cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A predictive computational model reveals that GIV/girdin serves as a tunable valve for EGFR-stimulated cyclic AMP signals.

Cellular levels of the versatile second messenger cyclic (c)AMP are regulated by the antagonistic actions of the canonical G protein → adenylyl cyclase pathway that is initiated by G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and attenuated by phosphodiesterases (PDEs). Dysregulated cAMP signaling drives many diseases; for example, its low levels facilitate numerous sinister properties of cancer cells. Recently, an alternative paradigm for cAMP signaling has emerged in which growth factor-receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs; e.g., EGFR) access and modulate G proteins via a cytosolic guanine-nucleotide exchange modulator (GEM), GIV/girdin; dysregulation of this pathway is frequently encountered in cancers. In this study, we present a network-based compartmental model for the paradigm of GEM-facilitated cross-talk between RTKs and G proteins and how that impacts cellular cAMP. Our model predicts that cross-talk between GIV, Gαs, and Gαi proteins dampens ligand-stimulated cAMP dynamics. This prediction was experimentally verified by measuring cAMP levels in cells under different conditions. We further predict that the direct proportionality of cAMP concentration as a function of receptor number and the inverse proportionality of cAMP concentration as a function of PDE concentration are both altered by GIV levels. Taking these results together, our model reveals that GIV acts as a tunable control valve that regulates cAMP flux after growth factor stimulation. For a given stimulus, when GIV levels are high, cAMP levels are low, and vice versa. In doing so, GIV modulates cAMP via mechanisms distinct from the two most often targeted classes of cAMP modulators, GPCRs and PDEs.
Call for New Therapies in Heart Failure: How Cardiology Can Learn From Oncology

It’s the treatment, stupid. — Analogous to James Carville’s statement on presidential re-election campaigns Cardiologists and oncologists often differ in their treatment approach. This is illustrated in the management of light chain cardiac amyloidosis (also known as AL cardiac amyloidosis)
Positive Interest Rate, Stationary Economy, and Inefficiency

This chapter analyses the direct impact of a positive rate of interest (usury) on the production possibility curve. Usury under a stationary state creates inefficiency in the sense that the marginal rate of transformation is not equal to the price ratio. Over the short run Pareto efficiency appears when a transition period is considered and the rate of return moving from one state to another is endogenous and equals the rate of investment. In a non-stationary economy, when a positive rate of return (interest) is equal to the growth rate of the economy, there will be a Pareto-efficient equilibrium. But if the interest rate is exogenous to the system, usury exists, then Pareto efficiency cannot be achieved under any state, either stationary or non-stationary.
Tarskian Classical Relevant Logic

The Tarskian classical relevant logic \(\mathsf {TR}\) arises from Tarski’s work on the foundations of the calculus of relations and on first-order logic restricted to finitely many variables, presented by Tarski and Givant their book, A Formalization of Set Theory without Variables, and summarized in the first nine sections. \(\mathsf {TR}\) is closely related to the well-known logic \(\mathsf {KR}\). Every formula of relevance logic has a corresponding sentence in Tarski’s extended first-order logic of binary relations with operators on the relation symbols. A formula is in \(\mathsf {TR}\) (by definition), or in \(\mathsf {KR}\) (by a theorem), if and only if its corresponding sentence can be proved in first-order logic, using at most four variables, from the assumptions that all binary relations are dense and, for \(\mathsf {TR}\), commute under composition, or, for \(\mathsf {KR}\), are symmetric. The vocabulary of \(\mathsf {TR}\) is the same as the classical relevant logic \(\mathsf {CR^*}\) proposed by Meyer and Routley but \(\mathsf {TR}\) properly contains \(\mathsf {CR^*}\). The frames characteristic for \(\mathsf {TR}\) are the ones that are characteristic for \(\mathsf {CR^*}\) and satisfy an extra frame condition. There are formulas in \(\mathsf {TR}\) (but not in \(\mathsf {CR^*}\)) that correspond to this frame condition and provide a counterexample to a theorem of T. Kowalski. The frames characteristic for \(\mathsf {TR}\), or \(\mathsf {KR}\), are the ones whose complex algebras are integral dense relation algebras that are commutative, or symmetric, respectively. For both classes, the number of isomorphism types grows like the number of isomorphism types of ternary relations. Asymptotic formulas are obtained for both classes. Similar results apply to a hierarchy of logics defined by the number of variables used in the first-order proofs of their corresponding sentences.
Unification of Environmental Metabolomics with Metacommunity Ecology

Abstract Environmental metabolomics, enabled by high-resolution mass spectrometric techniques, have demonstrated the biogeochemical importance of the metabolites which comprise natural organic matter (NOM). However, significant gaps exist in our understanding of the spatiotemporal organization of NOM composition. We suggest that the underlying mechanisms governing NOM can be revealed by applying tools and concepts from metacommunity ecology to environmental metabolomics. After illustrating the similarities between metabolomes and ecological communities, we call this conceptual synthesis ‘meta-metabolome ecology’ and demonstrate its potential utility using a freshwater mass spectrometry dataset. Specifically, we developed three relational metabolite dendrograms using combinations of molecular properties (i.e., aromaticity index, double-bond equivalents, etc.) and putative biochemical transformations. Using these dendrograms, which are similar to phylogenetic or functional trait trees in ecological communities, we illustrate potential analytical techniques by investigating relationally-informed α-diversity and β-diversity metrics (e.g., MPD, MNTD, UniFrac), and null model analyses (e.g., NRI, NTI, and βNTI). Furthermore, we demonstrate that this synthesis allows ecological communities (e.g., microbes) and the metabolites they produce and consume using the same framework. We propose that applying this framework to a broad range of ecosystems will reveal generalizable principles that can advance our predictive capabilities regarding NOM dynamics.
Achieving Agile Big Data Science: The Evolution of a Team’s Agile Process Methodology

