cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nonlinear Chemical Dynamics: Oscillations, Patterns, and Chaos

Chemical reactions with nonlinear kinetic behavior can give rise to a remarkable set of spatiotemporal phenomena. These include periodic and chaotic changes in concentration, traveling waves of chemical reactivity, and stationary spatial (Turing) patterns. Although chemists were initially skeptical of the existence and the relevance of these phenomena, much progress has been made in the past two decades in characterizing, designing, modeling, and understanding them. Several nonlinear dynamical phenomena in chemical systems provide simpler analogues of behaviors found in biological systems.
CORD AND MATERNAL BLOOD MONOCYTE-MACROPHAGE MEDIATED ANTIBODY-DEPENDENT CYTOTOXICITY TO HERPES SIMPLEX INFECTED CELLS

We recently reported that antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) to Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infected cells could be mediated, not only by K lymphocytes, but by adherent mononuclear cells (MA) isolated from adult human peripheral blood. The MA differ from K lymphocytes in antibody requirement, killing kinetics, and selective inhibition by latex or silica in the Cr51 release assay and are predominantly monocyte-macrophages. Because of the known role of such cells in immunity to several viruses, and since HSV can cause severe neonatal disease, it was of interest to evaluate the function of cord blood MA in ADCC to HSV. Cord blood (CB) from 11 healthy term neonates and maternal blood (MB) from 7 of their postpartum mothers were analyzed for MA activity in an 18 hr. Cr51 ADCC assay against HSV infected Chang liver cells. The magnitude of ADCC produced by MA from CB and MB was not significantly different from that obtained with MA from 8 non-pregnant adult females. Together with our earlier report of cord blood lymphocytes functioning with HSV antibody in ADCC, these data suggest that the use of HSV antibodies for prevention or therapy of neonatal HSV infection requires further consideration.
Measuring D-amino acid-containing neuropeptides with capillary electrophoresis

Neuropeptides are heavily posttranslationally modified (PTM) gene products that are often characterized by a variety of mass spectrometric approaches. Recently, the occurrence of amino acids in the D-form has been documented in several neuropeptides. As this modification has no associated mass shift, this particular PTM is difficult to evaluate using mass spectrometry (MS) alone. Here we demonstrate several approaches using capillary electrophoresis (CE) with absorbance and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) for the separation of native and derivatized molluscan peptides containing D-amino acids. The combination of peptide derivatization followed by CE/LIF is well suited for single cell measurements because of its ability to characterize the peptides in such small samples. In order to verify this approach, the D-Trp-containing peptide NdWFa (NH2-Asn-D-Trp-Phe-CONH2), present in individual neurons from the marine mollusk Aplysia californica, has been characterized. The mass spectra show that NdWFa and/or NWFa are present in specific neurons; CE/LIF analysis of these cells demonstrates that NdWFa is the dominant form of the peptide.
Experiments in Continuity — Rethinking Residency Training in Ambulatory Care

U.S. internal medicine residents are primarily trained in hospitals, but a majority will practice in ambulatory care settings, caring for Americans with chronic disease. Some programs are improving training in ambulatory medicine for all internal medicine residents.
Effect of sampling pattern on estimation of species distributions along gradients

Computer simulation and statistical theory indicate that estimation of species distribution is difficult when species reach maximum abundance near one end of the sampled portion of a gradient or when they have wide ecological breadth. Relative to balanced sampling of the whole gradient, concentration of sampling effort near the ends increases accuracy in estimation of distributions of truncated species more than it decreases accuracy for other species. Hence, overall accuracy in the estimation of distributions for a collection of species with modes scattered about on a gradient is greatest when sampling is somewhat more intense near the extremes of the gradient.
Staff and patient predictions of success in an inpatient alcohol treatment unit

Staff and patients were overly optimistic in their predictions of abstinence. Staff and patients were equally successful at predicting abstinence. When predictions of abstinence were combined with predictions of nonabstinence, staff predictions were better than patient predictions, probably because patients predicted nonabstinence less frequently.
Frequency domain discrete spring transform: A novel frequency domain steganographic attack

Digital steganography explores hiding information within a given media. It is critical to develop methods which block such secret data communication. We have proposed the Discrete Spring Transform (DST) which is a steganographic attack that has been developed to combat the latest steganographic techniques. We propose a novel attack method for the DST that can attack transform domains of a cover media. The proposed technique is a stronger way to attack those steganographic methods which utilize transform domains than spatially-oriented DST. Our results indicate that the steganographic data is destroyed while the quality of the cover media is preserved.
Effect of various prokinetic agents on post Roux-en-Y gastric emptying. Experimental and clinical observations.

