cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Re-assessing Evidence for Adverse Ocular Reactions Associated with Fluoroquinolones: Implications for Intracameral Use.

Moxifloxacin is an 8-methoxyfluoroquinolone bactericidal antibiotic which inhibits DNA gryase and topisomerase IV. Moxifloxacin has broad spectrum activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative b...
Priceless Knowledge: Attitudes and Awareness Around Drug Pricing Among US Medical Students.

High US drug costs have garnered increasing attention, with multiple proposed reforms. While physicians are key stakeholders, medical education about drug pricing is not described, and medical students’ understanding and attitudes are poorly understood. To assess students’ awareness of drug pricing and its determinants, the authors conducted a cross-sectional, web-based survey of US medical students. Survey items included attitudes and knowledge around drug pricing and relevant education received (e.g., importance, quantity/quality of instruction). A composite knowledge score summed correct responses to 10 knowledge items. Descriptive statistics and t tests were used to evaluate associations. Among 815 viewers of the survey invitation, 361 visited the survey and 240 completed it (view rate 44%; participation rate 77%; completion rate 87%). Most participants were white (62%), in MD programs (82%), and female (53%). Nearly all (> 99%) said it was somewhat or very important to understand factors influencing drug pricing; over 90% were interested in learning more. Among year 3–4 students (n = 108), 59% reported receiving medical school instruction on pricing; few rated the quantity as adequate (7%) or the quality as excellent (3%) or good (8%). Among 10 knowledge questions, the median correct score was 6. Fewer than half (44%) knew that prices are uncorrelated with research/development costs. Knowledge was associated with year in school (p = 0.011) but not reported instructional quality or quantity. In sum, medical students report interest in drug pricing but inadequate instruction, and their knowledge is incomplete. Enhanced education is needed to equip future doctors to advocate effectively for patients around drug prices.
One Nation, Two Responses

I remember that Dr. King was killed. White people remember looting. Larry Gibson In so far as historians have considered the impact of King's assassination and the revolts that followed, many have concluded that these comingled events represented a watershed in American history, the point where the liberal coalition that had enacted the civil rights acts of the mid-1960s came to an end. Or as Steven Gillon explained: “Any hope of forcing white America to confront the deep racial divide in the country – however slim to begin with – died that night.” Even before King's death, President Johnson had responded tepidly to the Kerner Commission's findings and “denounced the notion that America was moving toward two societies as a ‘catchy but insidious slander.’” After King's assassination, he grew increasingly withdrawn, rejecting calls to reinvigorate the War on Poverty and push through the equivalent of a domestic Marshall Plan. Yet, we need to ask, did the Holy Week Uprisings, themselves, foreclose the opportunity to address the racial divide which the Kerner Commission had identified as the cause of the revolts, most notably in its famous line, “Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white – separate and unequal?” Or was white retrenchment and the politics of resentment, which foreclosed on responding favorably to the commission's recommendations, made or constructed by those who sought to benefit politically from the unrest? Retaining our focus on Baltimore, this chapter will suggest that the latter was the case. Conservative politician and pundits, along with complicit liberals, intentionally framed or used the Holy Week Uprisings in such a way to insure that the Kerner Commission's recommendations would meet their demise. Simultaneously, they conflated the racial revolts with the antiwar movement, crime, and the rise of the counterculture, women's and “third world” movements, to bolster the politics of resentment and white retrenchment. While some pundits suggested that this was a natural course of events and/or a result of a paradox, namely that the “Negro riots because whites do not do enough, and whites do not do enough because Negroes riot,” to borrow the New York Times ’ words, this construction obscures white responsibility for creating the conditions against which blacks revolted against in the first place and white resistance to substantially altering the racial status quo before and after the uprisings.
Immediate Lymphatic Reconstruction to Prevent Breast Cancer Related Lymphedema: A Systematic Review.

SIGNIFICANCE Lymphedema is chronic limb swelling from lymphatic dysfunction. The condition affects up to 250 million people worldwide. In breast cancer patients, lymphedema occurs in 30% who undergo axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Recent Advances: Immediate lymphatic reconstruction (ILR), also termed Lymphatic Microsurgical Preventing Healing Approach (LyMPHA), is a method to decrease the risk of lymphedema by performing prophylactic lymphovenous anastomoses at the time of ALND. The objective of this study is to assess the risk reduction of ILR in preventing lymphedema. CRITICAL ISSUES Lymphedema has significant effects on the quality of life and morbidity of patients. Several techniques have been described to manage lymphedema after development, but prophylactic treatment of lymphedema with ILR may decrease risk of development to 6.6%. FUTURE DIRECTIONS Long-term studies that demonstrate efficacy of ILR may allow for prophylactic management of lymphedema in the patient undergoing lymph node dissection. .
Prediction of fatigue life of a flexible foldable origami antenna with Kresling pattern

