cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Deeper into the genome.

The next large-scale human genome project after HapMap should catalogue inherited variation in the general population that directly affects gene function, argues Richard Gibbs.
Chronic Brief Restraint Decreases In Vivo Binding of Benzodiazepine Receptor Ligand to Mouse Brain

This study examines the effects of chronic brief restraint on in vivo benzodiazepine (BZD) receptor binding in mouse brain. Three groups of mice were used. Mice in group 1 were neither restrained nor injected (ACUTE control). Mice in group 2 were restrained for 5–6 s by grabbing the back skin and holding the subject upside-down at a 45° angle as if to be injected (CHRONIC SHAM control) for 7 d. Mice in group 3 (CHRONIC SALINE) received daily single intraperitoneal (ip) injections of saline (5 mL/kg) for 7 d. On d 8 BZD receptors were labeled in vivo by administration of 3 μCi [3H]flumazenil (ip). The levels of ligand bound in vivo to cerebral cortex (CX), cerebellum (CB), brain stem (BS), striatum (ST), hippocampus (HP), and hypothalamus (HY) were determined. Results indicated that the level of binding was significantly (p<0.01) lower by 30–50% (depending on the brain region) in saline-injected or sham control groups compared to acute control animals. Furthermore, the values for sham control were similar to the saline-treated group. Our data suggest that exposure to chronic mild restraint produces a decrease in in vivo binding of [3H]flumazenil in mouse brain and supports the hypothesis that chronic mild stress produces a decrease in BZD receptor binding sites.
Building small worlds in unstructured P2P networks using a multiagent Bayesian inference mechanism

Over the past few years, peer-to-peer(p2p) unstructured networks have emerged as an attractive paradigm for enabling online interactions between a large number of users in a decentralized manner. However, the decentralized nature of unstructured p2p networks makes load balancing a challenging problem. Specifically, the self-interested nature of users on the nodes of a p2p network and dynamic changes in network topology give rise to an unbalanced distribution of nodes across an unstructured p2p network. This results in network congestion and significant search latencies for all nodes. In this paper, we describe a small-world network model and a Bayesian inference mechanism within a multiagent setting to address these issues. Simulation results for a file sharing p2p application show that our algorithm achieves an exponential reduction in number of messages exchanged and improves load-balancing across the network.
The effects of parent-presented models and praise on the vocal behavior of their children

Abstract The combined and separate effects of parent-presented models and praise on specific vocalizations of three children (15, 17, and 20 months old) were investigated. The frequency of a specific vocalization was higher when parents modeled and praised it than when they did not. In addition, modeling and praise, when used in combination, had a greater effect on the frequency of specific vocalizations than when used separately. Three additional parents were asked to attempt, by any means they wished, to increase the frequency of a specific vocalization by their children. These parents used modeling almost, exclusively, and the children did not exhibit the specific vocalizations as frequently as did the children whose parents were instructed both to model and praise specific vocalizations.
Evaluation of Cu-PTSM as a tracer of tumor perfusion: Comparison with labeled microspheres in spontaneous canine neoplasms

Abstract Copper-62-labeled Cu-PTSM is a promising generator-produced PET tracer for myocardial, cerebral and renal perfusion. To evaluate whether [ 62 Cu]Cu-PTSM could also serve as a blood flow tracer in PET studies of tumor tissue, the tumor uptake of [ 67 Cu]Cu-PTSM was examined in dogs with spontaneously-occurring soft-tissue neoplasms. Copper-67-labeled Cu-PTSM was administered intravenously to four anesthetized dogs, followed c. 5 min later by a left ventricular injection of 85 Sr-labeled microspheres (15 μm) to provide an independent measure of tumor perfusion. Forty-seven tumors (average weight=2.5 ± 3.7 g) were obtained and sectioned into 80 samples. The correlation of 67 Cu-PTSM uptake with regional renal perfusion was also examined in data from 395 tissue samples ranging in flow from 0.02 to 9.39 mL min −1 g −1 . Rates of tumor perfusion assessed with 85 Sr-labeled microspheres ranged from 0.011 to 3.0 mL min −1 g −1 . No correlation was found between tumor size and the rate of tumor perfusion. However, an excellent linear correlation exists between tumor perfusion calculated from [ 67 Cu]Cu-PTSM data and tumor perfusion measured with 85 Sr-microspheres ( r = 0.94 for 80 samples), suggesting that [ 62 Cu]Cu-PTSM may be useful as a radiopharmaceutical for PET studies of tumor perfusion.
Property rights to the chesapeake bay oyster fishery: History and implications

Abstract This paper presents a history of the evolution of the property rights structure to the Chesapeake Bay oyster grounds, which includes both common and private property, and explains the reasons for the creation and persistence of this mixed system during the past 100 years. Implications for future management follow from this history.
Estimating fatigue damage model constants with maximum likelihood method

Obtaining fatigue damage model constants for different damage models have long been of interest to many scientists and researchers interested in evaluating the reliability of materials. The conventional technique is to test the material for many numbers of cycles and fit the model to the stress-number of cycles to failure (S-N) curve. This manuscript proposes a new methodology to statistically obtain the fatigue model constants using Weibull based maximum likelihood (ML) function. Maximum likelihood theory for different stress levels is introduced. The ML function is then elaborated using the Weibull distribution as underlying distribution. Weibull based ML function is used to obtain the damage model constants. The proposed approach is then tested Coffin-Manson model using the data obtained from a thermo-mechanical fatigue test conducted for BGA solder joints. The model constants obtained using this approach is compared with available model constants and showed a good correlation.
Post-transcriptional control of Na,K-ATPase activity and cell growth by a splice variant of FXYD2 protein with modified mRNA.