The effect of various prokinetic drugs was assessed in animals with Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy. The agents tested were (1) bethanechol 2.5 mg subcutaneously at 0 min and 30 min postprandially (pp); (2) metoclopramide 20 mg intravenous bolus at 0 min pp; (3) a combination of 1 and 2; (4) oxytocin 5 mg intramuscularly at 0 min and 240 min pp; (5) motilin at 100 ng/kg/hr; or (6) 300 ng/kg/hr continuous intravenous infusion from 0 to 270 min pp. Only bethanechol administration resulted in significantly less gastric retention (65 ±6% vs 32±5% retention at 5 hr). (P<0.002). The animal results with parenteral bethanechol were confirmed in humans with chronic delayed gastric emptying following Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy, with a decrease in gastric retention on radionuclide scan from 78.5±5% to 26±12% at 2 hr pp (P<0.01). Initially all patients responded with symptomatic improvement. However, subsequently 3/6 (50%) of patients required total or near total gastrectomy for recurrent symptoms of gastric stasis. Nevertheless, 2/6 (33%) of patients have no further evidence of gastric stasis, and a trial of bethanechol is recommended prior to considering further gastrectomy in patients with the Roux-stasis syndrome.
Neonatal rat spinal cord slice preparation: postsynaptic effects of neuropeptides on dorsal horn neurons.

Abstract In the neonatal rat spinal cord slice preparation responses of the dorsal horn interneurons to iontophoretic or bath application of methionine-enkephalin (ME), substance P (SP) and somatostatin (SS) were qualitatively similar to those obtained in intact spinal cord. Thus, SP powerfully excited almost all neurons tested ( 15 16 ), while ME and SS depressed neuronal discharges in 13 14 and 4 6 units respectively. In some dorsal horn neurons the iontophoretic application of ME caused a marked depression of the SP-induced excitation. Angiotensin II (AgII) had no effect on dorsal horn units (n = 8). In the slices perfused with a Ca2+-free, Mg2+-high Krebs solution the extracellularly recorded effects of ME, SP and SS were not significantly modified, suggesting that the peptides were acting directly on postsynaptic sites. The results also indicate that the in vitro rat spinal cord slice preparation can be successfully utilized for further studies on the cellular mechanisms of actions of neuropeptides, particularly in relation to synaptic transmission processes in the dorsal horn.
Xylitol-Based Candies and Lozenges may Reduce Caries on Permanent Teeth

Article Title and Bibliographic Information Caries preventive effects of xylitol-based candies and lozenges: a systematic review. Antonio AG, Pierro VS, Maia LC. J Pub Health Dent 2011;71:117-24. Reviewer Mark D. Macek, DDS, DrPH Purpose/Question To assess the caries preventive effect of consuming xylitol-based candies and lozenges Source of Funding Information not available Type of Study/Design Systematic review Level of Evidence Level 2: Limited-quality, patient-oriented evidence Strength of Recommendation Grade Grade B: Inconsistent or limited-quality patient-oriented evidence
Analysis of oligodeoxynucleotides by negative-ion matrix-assisted laser desorption mass spectrometry

Thirty compounds were tested in combination with ammonium acetate for the ability to desorb and ionize oligodeoxynucleotides by ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption mass spectrometry. Negative ion yields using matrices such as 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid and 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde are enhanced by the addition of ammonium salts at a molar ratio of 1:1, pH 7. 3-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde was tested with 12 different ammonium, alkylammonium, and pyridinium salts for the ability to cocrystallize with oligodeoxynucleotides and to improve desorption and ionization. Ions of oligodeoxynucleotides 9, 10, and 11 nucleotides in length were observed with a matrix of 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde and ammonium acetate, pH 7, at a mass resolution of 100–150 (fwhm). A small oligodeoxynucleotide (11-mer) was observed at the femtomole level with a combination of 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid and ammonium acetate as the matrix. Ions from single stranded DNA (60 nucleotides in length) were also observed using this same matrix combination. The results of these studies have shown that both sensitivity and desorption conditions need to be further improved before complex mixtures of large pieces of DNA can be effectively analyzed.
Cellulase Solution Concentrations Used to Develop Spectral Equations for Predicting Tall Fescue Digestibility

Digestibility estimates obtained with prepared cellulase solutions and near infrared spectrophotometry (NIRS) have become valuable and reliable tools for forage quality determination. The objective of this study wasto determine the optimum concentration of a prepared cellulase solution from a commercial source to obtain meaningful estimates of in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and developement of NIRS equations for tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.). A total of 176 tall fescue samples were pretreated using pepsin and 0.0125 M L −1 HCl followed by digestion using five different concentrations of a prepared cellulase solution obtained from Worthington Corp., Freehold, NJ (...)
Sierra Barrier Jets, Atmospheric Rivers, and Precipitation Characteristics in Northern California: A Composite Perspective Based on a Network of Wind Profilers

AbstractFive 915-MHz wind profilers and GPS receivers across California's northern Central Valley (CV) and adjacent Sierra foothills and coastal zone, in tandem with a 6-km-resolution gridded reanalysis dataset generated from the Weather Research and Forecasting Model, document key spatiotemporal characteristics of Sierra barrier jets (SBJs), landfalling atmospheric rivers (ARs), and their interactions. Composite kinematic and thermodynamic analyses are based on the 13 strongest SBJ cases observed by the Sloughhouse profiler between 2009 and 2011. The analyses show shallow, cool, south-southeasterly (i.e., Sierra parallel) flow and associated water vapor transport strengthening with time early in the 24-h compositing period, culminating in an SBJ core at <1 km above ground over the eastern CV. The SBJ core increases in altitude up the Sierra's windward slope and poleward toward the north end of the CV, but it does not reach the westernmost CV. Above the developing SBJ, strengthening southwesterly flow des...
Quantification of collateral blood flow in coarctation of the aorta by velocity encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging.

