cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of 99mTc-sestamibi SPECT/CT when conventional imaging studies are negative for localizing suspected recurrence in differentiated thyroid cancer: a method and a lesson for clinical management.

The detection of recurrent disease in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients with elevated or rising serum thyroglobulin (Tg) levels and multiple negative conventional imaging studies can be challenging, especially when 18F-FDG PET/CT scan is also negative. We report a patient and review the literature on the diagnostic use of 99mTc-sestamibi scans to identify the source of elevated or rising Tg in patients with negative conventional imaging including negative 18F-FDG PET/CT scans. A 73-year-old woman was referred for widely-invasive metastatic follicular thyroid cancer with bone metastasis to her left mandible. She had a total thyroidectomy, left mandibular resection, and 131I therapy of 145 mCi (5.4 GBq) and her subsequent unstimulated serum Tg level was 29 ng/ml (TgAb negative). At six months’ follow-up, her stimulated Tg was 527 ng/ml (TSH 188 mIU/L, TgAb negative). All imaging studies performed within the prior 12 months were reported as negative for recurrence or metastasis; this included neck ultrasound, diagnostic radioiodine scan, chest CT and, 18F-FDG PET/CT. The patient was injected with 24.6 mCi (910 MBq) of 99mTc-sestamibi intravenously, and whole-body and SPECT/CT images were acquired. The 99mTc-sestamibi whole-body posterior image demonstrated abnormal focal uptake in the right posterior calvarium and corresponded to an occipital lytic bone lesion on the SPECT/CT. The patient underwent surgical resection of the skull metastasis, and pathology confirmed metastatic follicular thyroid cancer. Five months post-surgery, the suppressed Tg was markedly reduced and remained stable at ~3.2 ng/ml. With the knowledge of the DTC recurrence location, the two sets of 18F-FDG images were re-evaluated. The more thorough and targeted interpretation underscored the importance of structured image reporting. The current literature on the utility of 99mTc-sestamibi scans when radioiodine, 18F-FDG PET/CT, and other imaging studies are negative is sparse and inconsistent. 99mTc-sestamibi may have a role in thyroid cancer localization when physical exam, neck ultrasound, radioiodine scan, chest/abdomen CT, and 18F-FDG PET/CT does not identify the source of elevated Tg levels in DTC.
Channel Assignment Techniques

Channel assignment techniques are used extensively in frequency reuse systems to assign time-frequency resources to each user. There are many methods of allocating a channel upon a new call arrival or handoff attempt. A good channel allocation algorithm is the one that yields high spectral efficiency for a specified quality of service (including link quality, probability of new call blocking, and the probability of forced termination) and given degree of computational complexity and decentralization of control. It keeps the planned cell boundaries intact, allocates a channel to a MS quickly, maintains the best service quality for the MS at any instant, and relieves undesired network congestion. This chapter first discusses basic channel assignment techniques, then presents the details of some techniques. These include centralized dynamic channel assignment techniques such as the optimal maximum packing scheme. Afterwards, decentralized and fully decentralized dynamic channel assignment techniques are discussed. Borrowing schemes are discussed as well, where radio resources from neighboring cells can be borrowed to improve spectral efficiency and performance. The chapter goes on to discuss directed retry and moving direction based handoff schemes. The chapter concludes with some examples of dynamic channel assignment schemes for TDMA based cellular systems.
Cars Spectroscopy of Transient Species

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy is finding numerous applications in the physical and biological sciences and engineering.1 The sensitivity, spectral generality, and insensitivity to background luminescence of CARS, as well as its high intrinsic temporal, spatial, and spectral resolution, have made it a very useful tool for high-resolution molecular spectroscopy, time-resolved spectroscopy, combustion diagnostics, and other applications. Our work with CARS takes advantage of several of these attributes, in using CARS for the observation of short-lived or unstable chemical species.
Single versus Double-Balloon Transcervical Catheter for Labor Induction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective To evaluate for difference in outcomes between single- and double-balloon catheters for labor induction. Study Design We searched CINAHL, Embase, Cochrane Register, MEDLINE, ISI Web of Sciences, LILACs, and Google Scholar and retrieved studies through May 2017. Selection criteria included randomized controlled trials comparing single- versus double-balloon catheters. The primary outcome was time from catheter insertion to delivery. Heterogeneity of the results among studies was tested with the quantity I2 . For I2 values ≥50%, a random effects model was used to pool data across studies. Summary measures were reported as adjusted odds ratios (aORs) or as a mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results Four trials including a total of 682 patients were included: 340 patients were randomized to induction with a single-balloon catheter and 342 to induction with a double-balloon catheter. There was no significant difference between groups with respect to time to delivery (18.8 vs. 19.6 hours; MD: 0.40; 95% CI: –1.56 to 0.76), vaginal delivery rate (65.3 vs. 62.3%; aOR: 1.04; 95% CI: 0.56–1.92), cesarean delivery rate (25.6 vs. 27.5%; aOR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.55–1.73), or epidural use (58.4 vs. 62%; aOR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.56–1.18). Conclusion Double-balloon catheters have no apparent advantage over single-balloon catheters for labor induction.
Steerable Wavelet Scattering for 3D Atomic Systems with Application to Li-Si Energy Prediction.

