cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A key role for unusual spin dynamics in ferropnictides

The discovery of high-Tc ferropnictides introduced a new family of superconductors, and has already revealed a complicated and often contradictory picture of the structural and magnetic properties. An almost unprecedented sensitivity of the calculated magnetism and Fermi surface to structural details prevents correspondence to experiment. Experimental probes of the order parameter are in surprisingly strong disagreement, even considering the relative immaturity of the field. We outline various and seemingly contradictory evidence, both theoretical and experimental, and show it can be rectified by assuming a large-moment spin density wave, well defined but with magnetic twin and antiphase boundaries, dynamic on the experimental timescale. Under this assumption, calculations can accurately reproduce even very fine details of the structure, and a natural explanation for the temperature separation of structural and magnetic transitions is provided. Thus, our theory restores agreement between experiment and theory in crucial areas, making further cooperative progress possible on both fronts. Many studies on the properties of the recently discovered ferropnictide superconductors report seemingly contradictory results. A theoretical study suggests that these contradictions might be resolved by considering such materials as having a strongly magnetic ground state whose domain boundaries fluctuate, preventing their experimental detection.
Salt, Aldosterone, and Insulin Resistance: Impact on the Cardiovascular System

Hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are powerful risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), both of which are leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Research into the pathophysiology of CVD and CKD risk factors has identified salt sensitivity and insulin resistance as key elements underlying the relationship between hypertension and T2DM. Excess dietary salt and caloric intake, as commonly found in westernized diets, is linked not only to increased blood pressure, but also to defective insulin sensitivity and impaired glucose homeostasis. In this setting, activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), as well as increased signaling through the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), result in increased production of reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress, which in turn contribute to insulin resistance and impaired vascular function. In addition, insulin resistance is not limited to classic insulin-sensitive tissues such as skeletal muscle, but it also affects the cardiovascular system, where it participates in the development of CVD and CKD. Current clinical knowledge points towards an impact of salt restriction, RAAS blockade, and MR antagonism on cardiovascular and renal protection, but also on improved insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis.
Cost-effective and rapid blood analysis on a cell-phone

We demonstrate a compact and cost-effective imaging cytometry platform installed on a cell-phone for the measurement of the density of red and white blood cells as well as hemoglobin concentration in human blood samples. Fluorescent and bright-field images of blood samples are captured using separate optical attachments to the cell-phone and are rapidly processed through a custom-developed smart application running on the phone for counting of blood cells and determining hemoglobin density. We evaluated the performance of this cell-phone based blood analysis platform using anonymous human blood samples and achieved comparable results to a standard bench-top hematology analyser. Test results can either be stored on the cell-phone memory or be transmitted to a central server, providing remote diagnosis opportunities even in field settings.
Nuclear mRNA export requires specific FG nucleoporins for translocation through the nuclear pore complex

Trafficking of nucleic acids and large proteins through nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) requires interactions with NPC proteins that harbor FG (phenylalanine-glycine) repeat domains. Specialized transport receptors that recognize cargo and bind FG domains facilitate these interactions. Whether different transport receptors utilize preferential FG domains in intact NPCs is not fully resolved. In this study, we use a large-scale deletion strategy in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to generate a new set of more minimal pore (mmp) mutants that lack specific FG domains. A comparison of messenger RNA (mRNA) export versus protein import reveals unique subsets of mmp mutants with functional defects in specific transport receptors. Thus, multiple functionally independent NPC translocation routes exist for different transport receptors. Our global analysis of the FG domain requirements in mRNA export also finds a requirement for two NPC substructures—one on the nuclear NPC face and one in the NPC central core. These results pinpoint distinct steps in the mRNA export mechanism that regulate NPC translocation efficiency.
The impact of microbial surveys on disinfection protocols in a chiropractic college environment.

Abstract Objective A baseline microbial survey was conducted to identify the microbes present on the headpieces of chiropractic adjusting tables from across the Western States Chiropractic College, Portland, Ore, facilities. This included the instructional adjustive technique laboratories, the student health center, the campus outpatient clinic, and an off-site clinic. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of disinfection protocols over time at a chiropractic college. Methods Four samplings were done for a 12-month period. A total of 69 treatment tables were tested. Sampling was done directly to blood agar (5% sheep blood) plates. Data obtained from the clinic locations were analyzed using linear regression models. Results Identification of microbes by differential staining and biochemical analysis yielded a variety of gram-positive bacteria in all 4 surveys. The numbers of bacterial colonies decreased in the second survey after changes to disinfection protocols. The number of colonies continued to remain below baseline in the third and fourth surveys. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was found in the clinics in 3 of 4 surveys. Methicillin-resistant S aureus was not detected in the technique laboratories. Conclusions Various microbes were identified on the headpieces of adjusting tables in the college instructional technique laboratories and college clinics. Changing the disinfection protocols reduced the number of bacteria found in the second survey. In addition, the third and fourth surveys showed fewer bacterial colonies than baseline, suggesting that compliance with disinfection protocols continued over time.
Design, fabrication, and experimental characterization of plasmonic photoconductive terahertz emitters.

