cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Emerging Role of Biosimilar Epoetins in Nephrology in the United States

Biologic drugs, including epoetin, continue to play an important role in the management of medical conditions. However, biologics are costly and soon many of the patents on these drugs will expire, making way for non–brand name products (ie, biosimilars). It is only by introducing competition to the marketplace that costs will de-escalate. In Europe, a specific regulatory pathway for approving biosimilars has been in place since 2005. A similar review pathway in the United States has been developed by the US Food and Drug Administration. These guidelines for approving biosimilars are stringent, requiring preclinical pharmacodynamic and toxicologic studies, clinical studies to demonstrate bioequivalence and efficacy, and long-term postmarketing studies to monitor drug safety. Biosimilar epoetin has been used in Europe since 2007, and a wealth of data has been collected. These studies and reports indicate that the efficacy and safety profiles of biosimilar epoetin are similar to those of originator epoetin alfa. Biosimilars of epoetin alfa are expected to be among the first biosimilar agents to be approved for use in the United States. The availability of lower cost epoetins may have significant impact on the treatment of anemia of chronic kidney disease.
Velocity measurement of radar targets using HOS

The application of higher-order statistics (HOS) to velocity measurements of radar targets takes advantage of the HOS characteristic that fourth-order estimators can be unbiased by Gaussian noise. Using data from a stepped-frequency, coherent radar, the samples are coherently averaged in the trispectrum or in slices of the trispectrum. The ratio of the averages produces a transfer function where phase is related to velocity. The HOS method is compared to a classical, second order method similar to cross-spectrum analysis. An example using real radar data shows a case where the classical method does not work. >
Cost savings at the end of life. What do the data show

Medical care at the end of life consumes 10% to 12% of the total health care budget and 27% of the Medicare budget. Many people claim that increased use of hospice and advance directives and lower use of high-technology interventions for terminally ill patients will produce significant cost savings. However, the studies on cost savings from hospice and advance directives are not definitive. The 3 randomized trials show no savings from these interventions, but either they are too small for confidence in their negative results or their intervention and cost accounting are flawed. The nonrandomized trials of hospice and advance directives show a wide range of savings, from 68% to none. Five methodological issues obscure the assessment of these studies: (1) selection bias in those patients who use hospice and advance directives, (2) the different time frames of assessing the costs, (3) the limited types of medical costs evaluated, (4) the variability of reporting the savings, and (5) the lack of generalizability of the findings to other patient populations. A more definitive study that assessed patients' end-of-life care preferences, use of hospice and advance directives, and direct and indirect costs would be desirable. In the absence of such a study, the existing data suggest that hospice and advance directives can save between 25% and 40% of health care costs during the last month of life, with savings decreasing to 10% to 17% over the last 6 months of life and decreasing further to 0% to 10% over the last 12 months of life. These savings are less than most people anticipate. Nevertheless, they do indicate that hospice and advance directives should be encouraged because they certainly do not cost more and they provide a means for patients to exercise their autonomy over end-of-life decisions. ( JAMA . 1996;275:1907-1914)
Respiratory mechanics of the piglet during the first month of life.

Piglets at 3, 14, and 30 days of age were studied to assess the postnatal changes in lung, chestwall, and total respiratory system compliance associated with normal growth. Static deflation compliance of the lung and total respiratory system increased significantly with age; there was no change in chestwall compliance. When normalized for body weight or lung volume, all measures of compliance tended to decrease with postnatal age. Measures of lung and chestwall compliance obtained with an end-inspiratory occlusion technique were less than the static compliance measures, but demonstrated the same relative changes with postnatal maturation. Chestwall compliance at 3 days of age was only 1.3 times greater than lung compliance and there was no significant change in this ratio with postnatal age. In contrast to the trend for the human infant,1 the piglet's chestwall at 3 days of age is stiff relative to the lung and does not become stiffer with age over the first 4 weeks of life.
EVALUATING SCORE DIFFERENCES ON A VISUAL ACUITY TEST

S~immary.-Diagnostic testing of severely disabled readers commonly includes a Keystone Telebinocular Visual Si~ruey. As a part of this survey a visual acuity test was administered both under a standard condition and with an aid to fixation. A difference in scores between the two administrations indicates the presence of at least two sources of score variability, visual acuity and ability to maintain fixation on the visual target.
Motor activity of squirrel monkeys measured with an ultrasonic motion sensor

We describe an ultrasonic motion sensing system for measuring the motor activity of individual squirrel monkeys in their home cage. The system utilizes an inexpensive Commodore 64 microcomputer for data collection and can distinguish between movements of short (i.e., less than 1.0 s) and longer (i.e., greater than or equal to 1.0 s) duration, and between number of movements and time spent in motion. The diurnal pattern of spontaneous activity is illustrated along with the dose-dependent effects of d-amphetamine (0.025-1.6 mg/kg) and haloperidol (0.025-0.4 mg/kg).
Prepreg processing science and engineering

