cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of a picornavirus isolated from Pseudoplusia includens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract Some properties and electron microscopy of an icosahedral RNA virus isolated from the soybean looper, Pseudoplusia includens , have been studied. The virus particles were 25 ± 1 nm in diameter, their sedimentation coefficient was 178 ± 4.2 S. and their buoyant density was 1.37 ± 0.01 g/cm 3 . The RNA content was 37.9 ± 0.2% and the RNA was single stranded with a poly(A) track. The virus capsid contained three major proteins with molecular weights of 30.0 ± 0.8, 31.0 ± 0.9, and 34.0 ± 1.1 × 10 3 , and two minor proteins with molecular weights of 33.0 ± 1.2 and 38.0 ± 1.1 × 10 3 . One genome component was detected with molecular weight 3.3 ± 0.1 × 10 6 . Agarose gel diffusion tests showed this virus has partial identity with cricket paralysis virus. Victoria strain. Electron microscopy revealed that high concentrations of virus particles were present in the midgut epithelial cells. Virus particles present in the lumen adjacent to these midgut epithelial cells appeared to have moved to the lumen from these cells. Virus particles could also be observed in the epidermal cells. Accumulations of microtubule and fibril containing vesicles in these cells appear to be due to the virus infection. It is proposed that this virus be included in the family Picornaviridae.
Hospitalization for Mental Disorders in General Hospitals

Kiesler and Sibulkin (in press) reanalyzed various national data bases to develop a comprehensive view of mental hospitalization in the United States. The present article, based upon Kiesler and Sibulkin, summarizes characteristics of inpatient psychiatric episodes in general hospitals and, in particular, focuses upon episodes in general hospitals without inpatient psychiatric units. We review and update these data and discuss several recent studies employing other data bases. Desirable elements for a national data base on mental hospitalization are discussed from a behavioral science perspective.
On the economic evaluation of future manufacturing systems

Abstract This paper stresses the need for technological competitiveness in order to maintain strength in domestic and foreign markets, reviews bases for developing and evaluating technological advances and suggests that computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) will prove significant advances in the years ahead.
Acrylamide polymerization: New method for determining the oxygen content in blood

A new principle for determining the oxygen content of 0.1-milliliter blood samples has been developed, based on measurement of the delay in gelation during copolymerization of acrylamide and bisacrylamide initiated by free radicals. The logarithm of this time interval is linearly proportional to the oxygen content of the blood sample over the range 0 to 22 milliliters of oxygen per 100 milliliters of whole blood. Physiological variations of p H and p CO2 do not affect the sensitivity of the assay.
BGP session lifetime modeling in congested networks

The reliable Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is essential for supporting high quality Internet data communication. In present Internet, due to the lack of differentiation mechanism in packet forwarding, BGP sessions are sensitive to severe network congestion. It is thus important to understand the reliability of BGP in congested networks, for the purposes of system reliability evaluation and failure avoidance.In this paper, we investigate the lifetime of BGP sessions in two types of network congestion scenarios: (1) the TCP bandwidth saturation caused by traffic engineering failures; (2) the UDP bandwidth saturation caused by worm attacks. Using statistical analysis based on intensive simulation results, we find that in most cases the BGP session lifetime can be characterized using exponential distributions and Weibull distributions. In the case of TCP bandwidth saturation, if all TCP connections have the same round trip time, the tail of the BGP lifetime tends to be power law. Furthermore, we propose an approximate model for the expected lifetime of BGP sessions, and show that by slightly changing the TCP retransmission parameters, the robustness of BGP sessions can be improved significantly.
Sea-surface roughness lengths in the midlatitude coastal zone

This study summarizes midlatitude coastal-zone observations of the roughness lengths for describing the turbulent air–sea exchange of momentum, heat and moisture. The roughness lengths for momentum and sensible heat appear to be smaller than those given by widely used open-ocean models (TOGA COARE algorithm) in conditions of weak to moderate winds. The reduction in roughness, compared to the open-ocean model, is largest for moisture transport. The less efficient transfer of moisture compared to heat for these datasets is apparently related to the dynamic nature of temperature and the fact that temperature fluctuations dominate buoyancy generation of turbulence, which was not observed in the western tropical Pacific warm pool data used to develop the original COARE algorithm. Unlike the usual formula, these data suggest that the scalar roughness length ratio (zoh divided by zoq) is larger than unity for weak to moderate winds and less than or near unity for stronger winds. Reduced latent heat flux is supported by five different datasets from the coastal zone, including measurements from aircraft, a tower and a ship. Latent heat fluxes were found to be 25 to 50% smaller than predicted by the COARE algorithm, depending on the dataset. The generality of these results, in particular their application to the open ocean or to situations where wave state effects are important, is not known. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society
Boundaries for an RNA world.

