cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Kidney transplantation without calcineurin inhibitors using sirolimus

Abstract Introduction With the introduction of new immunosuppressive medicines, it has become possible to determine the extent to which nephrotoxic medicines contribute to CAN. The aim of this study is to compare the safety and efficacy of calcineurin inhibitor (CI) free immunosuppression in a prospective, randomized trial comparing sirolimus-mycophenolate mofetil (MMF)-prednisone to tacrolimus- MMF-prednisone. Methods Patients are randomized at the time of transplant to receive either tacrolimus (target level 12 to 15 ng/mL in the first month) or sirolimus (target level 12 to 18 ng/mL in the first month). All patients also receive MMF (750 mg bid) and prednisone tapered to 10 mg/d by 3 months and thymoglobulin induction (1.5 mg/kg/d on days 0, 1, 2, 4 and 6). Results At this point we have 4-month follow-up in 85 patients. The acute rejection rate is 7.5% (3/40) in the tacrolimus group and 6.7% (3/45) in the sirolimus group. We have discontinued sirolimus in eight patients so far, with wound complications being the most common indication. Renal function appears to be better in the sirolimus group at 1 month after transplantation, but the difference is not statistically significant. Conclusions While longer follow-up is needed, these results demonstrate that total avoidance of CI can be achieved with extremely low acute cellular rejection rates using sirolimus-based immunosuppression in combination with thymoglobulin, MMF, and prednisone.
Changes in pornography-seeking behaviors following political elections: An examination of the challenge hypothesis

The current study examined whether or not individuals who vicariously win a competition seek out pornography relatively more often than individuals who vicariously lose a competition. By examining a portion of Google keyword searches during the 2004, 2006 and 2008 US election cycles, the relative popularity of online pornography keywords searches was computed for each state and the District of Columbia the week before and the week after each election. Consistent with the Challenge Hypothesis, following all three election cycles, individuals located in states voting for the winning political party tended to search for pornography keywords relatively more often than individuals residing in states voting for the losing political party.
The Haynes Inlet weirs: estuarine fishing and archaeological site visibility on the southern Cascadia coast

Estuarine environments often provide exceptional conditions for the preservation of perishable materials. Over the last decade, over 70 estuarine wood stake fish weir sites have been identified on the Oregon coast. In this paper, we summarize Native oral traditions and archaeological research that indicate that estuarine fishing was primarily a household, day-to-day activity that targeted a wide range of anadromous and resident fish species. We also discuss how tectonic subsidence and uplift, eustatic sea level rise, and the succession of estuarine habitats impact the preservation, visibility, and time depth of wood stake weir sites. We then consider how these processes affect the preservation, visibility, and interpretation of wood stake fish weirs in Haynes Inlet in Coos Bay on the Oregon coast, one of the largest concentrations of such features in the southern Cascadia region.
RF shimming for spectroscopic localization in the human brain at 7 T

Spectroscopic imaging of the human head at short echo times (≤15 ms) typically requires suppression of signals from extracerebral tissues. However, at 7 T, decreasing efficiency in B generation (hertz/watt) and increasing spectral bandwidth result in dramatic increases in power deposition and increased chemical shift registration artifacts for conventional gradient-based in-plane localization. In this work, we describe a novel method using radiofrequency shimming and an eight-element transceiver array to generate a B field distribution that excites a ring about the periphery of the head and leaves central brain regions largely unaffected. We have used this novel B distribution to provide in-plane outer volume suppression (>98% suppression of extracerebral lipids) without the use of gradients. This novel B distribution is used in conjunction with a double inversion recovery method to provide suppression of extracerebral resonances with T1s greater than 400 ms, while having negligible effect on metabolite ratios of cerebral resonances with T1s > 1000 ms. Despite the use of two adiabatic pulses, the high efficiency of the ring distribution allows radiofrequency power deposition to be limited to 3-4 W for a pulse repetition time of 1.5 sec. The short echo time enabled the acquisition of images of the human brain, displaying glutamate, glutamine, macromolecules, and other major cerebral metabolites. Magn Reson Med, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Data and methodological needs to assess uncertainty in the carbon footprint of ICT products

Several pressures have led to unprecedented corporate interest in “carbon footprinting” or life cycle assessment (LCA) of products. These pressures include historically high energy prices, climate change regulation, corporate sustainability efforts, and announcements from several major retailers that environmental data will be required from suppliers. There are significant challenges in standardizing such calculations and several proposed standards include those from the British Standards Institute, the International Standards Organization, and the World Resources Institute/World Business Council on Sustainable Development [1, 2]. This work discusses the particular challenges relevant to the information technologies (IT) industry's ongoing investigation into the environmental impact of their products. IT products are complex and experience high turnover both in their manufacturing and assembly process flows as well as the supply chains used to procure materials and components. Often the results of quantifying environmental impacts are dominated by significant uncertainty and variability in the calculation of footprints, particularly for complicated products with large supplier networks. The existence of uncertainty is undisputed, and yet efforts to quantify uncertainty and variability in carbon footprints and life cycle assessments remain nascent at best. This research helps elucidate the data and methodological challenges in assessing uncertainties in the carbon footprinting of laptop and desktop computers.
New constraints on early Tertiary palaeoproductivity from carbon isotopes in foraminifera

