cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Removal of selenocyanate from water using elemental iron.

Batch experiments were conducted to investigate the removal of selenocyanate (SeCN−) from oil refinery wastewater and artificial wastewater with elemental iron [Fe(0)]. The chemical forms of selenium in the reacted solids were determined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and a sulfite extraction procedure. SeCN− was effectively removed from the wastewater with Fe(0) filings when the water pH was controlled at approximately 6. SeCN− was removed by Fe(0) through the formation of elemental selenium [Se(0)] and ferrous selenide. The possible chemical reactions between SeCN− and Fe(0) included deselenation of SeCN− and electrochemical reduction of Se(0) to selenide. A cost-effective process may be developed for the treatment of SeCN− in wastewater using Fe(0).
Limits of the Hydrodynamic No-Slip Boundary Condition

A controversial point in fluid dynamics is to distinguish the relative importance of surface roughness and fluid-surface intermolecular interactions in determining the boundary condition. Here hydrodynamic forces were compared for flow of Newtonian fluids past surfaces of variable roughness but similar, poorly wetted, surface chemistry. The critical shear stress and shear rate to observe deviations from predictions using the no-slip boundary condition increased nearly exponentially with increasing roughness and diverged at $\ensuremath{\approx}6$ nm rms roughness. We conclude that local intermolecular interactions dominated when the surface was very smooth, but roughness dominated otherwise. This quantifies the limits of both ideas.
Nano-enabled microtechnology: polysulfone nanocomposites incorporating cellulose nanocrystals

Microchannel devices hold the potential to transform many separation processes. This preliminary study investigated the feasibility of incorporating cellulose nanocrystals (CNXLs) into polysulfone, a commonly used ultrafiltration membrane polymer. Incorporating CNXLs into non-water soluble polymers without aggregation has been problematic. A solvent exchange process was developed that successfully transferred an aqueous CNXL dispersion into the organic solvent N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), which is a solvent for polysulfone (PSf). Films were prepared from the solution of PSf in NMP with dispersed CNXLs by a phase inversion process. Films were then examined by scanning electron microscopy and tested for their transport and mechanical properties. The interaction between the polymer matrix and the CNXL filler was studied by means of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), which suggested a close interaction between the polymer and filler at the 2% filler loading. The tensile modulus showed a large increase beyond 1% filler loading, which could be due to a percolation effect. The water vapor transport rate increased with increase in filler loading. Agglomeration of the CNXLs seemed to be taking place at filler loadings >7%.
Glycoxidized low-density lipoprotein downregulates endothelial nitricoxide synthase in human coronary cells.

Abstract Objectives We examined the hypothesis that low-density lipoprotein (LDL) that is both oxidized and glycosylated potently downregulates the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase III (NOSIII) in human coronary endothelial cells. Background Diabetes mellitus is accompanied by both oxidation and glycosylation of LDL, but the potential interaction of these processes or the pathophysiologic effects of these modified lipoproteins on arteries are poorly understood. Methods Low-density lipoprotein was glycoxidized in vitro, and Western and Northern blot analyses were used to investigate NOSIII expression in human coronary endothelial cells. Nitric oxide (NO) bioactivity was represented by both basal and bradykinin-stimulated cellular cyclic guanosine monophosphate accumulation and l -citrulline conversion from l -arginine. Nuclear run-on experiments were performed to study the transcription rate of nascent NOSIII messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). Results Data showed a significant decrease in NOSIII expression after 24-h treatment with glycosylated low-density lipoprotein (glycLDL) and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL). Accordingly, we observed a significant dose-dependent reduction in NO bioactivity (p l -citrulline conversion. Nuclear run-on experiments showed that high doses of glyc-oxLDL can reduce the transcription rate of nascent NOSIII mRNA (densitometric analysis revealed a reduction of 25% [p Conclusions These results indicate that glyc-oxLDL, per se, may influence signal transduction pathways involving NO-mediated regulatory signals and NOSIII activity in human endothelial cells. This phenomenon can adversely influence the evolution of clinical vascular complications, coronary heart disease, and atherogenesis in diabetic patients.
Muscle Pain Occurs after Outpatient Laparoscopy Despite the Substitution of Vecuronium for Succinylcholine

The occurrence, location, and severity of muscle pain were determined when vecuronium was used in lieu of succinylcholine during outpatient laparoscopy. Postoperative muscle pain, in 11 body parts, was assessed by a linear analogue scale questionnaire that was completed by each patient on the evening of surgery and for the next three mornings. All patients had general endotracheal anesthesia with nitrous oxide, thiopental, and fentanyl. Succinylcholine 1.5 mg/kg (3-4 min after 3 mg of d-tubocurarine) was given to 14 patients for tracheal intubation and then by infusion for additional muscle relaxation. Another 14 patients received vecuronium 50 micrograms/kg iv as the only muscle relaxant used; all of these patients had residual neuromuscular blockade antagonized with glycopyrrolate 7 micrograms/kg and edrophonium 0.5 mg/kg iv. Both groups were similar in age, weight, length of procedure, time to discharge, and amount of thiopental and fentanyl used (P greater than 0.05). No difference was noted in either group with respect to the severity of pain by body part over time. Mean total body pain scores were generated for each group at all four intervals as an alternate type of analysis. No statistical significance was demonstrated by a Student's t test in any group at any interval sampled. The authors failed to demonstrate that the substitution of vecuronium for succinylcholine lowers the incidence of myalgia when used in outpatient diagnostic laparoscopy. They refrain from concluding that vecuronium contributes to postanesthetic myalgia, but feel justified in stating that the avoidance of succinylcholine did not lower the severity or occurrence of muscle pains after laparoscopy when vecuronium was used in its place.
Paraquat-induced neutrophil alveolitis: reduction of the inflammatory response by pretreatment with endotoxin and hyperoxia.