Resin flow and fiber spreading during the prepregging process were investigated experimentally using a scale-down version of a commercial hot-melt prepregger with bismaleimides and carbon fibers as model systems. Specifically, several dimensionless parameters such as the Prepreg Flow Number, fractional resin uptake, resin distribution function, fractional width change, and prepregging efficiency were defined to characterize the prepregging process as well as the quality of the prepreg. Fiber spreading during the prepregging process was observed to be a viscoelastic phenomenon depending on the impregnation temperature. For resin impregnation into collimated fiber tows, all the experimental data points obtained at different operating conditions were superimposed onto a single line showing a temperature-pressure-velocity superposition for the prepregging process as predicted by the definition of the Prepreg Flow Number (PFN). Finally, three fundamental steps of the prepregging process were identified and confirmed with cross-sectional micrographs of unaged prepregs produced at different temperatures.
Distributed adaptive control of production scheduling and machine capacity

This paper considers modeling and simulation of a unified control system that uses a continuous control-theoretic approach for distributed production scheduling at the shop floor and machine capacity control at the CNC level. Specifically, a distributed production scheduling method is unified with a distributed machine capacity control to generate realistic schedules considering the available capacity of production resources. In this distributed control system, machine capacity is adaptively controlled based on current physical conditions of the production resources and changes in production demands at the shop-floor level as well. The proposed system considers a multi-attribute objective that consists of production rate and product quality, production cost, and mean-squared deviation of job completions about due dates. The results obtained from the computational experiments show that the proposed system can improve the system performance through fully utilizing machine capacity while reducing production costs, production delays, missed deliveries, and customer dissatisfaction.
Switching components and the ambiguity problem in the reconstruction of pictures from their projections

Abstract The information in a digital picture may be compressed by summing gray levels over known paths, or rays, of the picture. A projection is an ordered set of ray sums. Sets of projections may be used to store pictures in compressed form. Given a projection set, reconstruction is achieved by operating on the projection set to produce either the original picture or an approximation to it (called a similar picture). The latter is due to the ambiguity of the reconstruction technique inherent in the data compression. This paper describes the ambiguity problem resulting in picture reconstruction from projection sets. The concept of switching components, a key factor in the ambiguity, is discussed. Switching components are groups of picture points which can be changed in a certain way (therefore changing the original picture to a “similar” picture) without affecting the projection set. A technique is developed that addresses itself first to unambiguous areas of the picture in reconstruction. This technique is used along with more traditional methods for the doubtful areas.
Industrial Combustion Coordinated Rulemaking

Abstract The following article is excerpted from the document Industrial Combustion Coordinated Rulemaking - Proposed Organizational Structure and Process, which is available from the Technology Transfer Network (TTN), a computer bulletin board. To access the TTN, call (919) 541-5742; to obtain help with the TTN, call (919) 541-5384. The Industrial Combustion Coordinated Rulemaking (ICCR) document is evolving, reflecting an ongoing dialogue with various stakeholders; therefore, there may be changes between this article and the ICCR as it is implemented. EPA would like to thank all stakeholders (e.g., representatives from various companies and trade associations, state and local air pollution control agencies, and environmental organizations) who have offered suggestions and comments on development of the ICCR. As mentioned in the implications statement, the overall goal of the ICCR is to develop a unified set of federal air emissions regulations. The proposed ICCR will achieve this goal by: • Obtaining ac...
Antigen‐specific suppressor cells in hapten‐specific carrier‐determined tolerance

Tolerance to the hapten 2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP) induced by the injection of DNP coupled to isologous IgG (carrier-determined tolerance) is associated with a receptor blockade of antigen-binding lymphocytes. In the present study, hapten-specific suppressor cells were detected in the spleens of mice made tolerant by intravenous injection of 20 microgram DNP-IgG. When spleen cells from mice rendered tolerant to DNP were co-cultured with normal spleen cells in Marbrook cultures, the response to DNP-Ficoll was suppressed, while the response to sheep red blood cells was not altered. Depletion of T cells from these spleens restored the normal anti-DNP response. The suppressor cells were not detectable in the spleen lymphocyte population of mice in the early stages of tolerance but were present on day 7 after injection of tolerogen, and disappeared by day 14. Mice injected with larger doses of 1 mg or four weekly doses of 200 microgram DNP-IgG did not have detectable suppressor cells. Thus, it appears that a short-lived suppressor T cell is generated in carrier-determined tolerance. This cell most likely plays a minor role in the mechanism of carrier-determined tolerance and may be associated with the receptor blockade which is seen early in tolerance.
74 MHz Discrete H II Absorption Regions Toward the Inner Galaxy

