cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differential Target Antenna Coupling (DTAC) EM Surveying with Stationary Transmitter Loop and Moving In-Loop Receivers

ABSTRACT Following our previous studies of the Differential Target Antenna Coupling (DTAC) method with horizontal and vertical arrays for EM surveys, in this paper we study the application of the D...
Abstract PR03: YAP/TAZ requirement in mesenchyme-originated intestinal hamartomatous polyposis

Hamartomatous polyposis syndromes (HPS) are rare genetic syndromes, including Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) and PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (Cowden and Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndromes), which are caused by germline mutations of STK11 (LKB1) and PTEN genes, respectively. HPS is characterized by the development of hamartomatous polyps in the GI tract; however, the cellular origins and molecular mechanism underlying hamartomatous polyposis remain poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that specific disruption or deletion of Stk11 or Pten in mouse GI mesenchyme, but not in the epithelium, generates hamartomatous polyps histologically resembling GI polyps observed in PJS and Cowden syndrome patients. Genetically, we show that mTOR activity is essential for Pten but not Stk11 deletion-driven hamartomatous polyposis. Furthermore, we show that AMPK1/2 deletion is not able to initiate PJS polyp formation. However, we find significant upregulation of mesenchymal YAP/TAZ activity in PJS polyps and demonstrate that YAP/TAZ in gut mesenchyme are required for Stk11 deletion-induced PJS hamartomatous polyposis. Our studies suggest a mesenchymal origin of GI polyps in HPS and reveal the distinct roles of YAP/TAZ and mTOR in gut mesenchyme during hamartomatous polyposis, which likely have important therapeutic implication for treating these HPSs. This abstract is also being presented as Poster A06. Citation Format: Jennifer L. Cotton, Kyvan Dang, Qi Li, Randy L. Johnson, Y. Tony Ip, Xu Wu, Junhao Mao. YAP/TAZ requirement in mesenchyme-originated intestinal hamartomatous polyposis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on the Hippo Pathway: Signaling, Cancer, and Beyond; 2019 May 8-11; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2020;18(8_Suppl):Abstract nr PR03.
Mothers, daughters, fathers and sons: intergenerational family social capital and inequalities in Guayaquil, Ecuador

This paper describes the role of intergenerational processes in increasing or reducing multidimensional inequality in Indio Guayas, a low-income peripheral settlement in Guayaquil, Ecuador. It also...
Comparison of thermo-poroelastic and thermo-poroelastoplastic constitutive models to analyze THM process in clays

Thermal pore pressurization in soil media has been investigated for the past few decades. It has been shown that temperature variations may significantly affect thermal pore pressure in clay soils confined deep into the ground. Moreover, thermal loading may lead to stress change and thermal deformation. Thermo-poroelastic and advance thermo-poroelastoplastic constitutive models have been formulated and incorporated numerically to simulate the thermo-hydro-mechanical process. However, the accurate response of soil media during THM process has not been completely understood. Although numerical modelling reasonably predicts the experimental observations, they still could not be used to completely justify the field observations. In this study, the main features of the thermo-poroelastic model are incorporated in a thermo-poroelastoplastic constitutive model (ACMEG-T) to further investigate the effect of different thermal and hydraulic properties on thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) response of the soil media.
Increasing Outpatient Clinic Healthcare Provider Engagement Through Nursing Leader Communication.

Maintaining engaged nurses and other health care providers were challenging at a multi-specialty outpatient clinic where engagement scores were trending downward. This quality improvement (QI) was ...
Modeling and Performance Evaluation of Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings (GEB) in a Microgrid Environment

A detailed analysis of how Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings (GEB) can participate as active elements in a microgrid through on-site PV electricity generation and energy efficiency applications is presented. A case study using three US Department of Energy (DoE)-developed prototype commercial building models are used. These represent a secondary school, a hospital and a large office building. Simulation results show that when schools, hospitals and office buildings are operated as GEBs, there are always electricity savings, but savings amounts vary depending on levels of HVAC and lighting controls within the limits of customer comfort levels. These comfort level ranges are determined through interactions with building occupants which resulted in $\Delta \text{T}$ of 2- $5^{\circ }\text{F}$ and dimming level range of 20% to 50%. Savings in the school building are so much higher for two reasons. One, because without GEB application these buildings are operated in a business-as-usual fashion throughout the year, even when the school is not in session. The second reason is – being a two-story building the roof area is comparatively much higher than the hospital or the multi-storied office buildings.
Study Abroad in the Transitional Economies

This paper offers a guide to developing and executing a short-term, faculty-led study abroad program, focusing on the economics of institutional change. While I will primarily discuss my experience with programs in the Transitional Economies—e.g., Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary. I have used the same basic format to organize programs in other parts of the world—e.g., Cuba, Chile, and Peru. I will highlight course objectives, provide a course outline with reading list, and discuss both academic and non-academic benefits of carrying out instruction beyond the classroom.
An Introduction to Phase Change Materials

This chapter introduces Phase Change Materials (PCMs) and describes their common usage. The concepts of sensible heat and latent heat are explained and related to the use of PCMs. The ways in which PCMs are utilized for thermal management and temperature control of systems and the ways in which PCMs are utilized for the storage of thermal energy are described with sample applications to clarify the concepts.
The Religiously Fundamentalist Family: Training for Assessment and Treatment.

