cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Variation in toxicity of copper pyrithione among populations and families of the barnacle, Balanus amphitrite

Inter- and intra-population variation in the toxicity of the antifouling biocide copper pyrithione (CuPT) was examined for nauplius larvae of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite. Nauplii were collected from brooding adults from four sites within the Newport River estuary (NC), chosen based on an initial estimation of recent and historical human activities that affect local contamination levels. Each site was characterized for the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and for the frequency of gastropod imposex, an indicator of contamination by organotins. Sensitivity of nauplii to CuPT varied significantly across the sites/populations, with LC50 values ranging from 4.0 μg l−1 to 6.1 μg l−1. Larvae from the most contaminated site were the most sensitive to CuPT. Intrapopulation variation in toxicity was investigated by exposing nauplius larvae from 15 maternal families to a fixed concentration of CuPT (6.1 μg l−1). Variation in larval mortality among the families was significant, ranging from 15.1% to 98.9%.
Time course of thyroxine I131 disappearance rates in cattle during exposure to hot and cold environments

Estimation of the daily thyroxine I131 disappearance rate in cattle following sudden exposures to heat (38°C) and cold (1°C) conditions demonstrated that (a) the time required for thyroid function to decrease from normal values under heat stress was at least 60 hours, (b) the time for increased thyroid activity under cold required about 36 hours, and (c) the readjustment of the thyroid gland from hot and cold to the thermoneutral zone (18°C) required at least 108 hours. These findings indicated that the adjustment of cattle to a stress condition by alteration of thyroid activity is a relatively slow process. This provides the evidence that thyroid function is not involved in the early stages of acclimation, but it has a major role in the compensation stage of acclimation to the new environment.
Stability and Performance of Feedback Control Systems with Time Delays

Abstract This paper investigates the time delay effects on the stability and performance of active feedback control systems for engineering structures. A computer algorithm is developed for stability analysis of a SDOF system with unequal delay time pair in the velocity and displacement feedback loops. It is found that there may exist multiple stable regions in the plane of the time delay pair, which contain time delays greater than the maximum allowable values obtained by previous studies. The size, shape and location of these stable and unstable regions depend on the system parameters and the feedback control gains. For systems with multiple stable regions, the boundaries between the stable and unstable regions in the plane of the time delay pair are explicitly obtained. The delay time pairs that forms these boundaries are called the critical delay time pairs at which the steady-state response becomes unbounded. The conclusions are valid for both large and small delay times. For any system with multiple stable regions, preliminary guidelines obtained from an explicit formula are given to find the desirable delay time pair(s). When used, these desirable delay time pair(s) not only stabilize an unstable system with inherent time delays, but also significantly reduce the system response and control force. For any system with multiple stable regions, these desirable delay time pair(s) are above the maximum allowable delay times obtained by previous studies. Numerical results, for both steady-state and transient analysis, are given to investigate the performance of delayed feedback control systems subjected to both harmonic and real earthquake ground motion excitations.
Shape Memory Polymer-Based Flexure Stiffness Control in a Miniature Flapping-Wing Robot

An active flexural hinge has been developed and incorporated into the transmission of a prototype flapping-wing robot. The multilayered flexure, which is constructed from a shape memory polymer and a polyimide film, showed controllable stiffness under change in temperature. At room temperature, the flexure had a bending stiffness of 572 mN·mm; when warmed to 70°C, the stiffness was 11 mN·mm. The resulting single-wing flapping system demonstrated up to an 80% change in generated lift without modification of the waveform of the main driving piezoelectric actuator. Such active stiffness tunable flexure joints could be applied to any flexural miniature mobile robot and device mechanisms.
Run-time modeling and estimation of operating system power consumption

The increasing constraints on power consumption in many computing systems point to the need for power modeling and estimation for all components of a system. The Operating System (OS) constitutes a major software component and dissipates a significant portion of total power in many modern application executions. Therefore, modeling OS power is imperative for accurate software power evaluation, as well as power management (e.g. dynamic thermal control and equal energy scheduling) in the light of OS-intensive workloads. This paper characterizes the power behavior of a commercial OS across a wide spectrum of applications to understand OS energy profiles and then proposes various models to cost-effectively estimate its run-time energy dissipation. The proposed models rely on a few simple parameters and have various degrees of complexity and accuracy. Experiments show that compared with cycle-accurate full-system simulation, the model can predict cumulative OS energy to within 1% accuracy for a set of benchmark programs evaluated on a high-end superscalar microprocessor. When applied to track run-time OS energy profiles, the proposed routine level OS power model offers superior accuracy than a simpler, flat OS power model, yielding per-routine estimation error of less than 6%. The most striking observation is the strong correlation between power consumption and the instructions per cycle (IPC) during OS routine executions. Since tools and methodology to measure IPC exist on modern microprocessors, the proposed models can estimate OS power for run-time dynamic thermal and energy management.
Precision short-pulse damage test station utilizing optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification

The next generation of high-energy petawatt (HEPW)-class lasers will utilize multilayer dielectric diffraction gratings for pulse compression, due to their high efficiency and high damage threshold for picosecond pulses. The peak power of HEPW lasers will be determined by the aperture and damage threshold of the final dielectric grating in the pulse compressor and final focusing optics. We have developed a short-pulse damage test station for accurate determination of the damage threshold of the optics used on future HEPW lasers. Our damage test station is based on a highly stable, high-beam-quality optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier (OPCPA) operating at 1053 nm at a repetition rate of 10 Hz. We present the design of our OPCPA system pumped by a commercial Q-switched pump laser and the results of the full system characterization. Initial short-pulse damage experiments in the far field using our system have been performed.
L2_stability of non-linear time-varying systems †

This paper presents two stability criteria for a very broad class of non-linear time-varying as well as time-invariant non-linear feedback systems. The stability criteria are obtained by the use of the passivity theorem and the concept of multipliers in a more systematic, straightforward and unified manner. The results obtained generalize many previously published ones in several aspects.
Effectiveness of career-development courses for nontraditional premedical students: improving professional identity

The purposes of this study were to examine the effects of three career-development courses on the professional identities of participating students as measured by My Vocational Situation and to investigate the effect of gender on students' responses to the scale. A total of 64 students enrolled in a special premedical program took the scale as a pretest and again as a posttest after the completion of three career-development courses. Analysis yielded significant differences between pre- and posttest scores for the three subscales of Vocational Identity, Occupational Information, and Barriers. No significant gender differences were observed at pre- or posttest. Implications for further research designed to evaluate the effectiveness of intervention strategies in career development are discussed.
Effects of focusing strategy on speeded classification with grouping, filtering, and condensation tasks.

Speeded classification was studied with three tasks varying in the way in which extra stimuli are provided for a single class:grouping, with additional levels on a single relevant dimension;filtering, with additional levels on an irrelevant dimension; andcondensation, with additional levels on a second relevant dimension. (Both relevant dimensions must be processed for correct classification.) For the dimensions used (color and form), filtering was easiest, followed by grouping and condensation. In the latter two cases, asymmetric classifications, in which one class had a single member, eliminated the difficulty of classification. The presumed mechanism is focusing, in which the single stimulus is seen as a positive set and all other stimuli as negative.
Paper and whey as a feedstuff for ruminants.

Abstract Eleven papers were compared for absorption of whey and for digestibility in vitro. Papers were squared, ground, and soaked in whey for 1,5, and 15 min and for 1, 6, 24, 48, and 72 h. Digestibility in vitro was determined on minimum and maximum whey absorption of each squared and ground paper sample. Whey absorption by squared papers increased with time. Ground samples absorbed more whey than squared ones and maximum quantities were absorbed within 1 to 5 min. Mean percent absorptions for ground telephone book covers, glossy magazines, computer cards, computer printout sheets, daily newsprint, telephone directory yellow pages, cardboard box, feedsacks, brown bags, telephone directory white pages, and coasters were: 31.0, 35.2, 35.4, 36.5, 43.9, 47.9, 51.0, 51.4, 51.7, 55.6, and 67.4. For seven papers, addition of whey increased digestibility. Four papers were either unchanged or decreased in digestibility. This depression of digestibility may have resulted from the high fat content of whey used. Based on in vitro digestibilities, we conclude that it is possible to recycle selected paper/whey combinations through ruminants.
Interest Intermediation in Capitalist and Socialist Systems: Some Structural and Functional Perspectives in Comparative Research

Because most studies of interest intermediation have not been undertaken comparatively, it is desirable to apply to the study of East European socialist systems a functionalist comparative taxonomy, notably by applying the concept of subsystem autonomy. It is argued that limited subsystem autonomy may increase the problem-solving capabilities of political systems, while high subsystem autonomy may have dysfunctional consequences. Combining a functional with a genetic perspective, the emergence of neo-corporatist interest intermediation has been in part attributable to the specific cultural characteristics originating in the early industrialization of certain European countries. Capitalist and socialist systems are facing comparable functional problems.
"Song of Myself," Section 1, in Fifteen Languages

Prints Section 1 of "Song of Myself" in the original (73), and then in a Chinese translation by Zhao Luorui (74), a French translation by Roger Asselineau (75), a German translation by Hans Reisiger (76), a Greek translation by Nikos Proestopoulos (77), a Hebrew translation by Simon Halkin (78), a Hindi translation by V. P. Sharma (79), an Italian translation by Mario Corona (80), a Khmer translation by U Sam Oeur and Ken McCullough (81), a Polish translation by Andrzej Szuba (82), a Portuguese translation by Geir Campos (83), a Russian translation by Kornei I. Chukovsky (84), a Slovenian translation by Uros Mozetic (85), a Spanish translation by Jorge Luis Borges (86), a Swedish translation by K. A. Svensson (87), and a Welsh translation by M. Wynn Thomas (88).
Distribution and Fate of 4-C14-Cholesterol in the Adult Male American Cockroach

