cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dexamethasone represses phorbol ester-, forskolin-, and calcium-stimulated expression of a preproenkephalin A promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene via a receptor-mediated mechanism.

Abstract CV-1 cells were stably transfected with a preproenkephalin A (PPE) promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter plasmid containing −176 to +171 bp of the human PPE gene. Low levels of CAT were expressed constitutively. The reporter enzyme activity was induced by treatment of the cells for 6 h with drugs that increased intracellular cAMP (forskolin and 8-bromo-cAMP), intracellular calcium (A23187), or protein kinase C activity (tetradecanoyl phorbol-4-acetate, TPA) in the presence of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor isobutylmethylxanthine. Co-administration of dexamethasone reduced the magnitude of phorbol ester-stimulated CAT activity by about 50%, while there were smaller but not significant effects on forskolin- or A23187-stimulated expression of this reporter construct. In transient transfections which included the PPE-CAT reporter gene and a glucocorticoid receptor expression plasmid, dexamethasone significantly reduced stimulated expression of the reporter by TPA, forskolin, and A23187. The effect was observed with 10−8–10−6 M dexamethasone and was blocked by the presence of the glucocorticoid antagonist RU486, suggesting that the effect of dexamethasone was mediated by the glucocorticoid receptor. The promoter region contained in this construct lacks a classical glucocorticoid response element or known negative elements: thus, dexamethasone may reduce stimulated expression of the PPE promoter via indirect effects.
Pacemaker Arrhythmias and Electrocardiographic Recognition of Pacemakers

Adequate interpretation of pacemaker arrhythmias requires a thorough knowledge of the clinical situation in which they appear, the type of pacemaker, and modality of stimulation used, as well as knowledge of the corresponding electronic specifications. At times, this information is essential to reach the correct diagnosis. The significant features of the various (atrial, ventricular, or sequential atrioventricular) pacemakers were stressed placing special emphasis on the most used pacing system, namely, the transvenous QRS-inhibited (demand) ventricular pacemaker. Arrhythmias specific to the latter which could be seen during its normal or abnormal function included magnet-induced vagaries and significant shortening or lengthening of automatic (spike-to-spike) and escape (natural-to-QRS) intervals. Obtaining the maximal efficiency from artificial pacemakers requires the cooperation of patient, manufacturer, cardiovascular surgeon, and clinical cardiologist.
Mitogenic activity of snake venom lectins.

Abstract. Five lactose-inhibitable lectins have been isolated from snake venoms. These five share certain biochemical properties but are not identical (Gartner, Stocker & Williams, 1980; Gartner & Ogilvie, 1984). In this study the lectins were tested for their ability to stimulate lymphocytes to undergo DNA synthesis. We found that three of the lectins were comparable in mitogenic activity to the T cell lectin, concanavalin A (Con A). the mitogenic activity was blocked by lactose, a sugar which also blocks the haemagglutination activity of these lectins. Although mitogenic response appeared to be due to T cells, it depended on the presence of accessory cells in the culture. This requirement for macrophages could be replaced by the phorbol ester tumour promoter, 12-o-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA).
Hominoid postcranial specimens from the Middle Miocene Chinji Formation, Pakistan

A left lateral cuneiform and a right capitate of hominoid primates from the Middle Miocene Chinji Formation, Pakistan, are described. While the lateral cuneiform is similar to chimpanzee lateral cuneforms in many characters, it may have come from a foot with an appreciable transverse arch. Different functional regions of the capitate resemble those of capitates of different types of extant anthropoids. However, both specimens present patterns of features suggesting that positional behavior may have been generalized, varied, mostly arboreal, and probably included some suspensory activities.
Spatial Training for Calculus Students: Sex Differences in Achievement and in Visualization Ability

This study investigated the effects of spatial training upon calculus achievement, spatial visualization ability, and the use of visualization in solving problems on solids of revolution. After pretesting, 250 college students participated in one of two spatial-training treatments or in a control treatment. Multivariate analyses of covariance revealed no treatment effect on calculus achievement or spatial visualization ability, but there were significant sex differences favoring women in calculus achievement and favoring men in spatial visualization ability. There were interaction effects for calculus achievement and the use of visualization in solving solid-of-revolution problems and a significant treatment effect for visualization of solids of revolution. Spatial training may benefit performance in certain areas of calculus for women more than for men.
Hispanic children and the obesity epidemic: Exploring the role of abuelas.

This study evaluated the rate of Hispanic children who have grandparents involved in caretaking and whether grandparents' involvement had a negative impact on feeding practices, children's physical activity, and body mass index (BMI). One-hundred and 99 children and their parents were recruited at an elementary school. Parents completed a questionnaire regarding their children's grandparents' involvement as caretakers and the feeding and physical activity practices of that grandparent when with the child. Children's height and weight were measured and zBMI scores were calculated. Forty-three percent of parents reported that there was a grandparent involved in their child's caretaking. Grandparents served a protective role on zBMI for youth of Hispanic descent, except for the Cuban subgroup. There was no relationship between grandparent involvement and feeding and physical activity behaviors. In some cases grandparents may serve a protective function for childhood obesity. These results highlight the need for future research on grandparents and children's health, especially among Hispanic subgroups.
Surgical management of large nasal septum perforations.

