cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of octopamine-like immunoreactivity in the brains of the fruit fly and blow fly.

A serum raised against conjugated octopamine reveals structurally comparable systems of perikarya and arborizations in protocerebral neuropils of two species of Diptera, Drosophila melanogaster and Phaenicia sericata; the latter is used extensively for electrophysiological studies of the optic lobes and their central projections. Clusters of cell bodies in the brain as well as midline perikarya provide octopamine-like immunoreactive processes to the optic lobes, circumscribed regions of the protocerebrum and the central complex, particularly the protocerebral bridge, fan-shaped body, and ellipsoid body. Ventral unpaired median somata provide immunoreactive processes within the subesophageal ganglion and tritocerebrum. Ascending neurites from these cells also supply the antennal lobe glomeruli, regions of the lateral protocerebrum, the mushroom body calyces, and the lobula complex. The mushroom body’s lobes contain immunoreactive processes that originate from processes that arborize in the protocerebrum. The present observations are discussed with respect to similarities and differences between two species of Diptera, one of which has neurons large enough for intracellular penetrations. The results are also discussed with respect to recent studies on octopamine-immunoreactive organization in honey bees and cockroaches and the suggested roles of octopamine in sensory processing, learning, and memory. J. Comp. Neurol. 494: 460 – 475, 2006. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Indexing terms: learning and memory; mushroom bodies; locomotion; central complex; octopamine
Amphibian Pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Is Inhibited by the Cutaneous Bacteria of Amphibian Species

Population declines of amphibian species in many parts of the world are associated with a lethal fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Using laboratory challenge assays, we describe the inhibition of B. dendrobatidis by members of eight genera of bacteria isolated from the skin of two amphibian species that exhibit parental care behavior (Plethodon cinereus and Hemidactylium scutatum). We found that members of three genera of bacteria isolated from the skins of the salamander P. cinereus and members of seven genera isolated from the salamander H. scutatum inhibited the growth of B. dendrobatidis. Understanding how B. dendrobatidis interacts with an ecological community of cutaneous flora may be important in explaining and preventing amphibian population declines.
Phylogeny of psychodid subfamilies (Diptera: Psychodidae) inferred from nuclear DNA sequences with a review of morphological evidence for relationships

Psychodidae is a diverse family of flies with approximately 3000 described species in six subfamilies, including Phlebotominae vectors of human disease. Psychodidae has been the subject of few phylogenetic investigations and development of a stable classification has been hampered by poor understanding of the morphology of larvae, pupae and adults. Specimens were collected, and we analysed DNA sequence data from two nuclear genes for one or more representatives of all subfamilies. The subfamilies with multiple representatives included were resolved as monophyletic with good support. Placement of Horaiellinae, Sycoracinae and Trichomyiinae remains unclear, whereas Bruchomyiinae is hypothesized as the sister group to (Phlebotominae + Psychodinae). Representatives of some psychodine tribes were resolved in agreement with previous hypotheses. Relationships among and within subfamilies are discussed, and morphological characters supporting these relationships are reviewed. One compelling synapomorphy of the male genitalia supporting a relationship between Phlebotominae and Psychodinae is the presence of articulated surstyli with apical retinacula. Only cerci are present and sometimes developed into clasping structures in males of other subfamilies.
Electronic structure and spectroscopy of nucleic acid bases: ionization energies, ionization-induced structural changes, and photoelectron spectra.

We report high-level ab initio calculations and single-photon ionization mass spectrometry study of ionization of adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G). For thymine and adenine, only the lowest-energy tautomers were considered, whereas for cytosine and guanine we characterized the five lowest-energy tautomeric forms. The first adiabatic and several vertical ionization energies were computed using the equation-of-motion coupled-cluster method for ionization potentials with single and double substitutions. Equilibrium structures of the cationic ground states were characterized by DFT with the ωB97X-D functional. The ionization-induced geometry changes of the bases are consistent with the shapes of the corresponding molecular orbitals. For the lowest-energy tautomers, the magnitude of the structural relaxation decreases in the following series, G > C > A > T, the respective relaxation energies being 0.41, 0.32, 0.25, and 0.20 eV. The computed adiabatic ionization energies (8.13, 8.89, 8.51−...
Serial renal function and angiographic observations in idiopathic fibrous and fibromuscular stenoses of the renal arteries.

