cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Education of coherent structures in a numerically simulated plane wake

Coherent structures (CS) are educed using a conditional sampling technique involving alignment of vorticity patches of largest size and strength; hence we educe dominant CS. A numerically simulated spatially evolving wake of a thick flat plate is used as the database, and the inflow condition for the simulated wake includes random velocity perturbations which emulate turbulent conditions at a plate exit in the laboratory. In addition to previously educed properties such as coherent vorticity and production, and incoherent Reynolds stress and turbulence intensity, other measures such as coherent pressure and passive scalar distributions are also studied. In spite of the geometry difference, the near-wake dynamics of the plate seem quite similar to that of a cylinder. For example, turbulence is mostly produced by vortex stretching of the ribs at the saddle and then advected to the structure center, where it accumulates, and is balanced by incoherent dissipation. The distribution of coherent passive scalar indicates that mixing occurs in the saddle regions and that the mixed fluid is advected into the structure center.
Layer-wise relevance propagation for interpreting LSTM-RNN decisions in predictive maintenance

Predictive maintenance (PdM) is an advanced technique to predict the time to failure (TTF) of a system. PdM collects sensor data on the health of a system, processes the information using data analytics, and then establishes data-driven models that can forecast system failure. Deep neural networks are increasingly being used as these data-driven models owing to their high predictive accuracy and efficiency. However, deep neural networks are often criticized as being “black boxes,” which owing to their multi-layered and non-linear structure provide little insight into the underlying physics of the system being monitored and that are nontransparent and untraceable in their predictions. In order to address this issue, the layer-wise relevance propagation (LRP) technique is applied to analyze a long short-term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network (RNN) model. The proposed method is demonstrated and validated for a bearing health monitoring study based on vibration data. The obtained LRP results provide insights into how the model “learns” from the input data and demonstrate the distribution of contribution/relevance to the neural network classification in the input space. In addition, comparisons are made with gradient-based sensitivity analysis to show the power of LRP in interpreting RNN models. The LRP is proved to have promising potential in interpreting deep neural network models and improving model accuracy and efficiency for PdM.
Grid-based femtosecond laser electronic excitation tagging for single-ended 2D velocimetry at kilohertz rates

A novel, to the best of our knowledge, optical arrangement is evaluated for performing single-shot femtosecond laser electronic excitation tagging in a 16-point grid (Grid-FLEET) with single-ended optical access. The optical arrangement includes a diffractive optical element beam splitter to produce a grid of laser beams in a simplified, flexible, and efficient manner for tracer-free multi-component molecular tagging velocimetry in a two-dimensional field. Analysis of the optical element with respect to beam forming is described, and Grid-FLEET measurements are evaluated relative to the precision of previously described single-point FLEET measurements using Lagrangian tracking for flow in a laminar jet and around a sharp corner. Utilizing a conventional 1-kHz laser source coupled to a high-speed intensified camera, it is also feasible to achieve measurement rates of 100 kHz or higher by mapping the Lagrangian grid to one or more Eulerian measurement points. The data further indicate that enhancement of the instantaneous vector fields and spatial velocity gradients can be analyzed to enhance the understanding of multi-dimensional flow physics in applications in which the use of tracers may be difficult and where multi-directional optical access may be limited.
The Long-Term Economic Benefits of Natural Mentoring Relationships for Youth

Natural mentors have been shown to help improve psychological and educational outcomes of youth, and may serve an important role for youth experiencing risk in the home. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), we investigated the associations between natural mentors during youth and income during early adulthood, including how these relations were moderated by the absence of a father figure and race. We also estimated the lifetime economic benefits to having a natural mentor. The presence of a natural mentor alone did not have a significant impact on annual earnings during adulthood. However, youth without a father but who had a male mentor earned significantly more, on average, than those without a male mentor. These effects were more pronounced in a subsample of African American youth. The net present value of total lifetime benefits to having a male natural mentor was approximately $190,000 for all fatherless youth and $458,000 for African American fatherless youth. These results suggest that natural mentors play a crucial role in economic outcomes for youth, which may vary by sociodemographic factors.
Generalized Microlensing Effective Timescale

The microlensing effective timescale t_eff=beta*t_E is used frequently in high-magnification (beta << 1) microlensing events, because it is better constrained than either the impact parameter beta or the Einstein timescale t_E separately. It also facilitates intuitive understanding of lightcurves prior to determination of a model. Similar considerations may apply to very low magnification events. I therefore provide a generalization of this quantity to all events: t_eff = beta*t_E*sqrt((1+beta^2/2)(1+beta^2/4)).
Chemically modified electrodes: Part XIV. Attachment of reagents to oxide-free glassy carbon surfaces. Electroactive RF polymer films on carbon and platinum electrodes

Abstract : Reactive, deoxygenated glassy carbon surfaces prepared by mechanical abrasion under nitrogen or argon plasma etching react with selected molecules to yield surfaces with immobilized molecular surface states. Vinyl ferrocene and a ruthenium pyridine complex are immobilized on glassy carbon in this way. Introduction of vinyl ferrocene directly into an RF plasma discharge leads to electroactive ferrocene polymer deposition on glassy carbon and Pt surfaces. Surface waves corresponding to 3 x ten to the minus 8th power moles/sq cm ferrocene are obtained in this way. (Author)
Paper-trail index: Can a metric that captures a paper’s history of submission and rejection give insight into its value and encourage good authorship practices?

