cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
INTRACELLULAR OXIDATION-REDUCTION STUDIES : I. REDUCTION POTENTIALS OF AMŒBA DUBIA BY MICRO INJECTION OF INDICATORS.

Twenty-five oxidation-reduction indicators were injected in oxidized or reduced form into Amoeba dubia and Amœba proteus under controlled conditions of oxygen access. (1) Under anaerobiosis the ameba was able to reduce completely all the reversible oxidation-reduction indicators down to and including indigo disulfonate. (2) Under anaerobiosis the ameba was unable to reoxidize six of the most easily oxidizable indicators. (3) Under aerobiosis the ameba was able to reduce completely all the indicators down to and including 1-naphthol-2-sulfonate indo-2, 6-dichlorophenol. Toluylene blue, methylene blue and indigo tetrasulfonate were sometimes completely and sometimes only partly reduced, depending on the quantity of indicator injected and the duration of observation. (4) The time of reduction varied approximately with the size of the injection. Reduction was more rapid under anaerobiosis than under aerobiosis, more rapid in active than in sluggish cells and was retarded by toxic compounds. (5) Sulfonated compounds were somewhat toxic, as a rule. In interpreting reduction phenomena of micro injection, it is necessary to take into consideration the intensity, capacity and rate factors. It then becomes apparent that the ameba has a high reducing potential lying on the rH scale below the zone of indigo disulfonate. The reducing capacity of the ameba seems to be relatively great in the region of the simple indophenols and of a progressively diminishing magnitude as the zone of the indigos is approached. Material of high reduction potential appears to be generated within the ameba at a measurable rate. These phenomena, observed in the interior of the cell with the aid of indicators, parallel very closely those found in reduction electrode studies on bacterial cultures.
Analysis of two-phase ejectors with Fabri choking

AbstractA one-dimensional mathematical model was developed using the equations governing the flow and thermodynamics within a jet pump with a mixing region of constant cross-sectional area. The analysis is capable of handling two-phase flows and the resulting flow phenomena such as condensation shocks and the Fabri limit on the secondary mass flowrate. This work presents a technique for quickly achieving first-approximation solutions for two-phase ejectors. The thermodynamic state of the working fluid, R-134a for this analysis, is determined at key locations within the ejector. From these results, performance parameters are calculated and presented for varying inlet conditions. The Fabri limit was found to limit the operational regime of the two-phase ejector because, in the two-phase region, the speed of sound may be orders of magnitude smaller than in a single-phase fluid.
Fermilab magnet mapping system

Abstract A magnetic field mapping system for use in large aperture magnets is described. The accuracy of the resulting map depends on the nature of the field itself; a typical high energy physics spectrometer magnet is used as an example. This apparatus will measure the field integrated along an arbitrary particle trajectory to an accuracy of 0.1% or better for most spectrometer magnets.
Measure by measure: assessing the viability of the physical library

During the past decade, many university faculty and students have changed the way they find and use information, getting what they need from online sources rather than visiting the library. This decline in the use of the physical library, combined with substantial investments in electronic information and stagnating university budgets, has led to a reappraisal of the role of the physical library in academic institutions. This contribution reviews the viability of academic branch libraries and examines efforts at the University of Washington to assess the physical library. A series of 20 performance measures was developed in four categories – use, primary user population, library dependency, and facility quality – to evaluate the viability of individual branch libraries and their potential for closure or merger with other libraries.
Determination of optimal fertilizer concentration range for tomatoes grown in peat-based medium

For optimum plant growth in containers, adequate plant nutrition is essential. Objectives of this research were to determine the optimum fertilization of tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) in a peat-based medium and to assess plant nutrition by plant and media analysis. Tomato seedlings (‘Heinz 1437’) were transplanted (one plant per pot) into 2-liter pots filled with a peat-based medium. The medium was fertilized with a progressive array of soluble fertilizers to supply N from 0 to 200 mg L− 1 of solution with accompanying proportional increases of other macronutrients with each increase in nitrogen (N) (P from 0 to 44; K from 0 to 160; Ca from 0 to 200, and Mg from 0 to 48 mg L− 1). The plants were irrigated starting with 100 mL of fertilizer solution per day and increasing to 200 mL per day as plant growth progressed. The tomatoes were harvested at three stages of growth (5-leaf stage, flower initiation, and fruit formation) for analysis of growth and composition. Samples of medium for nutrient a...
Exploring the Sociopolitical Dimensions of Global Warming.

