cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of propionate on the regulation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in the rat liver.

Propionate inhibited the metabolic flux through the pyruvate dehydrogenase reaction in the perfused rat liver when the perfusate concentration of propionate was below 10 mM and the perfusate pyruvate concentration was held within the physiological range. At higher propionate concentrations (e.g., 20 mM) the inhibition of pyruvate dehydrogenase was alleviated and the activation state of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex was nearly doubled. In livers perfused with a high pyruvate concentration (e.g., 5 mM), propionate coinfusion at all concentrations inhibited the rate of pyruvate decarboxylation. Additional studies were performed in liver mitochondria maintained in State 3 where the ATP/ADP and the NADH/NAD+ ratios were held constant. Low propionate concentrations (e.g., 0.5 mM) inactivated the mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, whereas propionate levels in excess of 1 mM activated the enzyme complex. CoA distribution analyses of the mitochondrial incubations indicated that the presence of either 0.5 or 10 mM propionate caused a substantial accumulation of propionyl-CoA and methylmalonyl-CoA at the expense of free CoASH. Experiments were performed in which the ratios of various acyl-CoA derivatives to CoASH were varied by sequentially increasing the L-carnitine concentrations in the incubation. An inverse relationship between the propionyl-CoA/CoASH and methylmalonyl-CoA/CoASH ratios and the activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex was observed. Experiments using freeze-thawed liver mitochondrial membranes indicated that propionate protected the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from ATP-mediated inactivation by the pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase. It is our contention that the inactivation of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex at low propionate levels may be due to an increase in the mitochondrial acyl-CoA/CoASH ratios, whereas the activation of the enzyme complex demonstrated at high propionate levels is due to the inhibition of the pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase in a manner similar to that caused by pyruvate or dichloroacetic acid.
Dioxygenase catalysis by d0 metal–catecholate complexes containing vanadium and molybdenum with H2(3,5-DTBC) and H2(3,6-DTBC) substrates

Abstract Facile synthetic dioxygenases, catalysts that can split O2 and place both oxygen atoms selectively into 2 olefins to yield 2 epoxides or into 2 C–H bonds to yield 2 alcohols, remain a “Holy Grail” of oxidation catalysis. Recently, it was shown that [VO(3,5-DTBC)(3,5-DBSQ)]2 (where 3,5-DTBC and 3,5-DBSQ are 3,5-di-tert-butylcatecholate and 3,5-di-tert-butylsemiquinone, respectively) is the catalytic-cycle resting state of a record catalytic lifetime catechol dioxygenase catalyst (100,000 total catalytic turnovers) for the substrate 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol, H2(3,5-DTBC) [C.-X. Yin, R.G. Finke, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 127 (2005) 9003–9013]. Herein we show that the precatalyst V(3,6-DTBC)2(3,6-DBSQ) also gives dioxygenase products for the substrate H2(3,5-DTBC), notably the same dioxygenase products in similar yields as seen for [VO(3,5-DTBC)(3,5-DBSQ)]2. EPR studies show that the same g = 2.003–2.004 species are present in solution throughout the oxidation reaction for both [VO(3,5-DTBC)(3,5-DBSQ)]2 and V(3,6-DTBC)2(3,6-DBSQ). The similar products, product yields, and EPR spectra observed suggest that both [VO(3,5-DTBC)(3,5-DBSQ)]2 and V(3,6-DTBC)2(3,6-DBSQ) are feeding into the same catalytic cycle. In addition we have expanded the substrates to include H2(3,6-DTBC), a substrate of interest for its higher symmetry, structurally simplified organic products and steric hindrance expected to favor the formation of monomeric metal–catecholate complexes. The precatalysts [VO(3,5-DTBC)(3,5-DBSQ)]2 and V(3,6-DTBC)2(3,6-DBSQ) were examined with H2(3,6-DTBC) and found to give the same intradiol and extradiol dioxygenase products in the same yields. EPR studies of [VO(3,5-DTBC)(3,5-DBSQ)]2 and V(3,6-DTBC)2(3,6-DBSQ) with H2(3,6-DTBC) show that the same spectra are observed throughout the oxidation, but at different reaction times. These EPR observations, along with the product studies, suggest that [VO(3,5-DTBC)(3,5-DBSQ)]2 and V(3,6-DTBC)2(3,6-DBSQ) have a common mechanistic cycle en route to the H2(3,6-DTBC) dioxygenase products, albeit a mechanism different than that observed for H2(3,5-DTBC) based on observed EPR spectra and differing product distributions. We also show that oxidation catalysis with [MoO(3,5-DTBC)2]2 follows primarily an oxidase path leading to the undesired benzoquinone autoxidation products for both H2(3,5-DTBC) and H2(3,6-DTBC) and with reaction times one to two orders of magnitude longer than seen for the vanadium precatalysts. The dramatic difference in product distribution and slower rate for [MoO(3,5-DTBC)2]2, along with its lack of a semiquinone ligand in at least this precatalyst, suggests the hypothesis that the d0 vanadium(V) bonded to a semiquinone ligand in [VO(3,5-DTBC)(3,5-DBSQ)]2 and V(3,6-DTBC)2(3,6-DBSQ) is a necessary component of these dioxygenase precatalysts able to produce primarily dioxygenase products.
Learning Sets in an Invertebrate

