cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inflation and shadow matter

The possible production of shadow matter during the period of cosmic inflation is considered. The superstring theory of Gross et al. (1985), which results in a gauge group E8 x E8, could, at low energies, result in the existence of two sectors: an observed sector associated with all familiar particles and interactions, and a hidden one whose particles couple only through gravitational interactions with ordinary matter. It is demonstrated here that if, in the early universe, an inflationary phase is associated with the breaking of one of the symmetries in the E8 x E8 theory, this strongly constrains the physics of both sectors if shadow matter is to be the missing mass in the universe.
Confirmatory factor analysis of the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale

Abstract Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (MDRS) test results for a heterogeneous sample of 185 patients, aged 47–95, were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis. We assessed the goodness-of-fit of one-to five-factor models, using conceptual groupings of items based upon prevailing neuropsychological practice. A two-factor model (verbal/nonverbal) fit the data as well as or better than other multi-factorial models, including the five-subtest scheme. In each model, the factors were highly intercorrelated, suggesting that they were largely overlapping but separable. The MDRS Conceptualization and Memory subtests correlated at +1.00, indicating that they are not separable. In addition, two items (name writing, imitating movements) did not load on any factors, due to restricted variance. These findings indicate that a more parsimonious interpretation of test results, using the verbal/nonverbal dimensions, may be warranted, particularly for screening purposes in heterogeneous populations. Suggestions are provid...
High glucose and renin release: the role of succinate and GPR91

Diabetes mellitus is the most common and rapidly growing cause of end-stage renal disease. A classic hallmark of diabetes pathology is the activation of the intrarenal renin–angiotensin system (RAS), which may lead to hypertension and renal tissue injury, but the mechanism of RAS activation has been elusive. Recently, we described the intrarenal localization of the novel metabolic receptor GPR91 and established some of its functions in diabetes. These include the triggering of renin release in early diabetes via both vascular (endothelial) and tubular (macula densa) sites in the juxtaglomerular apparatus as well as the activation of MAP kinases in the distal nephron-collecting duct, which are important signaling mechanisms in diabetic nephropathy (DN) and renal fibrosis. GPR91 is a cell surface receptor for succinate and during the past few years it has provided a new paradigm for the mechanism of cell stress response in many organs. Beyond its traditional role in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, succinate now has an unexpected hormone-like signaling function, which may provide a feedback between local tissue metabolism, mitochondrial stress, and organ functions. Succinate accumulation in the local tissue environment and GPR91 signaling appear to be important early mechanisms by which cells detect and respond to hyperglycemia and trigger tissue injury in DN. Also, the distal nephron-collecting duct system, which is the major source of (pro)renin in diabetes and has the highest level of GPR91 expression in the kidney, may have an important, active, and early role in the pathogenesis of DN in contrast to the existing glomerulus-centric paradigm.
Expression of VEGF Receptors on Endothelial Cells in Mouse Skeletal Muscle

VEGFR surface localization plays a critical role in converting extracellular VEGF signaling towards angiogenic outcomes, and the quantitative characterization of these parameters is critical for advancing computational models; however the levels of these receptors on blood vessels is currently unknown. Therefore our aim is to quantitatively determine the VEGFR localization on endothelial cells from mouse hindlimb skeletal muscles. We contextualize this VEGFR quantification through comparison to VEGFR-levels on cells in vitro. Using quantitative fluorescence we measure and compare the levels of VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 on endothelial cells isolated from C57BL/6 and BALB/c gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior hindlimb muscles. Fluorescence measurements are calibrated using beads with known numbers of phycoerythrin molecules. The data show a 2-fold higher VEGFR1 surface localization relative to VEGFR2 with 2,000–3,700 VEGFR1/endothelial cell and 1,300–2,000 VEGFR2/endothelial cell. We determine that endothelial cells from the highly glycolytic muscle, tibialis anterior, contain 30% higher number of VEGFR1 surface receptors than gastrocnemius; BALB/c mice display ∼17% higher number of VEGFR1 than C57BL/6. When we compare these results to mouse fibroblasts in vitro, we observe high levels of VEGFR1 (35,800/cell) and very low levels of VEGFR2 (700/cell), while in human endothelial cells in vitro, we observe that the balance of VEGFRs is inverted, with higher levels VEGFR2 (5,800/cell) and lower levels of VEGFR1 (1,800/cell). Our studies also reveal significant cell-to-cell heterogeneity in receptor expression, and the quantification of these dissimilarities ex vivo for the first time provides insight into the balance of anti-angiogenic or modulatory (VEGFR1) and pro-angiogenic (VEGFR2) signaling.
Energy transduction and proton translocation by adenosine triphosphatases

