cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Varieties of Quest and the Religious Openness Hypothesis within Religious Fundamentalist and Biblical Foundationalist Ideological Surrounds

According to the Religious Openness Hypothesis, the religious and psychological openness of American Christians is obscured by a defensive ghettoization of thought associated with a Religious Fundamentalist Ideological Surround and can be discovered instead within a Biblical Foundationalist Ideological Surround. A test of this claim examined Religious Fundamentalism, Biblical Foundationalism, Quest, and Multidimensional Quest Scales in 432 undergraduates. Christian Religious Reflection, Religious Schema, and Religious Orientation measures clarified these two ideological surrounds. Partial correlations controlling for Biblical Foundationalism described a Religious Fundamentalist Ideological Surround that more strongly rejected Quest and that more generally displayed a failure to integrate faith with intellect. Partial correlations controlling for Religious Fundamentalism revealed a Biblical Foundationalist Ideological Surround that was more open to Quest and that offered numerous demonstrations of an ability to unite faith with intellect. These data supplemented previous investigations in demonstrating that Christianity and other traditional religions have ideological resources for promoting a faithful intellect.
Polarizabilities and hyperpolarizabilities of methane. The importance of valence charge polarization in polyatomic molecules

Abstract Derivative Hartree-Fock (DHF) theory has been used with several different basis sets to evaluate the dipole, quadrupole and octupole polarizabilities of methane through the second dipole hyperpolarizability. While for atoms and certain diatomic molecules, it is well established that dipole polarizabilities and possibly other moments and polarizabilities can be accurately evaluated only with large, extended basis sets, these calculations on methane counter the notion that this requirement carries over fully to polyatomics. It was found that what was essentially a singly polarized valence basis yields very many of the electrical properties in good agreement with extended basis set results. The reason for this is that the polarization of a polyatomic molecule is much more a transfer of charge along the molecular skeleton, an interatomic valence polarization, than a polarization of the charge cloud around each constituent atom.
Pathogens and sex in plants

Extant theories that attribute the evolution of sex to pathogen attack depend on the assumption that pathogens are narrowly specialized, so that high fitness on one host genotype results in poor fitness on hosts with other allele combinations. This assumption is necessary in order for frequency-dependent selection to produce sustained cycling of gametic disequilibrium across the host's disease resistance loci, which makes recombination advantageous. However, a review of numerous genetic studies on plant disease resistance failed to uncover a single example consistent with this assumption. Instead, the empirical results provide strong support for a different pattern of pathogen specificity, in which adaptation by pathogens to one resistance allele does not preclude high fitness on alternate host genotypes lacking that allele. Modification of traditional models for pathogen-mediated evolution of sex showed that for conditions close to the empirical pattern of genotypic specificity, sex is almost never favoured. For plants, these results cast doubt on current theories arguing that pathogens are the primary selective agent responsible for sexual reproduction.
Shape Design Optimization of Hyperelastic Structures Using a Meshless Method

Ashapedesignoptimizationprocedureforhyperelasticstructuresisdevelopedusing ameshlessmethodforanalysis and a continuum-based design sensitivity analysis (DSA) method. The meshless method greatly reduces the mesh distortion or entanglement encountered in using the e nite element method for large deformation nonlinear analysis and structural shape design optimization. The DSA method of Grindeanu et al. (Grindeanu, I., Chang, K.-H., Choi, K. K., and Chen, J.-S., “ Design Sensitivity Analysis of Hyperelastic Structures Using a Meshless Method,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 36, No. 4, 1998, pp. 618 ‐627) is extended by using a pressure projection method to avoid volumetric locking for nearly incompressible materials without the need for large support sizes for the meshless shape functions and to reduce the CPU time. The Lagrange multiplier method is used to impose the essential boundary conditions. An engine mount is employed as an example to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed optimization method. The mass is minimized subject to constraints on hydrostatic pressure and stiffness characteristics of the component. The design velocity e elds corresponding to theshape design parameters are obtained using the Design Sensitivity Analysis and Optimization tool. Shape design optimization is carried out using the modie ed feasible direction of the Design Optimization Tool.
Transdermal controlled delivery of verapamil: determination of in vitro/in vivo relationship

Abstract The bilayer skin/two-compartment body model was used to correlate in vitro skin permeation data and in vivo plasma level data after transdermal delivery of verapamil. A good correlation was found between the transient-state profiles of the experimental and simulated data. However, the experimental steady-state concentrations were lower than the predicted values. This could be explained on the basis that verapamil was undergoing bioconversion in human skin. The mathematical model used also provides an estimate of the rate constant for the metabolism of verapamil in the skin.
Isotope fractionation during microbial metal uptake measured by MC-ICP-MS

