cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Soil solution and exchange complex response to repeated wetting–drying with modestly saline–sodic water

Coal bed natural gas (CBNG) extraction in the Powder River (PR) Basin of Wyoming and Montana produces modestly saline-sodic wastewater, which may have electrical conductivity (EC) and sodium adsorption ratios (SAR) exceeding accepted thresholds for irrigation (EC = 3 dS m−1, SAR = 12 (mmolc l−1)1/2. As an approach to managing large volumes of CBNG-produced water, treatment processes have been developed to adjust produced water salinity and sodicity to published irrigation guidelines and legislated in-stream standards. The objective of this laboratory study was to assess acute and chronic soil solution EC and SAR responses to various wetting regimes simulating repeated flood irrigation with treated CBNG product water, followed by single rainfall events. Fifty-four soil samples from irrigated fields in southeast Montana were subjected to simulated PR water or CBNG water treated to EC and SAR values accepted as thresholds for designation of saline × sodic water, in a single wetting event, five wetting–drying events, or five wetting–drying events, followed by leaching with distilled water. Resultant saturated paste extract EC (ECe) and SAR of soils having 33% clay. Repeated wetting with PR water having EC of 1.56 dS m−1 and SAR of 4.54 led to SAR 3 dS m−1 and SAR near 12. Subsequent inundation and drainage with distilled water, simulating rainfall-quality leaching, reduced ECe and SAR more often in coarse-textured, high salt content soils than in finer-textured, lower salt content soils. Decreases in ECe upon leaching with distilled water were of greater magnitude than corresponding decreases in SAR, reinforcing supposition of sodium-induced dispersion of fine-textured soils as a consequence of rainfall following irrigation with water having salinity and sodicity levels equal to previously published thresholds.
Reconsidering fairness: A matter of social and ethical priorities

Abstract Current problems of fairness in employment testing do not stem primarily from inadequacies in measurement but from real racial-ethnic differences in the job-related capabilities that the tests often reveal. Moreover, the social and political dilemmas created by such differences are only aggravated by clinging to the hope that either measurement techniques or preferential treatment will provide a satisfactory solution to adverse impact. This paper reviews evidence, first, that it is primarily the g (intelligence) factor among mental tests that accounts for their validity in predicting job performance, and second, that black-white differences in g are real, large, and stubborn and thus can be expected to lead to especially high levels of adverse impact in mid- and high-level jobs for the foreseeable future. Examples are then provided of how race norming and other forms of preferential treatment designed to prevent adverse impact are counterproductive in the long run, perhaps especially if practiced covertly. Strategies are reviewed by which organizations, knowingly or not, may cultivate the appearance of having done what is generally impossible—avoiding adverse impact while simultaneously maintaining or improving the efficiency and equity of personnel systems—without actually having accomplished that feat. Finally, it is argued that the newer conceptions of fairness, which emphasize group parity rather than individual merit, promise not to bring racial equality but to permanently consign blacks and other favored groups to second-class citizenship.
Exploitation of a high genomic mutation rate in Solenopsis invicta virus 1 to infer demographic information about its host, Solenopsis invicta

Abstract The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) region of Solenopsis invicta virus 1 (SINV-1) was sequenced from 47 infected colonies of S. invicta , S. richteri , S. geminata , and S. invicta / richteri hybrids collected from across the USA, northern Argentina, and northern Taiwan in an attempt to infer demographic information about the recent S. invicta introduction into Taiwan by phylogenetic analysis. Nucleotide sequences were calculated to exhibit an overall identity of >90% between geographically-separated samples. A total of 171 nucleotide variable sites (representing 22.4% of the region amplified) were mapped across the SINV-1 RdRp alignment and no insertions or deletions were detected. Phylogenetic analysis at the nucleotide level revealed clustering of Argentinean sequences, distinct from the USA sequences. Moreover, the SINV-1 RdRp sequences derived from recently introduced populations of S. invicta from northern Taiwan resided within the multiple USA groupings implicating the USA as the source for the recent introduction of S. invicta into Taiwan. Examination of the amino acid alignment for the RdRp revealed sequence identity >98% with only nine amino acid changes observed. Seven of these changes occurred in less than 4.3% of samples, while 2 (at positions 1266 and 1285) were featured prominently. Changes at positions 1266 and 1285 accounted for 36.2% and 34.0% of the samples, respectively. Two distinct groups were observed based on the amino acid residue at position 1266, Threonine or Serine. In cases where this amino acid was a Threonine, 90% of these sequences possessed a corresponding Valine at position 1285; only 10% of the Threonine 1266 -containing sequences possessed an Isoleucine at the 1285 position. Among the Serine 1266 group, 76% possessed an Isoleucine at position 1285, while only 24% possessed a Valine. Thus, it appears that the Threonine 1266 /Valine 1285 and Serine 1266 /Isoleucine 1285 combinations are predominant phenotypes.
Coronary sinus orifice atresia

