cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhancement of seedling vigor in rice (Oryza sativa L.) by seed treatment with gibberellic acid

Seedling vigor is poor in many long-grain varieties of rice grown in the southern US (Linscombe, 1990). Semidwarf varieties in particular exhibit poor seedling vigor seen as slow emergence and low densities. Emergence indices rated the long-grain semidwarf ‘Lemont’ fifth out of seven long-grain varieties tested under field conditions that included a seeding depth of 2.5 cm (Mcllrath, 1984).
Plant Cell Culture

Plant cell culture is a broad term applied to a wide range of techniques involving plant parts cultured on an artificial nutrient medium under a controlled culture environment. Keywords: plant tissue culture; in vitro culture; micropropagation; clonal propagation; plant genetic engineering; virus-free plants; embryo rescue; haploid plants; secondary products
Photofragment Spectroscopy Of Interstellar Molecules

The applications of photofragment spectroscopy to the study of interstellar molecules is discussed. The measurement of photodissociation cross sections is of direct astrophysical interest; in addition, the use of photodissociation as a half-collision event allows an examination of low energy collisions that are characteristic of interstellar clouds. Examples presented here include a recent half-collision study of CH+ and the extension of photofragment methods to the study of neutral free radicals CH and OH.
Distributional Change of Membrane‐associated Calcium in Sea Urchin Eggs during Fertilization

The “source and sink” for the intracellular calcium released during fertilization were examined in sea urchin eggs, Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus, with chlortetracycline as a fluorescent chelate probe. In order to distinguish the differential distribution of membrane-associated calcium in various compartments in cytoplasm, eggs were stratified by centrifugation before or after fertilization. Only the layer containing mainly mitochondria exhibited the chlortetracycline-fluorescence in unfertilized eggs. After fertilization, a new fluorescent band emerged in the membrane-rich clear layer of stratified eggs. Chlortetracycline-fluorescence in the clear layer was gradually redistributed surrounding the prophase nucleus and then incorporated into the mitotic apparatus. From these observations, we postulate that the major source(s) of released free calcium ions at fertilization is in the mitochondira layer and membranes in the clear layer are newly activated as the calcium sequestering system after fertilization.
A Bayesian Approach for Incorporating Variable Rates of Heterogeneity in Linkage Analysis

A widely used approach for dealing with locus heterogeneity in linkage analysis is based on mixture likelihood, in which a single mixing (heterogeneity) parameter represents the probability that each family is of linked type. However, in general, different types of families exhibit different heterogeneity levels. To incorporate this variability, we propose a new approach wherein each family has its own heterogeneity parameter representing the probability that it is of linked type. These parameters are nuisance parameters, whereas the main parameter of interest is the location of the disease gene, if there is any. We model the problem in the Bayesian framework and implement it using the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methodology. In particular, we use the reversible-jump MCMC sampler to move between the two models: linkage and no linkage. We first estimate the posterior probability of linkage on a chromosome and the corresponding Bayes factor. If linkage is inferred, then the location of the disease gene ...
Interaction of Alcohols and Anesthetics with Protein Kinase Cα

The key signal transduction enzyme protein kinase C (PKC) contains a hydrophobic binding site for alcohols and anesthetics (Slater, S. J., Cox, K. J. A., Lombardi, J. V., Ho, C., Kelly, M. B., Rubin, E., and Stubbs, C. D. (1993) Nature 364, 82-84). In this study, we show that interaction of n-alkanols and general anesthetics with PKCalpha results in dramatically different effects on membrane-associated compared with lipid-independent enzyme activity. Furthermore, the effects on membrane-associated PKCalpha differ markedly depending on whether activity is induced by diacylglycerol or phorbol ester and also on n-alkanol chain length. PKCalpha contains two distinct phorbol ester binding regions of low and high affinity for the activator, respectively (Slater, S. J., Ho, C., Kelly, M. B., Larkin, J. D., Taddeo, F. J., Yeager, M. D., and Stubbs, C. D. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 4627-4631). Short chain n-alkanols competed for low affinity phorbol ester binding to the enzyme, resulting in reduced enzyme activity, whereas high affinity phorbol ester binding was unaffected. Long chain n-alkanols not only competed for low affinity phorbol ester binding but also enhanced high affinity phorbol ester binding. Furthermore, long chain n-alkanols enhanced phorbol ester induced PKCalpha activity. This effect of long chain n-alkanols was similar to that of diacylglycerol, although the n-alkanols alone were weak activators of the enzyme. The cellular effects of n-alkanols and general anesthetics on PKC-mediated processes will therefore depend in a complex manner on the locality of the enzyme (e.g. cytoskeletal or membrane-associated) and activator type, apart from any isoform-specific differences. Furthermore, effects mediated by interaction with the region on the enzyme possessing low affinity for phorbol esters represent a novel mechanism for the regulation of PKC activity.
Stroke in octogenarians undergoing coronary artery surgery with and without cardiopulmonary bypass.