The authors present an activity to help high school students conceptualize the sociopolitical complexity of global warming through an exploration of varied perspectives on the issue. They argue that socioscientific issues such as global warming present important contexts for learning science and that the social and political dimensions of these issues must be featured along with the underlying science. The activity is structured as a jigsaw in which learners explore multiple perspectives on the issue of global warming as they work to develop recommendations for national policy.
A Robust Defence of the Doctrine of Doing and Allowing

Philosophers debate over the truth of the Doctrine of Doing and Allowing, the thesis that there is a morally significant difference between doing harm and merely allowing harm to happen. Deontologists tend to accept this doctrine, whereas consequentialists tend to reject it. A robust defence of this doctrine would require a conceptual distinction between doing and allowing that both matches our ordinary use of the concepts in a wide range of cases and enables a justification for the alleged moral difference. In this article, I argue not only that a robust defence of this doctrine is available, but also that it is available within a consequentialist framework.
Synthesis and biological evaluation of [11C]talopram and [11C]talsupram: candidate PET ligands for the norepinephrine transporter

PET and SPECT ligands for the norepinephrine transporter (NET) will be important tools for studying the physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology of the CNS noradrenergic system in vivo. A series of candidate NET ligands were synthesized and characterized in terms of their affinity for human monoamine transporters. The two most promising compounds, talopram and talsupram, were radiolabeled with carbon-11 and evaluated through biodistribution studies in rats and PET imaging studies in a rhesus monkey. Although both compounds displayed high affinity and selectivity for the human NET in vitro, these compounds did not enter the CNS in adequate amounts to be used in PET imaging studies.
Cretaceous-Paleogene Dinoflagellate Biostratigraphy and the Age of the Clayton Formation, Southeastern Missouri, USA

Sedimentary deposits in Stoddard County, southeastern Missouri, reveal a K-Pg transition sequence represented by the uppermost Maastrichtian Owl Creek Formation and the Paleocene Clayton Formation. The Clayton Formation is characterized by a basal fossiliferous coquinite that contains reworked late Maastrichtian macrofossils. Dinoflagellate biostratigraphy is used to determine the age of the coquinite layer and specifically whether or not it is an end-K tsunamite deposit resulting from the Chicxulub impact event. Results indicate a mixed assemblage of late Maastrichtian and early Danian dinocysts within the basal coquinite of the Clayton Formation. Maastrichtian dinocyst taxa identified are Riculacysta amplexa, Pierceites pentagonus, Phelodinium tricuspe and Dinogymnium sp. and dinocysts utilized as global indicators of the basal Danian, also present in the coquinite, consist of Senoniasphaera inornata, Carpatella cornuta, Damassadinium californicum, and Lanternosphaeridium reinhardtii. A gray mud occurring above the coquinite in the middle of the Clayton Formation contains the mid-Danian dinoflagellate Senegalinium iterlaaense. Collectively, these data suggest that the coquinite was deposited well after the K-Pg event but before the middle Danian. The mixed assemblage of Late Cretaceous and Paleocene dinocysts preserved in the coquinite weakens the hypothesis that it is an end-K tsunamite deposit and suggests instead that it may result from a long-term transgressive lag. We also extend the stratigraphic range of the Paleocene Senegalinium simplex downward into the uppermost Maastrichtian.
On the asymptotic order of accuracy of Tikhonov regularization

In this paper, the asymptotic order of accuracy (with respect to the error level δ in the data) of Tikhonov's method for approximating the minimal norm least-square solution of an ill-posed operator equation is investigated. It is shown that, except for finite rank operators, the orderO(δ2/3) is best possible.
Laminin inhibits human keratinocyte migration

A quantitative migration assay for human keratinocytes was developed to assess the influence of extracellular matrix molecules on cell motility independently from their effect on cell proliferation. Fibronectin and collagen types I and IV markedly promoted keratinocyte migration, but albumin, type V collagen, and heparan sulfate proteoglycan had little effect. In contrast, laminin inhibited keratinocyte motility and dramatically reduced type IV collagen-induced migration in a concentration-dependent manner. Laminin was not toxic, since it had no apparent effect on morphology, growth, or ability of cells to be passaged. Laminin, a major component of the lamina lucida, may inhibit motility of keratinocytes in vivo. Absence of contact with laminin, which accompanies wounding, may facilitate motility and healing in the epidermis.
Intracardiac Repair of Tetralogy of Fallot in Patients Under 5 Years of Age

Abstract Thirty-six infants and small children less than 5 years of age with severe symptoms underwent intracardiac repair for tetralogy of Fallot between January, 1969, and June, 1973, at the Children's Hospital of Buffalo. Of the 36, 24 had primary correction and 12 had a secondary correction after an initial palliative procedure. Since February, 1970, only 5 infants have undergone palliation, the contraindication for total repair being hypoplasia of the distal pulmonary arteries and anomalies of the right coronary arterial system which precluded outflow patching. Three patients who were first seen with clinical, hemodynamic, and angiographic characteristics of pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect (Group B) have been included because of demonstrable but rudimentary anatomical continuity between the right ventricle and pulmonary artery. Of the remaining 33 patients (Group A), 22 underwent primary repair without mortality, and 11 had secondary correction with 1 death. Eight infants under 2 in Group A underwent primary correction; the youngest was 5 weeks old. An outflow patch of pericardium was employed in 13 of the 33 children in Group A and in all 3 in Group B. It was observed that the major determinant of successful repair was an annulus diameter larger than 12 mm. Deep hypothermia and circulatory arrest were employed in 20 children under 15 kg. in weight. Heart block was not encountered, and an outflow tract aneurysm was seen in 1 patient who had no patch. It is concluded that primary intracardiac repair is advisable for patients in those centers prepared for infant intracardiac surgery.
Expectations and labor market adjustments

