cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Coral ecosystem plan

With climate change, unsustainable fishing practices, and disease “transforming coral communities at regional to global scales,” a 30 July report from the U.S. Geological Survey outlines a strategy for conducting research on coral ecosystems. The report indicates that USGS coral ecosystem research will focus on three major themes during the next five years, as funding permits: reef structure, ecological integrity, and the role of marine reserves; land-based and local impacts; and responses to global change. “Strategic Science for Coral Ecosystems” is available at the Web site: http://fisc.er.usgs.gov/coral_plan_finaLApril_2007.pdf
The Coronary Care Unit in the 1970's

To summarize the status of the coronary care unit in the 70's, our first need, then, is for people—well-trained, dedicated, highly motivated people. The second need is an ideal architectural design to provide maximum efficiency of operation and comfort for the patient. The importance of the availability of the most modern structure and electronic equipment, properly maintained, cannot be minimized. The need for humanism is perhaps the most dramatic, yet most intangible, since it involves people-to-people relationships. It is that unknown quotient, that indescribable concern for the well-being of the patient who is seriously ill which somehow enhances the effectiveness of the medical and technologic skills. Continuity of training is imperative if the concept of the CCU is to extend the accomplishments attained within its first nine years. The future of the CCU depends upon the implementation of the newer knowledge in the field of treatment, the continued development and refinement of electronic monitoring, and the extension of the concept of acute coronary care to the pre- and post-phases of the disease. In the pre-CCU phase, there should be a rescue unit, manned by a well-trained crew—either physician, CCU nurse, fireman or policeman—which could be summoned by the patient, the family or the physician. There should be no delay in the issuance of this summons. The public must be made aware of the necessity to call for aid when there is any unusual sensation in the chest. There has been too much indecision about who should be summoned and when. In addition to being manned by well-trained personnel, the rescue vehicle should carry these items of equipment: an ECG monitor, a two-way telemetry set, a defibrillator, a demand respirator mask, oxygen, and at least three drugs—atropine, lidocaine and sodium bicarbonate. The rescue team should maintain communication with the physician and/or nurse in the nearest CCU. Then, when the patient's heart is stabilized, an ambulance could be called to transport the patient, under monitor control, to the hospital either through the emergency room, or bypassing it, to the CCU where care can be taken over by management personnel. The future must also bring into operation a post-CCU phase, in which the patient will be moved out of the CCU into a monitored step-down unit. The patient would be monitored and given adequate nursing care while mounting the gradual steps toward rehabilitation. The education of both patient and family would be conducted by the psychologist-nurse. The elimination of all risk factors through this educational experience reduces the recurrence rate, and perhaps the primary attacks among family members. Thus, the coronary care unit concept will be expanded to encompass not only the midnight, but the entire round-the-clock span of acute coronary artery disease.
STM study of oxygen on Rh(111)

Abstract Oxygen chemisorption on Rh(111) has been studied by static and dynamic STM measurements. O was found to form only one ordered structure of (2 × 2) above 1.5 L exposure, contradicting previous reports of three domains of (2 × 1) structure. The maximum O surface coverage was derived to be 0.25 ML. Antiphase domains of O (2 × 2) were observed to appear on the surface, suggesting a concurrent nucleation of O on the Rh(111) surface with increasing oxygen exposure. Attractive interactions between chemisorbed O atoms lead to O island formation and O coarsening into domains of (2 × 2) ordered structure extending over the whole surface.
Grain-scale processes during isothermal-isobaric melting of lherzolite

[1] The grain-scale processes of peridotite partial melting were examined at 1340°C and 1.5 GPa using reaction couples formed by juxtaposing pre-synthesized clinopyroxenite against pre-synthesized harzburgite. Reaction between clinopyroxenite and harzburgite produces a melt-enriched, orthopyroxene-free, olivine + clinopyroxene reactive boundary layer. Clinopyroxene compositions vary systematically across the reactive boundary layer with compositional trends similar to the published clinopyroxene core-to-rim compositional variations in the bulk lherzolite partial melting studies conducted at similar P-T conditions. The growth of the reactive boundary layer is at the expense of the harzburgite and is consistent with grain-scale processes that involve dissolution, reprecipitation, and diffusive exchange between the interstitial melt and surrounding crystals.
D. C. transformers

The introduction of power Junction transistors as switch devices has opened new horizons to mobile power supply design. The use of these devices in conventional circuits presently offers equipment capable, within the temperature limits of the transistors, of outperforming present Vibrator Supplies at low power levels. As power transistors are improved wide application of this principle of D.C. to D.C. conversion is inevitable.
Selective functional, regional, and neuronal vulnerability in frontotemporal dementia.

