cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microbiological assay methods for vitamins.

Publisher Summary Vitamins are organic substances of natural origin, required in minute quantities, and their effects are not based on their caloric value, but exclusively on their catalytic nature. Vitamins, especially the water-soluble ones, provide the coenzymes for the most fundamental cellular reactions. Microchemical methods are used for the determination of thiamine, riboflavin, and some fat-soluble vitamins, based on most sensitive colorimetric and fluorometric techniques. Microbiological assays are applicable when a microorganism responds to a metabolite for which physical and chemical determinations are neither sensitive nor specific enough. One must select a microorganism sensitive to the substance under assay—it should be cultivable with ease; the growth response should be easily measurable and the response should be specific; and it should be non-pathogenic. The chapter accounts for the microbiological assay techniques for the determination of vitamins like thiamine, pantothenic acid, nicotinic acid and amide, biotin, inositol, vitamin B6, folic acid, folinic acid, and vitamin B12 in body fluids. The establishment of quantitative methods for the determination of vitamins in body fluids and tissues by microbiological assay techniques should stimulate the search for the significance of vitamins in disease, not only in nutritional deficiency, but also in much wider field of all metabolic disturbances. Functional vitamin deficiencies are produced by malabsorption, by inhibitors of the vitamin function through products of the body, and particularly through drugs and other toxic substances.
Are the Fireflies Ghosts

flew like banners from the bamboo poles above her balcony. Ursula wrote anecdotal accounts for German newspapers about her language teaching experience. She used to say that if you stayed in China for three weeks you'd write a book, and if you were there for three months you'd turn out an article, but if you stayed for a year, you'd find it hard to write anything. She was right. The truths were too hidden, too intricate, too deep for me to dig them up with my little made-in-the-U.S.A. shovel. Actually I didn't go to excavate truths about China anyway. I went to teach American literature and English composition to students who, as it turned out, thought Jack London's novels were still inciting revolution in the American ghettoes and that Americans charged their parents when they came to dinner. I suppose I also expected, like many another American, to "front the essential facts of life" in the woods of the other side of the world, and see what life "had to teach." First, however, I myself had to learn how and what to teach. The educational facts of life at Guangzhou Foreign Language Institute were, as I had expected, different from those at Dartmouth, where I teach in the U.S., but I hadn't anticipated how upside-down, how disorienting the changes would be, even the more superficial ones. Dartmouth, for example, has about 4,000 outstanding undergraduates, male and female, whose annual college costs amount to about $14,000. Guangzhou Foreign Language Institute has about 1,000 outstanding un dergraduates, male and female, whose annual college costs amount to about $80. Baker Library has 1.5 million volumes; the Guangzhou library might have had as many as 15,000. I counted 26 sports in the Dartmouth General Information Bulletin; at Guangzhou teachers, staff, students, and anybody else from the political unit who wanted to join in played soccer, basketball, badminton, track, tug-of-war, and ping pong. Dartmouth students live in singles, doubles, suites, or off-campus hous ing. Guangzhou students live six to an 8 x 15-foot room. Dartmouth
Historical Tidbits, the Shoah, and the Teaching of Mathematics

In this extended essay, I use cultural-historical activity theory to look at the questions Theodore Eisenberg raises about the inclusion of historical facts, both historical tidbits and ethically questionable tendencies and horrific actions (the Shoah), in the teaching of mathematics. I conclude by suggesting that the ultimate answer has to be one that involves a decision, which means that an answer cannot be provided a priori or be determined by any antecedent. Deciding to include this or that in a mathematical curriculum is an ethical act. Pardonner le pardonnable, le veniel, l’excusable, ce qu’on peut toujours pardonner, ce n’est pas pardonner. [To forgive the forgivable, the venial, the excusable, that which one can always forgive, is not forgiving at all.] (Derrida, 2005, p. 32) In his article “Flaws and Idiosyncrasies in Mathematicians: Food for the Classroom,” Theodore Eisenberg raises an interesting issue: Should mathematics teaching merely focus on mathematical concepts or should mathematics students (at school and university levels) also know about the lives of the mathematicians who first articulated a theorem or solution, the cultural context within which some mathematicians have worked (Nazism, Russian dictatorship), etc.? Some of the examples he features are those of Einstein wearing shoes without socks—I never wear socks, and always sandals rather than shoes, even during visits to central Canadian cities in the winter— and Alan Turing, often considered to be the father of computer science, being homosexual. Eisenberg raises other issues that are more serious, concerning, for example, the appropriation and appreciation of the products of labor by anti-Semitic scholars and artists. He has not addressed another situation, that of anti-Semitic philosophers or philosophers who did not declare opposition to the Nazi regime, such as Martin Heidegger. For me, therefore, there are two levels of questions. First, should we use and enjoy the productions of these people— Heidegger’s philosophy, Wagner’s music, the findings and productions by Nazi scientists and mathematics? Some individuals do not appear to mind, as we can see from the fact that the novel Seven Years in Tibet, written by the Heinrich Harrer, a member of Hitler’s elite SS, recently was turned into a film for a second time. Here, producers, participants in the making of the film, and audiences willingly contribute to the perpetuation of a part of Harrer’s autobiography. More so, the author’s subsequent autobiography Beyond Seven Years in Tibet, My Life Before, During and After has been released in 2006.
Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society: A Guide to Civic Engagement