The distribution and fate of 4-C14-cholesterol was studied in adult male American cockroaches ( Peripluneta americana (L.)) at 1, 10, and 20 days following injection. More than 80% of the administered radioactivity was still present in the cockroaches at the end of 20 days, indicating a strict sterol economy. Exchange and transport of 4-C14-cholesterol between organs and tissues were evidenced by the continuing presence of radioactive compounds in the hemolymph and changes in the concentration of C14 compounds in several tissues. Paper chromatographic analyses of extracts indicated the presence of free sterols, sterol esters, and more polar steroids in all the tissues examined. Free sterols were predominant, accounting for 55% to 98% of the radioactive compounds present. The highest percentage of radioactive sterol esters (44%) was found in the fat body. Polar steroids were found in low concentrations except in the midgut and hindgut, where they accounted for more than one-tenth of the total radioactivity. When the C14 sterols isolated from whole insects were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography and reverse isotope dilution, greater than 97% of radioactivity was found to behave like unchanged cholesterol.
Efficient utility functions for ceteris paribus preferences

Ceteris paribus (other things being equal) preference provides a convenient means for stating constraints on numeric utility functions, but direct constructions of numerical utility representations from such statements have exponential worst-case cost. This paper describes more efficient constructions that combine analysis of utility independence with constraint-based search.
Drop Out Patterns in the East Los Angeles Community College

This study attempted to analyze the drop out problem from spatial perspectives within the context of East Los Angeles Community College, California. Selected urban land-use types, which positively and negatively influence the propensity to drop out or persist-in colleges, were selected and captured during a global positioning system (GPS)-based field survey followed by spatial analyses through Geographic Information Systems. The finding identified the where of drop out hot spots and offered explanation on the why of those hot spots in the study area. A higher proximity between negative points of interests and the location of dropout students was obtained. The study concludes that urban land-use elements could be among the determinants of college drop out and deserves serious consideration for tackling the challenge and conducting further studies on the issue.
Intelligent drawing correction using place vocabulary constraints

Diagrams used in many domains often require continual redrawing. Diagram drawing programs often aid redrawing by applying secondary corrections that change visual elements to maintain preexisting relationships. These corrections, though useful, can operate in unintuitive ways and cause disfluencies. We describe an implemented prototype system that improves corrections based on place vocabularies (domain-specific spatial relation sets). Place vocabulary constraints (PVCs) translate high-level place vocabularies into low-level geometric constraints by reversing pre-existing recognition rules. By making corrections congruent with a domain vocabulary, PVCs may provide more intuitive drawing corrections.
Detecting Changes in Linear Regressions

We obtain the asymptotic distribution of the maximum likelihood ratio test when we test for possible changes in the regression coefficients. We also prove that the maximum likelihood ratio tests is asymptotically consistent. We propose an estimator for the time of change and show that it is almost surely consistent. We consider the cases when the variance remains constant and when it may change at an unknown time.
Using Max Cut to Enhance Rooted Trees Consistency

Supertree methods are used to construct a large tree over a large set of taxa from a set of small trees over overlapping subsets of the complete taxa set. Since accurate reconstruction methods are currently limited to a maximum of a few dozen taxa, the use of a supertree method in order to construct the tree of life is inevitable. Supertree methods are broadly divided according to the input trees: When the input trees are unrooted, the basic reconstruction unit is a quartet tree. In this case, the basic decision problem of whether there exists a tree that agrees with all quartets is NP-complete. On the other hand, when the input trees are rooted, the basic reconstruction unit is a rooted triplet and the above decision problem has a polynomial time algorithm. However, when there is no tree which agrees with all triplets, it would be desirable to find the tree that agrees with the maximum number of triplets. However, this optimization problem was shown to be NP-hard. Current heuristic approaches perform min cut on a graph representing the triplets inconsistency and return a tree that is guaranteed to satisfy some required properties. In this work, we present a different heuristic approach that guarantees the properties provided by the current methods and give experimental evidence that it significantly outperforms currently used methods. This method is based on a divide and conquer approach, where the min cut in the divide step is replaced by a max cut in a variant of the same graph. The latter is achieved by a lightweight semidefinite programming-like heuristic that leads to very fast running times.
International Working Group on MDS cytogenetics: October 2007 meeting report.

