cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Limited Response of Indigenous Microbes to Water and Nutrient Pulses in High-Elevation Atacama Soils: Implications for the Cold–Dry Limits of Life on Earth

Soils on the world's highest volcanoes in the Atacama region represent some of the harshest ecosystems yet discovered on Earth. Life in these environments must cope with high UV flux, extreme diurnal freeze-thaw cycles, low atmospheric pressure and extremely low nutrient and water availability. Only a limited spectrum of bacterial and fungal lineages seems to have overcome the harshness of this environment and may have evolved the ability to function in situ. However, these communities may lay dormant for most of the time and spring to life only when enough water and nutrients become available during occasional snowfalls and aeolian depositions. We applied water and nutrients to high-elevation soils (5100 meters above sea level) from Volcan Llullaillaco, both in lab microcosms and in the field, to investigate how microbial communities respond when resource limitations are alleviated. The dominant taxon in these soils, the extremophilic yeast Naganishia sp., increased in relative sequence abundance and colony-forming unit counts after water + nutrient additions in microcosms, and marginally in the field after only 6 days. Among bacteria, only a Noviherbaspirillum sp. (Oxalobacteraceae) significantly increased in relative abundance both in the lab and field in response to water addition but not in response to water and nutrients together, indicating that it might be an oligotroph uniquely suited to this extreme environment. The community structure of both bacteria and eukaryotes changed significantly with water and water + nutrient additions in the microcosms and taxonomic richness declined with amendments to water and nutrients. These results indicate that only a fraction of the detected community is able to become active when water and nutrients limitations are alleviated in lab microcosms, and that water alone can dramatically change community structure. Our study sheds light on which extremophilic organisms are likely to respond when favorable conditions occur in extreme earthly environments and perhaps in extraterrestrial environments as well.
Differentiating Malignant from Benign Breast Masses in Women, In Vivo, Using VisR-Assessed Mechanical Anisotropy

Differentiating malignant from benign breast lesions remains a challenge that may be met by a new imaging biomarker: lesion-to-background mechanical anisotropy assessed by VisR ultrasound. VisR is an ultrasound imaging method that uses 2 consecutive acoustic radiation force excitations, separated in time and delivered to the same region of excitation, to directionally interrogate peak displacement (PD), relative elasticity (RE), and relative viscosity (RV). From these directional measurements, mechanical degree of anisotropy is measured. In a pilot clinical study involving 29 women with BIRADS-4 or −5 breast masses, VisR PD, RE, and RV were measured in lesions and in surrounding tissue at 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90° concentric orientations. From these measurements, lesion DoA (LDoA), surrounding tissue DoA (SDoA), and log(LDoA/SDoA) were assessed per parameter and compared between biopsy-confirmed malignant versus benign masses. Across all patients, PD-, RE-, and RV-based LDoA or SDoA alone did not achieve statistical difference between malignant and benign masses (Wilcoxon, $\mathrm{p} > 0.05$ ). However, PD-, RE-, and RV-based log(LDoA/SDoA) statistically differentiated malignant from benign masses (Wilcoxon, $\mathrm{p} ), with AUC values of 0.96 for PD-based, and 0.94 for RE- and RV-based outcomes. These results demonstrate the relevance of lesion-to-background mechanical anisotropy assessed by VisR ultrasound for differentiating malignant from benign breast masses in women, in vivo.
Willingness to Pay for Surgical Treatments for Basal Cell Carcinoma: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Keratinocyte carcinoma (KC) treatment accounts for approximately $5 billion in spending per year, yet no studies have evaluated the US general public's willingness to pay (WTP) for these procedures. Objective To determine the monetary value of surgical KC treatments, as perceived by society, as a measure of preference. Participants, methods and materials We performed an internet-based age-, sex-, and race-stratified cross-sectional survey of 425 subjects representative of the US general population. Stated WTP and desirability of electrodesiccation and curettage (EDC), excision, and Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) for facial and extrafacial basal cell carcinoma (BCC) were assessed. A discrete choice experiment was performed using maximum likelihood estimation, and a secondary analysis was performed to determine the influence of framing MMS as the best treatment option. Results A total of 425 subjects finished their questionnaires, yielding a completion rate of 97%. Median (interquartile range) stated WTP for EDC, excision, and MMS were $1,000 (421-2,079), $1,503 (562-3,062), and $3,006 (1,250-5,084), respectively, when MMS was framed in a standard fashion. Stated WTP for MMS increased to $3,989 (2,015-5,801) when it was framed as the best option. For BCC on the back, WTP for MMS dropped by 12%. Conclusion There is markedly higher societal WTP for MMS on both the face and trunk, regardless of whether MMS is framed as the best option. Gold-standard bias may affect WTP and desirability in medical decision-making under uncertainty, inflating the WTP of options framed as the best while decreasing the desirability of alternatives.
Inside the Board Room: Nationality, Cultural Diversity and Cross-Border Merger Outcomes

