cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Toward Reservoir-on-a-Chip: Fabricating Reservoir Micromodels by in Situ Growing Calcium Carbonate Nanocrystals in Microfluidic Channels

We introduce a novel and simple method to fabricate calcium carbonate (CaCO3) micromodels by in situ growing a thin layer of CaCO3 nanocrystals with a thickness of 1–2 μm in microfluidic channels. This approach enables us to fabricate synthetic CaCO3 reservoir micromodels having surfaces fully covered with calcite, while the dimensions and geometries of the micromodels are controllable on the basis of the original microfluidic channels. We have tuned the wettability of the CaCO3-coated microchannels at simulated oil reservoir conditions without introducing any chemical additives to the system; thus the resulting oil-wet surface makes the micromodel more faithfully resemble a natural carbonate reservoir rock. With the advantage of its excellent optical transparency, the micromodel allows us to directly visualize the complex multiphase flows and geochemical fluid–calcite interactions by spectroscopic and microscopic imaging techniques. The CaCO3-coated microfluidic channels provide new capabilities as a mic...
A comparison of pediatric airway management techniques during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest using the CARES database

Objective To compare odds of survival to hospital discharge among pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients receiving either bag-valve-mask ventilation (BVM), supraglottic airway (SGA) or endotracheal intubation (ETI), after adjusting for the propensity to receive a given airway intervention.
Co-created value: Multidimensional scale and nomological network

Abstract Although, increasing interest is given to value co-creation in service industries, including tourism and hospitality, there is a lack of a valid and reliable instrument that measures value from the co-created perspective. Study addresses a research gap by developing conceptually grounded and psychometrically sound scale of co-created value. Derived from service-dominant logic and theory of value, co-created value is conceptualized as a personal appraisal of the meaningfulness of a service based on what is contributed and what is realized through collaboration. The scale development and validation followed multi-step multi-stage methodology and verified the measure in different tourism and hospitality contexts. The analyses resulted in 25-item 5-dimension original scale representing: meaningfulness, contribution, collaboration, recognition and emotional response. The co-created value scale was tested for concurrent validity using consumer loyalty as a part of the nomological network, with antecedents operationalized as openness and authenticity and consequences as well-being, competitive advantage, commitment, and trust.
Standards of Quality for Parks and Protected Areas: Applying Normative Theory and Methods in U.S. National Parks

Indicators and standards of quality have become an important component of contemporary management frameworks designed to help protect park resources and the quality of the visitor experience. Normative theory and related empirical methods have been adapted from sociology and applied to surveys of park visitors and other stakeholders to help guide the formulation of standards of quality. This article reviews this growing body of research and identifies a number of important issues including norm prevalence, norm salience, alternative evaluative dimensions, question and response formats, norm congruence and validity, norm crystallization, the effect of existing conditions, visual research methods, and norm stability. We conclude by encouraging researchers to more explicitly link normative theory in recreation management to the cultures in which parks and protected areas are embedded.
Ibn Rushd y la “única tradición materialista”

The purpose of the present essay is to explore the possible relationship between Ibn Rushd’s thought, particulary his critic of traditional theologic kwnoledge and his theory of social body, with the concept of “only materialist tradition”, also called undercurrent of the materialism of encounter. For that, we confront Althusser’s theory of materialism whit those authors that Althusser considered as part of this “undercurrent” (especially Machiavelli, one of the most important names for this hypothesis of “history” of thought), and the Ibin Rushd’s problematic of body, public space and the confrontation with theology and pastoral power of his days, especially the Ashari theology.
THE MEASUREMENT OF THE LATTICE PARAMETERS OF A GAS COOLED REACTOR LATTICE

A series of experimental measurements has been made on the Experimental Gas Cooled Reactor (EGCR) lattice in the Physical Constants Test Reactor (PCTR). The measurements provide a broad basis for n...
Change impact analysis for java programs and applications

Small changes can have major and nonlocal effects in object oriented languages, due to the extensive use of subtyping and dynamic dispatch. This makes it difficult to understand value flow through a program and complicates life for maintenance programmers. Change impact analysis provides feedback on the semantic impact of a set of program changes. The change impact analysis method presented in this thesis presumes the existence of a suite of regression tests associated with a Java program and access to the original and edited versions of the code. The primary goal of our research is to provide programmers with tool support that can help them understand why a test is suddenly failing after a long editing session by isolating the changes responsible for the failure. The tool analyzes two versions of an application and decomposes their difference into a set of atomic changes. Change impact is then reported in terms of affected tests whose execution behavior may have been modified by the applied changes. For each affected test, it also determines a set of affecting changes that were responsible for the test’s modified behavior. The first contribution of this thesis is the demonstration of the utility of the basic change impact analysis framework of [51], by implementing a proof-of-concept prototype, Chianti, and applying it to Daikon, for an experimental validation. The second contribution is the definition and implementation of the dependences between atomic changes. Extensive experiments show that our dependences can help build the intermediate programs automatically in most cases. Another contribution is the heuristics for ranking the atomic changes for fault localization. This thesis proposes a heuristic that ranks method changes that might have affected a failed test, indicating the likelihood that they may have contributed to a test failure. Our results indicate that when a failure is caused by a single method change, our heuristic ranked the failure-inducing change as number 1 or number 2 of all the method changes in 67% of the delegate tests (i.e., representatives of all failing tests).
The Development of Visual Information Processes in Adulthood and Old Age

