cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microstructural Association Model for Upscaling Prediction of Asphalt Concrete Dynamic Modulus

AbstractMultiscale modeling is becoming an increasingly useful method of evaluating the behaviors of asphalt concrete. Reasons for this increased interest include the fact that many of the critical behaviors of this material are affected by localized behaviors that cannot be completely captured using more traditional continuum approaches. Computational methods are popular for this type of evaluation because in principle they can directly account for many of the localized mechanisms. However, computational expense can be excessive, particularly if all of these localized mechanisms are accounted for rigorously. An alternative method of multiscale modeling relying on analytical models is developed and presented in this paper. The model is referred to as the microstructure association model because it accounts for the ways that the multiple scales within asphalt concrete associate together to yield the gross behaviors of the finished composite, asphalt concrete. This model is formed from the hypothesis that a...
SU‐E‐J‐122: Planning Four‐Dimensional Intensity‐Modulated Arc Therapy for Tumor Tracking

Purpose: We propose a practical four‐dimensional (4D) planning scheme of intensity‐modulated arc therapy (IMAT) for tumor tracking using dynamic multileaf collimators(MLC). Methods: We contour the target and critical structures on each image set of 4DCT associated with each breathing phase. Transformation vectors of the target from a reference phase to other phases are derived. A 3D‐IMAT plan is first optimized on the reference phase without motion‐induced margin. Assuming delivery starts at a predetermined breathing phase and the patient breathes the same way as during 4DCT imaging, we know the phases at which each planned segment will be delivered. Then, we transform the optimized segments from the reference phase to the phases of their delivery based on projections of transformation vectors of the target in the beam's eye‐view. The connectivity of the transformed segments between adjacent beam angles is enforced. The dose for each phase is calculated using segments delivered at that phase, and transformed to the reference phase to obtain cumulative dose. The resulting 4D plan is compared with the 3D plan without considering respiratory motion and with motion‐induced margins. Effects of enforcing connectivity on the plan quality are also evaluated. Results: Compared to the PTV dose of 3D plan without tumor tracking, the 4D PTV dose is more conformal and uniform, and it approaches the ideal situation of the patient being static. The 4D plan also showed better critical organ sparing than the 3D plan with motion‐induced margins. Adding MLC motion required for tracking to the planned motion rarely causes physical constraints to be exceeded, and enforcing connectivity thus has little effect on plan quality. Conclusions: The proposed scheme of 4D‐IMAT planning for tumor tracking is a feasible and practical approach under the current clinical planning environment. Dosimetric benefits of 4D planning have been clearly demonstrated. This stusy is supported in part by NIH R01 grant 1R01CA133539‐01A2
Thrombocytopenia in patients with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

Thrombocytopenia is a common finding in patients with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Patients with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (n = 112) were analyzed along with 57 age-matched controls. Even after the exclusion of patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura, the mean platelet count was approximately 70% of the control population.
Robotics for recombinant DNA and human genetics research for The 5th International Conference on Advanced Robotics

Instrumentation to support molecular biological research and the human genome project requires an interdisciplinary approach. Robotics technology, by its interdisciplinary and flexible nature, offers many attractive solutions to the problems of molecular biology. This paper attempts to address only a few. >
Water reuse planning models: Extensions and applications

A water reuse planning model has been developed for determining the optimum allocation of water and reuse of wastewater on a regional basis for multiperiod planning that minimizes the overall cost of water supply. Both water quantity and water quality parameters of various sources of flows are considered. Wastewater from all use sectors, along with freshwater, can be considered as candidate sources or origins of water. The model considers the capacity expansion of treatment facilities and allows for economies of scale in treatment and transportation through the use of nonlinear objective functions. Either the large-scale generalized reduced gradient or the successive linear programing methods can be used to obtain solutions to the models. Both single-period and multiperiod models are applied to a region including San Antonio, Texas. The single-period model was applied to planning scenarios for the years 1980, 2000, and 2030. The multiperiod model was applied using a planning horizon consisting of three periods, 1980–2000, 2000–2030, and 2030–2060. Comparisons were made of the single-period model applications and the multiperiod applications. The solution of a sequence of single-period problems does not correctly represent the dynamic nature of the systems.
Role of exercise in rehabilitation of cancer survivors.