In recent years, an increase in the number of foreign directors on corporate boards of large multinational corporations has seemingly gone hand in hand with significant growth in cross-border merger (CBM) activity. We analyze the influence of internationalization of the board of directors on announcement returns and post-merger performance of U.S. acquirers. In a sample of completed CBMs by U.S. corporations between 1996 and 2013, we find a negative association between the presence of foreign directors on the board and CBM announcement returns and post-merger operating performance. This negative relationship is driven mainly by directors from countries with greater cultural distance relative to the United States. Furthermore, the negative effect of foreign directors in connection with culture diversity on merger performance is more pronounced in diversifying, high-tech CBMs. The negative association remains when the directors are domiciled in the country where a merger takes place. However, their presence contributes to lower bid premiums, reflecting some beneﬁts from their local expertise. Finally, such negative impact is mitigated by the gender diversity of the acquiring firm’s corporate board, which suggests a more inclusive tone helps to reduce potential cultural conﬂicts inside the board room.
Reflex syncope as cause and effect of concussion related dysautonomia in a collegiate athlete (4812)

Objective: The objective of this report is to highlight difficulties in diagnosing reflex syncope and share examples of how it relates to concussion and sports neurology. Background: The differential for neurally mediated reflex syncope includes both vasovagal syncope and potentially dangerous cardiovascular disorders(Weiling, 2004). The diagnostic evaluation process is very important when considering reflex syncope as a diagnosis and includes taking a good history and performing a thorough physical examination (Benditt, 2019). Autonomic dysfunction can occur following concussion (Esterov, 2017). Both reflex syncope and post-concussive dysautonomia present with subjective symptoms and can result in abnormal autonomic testing. Design/Methods: A 21-year-old female lacrosse player presented with four years of loss of consciousness events related to playing sports. The frequency of events increased over time and were related to intense practices or game play. Events had no prodrome and short periods of post-ictal confusion. Many events caused the patient to fall on the ground, subsequently have concussion symptoms, notably feeling in a fog and lightheaded with standing. Extensive workup was negative including cardiovascular testing (Table 1), imaging of brain (Figure 1), EEG (Figure 2), and endocrinology screening (Table 2). Autonomic testing was abnormal (Table 3) because tilt-table revealed pre-syncopal symptoms with hypotension and without tachycardia at 18 minutes. Midodrine was used without effect. Over two years, the patient’s symptoms became more stereotyped and were triggered by stretching her neck up and to the right (Figure 3). This confirmed a diagnosis of reflex syncope. Results: The patient underwent physical therapy and developed subjective methods for identifying near symptoms and maneuvers to prevent loss of consciousness when syncopal events began during high-intensity performance. Conclusions: Undiagnosed reflex syncope can contribute to multiple concussions due to repeated fainting during exercise. Dysautonomia should be scrutinized as an effect or cause of a student athlete’s concussion profile. Disclosure: Dr. Buddenhagen has nothing to disclose. Dr. Essad has nothing to disclose.
- Yak1: Yak1 protein kinase (S. cerevisiae)

A major role for cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase is to antagonize the growth-restricting activity of a second protein kinase, Yak1. The Yak1 protein consists of a central kinase domain (375–600) with N-terminal and C-terminal domains of unknown function. The N-terminal domain contains four consensus phosphorylation sites for cAMP-dependent protein kinase, and several long stretches of contiguous glutamines, but the relevance of either to Yak1 activity or function is unknown. The enzyme is assayed as a transfer of radioactivity from [γ32P]ATP to a casein hydrolysate. The enzyme will not phosphorylate histone H1 or enolase, but does autophosphorylate. By immunofluorescence, the enzyme appears to be found only in the cytoplasm. However, it can be visualized only on overproduction.
House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus roosting behaviour during the non-breeding season and possible effects of mycoplasmal conjunctivitis

We studied House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus roosting behaviour during the non-breeding season using radiotracking and direct observations in Ithaca, NY, USA. In contrast to what has been reported in the literature and in contrast to what should be expected from Newton's European studies of cardueline finches, House Finches roost in small groups (mean 3.5; maximum 11) and do not display at roost sites. Seventy-seven per cent of the birds re-used the same tree on successive observations. In winter, birds re-used the same roost tree more often than in the autumn, and birds with mycoplasmal conjunctivitis tended to move more between roost trees than did birds without conjunctivitis. A small number of radiotagged birds that roosted in the same tree were observed together in the daytime more often than by chance, suggesting the existence of social bonds between birds (some same sex) during the non-breeding season. In the autumn the birds often roosted in leafed deciduous trees and closer to their daytime feeding locations than they did in winter. In winter all birds roosted in evergreen trees. It is possible that the reliable and predictable food sources at feeding sites offered by the public might have changed House Finch roosting behaviour.
The hemolytic effect of ionizing radiations and its relationship to the hemorrhagic phase of radiation injury.

