cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of x-rays on frequency of mutations in hydrated wild-type tomato pollen

Abstract Wild-type tomato pollen was treated at 2 temperatures, subjected to 5 moisture treatments and 5 X-ray exposures. In addition, pollen treated as above was stored dry for 1 day before pollination. The major problem was to evaluate the effects of X-rays on the frequency of mutations in hydrated pollen. Here, response was measured using these 5 criteria: (1) seed set, (2) R 1 seed germination, (3) R 1 phenotypic changes, (4) R 1 pollen fertility and (5) R 2 mutations from R 1 plants. The data on seed set supported the hypothesis that: ( a ) Seed set was decreased with an increase in dose when pollen was treated at 25 °C. However, seed set was generally higher when pollen was treated at 0 °C. ( b ) Treated dry pollen set less seed than moist pollen. There were only slight differences in seed set due to moisture per se but hydrated pollen treated at 25°C for½ hr and at 0 °C for 3 hr gave the best seed set. In general, the LD 50 based on average seed set for dry and hydrated pollen was not the same for 25 and 0 °C. ( c ) Pollen stored in hydrated condition produced less seed than non-stored hydrated pollen. Dry pollen treatments were shown to reduce seed germination of the R 1 In general, the percent seed germination of the R 1 derived from treated dry pollen was lower than that from irradiated hydrated pollen. Pollen treated at 0 °C yielded R 1 seed that germinated better than R 1 seed derived from pollen treated at 25 °C. Among the recovered R 1 seedlings with phenotypic changes, morphological off-types occurred more frequently than chlorophyll and B types. A high percentage of these types, however, were not recovered in the R 2 generation. At 25 °C, treated dry pollen and treated moist pollen yielded the same total percentage of R 1 seedling off-types. On the other hand, differences in R 1 types were shown at 0 °C. That is, pollen treated dry yielded more off-types in the R 1 than pollen humidified for ½ hr at 0 °C. The phenotypically normal R 1 plants were classified for pollen fertility. The data from both 25 and 0 °C treatments indicated that pollen fertility of the R 1 plants decreased as a result of dry pollen irradiation. In addition, pollen fertility was shown to decrease with an increase in X-ray exposure at both 25 and 0 °C. Finally, the percentage of R 2 families that segregated for mutations was relatively high after dry pollen treatments at 25 °C. At 0 °C, there were little differences between dry and moist pollen treatments.
Acute morphine associated alterations in the subcellular location of the AMPA-GluR1 receptor subunit in dendrites of neurons in the mouse central nucleus of the amygdala: comparisons and contrasts with other glutamate receptor subunits.

Within the amygdala, AMPA receptors expressing the AMPA-GluR1 (GluR1) subunit play an important role in basal glutamate signaling as well as behaviors associated with exposure to drugs of abuse like opiates. Although the ultrastructural location of GluR1 is an important functional feature of this protein, the basal distribution of GluR1, as well as its sensitivity to acute morphine, has never been characterized in the mouse central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). Electron microscopic immunocytochemistry employing visually distinct gold and peroxidase markers was used to explore the distribution of GluR1 and its relationship with the mu-opioid receptor (μOR) in the mouse CeA under basal conditions and after morphine. We also looked at the effect of morphine on other glutamate receptor subunits, including AMPA-GluR2 (GluR2) and NMDA-NR1 (NR1). In opiate naive animals, GluR1 and μOR were present in diverse populations of neuronal profiles, but mainly in somatodendritic structures that expressed exclusive labeling for either antigen, as well as those co-expressing both proteins. Compared to saline treated animals, mice given morphine showed significant differences in the subcellular location of GluR1 in dendrites without co-expression of μOR. Although GluR2 also showed similar changes in non-μOR expressing dendrites, contrasting effects were seen in GluR2 and μOR co-expressing profiles. These results provide the ultrastructural basis for basal interactions involving the modulation of GluR1 or μOR activity in the mouse CeA. Further, they indicate that the subcellular distribution of GluR1 is modified by acute opiates in a manner that compares, as well as contrasts, with GluR2.
Errors in the Estimation of the Activation Energy and the Projected Shelf Life in Employing an Incorrect Kinetic Order in an Accelerated Stability Test

AbstractThe errors involved in the estimation of the activation energy of the drug degradation and the projected shelf life of a drug product when employing an incorrect kinetic order in the accelerated stability test were analyzed. The activation energy of a zero order degradation and the projected shelf life of a drug product are overestimated when the kinetic data are treated in first order fashion. The overestimation in the activation energy increases with the temperature range of the accelerated test and the instability of the drug. The over-estimation in the projected shelf life increases with the activation energy and increases as the normal
A decomposition theory for matroids VI: almost regular matroids

