cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of hot water treatments on the safety and quality of Fusarium-infected malting barley

Utilization of Fusarium-infected barley for malting may lead to mycotoxin contamination of malt and decreased malt quality. Hot water treatments may prevent or reduce safety and quality defects and allow use of otherwise good quality barley. We evaluated hot water treatments for preventing Fusarium growth and mycotoxin production while maintaining barley-malt characteristics. Four barley lots with varying deoxynivalenol (DON) concentrations were hot water-treated at 45 or 50 degrees C for 0, 1, 5, 12, and 20 min. Treated barley was malted in a pilot-scale malting unit. Barley and malt were analyzed for Fusarium infection (FI), germinative energy (GE), aerobic plate count (APC), mold and yeast count (MYC), and DON. Malt quality parameters included malt extract, soluble protein, wort color, wort viscosity, free amino nitrogen, alpha-amylase, and diastatic power. Significant decreases in FI occurred within 1 min at both 45 degrees C (41-66%) and 50 degrees C (51-69%) in all barley samples. Significant reductions in APC (1.0-1.8 log) and MYC (1.7-1.8 log) in barley were observed after 5 min at both temperatures. The largest reductions for DON were observed in malts prepared from barley treated with hot water at 45 degrees C (79-93%) and 50 degrees C (84-88%) for 20 min. GE and most of the malt quality parameters were only affected when barley was treated at 50 degrees C for 12 and 20 min. The results suggest that hot water treatments may offer the potential for treating mildly FHB infected malting barley.
Reconstruction Filters for 3-D NMR Tomography with Planar Integrals

Reconstruction filters for 3-D NMR tom-ography with planar projections are discussed. In 3-D tomography with planar projections, the mathematical reconstruction filter in the time domain is equal to the square of time variable. Two generalized filter functions are introduced. Simulation results comparing these filters are presented.
Analysis of dispersed-phase systems: Fresh perspective

Dispersed-phase systems are analyzed with a fresh perspective where the volume fraction of the dispersed phase is emphasized, not particle numbers as in population balance. Such volume fraction balances are more pertinent to engineering because they deal with the amount of the dispersed phase relative to that of the continuous phase. Although it is easy to make detailed volume fraction balances directly or from population balance, many interesting features are identified here with balance equations in terms of volume fraction, which simply characterize the dispersion process and structure the resulting equation. They lead to equivalent “single-particle” (comprising the entire dispersed phase) processes which can be simulated with great simplicity allowing rapid calculation of quantities associated with the dispersed phase and dispersion. The techniques can solve an inverse problem for mass-transfer coefficients of individual droplets from (simulated) measurements of the bivariate distribution of drop size and concentration of a transferring solute. Such inverse problem method is important in developing experimental techniques techniques to measure multivariate population distributions such as those of Bae and Tavlarides (1989) and of flow cytometry.
Blazing a new IT project management career

IT project management is no easy undertaking, but in the context of the university, it presents a uniquely complex challenge. The introduction of IT project management methodology in to an academic culture, a culture of technology cowboys and free spirits, is no small task and might even be considered cultural heresy or simply complete madness.I had been in the role of computer lab support and management for nearly eight years and had managed projects in the form of new computer lab set-ups and upgrades. These projects would include managing everything from electrical and networking layouts, furniture layouts including ADA compliance, lighting, and then the technology selection, installation, and configuration. With a change of leadership in our division, new career opportunity presented itself and so I made the change in my professional path to learn about project management. I had the transferable skills, the designated trail guides, a readiness to navigate the complex-terrain of IT project management, and a complete belief that this was a well-charted and safe trail to take.This paper and presentation is about one person's early journey on the professional trail of project management. My manager and I will share experiences, lessons learned, tips to for navigating bumpy roads, and reflections and suggestions for anyone who finds himself or herself on a similar path.
The brain renin-angiotensin system in transgenic mice carrying a highly regulated human renin transgene

We previously reported the generation of 2 novel transgenic mouse models containing the human renin (hREN) gene encoded on P1 artificial chromosomes (PAC) containing large amounts of 5'-flanking DNA. These mice exhibit a very narrow tissue-specific expression profile and exhibit tightly regulated expression in kidney in response to physiological cues. In brain, transcription of hREN occurs from an alternative upstream promoter, causing translation to initiate within exon-II and potentially generating an intracellular form of active renin. Double transgenic mice containing a PAC transgene and the human angiotensinogen (hAGT) gene (P+/A+) are moderately hypertensive. We tested whether increased RAS activity in the brain contributes to the mechanism of hypertension in P+/A+ double transgenic mice. Expression of hREN mRNA in brain was confirmed in 4 independent PAC transgenic lines and utilization of the alternative transcription start site in brain was confirmed in each line. Human REN immunostaining was observed in the dorsal cochlear nucleus, hypothalamus, and cortex. P+/A+ mice exhibited a greater fall in mean arterial pressure after intracerebroventricular injection of losartan than controls. P+/A+ mice exhibited a greater drop in arterial pressure after intravenous injection of a vasopressin V(1) receptor antagonist, and an equivalent drop in arterial pressure after intravenous injection of a ganglion blocker compared with controls. These results support the hypothesis that renin is endogenously expressed in the brain and suggest that increased brain RAS activity may contribute to the maintenance of moderate hypertension in P+/A+ transgenic mice at least in part by a vasopressin-dependent mechanism.
Antiphospholipid antibodies in young adults with stroke.