The human world is a visual world. Our ability to see was important to our evolutionary past and will be important to our evolutionary future. Locating prey and escaping predators may be less important in the industrial societies of the twentieth century than they were in our past, but other visual tasks have become important. Adults in the modern world must deal with visual tasks never imagined by even our recent ancestors. The development of high speed transportation systems allows us to travel rapidly through a diversity of environments. These developments have created heavy visual monitoring demands for drivers, pedestrians, pilots, and air traffic controllers. They have increased the demands for acquiring spatial layout information and using the visual information that supports moving about in an urban environment. The industrial world has broadened the need for education and educational materials. While adults in modern society may spend little time tracking animals across fields, they spend ever increasing amounts of time tracking words across printed pages.
Gendered Paths in Ethnic Identity Exploration Between Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood

Previous work suggests that women and men differ in their ethnic identification. Yet few studies analyze gender differences in identification patterns between adolescence and emerging adulthood amo...
Global Implications of U.S. Trade Policies for Reducing Structural Trade Imbalances

The aim of this research is to assess the international transmission of trade policies originating in the United States to its major trading partners, most of whom are members of the G20. We began by estimating twenty-one macroeconomic models of the G20 based on the national accounts (by expenditure) from the United Nations Statistical Department. The baseline scenario is based upon a Harrod-Domar model on the supply side and demand equations for household consumption, government and imports. A 21 by 21 world trade matrix was constructed from the bilateral export data also produced by the UN statistical department. This provided a mechanism to estimate the exports of the national and regional models from the trade shares. Based on the new exports, GDP is re-summed and the demand side of the economy is re-estimated. This is continued until the system convergences. The final estimates and the baseline estimates are compared to give an estimate of the impact of the change resulting from the assumptions corresponding to the import policy.
Examining the Roles and Competencies of Nurse Leaders, Educators, and Clinicians With a Doctor of Nursing Practice at an Academic Medical Center.

Background As the nursing profession has gained experience with Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) graduates, it is important to examine the integration, operationalization, and contributions of the DNP-prepared nurse within healthcare systems. Administrators and leaders must have a clear vision of how DNP graduates will contribute within and outside of their organizations. Objectives This article describes the outcomes of a workgroup comprised of DNP-prepared staff at a large academic medical center. The overarching goal of this group was to examine current practices of our DNP-prepared staff and make recommendations regarding roles and practice to the senior nursing leadership. Methods A crosswalk comparing the current job descriptions of our DNP-prepared nurse leaders, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and nurse educators with the core competencies of The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice as outlined by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing was completed. Results Strategies and tactics to enrich current practice and build leadership capacity were identified. Conclusions DNP-prepared nurses must continue to document their contributions to the healthcare setting. Implications for nursing DNP-prepared nurses in the health-care setting must work collaboratively with their senior nursing leaders to seek opportunities to increase their visibility within their organizations, and increase their scholarly output.
Bacterial population dynamics after foliar fertilization of almond leaves

Aims To describe the effects of foliar fertilizer application on the bacterial populations of almond tree leaves. Methods and results We applied a commercially available foliar fertilizer or a water control onto the leaves of almond trees and collected leaves after 1, 7, 14 and 56 days and examined their bacterial populations by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. After 1 day, we observed significant differences in 3 of the 4 predominant bacterial phyla, and 5 of the 13 predominant bacterial families. After 7 days, we observed significant differences in all of the predominant phyla, and 8 of the 13 predominant families. After 14 days, the number of significant differences decreased, and after 56 days only 2 of the 13 predominant families differed significantly. Conclusions Foliar fertilization significantly altered the bacterial population structure of almond leaves as compared to the water control. While most of the observed perturbation was transient, significant differences remained after 56 days. Significance and impact of the study This is the first report describing the effects of foliar fertilization on the bacterial populations of almond leaves and provides new insights as to how this process alters the leaf bacterial population structure.
Abstract P341: Melanocortin Receptor 4 Activation Mediates Leptin-Induced Sensitization of the Angiotensin II-Elicited Hypertensive Response in Mice

Obesity has been shown to promote the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) activity and inflammation in the hypothalamus that increase BP and sympathetic activity. Our previous studies using an Induction...
Influence of Acetabular Shell Position and Component Design on Hip Dynamic Dislocation.