How many scientific manuscripts are submitted first to high‐ranking publications, such as Nature or Science , and then wind their way down a list of decreasingly prestigious journals until they eventually get accepted? There is currently no way to find out how many stops a scientific paper has made along its way to publication—or into oblivion—but there is a general feeling among scientists, reviewers, and editors that a considerable number of manuscripts probably have an extensive paper trail. Many papers follow such a winding and convoluted path to publication because scientists are both under pressure and aspire to publish in the most prestigious journals with the highest impact factors (IF). This has created a hypercompetitive environment in which the IF of the journal a paper is published in has become more important than the quality of a paper itself. In turn, this has reinforced the trend of trying to get all papers published in high‐ranking journals, regardless of whether the authors genuinely believe such a journal is appropriate for their manuscript, or whether their manuscript is appropriate for such a journal. Sadly, this pressure to publish in top journals also contributes to scientific misconduct [1]. This merry‐go‐round of submission, rejection, revision, and resubmission has led to a colossal number of papers in circulation [2]—12,000 papers submitted a year to Science [3], 11,000/year to Nature (http://www.nature.com/nature/authors/get_published/), and 5,000/year to the New England Journal of Medicine (http://www.nejm.org/page/media-center/publication-process)—of which only a small percentage are sent to review and an even smaller percentage are published in the journals to which they were originally sent. This flood of articles is clogging the publishing system, and unnecessarily occupying the time of reviewers and editors alike. The question is whether the paper trail of any given manuscript can tell us anything about …
Effects of cytochalasin congeners, microtubule-directed agents, and doxorubicin alone or in combination against human ovarian carcinoma cell lines in vitro

Although the actin cytoskeleton is vital for carcinogenesis and subsequent pathology, no microfilament-directed agent has been approved for cancer chemotherapy. One of the most studied classes of microfilament-directed agents has been the cytochalasins, mycotoxins known to disrupt the formation of actin polymers. In the present study, we sought to determine the effects of cytochalasin congeners toward human drug sensitive and multidrug resistant cell lines. SKOV3 human ovarian carcinoma and several multidrug resistant derivatives were tested for sensitivity against a panel of nine cytochalasin congeners, as well as three clinically approved chemotherapeutic agents (doxorubicin, paclitaxel, and vinblastine). In addition, verapamil, a calcium ion channel blocker known to reverse P-glycoprotein (P-gp) mediated drug resistance, was used in combination with multiple cytochalasin congeners to determine whether drug sensitivity could be increased. While multidrug resistant SKVLB1 had increased drug tolerance (was more resistant) to most cytochalasin congeners in comparison to drug sensitive SKOV3, the level of resistance was 10 to 1000-fold less for the cytochalasins than for any of the clinically approved agents. While cytochalasins did not appear to alter the expression of ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters, several cytochalasins appeared to inhibit the activity of ABC transporter-mediated efflux of rhodamine 123 (Rh123), suggesting that these congeners do have affinity for drug efflux pumps. Cytochalasins also appeared to significantly decrease the F/G-actin ratio in both drug sensitive and drug resistant cells, indicative of marked microfilament inhibition. The cytotoxicity of most cytochalasin congeners could be increased with the addition of verapamil, and the drug sensitivity of resistant SKVLB1 to the clinically approved antineoplastic agents could be increased with the addition of cytochalasins. As assessed by isobolographic analysis and Chou-Talalay statistics, cytochalasin B and 21,22-dihydrocytochalasin B (DiHCB) demonstrated notable synergy with doxorubicin and paclitaxel, warranting further investigation in a tumor-bearing mammalian model. Cytochalasins appear to inhibit the activity of P-gp and potentially other ABC transporters, and may have novel activity against multidrug resistant neoplastic cells that overexpress drug efflux proteins.
Building Redundant Multicast Trees for Preplanned Recovery in WDM optical networks

