cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aging and low-grade inflammation reduce renal function in middle-aged and older adults in Japan and the USA

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of low-grade inflammation on age-related changes in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in middle-aged and older white Americans, African-Americans, and Japanese adults. Serum creatinine, C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were determined for 1570 adult participants in two surveys of aging in the USA and Japan (N = 1188 and 382, respectively). Kidney function declined with age in both countries and was associated with IL-6 and CRP. IL-6 and CRP also influenced the extent of the arithmetic bias when calculating the GFR using the chronic kidney disease epidemiology (CKD-EPI) formula with just serum creatinine. Younger African-Americans initially had the highest GFR but showed a steep age-related decrement that was associated with elevated inflammation. Japanese adults had the lowest average GFR but evinced a large effect of increased inflammatory activity when over 70 years of age. Importantly, our results also indicate that low-grade inflammation is important to consider when evaluating kidney function solely from serum creatinine.
The trapped endocardial electrode. Removal by prolonged graded skin traction.

Abstract Extraction of trapped endocardial electrodes has been necessary 6 times in our experience with more than 150 patients with permanent cardiac pacemakers and endocardial electrodes, which have been used almost exclusively since 1965. Prior to the employment of the technique described here, 3 patients required complicated maneuvers, including thoracotomy and cardiotomy, while the last 3 consecutive patients have been successfully managed using the technique. We employ long-term antibiotic therapy similar to that used in the treatment of septicemia from other causes.
Detection of monoclonal plasma cells in the peripheral blood of patients with primary amyloidosis

We evaluated the blood from 150 patients with primary AL-amyloidosis for circulating monoclonal plasma cells using a sensitive slide-based immunofluorescence technique. The percentage of monoclonal blood plasma cells (BPC) that were in S-phase was determined by the bromodeoxyuridine labelling index (BLI). Monoclonal BPC were detected in 16% (24/150) of patients. The median number of monoclonal BPC was 1 x 10(6)/l and 4.6% (7/150) of patients had a high number. The BLI was zero in all but three patients. This study demonstrates that monoclonal plasma cells circulate in the peripheral blood of patients with AL-amyloidosis.
English Words: History and Structure

An introduction to the textbook 1. Word origins 2. The background of English 3. Composition of the early modern and modern English vocabulary 4. Smaller than words: morphemes and types of morphemes 5. Allomorphy, phonetics, and affixation 6. Replacement rules 7. Deletion rules and other kinds of allomorphy 8. Fossilized allomorphy: false cognates, and other etymological pitfalls 9. Semantic change and semantic guesswork 10. The pronunciation of classical words in English Appendix I. An introduction to dictionaries Appendix II. Master root list.
Adaptive echo cancellation using genetic algorithms

The authors discuss a signal processing method which has been found to be very effective in removing echoes. This method consists of two steps. The first step is to detect and locate the echo signal by using Hilbert transforms. The second step is to remove the echoes by a near optimal subtraction using genetic algorithms. The theory and results of using the Hilbert transform and genetic algorithms for echo cancellation are outlined. >
Party in the Street: Beyond the Antiwar Movement and the Democratic Party

Our empirical analysis to this point in the book focuses on interaction between the antiwar movement and the Democratic Party. Nonetheless, we argue that the concept of the party in the street applies beyond this party-movement pair. Social movements and political parties vary from pair to pair in the extent to which they overlap with one another; as a result, the party in the street may constitute anywhere from a relatively large share of party-movement activity to a relatively small fraction of that activity. The size of the party in the street may vary across time, as well as across party-movement pairs. What difference, if any, do these fluctuations make? The size of the party in the street reflects the balance of power within both the party and the movement. When the party in the street is small, neither the party nor the movement has many incentives to accede to its demands. In this case, party leaders receive little electoral benefit from addressing movement issues, while movement leaders only lose grassroots support by compromising with the party. When the party in the street is large, however, the incentives are reversed because the balance of power is its favor. Party leaders may worry that failing to address the concerns of the movement may have negative electoral consequences, especially in primary elections (Boatright 2013). Movement leaders know that their grassroots supporters identify strongly with the party, so they are more likely to keep these supporters happy by coordinating their efforts with the party's agenda.
Technologies for energy storage. Flywheels and super conducting magnetic energy storage

The author examines both flywheel and superconducting magnetic energy storage technologies. A flywheel is an electromechanical storage system in which energy is stored in the kinetic energy of a rotating mass. Flywheel systems under development include those with steel flywheel rotors and resin/glass or resin/carbon-fiber composite rotors. The mechanics of energy storage in a flywheel system are common to both steel- and composite-rotor flywheels. Superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) is an energy storage device that stores electrical energy in a magnet field without conversion to chemical or mechanical forms. In SMES, a coil of superconducting wire allows a direct electrical current to flow through it with virtually no loss. This current creates the magnetic field that stores the energy. On discharge, switches tap the circulating current and release it to serve a load.
Evidence for episodic acidification effects on migrating Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolts

Field studies were conducted to determine levels of gill aluminium as an index of acidification effects on migrating Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolts in the north-eastern U.S.A. along mainstem river migration corridors in several major river basins. Smolts emigrating from the Connecticut River, where most (but not all) tributaries were well buffered, had low or undetectable levels of gill aluminium and high gill Na(+) /K(+) -ATPase (NKA) activity. In contrast, smolts emigrating from the upper Merrimack River basin where most tributaries are characterized by low pH and high inorganic aluminium had consistently elevated gill aluminium and lower gill NKA activity, which may explain the low adult return rates of S. salar stocked into the upper Merrimack catchment. In the Sheepscot, Narraguagus and Penobscot Rivers in Maine, river and year-specific effects on gill aluminium were detected that appeared to be driven by underlying geology and high spring discharge. The results indicate that episodic acidification is affecting S. salar smolts in poorly buffered streams in New England and may help explain variation in S. salar survival and abundance among rivers and among years, with implications for the conservation and recovery of S. salar in the north-eastern U.S.A. These results suggest that the physiological condition of outmigrating smolts may serve as a large-scale sentinel of landscape-level recovery of atmospheric pollution in this and other parts of the North Atlantic region.
On the NP-hardness of solving bilinear matrix inequalities and simultaneous stabilization with static output feedback

In this paper, it is shown that the problem of checking the solvability of a bilinear matrix inequality (BMI), is NP-hard. A matrix valued function, F(X,Y), is called bilinear if it is linear with respect to each of its arguments, and an inequality of the form, F(X,Y)>0 is called a bilinear matrix inequality. Recently, it was shown that, the static output feedback problem, fixed order controller problem, reduced order H/sup /spl infin// controller design problem, and several other control problems can be formulated as BMIs. The main result of this paper shows that the problem of checking the solvability of BMIs is NP-hard, and hence it is rather unlikely to find a polynomial time algorithm for solving general BMI problems. As an independent result, it is also shown that simultaneous stabilization with static output feedback is an NP-hard problem, namely for given n plants, the problem of checking the existence of a static gain matrix, which stabilizes all of the n plants, is NP-hard.
Detailed mapping of the antigenicity of the surface unit glycoprotein of equine infectious anemia virus by using synthetic peptide strategies.

Abstract We describe here a detailed analysis of the antigenic determinants of the surface unit glycoprotein (gp90) of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), using a comprehensive panel of synthetic peptides in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays with immune serum from naturally and experimentally infected horses and with a panel of gp90-specific neutralizing and nonneutralizing monoclonal antibodies. The results of these studies identify immunoreactive segments throughout the conserved and variable domains of gp90 but localize immunodominant (100% reactivity) determinants to the amino and carboxyl termini of the glycoprotein molecule. Analysis of peptide reactivities with longitudinal serum samples taken from experimentally infected ponies revealed that antibody responses to conserved B-cell determinants appeared earlier and at higher titers than do antibodies specific for determinants contained in the variable domain of gp90. These observations suggest an evolution of antibody responses in EIAV-infected ponies that may correspond to the establishment of immunological control of virus replication and disease routinely observed in EIAV infections. In addition, the mapping of monoclonal antibody epitopes to peptides of 9 to 12 amino acids demonstrated that all of the neutralizing epitopes are located in the variable domain of gp90. The arrangement of neutralizing epitopes and critical structural considerations suggest that EIAV gp90 contains a principal neutralizing domain similar to the V3 loop of human immunodeficiency virus type 1. These antigenic analyses provide an important foundation for further analyzing the protective immune response generated during persistent EIAV infections and also provide potential peptide substrates for diagnostic assays and for vaccine strategies.
Internal Transport Barrier Production and Control in Alcator C-Mod

