cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Preservation Potential and Paleoecological Significance of Epibenthic Suspension Feeder-Dominated Benthic Communities (Northern Adriatic Sea)

The benthic ecosystem off the northeastern Adriatic coast is composed largely of clades characteristic of Sepkoski's Modern Fauna. However, across broad expanses of fine-sediment substrate, attached epibenthic suspension feeders strongly dominate in some areas and are co-dominant with mobile epibenthic deposit feeders in other areas. Preservation of skeletal residues in these areas would be composed largely of remains of attached suspension feeders. Therefore, although composed largely of Modern Fauna clades, the benthic ecosystem and its potential fossil remains reflect Paleozoic rather than post-Paleozoic ecology. This Paleozoic-style benthic ecology corresponds with low-nutrient water, low intensity of grazing predation, and relatively few endobenthic bioturbators, all of which were more characteristic of Paleozoic than post-Paleozoic seas. The thriving epibenthic attached suspension-feeding benthos in the northeastern Adriatic apparently results from the interaction of all or a subset of these three conditions.
Emergency Medicine Subinternship: Can We Provide a Standard Clinical Experience?

Medical students have varied experiences on the emergency medicine (EM) subinternship. Didactic curricula can be standardized. Objectives: To determine if uniformity in clinical curricula is possible by assessing whether students can see patients with certain chief complaints (CC). Methods: Prospective interventional analysis at a public teaching hospital. Control group (CG) students saw patients of their choice and recorded encounters in logbooks. Test group (TG) students were asked to see at least one patient with: orthopedic injury (OR); asthma exacerbation (AE); acute coronary syndrome (ACS); traumatic injury (TR); laceration (LAC); or diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). TG students prospectively recorded these patients on a separate logbook page. Logbooks were reviewed by two investigators to determine if a patient with each diagnosis was seen. Chi-square analysis tested for differences in sample proportions between TG and CG. Multivariate analyses controlled for TG, specialty choice, and gender. p < 0.05 represented statistical significance. Results: One hundred fifty (88 TG; 62 CG) students participated. Differences existed between TG and CG in the proportion of students who saw a patient with each CC: OR: 93% TG, 69% CG (p < 0.0001); AE: 86% TG, 63% CG (p < 0.0008); ACS: 97% TG, 58% CG (p < 0.0001); TR: 97% TG, 58% CG (p < 0.0001); LAC: 98% TG, 89% CG (p < 0.0220); DKA: 68% TG, 47% CG (p < 0.0086). Logistic regressions explaining the probability of seeing each CC showed the variable controlling for TG was positive and significant for 5 CCs: p = 0.0013 (OR); 0.0038 (AE); 0.0001 (ACS); 0.0001 (TR); 0.0229 (DKA). No difference was found for LAC: p = 0.0570. Conclusions: Students can be directed to see patients with particular CCs. TG students saw more patients with certain CCs than CG students, p < 0.0001. This intervention can help educators provide a well-rounded, uniform clinical EM experience.
Transmural regulation of myocardial perfusion by neuropeptide Y

In vivo studies have shown that sympathetic nerve stimulation improves the transmural distribution of myocardial perfusion by increasing the endocardial/epicardial flow ratio; however, the mechanism of this effect is unknown. During nerve stimulation both norepinephrine (NE) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) are released, either or both of which may exert vasoconstrictor effects. The present studies were performed to examine the effects of these two cotransmitters on the transmural distribution of myocardial perfusion in a canine model. In anesthetized open-chest dogs, during maximal coronary vasodilation with intracoronary adenosine, both neuropeptide Y (29.7 micrograms/min) and norepinephrine (0.5-2.0 micrograms/min) reduced myocardial perfusion to a greater extent in the epicardium than in the subendocardium. The endo/epi ratio with adenosine alone was 1.11 +/- 0.02. Norepinephrine increased this by 80%, neuropeptide Y by 20%, and the combination of the two by 76% (P < 0.05 for all three vs. adenosine). Neuropeptide Y alone constricted the coronary vasculature but did not alter transmural flow. Thus neuropeptide Y preferentially reduces myocardial perfusion in the epicardium. We speculate that neuronally released neuropeptide Y contributes importantly to the transmural distribution of myocardial perfusion during sympathetic nerve stimulation.
Diabetes and Psychological Profile of Younger Rural African American Women with Type 2 Diabetes

Purpose . To describe diabetes self-care behaviors, diabetes-related distress, depressive symptoms, and diabetes-related needs among rural African American women with type 2 diabetes ages 21-50. Methods . A cross-sectional survey, including questionnaires and a single, open-ended question, was used to assess constructs of interest. Findings . Taking medication was the most frequently reported (5.5 days/week) self-care activity and exercise the least (3.0 days/week). Nearly half (44%) reported worrying about diabetes complications. Approximately one-third (31%) felt guilty about inconsistent self-care or fearful about living with diabetes. Seventy percent had a depression score suggestive of significant depressive symptomatology. Most diabetes-related concerns were about diet (34%) (i.e., what to eat), exercise (30%), taking medications (10%), and finances (8%). Conclusions . Future research should explore specific diabetes self-care barriers/enablers and interventions should provide women with diabetes education, barrier management, and psychological support. Innovative delivery strategies are needed to provide this support in resource-limited rural communities.
Shallow-Water Versus Deep-Water Evaporites: DISCUSSION

