cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nitric Oxide Actions in the Nervous System

Nitric oxide (NO) for many decades has been known to be a toxic gas, a constituent of air pollution, a component of cigarette smoke, and a by product of microbial metabolism. Only very recently has it been identified as a product of mammalian cells. The unique, although surprising, role for NO as a biological messenger molecule was developed by investigations in the fields of immunology, cardiovascular pharmacology, toxicology, and neurobiology (Dawson and Snyder 1994; Moncada and Higgs, 1993; Nathan, 1992; Feldman et al., 1993). In the nervous system the discovery of NO as a messenger molecule is changing the conventional concepts of how cells in the nervous system communicate. Classical neurotransmitters are enzymatically synthesized, stored in synaptic vesicles, and released by exocytosis from synaptic vesicles during membrane depolarization. These neurotransmitters mediate their biological actions by binding to membrane-associated receptors, which initiates intracellular changes in the postsynaptic cell. The activity of conventional neurotransmitters is terminated by either reuptake mechanisms or enzymatic degradation. There are multiple points at which biological control can be exherted over the production and activity of conventional neurotransmitters. None of these classical biological mechanisms are exploited by the nervous system to regulate the activity of NO. Instead, NO is synthesized on demand by the enzyme NO synthase (NOS) from the essential amino acid, L-arginine. NO is small, diffusible, membrane permeable and reactive. These chemical properties of NO make it a unique neuronal messenger molecule (Feldman et al., 1993). Since the cell can not sequester and regulate the local concentration of NO, the key to regulating NO activity is to control NO synthesis. Putative cellular targets of NO are rapidly being discovered as well as potential physiologic and pathophysiologic roles in the nervous system. NO may regulate neurotransmitter release, it may play a key role in morphogenesis and synaptic plasticity, it may regulate gene expression, and it may mediate inhibitory processes associated with sexual and aggressive behavior. Under conditions of excessive formation, NO is emerging as an important mediator of neurotoxicity in a variety of disorders of the nervous system.
Cryostorage failures: a medicolegal review

To heighten awareness of the potential legal and financial burdens faced by those providing cryopreservation storage services of embryos and gametes in light of recent lawsuits involving inadvertent thawing of specimens. Case law review of US legal databases and courthouse dockets with a focus on lawsuits against reproductive endocrinologists and cryostorage facilities offering cryopreservation. Emphasis was placed on court decisions, awarded damages, and legal and media coverage related to cryostorage failure events. Lawsuits pertaining to two notable ongoing cases of cryostorage failure that occurred at fertility clinics in the US in 2018 were reviewed. Media coverage of these events and plaintiff and defense attorney strategies were evaluated. Legal documents from previous, similar cryostorage failures were also reviewed. Common claims in cryostorage system failures include breach of contract and negligent handling of property. Facilities offering cryostorage services are vulnerable to significant burden, legally and financially, if they are to experience a storage system failure. Providing cryostorage services is not without significant financial risk. Inadvertent thawing of specimens can lead to high damage awards against cryostorage facilities and those individuals linked to a cryostorage failure event. Because monetary damages can surpass insurance policy limits, those providing cryostorage services should be aware of plaintiff attorney strategies, common legal defenses, and basic asset protection principles to safeguard themselves if ever faced with these situations. Facilities should also carry out regular maintenance and safety checks on equipment and alarm structures to deter such events.
Robert Schumann 1810–1856: Composer and writer of 148 published worksWorks include compositions for piano: Papillons, Carnaval, Fantasie; piano and orchestra: Concerto in A minor; vocal music: Liederkreis, Dichterliebe, Frauenliebe und Leben; orchestral music: Spring Symphony, Rhenish Symphony; chamber music: Quintet in E flat major for piano and strings

Works include compositions for piano: Papillons, Carnaval, Fantasie; piano and orchestra: Concerto in A minor; vocal music: Liederkreis, Dichterliebe, Frauenliebe und Leben; orchestral music: Spring Symphony, Rhenish Symphony; chamber music: Quintet in E flat major for piano and strings
Managing Knowledge Management: Towards an Operating System for Institutional Investment

Knowledge management in institutional investment suffers from many misconceptions and a dearth of actionable models for best practice. This is problematic in various ways, not least of which is how it holds back knowledge management from acting as a bridge to deployment of artificial intelligence in institutional-investment organizations. We propose a model for knowledge management that addresses both problems. Specifically, we develop a model that casts knowledge management as an organizational operating system. This operating-system approach to managing knowledge: 1) prioritizes access to knowledge; 2) promotes the creation of new knowledge from existing knowledge; 3) allows more knowledge to exist in its ‘native’ form (i.e., in its original format and location within the organization); 4) promotes interactions among distinct sources of knowledge in the organization; and 5) encourages experimentation. We discuss how this model can benefit various organizational functions, including risk management and innovation. We also cover two specific instantiations of the model (a culture-based version and a technology-based version) and describe how to blend them.
An Agent-based Simulation for Shared Automated Electric Vehicles with Vehicle Relocation*

