cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multi-functional derivatization of amine, hydroxyl, and carboxylate groups for metabolomic investigations of human tissue by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Metabolomics, the study of small molecules involved in cellular processes, offers the potential to reveal insights into the pathophysiology of disease states. Analysis of metabolites by electrospray mass spectrometry is complicated by their structural diversity. Amine, hydroxyl, and carboxylate groups all affect signal responses differently based on their polarity and proton affinity. This heterogeneity of signal response, sensitivity, and resistance to competing ionization complicates metabolite quantitation. Such limitations can be mitigated by a dual derivatization scheme. In this work, primary amine and hydroxyl groups are tagged with a linear acyl chloride head containing a tertiary amine tail, followed by carboxylate groups coupled to a linear amine tag with a tertiary amine tail. This tagging scheme increases analyte proton affinity and hydrophobicity. In the case of carboxylate groups, the inherent anionic charge is inverted to a cationic charge. This dual tagging is completed within 2.5 hours, diminishes adduct formation, and improves sensitivity by >75-fold. The average limit of detection for 23 metabolites was 38 nM and the R2 was 0.97. This process was used to investigate metabolite changes from human tissue. Examination of diabetic and non-diabetic human tissue showed marked changes in both energy metabolites and amino acids. Further examination of the tissue showed that HbA1C value is inversely correlated with fumarate levels. This technique potentially allows for the analysis of virtually all metabolites in a single analytical run. Thus, it may lead to a more complete picture of metabolic dysfunction in human disease.
Look Up ODE Forms

This chapter describes the look up ordinary differential equations (ODE) forms method. An experienced differential equations practitioner can look at many second-order ordinary differential equations and readily guess whether or not there is a closed form solution. This is because there are many familiar forms that often appear. The method discussed in the chapter gives an idea of whether or not a differential equation has a closed-form solution. Having a listing of familiar differential equation forms makes it possible to recognize these forms. The chapter presents many of the familiar forms that appear for second-order ordinary differential equations. It highlights that the same equation may look different when written in different variables.
Measurement of Local Glucose Utilization and Its Use in Localization of Functional Activity in the Central Nervous System of Animals and Man

Publisher Summary The brain is a complex, heterogeneous organ composed of many anatomical and functional components with markedly different levels of functional activity that vary independently with time and function. Other tissues are generally homogeneous with most of their cells functioning similarly and synchronously in response to a common stimulus or regulatory influence. The central nervous system, however, consists of innumerable subunits, each integrated into its own set of functional pathways and networks, and subserving only one or a few of the many activities in which the nervous system participates. This chapter discusses the measurement of local glucose utilization and its use in localization of functional activity in the central nervous system of man and animals. 2-deoxyglucose is transported bi-directionally between blood and brain by the same carrier that transports glucose across the blood–brain barrier. In the cerebral tissues it is phosphorylated by hexokinase to 2-deoxyglucose 6-phosphate. Deoxyglucose and glucose are, therefore, competitive substrates for both blood–brain transport and hexokinase-catalyzed phosphorylation.
Deconstructing and targeting the genomic architecture of human neurodegeneration

The field of neurodegenerative disease research has seen tremendous advances over the last two decades as new technologies and analytic methods have enabled well-powered human genomic studies. Driven first by genetic studies and more recently by transcriptomic and epigenomic studies of proper size, we have uncovered a large repertoire of loci, genes, and molecular features that are implicated in discrete, syndromically defined neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease. As we begin to understand the impact of these genomic features in each disease, we also appreciate that many aging individuals accumulate each of these pathologies without fulfilling criteria for syndromic diagnoses, that other pathologies are common in individuals with a given diagnosis, and that there may be shared protective factors against central nervous system injury. Thus, we now need to bring these disparate observations together into a person-centered approach that considers all neurodegenerative and protective processes simultaneously to modulate the trajectory of cognitive and functional decline that comes with brain aging.
Evaluating Treatment Strategies for Spinal Lesions in Multiple Myeloma: A Review of the Literature

ABSTRACT Background: Vertebral disease is a major cause of morbidity in 70% of patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM). Associated osteolytic lesions and vertebral fractures are well documented in causing debilitating pain, functional restrictions, spinal deformity, and cord compression. Currently, treatment modalities for refractory MM spinal pain include systemic therapy, radiotherapy, cementoplasty (vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty), and radio frequency ablation. Our objectives were to report on the efficacy of existing treatments for MM patients with refractory spinal pain, to determine if a standardized treatment algorithm has been described, and to set the foundation upon which future prospective studies can be designed. Methods: A systematic search of the PubMed database was performed for studies relevant to the treatment of vertebral disease in MM patients. A multitude of search terms in various combinations were used, including but not limited to: “vertebroplasty,” “kyphoplasty,” “radiation,” “multiple myeloma,” “radiotherapy,” and “radiosurgery.” Results: Our preliminary search resulted in 219 articles, which subsequently resulted in 19 papers following abstract, title, full-text, and bibliography review. These papers were then grouped by treatment modality: radiotherapy, cementoplasty, or combination therapy. Significant pain and functional score improvement across all treatment modalities was found in the majority of the literature. While complications of treatment occurred, few were noted to be clinically significant. Conclusions: Treatment options—radiotherapy and/or cementoplasty—for vertebral lesions and pathologic fractures in MM patients demonstrate significant radiographic and clinical improvement. However, there is no consensus in the literature as to the optimal treatment modality as a result of a limited number of studies reporting head-to-head comparisons. One study did find significantly improved pain and functional scores with preserved vertebral height in favor of kyphoplasty over radiotherapy. When not contraindicated, we advocate for some form of cementoplasty. Further prospective studies are required before implementation of a standardized treatment protocol. Level of Evidence: 5.
Linguistic equity as open access: Internationalizing the language of scholarly communication