Summary A promising technique is described which incorporates a free pericranial autograft into the repair of nasal septum perforations. Nasal mucosal flaps are raised and advanced over the perforation. Then the graft is inserted over the perforation between the mucosa and the remaining septal cartilage. The graft appears to improve the survival of the repair, and also allows success even when complete closure of mucosal edges is unobtainable.
Scenarios for Russia's natural gas exports to 2050

Abstract Russia is an important energy supplier as it holds the world's largest natural gas reserves and it is the world's largest exporter of natural gas. Despite a recent reduction in Russia's exports to Europe, it plans to build new pipelines. We explore the long-term (up to 2050) scenarios of Russian natural gas exports to Europe and Asia using the MIT Emissions Prediction and Policy Analysis (EPPA) model, a computable general equilibrium model of the world economy. We found that over the next 20–40 years natural gas can still play a substantial role in Russian exports and there are substantial reserves to support a development of the gas-oriented energy system both in Russia and in its current and potential gas importers. Based on the considered scenarios, Russia does not need any new pipeline capacity to the EU unless it wants to diversify its export routes to supply the EU without any gas transit via Ukraine and Belarus. Asian markets are attractive to Russian gas and substantial volumes may be exported there. Relatively cheap shale gas in China may sufficiently alter the prospects of Russian gas, especially in Asian markets. In the Reference scenario, exports of natural gas grow from Russia's current 7 Tcf to 11–12 Tcf in 2030 and 13–14 Tcf in 2050. Alternative scenarios provide a wider range of projections, with a share of Russian gas exports shipped to Asian markets rising to more than 30% by 2030 and almost 50% in 2050. Europe's reliance on LNG imports increases, while it still maintains sizable imports from Russia.
Characterization of the protein and nucleic acid of potato virus Y strains isolated from pepper.

Abstract Amino acid analyses of the protein coat of five potato virus Y (PVY) strains indicated a number of residue exchanges when compared with the type strain PVY-NC. There were differences in the migration of the protein of the PVY strains in 7.5% acrylamide gels. No differences in the migration rate among the coat proteins of the PVY strains in SDS-acrylamide gel electrophoresis, indicated the molecular weights of all the proteins were identical. Cyanogen bromide cleavage of the coat proteins from the five PVY strains resulted in the formation of four to eight peptide fragments. The sedimentation coefficient of infectious PVY RNA from the five strains was 39 S as determined in linear-log sucrose density gradients. Formaldehyde treatment of the PVY RNAs resulted in their sedimenting at 25 S. Nucleotide composition of the nucleic acid from the five PVY strains showed differences among the strains such that strains 4 and 36 could be differentiated from the other PVY strains by the relatively high composition of guanylic acid, and low composition of uridylic acid.
Characterization of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 binding to human monocytes.

Abstract Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) stimulates chemotaxis of peripheral blood monocytes. In order to understand the biologic basis of this specific activity, binding studies of 125 I-MCP-1 were undertaken. MCP-1 showed saturable binding to monocytes. Scatchard analysis of the monocyte binding data indicate that there are approximately 1,600 high affinity binding sites per monocyte with a Kd = 1.1 nM. Studies with synthetic peptides constructed according to the MCP-1 amino acid sequence indicate that a synthetic peptide, MCP-1[13–35], stimulates monocyte migration and competes with native MCP-1 for binding sites. Inhibition of MCP-1 binding was tested with chemotactic connective tissue proteins. No inhibition of MCP-1 binding was observed with either collagen, elastin-derived peptides or fibronectin. These results identify a single class of unique high affinity MCP-1 binding sites that are likely to recognize a peptide domain on MCP-1 which include the amino acids within the region, 13–35.
Using author co-citation analysis to examine the intellectual structure of e-learning: A MIS perspective

The increased use of e-learning techniques as an accepted form of teaching has resulted in a growing volume of academic research dedicated to their assessment. Despite the importance of the technique, there is little comprehensive knowledge on e-learning, especially in non-educational fields. Author co-citation analysis (ACA) is an analytical method for identifying the intellectual structure of specific knowledge domains through the relationship between two similar authors. ACA has been applied to many fields, such as information retrieval, knowledge management, and strategic management; however, it has not yet been used to analyze e-learning development. This study examines the intellectual structure of e-learning from the perspective of management information systems (MIS). By applying the ACA method, we analyze and categorize international and Taiwanese research topics into clusters. Our results show that Taiwanese authors put more effort into practical studies of business training, while international authors focus on a users' psychological reaction to learning context. Altogether, our research provides a clear intellectual analysis of e-learning practices from 1996 to 2009, enabling us to thoroughly study and understand the influence of these techniques on modern education.
The Influence of Television and Film Viewing on Midlife Women's Body Image, Disordered Eating, and Food Choice