ONE of the most pronounced features of marine sections at the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary is the negative excursion in biogenic carbonate δ13C in the early Tertiary carbon isotope record1–9. The coincidence of this excursion with the elimination of many marine plankton species supports predictions that large-scale reduction of primary productivity in the oceans would disrupt the biological carbon pump, resulting in a diminished surf ace-to-deep δ13C gradient10 (Δδ13C). Carbonate accumulation rates and other geochemical indices support the idea that the oceans were less productive in the early Palaeocene9. Here we present carbon isotope analyses of individual species of benthic and planktonic foraminifera spanning the K/T boundary in OOP Hole 690C (Weddell Sea, Antarctica) which demonstrate that primary productivity following the K/T extinctions may not have diminished to the extent or for the duration indicated by previous isotope studies. The magnitude of the δ13C gradient change is dependent on the species analysed, reflecting differing depths of calcification, seasonal contrasts and/or disequilibrium effects. The lack of any change in benthic δ13C at the K/T boundary indicates that the Antarctic may not have been a significant source of deep water during the early Palaeocene, contrary to previous suggestion11–13.
Numerical simulation of the Noordbergum effect resulting from groundwater pumping in a layered aquifer system

Abstract Numerical simulations were carried out to investigate the so-called Noordbergum effect (i.e. reverse water-level fluctuation) resulting from groundwater withdrawal. Two specific cases were analyzed: a three-layer aquifer system composed of two permeable aquifers separated by a semi-impermeable aquitard, and a corresponding single-layer aquifer system composed of an equivalent lumped material. In the numerical simulation of the layered aquifer system, the Noordbergum effect is observed during the early time period of pumping in the overlying aquitard and unpumped aquifer while the underlying aquifer is pumped. In contrast, the numerical simulation results of the lumped aquifer system do not show such a reverse water-level fluctuation throughout the entire domain. These results strongly suggest that the Noordbergum effect can be explained by the difference in poroelastic responses of the layered (heterogeneous) and lumped (homogeneous) aquifer systems to the hydraulic pumping stress. The Noordbergum effect is caused by two mechanisms: a faster mechanical propagation (deformation) of the pumping stress than its hydraulic propagation (drawdown) from the pumped aquifer into the adjacent aquitard and unpumped aquifer due to relatively lower hydraulic conductivity of the aquitard, and a mechanical amplification (excessive compression) in the lower part of the relatively soft aquitard. However, the pumping stress is evenly distributed throughout the entire domain of the lumped aquifer system without such mechanisms since it has homogeneous hydraulic and mechanical properties.
Oxidative coupling of methane over oxide-supported barium catalysts

The effects of barium loading level and support basicity on the activity and C2+ selectivity for oxidative coupling of methane were examined for MgO-, CaO-, ZnO-, and Al2O3-supported Ba catalysts. The nature and distribution of catalyst surface species were characterized by XPS and ISS spectroscopic techniques, which indicated that there is no direct correlation between support basicity and oxidative coupling activity. However, catalysts containing sufficiently high Ba loadings are more easily poisoned by carbon dioxide than those with low Ba contents, due to increased stability of a BaCO3 phase. With supports of low basicity, or when the Ba is uniformly distributed on the catalyst support, the susceptibility to carbon dioxide poisoning is minimized. XPS characterization of the Ba/MgO catalysts confirmed that oxidative coupling activity is directly related to the capability of the catalyst to form surface O2−2 ions existing in a BaO2 phase that is sustained under reaction conditions by the presence of molecular O2. With a 2 mol% Ba/MgO catalyst, a C2+ selectivity of 80% at a CH4 conversion of 17% was achieved using a CH4 : O2 = 10 : 1 reactant mixture at 800°C and a total reagent pressure of 1 atm.
NAD-dependent L-fucose dehydrogenase from sheep liver.

Abstract l -Fucose dehydrogenase has been purified about 45-fold from the soluble fraction of sheep liver. The enzyme accepts either l -fucose or d -arabinose as substrates but is specific for NAD as coenzyme. Disc-gel clectrophoresis failed to separate the activities obtained with l -fucose and d -arabinose substrates. The pH maximum is 10.4; at this pH, the Km values are 1.5, 7.2, and 0.19 m m for l -fucose, d -arabinose, and NAD, respectively. The product obtained with the l -fucose substrate under these conditions was l -fuconic acid; with a d -arabinose substrate, d -arabonic acid was formed, d -Glucose, d -galactose, d -xylose, and l -arabinose were not substrates for this enzyme.
LIMITATION OF SPIRIT BLUE AGAR FOR DETECTION OF LIPOLYTIC MICROORGANISMS IN EGG PRODUCTS