Purpose of review The molecular neuroscience revolution has begun to rekindle interest in fundamental neuroanatomy. Blending these disciplines may prove critical to our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases, which target specific anatomical systems. Recent research on frontotemporal dementia highlights the potential value of these approaches.
Sleep Disturbance and Risk of Active Disease in Patients With Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Impairment of sleep quality is common in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) (eg, Crohn’s disease [CD] and ulcerative colitis [UC]), even during clinical remission. Sleep impairment can activate inflammatory pathways. Few prospective studies have examined the role of sleep disturbance on risk of relapse in IBD. METHODS: We analyzed data from 3173 patients with IBD (1798 in clinical remission at baseline) participating in the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America Partners study, a longitudinal, Internet-based cohort. Sleep disturbance was measured using a subset of questions from the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information Systems sleep disturbance questionnaire. Disease activity was assessed using the short Crohn’s Disease Activity Index and the simple clinical colitis activity index for CD and UC, respectively. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of sleep quality and examine the effect of sleep quality at baseline among patients in remission on risk of active disease at 6 months. RESULTS: Disease activity, depression, female sex, smoking, and use of corticosteroids or narcotics were associated with sleep disturbance at enrollment. Among 1291 patients whose CD was in remission at baseline, those with impaired sleep had a 2-fold increase in risk of active disease at 6 months (adjusted odds ratio, 2.00; 95% confidence interval, 1.45‐ 2.76); however, no effect was observed in patients with UC (odds ratio, 1.14; 95% confidence interval, 0.75‐1.74). These findings persisted in a number of sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep disturbance was associated with an increased risk of disease flares in CD but not UC. These findings indicate that the evaluation and treatment of sleep disturbance in patients with CD might improve outcomes.
Recursive identification of switched ARX systems

We consider the problem of recursively identifying the parameters of a deterministic discrete-time Switched Auto-Regressive eXogenous (SARX) model, under the assumption that the number of models, the model orders and the mode sequence are unknown. The key to our approach is to view the identification of multiple ARX models as the identification of a single, though more complex, lifted dynamical model built by applying a polynomial embedding to the input/output data. We show that the dynamics of this lifted model do not depend on the value of the discrete state or the switching mechanism, and are linear on the so-called hybrid model parameters. Therefore, one can identify the parameters of the lifted model using a standard recursive identifier applied to the embedded input/output data. The estimated hybrid model parameters are then used to build a polynomial whose derivatives at a regressor give an estimate of the parameters of the ARX model generating that regressor. The estimated ARX model parameters are shown to converge exponentially to their true values under a suitable persistence of excitation condition on a projection of the embedded input/output data. Such a condition is a natural generalization of the well known result for ARX models. Although our algorithm is designed for perfect input/output data, our experiments also evaluate its performance as a function of the level of noise for different choices of the number of models and model orders. We also present an application to temporal video segmentation.
Speaking with Angels: Jewish and Greco-Egyptian Revelatory Adjurations

How do human beings receive answers to the most urgent questions they have of the powers of heaven? How do celestial beings provide guidance for perplexed humans? People living around the Mediterranean in the first few centuries CE devised many ways of seeking heavenly guidance; one of them was adjuration, in which they commanded gods, angels, or daemons to appear on earth and both reveal the mysteries of the universe to them and answer their questions about the problems of daily life. Similar techniques of adjuration occur in the Greco-Egyptian ritual texts usually referred to as the Greek magical papyri, the early Jewish mystical works known as the hekhalot literature, and Sefer ha-Razim, a collection of adjurations in Hebrew, heavily influenced by both Greco-Egyptian ritual texts and the hekhalot tradition of hymnology. These adjurations assume that human beings, through their knowledge of the correct invocations and divine names, possess the power to persuade or force the gods or angels to fulfill their desires.
Electrochemical Modeling the Impedance of a Lithium-Ion Positive Electrode Single Particle

Athree-dimensionalelectrochemicalmodelwasdevelopedtoexaminetheperformance(i.e.impedancedeterminedbyapulsechangeinpotential)ofalithium-ionintercalationpositiveelectrodesingleparticle.Acomprehensiveparameterstudywasconducted,basedona layered nickel oxide parameter set previously developed. The dominance of the interfacial impedance on the particle performanceaccentuates the impact of the secondary particle porosity and electrolyte wetting of the porosity. Electronic distribution effects,includingconductivityandparticlecontacts,alsobecomesigniﬁcantwhenthesecondaryparticle’seffectiveconductivityislessthanabout 10
Origin and development of the wings of Lepidoptera

In Lepidoptera (Pieris rapae) the imaginal wing discs originate by a thickening of the thoracic pleural hypodermis at the close of embryonic life. The tracheoles originate in the endotracheal layer at the close of the first moult and become functional at the close of second moult. They grow very rapidly and reach their limit of penetration in the larval wing at end of third moult. At the beginning of fifth instar they become less abundant degenerate and disappear by absorption in the pupal wing.
Ambulatory GFR measurement with cold iothalamate in adults with chronic kidney disease

