cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dimensions of ecosystem complexity: Heterogeneity, connectivity, and history

Biocomplexity was introduced to most ecologists through the National Science Foundation's grant program, and theliteratureintended to introducethat program.Thegeneralities ofthat literature contrast with the abstract and mathematical sophistication of literature from physics, systems theory, and indeed even of pioneering ecologists who have translated the conceptintoecology.Thissituationleavesamiddleground,thatisbothaccessibletoecologists ingeneral,andcognizantofthefundamentalsofcomplexity,tobemorecompletelyexplored. To help scope this middle ground, and to promote empirical explorations that may be located there, we propose a non-exclusive framework for the conceptual territory. While recognizing the deep foundations in the studies of complex behavior, we take ecological structure as the entry point for framework development. This framework is based on a definition of biocom- plexity as the degree to which ecological systems comprising biological, social and physical components incorporate spatially explicit heterogeneity, organizational connectivity, and historical contingency through time. These three dimensions of biocomplexity - heterogene- ity, connectivity, and history - will be explored as axes of increasing complexity. Basing the description of spatial heterogeneity on either patch or continuous quantification, complexity of spatial structure increases as quantification moves from simple discrimination of patch typesandthenumberofeachtypetoassessmentofconfigurationandthechangeinthemosaic throughtime.Organizationalcomplexityreflectstheincreasingconnectivityofthebasicunits that control system dynamics. At the simple end of the axis, the functional connectivity between units is low, and the processes within a unit are determined by structures or other processes within that unit.Atthehighestlevelofcomplexityalongthisaxis,unitsina mosaic interact through fluxes of energy, matter, organisms, or information, and the structure and dynamics of the mosaic can be altered by those fluxes. Temporal relationships in the system range from direct contemporary ones to indirect and historically contingent ones. The influence of indirect effects, legacies, the existence of lagged effects, and the presence of slowly appearing indirect effects constitute increasing temporal complexity. This framework embodies some features of both the structural approach to complexity and the approach of complexity of explanations that we extracted from the literature. It leaves the issue of what levels of each axis result in complex behavior as an important question for further research.
In Search of the 1-Hour Rule-Out for Acute Myocardial Infarction

Old habits die hard. The study by Hillinger et al. provides a framework for several observations regarding the current state of ADPs for rapid rule-out of ACS. ADPs that incorporate serial assessments of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin appear to provide a viable approach to rule out ACS with sampling over 3 h with a high NPV. The actual interval (1, 2, or 3 h) and optimal thresholds are issues still to be refined for each assay. A dual-marker strategy using copeptin does not provide incremental clinical information beyond high-sensitivity cardiac troponin, and it seems unlikely that other biomarkers will substantially improve the NPV achieved with serial high-sensitivity cardiac troponin testing alone.
Legal Representation for Parents and Children in Child Protection Proceedings: Two Empirical Models of Acquisitorial Processes and a Proposal for Reform

This article proposes a method for improving the quality of representation for children. The means for doing so is based on an analysis of the differences between representation provided to parents and representation provided to children. The article addresses two questions. First, how can the processes by which parents and children acquire legal representation in protection proceedings be characterized? Second, do the methods by which representation is acquired influence the quality of the legal representation that parents and children receive? These questions of acquisition and quality can be reframed in broader policy terms as issues of program implementation and benefit. With regard to implementation, two models of legal service acquisition most relevant to parents and children in protection proceedings are a market model for parents and a therapeutic model for children. Using empirical data from a study of representation in North Carolina, the article examines the characteristics of the market model that resulted in the representation that parents received being more beneficial than the children's representation. The article concludes with a consideration of the policy implications of these findings.
Restoring Privacy at the Border: Extending the Reasonable Suspicion Standard for Laptop Border Searches

