cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The market experience: Pleasure and pain in a market society

The wants whose satisfaction we discussed in the previous chapter are often a source of pain before they are satisfied. Should one then say that the market is primarily a pain-relieving mechanism or is it primarily a ministry of pleasure? Our analysis of satisfaction and dissatisfaction pointed out the benefits and healthy associations of dissatisfaction. But if dissatisfaction is painful, does this not suggest an asceticism (or martyrdom) that Bentham “took pains” to excoriate and that violates the basic utilitarian basis of the market? The unfinished business of the previous chapter leads to a further analysis of how the market deals separately and jointly with the pains and pleasures that fall within its reach. To complete the discussion in Chapter 23 of the pains and pleasures that do and do not pass through the market we will start with the classic formulations of Jeremy Bentham, as these are supplemented by his modern empirical successors, showing again the limits of the market's reach. Since these formulations deal with the effects of circumstances on thought and behavior, they have to be supplemented by a further analysis of the internal properties that modify the hedonic effect of what the market presents. We are then ready for the main business of the chapter: How do individuals achieve a balance among these positive and negative stimuli and their internal representations? Toward the end of this discussion we find reasons for assigning the relief of pain to government and the provision of pleasure to the market – and reasons to modify that assignment.
A hybrid declarative/procedural metadata mapping language based on python

The Alexandria Digital Library (ADL) project has been working on automating the processes of building ADL collections and gathering the collection statistics on which ADL's discovery system is based. As part of this effort, we have created a language and supporting programmatic framework for expressing mappings from XML metadata schemas to the required ADL metadata views. This language, based on the Python scripting language, is largely declarative in nature, corresponding to the fact that mappings can be largely—though not entirely—specified by crosswalk-type specifications. At the same time, the language allows mappings to be specified procedurally, which we argue is necessary to deal effectively with the realities of poor quality, highly variable, and incomplete metadata. An additional key feature of the language is the ability to derive new mappings from existing mappings, thereby making it easy to adapt generic mappings to the idiosyncrasies of particular metadata providers. We evaluate this language on three metadata standards (ADN, FGDC, and MARC) and three corresponding collections of metadata. We also note limitations, future research directions, and generalizations of this work.
Aerobic Composting of Solid Waste Generated from Aurangabad city (MS), India

The exponential growth of urbanization leads to increase in severity of environmental problemsespecially assonated with disposal of solid waste. With considering the increasing rate of solid waste generation in urban area, the problem of availability of space required to dispose it off is become a concern for planners and administrators of urban local bodies (ULB). In order to cope up with the urge of availability of dumping space to adopt the aerobic composting technique for the degradable fraction of solid waste is become unavoidable. The present paper is an attempt to study the feasibility of aerobic composting technique by using metallic container for waste generated from Aurangabad city of Maharashtra state. The study was carried out for a period of one year with monitoring of selected parameters. The results reveals that for conversion of waste into compost of better quality requires 40-45 days. Whereas the NPK value of prepared compost resemble with international standards.
Plantinga on Providence and Physics

In Where the Conict Really Lies, Alvin Plantinga argues that there is nothing more than a supercial conict between contemporary science and traditional eistic belief. He goes on to argue that there is a deep conict between contemporary science and atheistic naturalism. I will concern myself here with only one part of Plantinga’s argument for the rst thesis, i.e. that there is only supercial conict between science and Christian eism. I will focus, in particular, on the argument from Chapters 3 and 4 to the eect that there is no conict at all — not even supercial conict — between contemporary physics and the claim that God can, and does, on occasion interact in “special” ways with God’s creation. In the spirit of constructive criticism, I will raise four issues about Plantinga’s discussion of providence and physics. Each of these issues can be resolved, I would suggest, via a more thoroughgoing application of Plantinga’s “Reformed” epistemological outlook. First, Plantinga indicates that if God acts in history, then the laws of physics are not deterministic. But from the point of view of Reformed epistemology, the character of the laws of physics should be irrelevant to one’s warrant in believing that God has acted. Second, Plantinga argues that divine intervention is consistent with the laws of Newtonian mechanics, since these laws carry provisos. However, the provisos leave room only for intervention by other physical systems. ird, Plantinga proposes that God could cause events by exploiting “collapse” of the quantum wavefunction. However, this proposal only adds the sound of scientic respectability to theology; it doesn’t actually use the science in any substantive way to correct or enrich theology. Finally, Plantinga’s discussion presupposes that science aims to establish laws of nature, and that divinely caused events contravene the laws of nature (for closed systems). But “Reformed” considerations suggest eliminating any dichotomy between “law” and “miracle.”
PHSkb: A knowledgebase to support notifiable disease surveillance

Background Notifiable disease surveillance in the United States is predominantly a passive process that is often limited by poor timeliness and low sensitivity. Interoperable tools are needed that interact more seamlessly with existing clinical and laboratory data to improve notifiable disease surveillance.
A novel validated procedure for the determination of nicotine, eight nicotine metabolites and two minor tobacco alkaloids in human plasma or urine by solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry

A novel validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) procedure was developed and fully validated for the simultaneous determination of nicotine-N-beta-D-glucuronide, cotinine-N-oxide, trans-3-hydroxycotinine, norcotinine, trans-nicotine-1'-oxide, cotinine, nornicotine, nicotine, anatabine, anabasine and cotinine-N-beta-D-glucuronide in human plasma or urine. Target analytes and corresponding deuterated internal standards were extracted by solid-phase extraction and analyzed by LC-MS/MS with electrospray ionization (ESI) using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) data acquisition. Calibration curves were linear over the selected concentration ranges for each analyte, with calculated coefficients of determination (R(2)) of greater than 0.99. The total extraction recovery (%) was concentration dependent and ranged between 52-88% in plasma and 51-118% in urine. The limits of quantification for all analytes in plasma and urine were 1.0 ng/mL and 2.5 ng/mL, respectively, with the exception of cotinine-N-beta-D-glucuronide, which was 50 ng/mL. Intra-day and inter-day imprecision were < or = 14% and < or = 17%, respectively. Matrix effect (%) was sufficiently minimized to < or = 19% for both matrices using the described sample preparation and extraction methods. The target analytes were stable in both matrices for at least 3 freeze-thaw cycles, 24 h at room temperature, 24 h in the refrigerator (4 degrees C) and 1 week in the freezer (-20 degrees C). Reconstituted plasma and urine extracts were stable for at least 72 h storage in the liquid chromatography autosampler at 4 degrees C. The plasma procedure has been successfully applied in the quantitative determination of selected analytes in samples collected from nicotine-abstinent human participants as part of a pharmacokinetic study investigating biomarkers of nicotine use in plasma following controlled low dose (7 mg) transdermal nicotine delivery. Nicotine, cotinine, trans-3-hydroxycotinine and trans-nicotine-1'-oxide were detected in the particular sample presented herein. The urine procedure has been used to facilitate the monitoring of unauthorized tobacco use by clinical study participants at the time of physical examination (before enrollment) and on the pharmacokinetic study day.
Observation of highly dispersive surface states on GaN(0001)1×1

The electronic structure of {ital n}-type, Si-doped, wurtzite GaN(0001)1{times}1 surfaces has been studied using synchrotron radiation excited angle-resolved photoemission. The GaN thin films were grown by metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition on SiC. Two previously unobserved surface bands were measured and fully characterized. One of the states is highly nonlocalized, dispersing throughout much of the valence band along the {bar {Gamma}}-{bar K}-{bar M}and {bar {Gamma}}-{bar M} directions of the 1{times}1 surface Brillouin zone. The identification of these states as surface bands was confirmed both by their lack of dispersion perpendicular to the surface, and by the sensitivity of the states to hydrogen adsorption. The symmetry properties of the states were determined using the linear polarization of the incident synchrotron radiation. These states are quite distant from the localized nondispersive surface state previously observed on GaN. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}
Functional Test-Sequence Grading at Register-Transfer Level

We propose output deviations as a surrogate metric to grade functional test sequences at the register-transfer level without explicit fault simulation. Experimental results for the open-source Biquad filter core and the Scheduler module of the Illinois Verilog Model show that the deviations metric is computationally efficient and it correlates well with gate-level coverage for stuck-at, transition-delay and bridging faults. Results also show that functional test sequences reordered based on output deviations provide steeper gate-level fault coverage ramp-up compared to other ordering methods.
Surface Wave Propagation of an Ultra Thin Liquid Film on a Rotating Disk

We theoretically and numerically study the propagation of axisymmetrical long surface waves of an ultra thin liquid film on a rotating disk. When breaking condition is satisfied, shock waves form and propagate driven by the centrifugal and external shearing forces. The disjoining pressure due to van der Waals force provides diffusion to the system. The surface waves are planarized by the centrifugal force, external shearing force and the disjoining pressure.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Simple Model for Scanning-angle Distribution of Planetary Albedo Gamma-rays

IN this communication I shall discuss a simple model for calculating the planetary albedo scanning-angle distribution for γ-radiation above 100 MeV and compare the results with present observations.
A multimodal approach for dynamic event capture of vehicles and pedestrians

This paper presents an overview of a novel multimodal system being developed at UC San Diego for vehicle and pedestrian detection, event capture, and analysis. A Distributed Multimodal Array (DiMMA) framework is presented for sensory data acquisition, processing, analysis, fusion, and active control mechanisms needed to recognize objects, events, and activities which have multi-modal signatures. Current sensing modalities being researched include video, audio, seismic, laser ranging, magnetic, and passive infrared. Feature extraction and data fusion techniques are being investigated to improve robustness and study the advantages and disadvantages of each sensing modality. Preliminary results of this rapidly deployable system are discussed, along with possible future expansions, including geophones, pneumatic road tubes, and traditional inductive loops.
Defining mycobacteria: Shared and specific genome features for different lifestyles.