Gross differences in tipolytic bacterial counts in egg products were obtained using Spirit Blue Agar and Polysorbate Emulsion Agar. Changes in total aerobic, proteolytic, and lipolytic counts were monitored in unpasteurized liquid whole egg and in two egg substitutes held at 12°C up to 10 days. Spirit Blue Agar, commonly recommended for the enumeration of lipolytic bacteria, gave suppressed counts in the presence of large numbers of proteolytic bacteria. Polysorbate Emulsion Agar gave more reliable lipolytic counts when lipolytic and proteolytic organisms were present together in the egg products.
Change in psychosocial functioning and social relations among women in residential substance abuse treatment.

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which psychosocial functioning and social relationships changed during the first 3 months of treatment among women in a residential substance abuse program that emphasizes the importance of developing healthy relationships. Methods: Participants included 77 female clients admitted to the Salvation Army First Choice (FC) Program in Fort Worth, TX. Assessments of psychological functioning, family relations, and peer relations were administered at treatment entry and again after 3 months. Relationships with clients in treatment and friends outside treatment were measured separately. Results: Repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVA) indicated that interpersonal relationships improved. Family networks increased, family cohesion increased, and family conflict decreased. Peer networks changed as well, due in part to new relationships with other clients in treatment. The number of drug-using friends decreased, peer deviance and negative influence decreased, and social conformity among friends increased. There was a corresponding improvement in psychosocial functioning. Implications: Results suggested that relationship-centered treatment for women was effective. Clients reestablished connections with family members, disassociated from drug-using peers, and improved the quality of relationships with family members and friends. Further research is needed in order to examine the influence of specific treatment components and the potential long-term effects of changes in women's relationships.
Response competition effects insame-different judgments

An account ofsame-different discriminations that is based upon a continuous-flow model of visual information processing (C. W. Eriksen & Schultz, 1979) and response competition and inhibition between the responses by which the subject signifies his judgment is presented. We show that a response signifyingsame will on the average be executed faster due to less priming or incipient activation of the competing response,different. In the experiment, the subjects matched letters on the basis of physical identity. The degree of priming ofdifferent responses on same trials and ofsame responses ondifferent trials was manipulated by an extraneous noise letter placed in the display. Latency for judgments onsame trials increased as the feature overlap of noise and target letters decreased. Latencies were shorter ondifferent trials when the noise letter was dissimilar to either target letter than when the noise letter was the same as one of the targets. These results were consistent with the response-competition interpretation.
Mediastinal Parathyroid Cysts

Objective To present our experience with mediastinal parathyroid cysts and summarize previously reported cases. Design We retrospectively reviewed medical records and reviewed the pertinent literature. Material and Methods The clinical, operative, and pathologic findings in 7 cases of mediastinal parathyroid cysts encountered at one institution and 31 cases previously reported in the literature are described. Results Rarely, cysts may arise from an aberrant mediastinal parathyroid gland. Such cysts may manifest as a symptomatic mass, as an asymptomatic finding on roentgenography, or during the assessment of a patient with hyperparathyroidism. The diagnosis may be made by fine-needle aspiration or by excision and pathologic examination. Conclusion Functioning parathyroid cysts represent degeneration of a hyperfunctioning gland, such as an adenoma, and are usually removed through a cervical approach. Nonfunctioning cysts in asymptomatic patients with normal serum calcium levels are considered indeterminate and should be managed accordingly. Excision is usually recommended.
Effect of castration on the metabolism of androgens in rat skeletal muscle.

Abstract 1. 1. The metabolic conversion of testosterone and 17β-hydroxy-5α-andro-stan-3-one by cell fractions from skeletal muscle was examined. 2. 2. Little or no conversion of testosterone to 17β-hydroxy-5α-androstan-3-one is observed with any skeletal muscle fraction studied. 3. 3. The cytosol from all muscles examined contained substantial levels of the enzyme 3α-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase, which converts 17β-hydroxy-5α-androstan-3-one to 5α-androstane-3,17β-diol. 4. 4. The K m of the reaction in the three muscles (extensor digitorum longus, soleus and levator ani) is in the order of 3−6 × 10 −6 M. 5. 5. Following castration, there is no significant change in the K m value of this reaction in any of the muscles. 6. 6. The V max of the conversion in the extensor digitorum longus and soleus are similar (in the order of 2.0 × 10 −11 mol/mg per min) and castration has no significant effect on V max in either of these muscles. 7. 7. V max is significantly lower for the levator ani (3.4 × 10 −12 mol/mg per min) than for the extensor digitorum longus and soleus. 8. 8. Following castration the V max for the levator ani undergoes a significant rise which peaks at 3 days.
A simple, rapid and highly sensitive method of separation and quantification of uric acid, hypoxanthine, and xanthine by HPLC