High-precision isotopic analyses by MC-ICP-MS were used to investigate the mass-dependent fractionation of Mo and Fe isotopes during bacterial metal assimilation in experiments with Azotobacter vinelandii. A. vinelandii is a diazotroph with high demand for both Mo and Fe during nitrogen fixation. Our results demonstrate that the growth medium became progressively enriched in heavier isotopes of Mo during bacterial growth, indicating preferential assimilation of lighter isotopes. In contrast, for Fe, the medium become isotopically lighter as Fe was removed from solution. The experimental data can be interpreted in terms of Rayleigh fractionation, yielding fractionation factors of 0.9997 and 1.0011 for Mo and Fe, respectively. Hence, we infer Δ97/95Mocells-medium = –0.3‰ and Δ56/54Fecells-medium = 1.1‰. Fractionation of Mo isotopes could result from simple kinetic effects during assimilation, but may also be affected by complexation with high-affinity metal binding ligands. Kinetic effects cannot easily account for the sense of Fe isotope fractionation, and so equilibrium effects, possibly between different Fe complexes, are implied. Adsorption of Mo and Fe onto cell surfaces may also play a role and requires further examination. Isotope fractionation studies using MC-ICP-MS may provide new constraints on the processes by which microbes extract metals from their surroundings, ultimately yielding insights into the mechanisms of metal assimilation into the metallome.
Where's the best medicine? The hospital rating game.

On July 18, 1994, U.S. News and World Report published its annual ranking of America's best hospitals. The rankings were based on a model developed by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC). National rankings are a type of program evaluation that deserve careful scrutiny with regard to their methods. While problems with measurement validity are discussed, the principle concern here was the model used to compile a final ranking of hospitals. The News-NORC model is typical of ranking schemes that usually reduce higher levels of measure ment to lower ones in order to compute final scores. Such simple tabulation techniques, however, distort the ratios between the scores and bias the results. A type of percentaging, using part/whole percentages (P/W%), was used to show the differences between hospital rankings when data are kept at higher levels of measurement, such as interval or ratio levels. Percentaging methods produce more valid results when comparatively evaluating programs whether the goal is to pr...
Potentiality of the proton-boron fuel for controlled thermonuclear fusion

The reaction p + 11B → 3α + 8.7 MeV is evaluated as a potential fuel for a controlled thermonuclear fusion reactor. It is shown that successful fusion power from p-11B is not to be expected in magnetic confinement devices because of very large synchrotron radiation losses. Laser fusion might be a more appropriate approach if it is proved feasible.
Using the Glucose Oxidase Peroxidase System in Enzyme Kinetics

An expeimental protocol is described for a biochemistry laboratory on enzyme kinetics using glucose oxidase coupled to a horseradish peroxidase/colored dye system to yield an easily visualized and ...
A relaxed revision of Karmarkar's method

A relaxed version of Karmarkar's method is developed. This method is proved to have the same polynomial time complexity as Karmarkar's method and its efficient implementation using inexact projections is discussed. Computational results obtained using a preliminary implementation of the method are presented which indicate that the method is practicable.
Development and validation of a decision-making algorithm to guide the use of plerixafor for autologous hematopoietic stem cell mobilization

Plerixafor is an inhibitor of CXCR-4 (CXC chemokine receptor-4)/SDF (stromal cell-derived factor)-1 binding used in combination with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) for mobilization of autologous peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). We developed a data-generated, cost-saving decision-making algorithm that uses the CD34+ count in the peripheral blood on the fourth day of G-CSF administration (PB-CD34+), and the collection target (T-CD34+) to decide between continuing G-CSF only (G approach) or adding plerixafor to the mobilization regimen (G+P approach) aiming at the lowest cost. The G+P approach was more cost-effective with lower PB-CD34+. It was possible to determine, for each T-CD34+, the maximum PB-CD34+ for which the G+P approach is cost-effective, generating an algorithm for the use of plerixafor. We validated this algorithm in a cohort of 34 patients undergoing HSC mobilization. In all, 11 patients completed collection on the G approach and 23 patients on the G+P approach, with 91% of the patients completing collection within the predicted number of apheresis sessions. All patients who underwent transplantation engrafted with minimal differences in engraftment time between G and G+P approaches. This validated algorithm provides a potential cost-saving decision tool for the use of plerixafor in autologous HSC mobilization.
Application of Sequential Testing to Motor Vehicle Emission Certification

A new structure for economically-based sequential inspection plans is developed for use in motor vehicle emission testing. The structure allows for multiple attributes, multiple sources of randomness, misclassification of inspected items, and adjustment of cost parameters to produce desirable classical properties. Specific sequential plans are developed for the Environmental Protection Agency's motor vehicle certification program and are applied retrospectively to vehicles tested in the past. The use of such plans in the past could have saved resources while resulting in no significant degradation in performance. Both the structure and computational methods used have potential application to other sampling inspection problems.
Lemierre's syndrome resulting from streptococcal induced otitis media and mastoiditis: a case report

Lemierre's syndrome is an extremely rare and almost universally fatal disease characterized as thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular venous system with subsequent metastatic infection. Fusobacterium necrophorum is the most common organism implicated in causation of Lemierre's syndrome. Group A Streptococcus has mainly been observed as a polymicrobial organism in the syndrome. We report a rare finding of a rare disease where Group A Streptococcus was the sole organism triggering Lemierre's syndrome. To our knowledge, this is only the third recorded patient with such an occurrence.
Evidence that chronic alcohol exposure promotes intestinal oxidative stress, intestinal hyperpermeability and endotoxemia prior to development of alcoholic steatohepatitis in rats.

