cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Designing extensible IP router software

Many problems with today's Internet routing infrastructure--slow BGP convergence times exacerbated by timer-based route scanners, the difficulty of evaluating new protocols--are not architectural or protocol problems, but software problems. Router software designers have tackled scaling challenges above all, treating extensibility and latency concerns as secondary. At this point in the Internet's evolution, however, further scaling and security issues require tackling latency and extensibility head-on.We present the design and implementation of XORP, an IP routing software stack with strong emphases on latency, scaling, and extensibility. XORP is event-driven, and aims to respond to routing changes with minimal delay--an increasingly crucial requirement, given rising expectations for Internet reliability and convergence time. The XORP design consists of a composable framework of routing processes, each in turn composed of modular processing stages through which routes flow. Extensibility and latency concerns have influenced XORP throughout, from IPC mechanisms to process arrangements to intra-process software structure, and leading to novel designs. In this paper we discuss XORP's design and implementation, and evaluate the resulting software against our performance and extensibility goals.
Effects of PGD2 on canine renal function.

IN many tissues, especially the mammalian kidney, prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) is a significant product in the metabolism of the bisenoic prostaglandin endoperoxides1,2. PGD2 was originally reported to have negligible biological activity1; but, subsequent workers noted that it produces vascular effects in several species3,4. Although the effects in the kidney of the precursor, arachidonic acid, and other prostaglandins (PGs)5–7 have attracted much interest, the effects of PGD2 have received little attention. Since PGD2 may be an important product of arachidonate metabolism in the kidney8,9, the renal response to an infusion of PGD2 in the dog was examined and compared with the response to an infusion of PGE2. Whereas both PGs produced an increase in renal blood flow, only PGE2 caused a diuresis and natriuresis. This suggests that PGD2 in the kidney is primarily involved in the control of renal haemodynamics, and does not participate in the regulation of fluid and electrolyte excretion.
Growth and magnetization study of transition metal doped GaN nanostructures

This work presents the MOCVD growth and characterization of optically active GaN nanostructures which have been doped with the transition metals manganese and iron for potential spintronic applications. Introduction of both these transition metals in GaN nanostructures enhanced the nucleation of the nanostructures resulting in reduced lateral dimensions and increased nanostructure density. Both Ga1–xMnxN and Ga1–xFexN nanostructures showed hysteresis behaviour at 5 K. Further VSM measurements on Ga1–xFexN nanostructures at 300 K showed a hysteresis curve with a reduced coercive filed and displayed superparamagnetic behaviour. These magnetically active nanostructures are promising and provide an incentive to further study them with the aim of eventually utilizing them in spintronic applications and improving device efficiency. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Modified Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (MSPH) basis functions for meshless methods, and their application to axisymmetric Taylor impact test

The Modified Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (MSPH) method proposed earlier by the authors and applied to the analysis of transient two-dimensional (2-D) heat conduction, 1-D transient simple shearing deformations of a thermoviscoplastic material, 1-D wave propagation in a functionally graded plate, and 2-D elastodynamic crack propagation is extended to the analysis of axisymmetric deformations of a thermoviscoplastic material. In the MSPH method, different shape functions are used to find kernel estimates of the function, and of its first and second derivatives. It differs from the classical finite element method in which derivatives of a function are usually obtained by differentiating the shape function used to approximate the function. It is shown that results computed with the MSPH method for the Noh problem agree well with its analytical solution. The MSPH basis functions can be used in any meshless method to numerically solve either static or dynamic problems. The method is then applied to analyze transient deformations of a cylindrical rod impacting at normal incidence a rigid smooth stationary flat plate. The computed solution is found to agree very well with those obtained by analyzing axisymmetric and 3-D transient deformations of the rod with the commercial code LS-DYNA. The final length of the deformed rod, the final radius of the impacted face, and the final length of the relatively undeformed portion of the rod for twelve test configurations computed with the MSPH method are also found to agree well with their corresponding experimental values.
Moving, Writing, Failing: Spatialities of Ambivalence in Detroit's Ruinscapes.

In Detroit, the creative impulse to work in and around sites of ruin presents both aesthetic and ethical dilemmas. Creative practices that make use of ruined sites in the city are controversial to the extent that they present aesthetically attractive representations of real, unresolved social and environmental problems. This article examines the extent to which ‘ambivalent’ modes of moving, writing and thinking about creative practice in Detroit's ruinscapes might contribute to an enriched understanding of the function of EcoART in traumatised environments. Exploring four types of ambivalence (down/up; inside/outside; here/there; back/forth), the author investigates the relationship between failure and transformation in EcoArt practices in Detroit.
Relationship Between Computational Performance and Number Sense Among Sixth- and Eighth-Grade Students in Taiwan