Abstract The open access movement has called attention to ways in which financial barriers to participation in scholarly discourse inhibit the growth of knowledge and perpetuate global inequities. The majority of the focus, however, has lain upon two kinds of direct financial barrier: subscription fees and article processing charges. This article proposes that the use of English as the lingua franca of modern scholarly communication constitutes a ‘hidden paywall’ that counterproductively inhibits the participation of scholars from many parts of the world and particularly from the global south. After a brief review of the costs of this ‘hidden paywall’ and of the tradition of ‘great power’ linguae francae in which English now stands, this article suggests that 19th and 20th century proposals for the use of a constructed auxiliary language as an aid to global scholarship now deserve to be revisited, with contemporary developments in publishing technology and machine translation rendering them feasible alternatives to the status quo in ways that they were not when first introduced.
Analysis of Semidefinite Programming Relaxation of Optimal Power Flow for Cyclic Networks

The optimal power flow (OPF) problem determines an optimal operating point of the power network that minimizes a certain objective function subject to physical and network constraints. There has been a great deal of attention in convex relaxation of the OPF problem in recent years, and it has been shown that a semidefinite programming (SDP) relaxation can solve different classes of the nonconvex OPF problem to global or near-global optimality. Although it is known that the SDP relaxation is exact for radial networks under various conditions, solving the OPF problem for cyclic networks needs further research. In this paper, we propose sufficient conditions under which the SDP relaxation is exact for special but important cyclic networks. More precisely, when the objective function is a linear function of active powers, we show that the SDP relaxation is exact for odd cycles under certain conditions. Also, the exactness of the SDP relaxation for simple cycles of size 3 and 4 is proved under different technical conditions. The existence of rank-1 or -2 SDP solutions for weakly-cyclic networks is also proved in both lossy and lossless cases. In addition, when the objective function is an increasing function of reactive powers, we prove that the SDP relaxation is exact under certain conditions. This result justifies why the sum of reactive powers acts as a low-rank-promoting term for OPF. The findings of this paper provide intuition into the behavior of SDPs for different building blocks of cyclic networks.
Diagnosis and Surveillance of Barrett’s Esophagus

Named after the Australian-born British thoracic surgeon Norman Barrett, Barrett’s esophagus refers to the abnormal replacement of normal stratified squamous epithelium of the distal esophagus with columnar-lined intestinal epithelium. Although the majority of patients do not have symptoms, gastroesophageal reflux is associated with an increased risk of Barrett’s esophagus. The diagnosis is made endoscopically by obtaining biopsies with confirmed intestinal metaplasia, which is defined by the presence of acid mucin-containing goblet cells. Barrett’s esophagus is associated with an increased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma, and histopathology is necessary in identifying cytologic changes involved during carcinogenesis. Appropriate screening and surveillance for Barrett’s esophagus is important in preventing the progression of esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is a significant predictor for cancer survival.
Clinical course of patients with cisplatin (CDDP)-associated neuropathy compared to other neurotoxic chemotherapy.

e23078Background: There are limited patient (pt) reported outcome data regarding CDDP neurotoxicity. Methods: CDDP-induced peripheral neuropathy was evaluated in pts with testicular cancer planning...
Preliminary analysis to estimate the spatial distribution of benefits of P load reduction: Identifying the spatial influence of phosphorus loading from the Maumee River (USA) in western Lake Erie