Abstract Firm's adjustment of workers is an optimal response to permanent demand shocks while hours adjustment is a response to temporary shocks. These empirically supported conclusions are equilibrium results derived from modeling market demand for labor with rational expectations. Presentation of a statistical method for decomposing the observable demand shock into unobservable but estimable permanent and temporary components is the key innovation of the paper. This decomposition of the observed shock into its estimated unobservable components is an empirically useful method of retaining information about the future lost by using a single dimensioned information variable.
Editorial—A Decade of Fire and the New Normal

(2012). Editorial—A Decade of Fire and the New Normal. Physical Geography: Vol. 33, No. 4, pp. 303-304.
Measurement Considerations for Achieving Equity in Research Inclusion for Transition-Aged Youth with Disabilities

Measuring health for youth with intellectual disabilities (ID) is important for tracking progress toward national health goals. Measures of biophysical and fitness indicators are important but difficult to obtain in youth with ID, particularly in community settings. This paper describes obstacles encountered and strategies used to measure outcomes in a community-based study. Proposed best practices include adaptations in procedures to maximize comprehension; preparation of the environment to provide privacy and predictability; and appropriately sized equipment to obtain accurate readings. Reliable and valid measures, specific to youth with ID, would improve promote research inclusion and reduce health disparities for this population.
Oxidation of Sintered Aluminum Nitride at Near‐Ambient Temperatures

Oxidation of sintered aluminum nitride at low temperatures (20°–200°C) was studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Particles of α-Al2O3, about 20–30 A in size, were found to form within minutes on freshly cleaned surfaces of AlN at room temperature. The oxide was found to grow nearly epitaxially on AlN when the {0001}AlN planes were exposed to the surface. Limited nonepitaxial oxidation was also observed when the basal planes were inclined to the TEM foil surface. After 10 h in air at 75°C, the particles coarsened to about 50 A, while after 150 h at 200°C, an oxide film, about 500 A thick, was observed on some grains.
Learning individual mating preferences

Mate selection is a key step in evolutionary algorithms which traditionally has been panmictic and based solely on fitness. Various mate selection techniques have been published which show improved performance due to the introduction of mate restrictions or the use of genotypic/phenotypic features. Those techniques typically suffer from two major shortcomings: (1) they are fixed for the entire evolutionary run, which is suboptimal because problem specific mate selection may be expected to outperform general purpose mate selection and because the best mate selection configuration may be dependent on the state of the evolutionary run, and (2) they require problem specific tuning in order to obtain good performance, which often is a time consuming manual process. This paper introduces two versions of Learning Individual Mating Preferences (LIMP), a novel mate selection technique in which characteristics of good mates are learned during the evolutionary process. Centralized LIMP (C-LIMP) learns at the population level, while Decentralized LIMP (D-LIMP) learns at the individual level. Results are presented showing D-LIMP to outperform a traditional genetic algorithm (TGA), the Variable Dissortative Mating Genetic Algorithm (VDMGA), and C-LIMP on the DTRAP and MAXSAT benchmark problems, while both LIMP techniques perform comparably to VDMGA on NK Landscapes.
Improved CDMA performance using parallel interference cancellation

The paper considers a general parallel interference cancellation scheme that significantly reduces the degradation effect of user interference but with a lesser implementation complexity than the maximum-likelihood technique. The scheme operates on the fact that parallel processing simultaneously removes from each user the total interference produced by the remaining most reliably received users accessing the channel. The parallel processing can be done in multiple stages. The proposed scheme uses tentative decision devices with different optimum thresholds at the multiple stages to produce the most reliably received data for generation and cancellation of user interference. The 1-stage interference cancellation is analyzed for three types of tentative decision devices, namely hard, null zone, and soft decision. Simulation results are given for 1- and 2-stage interference cancellation for equal as well as unequal power users. >
Preliminary results on subsampling effects on range migration correction in SAR imaging

Compressive sensing (CS) is becoming a popular technique for data acquisition and image reconstruction. However, sparse reconstruction often involves iterative inversion of a large system of equations. This paper explores the effects of slow-time subsampling on the Range Migration Algorithm (RMA) for Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). The objective is to consider methods of merging traditional image formation steps, such as range curvature correction, with CS methods for sparse reconstruction. If higher-order phase compensations can still be performed via existing algorithms, then it may be possible to perform image formation via a parallel set of reduced-size sparse reconstructions rather than one large reconstruction. We study range migration correction and evaluate the imaging function for scatterers distributed across the field of view and for various compression levels.
Root and soil respiration responses to ozone in Pinus taeda L. seedlings

summary Respiration rates of roots of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedlings decreased in response to elevated ozone (O3) concentrations. Estimated annual root respiration rates were 12% less in seedlings exposed to twice-ambient O3(7 h mean = 70.110 nl 1−1) than in seedlings exposed to sub-ambient O3 (7 h mean = 20.40 nl 1−1). Measurements taken during periods of relatively rapid and of negligible root growth suggest that the reduced root respiration may be due to both reduced maintenance respiration and reduced growth respiration. Respiration rates of the soil substrate of the O3-exposed seedlings were also below those of the substrate of seedlings exposed to sub-ambient O3. The study supports the theory that there is a reduced supply of photosynthates to the roots of plants exposed to elevated O3. It is hypothesized that a reduced supply of photosynthates to the roots may affect soil respiration rates by reducing root exudation rates and, consequently, reducing rhizosphere microbial populations.
Reversal of the deoxyhypusine synthesis reaction. Generation of spermidine or homospermidine from deoxyhypusine by deoxyhypusine synthase.

