cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Carbon nanotube structured hydrogen sensor

A nanostructured sensor based on double wall carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) was fabricated and assessed for hydrogen gas detection. DWNT networks were used as an active substrate material evaporated with layers of palladium nanoparticles of three thicknesses 1, 3 and 6 nm. The electrical resistance change of nanosensor with hydrogen gas exposure in compressed air at room temperature was monitored. The nanostructures were characterized using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Hydrogen concentrations as low as 0.05 vol% (500 ppm) can be detected at room temperature. Sensitivity values as high as 65% and response times of about 3 seconds were obtained. The results indicate that DWNT- based sensors exhibit comparable performance as that for SWNT-based high performance hydrogen sensors, but with potential improvement in mechanical and thermal resistance associated with the double layer structure.
Regulation of protein phosphotyrosine content by changes in tyrosine kinase and protein phosphotyrosine phosphatase activities during induced granulocytic and monocytic differentiation of HL-60 leukemia cells

About 1.5% of phosphorylated amino acid residues of HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells are phosphotyrosine. Induction of granulocytic differentiation by exposure to dimethylsulfoxide decreased tyrosine phosphorylation to 0.2%. A maximum 3-fold increase in tyrosine kinase activity and a 7-fold increase in protein phosphotyrosine phosphatase activity accompanied this change. Monocytic differentiation induced by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, caused a decrease in phosphotyrosine levels to 0.1%; tyrosine kinase activity maximally increased 2-fold, and protein phosphotyrosine phosphatase activity increased 11-fold in these differentiated cells. Thus, although total tyrosine kinase activity markedly increased during differentiation, this was counteracted by an even greater elevation in protein phosphotyrosine phosphatase activity. The findings support the concept that tyrosine phosphorylation is important in the regulation of growth and differentiation of leukemia cells.
Use of fiber optic communications and control for a tethered undersea vehicle

Use of fiberoptic technology in tethered undersea vehicle systems is reviewed with emphasis on communications and control. Examples are given for the Harbor Branch owned Remotely Operated Vehicle "SCOOP" (Scientific Collection and Observation Platform) which was recently outfitted with an improved telemetry system and fiberoptic umbilical.
Risk analysis and an alternative protocol for reduction of screening for retinopathy of prematurity.

Purpose To determine whether a multivariate risk model can select infants with low-risk eyes for an alternative protocol that reduces retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening without loss of effectiveness. Methods This was a retrospective, nonrandomized, comparative study. We assigned 712 eyes of 357 premature infants of 401–1,250 g birth weights as high or low risk for prethreshold or threshold ROP using a risk model with variables of birth weight, gestational age, multiple birth, race, and gender. Using simulations, infants with high-risk eyes ( p ≥ 0.15) were screened conventionally, while those with low-risk eyes were screened with the 35q3 protocol (initial examination at 35 weeks postmenstrual age followed by screening every 3 weeks, with increased or decreased intervals based on ROP severity). The resultant reduction in ROP screening and the delay to detection of severe ROP were calculated. Results The 35q3 protocol reduced the mean number of eye examinations per infant in the overall population by 13.4% ( p = 0.0051). No eyes had a delay to the detection of threshold or type 1 zone 1 ROP. Of a total of 57 type 1 ROP eyes, 2 eyes with type 1 zone 2 ROP were delayed to detection by 1 week. As our study was done prior to the Early Treatment of ROP study, the 2 eyes were observed and regressed without progression to threshold ROP. Conclusions A risk-based alternative screening protocol increased the efficiency of ROP screening for infants of 401–1,250 g birth weight without an apparent loss of effectiveness. This investigational approach requires further validation by multicenter studies.
On Well-Posedness and Hausdorff Convergence of Solution Sets of Vector Optimization Problems

In this paper, we refine and improve the results established in a 2003 paper by Deng in a number of directions. Specifically, we establish a well-posedness result for convex vector optimization problems under a condition which is weaker than that used in the paper. Among other things, we also obtain a characterization of well-posedness in terms of Hausdorff distance of associated sets.
METABOLIC INFLUENCES IN EXPERIMENTAL THROMBOSIS

Studies presented in this report demonstrate that intravascular coagulation and thrombosis in the whole animal can be greatly influenced by noncoagulation factors, such as metabolic, endocrinologic, and nutritional states. Injection of a partially purified human serum procoagulant fraction produced no significant clotting abnormalities in normal fed rats; however, injection of an identical preparation in fasted, diabetic, and obese rats produced hypercoagulability of blood, thrombosis, and hemorrhage. Glucose injection in fasted rats and insulin injection in diabetic rats reversed their susceptibility to thrombosis. The concentrations of serum free fatty acids were shown to be elevated in the susceptible animals; however, they returned to normal in fasted and diabetic rats after injections of glucose and insulin, respectively. Infusion of free fatty acid-albumin preparations in normal fed rats rendered the animals susceptible to thrombosis when challenged with the serum procoagulant fraction.
Reaction kinetics of photoactive defects in semiconductor dissolution