This research provides information on the number sense of Taiwanese students in Grades 6 and 8. Data were collected with separate tests on written computation and number sense. Seventeen students were interviewed to learn more about their knowledge of number sense. Taiwanese students’ overall performance on number sense was lower than their performance on written computation. Student performance on questions requiring written computation was significantly better than on similar questions relying on number sense. There was little evidence that identifiable components of number sense, such as use of benchmarks, were naturally used by Taiwanese students in their decision making. This research supports the need to look beyond correct answers when computational test results are reported.
Identification and Characterization of cDNAs Encoding Ethylene Biosynthetic Enzymes from Pelargonium x hortorum cv Snow Mass Leaves

Two Pelargonium 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase cDNAs (GAC-1 and GAC-2) were identified and characterized. GAC-1 is 1934 bp long with a 1446-bp open reading frame encoding a 54.1-kD polypeptide. GAC-2 is a 1170-bp-long ACC synthase polymerase chain reaction fragment encoding 390 amino acids. Expression of GAC-1 and GAC-2 together with a previously identified ACC oxidase (GEFE-1) was examined in different Pelargonium plant parts, and leaves were subjected to osmotic stress (sorbitol), metal ion stress (CuCl2), auxin (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid [2,4-D]), and ethylene. GAC-1 expression was not detectable in any of the plant parts tested, whereas high levels of GAC-2 were expressed in the leaf bud, young leaf, young floret, fully open floret, and senescing floret. GAC-2 was expressed to a lesser degree in fully expanded leaves or roots and was undetectable in old leaves and floret buds. GEFE-1 was detectable at all leaf ages tested, in young and fully open florets, and in the roots; however, the highest degree of expression was in the senescing florets. GAC-1 was induced by sorbitol. Both GAC-1 and GAC-2 were only slightly affected by CuCl2 and induced indirectly by 2,4-D. GEFE-1 was highly induced by sorbitol, CuCl2, and 2,4-D. GAC-1, GAC-2, and GEFE-1 were unaffected by ethylene treatment. These results suggest that GAC-1 is only induced by stress and that GAC-2 may be developmentally regulated, whereas GEFE-1 is influenced by both stress and development.
Effect of DDT or parathion on the minimal electroshock seizure threshold of offspring from DDT or parathion-treated mothers

Female mice were given 2.5 mg/kg body weight DDT and 3 mg/kg Parathion during the first, second or third trimester of pregnancy. Minimal electroshock seizure threshold indicated that there was no effect by these drugs on the brain excitability of their offspring when they were 70–90 days old.
Atom interferometer based on Bragg scattering from standing light waves.

We have constructed an atom interferometer by Bragg deflecting a collimated beam of metastable neon atoms from three parallel standing waves. Interference fringes have been observed using atoms Bragg scattered at up to the third order, giving a maximum of $6\ensuremath{\Elzxh}k$ transverse momentum difference between the two arms of the interferometer. In the first order case we have achieved a fringe contrast of 62% and a peak to peak signal of 1700 atoms/s. We believe this to be the highest fringe contrast that has been achieved in atom interferometers.
Serotonin content of the brain stem nuclei in the rat

Abstract The serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) concentrations of 55 individual brain stem regions were determined by use of a specific and sensitive enzymatic isotopic technique in the rat. Serotonin was unevenly distributed throughout all the brain stem areas examined. The highest concentrations of 5-HT (above 20 ng/mg protein) were found in certain of the raphe nuclei. A high amount of 5-HT was also measured in the substantia nigra and in the globus pallidus. The central and tegmental gray matters of the mesencephalon and pons contained moderate amounts of 5-HT. The nuclei of reticular formation all contained about the same amount of 5-HT. There was more than a 5-fold difference between the highest and lowest concentrations of 5-HT measured in the cranial nerve nuclei. The motor nerve nuclei seemed to contain more of the amine than the sensory nerve nuclei.
Salvage Radical Prostatectomy: Quality of Life Outcomes and Long-Term Oncological Control of Radiorecurrent Prostate Cancer

Purpose: We review our 20-year experience with salvage radical prostatectomy to determine prognostic variables predictive of oncological control of radiorecurrent prostate cancer. Using a standardized questionnaire we also evaluate outcome data regarding the long-term sexual and urinary effects of salvage radical prostatectomy.Materials and Methods: Between 1983 and 2002 salvage radical prostatectomy was performed in 51 patients with locally recurrent prostate cancer following definitive radiotherapy. Clinical information was obtained from a prospective database. Quality of life data were collected using the UCLA Prostate Cancer Index, a validated, patient administered instrument.Results: At 5 years 47% of patients were progression-free without androgen deprivation therapy. Among patients with pT2 disease 100% were progression-free at 5 years, compared with 35% of patients with pT3N0 disease or higher and 0% of patients with node positive (pTxN+) disease (p <0.001). Preoperative PSA 5.0 ng/ml or less was ...
A Prospective, Randomized, Investigator-masked Evaluation of the Monocular Trial in Ocular Hypertension or Open-angle Glaucoma

