cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Between-session progressive ratio performance in rats responding for cocaine and water reinforcers

Rationale A between-session progressive ratio (BtwPR) procedure was tested in rats responding for cocaine and water reinforcers.
Butane oxidation to maleic anhydride over vanadium phosphate catalysts

Three aspects of the title reaction are considered: (1) control of catalyst morphology, (2) imparting catalyst attrition resistance, (3) advantages of separating the redox steps. We find that the best catalysts contain (VO)2P2O7 which must be prepared from a (VO)2H2O(PO3OH)2 precursor. This dehydration reaction is topotactic in nature and controls the morphology of the (VO)2P2O7 catalyst particles. The special feature of the predominant surface obtained in this way is presumably V-V pairs. By itself, (VO)2P2O7 is mechanically too weak to be useful in fluid bed or recirculating solids reactors. We have discovered a novel method of imparting attrition resistance without loss of selectivity to maleic anhydride. The attrition resistance is provided using only small amounts (∼10wt%) of silica. Higher selectivities to maleic anhydride are observed when the two steps of the redox process are separated. The vanadium phosphate is circulated between two reactors. In one, butane is oxidized by vanadium phosphate; in the other, the vanadium phosphate is reoxidized.
Formal language theory and the geometry of 3-manifolds.

Automatic groups were introduced in connection with geometric problems, in particular with the study of fundamental groups of 3-manifolds. In this article the class of automatic groups is extended to include the fundamental group of every compact 3-manifold which satisfies Thurston's geometrization conjecture. Toward this end, the class of asynchronously groups is introduced and studied, where is an arbitrary full abstract family of languages. For example may be the family of regular languagesReg, context-free languagesCF, or indexed languagesInd. The class consists of precisely those groups which are asynchronously automatic. It is proved that contains all of the above fundamental groups, but that does not. Indeed a virtually nilpotent group belongs to if and only if it is virtually abelian.
EE at work: For a bioengineer, the checkered path to administration: He started out with a biology degree. Several years of training and experience later, this bioengineer helps set policy for the Veterans Administration

In the early seventies when Steven Wexler was an undergraduate student majoring in biology at the State University of New York at Binghamton, all he knew about his career goals was that he was “interested in health-related fields.” Today, several years and a checkered career path later, he is the assistant chief of bioengineering for the entire Veterans Administration system.
Biomechanical assessments of lumbar spinal function. How low back pain sufferers differ from normals. Implications for outcome measures research. Part I: kinematic assessments of lumbar function.

Abstract Objective To review new and advanced biomechanical assessment techniques for the lumbar spine and illustrate the differences in lumbar function in patients with low back pain and asymtomatic subjects. Data sources The biomedical literature was searched for research and reviews on spinal kinematic differences between low back pain subjects and healthy controls. A data search for articles indexed on MEDLINE until April 2002 was performed. Results Kinematic measurements of lumbar function were categorized into 3 areas where low back patients may differ from normals: (1) end range of motion during simple movements; (2) higher order kinematics (displacement, velocity, and acceleration) during complex movement tasks; and (3) spinal proprioception. The assessment of higher order kinematics during complex movement tasks is the most highly researched and the most successful in describing differences between the populations. The use of simple end range of motion appears questionable, while assessing spinal proprioception is the least researched, yet shows potential in highlighting differences between low back sufferers and asymptomatics. Conclusion Current kinematic biomechanical assessment techniques are capable of identifying functional differences between low back pain populations and controls. The use and validity of the majority of these techniques as outcome measures are currently unknown, yet may be valuable in generating functional diagnoses, evaluating the mechanisms of current therapies, and prescribing specific rehabilitation programs.
Knowledge, Power, and Interests in Environmental Regime Formation

Knowledge-based approaches to the study of international environmental cooperation tend to treat knowledge as a single variable. It is more useful to distinguish between different types of information and to analyze their roles in policy formation separately. Disaggregating knowledge reveals important aspects of the interplay between knowledge, interests, and power which otherwise remain hidden, and helps solve empirical puzzles and theoretical contradictions. Its utility is illustrated in a comparison between two prominent cases of regime-making efforts: deforestation (non-regime) and ozone depletion (regime). The study relies on analysis of multilateral scientific assessments, observation of UN meetings, and interviews with scientists and policymakers. The evidence suggests that reliable information about the cross-border consequences of a problem is of critical importance in regime formation as it facilitates utility calculations and the formation of interests. By contrast, other types of seemingly relevant scientific knowledge appear to be of far lesser importance. Moreover, contrary to power-over-knowledge theorizing, the state of knowledge cannot be easily explained with reference to political power.
The team approach in the correction of maxillary protrusion

The treatment of maxillary protrusion complicated by congenitally missing teeth, malpositioned teeth, and retained deciduous teeth required the efforts of a general dentist, orthodontist, and oral surgeon.
DNA substrate site for the EcoRII restriction endonuclease and modification methylase.