Post-irradiation anemia is primarily the consequence of red cell aplasia and of hemorrhage secondary to thrombocytopenia. Data have been presented which indicate that in addition there is intravascular red cell damage. Of particular interest was the observation herein presented that the damage to the red cells produced by ionizing radiations is of an indirect nature. Using the chromium technic it was possible to demonstrate red cell damage as early as the 1st-3rd post-irradiation day. In these studies tagged cells were transfused 15-55 days prior to irradiation in order to establish the elution rate of Cr51. On the 1st-3rd day following irradiation there was an abrupt increase in the rate of Cr51 loss. When normal cells were transfused immediately after irradiation there was also a striking increase in the rate of Cr51 loss above that observed in normal animals, indicating that radiation damage to the red cell was indirect. When cells were transfused from irradiated donors into normal recipients, it was not possible to demonstrate red cell damage prior to the 10th post-irradiation day, indicating that the damage was progressive. Since there was a selective loss of Cr51 it is suggested that chromium produced an additive damage to the cell. The possible implication of this observation in the use and interpretation of Cr51 survival curves is discussed. It was also determined that red cells which were recirculated following extravasation during the thrombocytopenic phase of radiation injury had a shortened survival, whereas normal cells, tagged and injected intramuscularly into normal recipients survived normally on return to the general circulation. Cells collected from dogs one day after irradiation, tagged with Cr51 and then injected intramuscularly into normal recipients, showed a striking increase in the rate of destruction. Cells collected on the 4th post-irradiation day were destroyed even more rapidly. These studies confirmed the early onset of radiation injury to the cells, its progressive nature, and demonstrated the damage incurred as a result of passage through the extravascular cycle. As might be expected there was also a shortened survival of red cells collected from the thoracic lymph of thrombopenic irradiated animals. Conclusions: 1. Ionizing radiations produce intravascular red cell damage in addition to the known loss incident to hemorrhage. This damage is evident within 24-72 hrs. of irradiation. 2. The red cell damage is an indirect and progressive effect of irradiation. 3. Those cells which are returned to the general circulation, following passage through an extravascular cycle, are damaged. The extent of injury to normal cells is such that it is not detectable by current methods. However, the addition of a second injury, such as that following irradiation, enables the detection of this damage. 4. Chromium "elution" is altered by irradiation injury.
Process control of threshold voltage in organic FETs

We report a technique for systematically modifying the threshold voltage of pentacene organic FETs at the process level. Threshold voltage control is critical to practical circuit design using OFETs, since it ultimately determines circuit functionality and yield. This work shows that oxygen plasma and UV-ozone treatments of an organic polymer gate dielectric, parylene, introduce traps at the semiconductor-dielectric interface. We model the effects of trap-introduced charges as both fixed charges that shift the threshold voltage and mobile charges that increase parasitic bulk conductivity. I-V and C-V characterization confirm that threshold voltage can be varied from - 27V to +26V by exposure to UV-ozone and from -17V to +116V by exposure to oxygen plasma. Optical measurements confirm the presence of a trap level at 420nm (3.0eV) in response to the treatment.
Linear Augmented Reality Registration

Augmented reality requires the geometric registration of virtual or remote worlds with the visual stimulus of the user. This can be achieved by tracking the head pose of the user with respect to the reference coordinate system of virtual objects. If tracking is achieved with head-mounted cameras, registration is known in computer vision as pose estimation. Augmented reality is by definition a real-time problem, so we are interested only in bounded and short computational time. We propose a new linear algorithm for pose estimation. Our algorithm shows better performance than the linear algorithm of Quan and Lan [14] and is comparable to the non-predicted time iterative approach of Kumar and Hanson [8].
Dietary and physical activity behaviors among adults successful at weight loss maintenance.

Background There is limited population-based data on behavioral factors found to be important for successful weight loss maintenance among adults.
Enhanced adaptive sparse algorithms using the Haar wavelet

Proposes two novel algorithms employing the Haar wavelet for adaptive sparse system identification. A previous study exploited the dyadic, hierarchical structure of the Haar transform to identify the non-zero impulse response coefficients for adaptation. This paper extends this previous work to some common cases in which further performance gains can be realized. We examine the situation where the sparse impulse response has impulse-like non-zero regions that are highly dispersed over the temporal domain. This sparse impulse response allows us to develop an algorithm that seeks to accurately model the impulse response at successively finer levels of temporal resolution and in doing so further reduces the number of adapting coefficients to speed up convergence. The other situation we examine is when the non-zero impulse response coefficients are highly localized in a single temporal region. For this case we can modify the method of wavelet decomposition to focus on better spectral resolution, as fine temporal resolution is unnecessary. This leads to improved decorrelation ability and therefore faster convergence.
Tracking of multiple semantic video objects for Internet applications

This paper introduces a novel tracking system for generic semantic video objects using backward region-based classification. It consists of five elementary steps: region pre-processing, region extraction, region-based motion estimation, region classification and region post-processing. Region pre-processing simplifies the input data. Region extraction finds the basic elements for classification. Region-based motion estimation provides the trajectory information about each basic element. Region classification determines the interior/exterior parts of semantic video objects. Finally, region post-processing cleans the results. We will show solid performance of this generic tracking system with pixel-wise accuracy for Internet applications.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Ceramic Green Body Formation

