cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nutritional analysis of eight kinds of prefabricated beef steaks

Objective A investigate on the nutritional quality of the prefabricated beef steak in the market was conducted, aiming to provide scientific basis for consumers in the consumption of prefabricated beef steaks. Methods The basic nutriments, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and mineral elements of 8 kinds of prefabricated beef steaks were analyzed and evaluated. Results It was showed that the contents of crude ash(1. 3-2. 4 g/100 g edible) and crude fat(1. 3-10. 0 g/100 g edible) in the 8 kinds of prefabricated beef steaks were higher than those of raw beef, while the contents of protein(11. 4-17. 2 g/100 g edible) was lower than those of raw beef. All the 8 kinds of prefabricated beef steaks had 18 kinds of amino acids and the content of histidine in childrenas steak(0. 57 g/100 g edible) was the highest. With the exception of snowflake steak and bulk steak, the first limiting amino acid of other 6 kinds of prefabricated beef steaks was valine. The essential amino acid composition of the 8 kinds of prefabricated steaks was close to that of FAO/WHO standard protein. This meant they were all high quality protein sources. The proportion of saturated fatty acids(48. 0%-62. 0%) was the highest, followed by monounsaturated fatty acids(32. 2%-46. 6%) and polyunsaturated fatty acids(0. 7%-7. 6%). All the 8 kinds of prepared beef steak didnat meet the S∶M∶P standard recommended by American Heart Association. There were differences in the content of vitamins among 8 kinds of prefabricated beef steaks. In terms of mineral elements, the content of Na(344-689 mg/100 g edible), Ca(6-15 mg/100 g edible), Fe(1. 0-1. 9 mg/100 g edible), Cu(0. 029-0. 050 mg/100 g edible), Mn(0. 056-0. 183 mg/100 g edible) in prefabricated steak was higher than that in raw beef. Conclusion There were interspecific differences in the nutritional element content and quality among different kinds of prefabricated steaks. Compared with the raw beef, the fat content was higher and protein content was lower, the composition of fatty acids was less reasonable than fish and pork.
Consumer Approach to Acculturation and Complementary/Alternative Medication: Differences between English Speakers, English Speakers of Color, and Spanish Speakers of Color:

The current study implements a qualitative explanatory framework of consumer acculturation to explore the perceptions of Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) among recently medicated persons fr...
Toward an In-Depth Material Model for Cermet Nuclear Thermal Rocket Fuel Elements

The development and qualification of nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) fuel element technologies would be aided by an in-depth model of material response and failure modes at operating conditions. I...
Variations in Mitral Valve Leaflet and Scallop Anatomy on Three-Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiography.

Background Textbook depictions of the mitral valve (MV) often illustrate it as composed of a single nonscalloped anterior leaflet, with the posterior leaflet having three symmetric and evenly spaced scallops. However, common variations in this anatomy have been noted in autopsy series for decades. Improved cardiac imaging with three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) now affords the ability to detect variations in scallop anatomy in vivo. The aims of this study were to catalog variations in mitral anatomy and to examine for association with mitral regurgitation in patients referred for clinical three-dimensional TEE. Methods Three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiographic images of the MV from 107 subjects were reviewed for MV variations. Three-dimensional analysis software was used to characterize mitral leaflet anatomy and assess the relative sizes of posterior leaflet scallops. Results Variations from the classic MV configuration were seen in 58.9%. Symmetric variations in the posterior leaflet (dominant P2 scallop, accessory P2 scallop, absent P2 scallop, and dichotomous P2 scallop) were seen in 33.6% of the study group. Asymmetric variants in the posterior leaflet (fused P1 and P2, fused P2 and P3, commissural scallop, accessory scallops, dichotomous P1 or P3, and dominant P2 or P3) were seen in 24.3%. Indentations or folds in the anterior leaflet were noted in 5.6%. Leaflet variations were not associated with patient demographics, indication for TEE, mitral regurgitation, mitral annular dimensions, or Carpentier class. Conclusions Mitral leaflet morphologic variants were well characterized using three-dimensional TEE. Variants are common and were present with a frequency consistent with autopsy series. Mitral scallop variations were not associated with mitral regurgitation.
COCAINE-INDUCED MIDLINE DESTRUCTIVE LESIONS: TWO CASE REPORTS