At low radio frequencies (ν 100 MHz), classical H II regions may become optically thick (optical depth τ ≥ 1) and can be observed as discrete absorption regions against the Galactic nonthermal background emission created by Galactic cosmic-ray electrons spiraling around magnetic fields. However, the historically poor angular resolution (>30') of previous low-frequency surveys has limited such observations to the largest and nearest H II regions. The significantly enhanced resolution and surface brightness sensitivity of the 74 MHz system on the Very Large Array now allow for the detection of absorption regions on scale sizes of just a few arcminutes that can be readily identified with many more H II regions previously cataloged in emission at higher frequencies. These absorption measurements directly constrain the brightness temperature of the cosmic-ray synchrotron emission emanating from behind the H II regions based on reasonable physical assumptions. Many such observations could be used to map out the three-dimensional cosmic-ray emissivity in the Galaxy without resorting to a priori assumptions about Galactic structure. This measurement is unique to low-frequency radio astronomy. In this work we present 74 MHz observations in the region 26° > l > -15°, -5° < b < 5°; report the detection of 92 absorption features associated with known H II regions; and derive the brightness temperature of the Galactic cosmic-ray electron synchrotron emission emanating from the column behind these regions. For the 42 H II regions with known distances, the average emissivity of the column behind the H II region is derived. The 74 MHz emissivity values range between 0.3 and 1.0 K pc-1 for a model assuming uniform distribution of emissivity. Methods for using this type of data to model the three-dimensional distribution of cosmic-ray emissivity and the possibility of using this method to break the H II region kinematic distance degeneracy are discussed.
Coronary artery bypass without cardiopulmonary bypass

The purpose of this article is twofold: to describe our technique for performing coronary artery bypass grafting without cardiopulmonary bypass (off pump) and to demonstrate that this operation is safe, in terms of mortality and certain indices of morbidity. Very little has been published in regard to off-bypass operations. From 1985 through 1990, 220 patients underwent operation off bypass; 220 on-pump controls were retrospectively matched for number of grafts, left ventricular function, and date of operation. Groups were compared in terms of mortality and ten indicators of morbidity. The same analysis was performed for ten subgroups. We found no statistically significant difference between groups in mortality (off pump, 1.4% [3/220]; on pump, 2.4% [5/220]), which held across all subgroups. Patients undergoing operation off pump required blood far less often (not transfused: off pump, 72.7% [160/220]; on pump, 54.6% [116/220]; p = 0.005 by Fisher's exact test), and the low output state occurred statistically less frequently off pump (off pump, 5.5% [12/220]; on-pump, 12.7% [28/220]; p = 0.01 by Fisher's exact test). Further research should be directed to which subgroups can be operated on to advantage off pump and which, if any, groups of patients should be confined to on-bypass operations.
Differentiating Between Subsystems and Typologies in the Analysis of Migration Regions: A U.S. Example*

Studies of migration regions are characterized by two separate conceptual approaches. The first views migration regions as clusters of highly interconnected spatial units (subsystems) while the other defines them as groups of spatial units with a similar geographic structure of flows (typologies). This paper highlights the theoretical and methodological distinctions between migration subsystems and typologies. An empirical analysis using U.S. migration data for 1940, 1960, and 1980 shows that although migration subsystems and typologies have both changed over time, each reveals a different dynamic of regional change and has different morphological characteristics.
Correlation of Genotype Performance for Agronomic and Physiological Traits in Space-Planted versus Densely Seeded Conditions

Wheat breeding programs often have a generation of intense selection among space-planted individuals. An ultimate goal is always high yield potential of genotypes when transferred to densely seeded conditions. The goal of this experiment was to identify traits that may be selected in spaced-plants that are correlated with high yield potential under densely seeded conditions. We tested 20 spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes under three planting densities over a 2-yr period under both irrigated and nonirrigated conditions. Several traits were correlated with yield potential within seeding densities, including flag leaf width, grain fill period, and days needed to reach Haun growth stage 5. Additionally, genotype performance in spaced-planted versus densely seeded conditions was highly correlated for many of the measured traits. In particular, genotype performance for grain yield was significantly correlated between the planting densities (r = 0.83). Additionally, flag leaf width and development at Haun growth stage 5 were highly correlated between planting densities on the basis of mean performance over all four environments. These traits were also highly correlated when comparing individual space-planted environments to the mean genotype performance in the densely seeded environments. Genotype performance for grain fill period was highly correlated between planting densities on the basis of means of all four environments (r = 0.87). These correlations were lower, though generally significant, when each of the four space-planted environments was considered independently. In general, data from this study suggest that selection among space-planted genotypes for wide flag leaf, rapid growth to Haun stage 5, and long grain fill period may result in increased yield potential in densely seeded conditions.
Numerical investigation of a modified family of centered schemes applied to multiphase equations with nonconservative sources

