cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Building a critically transformative community of inquiry in an online undergraduate program

Abstract Higher education can be a powerful tool for advancing social justice. As online programs expand it is imperative that we understand the potential impact of coursework on students' attitudes towards advancing equity and how to increase the potential for positive change in this area.This mixed-methods study examines the impact of online asynchronous coursework designed with the Community of Inquiry Framework (CoI) on early childhood student teachers' beliefs, dispositions, and self-efficacy toward advancing social justice. Phase one analyzed a one-group pretest-posttest survey of student teachers before and at the end of their first year in an online bachelor's degree completion program. Phase two included a case study analysis of course discussions and related content. Findings suggest student self-efficacy and beliefs about social justice shifted over the year. Analysis revealed the role of critical transformative learning practices in supporting student growth. A Critical Transformative Community of Inquiry (CTCoI) model is presented as a framework that enhances the CoI by centering equity in online courses. The CTCoI offers guidance on enacting the CoI through a critical social theory lens and provides practical implications for online course development.
Insulin Regulation of Glycogen Synthase in Rat Heart and Liver

This chapter touches on selected aspects of the regulation of glycogen synthase by insulin in rat heart and liver. An update on this area would seem timely due to reports during the past 10 years of reproducible insulin effects on glycogen synthase in perfused rat hearts and isolated rat liver preparations. While considerable work has been carried out in rat heart and liver preparations in vitro,the mechanistic knowledge of glycogen synthase regulation remains far behind that reported for rabbit skeletal muscle. The purpose of this chapter is to attempt to summarize recent knowledge related to the insulin regulation of rat heart and liver glycogen synthase and to present recent data pertinent to insulin action from our laboratory.
Netropsin. A specific probe for A-T regions of duplex deoxyribonucleic acid.

Abstract The binding of netropsin to 31 different natural and biosynthetic DNAs, DNA-RNA hybrids, and RNAs was studied in order to delineate the nucleic acid structural features necessary for binding. The measurements employed were spectral titrations, analytical density gradient centrifugation, thermal denaturation, equilibrium dialysis, and inhibition of in vitro replication and in vitro transcription. The major conclusions are: (a) in 0.1 m or higher salt concentrations, netropsin has a marked specificity for DNAs which contain A-T (or I-C) pairs. It binds tightly to two DNAs which contain only A-T pairs and to two DNAs which contain only I-C pairs. However, no measurable binding was found for two DNAs which contain only G-C pairs. (b) Netropsin's inability to bind to G-C paired regions is a consequence of the 2-amino group of guanine. (c) Netropsin is specific for duplex DNA; no binding was observed to five single-stranded DNAs, three helical RNAs, or two of the three DNA-RNA hybrids studied. (d) Netropsin binds to DNA by a nonintercalating mechanism, since it does not cause unwinding of supercoiled DNA. (e) Netropsin inhibits in vitro DNA and RNA synthesis by binding to the template or to the primer, or to both. (f) The closest distance between bound netropsin molecules is three base pairs. A molecular model for netropsin binding in the minor groove of DNA is proposed.
Inner Core Anisotropy and Rotation

This paper reviews seismological constraints on the elastic structure of the inner core and on its rate of rotation. In addition, a new model for inner core structure is evaluated. Nearly 2000 high-quality differential travel times of compressional waves that pass through the core are collected from seven different studies. The ray sampling of the inner core is inadequate to uniquely constrain the detailed three-dimensional variation of elastic anisotropy. However, a model that is consistent with existing travel-time observations has strong (>3%) anisotropy in the western hemisphere from depths of 100 km to its center. The symmetry direction for hexagonal anisotropy is near the spin axis and represents high wave speeds. The deepest 600 km appears anisotropic at all longitudes, but the upper 400 km of the quasi-eastern hemisphere (40°E to 160°E) exhibits far weaker anisotropy (≤1%). The isotropic (Voigt) average appears to not vary with longitude, suggesting there is no need for lateral variations in chemistry or temperature which would produce density variations that drive flow. Though still controversial, there is growing evidence from extensive data sets of high quality differential travel times that the inner core is rotating 0.2 to 0.6 °/yr faster than the mantle. Recent normal mode constraints favor no rotation, but are consistent with the slower rotation rates. A new, speculative model is discussed. This model has an isotropic upper inner core separated from an anisotropic lower inner core by a discontinuity at depths near 100 km in the western hemisphere and reaching depths of 400 km in parts of the eastern hemisphere.
COMPARISON OF CHAIN SAMPLING PLANS WITH SINGLE AND DOUBLE SAMPLING PLANS

The efficiency of chain sampling is examined through matching of operating characteristics (OC) curves of chain sampling plans (ChSP) with single and double sampling plans. In particular, the operating characteristics of some ChSP-0, 3 and 1, 3 as well as ChSP-0, 4 and 1, 4 are presented, where the number pairs represent the first and the second cumulative acceptance numbers. The fact that the ChSP procedure uses cumulative results from two or more samples and that the parameters can be varied to produce a wide variety of operating characteristics raises the question whether it may be possible for such plans to provide a given protection with less inspection than with single or double sampling plans. The operating ratio values reported illustrate the possibilities of matching single and double sampling plans with ChSP. It is shown that chain sampling plans provide improved efficiency over single and double sampling plans having substantially the same operating characteristics.
Supreme Court Responsiveness: An Analysis of Individual Justice Voting Behavior and the Role of Public Opinion