This paper presents a new vehicle relocation strategy for shared automated electric vehicles (SAEVs). An agent-based modeling methodology is employed. We consider two types of agents: SAEV agents and customer agents. SAEVto-customer assignment rules and SAEV relocation rules are both defined. The proposed approach allows for charging of SAEVs while en route to rebalancing stations. Treating charging stations as waypoints constitutes a significant departure from present techniques. Simulation results confirm the improvements in performance of an SAEV system with en route relocation when compared to no relocation, in terms of reductions in average waiting times and lost customers.
Addressing the Social Determinants of Health: “Vulnerable” Populations and the Presentation of Healthy People 2020

Population health is a concept at the core of national healthcare reform efforts. Population health focuses on the social determinants of health, or the living conditions of people at work, home, and play. To participate in population health initiatives, organizations must collect population-level data, creating a discourse of resilience-as-ability-to-cope through mapping community demographics, as though a counting of bodies and their material conditions creates a foundation for sustained, improved health outcomes. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) launched an initiative called Healthy People 2020, a set of ten-year national goals and objectives for health promotion and disease prevention. In this essay, we analyze this data project, arguing that the discourses of resiliency (through improved national, state, and local data collection efforts) and vulnerability (of the people who are reduced to data) create a constitutive rhetoric for U.S. public health officials to rally around the cause of population health yet exclude the very people upon whom such a cause should focus. Specifically, an examination of the ODPHP’s Healthy People 2020 website reveals that the reduction of bodies to quantification in data displays for health professionals, when viewed through the lens of Philip Wander’s Third Persona, objectifies groups of people already historically marginalized and obfuscates pathways to social action. We argue that instead, an ecological, relational definition of resilience must be fostered through autonomy of communities in the decisions they make about their own community members’ health and wellness.
Chapter 18 – Hydrodynamic Techniques

Publisher Summary Hydrodynamic techniques are used to measure the size, shape, and molecular weight of proteins in solution. It is difficult to obtain complete size and shape information because proteins have unusual shapes. Data about the size and shape of molecules are obtained from X-ray diffraction studies on crystals. Viscosity and other rheological properties offer information about the size and shape of proteins because the proteins affect the flow properties of the solution. Bound water is an important property of food proteins. Bound water is the difference between the total volume of a protein and the correct dry volume of the protein. Food-related viscosity studies are concerned with the total viscosity of a solution because the viscosity and flow properties affect the handling and processing of food. The same methodology can be used as a structural probe.
Connecting Ideology and Awareness: Critical Multilingual Awareness in CLIL Contexts

A fundamental influence on content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is how aware educators are of how language is used (educator as User), how language works as a system (educator as Analyst), and how language is taught (educator as Teacher); these three combined comprise a construct referred to as Teacher Language Awareness (TLA; [3, 4, 15]). The current study extends TLA to include socio-historical factors and multilingualism via Critical Multilingual Awareness (CMLA; [21]). Using CMLA as a theoretical framework, the study explores the ways in which CLIL educators (N = 53) in a US public school dual language immersion program responded when prompted to analyze student utterances and in what ways language ideologies emerged in the same CLIL educators’ responses. A survey was implemented to collect educator responses, and qualitative data were analyzed via constant comparative coding and thematic analysis [48]. Findings indicate a range of educator responses with regard to CMLA, as well as articulated trends that reveal ideologies of language standardization and prioritization of varieties that could be considered more “academic” in nature. Implications include a potential need for increased CMLA awareness in CLIL contexts and further investigation into the connections between articulated ideologies and educator practices.
Locoregional gastric cancer: a narrative review of multidisciplinary management

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. While relatively uncommon in the United States, worldwide it is the 5th most common cancer diagnosed. Almost half of patients present with locoregional disease. Even with advanced surgical techniques and adjuvant perioperative treatment the prognosis for patients in this cohort is still dismal. Perioperative chemotherapy and/or radiation have been used in the last several decades in an attempt to improve outcomes in locally advanced resectable gastric cancer. In this article, we will review the development of these multimodal treatment strategies over the past two to three decades. We will compare these treatment modalities and their impact on survival outcomes. We will review the evidence for perioperative chemotherapy and radiotherapy, used in isolation and in combination. We will evaluate the evidence for these various treatment strategies and discuss how this impacts the current guidelines and recommendations. While advanced locoregional gastric cancer continues to carry significant mortality, several recent studies have added to the armament of treatment options and have seen significant improvement in progression free and overall survival in this patient population. Ongoing studies into perioperative management continue to investigate alternative treatment options and best practice for locally advanced resectable gastric cancer.
Combined Vorticity Confinement and TVD Approaches for Accurate Vortex Modelling

The vorticity confinement (VC) method was used with total variation diminishing (TVD) schemes to reduce possible over-confinement and applied to convected and stationary vortices. The optimal VC pa...
Caution Using Meningioma Cell Lines as Tumour Models.