BACKGROUNDKnowledge about the volume of collateral flow provides insight into the severity of coarctation of the aorta and may be critical in planning the operative approach. There is currently no method for the quantification of collateral flow in coarctation of the aorta. In this study, we applied velocity encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging (VENC-MR) to establish the flow pattern and volume of collateral flow in the descending thoracic aorta in normal subjects and patients with coarctation, introducing a new possibility to quantify the severity of the coarctation by determining the amount of collateral flow.METHODS AND RESULTSVENC-MR was used to measure flow in the proximal and distal descending thoracic aorta in 10 normal subjects. In 23 patients with coarctation, flow was measured near the coarctation site and above the diaphragm. Patients were divided into a group with moderate to severe coarctation and a group with mild coarctation on the basis of clinical gradient between upper and lower extre...
WE‐C‐214‐04: ADQ — A Software Tool That Automatically, Autonomously, Intelligently and Instantly Verify Patient Radiation Therapy Beam Deliveries

Purpose: To effectively mitigate errors in IMRTradiation therapydelivery, all beams, all fractions, for all patients should be checked in vivo, immediately, automatically, autonomously and intelligently for integrity, quality and safety. For this purpose, ADQ or Automatic Dynalog QA, is implemented for instant and automatic patient delivery beam verification. Methods: ADQ contains multiple functional modules. DICOM receiver program is developed in C++ to receive DICOM‐RT Plans from treatment planning systems, process data and save to database. The verification tool is implemented in MATLAB that automatically validates beam parameters (gantry angle, collimator angle and positions, MLC positions, fluence maps, etc.) between the treatment plans and recorded dynamic MLC log files, generate reports for each treatment session, and send out alert emails for detected urgent problems. Report reviewer is implemented in C++ that enables physicists to review, comment and confirm reports. ADQ programs use own database and Mosaiq R&V database. Simple, automatic and no human intervention is needed unless an error is detected. Results: ADQ is running to generate near real‐time QA reports for every treatment date. DICOM receiver is running 24 hours to collect plans. Report reviewer deployed through network facilitates easy access to reports. All IMRT beams delivered to the patients are checked for a period of four months to study the reliability, MLC performance, false positive rate and importantly identify true positive. More than 80000 thousand beams from 4 different Linacs were analyzed up‐to‐date. Conclusions: We developed new software tools to improve the RT treatment QA by automatic checking patient treatment beam delivery records for each patient and each treatment session. Report data achieved in database can be easily used for further studies, for example, analysis of MLC leaf failures.
Influence of AC and DC electrical stimulation on wound healing in pigs: a biomechanical analysis.

To evaluate the effects of electrical stimulation on the mechanical properties of healing skin, 20 Hanford mini-pigs weighing 10–15 kg with trochanteric pressure ulcers were subjected to electrical stimulation. Examination of the biomechanical properties of the skin and changes in wound area and volume was done on previously wounded and healing pigskin subject to AC or DC electrical stimulation. The behavior of normal pigskin was compared to (1) denervated controls, (2) denervated AC-stimulated skin, and (3) denervated DC-stimulated skin. A denervated limb trochanteric pressure sore model developed in house permitted the use of a 6.5-mm percutaneous cancellous screw for wound formation and a 3-cm-diameter spring compression indentor to create reproducible and uniformly controlled grade 3 or higher tissue ulcers in the monoplegic hind limbs. Denervation was accomplished by right unilateral extradural rhizotomies from L2 to S1 nerve roots. Electrodes were placed 1 cm distal and proximal to the wound periphe...
Dopamine transporters and neuronal injury

The plasma membrane dopamine transporter (DAT) and the vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT2) are essential for normal dopamine neurotransmission. DAT terminates the actions of dopamine by rapidly removing dopamine from the synapse, whereas VMAT2 loads cytoplasmic dopamine into vesicles for storage and subsequent release. Recent data suggest that perturbation of the tightly regulated balance between these two transporters predisposes the neurone to damage by a variety of insults. Most notable is the selective degeneration of DAT- and VMAT2-expressing dopamine nerve terminals in the striatum thought to underlie Parkinson's disease. DAT and VMAT2 expression can predict the selective vulnerability of neuronal populations, which suggests that therapeutic strategies aimed at altering DAT and VMAT2 function could have significant benefits in a variety of disorders.
Tracer Diffusion in a Chemical Concentration Gradient in Silver-Cadmium

