cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of Polyoma T Antigens in Malignant Cell Transformation

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the nature of polyoma T antigens, mutations affecting them, and the way these mutations affect cell transformation. There are three polyoma T antigens, called small T (sm-T), medium or middle T (m-T), and large T (1-T). The T antigens are translated independently from individual mRNAs. The coding regions for the T antigens show several interesting and unusual features. First, the coding regions are partially overlapping. All three T antigens have a common N-terminal region of 79 amino acids. Mutations affecting the polyoma T antigens fall into four classes: (1) conditional-lethal (temperature-sensitive); (2) host-range nontransforming (hr-t); (3) viable-deletion; and (4) chain-terminating (nonsense). The overlapping coding regions for the T antigens make it difficult to deduce the effects of mutations on individual proteins. A direct assessment of the functions of individual proteins in transformation has recently been made possible by the construction of cloned cDNA copies of viral mRNAs. A DNA molecule capable of encoding only the polyoma m-T antigen causes the transformation of cells in culture. The transformed cells are capable of causing tumors in animals. Therefore, the m-T antigen alone is sufficient to induce most of the growth changes associated with cell transformation. The effects of the viable-deletion and chain-terminating mutations are also consistent with a primary role of the m-T antigen in transformation.
Dante, Virgil, and Christianity: Or Statius, sin, and clueless pagans in Inferno IV:

Dante’s relationship to the virtuous pagans, most especially Virgil, has long been a point of contention. Most scholars would agree that at the heart of Dante’s ambivalence toward classical antiqui...
Extracellular pH, transmembrane distribution and cytotoxicity of chlorambucil.

The effects of extracellular pH (6.2 to 7.3) on uptake and cytotoxicity of the weak acid antitumor drug chlorambucil were investigated. Decreasing extracellular pH from 7.3 to 6.5 had a negligible effect on the intracellular pH of Chinese hamster V79 fibroblasts, thus resulting in the formation of a transmembrane pH gradient (intracellular alkaline). Addition of high concentrations of acetate or bicarbonate partially collapsed the pH gradient. Chlorambucil (pKa=5.8) behaved as a weak acid with enhanced accumulation and cytotoxicity at extracellular pH<7.0. As predicted for a weak acid, partial collapse of the transmembrane pH gradient decreased both uptake and cell killing. Since the interstitial pH of micrometasteses and solid tumors of many cancers is low relative to normal tissues, these results have potential implications for both in vitro drug testing and in vivo therapy.
Electrically injected polariton lasing from a GaAs-based microcavity under magnetic field

Suppression of relaxation bottleneck and subsequent polariton lasing is observed in a GaAs-based microcavity under the application of a magnetic field. The threshold injection current density is 0.32 A/cm2 at 7 Tesla.
Beardsley's Legacy: The Theory of Aesthetic Value

In Aesthetics: Problems in the Philosophy of Criticism, Monroe Beardsley articulated the last grand, simple, and elegant theory of aesthetic value.' I will suggest here that, in addition to this theory, which is too elegant to capture the diversity of our responses to artworks, there is a subtext in his work that points the way to a more satisfactory account. For Beardsley, the value of artworks lies in their producing a certain kind of experience. He nevertheless notes that in justifying their evaluative judgments, critics do not describe their experiences, but instead refer to the properties of works, to what in the works causes their reactions (p. 461). If these properties are to constitute reasons for others to react in the same way, there must, according to Beardsley, be principles linking them to the proper reactions: "reasons for evaluations must apply to all members of a class and must always be merits or defects."2 Beardsley holds that the directly relevant evaluative properties of works are limited to three: unity, complexity, and intensity. Unity is analyzed as a combination of coherence and completeness. A work is complete when it seems to require nothing external. It is coherent when it contains nothing extraneous, when every element fits and seems required. "Intensity" refers to the vigor of what Beardsley calls the human regional qualities of artworks. Regional qualities are those that complexes have as a result of the characteristics of their elements or parts and their relations-they emerge from formal relations among the elements (p. 83). (Thus, unity, complexity, and intensity are themselves regional qualities.) Human qualities are ascribed by terms that apply to humans as well. Hence, human regional qualities include emotional states, states such as being restless or dreamy, and formal properties, such as being graceful or elegant. Intensity of such qualities equates roughly with a high degree of expressiveness. Beardsley characterizes aesthetic reasons as inductive. For example, it is not implied by a work being highly unified that it is good (p. 472). According to Beardsley, being unified tends to make an artwork good; it is some reason to think that the artwork is good; and it will make an artwork good depending on the artwork's degree of complexity and intensity. An artwork is never good because it is disorganized and always better for being organized or unified (p. 462). This is the same for complexity and intensity. Furthermore, only these three properties are always directly relevant to evaluation in the same way; only they always count in the same direction.
Feasibility analysis and computer simulation of an automated bus route

