cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polyploids and their structural and physiological characteristics relative to water deficit in Betula papyrifera (Betulaceae)

The morphology and leaf anatomy, water relations, gas exchange, and growth characteristics of Betula papyrifera seedlings grown in a greenhouse representing three ploidy levels (diploids, pentaploids, and hexaploids) have been compared in an effort to understand the role of polyploidy in habitat differentiation and adaptation to water deficit. The polyploids are more tolerant of water deficit than their diploid relatives. The polyploids have fewer stomata per unit area and smaller stomatal indices than the diploids. They also have thicker upper and lower epidermis and more pubescence, which tend to reduce water loss. The polyploids have lower osmotic potential at saturation (y,rsat) than corresponding diploids, suggesting they are more able to maintain turgor in the case of low tissue water potential than the diploids. The photosynthesis of the diploids is more sensitive to water deficit. A 2-hr artificial water stress treatment caused complete cessation of photosynthesis in the diploids. They are more drought-avoiding than the polyploids as evidenced by closing their stomata to limit water loss at a relatively higher tissue water potential (-1.425 MPa). The pentaploids and hexaploids maintained, although to a small extent, photosynthesis when their tissue water potentials dropped to -1.86 MPa and -2.07 MPa, respectively.
Endothelium-derived relaxing factor contributes to the regulation of endothelial permeability.

To determine whether endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) contributes to the regulation of endothelial permeability, the transendothelial flux of 14C-sucrose, a marker for the paracellular pathway across endothelial monolayers (Oliver, J. Cell. Physiol. 145:536-548, 1990), was examined in monolayers of bovine aortic endothelial cells grown on collagen-coated filters. The permeability coefficient of 14C-sucrose was significantly decreased by 10(-3) M 8-Bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate or by 5 x 10(-6) M glyceryl trinitrate, an activator of soluble guanylate cyclase. Depletion of L-arginine from endothelial monolayers increased 14C-sucrose permeability from 3.21 +/- 0.59 to 3.88 +/- 0.50 x 10(-5) cm.sec-1 (mean +/- SEM; n = 6; P < 0.05). The acute administration of 5 x 10(-4) M L-arginine to monolayers depleted of this amino acid decreased 14C-sucrose permeability from 2.91 +/- 0.27 to 2.52 +/- 0.26 x 10(-5) cm.sec-1 (n = 11; P < 0.05). 14C-sucrose permeability was increased by 10(-7) M bradykinin and this effect was enhanced by the presence of each one of the following compounds: 10(-5) M methylene blue, 4 x 10(-6) M oxyhemoglobin, 5 x 10(-4) M NG-methyl-L-arginine or 5 x 10(-4) M N omega-nitro-L-arginine. These results suggest that EDRF contributes to the sealing of the endothelial monolayer and that EDRF released by bradykinin acts as a feedback inhibitor attenuating the increase in endothelial permeability induced by this peptide. Because endothelial cells have the ability to contract and relax and possess guanylate cyclase responsive to nitric oxide, our results suggest that EDRF decreases 14C-sucrose permeability by relaxing endothelial cells, thereby narrowing the width of endothelial junctions.
Intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin) for retinal angiomatous proliferation

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the short-term visual acuity and anatomic responses after intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech) treatment in patients with retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP). METHODS The authors conducted a retrospective review of consecutive patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent RAP treated with intravitreal bevacizumab (1.25 mg) during a 3-month period. Complete ocular examination was performed at baseline and follow-up visits. Interval data were analyzed statistically at 1 and 3 months follow-up. RESULTS Twenty-three eyes of 23 patients underwent intravitreal bevacizumab treatment. The mean age of patients was 81.1 years, median baseline visual acuity of treated eyes was 20/80 (range 20/25-20/800), and mean baseline central macular thickness was 335 mum (optical coherence tomography was available for 22 eyes). Nine eyes had retinal pigment epithelial detachments (PEDs) at baseline. At 1-month follow-up, the median acuity improved to 20/60 (range 20/30-20/400) (P < 0.001), mean central macular thickness decreased to 202 microm (P < 0.001), and PED was present in only 2 eyes (P = 0.016). Seven of 23 eyes at 1 month (30.4%) had improved visual acuity, defined as halving of the visual angle, and no eyes had worse acuity, defined as doubling of the visual angle. Of the 17 eyes available for 3-month follow-up, 5 eyes (29.4%) had better visual acuity, 1 eye (5.9%) had worse acuity, and the remaining 11 (64.7%) had the same acuity. The median visual acuity at month 3 was 20/60 (range 20/25-20/400). There were no thromboembolic phenomena, endophthalmitis cases, retinal detachments, or any other adverse events. CONCLUSION Treatment of RAP with intravitreal bevacizumab during this retrospective review resulted in a significant decrease in macular thickness and improvement or stabilization of visual acuity. Further long-term investigation is warranted given the promising short-term results.
Circadian phase-delaying effects of bright light alone and combined with exercise in humans

In a within-subjects (n= 18), counterbalanced design, the circadian phase-shifting effects of 3 h of 1) bright light (3,000 lx) alone 2) and bright light combined with vigorous exercise were compar...
Aging Impairs the Proliferative Capacity of Cardiospheres, Cardiac Progenitor Cells and Cardiac Fibroblasts: Implications for Cell Therapy.