This chapter discusses the various methods of green body synthesis from ceramic powders in suspension, paste, and dry powder form. With respect to suspension processing, this chapter discusses particle filtration in slip casting, drain casting, and filter pressing. With respect to paste processing, the momentum balance has been used to determine the velocity profile in the molding operations of tape casting, extrusion, and injection molding. With dry pressing, a force balance and the Coulomb yield criterion have been used to establish when compaction will occur. The concern with all these methods has been the uniformity of packing density, particle segregation, and particle alignment. The characterization of the resulting green body has been discussed with respect to experimental methods that can be used to determine its uniformity. The uniformity of powder packing density, particle size distribution, bulk chemistry, particle alignment, and binder distribution are necessary if the green body is to survive the subsequent processing steps of drying, binder burnout, and finally sintering.
Enterocyte Lipid Absorption and Secretion

The sections in this article are: 1 Intracellular Transport and Vectorial Delivery of Intestinal Lipid 1.1 Transmembrane Transport of Long-Chain Fatty Acids 1.2 Intracellular Transport of Long-Chain Fatty Acids 1.3 Intracellular Transport of Sterols and Vitamin A 2 Intestinal Cholesterol, Triglyceride, and Phospholipid Metabolism 2.1 Cholesterol Synthesis and Metabolism 2.2 Triglyceride Synthesis and Metabolism 2.3 Phospholipid Synthesis and Metabolism 3 Regulation of Intestinal Apolipoprotein Gene Expression 3.1 Apolipoprotein A-I 3.2 Apolipoprotein A-IV 3.3 Apolipoprotein Cs and Apolipoprotein A-II 3.4 Apolipoprotein B 3.5 Lipid Regulation of Protein Synthesis 4 Intestinal Lipoprotein Assembly and Characterization 4.1 Morphology and Assembly Considerations 4.2 Characterization of Intracellular Intestinal Lipoproteins 5 Regulation of Lipoprotein Secretion Into Lymph 5.1 Effect of Bile Diversion and Fasting 5.2 Effect of Triglyceride Feeding 5.3 Effect of Lecithin Feeding 5.4 Effect of Cholesterol Feeding 6 Summary
Crossed legs: an unexpected occurrence during an ALN filter placement

Inferior vena cava (IVC) filter placement is indicated for patients with pulmonary embolism and/or deep venous thrombosis when anticoagulation therapy is contraindicated. IVC filter placement, however, is not without complications. In this case, we noted crossing of the filter struts immediately after deployment of the ALN IVC filter (ALN Implants Chirurgicaux Ghisonaccia, France). The filter was then successfully removed.
Issues in contemporary cardiac rehabilitation : a historical perspective

Cardiac rehabilitation consists of exercise, psychosocial support and education and is prescribed most often for patients with coronary heart disease. Its purpose is to facilitate readaptation to normal life through the achievement of maximal functional capability and to reduce heart disease risk factors. It began historically with progressive ambulation after myocardial infarction and by 1980 became a standardized inpatient therapy performed according to a stepped procedure. Predischarge exercise testing was added and has become a meaningful contribution to the concept of risk stratification after an acute coronary event. Rehabilitation has subsequently become part of the outpatient environment and is delivered by multiple models. Meta-analyses have shown that rehabilitation reduces overall and cardiovascular deaths by about 20% and sudden death by about 37% during the year after an acute myocardial infarction. The significance of this, however, must now be modulated by the dynamic role of aggressive coronary intervention. Selection for such intervention has become an important adjunctive aspect of rehabilitation. Newer findings suggest that those stratified at low risk will benefit most by the modification of coronary risk factors, and that patients previously thought to be poor candidates for rehabilitation (such as those with significant left ventricular dysfunction and low work capacity) may experience substantial relative functional benefit. Beyond risk stratification, important contemporary issues include surveillance of patients after angioplasty, the effectiveness of rehabilitation in the attenuation or reversal of both native and vein graft atherosclerosis and consideration of such currently emphasized end points as quality of life and economic evaluation.
Chronic inhibition of α4β2 nicotinic receptors in the ventral hippocampus of rats: impacts on memory and nicotine response