During the last decade, the combination of rapid whole genome sequencing capabilities, application of genetic and computational tools, and establishment of model systems for the study of a range of species for a spectrum of biological questions has enhanced our cumulative knowledge of mycobacteria in terms of their growth properties and requirements. The adaption of the corynebacterial surrogate system has simplified the study of cell wall biosynthetic machinery common to actinobacteria. Comparative genomics supported by experimentation reveals that superimposed on a common core of ‘mycobacterial’ gene set, pathogenic mycobacteria are endowed with multiple copies of several protein families that encode novel secretion and transport systems such as mce and esx; immunomodulators named PE/PPE proteins, and polyketide synthases for synthesis of complex lipids. The precise timing of expression, engagement and interactions involving one or more of these redundant proteins in their host environments likely play a role in the definition and differentiation of species and their disease phenotypes. Besides these, only a few species specific ‘virulence’ factors i.e., macromolecules have been discovered. Other subtleties may also arise from modifications of shared macromolecules. In contrast, to cope with the broad and changing growth conditions, their saprophytic relatives have larger genomes, in which the excess coding capacity is dedicated to transcriptional regulators, transporters for nutrients and toxic metabolites, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and catabolic pathways. In this review, we present a sampling of the tools and techniques that are being implemented to tease apart aspects of physiology, phylogeny, ecology and pathology and illustrate the dominant genomic characteristics of representative species. The investigation of clinical isolates, natural disease states and discovery of new diagnostics, vaccines and drugs for existing and emerging mycobacterial diseases, particularly for multidrug resistant strains are the challenges in the coming decades.
A lower bound for the recognition of digraph properties

The complexity of a digraph property is the number of entries of the adjacency matrix which must be examined by a decision tree algorithm to recognize the property in the worst case, Aanderaa and Rosenberg conjectured that there is a constante such that every digraph property which is monotone (not destroyed by the deletion of edges) and nontrivial (holds for some but not all digraphs) has complexity at leastev 2 wherev is the number of nodes in the digraph. This conjecture was proved by Rivest and Vuillemin and a lower bound ofv 2/4−o(v 2) was subsequently found by Kahn, Saks, and Sturtevant. Here we show a lower bound ofv 2/2−o(v 2). We also prove that a certain class of monotone, nontrivial bipartite digraph properties is evasive (requires that every entry in the adjacency matrix be examined in the worst case).
Expression of a xylose-specific transporter improves ethanol production by metabolically engineered Zymomonas mobilis

Zymomonas mobilis is a promising organism for biofuel production as it can produce ethanol from glucose at high rates. However, Z. mobilis does not natively ferment C5 sugars such as xylose. While it has been engineered to do so, the engineered strains do not metabolize these sugars at high rates. Previous research has identified some of the bottlenecks associated with xylose metabolism in Z. mobilis. In this work, we investigated transport as a possible bottleneck. In particular, we hypothesized that the slow uptake of xylose through the promiscuous Glf transporter may limit the efficiency of xylose metabolism in Z. mobilis. To test this hypothesis, we expressed XylE, the low-affinity xylose transporter from Escherichia coli, in a xylose-utilizing strain of Z. mobilis. Our results show that the expression of this pentose-specific transporter improves the rate of xylose utilization in Z. mobilis; however, this enhancement is seen only at high xylose concentrations. In addition, we also found that overexpression of the promiscuous Z. mobilis transporter Glf yielded similar results, suggesting that the transport bottleneck is not due to the specificity, but rather the capacity for sugar uptake.
Subthalamic Nucleus Discharge Patterns during Movement in the Normal Monkey and Parkinsonian Patient

The pathophysiology of Parkinson disease (PD) is characterized by derangements in the discharge rates, bursting patterns, and oscillatory activity of basal ganglia (BG) neurons. In this study, subthalamic nucleus (STN) neuronal activity patterns in humans with PD were compared with that in the normal monkey during performance of similar volitional movements. Single-unit STN recordings were collected while PD patients and animals moved a joystick in the direction of targets presented on a monitor. When discharge rates in all PD human and normal monkey neurons were compared, no significant differences were observed. However, when neurons were classified by peri-movement response type (i.e., excited, inhibited, or unresponsive to movement) statistical differences were demonstrated - most significantly among PD excited neurons. Analysis of burst activity demonstrated inter- and intra-burst activities were greater in the PD human compared to the monkey irrespective of neuronal response type. Moreover, simultaneously recorded neurons in the human demonstrated consistent oscillatory synchronization at restricted frequency bands, whereas synchronized oscillatory neurons in the monkey were not restricted to distinct frequencies. During movement, discharge and burst rates were positively correlated, independent of subject or neuronal response type; however, rates and oscillatory activity were more strongly correlated in the PD human than the normal monkey. Interestingly, across all domains of analysis, STN neurons in PD demonstrated reduced response variability when compared to STN neurons in the normal monkey brain. Thus, the net effect of PD may be a reduction in the physiological degrees of freedom of BG neurons with diminished information carrying capacity.
Born of war: Protecting children of sexual violence survivors in conflict zones

Born of war: Protecting children of sexual violence survivors in conflict zones, edited by R. Charli Carpenter, Bloomfield, CT, Kumarian Press, 2007, 243 pp., US$24.95 (paperback), ISBN 13:978-1-56...
Risk-Based Prostate Cancer Screening: Who and How?

