobenzotriazole (ABT), clotrimazole (CLOT), and 2,5-pyridinedicarboxylic acid (PCA), details of the metabolic pathway around tabersonine in hairy roots of C. roseus were elucidated. ABT specifically inhibited the formation of horhammericine, while CLOT inhibited the accumulation of lochnericine. Using jasmonic acid in combination with the inhibitors suggests an inducible P-450 enzyme responsible for the formation of horhammericine. The inhibitor study also revealed that both lochnericine and horhammericine are `turned over' in hairy root cultures.
Purification and properties of a homogeneous aryl sulfatase A from rabbit liver.

Abstract Aryl sulfatase A (aryl sulfate sulfohydrolase EC 3.1.6.1) has been purified > 10,000-fold from rabbit liver; by disc gel electrophoresis the enzyme appears homogeneous. Various properties of the enzyme have been determined and comparisons are made with other aryl sulfatases. Sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis indicates that the enzyme is made up of monomers of molecular weight ∼ 70,000. At pH 7.4 the enzyme exists as a dimer whereas a tetrameric form predominates at pH 4.8. The enzyme exhibits the anomalous kinetics often observed with aryl sulfatase A from mammalian tissues (the enzyme is modified to an inactive form while degrading substrate and the inactive form can be reactivated by sulfate ion). The enzyme activity has been studied under a variety of reaction conditions. Two pH optima are observed and neither enzyme concentration or changes in ionic strength appear to have an effect on the relative magnitudes of the optima. Aryl sulfatase A is competitively inhibited by potassium sulfate, potassium phosphate, and sodium sulfite (Ki = 2.9 × 10−3 M, 3.4 × 10−5 M, and 1.1 × 10−6 M, respectively). Kinetic constants for some substituted phenyl sulfate esters have been determined. The variation in V is not consistent with a reaction mechanism involving a rate-limiting breakdown of a common intermediate. The inactive (modified) form of the enzyme has been isolated from reaction mixtures containing aryl sulfatase A and substrate. A procedure is presented for determining the relative amount of modified and native enzyme in these preparations. In the presence of substrate, sulfate displaces the equilibrium between native and modified enzyme in favor of native enzyme. In the absence of substrate neither sulfate or phosphate have an effect on the equilibrium. A study is made of the temperature dependence of the process in which the modified enzyme is converted back to native enzyme. The relatively small entropy of activation for the conversion of the modified to the native form (ΔS‡ = −8 cal/mole deg) does not seem to be consistent with a major modification of protein conformation.
Immunity to transplantable carcinogen-induced fibrosarcomas in B2/B2 chickens. III. Tumor growth inhibition by local delayed hypersensitivity reactions to unrelated antigens

Delayed hypersensitivity (DH) reaction to human Ig, corynebacterium parvum or allogeneic cells at the site of tumor cell injection, suppressed the fibrosarcoma (SCFS) growth in chickens. Spleen cells of SC chickens sensitized to human Ig or C. parvum suppressed SCFS growth when adoptively transferred with tumor cells, but only when the sensitizing antigen was present locally. This suppression did not occur in irradiated recipients, SCFS I cells injected into wattles of chickens immune to the tumor, provoked a local DH reaction. Spleen cells from donors sensitized to SCFS I adoptively transferred immunity to both SCFS I and SCFS II when cells of the two tumors were mixed together before injection, but not when SCFS II cells were injected alone. Tumor-specific and nontumor-specific DH may be essential for local suppression of fibrosarcoma growth in chickens.
Observations on Determination of Dysprosium in Labeled Digesta Samples by Near Infrared Spectroscopy

Abstract The objective of this work was to determine whether the Dy content of ruminal digesta samples labeled by pulsedosing intra-ruminally with Dy-labeled forages could be determined by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy. Ruminal grab samples were obtained from four steers. Equal numbers of alfalfa and orchardgrass samples were collected at 17 times (0 to 165h) after dosing and analyzed (total of 272 samples). Dysprosium was determined by direct current plasma emission spectrometry. Spectra were obtained by scanning ground samples on a scanning monochromator. Calibrations for Dy (0 to 349.5ppm; mean=44.5ppm) were carried out using both step-wise and partial least squares regressions. Wavelength selections using step-wise regression included characteristic Dy wavelengths and resulted in R 2 and standard error of analysis of ∼.9 and ≥20ppm, respectively. Partial least squares regressions, although more robust, were not significantly better. Sample ashing to increase relative Dy concentrations did not improve the results. Further investigations indicated that interference by Co marker, also present in the samples, was a problem. Although near infrared reflectance spectroscopy is capable of determining Dy in labeled forages, further work is needed to increase its accuracy.
Quantitation of selective cell-cell adhesion and its application to assays of species-specific adhesion in cellular slime molds.

