cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Insertion of a Bis(phosphine)platinum Group into the S−S Bond of Mn2(CO)7(μ-S2)

The reaction of Mn(2)(CO)(7)(mu-S(2)), 1, with Pt(PPh(3))(2)(PhC(2)Ph) yielded the new complex, Mn(2)(CO)(6)Pt(PPh(3))(2)(mu(3)-S)(2), 3, by loss of CO and insertion of a Pt(PPh(3))(2) group into the S-S bond of 1. Complex 3 was characterized crystallographically and was found to consist of an open Mn(2)Pt cluster with one Mn-Mn bond, 2.8154(14) A, one Mn-Pt bond, 2.9109(10) A, and two triply bridging sulfido ligands. Compound 3 reacts with CO to form adduct Mn(2)(CO)(6)(mu-CO)Pt(PPh(3))(2)(mu(3)-S)(2), 4. Compound 4 also contains an open Mn(2)Pt cluster with two triply bridging sulfido ligands but has only one metal-metal bond, Mn-Mn = 2.638(2) A. Under nitrogen, compound 4 readily loses CO and reverts back to 3.
Dissolved Silica and Its Relation to Deep-Sea Sediments: ABSTRACT

Neither the concentration nor distribution of dissolved silica in the ocean is controlled by equilibria with solid silica or silicates. Rather, the observed pattern results from horizontal and vertical movements of oceanic water masses interacting with the formation, sedimentation, and dissolution of opaline tests of diatoms and radiolarians. Because the forces controlling this dynamic system are complex and in many cases poorly understood, it is difficult to construct a quantitative model of the present distribution pattern, or to deduce the distribution of silica in ancient oceans. The residence time of silica in seawater, a few thousand years, is short from a geologic point of view. Consequently, the ocean can have little buffering effect on the dissolved-silica cycle. The rate of supply from continental weathering, submarine weathering, or volcanism, and upward diffusion of interstitial waters must therefore be balanced by the depositional removal of opal. Because there is little evidence for dramatic changes in the rate of supply of dissolved silica to the oceans during the Cenozoic, changes in the locus of sedimentation, rather than variations in the global budget of dissolved silica, probably were responsible for variations in the nondetrital silica content of Tertiary deep-sea sediments. End_of_Article - Last_Page 342------------
Ballistic impact of GLARE™ fiber–metal laminates

Abstract Analytical solutions to predict the ballistic limit and energy absorption of fully clamped GLARE panels subjected to ballistic impact by a blunt cylinder were derived. The analytical solutions were based on test results from NASA Glenn. The ballistic limit was found through an iterative process such that the initial kinetic energy of the projectile would equal the total energy dissipated by panel deformation, delamination/debonding and fracture. The transient deformation of the panel as shear waves propagate from the point of impact was obtained from an equivalent mass–spring system, whereby the inertia and stiffness depend on the shear wave speed and time. Predictions of the ballistic limit from the resulting non-linear differential equation were within 13% of the test data. The deformation energy due to bending and membrane accounted for most of the total energy absorbed (84–92%), with the thinner panels absorbing a higher percentage of deformation energy than the thicker panels. Energy dissipated in delamination represented 2–9% of the total absorbed energy, with the thinner panels absorbing a lower percentage of delamination energy than the thicker panels. About 7% of the total energy was attributed to tensile fracture energy of the glass/epoxy and aluminum.
Delayed rupture of the spleen

Abstract We present a case of delayed rupture of the spleen with perisplenic hematoma in a fifty-five year old male which coincides with the observation expressed by Zabmski and Harkins24 that “delayed splenic rupture is most common in males in the third decade of life.” This patient had recuperated from the shock of his late acute internal hemorrhage suffered thirteen days prior to surgery, and was operated upon eight months plus days after his unrecalled injury through a mistaken diagnosis of carcinoma of the stomach. The history and symptoms were all confusing and this case illustrates the difficulties in diagnosis and shows how insidious and treacherous this syndrome may be. He would unquestionably have gone on for a variable period before another possibly fatal hemorrhage occurred. Such a case helps explain the very prolonged cases reported in the literature. The postoperative course was complicated by pneumonia from which this patient recovered. His chief complaints during his early observation were those of hypertension with dizziness headaches, and fullness of the head, and anorexia, weight loss, weakness, cough, and precordial pain; later were added nocturia, epigastric and left hypochondriac pain, and nausea. The unusual symptoms in this case at variance with the accepted literature on the subJect of delayed rupture of the spleen are a hypertension (of 220/120) and a nocturia (of four to five times). This is difficult to explain except on the basis of the mass exerting pressure on the left kidney or/and left renal artery. Following surgery his nocturia ceased and his blood pressure dropped to 140/76. The incidence of delayed rupture of the spleen in our five-year series of thirteen cases including this case, is two cases of delayed hemorrhage and eleven cases of acute hemorrhage (2 in 13). Of this group four cases including the present one, were isolated and uncomplicated cases of splenic rupture.
Meta'omic Analytic Techniques for Studying the Intestinal Microbiome