Abstract Social workers engaged in family treatment frequently encounter families in which religious fundamentalism serves as a major steady-state and boundary maintenance mechanism. Without recognition of the systemic effects of religious fundamentalism, family therapists will lose the family from treatment or will be rejected by the family as a source of help. This article identifies the major impact on the family, sets forth assessment guidelines, and presents training strategies for teaching family practitioners to work with the religiously fundamentalist family.
A computational study of the role of spike broadening in synaptic facilitation of Hermissenda.

Pavlovian conditioning in Hermissenda produces a decrease in voltage-dependent (IK,A and ICa) and Ca2+-dependent (IK,Ca) currents, and an increase in the action potential (AP) duration in type B-photoreceptors. In addition, synaptic connections between B and A photoreceptors and B photoreceptor and type I interneurons are facilitated. The increase in AP duration, produced by decreasing one or more K+ currents, may account for synaptic facilitation. The present study examined this issue by using a mathematical model of the B-photoreceptor and the neurosimulator SNNAP. In the model, decreasing gK,A by 70% increased the duration of the AP in the terminal by 41% and Ca2+ influx by 30%. However, if the decrease in gK,A was combined with a decrease in gCa, similar to what has been reported experimentally, the Ca2+ influx decreased by 54%. Therefore, the concomitant change in ICa counter-acted the broadening-induced increase in Ca2+ influx in the synaptic terminal. This result suggests that a spike-duration independent process must contribute to the synaptic facilitation observed following Pavlovian conditioning.
A New Variant of the Winner's Curse in a Coasian Contracting Game

We examine behavior in a Coasian contracting game with incomplete information. Experimental subjects propose contracts, while automaton property right holders or “robot” players with uncertain preferences respond to those proposals. The most common pattern of proposals observed in these games results in too many agreements and, in some games, payoffs that are stochastically dominated by those resulting from rational proposals (which imply fewer agreements). In this sense, we observe a “winner's curse” similar to that observed in bidding games under incomplete information, such as the “common value auction” (Kagel, J.H. and Levin, D. (1986) American Economic Review. 76, 894–920) and the “takeover game” (Samuelson, W. and Bazerman, M.H. (1985) In Research in Experimental Economics, Vol. 3. JAI Press, Greenwich, pp. 105–137; Ball, S.B., Bazerman, M.H., and Carroll, J.S. (1990) Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 48, 1–22; Holt, C. and Sherman, R. (1994) American Economic Review. 84, 642–652). While the “naive model” of behavior nicely predicts the winner's curse in those previous bidding games, it does not do so here. Instead, an alternative model we call the “guarantor model” explains the anomalous behavior best. Hence, we suggest this is a new variant of the winner's curse.
Skeletal Myogenesis: Evidence for a Programmed Cell Lineage

Skeletal muscle fibers arise by the fusion of mononucleated precursor cells called myoblasts (Dienstman and Holtzer 1975). Although, for a long while, it was thought that myofibrils and their constituent, muscle-specific proteins were to be found only in multinucleated myotubes or muscle fibers, it is now clear that these structures can be found in certain mononucleated myoblasts (Holtzer et al. 1957; Keller and Nameroff 1974; Chi et al. 1975; Moss and Strohman 1976; Trotter and Nameroff 1976; Vertel and Fischman 1976; Turner 1978). These cells are post-mitotic (Holtzer et al. 1957; Nameroff et al. 1973; Turner 1978) and are capable of fusing with each other to form myotubes. Thus, it appears that fusion is not a prerequisite for either cessation of cell division or for the initiation of muscle-specific protein synthesis in myogenesis. Fusion seems to be only one property of mono-nucleated, post-mitotic myoblasts. It therefore follows that, in order to understand more about the control of skeletal muscle differentiation, we need to focus, not upon the formation of multinucleated myotubes through fusion (as interesting as this process is), but rather upon how individual myoblasts are generated from their precursor cells. Both Konigsberg (1977) and Lavie and Yaffe (1976) have attempted to examine this issue by studying the progeny of single myogenic cells in culture. Konigsberg reported that, after a mitosis, either one or both of the resulting daughter cells could fuse. In many cases, he stated that one daughter cell divided while the other fused. Lavie and Yaffe reported that cells which would have fused were induced to divide in culture medium that promoted mitosis. Both of these investigations relied upon fusion as an assay for terminal myogenic differentiation. That it is often impossible to determine with the light microscope that cells are, in fact, fused and not merely closely apposed to each other, has been reported by several laboratories (Fear 1977; Kligman and Nameroff 1980 b). Thus, an assay for differentiation based on fusion as the sole criterion is both inaccurate and imprecise. We therefore chose to examine the differentiation of daughter cells of individual mitoses by means of an assay which is independent of fusion. Using an antibody directed against the muscle-specific protein, MM-creatine phosphokinase (Puri and Turner 1978), we found, in immunocytofluorescence studies (Kligman and Nameroff 1980 a; Kligman and Nameroff 1980 b), evidence that post-mitotic myoblasts are generated from their precursors in what has been termed a “unipotent” lineage (Holtzer 1978) (Fig. 1).
Determinants of Bulgarian Brady bond prices - an empirical assessment

