cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physicochemical implications of alkoxide “mixing” in polyoxovanadium clusters for nonaqueous energy storage

Identification of suitable charge carriers is essential for the success of nonaqueous energy storage systems. Thus, elucidation of structural parameters which affect the physicochemical properties of a molecule in organic solvent is of critical importance. Here, we continue our work related to the development of polyoxovanadium-alkoxide clusters for nonaqueous energy storage through the synthesis and subsequent analysis of a series of “mixed”-alkoxide clusters, [V6O7(OR)12−x(OCH3)x] (R = C2H5, C3H7, C4H9, C5H11, C6H13). We determine that the presence of a mixture of bridging-alkoxides enhances both the physical and electrochemical behaviour of the clusters in nonaqueous energy storage schematics, evidenced by increased solubility and electron-transfer kinetics. These results provide insight into the consequences of using a classically “impure” system, revealing how synergistic behaviour of a mixture of compounds can yield improved function over that of a pure solution.
Long pot life, fast cure

Silicones are indispensable in many industrial products. However, processors who up until now have been using crosslinkable silicone formulations had to choose between a long pot life and rapid curing. It was not possible to have both at once. An effective solution to this quandary is to use UV-activated silicones, which have already proved their mettle in the manufacturing of electronic components.
Safety and Genetic Stability of Cultured Perinatal Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Perinatal mesenchymal stem cells are considered as a promising tool to treat many diseases in clinical studies. Being different with chemical or protein drugs, perinatal stem cells were used as living cells. No method is well established to evaluate the safety issues of perinatal mesenchymal stem cells. This is a challenge not only for patients and physicians but also for manufacturers and administrators. Safety issues of perinatal stem cells could come from perinatal stem cells themselves, which include, but not limited to, cytokine storm, unwanted differentiation, and tumorigenesis. Other safety concerns of perinatal stem cells are related to processing and quality control when processing or manufacturing mesenchymal stem cells. After in vitro expansion, which is inevitable for clinical application, perinatal mesenchymal stem cells may change their biological characteristics. So it is critical to answer whether in vitro culture decreases the clinical value of perinatal mesenchymal stem cells or increases any risk for the clinical application. Preclinical studies and clinical data, quality control, and potential risk factors for manufacturing and clinical application will be discussed in this chapter.
Fixed-Charge Ultrafiltration Membranes

The properties of a series of sulfonic acid fixed-charge membranes of graded porosity were described in terms of their fixed-charge molality, hydraulic permeability, concentration potential and rejection to a number of charged and uncharged solutes of differing molecular weight. Their use in ultrafiltration processes employing a number of test solutions and also solutions from the sewage-treatment, pulp and paper, and cheese industries was also described. The salient property of these membranes was their non-fouling character as exemplified by their ability to maintain their hydraulic flux and solute rejection properties with solutions known to foul conventional ultrafiltration membranes.
Regioselective Arylboration of 1,3‐Butadiene

A method for the regioselective 1,2-arylboration of 1,3-butadiene, a feedstock chemical, is reported. The reactions result in the formation of products that can be easily elaborated to other structures. The mechanistic details of this process are also discussed.
POLYMORPHIC VENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA DUE TO VASOSPASTIC ANGINA

PMVT is a rare complication of vasospastic angina that poses a management dilemma. A 51 year old female presented to outpatient cardiology after recurrent episodes of syncope preceded by chest pressure. EKG was unremarkable and she was fitted with a cardiac monitor. Six days later, she was
Abnormal Brain Bioenergetics in First-Episode Psychosis.

Background Converging evidence indicates impaired brain energy metabolism in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Creatine kinase (CK) is pivotal in providing adenosine triphosphate in the cell and maintaining its levels when energy demand is increased. However, the activity of CK has not been investigated in patients with first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Methods Using in vivo phosphorus magnetization transfer spectroscopy, we measured CK first-order forward rate constant (k f ) in the frontal lobe, in patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP; n = 16) and healthy controls (n = 34), at rest. Results CK k f was significantly reduced in FEP compared to healthy controls. There were no differences in other energy metabolism-related measures, including phosphocreatine (PCr) or ATP, between groups. We also found increase in glycerol-3-phosphorylcholine, a putative membrane breakdown product, in patients. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that brain bioenergetic abnormalities are already present early in the course of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Future research is needed to identify the relationship of reduced CK k f with psychotic symptoms and to test treatment alternatives targeting this pathway. Increased glycerol-3-phosphorylcholine is consistent with earlier studies in medication-naive patients and later studies in first-episode schizophrenia, and suggest enhanced synaptic pruning.
Online Re-routing for Vehicle Breakdown in Residential Waste Collection

We model residential waste collection as a Capacitated Arc Routing Problem (CARP). Because the collection vehicles are expensive, many public works departments cannot afford extra vehicles on hand if one breaks down. A conventional solution is for the unserved streets in the route of the broken down vehicle to be served by one of the others in the fleet as an overtime job. Instead, we propose to distribute the unserved streets among all remaining operational vehicles when a breakdown occurs. We propose PROBE, an algorithm to dynamically re-route collection vehicles in the event of a breakdown, with the objective to minimize the makespan. We evaluate PROBE on the classical CARP benchmark instances GDB, VAL, EGL, and EGL-Large. Compared to the conventional solution, PROBE obtains reduced makespan, range, and discrepancies which indicate improved balance of the solution. The run time of PROBE is linear in the number of required edges suggesting good scalability.
Ages of Cities: Temporal Aspects of the Growth of Large Urban Areas in the U.S.