Uric acid, hypoxanthine, and xanthine can be analyzed in ng quantities from a variety of insect materials in less than 10 min from sample collection to quantification of all 3 purines.
Object-oriented software modeling of a Flexible Manufacturing System

Flexible Manufacturing Systems play an important role in improving our manufacturing productivity. Simulation is emerging as a popular tool in modeling FMS for analyzing its performance in the area of production planning/scheduling. In this paper, we illustrate how to model a Flexible Manufacturing System in the object-oriented paradigm using an example. We present a systemtic approach to the design of object-oriented programming systems based on a combination of data modeling and event analysis techniques. An entity relationship approach is used as the basis for an initial decomposition of the system into objects. The design is refined by an analysis of the events the objects participate in. The design is implemented in Objective-C. Finally, we describe ways in which this model of an FMS can be extended to explore popular research questions in production planning and scheduling.
Counting Pentecostals Worldwide

Demographics on national, regional, and global Pentecostalism provide an essential backdrop to almost every kind of quantitative or qualitative study done on other aspects of Pentecostalism. This article outlines both the history and the research findings related to the subject of defining, categorizing, and counting Pentecostals. Subjects covered include early attempts to count Pentecostals, the development of taxonomies of different types of Pentecostals and Charismatics, and statistical estimates of Pentecostals and Charismatics by type.
Comparison of Pheromone-Mediated Mating Disruption and Conventional Insecticides for Management of Tufted Apple Bud Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Large-plot studies were used to compare pheromone-mediated mating disruption and conventional insecticide applications for management of tufted apple bud moth, Platynota idaeusalis (Walker), in North Carolina in 1993 and 1994. Pheromone trap catches were reduced in mating disruption blocks, and traps placed in the lower stratum of the canopy had a higher level of trap capture reduction compared with traps placed in the upper stratum. First-generation tufted apple bud moth exposure to either pheromones for mating disruption or insecticides affected second generation pheromone trap catches in the lower and upper canopy. More second generation male moths were caught in pheromone traps placed in the upper compared with the lower canopy in blocks treated with pheromones for mating disruption during the first generation, whereas the opposite was true in blocks treated with insecticides during the first generation. Despite reduced trap catches in pheromone-treated blocks, egg mass densities were not reduced in these blocks compared with insecticide-treated blocks. Furthermore, fruit damage was not significantly different between mating disruption blocks and conventionally treated blocks in orchards with relatively low populations of tufted apple bud moth, but damage was greater in mating disruption blocks in orchards with higher moth densities.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome as a Medical Research Problem Since 1945

During the 1970s, sudden infant death syndrome was recognized as a major medical problem in the United States and became the focus of a federally mandated research effort. Although Congress, the National Institutes of Health, and medical researchers all played important roles in these developments, groups of parents of victims were crucial in calling attention to the social significance of sudden infant death syndrome and in demanding more research. The history of the interaction of bereaved parents, research scientists, and federal officials since 1945 illuminates how a mysterious phenomenon that had attracted little interest from researchers became transformed in the 1970s to a high-priority medical research problem.
Alley cropping rice (Oryza sativa var.Barafita) with cassia (Cassia siamea): soil fertility and crop production

Rice grain weight and quality (weight of larger size fractions), soil pH, and N, P, K and organic matter content were studied where rice was alley cropped with cassia on a semiarid site in The Gambia. The four treatments, control (no cassia prunings or inorganic fertilizer added), only prunings added, prunings plus half the recommended fertilizer rate and prunings plus full recommended rate of fertilizer, were applied in a Latin square design with 10×8 m plots, each sub-divided into two 4-m wide alleys. Fertilizer was applied twice; full rates were 93.7 kg/ha NPK (8:24:24) plus 32.4 kg/ha urea followed two weeks later by 100 kg/ha urea applied as side dressing. Soil samples collected before and after cropping at 0–10 cm and 10–15 cm depths and cassia pruning samples were analyzed for pH, N, P, K and organic matter content. Our results do not show significant benefit of cassia prunings applied as mulch to grain weight or quality in alley cropping rice with cassia. The addition of inorganic fertilizer plus cassia prunings did not increase rice grain and straw weights (p=0.3447 and p=0.0691, respectively) compared to the control and prunings only treatments. In all treatments, the outer rows, those within 80 cm of hedgerows, produced significantly less grain (p=0.0002) and straw than inner rows. Neither the larger grade A nor the smaller grade B grain weights were significantly different (p=0.6017 and p=0.0629, respectively) between treatments. Weight of grain, straw, and larger grade A and smaller grade B quality grain did not differ significantly for inner and outer rows (p=0.6329, p=0.7148, p=0.7171 and p=1.000, respectively).
Hydrogen Bonds between Nitrogen Donors and the Semiquinone in the QB Site of Bacterial Reaction Centers