To analyze the main determinants of secondary market prices of Bulgarian Brady Bonds, the authors investigate to what extent fluctuations in domestic fundamentals affect the bonds' secondary market price. They also assess the extent to which external shocks affect the bonds' prices. They estimate the long-term relationship between domestic fundamentals and market prices of bonds, using co-integration techniques. In the long-run, they find that gross foreign reserves and exports had a positive effect on bond prices and the real exchange rate and Mexico's nominal exchange rate depreciation had a negative effect. In the short run, the Asian crisis had a negative impact, and Bulgaria's change in political regime and introduction of a currency board had a positive impact. Mexico's economic crisis in 1995 had contagion effects. The authors' empirical results confirm the view that the so-called fundamentals approach should be used to supplement the analysis of spillover effects for Bulgaria Brady bonds.
It is nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice: Country-of-origin's perceived warmth in product failures

Although a large body of research has documented country-of-origin effects, very few works have inquired systematic differences in the content of national stereotypes that shape attitudes toward foreign products and their manufacturers. Drawing from the stereotype content model, the authors propose that the often ignored warmth dimension of the origin country is as important as (sometimes more important than) the well-studied competence dimension in certain situations. As shown in two studies, perceived warmth of the origin country predicts purchase intention in normal situations as well as after product failure. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synergistic receptor-activated calcium increases in single nonpigmented epithelial cells.

PURPOSE. To determine whether single nonpigmented ciliary body cells contain the signaling mechanism to produce synergistic drug-activated increases in Ca 2+ , or whether these responses are produced cooperatively by interaction among groups of cells. METHODS. Suspensions of single nonpigmented cells were plated onto soft collagen gels. Fura-2 fluorescence ratio imaging was used to examine receptor-evoked changes in intracellular Ca 2+ concentration. RESULTS. Nonpigmented cells plated on soft collagen gels retained a rounded shape with membrane evaginations visible on their surface. Application of acetylcholine (10 μM) or epinephrine (I μM) each produced small increases in intracellular Ca 2+ , but in combination they produced a Ca 2+ increase of more than 10-fold. This synergistic Ca 2+ increase was a result of activation of muscarinic and α 2 -adrenergic receptors because a specific α 2 -adrenergic agonist could substitute for epinephrine in producing the response. The response could be blocked by a specific α 2 -antagonist and a muscarinic antagonist. An α 1 -agonist could not substitute for epinephrine in producing a synergistic increase nor could the synergism be blocked by α 1 - or β-antagonists. The Ca 2+ increase was largely produced by release from internal stores, because the peak amplitude of the response was nearly the same in the external solution containing a low Ca 2+ concentration; however, the influx of Ca 2+ into the cell was responsible for maintenance of a steady component of the Ca 2+ increase during maintained drug stimulation and for refilling the internal stores. CONCLUSIONS. Single nonpigmented cells can produce synergistic increases in Ca 2+ on multiple receptor activation, indicating that the mechanism of synergism does not require the interaction of multiple cells. The Ca 2+ increase is a result of release from internal stores and Ca 2+ entry through an as yet undefined conductance or transport system in the plasma membrane.
ASL demonstrates higher and more homogenous calf muscle perfusion with post-occlusion hyperemia than with exercise

Background Pulsed arterial spin labeling (PASL) is a non-contrast MRI technique capable of quantifying calf muscle perfusion with comparable accuracy to contrast enhancedMRI perfusion in normal subjects and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients. Peak perfusion can be achieved with exercise or during post-occlusion hyperemia. However, exercise stress may underestimate peak perfusion because of submaximal effort and/or heterogeneous flow. We hypothesized that post-occlusion hyperemia would yield higher peak calf muscle flow compared to peak exercise calf muscle flow measured with PASL.
Where do US Households Shop? Understanding the Sociodemographic Characteristics that Predict Shopping Pattern Membership

Objectives: We examined the combination of stores where US households shop for food and sociodemographic predictors of shopping patterns. Methods: We conducted cross-sectional analysis of US househ...
Modeling multiple teams of mobile robots: a graph theoretic approach

Addresses the control of a team of robots navigating in a terrain with obstacles, while maintaining a desired formation and changing formations when required using an underlying graph theoretic framework. We state and prove the mathematical results relating to multi-robot teams moving in a formation. We model each team as a triple, (g, r, /spl Hscr/), consisting of a group element, g, that describes the gross position of the lead robot, a set of shape variables, r, that describes the relative positions of robots and a control graph, /spl Hscr/ that describes the behaviors of the robots in the formation. Our framework enables the representation and enumeration of all possible control graphs, and the coordination of transitions between any two control graphs. Further, we describe an algorithm that allows the team of robots to move between any two formations, while avoiding obstacles. As the number of robots increases, the number of possible control graphs increases. However, because the control computations are decentralized, the algorithms scale with the number of robots. We present an example to illustrate the control graphs and the algorithm for transitioning. between them in the presence and absence of sensor noise.
Decreased striatal opiate δ-receptors in the rat model of persistent dyskinesia induced by iminodipropionitrile