Internal transport barriers (ITBs), marked by a steep density profile, even stronger peaking in the pressure profile and reduction of core transport are obtained in Alcator C-Mod. They are induced by the use of off-axis D(H) ICRF (ion cyclotron range of frequencies) power deposition. They also arise spontaneously in Ohmic H-mode plasmas once the H-mode lasts for several energy confinement times. Recent studies have explored the limits for forming, maintaining and controlling these plasmas. The C-Mod provides a unique platform for studying such discharges: the high density (up to 8 x 10 20 m -3 ) causes the ions and electrons to be tightly coupled by collisions with T i / T e = 1, and the plasma has no internal particle or momentum sources. The ITBs formed in both Ohmic and ICRF heated plasmas are quite similar regardless of the trigger method. Control of impurity influx and heating of the core plasma in the presence of the ITB have been achieved with the addition of central ICRF power, in both Ohmic H-mode and ICRF induced ITBs. Control of the radial location of the transport barrier is achieved through manipulation of the toroidal magnetic field and plasma current. A narrow region of decreased electron thermal transport, as determined by sawtooth heat pulse analysis, is found in these plasmas as well. Transport analysis indicates that reduction of the particle diffusivity in the barrier region allows the neoclassical pinch to drive the density and impurity accumulation in the plasma centre. Examination of the gyro-kinetic stability indicates that the density and temperature profiles of the plasma core are inherently stable to long-wavelength drift mode driven turbulence at the onset time of the ITB, but that the increasing density gradients cause the trapped electron mode to play a role in providing a control mechanism to ultimately limit the density and impurity rise in the plasma centre.
STUDY ABROAD AND VALUES DEVELOPMENT IN SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS

This article presents results of a qualitative study of values development in U.S. and Scottish social work students who participated in a study-abroad program. Six themes emerged: opening the mind to new ways of thinking; awareness and insight into one's own values and beliefs; social awareness and challenges to societal values and beliefs; appreciation of difference, cultural sensitivity, and anti-discriminatory practice; social justice; and professional identity development. Implications for social work study-abroad programs and future research are discussed.
Comparisons of methods of estimating the seed filling period in soybeans

An experiment was conducted at Lexington, K.Y., USA (38° N latitude) utilizing 18 soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) genotypes in three stem termination groups (determinate, indeterminate, and segregating) to compare eight methods of estimating seed filling period in terms of 1) ability to differentiate among genotypes, 2) lack of bias towards any stem termination type, 3) ease of measurement, and 4) consistency across environments. Growth stage estimates R1 to R8, R4 to R7, R5 to R7 and the reproductive period duration (estimate of the time period of the linear increase in harvest index) detected significant differences among the seed tilling periods of the genotypes. Significant stem termination group measurement method interactions were present, but because the indeterminate stem termination group had a shorter seed filling period than the other two groups for most methods, we were unable to evaluate bias towards stem termination type. The growth stage methods required 4x to 10x less time for data collection than the effective tilling period and reproductive period duration methods. Only the R4 to R7 and R5 to R7 growth stage estimates had significant rank correlation coefficients among genotypes across years. From this and previously published evidence we recommend using the R5 to R7 estimate of seed filling period following the separation of genotypes into stem termination classes for the selection of soybean genotypes based on seed filling period duration.
Development of transmission positron moderators

The conversion from fast to slow positrons by several thin (0.3–7 μm) film moderators has been studied. Positrons from a radioactive 22Na source enter the film where some are thermalized, consequently diffuse to the surface opposite to the source and are emitted with low energies (1–4 eV). The experimental data show that the conversion efficiency to slow positrons ranges from 1×10−4 to 9.1×10−4 for good moderators. The moderator efficiency was found to be very sensitive to annealing temperatures.
CELL KINETICS OF IRRADIATED EXPERIMENTAL TUMORS: CELL TRANSITION FROM THE NON‐PROLIFERATING TO THE PROLIFERATING POOL

Parenchymal tumor cells of murine mammary carcinomas can be divided into two pools, using nucleoli as morphological 'markers'. Cells with dense nucleoli traverse the cell cycle and divide, thus constituting the proliferating pool. Cells with trabeculate or ring-shaped nucleoli either proceed slowly through G1 phase or are arrested in it. The role of these non-proliferating, G1 phase-confined cells in tumor regeneration was studied in vivo after a subcurative dose of X-irradiation in two transplantable tumor lines. Tumor-bearing mice were continuously injected with methyl[3H]thymidine before and after irradiation. Finally, the labeling was discontinued, mice injected with vincristine sulfate and cells arrested in metaphase were accumulated over a 10-hr period. Two clearly delineated groups of vincristine-arrested mitoses emerged in autoradiograms prepared from tumor tissue at the time of starting tumor regrowth: one group with the silver-grain counts corresponding to the background level, the other with heavily labeled mitoses. As the only source of unlabeled mitoses was unlabeled G1 phase-confined cells persisting in the tumor, this observation indicated cell transition from the non-proliferating to the proliferating pool, which took place in the initial phase of the tumor regrowth. Unlabeled progenitors have apoparently remained in G1 phase for at least 5-12 days after irradiation.
The Polder Model in Dutch Economic and Environmental Planning