1. The Public Policy Process and How It Relates to Our Lives 2. Identifying Public Policy Issues 3. Developing a Public Policy Proposal: Inventing the Better Lightbulb 4. Taking Action in the Political World: How to Advocate a Public Policy 5. Implementation: Carrying Out Decisions and Making Them Stick 6. Evaluation: Does the Policy Maks Sense? 7. Participation, Politics, and Policymaking: Putting It Together Appendix A: Glossary Appendix B: Recommended Government Documents Appendix C: Recommended Reading Appendix D: Recommended Web Sites
SCID in Jack Russell terriers: a new animal model of DNA-PKcs deficiency.

We recently described the incidence of a SCID disease in a litter of Jack Russell terriers. In this study, we show that the molecular defect in these animals is faulty V(D)J recombination. Furthermore, we document a complete deficit in DNA-dependent protein kinase activity that can be explained by a marked diminution in the expression of the catalytic subunit DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs). We conclude that as is the case in C.B-17 SCID mice and in Arabian SCID foals, the defective factor in these SCID puppies is DNA-PKcs. In mice, it has been clearly established that DNA-PKcs deficiency produces an incomplete block in V(D)J recombination, resulting in "leaky" coding joint formation and only a modest defect in signal end ligation. In contrast, DNA-PKcs deficiency in horses profoundly blocks both coding and signal end joining. Here, we show that although DNA-PKcs deficiency in canine lymphocytes results in a block in both coding and signal end joining, the deficit in both is intermediate between that seen in SCID mice and SCID foals. These data demonstrate significant species variation in the absolute necessity for DNA-PKcs during V(D)J recombination. Furthermore, the severity of the V(D)J recombination deficits in these three examples of genetic DNA-PKcs deficiency inversely correlates with the relative DNA-PK enzymatic activity expressed in normal fibroblasts derived from these three species.
VAR, Probability-of-Ruin and their Consequences for Normal or Lognormal Risks

Despite the use of VaR as a means to control risk, using VaR can have the opposite effect. VaR is used by bank and insurance regulators more than any other risk measure. A value-at-risk (VaR) constraint on the probability that future firm equity value will be less than a floor, when the floor is zero, is also a constraint on the probability of ruin. A manager who maximizes his firm's expected equity value subject to a VaR constraint, when the firm is in bad financial health, may pay a premium for financial instruments that increase his firm's volatility and does the opposite when the firm is in good financial healths, so it's use may increase banks' volatility in bad economic conditions. Hence the use of VaR may increase the instability of the global banking network when the banking system when it is more vulnerable. This paper examines the cases where risks are multivariate normal or lognormal.
Resource use and conservation: Comparing the effects of different resource use regulations on people and wildlife in Tarangire National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Life for Tanzania's Maasai people just outside of Tarangire National Park (TNP) and inside of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) involves nearly opposite access rights. The NCA allows the Maasai to graze their cattle, gather natural resources, and create permanent settlements within the park boundaries, while TNP strictly forbids the Maasai from living on or gathering resources from the land. These two models of conservation correlate with very different effects on human standard of living and on wildlife population changes over time. Since its establishment, the NCA has seen more positive changes in human wellbeing and wildlife population numbers when compared to TNP, although the exact reasons behind why this is the case require further investigation.
Development and Characterization of a Human Myelogenous Leukemia Cell Line Resistant to 4′-(9-Acridinylamino)-3-methanesulfon-m-anisidide

The human myelogenous leukemia cell line HL-60 was made resistant to amsacrine (m-AMSA) by repeated exposure in vitro to increasingly large doses of the drug. Resistance to m-AMSA developed in a triphasic process and was accompanied by a slightly slower growth rate and cloning efficiency and a more differentiated morphological phenotype. Extensive chromosomal rearrangement also took place. Among other chromosomal aberrations, one of the No. 6 homologues showed an added segment on the long arm in the form of an homogeneously staining region. One of the homologues of chromosome 14 in every cell showed a deletion of the distal end of the long arm that was replaced by an unidentified homoge neously staining segment. Membrane-associated 170 kd glycoprotein was not overexpressed in the resistant cells, which together with an absence of cross-resistance to Vinca alkaloids and anthracyclines points toward a mechanism of resistance different from multidrug resistance. The ability of resistant cells to respond to differentiation-inducing agents was not significantly changed as compared with that of the parental line. Growth of resistant cells in the absence of m-AMSA for over 200 population doublings within a period of more than 1.5 years did not result in reversion of the resistance, suggesting a stable genomic change. Resistance was not due to a decrease in the bioavailability of the drug. Uptake of (14C)m-AMSA by either whole cells or isolated nuclei of resistant cells exceeded that of the parental cell line, and outward transport of the drug was not more active; thus there were higher levels of intracellularly bound drug. The cell line represents an excellent model
Thermal convection in faulted extensional sedimentary basins: theoretical results from finite‐element modeling