Abstract Background . Myocardial revascularization in elderly patients is associated with a morbidity and a mortality substantially higher than those observed in younger patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the potential benefits of coronary artery bypass grafting without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for octogenarians. Methods . Of 269 octogenarians who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting at our institution between January 1995 and May 1999, 172 had the operation with CPB (CPB group) and 97, without CPB (off-pump group). Revascularization of the circumflex system or right coronary artery were not considered contraindications to off-pump grafting. Demographic data, preoperative risk factors, comorbid conditions, angiographic findings, postoperative complications, and outcomes were compared. Results . The groups were comparable for age, sex, Canadian Cardiovascular Society class, operative priority (elective, urgent, or emergent), preoperative risk factors, and left ventricular ejection fraction. A significantly higher proportion of reoperations was observed in the off-pump cohort (16 of 97, 16.5%) compared with the CPB cohort (8 of 172, 4.7%) ( p = 0.002). There was a trend toward a higher graft-patient ratio in the CPB group (3.3 versus 1.8; p = not significant). Freedom from postoperative complications was significantly higher in the off-pump group than in the CPB group (83 of 97, 85.6%, versus 129 of 172, 75%; p = 0.04). The incidence of stroke was 0% in the off-pump cohort compared with 9.3% (16 of 172) in the CPB cohort ( p p = not significant). Conclusions . This investigation suggests that patients 80 years of age and older undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting can experience significantly lower rates of perioperative stroke and overall complications compared with those undergoing the same procedure with CPB, although a trend toward higher mortality rates was observed in the off-pump group.
Cyclical equilibria in multi-sector productive economies: The role of substitution and factor intensity

Abstract The paper examines the existence of cyclical perfect foresight equilibria in a two-sector overlapping generations economy with production in which both goods enter consumption. Conditions for the existence of two types of cyclical equilibra are obtained in terms of elasticities of substitution in production and consumption, factor shares in production, and expenditure shares in consumption. The role of substitution possibilities and factor intensities is highlighted. It is shown that factor intensity assumptions are not enough to rule out cyclical equilibria and that limit cycles may exist for substantial amounts of substitution possibilities in production; what matters is the relative sizes of the consumption and production elasticities. The results are illustrated using CES functions. A dynamical simulation of an economy which exhibits a Hopf cycle is presented.
Breeding adaptations of Franklin's gull (larus pipixcan) to a marsh habitat***

Abstract The behaviour and ecology of Franklin's gull were studied at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Minnesota to determine the adaptations of the species for nesting in marshes. Two factors seemed to be important in colony site selection: cattail dispersion pattern and cattail density. Franklin's gulls prefer to nest in cattail areas closest to open water. The number of nests per unit area decreased as cattail density increased. Nest site selection is dependent on aggression and visibility. Visibility from nest level is the result of cattail placement and height. The distance between nests was directly correlated with visibility. Aggression by gulls on nests was lowered experimentally by decreasing visibility and raised by increasing visibility. Nest platforms were constructed of cattail material, and were attached to cattail stems. Nest material was added to the nests throughout the incubation and brooding period. Material was usually added following nest relief. The egg laying period was from 6 to 28 May. There was more synchrony of egg laying in sub-areas of the colony than in the colony as a whole. Successive eggs in clutches were laid at 24- to 48-hr intervals. The distance between nests decreased during the season as pairs filled in areas that were not defended. Territorial pairs defended an area up to 10 m from their stations prior to egg laying, but defended only the area within 3 m of their nests during incubation. Both members of pairs incubated the eggs and cared for the young. The incubation period was 24 days. The primary predators on adults and young were marsh hawk, great horned owl and mink. Franklin's gulls do not eat eggs or young of gulls. Adults fed on earthworms, insects and grain. Most marked adults fed within 16 km of the colony. Chicks were fed primarily on earthworms. The hatching period was from 30 May to 21 June. Chicks of all ages tested on a visual cliff apparatus were able to perceive the drop. Chicks tested on a 30-degree incline apparatus walked up it when 6 days old and younger, and walked down at 12 days of age and older. Brood mobility was less than in ground nesting species of gulls. In an undisturbed colony the chicks remained on the nest platforms until they were 25 to 30 days old although they were capable of swimming shortly after hatching. Individual recognition between parents and chicks appeared later in this species than in ground-nesting gulls. Adults accepted alien chicks (experimentally exchanged) that were younger than about 14 days old until their own chicks were over that age. Adults accepted larger and older broods than their own, as well as broods of mixed ages. Chicks began to react differently to strange adults at about 16 days of age. The breeding chronology of Franklin's gull is compressed when compared to that of other gulls. Possible selection pressures affecting this synchrony are discussed. The behaviour of the marsh-nesting Franklin's gull is compared with that of typical ground-and cliffnesting gulls; the possibility that the ancestral gull may have been a marsh nester is discussed.
Fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis rates in the intact rat.