For reference to paper by Friedman, G. M., see Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull., Vol. 56, p. 1072, 1972; for discussion by King, R. H. (with Friedman9s reply), see Vol. 57, p. 2457, 1973
Spatial and temporal variations of mercury levels in Okefenokee invertebrates: southeast Georgia

Accumulation of mercury in wetland ecosystems has raised concerns about impacts on wetland food webs. This study measured concentrations of mercury in invertebrates of the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia, focusing on levels in amphipods, odonates, and crayfish. We collected and analyzed total mercury levels in these invertebrates from 32 sampling stations across commonly occurring sub-habitats. Sampling was conducted in December, May, and August over a two-year period. The highest levels of mercury were detected in amphipods, with total mercury levels often in excess of 20 ppm. Bioaccumulation pathways of mercury in invertebrates of the Okefenokee are probably complex; despite being larger and higher in the food chain, levels in odonates and crayfish were much lower than in amphipods. Mercury levels in invertebrates varied temporally with the highest levels detected in May. There was a lack of spatial variation in mercury levels which is consistent with aerial deposition of mercury.
The stop-and-drop problem in nonprofit food distribution networks

In this paper, we introduce the stop-and-drop problem (SDRP), a new variant of location-routing problems, that is mostly applicable to nonprofit food distribution networks. In these distribution problems, there is a central warehouse that contains food items to be delivered to agencies serving the people in need. The food is delivered by trucks to multiple sites in the service area and partner agencies travel to these sites to pick up their food. The tactical decision problem in this setting involves how to jointly select a set of delivery sites, assign agencies to these sites, and schedule routes for the delivery vehicles. The problem is modeled as an integrated mixed-integer program for which we delineate a two-phase sequential solution approach. We also propose two Benders decomposition-based solution procedures, namely a linear programming relaxation based Benders implementation and a logic-based Benders decomposition heuristic. We show through a set of realistic problem instances that given a fixed time limit, these decomposition based methods perform better than both the standard branch-and-bound solution and the two-phase approach. The general problem and the realistic instances used in the computational study are motivated by interactions with food banks in southeastern United States.
Social Comparison as a Self-regulatory Measuring Stick

How do individuals assess the magnitude of their self-discrepancies? In this research, we suggest that social comparison operates as a self-regulatory measuring stick that helps individuals assess where they stand relative to self-standards (ideal, ought, and feared selves), and contributes to the experience of discrepancy-related emotions. Study 1 revealed that individuals high in social comparison orientation (SCO) report ideal and ought self-discrepancies larger in magnitude than those low in SCO. Study 2, which examined upward and downward comparison tendencies separately, demonstrated that chronic upward comparison predicts ideal and ought self-discrepancy magnitudes, whereas downward comparison predicts feared self-discrepancy magnitude. Both studies indicate that social comparison tendencies are associated with the experience of agitation, dejection, contentment and cheerfulness.
MAL, but not MAL2, expression promotes the formation of cholesterol-dependent membrane domains that recruit apical proteins

Our recent studies have been aimed at understanding the mechanisms regulating apical protein sorting in polarized epithelial cells. In particular, we have been investigating how lipid rafts serve to sort apical proteins in the biosynthetic pathway. The recent findings that lipid domains are too small or transient to host apically destined cargo have led to newer versions of the hypothesis that invoke proteins required for lipid domain coalescence and stabilization. MAL (myelin and lymphocyte protein) and its highly conserved family member, MAL2, have emerged as possible regulators of this process in the direct and indirect apical trafficking pathways respectively. To test this possibility, we took a biochemical approach. We determined that MAL, but not MAL2, self-associates, forms higher-order cholesterol-dependent complexes with apical proteins and promotes the formation of detergent-resistant membranes that recruit apical proteins. Such biochemical properties are consistent with a role for MAL in raft coalescence and stabilization. These findings also support a model whereby hydrophobic mismatch between the long membrane-spanning helices of MAL and the short-acyl-chain phospholipids in the Golgi drive formation of lipid domains rich in raft components that are characterized by a thicker hydrophobic core to alleviate mismatch.
Effects of Lot‐splitting under Various Routing Strategies

Lot‐splitting involves the possibility of lot sizes at intermediate processing steps being less than the production release of the finished good. However, the limited research in this area has not been sufficient to counter the conventional wisdom that lot‐splitting (1) is appropriate only where there are sophisticated control mechanisms, and (2) may actually create a log jam on machines where there is already a bottleneck because of the additional set‐ups required. This article includes a lot‐splitting provision as an extension of a published study of alternate routing strategies in a job shop environment. The lot‐splitting rule is very simple and tractable in any job shop; its performance is compared with the situation where, under identical conditions, the lot‐splitting provision is removed.
Immigration measures and reproductive health among Hispanic youth: findings from the national longitudinal survey of youth, 1997-2003.

