cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamic tension behavior of aqueous octanol solutions under constant-area and pulsating-area conditions

Dynamic tension data for 0.3 and 0.6 mM aqueous octanol solutions at 25°C and constant-area conditions were obtained and compared with previous diffusion-controlled and mixed kinetics adsorption models. The results show that tension drops more slowly than predicted by the diffusion-controlled model. The modified Langmuir-Hinshelwood equation in a mixed kinetics model describes the data quite well. Moreover, the same solutions were examined with a pulsating bubble surfactometer at 10–80 cycles min−1, with the bubble radius oscillating between 0.40 and 0.55 mm. The dynamic tension oscillates between a tension maximum γmax > γe and a minimum γmin < γe, where γe is the equilibrium tension. The tension amplitude (γmax - γmin) increases with frequency, because the adsorption process is too slow to follow exactly the area changes. The amplitude decreases with increasing concentration from 0.3 to 3 mM. Phase lags between γ(t) and A(t) and low γmin can be predicted by convective-diffusion mass transfer models at spherical coordinates, or even by simple planar mass transfer models, without considering intrinsic surface rheology effects. Comparisons of pulsating-area tension data with the models indicate that intrinsic adsorption-desorption rates must be considered in the overall rate of adsorption. Certain discrepancies between the model and the data are attributed in part to measurement errors and in part to the use of the Frumkin equation of state for nonequilibrium surface densities. The results are relevant to foam generation and lung surfactants.
Creativity support in IT research organization

All domains of human activity and society require creativity. This dissertation applies machine learning and data mining techniques to create a framework for applying emerging Human Centric Computing (HCC) systems for study and creation of creativity support tools. The proposed system collects and analyzes highresolution on-line and physically captured contextual and social data to substantially contribute to new and better understandings of workplace behavior, social and affective experience, and creative activities. Using this high granularity data, dynamic instruments that use real-time sensing and inference algorithms to provide guidance and support on events and processes related to affect and creativity will be developed and evaluated. In the long term, it is expected that this approach will lead to adaptive reflective technologies that stimulate collaborative activity, reduce time pressure and interruption, mitigate detrimental effects of negative affect, and increase individual and team creative activity and outcomes.
Atmospheric ozone: Formation and effects on vegetation

Abstract Ozone (O3) is present both in the troposphere and the stratosphere. Troposphere O3 is predominantly produced by photochemical reactions involving precursors generated by natural processes and to a much larger extent by man's activities. There is evidence for a trend towards increasing tropospheric O3 concentrations. However, tropospheric O3 is known to account for only 10% of the vertical O3 column above the earth's surface. The stratosphere accounts for an additional 90% of the O3 column. There is evidence to suggest that there are losses in the stratospheric O3 due to the updraft of O3 destroying pollutants generated by both natural processes and by human activity. Such a loss in stratospheric O3 can result in alterations of incidence in the ultraviolet (UV) radiation to the earth's surface. Tropospheric O3 is known to be highly phytotoxic. Appropriate exposures to O3 can result in both acute (symptomatic) and chronic (changes in growth, yield or productivity and quality) effects. Chronic effects are of great concern in terms of both crops and forests. A number of experimental techniques are available to evaluate the chronic effects of O3 on plants. There are limitations attached to the use of these techniques. However, results obtained, with such techniques are valuable if interpreted in the appropriate context. Among all field evaluation techniques, open-top chambers are the most frequently used method for evaluating the chronic effects of O3 on crops. The National Crop Loss Assessment Program (NCLAN) of the United States is the largest such effort. However, given the limitations of the open-top chambers and the experimental aspects of NCLAN, its results must be interpreted with caution. On the other hand, acute effects can be evaluated with less complexity through the use of biological indicator plants. The numerical modelling of such effects are also far less complicated than establishing numerical cause and effects relationships for chronic effects. Confounding the acute or chronic responses of plants to O3, is the presence of other kinds and forms of pollutants in the ambient atmosphere and the incidence of pathogens and pests. The resulting complex interactions and joint effects on plants are poorly understood. Future research must address these issues. In the final analysis we have re-emphasized the fact that plant health is the product of its interaction with the physical and chemical climatology and pathogens and pests. What we have described in this context is the importance of tropospheric O3 within the chemical climatology of our environment and its effects on vegetation.
Long range effects of neutron capture therapy of cancer in mice—I Correlation between the time of intracellular residence of 10BNapentaborate and the regression of the tumor