Abstract In this paper, we present a thorough mechanical analysis of a foldable origami helical antenna using the Kresling pattern. A precise simulation is required to explicitly capture the complex motion of an origami structure during the folding process. We perform this study by employing the Finite Element Method (FEM) available in ANSYS software. First, we analyze the folding behavior of the structure with three stories. The results indicate that after the second story is folded completely, the first and third stories begin to fold. Next, we predict the fatigue life of the structure using the mean stress with fully reversed loading. We investigate the effects of several design parameters such as length ratio (b/a), height of story, total height, thickness, length and thickness ratios of creases, and radius of the circumscribed circle of polygonal on the fatigue life. We find out that the origami structure with the length ratio (b/a) of 1.9 has the highest life cycles. The results indicate that the effects of the height of the story on the life cycle depend on the length ratio (b/a). We observe that the life cycle of the origami structure improves by decreasing the thickness or increasing the radius of the circumscribed circle of hexagonal. In addition, we discover that the creases design plays an important role in the fatigue life and folding behavior of the origami structure.
An Experimental Study of the Transition from Nucleate to Film Boiling under Zero Gravity Conditions

The handling and control of fluids in satellites and advanced space-vehicle development requires extensive theoretical and experimental investigations in the low-gravity field. Liquid behavior and heat transfer studies are of special interest and some studies have already been performed,1,2,3,4 but all experimental investigations are of qualitative nature. The purpose of this study is to initiate a quantitative experiment and to demonstrate the sensitivity of the transition point from nucleate to film boiling (maximum heat flux, q/A max) to the gravitational acceleration. This can theoretically be shown by varying the g in the equations derived by Zuber or Kutateladze-Borishanskii5 which predict q/A max proportional to the 0.25-power of the gravitational acceleration, which means an increase of the heat-transfer rates at q/A max with increasing g, and a decrease with decreasing g.
Correlation of rhinencephalic electrograms with behavior

Abstract Six patients with chronically implanted intracranial electrodes were studied under the influence of d-LSD-25, 1-LSD-25, mescaline, and correlations attempted between the electrograms and behavioral observations. An increase in beta activity and a disappearance of alpha characterized in both cortical and subcortical recordings seemed to be associated with anxiety or its derivatives. Paroxysmal activity induced in the hippocampal, amygdaloid, and septal regions seemed to be associated with overt expressions of disturbed psychotic behavior. Spread of such paroxysmal activity until it became generalized in the cortex seemed to interfere with the full expression of the psychotic behavior. Chlorpromazine not only proved an effective blocking agent as far as the behavior was concerned, but also abolished or minimized the appearance of the low amplitude fast activity as well as the paroxysmal subcortical activity. The possible sites of action of LSD-25, mescaline, and chlorpromazine are discussed with reference to the problems of psychomotor epilepsy, episodic psychotic reactions, and schizophrenia.
Hexamethylsilirane. IV: Nucleophilic ring opening by alkyllithium reagents

Abstract Alkyllithium reagents (methyl-, n-butyl- and t-butyl-) react at 0°C with hexamethylsilirane to give RSiMe2CMe2CMe2Li as the initial product. In a second step this reagent metalates methyl substituents on silicon to give RSi(CH3)(CH2Li)CMe2CMe2H as the final product.
Mass Loss and X-Ray Emission from Giants and Supergiants

Although the basic theory for mass loss from late-type stars has been understood for almost three decades, the detailed theory for why particular types of stars lose mass — and how such mass loss relates to other indicators of stellar activity such as (coronal) X-ray emission — has proved to be remarkably elusive. Evolved stars such as giants and supergiants are an especially challenging puzzle from this perspective: Roughly speaking, these stars seem to show an anti-correlation between significant mass loss and coronal and transition region emissions. An intriguing aspect of this puzzle is the existence of “hybrid stars,” which show evidence for both significant mass loss and coronal/transition region activity. I review the status of the observations and theory, concluding that a completely satisfactory explanation for mass loss from giants and supergiants is not quite in hand. What is needed is a better understanding of the X-ray spectra of hybrid stars (in order to constrain the relative geometries of the coronae and winds of these transitional-type stars); and further work on the magnetic dynamo activity of evolved stars.
Atmospheric science: The death toll from air-pollution sources

Estimates of worldwide deaths associated with exposure to fine particles in atmospheric pollution provide some surprising results. The findings will guide future research and act as a wake-up call for policymakers. See Letter p.367 Premature mortality can be linked to a wide range of causes including the effect of outdoor air pollutants such as ozone and fine particulate matter on human health. This paper investigates the link between premature mortality and seven sources of atmospheric pollutants in urban and rural environments. Jos Lelieveld et al. find that outdoor air pollution, mostly by fine particulate matter, leads to around three million premature deaths per year worldwide. Emissions from residential energy use such as heating and cooking, prevalent in India and China, have the largest effect on premature mortality globally. In large areas of the United States and a few other countries, emissions from traffic and power generation are important, whereas in the eastern USA, Europe, Russia and East Asia agricultural emissions make the largest relative contribution to fine particulate matter, with the overall health effect depending on assumptions regarding particle toxicity.
Power domination in cylinders, tori, and generalized Petersen graphs