In a recent letter to this journal, Peter Mitchell [ 1 ] suggested a mechanism for ATP synthesis coupled to a proton gradient across a membrane. This essentially represents an amplification of the component of his chemiosmotic hypothesis concerning how a potential gradient is used, the other components of the hypothesis being how oxidative energy may generate a proton or potential gradient and the function of such gradients to transmit energy from oxidation to phosphorylation sites. depicted as undergoing successive addition of two protons, the second addition being accompanied by reaction with ADP to give a pentacovalent species containing an oxonium ion (-OH;) group.:This species is depicted as losing water to form ATP. The scheme thus accounts for use of two protons per ATP molecule synthesized, in accord with Mitchell’s earlier proposals. Besides suggesting different intermediates for coupled hydrolysis and synthesis, the scheme has other deficiencies, among which are the following:
The residual interaction of bound nucleons-two-nucleon matrix elements deduced from transfer experiments

Abstract Matrix elements for the effective two-nucleon interaction have been deduced from the population of multiplets near closed shells as observed in direct transfer reactions. In the evaluation, the limited purity of such multiples was taken into consideration, typically by weighting the observed fractions of the two-nucleon configurations by their spectroscopic strenghts and by using the resulting energy centroids. In a few cases, off-diagonal matrix elements are available from empirical wave funcitons. The systematic errors for particle-particle matrix elements extracted directly and those obtained from Pandya transformations were found to go in opposite directions. In some cases, this feautre of the empirical mehtod could be used to suggest upper and lower “bounds” for the extracted matrix elements. Diagonal matrix elements for the empirical residual interaction show a number of features suggestive of an underlying simplicity in the interaction of bound nucleons. Within experimental uncertainties (of about 10% for T=0 matrix elements) the monopole parts of the matrix elements are fit well with a simple A−0.75 dependence, and the data available to date do not reveal any significant monopole dependence on the quantum numbers of the interacting nucleons. The usefulness of scaling is suggested. Generally, diagonal matrix elements EJ(j1, j2) normalized by the extracted A-dependent monopole strength agree within expected experimental uncertainties whether derived from particle-particle or particle-hole multiples and whether extracted from the beginning or the end of a major shell. For values J≠0, the diagonal EJ(j2) matrix elements seem to follow two universal functions which depend on the semi-classical coupling angles θ12, but are otherwise independent on j. For j1≠j2 several “typical” functions ƒ(θ12) can be constructed which fit subsets of the data and differ in a predictable way. The general features of the bound-nucleon interaction appear consistent with those of theoretical matrix elements based on a number of short-range model forces or on calculations using the G matrix approach to deal with realistic free nucleon forces. For the latter, the available theoretical numbers for j1=j2 agree well with the T=1 set, but they differ quantitatively from the observed matrix elements for T=0, sometimes by many (experimental) standard deviations.
Empire: an efficient and compact multiple-parameterized model order reduction method

In physical design and optimization for VLSI/ULSI, parameterized model order reduction can be used to handle large design objectives. In this paper we propose an efficient yet accurate parameterized model order reduction method EMPIRE for physical design with multiple parameters. It is the first practical algorithm using implicit moment matching to handle high order moments of very large number of parameters. In addition, it can match the moments of different parameters with different accuracy according to their influence on the objective under study. Experiment results show that compared with the best existing algorithm CORE which uses explicit moment matching for the parameters, EMPIRE results in 47.8X improved accuracy at a similar runtime.
Computer programming in high school vs. college

Although there exists a computer science certification exam for high school teachers in some states, there appear to be no general requirements for teaching computer science at the high school level in most states. This may imply that CS material taught at the high school level is not always well-suited for students who want to pursue CS in college.This paper discusses some observations on what skills and abilities are important to prepare high school students for a successful career in CS at the college level. It also discusses preconceived ideas of college freshmen on what computer programming is all about.
National HRD: a new paradigm or reinvention of the wheel?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze a new research topic, national human resource development (NHRD) for neglected but critical components of economics foundation and accumulated international development research and practices.Design/methodology/approach – Through a targeted literature review on NHRD writing, major development economics theory, and international development literatures, this study conducted a critical content analysis.Findings – The findings in the paper are: current research on NHRD has not advanced our knowledge in economic development, human development, and human resource development under different cultural contexts; the HRD concept used by economists means human development (HD), the domain of HRD should not be extended to HD and HRD scholars should understand the different meaning of the same terms used in different fields determined by the contextual and historical background of the field; NHRD should be renamed as HRD national policy studies, and should be firmly b...
Psychomotor stimulant effects of methylxanthines in squirrel monkeys: relation to adenosine antagonism