In this paper, we investigate the problem of Preplanned Recovery with Redundant Multicast Trees (PRRMT) in optical networks. The redundant trees ensure the source node remains connected to all destination nodes for a multicast session request under single edge or node failures. Our objective is to minimize the total number of links used for both trees. We show that PRRMT can be formulated as an integer linear program (ILP), and also develop a heuristic algorithm. The ILP approach and heuristic algorithm are experimentally evaluated on 14-node NSFNET, 21-node Italian network, and a randomly generated 40-node mesh network. From experimental results, we conclude that: (1) ILP approach leads to optimal solutions for NSFNET and Italian network but does not converge for many instances of arbitrary topologies, (2) Our heuristic algorithm yields optimal or near optimal results in very short time, and (3) The edge-disjoint trees can protect the transmission for an edge failure or a node failure.
Crinone 8% ∗ vaginal progesterone gel results in lower embryonic implantation efficiency after in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the outcome of IVF-ET after the use of Crinone 8% (Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, Inc., Philadelphia, PA) vaginal progesterone gel and to compare these results with those seen in our program with the use of IM progesterone-in-oil. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: A tertiary referral reproductive medicine unit. Patient(s): Patients Intervention(s): Patients were treated with either Crinone 8% vaginal progesterone gel (90 mg) administered daily or IM progesterone-in-oil (50 mg) administered daily. Main Outcome Measure(s): Biochemical pregnancy rate, implantation rate, and clinical and ongoing pregnancy rates. Result(s): The use of Crinone 8% vaginal progesterone gel was associated with a lower implantation rate (16.6% versus 26.2%; odds ratio [OR] = 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35–0.89) compared with the use of IM progesterone-in-oil. Biochemical pregnancies were more common after the use of Crinone 8% vaginal progesterone gel as defined by either biochemical pregnancies per transfer (15.9% versus 5.7%; OR=3.11; 95% CI, 1.17–8.32) or biochemical pregnancies as a proportion of positive serum hCG titers (29.2% versus 9.8%; OR=3.80; 95% CI, 1.33–10.86). Clinical pregnancy rates also were lower with the use of Crinone 8% vaginal progesterone gel (36.4% versus 52.9%; OR=0.51; 95% CI, 0.26–0.99). Conclusion(s): Implantation efficiency is reduced, as demonstrated by lower embryonic implantation rates and higher biochemical pregnancy rates, when Crinone 8% vaginal progesterone gel rather than IM progesterone-in-oil is used for luteal phase support after IVF-ET.
The basic course - A mild dissent

Perhaps it is unusual to start a discussion of a topic with a dissent from the assumption underlying its choice, but I think that in the present case this may be justified. The present topic was no doubt selected because ior many years teachers have viewed the course in "comparative law" as a basic course, leading subsequently to specialized courses or research in various subject matters or geographical areas. In fact, the other two speakers on this afternoon's program, Professors Rudolf Schlesinger of Cornell and Arthur von Mehren of Harvard, are both on record in the form of their casebooks as advocating this type of course, with a generous focus on Western Europe, and Germany and France in particular.
The effect of physical restraints on fall rates in older adults who are institutionalized

Since the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1987, there has been a significant reduction in the use of physical restraints to prevent falls in older adults who are institutionalized because of the developing awareness of the physical and psychological problems associated with them. The purpose of this ex post facto descriptive study was to determine if there is a difference in falls when physical restraints are allowed or prohibited in one older adult population. Data from incident reports from a purposive sample of 97 older adults in one long-term care facility were analyzed before and after the implementation of a restraint-free policy. The results indicated no significant difference in the number of falls before and after the policy change. However, there was a significantly lower number of falls with injuries and a significantly higher number of falls without injuries. These findings suggest older adults will continue to fall with or without the use of physical restraints because of changes associated with the aging process and risk factors. Removing physical barriers from older adults and allowing freedom of movement may decrease the severity of injury sustained in a fall.
The bounty of RAGs: recombination signal complexes and reaction outcomes

V(D)J recombination is a form of site-specific DNA rearrangement through which antigen receptor genes are assembled. This process involves the breakage and reunion of DNA mediated by two lymphoid cell-specific proteins, recombination activating genes RAG-1 and RAG-2, and ubiquitously expressed architectural DNA-binding proteins and DNA-repair factors. Here I review the progress toward understanding the composition, assembly, organization, and activity of the protein-DNA complexes that support the initiation of V(D)J recombination, as well as the molecular basis for the sequence-specific recognition of recombination signal sequences (RSSs) that are the targets of the RAG proteins. Parallels are drawn between V(D)J recombination and Tn5/Tn10 transposition with respect to the reactions, the proteins, and the protein-DNA complexes involved in these processes. I also consider the relative roles of the different sequence elements within the RSS in recognition, cleavage, and post-cleavage events. Finally, I discuss alternative DNA transactions mediated by the V(D)J recombinase, the protein-DNA complexes that support them, and factors and forces that control them.
Purification of nuclear cAMP-independent protein kinases from rat ventral prostate.