A set S of vertices is defined to be a power dominating set (PDS) of a graph G if every vertex and every edge in G can be monitored by the set S according to a set of rules for power system monitoring. The minimum cardinality of a PDS of G is its power domination number. In this article, we find upper bounds for the power domination number of some families of Cartesian products of graphs: the cylinders Pn□Cm for integers n ≥ 2, m ≥ 3, and the tori Cn□Cm for integers n,m ≥ 3. We apply similar techniques to present upper bounds for the power domination number of generalized Petersen graphs P(m,k). We prove those upper bounds provide the exact values of the power domination numbers if the integers m,n, and k satisfy some given relations. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, Vol. 58(1), 43–49 2011 © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
27. Brief Office Interventions for Anxiety and Depression: Treating the Cause Rather Than the Symptoms

Focus Areas: Integrative Approaches to Care, Mental Health Anxiety and depression are among the most common disorders seen in medical practices. Physicians often have limited resources with which to help patients in a primary care setting. Pharmacologic treatments with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have not been shown to be more effective than placebos and have significant risk. Integrative treatments such as relaxation and mindfulness training can be effective but usually require referral to a program and tend to target the symptoms rather than the root cause. Anxiety and depression are not primary processes but are symptoms caused by emotional reactions to stressful life events. Stressful life events frequently create emotional pathways of fear. In addition, other emotions, primarily anger, guilt, and grief, are typically held in to some degree and the combination of these suppressed emotions create the symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. It has been shown that experiencing, expressing, and releasing these emotions is very effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. This workshop will offer a model for helping patients understand that the symptoms of anxiety and depression have been learned by their brains and bodies through a neuroplastic process. It provides a model to explain how their life events and emotional reactions to those events have led to neurologic sensitization that can be reversed by changing the emotional reactions to those events. A method for quickly identifying the stressful events that have created anxiety and depression will be presented. Then a paradigm derived from a form of psychotherapy known as Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy will be presented. Video of this method will be shown and taught using a live demonstration. Trainees will be given an opportunity to practice this method during the workshop. There will be ample time for questions and discussion of the topic, these methods, and issues presented by patients.
Corticotropin-releasing factor receptor-dependent effects of repeated stress on tau phosphorylation, solubility, and aggregation

Exposure and/or sensitivity to stress have been implicated as conferring risk for development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although the basis for such a link remains unclear, we previously reported differential involvement of corticotropin-releasing factor receptor (CRFR) 1 and 2 in acute stress-induced tau phosphorylation (tau-P) and solubility in the hippocampus. Here we examined the role of CRFRs in tau-P induced by repeated stress and the structural manifestations of altered tau solubility. Robust tau-P responses were seen in WT and CRFR2 null mice exposed to repeated stress, which were sustained at even 24 h after the final stress exposure. A portion of phosphorylated tau in these mice was sequestered in detergent-soluble cellular fractions. In contrast, CRFR1 and CRFR double-KO mice did not exhibit repeated stress-induced alterations in tau-P or solubility. Similarly, treatment with CRFR1 antagonist attenuated repeated stress-induced tau-P. Using histochemical approaches in a transgenic CRFR1 reporter mouse line, we found substantial overlap between hippocampal CRFR1 expression and cells positive for phosphorylated tau after exposure to repeated stress. Ultrastructural analysis of negatively stained extracts from WT and CRFR2 null mice identified globular aggregates that displayed positive immunogold labeling for tau-P, as well as conformational changes in tau (MC1) seen in early AD. Given that repeated stress exposure results in chronic increases in hippocampal tau-P and its sequestration in an insoluble (and potentially prepathogenic) form, our data may define a link between stress and an AD-related pathogenic mechanism.
Hydrolysis of 8-quinolyl phosphate monoester: kinetic and theoretical studies of the effect of lanthanide ions.

8-Quinolyl phosphate (8QP) in the presence of the trivalent lanthanide ions (Ln = La, Sm, Eu, Tb, and Er) forms a [Ln·8QP]+ complex where the lanthanide ion catalyzes hydrolysis of 8QP. In reactions with Tb3+ or Er3+, there is evidence of limited intervention by a second lanthanide ion. Rate constants are increased by more than 107-fold, and kinetic data and B3LYP/ECP calculations indicate that the effects are largely driven by leaving group and metaphosphate ion stabilization. The lanthanides favor a single-step DNAN mechanism with a dissociative transition state, with limited nucleophilic assistance, consistent with the low hydroxide ion dependence and the small kinetic effect of Ln3+ radii.
Pressure Loss Modulus for correlation of steady-state {Delta}P across uniformly distributed-loss devices