Approximately 70% of all children diagnosed with malignancy become long-term survivors. Anthracycline cardiotoxicity may complicate physical performance and invite a spectrum of disuse. There is a paucity of information derived from longitudinal, prospective, randomized clinical trials of exercise in cancer survivors, and there are no guidelines concerning the risk of recreational (non-competetive) exercise in adolescent and young adult patients with anthracycline cardiomyopathy. This review will discuss screening procedures that should be performed when assigning exercise regimens to cancer survivors with or without evidence of left ventricular dysfunction. Current recommendations for exercise testing and exercise prescription are also provided.
A relationship between behavioral choice and the visual responses of neurons in macaque MT

We have previously documented the exquisite motion sensitivity of neurons in extrastriate area MT by studying the relationship between their responses and the direction and strength of visual motion signals delivered to their receptive fields. These results suggested that MT neurons might provide the signals supporting behavioral choice in visual discrimination tasks. To approach this question from another direction, we have now studied the relationship between the discharge of MT neurons and behavioral choice, independently of the effects of visual stimulation. We found that trial-to-trial variability in neuronal signals was correlated with the choices the monkey made. Therefore, when a directionally selective neuron in area MT fires more vigorously, the monkey is more likely to make a decision in favor of the preferred direction of the cell. The magnitude of the relationship was modest, on average, but was highly significant across a sample of 299 cells from four monkeys. The relationship was present for all stimuli (including those without a net motion signal), and for all but the weakest responses. The relationship was reduced or eliminated when the demands of the task were changed so that the directional signal carried by the cell was less informative. The relationship was evident within 50 ms of response onset, and persisted throughout the stimulus presentation. On average, neurons that were more sensitive to weak motion signals had a stronger relationship to behavior than those that were less sensitive. These observations are consistent with the idea that neuronal signals in MT are used by the monkey to determine the direction of stimulus motion. The modest relationship between behavioral choice and the discharge of any one neuron, and the prevalence of the relationship across the population, make it likely that signals from many neurons are pooled to form the data on which behavioral choices are based.
INHIBITION IN VITRO OF ADRENAL PREGNENOLONE BIOSYNTHESIS BY AMPHENONE AND ITS ANALOGUES.

Utilizing a simple isotopic assay, the ability of amphenone and several of its structural analogues to inhibit the conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone has been demonstrated in extracts of steer adrenal cortex. Inhibition by these compounds probably involves the initial enzymatic 20α-hydroxylation of cholesterol. Limited studies suggest the need for a particular spatial configuration of the 2 free amine groups of amphenone for effective inhibition. Diethylstilbestrol was also an effective inhibitor of pregnenolone biosynthesis in vitro. (Endocrinology 74: 567, 1964)
Bacterial Type 6 Secreted Phospholipases Play Family Feud

Secreted bacterial phospholipases play many important roles in host-pathogen interactions. In a recent study, Russell et al. (2013) revealed a new role for highly conserved proteobacterial phospholipases in bacterium-bacterium interactions.
Environmental Quality Control and Minerals: ABSTRACT

In the past several years protection of the environment has become a major factor affecting the production, transportation, and utilization of all types of mineral commodities. Examples of its effects are found throughout the minerals industry. Zoning restrictions and public pressures are barring the production of industrial minerals from some of the most favorable sites; proposals have been made to prohibit further offshore drilling for oil and gas; and strip mining of coal has been prohibited in steep terrain. Concern for environmental damage is delaying construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and the availability of an important new source of crude oil. Air quality controls that have been proposed or placed in effect are of such a nature as to eliminate the us of much of the coal and residual oil now being consumed and ban the use of lead in gasoline as an antiknock additive. The steady increase in the number and scope of environmental regulations will have widespread effects. They will affect the availability of resources and change the methods and sources of mineral production, which will result in shifts in the patterns of mineral consumption and, inevitably, increased costs to the consumer. End_of_Article - Last_Page 360------------
A simplified automated sample cleanup example: Analysis of urine metanephrines

Sample extraction and cleanup are important steps in many applications before performing the detection step. In this work we describe a simplified automated sample cleanup using only a sampler and a pump, which is suited for a small number of samples. The buffer continuously flows through a small column, which is regenerated and re-used. As an example, cleanup of urinary metanephrine is used before the HPLC step. Urine samples, in addition to the different buffers of equilibration, wash, and elution were placed on the sampler. A peristaltic pump was used to deliver the sample and the buffers through a small column, about 200 μL of cationic resin, which was regenerated before each use, by the regeneration phosphate buffer. Sample recovery for metanephrines was 80–90% and the reproducibility was about 6%. This type of automation is very simple and non-expensive. Furthermore, the same column is utilized for many samples decreasing, further, the cost of analysis and improving the precision by avoiding the bet...
Perceived Impact of Spasticity Is Associated with Spatial and Temporal Parameters of Gait in Multiple Sclerosis

Background. Spasticity is prevalent and disabling in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS), and the development of the Multiple Sclerosis Spasticity Scale-88 (MSSS-88) provides an opportunity for examining the perceived impact of spasticity and its association with gait in this population. Purpose. This study examined the association between the perceived impact of spasticity and spatio-temporal parameters of gait in persons with MS. Methods. The sample included 44 adults with MS who completed the MSSS-88 and 4 walking trials on a 26-foot GAITRite(TM) electronic walkway for measurement of spatio-temporal components of gait including velocity, cadence, base of support, step time, single support, double support, and swing phase. Results. The overall MSSS-88 score was significantly associated with velocity (r = -0.371), cadence (r = -0.306), base of support (r = 0.357), step time (r = 0.305), single leg support (r = -0.388), double leg support (r = 0.379), and swing phase (r = -0.386). Conclusions. The perceived impact of spasticity coincides with alterations of the spatio-temporal parameters of gait in MS. This indicates that subsequent interventions might target a decrease in spasticity or its perceived impact as an approach for improving mobility in MS.
Inhibition of NADH oxidase activity and growth of HeLa cells by the antitumor sulfonylurea, N-(4-methylphenylsulfonyl)-N′-(4-chlorophenyl)urea (LY181984) and response to epidermal growth factor