Abstract 1. 1. Two nuclear cAMP-independent protein kinases (designated PK-N1 and PK-N2) were purified from rat ventral-prostate and liver. 2. 2. The yield of enzyme units was 4–5% and 7–9% for each enzyme from the prostatic nuclei and liver nucleic, respectively. The average fold purification for prostatic nuclear protein kinase N1 and N2 was 1360 and 1833, respectively. The respective average specific activity of the two enzymes towards casein was 81,585 and 110,000 nmol 32P incorporated/hr/mg of enzyme. 3. 3. Protein kinase N1 comprised one polypeptide of Mr 35,000 which underwent phosphorylation in the presence of Mg2+ + ATP. Protein kinase N2 comprised two polypeptides Mr 40,000 and 30,000 of which only the Mr 30,000 polypeptide was autophosphorylated. 4. 4. Both enzymes were active towards casein, phosvitin, dephosphosvitin, spermine-binding protein, and non-histone proteins in vitro. Little activity was detected towards histones. 5. 5. Both enzymes were stimulated by 150–200 mM NaCl. MgCl2 requirement varied with the protein substrate but was between 2–4 mM for both enzymes. 6. 6. With dephosphophosvitin as substrate, the apparent Km for ATP for N1 protein kas 0.01 mM. GTP did not replace ATP in this reaction. Protein kinase N2 was active in the presence of ATP or GTP. The apparent Km was 0.01 mM for ATP, but 0.1 mM for GTP.
ABCD2 identifies a subclass of peroxisomes in mouse adipose tissue.

Abstract ATP-binding cassette transporter D2 (D2) is an ABC half transporter that is thought to promote the transport of very long-chain fatty acyl-CoAs into peroxisomes. Both D2 and peroxisomes increase during adipogenesis. Although peroxisomes are essential to both catabolic and anabolic lipid metabolism, their function, and that of D2, in adipose tissues remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated the D2 localization and the proteome of D2-containing organelles, in adipose tissue. Centrifugation of mouse adipose homogenates generated a fraction enriched with D2, but deficient in peroxisome markers including catalase, PEX19, and ABCD3 (D3). Electron microscopic imaging of this fraction confirmed the presence of D2 protein on an organelle with a dense matrix and a diameter of ∼200 nm, the typical structure and size of a microperoxisome. D2 and PEX19 antibodies recognized distinct structures in mouse adipose. Immunoisolation of the D2-containing compartment confirmed the scarcity of PEX19 and proteomic profiling revealed the presence of proteins associated with peroxisome, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and mitochondria. D2 is localized to a distinct class of peroxisomes that lack many peroxisome proteins, and may associate physically with mitochondria and the ER.
High voltage stability of LiCoO2 particles with a nano-scale Lipon coating

For high-voltage cycling of rechargeable Li batteries, a nano-scale amorphous Li-ion conductor, lithium phosphorus oxynitride (Lipon), has been coated on surfaces of LiCoO2 particles by combining a RF-magnetron sputtering technique and mechanical agitation of LiCoO2 powders. LiCoO2 particles coated with 0.36 wt% (∼1 nm thick) of the amorphous Lipon, retain 90% of their original capacity compared to non-coated cathode materials that retain only 65% of their original capacity after more than 40 cycles in the 3.0–4.4 V range with a standard carbonate electrolyte. The reason for the better high-voltage cycling behavior is attributed to reduction in the side reactions that cause increase of the cell resistance during cycling. Further, Lipon coated particles are not damaged, whereas uncoated particles are badly cracked after cycling. Extending the charge of Lipon-coated LiCoO2 to higher voltage enhances the specific capacity, but more importantly the Lipon-coated material is also more stable and tolerant of high voltage excursions. A drawback of Lipon coating, particularly as thicker films are applied to cathode powders, is the increased electronic resistance that reduces the power performance.
Molecular basis of the biological function of molybdenum. Developmental patterns of sulfite oxidase and xanthine oxidase in the rat.

Abstract The developmental patterns of the molybdenum-containing enzymes sulfite oxidase and xanthine oxidase and of the mitochondrial enzymes adenylate kinase and succinate-cytochrome c reductase in rat liver are reported. Adenylate kinase and succinate-cytochrome c reductase develop in parallel with total liver protein and are maximal 5 days after birth. Sulfite oxidase, which is also a mitochondrial protein, shows its largest increase in activity between 5 and 11 days after birth. The appearance of sulfite oxidase and xanthine oxidase proteins parallels very closely the development of their respective activities. Xanthine oxidase activity is extremely low in rats prior to weaning at 21 days. Development of activity of this enzyme may be related to the protein nutritional status of the young animal. The development of both sulfite oxidase and xanthine oxidase activities is very much impaired by administration of tungsten to the pregnant rats for 20 days before birth of the litters. Apparently normal development of sulfite oxidase protein, however, leads to the accumulation of inactive molecules in the livers of offspring of tungsten-fed rats. Development of adenylate kinase and succinate-cytochrome c reductase activities is not affected by tungsten treatment.
Real-time data driven deformation with affine bones

Data driven deformation is increasingly important in computer graphics and interactive applications. From given mesh example sequences, we train a deformation predictor and manipulate a specific style of surface deformation interactively using only a small number of control points. The latest approach of learning the connection between rigid bone transformations and control points uses a statistically based framework, called canonical correlation analysis. In this paper, we extend this approach to a skinned mesh with affine bones, each of which conveys a nonrigid affine transformation. However, it is difficult to discover the underlying relationship between control points and nonrigid transformations. To address this issue, we present a two-layer regression framework; one layer being from control points to rigid and the other layer being from rigid to nonrigid transformations. Our contributions also include bone-vertex weight smoothing, enabling the distribution of each bone’s influence across neighboring vertices. We can alleviate distortion around regions where nearby bones undergo various transformations and improve deformations reaching beyond the learned subspaces. Experimental results show that our method can achieve more general deformations including flexible muscle bulges or twists. The performance of our implementation is comparable to the latest approach.
Numerical model of a marine chute evacuation system