Uniformity and predictability are the principal qualities sought for all wet chemical etches. The establishment of these qualities, however, is hindered by a number of factom; such as nonuniformities in the starting material and random fluctuations in the local temperature and reactant concentration, which can lead to variations in etch rate across the surface of a wafer. The effects of variations in the local etch rate on the morphological development of an etching sutface and on the overall etch rate of the semiconductor are discussed. The system studied was an A1,,,Gao,6 As/GaAs heterostructure photodissolved in nitric acid using 730-nm laser light. Defects in the AlGaAs layer, which etched faster than the surrounding material, were responsible for variations in the etch rate. The defects also exhibited a degree of photosensitivity that has not been previously observed. It was also found that not all of the defects spanned the AlGaAs epilayer. A model for the overall etch rate was based on a system of noninteracting cylindrical defects with a distribution in depths.
Octopamine-Sensitive Adenylate Cyclase: Evidence for a Biological Role of Octopamine in Nervous Tissue

An adenylate cyclase that is activated specifically by very low concentrations of octopamine has been identified both in homogenates and in intact cells of the thoracic ganglia of an insect nervous system. This enzyme appears to be distinct from two other adenylate cyclases present in the same tissue, which are activated by dopamine and by 5-hydroxytryptamine, respectively. The data raise the possibility of a role of octopamine-sensitive adenylate cyclase in the physiology of synaptic transmission.
Trajectories of improvement for six depression-related outcomes

Abstract Objective Although depression treatment improves diverse outcomes, it is unclear whether these improvements are comparable in magnitude and timing. The objective was therefore to compare treatment-related improvements in depressive symptoms, work and social functioning, hopefulness, somatic complaints and positive well-being. Method Secondary analysis of a large clinical trial of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for primary care depression. Depressed patients ( n =573) from 37 practices from two primary care networks were randomized to fluoxetine, paroxetine or sertraline, and then followed naturalistically. At 1, 3, 6 and 9 months after treatment initiation, assessments were made of depressive symptom severity, social and work functioning, positive well-being, hopefulness beliefs and somatic complaints. Data were analyzed with linear regression modeling. Results Although 68% and 88% of total mood improvement occurred by Months 1 and 3, respectively, improvement plateaued sooner for somatic complaints ( P =.001 at Month 1), and more gradually for hopefulness [ P (Month 1)=.015, P (Month 3)=.036]. Although magnitude of improvement was interrelated across outcomes, timing of mood improvement was unrelated to the timing of improvement in both somatic complaints and hopefulness. Improvement in somatic complaints was primarily attributable to improvements in head, back and stomach pain. Conclusions Work and social functioning, and positive affect improve synchronously with mood. Compared to mood, improvement in pain complaints peaks earlier, whereas improvement in hopefulness is much more linear over time. Because depression treatment response appears to be complex and multidimensional, a broader conceptualization of depression remission may be indicated.
Applications of artificial intelligence for chemical inference. XIX—Computer generation of ion structures

The purpose of this paper is to discuss an interactive computer program which can be used to study questions of plausible ion structures. The program can be constrained in a variety of ways by the user, based on information inferred from (i) the structure of the intact molecule which gave rise to the ion, (ii) metastable defocusing experiments to identify progenitors, and (iii) existing knowledge of the fragmentations and rearrangements of related molecules, including deuterium labeled analogs. Implementation of these constraints is discussed primarily with the example of triethylamine, an apparently simple compound whose behavior is examined in detail with the aid of the program because of the complexity of its fragmentation.
Beyond the Distinction between Positivism and Non‐Positivism*

In this article I discuss a number of issues raised by Professor Jules Coleman's recent article “Beyond the Separability Thesis.” I suggest, to begin, that Coleman is correct that neither a narrow nor a broad formulation of the separability thesis takes us very far towards a robust distinction between legal positivism and legal non-positivism. I then offer a brief discussion of methodology in jurisprudence, suggesting that Coleman accepts, at least implicitly, what I call a “methodology of necessary features.” Since there is reason to think that law possesses some necessary features that are non-normative (or descriptive) and others that are moral in character, the promise of this pluralistic approach is that it will be capable of bridging the gap between so-called “descriptive” and “normative” theories of methodology in jurisprudence. Since the distinction between descriptive and normative methodological theories is sometimes taken to be one way, among others, of drawing a distinction between positivist and non-positivist theories of law, the pluralism of the “methodology of necessary features” gives us yet one more reason to think that the distinction between positivism and non-positivism is not a theoretically fundamental one. Finally, I discuss Coleman's “moral semantics claim,” i.e., the idea that “legal content is best understood as moral directives about what is to be done and who is to decide what is to be done.” Coleman acknowledges that the moral semantics claim, when taken together with the social facts thesis, raises a well-known problem: How can social facts create content-independent reasons for action? I suggest that we are most likely to find the answer to this question by focusing directly on whether or not law's claimed moral authority—meaning its claimed moral power—can be justified, rather than by focusing indirectly, as many theorists have done, on the existence or non-existence of a general obligation to obey the law.
Genetic Analysis Using an Isogenic Mating Pair of Aspergillus fumigatus Identifies Azole Resistance Genes and Lack of MAT Locus’s Role in Virulence