Abstract Background: The purpose of this study is to develop a method that eliminates the use of radioactive agents, reduces the length of inpatient visits, and does not require urine collection for the measurement of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in adults with chronic kidney diseases (CKD). Methods: We measured simultaneous urinary and plasma clearance of iothalamate using high-performance liquid chromatography in 30 patients with CKD after a continuous subcutaneous infusion of iothalamate at a rate of 125 μL/h for a 24-hour period. To ascertain whether a steady state was achieved with a 24-hour infusion, in 20 additional patients, we infused iothalamate continuously for 48 hours and measured GFR after 24 and 48 hours. Results: Plasma iothalamate levels and urinary excretion rates obtained after 24- and 48-hour infusions were similar. GFR estimated by plasma clearance (44.4 mL/min; 95% confidence interval [CI], 37.0 to 53.3) was similar to urinary clearance (41.6 mL/min; 95% CI, 34.7 to 50.0) and without bias (average difference, 7%; 95% CI, +18% to −38%; P = 0.866). There also was acceptable agreement between plasma and urinary clearance of iothalamate (coefficient of variation [CV], 19.6% between techniques). Reproducibility of day-to-day plasma continuous infusion clearance technique was less than 12%. There was good agreement (CV, 19.9%) between inulin and renal iothalamate clearances. Conclusion: These data show that ambulatory infusion of iothalamate can be used to measure GFR in adults with CKD without the need for urine collections with acceptable precision and without exposure to radioactivity.
Rate-promoting vibrations and coupled hydrogen-electron transfer reactions in the condensed phase: a model for enzymatic catalysis.

A model is presented for coupled hydrogen–electron transfer reactions in condensed phase in the presence of a rate promoting vibration. Large kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) are found when the hydrogen is substituted with deuterium. While these KIEs are essentially temperature independent, reaction rates do exhibit temperature dependence. These findings agree with recent experimental data for various enzyme-catalyzed reactions, such as the amine dehydrogenases and soybean lipoxygenase. Consistent with earlier results, turning off the promoting vibration results in an increased KIE. Increasing the barrier height increases the KIE, while increasing the rate of electron transfer decreases it. These results are discussed in light of other views of vibrationally enhanced tunneling in enzymes.
Evidence for an interaction of opioid and noradrenergic locus coeruleus systems in the regulation of environmental stimulus-directed behavior

Abstract The roles of opioid and noradrenergic (NE) dorsal bundle systems in an animal's response to particular environmental stimuli were examined in a multicompartment exploration chamber. The opiate antagonist naloxone (NAL) produced a stereospecific increase in environmental stimulus interaction, while the opiate agonist morphine induced a NAL-reversible reduction in stimulus contact. Thus, a specific opioid role in environmental stimulus-directed behavior is indicated. Several reports suggest inhibitory actions of opioids on NE locus coeruleus (LC) activity. Consistent with these reports, we observed that 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesions of the NE dorsal bundles of the LC produced a morphine-like reduction in stimulus contact. Naloxone, which increased stimulus interaction in sham-lesioned rats, had no effect in dorsal bundle lesioned animals. These findings indicate an interaction between opioid and LC systems in the regulation of environmental stimulus-directed behavior.
Doppler echocardiographic evaluation of left ventricular diastolic filling in isolated valvular aortic stenosis.

Abstract Doppler echocardiography was used to study left ventricular (LV) diastolic filling in 49 adults with isolated aortic stenosis (AS), selected from 155 consecutive patients with AS by excluding coexisting mitral disease (n = 41) and/or significant aortic regurgitation (n = 80). There were no differences between patients with AS and age-matched normal subjects for early diastolic filling (E) velocity (68 ± 17 vs 67 ± 13 cm/s), late diastolic filling (A) velocity (79 ± 25 vs 67 ± 21 cm/s), EA ratio (1.00 ± 0.78 vs 1.06 ± 0.32) or early diastolic deceleration slope (264 ± 151 vs 319 ± 137 cm/s 2 , differences not significant for all). There was no correlation between any LV filling parameter and AS severity, but late diastolic filling velocity was higher in patients with AS who had LV hypertrophy (n = 33) vs those who did not (n = 16) (86 ± 23 vs 65 ± 26 cm/s, p 2 , p=0.02) and LV end-diastolic pressure higher (23 ± 9 vs 10 ± 6 mm Hg, p isolated AS, (1) LV filling parameters are not different from those in age-matched normal subjects; (2) LV filling parameters are not related to AS severity; (3) late diastolic filling velocity is increased when LV hypertrophy is present; and (4) there is an apparent "normalization" of LV filling, associated with a high LV end-diastolic pressure, when LV systolic dysfunction is present.
Inflammatory and Immune Responses in the Arterial Media