Abstract Fifty-five hypertensive patients with angiographically demonstrable idiopathic fibrous and fibromuscular stenoses of the renal arteries were restudied an average of 34.3 months later, at which time 32 patients were normotensive with medical and surgical management. Nineteen showed progression: 12 of the 40 with multifocal type, 6 of the 13 with focal and tubular types, 1 of the 2 with bilateral dissecting aneurysms. In 2 additional patients renal ostial atherosclerosis developed. Ten patients had postoperative progression of ipsilateral fibromuscular stenoses. One patient had fibromuscular lesions of the celiac and hepatic arteries, and 2 patients had coincidental similar stenoses in the iliac arteries. Twenty-one patients had diminished renal function that in some was due to restenosis of a graft, progression of main renal arterial stenosis, or intrarenal arteriolosclerosis. The renal function of 2 patients improved. The high incidence of progression of fibrous and fibromuscular stenoses dictates careful patient selection for medical and surgical management and follow-up study.
Geometric time delay interferometry

The space-based gravitational-wave observatory LISA, a NASA-ESA mission to be launched after 2012, will achieve its optimal sensitivity using time delay interferometry (TDI), a LISA-specific technique needed to cancel the otherwise overwhelming laser noise in the interspacecraft phase measurements. The TDI observables of the Michelson and Sagnac types have been interpreted physically as the virtual measurements of a synthesized interferometer. In this paper, I present Geometric TDI, a new and intuitive approach to extend this interpretation to all TDI observables. Unlike the standard algebraic formalism, Geometric TDI provides a combinatorial algorithm to explore exhaustively the space of second-generation TDI observables (i.e., those that cancel laser noise in LISA-like interferometers with time-dependent arm lengths). Using this algorithm, I survey the space of second-generation TDI observables of length (i.e., number of component phase measurements) up to 24, and I identify alternative, improved forms of the standard second-generation TDI observables. The alternative forms have improved high-frequency gravitational-wave sensitivity in realistic noise conditions (because they have fewer nulls in the gravitational-wave and noise response functions), and are less susceptible to instrumental gaps and glitches (because their component phase measurements span shorter time periods).
Using additive expert ensembles to cope with concept drift

We consider online learning where the target concept can change over time. Previous work on expert prediction algorithms has bounded the worst-case performance on any subsequence of the training data relative to the performance of the best expert. However, because these "experts" may be difficult to implement, we take a more general approach and bound performance relative to the actual performance of any online learner on this single subsequence. We present the additive expert ensemble algorithm AddExp, a new, general method for using any online learner for drifting concepts. We adapt techniques for analyzing expert prediction algorithms to prove mistake and loss bounds for a discrete and a continuous version of AddExp. Finally, we present pruning methods and empirical results for data sets with concept drift.
Increased expression of endothelin receptors in the vasculature of portal hypertensive rats : Role in splanchnic hemodynamics

Portal hypertension (PHT) is characterized by increased portal pressure caused in part by a reduction in mesenteric vascular resistance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of endothelin (ET) and specific ET receptors in maintaining the vasculopathy of PHT. PHT was created in Sprague-Dawley rats by a partial portal vein ligation. Control animals were sham-operated. ET receptor expression was determined in the superior mesenteric artery of sham and PHT rats by in situ autoradiography, radioligand binding analysis, and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR). The pressor response to ET-1 was determined in vitro using isolated vascular rings and in vivo by measuring mean arterial pressure, splanchnic blood flow, and portal venous pressure following treatment with ET and selective ET receptor antagonists. The pressor response to ET in vitro was significantly enhanced in PHT concomitant with increased ET-A and ET-B receptor expression. There was a significant increase in the peak pressor response to ET (10 μg/kg intravenously) in portal hypertensive rats without any significant change in plasma ET-1 levels. There was no significant difference in the peak splanchnic blood flow or portal venous pressure response following ET-A receptor blockade with JKC-301 infusion (200 μg/kg intravenously). In contrast, ET-B receptor blockade with IRL-1038 (200 μg/kg intravenously) preferentially decreased splanchnic blood flow and portal venous pressure in portal hypertensive rats. These data suggest that enhanced ET-B receptor expression in portal hypertensive vessels contributes to the maintenance of elevated portal pressure in these animals.
Partial differential equations with respect to coupling constants - electromagnetic mass difference of hadrons

The partial differential equations with respect to strong and electromagnetic coupling constants are established for the $S$ matrix, Heisenberg operators, and "out" field operators. The macrocausality relations-vanishing of derivatives with respect to coupling constants for free "in" field operators-are important in the formalism. As a consequence of macrocausality relations, observable masses do not depend on strong and electromagnetic coupling constants. This makes the observable $n\ensuremath{-}p$ mass difference uncomputable. Thus, our approach goes along the lines of divergent (but renormalizable) field theory. We are assuming (although not discussing) the existence of nonelectromagnetic interactions which make ${m}_{n}\ensuremath{-}{m}_{p}\ensuremath{\ne}0$ when $e=0$. The partial differential equations with respect to strong and electromagnetic coupling constants are derived for bare $n$ and $p$ masses. In order to integrate these differential equations, the observable $n$ and $p$ must be known a priori. After integrating these differential equations, a formal expression for the observable $n\ensuremath{-}p$ mass difference is obtained. This expression, compared with the usual expression from the literature, besides containing the difference of $n$ and $p$ mass shifts due to the electromagnetic interactions ("renormalized" by strong interactions), also contains the bare $n\ensuremath{-}p$ mass difference and the difference of $n$ and $p$ mass shifts due to strong interactions. One cannot "recover" the usual expression for the $n\ensuremath{-}p$ mass difference since our expression, as far as the observable $n\ensuremath{-}p$ mass difference is concerned, is an identity and not the relation from which it can be computed.
Simulation of AC spacecraft power systems