Abstract In 1587 mice, each bearing a potentially lethal neoplasm implanted in the right thigh, the tumoricidal effects of a single exposure to a standard thermal neutron fluence, ranging from 1.41 to 1.67 x 10 12 /cm 2 , following an intravenous injection of sodium pentaborate of 35 ug l0 B/g observed body weight were observed. Observations were continued for the lifetime of the animal. Regression, measured by tumor diameter, began in every instance within a maximum of four days after treatment. After two weeks clear evidence of tumor growth resumption was apparent in some animals; however, in a majority, the disappearance of the tumor was complete and permanent. For each size of neoplasm studied, the percentage of tumor which permanently regressed rose to a maximum with increased residence time of boron in the tumor and then fell. The rise and fall of neoplasm regression do not parallel observed data on tumor borate concentration over the time-intervals observed. In neoplasms 8 mm dia., permanent regression occurred in 93% of the neoplasms when the borate intracellular-residence interval in the neoplasm was 7–11 min, fell to 74% in the 50 min residence interval and to 42% in the 88 min residence period. In neoplasms 9–11 mm dia., regression was 58% in the 7–11 min interval, rose to 86% in the 38–48 min period and thereafter fell to 19% in the 88–92 min residence interval. In animals with neoplasms 12–14 mm dia., regression was 22% in the 7–11 min interval, rose to 38% in the 50–60 min interval and fell to zero in the 74–80 min interval. The possible cellular mechanisms provoked by the reaction and their relationship to a calculated dose formulated on neutron fluence and boron-10 concentration will be explored in a subsequent communication.
Automatically Inserted Technical Details Improve Radiology Report Accuracy

Purpose To assess the effect of automatically inserted technical details on the concordance of a radiology report header with the actual procedure performed. Methods and Materials The study was IRB approved and informed consent was waived. We obtained radiology report audit data from the hospital's compliance office from the period of January 2005 through December 2009 spanning a total of 20 financial quarters. A "discordance percentage" was defined as the percentage of total studies in which a procedure code change was made during auditing. Using Chi-square analysis we compared discordance percentages between reports with manually inserted technical details (MITD) and automatically inserted technical details (AITD). The second quarter data of 2007 was not included in the analysis as the switch from MITD to AITD occurred during this quarter. Results The hospital's compliance office audited 9,110 studies from 2005-2009. Excluding the 564 studies in the second quarter of 2007, we analyzed a total of 8,546 studies, 3,948 with MITD and 4,598 with AITD. The discordance percentage in the MITD group was 3.95% (156/3,948, range per quarter, 1.5- 6.1%). The AITD discordance percentage was 1.37% (63/4,598, range per quarter, 0.0-2.6%). A Chi-square analysis determined a statistically significant difference between the 2 groups ( P Conclusion There was a statistically significant improvement in the concordance of a radiology report header with the performed procedure using automatically inserted technical details compared to manually inserted details.
Increased mortality of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A case controlled, multiyear study of 53 consecutive patients.

The etiology, clinical presentation, and mortality of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were analyzed in a case-controlled study of 53 consecutive patients admitted from 1985 through 1990 to a university teaching hospital. The primary controls were 40 consecutive patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding and without COPD admitted from June through November 1990 to the same hospital. COPD patients had a significantly increased mortality from gastrointestinal bleeding as compared to controls with gastrointestinal bleeding and without COPD (mortality in COPD=32%, controls=10%, odds ratio=4.3, confidence interval of odds ratio=1.22–14.8,P<0.01, Fisher's exact test) and as compared to a second control group of 53 consecutive COPD patients without gastrointestinal bleeding (mortality in second controls=11%, odds ratio=3.7, confidence interval of odds ratio=1.25–11.0,P<0.02, chi square). The study COPD patients had a significantly greater likelihood of being older, smokers, alcoholics, and taking corticosteroids than the primary controls. However, an increased mortality was still present when controlling for these differences by population stratification (eg, mortality in patients ≥60 years old: COPD=36%, controls=13%, odds ratio=4.6,P<0.05). The two groups had similar mean values of parameters of bleeding severity, such as lowest hematocrit and units of packed erythrocytes transfused. The increased mortality was correlated with COPD severity (eg, four of five patients with prior endotracheal intubation for COPD died, 13 of 48 COPD patients without prior intubation died, odds ratio=10,P<0.04, Fisher's exact test). We conclude that COPD patients have increased mortality associated with gastrointestinal bleeding not accounted for solely by their unusual demographic features. This finding of a poor prognosis suggests that COPD patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding should be evaluated early for possible intensive care unit admission, emergency endoscopy, and therapeutic endoscopy or interventional radiology.
Investigations of laser percussion drilling of small holes on thin sheet metals