Measurements have been made on seven Ag-$\ensuremath{\alpha}\mathrm{AgCd}$ diffusion couples of the diffusion of a layer of radioactive tracer atoms (either ${\mathrm{Ag}}^{110}$ or ${\mathrm{Cd}}^{109}$) located originally at the Ag-AgCd interface. It was found that the center of gravity of the layer of tracer atoms shifted from its original position, marked by tungsten wires. The shapes of the tracer profiles for ${\mathrm{Ag}}^{110}$ were quite different from those for ${\mathrm{Cd}}^{109}$. However, for both silver and cadmium tracer, the center of gravity moved toward the cadmium-rich region.A theoretically predicted shift in center of gravity is obtained, taking into consideration the fact that the diffusion coefficient, correlation factor, and chemical potential are functions of chemical composition. The predicted shift in center of gravity arising from the flow of imperfections and the lattice distortion associated with the Kirkendall shift also are considered. Good agreement is found between theory and experiment.Chemical interdiffusion and Kirkendall shift measurements were consistent, within errors, with those predicted by Darken.
Selective Interactions of Krüppel-like Factor 9/Basic Transcription Element-binding Protein with Progesterone Receptor Isoforms A and B Determine Transcriptional Activity of Progesterone-responsive Genes in Endometrial Epithelial Cells

The Sp/KLF transcription factor basic transcription element-binding protein (BTEB1) regulates gene transcription by binding to GC-rich sequence motifs present in the promoters of numerous tissue-specific as well as housekeeping genes. Similar to other members of this family, BTEB1 can act as a transactivator or transrepressor depending on cell and promoter context, although the molecular mechanism underlying these distinct activities remains unclear. Here we report that BTEB1 can mediate signaling pathways involving the nuclear receptor for the steroid hormone progesterone in endometrial epithelial cells by its selective interaction with the progesterone receptor (PR) isoforms, PR-A and PR-B. Functional interaction with ligand-activated PR-B resulted in superactivation of PR-B transactivity, facilitated the recruitment of the transcriptional integrator CREB-binding protein within the PR-dimer, and was dependent on the structure of the ligand bound by PR-B. By contrast, BTEB1 did not influence agonist-bound PR-A transactivity, although it augmented PR-A inhibition of PR-B-mediated transactivation as well as potentiated ligand-independent PR-A transcriptional activity in the presence of CREB-binding protein. We also demonstrate similar positive modulatory actions of BTEB1-related family members Kruppel-like family (KLF) 13/FKLF2/BTEB3 and Sp1 on PR-B transactivity. Further, we provide support for the potential significance of the selective functional interactions of PR isoforms with BTEB1 in the peri-implantation uterus using mouse and pig models and in the breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and T47D. Our results suggest a novel mechanism for the divergent physiological consequences of PR-A and PR-B on progesterone-dependent gene transcription in the uterus involving select KLF members.
A New Biblical Etymology

Deux des commentaires bibliques publies recemment par l'ecole de Canterbury presentent une explication inconnue d'un nom de lieu. A la section 35 du Premier commentaire sur le Pentateuque, on lit que la cite d'Emmaus ubi Cain occidit Abel...interpretatur sanguis fratris. L'editeur montre que fratris est derive de au. Cela semble evident. Mais la cle demeure en sanguis qui vient de Emma pris du grec aima. Ce genre d'explication semble singuliere.
Acute effects of different alcoholic beverages on vascular endothelium, inflammatory markers and thrombosis fibrinolysis system

Summary Background & aim Mild alcohol consumption has been associated with decreased cardiovascular risk, although the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. We compared the acute effects of several alcoholic beverages on endothelial function, inflammatory process and thrombosis/fibrinolysis system in young adults. Methods In this randomized intervention trial, healthy young individuals with no risk factor for atherosclerosis were randomized into 5 equally sized groups and received an equal amount of alcohol (30 g), as red wine (264 ml), white wine (264 ml), beer (633 ml), whisky (79 ml) or water (250 ml). Forearm blood flow was determined by gauge-strain plethysmography, at baseline, 1 and 4 h after alcohol intake. Levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen (Fib), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1), von Willebrand factor (vWF) and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) were determined at baseline and 4 h after alcohol consumption. Results Reactive hyperemia was significantly increased 1 h after beer and red wine consumption (p Conclusions Acute consumption of red wine or beer improves endothelial function and decreases vWF levels, suggesting that the type of beverage may differently affect endothelial function and thrombosis/fibrinolysis system in healthy adults.
Theory of the magnetic-field-induced insulator in neutral graphene sheets

Recent experiments have demonstrated that neutral graphene sheets have an insulating ground state in the presence of an external magnetic field. We report on a $\ensuremath{\pi}$-band tight-binding-model Hartree-Fock calculation which examines the competition between distinct candidate insulating ground states. We conclude that for graphene sheets on substrates the ground state is most likely a field-induced spin-density wave and that a charge-density-wave state is possible for suspended samples. Neither of these density-wave states support gapless edge excitations.
Direct Observations of Emulsion Flow in Elastohydrodynamically Lubricated Contacts