The border search exception to the Fourth Amendment permits government agents to conduct suspicionless searches of persons and property crossing the international border. The Supreme Court has recognized this exception in two main cases, involving invasive searches of persons suspected of smuggling drugs into the country. Yet in recent years, the border exception, like other parts of Fourth Amendment law, has come under increasing scrutiny as courts struggle to update the doctrine in light of modern digital technologies. A special area of concern is what level of suspicion should be required for border searches of laptop computers. In United States v. Cotterman, the district court for the District Court of Arizona found that reasonable suspicion was required where customs officials seized a laptop computer at the border but then searched it at a government facility 170 miles inland. In the following months, several other courts across the Ninth and Sixth Circuits adopted the Cotterman court's approach. Yet, in March 2011, the Ninth Circuit reversed the Arizona court, finding “no basis under law” to require heightened suspicion for searches in which “some property presented for entry ― and not yet admitted or released from the sovereign’s control,” must “be transported to a secondary site for adequate inspection.” In critiquing the Ninth Circuit’s decision, this note proposes that the laptop searches involved in this recent line of cases represent a sui generis category of searches that raises new considerations about the proper limits of the government’s border search authority. First, the manner in which these latter searches have been conducted bears a more wide-ranging, general nature than in previous examples. Second, the fact that the government is conducting these latter searches further inland in our nation’s interior and well after the owner’s actual border crossing raises new questions about the reach of the government’s border search authority.
Developmental Interactions between the Parasitoid Microplitis demolitor (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Its Host Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Heliothis virescens (F.) larvae parasitized by Microplitis demolitor Wilkinson gained less weight and molted at sizes below those established for unparasitized larvae. The host stadium from which M. demolitor emerged depended upon the stadium parasitized, and emergence usually occurred about 24 h after the host moved off the diet. Following M. demolitor emergence, H. virescens remained in developmental arrest, neither molting nor displaying any developmental characters associated with metamorphosis. The size of the emerging wasps was correlated with host weight, but primary clutch size was not. M. demolitor laid one to three eggs per host, but usually only one offspring survived to adulthood. That M. demolitor larval development varied with the host stadium parasitized possibly accounts for the variation observed in day of emergence.
Automatic Urine Divider

A device is described which divides a volume of liquid (in particular, urine) into two equal portions. Sample volumes of water ranging from 50 ml to 1000 ml were divided into two equal portions; the standard deviation ranged from 0.51 ml to 1.80 ml, and the maximum coefficient of variation was approximately 2%. Other liquids of varying composition and viscosity, including human urine, were also tested using this divider. In all instances, the precision and accuracy were comparable to those obtained with water. The time required by nursing personnel to divide a volume of fluid using this device averaged 67% less than that required using the standard manual urine dividing technique.
A Conceptual Overtopping Wave Energy Convertor Suitable for Small Waves

This paper proposes a design concept in the area of overtopping ocean wave energy devices. Current models of overtopping devices are limited to locations which experience large wave activity. The high energy associated with large waves enables the ocean water waves to overtop the device ramp into the collection reservoir which discharges through a power generating turbine. The ramp height is necessarily large to establish a sufficient collection reservoir head. The proposed design concept can utilize small waves by implementing a gearing system which can transfer water to the collection reservoir. This allows for greater access to the wave energy resource at more locations than currently possible. A simplified model of this design concept is presented and applied to varying wave conditions off the coast of California.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Shadowed Electron Micrographs of Bacteria.

SummaryMetal shadow-cast preparations reveal under electron microscopy many details of bacterial morphology. The three-dimensional effect achieved with this technic brings out with especial clarity the shapes of organisms and the contours of their surfaces; shadowing also makes evident their flagellar and other extra-cellular processes. Illustrative shadowed electron micrographs are given of subtilis-like and typhoid-like organisms and of several forms of cocci.
Modeling Fuselage Aerodynamic Effects in Aircraft Design Optimization

Vortex lattice methods are particularly appealing for design optimization because of their simplicity and because they capture the essence of the ow eld over the wings and control surfaces of an aircraft. They can produce reasonably accurate estimates for the lift distribution, induced drag, and the moments for a given planform. The main limitations however, are the inability of these methods to estimate viscous drag and the lack of any modeling of nonlifting surfaces (e.g. fuselage and appendages). The focus of this paper is to evaluate the success of several approaches that have been taken for including the e ects of nonlifting surfaces in vortex lattice analysis. Two vortex lattice codes will be examined to determine their success at including these interference e ects. The level of accuracy of the codes when body objects, such as the fuselage, are modeled in addition to the lifting surfaces will be examined and compared to experimental data. Finally, the use of lattice codes in the aircraft design process and the appropriate design stage for their use will be discussed.
Why neurology? Factors which influence career choice in neurology.

Objective: To evaluate the factors which influence the decision to pursue a career in neurology.Methods: An anonymous survey was developed using a Likert scale to rate responses. The survey was sent to adult and child neurology faculty, residents and fellows, as well as medical students applying for neurology. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the factors of influence. Respondents were subsequently categorized into pre-neurology trainees, neurology trainees, child neurologists and adult neurologists, and differences between the groups were analysed using Pearson’s chi-square test.Results: One hundred and thirty-three anonymous responses were received. The respondents were neurologists across all levels of training and practice. Across all respondents, the most common factor of high importance was intellectual content of specialty, challenging diagnostic problems, type of patient encountered and interest in helping people. Responses were similar across the groups; however, the earliest trainees c...
The Analysis of the Electromagnetic Thrust of Double-slot Single-phase Capacitance Linear Induction Motor

In order to design a new linear operating mechanism with simpler structure,the electromagnetic thrust of double-slot single-phase capacitance linear induction motor(LIM) is studied in this paper.E-core,centralized windings,double-slot and a pair of poles are adopted in the primary coil.The distinct feature of this LIM is its simple configuration,and non-magnetism hypo-pole's adoption reduces the latitudinal friction which longitudinal pull adds.A test is made to get the basic parameter and electromagnetic thrust.All the conclusion can be used to optimize the LIM and later to make the production.
The mechanisms and consequences of structural failure of the foot.