Paraquat toxicity often presents as acute lung injury that progresses into the irreversible form of the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). To assess the role of inflammatory cells in paraquat toxicity and its modulation by endotoxin/hyperoxia pretreatment, rats were injected with paraquat (35 mg/kg i.p.) and injury monitored by histologic study and bronchoalveolar lavage. Forty-eight hours after paraquat administration, acute lung injury was confirmed by histologic study and was associated with an increase in lavage LDH activity from 0.37 ± 0.12 U/mg protein to 0.83 ± 0.22 U/mg protein (P < 0.05). Lavage revealed a decrease in alveolar macrophages, 95.6 ± 0.6 to 20.6 ± 3.4%, and an increase in neutrophils from 1.6 ± 0.2 to 70.6 ± 6.1% (P < 0.001 in both comparisons). Pretreatment of rats with endotoxin and hyperoxia prior to paraquat administration prolonged survival (P < 0.005), elevated endogenous superoxide dismutase and catalase levels in the lung (P < 0.005, both comparisons), and significantly reduced the inflammatory cell changes (P < 0.001). The protective role of this pretreatment regimen in paraquat toxicity may reflect a complex modulating effect on several parameters critical to the pathogenesis of paraquat-induced lung injury.
Photolysis of 5-Nitrofuramides in Methanol

A preliminary investigation of the photolysis of N-butyl-5-nitro-2-furamide in methanol is reported. The photolysis product was identified as N-butyl-5-methoxy-2-furamide, corresponding to the displacement of the nitro group by a solvent molecule. The nitro group apparently gives rise to nitrite ion, which was qualitatively detected in the photolysis mixture.
Parameter drift in equation error identification

We find situations in which the equation error identifier generates unbounded parameter estimates when driven by bounded sequence. This unexpected parameter divergence, or drift, is related to the inadequacy of excitation of the input sequence and is characterized by slow (i.e. nonexponential) escape of the parameter estimate vector to infinity in spite of all other signals (inputs, outputs, prediction errors) remaining bounded. The analysis proceeds by showing that, in a general adaptive identifier, the sequence of regressors (information vectors) provides a natural decomposition of the parameter estimate space into subspaces, each corresponding to a class of input excitation characteristic of drift behavior. This subspace decomposition is applied to the equation error adaptive identifier, yielding direct links between parameter estimate behavior and modes of excitation. We build on the functional analytic approach of [1] and [14] in which parameter drift in the LMS adaptive filter was discovered. Although the problems encountered in the equation error identifier are related, there are structural differences that distinguish the present analysis the presence of disturbances in the information vector, and the mutual coupling of the components of the information vector through the plant. The "excitation diagram" is introduced as a geometric interpretation for the loss of excitation in certain subspaces Instability (or parameter drift) is proven in certain subspaces of "decaying" excitation. This drift mechanism is inherent in the algorithm and is not due to numerical implementation problems or violation of small step size conditions.
Consistency of Suslin's hypothesis, a nonspecial Aronszajn tree, and GCH

Introduction. In [Sh, Chapter IX], Shelah constructs a model of set theory in which Suslin's hypothesis is true, yet there is an Aronszajn tree which is not special. In his model, we have . He asks whether the same result could be obtained consistently with CH. In this paper, we answer his question in the affirmative.Let us say that a tree T is S-st-special iff there is a function ƒ with dom(f) = {t ∈ T: rank(t) ∈ S} and for every t1 < t2 both in dom(t) we have f(t2) ≠ f(t1) < rank(t1). In Shelah's model, every tree is S-st-special for some fixed stationary costationary set S. Also, there is some tree T such that T is not S′-st-special whenever S′ – S is stationary. These properties, which are sufficient to ensure that Suslin's hypothesis holds and that T is not special, also hold in the model constructed in this paper. These properties also ensure that every Aronszajn tree has a stationary antichain (i.e., an antichain A such that {rank(t): t ∈ A} is stationary). Hence, it is natural to ask whether there is a model of Suslin's hypothesis in which some Aronszajn tree has no stationary antichain. We answer in the affirmative in [S].The construction we use owes much to Shelah's approach to the theorem, due to Jensen (see [DJ]), that CH is consistent with Suslin's hypothesis. This is given in [Sh, Chapter V].
Alginate Encapsulation of Begonia Microshoots for Short-Term Storage and Distribution