Inflammatory arterial diseases differentially affect the compartments of the vessel wall. The intima and adventitia are commonly involved by the disease process, with luminal and microvascular endothelial cells playing a critical role in the recruitment and activation of leukocytes. In contrast, the avascular media is often spared by immune-mediated disorders. Surprisingly, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), the predominant and often exclusive cell type of the media, are capable of robust proinflammatory responses to diverse stressors. The multiple cytokines and chemokines produced within the media can profoundly affect macrophage and T cell function, thus amplifying and shaping innate and adaptive immune responses. On the other hand, VSMCs and the extracellular matrix that they produce also display significant anti-inflammatory properties. The balance between the pro- and anti-inflammatory effects of VSMCs and their extracellular matrix versus the strength of the inciting immunologic events determines the pattern of medial pathology. Limitations on the extent of medial infiltration and injury, defined as medial immunoprivilege, are typically seen in arteriosclerotic diseases, such as atherosclerosis and transplant vasculopathy. Conversely, breakdown of medial immunoprivilege that manifests as more intense leukocytic infiltrates, loss of VSMCs, and destruction of the extracellular matrix architecture is a general feature of certain aneurysmal diseases and vasculitides. In this review, we consider the inflammatory and immune functions of VSMCs and how they may lead to medial immunoprivilege or medial inflammation in arterial diseases.
Effects of charge sharing in 3-D position sensitive CdZnTe gamma-ray spectrometers

Abstract Two 3-D position-sensitive semiconductor γ-ray spectrometers operable at room temperature, have been fabricated using 1 cm3 cubic CdZnTe crystals. γ-Ray spectra have been obtained from 11(x)×11(y)×20(z) voxels, each corresponding to ∼0.7×0.7×0.5 mm in the detector volume. Individual spectra from each of the 2420 voxels were corrected for electron trapping, differences in weighting potentials, and the gain variation of the readout circuitry. Energy resolutions of 1.70% (11.3 keV) FWHM and 1.84% (12.2 keV) FWHM were obtained at 662 keV from the combined output of the entire volume for single-pixel events. Charge sharing between neighboring pixels has been observed and the sizes of electron clouds are estimated from these experimental data. An understanding of electron cloud dimensions is important for the design of future detectors using pixellated electrodes.
Analysis of 100 kDa polypeptides from coated vesicles of bovine brain: two-dimensional tryptic and chymotryptic maps.

Abstract Two-dimensional peptide map analysis was used to determine the structural homology among the ‘100 kDa’-group of polypeptides. There are at least six distinct polypeptides whose apparent molecular weights are 116, 113, 111, 108, 105 and 100 kDa. The molar ratio of the ‘100 kDa’-group of polypeptides to three clathrin monomers (equivalent to one triskelion) is 1.2:1. There are three families of polypeptides in the ‘100 kDa’-group as determined by two-dimensional peptide map analysis. They are 116 and 113 kDa polypeptides, 111, 108, 105 kDa polypeptides and 100 kDa polypeptide. However, all six polypeptides apparently show a series of homologous peptides. It is suggested that the 100–116 kDa polypeptides may bind to triskelions at the area of homology that is found in the 100–116 kDa polypeptides.
The regulation of catalase gene expression in mouse muscle cells is dependent on the CCAAT-binding factor NF-Y

Catalase is an antioxidant enzyme whose expression is transcriptionally regulated and tissue-specific. The level of expression determines, in part, the susceptibility of a cell to oxidative stress. Skeletal muscle is a tissue that experiences high levels of oxidative stress during normal metabolic activity, so the expression of antioxidant enzymes is critical to preventing cellular damage. To study the transcriptional regulation of the catalase gene in mouse muscle cells, the 5'-flanking region of the mouse catalase gene was isolated from genomic DNA. The transcriptional activity of the 5'-flanking region was investigated in transiently transfected murine myoblasts using a promoter-less luciferase reporter vector and site-directed mutagenesis. Strikingly, we found that nearly all of the transcriptional activity was restricted to the final 191 bp of the greater than 2.5 kb of the 5'-flanking region examined. Of the potential consensus binding sites for transcriptional regulators within this 191-bp region, we identified two CCAAT boxes and no other consensus sites that were important for the transcriptional activity of this promoter. Gel shift and super shift assays indicated that the transcription factor NF-Y bound to both CCAAT boxes. Furthermore, co-transfection of reporter constructs with NF-Y expression vectors into Drosophila SL2 cells demonstrated NF-Y-mediated transcriptional activation of the catalase gene. Interestingly, there were no nearby sites that appeared to interact with either NF-Y binding sites, and thus it appears that NF-Y acts as a bona fide transcription factor for catalase gene expression in mouse muscle cells. These data provide the first examination of the regulation of the mouse catalase gene and indicate unique aspects of its regulation that may pertain to the tissue-specific patterns of expression.
The thermodynamic properties of 1,2,3,4- and 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinolines

Abstract Measurements leading to the calculation of the ideal-gas thermodynamic properties for 1,2,3,4- and 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinoline are reported. Thermochemical and thermophysical properties were determined by adiabatic heat-capacity calorimetry, comparative ebulliometry, inclined-piston-gauge manometry, and combustion calorimetry. Results were used to calculate standard entropies, enthalpies, and Gibbs energies of formation for the ideal-gas state at selected temperatures to 500 K. The results of the thermodynamic-property measurements were used to determine equilibrium constants, and hence, equilibrium molalities, for the quinoline/hydrogen/tetrahydroquinoline reaction network at temperatures of interest in the processing of fossil-fuel feedstocks with a high nitrogen content. The results show that under typical processing conditions (650 K and 7.0 MPa hydrogen pressure) there is thermodynamic equilibrium between quinoline and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline. That equilibrium conditions exist between quinoline and 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinoline in processing is more equivocal; however, there is strong evidence for such an equilibrium.
Weathering According to the Cationic Bonding Energies of Colloids1