Thermal convection has the potential to be a significant and widespread mechanism of fluid flow, mass transport, and heat transport in rift and other extensional basins. Based on numerical simulation results, large-scale convection can occur on the scale of the basin thickness, depending on the Rayleigh number for the basin. Our analysis indicates that for syn-rift and early post-rift settings with a basin thickness of 5 km, thermal convection can occur for basal heat flows ranging from 80 to 150 mW m−2, when the vertical hydraulic conductivity is on the order of 1.5 m year−1 and lower. The convection cells have characteristic wavelengths and flow patterns depending on the thermal and hydraulic boundary conditions. Steeply dipping extensional faults can provide pathways for vertical fluid flow across large thicknesses of basin sediments and can modify the dynamics of thermal convection. The presence of faults perturbs the thermal convective flow pattern and can constrain the size and locations of convection cells. Depending on the spacing of the faults and the hydraulic properties of the faults and basin sediments, the convection cells can be spatially organized to align with adjacent faults. A fault-bounded cell occurs when one convection cell is constrained to occupy a fault block so that the up-flow zone converges into one fault zone and the down-flow zone is centred on the adjacent fault. A fault-bounded cell pair occurs when two convection cells occupy a fault block with the up-flow zone located between the faults and the down-flow zones centred on the adjacent faults or with the reverse pattern of flow. Fault-bounded cells and cell pairs can be referred to collectively as fault-bounded convective flow. The flow paths in fault-bounded convective flow can be lengthened significantly with respect to those of convection cells unperturbed by the presence of faults. The cell pattern and sense of circulation depend on the fault spacing, sediment and fault permeabilities, lithologic heterogeneity, and the basal heat flow. The presence of fault zones also extends the range of conditions for which thermal convection can occur to basin settings with Rayleigh numbers below the critical value for large-scale convection to occur in a basin without faults. The widespread potential for the occurrence of thermal convection suggests that it may play a role in controlling geological processes in rift basins including the acquisition and deposition of metals by basin fluids, the distribution of diagenetic processes, the temperature field and heat flow, petroleum generation and migration, and the geochemical evolution of basin fluids. Fault-bounded cells and cell pairs can focus mass and heat transport from longer flow paths into fault zones, and their discharge zones are a particularly favourable setting for the formation of sediment-hosted ore deposits near the sea floor.
Understanding Metadata and Metadata Schemes

SUMMARY Although the development and implementation of metadata schemes over the last decade has been extensive, research examining the sum of these activities is limited. This limitation is likely due to the massive scope of the topic. A framework is needed to study the full extent of, and functionalities supported by, metadata schemes. Metadata schemes developed for information resources are analyzed. To begin, the author presents a review of the definition of metadata, metadata functions, and several metadata typologies. Next, a conceptualization for metadata schemes is presented. The emphasis is on semantic container-like metadata schemes (data structures). The last part of this paper introduces the MODAL (Metadata Objectives and principles, Domains, and Architectural Layout) framework as an approach for studying metadata schemes. The paper concludes with a brief discussion on the value of frameworks for examining metadata schemes, including different types of metadata schemes.
Magnetic Sector ICPMS with Desolvating Micronebulization: Interference-Free Subpicogram Determination of Rare Earth Elements in Natural Samples.

A new method has been developed combining desolvating micronebulization with magnetic sector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) for the analysis of all 14 stable rare earth elemen...
Acanthamoeba comandoni and A. astronyxis: Taxonomic Characteristics of Mitotic Nuclei, “Centrosomes” and Cysts

SYNOPSIS. A new strain (F-111) of Acanthamoeba comandoni was isolated from Turtle Pond, Boston, Mass. Comparative studies of A. comandoni Pussard, 1964 and A. astronyxis Ray & Hayes, 1954 indicated that the 2 species are distinct, and that the 2 names are valid and not synonymous as proposed by various investigators. An astral or brush-pile “centrosomal body” was present near the nucleus of interphase stages of both species. During mitosis, bipolar “centrosomal bodies” were detected in A. comandoni but not in A. astronyxis. Cysts of both species were spherical and had stellate or rayed endocysts. The rays in cysts of A. comandoni extended outward and upward at different angles, and all of them were not visible in the same optical plane. In A. astronyxis, the rays extended outward from the central cyst mass, and all of them were visible in the same optical plane.
Design concept for optical fibers with enhanced SBS threshold

We propose a criterion to predict the relative value of the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) threshold in single-mode optical fibers with different refractive index profiles. We confirm our results by several representative measurements. We show that with the proper profile design one can achieve more than 3 dB increase in the SBS threshold compared to the standard single-mode optical fiber.
Demo abstract: PhotoNet+: Outlier-resilient coverage maximization in visual sensing applications