A general machine learning architecture is introduced that uses wavelet scattering coefficients of an inputted three dimensional signal as features. Solid harmonic wavelet scattering transforms of three dimensional signals were previously introduced in a machine learning framework for the regression of properties of small organic molecules. Here this approach is extended for general steerable wavelets which are equivariant to translations and rotations, resulting in a sparse model of the target function. The scattering coefficients inherit from the wavelets invariance to translations and rotations. As an illustration of this approach a linear regression model is learned for the formation energy of amorphous lithium-silicon material states trained over a database generated using plane-wave Density Functional Theory methods. State-of-the-art results are produced as compared to other machine learning approaches over similarly generated databases.
Steroid Hormone Influences on Cyclic AMP-Generating Systems

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the evidence that steroids influence the activity of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-generating system and describes the structure and function of adenylate cyclase. Steroid hormones, especially glucocorticoids, have profound effects on the biochemistry of liver and fat tissues, and steroid regulation of cAMP metabolism in cells derived from liver and adipose tissues has been known for some time. Adrenalectomy also makes the liver refractory to cAMP-induced glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis, whereas glucocorticoid replacement allows intracellular cAMP to once again stimulate glucose metabolism. Although regulation of cAMP levels by glucocorticoids in adipocytes differs in some ways from that in the liver, the general story is very much the same––namely, effects at both the level of cAMP and in postadenylate cyclase, cAMP-dependent biochemical phenomena. However, steroid regulation differs somewhat among the tissues, in that adrenalectomy has a biphasic effect on adenylate cyclase in adipose tissue, with an initial increase followed by a long-term decrease.
An acoustically matched high pressure chamber for control of cavitation in shock wave lithotripsy: Mechanisms of shock wave damage in vitro

Increased ambient pressure (excess hydrostatic pressure) was used to regulate cavitation in the aqueous media surrounding isolated red blood cells and aluminum foils used as targets in studies of the mechanisms of shock wave (SW) damage in shock wave lithotripsy (SWL). Foils or cells were placed in a cylindrical chamber (bronze-aluminum alloy) connected to a regulator and nitrogen source. The ends of the cylinder were capped with planar, plastic plates 12.7 mm thick. Tests performed with a PVDF membrane hydrophone showed that SW's passed through the plastic without significant loss of amplitude or change in waveform. Pitting of foils, a form of damage that can only be due to cavitation, was eliminated by very high (∼70 atm) added pressure. It took substantially greater added pressure to reduce damage to foils than has been reported to reduce damage to cells, suggesting differences in how cavitation is regulated in bulk fluid versus a solid surface. This report describes the design of the pressure chamber used in these studies and explains how SW exposures of isolated cells and foil targets were performed.
Salīm Barakāt’s poetry as linguistic conquest: “ … the shot that kills you, may you recover”

Salīm Barakāt is a Syrian-Kurdish poet and novelist, who first appeared on the Arabic poetic scene in the early 1970s. Although he experimented in his early work with a mixed form of verse and pros...
Teaching and Practice: Living with the Pendulum: The Complex World of Teaching

In this article, Jeanette Throne describes how educational reforms seem to swing from one opposing ideology to another, while teachers confront the complex nature of the classroom, where different need exist simultaneously. Throne looks at this problem from two perspectives: a historical look at curricular reforms and her won classroom practice. Examining the evolution of her kindergarten language arts curriculum, she questions whether the learning needs of individual students can be met within the bounds of a single theoretical framework. Throne reflects on and analyzes the learning processes of her students, focusing on both their successes and challenges as they begin to read and write. She then describes the ways her students' learning has informed her teaching and prompted her to integrate several theoretical perspectives into her curriculum in order to ensure their success. She concludes by stressing that educators must look beyond either/or choices in order to see solutions that reflect the realiti...
The Electrical Length of a Wire [Circuit Intuitions]

i»?Welcome to the 21st article in the âCircuit Intuitionsâ column series. As the title suggests, each article provides insights and intuitions into circuit design and analysis. These articles are aimed at undergraduate students but may serve the interests of other readers as well. If you read this article, I would appreciate your comments and feedback as well as your requests and suggestions for future articles in this series. Please e-mail me your comments: ali@ece.utoronto.ca.
Social Media Discourse About Division-I Football Players’ Early Exit Announcements: The Role of Expressed Fandom:

This study sought to understand social media users’ responses to Division-I football players’ early exit announcements as manifestations of BIRGing and CORFing. Researchers analyzed social media us...
“We Need Community”: Assessing the Impact of Faculty, Advising, Campus Social Life, and Racial Formation on the Transfer Student Experience at a Diverse Island Campus:

In this paper, we examine the experiences of lower division transfer students at a diverse island campus. We conducted this study to increase our understanding of why lower division transfer studen...
Nanobiotechnology in Agricultural Development