Abstract Chronic administration of iminodipropionitrile (IDPN) causes a persistent behavioral syndrome which consists of hyperactivity, vertical neck dyskinesias and lateral head twitches. d -Ala- d -Leu-enkephalin binding revealed a 26% decrease in the number but no change in the affinity of δ-opiate receptors in the striata of IDPN-treated rats. These findings are similar to those seen in the brains of patients with Huntington's disease. Further studies are needed to clarify the relationship of these findings to the phenomenology of the IDPN-induced dyskinetic abnormalities.
Portrait of a Raja in a Badshah’s World: Amrit Rai’s Biography of Man Singh (1585)

Abstract A wealth of Old Hindi texts in the Rajasthani and Brajbhasha dialects survives from the early modern period, but they remain an underused archive of Mughal history. The Māncarit (“Biography of Man Singh,” 1585) of Amrit Rai, one of the earliest known examples of Rajput literature about a Mughal manṣabdār, provides fascinating perspectives on Mughal power, as seen from the perspective of the court of Man Singh Kachhwaha, one of the leading regional kings of Akbar’s day. Amrit Rai was as much a poet as an historian, which makes the Māncarit and the many Rajput texts like it challenging to interpret, but the possibility of gaining alternative perspectives on Mughal state formation makes such a hermeneutic enterprise essential.
Surgical anatomy of the axillary nerve

Any surgical approach that splits the deltoid puts the axillary nerve at risk secondary to extension from traction or sharp dissection. Standard texts an anatomy and chapters on surgical approaches frequently state the axillary nerve comes to lie approximately 2 inches from the acromion. However, a large series of cadavers of varying sex and size on which these measurements had been obtained could not be found in an extensive literature search. Fifty-one embalmed cadaveric specimens representing 102 shoulders were dissected in the static portion of this study. In nearly 20% of cadavers the nerve at some point along its course around the humerus in the deltoid muscle was less than 5 cm from the palpable edge of the acromion. This was especially true of female cadavers with short arm spans; in one cadaver the nerve was 3.1 cm from the acromial edge. Abducting the shoulder to 9cr decreases the distance from the nerve to the palpable edge of the acromion nearly 30%. Five centimeters does not describe an absolute safe zone for the axillary nerve. Furthermore, abduction of the arm brings the nerve even closer to commonly used bony landmarks.
Elevated temperature fatigue crack propagation behavior of an Al-Li-Cu-Mg-Ag-Zr alloy

Preliminary indications concerning the applicability of X2095-type alloys for warm temperature applications (125--200 C) are encouraging. The strength capability is clearly demonstrated. Before commitments are made to this alloy system for elevated temperature applications, data need to be gathered on microstructures after long term exposure to the service temperature. Fracture toughness, impact resistance, and creep data are also required to make a complete assessment. The fatigue crack propagation data at 10Hz is also encouraging. More detailed experiments are required to determine the cause for a change in fracture surface morphology compared to room temperature. The fact that these fracture surfaces are so dissimilar, yet the crack propagation rates are nearly identical (in the near threshold region) is perplexing. Additional data are required at lower frequencies and tensile hold times to assess the influence of creep-environment-fatigue interactions, and their impact on component life at these service temperatures.
Nonlinear Functional Analysis and Nonlinear Integral Equations of Hammerstein and Urysohn Type

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses nonlinear functional analysis and nonlinear integral equations of Hammerstein and Urysohn type. The theory of nonlinear integral equations of Hammerstein type has been, since its inception in the paper of Hammerstein, one of the most important domains of application of the ideas and techniques of nonlinear functional analysis, second only to the theory of solutions of boundary value problems for nonlinear partial differential equations. The development of the fixed point and degree theory for compact nonlinear mappings in Banach spaces was strongly influenced, in its form, by the theory of nonlinear integral equations and was directly applied to this domain and many others. The chapter presents a unified development of the theory of the Hammerstein equation using the theory of the topological degree for mappings of the form I - C with C compact as well as the basic theory of monotone nonlinear mappings from X to X*.
The epidemiology of systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) among male U.S. veterans.