Introduction: Cardiospheres (CS) are self-assembling clusters of cells that can be grown from cardiac tissue. They contain a heterogeneous cell population that includes cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) and cardiac fibroblasts. CS and CPCs have been shown to improve cardiac function after myocardial infarction (MI) in experimental models and are now being studied in clinical trials. The effects of aging on the proliferative capacity of CS and CPCs, and the paracrine signaling between cell types, remain incompletely understood. Methods and Results: We compared the growth of CS from young and aging murine hearts at baseline and following MI. The number of CS from young and aging hearts was similar at baseline. However, after MI, young hearts had a dramatic increase in the number of CS that grew, but this proliferative response to MI was virtually abolished in the aging heart. Further, the proportion of cells within the CS that were CPCs (defined as Sca-1(stem cell antigen-1)+/CD45−) was significantly lower in aging hearts than young hearts. Thus the number of available CPCs after culture from aging hearts was substantially lower than from young hearts. Cardiac fibroblasts from aging hearts proliferated more slowly in culture than those from young hearts. We then investigated the interaction between aging cardiac fibroblasts and CPCs. We found no significant paracrine effects on proliferation between these cell types, suggesting the impaired proliferation is a cell-autonomous problem. Conclusions: Aging hearts generate fewer CPCs, and aging CPCs have significantly reduced proliferative potential following MI. Aging cardiac fibroblasts also have reduced proliferative capacity, but these appear to be cell-autonomous problems, not caused by paracrine signaling between cell types.
Management by values (MBV): a new philosophy for a new economic order

Purpose – This paper is aimed at presenting a conceptual model of managing by values (MBV) as an important philosophical and practical framework for leaders and managers of organizations use in today’s work environment. We briefly discuss the evolution of management from that of management by instruction (MBI) to management by objectives (MBO) and finally management by values (MBV). We outline the trends and examples of two influential organizations focusing on values and finally provide a MBV as critical and needed method that has been used in Spain and extensively in Cuba.Design/methodology/approach – Although this is a conceptual article, we have included some practical examples where MBV has been used and also some research that has been conducted using this model on MBA students across business schools across the globe.Findings – We present the three major dimensions of MBV (economical‐pragmatic, ethical, and emotional‐developmental). These dimensions were derived from research and practice using MBV...
Compact frequency and bandwidth tunable stopband filters using split ring resonators and varactors coupled transmission line

Abstract Two highly compact tunable stopband filters using microstrip transmission lines coupled with split ring resonators (SRRs) and varactor diodes are presented. Frequency or bandwidth tuning capability of each device is demonstrated. The frequency tunable filter, realized by a single stage, shows a wide tuning range of 19.8% with a maximum bandwidth of 5% and an insertion loss of approximately 20 dB at 4 GHz. The bandwidth tunable filter, realized by double stages, shows a 10-dB bandwidth of 19–34% with a biasing voltage of 0–10 V. The implemented frequency tuning and bandwidth tuning devices show a significant area reduction of 60.1% and 53.5%, respectively, in comparison with a similar frequency or bandwidth tunable structure presented by others. Equivalent circuit models are presented. The measured S -parameters are in good agreement with simulated ones.
Natural gas deregulation and U.S. ammonia production

Abstract Natural gas price deregulation in the United States as scheduled under the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 will likely increase domestic industrial natural gas prices by 1985. This increase in natural gas prices will substantially reduce producers' surplus of domestic ammonia producers by raising costs of production at a time of increasing imports and declining growth in ammonia demand. Potential plants exits and changes in producers' surplus and domestic production and prices of ammonia are analyzed under alternative ammonia demand, import, and natural gas pricing assumptions.
The Effects of Breathing 100 Percent Oxygen during Rest, Heavy Work, and Recovery

Abstract The effects of breathing 100% oxygen on resting, exercise, and recovery oxygen consumptions, pulmonary ventilation volumes, and heart rates were observed on six highly conditioned male athletes. The subjects rode a bicycle ergometer at a heavy work load for five minutes, breathing either normal air or medical oxygen. Ventilation volumes were determined by the open-circuit Douglas bag method, measuring inspired and expired volumes. Gas samples were analyzed for nitrogen and oxygen concentrations on Van Slyke and Beckman gas analyzers, and heart rates were recorded via a telemetry-electrocardiograph system. The results indicated a substantial increase in resting oxygen consumption, a decrease in resting ventilation volume, a marked decline in exercise and recovery ventilation volumes, and an insignificant lowering of the energy cost of exercise during the oxygen experiments. No appreciable differences were noted in heart rates between the oxygen and air experiments.
Zero Mass Limit for Gauge Singlet Production Amplitudes

Abstract A power-counting argument is given that one-particle irreducible amplitudes for wide-angle production of on-shell gauge-singlet particles are free of mass divergences, even in totally massless field theories.
Social stress does not alter the expression of sensitization to cocaine.