This study attempts to explain why the Supreme Court responds to public mood by analyzing individual justice liberalism and comparing it to public liberalism between the years of1970 and 2001. Three theories suggesting why the Court may respond to public opinion are discussed, including the replacement, political adjustment, and the attitude change hypotheses. The method of using Court reversals to determine the ideology of the Court is presented and implemented. Along with ideology and the public mood, the overall Court mood is used as an independent variable to explain the driving force behind changes in individual justices' voting behavior. The study concludes that the Court mood is the strongest and most significant factor in changes in judicial voting behavior, while public opinion and ideology explain little to none of the variance. This article is available in Res Publica Journal of Undergraduate Research: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/respublica/vol16/iss1/6
Detection and identification of diagnostic Histoplasma capsulatum precipitates by counterelectrophoresis.

Abstract Studies were carried out to develop and evaluate a counterelectrophoresis (CEP) technique for the rapid and specific identification of the diagnostically important histoplasmosis H and M precipitin bands. Well-defined and centrally located precipitin bands were produced by using a discontinuous buffer system and a gel matrix composed of agarose and ionagar no. 2. A template was devised which allowed the selective identification of the H and M precipitins. Comparative evaluations were performed with the microimmunodiffusion (ID) and complement fixation tests. In 52 sera from persons with histoplasmosis, either the H or M precipitin, or both, were identified in 42 (81%) of the cases with the CEP technique and in 43 (83%) with the ID test. With sera from 28 persons with heterologous diseases, the CEP technique, like the ID test, failed to react. The specificity of the CEP technique was dependent upon the use of the identity template. The CEP technique is recommended for routine use in laboratories testing moderate numbers of sera. It provides accurate and reproducible results within 90 min, in contrast to the ID test, which requires 18 to 24 h.
Standards-based grading: Preliminary studies to quantify changes in affective and cognitive student behaviors

Assessing student learning is a key component to education. Most institutions assess learning using a score-based grading system. Such systems use multiple individual assignment scores to produce a cumulative final course grade, which may or may not represent what a student has learned. Standards-based grading offers an alternative that addresses the need to directly assess how well students are developing toward meeting the course objectives. The course objectives are the focal point of the grading system, allowing the instructor to assess students on clearly defined objectives throughout the course. The system assesses how well students become proficient in the course objectives over the duration of the course. This study extends the use of standards-based grading at the K-12 level into the realm of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Five STEM courses pilot tested the integration of a standards-based grading system to investigate how it impacts affective and cognitive student behaviors. The results suggest that a standards-based grading system increased student domain-specific self-efficacy, was perceived as valuable, and helped students develop more sophisticated beliefs about STEM knowledge.
Growth and Ethnic Inequality: Malaysia's New Economic Policy

Racial riots broke out in Malaysia in 1969 when the Malays felt that they were in danger of losing control of their country and destiny. "The New Economic Policy" (NEP) was adopted as a means of helping them, through the establishment of special institutions and policies, to catch up ultimately with the much wealthier immigrant Chinese. The twenty years prescribed for the NEP have run their course, and the results achieved by it are assessed in this book. Income distribution remains unequal, but Malaysia has become one of the most rapidly growing middle-income developing countries, with a good record of agricultural and industrial development, accompanied by impressive provision of education and other government services. Future progress, and the achievement of national unity, depend greatly on the removal of racial imbalances.
Conflict without compromise: US military and diplomatic personnel in Russia, 1941–43

US personnel in the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1943 engaged in a dispute about what form the United States’ policy toward the Soviet Union should take. Those assigned to the Lend‐Lease office in Moscow, particularly Col. Philip R. Faymonville, supported and implemented President Franklin Roosevelt's policy of providing Soviet officials with everything they requested, without expecting anything in return. By contrast, personnel assigned to the embassy, primarily Ambassador William Standley and the military and naval attaches, resented both the activities of the Lend‐Lease office and Roosevelt's foreign policy. This increasingly public dispute contributed to heightened tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States. An examination of the origins and development of this conflict as well as the steps taken to resolve it, reveals important insights into the nature of foreign policy making and implementation. In addition, it raises questions about the development of wartime and postwar US‐Soviet relatio...
Alteration of Synaptosomal Plasma Membrane Cholesterol Content: Membrane Physical Properties and Cation Transport Proteins