Nanobiotechnology is the field of science that has recently emerged by conjugation of biotechnology and nanoscience. An extensive range of applications of the field of nanoscience (nanoparticles) have been established in several fields of biosciences and biomedicine with wide applications in industry. Since the potential of this newly emerged field of research and medicine is beyond the scope of this chapter, we will be focusing on their applications in agriculture solely. Since this is a hybrid technique, so it employs all the biotechnological tools for its applications. Their key applications include use in treating plant diseases through site-specific targeting of diseased organs, transforming plants through gold/tungsten nanoparticles coated with engineered plasmid, targeted delivery and controlled release of bioactive substances, etc. Their use in crop protection is just in its infancy. Recently, the concept of using nanoparticles in plant treatment has been established and their applications in the parasitic control in plants are practised successfully. The chapter will focus on the development and use of ‘nanodevices’ for formulating agriculturally important chemicals (fertilizers) with more useful properties and their direct delivery as well as their applications in various agricultural sectors. Still the limitations are there which hinder their use on large scale (commercially).
Emanuel Donchin (1935-2018)

This article memorializes Emanuel Donchin (1935-2018). Emanuel's greatest scientific impact was to pioneer the field of cognitive electrophysiology. He was an early practitioner of cognitive science, bringing together cognitive event-related potentials (ERPs) and investigators from other disciplines at twelve "Carmel" workshops from 1979 to 1992. Donchin foresaw the uses of scalp-recorded electrical activity to analyze cognition and as a mental prosthesis in the late 1960s and tirelessly promoted his vision. He encouraged equipping labs with minicomputers, sorting ERPs by outcome, interpreting ERPs as manifestation of processes within a psychological framework, and extending their analyses beyond visual inspection. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Stream Size and Network Position Affect Fish Assemblage Diversity Differently in Headwater Streams of the Interior Highlands, USA

Stream fish assemblages in small streams are often less diverse than those in larger streams. Two models to explain this have emerged, one which focuses on local habitat conditions derived from processes related to discharge, and the other which links patterns of network connectivity to dispersal ability and network position in the watershed. Both models now have some support in stream fishes, but how they might interact is not well studied. We draw on observations from stream invertebrates to propose that stream size will affect niche specialization and network position will affect functional trait-based diversity. We test this hypothesis using data from the Interior Highlands, USA. Diversity of upland-adapted groups and trait-based assemblage metrics tied to strategies dependent on depth, flow, and stream width showed strong relationships to stream size. Diversity of lowland-adapted groups and metrics of assemblage morphological diversity showed strong relationships to network position. Examination of patterns of spatial b-diversity supports the idea that dispersal of lowland-adapted groups is linked to network connectivity. Responses to both network position and stream size included longer, later reproductive seasons with more species exhibiting parental care. We support that both stream size and network position interact to lower fish diversity in small streams, but that they do so in different manners. We further discuss the ecological uniqueness and need for research and conservation efforts of small streams low in watershed networks.
The Effects of Surface Compartments on Ion Transport across Membranes

Physiologists have generally sought explanations of the phenomena they study in terms of the chemistry and physics of living systems. This has been especially evident in the area of excitable membranes where, starting in the late eighteenth century with the controversy between Galvani and Volta about animal electricity, physical chemistry has played a central role in the elucidation of the mechanism. The Bernstein (1902) hypothesis at the beginning of this century used the emerging ideas about diffusion potentials and selective permeability of membranes to provide us with the first explanation of excitation, and this has been the basis of our current understanding. The ideas of electrical double layer theory, formulated about a decade later,* suggested that the surfaces of membranes had special properties (such as surface potentials, ion concentrations, and electrical capacitance) that could influence ion fluxes. However, it was not until 1935 that Teorell first introduced the idea that the membrane potential included the effects of two phase boundary potentials in addition to a diffusion potential. When Goldman (1943) derived a steady-state equation relating the transmembrane potential to the ionic mobilities and the concentrations in the two solutions, it was found to be useful in steady-state applications without the surface potentials. If one includes the surface potentials (Goulden, 1976) there are additional exponential terms, but the equation is essentially similar to the Goldman equation. The difference between surface and bulk concentrations is balanced by the difference between surface and bulk electrical potentials, so the neglect of surface properties is not critical in steady states.
Insight of low-abundance proteins in rice leaves under Cd stress using combinatorial peptide ligand library technology

Low-abundance proteins (LAPs) play a very important role in interaction, regulation, and metabolism of plant biological processes. A combinatorial peptide ligand library (CPLL) can solve the problem of high-abundance proteins (HAPs) masking LAPs and enlarging the dynamic range of protein concentrations perfectly and be considered as one of the most advanced approaches for plant proteomics research. In this paper, a proper CPLL method to rice leaf proteins was established for the first time and 1056 proteins were identified in rice leaf extracts, and 624 (59.1%) LAPs were newly detected after CPLL. Based on this technology, we detected the response of rice to Cd stress and analyzed the differential LAPs and the biological significance of misexpressed proteins before and after Cd stress by bioinformatics analysis. An important contribution has also been made to a better understanding of the complex mechanisms by which rice adapts to Cd stress. Graphical abstract.
Mapping the Extended H I Distribution of Three Dwarf Galaxies