Fifty-nine of the largest urban areas in the United States were classified into age groups based on the temporal patterns of their development. Areas in the older age groups had higher mean densities in 1950 than the newer areas, but these differences had disappeared by 2010. The older areas conformed more closely to the predictions of the negative exponential decline of density with distance from the center, especially in 2010. The suburban portions of those older areas in 2010 had lower densities and more sprawl than the newer areas. The differences contributed to greater average variation in densities within the older urban areas as compared with those areas that experienced more recent development.
Psychoactive Drugs Induce the SOS Response and Shiga Toxin Production in Escherichia coli.

Several classes of non-antibiotic drugs, including psychoactive drugs, proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and others, appear to have strong antimicrobial properties. We considered whether psychoactive drugs induce the SOS response in E. coli bacteria and, consequently, induce Shiga toxins in Shiga-toxigenic E. coli (STEC). We measured the induction of an SOS response using a recA-lacZ E. coli reporter strain, as RecA is an early, reliable, and quantifiable marker for activation of the SOS stress response pathway. We also measured the production and release of Shiga toxin 2 (Stx2) from a classic E. coli O157:H7 strain, derived from a food-borne outbreak due to spinach. Some, but not all, serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and antipsychotic drugs induced an SOS response. The use of SSRIs is widespread and increasing; thus, the use of these antidepressants could account for some cases of hemolytic-uremic syndrome due to STEC and is not attributable to antibiotic administration. SSRIs could have detrimental effects on the normal intestinal microbiome in humans. In addition, as SSRIs are resistant to environmental breakdown, they could have effects on microbial communities, including aquatic ecosystems, long after they have left the human body.
Cyberinfrastructure, Science Gateways, Campus Bridging, and Cloud Computing

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grants 0504075, 0451237, 0723054, 1062432, 0116050, 0521433, 0503697, and 1053575, and several IBM Shared University Research grants and support provided by Lilly Endowment, Inc. for the Indiana University Pervasive Technology Institute. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the supporting agencies.
Types of experiments and causal process tracing: What happened on the Kaibab Plateau in the 1920s.

I argue that Binkley et al. use causal process tracing in conjunction with a natural trajectory experiment and two natural snapshot experiments in their re-examination of the Kaibab. This shows that Aldo Leopold may have been right about trophic cascade in the Kaibab in the 1920s, i.e., that there are good (albeit defeasible) reasons to think that a loss of predators (together with fire suppression) led to a deer irruption which decreased aspen recruitment. Using the different cause-finding practices in combination can strengthen causal inferences and mitigate the shortcomings that each practice has.
Trophic cascades : predators, prey, and the changing dynamics of nature

Trophic cascades the top-down regulation of ecosystems by predators are an essential aspect of ecosystem function and well-being. Trophic cascades are often drastically disrupted by human interventions for example, when wolves and cougars are removed, allowing deer and beaver to become destructive yet have only recently begun to be considered in the development of conservation and management strategies. Trophic Cascades is the first comprehensive presentation of the science on this subject. It brings together some of the world s leading scientists and researchers to explain the importance of large animals in regulating ecosystems, and to relate that scientific knowledge to practical conservation. Chapters examine trophic cascades across the world s major biomes, including intertidal habitats, coastal oceans, lakes, nearshore ecosystems, open oceans, tropical forests, boreal and temperate ecosystems, low arctic scrubland, savannas, and islands. Additional chapters consider aboveground/belowground linkages, predation and ecosystem processes, consumer control by megafauna and fire, and alternative states in ecosystems. An introductory chapter offers a concise overview of trophic cascades, while concluding chapters consider theoretical perspectives and comparative issues. Trophic Cascades provides a scientific basis and justification for the idea that large predators and top-down forcing must be considered in conservation strategies, alongside factors such as habitat preservation and invasive species. It is a groundbreaking work for scientists and managers involved with biodiversity conservation and protection."
Comment on “On the controversy around Daganzo's requiem for and Aw-Rascle's resurrection of second-order traffic flow models" by D. Helbing and A.F. Johansson - What faster-than-traffic characteristic speeds mean for vehicular traffic flow