While there has been a rapid increase in the use of data science and the related field of big data, there has been minimal discussion on how teams using these techniques should best plan, coordinate and communicate their activities. To help address this gap, this paper reports on a mixed method qualitative study exploring how a big data science team within a Fortune 500 organization used two different agile process methodologies. The study helps clarify the concept of agility within a big data science project, as well as the key process challenges teams encounter when executing a big data science project. Specifically, three key issues were identified: (a) the challenge in task duration estimation, (b) how to account for team members that might be pulled onto other tasks for short bursts and (c) coordination challenges across the different groups within the big data science team. Our findings help explain how different process methodologies might mitigate or exacerbate these challenges and supports previous research showing that big data science teams would benefit from an increased focus on their process methodology and that adopting an Agile Kanban methodology, which focuses on minimizing work-in-progress, could prove beneficial for many big data science teams.
LEFT ATRIAL AND LEFT VENTRICULAR STRAIN DURING EXERCISE UNMASK DIASTOLIC DYSFUNCTION IN SCLERODERMA

Left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction is a known complication of scleroderma, and may contribute to the exertional dyspnea frequently prompting echocardiography or right heart catheterization (RHC) performed at rest. However, this approach may miss clinically significant diastolic dysfunction
Tutorial on risk neutral, distributionally robust and risk averse multistage stochastic programming

Abstract In this tutorial we discuss several aspects of modeling and solving multistage stochastic programming problems. In particular we discuss distributionally robust and risk averse approaches to multistage stochastic programming, and the involved concept of time consistency. This tutorial is aimed at presenting a certain point of view on multistage stochastic optimization, rather than a complete survey of the topic.
Nurturing Care for Early Childhood Development: Path to Improving Child Outcomes in Africa

The importance of early childhood development has been on the radar of social scientists for decades, yet its connection to global development potential is relatively new. In May 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) outlined a Nurturing Care Framework (NCF) to improve childhood development, claiming that one of the best ways a country can improve prosperity, economic growth, equitable opportunities, and reduce social inequalities is simple: invest in early childhood development. The WHO components of the NCF include: (1) good health, (2) adequate nutrition, (3) responsive caregiving, (4) opportunities for early learning, and (5) security and safety. Many of the existing discussions on improved child development focus on one avenue to improve child development and fail to compare various possible avenues to determine which is most critical. This paper utilizes Demographic and Health Survey data and WomanStats data from 7 African countries to determine the most influential factor to improve early childhood development for 36–59-month-old children, among those listed in the NCF. Measures of child development include: understanding words and numbers, ability to follow instruction, independence, playing with others, and distractibility. Though all five components of the NCF are necessary, understanding the most influential will streamline efforts moving forward. Results suggest that early learning opportunities and security and safety are most crucial to early childhood development, providing a clear path forward for governments, aid organizations, and households.
Determination of Virulence Phenotypes of Plasmopara halstedii in the United States.

Downy mildew, caused by Plasmopara halstedii (Farl.) Berl. and de Toni, is an economically important disease in cultivated sunflowers, Helianthus annuus L. Resistance genes incorporated into commer...
Approaching the Strain-Free Limit in Ultrathin Nanomechanical Resonators

Ultrathin mechanical structures are ideal building platforms to pursue the ultimate limit of nanomechanical resonators for applications in sensing, signal processing, and quantum physics. Unfortunately, as the thickness of the vibrating structures is reduced, the built-in strain of the structural materials plays an increased role in determining the mechanical performance of the devices. As a consequence, it is very challenging to fabricate resonators working in the modulus-dominant regime, where their dynamic behavior is exclusively determined by the device geometry. In this Letter, we report ultrathin doubly clamped nanomechanical resonators with aspect ratios as large as L/t ∼5000 and working in the modulus-dominant regime. We observed room temperature thermomechanically induced motion of multiple vibration modes with resonant frequencies closely matching the predicted values of Euler-Bernoulli beam theory under an axial strain of 6.3 × 10-8. The low strain of the devices enables a record frequency tuning ratio of more than 50 times. These results illustrate a new strategy for the quantitative design of nanomechanical resonators with unprecedented performance.
Moduli Spaces of $$G_{2}$$-Instantons and Spin(7)-Instantons on Product Manifolds