The behavioral effects of six methylxanthines were studied in squirrel monkeys responding under a fixed-interval (FI) schedule of stimulus-shock termination. Dose-response curves were determined for each drug by administering cumulative doses IV during timeout periods that preceded sequential components of the FI schedule. Low to intermediate doses of caffeine, theophylline, 8-phenyltheophylline (8-PT), 8-cyclopentyltheophylline (CPT), and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) produced dose-related increases in response rate, whereas higher doses increased response rate less or decreased it. Enprofylline did not increase response rate at any dose. Pretreatment with a high dose of the adenosine agonist 5′-N-ethylcarboxamide adenosine (NECA) suppressed responding throughout the experimental session. Caffeine, theophylline, 8-PT, CPT, and IBMX, but not enprofylline, antagonized the suppressant effects of NECA in a dose-related manner. The potencies of the methylxanthines for increasing response rate under the FI schedule were positively correlated with their potencies for antagonizing the suppressant effects of NECA, suggesting that the psychomotor stimulant effects of methylxanthines are linked to their antagonistic actions at adenosine recognition sites. CPT, which in vitro has much higher affinity (>103-fold) than caffeine for adenosine A1, but not for A2, recognition sites, was only 3–6 times more potent than caffeine in increasing response rate or in antagonizing the effects of NECA. The psychomotor stimulant effects of methylxanthines therefore appear to be more closely associated with antagonism at adenosine A2 than adenosine A1 recognition sites.
Kinetics of Graphite Oxidation: Monolayer and Multilayer Etch Pits in HOPG Studied by STM

Oxidation experiments using a particular grade of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite have allowed observation of large numbers of both monolayer and multilayer etch pits on the same samples, formed under identical conditions. Scanning tunneling microscopy was used to measure pits produced after various etch times, temperatures, and O2 pressures. From these data pit growth rates, activation energies, and reaction orders were derived. Although multilayer pits were observed to grow over 3 times faster than monolayer pits in air, both types of pits had the same activation energy. Multilayer etch pits were sometimes observed to form at screw dislocations in the graphite but were also seen in the absence of such defects. The experimentally determined reaction rates and activation energies were not consistent with a direct reaction of edge-carbon atoms with atmospheric oxygen, but instead suggest a chain reaction or preequilibrium process. A mechanism for oxidation of multilayer pits involving reaction of partia...
Recent progress in conducting polymers: Opportunities for science and opportunities for technology

Abstract The remarkable electrical and mechanical properties of conducting polymers formed the initial (and continuing) basis of interest in the field. Recent results have demonstrated progress in the development of conducting polymer blends as composite materials without a percolation threshold.
The effect of nitroglycerine on the ballistocardiogram of persons with and without clinical evidence of coronary heart disease.

Nitroglycerine has been given to a series of patients and its effect on the ballistocardiogram oserved. Attacks of angina pectoris are accompanied by great deterioration of the record; if nitroglycerine is given at such a time, the record improves as pain passes off. Given between attacks to patients having coronary heart disease with abnormal ballistocardiograms, nitroglycerine is often followed by improvement in the record. Also given to older patients who have abnormal ballistocardiograms but no clinical evidence of coronary heart disease, nitroglycerine is often followed by improvement in the record, a fact consistent with the view that coronary heart disease is present in such cases. However, nitroglycerine is sometimes followed by deterioration of the ballistocardiogram, the possible reasons for this unexpected finding are discussed; attention is called to recent evidence indicating that serious toxic effects may follow exposure to nitrites in industry.
Tracing sources and cycling of phosphorus in Peru Margin sediments using oxygen isotopes in authigenic and detrital phosphates

Abstract Many (bio)geochemical processes that bring about changes in sediment chemistry normally begin at the sediment-water interface, continue at depth within the sediment column and may persist throughout the lifetime of sediments. Because of the differential reactivity of sedimentary phosphate phases in response to diagenesis, dissolution/precipitation and biological cycling, the oxygen isotope ratios of phosphate (δ18OP) can carry a distinct signature of these processes, as well as inform on the origin of specific P phases. Here, we present results of sequential sediment extraction (SEDEX) analyses combined with δ18OP measurements, aimed at characterizing authigenic and detrital phosphate phases in continental margin sediments from three sites (Sites 1227, 1228 and 1229) along the Peru Margin collected during ODP Leg 201. Our results show that the amount of P in different reservoirs varies significantly in the upper 50 m of the sediment column, but with a consistent pattern, for example, detrital P is highest in siliciclastic-rich layers. The δ18OP values of authigenic phosphate vary between 20.2‰ and 24.8‰ and can be classified into at least two major groups: authigenic phosphate precipitated at/near the sediment-water interface in equilibrium with paleo-water oxygen isotope ratios (δ18Ow) and temperature, and phosphate derived from hydrolysis of organic matter (Porg) with subsequent incomplete to complete re-equlibration and precipitated deeper in the sediments column. The δ18OP values of detrital phosphate, which vary from 7.7–15.4‰, suggest two possible terrigenous sources and their mixtures in different proportions: phosphate from igneous/metamorphic rocks and phosphate precipitated in source regions in equilibrium with δ18Ow of meteoric water. More importantly, original isotopic compositions of at least one phase of authigenic phosphates and all detrital phosphates are not altered by diagenesis and other biogeochemical changes within the sediment column. These findings help to understand the origin and provenance of P phases and paleoenvironmental conditions at/near the sediment-water interface, and to infer post-depositional activities within the sediment column.
‘Go On, Get Out There, And Make It Happen’: Reflections on the First Ten Years of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC)