Eight isopods, Porcellio scaber , were trained with water reinforcement to turn in a T-maze to criterion of correct responses. They were then tested through nine reversals of the turning response. An analysis of variance indicated that mean errors to criterion declined significantly over reversals ( F = 4.78, d.f. = 9/63, P
Properties of magnetic impurities embedded into an anisotropic Heisenberg chain with spin gap

We consider a U(1)-invariant model consisting of the integrable anisotropic easy-axis Heisenberg chain of arbitrary spin S embedding an impurity of spin S′. The host chain has a spin gap for all values of S. The ground state properties and the elementary excitations of the host are studied as a function of the anisotropy and the magnetic field. The impurity is located on a link of the chain and interacts only with both neighboring sites. The coupling of the impurity to the lattice can be tuned by the impurity rapidity p0 (usually playing the role of the Kondo coupling). The impurity model is then integrable as a function of two continuous parameters (the anisotropy and the impurity rapidity) and two discrete variables (the spins S and S′). The Bethe ansatz equations are derived and used to obtain the magnetization of the impurity. The impurity magnetization is non-universal as a function of p0. For small fields the impurity magnetization is determined by the spin gap and the van Hove singularity of the rapidity band. For an overcompensated impurity (S′<S) at intermediate fields there is a crossover to non-Fermi-liquid behavior remnant from the suppressed quantum critical point.
Arginase Activity in Mitochondria - an Interfering Factor in Nitric Oxide Synthase Activity Assays

Abstract Previously, in tightly controlled studies, using three independent, yet complementary techniques, we refuted the claim that a mitochondrial nitric oxide synthase (mtNOS) isoform exists within pure, rat liver mitochondria (MT). Of those techniques, the NOS-catalyzed [ 14 C]- l -arginine to [ 14 C]- l -citrulline conversion assay (NOS assay) with MT samples indicated a weak, radioactive signal that was NOS-independent [1] . Aliquots of samples from the NOS assays were then extracted with acetone, separated by high performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) and exposed to autoradiography. Results obtained from these samples showed no radioactive band for l -citrulline. However, a fast-migrating, diffuse, radioactive band was observed in the TLC lanes loaded with MT samples. In this manuscript, we identify and confirm that this radioactive signal in MT samples is due to the arginase-catalyzed conversion of [ 14 C]- l -arginine to [ 14 C]-urea. The current results, in addition to reconfirming the absence of NOS activity in rat liver MT, also show the need to include arginase inhibitors in studies using MT samples in order to avoid confounding results when using NOS activity assays.
Studies on poly(L-lysine50, L-tyrosine50)-DNA interaction.

Interaction between poly(Lys50, Tyr50) and DNA has been studied by absorption, circular dichroism (CD), and fluorescence spectroscopy and thermal denaturation in 0.001M Tris, pH 6.8. The binding of this copolypeptide to DNA results in an absorbance enhancement and fluorescence quenching on tyrosine. There is also an increase in the tyrosine CD at 230 nm. The CD of DNA above 250 nm is slightly shifted to the longer wavelength which is qualitatively similar to, but quantitatively much smaller than, that induced by polylysine binding. At physiological pH the poly(Lys50, Tyr50)–DNA complex is soluble until there is one lysine and one tyrosine per nucleotide in the complex. The same ratio of amino acid residues to nucleotide has also been observed in copolypeptide-bound regions of the complex. The addition of more poly(Lys50, Tyr50) to DNA yields a constant melting temperature, Tm′, for bound base pairs at 90°C which is close to that of polylysine-bound DNA under the same condition. The melting temperature, Tm, of free base pairs at about 60°C on the other hand, is increased by 10°C as more copolypeptide is bound to DNA. As the temperature is raised, both absorption and CD spectra of the complexes with high coverage are changed, suggesting structural alteration, perhaps deprotonation, on bound tyrosine. The results in this report also suggest that intercalation of tyrosine in DNA is unlikely to be the mode of binding.
Family Instability and Early Initiation of Sexual Activity in Western Kenya

Epidemiological, economic, and social forces have produced high levels of volatility in family and household structure for young people growing up in sub-Saharan Africa in recent decades. However, scholarship on the family to date has not examined the influence of this family instability on young people’s well-being. The current study employs unique life history calendar data from Western Kenya to investigate the relationship between instability in caregiving and early initiation of sexual activity. It draws on a body of work on parental union instability in the United States, and examines new dimensions of family change. Analyses reveal a positive association between transitions in primary caregiver and the likelihood of early sexual debut that is rapidly manifested following caregiver change and persists for a short period. The association is strongest at early ages, and there is a cumulative effect of multiple caregiver changes. The results highlight the importance of studying family stability in sub-Saharan Africa, as distinct from family structure, and for attention to dimensions such as age and recency.
The Biosynthesis of Steryl Glucosides in Plants