Abstract Background Dislocation is a major complication following total hip arthroplasty, with risk factors such as surgical technique, implant positioning, and implant design. Literature has suggested the distance the femoral head must travel before dislocation to be a predictive factor of dislocation where smaller travel distance has increased dislocation risk. The purpose of this study was to compare 3 designs (hemispherical, metal-on-metal, and dual mobility [DM]) in terms of the dynamic dislocation distance and force required to dislocate. Methods This dynamic dislocation distance model used a material testing system that defined acetabular component inclination (30°, 45°, and 60°), anteversion angles (0°, 15°, and 30°), and pelvic tilt (5° [standing] and 26° [chair rise]). Testing groups included a hemispherical shell with a modular polyethylene liner and 32-mm head, a metal-on-metal hip resurfacing cup design with a 40-mm CoCr head, and a DM design with a 42-mm outside diameter articulating liner and an inner 28-mm articulating head. Results The dynamic dislocation distance of the DM hip was greater than that of the other designs for all inclination, anteversion, and pelvic tilt angles tested with the exception of 60° inclination/0° anteversion. At 26° pelvic tilt, it was observed that dislocation distance increased with greater anteversion and decreased with larger inclination. Conclusion Clinical results have shown the DM design may reduce dislocation. These data support those findings and suggest that if instability is a concern preoperatively or intraoperatively, using a DM implant increases the dynamic dislocation distance.
Community Engagement in the Development of an mHealth-Enabled Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health Intervention (Step It Up): Pilot Focus Group Study.

Background: Community-based participatory research is an effective tool for improving health outcomes in minority communities. Few community-based participatory research studies have evaluated methods of optimizing smartphone apps for health technology-enabled interventions in African Americans. Objective: This study aimed to utilize focus groups (FGs) for gathering qualitative data to inform the development of an app that promotes physical activity (PA) among African American women in Washington, DC. Methods: We recruited a convenience sample of African American women (N=16, age range 51-74 years) from regions of Washington, DC metropolitan area with the highest burden of cardiovascular disease. Participants used an app created by the research team, which provided motivational messages through app push notifications and educational content to promote PA. Subsequently, participants engaged in semistructured FG interviews led by moderators who asked open-ended questions about participants’ experiences of using the app. FGs were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim, with subsequent behavioral theory-driven thematic analysis. Key themes based on the Health Belief Model and emerging themes were identified from the transcripts. Three independent reviewers iteratively coded the transcripts until consensus was reached. Then, the final codebook was approved by a qualitative research expert. Results: In this study, 10 main themes emerged. Participants emphasized the need to improve the app by optimizing automation, increasing relatability (eg, photos that reflect target demographic), increasing educational material (eg, health information), and connecting with community resources (eg, cooking classes and exercise groups). Conclusions: Involving target users in the development of a culturally sensitive PA app is an essential step for creating an app that has a higher likelihood of acceptance and use in a technology-enabled intervention. This may decrease health disparities in cardiovascular diseases by more effectively increasing PA in a minority population.
Delay Mitigation in High Frequency Dual Current Programmed Mode Control GaN-Based ZVS Inverter

Control based modulation techniques such as Boundary Current Mode (BCM) modulation are used to achieve zero voltage switching (ZVS) and overcome the increased switching losses in power electronics operating at high frequency. A simple control approach to implementing BCM uses dual current programmed mode (DCPM) control, but this approach is highly susceptible to noise and propagation delays at high switching frequency. Propagation delays in the control network cause the inductor current to overshoot its reference by a margin which varies with the instantaneous inductor current slope. This overshoot results in increased losses and introduces low-frequency inductor current distortion, particularly in high switching frequency converters. This work addresses propagation delay challenges by tuning the current sensing circuitry to mitigate impact of sensing delay, resulting in an inherent cancellation of sensing delay without additional control complexity. This approach is simple to implement and offers a flexible current control design for BCM modulation. The operation of this proposed compensation technique is demonstrated experimentally in a GaN-based full bridge inverter.
Transient Solution for Drainage of Sloping Land

A Hele-Shaw viscous flow model was used to obtain transient solutions for drainage of sloping land. The laws of similitude between the model and the prototype are shown to hold for the transient case as well as the steady state case. A series of solutions are presented for the configuration of the water table for lands with slope varying from 0 to 70%. Capillary flow in the region above the water table is ignored and it is assumed that the drainage ditches penetrate to an impermeable layer.
Abstract P252: Hypertension Educator: Evidence for an Interdisciplinary Approach

Purpose: Certified Diabetes educators have long been utilized to educate patients with diabetes on effective lifestyle changes and to assist in optimizing evidence based medication. Using the same ...
Infant Safe Sleep Program Expansion

Background: Unsafe sleep conditions are potential contributing factors in up to half of all unexpected or unexplained infant deaths in New York State. Despite this many parents are not taught and do not follow the AAP safe sleep guidelines. Evidence suggests that parents can learn and retain safe infant sleep habits. A program was implemented in 2015 at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital (MFCH) Newborn Nursery and NICU with the NYS Perinatal Quality Collaborative (NYS DOH initiative) to improve modeling of safe sleep through nurse training, parent education with knowledge-based questionnaires, …
Laminoplasty versus laminectomy and fusion for cervical spondylotic myelopathy: a cost analysis.