A study was made of the energy changes of several colloidal systems in relation to weathering. The total energy change associated with pH, total hydrogen, and bonding energy involved in the weathering of natural phosphates was established by mixing particles of apatite with hydrogen systems of amberlite (I.R. 120), bentonite clay, Putnam clay, kaolinite, and humus. Mixtures of potassium-saturated bentonite, sodium-saturated bentonite, and powdered rock phosphate were also investigated for weathering changes. The amount of phosphorus weathered was related to hydrogen bonding at the outset and to calcium bonding energy of the colloidal system. H-amberlite, which has the highest bonding energy for calcium of the systems studied, was most effective in weathering phosphate minerals. H-humus, which has the lowest bonding energy for calcium was least effective as a weathering agent. The clay minerals weathered according to the relative energy levels resulting from the consideration of both hydrogen and calcium bonding energies. Bentonite clay was the most effective weathering agent; Putnam clay intermediate, and kaolinite the least effective. Bentonite clay saturated with potassium or sodium was effective as a phosphate mineral weathering agent.
Determinants of household expected real income growth in the U.S.A.

This study explores factors related to household income growth in a two-period timeframe. using data from the 1983 and I986 Survey of Consumer Finances. Regression results explain 81% of the variation in household income. Household income in the first period, age, marital status, education, job status and occupation were found to be important determinants of various levels of household real income growth. Implications for consumer education, financial planning, family economics and welfare policy are discussed.
Some Characteristics of Threonine Transport Across the Blood‐Brain Barrier of the Rat

Threonine entry into brain is altered by diet-induced changes in concentrations of plasma amino acids, especially the small neutrals. To study this finding further, we compared effects of various amino acids (large and small neutrals, analogues, and transport models) on transport of threonine and phenylalanine across the blood-brain barrier. Threonine transport was saturable and was usually depressed more by natural large than small neutrals. Norvaline and 2-amino-n-butyrate (AABA) were stronger competitors than norleucine. 2-Aminobicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2-carboxylate (BCH), a model in other preparations for the large neutral (L) system, and cysteine, a proposed model for the ASC system only in certain preparations, reduced threonine transport; 2-(methylamino)isobutyrate (MeAIB; a model for the A system for small neutrals) did not. Phenylalanine transport was most depressed by cold phenylalanine and other large neutrals; threonine and other small neutrals had little effect. Norleucine, but not AABA, was a strong competitor; BCH was more competitive than cysteine or MeAIB. Absence of sodium did not affect phenylalanine transport, but decreased threonine uptake by 25% (p less than 0.001). Our results with natural, analogue, and model amino acids, and especially with sodium, suggest that threonine, but not phenylalanine, may enter the brain partly by the sodium-dependent ASC system.
Seasonal foraging movements and migratory patterns of female Lamna ditropis tagged in Prince William Sound, Alaska

Conventional 'and electronic tags were used to investigate social segregation, distribution, movements and migrations of salmon sharks Lamna ditropis in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Sixteen salmon sharks were tagged with satellite transmitters and 246 with conventional tags following capture, and were then released in Prince William Sound during summer 1999 to 2001. Most salmon sharks sexed during the study were female (95%), suggesting a high degree of sexual segregation in the region. Salmon sharks congregated at adult Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. migration routes and in bays near Pacific salmon spawning grounds in Prince William Sound during July and August. Adult Pacific salmon were the principal prey in 51 salmon shark stomachs collected during summer months in Prince William Sound, but the fish appeared to be opportunistic predators and consumed sablefish Anoplopoma fimbria, gadids, Pacific herring Clupea pailasi. rockfish Sebastes spp. and squid (Teuthoidea) even when adult Pacific salmon were locally abundant. As Pacific salmon migrations declined in late summer, the salmon sharks dispersed; some continued to forage in Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska into autumn and winter months, while others rapidly moved south-east thousands of kilometres toward the west coasts of Canada and the U.S. Three movement modes are proposed to explain the movement patterns observed in the Gulf of Alaska and eastern North Pacific Ocean: 'focal foraging' movements, 'foraging dispersals' and 'direct migrations'. Patterns of salmon shark movement are possibly explained by spatio-temporal changes in prey quality and density, an energetic trade-off between prey availability and water temperature, intra-specific competition for food and reproductive success. Transmissions from the electronic tags also provided data on depth and water temperatures experienced by the salmon sharks. The fish ranged from the surface to a depth of 668 m, encountered water temperatures from 4.0 to 16.8° C and generally spent the most time above 40 m depth and between 6 and 14° C (60 and 73%. respectively).
Induction from the general to the more general