Abstract The effects of chronic social stress on behavioral sensitization to cocaine were investigated in the Syrian hamster. Adolescent animals received either 15 mg/kg ip of cocaine or saline twice per day for 7 consecutive days. Two weeks following the last injection (young adulthood), they were given a challenge dose of 5 mg/kg ip of cocaine and scored for locomotion. Motor activity was significantly greater in cocaine-treated animals, demonstrating sensitization to this psychostimulant. Following the results of the first study, another group of adolescent animals was exposed to either a novel clean cage (control) or an aggressive resident male hamster (social stress) for 15 min following an injection of cocaine (20 mg/kg ip once daily) or saline for 7 consecutive days. The groups were as follows: Social Stress/Cocaine (SSC), No Social Stress/Cocaine (NSSC), Social Stress/Saline (SSS) and No Social Stress/Saline (NSSS). Two weeks following the last injection (Day 21), all animals were given a challenge dose of cocaine (5 mg/kg ip) and were rescored for locomotion. At that time, the suppressive effect of stress on locomotion was no longer detectable, as the expression of sensitization was observed in the NSSC but not in the SSC group. These results suggest that chronic social stress administered during adolescence does not cross-sensitize with cocaine in young adult hamsters.
A new statistical approach for deriving global solar radiation from satellite images

Abstract Solar radiation derived from geostationary satellite images has become an advantageous technique for solar resource characterisation over large areas. The simplest methods for estimate solar radiation from the satellite information rely on straight forward relationships between a normalised parameter of the solar irradiance (such as clearness or clear sky index) and the cloud index. This paper presents a statistical fit of this relationship (fitted and tested using data from 28 Spanish radiometric station) different from the approach used by Heliosat-2 method (Rigollier, C., Lefevre, M., Wald, L., 2004. The method Heliosat-2 for deriving shortwave solar radiation from satellite images. Solar Energy 77, 159–169), that includes local statistical measures of the cloud index distribution and the air mass. In particular, the inclusion of the local cloud index percentiles (median, first and third quartile) estimated from the whole series on each pixel improves clearly the model response, and is a way to account for the local climatological aspects of any location. The inclusion of the new explicative variables yield to practically unbiased results and the relative RMSE decrease to about 17% from the 21% result of the expression applied in the Heliosat-2 model.
A predictive model for gypsy moth population dynamics with model validation

A simple model for gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), population dynamics is presented. Comparison with data from the Melrose Highlands study shows the model to exhibit the same qualitative and quantitative behavior as the data. Predictions are made about future outbreaks using only a portion of the field data to fit the model parameters. Comparison of these predictions with the rest of the data shows excellent agreement in both timing and magnitude of future outbreaks for times on the order of 10 years. This work represents the first model for gypsy moth population dynamics which is capable of accurate quantitative predictions over this time period.
Trial by polygraph

A brief review of the early and current applications of lie detectors to detecting deception is presented. Research findings on the accuracy of polygraphs in real life situations are discussed. Additionally, the circumstances of polygraph testing (i.e., friendly or adversarial), methods of "beating" the polygraph, and the acceptance of polygraph results in the courtroom are reviewed. Language: en
Telemedicine in the Michigan Upper Peninsula region: an evaluation of the first five years

A telemedicine network has operated in the Upper Peninsula (UP) region of Michigan since 1995. The Marquette General Health System (MGHS) is the tertiary hospital that provides telemedicine services to 14 surrounding rural health facilities and another seven clinics. In order to assess the state of telemedicine in the UP region and its potential for development, three main factors were assessed: organizational development, telemedicine activity and perceptions of the key players. Data were collected through interviews with five MGHS telemedicine staff, 10 physicians (five from the MGHS and five from surrounding rural areas), 13 of the 14 chief executive officers (CEOs) of the remote telemedicine sites and a survey of 21 telemedicine site coordinators. This information was analysed in order to outline job roles and responsibilities; to document the process of doing telemedicine; and to understand current policies and procedures. Telemedicine activity from 1995 to 1999 was analysed in terms of the purpose o...
Acute colonic diverticulitis in the young