Purpose To explore relationships between immigration measures and risk of reproductive and sexual events among U.S. Hispanic adolescents.
Identification of new lens protease(s) using peptide substrates having in vivo cleavage sites.

Abstract Bovine lens extracts were incubated in pH 7.5 buffer with succinylated VSREEKPSSAPSS, SGVDAGHS, GKPTSAPSS and GKHNERQD, the peptides having age-dependent in vivo cleavage sites in bovine and human αA-crystallin. The reaction products were analyzed to identify the initial protease cleavage sites. The results showed that bovine lens extracts contain protease activity that can cleave. Thr-Ser, Ser-Ala, Ser-Ser bonds in test substrates which correspond to peptide bonds Ser168-Ser169, Ser169-Ala170, Ser172-Ser173 in bovine αA-crystallin and Thr-Ser, Ser169-Ala170, Ser172-Ser173 in human αA-crystallin. In addition, the same extracts were also capable of hydrolyzing Asp-Ala and Asn-Glu bonds corresponding to Asp151-Ala152 and Asn101-Glu102 in αA-crystallin from bovine and human lenses. The cleavage specificity of the newly discovered protease(s) suggests that the in vivo truncation of αA-crystallin reported earlier may be due to the action of proteases. The newly discovered lens proteases(s) were resistant to inactivation by E-64 and DFP. However, prior treatment of the lens extracts with leupeptin and chymostatin resulted in partial loss of Asn-Glu hydrolytic activity. N-ethylmaleimide treatment completely abolished in the Asn-Glu hydrolyzing activity.
Bayesian Inference to Discriminate Motion Models from Particle Trajectories

Quantitative analysis of particle motion from particle tracking datasets--such as cell trajectories during embryonic development, receptor dynamics in cell membranes, and chromosome and kinetochore motions during spindle assembly--is a powerful approach to revealing the mechanism of transport in biological systems. However, inferring motion models from single-particle trajectories (SPTs) is non-trivial due to noise from both sampling limitations and heterogeneity in biological samples. We present two complementary approaches based on Bayesian inference to perform objective and automated analysis of SPTs. The first is a multiple hypothesis testing approach to determine the most likely mode of motion from mean-square displacement (MSD) curves derived from particle trajectories. This approach handles a large set of competing motion models--including diffusion, anomalous diffusion, confined diffusion, and directed motion--and determines which model is most justified by the evidence present in the available MSD curves. Because noise in MSD curves is highly correlated, we find that explicitly modeling the noise covariance matrix using multiple independent curves is essential for accurately determining model probabilities. The second approach fits raw particle trajectories with a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) to determine the most likely diffusion coefficient and velocity at each step along a trajectory, enabling the identification of transient motion states and dynamic transitions between motion models. These methods avoid overfitting by using an objective Bayesian framework to penalize model complexity and account for noise. These automated methods naturally scale to large numbers of particle trajectories, making them ideal for classifying motion in high-throughput screens of SPTs.
Stability of vertical natural convection boundary layers: expansions at large Prandtl number

Expansions are obtained for the large Prandtl number structure of the laminar natural convection boundary layer, together with its linear stability characteristics, for the case of a uniform-heat-flux semi-infinite vertical plate. The primary source of instability is shown to arise from a temperature-coupling effect associated with the inner heated region of the boundary layer. Based upon an empirical correlation between the results of linear stability theory and experimentally determined regimes of the turbulent-transition process, it is shown that the flow can be expected to become turbulent before the outer vorticity region of the laminar boundary layer is fully established. The results are generalized to the isothermal plate case.
Quantifying familial influences on brain activation during the monetary incentive delay task: An adolescent monozygotic twin study

Although altered brain activation during reward tasks has been found in a number of heritable psychiatric disorders and health outcomes, the familial nature of reward-related brain activation remains unexplored. In this study, we investigated the degree to which the magnitude of mesocorticolimbic reward system signal intensities in anticipation of reward during the monetary incentive delay (MID) task was similar within 46 pairs of adolescent, monozygotic twins. Significant within-pair correlations in brain activation during anticipation of gain were found in one third of the 18 reward-related regions investigated. These regions were the right nucleus accumbens, left and right posterior caudate, right anterior caudate, left insula, and anterior cingulate cortex. This serves as evidence for a shared familial contribution to individual differences in reward related brain activity in certain key reward processing regions.
The importance of being we: Human nature and intergroup relations.

