cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solving PDEs on manifolds with global conformal parametriazation

In this paper, we propose a method to solve PDEs on surfaces with arbitrary topologies by using the global conformal parametrization. The main idea of this method is to map the surface conformally to 2D rectangular areas and then transform the PDE on the 3D surface into a modified PDE on the 2D parameter domain. Consequently, we can solve the PDE on the parameter domain by using some well-known numerical schemes on ℝ2. To do this, we have to define a new set of differential operators on the manifold such that they are coordinates invariant. Since the Jacobian of the conformal mapping is simply a multiplication of the conformal factor, the modified PDE on the parameter domain will be very simple and easy to solve. In our experiments, we demonstrated our idea by solving the Navier-Stoke’s equation on the surface. We also applied our method to some image processing problems such as segmentation, image denoising and image inpainting on the surfaces.
Broadening the Education Experience: Findings from a K–12 and Higher Education Service-Learning Pilot Project

This study analyzes data obtained from the initial year of a K–12 and higher education service-learning program. The University of West Florida partnered with a local high school in a service-learning partnership (SLP) that engaged high school and university students in a conflict resolution and peer mediation mentoring program. The SLP attempted to broaden the views of participants by exposing them to a conflict resolution curriculum grounded in empathy and objectivity. This research focuses on the growth in individual, school development, and civic responsibility that can result from a K–12 and higher education partnership. Utilizing qualitative data gathered from participant reflection papers, growth issues related to developing such a partnership are discussed. The inherent social and educational benefits associated with making such a partnership work are also discussed.
Putrescine Aminopropyltransferase Is Responsible for Biosynthesis of Spermidine, Spermine, and Multiple Uncommon Polyamines in Osmotic Stress-Tolerant Alfalfa

The biosynthesis of polyamines from the diamine putrescine is not fully understood in higher plants. A putrescine aminopropyltransferase (PAPT) enzyme activity was characterized in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). This enzyme activity was highly specific for putrescine as the initial substrate and did not recognize another common diamine, 1,3-diaminopropane, or higher-molecular-weight polyamines such as spermidine and spermine as alternative initial substrates. The enzyme activity was inhibited by a general inhibitor of aminopropyltransferases, 5[prime]-methylthioadenosine, and by a specific inhibitor of PAPTs, cyclohexylammonium sulfate. The initial substrate specificity and inhibition characteristics of the enzyme activity suggested that it is a classical example of a PAPT. However, this enzyme activity yielded multiple polyamine products, which is uncharacteristic of PAPTs. The major reaction product of PAPT activity in alfalfa was spermidine. The next most abundant products of the enzyme reaction using putrescine as the initial substrate included the tetramines spermine and thermospermine. These two tetramines were distinguished by thin-layer chromatography to be distinct reaction products exhibiting differential rates of formation. In addition, the uncommon polyamines homocaldopentamine and homocaldohexamine were tentatively identified as minor enzymatic reaction products but only in extracts prepared from osmotic stresstolerant alfalfa cultivars. PAPT activity from alfalfa was highest in meristematic shoot tip and floral bud tissues and was not detected in older, nonmeristematic tissues. Product inhibition of the enzyme activity was observed after spermidine was added into the in vitro assay for alfalfa PAPT activity. A biosynthetic pathway is proposed that accounts for the characteristics of this PAPT activity and accommodates a novel scheme by which certain uncommon polyamines are produced in plants.
Alterations of Glucose Metabolism in Viral and Toxic Liver Injury

Summary Studies are presented in mice on the effect of inoculation with virus (MHV-S) and carbon tetrachloride injection on hepatic glucose metabolism. Attempts were made to correlate anatomic, enzymatic, and metabolic changes after liver injury. In the livers of mice inoculated with virus, changes in the activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and isocitric dehydrogenase (IDH) tended to precede structural changes by 24 hours and occurred as early as 17 hours. Characteristically, the activity of GOD increased and that of IDH decreased. Concomitant studies on glucose-C 14 oxidation showed increased C 14 O 2 production from glucose-1-C14 but decreased C 14 O 2 production from glucose-6-C 14 and uniformly labeled glucose. The net result was an increase in 1-C 14 O 2 :6-C 14 O 2 ratio indicating increased metabolism of glucose via the pentose phosphate pathway. There was a good correlation between the severity of the necrosis and the increase in the C-1: C-6 ratio. In the livers of carbon tetrachloride treated animals degenerative changes were observed in liver cells at 12 b ours, with uniform necrosis present by 24 hours. G6PD activity was slightly increased in the nonnecrotic areas of the liver, but IDH activity was markedly depressed. Although the C-1: C-6 ratio of C 14 O 2 production increased significantly, this change was predominantly due to a great decrease in glucose-6-C 14 O 2 production.
Lithium chloride restores host protein synthesis in herpes simplex virus-infected endothelial cells.