Abstract An approach to the determination of lipide synthesis rates in the individual intact rat using single tracer injection, short-term experiments is described. Use is made of respiratory C 14 O 2 data to evaluate the carbon flux through the precursor stages. Fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis rates determined in this manner are reported as mg. lipide synthesized/ hr./100 g. animal weight for total animal, liver, and carcass of normal, chow-fed Sprague-Dawley rats in the postprandial, postabsorptive, and 18-hr. fasted states.
Fracture assessment of ferritic steel components under dynamic loading

Abstract This paper summarizes recent studies on application of the Weibull stress model to predict cleavage fracture of structural components under dynamic loading. Two pressure vessel steels, the strongly rate-sensitive A515-70 steel and the moderately rate-sensitive Euro material (22NiMoCr37), are considered in the investigation. The results, based on independent calibrations at different loading rates, demonstrate that the Weibull modulus ( m ) is invariant of loading rate for both materials. While m remains a constant for each material, σ u decreases and σ w–min increases with higher loading rates. The studies also show that dynamic loading reduces constraint loss, i.e., it drives the response towards the small-scale yielding configuration, and this rate effect tends to saturate at higher loading rate. The demonstrated loading rate invariance of m , when combined with the Master Curve for dynamic loading, can provide a practical approach which simplifies the process to estimate σ u as a function of loading rate.
Mass Murder in Perspective: Guest Editor’s Introduction

Police reports are filled with familiar cases of homicide—those in which a killer takes the life of a single victim after having a heated argument that escalates into a physical attack. Two men in a bar have a verbal exchange; one pulls out a gun and shoots the other. Or, a married couple argues at home. One takes a knife from the kitchen drawer and stabs to death his partner. Or, a teenager shoots a rival gang member after feeling disrespected by a challenging glance or an obscenity shouted in his direction. This special issue of Homicide Studies goes beyond the more traditional and mundane cases of single-victim homicide to examine the causes, characteristics, and consequences of a type of murder that is relatively rare but also extremely consequential. The articles in this issue focus on mass murder—incidents of multiple homicide in which a number of victims are slain simultaneously in one or two locations.
Tourism Sages Prognosticate The Next 40 Years of Tourism Industry

A panel of 22 individuals, each with an average of 51 years of professional experience in the tourism industries, was asked to draw on their extensive experience and make predictions about issues that may have an impact on tourism in 40 years. The panel participants, or tourism ‘sages’, ranged in age from 73 years to 86 years. A three- round online Delphi survey was used to collect data from the participants, which was used to make forecasts about the future of tourism. The foundations of future tourism success will be consumer-focused technology, excellent service, and proactive tourism policy designed to meet the demands of a more diverse travelling public. Tourism managers in the future will be able to capitalize on new demand brought about by social changes, such as increased personal wealth, increased lifespan, and less oppressive government regimes that allow more people to travel more freely. Contrary to other tourism futures research, this study found respondents to be less concerned about the natural environment and traveller safety, but more concerned about competing based on quality tourism product, experience, and service.
Hippocampal cells primed with quisqualate are depolarized by AP4 and AP6, ligands for a putative glutamate uptake site.

Abstract The glutamate analog 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate (AP4), which in control slices has little effect on Schaffer synaptic responses in hippocampal area CA 1 , reduces Schaffer responses in slices treated with quisqualate. We have shown that this effect of AP4 is associated with depolarization of CA 1 neurons and a persisting small reduction in Schaffer response amplitude. 2-Amino-6-phosphonohexanoate also depressed Schaffer responses following priming with quisqualate, but 2-amino-7-phosphonoheptanoate did not. Treatment with α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) or N-methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) did not sensitize slices to AP4. The pharmacology of this ‘priming effect’ of quisqualate corresponds to that of a putative uptake site. We suggest the effects of AP4 (and AP6) result from exchange for previously accumulated quisqualate.
Evasion, private events, and pragmatism: A Reply to Moore's response to my review of Conceptual Foundations of Radical Behaviorism.

Moore's screed in response to my review of his book uses several rhetorical tricks to counter criticism without actually addressing it: he tries to preempt the transparency of his own orthodoxy by groundlessly accusing me of orthodoxy; he caricatures my criticisms to make them appear obviously wrong; he professes lack of understanding so as to dodge having to attempt a genuine response; and he engages in pejorative labeling to dismiss the criticisms without analysis. From a scientific and pragmatic point of view, private events are a mistake, precisely because they are private. They cannot serve as independent variables, as Moore suggests, because they cannot be measured; “private independent variable” is a contradiction in terms. When we carefully examine locutions like “observe” and “report on,” we discover that they entail only public verbal and nonverbal behavior, not objects and not private events as objects. A person in pain is not reporting on anything, is engaging in public verbal and nonverbal pain-behavior, and an infant or a dog may be considered to be in pain. The public behavior is all that matters, because determining whether a person is really in pain privately is impossible. The same is true of any private event, and the control of the public behavior on which the verbal community comments lies in the public environment. We cannot have two sets of principles, one for verbal behavior and one for nonverbal behavior or one for humans and one for other animals.
Anomalous White Matter Morphology in Adults Who Stutter