We present large field H I-line emission maps obtained with the single-dish Green Bank Telescope centered on the dwarf irregular galaxies Sextans A, NGC 2366, and WLM. We do not detect the extended skirts of emission associated with the galaxies that were reported from Effelsberg observations. The ratio of H I at 10{sup 19} atoms cm{sup -2} to optical extents of these galaxies is instead 2-3, which is normal for this type of galaxy. There is no evidence for a truncation in the H I distribution {>=}10{sup 19} atoms cm{sup -2}.
Cold-associated mammokines preserve adipocyte identity

Abstract Almost four decades of research suggest a dynamic role of ductal epithelial cells in adipocyte adaptation in mammary gland white adipose tissue (mgWAT), but factors that mediate such communication are not known. Here, we identify a complex intercellular crosstalk in mgWAT revealed by single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) and comprehensive data analysis suggest that epithelial luminal cells during cold exposure undergo major transcriptomic changes that lead to the expression of an array of genes that encode for secreted factors involved in adipose metabolism such as Adropin (Enho), neuregulin 4 (Nrg4), angiopoietin-like 4 (Angptl4), lipocalin 2 (Lcn2), milk fat globule-EGF factor 8 (Mfge8), Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1 (Igfbp1), and haptoglobin (Hp). To define the mammary epithelial secretome, we coin the phrase “mammokines”. We validated our cluster annotations and cluster-specific transcriptomics using eight different adipose scRNA-seq datasets including Tabula Muris and Tabula Muris Senis. In situ mRNA hybridization and ex vivo isolated mgWAT luminal cells show highly localized expression of mammokines in mammary ducts. Trajectory inference demonstrates that cold-exposed luminal cells have similar transcriptional profiles to lactation post-involution (PI), a phase defined by reappearance and maintenance of adipocytes in the mammary gland. Concomitantly, we found that under cold exposure female mgWAT maintains more adipogenic and less thermogenic potential than male scWAT. Conditioned media from isolated mammary epithelial cells treated with isoproterenol suppressed thermogenesis in differentiated beige/brown adipocytes and treatment of beige/brown differentiated adipocyte with LCN2 suppresses thermogenesis and increases adipogenesis. Finally, we find that mice lacking LCN2 show markedly higher colddependent thermogenesis in mgWAT than controls, and reconstitution of LCN2 in the mgWAT of LCN2 knockout mice promotes inhibition of thermogenesis. These results show a previously unknown role of mammary epithelium in adipocyte metabolism and suggest a potentially redundant evolutionary role of mammokines in maintaining mgWAT adiposity during cold exposure. Our data highlight mammary gland epithelium as a highly active metabolic cell type and mammokines could have broader implications in mammary gland physiology, glucose and lipid metabolism, and tumorigenesis.
Performance efficiency of a large-scale integrated constructed wetland

Introduction: Wastewater treatment plants are used to reduce pollution depending upon their effectiveness, treatment-efficiency, available-land, energy-sources, topography, climate and prevailing-winds, seasonal and climatic variations, and principal-cost. Integrated constructed wetlands (ICWs) are diversely used for wastewater treatment because of their increased treatment efficiency. Purpose of the study: This study comprises of large-scale-ICW located at NUST Islamabad, Pakistan. Purpose of study was to monitor and identify the nutrient removal over the period of six month from October 2018 to March 2019. Material and methods: Samples were taken from each compartment of HSSF-CW (Horizontal Sub-Surface Flow Constructed Wetland) and FILTER technology (Filtration and Irrigated cropping for Land Treatment and Effluent Reuse) of treatment system. Different parameters including EC(Electrical conductivity), NO3 (Nitrate), NO2 (Nitrite), TKN (Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen), PO43- (Phosphate) were measured. Results: Removal efficiency of above discrice parameters was recorded 3, 0, 43, 43 and 27% of HSSF-CW respectively, while FILTER- technology contribute in removal by 6, 75, 19, 23 and 37% respectively. Conclusion: Spatial, temporal and plantation variation was calculated and results showed that effluent concentrations were significantly varied. TKN and Phosphate showed significant spatial and temporal variation, and also significantly varied due to presence and absence of plantation while no significant spatial variation was recorded in EC and Nitrite. Correlation was observed between physicochemical and weather parameters.
Sound improves neuronal encoding of visual stimuli in mouse primary visual cortex