Background/Aims Not all alcoholics develop liver disease (ALD). Thus, excessive ethanol consumption is necessary, but not sufficient, to induce alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH) and ALD. Since endotoxemia is present in patients with ALD, it has been proposed that gut-derived, circulating endotoxin is the necessary co-factor for ASH. But, it is not known whether endotoxemia is the consequence or the trigger for ALD. Accordingly, the aim of the current study was to determine whether endotoxemia occurs prior to development of ASH and whether gut leakiness is the primary cause of the endotoxemia in an animal model of ASH. Methods Time courses for development of gut hyperpermeability, nitric oxide production, oxidative injury to the gut, endotoxemia, and liver injury were assessed in rats during 10weeks of daily alcohol gavage. Results Liver fat and serum transaminase increased after 2weeks, but evidence of liver cell injury and inflammation (ASH) occurred after 8weeks. Gut leakiness, intestinal oxidative injury, and endotoxemia occurred in weeks 2–4 and progressed thereafter. Conclusions That alcohol-induced gut leakiness and endotoxemia preceded steatohepatitis indicates they are not the consequence of ALD. Our data support the hypothesis that gut leakiness resulting in endotoxemia is a key co-factor (trigger) for ASH.
Calculator metaphors, and goals for calculator education in elementary schools

Computers are not easy to understand. Even a computer scientist who devotes full time to the field cannot hope to fully comprehend the capabilities, limitations, applications, and implications of these machines. Joseph Weizenbaum, in his recent book Computer Power and Human Reason (1), suggests that most people “understand” computers via what he calls a computer metaphor. Weizenbaum quotes I. A. Richards, who says a metaphor is “fundamentally a borrowing between and intercourse of thoughts, a transaction between contexts.” That is, a metaphor is an analogy, a simile, a model; it is designed to relate the unknown to the known.There are many possible computer metaphors. Weizenbaum makes the point that many people have accepted one particular computer metaphor, and that it is a particularly misleading one. Computer scientists think of a computer as a machine that can carry out an effective procedure. The words procedure and effective procedure have meaning to non-computer scientists. They can see that humans carry out procedures, or that many activities of humans can be thought of as execution of effective procedures. The effective procedure computer metaphor thus leads to the belief that humans and computers are quite similar in their capabilities and in the way they solve problems.
The effect of body position on sleep apnea in children younger than 3 years.

Objective To determine the association between body position and obstructive events during sleep as determined by polysomnography (PSG) in very young children (age, ≤3 years) with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Design Retrospective chart review. Subjects Children aged 3 years and younger who underwent PSG to evaluate obstructive sleep apnea and subsequently underwent adenotonsillectomy between December 1, 2000, and November 30, 2003, were included in the study. The PSGs were analyzed for data on the respiratory disturbance index (RDI), time spent in each body position, number of apneic events in each position, oxygen saturation, and time spent in each stage of sleep. The results determined the statistical significance of these parameters. Results Sixty patients satisfied the criteria for inclusion in the study. The mean supine sleep RDI was 8.5 compared with 4.9 for the mean nonsupine sleep RDI. The mean RDI increased from 5.6 to 8.5 when more than 50% of the time was spent in supine sleep. There was a further increase to 10.5 when supine sleep increased to 75% of the total sleep time. The mean RDI in rapid eye movement sleep was 20.5 compared with 5.3 in non–rapid eye movement sleep. The mean ± SD supine sleep RDI was 18.5 ± 5.1, and the mean nonsupine RDI was 7.2 ± 1.9, which was statistically significant ( P = .02). Conclusions There is an increase in the RDI with increased time spent in supine sleep in very young children with obstructive sleep apnea. Inadequate time spent in that position may lead to an underestimation of the severity of obstructive sleep apnea. A combination of reduced rapid eye movement sleep and increased nonsupine sleep may invalidate the findings of PSG in these children.
Implementing change: steps to initiate a human donor milk program in a US Level III NICU.