Mitochondrial preparations from pea root (Pisum sativum L. var. Alaska) cauliflower inflorescence (Brassica cauliflora Gars.) and avocado inner mesocarp (Persea americana Mill. var. Fuerte), and chloroplast preparations from spinach leaf (Spinacia oleracea L. var. Bloomsdale) incorporate glucose into steryl glucoside and acylated steryl glucoside when either uridine diphosphate-glucose or uridine diphosphate-galactose is supplied as precursor. In the case of pea root mitochondria, galactosyl diglycerides are not formed from either nucleotide sugar. In the case of spinach chloroplasts only 3% of the metabolized uridine diphosphate-galactose is found as steryl glycosides. Time course experiments indicate that the steryl glucoside is the precursor of the acylated steryl glucoside. The effect of pH on the over-all reaction and analysis of the reaction products suggest that the glucosylation of the sterol has a pH optimum of 8 to 9, and the pH optimum for the acylation of the steryl glucoside is 6.5 to 7. The synthesis of steryl glucoside and acylated steryl glucoside, catalyzed by acetone powders of pea root mitochondria, is stimuated by added sitosterol and stigmasterol.
Protection from 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) toxicity and stimulation of regrowth of MPP+-damaged dopaminergic fibers by treatment of mesencephalic cultures with EGF and basic FGF

Several peptide growth factors can maintain survival or promote recovery of injured central neurons. In the present study, the effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on the toxicity produced by the dopaminergic neurotoxin, 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+), were investigated in rat mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons in culture. High affinity [3H]DA uptake and morphometric analyses of tyrosine hydroxylase immunostained neurons were used to assess the extent of MPP+ toxicity, dopaminergic neuronal survival and growth of neurites. Consistent with previous reports, EGF and bFGF treatments stimulated neuritic outgrowth in dopaminergic neurons, increased DA uptake and enhanced their long-term survival in vitro. These growth factors also stimulated proliferation of astrocytes. The time course of EGF and bFGF effects on dopaminergic neurons coincided with the increase in glial cell density, suggesting that proliferation of glia mediates their trophic effects. Several findings from our study support this possibility. When MPP+ was applied to cultures at 4 days in vitro, before glial cells had proliferated, the damage to dopaminergic neurons was not affected by EGF or bFGF pretreatments. However, when cultures maintained in the presence of the growth factors for 10 days were exposed to MPP+, after they had become confluent with dividing glial cells, the MPP(+)-induced decreases in DA uptake and cell survival were significantly attenuated. Furthermore, when glial cell proliferation was inhibited by 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine, the protective effects of EGF and bFGF against MPP+ toxicity were abolished. Continuous treatment of MPP(+)-exposed cultures with EGF or bFGF resulted in the stimulation of process regrowth of damaged dopaminergic neurons with concomitant recovery of DA uptake, suggesting that the injured neurons are able to respond to the trophic effects of EGF and bFGF. In summary, our study shows that the trophic effects of EGF and bFGF on mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons include protection from the toxicity produced by MPP+ and promotion of recovery of MPP(+)-damaged neurons. Stimulation of glial cell proliferation is necessary for these effects.
Social judgment analysis and small group decision making: Cognitive feedback effects on individual and collective performance

Abstract The study was designed to determine what aspects of cognitive feedback to small groups account for their level of performance on cognitive conflict tasks. Study participants included 275 undergraduate students, 158 females and 117 males. One set of groups was given task-related instruction and cognitive feedback fully exchanged among all group members; two other sets of groups differed in the extent to which cognitive feedback was made available to their members. All groups were assessed on the degree of accuracy of their final judgment policies, the amount of reduction in members' disagreement, and the subjective ratings of members concerning their group's performance. Findings suggested that significantly greater individual learning and group consensus occurred as a result of the full exchange of cognitive feedback, although all conditions produced a marked reduction in disagreement among members. Overall task performance by all three sets of groups was at a level of achievement equivalent to the work of the second most proficient group member.
Is Memory in the Brain? Remembering as Social Behavior

As many experimental psychologists and neuroscientists conceive of it, memory can be thought of as having a “home, even if still a hidden one, in the brain” (Tulving, 2002, p. 20). Such a way of conceiving of memory has led to valuable research (see Gazzaniga, 1995), but also to the neglect of important aspects of remembering as it takes place in sociocultural contexts. This article reviews historical and contemporary accounts that look at memory as a faculty located in the brain. It then sets forth the argument that communicative acts (such as those that take place in the writing of narratives and in conversations between family members) must be studied, if the scientific account of memory is to be comprehensive (see Manier, 1997; Manier, Pinner, & Hirst, 1996; Middleton & Edwards, 1990).
Precise measurement of vertebral bone density using computed tomography without the use of an external reference phantom

Bone density measurement by quantitative computed tomography (QCT) commonly uses an external reference phantom to decrease scan-to-scan and scanner-to-scanner variability. However, the peripheral location of these phantoms and other phantom variables is also responsible for a measurable degradation in accuracy and precision. Due to non-uniform artifacts such as beam hardening, scatter, and volume averaging, the ideal reference phantom should be as close to the target tissue as possible. This investigation developed and tested a computer program that uses paraspinal muscle and fat tissue as internal reference standards in an effort to eliminate the need for an external phantom. Because of their proximity, these internal reference tissues can be assumed to reflect more accurately the local changes in the x-ray spectra and scatter distribution at the target tissue. A user interactive computerized histogram plotting technique enabled the derivation of reproducible CT numbers for muscle, fat, and trabecular bone. Preliminary results indicate that the use of internal reference tissues with the histogram technique may improve reproducibility of scan-to-scan measurements as well as inter-scanner precision. Reproducibility studies on 165 images with intentional region-of-interest (ROI) mispositioning of 1.5, 2.5, or 3.5 mm yielded a precision of better than 1% for normals and 1% to 2% for osteoporotic patients—a twofold improvement over the precision from similar tests using the standard technique with an external reference phantom. Such improvements in precision are essential for QCT to be clinically useful as a noninvasive modality for measurement of the very small annual changes in bone mineral density.
Aftershocks of deep earthquakes do not occur preferentially on nodal planes of focal mechanisms