Abstract Species-specific cell-cell adhesion can be demonstrated by analysing the composition of aggregates formed when suspensions of dissociated, differentially labelled cells of two species of slime molds are mixed and gyrated [4]. However, the usefulness of this assay has been limited by the lack of methods for quantifying the extent of specific cell-cell adhesion. In the present report, we introduce two measures of specificity, the purity index and the odds ratio, and show several methods of computing them. Their ability to detect differing amounts of specificity is shown by analysing the composition of aggregates formed by mixing cells from two species under various experimental conditions of differentiation or gyration. Of the two statistical methods considered, the odds ratio seems more useful since it incorporates aggregate size into its formulation and its attendant confidence intervals are easily calculated.
A comparison of the rates of ozonation of biological antioxidants and oleate and linoleate esters

The rates of reaction with ozone of some biological antioxidants and simple polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have been measured in water or in aqueous micellar solutions. At pH 7.0 the rate constants are ca. 10(6) M-1 sec-1 for urate, alpha-tocopherol, and PUFA, and 6 X 10(7) M-1 sec-1 for ascorbate. When ozone-containing air is breathed, ascorbate in the lung may undergo direct ozonation. However, alpha-tocopherol is probably spared direct reaction with ozone because it doesn't effectively compete with PUFA in pulmonary membranes; rather, tocopherol is used to scavenge radicals produced from the ozone-PUFA reaction.
Effect of Aliovalent Dopants on the Kinetics of Phase Transformation and Ordering in RE2O3-Bi2O3 (RE = Yb, Er, Y, or Dy) Solid Solutions

Bi2O3-based cubic solid solutions containing 20% Er2O3 undergo transformation to a rhombohedral phase when annealed at temperatures 635°C. This transformation is generally very sluggish and is accompanied by a decrease in conductivity. The kinetics of this transformation were enhanced by the addition of CaO and suppressed by the addition of ZrO2. The time constants for transformation kinetics at 600°C for CaO-doped and undoped samples were ∼55 and ∼330 h, respectively, and the incubation periods ranged between ∼20 and ∼2000 h depending upon the dopant type, its concentration, and the temperature. This result is rationalized on the premise that cation interstitials are more mobile compared to cation vacancies. The same samples, originally cubic of CaF2 type, when annealed below about 600°C for a short period of time (a few hours) undergo a degradation in conductivity without a change in XRD patterns. The kinetics of this conductivity decay were observed to be significantly faster than the kinetics of cubic → rhombohedral phase transformation. A similar degradation of conductivity was also observed in samples containing other stabilizers such as Y2O3, Dy2O3, and Yb2O3. The kinetics of conductivity decay without the formation of the rhombohedral phase were also found to depend upon the presence of aliovalent dopants. Specifically, ZrO2 suppressed this decay. Electron diffraction showed the formation of a superstructure in samples annealed at temperatures <600°C. Analysis of the diffraction patterns suggests that the structure corresponds to a doubling of the unit cell with the ordering of cations responsible for the origin of the superstructure. The decay in conductivity in the ordered state is attributed to the expected differences in bonding between oxygen ions and the two different cations, Bi and RE.
Effect of Discharge Gases on Microwave Plasma Reactions of Imidazole on Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Surfaces: Quantitative ATR FT-IR Spectroscopic Analysis

Although our recent studies revealed that under Ar microwave plasma conditions reactions of imidazole with poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) result in the formation of Si−CH2−imidazole species, the issue of the discharge gas effect on microwave plasma reactions remain unanswered. This study examines how these reactions in the presence of Ar, O2, and CO2 gases under microwave plasma conditions will affect surface reactions on PDMS in the presence of imidazole vapors. When Ar microwave plasma reaction conditions are employed, imidazole molecules react to the PDMS surface through hydrogen abstraction of the N−H bonds to form Si−CH2−imidazole and Si−CH2−CH3 linkages. When O2 microwave plasma reactions are conducted for 20 s or less discharge times, Si−O−imidazole and Si−O−CH3 species on the PDMS surface are formed. On the other hand, for discharge times above 20 s, the Si−O−CH3 linkages are converted to Si−O−CH2−imidazole entities as a result of hydrogen abstraction. The CO2 microwave plasma reactions in the pres...
Kinematic properties of rapid hand movements in a knob turning task.