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) due to Aspergillus fumigatus is a major cause of mortality in immunocompromised patients. The discovery of highly fertile strains of A. fumigatus opened the possibility to merge classical and contemporary genetics to address key questions about this pathogen. The merger involves sexual recombination, selection of desired traits, and genomics to identify any associated loci. We constructed a highly fertile isogenic pair of A. fumigatus strains with opposite mating types and used them to investigate whether mating type is associated with virulence and to find the genetic loci involved in azole resistance. The pair was made isogenic by 9 successive backcross cycles of the foundational strain AFB62 (MAT1-1) with a highly fertile (MAT1-2) progeny. Genome sequencing showed that the F9 MAT1-2 progeny was essentially identical to the AFB62. The survival curves of animals infected with either strain in three different animal models showed no significant difference, suggesting that virulence in A. fumigatus was not associated with mating type. We then employed a relatively inexpensive, yet highly powerful strategy to identify genomic loci associated with azole resistance. We used traditional in vitro drug selection accompanied by classical sexual crosses of azole-sensitive with resistant isogenic strains. The offspring were plated under varying drug concentrations and pools of resulting colonies were analyzed by whole genome sequencing. We found that variants in 5 genes contributed to azole resistance, including mutations in erg11A (cyp51A), as well as multi-drug transporters, erg25, and in HMG-CoA reductase. The results demonstrated that with minimal investment into the sequencing of three pools from a cross of interest, the variation(s) that contribute any phenotype can be identified with nucleotide resolution. This approach can be applied to multiple areas of interest in A. fumigatus or other heterothallic pathogens, especially for virulence associated traits.
Cyclosporin induces renal proto-oncogene RNA message and increased transforming growth factor-beta prior to renal fibrosis: Modification by calcium channel blockade in the salt replete rat.

SUMMARY: Background: Chronic cyclosporin (CsA) administration has been shown to result in the replacement of epithelial cells in the kidney with fibrous tissue. These changes are kidney-specific, as they do not occur in any other organ. Results: Cyclosporin exposure increases c-fos and c-jun mRNA in the rat kidney but not in the liver. Furthermore, chronic CsA exposure causes a further increase in c-fos and c-jun mRNA and increases the renal expression of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) mRNA. These changes precede the development of fibrosis. The combined insult of ischaemia and CsA resulted in synergistic increases in c-fos, suggesting that CsA recruited a pathway for c-fos activation different from ischaemia. The calcium channel blocker, verapamil, blocked CsA-induced expression of c-fos and c-jun mRNA, and reduced the amount of TGF-β expression. Conclusion: These data are consistent with the notion that CsA induces protooncogenes, which may be, at least partially, responsible for long-term CsA nephrotoxicity.
Sexual Sterilization of Screw-Worm Flies: Reliability of the Chemosterilant Technique

When newly emerged male Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) were treated topically with N, N' -tetramethyl-enebis (1-aziridinecarboxamide) and mated with mature virgin females, the percentage of sterile males increased curvilinearly with dose from 0 at the lowest doses (0.01–0.05%) to 100 at the highest dose (10%). In 5 years of testing with bis (1-aziridinyl) (hexahydro-1 H -azepin-1-yl) phosphine oxide, 1-[bis (1-aziridinyl)phosphinyl]-3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl) urea, and N, N' -tetra methyl. enebis (1-aziridinecarboxamide), the average percentages of hatch for the many thousands of eggs resulting from matings between untreated females and treated males were 0.8, 0.07, and 0.2, respectively. When eggs that were fertilized by spermatozoa treated with 0.5% N, N' -tetramethylenebis (1-aziridinecarboxamide) were cultivated, the adverse effects were expressed in the embryonic but not in the larval or pupal stages. However, the spontaneous mortality of the immature stages reduced the risk that a viable egg would develop into a reproductive adult by a factor of 3. Also, in a simplified hypothetical release program. the risk (owing to failure of a chemosterilant) of releasing a fertile male to mate with a fertile female can be further reduced by a factor of 4 when a population is dense (500 flies per sq mile) and by a factor of 80 when a population is sparse (10 flies per sq mile). When males were chemosterilized with 10% N, N' -tetramethylenebis( 1-aziridinecarboxamide) applied topically and mated 4 or 5 times with virgin females at 2- to 4-day intervals, they retained their sterility for 2.5 weeks, i.e., as long as they lived and continued to mate.
A Theory of Interfirm Organization

I. Introduction, 602. — II. Interfirm organizations, 604. — III. Market structure, market performance, and interfirm oragnization, 610. — IV. Concluding observations on profit-maximization and traditional supply and demand analysis, 612.
Acute changes in myosin heavy chain synthesis rate in pressure versus volume overload.