Since the early 2000s, Lake Erie has been experiencing annual cyanobacterial blooms that often cover large portions of the western basin and even reach into the central basin. These blooms have affected several ecosystem services provided by Lake Erie to surrounding communities (notably drinking water quality). Several modeling efforts have identified the springtime total bioavailable phosphorus (TBP) load as a major driver of maximum cyanobacterial biomass in western Lake Erie, and on this basis, international water management bodies have set a phosphorus (P) reduction goal. This P reduction goal is intended to reduce maximum cyanobacterial biomass, but there has been very limited effort to identify the specific locations within the western basin of Lake Erie that will likely experience the most benefits. Here, we used pixel-specific linear regression to identify where annual variation in spring TBP loads is most strongly associated with cyanobacterial abundance, as inferred from satellite imagery. Using this approach, we find that annual TBP loads are most strongly associated with cyanobacterial abundance in the central and southern areas of the western basin. At the location of the Toledo water intake, the association between TBP load and cyanobacterial abundance is moderate, and in Maumee Bay (near Toledo, Ohio), the association between TBP and cyanobacterial abundance is no better than a null model. Both of these locations are important for the delivery of specific ecosystem services, but this analysis indicates that P load reductions would not be expected to substantially improve maximum annual cyanobacterial abundance in these locations. These results are preliminary in the sense that only a limited set of models were tested in this analysis, but these results illustrate the importance of identifying whether the spatial distribution of management benefits (in this case P load reduction) matches the spatial distribution of management goals (reducing the effects of cyanobacteria on important ecosystem services).
Distributed allocation of mobile sensing swarms in gyre flows

Abstract. We address the synthesis of distributed control policies to enable a swarm of homogeneous mobile sensors to maintain a desired spatial distribution in a geophysical flow environment, or workspace. In this article, we assume the mobile sensors (or robots) have a "map" of the environment denoting the locations of the Lagrangian coherent structures or LCS boundaries. Using this information, we design agent-level hybrid control policies that leverage the surrounding fluid dynamics and inherent environmental noise to enable the team to maintain a desired distribution in the workspace. We discuss the stability properties of the ensemble dynamics of the distributed control policies. Since realistic quasi-geostrophic ocean models predict double-gyre flow solutions, we use a wind-driven multi-gyre flow model to verify the feasibility of the proposed distributed control strategy and compare the proposed control strategy with a baseline deterministic allocation strategy. Lastly, we validate the control strategy using actual flow data obtained by our coherent structure experimental testbed.
Dual-Responsive Microgels for Structural Repair and Recovery of Nonwoven Membranes for Liquid Filtration

This study presents dual-responsive colloidal microgels to repair nonwoven fiber mats (NWFs) and recover their native morphological and functional properties. The formulation comprises poly(N-isopr...
Halide Perovskite Metamaterial Directional Emitter

We propose an integrated perovskite metamaterial that enables wavefront control of the light emitted from halide perovskites. Through the incorporation of dielectric metasurface and Bragg cavity, we experimentally show directional emission from CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 (MAPbI 3 ) perovskites.
Population Density in the Urban Core and Suburban Periphery of Large Urban Areas in the U.S., 1980-2010

To provide a more consistent definition than the traditional central city-suburb division, the urban core is defined as the extent of the built-up urban area in 1950 with the suburban periphery being the area added to the urban area thereafter. Population density in the urban core and suburban periphery is examined for 59 large urban areas from 1980 to 2010. Mean densities have not changed much over the period. Densities are, of course, higher in the urban core than the suburban periphery. The striking finding is the extremely high degree of variation in core and suburban density and density change. The population of the entire urban area, the growth of urban area population over time, and the presence of mountains as a barrier to urban expansion are related to density and density change in the urban core and suburban periphery.
A computational model of spatial representations that explains object-centered neglect in parietal patients

Patients with parietal cortex lesions exhibit unusual visual deficits, typically involving the neglect of a part of their visual space. Without being consciously aware of it, they act as if that part of space is not visible. At first, it was thought that this neglected space coincided with the visual hemifield contralateral to the lesioned hemisphere, but more recently, an increasing number of experiments [1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11] have shown that in many cases, the neglected part of space is related to a reference object of immediate interest. For example, in a recent experiment by Behrmann et al. [3], a patient with a right parietal lobe lesion was asked to count the number of instances of the letter “A” in a field of letters on a TV screen (see Figure 1). The eye movements recorded from the subjects showed that they typically neglected to look at most of the “A”s in the left side of the TV screen. Note that the neglect cannot be explained as a visual hemifield neglect because, as the patient makes eye movements, the letters that appear in each hemifield change.
The roles of Penicillium and Aspergillus in sick building syndrome

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the importance of Penicillium spp. and Aspergillus spp. in inducing symptoms consistent with sick building syndrome (SBS) and provides experimental evidence for some of the symptoms caused by these organisms. Penicillium spp. are some of the most commonly isolated molds from contaminated buildings. Penicillium spp. and Aspergillus spp. play a major role in causing many of the allergic and respiratory symptoms seen in people exposed to high levels of spores and allergens from these organisms in contaminated buildings. Although the spores are ubiquitous and too small to filter from most indoor environments, better control of humidity, air handling, and plumbing as well as incorporation of mold-inhibiting building components should decrease the incidence of complaints related to these organisms. Although many allergens have been characterized from various species of Penicillium and Aspergillus and important animal studies have been conducted, much more evidence is needed to determine the exact mechanisms of sensitization to fungal spores and allergens.
The Second Wave of Global Privacy Protection: Symposium Introduction

