cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanistic interpretation of ionic azo dye flux decline through compacted Na-montmorillonite membrane

Abstract The decrease in filtrate flux of ionic azo dyes through compacted Na-montmorillonite membrane can be adequately described by (i) analytical and empirically derived transport equations, (ii) solute rejection and intrinsic retention equations and (iii) X-ray diffraction. Experiments were performed using two ionic azo dyes, Orange G (7-hydroxy-8-phenlyazo-1,3-naphthalenedisulfonic acid disodium salt), a molecular biology reagent and brilliant yellow (C.I. 24890 direct yellow 4). Filtrate samples were collected using a static head setup consisting of a longitudinal flow acrylic cylinder cell through compacted Na-montmorillonite membrane. The results indicated that there was initial rapid flux reduction for the first 3 days due to surficial fouling owing to affinity of hydrophilic organic compounds rapidly getting attached to exchange sites at the dye–membrane interface before slowing down to a quasi-steady-state (5–7 days) and gradual gelation period (8–16 days) during steady-state. The ratio of flux reduction was approximately 3:5 for brilliant yellow to Orange G. The flux values were higher than mass transfer coefficients. Flux decline for the dyes followed an exponential decay described by J ∝ 1/tn, with n = 0.9556 for yellow dye and n = 0.8923 for Orange G. X-ray diffraction indicated that both the lower molecular weight Orange G (452.4 g mol−1) and higher molecular weight brilliant yellow (624.6 g mol−1) dyes are less preferentially retained within the basal spacing of Na-montmorillonite due to only a slight shift in the range 5.8–6° 2θ region. The results offer a preliminary study in the fate, transport and recyclability of these ionic azo dyes through smectitic membranes.
Compound Anchors and Their Subsequent Effects on Judgments

In this article, the authors first demonstrate the applicability of a standard anchoring paradigm to situations where both the anchor and subsequent target are compound concepts (Study 1). They next show that systematically varying the target so that it is increasingly different from the anchor leads to diminishing anchoring effects (Study 2). Finally, they demonstrate that the degree to which the anchoring effect occurs as such targets vary from anchors depends on which concept of the compound is made to vary from its analogue in the anchor (Studies 2 and 3).
Note: The N-queens Problem on a symmetric Toeplitz matrix

We consider the problem of placing n nonattacking queens on a symmetric nxn Toeplitz matrix. As in the N-queens Problem on a chessboard, two queens may attack each other if they share a row or a column in the matrix. However, the usual diagonal restriction is replaced by specifying that queens may attack other queens that occupy squares with the same number value in the matrix. We will show that n nonattacking queens can be placed on such a matrix if and only if n=0,1mod4.
Expansions of k-spaces

Abstract Simple expansions and expansions by point finite and locally finite collections are studied for particular classes of k -spaces. All such expansions of Frechet spaces are shown to be Frechet, and sufficient conditions for the preservation of property P ϵ { k 1 , sequential, k } under simple and locally finite expansions are established.
Effects of temperature on adsorption and oxidative degradation of bisphenol A in an acid-treated iron-amended granular activated carbon

Abstract The present study suggests a combined adsorption and Fenton oxidation using an acid-treated Fe-amended granular activated carbon (Fe-GAC) for effective removal of bisphenol A in water. When the Fe-GAC adsorbs, and is saturated with BPA in water, Fenton oxidation of BPA occurs in the BPA-spent Fe-GAC for regeneration of the GAC. Particularly this study showed temperature as an effective mean to enhance adsorption, desorption, diffusion and Fenton oxidation associated with the adsorption and Fenton oxidation of BPA on the Fe-GAC. The adsorption rates of BPA onto the Fe-GAC were enhanced with increasing temperature mainly due to increase in diffusion of BPA. The estimated thermodynamic parameters associated with adsorption of BPA indicated that the adsorption of BPA onto the Fe-GAC was a spontaneous, exothermic and physical adsorption process. On the other hand, the molar ratio of [H 2 O 2 ]:[BPA] (36–108 H 2 O 2 /mol BPA) in the Fenton oxidation of the BPA-spent Fe-GAC led to 91–99% removal of BPA with negligible aromatic products and some soluble organic acids. The oxidation rates of BPA and H 2 O 2 during the Fenton oxidation of the BPA-spent Fe-GAC were drastically enhanced by the factor of 2.5 and 5 when the reaction temperature increased from 293 to 331 K, respectively. The comparative analysis of temperature-dependent enhancement in diffusion, desorption and oxidation rates of BPA in Fe-GAC indicated that the BPA oxidation in the Fe-GAC is mainly controlled by diffusive transport of BPA from the Fe-GAC. Besides, the Thiele-modulus analysis clearly supported more significant pore diffusion limitation of H 2 O 2 in the Fe-GAC with increasing temperature and the Fe-GAC particle size.
CASE STUDY Combining Group and Individual Psychotherapy: Impact on the Individual Treatment Experience