The same nucleotide sequence in double stranded DNA restricted by the EcoRII restriction endonuclease is methylated by the EcoRII modification methylase. The EcoRII endonucleolytic cleavages generate DNA fragments with cohesive termini.
Background, personality, and behavioral correlates of nuclear anxiety

Abstract Despite the fact that many people are concerned, worried, and afraid regarding the possibility of nuclear war and nuclear power plant accidents, a wide range of individual variation in these experiences has been reported. This study uses data from 739 young adults from the general community to examine numerous correlates of nuclear anxiety as assessed with four factors: nuclear concern, nuclear support, fear for the future, and nuclear denial. Correlates of nuclear anxiety are examined in regard to demographic and background variables (e.g. age, gender, marital status, ethnicity), personality traits, social support, drug use, sex-role identify, and imaginal processes. Results indicated that sex of the subject was the strongest of the background correlates for all types of nuclear anxiety, whereas liberalism was the strongest correlate among the personality variables. Various types of drug use were also significantly correlated with the nuclear anxiety scales, even after correlations with all other variables were controlled. Even though several important and significant associations with nuclear anxiety emerged from the analyses, the best group of variables could account for no more than 15% of the variance (of fear for the future). One interpretation of the findings is that nuclear anxiety affects a wide range of individuals with only a few systematic individual differences.
Characteristics of Mindless Teaching Evaluations and the Moderating Effects of Image Compatibility

Administrators use data from student evaluations of teachers (SETs) as input for making numerous decisions. However, many in the profession question the validity of SET information. This study examines the SET process from a cognitive perspective and investigates the relationship between student images of their teachers and characteristics of mindless SET completion. Questionnaire data from 127 students show significant correlations between SET scores and overall teacher evaluations, but only when images of the current and ideal teacher are not compatible. When images of the current and ideal teacher are compatible, correlations between SET and overall scores are not statistically significant.
Constellation Design via Projection of an Arbitrary Shape onto a Flower Constellation Surface

This paper demonstrates several techniques for constellation and formation design via projection of an arbitrarily defined shape onto a surface constructed of an infinite set of a particular Flower Constellation (FC). Each of the set of Flower Constellations is differentiated only by its initial value of the right ascension of the ascending node (RAAN). There are three projection techniques presented in this paper. One is a projection from an arbitrary outlying point beyond the FC surface while the other two methods are projections from the surface of the Earth. It is important to note that the shape of the resultant constellation is not rigid and will deform as it approaches apogee and perigee. Also, the FC surface chosen will affect how long the formation shape will hold as well as the out-of-plane curvature of the shape. The constellation shape will reform twice on each petal of the Flower Constellation, and the reformation time depends upon the base FC surface. As examples, geometric shapes such as squares, circles, and triangles are projected onto the surface of several different base FC types. These formations can be reoriented to place the apogee of the formation in a different region of the Earth. Thus, the point where the formation starts to deform can be specified. The effect of perturbations on maintaining the constellation/formation will be briefly discussed.
A time-resolved fluorescence study of dissolved organic matter in a riverine to marine transition zone

Abstract Time-resolved and steady-state fluorescence measurements were used to characterize dissolved organic matter (DOM) in bulk water samples from a fresh to marine transition zone. The region studied was the Shark River and Florida Bay in Everglades National Park in Southwestern Florida. Samples were taken from the fresh waters at the head of the Shark River, the mouth of the river, and in the fresh-water river plume as it mixed into the saline waters of Florida Bay. The salinity varied from 0.47 at the head of the river to 36.0 for this series of 11 samples. Steady-state fluorescence intensity decreased with increasing salinity from the head of the Shark River into Florida Bay. This is due to dilution by mixing, as changes in the fluorescence intensity also correlated with changes in the levels of total organic carbon (TOC). Fluorescence lifetime measurements were performed on the five most concentrated samples (salinity from 0.47 to 30.5). The decay of the time-resolved fluorescence could be reasonably fit to a multi-exponential function, with three lifetime components on the order of 0.5–0.8, 2–3, and 6–9 ns. These ranges are in agreement with previous literature results for humic acids, fulvic acids, and marine CDOM concentrated by ultrafiltration. This is the first study of CDOM fluorescence lifetimes in coastal waters in a fresh to marine transition zone. Although photochemical and biological transformations of CDOM occur in these zones, no statistically significant difference in lifetimes was observed with increasing salinity. However, irradiating fresh water samples from the head of the Shark River at 280 and 334 nm resulted in a significant decrease in the two shorter lifetime components (by a factor of ∼4), but only a slight decrease in the longest lifetime component.
A unified design space for regular parallel prefix adders

We consider sparsity, fanout, and radix as three dimensions in the design space of regular parallel prefix adders and present a unified formalism to describe such structures.
LST1 Is a SEC24 Homologue Used for Selective Export of the Plasma Membrane ATPase from the Endoplasmic Reticulum