In an attempt to solve some serious economic and environmental problems, the Netherlands has embarked on an unique experiment over the past few decades. Based on a tradition of cooperation, consensus building, and democratic self-rule, the Dutch have revitalized a corporatist approach to economic and environmental planning. They refer to the polder model to describe the particular characteristics of this approach. Although the polder model is rooted in the past (i.e., the Golden Age of the 17th-century Dutch Republic), its more recent application in planning efforts finds its start with the Wassenaar Accord in economic planning in 1982. A similar approach was used in environmental planning with the introduction of the first National Environmental Policy Plan in 1989. The key feature of the environmental plan is a covenant between business and government. In this article, the author compares the application of the polder model in both areas and concludes that there are serious challenges ahead for its surv...
Pacemaker region in a rhythmically contracting embryonic epithelium, the enveloping layer of Oryzias latipes, a teleost

The primary objectives of this study were (1) to determine the embryonic stage at which the Oryzias latipes enveloping layer (EVL) begins to contract rhythmically, and (2) to determine where these contractions arise within the EVL. Using time-lapse video recording, we showed that the contractions begin at stage 14 (the stage of the embryonic shield) and arise in the ventral region of the EVL, which is centered at 180° longitude from the embryonic shield. We have called this the pacemaker region for the contractions. Using fluorescein diacetate as a vital stain, we showed that the ventral region of the EVL continues to act as a pacemaker even after the EVL is detached from the rest of the egg. Rhythmic contractile activity ceased when we removed a group of about 130 cells — 10% of the total EVL— from the pacemaker region; comparably large wounds elsewhere had no effect on the contractions. When we cut detached EVLs into ten pieces, only 2.4 ± 1.8 (X ± SD, N = 11) of them contracted rhythmically, even though a considerably larger proportion of the EVL cells participate in the contractions in undisturbed blastoderms. We conclude that the pacemaker cells are necessary for rhythmic contractile activity and that cells outside this region do not contract spontaneously. The contractile waves are propagated at a velocity of 14–54 μm sec−1. This value, which is two to three orders of magnitude slower than the propagation of epithelial action potentials, is similar to the rate of propagation of waves of increased cytosolic Ca2+ in other systems. We propose that the medaka EVL is a good system in which to study certain aspects of epithelial morphogenesis.
Conversations with Niels Kaj Jerne on immune regulation: Associative versus network recognition

Abstract Antigen-specific immune regulation via associative and nonassociative recognition of antigen is compared. It is argued that nonassociative recognition of antigen, of which idiotype network regulation is a special case, cannot, in principle, determine the self-nonself discrimination or the class of the response. Three laws of antigen-specific immune regulation are presented which lead to the conclusion that (a) the self-nonself discrimination is determined by paralysis (negative unresponsiveness) not “suppression” (positive unresponsiveness) and (b) suppression plays a role in determining the class of the response (cell-mediated or humoral) not the self-nonself discrimination. No network theory can deal with either of these two problems unless and until a mechanism is proposed by which the immune system (a) distinguishes self-idiotopes from all other self-epitopes, (b) determines the relationship between the successive levels of idiotypic interaction and the class of regulatory T cell (cooperative or suppressive) which must be called into play, (c) decides the relationship between the reference immunogen and the class of response to it, (d) knows whether a hapten is linked to carrier and (e) accomplishes restrictive recognition by regulatory T cells while maintaining the self-nonself discrimination by suppression via recognition of idiotopes on them.
Maternal protein restriction during pregnancy induces CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBPβ) expression through the regulation of histone modification at its promoter region in female offspring rat skeletal muscle

Maternal nutrition during pregnancy is an important intrauterine environmental factor that can cause persistent alterations of the offspring genome and is associated with potential disease risk later in life. In the present study, we investigated the impact of a maternal low protein diet (LP) on the expression of the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBPβ) in offspring skeletal muscle. C/EBPβ belongs to a family of transcription factors that regulates the expression of genes involved in energy homeostasis and muscle development. We investigated C/EBPβ transcriptional regulation from an epigenetic aspect. We observed sex-dependent differences in C/EBPβ expression in offspring skeletal muscle subjected to a maternal protein-restricted diet. In female offspring skeletal muscle, both C/EBPβ mRNA and protein levels were increased by maternal protein restriction. However, C/EBPβ expression was not altered in other tissues or male offspring. Analysis of transcriptional and epigenetic regulation showed acetylated histone 3 and acetylated histone 4 at significantly increased levels at the C/EBPβ promoter region in female LP pup's muscle. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) gene transcription was also up-regulated in female LP pups through the increased binding of C/EBPβ at its promoter. The induction of C/EBPβ expression in female offspring skeletal muscle by maternal protein restriction during pregnancy may indicate C/EBPβ involvement in signaling response in energy metabolism to a low maternal protein diet.
Mixed layer heat budget of the El Niño in NCEP climate forecast system