Synthetic seeds were formed from shoot tips of two in vitro grown Begonia cultivars using 3% sodium alginate in Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) salt solution as the gel matrix and 100 mM calcium chloride for complexation. Synthetic seed formation was achieved by releasing the sodium alginate/explant combination into 100 mM calcium chloride (CaCl2·H2O) solution for 30 or 45 min. Both control and encapsulated shoots were transferred into sterile Petri dishes and stored at 4°C or 22°C for 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8 weeks. Conversion of synthetic seeds into plantlets for both storage environments was assessed in MS medium or peat-based substrate. No significant difference was found between the 30 and 45 min CaCl2·H2O treatments or the two cultivars. Encapsulation of explants improved survival rate over time irrespective of the medium type or storage environment. Survival rates of 88, 53, 28, and 11% for encapsulated microshoots versus 73, 13, 0, and 0% for control explants were achieved in microshoots stored for 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks, respectively. The best results were obtained when synthetic seeds were stored at 4°C and germinated on MS medium. Regenerated plantlets were successfully established in potting soil.
Experimental studies on a mutant gene (cl) in the Mexican axoloti which affects cell membrane formation in embryos from cl-cl females.

Abstract The gene cl exerts a maternal effect in the Mexican axolotl resulting in an abnormal cleavage pattern. The early cleavage furrows appear partially depigmented and never continue completely around the egg. Subsequent divisions display a similar pattern which results in the vegetal hemisphere remaining uncleaved; but some portions of the animal hemisphere continue to cleave normally. Gastrulation is very rarely initiated. Several cytological abnormalities including polyploidy, broken chromosomes and fusion of nuclei are observed in mutant embryos. These abnormalities are likely secondary effects resulting from the absence of cell boundaries in the uncleaved portions of the embryo and account for its limited development. Cytochalasin B treatment of normal fertilized eggs produces phenocopies of the most severely affected mutant embryos. This suggests that the cl gene may directly affect the synthesis and/or distribution of a cell surface component which enables daughter cell membranes to be assembled and to adhere to one another. Cells from mutant blastulae were able to differentiate pigmented epidermis and neural tube when grafted to normal recipient blastulae or neurulae. This suggests that the gene is lethal only to cells derived from the vegetal cytoplasm or cortex, but not lethal to cells inheriting animal cytoplasm from cl cl females.
Electroretinographic Findings in a Patient with Congenital Stationary Night Blindness Due to a Novel NYX Mutation

ABSTRACTPurpose: To document a novel NYX gene mutation in a patient with X-linked complete congenital stationary night blindness and to describe this patient’s electroretinogram (ERG) characteristics.Methods: ERGs were recorded from a 17-year-old male with a previously unreported NYX mutation (819G > A) that results in a missense codon change (Trp237Ter). ERGs were recorded in response to brief-flash stimuli, 6.33-Hz sawtooth flicker, and sinusoidal flicker ranging from 6.33–100 Hz. The omitted stimulus response (OSR) of the flicker ERG, which is thought to be generated within the ON-pathway, was also assessed.Results: The patient’s single-flash responses were consistent with previously documented NYX ERG characteristics, including a high-luminance flash response that was electronegative under dark-adapted conditions and a square-like a-wave followed by an abnormally shaped positive potential under light-adapted conditions, both of which are consistent with an ON-pathway deficit. Further evidence for an O...
Housing and Hegemony: The US Experience

This paper examines the historical evolution of housing in the context of US capitalism, highlighting the significance of homeownership as an ideology and social practice for the reproduction of hegemony in the USA. The paper challenges widely held views that identify public policy errors and government regulatory failures as primary causes of the recent housing boom and bust. Its purpose is to show how the subprime solution that triggered the housing collapse organically evolved out of the growth imperative to keep harnessing the socioeconomic benefits of homeownership. The demise of this model signals the failure of the profit-seeking system of privatized housing provision to overcome the limits of production based on capital.
Investigating the Role of Orientation Angle on Gecko Setae Adhesion using a Dual-Axis Mems Force Sensor

A dual-axis piezoresistive MEMS force sensor was used to investigate the role of orientation angle on the adhesion of gecko hairs, called setae. Previous work showed that the lateral adhesion force of a single seta pulled parallel to a surface is highly dependant upon the "pitch" angle between the seta's stalk and the substrate (K. Autumn et al., 2000). This work is the first to examine the effect of the "roll" orientation angle of the stalk under similar lateral pulls along a substrate. We find that the adhesion is near the maximum value for a wide roll angle range from -43deg to +43deg, and smoothly drops off to the frictional force at plusmn 85 M These angles relate physically to the orientation and spread of a splayed tuft of spatula-shaped terminations at the end of each seta. These spatulae make intimate contact with the substrate and enhance adhesion above traditional friction forces.
Appearance of new phage types and new lysogenic strains after adaptation of lysogenic B. megatherium to ammonium sulfate culture medium.