In kidney, FXYD proteins regulate Na,K-ATPase in a nephron segment-specific way. FXYD2 is the most abundant renal FXYD but is not expressed in most renal cell lines unless induced by hypertonicity. Expression by transfection of FXYD2a or FXYD2b splice variants in NRK-52E cells reduces the apparent Na+ affinity of the Na,K-ATPase and slows the cell proliferation rate. Based on RT-PCR, mRNAs for both splice variants were expressed in wild type NRK-52E cells as low abundance species. DNA sequencing of the PCR products revealed a base alteration from C to T in FXYD2b but not FXYD2a from both untreated and hypertonicity-treated NRK-52E cells. The 172C→T sequence change exposed a cryptic KKXX endoplasmic reticulum retrieval signal via a premature stop codon. The truncation affected trafficking of FXYD2b and its association with Na,K-ATPase and blocked its effect on enzyme kinetics and cell growth. The data may be explained by altered splicing or selective RNA editing of FXYD2b, a supplementary process that would ensure that it was inactive even if transcribed and translated, in these cells that normally express only FXYD2a. 172C→T mutation was also identified after mutagenesis of FXYD2b by error-prone PCR coupled with a selection for cell proliferation. Furthermore, the error-prone PCR alone introduced the mutation with high frequency, implying a structural peculiarity. The data confirm truncation of FXYD2b as a potential mechanism to regulate the amount of FXYD2 at the cell surface to control activity of Na,K-ATPase and cell growth.
Control-Theoretic Approach to Optimal Search for a Class of Markovian Targets

We consider the problem of using an exponential detection function to search for a target whose motion is a Markov process satisfying a stochastic differential equation of the diffusion type. The overall objective is to minimize the probability of nondetection. The approach is to reformulate the problem as one of seeking an optimal control (search strategy) with an optimal stopping time. The decision as to whether or not to stop searching corresponds to whether or not the target has been detected, and the goal is to detect while expending a minimum amount of search effort. The final results appear in the form of a normed Bellman's equation or, equivalently, in terms of a variational inequality, and constitute a set of sufficient conditions for the optimal strategy. Some previous approaches to the problem using other techniques and assumptions are also discussed for comparative purposes.
Polarization of the anterior–posterior axis of C. elegans is a microtubule-directed process

In Caenorhabditis elegans, polarity along the anterior-posterior (A/P) axis is established shortly after fertilization and is determined by the sperm, whose position specifies the posterior end of the embryo'. Although many factors required for the establishment of A/P polarity have been described, the nature of the spatial cue provided by the sperm remains unknown. Here we show that a microtubule-organizing centre is necessary and sufficient to establish several aspects of A/P polarity. In wildtype embryos, appearance of the first molecular asymmetries along the A/P axis correlates with and requires nucleation of microtubules by the sperm-derived centrosomes (sperm asters). In mutant embryos arrested in meiosis, sperm asters fail to form, and posterior is defined by the position of the persistent meiotic spindle rather than by the position of the sperm. Together, our data indicate that the primary spatial cue for A/P polarity in C. elegans derives from microtubules emanating from the sperm asters. Our findings support a parallel between C. elegans zygotes and other cells, such as Drosophila oocytes, which rely on microtubules to regulate polarity.
ROLE OF A VARIABLE MERIDIONAL FLOW IN THE SECULAR EVOLUTION OF THE SUN'S POLAR FIELDS AND OPEN FLUX

We use a magnetic flux transport model to simulate the evolution of the Sun's polar fields and open flux during solar cycles 13 through 22 (1888-1997). The flux emergence rates are assumed to scale according to the observed sunspot-number amplitudes. We find that stable polarity oscillations can be maintained if the meridional flow rate is allowed to vary from cycle to cycle, with higher poleward speeds occurring during the more active cycles. Our model is able to account for a doubling of the interplanetary field strength since 1900, as deduced by Lockwood, Stamper, & Wild from the geomagnetic aa index. We confirm our earlier conclusion that such a doubling of the open flux does not imply that the base level of the total photospheric flux has increased significantly over the last century.
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Oxygen Transport through n-Alkanethiolate Self-Assembled Monolayers on Gold and Copper