The purpose of this review is to identify clinical risk factors for prostate cancer and to assess the utility and limitations of our current tools for prostate cancer screening. Prostate-specific antigen is the single most important factor for identifying men at increased risk of prostate cancer but is best assessed in the context of other clinical factors; increasing age, race, and family history are well-established risk factors for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. In addition to clinical risk calculators, novel tools such as multiparametric imaging, serum or urinary biomarkers, and genetic profiling show promise in improving prostate cancer diagnosis and characterization. Optimal use of existing and future tools will help alleviate the problems of overdiagnosis and overtreatment of low-risk prostate cancer without reversing the substantial mortality declines that have been achieved in the screening era.
Effects of bleomycin on 14C‐proline uptake, its incorporation into proteins and hydroxylation in collagenous proteins of hamster lung slices

The uptake of 14C-proline by lung slices and its incorporation into trichloroacetic-acid (TCA)-insoluble proteins and hydroxylation in collagenous proteins were studied. They were found to be linearly increased with the incubation time for as long as 8 h. The effects of different concentrations of bleomycin on these parameters were subsequently investigated. Bleomycin at 10(-3) M significantly reduced the uptake of 14C-proline to 75% of the control value. The incorporation of 14C-proline into TCA-insoluble proteins was reduced to 84%, 78% and 75% of the control at 2.5 X 10(-4) M, 5 X 10(-4) M and 10(-3) M concentrations of bleomycin, respectively. Bleomycin failed to alter the proline pool size of the lung slices at any of these concentrations. In addition, bleomycin also inhibited the hydroxylation of 14C-proline into collagen to 72% and 69% of the control at 5 X 10(-4) M and 10(-3) M, respectively. These findings show that bleomycin-induced increases in collagen synthesis in vivo is probably secondary to inflammatory reactions of the lung and bleomycin per se has little effect on increased collagen synthesis responsible for lung fibrosis.
fMRI of the Brain’s Response to Stimuli Experimentally Paired with Alcohol Intoxication

Rationale Individuals learn associations between alcohol’s sensory properties and intoxication, with such conditioned stimuli (CS) becoming involved in craving and relapse. However, these CS also carry idiosyncratic associations.
An Analysis of the Critical Inclination Problem Using Singularity Theory

We use techniques from the theory of singularities of mappings to discuss the critical points of the Brouwer Hamiltonian MH, L on the reduced phase space PH, L near the parameter values H, L where the critical circle of the first order terms of MH, L appears.
Experimental studies on the effect of temperature on dispersion in a flow-injection system

Abstract The effect of temperature on dispersion in a flow-injection system is described. Systems both with and without chemical reaction were investigated. The reaction studied was that of p -nitrophenol with sodium hydroxide. The results indicate that temperature does indeed have a significant and predictable effect on the dispersion of a sample plug. Findings agree with the random walk model for flow-injection systems.
Procedural justice during police-citizen encounters: The effects of process-based policing on citizen compliance and demeanor

Abstract Purpose Theories of procedural justice have facilitated the development of a process-based approach to policing which emphasizes the fairness of the manner in which the police exercise their discretion. The study examines whether procedurally fair behavior by the police affects two types of citizen behavior during encounters: citizen disrespect toward the police and citizen noncompliance with police requests. Methods This study uses data from systematic social observations of police-citizen encounters to examine procedural justice factors on citizen behavior. Because of the reciprocal nature of police-citizen interactions, an instrumental variable is used in the statistical analysis to help address the causal relationship between police force and citizen disrespect. Results The statistical analyses find limited support for procedural justice factors. Two types of procedurally fair behavior by the police, police demeanor and their consideration of citizen voice, are significant in reducing citizen disrespect and noncompliance, respectively. Conclusion Procedural justice factors have limited and inconsistent impacts on the two types of citizen behavior, and future research should address the limitations of this study and evaluate process-based policing with more data from social observations of police-citizen encounters.
Neuroanatomy influences speciation rates among anurans.