Abstract Adding group therapy to ongoing individual treatment represents a significant clinical decision. Some of the potential benefits and risks of this combined approach to treating children are examined using clinical illustrations from one particular therapy group of latency-aged boys. The impact of the group experience on the therapeutic alliance and transference, especially within the individual therapy, is highlighted
Hydrophobic chalcogenide fibers for cell-based bio-optical sensors

Chalcogenide fibers are shown to exhibit a hydrophobic surface behavior which results in detection enhancement for organic species in aqueous solutions. We use these fibers to monitor the infrared signature of human lung cells and detect the presence of toxic agents in the cell surrounding media. The signal is collected using a fiber evanescent wave spectroscopy set up with live human cells acting as a sensitizer for detection of minute quantities of toxicant. A monolayer of human alveolar epithelial cells form strong attachment at the surface of the fiber sensing zone and live in contact with the fiber while their IR spectra is collected remotely. Biochemical change in the living cells are detected during exposure to toxic agents. Variations in the spectroscopic features of the cells are observed in different spectral regions. Finally, the toxicity of Te 2 As 3 Se 5 fibers is investigated.
The use of humor and its influences on spirituality and coping in breast cancer survivors.

Purpose/objectives To describe patients' perspectives concerning the use of humor in their care and recovery. Design Descriptive. Setting Community-based. Sample Nine women with a diagnosis of breast cancer. Methods Open-ended interviews were conducted with participants to identify their use of humor, its influence on spirituality, and their perceptions of how nurses use humor in caring for them during their treatment for breast cancer. Main research variable The use of humor as a coping skill. Findings The narrative data revealed three major categories, each with five to six themes illuminating humor as a coping factor, the relationship between humor and nursing, and the relationship between humor and spirituality. Conclusions Participants identified humor as an important coping factor. They also believed it played a role in their spirituality and their perception of the meaning and purpose of life. Nurses' use of humor is important to foster deeper, more trusting relationships with patients. Implications for nursing Humor must be recognized as an element of spiritual coping in patients with breast cancer. A need exists for further education for nurses concerning the importance of humor in the care of patients to promote recovery and improve the nurse-patient relationship. Research is needed to explore the use of cultural influences on humor, family perspectives of humor, and the influences of the overall environment.
Distributional Point Values and Convergence of Fourier Series and Integrals

In this article we show that the distributional point values of a tempered distribution are characterized by their Fourier transforms in the following way: If $f\in\mathcal{S}^{\prime}\left(\mathbb{R}\right)$ and $x_{0}\in\mathbb{R}$ , and $\widehat{f}$ is locally integrable, then $f(x_{0})=\gamma\ $ distributionally if and only if there exists k such that $\frac{1}{2\pi}\lim_{x\rightarrow\infty}\int_{-x}^{ax} \hat{f}(t)e^{-ix_{0}t}\,\mathrm{d}t=\gamma\ \ (\mathrm{C},k)\,$ , for each a > 0, and similarly in the case when $\widehat{f}$ is a general distribution. Here $(\mathrm{C},k)$ means in the Cesaro sense. This result generalizes the characterization of Fourier series of distributions with a distributional point value given in [5] by $\lim_{x\rightarrow\infty}\sum_{-x\leq n\leq ax}a_{n}e^{inx_{0}}=\gamma\ (\mathrm{C},k)\,$ . We also show that under some extra conditions, as if the sequence $\left\{a_{n}\right\} _{n=-\infty}^{\infty}$ belongs to the space $l^{p}$ for some $p\in\lbrack1,\infty)$ and the tails satisfy the estimate $\sum_{\left\vert n\right\vert \geq N}^{\infty}\left\vert a_{n}\right\vert ^{p}=O\left(N^{1-p}\right) $ ,\ as $N\rightarrow\infty$ , the asymmetric partial sums\ converge to $\gamma$ . We give convergence results in other cases and we also consider the convergence of the asymmetric partial integrals. We apply these results to lacunary Fourier series of distributions.
Effect of graded anterior transposition of the inferior oblique muscle on versions and vertical deviation in primary position.

Abstract Introduction: There are various methods for weakening the inferior oblique muscle; here we describe the results of a graded anterior transposition. Methods: Charts of 21 children (37 eyes) who underwent graded anterior transposition of the inferior oblique muscle were reviewed. Graded anterior transposition consisted of reinsertion of the inferior oblique muscle at various points along the temporal aspect of the inferior rectus muscle: the more severe the overaction, the more anterior the placement of the new insertion. In all cases the new inferior oblique insertion line was oriented parallel to the inferior rectus muscle axis. We analyzed the preoperative to postoperative change in inferior oblique overaction (versions) and vertical alignment in primary position. Results: Postoperatively, 18 of 21 patients had normal versions, 2 patients had −1 underaction of 1 eye, and 1 patient had +1 overaction of both eyes. Eleven patients (15 eyes) had a preoperative vertical deviation in primary position of 4 PD or more. Three of these patients had unilateral congenital superior oblique palsy and a preoperative hypertropia of 20 PD. They underwent unilateral graded anterior transposition with a mean postoperative vertical change of 18 PD. Three patients had asymmetric primary inferior oblique overaction with true hypertropia, 1 patient had amblyopia and primary inferior oblique overaction, and 4 patients had dissociated vertical deviation associated with inferior oblique overaction. All patients had improvement after surgery, with no significant vertical deviation in primary position. Conclusions: Graded anterior transposition of the inferior oblique muscle is effective in normalizing versions and correcting vertical deviations in primary position.
Saphenous vein preparation for coronary artery bypass grafting using a cardioplegia delivery set