1. Lysogenic B. megatherium 899 a was adapted to growth in a minimal ammonium sulfate medium (ASCM). 2. Adaptation took place slowly and the following changes in the culture occurred: ( a ) The growth rate increased from 0.5 to 1.5–2.0/hr. ( b ) The culture changed from diffuse to mucoid. ( c ) The total phage titer, and the gelatinase concentration decreased to 1/100 or less. ( d ) The types of phage produced changed from >99 per cent T (wild type) to 30 to 60 per cent miscellaneous clear types. The original T phage was replaced by a different smaller t , never observed in the original 899 a culture. ( e ) Several new colony types also appeared, but the colony morphology was not correlated with the phage types produced. None of the colony types was stable on repeated transfer either in peptone or ASCM, but continued to disassociate into different colony types ( cf . Ivanovics, 1955). 3. Control experiments showed that these changes in phage production and colony types could not be brought about by growing sensitive B. megatherium in the presence of the various new phages, in ASCM. It is therefore unlikely that the changes observed in adapted culture were due to infection of a sensitive cell with phage. 4. Continued growth of the ASCM-adapted strain in peptone resulted in increasing the total phage titer, and also the gelatinase concentration. The growth rate returned to its original value and the ability to grow rapidly in ASCM was soon lost. The phage types, however, remained the same as in the ASCM. 5. An improved cell for steady state growth is described.
IgA‐ANTIBODY RESPONSE TO VASECTOMY*

The findings of sperm antibodies in fluids collected from the epididymis during vasovasostomy suggest that a local antibody response may occur within the male reproductive tract. To examine the IgA response to vasectomy we analyzed sera from 35 men obtained prior to vasectomy and at timed intervals after vasectomy. Using each mans prevasectomy serum as a control 15% 18% and 28% of the men exhibited at least a 50% increase in IgA that was reactive with human spermatozoa by 2 weeks 2 months or 4 months postvasectomy respectively. Detection was by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]. Comparable results were obtained when measuring IgA reactivity to seminal fluid. During this same interval 7% of the men developed an IgG-antibody response to spermatozoa. Of the 11 sera positive for IgA-sperm antibody during the 4 months following vasectomy only 1 was also positive for IgG-sperm antibody; none of the 14 samples positive for IgA-seminal fluid antibody were positive for sperm antibody. It appeared that men with an IgA response to vasectomy did not have an IgG response; the converse was also true. Using an ELISA for sperm-related antigen in serum it was also determined that of the 15 men whose sera were positive in this assay 14 were negative for IgA antibody to seminal fluid. Similarly only 2 of the 15 sera with IgA antibody to seminal fluid had circulating immune complexes as detected by a Raji cell ELISA; 11 sera without IgA-seminal fluid antibody were positive for circulating immune complexes. The IgA antibody to seminal fluid in sera of vasectomized men was shown to be 11S by sucrose gradient centrifugation and to be unreactive with seminal fluids from vasectomized men. This finding is consistent with the possibility that the IgA antibody is secretory IgA and is reactive with an antigen produced proximally to the point of ligation in vasectomy. To determine whether the epididymis might be a site of male genital-tract IgA production the relative amounts of IgG and IgA in epididymal fluids obtained from 5 rabbits were determined by ELISA. The ratio of IgG:IgA was 0.84 +or- 0.12. In marked contrast the IgG:IgA ration in rabbit serum as 12.2. This fact in consistent with our hypothesis that IgA was being produced within the epididymis. These data lead us to propose that the stimulation of a vigorous local IgA response to intraepididymal antigens following vasectomy in some men limits the release of these antigens into the circulation and consequently greatly lowers the incidence of IgG-sperm antibodies and sperm-related circulating immune complexes in these individuals. (full text)
Trends in the Reproductive Phenology of two Great Lakes Fishes

AbstractTo assess potential effects of climate change on Great Lakes fish populations, we evaluated trends in the reproductive phenology of Yellow Perch Perca flavescens (spring spawner) and Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush (autumn spawner). For Yellow Perch in Lake Michigan, the estimated reproductive midpoint date (50% of mature females ripe or spent, 50% not yet spawned) took place 6.2 d/decade earlier in the spring near Milwaukee from 1988 to 2012 and 1.8 d/decade earlier in Green Bay from 1980 to 2012. At both locations water temperatures at the spawning sites on the midpoint date showed no trends, but mean water temperatures during the spring at the spawning site and midlake increased over the study period. This suggests that Yellow Perch spawning areas were warming sooner in the spring and that Yellow Perch were spawning earlier to maintain a consistent spawning temperature. Lake Trout phenological patterns were more complex. For Lake Trout in Lake Michigan near Milwaukee, there was a marginally sig...
MapGuide Open Source

MapGuide Open Source is a modern Web-based geospatial platform. This chapter provides an introduction to the MapGuide Open Source project, the MapGuide software components, a brief introduction to creating applications with MapGuide, and concludes with a brief discussion of what the future of this project may hold.
Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging Confirms Marked Neuroprotective Efficacy of Albumin Therapy in Focal Cerebral Ischemia