This article is an in depth review of the causes, mechanisms, and consequences of mechanical failure of the foot in chronic Iaminitis. The structural strength, loading, and kinetic responses of the normal foot to the loading forces are described and used as the basis for discussion of digital collapse. The rotational and vertical displacement and digital instability of the distal phalanx and hoof wall are presented and described as the origin of the internal morphologic alterations affecting the coronary band, laminar interface, and solar regions.
A new imaging/therapy platform by using external radionuclide ( 192 Ir) part 2: data acquisition and analysis for breast imaging

Radionuclides with various types of radiation are frequently used for brachytherapy. For example, iridium-192 (192Ir) has been widely used as high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy source, housed in a remote after-loading unit. With its average energy of 380 keV, the photons emitted from 192Ir are generally considered unsuitable for usage as transmission-based external imaging sources. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we have previously showed that 192Ir indeed can be used as an external source to image the breast in the forms of fan-beam computed tomography (FBCT) and cone-beam computer tomography (CBCT). In this study, we designed and built an imaging assembly in a physical laboratory setting to prove and validate this new imaging method. The goal of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of building a robust dual-function platform that can carry out both image-guided target localization and radiation treatment through a single HDR source. In this study, a microSelectron HDR 192Ir source was used as the external imaging source and the amorphous-silicon imaging panel on a Simulix Evolution™ radiotherapy simulator as the imaging detector. A breast phantom with cystic lesions was situated on a custom-made rotary stage whose center was aligned along the pathway between the radiation source and the center of the imaging panel. Plain radiographic images were obtained at every 3° intervals from 0° to 360° around the center of the rotary stage. The CBCT images were subsequently reconstructed. A 3D data set of 192Ir CBCT images was reconstructed. Compared with the images obtained from a conventional thin-slice CT scanner, the cystic lesions inside the breast phantom can be clearly identified. Despite multiple sources of scattering and resultant noise, the quality of images demonstrated sufficient clarity for the purpose of target localization. The 192Ir radionuclide can be used as a possible external radiation source for breast imaging. This study provides the evidence that building a new imaging/therapy dual-function platform using a single 192Ir source is feasible.
Nutrition and the Elderly

Aging and nutrition interact: Aging influences nutrient requirements, their absorption and metabolism, and diet is a powerful risk factor for aging-associated diseases. Nutritional requirements in the elderly differ from those in adults due to aging-associated conditions and diseases, drug–nutrient interactions, and social and economic problems. This is why the elderly require different amounts of vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients. In the elderly, malnutrition is a common, but frequently underdiagnosed condition, which interacts with illness to increase mortality. This is why the assessment of nutritional status is very important in the elderly.
Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel, Non-Brain-Penetrant, Hybrid Cannabinoid CB1R Inverse Agonist/Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS) Inhibitors for the Treatment of Liver Fibrosis

We report the design, synthesis, and structure–activity relationships of novel dual-target compounds with antagonist/inverse agonist activity at cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R) and inhibitory effect on inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). A series of 3,4-diarylpyrazolinecarboximidamides were synthesized and evaluated in CB1 receptor (CB1R) binding assays and iNOS activity assays. The novel compounds, designed to have limited brain penetrance, elicited potent in vitro CB1R antagonist activities and iNOS inhibitory activities. Some key compounds displayed high CB1R binding affinities. Compound 7 demonstrated potent in vivo pharmacological activities such as reduction of food intake mediated by the antagonism of the CB1Rs and antifibrotic effect in the animal models of fibrosis mediated by iNOS inhibition and CB1R antagonism.
Simulated climate adaptation in stormwater systems: evaluating the efficiency of adaptation strategies

Adaptations in infrastructure may be necessitated by changes in temperature and precipitation patterns to avoid losses and maintain expected levels of service. A roster of adaptation strategies has emerged in the climate change literature, especially with regard to timing: anticipatory, concurrent, or reactive. Significant progress has been made in studying climate change adaptation decision making that incorporates uncertainty, but less work has examined how strategies interact with existing infrastructure characteristics to influence adaptability. We use a virtual testbed of highway drainage crossings configured with a selection of actual culvert emplacements in Colorado, USA, to examine the effect of adaptation strategy and culvert characteristics on cost efficiency and service level under varying rates of climate change. A meta-model approach with multinomial regression is used to compare the value of better climate change predictions with better knowledge of existing crossing characteristics. We find that, for a distributed system of infrastructural units like culverts, knowing more about existing characteristics can improve the efficacy of adaptation strategies more than better projections of climate change. Transportation departments choosing climate adaptation strategies often lack detailed data on culverts, and gathering that data could improve the efficiency of adaptation despite climate uncertainty.
Biomicroholography: An Emerging Technology