We have used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the influences of the position of the ethereal oxygen on the ability of ω-alkoxy-n-alkanethiolate self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to act as barrier films against through-film oxygen transport as relevant to the uses of these films in corrosion inhibition. Our MD simulations reveal that when the ether linkage is too close to the metal surface or to the chain ends, the free-energy barrier of SAMs toward oxygen diffusion was ∼5 kJ/mol less than for a non-ether-containing n-alkanethiolate SAM having the same chain length. MD simulations show that SAMs having an ether linkage near a chain end contain a highly disordered terminal region. As a result, the SAMs allow a more rapid transport of oxygen across these monolayers than through n-alkanethiolate SAMs of similar length lacking the ether unit. Additionally, SAMs with the ether linkage close to the metal surface undergo a structural transition to an alternating flipped structure that is less cry...
Re-evaluating the responsiveness of DNS-based network control

For more than a decade, special purpose DNS [1] servers have been used to direct users to different IP addresses based on characteristics such as proximity, load balancing and failover. In this paper, we examine two of the mechanisms these special purpose DNS servers may use to control user traffic:-short time-to-lives (TTL) and time-splicing multiple responses. We find that although 2% of users are still using a stale DNS response after 15 minutes (despite a 20 second TTL), 90% of user requests will have switched to a new answer within 60 seconds. Further, when trying to direct users to two different locations in the ratio 90:10, we find time-splicing CNAME and A responses (corresponding to the two locations, respectively) is incompatible with a commonly deployed recursive resolver, and results in a ratio policy closer to 10:90. Overall we found that although DNS TTLs are not always respected, we are able manage load at a coarse granularity — provided time-spliced responses are of the same response type.
Review of soft tissue augmentation in the face

A primary pillar of facial rejuvenation is the replacement of soft tissue atrophy via a variety of augmentation techniques. The techniques can be classified into three categories, skeletal onlay grafts, subcutaneous volumizers, and dermal fillers. While onlay grafts and subcutaneous volumizers have the most persistent results, the emergence of improved dermal fillers in the past 5 years has become increasingly popular. An accurate diagnosis of the level(s) of soft tissue atrophy in the face needs to be made prior to selection of the category or combination of techniques. In the younger patient, the selection of a dermal filler or combination of fillers can be adequate for treatment. A comparison of the composition and characteristics of the available dermal fillers are discussed in detail to assist the clinician in understanding the actual mechanism of soft tissue augmentation. In the more advanced aging face, a combination of the three categories may be necessary to produce optimal results. Just as dermal fillers have become more differentiated to increase their longevity, the non-injectible long-lasting implants are becoming more developed to mimic accurate viscoelastic properties of the facial soft tissues. All three classes of augmentation techniques can provide patients with very satisfactory results as part of overall facial rejuvenation.
Aromatic l-aminoacid decar☐ylase in the rat brain: Immunocytochemical localization during prenatal development

Abstract Immunocytochemically labeled cells containing the enzyme aromatic l -amino acid decar☐ylase were localized in the brain of rat embryos at gestational age E15–E19. Cell groups that contained aromatic l -amino acid decar☐ylase but lacked either the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase or the indolamine serotonin were referred to as “D” groups. Anatomical landmarks, cytoarchitectonic structure and histochemical staining for acetylcholinesterase were used to delineate the position of “D” groups. In the E15 embryo three “D” groups existed. The first to appear, named D1, was located in the spinal cord and had been demonstrated before. A large “D” cell cluster was found in the walls of the central forebrain deep to the hypothalamic sulcus. This group distributed dorsally in the ventral dorsal thalamic region and ventrally in the dorsal hypothalamus. The rostral-most “D” group, D14, occurred in the ventral telencephalon just medial to fibers of the nigrostriatal projection. D14 was the smallest of the early groups. In E16 and E17 embryos dorsal di- and mesencephalic “D” groups were first detected. During the course of ontogeny a considerable increase of immunoreactive cells occurred and segregation of the large central forebrain cluster into several rostrally and laterally distributed “D” groups took place. Some “D” groups that occur in the adult brain were not present in the E19 embryo. This study provides a first report of the localization of several unique cell groups in the brain of rat embryos and their appearance at different stages of gestation. It also gives further support to the notion that variations of aromatic l -amino acid decar☐ylase staining intensities may be characteristic of different monoamine neurons.
Self-consistency and inequity dissonance as factors in undercompensation.

Abstract An undercompensation condition was manipulated in this study by having a person perceive that he possessed higher qualifications for a task than a co-worker, whereas both receive similar outcomes. This manipulation in addition to creating inequity dissonance also may cause self-consistency pressures as a result of the enhanced self-esteem of Person. The inequity pressures in this condition, then, would tend to cause decreased performance, whereas the self-consistency pressures would tend to cause increased performance. The focal point of the study was to investigate the conditions under which each of the two conflicting effects occurs. The main hypothesis was that inequity effects, i.e., reduced productivity would occur when the task is not perceived to reflect on the self-concept. Self-consistency effects, i.e., increased productivity would occur when the task is perceived to reflect on the self-concept. This hypothesis was not confirmed. The obtained results indicated inequity effects on the productivity data, where the undercompensated subjects produced less than equitably paid controls. Self-consistency effect were simultaneously revealed on the quality data where the undercompensated subjects were higher than their controls on an independent measure of work quality. Explanations for these results are offered.
Crosslinking during the nitration of bovine insulin with tetranitromethane.