Dear Editor, In their article, Das et al. investigated the effect of an active multi tyrosine kinase inhibitor, Dovitinib, on malignant meningioma cell lines IOMM-Lee and CH157-MN (1). The results ...
A review of the impact of environmental factors on the fate and transport of coronaviruses in aqueous environments

The ongoing severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has triggered the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide. This virus spreads predominantly by human-to-human transmission via respiratory droplets. However, the presence of this virus in the fecal and anal swabs of infected patients has triggered the need for research into its waterborne transmission. The various environmental factors that impact the persistence of coronavirus in different water matrices include temperature, UV exposure, organic matter, disinfectants as well as adversarial microorganisms. This review summarizes the most recent research data on the effect of various factors on coronavirus in aqueous environments. The available data suggest that: (i) increasing temperature decreases the overall persistence of the virus; (ii) the presence of organic matter can increase the survivability of coronavirus; (iii) chlorine is the most effective and economic disinfectant; (iv) membrane bioreactors in wastewater treatment plants are hosts of competitive microorganisms that can inactivate coronaviruses; (v) ultraviolet irradiation is another effective option for virus inactivation. However, the inactivation disinfection kinetics of coronaviruses are yet to be fully understood. Thus, further research is needed to understand its fate and transport with respect to the water cycle so that effective strategies can be adopted to curb its effects. These strategies may vary based on geographic, climatic, technical, and social conditions around the globe. This paper explores possible approaches and especially the conditions that local communities and authorities should consider to find optimal solutions that can limit the spread of this virus.
THE PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF ENSLAVEMENT AND EXPLOITATION: SETTING THE STAGE FOR MODERN HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Enslavement and exploitation continue today across the globe and the term human trafficking has become a contemporary catch-all phrase to include a variety of abuses. Exploitation under the umbrella of human trafficking is often framed as a new issue in today’s discourse, or as an exception to an otherwise innocuous world system of progress, democracy, and global capitalism. However, if we examine the thinking that has undergirded the various phases of slavery and other types of exploitation, we find a diversity of rationalization for the kinds of abuses common in various historical eras and today. This essay explores the writing of key philosophers often associated with the development of democratic society, particularly in Western Europe and North America. The essay connects the thinking that laid the foundation for the global slave trade of the colonial era to the thinking that supports the current systems of neoliberalism and global capitalism. Threads are traced across key philosophical work to illustrate some of the common assumptions made today in western civilization that set the stage for our current predicament of widespread human trafficking. The essay builds upon the argument that the rationalization of the global slave trade in the colonial era are still present, even if latent, in the rationalization of exploitation for global profit-making today. Article visualizations:
Dynamically partitionable multicomputers with switchable memory

Abstract This paper presents an analysis and evaluation of a multicomputer system called SM3 which has a number of special architectural features, viz.: (1) a number of independent computer systems interconnected by a physically partitionable bus which allows the system to be dynamically reconfigured into a number of clusters (or subnetworks) of adjacent computers to achieve a high degree of parallel, MIMD processing; (2) a set of dual Switchable main memory modules used to facilitate fast data/command/message transfers among the computers; and (3) a number of special-purpose control lines for efficient interprocesor control, communication, and synchronization. Three representative database algorithms are described and modeled analytically by a set of timing equations and the results of a performance evaluation study are presented. The performance of the SM3 architecture is compared with that of several existing architectures. It is found that SM3 has an excellent overall performance for various categories of database operations and that its architecture is flexible for adapting different software algorithms.
From T-shirts to Teaching: May Public Schools Constitutionally Regulate Antihomosexual Speech?

In applying the First Amendment in the public school context, courts are faced with the challenge of balancing the constitutional rights of students against the discretion of schools to control speech and conduct on school grounds. This Note focuses on the specific issue of public schools regulating antihomosexual speech. Evaluating the First Amendment rights of students expressing antihomosexual sentiment through private and school-sponsored mediums, this Note ultimately argues for a comprehensive standard permitting schools to regulate both private and school-sponsored student speech.
Air-Cooled Design of a Temperature-Swing Adsorption Compressor for Closed-Loop Air Revitalization Systems

The air revitalization system of the International Space Station (ISS) operates in an open loop mode and relies on the resupply of oxygen and other consumables from earth for the life support of astronauts. A compressor is required for delivering the carbon dioxide from a removal assembly to a reduction unit to recover oxygen and thereby closing the air-loop. We have a developed a temperature-swing adsorption compressor (TSAC) for performing these tasks that is energy efficient, quiet, and has no rapidly moving parts. This paper discusses the mechanical design and the results of thermal model validation tests of a TSAC that uses air as the cooling medium.
Vital signs for virtual teams: an empirically developed trigger model for technology adaptation interventions