A lumped-mass model of a marine evacuation chute is presented based on the equations of Kane. The effects of wind load, internal mass transport and the motions of the ends are included. A sample of predicted motions and tensions is presented for a typical extreme environmental condition. The model may be used to assess the behaviour of the chute structure under a variety of emergency evacuation scenarios.
Optical Tooling Application On The Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF) Accelerator

This paper will cover a few of the alignment problems solved by conventional optical tooling techniques at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF). The LAMPF accelerator is a large linear proton accelerator used in physics experiments. The alignment techniques and expertise developed on the LAMPF project have been utilized on several other Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory projects including alignment of laser systems, normal physics experiments, machine tools and normal mechanical inspection jobs. The topics to be discussed are conventional optical tooling setups, non-conventional setups, special and/or unique alignment targets and the utilization of an optical tooling dock. The relationship between alignment tolerances, component design, support structure and/or mounting base design and the specific optical tooling setups will be the major theme in the paper.© (1980) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Transport Properties of Electrons in Inverted Silicon Surfaces

Measurements of the effective mobility, field effect mobility, Hall mobility, and carrier density of Si as a function of field perpendicular to the surface are reported. At all temperatures from 4.2 to 300\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K, at least one maximum in the mobility was observed. The temperature dependence is reported for different fields. At room temperature, a single maximum in the mobility was observed close to the threshold for inversion. As the temperature was lowered, this peak increased. At temperatures near 80\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K, it then decreased. Another maximum appeared at about 100\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K at higher fields; it increased as the temperature was lowered. An anomalous shift in the conductance threshold between 77.3 and 4.2\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K is reported and is correlated with the charge in the oxide. Effects of substrate bias are reported. Some comments are made on possible scattering mechanisms. The effect of interface states was measured and their density near the conduction band is reported.
The Acquisition and Long-Term Retention of Temporal, Spatial, and Item Information☆

Previous experiments had obtained theoretically interesting differences between the short-term retention of temporal, spatial, and item information. Two experiments are reported which compared the learning, relearning, and long-term retention of temporal, spatial, and item information. In Experiment 1, 20 common nouns were presented sequentially within a vertical array on a computer screen. Subjects reported the identity of the nouns, their temporal sequence, or their spatial location within the array. Retention was then tested after a one week delay after which subjects relearned the list. Spatial information was learned most slowly, followed by temporal, and then item information. In Experiment 2, the presentation array was changed to two 3 × 3 matrices. Faster learning was found for spatial compared to temporal information, the opposite of what was observed in Experiment 1. The results are explained in terms of the benefits of spatial distinctiveness.
Abstract LB-90: Essential kinases for human metastatic cells pertaining to c-Met signaling

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Kinases play key roles in the regulation of many cellular processes and are postulated to participate in the development of metastatic capability. To test the role of kinases in tumor progression, we compared pairs of non-metastatic and metastatic tumor cells, a commonly used model, to study the cellular changes that accompany metastasis. As such, we performed arrayed shRNA screens to determine how kinase requirements for survival and proliferation varied between the matched cell lines. These screens revealed patterns of kinase requirements among 4 pairs of cell lines. Of particular interest, we identified a set of kinases that were essential predominately for metastatic cells, including c-Met. In vivo metastasis experiments are underway to evaluate which kinases can promote metastasis when ectopically expressed in otherwise non-metastatic cells. Since inhibition of these kinases phenocopied c-Met inhibition, we also sought to test if any of these kinases are functionally linked to c-Met signaling. Indeed, several of the identified kinases, including PRKCZ, became essential when immortalized melanocytes were made tumorigenic and metastatic by introduction of activated c-Met. Biochemical and genetic rescue experiments are currently ongoing to further examine the links between these genes and c-Met. These studies offer new insights into the cellular signaling pathways operating in metastatic cancer cells and also suggest potential targets to treat metastatic cancers. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-90. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-LB-90
Antibody repertoire development in fetal and neonatal piglets. XI. The thymic B‐cell repertoire develops independently from that in blood and mesenteric lymph nodes