Traffic congestion in major cities is a major problem which is growing steadily every year. It is clear that something must be done to curb this trend. Several different concepts are being investigated which can be used to minimize congestion and improve the traffic flow. Automation of the bus system represents one of those methods, and is the focus of this paper. Currently, public opinion of the quality of bus services is generally not perceived as adequate. Buses generally travel about 60% of the speed of other vehicles, and more often than not adherence to schedule is difficult to achieve. The consequence is that people choose to take personal transportation instead, causing increased congestion. Automation seeks to address this issue by offering decreased travel times, increased schedule adherence, and greater overall convenience compared to the current bus systems. The concept of automation is based on expanding upon the ideas of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and making the system as efficient as possible.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
X-ray holographic microscopy using photoresists

Gabor x-ray holograms of biological specimens and of test objects that display ≤56–nm resolution are presented. This spatial resolution is more than an order of magnitude smaller than what has been achieved previously in x-ray holography. The holograms were recorded on photoresist using 2.57-nm soft x rays from the X–17t undulator at the National Syncrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The processed photoresists were enlarged with an electron microscope and digitized using a scanning microdensitometer; the digitized holograms were reconstructed numerically. The exposure requirements were in good agreement with simple theory. The method offers promise as a technique for soft-x-ray microscopy.
Neonatal small left colon syndrome in twins.

There are no previous reports of small left colon syndrome in twins. Small left colon syndrome is reported in 2 sets of twins. In 1 set 1 twin had clinical and radiographic signs of small left colon syndrome. The sib was clinically normal and had no radiographic studies. In the other set, both twins hadidentical clinical and radiographic findings of hyperplastic left colon. This suggests a genetic and/or environmental intrauterine, rather than a postpartum etiology for the small left colon syndrome.
MiniMax: What has been learned thus far

A small experiment, «MiniMax», has been set up in the C0 intersection region of the Fermilab Tevatron to seek evidence for disoriented chiral condensates and to study other forward physics phenomena. The experiment consists of a proportional wire chamber telescope accompanied by scintillation (trigger) counters, a lead converter, and followed by an electromagnetic calorimeter. The solid angle accepted is a cone centered at pseudorapidity (η) of 4.1 and of radius (in η-ϕ space) of about 0.6. Over 2.5 million events thus far have demonstrated the successful operation of the apparatus, however to date the analysis has not progressed sufficiently to permit any conclusions concerning disoriented chiral condensates.
Intercultural conflict: A case study.

Abstract This paper takes a case study approach to intercultural conflict. The particular case in question is the controversy which began with the publicized killing of over one thousand dolphins at the island of Iki. The paper explores key symbols in the conflict and posits community specific notions of emotion, personhood, and communication as fulcrums of conflict which can assist in the understanding and managing of intercultural conflicts. The paper seeks not only to account for this specific conflict, but to raise telling issues which get at the heart of any intercultural conflict.
Silicon solar cell production

Abstract A significant role can be played by the systems engineering community in the optimization of the production process for silicon solar cells. Many of the techniques utilized for cell manufacturing are of recent origin and the amount of experience in the industry as a whole is limited. Some of the individual processes and steps are poorly adapted for continuous production since they were designed for micro-electronics applications rather than photovoltaics. Only very recently has the industry grown to the point where intermediate products, such as solar grade silicon, solar silicon wafers, solar cells and solar panels are commodities having global market potential. Finally, industry consolidation has generated large commercial entities which can better take advantage of tools from process systems engineering. The chemical and process systems and engineering communities can contribute to this booming industry by providing methods for improved control, process optimization and retro-fitting of existing processes, as well as encouraging process innovation and scale-up. This paper describes the complete production process for solar cells, highlights challenges relevant to systems engineering, and overviews work in three distinct areas: the application of real time optimization in silicon production, the development of scale-up models for a fluidized bed poly-silicon process and a new process concept for silicon wafer production.
681 INHIBITION OF MALTOPENTAOSE (MP) ABSORPTION BY MEDIUM AND LONG CHAIN ELEMENTS IN CORN STARCH HYDROLYSATE (CSH)