Photosynthetic reaction centers from Rhodobacter sphaeroides have identical ubiquinone-10 molecules functioning as primary (QA) and secondary (QB) electron acceptors. X-band 2D pulsed EPR spectroscopy, called HYSCORE, was applied to study the interaction of the QB site semiquinone with nitrogens from the local protein environment in natural and 15N uniformly labeled reactions centers. 14N and 15N HYSCORE spectra of the QB semiquinone show the interaction with two nitrogens carrying transferred unpaired spin density. Quadrupole coupling constants estimated from 14N HYSCORE spectra indicate them to be a protonated nitrogen of an imidazole residue and amide nitrogen of a peptide group. 15N HYSCORE spectra allowed estimation of the isotropic and anisotropic couplings with these nitrogens. From these data, we calculated the unpaired spin density transferred onto 2s and 2p orbitals of nitrogen and analyzed the contribution of different factors to the anisotropic hyperfine tensors. The hyperfine coupling of othe...
Electron-Transfer Kinetics in Protein Assemblies by Single-Mode Electro-Active Integrated Optical Waveguides

Optical impedance spectroscopy based on a single-mode, electro-active, integrated optical waveguide was developed to investigate electron-transfer processes in redox assemblies of proteins at unprecedented limit of detection (sub-femto-moles/cm2).
CHOICE FOR PERIODIC SCHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENT1

Pigeons' responses in the presence of two concurrently available (initial-link) stimuli produced one of two different (terminal-link) stimuli according to identical but independent variable-interval schedules. Responding in the mutually exclusive terminal links was reinforced with food according to fixed-ratio schedules for six pigeons and according to fixed-interval schedules for two pigeons. None of the pigeons matched the proportion of (choice) responses in the initial links to the proportion of the rates of reinforcement obtained during the terminal links. Instead, as the values of each of the terminal-link schedules were increased by a constant amount, the choice proportions for the stimulus associated with the smaller of the two values increased, even though the relative rates of reinforcement during the terminal links decreased. These results are incompatible with those from previous studies with aperiodic (variable-interval or variable-ratio) schedules. The present results do suggest, however, that in transforming aperiodic schedules into their periodic equivalents, it may be necessary to consider the size of the smallest interreinforcement interval comprising the terminal-link schedules.
Spatial memory in rats: Time course of working memory and effect of anesthetics.

Working memory for spatial information was studied in an eight-arm maze by imposing a delay of variable length between the animal's fourth and fifth choices. In all five rats tested memory was nearly perfect for delays of 60 sec to 4 hr. At longer delays memory declined systematically, although some evidence of memory persisted for 24 hr, the longest delay examined. Exposure to narcotizing doses of barbiturate anesthetics during the delay interval did not disrupt spatial memory. The long duration of nearly perfect memory in this situation should provide a useful procedure for assessing the effects of pharmacological and other reversible treatments on memory.
Effect of the postprandial state on nontraditional risk factors

Hyperglycemia is the cause of chronic microvascular complications in diabetes. Increased macrovascular disease occurring in diabetes is multifactorial, with hyperglycemia being only 1 of the factors responsible. A major deficiency in our understanding of the role of hyperglycemia in the pathogenesis of chronic diabetic complications is the contribution made by exaggerated postprandial glycemic excursions, in contrast to that made by chronic fasting hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia is thought to cause chronic diabetic complications through > or = 1 of the following biochemical mechanisms: (1) an exaggerated polyol pathway, (2) protein glycation and the formation of advanced glycation end products, (3) excessive activation of protein kinase C (PKC) isoenzymes in vascular and mesangial cells, and (4) greater oxidative stress. The focus of this article is how postprandial hyperglycemia and glucose excursions might specifically activate > or = 1 of these mechanisms and how they might contribute to the development of the chronic complications of diabetes by causing endothelial dysfunction, a procoagulant state, carbonyl stress, and/or vascular and oxidative effects secondary to PKC activation.
Charging of Spacecraft by Nuclear Electrons

The effect of nuclear beta decay electrons upon orbiting spacecraft potentials is analyzed. Maximum spacecraft potentials of hundreds of kilovolts are predicted. Charging effects are shown to depend upon orbit altitude, spacecraft configuration, ambient plasma conditions, and the peak flux of nuclear beta decay electrons generated immediately after a detonation.
Frontal chromatography of proteins: The effect on column performance of the restricted diffusion of molecules in porous chromatographic adsorbents

Abstract A theoretical formulation is presented that can be used to describe the dynamic behavior of frontal chromatography of proteins in columns packed with adsorbent particles in which restricted pore diffusion of the adsorbate molecules occurs. The results of this work clearly indicate that the time for breakthrough and the effective utilization of the adsorptive capacity of the chromatographic particles increase as (a) the size of the adsorbate and/or ligand (active site) molecule decreases, (b) the pore connectivity, nT, of the porous network of the adsorbent particles increases, and (c) the column length, L, increases.
Changes in the tonotopic map of the dorsal cochlear nucleus in hamsters with hair cell loss and radial nerve bundle degeneration