Summary The origin and function of thymic B cells is currently unresolved. In the present study we compared VH gene repertoire diversification in >3500 cloned VDJs (from 11 animals at three time-points, using three to five animals per time-point) that were expressed with immunoglobulin (Ig)M, IgD, IgG, IgA and IgE in thymus, mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) and peripheral blood B cells (PBB) of newborn piglets and 5-week-old isolator piglets maintained germfree (GF) or colonized with Escherichia coli. The results showed that the repertoire expressed with IgM, IgD, IgG and IgA in PBB and MLN remained polyclonal, undiversified and unselected in piglets maintained GF for 5 weeks, that age and colonization resulted in significant repertoire diversification of IgG and IgA in the MLN and of IgG in blood, that the thymic B-cell repertoire was polyclonal, unaffected by colonization and showed no clonal selection in any isotype, and that the thymic IgA and IgE repertoires were more diverse at birth than the repertoire of any isotype in MLN or PBB. IgD was seldom recovered from the PBB of newborn piglets or at any time-point in thymus, but was recovered in the MLN of all 11 animals examined. The IgD and IgM repertoires in all tissues remained polyclonal and unselected, although VH usage by IgD transcripts did not always parallel that of IgM in the same tissue. Therefore, isotype-switched B cells in the thymic medulla cannot be accounted for by immigration of B cells diversified by colonization of the gut, and thymic B cells undergo switch recombination and repertoire diversification before birth without clonal selection.
Vibrational spectra and assignments for (CH3)2NPF2

Abstract Infrared and Raman spectra of dimethylaminodifluorophosphine have been obtained for the gaseous and liquid states at room temperature and for the solid at low temperature. Vibrational assignments are proposed based on a C s , model.
Duty Cycles and Motor Rating

The horsepower rating of a motor carries a dual implication — first, torque ability; second, temperature rise. The two are frequently confused. In selecting motors for duty-cycle jobs the two concepts should be considered separately. The motor rating and type should be chosen to fit the torque requirements of the job. The proper time rating or service factor to associate with this horsepower rating to insure satisfactory insulation life can be determined from the duty cycle. Use of oversize continuously rated motors instead of short-time-rated motors to secure high torque ability on variable load jobs imposes an economic loss. Frequent starting and reversing or starting high inertia loads imposes a temperature hazard frequently greater than heavy overloads. Horsepower rating as now understood is not a satisfactory criterion of a motor's reversing ability. These topics are developed by means of simple hydraulic analogies.
Modeling of a quasi-optical Josephson oscillator

The authors have developed a computer model of a Josephson tunnel junction embedded in a general circuit with frequency-dependent impedance using the harmonic balance method. This model has been applied to the analysis of a two-dimensional Josephson junction array with integrated coupling structures, called a quasi-optical Josephson oscillator. Simulations are done for a junction with dipole, slotline, and bow-tie antennas. The results show that the junction with a bow-tie antenna gives the best performance, and the output power from an array of 4000 junctions can reach 25.7 mu W at a frequency as high as 1091 GHz for niobium junctions deposited on a 0.207-mm-thick quartz substrate. >
Pudendal Nerve Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in Patients with Voiding and/or Erectile Dysfunction: Correlating Test Results with Clinical Findings

AbstractPurpose: We evaluated the diagnostic efficacy of pudendal nerve somatosensory evoked potential testing in patients with voiding and/or erectile dysfunction.Materials and Methods: A total of 55 consecutive patients with voiding and/or erectile dysfunction underwent pudendal nerve somatosensory evoked potential testing during a 2.5-year period. P1 latencies were analyzed in terms of neurological history and neurological physical examination.Results: Abnormal P1 latencies were noted in 46.7 percent of patients with a positive neurological history (p = 0.0060), 52.4 percent with a positive neurological physical examination (p = 0.0580), and 64.7 percent with a positive history and physical examination (p = 0.0007). No patient with a negative neurological history had abnormal P1 latencies.Conclusions: Positive neurological history and physical examination findings in patients with voiding and/or erectile dysfunction correlate significantly with abnormal pudendal nerve somatosensory evoked potential lat...
Effects of Clusters on the Electric Power from Windfarms

It is expected that a large number of wind turbine generators (WTG's) will be operating in the near future in certain parts of the country. And according to the current trend most of these WTG's will be owned and operated by entities other than the utility. Consequently, a large fraction of these machines will be placed in clusters in relatively small windrich areas. Also ways and means have to be found for properly evaluating the power from wind.
Structure of Even/Odd Trinucleotide Repeat Sequences Modulates Persistence of Non-B Conformations and Conversion to Duplex

Expansion of trinucleotide repeats (TNR) has been implicated in the emergence of neurodegenerative diseases. Formation of non-B conformations such as hairpins by these repeat sequences during DNA replication and/or repair has been proposed as a contributing factor to expansion. In this work we employed a combination of fluorescence, chemical probing, optical melting, and gel shift assays to characterize the structure of a series of (CTG)n sequences and the kinetic parameters describing their interaction with a complementary sequence. Our structure-based experiments using chemical probing reveal that sequences containing an even or odd number of CTG repeats adopt stem-loop hairpins that differ from one another by the absence or presence of a stem overhang. Furthermore, we find that this structural difference dictates the rate at which the TNR hairpins convert to duplex with a complementary CAG sequence. Indeed, the rate constant describing conversion to (CAG)10/(CTG)n duplex is slower for sequences contain...
Environmental science: Nutrients in synergy