Laser drilling is increasingly being used in fabrication of small components for electronics, aerospace, biomedical, and MEMS applications because it provides rapid, precise, clean, flexible, and efficient process. For laser percussion drilling, the workpiece is subjected to a series of laser pulses at the same spot at a specified laser parameter setting. Large temperature gradient is introduced, which results in a minimal heat affected zone (HAZ) and low heat distortion. In laser percussion drilling of small holes, profile of the HAZ and the geometry of the holes strongly depend on settings of the laser parameters such as peak power, pulse length, pulse repetition rate, focal condition, number of pulses, etc. In addition, the processing results are strongly influenced by geometrical and material properties of the workpiece. This paper presents a study of laser process for percussion drilling of micrometer size holes on thin sheet metals using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser. Experimental investigations are performed to characterize the geometry of the hole and surface topography in their vicinity. Analytical and computational modeling of the temperature distribution is also performed and used to determine profiles of the HAZs. The effects of different combinations of laser parameters and workpiece properties on the hole geometry are summarized and a procedure for laser percussion drilling of small holes on sheet metals is outlined.
ON THE NONCOMPARABILITY OF JUDGMENTS MADE BY DIFFERENT ETHICAL THEORIES

A major focus of ethical argumentation is (and should be) determining the relative merits of proposed ethical systems. Nevertheless, even the demonstration that a given ethical system was the one most likely to be correct would not establish that an agent should act in accord with that system. Consider, for example, a situation in which the ethical system most likely to be valid is modestly supportive of a certain action, whereas a less plausible system strongly condemns the same action. Should the agent perform the action, arguing that the most plausible system supports doing so, or avoid the action, being conservative about the strong condemnation of it from a less plausible system? I argue that, in general, different ethical frameworks see the ethical world in fundamentally different ways, rendering the comparison of degrees of support and opposition of actions between systems intrinsically invalid. One should indeed choose to act in accord with the most defensible system. I believe that this important topic needs more attention than it has gotten to date.
Finite difference schemes for conservation laws

Abstract : We study finite difference approximations to weak solutions of the Cauchy problem for hyperbolic systems of conservation laws in one space dimension. We establish stability in the total variation norm and convergence for a class of hybridized schemes which employ the random choice scheme together with perturbations of classical conservative schemes. We also establish partial stability results for classical conservative schemes. Our approach is based on an analysis of finite difference operators on local and global wave configurations. (Author)
Endocytosed BCRs sequentially regulate MAPK and Akt signaling pathways from intracellular compartments

Binding of antigen to the B cell antigen receptor (BCR) triggers both BCR signaling and endocytosis. How endocytosis regulates BCR signaling remains unknown. Here we report that BCR signaling was not extinguished by endocytosis of BCRs; instead, BCR signaling initiated at the plasma membrane continued as the BCR trafficked intracellularly with the sequential phosphorylation of kinases. Blocking the endocytosis of BCRs resulted in the recruitment of both proximal and downstream kinases to the plasma membrane, where mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) were hyperphosphorylated and the kinase Akt and its downstream target Foxo were hypophosphorylated, which led to the dysregulation of gene transcription controlled by these pathways. Thus, the cellular location of the BCR serves to compartmentalize kinase activation to regulate the outcome of signaling.
Observations on the life cycle of Procambarus acutus acutus in South Carolina culture ponds

Procambarus acutus acutus population structure and reproductive development was evaluated during the dry-culture (Aug–Sep) and the wet-culture phases (Nov–Jun) in 0.1-ha culture ponds. Two cohorts of crayfish, carryover (CO) crayfish and young-of-the-year (YOY) crayfish were present in the ponds. Young-of-the year crayfish grew throughout the 233-day wet-culture phase, averaging 0.19-mm total length (TL)/day, while CO crayfish growth occurred only during 3 of the 8-monthly sampling periods. The fastest growth occurred in fall (Nov–Dec) and spring (Apr–May) for YOY, and in March for CO crayfish. Form-I males were present in each of the wet- and dry-culture samples. Females excavated from burrows during the dry-culture phase possessed significantly greater gonadosomatic indices (GSIs) and less hepatopancreas moisture (HM) than females sampled during the wet-culture phase. Larger females, designated as CO individuals, burrowed earlier and exhibited more advanced gonad development than the smaller YOY females. Individuals of both designated cohorts oviposited eggs; however, attached young were observed only on the excavated CO crayfish. Pleopod eggs per female increased linearly with crayfish TL; however, those crayfish held in cups in the laboratory oviposited significantly more eggs than the females excavated from burrows. Crayfish held in cups oviposited 96% of the eggs in their ovaries. The life cycle traits of P. a. acutus limit the harvest to one recruitment wave in South Carolina culture ponds. D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Nucleoside Chemistry and Flash Chromatography: An Integrated Approach to Teaching an Organic Chemistry Laboratory

We report here the development of an integrated approach to teaching an organic chemistry laboratory. The laboratory exercise focused on the syntheses of two modified nucleosides and used the syntheses as a vehicle to teach organic chemistry from the point of view of how science is done in the real world. The project not only taught advanced organic bench techniques, but also drew heavily from the basics of molecular biology. The laboratory exercise was taken from the work accomplished in an industrial research laboratory and introduced during the spring semester of 1998. Each three person group was provided with a file containing the relevant literature and given the task of completing the synthesis and purification in a three week period. The groups were encouraged to handle the science and chemistry in a manner similar to a research group in an industrial or academic setting. Each group presented their results in a written paper and an oral presentation.
State of cat genomics