In order to understand how the central nervous system controls the kinematics of rapid finger and hand movements, we studied the motions of subjects turning a knob to light-emitting diode targets, similar to tuning a radio dial. On many trials, subjects turned the knob with a single, smooth, and regular motion as revealed by the angular position and velocity trajectories, but on others, subjects produced irregularities in the kinematics. Like many past studies, we interpreted these irregularities as discrete corrective submovements. Unlike other studies, we used a direct, objective algorithm to identify overlapping submovements, detecting appreciable inflections in the acceleration traces by examining zero crossings in their derivatives, jerk and snap. The movements without overlapping submovements on average had a near symmetric, bell-shaped velocity profile that was independent of speed, and which matched the theoretical minimum jerk velocity very closely. We proposed three plausible mechanisms for altering the shape of movement kinematics, and implemented a mass-spring model with non-linear damping to explore the possibilities. Although there was relatively little variability in the shape and symmetry of movements across trials, there was a fair amount of variability in their amplitude. We show that subjects attempted to eliminate the need for corrective submovements by making more accurate primary movements with practice, but that the variability inherent in rapid movements dictated the need for corrective submovements. Subjects used corrective submovements to improve final endpoint accuracy while reducing endpoint variability, resulting in higher task success rates.
Bayesian and non-bayesian solutions to analysis of covariance models under heteroscedasticity

A single-factor fixed-effect analysis of covariance model with one or more covariates is considered without the assumption of equal error variance. Using the generalized definition of p-values, exact tests are derived for testing the equality of treatment effect and testing whether the effect of the covariate is significant. In a Bayesian setup, it is shown that these generalized p-values can be produced by the posterior predictive p-value approach by using an appropriate noninformative prior. Examples and simulation studies are given to illustrate the proposed procedures and their advantages over the classical F-tests.
Neutral sphingomyelinase-2 mediates growth arrest by retinoic acid through modulation of ribosomal S6 kinase

All-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) induces growth arrest of many cell types. Previous studies have reported that ATRA can modulate cellular sphingolipids, but the role of sphingolipids in the ATRA response is not clear. Using MCF-7 cells as a model system, we show that ATRA stimulates an increase in ceramide levels followed by G0/G1 growth arrest. Notably, induction of nSMase2 was the primary effect of ATRA on the sphingolipid network and was both time- and dose-dependent. Importantly, pretreatment with nSMase2 siRNA significantly inhibited ATRA effects on ceramide levels and growth arrest. In contrast, nSMase2 overexpression was sufficient to increase ceramide levels and induce G0/G1 growth arrest of asynchronous MCF-7 cells. Surprisingly, neither ATRA stimulation nor nSMase2 overexpression had significant effects on classical cell cycle regulators such as p21/WAF1 or retinoblastoma. In contrast, ATRA suppressed phosphorylation of ribosomal S6 kinase (S6K) and its downstream targets S6 and eIF4B. Importantly, these effects were significantly inhibited by nSMase2 siRNA. Reciprocally, nSMase2 overexpression was sufficient to suppress S6K phosphorylation and signaling. Notably, neither ATRA effects nor nSMase2 effects on S6K phosphorylation required the ceramide-activated protein phosphatase PP2A, previously identified as important for S6K regulation. Finally, nSMase2 overexpression was sufficient to decrease translation as measured by methionine incorporation and analysis of polyribosome profiles. Taken together, these results implicate nSMase2 as a major component of ATRA-induced growth arrest of MCF-7 cells and identify S6K as a novel downstream target of nSMase2.
Improvements in Decay Resistance Based on Moisture Exclusion

Moisture content has an effect on the biological decay of wood. The literature states that serious decay occurs when the moisture content of wood is above the fiber saturation point (FSP), which is...
The technological base of the new enterprise

Abstract A flow model is hypothesized to explain the movement of technology by an entrepreneur from an outside “source organization” to form the initial technological basis for a new enterprise. Data from 125 technological “spinoff” firms from one university, supported by similar information from 62 spinoffs from two industrial corporations, support the dominance of development in contrast with research work as the key source of the founding technology. Positive personal influences upon technology movement include long employment at a “source” organization, advanced education at around the Master's level, and sensing an opportunity to exploit technology. Principal dissipating influences are personal aging of the entrepreneur and a delay between leaving the source and establishing the new firm, with reduced delays possibly caused by the perceived entrepreneurial opportunity.
Efficiency of translation of messenger-RNA before and after fertilization in sea urchins☆

