cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relating behavior to population dynamics: a predator–prey metaphysiological model emphasizing zooplankton diel vertical migration as an inducible response

We present a continuous-time deterministic model, for the population dynamics of a predator-prey system. The model which includes a function of refuge-use by the prey is developed in order to account for the interaction between lake zooplankton and fish populations, assuming the ‘predator avoidance hypothesis’ as the ultimate explanation for the behavior of zooplankton diel vertical migration. Nevertheless, this model is flexible enough as to be utilized in other qualitatively similar scenarios. The model is based on the metaphysiological approach to population modeling proposed by Getz [Getz, W.M., 1994. A metaphysiological approach to modeling ecological populations and communities. In: Levin, S.A. (Ed.), Frontiers in Mathematical Biology. Lecture Notes in Biomathematics 100. Springer-Verlag, New York, pp. 411‐442]. Thermal stratification of the environment is explicitly incorporated in the model and, consequently, a temperature-dependence function for physiological processes. A Holling type II sub-model is used as the extraction function of prey-biomass by predators, and an abruptness function is used for the induction of the zooplankton vertical migration by fish density. The model is reparametrized, resulting in a ten-parameter equivalent system, where we analytically identify the presence of three equilibrium points. By means of computer simulation, some dynamic properties of the system are studied, evidencing the occurrence of limit-cycles, and trivial and non-trivial locally stable equilibrium points, depending on the parameter values. Stability of dynamic properties of the model are studied on selected bidimensional parameter-spaces, and the ecological significance of results is discussed. © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Book Review: Sweat not melodrama: Reading the structure of feeling in All the President’s Men

Thirty years after the initial break-in, Watergate holds a mythic status within the history of American journalism. Whether individuals consider Watergate the beginning of modern investigative jour...
Short-Chain Fatty Acids from Periodontal Pathogens Suppress Histone Deacetylases, EZH2, and SUV39H1 To Promote Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Replication

Periodontal pathogens such as Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum produce five different short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) as metabolic by-products. We detect significantly higher levels of SCFAs in the saliva of patients with severe periodontal disease. The different SCFAs stimulate lytic gene expression of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) dose dependently and synergistically. SCFAs inhibit class-1/2 histone deacetylases (HDACs) and downregulate expression of silent information regulator-1 (SIRT1). SCFAs also downregulate expression of enhancer of zeste homolog2 (EZH2) and suppressor of variegation 3-9 homolog1 (SUV39H1), which are two histone N-lysine methyltransferases (HLMTs). By suppressing the different components of host epigenetic regulatory machinery, SCFAs increase histone acetylation and decrease repressive histone trimethylations to transactivate the viral chromatin. These new findings provide mechanistic support that SCFAs from periodontal pathogens stimulate KSHV replication and infection in the oral cavity and are potential risk factors for development of oral Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). IMPORTANCE About 20% of KS patients develop KS lesions first in the oral cavity, while other patients never develop oral KS. It is not known if the oral microenvironment plays a role in oral KS tumor development. In this work, we demonstrate that a group of metabolic by-products, namely, short-chain fatty acids, from bacteria that cause periodontal disease promote lytic replication of KSHV, the etiological agent associated with KS. These new findings provide mechanistic support that periodontal pathogens create a unique microenvironment in the oral cavity that contributes to KSHV replication and development of oral KS.
Theory and the Advancement of Listening Research: A Reply to Purdy

This essay provides a spirited response to Purdy's essay decrying the necessity for theory-driven listening research. In it, I correct two primary misconceptions about my previous essay and attempt to maintain a place for theorizing listening.
Atmospheric dust in modern soil on aeolian sandstone, Colorado Plateau (USA): Variation with landscape position and contribution to potential plant nutrients

Rock-derived nutrients in soils originate from both local bedrock and atmospheric dust, including dust from fardistant sources. Distinction between fine particles derived from local bedrock and from dust provides better understanding of the landscape-scale distribution and abundance of soil nutrients. Sandy surficial deposits over dominantly sandstone substrates, covering vast upland areas of the central Colorado Plateau, typically contain 5–40% silt plus clay, depending on geomorphic setting and slope (excluding drainages and depressions). Aeolian dust in these deposits is indicated by the presence of titanium-bearing magnetite grains that are absent in the sedimentary rocks of the region. Thus, contents of far-traveled aeolian dust can be estimated from magnetic properties that primarily reflect magnetite content, such as isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM). Isothermal remanent magnetization was measured on bulk sediment samples taken along two transects in surficial sediment down gentle slopes away from sandstone headwalls. One transect was in undisturbed surficial sediment, the other in a setting that was grazed by domestic livestock until 1974. Calculation of far-traveled dust contents of the surficial deposits is based on measurements of the magnetic properties of rock, surficial deposits, and modern dust using a binary mixing model. At the undisturbed site, IRM-based calculations show a systematic down-slope increase in aeolian dust (ranging from 2% to 18% of the surface soil mass), similar to the down-slope increase in total fines (18–39% of surface soil mass). A combination of winnowing by wind during the past and down-slope movement of sediment likely accounts for the modern distribution of aeolian dust and associated nutrients. At the previously grazed site, dust also increases down slope (5–11%) in sediment with corresponding abundances of 13–25% fines. Estimates of the contributions of aeolian dust to the total soil nutrients range widely, depending on assumptions about grain-size partitioning of potential nutrients in weathered bedrock. Nevertheless, aeolian dust is important for this setting, contributing roughly 40–80% of the rock-derived nutrient stocks (P, K, Na, Mn, Zn, and
Intelligence as Necessary but Not Sufficient for Creativity