Abstract Deoxyhypusine synthase catalyzes the first step in hypusine (Nϵ-(4-amino-2-hydroxybutyl)lysine) synthesis in a single cellular protein, eIF5A precursor. The synthesis of deoxyhypusine catalyzed by this enzyme involves transfer of the 4-aminobutyl moiety of spermidine to a specific lysine residue in the eIF5A precursor protein to form a deoxyhypusine-containing eIF5A intermediate, eIF5A(Dhp). We recently discovered the efficient reversal of deoxyhypusine synthesis. When eIF5A([3H]Dhp), radiolabeled in the 4-aminobutyl portion of its deoxyhypusine residue, was incubated with human deoxyhypusine synthase, NAD, and 1,3-diaminopropane, [3H]spermidine was formed by a rapid transfer of the radiolabeled 4-aminobutyl side chain of the [3H]deoxyhypusine residue to 1,3-diaminopropane. No reversal was observed with [3H]hypusine protein, suggesting that hydroxylation at the 4-aminobutyl side chain of the deoxyhypusine residue prevents deoxyhypusine synthase-mediated reversal of the modification. Purified human deoxyhypusine synthase also exhibited homospermidine synthesis activity when incubated with spermidine, NAD, and putrescine. Thus it was found that [14C]putrescine can replace eIF5A precursor protein as an acceptor of the 4-aminobutyl moiety of spermidine to form radiolabeled homospermidine. The Km value for putrescine (1.12 mm) as a 4-aminobutyl acceptor, however, is much higher than that for eIF5A precursor (1.5 μm). Using [14C]putrescine as an acceptor, various spermidine analogs were evaluated as donor substrates for human deoxyhypusine synthase. Comparison of spermidine analogs as inhibitors of deoxyhypusine synthesis, as donor substrates for synthesis of deoxyhypusine (or its analog), and for synthesis of homospermidine (or its analog) provides new insights into the intricate specificity of this enzyme and versatility of the deoxyhypusine synthase reaction.
Modeling fluid flow in Medullosa, an anatomically unusual Carboniferous seed plant

Medullosa stands apart from most Paleozoic seed plants in its combination of large leaf area, complex vascular structure, and extremely large water-conducting cells. To investigate the hydraulic consequences of these anatomical features and to compare them with other seed plants, we have adapted a model of water transport in xylem cells that accounts for resistance to flow from the lumen, pits, and pit membranes, and that can be used to compare extinct and extant plants in a quantitative way. Application of this model to Medullosa, the Paleozoic coniferophyte Cordaites, and the extant conifer Pinus shows that medullosan tracheids had the capacity to transport water at volume flow rates more comparable to those of angiosperm vessels than to those characteristic of ancient and modern coniferophyte tracheids. Tracheid structure in Medullosa, including the large pit membrane area per tracheid and the high ratio of tracheid diameter to wall thickness, suggests that its xylem cells operated at significant risk of embolism and implosion, making this plant unlikely to survive significant water stress These features further suggest that tracheids could not have furnished significant structural support, requiring either that other tissues supported these plants or that at least some medullosans were vines. In combination with high tracheid conductivity, distinctive anatomical characters of Medullosa such as the anomalous growth of vascular cambium and the large number of leaf traces that enter each petiole base suggest vascular adaptations to meet the evapotranspiration demands of its large leaves. The evolution of highly efficient conducting cells dictates a need to supply structural support via other tissues, both in tracheid-based stem seed plants and in vessel-bearing angiosperms.
Bone marrow-derived cells contribute to contractile dysfunction in endotoxic shock