A technique is presented for modeling and simulating AC spacecraft power systems by combining all component models into an overall system model. Each component in the spacecraft power system is treated as a two-port network. A state model is written for each two-port network with the port voltages as the inputs. Each component state model is solved independently using the state transition matrix approach and assuming that its inputs are constant. The inputs to all components are then calculated using network analysis principles. As an example, a 20 kHz system is simulated using this approach, and the results are compared with those of a SPICE2 simulation. >
Probable gasteropod tracks from the Kinderscout grit of Soyland moor, Yorkshire

Tracks believed to have been made by a crawling gasteropod are described from a loose block of upper Carboniferous grit from Soyland moor, near Todmorden, Yorkshire.
Friends: Gilbert Romme and the Stroganovs

This article analyzes the intersection of sentimental codes of friendship and pedagogical theory in Russia and France in the second half of the eighteenth century, concentrating on a single group, Aleksandr Stroganov, Pavel Stroganov, and Gilbert Romme. Reading their correspondence in tandem with treatises on friendship and education, the article investigates how such key concepts as equality and virtue were understood at their time. It further explores how they negotiated differences in status and age in constructing what they called a friendship.
Nitric oxide prevents myoglobin/tert-butyl hydroperoxide-induced inhibition of Ca2+ transport in skeletal and cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum.

: Interaction of hydrogen peroxide or organic hydroperoxides with hemoproteins is known to produce oxoferryl hemoprotein species that act as very potent oxidants. Since skeletal and cardiac muscle cells contain high concentrations of myoglobin this reaction may be an important mechanism of initiation or enhancement of oxidative stress, which may impair their Ca2+ transport systems. Using skeletal and cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles, we demonstrated by EPR the formation of alkoxyl radicals and protein-centered peroxyl radicals in the presence of myoglobin (Mb) and tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BuOOH). The low temperature EPR signal of the radicals was characterized by a major feature at g= 2.016 and a shoulder at g= 2.036 . In the presence of SR vesicles, the magnitude of the protein-centered peroxyl radical signal decreased, suggesting that the radicals were involved in oxidative modification of SR membranes. This was accompanied by SR membrane oxidative damage, as evidenced by accumulation of 2-thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and the inhibition of Ca2+ transport. We have shown that nitric oxide (NO), reacting with redox-active heme iron, can prevent peroxyl radical formation activated by Mb/t-BuOOH. Incubation of SR membranes with an NO donor, PAPA/NO (a non-thiol compound that releases NO) at 200–500 μM completely prevented the t-BuOOH-dependent production of peroxyl radicals and formation of TBARS, and thus protected against oxidative inhibition of Ca2+ transport.
A fast word-level statistical estimator of intra-bus crosstalk

Given word-level statistics, namely mean, standard deviation, and lag-one temporal correlation of input data, we estimate the bit-level crosstalk probability on a system bus using a non-enumerative statistical approach. We introduce a sampling technique for fast evaluation of integrals during the estimation process. We had proposed two techniques previously - (a) a stream-based estimator that counts crosstalk events on a bus; and (b) a statistical enumeration technique that enumerates crosstalk-producing values on a bus and computes their occurrence probability. Both these techniques suffer from exponential time complexity with respect to the bus-width. In this work, we propose a statistical non-enumerative technique that has linear time complexity with respect to the bus-width. We achieve the linear complexity by resorting to: (1) manipulating the data stream to make the crosstalk-producing values contiguous and (2) sampling the distribution function and storing it as a lookup table. Experimental results for data streams from different data environments are presented, compared against the stream-based approach. Average errors of less than 12% are obtained for bus-widths ranging from 8b to 32b.
Explicit sum-product theorems for large subsets of $$ \mathbb{F} $$ p

In this note, we use ‘classical’ methods to obtain sum-product theorems for subsets A⊂$$ \mathbb{F} $$ p .
Early Murine Cytomegalovirus (MCMV) Infection Induces Liver Natural Killer (NK) Cell Inflammation and Protection Through Macrophage Inflammatory Protein 1α (MIP-1α)–dependent Pathways

Natural killer (NK) cells mediate defense against early murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infections in liver. The chemokine, macrophage inflammatory protein 1α (MIP-1α), can promote inflammatory responses. Our studies evaluated contributions of NK cells to early MCMV-induced liver inflammation and MIP-1α requirements for inflammation and delivery of antiviral defenses. NK cells were shown to be responsible for focal inflammation, and to be induced to migrate at high levels, in MCMV-infected livers. MIP-1α gene expression was elevated at coinciding times, and mice deficient in MIP-1α function were dramatically inhibited in both inflammatory and protective liver responses. The results precisely define MIP-1α–dependent steps required to achieve NK cell inflammation during, and mechanisms promoting defense against, viral infections in tissues.
Esperando una Respuesta: El desordenado proceso de buscar la verdad.