Let X be a closed 6-dimensional manifold with a half-closed SU(3)-structure. On the product manifold $$X\times S^{1}$$ , with respect to the product $$G_{2}$$ -structure and on a pullback vector bundle from X, we show that any $$G_{2}$$ -instanton is equivalent to a Hermitian Yang–Mills connection on X via a “broken gauge”. This result reveals the topological type of the moduli of $$G_{2}$$ -instantons on $$X\times S^{1}$$ . In dimension 8, similar result holds for moduli of Spin(7)-instantons. A generalization and an example are given.
Phychoacoustic Masking of Delta and Time -Difference Cepstrum Features for Deception Detection

This paper presents the test results of analyzing mel frequency cepstrum coefficient (MFCC), delta and difference cepstrum features to detect and distinguish the truthful and deceptive speech. The features are extracted based on the psychoacoustic masking property of human speech and how it is perceived. Truthful and deceptive speeches are preset based off a guilty male speaker in police custody. Delta cepstrum and time-difference cepstrum features at triangular critical bands filter and a neural network show the distinctions that determine whether an utterance is truthful or deceptive. In this paper, we analyze the extracted MFCC, delta cepstrum and time-difference cepstrum features to see how stress in speech accurately conveys human speech emotion and deception. Finally, we feed the data into an artificial neural network model to test out the results.
Mount Sinai: Orientalist Images of the Mountain of God

The remote, stony peaks of the southern Sinai Peninsula played an inordinate role in history. They lie at a distance from the ancient overland trade routes that once linked Africa and Asia. However, one of these peaks, Mount Sinai, was critical to the development of the Abrahamic religions, particularly Judaism and Christianity. The Hebrew Bible says that God gave the Israelites their secular and spiritual law at Mount Sinai. Since the earliest centuries CE, Europeans exhibited special reverence for the site. Rome’s Empress Consort Helena commissioned a chapel at Mount Sinai and the Byzantine Emperor Justinian built a monastery around Saint Helena’s chapel. As international transportation improved in the nineteenth century, a steady stream of British and French explorers, intellectuals, and pilgrims poured into the Holy Land, Egypt, and Sinai. Some were artists, intent on seeing and recording historic locations. They had various motives: cultural curiosity, pecuniary reward, and spiritual quest. These artists left to posterity a fascinating visual record of Mount Sinai: the Mountain of Moses, the Mountain of God. This essay explores the life stories and motives of a select few of these artists and their relevant artworks. The purpose is to inform students and scholars about a significant cross-cultural intersection of religious history and art.
Mathematical Responses to the Hole Argument: Then and Now

We argue that several apparently distinct responses to the hole argument, all invoking formal or mathematical considerations, should be viewed as a unified "mathematical response". We then consider and rebut two prominent critiques of the mathematical response before reflecting on what is ultimately at issue in this literature.
Genetic Control of Cell Recognition and Interaction

The I region of the H-2 complex has been associated with several immunological functions that require the products of the region to behave as antigens. Yet for a long time the entire central segment of the H-2 complex was serologically undetectable. The situation changed recently when several laboratories (Hauptfeld et al. 1973a, b; David et al. 1973a; Gotze et al. 1973b; G. Hammer-ling et al. 1974a; D. Sachs and Cone 1973) discovered simultaneously that products of the I region can be detected by serological methods, provided the methods are sensitive enough and that the right target cells are chosen. The I-region-controlled, serologically detectable antigens were originally designated Ir-1.1 and Ir-1.2 (to indicate that they were controlled by loci genetically indistinguishable from Jr-1; cf. Hauptfeld et al. 1973a) and Lna (to indicate that they were originally detected on lymph node cells, cf. David et al. 1973a); recently an agreement has been reached to refer to the antigens summarily as la or I region-associated antigens (Shreffler et al. 1974). Table 18–1 Antisera defining individual la antigens Ia antigen Antiserum Target Cell D1* A.TH anti-A.TL A.CA D2 (A.TH × B10.D2)F1 anti-A.TL (abs. with A.CA) A.TL D3 A.TH anti-A.TL B10 D4 (A.TL × A.TFR3)F1 anti-A.TH A.TH D5 A.TL anti-A.TH A.CA D6 B10.A(4R) anti-B10.A(2R) B10.D2 D7 (B10b × HTI)F1 anti-10.A(5R) A.TL D8 B10.A anti-B10 B10.D2 D9 (A × B10.D2)F1 anti-B10.A(5R) B10.S D10 AQR anti-B10.T(6R) B10.T(6R) H1** B10.T(6R) anti-B10.AQR B10.AQR H2 B10.AQR anti-B10.T(6R) B10.T(6R) H3 (A.TL × B10)F1 anti-B10.HTT B10.S H4 (A.TL × B10)F1 anti-B10.HTT B10.M * Antigens defined by David et al. (1973a, 1974) and Shreffler and David (1974). ** Antigens defined by Hauptfeld et al. (1973a, b, 1974).
Uninstructed emotion regulation choice in four studies of cognitive reappraisal

In emotion regulation (ER) research, participants are often trained to use specific strategies in response to emotionally evocative stimuli. Yet theoretical models suggest that people vary significantly in strategy use in everyday life. Which specific strategies people choose to use, and how many, may partially depend on contextual factors like the emotional intensity of the situation. It is thus possible - even likely - that participants spontaneously use uninstructed ER strategies in the laboratory, and that these uninstructed choices may depend on contextual factors like emotional intensity. We report data from four studies in which participants were instructed to use cognitive reappraisal to regulate their emotions in response to pictures, the emotional intensity of which varied across studies. After the picture trials, participants described which and how many strategies they used by way of open-ended responses. Results indicated that while a substantial proportion of participants in all studies described strategies consistent with cognitive reappraisal, a substantial proportion also endorsed uninstructed strategies. Importantly, they did so more often in the context of studies in which they viewed higher-intensity pictures. These findings underscore the importance of considering uninstructed ER choice in instructed paradigms and situational context in all studies of ER.
Failure of vitamin C, rutin, vitamin P, and vitamin K in the treatment of pregnancy gingivitis.