A recent trend in screen media is the casting of older women who have bodies that are the shapes and sizes of younger women. These aging beauties can be found in shows such as Cougar Town and Desperate Housewives. It was predicted that heavy viewers of these media would report stronger eating disorder symptomatology, greater body ideal discrepancies, and stricter food choices than light viewers. Participants were 166 midlife women (M: 44.57 years) who completed an online questionnaire that asked about body ideals, disordered eating, food choices, and exposure to aging beauty programming. Results demonstrate that media exposure was associated with stronger reports of disordered eating, greater discrepancies between actual body size and both women's ideal body size as well as perceptions of how others wanted them to look, and stricter food choices when around other people. Ideal self-discrepancies mediate the association between aging beauty media and disordered eating symptomatology. Our study builds on ex...
A scalable stock Web service

We built an Internet stock service and focused on its scaling characteristics. This service allows a person to request email notification when a specified stock reaches a price. For example, one could request to be emailed when IBM reaches or exceeds $150. We decided to leverage the capabilities of an underlying publication/subscription (pub/sub) system which has a JMS interface. We explored ways to configure the pub/sub system as well as how to tie it to a Web application server. We also explored performance results on different machines. Our goal was to determine what was necessary to scale to 3 million user stock requests as well as to have 100,000 satisfied each day and 100,000 new requests entered each day. We proved this possible.
Kinetic studies of the adenosine 5'-triphosphatase activity of yeast hexokinase and its relationship to the mechanism of action of the enzyme

Abstract Initial reaction velocities of yeast hexokinase and the adenosine 5'-triphosphatase activity associated with hexokinase were studied in the presence and absence of 1.5 m NaCl. At least 500 times more enzyme is required for the latter measurement relative to the determination of hexokinase activity. The Michaelis constants for adenosine 5'-triphosphate for the two activities are essentially the same in the salt environment but differ by a factor of 25 in the absence of NaCl. Gel filtration experiments indicate that the molecular weight of the enzyme is decreased by 10 mm glucose, 1.5 m sodium chloride, or dilution. The sedimentation coefficients were determined for hexokinase with and without 1.5 m NaCl. The s20,w is significantly higher in the absence of the salt. The results from these studies support the view that, when the physical state of the yeast enzyme is the same in both the hexokinase and ATPase assays, the Km values for ATP are the same for both activities. These findings are taken to be evidence in support of a random kinetic mechanism for the yeast phosphotransferase.
Using a Dance/Movement Therapy-Based Wellness Curriculum: An Adolescent Case Study

This study examined the relationship between an adolescent female’s overall wellness, defined by quality of life, and her participation in a dance/movement therapy (DMT)-based holistic wellness curriculum. The curriculum focused on the topics of nutrition, mindfulness, movement, body image, and friendships. Research indicates that the curriculum topics, holistic wellness models, and DMT are each relatively effective for work with adolescent females, but their combination had yet to be explored using the format of the current study. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered using the Youth Quality of Life-Research Version, as well as parent surveys and session transcriptions. Themes emerging from these data suggest that through engagement with the curriculum the participant increased knowledge about herself and how her body functioned, and that the use of DMT was appropriate in this particular situation. Future in-depth research with groups and different populations is warranted.
Biological Parameters of Scirtothrips dorsalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on Selected Hosts

Since its establishment in Florida in 2005, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood, a highly polyphagous species, has become an economically important pest of ornamental plants and a potentially significant pest of vegetable and fruit crops. Fruit and vegetable production in Florida is trending toward significant adoption of organic methods and use of widely dispersed small fields in rapidly urbanizing landscapes. Landscape plants may serve as refugia from which S. dorsalis recruits can disperse to nearby fruit and vegetable plantings. Therefore, information on this pest's biology including how it is affected by various host species is needed to develop effective integrated pest management (IPM) programs. In the greenhouse and laboratory condition, we studied the effects of various host plants, development, diel flight activity, oviposition, and demographics of S. dorsalis. The pest preferred Jalapeno pepper and Knockout rose over the other hosts, and it was most active between 1000 and 1600 hours EST. Irrespective of the host species, the duration of each of the immature stadia varied within a narrow range, and their respective sizes were quite similar. Demographic parameters quantified included gross reproduction rate (GRR), net reproductive rate (R(o)), intrinsic rate of increase per day (R(m)), finite rate of increase per day (λ), and mean generation time (T). The pest population may increase by a factor of ≈ 1.09/d, so that it may double in 8 or 9 d. The above information should be helpful in the development of sound programs to manage S. dorsalis on various crops and in the formulation of detection strategies by quarantine officers.
Thermal Stability and Electrical Properties of Ag(Al) Metallization