This study explores how team leaders sense the need for technology adaptation intervention in distributed, computer-mediated ("virtual") teams. Analysis and coding of critical incident data collected in interviews of practicing leaders produce a five-trigger model including (1) external constraint, (2) internal constraint, (3) information and communication technology (ICT) inadequacy, (4) ICT knowledge, skills, and abilities inadequacy, and (5) trust and relationship inadequacies. The resulting five-trigger model provides several key contributions including (1) a diagnostic tool for examining real, multi-trigger team technology adaptation contexts, enabling better leader training and evaluation as well as improved research on team technology adaptation and interventions and (2) a better understanding of the relationship between the technology structure strength indicators in adaptive structuration theory and the need for team technology adaptation intervention.
Mast Cell Disorders.

ivision of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital-New York Presbyterian, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY astocytosis Center, Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass nflicts of interest: C. Akin has received consultancy fees from Novartis, Patara Pharma, and Blueprint Medicines and has received lecture fees from ThermoFisher. J. E. Yu declares no relevant conflicts of interest. Target Audience: Physicians and researchers within the field of allergic disease.
Local Control of Acetylcholinesterase Gene Expression in Multinucleated Skeletal Muscle Fibers: Individual Nuclei Respond to Signals from the Overlying Plasma Membrane

Nuclei in multinucleated skeletal muscle fibers are capable of expressing different sets of muscle-specific genes depending on their locations within the fiber. Here we test the hypothesis that each nucleus can behave autonomously and responds to signals generated locally on the plasma membrane. We used acetylcholinesterase (AChE) as a marker because its transcripts and protein are concentrated at the neuromuscular and myotendenous junctions. First, we show that tetrodotoxin (TTX) reversibly suppresses accumulation of cell surface AChE clusters, whereas veratridine or scorpion venom (ScVn) increase them. AChE mRNA levels are also regulated by membrane depolarization. We then designed chambered cultures that allow application of sodium channel agonists or antagonists to restricted regions of the myotube surface. When a segment of myotube is exposed to TTX, AChE cluster formation is suppressed only on that region. Conversely, ScVn increases AChE cluster formation only where in contact with the muscle surface. Likewise, both the synthesis and secretion of AChE are shown to be locally regulated. Moreover, using in situ hybridization, we show that the perinuclear accumulation of AChE transcripts also depends on signals that each nucleus receives locally. Thus AChE can be up- and downregulated in adjacent regions of the same myotubes. These results indicate that individual nuclei are responding to locally generated signals for cues regulating gene expression.
Three Ecologies: Urban Metabolism and the Society-Nature Opposition

This article is an intellectual history of two enduring binaries—society-nature and city-countryside—and their co-identification, told through evolving uses of the concept of “urban metabolism.” After recounting the emergence of the modern society-nature opposition in the separation of town and country under early industrial capitalism, I interpret “three ecologies”—successive periods of urban metabolism research spanning three disciplines within the social sciences. The first is the human ecology of the Chicago School, which treated the city as an ecosystem in analogy to external, natural ecosystems. The second is industrial ecology: materials-flow analyses of cities that conceptualize external nature as the source of urban metabolism's raw materials and the destination for its social wastes. The third is urban political ecology, a reconceptualization of the city as a product of diverse socio-natural flows. By analyzing these three traditions in succession, I demonstrate both the efficacy and the limits to Catton and Dunlap's distinction between a “human exemptionalist paradigm” and a “new ecological paradigm” in sociology.
Data compression of correlated non-binary sources using punctured turbo codes

We consider the case of two correlated non-binary sources. Data compression is achieved by transforming the sequences of non-binary symbols into sequences of bits and then using punctured turbo codes as source encoders. Each source is compressed without knowledge about the other source, and no information about the correlation between sources is required in the encoding process. Compression is achieved because of puncturing, which is adjusted to obtain the desired compression rate. The source decoder utilizes iterative schemes over the compressed binary sequences, and recovers the non-binary symbol sequences from both sources. The performance of the proposed scheme is close to the theoretical limit predicted by the Slepian-Wolf (1973) theorem.
WE‐E‐BRB‐04: Comparison of IMRT Verifications with a Two‐Dimensional Array of Diodes and a Commercial Portal Dosimetry System

Purpose: The purpose of this work is to replace our IMRT verification protocol with a commercial portal dosimetry system. Currently, our department performs IMRT verifications for prostate patient's plans using a commercial two‐dimensional array of diodes (MapCheck from Sun Nuclear). Our goal is to develop an equivalent QA program using a commercial electronic portal imager(EPID) to simplify and expedite the plans verifications as well as to increase the resolution of our measurements. Method and Materials: Using Varian aS500 portal imager with the Portal Dosimetry Calculation (PDC) from Eclipse (commissioned according to manufacturer's recommendations), we perform verifications for 15 prostate patients treated at our department. We use a beam‐by‐beam Γ analysis with a 3%3mm criteria for acceptance and compare the results with our standard verification method using a discrete two‐dimensional array of diodes. We compare the Γ scores for absolute dose and calculate beam‐by beam space correlations between the portal imager and MapCheck. Results: The clinical IMRT verifications performed with the EPID are consistent with the ones performed with our commercial two‐dimensional diode array. The Gamma scores show a correlation coefficient of 0.77 and almost all the beams within the acceptance limits in MapCheck are within acceptance limits for the EPID. The 3 beams outside the acceptance limit in MapCheck are also outside the acceptance limit in the EPID system. The spatial correlation, although not perfect, is acceptable. Conclusion: The EPID system with the Varian aS500 and the PDC calculation from Eclipse show essentially equivalent results for prostate IMRT verifications as the two‐dimensional diode array. The EPID system has the advantage of set‐up simplicity, shorter time and higher resolution and can be implemented as the primary IMRT verification method.
Testing equality of proportions with incomplete correlated data