There has been a debate in the transportation research community over the validity of a class of traffic flow models. These models have the peculiar property that one of its characteristic speeds is faster than that of vehicular traffic. This note attempts to provide an overview of the diverging views on how to interpret this property, and specific comments on the interpretation of Helbing and Johansson [On the controversy around Daganzo’s requiem for and Aw-Rascle’s resurrection of second-order traffic flow models, Eur. Phys. J. B (2009), DOI: 10.1140/epjb/e2009-00182-7]. We showed that having faster-than-traffic characteristics does produce counterintuitive predictions, and they cannot be explained away by a linear stability analysis. As such, the existence of such characteristics must be justified by the physics of traffic, and verified through empirical observations.
Distributed image compression for sensor networks using correspondence analysis and super-resolution

A distributed coding technique for images captured from sensors with overlapping fields of view in a sensor network is outlined. First, images from correlated views are roughly registered (relative to a sensor of primary interest) via a low-bandwidth data-sharing method involving image feature points and feature point correspondence. An area of overlap is then identified, and each sensor transmits a low-resolution version of the common image block to the receiver, amortizing the coding cost for that block among the set of sensors. Super-resolution techniques are finally employed at the receiver to reconstruct a high-resolution version of the common block. We discuss the registration and super-resolution techniques used and present examples of each step in the proposed coding process. A numerical analysis illustrating the potential coding benefit follows, and we conclude with a brief discussion of the key issues remaining to be resolved on the path to coder robustness.
Toward advocacy in cancer care for older adults: survivors have cautious personal actions but bold advice for others.

OBJECTIVES: To examine narratives of personal coping with the cancer experience and compare them with narratives of advice offered to other cancer patients by community-dwelling elderly cancer survivors. DESIGN: Qualitative and quantitative mixed methods. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Interviews were conducted with 100 elderly adults who had reported cancer diagnosis from among participants of a panel study of 1,107 community-dwelling elderly adults. Mean age of the sample was 78.7 ± 6.8; 62% were female, and 62% were married. MEASUREMENTS: Three raters identified consistent themes through content analyses of interviews using a staged content analysis process. Themes reporting personal coping were coded separately from advice respondents would offer to others. RESULTS: Respondents reported themes of personal coping that corresponded well to previously established modes of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping. Themes for personal coping primarily reflected reframing, normalizing, and obtaining social support. Assertive healthcare consumerism and self-care were seldom reported as personal coping strategies but emerged as important coping approaches, along with positive attitude maintenance, in advice offered to others. Length of survivorship was unrelated to coping strategies. CONCLUSION: Elderly cancer survivors use passive modes of coping and rely on physicians, family, or cognitive acceptance in coping with cancer, but they offer far more proactive advice to other cancer patients. These findings underscore the importance of physician encouragement of older cancer patient initiative and proactivity in expressing views and preferences. Physicians should offer reassurance that elderly patients' questions and initiatives are welcomed.
Structured Encounter Form: The Impact on Provider Performance and Recording of Well-Child Care

The impact of record format on provider performance and recording of the process of care and their concordance were examined in this study. The process of care was defined by existing sets of explicit criteria developed for quality assessment. The study was conducted in an urban teaching hospital pediatric primary care clinic. Housestaff were encouraged, but not required, to use the clinic9s structured, age-specific forms for recording well-child care. Performance and recording were compared during required well-child visits using the structured form and those using the basic clinic form. Study data from 1031 visits to 68 housestaff during a 14-month period were collected using medical record abstracting of all visits and direct observation of 243 of them. Twenty-three of the providers were assigned randomly to an unobserved control group to assess the effect of observation on recording. Use of the structured form was associated with significantly higher levels of both recorded and observed performance. When performance could be merely checked off to document performance, overdocumentation was found. Record-based estimates of performance were more accurate during visits when the structured form was used. Record format can improve provider performance and recording of the process of care.
Selective Filtration in the Isolation of Independent Clones of Streptomyces

A single procedure for an efficient discrimination among the different size components of heterogeneous populations of Streptomyces spore suspensions is described. Conidia connected by substances of hydrophobic nature make obtaining all the spores in independent units difficult. For the isolation of pure clones, single spore suspensions were prepared by selective filtration through uniform and controlled pore size membranes. Single spore-enriched suspensions may be a useful tool for increasing the yield of auxotrophs, ensuring independent mutation during mutagenic treatments. This procedure can be extended to other sporulating species.
Evaluation of Data Treatment Techniques for Improved Analysis of Fingerprint Images

We evaluated four different methods for data treatment of fingerprint images. The first two methods (Lee's method, and Iterative Automated Noise Filtering method) are used to remove signal-independent additive noise from digital images of fingerprints. The two other methods (low-pass and high-pass wavelet filtering), based on the wavelet transform, are employed not only to reduce the noise, but also to enhance the information of the fingerprints, especially details at the ridges. To evaluate these four filtering techniques we analyzed images of various fingerprints provided by the Police Department of Knoxville, Tennessee, and recorded digitally in the laboratory using inexpensive apparatus. Experimental results show that the methods are effective in diverse cases and have potential in forensic analysis of fingerprints.
A crystal plasticity finite element model for flow stress anomalies in Ni3Al single crystals