Summary In previous studies we have shown that herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection suppresses host-cell protein synthesis in human endothelial cells (EC). It has been demonstrated that lithium salts prevent viral replication in HSV-1 infected cells. In the present study, we have measured host-cell protein synthesis in HSV-1 infected EC in the presence or absence of 20 and 30 mM LiCl. Although LiCl restored synthesis of almost all host-cell proteins, [ 35 S]methionine incorporation was most pronounced in thrombospondin and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 and least in fibronectin and type IV collagen. LiCl was more effective at the higher concentration (30 mM) and when the compound was added to the EC culture at the time of infection rather than after adsorption of HSV-1. Synthesis of virus proteins continued in LiCl-treated EC but at a reduced rate. The data suggest that LiCl not only interferes with virus replication, but may also, to some extent, interfere with the virion-associated inhibition of host protein synthesis.
The economics of atrazine.

AbstractIt is often claimed that atrazine is of great economic benefit to corn growers, but support for this claim is limited. Some cost-benefit studies have assumed that atrazine boosts corn yields by 6%; an extensive review found a 3%–4% average yield increase; other research suggests only a 1% yield effect. Syngenta, the producer of atrazine, also makes mesotrione, an alternative herbicide that does about the same amount for corn yields as atrazine. Italy and Germany both banned atrazine in 1991, with no decrease in corn Yields or harvested area. Even if atrazine leads to 6% more corn production, it is not certain that this would justify its continued use; a 1%, or perhaps zero, change does not warrant largescale exposure of humans and the environment to this potentially hazardous chemical.
Painleve analysis of the two-dimensional Burgers equation

A Painleve analysis of the two-dimensional Burgers equation is carried out and used to obtain a restricted Backlund transformation that maps a subclass of the solutions of the 1+2D Burgers equation onto a linear heat-like equation. Alternatively, the Backlund transformation can be expressed as a map onto the derivative of the one-dimensional Burgers equation in appropriate dependent and independent variables. The singularity analysis also yields a further class of solutions obtained by solving a Schwarzian differential equation.
How Community Organizations Promote Continuity of Care for Young People with Mental Health Problems

Young people between the ages of 16 and 25 who experience mental health problems experience transitions and need help from a variety of organizations. Organizations promote continuity of care by assisting young adults with developmental, service, and systemic transitions. Providers offer specific services to help transitions and also form cooperative relationships with other community organizations. Results from a survey of 100 service providers in one community describe organizational attributes and practices which are associated with continuity of care in a regional system for young adults. Data analyses show that full-service organizations which practice cultural competence offer more specific services that foster continuity of care. Larger, full-service organizations are also more likely to have more extensive and collaborative inter-organizational networks that help young adults continue care over time within the regional system of care.
Pelagic food of Coryphaenoides armatus, a deep benthic rattail☆

Abstract Stomach contents from 79 specimens of the macrourid Coryphaenoides armatus trawled at depths below 2600 m in Hudson Canyon fell into three major categories: benthic animals, pelagic animals, and items of terrestrial or neritic origin. Pelagic cephalopods and fishes, especially Chauliodus and Serrivomer spp., were important components of the diet, particularly of the larger fish, and it is suggested that C. armatus may move off the bottom into mid-depths to feed. The findings of vegetables, insect and bird remains, and strips of rubber and plastic in the stomachs indicate that this species is extremely generalized in its feeding habits. Its activities are important in transferring food energy from mid-depths over the deep-ocean floor, where rather large food items must be originally dispersed as finer particles.
On the establishment of a US national center for hydrologic research and technology transfer

The establishment of a US national center for hydrologic research and technology transfer is advocated. The pertinent scientific, technological and policy issues are outlined. A national meeting of academic hydrologic scientists is proposed as a first step toward the gradual realization of such a center.
Terahertz optical gain based on intersubband transitions in optically pumped semiconductor quantum wells: Coherent pump–probe interactions

Terahertz optical gain due to intersubband transitions in optically-pumped semiconductor quantum wells (QW's) is calculated nonperturbatively. We solve the pump- field-induced nonequilibrium distribution function for each subband of the QW system from a set of rate equations that include both intrasubband and intersubband relaxation processes. The gain arising from population inversion and stimulated Raman processes is calculated in a unified manner. We show that the coherent pump and signal wave interactions contribute significantly to the THz gain. Because of the optical Stark effect and pump-induced population redistribution, optical gain saturation at larger pump intensities is predicted.
Glial progenitors in the CNS and possible lineage relationships among them

Glial cells are derived from stem cells that mature through specific stages of development to generate fully differentiated astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Several types of intermediate precursors have been described and in some cases lineage relationships identified although this remains a subject of controversy. We review recent findings and discuss some possibilities. Motoneuron-oligodendrocyte precursors (MNOPs), white matter progenitor cells (WMPCs), polydendrocytes, glial restricted precursors (GRPs), astrocyte precursor cells (APCs), and oligodendroblasts are likely all derived from earlier appearing stem cells but segregate at different stages in development. Some of these precursors persist in the adult, and it is these glial progenitors rather than stem cells that respond after injury and participate in the repair process. Although which specific glial progenitor responds remains unclear, the availability of new markers will likely resolve this issue. We believe that the development of consensus sets of markers and an improvement in our ability to define stages of glial maturation will lead to a clearer appreciation of the importance of glia in the etiopathology of disease.
The ecology of the streptococci