Abstract The treatment of bovine insulin with tetranitromethane at pH 8 resulted in the nitration of 2.5 of the four residues of tyrosine in the molecule. Only 0.1 residue of tyrosine was found in the derivative, indicating the modification of 1.4 tyrosine residues by a reaction which did not produce 3-nitrotyrosine. No other amino acid residue besides tyrosine seemed affected by the reaction. Gel chromatography of the derivative in 7 M urea demonstrated the existence of monomers, dimers and larger aggregates of the insulin molecule, an indication of intermolecular covalent crosslinking. The crosslinking also occurred when glycyl- L - tyrosine was treated with tetranitromethane at pH 8.
Rates of anaerobic oxidation of methane and authigenic carbonate mineralization in methane-rich deep-sea sediments inferred from models and geochemical profiles

Abstract Pore water chemical data obtained from a 10.5-m long giant gravity core collected in methane-rich sediments from 647 m water depth in the northern Gulf of Mexico (N 28°04.00′ W 89°43.15′) defines sub-bottom gradients in unprecedented detail. This core penetrated the sulfate-methane interface (SMI) at ∼ 300 cm below the seafloor (cmbsf). At the SMI dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations reach a maximum (13.5 mM) and pore water δ 13 C DIC (− 63.2‰ PDB) and δ 13 C methane (− 89.5‰ PDB) values are most negative. Below the SMI pore water sulfate is nearly depleted, methane concentrations rise sharply with simultaneous occurrence of a bubble-textured sediment, and fine-grained methane-derived authigenic carbonate nodules and cements are common. The sharp peaks in DIC concentration and isotope values centered at the SMI indicate that DIC is being produced by anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) within a narrow zone centered at the SMI. The detailed sulfate and DIC concentration profiles, and DIC δ 13 C values have enabled geochemical models to be constructed that explore the rate of DIC formation by AOM and its effect on pore water DIC δ 13 C values. Model results closely match measured DIC concentration and δ 13 C isotope profiles and indicate that microbiological conversion of methane carbon to DIC is rapid in geologic terms and that AOM is occurring at the present position of the SMI. Isotope values for authigenic carbonate found immediately below the present-day SMI ( δ 13 C = − 60.2 ± 0.7‰ PDB at 440 cmbsf) are consistent with derivation of the carbonate carbon from methane via AOM at the former location of a SMI. These observations and model results suggest that AOM is occurring at rates that would generate the observed profiles and begin the precipitation of methane-derived carbonate occur on time-scales of centuries. Model results also show that the time needed to produce the resulting authigenic cements is an order of magnitude greater than that for AOM to produce the observed DIC profiles. The metabolic rates for DIC production by AOM inferred from modeling the geochemical profiles compare favorably with available rate data obtained from laboratory microbial incubations and radiolabeled tracer experiments.
Effects of Dietary Selenium and Mercury on House Crickets (Acheta domesticus L.): Implications of Environmental Co-exposures

Selenium (Se) availability is an indicator of susceptibility to mercury (Hg) bioaccumulation and toxicity, but the mechanisms and extents of these effects are not well characterized. Although the mechanism remains undefined, reducing MeHg accumulation in insects at the base of the food web may contribute to the effect. This study investigated interactive effects of dietary selenium (0.1, 0.3, 1.0, 3.0, and 10 μmol Se/kg) with either 0 or 50 μmol MeHg on growth and survival of house crickets (Acheta domesticus L.), an easily manipulated insect model. Poor survival and slower growth and development were seen in crickets fed high levels of MeHg with low selenium. Increased dietary selenium resulted in improved survival and increased weight gains in crickets fed MeHg. On the basis of A. domesticus biomass at the end of the 5 week study, the optimum selenium intake was 3 μmol Se/kg. Signs of selenium deficiency were evident from diminished biomass in groups fed lower concentrations. Meanwhile selenium toxicity...
Building diversity in the undergraduate computer science research pipeline

This paper describes our workshop for the ACM Southeast Conference to address methods for building diversity in computing, toward encouraging undergraduates to attend graduate school and to go on to faculty and research positions. This 1.5 hour workshop will highlight the basics on connecting to research, with particular lessons for students from underrepresented groups, through a series of brief presentations by the workshop leaders. The majority of the workshop will focus on highly-interactive breakout groups on specific topics, to include challenges and opportunities in building diversity, methods for encouraging undergraduate students toward research, metrics for measuring success in attracting undergraduate researchers, and steps toward ensuring a positive undergraduate research experience.
Nutritional and Metabolic Profile of Children with Epidermolysis Bullosa