This paper presents a dislocation density-based non-Schmid constitutive model to address the anomalous thermo-mechanical behaviour of the L12 intermetallic single-crystal Ni3Al. Ni3Al is used as a strengthening precipitate (γ′ phase) in Ni-based superalloys. Addressing such anomalous behaviour by accounting for temperature-dependent flow stress and hardening evolution, as well as orientation-dependent tension–compression asymmetry, is necessary for modelling superalloys across a range of temperatures. While hardening in cube-slip systems results from statistically stored dislocations (SSDs), hardening in octahedral slip systems is due to both SSDs and cross-slip dislocations (CSDs). The constitutive model incorporates hardening evolution due to SSDs and CSDs. Experimental data for Ni3Al-type single crystals, available in the literature, are used to calibrate material parameters. Subsequently, results of crystal plasticity FEM simulations are compared with experimental data for several orientations under c...
Non-conservative surface decoration of hemoglobin: Influence of neutralization of positive charges at PEGylation sites on molecular and functional properties of PEGylated hemoglobin

High hydrodynamic volume, high viscosity and high colloidal osmotic pressure (COP) of PEGylated hemoglobin (Hb) have been suggested to neutralize the vasoactivity of acellular Hb. Consequences of non-conservative PEGylation (positive charge of the amino groups at the PEGylation sites is neutralized) using succinimidyl-ester of propionic acid PEG5K on the properties of PEGylated Hb have now been investigated. Non-conservative PEGylation of Hb leads to a much higher increase in the COP and viscosity of Hb than conservative extension arm facilitated (EAF) PEGylation of Hb. Introduction of αα-fumaryl crosslinking decreased the COP of non-conservative PEGylated Hb by stabilization of interdimeric interactions. Compared to the EAF-PEGylated αα-fumaryl Hb, non-conservative PEGylated product shows a comparable COP and higher viscosity. Conservative PEGylation of αα-fumaryl Hb by reductive alkylation chemistry does not increase the COP to this level, but enhanced the molecular volume and viscosity comparable to EAF-PEGylated product. Thus, the molecular properties of PEGylated Hb can be fine tuned using different PEGylation platforms and provide a unique opportunity for the design of second generation PEGylated Hbs.
Automated detection of breast vascular calcification on full-field digital mammograms

Breast vascular calcifications (BVCs) are calcifications that line the blood vessel walls in the breast and appear as parallel or tubular tracks on mammograms. BVC is one of the major causes of the false positive (FP) marks from computer-aided detection (CADe) systems for screening mammography. With the detection of BVCs and the calcified vessels identified, these FP clusters can be excluded. Moreover, recent studies reported the increasing interests in the correlation between mammographically visible BVCs and the risk of coronary artery diseases. In this study, we developed an automated BVC detection method based on microcalcification prescreening and a new k-segments clustering algorithm. The mammogram is first processed with a difference-image filtering technique designed to enhance calcifications. The calcification candidates are selected by an iterative process that combines global thresholding and local thresholding. A new k-segments clustering algorithm is then used to find a set of line segments that may be caused by the presence of calcified vessels. A linear discriminant analysis (LDA) classifier was designed to reduce false segments that are not associated with BVCs. Four features for each segment selected with stepwise feature selection were used for this LDA classification. Finally, the neighboring segments were linked and dilated with morphological dilation to cover the regions of calcified vessels. A data set of 16 FFDM cases with vascular calcifications was collected for this preliminary study. Our preliminary result demonstrated that breast vascular calcifications can be accurately detected and the calcified vessels identified. It was found that the automated method can achieve a detection sensitivity of 65%, 70%, and 75% at 6.1 mm, 8.4 mm, and 12.6mm FP segments/image, respectively, without any true clustered microcalcifications being falsely marked. Further work is underway to improve this method and to incorporate it into our FFDM CADe system.
Role of exposure to air pollutants in the development of type 1 diabetes before and after 5 yr of age.

OBJECTIVE To assess the role of ambient air pollutants in type 1 diabetes in children. DESIGN AND METHODS Prediagnosis exposure to five air pollutants was studied in two subgroups with onset of type 1 diabetes before and after 5 yr of age, and two matched subgroups of healthy children. Zip codes and dates of residence from birth to diagnosis were used to obtain geographic- and time-specific air concentrations of SO(2), NO(2), ozone (O(3)), SO(4), and particulate matter < 10 micro m in diameter (PM(10)). Prediagnosis time-adjusted pollutant exposure levels were created by summing up zip code-specific pollution data and dividing by months of exposure from birth to diagnosis. Two-tailed t-test and logistic regression were used to evaluate relative effects and test data between cases and controls. RESULTS Prediagnosis average O(3) exposure was significantly higher in children with type 1 diabetes than in healthy controls. Prediagnosis PM(10) exposure was significantly higher in children diagnosed before 5 yr of age, when compared with healthy controls. SO(2) exposure was significantly higher in children with later-onset diabetes compared with those with early-onset diabetes (EOD). NO(2), SO(2) and SO(4) exposure was significantly lower in children diagnosed after 5 yr of age, when compared with healthy controls. O(3), NO(2), SO(4) and PM(10) levels did not significantly differ between the two diabetic subgroups. CONCLUSION Increased ozone exposure may be a contributory factor to the increased incidence of type 1 diabetes. PM(10) may be a specific contributory factor to the development of type 1 diabetes before 5 yr of age.
Approximation Algorithms for Treewidth