Nucleotide sequencing has become increasingly common and affordable, and is now a vital tool for studies of the human microbiome. Comprehensive microbial community surveys such as MetaHit and the Human Microbiome Project have described the composition and molecular functional profile of the healthy (normal) intestinal microbiome. This knowledge will increase our ability to analyze host and microbial DNA (genome) and RNA (transcriptome) sequences. Bioinformatic and statistical tools then can be used to identify dysbioses that might cause disease, and potential treatments. Analyses that identify perturbations in specific molecules can leverage thousands of culture-based isolate genomes to contextualize culture-independent sequences, or may integrate sequence data with whole-community functional assays such as metaproteomic or metabolomic analyses. We review the state of available systems-level models for studies of the intestinal microbiome, along with analytic techniques and tools that can be used to determine its functional capabilities in healthy and unhealthy individuals.
The Revolutionary Luther: A Gramscian Analysis of Luther's Universal Priesthood

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to present an image of Martin Luther viewed through the lens of Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci. The primary focus of the article will be on Luther's articulation of the universal priesthood as it was presented in the 1520 treatise “To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation.” We will discover that in this treatise Luther's attack on papal authority was, in Gramscian terms, a counter-hegemonic revolutionary act.
High efficacy gold-KDEL peptide-siRNA nanoconstruct-mediated transfection in C2C12 myoblasts and myotubes.

Abstract Gold nanoparticles (AuNP) were conjugated with cysteine terminated KDEL (Lys-Asp-Glu-Leu) peptide and siRNA directed against NADPH Oxidase 4 ( Nox4 ). Fluorescence microscopy analysis provided evidence of cytocellular retrograde transport pathways and sub-cellular colocalization of AuNP nanoconstructs in both undifferentiated C2C12 myoblasts and differentiated C2C12 myotubes. The cellular trafficking of AuNP nanoconstructs in undifferentiated myoblasts suggests stable and efficient transfection of siRNA as demonstrated by colocalization of AuNP-delivered KDEL and siRNA. The cellular uptake of AuNP nanoconstructs was more efficient than Lipofectamine mediated transfection in differentiated myotubes ( P From the Clinical Editor This team of investigators demonstrate that a delivery system composed of gold nanoparticle and KDEL based siRNA is superior to lipofectamine in delivering siRNA in differentiated myoblasts, paving the way to gene silencing methods in these cells for future therapeutic exploitation.
“Templatic backcopying” in Guarijio abbreviated reduplication

Although a wide array of phonological properties seem to backcopy in reduplication, it is an open question whether reduplicative templates can backcopy as well. It has been argued that natural languages do not have reduplicative constructions where the base truncates to match the truncated reduplicant (McCarthy & Prince, 1994; McCarthy & Prince, 1999; Spaelti, 1997; inter alia). In Guarijio Abbreviated Reduplication (Miller, 1996), however, both copies of the reduplicative construction truncate, instantiating the pattern that has been claimed not to exist. This paper argues that the Guarijio case fills this typological gap. Although the data can be given a templatic backcopying analysis, this paper defends a Morphological Doubling Theory (MDT) analysis using cophonologies (Inkelas & Zoll, 2005). In MDT, Guarijio Abbreviated Reduplication results from the parallel imposition of a truncating cophonology in each copy of the reduplicative construction. Guarijio Abbreviated Reduplication is predicted to exist by MDT together with other documented cases of parallel phonological modification in reduplication.
Induction of c‐fos transcripts in early postimplantation mouse embryos by tgf‐α, EGF, PDGF, and FGF

The activity of growth factor receptors in the early postimplantation mouse embryo was studied by analyzing changes in expression of mRNA transcripts of an early response gene, c-fos, after binding of specific ligands. Reverse transcription of mRNA coupled with the polymerase chain reaction was used to detect gene transcription in single embryos after exposure to growth factors. Postimplantation embryos (at 7.5 days of gestation) had physiologically active receptors for transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha), epidermal growth factor (EGF), human platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), recombinant PDGF-AA homodimer, and basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF), as indicated by induced expression of c-fos mRNA, c-fos expression was not induced in untreated embryos or in embryos incubated with active recombinant PDGF-BB homodimer. These results show that growth factor receptors are functional during early mammalian embryogenesis.
Neutron diffraction by a piezoelectric resonator.