The inaugural meeting of the International Working Group on MDS cytogenetics convened 22-23 October 2007 in Chicago, IL. Under the sponsorship of the Myelodysplastic Syndromes Foundation, the group was organized to address the substantial need for worldwide standardized cytogenetic testing for MDS in clinical practice and research. Eighteen cytogeneticists from 10 countries attended the first working group meeting. Representatives from France and Austria were unable to attend the Chicago meeting. Marilyn L. Slovak, PhD (City of Hope, USA) served as Working Group Chair and Gordon Dewald, PhD (Mayo Clinic, USA), served as Working Group Advisor and Co-Chair. Other members in attendance included: Mette Andersen, Rigshospitalet, Denmark; Lynda Campbell, St. Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Australia; Athena Cherry, Stanford University, USA; Kathy Chun, North York General Hospital, Canada; Mike Griffiths, West Midlands Regional Genetics Lab, UK; Detlef Haase, Georg-August-Universitat, Germany; Claudia Haferlach, MLL Munchner Leukamielabor GmbH, Germany; Anne Hagemeijer, University of Leuven, Belgium; Barbara Hildebrandt, Institut fur Humangenetik & Anthropologie Dupsilonsseldorf, Germany; Douglas Horsman, BC Cancer Agency, Canada; M. Anwar Iqbal, University of Rochester, USA; Suresh Jhanwar, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, USA; Bertil Johansson, University Hospital, Sweden; Michelle LeBeau, University of Chicago, USA; Kazuma Ohyashiki, Tokyo Medical University, Japan; Francesc Sole, Hospital del Mar, Spain. The focus of the working group was to establish the natural history and clinical significance of cytogenetic anomalies associated with the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and to incorporate cytogenetic testing into the development of new treatments to cure MDS. Three specific goals were discussed in an effort to rapidly improve the care of patients with MDS. The first goal was how to educate physicians on the appropriate use of cost effective cytogenetic testing for their patients with MDS. The second goal discussed was how best this working group could assist pharmaceutical companies with the use of appropriate cytogenetic testing in their evaluation of new drugs. The final goal discussed was how to advance cytogenetic research into the origin, progression and clinical significance of genetic anomalies associated with MDS.
Changes in Carotid Intima-Media Thickness During the Cardiac Cycle: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Background Common carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), a measure of subclinical cardiovascular disease, changes during the cardiac cycle. The magnitude of this effect and its implications have not been well studied. Methods and Results Far-wall IMT measurements of the right common carotid artery were measured at end diastole and peak systole in 5633 individuals from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Multivariable regression models were generated with end-diastolic IMT, peak-systolic IMT, and change in IMT during the cardiac cycle as dependent variables and traditional cardiovascular risk factors as independent variables. The average age of our population was 61.9 (45 to 84) years. Average change in carotid IMT during the cardiac cycle was 0.041 mm (95% confidence interval: 0.039 to 0.042 mm), with a mean IMT of 0.68 mm. End-diastolic IMT and peak-systolic IMT were similarly associated with risk factors. In a fully adjusted model, change in carotid IMT during the cardiac cycle was associated with ethnicity and pulse pressure ( P =0.001) and not age, sex, or other risk factors. Chinese and Hispanics had less of a change in IMT than did non-Hispanic whites. With peak-systolic IMT reference values used as normative data, 31.3% more individuals were classified as being in the upper quartile of IMT and at high risk for cardiovascular disease than would be expected when IMT is measured at end diastole. Conclusions Measurable differences in IMT are seen during the cardiac cycle. This affects the interpretation of IMT measurements used for cardiovascular risk assessment, given published normative data with IMT measured at peak systole. Clinical Trial Registration URL: [www.ClinicalTrials.gov][1]. Unique identifier: [NCT00063440][2]. [1]: http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov [2]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=CLINTRIALGOV&access_num=NCT00063440&atom=%2Fahaoa%2F1%2F4%2Fe001420.atom
Contrasting drought tolerance strategies in two desert annuals of hybrid origin

Woody plants native to mesic habitats tend to be more vulnerable to drought-induced cavitation than those in xeric habitats. Cavitation resistance in herbaceous plants, however, is rarely studied and whether or not annual plants in arid habitats conform to the trends observed in woody plants is unknown. This question is addressed by comparing the hydraulic properties of annual plants endemic to relatively mesic and seasonally xeric habitats in the Great Basin Desert, in both native and experimental settings. Vulnerability to cavitation between species differed as predicted when vulnerability curves of similar-sized native individuals were compared. Contrary to expectations, Helianthus anomalus from the relatively mesic dune sites, on average, exhibited higher native embolism, lower soil-to-leaf hydraulic conductance (kL) and lower transpiration rates, than its xeric analogue, H. deserticola. In transplant gardens, H. anomalus’ vulnerability to cavitation was unaffected by transplant location or watering treatment. In H. deserticola, however, vulnerability to cavitation varied significantly in response to watering in transplant gardens and varied as a function of stem water potential (Wstem). H. deserticola largely avoided cavitation through its higher water status and generally more resistant xylem, traits consistent with a short life cycle and typical drought-escape strategy. By contrast, H. anomalus’ higher native embolism is likely to be adaptive by lowering plant conductance and transpiration rate, thus preventing the loss of root-to-soil hydraulic contact in the coarse sand dune soils. For H. anomalus this dehydration avoidance strategy is consistent with its relatively long 3‐4 month life cycle and lowcompetition habitat. We conclude that variance of hydraulic parameters in herbaceous plants is a function of soil moisture heterogeneity and is consistent with the notion that trait plasticity to fine-grained environmental variation can be adaptive.
The incidence of apoptosis after IVF with morphologically abnormal bovine spermatozoa