All species of streptococci are divided into several groups according to the ecological niches they occupy. Members of the lactic acid group are found only in the plant environment and the dairy. Members of the pyogenic group and the buccal and intestinal residents of the subthermophilic group are found in intimate association only with homeothermic hosts. Members of the virulent pyogenic group, such asStreptococcus pyogenes, S. equi, andS. infrequens, are restricted to single hosts-the human, the horse, and the pig-whereas others, such asS. agalactiae can be found in several hosts. The intestinal dwellers of the subthermophilic group,S. bovis andS. equinus, occur in several animal species and are not isolated from other sources. The superficially homogeneousS. faecalis of the "enteric" group may actually consist of a group specifically restricted to the human host, and of a second group distributed among wild animals, insects, and plants. The latter group differs from the human type by the ability to hydrolyze starch and to produce a rennin-proteolytic type of curd in milk.Streptococcus faecium is widely distributed in both the homeothermic and poikilothermic environments, but no properties which differentiate the sources are known.Streptococcus faecium biot.casseliflavus has been isolated only from insects and plants.Streptococcus uberis occurs on the bovine lips and skin. Unidentified streptococci from all environments vary widely in properties. Many resembleS. lactis, S. faecalis, andS. faecium.
Insertion and promotion for tree-based PseudoLRU last-level caches

Last-level caches mitigate the high latency of main memory. A good cache replacement policy enables high performance for memory intensive programs. To be useful to industry, a cache replacement policy must deliver high performance without high complexity or cost. For instance, the costly least-recently-used (LRU) replacement policy is not used in highly associative caches; rather, inexpensive policies with similar performance such as PseudoLRU are used. We propose a novel last-level cache replacement algorithm with approximately the same complexity and storage requirements as tree-based PseudoLRU, but with performance matching state of the art techniques such as dynamic re-reference interval prediction (DRRIP) and protecting distance policy (PDP). The algorithm is based on PseudoLRU, but uses set-dueling to dynamically adapt its insertion and promotion policy. It has slightly less than one bit of overhead per cache block, compared with two or more bits per cache block for competing policies. In this paper, we give the motivation behind the algorithm in the context of LRU with improved placement and promotion, then develop this motivation into a PseudoLRU-based algorithm, and finally give a version using set-dueling to allow adaptivity to changing program behavior. We show that, with a 16-way set-associative 4MB last-level cache, our adaptive PseudoLRU insertion and promotion algorithm yields a geometric mean speedup of 5.6% over true LRU over all the SPEC CPU 2006 benchmarks using far less overhead than LRU or other algorithms. On a memory-intensive subset of SPEC, the technique gives a geometric mean speedup of 15.6%. We show that the performance is comparable to state-of-the-art replacement policies that consume more than twice the area of our technique.
OBSERVATIONS ON HETEROTROPHIC ACTIVITY IN THE EASTERN TROPICAL PACIFIC1

The kinetics of substrate uptake by heterotrophic microbial populations was examined at three depths over a broad area of the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Ten different 14C-labeled compounds were used as substrates. In many cases uptake data could not be used in the conventional manner to determine the kinetic constants because of either extremely low levels of uptake or extreme variability in uptake from one substrate concentration to another. Neither occurrence of usable uptake patterns nor the level of uptake at the 100 µg C liter−1 level of added substrate appeared to correlate with specific in situ variations in descriptive parameters. A strong correlation was observed between the uptake of proline (100 µg C liter−1) and the concentration of viable bacteria as determined by plate counts.
Genetic interactions between the ESS1 prolyl-isomerase and the RSP5 ubiquitin ligase reveal opposing effects on RNA polymerase II function.

Transcription of protein-coding genes by RNA polymerase II (pol II) is a highly coordinated process that requires the stepwise association of distinct protein complexes with the C-terminal domain (CTD) of Rpb1, the largest subunit of RNA pol II. Interaction of these complexes with the CTD might be subject to regulation by proteins such as Ess1 and Rsp5. Ess1, a prolyl-isomerase, binds the CTD and is thought to play a positive role in pol II transcription by generating conformational isomers of the CTD. Rsp5, a ubiquitin ligase, binds the CTD and is thought to play a negative role in transcription by mediating Rpb1 ubiquitination and degradation. In this paper, we demonstrate that ESS1 and RSP5 interact genetically and that these interactions occur via RPB1. We show that over-expression of RSP5 enhances the growth defect of ess1 ts cells and this effect is reversed by introducing extra copies of RPB1. Over-expression of RSP5 also mimics the sensitivity of ess1 ts mutant cells to the toxicity of plasmids carrying dominant-negative CTD mutations, whereas mutations in RSP5 suppress this effect. Using a modified two-hybrid assay, we also demonstrate that Ess1 and Rsp5 compete directly for binding to the CTD. The results suggest a model in which Ess1 and Rsp5 act opposingly on pol II function to control the level of pol II available for transcription.
Does a Graduate Course in Fluency Disorders Make a Difference