Abstract We introduce a new class of binary matroids called almost regular. Any such matroid is not regular, but for any element, at least one of the two minors produced by deletion and contraction of that element must be regular. Furthermore, certain labels are assigned to the elements, and these labels must obey several conditions. In this part we prove that the entire class of almost regular matroids is producible from just two matroids by repeated application of elementary operations, each of which is a series expansion, or a parallel addition, or a substitution of a triangle by a triad, or a substitution of a triad by a triangle. In Part VII it will be shown that this result leads to new and surprisingly simple constructions for several matrix classes, in particular for the class of minimal violation matrices of total unimodularity. Up to now, no complete construction other than enumeration has been known for any of these classes.
Loss of Corticomedullary Demarcation on Magnetic Resonance Imaging: An Index of Biopsy-Proven Acute Renal Transplant Dysfunction

A prospective study of 19 cadaveric renal allograft recipients with suspected graft rejection was undertaken to compare the histological findings of the renal transplant biopsy with the results of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All 19 patients underwent a biopsy of the transplant allograft. Biopsy results included acute cellular rejection, acute vascular rejection, chronic vascular rejection (CVR), and acute tubular necrosis (ATN). Recipients of cadaveric renal allografts with normal function served as controls. The control showed distinct corticomedullary demarcation (CMD) on T1-weighted imaging. In contrast, CMD was absent or diminished in all the patients with suspected allograft rejection. Unfortunately, the loss of CMD did not correlate with a specific biopsy diagnosis. Patients with biopsy evidence of acute and chronic rejection or ATN demonstrated loss of CMD with similar image patterns. In conclusion, MRI is capable of detecting renal allograft dysfunction, but does not permit the determination of a specific cause.
The Value of Three-Dimensional Echocardiography Derived Mitral Valve Parametric Maps and the Role of Experience in the Diagnosis of Pathology

Background Accurate segmental mitral valve (MV) analysis is essential for surgical planning. Although real-time three-dimensional (3D) transesophageal echocardiography has improved the ability to visualize the MV, accurate localization of MV pathology from 3D transesophageal echocardiographic images still remains experience dependent. Three-dimensional parametric maps of the MV obtained from these images further simplify the visualization of MV anatomy. The aims of this study were to examine whether 3D parametric maps of the MV could improve the diagnostic accuracy in localizing pathology and to determine their usefulness for readers with different levels of training. Methods Five novice (American Society of Echocardiography [ASE] level 2), three intermediate-level (ASE level 3; 500 MV cases) readers interpreted MV segmental anatomy in 50 patients (30 with degenerative MV disease, 20 with normal MVs). All readers reviewed two-dimensional and 3D transesophageal echocardiographic and 3D parametric maps at sequential weekly sessions. The results were compared with surgical findings. Results Expert readers were the most accurate irrespective of image type. Novice readers were the least accurate and commonly misinterpreted P2 and P3 scallops. Their accuracy was highest when interpreting 3D parametric maps (from 87% with two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography to 92%). Intermediate readers' accuracy fell between the other two groups irrespective of image type and showed no change with the use of parametric maps. Conclusions This is the first study to show that the interpretation of 3D parametric maps improves the accuracy of localization of MV pathology by novice readers. Therefore, parametric maps should be used routinely by less experienced readers during the assessment of degenerative MV disease.
Dark-target retroreflection increase

Retroreflection is a property of a surface such that incident radiation is reflected directly back in the incident direction. Most bright diffusely reflecting surfaces have a retroreflectance strength up to twice that of off normal viewing; this is true for low coherence as well as laser illumination. The effect is known to occur for the lunar surface. However, for dark surfaces, the retroreflectance can be of an order of magnitude greater than off normal. The cause of retroreflectance is related to the scattering properties of a surface. For bright diffuse surfaces, and reduce the polarization of the surface. At large incident angles multiple scattering is less which results in a high polarization. The phenomenon is of great importance for laser target designator and missile guidance, particularly for low reflectance targets, thereby increasing their vulnerability. Thus it is a fallacy to paint or coat targets black to reduce their vulnerability to polarized laser radiation. Recent experiments on the retroreflectance of various surfaces show polarization, wavelength, and surface structure dependence. Also implicit in the causes of the phenomenon is the optical complex index of refraction of the surface material constituents. Data will be presented on the retroreflectance properties of surfaces, and the relation to the polarization of the incident radiation.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Soviets looking beyond Phobos

A senior Soviet space scientist revealed details of the U.S.S.R.'s ambitious Mars program at a conference last week, shedding light on that country's 20-year plan to send a manned mission to the planet. Vasilij Moroz of the Soviet Space Research Institute in Moscow spoke August 4 at the International Astronomical Union meeting in Baltimore about the two-spacecraft Phobos mission, now en route to Mars' larger moon after separate launches on July 7 and 12. He also provided new details about a revamped Soviet strategy for unmanned exploration of Mars. A 1992 mission has been scrapped in favor of a large, complex 1994 mission involving rovers, probes, and satellites the Soviets plan to launch on a single rocket. Moroz also gave his own views about priorities in the Soviet space program.
Expert systems and economic policy analysis: an application to OCS auction leasing