The author discusses the nature of in-group bias and the social motives that underlie ethnocentric attachment to one's own membership groups. Two common assumptions about in-group bias are challenged: that in-group positivity necessitates out-group derogation and that in-group bias is motivated by self-enhancement. A review of relevant theory and research on intergroup relations provides evidence for 3 alternative principles: (a) in-group attachment and positivity are primary and independent of out-groups, (b) security motives (belonging and distinctiveness) underlie universal in-group favoritism, and (c) attitudes toward out-groups vary as a function of intergroup relationships and associated threats to belonging and distinctiveness.
THE HYLLERAAS BINDING ENERGY OF HYDRIDE AND ELECTRON AFFINITIES

The normalized electron affinity of the hydrogen atom, is the fundamental measure of anionic electron correlation. The three-body H(−) and AB(−) systems analogous to Efimov three-body bosons support multiple excited states. The first complete set of ground state electron affinities of the main group atoms and homonuclear diatomic molecules are reported using the Hylleraas variational binding energy of the hydride anion. Thermal electron affinities and activation energies for the formation of the 27 bonding states of O2(−) are reported from electron capture detector and atmospheric pressure negative ion mass spectrometry. These are iterated through magnetron, flame, swarm, electron impact, photodetachment, and negative ion photoelectron spectra to obtain more precise self-consistent values. Electron affinities for NO are similarly reported. These data are used to calculate Herschbach ionic Morse Person electron curves for the 54 O2(−) and 87 NO(−) states predicted by adiabatic correlation rules. A new ground state adiabatic electron affinity of SF6 3.00(10) eV is determined from negative ion mass spectra.
Anisotropic spatially heterogeneous dynamics on the α and β relaxation time scales studied via a four-point correlation function

We examine the anisotropy of a four-point correlation function ${G}_{4}(\stackrel{P\vec}{k},\stackrel{P\vec}{r};t)$ and its associated structure factor ${S}_{4}(\stackrel{P\vec}{k},\stackrel{P\vec}{q};t)$ calculated using Brownian dynamics computer simulations of a model glass forming system. These correlation functions measure the spatial correlations of the relaxation of different particles. We examine the time and temperature dependences of the anisotropy in both functions. We find that the anisotropy is strongest at nearest-neighbor distances at time scales corresponding to the peak of the non-Gaussian parameter ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{2}(t)=3⟨\ensuremath{\delta}{r}^{4}(t)⟩/[5{⟨\ensuremath{\delta}{r}^{2}(t)⟩}^{2}]\ensuremath{-}1$ but is still pronounced around the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ relaxation time. We find that the structure factor ${S}_{4}(\stackrel{P\vec}{k},\stackrel{P\vec}{q};t)$ is anisotropic even for the lowest wave vector accessible in our simulation, suggesting that our system (and other systems commonly used in computer simulations) may be too small to extract the $\stackrel{P\vec}{q}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$ limit of the structure factor. We find that the determination of a dynamic correlation length from ${S}_{4}(\stackrel{P\vec}{k},\stackrel{P\vec}{q};t)$ is influenced by the anisotropy. We extract an effective anisotropic dynamic correlation length from the small $q$ behavior of ${S}_{4}(\stackrel{P\vec}{k},\stackrel{P\vec}{q};t)$.
Development and Evaluation of a More Precise Excess Gibbs Energy Expression for Vapor−Liquid and Liquid−Liquid Phase Behavior

The rational design of separations in multicomponent systems depends on the quality of vapor−liquid equilibrium (VLE) data and the precision to which these data can be represented. In recent years, new experimental techniques have begun to yield better quality VLE data. Often these data warrant the use of more than two parameters per binary pair, which is common in the empirical Gibbs energy of mixing expressions used to represent such data. In this work, we propose two new expressions for representing the Gibbs free energy of mixing: the four parameter Scott−Wilson and the five parameter Scott−Regular Solution−Wilson. A method for evaluating such expressions is presented, including our proposed technique of predicting γ∞ in a mixed solvent from binary data only. For this, we measured γ∞ in a mixed solvent system using differential ebulliometry.
956-117 Eligibility for Thrombolytic Therapy is Limited Even with Expanded Criteria

Thrombolytic therapy (TT) clearly saves lives in acute myocardial infarction (MI), but the major limitation to its widespread use has been the large proportion of MI pts considered ineligible for TT. In recent overviews of the large randomized TT trials, net benefit is consistently seen with: 1) ST elevation MI (diagnostic ST elevations in any anatomic location) or left bundle branch block on presenting ECG; 2) any age; and 3) onset of symptoms l 12 hrs. To describe correlates of TT utilization and to determine the potential impact of recently expanded TT criteria on the number of untreated pts, we studied 292 pts with acute MI who were admitted via the Emergency Department between June 1991 and December 1992 into a large university teaching hospital. Results 222 (76%) did not receive TT. Univariate correlates of TT utilization: TI (n = 70) NoTT (n = 222) p-value ST elevation MI (n = 94): 51 43 l 0.0001 Age ≥ 75 yrs (n = 78): 7 71 l 0.001 Onset ≤ 12 hrs (n = 163): 56 107 l 0.0001 Chronic angina (n = 114): 16 98 l 0.01 Chronic CHF (n = 51): 3 48 l 0.001 Prior MI (n = 108): 14 94 l 0.001 Hospital death (n = 28): 2 26 l 0.05 The most common reason for not treating with TT was absence of criteria for ST elevation MI in 179/222 pts (81%). Of 35/222 (16%) who presented between 4–12 hrs, age or duration of symptoms was the sole contraindication to TT in only 8 (4%). Other less common major contraindications to TT included prolonged chest massage, recent surgery, active internal bleeding, and hemodynamic instability. Conclusions 1) Most pts did not receive TT. 2) Even with expanded treatment criteria, few additional pts become candidates for TT. 3) Future research should focus on the majority of the MI population which fails to meet ECG or other TT criteria.
Generation of reactive dysmorphogenic intermediates by rat embryos in culture: effects of cytochrome P-450 inducers

