cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dose-response modelling of growth for developmental toxicity

A biologically-based dose-response model for predicting developmental malformation effects from exposure to a toxic substance during pregnancy is developed. The biological basis of this model arises from the expectation of exponential growth in rodents during gestation, and the exponential growth rate assumed to be reduced by dose raised to a power when a toxic substance is administered during gestation. The prenatal foetal weight is used as a biomarker to link the incidence of cleft palate to the dose level. A dose-response growth model for prenatal foetal weight as a function of both time and dose is established. This dose-response function is then combined with a dose-response function between the incidence of cleft palate and the prenatal foetal weight to form a dose-response function between the cleft palate and dose. Two experiments, a dexamethasone (DEX) exposure in rats and a 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic (2,4,5-T) acid exposure in mice, were conducted for purpose of checking the models empirically and for demonstration of modelling process. The proposed dose-response growth model for prenatal foetal weight fits adequately to both experimental data, but the model from prenatal foetal weight and incidence of cleft palate combined seems inadequate to describe the relationship between the dose and incidence of cleft palate fully.
Comparison of two fatty acid synthetases from Euglena gracilis variety bacillaris.

Abstract Two enzyme systems from Euglena gracilis var. bacillaris which catalyze the de novo biosynthesis of fatty acids have been compared. One is a multienzyme complex of high molecular weight which is independent of ACP for activity in vitro, and the other is an ACP-dependent system of discrete enzymes (M. L. Ernst-Fonberg, (1973) Biochemistry12, 2449–2455). The latter activity is present in small amounts in etiolated cells and increases upon exposure of dark-grown cells to light, while multienzyme complex fatty acid synthetase activity decreases by about one-half after 24 hr of exposure to light. Results from the greening of dark-grown cells in the presence of cycloheximide, chloramphenicol, or spectinomycin suggests that the chloroplast ribosomes are involved in the appearance of the ACP-dependent activity; alternatively, the cytoplasmic ribosomes appear to be the site of biosynthesis of the multienzyme complex fatty acid synthetase (or a protein responsible for its activation). The fatty acid synthetase activities from several chloroplast mutants were measured. The ACP-dependent activity was reduced or not present depending on the degree of impairment of chloroplast development, while the multienzyme complex activity in all instances continued to respond to light or darkness. Antibodies against the purified multienzyme complex extensively inhibited its activity whereas the activity of the ACP-dependent system was consistently stimulated. The two enzyme systems are immunologically cross reactive but not identical.
Effect of anger provocation on endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilation

Anger is an independent predictor of coronary heart disease events, although the mechanisms for this relation are unclear. The effects of an anger-provoking interview compared with a neutral interview on endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilation assessed by brachial artery ultrasound were examined in 14 healthy subjects without coronary heart disease risk factors. The anger provocation condition, but not the neutral condition, caused a significant impairment in endothelium-dependent vasodilation at 90 minutes compared with baseline (p = 0.004) and 30 minutes (p = 0.013). Similarly, endothelium-independent vasodilation was significantly impaired at 90 minutes after the angry interview compared with baseline (p = 0.003) and 30 minutes (p = 0.001). The decreases in endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilation were greater after the anger-provoking interview than after the neutral interview, especially between 30 and 90 minutes. In conclusion, preliminary results suggest that an episode of anger is associated with a dysregulation in endothelium-dependent and -independent pathways, suggesting that these mechanisms might contribute to the link between anger and coronary heart disease events.
Treatment of GERD complications (Barrett’s, peptic stricture) and extra-oesophageal syndromes☆

Apart from typical reflux symptoms and oesophagitis, the clinical presentation of GERD can be dominated by mucosal complications of reflux (Barrett's oesophagus, oesophageal adenocarcinoma, Peptic structure) or by extra-oesophageal syndromes, most notably asthma, laryngitis, or chronic cough. Managing these entities is much less straightforward than with oesophagitis. With respect to adenocarcinoma, metaplasia and dysplasia are recognised precursors, but the potential of these lesions to evolve to cancer has not been shown to lessen as a result of treatment, medical or surgical. Consequently, management focuses on strategies to identify and eliminate high-grade dysplasia and intramucosal cancer, lesions that are potentially curable by endoscopic ablation or surgical resection. With respect to the extra-oesophageal GERD syndromes, these are increasingly recognised as multifactorial conditions with reflux as an exacerbating factor. Treatment trials have been generally disappointing and the clinical challenge remains in accurately identifying afflicted patients who might benefit from more intensive medical or surgical reflux treatment.
Forced Deviation, Conformity, and Commitment