Systems of hyperbolic partial differential equations are frequently used to model the flow of multiphase mixtures. These equations often contain sources, referred to as nozzling terms, that cannot be posed in divergence form, and have proven to be particularly challenging in the development of finite-volume methods. Upwind schemes have recently shown promise in properly resolving the steady wave solution of the associated multiphase Riemann problem. However, these methods require a full characteristic decomposition of the system eigenstructure, which may be either unavailable or computationally expensive. Central schemes, such as the Kurganov-Tadmor (KT) family of methods, require minimal characteristic information, which makes them easily applicable to systems with an arbitrary number of phases. However, the proper implementation of nozzling terms in these schemes has been mathematically ambiguous. The primary objectives of this work are twofold: first, an extension of the KT family of schemes is proposed that formally accounts for the nonconservative nozzling sources. This modification results in a semidiscrete form that retains the simplicity of its predecessor and introduces little additional computational expense. Second, this modified method is applied to multiple, but equivalent, forms of the multiphase equations to perform a numerical study by solving several one-dimensional test problems. Both ideal and Mie-Gruneisen equations of state are used, with the results compared to an analytical solution. This study demonstrates that the magnitudes of the resulting numerical errors are sensitive to the form of the equations considered, and suggests an optimal form to minimize these errors. Finally, a separate modification of the wave propagation speeds used in the KT family is also suggested that can reduce the extent of numerical diffusion in multiphase flows.
Multi-objective Particle Swarm Optimization for High Performance Array and Reflector Antennas

In this paper, multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) is studied by applying it to two complex multi-objective electromagnetic problems: a 16-element array antenna synthesized for a tradeoff between the beam efficiency and the half-power beam width, and a single shaped reflector antenna optimized for higher gains of multiple feeds. In both cases, the Pareto fronts are successfully detected by the algorithm. It is concluded that the MOPSO is another powerful optimizing tool for electromagnetics designers
Chemical and wettability studies on coal, humic acid and cyclized humic acid

Abstract Investigation of properties such as wettability of coal is often complicated by variations in the surface chemistry of coal samples during their preparation, storing and pretreatments. It is the aim of this study to prepare hydrophobic and hydrophilic derivatives of a single parent coal by chemical methods selected for rupturing and closing cyclic rings in order to understand the mechanisms of hydrophobicity of the coal surface.
Application to Diffusion Processes

After a review of the Gaussian transition function, a classical method of constructing Green functions for solving Poisson’s equation is modified to construct global solutions of the heat equation. The method does not ensure that Huygens’ Principle of Determinism holds so that the semigroup property must be established independently. The method is used to construct transition functions for Brownian motion subject to either absorption or reflection at the boundary of a region other than he usual one-dimensional regions. The method is applicable to some regions if there is absorption on part of the boundary and reflection on the remainder. Included is a discussion of the synergy resulting from the joining of potential theory and probability theory. The chapter concludes with a general existence theorem for a diffusion process in a region in \(R^n\) corresponding to an elliptic operator with mixed boundary conditions subject to geometric conditions on the region which are fulfilled, for example, by a convex polytope in \(R^n\).
The Regulation of Foraging Activity in Red Harvester Ant Colonies

Abstract: Behavioral plasticity in social insects is intriguing because colonies adjust to environmental change through the aggregated responses of individuals. Without central control, colonies adjust numbers of workers allocated to various tasks. Individual decisions are based on local information from the environment and other workers. This study examines how colonies of the seed‐eating ant Pogonomyrmex barbatus adjust the intensity of foraging in an arid environment where conspecific neighbors compete for foraging area. The main question is how foragers decide whether to leave the nest. Patrollers search the area before foragers emerge. Removal experiments show that the return of the patrollers stimulates the onset of foraging, and later, the rate at which foragers return affects the rate at which foragers continue to leave the nest. Foraging activity is less sensitive to changes in the rate of returning foragers than to changes in the rate of returning patrollers. These results suggest that whether a...
Discrete Signaling Regions in the Lymphotoxin-β Receptor for Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor-associated Factor Binding, Subcellular Localization, and Activation of Cell Death and NF-κB Pathways *

Lymphotoxin-beta receptor (LTbetaR), a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, is essential for the development and organization of secondary lymphoid tissue. Wild type and mutant LTbetaR containing successive truncations of the cytoplasmic domain were investigated by retrovirus-mediated gene transfer into HT29.14s and in 293T cells by transfection. Wild type receptors accumulated in perinuclear compartments and enhanced responsiveness to ligand-induced cell death and ligand-independent activation of NFkappaB p50 dimers. Coimmunoprecipitation and confocal microscopy mapped the TRAF3 binding site to amino acids PEEGDPG at position 389. However, LTbetaR truncated at position Pro(379) acted as a dominant positive mutant that down-modulated surface expression and recruited TRAF3 to endogenous LTbetaR. This mutant exhibited ligand-independent cell death and activated NF-kappaB p50 dimers. By contrast, truncation at Gly(359) created a dominant-negative mutant that inhibited ligand-induced cell death and activation of NF-kappaB p50/p65 heterodimers. This mutant also blocked accumulation of wild type receptor into perinuclear compartments, suggesting subcellular localization may be crucial for signal transduction. A cryptic TRAF-independent NF-kappaB activating region was identified. These mutants define discrete subregions of a novel proline-rich domain that is required for subcellular localization and signal transduction by the LTbetaR.
Superconducting thallium oxide and mercury oxide films