Background and Purpose—We have recently shown high-dose human serum albumin therapy to confer marked histological protection in experimental middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo). We have now used diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) in conjunction with morphological methods to expand our understanding of this therapeutic approach. Methods—Physiologically controlled Sprague-Dawley rats received 2-hour MCAo by the modified intraluminal suture method. Treated rats received 25% human serum albumin solution (1% by body weight) immediately after the MCA was reopened. Vehicle-treated rats received saline. Computer-based image averaging was used to analyze DWI data obtained 24 hours after MCAo and light-microscopic histopathology obtained at 3 days. In a matched series, plasma osmolality and colloid oncotic pressure, as well as brain water content, were determined. Results—Albumin therapy, which lowered the hematocrit on average by 37% and raised plasma colloid oncotic pressure by 56%, improved ...
Pleural Mechanics and Fluid Exchange

Lai-Fook, Stephen J. Pleural Mechanics and Fluid Exchange. Physiol Rev 84: 385–410, 2004; 10.1152/physrev.00026.2003.—The pleural space separating the lung and chest wall of mammals contains a smal...
Chinese Hamster Rhodanese cDNA: Activity of the Expressed Protein Is Not Blocked by a C-Terminal Extension

Abstract We describe a cDNA from Chinese hamster ovary cells which encodes a protein 91 and 96% identical to bovine and rat mitochondrial rhodaneses, respectively. Recombinant protein was expressed from the cDNA in Escherichia coli, purified to homogeneity, and found to have kinetic properties nearly indistinguishable from those of the bovine enzyme, the only cloned rhodanese previously verified by characterization of the recombinant protein, The carboxyl-terminus of the enzyme is characterized by a duplicated tripeptide, which can be proteolytically processed in vivo. We constructed a mutant in which the last 5 amino acids were replaced by 28 residues of unrelated sequence. This protein was expressed, purified, and found to have kinetic constants similar to those of the wild-type enzyme. The functionally verified Chinese hamster rhodanese cDNA encodes a protein of 297 residues and differs from the rat enzyme at 13 positions. None of these substitutions occurs at residues suggested to play essential roles in catalysis or structural stabilization.
Effect of Mineral Mixture Composition on Chick Growth and Intestinal pH’s

Abstract Three experiments were conducted with growing chicks (1) to determine the optimum level of chloride necessary for the bioassay of protein quality of fish meals as the sole source of dietary protein, (2) to study the interrelation of high levels of sodium and potassium with the level of chloride and sulfate, and (3) to determine the effect of these ionic changes on the pH of the contents in different portion s of the intestines. The results indicate that fish meals when fed as sole source protein to chicks require very low dietary supplements of chloride or none at all to maximize growth. High levels of chloride in dietary mineral mixtures depress chick growth and can be overcome by increasing the sodium level. The growth depression due to high chloride level is aggravated if the sodium content is low and the potassium is high. A balance between dietary sodium and potassium levels must be maintained and also between these cations and the chloride content. No relationship was observed between the growth responses and the pH’s of the intestinal contents of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum. Evidently other factors are involved in the growth depression due to excessive dietary chloride level.
Spring and Autumn Territoriality in Song Sparrows: Same Behavior, Different Mechanisms?

SYNOPSIS. Vertebrates show a diverse array of social behaviors associated with territoriality. Field and laboratory experiments indicate that underlying themes—including mechanisms—may exist. For example in birds, extensive evidence over many decades has implicated a role for testosterone in the activation of territorial aggression in reproductive contexts. Territoriality at other times of the year appeared to be independent of gonadal hormone control. One obvious question is—why this diversity of control mechanisms for an apparently similar behavior? Control of testosterone secretion during the breeding season must balance the need to compete with other males (that tends to increase testosterone secretion), and the need to provide parental care (that requires lower testosterone concentrations). Regulation of aggressive behaviors by testosterone in the non-breeding season may incur substantial costs. A series of experiments on the male song sparrow, Melospiza melodia morphna, of western Washington State have revealed possible mechanisms to avoid these costs. Song sparrows are sedentary and defend territories in both breeding and non-breeding seasons. Dominance interactions, territorial aggression and song during the non-breeding season are essentially identical to those during the breeding season. Although in the non-breeding season plasma testosterone and estradiol levels are very low, treatment with an aromatase inhibitor decreases aggression and simultaneous implantation of estradiol restores territorial behavior. These data suggest that the mechanism by which testosterone regulates territorial behavior at the neural level remains intact throughout the year. How the hormonal message to activate such behavior gets to the brain in different season does, however, appear to be different.
Intraoperative evaluation of extent of aganglionosis by a rapid acetylcholinesterase histochemical technique

Using a supplemental oxidation step, the authors modified the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) histochemistry technique of Karnovsky and Roots to produce staining of cholinergic nerve fibers in 10 minutes rather than in 2 hours, as required with the conventional AChE technique. They examined seromuscular intestinal biopsy specimens taken at three levels (aganglionic, transitional zone, ganglionic) from 10 patients during pull-through operations for Hirschsprung's disease, using the rapid AChE technique in addition to H&E staining. Using the acetylcholinesterase technique, the hypertrophic nerve trunks in the aganglionic segment and ganglion cells in the ganglionic segment stained strongly and were easily noticeable. The authors believe that the rapid AChE technique is a simple and reliable method for intraoperative evaluation of the extent of the aganglionic segment, because it provides quicker and more accurate identification of ganglion cells and hypertrophic nerve trunks in the space between the longitudinal and circular muscle layers of the bowel wall.
Allostery and cooperativity in Escherichia coli Aspartate Transcarbamoylase