Most learning-theoretic analyses of inductive problems assume that the evidence provided to the theorist is quantifier-free. But scientific methodologists and artificial intelligence programmers have long assumed that theorists receive universal claims as inputs. What are the limits on inductive inference from laws? How much more expressive can the language of a theory be than the language of the data it is reliably inferred from? This paper presents upper and lower bounds on the the relationship between quantifier complexity in the data and the quantifier complexity of the theory to be reliably inferred from this data. The lower bounds are established with the help of the Keisler n-sandwich theorem, a powerful model theoretic preservation theorem. This application suggests further fruitful applications of model theory to diagonal arguments in learning theory.
Evolution of discrete coagulation equation

Abstract A new approximation technique is suggested for coagulation equations which is remarkably accurate. This technique leads to a new form for the discrete coagulation equation. This method has been applied to several different initial distributions for both physical and mathematical kernels. Furthermore, our method indicates that taking the first moment as a criterion for accuracy of the integration method is misleading and yields erroneous conclusions. The approximate polynomial solution to the coagulation equations for an arbitrary kernel has also been investigated. It is found that the polynomial solution is very accurate and easy to apply for the case of a constant kernel but, for a variable kernel, it may be applied only to cases where the fluctuation of the kernel from its average value is very small. The appearance of the second peak for the initial gamma distribution is observed for all kernels applied here.
Iron in sickle cell disease: a review why less is better.

Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is an inherited disorder of hemoglobin synthesis that is characterized by life-long severe hemolytic anemia, attacks of pain crisis, and chronic organ system damage. A third of the hemolysis in SCA is intravascular and the resulting urinary losses of iron may lead to iron deficiency. There is no evidence of iron overload in SCA and iron deficiency may be more common than suspected, especially in men. Absence of bone marrow iron remains a gold standard for the diagnosis of iron deficiency in these patients. Although low serum ferritin is highly specific for the diagnosis of iron deficiency, its sensitivity is quite low in SCA because of non-specific elevation due to increased red cell turnover. The kinetics of sickling is strongly concentration dependent such that small decreases in the mean corpuscular deoxyhemoglobin-S concentration (MCHC-S) cause a substantial delay in sickle hemoglobin polymerization. Prolongation of the "delay time of gelation" in excess of the capillary transit time may allow the erythrocyte to traverse the capillary bed to escape to the arterial side before there is rheologic impairment of the erythrocyte from polymerization of sickle hemoglobin. Overt iron deficiency lowers the MCHC-S and thereby decreases the sickling tendency and the severity of hemolysis. The clinical improvement in SCA following the induction of iron deficient erythropoiesis by repeated phlebotomies or by erythrocytapheresis has been reported. Prospective controlled studies are needed to evaluate further, the therapeutic strategy of inducing controlled iron-deficient erythropoiesis in selected patients with SCA.
QCD at finite isospin density.

QCD at finite isospin chemical potential ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{I}$ has no fermion sign problem and can be studied on the lattice. We solve this theory analytically in two limits: at low ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{I}$, where chiral perturbation theory is applicable, and at asymptotically high ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{I}$, where perturbative QCD works. At low isospin density the ground state is a pion condensate, whereas at high density it is a Fermi liquid with Cooper pairing. The pairs carry the same quantum numbers as the pion. This leads us to conjecture that the transition from hadron to quark matter is smooth, which passes several tests. Our results imply a nontrivial phase diagram in the space of temperature and chemical potentials of isospin and baryon number.
The effect of extracellular sodium ion concentration on the action of opiates to inhibit potassium-evoked released of [3H]noradrenaline from the mouse vas deferens

Abstract Opiates depress the potassium-induced efflux of [ 3 H]noradrenaline from the mouse vas deferens in a concentration-dependent (the IC 50 for normorphine was 1.5 μM), stereospecific and naloxone-reversible manner. As the concentration of sodium in the extracellular fluid was reduced, the inhibitory action of opiates was also reduced. This attenuation of opiate action is the converse of that predicted by the ‘sodium-shift’ observed in opiate binding studies in which lowering the sodium concentration potentiates opiate agonist binding. The relevance of sodium to the pharmacological actions of opiates is discussed.
Electrostatic Interactions Drive Scaffolding/Coat Protein Binding and Procapsid Maturation in Bacteriophage P22

The first step in assembly of the bacteriophage P22 is the formation of a T=7 icosahedral “procapsid,” the major components of which are the coat protein and an inner core composed of the scaffolding protein. Although not present in the mature virion, the scaffolding protein is required for procapsid assembly. Eleven amino-acid residues at the extreme carboxyl terminus of the scaffolding protein are required for binding to the coat protein, and upon deletion of these residues, approximately 20 additional residues become disordered. Sequence analysis and NMR data suggest that the 30 residues at the carboxyl terminus form a helix-loop-helix motif which is stabilized by interhelical hydrophobic interactions. This “coat protein recognition domain” presents an unusually high number of positively charged residues on one face, suggesting that electrostatic interactions between this domain and the coat protein may contribute to recognition and binding. We report here that high ionic strength (1 M NaCl) completely inhibited procapsid assemblyin vitro.When scaffolding protein was added to empty procapsid “shells” of coat protein, 1 M NaCl partially inhibited the binding of scaffolding protein to the shells. This suggests that the positively charged coat protein recognition domain at the carboxyl terminus of the scaffolding protein binds to a negatively charged region on the coat protein. During DNA packaging, the scaffolding protein exits the procapsid; scaffolding protein exit is followed by the expansion of the procapsid into a mature capsid. Procapsid shells can be induced to undergo a similar expansion reactionin vitroby heating (45–70°C); this process was also inhibited by 1 M NaCl. These results are consistent with a model in which negatively charged scaffold protein-binding domains in the coat proteins move apart during procapsid expansion; this relief of electrostatic repulsion could provide a driving force for expansion and subsequent maturation. High-salt concentrations would screen this repulsion, while packaging of DNA (a polyanion)in vivomay increase the instability of the procapsid enough to trigger its expansion.
Selective suppression of cytochrome P-450 gene expression by interleukins 1 and 6 in rat liver.