Abstract This paper reports on a study to convert electrodeposited Tl-oxide films to Hg-1212 using the cation-exchange process. A two-layer electrodeposition process was used to prepare Tl–Ba–Ca–Cu–O films with Tl-1212 and Tl-2212 stoichiometry. Electrodeposited Tl-films were also deposited with Bi and Sr substituted for the Tl and Ba, respectively and also reacted using cation exchange to attempt formation of Hg-1212. The superconducting transition temperature for the “non-substituted” films improved from 97 to 120 K after the cation-exchange process with a critical current density exceeding 2×106 at 5 K in zero field. The cation-exchange process for the Bi, Sr substituted films appears to be more difficult with no marked improvement in superconducting properties.
Introduction of exogenous epitopes in the variable regions of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 envelope glycoprotein: effect on viral infectivity and the neutralization phenotype.

In this study we examined whether human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is equally susceptible to neutralization by a given antibody when the epitope of this antibody is introduced at different positions within the viral envelope glycoprotein (Env). To this end, we introduced two exogenous “epitope tags” at different locations within three major Env regions in two distinct HIV-1 isolates. We examined how the introduction of the exogenous epitopes affects Env expression, Env incorporation into virions, Env fusogenic potential, and viral susceptibility to neutralization. Our data indicate that even within the same Env region, the exact positioning of the epitope impacts the susceptibility of the virus to neutralization by the antibody that binds to that epitope. Our data also indicate that even if the same epitope is introduced in the exact same position on two different Envs, its exposure and, as a result, the neutralization susceptibility of the virus, can be very different. In contrast to the findings of previous studies conducted with HIV-1 isolates other than those used here, but in agreement with results obtained with simian immunodeficiency virus, we observed that tagging of the fourth variable region of Env (V4) did not result in neutralization by the anti-tag antibodies. Our data indicate that epitopes in V4 are not properly exposed within the functional HIV-1 trimeric Env spike, suggesting that V4 may not be a good target for vaccine-elicited neutralizing antibodies.
Queueing analysis of buffered switching networks

A method for analyzing the queueing behavior of switching networks constructed from switches that employ shared buffering or parallel bypass input buffering is presented. The queueing models introduced by Y.C. Jenq (1983) and generalized by T. Szymanski and S. Shaikh (1989) are extended to handle these classes of networks. The analysis explicitly models the state of an entire switch and infers information about the distribution of packets associated with particular inputs or outputs when needed. It is shown that the method can be extended to switching systems with input buffering, including systems supporting bypass queueing. Numerical comparisons of the different buffering techniques are included. >
Soil microbial community response to surfactants and herbicides in two soils

Abstract The environmental impacts of herbicides on desirable plants and the soil biota are of public concern. The surfactants that are often used with herbicides are also under scrutiny as potentially harmful to soil biological systems. To address these concerns, we used two soils, a silt loam and a silty, clay loam from south central Missouri, to investigate the impacts of herbicides and surfactants on soil microbial communities using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. The surfactants used in this study were alkylphenol ethoxylate plus alcohol ethoxylate (Activator 90), polyethoxylate (Agri-Dex), and a blend of ammonium sulfate, drift reduction/deposition polymers and anti-foam agent (Thrust). The herbicides were glyphosate, atrazine and bentazon. Surfactants and herbicides were applied to soils at label rate, either alone or combined, to 4000 g soil per pot. The two soils differed in history, texture, some chemical characteristics and several microbial community characteristics. A few of the chemicals altered some of the components of the microbial community after only one application of the chemical at field-rate. The Cole County, MO silt loam showed larger changes in the microbial community with application of treatments. For the Boone County, MO silty clay loam, Activator 90, Agri-Dex and bentazon treatments increased microbial biomass determined by PLFA; Thrust decreased PLFA markers, bacteria to fungi ratio; and Agri-Dex at both rates decreased monounsaturated fatty acids. Changes in the microbial community due to herbicides or surfactants were minimal in this study of a single application of these chemicals, but could be indicators of potential long-term effects. Long-term studies are needed to determine the changes in the microbial community after several years of annual applications of herbicides and surfactants on a wide array of soil types and management practices.
STRUCTURE AND BIOGENESIS OF THE CELL WALLS OF GRASSES