The lubrication mechanisms with oil-in-water emulsions have been extensively investigated based on the measurements of film thickness and/or tractions in the past few decades. However, direct observation of the emulsion flow, as a more direct method of evaluating suggested explanations, has been greatly restricted by the available instruments, especially the cameras used in collaboration with high-speed bearing simulators. In this paper, a newly devised digital video camera and a microscope were used to directly observe the emulsion flow in an elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) inlet region at a wide range of speeds (0.012 m/s up to 1.5 m/s). Both EHL line and point contacts were considered. Previous observations of low speed oil droplet "stay," "reverse, " and "penetration" behavior for low-speed line contact were confirmed and extended into high-speed line and point cases, and the results were compared with point contact where significant side flow was observed. Three tight emulsions with different mean droplet sizes were examined on an EHL rig to clarify the droplet behavior and investigate the effect of droplet size on entrainment.
Electrical properties of Titan's surface from Cassini RADAR scatterometer measurements

Abstract We report regional-scale low-resolution backscatter images of Titan's surface acquired by the Cassini RADAR scatterometer at a wavelength of 2.18-cm. We find that the average angular dependence of the backscatter from large regions and from specific surface features is consistent with a model composed of a quasi-specular Hagfors term plus a diffuse cosine component. A Gaussian quasi-specular term also fits the data, but less well than the Hagfors term. We derive values for the mean dielectric constant and root-mean-square (rms) slope of the surface from the quasi-specular term, which we ascribe to scattering from the surface interface only. The diffuse term accommodates contributions from volume scattering, multiple scattering, or wavelength-scale near-surface structure. The Hagfors model results imply a surface with regional mean dielectric constants between 1.9 and 3.6 and regional surface roughness that varies between 5.3° and 13.4° in rms-slope. Dielectric constants between 2 and 3 are expected for a surface composed of solid simple hydrocarbons, water ice, or a mixture of both. Smaller dielectric constants, between 1.6 and 1.9, are consistent with liquid hydrocarbons, while larger dielectric constants, near 4.5, may indicate the presence of water–ammonia ice [Lorenz, R.D., 1998. Icarus 136, 344–348] or organic heteropolymers [Thompson, W.R., Squyres, S.W., 1990. Icarus 86, 336–354]. We present backscatter images corrected for angular effects using the model residuals, which show strong features that correspond roughly to those in 0.94-μm ISS images. We model the localized backscatter from specific features to estimate dielectric constant and rms slope when the angular coverage is within the quasi-specular part of the backscatter curve. Only two apparent surface features are scanned with angular coverage sufficient for accurate modeling. Data from the bright albedo feature Quivira suggests a dielectric constant near 2.8 and rms slope near 10.1°. The dark albedo feature Shangri-La is best fit by a Hagfors model with a dielectric constant close to 2.4 and an rms slope near 9.5°. From the modeled backscatter curves, we find the average radar albedo in the same linear (SL) polarization to be near 0.34. We constrain the total-power albedo in order to compare the measurements with available groundbased radar results, which are typically obtained in both senses of circular polarization. We estimate an upper limit of 0.4 on the total-power albedo, a value that is significantly higher than the 0.21 total albedo value measured at 13 cm [Campbell, D., Black, G., Carter, L., Ostro, S., 2003. Science 302, 431–434]. This is consistent with a surface that has more small-scale structure and is thus more reflective at 2-cm than 13-cm. We compare results across overlapping observations and observe that the reduction and analysis are repeatable and consistent. We also confirm the strong correlations between radar and near-infrared images.
A concise synthesis of a highly functionalized C-aryl taxol analog by an intramolecular Heck olefination reaction

Abstract A palladium(0) catalyzed intramolecular Heck olefination used to establish the C 10 C 11 connection in a highly functionalized taxane analog is described.
Periphery Praetorianism in Cliometric Perspective 1855-1985

Violent attempts by military forces to assume state power have been common throughout history. In recent centuries, however, the phenomenon has seemed more prevalent and seemingly systematic, especially in developing or "periphery" nations. Whereas modernization theory views coup attempts as deviant happenings occurring randomly on the periphery's road to democratic development, world-system theory implies a more structured set of events. Hypotheses concerning the trending and cycling of coups are derived from the world-system perspective. Accordingly, coups are expected to have increased over time, and to have accelerated in years of Kondratieff contractions, hegemonic demise, and colonial decline. The hypotheses are tested with data on 34 periphery nations for 1855-1985, using controls for nonelite turmoil, terror, and revolution. Coup attempts revealed substantial secular trending. Little cyclical variation was evident, although unsuccessful coups were somewhat more widespread in Kondratieff expansions, and successful coups were more prevalent in years of extensive terrorist activities. The findings provide little evidence for the modernizationist school, but some moderate support for the world-system perspective.
Rainfall rate relationships with propagation parameters (attenuation and phase) at centimeter and millimeter wavelengths

Propagation parameters (specific attenuation, differential attenuation and differential phase) are simulated at 9.375, 14, 35 and 94 GHz frequencies using disdrometer measured raindrop spectra. Their relationships with rainfall rate are presented in graphical form. An almost linear relationship between 94 GHz specific differential phase and rainfall rate is shown to exist.
Habituation of cognitive and physiological arousal and social anxiety