Many techniques of saphenous vein preparation for coronary artery bypass grafting and their relation to endothelial preservation and graft patency have been published. We describe a method for final preparation of saphenous vein segments that uses the patient's undiluted heparinized blood infused at physiologic arterial pressure with a standard cardioplegia delivery apparatus. This method provides excellent demonstration of vein caliber and allows for quick identification and control of any previously undetected side branches or leaks. No additional equipment or instruments are required, and preparation can be performed before or after the institution of cardiopulmonary bypass.
Advances in the pharmacological treatment of Parkinson's disease: targeting neurotransmitter systems

For several decades, the dopamine precursor levodopa has been the primary therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD). However, not all of the motor and non-motor features of PD can be attributed solely to dopaminergic dysfunction. Recent clinical and preclinical advances provide a basis for the identification of additional innovative therapeutic options to improve the management of the disease. Novel pharmacological strategies must be optimized for PD by: (i) targeting disturbances of the serotonergic, noradrenergic, glutamatergic, GABAergic, and cholinergic systems in addition to the dopaminergic system, and (ii) characterizing alterations in the levels of neurotransmitter receptors and transporters that are associated with the various manifestations of the disease.
Using Optically Reversible Spatial Mutations to Dissect the Asymmetric Developmental Program of a Bacterium

Understanding the fundamental basis of cell fate determination is a critical challenge in biology. The Caulobacter bacterium provides the simplest model system for studying asymmetric cell division. Caulobacter's cell cycle regulatory circuit is controlled by a dynamically localized signaling network and targeted proteolysis. This network has been well characterized both genetically and biochemically. However, little is known about the underlying spatiotemporal mechanisms controlling this circuit. Optogenetics techniques offer an unprecedented way to reversibly alter protein localization in vivo in seconds time resolution. We have adapted a light-inducible dimerization system to Caulobacter and introduced light controlled "spatial-mutations" for driving a diffuse protein to specific cellular addresses. We then used these mutations to develop an in vivo spatiotempotal protein interaction assay (opto-conn) to determine whether two proteins are in complex in vivo at a specific cellular address and time point of the cell cycle. Using opto-conn, we are dissecting Caulobacter's regulation pathways by altering the localization and interactions of its key regulatory proteins.View Large Image | View Hi-Res Image | Download PowerPoint Slide
D=10 SUPERSPACE GEOMETRY AND HETEROTIC SUPERSTRING THEORY (I)

Using a Weyl transformation in superspace, we provide a noncanonical formulation of standard D=10, N=1 supergravity, including the gauge matter sector. This formulation turns out to be ideally suited for carrying out the renormalization of the Green-Schwarz σ-model describing the D=10 heterotic string propagating in a curved background space. By reducing the superspace results to the component level, we derive the supersymmetry transformation laws for the component fields of the theory.
The Vocational Interests of Marketing Professionals.

Abstract Marketing executives and marketing professors with similar educational backgrounds, differing primarily in type of work performed and the environment of their workplace, are contrasted for differences in vocational interests and job satisfaction. The data reveal that executives have more scientific interests and less sales interests than the professors, but are less satisfied with their careers and more satisfied with their pay and the amount of work they do.
Religious service attendance and decline in pulmonary function in a high-functioning elderly cohort.

Background: Pulmonary function is an important indicator of respiratory and overall health, yet little is known about the psychosocial factors that predict pulmonary function itself. At the same time, religious activity is emerging as a potential health promoting factor, especially among the elderly. Whether there is a connection between religious activity and pulmonary function is unknown.Purpose: In this study, we sought to examine the association between religious attendance and rate of decline in pulmonary function.Methods: The sample consisted of 1,174 healthy elderly persons enrolled in the MacArthur Study of Successful Aging who were followed for an average of 4.6 years. Information on frequency of religious service attendance and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) was collected over 3 waves. A linear mixed model with repeated measures was used to compare rate of decline in PEFR between those who attended religious services regularly and those who did not.Results: Regular religious service attendance was associated with a slower pulmonary function decline among men (by 3.71 L/min per year, p = .02) and women (by 3.27 L/min per year, p = .02), compared to those who never attend services. The findings could not be explained by differences in smoking or physical activity.Conclusions: Overall findings support the hypothesis that religious activity may play a protective role in maintaining pulmonary health among the elderly.
Pathological Alterations in Embryos of the Codling Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Induced by Methyl Bromide