Abstract Let (ψ i ,φ i ) be independent, identically distributed pairs of zero-one random variables with (possible) dependence of ψ i and φ i within the pair. For n pairs, both variables are observed, but for m 1 additional pairs only ψ i is observed and for m 2 others φ i is observed. If π 1· = P { ψ i = 1} and π ·1 = P { φ i , the problem is to test π 1· = π ·1 . Maximum likelihood estimates of π 1· and π ·1 are obtained via the EM algorithm. A test statistic is developed whose null distribution is asymptotically chi-square with one degree of freedom (as n and either m 1 or m 2 tend to infinity). If m 1 = m 2 = 0 the statistic reduces to that of McNemar's test; if n = 0, it is equivalent to the statistic for testing equality of two independent proportions. This test is compared with other tests by means of Pitman efficiency. Examples are presented.
Clinical experiences with digoxin

Abstract 1. 1. These results indicate that Lanoxin is a safe, effective, and versatile preparation for oral, intramuscular, and intravenous use. 2. 2. A safe initial digitalizing dose appears to be either 2 mg. orally or 1.5 mg. intravenously or intramuscularly, unless acute myocardial infarction is present or suspected. Under such circumstances one half of each of these doses is used. 3. 3. A dose of 0.75 mg. intramuscularly is safe and usually effective for those who, previously well maintained, fail abruptly because of a precipitating event. 4. 4. Individualization of dosage is started 24 hours after the initial dose. If the fall in ventricular rate is satisfactory, and nausea is absent, the patient is placed on a maintenance dose of 0.5 mg. If nausea is present, which is extremely rare, no further digoxin is given until this symptom disappears. A maintenance dose of 0.25 mg. is then started, and is increased to 0.5 mg. if the ventricular rate is regarded as too high for the clinical illness. If the ventricular rate and pulse deficit have not been corrected satisfactorily, 0.25 mg. is given every 6 hours until such a response occurs or toxic symptoms appear before starting the maintenance dose. 5. 5. Only in obviously urgent circumstances is individualization of dosage begun 6 hours after the initial dose. 6. 6. The average maintenance dose of digoxin is 0.25 to 0.75 mg. No difficulty was encountered in maintaining patients on digoxin in spite of its fairly rapid dissipation. Although there is considerable overlapping, the coronary patients usually require the smallest dose, the rheumatic patients the largest dose, and the hypertensive patients a mean of the two. 7. 7. An intramuscular maintenance dose of digoxin identical to the oral dose may be substituted without any noticeable change in the drug's effectiveness. 8. 8. Nausea is almost always the initial manifestation of toxicity with digoxin. Only when severe depletion of potassium is present may cardiotoxic effects occur in the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms. 9. 9. It is necessary to differentiate a systemic from a local emetic action of digitalis. Time may often be used as a deciding factor to make this distinction. We considered instances in which nausea occurred within 30 minutes of ingestion of the drug and was of short duration to be due to local gastric distress. Under such circumstances, giving the total maintenance dose in two equal amounts, morning and evening, corrected the situation.
Unicuspid aortic valve : an interesting presentation

A 52-year-old male presented with acute onset chest pain and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (Panel A). An urgent cardiac catheterization was performed which showed a filling defect in the left anterior descending (LAD) artery (Panel B). After failure at attempts to reperfuse the LAD, the patient underwent emergent cardiopulmonary bypass surgery with a left internal mammary graft to LAD. He was found …
Effects of Vascular Plants on Seasonal Pore Water Carbon Dynamics in a Lotic Wetland

We examined pore water dissolved carbon pools among three wetland habitats defined by different plant species, and asked if temporal dynamics in C pools were related to temporal patterns of plant production. Concentrations of CH4, DIC, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were measured monthly at 4 sediment depths over 1 year in Nymphaea odorata (NY), Proserpinaca palustris (PR), and Juncus effusus (JU) habitats. CH4 and DIC differed among plant zones, depths, and month, while DOC averaged 1 mM regardless of depth, time, or zone. CH4 and DIC increased linearly with depth in NY and PR, while both forms remained low (<0.25 mmole/L CH4 and <1.5 mmole/L DIC), between 2 and 20 cm in JU in most months. Temporal patterns were also distinct among zones. CH4 had limited seasonal fluctuations in NY and PR but had a distinct summer peak in JU. Conversely, DIC was highly seasonal in NY and PR, but not JU. Correlations between CH4 or DIC and plant density or production were limited to 3 of 12 possible zone-depth combinations. Nonetheless, spatial and temporal patterns of CH4 and DIC revealed significant differences among habitats, and suggest a species-specific influence on local C cycling within the wetland.
Optimizing Resource Acquisition Decisions by Stochastic Programming