ABSTRACT This demonstration illustrates a service for collection and delivery of images, in participatory camera networks, to maximize coverage while removing outliers (i.e., irrelevant images). Images, such as those taken by smart-phone users, represent an important and growing modality in social sensing applications. They can be used, for instance, to document occurrences of interest in participatory sensing cam-paigns, such as instances of graffiti on campus or invasive species in a park. In applications with a significant number of participants, the number of images collected may be very large. A key problem becomes one of data triage to reduce the number of images delivered to a manageable count, without missing important ones. In prior work, the authors presented a service, called PhotoNet [2], that reduces redundancy among delivered images by maximizing diversity. The current work significantly extends our previous effort by recognizing that diversity maximization often leads to selection of outliers; images that are visually different but not necessarily relevant, which in fact reduces the quality of the delivered image pool. We demonstrate a new prioritization technique that maximizes diversity among delivered pictures, while also reducing outliers.
‘Law and order’ and civil disobedience

Law and order ranks high among the values the State is thought to achieve. Civil disobedience is often condemned because it is held to threaten law and order. Several senses of ‘order’ are distinguished, which make clear why ‘law’ and ‘order’ are so often linked. It is then argued that the connection cannot always be made since the legal system may itself create disorder. Civil disobedience may contribute to greater order and a more stable legal system by helping to remove these causes of disorder. Thus, civil disobedience is sometimes justifiable in terms of its contribution to law and order.
An experimental momentum-based front detection method for autonomous underwater vehicles

Fronts have been recognized as hotspots of intense biological activity and are important targets for observation to understand coastal ecology and transport in a changing ocean. With high spatial and temporal variability, detection and event response for frontal zones is challenging for robotic platforms like autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). These vehicles have shown their versatility and cost-effectiveness in using automated approaches to detect a range of features. Targeting them for in-situ observation and sampling capabilities for frontal zones then provides an important tool for characterizing rapid and episodic changes. We introduce a novel momentum-based front detection (MBFD) algorithm which utilizes a Kalman filter and a momentum accumulator function to identify significant temperature gradients associated with upwelling fronts. MBFD is designed to work at a number of levels including onboard an AUV, on-shore with a sparse real-time data stream and post-experiment on a full resolution data set gathered by a vehicle. Such a multi-layered approach plays an important role in mixed human-robot decision making for oceanographers making coordinated sampling and asset allocation strategies in large multi-robot field experiments in the coastal ocean.
Hintikka and a Strange Aristotelian Doctrine

II. n a brilliant paper,' Hintikka succeeded, apparently for the first time, in explaining in an entirely convincing manner the (prima facie strange) doctrine which we find in both Plato and Aristotle, viz., that knowledge (in the true sense of the word, which excludes such phrases as 'apparent knowledge,' let alone 'false knowledge,' as self-contradictory) can be had only of entities belonging to the realm of the changeless. Ultimately, Hintikka's explanation reads like this: because the Greeks were inclined to interpret knowledge (im '[Ir) as a kind of vision (intuition, Anschauung, witnessing), every assertion, regardless of the subject to which it might refer, implicitly contained for them a temporal index, a 'now,' this 'now' referring to the moment of the original vision by a particular speaker. We have learned to distinguish tenseless assertions (e.g., 'two is an even number'), in which what from the viewpoint of ordinary grammar is a present tense ('is'), is actually a timeless or omnipresent or tenseless tense, so that the whole assertion is tenseless, from tensed ones (e.g., 'Socrates walks'). But the Greeks were inclined to consider even tenseless assertions as being actually tensed. Therefore, to them, no knowledge of changeable entities was possible, as they might have changed since the moment when on the basis of an intuition somebody had asserted something about them. Thus, when I say 'Socrates sits,' somebody can refute me by saying 'Socrates walks' which obviously means that no such assertion can claim to be knowledge. In other words, all knowledge is ultimately intuitive (though the existence of discursive or dianoetic knowledge is admitted). But the objects of intuition are of two kinds, and so are the corresponding intuitions. Either these objects belong to the realm of the sensible and therefore changeable, and they are intuited by our senses. Or they are unchangeable, and they are intuited by some other mental faculty mostly called vok, i.e., intelligence; these objects themselves are
MACROPHAGE ACTIVATION SYNDROME AND CYTOKINE DIRECTED THERAPIES

Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is an episode of overwhelming inflammation that occurs most commonly in children with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA). It is characterized by expansion and activation of T lymphocytes and hemophagocytic macrophages and bears great similarity to hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). This disorder has substantial morbidity and mortality, and there is frequently a delay in recognition and initiation of treatment. Here, we will review what is known about the pathogenesis of MAS and, in particular, its similarities to HLH. The development of MAS is characterized by a cytokine storm, with the elaboration of numerous pro-inflammatory cytokines. We will examine the evidence for various cytokines in the initiation and pathogenesis of MAS and discuss how new biologic therapies may alter the risk of MAS. Finally, we will review current treatment options for MAS and examine how cytokine-directed therapy could serve as novel treatment modalities.
Cooperative arrangements among entrepreneurs: An analysis of opportunism and communication in franchise structures