Summary G. T. scores on the Army General Classification Test (AGCT) as indicants of intelligence were correlated with scores on the Creative Imagination Test (CIT) for two groups of men differing on intelligence. Results supported the prediction of closer correspondence of intelligence and creativity scores in a low intelligence range (r = .437, p < .01) than in a high intelligence range. Intelligence was unrelated statistically to creativity (r = .10) when only the high intelligence range above 111 was considered. Guilford's triagular scatterplot conceptualization of intelligence-creativity relationship seemed most congruent with the present and earlier data. Intelligence was described as allowing the development of creativity, but not insuring such development. Personality and environmental factors may be important in creativity expression especially at upper intelligence ranges.
Spatial and Temporal Variations of Cortical Growth during Gyrogenesis in the Developing Ferret Brain

Spatial and temporal variations in cortical growth were studied in the neonatal ferret to illuminate the mechanisms of folding of the cerebral cortex. Cortical surface representations were created from magnetic resonance images acquired between postnatal day 4 and 35. Global measures of shape (e.g., surface area, normalized curvature, and sulcal depth) were calculated. In 2 ferrets, relative cortical growth was calculated between surfaces created from in vivo images acquired at P14, P21, and P28. The isocortical surface area transitions from a slower (12.7 mm2/day per hemisphere) to a higher rate of growth (36.7 mm2/day per hemisphere) approximately 13 days after birth, which coincides with the time of transition from neuronal proliferation to cellular morphological differentiation. Relative cortical growth increases as a function of relative geodesic distance from the origin of the transverse neurogenetic gradient and is related to the change in fractional diffusion anisotropy over the same time period. The methods presented here can be applied to study cortical growth during development in other animal models or human infants. Our results provide a quantitative spatial and temporal description of folding in cerebral cortex of the developing ferret brain, which will be important to understand the underlying mechanisms that drive folding.
Effects of metabolic inhibitors and drugs on ion transport and oxygen consumption in isolated frog skin.

Active ion (NaCl) transport across isolated frog skin is discussed in relation to sodium and potassium composition and to O2 consumption of skin. A distinction is made between processes in skin related to "unidirectional active ion transport" and processes related to "maintenance electrolyte equilibrium;" i.e., ionic composition of skin. Several metabolic inhibitors were found that could be used in separating maintenance electrolyte equilibrium from unidirectional active ion transport. Fluoroacetate (up to 1 x 10–2M/liter) did not affect maintenance electrolyte equilibrium, but severely diminished the rate of active ion transport. This could also be accomplished with azide and diethyl malonate when 1 x 10–3 molar concentrations were used. When applied in higher concentrations, these two inhibitors, and several others, diminished active ion transport, but this was associated with changes in maintenance electrolyte equilibrium (gain of Na+ by and loss of K+ from skin). Similar observations were made when skins were subjected to K+-deficient media. Mersalyl and theophylline, in low concentrations, stimulated active ion transport without leading to changes in maintenance electrolyte equilibrium. Inhibition of active ion transport was found accompanied by decrease, increase, and unaltered over-all O2 consumption, depending on the kind of chemical agent used. A provisional scheme of the mechanism of unidirectional active ion transport is proposed. It is conceived as a process of metabolically supported ion exchange adsorption, involving a carrier, forming complexes with K+ and Na+, a trigger, K+ ions, and two spatially separated metabolic pathways.
CODE CREATION IN ENDOGENOUS MERGER EXPERIMENTS

We study the conflict that can occur in a merger due to firms’ use of specialized language, or “code,” and whether participants accurately forecast this difficulty. After creating a shared code to describe different pictures accurately, subjects bid for extra payments to join a merged group. The two lowest bidders are placed in the merged group. Values inferred from two different bidding procedures indicate fairly accurate general appraisals of the cost of the merger, but the values of those subjects who bid the least, and choose to join the merged group, are too optimistic, reflecting an “organizational winner’s curse.”
Circuit Theory and Model-Based Inference for Landscape Connectivity