The mechanisms controlling the El Nino have been studied by analyzing mixed layer heat budget of daily outputs from a free coupled simulation with the Climate Forecast System (CFS). The CFS is operational at National Centers for Environmental Prediction, and is used by Climate Prediction Center for seasonal-to-interannual prediction, particularly for the prediction of the El Nino and Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the tropical Pacific. Our analysis shows that the development and decay of El Nino can be attributed to ocean advection in which all three components contribute. Temperature advection associated with anomalous zonal current and mean vertical upwelling contributes to the El Nino during its entire evolutionary cycle in accordance with many observational, theoretical, and modeling studies. The impact of anomalous vertical current is found to be comparable to that of mean upwelling. Temperature advection associated with mean (anomalous) meridional current in the CFS also contributes to the El Nino cycle due to strong meridional gradient of anomalous (mean) temperature. The surface heat flux, non-linearity of temperature advection, and eddies associated with tropical instabilities waves (TIW) have the tendency to damp the El Nino. Possible degradation in the analysis and closure of the heat budget based on the monthly mean (instead of daily) data is also quantified.
Blazars can have double radio sources

Blazars (BL Lac objects and optically violently variable quasars) are characterized by high optical polarization, and highly variable optical flux, polarization and polarization position angle1. Many have other extraordinary properties that could be explained by a radiating jet undergoing bulk relativistic motion directed towards the observer. Several workers have suggested that the jets seen in ordinary double radio sources could appear as blazars, if they were viewed end-on1; in this case the two lobes would not appear separately, but would appear in projection as a halo around the point source. Generally, blazar maps in the literature are consistent with this notion2–4, with only two unusual (bent or very asymmetrical) double sources—1400 + 162 (refs 3–6) and 3C279 (ref. 7)—having been reported. However, we have now found three clear double radio sources (two being quite symmetrical) around the strong central point sources, including one classical double. A fourth blazar has head–tail morphology. It may be possible to reconcile these observations with the model cited above if we imagine that the jets do not lie precisely alone the line of sight, or that the lobes are misaligned with the jets8.
Aggressive group behaviour in the ant Formica xerophila is coordinated by direct nestmate contact

In fights between groups of social animals, willingness of an individual to fight increases with group size. To better understand how individuals assess numerical state and coordinate group behaviour, I investigated how individual ants, Formica xerophila collect information about group size prior to a competitive encounter, and how this information affects F. xerophila behaviour towards a closely related competitor, F. integroides. To determine how F. xerophila collect information regarding numerical state, I performed aggression bioassays between F. xerophila and F. integroides in which F. xerophila individuals were experimentally exposed to isolated communication pathways (either physical contact or potential chemical interactions) with group members prior to a competitive encounter. I found that individual F. xerophila in direct contact with group members prior to encountering F. integroides were more aggressive during the interaction than were F. xerophila individuals in contact with group members via potential pheromones either in the air or on the ground prior to the encounter. Additionally, individual F. xerophila exposed directly to group member surface hydrocarbons prior to a competitive encounter were just as aggressive as ants exposed to live group members. Aggression towards competitors, however, was only induced after approximately 25 min of direct exposure, but individuals remained aggressive for at least 25 min after hydrocarbon stimuli were removed. The same compounds that allowed individual ants to distinguish group members from nonmembers also induced aggressive behaviour. These results provide detail into how animals can collect and use information regarding group size to coordinate a group response.
Persistent photoluminescence quenching of 0.68‐eV emission in undoped semi‐insulating GaAs

The persistent photoluminescence quenching effect is shown to occur on the broad 0.68‐eV emission commonly present in undoped semi‐insulating GaAs bulk materials. The dependence of this persistent emission on below band‐gap energy excitation has been measured. The data indicate involvement of the main deep donor EL2 in the radiative mechanism of the 0.68‐eV emission. The persistent photoluminescence quenching effect can be explained by the presence of both normal and metastable states of EL2.
Chromosomal breakage syndromes

Immune deficiency and chromosome fragility are hallmarks of two human diseases, ataxia telangiectasia and Nijmegen breakage syndrome. The genes mutated in these diseases, ATM and NBS1 , have been cloned and there has been considerable recent progress on deciphering the function of the protein products implicated in these disorders and how their absence in the disease states relates to the immunodeficiency and chromosome fragility observed. The function of the two protein products, Atm and Nibrin, in effecting DNA repair and cell cycle checkpoints in response to genomic insult provides a framework for understanding the cellular response to DNA damage
Conditionally lethal tubA alpha-tubulin mutations in Aspergillus nidulans.