Rationale: Acute and chronic systemic nicotine administration has been shown to cause significant spatial memory improvement. The critical nicotinic receptor subtypes for this effect and their location are still being determined. Nicotinic receptors in the ventral hippocampus have been found to be critically involved in memory. Acute ventral hippocampal infusions of dihydro-β-erythroidine (DHβE), an α4β2 nicotinic receptor antagonist, impaired spatial memory of rats in the radial-arm maze. Objectives: The current study used chronic ventral hippocampal infusion of DHβE as a model of nicotinic receptor loss such as that which occurs in Alzheimer's disease. The therapeutic effect of systemic nicotine treatment in reversing the DHβE-induced memory impairment was determined. Methods: Rats were pretrained to asymptotic levels of performance on the eight-arm radial maze. Then, they were implanted with bilateral infusion cannulae in the ventral hippocampus, through which 0, 33.3, or 100 µg/side/day of DHβE was continuously infused for 4 weeks. The rats were retested on the eight-arm maze throughout infusion period and after withdrawal, and the interaction of acute systemic nicotine injections on memory was tested. Results: The higher (100 µg/side/day) but not the lower (33.3 µg/side/day) DHβE dose caused a significant spatial memory impairment. Acute systemic nicotine injections (0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 mg/kg, subcutaneous) attenuated the memory impairing effects of 100 µg/side/day of DHβE. There was no significant effect on response latency with the chronic DHβE infusion. Acute systemic nicotine infusions did significantly speed responding, an effect which was reversed by chronic hippocampal infusions of DHβE. After withdrawal there were no significant lasting effects on choice accuracy or response latency. Wet-dog shakes were significantly elevated during chronic hippocampal DHβE administration with no effect during the withdrawal period. Conclusions: These results indicate that chronic inhibition of a subset of nicotinic receptors in the hippocampus results in a significant impairment in the spatial memory choice accuracy. The ability of nicotine to attenuate the impairment supports the development of nicotinic agonist therapy of syndromes, such as Alzheimer's disease, that involve a chronic decrease in the activity of the α4β2 nicotinic receptors and memory impairment.
Electroviscous effects in microchannels

Fluid flow in capillary microchannels is used in numerous applications in biotechnology (such as protein separation, fast DNA analysis, drug deliveries systems and viral filtration), in solid-state devices, and in catalytic devices. The current work presents the experimental validation for the electrokinetic theory in microchannels. Retardation of polar liquids, including de-ionized water, ethanol and propyl alcohol, is studied in microfabricated channels of several diameters. It was found that polar liquids flow about 6 percent more slowly than predicted by the classical hydrodynamic theory in microchannels, with the hydraulic diameter equal to 90 microns. For small microchannels with a hydraulic diameter of several microns, observed retardation is on the order of 70 percent. Collected experimental data have good correspondence with the electrokinetic model presented. Electrokinetic retardation of polar liquids in microchannels is based on the charge separation principle. Electrical charges are separated at the interface (near the channel wall). When liquid is forced downstream, it causes charge accumulation at one end of the microchannel. The streaming potential produced causes an upstream current that creates upstream counterflow. The resultant fluid flow is less than it would be for non-polar liquids. The higher the zeta-potential at the microchannel wall and the smaller the channel, the larger the resulting retardation. Modifications for the friction factor, as applied to microfluidics, are suggested. Recommendations to improve fluid flow in microchannels are made.
Calcification of the first larval shell of Tridacna squamosa (Tridacnidae: Bivalvia)

The transistional stage between the trochophore and the veliger larva of Tridacna squamosa Lamarck, including shell formation and initial organogenesis, is described. Calcification of the Prodissoconch I begins before formation of the organic component of the shell is completed, and proceeds in a pattern which reinforces the maximum stress areas of the shell, allowing the early onset of the larval escape behavior. Evidence is presented which suggests that the orientation of the mineral crystals in the larval shells is determined by an organic component of the shell and not by an active process of the clam during calcification.
Effect of Minor Liver Function Test Abnormalities and Values Within the Normal Range on Survival in Heart Failure

Liver function test (LFT) abnormalities are often observed in patients with heart failure (HF). However, the relation of LFTs with outcomes has not been well described. Patients of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (3 inpatient facilities and 7 community clinics) with a complete set of LFTs in the 60 days before a first HF diagnosis were included in the analysis from January 2005 to April 2013. A total of 2,096 patients met inclusion criteria. Patients were a mean of 71 ± 12 years old, 97% were men, 57% had a previous diagnosis of ischemic heart disease, and the mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 51 ± 12%. The median (twenty fifth and seventy fifth) values were albumin 3.6 g/dl (3.3, 3.9), alanine transaminase 21 IU/L (16, 30), aspartate transaminase 24 IU/L (20,31), AP 70 IU/L (57, 87), and total bilirubin 0.8 mg/dl (0.6, 1.0). There were 851 deaths (41%) over a mean duration of 41 ± 27 months. Mortality significantly increased with lower values of albumin and alanine transaminase and higher levels of aspartate transaminase and AP. The association with total bilirubin was not significant. In conclusion, many LFT values in the "normal" range are independently associated with decreased survival beyond traditional risk factors for mortality in HF.
How fast can a galaxy “mix”?