Economic sabotage has been a feature of the more radical parts of the animal rights and liberation movement in the western world for several decades. Rather than just underground, politically motivate actions from disenfranchised activists, economic sabotage should be seen as a selective, well-calculated strategy practised by empowered activists. Using an analysis of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, this piece argues how ‘sabotage’—a repertoire of contentious actions which straddle legality—has more recently been facilitated by the proliferation and use of information communications technologies (Internet, email and mobile telephony). In view of this development, this article seeks to illustrate its role within the direct action domain of the UK animal rights and liberation movement, and examines some of the UK governments responses.
Does Moderate Intensity Exercise Attenuate the Postprandial Lipemic and Airway Inflammatory Response to a High-Fat Meal?

We investigated whether an acute bout of moderate intensity exercise in the postprandial period attenuates the triglyceride and airway inflammatory response to a high-fat meal (HFM) compared to remaining inactive in the postprandial period. Seventeen (11 M/6 F) physically active (≥150 min/week of moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)) subjects were randomly assigned to an exercise (EX; 60% ) or sedentary (CON) condition after a HFM (10 kcal/kg, 63% fat). Blood analytes and airway inflammation via exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) were measured at baseline, and 2 and 4 hours after HFM. Airway inflammation was assessed with induced sputum and cell differentials at baseline and 4 hours after HFM. Triglycerides doubled in the postprandial period (~113 ± 18%, ), but the increase did not differ between EX and CON. Percentage of neutrophils was increased 4 hours after HFM (~17%), but the increase did not differ between EX and CON. Exhaled nitric oxide changed nonlinearly from baseline to 2 and 4 hours after HFM . Our findings suggest that, in active individuals, an acute bout of moderate intensity exercise does not attenuate the triglyceride or airway inflammatory response to a high-fat meal.
Near-surface particle image velocimetry measurements in a transitionally rough-wall atmospheric boundary layer

The Reynolds number dependence of the structure and statistics of wall-layer turbulence remains an open topic of research. This issue is considered in the present work using two-component planar particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements acquired at the Surface Layer Turbulence and Environmental Science Test (SLTEST) facility in western Utah. The Reynolds number (δuτ/ν) was of the order 106. The surface was flat with an equivalent sand grain roughness k+ =18. The domain of the measurements was 500 < yuτ/ν. <3000 in viscous units, 0.00081 < y/δ <0.005 in outer units, with a streamwise extent of 6000 ν/uτ. The mean velocity was fitted by a logarithmic equation with a von Kaarman constant of 0.41. The profile of u′v′ indicated that the entire measurement domain was within a region of essentially constant stress, from which the wall shear velocity was estimated. The stochastic measurements discussed include mean and RMS profiles as well as two-point velocity correlations. Examination of the instantaneous vector maps indicated that approximately 60% of the realizations could be characterized as having a nearly uniform velocity. The remaining 40% of the images indicated two regions of nearly uniform momentum separated by a thin region of high shear. This shear layer was typically found to be inclined to the mean flow, with an average positive angle of 14.9°. © Cambridge University Press 2007.
Is lysergic-acid diethylamide a teratogen?

Abstract A girl with a malformed right leg was born to a 19-year-old woman who had taken lysergic-acid diethylamide (L.S.D.) on the 25th day after her last menstrual period and three times between the 45th and 98th days. Her husband had also taken the drug. The child presented with the typical picture of the unilateral fibular aplastic syndrome. Since the mother took the second dose of L.S.D. in the period critical for the production of leg deformities, it is not unreasonable to suspect a causal relationship. Chromatid breaks were found in peripheral white blood-cells of the father (2 breaks), mother (5), and child (3).
Modeling the annular incision in a herniated lumbar intervertebral disk to study its effect on disk stability

Abstract Several techniques of lumbar disk annulotomy have been described in clinical reports, but have not addressed the influence of annulotomy type on motion-segment stability. The technique used to incise during diskectomy may play a role in the subsequent healing and biomechanical stability of the disk. The purpose of this study is to develop a finite-element model using ADINA to study the influence of annulotomy-technique selection on disk competence. The analyses showed that both the box- and slit-type annular incisions produced similar changes in the biomechanical characteristics of the disk excepting the stresses in the disk annulus. The study also showed that there is no preference between the two annular incisions as far as post-surgical stability of the disk is concerned.
Quark-gluon plasma as the possible source of cosmological dark radiation

Abstract The effective number of neutrinos, N eff , obtained from CMB fluctuations accounts for all effectively massless degrees of freedom present in the Universe, including but not limited to the three known neutrinos. Using a lattice-QCD derived QGP equation of state, we constrain the observed range of N eff in terms of the freeze-out of unknown degrees of freedom near to quark–gluon hadronization. We explore limits on the coupling of these particles, applying methods of kinetic theory, and discuss the implications of a connection between N eff and the QGP transformation for laboratory studies of QGP.
Simulating bicycle wayfinding mechanisms in an urban environment