Abstract Evolutionary divergence among animal courtship signals is an important component of the speciation process. In anurans, the preferential response of females to the mating call of conspecific males often maintains reproductive isolation among populations. Much of the information in the call is initially processed in the inner ear, and there is considerable variation in the structure of this organ among lineages of frogs. This variation is responsible for differences in the frequency range to which frog species are sensitive and thus influences the frequency range over which mating calls can effectively diverge. Data suggest that this influence of neuroanatomy on mating call divergence is partly responsible for the different rates of speciation among lineages of frogs.
Evidence for auditory feature integration with spatially distributed items

Recent auditory research using sequentially presented, spatially fixed tones has found evidence that, as in vision for simultaneous, spatially distributed objects, attention appears to be important for the integration of perceptual features that enable the identification of auditory events. The present investigation extended these findings to arrays of simultaneously presented, spatially distributed musical tones. In the primary tasks, listeners were required to search for specific cued conjunctions of values for the features of pitch and instrument timbre. In secondary tasks, listeners were required to search for a single cued value of either the pitch or the timbre feature. In the primary tasks, listeners made frequent errors in reporting the presence or absence of target conjunctions. Probability modeling, derived from the visual search literature, revealed that the error rates in the primary tasks reflected the relatively infrequent failure to correctly identify pitch or timbre features, plus the far more frequent illusory conjunction of separately presented pitch and timbre features. Estimates of illusory conjunction rate ranged from 23% to 40%. Thus, a process must exist in audition that integrates separately registered features. The implications of the results for the processing of isolated auditory features, as well as auditory events defined by conjunctions of features, are discussed.
Methylation, expression, and mutation analysis of the cell cycle control genes in human brain tumors

Methylation status of the p15INK4B, p16INK4A, p14ARF and retinoblastoma (RB) genes was studied using methylation specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) in 85 human brain tumors of various subtypes and four normal brain samples. These genes play an important role in the control of the cell cycle. Twenty-four out of 85 cases (28%) had at least one of these genes methylated. The frequency of p14ARF methylation was 15 out of 85 (18%) cases, and the expression of p14ARF in methylated gliomas was significantly lower than in unmethylated gliomas. The incidence of methylation of p15INK4B, p16INK4A and RB gene was 4%, 7%, and 4%, respectively. Samples with p14ARF methylation did not have p16INK4A methylation even though both genes physically overlap. None of the target genes was methylated in the normal brain samples. In addition, the p53 gene was mutated in 19 out of 85 (22%) samples as determined by single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis and DNA sequencing. Thirty out of 85 (35%) brain tumors had either a p53 mutation or methylation of p14ARF. Also, the p14ARF expression in p53 wild-type gliomas was lower than levels in p53 mutated gliomas. This finding is consistent with wild-type p53 being able to autoregulate its levels by down-regulating expression of p14ARF. In summary, inactivation of the apoptosis pathway that included the p14ARF and p53 genes by hypermethylation and mutation, respectively, occurred frequently in human brain tumors. Down-regulation of p14ARF in gliomas was associated with hypermethylation of its promoter and the presence of a wild-type p53 in these samples.
Interstitial H2 in Si: are all problems solved?

Interstitial H 2 in Si has given rise to a number of perplexing puzzles since the discovery of its vibrational spectrum. The absence of an ortho-para splitting for the H 2 line and an apparent low-symmetry found in stress experiments misled several researchers, including two of the present authors, into thinking that interstitial H 2 must have a barrier that prevents rotation. Our discovery of a new vibrational line for interstitial HD in Si and its interpretation establish that interstitial H 2 in Si is a nearly free rotator. The insights provided by these results have led to simple, in retrospect, explanations of the microscopic properties of interstitial H 2 and an O-H 2 complex in Si. Nonetheless, interesting new puzzles have arisen. The results of a recent Raman study have led to the suggestion that ortho- and para-H 2 in Si have different diffusivities. In contrast to this suggestion, new results for the formation of complexes of interstitial oxygen with para-D 2 and ortho-D 2 in Si suggest that the para and ortho species have similar diffusivities at room temperature.
Directional differentiability of the optimal value function in convex semi-infinite programming

In this paper, directional differentiability properties of the optimal value function of a parameterized semi-infinite programming problem are studied. It is shown that if the unperturbed semi-infinite programming problem is convex, then the corresponding optimal value function is directionally differentiable under mild regularity assumptions. A max-min formula for the directional derivatives, well-known in the finite convex case, is given.
Intermittent nitrate therapy in angina pectoris