Background. Antiphospholipid antibodies have been associated with a clinical syndrome consisting thrombosis and recurrent, unexplained fetal loss. Methods. The literature pertaining to stroke associated with antiphospholipid antibodies, with emphasis on stroke in young adults, was reviewed. Results. Antiphospholipid antibodies are an independent risk factor for stroke in young adults in five of six studies. Multiple antiphospholipid specificities or the Lupus Anticoagulant were tested in addition to anticardiolipin antibody in these studies. In the single study that found no increased risk for stroke, only anticardiolipin antibody was tested. Only one of these studies evaluated for risk of recurrent stroke in young adults with antiphospholipid antibodies and found it to be increased. No treatment trials have been conducted in young adults with antiphospholipid antibodies and stroke. In the single treatment trial comparing aspirin and low-INR producing doses of warfarin to prevent recurrent stroke, both were found to be equally effective. Conclusions. Antiphospholipid antibodies, particularly Lupus Anticoagulant, is an independent risk factor for first and possibly recurrent ischemic stroke in young adults. The best therapeutic strategy for preventing antiphospholipid antibody-associated recurrent stroke is not clear.
Packet scheduling for QoS support in IEEE 802.16 broadband wireless access systems

In this paper we introduce a scheduling algorithm and admission control policy for IEEE 802.16 broadband wireless access standard. The proposed solution which is practical and compatible to the IEEE 802.16 standard, provides QoS support to different traffic classes. To the best of our knowledge this is the first such algorithm. The simulation studies show that the proposed solution includes QoS support for all types of traffic classes as defined by the standard. We have shown the relationship between traffic characteristics and its QoS requirements and the network performance. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Psychology of Women Students' Self-Concepts, Attitudes, and Assertiveness: A Decade of Research.

In two studies, 1 compared students' pretest-posttest scores on self-concept, attitudes, and assertiveness in Psychology of Women and other psychology courses taught by women. In the 1970s, I conducted the study to determine if emphasizing intellectual mastery in Psychology of Women facilitated personal change. I replicated the study to determine if students in the 1 980s differed from students in the 1970s on these measures. The data indicated that intellectual mastery in Psychology of Women facilitated personal change in both decades. Students in the 1980s were neither significantly different from students in the I 970s on pretest scores nor in their reports of personal change at posttest. Students' scores on these measures have not changed, and Psychology of Women courses emphasizing intellectual mastery continue to serve a dual purpose.
Corneal endothelial autocrine trophic factor VIP in a mechanism-based strategy to enhance human donor cornea preservation for transplantation.

Abstract Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) are identified as autocrines of human corneal endothelial (CE) cells working in concert to maintain the differentiated state and promote the survival of the corneal endothelium. From VIP gene knockdown study, endogenous VIP is shown to maintain the level of the differentiation marker, the adhesion molecule N-cadherin, CE cell size, shape, and retention, in situ in the human donor corneoscleral explants. Exogenous VIP protects the corneal endothelium against the killing effect of oxidative stress, in part by upholding ATP levels in CE cells dying of oxidative stress-induced injury, allowing them to die of an apoptotic death instead of an acute necrotic one. The switch from the acute necrosis to the programmed cell death (apoptosis) may have allowed the injured CE cell to be rescued by the VIP-upregulated pathways, including those of Bcl-2 and N-cadherin, and resulted in long-term CE cell survival. The endogenous VIP in CE cells is upregulated by CNTF, which is released by CE cells surviving the oxidative stress. The CNTF receptor (CNTFRα) is expressed in CE cells in human donor corneoscleral explant and gradually becomes lost during corneal storage. VIP treatment (10−8 M, 37 °C, 30 min) prior to storage of freshly dissected human donor corneoscleral explants increases their CE cell CNTFRα level and responsiveness to CNTF in upregulating the gap junctional protein connexin-43 expression. VIP treatment of both fresh and preserved corneoscleral explants reduces CE damage in the corneoscleral explants and in the corneal buttons trephined from them. CE cell loss is a critical risk factor in corneal graft failure at any time in the life of the graft, which can be as late as 5–10 years after an initially successful transplant. A new procedure, Descemet’s stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK), which is superior to the traditional full thickness transplantation in many aspects, nevertheless subjects the corneal endothelium to extensive mechanical forces, resulting in even more pronounced CE cell loss than the traditional technique. Whereas it is known that cells transduce mechanical stress through N-cadherin, stimulation of the N-cadherin pathway increases the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 expression. Since N-cadherin and Bcl-2 in the corneal endothelium are both upregulated by VIP, we aim to strengthen the CE sheet by VIP treatments of the corneoscleral explants for full thickness traditional corneal transplantation and pre-cut corneas for DSAEK.
The effects of gas sparging on growth and glucose utilization of Zymomonas mobilis at low glucose concentrations