681 INHIBITION OF MALTOPENTAOSE (MP) ABSORPTION BY MEDIUM AND LONG CHAIN ELEMENTS IN CORN STARCH HYDROLYSATE (CSH)
Abstract 5281: Insulin-mediated regulation of the miR132/212 cluster and miR 122/181a expression through PI3K, Akt, mTOR signaling in primary cultured rat hepatocytes.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Background and Objective: Several microRNAs were selected for characterization of their response to insulin signaling based on previous reports implicating their role in the regulation of hepatic metabolism, diabetes, hepatocellular carcinoma, and predictions of targeting CYP2E1. CYP2E1 catalyzes the metabolic activation of carcinogens, increases cellular oxidative stress, and is elevated in diabetes and at low insulin levels (0.1nM) in primary cultured hepatocytes. In addition, aberrant miR-122 expression was reported to be associated with hepatocellular carcinoma in rats, as well as in human tissue, and may be involved with hepatocarcinogenesis. In view of the critical role of the PI3K, Akt and mTOR signaling pathway in pathogenesis, mechanistic studies were conducted to examine the role of this pathway in regulation miR 132/212, 122 and 181a expression. Methods: Insulin effects on miRNA (miRs) levels were monitored using qPCR, and mechanistic studies employing inhibitors of PI3K, Akt, and mTOR were used to examine the role of this insulin signaling pathway on miR expression. The results were compared to miR let-7a, which is not implicated in the regulation of hepatic metabolism or diabetes and does not target CYP2E1 mRNA. Results: Insulin at concentrations of 0.1, 1.0, and 10 nM increased the expression of miRNA-132 and 212 ∼2- and 1.8-fold respectively, whereas expression of miRNAs 181a and 122 increased ∼1.6- and 1.4-fold, respectively. In contrast, insulin failed to significantly alter the expression of miRNA let-7a. Inhibition of PI3K with LY294002, Akt with A-443654 and mTOR with rapamycin resulted in significant suppression of the insulin-mediated elevation of miR-132, miR-212, and miR-122 levels monitored over the insulin concentrations examined. Inhibition of PI3K with LY294002, or Akt with A-443654 decreased the insulin-mediated increase in miR-181a levels by ∼20 to 50% relative to the respective insulin-concentration. Rapamycin inhibition of mTOR produced a marginal (<10%) decrease in miR-181a levels. Inhibition of PI3K or Akt did not show any significant effect on miR let-7a. In summary, seminal evidence is provided for insulin regulation of microRNA expression in primary cultured hepatocytes through PI3K, Akt and mTOR (TORC1). Citation Format: Upasana Shukla, Nithin Tumma, Theresa Gratsch, Alan Dombkowski, Raymond Novak. Insulin-mediated regulation of the miR132/212 cluster and miR 122/181a expression through PI3K, Akt, mTOR signaling in primary cultured rat hepatocytes. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5281. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-5281
Diagnostic Accuracy of Qualitative Versus Quantitative Tuning Forks: Outcome Measure for Neuropathy

Objective: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of the Rydel–Seiffer tuning fork versus the qualitative 128-Hz tuning fork for detecting sensory axonal neuropathy. Methods: One hundred consecutive patients seen at the Neurology Outpatient Electromyography clinic at a major academic center were recruited and consented for this study. Study personnel who were blinded to results of nerve conduction studies collected data on vibratory perception with both tuning forks at bilateral (1) great toe and (2) distal interphalangeal joint on the second digit. Published normative data were used to determine abnormal scores for the Rydel–Seiffer tuning fork and the qualitative tuning fork; axonal neuropathy was determined based on sensory nerve action potential amplitudes as per our electromyography laboratory standards. Results: A total of 186 sensory nerves from 100 patients were tested with tuning forks and nerve conduction studies. The sensitivity and specificity of the Rydel–Seiffer tuning fork to detect axonal neuropathy was 26% and 89%, respectively, and the sensitivity and specificity of the conventional 128-Hz tuning fork to detect axonal neuropathy was 20% and 88%, respectively. The extended McNemar test showed no significant difference in sensitivity or specificity between the 2 tuning forks (χ2 = 1.695; P = 0.43). Conclusions: There is no difference in diagnostic accuracy between the Rydel–Seiffer tuning fork and conventional tuning fork for detecting sensory axonal neuropathies; however, the Rydel–Seiffer is easier to use and may be superior for longitudinal assessments.
Field Effect Transistors for Charge Amplifiers

In this paper the significance of various noise sources in field-effect transistors is discussed. The intrinsic thermal noise of the conducting channel can be reduced by reducing the channel length. A lower limit to the channel length is set by the carrier velocity saturation effects, which are the hot carrier channel noise and the gate leakage current due to impact ionization. Devices with a ratio of the transconductance to the input capacitance of 3 x 109 sec-1 have been made, and a further improvement appears to be possible.
Lung Kruppel-like factor, a zinc finger transcription factor, is essential for normal lung development.

Lung Kruppel-like factor (LKLF) is a member of the Kruppel-like factor family of transcription factors and is highly expressed in lung with limited distribution in other tissues. Mice lacking LKLF due to inactivation of LKLF by gene targeting die in utero at midgestation around day 12.5 due to severe hemorrhage, making it difficult to study the role of this transcription factor in lung development and function. However, in vitroorgan culture of lung buds removed from 11.5-day-old LKLF−/− embryos show normal tracheobronchial tree formation. To examine later stages of lung development, the embryonic lethality due to germ line LKLF null mutation was circumvented by constructing LKLF homozygous null mouse embryonic stem cells, using a two-step gene targeting procedure, and determining whether these cells give rise to lung tissue. The targeted cells were used to produce chimeric animals, and the contribution of LKLF-deficient cells to the formation of various internal organs was analyzed. In chimeric mice that survived after birth, null embryonic stem cells contributed significantly to all of the major organs except the lungs. On the other hand, some highly chimeric animals died at birth, and histopathological examination of their lungs suggested abnormalities in their lung development. These studies show that LKLF plays an important role in normal lung development.
Hypoxia-induced physiological changes in two mangrove swamp fishes: Sheepshead minnow, Cyprinodon variegatus lacepede and sailfin molly, Poecilia latipinna (lesueur)