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, vesicles that carry proteins from the ER to the Golgi compartment are encapsulated by COPII coat proteins. We identified mutations in ten genes, designated LST (lethal with sec-thirteen), that were lethal in combination with the COPII mutation sec13-1. LST1 showed synthetic-lethal interactions with the complete set of COPII genes, indicating that LST1 encodes a new COPII function. LST1 codes for a protein similar in sequence to the COPII subunit Sec24p. Like Sec24p, Lst1p is a peripheral ER membrane protein that binds to the COPII subunit Sec23p. Chromosomal deletion of LST1 is not lethal, but inhibits transport of the plasma membrane proton-ATPase (Pma1p) to the cell surface, causing poor growth on media of low pH. Localization by both immunofluorescence microscopy and cell fractionation shows that the export of Pma1p from the ER is impaired in lst1Delta mutants. Transport of other proteins from the ER was not affected by lst1Delta, nor was Pma1p transport found to be particularly sensitive to other COPII defects. Together, these findings suggest that a specialized form of the COPII coat subunit, with Lst1p in place of Sec24p, is used for the efficient packaging of Pma1p into vesicles derived from the ER.
Probing the structural basis for differential KCNQ1 modulation by KCNE1 and KCNE2.

KCNE1 associates with KCNQ1 to increase its current amplitude and slow the activation gating process, creating the slow delayed rectifier channel that functions as a “repolarization reserve” in human heart. The transmembrane domain (TMD) of KCNE1 plays a key role in modulating KCNQ1 pore conductance and gating kinetics, and the extracellular juxtamembrane (EJM) region plays a modulatory role by interacting with the extracellular surface of KCNQ1. KCNE2 is also expressed in human heart and can associate with KCNQ1 to suppress its current amplitude and slow the deactivation gating process. KCNE1 and KCNE2 share the transmembrane topology and a high degree of sequence homology in TMD and surrounding regions. The structural basis for their distinctly different effects on KCNQ1 is not clear. To address this question, we apply cysteine (Cys) scanning mutagenesis to TMDs and EJMs of KCNE1 and KCNE2. We analyze the patterns of functional perturbation to identify high impact positions, and probe disulfide formation between engineered Cys side chains on KCNE subunits and native Cys on KCNQ1. We also use methanethiosulfonate reagents to probe the relationship between EJMs of KCNE subunits and KCNQ1. Our data suggest that the TMDs of both KCNE subunits are at about the same location but interact differently with KCNQ1. In particular, the much closer contact of KCNE2 TMD with KCNQ1, relative to that of KCNE1, is expected to impact the allosteric modulation of KCNQ1 pore conductance and may explain their differential effects on the KCNQ1 current amplitude. KCNE1 and KCNE2 also differ in the relationship between their EJMs and KCNQ1. Although the EJM of KCNE1 makes intimate contacts with KCNQ1, there appears to be a crevice between KCNQ1 and KCNE2. This putative crevice may perturb the electrical field around the voltage-sensing domain of KCNQ1, contributing to the differential effects of KCNE2 versus KCNE1 on KCNQ1 gating kinetics.
Site variation and prediction of power quality

We use EPRI's distribution power quality project data to characterize and predict voltage sags and momentary interruptions based on site characteristics. The quality of sites is widely dispersed. Rural sites have many more sags and momentary interruptions than suburban and urban sites. The strongest indicators of voltage sags are: 1) circuit exposure, 2) lightning, and 3) a term with transformer impedance and number of feeders. We develop a linear model for predicting sags and another for predicting momentary interruptions based on site characteristics. We also compare transmission-level power quality to distribution power quality.
Inpatient surgical site infection after shoulder arthroplasty

Background Surgical site infection (SSI) after joint arthroplasty is associated with prolonged hospitalization, reoperation, inferior outcomes, and substantial resource utilization. As the number of shoulder replacements performed in the United States continues to rise, measuring the incidence of inpatient SSI after hemiarthroplasty (HSA) and total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA), and associated risk factors for infection is worthwhile. Methods Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), we reviewed 241,193 patients undergoing TSA or reverse TSA and 159,795 undergoing HSA between 2002 and 2011 and identified patients with an associated diagnosis of SSI during the admission. Demographic characteristics, preoperative diagnoses, further surgical procedures, associated comorbidities, and in-hospital events associated with SSI were sought in multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results An in-hospital SSI developed in 0.08% of patients undergoing TSA or reverse TSA and in 0.11% of patients undergoing HSA. Independent risk factors for inpatient SSI included TSA vs HSA (odds ratio [OR], 1.83), Medicaid insurance vs private insurance (OR, 3.93), diagnosis of fracture nonunion (OR, 5.76), avascular necrosis (OR 2.71), or proximal humeral fracture (OR, 2.62) vs primary osteoarthritis, comorbidities, in-hospital events (blood transfusion, pneumonia, and acute renal failure), and increased duration of hospital stay. Conclusions The small percentage of SSI that occurs during the initial inpatient stay after shoulder arthroplasty is related to diagnoses other than primary osteoarthritis in more infirm patients with low-income government insurance (Medicaid). Patients considering shoulder arthroplasty can use this information to help decide between the potential improvement in comfort and function of the shoulder and the potential for major adverse events such as infection.
Intravenous 6-hydroxydopamine attenuates vasopressin and oxytocin secretion stimulated by hemorrhage and hypotension but not hyperosmolality in rats.