In a batch culture of Zymomonas mobilis the specific growth and specific glucose uptake rates and the molar growth yields were similar under CO2 and N2 sparging. The use of N2 or N2 with nucleation agents to strip dissolved CO2 from the medium did not improve growth rates or yields or enhance glucose consumption rates. Carbon dioxide produced no direct feedback inhibition on metabolic rates. The catabolic enzymes of Z. mobilis are not allosterically controlled by CO2.
Nothing Good Will Come from Giving Up on Aetiological Accounts of Teleology

One reason that developments in synthetic biology are philosophically interesting is that they force us to reconsider a central dogma of environmental ethics, namely that there is some fundamental difference between artifacts and organisms such that the latter have goods or interests of their own that are due moral consideration while the former do not. The creation of entities that are at the same time artifacts and organisms forces us to clarify and reflect on existing accounts of the metaphysical and moral distinctions many environmental ethicists have wanted to make between entities of these kinds. In “Biological Interests, Normative Functions, and Synthetic Biology”, Sune Holm (2012) explores the challenge that synthetic or fully artifactual organisms raise for one of the most prominent accounts that supports the central dogma just described. While various environmental ethicists have attempted to ground the interests, goods, or welfare of non-sentient organisms in their teleological organization, Varner (1998) was the first to leverage the aetiological theory of biological function to explain how it is that nonsentient organisms are so organized and so come to have interests. According to Holm, the creation of artifactual organisms calls into question the adequacy of Varner’s account because such organisms, even were they intrinsically identical to some other, naturally occurring organism, would lack interests. Holm then attempts to address this inadequacy by substituting an alternative account of biological interests. While I am very much sympathetic with Holm’s criticisms of the particulars of Varner’s account, we need not reject the aetiological account as the basis of claims about organismic interests; to do so would be to throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater. To see why this is so, consider Holm’s criticism of Varner. Holm asks Philos. Technol. (2012) 25:543–546 DOI 10.1007/s13347-012-0079-2
Network Conditions for Organizational Change

Understanding the overall network structure of organizations can help managers to support change. This article describes three different network theories of change, exploring the underlying assumptions and implications of each model. First, the E-I model predicts that cross-departmental friendship ties will help generate positive response to change in organizations by fostering trust and shared identity. The viscosity model predicts that introducing controversial (not clearly good or bad) change into the periphery of an organization and carefully regulating the interaction of innovators and nonadopters provides the best chance that it will diffuse successfully. Finally, the structural leverage theory presents a mathematical model that supports broad diffusion of clearly superior change, informing as many people as possible about the change.
Perceptions of infertility information and support sources among female patients who access the Internet

Objective To evaluate perceived helpfulness of and reliance on infertility information and support sources and correlates of online information and support seeking among infertile women. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Web site of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. Patient(s) A total of 567 infertile women responded to an invitation. Intervention(s) Self-administered online questionnaire. Main Outcome Measure(s) Sense of being informed, perceived helpfulness of online information, perceived helpfulness of online support, perceived helpfulness of infertility specialist for information, perceived helpfulness of infertility specialist for support. Result(s) The Internet is the most heavily relied-upon source, followed by books and infertility specialists. Sense of being informed was related to patient history, comfort level with doctor, doctor's encouragement of Internet use, and reliance on infertility specialists, but not related to Internet use. Perceived helpfulness of online information was negatively related to reliance on infertility specialists for information and support. Conclusion(s) Providers should consider patients' perceptions of the Internet as an information and support source. Encouraging Internet use may help women feel comfortable talking with providers and asking questions, two major factors that contributed significantly to ratings of specialists and to these women's sense of being informed about their infertility.
Terahertz quantum interference transistors (QUIT) using one-dimensional modfet-type electron waveguides

Abstract A one-dimensional quantum interference transistor (1-D QUIT) structure consisting of two MODFET-type electron waveguides is presented. Our calculations show that the unity current-gain cut-off frequency (f τ ) of the 1-D QUIT with a charnel length of 0.25 μm is greater than 1 THz. The transconductance per unit gate width of the device is about two times better than the 2-D QUIT reported in the literature.
FINITE DIMENSIONAL NILPOTENT LIE ALGEBRAS WITH ISOMORPHIC MAXIMAL SUBALGEBRAS