Un paciente de 7 anos de edad, con antecedente de ventriculo unico caracterizado por doble entrada ventricular izquierda, estenosis mitral, comunicacion interauricular tipo ostium secundum y colocacion de banda en la arteria pulmonar en la infancia, fue referido para una cirugia de Fontan. Una angiografia de la vena innominada demostro la presencia de vena cava superior izquierda (VCSI) en continuacion con el seno coronario (SC). El drenaje de la vena innominada en la vena cava superior derecha era normal (fig. 1). Una angiografia de la VCSI demostro atresia del orificio del SC y ausencia de comunicacion entre el SC y la auricula izquierda. De esta manera, el SC drenaba anormalmente en la vena innominada a traves de la VCSI, y esta via era el unico drenaje del SC (fig. 2). Este hallazgo no tiene consecuencia clinica cuando la anatomia cardiaca es normal. Sin embargo, es de relevancia en pacientes con ventriculo unico, que requieren una cirugia de anastomosis cavopulmonar o de Fontan. En estos casos, el cierre de la VCSI, comunmente realizado mediante cateterismo o durante la cirugia para evitar un shunt de derecha a izquierda, resulta en isquemia de miocardio al ocluirse totalmente el drenaje del SC. La anastomosis cavopulmonar puede realizarse sin intervenir el SC dejando su drenaje en conexion con la circulacion pulmonar y a traves de la VCSI. La opcion quirurgica propuesta en este paciente, en conjuncion con la cirugia de Fontan, fue el destechamiento del SC para permitir su drenaje en la auricula izquierda y ligadura de la VCSI. Figura 1. Figura 2.
Combined bipolar dual chamber pacing and automatic implantable cardioverter/defibrillator.

A 67 year old man with recurrent hypotensive ventricular tachycardia, amiodarone-induced bradyarrhythmias and severe cardiac dysfunction underwent simultaneous implantation of an automatic cardioverter/defibrillator and bipolar atrioventricular (AV) pacemaker. The pacing electrodes were placed epicardially near the right atrial appendage and on the lateral right ventricular wall. The rate detector of the automatic defibrillator was placed epicardially on the posterobasal left ventricular wall. Effective bipolarAVpacing produced no false counting of the heart rate by the automatic cardioverter/defibrillator, and ventricular tachycardia properly inhibited the pacemaker. Long-term follow-up study confirmed the safety -of this treatment. With proper precautions, bipolar AV pacing can be safely combined with an automatic cardioverter/defibrillator.
A comparative study of ULDPE utilizing DSC and TREF

The study of short chain branching (SCB) distribution of crystallizable polymers utilizing temperature rising elution fractionation (TREF) is a well known and established methodology. TREF utilizes the “crystallizability” of polymers in order to fractionate them. Crystallizability is dependent on factors such as short chain branching type, tacticity, and copolymer composition. However, as normally practised, TREF can be both labor and time intensive. Another probe of crystallizability which is generally available is differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In this work, both solutionand melt-crystallized samples were analyzed by DSC to ascertain the feasibility of utilizing DSC as an alternative or supplementary technique. The DSC results are compared with TREF runs using ultra-low-density polyethylene WLDPE) as the test polymer. Initial work addressing the suitability of using DSC as a complimentary technique to TREF has been reported in the literature [l] for low density polyethylenes. More recently, work has also been reported on linear low density polyethylenes [2,3]. After performing crystallization of DSC samples in a TREF-type microprocessor-controlled oven, a remarkable degree of similarity was observed between TREFand DSC-generated curves.
Progress on the NBS-LANL CW Microtron

The NBS-LANL racetrack microtron (RTM) currently under construction at the National Bureau of Standards is a demonstration accelerator to determine the feasibility of, and to develop the technology necessary for building high-energy, high-current, continuous beam (CW) electron accelerators using beam recirculation through room temperature rf accelerating structures. Parameters of the RTM are: injection energy - 5 MeV; energy gain per pass - 12 MeV; number of passes - 15 or 16; final beam energy - 185-197 MeV; maximum current - 550 ?A; rf frequency - 2380 MHz. At present, the electron gun and 100 keV beam transport line are operational, and most other major subsystems are in the construction or installation phase. Exceptions are the rf structure (under development), the 5 MeV beam transport line (in engineering design), and the extraction beam line (in conceptual design). Our studies of the original candidate accelerating structure, the disk-and-washer, have led to the discovery of beam steering modes which render this structure unsuitable for the RTM without at least substantial further development beyond the scope of the project. The most promising alternate for meeting the design goal of CW operation at 1.5 MeV/m is the side-coupled structure. A shunt impedance of 80 M?/m has been measured in a test section of side-coupled structure at 2380 MHz, adequate cooling has been designed, and a 2.7 m long section of this design is under construction. The electron optics of the RTM have been studied in detail.
Properties of the DNA associated with crystalline yeast lactic dehydrogenase