The left ventricular hypertrophy that develops with the volume overload of mitral regurgitation is relatively less than that which develops with the pressure overload of aortic stenosis even when both lesions are severe. The hypertrophy that develops must be the sum of changes in the rate of myocardial protein synthesis and degradation. In the present canine study, we explored early changes in the synthesis rate of myosin heavy chain in response to severe acute pressure overload versus that of the severe acute volume overload of mitral regurgitation. We tested the hypothesis that in acute overload, the rate of protein synthesis would increase less in the volume-overload model than in the pressure-overload model, a potential partial mechanism for the discrepancy in the eventual total amount of hypertrophy that develops in these two lesions. Acute pressure overload was produced by inflating a balloon in the descending aorta, and acute volume overload was produced by using our closed-chest mitral chordal rupture technique. In both models, the hemodynamic lesion that was created was severe. In eight dogs with pressure overload, the average gradient across the balloon was 119.8 +/- 6.1 mm Hg. In six dogs with volume overload, the average regurgitant fraction was 0.67 +/- 0.06. Six other dogs served as controls. The average rate of myosin heavy chain synthesis in control dogs was 2.7 +/- 0.2% per day, virtually identical to the rate we found in the severe volume-overload model. In contrast, the rate was increased in the pressure-overload model by 30% to 3.5 +/- 0.3% per day (P < .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
High harmonic generation from ions in a capillary discharge

We demonstrate a significant extension of the high harmonic cutoff by generation in a pre-ionized plasma created with a capillary discharge. In xenon, the cutoff extends from ~ 95 to 140 eV.
Transforming growth factor beta decreases the immunogenicity of rat islet xenografts (rat to mouse) and prevents rejection in association with treatment of the recipient with a monoclonal antibody to interferon gamma.

Abstract Culture of rat islets of Langerhans for 1 week at 37 degrees C with recombinant transforming growth factor beta prolonged the survival of islet xenografts transplanted into diabetic mouse recipients. Treatment of diabetic recipients with a neutralizing monoclonal antibody to murine interferon gamma did not affect the survival of islet xenografts cultured 7 days in control medium. However, treatment of donor islets with transforming growth factor beta in combination with treatment of diabetic recipients with interferon gamma antibody produced a 75% survival of the islet xenografts at 100 days. Fifty percent of the recipients who had accepted their graft for more than 100 days were immune unresponsive to a transplant of freshly isolated islets from the same donor strain.
Guided-wave acousto-optic interactions and devices on spherical surfaces

In this paper a theoretical treatment on guided-wave acousto-optic (AO) Bragg interactions on a spherical waveguide together with new experimental results at significantly higher surface acoustic wave center frequency (500 MHz) using a LiNbO hemisphere block is reported. The theoretical analysis for the optical and the acoustic waves are carried out using the lowest-order asymptotic expansions and the resulting AO Bragg diffraction calculated using Green's function technique. Bragg diffraction experiments using LiNbO3 hemisphere block (3.1 cm Dia) at the optical wavelength of 0.6328 (mu) and the center SAW frequency of 500 MHz involve the physical dimensions that satisfy the assumptions required in the theoretical treatment. Efficient diffraction efficiency and large bandwidth as well as high quality focused spots of both the undiffracted and the Bragg-diffracted light beams obtained suggest potential use of the spherical surface for realization of integrated AO device modules.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Growth And Characterization Of Single Crystal Refractory Oxide Fibers

This paper presents results of pedestal growth of 30- 500 µm diameter single crystal refractory oxide fibers. Growth instabilities are discussed and an improved second generation system is described.© (1982) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Infrared studies of a hybrid CO2-reduction photocatalyst consisting of a molecular Re(I) complex grafted on Kaolin

Abstract We previously investigated hybrid photocatalysts prepared by grafting Re(bpy)(CO) 3 Cl, where bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, onto different solid-state surfaces. The hybrid photocatalysts lost reactivity in solar CO 2 reduction although the diimine-tricarbonyl coordination of Re(I) was maintained after photocatalysis. In this study, we synthesized a hybrid photocatalyst by grafting the Re(I) complex on Kaolin and further explored the interactions between CO 2 and the hybrid photocatalyst using in situ infrared spectroscopy. Our infrared studies at the gas–surface interface revealed the formation of two surface Re(I) complexes in the presence of CO 2 and triethanolamine, a basic electron donor. One of the surface Re(I) complexes is considered as the real catalyst for CO 2 reduction, while the other complex might be associated with the deactivation of our hybrid photocatalysts in CO 2 reduction. The layered structure of Kaolin likely contributed to the formation of a surface Re(I)-OH complex.
Prospective analysis of computerized tomography and needle biopsy with permanent sectioning to determine the nature of solid renal masses in adults

ABSTRACTPurpose: We prospectively determined the accuracy of computerized tomography (CT) and needle biopsy of solid renal masses.Materials and Methods: A total of 100 patients with a solid renal mass who were scheduled for operation were prospectively evaluated. CT was performed before radical or partial nephrectomy. Biopsy of the surgical specimens was done twice through the tumor using an 18 gauge biopsy gun. Specimens were sent for permanent section and review by 2 pathologists blinded to each other and to the whole tissue specimens. Images were reviewed by 2 radiologists blinded to each other and to the results of pathological analysis. Results of CT and permanent biopsy were compared with the results of whole tissue specimen analysis.Results: Specimens were obtained from 59 radical and 41 partial nephrectomies. Malignant neoplasms were present in 85 patients (85%). Overall accuracy was 77% and 72%, the nondiagnostic rate was 20% and 21%, sensitivity was 81% and 83%, and specificity was 60% and 33%. ...
Ferredoxin and Photosynthetic Phosphorylation