Some earthquakes with focal depths exceeding 70 km possess one or more aftershocks which are well recorded by stations at teleseis-mic distances. Precise determination of relative vectors separating the aftershocks and ∼ 60 initial events finds the vector directions are distributed uniformly with respect to the nodal plane of main shock focal mechanisms. When focal mechanisms are available for both an initial event and an aftershock, the mechanisms are occasionally significantly different from one another. These results suggest that the failure process of deep earthquakes is not slip occurring along a simple, planar surface. Our results contradict several previous analyses of aftershocks because other investigators did not recognize that half of the focal sphere lies within 16° of one of the nodal planes.
An experimental system for time-shared, on-line data acquisition

With the increasing availability of terminal-oriented, time-shared computers, it now becomes feasible to extend the method of use to include real-time, on-line data acquisition and data reduction. Here described is a particular embodiment of such a system, using an IBM 1050 terminal and the IBM Research M44/44X and the APL/360 Model 50 computers. Reasons leading to the choice of equipment, special devices, programming considerations, data rates and some economic factors are considered.
The Bioethics of Diagnosis: A Biocultural Critique of Certainty

This article argues that traditional models of diagnosis are incomplete in their reliance on a models of certainty that are no longer tenable in a postmodern world. Further, it argues that the current form of diagnosis, as applied to psychiatric and affective disorders, reduces patient agency and reinscribes the effects of biopower.
Modeling of the variant reorientation in magnetic shape-memory alloys under complex magnetomechanical loading

This work is concerned with the modeling of the stress- and magnetic field-induced reorientation of martensitic variants in magnetic shape-memory alloys. Of special concern is the loading path dependence of the associated nonlinear reorientation strain and magnetization response. A loading case of variable magnetic field in the direction of a constant uniaxial stress with a constant perpendicular magnetic field is analyzed.
Bivariate genome-wide linkage analysis of femoral bone traits and leg lean mass: Framingham study.

The risk of osteoporotic fracture is a function of both applied muscle mass and bone tissue distribution. Leg lean mass (LLM) and femoral bone geometry are both known to have substantial genetic components. Therefore, we estimated shared heritability (h2) and performed linkage analysis to identify chromosomal regions governing both LLM and bone geometry. A genome-wide scan (using 636 microsatellite markers) for linkage analyses was performed on 1346 adults from 327 extended families of the Framingham study. DXA measures were LLM, femoral neck length, neck-shaft angle (NSA), subperiosteal width, cross-sectional area (CSA), and section modulus (Z) at the femoral narrow neck and shaft (S) regions. Variance component linkage analysis was performed on normalized residuals (adjusted for age, height, BMI, and estrogen status in women). The results indicated substantial h2 for LLM (0.42 ± 0.07) that was comparable to bone geometry traits. Phenotypic correlations between LLM and bone geometry phenotypes ranged from 0.033 with NSA (p > 0.05) to 0.251 with S_Z (p 0.05) to 0.454 (S_Z, p 3.0, shared by LLM with S_CSA on chromosome 12p12.3–12p13.2, and with NSA, on 14q21.3–22.1. In conclusion, we identified chromosomal regions potentially linked to both LLM and femoral bone geometry. Identification and subsequent characterization of these shared loci may further elucidate the genetic contributions to both osteoporosis and sarcopenia.
The effect of job loss and unemployment duration on suicide risk in the United States: a new look using mass-layoffs and unemployment duration

We examine the link between employment status and suicide risk using a panel of US states from 1996 to 2005 with monthly data on suicides, the duration of unemployment spells and the number of job losses associated with mass layoff events. The use of aggregate data at the monthly level along with the distribution of unemployment duration allows us to separate the effect of job loss from the effect of unemployment duration, an important distinction for policy purposes, especially for the timing of potential interventions. Our results are consistent with unemployment duration being the dominant force in the relationship between job loss and suicide. Nevertheless, mass layoffs may be powerful localized events where suicide risk increases shortly afterward. Implications for the design of unemployment insurance are discussed.
Confucius: A Tool Supporting Collaborative Scientific Workflow Composition

Modern scientific data management and analysis usually rely on multiple scientists with diverse expertise. In recent years, such a collaborative effort is often structured and automated by a data flow-oriented process called scientific workflow. However, such workflows may have to be designed and revised among multiple scientists over a long time period. Existing workbenches are single user-oriented and do not support scientific workflow application development in a "collaborative fashion". In this paper, we report our research on the enabling techniques in the aspects of collaboration provenance management and reproduciability. Based on a scientific collaboration ontology, we propose a service-oriented collaboration model supported by a set of composable collaboration primitives and patterns. The collaboration protocols are then applied to support effective concurrency control in the process of collaborative workflow composition. We also report the design and development of Confucius, a service-oriented collaborative scientific workflow composition tool that extends an open-source, single-user development environment.
Wilson-'t Hooft operators in four-dimensional gauge theories and S-duality