YLDH DNA, the polydeoxyribonucleotide associated with the crystalline enzyme yeast lactic dehydrogenase-cytochrome b2, has been shown to be unusual with respect to size, composition and conformation. Per enzyme particle (two heme and flavin monophosphate groups attached to a protein of mol. wt. 150,000) it consists of 33 deoxyribonucleotides: 11 deoxyadenylic, 12 deoxythymidylic, 5 deoxyguanylic and 5 deoxycytidylic. A single-stranded, yet highly ordered conformation for the DNA is suggested by measurement of its room temperature hypochromicity, thermal denaturation and renaturation, interaction with aliphatic and aromatic di-cations, formaldehyde titration and other experiments : at room temperature approximately 0·6 to 0·7 of all residues are believed to be in stacked, ordered regions, yet only 0·3 or so are actually present as hydrogen bonded base-pairs. A model involving a single-stranded “hairpin” held together by the hydrogen bonded pairs interspersed among unmatched pairs is proposed. Soluble extracts used as a source of YLDH DNA provide the source of another DNA species, relatively normal with regard to base composition and apparent conformational properties; the crystallization mother liquor yields a polyribonucleotide similar to yeast transfer RNA. These facts are considered in relation to the question of the possible artefactual nature of the YLDH DNA and the specificity of its association with the enzyme.
Planar, high numerical-aperture lens using sub-wavelength high contrast grating

Planar lenses using sub-wavelength high contrast grating are investigated. By designing the phase of the grating, high numerical aperture lenses can be achieved, with small spherical aberration and low insertion loss.
Toward better home respiratory monitoring: A comparison of impedance and inductance pneumography

Various respiratory monitoring methods have been used as a part of home respiratory care, but none has been accepted as a universal method. Impedance pneumography is the most popular method at present and is used in the form of cardiorespiratory monitoring, but it has limitations for diagnosing obstructive airway problems and a high incidence of false alarms. We evaluated a new investigational method, inductance pneumography, in terms of the incidence of false alarms (waveform out of range), using infants recovering from general anesthesia. They were used for this study because they go through all the stages of sleep in a short period and their relatively long period of light sleep was advantageous in evaluating motion artifact interference. Waveforms went out of range 24.6 ± 2.9% of the time with impedance pneumography and 15.9 ± 4.5% with pulse oximeter, but 11.0 ± 3.4% with inductance pneumography. These differences are statistically significant (P < 0.01). Electrocardiography electrodes for impedance pneumography dislodged briefly in one case but the Respiband dislodged in four cases and the Flex II probe dislodged in three cases, indicating the need for better fixation of sensors. It was found that inductance pneumography, in addition to being able to detect obstructive apnea, has a significantly lower incidence of false alarms. Further elaboration of this method is warranted for better home respiratory monitoring.
Characterization of an Improved dc Plasma Excitation Source

Several modifications of the direct current plasma jet have resulted in significantly enhanced analysis capabilities. Reducing the electrode angle, decreasing the aerosol chimney size, and operating in a diffuse mode with helium have provided improved stability, sensitivity, freedom from interferences, and detection limits. While the actual mechanism of the helium enhancement is not clear, no direct evidence was found which supports participation in the excitation step. Rather, improved desolvation, vaporization and possibly sample introduction result from the thermal conductivity of helium being much greater than that of argon.
Taxation, Wage Bargaining and Unemployment

Taxation, Wage Bargaining and Unemployment. By Isabela Mares. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006. 288p. $70.00 cloth, $27.99 paper. Just three years after publishing The Politics of Social Risk: Business and Welfare State Development, a prize-winning book on the role of employers in the development of European welfare states, Isabela Mares offers an overarching explanation of labor market performance in postwar Europe. She builds on the institutionalist literature in political economy, but combines its best-known models of labor markets with other elements. As foundations, she takes the Calmfors-Driffil model, which stressed that unemployment varies with labor union centralization (since more centralized unions are better at delivering wage moderation), and the Soskice-Iversen model, which stressed that unemployment varies with the independence and policies of central banks (since union moderation is encouraged by nonaccommodating monetary policy, which adjusts to cancel out wage inflation that exceeds productivity growth). Mares notes, however, that in most cases, neither union centralization nor monetary policy institutions have varied as much as unemployment over time—leaving these models better able to account for cross-national variation than for cross-temporal patterns.
Erratum to “Permeability of noble gases through kapton, butyl, nylon, and ‘silver shield’ ” [Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 615 (2010) 267–271]

An incorrect calibration was used to generate the vertical axis of Fig. 3. The corrected figure is given here. The insensitivity of the permeability measurement to inlet pressure and film thickness, as demonstrated in Fig. 3, is unaffected by this error. The values of permeability presented in Table 1, as well as the conclusions of the paper, are similarly unaffected. We thank Geoffrey Nunes for bringing this error to our attention.
Glucocorticoid receptor mRNA in Alzheimer's diseased hippocampus