Before large, specific peptides could be made, in an RNA world our ancestors may have used an RNA-like molecule for both catalysis and information storage. Taken together, RNA activities suggest RNA could have performed most of the essential informational functions of an ancient organism (i.e. those functions most similar to RNA's role today). In contrast, though compellingly reasoned optimism about RNA-catalyzed small-molecule metabolism is plentiful, fundamental problems remain to be solved.
Picosecond kinetic absorption studies of an iron porphyrin and bacteriochlorophyll using a streak camera

Abstract The picosecond absorption kinetics of two novel systems were measured using a streak camera. Quinone substituted bacteriophotosynthetic reaction centers showed dependence of electron transfer rate on quinone reduction potential. Additionally, the transient absorption lifetime of an Fe(III) porphyrin, FeTPPCl, was measured to be 31 ps. The apparatus and its performance are described.
Chemocentric Informatics Approach to Drug Discovery: Identification and Experimental Validation of Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators as Ligands of 5-Hydroxytryptamine-6 Receptors and as Potential Cognition Enhancers

We have devised a chemocentric informatics methodology for drug discovery integrating independent approaches to mining biomolecular databases. As a proof of concept, we have searched for novel putative cognition enhancers. First, we generated Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationship (QSAR) models of compounds binding to 5-hydroxytryptamine-6 receptor (5-HT6R), a known target for cognition enhancers, and employed these models for virtual screening to identify putative 5-HT6R actives. Second, we queried chemogenomics data from the Connectivity Map (http://www.broad.mit.edu/cmap/) with the gene expression profile signatures of Alzheimer’s disease patients to identify compounds putatively linked to the disease. Thirteen common hits were tested in 5-HT6R radioligand binding assays and ten were confirmed as actives. Four of them were known selective estrogen receptor modulators that were never reported as 5-HT6R ligands. Furthermore, nine of the confirmed actives were reported elsewhere to have memory-enhan...
Nuclear Power in Germany and France

This article explores differences in the development of nuclear energy programs in France and Germany. Despite many similarities in natural resource availability and energy consumption, France and Germany differ significantly in their approaches to nuclear power. France treats nuclear energy as a primary power source; Germany relies much more on coal and other fossil fuels. This article argues that the difference in energy programs is best explained by differences in political opportunity structure and especially different institutional structures in the two countries. French views on nationalism and technology also have contributed to the higher use of nuclear power in that country.
Point singularities of coupled gauge fields with low energy

Isolated singularities in higher-dimensional Yang-Mills-Higgs fields are considered. The singularities are removable if the energy is smaller than a dimensional constant.
Chemical crosslinking of glycoproteins on the envelope of herpes simplex virus.

Abstract A base-reversible, 13-A˚homo-bifunctional chemical crosslinking reagent,bis[2-(succinimidooxycarbonyloxy)-ethyl]sulfone (BSOCOES), was tested for its ability to crosslink the herpes simplex virus type 1 glycoproteins associated with the envelope of purified virions. The crosslinked proteins were fractionated and analyzed by immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation, and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using monospecific antisera to detect the glycoproteins, gB and gC. Each of the glycoproteins exhibited distinct patterns of crosslinking. Monomers of gB were crosslinked and appeared as a high-molecular-weight complex. No apparent intermediates were observed between the gB monomer and the high-molecular-weight complex. Analysis of the components in the gB high-molecular-weight complex suggests that gB represents the major component and exists as a high-molecular-weight oligomer on viral envelopes under native conditions. In contrast, gC was cross-linked at a much lower efficiency and a number of components at intermediate molecular weights were detected. Initial studies on crosslinked products that were detectable with anti-gC antibody suggest that one of these products represents a gC dimer.
Chronic Pouchitis After Ileal Pouch-Anal Anastomosis: Responses to Butyrate and Glutamine Suppositories in a Pilot Study

Nonspecific, idiopathic inflammation of ileal pouch mucosa ("pouchitis") after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis is a common complication of this surgical approach. The epithelium of the pouch is ileal, but variable degrees of colonic metaplasia are natural sequelae of construction of such a pouch. One hypothesis is that pouchitis is caused by a deficiency of epithelial nutrition. Thus, a lack of butyric acid (the principal metabolic fuel of colonocytes) or of glutamine (the main fuel of enterocytes) may develop. In this study, our aims were to determine the concentration of total short-chain fatty acids in random stool samples obtained from patients with an ileal pouch-anal anastomosis with and without pouchitis and to test the therapeutic effects of butyrate and glutamine suppositories on pouchitis. During the study, all conventional therapy for pouchitis was discontinued. For 21 days, 9 patients participated in a butyrate trial, and 10 patients were treated with glutamine. Total concentrations of fecal short-chain fatty acids were significantly less in patients with pouchitis than in those without pouchitis. During treatment, 6 of the 10 patients who received glutamine had no recurrence of symptoms, but only 3 of the 9 patients who received butyrate responded similarly. Hence, further studies of glutamine in the treatment of pouchitis seem warranted.
A comparison of radiation-induced and presbylaryngeal dysphonia.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to assess voice after radiotherapy compared with patients with presbylaryngeal dysphonia.STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective assessment of 20 patients aged 6...
Does helicopter transport impact outcome following trauma