The present study sought to determine whether chemical destruction of peripheral catecholaminergic fibers with 6-hydroxydopamine (6OHDA) attenuates vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT) secretion stim...
Inhibitors of suppressive histone modification promote direct reprogramming of fibroblasts to cardiomyocyte-like cells

We recently reported that the combination of Gata4, Hand2, Tbx5, and the fusion gene MM3 between Mef2c and the transactivation domain of MyoD (MM3-GHT) produces 18 times as many clusters of beating cells (induced cardiomyocyte-like cells or iCMs) as the wild-type combination (M-GHT).1 In the current study, we added the chemicals GSK126 and UNC0638 to MM3-GHT to examine whether depletion of suppressive histone markers further increases the efficiency of making iCMs. GSK126 inhibits Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (Ezh2), which induces di- and trimethylation of Lys27 on histone H3 (H3K27me2 and H3K27me3, respectively) as a catalytic subunit of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2).2 UNC0638 inhibits two closely related enzymes, G9a and GLP, which form a heterodimer in vivo and mediate mono- and dimethylation of Lys9 on histone H3 (H3K9me and H3K9me2) and methylation of non-histone substrates such as p53.3 H3K27me3 and H3K9me2 are typically associated with suppressed genes although the underlying mechanisms have not been fully characterized. We prepared fibroblasts from the heads of Day 13.5 mouse embryos and incubated them with 1 μM GSK126 for 2 days to verify a decrease of H3K27me3 (see Supplementary material online, Figure S1 A ). To test the effect of GSK126 on reprogramming, fibroblasts were transduced with MM3-GHT on Day −1 and 0, and GSK126 was added to the culture medium at different time points ( Figure 1 A ). The most effective schedule was to add GSK126 from Day 1 to 4, resulting in 2.1 times as many iCM clusters as negative control without GSK126 ( Figure 1A , encircled and Supplementary material online, Figure S1 B ). Ca2+ oscillations in the cells were monitored using a transgene encoding the Ca2+ indicator protein GCaMP5, which emits stronger green fluorescence in the presence of …
A Remarkable Elevation of Freezing Temperature of CCl4 in Graphitic Micropores

The freezing behavior of CCl4 confined in graphitic micropores of activated carbon fibers (ACFs) was examined by use of differential scanning calorimetry over the temperature range of 180 to 320 K....
Prefrontal contributions to rule-based and information-integration category learning

Previous research revealed that the basal ganglia play a critical role in category learning [Ell, S. W., Marchant, N. L., & Ivry, R. B. (2006). Focal putamen lesions impair learning in rule-based, but not information-integration categorization tasks. Neuropsychologia, 44(10), 1737-1751; Maddox, W. T. & Filoteo, J. V. (2007). Modeling visual attention and category learning in amnesiacs, striatal-damaged patients and normal aging. In Advances in Clinical-cognitive science: formal modeling and assessment of processes and symptoms (pp. 113-146). Washington DC: American Psychological Association] but less is known about the specific role of prefrontal cortical (PFC) regions in category learning. The current study examined rule-based (RB) and information-integration (II) category learning in 13 patients with damage primarily to ventral PFC regions. After 600 learning trials with feedback, patients were significantly less accurate than matched controls on both RB and II learning. Model-based analysis identified subgroups of patients whose impaired performance in each task was due to the use of sub-optimal learning strategies. Those patients impaired at either II or RB learning, performed significantly worse on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, a test of abstract rule formation and the ability to shift and maintain rules. Lesion analysis pointed to damage in a fairly circumscribed region of ventral medial prefrontal cortex as common to the impaired group of patients and those patients without ventral PFC damage mostly performed normally. These results provide further evidence that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex is critically important for the ability to monitor and integrate feedback in order to select and maintain optimal learning strategies.
Habitats Used by the Endangered Fountain Darter (Etheostoma fonticola) in the San Marcos River, Hays County, Texas

Abstract We examined algae and macrophytes used as habitats by the endangered fountain darter Etheostoma fonticola through examination of six probable microhabitats. Rhizoclonium, Ludwigia repens, and Hydrilla verticillata had the greatest densities of fountain darters, although all six species of plants tested had fountain darters in ≥5% of samples. The smallest darters were in Rhizoclonium, and the largest were in Potamogeton illinoensis. This likely was due to differences in current velocity among microhabitats. In the San Marcos River, it is important for fountain darters to have vegetated areas with dense cover to provide food, reproductive habitats, and refugia.
The Weight of the Past in the Experience of Health: Time, Embodiment, and Cultural Change in Morocco

Over the past thirty years, the introduction of new technologies into household life in southeastern, Saharan Morocco has decreased both the labor and time needed for the daily tasks of cooking and cleaning. Despite these benefits, Saharan housewives view the changes in diet and food preparation as the cause of an increase in fatigue and poor digestion. They construct this etiology by means of historical metaphors, which locate health in the aesthetic and moral virtues of life in the past. This article examines this example of collective memory from the perspective of cultural phenomenology, focusing on the relationship between habitus and culture change. P. Bourdieu argues that habitus has a “hysteresis effect,” (1977:78, 1990:59) in which the disproportional weight of early experience in the generation of embodied dispositions creates a temporal lag in the logic of practice. In the Moroccan case, the persistence of embodied structures of the body in time from the premodern past fuels a moral discourse that links unrefined food, manual labor, and Islamic practice to meanings of health.
Mobile technology and global mental health.