The level of nerve membrane cholesterol was altered by in vitro incubation of rat brain synaptosomal plasma membrane with liposomes having varying cholesterol contents. The normal plasma membrane cholesterol/phospholipid ratio of 0.3-0.4 (mol/mol) could be decreased by about one-half or increased more than 100%. Fluorescence polarization measurements were made using the probe 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene. At temperatures below 35 percent C, lowering membrane cholesterol led to increased apparent microviscosity, while raising cholesterol content produced little change. However, at 45 percent C a continuous direct relationship existed between experimental membrane cholesterol/phospholipid ratio (ranging from 0.18 to 0.73) and apparent microviscosity. Under standard liposome-synaptosomal plasma membrane exchange conditions, 80% of the initial specific [(3)H]saxitoxin binding activity to the voltage-dependent sodium channel and at least 95% of the (Mg2+,K+)-p-nitrophenylphosphatase activity were preserved. Our results indicate that neither the characteristics of toxin binding nor the kinetics of this enzyme activity is dependent upon membrane cholesterol content.
Breakthrough Characteristics of Reformate Desulfurization Using ZnO Sorbents for Logistic Fuel Cell Power Systems

Sulfur breakthrough behaviors during reformate desulfurization were investigated using a novel ZnO-based sorbent with minimized mass transfer resistance. The presence of CO, CO2, or water affected ...
The pattern of natural selection in somatic cancer mutations of human mtDNA

Tumors frequently contain somatic mutations in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Whether these mutations have a causal function or are merely an effect is still unclear. As tumor formation is a type of somatic evolution, we examine the cancer mutation pattern for consistency with random forces or selection. We also compare the tumor mutation pattern to that observed in the population to gain insight on the mutation process in cancer. Among germline mtDNAs, all genes show strong deficiency in missense changes, reflecting negative selection during human history. In somatic cancer sequences, mtDNA genes show relaxed negative selection relative to germline, or mutation consistent with neutrality. NADH dehydrogenase subunit 3, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 3 and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 L in particular show cancer missense mutation rates 9–18 times that of germline. Bootstrap analysis shows cytochrome B to have cancer changes in positions of unusually high conservation, suggesting that tumors select for mutations in residues of high functionality. Strong negative selection was detected in mitochondrially encoded cytochrome c oxidase 1 (MTCO1), suggesting that tumor cells are dependent upon MTCO1 function. Common population polymorphisms were also frequently reported among somatic tumor mutations. The implication of these ‘somatic polymorphisms’ in tumor growth is discussed.
Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation via 2-Methyl-3-buten-2-ol Photooxidation: Evidence of Acid-Catalyzed Reactive Uptake of Epoxides

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MBO) photooxidation has recently been observed in both field and laboratory studies. Similar to the level of isoprene, the level of MBO-derived SOA increases with elevated aerosol acidity in the absence of nitric oxide; therefore, an epoxide intermediate, (3,3-dimethyloxiran-2-yl)methanol (MBO epoxide), was synthesized and tentatively proposed to explain this enhancement. In this study, the potential of the synthetic MBO epoxide to form SOA via reactive uptake was systematically examined. SOA was observed only in the presence of acidic aerosol. Major SOA constituents, 2,3-dihydroxyisopentanol and MBO-derived organosulfate isomers, were chemically characterized in both laboratory-generated SOA and in ambient fine aerosol collected from the BEACHON-RoMBAS field campaign during the summer of 2011, where MBO emissions are substantial. Our results support the idea that epoxides are potential products of MBO photooxidation leading to the formation of atmospheric SOA and suggest that reactive uptake of epoxides may explain acid enhancement of SOA observed from other biogenic hydrocarbons.
Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer Phase-resolved Spectroscopy of V834 Centauri

The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) satellite was employed for 5.46 days, beginning on 1999 February 9.03 UT, to acquire phase-resolved EUV photometric and spectroscopic observations of the AM Her type cataclysmic variable V834 Centauri. The resulting data are superior to those obtained by EUVE beginning on 1993 May 28.14 UT, because the source was approximately 3 times brighter, the observation was 4 times longer and dithered, and ASCA observed the source simultaneously. Although we do not understand the EUV light curves in detail, they are explained qualitatively by a simple model of accretion from a ballistic stream along the field lines of a tilted ([β,ψ] ≈ [10°,40°]) magnetic dipole centered on the white dwarf. In 1993, when the EUV flux was lower, accretion was primarily along the ≈ ψ ≈ 40° field line, whereas in 1999, when the EUV flux was higher, accretion took place over a broad range of azimuths extending from ≈ ψ ≈ 40° to ≈ 76°. These changes in the accretion geometry could be caused by an increase in the mass accretion rate and/or the clumpiness of the flow. The 75-140 A EUVE spectra are well described by either a blackbody or a pure H stellar atmosphere absorbed by a neutral hydrogen column density, but constraints on the size of the EUV emission region and its UV brightness favor the blackbody interpretation. The mean 1999 EUV spectrum is best fitted by an absorbed blackbody with temperature kT ≈ 17.6 eV, hydrogen column density NH ≈ 7.4 × 1019 cm-2, fractional emitting area f ≈ 10-3, 70-140 A flux ≈ 3.0 × 10-11 ergs cm-2 s-1, and luminosity Lsoft ≈ 7.2 × 1032(d/100 pc)2 ergs s-1. The ratio of the EUV to X-ray luminosities is Lsoft/Lhard ≈ 40, signaling that some mechanism other than irradiation (e.g., blob heating) dominates energy input into the accretion spot. The 1999 short-wavelength (SW) hardness ratio variation can be explained by minor variations in kT and/or NH, but instead of tracking the SW count rate variation, the hardness ratio variation was sinusoidal, with a minimum (maximum) when the accretion spot was on the near (far) side of the white dwarf, consistent with the trend expected for an atmosphere with an inverted temperature distribution.
1264 CYCLICAL SERUM 25-HYDROXYVITAMIN D PARALLELLING SUNSHINE EXPOSURE IN EXCLUSIVELY BREAST-FED INFANTS: MIRROR IMAGE IN SUMMER VS WINTER BORN