Abstract Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction is a common finding in Alzheimer's dementia. Since there is loss of hippocampal corticosteroid receptors in animal models of aging, and since hippocampal cell loss occurs in Alzheimer's disease (AD), it has been suggested that a loss of hippocampal glucocorticoid receptors (GR) may underlie some aspects of HPA axis dysfunction in patients with AD. Levels of corticosteroid receptor protein are not reliably determined in postmortem human brain due to rapid lability. In contrast, levels of mRNA coding for GR are stable in postmortem tissue. We report here initial observations from in situ hybridization experiments which indicate that regional levels of glucocorticoid receptor mRNA in hippocampus, as determined by film autoradiography, are significantly higher in AD hippocampus than in controls. While neuronal levels of GR mRNA in AD, revealed by emulsion autoradiography, were equal in control and AD tissue. Taken together these results suggest that adrenal dysfunction in AD may relate to defects in receptor function rather than corticosteroid receptor loss in the hippocampus.
Spontaneous vesicles from aqueous solutions of aerosol OT and choline chloride compounds

Abstract Single-walled, nearly monodisperse, equilibrium vesicles form spontaneously when cholinergics such as choline chloride, acetylcholine chloride, calcium salt of phosphorylcholine chloride, or succinylcholine chloride, a muscle relaxant, are added to the solutions of sodium bis[2-ethylhexyl]sulfosuccinate (AOT). Partial phase diagrams mapping the stable vesicle region are presented for the systems AOT/water/choline chloride, AOT/water/acetylcholine chloride, AOT/water/phosphorylcholine chloride calcium salt, and AOT/water/succinylcholine chloride. The measured diameters for the vesicles made with these choline chloride compounds are 2000A˚for acetylcholine chloride and 1000A˚for choline chloride, succinylcholine chloride, and the calcium salt of phosphorylcholine chloride.
Effects of chronic clozapine administration on markers of arachidonic acid cascade and synaptic integrity in rat brain

The mode of action of clozapine, an atypical antipsychotic approved for treating schizophrenia (SZ) and used for bipolar disorder (BD) mania, remains unclear. We tested for overlap with the actions of the mood stabilizers, lithium, carbamazepine and valproate, which downregulate arachidonic acid (AA) cascade markers in rat brain and upregulate BDNF. AA cascade markers are upregulated in BD and SZ postmortem BD brain in association with neuroinflammation and synaptic loss, while BDNF is decreased. Rats were injected intraperitoneally with a therapeutically relevant dose of clozapine (10 mg/kg/day) or with saline for 30 days, and AA cascade and synaptic markers and BDNF were measured in the brain. Compared with saline-injected rats, chronic clozapine increased brain activity, mRNA and protein levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-selective calcium-independent phospholipase A2 type VIA (iPLA2), mRNA and protein levels of BDNF and of the postsynaptic marker, drebrin, while decreasing cyclooxygenase (COX) activity and concentration of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a proinflammatory AA metabolite. Activity and expression of AA-selective calcium-dependent cytosolic cPLA2 type IVA and of secretory sPLA2 Type II were unchanged. These results show overlap with effects of mood stabilizers with regard to downregulation of COX activity and PGE2 and to increased BDNF and suggest a common action against the reported neuropathology of BD and SZ. The increased iPLA2 expression following clozapine suggests increased production of anti-inflammatory DHA metabolites, and, with increased BDNF and drebrin, clear neuroprotective action.
Formation of Mesophase Using Precursors from Shale Oil

Abstract The delayed coking process on a laboratory scale of vacuum distillate bottoms of a retorted shale oil from the Green River Formation of oil shale was studied so that these carbon sources could be used for manufactured graphite. The bottoms were refluxed under nitrogen at 285°C for 5, 25, and 74 h. The samples were pyrolyzed under nitrogen with heating rates of 13°C/h to 360°C and 5°C/h to 465 °C at atmospheric pressure. Afterward, the residues were examined using polarized light microscopy for observing conditions. The samples were investigated using different analytical techniques (1H-NMR, IR, VPO, and GC) to determine the changes that were occurring with the thermal treatment. However, contrary to other precursors, proton NMR and IR studies revealed that the naphthenics are most likely responsible for mesophase formation during carbonization. Gas chromatography of the samples indicates the existence of certain branched compounds that disappear with heal treatment. The presence of isocompounds a...
Alterations in ethanol seeking and self-administration following yohimbine in selectively bred alcohol-preferring (P) and high alcohol drinking (HAD-2) rats

Abstract Evidence suggests that stress increases alcohol drinking and promotes relapse in humans. Animal models that assess related behaviors include the sipper tube ethanol self-administration and the stress-induced reinstatement paradigms. While selectively bred for the same high-ethanol-drinking behavior, alcohol-preferring P rats appear to show greater sensitivity to ethanol reinforcement than high-alcohol-drinking HAD rats. The present experiment tested the effects of the pharmacological stressor, yohimbine, on the motivation to seek and consume ethanol implementing a combined sipper tube/reinstatement model using male P and HAD-2 rats. Following training to self-administer ethanol using the sipper tube procedure, rats were tested for the effects of yohimbine (0.625–2.5 mg/kg) on ethanol drinking. Subsequently, rats were tested for the effects of 1.25 mg/kg yohimbine on reinstatement of ethanol seeking. Yohimbine (0.625 and 1.25 mg/kg) increased ethanol self-administration, and the latter dose also decreased latency to complete the response requirement. Yohimbine elicited reinstatement of ethanol seeking in both lines. HAD-2 rats drank more ethanol, but showed similar responding on the ethanol-associated lever compared to P rats. These findings extend both the reinstatement and sipper tube models and justify further exploration of this unique combined paradigm. Despite prior evidence suggesting that P rats are more motivated to seek and consume ethanol, differences in these behaviors between P and HAD-2 rats were not systematic in the present experiment. Further investigation may elucidate whether either selected line may be more sensitive than other selectively bred or outbred rats to stress-related changes in ethanol's reinforcing effects.
Automated Brainstem Co-registration (ABC) for MRI