Abstract In everyday life, we integrate visual and auditory information in routine tasks such as navigation and communication. While it is known that concurrent sound can improve visual perception, the neuronal correlates of this audiovisual integration are not fully understood. Specifically, it remains unknown whether improvement due to sound of detection and discriminability of visual stimuli is reflected in the neuronal firing patterns in the primary visual cortex (V1). Furthermore, presentation of the sound can induce movement in the subject, but little is understood about whether and how sound-induced movement contributes to V1 neuronal activity. Here, we investigated how sound and movement interact to modulate V1 visual responses in awake, head-fixed mice and whether this interaction improves neuronal encoding of the visual stimulus. We presented visual drifting gratings with and without simultaneous auditory white noise to awake mice while recording mouse movement and V1 neuronal activity. Sound modulated the light-evoked activity of 80% of light-responsive neurons, with 95% of neurons exhibiting increased activity when the auditory stimulus was present. Sound consistently induced movement. However, a generalized linear model revealed that sound and movement had distinct and complementary effects of the neuronal visual responses. Furthermore, decoding of the visual stimulus from the neuronal activity was improved with sound, an effect that persisted even when controlling for movement. These results demonstrate that sound and movement modulate visual responses in complementary ways, resulting in improved neuronal representation of the visual stimulus. This study clarifies the role of movement as a potential confound in neuronal audiovisual responses and expands our knowledge of how multimodal processing is mediated at a neuronal level in the awake brain. Significance statement Sound and movement are both known to modulate visual responses in the primary visual cortex, however sound-induced movement has remained unaccounted for as a potential confound in audiovisual studies in awake animals. Here, authors found that sound and movement both modulate visual responses in an important visual brain area, the primary visual cortex, in distinct, yet complementary ways. Furthermore, sound improved encoding of the visual stimulus even when accounting for movement. This study reconciles contrasting theories on the mechanism underlying audiovisual integration and asserts the primary visual cortex as a key brain region participating in tripartite sensory interactions.
A generalized cortical activity pattern at internally-generated mental context boundaries during unguided narrative recall

Abstract Current theory and empirical studies suggest that humans segment continuous experiences into events based on the mismatch between predicted and actual sensory inputs; detection of these “event boundaries” evokes transient neural responses. However, boundaries can also occur at transitions between internal mental states, without relevant external input changes. To what extent do such “internal boundaries” share neural response properties with externally-driven boundaries? We conducted an fMRI experiment where subjects watched a series of short movies and then verbally recalled the movies, unprompted, in the order of their choosing. During recall, transitions between movies thus constituted major boundaries between internal mental contexts, generated purely by subjects’ unguided thoughts. Following the offset of each recalled movie, we observed stereotyped spatial activation patterns in the default mode network, especially the posterior medial cortex, consistent across different movie contents and even across the different tasks of movie watching and recall. Surprisingly, the between-movie boundary patterns were negatively correlated with patterns at boundaries between events within a movie. Thus, major transitions between mental contexts elicit neural phenomena shared across internal and external modes and distinct from within-context event boundary detection, potentially reflecting a cognitive state related to the flushing and reconfiguration of situation models.
Non-invasive Risk Stratification for NAFLD Among Living Liver Donor Candidates: A Proposed Algorithm

To reduce waitlist mortality, living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has increased over the past decade in US, however, not at a rate sufficient to completely mitigate organ shortage. As a result, there are ongoing efforts to expand the living liver donor pool. Simultaneously, the prevalence of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in the general population has increased, which has significant implications on the pool of potential living liver donors. As such, a clinical assessment algorithm that exhaustively evaluates for NAFLD and fibrosis is critical to the safe expansion of LDLT. An ideal algorithm would employ safe and non-invasive methods, relying on liver biopsy only when necessary. While exclusion of NAFLD and fibrosis by non-invasive means is widely studied within the general population, there are no well-accepted guidelines for evaluation of living donors using these modalities. Here we review the current literature regarding non-invasive NALFD and fibrosis evaluation and propose a potential algorithm to apply these modalities for the selection of living liver donors.
Biomass and tiller growth responses to competition between Ky31 and MaxQ Festuca arundinacea cultivars and response of Ky31 to exogenously applied liquid preparation of Neotyphodium coenophialum under glasshouse conditions

Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) forms a mutualistic symbiosis with the fungal endophyte Neotyphodium coenophialum which produces ergot alkaloids toxic to grazing animals. One approach to reduce pathological effects has been to introduce an exotic endophyte that does not produce toxic compounds yet still confers host-plant benefits. We measured biomass accumulation and competition between two tall fescue cultivars with different endophytes grown in close proximity and tested if compounds from endophytes can diffuse from one plant to another. Ky31 (tall fescue with natural endophyte) and MaxQ (tall fescue with introduced exotic endophyte) were grown separately and together in a pot experiment under greenhouse conditions. The cultivars had comparable biomass production in monoculture, but when grown in mixed-culture MaxQ had a significantly lower tiller number (2.92 ± 0.15 tillers/plant) and size (0.048 g ± 0.003) than Ky31 (4.06 ± 0.16 tillers/plant) (0.072 ± 0.002 g). Aqueous endophyte preparations were made and applied topically to E+ and E- Ky31. E- plants receiving doses of this preparation produced significantly more tillers (3 ± 0.18 tillers/plant) and larger tillers (0.074 ± 0.006 g) than untreated control plants (2.2 ± 0.13 tillers/plant) (0.0428 ± 0.0072 g). These observations suggested that a diffusible compound might induce a growth benefit conferred by the tall fescue endophyte.
Archaeological Methods for the Study of Ancient Landscapes of the Llanos de Mojos in the Bolivian Amazon