In the paper Applying mobile technologies to mental health service delivery in South Asia, Dr. Aggarwal explores the impact of mobile phone technology as a means to increase engagement, treatment, and retention of patients with mental disorders (Aggarwal, 2012). Dr. Aggarwal delineates the numerous benefits of mobile phone technology such as clinical interventions via text messaging but since publication of the article a new application of mobile technologies has grown in prominence with the potential to realize not only the promise of mobile technologies to South Asia but also to the global mental health community as well. The rapid rise of smart phone technology has created the opportunity for the development of new monitoring, diagnostic, and treatment modalities in the form of mobile applications or ‘apps.’ A recent survey found that there are already 27 million smart phones users in urban India which accounts for 9% of mobile users in urban Indian centers (Singh, 2012). Internationally, rates of ownership continue to accelerate with well over half of the U.S. population now owning a smart phone (Fox and Duggan, 2012). While the exact percentage of patients with mental health conditions who own a smart phone is unknown, clinical experience indicates it is not-negligible and with the continued increasing market penetrance of smart phones it stands to reason that soon many patients will own these powerful computing devices. The opportunity created for mental health care in the rise of smart phones derives from the newfound ability to constantly connect with patients and engage them in real time monitoring and therapy. The early demand for such applications is evident in studies of mobile applications available for the iPhone. Unfortunately this demand is currently filled by non-clinically validated applications. Abroms et al. searched the iTunes store for applications related to smoking cessation and found 47, yet noted A R T I C L E I N F O
Invariant Theory of Finite Groups

Invariant theory has had a profound effect on the development of algebraic geometry. For example, the Hilbert Basis Theorem and Hilbert Nullstellensatz, which play a central role in the earlier chapters in this book, were proved by Hilbert in the course of his investigations of invariant theory.
A Novel Stress Echocardiography Pattern for Myocardial Bridge With Invasive Structural and Hemodynamic Correlation

Background Patients with a myocardial bridge (MB) and no significant obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) may experience angina presumably from ischemia, but noninvasive assessment has been limited and the underlying mechanism poorly understood. This study seeks to correlate a novel exercise echocardiography (EE) finding for MBs with invasive structural and hemodynamic measurements. Methods and Results Eighteen patients with angina and an EE pattern of focal end-systolic to early-diastolic buckling in the septum with apical sparing were prospectively enrolled for invasive assessment. This included coronary angiography, left anterior descending artery (LAD) intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), and intracoronary pressure and Doppler measurements at rest and during dobutamine stress. All patients were found to have an LAD MB on IVUS. The ratios of diastolic intracoronary pressure divided by aortic pressure at rest (Pd/Pa) and during dobutamine stress (diastolic fractional flow reserve [dFFR]) and peak Doppler flow velocity recordings at rest and with stress were successfully performed in 14 patients. All had abnormal dFFR (≤0.75) at stress within the bridge, distally or in both positions, and on average showed a more than doubling in peak Doppler flow velocity inside the MB at stress. Seventy-five percent of patients had normalization of dFFR distal to the MB, with partial pressure recovery and a decrease in peak Doppler flow velocity. Conclusions A distinctive septal wall motion abnormality with apical sparing on EE is associated with a documented MB by IVUS and a decreased dFFR. We posit that the septal wall motion abnormality on EE is due to dynamic ischemia local to the compressed segment of the LAD from the increase in velocity and decrease in perfusion pressure, consistent with the Venturi effect.
Penalized estimation of haplotype frequencies

Motivation: Low haplotype diversity and linkage disequilibrium are the rule in short genomic segments. This fact suggests that parsimony should be enforced in estimation of haplotype frequencies. The current article introduces a diversity penalty that automatically discards potential haplotypes with low explanatory power. The standard EM algorithm for haplotype frequency estimation can accommodate the penalty if one passes over to a more general minorize–maximize (MM) scheme for estimation. Results: Our new MM algorithm converges in fewer iterations, eliminates marginal haplotypes from further consideration and reduces the computational complexity of each iteration. Estimation by the MM algorithm also improves haplotyping and genotype imputation compared to naive application of the EM algorithm. Thus, the MM algorithm is a useful substitute for the EM algorithm. Compared to the most sophisticated current methods of haplotyping and genotype imputation, the MM algorithm is slightly less accurate but at least an order of magnitude faster. Availability: Our software will be made available in the next release the program Mendel at http://www.genetics.ucla.edu/software/. Contact: [email protected]
Influence of Multiple Heterogeneities on Sintering Rates