Abstract 1. 1. Vitamin C, rutin, vitamin P, and vitamin K (frequently in combination) were not found significantly effective in treating the gingivitis or gingival hemorrhage associated with pregnancy. 2. 2. Coronal scalings of the teeth were found to arrest the progress of these symptoms. 3. 3. Weekly conservative subgingival periodontal treatmentswere observed to be the most effective means of controlling and alleviating the lesions under consideration.
IFN-γ Induces Apoptosis in Developing Mast Cells

Mast cells are critical effectors of allergic disease, and are now implicated in immune responses observed in arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and heart disease. Because of their role in inflammation, understanding how mast cells develop is of clinical importance. In this study we determined the effects of IFN-gamma on mast cell survival. Using in vitro culture of bone marrow cells in IL-3 plus stem cell factor, we found that the addition of IFN-gamma induced apoptosis, as exhibited by the presence of subdiploid DNA and caspase activation. IFN-gamma-mediated apoptosis was Stat1-dependent, and was accompanied by loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. Apoptosis was reduced in cultures of bone marrow cells derived from p53- or Bax-deficient mice, as well as H2K-Bcl-2 transgenic mice. IFN-gamma hyperresponsiveness has been shown to result in inflammatory disease and death in mice lacking the regulatory protein suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)-1. Bone marrow cells from SOCS-1 knockout (KO) mice failed to give rise to viable mast cells after culture in IL-3 plus stem cell factor, with profound apoptosis occurring as the cultures matured. However, bone marrow cells lacking both SOCS-1 and IFN-gamma survived normally. This in vitro defect in mast cell development was recapitulated in vivo. SOCS-1 KO mice demonstrated a 67% decrease in peritoneal mast cell numbers relative to wild-type mice, a deficiency that was reversed in SOCS-1/IFN-gamma KO mice. These data demonstrate the potent regulatory effects of IFN-gamma on mast cell survival and show that this cytokine can elicit mast cell death in vitro and in vivo.
Abstract 17861: Identification of Cardiovascular Lineage Descendants at Single Cell Resolution

BACKGROUND: The transcriptional profile of cardiac cells derived from murine embryos and from mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) has primarily been studied as a cell population. However, the characterization of gene expression in these cells at a single cell level may demonstrate unique variations not appreciated as a pool. METHODS AND RESULTS: To establish a single cell quantitative PCR platform and perform side-by-side comparison between cardiac progenitors cells (CPCs) and cardiomyocytes (CMs) derived from our previously described Nkx2.5 enhancer-eGFP mESC and mouse embryos, we generated a reference map for single cardiovascular cells through quantifying lineage-defining genes for CPCs, CMs, smooth muscle cells (SMCs), endothelial cells (EDCs), fibroblasts, and mESCs using the Fluidigm microfluidic-enabled multiplex PCR assay. This panel was then applied against day 10.5 embryonic heart single cells to demonstrate its ability to identify chamber-specific CMs, endocardial cells, and fibroblasts. In addition, we compared the gene expression profiles of Nkx2.5 enhancer-eGFP embryo- and mESC-derived CPCs and CMs at different developmental stages and showed that single mESC-derived CM is transcriptionally similar to embryo-derived CM up to the neonatal stage. Furthermore, we show that time-lapse microscopy coupled with single cell expression assay can resolve the identity and the lineage relationship of progenies of single cultured CPC. With this approach, we found differential propensity for mESC-derived CPCs to become SMCs and CMs, whereas embryo-derived CPC to become CMs or EDCs. CONCLUSIONS: Our single cell expression profiling assays demonstrate the transcriptional similarity between mESC and embryo-derived CPC and CM up to the neonatal stage of development as well as differences in the propensity of CPCs to differentiate into cardiovascular cells. Single cell expression analysis appears to be a powerful tool to address the unique behavior of individual embryo- or mESC-derived cardiovascular cells.
Chapter 8 – Modeling dependencies in pre-mRNA splicing signals

This chapter discusses the compositional properties of pre-mRNA splicing signals explains the construction and application of simple probabilistic models of biological signal sequences. Although all of the examples relate to splicing signals, many of the techniques can equally well be applied to other types of nucleic acid signals, such as those involved in transcription, translation, or other biochemical processes. The chapter emphasizes the use of simple statistical tests of dependence between sequence positions. In some cases, observed dependencies can give clues to important functional constraints on a signal and incorporation of such dependencies into probabilistic models of sequence signals can lead to significant improvements in the accuracy of signal prediction/classification. The chapter discusses some caveats concerning the dangers of: (1) constructing models with too many parameters and (2) overinterpreting observed correlations in sequence data. It also describes pre-mRNA splicing, the probabilistic approach to signal classification, and several standard types of discrete probabilistic models.
Questions and Issues Arising at SCES '94 Theory