This study examined differences in habituation between high and low socially anxious Ss. Participants gave three impromptu speeches, each separated by a brief rest interval. Skin conductance and heart rate were monitored during the speeches. Following each speech participants completed self-ratings of nervousness, heart rate, and palmar sweat activity as well as a modified Social Interaction Self Statement Test. Low anxious controls showed significant reduction of negative expectations and self-reported nervousness, heart rate, and sweat activity across the three trials. Actual heart rate of low-anxious subjects also decreased significantly across trials. In contrast, high anxious subjects did not evidence significant decreases in any of the above measures of anxiety and stress across the three trials. Skin conductance measures increased across trials for both groups, but increased more for the high anxious group than low-anxious controls. Results indicate that high anxiety participants are slow to decrease cognitive and autonomic responsiveness to stressful social situations.
Black sea chemocline oscillations during the Holocene: Molecular and isotopic studies of marginal sediments

We measured d 13 C values of free and sulfur-bound lipids and framboidal pyrite-size distributions in three sediment cores from the southern margins of the Black Sea. The margin cores show a marked diAerence in the occurrence of biomarkers from green sulfur bacteria compared with the deep-basin cores, as a result of deepening of the chemocline resulting from enhanced mixing and/or decreased light-penetration as a consequence of high turbidity and productivity in shelf waters. Quantitation of biomarkers suggests that photic-zone anoxia along the shelf margin was generally absent during the deposition of unit I, although occurred during the deposition of Unit IIb at two sites. # 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Maillard Reaction Products in Purified Diets Induce Taurine Depletion in Cats Which Is Reversed by Antibiotics

The effects of heat processing (Maillard reaction) and addition of antibiotics to diets on the metabolism of taurine in adult cats were studied. Groups of four cats were given daily 22 g/kg body weight one of four purified diets based on casein and starch. All diets contained the same major ingredients as the control (diet 1), except for starch substitutions. Diet 2 was autoclaved ; in diet 3, 50 g glucose replaced 50 g starch before autoclaving ; in diet 4, only the casein component was autoclaved with 50 g glucose before addition to the diet. Diets were fed for 5 wk, then a mixture of antibiotics was added to all diets and they were fed for a further 5 wk. In the first (no antibiotics) period, cats given the Maillard reaction products (diets 3 and 4) had a significant depletion of plasma and whole blood taurine and had twice the fecal, but less than half the urinary total taurine excretion of control cats. The addition of antibiotics to the diets restored plasma and whole blood concentration in cats given diets 3 and 4, reduced fecal and increased urinary taurine excretion, and decreased fecal cholyltaurine hydrolase activity. These results suggest that Maillard reaction products promote an enteric flora that favors degradation of taurine and decreases recycling of taurine by the enterohepatic route.
Towards On-the-Fly Incremental Updates for Virtualized Routers on FPGA

Recently, router virtualization has gained much interest in networking community. However, hardware support for router virtualization is still in its primitive stages. One of the major problems in a virtualized router is how to support frequent routing table updates efficiently, without interrupting network traffic. In this paper, we propose a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) based architecture for router virtualization that supports on-the-fly updates, while ensuring scalability and throughput requirements. We introduce a distance-based mapping technique named Fill-In to merge multiple virtual routing tables into a single search tree. Node sharing is avoided by using a uniform data structure that results in a scalable solution for router virtualization. The reconfigurability and abundant parallelism of FPGAs make them a desirable hardware platform for high-performance and cost-effective routers. We leverage the features of modern FPGA devices to implement a parallel-linear-pipelined packet processing engine. Our post place-and route results show that the proposed architecture can support uninterrupted network traffic at 150 Gbps for minimum size (40 Byte) packets. The scalability of the architecture is demonstrated for up to 17 real routing tables. Using the proposed update techniques, our architecture handles an update with a single write bubble.
A test for variance-covarianch parameters in normal linear models

This paper derives a test statistic for the variance-covariance parameters which is a quadratic function of their MINQUE (Minimum Norm Quadratic Unbiased Estimation) estimates. The test is a Wald-type test, and its development closely parallels the theory used to derive a similar test for the coefficients in linear models. In fact, the derivation proceeds by first setting up the estimation problem in a derived linear model in which the dispersion parameters are the coefficients. The test statistic is shown to be the sum of the squares of independent standardized x2 variables.
CRIME IN A MULTI‐JURISDICTIONAL MODEL WITH PRIVATE AND PUBLIC PREVENTION*

Criminals move between jurisdictions in response to differences in the net returns to crime that depend on the opportunity for crime and the effort to prevent crime. An increase in police protection of a jurisdiction diverts crime to other jurisdictions when only public crime prevention such as police protection is available. However, residents also invest in private prevention (private security, burglar alarms, etc.), and the value of these measures depends on the level of local public protection. In a spatial context, an increase in public prevention of a jurisdiction not only alters the incentives of individuals of the jurisdiction, but also of other jurisdictions as well, and such a change in private crime prevention may end up attracting crime to the jurisdiction. An increase in public prevention of a jurisdiction thus may divert or attract crime. This ambiguous effect stands in contrast with the literature and may appear counterintuitive, but is logical under plausible conditions.
Enhanced Disparity of Gonadotropin Secretion by Estrone in Women with Poly cystic Ovarian Disease