Aims Developmental stuttering is now generally considered to arise from genetic determinants interacting with neurologic function. Changes within speech-motor white matter (WM) connections may also be implicated. These connections can now be studied in great detail by high-angular-resolution diffusion magnetic resonance imaging. Therefore, diffusion spectrum imaging was used to reconstruct streamlines to examine white matter connections in people who stutter (PWS) and in people who do not stutter (PWNS). Method WM morphology of the entire brain was assayed in 8 right-handed male PWS and 8 similarly aged right-handed male PWNS. WM was exhaustively searched using a deterministic algorithm that identifies missing or largely misshapen tracts. To be abnormal, a tract (defined as all streamlines connecting a pair of gray matter regions) was required to be at least one 3rd missing, in 7 out of 8 subjects in one group and not in the other group. Results Large portions of bilateral arcuate fasciculi, a heavily res...
Transgenic mice: a decade of progress in technology and research.

Abstract In little more than a decade, the techniques developed for altering the genetic makeup of laboratory and livestock animals and plants have changed the landscape of biological research. It is now possible to introduce virtually any cloned gene into the germ line and study the expression pattern and pattern and effects of the inroduced gene, or transgene. This has allowed the extension of in vitro and in vivo cell-culture studies into whole animal systems in which the introduced gene is subjected to all normal regulatory processes from the onset of development. Although there have been reports of foreign gene expression resulting from direct injection of DNA in animals (e.g., Wolff et al., 1990; Zhu et al., 1993), transgenic animals are the primary models for examining molecular genetic phenomena in vivo.
Abstract LB-85: Ectopic expression of eukaryotic translation elongation factor eEF1A2 is a hallmark for human lung cancer and is associated with poor prognosis

Background: The elongation factor eEF1A is one of the most abundantly expressed cellular proteins. It exists in two forms, eEF1A2, expressed in neurons and striated muscle, and eEF1A1, expressed in all other cell types. No normal adult cell expresses both forms. We investigated their role in lung cancer. Methods: We studied over 500 NSCLC and SCLC lung cancers and over 170 cell lines, as well as corresponding non- malignant lung tissues and immortalized respiratory epithelial lines. Methods included microarray, qPCR, immunostaining and western blots for eEF1A1 and eEF1A2, genomic sequencing and SNP analyses. Results: All normal and malignant cells highly expressed eEF1A1. EEF1A2 was expressed in 70-80% of all forms of lung cancers and 95% of cell lines, while all non-malignant tissues were negative. Expression of eEF1A2 in neuroendocrine tumors was particular high. The ectopic expression of eEF1A2 was not the consequence of mutations or copy number gains. Use of demethylating agents and HDAC inhibitors resulted in expression of eEF1A2 in respiratory epithelial cells, indicating that epigenetic mechanisms prevented expression in non-malignant cells. Transient knockdown of the eEF1A2 expression inhibited proliferation and colony formation of lung cancer cell lines. Furthermore, the expression of eEF1A2 in resected NSCLC cancers was associated with poor survival. Conclusions: Highly specific ectopic expression of eEF1A2 gene is frequent in all types of lung cancer, plays an important role in tumor pathogenesis and is a potential diagnostic and prognostic factor. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-85. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-LB-85
Cryopreservation of Cell-Containing Poly(ethylene) Glycol Hydrogel Microarrays

Here we describe the fabrication and preservation of mammalian cell-containing hydrogel microarrays that have potential applications in drug screening and pathogen detection. Hydrogel microstructures containing murine fibroblasts were fabricated on silicon substrates and subjected to a “stage-down” freezing process. The percent viability of both immortal and primary embroyonic murine fibroblast cells within the gels was determined at various stages in the freezing process, showing that cells entrapped in hydrogel microstructures remained viable throughout the process. When compared to immortalized adherent cultures subjected to the same freezing process, cells within hydrogel structures had higher cell viabilities at all stages during preservation. Finally, the necessity of using a cryoprotectant, dimelthyl sulfoxide (DMSO), was investigated. Cells in hydrogels were cryopreserved with and without DMSO. The addition of DMSO altered cell viability after the freeze-thaw process, enhancing viability in an immortalized cell line and decreasing viability in a primary cell line.
Idiopathic neonatal iron storage involving the liver, pancreas, heart, and endocrine and exocrine glands

Autopsy studies of two infants, one a newborn, the other 4 months old, revealed massive amounts of iron in lysosomes of hepatocytes and pancreatic acinar cells. Iron, which had been transported across the placenta, accumulated in the same cell types as in adults with primary and secondary hemochromatosis. Hemosiderin was found in cardiac muscle cells, gastric and intestinal glands, and endocrine and exocrine organs including pituitary, thyroid, adrenals, islets of Langerhans, and sublingual and sweat glands. The liver was the most affected organ and the normal hepatic architecture was replaced by hepatocytes which were arranged in clusters, pseudoacinar structures, and multinucleated giant cells embedded in a collagen matrix. The islets of Langerhans were hyperplastic and hypertrophic. Ten similar cases, in five families, have been described; no patients lived longer than 4 months. Neonatal iron storage disease is clinically and pathologically distinct from Zellweger's cerebrohepatorenal syndrome and hypermethioninemia (tyrosinemia) neonatal diseases in which large stores of iron are present in hepatocytes. No abnormalities in serum iron, ferritin, or transferrin concentrations were detected in five parents of the affected children.
Is the US “leading from behind” on health policy?