Normal embryonic development depends on the maintenance of a population of normal healthy cells within each embryo. The aim of this study was to use a combination of apoptotic measures to assess differences in embryo quality after IVF with semen samples with high percentages of abnormal spermatozoa. Semen samples were obtained and cryopreserved from four Holstein bulls before (5 day prior) and after (2 week-post-insult; 2 week-PI and day 20; 3 week-PI) a scrotal insulation period of 48 h (day 0). The swim-up sperm separation method was used. The post-thaw morphology revealed a decrease (P < 0.01) in the percentages of normal spermatozoa in the 3 week-PI samples in comparison with the pre-insult samples for Bulls I and III (74-22.3 and 67.7-0.5%, respectively). The percentage of vacuolated spermatozoa increased significantly for Bull II. After 18 h of sperm-oocyte co-incubation, zygotes were cultured and subpopulations were removed from culture at day 8 and subjected to either the TUNEL or caspase assay. On day 8, caspase intensity increased significantly for both Bull I (217+/-147) and Bull III (229+/-98) for the 3 week-PI embryo groups compared to the equivalent embryo groups for Bull II (98+/-115) and Bull IV (90+/-111). In conclusion, the inability to consistently measure apoptosis with TUNEL alone complicated the assessment of differences in embryo quality. Thus, it is uncertain exactly when during early pre-implantation development the differences in embryo quality are first manifest. Despite discrepancies, our results clearly indicated a difference in the embryo quality between embryos obtained after IVF with semen samples from bulls that had an intense response to scrotal insulation.
On sensitivity kernels for ‘wave-equation’ transmission tomography

SUMMARY We combine seismological scattering theory with the theory of distributions to study some properties of sensitivity kernels for finite frequency seismic delay times. The theory to be used for calculating the kernels depends on the way the measurements are made. For example, the sensitivity to the traveltime proper, that is the time to instantaneous onset of the phase arrival as defined in geometrical ray theory, has a non-zero value on the ray and zero elsewhere, whereas measurements of the smooth later part of the wave excitation can have more complicated kernels. Analysis based upon the Born approximation reveals that the behaviour of such kernels is determined by the regularization of the nth derivative of the Dirac delta supported on the unperturbed source-receiver ray, where n is the spatial dimension. Such regularization induces approximately the desired band-limitation and the associated Fresnel zone averaging. If the regularization is symmetric about the singular support of the delta its odd order derivatives vanish on this support, but the even orders render non-zero values. This explains why 3-D finite frequency kernels for body wave delay times seem—in specific, rather restrictive circumstances—to have zero sensitivity on the ray (as in the so called ‘banana-doughnut kernels’). Indeed, a regularization of the kernel can have a zero on the unperturbed ray, in the absence of caustics (that is, the medium must be simple or quasi-homogeneous) and only if the exact source signature (e.g., source time function) is known and used; both conditions can be met in synthetic cases but not—in general—in applications to real data and heterogeneous media. In general, one will not know where the oscillatory kernels have zero values, which has implications for the use of such kernels for the linearization of transmission tomography. We briefly clarify these observations by invoking a multiresolution analysis of sensitivity kernels, connected with a time-frequency analysis of phase arrival times.
A data sublanguage for formulation of linear mathematical models

The database language SQL is extended to allow the specification of constraints, computed attributes, triggers, and optimizations for mathematical linear programming problems. QSL can be used directly to interface with various linear optimization routines. In this regard, an integration of these models and databases, from a user point of view, is achieved. A macro architecture for the implementation of the system is proposed. >
Fabrication of DNA Microarrays on Nanoengineered Polymeric Ultrathin Film Prepared by Self-Assembly of Polyelectrolyte Multilayers

Microarray-based technology is in need of flexible and cost-effective chemistry for fabrication of oligonucleotide microarrays. We have developed a novel method for the fabrication of oligonucleotide microarrays with unmodified oligonucleotide probes on nanoengineered three-dimensional thin films that are deposited on glass slides by consecutive layer-to-layer adsorption of polyelectrolytes. Unmodified oligonucleotide probes were spotted and immobilized on these multilayered polyelectrolyte thin films (PET) by electrostatic adsorption and entrapment on the porous structure of the PET film. The PET provides higher probe binding capacity and thus higher hybridization signal than that of the traditional two-dimensional aminosilane and poly-L-lysine coated slides. Immobilized probe densities of 3.4 x 10(12)/cm2 were observed for microarray spots on PET with unmodified 50-mer oligonucleotide probes, which is comparable to the immobilized probe densities of alkyamine-modified 50-mer probes end-tethered on an aldehyde-functionalized slide. The study of hybridization efficiency showed that 90% of immobilized probes on PET film are accessible to target DNA to form duplex format in hybridization. The DNA microarray fabricated on PET film has wider dynamic range (about 3 orders of magnitude) and lower detection limit (0.5 nM) than the conventional amino- and aldehyde-functionalized slides. Oligonucleotide microarrays fabricated on these PET-coated slides also had consistent spot morphology. In addition, discrimination of single nucleotide polymorphism of 16S rRNA genes was achieved with the PET-based oligonucleotide microarrays. The PET microarrays constructed by our self-assembly process is cost-effective, versatile, and well suited for immobilizing many types of biological active molecules so that a wide variety of microarray formats can be developed.
On a conjecture of Majani and Rumsey