BACKGROUND: Colonic diverticulitis in the young has been considered to have a virulent course, high morbidity, and high operative rate. As a result, elective resection of the involved colonic segment after the first clinical episode has been the usual practice. PURPOSE: This study presents our experience with acute diverticulitis in the young. METHODS: In the last nine years, 63 patients younger than 45 years were treated for acute diverticulitis at our institution. A retrospective review was performed to determine the clinical course and outcome of these patients. RESULTS: Clinical presentations, radiographic tests, operative findings, and pathology results revealed that 57 patients had a pericolonic contained disease (Hinchey Stage I). Two patients had a large pelvic abscess (Hinchey Stage II), and four patients had a diffuse peritonitis (Hinchey Stage III). Forty-one patients (65 percent) were successfully treated medically with antibiotics and bowel rest. Of 22 patients (35 percent) who underwent emergent operations, 12 patients' diseases had been erroneously diagnosed preoperatively (9 “appendicitis”). CONCLUSION: Diverticulitis at a young age does not have a specific aggressive nature. Although, it is associated with a high rate of emergency operations, many of these are performed for a mistaken diagnosis. The recommendation for routine elective resection following the first episode of diverticulitis should be reassessed.
Survival of children with sickle cell disease

Contemporary survival data are not available for children with sickle cell disease (SCD). The few previous childhood SCD cohort studies do not reflect the benefits of modern therapy. We defined an inception cohort of newborns with sickle cell anemia (SS), sickle-beta degrees -thalassemia (S beta degrees ), sickle-hemoglobin C disease (SC), or sickle-beta(+)-thalassemia (Sbeta(+)) who were identified by newborn screening and followed for up to 18 years. The incidence of death and stroke were calculated. Overall survival, SCD-related survival (considering only SCD-related deaths), and strokefree survival were determined. The 711 subjects provided 5648 patient-years of observation. Twenty-five subjects died; mean age at death was 5.6 years. Five patients died from infection. Thirty had at least one stroke. Among SS and Sbeta degrees subjects (n = 448), the overall rates of death and stroke were 0.59 and 0.85/100 patient-years. Survival analysis of SS and Sbeta degrees subjects predicted the cumulative overall, SCD-related, and stroke-free survival to be 85.6%, 93.6%, and 88.5% by 18 years of age. No SCD-related deaths or strokes occurred in SC or Sbeta(+) subjects (n = 263). Childhood mortality from SCD is decreasing, the mean age at death is increasing, and a smaller proportion of deaths are from infection.
Stability against temperature variations at the ALS

Abstract We have studied the effects of temperature fluctuations on the Advanced Light Source (ALS). By modeling the storage ring support structure, we find that fluctuations of ± 2 to 3°C in the tunnel will cause photon beam motion of the order of the beam size. Temperature stabilization at this level will allow the residual motion of the photon beams to be reduced by a second level of active feedback, operating on signals from photon beam position monitors. Air temperature in the experimental area and the temperature of cooling water serving the beamlines should be constant to ± 1°C. This will provide a suitable environment for experiments.
Humans as lie detectors: Some more second thoughts

Humans lack the ability to detect deceptive communication when it is present. This review examined several explanations for this state of affairs. Twenty years of research in deception has shown that there is not a reliable set of nonverbal or verbal indicators of deceptive communication. Moreover, human lie detectors’ veracity judgments are often affected by cognitive biases and erroneous stereotypical information about how a prototypical liar should look. The current review also suggests that the inability to distinguish lies from truths may be a function of the decoding task presented to receivers in interpersonal communication. Receivers of deceptive communication must reject information they have already accepted, must draw inferences of another's underlying intent, and rarely receive any feedback with regard to their inferences. Additional factors that mediate lie detection accuracy are also reviewed. Finally, suggestions were made regarding how scholars should proceed with future research efforts i...
Workspace location influences joint coordination during reaching in post-stroke hemiparesis

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of workspace location on joint coordination in persons with post-stroke hemiparesis when trunk motion was required to complete reaches beyond the arm's functional reach length. Seven subjects with mild right hemiparesis following a stroke and seven age and gender matched control subjects participated. Joint motions and characteristics of hand and trunk movement were measured over multiple repetitions. The variance (across trials) of joint combinations was partitioned into two components at every point in the hand's trajectory using the uncontrolled manifold approach; the first component is a measure of the extent to which equivalent joint combinations are used to control a given hand path, and reflects performance flexibility. The second component of joint variance reflects the use of non-equivalent joint combinations, which lead to hand path error. Compared to the control subjects, persons with hemiparesis demonstrated a significantly greater amount of non-equivalent joint variability related to control of the hand's path and of the hand's position relative to the trunk when reaching toward the hemiparetic side (ipsilaterally), but not when reaching to the less involved side. The relative timing of the hand and trunk was also altered when reaching ipsilaterally. The current findings support the idea that the previously proposed "arm compensatory synergy" may be deficient in subjects with hemiparesis. This deficiency may be due to one or a combination of factors: changes in central commands that are thought to set the gain of the arm compensatory synergy; a limited ability to combine shoulder abduction and elbow extension that limits the expression of an appropriately set arm compensatory synergy; or a reduction of the necessary degrees-of-freedom needed to adequately compensate for poor trunk control when reaching ipsilaterally.
Double-blind study of botulinum A toxin injections into the gastrocnemius muscle in patients with cerebral palsy