Purpose To evaluate the clinical value of the monocular therapeutic drug trial in predicting long-term intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction. Design Prospective, randomized, investigator-masked trial. Participants Twenty-six subjects with ocular hypertension or open-angle glaucoma. Methods Subjects attended 5 study visits: 2 on no IOP-lowering therapy, 1 on monocular therapy with latanoprost, and 2 on bilateral therapy. The monocular trial eye was randomly selected, and study personnel making IOP measurements were masked to randomization. The following parameters were calculated: the unadjusted IOP change (IOP in the randomized eye at the first on-treatment visit minus IOP in the same eye at the initiation of the monocular trial); the adjusted IOP change (the unadjusted IOP change minus the comparable IOP change in the untreated fellow eye between the same 2 visits); and the long-term IOP change (the difference of the mean of the 2 on-treatment IOP values during bilateral use and the mean of the 2 pretreatment IOP values). Main Outcome Measure The relationship between short- and long-term IOP reduction, with the coefficient of determination (the square of the Pearson correlation coefficient, r) as the measure of association. Results The mean long-term IOP reduction after latanoprost therapy was −3.4±2.4 mmHg in first-treated eyes ( P P Conclusions The practice of adjusting the IOP change in the treated eye by the IOP change in the untreated eye—the monocular drug trial—is no more informative than using the treated eye's unadjusted IOP change, and both of these methods are poor predictors of long-term IOP reduction with latanoprost. Financial Disclosure(s) Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.
The Macintosh Office: “Software for the Rest of Us”?

The characteristics of an effective office system, such as simplicity and familiarity, are described. The application‐experience of control designers is also reviewed as another basis for evaluating the design of microcomputer software features. Packages from various software developers (for the Macintosh computer) are reviewed for features that facilitate ease of learning and use.
Potential genetic consequences of a recent bottleneck in the Amur tiger of

The Amur tiger, Panthera tigris altaica, is a highly endangered felid whose range and population size has been severely reduced in recent times. At present, the wild population is estimated at 490 individuals, having rebounded from the 20–30 tigers remaining following a severe bottleneck in the 1940's. The current study presents preliminary data on the patterns and levels of genetic variation in the mitochondrial DNA control region using DNA extracted from non-invasively sampled faecal material, collected throughout the entire range of P. t. altaica in the Russian Far East. Analysis of 82 scat samples representing at least 27 individuals revealed extremely low levels of CR haplotype diversity, characterized by a single widespread haplotype (96.4%) and two rare variants, each differing by a single step within the hypervariable I (2.4%) and central conserved regions (1.2%), respectively. A comparison with previous data on cytochrome bvariation in 14 captive individuals revealed a potentially greater amount of genetic variation represented in captivity relative to that found in the wild population. The extremely low levels of mitochondrial DNA variation in the wild population is discussed in light of the demographic processes that might have shaped these patterns as well as the potential bias introduced through analysis of fecal samples. These results highlight the continuing need to assess levels of genetic variation even in recovering populations that are increasing in number and underscore the important role that captive breeding programs may play in preserving remnant genetic diversity of endangered species.
Electron donors and acceptors influence anaerobic soil organic matter mineralization in tidal marshes

Abstract Anaerobic decomposition in wetland soils is carried out by several interacting microbial processes that influence carbon storage and greenhouse gas emissions. To understand the role of wetlands in the global carbon cycle, it is critical to understand how differences in both electron donor (i.e., organic carbon) and terminal electron acceptor (TEA) availability influence anaerobic mineralization of soil organic matter. In this study we manipulated electron donors and acceptors to examine how these factors influence total rates of carbon mineralization and the pathways of microbial respiration (e.g., sulfate reduction versus methanogenesis). Using a field-based reciprocal transplant of soils from brackish and freshwater tidal marshes, in conjunction with laboratory amendments of TEAs, we examined how rates of organic carbon mineralization changed when soils with different carbon contents were exposed to different TEAs. Total mineralization (the sum of CO 2 + CH 4 produced) on a per gram soil basis was greater in the brackish marsh soils, which had higher soil organic matter content; however, on a per gram carbon basis, mineralization was greater in the freshwater soils, suggesting that the quality of carbon inputs from the freshwater plants was higher. Overall anaerobic metabolism was higher for both soil types incubated at the brackish site where SO 4 2− was the dominant TEA. When soils were amended with TEAs in the laboratory, more thermodynamically favorable respiration pathways typically resulted in greater organic matter mineralization (Fe(III) respiration > SO 4 2− reduction > methanogenesis). These results suggest that both electron donors and acceptors play important roles in regulating anaerobic microbial mineralization of soil organic matter.
Transmission through Kerr media barriers within waveguides and circuits

The transmission properties of a barrier composed of Kerr nonlinear media contained within a photonic crystal waveguide or within circuits formed of photonic crystal waveguides is studied theoretically. The photonic crystal is a two-dimensional array of linear media dielectric cylinders, waveguides are formed in the photonic crystal by replacing a row of photonic crystal cylinders with linear media replacement dielectric cylinders, and the barrier is formed by replacing a finite number of waveguide cylinders with cylinders containing Kerr nonlinear dielectric media. The transmission maxima of the circuits, for an incident waveguide mode into the circuits, are determined as functions of two parameters characterizing the Kerr nonlinear media in the barrier. The resulting two-dimensional plot in the Kerr parameter space gives a complex pattern with features that are identified with Fabry-Perot excitations, intrinsic localized modes, and dark soliton modes resonantly excited within the barrier. Circuits treated are straight waveguides, waveguides with bends, and waveguides with side couplings. The theory is based on a difference equation approach developed for nonlinear barriers in Phys Rev B 69, 235105(2004) and Phys Rev B 77, 115105(2008).
Shadow science: Zyprexa, Eli Lilly and the globalization of pharmaceutical damage control