Summary This paper considers the effects of an initial period of “forced” nonconformity on commitment to an independent position in later trials of an Asch-type experiment. Nonconformity was “forced” in the sense that experimental subjects' choices were made to appear deviant by manipulation of the choices of the fictitious discrepant majority who “responded” after experimental subjects. Compared with control subjects who did not experience initial forced deviation, experimental subjects conformed significantly less during a subsequent block of trials where response order was reversed, thereby allowing them to know the choices of the fictitious majority before giving their choice. When the experiment was interpreted within a symbolic interactionism framework, it was hypothesized that two forms of commitment to an independent position, self-commitment and group-commitment, might follow initial “nonconforming” behavior in the group. Data from postsession interviews suggest self-expectations to be more impor...
The Unreliability of High Human Heritability Estimates and Small Shared Effects of Growing Up in the Same Family

Estimates of a trait’s heritability can be used to predict the advance through selective breeding in agriculture and the laboratory where researchers can replicate varieties and locations. These conditions do not apply to human populations, yet considerable attention is still given to high heritability and to small effects of family members growing up together relative to differences within families. This article shows that the conventional partitioning of a trait’s variation produces components that cannot be associated reliably with average differences among varieties and locations (“genotypes” and “environments”), let alone underwrite hypotheses about measurable genetic and environmental influences.
Histopathologic Condition of Fascia Lata Implant 42 Years After Ptosis Repair

• Fascia lata implants have been employed since the early part of this century in the repair of blepharoptosis. Although much has been written concerning surgical techniques and results of implanting different preparations of fascia lata, there are relatively few reports of long-term histopathologic follow-up of recovered tissue. In the case described herein, autogenous fascia lata was recovered at the time of repeated surgery and examined 42 years later. On microscopic examination the tissue was viable but demonstrated significantly more vascularization, fibroblastic infiltration, and incorporation with surrounding structures than previously reported implants.
Should tolerance and withdrawal be required for substance dependence disorders

Despite the historical importance of tolerance and withdrawal in the substance abuse nomenclature, empirical evaluations of tolerance and withdrawal relative to other, non-physical, dependence criteria have been infrequent. Based on data from 521 subjects from a newly completed survey evaluating proposed options for DSM-IV substance use disorders, we found, first, across classes of drugs, requiring tolerance or withdrawal had little effect on rates of dependence, as most subjects who met dependence criteria for each drug class also reported tolerance. Second, tolerance and withdrawal did not emerge as superior to the other dependence criteria on several indicators of concurrent and predictive validity, including severity.
A fear survey schedule for children (FSS-FC): a factor analytic comparison with manifest anxiety (CMAS).

Abstract A Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSS-FC) was developed. This scale and the Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (CMAS) were administered to fifty-nine boys and forty girls ages 9 through 12. A factor analysis was performed on each scale yielding factored subscales intended for use in clinical assessment and research in children's fears. A comparison was made between the fear and anxiety scales and an overall correlation of 0.49 between the FSS-FC and CMAS was similar to that obtained in adult studies.
Mesozoic Reversal Stratigraphy

McElhinny and Burek1 have attempted to derive a palaeo-magnetic stratigraphy for the Mesozoic from an exhaustive literature search. This expands and in several important respects differs from, the earlier work of Burek2. The method used is basically that used to first establish a magnetic chronology for the most recent segment of geologic time3 without the advantages of fine radiometric age control. There are in addition significant stratigraphic problems, the familiar boundary problems, which make intercontinental comparisons difficult. This leaves the authors at the mercy of the data available, a point clearly brought out in the “News and Views” section of the same issue of Nature. The purpose of this letter is to emphasize these dangers and underline the need, implicit in ref. 1 for studies directed specifically at the problem of reversal chronology. Such studies, the equivalent of palae-ontological inch by inch collecting, are few in number if we exclude the study of oceanic cores. The first was probably that of Khramov4 and subsequently Helsley5 and his coworkers6 have made a number of controlled collections. We would like to refer to some work on Permian rocks7 and present day studies of Jurassic rocks8.
Immunoglobulin class-switch DNA recombination: induction, targeting and beyond

Class-switch DNA recombination (CSR) of the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) locus is central to the maturation of the antibody response and crucially requires the cytidine deaminase AID. CSR involves changes in the chromatin state and the transcriptional activation of the IGH locus at the upstream and downstream switch (S) regions that are to undergo S-S DNA recombination. In addition, CSR involves the induction of AID expression and the targeting of CSR factors to S regions by 14-3-3 adaptors, and it is facilitated by the transcription machinery and by histone modifications. In this Review, we focus on recent advances regarding the induction and targeting of CSR and outline an integrated model of the assembly of macromolecular complexes that transduce crucial epigenetic information to enzymatic effectors of the CSR machinery.
Control of feed rate to a fed-batch culture using a heat-flux sensor