In this video article we present a detailed demonstration of a highly efficient method for generating terahertz waves. Our technique is based on photoconduction, which has been one of the most commonly used techniques for terahertz generation 1-8. Terahertz generation in a photoconductive emitter is achieved by pumping an ultrafast photoconductor with a pulsed or heterodyned laser illumination. The induced photocurrent, which follows the envelope of the pump laser, is routed to a terahertz radiating antenna connected to the photoconductor contact electrodes to generate terahertz radiation. Although the quantum efficiency of a photoconductive emitter can theoretically reach 100%, the relatively long transport path lengths of photo-generated carriers to the contact electrodes of conventional photoconductors have severely limited their quantum efficiency. Additionally, the carrier screening effect and thermal breakdown strictly limit the maximum output power of conventional photoconductive terahertz sources. To address the quantum efficiency limitations of conventional photoconductive terahertz emitters, we have developed a new photoconductive emitter concept which incorporates a plasmonic contact electrode configuration to offer high quantum-efficiency and ultrafast operation simultaneously. By using nano-scale plasmonic contact electrodes, we significantly reduce the average photo-generated carrier transport path to photoconductor contact electrodes compared to conventional photoconductors 9. Our method also allows increasing photoconductor active area without a considerable increase in the capacitive loading to the antenna, boosting the maximum terahertz radiation power by preventing the carrier screening effect and thermal breakdown at high optical pump powers. By incorporating plasmonic contact electrodes, we demonstrate enhancing the optical-to-terahertz power conversion efficiency of a conventional photoconductive terahertz emitter by a factor of 50 10.
Consumers control diversity and functioning of a natural marine ecosystem.

BACKGROUND Our understanding of the functional consequences of changes in biodiversity has been hampered by several limitations of previous work, including limited attention to trophic interactions, a focus on species richness rather than evenness, and the use of artificially assembled communities. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In this study, we manipulated the density of an herbivorous snail in natural tide pools and allowed seaweed communities to assemble in an ecologically relevant and non-random manner. Seaweed species evenness and biomass-specific primary productivity (mg O(2) h(-1) g(-1)) were higher in tide pools with snails because snails preferentially consumed an otherwise dominant seaweed species that can reduce biomass-specific productivity rates of algal assemblages. Although snails reduced overall seaweed biomass in tide pools, they did not affect gross primary productivity at the scale of tide pools (mg O(2) h(-1) pool(-1) or mg O(2) h(-1) m(-2)) because of the enhanced biomass-specific productivity associated with grazer-mediated increases in algal evenness. SIGNIFICANCE Our results suggest that increased attention to trophic interactions, diversity measures other than richness, and particularly the effects of consumers on evenness and primary productivity, will improve our understanding of the relationship between diversity and ecosystem functioning and allow more effective links between experimental results and real-world changes in biodiversity.
The detection of cytochrome oxidase heme iron and copper absorption in the blood-perfused and blood-free brain in normoxia and hypoxia.

Abstract The resolution of cytochrome and hemoglobin changes in in vivo rat and cat brains has required studies over wide wavelength ranges (580–1100 nm) with a novel spectroscopic technique using blood-free and blood-perfused brains. Tissue oxygen was varied from physiological levels to 0 and hematocrits were varied from normal to less than 1%. The experimental results were subjected to a multicomponent analysis using the Beer-Lambert law. At normal hematocrits, the oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in the brain was found to be 30–50% in rats and cats, indicating that the optical method responded primarily to the saturation of the venous ends of the capillary beds. With low hematocrits, both brains showed the absorption band of reduced cytochrome c , the iron component of cytochrome aa 3 , plus the absorption band of the oxidized copper component. In cat brains, the background absorption changed at all wavelengths. Thus, no isosbestic points were observed in the spectra. In rat brains, however, they were readily observed. The “overtones” of water absorption in the NIR region were found to be significant in the difference spectra of the cat brain, but not in the rat brain. Parallel absorbance changes in the heme and copper components of cytochrome aa 3 were obtained in rat and cat brains during the normoxic-hypoxic transition. The ratio of the iron absorbance at 605 nm to the copper absorbance at 830 nm is much smaller in both brains than the in vitro value due to the shorter path length of photon migration at the shorter wavelengths. The results indicate the validity of cytochrome measurements in the blood-free brain but confirm the extreme difficulty of quantitative measurements of cytochrome iron and copper in the blood-perfused brain.
Energy in Western Europe