We study operators in four-dimensional gauge theories which are localized on a straight line, create electric and magnetic flux, and in the UV limit break the conformal invariance in the minimal possible way. We call them Wilson-'t Hooft operators, since in the purely electric case they reduce to the well-known Wilson loops, while in general they may carry 't Hooft magnetic flux. We show that to any such operator one can associate a maximally symmetric boundary condition for gauge fields on AdSE2×S2. We show that Wilson-'t Hooft operators are classified by a pair of weights (electric and magnetic) for the gauge group and its magnetic dual, modulo the action of the Weyl group. If the magnetic weight does not belong to the coroot lattice of the gauge group, the corresponding operator is topologically nontrivial (carries nonvanishing 't Hooft magnetic flux). We explain how the spectrum of Wilson-'t Hooft operators transforms under the shift of the θ-angle by 2π. We show that, depending on the gauge group, either SL(2,[openface Z]) or one of its congruence subgroups acts in a natural way on the set of Wilson-'t Hooft operators. This can be regarded as evidence for the S-duality of N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory. We also compute the one-point function of the stress-energy tensor in the presence of a Wilson-'t Hooft operator at weak coupling.
Seasonal Adjustment of Solar Heat Gain in a Desert Mammal by Altering Coat Properties Independently of Surface Coloration

Physical theory predicts that animals with fur or feather coats can adjust solar heat gain independently of surface coloration or environmental factors by altering coat structure or hair optical properties. This hypothesis is tested by examining seasonal changes in the solar heat load transferred to the skin by the pelage of a desert-dwelling mammal, the rock squirrel ( Spermophilus variegatus ). Although coat colour remains constant, solar heat gain at low wind speeds is about 20% greater in winter coats than in summer coats. This change is in an apparently adaptive direction and is predicted to have a major effect on the animal's heat balance in nature. The determinants of these alterations in solar heat gain are explored using an empirically validated biophysical model and are found to result from changes in hair optics and coat structure. These results suggest the existence of a previously unknown mode of long-term thermoregulation that allows adjustment of solar heat gain without affecting the animal's external appearance.
Rheumatoid neutrophilic dermatitis in a woman with seronegative rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract Rheumatoid neutrophilic dermatitis (RND) is an unusual cutaneous reaction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RND is characterized by symmetric, erythematous papules, plaques, nodules, and urticarial lesions often located over the joints, extensor surfaces of the extremities, or the trunk. This entity demonstrates an intense neutrophilic dermal infiltrate without vasculitis. All patients previously reported with RND had severe RA with relatively high titers of rheumatoid factor when tested. A 67-year-old woman had a 2-month history of multiple, tender, 4 to 8 mm erythematous, crusted papules and nodules that occurred in clusters on her anterior thighs, knees, and legs. She suffered from severe disabling seronegative RA. RND may complicate seronegative RA. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2001;45:596-600.)
Developing a Pediatric Palliative Care Service in a Large Urban Hospital: Challenges, Lessons, and Successes

Abstract Background and Aim: We report the process of creating a new palliative care service at a large, urban children's hospital. Our aim was to provide a detailed guide to developing an inpatient consultation service, along with reporting on the challenges, lessons, and evaluation. Methods: We examined the hiring process of personnel and marketing strategies, a clinical database facilitated ongoing quality review and identified trends, and a survey project assessed provider satisfaction and how referring physicians used the palliative care service. Results and Conclusion: The pilot phase of service delivery laid the groundwork for a more effective service by creating documentation templates and identifying relevant data to track growth and outcomes. It also allowed time to establish a clear delineation of team members and distinction of roles. The survey of referring physicians proved a useful evaluation starting point, but conclusions could not be generalized because of the low response rate. It may b...
An upper bound on the sum-rate distortion function and its corresponding rate allocation schemes for the CEO problem

We consider a distributed sensor network in which several observations are communicated to the fusion center using limited transmission rate. The observation must be separately encoded so that the target can be estimated with minimum average distortion. We address the problem from an information theoretic perspective and establish the inner and outer bound of the admissible rate-distortion region. We derive an upper bound on the sum-rate distortion function and its corresponding rate allocation schemes by exploiting the contra-polymatroid structure of the achievable rate region. The quadratic Gaussian case is analyzed in detail and the optimal rate allocation schemes in the achievable rate region are characterized. We show that our upper bound on the sum-rate distortion function is tight for the quadratic Gaussian CEO problem in the case of same signal-to-noise ratios at the sensors.
Ultramafic and Basaltic Rocks Dredged from the Nearshore Flank of the Tonga Trench

Deep dredging in the Tonga Trench (Southwest Pacific Ocean) at a depth of 9150 to 9400 m yielded fresh to granulated and serpentinized peridotite and dunite. Other rocks recovered there and at three stations deeper than 7000 m include basalts, tuffs, and tuffaceous agglomerates. Chemical analyses of the fresh peridotite, with combined H2O < 0.10 weight percent, indicate that the rock consists of Si, Mg, Fe (6 percent), and Cr + Ni about 0.7 percent. Mineralogically, the peridotite contains forsteritic olivine and enstatite with minor spinels. The ultramafic mass exposed at 9400 m probably is an accumulate exposed by faulting.
Generalized Hyper-cylinders: a Mechanism for Modeling and Visualizing N-D Objects