This is the introductory essay for the Ohio State Law Journal Symposium on "The Second Wave of Global Privacy Protection." The essay seeks to provide a readable summary of how information privacy issues have developed since the rise of the Internet in the 1990s. It explains the perspective of one person who has lived through these events, both as a participant and an academic observer.The first wave of global privacy protection coincided with the exponential growth of the Internet during the 1990’s. By 2001, the European Union had implemented its Data Protection Directive, the United States had created privacy laws for health care, financial services, and other sectors, and the Safe Harbor was in place to create a legal structure for flows of personal information across the Atlantic. However, during the years following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, legislation and attention to privacy issues cooled as security issues took center stage.We are now in the midst of a second wave of global privacy initiatives. Drivers of change include explosive growth in cloud computing, behavioral advertising, social networks, and mobile computing. The European Union is considering a major overhaul of the 1995 Directive, and comprehensive privacy laws have spread to over 100 countries around the world. In the United States, even before the attention to privacy in the wake of the Snowden leaks, the Obama administration became the first to explicitly support privacy legislation for the Internet, and the Federal Trade Commission has pushed numerous privacy initiatives.The essay observes that it is difficult to predict what lasting legal changes will emerge from the second wave. Obstacles to U.S. privacy legislation continue to appear considerable. It would be risky, however, to assume that most or all new privacy protections will be blocked. The level of privacy debate is intense. The first wave culminated in multiple laws and new practices that have had enduring effect, and so might the second wave.
Preschoolers joke with jokers, but correct foreigners

Thirty- and 36-month-old English speakers’ (N = 106) ability to produce jokes, distinguish between humorous and sincere intentions, and distinguish between English- and foreign-language speakers, was examined in two tasks. In the Giving task, an experimenter requested one of two familiar objects, and a confederate always gave her the wrong object. In the Naming task, the confederate mislabeled familiar objects. In the English-speaking conditions, the confederate laughed after doing the wrong thing (English-Humor) or said, ‘There!’ (English-Sincere). In the Foreign conditions, the French- or Italian-speaking confederate laughed (Foreign-Humor) or said, ‘D’accord!’ or ‘Va bene!’ (Foreign-Sincere). When preschoolers were subsequently requested to give and name the same objects and a new set of familiar objects they were significantly more likely to imitate and ‘do the wrong thing’ in the Humor versus Sincere, and in the English versus Foreign conditions.
Defect and phonon effects in In1−χGaχP p-n tunnel junctions

Abstract Measurements have been made at 4.2°K on p-n tunnel junctions in the mixed crystal systems In 1− χ Ga x P. Large excess currents and zero bias conductance minima indicate a high concentration of defects in the junctions, which are fabricated on Zn-doped substrates. As the composition changes from InP to GaP, a single k ≅ 0 phonon mode is observed at energies near the top of the InP optical phonon band, which becomes the LO phonon mode in GaP.
Single-Molecule Bond-Rupture Force Analysis of Interactions between AFM Tips and Substrates Modified with Organosilanes

Recent atomic force microscopy studies have probed specific chemical interactions between the tip and the surface. A statistical method that produces information about the magnitude of single-molecule bond-rupture forces has been developed in our laboratories. This paper describes the extension of this technique to the study of single-molecule bond-rupture forces for organosilane coupling agents covalently attached to hydroxyl-bearing surfaces. Since both the tip and the surface can be modified by functionalized organosilanes, studies of a variety of tip−surface interactions have been possible. We were able to verify the adsorption of a variety of organosilanes on both the tip and surface using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. Interactions that were studied and quantified include van der Waals interactions between bromine-terminated silanes and the hydrophobic interactions between methyl-terminated silanes on the tip and surface.
What really happened to the Stalin line? Part IIStrategic Defence/Fortifications

(1993). What really happened to the Stalin line? Part IIStrategic Defence/Fortifications. The Journal of Slavic Military Studies: Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 21-61.
Sterol-Modified Phospholipids: Cholesterol and Phospholipid Chimeras with Improved Biomembrane Properties

We synthesized a family of sterol-modified glycerophospholipids (SML) in which the sn-1 or sn-2 position is covalently attached to cholesterol and the alternative position contains an aliphatic chain. The SML were used to explore how anchoring cholesterol to a phospholipid affects cholesterol behavior in a bilayer. Notably, cholesterol in the SML retains the membrane condensing properties of free cholesterol regardless of the chemistry or position of its attachment to the glycerol moiety of the phospholipid. SMLs by themselves formed liposomes upon hydration and in mixtures between an SML and diacylglycerophospholipids (C14 to C18 chain length) the thermotropic phase transition is eliminated at the SML equivalent of about 30 mol % free cholesterol. Osmotic-induced contents leakage from SML (C14-C18) liposomes depends upon the linkage and position of cholesterol but in general is similar to that observed in 3/2 diacylphosphatidylcholine/cholesterol (mole ratio) liposomes. SML liposomes are exceptionally resistant to contents release in the presence of serum at 37 degrees C. This is probably due to the fact that SML exchange between bilayers is more than 100 fold less than the exchange rate of free cholesterol in the same conditions. Importantly, SML liposomes containing doxorubicin are as effective in treating the murine C26 colon carcinoma as Doxil, a commercial liposome doxorubicin formulation. SMLs stabilize bilayers but do not exchange and hence provide a new tool for biophysical studies on membranes. They may improve liposomal drug delivery in organs predisposed to the extraction of free cholesterol from bilayers, such as the skin, lung, or blood.
A Rapid Method for Resectioning 0.5–4 μ Epoxy Sections for Electron Microscopy