Abstract We examine opportunism and participative communication in franchise structures, the most ubiquitous and fastest-growing form of cooperative arrangements among entrepreneurs. Our model links opportunism directly to franchise system performance and franchisee satisfaction; participative communication acts as a quasimoderator variable, directly impacting performance variables and moderating the impact of opportunism. Analysis of survey responses of 162 fast food franchisees shows communication relates positively with satisfaction and moderates the impact of opportunism on satisfaction, although a significant negative relationship remains between opportunism and franchisee satisfaction. Our results also yield a positive communication-franchise system performance association, but communication does not moderate the opportunism-franchise system performance relationship. These results suggest participative communication improves relations and performance of the franchise system while enhancing franchisees' freedom to act on entrepreneurial tendencies and advance their own business ventures. We discuss implications of our research for franchisees, franchisors, researchers, and participants in other forms of cooperative arrangements.
Reaction of the uranyl(VI) ion (UO(2)(2+)) with a triamidoamine ligand: preparation and structural characterization of a mixed-valent uranium(V/VI) oxo-imido dimer.

The synthesis and structural characterization of a mixed-valent uranium(V/VI) oxo−imido complex are reported. Reaction of the uranyl chloride complex [K(18-crown-6)]2[UO2Cl4] (1) with the triamidoamine ligand Li3[N(CH2CH2NSiButMe2)3] yields oxo−imido [K(18-crown-6)(Et2O)][UO(μ2-ΝCΗ2CH2N(CH2CH2NSiButMe2)2)]2 (2) as the major isolated uranium product in moderate yield. The reaction that forms 2 involves activation of both the triamidoamine ligand and the uranyl dioxo unit of 1. An X-ray crystal structure determination of 2 reveals a dimeric complex in which the coordination geometry at each uranium center is that of a capped trigonal bipyramid. The multidentate triamidoamine ligand coordinates to uranium through the capping amine and two of the three pendant amido ligands, while the third pendant amido donor has been activated to generate a bridging imido ligand by loss of the silyl substituent. One of the uranyl oxo groups is retained as a terminal ligand to complete the coordination sphere for each uraniu...
A multi-threshold based audio steganography scheme

Human auditory system is highly sensitive that can detect or discriminate subtle changes in an audio. The direct least significant bit (LSB) substitution scheme, often used in image steganography, cannot be effective for audio steganography to provide secrecy needed for many audio applications, because the embedded secret bits in the LSBs of the audio samples in a silent or near silent segment of an audio can produce strong hissing noise when played. In this work, governed by an error criterion, we present a multi-threshold-based scheme for audio steganography. In order to evade detection by means of any statistical or perceptual analysis of the resultant audio, the threshold values are derived from an error criterion that can be used to limit the number of bits to be embedded in an audio sample. To defend against retrieval of bits by an adversary as well as to dissipate any pattern in the resultant audio, a scheme for chaotic distribution of the secret message bits in the cover audio is also proposed. In comparison with most recently proposed schemes in literature, our proposed scheme exhibits better performance against statistical and perceptual analysis for the same embedding capacity. Our proposed scheme can be used to increase the capacity of the cover audio in a controlled manner by adjusting the error criterion.
The formation and decomposition of nickel carbide in evaporated nickel films on graphite

Auger electron spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to study nickel carbide (Ni3C) formed during the evaporation of nickel onto the surface of single-crystal graphite. It is shown that Ni3C formed in this manner extends from the surface to close to the interface. A model is proposed to explain the mechanism of Ni3C formation. The 1s photoelectron peak from Ni3C is observed to have a binding energy 0.6 eV lower than that of pure graphite. This is attributed to the lack of any significant ionic bonding in Ni3C.
Combined Intrauterine Vascular Insufficiency and Brachial Plexus Palsy: A Case Report:

A unique case of combined intrauterine vascular insufficiency and complete brachial plexus palsy is described in a newborn delivered by cesarean section. Intrauterine vascular insufficiency resulted in a right below elbow amputation at 3 weeks of age. Amputation length was preserved after a pedicled thoracoabdominal flap. Function of the C5, C6, and C7 nerve roots returned to normal by 3 months of age.
A Whale of a Tale: Creating Spacecraft Telemetry Data Analysis Products for the Deep Impact Mission

This paper describes some of the challenges and lessons learned from the Deep Impact (DI) Mission Ground Data System's (GDS) telemetry data processing and product generation tool, nicknamed 'Whale.' One of the challenges of any mission is to analyze testbed and operational telemetry data. Methods to retrieve this data to date have required spacecraft subsystem members to become experts in the use of a myriad of query and plot tools. As budgets shrink, and the GDS teams grow smaller, more of the burden to understand these tools falls on the users. The user base also varies from novice to expert, and requiring them to become GDS tool experts in addition to spacecraft domain experts is an undue burden. The "Whale" approach is to process all of the data for a given spacecraft test, and provide each subsystem with plots and data products 'automagically.'.
Oxygen demand of perfused heart preparations: how electromechanical function and inadequate oxygenation affect physiology and optical measurements.