Circuit theory has seen extensive recent use in the field of ecology, where it is often applied to study functional connectivity. The landscape is typically represented by a network of nodes and resistors, with the resistance between nodes a function of landscape characteristics. The effective distance between two locations on a landscape is represented by the resistance distance between the nodes in the network. Circuit theory has been applied to many other scientific fields for exploratory analyses, but parametric models for circuits are not common in the scientific literature. To model circuits explicitly, we demonstrate a link between Gaussian Markov random fields and contemporary circuit theory using a covariance structure that induces the necessary resistance distance. This provides a parametric model for second-order observations from such a system. In the landscape ecology setting, the proposed model provides a simple framework where inference can be obtained for effects that landscape features ha...
A Genomic and Molecular View of Wood Formation

Wood formation is a process derived from plant secondary growth. Different from primary growth, plant secondary growth is derived from cambium meristem cells in the vascular and cork cambia and leads to the girth increase of the plant trunk. In the secondary growth process, plants convert most of photosynthesized products into various biopolymers for use in the formation of woody tissues. This article summarizes the new developments of genomic and genetic characterization of wood formation in herbaceous model plant and tree plant systems. Genomic studies have categorized a collection of the genes for which expression is associated with secondary growth. During wood formation, the expression of many genes is regulated in a stage-specific manner. The function of many genes involved in wood biosyntheses and xylem differentiation has been characterized. Although great progress has been achieved in the molecular and genomic understanding of plant secondary growth in recent years, the profound genetic mechanism...
Con: Intraoperative use of nitric oxide for treatment of pulmonary hypertension in patients with congenital heart disease is not effective.

ATIENTS with pulmonary hypertension (PHTN) have had no effective treatment available because of the lack of a selective pulmonary vasodilator. In 1980, a labile humoral factor produced by endothelial cells (endothelium-derived relaxing factor) was shown to mediate vascular dilation.1 Nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to be biologically identical to endothelium-derived relaxing factor. Once released, NO diffuses into vascular smooth muscle cells; activates soluble guanylate cyclase, which increases the concentration of cyclic guanosine monophosphate and initiates a cascade of events that results in smooth muscle relaxation. 2 In vitro and in vivo evidence indicate that NO may be an important mediator of pulmonary vascular tone.2,3 Many reports have appeared evaluating the effect of NO as a selective pulmonary vasodilator in the treatment of PHTN. It has not been clearly established, however, whether NO is effective for patients with congenital heart disease during cardiac surgery and whether outcome is improved when NO is used. Preliminary work has shown that NO can be used in humans. In small series of humans with PHTN, inhaled NO has been used safely and effectively. In 7 adults with primary PHTN, inhaled NO (40 ppm) produced significant pulmonary vasodilation (mean pulmonary arterial pressure decreased from 59.6 2.1 mmHg to 56.7 3.1 mmHg) with no effect on systemic arterial pressure. 4 Similarly, in 8 adults with severe PHTN (unexplained by cardiac or pulmonary disease), inhaled NO (40 ppm) acutely decreased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), varying from 5% to 68%. 5 Inhaled NO has provided effective immediate treatment for some adults with severe PHTN secondary to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or adult respiratory distress syndrome and for patients recovering from mitral valve replacement.5-8 In these patient populations (usually small numbers of patients), NO decreased PVR without affecting systemic blood pressure or inducing other adverse effects, but outcome effects were not addressed. In infants and children, studies are more limited. NO has proved therapeutic in some infants. Roberts et al 9 administered inhaled NO (80 ppm) to 6 newborns with persistent
Teaching community diagnosis: integrating community experience with meeting graduate standards for health educators

In 1996, the American Association for Health Education and the Society for Public Health Education developed new Standards for the Preparation of Graduate Level Health Educators. Learning to work effectively with communities is an essential part of graduate level health education. This article provides an overview of the community diagnosis (CD) class, a component of the Master’s in Public Health program in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina. CD is a required two-semester class in which student teams work with preceptors to define a client community, assess its needs and strengths, and establish a foundation of quantitative and qualitative data for future community action. This experience provides a strong foundation for development of graduate level competencies and fosters an appreciation for the complexity of partnerships with communities.
Body‐waves of long path in the Banda Sea earthquake of February 1, 1938

Gutenberg and Richter [see 1 of “References” at end of paper] have discussed the recording of body-waves that have travelled long paths and have been refracted several times through the Earth's core with intermediate reflections at the Earth's surface. They have detected such waves at Pasadena and associated stations with short-period Benioff vertical seismometers; they cite 52 instances of the appearance of P′P′ in 27 earthquakes recorded at seven stations and eight instances of P′P′P′. All of these were written about 30 or 45 minutes after the main shocks, P′PT has a focal distance of 72° and P′P′P′ has approximately the same focus. Gutenberg and Richter found no evidence of these phases at distances greater than 91° but expected that such evidence might be forthcoming, especially since P′P′P′P′ should have a focus near 145°. We offer the following evidence of multiple reflected core-waves at a distance greater than 91°, namely, at about 140°.
Obedient Sons: The Discourse of Youth and Generations in American Culture, 1630-1860

This work examines how the discourses surrounding youth and generations in America, from the colonial era to the eve of the Civil War, emphasized continuity rather than conflict. This invested the young with a special responsibility for building a new society that preserved traditional values.
Outsourcing as a strategy for driving transformation