We have investigated the capacity of cultured whole rat embryos to convert 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) to reactive metabolites capable of eliciting dysmorphogenic effects in the same embryos. Cultured embryos (Sprague-Dawley) were exposed to AAF for periods of 2 or 24 hr, after which metabolites were isolated from the culture medium and identified with HPLC. Embryotoxic effects were evaluated in the same embryos. Day 10 embryos preexposed in utero to pregnenolone-16 alpha-carbonitrile (PCN) exhibited marked increases in capacity to convert AAF to a variety of hydroxylated metabolites. 3-Methylcholanthrene (3MC) was also a very effective inducer in utero but Aroclor 1254 (PCB), and isosafrole (ISF) evoked only minimal induction while phenobarbital (PB) was not demonstrably effective. Exogenously added hepatic postmitochondrial supernatant (S9) fractions from adult male rats pretreated with PCB, 3MC, or ISF exhibited induced monooxygenase activities as well as increased capacity to convert AAF to dysmorphogenic intermediates in the culture system. PB and PCN displayed much lesser effects. PCN was a very effective inducer of hepatic monooxygenases of pregnant rats but, when this tissue was utilized as an enzyme source, no significant increase in malformations was observed. Embryos with relatively high monooxygenase activities also displayed a high incidence of embryonic abnormalities when cocultured with AAF. Malformation incidence was strongly correlated with hydroxy metabolite generation, suggesting that induction in utero of P-450-dependent, embryonic monooxygenases resulted in the production of embryotoxic metabolites by the embryos own enzymes. The data also indicated that endogenous bioactivation (within the conceptus) was considerably more effective than bioactivation effected by an exogenous (hepatic) enzyme source.
A Continental Storm with a Steady, Adiabatic Updraft and High Concentrations of Small Ice Particles: 6 July 1976 Case Study

Abstract A storm in southeastern Wyoming was investigated by the NCAR/NOAA sailplane which spiraled up to 5.6 km above cloud base in and above a weak echo region. The updraft associated with the weak echo region was remarkably steady (about 8 m s−1) and the temperature lapse rate was nearly adiabatic up to at least 4.4 km above cloud base (−30°C), indicating that the updraft air was unmixed. If the nearest sounding (45 km away in the direction of the storm's inflow) is representative of the storm's low-level environment, then the updraft air should have originated from a subcloud layer about a kilometer above ground where the low-level winds with respect to the storm were the strongest, and not from surface levels where the water vapor mixing ratios were the highest. The updraft did not accelerate even though the temperature measurements indicate that the updraft air had significant amounts of buoyancy (with corrections for adiabatic liquid or frozen water loading). Presumably nonhydrostatic pressure forc...
Nontargeted Nucleotide Analysis Based on Benzoylhistamine Labeling-MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS: Discovery of Putative 6-Oxo-Thymine in DNA

A method for nontargeted analysis of modified nucleotides in DNA (and RNA) is reported based on labeling with benzoylhistamine (BH) followed by MALDI-MS. The method provides deoxynucleotide-specific detection, accurate measurement of molecular ions, high sensitivity, semiquantitation, and, to the extent studied to date, normalization of response within a factor of <3.
Effects of drought on fish across axes of space, time and ecological complexity

1. We evaluate the position of 50 previously published studies of fish and drought with respect to spatial scale of study (individual stream pools to subcontinents), length of the dry period (weeks to centuries), and level of system complexity (individual fish to ecosystems). Most papers address short (months to a year) droughts or dry periods, in local reaches of streams, and impacts on populations or local assemblages. In these 50 papers, the most frequently demonstrated effects of drought were population declines, loss of habitat, changes in the community, negative effects from changes in water quality, movement within catchments, and crowding of fish in reduced microhabitats. Thirteen other less frequent effects also were identified. 2. Gaps in knowledge exist on effects of long-term droughts (decades to centuries), influence of drought on fish effects in ecosystems, and at the spatial scale of river basins to subcontinents. However, some of these gaps have recently been addressed, particularly additive effects of repeated drying episodes and whole-lake or basin-wide effects of drought, and in using molecular techniques to seek signals of drought at wide geographic scales because of events in the deep past. Gaps in knowledge remain for effects of very short dry periods, on drought effects on higher levels of complexity, and on the manner in which droughts at the scale of decades affect fish. 3. Data from streams in Oklahoma and elsewhere in the south-western U.S.A. suggest that most droughts may leave little persistent signal in the existing fish fauna, i.e. that recovery from drought by fish populations or assemblages in the region can be rapid. However, species that are vulnerable to drought or water loss in streams may have disappeared from some basins in the region before the mid-1900s, and recent evidence also suggests that extreme droughts do sometimes alter fish assemblages. 4. Little is known about mechanisms by which droughts have direct or indirect effects on fish, the roles of droughts in the evolution of fish species, and the ways droughts alter effects of fish in ecosystems. Global climate changes may have serious consequences for future local or regional fish faunas, but ongoing studies of fish experiencing drought may aid in future conservation of what will become species at risk under climate-change scenarios.
2‐D full‐wavefield inversion for wide‐aperture, elastic, seismic data