Our knowledge of cat family biology was recently expanded to include a genomics perspective with the completion of a draft whole genome sequence of an Abyssinian cat. The utility of the new genome information has been demonstrated by applications ranging from disease gene discovery and comparative genomics to species conservation. Patterns of genomic organization among cats and inbred domestic cat breeds have illuminated our view of domestication, revealing linkage disequilibrium tracks consequent of breed formation, defining chromosome exchanges that punctuated major lineages of mammals and suggesting ancestral continental migration events that led to 37 modern species of Felidae. We review these recent advances here. As the genome resources develop, the cat is poised to make a major contribution to many areas in genetics and biology.
HGF Protects Corneal Epithelial Cells from Apoptosis by the PI-3K/Akt-1/Bad- but Not the ERK1/2-Mediated Signaling Pathway

PURPOSE Cell survival is critical during corneal epithelial regeneration after injury, and growth factors could be fundamental in cytoprotection. The goal of this study was to investigate the involvement of the paracrine hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in the prevention of corneal epithelial cell apoptosis and to identify signal transducers in this process. METHODS Apoptosis in human and rabbit corneal epithelial (HCE and RCE) cells was induced with a nutrient-deprived exhausted medium (ExM) or by treatment with staurosporine (20-100 ng/mL) or the calcium ionophore A23187 (0.5 microM). Apoptotic cells were identified by DNA fragmentation in agarose gels and by Hoechst staining. Active Akt-1 overexpression (Akt-1 pUSEamp cDNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA) specific for Akt mRNA were used. Immunofluorescence, Western immunoblot analysis, and Akt kinase assays were also used. RESULTS Staurosporine, ExM, and A23187 induced DNA fragmentation in HCE and RCE cells. HGF (20 ng/mL) in combination with the apoptotic agents greatly reduced DNA breakdown and the number of Hoechst-positive cells. In the presence of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI-3K) inhibitors (wortmannin and LY294002), HGF did not overcome apoptosis. However, PD98059, the ERK1/2 cascade pathway inhibitor, was ineffective in preventing HGF protection. HGF induced a sustained activation of Akt-1, and overexpression of active Akt-1 reduced apoptosis. HGF stimulated the downstream targets of Akt, glycogen synthase kinase (GSK-3), and Bad, a proapoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family, an effect that was blocked by PI-3K inhibitors but not by ERK1/2 inhibition. Suppressing the expression of Akt by Akt siRNA led to a decrease in the phosphorylation of Bad and GSK-3. Translocation of Bad to the mitochondria, a critical stage in apoptosis, was prevented by HGF when apoptosis was induced. Moreover, in epithelial cells overexpressing active Akt-1, Bad translocation was also prevented. CONCLUSIONS HGF modulates multiple signaling cascades in corneal epithelial cells. The results demonstrated that HGF, in a paracrine fashion, protects cells from apoptosis through a PI-3K/Akt/Bad pathway but not through an ERK1/2 pathway. It was also demonstrated that GSK-3 is a target of PI-3K/Akt-1.
Telomere fusion as a mechanism for the progressive loss of the short arm of chromosome 11 in an anaplastic Wilms' tumor.

Wilms' tumor (WT) is associated with chromosomal deletions and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of alleles at 11p13. The authors report the youngest known patient with diffusely anaplastic WT and, to their knowledge, the first case to demonstrate telomeric fusions as a chromosomal mechanism for the loss of bands 11p13 and 11p15 in WT. Recurrent clonal telomeric association (tas) initiated breakage/fusion cycles that resulted in deletions of chromosome bands 11p15, 11p13, and subsequently, the entire short arm of chromosome 11. In addition, tas involving the long arms of chromosomes 7 and 9 resulted in the subsequent deletion of the long arm of chromosome 7. This report expands the spectrum of chromosomal mechanisms that can account for the loss of alleles on the short arm of chromosome 11 in WT by providing evidence that the progressive loss of critical chromosome regions associated with tumor suppression may occur as a result of chromosomal instability initiated by tas. Cancer 1994; 74: 767-73.
An SMP soft classification algorithm for remote sensing

This work introduces a symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) version of the continuous iterative guided spectral class rejection (CIGSCR), a semi-automated classification algorithm for remote sensing (multispectral) images. The algorithm uses soft data clusters to produce a soft classification containing inherently more information than a comparable hard classification at an increased computational cost. Previous work suggests that similar algorithms achieve good parallel scalability, motivating the parallel algorithm development work here. Experimental results of applying parallel CIGSCR to an image with approximately 108 pixels and 6 bands demonstrate superlinear speedup. A soft two class classification is generated in just over four minutes using 32 processors.
Enhancement of immunoreactive somatostatin release into hypophysial portal blood by electrical stimulation of the preoptic area in the rat.