The chemical structures of the primary cell walls of the grasses and their progenitors differ from those of all other flowering plant species. They vary in the complex glycans that interlace and cross-link the cellulose microfibrils to form a strong framework, in the nature of the gel matrix surrounding this framework, and in the types of aromatic substances and structural proteins that covalently cross-link the primary and secondary walls and lock cells into shape. This review focuses on the chemistry of the unique polysaccharides, aromatic substances, and proteins of the grasses and how these structural elements are synthesized and assembled into dynamic and functional cell walls. Despite wide differences in wall composition, the developmental physiology of grasses is similar to that of all flowering plants. Grass cells respond similarly to environmental cues and growth regulators, exhibit the same alterations in physical properties of the wall to allow cell growth, and possess similar patterns of wall biogenesis during the development of specific cell and tissue types. Possible unifying mechanisms of growth are suggested to explain how grasses perform the same wall functions as other plants but with different constituents and architecture.
Comparative Deformation Behavior of Minerals in Serpentinized Ultramafic Rock: Application to the Slab-Mantle Interface in Subduction Zones

The layer-structure minerals serpentine, brucite, and talc are postulated to form in the mantle wedge above a subducting slab as a result of progressive hydration and silica metasomatism. Tectonic mixing at the slab-mantle interface generates serpentinite melanges that contain blocks of high-pressure (HP) or ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic rock derived from the subducting slab. Such serpentinite melanges may provide a means of exhumation of HP/UHP metamorphic rocks, and may define the lower limit of locked regions on the subduction interface that fail in large earthquakes. We review recently obtained frictional strength data for brucite and talc over the temperature range 25-400°C at 100 MPa effective normal stress and compare them with new data for antigorite. These minerals respond to heating in different ways, causing their frictional strengths to diverge. Water-saturated antigorite strength increases toward the fixed dry value of μ ≈ 0.75-0.80 with heating: μ ≈ 0.50 at 25°C and μ > 0.60 at 400°C....
HiNF-P directly links the cyclin E/CDK2/p220NPAT pathway to histone H4 gene regulation at the G1/S phase cell cycle transition.

Genome replication in eukaryotic cells necessitates the stringent coupling of histone biosynthesis with the onset of DNA replication at the G1/S phase transition. A fundamental question is the mechanism that links the restriction (R) point late in G1 with histone gene expression at the onset of S phase. Here we demonstrate that HiNF-P, a transcriptional regulator of replication-dependent histone H4 genes, interacts directly with p220NPAT, a substrate of cyclin E/CDK2, to coactivate histone genes during S phase. HiNF-P and p220 are targeted to, and colocalize at, subnuclear foci (Cajal bodies) in a cell cycle-dependent manner. Genetic or biochemical disruption of the HiNF-P/p220 interaction compromises histone H4 gene activation at the G1/S phase transition and impedes cell cycle progression. Our results show that HiNF-P and p220 form a critical regulatory module that directly links histone H4 gene expression at the G1/S phase transition to the cyclin E/CDK2 signaling pathway at the R point.
Leaf quality, predators, and stochastic processes in the assembly of a diverse herbivore community

Ecological communities are structured by both deterministic, niche-based processes and stochastic processes such as dispersal. A pressing issue in ecology is to determine when and for which organisms each of these types of processes is important in community assembly. The roles of deterministic and stochastic processes have been studied for a variety of communities, but very few researchers have addressed their contribution to insect herbivore community structure. Insect herbivore niches are often described as largely shaped by the antagonistic pressures of predation and host plant defenses. However host plants are frequently discrete patches of habitat, and their spatial arrangement can affect herbivore dispersal patterns. We studied the roles of predation, host plant quality, and host spatial proximity for the assembly of a diverse insect herbivore community on Quercus alba (white oak) across two growing seasons. We examined abundances of feeding guilds to determine if ecologically similar species responded similarly to variation in niches. Most guilds responded similarly to leaf quality, preferring high-nitrogen, low-tannin host plants, particularly late in the growing season, while bird predation had little impact on herbivore abundance. The communities on the high-quality plants tended to be larger and, in some cases, have greater species richness. We analyzed community composition by correlating indices of community similarity with predator presence, leaf quality similarity, and host plant proximity. Birds did not affect community composition. Community similarity was significantly associated with distance between host plants and uncorrelated with leaf quality similarity. Thus although leaf quality significantly affected the total abundance of herbivores on a host plant, in some cases leading to increased species richness, dispersal limitation may weaken this relationship. The species composition of these communities may be driven by stochastic processes rather than variation in host plant characteristics or differential predation by insectivorous birds.
Metabolism of Lysolecithin by Rat Small Intestine

Summary Lysolecithin, the chief phospholipid in the lumen of the human jejunum, is also present in the contents of the rat small intestine. In this study, lysolecithin (labeled in fatty acid and in glycerol moieties) was infused intraduodenally into rats with thoracic duct fistulas to determine whether it is metabolized in the small bowel. During the following 24 hr, lysolecithin was completely absorbed, although less than half of the absorbed radioactivity was recovered in the lymph. Labeled water-soluble metabolites were found in portal venous blood. Part of the hydrolysis of fed lysolecithin occurred within the small intestinal lumen. Most of the lymph radioactivity was present in triglyceride and lecithin. The labeling of both these lipids was maximal within 0 to 2 hr after an infusion. About 3 to 14% of the fed lysolecithin may have been directly acylated to lymph lecithin. Approximately 70% of radioactive lymph lecithin was associated with chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins. Furthermore, the incorporation of radioactivity into lymph lecithin was enhanced by increasing the amount of triolein in the intraduodenal infusion. These data indicate that luminal lysolecithin and its metabolites may be precursors of lymph lecithin during the absorption of dietary triglyceride.
Long-Term Continence Outcomes After Immediate Repair of Pediatric Bladder Neck Lacerations Extending Into the Urethra