This paper reports on the application of stochastic programming with recourse to strategic planning decisions regarding resource acquisition. A resource directed decomposition method, which simultaneously exploits stochastic programming and mixed integer programming model structures, is proposed. Computational experience with the method applied to fuel contract and plant construction decisions faced by an electric utility is presented.
Effect of inoculum dose and preparation, strain variation, and plant growth conditions on the eggplant assay for bacterial ring rot

Quantitative differences among strains ofCorynebacterium sepedonicum (Spieck. and Kotth.) Skapt. and Burkh. (=Clavibacter michiganense subsp.sepedonicum) were distinguished in eggplant (Solanum melongena L. ‘Black Beauty’) bioassays with a simple leaf axil inoculation technique. Latent period of infection (time from inoculation to first appearance of symptoms) varied inversely with inoculum dose. Latent period of infection varied significantly among strains ofC. sepedonicum. Symptoms developed more rapidly in plants grown under controlled conditions in a growth chamber than those grown in a greenhouse. Plants treated with inoculum prepared from broth cultures exhibited symptoms more rapidly than those treated with inoculum grown on agar.
Energy absorption by volatile atmospheric aerosol particles

Abstract Absorption of both i.r. and visible radiation by atmospheric aerosol particles may be important in heating or cooling of the atmosphere. The variations in properties of both particles and their surroundings due to this energy absorption depend on the volatility of the particle material. Care must be taken in designing measurements of particle absorption efficiencies to take into account possible evaporation of the particles and its effect on the parameters being measured. The role of evaporation in modifying the properties of particles and surrounding medium is calculated for time independent and time dependent energy sources. It is shown that under certain conditions acoustical techniques may be useful in studying aerosol absorption.
Temperature dependence of the zero-field spilittings of triplet excitions in anthracene-tetracyanobenzene crystals

Abstract The temperature dependence of the EPR spectrum of triplet excitons in anthracene-tetracyanobenzene crystals reveals a fast relaxation between two triplet states separated by 589 ± 54 cm −1 . The zero-field splitting parameter D is 30% smaller in the upper state, but E remains unchanged. The lifetime of the upper state is ⪅2 × 10 −10 s. A possible role of this state in triplet exciton motion is discussed.
Predictive modeling of biomass component tradeoffs in Brassica napus developing oilseeds based on in silico manipulation of storage metabolism

Seed oil content is a key agronomical trait, while the control of carbon allocation into different seed storage compounds is still poorly understood and hard to manipulate. Using bna572, a large-scale model of cellular metabolism in developing embryos of rapeseed (Brassica napus) oilseeds, we present an in silico approach for the analysis of carbon allocation into seed storage products. Optimal metabolic flux states were obtained by flux variability analysis based on minimization of the uptakes of substrates in the natural environment of the embryo. For a typical embryo biomass composition, flux sensitivities to changes in different storage components were derived. Upper and lower flux bounds of each reaction were categorized as oil or protein responsive. Among the most oil-responsive reactions were glycolytic reactions, while reactions related to mitochondrial ATP production were most protein responsive. To assess different biomass compositions, a tradeoff between the fractions of oil and protein was simulated. Based on flux-bound discontinuities and shadow prices along the tradeoff, three main metabolic phases with distinct pathway usage were identified. Transitions between the phases can be related to changing modes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, reorganizing the usage of organic carbon and nitrogen sources for protein synthesis and acetyl-coenzyme A for cytosol-localized fatty acid elongation. The phase close to equal oil and protein fractions included an unexpected pathway bypassing α-ketoglutarate-oxidizing steps in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. The in vivo relevance of the findings is discussed based on literature on seed storage metabolism.
Degradation of Histamine Solutions Used for Bronchoprovocation

Study objectives To determine optimal storage conditions for histamine diphosphate (HDP) solutions used for bronchoprovocation. Design HDP was dissolved in buffered saline solution to concentrations of 0.125 to 16 mg/mL and stored in 3-mL unit dose syringes at different temperatures for varying lengths of time, with and without protection from fluorescent light. Setting Dark freezer (−20°C), dark refrigerator (4°C), and laboratory counter top (20°C) illuminated by fluorescent light (375 foot-candles). Measurements HDP concentrations were measured after the solutions were prepared and during storage by a high-performance liquid chromatographic assay that differentiates histamine from its break down products. Results All dilutions were sterile after preparation and contained 97 to 110% of the labeled amount of HDP. Solutions constantly exposed to fluorescent light (375 foot-candles) and room temperature (20°C) contained only 20 to 37% of the initial concentrations after 7 days. The same dilutions stored at room temperature, but protected from light, contained 83 to 94% of the initial concentrations. Dilutions stored in the dark in a refrigerator (4°C) retained 97% of the initial concentrations after 8 weeks, while dilutions stored in the dark freezer (−20°C) were stable for 12 months. Conclusions Exposure to fluorescent light at room temperature results in degradation of histamine solutions used for bronchoprovocation. Dilutions stored in unit dose syringes and protected from light are stable for at least 8 weeks in the refrigerator and up to 12 months frozen. Once removed from the refrigerator or freezer, the solutions should be used within 6 h or discarded.
Diamond synthesis via a low-pressure solid-state-source process