Electrical stimulation of the preoptic area resulted in a significant increase in the secretion rate of immunoreactive somatostatin (IRS) and its concentration in the hypophysial portal blood of urethane-anesthetized rats. In contrast, stimulation of the ventromedial nucleus did not cause any changes in portal immunoreactive somatostatin. The flow rate of portal blood also increased significantly by electrical stimuli to the preoptic area but not to the ventromedial hypothalamus. These findings support the view that the preoptic area plays an inhibitory role in the regulation of GH secretion by increasing the release of somatostatin into hypophysial portal vessels in the rat
World Day ionospheric observations at Millstone Hill

The international network of six incoherent scatter radars follows a program of coordinated observations on the prescheduled monthly World Days. Common mode experiments are used both to provide a continuing data set of synoptic ionospheric parameters on a near-global scale and to collect simultaneous data with wide-latitude and local time coverage for use in addressing specific topics of concern to the upper atmospheric research community. Processed data are made readily available through the incoherent scatter data base at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, Colo. This paper discusses the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Millstone Hill Radar contributions to this rapidly accumulating ionospheric data resource.
The Construction of Binary Matrices with Distinct Submatrices

Using certain basic facts about finite fields and their use in the construction of linear shift registers of maximal period, a method has been described for the construction of arrays such that if one looks at different parts of the array through a fixed size "window," each configuration seen is distinct. The method has been exemplified in the case where the elements of the array are binary digits.
Cell cycle analysis in bone marrow and kidney tissues of dietary restricted rats

Abstract The effect of dietary restriction (DR) on the proportion of cells in various phases of the cell cycle as determined by flow cytometry was investigated in the bone marrow and kidney of young and old Fischer 344 rats. Control rats were fed a standard occurrence of numerous age-associated diseases, including cancer, renal diseases and by the control rats starting at 16 weeks of age until killed at 5 or 20 months old. The relative proportion of cells in the various phases of the cell cycle was independent of tissue type, treatment condition and age, consistently showing an order of G1- > S- > G2M-phase. In old rats DR did not affect cell cycling in bone marrow of either sex, however, it did cause an increase in the percentage of G1-phase cells in the kidney of male rats. Additionally, DR caused a mathematically significant change in the percentage of cells in all phases of the cell cycle in the bone marrow of young male rats but had no effect in young females. The percentage of S-phase cells in both tissues of both sexes decreased in old rats when compared to young rats regardless of treatment conditions, indicating a parallel decline in cell proliferating activity with aging. To summarize, DR produces a greater cell cycle effect in the young male than the old male rats. Proliferative capacity is enhanced when the young male rats are dietary restricted. This may aid in DNA repair mechanisms and/or immune system response.
Thin-layer metallo-chromatography of lipids

Abstract Work in our laboratory has shown that microcrystalline cellulose can be successfully used as an adsorbant in inorganic thin layer chromatography (TLC). This application includes a number of inorganic cations anions metal-EDTA complexes and transition metal complexes [1–4]. The incorporation of optically active quartz in the microcrystalline cellulose plate has given a satisfactory TLC separation of some optical isomers of transition metal complexes [5]. We now wish to report on the incorporation of various transition metal salts into the microcrystalline cellulose for the purpose of chromatographing lipids. Lipids have been separated on absorbant layers of silica gel contauning silver nitrate [6–7]. Unlike silica gel layers the microcrystalline cellulose plates do not have to be heated to activate them. A TLC one-dimensional separation technique on microcrystalline cellulose was developed which allows the separation of aliphatic lipids of the triglyceride type.
Ginger stimulates hematopoiesis via Bmp pathway in zebrafish.

Background Anemia is a hematologic disorder with decreased number of erythrocytes. Erythropoiesis, the process by which red blood cells differentiate, are conserved in humans, mice and zebrafish. The only known agents available to treat pathological anemia are erythropoietin and its biologic derivatives. However, erythropoietin therapy elicits unwanted side-effects, high cost and intravenous or subcutaneous injection, warranting the development of a more cost effective and non-peptide alternative. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) has been widely used in traditional medicine; however, to date there is no scientific research documenting the potential of ginger to stimulate hematopoiesis.
Characterization of Thermotropic Liquid Crystalline Polymer Blends by Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy

Abstract : Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) has been used to investigate polymer-based molecular composites of two separate thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers (TLCPs) and the thermoplastic matrix polyetherimide. Variations in PALS spectral components were observed as a function of both TLCP content and temperature and are discussed as a function of free volume and molecular structure. It has been shown that these differences, between the matrix and reinforcing phase, has substantial influence on the localization and annihilation of o-Ps. The more miscible HX4000 composites exhibited TLCP dominated lifetime characteristics at room temperature. Differential scanning calorimetry, used as a complementary characterization technique to PALS to investigate the differences in miscibility of the two systems and possible effects on lifetime values, has shown that the. greater miscibility exhibited by the HX4000 system over the Vectra system provides the potential to form composites on a size scale closer to the molecular level.
Metabolism and lipoperoxidative activity of trichloroacetate and dichloroacetate in rats and mice