The allosteric enzyme aspartate transcarbamoylase (ATCase) from Escherichia coli has been the subject of investigations for approximately 50 years. This enzyme controls the rate of pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis by feedback inhibition, and helps to balance the pyrimidine and purine pools by competitive allosteric activation by ATP. The catalytic and regulatory components of the dodecameric enzyme can be separated and studied independently. Many of the properties of the enzyme follow the Monod, Wyman Changeux model of allosteric control thus E. coli ATCase has become the textbook example. This review will highlight kinetic, biophysical, and structural studies which have provided a molecular level understanding of how the allosteric nature of this enzyme regulates pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis.
Race as civic felony

The highly particular US conception of “race” is a direct outcome of the unique status of the United States as a slaveholding republic. While slavery itself has long been abolished, its dynamics were replicated in Jim Crow segregation and later in the urban ghetto. Henceforth, another ‘peculiar institution’, born of the adjoining of the hyperghetto with the carceral system, is remoulding the social meaning and significance of ‘race’ in accordance with the dictates of the deregulated economy and the post-Keynesian state. For the first time in US history, the carceral system has become the main ‘race making’ machine. Its material stranglehold and classificatory activity have assumed a salience and reach that are wholly unprecedented in American history as well as unparalleled in any other society.
Genetic algorithm design of Pareto optimal broadband microwave absorbers

The concept of Pareto optimality is applied to the study of choice tradeoffs between reflectivity and thickness in the design of multilayer microwave absorbers. Absorbers composed of a given number of layers of absorbing materials selected from a predefined database of available materials are considered. Three types of Pareto genetic algorithms for absorber synthesis are introduced and compared to each other, as well as to methods operating with the weighted Tchebycheff method for Pareto optimization. The Pareto genetic algorithms are applied to construct Pareto fronts for microwave absorbers with five layers of materials selected from a representative database of available materials in the 0.2-2 GHz, 2-8 GHz, and 9-11 GHz bands.
The Local-Ladder Effect Social Status and Subjective Well-Being

Dozens of studies in different nations have revealed that socioeconomic status only weakly predicts an individual's subjective well-being (SWB). These results imply that although the pursuit of social status is a fundamental human motivation, achieving high status has little impact on one's SWB. However, we propose that sociometric status—the respect and admiration one has in face-to-face groups (e.g., among friends or coworkers)—has a stronger effect on SWB than does socioeconomic status. Using correlational, experimental, and longitudinal methodologies, four studies found consistent evidence for a local- ladder effect: Sociometric status significantly predicted satisfaction with life and the experience of positive and negative emotions. Longitudinally, as sociometric status rose or fell, SWB rose or fell accordingly. Furthermore, these effects were driven by feelings of power and social acceptance. Overall, individuals' sociometric status matters more to their SWB than does their socioeconomic status.
Food Metabolizability in Normal and Bluecomb Diseased Turkeys

Abstract OF the lesions which have been observed in bluecomb diseased turkeys, most were located in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract (Jungherr and Pomeroy, 1965; Adams, 1969). Important alterations in GI function have also been shown to exist. These include a significant decrease in GI propulsive motility (Duke et al., 1969; Dziuk et al., 1969a) and a reduction in the net intestinal absorption of glucose, ions, and water (Duke et al., 1970a). Food placed directly in the crop and upper GI tract by force-feeding was not digested or utilized normally by bluecomb diseased turkeys (Dziuk et al., 1969a). The purpose of the present study was to quantitate the extent of this poor feed conversion and to determine when the decrease in utilization begins during a bluecomb infection. This study was a part of an effort to elucidate GI functional changes resulting from bluecomb and to determine when these changes commence during a…
Face Recognition and Own-Ethnicity Bias in Black, East/Southeast Asian, Hispanic, and White Children

Individuals tend to recognize persons of their own ethnicity better than those of another, a phenomenon known as own-ethnicity bias. One explanation of this bias is the contact hypothesis, that is, face recognition is better for ethnic faces that are seen more often. Own ethnicity bias in children, specifically Hispanic children, has received little attention and this study examined own-ethnicity bias in Black (n 53), East/Southeast Asian (n 54), Hispanic (n 96), and White (n 247) children 5–7, 9–11, 13–16 years of age from southern California. With the majority of individuals in southern California being Hispanic or White, the contact hypothesis predicts that children should recognize own-ethnicity faces better than other-ethnicity faces and other-ethnicity Hispanic and White faces better than Asian or Black faces. Children were shown 32 adult and child, men and women Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White faces. They were then asked to recognize previously seen faces from a set of old and new faces. Own-ethnicity bias was found for Hispanic and White participants. Some support was found for the contact hypothesis, that is, Hispanic and White children recognized Hispanic and White faces better than Black faces, and for White children, better than Asian faces. Contrary to expectations, Hispanic children recognized Asian faces better than Black faces; and, Asian and Black children exhibited no significant bias. An alternative explanation of face recognition biases focused on children’s attitudes toward ethnic groups.
The Alligator Woman's Tale: Remembering Nicaragua's “First Self-Declared Lesbian”