Hace algunos anos oi a mi Decano, formado en fisica, expresar su malestar con la sugerencia de que la declaracion de la mision del College of Arts and Sciences incluyera la frase “interes por la verdad”. La palabra pone nerviosa a la gente, advirtio, y los obliga a preguntar “?la ‘verdad’ de quien?”. Un colega sociologo, respaldando las aprensiones del Decano, senalo que aunque, por supuesto, sus investigaciones hacen avanzar el conocimiento, el no esta interesado en la “verdad”. Algunos de nosotros senalamos que, a menos que las conclusiones sean verdaderas, no son realmente conocimiento, solo pretendido conocimiento; e hice lo mejor que pude para explicar que del hecho que la gente disienta acerca de lo que es la verdad no se infiere que la verdad sea relativa a las perspectivas. Pero en su momento el Plan Estrategico del College especificaba innovaciones curriculares requeridas por las “preguntas fundamentales” que han surgido “acerca de las presuntas universalidad y objetividad de la ‘verdad’ “
Resource-bounded partial evaluation

Most partial evaluators do not take the availability of machine-level resources, such as registers or cache, into consideration when making their specialization decisions. The resulting resource contention can lead to severe performance degradation---causing, in extreme cases, the specialized code to run slower than the unspecialized code. In this paper we consider how resource considerations can be incorporated within a partial evaluator. We develop an abstract formulation of the problem, show that optimal resource-bounded partial evaluation is NP-complete, and discuss simple heuristics that can be used to address the problem in practice.
Time-critical information services

Emergency medical services have never been more ready for the implementation of time-critical interorganizational information services for the public good.
Who's the Boss? Responsibility and Decision Making in Copreneurial Ventures:

The study reports the dispositions towards responsibility and decision making of 80 male and 104 female copreneurs in jointly owned and managed ventures. While the husband still tends to be the boss, the wife is an equal partner, since such relationships are based on a clear division of responsibilities and on mutual trust and confidence.
An overview of the Rialto real-time architecture

The goal of the Rialto project at Microsoft Research is to build a system architecture supporting coexisting independent real-time (and non-real-time) programs. Unlike traditional embedded-systems real-time environments, where timing and resource analysis among competing tasks can be done off-line, it is our goal to allow multiple independently authored real-time applications with varying timing and resource requirements to dynamically coexist and cooperate to share the limited physical resources available to them, as well as also coexisting with non-real-time applications.This paper gives an overview of the Rialto real-time architecture as it is implemented today and reports on some of the early results obtained. In particular, it describes the use of time constraints, activities, CPU and other resource reservation, and the system resource planner, and how they work together to achieve our goal of providing a flexible, dynamic real-time computing environment.
Role of collective ownership and coding standards in coordinating expertise in software project teams

Software development is a complex undertaking that continues to present software project teams with numerous challenges. Software project teams are adopting extreme programming (XP) practices in order to overcome the challenges of software development in an increasingly dynamic environment. The ability to coordinate software developers' efforts is critical in such conditions. Expertise coordination has been identified as an important emergent process through which software project teams manage non-routine challenges in software development. However, the extent to which XP enables software project teams to coordinate expertise is unknown. Drawing on the agile development and expertise coordination literatures, we examine the role of collective ownership and coding standards as processes and practices that govern coordination in software project teams. We examine the relationship between collective ownership, coding standards, expertise coordination, and software project technical quality in a field study of 56 software project teams comprising 509 software developers. We found that collective ownership and coding standards play a role in improving software project technical quality. We also found that collective ownership and coding standards moderated the relationship between expertise coordination and software project technical quality, with collective ownership attenuating the relationship and coding standards strengthening the relationship. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
NO forms an adduct with serum albumin that has endothelium-derived relaxing factor-like properties.

Abstract Recent evidence suggests that sulfhydryl species can react with oxides of nitrogen under physiologic conditions and thereby stabilize endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) activity, but the presence of a specific in vivo thiol carrier for nitric oxide (NO) remains controversial. The single free sulfhydryl of serum albumin is the most abundant thiol species in plasma (approximately 0.5 mM) and is particularly reactive towards NO. To examine the potential role of serum albumin in endogenous nitric oxide metabolism, we synthesized S-nitroso-BSA (S-NO-BSA), a model S-nitroso-protein, and examined its effects on platelet function and coronary and systemic vascular tone in 16 mongrel dogs. Intravenous bolus S-NO-BSA markedly reduced mean arterial pressure in a dose-dependent manner and proved seven and a half-fold less potent than intravenous nitroglycerin and 10-fold less potent than intravenous S-nitroso-cysteine (half-maximal response of 75 nmol/kg compared to 10 and 7.5 nmol/kg, respectively; P < 0.05); when given by intravenous infusion (half-maximal response = 10 nmol/kg per min), however, S-NO-BSA and nitroglycerin were equipotent. Intravenous bolus S-NO-BSA had a greater duration of action than either nitroglycerin or S-nitroso-cysteine and produced marked prolongation of the template bleeding time associated with dose-dependent inhibition of ex vivo platelet aggregation (half-maximal response approximately 70 nmol/kg). Intracoronary S-NO-BSA increased coronary blood flow (mean +/- SEM) less effectively than nitroprusside, acetylcholine, or S-nitroso-cysteine (165% +/- 24% vs. 315% +/- 82%, 483% +/- 55%, or 475% +/- 66%, respectively; P < 0.05) although with much longer duration of action. On a molar basis, S-nitroso-cysteine proved more effective than S-nitroso-BSA, nitroprusside, or acetylcholine as an epicardial coronary vasodilator. Thus, serum albumin reacts with oxides of nitrogen to form a stable S-nitroso-thiol with properties reminiscent of authentic EDRF supporting the view that protein associated thiol may participate in the action and metabolism of EDRF.
The Caregivers' Story: Home Caregiving for Persons With Dementia