1264 CYCLICAL SERUM 25-HYDROXYVITAMIN D PARALLELLING SUNSHINE EXPOSURE IN EXCLUSIVELY BREAST-FED INFANTS: MIRROR IMAGE IN SUMMER VS WINTER BORN
Toxoplasma gondii: mechanism of the parasitostatic action of 6-thioxanthine.

In contrast to the cytocidal effect of 6-thiopurines on mammalian cells, the action of 6-thioxanthine on Toxoplasma gondii was only parasitostatic. 6-Thioxanthine was a substrate of the parasite's hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase. That enzyme converted 6-thioxanthine to 6-thioxanthosine 5'-phosphate which accumulated to near millimolar concentrations within parasites incubated intracellularly in medium containing the drug. 6-Thioxanthosine 5'-phosphate was the only detectable metabolite of 6-thioxanthine. The absence of 6-thioguanine nucleotides explains the lack of a parasitocidal effect because the incorporation of 6-thiodeoxyguanosine triphosphate into DNA is the mechanism of the lethal effect of 6-thiopurines on mammalian cells. Extracellular parasites that had accumulated a high concentration of 6-thioxanthosine 5'-phosphate incorporated more labeled hypoxanthine or xanthine into their nucleotide pools than did control parasites. The basis for this increased nucleobase salvage remains unexplained. It was not due to up-regulation of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase and could not be explained by reduced use of labeled nucleotides for nucleic acid synthesis. Extracellular parasites that had accumulated a high concentration of 6-thioxanthosine 5'-phosphate used labeled hypoxanthine almost entirely to make adenine nucleotides while control parasites made both adenine and guanine nucleotides. Both extracellular parasites that had accumulated a high concentration of 6-thioxanthosine 5'-phosphate and control parasites efficiently used labeled xanthine to make guanine nucleotides. These observations suggested that inosine 5'-phosphate-dehydrogenase was inhibited while guanosine 5'-phosphate synthase was not. Assay of inosine 5'-phosphate dehydrogenase in soluble extracts of T. gondii confirmed that 6-thioxanthosine 5'-phosphate was an inhibitor. We conclude that 6-thioxanthine blocks the growth of T. gondii by a depletion a guanine nucleotides.
Interactions between cholesterol and lecithins in monolayers at the air-water interface

Abstract Liver lecithins were isolated from normal or essential fatty acid-deficient rats, and these were separated into fractions containing mainly 1, 2, 3, 4 or 6 double bonds. Pressure-area measurements were made with these fractions at the air-water interface. The linoleoyl-lecithin fraction and the arachidonoyl-lecithin fraction were measured in mixed monolayers with cholesterol, and condensation was observed. Palmitoyl-linoleoyl- and stearoyl-linoleoyl lecithins were chemically synthesized and pressure-area curves of these, with and without cholesterol, were measured. Condensation also occurred with these nearly pure preparations.
SECURE, LOW-COST PROTOTYPE DESIGN OF UNDERWATER ACOUSTIC SENSOR NETWORKS

Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks are essentially different from terrestrial RF-based sensor networks due to its highly variable and long acoustic delay. This paper describes our hardware/software co-design of low-cost underwater sensor nodes for deployment in a shallow underwater environment. Each sensor is comprised of a DSP board responsible for modulation/demodulation and sensor readings, as well as an analog board responsible for signal strength amplification and signal conditioning.
Applications of the Hellmann-Feynman theorem in surface physics

We present a generalized version of the Hellmann-Feynman theorem which is then applied to problems in surface physics. In particular, we derive a number of exact results for an atom adsorbed on a surface. The limitations of the theorem are also discussed.
‘The sceptre of her pow'r’: Nymphs, Nobility, and Nomenclature in Early Victorian Science

Only weeks following Queen Victoria's ascension to the throne on 20 June 1837, a controversy brewed over the naming of the ‘vegetable wonder’ known today as Victoria amazonica (Sowerby). This gargantuan lily was encountered by the Royal Geographical Society's explorer Robert Schomburgk in British Guyana on New Year's Day, 1837. Following Schomburgk's wishes, metropolitan naturalists sought Victoria's pleasure in naming the flower after her, but the involvement of multiple agents and obfuscation of their actions resulted in two royal names for the lily: Victoria regina (Gray) and Victoria regia (Lindley). To resolve the duplicity in names, the protagonists, John Edward Gray and John Lindley, made priority claims for their respective names, ultimately founding their authorities on conventions aligned with gentlemanly manners and deference to nobility. This article will analyse the controversy, hitherto unexamined by historians, and argue for its significance in repositioning Queen Victoria – and nobility generally – as central agents in the making of authority in early Victorian science.
Noise generation by a finite span swept airfoil