The clinical features of epidermolysis bullosa (EB) include oral, pharyngeal, gastrointestinal, and total-body blistering. This results in the potential for decreased oral intake, malabsorption, anemia, and depressed visceral protein stores, and a multifactorial etiology for the development of malnutrition and growth retardation. Thus, it was the purpose of this study to document the nutritional and metabolic profile of seven children with junctional or recessive dystrophic EB as compared to seven age- and sex-matched controls. Each child underwent a comprehensive nutritional assessment, including evaluation of anthropometric, dietary, and biochemical values and determination of resting energy expenditures. This study demonstrated that subjects with EB are statistically different for all anthropometric values studied and represent a population suffering from the effects of acute and chronic malnutrition. Nutrient deficiencies were reported for zinc, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and iron; vitamines A, D, E, B1, B12, and B6; protein, and calories. Comparison of laboratory values revealed significantly lower values for hemoglobin, hematocrit, and zinc. This research illustrates the magnitude of the growth deficits, and nutrient and biochemical deficiencies present in children with EB. The results provide a strong argument for the value of nutritional assessment and intervention and their potential impact in this population. Optimizing nutritional status may be one viable method of improving the morbidity and mortality associated with the disease and ultimately improving the overall quality of life.
Optimal river routing with crosstalk constraints

With the increasing density of VLSI circuits, the interconnection wires are being packed even closer. This has increased the effect of interaction among these wires on circuit performance and hence, the importance of controlling crosstalk. In this article, we consider river routing with crosstalk constraints. Given the positions of the pins in a single-layer routing channel and the maximum tolerable crosstalk between each pair of neighboring nets, we give a polynomial time algorithm to decide whether there is a feasible river routing solution and produce one with minimum crosstalk when it is feasible.
Marginality, ethnicity and penality in the neo-liberal city: an analytic cartography

This article draws an analytic map of the research programme pursued across my three books Urban Outcasts (2008), Punishing the Poor (2009) and Deadly Symbiosis: Race and the Rise of the Penal State (in press). In this trilogy, I disentangle the triangular nexus of class fragmentation, ethnic division and state-crafting in the polarizing city at century's turn to explain the political production, socio-spatial distribution and punitive management of marginality through the wedding of disciplinary social policy and neutralizing criminal justice. I signpost how I deployed key notions from Pierre Bourdieu (social space, bureaucratic field, symbolic power) to clarify categories left hazy (such as the ghetto) and to forge new concepts (territorial stigmatization and advanced marginality, punitive containment and liberal paternalism, hyper-incarceration and negative sociodicy) as tools for the comparative sociology of the unfinished genesis of the post-industrial precariat, the penal regulation of poverty in th...
The spectroscopic properties of high-pressure xenon

Abstract The density and temperature dependences of the mean energy to form an ion pair, W-value, and the intrinsic energy resolution, ΔE0, of high-pressure Xe were investigated with a parallel plate ionization chamber. A temperature and pressure independent technique to monitor the density of Xe was used. Changes in both the W-value and ΔE0 were observed, as a function of temperature between 14°C and 70°C and density between 0.12 and 1.7 g/cm3, and these were found to correlate with the formation of energy bands in Xe, for the former, and changes in the recombination rate, for the latter. Qualitative analysis of the experimental results is presented.
Effects of δ4-Cholestenone in Animals and in Man

Summary1. Toxic effects of δ4-cholestenone fed at high dose levels to rats are described and data on absorption, distribution and fate of 4-C14-δ4-cholestenone are presented. 2. A major effect of high dose levels of δ4-cholestenone is a marked inhibition of adrenal steroid secretion accompanied by marked hypertrophy of adrenal cortex. Some possible implications with respect to the physiological role of cholesterol in steroid biosynthesis are discussed. 3. Low dose levels are well tolerated, but lead to accumulation of dihydrocholesterol in serum in rats and, more strikingly, in man.
Nuclear fusion and carbon flashes on neutron stars.

This paper reports on detailed calculations of the thermal evolution of the carbon-burning shells in the envelopes of accreting neutron stars for mass-accretion rates of 1 hundred-billionth to 2 billionths of a solar mass per yr and neutron-star masses of 0.56 and 1.41 solar masses. The work of Hansen and Van Horn (1975) is extended to higher densities, and a more detailed treatment of nuclear processing in the hydrogen- and helium-burning regions is included. Results of steady-state calculations are presented, and results of time-dependent computations are examined for accretion rates of 3 ten-billionths and 1 billionth of solar mass per yr. It is found that two evolutionary sequences lead to carbon flashes and that the carbon abundance at the base of the helium shell is a strong function of accretion rate. Upper limits are placed on the accretion rates at which carbon flashes will be important.
Plasma folate conjugase activities and folate concentrations in patients receiving hemodialysis

Abstract Folate conjugase activities and folate concentrations in blood obtained from patients with chronic renal failure and healthy controls were measured by radioassay using pteroyldiglutamyl-[ 14 C]-glutamic acid as substrate and microbiologic assay, respectively. A total of 32 patients receiving hemodialysis for an average of 5.4 years participated in the study. Folate conjugase activities in posthemodialysis plasma were significantly higher than those in prehemodialysis samples and were similar to those of controls. Plasma folate conjugase was inhibited by the in vitro addition of the heated extract of prehemodialysis plasma. The heated extract of urine from a healthy control also inhibited the enzyme. Furthermore, plasma folate conjugase activities were reduced by the in vitro addition of sulfate, one of the major constituents in urine, although the addition of urea or uric acid had no such effect. Data indicate the presence of an unidentified heat-stable inhibitor(s) that is excreted by the normal kidney, and sulfate may be one of them. During hemodialysis, plasma folate concentrations decreased, while erythrocyte folate concentrations remained unchanged. Five of 32 patients demonstrated plasma folate concentrations lower than normal. These findings suggest that a careful evaluation of folate requirements is necessary in patients maintained with hemodialysis.
Microfabricated amperometric creatine and creatinine biosensors