Abstract Time-dependent solutions to the gravitational N-body problem are unstable in the sense that small initial perturbations tend to be amplified exponentially. This fact, well known from numerical simulations, was “explained” by Gurzadyan and Savvidy, who argued that this instability implies that an N-body system will tend to “mix” on a time scale τGS ∼ N1/3tD, where tD is a typical crossing time. It is shown here that the prediction of Gurzadyan and Savvidy of a “mixing” is right, but that, allowing correctly for the large scale bulk forces present in a self-gravitating system, one anticipates that the effects of this “mixing” should be manifest already on a much shorter time scale ∼tD. It is argued that the result of this “coarse-grained” mixing on a time scale ∼tD should be consistent, at least broadly, with the expected outcome of an epoch of “violent relaxation”. It is also emphasized that this time scale τ must be interpreted in an appropriate “average” sense since, as has been observed, e.g., by R.H. Miller, there exist (admittedly special) perturbations which can be amplified on time scales as short as N-1/2tD.
Role of vitamin D in modulating gestational diabetes

Low maternal levels of major circulating form of vitamin D could be a perplexing factor that leads to expression of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Insufficient or deficient levels of vitamin D may allow diabetic insult during pregnancy leading to gestational diabetes and inducing changes in a variety of key functional molecules and gene expression. Autocrine metabolism of vitamin D promotes anti-inflammatory response to maternal decidua and fetal trophoblasts. Immunomodulatory actions of vitamin D are likely to be compromised under conditions of low vitamin D levels with potential detrimental physiological consequences. Recent data are now available to implicate autocrine/paracrine impact of maternal vitamin D status can result in both increased insulin resistance and reduced insulin secretion, linking inflammation to metabolic disorder in the mother. Insulin and cytokines are the main contributors to the cascade of events and potential regulators of placental function in GDM. This article aims at exploring the possible mechanisms underlying GDM that could be regulated by pleotropic effects of vitamin D.
Fluxes of strong Cu-complexing ligands from sediments of an organic-rich estuary

Benthic fluxes were evaluated as a source of strong Cu-complexing ligands (K′CuL>1011) to the water column of the organic-rich Cape Fear River estuary along the North Carolina coast. A core incubation technique was used to measure sediment-water exchange of strong Cu-complexing ligands, as well as total dissolved Cu and dissolved organic carbon, at two sites within the estuary. Substantial ligand fluxes were observed only during summer experiments ( in June 2001 at lower estuarine site and in June 2002 at upper estuarine site). Strong ligand fluxes were correlated with DOC fluxes only for the June 2002 experiment. The ratio of strong Cu ligand:DOC fluxes among all cores from the June 2002 incubation () was nearly equivalent to the ratio measured in the water column in an earlier study of the Cape Fear estuary (). Fluxes of TDCu were not statistically significant during any experiment and were not related to the behavior of strong Cu ligands. Although fluxes of strong Cu ligands were large during the summer months, short estuarine residence times (<1 week) and a large ambient water column pool of ligands (30–200 nM) limit the importance of sediment-water exchange as a major source to Cape Fear estuarine waters. However, the fluxing ligands are experimentally indistinguishable from those in the water column, suggesting that benthic fluxes may provide an important source to estuaries with long residence times or lower ambient ligand levels.
Legal liability: Exploring instrumental reasoning and the evolution of the auditor's duty

Abstract Under common law, the auditor was originally liable to his or her client or to the primary beneficiary of the audit contract. This was the so-called “privity of contract” theory. This view was employed until the 1970s when a number of courts began to adopt the slightly broader scope of accounting liability as articulated in the Restatement (Second) of Torts. Under the Restatement's “foreseen user” standard, the auditor's liability is limited to losses suffered by users whose reliance is (or should be) specifically foreseen by the auditor. Dissatisfaction with the “foreseen user” test gradually occurred because the plaintiff bore the burden of showing that he or she fell within the specifically foreseen group. Such a limitation led some courts to search for a standard that was “fairer” to the plaintiff—the “foreseeable user” test—in which the auditor has a duty to all third parties whom the auditor would reasonably foresee as users of the audited financial statements. There is wide variation across the states as to whom the independent auditor owes a duty. At one extreme is New York, where the famous Ultramares and the more recent Credit Alliance cases require privity for recovery. The auditor must know the identity and purpose of a third party's reliance on the financial statements at the time of the audit. At the other extreme, California courts, in International Mortgage and recently in Bily vs. Arthur Young & Co. , held the independent auditor liable to all reasonably foreseeable users of audited financial statements. Why do these differences exist? Are the auditor, investors, and creditors in California involved in transactions that are that different from their New York counterparts? This paper examines the judiciaries' diverse public policy considerations that result in the wide variations in the scope of the auditor's duty. The reasoning used in various common law jurisdictions and the evolution of the scope of the auditor's duty are explored. A closing commentary questions the consistency of the profession's efforts to limit the scope of its duty with the profession's public interest responsibility. Finally, suggestions for the accounting profession's response to this highly uncertain legal environment are made.
The pathway mediating ipsilateral limb hyperflexion after cerebellar paravermal cortical ablation or cooling in cats.