Abstract Western Europe is exceptionally dependent on imports for its energy supplies and accounts for about half the world's energy imports. Although the countries of the region have widely differing energy resources and a diversity of energy policies, they all share the fundamental policy objectives of reducing energy cost and, particularly, minimizing oil imports as well as diversifying sources. Although projections of future use are notoriously unreliable, there is a projected reliance upon imports in the year 2000 for over 50% of fossil fuel needs. Thus continued, firm programmes and policies are essential to meet this challenge.
Primary photoproducts in the picosecond time domain from photolysis of hexacarbonyl and aminopentacarbonyl tungsten(0) complexes

Abstract The photolysis of W(CO)5L (L = pyridine, piperidine) produces solvo complex products represented as W(CO)5S in times of less than 20 ps. When the solvents present alkyl groups to the W(CO)5 fragment, the transient spectra are similar to that of W(CO)5S in cyclohexane. However, when conventional donor groups, such as alkene and alcohol hydroxyl, are present there is also evidence of the direct coordination of these donors. In some cases, the rearrangement from the alkyl to the more stable complex can be analysed. The time constant for rearrangement of the alkyl-coordinated 1-hexene to the alkene-coordinated form is approximately 600 ps. The distribution of primary products varies as a function of the solvent (1-hexene and the series of alcohols methanol, butanol, octanol). The distribution also changes as a function of the leaving group (CO, piperidine, pyridine). This selectivity is discussed in terms of the Hollebone selection rules for a fast relaxation process and the model proposed by Wang, Zhu and Spears for the solvation of the Cr(CO)5 fragment. As activated W(CO)5 relaxes and acquires a sixth ligand, it appears that two pathways are open. One pathway exploits a fragment of approximately C4V symmetry. The high symmetry is lost on the other pathway. The selectivity is counter to expectation for classical dissociative substitutions and the sense in which these processes are not dissociative is considered.
Directional distance functions and slacks-based measures of efficiency: Some clarifications

Abstract This note clarifies issues concerning the relationship between directional distance functions and slacks-based measures of efficiency from our earlier paper.
Investigation of possible autocrine functions for rat GRO/CINC (cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant)

Rat cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC) is an eight kilodalton polypeptide originally purified from media conditioned by interleukin-1β stimulated 52E, an epitheloid clone derived from normal rat kidney (NRK) cells. Using a fibroblastic clone of the NRK cells, 49F, we found expression of the CINC gene to be induced by either serum or cytokines in growth-arrested cultures within 1 hour of stimulation. There was no observable CINC expression in exponentially growing cells in the absence of cytokine stimulation. CINC protein had no significant effect on 3H-thymidine incorporation or growth rate of NRK49F. We have observed that CINC is constitutively produced by some transformed NRK cells, clone RC20, suggesting an association with the expression of a transformed phenotype. Unlike the parent 49F, RC20 cells are capable of growth in soft agar and serum-free media and form highly metastatic tumors in nude mice. We have examined the possible autocrine functions of CINC and its possible links to the expression of the transformed phenotype by these cells. The use of a blocking CINC polyclonal antibody demonstrated that CINC did not function as an autocrine growth factor for RC20. Though CINC is a potent chemoattractant for neutrophils, it did not induce migration of either RC20 or 49F cells. CINC only moderately promoted adhesion of RC20 cells when used as a matrix protein. These data do not support the hypothesis that production of CINC by the RC20 cells provides an obvious advantage for the transformed cells constitutively producing it. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Heidegger and Foucault: On the Relation Between the Anxiety–Engendering–Truth and Being-Towards-Freedom

In his very last, now famous, interview, Michel Foucault states that his philosophical thought was shaped by his reading of Heidegger, even though he does not specify what aspects of Heidegger’s philosophy inspired him in the first place. However, his last interview is not the only place where Foucault refers to Heidegger as his intellectual guide. In his 1981/1982 lecture course, The Hermeneutics of the Subject, Foucault confesses that the way Heidegger conceptualized the relationship between subject and truth was a starting point for him for thinking about the relationship between truth, subject, subjective-transformation, and freedom. Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to reconstruct the Foucault-Heidegger encounter from the perspective of subject-truth relation. I will ask how Heidegger and Foucault conceptualized the relationship between truth, self-transformation, and freedom. And I will claim that for both Foucault and Heidegger, freedom lies in constantly and creatively repeating the traditional possibilities of existence in order to question the reified patterns of interpretation, and in order to reveal the anxiety–engendering–truth that what is regarded as natural and inevitable in human life is historically contingent and transformable.
Second-Order Diffraction Forces on an Array of Vertical Cylinders in Bichromatic Bidirectional Waves

A complete second-order solution is presented for the hydrodynamic forces due to the action of bichromatic, bidirectional waves on an array of bottom-mounted, surface-piercing cylinders of arbitrary cross section in water of uniform finite depth. Based on the constant structural cross section, the first-order problem is solved utilizing a two-dimensional Green function approach, while an assisting radiation potential approach is used to obtain the hydrodynamic loads due to the second-order potential. Results are presented which illustrate the influence of wave directionality on the second-order sum and difference frequency hydrodynamic forces on a two-cylinder array. It is found that wave directionality may have a significant influence on the second-order hydrodynamic forces on these arrays and that the assumption of unidirectional waves does not always lead to conservative estimates of the second-order loading.
Characterization of forbidden particles