Helicopter transport (HT) has evolved from military roots into a critical component of trauma systems throughout the world. Concerns over cost and safety continue to challenge the role of HT in the civilian setting. Despite this, recent evidence has demonstrated a survival advantage for trauma patients undergoing HT. For patients transported from the scene of injury, improved survival has been shown in several multicenter studies as well as evaluation of large national databases. Issues of overtriage, however, remain problematic for scene HT and represent a prime area for future research in helicopter emergency medical systems (EMS). Patients undergoing inter-facility transfer have also been shown to have improved outcomes over ground transport in terms of shorter transfer times and increased survival particularly in more severely injured patients. The benefits seen are likely a result of a combination of rapid transport, advanced medical capabilities, and accessibility to remote terrain. Several subgroup...
Ms. An, Feasibility Study with a Robot Teaching Assistant

In this feasibility study, we present a socially interactive robot teaching assistant to engage 5th grade rural minority students in practicing multiplication. We discovered students perceived the robot as a sociable agent; and students preferred their interaction with the robot assistant over other kinds of study support.
Effects of progesterone on decidual prolactin production by organ cultures of human endometrium.

The effects of progesterone on decidual PRL (dPRL) production by human endometrium were investigated by culturing explants of proliferative (n = 20) and secretory (n = 12) endometrium in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium supplemented with 10 mM HEPES buffer, 0.1% gelatin (wt/vol), and antibiotics for 6 days and in medium containing 50 ng/ml of progesterone for 6–28 days. The culture medium was replaced daily, and the spent medium was assayed for dPRL. Representative explants were fixed for histological examination after 1, 2, 7, 14, and 28 days in vitro. When explants of endometrium obtained throughout the cycle were cultured in the presence of progesterone, dPRL production was stimulated. Proliferative endometria required 2-5 days in culture before dPRL was measured in the medium. Thereafter, dPRL production increased gradually for the duration of the experiment. Progesterone also induced glandular secretion and stromal differentiation (decidualization) in these tissues. Cultures of proliferative endome...
A multi-scale analysis of species-environment relationships : breeding birds in a pitch pine-scrub oak (Pinus rigida-Quercus ilicifolia) community

Analyses of species–environment relationships are critically needed to guide conservation of many declining species. Comprehensive investigations of these relationships must incorporate environmental variables at multiple spatial scales since species responses to the environment vary with the scale of observation. We used partial canonical correspondence analysis to associate a bird assemblage in a threatened pitch pine–scrub oak (Pinus rigida–Quercus ilicifolia) community in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA, with plot, patch, and landscape level variables. The first level of analysis partitioned the amount of variance in the bird community explained by plot, patch, and landscape factors from that explained by spatial autocorrelation. The second level partitioned the amount of variance explained by plot, patch, and landscape factors alone and in combination. All three levels of environmental variables together accounted for 43% of the variance in the species data and only 5% of the variance was explainable by spatial factors alone. Landscape level factors accounted for a slightly larger amount of the explained variation (12%) than plot (11%) or patch (8%) level factors. We also examined the cumulative fit of each species to the plot, patch, and landscape partial models. Nine species of regional and/or national conservation concern had distributions that fit one model considerably better than the others. The Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) and Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) were predominantly associated with plot level factors; the Whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus vociferus) was predominantly associated with patch level factors; and the Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus), Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis), Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea), Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus), Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum), and Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) were predominantly associated with landscape level factors. This study suggests that focusing conservation efforts at the landscape level would provide the most effective protection for the largest number of sensitive species. # 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Hemerythrin-like Domain within F-box and Leucine-rich Repeat Protein 5 (FBXL5) Communicates Cellular Iron and Oxygen Availability by Distinct Mechanisms