A simple and rapid method is described for resectioning semithin Epon sections which have been stained for light microscopy, mounted on slides, and examined under immersion oil. The immersion oil is removed with xylene and the section is air dried. A drop of distilled water is applied to the slide and a razor blade is slid under the section. Freed from the slide, the section floats on the surface of the water and is transferred to another drop of water on the surface of a smooth, newly prepared Epon block face. The water under the section is withdrawn with bibulous paper. The section is thoroughly dried and bonded to the block surface by briefly heating in a 60 C oven. The tissue may then be re-sectioned and stained for electron microscopy in the conventional manner. This method has been used by several different technicians to produce ultrathin sections equal in quality to those produced by conventional methods and it greatly facilitates the selection of critical areas for examination by electron microscopy.
The effects of acute and chronic haloperidol treatment on dopamine release mediated by the medial forebrain bundle in the striatum and nucleus accumbens.

The delayed therapeutic effects of neuroleptics have been attributed to D 2 -mediated depolarization inactivation (DI) of mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons and concomitant reduction in dopamine release. Several studies have suggested, however, that DI may not reduce dopamine release and have hypothesized that this is due to increased impulse independent release. To examine the mechanisms that modulate dopamine release during DI, tetrodotoxin (TTX) was infused into the left medial forebrain bundle (MFB) of Sprague Dawley rats. Three-methoxytyramine (3-MT) levels 10 minutes after pargyline (75 mg/kg) were used as a measure of dopamine release. A dose response study showed that infusions of 10 −5 mol/L and 10 −4 mol/L TTX reduced 3-MT levels on the infused side by 70% in the striatum and 50% to 60% in the nucleus accumbens. In a time course study, 10 −5 mol/L TTX reduced striatal 3-MT at 30, 90, and 120 minutes. After intraperitoneal injections of haloperidol (0.4 mg/ kg) for 1 or 21 days, TTX infusions again reduced 3-MT levels by approximately 70% in the striatum and 53% to 59% in the nucleus accumbens on the infused side. Acute and chronic haloperidol treatment did not alter the percent of TTX-induced reductions. These data suggest that dopaminergic neuronal impulse flow modulates similar amounts of total transmitter release after both acute and chronic haloperidol treatment. The results do not support the notion that DI mediates the antipsychotic effects of neuroleptics by markedly reducing total basal dopamine release or increasing impulse independent release. Alternatively, DI could reduce psychotic symptoms by changing the responsiveness of the dopamine system to external stimuli or by reducing synaptic dopamine levels that have been hypothesized to be elevated in psychotic patients.
Effect of Operator Position on the Incidence of Continuous Mining Machine/Worker Collisions

Remote operation of continuous miners has enhanced the health and safety of underground miners in many respects; however, numerous fatal and non-fatal continuous miner struck-by accidents have occurred when using remote controls. In an effort to prevent these injuries, NIOSH researchers at Pittsburgh Research Laboratory examined the workplace relationships between continuous miner operators and various tramming modes of the equipment using motion captured data, predicted operator response times, and field- of- view data to determine causes of operator-machine struck-by events in a virtual mine environment. Factors studied included machine speed, direction of escape, operator facing orientation relative to the machine, work posture, distance from machine, and operator anthropometry. Close proximity to the machine, high machine tramming speeds, a right-facing orientation and operator positioning near the tail all resulted in high risk of being struck. It is hoped that this data will provide an improved rati...
The identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Osler's nodes and Janeway lesions of acute bacterial endocarditis.

The pathogenesis of Osler's nodes and Janeway lesions has been disputed since their first description more than 100 years ago. Hypersensitivity vasculitis has been suggested, whereas others have sought to prove that septic microemboli are the cause. Little histologic evidence has been provided, however, to confirm the suspicion that the skin lesions in acute bacterial endocarditis are secondary to septic emboli. We describe a patient with fulminant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis and skin lesions that cultured the same organism. Histologic examination revealed gram-positive cocci in clusters and chains within the lumen of vessels.
Malaysia: a privatization case study

Abstract In recent years, many developing nations have embraced privatization as a tool for national development. Malaysia has similarly promoted the privatization of many previously state-owned monopolies. The privatization of Malaysia's telecommunications sector was initiated during the 1980s in hopes of achieving a wide range of both short and long term national goals. This article describes the privatization of telecommunications.
Intrinsic optical signal imaging of retinal activity in frog eye