The rationale for intermittent nitrate therapy is based on the pathophysiology of nitroglycerin tolerance and the diurnal pattern of symptoms encountered in patients with chronic stable angina. Nitrate tolerance was first observed as tolerance to headache in industrial toxicology. When long-acting nitrates for chronic stable angina became available, similar tolerance was observed but not thought to indicate tolerance to a haemodynamic or therapeutic effect. Subsequently, Needleman and coworkers (J Pharmacol Exp Ther 1973; 187: 324) defined in vitro the phenomenology of vascular smooth muscle tolerance to nitroglycerin-induced relaxation and reversibility was demonstrated. More recently, a potential molecular explanation for nitrate tolerance has been proposed: sulfhydryl group depletion in smooth muscle cells resulting in reduced formation of S-nitrosothiols on nitrate exposure with resultant reduced activation of cyclic GMP. In vivo, other mechanisms, including fluid retention and neurohumoral responses to vasodilation may also be important. The first demonstration that nitrate tolerance affected the therapeutic efficacy of long-acting nitrates was reported by Parker and coworkers in 1982 (Circulation 1987; 76: 572-6). This landmark study was not given much credence at the time because it appeared to be in conflict with earlier reports. However, in the past 6 years development of tolerance has been demonstrated with a variety of oral nitrates, transdermal nitroglycerin and intravenous nitroglycerin. When plasma concentrations are held constant, tolerance to antianginal effects is demonstrable within 24h, but varies markedly in severity from individual to individual.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The effect of chrysotherapy on trace metals in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Blood serum specimens from patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had never received chrysotherapy, patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had been receiving chrysotherapy for a period of 18 months or more and normal volunteers were analyzed by emission spectroscopy for eight trace elements. Compared with the normal volunteers, the mean concentrations of copper, molybdenum, manganese, tin, barium and cesium were elevated in blood serum from patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had never received chrysotherapy. Chrysotherapy resulted in a decrease in molybdenum, manganese, tin, barium and cesium. The mean concentrations (compared with the normal) of zinc and iron were lower in blood serum of patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had never received gold therapy. Chrysotherapy had no apparent effect on iron or zinc.
A [4+4] annulation strategy for the synthesis of eight-membered carbocycles based on intramolecular cycloadditions of conjugated enynes

Abstract A [4+4] annulation strategy for the synthesis of eight-membered carbocycles is reported that proceeds via a cascade involving two pericyclic processes. In the first step, the [4+2] cycloaddition of a conjugated enyne with an electron-deficient cyclobutene generates a strained six-membered cyclic allene that isomerizes to the corresponding 1,3-cyclohexadiene. In the second step, this bicyclo[4.2.0]octa-2,4-diene intermediate undergoes thermal or acid-promoted 6-electron electrocyclic ring opening to furnish a 2,4,6-cyclooctatrienone. The latter transformation represents the first example of the promotion of 6-electron electrocyclic ring opening reactions by acid.
An intact NF-κB signaling pathway is required for maintenance of mature B cell subsets

Members of the NF-kappaB/Rel transcription factor family are expressed constitutively during B cell development and are further induced by mitogen activation. Mice harboring germline disruptions in individual NF-kappaB subunits exhibit distinct defects in B lymphocyte activation and survival. However, the role of NF-kappaB in the production and maintenance of B cell subsets has been difficult to dissect in these knockout animals due to functional impairment of other immune cells. To directly address the cell autonomous requirements for NF-kappaB in humoral immune compartments, transgenic mice were generated that express a transdominant form of Ikappa-Balpha in B lineage cells. Whereas expression of the inhibitor had only modest effects on basal or LPS-induced levels of NF-kappaB, transgenic B cells were significantly impaired for cellular proliferation and NF-kappaB induction in response to B cell receptor (BCR) crosslinking. Furthermore, the trans-dominant inhibitor produced a dose-dependent reduction in the population of mature splenic B cells. This cellular defect was more pronounced in long-lived B lymphocyte subsets that recirculate to the adult bone marrow. Together, these results indicate that BCR-mediated signaling must maintain NF-kappaB levels above a stringent threshold for proper regulation of B cell homeostasis.
Longitudinal monitoring of cardiac siderosis using cardiovascular magnetic resonance T2* in patients with thalassemia major on various chelation regimens: a 6-year study.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) and hepatic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become a reliable non-invasive tool to monitor iron excess in thalassemia major (TM) patients. However, long-term studies are lacking. We reviewed CMR and hepatic MRI T2* imaging on 54 TM patients who had three or more annual measurements. They were managed on various chelation regimens. Patients were grouped according to their degree of cardiac siderosis: severe (T2* 20msec). We looked at the change in cardiac T2*, liver iron concentration (LIC) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at years 3 and 5. In patients with severe cardiac siderosis, cardiac T2* (mean±SD) improved from 6.9±1.6 at baseline to 13.6±10.0 by year 5, mean ΔT2*=6.7 (p-value 0.04). Change in cardiac T2* at year 3 was not significant in the severe group. Patients with mild to moderate cardiac siderosis had mean cardiac T2* of 14.6±2.9 at baseline which improved to 26.3±9.5 by year 3, mean ΔT2*=11.7 (p-value 0.01). At baseline, median LIC (mg/gm dw) in patients with severe, mild-moderate and no cardiac siderosis was 3.6, 2.8 and 3.3 while LVEF (mean±SD) (%) was 56.3±10.1, 60±5 and 66±7.6 respectively. No significant correlation was noted between Δ cardiac T2* and Δ LIC, Δ cardiac T2* and Δ LVEF at years 3 and 5. Throughout the observation period, patients with no cardiac siderosis maintained their cardiac T2* above 20msec. The majority of patients with cardiac siderosis improve cardiac T2* over time with optimal chelation.
Fabrication and characterization techniques for resistivity devices based on salmon-derived DNA