Abstract We describe herein a process which, also operating below one atmosphere pressure, transforms virtually any form of finely divided solid carbon into crystalline diamond in the reaction chamber. The key to the process is the creation of a two (or more) phase micro (or nano) composite of the carbon solid form (graphite, carbon black, charcoal, etc.) with a few percent of very fine (typically in the micrometer range) diamond (or SiC or Si or BN, etc.). The mixed powders as pastes or gels are shaped into various morphologies and reacted in a pure H 2 microwave plasma or in a tungsten filament assisted reactor at temperatures of 500°–1000°C. No carbon is introduced externally via any gaseous species. The mixtures are transformed wholly into a mass of diamond crystals often 5–10μm in size at rates of several microns an hour. The conversion is total in smaller and partial in larger shapes depending on the density of the starting material. Raman, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and x-ray diffraction (XRD) evidence confirm the essentially complete transformation irrespective of other variables such as substrate materials, form of carbon, or second phase. The mechanism of conversion has not been studied and may well involve mass transfer over nanometer and micrometer distances via the vapor phase.
The molecular characterization and clinical management of multiple myeloma in the post-genome era

Cancer-causing mutations disrupt coordinated, precise programs of gene expression that govern cell growth and differentiation. Microarray-based gene-expression profiling (GEP) is a powerful tool to globally analyze these changes to study cancer biology and clinical behavior. Despite overwhelming genomic chaos in multiple myeloma (MM), expression patterns within tumor samples are remarkably stable and reproducible. Unique expression patterns associated with recurrent chromosomal translocations and ploidy changes defined molecular classes with differing clinical features and outcomes. Combined molecular techniques also dissected two distinct, reproducible forms of hyperdiploid disease and have molecularly defined MM with high risk for poor clinical outcome. GEP is now used to risk-stratify patients with newly diagnosed MM. Groups with high-risk features are evident in all GEP-defined MM classes, and GEP studies of serial samples showed that risk increases over time, with relapsed disease showing dramatic GEP shifts toward a signature of poor outcomes. This suggests a common mechanism of disease evolution and potentially reflects preferential expansion of therapy-resistant cells. Correlating GEP-defined disease class and risk with outcomes of therapeutic regimens reveals class-specific benefits for individual agents, as well as mechanistic insights into drug sensitivity and resistance. Here, we review modern genomics contributions to understanding MM pathogenesis, prognosis, and therapy.
Anomalies of neuroepithelial cell associations in the Splotch mutant embryo

Neuroepithelial development in Splotch mutant mouse embryos was examined using SEM and TEM. Unlike unaffected littermates, Sp/Sp embryos exhibited extensive neural tube closure defects, disorganization and misalignment of neuroepithelial cells in regions with open defects. Neuroepithelial cell processes often made lateral progress in these areas rather than maintaining their normal contact with the luminal surface. In addition, intercellular space was considerably increased and there were many ectopic cell processes in basal regions of affected areas. The role of altered cell-cell interactions in neurulation is considered.
X-rays from radio pulsars: the detection of PSR 1055-52

The short-period pulsar PSR 1055-52 has been detected as a soft X-ray source in the course of an Einstein Observatory survey of radio pulsars. Its X-ray to radio luminosity ratio is about 10,000, although the X-rays are not modulated at the neutron star's rotation frequency. High spatial resolution observations suggest that a significant fraction of the emission comes from an extended region surrounding the pulsar. Several possible scenarios for the origin of both point and extended X-ray emission from isolated neutron stars are investigated: radiation from the hot stellar surface, from hot polar caps, and from an optically thick atmosphere, as well as from a circumstellar nebula emitting thermal bremsstrahlung or synchrotron radiation. It is concluded that the spatial, spectral, and temporal characteristics of this source are most consistent with a model in which relativistic particles generated by the pulsar are radiating synchrotron X-rays in the surrounding magnetic field; i.e., that PSR 1055 is embedded in a mini-Crab nebula. Observational tests of this hypothesis are suggested, and the implications of this result for pulsar evolution are briefly discussed.
MOSLAP???A Circuit Simulation Program for Teaching Short-Channel MOS Circuit Design