Abstract Right side-out plasma membrane vesicles isolated from HeLa cells exhibited an NADH oxidase activity at their external surfaces that was inhibited by the antitumor sulfonylurea, N-(4-methylphenylsulfonyl)-N′-(4-chlorophenyl)urea (LY181984). Intact HeLa cells (fresh or frozen) also exhibited an NADH oxidase activity at the external cell surface. The inhibition of this activity by LY181984 was enhanced by the addition of epidermal growth factor (EGF). The order of addition was critical. It was necessary that the LY181984 be followed by the EGF. If the EGF was administered first, the response to LY181984 was unaffected by EGF. Binding of [3H]LY181984 to HeLa cells also was enhanced by EGF. Growth experiments with HeLa cells revealed a similar pattern of response to EGF. The EC50 of growth inhibition of LY181984 was about 100 μM. However, if the LY181984 was followed by addition of 10 nM EGF, the EC50 for LY181984 was reduced to about 30 nM which now approximated the previously determined Kd of [3H]LY181984 binding of 30 nM and the EC50 of 30 nM for inhibition of NADH oxidase activity by LY181984 by isolated vesicles of plasma membranes. The tumor-inactive sulfonylurea N-(methylphenylsulfonyl-N′-(phenyl)urea (LY181985) was ineffective in the inhibition of NADH oxidation and of growth with HeLa cells either in the presence or absence of EGF.
Uranium−Group 14 Element Single Bonds: Isolation and Characterization of a Uranium(IV) Silyl Species

A uranium silyl compound, (Ar[tBu]N)3USi(SiMe3)3 (1; Ar = 3,5-C6H3Me2), has been synthesized, isolated, and characterized structurally and theoretically; compound 1 crystallizes in the space group P3 and its U−Si interatomic distance was found to be 3.091(3) A. Geometry optimizations were carried out for the model systems H3EU(NH2)3 (E = C, Si, Ge, Sn) with a set of reasonable constraints; calculated U−E distances and bond energies are in good accord with experimental data.
Peptide hormone action on renal phosphate handling

The phosphorus in plasma is present almost entirely as inorganic phosphate (Pi) and renal handling of Pi plays a major role in regulating the plasma level of Pi. About 95% of plasma Pi is ultrafilterable at the glomerulus and, under normal conditions, about 20% of the filtered Pi is excreted in the urine. Secretion of Pi does not appear to be an important transport process in the mammalian kidney. The convoluted and straight segments of the proximal tubule are the major nephron sites where filtered Pi is reabsorbed. Reabsorption in the proximal tubule is a saturable process, and the Tm is influenced by the prevailing metabolic and hormonal conditions [1]. The peptide hormones that influence renal Pi handling exert their effects primarily by changing Pi reabsorption in the proximal tubule. The initial, probably ratelimiting, step in Pi reabsorption is entry into the proximal tubule cell through the action of a Na/Pi cotransport system in the apical brush border membrane (BBM). The efflux (and influx) step across the basolateral membrane is less well-defined and more than one transport mechanism may be involved. The evidence for these steps in transcellular transport has been reviewed recently [2, 3]. Regulation of tubular reabsorption of Pi by many different factors appears to be accomplished, at least in part, through changes in the Na/Pi cotransport capacity of the apical BBM. This review is focused on the regulation of this step by peptide hormones and growth factors (Table 1).
Absence of cardiovascular effects on young adults exposed in utero to ritodrine: a long-term follow-up.

Abstract Objective To determine, using echocardiographs, if young adults exposed in uterus to Ritodrine have long-term cardiovascular effects. Study design Retrospective follow-up study. Young adults between the ages of 22- and 26-years-old. Young adults ( n = 19) exposed in uterus to Ritodrine and age-matched controls ( n = 27) were studied by means of transthoracic echocardiography. All participants were born following full-term pregnancies. Subgroups of those subjects exposed to the highest dose of Ritodrine and for the longest period of time were established. A multivariate descriptive statistical analysis of the values obtained using transthoracic echocardiography was performed. Echocardiography measurements in M-mode included intraventricular septum and posterior wall thickness, systolic and diastolic diameter of the left ventricle, septum/wall quotient, left ventricle mass and short and ejection fractions. Doppler pressed: E and A peaks in the mitral valve and isovolumetric relaxation time were determined. Results The mass, posterior wall, systolic diameter and the diastolic diameter of the left ventricle were slightly, but not significantly, higher in the Ritodrine group. The E/A peak and the isovolumetric relaxation time were similar in both groups. A negative correlation between the left ventricle mass index and the total Ritodrine dose ( r = −0.67; p = 0.051) was found; this disappeared in the subgroups exposed to higher doses and for longer times. Conclusions The variables studied using echocardiography showed that in uterus exposure to Ritodrine do not have long-term effects on cardiac functionality in young adults.
Assessment of Immunologically Relevant Dynamic Tertiary Structural Features of the HIV-1 V3 Loop Crown R2 Sequence by ab initio Folding