Nilpotent Lie algebras with maximal subalgebras are considered. A bound on the dimension of these algebras as a function of their coclass is obtained. These algebras are then classified up to coclass two. The result is field dependent and several fields are considered.
Periodic approximations of homogenization problems

We show that any non-periodic nonlinear elliptic homogenization problem can be approximated by periodic homogenization problems. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Revascularization trumps medicine for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic angina (or does it

Chronic angina is the most common clinical manifestation of ischemic heart disease, affecting as many as 54 million people globally1 and over 10 million people in the United States.2 The prevalence of angina varies by region, and tends to affect more women than men. Although difficult to quantify, the lifetime cost of managing chronic angina approaches 1 million dollars.3 Article see p 1492 The explicit goals of therapy for managing chronic angina are to prevent major cardiovascular complications, namely nonfatal myocardial infarction/cardiovascular death, and improve quality of life.4 Both the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) classification and the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) are frequently used in both clinical trials and practice to quantify angina severity. Although common and simple to administer, CCS is relatively insensitive in discriminating angina severity, which limits its usefulness in evaluating therapeutic efficacy and quantifying patients' functional status. The SAQ is a patient-assessed questionnaire used to quantify 5 domains: physical limitation, change in angina symptoms, angina frequency, treatment satisfaction, and quality of life.5 In this issue of Circulation , Dagenais et al from the Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation 2 Diabetes (BARI 2D) study group report on the effectiveness of an initial strategy of optimal medical therapy with coronary revascularization versus optimal medical therapy alone in treating angina among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease.6 This planned substudy was designed to evaluate angina and quality of life in the 2368 such patients from BARI 2D (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00006305).7 As previously reported, the main study findings demonstrated no significant differences in serious adverse cardiovascular events, including death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or stroke at 5 years between revascularization or medical therapy alone. In the present analysis, initial coronary revascularization was superior to medical therapy in maintaining freedom from angina, preventing …
Microleakage of several amalgam systems: An animal study

Restorations placed without the application of cavity varnish to the cavity walls and the cavosurface angle exhibited significant marginal leakage after 24 hours and 3 months. At the end of 6 months a decrease in leakage was exhibited with all alloys. With the exception of two specimens, restorations placed after coating the cavity walls and the cavo-surface angle with cavity varnish demonstrated slight or no marginal leakage at all time intervals. The results of this study indicate that the marginal leakage of a conventional filing alloy, a conventional spherical alloy, and two high-copper alloys are approximately the same. The corrosion-resistant high-copper alloys showed the same degree of marginal leakage as the conventional alloys. The results of this study agree with those of a previously reported in vitro study on amalgam leakage.
Diabetes alert study: weight history and upper body obesity in diabetic and non-diabetic Mexican American adults.

SummaryHistory of adult weight gain and fat patterning is compared in Mexican American diabetics and age and sex matched non-diabetics. Diabetics differed little from non-diabetics in overall body fatness at the time of the examination. However, history of adult weight gain and current fat patterning were very different. Diabetics were heavier than non-diabetics at age 18. They subsequently gained weight faster and attained a substantially higher weight, at an earlier age, than non-diabetics. Discriminant function analysis was used to test for differences in patterning. Diabetics tend to have more trunk fat, as reflected particularly in the subscapular skinfold, and less lower extremity (leg) fat. Fat patterning in this population does not appear to be influenced by age when weight gain occurred, but is related to diabetic status, especially in women.
Aspects of iris image and iris match pair quality

Iris recognition technology has the potential to broaden to include non-ideal imaging situations, as well as scale to national-level deployments. Hence, the study of population factors, subject intrinsics, and sensing contexts that can individually or collectively impact iris recognition performance assumes increased importance. This presentation summarizes recent research on a number of such "quality variables" and motivates the need for large data sets exhibiting a variety of such non-idealities to adequately characterize performance.
Fatigue compensation during FES using surface EMG

Muscle fatigue limits the effectiveness of FES when applied to regain functional movements in spinal cord injured (SCI) individuals. The stimulation intensity must be manually increased to provide more force output to compensate for the decreasing muscle force due to fatigue. An artificial neural network (ANN) system was designed to compensate for muscle fatigue during functional electrical stimulation (FES) by maintaining a constant joint angle. Surface electromyography signals (EMG) from electrically stimulated muscles were used to determine when to increase the stimulation intensity when the muscle's output started to drop. In two separate experiments on able-bodied subjects seated in hard back chairs, electrical stimulation was continuously applied to fatigue either the biceps (during elbow flexion) or the quadriceps muscle (during leg extension) while recording the surface EMG. An ANN system was created using processed surface EMG as the input, and a discrete fatigue compensation control signal, indicating when to increase the stimulation current, as the output. In order to provide training examples and test the systems' performance, the stimulation current amplitude was manually increased to maintain constant joint angles. Manual stimulation amplitude increases were required upon observing a significant decrease in the joint angle. The goal of the ANN system was to generate fatigue compensation control signals in an attempt to maintain a constant joint angle. On average, the systems could correctly predict 78.5% of the instances at which a stimulation increase was required to maintain the joint angle. The performance of these ANN systems demonstrates the feasibility of using surface EMG feedback in an FES control system.
Adjustment of familial relatedness in association test for rare variants