Initiating a pasteurized human donor milk (PDM) program in a level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can be a difficult process that requires commitment by a multidisciplinary team, education...
GLI activation by atypical protein kinase C ι/λ regulates the growth of basal cell carcinomas

Growth of basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) requires high levels of hedgehog (HH) signalling through the transcription factor GLI. Although inhibitors of membrane protein smoothened (SMO) effectively suppress HH signalling, early tumour resistance illustrates the need for additional downstream targets for therapy. Here we identify atypical protein kinase C ι/λ (aPKC-ι/λ) as a novel GLI regulator in mammals. aPKC-ι/λ and its polarity signalling partners co-localize at the centrosome and form a complex with missing-in-metastasis (MIM), a scaffolding protein that potentiates HH signalling. Genetic or pharmacological loss of aPKC-ι/λ function blocks HH signalling and proliferation of BCC cells. Prkci is a HH target gene that forms a positive feedback loop with GLI and exists at increased levels in BCCs. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling shows that aPKC-ι/λ and SMO control the expression of similar genes in tumour cells. aPKC-ι/λ functions downstream of SMO to phosphorylate and activate GLI1, resulting in maximal DNA binding and transcriptional activation. Activated aPKC-ι/λ is upregulated in SMO-inhibitor-resistant tumours and targeting aPKC-ι/λ suppresses signalling and growth of resistant BCC cell lines. These results demonstrate that aPKC-ι/λ is critical for HH-dependent processes and implicates aPKC-ι/λ as a new, tumour-selective therapeutic target for the treatment of SMO-inhibitor-resistant cancers.
Using phylogenetics to detect pollinator‐mediated floral evolution

Summary The development of comparative phylogenetic methods has provided a powerful toolkit for addressing adaptive hypotheses, and researchers have begun to apply these methods to test the role of pollinators in floral evolution and diversification. One approach is to reconstruct the history of both floral traits and pollination systems to determine if floral trait change is spurred by shifts in pollinators. Looking across multiple shifts, it is also possible to test for significant correlations between floral evolution and pollinators using parsimony, likelihood and Bayesian methods for discrete characters or using statistical comparative methods for continuous characters. Evolutionary shifts in pollinators and floral traits may cause changes in diversification rates, and new methods are available for simultaneously studying character evolution and diversification rates. Relatively few studies have yet used formal comparative methods to elucidate how pollinators affect floral evolution across the phylogeny, and fruitful directions for future applications are discussed.
Incidence of Late Rectal and Urinary Toxicities After Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiotherapy and Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer

Purpose To report the incidence and predictors of treatment-related toxicity at 10 years after three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for localized prostate cancer. Methods and Materials Between 1988 and 2000, 1571 patients with stages T1–T3 prostate cancer were treated with 3D-CRT/IMRT with doses ranging from 66 to 81 Gy. The median follow-up was 10 years. Posttreatment toxicities were all graded according to the National Cancer Institute's Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events. Results The actuarial likelihood at 10 years for the development of Grade ≥2 GI toxicities was 9%. The use of IMRT significantly reduced the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) toxicities compared with patients treated with conventional 3D-CRT (13% to 5%; p p p = 0.01). Among patients who had developed acute symptoms during treatment, the incidence of late toxicity at 10 years was 35%, compared with 12% ( p Conclusions Serious late toxicity was unusual despite the delivery of high radiation dose levels in these patients. Higher doses were associated with increased GI and GU Grade 2 toxicities, but the risk of proctitis was significantly reduced with IMRT. Acute symptoms were a precursor of late toxicities in these patients.
Information Content of Business Methods Patents

We examine the market reaction to business method patents granted to publicly traded firms. Our findings suggest that the State Street decision represents a turning point not only for the growth in the number of business method patent filings, but also in the market's awareness and perception of value creation for the filing firms. The granting of a business method patent evokes a positive average stock price reaction, especially in the post-State Street period. Cross-sectional differences in abnormal returns depend on the type of patent granted. The market reaction also differs based on industry classification.
Federated Grid Computing with Interactive Service-oriented Programing:

Improvements in distributed computing, and the technologies that enable them, have led to significant advancements in middleware functionality and quality, mainly through networking and protocols. However, the distributed programing style has changed little over the years. Most programs are still written line per line of code in languages such as C, C++, and Java. These conventional programs that can provide grid operations and grid data can be considered as common grid resources and shared by research and education communities worldwide. However, there are no relevant programing methodologies to utilize efficiently these shared service providers as a potentially vast grid repository, except through the manual writing of code. Realization of the potential of grid computing requires significant improvements in grid programing methodologies. The Grid interactive service-oriented (GISO) methodology presented provides a programming environment with development tools that permit true interactive grid programmi...
Understanding the Presence of False-Positive Antibodies in Acute Hepatitis

Although false-positive antibodies (FPAs) have been well described in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV), this has not been evaluated in acute viral hepatitis. Patients with acute viral hepatitis underwent antibody testing for other causes of liver disease and sexually transmitted diseases. Those with antibody positivity underwent confirmatory testing and monitoring. Patients with FPAs were compared with patients with acute hepatitis C infection without FPAs. In total 7 of 24 patients (29%) had FPAs. FPAs during acute viral hepatitis are associated with higher IgM levels and higher ESR in acute HCV. This has both mechanistic and clinical implications and should be evaluated further.
Interventions to slow progression of myopia in children

