cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Processing of native and exotic leaf litter in two Idaho (U.S.A.) streams

The Russian olive tree (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.) was brought to the western United States from Eurasia during the early to mid-1900s, and has since become a common member of many riparian communities in Idaho. We compared leaf chemistry and in-stream processing of Russian olive leaves (exotic) and various species of native leaves in one hardwater and one relatively softwater Idaho stream. Measurements using air-dried leaves showed that Russian olive contained the greatest concentration of nitrogen, approximately 1.6% of the dry mass, whereas the native species each contained less than 1.0% nitrogen. The C/N ratio of Russian olive was <30, whereas the natives each had C/N ratios greater than 40. Results from the hardwater stream indicated no difference in 30-day loss of AFDM between Russian olive and the native leaves (dogwood and aspen). In the relatively softwater stream, the Russian olive leaves were processed significantly slower than the native leaf species (cottonwood). The results indicate that a replacement of native riparian trees by exotics, such as Russian olive, may result in slower rates of leaf processing in Idaho streams but that the effect may vary among streams. When comparing the processing of native and exotic leaf litter, initial nitrogen concentrations and initial C/N ratios of the leaves did not appear to be accurate indicators of relative decay rates.
Laboratory evolution of peroxide-mediated cytochrome P450 hydroxylation.

Enzyme-based chemical transformations typically proceed with high selectivity under mild conditions, and are becoming increasingly important in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) constitute a large family of enzymes of particular interest in this regard. Their biological functions, such as detoxification of xenobiotics and steroidogenesis, are based on the ability to catalyse the insertion of oxygen into a wide variety of compounds. Such a catalytic transformation might find technological applications in areas ranging from gene therapy and environmental remediation to the selective synthesis of pharmaceuticals and chemicals. But relatively low turnover rates (particularly towards non-natural substrates), low stability and the need for electron-donating cofactors prohibit the practical use of P450s as isolated enzymes. Here we report the directed evolution of the P450 from Pseudomonas putida to create mutants that hydroxylate naphthalene in the absence of cofactors through the ‘peroxide shunt’ pathway with more than 20-fold higher activity than the native enzyme. We are able to screen efficiently for improved mutants by coexpressing them with horseradish peroxidase, which converts the products of the P450 reaction into fluorescent compounds amenable to digital imaging screening. This system should allow us to select and develop mono- and di-oxygenases into practically useful biocatalysts for the hydroxylation of a wide range of aromatic compounds.
Oral contraceptives and libido in women.

Abstract Oral contraceptives (OCs) provide safe, effective, and reversible contraception and are widely used by women for fertility control. Little is known about the effects of OCs on sexual functioning. This paper critically examines the published literature addressing the impact of OCs on sexual desire or libido. We reviewed 30 original research studies. In the retrospective, uncontrolled studies (n = 17), it was found that most women reported an increase in libido during OC use. In the uncontrolled, prospective studies (n = 4), it was found that most women reported little change in libido during OC use. In the prospective and cross-sectional controlled studies (n = 4), women using OCs reported both increased and decreased libido compared to non-OC users. The findings from randomized, placebo-controlled studies (n = 5) were mixed: In the most recent and well-conducted trial, a decrease in libido in OC users compared to placebo users was found. Overall, women experience positive effects, negative effect...
Structural Transitions of Membrane-Bound Chiral Biopolymers

In vivo, structural biopolymers such as MreB, FtsZ and eukaryotic homologs such as F-actin can exist in a membrane bound state where they assist in and regulate many important cellular functions including cell division and cell wall growth and maintenance. Here we show that the interplay between the chirality of a filament, its elasticity and membrane interactions can have non-trivial consequences for the conformations that it can adopt, thus directly affecting its functional role. We study a continuum model that describes a filament that is bound to an attractive cylindrical (rigid) membrane which extends our analysis for filaments bound to flat substrates (ref-2012). In the model we explicitly treat the natural preferred twist that is inherent in most biopolymers due to monomer stacking and assume that binding domains along the filament follow this natural twist forming a "sticky" attractive helix. We also introduce two elastic parameters allowing for the mechanical compliance of the filament, where filament bending along the surface of cylinder is modeled as a Worm-Like Chain (WLC) that couples to the curvature of the cylinder, and elastic twist deformation along the axis of the filament. We find, for certain parameter regimes, there exists a transition from an absorbed straight filament to a mechanically stable conformation where a helix is preferred. We also find there are periodic surface bound discommensurate stable solutions for both of the bending and twist degrees of freedom, where filament conformations are described by the well studied Frenkel-Kontorova dynamics for absorbed atomic lattices. Our results provide insight into the relation between a filament's molecular properties and its macroscopic conformation in a functional context.
Changing implicit attitudes toward smoking: results from a web-based approach-avoidance practice intervention