The archaeological study of agricultural systems Archaeological gardens and field systems are notoriously difficult to study. They tend to be “artifact poor” contexts, and thus, extremely difficult to date with accuracy. Stratigraphy tends to be heavily reworked and eroded, the result of continual cultivation and mixing of soil structure by humans and nature, both during the time of use, and after abandonment. Due to the poor preservation of botanical remains, there is usually no direct evidence for the crops which were cultivated. Technological information on cultivation practices and tools is limited, and rarely is there direct evidence for labor and social organization, land tenure, and efficiency of the system. Ethnographic analogy can be useful in many contexts, but it is usually difficult to determine direct historical ties between contemporary farmers and their previous counterparts. In many situations, ancient field and garden systems have been completely abandoned, breaking any continuity between past and present. Even in cases where ties can be demonstrated, the social, political, economic, and environmental situation has changed so much that the usefulness of direct analogy is limited. Historical records can sometimes be extrapolated back into the past, but agricultural practices are not often discussed in sufficient detail. Despite these limitations to research, certain archaeological field methods, combined with experimental archaeology, can provide the detailed information lacking in cases where historical and ethnographic analogy is inadequate and preservation is poor.
African Researcher 2.0: Using New Technologies to Join Global Academic Conversations

Researchers in Africa have typically been regarded as consumers, not producers, of academic information. More recently, open access publishing has been advanced as a way of getting research from Africa more easily and widely available, but there needs to be more than just changes to the dissemination outlet. This article discusses how researchers in Africa can join global academic conversations through a rethinking of their research work flows, and how they can strategically position themselves and their research in knowledge streams for rippling impact.
The effect of age on manganese uptake and retention from milk and infant formulas in rats.

Manganese nutrition of the neonate is poorly understood, due in part to a paucity of information on the amount and availability of manganese in infant foods. We have developed a suckling pup model to assess the uptake of manganese from fluid diets by using extrinsic labeling. Human milk, cow milk and infant formulas were fed by intubation to fasted rat pups and adults. Rats were killed after varying time periods, and tissues were removed and counted. A period of 6 h was found to be adequate to allow for stomach emptying while limiting tissue redistribution; 24 h was found to reflect pup manganese retention. From human milk, manganese retention was highest (greater than or equal to 80%) in pups less than or equal to 15 days of age; in older pups average retention decreased to 40%. Using d 14 pups to assess relative Mn uptake from diets, wholebody Mn uptake was highest from cow milk (approximately 89%); uptake from human and cow milk formula was similar (approximately 80%) whereas it was lower from soy formula (approximately 60%). These findings suggest that bioavailability of Mn from infant diets is very high during the suckling period. Since most formulas contain considerably moremore » manganese than is found in human milk, Mn deficiency may be less of a concern than possible toxicity from formulas.« less
After Alice: Alice and the Dry Tail

According to Gilles Deleuze, the underground world of Alice in Wonderland has been strongly associated with animality and embodiment. Thus the need for Alice's eventual climb to the surface and her discovery that everything linguistic happens at that border. Yet, strangely, in spite of the claim that Alice disavows false depth and returns to the surface, it seems that it is precisely in the depths that she finally wakes from her sleepy, stupified surface state and investigates the deep structures, the rules of logic. In this investigation, Alice questions many formal structures, such as causality, identity, reference and the rules of replacement. She discovers that Wonderland does not generate consequential conduct; in fact, it generates no conduct whatsoever! In other words, when it comes to consequences, Wonderland may not be all that wonderful. Yet, we do not live in Wonderland and therefore, our actions have consequences. The question this poses is, why organise language so as to escape causal relatio...
Gambling in America: Costs and Benefits

1. Introduction 2. Considerations 3. Agents and incentives 4. Economic development 5. Cost-benefit analysis 6. Social benefits 7. Social costs 8. The present and the future.
Mitochondria-Targeted Catalase Does Not Enhance Myogenesis following Cardiotoxin Muscle Injury and Radiation Exposure

Joshua A. Cotter1,2,3, Michael J. Baker3,4, Lewis Akers5, Munjal M. Acharya6, Charles L Limoli6, and Vincent J Caiozzo3 1Kinesiology, California State University, Long Beach, CA, 2Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, CA, 3Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, Irvine, CA, 4Natural Sciences, Fullerton College, Fullerton, CA, 5Biology, Irvine Valley College, Irvine, CA, 6Radiation Oncology, University of California, Irvine, CA
Towards higher densities of cold atoms: intense slow atom beams and dark light traps

High density samples of cold atoms have been obtained using an increasing-field Zeeman slower and a dark light trap. The Zeeman slower produces more than 1012 slow atoms/s. In the dark spontaneous-force light trap repulsive forces between atoms due to rescattered radiation are reduced because the atoms are confined predominantly in a “dark” hyperfine level that does not interact with the trapping light. In such a trap, more than 1010 sodium atoms have been trapped at densities approaching 1012 atoms cm−3.
A Review of “Imperial Japan at Its Zenith: The Wartime Celebration of the Empire's 2,600th Anniversary”

Ken Ruoff's latest book takes as one of its central concerns the manufacture of meaning around the celebrations in 1940 of the 2600th anniversary of the founding of the Japanese monarchy by the Emp...
The rate of surplus value in the postwar US economy: a response to Moseley's critique