Abstract While huge amounts of angular comminuted material are mined, manufactured and used yearly, little work on classifying the particle shape of these fragments exists. A quarter of a millennium ago, Euler showed that the sum of a particle's Faces ( F ) and Vertices ( V ) minus its Edges ( E ) equals two ( F + V − E =2). A decade ago, Meloy developed three additional relationships specific to comminuted brittle material. These additional laws state that if one knows the count of one number, say faces, then one can compute the number of edges and vertices that exist in that particle. For example, if a given normal particle has 10 faces, then the particle will have 15 edges. Sometimes “forbidden particle shapes” arise, as do chiral particle shapes. The problems these shapes cause are discussed in this paper. This work lays a foundation for a practical angular particle characterization system for ballast, comminuted particles and angular particle shapes.
PET/MRI for the body imager: abdominal and pelvic oncologic applications

The purpose of this pictorial review is to describe emerging clinical applications of positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the newest clinical hybrid imaging modality, with a specific focus on abdominal and pelvic malignancies. Important issues regarding the clinical implementation of PET/MRI systems, including workflow considerations and protocol development, are examined. The unique technical challenges of simultaneous PET/MRI acquisition and MRI-based attenuation correction are also briefly discussed. This article is intended to provide the body imager with an overview of the potential diagnostic advantages of PET/MRI, as compared to PET/CT or MRI alone.
Measuring the Jungian personality types of Hispanic high school students.

Measures of normal variations in personality, called "psychological type," are frequently used in education (e.g., to identify learning styles) and counseling (e.g., in career counseling). However,...
Studies of the 18F(p, α) 15O reaction rate with a 18F beam at the HRIBF

The rates of the 18 F( p , α ) 15 O and 18 F( p , γ) 19 Ne reactions at T = 0.1 – 0.4 GK are necessary to understand the emission of positron-annihilation gamma rays expected from novae. Observations of such gamma rays by space-based telescopes would provide direct tests of nova models. These rates, however, are uncertain because of the unknown level structure of 19 Ne above the 18 F+ p threshold. Missing levels in 19 Ne were searched for by stopping a 24-MeV 18 F beam in a thick polypropylene target, and scattered protons were detected in a silicon-strip detector. The 18 F( p , p ) 18 F excitation function has been measured from E c.m. = 0.3 - 1.3 MeV covering most energies of astrophysical interest, and a significant discrepancy was observed with a recent compilation of 19 Ne resonance parameters.
The effects of forced-choice trials upon free- choice behavior

Three groups of rats were run on a two-choice problem involving both forced-choice and free-choice trials; the groups differed in that 50, 75, or 100% of the forced-choice trials were to one of the two responses. During Phases 1 and 3 the response-availability cues were highly discriminable, while during Phase 2 the saliency of these cues was diminished. The free-choice response probability for each of the three groups was equal to.50 during Phases 1 and 3. In Phase 2 there was an instantaneous shift in response probability to a level that was linearly related to the forcing percentage.
Day-to-Day Inconsistency in Parent Knowledge: Links With Youth Health and Parents' Stress

Abstract Purpose Considerable evidence documents the linkages between higher levels of parental knowledge about youth activities and positive youth outcomes. This study investigated how day-to-day inconsistency in parental knowledge of youth activities was linked to youth behavioral, psychological, and physical health and parents' stress. Methods Participants were employees in the Information Technology Division of a Fortune 500 company and their children (N = 129, mean age of youth = 13.39 years, 55% female). Data were collected from parents and youth via separate workplace and in-home surveys as well as telephone diary surveys on eight consecutive evenings. We assessed day-to-day inconsistency in parental knowledge across these eight calls. Results Parents differed in their knowledge from day to day almost as much as their average knowledge scores differed from those of other parents. Controlling for mean levels of knowledge, youth whose parents exhibited more knowledge inconsistency reported more physical health symptoms (e.g., colds and flu). Knowledge inconsistency was also associated with more risky behavior for girls but greater psychological well-being for older adolescents. Parents who reported more stressors also had higher knowledge inconsistency. Conclusions Assessing only average levels of parental knowledge does not fully capture how this parenting dimension is associated with youth health. Consistent knowledge may promote youth physical health and less risky behavior for girls. Yet knowledge inconsistency also may reflect normative increases in autonomy as it was positively associated with psychological well-being for older adolescents. Given the linkages between parental stress and knowledge inconsistency, parent interventions should include stress management components.
The SPARK that ignited a new era of research.