High-throughput sequencing technology allows researchers to test associations between phenotypes and all the variants identified throughout the genome, and is especially useful for analyzing rare variants. However, the statistical power to identify phenotype-associated rare variants is very low with typical genome-wide association studies because of their low allele frequencies among unrelated individuals. In contrast, a family-based design may have more power because rare variants are more likely to be enriched in families than among unrelated individuals. Regardless, an analysis of family-based association studies needs to account appropriately for relatedness between family members. We analyzed the observed quantitative trait systolic blood pressure as well as the simulated Q1 data in the Genetic Analysis Workshop 18 data set using 4 tests: (a) a single-variant test, (b) a collapsing test, (c) a single-variant test where familial relatedness was accounted for, and (d) a collapsing test where familial relatedness was accounted for. We then compared the results of the 4 methods and observed that adjusting for familial relatedness could appropriately control the false-positive rate while maintaining reasonable power to detect several strongly associated variants/genes.
Device therapy: Is defibrillation testing of ICDs necessary?

Defibrillation testing during implantation of cardioverter–defibrillators is controversial because of potential safety concerns and a lack of evidence for the effectiveness of the procedure. New data from the SAFE-ICD study is helpful, but does not completely resolve the issue.
Hypertonic Saline Therapy in Cystic Fibrosis: EVIDENCE AGAINST THE PROPOSED MECHANISM INVOLVING AQUAPORINS *

Recent data indicate the clinical benefit of nebulized hypertonic saline in cystic fibrosis lung disease, with a proposed mechanism involving sustained increase in airway surface liquid volume. To account for the paradoxical observation that amiloride suppresses the beneficial effect of hypertonic saline, it has been previously concluded (Donaldson, S. H., Bennett, W. D., Zeman, K. L., Knowles, M. R., Tarran, R., and Boucher, R. C. (2006) N. Engl. J. Med. 354, 241-250) that amiloride-inhibitable aquaporin (AQP) water channels in airway epithelia modulate airway surface liquid volume. Here, we have characterized water permeability and amiloride effects in well differentiated, primary cultures of human airway epithelial cells, stably transfected Fisher rat thyroid epithelial cells expressing individual airway/lung AQPs, and perfused mouse lung. We found high transepithelial water permeability (Pf, 54 ± 5 μm/s) in airway epithelial cells that was weakly temperature-dependent and inhibited by >90% by reduced pH in the basal membrane-facing solution. Reverse transcription-PCR and immunofluorescence suggested the involvement of AQPs 3, 4, and 5 in high airway water permeability. Experiments using several sensitive measurement methods indicated that amiloride does not inhibit water permeability in non-cystic fibrosis (non-CF) or CF airway epithelia, AQP-transfected Fisher rat thyroid cells, or intact lung. Our data provide evidence against the mechanism proposed by Donaldson et al. to account for the effects of amiloride and hypertonic saline in CF lung disease, indicating the need to identify alternate mechanisms.
Seed set with potato pollen stored at low temperatures

Pollen from several tuber-bearingSolarium species was exposed to liquid nitrogen (LN2) and tested forin vitro germination and seed set capabilities. Pollen placed in LN2 or in the vapor phase above LN2 retained high levels ofin vitro germination after 11 to 24 months of storage. This pollen also set significant numbers of seed. Brief drying of the pollen over anhydrous CaCl2 prior to freezing increased survival in most samples. Rehydration of dried, LN2 treated pollen prior toin vitro germination testing was necessary to obtain maximum germination percentages. Rehydration, however, was not necessary for seed set, and in several samples decreased seed set compared to pollen that was not rehydrated. Storage of pollen from tuber-bearingSolanum species in LN2 appears to be practical for maintaining pollen for crossing and for germplasm preservation.
Quantitation of Amphotericins by Reverse-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

A reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for simultaneous potency determination of amphotericin A and amphotericin B in bulk amphotericin B preparations. This single, rapid, specific, and simple method can be used for qualitative and quantitative analyses and is proposed to replace a combination of cumbersome official tests presently in use. This new HPLC method employs an isocratic acidic phosphate bufhotericin A and amphotericin B in bulk amphotericin B preparations. This single, rapid, specific, and simple method can be used for qualitative and quantitative analyses and is proposed to replace a combination of cumbersome official tests presently in use. This new HPLC method employs an isocratic acidic phosphate buffer-methanol mixture in a reverse mode on an octade-cylsilane-bonded silica column at ambient temperature, using UV detection at 313 nm. Results obtained by HPLC compare favorably with the official assay results. During these studies, an apparent heptaenic component, not previously described, was detected in commercial amphotericin B preparations at concentrations ranging from approximately 6 to 14%.
Phosphorylation characteristics of brain clathrin-coated vesicle endogenous proteins.