We have mapped 17 extragenic suppressors of benA 33, a heat-sensitive β-tubulin mutation of Aspergillus nidulans, to the tubA α tubulin locus. Fifteen of these tubA mutations cause cold sensitivity in a genetic background with benA 33 and appear to cause lethality in a background with the wild-type benA allele. We examined the microtubule-mediated processes, nuclear division and nuclear migration, in seven different cold-sensitive double mutants, each carrying benA 33 and a different cold-sensitive tubA allele. Nuclear division and migration were inhibited at a restrictive temperature in each case, suggesting that cold sensitivity is due to the inhibition of microtubule function at low temperatures. A single allele, tubA4, suppressed the heat sensitivity conferred by benA33 but did not confer cold sensitivity in a benA33 background, however in a wildtype benA background, tubA4 conferred supersensitivity to antimicrotubule agents and weak cold sensitivity. TubA4 did not suppress the heat sensitivity conferred by two other benA alleles. The cold sensitivity conferred by tubA4 was suppressed by the microtubule stabilizing agent deuterium oxide, and the suppression of heat sensitivity conferred by four other tubA mutations was reversed by deuterium oxide. These results suggest that these mutations may affect hydrophobic interactions between α-and β-tubulin.
NAHA, a Novel Hydroxamic Acid-Derivative, Inhibits Growth and Angiogenesis of Breast Cancer In Vitro and In Vivo

Background We have recently synthesized novel N-alkylated amino acid-derived hydroxamate, 2-[Benzyl-(2-nitro-benzenesulfonyl)-amino]-N-hydroxy-3-methyl-N-propyl-butyramide (NAHA). Here, we evaluate the anticancer activity of NAHA against highly invasive human breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 in vitro and in vivo.
PLEIADES: a subpicosecond Thomson x-ray source for ultrafast materials probing

The use of ultrafast laser pulses to generate very high brightness, ultrashort (10 -14 to 10 -12 s) pulses of x-rays is a topic of great interest to the x-ray user community. In principle, femtosecond-scale pump-probe experiments can be used to temporally resolve structural dynamics of materials on the time scale of atomic motion. However, further development of this field is severely hindered by the absence of a suitably intense x-ray source that would drive the development of improved experimental techniques and establish a broader range of applicability. We report on a project at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to produce a novel x-ray source and essential experimental techniques that will enable unprecedented dynamic measurements in matter. Based on scattering of a sub-50-fs, multi-terawatt, multi-beam laser from a co-synchronous and highly focused relativistic electron bunch, PLEIADES (Picosecond Laser Electron Interaction for Dynamic Evaluation of Structures) will produce tunable, ultrafast, hard x-ray (10- 200 keV) probes that greatly exceed existing 3rd generation synchrotron sources in speed (100 fs - 1 ps), peak brightness (10 20 ph/mm 2 s mrad 2 0.1% BW, and >10 9 ph/pulse), and simplicity (100-fold smaller). Such bright, ultrafast high energy x-rays will enable pump-probe experiments using radiography, dynamic diffraction, and spectroscopy to address the equation of state and dynamics of phase transitions and structure in laser heated and compressed heavy dense metals of interest for materials science.
Serial digit learning: Normative and clinical aspects

Abstract The performances of 500 normal subjects on serial digit learning (8 or 9 digits over 12 trials) were obtained and normative standards in relation to age, educational level, and sex were established. The performances of 112 hospital control patients on digit span were also obtained to develop parallel empirical standards. The performances of 100 patients with hemispheric brain disease on these two tasks were then compared. Classificatory agreement (pass or fail) between the two tests was moderately high (69%), but serial digit learning was the more sensitive index of the presence of brain disease. The advantages of including digit learning in the mental status examination are discussed.
Optimization of a microfluidic electrophoretic immunoassay using a Peltier cooler

Successful analysis of electrophoretic affinity assays depends strongly on the preservation of the affinity complex during separations. Elevated separation temperatures due to Joule heating promotes complex dissociation leading to a reduction in sensitivity. Affinity assays performed in glass microfluidic devices may be especially prone to this problem due to poor heat dissipation due to the low thermal conductivity of glass and the large amount of bulk material surrounding separation channels. To address this limitation, a method to cool a glass microfluidic chip for performing an affinity assay for insulin was achieved by a Peltier cooler localized over the separation channel. The Peltier cooler allowed for rapid stabilization of temperatures, with 21 °C the lowest temperature that was possible to use without producing detrimental thermal gradients throughout the device. The introduction of cooling improved the preservation of the affinity complex, with even passive cooling of the separation channel improving the amount of complex observed by 2-fold. Additionally, the capability to thermostabilize the separation channel allowed for utilization of higher separation voltages than what was possible without temperature control. Kinetic CE analysis was utilized as a diagnostic of the affinity assay and indicated that optimal conditions were at the highest separation voltage, 6 kV, and the lowest separation temperature, 21 °C, leading to 3.4% dissociation of the complex peak during the separation. These optimum conditions were used to generate a calibration curve and produced 1 nM limits of detection, representing a 10-fold improvement over non-thermostated conditions. This methodology of cooling glass microfluidic devices for performing robust and high sensitivity affinity assays on microfluidic systems should be amenable in a number of applications.
Step by step through the scholarly conversation : a collaborative library/writing faculty project to embed information literacy and promote critical thinking in first year composition at Oregon State University