Abstract A study by Yaruss and Quesal (2002), based on responses from 134 of 239 ASHA accredited graduate programs, indicated that approximately 25% of graduate programs in the United States allow students to earn their degree without having coursework in fluency disorders and 66% of programs allow students to graduate without clinical experience treating people who stutter (PWS). It is not surprising that many clinicians report discomfort in treating PWS. This cross-sectional study compares differences in beliefs about the cause of stuttering between freshman undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory course in communicative disorders and graduate students enrolled and in the final weeks of a graduate course in fluency disorders.
Effect of moderate caloric restriction and/or weight cycling on mammary tumor incidence and latency in MMTV-Neu female mice

Recently, we reported that intermittent caloric restriction-refeeding reduces mammary tumor (MT) incidence and extends latency in murine mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-transforming growth factor (TGF)-a mice to a greater extent than does chronic caloric restriction. Here, this same weight-cycling protocol was applied to MMTV-Neu female mice, which develop MTs at a much younger age than do TGF-a mice. This study consisted of three experimental groups: mice fed an AIN-93M diet ad libitum, mice intermittently fed an AIN-93 modified diet (2-fold increase in protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals) at 50% of the amount fed to the ad libitum-fed mice for 3-wk intervals and then fed an AIN-93M diet ad libitum for 3-wk intervals, and mice chronically restricted, pair fed to the intermittently restricted mice by feeding 2:1 mixtures of AIN-93M-AIN-93 modified diets for each 6-wk feeding interval. Mice were euthanized when MTs reached a length of 20 mm or at 80 wk of age. Cumulative caloric intake was 10% lower (not significant) for intermittently restricted mice and 16% lower (P intermittently restricted > chronically restricted. Fat pad weights were greater in ad libitum-fed than in intermittently restricted and chronically restricted mice. MT incidence of ad libitum-fed mice was 37% compared with 22% for intermittently restricted mice and 33% for chronically restricted mice (not significant). There were no differences in MT weight or number among the groups. These results indicate that intermittent caloric restriction-refeeding provides a moderate protective effect, whereas chronic caloric restriction provides no significant protection against MT development in transgenic Neu mice.
The measured energy response of a 50 cm3 Ge(Li) detector to photons from 4 to 10 MeV

Abstract The response of our 50 cm 3 Ge(Li) detector to 4–10 MeV photons was measured General features of the response function are described and a parametrization of the response is presented.
Ideas, Coalition Building, and Political Development in the City: Urban Policy and Politics in the U.S. and the U.K., 1976-2000

As New Deal liberalism and Keynesianism unraveled in the 1970s, a set of neoliberal ideas came to dominate the political landscape in the United States and Britain. Nowhere was this shift more consequential than in cities. The primary urban impact of the neoliberal turn was reduced levels of aid from central government. But both the incoming governments of the right under Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher also had ambitious urban policy proposals that reflected their shared commitment to reconstituting the relationship between the state and the market. Most notably, they both offered the enterprise zone, a policy which symbolized their commitment to market forces. In the U.K. local institutions would be further transformed by the creation of Urban Development Corporations (UDCs). This paper posits two distinct processes by which urban neoliberalization occurs: neoliberalism by design and neoliberalism by default. The cases of London Docklands and Philadelphia respectively illustrate these patterns of political development.
Wetting and spreading in the CuAg system

Abstract Sessile drop experiments were made in the copper-silver system at the eutectic temperature and 900°C. Wetting, or acute contact angles, were observed for specimens in chemical thermodynamic equilibrium. Spreading occurred when the substrate was not in chemical equilibrium with the liquid. The interface does not remain aligned with the free surface of the substrate only in the presence of reactions.
A Kininogenase Resembling Glandular Kallikrein in the Rat Pituitary Pars Intermedia

The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution and characteristics of kinin-generating proteases (kininogenases) in rat pituitary tissue. Male rat pituitaries were dissected into their various lobes, sonicated in saline containing 12 mM deoxycholic acid, and assayed for protease activity at pH 8.5 using kininogen and chromogenic peptide substrates; kinin generation was measured by RIA. The rat pituitary was found to contain kininogenase activity highly concentrated in the pars intermedia; this activity was strongly inhibited by aprotinin and was resistant to soybean trypsin inhibitor. Antiserum against rat urinary kallikrein also inhibited the intermediate pituitary kininogenase. The kininogenase product was identified as bradykinin by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Homogenization of neurointermediate pituitaries in 0.25 M sucrose buffer (pH 7.5) followed by differential centrifugation (1,000 X g, 5 min; 10,000 X g, 20 min; 105,000 X g, 70 min) demonstrated that most of the kininogenase activity was in the 10,000 X g pellet. Kinin generation by neurointermediate pituitary extracts had a pH optimum of 8.0, and such extracts also hydrolyzed chromogenic peptide substrates for kallikreins. In addition, neurointermediate pituitary extracts were found to contain a distinct protease which hydrolyzed a chromogenic peptide substrate for thrombin. The intermediate pituitary kininogenase resembles glandular kallikrein and possibly may participate in prohormone processing.
Akratic robots and the computational logic thereof