Substrate inhibition in batch fermentations can be avoided by employing the fed-batch technique in which substrate concentration is kept at low levels by a programmed feed rate. This research demonstrates the use of a heat-flux sensor to control substrate addition by continuously monitoring evolving heat which is proportional to fermentation rate. Batch fermentation with 240 g/L glucose in the medium was compared with a fed-batch starting with 20 g/L glucose in the medium and increased, with 500 g/L glucose, to a final equivalent glucose concentration of 240 g/L. The batch fermentation produced 106 g/L ethanol in 39 hr at 2.72 g/L/h, while the best fed-batch produced 114 g/L ethanol in 34 hr at 3.35 g/L/h with the same nutrients.
A non-oscillation theorem for the emden-fowler equation: Ground states for semilinear elliptic equations with critical exponents

Abstract Let Ω be a ball centered at the origin in R N ( N >2), ∂Ω its boundary, and ƒ: [0, ∞) → [0, ∞) a given function. This article is concerned with radial solutions of the boundary value problem Δu + ƒ(¦x¦) u p = 0, u > 0 in Ω, u = 0 on ∂Ω . (1) Radial solutions of (1) are functions u of the variable r = ¦x¦ that satisfy the ordinary differential equation u″ + N−1 r u′ +ƒ(r) u p = 0 . (2) It is shown that, if p = p ∗ , where p ∗ is the critical Sobolev exponent (p ∗ = (N + 2) (N − 2) ) , then (2) is non-oscillatory at the origin if there exists a σ > 0 such that the function r ƒ(r)( log ( 1 r )) σ is non-decreasing near the origin. The result is a corollary of a similar result for the Emden-Fowler equation x″ + t −2− 1 γ g(t)x 1+ 2 γ = 0 , (3) where g is a given positive-valued function and γ a positive constant. The relation between the solutions of (2) and (3) is established via the transformations x(t) = u(r), g(t) = ƒ(r), where t = ( (N−2) r ) N−2 . It is shown that (3) is nonoscillatory at infinity if there exists a σ > 0 such that the function t g ( t )(log t ) σ is non-increasing for all sufficiently large t . The proof of this result constitutes the core of the article. The result is of independent interest in the theory of the Emden-Fowler equation and improves earlier oscillation results of Nehari and Chiou.
Estimates of plasma, packed cell and total blood volume in tissues of the rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri).

Abstract 1. 1. Total blood volume and relative blood volumes in selected tissues were determined in non-anesthetized, confined rainbow trout by using 51Cr-labelled trout erythrocytes as a vascular space marker. 2. 2. Mean total blood volume was estimated to be 4.09 ± 0.55 ml/100 g, or about 75% of that estimated with the commonly used plasma space marker Evans blue dye. 3. 3. Relative tissue blood volumes were greatest in highly perfused tissues such as kidney, gills, brain and liver and least in mosaic muscle. 4. 4. Estimates of tissue vascular spaces, made using radiolabelled erythrocytes, were only 25–50% of those based on plasma space markers. 5. 5. The consistently smaller vascular volumes obtained with labelled erythrocytes could be explained by assuming that commonly used plasma space markers diffuse from the vascular compartment.
The epistemological nature of archaeological units

Understanding the epistemological nature of archaeological units, or types, is critical to archaeological research. Two aspects of units underpin the issue. First, ideational units must not be conflated with empirical units. Ideational units are units of measurement; empirical units are the things being measured. Ideational units can be either theoretical or descriptional. Theoretical units, as their name implies, are derived from a theoretical basis, and their utility for a specific analytical purpose must be tested. Descriptional units are not derived from theory and are not attached to an analytical purpose, although they may serve the purpose of communication. Second, theoretical units must be defined intensionally, through explicit listing of their diagnostic attributes. Most extant archaeological units have been extensionally derived from the specimens included in a unit, and often comprise descriptive as well as definitive attributes, without distinction between the two. The conflation of theoretic...
In Situ Visual Observation of Fracture Processes in Several High-Performance Fibers

Three different high-performance fibers have been imaged in situ during Kolsky bar tensile loading using two different techniques, namely optical microscopy and phase contrast imaging (PCI). Kevlar® KM2, Dyneema® SK76, and S-2 Glass® fibers have been pulled using an instrumented Kolsky bar, thereby shedding light on the failure process of each fiber type. Both the Kevlar® KM2 fiber and Dyneema® SK76 fiber exhibit rupture defined by varying degrees of fibrillation, with the former typically showing longer fibrillated ends than the latter. S-2 Glass® failure was found to exhibit a brittle fracture mode at a single point, although post-mortem analysis commonly yielded disintegration of the fiber gauge length, which is concluded to occur post the initial break due to fiber snap back or bending. Finally the efficacy of utilizing the PCI technique to achieve higher levels of spatial and temporal resolution is discussed.
SOME FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTIES OF NEPHELINE SYENITE