The purpose of this study was to quantify the gait of subjects receiving two injections of either botulinum A toxin or saline vehicle into the gastrocnemius muscle(s). The study group consisted of cerebral palsy patients who walked with an equinus gait pattern. This study was a randomized, double-blinded, parallel clinical trial of 20 subjects. All were studied by gait analysis before and after the injections. There were no adverse effects. Peak ankle dorsiflexion in stance and swing significantly improved in subjects who received the drug and not in controls. Results of this double blind study give support to the short term efficacy of botulinum toxin A to improve gait in selected patients with cerebral palsy.
Ultra-precise star tracking using charge coupled devices /CCDs/

Star trackers based on the use of charge-coupled device (CCD) imaging arrays have demonstrated substantial performance gains relative to more conventional designs. For many space applications, the most important gain is the accuracy improvement associated with a stable, precisely known, CCD geometry. This inherent accuracy can be fully exploited using star image centerfinding techniques to measure the image location to a small fraction of a CCD picture element. In this paper we present the results of an extensive series of laboratory tests aimed at exploring the accuracy limits of this technique. Simulated star images were moved over the CCD, permitting measurement of tracking errors as small as 1/1000 pixel. After tests on both frontside and backside illuminated (thinned) CCDs, we conclude that tracking accuracy better than 1/50 pixel can be achieved.© (1980) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Does a history of eczema predict a future basal cell carcinoma

Dyer et al. (this issue) assess the risk of new basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in the Veterans Affairs topical tretinoin chemoprevention trial, which included individuals with a history of at least two prior keratinocyte carcinomas. In addition to known risk factors for a future BCC, such as number of prior BCCs, a history of eczema and lower education levels were also associated with greater risk.
Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion

On account of its influence upon many generations of Protestants, Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion may be regarded as the classical statement of the Protestant Christian faith. It reflects more clearly than any other book produced by the Reformation the thought which inaugurated the whole Protestant movement.
Search techniques for charged and neutral intermediate-mass Higgs bosons☆

Abstract If fundamental scalar bosons exist, a natural implication of theories based on supersymmetry or superstrings, Higgs boson masses are likely to be of order mZ within roughly a factor of two. We term this the intermediate mass range. We study how such Higgs bosons could be detected at e+e− and, particularly, at hadron colliders. At a hadron collider it appears to be necessary to use rare decay modes of the Higgs boson, and we examine H0→γγ, τ+τ−, Zγ, Zl+l−, Θγ,and b b . Since charged scalars also occur in all theories beyond the minimal Standard Model, we examine ways to find the H±, concentrating on H±→τ±ν, W±H0, W±H0γ, W± γ, and W±Z. Because obtaining data about the spectrum of Higgs bosons is so essential, our approach is to ask what facilities would be sufficient to cover the entire intermediate mass range.
Problem space promotion and its evaluation as a technique for efficient parallel computation

In this paper we describe a parallel programming paradigm called problem space promotion (PSP), a technique that increases parallelism by reducing communication and synchronization. We present four algorithms that exploit PSP and evaluate their communication characteristics relative non-PSP solutions. Our analysis is aided by the use of parallel algorithm notation that is concise, yet accurately reflects parallelism and communication costs. Our analysis illustrates circumstances under which the use of PSP is beneficial and detrimental to performance, and experiments on the Cray T3E attest to the validity of the analysis. We find that PSP can significantly improve the performance and scaling behavior of certain computations, even when compared to existing high quality parallel algorithms.
A practical study of UPC using the NAS Parallel Benchmarks

We describe a performance study of the UPC PGAS model applied to three application benchmarks from the NAS Parallel Benchmark suite. The work focuses on the performance implications of programming choices made for data affinity and data access. We compare runs of multiple versions of each benchmark encoded in UPC on both shared-memory and cluster-based parallel systems. This study points out the potential of UPC and some issues in achieving high performance when using the language.
Electron microscopes using field emission source

Abstract The high brightness and small physical dimensions of a field emission source make it extremely attractive as the source of electrons in scanning electron microscopes. Using this kind of source considerable improvements have been made in this type of instrument so that at the present time the surfaces of solid objects can be viewed at a resolution of 30 A and thin specimens can be viewed with a resolution of 2.5 A. The particular nature of the scanning electron microscope allows some unique forms of contrast to be obtained so that the micrographs which can be taken with these microscopes are different in content and quality than those taken on conventional microscopes. As one example, we have been able to study the motion of single heavy atoms on thin carbon films. The resolution is, of course, not as high as that which can be obtained with a field ion microscope but the kind of specimen which can be viewed is different so that the two instruments are complementary in nature.
Product, process, and profit: the politics of usability in a software venture