Iron regulatory proteins play a principal role in maintaining cellular iron homeostasis by post-transcriptionally regulating factors responsible for iron uptake, utilization, and storage. An E3 ubiquitin ligase complex containing FBXL5 targets IRP2 for proteasomal degradation under iron- and oxygen-replete conditions, whereas FBXL5 itself is degraded when iron and oxygen availability decreases. FBXL5 contains a hemerythrin-like (Hr) domain at its N terminus that mediates its own differential stability. Here, we investigated the iron- and oxygen-dependent conformational changes within FBXL5-Hr that underlie its role as a cellular sensor. As predicted, FBXL5-Hr undergoes substantive structural changes when iron becomes limiting, accounting for its switch-like behavior. However, these same changes are not observed in response to oxygen depletion, indicating that this domain accommodates two distinct sensing mechanisms. Moreover, FBXL5-Hr does not behave as a dynamic sensor that continuously samples the cellular environment, assuming conformations in equilibrium with ever-changing cellular iron levels. Instead, the isolated domain appears competent to incorporate iron only at or near the time of its own synthesis. These observations have important implications for mechanisms by which these metabolites are sensed within mammalian cells.
The Deakin/Graeff hypothesis: Focus on serotonergic inhibition of panic

Abstract The Deakin/Graeff hypothesis proposes that different subpopulations of serotonergic neurons through topographically organized projections to forebrain and brainstem structures modulate the response to acute and chronic stressors, and that dysfunction of these neurons increases vulnerability to affective and anxiety disorders, including panic disorder. We outline evidence supporting the existence of a serotonergic system originally discussed by Deakin/Graeff that is implicated in the inhibition of panic-like behavioral and physiological responses. Evidence supporting this panic inhibition system comes from the following observations: (1) serotonergic neurons located in the ‘ventrolateral dorsal raphe nucleus’ (DRVL) as well as the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (VLPAG) inhibit dorsal periaqueductal gray-elicited panic-like responses; (2) chronic, but not acute, antidepressant treatment potentiates serotonin's panicolytic effect; (3) contextual fear activates a central nucleus of the amygdala-DRVL/VLPAG circuit implicated in mediating freezing and inhibiting panic-like escape behaviors; (4) DRVL/VLPAG serotonergic neurons are central chemoreceptors and modulate the behavioral and cardiorespiratory response to panicogenic agents such as sodium lactate and CO2. Implications of the panic inhibition system are discussed.
Radiofréquence des tumeurs osseuses

Resume Les indications de la radiofrequence(RF) osseuse sont curatives pour les tumeurs benignes (osteome osteoide, osteoblastome), alors que pour les metastases osseuses, c’est surtout un effet antalgique, palliatif, qui est recherche. Le taux d’echec est faible pour les osteomes osteoides (
Evolving treatment strategies in heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction

Abstract Key Words: Heart failure; diastolic dysfunction. *This activity is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from AstraZeneca.
Characterization of Triple Helical Structures of Synthetic Collagen Analogs by Reverse-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) is used to characterize triple helical structures of synthetic collagen analogs. This technique is based on the different retention ti...
Improving robustness of terrain-relative navigation for AUVs in regions with flat terrain

Terrain-Relative Navigation (TRN) is an emerging technique for localizing a vehicle in underwater environments. TRN offers a means of augmenting an INS/DVL dead-reckoned solution with continuous position fixes based on correlations with pre-stored bathymetry maps instead of surfacing for periodic GPS fixes. TRN accuracy on the order of 3m has been demonstrated in recent field trials using MBARIs Dorado-class AUVs in Monterey Bay. However, these TRN algorithms have occasionally converged to incorrect solutions when the AUV operates for extended times over featureless terrain. Specifically, the TRN filter can become overconfident in an incorrect position fix.
Identifying Rangeland Restoration Targets: An Appraisal of Challenges and Opportunities

Restoration activities are directed toward a broad spectrum of targets. Identifying a restoration target entails defining an ecosystem state and its desired functioning that can be attained through managerial interventions. First, we discuss how restoration targets must integrate economic, social, and ecological considerations in order to be feasible. Primary challenges to identifying realistic restoration targets include long-term managerial and fiscal commitments as well as the accommodation of inherent rangeland complexities stemming from social and ecological factors. Second, we illustrate how the existing tools of ecological site description, rangeland health assessment, and state-and-transition modeling present opportunities to identify flexible restoration targets. Last, we describe how to refine these targets using adaptive management in order to cope with constraints and to reduce the uncertainty of ecosystem dynamics typical of complex systems. Restoration should be viewed as both a rangeland management activity and a means to inform and guide interventions within a specific site.
Random Forests for Prediction of DNA-Binding Residues in Protein Sequences Using Evolutionary Information

A new machine learning approach has been developed in this study for sequence-based prediction of DNA-binding residues in proteins. The approach used both the labeled data instances collected from the available structures of protein-DNA complexes and the abundant unlabeled data found in protein sequence databases. The evolutionary information contained in the unlabeled sequence data was represented as position-specific scoring matrices and several new descriptors. The sequence-derived features were used to train random forests, which could handle a large number of input variables and avoid model overfitting. The use of evolutionary information was found to significantly improve classifier performance. The RF classifier was further evaluated using a separate test dataset. The results suggest that the RF-based approach gives rise to more accurate prediction of DNA-binding residues than previous studies.
Accommodating geometric and thermodynamic variability for forward-looking infrared sensors