Abstract Background Context Laminectomy with fusion (LF) and laminoplasty (LP) are commonly used to treat cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). The decision regarding which procedure to perform is largely a matter of surgeon's preference, while financial implications are rarely considered. Purpose We aimed to better understand the financial considerations of LF compared to LP in the treatment of CSM. Study Design Retrospective comparative study. Patient Sample Adult patients, 18 years of age or older, who had undergone LF or LP for CSM from 2017 to 2019 at 2 large academic centers were included. Patients who had undergone previous cervical spine surgery or procedures that extended above C2 or below T2 were excluded. Outcome Measures The primary outcome was defined as the total cost of the procedure, which was calculated as the sum of the implant and non-implant supply costs. Methods Patient demographics, surgical parameters, including estimated blood loss and operative time, and length of stay were collected. Operating room material – both implant and non-implant – cost data was also obtained. Variables were analyzed individually as well as after adjustment based on the number of operative levels involved. Statistical analysis was performed using either Student t test with unequal variance or Wilcoxon rank sum test for continuous variables and chi-squared analysis for categorical variables. Results Two hundred fifty patients were identified who met inclusion criteria. There was no statistical difference in the mean age at time of surgery (p=.25), gender distribution (p=.33), or re-operation rate between the LF and LP groups (p=.39). Overall, operative time was similar between the LF (165.7 ± 61.9 min) and LP (173.8 ± 58.2 min) groups (p=.29), but the LP cohort had a shorter length of stay at 3.8 ± 2.7 days compared to the LF cohort at 4.8 ± 3.7 days. Implant costs in the LF group were significantly more at $6,204.94 ± $1426.41 compared to LP implant costs at $1994.39 ± $643.09. Mean total costs of LP were significantly less at $2,859.08 ± $784.19 compared to LF total costs of $6,983.16 ± $1,589.17. Furthermore, when adjusted for the number of operative levels, LP remained significantly less costly at $766.12 ± $213.64 per level while LF cost $1,789.05 ± $486.66 per operative level. Additional subgroup analysis limiting the cohorts to patients with either three or four involved vertebral levels demonstrated nearly identical cost savings with LP as compared to LF. Conclusions This study demonstrates that LF is on average at least 2.4 times the total operative supply cost of LP and at least 2.3 times the operative supply cost of LP when adjusted for the number of operative levels. In patients deemed appropriate for either LP or LF, these data may be incorporated into decision-making for the treatment of CSM.
Measurements of the f-Values of the Resonance Transitions of Ni II at 1317.217A and 1370.132A

We have retrieved high-resolution UV spectra of 69 hot stars from the HST archive and determined the strengths of the interstellar Ni II absorption features at 1317.217A. We then compared them to absorptions from either the transitions at 1741.553A (covered in the spectra of 21 of the stars) or the one at 1370.132A (seen for the remaining 48 stars). All spectra were recorded by the either the E140M, E140H, or E230H gratings of STIS. By comparing the strengths of the two lines in each spectrum and evaluating a weighted average of all such comparisons, we have found that the f-value of the 1317A line is 1.34 +/-0.019 times the one at 1741A and 0.971 +/-0.014 times that of the one at 1370A. We adopt as a comparison standard an experimentally determined f-value for the 1741A line (known to 10% accuracy), so that f(1317A) = 0.0571 +/-0.006. It follows from this f-value and our measured line-strength ratios that f(1370A) = 0.0588 +/-0.006. As an exercise to validate our methodology, we compared the 1317A transition to another Ni II line at 1454.842A and arrived at an f-value for the latter that is consistent with a previously measured experimental value to within the expected error.
Negotiation from a Near and Distant Time Perspective

Across 3 experiments, the authors examined the effects of temporal distance on negotiation behavior. They found that greater temporal distance from negotiation decreased preference for piecemeal, single-issue consideration over integrative, multi-issue consideration (Experiment 1). They also found that greater temporal distance from an event being negotiated increased interest in conceding on the lowest priority issue and decreased interest in conceding on the highest priority issue (Experiment 2). Lastly, they found increased temporal distance from an event being negotiated produced a greater proportion of multi-issue offers, a greater likelihood of conceding on the lowest priority issue in exchange for a concession on the highest priority issue, and greater individual and joint outcomes (Experiment 3). Implications for conflict resolution and construal level theory are discussed.
Impact of anode catalyst loadings and carbon supports to CO contamination in PEM fuel cells