In 2002, following reports of adverse side effects experienced by Japanese patients taking the antipsychotic medication, Zyprexa, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare required Eli Lilly & Co. to place a new warning label on its drug and to send out a ‘doctors letter’. The company feared that this would threaten its sales of Zyprexa not just in Japan, but globally. US court documents from suits against Lilly in 2006 show how Lilly focused their scientific and sales attention not on the reported side effects of their drug, but on how prescribing physicians perceived the side effect profile of the drug. The company actively pursued a strategy of creating a shadow science to drown out noncompany-sponsored (and competitors’) research reports on the side effects of the drug. I draw on ethnographic research in Japan to describe how Lilly dealt with the threat to the brand equity of Zyprexa there, and how they sought to keep their global marketing program for the drug on course. I conclude with a discussion of the encounter between the global marketing aspiration of the firm and the contingencies associated with the Japanese environment in particular.
Effect of reduction and alkylation on structure and function of rabbit IgG antibody—I. Effect on ability to activate complement depends on conditions of reduction

Abstract Anaerobic reduction of rabbit IgG antibody with either dithiothreitol at pH 8.0 or 2-mercaptoethanol at pH 5.0 results in the production of antibody molecules which lack haemolytic activity yet whose interchain disulfide bonds remain intact. Aerobic reduction with 2-mercaptoethanol results in more haemolytic activity than can be accounted for by the residual amount of Ab with intact interchain bonds. Taken together, these findings suggest that the interheavy chain disulfide bond in rabbit IgG is not essential for interaction with complement but that an intraheavy chain bond is critical.
A hookup theorem for multilevel security

A security property for trusted multilevel systems, restrictiveness, is described. It restricts the inferences a user can make about sensitive information. This property is a hookup property, or composable, meaning that a collection of secure restrictive systems when hooked together form a secure restrictive composite system. It is argued that the inference control and composability of restrictiveness make it an attractive choice for a security policy on trusted systems and processes. >
(±)-5′-Nor ribofuranoside carbocyclic guanosine

The synthesis of the guanine derivative (±)-2-amino-1,9-dihydro-9-[(1′α,2′β,3′β,4′α)-(2′,3′,4′-trihydroxy-1′-cyclopentyl]-6H-purin-6-one (2) is described. This compound is viewed as the carbocyclic ribofuranoside guanine nucleoside analogue lacking the 5′-methylene.
Phosphorus and zinc fertilization of corn grown in a Connecticut soil

Abstract Deficiencies in soil zinc (Zn) may limit yield of corn (Zea mays L.) in parts of the northeastern United States. Because phosphorus (P) fertilizer is usually applied in excess of what is removed by the crop, buildup of P could reduce the plant availability of Zn. This study examines the effects of P and Zn fertilizer on yield of corn and levels of P and Zn in soil and tissue. Compared to corn that received no P or Zn, the yield of grain increased in three years when 66 kg/ha P + 0 kg/ha Zn and 66 kg/ha P + 15 kg/ha Zn was applied. When corn was fertilized with 0 kg/ha P + 15 kg/ha Zn, grain yield increased in one year. Similarly, an increase in grain yield occurred in only one year in plots fertilized with 66 kg/ha P + 15 kg/ha Zn compared to 66 kg/ha P + 0 kg/ha Zn. Increases in grain yields ranged between 5 and 22 percent for plots receiving P alone and P plus Zn, and between 5 and 10 percent for plots fertilized with Zn alone. Silage yields followed the same trends as the grain yields except t...
L'endartériectomie carotidienne en urgence est sûre chez les patients ayant peu de comorbidités