The antigenic diversity of HIV-1 has long been an obstacle to vaccine design, and this variability is especially pronounced in the V3 loop of the virus' surface envelope glycoprotein. We previously proposed that the crown of the V3 loop, although dynamic and sequence variable, is constrained throughout the population of HIV-1 viruses to an immunologically relevant β-hairpin tertiary structure. Importantly, there are thousands of different V3 loop crown sequences in circulating HIV-1 viruses, making 3D structural characterization of trends across the diversity of viruses difficult or impossible by crystallography or NMR. Our previous successful studies with folding of the V3 crown1, 2 used the ab initio algorithm 3 accessible in the ICM-Pro molecular modeling software package (Molsoft LLC, La Jolla, CA) and suggested that the crown of the V3 loop, specifically from positions 10 to 22, benefits sufficiently from the flexibility and length of its flanking stems to behave to a large degree as if it were an unconstrained peptide freely folding in solution. As such, rapid ab initio folding of just this portion of the V3 loop of any individual strain of the 60,000+ circulating HIV-1 strains can be informative. Here, we folded the V3 loop of the R2 strain to gain insight into the structural basis of its unique properties. R2 bears a rare V3 loop sequence thought to be responsible for the exquisite sensitivity of this strain to neutralization by patient sera and monoclonal antibodies4, 5. The strain mediates CD4-independent infection and appears to elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies. We demonstrate how evaluation of the results of the folding can be informative for associating observed structures in the folding with the immunological activities observed for R2.
Emerging drugs for treatment of anemia of chronic kidney disease

Introduction: Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) prevent transfusions among anemic patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Clinical trials, meta-analyses, and guidelines identify arterial and venous thromboembolism as well as myocardial event risks with the traditional ESAs, erythropoietin (EPO), and darbepoietin. Side effects of anemia treatment, considering frequency and dosage of treatment as well as targeted hemoglobin levels when utilizing ESAs, greatly impact overall well-being and the quality of life. There is a need for less frequent but equally effective ESAs in this setting. Areas covered: The three generations of ESAs used in CKD-associated anemia are described. Cost effectiveness of the utilization of these therapies, in addition to emerging therapies, is also presented. The few clinical and controlled trials only highlight the need for clarity in molecular biology surrounding the components that control EPO levels and utilization. Expert opinion: Anemia associated with CKD is an imp...
Lichen Sclerosus in a Breast Cancer Survivor on an Aromatase Inhibitor: A Case Report

Lichen sclerosus is a commonly misdiagnosed disease that is characterized by thinned, hypopigmented, crinkled skin that often forms a figure-eight shape around the vaginal and anal openings. We present a case of advanced lichen sclerosus in a 53-year-old female patient prescribed a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor after the excision of a breast cancer tumor. We present a diagnostic approach to lichen sclerosus by recognizing its common figure-eight pattern, and we review the known causes and treatment of lichen sclerosus. Research has shown that lichen sclerosus is more common in low estrogen states, and thus it is logical that aromatase inhibitors could increase a patient’s risk for developing this disease. We therefore propose that all patients prescribed aromatase inhibitors undergo regular vulvo-vaginal exams to rule out lichen sclerosus and other hypoestrogen-related vulvo-vaginal problems.
Work Status Congruence’s Relation to Employee Attitudes and Behaviors: The Moderating Role of Procedural Justice

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore procedural justice as a boundary condition of work status congruence’s (WSC) relationships with organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). WSC is defined as the degree to which an employee’s schedule, shift, full-time or part-time status, and number of working hours, match his or her preferences (Holtom et al. in J Appl Psychol 86:80–93, 2002). This exploration is grounded in the outcome favorability–procedural justice interaction literature (e.g., Brockner in Acad Manag Rev 27:58–76, 2002).
"Waiting for Life to Arrive": A history of the regression-discontinuity design in Psychology, Statistics and Economics

This paper reviews the history of the regression discontinuity design in three academic disciplines. It describes the design's birth and subsequent demise in Psychology even though most problems with it had been solved there. It further describes the scant interest shown in the design by scholars formally trained in Statistics, and the design's poor reception in Economics from 1972 until about 1995, when its profile and acceptance changed. Reasons are given for this checkered history that is characterized as waiting for life to arrive.
Single Site Electronic Spectroscopy of Zinc and Magnesium Chlorin in n-Octane Matrixes at 7 K