This article demonstrates how a few leading edge companies have successfully implemented an outsourcing strategy to drive radical change and enterprise transformation. A strategy of transformational outsourcing seeks a rapid, sustainable, step‐change improvement in enterprise‐level performance. When should firms consider transformational outsourcing as a strategic option or imperative? Accenture research highlights at least four contingencies – for scaling up rapidly, for removing the constraints to break‐through growth, for catalyzing broad cultural change, and for radical renewal. A case study shows how by outsourcing their entire maintenance staff, the senior leadership at a large New Zealand pulp and paper mill initiated a two‐phase project to first reduce their workforce and then set the stage for a company‐wide change in their relationship with their unions. In “phase 1,” instead of continuing to battle with their heavily unionized maintenance workforce, mill management partnered with a global maintenance services provider that will take over the function. The deal set the stage for “phase 2,” during which the firm switched many of its other workers from hourly to salaried status. As a result the mill has taken a giant step forward in productivity, cost structure, and flexibility.
On the parity of broken k-diamond partitions

In this paper, we prove several new parity results for broken $$k$$ -diamond partitions on certain types of arithmetic progressions. We also obtain bounds for the parity of broken $$k$$ -diamond partitions and more general colored partitions.
The origin of hepatitis C virus reinfecting transplanted livers: Serum-derived versus peripheral blood mononuclear cell-derived virus

When hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection recurs after liver transplantation, it is unclear whether the liver graft is colonized by virions present in the circulation or by those associated with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). In 6 HCV-infected transplant recipients, HCV sequences were analyzed by the single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) assay and direct sequencing in pretransplant-paired PBMC and serum samples and in posttransplant follow-up serum samples. In 2 patients, SSCP patterns for pretransplant PBMC-serum pairs were identical, while in 4 patients they were different. In 3 patients from the latter group, the posttransplant viral sequences resembled those found in pretransplant serum samples, whereas in the other patient from that group, viral sequences after transplantation were transiently identical to those found in pretransplant PBMC. In HCV-positive liver transplant recipients, the liver graft is colonized primarily by liver-derived virus remaining in the circulation. However, virus variants of likely extrahepatic origin can be detected in serum early after transplantation.
FGF18 is required for early chondrocyte proliferation, hypertrophy and vascular invasion of the growth plate

Abstract Fibroblast growth factor 18 (FGF18) has been shown to regulate chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation by signaling through FGF receptor 3 (FGFR3) and to regulate osteogenesis by signaling through other FGFRs. Fgf18−/− mice have an apparent delay in skeletal mineralization that is not seen in Fgfr3−/− mice. However, this delay in mineralization could not be simply explained by FGF18 signaling to osteoblasts. Here we show that delayed mineralization in Fgf18−/− mice was closely associated with delayed initiation of chondrocyte hypertrophy, decreased proliferation at early stages of chondrogenesis, delayed skeletal vascularization and delayed osteoclast and osteoblast recruitment to the growth plate. We further show that FGF18 is necessary for Vegf expression in hypertrophic chondrocytes and the perichondrium and is sufficient to induce Vegf expression in skeletal explants. These findings support a model in which FGF18 regulates skeletal vascularization and subsequent recruitment of osteoblasts/osteoclasts through regulation of early stages of chondrogenesis and VEGF expression. FGF18 thus coordinates neovascularization of the growth plate with chondrocyte and osteoblast growth and differentiation.
Judging the State: Courts and Constitutional Politics in Pakistan

The political history of Pakistan is characterised by incomplete constitution-making, a process which has placed the burden of constitutional interpretation on state instruments ranging from the bureaucracy to the military to the judiciary. In a penetrating and original study of the relationship between state and civil society in Pakistan, Paula Newberg demonstrates how the courts have influenced constitutional development and the structure of the state. By examining judicial decisions, particularly those made at times of political crisis, she considers how tensions within the judiciary, and between courts and other state institutions, have affected the ways political society views itself, and explores the consequences of these debates for the formal organisation of political power.
Investigating the factor structure of an instrument to measure attitudes and preparedness to work with elders with Alzheimer's disease.

ABSTRACT This study investigated the factor structure of an instrument to measure attitudes and preparedness of social work students to work with memory-impaired elders. Exploratory statistical procedures to reduce data through principle component analysis identified three factors with eigenvalues greater than 1.0 and a cumulative variance of 65.520%. These factors include general belief in the efficacy of psycho-therapeutic services for elders with memory impairment; self-perceived adequacy to provide services to elders with memory impairment; and belief in the efficacy of other ancillary services to elders with memory impairment. Recommendations are made for utilizing this brief self-report instrument in training and assessing students and other practitioners for their attitudes toward and greater preparedness to work with memory-impaired elders.
Diarrhoea in the foal