Des publications recentes d'etablissements isoles ont confirme l'efficacite de l'endarteriectomie carotidienne (EC) en urgence ou semi-urgence, bien qu'avec une mortalite et une morbidite perioperatoires plus elevees. Nous avons determine les resultats de l'EC en urgence dans des hopitaux universitaires et generaux et si des facteurs lies au patient ou a l'hopital influencaient les resultats. Les dossiers des patients ayant une EC dans tous les hopitaux non federaux dans l'etat du Connecticut entre 1992 et 2002 ont ete revus, et les patients symptomatiques qui se sont presentes en urgence ou en semi-urgence ont ete compares aux patients traites de maniere elective. La regression logistique multivariee a ete employee pour determiner l'effet des facteurs de risque des patients sur la mortalite perioperatoire, les AVC, et les complications cardiaques. Les patients ayant une EC en urgence (n = 764, 6,3%) ont eu des taux perioperatoires plus eleves de mortalite (2% contre 0,3%, p p p = 0,14) compares aux patients ayant une EC elective (n = 11,312). Les patients ayant une EC en urgence et avec des taux eleves de comorbidites associees avaient un risque perioperatoire plus eleve de mortalite (7,8% contre 0,4, p = 0,001), d'AVC (10,9% contre 0,8%, p = 0,0002), et de complications cardiaques (14,1% contre 0,8%, p p = 0,01). Les AVC perioperatoires etaient associes a l'insuffisance renale (OR = 5,3, p = 0,04). Les complications cardiaques perioperatoires etaient associees au diabete (OR = 2,6, p = 0,03) et aux hopitaux a faible capacite en lits (OR = 5, p 80 (OR = 1,2, p = 0,04), a l'insuffisance renale (OR = 1,8, p = 0,05), et a l'atteinte cardiaque (OR = 1,3, p
Structural basis for the recruitment of ERCC1-XPF to nucleotide excision repair complexes by XPA

The nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway corrects DNA damage caused by sunlight, environmental mutagens and certain antitumor agents. This multistep DNA repair reaction operates by the sequential assembly of protein factors at sites of DNA damage. The efficient recognition of DNA damage and its repair are orchestrated by specific protein–protein and protein–DNA interactions within NER complexes. We have investigated an essential protein–protein interaction of the NER pathway, the binding of the XPA protein to the ERCC1 subunit of the repair endonuclease ERCC1‐XPF. The structure of ERCC1 in complex with an XPA peptide shows that only a small region of XPA interacts with ERCC1 to form a stable complex exhibiting submicromolar binding affinity. However, this XPA peptide is a potent inhibitor of NER activity in a cell‐free assay, blocking the excision of a cisplatin adduct from DNA. The structure of the peptide inhibitor bound to its target site reveals a binding interface that is amenable to the development of small molecule peptidomimetics that could be used to modulate NER repair activities in vivo .
PULSATILE GNRH-STIMULATED LH RELEASE FROM THE HUMAN FETAL PITUITARY IN VITRO : SEX-ASSOCIATED DIFFERENCES

An in-vitro perfusion system was utilized to examine LH release from human fetal (19-24 weeks gestation) anterior pituitaries during repetitive GnRH stimulations. Pituitaries (five male, four female) were dissected into halves, and one hemipituitary of each pair was stimulated with 10-min pulses of 1 nM GnRH administered at 60-min intervals over 24h, whereas the matching hemipituitary received pulses of medium alone. Basal (no GnRH stimulation) LH release from female hemipituitaries was significantly (P less than 0.01) greater than from male hemipituitaries, and the amplitude of LH release associated with GnRH pulses was sixfold greater (P less than 0.001) with female hemipituitaries. Furthermore, the magnitude of LH release associated with individual GnRH pulses was significantly (P less than 0.001) enhanced during the course of female hemipituitary perfusions, but not during perifusion of male hemipituitaries. These studies demonstrate that LH secretion by the female, but not male, mid-gestational human fetal pituitary is increased in response to a physiological pattern and interval of repeated pulsatile GnRH stimulation in vitro.
An Antibody Against IL-5 Reduces Numbers of Esophageal Intraepithelial Eosinophils in Children With Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Background & aims The role of interleukin (IL)-5 in the pathogenesis of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) has been established in animal models; anti-IL-5 therapy has been reported to be effective in adults. We investigated whether IL-5 has a role in accumulation of esophageal eosinophils in children with EoE and whether therapy with mepolizumab, an antibody against IL-5, reduces the number of esophageal intraepithelial eosinophils in children with EoE. Methods We performed an international, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, prospective study of 59 children with EoE, defined as baseline peak count of esophageal intraepithelial eosinophils of ≥ 20 in at least 1 high-power field (hpf). Patients received an infusion every 4 weeks (a total of 3 infusions) of 0.55, 2.5, or 10 mg/kg mepolizumab. No placebo group was used. Results Baseline peak and mean esophageal intraepithelial eosinophil counts were (mean ± SE) 122.5 ± 8.78 and 39.1 ± 3.63 per hpf, respectively. Four weeks after the third infusion, peak eosinophil counts were Conclusions IL-5 is involved in the pathogenesis of EoE in children. Mepolizumab, an antibody against IL-5, reduces esophageal eosinophilic inflammation in these patients.
The suppression of hypersensitivity by ocular-induced CD8(+) T cells requires compatibility in the Qa-1 haplotype.

The suppression of hypersensitivity by ocular-induced CD8 + T cells requires compatibility in the Qa-1 haplotype
Transcriptional control of mitochondrial biogenesis and its interface with inflammatory processes.