Using a near-infrared (NIR) light flood-illumination imager equipped with a high-speed (120 Hz) CCD camera, we demonstrated optical imaging of stimulus-evoked retinal activity in isolated, but intact, frog eye. Both fast and slow transient intrinsic optical signals (IOSs) were observed. Fast optical response occurred immediately after the stimulus onset, could reach peak magnitude within 100 ms, and correlated tightly with ON and OFF edges of the visible light stimulus; while slow optical response lasted a relatively long time (many seconds). High-resolution images revealed both positive (increasing) and negative (decreasing) IOSs, and dynamic optical change at individual CCD pixels could often exceed 10% of the background light intensity. Our experiment on isolated eye suggests that further development of fast, high (sub-cellular) resolution fundus imager will allow robust detection of fast IOSs in vivo, and thus allow noninvasive, three-dimensional evaluation of retinal neural function.
Decreased surgical risks of pancreas transplantation in the modern era.

ObjectiveTo document the decreased incidence of surgical complications after pancreas transplantation in recent times.Summary Background DataCompared with other abdominal transplants, pancreas transplants have historically had the highest incidence of surgical complications. However, over the past f
Female butterflies mated with recently mated males show reduced reproductive output

During copulation, males of the alfalfa butterfly, Colias eurytheme, transfer nutrients and sperm to the female. Recently mated males produce only about 40% of the quantity of material produced by males that have not recently mated (Rutowski and Gilchrist 1986). In this study, females that mated with recently mated males died sooner, had a lower lifetime egg output, and laid fewer eggs per day overall, but especially during the first 2 days after mating. We conclude that the effect of the materials (nutrients and sperm) passed by males at copulation on female oviposition and receptivity is such that the male's genetic return from nutrients passed is maximized.
Atomic Landau-Zener tunneling and Wannier-Stark ladders in optical potentials.

Ly2m. In the moving frame of the potential, the atoms feel a constant inertial force, simulating the electric force in the usual electronic experiment. Bloch bands and rates of LZ tunneling.—The eigenenergy equation for the above potential (1) with a › 0 can be solved in terms of the Mathieu functions. We show the energy bands in Fig. 1 for the case of V0 › 0.4. There is one band deep below the potential barriers, which may be regarded as the ground state levels of the potential wells broadened into a band due to tunneling through the barriers. The second band lies about the barrier tops and has a substantial width. The gap above this band is located about the energy E › 0.5, corresponding to second order Bragg scattering. The third band has an even wider width, with a tiny gap at E › 1.125 corresponding to third order Bragg scattering. We study how the atoms are trapped in the first and second bands and how they are dragged when the potential accelerates.
Bimetallic platinum complexes containing linear tetraphosphine ligands

Abstract The meso and rac forms of the tetraphosphine ligand bis[(diphenylphosphinoethyl)phenylphosphino]methane, Ph2PCH2CH2PPhCH2PPhCH2CH2PPh2 (DPPEPM), have been separated and found to react with 2 equiv of [PtCl2(cod)] or [PtMe2(cod)] to generate bimetallic complexes of the form [Pt2X4(μ-DPPEPM)]. When [PtClMe(cod)] is treated with the tetraphosphine followed by TlPF6, the chloride-bridged species [Pt2Me2(μ-Cl)(μ-DPPEPM)]PF6 is obtained. The solid state structures of [Pt2X4(μ-meso-DPPEPM)] (X=Cl, Me) are reported, along with preliminary studies of some hydrogenation reactions catalyzed by the bimetallic derivatives.
A nonlinear semidefinite optimization relaxation for the worst-case linear optimization under uncertainties

In this paper, we consider the so-called worst-case linear optimization (WCLO) with uncertainties in the right-hand-side of the constraints. Such a problem arises from numerous applications such as systemic risk estimate in finance and stochastic optimization. We first show the problem is NP-hard and present a coarse semidefinite relaxation (SDR) for WCLO. An iterative procedure is introduced to sequentially refine the relaxation model based on the solution of the current relaxation model by simply changing some parameters in the coarse SDR. We show that the sequence of the proposed SDRs will converge to some nonlinear semidefinite optimization problem (SDO). A bi-section search algorithm is proposed to solve the resulting nonlinear SDO. Our preliminary experimental results illustrate that the nonlinear SDR can provide very tight bounds for the original WCLO and is able to locate the exact global solution in most cases within a few iterations on average.
Heuristically enhanced feedback control of constrained discrete-time linear systems