Alas, there are akratic persons. We know this from the human case, and our knowledge is nothing new, since for instance Plato analyzed rather long ago a phenomenon all human persons, at one point or another, experience: (1) Jones knows that he ought not to --- say --- drink to the point of passing out, (2) earnestly desires that he not imbibe to this point, but (3) nonetheless (in the pleasant, seductive company of his fun and hard-drinking buddies) slips into a series of decisions to have highball upon highball, until collapse. Now; could a robot suffer from akrasia? Thankfully, no: only persons can be plagued by this disease (since only persons can have full-blown P-consciousness, and robots can't be persons (Bringsjord 1992). But could a robot be afflicted by a purely --- to follow Pollock (1995) --- "intellectual" version of akrasia? Yes, and for robots collaborating with American human soldiers, even this version, in warfare, isn't a savory prospect: A robot that knows it ought not to torture or execute enemy prisoners in order to exact revenge, desires to refrain from firing upon them, but nonetheless slips into a decision to ruthlessly do so --- well, this is probably not the kind of robot the U.S. military is keen on deploying. Unfortunately, for reasons explained below, unless the engineering we recommend is supported and deployed, this might well be the kind of robot that our future holds.
Papillomas (so-called) in the non-calculous gallbladder.

Abstract Seventy cases of benign intraluminal lesion occurring in noncalculous gallbladders are reported. The type most commonly encountered was the cholesterol polyp, of which there were forty-three cases (62 per cent). The adenomatous polyp was the most rare (three cases, or 4 per cent) and is thought to be the only type capable of becoming malignant. No evidence of transition from the more common types of lesion into true neoplastic adenoma was found. It appears that so-called papillomas of the gallbladder are rarely malignant or premalignant in the absence of gallstones.
Protein Synthesis Inhibition by Flavonoids: Roles of Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 2α Kinases

Abstract Flavonoids such as genistein and quercetin suppress tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Many metabolic enzymes, including protein kinases, are known to be inhibited by flavonoids, yet the molecular targets and biochemical mechanisms of the tumor growth suppression remain unclear. Here, we find that flavonoids inhibit protein synthesis in both mouse and human leukemia cells. This inhibition is associated with phosphorylation of the α-subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2α), a key regulatory mechanism of protein translation. Three mammalian eIF2α kinases have been identified: the interferon-inducible double-stranded RNA-dependent kinase (PKR), the heme-regulated inhibitor (HRI), and the very recently discovered PERK/PEK. We find that all of these eIF2α kinases can be activated by quercetin and genistein, indicating redundant roles of the eIF2α kinases. Thus, activation of eIF2α kinases appears to be a mechanism by which flavonoids can inhibit the growth of tumor and leukemia cells.
‘Warm’ and ‘cold’ personality factors in human sexuality

Abstract Human sexual responsiveness in the coital relationship has been found to vary between sexual partners. The present study was conducted to determine: (1) the affect of ‘warm’ or ‘cold’ personalities of the sexual partners on foreplay, afterplay, pre- and post-communication, and (2) ‘warmness’ or ‘coldness’ demonstrated in acts of these criteria in the sexual relationship. Significant differences were found in each instance.
Cleavage orientation and the asymmetric inheritance of notchl immunoreactivity in mammalian neurogenesis

Abstract Neurons in the mammalian central nervous system are generated from progenitor cells near the lumen of the neural tube. Time-lapse microscopy of dividing cell in slices of developing cerebral cortex reveals that cleavage orientation predicts the fates of daughter cells. Vertical cleavages produce behaviorally and morphologically identical daughters that resemble precursor cells; these symmetric divisions may serve to expand or maintain the progenitor pool. In contrast, horizontally dividing cells produce basal daughters that behave like young migratory neurons and apical daughters that remain within the proliferative zone. Notchl immunoreactivity is distributed asymmetrically in mitotic cells, with Notchl inherited selectively by the basal (neuronal) daughter of horizontal divisions. These results provide cellular and molecular evidence that cortical neurons are generated from asymmetric divisions.
Uncertainty in the translation of preclinical experiments to clinical trials. Why do most phase III clinical trials fail

A large majority of Phase III, large scale, clinical trials will fail, including gene therapy trials. This paper attempts to address some of the causes that may have inadvertently led to such a high failure rate. After briefly reviewing the detailed and high quality work that goes both into the preparation and conduct of such large Phase III clinical trials, and the preclinical science that is used to support and originate such trials, this paper proposes a novel approach to translational medicine which would increase the predictability of success of Phase III clinical trials. We propose that a likely cause of such failures is the lack of "robustness" in the preclinical science underpinning the Phase I/II and III clinical trials. Robustness is defined as stability/reproducibility in the face of challenges. Many times preclinical experiments are tested in a very narrow set of experimental conditions. Thus, when such approaches are finally tested in the context of human disease, the challenge provided by the varied age of patients, the complex genetic makeup of human populations, and the complexities of the diseases to be treated provide challenges which were never tested or modeled. We believe that the introduction of revised approaches to preclinical science, including the use of the latest developments in statistical, scientific, mathematical, and biological models, ought to lead to more robust preclinical experimentation with its subsequent translation, to more robust Phase III clinical trials.
A novel microreactor approach for analysis of ketones and aldehydes in breath.