Effects of methyl bromide applied as a fumigant to the eggs of the codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), were assessed using light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Cell division stopped within 1 h in nearly all embryos after application of a lethal dose (48 g/m3 for 2 h). A small number of terata were produced, the percentage increasing somewhat at a lower dose of fumigant. Cells in terata induced at early germ band stages showed the general characteristics of neoplastic cells. The severity of initial toxic effects of lethal-dose treatment on early embryonic tissue varied among the embryos and occasionally among cells in individual embryos. Methyl bromide is a general cellular toxin as expected from its action as a methylating agent with little substrate specificity. A lethal dose of methyl bromide generally led to some degree of transient cell swelling followed by severe disruption of the cytoplasm and plasma membrane, and to clumping of nuclear chromatin, followed by contraction, coagulation necrosis, and cell lysis.
Characterization of HDS/HDN active sites in cluster-derived and conventionally-prepared sulfide catalysts

Abstract The catalytic and sorptive properties of a series of sulfide cluster-derived catalysts were compared to those of an analogous series of conventionally-prepared sulfides. The cluster-derived and conventionally-prepared catalysts had similar hydrotreatment activities and chemisorbed similar amounts of O 2 and NO. From infrared spectroscopy, it was observed that the clusters retained much of their character upon adsorption, and that the CO ligands were lost upon heating up to 350 K. Nitric oxide chemisorbed onto the bimetallic cluster-derived catalysts was initially associated with the Co sites then shifted to the Mo sites upon heating, indicating that the promoter and Mo were in close proximity. For the conventionally-prepared materials, NO adsorption suggested that the promoted and unpromoted sites behaved independently. Nitric oxide was more strongly held to the unpromoted sites in both the cluster-derived and conventionally-prepared materials. Thiophene adsorbed onto the cluster-derived and conventionally-prepared catalysts gave rise to nearly identical infrared spectra. Upon heating, the thiophene peaks disappeared and were replaced by peaks that we have attributed to a linear olefin, which is noteworthy since 1-butene was the primary product from thiophene HDS. Nitric oxide easily displaced adsorbed thiophene from the cluster-derived materials, indicating that NO and thiophene adsorbed onto the same sites.
Comparison of MWPCVD diamond growth at low and high process gas pressures

Abstract Diamond growth by microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition (MWPCVD) at high temperature (∼1200 °C) and high process gas pressure (200 mbar) was studied and compared with growth at standard conditions (800 °C, 30 mbar). The growth rate was measured via laser reflection interferometry (LRI) and the gas phase was analysed by mass spectrometry (MS). The growth law was deduced from the variation of the growth rate with feed gas composition and additionally with the mass spectrometer signal of the relevant hydrocarbon species for all process conditions. It was found that etching of the surface by atomic hydrogen yields a significant modification of diamond growth at high gas pressure. One can treat it as process parallel to and independent of the growth which is controlled by the concentration of atomic hydrogen. At a substrate temperature of 800 °C the growth law shows a square root dependence on the CH4,feed gas concentration and a saturation for high methane concentrations for both gas pressures. This behaviour is in accordance with a methyl based growth mechanism. At 1200 °C a low process gas pressure (30 mbar) resulted in deposition of graphitic phases. Increase to 200 mbar facilitated again single crystal diamond growth. The growth rate showed a linear relationship with the methane gas concentration and the C2Hx MS signal over more than one order of magnitude without any indication of saturation behaviour up to 20% CH4. The change of the growth law indicates an acetylene based growth mechanism at high temperature. However, a growth mechanism based on a bimolecular reaction of CHx species cannot be excluded completely.
High-sensitivity radioassay by gas chromatography

Abstract An approach to radioassay of gas-liquid chromatographic effluents is described in which the sensitivity is increased by expanding the time available for the radioassay. Radioactive compounds in the effluent of the column are burned over heated copper oxide to 14CO2 and 3H2O. The effluent of the combustion tube is then passed through a scrubber consisting of a small-bore, simulated gas chromatographic column that is simultaneously supplied with a small, continuous flow of aqueous sodium hydroxide. The liquid effluent of the scrubber is pumped, segmented with air bubbles, into a long length of tubing for storage. The contents of this tube are subsequently pumped through a flow-through scintillation detector at a rate determined by the quantity of radioactivity present.
Insulin-induced elevation of hypothalamic norepinephrine turnover persists after glucorestoration unless feeding occurs.