BACKGROUND Chronic cocaine insufflation contributes to progressive damage of the sino-nasal mucosa. This is primarily attributed to the potent vasoconstrictive properties of cocaine, producing ischemic necrosis. In a small percentage of cocaine abusers, these damages culminate in the destruction of osteocartilagenous structures of the nasal cavity. The most common manifestations are nasal septal perforation, palatal perforation, and lateral nasal wall destruction involving the nasal turbinates. When at least 2 of these manifestations are detected, the diagnosis of a cocaine-induced midline destructive lesion (CIMDL) should be considered in the potential etiology. CASE REPORT Most CIMDL lesions are asymptomatic, limited in extent, and incidentally detected. We present 2 cases of asymptomatic CIMDLs first recognized as incidental findings on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans. Both cases presented with nasal septal perforation and varying degrees of lateral wall erosion of the nasal turbinates. The medical histories did not include prior surgeries or pathologic conditions that could account for these midline lesions. On further inquiry, the patients admitted to chronic recreational use of cocaine. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS The radiologic appearance of CIMDL mimics granulomatosis with polyangiitis. In granulomatosis with polyangiitis, sino-nasal symptoms are present in almost all affected individuals and are often the first manifestations of the disease. Moreover, soft tissue nodules often accompany any osseocartilaginous destruction. Other inflammatory diseases, infectious diseases, and neoplasms may also have similar manifestations. Therefore, attributing midline destructive lesions to cocaine use is challenging yet paramount given the variety of possible etiologies and the potential implications for patient care. However, patients are often reluctant to disclose a history of recreational drug use. The disclosure of cocaine use is essential to establish the correct diagnosis and to avoid unnecessary or inappropriate diagnostic testing. Nevertheless, in the absence of cocaine use, a thorough medical examination and appropriate laboratory tests will be necessary to rule out other etiologies.
Case Studies in Social Death: The Criminalization and Dehumanization of Six Black and Latino Boys

To fully grasp the systems of oppression youth of color must navigate, educators must consider their experiences outside as well as inside the classroom. This paper adds to the small but growing body of literature across fields highlighting how Black and Latinx youth are simultaneously positioned by schools and the justice system as criminals that must be contained and removed from school and society. This paper argues that the concept of social death, which refers to social suffering as a result of criminalization and dehumanization, helps contextualize the process by which carceral oppression manifests in students’ lives. Based on an interview study with thirty adults who were first incarcerated as adolescents, this paper focuses on three Black and three Latino male participants’ experiences with social death in schools and their neighborhoods.
PHIDL: Python-based layout and geometry creation for nanolithography

Computer-aided design (CAD) has become a critical element in the creation of nanopatterned structures and devices. In particular, with the increased adoption of easy-to-learn programming languages like python, there has been a significant rise in the amount of lithographic geometries generated through scripting and programming. However, there are currently unaddressed gaps in usability for open-source CAD tools—especially those in the GDSII design space—that prevent wider adoption by scientists and students who might otherwise benefit from scripted design. For example, constructing relations between adjacent geometries is often much more difficult than necessary—spacing a resonator structure a few micrometers from a readout structure often requires manually coding the placement arithmetic. While inconveniences like these can be overcome by writing custom functions, they are often significant barriers to entry for new users or those less familiar with programming. To help streamline the design process and reduce barrier to entry for scripting designs, we have developed PHIDL, an open-source GDSII-based CAD tool for python.
The electron microscopy of macromolecules.

Publisher Summary Macromolecular particles derived from living matter serve as frameworks and fabrics to support more actively metabolizing components, such as the respiratory proteins and the enzymes. Macromolecules fulfill their purposes by being centers of intense chemical activity. The particles of macromolecular dimensions, with the help of the electron microscope, permit the study of organization within biological structures on a new and more fundamental level. Macromolecular particles of many different types are accessible to observation and photography. They are of essentially two kinds— namely, proteins and other substances that can be obtained as solutions or suspensions, which can be purified and crystallized, and parts of a more or less insoluble macromolecular fabric. The factors determining macromolecular visibility include: (1) resolution, (2) contrast, (3) substrate, and (4) specimen. The two phases that are essentially recognized in electron microscopy of macromolecular particles include the historical phase and the phase of the present-day development. Electron microscopy also permits to visualize the arrangement of the molecules both in crystals and in other solids, whose particle arrangement is not sufficiently ordered to give useful X-ray diffraction.
Deficient In Vitro and In Vivo Phagocytosis of Apoptotic T Cells by Resident Murine Alveolar Macrophages

Apoptotic lymphocytes are readily identified in murine lungs, both during the response to particulate Ag and in normal mice. Because apoptotic lymphocytes are seldom detected in other organs, we hypothesized that alveolar macrophages (AMphi) clear apoptotic lymphocytes poorly. To test this hypothesis, we compared in vitro phagocytosis of apoptotic thymocytes by resident AMphi and peritoneal macrophages (PMphi) from normal C57BL/6 mice. AMphi were deficient relative to PMphi both in percentage containing apoptotic thymocytes (19.1 +/- 1% vs 96 +/- 2.6% positive) and in phagocytic index (0.23 +/- 0.02 vs 4.2 +/- 0.67). This deficiency was not due to kinetic differences, was seen with six other inbred mouse strains, and was not observed using carboxylate-modified polystyrene microbeads. Annexin V blockade indicated that both Mphi types cleared apoptotic T cells by a mechanism involving phosphatidylserine expression. By contrast, neither mAb blockade of a variety of receptors (CD11b, CD29, CD51, and CD61) known to be involved in clearance of apoptotic cells, nor the tetrapeptide RGDS (arginine-glycine-aspartic acid-serine) blocked ingestion by either type of macrophage. To confirm these studies, apoptotic thymocytes were given intratracheally or i.p. to normal mice, and then AMphi or PMphi were recovered 30-240 min later. Ingestion of apoptotic thymocytes by AMphi in vivo was significantly decreased at all times. Defective ingestion of apoptotic lymphocytes may preserve AMphi capacity to produce proinflammatory cytokines in host defense, but could contribute to development of autoimmunity by failing to eliminate nucleosomes.
Virtual Team Performance in Crowdsourcing Contest: A Social Network Perspective