Abstract 1. 1. Laboratory measurements (30° C and 30‰ salinity) were made of plasma osmolality, plasma chloride ion concentration, hematocrit, oxygen consumption and survival of sheepshead minnow, Cyprinodon variegatus Lacepede and sailfin molly, Poecilia latipinna (Lesueur) under normoxic (150mm Hg) and hypoxic (40 mm Hg) conditions. 2. 2. Significant increases in hematocrit and reductions in oxygen consumption were documented for both species. Plasma osmolality increased in sheepshead minnows while in hypoxie conditions but plasma chloride did not change from values in 150mm Hg in either species. There was no mortality in either species during the 24 hr hypoxia survival tests. 3. 3. Results suggest a strong tolerance of hypoxia in both species and use of aquatic surface respiration (ASR) by P. latipinna. 4. 4. Low-level mortality occurs in both species but severe mortality occurs only in C. variegatus and may be due to synergistic environmental effects typical of mangrove swamp habitats.
Mean field theory of self-organized critical phenomena

A mean field theory is presented for the recently discovered self-organized critical phenomena. The critical exponents are calculated and found to be the same as the mean field values for percolation. The power spectrum has “1/f” behavior with exponentg4=1.
Anion Grain Boundary Diffusion in Cr2O3 and Cr2 O3-0.09 Weight Percent Y2O3

Anion diffusivities in the lattice and along grain boundaries have been measured on sintered polycrystals of Cr2 O3 and Cr2O3-0.09 weight percent Y2 O3at 1100°C and at the oxygen partial pressure corresponding to that of the Cr/Cr2O3 equilibrium at thattemperature. Results show that under the same conditions, anion diffusion is significantly faster than cation diffusion. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for the reactive element effect on high temperature oxidation of chromia forming alloys.
Intraobserver error associated with measurements of the hand.

Measurements of the hand are common in studies that use anthropometric data. However, despite widespread usage, relatively few studies have formally assessed the degree of measurement error associated with standard measurements of the hand. This is significant because high amounts of measurement error can invalidate statistical results. In this paper, intraobserver precision estimates for measures of total hand length and total 3rd-digit length were evaluated from repeated measures on 90 subjects (180 separate hands and fingers). From this replicate data, three precision estimates were calculated: the technical error of measurement (TEM), the relative technical error of measurement (rTEM), and the coefficient of reliability (R). For both measurements, all three estimates yielded a very high degree of precision (TEM or = 0.95). These results suggest that both total hand length and 3rd-digit length are sufficiently precise for anthropometric research applications.
Modeling of Condensed Phase Combustion-Decomposition Reaction with Gas Generation

A one-dimensional model of condensed phase exothermic combustion with gas generation is developed. The numerical calculations show that the constant pattern propagation regime moves to higher values of the dimensionless heat of reaction γ and the dimensionless activation energy β in comparison with gasless combustion. The propagation velocity increases due to the temperature overshoot. The effects caused by heat loss, variable thermal conductivity and temperature overshoot due to gas generation, are discussed. The changes introduced by gas generation deteriorate combustion stability. The model can be used to assist in design of so-called “oxygen generation devices”.
Increasing the Lung Donor Pool: Recruitment of the Gift of Life

Lungs suitable for organ donation are a scarce resource. Recent efforts with alternative ventilatory strategies have yielded promise to the potential expansion of lungs suitable for transplantation.
The benefits of augmenting telephone voice menu navigation with visual browsing and search

Automatic interactive voice response (IVR) based telephone routing has long been recognized as a frustrating interaction experience. This paper presents a series of experiments examining the benefits of augmenting telephone voice menus with coordinated visual displays and keyword search. The first experiment qualitatively studied callers' experience of having a visual menu on a screen in synchronization with the telephone voice menu tree navigation. The second experiment quantitatively measured callers' performance in time and accuracy with and without visual display augmentation. The third experiment tested keyword search in comparison to visual browsing of telephone menu trees. Study participants uniformly and enthusiastically liked the visual augmentation of voice menus. On average with visual augmentation callers could navigate phone trees 36% faster with 75% fewer errors, and made choices ahead of the voice menu over 60% of the time. Search vs. browsing had similar navigation performance but offered different and complementary user experiences. Overall our studies conclude that telephone voice menu navigation can be significantly improved with a visual channel augmentation, resulting in both business cost reduction and user experience satisfaction.
Long-term intermittent intravenous insulin therapy and type 1 diabetes mellitus