A literature meta-analysis of the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus on plant growth prompts a thought-provoking inference — that the supply of, and demand for, these nutrients are usually in close balance.
Effects of exhaust gas recirculation on exergy destruction due to isobaric combustion for a range of conditions and fuels

This study was directed at examining the effects of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) on the exergy destroyed due to combustion in a simple constant pressure combustion system. Both cooled and adiabatic cases of EGR were studied. Higher ‘cooled EGR’ fractions lead to higher exergy destruction for reactant temperatures less than 2000 K. For the base case, the percentage of the reactant exergy destroyed for 0, 20, and 40% EGR at 300 K was found to be 28, 32, and 36%, respectively. Neglecting the chemical exergy in the products, the equivalence ratio and reactant temperature that corresponded to the lowest exergy destruction varied from 0.9 to 1.0 and 800–1300 K, respectively, depending on the EGR fraction. The fraction of the reactant exergy destroyed increased with increase in the molecular mass of the fuel for the alkanes examined. The exergy destroyed due to combustion was the least for acetylene and the highest for the alcohols. The trends stayed the same for the different EGR fractions for the eight fuels that were analyzed. For the ‘adiabatic EGR’ case, the percentage destruction of exergy decreased with increase in the EGR fraction with a 40% ‘adiabatic EGR’ fraction corresponding to a destruction of exergy of 14%. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Developing Syntactic Sensitivity in Reading Through Phrase-cued Texts

Highlights the benefits of developing students' skills in grouping text into syntactically appropriate units as a way of addressing reading problems and increasing proficiency
Gravitational effects on compact shaping and microstructure during liquid-phase sintering

Liquid-phase sintering is routinely used to consolidate dense components. However, there are several problems during liquidphase sintering that have their origin in gravitational effects. Under terrestrial conditions, this technique is generally limited to high solid contents to ensure structural stability and net-shaping. In addition, there are several unresolved issues pertaining to microstructural evolution and compact reshaping during sintering. Experimental conditions present during microgravity processing have allowed liquid-phase sintering over a wider range of solid-liquid ratios than is possible on Earth. A rare opportunity was provided to conduct extensive liquid-phase-sintering experiments on tungsten heavy alloys aboard the space shuttle Columbia as part of the International Microgravity Lab and Microgravity Space Lab. Early results from these experiments show novel behavior associated with microgravity both in microstructural and macrostructural evolution.
The Transformative Nature of Grief and Bereavement

Both Freud and Loewald talked about the ways in which individuals may be changed by grief, for better and for worse. This paper extends that thinking by looking at the ways in which grief and mourning reconfigure the psychic structure of the bereaved. Mourning may be an occasion for mastery through acts of altruism. Mourning may offer new narratives of the self. Using clinical and non-clinical examples, the author argues that grief is always transformative. It may lead to self hate and to lowered self-esteem but it may also lead to new ideals, new capacities, and new kinds of relationships with the dead.
Renal Dose Dopamine Does Not Alter the Response to ß-Adrenergic Stimulation by Isoproterenol in Healthy Human Volunteers

Objectives To determine if renal dose dopamine (3 μg/kg/min) alters the heart rate (HR) by itself, or if a dopamine infusion alters the HR response to bolus doses of the s-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol in healthy human subjects. Design Prospective study. Setting Clinical laboratory of a university-affiliated academic medical center. Subjects A total of 15 healthy nonpregnant women and men aged 21 to 44 years. Interventions Subjects were monitored continuously with bedside ECG, pulse oximetry, and ambulatory ECG recording to measure the maximal HR response to separate injections of 10, 20, and 30 ng/kg of isoproterenol, given before, during, and after the infusion of 3 μg/kg/min of dopamine. Measurements and main results Dopamine in the absence of isoproterenol did not alter baseline HR significantly (62.7±2.2 beats/min without dopamine; 65.4±2.2 with dopamine; p=0.15). All three doses of isoproterenol increased HR significantly above baseline, both in the presence and absence of dopamine (p Conclusions In healthy human subjects, infusion of 3 pg/kg/min of dopamine does not significantly increase the HR when combined with s-adrenergic stimulation using isoproterenol, suggesting neither an additive nor antagonistic interaction between the two drugs. While our study did not demonstrate an increase in HR in healthy subjects, the risk of increasing the chronotropic response to s-adrenergic inotropic medications with "renal dose" dopamine in critically ill patients needs to be investigated. The frequency of nausea during dopamine infusion also may influence consideration of using dopamine to augment splanchnic blood flow and renal function in conscious patients.
Histone H3 trimethylated at lysine 4 is enriched at probable transcription start sites in Trypanosoma brucei