Purpose: Traumatic bladder neck lacerations extending into the urethra are devastating injuries that occur more commonly in children than in adults. It is unclear whether immediate repair of these injuries decreases long-term complications, such as urinary incontinence. We report our long-term results with immediate operative repair of these injuries.Materials and Methods: Since 1986, we have primarily repaired all individuals sustaining traumatic longitudinal bladder neck lacerations extending into the urethra within 24 hours of injury. All patients were followed a minimum of 2 years.Results: A total of 12 patients 2 to 16 years old sustained longitudinal bladder neck lacerations extending into the proximal urethra. Median followup was 7 years (range 2 to 13). Postoperatively none of the 12 patients recovered complete urinary continence. Periurethral bulking agents were attempted in all 12 patients with no long-term improvement. Eight patients (75%) pursued additional surgery. Three boys underwent artifi...
Control of hybrid automata with hidden modes: Translation to a perfect state information problem

In this paper, we consider the safety control problem for hybrid systems with hidden modes. In particular, we propose an approach to translate the control problem with imperfect mode information into an equivalent problem with perfect mode information. This approach is based on the notion of non-deterministic discrete information state as employed in the literature of games of imperfect information. We show that the safety control problems with imperfect information and perfect information are equivalent to each other under suitable detectability assumptions.
Multimodality Sensors for Sleep Quality Monitoring and Logging

In this paper, we investigate the possibility of using simple multimodality sensors to automatically detect a persons sleep condition. We propose a system which consists of heart-rate, video, and audio sensors, and apply machine learning methods to infer the sleep-awake condition during the time a user spends on the bed. The sleep-awake conditions will be useful information for inferring sleep latency and sleep efficiency, which are critical to both sleep-related diseases and sleep quality measurements. To eliminate possible privacy concerns, we further explore the feasibility of using passive infrared (PIR) sensor instead of video sensor for motion information acquisition. Our experimental results are promising and show the potential use of the proposed novel economical alternative to the traditional medical measurement equipment, with competitive performance on the sleeprelated activity monitoring and the sleep quality measurements.
Real-time stereo-based vehicle occupant posture determination for intelligent airbag deployment

From 1990 to April 2002, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), airbag deployment has been responsible for 208 deaths in low-severity crashes. Of these deaths, 107 were children between the ages of 1 and 11, 22 were infants, and 32 were women under the height of five feet two inches. In addition to deaths, airbags are responsible for many more incidental injuries and broken bones. These injuries could be avoided if the system had an accurate model of the actual pose of the occupant. This paper discusses a system we are developing to accurately determine the position of the head, torso, and arms of the front-seat occupant of a vehicle.
Membrane Receptor Neighborhoods Snuggling up to the Nucleus

A provocative new study in the current issue of Circulation Research by Ibarra et al1 suggests that insulin-like growth factor 1 receptors (IGF-1R) exist in plasma membrane invaginations that come in very close proximity to (or even invade) the nuclear membrane in cardiac myocytes to selectively raise local nuclear [Ca2+]. This article raises an intriguing and novel mechanism by which plasma membrane receptors may have preferential local access to nuclear signaling, even in ventricular myocytes which are large cells with central nuclei. Article, see p 236 The IGF-1R is a tyrosine kinase growth factor receptor that connects with many downstream signaling cascades.2 The 2 best-known pathways are Ras-Raf-mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositide 3 kinase-protein kinase B (Akt). However, Ibarra et al1 focus on a less well-studied pathway in which IGF-1 induces Gi-dependent phospholipase C activation3 and 1,4,5-inositol trisphosphate (InsP3) that can release Ca2+ from intracellular InsP3 receptor (InsP3R) stores.4 They show that in cardiac myocytes IGF-1 triggers nuclear Ca2+ transients that precede cytosolic Ca2+ transients, and that blocking the nuclear Ca2+ transient prevents the cytosolic Ca2+ transient, but not vice versa. Their data are consistent with the idea that a substantial fraction of plasma membrane IGF-R1 are in patches of plasma membrane invaginations that are extremely close to the nucleus, potentially as extensions of the transverse tubule (T-tubule) system. Further, they infer that these IGF-1R are Gi-coupled and that upon activation they produce phospholipase C and InsP3-dependent nuclear Ca2+ transients that contributes to Ca-dependent regulation of gene transcription (Figure B). …
Molecular Phylogenetics of the Leucas Group (Lamioideae; Lamiaceae)