We present a proof for a conjecture of Majani and Rumsey (1991), which claims that every probability component of each capacity-achieving input probability distribution (IPD) of a finite-input finite-output discrete memoryless channel (DMC) with positive capacity is less than 1 - 1/e, where e = 1+1/1! +1/2! +1/3! +.... = 2.71828182... is the base of natural logarithms.
Endostatin binding to ovarian cancer cells inhibits peritoneal attachment and dissemination

Ovarian cancer cells use integrins to attach to the peritoneal wall. Integrin alpha(5)beta(1) is also the target for the angiogenesis inhibitor, endostatin. Therefore, the ability of endostatin to competitively inhibit tumor cell seeding of the peritoneum was investigated. An imaging method was developed to determine early phases of peritoneal dissemination of ovarian cancer cells. Using this method, endostatin was found to bind ovarian cancer cells through integrin alpha(5)beta(1) and inhibit vessel cooption efficiently. Although both angiostatin and endostatin are potent inhibitors of tumor angiogenesis, peritoneal attachment and vessel cooption was blocked only by the endostatin. Knocking down the expression of integrins alpha(5) and beta(1) in ovarian cancer cells interfered with endostatin-mediated inhibition of peritoneal seeding. Furthermore, adenovirus-mediated in situ expression of endostatin either inside the peritoneum or by the ovarian tumor cells inhibited peritoneal seeding and dissemination in vivo. Endostatin treatment also prevented primary ovarian cancer cells from attaching to mouse peritoneal wall. These studies show a paraendothelial mechanism by which endostatin can inhibit peritoneal dissemination of ovarian cancer cells and raises the possibility of intraperitoneal expression of endostatin to reduce recurrence.
Study of the flashover process on ice-covered insulator string

The flashover process during ice-melting period of polluted and ice-covered insulator string was studied by experiment in this paper. Arc development, evolution of leakage current and its frequency representation (FFT) were analyzed. The results indicated that the flashover process can be divided into five stages, named initial stage, intermittence local arc stage, arc propagation stage, critical flashover stage and flashover stage. Each stage has distinct discharge phenomenon and a fixed level of leakage current peak value. Both the nonlinearity and the phase angle difference between leakage current and the applied voltage decrease with the raising of leakage current. At the initial stage, the leakage current peak value is less than 10mA and hardly has any harmonic content. When the arc is intermittent, the harmonic content of the leakage current is the largest. The leakage current waveform is smooth and has fewer harmonics at critical flashover stage.
TEMPERATURE, TRANSPARENCY, AND PHYTOPLANKTON PRODUCTIVITY IN CRATER LAKE, OREGON1

Maximum productivity and the largest concentration of chlorophyll a in Crater Lake during summer 1968 and 1969 occurred at depths where temperatures were near 4C and measurable light <4% of surface illumination. It is suggested that the phytoplankton in the lake consists mostly of oligothermal-oligophotic populations that are limited to depths greater than 70 m in summer, but occupy the 0-70-m stratum in winter, so that a rather constant rate of production per unit arca is maintained throughout the year.
Regular separable graphs of minimum order with given diameter

A (d, c, v)-graph G is one which is regular of degree v and has diameter d and connectivity c. G is said to be minimum if it is of minimum order, i.e. has the minimumnumber of points; G is separable if c=1. In this paper, the minimum order of a (d, 1, v)-graph is determined and the construction of all minimum (d, 1, v)-graphs is described.
Seropositivity to celiac antigens in asymptomatic children with type 1 diabetes mellitus: association with weight, height, and bone mineralization

Celiac disease (CD) is a gastrointestinal disorder caused by sensitivity to the gliadin fraction of gluten proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye. In genetically prone individuals, exposure to gluten initiates an inflammatory response in the lining of the small bowel and development of circulating antibodies to tissue transglutaminase (TGA), to the endomysium, and/or to gliadin. Patients with classical or clinically overt CD usually complain of abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea. If untreated, the inflammation leads to chronic malabsorption of macronutrients as well as folate, fat-soluble vitamins, and iron. Complications may include growth failure, osteoporosis, hepatocellular dysfunction, anovulation, infertility and habitual miscarriage, neurologic dysfunction, and an increased risk of small bowel lymphoma (1-8). Currently, the only treatment is strict gluten restriction. The prevalence of CD in children with type 1 diabetes (1.7–10%) (1, 9-11) exceeds greatly than that in the general population (0.5-0.8%) (12-14). Interestingly, most patients with diabetes have a ‘subclinical’ form of the illness; they are seropositive to celiac antigens and may have pathological changes of the small bowel villi but lack the abdominal symptoms seen in classical CD. Serologic screening of children with diabetes for CD is controversial because no studies have demonstrated metabolic complications in asymptomatic, seropositive subjects or beneficial effects of dietary intervention. We hypothesized that seropositivity to celiac antigens is associated with decreased parameters of weight, height, and bone mineralization in asymptomatic children with type 1 diabetes. To that end, we compared baseline weight, height, and bone mineralization and serum insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, IGF-binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3), 25 hydroxy vitamin D (25 OHD), and parathyroid hormone (PTH) in seropositive children with diabetes with baseline values in seronegative diabetic controls. We analyzed parameters of weight gain and growth and bone mineralization in a subset of seropositive subjects who underwent small bowel biopsy to assess correlations with severity of villous pathology. Finally, we assessed the changes in growth and bone mineralization in four asymptomatic subjects who maintained for 1 yr or more a strict gluten-free diet.
The Effect of Preoperative Renal Insufficiency on Postoperative Outcomes after Major Hepatectomy: A Multi-Institutional Analysis of 1,170 Patients