This study identified the salient issues of caregiving for family members of persons with dementia using computer-assisted content analysis followed by factor analysis. Differences in responses between caregivers in two treatment groups were also noted. Caregivers (N = 226) were interviewed on three occasions over 12 months. They consistently identified the following themes of caregiving in order of significance: (a) making meaning of the experience; (b) defining the caregiver role; (c) identifying specific caregiving strategies; (d) dealing with change, unpredictability, and vulnerability; (e) evaluating past and future decisions and quality of care; and (f) finding help and support. This representation of the caregiving experience is useful to home care nurses by providing a framework to address issues most important to caregivers and upon which therapeutic interventions can be developed.
Molecular neurodegeneration: basic biology and disease pathways

The field of neurodegeneration research has been advancing rapidly over the past few years, and has provided intriguing new insights into the normal physiological functions and pathogenic roles of a wide range of molecules associated with several devastating neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia, Huntington’s disease, and Down syndrome. Recent developments have also facilitated initial efforts to translate preclinical discoveries toward novel therapeutic approaches and clinical trials in humans. These recent developments are reviewed in the current Review Series on “Molecular Neurodegeneration: Basic Biology and Disease Pathways” in a number of state-of-the-art manuscripts that cover themes presented at the Third International Conference on Molecular Neurodegeneration: “Basic biology and disease pathways” held in Cannes, France, September, 2013.
Local estimation of Gaussian-based edge enhancement filters using Fourier analysis

An empirical measure for the selection of the edge-enhancement Gaussian filter is developed. The Gaussian filter is specified by its standard deviation sigma ; the filter's spatial support is a function of sigma . An estimation procedure for sigma using Fourier analysis is described. The measure is easy to implement and is based totally on the image at hand. Experimental results suggest that this measure can be used as an aid in deciding the Gaussian filter's spatial support, which is needed to enhance the edges. Other equivalent bandwidth definitions can be used to obtain a measure of the frequency spread in the smoothed image (e.g., the mean-square bandwidth). >
WHIM syndrome: a genetic disorder of leukocyte trafficking.

Purpose of reviewWHIM syndrome (the association of warts, hypogammaglobulinemia, recurrent bacterial infections, and ‘myelokathexis’) is a rare congenital form of neutropenia associated with an unusual immune disorder involving hypogammaglonulinemia and abnormal susceptibility to warts. In this revi
Comparison of magnification in primary digital nerve repair: literature review, survey of practice trends, and assessment of 90 cadaveric repairs.

Purpose To review published clinical outcomes and current practice trends and to assess the quality of cadaveric digital nerve repairs using either loupe or microscopic magnification. Methods Published clinical outcomes of digital nerve repair accounting for magnification level were reviewed. Members of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand were surveyed regarding their current surgical practices. Ninety cadaveric digital nerve repairs were performed by 9 hand surgeons using loupe or microscopic magnification and evaluated by a visual grading scale. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate repairs. Results We examined 6 publications involving 130 repairs with loupes (4–6×) and 255 repairs with microscopes. Univariate analysis revealed no statistically superior clinical outcomes using high-powered loupes (4–6×) versus microscopic magnification, with no data on lower-magnification loupes more commonly used in practice. Survey data indicated that 52% of hand surgeons use microscopes and 48% use loupes, with 78% using 2.5 to 3.5× magnification. Univariate analysis of the cadaveric repairs demonstrated excellent repairs in 60% of microscope repairs versus 29% of loupe repairs. Multivariate analysis determined that microscopic magnification was 3.9 times more likely than loupes to yield an excellent repair. The surgeon, level of training, repair time, and stitches per repair were not significantly related to an excellent repair. Conclusions Our study indicated that microscope use produces superior quality digital nerve repair. Approximately half of hand surgeons use loupes in current practice, mostly at low magnification (2.5–3.5×). In this context, a higher level of magnification may be positively correlated with better clinical outcomes. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic III.
Cigarette Smoke Exposure Hinders Long-Term Allograft Survival by Suppressing Indoleamine 2, 3-Dioxygenase Expression