Abstract Hydrogen fuel quality is important for the successful commercialization of PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) because impurities can adversely affect the normal operation of FCVs both immediately and during their lifetime operation. Among the impurities specified in H2 quality standards, CO (carbon monoxide) is known to have one of the greatest impacts on fuel cells because of the immediate decrease in performance at low concentrations. CO impurity levels of only 0.2 ppm, as specified in the H2 quality standards, were found in H2 refueling stations with adverse impacts to PEM fuel cell operation. In this study CO impurity testing was conducted on single cells based on an extensive design of experiments (DOE) that was performed using several MEAs with two levels of anode platinum loading (0.05 mgPt/cm2 and 0.1 mgPt/cm2) and two different materials for platinum carbon support (Highly Graphitized Carbon and High Surface Area Carbon). Contamination testing for each MEA design configuration was performed at four different CO impurity levels (0.1 ppm, 0.2 ppm, 0.3 ppm, and 0.4 ppm) and three current densities (0.1 A/cm2, 1.0 A/cm2, and 1.7 A/cm2) at each impurity level. The results indicate that the most significant factor to improve MEA tolerance to CO contamination was the choice of carbon support. The use of high surface area carbon had an even greater impact than the use of higher Pt loading, which suggests paths toward addressing CO contamination that avoid higher catalyst cost.
Outsider Speech: The PLRA, AEDPA, and Adjudicative Expression

The Prison Litigation Reform Act (“PLRA”) and the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (“AEDPA”) imposed sweeping new restrictions upon incarcerated persons’ access to and use of the federal courts. This Essay focuses holistically upon the effects of these statutes in limiting incarcerated persons’ access to the federal courts and cabining the claims that they may assert in federal courts. Federal laws that make it more difficult to assert certain claims in federal courts may not be inherently bad or irregular. Seldom, however, does legislation single out a specific class of people -- incarcerated persons, in the case of the PLRA and AEDPA -- and target them for restrictions upon their access to and use of the courts that are both wholesale and sui generis to the class. While such indiscriminate class-based legislation is unusual, it is not unprecedented. Specifically, this Essay contends, similar restrictions were imposed upon enslaved persons as well as free blacks during the pre-Civil War legal regime. This Essay does not contend that incarcerated persons are slaves, nor does it seek to analogize the conditions of incarceration to enslavement. Rather, this Essay examines the PLRA and AEDPA through the lens of the American slave system’s limitations upon access to the courts by enslaved persons and free blacks in order to illuminate the ways in which the former replicates the latter for a similarly racialized and socially alienated group currently deemed outcasts from civil society.
Endangered Species Act Lessons Over 30 Years, and the Legacy of the Snail Darter, a Small Fish in a Pork Barrel

Follow this and additional works at: http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/lsfp Part of the Animal Law Commons, Comparative and Foreign Law Commons, Environmental Law Commons, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Commons, Land Use Planning Commons, Law and Economics Commons, Law and Society Commons, Legal History, Theory and Process Commons, Legal Writing and Research Commons, Politics Commons, and the Water Law Commons
How revealed preference theory can be explanatory.

Abstract The question of how to frame agential preferences in economics finds one caught between Scylla and Charybdis. If preferences are framed in as minimal and deflationary a manner as revealed preference theory recommends, the theory falls prey to objections about its predictiveness and explanatory power. Alternatively, if too many cognitive and causal intricacies are incorporated into the preference concept, revealed preference models will violate pragmatic norms of model construction, surrendering model simplicity and generality. This paper charts a middle course, arguing that the path to salvation lies through an understanding of revealed preference models as program explanations.
Vacuum growth of uniform semiconductor films on large area flat substrates for photovoltaics

Computer simulations are utilized to address the problem of film uniformity on large-area substrates present in a vacuum-growth process. The problem is approached by optimizing different source-substrate geometries. The simulations indicate that an optimized arrangement of four disc sources results in a uniform area of 24 cm/sup 2/ for +or-0.05% variation in the incident flux with material utilization of 2.2% for a given source-substrate situation. Simulations of line sources were also carried out. Inclined modified dual in-line sources, each 30 cm long, resulted in a uniform area of 86.57 cm/sup 2/ for +or-0.25% variation in the incident flux with material utilization of 6.76%. The possibility of substrate size scale-up is also considered. >
Sampling of dusty gases in gas streams

Legislation requires that manufacturers carefully monitor and control their particulate gas discharge effluent. Pollution today is a very ‘dirty’ word and visible discharge from chimneys with deposition of soot and sulphurous compounds creates a barrier between the industrialist and an environment-conscious public. The industrialist who accepts his duty to society and the en­vironment equips his factories with dust-arresting plant such as filters, cyclones, electrostatic precipitators and scrubbers, balancing the cost against his profit margins. His less public-spirited counterpart keeps this non-productive plant to the minimum required by law. In general, financial and technical resources and an incentive to act are necessary for results.
Limitations of the I131-Labeled Triolein Tests in the Diagnosis of Steatorrhea