IT has been reported in neutron diffraction measurements that the neutron detector signal is enhanced and can be modulated when the diffraction crystal is piezoelectrically vibrated at a resonance frequency1–9. The time averaged enhancement is an increasing function of vibration amplitude and the modulation is at twice the resonator frequency.
The haemocytes of the acarid mite Caloglyphys berlesei (Mich. 1903)

Abstract The haemocytes of the acarid mite Caloglyphys berlesei were studied in fresh-wet preparations under phase contrast microscope, in fixed-stained smears, and in histological sections. Altogether eight different types of cells have been recognized and described by their morphology and staining properties. The effect of the acaricide DDVP on haemocytes was also studied by the above methods. Gross pathological changes in the haemocytes following the arcaricidal treatment were detected before any such changes were noticed in the organs. It is, therefore, suggested that the sensitivity of the haemocytes to the toxic chemical is more than that of the cells of other tissues. This sensitivity may be used as a physiological indicator to detect the degree of toxicity of a given chemical.
A Sobolev Extension Domain That is Not Uniform

In this paper we construct a Sobolev extension domain which, together with its complement, is topologically as nice as possible and yet not uniform. This shows that the well known implication that Uniform \(\Rightarrow\) Sobolev extension cannot be reversed under strongest possible topological conditions.
Efficient solution of nonlinear ordinary differential equations expressed in S-system canonical form

Ordinary differential equations can be recast into a nonlinear canonical form called an S-system. Evidence for the generality of this class comes from extensive empirical examples that have been recast and from the discovery that sets of differential equations and functions, recognized as among the most general, are special cases of S-systems. Identification of this nonlinear canonical form suggests a radically different approach to numerical solution of ordinary differential equations. By capitalizing on the regular structure of S-systems, efficient formulas for a variable-order, variable-step Taylor-series method are developed. The minimum improvement in efficiency over conventional Runge–Kutta methods is shown to be more than 20 to 60 percent for equations expressed in S-system form. Tests with implemented methods demonstrate that 10- to 100-fold reductions in time are actually realized for solution of S-systems. To examine the potential benefit of recasting ordinary differential equations and then sol...
HA Fusion Peptide, but Not Two Biologically Inactive Mutants, Lowers Activation Barrier of the Pore Formation Step during PEG-mediated Fusion

Poly(ethylene glycol)- (PEG-) mediated fusion of 25 nm vesicles was examined in the presence of hemagglutinin (HA) fusion peptide and its biologically inactive mutants (G1V, G1S and W14A) at different temperatures between 26°C and 43°C. Lipid composition was dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC), dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE), bovine brain sphingomyelin (SM) and Cholesterol (CH) in a ratio of 35:30:15:20. Lipid mixing (LM), content mixing (CM) and content leakage (L) time courses were fitted globally to 3-state or 4-state sequential models (Biophys. J., 2007, 92; 4012). From this we obtained estimates of rate constants for conversion between states as well as probabilities of the occurrence of LM, CM, or L in each state. Non-linear Arrhenius plots implied that the nature of the barrier between states changed with temperature such that activation enthalpy and entropy for all systems varied with temperature. Wild type (WT) fusion peptide enhanced the rate of pore formation by lowering the activation free energy (increased favorable activation entropy) as well as increased the extent of content mixing. G1S and W14A mutants decreased the rate of pore formation and extent of content mixing. A G1V mutant enhanced the rate of pore formation even more than did wild type HA peptide but made the vesicles so leaky that content mixing could not be observed. For both control vesicles and in the presence of WT peptide, the probability of CM increased for states early in the process, such that fusion became 3-state model at higher temperatures with WT. Fluorescence probes revealed that W14A increased the acyl chain packing at all the temperatures and G1V and W14A reduce bilayer packing at the water-membrane interface while WT peptide had little effect. Supported by NIGMS grant 32707 to BRL.
Simulated Annealing Partitioning: An Algorithm for Optimizing Grouping in Cancer Data

Cancer survival prediction usually depends on a clinically useful classification scheme. Grouping in cancer datasets is needed for this classification process [1]. Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) is a classical clustering algorithm that is often used to group cancer data. PAM is known to be an NP-hard optimization problem and its practical application is often tackled with heuristic methods [2]. However, many heuristic PAM algorithms may converge to local minimums that adversely affect the quality of grouping results. It is therefore desirable to devise an algorithm to overcome this limitation. In this paper, we demonstrate that simulated annealing (SA) is an effective method for obtaining or approaching to a global optimum. First, we present a grouping algorithm for cancer data, and then optimize the grouping quality of PAM with SA. The experimental results show that the Simulated Annealing PAM (SA-PAM) algorithm is always capable of finding a global minimum or closer approximation to the global minimum than the standard PAM algorithm.
Polymers from the iterated addition of hydrogen sulfide to diolefins