Cigarette smoke causes cancer and increases the vulnerability of smokers to infections. Epidemiologic studies have shown that smoking is one of major risk factors for late allograft rejection. Despite statistical data that associate smoking with allograft rejection, no any study has been conducted to prove that cigarette smoke directly causes allograft rejection in a cause–effect manner. In particular, investigation into immunologic mechanisms underlying smoke-related allograft rejection is lacking. Here we found that second hand smoke (SHS) hindered long-term islet allograft survival induced by CD154 costimulatory blockade plus donor-specific splenocyte transfusion (DST), although it failed to alter acute islet allograft rejection. SHS did not directly interfere with vigorously alloreactive T-cell proliferation in vivo and in vitro. Neither naturally occurring nor induced CD4+CD25+ Treg cell numbers were significantly reduced by SHS. However, SHS suppressed mRNA and protein expression of indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO) and its activity upon transplantation while IDO overexpression in islet allografts restored their long-term survival induced by CD154 blockade. Therefore, SHS prevents long-term allograft survival by inhibiting IDO expression and activity. Thus, our study for the first time demonstrates that SHS shortens allograft survival in a cause–effect manner and unveils a novel immunologic mechanism underlying smoking-related allograft rejection.
New Species of Calotes (Reptilia: Squamata: Agamidae) from the Southern Western Ghats, India

A new species is described from the southern Western Ghats of India. The new species was wrongly identified as Calotes andamanensis and is distinguished from it in lacking the antehumeral pit and possessing acutely keeled scales. It is distinguished from all species of the Calotes versicolor group of Smith in having posteroventral orientation of dorsal body scales and is distinguished from all species of the Calotes liocephalus group of Smith in lacking the antehumeral pit. A redescription of C. andamanensis is provided based on the holotype. Calotes andamanensis is a valid species with type locality in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.
Mean Value Modeling of SI and Diesel Engines

The engine models presented in this chapter are useful in the development of control systems for cruise control, adaptive cruise control and other longitudinal vehicle control applications.
Endothelium-dependent pulmonary vasodilation is selectively attenuated during isoflurane anesthesia

We have recently reported that halothane (Hal) anesthesia attenuates the pulmonary vasodilator responses to both bradykinin (BK) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) compared with responses measured in the conscious state. These agonists have been classically used to activate endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilator pathways, respectively. Our present goal was to assess the effect of isoflurane (Iso) anesthesia on pulmonary vasodilation activated via these pathways. Left pulmonary vascular pressure-flow (P-Q) plots were used to measure the pulmonary vascular responses to cumulative intravenous doses of BK, SNP, and 3-morpholinosydonimine-N-ethylcarbamide (SIN-1), a nitric oxide donor, in chronically instrumented dogs in the conscious state and during Iso anesthesia after matched preconstriction with the thromboxane analogue U-46619. Iso attenuated the vasodilator response to BK (P < 0.05). However, Iso had a differential effect on the responses to SIN-1 and SNP. Iso potentiated the vasodilator response to SIN-1 (P < 0.05), whereas Iso attenuated the response to SNP (P < 0.05). The vasodilator response to SIN-1 was unchanged during Hal anesthesia. The ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP)-channel inhibitor glibenclamide attenuated the vasodilator response to SNP (P < 0.05) but not to SIN-1. Thus Iso and Hal selectively attenuate the endothelium-dependent pulmonary vasodilator response to BK. Both anesthetics attenuate vasodilation induced by SNP but not by SIN-1. Moreover, a component of SNP-induced vasodilation involves KATP-channel activation.
Using Network Sciences to Rank Musicians and Composers in Brazilian Popular Music.

Music fascinates and touches most people. This fascination leads to opinions about the music pieces that reflects people’s exposure and personal experience. This inherent bias of people towards music indicates that personal opinion is inappropriate for defining the quality of music and musicians. This paper takes a holistic view of the problem and delves into the understanding of the structure of Brazilian music rooted in Network Sciences. In this paper we work with a large database of albums of Brazilian music and study the structure of collaborations between all the musicians and composers. The collaboration is modelled as a social network of musicians and then analyzed from different perspectives with the goal of describing what we call the structure of that musical genre as well as provide a ranking of musicians and composers.
A New Smut from Louisiana

An interesting smut, apparently belonging to the genus Tilletia, has been collected a number of times during the past two years in Louisiana on two species of Euphorbia. The first collections were made by Mr. Alvaro Goenaga near Brusly, La., on Euphorbia Preslii Guss. Other collections, also made by Mr. Goenaga, included ones made in September, 1939, at Montegut, La., on Euphorbia heterophylla L. (Poinsettia heterophylla (L.) Small, according to Small's Manual of the Flora of the Southeastern States), and at Baton Rouge on Euphorbia Preslii Guss. The sori of the smut occur in rather conspicuous spindle-shaped swellings (FIG. 1, 2a) on the stems and peduncles. As these swellings split, the somewhat powdery black masses of spores are exposed. The spores (FIG. 2b-e) germinate rather readily in a 1 to 100,000 benzaldehyde solution, each promycelium bearing 3-5 sporidia at the tip. A search was made of all available literature but no record could
Node Lifetime - Network Lifetime Tradeoff for Data Gathering Trees in Wireless Sensor Networks