Abstract Background Cells avoid major mitochondrial damage and energy failure during systemic inflammatory states, such as severe acute infections, by specific targeting of the inflammatory response and by inducing anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant defenses. Recent evidence indicates that these cell defenses also include mitochondrial biogenesis and the clearance of damaged mitochondria through autophagy. Scope of review This review addresses a group of transcriptional signaling mechanisms that engage mitochondrial biogenesis, including energy-sensing and redox-regulated transcription factors and co-activators, after major inflammatory events. Major conclusions Stimulation of the innate immune system by activation of toll-like receptors (TLR) generates pro-inflammatory mediators, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), necessary for optimal host defense, but which also contribute to mitochondrial damage through oxidative stress and other mechanisms. To protect its energy supply, host cells sense mitochondrial damage and initiate mitochondrial biogenesis under the control of an inducible transcriptional program that also activates anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory gene expression. This multifunctional network not only increases cellular resistance to metabolic failure, oxidative stress, and cell death, but promotes immune tolerance as shown in the graphical abstract. General significance The post-inflammatory induction of mitochondrial biogenesis supports metabolic function and cell viability while helping to control inflammation. In clinical settings, patients recovering from severe systemic infections may develop transient immune suppression, placing them at risk for recurrent infection, but there may be therapeutic opportunities to enhance mitochondrial quality control that would improve the resolution of life-threatening host responses to such infections.
Non-use of physicians: Methodological approaches, policy implications, and the utility of decision models

Abstract This paper considers ethnographic approaches to the study of health-care choice making in medically pluralistic settings. It focuses on the ways in which different methodological orientations may lead to varying explanations for the non-use of Western-style medical treatment, having dissimilar implications for policies concerning the delivery of health services in such settings. Several approaches are evaluated in terms of their utility for determining the relative effects of endogenous, culturally derived influences, as compared with exogenous, primarily accessibility-related factors, as constraints on the choice of a physician's treatment. Results of the application of a cognitively-oriented decision modeling approach in a rural Mexican community are described, and the comparative advantages of this approach are emphasized.
ALLOMETRIC MODELING OF PLANT ROOT GROWTH AND ITS APPLICATION IN RHIZOSPHERE REMEDIATION OF SOIL CONTAMINANTS

Allometric curves relating tree trunk diameter to root biomass, depth, and breadth were compiled for mulberry (Morus sp.). The curves were based on statistical analyses of measurements made on 29 different-sized trees ranging in age from 2 to 15 yr that had grown from seed in a naturally revegetated former sludge basin containing polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Over a 15-yr period, the curves indicate that the fine root biomass (<1.5 mm diameter) increases 60-fold and, under the right circumstances, can be a part of a root system that reaches a 2-m depth. The fine roots of mulberry were shown to produce several flavonoid compounds at concentrations (ranging from 94 to 525 microg/cm3) known to support the growth of organisms capable of degrading xenobiotics. Recognizing the root system as the driver of rhizoremediation, allometry curves presented in this paper can be used to quantify the magnitude of the driver (root system) without damaging plants during the course of a multiyear field study.
Parkinson’s disease: animal models and dopaminergic cell vulnerability

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects about 1.5% of the global population over 65 years of age. A hallmark feature of PD is the degeneration of the dopamine (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and the consequent striatal DA deficiency. Yet, the pathogenesis of PD remains unclear. Despite tremendous growth in recent years in our knowledge of the molecular basis of PD and the molecular pathways of cell death, important questions remain, such as: (1) why are SNc cells especially vulnerable; (2) which mechanisms underlie progressive SNc cell loss; and (3) what do Lewy bodies or α-synuclein reveal about disease progression. Understanding the variable vulnerability of the dopaminergic neurons from the midbrain and the mechanisms whereby pathology becomes widespread are some of the primary objectives of research in PD. Animal models are the best tools to study the pathogenesis of PD. The identification of PD-related genes has led to the development of genetic PD models as an alternative to the classical toxin-based ones, but does the dopaminergic neuronal loss in actual animal models adequately recapitulate that of the human disease? The selection of a particular animal model is very important for the specific goals of the different experiments. In this review, we provide a summary of our current knowledge about the different in vivo models of PD that are used in relation to the vulnerability of the dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain in the pathogenesis of PD.
Stochastic feature selection with distributed feature spacing for hyperspectral data

Feature subset selection is a well studied problem in machine learning. One short-coming of many methods is the selection of highly correlated features; a characteristic of hyperspec-tral data. A novel stochastic feature selection method with three major components is presented. First, we present an optimized feature selection method that maximizes a heuristic using a simulated annealing search which increases the chance of avoiding locally optimum solutions. Second, we exploit local cross correlation pair-wise amongst classes of interest to select suitable features for class discrimination. Third, we adopt the concept of distributed spacing from the multi-objective optimization community to distribute features across the spectrum in order to select less correlated features. The classification performance of our semi-embedded feature selection and classification method is demonstrated on a 12-class textile hyperspectral classification problem under several noise realizations. These results are compared with a variety of feature selection methods that cover a broad range of approaches.
Chlamydia trachomatis Infection Induces Cleavage of the Mitotic Cyclin B1