This paper presents algorithms whose input is an undirected graph, and whose output is a tree decomposition of width that approximates the optimal, the treewidth of that graph. The algorithms differ in their computation time and their approximation guarantees. The first algorithm works in polynomial-time and finds a factor-O(log OPT) approximation, where OPT is the treewidth of the graph. This is the first polynomial-time algorithm that approximates the optimal by a factor that does not depend on n, the number of nodes in the input graph. As a result, we get an algorithm for finding pathwidth within a factor of O(log OPT⋅log n) from the optimal. We also present algorithms that approximate the treewidth of a graph by constant factors of 3.66, 4, and 4.5, respectively and take time that is exponential in the treewidth. These are more efficient than previously known algorithms by an exponential factor, and are of practical interest. Finding triangulations of minimum treewidth for graphs is central to many problems in computer science. Real-world problems in artificial intelligence, VLSI design and databases are efficiently solvable if we have an efficient approximation algorithm for them. Many of those applications rely on weighted graphs. We extend our results to weighted graphs and weighted treewidth, showing similar approximation results for this more general notion. We report on experimental results confirming the effectiveness of our algorithms for large graphs associated with real-world problems.
An experimental investigation of the persuasive impact of computer-generated presentation graphics

Computer generated presentation graphics have become a tool to aid in communicating management information, and have been credited with causing an audience to accept a point of view or take action. The problem is that technological capability has signficantly exceeded user understanding and effective application of computer generated graphics. Vendor inspired claims of impact, influence, and persuasive capability, commonplace in the commerical literature, are rarely based on scientific fact. MIS business graphics research to date has emphasized support for decision making. The research question is: "How does the use of computer generated business graphics effectively impact the persuasiveness of presentations?"
Credible collusion in multimarket oligopoly

This article refines an established explanation of how multimarket contact facilitates collusion when firms enjoy reciprocal advantages across markets: When there are reciprocal asymmetries between firms, multimarket contact allows them not only to develop spheres of influence, but also to implement attractively simple strategies that are subgame perfect and weakly renegotiation proof. Hence, collusive equilibria are supported by fully credible punishments. A significant implication is, multimarket contact involving reciprocal differences between firms may be more facilitating to their cooperative efforts than multimarket contact based on other factors. The article discusses existing empirical work as it relates to this implication. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Impact parameter methods with effective potentials for inelastic molecular collisions

Previously employed exact quantum impact parameter methods for elastic scattering are extended to inelastic scattering. This is done within the framework of a recently developed effective potential model for the interaction of two molecules. The effective potential Veff and the transition matrix T are represented as integrals over a Bessel function times corresponding impact parameter amplitudes. Three particular impact parameter representations of the effective potential are discussed. It is shown that the form of the equation of motion for the T‐matrix amplitude depends on the representation of the potential. This presents no difficulty once a particular choice of potential representation is made. A convenient characteristic wave number κ is introduced into the formulation, and it is shown that the resulting T‐matrix is invariant with respect to its magnitude. The choice of κ is then argued on physical grounds. Several approximate equations of motion and their solutions are developed for the T‐matrix am...
NuMA: a protein involved in nuclear structure, spindle assembly, and nuclear re-formation

The abundant coiled-coil protein NuMA is located in the nucleus during interphase, but when the nuclear envelope disassembles in prometaphase it rapidly redistributes to the developing spindle poles. Microinjection of antibodies to NuMA at or before metaphase can block spindle assembly or cause spindle collapse, indicating a role for NuMA in spindle function. NuMA must also play a key role in telophase, as NuMA antibodies or truncations of NuMA cause aberrant nuclear reassembly despite apparently normal chromosome segregation. Consistent with a structural role for NuMA in the nucleus, immunoelectron microscopy reveals NuMA to be a component of nuclear filaments.
Motion detectors and motion segregation

The response of motion detectors necessarily confound image velocity with image structure. In particular, even a rigidly moving image (with a uniform velocity field) will give rise to non-uniform detector responses. A mathematical framework has been proposed on how to intrinsically compare motion detectors' responses so that their differences will reflect the true differences in image velocity (Zhang and Wu, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 7819-7823, 1990). Here, this notion of 'intrinsic differentiation' was implemented by introducing a y-matrix determined by the image spatial gradients. The perceptual phenomenon of random-dot motion segregation was successfully simulated.
Effects of forest fragmentation on Heliconia acuminata seedling recruitment in central Amazonia