The genus Leucas R.Br. includes 100 recognized species ranging in distribution from Africa through the Indian subcontinent to Queensland, Australia. Morphological cladistic studies have suggested that several other genera of Lamioideae - Acrotome, Isoleucas, Leonotis, and Otostegia (pro parte) - may be closely related to Leucas, or even nested within it. Here we use phylogenetic analysis of three plastid DNA loci, the trnL-F region, trnS-G spacer, and the rps16 intron and reach similar conclusions. Many of the morphological features used to maintain Leucas since 1810 are shared ancestral (symplesiomorphic) characters. The other genera (or subgeneric group in the case of Otostegia) are therefore defined by apomorphic states. This is particularly apparent in the case of Leonotis, with its highly specialized bird-pollinated flowers, derived within a paraphyletic and insect-pollinated Leucas. Some geographically isolated groups are monophyletic, including all Asian species of Leucas, a Socotran clade, and a large African lineage.
Influence of a polymer sunscreen additive on the transport and retention of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in water-saturated porous media

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nTiO2) are utilized in an array of consumer products including paints, sunscreens, cosmetics, and food. These products typically contain stabilizing agents that may alter nTiO2 fate when released into the environment. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of TEGO carbomer, a polymeric stabilizing agent used in sunscreen, on the transport and deposition behavior of nTiO2 in porous media. Aqueous nTiO2 suspensions at pH 5.0 or 7.5 ± 0.2 were introduced into water-saturated columns packed with Federal Fine Ottawa sand. In the absence of carbomer, nTiO2 was not detected in effluent samples at pH 5, which was below the estimated point of zero charge (PZC) of nTiO2 (pH 6.3), while greater than 80% elution of nTiO2 was observed at pH 7.5. The addition of 3 mg L−1 carbomer decreased the PZC from 6.3 to less than 5, and resulted in greater than 94% elution of nTiO2 at pH 5 and 7.5. A nanoparticle transport model that incorporates a first-order, maximum retention capacity term was able to capture column breakthrough and retention data. Model results indicate that the presence of carbomer reduced the average retention capacity of the solid phase from 3.40 to 1.10 μg TiO2 g−1 sand, irrespective of solution chemistry changes. These findings demonstrate the substantial impact that polymeric stabilizing agents can have on the fate of nTiO2 in porous media, potentially enhancing nTiO2 mobility in the environment and reducing the efficiency of filtration systems for nTiO2.
Stabilization of Stochastic Iterative Methods for Singular and Nearly Singular Linear Systems

We consider linear systems of equations, Ax = b, with an emphasis on the case where A is singular. Under certain conditions, necessary as well as sufficient, linear deterministic iterative methods generate sequences {xk} that converge to a solution as long as there exists at least one solution. This convergence property can be impaired when these methods are implemented with stochastic simulation, as is often done in important classes of large-scale problems. We introduce additional conditions and novel algorithmic stabilization schemes under which {xk} converges to a solution when A is singular and may also be used with substantial benefit when A is nearly singular.
Multiple Meson Production in Proton-Proton Collisions at 2.85 Bev

Measurements are made on 753 four-prong events obtained by exposing a 20- in liquid hydrogen bubble chamber to 2,85-Bev protons. The partial cross sections observed for multiple meson production reactions are: pp +-(p + p yields p+p+ pi /sup +/+ pi /sup -/),2.67 plus or minus 0.13;pn++-,1.15 plus or minus 0.09; pp +- 0, 0.74 + 0.07; d ++-, 0.06 + 0.02; and four or more meson production, 0.04 plus or minus 0.02 mb. Production of two mesons appears to occur mainly in peripheral collisions with relatively little momentum transfer. In cases of three-meson production, however, the protons are typically deflected at large angles and are more strongly degraded in energy. The 3/2, 3/2 pion- nucleon resonance dominates the interaction; there is some indication that one or both of the T =1/2, pion-nucleon resonances also play a part. The resonance in a T = 0, three-pion state appears to be present in the pp +- 0 reaction, Results are compared with the predictions of the isobaric nucleon model and the statistical model. The cross section for the reaction pi /sup O/ + p yields pi /sup +/+ pi /sup -/ + p is derived using an expression from the one-pionmore » exchange mode. (auth)« less
Examples of Control Problems

In recent years there has arisen in diverse areas a collection of important problems that have a common mathematical formulation. These are the so-called control problems. Despite their present day origins these problems, from a mathematical point of view, are variants of a class of problems that has been studied for several hundred years; namely, the problems of the calculus of variations.
The Wigner Distribution Function of volume holographic optical elements

We present the Wigner Distribution Function of volume holographic optical elements by adopting a linear-systems approach. Specifically, the Wigner Distribution Function of a volume holographic optical element recorded by two plane waves is derived analytically.