The obligate intracellular pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis interferes with a number of host cell processes, including cytoskeletal organization, vesicular trafficking, and apoptosis. In this study we report that C. trachomatis-infected cells proliferate more slowly than uninfected cells, suggesting that C. trachomatis may also manipulate the eukaryotic cell cycle. We further demonstrate that C. trachomatis infection destabilizes specific cell cycle proteins involved in the G2/M transition. C. trachomatis-infected cells, compared to uninfected cells, have lower levels of cyclin-dependent kinase 1. Additionally, C. trachomatis infection induces an N-terminal truncation of the mitotic cyclin B1. Manipulation of the host cell cycle may represent a strategy used by C. trachomatis to ensure a stable environment conducive to bacterial growth and replication.
Comparison of Estuarine Water Quality Models for Total Maximum Daily Load Development in Neuse River Estuary

The North Carolina Division of Water Quality developed a total maximum daily load ~TMDL! to reduce nitrogen inputs into the Neuse River Estuary to address the problem of repeated violations of the ambient chlorophyll a criterion. Three distinct water quality models were applied to support the TMDL: a two-dimensional laterally averaged model, a three-dimensional model, and a probability ~Bayesian network! model. In this paper, we compare the salient features of all three models and present the results of a verification exercise in which each calibrated model was used to predict estuarine chlorophyll a concentrations for the year 2000. We present six summary statistics to relate the model predictions to the observed chlorophyll values: ~1! the correlation coefficient; ~2! the average error; ~3! the average absolute error; ~4! the root mean squared error; ~5! the reliability index; and ~6! the modeling efficiency. Additionally, we examined each model's ability to predict how frequently the 40 mg/L chlorophyll a criterion was exceeded. The results indicate that none of the models predicted chlorophyll concentrations particularly well. Predictive accuracy was no better in the more process-oriented, spatially detailed models than in the aggregate probabilistic model. Our relative inability to predict accurately, even in well-studied, data-rich systems underscores the need for adaptive management, in which management actions are recognized as whole-ecosystem experiments providing additional data and information to better understand and predict system behavior.
The effect of acute maternal hypoxia on fetal oxygenation and the umbilical circulation in the sheep

Abstract The mean oxygen consumption was 8.4 ± 1.9 ml/min/kg in the near-term fetal sheep. In response to acute maternal hypoxia fetal O 2 consumption decreased to lower than 50% of the control values. The decrease was rapidly instituted, proportional to the degree of hypoxia, sustained for up to 47 min and stable over this period. With increasing duration of hypoxia, a progressive metabolic acidosis developed. Recovery of oxygen consumption occurred rapidly after hypoxia ceased, though the acidosis was not resolved until 2 h later. Umbilical blood flow was maintained during maternal hypoxia and umbilical arterial and venous pressures increased. A fetal bradycardia invariably accompanied the hypoxia.
Tacrolimus (FK 506)a treatment for primary sclerosing cholangitis: results of an open-label preliminary trial

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the liver that is characterized by progressive cholestasis and the development of secondary biliary cirrhosis. There is no widely recognized therapy for this disease, although anti-inflammatory agents (steroids), immunosuppressive agents (methotrexate), anti-fibrotics (colchicine), and choleretic agents (ursodeoxycholic acid) have been used in various small series. In the present study, Tacrolimus (FK 506), a new and powerful immunosuppressive macrolide antibiotic, has been used to treat 10 patients with PSC. Each subject had a liver biopsy, ERCP with visualization of the intra- and extrahepatic biliary tree, and a panel of hematological, serological, and biochemical laboratory tests before the initiation of the FK 506 therapy. The FK 506 was administered orally at 12-h intervals and was monitored by serial plasma FK 506 trough levels. After 360 days of treatment, the median serum bilirubin level was reduced by 75%, and the serum alkaline phosphatase was reduced by 70%. Moreover, the serum ALT and AST levels were reduced by 80 and 86%, respectively. No change in the serum level of BUN and creatinine levels occurred as a consequence of the FK 506 treatment. These data demonstrate that: 1) FK 506 can be used to treat PSC; 2) the response to FK 506 by patients with PSC is rapid; and, 3) no adverse effect on the serum BUN and creatinine levels was observed. It is anticipated that FK 506 will become an important agent for the treatment of patients with PSC because of its powerful immunosuppressive activity.
Potential of computer-aided diagnosis of high spectral and spatial resolution (HiSS) MRI in the classification of breast lesions.