The iron-bearing protein ferredoxin is present in all photosynthetlc cells. It has now been shown that ferredoxin can catalyse, by two distinct photochemical reactions, the production of ATP in cell-free photosynthetic systems at rates comparable with the maximum rates of photosynthesis in vivo. This is strong evidence for the view that ferredoxin plays a key part in photosynthesis.
Epistemological Perspectives in Legal Theory

The authors deal with several important epistemological problems in legal theory. The Nineteenth century background is analyzed from the emergence of legal science freed from the constraints of natural law and built on the model of the empirical sciences. The authors show how this science of law has been influenced by the social sciences and trends in ideological criticism throughout the Twentieth century. The epistemological question central to legal science is tackled, i.e., what kind of “epistemological break” should there be with regard to the object studied? To answer this question, the authors plead for the adoption of a “moderate external point of view” which bears in mind lawyers' “internal point of view.”
Selection Practiced Among Dairy Cows. I. Single Lactation Traits

Abstract Efficiency of the selection for milk and fat practiced among Holstein cows was measured by comparing the actual selection with that which might have been possible if all removals had been made strictly on yield. The correlation r YP is the efficiency of selection where P is an implicit normally distributed variable upon which actual selections are made and Y is yield. The selection differential and the reduction of variance in the selected population were used to estimate the efficiency of selection for 34,000 lactations made by cows in 464 herds on test continuously from 1957 to 1962. Phenotypic selection (cows surviving to start another lactation) and realized selection (cows represented by daughters) were investigated. Estimates of the efficiency of intraherd-year-seasonlactation phenotypic selection, as measured by the selection differential of actual milk deviations, were 40, 32, 27, and 24% for the first four lactations respectively. The corresponding efficiencies for M.E. milk deviations from the herd-mate average were 43, 34, 27, and 25%. The realized standardized selection differentials of actual milk deviations for the four lactations were .16, .14, .15, and .11, respectively. The corresponding phenotypic differentials were .12, .11, .11, and .10, respectively. Selection pressures on milk and fat deviations were similar.
DGK1-encoded Diacylglycerol Kinase Activity Is Required for Phospholipid Synthesis during Growth Resumption from Stationary Phase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, triacylglycerol mobilization for phospholipid synthesis occurs during growth resumption from stationary phase, and this metabolism is essential in the absence of de novo fatty acid synthesis. In this work, we provide evidence that DGK1-encoded diacylglycerol kinase activity is required to convert triacylglycerol-derived diacylglycerol to phosphatidate for phospholipid synthesis. Cells lacking diacylglycerol kinase activity (e.g. dgk1Δ mutation) failed to resume growth in the presence of the fatty acid synthesis inhibitor cerulenin. Lipid analysis data showed that dgk1Δ mutant cells did not mobilize triacylglycerol for membrane phospholipid synthesis and accumulated diacylglycerol. The dgk1Δ phenotypes were partially complemented by preventing the formation of diacylglycerol by the PAH1-encoded phosphatidate phosphatase and by channeling diacylglycerol to phosphatidylcholine via the Kennedy pathway. These observations, coupled to an inhibitory effect of dioctanoyl-diacylglycerol on the growth of wild type cells, indicated that diacylglycerol kinase also functions to alleviate diacylglycerol toxicity.
Effect of herbage water-soluble carbohydrate content and weather conditions at ensilage on the fermentation of grass silages made on commercial farms.

A total of 1009 samples of silage made in bunker silos on commercial farms between 1972 and 1978 was analysed to investigate the effect of herbage water-soluble carbohydrate content (WSC) and weather conditions at ensilage on fermentation as measured by ammonia-N concentration and pH of first-cut grass silages. Silage dry matter (DM) content had the major effect on fermentation. Factors influencing silage DM were rainfall and hours of sunshine during silage making, and DM content of the grass cut. WSC content of herbage ensiled also had a significant effect on subsequent fermentation. The major influences on herbage WSC were hours of sunshine and rainfall during the growing season. The effect of chemical additives, albeit at poorly defined and often inadequate rates, was small in comparison to that of silage DM. The minimum DM necessary to produce well-fermented silage without additive was approximately 260 g kg−1. Use of formic acid significantly reduced this requirement to 240 g kg−1 and to 252 g kg−1 for sulphuric add + formalin. The results indicate that the minimum herbage WSC necessary to prevent a clostridial fermentation developing in silage with a DM content of 230 g kg−1 is approximately 37 g kg−1 without additive and 30 g kg−1 with formic acid. It is concluded that on commercial farms, weather conditions i.e. amount of rainfall and sunshine prior to and at ensilage, have a greater effect on subsequent silage fermentation than additive use.
Acute alcohol exposure impairs fracture healing and deregulates β-catenin signaling in the fracture callus.