Clathrin-coated vesicles purified from bovine brain express protein kinase activity on two principal endogenous vesicle-associated substrates: a 50,000-Mr polypeptide (pp50) and clathrin-associated protein2 (CAP2; the faster-migrating clathrin light chain). Various exogenous substrates, e.g., casein, phosvitin, histone II, and histone III, also are phosphorylated. The pp50 protein kinase activity of clathrin-coated vesicles is not modulated by Ca2+, calmodulin, phosphatidylserine, or cyclic AMP. On the other hand, phosphorylation of the other endogenous substrates requires certain activators, including histone, polylysine, polyarginine, or polyethylenimine. Phosphate incorporation into pp50 was sensitive to divalent cations that inhibit sulfhydryl-dependent enzymes in the following order of potency: Zn2+ greater than Hg2+ greater than Cd2+, Cu2+, and Pb2+. Phosphate incorporation into CAP2 with polylysine present was insensitive to divalent cations. The alkylating agents dithiodinitrobenzene, phenacyl bromide, and N-ethylmaleimide inhibited phosphate incorporation into pp50 up to 90% without affecting incorporation into the other substrates. Vanadium pentoxide inhibited phosphorylation of CAP2 but had a minimal effect on pp50. CAP2 kinase activity was separated from the coated vesicle membrane and from dis-assembled clathrin triskelions, coeluting with the assembly polypeptide complex on a Sepharose 4B column. It retained phosphorylation properties similar to those of intact vesicles. These data imply that clathrin-coated vesicle kinases are elements of the coat proteins and may be involved in the assembly/disassembly of clathrin triskelions or interactions of coated vesicles with other cellular components.
Majorization monotonicity of symmetrized fischer products

Given a complex n-by-n matrix A, and α⊆{1,2,…,n} denote by A[α] the principal submatrix of A lying in the rows and columns indicated by α. For a partition k=(k 1,…,kp ) of n k 1≥ċ≥kp , Σki =n, into p nonnegative integers, we define the symmetrized Fischer product If A is positive definite, each product in the sum is an upper bound for detA by Fischer's inequality. Thus, if we let be the normalized sum (Sk (A) divided by the number of terms in the sum) we have for each partition k. It is natural to ask what the relationship between these bounds is as k varies. Our main result is: for all positive definite matrices A if and only if k majorizes l. This resolves affirmatively a conjecture (the case p=2) that the authors made some time ago.
When quasinormal implies normal

(1990). When Quasinormal Implies Normal. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 97, No. 6, pp. 514-518.
The cost of limited attention in blue jays

Experiments with fish and birds suggest that animals are unable to simultaneously allocate sufficient attention to tasks such as the detection of an approaching predator while searching for cryptic prey. We quantified the effects of limited attention on performance in controlled laboratory settings and report here the first direct evidence that attending to a difficult central task simulating foraging deters a bird’s ability to detect a peripheral target, which could be a predator. Our results fill a gap between ecological and neurobiological studies by illustrating that, although attention is an efficient filtering mechanism, limited attention may be a major cause of mortality in nature.
Anesthetic implications of primary cardiac tumors in infants and children

Abstract Objective: To determine the degree of hemodynamic and airway compromise in infants and children undergoing anesthesia for primary cardiac tumors. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Tertiary-care, academic children's hospital. Participants: Patients
Antibiotic Dosing in Critically Ill Adult Patients Receiving Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy

Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is now commonly used as a means of support for critically ill patients with renal failure. No recent comprehensive guidelines exist that provide antibiotic dosing recommendations for adult patients receiving CRRT. Doses used in intermittent hemodialysis cannot be directly applied to these patients, and antibiotic pharmacokinetics are different than those in patients with normal renal function. We reviewed the literature for studies involving the following antibiotics frequently used to treat critically ill adult patients receiving CRRT: vancomycin, linezolid, daptomycin, meropenem, imipenem-cilastatin, nafcillin, ampicillin-sulbactam, piperacillin-tazobactam, ticarcillin–clavulanic acid, cefazolin, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, cefepime, aztreonam, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, clindamycin, colistin, amikacin, gentamicin, tobramycin, fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, amphotericin B (deoxycholate and lipid formulations), and acyclovir. We used these data, as well as clinical experience, to make recommendations for antibiotic dosing in critically ill patients receiving CRRT.
Representing open requirements with a fragment-based specification