How infection precipitates depressed contractility is incompletely understood but may involve the immune, nervous, and endocrine systems as well as the heart itself. In this study, we examined the role of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in LPS-induced myocardial contractile depression. Eighteen hours following endotoxin challenge, we compared contractile responses in hearts from wild-type (WT) and TLR4-deficient mice using modified Langendorff preparations. Unlike hearts from WT mice, TLR4-deficient hearts did not reveal significant contractile dysfunction following LPS administration, as measured by decreased responses in maximal left ventricular pressure, +dP/dtmax, and -dP/dtmax in ex vivo Langendorff preparations. These findings indicate a requirement for TLR4 in LPS-induced contractile depression. To determine the contribution of bone marrow-derived TLR4 function to LPS-induced myocardial dysfunction, we generated TLR4 chimeras using adoptive transfer between histocompatible mouse strains: either TLR4-deficient mice with TLR4+/+ bone marrow-derived cells or TLR4+/+ animals lacking TLR4 in their hematopoietic cells. We then compared the contractile responses of engrafted animals after LPS challenges. Engraftment of TLR4-deficient mice with WT marrow restored sensitivity to the myocardial depressant effects of LPS in TLR4-deficient hearts (P < 0.05). Inactivation of bone marrow-derived TLR4 function, via transplantation of WT mice with TLR4-/- marrow, however, did not protect against the depressant effect of endotoxin. These findings indicate that bone marrow-derived TLR4 activity is sufficient to confer sensitivity to mice lacking TLR4 in all other tissues. However, because inactivation of marrow-derived TLR4 function alone does not protect against endotoxin-triggered contractile dysfunction, TLR4 function in other tissues may also contribute to this response.
A mixed-signal ASIC power-factor-correction (PFC) controller for high frequency switching rectifiers

A mixed-signal IC controller is described for single-phase PFC applications. The single-chip controller block diagram is described, and the fundamental analog and digital operating blocks are developed in detail. Implementation options for each block are given, with experimental results from a 1.2 /spl mu/m CMOS test chip included. The controller blocks are derived for boost and buck/boost type converters, but control of other power stages could be derived in the same manner. The final controller is proposed as a single-chip PFC solution, with no external design or components necessary for high-performance, stable operation over a wide range of operating conditions.
To Share or Not to Share Storage in Mesh Networks: A System Throughput Perspective

While the cost per megabyte of storage is economical, sharing storage might be expensive because delivery of a clip occupying the shared storage requires bandwidth. This is especially true for mesh networks where devices are constrained by the radio-range and bandwidth of their wireless networking card. Assuming a device, termed a peer, is configured with a mass storage device, it may share either all, a fraction, or none of its storage. When a peer does not shares its storage, it stores clips with the objective to enhance a local criterion such as number of clip requests serviced using its mass storage device. When a peer shares its storage, it may store clips to optimize a global metric such as the total number of devices that may display their clips simultaneously, termed system throughput. Using this global metric, we show the following surprising result: the throughput of certain mesh networks is enhanced when peers do not share storage. By understanding these tradeoffs, one may design adaptable software to enable a peer to monitor its environment and decide to share or not to share its storage. We demonstrate the feasibility of such a design using a simulation study.
A Reformulation of Weighted Least Squares Estimators

This article studies weighted, generalized, least squares estimators in simple linear regression with serially correlated errors. Closed-form expressions of weighted least squares estimators and variances are presented under some common stationary autocorrelation settings, a first-order autoregression and a first-order moving-average. These explicit expressions also have appealing applications, including an efficient weighted least squares computation method and a new sufficient and necessary condition on the equality of weighted least squares estimators and ordinary least squares estimators.
Toward a logic for fuzzy syllogisms

The author describes a formal logic that encodes the reasoning embodied in syllogisms of the form. 'Most birds can fly; Tweety is a bird; therefore, it is likely that Tweety can fly,' and of the form, 'Usually, if something is a bird, it can fly; Tweety is a bird; therefore, it is likely that Tweety can fly.' More exactly, he defines a formal language in which syllogisms of these and related forms can be expressed, and then this language is provided with a rigorously defined semantics in which such syllogisms are valid. In the process a general approach is established to formalize the notions of fuzzy quantification, usuality, and likelihood. Some of the interrelations between these concepts that are expressible in this formalism are also explored. >
Performance Evaluation of 802.16e in Vehicle to Vehicle Channels

Vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communications have drawn much attention in the past few years. The IEEE 802.16e standard systems can be considered potential candidates for these applications due to their attractive features, like high data rate, mobility support, etc. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of an 802.16e system with the OFDMA air interface in two non-stationary vehicle to vehicle (V2V) channels: an open area high traffic density (OHT) channel and an urban (UOC) channel. We first introduce the non-stationary V2V channel models developed from empirical data. Then we provide a brief overview of 802.16e and introduce three channel estimation schemes that apply to different scenarios. Finally, we evaluate the performance of the 802.16e system over the proposed non-stationary V2V channel models. We show that the proposed channel estimation methods provide a good tradeoff between channel estimation accuracy and computational complexity. We also illustrate that system performance in non-stationary channels is more volatile than in stationary channels.
On-the-Fly Detection of Changes in Mucosal Tissue Architecture During Endoscopy - A Flag as to Where and When to Take Biopsies

In this paper we present a segmentation technique that raises a flag on-the-fly as to when a transition occurs between different mucosal architectures while traveling along the surface of the tissue for careful and subsequent examination. The presented segmentation technique has the potential to enhance the endoscopist's ability to locate and identify abnormal mucosal architectures; and to help in the decision as to when and where to take biopsies; steps that should lead to improvement in the diagnostic yield. The segmentation scheme is based on detecting an abrupt change in the parameters extracted from the stochastic decomposition method (SDM) that models the scattered signal. Subsequent evaluation of the homogeneous regions separated by the found edges for further mucosal type classification is then possible. The tests are performed on two types of animal tissue data collected from rat colon and rabbit colon in vitro. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed segmentation scheme to detect the transition between different mucosal structures on-the-fly with sensitivity reaching 40 mum which corresponds to the sliding segmentation window step size used in our experiments.
The Social Behaviors of Experts in Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