An important defect in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is that the liver does not meet its full fuel-processing function, because many of the enzymes involved depend on high insulin concentrations in the portal vein. We tried to reactivate the liver by long-term treatment of IDDM patients with intravenous insulin in pulses, with the aim of achieving high portal-vein concentrations during and after a glucose meal. We studied 20 IDDM patients with brittle disease; despite use of a four-injection regimen with manipulation of insulin doses, diet, and physical activity, and frequent clinic visits for at least a year, these patients still had wide swings in blood glucose and frequent hypoglycaemic reactions. The intermittent therapy consisted of 7-10 pulses of intravenous insulin, infused while the patient was ingesting carbohydrate, primarily glucose, during the first hour of a 3 h treatment; three treatments were given in a day. After 2 consecutive days' treatment, patients were treated for 1 day per week. No patient was withdrawn from the study. At the time of this analysis the duration of intermittent treatment ranged from 7 to 71 months (mean 41 [SE 5] months). Haemoglobin A1C concentrations declined from 8.5 (0.4)% at the end of the stabilisation phase to 7.0 (0.2)% at the analysis point (p = 0.0003). During the same time the frequencies of major and minor hypoglycaemic events also fell significantly (major 3.0 [1.1] to 0.1 [0], minor 13.0 [2.6] to 2.4 [0.8] per month; both p < 0.0001). Because the use of saline rather than insulin pulses would have led to unacceptable hyperglycaemia we opted for a historical control design. The absence of a true control group limits the interpretation of these preliminary results, but we believe further studies of hepatic and muscle metabolism before and after long-term intermittent intravenous insulin therapy would be worth while.
Recent Open Market Committee Policy and Technique

I. Introduction, 321. — II. Basic arguments for a free government securities market, 323. — III. Evaluation of the free market hypotheses, 328. — IV. Technical advantages of a free market, 333. — V. "Bills only," minimum intervention, and monetary management, 335; effects of operations in the bill market on the long-term sector, 335; internal consistency of the "bills-only" doctrine with minimum intervention, 339; implicit limitations of bill operations, 340. — VI. Conclusions, 341.
The Influence of Mother-Daughter Relationships on Women's Sense of Self and Current Role Choices:

This study investigates the relationship of women's current role choices, role satisfaction, and self-esteem to their perceptions of the earlier relationship with their mothers and to their perceptions of their mothers' role choices and role satisfaction. Sixty-seven married women with preschool children were interviewed and completed self-report inventories. Results indicated that the women's primary role decisions of career, non-career work, or homemaking did not parallel those of their mothers but was related to their mothers' messages to them. In addition, career women and women at home reported having more choice in their decisions than did non-career working women. Women's self-esteem and role satisfaction were significantly enhanced (p < .05) when the relationship with the mother was perceived as loving and accepting, with low hostility and low psychological control. In contrast, women's self-esteem and role satisfaction were generally unrelated to the retrospective reports of the mothers' roles an...
On a construction of Gorenstein rings proposed by M. D'Anna

We point out an error in D'Anna (2006) [1] and then obtain a partial patch of an application of that errant result. Specifically, we show that if R is a local, Cohen–Macaulay ring with dim(R)=1, then R⋈I Gorenstein implies that I is a regular ideal of R.
Rectification of tandemly repetitious DNA I. Influences on rate

Abstract To account for observed patterns of uniformity and heterogeneity in tandemly repetitious DNA, earlier workers have proposed three intracellular mechanisms: the rolling circle model, gene conversion between unequally aligned sister chromatids, and unequal sister chromatid exchange (SCE). All three are forms of rectification, which is the random replacement of a specific number, β of repeating units by replicates of a group (α in number) of repeating units that are present elsewhere in the segment. For all three forms of rectification: (1) the average level of uniformity, C, in the segment increases with each rectification event by an amount given by ΔC= β(α+β) αn(n−1) (1−C) , in which n is the number of repeating units per segment. In gene conversion and unequal SCE, α = β (2) ΔC is affected by periodicity and clustering. (3) Mutation rate, β and the frequency of rectification events can vary with n so as to offset largely the presence of n(n−1) in the denominator. This allows rectification to operate even with very large numbers of small repeating units.
Tea and Suffrage

This article explores the special relationship between tea and woman suffrage in the early twentieth century. It examines the use of tea by varied suffragists in the California woman suffrage campaign of 1911, showing how and why suffragists used tea as a tool for gaining the vote and why tea held a privileged position as a suffrage food. It explores the meanings and uses of tea in the United States at the turn of the century and argues that the feminine, domestic, and refined associations of tea made it particularly useful for suffragists. It shows how tea was extensively used by suffragists, who served it and sold it in aid of the cause, in order to make a claim for their domesticity and refinement, even as they made relatively radical political claims and fought a popular image of mannish, extremist suffragettes.
Institutional and Operational Knowledge in Work A Sensitizing Framework

A drstinction is made between institutionalized occupational knowledge and operational knowledge applied in work. On this basis, a broadly conceived "sensitizing" framework for the analysis of oper...
A σ-model interpretation of Green-Schwarz covariant superstring action

Abstract It is shown that the non-manifestly supersymmetric piece of the covariant superstring action of Green and Schwarz is the Wess-Zumino term associated with mappings of two-dimensional spacetime SUSY(N = 2)/SO(9,1).
Analysis of Hydraulic Gradients Across the Host Rock at the Proposed Texas Panhandle Nuclear‐Waste Repository Site