Background Nearsightedness (myopia) causes blurry vision when looking at distant objects. Highly nearsighted people are at greater risk of several vision-threatening problems such as retinal detachments, choroidal atrophy, cataracts and glaucoma. Interventions that have been explored to slow the progression of myopia include bifocal spectacles, cycloplegic drops, intraocular pressure-lowering drugs, muscarinic receptor antagonists and contact lenses. The purpose of this review was to systematically assess the effectiveness of strategies to control progression of myopia in children.
Evolution and Social Cognition: Contrast Effects as a Function of Sex, Dominance, and Physical Attractiveness

Previous research indicates that males, compared with females, evaluate their relationships less favorably after exposure to physically attractive members of the other sex. An evolutionary model predicts a converse effect after exposure to opposite-sex individuals high in dominance, which should lead females to evaluate their current relationships less favorably than males. Women and men rated their current relationships after being exposed to opposite-sex targets varying in both dominance and physical attractiveness. Consistent with earlier research, males exposed to physically attractive, as compared with average, targets rated their current relationships less favorably. Males' relationship evaluations were not directly influenced by the targets' dominance, although the effect of physical attractiveness was significant only for men exposed to women low in dominance. However; females' evaluations of their relationships were unaffected by exposure to physically attractive males but were lower after exposu...
Experiential, Team-Based Learning in a Baccalaureate Social Work Research Course

This article describes student responses to a BSW research course framed by experiential learning theory to engage the community and offer applied research practice. The study finds that students generally express overall satisfaction with the research course and describe perceptions of learning gains when involved in a team-based research project with a community partner. The article describes the factors that may influence varying levels of satisfaction and learning gains, such as group functioning, involvement with the community partner, perceived connections between course content and the research project, and one’s individual contribution. As social work educators continue to seek innovative ways to provide a solid generalist social work foundation, it is important to continue evaluating teaching methods within the research course while striving to meet student learning needs.
α and β Diversity of a Tachinid Parasitoid Community Over Space and Time

Many species of Tachinidae are important parasitoids of herbivorous insects in natural and managed systems; yet, little is known about tachinid diversity and how this diversity is distributed across space and time. Here, pan trap sampling was used to analyze the richness, microhabitat speciÞcity, and seasonal diversity of a tachinid parasitoid community in an oakÐ mesquite savanna of Southeastern Arizona. Twenty-four traps were set out monthly during the growing season in three different microhabitats (open grassland, woodland understory, and woodland canopy). In total, 79 tachinid species were sampled with an estimated total diversity of 122 species. Most individual traps sampled few species; yet, variation in species composition ( diversity) among sampling dates and microhabitats was high, accounting for 40 Ð70% of the total diversity. SigniÞcant intraspeciÞc aggregation was not observed across traps or microhabitats, but it was observed across dates, suggesting that the activity of tachinid species may be associated with host phenology and seasonal periods of precipitation. The diversity associated with microhabitat and sampling date was signiÞcantly greater than expected. Tachinid species diversity was highest in the canopy traps, whereas the open-exposed traps exhibited high abundances of relatively few species, and understory traps sampled few individuals of few species. Most species tended to be sampled where their hosts would be expected to be found, although males were also frequently sampled in microhabitats associated with mate Þnding. These patterns of diversity and abundance may aid in understanding parasitoidÐ host associations and variation in rates of parasitism by tachinid sies.
Differential inhibition of cholinergic and noncholinergic neurogenic contractions by Mu opioid and alpha-2 adrenergic agonists in guinea pig ileum

The actions of clonidine, 5-bromo-N-(4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazole-2-yl)-6-quinoxalinamine (UK 14304), D-Ala2, N-MePhe4, Gly-ol5 enkephalin (DAGOL), and morphine on neurogenic contractions were studied in guinea pig ileum longitudinal muscle myenteric plexus in vitro. Cholinergic contractions were evoked by 0.1 and 10 Hz transmural electrical stimuli; noncholinergic contractions (1 microM scopolamine present) were evoked only by trains of stimuli. Noncholinergic contractions were mediated largely by substance P (SP). DAGOL and morphine inhibited 0.1 Hz contractions; pD2 values were 8.0 and 6.0, respectively. DAGOL also inhibited 10-Hz cholinergic contractions (pD2 = 7.5). The actions of DAGOL were blocked by naloxone (Kb approximately 5 nM) indicative of an action at mu opioid receptors. DAGOL (1 microM) reduced by 50% noncholinergic responses evoked by 5 Hz but not 10- or 20-Hz stimulation. Morphine did not inhibit noncholinergic contractions. Clonidine and UK 14304 inhibited 0.1 Hz contractions with pD2 values of 8.1 and 7.4, respectively. Clonidine and UK 14304 also inhibited 10-Hz cholinergic contractions. UK 14304 inhibited equally well noncholinergic contractions evoked by 5-, 10- and 20-Hz stimuli. The actions of UK 14304 were blocked by idazoxan (Kb approximately 5 nM). UK 14304 and DAGOL Ka values were determined using null methods and were used to construct occupancy-response curves to measure coupling efficiency (efficacy) between agonist-occupied receptor and response. The relative efficacy of UK 14304 was: 10 Hz noncholinergic > or = 0.1 Hz cholinergic > 10 Hz cholinergic. The relative efficacy for DAGOL was: 0.1 Hz cholinergic > 10 Hz cholinergic > 10 Hz noncholinergic.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A comparison of concurrent programming and cooperative multithreading under load balancing applications: Research Articles