The high resolution, single site fluorescence and absorption spectra of zinc and magnesium chlorin in n-octane matrixes at 7 K are reported. Both the Q and Soret band regions have been investigated...
Diurnal and estradiol-dependent changes in gonadotropin-releasing hormone neuron firing activity

A robust gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) surge is a prerequisite signal for the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge that triggers ovulation. In rodents, the GnRH surge is initiated by elevated estradiol and a diurnal switch in estrogen action from negative to positive feedback. The ability of constant estradiol treatment to induce daily LH surges was tested in adult mice that were ovariectomized (OVX) or OVX and treated with estradiol implants (OVX+E). LH in OVX mice showed no time-of-day difference. In contrast, OVX+E mice showed a large LH surge (8- to 124-fold relative to the a.m.) in p.m. samples on d 2–5 post-OVX+E. Targeted extracellular recordings were used to examine changes in firing activity of GnRH neurons in brain slices. There was no time-of-day difference in cells from OVX mice. In contrast, OVX+E cells recorded in the p.m. showed an increased mean firing rate and instantaneous firing frequency, which could increase GnRH release, and decreased duration of quiescence between bouts of firing, possibly reflecting increased pulse frequency, compared with cells recorded in the a.m. In the a.m., OVX+E cells showed changes in GnRH neuron firing reflecting negative feedback compared with OVX cells, whereas in the p.m., OVX+E cells exhibited changes suggesting positive feedback. These data indicate that differences in pattern and level of individual GnRH neuron firing may reflect the switch in estradiol action and underlie GnRH surge generation. The persistence of altered GnRH neuron activity in slices indicates that this approach can be used to study the neurobiological mechanisms of surge generation.
Epac and Phospholipase Cϵ Regulate Ca2+ Release in the Heart by Activation of Protein Kinase Cϵ and Calcium-Calmodulin Kinase II

Recently, we identified a novel signaling pathway involving Epac, Rap, and phospholipase C (PLC)ϵ that plays a critical role in maximal β-adrenergic receptor (βAR) stimulation of Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release (CICR) in cardiac myocytes. Here we demonstrate that PLCϵ phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate hydrolytic activity and PLCϵ-stimulated Rap1 GEF activity are both required for PLCϵ-mediated enhancement of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release and that PLCϵ significantly enhances Rap activation in response to βAR stimulation in the heart. Downstream of PLCϵ hydrolytic activity, pharmacological inhibition of PKC significantly inhibited both βAR- and Epac-stimulated increases in CICR in PLCϵ+/+ myocytes but had no effect in PLCϵ–/– myocytes. βAR and Epac activation caused membrane translocation of PKCϵ in PLCϵ+/+ but not PLCϵ–/– myocytes and small interfering RNA-mediated PKCϵ knockdown significantly inhibited both βAR and Epac-mediated CICR enhancement. Further downstream, the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CamKII) inhibitor, KN93, inhibited βAR- and Epac-mediated CICR in PLCϵ+/+ but not PLCϵ–/– myocytes. Epac activation increased CamKII Thr286 phosphorylation and enhanced phosphorylation at CamKII phosphorylation sites on the ryanodine receptor (RyR2) (Ser2815) and phospholamban (Thr17) in a PKC-dependent manner. Perforated patch clamp experiments revealed that basal and βAR-stimulated peak L-type current density are similar in PLCϵ+/+ and PLCϵ–/– myocytes suggesting that control of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release, rather than Ca2+ influx through L-type Ca2+ channels, is the target of regulation of a novel signal transduction pathway involving sequential activation of Epac, PLCϵ, PKCϵ, and CamKII downstream of βAR activation.
Measurements of transient contrast enhancement by localized water NMR spectroscopy

It is shown that a localized spectroscopic method can be used to detect transient contrast enhancement of transverse relaxation and to measure cerebral blood volume. High-resolution spectra of the water resonance were recorded from small-volume elements of the brain following bolus administration of contrast agents. The integrated signal corresponds to the intensity that would be portrayed in a single voxel in an MR image. The spectral data can be analyzed to more precisely describe the alterations in tissue NMR signal incurred by the agent than is possible by simple image intensity measurement. In particular, the contributions to relaxation by diffusion of water molecules and static line broadening in the field inhomogeneities generated by intravascular contrast agents can be separately evaluated from the spectral analysis. The method has been used to study rat brain before and during bolus injections of contrast agents, and used to compare the differential effects of two different agents, viz., Gd-DTPA, and Dy-DTPA. While the integrated intensity change produced by Dy-DTPA was approximately 35% greater than that for Gd-DTPA, the corresponding linewidths differed by over 300%. This method may also provide measurements of changes in tissue oxygenation with high signal-to-noise ratios in brain activation studies.
The subcellular location of the higher acetylcholine content in rat brain found after killing by the near-freezing method as compared with decapitation.