In the spring of 1998, as members of both the House and Senate were signaling their interest in increasing National Institutes of Health (NIH) appropriations substantially over the next several years, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) convened the “SPARK Working Group, ” a panel of prominent scientists, to identify extraordinary opportunities that should be funded with any significant increase in Institute resources. With that objective in mind, the SPARK group set to work and ultimately identified four broad areas of scientific opportunity, as well as a number of enabling approaches. The areas are (1) Functional Genomics, (2) Gene-Gene and Gene-Environment Interactions, (3) Tissuegenesis/Organogenesis, and (4) Immunobiology. (See http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/funding/fromdir/sparkweb.htm for a copy of the SPARK report.) As the research community is well aware, the Congress did its part. The NHLBI has already received four substantial increases in its budget and, if the President’s current budget proposal for fiscal year 2003 is approved by the Congress, the NIH budget will be double what it was in 1998. The purpose of this editorial is to demonstrate that the Institute, in partnership with the community it serves, did its part, as well. Although the innovative programs developed in response to the SPARK report are too numerous to describe in detail, a few of the major ones are highlighted herein. They are testimony to the extraordinary vision of the SPARK participants—much of the focus of what they recommended and what was, in turn, implemented was on developing resources that would enable the research of individual investigators. Perhaps the most notable examples of this sort of investment are to be found in the combined areas of functional genomics and gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. In September 2000, the largest basic science program in NHLBI history …
Conscience and Slavery: The Evangelistic Calvinist Domestic Missions, 1837-1861

A history of the struggle in both the church and the state over the issue of slavery and the roles they played in events leading to the Civil War. The author chronicles the domestic missions in Calvinist churches in the antebellum period, linking free-soil concepts with post-millenialist thought.
A GFP-based genetic screen reveals mutations that disrupt the architecture of the zebrafish retinotectal projection

The retinotectal projection is a premier model system for the investigation of molecular mechanisms that underlie axon pathfinding and map formation. Other important features, such as the laminar targeting of retinal axons, the control of axon fasciculation and the intrinsic organization of the tectal neuropil, have been less accessible to investigation. In order to visualize these processes in vivo, we generated a transgenic zebrafish line expressing membrane-targeted GFP under control of the brn3c promoter/enhancer. The GFP reporter labels a distinct subset of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), which project mainly into one of the four retinorecipient layers of the tectum and into a small subset of the extratectal arborization fields. In this transgenic line, we carried out an ENU-mutagenesis screen by scoring live zebrafish larvae for anatomical phenotypes. Thirteen recessive mutations in 12 genes were discovered. In one mutant, ddl, the majority of RGCs fail to differentiate. Three of the mutations, vrt, late and tard, delay the orderly ingrowth of retinal axons into the tectum. Two alleles of drg disrupt the layer-specific targeting of retinal axons. Three genes, fuzz, beyo and brek, are required for confinement of the tectal neuropil. Fasciculation within the optic tract and adhesion within the tectal neuropil are regulated by vrt, coma, bluk, clew and blin. The mutated genes are predicted to encode molecules essential for building the intricate neural architecture of the visual system.
Dactylella oviparasitica parasitism of the sugar beet cyst nematode observed in trixenic culture plates

Abstract The nematophagous fungus Dactylella oviparasitica is considered the primary cause of a sugar beet cyst nematode ( Heterodera schachtii ) population suppression in a field at the Agricultural Operations, University of California, Riverside. Parasitism of H. schachtii by the ascomycete D. oviparasitica was studied using both Arabidopsis thaliana (type Landsberg erecta) and cabbage as host plants in gnotobiotic agar culture. Suitability of Arabidopsis as a host for H. schachtii was confirmed using seedlings grown with the nematode in axenic sand culture. Both developing males and females of H. schachtii broke through the Arabidopsis root surface during late juvenile stages and both were susceptible to D. oviparasitica parasitism. In contrast to Arabidopsis, developing juvenile males remained in nearly all observed cases enclosed within the cabbage root tissues while the larger body expansion of the female juveniles caused the root cortex to split; consequently only the latter ones were accessible to the fungus. In the presence of D. oviparasitica , the number of females with eggs was reduced by more than 95% and the number of eggs per female by almost 60% as compared to females developing on plates without the fungus. Viable eggs were not susceptible to parasitism while more than 90% of heat- or cold-killed eggs were rendered susceptible. These observations suggest that parasitism of developing juveniles may be the essential mode of action in the population suppression of H. schachtii .
Non-centralized target tracking in networks of directional sensors: Further advances

Directional sensors detect targets within a range and a predefined direction. In this paper, we assume that directional sensors are deployed in a sensor field, where at each node there are four collocated directional sensors providing a coverage of 360°. We extend results of some of our previous work on this subject and study the effects of different network parameters on the performance of the proposed methods. We also extend the methods so that they can track more than one target simultaneously moving in the sensor field.
Minimizing the Average Delay of Messages in Pigeon Networks