We report a fabricated microreactor with thousands of micropillars in channels. Each micropillar surface is chemically functionalized to selectively preconcentrate gaseous ketones and aldehydes of exhaled breath and to enhance ultra-trace, rapid analysis by direct-infusion Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry (MS). The micropillar reactive coating contains the quaternary ammonium aminooxy salt 2-(aminooxy)ethyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium iodide (ATM) for capturing trace carbonyl VOCs by means of an oximation reaction. We demonstrate the utility of this approach for detection of C1 to C12aldehydes and ketones in exhaled breath, but the approach is applicable to any gaseous sample.
Proficiency testing and external quality assurance: crossing borders and disciplines

Proficiency testing and external quality assurance of medical laboratories is now entering its sixth decade. These activities comprise a broad range of applications including: providing participants and public health authorities with estimates of measurement uncertainty and national infrastructure; providing education; provision of a practical basis for accreditation and regulatory compliance. All branches of medical laboratory science have employed external quality assurance as a basis for improvement and comparability. The opportunities and challenges reviewed here include: the proper establishment of multiple target values in comparison to a system of traceability to reference or definitive methods; the problems of matrix effects and commutability of patient and proficiency test samples; generating information on laboratory infrastructure and trends in analytical technique and performance; providing education and setting goals for laboratory improvement; problems of specimen distribution; application of Internet technology; the role of programs in legal mandates and accreditation.
One-dimensional numerical model for nonuniform sediment transport under unsteady flows in channel networks

In this study, the proposed one-dimensional model simulates the nonequilibrium transport of nonuniform total load under unsteady flow conditions in dendritic channel networks with hydraulic structures. The equations of sediment transport, bed changes, and bed-material sorting are solved in a coupling procedure with a direct solution technique, while still decoupled from the flow model. This coupled model for sediment calculation is more stable and less likely to produce negative values for bed-material gradation than the traditional fully decoupled model. The sediment transport capacity is calculated by one of four formulas, which have taken into consideration the hiding and exposure mechanism of nonuniform sediment transport. The fluvial erosion at bank toes and the mass failure of banks are simulated to complement the modeling of bed morphological changes in channels. The tests in several cases show that the present model is capable of predicting sediment transport, bed changes, and bed-material sorting in various situations, with reasonable accuracy and reliability.
Track-following control with active vibration damping and compensation of a dual-stage servo system

This paper proposes a vibration control scheme for an actuated-slider dual-stage servo system. The control scheme consists of three components: a basic track-following servo loop, a feedback vibration damping loop around the main actuator, the voice coil motor (VCM), and a feedforward vibration compensation loop around the secondary microactuator (MA). A strain gauge sensor fabricated on the surface of the suspension detects airflow-excited structural vibrations and its output is fed to the feedback damping and feedforward compensation loops simultaneously. A higher sampling rate can be utilized for both the feedback damping and feedforward compensation controllers to achieve better performance. Simulation results show that the track-misregistration (TMR) resulting from the airflow-excited structural vibrations can be greatly attenuated, achieving a total reduction in TMR by 27% over the conventional dual-stage actuation without dedicated vibration control. Based on this control scheme and simulation results, projection of the system performance to the target of 500k tracks per inch (TPI) is performed, yielding some guidelines on how to improve disk drive’s operational conditions and control effect in order to approach the targeted areal density, 3σ TMR budget of 5 nm.
Conformational polymorphism facilitates assignment of trans and cis-conformers of an α-substituted oligothiophene via IR spectroscopy

Conformational polymorphism is exploited as a means to assign cis–trans and trans–trans conformations of an oligothiophene backbone using solid-state IR spectroscopy.
Tumor‐suppressor p53 gene in hepatitis C and B virus‐associated human hepatocellular carcinoma

Abnormalities of the tumor-suppressor p53 gene have been discovered in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It is unclear, however, whether HCC related to chronic viral hepatitis is associated with p53 gene alterations. In this study, we have examined p53 abnormalities in HCC associated with hepatitis C and B virus (HCV and HBV) infections. Tissues from 18 HCC patients from several hospitals throughout the United States were collected (9 were HCV-infected, 5 were HBV-infected, 1 was HCV/HBV-infected, and 3 were non-virus-associated). Immunostaining with monoclonal pAb 1801 revealed expression of p53 protein in tumor-cell nuclei in one HCV-associated HCC, and in no case of HBV-associated HCC, while the nuclei of adjacent hepatocytes were negative. Using Hae III-digestion of chromosomal DNA, mutations at codon 249 were not found in any of 18 HCC tissues studied. Direct sequencing demonstrated a mutated codon 244 and a wild-type codon 249 in the conserved regions (exon 5-8) of p53 gene from the tumor tissue with nuclear p53 expression. By reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the expression of p53 mRNA was demonstrated in tumor cells from 10 out of 16 HCC tissues. In conclusion, the specific mutation at codon 249 with G to T transversion was not observed in the HCCs associated with HCV or HBV infections. In HBV or non-virus-associated HCCs studied, no other p53 gene abnormalities were found. A point mutation at codon 244 with G to A transition of p53 gene was detected in only one of 10 HCV-associated HCCs, which suggests that p53 mutations may not play a significant role in HCV- or HBV-associated hepatocarcinogenesis.
Cultural Studies and Media Ecology: Meyrowitz's Medium Theory and Carey's Cultural Studies.