New Findings What is the topic of this review? This review discusses how the function and electrophysiology of isolated perfused hearts are affected by oxygenation and energy utilization. The impact of oxygenation on fluorescence measurements in perfused hearts is also discussed. What advances does it highlight? Recent studies have illuminated the inherent differences in electromechanical function, energy utilization rate and oxygen requirements between the primary types of excised heart preparations. A summary and analysis of how these variables affect experimental results are necessary to elevate the physiological relevance of these approaches in order to advance the field of whole-heart research. The ex vivo perfused heart recreates important aspects of in vivo conditions to provide insight into whole-organ function. In this review we discuss multiple types of ex vivo heart preparations, explain how closely each mimic in vivo function, and discuss how changes in electromechanical function and inadequate oxygenation of ex vivo perfused hearts may affect measurements of physiology. Hearts that perform physiological work have high oxygen demand and are likely to experience hypoxia when perfused with a crystalloid perfusate. Adequate myocardial oxygenation is critically important for obtaining physiologically relevant measurements, so when designing experiments the type of ex vivo preparation and the capacity of perfusate to deliver oxygen must be carefully considered. When workload is low, such as during interventions that inhibit contraction, oxygen demand is also low, which could dramatically alter a physiological response to experimental variables. Changes in oxygenation also alter the optical properties of cardiac tissue, an effect that may influence optical signals measured from both endogenous and exogenous fluorophores. Careful consideration of oxygen supply, working condition, and wavelengths used to acquire optical signals is critical for obtaining physiologically relevant measurements during ex vivo perfused heart studies.
Fluorescence recovery assay for the detection of protein-DNA binding.

We report a novel and straightforward fluorescence recovery assay which enables the detection of protein−DNA interactions and simultaneously determines relative binding affinities of sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins for a variety of DNA sequences in a multiplexed format. The detection of protein−DNA binding is accomplished by monitoring fluorescence recovery during exonuclease digestion of DNA sequences that are modified with fluorophore−quencher pairs. Retardation of fluorescence recovery occurs with binding of the protein to the putative DNA binding element, which arrests exonuclease digestion. The assay detects protein−DNA binding in a homogeneous solution simply, quickly, and reliably without using radioisotopes. Multiplexing is possible by labeling different DNA sequences with spectrally distinct dyes, allowing simultaneous analysis of experimental and control binding reactions in the same mixture.
Preschoolers' Ideas of What Makes a Picture Book Illustration Beautiful.

Preschoolers’ reasons for ranking the beauty of 30 children’s book illustrations were investigated through individual interviews. Most frequent response criteria for beauty were associated with familiar objects or surroundings, action, color, clothing or accessories, water or ice, body features, and babies or small things. Children’s book illustrators should avoid confusing and unfamiliar images when appealing to the preschool child’s interest.
A bi-criteria optimization: minimizing the integral value and spread of the fuzzy makespan of job shop scheduling problems

Abstract The processing times in reality are often uncertain and this uncertainty is critical for the scheduling procedures. This article presents bi-criteria genetic algorithm approach to solve fuzzy job shop scheduling problems (JSSPs), in which the integral value and the uncertainty of the fuzzy makespan (FM), which are conflicting objectives, are minimized. In this approach, imprecise processing times are modeled as triangular fuzzy numbers (TFNs), which results in a makespan that is a triangular fuzzy number. Therefore, it is practically important to pay attention to the uncertainty of the FM. Fuzzified benchmark problems; FT 6×6, La12, La13, and La14 were used to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach compared with optimizing fuzzy JSSPs with respect to either the FM or the uncertainty separately. A sensitivity analysis is also presented that shows the effect of the vagueness (uncertainty) of the processing times on the uncertainty of the FM.
A Molecular Railroad with Large Pores: Synthesis and Structure of Ni(4,4‘-bpy)2.5(H2O)2(ClO4)2·1.5(4,4‘-bpy)·2H2O†

The hydrothermal reaction of Ni(II) and the rodlike 4,4‘-bipyridine ligand yields an extended 1-D noninterpenetrated open framework resembling a railroad with large pores of 11 × 11 A aperture. (4,4‘-Bipyridine is illustrated as lines, and Ni atoms are at the intersections.)
Release of Seed Dormancy in Field Plantings of Eastern Gamagrass