There are numerous causes of diarrhoea in neonates and older foals. As with adult horses, while cases can be managed symptomatically, a specific diagnosis is often challenging because of gaps in knowledge of the normal gastrointestinal flora and limitations in available diagnostic tests. Additionally, isolation of an organism from a faecal sample does not necessarily equal causation. Broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy is advisable in a young foal with all but the mildest diarrhoea, due to the high likelihood of bacteraemia occurring and therefore secondary complications.
Analysis of the myogenin promoter reveals an indirect pathway for positive autoregulation mediated by the muscle-specific enhancer factor MEF-2

Transcriptional cascades thatspecify cell fatehavebeenwelldescribed ininvertebrates. Inmammalian development, however, genehierarchies involved indetermination ofcell lineage arenotunderstood. Withthe recent cloning oftheMyoDfamily ofmyogenic regulatory factors, a modelsystemhasbecomeavailable with whichtostudy thedynamics ofmuscle determination inmammalian development. Myogenin, along withother membersoftheMyoDgenefamily, possessestheapparent ability toredirect nonmuscle cells into themyogenic lineage. Thisability appearstobeduetothedirect activation ofan arrayofsubordinate ordownstream genes whichareresponsible forformation andfunction ofthemuscle contractile apparatus. Myogenin-directed transcription hasbeenshowntooccurthrough interaction with aDNA consensussequenceknownasan Ebox (CANNTG)present inthecontrol regions ofnumerous downstream genes.Inaddition toactivating the transcription ofsubordinate genes,membersoftheMyoDfamily positively regulate their own expression and cross-activate oneanother's expression. Theseautoregulatory interactions havebeensuggested asamechanism forinduction andmaintenance ofthemyogenic phenotype, butthemolecular details oftheautoregulatory circuits areundefined. Herewe showthatthemyogenin promotercontains a binding site forthemyocytespecific enhancer-binding factor, MEF-2,which canfunction asan intermediary ofmyogenin autoactivation. Since MEF-2can beinduced bymyogenin, these results suggest thatmyogenin andMEF-2participate ina transcriptional cascade inwhichMEF-2, onceinduced bymyogenin, actstoamplify andmaintain themyogenic phenotype byacting asa positive regulator ofmyogenin expression. Theformation ofskeletal muscleduring vertebrate developmentinvolves theinduction ofmesodermfromprimary ectodermandthesubsequent generation ofproliferating myoblasts that ultimately terminally differentiate inresponse toenvironmental cues.Therecentdiscovery ofa family of related muscle-specific factors that canconvertfibroblasts to myoblasts hascontributed torapid progresstowardunderstanding themolecular eventsthatunderlie theestablishmentoftheskeletal musclephenotype (forreviews, see references 55and69).Membersofthismuscleregulatory genefamily include MyoD(21), myogenin (25, 77), myf5(9), andMRF4/herculin/myf6 (8,48,61),eachofwhichcan
Modeling Cyclosporine A Inhibition of the Distribution of a P-Glycoprotein PET Ligand, 11C-Verapamil, into the Maternal Brain and Fetal Liver of the Pregnant Nonhuman Primate: Impact of Tissue Blood Flow and Site of Inhibition

Through PET imaging, our laboratory has studied the dynamic biodistribution of 11C-verapamil, a P-gp substrate, in the nonhuman primate Macaca nemestrina. To gain detailed insight into the kinetics of verapamil transport across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and the blood–placental barrier (BPB), we analyzed these dynamic biodistribution data by compartmental modeling. Methods: Thirteen pregnant macaques (gestational age, 71–159 d; term, ∼172 d) underwent PET imaging with 11C-verapamil before and during infusion (6, 12, or 24 mg/kg/h) of cyclosporine A (CsA, a P-glycoprotein [P-gp] inhibitor). Dynamic 11C-verapamil brain or fetal liver (reporter of placental P-gp function) activity was assessed by a 1- or 2-tissue-compartment model. Results: The 1-tissue-compartment model best explained the observed brain and fetal liver distribution of 11C-radioactivity. When P-gp was completely inhibited, the brain and fetal liver distribution clearance (K1) approximated tissue blood flow (Q); that is, extraction ratio (K1/Q) was approximately 1, indicating that in the absence of P-gp function, the distribution of 11C-verapamil radioactivity into these compartments is limited by blood flow. The potency of CsA to inhibit P-gp was tissue-independent (maternal BBB half-maximal inhibitory concentration [IC50], 5.67 ± 1.07 μM, vs. BPB IC50, 7.63 ± 3.16 μM). Conclusion: We propose that on deliberate or inadvertent P-gp inhibition, the upper boundary of increase in human brain (or fetal) distribution of lipophilic drugs such as verapamil will be limited by tissue blood flow. This finding provides a means to predict the magnitude of P-gp–based drug interactions at the BBB and BPB when only the baseline distribution of the drug (i.e., in the absence of P-gp inhibition) across these barriers is available through PET. Our data suggest that P-gp–based drug interactions at the human BBB and BPB can be clinically significant, particularly for those P-gp substrate drugs for which P-gp plays a significant role in excluding the drug from these privileged compartments.
Rethinking convective quasi-equilibrium: observational constraints for stochastic convective schemes in climate models