Fred Moseley's article (pp. 57-79) represents a very useful contribution to the literature on Marxian macroeconomic approaches to the study of the contemporary US economy. He has carefully and systematically compiled evidence on the time pattern of variables corresponding to several key Marxian ratios, and he has used this evidence in support of the proposition that the postwar decline in the (before-tax) share of profits in the US business sector is attributable primarily to a rise in the ratio of unproductive to productive labour. In the process of developing his own argument, Moseley criticises both the measure ment of the profit share and the explanation of its decline (in terms of the 'exhaustion of the reserve army of labour') that I presented in an earlier contribution to this journal (Weisskopf, 1979). While I find Moseley's work very interesting, I believe that some of his criticism of my article is misplaced. Furthermore, I have serious reservations about Moseley's own analysis; therefore I find his conclusions suggestive, but by no means definitive. In the following pages I shall first raise a few relatively minor points of concern and then turn to some issues of greater import.1
Polycondensation of ω-aminoalkylamino acid esters

ω-Aminoalkylamino acid esters of the following formula were synthesized from diamines and methyl acrylate. Polycondensation at room temperature gave a highly crystalline oligo(amide amine), whereas an amorphous polymer was obtained by heating the monomer at elevated temperatures. The higher molecular weight polymer was obtained by thermal polycondensation of the crystalline oligomer. It was concluded that β-fission of the chain partially occured by reversible MICHAEL reaction in the thermal polymerization. Kinetics of the polycondensation were also studied. ω-Aminoalkylaminosaureester der folgenden Formel wurden durch Addition von Diaminen an Acrylsauremethylester hergestellt. Die Polykondensation bei Raumtemperatur liefert hochkristallisierte Oligo(amid-amine), wahrend amorphe Poly(amid-amine) durch die Schmelzpolykondensation entstanden. Hohermolekulare Poly(amid-amine) erhielt man aus den kristallenen Oligomeren durch Schmelzkondensation. Es wird angenommen, das zum Teil β-Eliminierung durch Retro-MICHAEL-Reaktion in den Polymerketten stattfindet. Es wurde auch die Kinetik der Polykondensation untersucht.
Abnormal Communication between the Aorta and Left Ventricle Aortico-Left Ventricular Tunnel

A case is presented of a 16-month-old white boy with a communication or tunnel between the right sinus of Valsalva and the outflow tract of the left ventricle. The presence of a murmur at birth and the subsequent clinical course suggest that the tunnel was congenital. The physical, electrocardiographic, phonocardiographic, and aortographic findings were quite similar to those of "aortico-left ventricular tunnel" as described by Levy et al.1 The tunnel was occluded surgically, but failure to appreciate the presence of severe aortic stenosis contributed to a fatal outcome. Postmortem study was carried out, and the relationship of the findings of aortico-left ventricular tunnel to aneurysm of the sinuses of Valsalva and the Marfan syndrome is briefly discussed.
Why are the effects of money-supply shocks asymmetric? Convex aggregate supply or “pushing on a string”?☆

Abstract This paper examines whether the asymmetric effect of money on output is an international phenomenon and investigates the reasons for this asymmetry. Annual data from the 1950–1990 period for a panel of 38 countries strongly support asymmetry internationally: negative money-supply shocks are shown to have a stronger effect on output than positive shocks (whose effect is often statistically insignificant). Next, the paper distinguishes between two types of theories that are consistent with the observed output effects: the convex aggregate supply and the “pushing on a string” views, that predict that money shocks have different asymmetric effects on prices. Somewhat surprisingly, however, the effects of money on prices are shown to be symmetric. This finding is consistent with both theories being operative.
Regrinding the Lens of Gender Problematizing “Writing as a Woman”

Recent trends in gender and writing research avoid or ignore the issue of essentialism while attempting to formulate a theory of “composing as a woman” that might rely on essentialist assumptions. Codifying the characteristics of “writing like a woman” or “writing like a man” can result in a limited—and limiting—conception of gender and its effect on writing. To illustrate this argument, this article uses as an example of I'ecriture feminine the writing of Kenneth Burke and as an example of writing like a man the prose of Julia Kristeva. It argues for conceptualizing and studying gender as a secondary factor affecting writing rather than the principal factor.
Intrinsic lidocaine affinity for Na channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes depends on alpha (hH1 vs. rSkM1) and beta 1 subunits.