The processing, fabrication and measurement of resistivity devices using salmon-derived DNA are reviewed in some detail. Details of the current transients that are recorded during the alternating-polarity technique are examined and identified. The DC volume resistivities of both as-received DNA and DNA-CTMA as well as the resistivity dependence on the molecular weight of DNA(sonicated)-CTMA are reviewed, which includes an analysis of this dependence and the effects of humidity on the measurements. Using the Miller-Abrahams model for hopping conduction provides insight into the relative sizes of the pre-exponential factors of the Arrhenius functions for the resistivity data of a variety of oil-derived polymers, and DNA and silk biopolymers.
Additive noise analysis on microarray data via SVM classification

Microarray technology has been broadly used for monitoring the expression levels of thousands of genes simultaneously, providing the opportunities of identifying disease-related genes by finding differentially expressed genes in different conditions. However, a great challenge of analyzing microarray data is the significant noise brought by different experimental settings, laboratory procedures, genetic heterogeneity among samples, and environmental variations among different patients, and so on. This paper attempts to analyze the influence of these noises on each gene by measuring the changes of classification performance. We assume each gene in microarray data includes an independently distributed unknown uniform noise. Thus, we add a compensated noise back to each gene and test whether the classification accuracy of a linear support vector machine (SVM) improves. If the accuracy does increase, then we believe such noise does exist and degenerate the relation of this gene to the disease status. Through extensive experiments on several public microarray data, we found such added noises can improve the classification accuracy in several genes and the results are relatively consistent, indicating our method can be used to analyze the noise pattern in microarray experiments, and also discover potential important gene markers.
MACROALGAL CANOPIES CONTRIBUTE TO EELGRASS (ZOSTERA MARINA) DECLINE IN TEMPERATE ESTUARINE ECOSYSTEMS

Loss of eelgrass (Zostera marina) habitat from temperate estuaries worldwide often coincides with increased macroalgal accumulations resulting from increased delivery of anthropogenic nitrogen. We conducted macroalgal enclosure/exclosure experiments dur- ing summer 1998 within eelgrass populations in two estuaries of Waquoit Bay, Massachu- setts, USA, to evaluate how increased macroalgal biomass affects density, recruitment, growth rate, and production of eelgrass. One estuary featured a low nitrogen loading rate and sustained a relatively pristine eelgrass population with a 2 cm high macroalgal canopy. The other estuary had a sixfold higher nitrogen loading rate and a declining eelgrass population with a 9 cm high macroalgal canopy. Experimental units were 1 X 1 m plots of eelgrass fenced within 50 cm high plastic mesh that excluded or included macroalgae at canopy heights ranging from 0 to 25 cm. In both estuaries, rates of eelgrass loss increased, largely a result of decreased recruitment, and growth rates decreased (due to decreased rates of leaf appearance) with increasing macroalgal canopy height. Aboveground summer production in both estuaries decreased exponentially as macroalgal canopy heights in- creased. We conclude that macroalgal cover is a proximate cause for loss of eelgrass in the higher N estuary since, upon removal of macroalgae, we observed an increase in shoot density, a 55% increase in summer growth, and a 500% increase in summer aboveground net production. Based on summer growth data and density of shoots in our experimental plots the following spring, we suggest that the negative impacts of macroalgal canopies persist, but also that eelgrass recovery upon removal of macroalgae may be possible. To identify the mechanisms by which macroalgae potentially inhibit eelgrass production, we measured changes in nutrient and oxygen concentrations resulting from macroalgal canopies and estimated the relative importance of summer standing stocks of phytoplankton, epiphytes, and macroalgae to potential shading of eelgrass in both estuaries. We document both (1) unfavorable biogeochemical conditions (lowered redox conditions and potentially toxic concentrations of NH4+) imposed by the presence of macroalgal canopies and (2) potential light limitation of eelgrass by standing stocks of producers in the higher N estuary, with estimates of light reduction via macroalgae numerically more important than light sequestration by phytoplankton and epiphytes for newly recruiting shoots. Increased ma- croalgal biomass associated with increased nitrogen loading to estuaries can lead to eelgrass disappearance, and we identify an approximate 9-12-cm critical macroalgal canopy height at which eelgrass declines.
Dose response evaluation of gene expression profiles in the skin of K6/ODC mice exposed to sodium arsenite.