A new technology is emerging. It is the result of collaborative efforts between life scientists and physical scientists, and is international in scope. It is called “Biomicroholography,” and will ultimately allow three-dimensional imaging of living organisms with resolution and contrast far beyond the reach of optical microscopes. The impetus for these collaborative efforts is the imminent availability of high-intensity coherent sources of electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength regime between 0.1 and 10 nm. Besides the ability to capture the full three-dimensional configuration of a specimen, holographic imaging also eliminates the need for focusing elements, which are difficult to fabricate with enough precision to achieve diffraction-limited resolution in the soft x-ray regime. Some of the x-ray sources being developed promise extremely high intensity in subnanosecond pulses, and can thereby avoid the problem of killing or altering the specimen, by capturing an image before the specimen is obliterated by the probing radiation.
Single solution spray pyrolysis of La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3 − δ–Ce0.8Gd0.2O1.9 (LSCF–CGO) thin film cathodes

Abstract Thin film (200–300 nm) (X)La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3 − δ–(1 − X)Ce0.8Gd0.2O1.9 (LSCF–CGO, X = 0 to 100 vol.%) composite cathodes were produced by spraying a single precursor solution of nitrate salts onto dense yttria stabilized zirconia electrolyte substrates at temperatures of 235 and 275 °C. Segregation of the films into distinct LSCF and CGO phases was observed by X-ray diffraction after annealing above 650 °C for 4 h. Grain growth was suppressed in the LSCF–CGO composites relative to pure LSCF, the grain size in 59LSCF–41CGO ranging from 15 to 50 nm for annealing temperatures between 700 and 900 °C. The polarization resistance of films fired at 700 °C were modeled using a Gerischer impedance with a characteristic polarization resistance Rc and time constant tc. Relative to pure LSCF films, the LSCF–CGO composites exhibited lower activation energies resulting in a smaller polarization resistance at operating temperatures below 600 °C.
HIV and SIV induce alterations in CNS CaMKII expression and activation: a potential mechanism for cognitive impairment.

The molecular mechanisms underlying learning and memory impairment in patients with HIV-associated neurological disease have remained unclear. Calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) has key roles in synaptic potentiation and memory storage in neurons and also may have immunomodulatory functions. To determine whether HIV and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) induce alterations in CaMKII expression and/or activation (autophosphorylation) in the brain, we measured CaMKII alterations by quantitative immunoblotting in both an in vitro HIV/neuronal culture model and in vivo in an SIV-infected macaque model of HIV-associated neurological damage. Using primary rat hippocampal neuronal cultures treated with culture supernatants harvested from HIV-1–infected human monocyte-derived macrophages (HIV/MDM), we found that CaMKII activation declined after exposure of neurons to HIV/MDM. Consistent with our in vitro measurements, a significant decrease in CaMKII activation was present in both the hippocampus and frontal cortex of SIV-infected macaques compared with uninfected animals. In SIV-infected animals, total CaMKII expression in the hippocampus correlated well with levels of synaptophysin. Furthermore, CaMKII expression in both the hippocampus and frontal cortex was inversely correlated with viral load in the brain. These findings suggest that alterations in CaMKII may compromise synaptic function in the early phases of chronic neurodegenerative processes induced by HIV.
Help From Strangers --Media Arts In Ambient Intelligence Research

Media Arts have acquired informal expertise in the design of spaces and events shared by sentient systems and people. Because of this, Media Arts should be of interest to investigators as they begin to seriously consider social interactions as an integral part of the Ambient Intelligence research agenda.
Completions and Hensel’s Lemma

In this section we shall study the completion of a ring R with respect to an ideal m, written Ȓm, or simply Ȓ if m is clear from the context. The construction is usually applied in the case where R is a local ring and m is the maximal ideal. If R is a polynomial ring R = k[x1, …, x n ] over a field, and m = (x1, …, x n ) is the ideal generated by the variables, then the completion is the ring k[[x1,…, x n ]] of formal power series over k. More generally, if k is a field and R = k[x1, …, x n ]/I, then the completion of R with respect to m = (x1, …, x n ) is the ring k[[x1, …, x n ]]//Ik[[x1, …, x n ]]. General completions can similarly be defined in terms of formal power series (Exercise 7.11), but we shall give an intrinsic development.
Effectiveness of an MP3 Christian mindfulness intervention on mindfulness and perceived stress