Abstract Group data analysis in brainstem neuroimaging is predicated on accurate co-registration of anatomy. As the brainstem is comprised of many functionally heterogeneous nuclei densely situated adjacent to one another, relatively small errors in co-registration can manifest in increased variance or decreased sensitivity (or significance) in detecting activations. We have devised a 2-stage automated, reference mask guided registration technique (Automated Brainstem Co-registration, or ABC) for improved brainstem co-registration. Our approach utilized a brainstem mask dataset to weight an automated co-registration cost function. Our method was validated through measurement of RMS error at 12 manually defined landmarks. These landmarks were also used as guides for a secondary manual co-registration option, intended for outlier individuals that may not adequately co-register with our automated method. Our methodology was tested on 10 healthy human subjects and compared to traditional co-registration techniques (Talairach transform and automated affine transform to the MNI-152 template). We found that ABC had a significantly lower mean RMS error (1.22 ± 0.39 mm) than Talairach transform (2.88 ± 1.22 mm, μ ± σ) and the global affine (3.26 ± 0.81 mm) method. Improved accuracy was also found for our manual-landmark-guided option (1.51 ± 0.43 mm). Visualizing individual brainstem borders demonstrated more consistent and uniform overlap for ABC compared to traditional global co-registration techniques. Improved robustness (lower susceptibility to outliers) was demonstrated with ABC through lower inter-subject RMS error variance compared with traditional co-registration methods. The use of easily available and validated tools (AFNI and FSL) for this method should ease adoption by other investigators interested in brainstem data group analysis.
The use of fat suppression in gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging of the musculoskeletal system: a potential source of error.

T he use of fat suppression in conjunction with gadolinium in imaging of the musculoskeletal system is common I I , 2]. Using fat suppression with TI -weighted contrast-enhanced imaging shows the areas of enhancement with greater conspicuity than when imaging is performed without fat suppression, making the resultant images easier to interpret. However, fat suppression can also cause confusion, resulting in misinterpretation and inappropriate treatment. as the following two cases illustrate.
Teaching standard costs: A look at textbook differences in overhead variance analysis

Abstract Procedures for calculating the two-way, three-way and four-way analysis of overhead variances can differ significantly among cost accounting textbooks. This study uses a common problem framework to compare the isolation of overhead variances in 20 cost accounting textbooks that present the current, yet different methods of overhead variance analysis.
Nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding

Nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB) remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality. The etiological role and the relative risk of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in association with other clinical factors are the focus of several papers published in the last year. Data from studies that evaluate the interaction of NSAIDs with Helicobacter pylori suggest that there is a clear role for eradication in aspirin-related bleeding. Although the benefit of H. pylori eradication in nonaspirin NSAID-related bleeding is being debated, they should both be eliminated given their relative contribution to the causation of peptic ulcer hemorrhage. The search for reliable and accurate tools to predict outcomes after NVUGIB continues. Recent important contributions in this area of research are the use of a clinical prediction guide to identify patients who are likely to require endoscopic intervention, and the use of Doppler ultrasound examination of the ulcer base to predict rebleeding. The role of antisecretory therapy in the setting of acute NVUGIB has been revisited in two meta-analyses and one randomized, placebo-controlled trial of omeprazole as an adjunct to endoscopic intervention. Until more definitive data are available, it appears that the effect of acid-decreasing medications is more important when endoscopic therapy is not provided than when effective endoscopic intervention is instituted. With regard to therapeutic endoscopy for upper gastrointestinal bleeding, the few randomized trials that have been published in full form in the last year focus on the use of mechanical methods of hemostasis for peptic ulcer bleeding and other etiologies such as Mallory-Weiss tears and Dieulafoy lesions.
West Indian Archaeology. 2. After Columbus

The 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas sparked unprecedented interest in the Spanish invasion and in the native peoples of the West Indies. In response, archaeological investigations shed new light on Native, Spanish, and African cultures prior to 1492. In addition, contact-period documents were reexamined, leading to new reconstructions of these societies at contact. Finally, studies have focused on how the interaction and transculturation of native and invading groups led to the demise of the Tainos and the creation of Criollo and Island Carib cultures. The present review examines the changing face of West Indian archaeology in the context of colonialism and ethnohistory. The next part in this series will examine Ceramic Age archaeology.
Linear-prediction whitening with convex combining in constant modulus equalizers

Among the well known issues with CMA equalizers is that they can converge slowly. Some recent work indicates that pre-whitening with an adaptive LMS filter, configured for linear-prediction (LP-CMA), can cause the CMA equalizer to converge faster, for some poor channel cases. While this works well for a high-dispersion channel, when the technique is applied to less problematic channels, convergence can be slower than non-whitened CMA. In this paper, we apply convex combining to adaptively select between an LP-CMA and CMA with no pre-whitening.
Monitoring and control of the physiological state of cell cultures.