A dimensionless group, called a Pressure Loss Modulus (N{sub PL}), is introduced which, in conjunction with an appropriately defined Reynolds number, is of considerable engineering utility in correlating steady-state {Delta}P vs. flow calibration data and subsequently as a predictor, using the same or a different fluid, in uniformly distributed pressure loss devices. It is particularly useful under operation in the transition regime. Applications of this simple bivariate correlation to three diverse devices of particular interest for small liquid rocket engine fluid systems are discussed: large L/D capillary tube restrictors; packed granular catalyst beds; and stacked vortex-loss disc restrictors.
Assessment of Longitudinal Gradients in Nematode Communities in the Deep Northern Gulf of Mexico and Concordance with Benthic Taxa

Meiobenthic nematode assemblages were examined at 16 stations along two transects on the eastern and western boundaries of the deep northern Gulf of Mexico (dNGOM) at depths of 212–3000 m. The highest abundance (297 individuals 10 cm−2) and number of genera (71) occurred at stations near the Mississippi River delta. Number of genera decreased with increasing depth, and showed differences in community composition between the east and west regions. The dominant family, Comesomatidae, was represented by Sabatieria that was present at most shallow stations but absent at greater water depths. A significant difference in nematode feeding morphology was observed between depth groups but not between the two transects at different longitudes. Patterns of nematode community structure are congruent with harpacticoid copepods. Overall, the higher abundance and diversity of nematodes in the north-central Gulf of Mexico is consistent with findings of other benthic taxa and reflects organic material loading from the Mississippi River driving deep sea communities in the Gulf. The east-west gradient in composition of nematode communities suggests that nematode assemblages have well-defined distribution patterns similar to other meiobenthic taxa in the GOM but they are not aligned in the bathymetric zones observed in macrofauna, megafauna and demersal fishes.
Spatial abilities, sex differences and EEG functioning.

Abstract The relationship of EEG asymmetry to spatial performance was studied for high and low spatial ability males and females. As in previous research for high spatial ability males relatively greater right hemispheric activity was associated with successful spatial performance. For low ability males, a group rarely studied, the opposite relationship was found. Both high and low ability females showed no consistent pattern of relationships.
Anti-Deposition Agents to prevent Spilled Oil from Fouling the Coastal Environment and Ecology

Following the recent Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico, more than one million gallons of dispersant was deployed to the site of the spilled oil. The clean-up strategy in this case wa...
Cosmic noise ‘Absorption’ by E region plasma waves

Riometer records and the electric field records obtained during the same period at two different locations are compared in order to investigate the effect of cosmic radio wave backscatter by E region plasma waves on the cosmic radio wave power reaching riometers. The data on the relation between absorption events of small magnitude (a few tenths of a decibel to about 1 dB) and intense ionospheric electric fields are in agreement with the idea that a number of absorption events measured by riometers result from radiation backscatter into space by E region plasma waves of the Farley-Buneman type.
Structure and stability of HSNO, the simplest S-nitrosothiol

High-level ab initio calculations employing the CCSD and CCSD(T) coupled cluster methods with a series of systematically convergent correlation-consistent basis sets have been performed to obtain accurate molecular geometry and energetic properties of the simplest S-nitrosothiol (RSNO), HSNO. The properties of the S–N bond, which are central to the physiological role of RSNOs in the storage and transport of nitric oxide, are highlighted. Following corrections for quadruple excitations, core-valence correlation and relativistic effects, the CCSD(T) method extrapolated to the complete basis set (CBS) limit yielded values of 1.85 A and 29.2 kcal mol−1 for the S–N bond length and the dissociation energy for homolysis of the S–N bond, respectively, in the energetically most stable trans-conformer of HSNO. The properties of the S–N bond strongly depend on the basis-set size and the inclusion of triple, and, to a lesser extent, quadruple excitations in the coupled cluster expansion. CCSD calculations systematically underestimate the S–N equilibrium distance and S–N bond dissociation energy by 0.05–0.07 A and 6–7 kcal mol−1, respectively. The significant differences between the CCSD(T) and CCSD descriptions of HSNO, the high values of the coupled clusterT1 (0.027) and D1 (0.076) diagnostics, as well as the instability of the reference restricted Hartree–Fock (RHF) wavefunction indicate that the electronic structure of the SNO group possesses multireference character. Previous quantum-chemical data on RSNOs are reexamined based on the new insight into the SNO electronic structure obtained from the present high-level calculations on HSNO.
Baroreflex sensitivity in an amphibian, Rana catesbeiana, and a reptilian, Pseudemys scripta elegans