Purpose To compare the performance of computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) analysis of precontrast high spectral and spatial resolution (HiSS) MRI to that of clinical dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in the diagnostic classification of breast lesions. Materials and Methods Thirty-four malignant and seven benign lesions were scanned using two-dimensional (2D) HiSS and clinical 4D DCE-MRI protocols. Lesions were automatically segmented. Morphological features were calculated for HiSS, whereas both morphological and kinetic features were calculated for DCE-MRI. After stepwise feature selection, Bayesian artificial neural networks merged selected features, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis evaluated the performance with leave-one-lesion-out validation. Results AUC (area under the ROC curve) values of 0.92 ± 0.06 and 0.90 ± 0.05 were obtained using CADx on HiSS and DCE-MRI, respectively, in the task of classifying benign and malignant lesions. While we failed to show that the higher HiSS performance was significantly better than DCE-MRI, noninferiority testing confirmed that HiSS was not worse than DCE-MRI. Conclusion CADx of HiSS (without contrast) performed similarly to CADx on clinical DCE-MRI; thus, computerized analysis of HiSS may provide sufficient information for diagnostic classification. The results are clinically important for patients in whom contrast agent is contra-indicated. Even in the limited acquisition mode of 2D single slice HiSS, by using quantitative image analysis to extract characteristics from the HiSS images, similar performance levels were obtained as compared with those from current clinical 4D DCE-MRI. As HiSS acquisitions become possible in 3D, CADx methods can also be applied. Because HiSS and DCE-MRI are based on different contrast mechanisms, the use of the two protocols in combination may increase diagnostic accuracy. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2014;39:59–67. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Adaptive Sampling for Estimating a Scalar Field using a Robotic Boat and a Sensor Network

This paper introduces an adaptive sampling algorithm for a mobile sensor network to estimate a scalar field. The sensor network consists of static nodes and one mobile robot. The static nodes are able to take sensor readings continuously in place, while the mobile robot is able to move and sample at multiple locations. The measurements from the robot and the static nodes are used to reconstruct an underlying scalar field. The algorithm presented in this paper accepts the measurements made by the static nodes as inputs and computes a path for the mobile robot which minimizes the integrated mean square error of the reconstructed field subject to the constraint that the robot has limited energy. We assume that the field does not change when robot is taking samples. In addition to simulations, we have validated the algorithm on a robotic boat and a system of static buoys operating in a lake over several km of traversed distance while reconstructing the temperature field of the lake surface
Sources and observers in motion, I: Time variant analysis and its implications for aerodynamic sound†

The observed radiation characteristics between acoustic sources and observers moving in rectilinear motion relative to a propagating medium is considered. The theory is an expanded form of that first given in reference [1]. A local motion concept is used, the notion of time variant equations is introduced, and the mass displacement, rather than the mass flux, is used as the fundamental source description. Higher order sources, generated by bodies in motion, are considered as acoustic multipoles of fundamental sources. In this model the various time scales involved are emphasized, and attention is drawn to differences in the motional amplification between aerodynamic sources being applied directly to the propagating medium and those generated by moving bodies.
Deficits in anticipatory but not consummatory pleasure in people with recent-onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders

The majority of studies examining self-reported anticipatory and consummatory pleasure in schizophrenia, as measured on the Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale (TEPS), have been conducted on chronically ill people with the disorder. In this study, people with a recent-onset schizophrenia spectrum diagnosis (first psychotic episode within one year of study participation) (n=88) and people without a schizophrenia spectrum diagnosis (n=66) were administered the TEPS. People with a schizophrenia spectrum diagnosis reported significantly lower scores of anticipatory, but not consummatory, pleasure on the TEPS compared to the control group. TEPS anticipatory pleasure scores were also significantly, negatively correlated with negative symptoms, but neither TEPS anticipatory nor consummatory pleasure scores were significantly correlated with functioning measures. Our results replicate previous findings with chronically ill people with schizophrenia on the TEPS.
Interactions between nectar robbers and seed predators mediated by a shared host plant, Ipomopsis aggregata

Animals that consume plant parts or rewards but provide no services in return are likely to have significant impacts on the reproductive success of their host plants. The effects of multiple antagonists to plant reproduction may not be predictable from studying their individual effects in isolation. If consumer behaviors are contingent on each other, such interactions may limit the ability of the host to evolve in response to any one enemy. Here, we asked whether nectar robbing by a bumblebee (Bombus occidentalis) altered the likelihood of pre-dispersal seed predation by a fly (Hylemya sp.) on a shared host plant, Ipomopsis aggregata (Polemoniaceae). We estimated the fitness consequences of the combined interactions using experimental manipulations of nectar robbing within and among sites. Within sites, nectar robbing reduced the percentage of fruits destroyed by Hylemya. However, the negative effects of robbing on seed production outweighed any advantages associated with decreased seed predation in robbed plants. We found similar trends among sites when we manipulated robbing to all plants within a local population, although the results were not statistically significant. Taken together, our results suggest that seed predation is not independent of nectar robbing. Thus, accounting for the interactions among species is crucial to predicting their ecological effects and plant evolutionary response.
Scheduling and Controlling Semantics for Distributed Resource Based Computing Engines

With the advent of autonomic and cloud computing, computation engines are getting redefined as dynamic configurations of heterogeneous, distributed resources. In this paper, we describe the operational semantics of scheduling and controlling of computation engines configured from component resources subject to dependency and capacity constraints and in accordance with policies and objectives such as priorities and load balancing. The operational semantics provides a novel formal model in denotational style, for establishing properties like computability and dependability in the presence of faults and reported and unreported events. It supports dynamic features such as resource up and down events, synchronized startup, synchronized shutdown, and resource groups/virtual servers. An efficient, interpreter-based implementation using the specified semantics is suggested.