Recent studies have identified histone modifications and suggested a role for epigenetic gene regulation in Trypanosoma brucei. The histone modification H4K10ac and histone variants H2AZ and H2BV localize to probable sites of transcription initiation. Although all T. brucei histones have very evolutionarily divergent N-terminal tails, histone H3 shows conservation with other eukaryotic organisms in 6 of 8 amino acids encompassing lysine 4. Tri-methylation of H3K4 is generally associated with transcription. We therefore generated a specific antibody to T. brucei H3K4me3 and performed chromosome immunoprecipitation and high-throughput sequencing. We show that H3K4me3 is enriched at the start of polycistronic transcription units at divergent strand-switch regions and at other sites of RNA polymerase II transcription reinitiation. H3K4me3 largely co-localizes with H4K10ac, but with a skew towards the upstream side of the H4K10ac peak, suggesting that it is a component of specific nucleosomes that play a role in Pol II transcription initiation.
A common environmental contaminant affects sexual behavior in the clawed frog, Xenopus tropicalis

Behavior can be a sensitive measure of endocrine disruption from exposure to environmental contaminants. Xenopus tropicalis has become a developmental model system for evaluation of endocrine disrupting compounds because of its relatively rapid development and its sequenced, diploid genome. We used X. tropicalis as a model for endocrine disruption of sexual behavior. We injected frogs intraperitoneally (IP) with a gonadotropin hormone-releasing hormone agonist at 0.31 μg/50 μL or vehicle control solution and determined behavioral outcomes. Next, we used GnRH-induced sexual behavior to determine the effects of a 30-day exposure to aqueous estradiol (E2) at 10(-8) M or a common pollutant, 4-tert octylphenol (OP), at the environmentally relevant concentrations of 10(-7) M OP or 10(-8) M OP. The GnRH-agonist treatment had no effect on female behaviors. In males, GnRH-agonist treatment increased approaches, touches, amplexus, and a sum total of all sexual behaviors (total sexual behavior score). Exposure to E2 or any dose of OP had no effect on female behaviors. In males, E2 and 10(-7) M OP increased incidence of arm waving (a potential pheromone releasing behavior), and E2, and both doses of OP increased calling behavior compared to an unexposed control group. More males in all the exposure groups expressed sexual behavior than in the control group. This study demonstrates that a common pollutant, OP, affects male sexual behavior possibly by acting like an estrogen.
Lack of bacterial survival under Cytherean-oriented conditions.

Representatives of 3 genera of bacteria when subjected to high temperatures and high pressures of CO2 simultaneously while in liquid culture do not survive.
Echocardiography and Coronary CT Angiography Imaging of Variations in Coronary Anatomy and Coronary Abnormalities in Athletic Children: Detection of Coronary Abnormalities that Create a Risk for Sudden Death

In a recent publication, Maron et al. reported the causes of sudden death in athletes from data collected in the US National Registry of Sudden Death in Athletes at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Registry. It is not surprising that in this study, cardiovascular disease is reported as the most common cause of sudden death in athletes (56%). The most frequently encountered cardiac pathology was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (36% of the population who died of cardiac disease). Coronary artery anomalies of wrong sinus origin were next in frequency (17%). Less common causes attributed to coronary pathology were Kawasaki disease, origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery, atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, and myocardial bridging of the left anterior descending artery. Echocardiographic imaging along with color and pulsed-wave Doppler has been widely employed to visualize the anatomy and function of the heart and proves to be a valuable instrument in the identification of coronary artery abnormalities. Moreover, coronary CT angiography provides additional confirmatory information. This article will discuss the scope, importance, and implications of echocardiographic and coronary CT angiography imaging of the major coronary anomalies and abnormalities in young athletes who are at risk of sudden death and who otherwise have a structurally normal heart.
Hypnosis and the Emmanuel movement: a medical and religious repudiation.

Abstract In 1906, at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Boston, a religio-psychotherapeutic crusade was launched in which clergyman, physician, and social worker cooperated in the treatment of functional nervous disorders. For three years the Emmanuel Movement engaged the public attention and enjoyed wide coverage in the popular press. Yet, in medical and religious circles, the movement was received with varying degrees of hostility. This paper contends that the primary stimulant for this opposition was due to the Emmanuel Church utilization of hypnosis as a therapeutic agency. Regardless of their motives or arguments, spokesmen of the various medical branches, along with representatives of diverse religious institutions, seized upon hypnosis as the instrument for discrediting Emmanuel Church efforts. Eventually, the opponents of hypnotic therapy succeeded in contributing to the decline of the Emmanuel Movement.
Ellen, Television, and the Politics of Gay and Lesbian Visibility

–The discourses constructing the coming-out of Ellen DeGeneres/Ellen Morgan, star of and lead character in the ABC television sitcom Ellen, were permeated with implications of authenticity and liberation, illustrating the continuing power of the confessional ritual described by Michele Foucault in The History of Sexuality. In contrast to the popular interpretation of the coming-out as an escape from repression, media treatment of the Ellen phenomenon was productive, in Foucault's sense, constructing a regulatory discourse that constrained the implications of gay visibility on commercial television by channeling it through a narrative of psychological autonomy, through television norms for representing homosexuality, and through an overarching strategy of personalization. I conclude with a discussion of the problems of “poster-child politics” as exemplified by the Ellen discourse.