Recent advances in computer technology have spurred new interest in the use of feedback controllers based upon on-line minimization for the control of constrained linear systems. Still the use of computers in the feedback loop has been hampered by the fact that the amount of time available for computation in most sampled data systems is not enough to achieve a complete solution using conventional algorithms. Several “ad hoc” techniques have been proposed, but their applicability is restricted by the lack of supporting theory. In this paper we present a theoretical framework to analyze the stability of the closed-loop system resulting from the use of on-line optimization in the feedback loop. Using these results we show that a suboptimal algorithm, based upon the use of heuristic search techniques, yields asymptotically stable systems, provided that enough computation power is available to solve at each sampling interval an optimization problem considerably simpler than the original. The controller presented in this paper is valuable for situations where the customary approaches of using Pontryagin's minimum principle or storing a family of extremal curves are not applicable due to limitations in the computational resources available.
Growth of titanium oxide crystals of controlled stoichiometry and order

Abstract Growth of single crystals of the intermediate oxides of titanium, important because of the unique electrical and magnetic properties of these materials, is difficult to achieve in a controlled manner. The difficulties arise for several reasons: the large number of phases in the TiO system, their defect structure and potential for both equilibrium and nonequilibrium disorder of the defects and the change of the oxygen fugacity of the co-existing equilibrium vapor phase with temperature. Precise phase equilibria including solid-vapor equilibria are required and these were first determined in detail. Once these are known several common techniques can be applied to the crystal growth. Reduced rutile has been grown by flame fusion methods for years. We have grown fully oxidized TiO 2 at a much lower temperature in hydrothermal highly acidic environments. The higher titanium oxides - TiO 2 O 3 , Ti 3 O 3 , and the Magneli phases from Ti 4 O 7 to Ti 10 O 19 have been grown from borate fluxes by precise control of the oxygen fugacity in the furnace atmosphere. Extensive characterization of the oxides indicates an unexplored region of possible ordered Magneli phases between Ti 10 O 19 and approximately Ti 100 O 199 . Growth of these phases from fluxes with ultra-precise temperature and atmosphere control does not seem impossible. The lower titanium oxides cannot be grown in open systems because of the extremely low oxygen fugacities. The arc-fusion technique of T. B. Reed has proved the best method for preparing high TiO and other phases stable at the melting point. Low TiO remains a crystal-growth problem, as do the oxygen-rich titanium metal phases.
Radiolabeling of DNA can induce its fragmentation in HL-60 human promyelocytic leukemic cells.

Incorporation of radiolabeled thymidine is commonly used to investigate DNA damage. Using a filter-binding assay, we observed that the addition of various doses of [methyl-3H]thymidine (0.2 and 2 μCi/ml) or [2-14C]thymidine (0.02 and 0.2 μCi/ml) in the culture medium for 2 days, a standard method for cell-labeling, induces DNA fragmentation in HL-60 human promyelocytic cells. This effect was dose- and time-dependent and the DNA fragments were not protein-linked since the levels of DNA fragmentation were identical in the presence and in the absence of proteinase K (0.5 mg/ml). Radiolabeled thymidine-induced DNA fragmentation was associated with an inhibition of cell growth, but cells remained able to exclude trypan blue, suggesting that plasma membrane integrity was conserved, except at very high doses of [methyl-3H]thymidine (2 μCi/ml). By agarose-gel electrophoresis, the DNA-fragmentation was demonstrated to be internucleosomal with a typical ladder pattern. Addition of unlabeled thymidine to the culture medium prevented DNA fragmentation in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that radiolabeled thymidine incorporation in DNA was directly responsible for DNA fragmentation. We conclude that radiolabeling of DNA using thymidine incorporation can induce DNA fragmentation in some cell lines such as HL-60. This observation must be taken into account in methods using radiolabeling to study DNA damage in these cells.
Geometric Stiffness Matrices for the Finite Element Analysis of Rotational Shells

Abstract A geometrical stiffness matrix suitable for the harmonic analysis of a shell of revolution is derived in a form which may accommodate high-order inter-element comparison functions. Transverse shearing strains and nonlinear bending terms are included in the formulation. Condensation procedures which may significantly reduce the size of the resulting global matrices are described. The geometric stiffness matrix derived is incorporated into the formulation of two classes of problems, linear buckling and symmetrical incremental deformation, where the appropriate condensation techniques are developed.
In vitro antibacterial activity of norfloxacin compared with eight other antimicrobial agents.

The antibacterial activity of norfloxacin, an organic acid structurally related to nalidixic acid, was compared with that of the oral cephalosporins cefaclor and cephalexin, and with that of nalidixic acid, cinoxacin, amikacin, ampicillin, trimethoprim alone and the combination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole. Agar dilution studies were performed with a total of 398 clinical isolates of gram-negative bacteria, Norfloxacin was found to be the most active drug studied against each of the different groups of organisms tested. MIC90 values for norfloxacin were as follows:Citrobacter spp., 2μg/ml;Enterobacter spp., 0.13μg/ml;Escherichia coli, 0.06μg/ml;Klebsiella spp., 0.13μg/ml;Proteus spp., 0.06μg/ml;Salmonella spp., 1μg/ml;Serratia spp., 0.13μg/ml; andPseudomonas spp., 2μg/ml. MIC90 values for the other drugs were 4μg/ml or greater and many organisms were totally resistant to one or more of the other drugs (MIC > 128μg/ml). Cross resistance between norfloxacin and the related drugs nalidixic acid and cinoxacin was not observed.
Scattering matrix analysis of a photonic Fabry–Perot resonator