A type of disruption/delay tolerant networks, known as pigeon networks, utilizes controllable special purpose vehicles called pigeons to convey messages among segregated areas. This paper aims to provide optimization methods for the challenging problem that how a pigeon should design its route to minimize the average delay of messages. For small scale networks, we construct an exact optimization algorithm that shows significant reduction in delay over the existing heuristic algorithms. For large scale networks, we present both the lower bound and upper bound of the average delay, and devise partitioning-based optimization algorithms that perform close to the lower bound. Both theoretical analysis and numerical results show that the delay could be reduced by as much as 50% compared to the existing algorithm.
Cation Transport in Dog Red Cells

Studies have been made on the cation transport system of the dog red cell, a system of particular interest because it has been shown that there is a marked dependence of cation fluxes on the cell volume. We have found that a 10% decrease in cell volume causes a large increase in 1 hr uptake of 24Na as well as a considerable inhibition of 42K uptake. This effect cannot be produced by a difference in medium osmolality but rather requires the cell volume to change. Dog red cell uptake of 24Na is not inhibited by iodoacetate. Phloretin inhibits 24Na uptake and lactate production, and virtually abolishes the volume effect on Na uptake. These several observations may be accounted for in terms of a working hypothesis which presupposes a cation carrier complex which pumps K into and Na out of cells of normal volume. When the cells are shrunken the carrier specificity shifts to an external Na-specific mode and there is a large increase in 24Na uptake, driven by the inwardly directed Na electrochemical potential gradient.
Hyperspectral imaging of ischemic wounds

Optical imaging has the potential to achieve high spatial resolution and high functional sensitivity in wound assessment. However, clinical acceptance of many optical imaging devices is hampered by poor reproducibility, low accuracy, and lack of biological interpretation. We developed an in vivo model of ischemic flap for non-contact assessment of wound tissue functional parameters and spectral characteristics. The model was created by elevating the bipedicle skin flaps of a domestic pig from the underlying vascular bed and inhibiting graft bed reperfusion by a silastic sheet. Hyperspectral imaging was carried out on the ischemic flap model and compared with transcutaneous oxygen tension and perfusion measurements at different positions of the wound. Hyperspectral images have also been captured continuously during a post-occlusive reactive hyperemia (PORH) procedure. Tissue spectral characteristics obtained by hyperspectral imaging correlated well with cutaneous tissue oxygen tension, blood perfusion, and microscopic changes of tissue morphology. Our experiments not only demonstrated the technical feasibility for quantitative assessment of chronic wound but also provided a potential digital phantom platform for quantitative characterization and calibration of medical optical devices.
Acoustic energy harvesting from vortex-induced tonal sound in a baffled pipe

Energy of high-amplitude sound that often appears in acoustic resonators with mean flow can be harnessed and converted into electricity for powering sensors and other devices. In this study, tests were conducted in a simple setup consisting of a pipe with a pair of baffles and a piezoelement. Tonal sound, corresponding to the second acoustic mode of the resonator, was excited due to vortex shedding/impinging on baffles in the presence of mean flow. Generated sound energy was partially converted into electrical energy by a piezoelement. About 0.55 mW of electric power was produced on a resistive electric load at acoustic pressure amplitudes in the pipe about 170 Pa and mean flow velocity 2.6 m/s.
Understanding supplier structural embeddedness: A social network perspective

Despite a significant amount of attention, the potential of supplier structural embeddedness (i.e., the value of the structural position in an extended network) to improve the performance of a buying firm remains poorly understood. This study drew on the social network theory to empirically examine a conceptual framework specifying a relationship between the efforts of a buying firm to understand supplier structural configuration and operational and financial performance. This study also examines how the comprehension of structural embeddedness is transformed into performance for a buying firm through relational embeddedness (i.e., the strength of a dyadic relationship). Survey data collected from companies in the U.S. were analyzed using hierarchical regression analysis. The results indicate that the understanding of the structural dimension does help to enhance operational performance of a buying firm, but it does not lead to better financial performance. Empirical evidence shows that a buying firm does improve the quality of a dyadic relationship between the buying firm and a supplier by understanding how the supplier is connected to other firms and what positional values are produced. Further, relational embeddedness is found to mediate the influence of the enhanced understanding of the structural configuration on operational performance.
Detailed characterization of DC electric field effects on small non-premixed flames

Abstract When drawn from a flame by an electric field, ion and electron collisions with neutral gas molecules influence flame shape, combustion intensity, soot formation, and the ion production rate. We describe these behaviors as they relate to the voltage–current relationship of a coflowing non-premixed methane/air flame. Simultaneous measurements of CH ∗ chemiluminescence and ion current confirm a scaling relationship between these properties at saturation conditions. Separate mechanisms, depending on polarity, adequately explain additional current measured beyond saturation. Finally, flame oscillations observed at the transition to saturation ion current under certain flow conditions suggest a competition between two forces. The reason for this behavior is not clear; however, plausible mechanisms are identified.
More on the mantle carbon flux