Background: Alcohol abuse is a risk factor for bone damage and fracture-related complications. Through precise b-catenin signaling, canonical Wnt signaling plays a key role in fracture repair by promoting the differentiation of new bone and cartilage cells. In this study, we examined the effects of alcohol on the Wnt pathway in injured bone using a murine model of alcohol-induced impaired fracture healing. Methods: Male C57Bl/6 or T cell factor (TCF)-transgenic mice were administered 3 daily intraperitoneal doses of alcohol or saline. One hour following the final injection, mice were subjected to a stabilized, mid-shaft tibial fracture. Injured and contralateral tibias were harvested at 6, 9, or 14 days post-fracture for the analysis of biomechanical strength, callus tissue composition, and Wnt/b-catenin signaling. Results: Acute alcohol treatment was associated with a significant decrease in fracture callus volume, diameter, and biomechanical strength at day 14 post-fracture. Histology revealed an alcoholrelated reduction in cartilage and bone formation at the fracture site, and that alcohol inhibited normal cartilage maturation. Acute alcohol exposure caused a significant 2.3-fold increase in total b-catenin protein at day 6 and a significant decrease of 53 and 56% at days 9 and 14, respectively. lacZ staining in b-galactosidase-expressing TCF-transgenic mice revealed spatial and quantitative differences in Wntspecific transcriptional activation at day 6 in the alcohol group. Days 9 and 14 post-fracture showed that acute alcohol exposure decreased Wnt transcriptional activation, which correlates with the modulation of total b-catenin protein levels observed at these time points. Conclusions: Acute alcohol exposure resulted in significant impairment of fracture callus tissue formation, perturbation of the key Wnt pathway protein b-catenin, and disruption of normal Wntmediated transcription. These data suggest that the canonical Wnt pathway is a target for alcohol in bone and may partially explain why impaired fracture healing is observed in alcohol-abusing individuals.
Resummation and NLO matching of event shapes with effective field theory

The resummed differential thrust rate in ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ annihilation is calculated using soft-collinear effective theory (SCET). The resulting distribution in the two-jet region ($T\ensuremath{\sim}1)$ is found to agree with the corresponding expression derived by the standard approach. A matching procedure to account for finite corrections at $Tl1$ is then described. There are two important advantages of the SCET approach. First, SCET manifests a dynamical seesaw scale $q={p}^{2}/Q$ in addition to the center-of-mass energy $Q$ and the jet mass scale $p\ensuremath{\sim}Q\sqrt{(1\ensuremath{-}T)}$. Thus, the resummation of logs of $p/q$ can be cleanly distinguished from the resummation of logs of $Q/p$. Second, finite parts of loop amplitudes appear in specific places in the perturbative distribution: in the matching to the hard function, at the scale $Q$, in matching to the jet function, at the scale $p$, and in matching to the soft function, at the scale $q$. This allows for a consistent merger of fixed order corrections and resummation. In particular, the total NLO ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ cross section is reproduced from these finite parts without having to perform additional infrared regulation.
Comparative Life Cycle Analysis of Materials in Wastewater Piping Systems

Abstract Over the past decades, dramatic increases in population and quality of life have led to an ever-growing need for wastewater infrastructure systems. Designing and applying novel pipelines with lower installation and long-term operation and maintenance expense will become crucial in the near future for the implementation of the best environmental management strategies. In this paper, a comparative life cycle analysis (LCA) was performed for four different types of wastewater pipe materials: composite fiber reinforced Polymer (FRP), PVC, ductile iron, and concrete. The functional unit in our analysis was defined as the infrastructure needed for the collection and transportation of one cubic meter of waste water from a city for a period of 50 years. Assuming a city that has a population of 200,000 and generates 0.3 cubic meter of wastewater per person per day, the reference flow for the above assumed functional unit can be deduced. Considering various life cycle stages, environmental impacts such as “ozone layer depletion”, eco-toxicity”, and “energy consumption” were quantified and compared for all pipe materials. The results show the production phase has the maximum impact among the different phases of all pipe manufacturing and within different environmental impacts; fossil fuel is the largely affected area in all piping systems and among the four pipes, ductile iron has the maximum impact and PVC has the minimum impact on most of these areas.
Plasma corticosterone response to serotonin altering drugs in the 3-day-old rat.

Three-day-old rats were injected with various neurotransmitter altering agents to demonstrate a functional relationship between these drugs and plasma corticoid levels. Plasma corticosterone levels were increased after injection of methiothepin, methysergide, and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), but were not changed by cholinergic, adrenergic, and dopaminergic compounds. Imipramine alone had no effects on plasma corticoids but in combination with 5-HTP resulted in a more sustained response than 5-HTP alone. A functional relationship between plasma corticosterone and serotonin receptors has been demonstrated in the 3-day-old rat. The presence of this relationship just after birth suggests the possibility that serotonin may be a mediator of early experience effects on later adrenocortical function.
Finding the lost treasures in exome sequencing data