Implicit attitudes have been shown to predict smoking behaviors. Therefore, an important goal is the development of interventions to change these attitudes. This study assessed the effects of a web-based intervention on implicit attitudes toward smoking and receptivity to smoking-related information. Smokers (N = 284) were recruited to a two-session web-based study. In the first session, baseline data were collected. Session two contained the intervention, which consisted of assignment to the experimental or control version of an approach-avoidance task and assignment to an anti-smoking or control public service announcement (PSA), and post-intervention measures. Among smokers with less education and with plans to quit, implicit attitudes were more negative for those who completed the approach-avoidance task. Smokers with more education who viewed the anti-smoking PSA and completed the approach-avoidance task spent more time reading smoking-related information. An approach-avoidance task is a potentially feasible strategy for changing implicit attitudes toward smoking and increasing receptivity to smoking-related information.
The absorption, distribution, excretion, and toxicity of trifluoroamine oxide

Abstract Acute inhalation and intraperitoneal toxicities of trifluoroamine oxide (AMOX) were determined in rats and mice. The LC50's after exposing male rats or mice for 4 hours (deaths within 7 days) were 24.2 ppm and 17.5 ppm, respectively. The LC50's after exposing male rats for 60, 30, or 15 minutes were between 87 and 104 ppm, 119 and 149 ppm, or 202 and 240 ppm, respectively. The intraperitoneal LD50's for male rats or mice (deaths within 7 days) were 51.6 mg/kg and 32.1 mg/kg, respectively. After intraperitoneal injection, females were more susceptible to the lethal effects of AMOX than the males. AMOX produced strong irritations resulting in pulmonary edema and hemorrhage after inhalation, and local denatured changes and accumulation of clear exudate after intraperitoneal injection. AMOX was quickly absorbed after intraperitoneal injection to rats. Fluoride increased quickly in the blood and concentrated in various tissues, especially in the thyroid, bone, and teeth. Most of the fluoride was excreted in the urine, and a considerable amount was recovered also in the feces.
Long-term verification of cover systems using perfluorocarbon tracers

The expanded use of caps and cover systems is an important aspect of the U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Management’s strategy for restoration and long-term stewardship of sites throughout the complex. However, very little is available in terms of long-term monitoring of covers other than downstream groundwater or surface water monitoring. A novel methodology for verifying and monitoring subsurface barriers and cover systems has been developed. Gaseous perfluorocarbon tracers (PFTs) are injected on one side of the barrier and searched for on the opposite side of the barrier. The capability for leak detection in subsurface barriers using PFTs has been proven at multiple demonstrations. Adaptation of this concept to covers is a necessary step prior to full-scale demonstration. This paper discusses the PFT technology and a successful proof-of-principle test of the PFT technology as a leak detection tool for cover verification and monitoring.
A CHI story: past, present, and the next chapters

I became part of the CHI community in 1985, when I signed up to be the first AV Chair for the CHI conference. For the CHI 2014 conference I'm still the AV Chair (we call it "technology liaison" now). Along the way, I've co-chaired a CHI conference, served on the SIGCHI Conference Management Committee for many years, and I'm now the Vice President for Conferences for SIGCHI. What is it about CHI that would induce a bioinformatician and hard-core hacker to become passionate about HCI and devote a significant amount of time and energy to support the field of HCI through service to the CHI conference? In this brief talk, we'll look at the CHI conference through the eyes of a volunteer who has spent time in the lowest levels of conference operations, chaired the conference, and now is responsible for overseeing all of the SIGCHI conferences. I'll try to address some or all of the following questions: Where did we come from? What is CHI trying to achieve and have we been successful? If we have been successful, what are the key ingredients to that success? Where are going and how are we going to get there without losing what we currently have? And finally, why should you care? Oh, and along the way, it will probably become clear why I care?
ELECTRONIC DEPENDENCE OF C-O REDUCTIVE ELIMINATION FROM PALLADIUM (ARYL)NEOPENTOXIDE COMPLEXES

Thermal decomposition of the palladium (aryl)neopentoxide complexes [P−P]Pd(Ar)OCH2CMe3 [P−P = Tol-BINAP or BINAP; Ar = p-C6H4CHO (1b), p-C6H4COPh (1c), p-C6H4NO2 (1d), o-C6H4NO2 (1e), o-C6H4CN (1f...
Scalable Generation of Strictly Monodisperse Droplets by Transverse Electrohydrodynamic Excitations

We report a scalable approach to generate strictly monodisperse microdroplets by introducing transverse periodic perturbations on microliquid jets. The fringe field of a thin capacitor, driven by sinusoidal signals, induces periodic electrohydrodynamic (EHD) stress and “chops” the liquid jet at precise and adjustable intervals. When the driving signal is near the 50% of the Rayleigh frequency, liquid jets exhibit highly ordered breakup. We have shown that for the same jet diameter, the monodispersed droplet diameter can be changed by a factor of 1.75, corresponding to more than five times in change of droplet volume. Further, we demonstrate the scale-up of this approach by chopping multiple jets using a single set of EHD exciters. Copyright 2013 American Association for Aerosol Research
Are Special Treatments Needed for Special Populations

ABSTRACT Although the efficacy of evidence-based treatments (EBTs) cannot be assumed to generalize beyond the populations in which they have been tested, EBTs nevertheless represent a good starting point in developing services for understudied groups. With a few exceptions, responses to treatment in general and to specific treatments have not been substantially different for men and women, or for various ethnic-cultural groups. Issues of differential access to care need to be addressed, and these differences are masked in clinical trials of EBTs. Five types of research are outlined that could advance knowledge of optimal approaches for treating understudied populations.
Solution speciation, kinetics, and observing reaction intermediates in the alkylation of oxidovanadium compounds.