Social media technologies have made it feasible for organizations to tap "wisdom of the crowd" beyond their own workforce. Many organizations use online crowd sourcing contests to find solutions for their business problems. In these contests, self-organized virtual teams compete for monetary reward. Motivated by this phenomenon, this research investigates how the social network structure of a virtual team impacts its performance in the context of online crowd sourcing contests. Specifically, we empirically assess the impacts of member social-capital, intellectual-capital, and the alignment of these two measures on team performances. Our analysis suggests that the alignment of member social-capital and intellectual-capital has a negative impact on team performances. Our findings have strategic implications to participants of virtual crowd sourcing competitions and to the design of virtual work teams.
Research Work for Clarifying the Mechanism of White Structure Flaking and Extending the Life of Bearings

Bearings used in electrical engine-driven accessories, such as alternators and air conditioner (A/C) compressor pulleys, generate flaking related to non-metallic inclusions of unusual microstructure (white structure flaking), which occurs at one-tenth to one-twentieth of the calculated bearing life. In this paper, we will describe our investigation of the mechanism of white structure flaking, and report on how we achieved extended service life of engine-driven accessory bearings by implementing an evaluation of white structure flaking based on the discovered mechanism. We verified that the tribochemical reaction of grease, and statistic electricity generated by friction between the drive belt and pulley were the main culprits of white structure flaking. White structure flaking was further augmented by hydrogen invading the bearing steel, which further impaired bearing life.
Cyclopia in association with D trisomy and gonadal agenesis

Abstract A cyclops with D trisomy and gonadal agenesis is described. The etiology of cyclopia and the chromosomal aberrations so far reported are reviewed and the genital abnormalities seen in D trisomy are discussed.
Resistance to American foulbrood in honey bees: VII. Growth of resistant and susceptible larvae

Abstract Growth of larvae of two genetically different lines of the honey bee, Apis mellifera, one resistant and one susceptible to American foulbrood (AFB) disease, was determined in three genetically different nurse colonies. Larval weight of the resistant line were significantly greater than larval weights of the susceptible line from the 48-hr to the 144-hr age when reared in the same colony. Larvae reared in a nurse colony of the susceptible line weighed significantly more at 24-hr to 120-hr ages than genetically similar larvae reared in a colony of the resistant line. Larvae reared in a commercial hybrid nurse colony ranged from intermediate to approximately the same weight as those reared in the susceptible colony. All larvae reached approximately similar weights by 144 hr of age.
Localized components analysis

We introduce Localized Components Analysis (LoCA) for describing surface shape variation in an ensemble of biomedical objects using a linear subspace of spatially localized shape components. In contrast to earlier methods, LoCA optimizes explicitly for localized components and allows a flexible trade-off between localized and concise representations. Experiments comparing LoCA to a variety of competing shape representation methods on 2D and 3D shape ensembles establish the superior ability of LoCA to modulate the locality-conciseness trade-off and generate shape components corresponding to intuitive modes of shape variation. Our formulation of locality in terms of compatibility between pairs of surface points is shown to be flexible enough to enable spatially-localized shape descriptions with attractive higher-order properties such as spatial symmetry.
Computer graphics optique optical superposition of projected computer graphics

We present some ideas and demonstrations for a hybrid projectorbased rendering and display technique we call Computer Graphics Optique. Instead of partially overlapping projected images to achieve a wide-area display, we completely overlap projected images on top of each other to achieve the addition of light and color in an "optical composition buffer." The idea is to use the optical composition to replace some analytical computation, to increase rendering speed, gain flexibility, intensity range, and intensity resolution. Where projector-based displays are appropriate, potential uses include the optical realization of certain effects normally requiring a digital accumulation buffer, the optical composition of heterogeneous lighting techniques, and the ability to use heterogeneous graphics engines, in parallel. In addition one can make use of the optical projector control of focus augmented with the optical superposition to achieve effects that are otherwise computationally expensive. We believe that this technique offers the possibility of a new paradigm for combined rendering and projector-based display.
An Exploratory Non‐Destructive Provenance Analysis of Two Middle Archaic Greenstone Pendants from Little Salt Spring, Florida, USA