Abstract A comprehensive VA hospital survey of U.S. male veterans diagnosed scleroderma during 1963–1968 was completed and led to the following conclusions: (1) The average annual incidence rate of cases newly diagnosed in a VA hospital was 2.3 per million male veterans. (2) Incidence rates increased with age, peaked in the 45–54 yr age group for both Whites and Non-Whites and plateaued thereafter. The pattern of mortality rates closely paralleled the incidence rates and peaked in the 55–64 and 65 + age groups for Whites and Nonhites, respectively. (3) Without adjusting for hospital utilization, the Non-White incidence and mortality rates were significantly greater than those of Whites by age, region and in total. However, when adjustments were made for VA hospital utilization, using a 0.1% sample of patients with other diagnoses, no significant difference was found by race in relative proportions of scleroderma patient discharges compared to all other patient discharges. (4) The highest scleroderma incidence and mortality was found in the East South Central and South Atlantic regions. After adjustment for hospital utilization, or control patient deaths, a significantly higher relative frequency of White male scleroderma cases, but not deaths, was observed. (5) Scleroderma cases did not differ from hospitalized VA control patient samples in regard to urban or rural residence location, smoking habits, or frequency of simultaneously diagnosed malignancy. Patients were significantly more often married, heavier alcohol consumers, and employed as laborers or other lessskilled occupations. The importance of these personal findings is uncertain at present. Considering these results, scleroderma appears to be a disease of increasing incidence and mortality with age, and of relatively uniform incidence and mortality by race throughout the major geographic regions of U.S.A., with the possible exception of the southeast section of the country. The observed incidence and mortality rates in male veterans were comparable to frequencies in males as reported in several published community studies. The consistent age-specific patterns of incidence and mortality, as well as likeness of race and residence, suggest the importance of host rather than geographic environmental factors in scleroderma pathogenesis. Predisposition to, or acquisition of, this disease may be modified by certain personal factors related to marital status, alcohol use and occupation, but the differences found and explanation of their biologic significance require further study.
Mandating Americanization: Japanese Language Schools and the Federal Survey of Education in Hawaii, 1916–1920

Under the policies of the United States, it will be very difficult to prohibit schools of this kind unless it were definitely proven that they were teaching treasonable things. —P. P. Claxton, U. S. Commissioner of Education This article critically examines how the 1919 Federal Survey of Education in Hawai'i, under the guise of a scientific study to guide educational reform, was used as the means to implement colonial policies over the territory's largest ethnic group, the Nikkei, people of Japanese ancestry. Furthermore, the survey was also used by various other political and religious parties and individuals to further their own objectives. Although there were many facets to the federal survey, this study focuses only on the debate surrounding Japanese language schools, the most sensational issue of the survey. The battle over the control of Japanese language schools among the white ruling class, educational authorities, and the Nikkei community in Hawai'i created the foundation for an anti-Japanese language school movement that spread to the West Coast of the United States. The survey was also a catalyst for Nikkei in redefining their Japanese language schools and a battleground concerning their future and identity. Despite numerous studies on Japanese Americans in Hawai'i, and studies of the Japanese language schools, neither the process, results, nor effects of the survey have been critically examined to date. This paper analyzes the process of how the federal survey evolved and how it arrived at its conclusions through an examination of the Education Bureau's files in order to illuminate the origins of the Japanese language school control movement and its chapter of ethnic American educational history.
Control of AKR fibroblast phenotype by fibronectin: Regulation of cell‐surface fibronectin binding receptor by fibronectin

Results of previous studies show that the expression of fibronectin and its cell-surface fibronectin binding receptor is coregulated in 3-methylchloranthrene transformation of normal AKR-2B cells to form AKR-MCA cells and in N,N,-dimethylformamide (DMF) induction of differentiation of transformed AKR-MCA cells (1990, J. Cell. Physiol., 143:445). In this study, we tested the coregulation hypothesis by transfection experiments using an antisense fibronectin expression vector. We determined the effect of antisense fibronectin RNA expression on untransformed AKR-2B cells, and on the responses of transformed AKR-MCA cells to DMF treatment. Expression of antisense fibronectin RNA in AKR-2B cells down-modulated fibronectin production, reduced adhesion to extracellular fibronectin, and altered cellular morphology. Saturation binding and Scatchard analyses using radiolabelled fibronectin revealed a concurrent down-modulation of cell-surface fibronectin binding sites, but the binding affinity of the receptor for the ligand was not affected. Immunoblotting and immunostaining revealed down-modulation of the expression of alpha 5 beta 1 integrins. Expression of antisense fibronectin RNA in AKR-MCA cells down-modulated the ability of DMF to restore normal fibronectin production, cell-surface fibronectin binding receptor, adhesion to extracellular fibronectin, and cellular morphology. These studies show that both fibronectin and its cell-surface fibronectin binding receptor were tightly regulated during transformation and induction of differentiation in these cells, that the ligand and its cell-surface fibronectin binding receptor worked together to bring about phenotypic changes, and that fibronectin production regulated the expression of its cell-surface fibronectin binding receptor.
Temporal dynamics of shrub proliferation: linking patches to landscapes