The fundamental properties of nepheline syenite, such as thermal expansion and fusion characteristics, are given. Test specimens of twelve bodies, comprising various flux combinations of nepheline syenites and potash feldspars with talc, whiting, magnesium carbonate, and pyrophyllite, were fired to seven different cones. The firing linear shrinkage curves of combinations of nepheline syenite with the. various materials are somewhat similar to such combinations with potash feldspar except that the syenite combinations are active at lower temperatures. That the sintering ranges of nepheline syenites are longer than those of potash feldspar is explained thermochemically.
Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus among patients receiving allergen-injection immunotherapy: associated factors and quantitative nasal cultures.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of nasal Staphylococcus aureus carriage among outpatients receiving allergen-injection immunotherapy with the prevalence among healthy controls and to determine predictors of nasal S aureus carriage. DESIGN: Survey. SETTING: Allergy clinic of a university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A volunteer sample consisting of 45 outpatients undergoing desensitization therapy and 84 first- and second-year medical students. RESULTS: The nasal S aureus carriage rate was significantly higher among patients (46.7%) than among students (26.2%; P=.019). In a multivariate model adjusted for age and gender, the presence of atopic dermatitis or eczema was the only independent predictor of nasal S aureus carriage (odds ratio [OR], 4.4; 95% confidence interval [CI 95 ], 1.2-16.0; P=.02). The only other participant characteristic associated with nasal S aureus carriage was immunotherapy with allergen injections (OR, 1.98; CI 95 , 0.7-6.0), but this association did not reach statistical significance (P=.23). The probability of nasal S aureus carriage was 88.9% for patients receiving allergen injections and having atopic dermatitis or eczema, and 36.1% for patients receiving allergen injections without atopic dermatitis or eczema. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing desensitization have a higher nasal carriage rate of S aureus. However, factors other than the regular use of needles, and in particular abnormalities related to the atopic constitution of these patients, may predispose this population for S aureus carriage.
A time-domain differential solver for electromagnetic scattering problems

The authors' objective is to extend computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based upwind schemes to solve numerically the Maxwell equations for scattering from objects with layered non-metallic sections. After a discussion on the character of the Maxwell equations it is shown that they represent a linearly degenerate set of hyperbolic equations. To show the feasibility of applying CFD-based algorithms, first the transverse magnetic (TM) and the transverse electric (TE) waveforms of the Maxwell equations are considered. A finite-volume scheme is developed with appropriate representations for the electric and magnetic fluxes at a cell interface, accounting for variations in material properties in both space and time. This process involves a characteristic subpath integration known as the 'Riemann solver'. An explicit-Lax-Wendroff upwind scheme, which is second-order accurate in both space and time, is employed to solve the TM and TE equations. A body-fitted coordinate transformation is introduced to treat arbitrary cross-sectioned bodies with computational grids generated using an elliptic grid solver procedure. For treatment of layered media, a multizonal representation is employed satisfying appropriate zonal boundary conditions in terms of flux conservation. The computational solution extending from the object to a far-field boundary located a few wavelengths away constitutes the near-field solution. A Green's function based near-field-to-far-field transformation is employed to obtain the bistatic radar cross section (RCS) information. >
Sexual Dimorphism of Oligodendrocytes is Mediated by Differential Regulation of Signaling Pathways

Sexual dimorphism of white matter has not been considered important, the assumption being that sex hormones are not essential for glial development. We recently showed exogenous hormones in vivo differentially regulate in male and female rodents the life span of oligodendrocytes (Olgs) and amount of myelin (Cerghet et al. [2006] J. Neurosci. 26:1439-1447). To determine which hormones regulate male and female Olg development, we prepared enriched Olg cultures grown in serum-free medium with estrogen (E2), progesterone (P2), and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or their combinations. P2 significantly increased the number of Olgs in both sexes, but more so in females; E2 had minor effects on Olg numbers; and DHT reduced Olgs numbers in both sexes, but more so in females. Combinations of hormones affected Olg numbers differently from single hormones. The change in Olg numbers was due to changes not in proliferation but rather in survival. P2 increased pAKT by many-fold, but MAPK levels were unchanged, indicating that activation of the Akt pathway by P2 is sufficient to regulate Olg differentiation. DHT reduced pAkt in both sexes but differentially increased pMAPK in males and decreased it in females. Stressing Olgs reveals that both sexes are protected by P2, but females are slightly better protected than males. Females always showed greater differences than males regarding changes in Olg numbers and in signaling molecules. Given the greater fluctuation of neurosteroids in women than in men and the higher incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in women, these sexually dimorphic differences may contribute to differences in male and female MS lesions.
Picoplankton and nanoplankton and their trophic coupling in surface waters of the Sargasso Sea south of Bermuda