Our work has focused on deformable template representations of geometric variability in automatic target recognition (ATR). Within this framework we have proposed the generation of conditional mean estimates of pose of ground-based targets remotely sensed via forward-looking IR radar (FLIR) systems. Using the rotation group parameterization of the orientation space and a Bayesian estimation framework, conditional mean estimators are defined on the rotation group with minimum mean squared error (MMSE) performance bounds calculated following. This paper focuses on the accommodation of thermodynamic variation. Our new approach relaxes assumptions of the target's underlying thermodynamic state, expanding thermodynamic state as a scalar field. Estimation within the deformable template setting poses geometric and thermodynamic variation as a joint inference. MMSE pose estimators for geometric variation are derived, demonstrating the 'cost' of accommodating thermodynamic variability. Performance is quantitatively examined, and simulations are presented.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Empirical measurements of tectonic moment release in nuclear explosions from teleseismic surface waves and body waves

SUMMARY A method of source-parameter estimation based principally on observations of teleseismic long-period surface waves is developed and applied to 71 underground nuclear explosions at the Balapan (Shagan River) test site in Kazakhstan. First, we quantify the observed radiation patterns of Love and Rayleigh waves, noting that such data place only three linear constraints on the five parameters of the standard point source model for each explosion. The three constraints are the strengths of the isotropic, sin2@, and cos2Q components of the observed pattern (where @ is azimuth). The five source parameters are the isotropic moment M,; the doublecouple moment Adt,; and the strike, dip and rake angles, (QS, 6, A). These last four parameters characterize the inferred faulting (tectonic release). Surface waves which propagate from different seismic events in a geographically tight cluster to a distant station are similar in shape, and for very shallow sources the propagation operator can be described by a single wave shape, a differential-propagation delay, and a single amplitude factor containing the effects of attenuation, scattering, focusing and geometrical spreading. The inverse problem is formulated which iteratively solves simultaneously for the path-amplitude factors and the three radiation-pattern parameters for all events using observed seismograms as the empirical wave shapes. We fit 1110 relative measurements of Rayleigh- and Love-wave amplitudes to determine path-amplitude factors to 29 globally distributed stations and radiationpattern parameters for the 71 explosions. Second, we present a new method for interpreting such radiation patterns. In previous studies, two of the five source parameters have typically been fixed by making the very restricted assumption of pure dip-slip faulting at 45" dip. The assumption leads to estimates of strike that are mostly in the north-west-south-east direction at Balapan, and to estimates of M, that correlate very poorly with estimates based upon short-period signals (P, Lg). However, now that excellent yield estimates have become available, we can avoid the assumption of pure dip-slip faulting. Instead we can estimate MI from P and Lg-wave data, thus adding a fourth constraint to help in interpreting the teleseismic surface-wave amplitudes. The outcome is a method for estimating the strike as of faulting associated with tectonic release for each explosion, and for estimating the two combinations M,, sin 6 cos A and $Mo sin 26 sin A, which, respectively, are the strike-slip and dip-slip components of the tectonic release. The strike directions of inferred faulting at Balapan are found to lie in the range 90"-120", which conforms better with limited geological information on faulting in the region than does the trend that has long been inferred from assuming pure dip-slip faulting. We find that without additional information about individual explosions, we are not able to provide a high-precision isotropic moment or yield estimate from teleseismic surface waves.
The mixing layer at high Reynolds number - Large-structure dynamics and entrainment

A turbulent mixing layer in a water channel was observed at Reynolds numbers up to 3 × 10^6. Flow visualization with dyes revealed (once more) large coherent structures and showed their role in the entrainment process; observation of the reaction of a base and an acid indicator injected on the two sides of the layer, respectively, gave some indication of where molecular mixing occurs. Autocorrelations of streamwise velocity fluctuations, using a laser-Doppler velocimeter (LDV) revealed a fundamental periodicity associated with the large structures. The surprisingly long correlation times suggest time scales much longer than had been supposed; it is argued that the mixing-layer dynamics at any point are coupled to the large structure further downstream, and some possible consequences regarding the effects of initial conditions and of the influence of apparatus geometry are discussed.
Some Effects of the Hypothalamic Luteinizing Hormone Releasing Factor on the Biosynthesis and Release of Luteinizing Hormone

The biosynthesis and release of luteinizing hormone (LH) have been demonstrated in the rat pituitary gland incubated in vitro, the LH being measured by means of an immunological assay. After castration, the synthesis and release of LH are increased. Hypothalamic extract significantly stimulates the release of LH, but, at the same or higher concentrations, has no effect on the incorporation ofeither 14C-leucine or 14C-glucosamine into LH. Three days after injecting estrogen plus progesterone into ovariectomized rats no effect on rate of incorporation of leucine into LH is observed, although LH release, as stimulated by hypothalamic extract, is enhanced. It is postulated that the main effect of the hypothalamic luteinizing hormone releasing factor (LRF) is on LH release. (Endocrinology 81: 835, 1967)
Disease ecology at a crossroads: man-made environments, human rights and perpetual development utopias