Abstract We employed a delayed feeding paradigm to assess regional brain catecholamine changes associated with insulin-elicited glucoprivic feeding. This paradigm makes use of the recent discovery that glucoprivic challenges significantly enhance food intake even when food is withheld until other signs of glucoprivation have abated. Using this paradigm we attempted to temporally dissociate the neurochemical events associated with the ingestive response from other potentially confounding consequences of insulin or glucoprivation. We found a high degree of congruence between elevated hypothalamic norepinephrine (NE) turnover (estimated by the change in transmitter concentration after synthesis inhibition) and the persistence of hunger, both during and after apparent glucoprivation. In the absence of food, hypothalamic NE turnover was enhanced during insulin-induced glucoprivation and this increase persisted into the postglucoprivic period. A brief feeding bout, either during glucoprivation or post-glucoprivically, rapidly normalized NE turnover rates. Moreover, brief access (30 min) to a limited quantity of food (2.5 g) during glucoprivation abolished both the elevated turnover and the feeding response otherwise observed postglucoprivically. Turnover of catecholamines in the telencephalon was also enhanced after insulin, but the increased activity did not persist into the postglucoprivic period and, in addition, was not altered in any consistent manner by food intake. These findings strengthen the view that hypothalamic NE neurons are involved in the mediation of glucoprivic feeding.
Changes in extracellular amino acid neurotransmitters produced by focal cerebral ischemia

Abstract Excitatory amino acids (EAAs) have been implicated in the pathophysiology of cellular injury after brain ischemia. Changes in extracellular levels of amino acids in rat cerebral cortex after permanent proximal middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion were examined using microdialysis. Significant increases were found in dialysate concentrations of glutamate, aspartate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) from the ischemic cortex during the first 90 min after MCA occlusion compared to pre-ischemic concentrations and contralateral hemispheric controls. Total tissue levels of these amino acids in the infarcted hemisphere 90 min after onset of ischemia were not different from the contralateral hemisphere. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the release of EAAs may contribute to tissue damage in focal cerebral ischemia.
Food- and water-borne disease: using case control studies to estimate the force of infection that accounts for primary, sporadic cases.

Abstract Disease models which take explicit account of heterogeneities in the risk of infection offer significant advantages over models in which the risk of infection is assumed to be uniform across all hosts. However, estimating the incidence rate (force of infection) in the different at-risk (exposure) groups is no easy matter. Classically, epidemiologists differentiate groups of hosts with different infection-risks according to their exposure to putative explanatory risk factors. The importance of these risk factors is assessed by case-control studies, in which the measure of effect (the difference in disease occurrence between one population and another) is the odds ratio. This paper describes for the first time how – and under what circumstances – the incidence in these different exposure groups can be estimated from odds ratios derived from case control studies in which controls have been selected by density sampling. This new estimation technique can be applied to any transmission modality but is especially useful in the case of models of food- and water-borne disease for which the case control literature represents a vast and, as yet, untapped resource. The paper finishes with a worked example using one of the most common of all food- and water-borne pathogens, Toxoplasma gondii.
A Look at Circulation Statistics

Nearly all academic libraries keep circulation statistics which are often shared with their parent university, library consortia, and national organizations. This study attempted to discover what goes into circulation statistics by surveying Southeastern research libraries. Libraries were asked what they count in their circulation statistics and what their circulation policies are to identify differences across libraries. The results of the survey indicate that there is no set formula for counting circulation statistics.
The Changing Design of Positron Imaging Systems.

This is a time of rapid change in the evolution of clinical positron imaging systems, spurred by the wider availability of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose, continued increase in clinical research trials showing the clinical efficacy of PET in numerous cancers, coronary artery disease, and a variety of neurological disorders, recent successes in changing the FDA approval process for PET radiopharmaceuticals, and the recent decision of HCFA to reimburse for PET procedures. To adapt to this new environment for clinical positron imaging, a number of approaches are being taken to cut the cost of positron imaging systems while still maintaining the inherent sensitivity and quantitative advantages that relate to coincidence imaging. In this article, we present some of the newer developments in positron imaging systems, discuss some of the limitations with currently available “low-cost” systems, and point the way to some future developments that will rapidly result in improved systems for clinical positron imaging. It should be noted that PET scanners have gone through many generations of technology advancements. These advancements along with new detector materials, new image reconstruction algorithms that improve signal-to-noise, lower cost/higher performance computer technology, and the present infectious enthusiasm for new ideas are all converging to produce a highly competitive marketplace of new camera solutions for clinical positron imaging.
Factors affecting adherence to a raw vegan diet

The purpose of this study was to evaluate adherence and identify predictors of adherence to a raw vegan diet (i.e., uncooked plant foods) following a stay at a raw vegan institute. In this cohort study of guests at a raw vegan institute, subjects completed written questionnaires upon arrival and 12 weeks later. Of 107 eligible guests, 84 participated. Mean age was 54 years, 23 were male, and 73 white. Fifty-one completed the 12-week follow-up. Eight (16%) reported their diet to be ≥80% raw vegan at baseline and 14 (28%) at follow-up. Based on a raw vegan dietary adherence score (range 0-42) created for this study, mean adherence (SD) increased from 15.1 (5.4) to 17.0 (5.8) over 12 weeks (p=0.03). Baseline predictors of adherence included: education (β=0.95), severity of disease (β=0.98), and self-efficacy to adhere (β=0.72). Future interventions that evaluate this diet should address self-efficacy, an important, potentially remediable predictor of adherence.
Guy de Maupassant, Louisa May Alcott and Youth at Risk: Lessons from the New Paradigm of Disability.