Studies were conducted during August and March‐April in the Sargasso Sea south of Bermuda to examine rates of bacterial growth and picoplankton consumption by microbial consumers. Bacterial growth rates were estimated from [ 3 H]thymidine (TdR) incorporation rates, while grazing rates were determined using fluorescently labeled prey (FLP). In addition, net bacterial growth rates were calculated from changes in bacterial abundance during 24-h incubations. The latter measurements were compared to net growth rates obtained by subtracting picoplankton grazing mortality rates from bacterial TdR growth rate estimates (TdR minus FLP). Overall, bacterial growth rates determined by TdR uptake were similar to FLP grazing rates during the March‐April cruise, indicating an approximate balance between production and removal processes. Bacterial growth rates during August, however, were approximately twice the rates of grazer removal. Net bacterial growth rates determined from TdR growth rates minus FLP grazing rates were similar to net growth rates estimated from changes in abundance for samples collected near the surface during both cruises. However, rates of change of bacterial abundances during incubations were generally greater than rates predicted from TdR minus FLP for samples collected in the deep euphotic zone during both cruises. These discrepancies might be explained by several factors, including the inclusion of prochlorophytes in the bacterial counts and/or the stimulation of bacterial growth during containment. The TdR conversion factor also was an important consideration when comparing net bacterial growth rates estimated from changes in bacterial abundance to net growth rates determined from TdR minus FLP. Small nanoplanktonic protists ( ,5 mm) were responsible for most of the picoplanktonic grazing activity. Doubling times of 0.9‐18.3 d for the heterotrophic nanoplankton were estimated based on the removal rates of picoplankton. The complexity of the microbial food web of this oligotrophic ecosystem is such that relatively little carbon may be recovered from nonliving organic material and passed on to metazoa.
Clinical Outcomes of Enterobacteriaceae Infections Stratified by Carbapenem MICs

The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) lowered the MIC breakpoints for meropenem and imipenem from 4 mg/liter to 1 mg/liter for Enterobacteriaceae in 2010. The breakpoint change improves the probability of pharmacodynamic target attainment and eliminates the need for microbiology labs to perform confirmatory testing for Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) production or other beta-lactamases that hydrolyze carbapenems. However, there are limited data evaluating clinical outcomes of the affected breakpoints, and it is unknown if patients infected with Enterobacteriaceae with reduced susceptibility are more likely to have poor outcomes when treated with a carbapenem. We conducted a single-center retrospective matched-cohort analysis in adult patients with Enterobacteriaceae infections treated with meropenem, imipenem, or doripenem. Patients with Enterobacteriaceae infection with a carbapenem MIC of 2 to 8 mg/liter were matched based on pathogen, source of infection, comorbidities, and disease severity (1:1 ratio) to those with a carbapenem MIC of ≤1 mg/liter. A total of 36 patients were included in the study. The group with carbapenem MICs of 2 to 8 mg/liter had a significantly higher 30-day mortality than the group with carbapenem MICs of ≤1 mg/liter (38.9% compared to 5.6%, P = 0.04). Total hospital length of stay (LOS) and intensive care unit (ICU) LOS were longer in the group with MICs of 2 to 8 mg/liter than in the group with MICs of ≤1 mg/liter (57.6 days compared to 34.4 days [P = 0.06] and 56.6 days compared to 21.7 days [P < 0.01], respectively). Patients infected with Enterobacteriaceae with a carbapenem MIC of 2, 4, or 8 mg/liter had higher mortality rates and longer ICU LOS than matched cohorts with carbapenem MICs of ≤1 mg/liter, which supports CLSI's recommendation to lower susceptibility breakpoints for carbapenems.
Wives and daughters of early Berlin geoscientists and their work behind the scenes

The lives and work and accomplishments of three women, Clementine Helm Beyrich, Clara Ehrenberg and Ina von Grumbkow Reck are described. All three were writers who in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries significantly contributed to the field of natural history and palaeontology even though they were not academically trained. Their work included the spread of general knowledge of geosciences including technical processes among women (C. Helm), the description and drawings of new microorganisms and curation of a major micro-palaeontological collection with several thousand type specimens (C. Ehrenberg) and the maintenance of logistics for two major expeditions to Iceland and to East Africa, the latter involving large-scale excavations for dinosaurs that are still among the highlights of the Berlin Natural History Museum's exhibition today.
Designing modular reaction-diffusion programs for complex pattern formation

Cells use sophisticated, multiscale spatial patterns of chemical instructions to control cell fate and tissue growth. While some types of synthetic pattern formation have been well studied1-6, it remains unclear how to design chemical processes that can reproducibly create similar spatial patterns. Here we describe a scalable approach for the design of processes that generate such patterns, which can be implemented using synthetic DNA reaction-diffusion networks7,8. In our method, black-box modules are connected together into integrated programs for arbitrarily complex pattern formation. These programs can respond to input stimuli, process information, and ultimately produce stable output patterns that differ in size and concentration from their inputs. To build these programs, we break a target pattern into a set of patterning subtasks, design modules to perform these subtasks independently, and combine the modules into networks. We demonstrate in simulation how programs designed with our methodology can generate complex patterns, including a French flag and a stick figure.
A virtual resource placement service