With the increased recognition that bicycling is a sustainable transportation mode choice, there is a continued interest in understanding how the built environment affects bicyclist travel behavior. Research on the influence of small-scale built form elements, such as street characteristics, on bicyclist wayfinding is limited. wayfinding is defined as a purposeful way of reaching from point A to point B; it is comprised of decision-making and subsequent movement. This research uses an agent-based model to investigate how small-scale urban design affects bicyclist wayfinding. Using geographic information systems and statistical analysis, different types of simulated bicycle agents were compared to observed bicycle volumes. Statistically significant positive relationships between bicycle agent types and observational data existed. The largest correspondence between agents and field observations occurred along central routes that were accessible from other streets (R2 = .377) and that had fewer decision-maki...
Study of B1 (NaCl-type) to B2 (CsCl-type) pressure-induced structural phase transition in BaS, BaSe and BaTe using ab initio computations

We have studied the pressure-induced phase transitions from NaCl-type (B1) to CsCl-type (B2) structure in BaS, BaSe and BaTe by using ab initio density functional theory computations in the local density approximation. The Buerger and WTM mechanisms were explored by mapping the enthalpy contours in two- and four-dimensional configuration space for the two mechanisms, respectively. Transition pressures for BaS, BaSe and BaTe were determined to be 5.5 GPa, 4.9 GPa and 3.4 GPa, respectively. From these configuration space landscapes, a low enthalpy barrier path was constructed for the transitions to proceed at three different pressures. We obtained barriers of 0.18, 0.16 and 0.15 eV/pair (17.4, 15.4 and 14.5 kJ mol−1) for the Buerger mechanism and 0.13, 0.13 and 0.12 eV/pair (12.5, 12.5 and 11.6 kJ mol−1) for the WTM mechanism at the transition pressures for BaS, BaSe and BaTe, respectively, indicating that the WTM mechanism is slightly more favorable in these compounds. We describe the difference between the two mechanisms by differences in their symmetry and atomic coordination.
Blood transfusion products contain mitochondrial DNA damage-associated molecular patterns: a potential effector of transfusion-related acute lung injury

Abstract Background Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) is the most frequent and severe complication in patients receiving multiple blood transfusions. Current pathogenic concepts hold that proinflammatory mediators present in transfused blood products are responsible for the initiation of TRALI, but the identity of the critical effector molecules is yet to be determined. We hypothesize that mtDNA damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are present in blood transfusion products, which may be important in the initiation of TRALI. Methods DNA was extracted from consecutive samples of packed red blood cells, fresh frozen plasma (FFP), and platelets procured from the local blood bank. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify ≈200 bp sequences from the COX1, ND1, ND6, and D-loop regions of the mitochondrial genome. Results A range of mtDNA DAMPs were detected in all blood components measured, with FFP displaying the largest variation. Conclusions We conclude that mtDNA DAMPs are present in packed red blood cells, FFP, and platelets. These observations provide proof of the concept that mtDNA DAMPs may be mediators of TRALI. Further studies are needed to test this hypothesis and to determine the origin of mtDNA DAMPs in transfused blood.
Alpha-tocopherol: a potent inhibitor of platelet adhesion.

Administration of vitamin E in doses of 400 IU/day exerts a potent inhibition of platelet adhesion as measured in a laminar flow chamber. Adhesion to all surfaces tested was reduced and appeared to be related to a limited pseudopodia formation in a-tocopherol-enriched platelets.
Distinguishing geometric graphs

We begin the study of distinguishing geometric graphs. Let G be a geometric graph. An automorphism of the underlying graph that preserves both crossings and noncrossings is called a geometric automorphism. A labeling, f: V( G ) → l1, 2, … , rr, is said to be r-distinguishing if no nontrivial geometric automorphism preserves the labels. The distinguishing number of G is the minimum r such that G has an r-distinguishing labeling. We show that when K n is not the nonconvex K 4, it can be 3-distinguished. Furthermore, when n ≥ 6, there is a K n that can be 1-distinguished. For n ≥ 4, K 2,n can realize any distinguishing number between 1 and n inclusive. Finally, we show that every K 3,3 can be 2-distinguished. We also offer several open questions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 53: 135–150, 2006 Visiting Colgate University, Hamilton, NY 13346.
Mechanisms of sensitization of the response of single dorsal root ganglion cells from adult rat to noxious heat