This paper describes polyesters and polyamides obtained by the base-catalyzed additions of hydrogen sulfide to α,β-unsaturated diesters and diamides. The compounds employed were ethylene diacrylate, the diacrylate of trans-1,4-bis(hydroxymethyl)cyclohexane, p-xylylene diacrylate, hydroquinone diacrylate, the diacrylate of 1,4-butanedithiol, tetraethylene glycol dimethacrylate, 1,4-butylene dicrotonate, 1,4-butylene dicinnamate, methylene bisacrylamide, and m-xylylene bisacrylamide. The polymers posses the general formula, , wherein R1 is hydrogen, methyl, or phenyl, R2 is hydrogen or methyl, R3 is an alkylene, aralkylene, or oxyalkylene group, and X is oxygen, sulfur, or the imino group. Polymers with as many as several hundred repeating units were obtained. Depending upon the structure, the products are liquids, rubbers, or solids, the polymers are obtained with vinyl or sulfhydryl termination and the efficiency of this termination is very high, as was shown by chain extension of a sulfhydryl-terminated polymer through oxidation to a polydisulfide, , having a molecular weight 30 times as great as that of the parent dimercaptan. The syntheses of several new monomers are described.
Cervicothoracic Trauma: Diagnosis and Treatment

The management of cervicothoracic trauma (C7-T1) requires a high index of suspicion for diagnosis and a thorough knowledge of the relevant anatomy for treatment. It is an area of transition, both in its biomechanical considerations and in its anatomy. Diagnosis of traumatic cervicothoracic injuries requires vigilance, since it is an anatomical region that is difficult to visualize with plain films, and there have been reports of neurological disaster stemming from delayed diagnosis of cervicothoracic injuries. 1 Operative treatment of cervicothoracic injuries involves thorough planning, as the difficulties in operative treatment of disorders in this region have been well described. 2
Initial advantage: The origins of the geographic concentration of the pharmaceutical industry in the Mid-Atlantic region

In this paper we offer an interpretation of the social and institutional context that promoted the development and evolution of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. Our interest is in defining the historical circumstances that led to the geographic concentration of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in the Mid-Atlantic region. Our focus is both geographic and institutional as we seek to understand the forces behind geographic localization and the ways in which geographic localization may contribute to the advancement of science and to the evolution of industries. In this paper, we describe the general development of the industry in the Mid-Atlantic region of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Copyright 1996 by Oxford University Press.
Validation of an image-based technique to assess the perceptual quality of clinical chest radiographs with an observer study

We previously proposed a novel image-based quality assessment technique 1 to assess the perceptual quality of clinical chest radiographs. In this paper, an observer study was designed and conducted to systematically validate this technique. Ten metrics were involved in the observer study, i.e., lung grey level, lung detail, lung noise, riblung contrast, rib sharpness, mediastinum detail, mediastinum noise, mediastinum alignment, subdiaphragm-lung contrast, and subdiaphragm area. For each metric, three tasks were successively presented to the observers. In each task, six ROI images were randomly presented in a row and observers were asked to rank the images only based on a designated quality and disregard the other qualities. A range slider on the top of the images was used for observers to indicate the acceptable range based on the corresponding perceptual attribute. Five boardcertificated radiologists from Duke participated in this observer study on a DICOM calibrated diagnostic display workstation and under low ambient lighting conditions. The observer data were analyzed in terms of the correlations between the observer ranking orders and the algorithmic ranking orders. Based on the collected acceptable ranges, quality consistency ranges were statistically derived. The observer study showed that, for each metric, the averaged ranking orders of the participated observers were strongly correlated with the algorithmic orders. For the lung grey level, the observer ranking orders completely accorded with the algorithmic ranking orders. The quality consistency ranges derived from this observer study were close to these derived from our previous study. The observer study indicates that the proposed image-based quality assessment technique provides a robust reflection of the perceptual image quality of the clinical chest radiographs. The derived quality consistency ranges can be used to automatically predict the acceptability of a clinical chest radiograph.
Peakedness and peakedness ordering in symmetric distributions

There are many ways to measure the dispersion of a random variable. One such method uses the concept of peakedness. If the random variable X is symmetric about a point @m, then Birnbaum [Z.W. Birnbaum, On random variables with comparable peakedness, The Annals of Mathematical Statistics 19 (1948) 76-81] defined the function P"@m(x)=P(|[email protected]|@?x),x>=0, as the peakedness of X. If two random variables, X and Y, are symmetric about the points @m and @n, respectively, then X is said to be less peaked than Y, denoted by [email protected]?"p"k"d"("@m","@n")Y, if P(|[email protected]|@?x)@?P(|[email protected]|@?x) for all x>=0, i.e., |[email protected]| is stochastically larger than |[email protected]|. For normal distributions this is equivalent to variance ordering. Peakedness ordering can be generalized to the case where @m and @n are arbitrary points. However, in this paper we study the comparison of dispersions in two continuous random variables, symmetric about their respective medians, using the peakedness concept where normality, and even moment assumptions are not necessary. We provide estimators of the distribution functions under the restriction of symmetry and peakedness ordering, show that they are consistent, derive the weak convergence of the estimators, compare them with the empirical estimators, and provide formulas for statistical inferences. An example is given to illustrate the theoretical results.
Predicting Outcomes of Patients with Ventricular Assist Devices Who Suffer Neurological Injuries