Advances in bioprocess engineering depends ultimately on the level of understanding and control of the physiological state of the cell population. Process efficiency is strongly influenced by changes in the cellular state which should be monitored, interpreted, and, if possible, properly manipulated. In most control systems this function is not explicitly considered, which hampers process development and optimization. Conventional control logic is based on direct mapping of the growth environment into process efficiency, thereby bypassing the cell state as an intermediate control objective. Today, this limitation is well realized, and explicit monitoring and control of cellular physiology are considered to be among the most challenging tasks of modern bioprocess engineering. We present here a generic methodology for the design of systems capable of performing these advanced monitoring and control functions. The term physiological state is quantified by a vector composed of several process variables that convey significant information about cellular state. These variables can be selected among different classes, including specific metabolic rates, metabolic rate ratios, degees of limitation, and others. The real-time monitoring of many of these is possible using commercial sensors. The definition and calculation of representative sets of physiological state variables is demonstrated with examples from several fermentor cultures : recombinant Escherichia coli for phenylalanine production, bioluminescent E. coli (harboring lux genes driven by a heat shock protein promoter) for detection of environmental pollutants, plant cell culture of Perilla frutescens for anthocyanin production, and perfusion cultures of recombinant mammalian cells (NS0 and CHO) for therapeutic protein production. If the physiological state vector is on-line calculated, the fermentation process can be described by its trajectory in a space defined by the vector components. Then, the goal of the control system is to maintain the physiological state of the cell as close as possible to the trajectory, providing maximum efficiency. A control structure meant to perform this function is proposed, along with the mechanism for its design. In contrast to conventional systems which work in a closed loop in respect to the cell environment, this scheme operates in a closed loop in respect to the cell state. The discussed control concept has been successfully applied to the recombinant phenylalanine production, resulting in physiologically consistent operation, total computer control, and high process efficiency. Initial results from the application of the method to perfusion mammalian cell cultures are also presented.
Glucocorticoids regulate the synthesis of HSP27 in rat brain slices.

Using mild heat shock of rat brain slices as a model for cellular insult, corticosteroid-mediated regulation of protein synthesis has been investigated. Following a single in vivo injection of rats with corticosterone or the Type II glucocorticoid receptor agonist, RU-28362, synthesis of a 28 kDa protein is elevated in cerebellar slices which are subsequently incubated in vitro at 39°C for 3 h. Immunoblotting of proteins subsequent to separation by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis has identified this glucocorticoid-sensitive protein to be the small molecular weight heat-shock protein, HSP27. Synthesis of the major heat-shock proteins, HSP70 and HSP90, is not glucocorticoid-sensitive. When animals are sacrificed at either 4 h following an aldosterone injection or at 24 h following a corticosterone injection, the synthesis of HSP27 in cerebellar slices is decreased. Treatment of adrenalectomized rats with either corticosterone, RU-28362 or aldosterone produces increased synthesis of HSP27. With duration of heat shock, there is a transient increase in the synthesis of HSP27 after 2 h at 39°C in slices from the cerebral cortex, with a more sustained synthesis of HSP27 in cerebellar slices. In hippocampal slices, HSP27 is rarely present. The upregulated synthesis of HSP27 in the cerebellum following an acute exposure to stress-like elevations in corticosterone titers may contribute to the relative resistance of this brain region to cellular insults.
Mutant genes responsible for Parkinson's disease.

Abstract Recent progress has documented the presence of at least 10 disease-related genes or loci linked to Parkinson’s disease. Analysis of the genotypes and phenotypes of these mutant genes has revealed a broad spectrum of clinical and pathological presentations, many of which share a common feature of alteration in the ubiquitin proteasome system. Further understanding of the pathogenesis of these inherited cases of Parkinson’s disease and development of transgenic animal models bearing these mutations should provide novel insight into the causes of nigral cell death and meaningful strategies for future therapy.
Evolution of vertebrate GnRH receptors from the perspective of a Basal vertebrate.

This minireview provides the current status on gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptors (GnRH-R) in vertebrates, from the perspective of a basal vertebrate, the sea lamprey, and provides an evolutionary scheme based on the recent advance of whole genome sequencing. In addition, we provide a perspective on the functional divergence and evolution of the receptors. In this review we use the phylogenetic classification of vertebrate GnRH receptors that groups them into three clusters: type I (mammalian and non-mammalian), type II, and type III GnRH receptors. New findings show that the sea lamprey has two type III-like GnRH receptors and an ancestral type GnRH receptor that is more closely related to the type II-like receptors. These two novel GnRH receptors along with lGnRH-R-1 share similar structural features and amino acid motifs common to other known gnathostome type II/III receptors. Recent data analyses of the lamprey genome provide strong evidence that 2 whole rounds of genome duplication (2R) occurred prior to the gnathostome-agnathan split. Based on our current knowledge, it is proposed that lGnRH-R-1 evolved from an ancestor of the type II receptor following a vertebrate-shared genome duplication and that the two type III receptors resulted from a duplication within lamprey of a gene derived from a lineage shared by many vertebrates.
Water penetration and escape in proteins.