Summary The I 131 -labeled triolein urinary excretion and fecal excretion tests for steatorrhea were evaluated in 36 patients with steatorrhea proven by chemical analysis of the feces for fat, and in an additional 28 patients who served as controls. The 24-hour urinary excretion test was found to be insensitive. The fecal excretion test was uniformly positive in patients with severe steatorrhea but was unreliable in patients with mild and moderate impairment of fat absorption. Because I 131 -labeled triolein provides only an insensitive and empiric index of fat absorption, its usefulness in clinical and physiologic studies seems limited.
T-bet: the Toll-bridge to class-switch recombination?

CpG signaling through TLR9 elicits type 1 cytokine production, which can suppress IgE-associated hypersensitivity reactions. CpG also acts directly on B cells by inducing STAT1-independent T-bet expression.
Impaired p32 regulation caused by the lymphoma-prone RECQ4 mutation drives mitochondrial dysfunction.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encodes proteins that are important for ATP biogenesis. Therefore, changes in mtDNA copy number will have profound consequences on cell survival and proliferation. RECQ4 DNA helicase participates in both nuclear DNA and mtDNA synthesis. However, the mechanism that balances the distribution of RECQ4 in the nucleus and mitochondria is unknown. Here, we show that RECQ4 forms protein complexes with Protein Phosphatase 2A (PP2A), nucleophosmin (NPM), and mitochondrial p32 in different cellular compartments. Critically, the interaction with p32 negatively controls the transport of both RECQ4 and its chromatin-associated replication factor, MCM10, from the nucleus to mitochondria. Amino acids that are deleted in the most common cancer-associated RECQ4 mutation are required for the interaction with p32. Hence, this RECQ4 mutant, which is no longer regulated by p32 and is enriched in the mitochondria, interacts with the mitochondrial replication helicase PEO1 and induces abnormally high levels of mtDNA synthesis.
JoVE: The Journal of Visualized Experiments

The Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) is the world's first scientific video journal and is designed to communicate research and scientific methods in an innovative, intuitive way. JoVE includes a wide range of biomedical videos, from biology to immunology and bioengineering to clinical and translation medicine. This column describes the browsing and searching capabilities of JoVE, as well as its additional features (including the JoVE Scientific Education Database designed for students in scientific fields).
Use of energy methods for on-line assessment of power system voltage security

The use of energy methods in an online environment to aid in the assessment of system voltage stability is discussed. A fast algorithm is presented for determining the low voltage power flow solutions with lowest associated energy measures. The use of these measures to assess voltage security is discussed for use both online and in contingency analysis. The technique is demonstrated on a 415-bus system. >
A stereotaxic positioning platform for double-angle placements

A simple and inexpensive device for double-angled positioning of electrode carriers during stereotaxic surgery is described. The device consists of a base and adjustable vertical point that is used to locate the position of final stereotaxic coordinates in space. This allows reproducible placements for deep midline brain structures that require double-angle approaches. Such placements are easily obtained with this instrument on standard and even single-carrier stereotaxic instruments.
The implications of unmitigated agency and unmitigated communion for domains of problem behavior

Agency and communion are broad dimensions of personality that reflect a focus on the self and a focus on others, respectively. In this article, we distinguish unmitigated agency, a focus on the self to the exclusion of others, flom agency, and we distinguish unmitigated communion, a focus on others to the exclusion of self, from communion. We argue that it is unmitigated agency and unmitigated communion that are linked to domains of problem behavior, in particular relationship difficulties and poor health behavior. Unmitigated agency and unmitigated communion are associated with a lack of support from others, a reluctance to ask others for help, and a range of poor health behaviors. The reasons for these links differ. The links to problem behavior for unmitigated communion individuals stem from their tendency to subjugate their own needs to the needs of others and their dependence on others for esteem. The links to problem behavior for unmitigated agency individuals stem from their unwillingness to attend to relationships and their negative view of others.
The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Stress Axis in the Fibromyalgia Syndrome

Objectives: The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA] axis is a neuroendocrine stress-response system. Stress can be defined as a disturbance [metabolic, physiologic, traumatic, inflammatory/infectious, or psychoemotional] that perturbs homeostasis and leads to activation of stereotypical stress-adaptation mechanisms, including the HPA axis and the sympathetic nervous system. Patients with the fibromyalgia [FM] syndrome often report the onset of symptoms following an acute stress or a period of intense stress. In addition, symptoms are commonly exacerbated during periods of stress, and patients report increased levels of daily stress. Patients with FM have been found to have perturbed HPA axis function. The sympathetic stress response system may also be dysfunctional in FM patients. Since the HPA axis is interconnected with other neuroendocrine systems, the HPA axis will be discussed in the context of other neurohormonal abnormalities found in patients with FM. Results: Patients with FM exhibit a unique pa...
Progress Toward an Expanded Eukaryotic Genetic Code