The sintering rate of a powder compact containing heterogeneities was calculated. The calculations reveal a strong retardation of sintering in the presence of nonsinterable agglomerates because of the development of a hydrostatic tensile stress. The variation in sintering rate with volume fraction is shown to be highly nonlinear, such that appreciable effects obtain even for 1% agglomerated powder. Specific results are calculated using constitutive laws pertinent to Al2O3.
Studies on the structure of plant protoplasm

1. A hitherto undescribed category of cytoplasmic bodies, called tentatively the osmiophilic platelets, has been found to occur in many kinds of plant cells, including representatives of both germinal and somatic tissues from the Bryophyta, Pteridophyta and Spermatophyta. 2. These platelets are demonstrated as a rule only by the methods of osmic acid-impregnation, particularly the modification due toKolatchev andNassonov. 3. These bodies show no special points of interest as regards their distribution in either resting or dividing cells. 4. It is suggested that their substance represents an essentially independent cytoplasmic constituent, on the same footing as the chondriosomes,Golgi apparatus, plastids, etc. 5. The osmiophilic platelets have many features in common with theGolgi bodies of some animal cells (insects particularly), and this fact together with their relation to the developing acrosomal material in the moss sperm leads to the tentative conclusion that they are the homologue in the plant cell of theGolgi apparatus in the animal cell.
Cloning and characterization of a centromere-specific repetitive DNA element from Sorghum bicolor

A 823-bp Sau3AI fragment (pSau3A10) was subcloned from a sorghum bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clone, 13I16, that contains DNA sequences specific to the centromeres of grass species. Sequence analysis showed that pSau3A10 consists of six copies of an approximately 137-bp monomer. The six monomers were organized into three dimers. The monomers within the dimers shared 62–72% homology and the dimers were 79–82% homologous with each other. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis indicated that the Sau3A10 family is present only in the centromeres of sorghum chromosomes. Sequencing, Southern hybridization, and Fiber-FISH analyses indicated that the Sau3A10 family is tandemly arranged and is present in uninterrupted stretches of up to at least 81 kb of DNA. Slot-blot analysis estimated that the Sau3A10 family constitutes 1.6–1.9% of the sorghum genome. The long stretches of Sau3A10 sequences were interrupted by other centromeric DNA elements. Southern analysis indicated that the Sau3A10 sequence is one of the most abundant DNA families located in sorghum centromeres and is conserved only in closely related sorghum species. Methylation experiments indicated that the cytosine of the CG sites in sorghum centromeric regions is generally methylated. The structure and organization of the Sau3A10 family shared similarities with centromeric DNA repeats in other eukaryotic species. It is suggested that the Sau3A10 family is probably an important part of sorghum centromeres.
Abstract 929: Genetic associations with sporadic neuroendocrine tumor risk

BACKGROUND: Genetic risk factors for sporadic neuroendocrine tumors remain poorly understood. To identify genetic variants associated with neuroendocrine tumor risk, we first performed a large-scale assessment of common genetic variants in candidate cancer genes in a discovery set of cases and controls. We then sought to replicate these associations in an independent cohort of neuroendocrine tumor cases and controls. METHODS: We designed an Illumina GoldenGate custom 1536 loci panel on a BeadArray chip (San Diego, CA) containing tagging and functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 355 genes implicated in neuroendocrine tumors or in broader, established cancer-related signaling pathways. Using this panel, we evaluated potential risk associations in a discovery set of 274 cases and 329 controls. We then evaluated the top associated SNPs in an independent replication set of 235 neuroendocrine tumor cases and 113 controls using Sequenom iPlex. Subjects were all Caucasian in both sets. We evaluated potential risk associations using multiple logistic regression, after adjusting for the significant confounders of age and gender with the dominant model and test for trend. RESULTS: Evaluation of 1536 SNPs in our discovery cohort revealed 18 SNPs with risk associations at a p-value CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that genetic variation in IL12A, DAD1, and TSC2 is associated with neuroendocrine tumor risk as shown in two independent cohorts. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 929.
Covariant loops and strings in a positive definite Hilbert space

Relativistic loops and strings are defined in the conventional way as solutions of a one-dimensional wave equation with certain boundary conditions and satisfying the orthogonal gauge conditions. Conventional pseudo-Cartesian co-ordinates (rather than null-plane co-ordinates) are used. The creation and annihilation operator four-vector α † anda μ are required to be spacelike (orthogonal to the total momentumP μ), so that the resulting Fock spaceH + is positive definite. This requirement is shown to be mathematically consistent with Poincare invariance and to impose no additional physical constraints on the system. It can be implemented in a canonical realization of the Poincare algebra as a condition on state vectors, or in a noncanonical realization as an operator equation, as is done here. The spaceH + is further restricted by the Virasoro conditions to a physical subspace Φ which is of course also positive definite. In this way there arises no critical-dimension problem and Poincare invariance holds also in 3+1 dimensions. The energy and spin spectra are the same as usual, leading to linear Regge trajectories, except that there are no tachyons and no zero-mass states. The leading Regge trajectory has negative intercept.
Libere sempre: Una ragazza della Resistenza a una ragazza di oggi