This article reads two late nineteenth century short stories - one by Guy de Maupassant and the other by Louisa May Alcott - through the interpretive framework of Critical Disability Studies. It contrasts the traditional view of disability as a deficit or pathology that befalls certain unfortunate individuals with a newer one that understands it much like gender, race, and social class. Both stories reveal much more about sighted people's fears than they do about blindness. Ultimately, this method of reading historically says much about forces such as national identity, capitalism, philanthropy, gender roles, social class, and the complex relationship each has to the troubled concept of modernity that emerged in both France and the United States.
A two-color-change, nanoparticle-based method for DNA detection

Abstract Herein, we describe the detailed synthesis of Ag/Au core-shell nanoparticles, the surface-functionalization of these particles with thiolated oligonucleotides, and their subsequent use as probes for DNA detection. The Ag/Au core-shell nanoparticles retain the optical properties of the silver core and are easily functionalized with thiolated oligonucleotides due to the presence of the gold shell. As such, the Ag/Au core-shell nanoparticles have optical properties different from their pure gold counterparts and provide another “color” option for target DNA-directed colorimetric detection. Size-matched Ag/Au core-shell and pure gold nanoparticles perform nearly identically in DNA detection and melting experiments, but with distinct optical signatures. Based on this observation, we report the development of a two-color-change method for the detection and simultaneous validation of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in a DNA target using Ag/Au core-shell and pure gold nanoparticle probes.
Cardiomyocyte-Specific Deletion of the Coxsackievirus and Adenovirus Receptor Results in Hyperplasia of the Embryonic Left Ventricle and Abnormalities of Sinuatrial Valves

The coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR), which mediates infection by the viruses most commonly associated with myocarditis, is a transmembrane component of specialized intercellular junctions, including the myocardial intercalated disc; it is known to mediate cell–cell recognition, but its natural function is poorly understood. We used conditional gene targeting to investigate the possible functions of CAR during embryonic development, generating mice with both germline and tissue-specific defects in CAR expression. Homozygous germline deletion of CAR exon 2 or cardiomyocyte-specific gene deletion at embryonic day 10 (E10) mediated by Cre recombinase expressed under the control of the cardiac troponin T promoter resulted in death by E12.5; embryos showed marked cardiac abnormalities by E10.5, with hyperplasia of the left ventricular myocardium, distention of the cardinal veins, and abnormalities of sinuatrial valves. Within the hyperplastic left ventricle, increased numbers of proliferating cells were evident; persistent expression of N-myc in the hyperplastic myocardium and attenuated expression of the trabecular markers atrial natriuretic factor and bone morphogenic protein 10 indicated that proliferating cardiomyocytes had failed to differentiate and form normal trabeculae. In electron micrographs, individual CAR-deficient cardiomyocytes within the left ventricle appeared normal, but intercellular junctions were ill-formed or absent, consistent with the known function of CAR as a junctional molecule; myofibrils were also poorly organized. When cardiomyocyte-specific deletion occurred somewhat later (by E11, mediated by Cre under control of the α-myosin heavy chain promoter), animals survived to adulthood and did not have evident cardiac abnormalities. These results indicate that during a specific temporal window, CAR expression on cardiomyocytes is essential for normal cardiac development. In addition, the results suggest that CAR-mediated intercellular contacts may regulate proliferation and differentiation of cardiomyocytes within the embryonic left ventricular wall.
Endocrine responses to weaning and changes in post-weaning diet in the young pig

The effects of weaning and changing post-weaning diet composition on growth patterns and growth-related hormonal profiles were evaluated in neonatal pigs. Forty-eight crossbred piglets were assigned to two groups (n = 24/group) based on weaning at 2 or 3 wk of age (2W and 3W groups. respectively). At weaning, piglets were removed from the sow and placed on a commercial starter ration for the first 11 d post-weaning (Phase I diet). At Day 12 post-weaning, pigs were placed on a growing ration for the remainder of the study (Phase II diet). Body weights and blood samples were collected twice weekly from birth until 42 d of age. Serum insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, IGF-2, and average daily gain (ADG) were reduced (P < 0.05) in both groups as a result of weaning, whereas serum growth hormone (GH) was elevated (P < 0.05). Earlier weaning resulted in a greater reduction in growth rate and serum IGF-2 values (P < 0.05). Mild reductions in ADG occurred after the Phase I to II dietary change in both weaning groups (P < 0.05), but serum IGF-1 decreased only in the 2W group (P < 0.05). Growth hormone concentrations tended to increase after the change in post-weaning diets (P = 0.07 and 0.16 in 2W and 3W, respectively). Serum thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) levels were unaltered by weaning but declined in both groups after the change in starter diets (P < 0.05). Changes in cortisol concentrations were not associated with weaning or the change in post-weaning diets. With the exception of serum IGF-1 concentrations, which were elevated in the 2W group, growth and endocrine endpoints were equivalent between experimental groups at the end of the study (42 d of age). These results indicate that earlier weaning and changing solid diets can more severely affect patterns of early growth and related hormone secretion, but effective compensatory mechanisms restore normal physiological and physical development.
Detection of Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus in Fish Mucus