The paper describes and evaluates an alternative representation scheme for software applications in which the requirements are poorly understood or dynamic (i.e., open). The discussion begins with a classification of requirements specification properties and their relationship to the software process. Emphasis is placed on the representation schemes that are most appropriate for projects with open requirements in a flexible development setting. Fragment-based specifications, which capture a conceptual model of the product under development, are recommended for such applications. The paper describes an environment, in production use since 1980, that employs this form of specification. Evaluations of the environment's economic benefit and of the specification scheme's properties follow. A final section contains observations about the nature of future software applications and the environments necessary to support their development and maintenance. >
Formation of Droplets of Alternating Composition in Microfluidic Channels and Applications to Indexing of Concentrations in Droplet-Based Assays

For screening the conditions for a reaction by using droplets (or plugs) as microreactors, the composition of the droplets must be indexed. Indexing here refers to measuring the concentration of a solute by addition of a marker, either internal or external. Indexing may be performed by forming droplet pairs, where in each pair the first droplet is used to conduct the reaction, and the second droplet is used to index the composition of the first droplet. This paper characterizes a method for creating droplet pairs by generating alternating droplets, of two sets of aqueous solutions in a flow of immiscible carrier fluid within PDMS and glass microfluidic channels. The paper also demonstrates that the technique can be used to index the composition of the droplets, and this application is illustrated by screening conditions of protein crystallization. The fluid properties required to form the steady flow of the alternating droplets in a microchannel were characterized as a function of the capillary number Ca and water fraction. Four regimes were observed. At the lowest values of Ca, the droplets of the two streams coalesced; at intermediate values of Ca the alternating droplets formed reliably. At even higher values of Ca, shear forces dominated and caused formation of droplets that were smaller than the cross-sectional dimension of the channel; at the highest values of Ca, coflowing laminar streams of the two immiscible fluids formed. In addition to screening of protein crystallization conditions, understanding of the fluid flow in this system may extend this indexing approach to other chemical and biological assays performed on a microfluidic chip.
Compatible High-Density Bipolar Codes: An Unrestricted Transmission Plan for PCM Carriers

A family of compatible high-density bipolar codes (CHDB), which allow unrestricted binary signaling on pulse-code modulation (PCM) systems, while limiting the number of consecutive 0's in the coded sequence, are presented. CHDB compares favorably to other transmission plans with the same purpose. Examples of coding, decoding, and error monitoring hardware are given.
Quantifying the impact of incidence-angle dependence on solar radiometric calibration

Evaluating photovoltaic cells, modules, arrays, and system performance relies on accurate measurements of the solar radiation resources available for power conversion. Measuring solar resources accurately can lead to a reduction in the investment risks associated with installing and operating solar energy systems. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Solar Radiation Research Laboratory collects and disseminates solar irradiance data and provides calibrations of broadband radiometers that are traceable to the international standards. It is essential that radiometric data are traceable to the international system of units, e.g., through the World Radiometer Reference and World Infrared Standard Group. This paper demonstrates the importance and application of an existing approach that ultimately reduces the uncertainty of radiometric measurements. Almost all commercially available broadband radiometers use a single responsivity value that is generated at a 45° solar zenith angle (incident angle) based on outdoor calibrations or transfers between radiometers inside integrating spheres or that responsivity is generated using normal incident radiation based on indoor calibrations using lamps and comparisons to reference radiometers to compute measured irradiance data. However, based on our experience and that of other experts in the radiometric science community, this method introduces increased uncertainty to the data. If a single responsivity value is used, the radiometer will overestimate or underestimate the irradiance data compared to the reference irradiance. This was demonstrated in Myers [1], Reda [2], and Reda et al. [3]. Further, by using responsivity as a function of solar zenith angle, the uncertainty for some instruments in the responsivity value can be reduced by as much as 50% compared to using a single responsivity calculated at 45° [2, 3].
Pattern Formation in Nonequilibrium Physics

The complex patterns that appear everywhere in nature have been cause for wonder and fascination throughout human history. People have long been puzzled, for example, about how intricate snowflakes can form, literally, out of thin air; and our minds boggle at the elegance of even the simplest living systems. As physicists, we have learned much about natural pattern formation in recent years; we have discovered how rich this subject can be, and how very much remains to be understood. Our growing understanding of the physics of pattern formation has led us to speculate—so far with only limited success—about a more general science of complexity, and to pose deep questions about our ability to predict and control natural phenomena.
Transient activation of hepatic glycogenolysis by thrombin in perfused rat livers