Contact with environmental alkylating agents brings about modification of DNA bases, mispairing, mutations, and cancer. Nucleophilic compounds may be able to consume these toxins, thereby providing an alternative reaction pathway and preventing DNA damage. Owing to promising results from animal trials, oxidovanadium compounds present a potential class of nucleophilic complexes for preventing cancer. We are studying the reactivity of alkylating toxins with oxidovanadium-ligand compounds. The complexes K[VO2(salhyph(R)2)], where salhyph is the salicylidenehydrazide ligand, are the focus of this study. By changing the electron donating or withdrawing ability of the -R substituents upon the salhyph(R)2 ligand (R = -NO2, -H, -CH3, -OCH3), a family of compounds is obtained to investigate. Conductivity measurements reveal significant ion-pairing of all compounds in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solutions. Kinetic analysis shows that this ion-pairing causes a reduction in reaction rates. Reactivity of K[VO2(salhyph(R...
Autonomous analysis of interactive systems with self-propelled instrumentation

ABSTRACT Finding the causes of intermittent bugs and performance problems in modern systems is a challenging task.Conventional prolers focus on improving aggregate performance metrics in an application and disregard manyproblems that are highly visible to users but are deemed statistically insignicant. Finding intermittent bugsis also hardbreakpoint debuggers change the timing of events, often masking the problem. To address theselimitations, we propose a novel approach called self-propelled instrumentation using an autonomous agent toperform self-directed exploration of the system. We inject the agent into a running application, and the agentstarts propagating through the code, carried by the applications ow of control. As it propagates, it insertsinstrumentation dynamically to collect and analyze detailed execution information. The key feature of this ap-proach lies in its ability to meet three requirements: high level of detail, low overhead, and autonomy (here, littlereliance on human help). Existing techniques for tracing and proling violate at least one of the requirements.As a proof of concept, we implemented a tool called spTracer that uses self-propelled instrumentation to obtainfunction-level traces from applications and the kernel. The tool enabled us to locate and x three problems inunfamiliar code in the Linux environment.Keywords: tracing, performance analysis, dynamic instrumentation
Red-Pill Robots Only, Please

Blue-pill robots are engineered to deceive (perhaps in an attempt to secure desirable ends). Red-pill robots, on the other hand, are built to do no violence to truth. While “taking the blue pill” is an option some select, this path, in the context of present and future robotics, is an exceedingly bad one by our lights, and we herein defend this position by attempting to show that the production of blue-pill robots via engineering as we know it should be avoided.
Bilateral non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy associated with pegylated interferon for chronic hepatitis C.

Bilateral non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy associated with pegylated interferon for chronic hepatitis C
Effects of Yielding and Size Upon Fracture of Plates and Pressure Cylinders

The investigation on the yielding at crack tips, its implication on fracture, size effect and its relation to the Griffith criterion of fracture and to the failure of pressure cylinders, and finally the correlation of fracture of plates with that of cylinders are presented herein.
Pricing, Profits, and Technological Progress in the Pharmaceutical Industry

The decades-old debate over pharmaceutical industry prices, profits, and innovation has again intensified. A number of events coalesced to refocus public interest on pharmaceuticals. Contributing to public concern were Bureau of Labor Statistics price index increases for pharmaceuticals far outpacing those for the products of other industries. Another prominent characteristic of the pharmaceutical industry has been its extraordinarily high reported profitability. This article examines the phenomena that precipitated the current pharmaceuticals debate, their historical antecedents, and the principal questions at issue. In the author's considered judgment, a pell-mell march toward regulation of pharmaceutical industry pricing could seriously impair the industry's incentives for investment in new products.
Quantitative Genetics of Response to Novelty and Other Stimuli by Infant Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta) Across Three Behavioral Assessments

Primate behavior is influenced by both heritable factors and environmental experience during development. Previous studies of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) examined the effects of genetic variation on expressed behavior and related neurobiological traits (heritability and/or genetic association) using a variety of study designs. Most of these prior studies examined genetic effects on the behavior of adults or adolescent rhesus macaques, not in young macaques early in development. To assess environmental and additive genetic variation in behavioral reactivity and response to novelty among infants, we investigated a range of behavioral traits in a large number (N = 428) of pedigreed infants born and housed in large outdoor corrals at the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC). We recorded the behavior of each subject during a series of brief tests, involving exposure of each infant to a novel environment, to a social threat without the mother present, and to a novel environment with its mother present but sedated. We found significant heritability (h2) for willingness to move away from the mother and explore a novel environment (h2 = 0.25 ± 0.13; P = 0.003). The infants also exhibited a range of heritable behavioral reactions to separation stress or to threat when the mother was not present (h2 = 0.23 ± 0.13–0.24 ± 0.15, P < 0.01). We observed no evidence of maternal environmental effects on these traits. Our results extend knowledge of genetic influences on temperament and reactivity in nonhuman primates by demonstrating that several measures of behavioral reactivity among infant rhesus macaques are heritable.
Algorithm 751: TRIPACK: a constrained two-dimensional Delaunay triangulation package