There is a growing body of critical literature on health, development and environmental sustainability in a world of finite resources and overburdened ecosystems. The ethics of progress and perpetual development in pursuit of unlimited economic growth and ever-expanding markets are no longer viable, given the constraints imposed on the life-support systems of the biosphere and a finite resource base, which poses the most serious threat to life on Earth. Despite increasing evidence of the linkages between economic growth and environmental deterioration and a rhetoric expressed in a growing body of laws, regulations, accords and global "agendas" at the national and international level, there are all too few success stories in reversing or even slowing down the current trends of ecosystem degradation and decreasing cultural and biological diversity. On the contrary, there is evidence that environmental stress and deterioration are increasing, and the impact on the mental, physical and social health and well-being of populations is more significant now than in any previous time in history. The fragmentation of countries, the rise of nationalism and ethnic conflict, the decimation of indigenous nations and human rights abuses are often closely interrelated with environmental degradation and development initiatives. This paper reviews some of the concepts and underlying values of the main "models" developed by health and social scientists for interpreting this reality, with the aim of stimulating debate that could lead to the adoption of a larger and more comprehensive framework for analysing the interactions between human health, development and environmental change.
Nanofluidic Devices for Rapid Analysis of DNA and Proteins

A new class of nanofluidic filter array devices were designed and fabricated to perform rapid separation (both analytical and preparative) of DNA and proteins covering very broad biological size scales. By virtue of its separation efficiency, gel-free operation, ease of sample recovery and high throughput, these nanofluidic filter array devices hold great promise for an integrated biomolecule sample preparation and analysis system.
Catching accurate profiles in hardware

Run-time optimization is one of the most important ways of getting performance out of modern processors. Techniques such as prefetching, trace caching, memory disambiguation etc., are all based upon the principle of observation followed by adaptation, and all make use of some sort of profile information gathered at run-time. Programs are very complex, and the real trick in generating useful run-time profiles is sifting through all the unimportant and infrequently occurring events to find those that are important enough to warrant optimization. In this paper, we present the multi-hash architecture to catch important events even in the presence of extensive noise. Multi-hash uses a small amount of area, between 7 to 16 Kilo-bytes, to accurately capture these important events in hardware, without requiring any software support. This is achieved using multiple hash tables for the filtering, and interval-based profiling to help identify how important an event is in relationship to all the other events. We evaluate our design for value and edge profiling, and show that over a set of benchmarks, we get an average error less than 1%.
Efficient routing algorithms for folded-cube networks

We consider the partial multinode broadcast, the total exchange, and several other prototype communication tasks in a folded-cube network of processors. In the partial multinode broadcast in a N-processor network, each one of M arbitrary nodes (M/spl les/N) broadcasts a packet to all the remaining N-1 nodes. In the total exchange task each processor sends a separate (personalized) packet to every other processor. We propose algorithms for the folded-cube topology that execute these tasks in optimal or near-optimal time. We also present an efficient scheme for the dynamic version of the broadcasting problem, where broadcast requests are generated at each node of the folded-cube at random times. The dynamic broadcasting scheme has asymptotically optimal stability and average delay properties. >
Partnering Up for Cardiac Hypertrophy

See related article, pages 1089–1097 The heart must adapt its mechanical activity to the prevailing hemodynamic demands. When an increased demand is brought about by sustained stimuli such as growth and development, pressure overload, or mutations in sarcomeric proteins, the heart will typically undergo an increase in size caused by myocyte hypertrophy. Underlying this hypertrophic response is the coordinated interaction of distinct signaling modules capable of transmitting and executing modifications in gene expression that lead to alterations in myocyte physiology and long-term cardiac adaptation.1 One of the more intriguing characteristics of the hypertrophic response is that despite the ability of a wide variety of both pathologic and physiologic stimuli to induce cardiac hypertrophy, distinct cytoplasmic signaling cascades that initiate changes in gene expression converge on a common set of nuclear factors. These factors will then transactivate or repress cardiac genes through cis-regulatory elements. One of these transcription factors, myocardin, that appears to be capable of relaying hypertrophic signals to the genome is the subject of the studies performed by Xing et al2 detailed below. An important hypertrophic transcriptional regulator is the zinc finger–containing transcription factor, GATA4. GATA4 is widely expressed and has been identified as a pivotal regulator of developmental and stress-induced changes in cardiac gene expression.3,4 GATA4 has been shown to activate numerous genes in the heart by divergent signaling molecules including protein kinase C, calcineurin, and members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling axis.1 Although GATA4-null embryos arrest before birth,5 a point mutation in GATA4 results in …
Tomás Eloy Martínez, Biography and the Boom: La novela de Perón (1985) and Santa Evita (1995)