The thermal stability and electrical resistivity of Ag(Al) alloy thin films on SiO2 are investigated and compared to pure Ag thin films by performing various analyses: Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and four-point probe. The susceptibility to agglomeration of Ag on SiO2 layer is a drawback of Ag metallization. Ag(Al) thin films show good thermal stability on SiO2 layer without any diffusion barrier. The films are stable up to 600 oC for 1 hour in vacuum. Electrical resistivity of as-deposited Ag (5 at % Al) thin film is slightly higher than that of pure Ag thin film. However, the resistivity of Ag(Al) samples annealed at high temperatures (up to 600 oC for 1 hour in vacuum) remains constant due to the improvement of thermal stability (large reduction of agglomeration). This finding can impact metallization for thin film transistors (TFT) for displays, including flexible displays, and high-speed electronics due to lower resistivity value compared to Cu thin film.
Landmarks in burn prevention

The objective of this paper is to highlight landmarks in burn prevention. Novel strategies in the areas of law and regulation, environmental and consumer product design, and educational programs are identified and discussed. Notwithstanding marked reductions in burn morbidity and mortality, especially in economically developed countries, burn injuries remain an important public health concern throughout the world. More, and more effective, burn prevention programs coupled with renewed efforts to reduce the social and environmental correlates of burn injuries (poverty, overcrowding, family stress, and educational deficits) are needed to further reduce burn incidence and its long-term sequelae.
The MAP Pilot Project at IBM Endicott

Endicott's Manufacturing Automation Protocol (MAP) pilot project demonstrates to the industry that IBM is seriously interested in MAP. Two software products, MAP Communication Server (MCS) and MAP Application Server (MAS), were developed in IBM Palo Alto, California, and demonstrated at the November 1985 Autofact show. In Endicott, IBM Series/1's (S/1) monitor various processes, used in the manufacturing of advanced circuit panels (ACP). Ultimately, MAP will significantly reduce the time required to develop software that will connect the programmable logic controllers (PLC) on the manufacturing floor and the IBM S/1's used to monitor the processes. A significant portion of the cost associated with new PLC installations is directly related to software. This cost will essentially be eliminated because MAP provides a standard interface. MAP will allow programmable logic controllers to communicate with each other and other computers directly, without requiring additional software. A broadband cable was installed in November of 1985, allowing both MAP and IBM PC Network to operate on the same physical cable. The MAP network connects the Series 1's on the manufacturing floor, while PC Network links IBM PC's between engineering offices. There are two gateways, an IBM PC/AT and an IBM S/1. The PC/AT gateway enables communication between MAP and PC Network, while host connections are possible via the S/1 gateway. IBM's MONACO (Monitoring and Control) and PC Graphics were modified to operate on the MAP network. IBM MONACO is the software product residing in the S/1, used for process monitoring. It is a program product that was developed in Sindelfingen, W. Germany. IBM PC Graphics was developed, for internal use, in Endicott and displays the data collected by MONACO on an IBM PC/XT or PC/AT color monitor. Both MONACO and PC Graphics are used at other IBM locations. By accessing the Series/l on the manufacturing floor, real time process data, including color graphic data displays, will be available in engineering offices, conference rooms, and classrooms. This same data could also be made available to a control center. Today, MAP is receiving both national and international attention. This large scale effort was initiated by the customers of PLC manufacturers because these customers were overwhelmed with the number of proprietary islands of automation and information. MAP, on the broadband cable, is the standard that will make this data more readily accessible, provide single terminal access and reduce cable costs.
The use of tactile and olfactory cues in neonatal orientation and localization of the nipple

A good deal of effort has been directed toward determining the sensory cues employed by neonatal animals in orienting to, and localizing, the nipple. The results of previous studies are contradictory. Some investigators have claimed that olfactory cues are critical, while others suggest that tactile cues are of primary importance in these behaviors. The present studies indicate that, in kittens, there are two essential components of the suckling process: orientation to the mother and localization of the nipple. In these experiments, the ability and time involved in localizing and attaching to the nipple of the anesthetized mother were measured in several conditions. With tactile input impaired, kittens had no difficulty locating the mother, but could not locate the nipple. In contrast, olfactory disruption never impaired nipple localization and attachment when the kitten was in contact with the mother, but interfered with the kitten's ability to locate the mother when removed from her. These data suggest that olfactory cues are employed in locating the mother, and tactile cues from the perioral region are employed in locating the nipple.
Lipid Asymmetry in DLPC/DSPC-Supported Lipid Bilayers: A Combined AFM and Fluorescence Microscopy Study