I summarize some of the key questions to have emerged during the 1994 conference on ``Strongly Correlated Electron Systems'', held in Amsterdam, August 1994. Issues addressed include: Hunds rule interactions and how they renormalize; the Luttinger sum rule and metamagnetism; heavy fermion insulators, the nature of the charge gap, spectral weight transfer in the optical conductivity; non-Fermi liquid behavior in transition and heavy fermion metals; order parameter symmetry and the unusual nature of quasiparticle excitations in heavy fermion superconductors.
Cost-Effective Antiemetic Drugs in Cancer Chemotherapy

(1996). Cost-Effective Antiemetic Drugs in Cancer Chemotherapy. Journal of Pharmaceutical Care in Pain & Symptom Control: Vol. 4, No. 1-2, pp. 345-346.
Some new results on non-rigid correspondence and classification of curves

We present two new algorithms for correspondence and classification of planar curves in a non-rigid sense. In the first algorithm we define deforming energy based on aligning curves using certain of their properties, namely Multi-Step-Size Local Similarity (MSSLS) and the difference between the angle changes of beginning and ending tangent lines of two corresponding curve segments, as well as local scale of stretching. MSSLS overcomes the noise of local shape information of curves to be aligned. In the second algorithm, we improve the computation of shape context so that it catches the local information of ordered sets representing planar curves better. The optimal correspondence is found by a modified dynamic-programming method. Based on deforming energy, we can do pattern recognition among curves, which is very important in many areas such as recognition of hand-written characters and cardiac curves where rigid transformations and scaling do not work well. Finally, the effect of correspondence and classification is shown in application to hand-written characters and cardiac curves.
Cyanide-resistant respiration in Neurospora crassa.

Cell respiration in wild type and poky was studied as part of a long-term investigation of cyanide-resistant respiration in Neurospora. Respiration in wild type proceeds via a cytochrome chain which is similar to that of higher organisms; it is sensitive to antimycin A or cyanide. Poky, on the other hand, respires by means of two alternative oxidase systems. One of these is analogous to the wild-type cytochrome chain in that it can be inhibited by antimycin A or cyanide; this system accounts for as much as 15% of the respiration of poky f− and 34% of the respiration of poky f+. The second oxidase system is unaffected by antimycin A or cyanide at concentrations which inhibit the cytochrome chain maximally. It can, however, be specifically inhibited by salicyl hydroxamic acid. The cyanide-resistant oxidase is not exclusive to poky, but is also present in small quantities in wild type grown under ordinary circumstances. These quantities may be greatly increased (as much as 20-fold) by growing wild type in the presence of antimycin A, cyanide, or chloramphenicol.
Phenylpropanoic Acid: Growth Factor for Ruminococcus albus

Phenylpropanoic acid accounted for part of the stimulatory effect of rumen fluid on the rate of growth and of cellulose digestion by cultures of Ruminococcus albus strain 8 grown on a chemically defined medium. As little as 3 μM concentration gave maximum response.
ULTRASONIC ATTENUATION IN SOLID HELIUM

A great deal of information about the motion of dislocations in solid helium has been obtained from ultrasonic and internal friction measurements. A brief review is given and representative data for 3He are presented, showing dislocation resonance and damping as well as pinning effects.
Superconductivity in the ferromagnetic phase of polycrystalline HoMo6S8 films.

Films of ${\mathrm{HoMo}}_{6}$${\mathrm{S}}_{8}$ have been found to exhibit zero resistance at low temperatures in the ferromagnetic phase. Measurements of the temperature and magnetic field dependences of the electrical resistance, critical field, magnetization, and critical current have been carried out. Zero resistance in the ferromagnetic phase is a consequence of the superconductivity on either domain walls within crystallites or domain walls associated with grain boundaries. In either instance there must be significant supercurrent flow through ferromagnetic material.
How difficult is the frequency selection problem

Frequency domain methodology has been applied to discrete-event simulations to identify terms in a polynomial metamodel of the simulation output. This paper studies the problems associated with optimally selecting input frequencies to drive the frequency domain method. This Frequency Selection Problem (FSP) can be formulated as a large mixed integer linear program (MILP) or as a large set of small linear programs (LPs). The number of such LPs with nonzero optimal values is shown to be exponential in the number of input parameters to the model. Each such LP solution corresponds to a local optimum of the MILP formulation. The LP formulation is also used to show that this local search version of FSP is polynomially solvable. A new NP-complete problem, the Indicator Function Spacing Problem (IFSP), is presented. This problem is then used to show that FSP is NP-easy, hence no harder than NP-complete problems. These results suggest that FSP is difficult, and that researchers addressing this problem should focus their attention on the construction of heuristic procedures rather than polynomial time algorithms.
Theoretical study of the reactions of O (3P) atom with a series of fluoroolefins