Background Renal insufficiency adversely affects outcomes after cardiac and vascular surgery. The effect of preoperative renal insufficiency on outcomes after major hepatectomy is unknown. Study Design All patients who underwent major hepatectomy (≥3 segments) at 3 institutions from 2000 to 2012 were identified. Resections were performed using low central venous pressure anesthesia. Renal function was analyzed by preoperative serum creatinine (sCr) level. Primary outcomes were major complications (Clavien grade III to V), respiratory failure, renal failure requiring hemodialysis, and 90-day mortality. Results One thousand one hundred and seventy patients had preoperative sCr levels available. Renal function was analyzed using sCr dichotomized at 1.8 mg/dL, 1 SD higher than the mean value (0.97 ± 0.79 mg/dL) for the cohort. Twenty-two patients had sCr ≥1.8 mg/dL. Major complications occurred in 279 patients (23.8%), respiratory failure in 62 (5.3%), and renal failure in 31 (2.6%). Ninety-day mortality rate was 5.4%. On multivariate analysis, patients with sCr ≥1.8 mg/dL remained at significantly increased risk for major complications (hazard ratio = 3.94; 95% CI, 1.48–10.49; p = 0.006), respiratory failure (hazard ratio = 4.43; 95% CI, 1.33–14.80; p = 0.014), and renal failure (hazard ratio = 4.75; 95% CI, 1.19–18.97; p = 0.028). Serum Cr ≥1.8 mg/dL was not independently associated with 90-day mortality on multivariate analysis (p = 0.27). Conclusions Preoperative serum creatinine ≥1.8 mg/dL identifies patients at significantly increased risk of postoperative major complications, respiratory failure, and renal failure requiring dialysis. Patients are well selected for major hepatectomy, and few patients with substantial renal insufficiency are deemed operative candidates.
miR-150 regulates the development of NK and iNKT cells

Natural killer (NK) and invariant NK T (iNKT) cells are critical in host defense against pathogens and for the initiation of adaptive immune responses. miRNAs play important roles in NK and iNKT cell development, maturation, and function, but the roles of specific miRNAs are unclear. We show that modulation of miR-150 expression levels has a differential effect on NK and iNKT cell development. Mice with a targeted deletion of miR-150 have an impaired, cell lineage–intrinsic defect in their ability to generate mature NK cells. Conversely, a gain-of-function miR-150 transgene promotes the development of NK cells, which display a more mature phenotype and are more responsive to activation. In contrast, overexpression of miR-150 results in a substantial reduction of iNKT cells in the thymus and in the peripheral lymphoid organs. The transcription factor c-Myb has been shown to be a direct target of miR-150. Our finding of increased NK cell and decreased iNKT cell frequencies in Myb heterozygous bone marrow chimeras suggests that miR-150 differentially controls the development of NK and iNKT cell lineages by targeting c-Myb.
The fermentation of whole wheat flour by Pediococcus pentosaceus / Fermentación de harina de trigo integral con Pediococcus pentosaceus

A whole wheat flour:water brew (1:3) was fermented (at 32 °C) with a Pediococcus pentosaceus culture at inoculation levels (I) of log10I = 0 (control), 5, 6, 7 and 8 cfu/g brew. A direct relationship was observed between the inoculation level and the absolute values of the b and c parameters of the fitted fermentation equation: pH = a + bt + ct2. The first derivative of the fermentation equation was used to determine the duration of the lag phase period. When the inoculation level was increased from log 10I = 0 to log10I = 8 cfu/g brew the lag phase period (Lp) and the fermentation time (t) decreased from 5.2 to 0.8 h and from 18.0 to 4.2 h, respectively. The model lag phase period and the model fermentation time at inoculation levels other than those examined in this study were calculated using the equa tions LpM= 5.2 + 0.0245I - 0.0714I2 and tM5.0 = 18 - 1.15I- 0.075 I2, respectively. The acid production phase comprised 68% of the fermentation period. The fermentation rate (F) within each of the three p...
Radiographic clues for high-energy trauma: three cases of sternoclavicular dislocation.