Purpose Neurological injuries (Nis), both ischemic neurological injuries (INIs) and hemorrhagic neurological injuries (HNIs), are a significant source of morbidity and mortality in patients with a ventricular assist device (VAD). There is no published data that identifies prognostic risk factors in patients with VADs who suffer a NI. This study attempts to identify risk factors for increased mortality after a NI. Methods and Materials A single-institution, retrospective review of 159 consecutive patients treated with VADs from January 2007 to December 2011 was undertaken. Premorbid patient data and demographics were considered. Patients who suffered Nis and predictors of increased mortality were identified. Results Fifty-three patients (33%) suffered at least one NI (30 INIs and 18 HNIs). The 12-month mortality rates for INIs and HNIs were 63.3 and 72.2%, respectively. In INIs, male sex, longer time with a VAD, a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of ≤11, and prior stroke were associated with increased 12-month mortality. A presenting GCS of ≤9, higher prothrombin time, longer time with a VAD, and prior stroke were associated with increased 12-month mortality in HNIs. The most devastating NI noted was intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) with 70 and 90% of patients dying within 30-day and 12-month follow-up periods, respectively. Only patients with supratentorial ICHs who presented with a GCS of ≥14 and an ICH volume 3 survived longer than 30 days. When neurosurgical consults were obtained for a NI, 12-month mortality was 78.9%. Patients who underwent a neurosurgical procedure had an 87.5% 30-day mortality. Conclusions Despite improvements in both morbidity with VAD implantation and survival after implant, Nis remain a significant source of morbidity and mortality. This retrospective analysis has identified several predictors of increased mortality in patients who suffer a NI including male sex, longer time with a VAD, a presenting GCS of ≤11, and prior stroke. This information may be useful to guide prognosis.
Islet Recovery and Reversal of Murine Type 1 Diabetes in the Absence of Any Infused Spleen Cell Contribution

A cure for type 1 diabetes will probably require the provision or elicitation of new pancreatic islet β cells as well as the reestablishment of immunological tolerance. A 2003 study reported achievement of both advances in the NOD mouse model by coupling injection of Freund's complete adjuvant with infusion of allogeneic spleen cells. It was concluded that the adjuvant eliminated anti-islet autoimmunity and the donor splenocytes differentiated into insulin-producing (presumably β) cells, culminating in islet regeneration. Here, we provide data indicating that the recovered islets were all of host origin, reflecting that the diabetic NOD mice actually retain substantial β cell mass, which can be rejuvenated/regenerated to reverse disease upon adjuvant-dependent dampening of autoimmunity.
Has fetal echocardiography improved the prognosis of congenital heart disease? Comparison of patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome with and without prenatal diagnosis

Background: As prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease has gained in popularity, the questions of whether prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease is beneficial for the patient and whether fetal echocardiography has improved the prognosis of congenital heart disease are arising. Methods: We compared four patients with prenatally diagnosed hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) with 10 patients of non-prenatally diagnosed HLHS from the view points of (i) age at transfer to our Children’s Hospital; (ii) whether the oxygen was inhaled during perinatal period; (iii) whether prostaglandin E1 was administered in the period of waiting before operation; (iv) whether the patient had ductal shock; (v) timing of operation; and (vi) surgical outcome. Results: The timing of the transfer to our Children’s Hospital was earlier in prenatally diagnosed group than in non-diagnosed group. Oxygen was not given to any of the patients in prenatally diagnosed group. In contrast, oxygen inhalation was given in two of 10 patients in the non-prenatally diagnosed group. Prostaglandin E1 was administrated in three of four patients in the prenatally diagnosed group and seven of 10 patients in the non-prenatally diagnosed group. In terms of ductal shock, none of the patients in prenatally diagnosed group had ductal shock. However, four of 10 patients had ductal shock in the non-prenatally diagnosed group. The median age at Norwood operation was 7 days in the prenatally diagnosed group; however, it was 19 days in non-prenatally diagnosed group. Surgical outcomes showed no significant changes between the two groups. Conclusions: Prenatal diagnosis of HLHS was surely beneficial for preventing ductal shock and for keeping the patients’ preoperative condition good.
Incarnation and pastoral care

This essay is an examination of the usefulness of incarnation as a theological metaphor for pastoral care and counseling. Understanding the incarnation as both an event and as a paradigm of God's relationship to the world provides a theological perspective for examining four interrelated questions about identity and the helping relationship frequently asked by the pastoral care-giver. The incarnation metaphor finally frees us to care in the confidence that in God the Incarnating One, all things, including our care for the sick, are held together.
Sudden idiopathic sensori-neural hearing loss: Some observations†