Abstract Reactions of O ( 3 P ) with 1,1-difluoroolefins have been studied using MINDO/3 techniques. The calculated intermediate products fall into two categories depending on the olefin substituents. Class A intermediates consist of COF 2 (singlet) and :CXY (triplet) where X and Y are F or Cl. Class B intermediates consist of COXH (triplet) and CF 2 (singlet) where X is F, H, or Cl. H 3 C substitution forms its own class and results in formation of excited CF 2 (triplet) and the singlet carbonyl. These results are useful in predicting the geometry of the final substituted cyclopropane products, since the singlet carbenes are known to react stereospecifically. MINDO/3 results are in good agreement with experimental heats of formation, and relative stabilities of substituted carbenes. Singlet-triplet energy separations were found to be consistent with previous theoretical work. The results of this study are discussed in terms of the known experimental facts about these reactions.
Helping Consumers Make More Healthful Food Choices: Consumer Views on Modifying Food Labels and Providing Point-of-Purchase Nutrition Information at Quick-service Restaurants

Abstract Objectives To understand consumer (1) interest in nutrition information on food labels and quick-service restaurant menu boards and (2) reactions to modifying this information to help highlight calories and more healthful choices. Design Eight consumer focus groups, using a guide and stimuli. Setting Focus group discussions in 4 US cities. Participants A total of 68 consumers, with 7 to 10 per focus group. Analysis Authors prepared detailed summaries of discussions based on observation. Video recordings and transcripts were used to cross-check summaries. Data were systematically reviewed, synthesized, and analyzed. Phenomenon of Interest Consumer views on alternative presentations of nutrition information on packaged food items and quick-service restaurant menu boards. Results Participants (1) were interested in having nutrition information available, but would not use it at every eating occasion; (2) thought that food products typically consumed at 1 eating occasion should be labeled as a single serving; and (3) indicated that an icon on labels and menu boards that signaled more healthful options could be helpful. Conclusions and Implications Findings provide a basis for the development of more systematic studies to better understand whether alternative presentations of nutrition information would help consumers.
Electrically evoked saccades from the dorsomedial frontal cortex and frontal eye fields: a parametric evaluation reveals differences between areas

Using electrical stimulation to evoke saccades from the dorsomedial frontal cortex (DMFC) and frontal eye fields (FEF) of rhesus monkeys, parametric tests were conducted to compare the excitability properties of these regions. Pulse frequency and pulse current, pulse frequency and train duration, and pulse current and pulse duration were varied to determine threshold functions for a 50% probability of evoking a saccade. Also a wide range of frequencies were tested to evoke saccades, while holding all other parameters constant. For frequencies beyond 150 Hz, the probability of evoking saccades decreased for the DMFC, whereas for the FEF this probability remained at 100%. To evoke saccades readily from the DMFC, train durations of greater than 200 ms were needed; for the FEF, durations of less than 100 ms were sufficient. Even though the chronaxies of neurons residing in the DMFC and FEF were similar (ranging from 0.1 to 0.24 ms) significantly higher currents were required to evoke saccades from the DMFC than FEF. Thus the stimulation parameters that are optimal for evoking saccades from the DMFC differ from those that are optimal for evoking saccades from the FEF. Although the excitability of neurons in the DMFC and FEF are similar (due to similar chronaxies), we suggest that the density of saccade-relevant neurons is higher in the FEF than in the DMFC.
The corticoids of the avian adrenal gland

The corticoid secretory pattern of four avian species from different orders: the white leghorn chicken, the white king pigeon, the western gull, and the white pekin duck, was studied by in vitro incubation of the adrenal tissue. Corticosterone was the major secretory product. Aldosterone was identified also as a secretory product of the adrenal. A steroid, best characterized in the gull but present in all species, was tentatively identified as 11-dehydrocorticosterone. A partially characterized steroid was produced by the adrenals of all four species. A second steroid, also partially characterized, was present only in extracts from the chicken and gull. Mammalian ACTH had no qualitative effect on the secretory pattern of the adrenal. Only corticosterone production by the adrenals was increased significantly by ACTH. The adrenal glands of the chicken and duck were more responsive to ACTH than the adrenals from the gull and pigeon. Possible age or sex differences were investigated in the western gull, but no significant differences were found. Although only four species of birds were studied, the consistency of the adrenal secretory pattern seen in the class aves to date has not been encountered in any other vertebrate class.
Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) degradation in NIH:N mouse cerebral cortex and spinal cord.

Abstract Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) metabolism in NIH:N mouse cerebral cortex and spinal cord was studied with high pressure liquid chromatography. Degradation of added TRH was significantly ( P P
Learned Controls of Ingestive Behaviour

During the 25 year history of the Columbia Appetitive Seminar there have been many notable developments in ingestive behavior research. One area of rapid progress concerns learned controls of feeding behavior. During the 1960's and 1970's most research related to food learning focused on conditioned flavor aversions. While it was assumed that animals also learned to prefer foods based on their positive nutritive consequences, there were few experimental demonstrations of this effect. Examples often cited involved animals learning to prefer a flavor associated with recovery from illness or a vitamin deficiency. There were isolated reports in the 1960's of nutrient infusions increasing flavor preference and acceptance, but it wasn't until the 1970's that nutrient-based learning was firmly established, and not until the 1980's and 1990's investigated in detail. This brief review highlights some of the major findings of nutrient-based learning. Other important aspects of food learning (social, cultural, ecological, environmental) are not discussed here.
S4 : A free electromagnetic solver for layered periodic structures