In this paper we argue that expert systems can be powerful tools for modelling microeconomic systems, including both individual decision making and the coordination of individual agents in a resource allocation mechanism. Using the fact that expert systems are essentially computerized versions of decision processes, we illustrate how they can be viewed as generalized process models of decision-making. We argue that the expert system approach is beneficial because it allows a policy analyst to explore the implication of policy alternatives without having to incur the generally prohibitive cost of field implementation studies. Further, enables the incorporation and updating of decision strategies and qualitative information, which human experts typically use but which is not amenable to pure mathematical modelling.
A Psychosocial Look at the Jewish Dilemma

Personally Speaking provides a forum for readers to describe important issues or events in their lives and the role, if any, counseling has played. Guidelines for submitting manuscripts may be obtained from Stephen G. Weinrach, 303 Falvey Hall, Villanova University, Villanova, PA 19085–1699.
Brain stimulation and reward: "pleasure centers" after twenty-five years.

"Self-stimulation" is a phenomenon whereby an animal (including a human being) will repeatedly stimulate its brain electrically, sometimes to the point of exhaustion. This phenomenon is robust and readily reproducible in many areas of the brain, particularly in nuclei and fiber tracts known to be monoaminergic, and it has been the basis for the study of reinforcement and learning mechanisms in the brain. The last 25 years of work on intracranial self-stimulation is reviewed with an emphasis on mechanisms, primarily catecholaminergic. Implications for learning and pain mechanisms are discussed.
PLEIOTROPIC MUTATIONS IN THE D-SERINE DEAMINASE SYSTEM OF ESCHERICHIA COLI.

D -serine deaminase is an inducible enzyme in most strains of Escherichia coli, and is quite resistant to catabolite repression. Two one-step mutants that show multiple alterations in the functioning of this system have been isolated from E. coli K12. The mutations both evoke low constitutivity, eatabolite sensitivity and heat sensitivity of D -serine deaminase synthesis. The heat sensitivity is unusual, in that maximum constitutive enzyme formation occurs at 30°C in one of the mutants and at 35°C in the other; it falls off rapidly on either side of the optimum temperature in both strains. In one of the mutants inducibility has been lost; in the other mutant the inducer evokes enzyme synthesis at the same rate as in a fully constitutive strain, at any temperature, and effectively reverses the eatabolite sensitivity. It is concluded that these two mutations have affected the functioning of the site of action of both induction and eatabolite repression.
The relationship between Plodia interpunctella (Hb.) (Lepidoptera, Phycitidae) and stored-grain fungi

Abstract The development of Plodia interpunctella, in shelled corn (maize) discouraged the growth of stored grain fungi, and slightly raised the moisture content of the infested corn. Mouldy corn, on the other hand, hindered the development of this insect. Fewer larvae reached the adult stage on mouldy corn and only after a prolonged developmental period; the adults produced were smaller in size and produced fewer eggs in their ovaries than those on mould-free corn. The more mouldy the corn the more it became unfavourable for the insect but this depended in part on the fungus species present. The relationship between this insect and the majority of stored grain fungi appeared to be antagonistic. An exceptional relationship was found with Aspergillus halophilicus, in plated cultures, which attracted the adult insect to lay its eggs and on this fungus larvae developed almost as normally as on mould-free corn.
Scattering by cavity-backed antennas on a circular cylinder using the FE-BI method

Conformal antennas are typically mounted on surfaces which possess some curvature. However, no rigorous design analysis techniques are available for printed antennas on curved surfaces. Hence, most often planar designs are used and thus the curvature is not considered until expensive prototypes are built. The authors present a rigorous finite element-boundary integral (FE-BI) formulation for the analysis of wraparound and cylindrical-rectangular cavity-backed patch arrays on a cylindrical surface. Two consequences of mounting conformal antennas on curved surfaces as opposed to planar surfaces is the effect of curvature and cavity size on the radar cross section (RCS) of the system. The effect of curvature is shown to be polarization dependent due to curvature induced shadowing. In planar arrays, the size of the surrounding cavity affects the overall strength of the scattered field but not its underlying shape. However, for wraparound cavities, creeping waves interact with each other producing interference ripples in the pattern. Both of these phenomena are discussed.
The cost of delayed lottery resolution

When an individual is given a lottery, he usually must wait some time interval before that lottery is resolved. Previous work from the literature has shown that if the individual has to make consum...
Differentiation of pluripotent stem cells on multiwalled carbon nanotubes

This paper studies the adhesion, growth, and differentiation of stem cells on carbon nanotube matrices. Glass coverslips were coated with multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) thin films using layer-by-layer self-assembling techniques. Pluripotent P19 mouse embryonal carcinoma stem cells were seeded onto uncoated or MWNT-coated coverslips, and either maintained in an undifferentiated state or induced to differentiate by the addition of retinoic acid. We found that cell adhesion was increased on the MWNT-coated surfaces, and that the expression patterns of some differentiation markers were altered in cells grown on MWNTs. The results suggest that MWNTs will be useful in directing pluripotent stem cell differentiation for tissue engineering purposes.
Lossy compression of clustered-dot halftones