Sudden idiopathic sensori-neural hearing loss is more common than generally recognized. Hearing recovers spontaneously within a few hours or days, and the loss is not recognized as cochlear in origin but is blamed on eustachian tube obstruction, because the symptoms can be identical; thus, a large proportion of patients are treated by physicians with decongestants and middle ear inflation, without obtaining audiograms. In an already damaged cochlea, middle ear inflation and other unwarranted procedures, including over enthusiastic audiometry, can lead to further injury. In general, prognosis for recovery from sudden hearing loss correlates best with the interval between symptom onset and the first audiogram, and very poorly with either the type of treatment or the interval between symptoms and the patient's first visit to a physician.
Exploring the vertical: science and sociality in the field among cavers in Venezuela

Recent scholarship on vertical geographies has lead to a critical reexamination of the relationship between space and power. In this paper, I develop a vertical geographies approach in an unexplored context and with a less tested method: that of cave explorers and scientists in the field in Venezuela, from an ethnographic perspective. Ethnographic analysis of exploration in practice, viewed in relation to a multi-dimensional environment and the social dynamics, bodies, and technologies involved in traversing it, illustrates the ways vertical geographies are constructed and experienced. For the Venezuelan Speleological Society, a group dedicated to cave exploration and science since 1967, examining these geographies highlights culturally specific ways the tension between sports and science in speleology play out and how new members are socialized in the field. Specifically, attention to verticality highlights the role that age, masculinist heroics, and other embodied dimensions play in the construction of ...
Singlet oxygenation of 1,2-poly/1,4-hexadiene/s

The microstructural changes that occur in cis and trans forms of 1,2-poly(1,4-hexadiene) during methylene blue-photosensitized oxidation were examined by infrared and (C-13)-NMR spectroscopy. The singlet oxygenation of these polymers yielded the expected allylic hydroperoxides accompanied by double bond shifts to new vinyl and trans-vinylene double bonds. The photosensitized oxidation exhibited zero-order kinetics; the relative rates for the cis- and trans-1,2-poly(1,4-hexadiene)s were approximately 3.8:1.0.
Comparative evaluation of three commercial tests for detection of heterophile antibody in patients with infectious mononucleosis.

Infectious mononucleosis (IM) is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. Commonly used laboratory tests used for diagnosis of IM include a screening test based on the observation that horse erythrocytes are agglutinated by the Paul-Bunnell antibody found in the serum of patients with IM. This study evaluated two latex agglutination (LA) kits for IM, Monolatex (Wampole Laboratories) and Immunoscan-IM (American MicroScan) (formerly Monogen; Biokit, S.A.), and compared them with Monospot (Ortho Diagnostic Systems) results on 220 patient sera. Discrepancies in the three test results were resolved with complete Epstein-Barr virus antibody profiles. They indicated that any of the three kits tested can be successfully used as a screening test for IM. The advantage of the LA kits is that no differential absorption step is necessary. When discrepancies were resolved, sensitivity and specificity of both LA kits were greater than 93%.
Representation of Accurate Temporal Information in the Electrosensory System of the African Electric Fish,Gymnarchus niloticus

Differential-phase-sensitive neurons in the electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL) of the African electric fish, Gymnarchus niloticus, are sensitive to time disparities on the order of microseconds between afferent action potentials. These action potentials fire in a phase-locked manner in response to the animal's own wave-type electric organ discharges (EODs) (). The time disparity is one of the essential cues for an electrical behavior, the jamming avoidance response (JAR). To gain an insight into the accurate temporal processing in the ELL, firing time accuracy and dynamic response properties of action potentials of the phase-locked neurons (PLNs) in the ELL were examined. The temporal accuracy of the entire neuronal circuit for the JAR was also measured using behavioral responses. Standard deviation of firing times of PLNs' action potentials was approximately 6 micro;sec. The PLNs represent zerocrossing times of each stimulus cycle with this accuracy even when stimulus phase was modulated at high frequencies ( approximately 50 Hz). Distinct JAR occurred when time disparity was diminished below 1 micro;sec, and a marginal JAR could still be detected with a time disparity of 100 nsec. Standard deviation of the firing times of EODs was approximately several hundred nanoseconds. This stability of the EOD, however, was demonstrated to be unnecessary for the JAR. JARs occurred even when a large artificial jitter ( approximately 60 micro;sec) was introduced to a stimulus that mimicked fish's own EOD and the time disparity for JAR was diminished to 1 micro;sec. This immunity of JAR to the EOD jitter is explained by the insensitivity of the differential-phase-sensitive neurons in the ELL to a common phase modulation. The JAR of the South American electric fish, Eigenmannia, also occurs in response to stimuli that generate comparably small phase differences (; ). The present study revealed that the independently evolved Eigenmannia and Gymnarchus exhibit a comparative level of remarkable temporal accuracy.
The interaction trapping of internal gravity waves