We investigated the regulation by nerve growth factor of the response of sensory neurons to noxious heat (>43 degrees C). In dissociated dorsal root ganglion neurons (<30 micro m) from adult rat we demonstrated, using perforated patch clamp recording, that the inward current elicited in response to noxious heating is enhanced by nerve growth factor and reduced by capsazepine. The tachyphylaxis observed in response to the second of two heat pulses was reversed in most cells when nerve growth factor was introduced into the medium during the 5 min between the two heat stimuli, similar to findings using capsaicin [X. Shu & L.M. Mendell (1999) Neurosci. Lett.274, 159-162]. The threshold temperature did not change systematically after nerve growth factor. Using antibodies to TRPV1 and trkA in a subset of cells from which we recorded, we found a virtually perfect correlation between expression of TRPV1 and sensitivity to noxious heat. In addition, trkA expression was perfectly correlated with the ability of nerve growth factor to reverse tachyphylaxis. Thus, this physiological test is a reliable measure of trkA expression in cells sensitive to noxious heat. In agreement with studies in heterologous cells expressing trkA and TRPV1, pharmacologically blocking phospholipase C abolished the effect of nerve growth factor on heat-evoked currents in cells verified to express trkA. We conclude that the response of dorsal root ganglion neurons to noxious heat is conditioned by nerve growth factor in the same way as their response to capsaicin and that these responses require the presence of trkA and TRPV1.
Design lessons for building agile manufacturing systems

Summarizes results of a five-year, multi-disciplinary, university-industry collaborative effort investigating design issues in agile manufacturing. The focus of the project is specifically on light mechanical assembly, with the demand that new assembly tasks be implementable quickly, economically, and effectively. Key to achieving these goals is the ease of equipment and software reuse. Design choices for both hardware and software must strike a balance between the inflexibility of special-purpose designs and the impracticality of overly general designs. We review both our physical and software design choices and make recommendations for the design of agile manufacturing systems.
The influence of carbon black on the extrusion characteristics and rheological properties of elastomers: Polybutadiene and butadiene–styrene copolymer

An experimental study of the influence of carbon black loading, particle size, and structure on the extrusion characteristics of polybutadiene and butadiene–styrene copolymer synthetic rubber is described. The development of extrudate distortion and its mechanisms are considered. The viscosity and die swell have been related to black loading, particle size, and structure. Generally, it is found that black surface area and structure acts to increase viscosity and decrease elastic memory. This situation is analyzed in terms of the theory of nonlinear viscoelasticity. Two mechanistic theories are described which may explain this behavior. One theory is based on the continuum mechanics analysis of suspensions of particles in viscoelastic media. The rheological behavior of the black compounds is explained in terms of the increased severity of deformation in the polymer matrix surrounding the particle agglomerates. The second theory is based on the view of an entanglement network containing black particles. Polymer chains may be adsorbed onto the surface giving rise to increased entanglement densities.
Myxococcus xanthus Swarms Are Driven by Growth and Regulated by a Pacemaker

The principal social activity of Myxococcus xanthus is to organize a dynamic multicellular structure, known as a swarm. Although its cell density is high, the swarm can grow and expand rapidly. Within the swarm, the individual rod-shaped cells are constantly moving, transiently interacting with one another, and independently reversing their gliding direction. Periodic reversal is, in fact, essential for creating a swarm, and the reversal frequency controls the rate of swarm expansion. Chemotaxis toward nutrient has been thought to drive swarming, but here the nature of swarm growth and the impact of genetic deletions of members of the Frz family of proteins suggest otherwise. We find that three cytoplasmic Frz proteins, FrzCD, FrzF, and FrzE, constitute a cyclic pathway that sets the reversal frequency. Within each cell these three proteins appear to be connected in a negative-feedback loop that produces oscillations whose frequencies are finely tuned by methylation and by phosphorylation. This oscillator, in turn, drives MglAB, a small G-protein switch, to oscillate between its GTP- and GDP-bound states that ultimately determine when the cell moves forward or backward. The periodic reversal of interacting rod-shaped cells promotes their alignment. Swarm organization ensures that each cell can move without blocking the movement of others.
Urban tree transpiration over turf and asphalt surfaces

We used a two-layer canopy model to study transpiration of tree species as affected by energy-balance properties of a vegetated and paved surface. During several dawn-to-dusk studies, tree transpiration, stomatal conductance, leaf temperature (%), and several microclimate variables, were measured over turf and an asphalt surface. Cumulative transpiration was estimated from a leaf energy- balance equation applied to a tree crown apportioned between sunlit and shaded layers. Afternoon asphalt surface temperatures (Ts) were 20-25°C higher than turf T~ in all studies. Air-temperature differences between sites were minimal due to the size and proximity of the two surfaces that resulted in mixing of air. Trees over asphalt had consistently higher T, than those over turf, apparently due to interception of the greater upwards long-wave radiation flux from higher T s. In one study flowering pear over asphalt in a humid environment had higher T/resulting in one-third more total water loss compared to trees over turf. In other studies, however, water loss of green ash and Norway maple over asphalt in an arid environment was either equal to or less than that over turf. Less water loss was due to higher T, over asphalt causing prolonged stomatal closure. Model manipulation indicated that tree water loss over asphalt will depend on the degree of stomatal closure resulting from how interception of increased energy-fluxes and ambient humidity affect leaf-to-air vapor pressure differences. 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.
Two different transgenes to study gene silencing and re-expression during zebrafish caudal fin and retinal regeneration.