Convective quasi-equilibrium (QE) has for several decades stood as a key postulate for parametrization of the impacts of moist convection at small scales upon the large-scale flow. Departures from QE have motivated stochastic convective parametrization, which in its early stages may be viewed as a sensitivity study. Introducing plausible stochastic terms to modify the existing convective parametrizations can have substantial impact, but, as for so many aspects of convective parametrization, the results are sensitive to details of the assumed processes. We present observational results aimed at helping to constrain convection schemes, with implications for each of conventional, stochastic or 'superparametrization' schemes. The original vision of QE due to Arakawa fares well as a leading approximation, but with a number of updates. Some, like the imperfect connection between the boundary layer and the free troposphere, and the importance of free-tropospheric moisture to buoyancy, are quantitatively important but lie within the framework of ensemble-average convection slaved to the large scale. Observations of critical phenomena associated with a continuous phase transition for precipitation as a function of water vapour and temperature suggest a more substantial revision. While the system's attraction to the critical point is predicted by QE, several fundamental properties of the transition, including high precipitation variance in the critical region, need to be added to the theory. Long-range correlations imply that this variance does not reduce quickly under spatial averaging; scaling associated with this spatial averaging has potential implications for superparametrization. Long tails of the distribution of water vapour create relatively frequent excursions above criticality with associated strong precipitation events.
Reply to “Concerns about Recently Identified Widespread Antisense Transcription in Escherichia coli”

In our recent article, “Widespread Antisense Transcription in Escherichia coli” (1), we describe the identification of ~1,000 antisense RNAs (aRNAs) in the model bacterium Escherichia coli. This finding is significant because it suggests that aRNAs represent a major class of regulators in bacteria. Slonczewski expressed concerns regarding (i) the documentation of methods used, (ii) possible contamination of the cDNA library, (iii) insufficient controls, and (iv) failure to consider alternative interpretations of the data (4). Due to strict space limitations for Observations, we provided only the most relevant aspects of the methods used. A detailed description of the library construction is included at the end of this letter. Library construction involved ligation of an RNA linker, reverse transcription, and two rounds of nested PCR. This method effectively eliminates the possibility …
Locality-Aware Network Utilization Balancing in NoCs

Hierarchical and multi-network networks-on-chip (NoCs) have been proposed in the literature to improve the energy- and performance-efficient scalability of the traditional flat-mesh NoC architecture. Theoretically, based on a small-world network-based analysis, traditional hierarchical NoCs are expected to provide good scalability. However, the traditional theoretical analysis (e.g. for small-worldness) does not take into account the congestion phenomenon experienced in such networks. Counterintuitively, as shown in this work, breaking the hierarchy in traditional hierarchical NoCs and utilizing the proposed locality-aware network utilization (NU) balancing technique performs better. This improvement in performance is observed through experimental analysis, which is contrasted with the theoretical analysis that does not account for congestion. In addition to the novelties for hierarchical networks, the application of the proposed locality-aware NU balancing scheme is extended to multi-network NoC topologies (with already separated networks). Results of the analysis show the superiority of applying the locality-aware NU balancing technique for a throughput and energy-efficient scaling of the multi-network NoC architectures, much like those of the hierarchical NoCs. For instance, for a NoC with 1024 nodes, the proposed NU balancing technique provides up to 95p higher throughput efficiency and consumes up to 29p less energy per flit compared to the best NoC topology without the NU balancing technique. The analysis also helps to render the choice of a NoC topology for traffic patterns varying in locality and nonlocality on exascale computing CMPs.
Global Survey of Esophageal Injury in Atrial Fibrillation Ablation: Characteristics and Outcomes of Esophageal Perforation and Fistula

Abstract Objectives This study sought to assess the incidence, operator demographics, clinical characteristics, procedural factors, and prognosis of esophageal perforation and fistula after atrial fibrillation ablation. Background Esophageal injury is a feared complication of atrial fibrillation ablation. Methods An Internet-based global survey soliciting anonymous information regarding esophageal perforation and fistula was emailed to 3,080 physicians. Detailed information regarding physician, patient, and procedural characteristics related to esophageal perforation with or without fistula was collected. Results The survey was completed by 405 of 3,080 physicians (13%). Responding physicians performed 191,215 atrial fibrillation ablations and esophageal perforation with or without fistula occurred in 31 patients (0.016%) with multiple ablation catheter types despite monitoring of esophageal position or temperature during ablation in 90% of patients. Among patients who present with esophageal perforation, death, or severe neurologic injury occurred more frequently in patients with greater body mass index (30.9 ± 6.8 kg/m 2 vs. 25.8 ± 3.3 kg/m 2 ; p = 0.03), and lower left ventricular ejection fraction (55.1 ± 9.1% vs. 61.7 ± 5.4%; p = 0.04). Among analyzed patients, atrial-esophageal fistula was seen in 72%, pericardial-esophageal fistula in 14%, and esophageal perforation without fistula in 14%. Mortality was 79% with atrial-esophageal fistula and 13% in esophageal perforation without atrial-esophageal fistula. Conclusions Esophageal perforation is rare but continues to occur with multiple catheter types despite esophageal monitoring during ablation. The prognosis of esophageal perforation is substantially improved if diagnosed and treated before development of atrial-esophageal fistula. An early surgical approach to esophageal perforation should be strongly considered regardless of evidence of fistula.
Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Lithium Diffusion in Silica-Doped Nanocrystalline V2O5