Trichloroacetate (TCA) and dichloroacetate (DCA) have been shown to be hepatocarcinogenic in mice when administered in drinking water. However, DCA produces pathological effects in the liver that are much more severe than those observed following TCA treatment in both rats and mice. To identify potential mechanisms involved in the liver pathology, the biotransformation of TCA and DCA was investigated in male Fischer 344 rats and B6C3F1 mice. Rodents were administered 5, 20, or 100 mg/kg [14C]TCA or [14C]DCA as a single oral dose in water. Elimination was examined by counting radioactivity in urine, feces, exhaled air, and carcass. Blood concentration over time curves were constructed for both TCA and DCA at the 20 and 100 mg/kg doses. Analysis of the data reveals two significant differences in the systemic clearance of TCA relative to DCA. First, DCA was much more extensively metabolized than TCA. More than 50% of any single dose of TCA was excreted unchanged in the urine of both rats and mice. In contrast, less than 2% of any dose of DCA was recovered in the urine as the parent compound. Second, while the blood concentration over time curves for TCA were similar in rats and mice, the blood concentrations of DCA were markedly greater in rats compared to those in mice, both when DCA was administered and when DCA resulted from metabolism of TCA. DCA was detected in the urine of TCA-treated animals and chloroacetate was found in the urine of DCA-treated animals. These metabolic products would be expected to arise from a free radical-generating, reductive dechlorination pathway. To evaluate the ability of acute doses of TCA and DCA to elicit a lipoperoxidative response, additional groups of mice were administered 0, 100, 300, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg TCA or DCA and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) measured in liver homogenates. Both TCA and DCA enhanced the formation of TBARS in a dose-dependent manner, thereby providing further evidence of a reductive metabolic pathway. DCA was found to be the more potent of the chlorinated acetates in increasing TBARS formation in the livers of both rats and mice. In view of these data, it appears that the more extensive metabolism and rapid rate of elimination of DCA relative to TCA and the more potent lipoperoxidative activity of DCA may be important factors in the pathological effects associated with DCA treatment.
Recognition of Partially Occluded Shapes Using Boundary Matching in Distance Image

A new translation and rotation invariant algorithm to identify and locate occluded objects in an image is presented. The points of local maxima and minima of the curvature function extracted from a digitized image of the object and smoothed by a Gaussian filter are used as control points and the object boundary is approximated by straight-line segments connecting these points. A two-pass boundary matching procedure is used to match the control points of the test shape to those of the object to be recognized. The matching is done from local to global, that is, from matching one segment pair to matching groups of segment pairs. The possible translational and rotational parameters (0, Ax, Ay) between the two shapes is recorded and a distance transformation used to determine the set which yields the best match. The algo-rithm has been successfully used to locate a set of tools from occluded images.
Arrhythmogenic Effects of Quinidine on Catecholamine‐Induced Delayed Afterdepolarizations in Canine Atrial Fibers

Arrhythmogenic Effects of Quinidine on Catecholamine-induced Delayed Afterdepolarizations. We studied the effects of quinidine and tetrodotoxin (TTX), two drugs that block Na+ channels, on delayed afterdepolarizations (DAD) caused by norepinepbrine in atrial fibers of the canine coronary sinus. At long stimulus cycle lengths of 10 seconds, quinidine increased the amplitude of the afterdepolarizations and caused triggered activity within 1–2 minutes. Simultaneously, action potential duration (APD) was lengthened but upstroke velocity was not decreased. Prolonged exposure to quinidine eventually decreased upstroke velocity but DAD amplitude remained larger than control and triggered activity was still induced more easily. The effects of quinidine to increase afterdepolarizations was partially related to its prolongation of the APD since shortening APD with repolarizing current decreased DAD amplitude. However, DAD amplitude remained larger than control indicating that quinidine caused triggering by other mechanisms as well. TTX, on the other hand, which blocks Na+ channels but shortens APD, decreased DAD amplitude and triggered activity. Part but not all of these effects resulted from the shortening of APD by TTX since prolongation of APD with depolarizing current only partially restored DAD amplitude. Anti-arrhythmic drugs, therefore, may have effects on DADs that partly result from changes in the APD. Quinidine may cause cardiac arrhythmias by virtue of its effects to potentiate triggered activity.
Assessing the risks of transgene escape through time and crop‐wild hybrid persistence