An inverse relationship between heart rate and systematic arterial pressure is demonstrated in unanesthetized bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) and red-eared turtles (Pseudemys scripta elegans). Drug-induced elevation of systemic blood pressure resulted in proportional decreases in heart rate and lengthening of the pulse interval. Conversely, nitroglycerin-induced decreases in blood pressure produced compensatory increases in heart rate. This relationship in frogs is defined by y = 25.4x + 1684, and in turtles by y = 64.8x + 1686, where y is pulse interval in msec and x is systolic blood pressure in mmHg. Resting and drug-induced systolic pressure limits were not different in the two species. However, both resting and reflexly altered heart rates were significantly lower in turtles than in frogs (p < .05). The heart rate responses were abolished by atropinization, without effect on the blood pressure responses. While anatomic identification of the baroreceptor site sensing the pressure changes remains to be made, the translation of pressure information via reflex pathways analogous to mammalian baroreceptor reflex arc system is evidenced in these lower vertebrates.
An Integrated Molecular Dynamics and Monte Carlo Approach to Study Epitaxial Deposition of Silicon

The length and time scales of an atomistic simulation are often too small for any direct comparison with experimental observations. In order to study the coverage of pits (COPs) found on the Si (100) surface by epitaxial deposition, we first calculate rate of individual steps using molecular dynamics and then define a sequence of Monte-Carlo steps to study the effect of various factors on effective coverage of COPs.
Flexible filaments for in vivo imaging and delivery: persistent circulation of filomicelles opens the dosage window for sustained tumor shrinkage.

Shape effects of synthetic carriers are largely unexplored in vivo, although recent findings suggest that flexible filaments can persist in the circulation even if microns in length. Here, to bette...
THEOPHYLLINE PHARMACOKINETICS IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHOPULMONARY DYSPLASIA

Theophylline is commonly used to decrease airway resistance in patients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Little is known, however, about theophylline's pharmacokinetics in infants' with BPD. The objectives of this study were: (i) to examine the pharmacokinetics of theophylline; and (ii) to assess the intrapatient variation in theophylline serum concentration in BPD. Nineteen patients (gestational age: 27-33 weeks, postnatal age: 12-165 days) received 2-12 mg/kg/day theophylline. Multiple serum concentrations of theophylline were determined in each patient. Apparent clearance of theophylline ranged from 0.28 to 0.51 ml/min/kg. The steady-state trough serum concentration of theophylline ranged from 3.5 to 11.2 micrograms/ml. Based on our data, theophylline doses of 4-7 mg/kg/day may be required to achieve an average steady-state serum concentration of 10 micrograms/ml. Substantial intrapatient (twofold) variability was observed in theophylline concentrations normalized for dose during therapy. The data indicate that the theophylline serum concentration should be monitored for individualizing therapy in infants with BPD.
On the limitations of the Brinkman-Forchheimer-extended Darcy equation

Abstract In this work, several philosophical points with respect to the momentum equation in a porous medium are analyzed. We show that several erroneous/ irrelevant issues were put forward in previous work. A porous medium/clear fluid interface is best dealt with by the Brinkman-Forchheimer-extended Darcy formulation and the continuity of velocities and stresses at the interface The effect of porosity variation is not required for a high-porosity medium but should be considered for a dense porous medium.
Facebook self-disclosure: Examining the role of traits, social cohesion, and motives

Facebook has been shown to be the most popular social network in the United States. Facebook not only has implications in the online world, but face-to-face connections are also affected by this medium. This study explores the uses of Facebook for self-disclosure behavior utilizing the uses and gratifications perspective. Using a convenience sample of Facebook users, this study examines individual and sociological factors as well as Facebook motives to discover the impact on depth, breadth, and amount of user self-disclosure. Path analyses showed that the Big Five personality factors, self-esteem, social cohesion, and motives contribute to self-disclosure dimensions. However, demographic variables did not impact disclosiveness. Limitations are discussed and directions for future research are proposed.
Disordered hexagonal-disordered rectangular phase transitions in HAT series

Group theoretical techniques are used to discuss the disordered hexagonal columnar-disordered rectangular columnar (D hd −D rd ) liquid crystal phase transition in HAT series. On the basis of Landau theory the transition is predicted to be second order. The Ginzburg-Landau-Wilson Hamiltonian corresponds to a universality class with an n=3 component order parameter and with cubic anisotropy. The critical behaviour near the D hd −D rd transition is discussed by referring to the renormalization group results of Aharony and other authors and we present evidence in favour of the critical value of n, n c , being greater than 3. It is also predicted that a second order transition from the D hd phase to an as yet experimentally undiscovered phase is possible Analyse de la transition en appliquant les techniques de la theorie des groupes
Leukocyte rolling and adhesion both contribute to regulation of microvascular permeability to albumin via ligation of ICAM-1.

Activated neutrophils interacting with the vessel wall can alter vascular permeability to macromolecules such as albumin via release of various secretion products that induce changes in the endothe...
Simultaneous Band-weighting and Spectral Unmixing for Multiple Endmember Sets

In this paper, the SimUltaneous Band-weighting and Spectral Unmixing for Multiple Endmember Sets (SUBSUME) which performs endmember extraction for multiple sets of endmembers, estimates proportion values, and assigns partition-specific band weights is presented. By incorporating simultaneous band weighting, input hyperspectral data is partitioned while focusing on spectral information from the wavelengths that provide the smallest error. Results are shown on two measured hyperspectral images.
Electron microscopic observations of the distribution of acidic anionic residues on hamster spermatozoa and eggs before and during fertilization.