Shifts in vegetation composition and cover are the result of processes acting at different levels such as landscapes, hill slopes, or plant interspaces. Analytical approaches designed for discrete objects which are based upon the inherently hierarchical nature of complex systems are well suited to research applications conducted across spatial scales. We quantified spatial and temporal vegetation dynamics over 71 years at three spatial scales, landscape, plot, and patch, in a Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem in southern New Mexico, USA, using object-based analysis. We analyzed time series aerial photography from 1937 to 2008 to include automated image analysis at the landscape scale and manual delineation of shrub image objects at the patch scale. We sought to identify patch mechanisms associated with changes in shrub patch density and percent cover by characterizing structural changes in individual shrub patches from one image to the next in the time series. The classification scheme captured colonization by new shrub patches, growth or decline in patch area, and patch stability (i.e., change in size of less than 15%). Patch growth was categorized as growth by coalescence with neighboring patches or canopy expansion. Similarly, patch decline was distinguished as either loss of patch area due to canopy dieback or fragmentation of conglomerate patches. Interpretations of change in patch density based solely on shrub colonization and mortality can be too simplistic. Increases in patch density can result from an influx of new patches or fragmentation of patches into its constituent patches; conversely, decreases in density may be due to mortality of patches or coalescence of existing patches. We demonstrate that patches grew in size at the beginning of the study in conjunction with increases in shrub cover (0.5% in 1937 to 11% in 1960) and patch density increased during the initial encroachment phase of shrub proliferation (4 patches ha-1 in 1937 to 80 patches ha-1 in 1960). Shrub cover remained stable at 7% from 1967 to 1989 and over this period, patch dynamics were broadly characterized by growth and persistence of patch area with roughly equal proportions of mortality and colonization. Shrub cover increased linearly from 8% in 1989 to 14% in 2008, approaching a projected maximum shrub cover of 18% based on mean annual precipitation (MAP) of 230 mm. Patch fate over this period constituted growth and persistence of shrub patch area whereas appearance of new patches remained relatively stable. Shrub patch dynamics were nonlinear and variable over time. We documented the transition from grass-to shrub-dominated states with patch dynamics signifying a shifting mosaic in which shrub patch establishment, growth, and mortality wax and wane. Monitoring patch dynamics will become increasingly important in actively managed ecosystems as an important indicator of impending shifts in ecosystem structure and function.
Design of a Novel Cavopulmonary Assist Device for Fontan Procedures: CFD, PIV, and Hydraulic Testing

Single ventricle heart disease is the leading cause of death for birth defects in children under one years of age [1]. The current surgical procedure requires the use of a shunt for the first stage of the surgery. The following surgeries remove the shunt but cannot be performed on a newborn due to higher lung resistance during the first weeks of life. The overall surgical process, known as the Fontan procedure, results in a reconstructed anatomy where the left and right pulmonary arteries are sutured to the superior and inferior vena cavae (SVC/IVC), hence bypassing the right heart. This anatomy is called a total cavopulmonary connection or TCPC.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Negative pressure effects in high-pressure oxygen-intercalated C60.

We have observed unexpected and as yet unexplained negative pressure effects in high-oxygen-pressure-treated ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ in which the orientational ordering temperature is greatly depressed. Such effects are not observed in identical studies with nitrogen.
Prenatal ethanol exposure reduces mGluR5 receptor number and function in the dentate gyrus of adult offspring

Background: Previous studies in our laboratory indicated that metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR)-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis is markedly reduced in the hippocampal formation of adult rat offspring whose mothers drank moderate amounts of ethanol during pregnancy. In the present study, we extended these observations by measuring the impact of prenatal ethanol exposure on proteins associated with the mGluR 5 receptor-effector system along with two mGluR 5 agonist-mediated responses in dentate gyrus of adult offspring. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rat dams consumed one of three diets throughout gestation: (1) a BioServ liquid diet that contained 5% ethanol (v/v), (2) pair-fed an isocalorically equivalent amount of 0% ethanol liquid diet, or (3) lab chow ad libitum. Microdissected slices of dentate gyrus were prepared from adult female offspring from each diet group and used for (1) Western blot analyses of mGluR 5 , the G-proteins Gα q and Gα 1 1 , and phospholipase C-pl; (2) 2-chloro-5-hydroxyphenylglycine (CHPG)-stimulated growth associated protein 43 (GAP-43) phosphorylation; or (3) CHPG potentiation of electrically evoked [ 3 H]-D-aspartate (D-ASP) release from dentate gyrus slices. Results: In tissue prepared from untreated control rats, CHPG produced a dose-dependent increase in 3 2 phosphate incorporation into GAP-43, with maximal agonist stimulation occurring at 20 μM of CHPG. CHPG produced a quantitatively similar dose-dependent increase in the potentiation of electrically evoked D-ASP release from dentate gyrus slices from untreated controls. Fetal ethanol exposure reduced the amount of dentate gyrus mGluR 5 receptor protein by 36% compared with the diet control groups. There were no significant differences between diet groups in the two G-proteins or phospholipase C-β1 protein. Fetal ethanol exposure reduced CHPG-stimulated GAP-43 phosphorylation to approximately one half the amount of CHPG stimulation observed in the control diet groups. Prenatal ethanol exposure also reduced CHPG potentiation of D-ASP release to a similar degree compared with control. Conclusions: These results indicate that prenatal exposure to moderate quantities of ethanol reduces mGluR 5 expression in the dentate gyrus of adult offspring. Although the subcellular site(s) for reduced mGluR 5 expression cannot be discerned from Western blot data, the quantitatively similar effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on mGluR 5 agonist stimulation of presynaptically localized GAP-43 phosphorylation and CHPG potentiation of evoked D-ASP release suggest that the presynaptic nerve terminal is one site where prenatal ethanol exposure has reduced mGluR 5 receptor number and function. Furthermore, these data implicate these neurochemical alterations as one factor contributing to the hippocampal synaptic plasticity and behavioral deficits that we have observed previously in prenatal ethanol-exposed offspring.
Approximate testing in two-stage nonlinear mixed models