Transgenes introduced into crops can escape in time, as well as space, via the seed bank. For annual plants, especially ruderals, seed bank behaviour may be the most important factor determining population persistence. Crop seeds may exhibit some dormancy and germination cueing in the soil but are expected to be less able to persist than their wild relatives, which often have considerable dormancy and longevity, as well as effective germination cueing responses. Crop-wild hybrids may have seed bank characteristics more suited to persistence, and maternal effects may favour persistence of hybrids having wild plants for their female parent. Escape of transgenes via crop-wild hybrids presents unique concerns not present for crops. Hybrids can undergo natural selection and may back-cross with wild plants. We suggest methods that can be used in conjunction with evaluation of the relative fitness of crop-wild hybrids that will determine the likelihood of back-crossing. Accurate assessment of escape in time and transgene persistence via crop-wild hybrids requires proper plant materials. We emphasize the use of null segregants as controls for transgenic crops and for generating crop-wild hybrid controls for transgenic hybrids. Since good empirical and theoretical understanding of how individual genes influence the fate of plants in different environments is lacking, evaluation of escape in time and the persistence of transgenes via crop-wild hybrids should be on a case-by-case basis.
Computational Model to Predict Oxygen Availability for Cells Cultured Under Flow Conditions

Tissue bioreactors are flow systems able to support cultured cells over time. Consequently the functionality of these in vivo systems require the cells to be provided with the required substrate, nutrient, and O2. When a bioreactor is used for liver support, the latter requirement is particularly critical since hepatocyte functionalities are highly dependent on O2 [1]. So for bioreactor designers, computational models would serve as a powerful tool for predicting O2 transport dynamics. In the current study, such a model is developed to predict the level of O2 available to hepatocytes dispersed within a porous collagen substrate, for varying flow conditions. This is carried out by intially verifying the model’s accuracy through experiments conducted using a customized flow device and then extending the model to clarify the sensitivity of O2 transport through the cellular space with respect to the flow conditions, the cells’ O2 consumption rates and dissolved O2 levels in the media.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
To split or not to split the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals: A simple statistical argument, counterargument, and critique

A statistical argument was presented quite recently, as an Op-Ed in The Los Angeles Times, purporting to conclude that the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals should be split. A corresponding statistical counterargument and critique are introduced in the present paper, by making use of some combinatorial formulas and by proposing an alternative empirical approach. In addition, with this issue of the Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference dedicated to Ted Anderson, I also include here comments on his contributions to both statistical inference about Markov chains and to statistical inference about latent classes.
Technique to match mantle and para-aortic fields

A technique is described to match the mantle and para-aortic fields used in treatment of Hodgkin's disease, when the patient is treated alternately in supine and prone position. The approach is based on referencing the field edges to a point close to the vertebral column, where uncontrolled motion is minimal and where accurate matching is particularly important. Fiducial surface points are established in the simulation process to accomplish this objective. Dose distributions have been measured to study the combined effect of divergence differences, changes in body angulation and setup errors. Even with the most careful technique, the use of small cord blocks of 50% transmission is an advisable precaution for the posterior fields.
Reactivity of Electrophilic Terminal Phosphinidene Complexes: P−P Bond Forming Reactions with Phosphines and Diphosphines

Reaction of the electrophilic phosphinidene complex [Cp*Mo(CO)3{PNiPr2}][AlCl4] with triethylphosphine results in reversible coordination of the phosphine to the phosphinidene phosphorus atom followed by carbonyl displacement at the metal. Phosphine-coordinated phosphinidene complexes with P−P bonds can be isolated by using diphosphines which coordinate first to the phosphinidene and then chelate to the phosphinidene and metal atoms.
Bioprosthetic tricuspid valve stenosis in end-stage renal failure.

Abstract Outcome of bioprosthetic valve replacement in the tricuspid position in patients with kidney failure is unknown. The authors describe a case of accelerated bioprosthetic tricuspid valve calcification leading to critical stenosis in a patient on chronic dialysis and with poorly controlled hyperparathyroidism. He required a second valve replacement in less than 3 years from the initial tricuspid replacement surgery. Both renal failure and its associated hyperparathyroidism have been implicated in native heart valve calcification. This case suggests that bioprosthetic valves could also be at risk for rapid calcification; more frequent monitoring of prosthetic valve function may be necessary.
Refinement and unique Mackey decomposition for manuals and orthalogebras

In the empirical logic approach to quantum mechanics, the physical system under consideration is given in terms of a manual of sample spaces. The resulting propositional structure has been shown to form an orthoalgebra, generalizing the structure of an orthomodular poset. An orthoalgebra satisfies the unique Mackey decomposition (UMD) property if, given two commuting propositions a and b, there is a unique jointly orthogonal triple (e, f, c) such that a=e⊕c and b=f⊕c. In a manual, E is refined by F if E is logically equivalent to some partition of F, making results from F at least as informative as those from E. The main result is a characterization of the UMD property in terms of the refinement structure of an underlying manual, provided the manual is event saturated and orthogonally additive.
Impact of fluid–rock chemical interactions on tracer transport in fractured rocks