A fundamental attribute of cell membranes is transmembrane asymmetry, specifically the formation of ordered phase domains in one leaflet that are compositionally different from the opposing leaflet of the bilayer. Using model membrane systems, many previous studies have demonstrated the formation of ordered phase domains that display complete transmembrane symmetry; but there have been few reports on the more biologically relevant asymmetric membrane structures. Here we report on a combined atomic force microscopy and fluorescence microscopy study whereby we observe three different states of transmembrane symmetry in phase-separated supported lipid bilayers formed by vesicle fusion. We find that if the leaflets differ in gel-phase area fraction, then the smaller domains in one leaflet are in registry with the larger domains in the other leaflet and the system is dynamic. In a presumed lipid flip-flop process similar to Ostwald ripening, the smaller domains in one leaflet erode away whereas the large domains in the other leaflet grow until complete compositional asymmetry is reached and remains stable. We have quantified this evolution and determined that the lipid flip-flop event happens most frequently at the interface between symmetric and asymmetric DSPC domains. If both leaflets have identical area fraction of gel-phase, gel-phase domains are in registry and are static in comparison to the first state. The stability of these three DSPC domain distributions, the degree of registry observed, and the domain immobility have biological significance with regards to maintenance of lipid asymmetry in living cell membranes, communication between inner leaflet and outer leaflet, membrane adhesion, and raft mobility.
Continuum limits of discrete gases

During his IMA lecture Greenberg presented a variety of new results for quasilinear hyperbolic conservation laws. The theme of that lecture was the existence of special systems of conservation laws which were capable of supporting time periodic solutions. Some of the results presented there were obtained jointly with Rascle [1] and will appear elsewhere and the final part of the lecture dealt with the model we discuss here. Our interest is in the continuum limits of flows associated with a discrete interacting particle system. This model was considered previously by Greenberg in [2] and [3]. Here we provide a thorough analysis of the weak or distributional limits of one particle distribution function associated with this gas and show that in certain cases the moments of the limit flow corresponding to density, momentum and pressure are weak solutions of the one–dimensional gas dynamics equations with a p = Sρ 3 equation of state. One of the solutions obtained via this limiting procedure is time periodic and has certain shock waves which would normally be regarded as inadmissible because the entropy S decreases across them. Anomalous solutions of the type described above are not necessarily the norm for this model. We also present an example where the limit flows consist of decaying N waves and all shocks are of the type that would normally be regarded as admissible, that is the entropy increases across them.
Measurement of solid state diffusion coefficients by a temperature-programmed method

This paper presents a method for determining diffusivities in solids where the diffusing species desorbs or reacts at the external surfaces, and where the diffusivity does not vary appreciably with concentration. The method involves measuring the flux of the diffusive species out of the solid under the influence of a temperature program. A general model is developed, based on non-isothermal Fickian diffusion, which is applicable to solid particles with slab or spherical geometry. The solution is presented both as an analytical expression and as correlation charts of experimentally observable quantities. These charts are contour diagrams of the temperature of peak diffusion rate with ln(E/R) and ln(D{sub 0}/h{sup 2}) as the axes, where E and D{sub 0} are the activation energy and pre-exponential terms of the diffusivity expression D=D{sub 0}exp({minus}E/RT), R is the gas constant, and h the size of the particles. This paper deals exclusively with the case of oxygen diffusion in the vanadium oxide system. In this case, vanadium oxide was reduced in a reactive ammonia stream at conditions in which the surface reaction was fast compared to the diffusive transport process. Using this method the diffusion parameters were found to be D{sub 0}=1.9{times}10{sup {minus}5}cm{sup 2}s{sup {minus}1}and E=101 kJ/mol.more » the method was checked by varying the crystallite size of the vanadium oxide sample in the range 2h=0.14{endash}0.29 {mu}m. {copyright} {ital 1997 Materials Research Society.}« less
Clonidine for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: II. ECG changes and adverse events analysis.

ABSTRACT Objective: To examine the safety and tolerability of clonidine used alone or with methylphenidate in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Method: In a 16-week multicenter, double-blind trial, 122 children with ADHD were randomly assigned to clonidine ( n = 31), methylphenidate ( n = 29), clonidine and methylphenidate ( n = 32), or placebo ( n = 30). Doses were flexibly titrated up to 0.6 mg/day for clonidine and 60 mg/day for methylphenidate (both with divided dosing). Groups were compared regarding adverse events and changes from baseline to week 16 in electrocardiograms and vital signs. Results: There were more incidents of bradycardia in subjects treated with clonidine compared with those not treated with clonidine (17.5% versus 3.4%; p =.02), but no other significant group differences regarding electrocardiogram and other cardiovascular outcomes. There were no suggestions of interactions between clonidine and methylphenidate regarding cardiovascular outcomes. Moderate or severe adverse events were more common in subjects on clonidine (79.4% versus 49.2%; p =.0006) but not associated with higher rates of early study withdrawal. Drowsiness was common on clonidine, but generally resolved by 6 to 8 weeks. Conclusions: Clonidine, used alone or with methylphenidate, appears safe and well tolerated in childhood ADHD. Physicians prescribing clonidine should monitor for bradycardia and advise patients about the high likelihood of initial drowsiness.
Cyanobacterial diversity across landscape units in a polar desert: Taylor Valley, Antarctica