I present the results of a 2-year experiment comparing seed predation, seed germination, and seedling survivorship patterns of the Amazonian understory herb Heliconia acuminata in forest fragments and continuous forest. These empirical results were compared with natural patterns of recruitment in permanent 5,000 m2 demographic plots adjacent to experimental areas. The number of naturally occurring seedlings established in demographic plots was 1.5–6 times greater in continuous forest than it was in 1-ha or 10-ha fragments. This result mirrors the pattern of seedling establishment in experimental transects, in which seeds in fragments were 3–7 times less likely to become established than those in continuous forest. Predation of experimentally sown seeds was extremely low at all sites, and is therefore not responsible for the observed pattern. Instead, reductions in seedling abundance in forest fragments are probably due to lower levels of seed germination. Forest fragments have higher air and soil temperatures, lower relative humidity, and increased leaf-litter accumulation, all of which can alter the cues used to initiate germination. While the growth of seedlings was similar in forest fragments and continuous forest, seedling survivorship in fragments was highly variable. These results suggest that altered environmental conditions may exacerbate reductions in plant recruitment resulting from modified plant-animal interactions. Strategies aimed at reducing the intensity of abiotic edge effects should therefore be incorporated into plant conservation efforts.
Neural network based watermark embedding and identification

In previous research, we have shown the ability of neural networks to improve the performance of the watermark system to identify the watermark under different attacks. On the other hand, in this work we apply neural networks to embed the watermark in the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) domain. We then use features based on principal component analysis (PCA) to blindly identify the watermark. PCA reduces the dimensionality as well as the redundancies of the data. Neural networks classifiers are implemented to determine whether the watermark is present. Different features are used to test the performance of the method. The efficacy of the technique is then compared to previous techniques such as the gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) based or the LMS enhanced watermark identification. The comparative results from the previously used methods are presented in this paper.
Can we see the intangibles? Valuation of intangible assets for publicly traded hotel firms in the USA

This study provides value estimates for intangible assets of publicly traded hotel firms in the USA. When evaluating a firm's tangible and intangible assets, tests of model usefulness reveal that it is meaningful to decompose adjusted income (AI) into adjusted income derived from intangible assets (AII) and adjusted income derived from tangible assets (AIT). Specifically, a significant difference exists for contributions from AII and AIT to a firm's market value of equity. Further, decomposing AI into AIT and AII releases incremental information to the market. The procedures employed use publicly available information and are easily replicable.
Permeability characteristic of polyelectrolyte complex capsule membranes: Effect of preparation condition on permeability

Because polyelectrolyte complex formation is known to depend on charge densities of polyelectrolytes, influence of pH condition in the preparation of the polyelectrolyte complex capsules on their permeability characteristic for phenylethylene glycol was examined. Partly crosslinked polyelectrolyte complex capsules were prepared by addition of an aqueous poly(acrylic acid) solution into an aqueous poly(ethylenimine) or L-histidine-attached poly(ethylenimine) (ethylenimine unit/L-histidine residue : 5/1, mol/mol) solution and subsequent crosslinking under various pH conditions. Although poly(acrylic acid) and poly(ethylenimine) change their charge density depending on pH in an aqueous solution, the resultant capsules prepared at pHs 7, 6, and 5 show similar permeation properties under neutral and acidic conditions. By contrast, when L-histidine-attached poly(ethylenimine) was used instead of the unmodified polymer as the capsule membrane component, the resultant capsules prepared at pHs 8, 7, and 6 revealed remarkable difference in the permeability under neutral and acidic conditions. Because the ionization of an imidazolyl group, whose pKa is 6, on the L-histidine-attached poly(ethylenimine) is influenced significantly by pH near its pKa, such situation might affect density of networks formed by the ionic bonds in the polyelectrolyte complex membrane and resulted in the permeability difference.
Alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate decreases both glucose and lactate metabolism in neurons and astrocytes: implications for lactate as an energy substrate for neurons.