Test excavations in 2005 and 2006 of the Little Salt Spring mortuary pond in Southwest Florida (USA) yielded two exotic stone pendants indirectly dated to the Middle Archaic (7000–5000 14C year B.P.). Hand-specimen petrographic observation, combined with non-destructive environmental scanning electron microscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, and whole-rock X-ray diffraction, identified the pendants as (1) a mica-plagioclase-edenite amphibolite or schist and (2) an intermediate pyroxene- and/or amphibole-bearing granitoid. Provenance was broadly constrained to a number of potential sources in the southern Appalachian Piedmont of the United States (at a minimum distance of 650 km from the archaeological findspot) utilizing the United States Geological Survey's National Geologic Map Database lithologic search tool (GEOLEX) and Mineral Resources On-Line Spatial Data GIS database. Due to the absence of lithologic matches within the state of Florida, we propose that the two artifacts most likely arrived at Little Salt Spring through down-the-line exchange of materials of prestige value with geologic origins in the southern Appalachian Piedmont, arguing for the existence of small-scale long-distance lithic exchange networks reaching into Archaic Florida. From a methodological standpoint, this study illustrates the potential utility of data collected under nonideal, non-destructive analytical conditions for deriving meaningful archaeological interpretations.
Responses to and Outcomes of Treatment of Autoimmune Cerebellar Ataxia in Adults.

Importance Classic Purkinje cell cytoplasmic antibody type 1 (PCA-1, or anti-Yo) paraneoplastic cerebellar ataxia has a poor prognosis, yet little has been published otherwise regarding treatment responses and outcomes among patients with autoimmune cerebellar ataxia. Objectives To investigate treatment responses and outcomes in adults with autoimmune cerebellar ataxia. Design, Setting, and Participants A cohort study conducted at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, included 118 patients who had ataxia, were 18 years or older, were seropositive for at least 1 neural autoantibody, had received at least 1 immunotherapy or cancer therapy, and had neurologist-reported outcomes documented from January 1, 1989, through December 31, 2013. Data were collected from May 14, 2013, through August 9, 2014, and analyzed from August 9, 2014, through April 27, 2015. Responses to immunotherapy (corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, plasma exchange, and immunosuppressants) and ambulatory outcomes were compared between different subgroups. Subgroups were classified as paraneoplastic vs nonparaneoplastic disorders; neuronal nuclear and/or cytoplasmic (NNC) antibody positivity vs plasma membrane protein (PMP) antibody positivity; and glutamic acid decarboxylase 65-kDa isoform (GAD65) antibody positivity vs PMP antibody positivity. Main Outcomes and Measures Response to therapy and ambulatory ability, with univariate logistic regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses. Results Inclusion criteria were met by 118 patients. Median age at onset of neurologic symptoms was 58 (range, 27-83) years, and 87 patients (73.7%) were women. Median duration from symptom onset to last follow-up was 25 (range, 2-223) months. Sixty-three patients had paraneoplastic and 55 patients had nonparaneoplastic ataxic disorders. Eighty-one patients were seropositive for NNC antibodies (most commonly PCA-1 [anti-Yo], antineuronal nuclear antibody type 1 [anti-Hu], and GAD65 antibody); 22 patients, for neural PMP receptor or ion channel antibodies (most commonly targeting P/Q- or N-type voltage-gated calcium channels); and 15 patients, for antibodies from both categories. Neurologic improvements occurred in 54 patients (with a robust change in ambulatory ability in 22) attributable to immunotherapy; univariate regression analysis revealed that improvements were significantly more common among patients with nonparaneoplastic disorders ( P = .03) and those with exclusively PMP antibodies ( P = .02). Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed that progression to wheelchair dependence occurred significantly faster among patients with NNC antibody positivity only ( P = .02), although those with GAD65 autoimmunity progressed to wheelchair dependence at a rate similar to those with PMP autoimmunity ( P = .92). Conclusions and Relevance Although autoimmune ataxia is usually severe, treatment responses can be gratifying, particularly in patients with nonparaneoplastic disorders and in those harboring autoantibodies directed against GAD65 or neural PMPs.
ArgMax and ArgMin: transitional probabilistic models in cognitive radio mesh networks

The erratic nature of spectrum availability and diversity imposes the use of a probabilistic framework for channel selection in cognitive radio networks protocol design. In this work, two probability distributions called ArgMax and ArgMin are proposed, which have broad applications in channel selection mechanisms, routing, and media access control protocols. The ArgMax probability distribution locates the maximum random variable among a set of random variables, while the ArgMin locates the minimum random variable. We show that the ArgMax probability distribution is a better candidate than the frequently used odds-on-mean probability distribution through theoretical analysis and simulation. The ArgMin probability distribution has a variety of applications and is shown to be useful in achieving a lower bound on the network's minimum spectral capacity. In simulation, we develop a probabilistic selection routing procedure PSRP that adopts the ArgMax probability distribution to guide packets throughout the network. The stochastic framework of probabilistic selection routing procedure is also an appropriate skeleton for building stochastic-based routing protocols for dynamic networks such as cognitive radio networks. The simulation results suggest that ArgMax enables the routing scheme to adapt to the network dynamic more quickly and to more accurately locate the best candidate to route to than the odds-on-mean probability distribution. The ArgMax enhances the network throughput and end-to-end delay by over 30% when network load increases. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Meat and Soy Protein Affect Calcium Homeostasis in Healthy Women