We propose a coding algorithm for lossy compression of digital halftones produced by clustered-dot dithering. Our scheme is based on pixel ordering and run-length coding, and has small memory and computation requirements. Data reduction techniques give an efficient, but imperfect, representation of the run lengths, allowing low-rate coding along with a good approximation to the original dot structure. Experiments with 1024/spl times/1024 images, 8/spl times/8 dithering cells, and 600 dpi printing have shown that the algorithm maintains good image quality while achieving rates of about 0.1 bits per pixel. >
Decorated carbon nanotubes with unique oxygen sensitivity

The relatively simple and robust architecture of microelectronic devices based on carbon nanotubes, in conjunction with their environmental sensitivity, places them among the leading candidates for incorporation into ultraportable or wearable chemical analysis platforms. We used single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) networks to establish a mechanistic understanding of the solid-state oxygen sensitivity of a Eu3+-containing dendrimer complex. After illumination with 365 nm light, the SWNT networks decorated with the Eu3+ dendrimer show bimodal (optical spectroscopic and electrical conductance) sensitivity towards oxygen gas at room temperature under ambient pressure. We investigated the mechanism of this unique oxygen sensitivity with time-resolved and steady-state optical spectroscopy, analysis of excited-state luminescence lifetimes and solid-state electrical transport measurements. We demonstrate a potential application of this system by showing a reversible and linear electrical response to oxygen gas in the tested range (5–27%). Carbon-nanotube networks have been used to study the sensitivity to molecular oxygen of a dendrimer complexed with europium ions. Optically transparent devices made by coating nanotubes with the metal-containing dendrimer show a linear and reversible electrical response to O2, and may prove useful for oxygen-sensing applications.
An improved low-power low-noise dual-chopper amplifier for capacitive CMOS-MEMS accelerometers

This paper reports an improved low-power low-noise dual-chopper amplifier (DCA) for capacitive CMOS-MEMS accelerometers. The new DCA employs an on-chip band-gap voltage reference to reduce the number of bonding pads and the complexity of the external circuits. The temperature drifting of the first-stage gain is reduced by using PMOS instead of NMOS as an active load. A prototype DCA with a three-axis accelerometer has been fabricated using the TSMC 0.35 mum technology. The number of required bonding pads is reduced from 21 to 14, and the temperature sensitivity is reduced from 1.2 times 10-3/degC to 5.4 times 10-4degC.
The motivational context for mandated alcohol interventions for college students by gender and family history.

Objective Alcohol interventions to reduce drinking for college students sanctioned for alcohol use reduce drinking and/or problems. However, intrinsic motivation to change cannot be assumed if students are mandated to receive interventions. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of both gender and family history on motivational variables prior to a mandated intervention.
Two-photon microscopy by wavelength-swept pulses delivered through single-mode fiber

Nonlinear microscopy through flexible fiber-optic catheters has potential in clinical diagnostic applications. Here, we demonstrate a new approach based on wavelength-swept narrowband pulses that permits simple fiber-optic delivery without need of the dispersion management and allows nonmechanical beam scanning. Using 0.86 ps pulses rapidly tuned from 789 nm to 822 nm at a sweep rate of 200 Hz, we demonstrate two-photon fluorescence and second-harmonic generation imaging through a 5-m-long standard single-mode fiber.
PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CURRICULAR CHOICES OF UNDERGRADUATE WOMEN IN HOME ECONOMICS

296 undergraduate women in home economics were administered a biodata questionnaire, the Attitudes Toward Women Scale-Short Form, and the California Psychological Inventory to determine whether the...
A Comparison of Teachers' Attitudes Toward Their Included Students with Mild and Severe Disabilities

This investigation examined whether teachers' attitudes toward their included students with disabilities differed as a function of the disability's severity. Seventy inclusive classroom teachers nominated three students to prompts corresponding with the attitudes of attachment, concern, indifference, and rejection. Chi-square analyses supported predictions, based on a theory of instructional tolerance and a model of differential expectations, that students with severe or obvious disabilities are significantly overrepresented among teachers' nominations in the indifference category, whereas students with mild or hidden disabilities are significantly overrepresented among teachers' nominations in the rejection category. Results were interpreted to indicate that teachers tend to form different attitudes and expectations for their included students with disabilities depending on the severity or obviousness of students' disabilities. It is suggested that both included students with obvious and hidden disabilit...
Interaction between metamaterial resonators and inter-subband transitions in quantum wells

Interaction between metamaterial elements and intersubband transitions in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells is observed in the mid-infrared. Transmission measurements were performed through metamaterial arrays, each having a different resonance frequency.
Sensory, Microbial and Chemical Characteristics of Fresh Aerobically Stored Ground Beef Containing Sodium Lactate and Sodium Propionate