We examine the social behaviors of game experts in Everquest II, a popular massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMO). We rely on Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGM) to examine the anonymous privacy-protected social networks of 1,457 players over a five-day period. We find that those who achieve the most in the game send and receive more communication, while those who perform the most efficiently at the game show no difference in communication behavior from other players. Both achievement and performance experts tend to communicate with those at similar expertise levels, and higher-level experts are more likely to receive communication from other players.
Detection of reactive oxygen and reactive nitrogen species in skeletal muscle

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are usually identified with pathological states and mediators of cellular injury. However, over the last decade ROS and RNS have been identified in skeletal muscle under physiological conditions. Detection of ROS and RNS production by skeletal muscle cells is fundamental to the problem of differentiating between physiological and pathological levels. The goal of this paper is to review the techniques that have been used to detect ROS and RNS in skeletal muscle. Electron spin resonance, fluorescent assays, cyotchrome c reduction, chemiluminescence, hydroxylation of salicylate, and nitration of phenylalanine are some of the assay systems that have been used thus far. A large body of evidence now indicates that ROS and RNS are continually produced by many different skeletal muscle types studied in vivo, in situ, and in vitro. Under resting conditions, ROS and RNS are detectable in both intracellular and extracellular compartments. Production increases during both non-fatiguing and fatiguing muscle contractions. In the absence of disease, the individual molecular species detected in skeletal muscle include parent radicals for the ROS and RNS cascades: superoxide anions and nitric oxide. Both are generated at rates estimated to range from pmol-to-nmol/mg muscle/minute. Evidence indicates that hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radicals, and peroxynitrite are also present under physiological conditions. However, the molecular species that mediate specific biological effects remains largely undetermined, as do the sources of ROS and RNS within muscle fibers. Eventual delineation of the mechanisms whereby ROS and RNS regulate cellular function will hinge on our understanding of the production and distribution of ROS and RNS within skeletal muscle.
Novel Modulatory Effect of L-Type Calcium Channels at Newly Formed Neuromuscular Junctions

This study aimed to examine changes of presynaptic voltage-sensitive calcium channel (VSCC) subtypes during synapse formation and regeneration in relation to transmitter release at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Synaptic potentials were recorded from developing rat NMJs and from regenerating mouse and frog NMJs. As in normal adult NMJs, evoked transmitter release was reduced by an N-type VSCC blocker in the frog and by a P/Q-type VSCC blocker in the mammal at immature NMJs; however, various L-type VSCC blockers, both dihydropyridine and nondihydropyridine antagonists, increased evoked but not spontaneous release in a dose-dependent manner at newly formed NMJs. This presynaptic potentiation disappeared as NMJs matured. A rapid intracellular Ca 2+ buffer, bis(O-aminophenoxy)ethane- N,N,N′,N′ -tetra-acetic acid-AM, prevented the potentiation effect of nifedipine, but a slow Ca 2+ buffer, EGTA-AM, did not. Thus, the potentiation effect of L-type blockers requires Ca 2+ transients. Pretreatment with Ca 2+ -activated K + channel blockers, iberiotoxin or charybdotoxin, did not prevent potentiation by nifedipine at regenerating frog NMJs. Thus, Ca 2+ -activated K + channels were not likely involved in this potentiation. In contrast, no additional potentiation by nifedipine was seen in muscles pretreated with pertussis toxin (PTX), a G-protein blocker, which by itself enhances evoked transmitter release at regenerating frog NMJs. These results suggest the existence of multiple subtypes of VSCCs at newly formed motor nerve terminals. In addition to the normal N- or P/Q-type VSCCs that mediate transmitter release, L-type VSCCs may play a novel modulatory role in evoked transmitter release by activating a mechanism linked to PTX-sensitive G-proteins during synapse maturation.
4,871 Emergency Airway Encounters by Air Medical Providers: A Report of the Air Transport Emergency Airway Management (NEAR VI: “A-TEAM”) Project