Seed dormancy is a main factor limiting the use of eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides L.) for forage and conservation purposes; however, there is little available information on the seed bank dynamics of eastern gamagrass plantings. Knowledge of the degree and rate of seed dormancy loss would improve decisions concerning eastern gamagrass plantings and provide a better understanding of the seed bank longevity for this species. In this study, cold, moist stratified seed or unstratified seed was planted at 2.5- and 5.0-cm depths on 16 Aug. 1999, 1 Nov. 1999, 14 April 2000, 15 May 2000, and 16 June 2000 for the first year of the study and 15 Aug. 2000, 31 Oct. 2000, 17 April 2001, 15 May 2001, and 15 June 2001 in the second year. Plants and seeds were retrieved at 3, 6, 9, and 12 mo after planting of 50 seeds for each seed treatment and planting depth combination. Intact seeds were germinated for 28 d and the viability of ungerminated seeds was determined with a tetrazolium test. Seed dormancy of both stratified and unstratified eastern gamagrass seed was lost mostly between mid-September and mid-November. No more than 12% dormant seed remained after mid-December and dormancy was completely lost by April and May. Seed dormancy in eastern gamagrass was substantially reduced with several weeks of soil temperatures below 15 degrees C and adequate soil moisture.
Understanding the Heat Transfer and Solidification Plasma-Sprayed Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Coatings

Abstract A variety of microstructures have been observed in plasma-sprayed yttria-partially stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thermal barrier coatings. Control of the coating microstructures requires a good understanding of the heat transfer and solidification during the process. This article presents a quantitative analysis of heat transfer and solidification of plasma-sprayed YSZ splats. The analysis is based on a simple heat transfer and solidification model that solves a one-dimensional moving boundary problem with consideration of melt undercooling prior to solidification and nonequilibrium crystalline growth kinetics at the moving interface. The solidification morphology is first assumed to be planar, and the stability of the planar interface is examined against the absolute stability velocity calculated from the linear stability theory. Examining the temperature distribution in a solidifying YSZ zirconia splat indicates that a large positive temperature gradient exists in front of the interface, which lead...
Comparison of Traps and Other Methods for Surveying Density of Populations of Flies in Dairy Barns

Traps that emitted ultraviolet radiation and sticky fly tapes were effective in certain situations in detecting a known 2-fold difference in the density of populations of reared house flies, Musca domestica L., in but Scudder-type grills, suspended cords, and vertical while cards were not. Sticky tapes were more affected by placement and by elapsed time between collections than were the traps. Also, traps collected the most stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), and horse flies. Accordingly, traps should be used in barns for long-term surveys, for surveys for more than I species of fly, and when ceilings are so low that sticky tapes could be torn down.
The Effect of Hazard and System Information on Estimated Risk

Warning labels are used, in part, to increase risk estimates associated with hazardous equipment and products. Past research has demonstrated exposure to warning labels is related to risk estimates; however, it is not known whether warning labels cause an increase in risk estimates, as is generally assumed, or whether individuals who appreciate the danger of a situation are more likely to notice, read, and comply with warning labels. The purpose of this research was to determine the impact of two types of information on estimated risk: hazard and basic system (nonhazard) information. Research participants (77 males and 89 females) were divided into one of four information groups: 1) hazard, 2) system, 3) control, and 4) both hazard and system. As expected, hazard information, presented in a warning label, increased risk estimates. Contrary to hypothesis, system information alone did not appear to increase risk estimates. Finally, risk estimates were highest for participants who received both hazard and sy...
Pathogenesis of renal ischemia/reperfusion injury: lessons from knockout mice

Ischemia/reperfusion-induced acute renal failure is a common clinical problem associated with a high morbidity and mortality. Upon hypoxic injury, the depletion of ATP causes mitochondrial dysfunction, and accumulation of intracellular sodium, calcium and reactive oxygen species. Subsequently, multiple enzyme systems including proteases, nitric oxide synthases, phospholipases and endonuclease are activated and responsible for cytoskeleton disruption, membrane damage, and DNA degradation, and eventually cell death. Ischemia/reperfusion injury also activates complement, cytokines, and chemokines, which are cytotoxic themselves, but also attract leukocytes into the ischemic area to cause further damage. The vascular endothelial cell injury and dysfunction prolong ischemia and induce vascular congestion, edema, and further infiltration of inflammatory cells. Many players in renal ischemia/reperfusion injury and their mechanisms have been investigated using genetically manipulated mouse models. In this review, we focus on the information gathered from these studies. Deficiency of the Na/Ca exchanger, inducible nitric oxide synthase, Caspase-1, A3 adenosine receptor, C3, C5, C6, Factor B, or midkine protects the kidney against I/R injury. Conversely, deficiency of the interleukin-1 receptor, osteopontin, C4, or recombination activation gene-1 is not protective, while the absence of adrenomedullin or endothelin receptor B delays the recovery of ischemia/reperfusion injury. The knowledge obtained from these studies provides new direction for designing potential therapeutic agents for treating ischemia/reperfusion injury.
Miscellaneous modulation transfer function effects relating to sample summing