Abstract Inflammatory stimuli suppress constitutive hepatic expression of the CYP2C11 and CYP2C12 genes in male and female rat livers, respectively. We have shown previously that injection of interleukin-1 (IL1), but not interleukin-6 (IL6), to female rats also suppresses CYP2C12 . In the present study, we examined the effects of these cytokines on CYP2C12 expression in rat hepatocyte cultures, and their in vivo effects on expression of multiple cytochrome P -450 (P450) gene products in male rat livers. IL1 suppressed the expression of CYP2C12 mRNA and protein in hepatocytes cultured on Matrigel in the presence of growth hormone. No consistent effect of IL6 was observed. Maximal suppression of CYP2C12 mRNA after 24 h of IL1 treatment reached 12 and 32% of control levels in two separate experiments. The approximate ED 50 for IL1 was 5 ng/ml. CYP2C12 protein was suppressed to 28% of control levels as early as 12 h after IL1 treatment. Injection of IL1, low doses of dexamethasone, or both, in male rats produced decreases in total P450, and in CYP3A2 and CYP2C11 mRNA and protein expression similar to effects previously seen for CYP2C12 expression in females. CYP2E1 mRNA and protein was significantly suppressed only by the combination of IL1 and dexamethasone. IL6 treatment of male rats down-regulated the CYP2C11 and CYP2E1 mRNAs at a dose of 4.5 μg/kg, which was lower than that required to induce haptoglobin mRNA, a prototype acute phase gene product. CYP2C11 protein content of the microsomes was also decreased by IL6 treatment, with a slower time-course than for suppression of its mRNA. No significant effects of IL6 treatment were seen on CYP3A2 mRNA or CYP3A2/1 proteins. These results demonstrate that IL1 and IL6 treatments in vivo differentially affect subsets of P450 gene products in rat liver.
EFFECT OF HISTAMINE H2-RECEPTOR ANTAGONISTS ON DELAYED HYPERSENSITIVITY

The delayed skin-test response to four antigens was assessed before and after 6 weeks' cimetidine therapy in patients with duodenal-ulcer disease. In the eight patients who received cimetidine there was a significant increase in both erythema and induration after six weeks' cimetidine therapy. In contrast, the intensity of delayed-hypersensitivity reactions at 6 weeks was not increased in eight control patients who did not receive cimetidine. These studies indicate that therapy with an H2-receptor antagonist may be associated with an augmentation of delayed hypersensitivity responses.
Similarity grouping and peripheral discriminability under uncertainty.

The effectiveness of rotated figures in producing similarity grouping corresponded to their peripheral discriminability under uncertainty in a patterned visual field--but not to their discriminability in an empty visual field. The results support the hypothesis that similarity grouping is a segregative process based on the response of the visual system to stimulus differences before attention narrows or focuses.
A new species of Stenotarsonemus (Acari: Tarsonemidae) from the Island of Hawaii, Hawaiian Islands

Abstract Stenotarsonemus hamakuaensis Goff, n. sp. is described from specimens collected off a koa tree, Acacia koa, on the island of Hawaii, Hawaiian Islands.
Metrics for mixed pallet stacking

Stacking boxes of various sizes and contents on pallets (i.e. making mixed pallets) is a primary method of preparing goods for shipment from a warehouse to a store or other distant site. Many billions of dollars are spent each year in preparing, shipping, and unloading mixed pallets. Designing the load on a pallet well can save money and effort in all three phases. But what is a good design? In this paper we discuss quantitative metrics for mixed pallets. We have built a graphical simulator called PalletViewer, also described here, that displays pallets being built and calculates metrics.
The Search for the Mechanisms of Democratization