Two models of thread execution are the general concurrent programming execution model (CP) and the cooperative multithreading execution model (CM). CP provides nondeterministic thread execution where context switches occur arbitrarily. CM provides threads that execute one at a time until they explicitly choose to yield the processor. This paper focuses on a classic application to reveal the advantages and disadvantages of load balancing during thread execution under CP and CM styles; results from a second classic application were similar. These applications are programmed in two different languages (SR and Dynamic C) on different hardware (standard PCs and embedded system controllers). An SR-like run-time system, DesCaRTeS, was developed to provide interprocess communication for the Dynamic C implementations. This paper compares load balancing and non-load balancing implementations; it also compares CP and CM style implementations. The results show that in cases of very high or very low workloads, load balancing slightly hindered performance; and in cases of moderate workload, both SR and Dynamic C implementations of load balancing generally performed well. Further, for these applications, CM style programs outperform CP style programs in some cases, but the opposite occurs in some other cases. This paper also discusses qualitative tradeoffs between CM style programming and CP style programming for these applications. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Transverse Jet Mixing and Combustion Experiments in the Hypersonic Shock Tunnel T5 at GALCIT

For ground simulation of the flows that occur in SCRAM-Jet propulsion of hyper-velocity vehicles in which the hydrogen fuel is used as a coolant, it is essential that not only the enthalpy and pressure of the air flow, but also that the pressure and speed of the hydrogen be reproduced. Both can be achieved in the free-piston shock tunnel T5 together with the new small, combustion-heated hydrogen injection shock tunnel at GALCIT. Critical elements that need to be examined are the combustion efficiency and the turbulent mixing rate, especially at the unavoidable zero-shear condition, where the fuel and air speeds are the same. Results are presented from tests with a simple configuration consisting of a rectangular duct in which the injection system was mounted flush with one of the walls. The conditions cover a range of pressures from low values chosen to match previous experiments with the same duct from the HYPULSE expansion tube facility at the General Applied Sciences Laboratory, to values corresponding to the conditions closer to those in a real SCRAM-Jet engine.
Deregulated E2F-1 blocks terminal differentiation and loss of leukemogenicity of M1 myeloblastic leukemia cells without abrogating induction of p15INK4B and p16INK4A

The transcription factor E2F-1 has been postulated to play a crucial role in the control of cell cycle progression because of its ability to be bound and regulated by the retinoblastoma gene product (pRb). Exogenous expression of E2F-1, under growth restrictive conditions, was shown to result in p53-dependent programmed cell death. The consequences of deregulated expression of E2F-1 on terminal differentiation of hematopoietic cells in the absence of E2F-1-mediated apoptosis, as well as mechanistic insights into how deregulated E2F-1 may affect terminal differentiation, have not been established. The autonomously proliferating M1 myeloblastic leukemia cell line, which is null for p53 expression and can be induced by interleukin-6 (IL-6) to undergo terminal macrophage differentiation with concomitant loss of leukemogenicity, provides a particularly attractive model system to address these issues. Deregulated and continued expression of E2F-1 blocked the IL-6-induced terminal differentiation program at an early blast stage, giving rise to immature cells, which continued to proliferate without undergoing apoptosis and retained their leukemogenic phenotype. Although E2F-1 blocked IL-6-mediated terminal differentiation and its associated growth arrest, it did not prevent the rapid induction of both p15(INK4B) and p16(INK4A), inhibition of cdk4 kinase activity, and subsequent hypophosphorylation of pRb. The results obtained imply that genetic alterations that both impair p53 function and deregulate E2F-1 expression may render hematopoietic cells refractory to the induction of differentiation and are, thereby, likely to play a major role in the progression of leukemias. (Blood. 2000;96:475-482)
Controlling the Sn grain morphology of SnAg C4 solder bumps