We investigate here small sample properties of approximate F-tests about fixed effects parameters in nonlinear mixed models. For estimation of population fixed effects parameters as well as variance components, we apply the two-stage approach. This method is useful and popular when the number of observations per sampling unit is large enough. The approximate F-test is constructed based on large-sample approximation to the distribution of nonlinear least-squares estimates of subject-specific parameters. We recommend a modified test statistic that takes into consideration approximation to the large-sample Fisher information matrix (See [Volaufova J, Burton JH. Note on hypothesis testing in mixed models. Oral presentation at: LINSTAT 2012/21st IWMS; 2012; Bedlewo, Poland]). Our main focus is on comparing finite sample properties of broadly used approximate tests (Wald test and likelihood ratio test) and the modified F-test under the null hypothesis, especially accuracy of p-values (See [Volaufova J, LaMotte ...
Seasonal variation in thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) content of different brain regions and the pineal in the mammalian hibernator, Citellus lateralis

We have measured the endogenous TRH concentration in the pineal and 9 brain regions of a seasonal hibernator, the golden-mantled ground squirrel, during euthermia and hibernation in order to investigate the possibility that changes in TRH concentration might occur in association with naturally-occurring changes in CNS-mediated physiological and behavioral processes. Regional TRH content was assessed by radioimmunoassay in adult animals that were killed during euthermia in the mid-portion of each season and during hibernation in mid-winter. No significant changes in TRH concentration related to season or to hibernation versus euthermic state were noted in the hippocampus, brainstem, or cerebellum. In the olfactory bulb, preoptic area, and pineal, seasonal variation within euthermic groups was evident. During hibernation, statistically significant decreases in TRH content occurred in the forebrain, olfactory bulb, hypothalamus, septum, preoptic area, and midbrain. Significant fluctuations during hibernation were also observed in the pineal. In this structure, TRH concentration varied in relation to the phase of the hibernation bout. TRH content in the last quarter of the bout was three times greater when compared to values observed in the first quarter of the bout. These results suggest that TRH may be involved in the control processes attributed to these regions and support a role for TRH in the neural control of hibernation.
Morbidity in treated bipolar disorder: A one-year prospective study using daily life chart ratings

In this paper we describe the use of systematic retrospective and prospective life chart methodology and document the substantial morbidity experienced even in closely monitored and aggressively treated bipolar patients rated on a daily basis for 1 year. 35 BP I (n = 26) and BP II (n = 9) patients were recruited for an ongoing treatment study comparing the prophylactic effects of lithium or carbamazepine for 1 year with a crossover to the other drug in the second year, and a third year on the combination of the two. Adjuncts such as antidepressants and neuroleptics were allowed in each phase when clinically required. The results of the combined cohort for the first year are presented in this manuscript. All patients also had a retrospective life chart completed to map affective episodes based on the degree of functional incapacity (mild, moderate, severe). For prospective ratings patients were usually interviewed biweekly (but at a minimum of every 4 weeks), and daily ratings integrating degree of functional incapacity and self-rated mood based on the Life Chart Method and Manual (the NIMH-LCM) were obtained. In the first year of treatment 12 patients (34.3%) had to have their treatment phase (lithium or carbamazepine) discontinued far the fallowing reasons: jive were hospitalized, five had severe dysfunction without hospitalization, and two had treatment-limiting side effects. Adjunctive treatment was required by 71.4%. The mean number of days ill for each level of severity for all the patients was as follows (in days): 66.1, mild depression; 31.1, moderate depression; 2.8, severe depression; and 28.7, mild mania; 5.4, moderate mania; 0.9, severe mania; or a mean of 40.2 d/year with moderate to severe illness-related dysfunction. The duration of illness prior to study entry correlated with time depressed in the prospective year. These findings suggest that closely-monitored bipolar patients followed with prospective daily ratings during treatment with a primary mood stabilizer (carbamazepine or lithium) experience a substantial degree of morbidity and the need far adjunctive antidepressants and neuroleptics. There was notable continuity between course of illness life charted in the retrospective year and that observed prospectively. Depression 2:95–104 (1994). ©1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Spectrally adaptive infrared photodetectors with bias-tunable quantum dots