Abstract The scattering and transmission of waves through a two-dimensional photonic Fabry–Perot resonator are analyzed and studied using scattering matrix theory. Assuming normal incidence, single mode propagation, and sufficient inter-element spacing in the direction of propagation, the mathematical structure of this complicated scattering problem is shown to hinge on the roots of a quadratic equation. Examples are presented which clearly show strong resonances at frequencies closely related to an infinite cavity structure. Trends are illustrated and discussed. Finally, a multimode theory is presented, analyzed, and contrasted with the single mode case.
On resolving ambiguities of the multiple-baseline design: Problems and recommendations

The multiple-baseline design demonstrates the effect of an intervention by showing changes across separate behaviors (individuals or situations), when, and only when, a treatment intervention is introduced. The design attempts to control for the effect of extraneous events (history) by showing that specific changes are associated with the intervention at different points in time. When the onset of the intervention for one behavior produces general rather than specific changes (i.e., simultaneous changes across different baselines), the causal effect of the intervention cannot be unambiguously inferred. There is an inconsistency in the assumptions of the multiple-baseline design, namely, that changes due to treatment will be evident in specific changes (i.e., across specific behaviors with the onset of the intervention) and that changes due to extraneous or uncontrolled factors are evident in generalized changes. In fact, both treatment and extraneous factors can produce specific or generalized changes with interdependence of behaviors as a major determinant. The generalized changes need not interfere with drawing valid inferences about the effect of the intervention. Three recommendations are made for maximizing the likelihood of demonstrating a causal relationship between the intervention and behavior change when generalized changes across baselines are likely to occur.
Separation of plant hormones by counter-current chromatography

Abstract Counter-current chromatography (CCC) using the toroidal coil planet centrifuge was applied to the separation of plant hormones. Indole auxins were separated in either hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (0.6:1.4:1.0:1.0) or chloroform-acetic acid-water (2:2:1). The latter solvent system was especially useful for the separation of abscisic acid from indole-3-acetic acid. Gibberellins (GA3, GA4 and GA7) were separated from each other in ether-methanol-phosphate buffer (pH 7) (3:1:2). The CCC method was suitable for the separation of four cytokinins in ethyl acetate-methanol-phosphate buffer (pH 7) (3:1:3). Abscisic acid from Zoysia grass seed was successfully analysed by CCC. The potential practical application of CCC to plant hormone analysis is discussed.
The use of free-energy relationships in the selection of lubricants for high-temperature applications

Abstract As a part of a program of developing lubricants and lubrication techniques for high-speed ball bearings operating over the temperature range from room temperature to 1,200°F, candidate lubricants were screened in a high-temperature, high-speed rolling-disk apparatus. Finely divided, inorganic solids suspended in a gas carrier were the principal lubricants selected for the screening evaluations. In order to choose a small number of the most promising compounds from this large group of materials for evaluation, selection criteria were established and applied. These criteria included some of the physical properties which have traditionally been considered important lubricant characteristics. In addition, thermodynamic calculations were used to judge the probability of chemical reaction between prospective lubricants and the substrate materials since it was felt that adherent solid lubricant films may be formed and maintained by chemical bonding with the bearing surfaces. On the basis of the rolling disk experimental results, softness and thermodynamic properties are the most important of the criteria used in the selection of candidate lubricants. With a few exceptions, those compounds which are soft and are thermodynamically favorable for chemical reaction with the substrate provided the lowest friction and wear.
Designing input prices to motivate process innovation

Abstract We examine the optimal design of regulated input prices, accounting explicitly for their impact on incentives for process innovation. Optimal input prices are shown to vary both with the prevailing vertical industry structure and with the nature of downstream competition. The optimal input pricing rule tends to provide stronger incentives for innovation under vertical integration than under vertical separation in the presence of downstream Cournot competition. The stronger incentives tend to be implemented under vertical separation in the presence of downstream Bertrand competition.
Modeling Analysis of Incident and Roadway Clearance Time

Three Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Performance Measures were defined in the recent research project “Federal Highway Administration Focus States Initiative (2009): Traffic Incident Management Performance Measures”, including incident clearance time, roadway clearance time, and the number of secondary crashes. Theoretically, the ending time of roadway clearance time is a function of incident clearance time and other traffic and roadway characteristics. This research explored the relationship between incident clearance time and roadway clearance time using microsimulation VISSIM modelling to run different traffic incident scenarios. Approximately 50 traffic incident scenarios were developed to generate the data for different types of incidents under traffic conditions. Number of through lanes, number of blocked lanes, and traffic volumes were some of the variables being considered. Then, a mathematic model was developed to demonstrate the relationship between roadway clearance time and incident clearance time.