The effects of solder composition, under bump metallurgy (UBM), and solder joint geometry on Sn grain morphology in Pb free, C4 solder joints were examined. The solder joints examined had compositions of either Sn-1%Ag or Sn-2.4%Ag, and were on either Cu or Ni pads. The geometries of the solder joints were varied: diameters ranged from 11 to 100 microns and heights from 11 to 30 microns. To study the effects of aspect ratio on the Sn grain morphology, pairs of microbumps with similar pad diameters, solder height and composition were bonded together. Samples were reflowed by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC); thus the solidification temperatures were carefully monitored. Sn grain morphologies were characterized by optical microscopy with crossed polarizers (XP) and by scanning electron microscopy with secondary electrons (SE) and an electron backscattered diffraction detector (EBSD). Sn-2.4%Ag solder bumps exhibited smaller Sn grains than Sn-1%Ag alloys. The nucleation rates of Sn from the melt in Pb free solder joints at a number of different temperatures were also measured. An expression for the nucleation of Sn in Sn-2.4%Ag and Sn-1%Ag solder joints on Cu or Ni pads was formulated, providing a predictive capability for Sn solidification temperatures. This study has shown that variation in the temperature of solidification of Sn from the melt results in significant differences in Sn grain morphology.
Success in the classroom and in life Focusing on strengths of the head and strengths of the heart

Strengths of the heart is a new and potentially useful paradigm for understanding how the whole gifted child can thrive and flourish. Until recently, those who have written about and have researche...
A Method for Genome Editing in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) hold great potential for regenerative medicine and currently are being used as a research tool for basic discovery and disease modeling. To evaluate the role of a single genetic variant, a system of genome editing is needed to precisely mutate any desired DNA sequence in isolation and measure its effect on phenotype when compared to the isogenic parental PSC from which it was derived. This protocol describes the general targeting schemes used by researchers to edit PSCs to knock out, knock-in, or precisely alter a single nucleotide, covering conditions for electroporation, clonal isolation, and screening of edited PSCs for the targeted mutation. These recent advances simplify the procedure for genome editing, allowing individual researchers to induce nearly any desired mutation to further study its function or to reverse a disease-causing variant for future applications in regenerative medicine.
Glucose-6-phosphate as the product of glucose phosphorylation in testes.

SummaryExtracts of rabbit and rat testes readily formed glucose-6-P (measured by NADP+ reduction in presence of excess glu-cose-6-P dehydrogenase) from ATP and glucose in presence of 0.06 M arsenate, which inhibits phosphoglucomutase approximately 90%. These findings are considered to indicate that contrary to the reports of Akaeda, glucose-6-P is the primary phosphorylation product in this tissue.
Nicholas Neocles Ambraseys 1929–2012

Online Material: Publications list. Nick Ambraseys died peacefully in his Putney home in London on 28 December 2012, a few weeks short of his 84th birthday. Born in Athens, Greece, 19 January 1929, he acquired his middle name from his father, Neocles Amvrasis, and, from his Alexandria‐born mother, Cleopatra Yambani, he learned Arabic. He was educated at the National Technical University of Athens, where he received a diploma in rural engineering in 1952. For his mandatory military service he chose the Hellenic Navy; and, in 1954 while still completing his navy duties, he was appointed to the staff of the Department of Fluid Mechanics at the National Technical University of Athens. During the time of his appointment in Athens (1954–1956), two events changed his life. The first was on 18 August 1955, when he married Xeni Stavrou, a happy event that Xeni recalls meant that Nick never learned to drive a car (she jests that in all the years she drove Nick around, he never provided her with an official chauffeur’s cap). Xeni and Nick left for London the next day. The second event occurred a year later. On 9 July 1956 a major earthquake near Amogas, roughly 80 km northwest of Santorini, generated the largest twentieth‐century tsunami in the eastern Aegean. Nicholas N. Ambraseys. He became interested in the study of the 1956 earthquake and its tsunami while investigating its impact on the stability of harbor works throughout the Greek archipelago. The study challenged his analytic skills but also triggered two interests that were to dominate his subsequent career: the study of earthquakes and the study of their historical records. His 1960 article discussing the 1956 tsunami lists 46 previous tsunamis from 1400 B.C. to that date and remarks that “in none of the references is the original source of …
Measurement of inflight shell areal density near peak velocity using a self backlighting technique

The growth of perturbations in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) capsules can lead to significant variation of inflight shell areal density (ρR), ultimately resulting in poor compression and ablator material mixing into the hotspot. As the capsule is accelerated inward, the perturbation growth results from the initial shock-transit through the shell and then amplification by Rayleigh-Taylor as the shell accelerates inwards. Measurements of ρR perturbations near peak implosion velocity (PV) are essential to our understanding of ICF implosions because they reflect the integrity of the capsule, after the inward acceleration growth is complete, of the actual shell perturbations including native capsule surface roughness and "isolated defects". Quantitative measurements of shell-ρR perturbations in capsules near PV are challenging, requiring a new method with which to radiograph the shell. An innovative method, utilized in this paper, is to use the self-emission from the hotspot to "self- backlight" the shell inflight. However, with nominal capsule fills there is insufficient self-emission for this method until the capsule nears peak compression (PC). We produce a sufficiently bright continuum self-emission backlighter through the addition of a high-Z gas (~ 1% Ar) to the capsule fill. This provides a significant (~10x) increase in emission at hυ~8 keV over nominal fills. "Self backlit" radiographs are obtained for times when the shock is rebounding from the capsule center, expanding out to meet the incoming shell, providing a means to sample the capsule optical density though only one side, as it converges through PV.
Aspects of lung transplantation that contribute to increased severity of pneumonia: An experimental study