ABSTRACTMindfulness is enfolded in therapies addressing mental health conditions and is informed by secular and Buddhist models. However, mindfulness interventions can be rooted in other theoretica...
Is Marine Spatial Planning Enough to Overcome Biological Data Deficiencies

The United States only accounts for 0.2% of the global offshore wind installed capacity despite a potential technical resource four orders of magnitude greater. A cumbersome permitting process is o...
Leader-Following Formation Control in a Rotating Frame for Agents with Double-Integrator Dynamics: Generalized Stability Results and Experiments

We present a formation control algorithm for double-integrator agents, where the desired interagent positions vary in time according to a rotating coordinate frame, which is represented by the rotation matrix R(t) ∈ SO(m). This algorithm applies to formations where: i) each agent has relative-position-and-velocity feedback of its neighbor agents, and the neighbor sets are such that the interagent communication (i.e., feedback) structure represents a strongly connected directed graph; ii) at least one agent has a measurement of its position and velocity relative to the leader; and iii) all agents have a measurement of R. The main analytic result shows that each agent converges to the desired relative positions with the other agents and the potentially moving leader. Notably, this analytic result does not require either undirected communication or every agent to have access to a measurement of its position and velocity relative to the leader. We also present results from rotorcraft experiments that demonstrate leader-following formation control in a rotating frame.
Changes in life history and population size can explain the relative neutral diversity levels on X and autosomes in extant human populations.

In human populations, the relative levels of neutral diversity on the X and autosomes differ markedly from each other and from the naive theoretical expectation of 3/4. Here we propose an explanation for these differences based on new theory about the effects of sex-specific life history and given pedigree-based estimates of the dependence of human mutation rates on sex and age. We demonstrate that life history effects, particularly longer generation times in males than in females, are expected to have had multiple effects on human X-to-autosome (X:A) diversity ratios, as a result of male-biased mutation rates, the equilibrium X:A ratio of effective population sizes, and the differential responses to changes in population size. We also show that the standard approach of using divergence between species to correct for male mutation bias results in biased estimates of X:A effective population size ratios. We obtain alternative estimates using pedigree-based estimates of the male mutation bias, which reveal that X:A ratios of effective population sizes are considerably greater than previously appreciated. Finally, we find that the joint effects of historical changes in life history and population size can explain the observed X:A diversity ratios in extant human populations. Our results suggest that ancestral human populations were highly polygynous, that non-African populations experienced a substantial reduction in polygyny and/or increase in the male-to-female ratio of generation times around the Out-of-Africa bottleneck, and that current diversity levels were affected by fairly recent changes in sex-specific life history.
Scaling-up Stage 4 Pediatric Obesity Clinics: Identifying Barriers and Future Directions Using Implementation Science.

Nearly one-fifth of the pediatric population in the United States has obesity. Comprehensive behavioral interventions, with at least 26 contact hours, are the recommended treatment for pediatric obesity; however, there are various barriers to implementing treatment. This Perspective applies the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment (EPIS) framework to address barriers to implementing multidisciplinary pediatric weight management clinics and identify potential solutions and areas for additional research. Lack of insurance coverage and reimbursement, high operating costs, and limited access to stage 4 care clinics with sufficient capacity were among the main barriers identified. Clinicians, researchers, and patient advocates are encouraged to facilitate conversations with insurance companies and hospital and clinic administrators, increase telehealth adoption, request training to improve competency and self-efficacy discussing and implementing obesity care, and advocate for more stage 4 clinics.
On location for cannabinoid control of multimodal behavior

In this issue of Neuron, Soria-Gomez et al. (2021) investigate whether activation of the type 1 cannabinoid receptor at specific subcellular locations within a single neural circuit produces multimodal behavior. Their results demonstrate that location matters: striatonigral mitochondrial CB1 drives catalepsy while striatonigral plasma membrane CB1 receptors enable antinociception.
Patient-facing healthcare workers and their families have a higher risk of hospital admission with COVID-19 than the general population

Commentary on: Shah ASV, Wood R, Gribben C, et al . Risk of hospital admission with coronavirus disease 2019 in healthcare workers and their households: nationwide linkage cohort study. BMJ. 2020;371:m3582. Published 2020 Oct 28. doi:10.1136/bmj.m3582 The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore the importance of identifying the risk of infection in healthcare workers (HCW) and their families.1 Estimating the relative risk of these populations is important for formulating public health measures, maintaining a functioning healthcare system and controlling rates of secondary transmission in the community.2 Previous studies have not given a clear idea of the extent of risks due to small sample sizes, selection bias and recording of disease.1 In this study, Shah et al …
Effects of Biofilm Formation on Plasmid Segregational Stability and Expression

Recombinant plasmids are a significant tool for biotechnological research and have enormous commercial potential for the expression of foreign genes in procaryotic and eucaryotic organisms. Two major impcdiments to widespread utilization of genetically-engineered expression systems within natural ecosystems are: (1) the instability of the plasmid under a variety of conditions, and (2) the lack of knowledge regarding the fate of recombinant DNA in natural ecosystems. Governmental regulations have thus far severely restricted the development of processes involving the exposure to the environment of geneticallymanipulated organisms. Not surprisingly, significant effort has been spent in determining the mechanisms involved in plasmid loss from cells, and in initial studies of the fate of geneticallyengineered DNA sequences in the environment.
Plasma aluminum measurements in term infants fed human milk or a soy-based infant formula.

Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the earth9s crust. There is a constant environmental exposure to this element because it is ubiquitous. Under usual conditions, dietary aluminum has not been shown to have any deleterious effects because aluminum is poorly absorbed and readily excreted in the urine. However, aluminum may be a health concern in patients with compromised kidney function and those receiving total parenteral nutrition. Aluminum, if retained, results in an increase in the concentration of body aluminum. There has been some recent interest in the exposure of infants to aluminum, especially in those infants with immature or impaired renal function.
Realtime measurements for CO characterization of in-use three-way-catalyst vehicles

The emission test capability developed at New York's Automotive Emissions Laboratory is described as applied to realtime measurements from in-use three-way-catalyst vehicles. Realtime data from tailpipe emissions analyzers, engine air/fuel ratio analyzer, and vehicle speed/acceleration/power from an electric chassis dynamometer are polled several times per second by a minicomputer data acquisition system. These data are obtained in parallel with conventional CVS bag results. Examples of this capability are demonstrated with test results from two in-use computer-controlled catalyst cars. Results are shown as applied to modal analysis and inter-relationships among collected data. State air pollution control program areas where this capability can be applied are suggested. Improvements and refinements are discussed in preparation for these tasks.
Telomere states and cell fates

Telomere length has frequently been used as a means to predict the future life of cells. But by itself it can be a poor indicator of ageing or cell viability. What, then, is the important property of a telomere? Here recent findings are integrated into a new, probabilistic view of the telomere to explain how and when it can signal not only its own fate but also that of a cell.
Species Differences of Drug-Metabolizing Enzymes

The prediction of human pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and toxicity from preclinical data remains an important goal in the drug discovery and development process to minimize risk to participants during first in human studies. Animal models are commonly used in the preclinical development of new drugs; however, significant differences exist between species. These are due largely to alterations in isoform composition, regulation, expression, and catalytic activities of drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs), particularly cytochromes P450 (CYPs), which play a critical role in numerous oxidative reactions of drugs. Although the reliability of animal testing to predict concentration-dependent efficacy and toxicity in humans has been questioned; it is generally believed that data from animal studies can be reasonably extrapolated to humans using appropriate drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic principles. In this chapter, the authors describe the similarities and differences of major CYPs and other enzymes in their gene and protein structure, catalytic activity, enzyme kinetics and inhibition, and induction response between the various preclinical species and humans. These comparisons help to better understand underlying mechanisms responsible for the differences and address the question of whether animal data can be extrapolated to humans with regard to drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. In conclusion, the DMEs show appreciable interspecies differences from structure to function, and caution must be taken when extrapolating metabolism data from animal models to humans. Keywords: drug metabolism; cytochrome P450; species; nuclear receptors; drug development
Kittens choose a high leucine diet even when isoleucine and valine are the limiting amino acids

This study was conducted to determine the effect of excess leucine on the dietary choice of kittens. The basal diets contained 16% (low nitrogen) or 24% (adequate nitrogen) amino acids and were limiting in isoleucine and valine. The addition of leucine to either of these basal diets has been shown to cause a transitory adverse effect on the growth and food intake of kittens. In separate experiments each basal diet was used to test three sets of choices: basal vs. basal + 10% leucine; basal + alanine vs. basal + leucine (isonitrogenous) and basal vs. basal + alanine. When offered basal vs. basal + excess leucine, the kittens chose significantly more of the excess leucine diet regardless of the level of nitrogen in the basal diet. When offered an isonitrogenous choice of excess alanine vs. excess leucine, the kittens selected somewhat more of the excess leucine diets over the excess alanine diets; this selection was sustained longer in kittens fed low nitrogen. In the third choice experiment (basal vs. basal + alanine), the group offered the low nitrogen diets exhibited no preferences, and the group offered adequate-nitrogen diets selected significantly more of the excess alanine diet. These results for kittens are opposite to those for rats, a species that will select a low protein basal or even a protein-free diet over a diet containing excess leucine.
Membrane topology of NHE3. Epitopes within the carboxyl-terminal hydrophilic domain are exoplasmic.