Toward the end of her ninth decade, Marisa Ombra composed an extended essay to a girl of 14, whom she had known from birth, after bumping into her dog Ettore (actually, the other way around) in the...
Antiope LSI

Achieving an attractive display quality, a comprehensive set of features, a large local storage capability and yet offer the potential for consumer applications has been the challenge faced when defining the ANTIOPE system structure and LSI partitioning.
Effects of Supervisory Behavior: The Role of Individual Differences among Salespeople:

The author investigates the effects of supervisory initiation of structure and consideration on salespeople who differ in their specific self-esteem, need for clarity, sales experience, and self-pe...
Quantification of incorporation of [15N]ammonia into plasma amino acids and urea

The incorporation of 15N into individual plasma amino acids and urea was quantified in five human subjects who received 15NH4Cl either orally or intravenously for 6 h. After oral tracer administration, the highest enrichment was achieved by arginine, followed by urea and glutamine; distribution of 15N within glutamine was 55% amide and 45% amino N. Glutamine achieved the highest enrichment after the intravenous administration of tracer, with a distribution of 92% amide and 8% amino N. The relative distribution pattern of 15N incorporation was quantified from the rate at which 15N initially appeared in each plasma component. Amino acids (especially arginine, glutamine, and glutamate) accounted for greater than one-half (54%) of the orally administered tracer that was initially recovered in plasma components, compared with 46% initial appearance for urea; for the intravenous tracer, amino acids accounted for 78% of initial appearance of tracer compared with 22% for urea. Our results highlight the involvement of the splanchnic bed in the utilization of orally administered ammonia (preferential incorporation of oral tracer into arginine, urea, glutamate, and the amino N of glutamine) in contrast to the preferential incorporation of systemically administered ammonia into the amide N of glutamine and alanine.
Gangliosides of monocyte-derived macrophages of adults with advanced HIV infection show reduced surface accessibility.

Gangliosides of macrophages are potent immunoregulatory molecules. A monoclonal anti- body directed at human macrophage gangliosides (25F4) inhibits macrophage migration with relative specificity. Recent reports suggested that greater expression of GM1 in mononuclear cells accompa- nies advanced HIV infection, although others failed to demonstrate any differences in vitro. We puri- fied gangliosides from blood monocyte-derived mac- rophages obtained from HIV-infected adults. Densi- tometric analysis of chromatograms demonstrated no differences in relative quantities of any macro- phage gangliosides among all HIV-positive and -negative donors. Antibody 25F4 showed equiva- lent ELISA reactivity with purified macrophage gangliosides of HIV-positive and -negative donors. However, intact macrophages of HIV donors with CD4 1 cell counts F200/mm 3 showed impaired im- munofluorescent surface expression of the 25F4 epitope and concomitant loss of migration inhibi- tory responsiveness. Thus, although relative con- tent is unchanged, macrophage gangliosides be- come surface-inaccessible in adults with advanced HIV infection. Our data provide further evidence that dysregulation of glycosphingolipid metabolism in HIV-1 infection contributes to immune dysfunc- tion. J. Leukoc. Biol. 64: 311-321; 1998.
Design and Implementation of Computer Supervision and Control System for Centralized-control Center of Lancang River Cascade Hydropower Stations

Remote central control of cascade hydropower stations is implemented by computer supervision and control system of Lancang river centralized-control center based on NC2000 system platform.The design principles,network structure,approach of communication between centralized-control center and the cascade hydropower stations as well as main functions of the system are introduced.The network safety measures and the centralized control strategy are also briefly introduced.
Study on Effect of Astragali on ECM Excretion in Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells Induced by TGF-β_1 and its Possible Mechanism

Objective:To investigate the effects of astragali on the ECM excretion in renal tubular epithelial cells induced by TGF-β1 and its possible mechanism.Methods:Human renal tubular epithelial (HK-2) cells were divided into four groups as follows:control group,TGF-β1 group(TGF-β1 5 ng/ml),TGF-β1 5 ng/ml and astragali 100 μg/ml group,TGF-β1 5 ng/ml and astragali 1 mg/ml group.Fibronectin (FN) protein was detected by ELISA.Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 ( PAI-1) protein was detected by Western blot.The mRNA of FN and PAI-1 were measured by RT-PCR.Results:(1)HK-2 cells expressed small amounts of FN and PAI-1.(2)The levels of PAI-1 and FN mRNA were significantly increased in HK-2 cells induced by TGF-β1 compared with those of control group (P0.01).PAI-1 and FN protein were significantly raised in HK-2 cells stimulated by TGF-β1 compared with those of control group (P0.01).(3)Astragali could inhibit PAI-1 and FN mRNA and protein expression compared with TGF-β1 group (P0.01),especially 1 mg/ml astragali.Conclusion:Astragali could inhibit the expressions of PAI-1 and FN in human renal tubular epithelial cell induced by TGF-β1,which may be one of the mechanisms contributing to retardation of the progression of the renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis.
SU-G-BRC-02: A Novel Multi-Criteria Optimization Approach to Generate Deliverable Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) Treatment Plans