Analysis of the direction of ground-water flow across the host rock at the proposed high-level nuclear-waste repository site in Deaf Smith County, Texas, is complicated by vertical and lateral changes in the density of formation fluids in the various hydrogeologic units that overlie and underlie the proposed host rock. Because the concept of hydraulic head is not valid when evaluating vertical hydraulic gradients in a variable-density flow system, other methods were used to determine the direction and magnitude of vertical hydraulic gradients at the proposed site where the specific gravity of formation fluids varies between 1.00 and 1.28. The direction of ground-water flow across the proposed host rock, an 80-foot-thick salt bed in the Lower San Andres Formation, was determined by calculating vertical hydraulic gradients based on formation pressure and fluid density data, and by analysis of pressure-depth diagrams. Based on data from the vicinity of the proposed site, both methods indicate the potential for downflow across the host rock. Downflow or predominantly horizontal flow is considered a favorable prewaste emplacement condition because it prolongs the-travel time to the biosphere of any naturally or accidentally released radionuclides.
Anisotropic colloidal transport and periodic stick-slip motion in cholesteric finger textures.

We have investigated the mobility of discoidal colloidal particles sedimenting within cholesteric finger textures formed by mixtures of the nematic liquid crystal 4-cyano-4′-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) and the chiral dopant 4-(2-methylbutyl)-4′-cyanobiphenyl (CB15) with cholesteric pitch p between 24 and 114 μm. The nickel disks, with radius 17 μm and thickness 300 nm, displayed varied transport behavior that depended on the size of the pitch and the orientation of the gravitational force with respect to the cholesteric axis. In textures with small pitch (p < 40 μm), the disks moved perpendicular to the axis irrespective of the orientation of gravity as a result of an elastic retarding force that prevented motion along the axis. In textures with larger pitch, the disks similarly moved perpendicular to the axis when the angle between the force and axis was large. When the angle was small, the disks displayed stick-slip motion caused by periodic yielding of the finger texture. A model considering viscous drag on the particles and the elastic energy cost of deforming the finger texture describes the stick-slip motion accurately. The effective drag viscosities obtained from the disk motion are anomalously large compared with those of pure nematic 5CB indicating a large contribution to the dissipation from the motion of disclinations in the texture in the vicinity of the translating disks.
On traveling wave solutions to modified Burgers–Korteweg–de Vries equation

Abstract In our recent work, a variation of parameters method was introduced to find the exact solution of the compound Burgers–Korteweg–de Vries equation. In the present Letter, we will illustrate how to adapt this method in order to get a more general solution to modified Burgers–Korteweg–de Vries (mBKdV) equation. Several periodic solutions are also presented.
Disenfranchised Grief Following African American Homicide Loss: An Inductive Case Study

Disenfranchised grief is experienced when a mourner's grief response is socially invalidated, unacknowledged, or discouraged. When the circumstances of death or the emotional reactions of the griever violate social norms, empathic failures can occur within the bereaved individual's support systems. This study used conventional content analysis, an intensive and inductive qualitative research method, to analyze the experience of one African American woman who lost her only son to homicide, a particularly distressing and marginalized form of loss. Results elucidate both the empathic failings and resiliencies within the social systems of this griever and emerged from the perspectives offered by the bereaved mother and her primary supporter. Clinical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Variational noise model composition through model perturbation for robust speech recognition with time-varying background noise

This study proposes a novel model composition method to improve speech recognition performance in time-varying background noise conditions. It is suggested that each element of the cepstral coefficients represents the frequency degree of the changing components in the envelope of the log-spectrum. With this motivation, in the proposed method, variational noise models are formulated by selectively applying perturbation factors to the mean parameters of a basis model, resulting in a collection of noise models that more accurately reflect the natural range of spectral patterns seen in the log-spectral domain. The basis noise model is obtained from the silence segments of the input speech. The perturbation factors are designed separately for changes in the energy level and spectral envelope. The proposed variational model composition (VMC) method is employed to generate multiple environmental models for our previously proposed parallel combined gaussian mixture model (PCGMM) based feature compensation algorithm. The mixture sharing technique is integrated to reduce computational expenses, caused by employing the variational models. Experimental results prove that the proposed method is considerably more effective at increasing speech recognition performance in time-varying background noise conditions, with +31.31%, +10.65%, and +20.54% average relative improvements in word error rate for speech babble, background music, and real-life in-vehicle noise conditions respectively, compared to the original basic PCGMM method.
Radiatively coupled thermionic power system concept

It is shown that thermionic converters at moderate emitter temperatures of about 1600 K can be designed for a radiatively coupled 100 kWe device. A nuclear reactor is a primary heat source, with heat pipes extracting heat from the reactor and distributing it over a large surface opposite an array of thermionic energy converters. The radiative heat transfer across the vacuum gap heats up the thermionic emitters, and excess heat from the converters is radiated from the collector electrodes to the vacuum of space; the heat transfer is controlled by the energy density to be transferred, and by the temperature differential between the heat source and the heat receiver. It is concluded that this system achieves isolation of power converter modules from the heat source, elimination of additional radiators, and reduction of converter dimensions.
Investigation of E1(LO) phonon-plasmon coupled modes and critical points in In1−xGaxN thin films by optical reflectance measurements