The rates of uptake and oxidation of [U-(14)C]lactate and [U-(14)C]glucose were determined in primary cultures of astrocytes and neurons from rat brain, in the presence and absence of the monocarboxylic acid transport inhibitor alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate (4-CIN). The rates of uptake for 1 mM lactate and glucose were 7.45 +/- 1.35 and 8.80 +/- 1.0 nmol/30 sec/mg protein in astrocytes and 2.36 +/- 0.19 and 1.93 +/- 0.16 nmol/30 sec/mg protein in neuron cultures, respectively. Lactate transport into both astrocytes and neurons was significantly decreased by 0.25-1.0 mM 4-CIN; however, glucose uptake was not affected. The rates of (14)CO(2) formation from 1 mM lactate and glucose were 12.49 +/- 0.77 and 3.42 +/- 0.67 nmol/hr/mg protein in astrocytes and 29.32 +/- 2.81 and 10.04 +/- 1.79 nmol/hr/mg protein in neurons, respectively. Incubation with 0.25 mM 4-CIN decreased the oxidation of lactate and glucose to 57.1% and 54.1% of control values in astrocytes and to 13.2% and 41.6% of the control rates in neurons, respectively. Preincubation with 4-CIN further decreased the oxidation of both glucose and lactate. Studies with glucose specifically labeled in the one and six positions demonstrated that 4-CIN decreased mitochondrial glucose oxidation but did not impair the metabolism of glucose via the pentose phosphate pathway in the cytosol. The lack of effect of 4-CIN on glutamate oxidation demonstrated that overall mitochondrial metabolism was not impaired. These findings suggest that the impaired neuronal function and tissue damage in the presence of 4-CIN observed in other studies may be due in part to decreased uptake of lactate; however, the effects of 4-CIN on mitochondrial transport would significantly decrease the oxidative metabolism of pyruvate derived from both glucose and lactate.
Diffusibility of Dyes in Buffered and Unbuffered Solutions.

SummaryThe rate of diffusion of basic dyes depends not only on the concentration gradient but also the medium. The diffusion of dyes into a concentrated buffer is faster than into a diluted one. The concentrated buffer represses the ionization, and thus retards the back diffusion. If the buffer compartment is diluted in the same proportion as the dye compartment, the rate of diffusion of the dyes is only slightly affected, if at all, by a 4-fold dilution. In diffusion studies with Methylene Blue it was found that brane has, in different media, a different diffusion capacity. This work suggests that conclusions based on diffusion measurements made on simple aqueous solutions may not be equally valid for biological systems.
Fostering Corporate Entrepreneurship: Cross-Cultural Comparisons of the Importance of Individualism Versus Collectivism

This study reports on results of a cross-cultural, empirical investigation designed to assess the impact of individualism/collectivism upon organizational entrepreneurship. The findings indicate individualism/collectivism is an important factor in understanding entrepreneurial behavior in the firm. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Leukocyte-adjusted epigenome-wide association studies of blood from solid tumor patients

Epigenome-wide studies of DNA methylation using blood-derived DNA from cancer patients are complicated by the heterogeneity of cell types within blood and the associated cell lineage specification of DNA methylation signatures. Here, we applied a novel set of analytic approaches to assess the association between cancer case-status and DNA methylation adjusted for leukocyte variation using blood specimens from three case-control cancer studies (bladder: 223 cases, 205 controls; head and neck: 92 cases, 92 controls; and ovarian: 131 cases, 274 controls). Using previously published data on leukocyte-specific CpG loci and a recently described approach to deconvolute subject-specific blood composition, we performed an epigenome-wide analysis to examine the association between blood-based DNA methylation patterns and each of the three aforementioned solid tumor types adjusted for cellular heterogeneity in blood. After adjusting for leukocyte profile in our epigenome-wide analysis, the omnibus association between case-status and methylation was significant for all three studies (bladder cancer: P = 0.047; HNSCC: P = 0.013; ovarian cancer: P = 0.0002). Subsequent analyses revealed that CpG sites associated with cancer were enriched for transcription factor binding motifs involved with cancer-associated pathways. These results support the existence of cancer-associated DNA methylation profiles in the blood of solid tumor patients that are independent of alterations in normal leukocyte distributions. Adoption of the methods developed here will make it feasible to rigorously assess the influence of variability of normal leukocyte profiles when investigating cancer related changes in blood-based epigenome-wide association studies.
Heparin releases monosomes and polysomes from rough endoplasmic reticulum.

Abstract Incubation of membrane-bound polyribosomes isolated from murine myeloma cells with heparin caused release of material which sedimented in the polysome, monosome and ribosomal subunit regions of linear sucrose gradients. The released material corresponded to approximately one half that which could be released by treatment with heparin plus Triton X-100. The action of heparin appeared to be related to its polyanionic nature. The use of heparin as a ribonuclease inhibitor in the separation and isolation of free and membrane-bound polysomes could cause artificial accumulation of detached polysomes in the free polysome fraction.
Sleep Deprivation and Brain Acetylcholine

Rats deprived of D-state sleep (and, to some extent, of slow-wave sleep) for 96 hours show a significant fall in brain acetylcholine in the telencephalon; there were no significant changes in the diencephalon and brain stem. Restraint stress and activity wheel stress produced no significant change in acetylcholine levels in any of these regions; the telencephalic response to sleep deprivation, therefore, cannot be attributed to nonspecific stress. The effects of D-state deprivation and the psychoactive anticholinergic drugs on telencephalic acetylcholine levels are similar.
PACAP activates calcium influx-dependent and -independent pathways to couple met-enkephalin secretion and biosynthesis in chromaffin cells