Miniaturized enzyme electrodes for determination of creatine and creatinine in serum are described. The creatine sensor is based on a bienzyme sequence, involving creatine amidinohydrolase (CI) and sarcosine oxidase (SO). For the creatinine sensor a third enzyme, creatinine amidohydrolase (CA), is added. The signals of both sensors are based on the oxidation of the hydrogen peroxide formed in the enzymatic layer to yield currents proportional to the concentration of creatine or creatinine in the sample solution. For the optimization of enzyme loadings several macro-size electrodes were tested. Crosslinking with glutaraldehyde was selected as the immobilization method for the enzymatic system. The substrate for the miniaturized sensors is a polyimide foil, on which film structures are built using well established microelectronic techniques. Biosensors based on this planar, thin and thick film technology, have shown extended linear range (up to 2 mM), good sensitivity and operational stability (at least 3 months) when tested in buffer solutions. A cellulose acetate inner membrane in combination with a polyurethane outer membrane significantly reduces in vitro response of the biosensors to common interferences such as ascorbic acid, uric acid and acetaminophen. The creatine and creatinine microfabricated sensors were tested in control human serum samples, where the detection limit was 20 μM and 30 μM, respectively. The experimental values are in agreement with the assigned values for creatinine in the control samples.
Speed-up of neutrino transformations in a supernova environment

When the neutral current neutrino-neutrino interaction is treated completely, rather than as an interaction among angle-averaged distributions, or as a set of flavor-diagonal effective potentials, the result can be flavor mixing at a speed orders of magnitude faster than that one would anticipate from the measured neutrino oscillation parameters. It is possible that the energy spectra of the three active species of neutrinos emerging from a supernova are nearly identical.
Counterdiffusion of carbon dioxide and methane in a glassy polymer

Abstract This research investigated carbon dioxide/methane counterdiffusion in poly(ethylene terephthalate). A time-lag-type experimental unit was designed to study both transient and steady state counterdiffusion. This design combined a diffusion cell and a gas chromatograph for on-line gas analysis; it is capable of measuring the permeation of two gases simultaneously. Essentially, the experiments consisted in having one gas at constant pressure counter diffuse against a second gas at various pressures. Single-gas diffusion rates at corresponding partial pressures were also measured. In the counterdiffusion experiments, it was found that: (i) the instantaneous fluxes of a mixture component are higher than the transient fluxes of the same species as a pure component at the corresponding partial pressure; (ii) the methane transport process reaches steady state much more rapidly than in pure methane diffusion; (iii) the transient flux of carbon dioxide passes through a maximum before decreasing to a steady-state value; and (iv) steady-state permeability relationships for CO 2 and CH 4 are identical with those which describe diffusion of the pure component at the corresponding partial pressures. Steady-state permeability and transient diffusional models were developed to analyze the process of counterdiffusion; a general effective diffusivity model is also presented. These models predict successfully the transport behavior observed in the experiments. It is found that penetrant competition for unrelaxed excess free volume is the controlling factor, accounting for the experimentally observed phenomena in counterdiffusion. p]Estimates of the sorption parameters and diffusion coefficients were based on transport measurements, where the permeability and time lag models were applied separately in the estimation. The parameters were then incorporated into the simulation program to test the models. Good agreement was achieved for the accumulated fluxes measured in experiments with those calculated from computer simulation, attesting to the validity of the analysis.
Capacity and Efficiency of Decision Functions

Two criteria for comparing the performance of dedision functions are discussed. The first is the capacity as defined by Cover. We extend his definition to allow the calculation of the capacity of hyperboxes (interval complexes), which are shown to have asymptotically lower capacity than hyperplanes. The second criterion is the efficiency. We calculate the efficiency for polynomial functions. The efficiency sharply decreases as the degree of the polynomial increases. This calculation is also done for hyperboxes, which are shown to be more efficient than hyperplanes.
Inactivation of Endothelial Small/Intermediate Conductance of Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels Contributes to Coronary Arteriolar Dysfunction in Diabetic Patients.