Expanding the eukaryotic genetic code to include unnatural amino acids with novel properties would provide powerful tools for manipulating protein function in eukaryotic cells. Toward this goal, a general approach with potential for isolating aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases that incorporate unnatural amino acids with high fidelity into proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is described. The method is based on activation of GAL4-responsive HIS3, URA3, or lacZ reporter genes by suppression of amber codons in GAL4. The optimization of GAL4 reporters is described, and the positive and negative selection of active Escherichia coli tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (EcTyrRS)/tRNA(CUA) is demonstrated. Importantly, both selections can be performed on a single cell and with a range of stringencies. This method will facilitate the isolation of a range of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (aaRS)/tRNA(CUA) activities from large libraries of mutant synthetases.
The importance of fog-drip water to vegetation: Point Reyes Peninsula, California

Abstract Fog and rain were collected for stable isotopic analysis for nearly 4 years at three locations on the Point Reyes Peninsula in California. In addition, in 1990, soil water and tree water were collected at the end of the rainy season, and again at the end of the foggy season to determine the importance of fog-drip water to arboreal vegetation. The stable isotopic compositions of the collected fog water range from −15.6 to −9‰ in δD and −2.9 to −2.0‰ in δ18O, and are consistently more enriched than the compositions of the rain, which range from −43 to −30‰ in δD and from −7.6 to −5.8‰ in δ18O. Ground water collected from the Peninsula plots between the fog and rain was about 5‰ more enriched in D than the rain and 15‰ more depleted than the fog. The stable isotopic composition of this ground water may reflect the addition of fog-drip water. The isotopic composition of the tree core water indicates varying degrees of fog water use by the arboreal vegetation. At the most coastal location, the vegetation appears to use fog-drip water year-round. At another location, the use is seasonal, occurring at least during the end of the summer foggy season. At the third location the vegetation appears to use solely ground water, which may or may not contain fog water.
Information retrieval and the query language

This paper addresses itself to the information retrieval problem of a manager within an organization. We feel that the approach taken in specifying such a system is sufficiently general to be suitable for application to other system specifications. It is assumed that the manager wishes to interrogate a system containing a data base that relates to his task of making decisions in the course of running his part of an organization.To meet the manager's needs we have attempted to define the models a manager uses in making decisions. We have further made an approach toward problem definition for the manager.To interpret a manager's queries stemming from encountered or anticipated problems, we have attempted to define an inferential system. The inferential system has a further task of specifying the retrieval of information that might exist only in an implicit form. Finally, we demonstrate an approach toward the design of a query language for the manager, which could become "natural" to him after short experience.
Growth factor independence and growth regulatory pathways in human melanoma development.

This review concentrates on growth autonomy of tumor cells in relation to tumor progression. Human malignant melanoma serves as an example for progressive growth factor independence at subsequent stages of tumor progression. Mechanisms by which malignant cells acquire growth factor independence are discussed. In melanoma, deregulation of growth regulatory pathways has been described on four levels: 1) aberrant production of autocrine growth factors that substitute for exogenous growth factors (basic fibroblast growth factor [bFGF]); 2) alterations in the response to negative autocrine growth factors (interleukin [IL]-6 and transforming growth factor [TGF]-β); 3) overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptors (EGF-R); and 4) alterations of cellular protooncogenes involved in signal transduction (RAS, MYB) and growth suppression (p53). In addition to bFGF and IL-6, multiple other growth factor genes are activated in malignant melanoma cells but not normal melanocytes. These include both chains of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), TGF-α, IL-1, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Of these, PDGF-B has been investigated in more detail. Melanoma-derived PDGF clearly does not act in a direct autocrine mode, but has important paracrine effects on normal tissue constituents, notably fibroblasts and endothelial cells, that are essential for tumor developmentin vivo. It is speculated that other melanoma-derived growth factors with as yet undefined functions similarly exert such paracrine or ‘indirect’ autocrine effects that cannot be sufficiently addressed in studies on cultured cells.
Investigation of Fatigue Properties for Welded Aluminum Forging Preforms

While welded forging preforms offer potential benefits for producing forged parts, work to date has mainly been concentrated on assessing static mechanical properties. As dynamic properties are an important consideration, the objective in the current study was to assess the high cycle fatigue properties of 6061-T6 aluminum forging performs which were prepared using friction welding. Monolithic and friction welded specimens were prepared and hot worked using a laboratory press. Fatigue data was then generated using a rotating beam test machine and a metallurgical evaluation of the weld zone performed. The results showed that, in general, forged preforms demonstrated superior fatigue life when compared to as-friction welded preforms in the same temper condition. Fatigue performance was also found to be comparable to that obtained from monolithic forging preforms which had an identical processing history.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Krüppel-Like Factor 2 Is Required for Normal Mouse Cardiac Development

Kruppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) is expressed in endothelial cells in the developing heart, particularly in areas of high shear stress, such as the atrioventricular (AV) canal. KLF2 ablation leads to myocardial thinning, high output cardiac failure and death by mouse embryonic day 14.5 (E14.5) in a mixed genetic background. This work identifies an earlier and more fundamental role for KLF2 in mouse cardiac development in FVB/N mice. FVB/N KLF2−/− embryos die earlier, by E11.5. E9.5 FVB/N KLF2−/− hearts have multiple, disorganized cell layers lining the AV cushions, the primordia of the AV valves, rather than the normal single layer. By E10.5, traditional and endothelial-specific FVB/N KLF2−/− AV cushions are hypocellular, suggesting that the cells accumulating at the AV canal have a defect in endothelial to mesenchymal transformation (EMT). E10.5 FVB/N KLF2−/− hearts have reduced glycosaminoglycans in the cardiac jelly, correlating with the reduced EMT. However, the number of mesenchymal cells migrating from FVB/N KLF2−/− AV explants into a collagen matrix is reduced considerably compared to wild-type, suggesting that the EMT defect is not due solely to abnormal cardiac jelly. Echocardiography of E10.5 FVB/N KLF2−/− embryos indicates that they have abnormal heart function compared to wild-type. E10.5 C57BL/6 KLF2−/− hearts have largely normal AV cushions. However, E10.5 FVB/N and C57BL/6 KLF2−/− embryos have a delay in the formation of the atrial septum that is not observed in a defined mixed background. KLF2 ablation results in reduced Sox9, UDP-glucose dehydrogenase (Ugdh), Gata4 and Tbx5 mRNA in FVB/N AV canals. KLF2 binds to the Gata4, Tbx5 and Ugdh promoters in chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, indicating that KLF2 could directly regulate these genes. In conclusion, KLF2−/− heart phenotypes are genetic background-dependent. KLF2 plays a role in EMT through its regulation of important cardiovascular genes.
HYDROXYUREA: USE IN DETERMINING THE DURATION OF G2 IN TETRAHYMENA

Observation of division of individual cells in microdrops, plus autoradiographic studies using tritiated thymidine and standard cell cycle analysis techniques, reveal that hydroxyurea (10 DIM) reversibly arrests the normal progression of exponentially growing Tetrahymena pyriformis through the initial 92 % of S-phase while not affecting cells in the terminal 8 % and in G2 and division. Thus the fraction of the population of cells that is in G2 can be approximately determined by the fraction of the population able to divide in the presence of hydroxyurea. This fraction can be related to the approximate duration of G2 by calculations which compensate for the age gradient.
Macintosh analogue of the rotary pursuit task

Pursuit tracking, a perceptual motor-skill task, has had wide application in many areas of psychology. The task is usually administered with a mechanical device in which subjects try to maintain a contact between a stylus and a disk on a rotating platter. A pursuit-tracking task that can be administered on a Macintosh computer is described. Subjects try to keep a crosshair cursor on top of a moving circular target. The cursor can be controlled by commonly used Macintosh ADB devices such as a joystick. The computer version has several important advantages: it offers more task flexibility and more accurate dependent measures of performance, and it is inexpensive.
Two Eye Guanylyl Cyclases Are Expressed in the Same Photoreceptor Cells and Form Homomers in Preference to Heteromers

Abstract We recently described two eye guanylyl cyclases (GC-E and GC-F) that contain an apparent extracellular domain potentially capable of binding ligands (Yang, R.-B., Foster, D. C., Garbers, D. L., and Fulle, H.-J. (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 92, 602–606). Here, Northern and Western analyses showed that both cyclases are expressed in the retina and enriched in photoreceptor outer segments. By the use of specific GC-E and GC-F antibodies coupled to different sized gold particles both cyclases were colocalized within the same photoreceptor cells raising the possibility of homomeric and/or heteromeric interactions. A point mutant of GC-E (D878A) was constructed and expressed; it contained no detectable cyclase activity but acted in a dominant negative fashion to abolish the activity of native GC-E and GC-F in coexpression studies. These results suggested that GC-E and GC-F could form either homomers or heteromers, at least when overexpressed in COS-7 cells. Immunoprecipitation with GC-E and GC-F antibody followed by Western analysis confirmed that both homomers and heteromers could be formed. However, similar experiments using retina or outer segments revealed that a vast majority of GC-E and GC-F were precipitated as homomers in the eye. Therefore, like other members of the membrane guanylyl cyclase subfamily, GC-E and GC-F appear to preferentially form homomers.