Hamsters were exposed to an intense tone (10 kHz) at levels and durations sufficient to cause hair cell loss and radial nerve bundle degeneration. A previous study reported changes in the tonotopic map of the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) in hamsters with tone-induced stereocilia loss. Such changes appear similar to those observed by others in the auditory nerve following acoustic trauma, and suggest that the map alterations have a peripheral origin. However, the potential for tonotopic map reorganization after more severe lesions involving cellular degeneration in the cochlea has not yet been determined. The purpose of the present study was to determine how the tonotopic map of the DCN appears in animals with severe cochlear injury involving hair cell loss and radial nerve bundle degeneration. Neural population thresholds and tonotopic organization were mapped over the surface of the DCN in normal unexposed animals and those showing tone-induced lesions. The results indicate that cochlear lesions characterized mainly by radial bundle degeneration in a restricted portion of the organ of Corti cause changes in a corresponding region of the tonotopic map which reflect primarily changes in the shape and thresholds of neural tuning curves. In many cases the center of the lesion was represented in the DCN as a distinct characteristic frequency (CF) gap in the tonotopic map in which responses were either extremely weak or absent. In almost all cases the map area representing the center of the lesion was bordered by an expanded region of near-constant CF, a feature superficially suggestive of map reorganization (i.e., plasticity). However, these expanded map areas had abnormal tip thresholds and showed other features suggesting that their CFs had been shifted downward by distortion and deterioration of their original tips. Such changes in neural tuning following tone-induced loss of anatomical input to the central auditory pathway are similar to those observed in our previous study and by others in the auditory nerve following less severe acoustic trauma, and thus would seem to have a peripheral origin. Thus, changes in the DCN tonotopic map can be explained by peripheral modifications and do not seem to involve plastic changes (i.e., reorganization).
Two dimensional simulation of lower hybrid resonance heating

The response of a magnetized plasma to excitation by an external longitudinal electric field oscillating near the lower hybrid frequency is examined by numerical simulation. A two-dimensional, electrostatic finite-size particle code is used with the ion motion described by standard particle-in-cell methods and the electrons simulated in the guiding-centre approximation. The guiding-centre model removes the electron mass from consideration and all time scales are measured in units of the inverse ion plasma frequency. An examination of the parameters that control the ion heating lead to the following conclusions: (1) The heating mechanism is not a collisional process. (2) The ion heating rate reaches a maximum for lambda identical to ko2 rho ci2 approximately=1. (3) The heating rate and final temperature is improved for frequencies slightly greater than the lower hybrid frequency. (4) The ion heating is improved for low densities. (5) Satellite modes appear on both sides of the dominant mode in the frequency spectrum.
Developing the scientific basis for assessing cumulative effects of wetland loss and degradation on landscape functions: Status, perspectives, and prospects

The incongruity between the regional and national scales at which wetland losses are occurring, and the project-specific scale at which wetlands are regulated and studied, has become obvious. This article presents a synthesis of recent efforts by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Ecosystems Research Center at Cornell University to bring wetland science and regulation into alignment with the reality of the cumulative effects of wetland loss and degradation on entire landscapes and regions. The synthesis is drawn from the other articles in this volume, the workshop that initiated them, and the scientific literature. It summarizes the status of our present scientific understanding, discusses means by which to actualize the existing potential for matching the scales of research and regulation with the scales at which effects are observed, and provides guidelines for building a stronger scientific base for landscape-level assessments of cumulative effects. It also provides the outlines for a synoptic and qualitative approach to cumulative effects assessment based on a reexamination of the generic assessment framework we proposed elsewhere in this volume.
A Novel Strategy for the Preparation of Substituted Tetrahydrofurans Based on Neighboring Group Participation by the Ring Oxygen of Monosaccharides

Abstract Simple monosaccharides, due to their ready availability and richly functionalized nature, have often proven practical in the preparation of complex natural products.1 Important elements of these strategies usually entail the stereoselective introduction of substituents on the carbohydrate template, and the timely elaboration of the cyclic acetal, which represents a masked hydroxyaldehyde, into acyclic structures. Regarding stereo-selectivity, several methodologies are available for the introduction of stereogenic centers at ‘on template’ positions but ‘off template’ stereoselectivity is a more formidable proposition and has not been as extensively explored.2 The conversion of cyclic monosaccharides to acyclic forms is usually achieved via acid mediated acetal bond cleavage procedures to give the derived hydroxyaldehyde, invariably more stable as the hemiacetal, the dithioacetal,3 or an acyclic dithioacetal or ether.4 However, the highly acidic conditions usually required for these reactions, ofte...
Quantifying uncertainty and variable sensitivity within the US billion-dollar weather and climate disaster cost estimates