SUMMARY Full-wavefield inversion of two-component (elastic), wide-aperture, seismic data from surface sources and receivers simultaneously provides 2-D estimates of both P and SV velocity distributions. The algorithm operates on common-source gathers; it involves cross-correlation of propagating source and residual wavefields to define the steepest descent direction used to update the velocities at each point in a 2-D finite-difference grid. The solution is stable even in the presence of random noise and when the input traces are unequally spaced. Examples include a stack of flat layers and a folded and faulted structure.
First- and second-order mechanisms for oxidative addition for bound methyl disulfide in the complex W(CO)3(phen)(MeSSMe)

Abstract The rate of oxidative addition of methyl disulfide in the complex W(CO)3(1,10-phenanthroline) (MeSSMe) in methylene chloride has been studied. The dominant reaction pathway is second order in metal complex and inhibited by excess methyl disulfide. Formation of a dinuclear complex [W(CO)3(phen)]2(MeSSMe) is proposed to lead to the transition state for cleavage of the sulfur-sulfur bond in the second-order mechanism. In neat methyl disulfide, or in concentratred solutions of methyl disulfide at low metal complex concentrations, the reaction occurs at reduced rate and follows a first-order mechanism. Addition of Mo(CO)3(1,10-phenanthroline) (MeSSMe) to the corresponding tungsten complex results in a ten-fold increase in the rate of oxidative addition of the tungsten complex and production of Mo(CO)4(1,10-phenanthroline) as the sole molybdenum-containing product. The faster rate of reaction in the presence of the molybdenum complex is attributed to the faster formation of the heteronuclear dinuclear intermediate by initial loss of MeSSMe from the molybdenum versus tungsten center. Additional kinetic/mechanistic studies are described using a new flow-through FT-IR/microscope reaction system designed to allow convenient monitoring of small quantities of sensitive/hazardous reactants.
Use of in vitro drug metabolism data to evaluate metabolic drug-drug interactions in man: the need for quantitative databases.

It has become widely accepted that metabolic drug-drug interactions can be forecast using in vitro cytochrome P450 (CYP) data. For any CYP form-inhibitor pair, the magnitude of the interaction will depend on the potency of the inhibitor (inhibition constant, Ki) the concentration of the inhibitor available for inhibition ([I]), the fraction of the substrate dose metabolized by CYP (fm), and the fraction of the CYP-dependent metabolism catalyzed by the inhibited CYP form (e.g., fm,CYP3A4). While progress is being made toward our understanding of the factors necessary for predictions of [I]/Ki in vivo, it is evident that there is a need for quantitative databases that contain in vitro (e.g., Ki, fm,CYP3A4) and in vivo pharmacokinetic/absorption-distribution-metabolism-excretion (PK/ADME) data (e.g., fm) for a large number of marketed drugs. Ultimately, such databases would allow one to integrate all of the data necessary for the prediction of drug-drug interactions and permit the rational evaluation of new drug entities.
LDB: An ultra-fast feature for scalable Augmented Reality on mobile devices

The efficiency, robustness and distinctiveness of a feature descriptor are critical to the user experience and scalability of a mobile Augmented Reality (AR) system. However, existing descriptors are either too compute-expensive to achieve real-time performance on a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet, or not sufficiently robust and distinctive to identify correct matches from a large database. As a result, current mobile AR systems still only have limited capabilities, which greatly restrict their deployment in practice. In this paper, we propose a highly efficient, robust and distinctive binary descriptor, called Local Difference Binary (LDB). LDB directly computes a binary string for an image patch using simple intensity and gradient difference tests on pairwise grid cells within the patch. A multiple gridding strategy is applied to capture the distinct patterns of the patch at different spatial granularities. Experimental results demonstrate that LDB is extremely fast to compute and to match against a large database due to its high robustness and distinctiveness. Comparing to the state-of-the-art binary descriptor BRIEF, primarily designed for speed, LDB has similar computational efficiency, while achieves a greater accuracy and 5x faster matching speed when matching over a large database with 1.7M+ descriptors.
Principles of Water and Nonelectrolyte Transport across Membranes

Classical deductions concerning the manner in which water and nonelectrolytes traverse biological membranes have their origin in the observations of Overton(1) and Collander and Barlund.(2) Overton formulated the generalization that the rate of penetration of nonelectrolytes into plant cells was proportional to their oil-water partition coefficient. Collander and Barlund(2) confirmed these observations but noted that, in certain instances, the cellular permeability of solutes was related primarily to molecular size rather than lipid solubility. These two dissimilar phenomena led to the hypothesis that natural membranes were mosaic structures containing lipids and pores, or molecular sieves. The degree to which molecular size, rather than lipid solubility, regulated the penetration of solutes into cells was dependent on the fractional membrane area occupied by pores and the characteristics of the individual pores.(3) Current theories concerning membrane pores depend, in the main, on this hypothesis.
Solution of the Axisymmetric Problem of Creep and Damage for a Piecewise Homogeneous Body with Meridional Section of Any Shape