Hamburger patties with sodium lactate (NaL; 0, 3, or 4%) with or without sodium propionate (NaP; 0.1, or 0.2%) were stored aerobically at 4°C for 0, 1, 2, or 3 days, and evaluated for sensory attributes, Aerobic Plate Counts (APCs), lipid oxidation, pH, and water activity. NaL slowed microbial growth; addition of 0.2% NaP to 3% NaL increased antimicrobial effects equal to that of 4% NaL. NaL in combination with NaP reduced lipid oxidation over control or NaL patties. Patties with NaL had higher beef/brothy and beef fat scores and were sweeter, springier, more cohesive, and less crumbly than control patties and addition of 0.2% NaP increased juiciness.
Infringement of Intellectual Property Rights: Causes and Consequences

Parallel revolutions in molecular biology and the legal framework that assigns intellectual property rights (IPRs) to plant genetic resources have resultedin the emergence of agricultural biotechnology andthe introd uction of genetically modified (GM) products into the foodsystem. IPRs create economic incentives for research andd evelopment by making the innovator the residual claimant of the benefits associatedwith the new technology. Whereas IPRs purport to protect intellectual property, full appropriation of the benefits from the innovation is not a given. When infringement of IPRs (i.e., piracy) is profitable, rational economic agents’ compliance with IPR provisions is by no means assured. Costly monitoring and enforcement are requiredto d eter unauthorized(illegal) use of the new technology. Experience from various countries aroundthe worldind icates that IPR enforcement is far from being perfect andmany successful innovations are
Optimized Routing for Large-Scale InfiniBand Networks

Point-to-point metrics, such as latency and bandwidth, are often used to characterize network performance with the consequent assumption that optimizing for these metrics is sufficient to improve parallel application performance. However, these metrics can only provide limited insight into application behavior because they do not fully account for effects, such as network congestion, that significantly influence overall network performance. Because many high-performance networks use deterministic oblivious routing, one such effect is the choice of routing algorithm. In this paper, we analyze and compare practical and theoretical aspects of different routing algorithms that are used in today's large-scale networks. We show that widely-used theoretical metrics, such as edge-forwarding index or bisection bandwidth, are not accurate predictors for average network bandwidth. Instead, we introduce an intuitive metric, which we call "effective bisection bandwidth" to characterize quality of different routing algorithms. We present a simple algorithm that globally balances routes and therefore improves the effective bandwidth of the network. Compared to the best algorithm in use today, our new algorithm shows an improvement in effective bisection bandwidth of 40% on a 724-endpoint InfiniBand cluster.
Recent Advances in Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment of Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of respiratory infection in infants and the elderly, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. The interdisciplinary fields, especially biotechnology and nanotechnology, have facilitated the development of modern detection systems for RSV. Many anti-RSV compounds like fusion inhibitors and RNAi molecules have been successful in laboratory and clinical trials. But, currently, there are no effective drugs for RSV infection even after decades of research. Effective diagnosis can result in effective treatment, but the progress in both of these facets must be concurrent. The development in prevention and treatment measures for RSV is at appreciable pace, but the implementation into clinical practice still seems a challenge. This review attempts to present the promising diverse research approaches and advancements in the area of diagnosis, prevention, and treatment that contribute to RSV management.
Thermodynamics of adsorption in porous materials

Thermodynamic equations are developed for adsorption of multicomponent gas mixtures in microporous adsorbents based on the principles of solution thermodynamics. The conventional spreading pressure and surface area variables, which describe 2-D films, must be abandoned for adsorption in micropores, in which spreading pressure cannot be measured experimentally or calculated from intermolecular forces. Adsorption is divided into two steps: (1) isothermal compression of the gas, (2) isothermal immersion of clean adsorbent in the compressed gas. Thermodynamic functions (Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy) from solution thermodynamics provide a complete thermodynamic description of the system. Applications are described for characterization of adsorbents, gas storage at high pressure, mixture adsorption, enthalpy balances, molecular simulation, adsorption calorimetry, and shape selectivity in catalysis.
Cognitive simulators for medical education and training

Simulators for honing procedural skills (such as surgical skills and central venous catheter placement) have proven to be valuable tools for medical educators and students. While such simulations represent an effective paradigm in surgical education, there is an opportunity to add a layer of cognitive exercises to these basic simulations that can facilitate robust skill learning in residents. This paper describes a controlled methodology, inspired by neuropsychological assessment tasks and embodied cognition, to develop cognitive simulators for laparoscopic surgery. These simulators provide psychomotor skill training and offer the additional challenge of accomplishing cognitive tasks in realistic environments. A generic framework for design, development and evaluation of such simulators is described. The presented framework is generalizable and can be applied to different task domains. It is independent of the types of sensors, simulation environment and feedback mechanisms that the simulators use. A proof of concept of the framework is provided through developing a simulator that includes cognitive variations to a basic psychomotor task. The results of two pilot studies are presented that show the validity of the methodology in providing an effective evaluation and learning environments for surgeons.
Mechanisms of cytokine induced NO-mediated cardiac fibroblast apoptosis.