TRIPACK is a Fortran 77 software package that employs an incremental algorithm to construct a constrained Delaunay traingulation of a set of points in the plane (nodes). The triangulation covers the convex hull of the nodes but may include polygonal constraint regions whose triangles are distinguishable from those in the remainder of the triangulation. This effectively allows for a nonconvex or multiply connected triangulation (the complement of the union of constraint regions) while retaining the efficiency of searching and updating a convex triangulation. The package provides a wide range of capabilities including an efficient means of updating the triangulation with nodal additions or deletions. For N nodes, the storage requirement is 13N integer storage locations in addition to the 2N nodal coordinates.
Quantitative Determination of Pea Losses as Affected by Conventional Water Blanching

A pilot scale study was conducted to measure soluble solid losses of early June, mini and medium sweet peas commercially blanched at 95 ± 1°C for 3 min using a 25 lb (11.34 kg) sample size. Early June peas had smaller losses than mini and medium sweet peas. Dry matter losses were the greatest for the smallest sizes in each variety. Moisture content did not change significantly during blanching but increased after canning. Alcohol Insoluble Solids increased for all sizes in each cultivar after blanching. Recovery of small size peas may be maximized by bypassing blanching and gravity separation.
Heat shock response enhances acid tolerance of Escherichia coli O157:H7

Escherichia coli O157 : H7 (O157) has unusual acid tolerance. The influence of heat shock on acid tolerance of O157 was studied. Seven strains of O157 and E. coli K-12 were tested for their ability to survive in minimum glucose medium (pH 2·5) at 37 °C. The survival of heat-shocked (10 min at 48 °C) cells was about 10–100 times greater compared with untreated cells depending on the strain. No significant difference (P > 0·05) for O157 strain 932 was observed between heat shock-induced and acid adaptation-induced (pH 5·0) acid tolerance. Chloramphenicol prevented heat shock-induced acid tolerance, indicating the requirement of newly synthesized protein(s). Two outer membrane proteins (OMP) (22 and 15 kDa) were synthesized within 10 min of heat shock and were expressed for at least 6 h by cells held at 37 °C. N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis suggested that the 22 kDa OMP is a component of an alkyl hydroperoxide reductase. This protein contains a redox active disulphide, which is probably involved in H+ transport. Results indicate that sublethal heat treatment of O157 cells substantially increases their tolerance to acidic conditions. This could have practical implications for foods that receive a mild heat treatment and rely on acid as a preservative.
Investigating barriers to electronic medical record use during collaborative information seeking activities

Collaborative information seeking (CIS) is an intrinsic part of medical work. Patient care teams increasingly rely upon various systems, such as Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), to support collaborative information seeking across hierarchical, functional and occupational boundaries of the organization in order to enhance the quality of medical care. However, despite their proven benefits, there still are several challenges to using EMRs for CIS, in specific, and for collaborative work, in general. The objective of this research study, therefore, is to identify some of the barriers associated with using EMRs during CIS activities. We employed qualitative research methods to understand how individuals within patient care teams use EMRs during CIS and what challenges they confront in the process. We conducted this study in the Emergency Department of a 500-bed teaching hospital. We used non-participant observations and semi-structured interviews of patient care team members for collecting our data and for capturing the practices. Through our data analysis, we identified a set of barriers to using EMRs during CIS. These include a) clash of "technological frames", b) lack of collective affordances, c) fear of deviations and d) alert fatigues. From the findings of our study, we highlight implications for designing EMR systems that could augment and facilitate better CIS.
Welcome to Adipocyte.

When Ron Landes approached me last summer with the idea to launch a journal dedicated to adipose tissue research, it resonated immediately; I loved the idea. Thus, it is with great pleasure that we launch Adipocyte, the first international peer-reviewed multi-disciplinary journal to focus exclusively on research covering all aspects of adipose tissue physiology and pathology. In Adipocyte we recognize that the adipose tissue is the largest endocrine organ in the body, and we realize that a number of chronic diseases related to the ever increasing incidence of obesity worldwide including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and cancer are linked to dysfunctional adipose tissue. The exponential growth related to adipose tissue research over the past decade will only continue to increase; adipose tissue and adipocytes will continue to be a central focus to warrant a dedicated platform of scientific exchange for those studying the biology of adipose tissue, function and disease. We believe that the broad scope of Adipocyte will differentiate it from other publications in the field, giving Adipocyte the potential to be a very successful journal.
On certain global solutions of the cauchy problem for the (classical) coupled Klein-Gordon-Dirac equations in one and three space dimensions

If the data of the Dirac spinor field is suitably chosen, global solutions of the Klein-Gordon-Dirac Equations with Yukawa coupling are shown to exist for which the meson field remains free. In one space dimension, conditions are found under which the spinor field does not decay uniformly to zero, thus precluding a scattering theory in the H1 (IR1) norm. In three space dimensions, the existence of free Hn(103) (n≧0) asymptotic spinors is established and a scattering theory is developed.
MicroRNA expression in preimplantation mouse embryos from Ped gene positive compared to Ped gene negative mice.