Acidic anionic residues on the surfaces of the hamster eggs and spermatozoa were investigated using a colloidal iron hydroxide (CIH)-labeling technique. Both the zona pellucida and the plasma membrane of the egg are abundant in acidic anionic residues, and no obvious changes in the densities or distributions of these residues were detected before and after fertilization. Also, the relative distribution and density of acidic anionic residues on the plasma membranes of spermatozoa are not markedly changed during sperm capacitation, indicating that the number and distribution of anionic residues, per se, are probably not directly involved in this process. Prior to fusion of sperm and egg plasma membranes, the sperm head plasma membrane does not bind CIH, but once fusion has started the fused sperm—egg membrane does bind CIH. This suggests that the sperm and egg plasma membrane components intermix during gamete fusion.
VQ Based on a Main Feature Classification in Images

Abstract A number of algorithms have been developed for lossy image compression. Among the existing techniques, a block-based scheme is widely used because of its tractability even for complex coding schemes. Fixed block-size coding, which is the simplest implementation of block-based schemes, suffers from the nonstationary nature of images. The formidable blocking artifacts always appear at low bit rates. To suppress this degradation, variable block-size coding is utilized. However, the allowable range of sizes is still limited because of complexity issues. By adaptively representing each region by its feature, input to the coder is transformed to fixed-size (8×8) blocks. This capability allows lower cross-correlation among the regions. Input feature is also classified into the proper group so that vector quantization can maximize its strength compatible with human visual sensitivity. Bit rate based on this algorithm is minimized with the new bit allocation algorithm. Simulation results show a similar performance in terms of PSNR over conventional discrete cosine transform in conjunction with classified vector quantization.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Adipose Tissue vs Bone Marrow: In Vitro Comparison of Their Tropism towards Gliomas

Introduction Glioblastoma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor, and is refractory to surgical resection, radiation, and chemotherapy. Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) may be harvested from bone marrow (BMSC) and adipose (AMSC) tissue. These cells are a promising avenue of investigation for the delivery of adjuvant therapies. Despite extensive research into putative mechanisms for the tumor tropism of MSCs, there remains no direct comparison of the efficacy and specificity of AMSC and BMSC tropism towards glioma. Methods Under an IRB-approved protocol, intraoperative human Adipose MSCs (hAMSCs) were established and characterized for cell surface markers of mesenchymal stem cell origin in conjunction with the potential for tri-lineage differentiation (adipogenic, chondrogenic, and osteogenic). Validated experimental hAMSCs were compared to commercially derived hBMSCs (Lonza) and hAMSCs (Invitrogen) for growth responsiveness and glioma tropism in response to glioma conditioned media obtained from primary glioma neurosphere cultures. Results Commercial and primary culture AMSCs and commercial BMSCs demonstrated no statistically significant difference in their migration towards glioma conditioned media in vitro. There was statistically significant difference in the proliferation rate of both commercial AMSCs and BMSCs as compared to primary culture AMSCs, suggesting primary cultures have a slower growth rate than commercially available cell lines. Conclusions Adipose- and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells have similar in vitro glioma tropism. Given the well-documented ability to harvest larger numbers of AMSCs under local anesthesia, adipose tissue may provide a more efficient source of MSCs for research and clinical applications, while minimizing patient morbidity during cell harvesting.
Demonstrating the Direct Impact of Planning on Performance

Since 2004, Rhodes State College has been at the forefront of developing an institution-wide model of institutional effectiveness—Strategic and Institutional Effectiveness Planning System (SIEPS). A focus on both measuring mission effectiveness and strategic achievement led to development of a unique electronic application that tracks the direct impact of strategic actions on both expected strategic targets and mission effectiveness/assessment standards.
The Effect of Ion Implantation on Oxide Charge Storage in MOS Devices

Measurements are reported in which the charge stored in the oxide of an MOS device exposed to ionizing radiation is studied as a function of oxide pretreatment. Implantation with Al+ ions is found to introduce electron traps into the oxide and the stability of these traps is examined in thermal annealing experiments. The predictions of a simple model, in which the implantation associated displacement damage is considered to be the source of the additional electron traps, is compared to the experimental observations.
Wave Functions in the Neighborhood of a Toroidal Surface; Hard vs. Soft Constraint

The curvature potential arising from confining a particle initially in three-dimensional space onto a curved surface is normally derived in the hard constraint q → 0 limit, with q the degree of freedom normal to the surface. In this work the hard constraint is relaxed, and eigenvalues and wave functions are numerically determined for a particle confined to a thin layer in the neighborhood of a toroidal surface. The hard constraint and finite layer (or soft constraint) quantities are comparable, but both differ markedly from those of the corresponding two dimensional system, indicating that the curvature potential continues to influence the dynamics when the particle is confined to a finite layer. This effect is potentially of consequence to the modelling of curved nanostructures.
Diurnal ambient luminance near dawn and dusk