It is shown that as a result of their non-linear interactions, internal gravity waves in an unbounded fluid can be trapped to a layer of finite depth by periodic small variations in either the density gradient or in a weak horizontal steady current. This trapping occurs when the vertical component of the wave-number is half that of the density gradient or of the current variations. The energy density of the wave motion trapped near the ocean surface decreases exponentially with depth over a distance that is inversely proportional to the magnitude of the variations in density gradient or in horizontal current speed.
Non-Intrusive Occupancy Monitoring using Smart Meters

Detailed information about a home's occupancy is necessary to implement many advanced energy-efficiency optimizations. However, monitoring occupancy directly is intrusive, typically requiring the deployment of multiple environmental sensors, e.g., motion, acoustic, CO2, etc. In this paper, we explore the potential for Non-Intrusive Occupancy Monitoring (NIOM) by using electricity data from smart meters to infer occupancy. We first observe that a home's pattern of electricity usage generally changes when occupants are present due to their interact with electrical loads. We empirically evaluate these interactions by monitoring ground truth occupancy in two homes, then correlating it with changes in statistical metrics of smart meter data, such as power's mean and variance, over short intervals. In particular, we use each metric's maximum value at night as a proxy for its maximum value in an unoccupied home, and then signal occupancy whenever the daytime value exceeds it. Our results highlight NIOM's potential and its challenges.
Diversity, Immigration, and the Politics of Civic Education

Rutgers University Classrooms across the nation have over the past two decades taken a diverse turn, most notably in the changing face of school children from predominantly white to increasingly multiracial and multicultural. Immigrants and their children now account for more than 20% of the U.S. population, and roughly a third of Americans consider themselves to be something other than white. The younger average age of immigrants and higher birthrates among these groups and minority populations more generally contribute to an even larger proportion of non-whites under the age of 30. In-migration of this magnitude is not unprecedented in the United States; an even larger share of the U.S. population was foreign born at the dawn of the twentieth century. During that period it was Irish, Italian, and Jewish immigrants rather than the Mexican, Chinese, and AfroCaribbean immigrants of today who faced political, economic, and social barriers in their racial classification as "less than" white (see, e.g., Jacobson 1998; King 2000). Indeed, there is a clear echo of earlier calls for schools to
Digital holographic tomography based on spectral interferometry

A digital holographic tomography system has been developed with the use of an inexpensive broadband light source and a fiber-based spectral interferometer. Multiple synthesized holograms (or object wave fields) of different wavelengths are obtained by transversely scanning a probe beam. The acquisition speed is improved compared with conventional wavelength-scanning digital holographic systems. The optical field of a volume around the object location is calculated by numerical diffraction from each synthesized hologram, and all such field volumes are numerically superposed to create the three-dimensional tomographic image. Experiments were performed to demonstrate the idea.
Talking Less but Saying More: Teaching U.S. History Online

After years of teaching in person at a large public university in Virginia, I decided to move my undergraduate U.S. history courses for that school online. I did so for one reason: the online format allows me to off er a better history class. Online courses are popular among students and represent a growing market for cash-strapped universities.1 It seems unlikely that online courses will go the way of the Betamax videocassette recorder anytime soon, so it behooves faculty to learn something about the online environment rather than rejecting it out of hand, as they often do. A few years ago my university held a technology fair to encourage faculty to incorporate new technologies into their courses, and the organizers asked me to demonstrate how a history class could be taught online. I was not the fair’s star attraction; most of those attending nodded politely at my demonstration before moving on to the display of voice recognition software at the next table. Th e few who did pause were more interested in telling me why online versions of courses are inherently inferior to what they did in their classrooms. I would have been more understanding had these professors been familiar with what an online class involves, but they admitted they were not—they simply hated the idea. Th e online format is not suitable for every history course, nor for every history student or history professor. At their best, traditional face-to-face classes off er a unique and memorable learning experience. After teaching U.S. history online for fi ve years, however, I have found that the online environment, when organized and executed well, off ers merely a diff erent teaching and learning experience, not an inferior one. In some ways, in fact, the online experience may be superior because history is a subject well suited for presentation in an online environment.
Advancing Age Alters the Contribution of Calcium Release From Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum Stores in Superior Cervical Ganglion Cells

In superior cervical ganglion (SCG) neurons calcium-induced calcium release (CICR), mediated by ryanodine receptors (RyRs), contributes to stimulation-evoked intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) transients. Hypothesis: The contribution of CICR to electrical field stimulation (EFS)–evoked [Ca2+]i transients in SCG cells declines with senescence and may be partially recovered in the presence of caffeine. We measured EFS-evoked [Ca2+]i transients in isolated fura-2–loaded SCG cells from Fischer-344 rats aged 6, 12, and 24 months with either the RyR antagonist ryanodine to block the contribution of CICR to [Ca2+]i transients or caffeine to sensitize CICR to EFS. EFS-evoked [Ca2+]i transients increased from 6 to 12 months and declined at 24 months and ryanodine decreased [Ca2+]i transients in SCG cells from 6- and 12-month-old animals only. Caffeine significantly increased EFS-evoked [Ca2+]i transients in all age groups. These data suggest that CICR declines with senescence and residual CICR function may be reclaimed in senescent cells with caffeine.
Moderating Effects of Family Structure on the Relationship Between Physical and Mental Health in Urban Children with Chronic Illness