ABSTRACT At Oregon State University, writing instructors and librarians collaboratively teach research writing and information literacy in first year composition courses. A four-week unit focuses on the connections between critical thinking, writing and learning, and information literacy. This article describes the process of developing, implementing, and refining this collaborative curriculum. By using assignments and texts that model a recursive critical research and writing process for students, librarians and writing instructors help students think more deeply and critically about their topics.
Growth of KTaO3‐KNbO3 Mixed Crystals

Crystals of potassium tantalum niobate (KTN) were grown by two techniques: (1) pulling in the 〈100〉 direction with a continuously increasing crystal diameter, and (2) growing {100} platelets while floating on the surface of the melt. The amount of tantalum in the crystals increased rapidly with increasing potassium in the melt. The rate of potassium oxide evaporation from the melt was significant.
Persuasion online or on paper: a new take on an old issue

Abstract Few, if any, studies have examined the persuasion process as it unfolds in the computer environments that are so popular in today’s educational settings. As such, the purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which students’ knowledge and beliefs and their reactions to the features of the articles would be differentially influenced as a result of reading traditional persuasive texts vs. online computerized persuasive texts. The results revealed that text presentations were effective at significantly modifying both, students’ knowledge and beliefs. However, students in the computerized text condition found the texts significantly more difficult to understand, less interesting, and the authors less credible. Implications for research and practice are forwarded.
A226Ra section across the East Pacific Rise

Abstract Four vertical Ra profiles have been measured across the East Pacific Rise (EPR) from Callao to Tahiti. These profiles show that Ra in the deep water (below 2 km depth) increases toward the EPR. However, this increase does not necessarily indicate a Ra source on the EPR. The increase from Tahiti toward the EPR reflects the general trend of the Pacific Ra distribution. The decrease from the EPR eastward to the Peru Basin is probably due to the continental effect with higher sedimentation rates. The hydrography, especially potential temperature and oxygen, indicates significant differences below about 3 km depth between the east and west flanks of the EPR indicating the effect of the cold bottom water to the west of the EPR. The benthic front is identified at 3.9 km depth at the westernmost station near Tahiti. Silicate and salinity data are by no means unique and reflect a complicated local circulation and mixing pattern with a minor intrusion of the Antarctic Bottom Water from the south into the Peru Basin. The θ-Ra and Ra-Si relationships both indicate an enrichment of Ra in the deep water below 2 km depth probably due to input from the underlying sediments. Above 2 km depth, Ra covaries almost linearly with θ as well as Si, mimicking a stable conservative property. This suggests that the radiodecay rate is nearly balanced by the input rate within the water column between 1 and 2 km depth in which θ is linearly correlated withS. Simple vertical model calculations show that the in-situ production of Ra by particulate dissolution in the deep water is negligible within a reasonable range of upwelling rates from 2 to 12 m/yr. Thus the Ra profiles show a net decay effect and so the θ-Ra relations are not linear in the deep water. In fact, the composite θ-Ra plots show a break at 25 dpm/100 kg (at 2 km depth) rather than a smooth curve, while theθ-S plots are essentially linear. A maximum Ra production rate of about 8 × 10−3 (dpm/100 kg) yr−1 is obtained from all the profiles with minimum upwelling rates between 0.7 and 3.5 m/yr.
Mechanisms of olfactory discrimination : Converging evidence for common principles across phyla

▪ Abstract Olfaction begins with the transduction of the information carried by odor molecules into electrical signals in sensory neurons. The activation of different subsets of sensory neurons to different degrees is the basis for neural encoding and further processing of the odor information by higher centers in the olfactory pathway. Recent evidence has converged on a set of transduction mechanisms, involving G-protein-coupled second-messenger systems, and neural processing mechanisms, involving modules called glomeruli, that appear to be adapted for the requirements of different species. The evidence is highlighted in this review by focusing on studies in selected vertebrates and in insects and crustaceans among invertebrates. The findings support the hypothesis that olfactory transduction and neural processing in the peripheral olfactory pathway involve basic mechanisms that are universal across most species in most phyla.
Degradation of a poly(ether urethane urea) elastomer: infra-red and XPS studies