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide-27 (PACAP-27) caused a dose-dependent increase in met-enkephalin secretion and increased production of met-enkephalin peptide and proenkephalin A (PEnk) mRNA in bovine chromaffin cells, at concentrations as low as 300 pM. PACAP-38 was less potent than PACAP-27, but had similar effects. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) (1-100 nM) was without appreciable effect on either enkephalin secretion or biosynthesis, implicating PACAP type I receptors in PACAP-stimulated enkephalin secretion and synthesis. PACAP type I receptors can activate adenylate cyclase and stimulate phospholipase C through heterotrimeric G protein interactions, leading to increased intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP), inositol triphosphate (IP3)-mediated calcium mobilization, and calcium- and diacylglycerol (DAG)-mediated protein kinase C (PKC) activation. Enkephalin secretion evoked by 10-100 nM PACAP-27 was not inhibited by 1 microM (-)-202-791, an L-type specific dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker, but was inhibited 65-80% by the arylalkylamine calcium channel blocker D600. Forty mM potassium-evoked secretion was inhibited > 90% by both D600 and (-)-202-791, 25 microM forskolin-induced secretion was blocked < 50% by D600 and was unaffected by (-)-202-791, and 100 nM phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-induced secretion was unaffected by either D600 or (-)-202-791. Enkephalin biosynthesis was increased by 10 nM PACAP-27, as measured by increased met-enkephalin pentapeptide content and PEnk A mRNA levels. PACAP-, forskolin-, and PMA-stimulated enkephalin synthesis were not blocked by D600 or (-)-202-791. Elevated potassium-induced enkephalin biosynthesis upregulation was completely blocked by either D600 or (-)-202-791 at the same concentrations. PACAP acting through type I PACAP receptors couples calcium influx-dependent enkephalin secretion and calcium influx-independent enkephalin biosynthesis in chromaffin cells. Restriction of the effects of enhanced calcium influx to stimulation of secretion, but not of biosynthesis, is unique to PACAP. By contrast, potassium-induced enkephalin biosynthesis upregulation is completely calcium influx dependent, specifically via calcium influx through L-type calcium channels. We propose that subpopulations of voltage-dependent calcium channels are differentially linked to intracellular signal transduction pathways that control neuropeptide gene expression and secretion in chromaffin cells.
Altered intestinal development after jejunal ligation in fetal sheep

Experimental obstruction of the fetal small intestine resulted in massive hypertrophy of the segment proximal to the site of obstruction. Villus morphology was grossly abnormal. Enterocytes developed many irregular features, most notably cytoplasmic extensions (pseudopods, or blebs) from their apical surface. Distal to the site of obstruction, morphological anomalies which resembled those seen after experimental oesophageal ligation were found. These included delayed disappearance of the apical endocytic network, disrupted or absent microvilli, glycogen accumulation and inappropriate cell extrusion. Proximal to the obstruction, where stasis of swallowed fluid occurs, distension and abnormal intestinal development ensues. Distal to the obstruction where the intestine develops in the absence of swallowed fluid, development is also abnormal. The anomalies resemble those noted after oesophageal ligation in utero, and possibly are the results of reduced cellular nutrition. These results suggest that fetal ingestion provides the developing gastrointestinal tract with an important stimulus for normal growth.
The asymptotic existence of group divisible designs of large order with index one

This paper gives the answer to a question of R.M. Wilson regarding the existence of group divisible designs of large order. Let k and u be positive integers such that 2==m"0 satisfying the necessary arithmetic conditions1.m(u-1)=0mod(k-1), 2.m^2u(u-1)=0modk(k-1). This paper also presents a large-index asymptotic existence theorem for group divisible t-designs with a fixed number of groups, fixed group size and fixed block size.
Scale to Measure Attitudes Toward Information Technology

The current post-secondary graduation rates in computing disciplines suggest American universities are only training enough students to fill one third of the projected 1.4 million technology and computing jobs available National Center for Women and Information Technology, 2011. Pursuit of information technology IT majors depends, to a great extent, on students' attitudes toward these majors. This study developed an Attitude toward IT Scale with a gender subtext to measure college students' attitudes toward IT. The norm group consisted of mostly freshmen enrolled in summer and fall 2011 N = 363, at a large four-year public university in Illinois. Reliability and validity of the 30-item Scale were examined by using Cronbach's alpha and a principal components factor analysis with orthogonal rotation using varimax with Kaiser normalization; the rotation converged in seven iterations. Results of data analyses showed that overall reliability is high 0.85, and factor analyses revealed five orthogonal factors with high coefficient alphas. This Scale may be used by educators at the senior high school and college levels to evaluate the effectiveness of different teaching/learning strategies in promoting positive student attitudes toward IT, and in improving learning among students. The Scale is unique in that it includes attitudes toward gender equality of opportunity in IT.