Objective: The affinity of lidocaine for the α-subunit of the Na channel has been reported to be greater for heart than for non-heart α-subunits, and also to be no different. Lidocaine block has a complex voltage dependence caused by a higher affinity for the inactivated state over the resting state. Inactivation kinetics, however, depend upon the α-subunit isoform and the presence of the auxiliary β1-subunit and will affect measures of block. Methods: We studied the voltage dependence of lidocaine block of Na currents by a two microelectrode voltage clamp in oocytes injected with RNA for the Na channel α-subunits of human heart (hH1a) or a rat skeletal muscle (rSkM1) alone, or coexpressed with the β1-subunit. Results: The midpoints of availability for a 25-s conditioning potential in control solutions were −65 mV for rSkM1, −50 for rSkM1+β1, −78 mV for hH1a and −76 for hH1a+β1. The Kd of tonic lidocaine block was measured at −90, −100, −110, −120 and −130 mV in the same oocytes. The apparent Kd for both isoforms ±β1 became greater with more negative holding potentials, but tended to reach different plateaus at −130 mV (Kd=2128 μM for rSkM1, 1760 μM for rSkM1+β1, 433 for hH1a, and 887 μM for hH1a+β1). Inactivated state affinities, assessed by fitting the shift in the Boltzmann midpoint of the availability relationship to the modulated receptor model, were 4 μM for rSkM1, 1 μM for rSkM1+β1, 7 μM for hH1a and 9 μM for hH1a+β1. Conclusion: The heart Na channel α-subunits expressed in oocytes have an intrinsically higher rest state affinity for lidocaine compared to rSkM1 after the voltage- and state dependence of block are considered. Coexpression with β1 modestly increased the rest affinity of lidocaine for rSkM1, but had the opposite effect for hH1a.
NMR assignment of the intrinsically disordered C-terminal region of Homo sapiens FCP1 in the unbound state

The phosphorylation state of the RNA polymerase II C-terminal repeat domain (CTD) regulates progression through the mRNA biogenesis cycle. Termination of transcription and recycling of RNA polymerase II is promoted by an interaction between the general transcription factor IIF (TFIIF) and the TFIIF-associating CTD phosphatase (FCP1). The acidic C-terminal region of FCP1 is disordered in the free state, but adopts an α-helical conformation upon binding to the heavy chain of TFIIF. Here we report 1H, 13C, and 15N resonance assignments for the intrinsically disordered unbound form of human C-terminal FCP1 (residues 879–961). The use of recently developed 13C direct detected “protonless” NMR experiments allowed the nearly complete assignment of FCP1 reported here and is likely to be a generally effective strategy for the chemical shift assignment of disordered proteins.
Effect of Recombinant Erythropoietin Therapy on Autoimmunity in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Previous studies of the in vitro effects of recombinant erythropoietin (rEPO) on T and B cells and studies of lymphocyte subsets in dialysis patients receiving rEPO therapy suggest that rEPO might augment immune responses. In the present study indices of autoimmunity (antinuclear antibody, anti-double-stranded DNA, and antiphospholipid antibody [immunoglobulins G and M]) were measured before, during, and after rEPO therapy in five systemic lupus erythematosus patients without renal failure (mean serum creatinine, 1.5 ± 0.3 mg/dL). The rEPO therapy was self-administered by subcutaneous injection in doses ranging from 4,000 units once weekly to 3,000 units three times weekly for 3 to 7 months. On rEPO therapy, each patient experienced an increase in hematocrit. The mean baseline hematocrit increased from 32 ± 2.0 to a peak of 42.2 ± 3 ( P
A state-space formulation of transient electromagnetic scattering

For a perfectly conducting scatterer, a state-space formulation for the transient scattered field is given for single-input and multiple-output. The formulation is based on the meromorphic property of the scattered field and includes the constraint that the natural body resonances are invariant with observation point.
Purification and characterization of lipoprotein lipase from human heart

Abstract Human heart lipoprotein lipase was purified by affinity chromatography on heparin-Sepharose 4B. When crude extracts of heart acetone powder were applied to columns, about 40% of total lipase activity was bound to the gel and then eluted with 1.5 M NaCl. At this stage the eluted enzyme was purified 1900-fold. Disc gel electrophoresis yielded a single protein band corresponding with lipolytic activity. Minimum molecular weight of the protein was 60,000 as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The purified enzyme was highly unstable; however, its activity could be partially stabilized at −20°C by bovine serum albumin, glycerol, or ethylene glycol. The activity of the purified enzyme (i) had a pH optimum between 7.8 and 8.0; (ii) required serum for full enzymatic activity; apoC-II could be substituted for serum; (iii) was inhibited by apoC-I in the presence of activated substrate; (iv) was markedly inhibited by NaCl; and (v) was stimulated by heparin.
Time-efficient distributed layer-2 auto-configuration for cognitive radio networks

Cognitive radios (CR) have the ability to dynamically adapt to local spectrum availability. In a network comprised of CR-enabled devices, layer-2 auto-configuration involves determining a common set of channels to facilitate communication among participating nodes. This is a unique challenge as nodes in the CR network may be unaware of (a) their neighbors and (b) the channels on which they can communicate with a neighbor. In this paper, we propose a time-efficient distributed algorithm for layer-2 auto-configuration for a CR network. Our algorithm finds the globally common channel set in 2MN+O(DN) timeslots, where each node is assigned a unique identifier from the range [1,...,N], M is the maximum number of channels available for communication, and D is the diameter of the network. All nodes know M and N. We present both diameter-aware and diameter-unaware versions of the algorithm. We then show that the proposed algorithms are efficient by proving a matching lower bound. Finally, we investigate a special case when nodes have more knowledge available at their disposal and discuss how the time-complexity of our algorithm can be improved under this case.