An analysis is developed for the noise generated by a convected gust interacting with a single swept airfoil. The airfoil spans a channel with infinite parallel walls which contains a uniform subsonic mean flow. High frequency gusts, for which the noise generation is concentrated at the airfoil leading edge, are considered. The solution utilizes the Wiener-Hopf technique applied to the equations in nonorthogonal coordinates. Closed form expressions for the farfield acoustic pressure are obtained. The convected gust is assumed to be a plane wave, i.e., the lowest order spanwise mode. Because of the swept leading edge, this convected gust generates acoustic modes of all orders. At high frequencies and low Mach numbers, moderate sweep angles produce substantial noise reductions. The residual acoustic energy is carried mainly by the higher modes. The airfoil sweep also modulates the basic high frequency farfield directivity, producing lobed patterns. The angular modulation of the directivity patterns is most pronounced for the lower order modes.
High Molecular Weight Neutrophil Chemotactic Factor: Recognition, Characterization, and Role in the Deactivation of Neutrophilic Leukocytes

Idiopathic acquired cold-induced urticaria has provided a model to study release of mast cell-derived chemical mediators into the blood and alterations of neutrophilic leukocyte motility. A factor chemotactic for neutrophilic leukocytes appeared in the circulation after local experimental challenge with ice. After partial purification by Sephadex G-200 gel filtration and by anion and cation exchange chromatography the neutrophil chemotactic activity was excluded on Sepharose 4B gel filtration, indicating a molecular weight in excess of 750,000. On isoelectric focusing it exhibited a neutral isoelectric point. This chemotactic factor showed preferential chemotactic activity for neutrophils and deactivated these cells in vitro and in vivo. HMW-NCF may prove to be a useful marker of mast cell activation and its release may modulate the capacity for motility of neutrophilic leukocytes in humans.
Pressure-induced structural phase transition of paracrystalline silicon

We report on the pressure-induced phase transition in a model of paracrystalline silicon (amorphous silicon with a crystalline grain) using an ab initio constant pressure simulation technique. The paracrystalline model transforms into a high-density amorphous phase at 16 GPa with a discontinuous volume change of $\ensuremath{\sim}24%.$ The transformation of the crystalline grain begins at the boundary and proceeds into the core. We also study the pressure-induced crystallization of the network using the Gibbs free-energy calculation and find a transition from the paracrystalline silicon to $\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Sn}$ at 3--4 GPa. The electronic nature of the pressure-induced semiconductor-metal transition is discussed.
Performance analysis of three dimensional high index contrast dielectric waveguides

This paper presents the implementation of a parallelized Finite-Difference Time-Domain method, based on the Message Passing Interface (i.e. MPI), which is used to study the modal properties of three-dimensional (3D) dielectric waveguide structures. To this end, we also use the least-square method to obtain the wave vector, β, along the axis of propagation. Lastly, bending losses in arbitrary-angle waveguides are also discussed.
Effects of School and Cultural Contexts on Student Teaching Abroad Outcomes: Insights from U.S. Student Teachers in Belize, China, and Mexico

As student diversity becomes the norm in U.S. schools, future teachers must be comprehensively prepared to work with the increasingly diverse student population through application of informed instruction that enhances general and individual student learning and outcomes. Teacher-education programs increasingly promote student teaching in international settings as a substantive step in serving to develop teachers who embody these new competencies and instructional practices. This study offers a framework and analysis highlighting similarities and differences among three student-teaching abroad settings—Belize, Mexico and China—associated with a state university in the southeastern United States. The study's research findings support the general research literature in international student teaching and introduce new, pattern-based, evidence that relates the comparative impact of country and school-site contexts on specific cultural, professional, and character development influences on student teachers.
The reversal of inhibition of protein synthesis by double-stranded RNA in lysed rabbit reticulocytes with fructose 6-phosphate.

Abstract Fructose 6-phosphate (1.4 mM – 3.0 mM) effectively prevents the inhibition of protein synthesis in unfractionated rabbit reticulocyte lysates by the presence of double-stranded RNA (poly rI:poly rC, 1 μg/ml). Glucose 6-phosphate, but not fructose 1,6-diphosphate, is equally as effective as fructose 6-phosphate. The data suggest that fructose 6-phosphate prevents the formation of a protein synthesis inhibitor induced by double-stranded RNA.
Bovine herpesvirus type-4 (BHV-4) persistently infects cells of the marginal zone of spleen in cattle.

Abstract Bovine Herpes virus type 4 (BHV-4) has the ability to persist during long post-infection periods in spleen and other lymphoreticular tissues of cattle and laboratory rabbits. Our previous studies indicated that splenic macrophages are the main reservoir of this persistent herpesvirus infection in rabbits. Now we report the use of in situ hybridization (ISH) and cell separation methods to characterize the cellular localization of persistent BHV-4 in cattle. Using cloned sub-genomic probes of BHV-4 DNA labelled with 35 S, we detected BHV-4 nucleic acids in cells of the marginal zone of spleen from persistently infected cattle and rabbits. In addition, cell separation studies indicated that a non-T, non-B cell population of the bovine spleen harbours BHV-4. This association requires cell integrity and in vitro co-cultivation for re-expression of the persistent virus. We were also able to detect BHV-4 by explantation/co-cultivation from several other tissues of cattle including trigeminal ganglia, urinary bladder, kidney, lung and several lymphoid tissues including lymph nodes and thymus.
MRCP in the evaluation of pancreaticobiliary disease in children.