Abstract We describe S 4 , a free implementation of the Fourier modal method (FMM), which has also been commonly referred to as rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA), for simulating electromagnetic propagation through 3D structures with 2D periodicity. We detail design aspects that allow S 4 to be a flexible platform for these types of simulations. In particular, we highlight the ability to select different FMM formulations, user scripting, and extensibility of program capabilities for eigenmode computations. Program summary Program title: S4 Catalogue identifier: AEMO_v1_0. Program summary URL: http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEMO_v1_0..html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen’s University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: GNU General Public License, version 2 No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 56910 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 433883 Distribution format: Programming language: C, C++. Computer: Any computer with a Unix-like environment and a C++ compiler. Developed on 2.3 GHz AMD Phenom 9600. Operating system: Any Unix-like environment; developed under MinGW32 on Windows 7. Has the code been vectorized or parallelized?: Yes. Parallelized using MPI. RAM: Problem dependent (linearly proportional to number of layers and quadratic in number of Fourier components). A single layer calculation with approximately 100 Fourier components uses approximately 10 MB. Classification: 10. Electrostatics and Electromagnetics. External routines: Lua [1] and optionally exploits additional free software packages: FFTW [2], CHOLMOD [3], MPI message-passing interface [4], LAPACK and BLAS linear-algebra software [5], and Kiss FFT [6]. Nature of problem: Time-harmonic electromagnetism in layered bi-periodic structures. Solution method: The Fourier modal method (rigorous coupled wave analysis) and the scattering matrix method. Running time: Problem dependent and highly dependent on quality of the BLAS implementation (linearly proportional to number of layers and cubic in number of Fourier components). A single layer calculation with approximately 100 Fourier components takes 4 s on the development machine using the reference BLAS. References [1] R. Ierusalimschy, L.H. de Figueiredo, W.C. Filho, Lua — an extensible extension language, Software: Practice and Experience 26 (1996) 635–652. http://www.lua.org . [2] FFTW, http://www.fftw.org . [3] Y. Chen, T.A. Davis, W.W. Hager, and S. Rajamanickam, Algorithm 887: CHOLMOD, supernodal sparse Cholesky factorization and update/downdate, ACM Trans. Math. Software, Vol. 35, No. 3, 2009. http://www.cise.ufl.edu/research/sparse/cholmod . [4] T.M. Forum, MPI: A Message Passing Interface, in: Supercomputing 93, Portland, OR, 878883, 1993. [5] LAPACK, http://www.netlib.org/lapack . [6] Kiss FFT, http://kissfft.sourceforge.net .
⋅/, und Á/‰-T-Zell-Rezeptor-Analyse an konjunktivalem Gewebe bei Patienten mit okulärem Pemphigoid

Fragestellung: Das Vorkommen und die Verteilung von α/β und γ/δ-T-Zell-Rezeptor(TCR)-positiven Zellen ist an der Konjunktiva von asymptomatischen Personen und Patienten mit okularem Pemphigoid (OCP) bisher nicht untersucht worden. Patienten und Methode: Bindehautbiopsien von 20 Patienten mit klinisch diagnostiziertem OCP wurden mit 20 Biopsien von asymptomatischen Patienten verglichen. Zusatzlich wurden 3 Praparate von Patienten mit OCP unter Zytostatikatherapie und 8 nach Schleimhauttransplantationen untersucht. Hierfur wurde nach Deparaffinierung mit Antigen retrieval die immunhistochemische Identifizierung von α/β- und γ/δ-TCR-positiven Zellen mit Hilfe von monoklonalen Antikorpern und einem Markierungssystem durchgefuhrt. Es wurden je 3 Schnitte angefertigt und negative Kontrollseren mitgefuhrt. Ergebnisse: α/β-TCR-positive Zellen konnten sowohl im konjunktivalen Epithel als auch im Stroma bei allen Kontrollpersonen und bei allen Patienten mit OCP beobachtet werden. γ/δ-TCR-positive Zellen waren nicht bei den Kontrollpersonen, wohl aber bei Patienten mit OCP, und zwar in 4 von 20 Fallen, im Epithel vorhanden. Patienten mit OCP unter Zytostatikatherapie wiesen weder α/β- noch γ/δ-TCR-positive Zellen auf. Nach einer Schleimhauttransplantation anderte sich das Farbeverhalten der α/β-TCR-positiven Zellen von membranstandig zu nuklear und der γ/δ-TCR-positiven Zellen von membranstandig zu zytoplasmatisch. Zusammenfassung: Die Beobachtungen zeigen, das bestimmte definierte T-Zell-Populationen in der Konjunktiva von gesunden Personen und Patienten mit okularem Pemphigoid vorkommen. Funktionelle Studien mit frischem Gewebematerial mogen genauere Hinweise auf die Rolle von definierten T-Zell-Populationen bei der Immunpathogenese von Autoimmunerkrankungen des auseren Auges wie dem okularen Pemphigoid geben.
Structural effects of mercaptoethanol during mitotic block of sea urchin eggs