Research examining natural disaster costs on social and economic systems is substantial. However, there are few empirical studies that seek to quantify the uncertainty and establish confidence intervals surrounding natural disaster cost estimates (ex post). To better frame the data limitations associated with natural disaster loss estimates, a range of losses can be evaluated by conducting multiple analyses and varying certain input parameters to which the losses are most sensitive. This paper contributes to the literature by examining new approaches for better understanding the uncertainty surrounding three US natural disaster cost estimate case studies, via Monte Carlo simulations to quantify the 95, 90 and 75 % confidence intervals. This research also performs a sensitivity analysis for one of the case studies examining which input data variables and assumptions are the most sensitive and contribute most to the overall uncertainty of the estimate. The Monte Carlo simulations for all three of the natural disaster events examined provide additional confidence in the US billion-dollar weather and climate disaster loss estimate report (NCDC 2014), since these estimates are within the confidence limits and near the mean and median of the example simulations. The normalized sensitivity analysis of Hurricane Ike damage costs determined that commercial losses in Texas are the most sensitive to assumption variability. Therefore, improvements in quantifying the commercial insurance participation rate for Texas will result in the largest reduction of uncertainty in the total loss estimate for Hurricane Ike. Further minimization of uncertainty would continue with improved measurement of subsequent cost parameters in order of descending sensitivity.
Introduction to beetle luciferases and their applications.

All beetle luciferases have evolved from a common ancestor: they all use ATP, O2, and a common luciferin as substrates. The most studied of these luciferases is that derived from the firefly Photinus pyralis, a beetle in the superfamily of Cantharoidea. The sensitivity with which the activity of this enzyme can be assayed has made it useful in the measurement of minute concentrations of ATP. With the cloning of the cDNA coding this luciferase, it has also found wide application in molecular biology as a reporter gene. We have recently cloned other cDNAs that code for luciferases from the bioluminescent click beetle, Pyrophorus plagiophthalamus, in the superfamily Elateroidea. These newly acquired luciferases are of at least four different types, distinguishable by their ability to emit different colours of bioluminescence ranging from green to orange. Unique properties of these luciferases, especially their emission of multiple colours, may make them additionally useful in applications.
The Cataloger's workstation revisited: utilizing cataloger's desktop

A few years into the development of Cataloger's Desktop, an electronic cataloging tool aggregator available through the Library of Congress, is an opportune time to assess its impact on cataloging operations. A search for online cataloging tools on the Internet indicates a proliferation of cataloging tool aggregators which provide access to online documentation related to cataloging practices and procedures. Cataloger's Desktop stands out as a leader among these aggregators. Results of a survey to assess 159 academic ARL and large public libraries' reasons for use or non-use of Cataloger's Desktop highlight the necessity of developing strategies for its successful implementation including training staff, providing documentation, and managing technical issues.
Gently dipping normal faults identified with Space Shuttle radar topography data in central Sulawesi, Indonesia, and some implications for fault mechanics

Abstract Space-shuttle radar topography data from central Sulawesi, Indonesia, reveal two corrugated, domal landforms, covering hundreds to thousands of square kilometers, that are bounded to the north by an abrupt transition to typical hilly to mountainous topography. These domal landforms are readily interpreted as metamorphic core complexes, an interpretation consistent with a single previous field study, and the abrupt northward transition in topographic style is interpreted as marking the trace of two extensional detachment faults that are active or were recently active. Fault dip, as determined by the slope of exhumed fault footwalls, ranges from 4° to 18°. Application of critical-taper theory to fault dip and hanging-wall surface slope, and to similar data from several other active or recently active core complexes, suggests a theoretical limit of three degrees for detachment-fault dip. This result appears to conflict with the dearth of seismological evidence for slip on faults dipping less than ~ 30°. The convex-upward form of the gently dipping fault footwalls, however, allows for greater fault dip at depths of earthquake initiation and dominant energy release. Thus, there may be no conflict between seismological and mapping studies for this class of faults.
Direct measurement of ultrafast carrier processes in optical probing of GaInAs-type narrow band gap semiconductors

The relaxation time of hot carriers in bulk Ga47In053As has been measured as a function of excitation energy near and above the conduction band minimum, and as a function of carrier density. The carrier relaxation rate increases dramatically with excess energy, due to the additional energy decay provided by the LO phonons. As a function of carrier density, the scattering rate is maximum at densities below 1018 cm3, but decreases for higher carrier concentrations, falling roughly by half at 1019 cm3.
The Role of Pyrimidine Dimers as Premutagenic Lesions: A Study of Targeted VS. Untargeted Mutagenesis in the lacI Gene of ESCHERICHIA COLI