Abstract In this paper, we investigate the impact of chemical interactions, in the form of mineral precipitation and dissolution reactions, on tracer transport in fractured rocks. When a tracer is introduced in fractured rocks, it moves through the fracture primarily by advection and it also enters the stagnant water of the surrounding rock matrix through diffusion. Inside the porous rock matrix, the tracer chemically interacts with the solid materials of the rock, where it can precipitate depending on the local equilibrium conditions. Alternatively, it can be dissolved from the solid phase of the rock matrix into the matrix pore water, diffuse into the flowing fluids of the fracture and is advected out of it. We show that such chemical interactions between the fluid and solid phases have significant impact on tracer transport in fractured rocks. We invoke the dual-porosity conceptualization to represent the fractured rocks and develop a semi-analytical solution to describe the transient transport of tracers in interacting fluid–rock systems. To test the accuracy and stability of the semi-analytical solution, we compare it with simulation results obtained with the TOUGHREACT simulator. We observe that, in a chemically interacting system, the tracer breakthrough curve exhibits a pseudo-steady state, where the tracer concentration remains more or less constant over a finite period of time. Such a pseudo-steady condition is not observed in a non-reactive fluid–rock system. We show that the duration of the pseudo-state depends on the physical and chemical parameters of the system, and can be exploited to extract information about the fractured rock system, such as the fracture spacing and fracture-matrix interface area.
Laser irradiation of biological systems

Investigations with the laser are in progress that may more clearly illuminate living processes. Applications to problems in biology and medicine are under exploration
Inferences of weekly cycles in summertime rainfall

[1] In several continental regions a weekly cycle of air pollution aerosols has been observed. It is usually characterized by concentration minima on weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and maxima on weekdays (Tuesday–Friday). Several studies have associated varying aerosol concentrations with precipitation production and attempted to determine whether or not there is a corresponding weekly cycle of precipitation. Results to date have been mixed. Here we examine a 12 year national composited radar data set for evidence of weekly precipitation cycles during the warm season (June–August). Various statistical quantities are calculated and subjected to “bootstrap” testing in order to assess significance. In many parts of the United States, warm season precipitation is relatively infrequent, with a few extreme events contributing to a large percentage of the total 12 year rainfall. For this reason, the statistics are often difficult to interpret. The general area east of the Mississippi River and north of 37°N contains regions where 25%–50% daily rainfall increases are inferred for weekdays (Tuesday–Friday) relative to weekends. The statistics suggest that western Pennsylvania is the largest and most likely contiguous region to have a weekly cycle. Parts of northern Florida and southeastern coastal areas infer a reverse-phase cycle, with less rainfall during the week than on weekends. Spot checks of surface rain gauge data confirm the phase of these radar-observed anomalies in both Pennsylvania and Florida. While there are indications of a weekly cycle in other locations of the United States, the degree of confidence is considerably lower. There is a strong statistical inference of weekday rainfall maxima over a net 8% of the area examined, which is approximately twice the area of cities. Future examination of lofted aerosol content, related condensation/ice nuclei spectra, and knowledge of the convective dynamical regime are needed in order to assess how anthropogenic aerosols may affect rainfall at urban and regional scales. If radar is the primary method of observation, it is also necessary to examine the effects of variable aerosol content on the parametric relationship between rainfall rate and radar reflectivity factor. Polarimetric radar observations could also serve to verify microphysical-dynamical hypotheses regarding precipitation production.
Inhibition of Receptor-mediated Endocytosis Demonstrates Generation of Amyloid β-Protein at the Cell Surface

Sequential cleavages of the amyloid β-protein precursor (APP) by the β- and γ-secretases generate the amyloid β-protein (Aβ), which plays a central role in Alzheimer's disease. Previous work provided evidence for involvement of both the secretory and endocytic pathways in Aβ generation. Here, we used HeLa cells stably expressing a tetracycline-regulated dominant-negative dynamin I (dyn K44A), which selectively inhibits receptor-mediated endocytosis, and analyzed the effects on the processing of endogenous APP. Upon induction of dyn K44A, levels of mature APP rose at the cell surface, consistent with retention of APP on the plasma membrane. The α-secretase cleavage products of APP were increased by dyn K44A, in that α-APPs in medium and the C83 C-terminal stub in the membrane both rose. The β-secretase cleavage of APP, C99, also increased modestly. The use of specific γ-secretase inhibitors to study the accumulation of α- and β-cleavage products independent of their processing by γ-secretase confirmed that retention of APP on the plasma membrane results in increased processing by both α- and β-secretases. Unexpectedly, endogenous Aβ secretion was significantly increased by dyn K44A, as detected by three distinct methods: metabolic labeling, immunoprecipitation/Western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Levels of p3 (generated by sequential α- and γ-cleavage) also rose. We conclude that endogenous Aβ can be produced directly at the plasma membrane and that alterations in the degree of APP endocytosis may help regulate its production. Our findings are consistent with a role for the γ-secretase complex in the processing of numerous single-transmembrane receptors at the cell surface.