Introduction: Pre-hospital airway management is a key component of resuscitation although the benefit of pre-hospital intubation has been widely debated. We report a large series of pre-hospital emergency airway encounters performed by air-transport providers in a large, multi-state system. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed electronic intubation flight records from an 89 rotorcraft air medical system from January 01, 2007, through December 31, 2009. We report patient characteristics, intubation methods, success rates, and rescue techniques with descriptive statistics. We report proportions with 95% confidence intervals and binary comparisons using chi square test with p-values <0.05 considered significant. Results: 4,871 patients had active airway management, including 2,186 (44.9%) medical and 2,685 (55.1%) trauma cases. There were 4,390 (90.1%) adult and 256 (5.3%) pediatric (age ≤ 14) intubations; 225 (4.6%) did not have an age recorded. 4,703 (96.6%) had at least one intubation attempt. Intubation was successful on first attempt in 3,710 (78.9%) and was ultimately successful in 4,313 (91.7%). Intubation success was higher for medical than trauma patients (93.4% versus 90.3%, p=0.0001 JT test). 168 encounters were managed primarily with an extraglottic device (EGD). Cricothyrotomy was performed 35 times (0.7%) and was successful in 33. Patients were successfully oxygenated and ventilated with an endotracheal tube, EGD, or surgical airway in 4809 (98.7%) encounters. There were no reported deaths from a failed airway. Conclusion: Airway management, predominantly using rapid sequence intubation protocols, is successful within this high-volume, multi-state air-transport system. [West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(2):188–193.]
DNA Uptake Sequence-Mediated Enhancement of Transformation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae Is Strain Dependent

Natural transformation is the main means of horizontal genetic exchange in the obligate human pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Neisseria spp. have been shown to preferentially take up and transform their own DNA by recognizing the nonpalindromic 10- or 12-nucleotide sequence 5′-ATGCCGTCTGAA-3′ (additional semiconserved nucleotides are underlined), termed the DNA uptake sequence (DUS10 or DUS12). Here we investigated the effects of the DUS on transformation and DNA uptake for several laboratory strains of N. gonorrhoeae. We found that all strains showed efficient transformation of DUS containing DNA (DUS10 and DUS12) but that the level of transformation with DNA lacking a DUS (DUS0) was variable in different strains. The DUS-enhanced transformation was 20-fold in two strains, FA1090 and FA19, but was approximately 150-fold in strains MS11 and 1291. All strains tested provide some level of DUS0 transformation, and DUS0 transformation was type IV pilus dependent. Competition with plasmid DNA revealed that transformation of MS11 was enhanced by the addition of excess plasmid DNA containing a DUS while FA1090 transformation was competitively inhibited. Although FA1090 was able to mediate much more efficient transformation of DNA lacking a DUS than was MS11, DNA uptake experiments showed similar levels of uptake of DNA containing and lacking a DUS in FA1090 and MS11. Finally, DNA uptake was competitively inhibited in both FA1090 and MS11. Taken together, our data indicate that the role of the DUS during DNA transformation is variable between strains of N. gonorrhoeae and may influence multiple steps during transformation.
In Vitro Inhibition of Proliferation of Estrogen-Dependent and Estrogen-Independent Human Breast Cancer Cells Treated with Carotenoids or Retinoids

Both estrogen-receptor (ER) positive MCF-7 and ER-negative Hs578T and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells were treated with carotenoids (beta-carotene, canthaxanthin and lycopene) and retinoids (all-trans-, 9-cis- and 13-cis-retinoic acid and all-trans-retinol). Among carotenoids, beta-carotene significantly reduced the growth of MCF-7 and Hs578T cells, and lycopene inhibited the growth of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Canthaxanthin did not affect the proliferation of any of the three cell lines. All-trans- and 9-cis-retinoic acid significantly reduced the growth of both MCF-7 and Hs578T cells, whereas 13-cis-retinoic acid and all-trans-retinol had a significant effect only on MCF-7 cells. MCF-7 and Hs578T cells treated with all-trans-retinoic acid (all-t-RA) were further studied for the mechanism behind growth inhibition. Retinoic acid receptors alpha and gamma (RARalpha, gamma) in MCF-7 cells and RARalpha, beta and gamma in Hs578T cells were not induced by all-t-RA treatment at either the protein or mRNA level. Hs578T cells treated with all-t-RA had significantly more cells in the G0/G1 stage of the cell cycle, but the same was not observed for MCF-7 cells. All-t-RA induced a dose-dependent cell death in MCF-7 cells, which may be a necrotic phenomenon. These results demonstrate that ER status is an important, although not essential factor for breast cancer cell response to carotenoid and retinoid treatments, and the mode of action of all-t-RA in MCF-7 and Hs578T cells is not through the induction of RAR. Other mechanistic pathways that are either followed by or concomitant with growth inhibition are possible.
Experience Modifies Olfactory Acuity: Acetylcholine-Dependent Learning Decreases Behavioral Generalization between Similar Odorants

Perceptual learning has been demonstrated in several thalamocortical sensory systems wherein experience enhances sensory acuity for trained stimuli. This perceptual learning is believed to be dependent on changes in sensory cortical receptive fields. Sensory experience and learning also modifies receptive fields and neural response patterns in the mammalian olfactory system; however, to date there has been little reported evidence of learned changes in behavioral olfactory acuity. The present report used a bradycardial orienting response and cross-habituation paradigm that allowed assessment of behavioral discrimination of nearly novel odorants, and then used the same paradigm to examine odorant discrimination after associative olfactory conditioning with similar or dissimilar odorants. The results demonstrate that associative conditioning can enhance olfactory acuity for odors that are the same as or similar to the learned odorant, but not for odors dissimilar to the learned odorant. Furthermore, scopolamine injected before associative conditioning can block the acquisition of this learned enhancement in olfactory acuity. These results could have important implications for mechanisms of olfactory perception and memory, as well as for correlating behavioral olfactory acuity with observed spatial representations of odorant features in the olfactory system.
WorldCat, the Other ETD Database: An Exploratory Study