— We have confirmed the finding of Takahashi & Aprison (J. Neurochem.11, 887-898, 1964) that more acetylcholine is found in brains of rats killed by near-freezing compared to decapitation. The radioenzymic assays for acetylcholine and choline of Shea & Aprison (Analyt. Biochem.56, 165-177, 1973) and Goldberg & McCaman (J- Neurochem.20, 1 8, 1973) were used to measure both compounds and gave very similar results. The larger amount of ACh was observed both in powders of frozen rat brain and in homogenates prepared from animals killed by near-freezing. When subcellular fractionation of the homogenates was done in the presence of eserine, the larger amount of ACh was found in the soluble fraction (S2). These results indicated that with the near-freezing method, an extra amount of ACh is preserved in a form that is originally protected from acetylcholinesterase but that becomes esterase-sensitive on fractionation since no differences were observed in P1. P2 or S2 fractions when no eserine was present. The amounts of choline in homogenates and subcellular fractions were also measured after both methods of killing. Differences in the method of killing and postmortem changes which affect the choline values obtained are described.
A Reversible Data Hiding Scheme for Block Truncation Compressions Based on Histogram Modification

A novel, reversible, data hiding method is presented in this paper. the proposed method focuses on hiding secret data in block truncation coding (BTC) compressed images. Conventionally, each block of an image compressed by BTC is encoded by two representative gray levels and a bitmap. the secret data can be embedded according to the order of each pair of gray levels. Moreover, we generated the histogram of an image by different types of each blocki¦s bitmap and slightly modified the values to embed data. the proposed method was compared with some existing reversible data hiding schemes, and the experimental results demonstrate that our method can embed more secret data while preserving high image quality after embedding.
Neutron spectra estimation from proton recoil data

Abstract A method to unfold neutron spectra from experimental proton recoil data in the form of a Multi-Channel Pulse Height Analyzer Histogram is developed and tested. Since the energy spectrum of a neutron source is essentially the probability density function of the energy with which neutrons are emitted, the theory of random variables is used to develop the basic unfolding method. Time series analysis and Fourier analysis is subsequently applied to obtain smooth estimates of the neutron spectra. The method is tested by its application to experimental data produced with an NE-213 fast neutron spectrometer system and a Benjamin-type spectrometer system. Spectra of neutron sources such as Pu-Be and Cf-252 are unfolded. The spectral estimates are compared with calculations, published data and results obtained with other unfolding methods.
A Re-examination of Disclosure Level and the Expected Cost of Equity Capital

This paper examines the association between the cost of equity capital and levels of annual report and timely disclosure, and investor relations activities. We estimate the cost of equity capital using the classic dividend discount model. We find that the cost of equity capital decreases in the annual report disclosure level but increases in the level of timely disclosures. The latter result is contrary to theory but is consistent with managers’ claims that greater timely disclosures may increase the cost of equity capital, possibly through increased stock price volatility. We find no association between the cost of equity capital and the level of investor relations activities. We conclude that aggregating across different disclosure types results in a loss of information. Failing to include all disclosure types in regression analyses may lead to a correlated omitted variable bias and erroneous conclusions.
Regulation of protein synthesis in Blastocladiella zoospores: Factors for synthesis in nonsynthetic spores

An improved procedure for the isolation and enrichment of Blastocladiella emersonii polysomes is described. The enriched polysomes are stable to dialysis and storage at 0–4°C for up to 16 h. A small fraction (≤10%) of polysomes has now been identified in the nonsynthetic zoospores. Although a small amount of amino acid uptake can be detected with zoospores, no hot trichloroacetic acid-insoluble polypeptides are associated with the ribosomes, indicating a complete lack of function by this minor fraction of stored polysomes in motile cells. If the enriched zoospore polysome fractions are washed with, or dialyzed against, high-salt buffer to remove an inhibitor, they will support amino acid incorporation in vitro with dialyzed zoospore high-speed supernatants. The initiation inhibitor aurintricarboxylic acid inhibits incorporation by growth-phase polysomes with zoospore supernatant enzymes and by whole-zoospore low-speed supernatants after dialysis to remove inhibitor. The results show that, despite the absence of protein synthesis in Blastocladiella zoospores, these cells contain the factors for both initiation and elongation of polypeptide chains. Taken together with earlier evidence for the presence of messenger RNA, aminoacyl-tRNA, and aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases in zoospores, the results further indicate the presence of a potentially functional but inactive system for synthesis which must therefore be controlled at the translational level.
Hex‐band antenna for slim handheld device applications

In this article, we present an approach and design of a small antenna for slim handheld device applications. The basic antenna element is the monopole. The small size and the reduced effective antenna height are achieved from two folding approaches of this monopole. The first is in a three-dimensional manner, which also results in a broad bandwidth at the desired operating frequencies. The second is achieved by wrapping the antenna around the PCB. This wrapping reduces the physical antenna height to the minimum height required to accommodate the main components of the device without compromising the antenna performance. The proposed antenna is prototyped and modeled, where its performance is examined through simulations and measurements. The antenna supports six frequency bands, GSM 800/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 2100 MHz, and Bluetooth 2400 MHz. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 2527–2530, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24670
Collaborating: Finding Common Ground for Multiparty Problems