We used the 500-bp Xenopus ef1-alpha promoter and the 2-kb zebrafish histone 2A.F/Z promoter to generate several independent transgenic zebrafish lines expressing EGFP. While both promoters drive ubiquitous EGFP expression in early zebrafish development, they are systematically silenced in several adult tissues, including the retina and caudal fin. However, EGFP expression is temporarily renewed in the adult during either caudal fin or retinal regeneration. In the Tg(H2A.F/Z:EGFP)nt line, EGFP is moderately expressed in both the wound epithelium and blastema of the regenerating caudal fin. In the Tg(ef1-alpha:EGFP)nt line, EGFP expression is reinitiated and restricted to the blastema of the regenerating caudal fin and colabels with BrdU, PCNA, and msxc-positive cells. Thus, these two ubiquitous promoters drive EGFP transgene expression in different cell populations during caudal fin regeneration. We further analyzed the ability of the ef1-alpha:EGFP transgene to label nonterminally differentiated cells during adult tissue regeneration. First, we demonstrated that the transgene is highly methylated in adult zebrafish caudal fin tissue, but not during fin regeneration, implicating methylation as a potential means of transgene silencing in this line. Next, we determined that the ef1-alpha:EGFP transgene is also re-expressed during adult retinal regeneration. Specifically, the ef1-alpha:EGFP transgene colabels with PCNA in the Muller glia, a specialized cell that is the source of neuronal progenitors during zebrafish retinal regeneration. Thus, we concluded that Tg(ef1-alpha:EGFP)nt line visually marks nonterminally differentiated cells in multiple adult regeneration environments and may prove to be a useful marker in tissue regeneration studies in zebrafish.
Effects of Myocardial Strains on Coronary Blood Flow

Systole causes a redistribution of coronary blood flow away from the subendocardium. In the present study the relative contribution of shortening of the myocardial fibers (wall strains) and of pressure development in the ventricular lumen to redistribution were determined. The distribution of coronary blood flow during systole in hearts ejecting into a severed aorta (large wall strains and near-zero afterload) was compared with that in isovolumetrically contracting hearts (reduced wall strains and significant afterload). A quantitative index of the distribution of coronary blood flow during systole was provided by the myocardial uptake of a bolus of 86Rb or 42K injected when constant-pressure perfusion of the left coronary artery was restricted with a solenoid-controlled pump to the period of systole. The coronary blood flow during systole in the subendocardium of the ejecting heart was 62% of that in the subepicardium. A similar gradient in the systolic flow with the endocardium receiving 37% of the blood flow to the epicardium was observed in the hearts contracting isovolumetrically. Removing the afterload by severing the aorta abolished the transmural differences in coronary blood flow. In the present experiment cardiac strains per se did not redistribute coronary blood flow through shear or traction forces on the coronary vasculature, but rather, coronary blood flow was affected only by compressive stresses in the myocardium. Contraction in the absence of afterload influenced overall coronary resistance, however; 18% of the resting coronary resistance was associated with shortening alone. An additional 11% of the resting coronary resistance appeared when pressure development accompanied shortening. Coronary blood flow patterns indicated two separate compressive stresses in the left ventricle. The first stress was associated with pressure development and increased with myocardial depth. The second stress was smaller; it was associated with shortening and uniformly distributed.
Quantitative analysis of subcellular calcium from electron probe X-ray images

A discussion of electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA) is presented. Methods used to generate EPMA images are given. Applications of EPMA to muscle and secretory cells are presented. >
Intrarenal Volumes of Distribution and Relative Diffusion Coefficients of Monohydric Alcohols

Indicator dilution outflow patterns in renal venous blood from anesthetized dog kidney were measured for the monohydric alcohols from methanol to hexanol with tritiated water (THO) and T-1824 dye as reference indicators. Also measured were olive-oil-to-water and red-cell-to-plasma partition coefficients. The indicator dilution results were: (1) at normal hematocrit, the mean transit times of all the alcohols were approximately the same as for THO; (2) at low hematocrit, the mean transit time of hexanol was approximately 1.6 times that of THO; (3) at both normal and low hematocrits, the upslope portion of the alcohol curves was earlier and steeper dian that of the THO curve, the more so with increasing alcohol carbon number. Results 1 and 2 and the partition coefficients were consistent with an increased volume of distribution of hexanol relative to THO, due to the lipid content of kidney cortical tissue. The previously reported convection-diffusion model applied to result 3 provided diffusion coefficients of the alcohols relative to THO in kidney cortical tissue in vivo.
Reactionary Automatic Envelope Protection for Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