We study the performance of the bottleneck node weight-based data gathering trees (BNW-DG) and bottleneck link weight-based data gathering (BLW-DG) trees in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) through extensive simulations. The BNW-DG trees incur a smaller diameter and a significantly larger fraction of nodes as leaf nodes; whereas the BLW-DG trees incur a larger diameter and a relatively lower fraction of nodes as leaf nodes. The characteristic of incurring a larger number of leaf nodes protects the majority of the nodes in the network from simultaneously being exhausted of their energy; nevertheless the nodes that serve as intermediate nodes in the first few instances of the BNW-DG trees are bound to lose their energy more quickly than the rest of the nodes, leading to a smaller node lifetime (round of first node failure), but a significantly larger network lifetime (minimum number of rounds by which the network gets either disconnected due to node failures or the fraction of coverage loss exceeds a threshold). The BLW-DG trees incur a significantly larger node lifetime than the BNW-DG trees (by a factor of 2.5-3); but, the network lifetime of the BLW-DG trees is only at most 15% larger than that of the BNW-DG trees, indicating a node lifetime-network lifetime tradeoff for data gathering trees in WSNs.
Serum ionized magnesium and other electrolytes in the antenatal period of human pregnancy.

To determine: 1) the concentrations and fractions of serum ionized magnesium (IMg2+) in normal antenatal patients and 2) whether they are altered by concentrations of other cations and serum proteins.A cross sectional study design.An urban community hospital obstetrics clinic.144 normal antenatal patients divided into four gestational age groups: (1) 25 at 6 to 12 weeks, (2) 55 at 13 to 20 weeks, (3) 37 at 21 to 27 weeks, and (4) 27 at 28 to 38 weeks.Utilizing ion selective electrodes, we determined concentrations and fractions of ionized magnesium, concentrations of ionized calcium, sodium, and potassium, and the pH level in the venous serum of the patients. Total magnesium (TMg), total calcium, total protein, albumin, and inorganic phosphorus were measured.The mean concentrations and fractions were compared between the groups. Correlations between concentrations or fractions of Mg and concentrations of the other cations or proteins were determined.All values are means+/−SD. IMg2+ concentrations are 0.53...
Analytical Solutions to Uncertainty Propagation in Satellite Relative Motion

As satellites in a formation are required to fly in close proximity, computing collision probabilities which is based on uncertainty propagation of satellites’ relative position has become important. In this paper, we develop general analytical solutions to uncertainty propagation in linearized satellite relative motion. Various linear dynamic equations are used to describe the linearized relative motions. Under the assumption of the white Gaussian process noise, the uncertainty propagation problem is defined to compute the covariance matrix of the states of the deputy satellite at any given time. The evolution of the covariance matrix is governed by a linear time-varying differential equation, whose solution requires the integration of the quadratic function of the inverse of the fundamental matrix associated to the linear relative motion dynamics. The difficulty of the integration and finding the inverse of the fundamental matrix is addressed by introducing an adjoint system to the linear relative motion dynamics. From the analytical solution, we can evaluate the uncertainty of the states of the deputy satellite at any time of interest without time consuming numerical integration.
Dendritic reticulum cells and immunophenotype in aspiration biopsies of lymph nodes. Value in the subclassification of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

Twenty-seven lymph node aspirates were identified for which histologic confirmation of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was subsequently obtained. Fifteen aspirates interpreted as reactive hyperplasia were also examined. All aspirates were studied by immunoperoxidase on cytospin preparations with the use of antibodies DRC1, kappa, lambda, CD3, CD5, and CD20. The follicular lymphomas could not be identified reliably by morphologic examination of aspirate smears. Clusters of DRC1- positive (DRC1 +) cells were present in seven of seven follicular lymphomas, one of one mantle zone lymphoma, and one of seven small lymphocytic lymphomas. Rare DRC1+ cells were present in one of one diffuse mixed and one of seven large cell lymphomas. One lymphoblastic, one Burkitt's, and two diffuse small cleaved cell lymphomas had no DRC1 + cells. None of the seven follicular lymphomas was CD5 positive (CD5+), whereas five of the seven small lymphocytic lymphomas were CD5+. Conversely, all seven follicular lymphomas were CD20-positive (CD20+), but only one of seven small lymphocytic lymphomas was CD20+. Nineteen of the lymphomas, including all 7 of the follicular lymphomas, were either kappa or lambda positive. The other eight lymphomas were T-cell (1), B-cell (1), true histiocytic (1), or “null” cell (5). The reactive aspirates had both kappa- and lambdapositive B-cells. Seven of the 15 had clusters of DRC1+ cells. To further evaluate these antibodies, the authors studied 29 additional, surgically biopsied, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas that had not been aspirated. Similar results were obtained, except that three of five diffuse small cleaved cell lymphomas had DRC1 + cells. DRC1, in conjunction with antibodies to CD5, CD20, kappa, and lambda, helps to distinguish follicular lymphoma from small lymphocytic lymphoma. DRC1 is not useful in separating reactive hyperplasia from follicular lymphoma.
Probing for Proterozoic and Archean crust in the northern U.S. Cordillera with inherited zircon from the Idaho batholith