Carmen Aguirre (1931–1971) was a young woman who lived as a self-made man in the 1960s under the brutal, yet populist, right-wing Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua. Carmen was known as Carmelo or la Caimana (the alligator woman). This article sheds light not only on la Caimana's life, but on how he is remembered today in Nicaragua. It addresses dynamics of Nicaragua's sexual past, present, and future, as well as theoretical questions dealing with identity, sex, and politics.
Logistic Model Case Study 2: Survival of Titanic Passengers

This case study demonstrates the development of a binary logistic regression model to describe patterns of survival in passengers on the Titanic , based on passenger age, sex, ticket class, and the number of family members accompanying each passenger. Nonparametric regression is also used. Since many of the passengers had missing ages, multiple imputation is used so that the complete information on the other variables can be efficiently utilized. Titanic passenger data were gathered by many researchers. Primary references are the Encyclopedia Titanica at www.encyclopedia-titanica.org and Eaton and Haas. 169 Titanic survival patterns have been analyzed previously 151, 296, 571 but without incorporation of individual passenger ages. Thomas Cason while a University of Virginia student compiled and interpreted the data from the World Wide Web. One thousand three hundred nine of the passengers are represented in the dataset, which is available from this text’s Web site under the name titanic3. An early analysis of Titanic data may be found in Bron 75.
The Use of Social Media in Building Interest in Wellness on a College Campus.

The usage of social media networks, such as websites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, had become the number one activity on the internet by 2010. The sweeping increase in usage led organizations to explore the marketing possibilities the networks offered. The turning point occurred when organizations began to ask whether it was feasible to use social media networks as a primary marketing strategy and reduce or ultimately replace traditional marketing efforts. A pilot project focused on a marketing plan that was implemented at a student fitness center, using social media networks as the primary marketing strategy.
Axon Transport and Neuropathy: Relevant Perspectives on the Etiopathogenesis of Familial Dysautonomia

Peripheral neuropathies are highly prevalent and are most often associated with chronic disease, side effects from chemotherapy, or toxic-metabolic abnormalities. Neuropathies are less commonly caused by genetic mutations, but studies of the normal function of mutated proteins have identified particular vulnerabilities that often implicate mitochondrial dynamics and axon transport mechanisms. Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathies are a group of phenotypically related diseases caused by monogenic mutations that primarily affect sympathetic and sensory neurons. Here, I review evidence to indicate that many genetic neuropathies are caused by abnormalities in axon transport. Moreover, in hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathies. There may be specific convergence on gene mutations that disrupt nerve growth factor signaling, upon which sympathetic and sensory neurons critically depend.
High Elmo1 expression aggravates and low Elmo1 expression prevents diabetic nephropathy

Human genome-wide association studies have demonstrated that polymorphisms in the engulfment and cell motility protein 1 gene (ELMO1) are strongly associated with susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy. However, proof of causation is lacking. To test whether modest changes in its expression alter the severity of the renal phenotype in diabetic mice, we have generated mice that are type 1 diabetic because they have the Ins2(Akita) gene, and also have genetically graded expression of Elmo1 in all tissues ranging in five steps from ∼30% to ∼200% normal. We here show that the Elmo1 hypermorphs have albuminuria, glomerulosclerosis, and changes in the ultrastructure of the glomerular basement membrane that increase in severity in parallel with the expression of Elmo 1. Progressive changes in renal mRNA expression of transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1), endothelin-1, and NAD(P)H oxidase 4 also occur in parallel with Elmo1, as do the plasma levels of cystatin C, lipid peroxides, and TGFβ1, and erythrocyte levels of reduced glutathione. In contrast, Akita type 1 diabetic mice with below-normal Elmo1 expression have reduced expression of these various factors and less severe diabetic complications. Remarkably, the reduced Elmo1 expression in the 30% hypomorphs almost abolishes the pathological features of diabetic nephropathy, although it does not affect the hyperglycemia caused by the Akita mutation. Thus, ELMO1 plays an important role in the development of type 1 diabetic nephropathy, and its inhibition could be a promising option for slowing or preventing progression of the condition to end-stage renal disease.
Too Much Privacy for Repeat Players? The Problem of Confidentiality Clauses and a Possible Solution

“Repeat players” are parties that repeatedly resort to arbitration for similar claims and appoint the same arbitrators. Employers or corporations are often times repeat players in arbitration procedures and possess greater economic power than one-time participants. Although being a repeat player is not illegal in itself, there is a fundamental problem with imbalanced advantages arising from one of the parties being a repeat player. The confidentiality clause in the arbitration agreement amplify these advantages and in turn, allow fairness and justice to be sacrificed for privacy and efficiency. Currently, the safeguards that exist in the United States are inadequate. The author believes that there are two possible ways to solve this problem: (1) to allow parties to challenge repeat arbitrators; and (2) to provide an exception to allow “certain aspects of the arbitration” to be disclosed in the form of a “written summary” that contains some required components, such as the reasoning concerning the application of law and the names of the arbitrators. As a result, irregularities and misconduct can be more readily identified in the vacating procedure with the help of such disclosure, and may even be prevented. Ultimately, it is hoped that confidence of one-time players in the arbitration mechanism can be restored.
Inhibitors of Ribosome Rescue Arrest Growth of Francisella tularensis at All Stages of Intracellular Replication