Background. Radiologic assessment of pancreaticobiliary ductal disease (PBDD) in children currently consists of physiologic tests (radionuclide examinations) or invasive anatomic studies (ERCP and PTC). An accurate noninvasive and reproducible examination that can direct the subsequent need for more invasive studies would be helpful in this patient group.¶Objective. To determine the effectiveness of MRCP as a screening tool for PBBD in the pediatric population.¶Materials and methods. Over the last year, 33 patients ranging from 7 months to 20 years of age were prospectively evaluated with MRCP on a 1.5 T magnet. One patient was examined twice, several months apart. Thirteen patients had liver transplants. Coronal SPGR and heavily T-2W FSE cross-sectional images were obtained. Standard and oblique 2- to 6-cm-thick slab SSFSE (single-shot fast spin echo) acquisition and 3D MIP reconstruction of 2D FSE images were obtained in the planes of the CBD and pancreatic duct. Nine studies were performed with the patient under sedation with chloral hydrate or nembutal and fentanyl with quiet respiration, and the non-sedated patients were assessed with single breath hold or quiet respiration. Three patients received secretin. MRCP results were correlated with ERCP (9), PTC (7), liver biopsy (13), clinical information (6), surgery (3), and autopsy (2).¶Results. All 34 studies performed were considered diagnostic. Periportal fluid, proximal bowel fluid, and gallbladder distention did not significantly diminish the diagnostic information in any cases. Motion artifact did not cause serious degradation in image quality. MRCP depicted abnormalities including stones, stricture, intraductal tumor, and extrinsic compression, all of which were confirmed at ERCP, PTC ( two unsuccessful in patients with non-dilated ducts by MRCP), surgery, liver biopsy, and autopsy. There were no false-negative examinations. Normal pancreatic studies performed to exclude pancreas divisum were followed without additional clinical or laboratory evidence of pancreatitis. Secretin administration increased the conspicuity of the pancreatic duct in two of three patients.¶Conclusion. MRCP is a fast non-invasive method of evaluating the pancreatic duct and biliary tree in children. A normal MRCP may obviate the need for PTC or ERCP. Abnormalities detected on MRCP can direct the type of intervention.
Valsartan, blood pressure reduction, and C-reactive protein: primary report of the Val-MARC trial

Increased levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) are associated with incident hypertension as well as cardiovascular events, and angiotensin II is a potent proinflammatory mediator. However, whether angiotensin receptor blockade lowers hsCRP is uncertain. We performed a randomized trial in which 1668 patients with stage 2 hypertension were treated with 160 mg valsartan or 160/12.5 mg valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) once daily for 2 weeks with forced titration to 320 mg valsartan or 320/12.5 mg valsartan/HCTZ for an additional 4 weeks. After 6 weeks, systolic blood pressure (-25 versus -18 mm Hg; P<0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (-14 versus -9 mm Hg; P<0.001) were reduced to a greater degree among those allocated to valsartan/HCTZ than to valsartan monotherapy. The median change in hsCRP was -0.12 mg/L among those allocated to valsartan compared with +0.05 mg/L among those allocated to valsartan/HCTZ, a 13.3% difference (P<0.001); this difference between valsartan and valsartan/HCTZ was present in all subgroups evaluated despite the fact that blood pressure reduction was greater in the combined therapy group. No relationship was observed between hsCRP reduction and blood pressure; in all analyses, the proportion of variation in change in hsCRP with valsartan monotherapy explained by change in blood pressure was <2%. Thus, in this prospective trial, valsartan reduced hsCRP levels in a manner independent of degree of blood pressure reduction. These data raise the hypothesis that angiotensin receptor blockade may have anti-inflammatory effects in addition to blood pressure-lowering effects.
UV LED arrays for spectroscopic fingerprinting of airborne biological particles

We demonstrate the use of linear arrays of LEDs in the 340 nm wavelength range as a source for fluorescence excitation of airborne particles containing a biological molecule NADH. Array design is tailored to maximize transfer efficiency to a moving particle stream and includes packaging details such as an integrated sapphire lens that increases backside light extraction by a factor of 3. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Traitement arthroscopique des instabilités scapholunaires

Resume Les entorses du ligament scapholunaire sont generatrices d'instabilite chronique avec une evolution arthrogene. L'utilisation de l'arthroscopie du poignet permet de voir ces lesions meme a un stade de debut, et de les traiter en realisant une fixation stable, simple brochage dans les lesions aigues, et associee a une ligamentoplastie intracarpienne dans les lesions chroniques. Les patients sont operes sous garrot pneumatique et anesthesie locoregionale en chirurgie ambulatoire. Dans les lesions aigues, apres avoir reduit la dissociation scapholunaire par manœuvres externe et interne, la fixation se faisait sous controle arthroscopique et fluoroscopique grâce a la mise en place de plusieurs broches croisees. Dans les lesions chroniques, apres un bilan arthroscopique, la realisation d'un « shrinkage » a l'aide de sonde de radiofrequence peut etre utilisee dans certaines lesions. Une classification arthroscopique a ete developpee avec quatre stades. Cette etude montre l'interet de l'arthroscopie pour le diagnostic le plus precoce possible de ces lesions afin d'envisager un traitement rapide, seul garant de bons resultats fonctionnels.
Long-term behaviour of CO2 emissions from cement production in Spain: scenario analysis using an energy optimisation model