UDC 539.3 We consider the axisymmetric problem of creep and creep-induced damage for piecewise homogeneous bodies with meridional sections of any shape. We develop a method for the solution of the initial boundary-value problem based on the combined application of the R -function method and the Runge– Kutta–Merson method. The structures of the solution for the main types of boundary conditions are constructed. We present an example of calculation of creep and long-term strength for a three-layer cylinder used as a computational scheme of a solid-oxide fuel element. State-of-the-Art of the Problem. Statement of the Initial Boundary-Value Problem of Creep The problems of determination of the stress-strain state and strength of piecewise homogeneous cylindrical bodies are thoroughly described in the Ukrainian and foreign literature. At the same time, the nonlinear deformation of piecewise homogeneous bodies, in particular, the problems of creep and damage have not been adequately studied. This is connected with the complexity of solution of nonlinear initial boundary-value problems for piecewise homogeneous systems and with difficulties connected with the construction of determining relations, which must take into account various effects of deformation of contemporary materials. Moreover, the practical analyses of creep, damage, and long-term strength often require taking into account the complex geometric shape of the body or interfaces of its components. Consider a body of revolution of finite sizes referred to a cylindrical coordinate system Orzϕ , which consists of M components V1,V2,…,VM (V = V1 V2 …VM ) rigidly connected with each other. The body is under the action of external surface loads applied to a part Sp of its surface and a temperature field T = T(r,z,t) . The distribution of loads on Sp and given kinematically possible displacements on the surface Su are such that the desired solution is independent of ϕ . The external forces and temperature very slowly vary with time that and, hence, the inertial terms in equations of motion can be neglected. The strains in the body remain small in the process of creep. We denote by ∂Vab the interface of the neighboring parts of the body Va and Vb . The axis Oz coincides with the axis of revolution. The section of the body in the plane rOz has the shape of the domain Ω with boundary ∂Ω . The domain Ω is the union of constituent domains Ωk , k = 1,…, M , with boundaries ∂Ωk . The rates of displacements and external loads are given on the parts of the boundary ∂Ωu and ∂Ωp , respectively. We denote by ∂Ωab the interface of the neighboring domains Ωa and Ωb . By ∂Ωab and ∂Ωba , we denote the sides of the surface ∂Ωab that belong to Ωa and Ωb , respectively. Assume that the materials
Helical antimicrobial polypeptides with radial amphiphilicity

α-Helical antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) generally have facially amphiphilic structures that may lead to undesired peptide interactions with blood proteins and self-aggregation due to exposed hydrophobic surfaces. Here we report the design of a class of cationic, helical homo-polypeptide antimicrobials with a hydrophobic internal helical core and a charged exterior shell, possessing unprecedented radial amphiphilicity. The radially amphiphilic structure enables the polypeptide to bind effectively to the negatively charged bacterial surface and exhibit high antimicrobial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, the shielding of the hydrophobic core by the charged exterior shell decreases nonspecific interactions with eukaryotic cells, as evidenced by low hemolytic activity, and protects the polypeptide backbone from proteolytic degradation. The radially amphiphilic polypeptides can also be used as effective adjuvants, allowing improved permeation of commercial antibiotics in bacteria and enhanced antimicrobial activity by one to two orders of magnitude. Designing AMPs bearing this unprecedented, unique radially amphiphilic structure represents an alternative direction of AMP development; radially amphiphilic polypeptides may become a general platform for developing AMPs to treat drug-resistant bacteria.
Demographically Corrected Normative Standards for the English Version of the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery.

Demographic factors impact neuropsychological test performances and accounting for them may help to better elucidate current brain functioning. The NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB) is a novel neuropsychological tool, yet the original norms developed for the battery did not adequately account for important demographic/cultural factors known to impact test performances. We developed norms fully adjusting for all demographic variables within each language group (English and Spanish) separately. The current study describes the standards for individuals tested in English. Neurologically healthy adults (n = 1038) and children (n = 2917) who completed the NIH Toolbox norming project in English were included. We created uncorrected scores weighted to the 2010 Census demographics, and applied polynomial regression models to develop age-corrected and fully demographically adjusted (age, education, sex, race/ethnicity) scores for each NIHTB-CB test and composite (i.e., Fluid, Crystallized, and Total Composites). On uncorrected NIHTB-CB scores, age and education demonstrated significant, medium-to-large associations, while sex showed smaller, but statistically significant effects. In terms of race/ethnicity, a significant stair-step effect on uncorrected NIHTB-CB scores was observed (African American<Hispanic<White). After applying normative corrections, NIHTB-CB no longer demonstrated any significant associations with demographic factors. The previously developed norms still maintained significant associations with demographic factors, and demonstrated more variable impairment rates in segments of the healthy normative sample. Similar to other neuropsychological tests, demographic factors demonstrated significant associations with unadjusted NIHTB-CB scores. Application of fully corrected scores will help account for unwanted variance that is associated with non-clinical factors to more accurately reflect effects of disease-related changes in brain function.
The Limits and Frontiers of Desiccation-Tolerant Life