Life in the Taylor Valley, Antarctica, is dominated by microorganisms, with cyanobacteria being key primary producers in the region. Despite their abundance and ecological importance, the factors controlling biogeography, diversity, dispersal of cyanobacteria in Taylor Valley and other polar environments are poorly understood. Owing to persistent high winds, we hypothesize that the cyanobacterial diversity across this polar landscape is influenced by aeolian processes. Using molecular and pigment analysis, we describe the cyanobacterial diversity present in several prominent habitats across the Taylor Valley. Our data show that the diversity of cyanobacteria increases from the upper portion of the valley towards the McMurdo Sound. This trend is likely due to the net transport of organisms in a down-valley direction, consistent with the prevailing orientation of high-energy, episodic fohn winds. Genomic analysis of cyanobacteria present in aeolian material also suggests that wind mixes the cyanobacterial phylotypes among the landscape units. Our 16S rRNA gene sequence data revealed that (1) many of the cyanobacterial phylotypes present in our study site are common in polar or alpine environments, (2) many operational taxonomic units (OTUs) (22) were endemic to Antarctica and (3) four OTUs were potentially endemic to the McMurdo Dry Valleys.
Software Descriptions with Flow Expressions

Flow expressions describe sequential and concurrent flows of entities, such as control, messages, commands, jobs, and resources, through system software components, such as programs, procedures, modules, and processes. They consist of regular expressions extended with cyclic and interleaving operators and a synchronization facility. The language of flow expressions is defined and some of its formal properties are presented. Applications are exhibited in the modeling of concurrent programs, the description of operating system architectures, the specification and solution of synchronization problems, the flow and description of command languages, and in systems analysis and verification.
Visual search and spatial deficits

Studies of visual search with patients with spatial attentional deficits have shown that the ability to bind basic features properly and thus to search for the conjunction of two spatially contiguous features is compromised. However, the effect of spatial deficits on feature search is more controversial. Here, we explore questions raised by the neuropsychological literature regarding feature processing and demonstrate that features "pop out" in the affected visual field, albeit more slowly The implications for feature processing and selection as well as the relevance for understanding spatial deficits are discussed.
Experimental Verification of the Recursive T-Matrix Method Solutions at Microwave Frequencies

We present an experimental verification of the recursive T-matrix method (RTM), which is a common method for solving electromagnetic scattering from multiple scatterers. This is done using an antenna and propagation model uniquely suited for T-matrices and network analyzer measurements. In the experiments, we use a multistatic system to measure the scattering from collections of objects consisting of conducting or dielectric spheres, as well as conducting cylinders. In simulation, we calculate the scattering from the objects using the RTM and further predict the transition parameters expected between the receivers and the transmitter in the measurement setup using a propagation model. The predicted and measured values of the transmission parameters are compared, and thereby used to verify the recursive T-matrix algorithm. Good agreement observed in these results provides experimental validation of the RTM.
A Review of Common Problems Observed in Cooling Water Intakes and the Use of Physical Models to Develop Effective Solutions

Pump intake structures are a necessary component of the cooling water systems for power plants, process and manufacturing facilities, flood control and water/wastewater applications. Large cooling water systems often use substantial sea / river water intakes or cooling towers to provide the required cooling of the process or circulating water. These structures can be very large and often house multiple pump with capacities ranging in size from a few hundred m3/hr to 60,000 m3/hr or more. With such large flow rates care must be taken to ensure uniform flow to the pump to limit vortex activity, vibration, flow induced cavitation and performance problems. In many cases, a physical hydraulic model study is conducted to evaluate the overall approach flow and the performance of the intake. This paper presents a synopsis of several recent physical model studies and a review of recurring problems associated with common design features.This paper takes a closer look at stop log support walls, an intake design feature common to seawater intakes. This wall is often used to minimize the height of the stop logs. In applications with large variations of water level, such as a seawater intake, there are times when the support walls are submerged significantly, resulting in significant flow disturbances. A feature common to cooling towers is the use of 90-degree suction elbows to supply horizontal pumps. A review of short radius vs. long radius elbow performance is presented. Cooling towers often have another common feature which is a significant difference in depth between the cooling tower basin and the pump sump. This results in typical shallow basins and deeper sumps. A common problem is the utilization of minimum pump submergence to set the water levels without reference to the basin invert elevation. A discussion of choked flow conditions in cooling towers is presented. A final discussion is presented regarding cross-flow and the use of concentrated supply channels in cooling tower applications to facilitate the isolation of individual tower cells.This paper presents a synopsis of several recent physical model studies and a review of recurring problems associated with common intake design features. The results of several model studies are presented to demonstrate the negative impacts that these common intake features have on approach flow conditions. The intent of the paper is to provide the design engineer some additional guidance not offered in industry guidelines or standards with the hope of avoiding common problems which can be costly and difficult to remediate after the intake has been constructed.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Extruded Zeolite Catalysts for Lean Exhaust Application