Examined whether certain family structures modify the relationship between psychological adjustment and severity of physical illness, as measured by an index of functional status, among children with chronic illness. 352 families were divided into four types: two biological parents (n = 149), mother plus another adult relative (n = 47), mother plus unrelated spouse or partner (n = 23), and mother alone (n = 133). Correlations between children's functional status and adjustment were higher in the mother plus unrelated partner and mother alone families, and lower when mother lived with either the biological father or another adult relative. Children in the mother plus unrelated partner group also tended to have poorer overall adjustment than other children. Results are discussed in terms of family structure, childhood illness and adjustment, and the possible mechanisms that interrelate these variables.
The problem of hemihomonyms and the on-line hemihomonyms database (HHDB)

Hemihomonyms (same nomina which are used for taxa from different nomenclature jurisdictions) are an overlooked but genuine nuisance in biological nomenclature. We compiled the first list of hemihomonyms for nomina in bacteriological, botanical and zoological nomenclatures and prepared an on-line database, the "Hemihomonym database" or HHDB ( ). HHDB now includes 1164 nomina, including 12 triple hemihomonyms. A simple suffix-based solution (like " Oenanthe (z)" for Oenanthe in zoology) could be used in case of hemihomonymy. More effort should be afforded towards the resolution of long-standing nomenclature confusing situations such as hemihomonymy, including regarding the nomina of higher taxa, nomina of intermediate ranks and ambiregnal nomina.
Inhibition of translation initiation by volatile anesthetics involves nutrient-sensitive GCN-independent and -dependent processes in yeast.

Volatile anesthetics including isoflurane affect all cells examined, but their mechanisms of action remain unknown. To investigate the cellular basis of anesthetic action, we are studying Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants altered in their response to anesthetics. The zzz3-1 mutation renders yeast isoflurane resistant and is an allele of GCN3. Gcn3p functions in the evolutionarily conserved general amino acid control (GCN) pathway that regulates protein synthesis and gene expression in response to nutrient availability through phosphorylation of the α subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2α). Hyperphosphorylation of eIF2α inhibits translation initiation during amino acid starvation. Isoflurane rapidly (in <15 min) inhibits yeast cell division and amino acid uptake. Unexpectedly, phosphorylation of eIF2α decreased dramatically upon initial exposure although hyperphosphorylation occurred later. Translation initiation was inhibited by isoflurane even when eIF2α phosphorylation decreased and this inhibition was GCN-independent. Maintenance of inhibition required GCN-dependent hyperphosphorylation of eIF2α. Thus, two nutrient-sensitive stages displaying unique features promote isoflurane-induced inhibition of translation initiation. The rapid phase is GCN-independent and apparently has not been recognized previously. The maintenance phase is GCN-dependent and requires inhibition of general translation imparted by enhanced eIF2α phosphorylation. Surprisingly, as shown here, the transcription activator Gcn4p does not affect anesthetic response.
Book Review: 'The Timing of Income Recognition in Tax Law and the Time Value of Money'

The Timing of Income Recognition in Tax Law and the Time Value of Money, by Israeli lawyer and academic Moshe Shekel, is a comprehensive, comparative study of the timing rules for income and deductions (and the debates about those timing rules) in three sophisticated jurisdictions - the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel.
Adaptive thresholding of chest temporal subtraction images in computer-aided diagnosis of pathologic change

Radiologists frequently use chest radiographs acquired at different times to diagnose a patient by identifying regions of change. Temporal subtraction (TS) images are formed when a computer warps a radiographic image to register and then subtract one image from the other, accentuating regions of change. The purpose of this study was to create a computeraided diagnostic (CAD) system to threshold chest TS images and identify candidate regions of pathologic change. Each thresholding technique created two different candidate regions: light and dark. Light regions have a high gray-level mean, while dark regions have a low gray-level mean; areas with no change appear as medium-gray pixels. Ten different thresholding techniques were examined and compared. By thresholding light and dark candidate regions separately, the number of properly thresholded regions improved. The thresholding of light and dark regions separately produced fewer overall candidate regions that included more regions of actual pathologic change than global thresholding of the image. Overall, the moment-preserving method produced the best results for light regions, while the normal distribution method produced the best results for dark regions. Separation of light and dark candidate regions by thresholding shows potential as the first step in creating a CAD system to detect pathologic change in chest TS images.