The article presents a review of the book “Collaborating: Finding Common Ground for Multiparty Problems,” by Barbara Gray.
Remote monitoring of cardiovascular implanted electronic devices: a paradigm shift for the 21st century

Traditional follow-up of cardiac implantable electronic devices involves the intermittent download of largely nonactionable data. Remote monitoring represents a paradigm shift from episodic office-based follow-up to continuous monitoring of device performance and patient and disease state. This lessens device clinical burden and may also lead to cost savings, although data on economic impact are only beginning to emerge. Remote monitoring technology has the potential to improve the outcomes through earlier detection of arrhythmias and compromised device integrity, and possibly predict heart failure hospitalizations through integration of heart failure diagnostics and hemodynamic monitors. Remote monitoring platforms are also huge databases of patients and devices, offering unprecedented opportunities to investigate real-world outcomes. Here, the current status of the field is described and future directions are predicted.
Improved evolutionary optimization from genetically adaptive multimethod search

In the last few decades, evolutionary algorithms have emerged as a revolutionary approach for solving search and optimization problems involving multiple conflicting objectives. Beyond their ability to search intractably large spaces for multiple solutions, these algorithms are able to maintain a diverse population of solutions and exploit similarities of solutions by recombination. However, existing theory and numerical experiments have demonstrated that it is impossible to develop a single algorithm for population evolution that is always efficient for a diverse set of optimization problems. Here we show that significant improvements in the efficiency of evolutionary search can be achieved by running multiple optimization algorithms simultaneously using new concepts of global information sharing and genetically adaptive offspring creation. We call this approach a multialgorithm, genetically adaptive multiobjective, or AMALGAM, method, to evoke the image of a procedure that merges the strengths of different optimization algorithms. Benchmark results using a set of well known multiobjective test problems show that AMALGAM approaches a factor of 10 improvement over current optimization algorithms for the more complex, higher dimensional problems. The AMALGAM method provides new opportunities for solving previously intractable optimization problems.
Interaction effects of fish, nutrients, mixing and sediments on autotrophic picoplankton and algal composition

1. We examined the effects of nutrients, turbulent mixing, mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis Baird and Girard and sediments on algal composition, algal biomass and autotrophic picoplankton (APP) abundance in a 6-week experiment of factorial design in twenty-four 5-m3 outdoor mesocosms during late autumn 1995. 2. Turbulent mixing decreased surface temperature and increased turbidity, which also was increased by the addition of sediments. Total algal biomass was significantly enhanced by nutrients and mixing, and decreased by the sediment treatment. In the mixing × nutrient treatment, algal biomass increased more than expected from the individual effects, while the fish × mixing and mixing × sediment treatments increased algal biomass less than expected. 3. Cryptomonas (cryptomonad) blooms were observed in the unmixed, high nutrient treatment; Synedra (diatom) blooms were observed in the high nutrient, high sediment treatment; Ulothrix (green algae) blooms were observed in the mixed, high nutrient, low sediment treatment. 4. Eukaryotic APP abundances were increased by sediment addition and by turbulent mixing, and increased synergistically by mixing × sediment and mixing × nutrient interactions. Prokaryotic APP abundances were decreased by nutrient enhancement and by a mixing × nutrient interaction. There were no main effects of fish on APP abundance, but fish were involved in some of the two–way interactions. 5. The large number of significant interaction effects indicates that APP and other phytoplankton are regulated by a complex set of interdependent factors which should be considered simultaneously in studies of phytoplankton population dynamics and community composition.
What You See Is What You Set: Sustained Inattentional Blindness and the Capture of Awareness.

This article reports a theoretical and experimental attempt to relate and contrast 2 traditionally separate research programs: inattentional blindness and attention capture. Inattentional blindness refers to failures to notice unexpected objects and events when attention is otherwise engaged. Attention capture research has traditionally used implicit indices (e.g., response times) to investigate automatic shifts of attention. Because attention capture usually measures performance whereas inattentional blindness measures awareness, the 2 fields have existed side by side with no shared theoretical framework. Here, the authors propose a theoretical unification, adapting several important effects from the attention capture literature to the context of sustained inattentional blindness. Although some stimulus properties can influence noticing of unexpected objects, the most influential factor affecting noticing is a person’s own attentional goals. The authors conclude that many—but not all—aspects of attention capture apply to inattentional blindness but that these 2 classes of phenomena remain importantly distinct.
Growth and Reproductive Performance of Beef Heifers Fed Carnival or Forager Field Peas 1