This article places Tomas Eloy Martinez's work, in particular his two ‘biographical’ novels La novela de Peron and Santa Evita, within post-1960 Latin American literature. It explains why Martinez's full critical recognition is still pending. To this end the article shows how, situated strategically between the 1960s ‘Boom’ novels and the ‘Post-Boom’ novels of the 1970s and beyond, Martinez's novels assimilate lessons of the Boom to carry that work in new directions. Thereafter the article discusses the role of journalism in literature, before assessing Martinez's work as both journalist and fiction writer, pointing out how these areas meld to produce new hybrid forms in his two major works.
MINIMUM SEPARATION IN WEIGHTED SUBDIVISIONS

We present polynomial time results for computing a minimum separation between two regions in a planar weighted subdivision. Our results are based on a (more general) theorem that characterizes a class of functions for which optimal solutions arise on the boundary of the feasible domain. A direct consequence of this theorem is that a minimum separation goes through a vertex of the weighted subdivision. We also consider extensions and present results for the 3-D case and for a more general case of the 2-D separation problem, in which the separation (link) has associated an ϵ-width. Our results are the first nontrivial upper bounds for these problems. We also discuss simple approximation algorithms for the 2-D case and present a prune-and-search approach that can be used with either the continuous or the approximate solutions to speed up the computation. We have implemented a variant of the two region minimum separation algorithm based on the prune-and-search scheme.
Research priorities in the utilization and interpretation of diagnostic imaging: education, assessment, and competency.

The appropriate selection and accurate interpretation of diagnostic imaging is a crucial skill for emergency practitioners. To date, the majority of the published literature and research on competency assessment comes from the subspecialty of point-of-care ultrasound. A group of radiologists, physicists, and emergency physicians convened at the 2015 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference to discuss and prioritize a research agenda related to education, assessment, and competency in ordering and interpreting diagnostic imaging. A set of questions for the continued development of an educational curriculum on diagnostic imaging for trainees and competency assessment using specific assessment methods based on current best practices was delineated. The research priorities were developed through an iterative consensus-driven process using a modified nominal group technique that culminated in an in-person breakout session. The four recommendations are: 1) develop a diagnostic imaging curriculum for emergency medicine (EM) residency training; 2) develop, study, and validate tools to assess competency in diagnostic imaging interpretation; 3) evaluate the role of simulation in education, assessment, and competency measures for diagnostic imaging; 4) study is needed regarding the American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria, an evidence-based peer-reviewed resource in determining the use of diagnostic imaging, to maximize its value in EM. In this article, the authors review the supporting reliability and validity evidence and make specific recommendations for future research on the education, competency, and assessment of learning diagnostic imaging.
Model Transformation by Demonstration

Model transformations provide a powerful capability to automate model refinements. However, the use of model transformation languages may present challenges to those who are unfamiliar with a specific transformation language. This paper presents an approach called model transformation by demonstration (MTBD), which allows an end-user to demonstrate the exact transformation desired by actually editing a source model and demonstrating the changes that evolve to a target model. An inference engine built into the underlying modeling tool records all editing operations and infers a transformation pattern, which can be reused in other models. The paper motivates the need for the approach and discusses the technical contributions of MTBD. A case study with several sample inferred transformations serves as a concrete example of the benefits of MTBD.
Energy and Approximate Methods

In solid mechanics, an energy formulation is often viewed as an alternative to the differential equation statement. There exists a direct connection between the energy and the differential equation approaches through the principle of virtual displacements and through various extremum principles. However, we will not pursue this connection, since it is beyond our immediate scope.
Prayer, self-affirmation, and distraction improve recovery from short-term ostracism

Abstract Brief episodes of ostracism trigger immediate pain, thwarted needs, and negative affect. Whereas the immediate effects of ostracism tend to be resistant to moderation, people differ in how quickly they recover. Here we investigated three strategies that may promote recovery from ostracism: prayer, self-affirmation, and distraction. In three experiments we found that all three interventions lead to greater recovery of basic needs satisfaction than a control condition in which participants were allowed to naturally ruminate. While all three interventions lead to a similar amount of recovery, only the effects of distraction condition were mediated by reductions in rumination, suggesting that prayer and self-affirmation promote recovery, but do so through mechanisms other than distraction. In addition, we found that religious commitment to God was associated with greater recovery following prayer, but not self-affirmation. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
Low Temperature Mocvd of Silicon-Based Ceramic Films