The recent proliferation of scholarship outlining the intellectual roots of media ecology represents a welcome break from past scholarship that dismissed studies of forms of communication as mere technological determinism. In this essay, the work of two prominent communication and media studies scholars, Joshua Meyrowitz and James Carey, is examined in order to demonstrate how their studies represent media ecology with rigorous and insightful analyses of the dynamic interaction between communication, consciousness, and culture. Perhaps more importantly, this essay highlights how the works of these two media ecologists fit into and embody a North American cultural studies approach to media studies. The intent of this essay is to push the understanding of the intellectual roots of media ecology toward a broader analysis of how media ecology is embedded in, and advocates for, the larger move in communication studies away from narrow, quantitative effects research and towards qualitative and interdisciplinary...
MultiMaKe: Chip-multiprocessor driven memory-aware kernel pipelining

The increasing demand for low-power and high-performance multimedia embedded systems has motivated the need for effective solutions to satisfy application bandwidth and latency requirements under a tight power budget. As technology scales, it is imperative that applications are optimized to take full advantage of the underlying resources and meet both power and performance requirements. We propose MultiMaKe, an application mapping design flow capable of discovering and enabling parallelism opportunities via code transformations, efficiently distributing the computational load across resources, and minimizing unnecessary data transfers. Our approach decomposes the application's tasks into smaller units of computations called kernels, which are distributed and pipelined across the different processing resources. We exploit the ideas of inter-kernel data reuse to minimize unnecessary data transfers between kernels, early execution edges to drive performance, and kernel pipelining to increase system throughput. Our experimental results on JPEG and JPEG2000 show up to 97p off-chip memory access reduction, and up to 80p execution time reduction over standard mapping and task-level pipelining approaches.
Intravenous vitamin K1 prior to orthotopic heart transplantation: effects in vivo and in vitro

BACKGROUND Vitamin K1 is used to reverse warfarin's anticoagulant action. It is unclear whether intravenous vitamin K1 is safe or efficacious prior to urgent cardiac surgery. METHODS We retrospectively and prospectively examined the effects of preoperative intravenous vitamin K1 in vivo (administered for warfarin reversal immediately before heart transplantation) on intraoperative blood product utilization, hemodynamics and coagulation parameters. We also determined the direct effects of vitamin K1 in vitro on rings of human saphenous vein and internal mammary artery. RESULTS In the retrospective limb, 29 of 67 patients were administered vitamin K1 preoperatively via slow intravenous infusion. Vitamin K1 administration produced no adverse outcome but did not affect subsequent perioperative use of blood products. In the prospective limb (n = 10), vitamin K1 significantly (P < or = 0.01, Student t-test) altered mean arterial pressure (from 85 +/- 15 to 76 +/- 16 mmHg), systemic vascular resistance (from 1364 +/- 308 to 1078 +/- 252 dyn.s.cm-5), and cardiac index (from 2.3 +/- 0.3 to 2.7 +/- 0.3 L/min/m2) (mean +/- SD). Significant decreases in prothrombin time (19.8 +/- 2.7 to 17.7 +/- 1.8 s) and activated clotting time (164 +/- 26 to 137 +/- 24 s) were observed at 60 min. In vitro vitamin K1 (10(-7) to 10(-4) M) had no effect on the tone of noradrenaline-constricted rings. CONCLUSIONS Vitamin K1, administered by intravenous infusion prior to heart transplantation, did not alter subsequent perioperative blood product administration. Vitamin K1 rapidly reversed the anticoagulant effect of warfarin and produced modest hemodynamic changes. The decrease in systemic vascular resistance is probably not due to a direct effect of vitamin K1 on vascular smooth muscle.
Hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane in a liquid crystal, in a microemulsion and in a solution

Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) was reacted with water in a lamellar liquid crystal, in an oil-continuous microemulsion and in a solution. The location of TEOS in the liquid crystal was determined using low angle X-ray diffraction and the reaction path was followed by the NMR signal from the silicon nucleus. The results showed the TEOS to be located in the hydrophobic part of the liquid crystalline structure and that the reaction was highly influenced by the organized environment in the liquid crystal and in the microemulsion. In none of these structures could the traditional Q1, Q2, and Q3 be found; the hydrolysis reaction once initiated immediately continued, forming Si(OH)4 and SiO2. The Si(OH)4 was detected only in the liquid crystalline structure.
Studies with human erythrocyte pyruvate kinase (PK): effects of modification of sulfhydryl groups