Abstract Cerebellar paravermal cortical ablation in cats results in tonic flexion and exaggerated flexor responses of ipsilateral limbs. These symptoms were observed in animals with previous bulbar pyramid section, neodecortication, or high decerebration but not in those with red nucleus lesion. It is concluded that the pathway from paravermal cortex, nucleus interpositus, red nucleus to rubrospinal tract is essential for manifestations of these symptoms. Corticospinal and other systems are involved in compensation. Cooling of paravermal cortex with chronically implanted thermode resulted in symptoms similar to those obtained by ablation but were reversible after stopping cooling.
The formulation and solution of large-scale multicommodity equilibrium problems over space and time

Abstract In this paper a general multicommodity intertemporal spatial price equilibrium model is introduced with discounting. This model contains as special cases many of the static and dynamic models studied earlier. Then the variational inequality formulation is given of the governing equilibrium conditions over a Cartesian product of sets. Furthermore a Gauss-Seidel serial linearization decomposition scheme is proposed by commodities. The computational results demonstrate that large-scale multicommodity equilibrium problems over space and time can be efficiently solved in seconds of cpu time on state-of-the-art computer systems.
Amendments to Zeiger's cascade synthesis of finite-state machines

Zeiger 1967 details a procedure for decomposing a finite automaton into a cascade of permutation-reset machines. Therein are several errors and an ambiguity in the steps for making next-state assignments in the machines of the cascade. Several of the necessary adjustments appeared in the errata published on page 471, Volume 11, of this journal. The present work suggests further modifications, subsuming some of those which appeared earlier.
Optical nonlinearities in Al(x)Ga(1-x)As/GaAs asymmetric coupled quantum wells.

Optical nonlinearties of AlxGa1−xAs/GaAs asymmetric coupled quantum wells within a p-i-n structure have been observed by using time-resolved spectroscopy. Under photoexcitation, exciton absorption lines exhibit spectral shifts of as much as ≈1 meV. The recovery times of these spectral shifts are of the order of hundreds of picoseconds when the excitation photon is above the lowest exciton state but become less than 10 psec when excitation is below the lowest exciton state, indicating a virtual process. The behavior of these spectral shifts is consistent with the presence of a polarization induced by optical pumping. The polarization is believed to be due to the excitons that have nonvanishing electric dipole moments along the axis of the asymmetric coupled quantum wells.
Do circularly polarized filaments exist

Filaments prepared by launching a focused beam (< 200µm) from vacuum to air exist only in linear polarization, in contrast to observations reporting filaments produced from a circularly polarized beam let to self-focus in air.
THE LOSS AND REESTABLISHMENT OF THE WIND IN 66 OPHIUCHI IN 1985

The paper addresses the mass loss in the Be star 66 Oph during the first six months of 1985, when the star temporarily lost its wind. Particular attention is given to IUE observations obtained just before the wind faded, during the hiatus in mass loss, and in the period of reestablishment. During the espisode considered, the wind faded in less than three weeks, but reestablished itself within two months. While the peak intensity of the H-alpha emission feature has been steadily increasing since the mid-1970s, a marked decrease in strength in June 1985 indicates that the wind and Balmer emitting regions are linked.
Characterization of the genome of bald cypress

Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum var. distichum) is a coniferous tree of tremendous ecological and economic importance. It is a member of the family Cupressaceae which also includes cypresses, redwoods, sequoias, thujas, and junipers. While the bald cypress genome is more than three times the size of the human genome, its 1C DNA content is amongst the smallest of any conifer. To learn more about the genome of bald cypress and gain insight into the evolution of Cupressaceae genomes, we performed a Cot analysis and used Cot filtration to study Taxodium DNA. Additionally, we constructed a 6.7 genome-equivalent BAC library that we screened with known Taxodium genes and select repeats. The bald cypress genome is composed of 90% repetitive DNA with most sequences being found in low to mid copy numbers. The most abundant repeats are found in fewer than 25,000 copies per genome. Approximately 7.4% of the genome is single/low-copy DNA (i.e., sequences found in 1 to 5 copies). Sequencing of highly repetitive Cot clones indicates that most Taxodium repeats are highly diverged from previously characterized plant repeat sequences. The bald cypress BAC library consists of 606,336 clones (average insert size of 113 kb) and collectively provides 6.7-fold genome equivalent coverage of the bald cypress genome. Macroarray screening with known genes produced, on average, about 1.5 positive clones per probe per genome-equivalent. Library screening with Cot-1 DNA revealed that approximately 83% of BAC clones contain repetitive sequences iterated 103 to 104 times per genome. The BAC library for bald cypress is the first to be generated for a conifer species outside of the family Pinaceae. The Taxodium BAC library was shown to be useful in gene isolation and genome characterization and should be an important tool in gymnosperm comparative genomics, physical mapping, genome sequencing, and gene/polymorphism discovery. The single/low-copy (SL) component of bald cypress is 4.6 times the size of the Arabidopsis genome. As suggested for other gymnosperms, the large amount of SL DNA in Taxodium is likely the result of divergence among ancient repeat copies and gene/pseudogene duplication.
ISee: perceptual features for image library navigation