Molecular dynamics computer simulations are used to study lithium-ion diffusion in SiO 2 doped amorphous vanadia intergranular films (IGFs) in nanocrystalline V 2 O 5 cathodes. Previous simulations showed rapid transport paths for Li intercalation from a solid electrolyte into vanadia cathodes via amorphous IGFs separating the vanadia crystals as a function of IGF thickness. However, ordering at the IGF/crystalline vanadia interface affected Li intercalation and required a minimum IGF thickness for rapid transport. The current simulations evaluate the role of Si (as SiO 2 ) as an impurity in the IGF on interface ordering and Li transport. The simulations are done on the three different concentrations of Si ions in the IGF: 5, 10 and 15% in molar percentage. Results show that the presence of Si in the IGF retards the lithium-ion diffusion in IGF and hence, intercalation.
Emerging therapies for the management of chronic hyperkalemia in the ambulatory care setting

Purpose Emerging treatment options for the management of chronic hyperkalemia in the outpatient setting are reviewed. Summary Current treatment options for the management of hyperkalemia are limited and often accompanied by serious adverse effects. Two investigational drugs for the treatment of hyperkalemia are being evaluated in Phase III trials: sodium zirconium cyclosilicate and patiromer. Both of these drugs are administered orally and act by enhancing potassium’s removal, predominantly through the gastrointestinal tract. The safety and efficacy of sodium zirconium cyclosilicate and patiromer were evaluated in Phase II and III trials. Both agents were studied in patients with chronic mild-to-severe hyperkalemia, chronic kidney disease (CKD), or heart failure as well as those taking a renin–angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitor, an aldosterone antagonist, or both therapies. These clinical trials found that sodium zirconium cyclosilicate and patiromer normalized serum potassium levels quickly and maintained normalized serum potassium levels over several weeks. Both medications caused a rapid decrease in serum potassium, with two studies examining efficacy endpoints for 12 weeks or longer. The overall frequency of adverse effects in these clinical trials was low, with gastrointestinal adverse events being the most commonly observed. Conclusion Options for the management of hyperkalemia, particularly chronic hyperkalemia in the outpatient setting, are limited. Both sodium zirconium cyclosilicate and patiromer are emerging therapies that may provide long-term management of hyperkalemia, particularly in patients with underlying heart failure or CKD as well as those taking an RAS inhibitor, an aldosterone antagonist, or both.
Polymorphism of Biotypes E and C of the Aphid Schizaphis graminum (Homoptera: Aphididae) in Response to Different Scotophases

A comparison was made of the production of sexual morphs by biotypes C and E of the greenbug, Schizaphis graminum (Rondani), when the aphids were raised under different photoperiodic regimes or exposed to long scotophases at different stages in their development. For male production, biotype C required fewer postnatal long-night exposures than biotype E. The threshold (minimal) scotophase for the induction of males in biotype C was 11 h, whereas biotype E required a night length between 11 h 14 min and 11 h 32 min. Ovipara production by both biotypes required a scotophase ≤ 11 h 32 min. The possible ecological significance of the results is discussed.
Maximum Range Glide of a Supersonic Aircraft in the Presence of Wind

A trajectory optimization that yields maximum range in glide for a supersonic interceptor aircraft is presented in this paper. The optimization is performed using the Chebyshev Pseudospectral Method (CPM) applied to equations governing the threedimensional motion of a point mass model of the aircraft in the presence of wind. Comparisons are made between cases without wind, an actual wind profile varying with altitude, and a numerically determined constant average of this variable wind profile. Optimal trajectories for these three cases are obtained for different initial heading angles covering the first quadrant, along with the corresponding state and control variable histories. Most of the results for the variable wind case and the corresponding average wind case are found to be close. This observation suggests that the assumption of a constant wind profile with the correct average wind velocity, obtained from the actual variable wind profile, will lead to reasonably accurate predictions of optimal glide trajectories for maximum range, as well as for the associated state and control variables.
Application of Direct-Fed Microbial Bacteria and Fructooligosaccharides for Salmonella Control in Broilers During Feed Withdrawal