The kinetics of water penetration and escape in cytochrome c (cyt c) is studied by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations at various temperatures. Water molecules that penetrate the protein interior during the course of an MD simulation are identified by monitoring the number of water molecules in the first coordination shell (within 3.5 A) of each water molecule in the system. Water molecules in the interior of cyt c have 0–3 water molecules in their first hydration shell and this coordination number persists for extended periods of time. At T = 300 K we identify over 200 events in which water molecules penetrate the protein and reside inside for at least 5 picoseconds (ps) within a 1.5 nanoseconds (ns) time period. Twenty-seven (27) water molecules reside for at least 300 ps, 17 water molecules reside in the protein interior for times longer than 500 ps, and two interior water molecules do not escape; at T = 360 K one water molecule does not escape; at 430 K all water molecules exchange. Some of the internal water molecules show mean square displacements (MSD) of 1 A2 characteristic of structural waters. Others show MSD as large as 12 A2, suggesting that some of these water molecules occupy transient cavities and diffuse extensively within the protein. Motions of protein-bound water molecules are rotationally hindered, but show large librations. Analysis of the kinetics of water escape in terms of a survival time correlation function shows a power law behavior in time that can be interpreted in terms of a broad distribution of energy barriers, relative to κBT, for water exchange. At T = 300 K estimates of the roughness of the activation energy distribution is 4–10 kJ/mol (2–4 κBT). Activation enthalpies for water escape are 6–23 kJ/mol. The difference in activation entropies between fast exchanging (0.01 ns) and slow exchanging (0.1–1 ns) water molecules is −27 J/K/mol. Dunitz (Science 1997;264:670.) has estimated the maximum entropy loss of a water molecule due to binding to be 28 J/K/mol. Therefore, our results suggest that the entropy of interior water molecules is similar to entropy of bulk water. Proteins 2000;38:261–272. Published 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Divergent Mechanisms for Homologous Desensitization of p21ras by Insulin and Growth Factors

Previous work suggested that desensitization of p21ras in response to growth factors such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) results from receptor down-regulation. Here we show that p21ras is desensitized by insulin in 3T3-L1 adipocytes in the continued presence of activated insulin receptors, while loss of epidermal growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptors in response to their ligands correlates with p21rasdesensitization. Furthermore, elevated amounts of Grb2/Shc complexes persisted throughout p21ras desensitization by insulin. However, immunoblotting of anti-Son-of-sevenless (Sos) 1 and 2 immunoprecipitates with anti-Grb2 antisera revealed that p21rasdesensitization in response to insulin and PDGF, but not EGF, is associated with a marked decrease in cellular complexes containing Sos and Grb2 proteins. Nonetheless, the desensitization of p21rasin response to these stimuli was homologous, in that each peptide could reactivate [32P]GTP loading of p21ras after desensitization by any of the others. Taken together, these data indicate that insulin, EGF, and PDGF all cause disassembly of Sos proteins from signaling complexes during p21rasdesensitization, but at least two mechanisms are involved. Insulin elicits dissociation of Sos from Grb2 SH3 domains, whereas EGF signaling is reversed by receptor down-regulation and Shc dephosphorylation, releasing Grb2 SH2 domains. PDGF action triggers both mechanisms of Grb2 disassembly, which probably operate in concert with GAP to attenuate p21ras signaling.
Gastric ulceration in rats with experimentally-induced polycythemia.

SummaryInduction of polycythemia by repeated intravenous injections of homologous erythrocytes produced gastric ulceration in 26 of 29 rats, including normal, adrenalectomized, hypophysectomized, and sham-operated animals. An experimental system has therefore been developed for the study of etiologic factors which may parallel those leading to development of peptic ulcers in patients with polycythemia rubra vera.
Titanium(II), -(III), and -(IV) Complexes Supported by Benzamidinate Ligands

The synthesis and reactivity of a wide range of titanium benzamidinates is described. Addition of 0.5 equiv of Me2Mg to the dichloride L2TiCl2 (L = PhC(NSiMe3)2) in Et2O yields the chloro−alkyl derivative L2Ti(Me)Cl in good yield. The addition of 2 equiv of PhCH2MgCl to the dichloride affords thermally sensitive L2Ti(CH2Ph)2 in moderate yield. Likewise, addition of 1 equiv of Me2Mg results in the clean formation of the dimethyl L2TiMe2. The dimethyl reacts with tert-butylamine in refluxing benzene to form the five-coordinate imido L2TiNCMe3, for which crystallographic data is presented. The imido reacts with acetone in C6D6 to form the bridging oxo derivative L2Ti(μ-O)2TiL[η1-NC(Ph)N(SiMe3)2]. Overnight reduction of the dichloride with 1% Na/Hg amalgam in tetrahydrofuran (THF) forms the Ti(III) derivative L2TiCl(THF), which is crystallized from hexanes in moderate yield. Carrying out the analogous reduction in toluene yields the base-free Ti(III) chloride, L2TiCl, for which crystallographic data is presen...
Structural Evaluation along the Nanotube Length for Super-long Vertically Aligned Double-Walled Carbon Nanotube Arrays