Server, storage, and network virtualization and the growing adoption of cloud computing has expanded both the complexity and the value of intelligent allocation and management of data center resources. Resource allocation in a cloud environment is of fundamental importance. There are many competing goals, with differing priorities, that contribute to optimizing virtual resource allocation and placement including performance, reliability, security, energy, etc. We have developed an open extensible architecture to provide placement recommendations which allows for different independently developed Domain Managers to provide input/advice on placement. We have further developed the means to orchestrate the placement, ensuring that the required configuration actions be enacted both before and after the migration of the virtual machine. This paper explores the topic of providing a core placement calculation and orchestration architecture to facilitate management of workload demands in a cloud environment. We describe this architecture for placement services and orchestration, and present some results from a prototype implementation.
Low cost microstrip-fed dual frequency printed dipole antenna for wireless communications

A low cost microstrip-fed dual frequency dipole antenna has been developed for personal communication network (PCN) and wireless LAN (WLAN) applications in the 2.4 and 5.2 GHz bands. The antenna radiates bi-directionally and has a double-sided structure to enable transition from a balanced planar stripline to unbalanced microstrip line. The 10 dB bandwidths achieved were 18.75 and 7.7% at 2.4 and 5.2 GHz, respectively.
Identity Crisis: Class Certification, Aggregate Proof, and How Rule 23 May Be Self-Defeating the Policy for Which It Was Established

Class actions suits developed in the United States as a form of “group litigation,” an alternative to the impracticability or inequities of separate, individual actions of similarly situated class of plaintiffs and, eventually, defendants as well. Congressional passage of the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 provided the federal courts with expounded diversity jurisdiction for the purpose of “assur[ing] fairer outcomes for class members and defendants.” However, recent circuit splits regarding class certification under Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the use of aggregate proof in certifying classes, may whereby, in an ironic twist of legal fate, result in the very same “inconsistent or varying” standards that the rule was designed to prevent.
El Dr. Guillermo Contreras Da Silva, una figura señera en la microbiología y la salud pública chilena

The influence of the work of Dr. Guillermo Contreras Da Silva andhis colaborators on the evolution of microbiology in Chile is briefly analyzed. Dr. Contreras wastrained in modern virology at Yale University with Dr. J. Melnick under the sponsorhip of theRockefeller Foundation. During this training, he used serological methods to classify Cocksakieviruses. After his return to Chile, he studied the epidemiology of enteroviruses, including poliovirus.His laboratory, the country’s first in modern virology, took an active role in Chile’s first Sabin poliovaccination in 1961. Dr. Contreras and his group transformed the teaching and the character ofmicrobiology in Chile from a descriptive medically oriented discipline into an autonomous,quantitative and experimental science. They modernized microbiology with the introduction ofmolecular biology and microbial genetics and fostered collaborations with allied biological sciences.Dr. Contreras was a Guggenheim Fellow, and until his retirement, was the Chief of the ViralProducts Division, Bureau of Biologics, Ottawa, Canada (Rev Med Chile 2008; 136: 256-60).(
Neospora caninum-Infected Cattle Develop Parasite-Specific CD4+ Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes

Cattle infected with Neospora caninum readily experience transplacental parasite transmission, presumably after maternal parasitemia, leading to abortion or birth of congenitally infected calves. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are important mediators of protective immunity against Toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular apicomplexan protozoan closely related to N. caninum. In this study, N. caninum-specific CTL expanded from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of two major histocompatibility complex-mismatched, experimentally infected cattle were identified by using a (51)Cr release cytotoxicity assay. Enrichment and blocking of CD4(+)- and CD8(+)-T-lymphocyte effector subsets indicated that CD4(+) CTL killed N. caninum-infected, autologous target cells and that killing was mediated through a perforin/granzyme pathway. Detection and characterization of CTL responses to N. caninum in the natural, outbred, bovine host will facilitate identification of immunogens and design of immunization strategies to induce parasite-specific CTL against transplacental N. caninum transmission in cattle.
The ecological distribution and comparative photobiology of symbiotic dinoflagellates from reef corals in Belize: Potential implications for coral bleaching