An operational definition of ambient luminance is described in some detail for the time periods near dawn and dusk. A simple empirical model is developed to predict ambient solar luminance under clear sky conditions as a function of (1) observer azimuth viewing direction, (2) the sun altitude and (3) the sun azimuth. The equation is easily modified for any observer position on the earth, diurnal time period or particular day during the year. The subsequent model predicts ambient solar luminance as a function of time after sunset or before dawn for relative target/solar positions in a real scene. This formalism can be used to extrapolate laboratory observer threshold data to real world environments. Subsequent publications will describe the process for predicting probability of detection as a function of time for various target acquisition scenarios.
Conservation of water for washing beef heads at harvest.

Abstract The objective of this research was to develop methods to conserve water necessary to cleanse beef heads prior to USDA–FSIS inspection. This was to be accomplished by establishing a baseline for the minimum amount of water necessary to adequately wash a head and application of image analysis to provide an objective measure of head cleaning. Twenty-one beef heads were manually washed during the harvest process. An average 18.75 L (2.49 SD) and a maximum of 23.88 L were required to cleanse the heads to USDA–FSIS standards. Digital images were captured before and after manual washing then evaluated for percentage red saturation using commercially available image analysis software. A decaying exponential curve extracted from these data indicated that as wash water increased beyond 20 L the impact on red saturation decreased. At 4 σ from the mean of 18.75 L, red saturation is 16.0 percent, at which logistic regression analysis indicates 99.994 percent of heads would be accepted for inspection, or less than 1 head in 15,000 would be rejected. Reducing to 3 σ would increase red saturation to 27.6 percent, for which 99.730 percent of heads likely would be accepted (less than 1 in 370 would be rejected).
Polymerization of proteins induced by free-radical lipid peroxidation.

Abstract Free-radical intermediates of lipid peroxidation react with proteins and enzymes. As the extent of oxidation progresses, soluble polymeric products, incorporating low levels of lipid, give way to firmly cross-linked polymeric products containing moderate amounts of occluded and complexed lipid material. Automated Sephadex gel filtration and solubility studies of oxidized lipid-protein reaction products give characterization as protein-protein cross-linked polymers and of the polymerization mechanism as free-radical chain polymerization.
On the Number of Functions Realized by Cascades and Disjunctive Networks

In this paper, the number of functions realized by certain networks of two-input one-output gates are presented. Two networks are considered; one is the disjunctive network, which is characterized by the restriction that each gate output and each network input connect to exactly one gate input. The other network, the cascade, is the special case of the disjunctive networks in which each gate has at least one input which connects to a network input. For both networks, a recursion relation is derived for the number of realized switching functions dependent on exactly k variables. Both expressions have been solved by computer for k up to 15. Also, expressions are derived for the number of functions realized by cascades and disjunctive networks of two-input one-output cells, where each cell realizes any of the 16 functions on two variables.
Synthesis and spectral properties of cytosine nucleosides of 2-amino-2-deoxy-α-D-arabino-furanose and -pyranose

Ethyl 2-deoxy-3,5-di-O-p-nitrobenzoyl-1-thio-2-(trifluoroacetamido)-beta-D-arabinofuranoside (3) was converted into the glycosyl chloride. Condensation of the latter with 2,4-dimethoxypyrimidine, followed by amination, gave 1-(2-amino-2-deoxy-alpha-D-arabinofuranosyl)cytosine (6), which was also obtained from the alpha-D anomer (4) of 3. Similarly, 1-(2-amino-2-deoxy-alpha-D-arabinopyranosyl)cytosine (12) was synthesized from ethyl 2-deoxy-3,4-di-O-p-nitrobenzoyl-1-thio-2-(trifluoroacetamido)-alpha-D-arabinopyranoside (9). The p.m.r. spectra of these nucleosides, as well as those of the 1-thioglycosides, are discussed in terms of the conformation of the sugar portion. In particular, a large change of the J1,2 coupling constants of the alpha-D-furanosides, according to the substituents at C-1 and C-2, was interpreted on the basis of conformational mobility.
Twenty-first-century climate change commitment from a multi-model ensemble

[1] Climate change commitment in the 21st -century due to human activity in the 20th century is quantified using output from 16 global coupled general circulation models. With the atmospheric composition held constant at year 2000 values, the global annual mean surface temperature anomaly stabilizes with an additional warming over and above what already occurred in the 20th century of +0.5° ± 0.2°C by the end of the 21st century. The magnitude is about 0.1°C warmer in the models with the 20th century volcanic aerosol than those models without. The multi-model ensemble (from 6 models) globally averaged sea level rises +10 ± 3cm by 2100 and does not show signs of leveling off. The committed winter warming pattern is characterized by polar amplification due in part to ice albedo feedback, with a further committed warming of above 1.0°C and 0.6°C in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, respectively. The tropical surface temperature pattern shows an El Nino-like response, with consequent changes in precipitation over the tropics. Thus, even after GHGs are stabilized, the multi-model results show that the climate continues to change with similar patterns to those when GHGs are continuously increasing, but these changes are due to the thermal inertia of the climate system reacting to the radiative forcing from the atmospheric composition changes applied during the 20th century.
Reflections on Keats' equation