Low energy optical modes of molecular beam epitaxy-grown In1−xGaxN thin films with 0≤x≤0.6 are investigated using infrared reflectance measurements. We found that the reflectance of the films for wave vectors in the range from 600 to 800 cm−1 is determined by the high energy E1(LO)-plasmon coupled modes. In the higher energy regime of the UV-visible reflectance spectrum of InN, critical points with energies 4.75, 5.36, and 6.12 eV belonging to A and B structures are observed. The energies of these critical points increase with increasing values of x, similar to the band gap energy of these films.
CONCEPT, MEASUREMENT, AND DATA IN MIGRATION ANALYSIS

Two methods of computing migration rates—one relating moves to population at risk in place of origin and the other using as a denominator the cross-product of population in places of origin and destination—are discussed. It is concluded that the second assumes implicitly that moves originate and terminate as a random population variable.
Methods correcting for multiple testing: operating characteristics

We examine the operating characteristics of 17 methods for correcting p-values for multiple testing on synthetic data with known statistical properties. These methods are derived p-values only and not the raw data. With the test cases, we systematically varied the number of p-values, the proportion of false null hypotheses, the probability that a false null hypothesis would result in a p-value less than 5 per cent and the degree of correlation between p-values. We examined the effect of each of these factors on family-wise and false negative error rates and compared the false negative error rates of methods with an acceptable family-wise error. Only four methods were not bettered in this comparison. Unfortunately, however, a uniformly best method of those examined does not exist. A suggested strategy for examining corrections uses a succession of methods that are increasingly lax in family-wise error. A computer program for these corrections is available.
An isolated single electroplax preparation. I. New data on the effect of acetylcholine and related compounds.

Abstract 1. 1. A new preparation has been developed in which an isolated single electroplax of Electrophorus electricus may be used for the study of the properties of the cell. 2. 2. The electroplax is kept between a nylon sheet having a window adjusted to the dimensions of the cell and of a grid consisting of nylon threads. It is placed between two chambers in a way that the cell separates two pools of fluid. 3. 3. The innervated membrane of the electroplax is bathed by the fluid of one chamber, the non-innervated one is bathed by the fluid of the other chamber. 4. 4. This preparation permits one to test the effect of chemical and physical factors separately on the innervated one non-innervated faces of the cell and is suitable for studying ion flux across the cell. 5. 5. The actions of acetylcholine and of related tertiary and quaternary compounds have been tested with this single preparation. 6. 6. Previous observations have been confirmed, viz. that tertiary nitrogen compounds block electrical activity but do not depolarize, they are receptor inhibitors. Quaternary nitrogen derivatives block and depolarize simultaneously, they are receptor activators. 7. 7. Whereas, however, in previous observations the effects were irreversible, tested with this preparation the following compounds were found to act reversibly: acetylcholine, carbamylcholine, eserine, prostigmine, DFP, d -tubocurarine and procain. The following compounds were found to act irreversibly: tabun, decamethonium and stilbamidine. 8. 8. The action of non-depolarizing agents is completely reversible, that of depolarizing compounds can be only partially reversed and then only temporarily. 9. 9. The compounds act whether they are applied in the solution bathing the innervated or non-innervated membranes. 10. 10. The depolarization of the cell produced by the quarternary derivatives is due to an action upon the synaptic region. 11. 11. Blocking and depolarizing action by quarternary compounds cannot be dissociated. Experiments with curare show that they act exclusively upon the synaptic junction. 12. 12. New evidence is offered that the tertiary and quarternary compounds tested compete for the same receptor.
Influence of Electrode Coatings on Space Charge Distributions in Transformer Oil

WHEN a static electric field is applied to a liquid insulant contained between two electrodes, an accumulation of charge carriers takes place at the electrode-liquid boundaries. The transient disturbances which occur during conduction current measurements, following the sudden application, removal or alteration of the applied voltage, are indicative of such space charge formation. It has recently been shown also that the build-up of space charges by static prestressing can significantly affect the pulse breakdown strength of a liquid dielectric1. The presence of space charges in an insulating gap produces a non-uniform distribution of voltage within that gap; a knowledge of this distribution and how it is affected by conditions at the electrode surfaces should contribute to a better understanding of the conduction and breakdown mechanisms in liquid dielectrics.
The memory function for cyclotron resonance in the two dimensional electron gas

Abstract A divergence-free and explicit way for evaluating the memory function in the cyclotron resonance for the two dimensional electron gas is presented. The usual divergence of the free electron polarization function in cyclotron resonance is removed automatically by including the fluctuation effects of the center of mass. The general behavior of the memory function and its dependence on the magnetic field, electron density, transport time and temperature are studied in the strong magnetic field and low temperature limit. Our theory gives an understanding of the peak splitting phenomenon, and gives a very good fit for many heretofore unexplained cyclotron resonance experiments in Si(001)-MOS systems when the electron density is between 2x10 11 cm −2 to 8 x 10 11 cm −2 .
Mechanisms of blood-brain barrier breakdown after microembolization of the cat's brain.