This study examined the role of nitric oxide (NO) in cytokine-induced apoptosis in adult cardiac fibroblasts (CFbs). In cultured adult rat CFbs, IL-1β (5 ng/ml), but not interferon-γ (10 ng/ml) or ...
Modeling Stormwater Storage/Treatment Transients: Applications

The transient response of stormwater storage/treatment systems to variable forcing functions of flow and concentration is determined for completely mixed systems of constant and variable volumes and for one-dimensional advective systems with dispersion, from previously derived mathematical models, and results are compared. Frequency analyses are performed on input and output concentrations and mass rates for a single event and for all wet weather events during the year of record. The unifying concept of continuity is extended to determine the receiving water response to providing variable detention times in a well-mixed constant volume stormwater storage facility, while maintaining secondary treatment of dry weather flows. Applications to the Humboldt Avenue detention tank, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Des Moines, Iowa are presented.
Comparison of Sleep Problems in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury and Multiple Sclerosis

Study Objectives:Sleep problems are common in spinal cord injury (SCI) and multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the degree to which sleep problems differ between these distinct clinical populations ha...
Alfred Gilman (1941-2015)

Alfred Goodman Gilman died on 23 December, after a protracted battle with pancreatic cancer. We lost an extraordinary scientist, academic leader, and “mensch.” Al pioneered our understanding of the biochemical mechanisms that drive signal transduction and (with Martin Rodbell) shared the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his role in the discovery of heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins). He went on to describe the basic design of G protein-mediated cellular signaling circuits that regulate an enormous number of physiological responses and are the targets of a large fraction of today's drugs.
Site-resolved imaging of a fermionic Mott insulator

The complexity of quantum many-body systems originates from the interplay of strong interactions, quantum statistics, and the large number of quantum-mechanical degrees of freedom. Probing these systems on a microscopic level with single-site resolution offers important insights. Here we report site-resolved imaging of two-component fermionic Mott insulators, metals, and band insulators, using ultracold atoms in a square lattice. For strong repulsive interactions, we observed two-dimensional Mott insulators containing over 400 atoms. For intermediate interactions, we observed a coexistence of phases. From comparison to theory, we find trap-averaged entropies per particle of 1.0 times the Boltzmann constant (kB). In the band insulator, we find local entropies as low as 0.5 kB. Access to local observables will aid the understanding of fermionic many-body systems in regimes inaccessible by modern theoretical methods.
Kinship, Primordial Ties, and Factory Organization in Turkey: An Anthropological View

The social organization of industrial work in Turkey provides us with an interesting case for the examination of the relationship between established social forms and meanings and the technological ad organizational exigencies of economic production. The organization of Turkish industrial production is, on the one hand, clearly an outgrowth of the technological apparatus that was imported from the Vest in the process of development since the nineteenth century. On the other hand, it is also deeply rooted in an indigenous social structure and culture. In this paper I hope to outline the interrelationship between these diverse factors.
Carbon and Silicon Related Surface Compounds of Palladium Ultrathin Films on SiC After Different Annealing Temperatures

Pd/SiC Schottky diode has triggered interest as a chemical sensor to be operated at high temperatures. Various surface compounds formed at high temperatures are known to alter the device performance. In this work, the carbon and silicon related compounds and morphology of Pd ultra-thin film on 6H-SiC and 4H-SiC are investigated after thermal annealing using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The Pd ultra-thin films of about 3 nm in thickness are deposited by RF sputtering. The XPS analysis reveals the presence of silicon oxycarbides (SiC x O y ) as deposited. After being annealed above 300°C, the atomic ratio of C to 0 in SiC x O y decreases with increasing the annealing temperatures, and the Pd film becomes a Pd silicide nanofeatured layer on SiC. When the annealing temperature is at 500°C, the majority of the SiC x O y is converted into SiO 2 . An amorphous Si phase exists after annealing at 200 to 400°C, which indicates that the Si-C bonds in SiC are broken at lower temperatures due to the presence of Pd. Graphite and C=O are found on the as deposited samples and also after annealing at temperatures up to 600°C. The formations of the carbon and silicon related compounds on Pd/4H-SiC are very similar to those on Pd/6H-SiC.
Uniqueness of Optimal Cube Wrapping

Consider wrapping the unit cube with a square without stretching or cutting. Beebee demonstrated such a wrapping with a square of side length 2 p 2, and proved that no smaller square can fulll the task [1]. We show that Beebee’s construction is the unique optimal wrapping, up to the symmetries of the unit cube and the placement of the junk material.
Benchtop Production of Polymeric Optical Fibers

Novel devices were designed and fabricated for benchtop production of multimaterial fibers by ram extrusion and thermal drawing. The system was experimentally tested by fabricating a large-core polymeric optical fiber from raw materials.
MicroRNAs in Human Cerebrospinal Fluid as Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease.