Purpose The mouse preimplantation embryo development (Ped) gene product, Qa-2, influences the rate of preimplantation embryonic development and overall reproductive success. Here we investigated the expression pattern of two microRNAs, miR-125a and miR-125b, known to be involved in development in lower organisms, in preimplantation embryos from the two-cell, four-cell, eight-cell, morula, and blastocyst stages of development from the congenic B6.K1 (Ped negative) and B6.K2 (Ped positive) strains of mice.
Rap1 mediates galanin receptor 2-induced proliferation and survival in squamous cell carcinoma

Previously we showed that galanin, a neuropeptide, is secreted by human squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) in which it exhibits an autocrine mitogenic effect. We also showed that rap1, a ras-like signaling protein, is a critical mediator of SCCHN progression. Given the emerging importance of the galanin cascade in regulating proliferation and survival, we investigated the effect of GAL on SCCHN progression via induction of galanin receptor 2 (GALR2)-mediated rap1 activation. Studies were performed in multiple SCCHN cell lines by inducing endogenous GALR2, by stably overexpressing GALR2 and by downregulating endogenous GALR2 with siGALR2. Cell proliferation and survival, mediated by the ERK and AKT signaling cascades, respectively, were evaluated by functional and immunoblot analysis. The role of rap1 in GALR2-mediated proliferation and survival was evaluated by modulating expression. Finally, the effect of GALR2 on tumor growth was determined. GALR2 stimulated proliferation and survival via ERK and AKT activation, respectively. Knockdown or inactivation of rap1 inhibited GALR2-induced, AKT and ERK-mediated survival and proliferation. Overexpression of GALR2 promoted tumor growth in vivo. GALR2 promotes proliferation and survival in vitro, and promotes tumor growth in vivo, consistent with an oncogenic role for GALR2 in SCCHN.
Hydrothermal Synthesis, Structural Characterization, and Physical Properties of a New Mixed Valence Iron Phosphate, SrFe3(PO4)3

Abstract A new mixed valence Fe(II/III) phosphate, SrFe 3 (PO 4 ) 3 , has been synthesized hydrothermally and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, EDAX, magnetic susceptibility, Mossbauer, infrared and diffuse reflectance spectroscopies, DTA, and bond valence sum calculations. The compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group I mma (No. 74) with a =10.452(3), b =13.429(3), c =6.528(2) A, V =916.3(4) A 3 and Z =4 with R / R w =0.0207/0.0307. The structure consists of a complex low-dimensional framework constructed of FeO 6 octahedra and PO 4 tetrahedra that form 2D channels in which the strontium ions are located. The framework contains two simple building blocks: rigid columns of edge-sharing Fe 2 P 2 O 14 units and zigzag chains of alternating PO 4 –FeO 6 –PO 4 units, both of which run parallel to the b direction. This linkage forms intersecting channels which run parallel to the a and b axes. The divalent strontium cations reside within these channels and create openings in the ab plane with dimensions of 6.903(4) and 7.469(4) A, respectively. These openings can easily accommodate both small and large monovalent or divalent cations, as demonstrated by several cation exchange reactions. The Mossbauer spectral parameters are consistent with the structure and reveal the presence of mixed valent octahedral iron(II) and iron(III) sites in the expected two to one ratio. The quadrupole splittings observed for both iron sites are very large as is expected for the very asymmetric coordination environments found for each iron site.
Analytical results for design space exploration of multi-core processors employing thread migration

Migrating threads away from the hot cores in a multicore processor allows them to operate at up to higher speeds. While this technique has already attracted a lot of research effort, the majority of thread migration studies are simulation-based. Although they are valuable for micro-architectural level optimization, they require prohibitively long simulation times, and hence have limited value for early design space exploration. We derive closed form expressions for the steady-state throughput of a multicore processor that employs thread migration and throttling for thermal management. These expressions can be evaluated under a millisecond (vs days for cycle-accurate simulation), and allow designers greater flexibility in evaluating the trade-offs involved in implementing thread migration on-chip. We also developed a system-level power/thermal simulator that we used to validate the analytical results.
Tensile-strain effects in quantum-well and superlattice band structures