Abstract During the past decade, the Spanish cement production industry has experienced constant technological updates. Nevertheless, meeting current and future environmental policy goals requires extra efforts. The Spanish case is significant because cement production went down dramatically due to the last economic crisis. This brought an important, but temporary, reduction of CO2 emissions. Therefore, there is an interesting opportunity for cement producers and policymakers to adjust the long-term targets. This work discusses the evolution of the cement industry in Spain from a realistic point of view using recent cement demand projections and the TIMES-Spain energy optimisation model. Several environmental-friendly options were implemented in TIMES-Spain following a literature review. These measures, aimed at contributing to the decrease of emissions to meet the established policy goals, include energy efficiency improvements, substitution scenarios (both for fuel and materials) and CO2 capture (post-combustion and oxyfuel). From a policy approach, the deployment of the EU ETS Directive entails that CO2 emissions from cement production will decrease by 8 Mt per year from 2030 with respect to the case without Directive. In a more technology-specific analysis, a remarkable decrease of 2–2.4 Mt CO2 was obtained in the material substitution scenario beyond 2030. Additionally, taking into account current projections for cement demand, CO2 capture technology does not emerge as a feasible option. Only if cement demand grew back to the pre-crisis level by 2050 and the CO2 emission allowances remained fixed would the CO2 capture via post-combustion start to be a reasonable alternative.
In situ sensing of non-linear deformation and damage in epoxy particulate composites

Damage sensing of epoxy particulate composites was investigated using multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) under quasi-static uniaxial tensile loading. Two types of particulates, namely (a) aluminum silicate hollow microspheres (cenospheres), and (b) liquid carboxyl-terminated butadiene acrylonitrile (CTBN) rubber were considered in this study. The influence of three different volume fractions of cenospheres (10%, 20% and 30%) and three different weight fractions of CTBN resin (10, 20 and 30 phr) on the electromechanical response was studied. A four-circumferential ring probe (FCRP) technique was employed to measure the electrical resistance of the test specimen as a function of the axial strain. The resistance–strain curve is compared with a simultaneously measured mechanical stress–strain curve. The electromechanical measurement show additional stages of material deformation not readily revealed from the mechanical stress–strain curve. The resistance change associated with the unfolding of entangled polymer chains and further straightening of the polymer chains decreased the distance between CNTs, causing improved electron hopping in all composites except 30% cenospheres composite. The U-shaped electrical response demonstrated by both 20 and 30 phr rubber composites exploited the CNT sensory network successfully by providing early warning of composite failure due to micro-crack propagation which resulted in breaking of the CNT network.
Structural protein transport in elongating motor axons after sciatic nerve crush. Effect of a conditioning lesion.

In elongating motor axons of the rat sciatic nerve, the maximum outgrowth rate increased from 4.6 to 5.3 mm/d (5.3–6.1×10−8 m/s) when atesting lesion of spinal nerves L4 and L5 was preceded 2 wk earlier by aconditioning lesion of the sciatic nerve. Axonal outgrowth was examined by measuring the transport of35[S]methionine-labeled structural proteins (tubulin, actin, and neurofilament triplet) from “parent” axon stumps into “daughter” axon sprouts. Since these proteins are conveyed by the slow component of axonal transport at 1–5 mm/d (1.2–6.0×10−8 m/s), the isotope was injected into the spinal cord 1 wk before the testing lesion. Nerves were removed 8 d after the testing lesion, sectioned into 3-mm segments, and homogenized; soluble proteins were separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Fluorographs were used as templates to identify gel segments for removal, solubilization, and liquid scintillation counting. Distributions of mean radioactivity for tubulin, actin, and neurofilament triplet were plotted for animals receiving a conditioning vs sham-conditioning lesion. Greater amounts of tubulin and actin were transported into daughter axons in the conditioned group. Tubulin was mainly increased in axon shafts, whereas actin was mainly increased in axon tips. These findings suggest that the axonal transport of tubulin and actin governs the rate of elongation.
Parathyroid Hormone in Plasma in Adenomatous Hyperparathyroidism, Uremia, and Bronchogenic Carcinoma

The concentration of parathyroid hormone (measured by radioimmunoassay) in plasma of patients with severe chronic uremia is frequently much higher than it is in the majority of cases having adenomatous hyperparathyroidism. igher-than-normal concentrations of parathyroid hormone in plasma are found in a significant percentage of unselected patients with bronchogenic carcinoma.
Be Careful When Choosing Your Dye Label: Commercial, Water-Soluble Fluorophores Often Interact with Lipid Bilayers

Water-soluble small molecule fluorophores are widely used to label proteins, antibodies, lipids, etc. in biological systems. However, in a number of cases these fluorophores can interact strongly with lipid bilayers, influencing the interaction of the labeled target with the bilayer and/or producing misleading fluorescent signals. There is no quantitative, systematic measure of the extent of interaction between dye molecules and lipid bilayers. Here, we quantify the interaction of 32 commercially available water-soluble fluorophores with model lipid bilayers to aid in the selection of dye labels for fluorescence experiments. We also demonstrate that while calculations of a dye's hydrophobicity may be helpful in selecting a dye, those calculations are not robust in predicting the extent of dye-membrane interactions.
Morphometric observations on the effects of ischemia in the isolated perfused rat heart.