Abstract Chronic drinking water exposure to inorganic arsenic and its metabolites increases tumor frequency in the skin of K6/ODC transgenic mice. To identify potential biomarkers and modes of action for this skin tumorigenicity, we characterized gene expression profiles from analysis of K6/ODC mice administered 0, 0.05, 0.25, 1.0 and 10 ppm sodium arsenite in their drinking water for 4 weeks. Following exposure, total RNA was isolated from mouse skin and processed to biotin-labeled cRNA for microarray analyses. Skin gene expression was analyzed with Affymetrix Mouse Genome 430A 2.0 GeneChips®, and pathway analysis was conducted with DAVID (NIH), Ingenuity® Systems and MetaCore's GeneGo. Differential expression of several key genes was verified through qPCR. Only the highest dose (10 ppm) resulted in significantly altered KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathways, including MAPK, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, Wnt, Jak–Stat, Tight junction, Toll-like, phosphatidylinositol and insulin signaling pathways. Approximately 20 genes exhibited a dose response, including several genes known to be associated with carcinogenesis or tumor progression including cyclin D1, CLIC4, Ephrin A1, STAT3 and DNA methyltransferase 3a. Although transcription changes in all identified genes have not previously been linked to arsenic carcinogenesis, their association with carcinogenesis in other systems suggests that these genes may play a role in the early stages of arsenic-induced skin carcinogenesis and can be considered potential biomarkers.
A 2-Year Old With No Ventilator Requirement but Who Cannot Be Extubated

A 2-year-old boy was intubated during treatment for pneumonia. After resolution of the infection, he had no pulmonary requirement for ventilation and could function without it while awake. When he slept, however, he would have decreasing respiratory effort, increasing hypercapnia, and episodic apnea. This report provides an example of late-onset congenital central hypoventilation syndrome.
Aberration balancing in the design of visually coupled lens systems

In the first part of this paper, we examine previously used methods for the assessment of the subjective performance of lenses coupled to the eye, we establish the need for a unified means of assessment in terms of visual tasks and targets, and we propose such a means. In the second part, we address some common aberration balancing questions, with a view to presenting concrete recommendations for optical design. The balancing questions examined are: defocus and accommodation, accommodation and longitudinal color, spherical aberration and defocus, astigmatism and field curvature, field curvature and accommodation, transverse color and astigmatism, and coma and astigmatism.
Verapamil, propranolol, and hydralazine protect against the acute cardiac depression induced by adriamycin

The apex ejecting isolated rat heart perfused with media containing 3 × 10−5 mol·litre−1 adriamycin for 40 min demonstrated the following changes in contraction patterns: (a) a ten-fold increase in end-diastolic pressure: (b) a 45% decrease in developed pressure; (c) a 17% decrease in coronary flow; (d) a 27% increase in time to peak pressure; (e) a 26% increase in time for pressure to fall 50% during relaxation; and (f) a 65% decrease in maximum (+) and (−) dP/dt. In rats pretreated 1 h before death, verapamil, propranolol, and hydralazine significantly attenuated the cardiac depression produced by adriamycin. The combinations of verapamil and hydralazine, or propranolol and hydralazine were especially efficacious. Particularly striking was the protection afforded against an increase in diastolic pressure. Digoxin pretreatment afforded no protection. It is postulated that the acute depressive effects of adriamycin may be related to calcium overload.
Markedly enhanced cytochrome P450 2E1 induction and lipid peroxidation is associated with severe liver injury in fish oil-ethanol-fed rats.

Abstract We evaluated the role of changes in cytochrome P-450 2E1 (CYP 2E1) and lipid peroxidation in relation to development of severe liver injury in fish oil-ethanol-fed rats. The experimental animals (male Wistar rats) were divided into 5 rats/group and were fed the following diets for 1 month: corn oil and ethanol (CO+E) or corn oil and dextrose (CO+D), and fish oil and ethanol (FO+E) or fish oil and dextrose (FO+D). For each animal, microsomal analysis of CYP 2E1 protein, aniline hydroxylase activity, fatty acid composition, and conjugated dienes was conducted. Also, evaluation of severity of pathology was done for each rat. The mean +/- SD of the pathology score was significantly higher (p < 0.01) in the FO+E (6.0 +/- 1.3) group than in the CO+E group (3.0 +/- 0.5). No pathological changes were evident in the dextrose-fed controls. The CYP 2E1 protein levels (mean +/- SD) were significantly higher (p < 0.01) in the FO+E group (13.1 +/- 2.0) compared with the CO+E (4.7 +/- 1.2) and FO+D (1.8 +/- 0.5) groups. Higher levels of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids and lower levels of arachidonic acid were detected in liver microsomes from rats fed fish oil compared with corn oil. A significant correlation was obtained between CYP 2E1 protein and conjugated diene levels (r = 0.78, p < 0.01). Our results showing markedly increased CYP 2E1 induction and lipid peroxidation in the FO+E group provides one possible explanation for the greater severity of liver injury in this group.
Statistical characterization of the three-dimensional microgeometry of porous media and correlation with macroscopic transport properties

Abstract Preliminary results of a study combining three-dimensional imaging, extraction of statistical microgeometric descriptions from volumetric image data, and experimental measurement of transport properties of porous geomaterials are presented. High-resolution (
A Short Synthesis of γ-Lactams Via the Spontaneous Ring Expansion of β-Lactams

Abstract β-Lactams, derived via the cycloaddition of chlorosulfonyl isocyanate to alkenes, undergo thermal rearrangement at room temperature to afford γ-lactams.