The potential for a poly(ether urethane urea) (PEUU) elastomer to undergo degradation, under the conditions preyalent in the biological environment, was investigated using an in vitro model system. The effect of exposing an unstabilized PEUU to an aqueous environment containing the proteolytic enzyme, papain, for one month was examined by Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and chromatographic methods. Evidence of degradation was observed in both enzyme- and water-treated PEUU, but was restricted to the surface regions of the polymer. Analysis of methanol extracts from polymer samples revealed evidence for the degradation of ether linkages, which was independent of the enzyme, whereas the degradation of urethane and urea groups, indicated by the detection of a primary aromatic amine degradation product, depended on the presence of the proteolytic enzyme.
Contending with Chinese counterfeits: Culture, growth, and management responses

Almost every product imaginable is being copied and manufactured in China, then either sold there or exported elsewhere. While some improvement in the overall intellectual property rights (IPR) environment in China has occurred recently, the issue of piracy remains a daunting one. To understand Chinese IPR conditions requires a look at the rapid growth of the nation's economy, as well as its history. With booming economic conditions has come an equivalent surge in the manufacture of counterfeit product, and ideologically the country's political culture has not lent itself to the concept of ownership of intellectual property. Both Confucianism and Communism hold no interest in individual ownership; historically, censorship has been considered more important than copyrights, and inventions as belonging to the state. Though it is virtually impossible to estimate the value of counterfeit product originating in China, totals may reach over $150 billion. Both firms doing business in China and foreign governments are dissatisfied with the current level of IPR protection. Managers need to be proactive on many levels to be sure their intellectual property is adequately protected.
Endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the uterine corpus involving the cervix: Some cases probably represent independent primaries

The majority of endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinomas involving the cervix have tumor morphology that is similar in the endometrium and the endocervix. There are, however, some cases in which the morphology of the tumor in the endocervix is different from the endometrial carcinoma, in which it is more invasive than the endometrial carcinoma, or in which invasion only occurs in the endocervix while there is no or only minimal myometrial invasion. The goal of this study was to investigate whether tumors involving the endometrium and the endocervix are similar or 2 independent primaries by hematoxylin and eosin stain, immunohistochemistry (IHC), human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in situ hybridization, RNA reverse transcriptase in situ polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses to reveal HPV, and DNA clonality studies. We selected 14 cases of endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinomas involving the cervix with complete pathology material available from the years between 1968 and 2004. Immunohistochemical studies for vimentin, carcinoembryonic antigen, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and p16 were performed in 12 cases; HPV DNA/RNA analyses in 4 cases; and clonality studies in 9 cases. The patients' ages ranged from 42 to 81 years (mean: 62 y). Follow-up information was obtained in 11 patients. Histologic features varied between the tumors in the endometrium and the endocervix in 8 cases, and 5 of these cases had uniform, dilated glands having a microcystic appearance in the cervix. In 6 cases, the tumors in the endometrium and the endocervix had similar histologic features. The immunohistochemical studies showed some differences between the endometrial and endocervical adenocarcinomas in 8 of the 12 cases, independent of differing or similar histologic features. HPV testing in 4 of the cases (3 with similar and 1 with different histology) yielded similar results in the endometrium and endocervix: 2 cases were negative, 1 was positive and 1 was equivocal for HPV DNA/RNA analyses. Clonality studies showed differences between the adenocarcinoma in the endometrium and the endocervix in 7 cases, including 5 cases with different histologic appearances; 2 cases had similar loss of heterozygosity patterns. In conclusion, as suggested by clonality studies, coexisting endometrial and endocervical carcinomas with different histologic features are most likely independent neoplasms. Endometrial and endocervical carcinomas that have similar appearances can represent either the same neoplasm or independent primaries. Clonality tests may help determine their relationship. IHC studies may not be helpful for synchronous endometrial and endocervical tumors, especially those of endometrioid type. It is possible that IHC identifies cell differentiation, rather than site of origin. HPV studies are important to identify endocervical tumors associated with high-risk HPV. However, endometrial tumors involving the cervix and endocervical tumors unrelated to HPV are both negative for high-risk HPV.
A Tour of CVC4: How it works, and how to use it

CVC4 is a solver for Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT). This tutorial aims to give participants an overview of SMT, describe the main features of CVC4, and walk through in-depth examples using CVC4 to demonstrate how to solve real problems with an SMT solver. We will provide a detailed description of various aspects of CVC4's internals, including its architecture, its capacity for dealing with quantifiers, its finite model finder, and the linear arithmetic solver. We will show examples of software and hardware verification problems, and how they are encoded and handled by these features in CVC4.Participants are expected to have only a basic knowledge of what SMT is. This tutorial will give casual users a taste of encoding complex, real-world problems in SMT and effectively using CVC4 to solve them. Participants will be left with some knowledge of what goes on inside a modern SMT solver and some of the practical issues that arise in using them.CVC4, jointly developed at New York University and the University of Iowa, is freely available for both research and commercial use under an open-source license. The organizers of this tutorial are all architects and implementors of CVC4 and have extensive expertise in the area of SMT.