In lean burn engines, the conventional automotive catalyst is ineffective in reducing harmful nitric oxide (NOx) wastes. This study has investigated the use of different materials with metal additives as supports for effective NOxcontrolling lean burn catalysts. A series of zeolite (ZSM-5) honeycomb samples were prepared via extrusion with low concentrations of transition metals. Samples were also impregnated with Pt to determine the effect on the catalytic activity. NOx and hydrocarbon conversion under simple lean conditions were measured in a temperature-controlled fixed bed reactor. Ethylene and Propylene, both highly selective NOx reductants, were used separately as the hydrocarbon species. Results have revealed that single and double component zeolites containing Ni, Mn, Cu, and Ag are highly effective in reducing NOx. When these same samples were impregnated with Pt, they achieved conversion rates up to 100% at temperatures less than 300°C at a space velocity of 7000 h. At higher space velocities, up to 80% NO conversion is observed for some catalysts. The performance of the Ni-Co catalyst remains encouraging and is not impaired by moderate aging conditions and by the presence of water.
LEUKEMIA AND PRIOR MALIGNANT AND HEMATOLOGIC DISEASES: A CASE-CONTROL STUDY

Records of 138 patients with leukemia diagnosed between 1955-1974 in Olmsted County, Minnesota, and 276 controls were examined for the occurrence of prior malignancies and hematologic diseases. No significant excess of malignancy was observed when all types of malignancy and all types of leukemia combined were considered. When they were analyzed separately, however, a fivefold increase in the risk of prior skin cancer was found in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Because of the relatively small numbers, this difference is of borderline statistical significance. The presence of prior hematologic disorders was also examined, and the findings are discussed.
Abstract 5385: Gene expression changes downstream of APC loss predict tumor phenotype.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC The Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) tumor suppressor is mutated or hypermethylated in up to 70% of human breast cancer cases. Our previous studies demonstrated that Apc mutation advances the MMTV-Polyoma Middle T Antigen (PyMT) model of breast cancer, with an increase in signaling downstream of focal adhesion kinase (FAK)/Src/JNK activation in MMTV-PyMT;ApcMin/+ tumors. In addition, the majority of tumors that arose in the MMTV-PyMT;ApcMin/+ animals were classified as adenosquamous carcinoma as compared to tumors from MMTV-PyMT;Apc+/+ animals, which were solid carcinomas. Given the heterogeneous nature of these tumors, laser capture microdissection (LCM) of the adenosquamous carcinoma in MMTV-PyMT;ApcMin/+ tissues followed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR was performed to identify gene expression changes responsible for the altered tumor phenotype. In parallel studies, gene expression microarrays were performed using triplicate samples of the MMTV-PyMT;Apc+/+ and MMTV-PyMT;ApcMin/+ cell lines. RNA samples were subjected submitted to quality control via the Agilent Bioanalyzer and were hybridized to Affymetrix Mouse Genome 430 2.0 microarrays. Data analysis was performed using the Gene-Go software, and significant changes were confirmed using qRT-PCR. Multiple changes consistent with the phenotypic and proliferative changes downstream of APC loss were identified, including changes in expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). The findings presented here indicate that APC-mediated gene expression changes can be used to predict tumor phenotype and downstream therapeutic targets. Citation Format: Andjela Pehar, Jennifer M. Cole, Jenifer R. Prosperi. Gene expression changes downstream of APC loss predict tumor phenotype. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5385. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-5385 Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 because the presenter was unable to attend.
The Bilingual Disadvantage in Speech Understanding in Noise Is Likely a Frequency Effect Related to Reduced Language Exposure

The present study sought to explain why bilingual speakers are disadvantaged relative to monolingual speakers when it comes to speech understanding in noise. Exemplar models of the mental lexicon hold that each encounter with a word leaves a memory trace in long-term memory. Words that we encounter frequently will be associated with richer phonetic representations in memory and therefore recognized faster and more accurately than less frequently encountered words. Because bilinguals are exposed to each of their languages less often than monolinguals by virtue of speaking two languages, they encounter all words less frequently and may therefore have poorer phonetic representations of all words compared to monolinguals. In the present study, vocabulary size was taken as an estimate for language exposure and the prediction was made that both vocabulary size and word frequency would be associated with recognition accuracy for words presented in noise. Forty-eight early Spanish-English bilingual and 53 monolingual English young adults were tested on speech understanding in noise (SUN) ability, English oral verbal ability, verbal working memory (WM), and auditory attention. Results showed that, as a group, monolinguals recognized significantly more words than bilinguals. However, this effect was attenuated by language proficiency; higher proficiency was associated with higher accuracy on the SUN test in both groups. This suggests that greater language exposure is associated with better SUN. Word frequency modulated recognition accuracy and the difference between groups was largest for low frequency words, suggesting that the bilinguals' insufficient exposure to these words hampered recognition. The effect of WM was not significant, likely because of its large shared variance with language proficiency. The effect of auditory attention was small but significant. These results are discussed within the Ease of Language Understanding model (Ronnberg et al., 2013), which provides a framework for explaining individual differences in SUN.
Risks of testosterone replacement.