The current approach to teaching MOS circuit design is based on the classic square-law MOSFET device model. This model is capable of adequately modeling long-channel devices; however, current levels of technology are providing short-channel MOS devices which exhibit significant second-order effects which cannot be accounted for by the square-law model. Due to inherent increases in model complexity, the need arises for the use of computers to aid in designing MOS circuits containing short-channel devices. Presented here is MOSLAP (MOS loadline analysis program), a new interactive circuit simulation tool for teaching short-channel MOS circuit design. MOSLAP contains a complete short-channel MOSFET model, and is capable of analyzing general MOS circuits. MOSLAP can perform dc analysis, small-signal ac analysis, dc transfer function analysis, and can generate various loadlines for visual inspection of dc operating point information. This last feature makes MOSLAP unique.
The auroral electrojet and field-aligned current

Abstract The location of field-aligned currents in the evening sector with respect to the auroral electrojets is examined. The tri-axial TRIAD satellite data and the simultaneous ground magnetometer data from along the Alaska meridian are analysed. It is shown that an intense upward fieldaligned current flows out from the region of the westward electrojet where discrete auroras are located. The downward flowing current exists in the region further equatorward, namely in the region of the eastward electrojet. However, the downward current is present even when there is no eastward electrojet. The boundary between the upward and the downward currents coincides, in most cases, with the boundary between the westward and the eastward auroral electrojets. Thus, the Harang discontinuity, a narrow area separating the positive and negative H bays, is the region where there is no field-aligned current.
Modulation of cytokine receptors by IL-2 broadly regulates differentiation into helper T cell lineages

Helper T cells control host defense against pathogens. The receptors for interleukin 12 (IL-12), IL-4 and IL-6 are required for differentiation into the T(H)1, T(H)2 and T(H)17 subsets of helper T cells, respectively. IL-2 signaling via the transcription factor STAT5 controls T(H)2 differentiation by regulating both the T(H)2 cytokine gene cluster and expression of Il4ra, the gene encoding the IL-4 receptor α-chain. Here we show that IL-2 regulated T(H)1 differentiation, inducing STAT5-dependent expression of the IL-12 receptor β2-chain (IL-12Rβ2) and the transcription factor T-bet, with impaired human T(H)1 differentiation when IL-2 was blocked. T(H)1 differentiation was also impaired in mouse Il2(-/-) T cells but was restored by IL-12Rβ2 expression. Consistent with the inhibition of T(H)17 differentiation by IL-2, treatment with IL-2 resulted in lower expression of the genes encoding the IL-6 receptor α-chain (Il6ra) and the IL-6 signal transducer gp130 (encoded by Il6st), and retroviral transduction of Il6st augmented T(H)17 differentiation even when IL-2 was present. Thus, IL-2 influences helper T cell differentiation by modulating the expression of cytokine receptors to help specify and maintain differentiated states.
SODIUM LACTATE/SODIUM POLYPHOSPHATE EFFECTS ON OXIDATION IN PRECOOKED FROZEN PORK PATTIES

The objective of this study was to evaluate sodium lactate (SL; 0, 1, 2 or 3%) and sodium polyphosphate (SP; 0, 0.1, 0.2 or 0.3%) effects on lipid oxidation and color characteristics of precooked pork patties during frozen storage. Ground pork was mixed with SL and/or SP, stuffed, frozen, sliced and cooked from the frozen state, packaged and held frozen for 14 weeks. Samples containing SP had lower TBARS, regardless of SL content. SL decreased pH, a* and b* values and red color (R630–R580). L* value, hue angle, pork flavor, saltiness, and juiciness increased as SL increased. A moderate correlation occurred between SL and TBARS. SP decreased hue angle, cook loss, and rancid flavor and increased pH, b* value, pork flavor, saltiness, and juiciness. Storage time decreased a* value, red color and juiciness, while saltiness, alkalinity, and rancid flavor scores increased. Based on both physical and sensory characteristics, optimum combinations appear to be 3% SL and 0.2–0.3% SP.
Down and Out

The authors argue persuasively that long-term unemployment is poorly measured. A more realistic look at who cannot find jobs for long periods of time suggests that the government seriously underestimates the long-term rate of unemployment. It is more likely twice the rate that is reported.
Frequency dependence of ionic conductivity in lattice gas models

Abstract The frequency dependence of the ionic conductivity has been treated based on the relaxation process of ionic current using the pair approximation of the path probability method (PPM) of irreversible statistical mechanics. In order to deal with the time development of the time correlation of the motion of particles, the formalism of the PPM which deals with the flow based on the averaged distribution of particles has been changed to follow the fluctuation of the system with time. This allows us to evaluate the development of the time correlation of the motion of particles in the pair approximation. The Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts type relaxation behavior of ionic current when a constant field is applied at time t =0 can be attributed to the change of the time correlation with time. The Jonscher power-law exponent p is thus derived for several important examples in the pair approximation. In the case of the motion of a tagged particle in the assembly of particles of the same species in a lattice gas model, the results show an excellent agreement with those obtained by the Monte Carlo simulation method.