Providing direct-fed-microbial (DFM) bacteria and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) for the control of potential escalation of Salmonella colonization during simulated feed withdrawal and confinement was assessed. Eight hundred and eighty broilers (16 pens; 55 chicks per pen) were reared to 6 wk of age. Chicks were sprayed with a solution containing 10(6) nalidixic-acid resistant Salmonella typhimuriumNR cells per milliliter on the 2nd d after hatching. Because this first challenge did not yield a high infection rate, chickens were rechallenged per Os at Day 18 by providing water containing 10(7) cells of S. typhimuriumNR per milliliter. At 3 and 5 wk of age, 10 birds per pen were euthanatized and cecal Salmonella were quantified (log colony-forming units per gram). Feed was removed from all pens at 6 wk, and pens were randomly assigned to be either the treatment group or the control group. The treatment groups were provided a DFM (mixture of nine bacteria) and FOS 50 (R) (10%) in the drinking water. The control groups received drinking water only. After 6 h of feed withdrawal, chickens were cooped (eight per coop) and held 10 h. Immediately after confinement, 10 chickens were used for cecal enumeration of S. typhimuriumNR. Salmonella colonization declined from 99% at 3 wk to 44% at 5 wk. After feed withdrawal, application of the treatment, and confinement, 11 and 14% of the treated and control groups, respectively, yielded S. typhimuriumNR by direct plating from ceca (3.87 and 3.75 log 10 cfu/g, respectively). No difference (P > 0.05) in Salmonella colonization occurred between the treated and the control groups; however, enrichment of ceca (incubation in nutrient broth at 37 C for 24 h) yielded a higher incidence of S. typhimuriumNR in the control groups (32% in the treated vs 51% in the control). Ceca weights were greater in the treated group (P < 0.05). Simulated feed withdrawal and confinement did not escalate Salmonella colonization in the chicken ceca.
Photoacoustic imaging of voltage signals(Conference Presentation)

Optical imaging of brain voltage signals is significantly limited in depth due to optical scattering and the absorptive property of brain tissue. Photoacoustic (PA) imaging promises to break this hard limit by utilizing both ballistic and diffused photons. To demonstrate the feasibility of PA, we used an in vivo mouse model. The brain cortex tissue was stained with dipicrylamine dye, electrically stimulated, and imaged with a customized dual-isosbestic-wavelength PA microscope (DIW-PAM). DIW-PAM separates voltage-induced PA signals from blood-induced PA signals and thereby allows recording the voltage response of mouse cortex tissue without interference from hemoglobin responses. The resting state PA voltage response signal exhibited a noise-like signal in the frequency domain. Upon 3 Hz electrical stimulation, the PA voltage response signal showed frequency peaks of 3.2 Hz and 6.3 Hz (Fig. 1). Although dipicrylamine dye is not fast enough for recording neuron action potentials, it served well for the purpose of this feasibility study. In conclusion, we successfully demonstrated in vivo photoacoustic imaging of mouse brain voltage signals for the first time. If a fast voltage-sensitive dye is available, using photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) instead of PA microscopy could allow acquiring full-field PA action potential images at a speed limited only by the laser pulse repetition rate.
In Vivo Alkaline Comet Assay and Enzyme-modified Alkaline Comet Assay for Measuring DNA Strand Breaks and Oxidative DNA Damage in Rat Liver

Unrepaired DNA damage can lead to genetic instability, which in turn may enhance cancer development. Therefore, identifying potential DNA damaging agents is important for protecting public health. The in vivo alkaline comet assay, which detects DNA damage as strand breaks, is especially relevant for assessing the genotoxic hazards of xenobiotics, as its responses reflect the in vivo absorption, tissue distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) of chemicals, as well as DNA repair process. Compared to other in vivo DNA damage assays, the assay is rapid, sensitive, visual and inexpensive, and, by converting oxidative DNA damage into strand breaks using specific repair enzymes, the assay can measure oxidative DNA damage in an efficient and relatively artifact-free manner. Measurement of DNA damage with the comet assay can be performed using both acute and subchronic toxicology study designs, and by integrating the comet assay with other toxicological assessments, the assay addresses animal welfare requirements by making maximum use of animal resources. Another major advantage of the assays is that they only require a small amount of cells, and the cells do not have to be derived from proliferating cell populations. The assays also can be performed with a variety of human samples obtained from clinically or occupationally exposed individuals.
Applying the Lessons of Quality Customer Service in Public Organizations

This article is concerned with the development of productive, high-quality customer service operations. It focuses on key areas related to service quality in the public sector: customer service strategies, organizational structures, and organizational systems. The effect of organization vision and values on the development of customer service strategies is explored, and the use of a high-performance organization model is proposed. In terms of organization structure, this article focuses on the implications and effect of using work teams in customer service operations. The organization systems reviewed specifically involve the selection and hiring of customer service personnel as well as compensation plans for frontline employees. There are other important administrative systems, but these activities play key roles in the performance and productivity of public-sector customer service personnel.
Diagnosis and management of prostate cancer.

Diagnosis of most prostate malignancies at the curable stage is a reasonable goal that is literally at the fingertips of every clinician. Effective management of these widely prevalent tumors is within the realm of the possible in most cases. New strategies in hormonal manipulation and chemotherapeutic intervention offer promise for patients with advanced cancer.