Abstract 1. (1) The first visual effect of mercaptoethanol on dividing sea urchin eggs is a collapse of the asters and spindle into a central clear region containing many membranes and vesicles. 2. (2) Microtubules are present in blocked cells. Chromosomal microtubules and probably also aster microtubules shorten in the block, retaining the structure of a mitotic apparatus, but with decreasing spindle length and aster size. Radial orientation is retained around the aster centers. 3. (3) The ability of the centers to separate in the block increases as the blocking time approaches metaphase and appears related to the number of polymerized microtubules present at the time of the block. Centers separate with formation of vesicle and microtubule tracts between them. 4. (4) Mercaptoethanol apparently prevents the normal increase in the pool of available microtubule protein during mitosis, but does not prevent microtubule depolymerization or new polymerization from an existing pool, which may be derived in part from depolymerization of existing microtubules.
The Determinants of Human Trafficking: A US Case Study

Human trafficking is a global problem. In this paper, I seek to find the determinants of international human trafficking by using the US as a case study. Previous studies have drawn primarily from the migration literature, proposing hypotheses that focus on economic factors, the level of democracy and other “push” factors in the countries of origin that create incentives for individuals to migrate. However, we know that international human trafficking is an involuntary form of migration and may be influenced by additional factors. I hypothesize that factors that influence the cost–benefit calculation of the trafficker determine the volume of human trafficking, in addition to the factors that affect the size of the pool of trafficking victims. I test my theory using the negative binomial regression model. My results indicate that while income inequality within a country and poor protection of women's rights are likely to produce a specific pool of victims, it is the reduction of operational costs for the trafficker that increases the number of individuals who are trafficked.
Proactive flight schedule evaluation at Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines is the first and only airline to carry over 100 million passengers in a year, carrying over 105,000,000 passengers in 1998. To provide service to this number of passengers, Delta operates a "hub and spoke" flight system. In the hub and spoke system, certain key airports, or hubs, are designated as the origination point of a large number of flights, thereby allowing a passenger departing from a hub airport almost unlimited flexibility in terms of direct flight destinations. A change in the operation of the runways in one of Delta's hub airports was planned, and Delta management wanted to determine the effect on the dependable operation of the current and future flight schedules. Flight schedule dependability can be defined as the reliable, consistent, and timely operation of a published flight schedule. For several reasons, schedule dependability is absolutely critical to the successful operation of an airline. The airline industry is extremely competitive, and schedule dependability is an important benchmark that differentiates competing airlines in the eyes of many customers. Also, schedule dependability is critical to the profitability of an airline because of the high cost of an unreliable operation. These costs include repositioning aircraft, accommodating inconvenienced passengers, and adjusting pilot and flight attendant schedules. The purpose of this paper is to present two simulation models used to evaluate proposed flight schedules and to quantify the effect of changes in conditions at a major hub airport on the proposed schedule.
Adsorption of anaesthetic vapours on charcoal beds

The adsorptive properties of four charcoals have been examined in relation to their value as adsorbents in filters attached to an anaesthetic trolley. Data for four anaesthetics have been obtained. The test conditions (flow rate, concentration, humidity) were those relevant to the application, and the effect of variation of these conditions was also studied. The air flow resistance of the charcoals was measured. Basic data are thus provided for the design of suitable adsorbers. The performance of two prototype anaesthetic adsorbers has been measured.
Film effectiveness over a flat surface with air and CO2 injection through compound angle holes using a transient liquid crystal image method

This paper presents detailed film effectiveness distributions over a flat surface with one row of injection holes inclined streamwise at 35 deg for three blowing ratios (M = 0.5, 1.0, 2.0). Three compound angles of 0, 45, and 90 deg with air (D.R. = 0.98) and CO 2 (D. R. = 1.46) as coolants are tested at an elevated free-stream turbulence condition (Tu 8.5 percent). A transient liquid crystal technique is used to measure local heat transfer coefficients and film effectiveness. Detailed film effectiveness results are presented near and around film injection holes. Compound angle injection provides higher film effectiveness than simple angle injection for both coolants. Higher density injectant produces higher effectiveness for simple injection. However, lower density coolant produces higher effectiveness for a large compound angle of 90 deg. The detailed film effectiveness obtained using the transient liquid crystal technique, particularly in the near-hole region, provided a better understanding of the film cooling process in gas turbine components.
Effects of low-level lead exposure on cell survival and neurite length in primary mesencephalic cultures.

Abstract The effects of low-level lead exposure on survival and neurite length of rat E15 primary ventral mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons were studied. Lead acetate (0.001–10 μM) added to primary cultures for 48 h (in serum-free defined media [DM]) caused a loss of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons only at the highest concentrations (1 and 10 μM). In contrast, significant effects on neurite length were observed at concentrations as low as 0.001 μM. Lead-induced decrease in neurite length became more apparent at concentrations of 0.01 μM (mean 37.9% decrease) and 0.10 μM lead acetate (mean 43.9% decrease). These data show that very low concentrations of lead, well below the level necessary to adversely affect neuronal survival, can have dramatic effects on neurite growth. These results support recent clinical findings of detrimental effects of low-level lead exposure on brain development.