21 dry mass. Species in five phyla of animals and four divisions of plants contain desiccation-tolerant adults, juveniles, seeds, or spores. There seem to be few inherent limits on desiccation tolerance, since tolerant organisms can survive extremely intense and prolonged desiccation. There seems to be little phylogenetic limitation of tolerance in plants but may be more in animals. Physical constraints may restrict tolerance of animals without rigid skeletons and to plants shorter than 3 m. Physiological constraints on tolerance in plants may include control by hormones with multiple effects that could link tolerance to slow growth. Tolerance tends to be lower in organisms from wetter habitats, and there may be selection against tolerance when water availability is high. Our current knowledge of limits to tolerance suggests that they pose few obstacles to engineering tolerance in prokaryotes and in isolated cells and tissues, and there has already been much success on this scientific frontier of desiccation tolerance. However, physical and physiological constraints and perhaps other limits may explain the lack of success in extending tolerance to whole, desiccation-sensitive, multicellular animals and plants. Deeper understanding of the limits to desiccation tolerance in living things may be needed to cross this next frontier.
Making Advances in First-Line Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Treatment

Bendamustine was developed in East Germany as a potent alkylating agent. Bendamustine monotherapy was US Food and Drug Administration approved for both first-line and salvage treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) as a result of superior progression-free survival (PFS) compared with that seen with chlorambucil monotherapy in first-line treatment of CLL. Although CD20 monoclonal antibody (mAB) monotherapy has limited activity in CLL, the German CLL Study Group (GCLLSG) confirmed in their CLL8 trial that the addition of rituximab to chemotherapy significantly advanced treatment for CLL, with improved PFS and overall survival (OS). On the basis of these data and data from the REACH (Rituximab in the Study of Relapsed Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia) trial, rituximab was US Food and Drug Administration approved in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FC) for firstline and previously treated CLL. The GCLLSG reported results of a phase II trial of bendamustine combined with rituximab (BR) for relapsed and refractory CLL, and in the article that accompanies this editorial, Fischer et al, on behalf of the GCLLSG, report results of a first-line, multicenter phase II clinical trial of BR for CLL. They report an overall response rate of 88%, complete remission (CR) rate of 23%, and estimated median PFS of 34 months for 117 previously untreated patients with CLL. Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia occurred in 20%, 22%, and 20% of patients, respectively. Randomized first-line phase III clinical trials that evaluated chlorambucil versus fludarabine, then fludarabine versus FC, and most recently, FC versus FC plus rituximab (FCR), established FCR as a standard chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) regimen that provides excellent PFS and OS. Other agents have been evaluated in phase III trials as monotherapy compared with chlorambucil, such as alemtuzumab and bendamustine, and have garnered US Food and Drug Administration approval on the basis of superior PFS, but hardly represent significant therapeutic advances. Several phase II trials have aimed to improve outcomes by modifying FCR, but without obvious success. Examples include increasing the dose of rituximab, adding mitoxantrone, adding alemtuzumab, or adding a granulocytemacrophage colony-stimulating factor to the FCR regimen. These first-line phase II BR trial results can be compared with standard first-line CD20 mAb–containing CIT regimens like FCR, FR, or pentostatin, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (Table 1). The difficulty in comparing outcomes between clinical trials is that
The motion of a non-conducting sphere through a conducting fluid in a magnetic cross-field

The title problem for a perfectly conducting sphere was considered by Stewartson(6). Here we use a different method and a more realistic assumption concerning the sphere. Although the flow is still ultimately cylindrical, there is no longer a column of fluid which moves with the sphere as if solid. There is no reason to expect that in practice the flow will break away into eddies. In fact the same is true in Stewartson's case, once his results are corrected.
Nano Chemical Sensors With Polymer-Coated Carbon Nanotubes

A simple sensor platform consisting of an interdigitated electrode (IDE) pattern has been fabricated for sensing gas and organic vapors. Purified single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in the form of a network laid on the IDE by solution casting serve as the sensor material. The electrical conductivity of the SWNT network changes reproducibly upon exposure to various gases and vapors. Selectivity to specific gases, for example, chlorine and hydrochloric acid vapor, is demonstrated by coating the SWNTs with polymers such as chlorosulfonated polyethylene and hydroxypropyl cellulose
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Investigation of the Chemical and Structural Properties of the Mucohalic Acids

Abstract The mucohalic acids are a group of organic compounds whose structures have been the subject of a good deal of investigation and controversy in recent years. These compounds can undergo a tautomeric ring closure and both structures I and II have been claimed to be predominant by various workers using various chemical and instrumental techniques. (X = halogen)