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) was detected in mucus collected from the external surface of naturally infected juvenile and adult salmonids. Virus concentrations ranged from 101.0 to 106.0 plaque forming units (PFU) /ml. Juvenile rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss artificially infected with IHNV by the waterborne route had a 100% prevalence of the virus in mucus and 50% in gill tissues 24 h post-exposure. Mucus examined from individual rainbow trout had increasing IHNV concentrations, 101.5 to 103.9 PFU/ml, from 24 to 84 h postinfection. This suggested IHNV detected in mucus resulted from the normal progression of the disease and the integument may be a site of virus replication and a possible portal of entry.
A winner-take-all methodology: finding the best evolutionary algorithm for the global optimization of functions

The problem of effectively and efficiently finding the global optimum of a function by using evolutionary algorithms is current and pertinent, and two of the evolutionary techniques that have received significant attention in the literature are Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and Differential Evolution (DE), as well as their numerous variants. One way of taking advantage of the many good PSO and DE variant algorithms that have appeared in the literature is to run them all for a particular optimization problem and choose the best answer provided. This approach, referred to as the Naive Approach (NA) is time consuming. In this paper, we are using the naive approach with a suite of algorithms for each function minimization problem and we run the algorithms, in the suite, for a specific number of function evaluations (typically much smaller than the number of function evaluations needed for each specific algorithm to converge to a solution) and decide, using appropriate performance measures of merit, which one of these algorithms will continue running until convergence; the rest of the algorithms, deemed as algorithms that will eventually produce inferior solutions, are aborted. We refer to our methodology, for obvious reasons, as the Winner-Take-All (WTA) methodology. Using this methodology we introduce WTA algorithmic variants that are efficient and effective solvers of global optimization problems. In this paper, we report results on one of these variants, called WTA1, and show that it is very competitive compared to the constituent algorithms in the suite used for its design, and efficient compared to NA.
Successful immunotherapy in a murine metastasizing fibrosarcoma model

Antigenic differences were demonstrated between the primary murine fibrosarcoma and its metastases. Immunization with irradiated primary tumor cells (TC) protected C57B1/6J mice against subsequent challenge with those cells, but not against challenge with cells from pulmonary metastases (PMC). Mice immunized with irradiated PMC were protected from challenge with those cells, but not against challenge with TC. Mice with fibrosarcomas produced by the injection of 5 X 10(3) cells from the primary tumor were treated by resection of the tumor-bearing limb (Amp), Amp plus cyclophosphamide (Amp + Cy), Amp plus primary TC (Amp + TC), Amp plus primary TC and from its metastatic variant (Amp + TC + PMC), and with combinations of the last two groups with Cy. Although Amp + Cy improved survival, no animal lived 100 days and metastases increased as compared to controls. Immunotherapy significantly improved survival and decreased pulmonary metastases. Antigen combinations from primary and metastatic tumors resulted in significantly better survival than did a single preparation only from TC. Chemotherapy did not enhance the results obtained with immunotherapy and surgery. Immunity conferred in long-term survivors was permanent.
Mutually exclusive utilization of P(R) and P(RM) promoters in bacteriophage 434 O(R).

Establishment and maintenance of a lysogen of the lambdoid bacteriophage 434 require that the 434 repressor both activate transcription from the P RM promoter and repress transcription from the divergent P R promoter. Several lines of evidence indicate that the 434 repressor activates initiation of P RM transcription by occupying a binding site adjacent to the P RM promoter and directly contacting RNA polymerase. The overlapping architecture of the P RM and P R promoters suggests that an RNA polymerase bound at P R may repress P RM transcription initiation. Hence, part of the stimulatory effect of the 434 repressor may be relief of interference between RNA polymerase binding to the P RM promoter and to the P R promoter. Consistent with this proposal, we show that the repressor cannot activate P RM transcription if RNA polymerase binds at P R prior to addition of the 434 repressor. However, unlike the findings with the related λ phage, formation of RNA polymerase promoter complexes at P RM and at P R apparently are mutually exclusive. We find that the RNA polymerase-mediated inhibition of repressor-stimulated P RM transcription requires the presence of an open complex at P R . Taken together, these results indicate that establishment of an open complex at P R directly prevents formation of an RNA polymerase-P RM complex.
Total manufacturing information system: a conceptual model of a strategic tool for competitive advantage

Recent advances in manufacturing and information technologies present promising strategic alternatives for designing a new manufacturing information system. Total manufacturing information system is an integrated system of manufacturing technologies and business strategy into an information system. It is a strategic tool for achieving competitive advantage, which enables firms to respond quickly to market changes, achieve flexibility of products and processes, and manage the complexity of today’s manufacturing environment.
Value of multiple echocardiographic views in the evaluation of aortic stenosis in adults by continuous-wave Doppler.