The disassociation between serum LH and FSH levels in polycystic ovarian disease (PCO) has been attributed to chronic acyclic estrogen production characterized by a predominance of circulating estrone (E1). This study was designed to determine whether the administration of estrone benzoate (E1B) modulates gonadotropin release in PCO. In five normal women studied during the early follicular phase of a control and subsequent treatment cycle, daily LH and FSH levels were unaltered by E1B administered from days 2 to 6. Gonadotropin responses to LRF given on day 7 were similar during control and treatment cycles. In seven patients with PCO, the mean LH concentration (25.7 +/- 0.7 mIU/ml) and the daily pattern of release were unchanged by E1B administered for 14 days. In contrast, a progressive decline in FSH occurred in each subject. Mean FSH levels decreased significantly from a pretreatment value of 11.3 +/- 0.2 to 9.3 +/- 0.9 mIU/ml by day 2 (P less than 0.05) and 7.2 +/- 1.2 mIU/ml by day 14 (P less than 0.005) of E1B administration. The LH response to LRF in PCO was significantly greater than that observed in the normal subjects, whereas responses before, during, and after E1B administration were similar. The FSH responses to LRF in PCO subjects were comparable to those of the normal subjects. These data indicate that the administration of E1B to PCO subjects reduces FSH levels without altering LH release, thereby enhancing the disparity of gonadotropin secretion encountered in this syndrome. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that impairment of FSH release by chronic acyclic estrogen production derived from nonglandular aromatization of circulating androgen could in large part be responsible for anovulation in PCO.
Using part-of-speech patterns to reduce query ambiguity

Query ambiguity is a generally recognized problem, particularly in Web environments where queries are commonly only one or two words in length. In this study, we explore one technique that finds commonly occurring patterns of parts of speech near a one-word query and allows them to be transformed into clarification questions. We use a technique derived from statistical language modeling to show that the clarification queries will reduce ambiguity much of the time, and often quite substantially.
Assembly Processes in Vertebrate Skeletal Thick Filament Formation

PERSPECTIVES AND OVERVIEW 217 GENERAL MODES OF ASSEMBLy 2 1 8 THE MYOSIN SUBUNIT ........ ....... ....... ....... .... 220 NATIVE THICK fiLAMENT STRUCTURE 222 SYNTHETIC THICK FILAMENT STRUCTURE 224
The Â¬Smake or Takeâ¬? Decision in an Electronic Market: Evidence on the Evolution of Liquidity

This paper uses experimental asset markets to investigate the evolution of liquidity in an electronic limit order market. Our market setting includes salient features of electronic limit order markets, as well as informed traders and liquidity traders. We focus on the strategies of the traders, and how these are affected by trader type, characteristics of the market, and characteristics of the asset. We find that informed traders use more limit orders than do liquidity traders. Our main result is that liquidity provision shifts as trading progresses, with informed traders increasingly providing liquidity in markets. The change in the behavior of the informed traders seems to be in response to the dynamic adjustment of prices to information; they take (provide) liquidity when the value of their information is high (low). Thus, a market-making role emerges endogenously in our electronic markets and is ultimately adopted by the traders who are least subject to adverse selection when placing limit orders.
At the Interface between Medical Informatics and Personalized Medicine: The eMERGE Network Experience.

An important goal of the human genome project was the promise that detailed information about variation in an individual’s genome would inform healthcare providers and patients about their disease susceptibility and predict response to therapy. Often described as Personalized Medi cine, the use of genomic information promises to improve the quality of healthcare. Medical informatics will play an important role in the successful implementation of Personalized Medicine. Without medical informatics support and Electronic Medical Records it would be extremely difficult to provide the clinical decision support that is critical to enable healthcare providers to effectively use genomic information. In addition, there is great need to discover new associations between genetic variations and disease susceptibility or therapeutic outcomes that can ultimately be applied to clinical care. One approach to discovering these novel associations between genetic variation and therapeutic outcomes has been through linking genomic information to information from Electronic Health Records (EHR) in a discovery mode. The eMERGE (Electronic MEdical Records and GEnomics), is a network of nine academic medical centers with a DNA biobank linked to EHR [1,2]. The eMERGE consortium is funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health and includes investiga
EFFECTS OF FOOD SUPPLEMENTATION ON THE SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF PRAIRIE VOLES (MICROTUS OCHROGASTER)

Mammalian social organization can vary over ecological time. We experimentally manipulated food resources in enclosed populations of prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) to test the hypothesis that food quality influences the potential for group formation. During each field season, populations were started by releasing 5 pairs of prairie voles into each of 8 0.1-ha enclosures. Populations were monitored for 18-19 weeks during each field season. One-half of the enclosures received supplemental food, and the other one-half were unsupplemented controls. Density of voles increased throughout each field season. There were significant increases through time in philopatry and number of groups in both the food-supplemented and unsupplemented treatments, but there were no differences between treatments. Groups formed early in the season, apparently before the need for thermoregulatory benefits. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that the social organization of prairie voles is not flexible in response to changes in food quality but that formation of groups might be a density-dependent response.
Comparing histopathological and magnetic resonance imaging based mesorectal fascia status in patients with rectal carcinoma.