Experimental data indicate that the relatively hydrophilic carboxyl-terminal domains of Na+-H+ exchangers mediate the regulation of transporter activity through interactions with cytoskeletal effectors. It has therefore been assumed that this entire domain lies on the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane. The purpose of the present study was to determine the membrane orientation of the COOH-terminal 131 amino acids of Na+-H+exchanger isoform NHE3 by use of three monoclonal antibodies that recognize at least two distinct epitopes within this region. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay studies demonstrated binding of these monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to intact right-side-out renal brush border membrane vesicles in the absence of detergent. Moreover, when coupled to an affinity matrix to isolate membrane vesicles, the anti-NHE3 mAbs bound structures that were morphologically identical to intact microvilli. To confirm the identity of the exoplasmic antigen bound by the antibodies, immunoprecipitation studies were performed. Intact right-side-out brush border membrane vesicles were incubated with the mAbs in the absence of detergent. The membranes were pelleted, supernatant with unbound antibody was removed, the pellet was solubilized, and then immunoprecipitation with secondary antibody was performed. Immunoblot analysis indicated that NHE3 was precipitated after binding of the mAbs to intact membranes. Finally, the localization of the mAb epitopes was determined using high resolution immunocytochemistry. Ultrathin cryosections of rat kidney were labeled with the mAbs and bound antibody detected with the colloidal gold technique. Labeling was restricted to the exoplasmic surface of microvilli of the proximal tubule. Taken together, these findings indicate that epitopes within the carboxyl terminus of the Na+-H+ exchanger isoform NHE3 are exposed to the outside of the plasma membrane.
Earth structure from fundamental and higher-mode waveform analysis

Summary. We present a technique for the inversion of fundamental and higher-mode waveform data for regional Earth structure. Seismograms are represented as a sum of travelling modes, and an adaptive quadrature scheme based on Filon's method is developed to evaluate the wavenumber integrals efficiently. The difference between an observed and synthetic seismogram is approximated as a linear functional of the residual dispersion which, in turn, is parameterized by perturbations to the Earth structure. The data functionals used by the inversion are branch cross-correlation functions (bccfs) between a particular single-mode synthetic and the observed seismogram. To reduce the effects of ambient noise and the interference by spurious signals and other modes, the bccfs are windowed and tapered about zero lag. The sensitivity of the bccfs to amplitude differences between the synthetic and observed seismograms is reduced by an orthogonalization procedure which strips from the linearized system of equations any information that can otherwise be explained by adjusting the scalar amplitudes of the mode branches. The bccfs are inverted for Earth structure using an iterative, generalized least-squares algorithm. Numerical experiments with synthetic data show that, if the starting model is far enough from the true solution and the path lengths are long enough, the bccfs can be sufficiently dephased to lock the inversion into a spurious local minimum. However, this situation can usually be spotted by a direct comparison of the model synthetics with data and corrected by initializing the inversion with a perturbation to the starting model designed to roughly align the fundamental and first-higher mode groups; interactive software has been developed for this purpose. We have applied these methods to vertical-component data from two well-studied paths, one crossing Eurasia from sources in the Kurils-Japan area to a receiver array centred on the Baltic Shield, and the other crossing the Pacific from the New Hebrides to the western United States. Structures derived from dispersion data by Cara and Cara, Nercessian & Nolet were used as starting models, and bccfs up to the fourth-higher mode were inverted. Although the starting models produced synthetics in reasonably good agreement with the data, a variance reduction on the order of 70 per cent was achieved for both paths. The final models show substantial differences in the two shear-velocity profiles below 200 km depth, in agreement with the results of Cara et al. and inferences based on the study of multiple-ScS travel times by Sipkin & Jordan. Synthetics generated from these models are in excellent agreement with the complex higher-mode waveforms observed for the entire range of receiver distances and source depths.
Fractionation of the major sialoglycopeptides of the human red blood cell membrane.

Summary The major sialoglycopeptides extracted from human red blood cell membranes by the LIS-phenol procedure can be separated into two distinct components by gel filtration in Ammonyx-LO. The main fraction, comprising ∼ 75% of the total, is a sialoglycopeptide containing 131 amino acids and 16 oligosaccharide chains and has been designated glycophorin A. A second glycopeptide, which can be distinguished from glycophorin A on the basis of its amino acid composition and tryptic peptide pattern, elutes in two fractions and has the capacity to form high molecular weight aggregates when analyzed by SDS gel electrophoresis.
Vapor phase deposition of polybenzoxazoles