There is a common and perhaps understandable perception that the US is an international laggard when it comes to health policy. The US famously spends far more per capita than other countries, despite middling performance on key population health metrics. The country’s political system and cultural traditions make it challenging at the national level to advance sweeping social policy of any kind, including health policy. The US was the last industrialized nation to enact a comprehensive health insurance plan for its citizens, for example, and implementation of that law, the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), continues to be deeply controversial. The American health care system has historically been decentralized and fragmented and heavily influenced by interest groups. Yet it would be a misconception to infer that the US is lagging in health policy innovation. Indeed, a quiet transformation is occurring in the country in terms of new organizational arrangements, incentive-based programs, and an orientation in research towards ‘‘patient-centeredness.’’ As in foreign policy, where the US has been characterized as ‘‘leading from behind’’ on flashpoints from Libya to Syria, one might conceive of US health policy in somewhat similar fashion. The US as a laggard in health policy
A condition for best asymptotic normality in a regular family of distributions

A theorem is presented which provides a simple sufficient condition for a weakly consistent estimator of a parameter in a regular family of distributions to be best asymptotically normal (B.A.N.). As a corollary the B.A.N. property of a maximum likelihood estimator is established under weaker conditions than those of Zacks (1971). Two examples are provided to illustrate the technique.
Acrylated phosphonate esters containing 1,3-dioxane and 1,3-dioxolane moieties as adhesion-promoting agents for dentin and hard tissues, I.

In this study several novel phosphonate ester monomers were used, all prepared by the phosphonylation of polyols followed by methacrylation. These acrylic phosphonate esters are strong complexing agents and bind various metal salts. An in vitro evaluation of their capability to mediate a bond with dentin and a possible mechanism of their action, is discussed in this paper. The chemical structures of the acrylated phosphonate ester monomers employed in the present studies are depicted
Some Unresolved Problems in the Theory of Rational Behavior

In an article written in 1977 the author offered a survey of unresolved problems in rational choice theory. The present paper is an attempt to rethink this issue. On the one hand, it emphasizes the question of indeterminacy, i.e situations in which the rational choice is not well defined The paradoxes of backward induction find their place here, as do the existence and importance of genuine uncertainty (as distinct from risk) On the other hand, the article discusses the question whether preferences can be said to be rational. Examples include time preferences, attitudes to risk, regret and the 'taste for fairness'. The examples are chosen with a view to showing that rational choice theory is not a predictive theory, but essentially a hermeneutic one. As part of the enterprise of self-understanding, the construction of rationality is partly discovery and partly decision There is no nght answer to all questions.
Comparison of Pressure Relief Properties of Operating Room Surfaces

There are many operating room (OR) mattresspads and overlay surfaces; however, little empir-ical evidence is available regarding the pressure-reducing characteristics of these various surfaces.Foam and gel mattresses, with and withoutviscoelastic overlays, have been reported to reducethe skin interface pressure more eﬀectively thanthe standard OR mattress pad [1–4]. Deﬂoor andDeSchuijmer [5] reported that although the foammattress and the gel mattress had little pressure-reducing properties, the polyurethane and thepolyethermattresssigniﬁcantly(P!.001)reducedinterface pressures. However, none of the OR sur-faces studied (eg, polyurethane, polyether, gelmattress, foam mattress, standard OR mattress)reduced the pressures to less than 32 mm Hg. Itis relatively routine to use foam padding and geloverlays with the impression that padding the pa-tientrelievespressureandpreventspressureulcers.Therefore, this performance improvement studywas undertaken to describe the peak skin interfacepressuresinthespineandlateralpositionsonthreecommonly used OR surfaces.A key issue when positioning surgical patientsis the prevention of skin injury. Ischemic injuryand the potential development of pressure ulcersis a concern for any patient who remains in oneposition for prolonged periods. Although theincidence of pressure ulcers in acute care popula-tions is between 3% and 29%, the incidence forsurgical patients is higher, between 12% and 35%[6–8].This increased incidence is due in part to thecombined extended period of uninterrupted pres-sure and the forced immobility during surgicalprocedures in conjunction with the eﬀects of anes-thesia [9].Prolonged exposure of the skin and underlyingtissues to high interface pressure or exposure tolow pressure over extended periods may predis-pose the patient to ischemic injury. Ischemicinjury occurs with increased frequency overweight-bearing bony prominences covered byskin and a small amount of muscle and sub-cutaneous tissue. In the supine position, morevulnerable sites include the occiput, scapula,olecranon process, sacrum, ischial tuberosities,and the calcaneous. In the lateral position, theear, acromion process, iliac crest, greater trochan-ter, lateral knee, and malleolus are the bonyprominences of concern. For the purpose of thisproject, the peak interface pressures over thebony prominences (occiput, sacrum, greater tro-chanter, and heels) were of interest.External pressure on tissues at capillary in-terface pressures greater than 32 mm Hg mayocclude capillary blood ﬂow causing diminishedtissue perfusion and an ischemic injury that maylater manifest as a pressure ulcer [10]. The dura-tion of pressure is thought to be more of a contrib-uting factor than the intensity of the pressure,with 2 hours or longer associated with the devel-opment of ischemic injury. Individuals who are
Chemical mechanisms of NOx formation for gas turbine conditions