Unilateral microembolization of the cat brain with carbonized microspheres 15 μm in diameter ten minutes (min) before death induced multifocal disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in nine adult cats. The gross pattern of HRP extravasates was studied: (a) after five min of in vivo circulation, (b) following infusion of HRP immediately before chemical fixation, and (c) following infusion of HRP after 60 min of aldehyde fixation. Examination of the material from the three different experimental groups revealed no qualitative differences at the light microscopic level; specific features such as ring-shaped extravasations of HRP occurred irrespective of the mode of tracer injection. Tracerfilled pinocytotic vesicles and tubular profiles were abundant in the vascular endothelium after in vivo circulation of HRP, but were virtually absent after supravital and postmortem HRP administration. The results suggest that BBB breakdown for proteins after microembolization is not an energy-dependent process mediated by either pinocytosis or tubular-endothelial channel formation.
More than meets the eye: Monocular syphilis in an HIV-negative patient

A 50-year old heterosexual male presented with discomfort in his left eye and abnormal behavior. Physical examination showed a red eye suggestive of uveitis. He was found to have a reactive rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test in high titer and a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis, with a reactive Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) titer in the CSF. Testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 and HIV-2 was negative. He was diagnosed with ocular/neurosyphilis and treated with intravenous (IV) penicillin G for 14 days followed by an intramuscular injection of benzathine penicillin, with complete resolution of ocular findings and behavioral changes. This report illustrates an unusual presentation of ocular/neurosyphilis in an HIV-negative i
Measurements of real non-Newtonian response for liquid lubricants under moderate pressures:

AbstractA thorough characterization of all viscous flow properties relevant to steady simple shear was carried out for five liquid lubricants of current interest to tribology. Shear stresses were generated to values significant to concentrated contact lubrication. Two types of non-Newtonian response were observed: shear-thinning as a power-law fluid and near rate-independence. Functions and parameters were obtained for the temperature and pressure dependence of the viscosity and of the time constant for the Carreau-Yasuda equation. Results are consistent with free volume and kinetic theory, but directly contradict many assumptions currently utilized for numerical simulation and for extracting rheological properties from contact measurements.
Signal Estimation Using Wavelet Analysis of Solution Monitoring Data for Nuclear Safeguards

Wavelets are explored as a data smoothing (or de-noising) option for solution monitoring data in nuclear safeguards. In wavelet-smoothed data, the Gibbs phenomenon can obscure important data features that may be of interest. This paper compares wavelet smoothing to piecewise linear smoothing and local kernel smoothing, and illustrates that the Haar wavelet basis is effective for reducing the Gibbs phenomenon.
Role of Membrane Oxidation in Controlling the Activity of Secretory Phospholipase A2 Toward Apoptotic Lymphoma Cells

The membranes of healthy lymphocytes normally resist hydrolysis by extracellular phospholipase A2 (sPLA2). However, they become susceptible during the process of apoptosis. Previous experiments have demonstrated the importance of certain physical changes to the membrane during cell death such as a reduction in membrane lipid order and exposure of phosphatidylserine on the membrane surface. Nevertheless, those investigations also showed that at least one additional factor was required for rapid hydrolysis by the human group IIA sPLA2 isozyme (hGIIa). This study was designed to test the possibility that oxidation of membrane lipids is the additional factor. Flow cytometry and confocal microscopy with a fluorescent probe of oxidative potential, BODIPY, suggested that oxidation of the plasma membrane occurs during apoptosis stimulated by glucocorticoid or thapsigargin. When oxidative potential was high, the activity of hGIIa sPLA2 was enhanced more than 10-fold compared to any other condition favorable to hydrolysis by other sPLA2 isoforms. Moreover, confocal microscopy with BODIPY and the vital stain propidium iodide verified that sPLA2 preferentially attacked oxidized cells. Direct oxidation of cell membranes with either of two oxidizing agents (TBHP and AAPH) also stimulated hydrolysis by sPLA2. Both agents induced externalization of phosphatidylserine, although only TBHP caused a reduction in the apparent order of membrane lipids. These results demonstrated that membrane oxidation strongly stimulates sPLA2 activity, especially that of the hGIIa isoform. Interestingly, the change in membrane order, previously thought to be imperative for high rates of hydrolysis, was not required when membrane lipids were oxidized. Whether phosphatidylserine exposure is still necessary with oxidation remains unresolved since the two events could not be deconvoluted.
Lady Gaga and Popular Music: Performing Gender, Fashion, and Culture

In the introduction to Lady Gaga and Popular Music: Performing Gender, Fashion, and Culture, editors Martin Iddon and Melanie L. Marshall assert that “Lady Gaga's output is firmly embedded in an in...