We have employed conjugal transfer of an F' lac episome to examine targeted and untargeted mutagenesis in the lacI gene of Escherichia coli and to determine the relative importance of pyrimidine dimers as premutational UV lesions compared to (6-4) photoproducts that also may have a mutational role. This conjugal system allowed us to assess the premutagenic role of UV lesions independently from any role as inducers of SOS functions. F' DNA was transferred to an SOS-induced recipient strain from: unirradiated donor cells, UV-treated donor cells or donor cells that were irradiated and then exposed to photoreactivating light. The results indicate that SOS-related, untargeted events may account for as much as one-third of the nonsense mutations (i.e., base substitutions) recovered after undamaged F' DNA is transferred to UV-irradiated recipients. When the donor strain also is irradiated, in excess of 90% of the mutations detected following conjugation appear to be targeted. Photoreactivation of the UV-treated donor cells, prior to F' transfer to the SOS-induced recipient strain, demonstrated that in this experimental system virtually all recovered UV-induced mutations are targeted by photoreactivable lesions. We presume that these lesions are pyrimidine dimers because (6-4) photoproducts are not photoreactivable.
Glycosyl transferases of eggs and embryos of Arbacia punctulata

Abstract The presence of several glycosyl transferases that utilize sugar nucleotides as substrates has been demonstrated in eggs and embryos of the sea urchin, Arbacia punctulata. Two of these membrane-associated enzymes, a mannosyl transferase and a galactosyl transferase, have been partially characterized in eggs and in embryos at various stages of development, ranging from the one-cell to the pluteus stage. The mannosyl transferase catalyzes transfer of mannose from GDP-mannose to exogenous dolichol phosphate. The product, mannosylphosphoryldolichol, is known to be an intermediate in synthesis of the core oligosaccharide chain of certain glycoproteins in vertebrates. The level of the mannosyl transferase remains unchanged throughout the developmental stages studied. In contrast, the activity of the galactosyl transferase, which catalyzes transfer of galactose from UDP-galactose to protein(s) of high molecular weight, increases 10-fold during development to the pluteus stage. The greatest increase in activity following fertilization is observed during the 24-hr period leading to formation of early gastrulae. These results are discussed in relation to the possible role of glycoproteins in cell-cell interaction.
A waveband switching architecture and algorithm for dynamic traffic

The proposed multi-granular optical cross-connect (MG-OXC) architecture and heuristic algorithm significantly reduce the number of used ports and hence the cost of an existing network, and also help in reducing the blocking probability of dynamic connection requests.
Alternative field representations and integral equations for modeling inhomogeneous dielectrics

New volume and volume-surface integral equations are presented for modeling inhomogeneous dielectric regions. In particular, it is shown that materials with nontrivial permeability and permittivity can be modeled using a single unknown equivalent current or field component. The integral equations result in more efficient numerical implementations and should be useful in a variety of electromagnetic applications. >
Developing accuracy when estimating Global Burden of Disease (GBD) in mental and substance use disorders using complex research methodology, refined data analysis and community participation

Global Burden of Disease (GBD) is a quantified estimate of health loss as a result of risk, injury or disease.1 Mortality rates along with disability estimates from multiple data sources provides a rank ordering of significant health-related issues contributing to disease burden globally. More than 13% of GBD is due to neuropsychiatric and substance use disorders.2
Sequential Track Initialization with Page's Test

A new track initialization method for remote sensing systems that uses the amplitudes of the measurements to provide some statistical separation between true and false contacts is presented. In the proposed method the data are partitioned into Hough transform bins, and Page's test is performed on the data in each bin. The new method embodies the best ideas of existing sequential and batch methods, exploits both the amplitude and the temporal information in the data, and minimizes the average latency for initializing target tracks for a specified false track initialization rate. Analytic performance predictions for the proposed method for the Swerling I signal model with Poisson clutter are developed and compared with the theoretical performance of a commonly used "M of N" method. The new method provides substantial improvement in the false track initialization rate and the average latency for initializing target tracks.
Rapeseed meal and egg taint: Treatment of rapeseed meal to reduce tainting potential

1. Treatment of rapeseed meal with calcium hydroxide suspension decreased the sinapine content by up to 90%. Smaller decreases were obtained by autolysis, steaming and treatment with ammonia. 2. When this treated meal was fed to susceptible ("tainting") hens the concentration of trimethylamine in the eggs was decreased to much less than that required to cause taint.
Joint localization of stationary and moving targets behind walls using sparse scene recovery

We consider sparsity-driven joint localization of stationary and moving targets inside enclosed structures using a reduced set of spatial-fast time-slow time observations in ultra-wideband (UWB) pulsed radar platforms. We exploit the compact temporal support of the UWB signal to suppress the front wall clutter through time gating. The resulting enhancement in the signal-to-clutter ratio enables application of compressive sensing (CS) for scene reconstruction. We establish an appropriate signal model that permits formulation of linear modeling with sensing matrices so as to achieve efficient CS-based localization of stationary and moving targets in the downrange-crossrange-velocity space. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme using real data collected in a laboratory environment.
The early history of REXX

REXX is a procedural language with many novel features. Its goal was to make programming easier in the belief that getting the design right for people to use is more important than providing for easy implementation. REXX development depended on the use of electronic mail. As a result, and perhaps uniquely for a programming language, there is an essentially complete historical record of the design process and discussions. This article describes the early history of REXX, illustrated by quotations from the electronic mail record and from other contemporary documents. >