Crucial reactions for NOx and CO were identified, expressions for their kinetics were improved using theoretical predictions, and the improved mechanism was exploited by probing a data set from high-pressure turbulent combustion with a two-reactor model. Reaction-path analysis and linear sensitivity analysis were combined to identify the reactions that were most important in determining NOx and CO concentrations in lean (=0.6), premixed, laminar methane/air flames ranging in pressure from 1 to 40 atm. These reactions were then analyzed using. Quantum-RRK techniques and literature data. Revised rate constants and additional reactions were proposed. Analysis revealed that thermal or Zeldovich formation of NO from N2+O apparently proceeds via the electronically excited O1D) state, not by direct reaction with ground-state O(3P). The chemical mechanism was used to model NOx measurements taken from the burned-gas zone of lean, premixed, turbulent, 5 to 10 atm methane and ethane flames stabilized on a perforated plate. The flow field of the turbulent flames was modeled as a perfectly stirred reactor (PSR) and a plug flow reactor (PFR) in series so that the complex chemistry could be included. Agreement between the model and the data was good, indicating that the PSR/PFR approximation is valid for predicting NOx from lean, premixed flames. The nitrous oxide (N2O) pathway was shown to be the dominant route to NOx formation at lower temperatures (more fuel-lean), with thermal NOx becoming more important at higher temperatures (closer to stoichiometric). The contribution of prompt NOx to the total NOx formed was found to be relatively small under fuel-lean conditions, although it becomes the dominant route to NOx under fuel-rich conditions.
Mie scattering near the critical angle of bubbles in water

Mie-scattering algorithms were used to compute scattered intensities and phase differences for air bubbles in water. Results are plotted as a function of the scattering angle ϕ in the general range of 30–90° for size parameters ka of 25, 100, 1,000, and 10,000 (corresponding to radii a ≃ 1.3 μm to 0.8 mm). As ϕ decreases below the critical scattering angle at 82.8°, the intensity increases and undergoes broadly spaced oscillations that are described by a physical-optics approximation developed by the authors in a separate publication. Mie scattering also exhibits finely spaced oscillations.
Baryogenesis and supersymmetric GUTs

Abstract We examine baryogenesis in the context of supersymmetric GUTs. In this regard, there are four important differences between GUTs and supersymmetric GUTs: the latter have double the number of particle species, larger unified coupling constant, possibility of dimension-five operators which violate baryon number and a higher unification scale. The first three of these differences lead to the increased importance of 2 ↔ 2 B nonconserving scatterings, which, for a given superheavy gauge or Higgs mass, result in a smaller baryon asymmetry than for a non-supersymmetric GUT. Of these differences, dimension-five operators (if they exist) are the most important, and can lead to a substantially smaller baryon asymmetry than in the non-supersymmetric case.
Nuclear stiffening inhibits migration of invasive melanoma cells

During metastasis, melanoma cells must be sufficiently deformable to squeeze through extracellular barriers with small pore sizes. We visualize and quantify deformability of single cells using micropipette aspiration and examine the migration potential of a population of melanoma cells using a flow migration apparatus. We artificially stiffen the nucleus with recombinant overexpression of Δ50 lamin A, which is found in patients with Hutchison Gilford progeria syndrome and in aged individuals. Melanoma cells, both WM35 and Lu1205, both show reduced nuclear deformability and reduced cell invasion with the expression of Δ50 lamin A. These studies suggest that cellular aging including expression of Δ50 lamin A and nuclear stiffening may reduce the potential for metastatic cancer migration. Thus, the pathway of cancer metastasis may be kept in check by mechanical factors in addition to known chemical pathway regulation.
THE TREATMENT OF DIASTOLIC HEART FAILURE

It has become apparent that a high proportion of patients with overt heart failure have normal left ventricular (LV) systolic function, and it is estimated that nearly half of heart failure subjects in the community have normal LV systolic function. 1,10,12,15,17,19,20 This condition is commonly referred to as diastolic heart failure or heart failure with preserved systolic function; however, there are few, if any, specific guidelines that can be established for this form of heart failure, and treatment recommendations for this disorder are limited. 1,11,15,17 Diastolic heart failure is a major contributor to hospital admissions, 18 but is often overlooked in studies that focus only on patients with impaired systolic function. This article reviews the pathophysiology and underlying conditions that result in diastolic heart failure to place therapy in perspective. Drug treatment groups are reviewed, with respect to common features and individual applicability.
Zoning Law, Health, and Environmental Justice: What's the Connection?