The display of surfaces and solids has usually been restricted to the domain of scientific visualization; however, little work has been done on the visualization of surfaces and solids of dimensionality higher than three or four. Indeed, most high-dimensional visualization focuses on the display of data points. However, the ability to eectively model and visualize higher dimensional objects such as clusters and patterns would be quite useful in studying their shapes, relationships, and changes over time. In this paper we describe a method for the description, extraction, and visualization of N-dimensional surfaces and solids. The approach is to extend generalized cylinders, an object representation used in geometric modeling and computer vision, to arbitrary dimensionality, resulting in what we term Generalized Hyper-cylinders (GHCs). A basic GHC consists of two N-dimensional hyper-spheres connected by a hyper-cylinder whose shape at any point along the cylinder is determined by interpolating between the endpoint shapes. More complex GHCs involve alternate cross-section shapes and curved spines connecting the ends. Several algorithms for constructing or extracting GHCs from multivariate data sets are proposed. Once extracted, the GHCs can be visualized using a variety of projection techniques and methods to convey cross-section shapes. 1998 ACM Subject Classification I.3.5 Computational Geometry and Object Modeling
Retransplantation of Multiple Organs: How Many Organs Should One Individual Receive?:

Every year, the transplant waiting list gets longer, while donor numbers essentially remain the same. This makes the responsibility of being good stewards of this precious and limited resource greater than ever. Transplant teams, who are both committed to their patients and aware of this important responsibility, are left to make the difficult and ethical decisions regarding retransplantation. Retransplantation of organs in pediatric patients presents a different set of issues to consider, and the results are promising. This case study presents a boy who received a kidney transplant for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis at age 5. At age 11, because of the recurrence of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and severe cardiomyopathy, he required a rare combined kidney-heart transplant. At age 17, he developed chronic renal failure and posttransplant coronary artery disease, most likely related to a period of noncompliance, and required yet another combined kidney-heart transplant. He is currently alive and w...
Lost in just the translation

This paper describes the design and implementation of a scheme for hiding information in translated natural language text, and presents experimental results using the implemented system. Unlike the previous work, which required the presence of both the source and the translation, the protocol presented in this paper requires only the translated text for recovering the hidden message. This is a significant improvement, as transmitting the source text was both wasteful of resources and less secure. The security of the system is now improved not only because the source text is no longer available to the adversary, but also because a broader repertoire of defenses (such as mixing human and machine translation) can now be used.
Crash Frequency Analysis with Generalized Additive Models

Recent crash frequency studies have been based primarily on generalized linear models, in which a linear relationship is usually assumed between the logarithm of expected crash frequency and other explanatory variables. For some explanatory variables, such a linear assumption may be invalid. It is therefore worthwhile to investigate other forms of relationships. This paper introduces generalized additive models to model crash frequency. Generalized additive models use smooth functions of each explanatory variable and are very flexible in modeling nonlinear relationships. On the basis of an intersection crash frequency data set collected in Toronto, Canada, a negative binomial generalized additive model is compared with two negative binomial generalized linear models. The comparison results show that the negative binomial generalized additive model performs best for both the Akaike information criterion and the fitting and predicting performance.
The Adult Transition of At-Risk Youth: Mode of Exit from High School

This paper takes a life course perspective on differences in high school exit mode and its consequences for students not going to four-year colleges. Using detailed life history data from the Baltimore Beginning School Study archive, we show that the employment rate for dropouts who later get diplomas is higher than the rate for dropouts who later get GEDs, other things equal. Put another way, after taking into account personal and social assets, including non-cognitive skills, years of pre- and postsecondary education, and jail history, a dropout who gets a diploma does better in the labor market at age 22 than does a dropout who gets a GED. The discussion emphasizes timing of exit mode in the life cycle, opportunity costs, and changes in high school policies designed to encourage youth to seek diplomas rather than GEDs.
Inactivation of a Norovirus by High-Pressure Processing

Murine norovirus (strain MNV-1), a propagable norovirus, was evaluated for susceptibility to high-pressure processing. Experiments with virus stocks in Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium demonstrated that at room temperature (20 degrees C) the virus was inactivated over a pressure range of 350 to 450 MPa, with a 5-min, 450-MPa treatment being sufficient to inactivate 6.85 log(10) PFU of MNV-1. The inactivation of MNV-1 was enhanced when pressure was applied at an initial temperature of 5 degrees C; a 5-min pressure treatment of 350 MPa at 30 degrees C inactivated 1.15 log(10) PFU of virus, while the same treatment at 5 degrees C resulted in a reduction of 5.56 log(10) PFU. Evaluation of virus inactivation as a function of treatment times ranging from 0 to 150 s and 0 to 900 s at 5 degrees C and 20 degrees C, respectively, indicated that a decreasing rate of inactivation with time was consistent with Weibull or log-logistic inactivation kinetics. The inactivation of MNV-1 directly within oyster tissues was demonstrated; a 5-min, 400-MPa treatment at 5 degrees C was sufficient to inactivate 4.05 log(10) PFU. This work is the first demonstration that norovirus can be inactivated by high pressure and suggests good prospects for inactivation of nonpropagable human norovirus strains in foods.
Microtubule cytoskeleton in intact and wounded coenocytic green algae.