To develop more satisfying image navigation systems, we need tools to construct a semantic bridge between the user and the database. In this paper we present an image indexing scheme and a query language, which allow the user to introduce a cognitive dimension to the search. At an abstract level, this approach consists of: 1) learning the natural language that humans speak to communicate their semantic experience of images, 2) understand the relationships between this language and objective measurable image attributes, and then 3) develop the corresponding feature extraction schemes. In our previous work we have conducted a number of subjective experiments in which we asked human subjects to group images, and then explain verbally why they did so. The results of this study indicated that part of the abstraction involved in image interpretation is often driven by semantic categories, which can be broken into more tangible semantic entities, i.e. objective semantic indicators. By analyzing our experimental data, we identified some candidate semantic categories (i.e. portraits, people, crowds, cityscapes, landscapes, etc.), discovered their underlying semantic indicators (i.e. skin, sky, water, object, etc.), and derived important low-level image descriptors accounting for our perception of these indicators. In our recent work we have used these findings to develop a set of image features that match the way humans communicate image meaning, and a semantic-friendly query language for browsing and searching diverse collections of images. We have implemented our approach into an Internet search engine, ISee, and tested it on a large number of images. The results we obtained are very promising.
Relationship between low-dose amphetamine-induced arousal and extracellular norepinephrine and dopamine levels within prefrontal cortex.

Despite the well-known and potent arousal-enhancing effects of amphetamine (AMPH)-like stimulants, the neurobiological substrates of AMPH-induced arousal have rarely been examined explicitly. Available evidence suggests the possible participation of noradrenergic and/or dopaminergic systems in the arousal-enhancing actions of AMPH-like stimulants. The current studies examined the extent to which low-dose AMPH-induced increases in waking are related to AMPH-induced increases in extracellular norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) levels within the prefrontal cortex (PFC), as measured by in vivo microdialysis. Vehicle injections elicited brief epochs of waking. Vehicle-induced waking was closely associated with a brief and moderate (50% above baseline) increase in NE levels. DA levels were less sensitive to the arousing actions of vehicle injections, with maximal increases of approximately 25% above baseline observed. 0.15 mg/kg and 0.25 mg/kg AMPH increased time spent awake, which resulted primarily from increases in quiet waking. Although the magnitude of the waking response did not differ substantially between the two doses across time, a trend for a more rapid recovery to baseline waking levels was observed at the higher dose, possibly suggesting the development of a relatively rapid-onset tolerance to the wake-promoting actions of AMPH at this dose. At the 0.15 mg/kg dose, AMPH elicited maximum increases of approximately 175% and 125% above baseline levels for NE and DA, respectively. The time course of AMPH-induced increases in waking closely paralleled the time course of AMPH-induced increases in both NE and DA efflux. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that both increased DA and NE efflux contribute to the low-dose behavioral effects of AMPH-like stimulants, including the arousal-enhancing actions of these drugs. Additionally, these observations also suggest a possibly greater sensitivity of NE efflux, relative to DA, to moderately arousing conditions including low-dose AMPH-like stimulant administration.
A random sampling approach for robust estimation of tissue-to-plasma ratio from extremely sparse data

his study was performed to develop a new nonparametric approach for the estimation of robust tissue-to-plasma ratio from extremely sparsely sampled paired data (ie, one sample each from plasma and tissue per subject). Tissue-to-plasma ratio was estimated from paired/unpaired experimental data using independent time points approach, area under the curve (AUC) values calculated with the naive data averaging approach, and AUC values calculated using sampling based approaches (eg, the pseudoprofile-based bootstrap [PpbB] approach and the random sampling approach [our proposed approach]). The random sampling approach involves the use of a 2-phase algorithm. The convergence of the sampling/resampling approaches was investigated, as well as the robustness of the estimates produced by different approaches. To evaluate the latter, new data sets were generated by introducing outlier(s) into the real data set. One to 2 concentration values were inflated by 10% to 40% from their original values to produce the outliers. Tissue-to-plasma ratios computed using the independent time points approach varied between 0 and 50 across time points. The ratio obtained from AUC values acquired using the naive data averaging approach was not associated with any measure of uncertainty or variability. Calculating the ratio without regard to pairing yielded poorer estimates. The random sampling and pseudoprofile-based bootstrap approaches yielded tissue-to-plasma ratios with uncertainty and variability. However, the random sampling approach, because of the 2-phase nature of its algorithm, yielded more robust estimates and required fewer replications. Therefore, a 2-phase random sampling approach is proposed for the robust estimation of tissue-to-plasma ratio from extremely sparsely sampled data.
The Ethical Criticism of Art: A New Mapping of the Territory

The goal of this paper is methodological. It offers a comprehensive mapping of the theoretical positions on the ethical criticism of art, correcting omissions and inadequacies in the conceptual framework adopted in the current debate. Three principles are recommended as general guidelines: ethical amenability, basic value pluralism, and relativity to ethical dimension. Hence a taxonomy distinguishing between different versions of autonomism, moralism, and immoralism is established, by reference to criteria that are different from what emerging in the current literature. The mapping is then proved capable of (1) locating the various theories that have been proposed so far and clarifying such theories’ real commitments, (2) having the correct relationship with actual art making and art criticism practices, and (3) showing the real weight of the alleged counter-example to a moralist position of a work that succeeds artistically because of its immorality.