I would like to continue the discussion of the mantle carbon flux featured in the January 3, 1989, issue of Eos, between B. Marty and D. Des Marais. Although the controversy over carbon recycling by subduction is not new, the current discussion suggests that the time has come to organize a special session for the AGU 1990 Spring Meeting to address this important issue. I will be taking the initiative to organize this session and would appreciate input on the appropriate format and focus. My first of three points is that all of the isotopically light carbon (−20 to −30 ‰) liberated below 500°C in stepped-heating carbon isotope measurements of basalts and mantle xenoliths is probably not contamination in most cases, as has been argued by Des Marais and others [Des Marais and Moore, 1984; Mattey et at., 1984]. Exley et al. [1987], in their study of basalts from Loihi seamount presented in their reply to Craig [1987], showed that a low-temperature iso opically light component is observed even when special precautions are taken to avoid contamination. Mantle xenoliths and basalt are known to contain condensed carbonaceous films on crack surfaces and grain boundaries [Mathez and Delaney, 1981; Mathez, 1987]. It has been suggested that the isotopically light carbon is derived from these carbonaceous films [Nadeau et al, 1987] and that the films may be partly organic [Mathez, 1987; S. Nadeau et al., unpublished manuscript, 1989]. This hypothesis has been confirmed in our laboratories by thermal desorption combined with photoionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry of mantle-derived olivine single crystals, xenoliths, and host basalt from San Carlos, Ariz., and Hualalai Volcano, Hawaii. A brief report of our results for San Carlos olivine crystals is given here.
Positive polarity x-pinch operation

Summary form only given. We present here the results of a series of experiments comparing the operation of an X-pinch in positive and negative polarity. Of particular interest are the X-ray yield, timing, radiating spot size, and the number of radiating spots in a given X-pinch. Conventionally, an X-pinch is operated in negative polarity resulting in electric field lines that terminate on the wires. This choice of polarity for the generator is due to the fact that breakdown in these machines is easier to prevent when they are operated in negative polarity. Previous experiments involving single wire explosions at low current (1-5 kA) have shown that more energy can be deposited in the wire cores when they are driven in positive as opposed to negative polarity. These results raised the question of what happens when pinch-type experiments are driven in positive polarity. Recently, it has become possible to use the 450 kA XP pulser at Cornell to drive X-pinches in positive polarity. The positive polarity condition is established by inserting a convolute before the load and this results in electric field lines that originate on the wires of the X-pinch. This arrangement added complexity and inductance to the positive polarity shots, making it difficult to directly compare results from positive and negative shots. More recently, the entire pulser was switched to positive polarity. This allows a more direct comparison between positive and negative polarity X-pinch operation
Identifying Usability Problems of Blood Glucose Tracking Apps for Older Adult Users

Almost two-thirds of adults aged 65 and older in the United States are affected by diabetes or prediabetes (Cowie et al., 2009), and the health consequences of poor glycemic control are severe. Blood glucose tracking applications for mobile devices have the potential to help improve glycemic control but design issues may limit their use by older adults. We examined the usability of three existing blood glucose tracking applications via hierarchical task analysis and heuristic evaluation of their graph displays, and describe the problems we found and their implications for older users. We propose the inclusion of decision aids in the apps to better inform users’ health-based behavior.
CD15 immunoreactive amacrine cells in the mouse retina.

The mouse retina has become an important model in vision research, mainly because of the wide availability of transgenic animals. In order to study cell function and connectivity in the inner retina, antibodies that differentially stain one cell type, or a small number of cell types, are helpful as markers. Here we characterize the CD15 (3[1-3]-fucosyl-N-acetyllactosamine)-positive cells in the mouse retina using immunofluorescence confocal microscopy and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. CD15 immunoreactivity was observed in two distinct types of amacrine cells and, faintly, in some cone bipolar cells. Type I CD15 amacrine cells are GABAergic wide-field cells that stratify in lamina 3 and 4/5 of the inner plexiform layer. Type II CD15 amacrine cells are also GABAergic and costratify with the dopaminergic tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells in lamina 1 of the inner plexiform layer. The densities of types I and II CD15 amacrine cells in mid-periphery were 258 cells/mm 2 and 274 cells/mm 2 . Double labeling with several other markers for amacrine cell types showed that neither type belongs to another previously identified subpopulation of amacrine cells. Single-cell RT-PCR showed that CD15 amacrine cells coexpress several AMPA receptors — GluR1, GluR2, and GluR4 being the most common combination. J. Comp. Neurol. 465: 361‐371, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Indexing terms: CD15; inner plexiform layer; amacrine cells; AMPA glutamate receptors
Synthesis of micrococcinic acid