Zoning laws determine what types of land uses and densities can occur on each property lot in a municipality, and therefore also govern the range of potential environmental and health impacts resulting from the land use. Zoning regulations are the most ubiquitous of the land use laws in the United States, as well as in many other countries. As such, they have far-reaching effects on the location of noxious uses, and any concomitant environmental or human health impacts. Zoning has enormous implications, in general, for shaping our environment, and because changes to zoning are made through a political process, it has possibilities for abuse. One zoning expert stated: I suppose what really disturbs me is that because zoning is the most universal of the legal tools for shaping the character of the municipality, any unwise use of the process has a far greater impact upon our national character than does the abuse of a less widely employed device.
August 1996 — Frontal Lobe Tumor in 11 Year Old Girl

Case Abstract An 11 year old girl presented with an 8 month history of left temporal headaches with new onset of nausea and vomiting with increased severity of headaches. An MRI scan showed a frontal lobe mass. The tumor was resected and histologic studies demonstrated a central neurocytoma. The clinical, radiologic and pathologic aspects (including immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy) of central neurocytomas are reviewed and the atypical features of this case described.
Nanoporous linear polyethylene from a block polymer precursor.

Porous polyolefin membranes play an integral role in lithium-ion battery technology as the barrier preventing direct anode and cathode contact. Block polymers containing a sacrificial component have proven to be attractive precursors for nanoporous polymer membranes stemming from their unique ability to self-assemble into mesoscopically organized structures. Selective removal of the sacrificial component can leave a scaffold with well-controlled pore dimensions and porosity. This communication describes the synthesis of block polymers containing polylactide (PLA) as the sacrificial component and perfectly linear polyethylene (LPE) as the matrix phase using a combination of ring-opening polymerizations. Bicontinuous morphologies accessible over a broad composition range allow for ready tailoring of porosity. Removal of the PLA results in semicrystalline LPE with an interpenetrating void space having pore dimensions less than 100 nm. The porosity and domain size dependence on composition was corroborated by...
The influence of southern culture on race‐specific homicide rates

The influence of cultural and structural variables on race‐specific homicide rates in the political subunits of Louisiana is analyzed with the purpose of further explication of the independent role these factors play as determinants of lethal violence. It is argued that the southern culture of violence hypothesis is more appropriately tested through separate examination of white, black, and total rates of homicide. The results of this study indicate clear differences in the effects of cultural and structural factors on these different rates. One of the more interesting findings is the inverse relationship between black homicide rate and percent nonwhite, which casts some doubt on sociological interpretations of the relatively higher rates of black violence as resulting from racial oppression alone. Implications are discussed.
Formal Serials Education: A Problem We Can't Solve or a Solution We Can Live With?

Serialists have long believed their field is underrepresented in the library and information science (LIS) curriculum. A recent review of Web sites of ALA-accredited LIS programs shows no significant change in the percentage of formal serials courses in those programs. The problem of adequate formal serials education is examined in the broader context of LIS education as a whole. Increasing traditional, formal serials education is an impractical goal. Instead, we should develop continuing education opportunities, and work to dispel some of the mystique of serials.
Estimation of bivariate size and orientation distribution of microcracks

Microcracks constitute an important aspect of microstructural damage in a number of advanced materials, and therefore their characterization is of interest. The microcrack orientations are often anisotropic, and there are strong correlations between their size and spatial orientation. In this paper, a fairly general and flexible statistical relationship is derived between the apparent bivariate distribution of size and orientation of microcrack traces observed in metallographic sections (which can be experimentally measured), and the true bivariate size and orientation distribution of microcracks in three-dimensional microstructure. There are no assumptions concerning anisotropy of microcracks, their sizes, orientations, thickness, and any correlations between size and orientation.
Thermochemistry of microporous silicotitanate phases in the Na2O-Cs2O-SiO2-TiO2-H2O system

Microporous silicotitanates can potentially be used as ion exchangers for removal of Cs+ from radioactive waste solutions. The enthalpies of formation from constituent oxides for two series of silicotitanates at 298 K have been determined by drop-solution calorimetry into molten 2PbO · B2O3 at 974 K: the (Na1−xCsx)3Ti4Si3O15(OH) · nH2O (n = 4 to 5) phases with a cubic structure (P43m), and the (Na1−xCsx)3Ti4Si2O13(OH) · nH2O (n = 4 to 5) phases with a tetragonal structure (P42/mcm). The enthalpies of formation from the oxides for the cubic series become more exothermic as Cs/(Na + Cs) increases, whereas those for the tetragonal series become less exothermic. This result indicates that the incorporation of Cs in the cubic phase is somewhat thermodynamically favorable, whereas that in the tetragonal phase is thermodynamically unfavorable and kinetically driven. In addition, the cubic phases are more stable than the corresponding tetragonal phases with the same Cs/Na ratios. These disparities in the energetic behavior between the two series are attributed to their differences in both local bonding configuration and degree of hydration.
An ADMM algorithm for matrix completion of partially known state covariances