Most thermal imaging system performance models do not make provisions for direct input of MTF effects resulting from sample summing, either electronically or on the retina of an observer. Such effects must generally be input as an array of MTF values at matching spatial or temporal frequencies. Both the older NVL static performance model and the new FLIR90 model accept matched pairs of values in this form. One notable example of a sample summing effect is that the misregistration of time delay and integrate (TDI) samples resulting from imaging a moving target. Another is the similar misregistration resulting from an inaccurately known scan rate. Another is the apparent misregistration, on the retina of an observer, of target images when the latencies of different fields of an interlaced image frame are different. Yet another is the smearing of a moving target or scene when samples taken from different interlace fields (and thus at different times) are summed. This paper derives analytic expressions for the effects in question. An example of the proper format in which to input data to the FLIR90 or other performance modeling program is given for each effect.
Export-oriented Industrialization and Regional Development: A Case Study of Maquiladora Production in Yucatán, Mexico

Biles J. J. (2004) Export-oriented industrialization and regional development: a case study of maquiladora production in Yucatan, Mexico, Reg. Studies 38, 519–534. This study provides a critical appraisal of export-oriented industrialization (EOI), in the guise of maquiladora production, as a regional development strategy in the case of Yucatan, Mexico. Maquiladoras are export-oriented assembly plants characterized by the labour-intensive manufacture of imported components. Traditionally, these firms have located along the US–Mexico border. However, during the past decade maquiladora production has spread to other regions of Mexico. Perhaps the most dramatic shift in maquiladora location has been experienced by the state of Yucatan where export-oriented firms now account for one-third of all manufacturing jobs and more than two-thirds of all exports. Interregional input–output analysis reveals that maquiladora production has had a positive impact on economic growth and distribution of income in both urban...
Chlorine and rubidium resonances in RbNiCl3

Abstract The 35Cl and 87Rb NMR in RbNiCl3 are reported for temperatures down to 1.3 and 12 K, respectively. The compound orders near 11 K. For both CsNiCl3 and RbNiCl3 the shift tensor data, quadrupole data, and magnetic moment data yield independent yet consistent estimates of the covalency in these compounds. The pσ-orbital spin density is φ a _ 7.3% . Empirical estimates of the Sternheimer shielding (1 − γ∞) = S are obtained for chlorine (S = 31), cesium (S = 64), and rubidium (S = 26).
Temperature differences between phases in a moving bed reactor

Abstract Pseudo-homogeneous models of packed bed reactors assume equal temperatures and concentrations (or chemical potentials) for the solid and the fluid phases and are simpler than heterogeneous models. An analysis is presented for the degree of temperature departure between these two models under plug flow conditions with no axial dispersion. Fixed bed, cocurrent and countercurrent flow reactors are considered. The analysis yields two important parameters: α, the ratio of solid to gas thermal capacitances, and β, which is closely related to the number of interphase heat transferase units. In most industrial reactors, where β is greater than 50, the average temperature difference between phases is small, except for countercurrent reactors where gas and solid heat capacitances are nearly equal. Within this range of α, temperature differences can persist through the reactor, even with large values of β. The maximum temperature difference between phases is attained when the reaction heat effect is released in the worst case of a localized pulse in the reactor stream with the smaller thermal capacitance. These temperature difference measures can be used to estimate the validity of a pseudo-homogeneous model. This analysis is easily extended to concentration differences between phases.
The Trinity, Election and God's Ontological Freedom: A Response to Kevin W. Hector

: A recent article by Kevin Hector considered the disagreement between Bruce McCormack and me over the relationship between the doctrines of election and the Trinity raising a number of crucial issues such as the proper relation of the immanent and economic Trinity, the nature of God's freedom and the identity of the logos asarkos. In this article I explore how and why Barth's dialectical understanding of the triune God's freedom from and for creatures disallowed equating God's ontological freedom with election in the manner suggested by McCormack and Hector, because that would reduce God's omnipotence to his omnicausality, the immanent to the economic Trinity.
The structure of social decision functions

Abstract This paper investigates possible extensions of the Arrow Impossibility Theorem by relaxing the collective rationality condition from transitivity to acyclicity. It is shown that some elements of dictatorship must persist even when two of Arrow's conditions are dropped (namely the Pareto principle and transitivity of social preferences).
The Rheology of Colloidal and Noncolloidal Food Dispersions

Rheological data on a food together with data on its composition and structure or microstructure should lead to understanding the interrelationships between them. A number of foods are dispersions of solids in liquids, liquids in liquids, or gas in liquids. The dispersed particles may be colloidal in nature with dimensions 10 µm). For both colloidal and noncolloidal dispersions (either in dilute or concen- trated regimes), several theoretical equations exist that provide insights into the role of key rheological parameters, such as particle volume fraction and size, interparticle forces, and fractal dimension on their viscosity, yield stress, and modulus. When theoretical models cannot be easily applied to foods with complex structures, structural analysis and structure-based models provide insight into the role of solids loading and interparticle bonding on rheological behavior. In this review, recent studies on colloidal and noncolloidal food dispersions in which theoretical models as well as structural analysis were employed are discussed.