Background Currently available biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) include cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein analysis and amyloid PET imaging, each of which has limitations. The discovery of extracellular microRNAs (miRNAs) in CSF raises the possibility that miRNA may serve as novel biomarkers of AD. Objective Investigate miRNAs in CSF obtained from living donors as biomarkers for AD. Methods We profiled miRNAs in CSF from 50 AD patients and 49 controls using TaqMan® arrays. Replicate studies performed on a subset of 32 of the original CSF samples verified 20 high confidence miRNAs. Stringent data analysis using a four-step statistical selection process including log-rank and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) tests, followed by random forest tests, identified 16 additional miRNAs that discriminate AD from controls. Multimarker modeling evaluated linear combinations of these miRNAs via best-subsets logistic regression, and computed area under the ROC (AUC) curve ascertained classification performance. The influence of ApoE genotype on miRNA biomarker performance was also evaluated. Results We discovered 36 miRNAs that discriminate AD from control CSF. 20 of these retested in replicate studies verified differential expression between AD and controls. Stringent statistical analysis also identified these 20 miRNAs, and 16 additional miRNA candidates. Top-performing linear combinations of 3 and 4 miRNAs have AUC of 0.80-0.82. Addition of ApoE genotype to the model improved performance, i.e., AUC of 3 miRNA plus ApoE4 improves to 0.84. Conclusions CSF miRNAs can discriminate AD from controls. Combining miRNAs improves sensitivity and specificity of biomarker performance, and adding ApoE genotype improves classification.
The MDM2 Antagonist Nutlin-3 Is Lethal to Mantle Cell Lymphoma with Wild Type p53.

Abstract Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) has one of the poorest overall prognoses of the non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and is resistant to standard chemotherapy. P53 mutations are rare in typical mantle cell lymphoma and occur in only about 1/3 of the less common blastoid variant. The relatively low overall rate of p53 mutation in MCL suggests that this lymphoma may be a good candidate for biologic therapies that upregulate p53 and lead to cell death. Nutlin-3 is a novel small-molecule antagonist of MDM2 that efficiently activates p53 by blocking the MDM2-p53 interaction. In this study, we investigated the effects of nutlin-3 in 5 MCL cell lines with known p53 mutation status (wt-p53: REC-1, Z138, Granta-519, JVM-2; mt-p53: Jeko-1). IC50s for all cell lines were determined, and the activation of p53 and multiple p53 target genes were studied by western blot analysis. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were assessed using the MTT test and flow cytometry. Treatment with Nutlin-3 resulted in a marked reduction in cell proliferation/viability, and an increase in the apoptotic fraction, in a time and concentration-dependent manner in wt-p53 cells (IC50 at 48 hrs; 7.5 uM for Granta-519, 9.2 uM for REC-1, 0.5 uM for Z138, and 5.7 uM for JVM-2), while mt-p53 Jeko was resistant to nutlin-3 treatment (IC50>60 uM), and showed no increase in the apoptotic cell fraction. In the wt-p53 MCL cell lines, nutlin-3 treatment increased the cellular levels of p53, and several p53 dependent proteins including p21, MDM2 itself and the proapoptotic BH3-only protein Puma, while there was no change in the levels of these proteins in Jeko-1. Recently, attention has been focused on novel p53 target genes that function to inhibit cell growth and proliferation, rather than by inducing apoptosis. These include the AKT-mTOR regulators PTEN, TSC2 and AMPKβ1. We saw no increase in these novel p53 targets in any of the cell lines analyzed, suggesting that nutlin-3-activated p53 activates only a subset of its possible targets. These findings demonstrate that nutlin-3 successfully activates wt-p53 in mantle cell lymphoma leading to the upregulation of traditional targets such as p21 and proapoptotic proteins including Puma, and result in apoptotic cell death. The data suggest that p53 activators such as nutlin-3 may be effective agents in the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma.
Questioning the Resort to U.S. Hegemonic Military Force

Americas military hegemony is reflected in its superior warfare technologies and its network of military bases across the globe served by its large, highly trained, professional armed forces. This chapter discusses the global security costs of U.S. military hegemony. These include destabilization of international relations due to a (until very recently) growing interventionist disposition among the American public and its leadership, proliferation of nuclear weapons, the spread of asymmetric warfare, and a weakening of general compliance to international norms and law. The chapter then addresses some interpretive problems concerning the principle of proportionality. Finally, it outlines an alternative to U.S. military hegemony that would eliminate the global security costs of its resort to force. Keywords: asymmetric warfare; global security cost; principle of proportionality; U.S. military hegemony
Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Inhibitors and Risks of Malignancy