Purpose: To present a novel multi-criteria optimization (MCO) solution approach that generates treatment plans with deliverable apertures using column generation. Methods: We demonstrate our method with 10 locally advanced head-and-neck cancer cases retrospectively. In our MCO formulation, we defined an objective function for each structure in the treatment volume. This resulted in 9 objective functions, including 3 distinct objectives for primary target volume, high-risk and low-risk target volumes, 5 objectives for each of the organs-at-risk (OARs) (two parotid glands, spinal cord, brain stem and oral cavity), and one for the non-target non-OAR normal tissue. Conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) constraints were utilized to ensure at least certain fraction of the target volumes receiving the prescription doses. To directly generate deliverable plans, column generation algorithm was embedded within our MCO approach for aperture shape generation. Final dose distributions for all plans were generated using a Monte Carlo kernel-superposition dose calculation. We compared the MCO plans with the clinical plans, which were created by clinicians. Results: At least 95% target coverage was achieved by both MCO plans and clinical plans. However, the average conformity indices of clinical plans and the MCO plans were 1.95 and 1.35, respectively (31% reduction, p<0.01). Compared to the conventional clinical plan, the proposed MCO method achieved average reductions in left parotid mean dose of 5% (p=0.06), right parotid mean dose of 18% (p<0.01), oral cavity mean dose of 21% (p=0.03), spinal cord maximum dose of 20% (p<0.01), brain stem maximum dose of 61% (p<0.01), and normal tissue maximum dose of 5% (p<0.01), respectively. Conclusion: We demonstrated that the proposed MCO method was able to obtain deliverable IMRT treatment plans while achieving significant improvements in dosimetric plan quality.
Referrals to integrative medicine in a tertiary hospital: findings from electronic health record data and qualitative interviews.

Objective To examine patterns of, and decision-making processes, informing referrals for inpatient access to integrative medicine (IM) services at a large, acute care hospital. Design Retrospective electronic health record review and structured qualitative interviews. Setting A 630-bed tertiary care hospital with an IM service available to inpatients. Participants IM referrals of all inpatients aged ≥18 years between July 2012 and December 2014 were identified using the hospital9s electronic health record. Fifteen physicians, 15 nurses and 7 administrators were interviewed to better understand roles and perspectives in referring patients for IM services. Results In the study hospital, primary sources of referrals for IM services were the orthopaedic and neuroscience/spine service lines. While the largest absolute number of IM referrals was made for patients with lengths of stay of 3 days or fewer, a disproportionate number of total IM referrals was made for patients with long lengths of stay (≥10 days), compared with a smaller percentage of patients in the hospital with lengths of stay ≥10 days. Physicians and nurses were more likely to refer patients who displayed strong symptoms (eg, pain and anxiety) and/or did not respond to conventional therapies. IM referrals were predominantly nurse-initiated. A built-in delay in the time from referral initiation to service delivery discouraged referrals of some patients. Conclusions Conventional providers refer patients for IM services when these services are available in a tertiary hospital. Referral patterns are influenced by patient characteristics, operational features and provider perspectives. Nurses play a key role in the referral process. Overcoming cultural and knowledge differences between conventional and IM providers is likely to be a continuing challenge to providing IM in inpatient settings.
A Lightweight Formal Approach for Analyzing Security of Web Protocols

Existing model checking tools for cryptographic protocol analysis have two drawbacks, when applied to present day web based protocols. Firstly, they require expertise in specialized formalisms which limits their use to a small fragment of scientific community. Secondly, they do not support common web constructs and attacks making the analysis both cumbersome as well as error-prone. In this paper, we propose a novel security analysis technique specialized for web protocols. We provide explicit support for common web mechanisms and an adversary capable of exploiting browser-based interaction. Our approach has two unique aspects. It represents the only tool built using a general purpose first-order logic based modeling language – Alloy – that can be used to analyze security of industrial strength web protocols. The other unique aspect is our use of an inference system that analyzes beliefs at honest participants to simplify the protocol model. Despite its simplicity, we demonstrate effectiveness of our approach through a case-study of SAML, where we identify a previously unknown vulnerability in its identity federation workflow.
Assessing the Constitution of Kenya 2010 five years later

In this chapter, I assess the implementation of Kenya’s 2010 Constitution, one of the most important efforts in recent years to transform a political culture through constitutional changes. Using a case-study approach, I assess the successes, challenges, and failures in meeting the Constitution’s ambitious reform agendas. I then offer explanations for these varied outcomes. The reforms required by the 2010 Constitution have been implemented with varying degrees of success, in fits and starts, as well as with varying speeds. This chapter finds that the judiciary has undergone significant reforms, and in particular attained institutional autonomy from the Executive, while the establishment of independent commissions has reduced the scope of centralized control. As a result there is a growing capacity and bureaucratic autonomy from political control in parts of the central government. This has contributed to reducing the authoritarian character of the Kenyan state. However, in other parts of the bureaucracy there has only been modest improvement, without transformation.