Vapor phase deposition was carried out on multifunctional aliphatic and aromatic benzoxazoles to yield powdered samples of poly(dimethylenebenzoxazoles). Representative aliphatic and aromatic poly(dimethylenebenzoxazoles) were also synthesized through solution methods using 4-amino-3-hydroxyhydrocinnamic acid and 2-(4-(bromomethyl)phenyl)-6-(bromomethyl)benzoxazole, respectively, as monomers. Both aromatic and aliphatic polybenzoxazoles containing CH2CH2 units in the polymer backbone displayed catastrophic weight loss over a very narrow temperature range. This is in contrast with other polybenzoxazoles which show a gradual weight loss over 500–1000°C. Vapor phase deposition carried out under vacuum on the polymers gave similar polymers in the collection zone suggesting the catastrophic weight loss is attributed to thermal depolymerization of the polymer through a diradical intermediate similar to the thermolysis and polymerization of [2.2]paracyclophane. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 1317–1328, 1998
Sedimentation and Sediment Resuspension in Lake Ontario

From March to November 1981, seasonal variations in the weekly sedimentation rates of particulate matter were investigated at an inshore and at an offshore site in Lake Ontario. Sedimentation rates at both sites showed extremely high variability from week to week; minimum to maximum rates varied by a factor of 10 for the offshore site and by a factor of 40 for the inshore site. The variability in the offshore rates was mainly due to the amount of particulate matter in the epilimnion, and in the inshore rates was mainly due to bottom sediment resuspension. Offshore sedimentation rates of total suspended matter measured in the thermocline were a function of the total suspended matter concentrations in the epilimnion. Sedimentation rates measured in the thermocline were higher than those measured at the top of the hypolimnion showing particulate matter retention in the thermocline. Sedimentation rates measured at 5 meters above the bottom at both stations were extremely variable with time and the inshore rates at times exceeded the offshore rates by a factor of 50. This major difference was observed during fall turnover, when previously sedimented material and associated contaminants were resuspended at the inshore site. Since the net downward flux is a function of epilimnetic concentrations, it is clear that inshore resuspension occurs continuously but at varying intensities.
Graph theoretic analysis of PLA folding heuristics

Abstract Because the problem of folding a programmable logic array (PLA) to its smallest possible area is NP-complete, the design and analysis of PLA-folding heuristics is important. In this paper, we study PLA-folding heuristics from a theoretical perspective, using the folding ratio of the heuristic to characterize its worst case behavior. In the first portion of this paper, we obtain best possible bounds on the folding ratios of several practical and intuitively appealing heuristics. These results show that for arbitrary PLAs, each of the heuristics exhibits unbounded worst-case behavior. Moreover, the results of Ravi and Lloyd ( SIAM J. Comput. 17 (1988), 696–710) strongly suggest that no polynomial time approximation algorithm can have a constant folding ratio for arbitrary PLAs. Thus in the second portion of this paper, we analyze the performance of heuristics for certain restricted classes of PLAs characterized by special classes of intersection graphs.
A Study of Social Interactions in Online Health Communities

E-patients and caregivers are actively using social media to look for helpful health information and seeking support from their peers. In this work, we focus on the online health social networking site, Med Help, and study the associations between the social network structures of three different computer mediated communication (CMC) formats in this site. The three computer mediated communication formats are namely forum, journal and note. The result in our study shows that there are relatively stronger correlations between journal and note but there is either no correlation or weak correlation between forum and journal.
Signal Averaging of the Surface QRS Complex: Practical Applications

Signal-Averaged ECG. Signal averaging of the surface QRS complex has been used in recent years to detect electrical signals of small amplitude not otherwise evident on the surface ECG. The technique enables detection of low-amplitude signals in the terminal portion of the QRS complex and the ST segment. These low-amplitude signals termed late potentials (LPs) have been correlated with the presence of fragmented electrical activity recorded from endocardial and epicardial sites due to inhomogeneous propagation of conduction in scarred myocardium. Recent studies have supported the value of the signal-averaged ECG for risk stratification postmyocardial infarction, in the management of patients with syncope and patients with sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT), and survivors of cardiac arrest.
Design sensitivity coefficients for axisymmetric elasticity problems by boundary element methods

Abstract The subject of this paper is the determination of design sensitivity coefficients (DSC's) for axisymmetric elasticity problems. The direct differentiation approach (DDA) is used for the analysis in conjunction with the boundary element method (BEM). Numerical results for the DSC's of surface tractions and displacements, for some examples, are presented in the paper. The results obtained by the BEM are compared with those from the finite difference method (FDM).
Reduction of Menadione in Hexane by Chlorophyll a under Ultra-violet Irradiation

WE have found that chlorophyll can reduce vitamin K upon illumination. This reaction can be followed by the loss of fluorescence induced by exposure of chlorophyll to light in the presence of vitamin K. This loss of fluorescence occurs at concentrations and intensities of illumination at which the fluorescence of chlorophyll alone does not vanish. The reduction of vitamin K to the hydroquinone form can be shown by reduction of 2,6-dichlorophenol-indophenol.