We study the inverse problem of reproducing partially known second-order statistics of a linear time invariant system by the least number of possible input disturbance channels. This can be formulated as a rank minimization problem, and for its solution, we employ a convex relaxation based on the nuclear norm. The resulting optimization problem can be cast as a semi-definite program and solved efficiently using general-purpose solvers for small- and medium-size problems. In this paper, we focus on issues and techniques that are pertinent to large-scale systems. We bring in a re-parameterization which transforms the problem into a form suitable for the alternating direction method of multipliers. Furthermore, we show that each iteration of this algorithm amounts to solving a system of linear equations, an eigenvalue decomposition, and a singular value thresholding. An illustrative example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed approach.
A study of the loading path and crystal orientation effects on size-dependent limit strength

Abstract To better understand the loading path and crystal orientation effects on size-dependent material strength, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed with the use of single crystal diamond (SCD) of various sizes under uniaxial tension and simple shear loading conditions. In the MD simulations, mechanical responses of SCD blocks with three different sizes under 〈1 0 0〉 and 〈1 1 0〉 tensions, and under {1 0 0}〈0 1 0〉, {1 0 0}〈1 1 0〉 and {1 1 0}〈0 0 1〉 shear slips at different loading rates are studied. Based on the simulation data, a power scaling law is proposed to predict the size effect on the material strength of pristine diamond under given loading conditions.
Myxoma virus induces type I interferon production in murine plasmacytoid dendritic cells via a TLR9/MyD88-, IRF5/IRF7-, and IFNAR-dependent pathway

Poxviruses are large DNA viruses that replicate in the cytoplasm of infected cells. Myxoma virus is a rabbit poxvirus that belongs to the Leporipoxvirus genus. It causes a lethal disease called myxomatosis in European rabbits but cannot sustain any detectable infection in nonlagomorphs. Vaccinia virus is a prototypal orthopoxvirus that was used as a vaccine to eradicate smallpox. Myxoma virus is nonpathogenic in mice, whereas systemic infection with vaccinia virus can be lethal even in immunocompetent mice. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are potent type I interferon (IFN)-producing cells that play important roles in antiviral innate immunity. How poxviruses are sensed by pDCs to induce type I IFN production is not well understood. Here we report that infection of primary murine pDCs with myxoma virus, but not with vaccinia virus, induces IFN-α, IFN-β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and interleukin-12p70 (IL-12p70) production. Using pDCs derived from genetic knockout mice, we show that the myxoma virus-induced innate immune response requires the endosomal DNA sensor TLR9 and its adaptor MyD88, transcription factors IRF5 and IRF7, and the type I IFN positive-feedback loop mediated by IFNAR1. It is independent of the cytoplasmic RNA sensing pathway mediated by the mitochondrial adaptor molecule MAVS, the TLR3 adaptor TRIF, or the transcription factor IRF3. Using pharmacological inhibitors, we demonstrate that myxoma virus-induced type I IFN and IL-12p70 production in murine pDCs is also dependent on phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and Akt. Furthermore, our results reveal that the N-terminal Z-DNA/RNA binding domain of vaccinia virulence factor E3, which is missing in the orthologous M029 protein expressed by myxoma virus, plays an inhibitory role in poxvirus sensing and innate cytokine production by murine pDCs.
Statistical design of fatigue crack growth test programs

An experimental design method for determining statistically significant differences in fatigue crack growth rate data due to the influence of various test conditions (factors) is presented. This method is based on a completely randomized factorial design and a three-way classification Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) procedure. Although the example presented is for fatigue crack growth rate testing, this method is generic to any materials test program where comparisons of properties or behavior are made. The procedure allows decisions regarding these comparisons to be based on statistical tests of significance.
Menadiol as an electron donor for reversed oxidative phosphorylation in submitochondrial particles

Abstract Dithiothreitol in the presence of menadione or N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine provides the reducing equivalents for oxidative phosphorylation and the ATP-dependent reduction of NAD+ in submitochondrial particles. With menadione the reaction is nearly as fast as with succinate and it is insensitive to antimycin, indicating electron entry between the first and second sites of oxidative phosphorylation. The phenylenediamine-mediated reduction of NAD+ is nearly as fast as succinate-linked reduction and is antimycin sensitive.
Large deflection collapse analysis of an inelastic inextensional ring under external pressure

Abstract The problem of large deflections of an inelastic inextensional ring under external pressure is considered. The material behavior is approximated with a bilinear stress-strain curve. The nonlinear two-point boundary value problem which arises is solved numerically. It was found that the inelastic nature of the material creates a distinct limit load which represents the buckling pressure, beyond which the response path is unstable. As a result the buckling pressure of such a ring is imperfection sensitive.