By performing Raman spectroscopic and electrochemical measurements along the nanotube length, we have demonstrated that there is a concentration gradient of structural defects along the tube length for super-long (ca. 5 mm) vertically aligned double-walled carbon nanotubes (SLVA-DWNTs) produced by water-assisted CVD growth. An increase in the structural defect content along the nanotube length from the top to bottom end was observed in the present study due to the “bottom growth” process and the decay of the catalyst reactivity with the growth time. The newly observed defect content gradient facilitated us to tune the nanotube electrochemistry along its length and to deposit metal particles in a length-specific fashion.
Supersymmetry breaking in three dimensions

Abstract One-loop corrections to the effective potential in three-dimensional supersymmetric massless scalar electrodynamics are calculated to see whether or not they spontaneously break supersymmetry. It is found that neither the supersymmetry nor the U(1) gauge invariance is broken by one-loop effects.
Light-scattering spectroscopic optical coherence tomography for differentiating cells in 3D cell culture

Combining light scatting spectroscopy (LSS) and spectroscopic optical coherence tomography (LS-SOCT) can provide a wealth of information. A theoretical model for analyzing the scattering in SOCT is proposed based on plane wave decomposition. Based on the model, we discuss the possibility of matching the physical characteristics of scatterers with observed spectroscopic signals. Many complicating factors are considered including the effects of scatterer size, incident light polarization, interference between the fields scattered from closely adjacent scatterers, and the numerical aperture of the OCT system. We found the modulation of the spectrum of the incident light by scattering of a plane wave from a single sphere is a good indicator of particle size and composition. We demonstrate that measuring wavelength-dependent scattering in SOCT can be used for particle sizing and contrast enhancement by differentiating cells in 3D cell culture.
An NMR and quantum mechanical investigation of solvent effects on conformational equilibria of butanedinitrile.

Vicinal proton−proton NMR couplings and ab initio quantum mechanics have been used to investigate solvent effects on conformational equilibria of butanedinitrile. The trans and gauche conformations are about equally favored at room temperature in solvents of low dielectric constant while the equilibrium is essentially the statistical proportions of one-third trans and two-thirds gauche in water with a high dielectric constant. The coupling assignments were confirmed with the aid of stereospecific deuterium-labeled (R,R or S,S)-1,2-dideuteriobutanedinitrile. The calculations support the observed trends. Similar results were observed for 1,2-dibromo- and dichloroethanes.
The establishment of democracy in Russia: The origins of the provisional government reconsidered

The events of February-March 1917 that ended the 300 year reign of the Romanov dynasty and brought democratic government to Russia have traditionally been viewed as a popular revolution. At the forefront of these events, according to this view, were the workers and soldiers of Petrograd, Russia’s capital, whose actions toppled the regime of Nicholas II and spurred the formation of the Provisional Government. Not yet confident of their ability to govern the nation, the workers and soldiers entrusted this task to representatives of the country’s propertied classes who organised the Provisional Government in a spontaneous response to the collapse of the monarchy. To ensure that the new government represented the will of the people, so this interpretation runs, the Petrograd Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies forced it to adopt a radically democratic program significantly at odds with the government’s own moderate inclinations.’ In the words of one adherent of this view, the members of the Provisional Government ‘were the creations of the Revolution rather than active participants in it’.2 In the more than seven decades that have passed since the February Revolution, few historians have challenged this interpretation of the establishment of democracy in Russia in 1917.3 Yet the traditional view is inadequate in a number of respects. This study will briefly examine the circumstances surrounding the formation of the Provisional Government to suggest, first, that this government was not a completely spontaneous creation of the Revolution and, second, that the politicians who constituted the government were themselves responsible for the formulation of its broadly democratic program.4 The history of Russia on the eve of the 1917 Revolution leaves no doubt that popular discontent, often expressed in spontaneous, public outbursts, was responsible for creating the situation that would give rise to the formation ofthe Provisional Government on 2 March 1917. Russia’s entry into World War I had placed severe strains on the country’s still backward economy. The patriotic support that greeted the outbreak of war in 1914 had quickly turned to generalised discontent in the face of mounting hardships and deprivations. Food shortgages were chronic, and rapid inflation compounded the country’s misery. By the summer of 1915, the war weariness, anger and despair of the masses had begun to manifest themselves in public demonstrations of popular discontent. Most frequently these took the form of workers’ strikes.s In the summer of 1916, the strikes had reached an intensity not seen since the tumultuous pre-war years and, despite a brief hiatus at the end of the year, by