Democracy. By Tilly Charles. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. 246 pp., $65.00 cloth (ISBN-13: 978-0-521-87771-8), $19.99 paper (ISBN-13: 978-0-521-70153-2). Charles Tilly's Democracy is an ambitious attempt to explain why modern democracies emerge and survive. Tilly's ambition in tackling this subject has both a positive and a negative side. On the positive side, Democracy virtually explodes with creative theoretical ideas as Tilly boldly sets forth a general account of the causal mechanisms that explain the rise and fall of democratic institutions. Indeed, Tilly argues that “the fundamental processes promoting democratization have remained the same over democracy's several centuries of history” (p. 78). Moreover, Tilly contends that democratization studies require a major shift in focus. Rather than concentrating on discrete moments of regime transition, scholars should direct more attention to the long-term processes that arguably make democracy possible in the first place. He argues, in particular, that the three fundamental mechanisms that promote democratization are building trust and blunting inequality in pubic politics, while suppressing any nonstate actors who have coercive power. He also covers relatively neglected terrain in exploring the multifaceted relationship between democracy and state capacity. On the negative side, the ambitious scope of the book means that few of Tilly's complex theoretical arguments are subject to rigorous empirical scrutiny. The book, in other words, asks far more questions than it answers. Democracy therefore also speaks to a broader debate in the social sciences, namely, the viability of a research agenda that focuses on the search for recurrent causal mechanisms. In the end, because of some critical weaknesses, such as the book's inability to deal …
Systems model of carbon transformations in soil subsidence

Abstract A system model was designed to simulate the interaction of climatologic and biologic factors in the biological oxidation of organic soils in ordert to stimulate research on this diminishing resource and attendant water quality problems in the Florida Everglades area. This is a mass balance model in which carbon and nitrogen are conserved in the transformations. It was designed to test different management alternatives for slowing the rate of soil subsidence and to estimate their potential effect on water quality by simulating subsidence rates and the release rates of nitrates, nitrites, and organic acids to ground and surface waters. The biological submodel is structured about two major compartments — the total non-living carbon compartment and a living carbon compartment that includes the microbial biomass and functioning extracellular enzymes. Simulations of the model show the effects of temperature, organic composition, and water table height on carbon dioxide evolution from the soil.
Market structure analysis using managerial judgments: A framework and an experimental test

Managerial judgments are essential inputs in market structure analysis. The basic premise of this research is that by using structured elicitation methods that rely on the underlying logic of competitive market structure analysis (CMSA) models, it may be possible to effectively extract and organize managers' knowledge of competitive relationships. In this study, the authors examine how managerial judgments are influenced by two elicitation methods (perceived competitive similarity and forced choice) and three specific priming cues (brand image, features, and usage situation). The focus is on examining the learning effects of feedback and concordance of judgments across elicitation methods. The results showed significant effects of both feedback and elicitation method, but not for the primed cue. Relative to the perceptual similarity method, the forced choice method helped subjects better articulate the veridical structure of the market. Also, the forced choice method produced more concordant judgments of market structure when followed by perceptual similarity as compared to the reverse (i.e., perceived similarity followed by forced choice). This suggests that the forced choice elicitation method produces a more stable perception of market structure. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Effect of Chemical Kinetics on Concurrent-Flow Flame Spread over Solids: A Comparison Between Buoyant Flow and Forced Flow Cases

The authors employed detailed numerical models with a one-step finite-rate chemical reaction to investigate the kinetic rate effect (through the variation of the pre-exponential factor) on concurrent flame spread rates over thin solids. It is found that flames in forced flow are less sensitive to the change of kinetics than flames in buoyant flow, and narrow samples are more sensitive to the change of kinetics compared with wide samples. The rate of chemical kinetics affects the flame spread rates primarily through two mechanisms: the amount of unburnt fuel vapors escaping from the reaction zone and the variation of induced flow velocity through flame temperature change in the case of the buoyant flames. Detailed analyses of the flame structure and flow pattern are presented for the forced- and buoyant-flow cases to explain their different degrees of sensitivity to the combustion reaction rate.
Concise Review: Can the Intrinsic Power of Branching Morphogenesis Be Used for Engineering Epithelial Tissues and Organs?

Branching morphogenesis is critical to the development of organs such as kidney, lung, mammary gland, prostate, pancreas, and salivary gland. Essentially, an epithelial bud becomes an iterative tip-stalk generator (ITSG) able to form a tree of branching ducts and/or tubules. In different organs, branching morphogenesis is governed by similar sets of genes. Epithelial branching has been recapitulated in vitro (or ex vivo) using three-dimensional cell culture and partial organ culture systems, and several such systems relevant to kidney tissue engineering are discussed here. By adapting systems like these it may be possible to harness the power inherent in the ITSG program to propagate and engineer epithelial tissues and organs. It is also possible to conceive of a universal ITSG capable of propagation that may, by recombination with organ-specific mesenchymal cells, be used for engineering many organ-like tissues similar to the organ from which the mesenchyme cells were derived, or toward which they are differentiated (from stem cells). The three-dimensional (3D) branched epithelial structure could act as a dynamic branching cellular scaffold to establish the architecture for the rest of the tissue. Another strategy—that of recombining propagated organ-specific ITSGs in 3D culture with undifferentiated mesenchymal stem cells—is also worth exploring. If feasible, such engineered tissues may be useful for the ex vivo study of drug toxicity, developmental biology, and physiology in the laboratory. Over the long term, they have potential clinical applications in the general fields of transplantation, regenerative medicine, and bioartificial medical devices to aid in the treatment of chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and other diseases.