In research and in practice,usability specialists commonly target the technology user-interfaces and help as the main arena for bringing about usability improvements. However, usability improvements depend on more than innovative and user-centered technical designs and implementations. Equally important for creating useful and usable software are the social and political forces that shape the development context. These forces give rise to leadership conflicts, factional disputes, renegade efforts, alliances and betrayals, all of which profoundly influence whether usability improvements will be supported and sustained within and across projects. This essay presents and analyzes a case history of a software start-up company in which usability achieved a Pyrrhic victory, triumphing only in the short run because of social and political forces.
Diffusing Innovations When the Users Are Not the Choosers: The Case of Dentists

In the flow of innovations from supplier to user, many professionals serve as intermediaries, selecting on the basis of their particular expertise new technologies and products for the ultimate users. Using dentists as an example, this article explores a number of issues this diffusion situation raises regarding new product development and dissemination.
Probable nutritional basis for effect of estradiol on rat liver catechol-O-methyl transferase

Abstract In confirmation of published findings, daily estradiol injections for 5 days reduced the catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) activity in rat liver. Estradiol also caused a decrease in elective food consumption. Rats not receiving estradiol, but allowed to eat only as much food each day as the estradiol-treated rats had consumed the previous day, exhibited an identical decline in hepatic COMT activity.
Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer of human lipoprotein lipase ameliorates the hyperlipidemias associated with apolipoprotein E and LDL receptor deficiencies in mice.

ABSTRACT Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is the rate-limiting enzyme for the hydrolysis of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins. We tested the efficacy of adenovirus-mediated gene transfer of LPL as treatment of experimental hyperlipidemias associated with apolipoprotein (apoE) deficiency (apoE–/–) and low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLr) deficiency (LDLr–/–) in mice. Replication-defective adenovirus containing the human LPL cDNA driven by a cytomegalovirus promoter (Ad.hLPL) efficiently transduced CHO-ldlA7 cells in vitro, inducing in these cells the production of bioactive LPL (73 mU/ml). Intravenous injection of Ad.hLPL (2 × 109 pfu) led to high-level expression of hLPL mRNA and LPL activity in the liver (88.3 mU/ml) and in post-heparin plasma (116.1 mU/ml). Overexpression of LPL resulted in marked reductions in total plasma cholesterol (TC; 48%, 43%, 25%) and triglycerides (TTg; 63%, 40%, 70%, p < 0.01) in apoE–/–, LDLr–/–, and wild-type (WT) mice, respectively. Fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) fractio...
Packet flutter and aerodynamic modes for non-homogenous airfoil cascades in highly distorted, periodic, stationary throughflows

An analytical investigation of the general flutter characteristics of periodically detuned airfoil cascades kept in periodically nonuniform basic flows is conducted under the assumption of linearized aerodynamics. The existence of certain packet flutter modes is studied, as are the specific aerodynamic modes to be used in the calculation of the aerodynamic coefficients such that the number of blade passages in the computational domain is minimized. The interpretation of the critical flutter condition for nonuniform flows is examined.
Valuing Air Quality in Poland

In this study we estimate how much Polish citizens would be willing to pay to harmonize Polish air pollution standards with EU standards. We conduct a contingent valuation of all damage components using a system of dichotomous choice questions. This system approach helps to avoid embedding problem and to identify protest voters. We compare estimates from a set of single logit models with a generalized estimating equations (GEE) model, which provides more parsimonious and efficient estimates. Although, health remains very important, our respondents valued mortality less than the literature but morbidity much more. Damages to ecosystems and cultural heritage compose 13–16% of the total value and their omission by the literature seriously underestimates total benefits. Overall, the results suggest that Poland values the benefits of pollution control much less than the wealthier EU suggesting harmonization should be postponed and conditioned on economic prosperity.
A 10-kW SiC Inverter with A Novel Printed Metal Power Module With Integrated Cooling Using Additive Manufacturing

With efforts to reduce the cost, size, and thermal management systems for the power electronics drivetrain in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), wide band gap semiconductors including silicon carbide (SiC) have been identified as possibly being a partial solution. This paper focuses on the development of a 10-kW all SiC inverter using a high power density, integrated printed metal power module with integrated cooling using additive manufacturing techniques. This is the first ever heat sink printed for a power electronics application. About 50% of the inverter was built using additive manufacturing techniques.
Measures of anxiety, sensorimotor function, and memory in male and female mGluR4-/- mice

Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are coupled to second messenger pathways via G proteins and modulate synaptic transmission. Of the eight different types of mGluRs (mGluR1-mGluR8), mGluR4, mGluR6, mGluR7, and mGluR8 are members of group III. Group III receptors are generally located presynaptically, where they regulate neurotransmitter release. Because of their role in modulating neurotransmission, mGluRs are attractive targets for therapies aimed at treating anxiety disorders. Previously we showed that the mGluR4-selective allosteric agonist VU 0155041 reduces anxiety-like behavior in wild-type male mice. Here, we explore the role of mGluR4 in adult (6-month old) and middle-aged (12-month old) male and female mice lacking this receptor. Compared to age- and sex-matched wild-type mice, middle-aged mGluR4(-/-) male mice showed increased measures of anxiety in the open field and elevated zero maze and impaired sensorimotor function on the rotarod. These changes were not seen in adult 6-month-old male mice. In contrast to the male mice, mGluR4(-/-) female mice showed reduced measures of anxiety in the open field and elevated zero maze and enhanced rotarod performance. During the hidden platform training sessions of the water maze, mGluR4(-/-) mice swam farther away from the platform than wild-type mice at 6, but not at 12, months of age. mGluR4(-/-) mice also showed enhanced amygdala-dependent cued fear conditioning. No genotype differences were seen in hippocampus-dependent contextual fear conditioning. These data indicate that effects of mGluR4 on sensorimotor function and measures of anxiety, but not cued fear conditioning, are critically modulated by sex and age.
Cultural Intelligence and Successful Intelligence

Intelligence cannot be fully or even meaningfully understood outside its cultural context. Work that seeks to study intelligence a contextually risks the imposition of an investigator’s view of the world on the rest of the world. Moreover, work on intelligence within a single culture may fail to do justice to the range of skills and knowledge that may constitute intelligence broadly defined and risks drawing false and hasty generalizations. In this article, we consider the relevance of culture to intelligence and its investigation, assessment, and development. We describe studies from diverse continents, based on the theory of successful intelligence, that show the importance of understanding intelligence in its cultural context and conclude that intelligence must be understood in such context.
High-accuracy plane stress and plate elements in the quadrature element method

In this paper, a high accuracy and rapid convergence hybrid approach is developed for the Quadrature Element Method (QEM) solution of two-dimensional plane stress and plate bending problems. The hybrid QEM essentially consists of a collocation method in conjunction with a Galerkin finite element technique to combine the high accuracy of the Differential Quadrature Method (DQM) with the generality of finite element formulations. This results in superior accuracy with fewer degrees of freedom than conventional FEM or FDM. The present method also extends the general application of the collocation numerical approach to fourth-order governing equation systems. Here, the influence of collocation point location is investigated. A series of numerical tests is conducted in order to assess the performance of the quadrature plane stress and plate elements in static problems.
A transgenic mouse strain expressing four drug-selectable marker genes

Murine embryonic stem (ES) cells are commonly cultured on feeder layers of primary murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). Because gene targeting experiments often involve sequential selection for multiple-drug resistance in single ES cell lines, we have developed a new mouse strain which represents an economical donor for the production of multiple-drug resistant MEFs. MEFs prepared from the DR-4 mouse strain displayed resistance to concentrations of the drugs G418, 6-thioguanine, puromycin and hygromycin well above those used normally for the selection of drug-resistant ES cells.
Hydrodynamic electrochemistry in 20 μL drops in the rotating sample system

The Rotating Sample System (RSS) has been conceived in the authors' laboratory as a convection platform for microliter-sized solution volumes. Convection is achieved by rotating a small drop of sample on a stationary substrate by humidified gas jets directed tangentially at the drop base with the working electrode and a liquid junction embedded in it. Simplicity and portability of the device, and substrates complete with microfabricated electrode and junction made potentially disposable, are further competitive advantages with respect to competing, conventional analytical systems. In this work the RSS' performance with variation of system parameters such as the position and size of gas jets used for sample rotation, and position of the working electrode in the substrate are studied. Trace levels of Pb could be detected with this system and is reported here.
Integrated affinity capture, purification, and capillary electrophoresis microdevice for quantitative double-stranded DNA analysis.

A novel injection method is developed that utilizes a thermally switchable oligonucleotide affinity capture gel to mediate the concentration, purification, and injection of dsDNA for quantitative microchip capillary electrophoresis analysis. The affinity capture matrix consists of a 20 base acrydite modified oligonucleotide copolymerized into a 6% linear polyacrylamide gel that captures ssDNA or dsDNA analyte including PCR amplicons and synthetic oligonucleotides. Double stranded PCR amplicons with complementarity to the capture probe up to 81 bases from their 5‘ terminus are reproducibly captured via helix invasion. By integrating the oligo capture matrix directly with the CE separation channel, the electrophoretically mobilized target fragments are quantitatively captured and injected after thermal release for unbiased, efficient, and quantitative analysis. The capture process exhibits optimal efficiency at 44 °C and 100 V/cm with a 20 μM affinity capture probe (TM = 57.7 °C). A dsDNA titration assay wi...
Ablation of leptin signaling disrupts the establishment, development, and maintenance of endometriosis-like lesions in a murine model.