Microtubule (MT) arrangements were investigated, with immunofluorescence and electron microscopy, in two related species of coenocytic green algae. Intact cells of both Ernodesmis verticillata (Kutzing) Boergesen and Boergesenia forbesii (Harvey) Feldmann have two morphologically distinct populations of MTs: a highly regular cortical array consisting of a single layer of parallel, longitudinal MTs; and perinuclear MTs radiating from the surface of the envelope of each interphase nucleus. In both algae, mitotic figures lack perinuclear MTs around them. Pre-incubation with taxol does not alter the appearance of these arrays. The cortical and nuclear MTs appear to coexist throughout the nuclear cycle, unlike the condition in most plant cells. At the cut/contracting ends of wounded Ernodesmis cells, cortical MTs exhibit bundling and marked convolution, with some curvature and slight bundling of MTs throughout the cell cortices. In Boergesenia, wound-induced reticulation and separation of the protoplasm into numerous spheres also involves a fasciation of MTs within the attenuating regions of the cytoplasm. Although some cortical MTs are fairly resistant to cold and amiprophos-methyl-induced depolymerization, the perinuclear ones are very labile, depolymerizing in 5–10 min in the cold. The MT cytoskeleton is not believed to be directly involved in wound-induced motility in these plants because amiprophos-methyl and cold depolymerize most cortical MTs without inhibiting motility. Also, the identical MT distributions in intact cells of these two algae belie the very different patterns of cytoplasmic motility. Although certain roles of the MT arrays may be ruled out, their exact functions in these plants are not known.
Paleoclimatic Significance of Chemical Weathering in Loess-Derived Paleosols of Subarctic Central Alaska

ABSTRACT Chemical weathering in soils has not been studied extensively in high-latitude regions. Loess sequences with modern soils and paleosols are present in much of subarctic Alaska, and allow an assessment of present and past chemical weathering. Five sections were studied in detail in the Fairbanks, Alaska, area. Paleosols likely date to mid-Pleistocene interglacials, the last interglacial, and early-to-mid-Wisconsin interstadials. Ratios of mobile (Na, Ca, Mg, Si) to immobile (Ti or Zr) elements indicate that modern soils and most interstadial and interglacial paleosols are characterized by significant chemical weathering. Na2O/TiO2 is lower in modern soils and most paleosols compared to parent loess, indicating depletion of plagioclase. In the clay fraction, smectite is present in Tanana and Yukon River source sediments, but is absent or poorly expressed in modern soils and paleosols, indicating depletion of this mineral also. Loss of both plagioclase and smectite is well expressed in soils and pal...
Somatostatin Receptor-4 Agonists as Candidates for Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by a progressive loss in memory and cognitive abilities. One of the key pathologic features of AD is the accumulation of beta amyloid (Aβ). Somatostatin has been shown to regulate neuronal neprilysin activity, a key enzyme involved in Aβ catabolism. The actions of somatostatin are mediated through somatostatin receptors 1–5. The somatostatin subtype-4 receptor (sst4) is expressed in key regions of the brain impacted by AD. Thus, sst4 agonists may serve as disease modifying agents (i.e., preventative), enhancing enzymatic activity and decreasing neurotoxic Aβ species within key brain regions of AD patients. This chapter will address the viability of such sst4 agonists within the context of AD therapy, in conjunction with strategies for design, synthesis, and recognition at the macromolecular level.
Exact Quantum Results for Reactive Scattering using Hyperspherical (APH) Coordinates

Adiabatically adjusting Principal-axis Hyperspherical(APH) coordinates are used in a fully 3-dimensional quantum mechanical formulation of reactive scattering. Exact results will be presented for the following systems: a) Li + FH → LiF + H b) F + H 2 → HF + H c) e + + H → Ps + p + d) d + + t + µ - → t + + d + µ - e) H 2 O + hv → OH + H.
Odd Reproductive Problems of Small Ruminants

Sheep, and especially goats, tend to have some fairly strange reproductive issues that while not especially common, do occur with a high enough frequency that the small ruminant practitioner will likely be presented with some of these cases. This session will discuss odd reproductive issues of primarily female sheep and goats including ring womb, atypical udder development, and pseudopregnancy, as well as a few other issues.
Family Role Structure and Self Blame

Dollard,' Menninger,2 Rosenzweig,' and others have suggested that anger aroused by frustration may flow either outwardly against other persons or inwardly against the self. Anger aroused by experimental frustration is accompanied by one type of cardiovascular reaction when it is discharged outwardly against others and a different type of cardiovascular reaction when it is discharged inwardly in the form of anxiety or self blame.4 Subjects experiencing the type of cardiovascular reaction associated with the inward discharge of anger report their mother as the principal disciplinarian in the family.' This finding suggested the hypothesis that subjects who report on attitudinal measures that they would blame themselves will be more likely to perceive mother as principal disciplinarian than subjects who report on the same measures that they would not blame themselves. This hypothesis was tested in the course of a larger study with Louis Guttman to examine certain methodological hypotheses about higher components of attitudes generated by Guttman's scaling theory.8
Spirodi(iminohydantoin) products from oxidation of 2'-deoxyguanosine in the presence of NH4Cl in nucleoside and oligodeoxynucleotide contexts.