Exome sequencing is one of the most cost-efficient sequencing approaches for conducting genome research on coding regions. However, significant portions of the reads obtained in exome sequencing come from outside of the designed target regions. These additional reads are generally ignored, potentially wasting an important source of genomic data. There are three major types of unintentionally sequenced read that can be found in exome sequencing data: reads in introns and intergenic regions, reads in the mitochondrial genome, and reads originating in viral genomes. All of these can be used for reliable data mining, extending the utility of exome sequencing. Large-scale exome sequencing data repositories, such as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), the 1000 Genomes Project, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Exome Sequencing Project, and The Sequence Reads Archive, provide researchers with excellent secondary data-mining opportunities to study genomic data beyond the intended target regions.
Meal feeding improves oral glucose tolerance in male rats and causes adaptations in postprandial islet hormone secretion that are independent of plasma incretins or glycemia

Meal-fed (MF) rats with access to food for only 4 consecutive hours during the light cycle learn to eat large meals to maintain energy balance. MF animals develop behavioral and endocrine changes that permit glucose tolerance despite increased meal size. We hypothesized that enhanced activity of the enteroinsular axis mediates glucose homeostasis during MF. Cohorts of rats were allocated to MF or ad libitum (AL) regimens for 2–4 wk. Insulin secretion and glucose tolerance were determined after oral carbohydrate and intraperitoneal (ip) and intravenous (iv) glucose. MF rats ate less than AL in the first week but maintained a comparable weight trajectory thereafter. MF rats had decreased glucose excursions after a liquid mixed meal (AUC: MF 75 ± 7, AL 461 ± 28 mmol·l−1·min, P < 0.001), with left-shifted insulin secretion (AUC0–15: MF 31.0 ± 4.9, AL 9.6 ± 4.4 pM·min, P < 0.02), which peaked before a significant rise in blood glucose. Both groups had comparable fasting glucagon levels, but postprandial responses were lower with MF. However, neither intestinal expression of proGIP and proglucagon mRNA nor plasma incretin levels differed between MF and AL groups. There were no differences in the insulin response to ip or iv glucose between MF and AL rats. These findings demonstrate that MF improves oral glucose tolerance and is associated with significant changes in postprandial islet hormone secretion. Because MF enhanced β-cell function during oral but not parenteral carbohydrate administration, and was not accounted for by changes in circulating incretins, these results support a neural mechanism of adaptive insulin secretion.
Structures of KaiC Circadian Clock Mutant Proteins: A New Phosphorylation Site at T426 and Mechanisms of Kinase, ATPase and Phosphatase.

Background The circadian clock of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus can be reconstituted in vitro by three proteins, KaiA, KaiB and KaiC. Homo-hexameric KaiC displays kinase, phosphatase and ATPase activities; KaiA enhances KaiC phosphorylation and KaiB antagonizes KaiA. Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of the two known sites in the C-terminal half of KaiC subunits, T432 and S431, follow a strict order (TS→pTS→pTpS→TpS→TS) over the daily cycle, the origin of which is not understood. To address this void and to analyze the roles of KaiC active site residues, in particular T426, we determined structures of single and double P-site mutants of S. elongatus KaiC. Methodology and Principal Findings The conformations of the loop region harboring P-site residues T432 and S431 in the crystal structures of six KaiC mutant proteins exhibit subtle differences that result in various distances between Thr (or Ala/Asn/Glu) and Ser (or Ala/Asp) residues and the ATP γ-phosphate. T432 is phosphorylated first because it lies consistently closer to Pγ. The structures of the S431A and T432E/S431A mutants reveal phosphorylation at T426. The environments of the latter residue in the structures and functional data for T426 mutants in vitro and in vivo imply a role in dephosphorylation. Conclusions and Significance We provide evidence for a third phosphorylation site in KaiC at T426. T426 and S431 are closely spaced and a KaiC subunit cannot carry phosphates at both sites simultaneously. Fewer subunits are phosphorylated at T426 in the two KaiC mutants compared to phosphorylated T432 and/or S431 residues in the structures of wt and other mutant KaiCs, suggesting that T426 phosphorylation may be labile. The structures combined with functional data for a host of KaiC mutant proteins help rationalize why S431 trails T432 in the loss of its phosphate and shed light on the mechanisms of the KaiC kinase, ATPase and phosphatase activities.
Outlier Detection and Editing Procedures for Continuous Multivariate Data

We present a semi-automatic method of outlier detection for continuous, multivariate survey data that is designed to identify outlying cases and suggest potential errors on a case-by-case basis, in the presence of missing data.
TOWARDS A UNIFIED RATE THEORY OF STOCHASTIC RESONANCE

We present a theory which connects two-state and excitable versions of stochastic resonance. The latter appears as an extreme asymmetric limit of traditional two-state rate theory. To achieve this unified view we are led to a simple generalization of excitable stochastic resonance.
Southern Green Revolution: Urban Environmental Activism in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

While the environmental movement in southern Taiwan exemplifies the recent worldwide trend of social movements with participants seeking local identity and autonomy in an increasingly global but deterritorialized world, it also has distinctive local characteristics derived from Taiwan's unique geo-political history. In Taiwan, environmental movements were an integral part of the larger process of democratization. In their effort to create a cleaner and greener environment, green activists in Kaohsiung, the second largest city in Taiwan, set up examples of citizen participation and assisted in establishing within the existing administrative framework formal mechanisms for public involvement. More crucially, via the language of ecological conservation, they helped to create a powerful political discourse that not only fundamentally challenged the central government's legitimacy, but also forced the country to rethink and refashion the foundation of Taiwan's national identity that, in turn, aided the efforts of environmental preservation.
NPY signaling through Y1 receptors modulates thalamic oscillations.