Carnival or Forager field peas were evaluated as replacements for a cornsoybean meal supplement in the diets of peripubertal beef heifers. Beginning 60 d before estrous synchronization, 90 Angus × Gelbvieh rotationally crossed heifers (330 ± 1.0 kg initial BW) were stratified by BW and allotted to 1 of 3 dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design experiment (10 heifers/pen). Diets included limited access to bromegrass hay plus a 62.6% ground corn and 37.4% soybean meal (DM basis; control) supplement fed at 1.36 kg of DM/heifer per day, ground Carnival peas at 1.41 kg of DM/heifer per day, and 90.7% ground Forager peas and 9.3% soybean meal at 1.41 kg of DM/heifer per day. Data were analyzed using pen (3/treatment) as the experimental unit and means were compared using the contrasts control versus field peas and Carnival versus Forager peas. Heifers fed field peas tended (P = 0.08) to have greater ADG and G:F than heifers fed the control during the first 30 d. Growth performance was not affected (P = 0.18 to 0.19) by dietary supplement during the second 30 d, but over the course of the 60-d feeding period, heifers fed field peas had greater (P = 0.04) ADG and G:F than heifers fed the control supplement. Variety of field peas did not influence (P = 0.18 to 0.47) the growth performance of heifers throughout the experiment. Pregnancy rate to AI was 43.3% for all dietary treatments. Forager and Carnival peas can replace conventional corn-soybean meal supplements fed to peripubertal beef heifers for 60 d before estrous synchronization.
Calculation of Stress Gradients in Thin Al-0.5%Cu/Ti Lines from Strain Gradients Measured as a Function of Temperature Using Grazing Incidence X-Ray Scattering

Strain gradients in Al-0.5%Cu lines on a 1000A Ti barrier layer have been measured during thermal cycling from room temperature to 400°C using X-rays from a Synchrotron Source in the Crazing Incidence Geometry. The stress gradient calculated from the strain gradient is shown at four temperatures during thermal cycling. The surface of the line is relaxed relative to the bulk during heating and more stressed during cooling. It was also found that the width direction of the line supports essentially no stress throughout the thermal cycle and that the much of the stress along the length of the line is relaxed during the first few minutes at elevated temperatures.
Moral Reasoning among Tibetan Monks: A Study of Buddhist Adolescents and Young Adults in Nepal

This cross-cultural pilot study of moral reasoning had twofold purpose: (a) to examine Kohlberg's model of moral reasoning in a non-Western, historically independent society; and (b) to explore its adequacy for representing comprehensively the moral domain of a Buddhist culture. Twenty adolescent and young adult monks from a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Nepal were administered culturally adapted Kohlberg interviews. The findings support certain assumptions underlying Kohlberg's claim to universality, but raise doubts about the ability of his theory to encompass concepts fundamental to a Buddhist worldview and morality.
Classroom-up Policy Change: Early Reading and Math Assessments at Work:

This article reviews the development of the Early Grade Reading and Mathematics Assessments (EGRA and EGMA), which are locally tailored, timely assessments designed to directly inform policy and instruction for learning improvement, particularly for countries on the lower end of the income spectrum. The history of the design and implementation of the tools, as well as case studies of their use in Egypt and Kenya, are a useful counterbalance to the experience of the more traditional international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) documented in this special issue – in particular for understanding the needs of countries struggling to transform ‘education for all’ into ‘learning for all’.
Distribution, focal mechanisms, and frequency of earthquakes in the Fairview Peak area, Nevada, near the time of the BENHAM explosion

Six portable seismographs were operated for 30 days in a network centered 25 km south of the epicenter of the 1954 Fairview Peak earthquake. The recording period lasted from 15 days before to 15 days after detonation of the one-megaton BENHAM underground nuclear explosion 250 km to the southeast of the Nevada Test Site on December 19, 1968. Approximately 950 earthquakes were detected within about 30 km of the network. No evidence was found that the explosion affected the rate of earthquake occurrence. Locations were computed for 152 earthquakes. The epicentral pattern shows north and northeast trends about 1 to 3 km wide. Focal depths range from 5 to 14 km. The main zones of activity seem to have a near-vertical orientation. Composite fault-plane solutions suggest that faulting within zones is not consistent with a single focal mechanism. Instead, a variety of mechanisms is indicated, consisting primarily of north-striking right-lateral oblique-slip, and northeast-striking dip-slip movements. In both cases, the pressure axis is near vertical and the tension axis is near horizontal, striking about S60°E.
Home Range Characteristics and Overwintering Ecology of the Stripe-Necked Musk Turtle (Sternotherus minor peltifer) in Middle Tennessee

Abstract Little is known about the movement behavior of the stripe-necked musk turtle, Sternotherus minor peltifer. Using radiotelemetry, we calculated mean (± SD) home range length, which was 341.4 ± 90.3 m, with home range length not differing between the sexes (males, 335 ± 194 m; females, 346 ± 79.5 m). Sternotherus m. peltifer were active in every month of the year but decreased their movement distance and frequency between December and March; during nonwinter and winter periods, individuals used limestone bluffs most often.