Upon oxidation of the heterocyclic ring in 2′-deoxyguanosine (dG), the initial electrophilic intermediate displays a wide range of reactivities with nucleophiles leading to many downstream products. In the present study, the product profiles were mapped when aqueous solutions of dG were allowed to react with NH4Cl in the presence of the photooxidants riboflavin and Rose Bengal as well as the diffusible one-electron oxidant Na2IrCl6. Product characterization identified the 2′-deoxyribonucleosides of spiroiminodihydantoin, 5-guanidinohydantoin, and oxazolone resulting from H2O as the nucleophile. When NH3 was the nucleophile, a set of constitutional isomers that are diastereotopic were also observed, giving characteristic masses of dG + 31. ESI+-MS/MS of these NH3 adducts identified them to be spirocycles with substitution of either the C5 or C8 carbonyl with an amine. The NH3 adducts exhibit acid-catalyzed hydrolysis to spiroiminodihydantoin. Quantification of the NH3 and H2O adducts resulting from oxidati...
Simulation and Emulation of Network Congestion Based on NS2

The simulation methods and general process using NS2 network were given in this paper.With NS2 network simulator congestion control strategy of the NCS was studied.The simulation results for three main situations were given.The choice algorithm of congestion control parameters was given as well.
Metabolomics in Glycomics

Metabolomics is essentially the study of all low molecular weight molecules in a biological system under defined conditions. In glycomics, there is much potential to gain insight into the biosynthesis of novel glycoconjugate structures by probing the metabolome for substrates that are suspected, or known, to be involved in the biosynthetic processes. Recently, we employed the use of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS) in a focused metabolomic study of sugar-nucleotides relevant to the biosynthesis of highly novel carbohydrate modifications on the flagellin of Campylobacter sp. We exploited the unique selectivity of the HILIC-MS method for discriminating between closely related sugar-nucleotide intermediates and allowed their subsequent structural identification using a combination of high-resolution mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. In addition, the HILIC-MS method permitted screening of selected isogenic mutants for sugar-nucleotide intermediates to determine a role for the corresponding genes on the flagellin glycosylation locus in the biosynthesis of the novel carbohydrate modifications.
Supervised and unsupervised pattern recognition: feature extraction and computational intelligence

classifiers-an overview Criteria for optimal classifier design Categorizing the Classifiers Classifiers Neural Networks Comparison of Experimental Results System Performance Assessment Analysis of Prediction Rates from Bootstrapping Assessment ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS: DEFINITIONS, METHODS, APPLICATIONS Definitions Training Algorithm Some Applications A SYSTEM FOR HANDWRITTEN DIGIT RECOGNITION Preprocessing of Handwritten Digit Images Zernike Moments (ZM) for Characterization of Image Patterns Dimensionality Reduction Analysis of Prediction Error Rates from Bootstrapping Assessment Summary OTHER TYPES OF FEATURE EXTRACTION METHODS Introduction Wavelets Invariant Moments Entropy Cepstrum Analysis Fractal Dimension Entropy SGLD Texture Features FUZZY NEURAL NETWORKS Pattern Recognition Optimization System Design Clustering APPLICATION TO HANDWRITTEN DIGITS Introduction to Character Recognition Data Collection Results Discussion Summary A UNSUPERVISED NEURAL NETWORK SYSTEM FOR VISUAL EVOKED POTENTIALS Data Collection and Preprocessing System Design Results Discussion CLASSIFICATION OF MAMMOGRAMS USING A MODULAR NEURAL NETWORK Methods and System Overview Modular Neural Networks Neural Network Training Classification Results The Process of Obtaining Results ALOPEX Parameters Generalization Conclusions "VISUAL OPHTHALMOLOGIST": AN AUTOMATED SYSTEM FOR CLASSIFICATION OF RETINAL DAMAGE System Overview Modular Neural Networks Applications to Ophthalmology Results Discussion A THREE-DIMENSIONAL NEURAL NETWORK ARCHITECTURE The Neural Network Architecture Simulations Discussion A FEATURE EXTRACTION ALGORITHM USING CONNECTIVITY STRENGTHS AND MOMENT INVARIANTS ALOPEX Algorithms Moment Invariants and ALOPEX Results and Discussion MULTILAYER PERCEPTRONS WITH ALOPEX: 2D-TEMPLATE MATCHING AND VLSI IMPLEMENTATION Multilayer Perceptron and Template Matching VLSI Implementation of ALOPEX IMPLEMENTING NEURAL NETWORKS IN SILICON The Living Neuron Neuromorphic Models Neurological Process Modeling SPEAKER IDENTIFICATION THROUGH WAVELET MULTIRESOLUTION DECOMPOSITION AND ALOPEX Multiresolution Analysis through Wavelet Decomposition Pattern Recognition with ALOPEX Methods Results Discussion FACE RECOGNITION IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE: A SIMULATION Methods Results Discussion SELF-LEARNING LAYERED NEURAL NETWORKS Neocognition and Pattern Classification Objectives Methods Study A Study B Summary and Discussion BIOLOGICAL AND MACHINE VISION Distributed Representation The Model A Modified ALOPEX Algorithm Application to Template Matching Brain-to-Computer Link Discussion Each section also has an introduction and references