A new reactionary approach is developed for envelope protection in autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles. The approach is reactionary in the sense that corrective action for envelope protection i.e., command modication, is taken only when current system commands are predicted to cause limit violations within the prediction horizon. The method places no restriction on the order of the dynamics but requires a well-dened known relative degree. Envelope protection is achieved by treating the limit boundary as an obstacle and by modifying system commands to follow a prescribed safe response prole close to the edge of the envelope. The approach is therefore applicable to both steady and transient peak limiting. The ecacy of the method is demonstrated by application to a linear example and Software-in-the-Loop (SITL) simulation evaluation within the GTMax simulation architecture.
Da Cosmologia à História: resitência, adaptação e consciência social entre os Kayapó

Traduzido de:TURNER,Terrence. 1987. "From cosmology to history: resistance, adaptation and social consciousness among the Kayapo". Trabalho apresentado na reuniao da ABA Associacao Brasileira de Antropologia, Belem do Para. tradutor: DAVID SOARESrevisao tecnica: SYLVIA CAIUBY NOVAES, HELOISA BUARQUE DE ALMEIDA
An SMP soft classification algorithm for remote sensing

Abstract This work introduces a symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) version of the continuous iterative guided spectral class rejection (CIGSCR) algorithm, a semiautomated classification algorithm for remote sensing (multispectral) images. The algorithm uses soft data clusters to produce a soft classification containing inherently more information than a comparable hard classification at an increased computational cost. Previous work suggests that similar algorithms achieve good parallel scalability, motivating the parallel algorithm development work here. Experimental results of applying parallel CIGSCR to an image with approximately 108 pixels and six bands demonstrate superlinear speedup. A soft two class classification is generated in just over 4 min using 32 processors.
The fundamentally different dynamics of dust and gas in molecular clouds

We study the behaviour of large dust grains in turbulent molecular clouds (MCs). In primarily neutral regions, dust grains move as aerodynamic particles, not necessarily with the gas. We therefore directly simulate, for the first time, the behaviour of aerodynamic grains in highly supersonic, magnetohydrodynamic turbulence typical of MCs. We show that, under these conditions, grains with sizes a ≳ 0.01 micron exhibit dramatic (exceeding factor ∼1000) fluctuations in the local dust-to-gas ratio (implying large small-scale variations in abundances, dust cooling rates, and dynamics). The dust can form highly filamentary structures (which would be observed in both dust emission and extinction), which can be much thinner than the characteristic width of gas filaments. Sometimes, the dust and gas filaments are not even in the same location. The ‘clumping factor’ ⟨n^2_(dust)⟩/⟨n_(dust)⟩^2 of the dust (critical for dust growth/coagulation/shattering) can reach ∼100, for grains in the ideal size range. The dust clustering is maximized around scales ∼ 0.2 pc (a/μm) (n_(gas)/100 cm^(−3))^(−1), and is ‘averaged out’ on larger scales. However, because the density varies widely in supersonic turbulence, the dynamic range of scales (and interesting grain sizes) for these fluctuations is much broader than in the subsonic case. Our results are applicable to MCs of essentially all sizes and densities, but we note how Lorentz forces and other physics (neglected here) may change them in some regimes. We discuss the potentially dramatic consequences for star formation, dust growth and destruction, and dust-based observations of MCs.
Technical Barriers, Gaps,and Opportunities Related to Home Energy Upgrade Market Delivery

This report outlines the technical barriers, gaps, and opportunities that arise in executing home energy upgrade market delivery approaches, as identified through research conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America program. The objective of this report is to outline the technical1 barriers, gaps, and opportunities that arise in executing home energy upgrade market delivery approaches, as identified through research conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Building America program. This information will be used to provide guidance for new research necessary to enable the success of the approaches. Investigation for this report was conducted via publications related to home energy upgrade market delivery approaches, and a series of interviews with subject matter experts (contractors, consultants, program managers, manufacturers, trade organization representatives, and real estate agents). These experts specified technical barriers and gaps, and offered suggestions for how the technical community might address them. The potential benefits of home energy upgrades are many and varied: reduced energy use and costs; improved comfort, durability, and safety; increased property value; and job creation. Nevertheless, home energy upgrades do not comprise a large part of the overall home improvement market. Residential energy efficiency is the most complex climate intervention option to deliver because the market failures are many and transaction costs are high (Climate Change Capital 2009). The key reasons that energy efficiency investment is not being delivered are: (1) The opportunity is highly fragmented; and (2) The energy efficiency assets are nonstatus, low-visibility investments that are not properly valued. There are significant barriers to mobilizing the investment in home energy upgrades, including the 'hassle factor' (the time and effort required to identify and secure improvement works), access to financing, and the opportunity cost of capital and split incentives.
A perfect storm: climate change, the power grid, and regulatory regime change after network failure:

This case study explores electric grid failure in the aftermath of a major storm. The thick description of the event highlights broader issues of climate change, the changing regulatory regime of electricity provision, and urban network vulnerability. The reaction to the storm forced a shift in the regulatory regime from one that stressed cost reductions and return on investment to one that also encompassed issues of grid resiliency and service reliability.