We showed that increasing dietary protein from omnivorous sources increases intestinal calcium absorption and urinary calcium, whereas a low-protein diet decreases calcium absorption and lowers urinary calcium. To assess the effect of soy protein on this relation, we substituted soy for meat in high- and low-protein diets fed to healthy women. The study consisted of a 2-wk adjustment period followed by a 4-d experimental period in which 20 healthy women consumed, in random order, the following 4 diets: high-protein soy-based, low-protein soy-based, high-protein meat-based, low-protein meat-based. Measures of calcium homeostasis were evaluated at baseline and after 4 d of the experimental period. At 24 h, net acid excretion was higher during the high- compared with the low-protein intervention (P < 0.05), and during the meat compared with the soy intervention (P < 0.05). The high-protein diets increased 24-h urinary calcium (P < 0.001), but urinary calcium did not differ due to the type of protein. Serum concentrations of parathyroid hormone and calcitriol, and urinary nephrogenous cAMP were higher during the low- compared with the high-protein intervention and during the soy compared with the meat protein (P < 0.05). In a subset of subjects, intestinal calcium absorption tended to be lower (P = 0.1) when they consumed the soy diets rather than the meat diets. These data indicate that when soy protein is substituted for meat protein, there is an acute decline in dietary calcium bioavailability.
Forms of Knowledge in Early Modern Asia

SHELDON POLLOCK (ed.). Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2011. 376 pp. US$24.95, paper. Although Orientalism and colonial knowledge have been the subjects of intense scholarly inquiry for several ...
Nonlinear phase noise in coherent optical OFDM transmission systems

We derive an analytical formula to estimate the variance of nonlinear phase noise caused by the interaction of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise with fiber nonlinearity such as self-phase modulation (SPM), cross-phase modulation (XPM), and four-wave mixing (FWM) in coherent orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. The analytical results agree very well with numerical simulations, enabling the study of the nonlinear penalties in long-haul coherent OFDM systems without extensive numerical simulation. Our results show that the nonlinear phase noise induced by FWM is significantly larger than that induced by SPM and XPM, which is in contrast to traditional WDM systems where ASE-FWM interaction is negligible in quasi-linear systems. We also found that fiber chromatic dispersion can reduce the nonlinear phase noise. The variance of the total phase noise increases linearly with the bit rate, and does not depend significantly on the number of subcarriers for systems with moderate fiber chromatic dispersion.
Role of TLR5 and Flagella in Bacillus Intraocular Infection

B. cereus possesses flagella which allow the organism to migrate within the eye during a blinding form of intraocular infection called endophthalmitis. Because flagella is a ligand for Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5), we hypothesized that TLR5 contributed to endophthalmitis pathogenesis. Endophthalmitis was induced in C57BL/6J and TLR5−/− mice by injecting 100 CFU of B. cereus into the mid-vitreous. Eyes were analyzed for intraocular bacterial growth, retinal function, and inflammation by published methods. Purified B. cereus flagellin was also injected into the mid-vitreous of wild type C57BL/6J mice and inflammation was analyzed. TLR5 activation by B. cereus flagellin was also analyzed in vitro. B. cereus grew rapidly and at similar rates in infected eyes of C57BL/6J and TLR5−/− mice. A significant loss in retinal function in both groups of mice was observed at 8 and 12 hours postinfection. Retinal architecture disruption and acute inflammation (neutrophil infiltration and proinflammatory cytokine concentrations) increased and were significant at 8 and 12 hours postinfection. Acute inflammation was comparable in TLR5−/− and C57BL/6J mice. Physiological concentrations of purified B. cereus flagellin caused significant inflammation in C57BL/6J mouse eyes, but not to the extent of that observed during active infection. Purified B. cereus flagellin was a weak agonist for TLR5 in vitro. These results demonstrated that the absence of TLR5 did not have a significant effect on the evolution of B. cereus endophthalmitis. This disparity may be due to sequence differences in important TLR5 binding domains in B. cereus flagellin or the lack of flagellin monomers in the eye to activate TLR5 during infection. Taken together, these results suggest a limited role for flagellin/TLR5 interactions in B. cereus endophthalmitis. Based on this and previous data, the importance of flagella in this disease lies in its contribution to the motility of the organism within the eye during infection.
Affirmation of triggered Jovian radio emissions and their attribution to corotating radio lasers

It is argued that the original statistical evidence for the existence of triggered radio emissions and corotating radio lasers on Jupiter remains valid notwithstanding the critique of Desch and Kaiser (1985). The Voyager radio spectrograms used to identify the triggered emissions are analyzed and the results are discussed. It is shown that the critique by Desch and Kaiser is unjustified because it is not based on the original event criteria, i.e., the correlation between the occurrence of Jovian auroral kilometric radiation and fast-drift type III solar bursts in the same frequency.
Differentiation of plants from tobacco mosaic virus inclusion-bearing and inclusion-free single tobacco cells