Objective: To compare mesorectal fascia status on histopathological findings with MRI based radiological mesorectal fascia status in patients with rectal carcinoma taking histopathology finding as gold standard. Study Design: Analytical study.
Family resources as protective factors for low-income youth exposed to community violence

Exposure to community violence is a risk factor for internalizing and externalizing problems; however, resources within the family can decrease the likelihood that adolescents will experience internalizing and externalizing problems as a result of such exposure. This study investigates the potential moderating effects of kinship support (i.e., emotional and tangible support from extended family) and parental involvement on the relation between exposure to community violence (i.e., witnessing violence and violent victimization) and socioemotional adjustment (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems) in low-income adolescents. The sample included 312 (50 % female; 71 % African American and 29 % White) low-income youth who participated in a longitudinal investigation when adolescents were age 14 (M age = 14.49 years) and again when they were 16 (M age = 16.49 years). Exposure to community violence at age 14 was related to more internalizing and externalizing problems at age 16. High levels of kinship support and parental involvement appeared to function as protective factors, weakening the association between exposure to violence and externalizing problems. Contrary to prediction, none of the hypothesized protective factors moderated the association between exposure to violence and internalizing problems. The results from this study suggest that both kinship support and parental involvement help buffer adolescents from externalizing problems that are associated with exposure to community violence.
Multistage emplacement of the McDoogle pluton, an early phase of the John Muir intrusive suite, Sierra Nevada, California, by magmatic crack-seal growth

New mapping of the southern McDoogle pluton, an early intrusion in the John Muir suite in the central Sierra Nevada, California, has resolved important details of incremental assembly by magmatic crack-seal. The tabular McDoogle pluton concordantly intruded the steeply dipping mylonitic Sawmill Lake shear zone around 95 Ma. The pluton was previously divided into three phases based on wall-rock screen abundance and lithology. The earliest central phase consists of steep dikes separated by abundant wall-rock screens. These screens are largely absent from border phases located on either side of the central phase. The inferred relative ages of intrusive phases and the wall-rock screen distribution signify a change from antitaxial (addition at the margins of the central phase) to syntaxial (addition at the center of each border phase) assembly during pluton growth. Interaction among the effects of preexisting foliation, older nondeformed intrusions, and synintrusive static recovery of shear zone rocks likely caused the transition from antitaxial to syntaxial growth. The trend from antitaxial to syntaxial growth during emplacement has been observed in other intrusions and intrusive suites and may be a general pattern of incremental intrusion associated with the feedback between preexisting deformation and thermal addition in magmatic arcs.
Information Sharing via Active Sensing in a Multi-Agent System Inspired by Echolocating Bats

Current models for multi-agent systems almost exclusively employ sensory modalities such as vision where agents passively receive information from the environment. Active sensing, defined as acquiring environmental information using self-generated signals, allows widespread sharing of sensory information among agents and thus gives rise to more complex interactions within engineered multi-agent systems using radar or sonar, for example. In nature, bat swarms are animal groups that successfully employ active sensing with each individual broadcasting echolocation pulses in the environment and responding to echoes. Bats flying in groups may cope with the dense sound environment through their behavior; one hypothesized strategy is the cessation of echolocation pulses in the presence of peers and “eavesdropping”, which has been demonstrated in controlled laboratory settings. In this work, we build a self-propelled-particle model with each agent avoiding obstacles in three dimensions by emitting echolocation pulses of a unique frequency. We implement a bat-inspired rule of eavesdropping to take advantage of information sharing via active sensing while reducing the energy expenditure of the group. Through a simulation study, we show that agents indeed capitalize on peers’ pulses and echoes for obstacle avoidance and we find a maximum of this effect for a set of model parameters which relate to the domain size.© 2014 ASME
Soldier Differentiation, Survival, and Wood Consumption by Normally and Abnormally Faunated Workers of the Formosan Termite, Coptotermes formosanus

Normally faunated (NF) workers of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) fed more and survived better than did partially defaunated (PD; lacking only the protozoan Pseudotrichonympha grassii Koidzumi), or completely defaunated (CD) termites. Termite feeding and survival in the latter 2 groups were similar. Total 8-week production and survival of soldiers for NF, PD, and CD termites was 91, 30, and 6, respectively (15:15:1), whereas the corresponding soldier ratios were 10.1, 9.7, and 2.9% (3.5:3.5:1). Thus, defaunation influenced soldier production and survival differently than it influenced overall termite feeding and survival.
T WAVE AND QT CHANGES IN TAKOTSUBO CARDIOMYOPATHY VERSUS WELLENS ‘ T WAVES

T wave inversions and QT intervals are influenced by several diseases affecting the heart. There can be similarities in the EKGs of patients with Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy (TCM) and Wellens' T waves (WTW) involving documented severe proximal left anterior descending coronary stenosis. It is unknown