retrosternally, using the costoclavicular ligament as a fulcrum. Posterior dislocation may compromise structures of the thoracic outlet and anterior mediastinal space, including the trachea, esophagus, nerves (brachial plexus, recurrent laryngeal), and the great vessels (superior vena cava, aorta). Posterior dislocations are commonly reduced in the operating room if a cardiothoracic surgeon is readily available. Because the medial epiphysis is the last to ossify and close (approximately at 19 years and between 23 and 25 years, respectively), clavicle shaft displacements seen with physeal disruptions at the medial end of the clavicle in adolescents and young adults may mimic sternoclavicular dislocations [2]. Conventional radiographic diagnosis of sternoclavicular dislocations may be difficult because radiographic‐anatomic superimposition precludes an “ideal” lateral image. Nonetheless, many unique views have been proposed, including the Rockwood (serendipity), Hobb, Kattan [4], and Heinig views. On nonrotated frontal radiographs, a difference in relative craniocaudal positions of the medial clavicles greater than 50% of the width of the heads of the clavicles suggests dislocation. When the diagnosis remains unclear (Figs. 2 and 3), adjunctive imaging is indicated for surgical planning of combined medial clavicle fracture‐dislocations and to examine potential neurovascular and tracheal injuries in posterior dislocations. Thin-section ( ≤ 3‐mm collimation) axial CT is the standard for the diagnosis of sternoclavicular joint dislocations.
How 'Critical' is Investment Return for a SMarT Plan

It has been known that individuals do not take a very active role in selection of retirement options. (Choi et al., 2004) It has also been noted that behaviorally individuals typically do not follow through with planned increases to their retirement savings. (Thaler and Benartzi, 2004) Given the contentious nature of Social Security and Social Security reform one might expect the increase in individual savings needed to offset the expected fall in benefits due to the decrease in the worker to retiree ratio to be rather high. In “OutSMarTing the Social Security Crisis” (Findley and Caliendo, 2007) showed this may not be the case. However I wanted to test the robustness of their results in a variable rate of return environment. Using a Monte Carlo analysis I have conducted a more in-depth sensitivity analysis of their model using random normal distribution for the rate of return of the agent’s investments. In a more variable rate of return environment I find that there are larger extremes to the “Critical SMarT Rate”, but also a lower average critical rate needed as well. While numerous other assumptions can be made regarding investment returns and wage growth I hope the reader finds these assumptions reasonable and the results useful showing that in many cases the amount an individual needs to save to offset the fall in social security benefits is perhaps not as high as one might assume depending on the scenario.
Determining the order of resistance genes against Stagonospora nodorum blotch, Fusarium head blight and stem rust on wheat chromosome arm 3BS

Stagonospora nodorum blotch (SNB), Fusarium head blight (FHB) and stem rust (SR), caused by the fungi Parastagonospora (synonym Stagonospora) nodorum, Fusarium graminearum and Puccinia graminis, respectively, significantly reduce yield and quality of wheat. Three resistance factors, QSng.sfr-3BS, Fhb1 and Sr2, conferring resistance, respectively, to SNB, FHB and SR, each from a unique donor line, were mapped previously to the short arm of wheat chromosome 3B. Based on published reports, our hypothesis was that Sr2 is the most distal, Fhb1 the most proximal and QSng.sfr-3BS is in between Sr2 and Fhb1 on wheat chromosome arm 3BS. To test this hypothesis, 1600 F2 plants from crosses between parental lines Arina, Alsen and Ocoroni86, conferring resistance genes QSng.sfr-3BS, Fhb1 and Sr2, respectively, were genotyped and phenotyped for SNB along with the parental lines. Five closely linked single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were used to make the genetic map and determine the gene order. The results indicate that QSng.sfr-3BS is located between the other two resistance genes on chromosome 3BS. Knowing the positional order of these resistance genes will aid in developing a wheat line with all three genes in coupling, which has the potential to provide broad-spectrum resistance preventing grain yield and quality losses.
Melville's Billy Budd and Security in Times of Crisis

During times of crisis, our leaders have made profound sacrifices in the name of security, ones that we later realized need not have been made. Examples include the Palmer Raids, the McCarthy Era anti-Communist movement, and the Japanese-American Internment. After September 11th, this tragic history repeated itself. The Bush Administration has curtailed civil liberties in many ways, including detaining people indefinitely without hearings or counsel. These events give Herman Melville's "Billy Budd" renewed relevance to our times. "Billy Budd" is a moving depiction of a profound sacrifice made in the name of security. This essay diverges from conventional readings that view "Billy Budd" as critiquing the rule of law. Instead, "Billy Budd" supplies us with a radical and unsettling set of insights about why our leaders often fail to do justice in times of crisis. The novella suggests that by manipulating procedure under the guise of law, Vere gives the appearance of following the rule of law, when, in fact, he is not. This is particularly illuminating, as the Supreme Court in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld has held that normal procedures required by the Due Process Clause can be modified and watered-down for enemy combatants. (This essay was written for a law and literature symposium at Cardozo Law School).