Neuropeptide Y is the ligand of a family of G-protein coupled receptors (Y1 to Y6). In the thalamus, exogenous and endogenously released NPY can shorten the duration of thalamic oscillations in brain slices from P13 to P15 rats, an in vitro model of absence seizures. Here, we examine which Y receptors are involved in this modulation. Application of the Y1 receptor agonist Leu31Pro34NPY caused a reversible reduction in the duration of thalamic oscillations (−26.6 +/− 7.8%), while the Y2 receptor agonist peptideYY(3–36) and the Y5 receptor agonist BWX-46 did not exert a significant effect. No Y receptor agonist affected oscillation period. Application of antagonists of Y1, Y2 and Y5 receptors (BIBP3226, BIIE0246 and L152,806, respectively) produced results consistent with those obtained from agonists. BIBP3226 caused a reversible disinhibition, an effect that increases oscillation duration (18.2 +/− 9.7%) while BIIE0246 and L152,806 had no significant effect. Expression of NPY is limited to neurons in the reticular thalamic nucleus (nRt), but Y1 receptors are expressed in both nRt and adjacent thalamic relay nuclei. Thus, intra-nRt or nRt to relay nucleus NPY release could cause Y1 receptor mediated inhibition of thalamic oscillations.
Ductus venosus S-wave/isovolumetric A-wave (SIA) index and A-wave reversed flow in severely premature growth-restricted fetuses.

Objective. Ductus venosus (DV) Doppler waveforms show 2 periods of decreased velocity during isovolumetric relaxation (isovolumetric relaxation velocity [IRV]) and atrial contraction (A wave or end-diastolic velocity [EDV]). In intrauterine growth-restricted (IUGR) fetuses, both may become abnormal. The hypothesis for this study was that in severely premature IUGR fetuses, Doppler assessment of both the IRV and EDV allows a more accurate prediction of fetal outcome than absent/reversed end-diastolic flow (A/REDF) alone. Methods. Ductus venosus Doppler waveforms were serially studied in 49 severely premature IUGR fetuses from diagnosis until death or delivery. The DV waveforms were assessed for peak systolic velocity (PSV), IRV, and EDV and qualitatively for forward end-diastolic flow or A/REDF. The S-wave/isovolumetric A-wave (SIA) index [PSV/(IRV + EDV)] for each fetus was compared to fetal/neonatal outcomes. Results. There were 8 cases of fetal death (FD), 9 cases of neonatal death (ND), and 32 cases of neonatal survival (NS). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the SIA index in all cases showed that values less than –1.25 correlated with FD and those greater than –1.25 correlated with live birth, with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. A second ROC curve of live births showed that values less than 2.07 correlated with NS and those greater than 2.07 correlated with ND with 67% sensitivity and 94% specificity. Ductus venosus A/REDF correlated with FD, ND, and NS with sensitivity values of 88%, 78%, and 32%, respectively. Of the 32 NSs, 11 (34%) had A/REDF with a median of 11 days before delivery. Conclusions. The SIA index is a novel Doppler parameter for assessment of severely premature IUGR fetuses that allows a much more accurate prediction of fetal outcome compared to A/REDF alone. Key words: Doppler ultrasound; ductus venosus; intrauterine fetal death; intrauterine growth restriction; isovolumetric relaxation; reversed flow; S-wave/ isovolumetric A-wave index.
Ceteris Paribus Hedges in Critical Principles

I argue that principles need to be appealed to in criticism especially when critics deliberate and determine the consistency between their verdicts on individual artworks. Following Frank Sibley, we can take principles as identifying properties with inherently positive or negative polarities that can be reversed in interactions with other properties. I contend that we should understand the character of such principles as having ceteris paribus hedges that restrict the scopes of the principles to artworks in which the inherent polarities of cited qualities are not undermined or reversed. This is to adopt Michael Strevens’ ‘narrowing’ approach to interpreting ceteris paribus clauses. A consequence of such hedges is that the conditions of application of critical principles—when certain polarities are not undermined or reversed—may be partly opaque and unknown. Unpacking the opaque truth conditions of such principles, then, helps to make sense of how critics go about working out the consistency between their verdicts. This view of critical principles is consistent with and even predicts Arnold Isenberg’s particularist intuition that verdicts can be directly perceived without the need to infer them from principles. After all, opaque truth conditions mean that sometimes critics may not know whether an inference from a principle to verdict is valid. Ultimately, this view of hedged principles helps to make sense of critical aesthetic practice and accords with both the generalist intuition that critical reasons, to be reasons, require principles and the particularist intuition that inferences to verdicts can be short-circuited by direct acts of perception.