Starting from the well known line of Keats' Ode on a Grecian Urn, the question of whether aesthetic considerations play any role in engineering is examined. Dirac claimed a place for them in physics and it is generally conceded that mathematicians recognize that elegance has a legitimate role in mathematics. Relating this to the engineer's craft of mathematical modelling brings in the power and beauty of the dimensionless parameter. Though beauty may not be a certain guide to truth, the exercise of mathematical modelling as a craft certainly leads to the enjoyment of it.
Articulating english to specific content areas at Pontificia Bolivariana University

The Pontificia Bolivariana University has decided to look for alternatives to make the study of English more relevant for studentsʼ professional practice. The authors of this article consider that Content Based Instruction (CBI) offers scenarios in which content and language learning can be developed in order to fulfill this goal. This article provides information in regards to the first stage of a five-phased project, designed for the Pontificia Bolivariana University. The first phase, which is described in this article, presents the context and background of the project, the CBI theoretical background intended to structure the CBI - Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB) model, the methodology developed to articulate content and language for this experience, the line of inquiry and some project implications.
The Impact of Early Intervention on Speech and Lexical Development for Toddlers With Cleft Palate: A Retrospective Look at Outcome

Purpose The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the impact of early intervention on speech and lexical measures for toddlers with cleft palate. Method Speech measures of ten 27-mont...
Going With the Flow: Enhancing Stochastic Switching Rates in Multigyre Systems

A control strategy is employed that modifies the stochastic escape times from one basin of attraction to another in a model of a double-gyre flow. The system studied captures the behavior of a large class of fluid flows that circulate and have multiple almost invariant sets. In the presence of noise, a particle in one gyre may randomly switch to an adjacent gyre due to a rare large fluctuation. We show that large fluctuation theory may be applied for controlling autonomous agents in a stochastic environment, in fact leveraging the stochasticity to the advantage of switching between regions of interest and concluding that patterns may be broken or held over time as the result of noise. We demonstrate that a controller can effectively manipulate the probability of a large fluctuation; this demonstrates the potential of optimal control strategies that work in combination with the endemic stochastic environment. To demonstrate this, stochastic simulations and numerical continuation are employed to tie together experimental findings with predictions.
Isoelectric focusing in cylinders of granulated gel

Abstract Sephadex G-75 (superfine) served as supporting medium during isoelectric focusing (IEF) in electrophoresis tubes. Nylon nets, which retained the gel during preparation of the column and loading the sample, were replaced with dialysis membrane prior to IEF. Up to 0.8 ml of sample containing at least 1.2 mg protein could be focused as one zone in each tube. Most samples were focused at 170 V, 4°, for 8–18 h. The procedure offers many of the advantages of electro-focusing on layers of granulated gel but on a smaller scale.
Differential ability of transition metals to induce pulmonary inflammation.

Transition metals are components of airborne particles and have been implicated in adverse health effects. The relative inflammatory potential of these metals is usually inferred from separate studies that focus on only one or a few individual metals. Comparisons of relative potency among several metals from these separate studies can be difficult. In one comprehensive study, we measured the pulmonary effects of equimolar doses of six metals in soluble form. Our purpose was to compare inflammatory potential and pulmonary toxicity among individual transition metals. Rats received saline, 0.1 or 1.0 μmol/kg of vanadium, nickel, iron(II), copper, manganese, or zinc as sulfates. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed at 0, 4, 16, or 48 h postinstillation. All treatments except V showed increased lactate dehydrogenase activity in BAL fluid; Cu- and Ni-exposed animals had the highest levels. Protein levels in BAL fluid were more than five times higher in Cu-exposed animals compared to other metal treatments at 16 and 48 h. At the 0.1 μmol/kg dose, only Cu induced significant neutrophilia at 16 and 48 h. For the 1.0 μmol/kg dose, all metals tested induced significant neutrophilia, with mean neutrophil numbers for Cu and Mn significantly higher compared to the other metals. At 48 h, neutrophil numbers were still elevated in all metal exposures. Only Mn caused substantial eosinophilia. At the 1.0 μmol/kg dose, only Cu induced macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) mRNA at 4 h. By 48 h, induction of MIP-2 mRNA was observed for all metal exposures except Cu, which subsequently returned to baseline levels. On an equimolar basis, Cu was the most proinflammatory metal, followed by Mn and Ni, while V, Fe(II), and Zn induced similar levels of inflammation. Overall, there were many similarities in the pulmonary responses of the metals we tested. However, we also observed divergent, metal-specific responses. These differential responses suggest that metals induce pulmonary inflammation by differing pathways or combinations of signals.