Bacteria require at least one pathway to rescue ribosomes stalled at the ends of mRNAs. The primary pathway for ribosome rescue is trans-translation, which is conserved in >99% of sequenced bacterial genomes. Some species also have backup systems, such as ArfA or ArfB, which can rescue ribosomes in the absence of sufficient trans-translation activity. Small-molecule inhibitors of ribosome rescue have broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against bacteria grown in liquid culture. These compounds were tested against the tier 1 select agent Francisella tularensis to determine if they can limit bacterial proliferation during infection of eukaryotic cells. The inhibitors KKL-10 and KKL-40 exhibited exceptional antimicrobial activity against both attenuated and fully virulent strains of F. tularensis in vitro and during ex vivo infection. Addition of KKL-10 or KKL-40 to macrophages or liver cells at any time after infection by F. tularensis prevented further bacterial proliferation. When macrophages were stimulated with the proinflammatory cytokine gamma interferon before being infected by F. tularensis, addition of KKL-10 or KKL-40 reduced intracellular bacteria by >99%, indicating that the combination of cytokine-induced stress and a nonfunctional ribosome rescue pathway is fatal to F. tularensis Neither KKL-10 nor KKL-40 was cytotoxic to eukaryotic cells in culture. These results demonstrate that ribosome rescue is required for F. tularensis growth at all stages of its infection cycle and suggest that KKL-10 and KKL-40 are good lead compounds for antibiotic development.
A 3D Multidisciplinary Design Method for Boundary Layer Ingesting Inlets

The Blended-Wing-Body. is a cdnceptual aircraft design with rear-mounted engines that ingest boundary layer flow. Although ingesting this low-momentum flow can improve propulsive efficiency, poor inlet performance can offset and even overwhelm this potential advantage. The tight .,& c=upling bet-ween ‘ine aircraft aerodynamics and the propulsion system poses a difficult design integration problem. This paper presents a design method that approaches the problem using multidisciplinary optimization. A 3D Navier-Stokes flow solver, an engine analysis method, and a nonlinear optimizer are combined into a design tool that correctly addresses the tight coupling of the problem. A simple 3D test problem is presented.
The Cleaning Efficiency or Sanitary Value of Vacuum Cleaners

Testing of vacuum cleaners.?Methods of cleaning have been tested in the past by determining the number of bacteria which are found in the air over and above those normally present. That is, they have been tested according to their ability to clean without raising a dust. One broom during the process of sweeping would introduce a certain number of bacteria into the air, another broom or process of sweeping would introduce only half as many and would therefore be considered twice as good. With the introduction of the vacuum cleaner this method is evidently insufficient to test its cleaning value. What one wants to determine here is the effectiveness of the apparatus in removing the bacteria from the floor or other article to be cleaned, for probably no vacuum cleaner, however inefficient, will raise much dust, although in this connection special attention is directed to the findings given below in regard to cleaners which exhaust into the air of the room being cleaned. What we want to know here is the proportion of dust and bacteria removed from the room by the cleaner. This is a difficult matter to test bacteriologically, and one which, so far as the writers know, has not been attempted before. None of the ordinary methods of bacteriological analysis are applicable. It seemed necessary, therefore, to devise a method. The problem, as it appeared to us, was to determine the number of bacteria on a given surface of floor or furniture; clean it and then determine the number of bacteria left. In this way it would be possible to determine the cleaning efficiency of a system measured in terms of bacteria removed.
Promoting Transfer to the Natural Environment

Transfer of the newly acquired skills to the client’s natural environment is a critical concern. Eight strategies for promoting transfer are identified. Four of the strategies center around the training sessions. They are: (1) train effective behaviors; (2) make training realistic; (3) train strategy; and (4) extend practice. The other four strategies are centered in the client’s natural envi- ronment or following the initial training sessions. They are: (1) use graded homework assignments; (2) involve others; (3) develop self-management skills; and (4) provide follow-up or booster sessions.
Limited evidence for conspecific attraction in a low-density population of a declining songbird, the Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera)

ABSTRACT Many bird species utilize the presence of conspecifics to gauge habitat quality and guide territory selection. When individuals preferentially settle in areas where conspecifics are perceived, this process is referred to as conspecific attraction. Substantial attention has been given to how natural and simulated social signals can recruit species to protected habitats, particularly as a conservation tool for migratory songbirds. While there is strong experimental evidence that broadcasting territorial song is a feasible strategy to recruit male songbirds, most experiments carried out to date have been in high-density populations and at a local scale. Because many species of conservation concern persist at low densities across heterogeneous landscapes, and because conspecific attraction as a management strategy has the most potential to benefit these species, it is important to test its efficacy in low-density populations. We tested the response to conspecific attraction in a low-density populatio...