Abstract The first synthesis of micrococcinic acid (2) is described. The five rings of 2 are assembled from monocyclic precursors using four palladium-catalyzed biaryl coupling reactions. The synthesis of micrococcinic acid (2) is described.
High-output pacing in mapping of postinfarction ventricular tachycardia

Background Pace mapping is used to identify critical areas for postinfarction ventricular tachycardia (VT). Unexcitable scar during pacing with standard output can identify borders of the reentry circuit. Unexcitable scar is not thought to contain surviving muscle fibers critical to the circuit. Due to current-to-load mismatch or a deep seated isthmus, higher power might be required in order to obtain capture. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of high-output pacing in patients with postinfarction VT. Methods In a consecutive series of 18 patients (15 men, age 62 ± 9, EF 0.29 ± 0.15) with postinfarction VT, a voltage map was obtained and bipolar pace mapping was performed in areas with low voltage ( Results Seventy-seven VTs were induced. Thirty-nine isthmus sites were identified. Focal areas with high-output capture were observed in 12/18 patients (output: 20 mA; mean PW: 7.3 ± 3.5 ms). In 9/18 patients, this area was critical for the reentry circuit of 10 clinical VTs (23% of isthmus sites). In one third of patients, isthmus sites were identified only by high-output pacing. Conclusion High-output pacing can be helpful in identifying critical areas of postinfarction VT that otherwise may be missed.
Comparison of sedation practices for ERCP by gastroenterologists and anesthesiologists: impact on outcomes

Comparison of sedation practices for ERCP by gastroenterologists and anesthesiologists: impact on outcomes
Fiber Sensor Systems

Although the vast majority of work on optical fibers is concerned with their use as a communication medium, there has also been a significant amount of effort devoted to the use of fibers as sensors or as components in 1 sensor systems. This paper presents a review of some of this work on fiber sensor systems.© (1980) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Incomplete fatty acid oxidation by heart mitochondria: β-Hydroxy fatty acid production

Abstract Isolated rabbit heart mitochondria oxidizing long-chain acylcarnitine accumulated β-hydroxy fatty acids when the NADH NAD ratio was increased by rotenone treatment. β-Hydroxystearate, -palmitate, and -myristate were measured by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The principal β-hydroxy fatty acids accumulated were n and n-2 carbon analogues of the substrate fatty acid; there were no n + 2β-hydroxy fatty acids. β-Hydroxy fatty acids accumulated initially as extra-mitochondrial acylcarnitines and later as extra-mitochondrial free fatty acids. l -Carnitine was necessary for β-hydroxy fatty acid accumulation. Acetate inhibited β-hydroxy fatty acid accumulation in a concentration-dependent manner. Terminal respiratory chain inhibition by cyanide sufficient to inhibit [1-14C]palmitoyl-CoA oxidation to [14C]acid-soluble products by 85% did not cause β-hydroxy fatty acid accumulation even with NADH NAD ratios comparable to those obtained with rotenone treatment. However, β-hydroxy fatty acid accumulation during rotenone treatment was not prevented by cyanide. These data suggest that β-hydroxy fatty acid accumulation during mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation results from an imbalance between FAD-dependent generation and NAD-dependent oxidation of β-hydroxyacyl-CoA and is dependent upon trans-esterification with carnitine and extra-mitochondrial translocation by reversal of the carnitine-acyl transferase system.
Minor Histocompatibility Antigens: Molecular targets for immunomodulation in tissue transplantation and tumor therapy

Abstract Even after matching the alleles for the major histocompatibility complexes (MHC), grafts are rejected in a considerable percentage of transplant recipients by the host immune system. In these patients, the host T cells recognize unique antigenic peptides on the cells from the transplanted grafts. These peptides are different from that of hosts due to non-MHC polymorphic differences between the host and the donor. To distinguish between the MHC and these, they were termed minor histocompatibility (mH) complexes. Thus, mH antigens (mH-Ags) are historically defined as allo-peptides derived from allelic gene products that are capable of eliciting T cell responses. Because of their significance in determining the clinical outcome of graft acceptance and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), mH-Ags have been intensively studied for decades. Also, a strong T cell mediated immune response to mH antigenic peptides has the potential for formulating adoptive cellular immunotherapy for patients with hematological malignancies (Graft-versus-Leukemia, GvL). Utilizing recent technological advances the identities of many human and murine mH antigenic peptides have been defined towards achieving clinical applications. These antigenic peptides are currently being evaluated in clinical or basic immunological studies for their ability to produce effective T cell responses. Furthermore, to our surprise recent studies have revealed that some of the full-length mH proteins-themselves may possess specialized immune functions. This novel discovery is dictating a paradigm shift to redefine the functionality of mH-Ags. Given that the novel immune regulatory functions of mH-Ags can also be harnessed; the possibilities to formulate additional cancer immunotherapies are expanding.