Abstract The design of the experiment was to observe the changes which took place in the isolated perfused rat heart, that was made ischemic according to the technique of Neely et al. [16], using quantitative stereological techniques. The results showed that 24 min after myocardial failure there was a significant decrease in the fractional volume of myofibrils, mitochondria, T-system, and sarcoplasmic reticulum. The decrease in fractional volume of subcellular organelles can most probably be explained by myocardial cell swelling secondary to intercellular edema. There was also a decrease in the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane area, and quantitative measurements indicated that this compartment was dilated. Observations on the intercalated disc indicated that there was a migration of acid phosphatase positive multivesicular bodies toward the disc interspace in ischemic hearts. This was found to be associated with the dissolution of gap junctions. Stereological measurements indicated that in ischemic hearts there was a 5-fold increase in the percentage of membrane area of the disc made up of open gap junctions, and that the number of vesicles from multivesicular bodies observed per μm3 of disc interspace was also proportionately higher. It is suggested that the multivesicular bodies represent elements of the lysosomal system and are responsible for the dissociation of the intercalated disc in ischemic hearts.
GiveALink: mining a semantic network of bookmarks for web search and recommendation

GiveALink is a public site where users donate their bookmarks to the Web community. Bookmarks are analyzed to build a new generation of Web mining techniques and new ways to search, recommend, surf, personalize and visualize the Web. We present a semantic similarity measure for URLs that takes advantage both of the hierarchical structure of the bookmark files of individual users, and of collaborative filtering across users. We analyze the social bookmark network induced by the similarity measure. A search and recommendation system is built from a number of ranking algorithms based on prestige, generality, and novelty measures extracted from the similarity data.
A comparative study of different local search application strategies in hybrid metaheuristics

This paper presents results of a comparative study with the objective to identify the most effective and efficient way of applying a local search method embedded in a hybrid algorithm. The hybrid metaheuristic employed in this study is called ''DE-HS-HJ'' because it is comprised of two cooperative metaheusitic algorithms, i.e., differential evolution (DE) and harmony search (HS), and one local search (LS) method, i.e., Hooke and Jeeves (HJ) direct search. Eighteen different ways of using HJ local search were implemented and all of them were evaluated with 19 problems, in terms of six performance indices, covering both accuracy and efficiency. Statistic analyses were conducted accordingly to determine the significance in performance differences. The test results show that overall the best three LS application strategies are applying local search to every generated solution with a specified probability and also to each newly updated solution (NUS+ESP), applying local search to every generated solution with a specified probability (ESP), and applying local search to every generated solution with probability and also to the updated current global best solution (EUGbest+ESP). ESP is found to be the best local search application strategy in terms of success rate. Integrating it with NUS further improve the overall performance. EUGbest+ESP is the most efficient and it is also able to achieve high level of accuracy (the fourth place in terms of success rate with an average above 0.9).
Colonic stenosis in the newborn: the possible thromboembolic etiology of intestinal stenosis and atresia.

Abstract A neonate with stenosis of the descending and sigmoid colon was successfully treated by a transverse colostomy on the second day of life, and a resection of the stenotic bowel with anastomosis 15 months later. It is postulated that this defect, as well as atresias and stenoses in other areas of the jejunum, ileum, and colon may, in some cases at least, arise as a result of an arterial embolus originating in an area of thrombophlebitis in the placenta and passing by way of the umbilical vein, the ductus venosus, the ductus arteriosus, and the aorta to a mesenteric artery supplying a segment of the small or large bowel. Depending on the degree of local tissue ischemia, stenosis or atresia results. To support this theory as to the etiology of this defect, indirect clinical evidence is drawn from the newborn where stenoses or bowel necrosis with perforation may occur, particularly in the neonate receiving an exchange transfusion. A case of a newborn who developed a stenosis of the colon after two exchange transfusions is presented in detail, and other examples of stenosis or bowel necrosis and perforation reported are discussed based on the hypothesis that in these cases also, the primary course is again an arterial embolus arising in the neonate from a propagating thrombus in the umbilical vein which breaks off, or is broken off, and passes through the ductus venosus, the right heart, the ductus arteriosus and the aorta to occlude a mesenteric artery. If bowel ischemia without full thickness necrosis results, stenosis will ultimately develop; if full thickness necrosis results, perforation will occur. Such arterial emboli may be the primary problem behind at least some of the cases of necrotizing enterocolitis in the newborn.