Abstract Tobacco callus cells from normal and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) infected Nicotiana tabacum Havana 38 plants were studied by phase contrast microscopy. The cells infected with TMV frequently had hexagonal crystals, gray plates, paracrystalline needles of various shapes, and spherical bodies occasionally bearing hexagonal plates. Early stages of formation of hexagonal plates and paracrystalline fibers were observed. The spherical bodies started as blebs in cytoplasmic strands which enlarged and eventually separated. The number of inclusion-bearing cells gradually declined during successive passages, but two isolates showed inclusions even after 16 passages. Inclusion-bearing cells had a higher virus concentration than inclusion-free cells. Only 10 and 70 cells, respectively, divided out of 100 inclusion-bearing cells and 150 inclusion-free cells. Eventually 5 and 65 formed colonies when cultured singly in microchambers. The amount of infective virus in these clones varied considerably. Three clones were free of virus. The virus-containing and virus-free single cell clones readily differentiated when grown on Murashige and Skoog medium with 4 mg/liter kinetin and 1.5 mg/liter indoleacetic acid. Plantlets were transferred to White's medium, rooted, and subsequently grown in pots. Healthy and virus-infected plants were thus obtained from infected single cells. Single cells infected with TMV were capable of division and colony formation, and supported virus multiplication. The morphogenetic potential of the cell to develop into a plant appeared unaltered by TMV; infected cells were still totipotent.
Values and bounds for Ramsey numbers associated with polynomial iteration

Abstract Ramsey numbers similar to those of van der Waerden are examined. Rather than considering arithmetic sequences, we look at increasing sequences of positive integers {x1,x2,…,xn} for which there exists a polynomial ⨍(x)=∑ r i =0 a i x i , with aiϵZ and x j +1 =⨍(x j ) . We denote by pr(n) the least positive integer such that if [1,2,…,pr(n)] is 2-colored, then there exists a monochromatic sequence of length n generated by a polynomial of degree ⩽r. We give values for pr(n) for n⩽5, as well as lower bounds for p1(n) and p2(n). We also give an upper bound for certain Ramsey numbers that are in between pn−2(n) and the nth van der Waerden number.
Rights as Wrongs: Legality and Sacrality in Thailand

AbstractInterviews with injury victims in northern Thailand (Lanna) conveyed a pervasive sense of injustice in their daily lives but a notable absence of the language of rights. Despite the proliferation of rights-based discourses, organisations, and institutions in Thai society, interviewees tended to disfavour the pursuit of rights because they believed that resort to the legal system would subvert Lanna traditional practices and would add to the bad karma that caused their suffering in the first place. This article traces fundamental contradictions in northern Thai concepts of justice arising from the imposition of “modern” systems of law and religion by the central Thai (at that time Siamese) government in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It views the legal modernisation project as a continuation of earlier efforts to impose central control over outlying regions by curtailing what were viewed as deviant cultural practices in order to weaken rival political, religious and legal tradit...
Computation and performance issues In coliseum: an immersive videoconferencing system

Coliseum is a multiuser immersive remote teleconferencing system designed to provide collaborative workers the experience of face-to-face meetings from their desktops. Five cameras are attached to each PC display and directed at the participant. From these video streams, view synthesis methods produce arbitrary-perspective renderings of the participant and transmit them to others at interactive rates, currently about 15 frames per second. Combining these renderings in a shared synthetic environment gives the appearance of having all participants interacting in a common space. In this way, Coliseum enables users to share a virtual world, with acquired-image renderings of their appearance replacing the synthetic representations provided by more conventional avatar-populated virtual worlds. The system supports virtual mobility--participants may move around the shared space--and reciprocal gaze, and has been demonstrated in collaborative sessions of up to ten Coliseum workstations, and sessions spanning two continents. This paper summarizes the technology, and reports on issues related to its performance.
The skeleton in congenital, generalized lipodystrophy: evaluation using whole-body radiographic surveys, magnetic resonance imaging and technetium-99m bone scintigraphy

Congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL) is a rare genetic disease characterized by the absence of body fat from birth. Focal bone lesions have also been reported, but their pathophysiology is poorly understood. To characterize skeletal abnormalities further in 3 patients with CGL, we employed whole-body radiographic skeletal surveys, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, including gadolinium enhancement), and triple phase technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate bone scintigraphy. Radiographs showed numerous focal lesions within the long bones, as described in other reports. MRI showed that the entire marrow space of the long bones was abnormal and was characterized, at least in part, by the absence of marrow fat. Prolonged T1 and T2 times and marked gadolinium enhancement were observed in radiographically normal-appearing long bone. Radiographically lytic lesions occasionally demonstrated fluid-fluid levels on MRI and enhanced peripherally after gadolinium infusion. Bone scintigraphy findings such as periarticular hyperemia were relative subtle. We conclude that the appendicular skeleton of patients with CGL is diffusely abnormal and is predisposed to focal osteolysis and cyst formation.
Competitive advantages and multinational enterprises in Latin America

Abstract This article examines the competitive strengths of large, U.S.-based multinational firms in Latin American business. The literatures in business strategy and international business have conceptualized a number of competitive advantages that enable firms to outcompete their rivals. This paper draws on the theoretical literature for suggestions of specific areas of competitive advantage and then tests to see if these advantages apply in the Latin American context.
How do we trace requirements: an initial study of analyst behavior in trace validation tasks