A liquid methylsilazane compound, [CH3 SiHNH]n, was used, with H2, NH3, and a 60%/40% mixture of NH3/H2, to deposit silicon-based ceramic films in a CVD reactor at 873–1073 K. Characterization of the films by ellipsometry, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) and Auger electron spectrometry (AES) showed that the methylsilazane was pyrolyzed to form silicon carbonitride in H2, and silicon nitride in both NH3 and NH3 /H2, with the incorporation of appreciable amounts of oxygen. The deposition rate increases and the activation energy decreases in order from NH3-, NH3 /H2-, and H2-[CH3SiHNH]n gas mixtures. The temperature dependence of the structural density of the films increases in the same order.
Differential Ion Mobility Spectrometry Coupled to Tandem Mass Spectrometry Enables Targeted Leukemia Antigen Detection

Differential ion mobility spectrometry (DIMS) can be used as a filter to remove undesired background ions from reaching the mass spectrometer. The ability to use DIMS as a filter for known analytes makes DIMS coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (DIMS–MS/MS) a promising technique for the detection of cancer antigens that can be predicted by computational algorithms. In experiments using DIMS–MS/MS that were performed without the use of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), a predicted model antigen, GLR (FLSSANEHL), was detected at a concentration of 10 pM (20 amol) in a mixture containing 94 competing model peptide antigens, each at a concentration of 1 μM. Without DIMS filtering, the GLR peptide was undetectable in the mixture even at 100 nM. Again, without using HPLC, DIMS–MS/MS was used to detect 2 of 3 previously characterized antigens produced by the leukemia cell line U937.A2. Because of its sensitivity, a targeted DIMS–MS/MS methodology can likely be used to probe for predicted cancer anti...
Angiolymphoid Hyperplasia With Eosinophilia Within a Vascular Malformation: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Objectives Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE) is a rare, benign microvascular proliferation tumor. The etiology of ALHE is unknown, though some hypothesize it occurs in reaction to focal trauma. This study presents a case of AHLE within a vascular malformation, its treatment, and a review of the literature. Methods A retrospective case report was performed with a 4-year follow-up. Medical records including clinic notes, radiography, operative reports, pathology, and long-term follow-up were reviewed. Results Radiologic imaging revealed a vascular malformation with highly tortuous, corkscrew-shaped arterial vessels. Histology revealed midsized vessels with plump, epithelialized endothelium and focal areas of lymphocytic infiltrate punctuated with eosinophils, consistent with ALHE. Conclusion This case demonstrates a unique presentation of ALHE in association with vascular malformation. Initial physical exam lacked the classic dermatologic presentation of clusters of red-to-brown nodules; however, the corkscrew vessels lined by epithelized endothelial cells and eosinophilic infiltrate were pathognomonic for ALHE.
Advances in high temperature polymers

One facet of materials science which has been the subject of intensive research over the last decade is the development of new thermally stable polymers. The main stimulus has come from the need to meet the demands of modern technological advances, in particular, the increasingly stringent environmental requirements of the aerospace program. Industry, government agencies and the military are designing and building machinery, equipment and components requiring light-weight, high-strength operation at high temperatures and in adverse environments. Advanced design concepts have increased the urgency of this need for more thermally stable materials and pushed the temperature requirements into even higher regions. This is now being felt in the electrical industry as design engineers attempt to increase the power to size ratio of electrical apparatus by the use of new high performance materials.
Red Cell Stroma in Dogs: Variations in the Stroma Protein and Lipid Fractions Related to Experimental Conditions

Red cell stroma has not been prepared free of iron and/or hemoglobin. It is not certain whether the iron is a contaminant or an essential constituent of the stroma. Extensive washing does not eliminate iron from the stroma but does cause loss of the stroma constituents, protein and lipid. Red cell stroma protein is increased in anemia due to blood loss in the dog, on the average in severe anemia, almost twice the figures recorded in the pooled normal samples of red cell stroma. Lipid fractions under the same conditions show minor fluctuations: approximately 90 per cent of total lipids in the red cells are recovered in the stroma by these methods. The technic for isolation and fractionation of dog erythrocyte stroma is described. Analyses made from the same blood sample by 3 different workers give comparable results. Red cell stroma deserves careful study in controlled experimental conditions.
Uninduced Cu-Metallothionein and Other Cu-Binding Proteins in Mammals and Fish

Among species of metallothionein (Mt), the least understood are those containing copper. Relatively few reports on native Cu-Mt, isolated from organisms not exposed to Cu. Furthermore, there has been marked variability in reported Cu to protein stoichiometry and in the coordination number for sulfhydryl groups bound to Cu1–3. Hence, the experiments reported here focus on basic inorganic properties of a Cu,Zn-Mt isolated from bovine calf liver and survey fresh water fishes for the presence and characteristics of Cu,Zn-binding proteins (BP), analogous to Mt.