Abstract Fifty-two adults referred for evaluation of aortic stenosis (AS) were studied using continuous-wave and pulsed Doppler echocardiography. Three windows were used to determine which approach (apical, right parasternal or suprasternal) yielded optimal results. Doppler-derived peak aortic valve gradients were compared with the peak gradients measured at cardiac catheterization in 23 patients. High-velocity jets were best recorded from the cardiac apex and less frequently from the right parasternal and suprasternal areas. However, gradients from the right parasternal area correlated best with cardiac catheterization findings, although recordings could be made from this window in only 49% of the patients. Velocities from the suprasternal window were significantly (p
Photophysical and photochemical properties of sterically hindered aryldiazonium salts

Sterically hindered aryldiazonium salts absorption spectra and quantum yield data interpretation, considering photochemical properties
A Numerical Study on the Influence of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge on Nonlinear First-Mode Baroclinic Rossby Waves Generated by Seasonal Winds

Abstract A numerical model simulation investigates the influence of the mid-Atlantic ridge on nonlinear first-mode baroclinic Rossby waves generated by seasonal wind fluctuations. The North Atlantic is simulated by a square-box, two-layer quasi-geostrophic (QG) model. The bottom topography is ridge-like and compromises the QG approximation and the actual shape of the ridge. Sponge layers protect all boundaries except the eastern one from wave reflection and eliminate the build-up of the western boundary current. The model is forced by a purely fluctuating wind stress curl derived from the most significant EOFs of the FGGE winds. A flat bottom and a ridge experiment are compared. In both experiments the eastern boundary is an important source of annual-period baroclinic Rossby waves. Wave trains having a wavelength of about 1060 km and a westward phase speed around 3.4 cm s−1 propagate energy westward at 3 cm s−1. In the flat bottom experiment a source of directly wind-forced baroclinic waves of annual per...
Contaminant‐associated alteration of immune function in black‐footed albatross (Phoebastria nigripes), a North Pacific predator

Environmental pollution is ubiquitous and can pose a significant threat to wild populations through declines in fitness and population numbers. To elucidate the impact of marine pollution on a pelagic species, we assessed whether toxic contaminants accumulated in black-footed albatross (Phoebastria nigripes), a wide-ranging North Pacific predator, are correlated with altered physiological function. Blood samples from adult black-footed albatrosses on Midway Atoll, part of the Hawaiian (USA) archipelago, were analyzed for organochlorines (e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and chlorinated pesticides), trace metals (silver, cadmium, tin, lead, chromium, nickel, copper, zinc, arsenic, selenium, and total mercury), and a sensitive physiological marker, peripheral white blood cell immune function (mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation and macrophage phagocytosis). We found a positive significant relationship between organochlorines, which were highly correlated within individual birds ( p 0.001, r 0.80, Spearman correlation for all comparisons; PCBs, 160 60 ng/ml plasma (mean standard deviation); DDTs, 140 180 ng/ml plasma; chlordanes, 7.0 3.6 ng/ml plasma; hexachlorobenzene, 2.4 1.5 ng/ml plasma; n 15) and increased lymphocyte proliferation ( p 0.020) as well as percentage lymphocytes ( p 0.033). Mercury was elevated in black-footed albatrosses (4,500 870 ng/ml whole blood, n 15), and high mercury levels appeared to be associated ( p 0.017) with impaired macrophage phagocytosis. The associations we documented between multiple contaminant concentrations and immune function in endangered black-footed albatrosses provide some of the first evidence that albatrosses in the North Pacific may be affected by environmental contamination. Our results raise concern regarding detrimental health effects in pelagic predators exposed to persistent marine
Silica Content of a Mesohaline Tidal Marsh in North Carolina

Abstract Studies of silicon (Si) cycling in estuarine systems have primarily focused on terrestrial inputs, benthic fluxes and uptake and recycling of Si by diatoms. However, intertidal marsh vegetation, which often covers a large area and contributes a high biomass to estuarine systems, also contains Si. Silica contents of two marsh plants, Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemerianus, were measured in a mesohaline tidal marsh in the Cape Fear River estuary, North Carolina. Plant silica contents in the two species were significantly different in three age categories with new culms having the lowest and dead culms having the highest silica content. Mean silica contents in S. alterniflora were 4·1, 5·2 and 7·8 mg g−1dry biomass in new, mature and dead culms, respectively. Mean silica contents in J. roemerianus were 0·67, 4·2 and 9·2 mg−1dry biomass in new, mature and dead culms, respectively. Porewater dissolved silicic acid (DSi) was measured at three depths (0–10, 11–20 and 21–30 cm) and was lowest in the upper 10 cm. Mean porewater DSi concentrations were 198 μM from January to May and 295 μM from June to September. Sediment biogenic silica content (BSi) was 0·76 and 1·0% in J. roemerianus and S. alterniflora vegetative zones, respectively. Biomass estimates were used to obtain an estimate of the amorphous silica inventory of the marsh. Vascular plants and sediments contained approximately 7·1 g SiO2 m−2and 82·0 g SiO2 m−2, respectively. These data indicate that intertidal marshes may be an important reservoir of Si in estuarine systems.