Traceability recovery is a tedious, error-prone, person-power intensive task, even if aided by automated traceability tools. Human analysts must vet candidate traceability links retrieved by such tools and must often go looking for links that such tools fail to locate as they build a traceability matrix. This paper examines a research version of the traceability tool REquirements TRacing On target (RETRO) that logs analyst actions. We examine the user logs in order to understand how analysts work on traceability recovery tasks. Such information is a pre-requisite to understanding how to better design traceability tools to best utilize analyst time while developing a high quality final traceability matrix.
Benign stenoses of the esophagus

Most stenoses of the esophagus can be treated by a combination of diet and bouginage. The stenosis should be examined by esophagoscopy, using the open-tube method and taking a biopsy whenever there is the slightest suspicions of carcinoma. In fact, a biopsy should almost always be taken. Bouginage can be carried out at the time of esophagoscopy and further bouginage, if necessary, performed on an ambulatory basis using a previously swallowed thread as a guide. Surgery is indicated if conservative management fails, eepecially if there is intractable pain—from an esophageal ulcer or from severe esophagitis, hemorrhage, perforation, or obstruction—that fails to respond to bouginage. The incidence of benign inflammatory stenosis occurring after surgery of the stomach or esophagus is rather high and emphasizes the fact that the ideal surgical operation for benign stenosis has not been achieved. Caustic stenosis, web, and pemphigus have been briefly discussed and the high rate of occurrence of carcinoma in the different types of benign stenoses of the esophagus has been noted.
Anin situ study of plasticization of polymers by high-pressure gases

A high-pressure differential scanning calorimetric technique is described for studying polymer plasticization by compressed gases at pressures to 100 atm. The in situ measurements avoid problems due to gas desorption encountered with conventional DSCs, thus providing an accurate way to determine the change in glass transition temperature, Tg, with pressure, p. The entire Tg–p curve can be established in less than 2 days. The glass transition was observed as a sharp step in the case of 100–200-μm thin samples, whereas thicker samples gave a broad transition; highly reproducible results were obtained for the thin samples. For PS–CO2, the measured Tgs under various pressures were found to be in good agreement with literature values. Results for the systems PS–HFC134a, PVC–CO2, and PC–CO2 are also reported. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 977–982, 1998
Conversion of geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate to ent-kaurene in enzyme extracts of sonicated chloroplasts

Abstract Farnesyl pyrophosphate-[ 14 C] and geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate-[ 14 C] were biosynthesized from mevalonic acid-[2- 14 C] by cell-free enzyme extracts of pea ( Pisum sativum ) cotyledons containing MgCl 2 , MnCl 2 , ATP and AMO-1618. Maximum yields of farnesyl pyrophosphate were obtained after 30 min incubation while geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate was the primary product after 180 min. Biosynthesized geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate-[ 14 C] served as an efficient substrate for ent -kaurene biosynthesis in reaction mixtures containing cotyledon enzymes when AMO-1618 was omitted. Enzyme extracts from green pea shoot tips and chloroplasts also converted geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate to ent -kaurene in very low yields. Ent -kaurene production from mevalonic acid-[2- 14 C] in extracts of pea shoot tips was also enhanced by addition of chloroplast enzymes. This evidence indicates that kaurene synthetase is present in pea chloroplasts and adds to the possibility that some gibberellin biosynthesis may be compartmentalized in those organelles.
Glyceryl methacrylate hydrogels

Hydrophilic three-dimensional polymer networks (hydrogels) were prepared from glyceryl methacrylate (2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate). The solubility of poly(glyceryl methacrylate) in water permits the preparation of transparent hydrogels containing variable amounts of water at the equilibrium stage. This is accomplished by varying the degree of swelling at the time of network formation, and by varying the density of crosslinks. The temperature dependence of swelling of the hydrogels in water and in 0.9% sodium chloride solution, was determined. There exists a linear relationship between the refractive index and the per cent of water in the hydrogel. These hydrogels are potentially useful in ophthalmology.
Reactions of religious fundamentalists to taboo images and words.

Summary.—Some view religious fundamentalism as inclusive of fear of the world as a dangerous place. Fundamentalists are known to have extensive taboo lists, but research concerning their reactions to taboo stimuli is sparse. If fear is a basic component of fundamentalism, then reactions to taboo stimuli should be somewhat similar to common fear reactions, including subjective appraisal of discomfort, psychophysiological arousal, cognitive interference, and behavioral avoidance. The current research addressed some of these questions with three studies to examine subjective discomfort to religiously-taboo and religiously-neutral words and photographs (N = 160), physiological arousal to these same photographs (N = 129), and attentional bias on a modified Stroop test of these same words (N = 182). Although subjective appraisals of discomfort to taboo words and photographs among fundamentalists were confirmed, this research did not find that physiological responses or cognitive interference to taboo stimuli we...
Political Theory in Institutional Context: The Case of Patriot Royalism