to the editor: Rhoden and Morgentaler 1 and Snyder 2 (Jan. 29 issue) assuage the anxiety of physicians who administer testosterone to older men because the men report andropause, a collection of ill-defined maladies related to male aging. Their position in this regard is very disconcerting. More than 50 years ago, physicians began treating the “male climacteric” with testosterone. 3 Since then, no standardized definition of this condition has been developed, no metric defining a therapeutic effect has been created, no randomized controlled studies have been conducted to support the widespread use of testosterone in men for this condition, and the adverse-event profile of the drug in this population has not been studied adequately. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved testosterone for this condition. In addition, the schemes suggested by Rhoden and Morgentaler and by Snyder for managing the risk of prostate cancer, a hazard of testosterone exposure that is of great concern, are untested. The Women’s Health Initiative advanced our understanding of the risks and benefits of estrogen through randomized trials. The recent Institute of Medicine report 4 advises thoughtful, well-designed research on testosterone in aging men; this should be supported.
Large-scale atomistic simulations of helium-3 bubble growth in complex palladium alloys

Palladium is an attractive material for hydrogen and hydrogen-isotope storage applications due to its properties of large storage density and high diffusion of lattice hydrogen. When considering tritium storage, the material’s structural and mechanical integrity is threatened by both the embrittlement effect of hydrogen and the creation and evolution of additional crystal defects (e.g., dislocations, stacking faults) caused by the formation and growth of helium-3 bubbles. Using recently developed inter-atomic potentials for the palladium-silver-hydrogen system, we perform large-scale atomistic simulations to examine the defect-mediated mechanisms that govern helium bubble growth. Our simulations show the evolution of a distribution of material defects, and we compare the material behavior displayed with expectations from experiment and theory. We also present density functional theory calculations to characterize ideal tensile and shear strengths for these materials, which enable the understanding of how and why our developed potentials either meet or confound these expectations.
Prevention of salt angiotensin II hypertension by servo control of body water

An automated servo-control system to maintain total body weight constant was used to investigate the role of fluid volume expansion in the development of salt-dependent hypertension in dogs continuously infused with subpressor doses of angiotensin II. Dogs maintained on a fixed salt and water intake were studied in metabolic scale cages, which enabled continuous 24 h/day monitoring of changes in body weight as an index of changes in total body water. Beat-by-beat hemodynamics were determined 24 h/day. Daily fluid and electrolyte balances and hormonal profile were determined. Blood volume was periodically measured by injection of 51Cr red blood cells. After a 3-day control period, salt intake was increased from 8 to 120 meq/day. In contrast to the rise of arterial pressure that was observed in our previous nonservo-controlled volume studies, average 24-h mean arterial pressure, cardiac output, and total peripheral resistance remained unchanged during a 4-day high-salt period. Total body weight was maintained within 7 +/- 17 g of the original weight. Blood volume was unchanged by day 2 as indicated by direct measurement (51Cr red blood cells) or by analysis of plasma protein concentration. There was a retention of 82 +/- 5 meq (P less than 0.05) of sodium on day 1 of high-salt period. Plasma sodium concentration increased approximately 7 meq/l (P less than 0.05) above control levels. Plasma renin activity and aldosterone decreased to undetectable values, whereas vasopressin and atrial natriuretic peptide increased significantly. These results confirm that elevations of blood volume and cardiac output normally observed when salt intake was increased in dogs infused with angiotensin II are secondary to water retention and that this salt-dependent model of hypertension is dependent on fluid volume expansion.
The Virgin and the Gipsy: D.H. Lawrence’s Paean to Misogyny

This novel was, of course, Lawrence’s last work and, arguably, his worst. Written only six years after Women in Love, not only the stylistics but also the content is similar. Lawrence may have “revised” portions of the text prior to publication had he lived, but the majority of the text is filled with a rhetoric of misogyny and anti-Semitism that is stunning in its audacity. The essay deals not only with that language, but also with how he homogenizes both anti-Semitism and misogyny in one character, namely, Mrs. Fawcett, the “Jewess.” It interrogates those aspects and speculates on why Lawrence would have written so vitriolically about all of his female characters and how those female characters have, by virtue of being female, victimized his male characters.