Quantum-dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs) exhibit a bias-dependent shift in their spectral response. In this paper, a novel signal-processing technique is developed that exploits this bias-dependent spectral diversity to synthesize measurements that are tuned to a wide range of user-specified spectra. The technique is based on two steps: The desired spectral response is first optimally approximated by a weighted superposition of a family of bias-controlled spectra of the QDIP, corresponding to a preselected set of biases. Second, multiple measurements are taken of the object to be probed, one for each of the prescribed biases, which are subsequently combined linearly with the same weights. The technique is demonstrated to produce a unimodal response that has a tunable FWHM (down to Δλ~0.5 μm) for each center wavelength in the range 3–8 μm, which is an improvement by a factor of 4 over the spectral resolution of the raw QDIP.
Flash pyrolysis of ethyl, n-propyl, and isopropyl iodides as monitored by supersonic expansion vacuum ultraviolet photoionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

The thermal decomposition of ethyl and propyl iodides, along with select isotopomers, up to 1300 K was performed by flash pyrolysis with a 20−100 μs time scale. The pyrolysis was followed by supersonic expansion to isolate the reactive intermediates and initial products, and detection was accomplished by vacuum ultraviolet single photon ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (VUV-SPI-TOFMS). The products monitored, such as CH3, CH3I, C2H5, C2H4, HI, I, C3H7, C3H6, and I2, provide for the simultaneous and direct observation of molecular elimination and bond fission pathways in ethyl and propyl iodides. In the pyrolysis of ethyl iodide, both C−I bond fission and HI molecular elimination pathways are competitive at the elevated temperatures, with C−I bond fission being preferred; at temperatures ≥1000 K, the ethyl radical products further dissociate to ethene + H atoms. In the pyrolysis of isopropyl iodide, both HI molecular elimination and C−I bond fission are observed and the molecular elimination cha...
LITE engineering model-II: the flight-qualified subsystems

A space-based optical communications system requires the development of high-precision yet rugged electro-optical hardware. Lincoln Laboratory has built and assembled an engineering model of a high-data-rate heterodyne laser communication satellite crosslink to demonstrate the fabrication, integration, and test methods required of an actual flight system. A description of the hardware that has been developed and the testing program to which it has been subjected is presented.
Extracranial carotid-vertebral bypass for endovascular access to complex posterior circulation aneurysms: a novel management approach.

Background Endovascular embolization is a desirable treatment option for complex posterior circulation aneurysms, particularly recurrent aneurysms or those in difficult-to-access surgical locations. However, endovascular access is occasionally prohibited by proximal vertebral artery (VA) occlusion or vessel tortuosity. One strategy in such instances involves creation of an extracranial bypass conduit to the distal VA. Objective To describe a novel strategy to allow for endovascular treatment of aneurysms at high risk for direct surgery. Methods Three cases of carotid-VA bypass performed to provide endovascular access to posterior circulation aneurysms were identified. The clinical indications, radiographic characteristics, operative technique, and outcomes were reviewed. Results Indications for bypass were previously clipped recurrent basilar tip aneurysm, previously coiled midbasilar aneurysm with compaction requiring stent placement, and distal intracranial VA aneurysm with iatrogenic vertebral dissection/occlusion after initial coil attempt. In all cases, routine endovascular access for primary or stent-assisted coiling was prohibited by VA tortuosity. Bypass with the use of interposition saphenous vein grafts was successfully performed to the C1-C2 region of the V2 segment without complications. The bypass was followed by successful endovascular treatment in all cases 2 to 6 weeks after surgery. In 1 patient, 2 recurrent treatments through the graft were subsequently performed for coil compaction. Conclusion Extracranial carotid-VA bypass can be a valuable tool in the management of complex posterior circulation aneurysms. It is a safe and efficacious technique providing a conduit for repeated access to the posterior circulation in patients with otherwise prohibitive vertebral anatomy.
Memory transfer in meal-worms

Some studies have been done with memory transfer in lower organisms with the planaria. In research of this type, the animals of one group are usually trained to specific stimuli, killed, and then fed to other animals of the same species on which testing for memory transfer will occur. The following research consists of an investigation of memory transfer within the same organism as it itself passes, through metamorphosis, from one form to another. It was found that memory transfer does occur and might be explained as a result of internal rather than external factors.
Eukaryotic start and stop translation sites

Sequences flanking translational initiation and termination sites have been compiled and statistically analyzed for various eukaryotic taxonomic groups. A few key similarities between taxonomic groups support conserved mechanisms of initiation and termination. However, a high degree of sequence variation at these sites within and between various eukaryotic groups suggest that translation may be modulated for many mRNAs. Multipositional analysis of di-, tri-, and quadrinucleotide sequences flanking start/stop sites indicate significant biases. In particular, strong tri-nucleotide biases are observed at the -3, -2, and -1 positions upstream of the start codon. These biases and the interspecific variation in nucleotide preferences at these three positions have lead us to propose a revised model of the interaction of the 18S ribosomal RNA with the mRNA at the site of translation initiation. Unusually strong biases against the CG dinucleotide immediately downstream of termination codons suggest that they may lead to faulty termination and/or failure of the ribosome to disassociate from the mRNA.