The effects of tensile strain on the energy-band structures of semiconductor quantum wells and superlattices (SL's) are studied theoretically, with emphasis on structures with unique valence-subband configurations achievable only through the use of tensile strain. Quantum wells are treated using finite-element envelope-function calculations which fully treat interactions between the light-hole, heavy-hole, and split-off valence bands, whereas strained SL's are modeled using a superlattice K\ensuremath{\cdot}p approach modified to treat strain effects. The two models are described in detail, tested for appropriate cases where both models should be applicable, and applied to prototype structures based on the III-V ${\mathrm{GaAs}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{P}}_{\mathit{x}}$/${\mathrm{Al}}_{\mathit{y}}$${\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{y}}$As and ${\mathrm{In}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$As/InP heterostructure systems. Single quantum wells are considered first. Transition energies are calculated and conveniently plotted as functions of composition (or strain) and layer thickness for both systems, and valence-subband band structures and k-dependent optical matrix elements are examined in detail for both systems in regimes where crossing of the uppermost light- and heavy-hole bands is induced by composition or well-width changes. Superlattices in both material systems are then considered, with emphasis on structures in which crossing of the uppermost valence subbands is induced by variation of barrier width. Band structures and optical matrix elements are calculated for wave vectors along directions parallel and perpendicular to the layer planes both in free-standing ${\mathrm{GaAs}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{P}}_{\mathit{x}}$/${\mathrm{Al}}_{\mathit{y}}$${\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{y}}$As SL's with strain shared between the well and barrier layers and ${\mathrm{In}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$As/InP SL's strained to lattice match to InP substrates. Finally, general features of band structures and optical matrix elements in tensile-strained structures inferred from these studies are summarized. Implications for tensile-strained quantum-well lasers are discussed briefly.
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope: A homogeneous telescope network

Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope is a research organisation in the process of designing and building a network of robotic telescopes to be used for research in time-domain astrophysics and education. The network will have complete latitude coverage in both hemispheres to allow continuous observations of any target. In other words, we will keep you in the dark. We describe the current status of our facilities and our vision for the full network. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Benthic Community Metabolism in Two Northern Mississippi Streams

ABSTRACT Seasonal estimates of metabolism were determined with closed, replicate, 12-liter recirculating chambers on an artificially constructed gravel bar in a seventh order stream, the Tombigbee River, and on a natural riffle in a fourth order stream, the Buttahatchie River. In the Tombigbee and Buttahatchie rivers, the respective ranges for metabolism parameters were as follows (in g 02m−2 d−1): gross community primary productivity, 0.39 to 2.97 and 0.06 to 0.44; net community primary productivity, −0.72 to 2.38 and −0.50 to 0.11; community respiration, 0.60 to 6.00 and 0.24 to 1.04; net daily metabolism, −3.22 to 1.61 and −0.90 to −0.01; and ratios of gross community primary productivity to 24 hour community respiration (P/R), 0.38 to 2.01 and 0.09 to 0.98. Stepwise multiple linear regression indicated that most of the variation in metabolism parameters was explained by temperature, detritus, substrate-level light, and total Kjeldahl nitrogen in the Buttahatchie River, and by turbidity, temperature, c...
Effect of polyadenylic acid on the functional half-life of encephalomyocarditis virus RNA during translation

Abstract The translation of poly(A)-rich and poly(A)-poor populations of Encephalomyocarditis viral RNA was studied in Ehrlich ascites cell-free extracts. The poly(A)-rich viral RNA was translated 2–3 times more efficiently than the poly(A)-poor RNA. Both viral RNA populations were found to be similar with respect to susceptibility to nuclease attack as well as their ability to initiate and carry out protein synthesis early in the translation reaction. Later in the reaction, however, translation of the poly(A)-poor RNA was markedly reduced whereas translation of the poly(A)-rich RNA continued. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that poly(A) plays a role in the re-utilization and longevity of mRNA.
Natural Selection Along an Environmental Gradient: A Classic Cline in Mouse Pigmentation

We revisited a classic study of morphological variation in the oldfield mouse (Peromyscus polionotus) to estimate the strength of selection acting on pigmentation patterns and to identify the underlying genes. We measured 215 specimens collected by Francis Sumner in the 1920s from eight populations across a 155-km, environmentally variable transect from the white sands of Florida's Gulf coast to the dark, loamy soil of southeastern Alabama. Like Sumner, we found significant variation among populations: mice inhabiting coastal sand dunes had larger feet, longer tails, and lighter pigmentation than inland populations. Most striking, all seven pigmentation traits examined showed a sharp decrease in reflectance about 55 km from the coast, with most of the phenotypic change occurring over less than 10 km. The largest change in soil reflectance occurred just south of this break in pigmentation. Geographic analysis of microsatellite markers shows little interpopulation differentiation, so the abrupt change in pigmentation is not associated with recent secondary contact or reduced gene flow between adjacent populations. Using these genetic data, we estimated that the strength of selection needed to maintain the observed distribution of pigment traits ranged from 0.0004 to 21%, depending on the trait and model used. We also examined changes in allele frequency of SNPs in two pigmentation genes, Mc1r and Agouti, and show that mutations in the cis-regulatory region of Agouti may contribute to this cline in pigmentation. The concordance between environmental variation and pigmentation in the face of high levels of interpopulation gene flow strongly implies that natural selection is maintaining a steep cline in pigmentation and the genes underlying it.
Transportation energy use in Monroe County (Rochester), New york