Many librarians perceive ProQuest’s Dissertations and Theses as the key resource for searching dissertations and theses. However, the Online Computer Library Center’s (OCLC’s) WorldCat also provides a means for locating electronic dissertations and theses. This study compared these two databases and found two key observations. First, both databases provided access to a similar number of citations. Second, WorldCat consistently had twice as many citations for which ProQuest had no records. WorldCat provides an important means of locating electronic theses and dissertations.
2‐Phenylsulfonyl‐1,3‐Cycloheptadiene

[118160-44-4] C13H14O2S (MW 234.31) InChI = 1S/C13H14O2S/c14-16(15,13-10-6-3-7-11-13)12-8-4-1-2-5-9-12/h3-4,6-11H,1-2,5H2 InChIKey = JBFCGKYPRPLNFA-UHFFFAOYSA-N Physical Data: mp 61–62 °C; pale yellow powder. Solubility: soluble in most organic solvents. Preparative Methods: a simple synthesis of this reagent is accomplished by a tandem selenosulfonation-oxidation of 1, 3-cycloheptadiene with phenyl benzeneselenosulfonate quantitatively.1 Also it can be made up to a kilogram scale without toxic reagents from cycloheptanone in five steps without chromatography.2, 3 It is commercially available from Aldrich. Handling, Storage, and Precautions: it is stable at room temperature for several months, but it is best stored in a freezer.
Householder transformation for the regularized least square problem on iPSC/860

Discusses a householder factorization algorithm for a special type of matrix arising from the application of the Tikhnov regularization method to an ill-conditioned least square problem. The matrix involved is half dense and half sparse. The algorithm has been implemented on iPSC/860 hypercubes. By overlapping communications with computations, the code has been optimized to take advantage of the special structure of the matrix and minimize inter-node communications. Super-linear speed-up was observed in the numerical experiment for large problems. The algorithm has been used as a core routine in the program solving parameter identification problems in reservoir simulations. >
Control of galactosylated glycoforms distribution in cell culture system

Cell culture process conditions including media components and bioreactor operation conditions have a profound impact on recombinant protein quality attributes. Considerable changes in the distribution of galactosylated glycoforms (G0F, G1F, and G2F) were observed across multiple CHO derived recombinant proteins in development at Eli Lilly and Company when switching to a new chemically defined (CD) media platform condition. In the new CD platform, significantly lower G0F percentages and higher G1F and G2F were observed. These changes were of interest as glycosylation heterogeneity can impact the effectiveness of a protein. A systematic investigation was done to understand the root cause of the change and control strategy for galactosylated glycoforms distribution. It was found that changes in asparagine concentration could result in a corresponding change in G0F, G1F, and G2F distribution. A follow-up study examined a wider range of asparagine concentration and it was found that G0F, G1F, and G2F percentage could be titrated by adjusting asparagine concentration. The observed changes in heterogeneity from changing asparagine concentration are due to resulting changes in ammonium metabolism. Further study ascertained that different integrated ammonium level during the cell culture process could control G0F, G1F, and G2F percentage distribution. A mechanism hypothesis is proposed that integrated ammonium level impacts intracellular pH, which further regulates β-1, 4 galactosyltransferase activity.
1. PRETEXTURES OF TIME

Textures of Time is a rich and challenging book that raises a host of important and hard questions about historical narrative, form, and style; the sociology of texts; and the core problem of ascertaining historical truth. Two that pertain to the book's main claims are of special interest to nonspecialist readers: Is register or style—“texture”—necessarily and everywhere diagnostic of “history”? Does a new kind of “historical consciousness” emerge in south India beginning in the sixteenth century, indeed as a sign of an Indian early modernity?Textures is not the first book to argue that historical discourse is constitutively marked by a peculiar style, but the claim is beset by difficulties that scholars since Barthes have detailed. Rather than textures of time—accounts of what really happened in history—what these works offer us may be only pretextures of time, textualized forms of a human experience that make claims about its degrees and types of truth through representations of various states of temporality. Instead of assessing, then, whether these works are history or something else like “myth,” we might ask whether they invite us to transcend this very dichotomy, to try, that is, to make sense of historical forms of consciousness rather than to identify forms of historical consciousness. As for modernity, nothing in south Indian historiography from 1500–1800 remotely compares to the conceptual revolution of Europe. But why should we expect the newness of the early modern world to have been experienced the same way everywhere? Modernity across Asia may have shown simultaneity without symmetry. Should this asymmetry turn out to reveal continuity and not rupture, however, no need to lament the fact. There is no shame in premodernity.
Comparing architectural design styles

Different architectural styles lead not simply to different designs, but to designs with significantly different properties. This look at 11 designs of a cruise-control system shows that solutions varied, even within a design style, because of how the architectural choice leads the designer to view the system's environment. >