Leptin, a 16-kDa cytokine, has been implicated in several reproductive processes and disorders. Notably, elevated leptin levels in the peritoneal fluid of women with mild endometriosis has been demonstrated, suggesting a role for this cytokine in the early stages of disease establishment. To gain insight into the functional significance of leptin during the initial requisite proliferative and neovascularization events involved in endometriosis, we investigated the effect of disruption of in vivo leptin signaling on the establishment and/or maintenance of an endometriosis-like lesion in a syngeneic immunocompetent mouse model of endometriosis. Findings of this study show that the disruption of leptin signaling by ip injection of the pegylated leptin peptide receptor antagonist (LPrA) impairs the establishment of endometriosis-like lesions (derived from uteri of C57BL/6 female siblings) and results in a reduction of viable organized glandular epithelium, vascular endothelial growth factor-A expression, and ...
Adenosine inhibits excitatory but not inhibitory synaptic transmission in the hippocampus

We examined the effects of adenosine and baclofen on inhibitory (IPSC) and excitatory (EPSC) synaptic currents in dissociated rat hippocampal neurons. Adenosine dramatically reduced monosynaptic EPSCs but failed to diminish IPSCs. This selective effect on EPSCs is likely due to inhibition of excitatory transmitter release because adenosine did not directly alter any properties of postsynaptic neurons. Baclofen depressed both EPSCs and IPSCs to approximately the same extent. These experiments indicate that the presynaptic effects of adenosine and baclofen are clearly separable and that transmitter sensitivities of inhibitory and excitatory neurons can differ. These differences could be exploited in the design of antiepileptic drugs that act at adenosine receptors to limit excitatory neurotransmission without blocking tonic inhibition.
Internal-External Control, Learning, and Participation in Occupational Education:

The objectives were to determine the effect of internal-external control on retention of control-relevant versus noncontrol-relevant- information and to investigate differences among internal and external prison inmates in their participation in occupational edu cation programs. Results of a 2x3 factorially designed experiment supported the thesis that internal subjects retain more information than external subjects. However, that this difference depends on the perceived relevancy of such information to control was not supported by the data. A greater proportion of internal inmates participated in occupational education programs than did external inmates. It was concluded that a person can be described as possessing a generalized expectancy of control or lack of control over his environment, and that this characteristic can affect his willingness to learn information or engage in activities that could reasonably be expected to increase his chances of control over his environment, such as preparation for e...
Review of Dynamic Instabilities in Circular Accelerators

The coherent electromagnetic self-forces of a beam of particles in an accelerator can render unstable the motion of individual particles, or give rise to unstable coherent motion of the beam. The latter is the subject of this work. Coherent longitudinal bunching of an azimuthally uniform beam can result from the negative mass instability or interaction of the beam with the accelerating cavities. The negative mass instability can be suppressed by a sufficient spread in circulation frequency or by surrounding the beam with appropriate walls. The beam-cavity interaction can be overcome by careful design of the rf system. The interaction of the self-fields with the surrounding walls can lead to unstable coherent transverse motion through the finite resistance of the wall material. This instability may be suppressed by a sufficient spread in betatron frequencies. The relatively slow growth rate also allows stabilization by means of electronic feedback, and the stabilizing effect of passive structures has also been investigated. Experimental and theoretical investigation has led to an understanding of these effects to the extent that accelerators can be designed to overcome the instabilities.
Development and Regeneration of Eye-Brain Maps: A Computational Model

We outline a computational model of the development and regeneration of specific eye-brain circuits. The model comprises a self-organizing map-forming network which uses local Hebb rules. constrained by molecular markers. Various simulations of the development of eye-brain maps in fish and frogs are described.
THE ELECTROWEAK PHASE TRANSITION

The phase transition associated with the standard electroweak model is very weakly first order. The weakness of the transition means that around the critical temperature the finite-temperature Higgs mass is much less than the critical temperature. This leads to infrared problems in the calculation of the parameters of the potential. Therefore, theories of electroweak baryogenesis, which depend on the details of the transition, must be calculated with care.
A visibility-based pursuit-evasion problem

This paper addresses the problem of planning the motion of one or more pursuers in a polygonal environment to eventually "see" an evader that is unpredictable, has unknown initial position, and is capable of moving arbitrarily fast. This problem was first introduced by Suzuki and Yamashita. Our study of this problem is motivated in part by robotics applications, such as surveillance with a mobile robot equipped with a camera that must find a moving target in a cluttered workspace. A few bounds are introduced, and a complete algorithm is presented for computing a successful motion strategy for a single pursuer. For simply-connected free spaces, it is shown that the minimum number of pursuers required is Θ(lg n). For multiply-connected free spaces, the bound is pursuers for a polygon that has n edges and h holes. A set of problems that are solvable by a single pursuer and require a linear number of recontaminations is shown. The complete algorithm searches a finite graph that is constructed on the basis of critical information changes. It has been implemented and computed examples are shown.