In lung or heart-lung transplant recipients, complications as a result of pulmonary infections continue to be the most frequent causes of morbidity and mortality. This study was undertaken to identify the contributions of (1) thoracotomy, (2) interruption of lymphatic vessels and bronchial arteries, (3) transplant procedure, (4) drug-induced immunosuppression, and (5) graft allogenicity to the increased risk of pneumonia in lung transplantation. Lewis rats were inoculated with 10(5) colony-forming units of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 by direct instillation into the trachea after one of the following: a general anesthetic with no operation; a left thoracotomy; a left thoracotomy with pulmonary hilar stripping; an isogeneic orthotopic left lung transplant with or without immunosuppression; or an allogeneic transplant with immunosuppression with Brown-Norway rats as donors. Immunosuppression was induced with an intramuscular injection of cyclosporine (25 mg/kg of body weight) from the inoculation day to day 3. All rats were killed on day 6, and severity of infection was determined by quantitative culture of Legionella organisms in the lungs and spleen, titer of Legionella urinary antigen, differential cell count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, body weight loss, and gross inspection of the lung. Significant increases in lung Legionella concentration occurred as a result of the addition of pulmonary hilar stripping (from 10(5.13 +/- 0.34) in the thoracotomy group to 10(5.66 +/- 0.25) in the thoracotomy with hilar stripping group, p = 0.013) and the addition of immunosuppression (from 10(5.47 +/- 0.47) in the isogeneic transplant group to 10(6.94 +/- 0.52) in the isogeneic transplant with immunosuppression group, p = 0.00016). Thoracotomy, transplant procedures, and allogenicity itself resulted in no significant increases. The results for all other indicators paralleled those for lung culture. We conclude that the combination of drug-induced immunosuppression with lung denervation and interruption of lymphatic vessels and bronchial arteries results in the early development and increased severity of pneumonia in lung transplantation.
Angiotensinogen dependency of blood pressure in two high-renin hypertensive rat models.

In this analysis we investigated whether angiotensinogen (Aogn) levels were related to blood pressure (BP) in two hypertensive rat models when renin secretion was either under physiologic regulation or out of control. These relationships were investigated using BP data from previous reports in which SHRsp and Dahl S rats were studied for 10 to 12 weeks while ingesting a high-salt diet with and without the angiotensin II (AngII) antagonist losartan. During the first 4 weeks of high-salt diet, plasma renin concentration (PRC) was appropriately suppressed but it subsequently increased paradoxically in both strains. During the first 4 weeks, when renin secretion was under normal control, as indicated by its suppression by the high-salt diet and by an inverse relationship between PRC and BP (r = -0.69, P < .001 and r = -0.53, P < .01 in Dahl S and SHRsp, respectively), there was no relationship between BP and plasma Aogn. In contrast, when renin secretion increased paradoxically, the inverse relationship between BP and PRC was lost and a positive relationship was found between BP and plasma Aogn in both Dahl S rats (r = 0.70, P < .01) and SHRsp (r = 0.57, P < .01). There was no relationship between BP and Aogn in either strain during treatment with losartan either before or after 4 to 6 weeks of salt feeding. These results show Aogn dependency of BP, but only under conditions in which renin cannot feed back normally. The Aogn relationship to BP was most likely dependent on the vasoconstrictor effect of AngII since it was lost during AngII AT1 receptor antagonism.
Radioimmunoassay of DNA Damaged by Ultraviolet Light

Quantitative imunoassays such as radioimmunoassay (RIA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) are sensitive and reliable procedures used to measure UV photoproducts in purified sample DNA (Eggset et al., 1983; Strickland, 1985; Mitchell and Nairn, 1989; Matsunaga et al., 1990; Wani and Arezina, 1991; Vink et al., 1993). Competitive immunoassays have distinct advantages over other procedures in the analysis of DNA damage in human and environmental samples. For instance, unlike spectroscopic analyses, immunoassays are not limited to certain classes of adducts, and unlike HPLC and 32P-postlabeling, immunoanalysis of DNA damage does not require hydrolysis of sample DNA which can decrease the signal-to-noise ratio and alter chemical structure. ELISAs and RIAs require minimal sample manipulation and have been performed on crude cell lysates. In addition, sample DNA does not require prelabeling with a radioactive tracer and antibody binding is quasi-independent of molecular weight (i.e., DNA degradation). Immunoassays are thus readily applied to a variety of biological materials and have typically been used to measure DNA damage in cell and organ cultures, normal tissues and tumor biopsies, and various other samples including buccal cells, bone marrow aspirates, and peripheral blood lymphocytes. RIA is a sensitive and facile technique for measuring genotoxic damage in DNA.