Cysteinyl residues of red cell pyruvate kinase (PK; ATP: pyruvate phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.40) were modified with methylmethanethiosulfonate (MMTS), p-nitrophenoxycarbonyl methyl disulfide (NPCMD), and sodium tetrathionate (NaTT). At pH greater than 7 . 0, K0.5 s phosphoenol-pyruvate (PEP) was markedly increased. Fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP) increased affinity for PEP, but K0.5 s (PEP) remained elevated and hyperbolic kinetics were not achieved. Inhibition by negative effectors ATP and alanine was not reversed by PEP and FDP concentrations far greater than those abolishing inhibition of unmodified enzyme. At pH less than 7 . 0, PEP affinity was reduced, and FDP markedly increased Vmax and diminished K0.5 s (PEP). MMTS greatly impaired the thermostability of PK. Acid pH alone and the simultaneous presence of Mg++, K+ and PEP prior to MMTS treatment protected against the effects on PEP kinetics, but did not alter the induction of thermolability. No MMTS effect on the FDP binding site, on ADP kinetics or on the relative effectiveness of GDP, UDP or CDP cofactors was demonstrated. The MMTS-induced alterations closely resembled those observed with certain PK mutants associated with haemolytic anaemia.
Activation of hemolytic complement by mouse monoclonal IgG1 antibody: comparison with rabbit IgG.

Abstract We investigated the ability of a mouse anti-hapten monoclonal IgG1 antibody (Ab) to bind to cell-bound specific hapten and to fix and activate C1 and thus the lytic sequence of complement (C). In a comparative study with polyclonal rabbit anti-hapten IgG Ab, we found that about 6 times more monoclonal Ab molecules than polyclonal were necessary for the generation of 1 hemolytic site/cell: the data were interpreted to mean that a cluster of four cell-bound monoclonal Ab molecules was necessary to bind C1 and activate C-mediated hemolysis. Experiments performed under conditions of low density of cell-bound hapten and excess of antibody showed that both monoclonal and polyclonal IgG Abs were able to react only with 20–30% of the cell-bound hapten and that both Abs recognized the same hapten specificity. We also found that even though monoclonal IgG1 Ab was able to bind strongly to a protein A-Sepharose column and could be eluted only by a low-pH buffer, the purified Ab, when bound to cell surface hapten, showed a weak ability to react with free protein A.
Understanding Vineyard Soils

Robert E. White. Oxford University Press. 2009. 230 pp. $39.95. ISBN 978-0-19-531125-9. Development of viticultural strategies that are focused on promoting uniformly high quality wine grapes requires an understanding of the properties that influence wine grape development. Although canopy and
Making holistic schema matching robust: an ensemble approach

The Web has been rapidly "deepened" by myriad searchable databases online, where data are hidden behind query interfaces. As an essential task toward integrating these massive "deep Web" sources, large scale schema matching (i.e., discovering semantic correspondences of attributes across many query interfaces) has been actively studied recently. In particular, many works have emerged to address this problem by "holistically" matching many schemas at the same time and thus pursuing "mining" approaches in nature. However, while holistic schema matching has built its promise upon the large quantity of input schemas, it also suffers the robustness problem caused by noisy data quality. Such noises often inevitably arise in the automatic extraction of schema data, which is mandatory in large scale integration. For holistic matching to be viable, it is thus essential to make it robust against noisy schemas. To tackle this challenge, we propose a data-ensemble framework with sampling and voting techniques, which is inspired by bagging predictors. Specifically, our approach creates an ensemble of matchers, by randomizing input schema data into many independently downsampled trials, executing the same matcher on each trial and then aggregating their ranked results by taking majority voting. As a principled basis, we provide analytic justification of the effectiveness of this data-ensemble framework. Further, empirically, our experiments on real Web data show that the "ensemblization" indeed significantly boosts the matching accuracy under noisy schema input, and thus maintains the desired robustness of a holistic matcher.
Hyperfine structure determination of the 72D52state of 133Cs

Abstract The magnitude and sign of the hyperfine structure of 7 2 D 5 2 state of 133 Cs have been measured. We find the magnetic dipole coupling constant to be A = -1.7 (2) MHz .
Propper Use of Desferrioxamine

Although clinical problems involving iron are usually associated with a deficiency of this essential element, an appreciable number of patients suffer from iron overload. This accumulation of iron ...
A 55 year-old man with eosinophilia, mesenteric venous thrombosis, peripheral neuropathy, and gastric outlet obstruction

A 55 year-old man with eosinophilia, mesenteric venous thrombosis, peripheral neuropathy, and gastric outlet obstruction
Intermolecular binding of xanthan gum and carob gum

Gels are a representative state for polysaccharides in both natural and artificial systems. The nature of the inter-chain associations within the junction zones is important and models for such interactions between like polysaccharides are based on X-ray diffraction studies of oriented gels. Here we describe the extension of such studies to a binary gel (xanthan-carob) in order to characterize for the first time intermolecular binding between different polysaccharides. Xanthan-carob binding has been proposed to explain gelation of the mixtures and as a model for host-pathogen recognition and adhesion of Xanthomonas bacteria within plant vascular systems. Our data suggest that the established model1–7 is incorrect and point to an alternative association mechanism.