Abstract The efficiency of translation, defined as the number of protein molecules produced per mRNA molecule per unit time, was compared before and after the acceleration of protein synthesis which occurs upon fertilization of sea urchin eggs. Examination of protein turnover, extent of protein synthesis on ribosomes, and the size distribution of newly synthesized protein before and after fertilization showed that this acceleration of protein synthesis involved the synthesis of 10 to 15 times more protein molecules on 10 to 15 times as many active ribosomes. To determine whether these increased numbers of active ribosomes were interacting more efficiently with an unchanged number of mRNA molecules or at the same efficiency with an increased number of mRNA molecules, the size of the polysomes and the time a ribosome stayed on the polysomes was compared before and after fertilization. The latter time interval was determined by measuring the average time a newly incorporated amino acid remained in the nascent chains and the size distribution of the nascent chains. New methods giving essentially 100% yield of active polysomes from sea urchin cells made these measurements possible. The results of the experiments show that efficiency of translation is similar in egg and embryos. Protein synthesis, thus, is accelerated at fertilization by the translation of additional mRNA molecules. This translation level control of protein synthesis therefore cannot be a general change in activity of some component in the cellular synthetic machinery such as ribosomes, but must specifically control the activity of a defined population of mRNA molecules.
Smokers have less reductions in probing depth than non-smokers following nonsurgical periodontal therapy.

Smokers have less reductions in probing depth than non-smokers following nonsurgical periodontal therapy
The Role of the Community College in Providing Language, Speech, and Hearing Services

Abstract A survey of community college personnel in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey was conducted to determine (1) the extent and type of services in speech, hearing, or language screening, remediation, and improvement, (2) the extent and type of instruction in speech and language improvement, and (3) the extent and type of bilingual services in speech, hearing or language presently offered to students and community members within the community college setting. In addition, the existence of plans to offer these services in the future was ascertained. Responses indicated the existence of some services but a general unavailability of comprehensive screening, evaluation, and rehabilitation programs despite the widespread needs of the growing community college constituency. The results of the survey can assist community college personnel in needs assessment and planning within their own institutions by offering a context for consideration of the priority for providing language, speech, and hearing servi...
Surface modification of paclitaxel-loaded polymeric nanoparticles: Evaluation of in vitro cellular behavior and in vivo pharmacokinetic

Abstract In this study, we synthesized four kinds of poly( d , l -lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and Pluronic nanoparticles of paclitaxel (PTX-NPs) and evaluated surface modification dependent cellular response and pharmacokinetic. Atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering, live cell confocal microscopy, and high-performance liquid chromatography were used to characterize PTX-NPs and compare their in vitro cellular behavior and in vivo pharmacokinetic. The cytotoxicity of PTX-NPs treated bone marrow derived macrophages (BMM), U87 and astrocytes were analyzed by MTT analysis. The inner immune responses of BMM were examined by RT-PCR. All resultant PTX-NPs had spherical shape and high encapsulation efficiency. Cellular uptake of the PTX-NPs conjugated with poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) or Folate was higher than that of non-modified PTX-NPs. In vitro cytotoxicity studies revealed that the PTX-NPs modified with PEG or folic acid provided greater chemosensitivities to cancer cells than those of non-modified PTX-NPs. RT-PCR results showed that PLGA NP with PEG modification exhibited lower levels of inner immune responses. Cytoarchitecture studies demonstrated a similar cytoskeleton pattern before and after PTX-NPs loaded into BMM. In vivo pharmacokinetic results indicated that the PTX-NPs with hydrophilic shell of PEG had longer systemic circulation time and slower plasma elimination rate. These results concluded that surface modification of PTX-NPs with PEG or Folate could influence in vitro cellular behavior and in vivo pharmacokinetic.
Explaining the Marginalization of Women in Legislative Institutions

Previous research suggests that women tend to be marginalized in legislatures or denied access to important agenda-setting resources that reduce their effectiveness as legislators after gaining office. However, previous studies have not been able to disentangle competing theoretical explanations for this marginalization. Some suggest it is due to explicit gender discrimination, while others suggest institutional norms such as incumbency are to blame. We address this puzzle with data from the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, an institution without incumbency, by examining gender differences in rates of bill sponsorship, bill passage rates, and committee assignments before and after the adoption of gender quotas. We find little evidence that female legislators are marginalized in the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, tentatively suggesting incumbency, rather than discrimination, may explain evidence of marginalization in other legislatures. Furthermore, we find little evidence to support the notion that implementing...