Monroe County's transportation sector energy use has been analyzed with a veiw toward examining possible energy conservation strategies. Primary emphasis has been placed on commuting energy use since commuting driving is a significant component of the transportation sector and is often amenable to either incentive-oriented or ordinance-mandated measures to change commuting patterns. It has been assumed that, if major transportation energy conservation is to be achieved, it will be in response to measures taken at the regional level. Options explored include an additional mass transit subsidy (from a local fuel tax); a vanpooling subsidy (also from a local fuel tax); charges for employee parking in relation to the cost for that parking; employer-provided benefits for any mode of commuter travel (not just parking); and traffic signal optimization. Fuel savings might be as little as 1% or in excess of 20% of the present commuting fuel consumption. These fuel savings would translate into $12–18 × 106 per year, which would remain in the County. If any programs are undertaken, they must have the support of all segments within the County or there might be significant changes in existing development patterns which would increase the transportation fuel demand.
Organochlorine pesticide concentrations and enantiomer fractions for chlordane in indoor air from the US cornbelt

Thirty-seven indoor air samples were collected and analyzed to determine if enantioselective degradation of past-use organochlorine pesticides, occurs indoors and to increase the available information on concentrations in homes. Samples were collected from homes in the US cornbelt region and analyzed for the concentrations of 11 pesticides and the enantiomer signature of chlordanes. Residues were found for all pesticides analyzed in at least several of the samples, with chlordane dominating in most samples. Racemic residues were seen for the chlordane enantiomers in all samples. Since levels of organochlorine pesticides in urban areas are often an order of magnitude above ambient levels, emissions from house foundations may be a source of these compounds to ambient air. Past research has shown that selective enantiomeric degradation occurs in many environmental samples resulting in non-racemic residues. Knowledge of the enantiomer signatures of chlordane and other pesticides in different media may be useful for distinguishing sources of chlordane to ambient air.
Dephosphorylation and reactivation of phosphorylated pyruvate kinase by a cytosolic phosphoprotein phosphatase from human erythrocytes.

Abstract A cytosolic phosphoprotein phosphatase activity which is capable of removing the phosphate group from phosphorylated human erythrocyte pyruvate kinase has been found in the red blood cell. Removal of the phosphate group results in the reactivation of the pyruvate kinase. The phosphatase is not markedly sensitive to fluoride or chelating agents; it is inhibited by ligands containing phosphate groups. Adenosine diphosphate was found to be the most effective inhibitor. Gel filtration of the preparation suggests that there is more than one form of phosphatase present
Multivariate Statistical Identification of Human Bladder Carcinomas Using Ambient Ionization Imaging Mass Spectrometry

Diagnosis of human bladder cancer in untreated tissue sections is achieved by using imaging data from desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) combined with multivariate statistical analysis. We use the distinctive DESI-MS glycerophospholipid (GP) mass spectral profiles to visually characterize and formally classify twenty pairs (40 tissue samples) of human cancerous and adjacent normal bladder tissue samples. The individual ion images derived from the acquired profiles correlate with standard histological hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained serial sections. The profiles allow us to classify the disease status of the tissue samples with high accuracy as judged by reference histological data. To achieve this, the data from the twenty pairs were divided into a training set and a validation set. Spectra from the tumor and normal regions of each of the tissue sections in the training set were used for orthogonal projection to latent structures (O-PLS) treated partial least-square discriminate analysis (PLS-DA). This predictive model was then validated by using the validation set and showed a 5% error rate for classification and a misclassification rate of 12%. It was also used to create synthetic images of the tissue sections showing pixel-by-pixel disease classification of the tissue and these data agreed well with the independent classification that uses histological data by a certified pathologist. This represents the first application of multivariate statistical methods for classification by ambient ionization although these methods have been applied previously to other MS imaging methods. The results are encouraging in terms of the development of a method that could be utilized in a clinical setting through visualization and diagnosis of intact tissue.
Unit responses in the caudate nucleus to cumulative doses of morphine in unanesthetized, phenobarbital-treated rats.