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha has been established in the innate and acquired immune response in various disease processes, including both Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). This has led to the development and widespread use of anti-TNF therapies for the management of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Infection, malignancy, antibody development, and infusion reactions are some of the major adverse reactions associated with anti-TNF agents. This review summarizes the evidence, including the limitations of the currently available literature, on various types of malignancy that have been associated with IBD therapies, with a focus upon anti-TNF agents. We highlight the association of anti-TNF agents with melanoma, while thiopurines in combination with anti-TNF agents are more strongly associated with non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Additionally, we discuss the compounded risk of anti-TNFs with immunomodulators in the development of lymphoma and, in particular, the risk of hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTCL) in younger patients. We also summarize the limited data on risks of solid tumors and cervical cancer associated with anti-TNF agents. In contrast, we highlight the established reduction in colorectal cancer risk with the use of immunosuppressive agents in IBD that treat inflammatory activity. Finally, we provide recommendations on how to discuss the risks and benefits of anti-TNF agents with patients, emphasizing methods of preventing complications of immunosuppressive medications in IBD. A shared decision-making process in selection of therapies, with appropriate follow-up, monitoring, and continued discussions of risks and benefits, will allow us to effectively and safely treat our patients with IBD.
Model-Based Systems Engineering: Motivation, Current Status, and Needed Advances

As systems continue to grow in scale and complexity, the Systems Engineering (SE) community has turned to the Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) paradigm for managing complexity, maintaining consistency, and assuring traceability during system development. We distinguish MBSE, which is a holistic process comprising system specification, design, validation, and configuration management, from engineering with models, which has been a common practice for centuries. Even though MBSE is beginning to see a fair amount of use in a number of industries, several advances are needed on a number of fronts to realize its full benefits. The paper discusses the motivation for MBSE, models and meta-models, modeling languages, the role of modeling and simulation in SE, and the current state of maturity of MBSE. The paper concludes with a discussion of needed advances to realize the potential benefits of MBSE.
Review of the State of the Art in Assessing Earthquake-Induced Loss of Functionality in Buildings

AbstractEarthquake-induced damage to the built infrastructure can generate enormous societal impact, ranging from displacement of individual families and businesses to disruption of entire economic...
Differential impact of tongue exercise on intrinsic lingual muscles.

Objectives/hypothesis Aging is associated with muscle fiber hypotrophy and decreased percentages of rapidly contracting myosin heavy chain (MyHC) type IIb muscle fibers. Tongue exercise programs used to treat dysphagia target age-related decline in tongue muscle function, but the impact of exercise on the intrinsic tongue muscles is unknown. We hypothesized that exercise would induce muscle fiber hypertrophy and increase the percentage of MyHC IIa fibers in the intrinsic tongue. Study design Animal model. Methods Eight old and eight young-adult rats underwent 8 weeks of tongue exercise training, and 8 animals of each age group served as controls. Longitudinal, transverse, and verticalis muscle samples from the anterior, middle, and posterior regions of the tongue were sectioned and stained to determine muscle fiber diameter and MyHC composition. Results MyHC fiber type distribution was altered by exercise, and the effects differed by muscle and region of the tongue. In the exercise groups, as compared to the control groups, the anterior transverse and middle superior longitudinal muscles had significantly reduced percentages of MyHC IIx positive fibers and higher percentages of rapidly contracting fatigable MyHC IIb positive muscle fibers, whereas the middle transverse and posterior longitudinal muscles had increased percentages of the less rapidly contracting and more fatigue-resistant MyHC IIa fibers. The impact of exercise did not differ with age, as there was no significant interaction between age and exercise. Tongue exercise had no significant effect on muscle fiber diameter. Conclusions The impact of exercise varied among the tongue muscles, which may indicate different functional contributions to the tongue exercise task. Level of evidence NA Laryngoscope, 128:2245-2251, 2018.
The Legitimizing Function of Judicial Rhetoric in the Eugenics Controversy.

In recent years communication scholars have been interested in exploring the relationship between public argumentation and the “rule of law.” While most legal scholarship continues to marginalize r...
The Property Rights Movement and Intellectual Property

The previous issue of Regulation contains a provocative attempt by University of California, Berkeley law professor Peter Menell to discredit what he calls the property rights movement (PRM) for its supposed "absolutist" stance on intellectual property. As part of the article, he asserts that I participate in (or perhaps even lead) a movement that poses a profound danger to the efficient operation of our complex system of intellectual property law, especially as it relates to patents and copyrights. In this article, I argue that this characterization is inaccurate. I believe that there are rights over intellectual property, but they differ in important ways from rights over real property.
Dual nested decomposition of staircase linear programs

A staircase linear program is a linear program in which the variables can be partitioned into a set of time periods, with constraints relating only variables in adjacent periods. This paper describes a specialized technique for solving staircase LP’s, called a “nested decomposition” algorithm. This technique applies the Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition principle to the dual of the LP in a recursive manner. The resulting algorithm solves a sequence of small LP’s, one corresponding to each period. Each period communicates with the period that follows it by determining its right-hand side and with the period that precedes it by adding constraints. Some computational experience is presented.