Background Diabetes is associated with coronary arteriolar endothelial dysfunction. We investigated the role of the small/intermediate (SKCa/IKCa) conductance of calcium‐activated potassium channels in diabetes‐related endothelial dysfunction. Methods and Results Coronary arterioles (80 to 150 μm in diameter) were dissected from discarded right atrial tissues of diabetic (glycosylated hemoglobin = 9.6±0.25) and nondiabetic patients (glycosylated hemoglobin 5.4±0.12) during coronary artery bypass graft surgery (n=8/group). In‐vitro relaxation response of precontracted arterioles was examined in the presence of the selective SKCa/IKCa activator NS309 and other vasodilatory agents. The channel density and membrane potential of diabetic and nondiabetic endothelial cells was measured by using the whole cell patch‐clamp technique. The protein expression and distribution of the SKCa/IKCa in the human myocardium and coronary arterioles was examined by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Our results indicate that diabetes significantly reduced the coronary arteriolar response to the SKCa/IKCa activator NS309 compared to the respective responses of nondiabetic vessels ( P <0.05 versus nondiabetes). The relaxation response of diabetic arterioles to NS309 was prevented by denudation of endothelium ( P =0.001 versus endothelium‐intact). Diabetes significantly decreased endothelial SKCa/IKCa currents and hyperpolarization induced by the SKCa/IKCa activator NS309 as compared with that of nondiabetics. There were no significant differences in the expression and distribution of SKCa/IKCa proteins in the coronary microvessels. Conclusions Diabetes is associated with inactivation of endothelial SKCa/IKCa channels, which may contribute to endothelial dysfunction in diabetic patients.
Working on the Water: On Legal Space and Seafarer Protection in the Cruise Industry

With a focus on Filipino seafarers, the largest cohort of workers on cruise ships, this article argues that recent legal decisions in U.S. courts on the employment and protection of international c...
Drug Targeting Mycobacterium tuberculosis Cell Wall Synthesis: Genetics of dTDP-Rhamnose Synthetic Enzymes and Development of a Microtiter Plate-Based Screen for Inhibitors of Conversion of dTDP-Glucose to dTDP-Rhamnose

An L-rhamnosyl residue plays an essential structural role in the cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Therefore, the four enzymes (RmlA to RmlD) that form dTDP-rhamnose from dTTP and glucose-1-phosphate are important targets for the development of new tuberculosis therapeutics. M. tuberculosis genes encoding RmlA, RmlC, and RmlD have been identified and expressed in Escherichia coli. It is shown here that genes for only one isotype each of RmlA to RmlD are present in the M. tuberculosis genome. The gene for RmlB is Rv3464. Rv3264c was shown to encode ManB, not a second isotype of RmlA. Using recombinant RmlB, -C, and -D enzymes, a microtiter plate assay was developed to screen for inhibitors of the formation of dTDP-rhamnose. The three enzymes were incubated with dTDP-glucose and NADPH to form dTDP-rhamnose and NADP(+) with a concomitant decrease in optical density at 340 nm (OD(340)). Inhibitor candidates were monitored for their ability to lower the rate of OD(340) change. To test the robustness and practicality of the assay, a chemical library of 8,000 compounds was screened. Eleven inhibitors active at 10 microM were identified; four of these showed activities against whole M. tuberculosis cells, with MICs from 128 to 16 microg/ml. A rhodanine structural motif was present in three of the enzyme inhibitors, and two of these showed activity against whole M. tuberculosis cells. The enzyme assay was used to screen 60 Peruvian plant extracts known to inhibit the growth of M. tuberculosis in culture; two extracts were active inhibitors in the enzyme assay at concentrations of less than 2 microg/ml.
On Apolarity and Generic Canonical Forms

Abstract The notion of S -algebra is introduced. The theory of apolarity and generic canonical forms for polynomials is generalized to S -algebras over the complex field C . We apply this theory to the problem of finding the essential rank of general, symmetric, and skew-symmetric tensors. Upper bounds for the essential ranks are found by different combinatorial coverings.
Cigarette smoking and the onset and persistence of major depressive disorder among adults in the United States: 1994–2005

s / Drug and Alcohol Dependence 146 (2015) e2–e33 e33 Financial support: NIH/NIDA R01 DA003240 (MEC), F31DA036248-01 (NEZ). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2014.09.768 Cigarette smoking and the onset and persistence of major depressive disorder among adults in the United States: 1994–2005 Michael Zvolensky1,2, Jafar Bakhshaie1, Renee Goodwin3,4 1 Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, Unites States 2 MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, Unites States 3 Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY, Unites States 4 Epidemiology, Columbia University, New York, NY, Unites States Aims: Thepresent study sought to investigatewhether cigarette smoking is (a) associated with increased risk of onset and persistence of major depressive disorder (MDD) and whether smoking cessation maintenance reduces the risk of onset and persistence of MDD over a 10-year period among adults in the United States. Methods: Data were drawn from the Midlife Development in the United States Survey (MIDUS) Waves I and II (N=2101). Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the relations between smoking and the onset and persistent of MDD, adjusting for demographic characteristics and substance use problems. Results: Daily smoking in 1994 and persistent daily smoking (from 1994 to 2005) predicted a significantly increased likelihood of past-year incident and persistent MDD by 2005. These associations largely remained statistically significant after adjusting for demographics and substance use problems. Successful smoking abstention significantly reduced the risk of recent incidence and persistence of MDD. Conclusions: The present longitudinal data provide novel insights into the role of smoking in the onset and persistence of MDD. Namely, smoking is associated with a significant increased risk of MDD and quitting helps to reduce such risk. Specifically, the longer the duration of abstinence/successful quitting, the lower the riskof subsequentonset ofMDD. Themental healthbenefits of quitting smoking in the form of reduced risk of MDD should be added to common information listed as the reasons to quit. Financial support: None. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2014.09.777
Physical properties and crystal structure of a new semiconducting I–III–VI2 compound, CuScS2