Thrombin, a peptide with native protease activity, caused a rapid (<1 min) increase in glycogenolysis of about 30% assessed from rates of production of glucose + lactate + pyruvate, and in oxygen uptake in perfused rat liver. These increases were followed by a rapid return to basal values within 5 min. The effect of thrombin on glycogenolysis was dose-dependent and was maximal at perfusate concentrations around 1 U/ml. Interestingly, the effect of thrombin on glycogenolysis could be elicited only once in any given liver. The activation of glycogenolysis by thrombin was diminished nearly 50% by prior infusion of the protease inhibitor, diisopropyl fluorophosphate (10 μM), and over 90% when thrombin was treated with diisopropyl fluorophosphate prior to infusion. The stimulation of glycogenolysis by thrombin could not be detected in isolated hepatocytes or in livers stored for 24 h in cold Euro-Collins solution, a treatment which destroys endothelial cells. Further, thrombin stimulated production of prostaglandin D2 from arachidonic acid in cultured hepatic endothelial but not Kupffer cells. The effect of thrombin on carbohydrate output was also blocked by a phospholipase A2 inhibitor (quinacrine, 50 μM) and by an inhibitor of the cyclooxygenase (indomethacin, 20 μM), suggesting the involvement of cyclooxygenase in the mechanism of action of thrombin. In support of this idea, the transient kinetics of stimulation of glycogenolysis by thrombin and arachidonic acid was nearly identical to release of thromboxane B2 (80–420 pg/ml) and prostaglandin D2 (300–900 pg/ml) from the perfused liver. Further, a second addition of thrombin failed to increase thromboxane and prostaglandin D2 release as well as carbohydrate production, supporting a causal link between these phenomena. Taken together, these data support the hypothesis that thrombin interacts with receptors in the liver, possibly on endothelial cells, leading to activation of phospholipase A2 and subsequent transient production of prostaglandins and thromboxanes. These mediators subsequently interact with receptors on parenchymal cells, leading to a transient stimulation of glycogenolysis.
Developments in delay testing

The author's objective is to introduce the reader to the fast emerging field of AC test for digital logic circuits. He includes a brief discussion of the important concepts, algorithms and circuits that are used in conjunction with AC test. A comprehensive bibliography is provided. >
COLONIALISM, HAN & ECO-THEOLOGY

Today, nations exhibit imperial behaviour but not like the ancient agriculture driven landed empires or the 18-19 th century mercantile empires. The land and trade divisions are not as clearly segregated as in the earlier ones, but Imperial nations do exist and do control other nations. Imperialism and colonialism have devastating effects on our world. It has nurtured self-worth through the accumulation of worldly goods for the purposes of serving their own interests and exploiting others for the sole purpose of self-gain. This is devastating not only to human beings but to the whole ecology of the planet. Consumerism drives trade, but consumer buying is now like an unchained beast with tooth and claw causing han for the exploited as well as the resources of the planet. Eco-theologians and feminist theologians examine the devastating effects to help ensure that we are seriously determined to preserve the planet. We will examine ways of rethinking and reimagining our errors and how we can work towards the right direction for a safer, sustainable planet.
Qualities of Caregiver-Child Interaction During Daily Activities of Children Born Very Low Birth Weight With and Without White Matter Disorder

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to examine qualities of caregiver‐child interactions during daily activities of healthy children born full-term and of children born prematurely and very low birth weight with and without white matter disorder. METHOD. Three groups of 12 caregiver‐child dyads, representing three levels of child biological risk, were matched on birth history, maternal education, ethnicity, and child gender. Ten expert clinicians used videotapes to rate behaviors of caregivers and their 30-month-old children engaging in dressing and snack activities. Correlations between ratings of three qualities were examined: caregiver directiveness, caregiver engagement, and child engagement. RESULTS. There were no significant differences between groups for the average caregiver and child ratings. However, correlations between caregiver directiveness and caregiver engagement ranged across the three groups from greatest to least biological risk (i.e., r = .63, .35, ‐.67, respectively). In the full-term group, correlations between the caregiver qualities of directiveness and engagement and child engagement were r = .62 and ‐.69, respectively. In contrast, the correlations between the caregiver and child qualities were small in the two very-low-birth-weight groups. CONCLUSION. Results suggest patterns of caregiver interactions during daily activities may vary according to the child’s level of biological risk. Caregivers of children with the greatest risk (i.e., white matter disorder) were both engaging and directive of their children during the activities, whereas caregivers of full-term children were less engaging when directive. The findings suggest that caregivers may be adjusting the level of their social and emotional assistance during caregiver‐child interactions to the level of their children’s abilities.
Improved tuning methods for converter-modulators

The converter-modulator is a resonant power conditioning configuration that is optimized for a particular load impedance or parameter space. Although traction motor Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) are typically used for hard-switching application in the 1 kHz regime, the present use of high-power (10-15 MW) converter-modulators have used a 20 kHz resonant switching topology. This presents design challenges to maintain efficient and reliable switching characteristics for the IGBTs. Improved tuning methods and circuit topological changes now offer a significant reduction in IGBT switching losses as compared to those used on the spallation neutron source (SNS) design (perhaps by 10). These circuit and topology changes should also permit pulse width modulation (PWM) of the modulator output voltage to provide a regulated voltage without anomalous IGBT switching characteristics. This paper will review the results of this investigation based on models developed from the SNS converter-modulator operational data.