AbstractIn the aftermath of the Stamp Act, prominent American thinkers of otherwise unquestioned Whiggish affiliation adopted an expansive view of the king’s prerogative powers while simultaneously denying Parliament’s authority to interfere in the internal governance of the colonies. Scholars have generally attributed this stance, known as “patriot royalism,” to political necessity: with no other means of disputing Parliament’s oppressive actions, desperate pamphleteers sought to revive the discredited constitutional ideas of the Stuarts. In contrast, we argue that this position was deeply rooted in the institutional context of colonial governance. More specifically, we show that revolutionary Americans directly experienced lawmaking by Privy Council and the Board of Trade over which, as a practical matter, there was no higher authority. This “conciliar” form of governance, which survived the break with England, exerted a significant influence on the constitutional framers and their handiwork.
An analogy between dispersive wave propagation and special relativity

It is shown that, with an appropriate definition of variables, the dynamics of monochromatic wave packets in a dispersive medium become, unexpectedly, identical in form to those describing the relativistic dynamics of classical mass particles. An example is provided by the analysis of wave propagation on a taut, massless string on which discrete masses are attached periodically at intervals that may be slowly dependent on position. An experiment illustrating the latter case shows the motion and the reflection of a wave packet by a gradient in the analog of a relativistic potential.
Multivariate targeting with applications to ellipse estimation

The method of target estimation developed by Cabrera and Fernholz to reduce bias and variance is extended to multivariate situations. For a p-dimensional statistic, conditions are given to ensure no bias and smaller variance after targeting. Some applications of multivariate targeting are given for location-scale families. The main application of multivariate targeting is presented for typical applied problems in computer vision such as ellipse estimation. For these cases, a computer-intensive procedure based on stochastic approximation is used to compute the target estimates corresponding to the least squares estimates of the ellipse parameters. In the examples presented, the data are discretized to the image resolution to make the situation more realistic in the context of computer vision. In most of the cases the bias and the mean square error of the least squares estimates are reduced after targeting. Comparisons with the bootstrap show the advantage of using targeting to obtain a more accurate reconstructed ellipse when only an arc of points is available.
Molecular mechanics of polycrystalline graphene with enhanced fracture toughness

Abstract Although polycrystalline graphene generated by chemical vapor deposition features defects at grain boundaries, experimental results show that the strength of polycrystalline graphene is comparable to that of the pristine graphene. This is in contrast to the widespread knowledge that defects typically weaken a material’s strength. Here, we examine why polycrystalline graphene has high strength and high fracture toughness, by combining an innovative algorithm with classical molecular dynamics simulation to systematically build well-stitched (99.8% heptagon and pentagon defects without void) polycrystalline graphene models with regular and irregular grain boundaries, and use these models to systematically examine the fracture toughness of polycrystalline graphene composed of grains of different characteristic length. Our study reveals that polycrystalline graphene under fracture releases up to 50% more energy than the pristine graphene. Per mechanism, we find that grain boundaries increase the critical energy release rate to fracture by reducing stress concentration and making branches near the crack tip. We conclude that these effects are likely governed by the out-of-plane deformation of polycrystalline graphene.
Talking with Benny: Suppressing or Supporting Learner Themes and Learner Worlds?

A third-grade Mexican American boy, failing in school, proved to be an apt and avid reader-learner when instructional talk was related to recurrent themes in his daily life. However, classroom discourse failed to support his attempts at sharing his cultural “take” on everyday occurrences. The study suggests that instructional talk can be modified in ways that invite and involve learners' lives, thus informing teachers and allowing them to engage learners more fully in school and learning.
RF communications subsystem for the Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission

Abstract The NASA Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) mission, currently in Phase B, is a two-spacecraft, Earth-orbiting mission, which will launch in 2012. The spacecraft's S-band radio frequency (RF) telecommunications subsystem has three primary functions: provide spacecraft command capability, provide spacecraft telemetry and science data return, and provide accurate Doppler data for navigation. The primary communications link to the ground is via the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory's (JHU/APL) 18 m dish, with secondary links to the NASA 13 m Ground Network and the Tracking and Data Relay Spacecraft System (TDRSS) in single-access mode. The on-board RF subsystem features the APL-built coherent transceiver and in-house builds of a solid-state power amplifier and conical bifilar helix broad-beam antennas. The coherent transceiver provides coherency digitally, and controls the downlink data rate and encoding within its field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The transceiver also provides a critical command decoder (CCD) function, which is used to protect against box-level upsets in the CD therefore, the mission is designed such that no communications are required close to 90° from the spin axis due to the interferometer effect from the two antennas. To maximize the total downlink volume from the spacecraft, the CCSDS File Delivery Protocol (CFDP) has been baselined for the RBSP mission. During real-time ground contacts with the APL ground station, downlinked files are checked for errors. Handshaking between flight and ground CFDP software results in requests to retransmit only the file fragments lost due to dropouts. This allows minimization of RF link margins, thereby maximizing data rate and thus data volume.