The effects of cumulative i.v. doses of morphine (1 to 30 mg/kg) on the spontaneous activity of single caudate nucleus neurons were evaluated in rats administered subsurgical doses of phenobarbital. At least 1 week prior to the experiment the animals were prepared with a chronic cranial implant which allowed subsequent restraint as well as the location and recording of neuronal activity with microelectrodes. The rats were pretreated with 40 or 140 mg/kg (i.p.) phenobarbital prior to each experiment. In both phenobarbital treatment groups, 50 to 61% of the neurons tested showed no specific morphine effect. The remainder of the neurons tested in each treatment group responded with morphine-specific increases or decreases in spontaneous activity. It is concluded that a lighter level of anesthesia permits a more dynamic range of caudate neuron responses to morphine.
Backscattering spectroscopic contrast with angle-resolved optical coherence tomography

Backscattering spectroscopic contrast using angle-resolved optical coherence tomography is demonstrated as a powerful method for determining scatterer diameter with subwavelength resolution. By applying spectroscopic digital processing algorithms to interferograms acquired in the frequency domain with a wavelength-swept laser centered at 1295 nm, it was shown that differences in wavelength-dependent backscattering from 0.3 and 1 μm diameter microspheres can be clearly resolved. The observed backscattering spectra were found to be consistent with Mie theory. High levels of speckle noise reduction achieved by angular compounding increased the spatial resolution at which backscattering spectra could be accurately differentiated.
Buoyancy reversal and cloud-top entrainment instability

In 1980, Randall suggested that cloud top entrainment instability, a runaway positive feedback between mixing, evaporative cooling and entrainment, may cause the transition from the subtropical stratocumulus layers, frequently observed over the cold water of the eastern oceans, to tradewind cumulus. Predicting how the mean position of this transition, and the associated large change in albedo, would vary with, and feed back on, a change in climate is important for any credible model of the climate system. We have used numerical and laboratory simulations, as well as field observations, to study entrainment in buoyancy-reversing systems. We consider a system in which an upper fluid stably overlies a second lower fluid; but some mixtures are less buoyant than either fluid. the laboratory results show that buoyancy reversal does not cause runaway ‘explosive entrainment’ unless D (the ratio of the density difference between the most cooled mixed parcel and the lower fluid to the density difference across the unmixed layers, a measure of CEI potential) exceeds 1.3, which is far greater than the range of D observed in stratocumulus. For D below this threshold, buoyancy reversal leads to weak circulations rather reminiscent of Rayleigh-Benard convection in the lower layer, but only slightly distorts the interface. For D > 1.3 an entrainment tongue of upper fluid penetrates a sizable fraction of the depth of the lower layer and entrainment is explosively rapid. Numerical experiments suggest that even when 0 < D < 1.3, entrainment can break up idealized subtropical marine stratocumulus within about an hour if radiation and surface fluxes are removed, but comparison of numerical simulations with the laboratory experiments suggests that the numerically simulated entrainment rate may be substantially too large in this regime owing to the inability to accurately produce and resolve the entraining eddies. Our observations of stratocumulus from FIRE typically had a strong stable layer above the cloud top inversions, leading to some ambiguity in defining D, but clearly show that stable stratocumulus layers often have 0 < D < 0.2. We suggest that sudden breakup of stratocumulus due to runaway entrainment is unlikely, but evaporatively enhanced entrainment may aid the transition from stratocumulus to tradewind cumulus in conjunction with some other mechanism, such as short-wave absorption by liquid water, that can help dynamically decouple the cloud layer from the surface layer.
Characterization and outcomes of renal leukocyte chemotactic factor 2-associated amyloidosis.

Amyloidosis derived from leukocyte chemotactic factor 2 (ALECT2) is a recently described disease. Here, we report the characteristics and outcome of 72 patients with renal ALECT2, which included 19 who had another kidney disease on biopsy. Ninety-two percent of patients were Hispanics and over half were elderly. Three had other organ, but not cardiac, amyloidosis involvement. All patients without concurrent disease, except three, presented with chronic renal insufficiency. Proteinuria was variable and absent in a third, whereas nephrotic syndrome and hematuria were rare. After a median follow-up of 26 months, one-third developed end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The median renal survival was 62 months. Independent predictors of renal survival were serum creatinine at diagnosis, with a value of 2.0mg/dl being the best cutoff for predicting ESRD, percentage global glomerulosclerosis, and presence of diabetes. Only four patients died and four had received chemotherapy for an erroneous diagnosis of immunoglobulin light chain-derived amyloidosis. Five patients underwent kidney transplantation; none had graft loss but one had disease recurrence. Patient survival is superior to renal immunoglobulin light chain-derived amyloidosis and reactive amyloidosis largely due to the absence of cardiac involvement. Thus, renal ALECT2 mainly affects elderly Hispanics who typically present with chronic renal insufficiency and bland urine sediment, with or without proteinuria.
Least-square curve and surface localization for shape conformance checking☆

Abstract Verification of shape conformance for free-form cures and surfaces is commonly achieved by minimizing the sum of square deviations between measured points and a nominal curve/surface, thereby solving an optimal parameter estimation (OPE) problem. Finding the optimal rigid body (ORB) transformation between the measured points and nominal surface, an important step in the OPE problem, traditionally has involved iteratively solving a nonlinear optimization problem in six variables. This paper demonstrates that the optimization problem in six variables may be reduced to solving four degree-two implicit equations in four variables, which can be regarded as an eigenvalue problem. This results in considerable savings in the number of computations. A thorough analysis of the savings in computations and several examples are presented.