The photobiology and distribution of dinoflagellates in the genus Symbiodinium was investigated for eight common reef coral species over a depth range of 1–25 m on a coral reef in Belize. The genetic identification of symbionts using polymerase chain reaction–denaturing gradient electrophoresis of the internal transcribed spacer 2 region revealed marked differences in host specificity and depth zonation for certain symbiont types. Each host taxon was found to associate with a limited subset of symbionts that exist in the region. Intraspecific variation was greatest at the shallower sites (1–8 m), where as many as five distinctive symbionts were distributed among a single host population (e.g., Montastraea faveolata). At depth (15–25 m), variation from colony to colony was minimal, where one algal type associated with most or all the colonies of a species. The maximal photochemical efficiency and light-acclimated efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) were determined by active chlorophyll fluorescence and used to assess potential differences in photosynthetic potential. Under normal ambient conditions, little or no physiological differences were noted among different symbionts occurring in the same species of coral at a particular depth, yet interspecific differences in PSII efficiency were noted between coral species at the same depth. Short-term bleaching experiments showed that symbionts B1 and C7 within M. faveolata experienced a higher degree of thermally induced photoinhibition relative to A4a symbionts in Porites astreoides. The differential patterns of PSII inactivation observed within M. faveolata could be explained by the presence of different symbiont populations within this coral. Differences in in situ maximum excitation pressure on PSII between symbionts within some corals may provide a predictive measure of how different species of coral or individual colonies with different symbionts would respond to natural thermal stress events.
How Does Structural Reform Affect Regional Development? Resolving Contradictory Theory with Evidence from India

Regional theory offers little coherent guidance on the prospects for interregional development after structural reform in developing nations. In this paper I suggest a basic set of hypotheses in which the neoliberal nation-state is simultaneously a reduced state (less concerned about promoting regional balance) and an enlarged state (directing development toward selected regions). Under the new regulatory structure the location of post-reform investments may be expected to favor the coast, advanced regions, and existing metropolises (especially the edge areas); these expectations may be more true for foreign direct investments than domestic investments (especially the direct investments of the state). I use disag- gregated pre- and post-reform industrial data from India to test the hypotheses. The results offer partial to full support for all hypotheses, providing evidence of the return of cumulative causation, and raising concerns about the political economy of future development in the lagging regions.
FLP-mediated DNA mobilization to specific target sites in Drosophila chromosomes

The ability to place a series of gene constructs at a specific site in the genome opens new possibilities for the experimental examination of gene expression and chromosomal position effects. We report that the FLP- FRT site-specific recombination system of the yeast 2mu plasmid can be used to integrate DNA at a chromosomal FRT target site in Drosophila. The technique we used was to first integrate an FRT- flanked gene by standard P element-mediated transformation. FLP was then used to excise the FRT- flanked donor DNA and screen for FLP-mediated re-integration at an FRT target at a different chromosome location. Such events were recovered from up to 5% of the crosses used to screen for mobilization and are easily detectable by altered linkage of a white reporter gene or by the generation of a white + gene upon integration.
Public Clients' Best Value Perspectives of Public Private Partnerships in Infrastructure Development

The multiple objectives of public clients in formulating partnerships with the private sector in infrastructure development and the radical realignment of risks, responsibilities, and awards among project participants in such partnerships necessitate a best value source selection (BVSS) methodology to choose the right private sector partner who assumes far more and much deeper risks than a mere contractor. One critical step in adopting the BVSS is to express the client’s objectives in terms of best value contributing factors (BVCFs), against which alternative proposals are evaluated and consequently a sound and defensible contract award decision made. A set of 21 BVCFs in public private partnerships (PPPs) has been identified through literature review of BVCFs in different types of contracts, case studies of worldwide PPP practices, and interviews or correspondence with international PPP experts and experienced practitioners. The relative significance of these BVCFs is statistically analyzed based on a qu...
A real-time protocol for stock market transactions

Stock markets constitute the largest electronic commerce market in the world. The tremendous growth in trading volume and the need for fast and accurate transaction execution has made the stock market one of the most technology friendly markets. The fastest growing stock exchange, NASDAQ, is a wholly electronic stock exchange with all transactions conducted over computer networks. However, the transaction model used by NASDAQ and other electronic stock markets still borrows heavily from the older traditional models used by non-electronic stock exchanges. Two important requirements of modern day stock market transactions are: (a) customer's ability to place sophisticated transaction orders to buy/sell stock, and (b) customer's ability to detect transaction delays. Modern electronic stock exchanges lack both the ability to place newer, more sophisticated transaction orders and the ability to detect delays in transaction execution. In this paper, we propose a protocol for stock market transactions that can model a new sophisticated model for transaction orders while continuing to support traditional transaction orders. The protocol is augmented with a mechanism to detect delays in transaction execution. It is further shown that the protocol proposed is secure, atomic, anonymous, private, and incurs low overhead costs.
HYBRID SPECTRAL FINITE DIFFERENCE SIMULATIONS OF STRATIFIED TURBULENT FLOWS ON DISTRIBUTED MEMORY ARCHITECTURES