Knowledge of the Precambrian history and crustal architecture of western North America is limited by the restricted extent of outcropping basement due to Phanerozoic sedimentary cover and magmatic disruption. Inherited zircon components in the magmatic rocks of the Idaho batholith provide a window into this largely obscured crust and are used here to constrain the architecture of the Precambrian basement of the northern U.S. Cordillera. The Cretaceous%#8211;Paleocene Idaho batholith is divided into a southern Atlanta lobe and northern Bitterroot lobe, and U-Pb ages of the inherited zircon components vary systematically with geographic location both between and within the lobes. The southern half of the Atlanta lobe of the batholith is dominated by two sharp age peaks at ca. 2.55 Ga and 670 Ma, with the Archean peak more prevalent in the southernmost samples. Since both age peaks can be correlated with known local bedrock exposures and xenoliths (in the case of the Archean), they are interpreted as representing the ages of subsurface igneous or metaigneous rocks. Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous inherited zircons are also observed in a few samples, suggesting that localized magmatism of this age occurred in the area prior to batholith formation. The northern half of the Atlanta lobe yields a wide range of Proterozoic inherited ages broadly similar to the detrital zircon age spectra of local and regional Neoproterozoic (Windermere) metasedimentary rocks. Small plutons between the lobes of the batholith show a single inherited zircon peak at 1.38 Ga, identical to the age of orthogneisses that they intrude. Inherited zircons from the Bitterroot lobe yield a heterogeneous age distribution between 1.90 and 1.35 Ga, similar to the detrital zircon age spectra of much of the Belt Supergroup. The extent of Archean inheritance in the southern Atlanta lobe suggests that Archean lithosphere extends as far west as the continental margin and further north than previously thought, making it a potentially important piercing point in reconstructions of the Rodinian and Columbian supercontinents. Further, in situ Hf isotopic analyses of the Archean cores provide evidence for previously existing pre-3.5 Ga crustal components in this Archean terrane, suggesting a tie to the neighboring Wyoming Province to the east.
Design and Evaluation of Categorical Search Results Interfaces

This research investigates the design and evaluation of interfaces for the presentation of search results using categorization. Card sorting study was conducted to design categorized search results interfaces. Eye-tracking technology was utilized to evaluate the designed category interfaces, comparing them with a conventional list interface. Two factors of category interfaces, the approach used to order categories and the number of abstracts initially displayed within each category, are investigated. Forty participants performed two types of tasks, navigation and information search, using a PC integrated with a non-intrusive Tobii 1750 binocular eye tracking system. Performance measures such as time for search and percentage of tasks completed did not reveal significant differences among the category and list interfaces. Process measures such as overall number of fixations, mean fixation durations, and relative change from the baseline pupil diameter also did not show significant differences among the cat...
Geodetic evidence for tectonic deformation in the Eastern United States

The historic geodetic data base in the eastern United States dates back over 100 years. Although instrumentation and hence measurement precision has improved since the initial observations, the basic techniques [leveling, triangulation, water level gauging] remained unchanged until the recent introduction of space geodesy [Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR), Global Positioning System (GPS)]. Because of this, it has been possible to compare repeated observations to identify apparent changes in relative positions. Such “changes” can reflect observational errors, non-tectonic movements (water level effects, monument instability, loading, etc.) or tectonic/isostatic deformation. A number of possible deformation features in the eastern U. S. have been reported in the literature, including uplift of the southern Appalachian and Adirondack mountains, doming of the Gulf coast inland of the Mississippi delta, subsidence of Chesapeak Bay and along the coast of Maine, horizontal deformation in New York and Connecticut, and possible fault related deformation near Charleston and in the New Madrid area. Unfortunately, it is not dear to what extent any of these features represent tectonic deformations and hence what their significance may be for the earthquake problem. An important recent development in monitoring regional deformation has been the establishment of the eastern U. S. GPS strain network by the National Geodetic Survey. The network consists of roughly 45 sites uniformly distributed east of the Rocky Mountains. The network was established in 1987 and will be reobserved in 1989. Subsequent reobservations will be made at 2 to 5 year intervals depending on analysis of the early measurements. Given the precision of the GPS measurements (few cm in 3-D relative positions), a considerable time period will be required to detect the subtle deformations expected for this intraplate region. Perhaps more immediate information will result from recent progress in recognizing and correcting systematic errors in the historic geodetic data base. This, together with the newly automated historic data base, and improved techniques for integrating and analyzing these extensive observations, provide the necessary basis for effectively evaluating the deformational features listed above. Given the potential importance of these data for understanding tectonic processes (and the huge expense of collecting these measurements over the pst century), such studies should be an integral part of future earthquake studies in the eastern U. S.