Abstract The compound CuScS2 has been prepared for the first time, and single crystals have been grown by chemical transport reaction with I2. The crystals are trigonal with a = 3·7333 ± 0·0005 A, c = 6·098 ± 0·001 A, and are non-centrosymmetric with space group P 3ml. The crystal structure has been determined by single crystal X-ray methods and is based on a hexagonally close packed arrangement of sulfur atoms, with one formula unit per cell. The scandium atoms occupy octahedral sites and the copper atoms tetrahedral sites giving a new structure type intermediate between the structures of NiAs and hexagonal ZnS. The compound is a semiconductor and optical absorption measurements show two band gaps, one at 2·30 eV representing a direct transition and the other at 1·8 ± 1 eV representing an indirect transition. Doping experiments with Zn produced low resistivity n-type material, but attempts to prepare p-type material were unsuccessful.
Group-Based Trajectory Modeling (Nearly) Two Decades Later.

The Author(s) 2010. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Nearly two decades have passed since the publication of ‘‘Age, Criminal Careers, and Population Heterogeneity: Specification and Estimation of a Nonparametric Mixed Poisson Model’’ by Nagin and Land (1993). In that article Nagin and Land laid out a statistical method that has come to be called group-based trajectory modeling. The principle objective of the paper was to address issues related to the ‘‘hot topic’’ of the time—the criminal career debate—not to lay out a new statistical methodology. As described in the paper’s abstract, these issues were: ‘‘First, is the life course of individual offending patterns marked by distinctive periods of quiescence? Second, at the level of the individual, do offending rates vary systematically with age? In particular, is the age-crime curve single peaked or flat? Third, are chronic offenders different from less active offenders? Do offenders themselves differ in systematic ways?’’ Figure 1 reports Nagin’s (2005) updated version of the trajectories reported in Nagin and Land (1993). The analysis is based on the classic dataset assembled by Farrington and West (1990), which includes data on convictions from age 10 to 32 in a sample of over 400 males from a poor neighborhood in London, England. A four group model, analyzed using the zero-inflated Poisson modeling option, was found to best fit the data. The largest trajectory group accounted for 69.5% of the population, and was composed of individuals who generally had no convictions. The three offending trajectories included an adolescentlimited group (12.4% of the population), which peaked sharply in late adolescence, and then declined to a near zero rate of offending by age 20, a high chronic trajectory (5.9% of the population) with a high-humped shaped trajectory and a low rate chronic trajectory that accounted for the remaining 12.2% of the population. Also, shown in the figure are 95% confidence intervals around each trajectory. The dominant legacy of Nagin and Land (1993), however, was not its answers to the specific questions listed in the abstract but the methodology itself. A review of applications
Sustained inhibition of whole-blood clot procoagulant activity by inhibition of thrombus-associated factor Xa

Progression of arterial thrombosis partly depends on thrombus-associated thrombin and activated factor X (Xa) activity. However, whether Xa or thrombin is the most appropriate target for inhibition of recurrent thrombosis is unknown. This study was designed to determine whether inhibition of Xa results in more sustained attenuation of thrombus-associated precoagulant activity than does inhibition of thrombin. Clots prepared ex vivo from human whole blood and pathological arterial thrombi from patients were preincubated in citrated plasma containing no inhibitor, 0.5 to 1 U/mL heparin, 0.5 to 1 mumol/L hirudin, 5 to 10 mumol/L tick anticoagulant peptide (TAP), 0.15 to 3 mumol/L tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), or a combination of 1 mumol/L hirudin and 10 mumol/L TAP for 2 hours. After preincubation the clots were removed from first-stage plasma, extensively washed in phosphate-buffered saline, and added to nonanticoagulated whole blood. Clots preincubated in plasma without inhibitors induced marked activation of the coagulation system in whole blood, as characterized by greater increases in the concentration of fibrinopeptide A (FPA) over 7 minutes than in blood without added clots (1522 +/- 568 compared with 117 +/- 170 ng/mL, P < .01). Preincubation of clots with heparin or hirudin did not attenuate the increases in FPA in wholeblood. In contrast, compared with incubation without an inhibitor, preincubation of clots with TAP or TFPI markedly attenuated the increases in FPA when clots were added to whole blood (551 +/- 316 and 508 +/- 208 ng/mL, respectively, P < .01). Similar results were obtained with arterial thrombi from patients. Inhibition of Xa but not of thrombin results in sustained attenuation of thrombus-associated procoagulant activity. Uninhibited thrombus-associated Xa activity may account for the increases in thrombin activity that are commonly observed in clinical trials after discontinuation of thrombin inhibitors.