SUMMARY A method for efficient implementation of a combined spectral finite difference algorithm for computation of incompressible stratified turbulent flows on distributed memory computers is presented. The solution technique is the fractional step method with a semi-implicit time advancement scheme. A single-programme multiple-data abstraction is used in conjunction with a static data-partitioning scheme. The distributed FFTs required in the explicit step are based on the transpose method and the large sets of independent tridiagonal systems of equations arising in the implicit steps are solved using the pipelined Thomas algorithm. A speed-up analysis of a model problem is presented for three partitioning schemes, namely unipartition, multipartition and transpose partition. It is shown that the unipartitioning scheme is best suited for this algorithm. Performance measurements of the overall as well as individual stages of the algorithm are presented for several different grids and are discussed in the context of associated dependency and communication overheads. An unscaled speed-up efficiency of up to 91% on doubling the number of processors and up to 60% on an eightfold increase in the number of processors was obtained on the Intel Paragon and iPSC 860 Hypercube. Absolute performance of the code was evaluated by comparisons with performance on the Cray-YMP. On 128 Paragon processors, performance up to five times that of a single-processor Cray-YMP was obtained. The validation of the method and results of grid refinement studies in stably stratified turbulent channel flows are presented. 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Numer. Meth. Fluids24: 1129-1158, 1997.
An Analysis of Traditional Graphic Design and MultiCommunication Arts Pedagogy

Traditional visual communication and graphic design curricula at the university level may not adequately educate, train and/or prepare students to successfully work in the intended creative professions. This critical study found three suspected reasons for the problem: first, that higher education art studio and mass communication curricula are stalled in a historical pedagogy that no longer is viable. Second, that employee compensation for traditional graphic design graduates is typically lower than integrated, interdisciplinary, multimedia graduates and third, that current institutional structures are based on past practice constructed by higher education’s territorial resistance to change.
Approximating the sine function with combinational logic

An algorithm which creates an implementation of trigonometric functions in combinational logic is presented. The algorithm provides an approximation of a trigonometric function with a latency less than a 16-b by 16-b multiplication. Specifically, the derivation of the sine function for a fixed-point operand is shown. Traditionally, the sine function has been approximated by lookup tables, CORDIC methods, Taylor series, and Chebyshev polynomials. The algorithm presented is shown to have faster implementations than Taylor series and Chebyshev polynomials for a similar precision and does not require any lookup tables. >
Advancing Service-Learning at Research Universities

Despite their emphasis on scholarship, research universities are appropriate places to use service-learning. Three strategies can help practitioners overcome obstacles.
Postoperative Pain Management in the Elderly Undergoing Thoracic Surgery

The management of postoperative pain in the elderly represents a considerable challenge because these patients are generally at higher risk for postoperative complications. There are several analgesic options, some of which may influence perioperative morbidity in this high-risk group of patients. Although use of regional analgesia, particularly epidural analgesia is associated with some benefits, including a decrease in perioperative morbidity, there are side effects and complications (eg, medication-related side effects, epidural hematoma, infection) from these and other techniques, and the clinician should evaluate the benefits and risks of each technique on an individual basis. Nevertheless, the available data suggest that use of regional analgesic techniques (ie, epidural and paravertebral catheters) is associated with a decrease in perioperative pulmonary complications.
Finger-powered microdroplet generator

‘Human-powered’ microdroplet generators are ideal for droplet-based point-of-care diagnostics applications. Here we present a versatile ‘finger-powered’ microdroplet generator. The prototype system was fabricated via polymer-based micromachining processes. In this work, we have achieved: (1) the use of a human finger as the actuation force for droplet generation, (2) an integrated pumping system for actuating both droplet and solvent fluids simultaneously, and (3) the formation of microdroplets via a T-junction microchannel. During experimental device runs, both the formation of water droplets in oil and oil droplets in water were accomplished using a human finger, resulting in an average droplet size of 120 µm.
Outside Neurons/Inside Epithelia: Novel Activation of CFTR Cl− and HCO3− Conductances

Using the basolaterally permeabilized, microperfused native human sweat duct, we have discovered that CFTR in the apical membrane can be activated by the exogenous addition of low mM levels of three distinct 5 carbon chain carboxylic acids: α-keto glutarate, glutamate, and glutamine. Activation of CFTR by these substances alone induces a Cl− permeable, HCO3 − impermeable state in this tissue that is comparable in magnitude to that elicited by classical activation with cAMP and ATP via protein kinase A phosphorylation. Including mM levels of ATP with these substances appears to induce or to allow a change of state in CFTR that is permeable to both Cl− and HCO3 −. Thus, we find the first evidence of an induced dynamic change in ion selectivity of an active anion channel. This novel activation appears to be independent of phosphorylation, but the change in selectivity appears to be dependent on ATP hydrolysis. Evidence that these responses are properties of CFTR is derived from tissues from cystic fibrosis patients that show CFTR mutation (genotype) specific responses. The physiological role of glutamate activation remains to be defined, but we speculate that it may involve controls of cellular energy charge, cell volume, and/or intracellular pH.