cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Metabolic Acidosis as a Possible Cause of CKD: What Should Clinicians Do?

When consuming an average Western diet, the human body generates daily about 1 mEq/kg of nonvolatile acid, mostly a result of metabolizing sulfur-containing amino acids. Normally, this is eliminated by the kidneys via urinary excretion of hydrogen ions in the form of titratable acidity and ammonium. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) leads to important changes in acid excretion by the kidneys. In CKD, there is an initial decline in the number of functioning nephrons, with a compensatory increase in the amount of ammonium produced and excreted per single nephron. As a result, typically acid excretion is maintained in the normal range until glomerular filtration rate (GFR) falls below 40-50 mL/min, at which point there is a gradual retention of hydrogen ions. Retained protons are buffered by bicarbonate in the extracellular fluid, by tissue buffers, and by bone, which limits the severity of the evolving acidemia, as measured by a typical serum bicarbonate concentration of 12-20 mEq/L in patients approaching kidney failure. Acidemia in CKD has been linked to various abnormalities, such as uremic osteodystrophy, proteinenergy wasting, compromised myocardial function and glucose homeostasis, b2-microglobulin accumulation, chronic inflammation, and growth hormone and thyroid dysfunction. Perhaps as a consequence of some or all of these physiologic disturbances, metabolic acidosis (ie, a low serum bicarbonate concentration) has also been associated with increased mortality in patients with CKD. Another important consequence of metabolic acidosis is faster progression of CKD. Lower serum bicarbonate levels have been shown to be associated with increased risk of kidney disease in observational studies of patients with CKD. Experimental studies suggest a direct role of acidemia in causing kidney toxicity by complex mechanisms, including complement activation and increased tubulointerstitial damage, endothelin activation, and activation of the renin-angiotensin system (Fig 1). The causal role of metabolic acidosis in disease trajectory is supported by randomized controlled clinical trials showing that base supplementation slows the progression of CKD in patients who also have metabolic acidosis. A common characteristic of the putative pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying the nephrotoxic effects of metabolic acidosis is involvement of regulatory mechanisms for maintaining acid-base homeostasis in
Solid Propellant Burning Rate From Strand Burner Pressure Measurement

Strand burner pressure–time data are analyzed to determine if the propellant burning rate can be extracted. This approach is based on strand burner pressure–time history that is related to the temperature change due to exothermic reaction heating of chamber gases and gas addition to the chamber by propellant combustion products. In support of this method, chemical equilibrium calculations were made to project product composition, internal energy, and other needed properties. A mathematical model was formulated and solved numerically and the calculated burning rates were compared with the experimental wire-break time results provided simultaneously and with the propellant manufacturer's results, when available. The comparisons reveal that the approach has merit and that more accurate pressure determination coupled with additional thermochemical information and strand burner gas temperature measurements has the potential to make this approach a viable technique and one that can be applied in conjunction with other burning rate measurements. The proposed method is similar to a well-developed technique which is commonly applied to ballistic powders but with adjustments for the differences in geometry, pressure, and time of event.
Differentiation of models of rapid molecular motion by 2H NMR lineshape simulations

Abstract Slow molecular motions in solids can, in principle, be thoroughly studied over a wide dynamic range by the analysis of 2H NMR lineshapes. However, for fast motions with correlation times less than 10−7 s the lineshapes become insensitive to the time scale of the motion. In this limit, the NMR lineshapes only provide limited information about the geometry of the motion; in the case of an axially symmetric static electric field gradient tensor (C-2H bond), one can only unambiguously discriminate between planar and nonplanar motions. As a consequence, the frequently observed near gh ∗ = 1 experimental lineshape is compatible with many models of motion. For example, it is impossible to distinguish between certain families of rapid jumps and families of rapid librations from 2H NMR lineshapes even when T2 relaxation is considered. However, these motional mechanisms can be distinguished via lineshape distortions resulting from the anisotropic spin-lattice relaxation (T1 and T1Q).
Mineral element gradients in pears.

Concentration gradients for 10 chemical elements in pear fruits (Pyrus communis Linn.) were determined. Contents of P, K, Ca, Mn, Cu and B were high in the skin and core and low in the flesh. Al and Zn were very high in the skin and very low in both the flesh and core. Mineral content also varied between the calyx half and the stem half of the fruit-K, Ca, Mg, and Mn were higher in the calyx half; P, Fe, Cu, Al and Zn were the same in both halves; and B was higher in the stem half of the fruit. the russet skin contained more Ca, Mn and Al than did smooth skin; quantities of the other elements were the same in both types of skin. Fruit with many stone cells contained less P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn and B than did fruit with few stone cells. the difference between the cores accounted for most of the difference. Isolated grit cells were very low in minerals with the exception of Ca.
Properties of immobilized hind-limb muscles of the Galago senegalensis

Abstract Morphological, biochemical, and physiological properties of longterm (6 mo) immobilized skeletal muscles of a nonhuman primate were studied in seven Galago senegalensis which were immobilized at the ankle and knee of one hind limb with an external brace. Electromyographic activity of the ipsilateral and contralateral quadriceps and muscles of the calf were assessed after 5 and 6 mo of immobilization. The EMG was markedly reduced in the immobilized muscles compared to the contralateral control when the brace was intact and the animal moving freely. Without exception, extensor muscles atrophied more than flexors. The soleus, a slow-twitch muscle atrophied more than any other muscle of the lower leg but the same was not true of the vastus intermedius the analogous muscle of the thigh. Slow-twitch oxidative fibers (SO) were atrophied more than fast-twitch oxidative glycolytic fibers (FOG), and FOG tended to atrophy more than fast-twitch glycolytic fibers (FG). The immobilized soleus and vastus intermedius had a smaller percentage of SO fibers than their controls, suggesting that they had faster contraction times. With respect to alterations in reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide diaphorase activity, no consistent pattern was observed except for a greater coarseness of staining granules and more homogeneous dispersion of the granules throughout the cross-section of the fibers. No changes were found in phosphorylase, lactate dehydrogenase, or succinate dehydrogenase specific activity or in myoglobin concentration in homogenates of ankle flexors or the vastus lateralis. Myosin ATPase, but not actomyosin ATPase activity was significantly less in the immobilized gastrocnemius-plantaris muscles. No change in contractile properties related to speed were observed in the plantaris. This muscle did exert more twitch and tetanic tension per gram of muscle in the immobilized leg.
A new proof of the invariance principle in scattering theory

Abstract For free and interacting Hamiltonians, H0 and H = H0 + V(r) acting in L2(R3, dx) with V(r) a radial potential satisfying certain technical conditions, and for ϕ a real function on R with ϕ′ > 0 except on a discrete set, we prove that the Moller wave operators Ω± = strong limit e itϕ(H) e −itϕ(H 0 ) exist and are independent of ϕ. The scattering operator S = (Ω + )∗Ω − is shown to be unitary. Our proof utilizes time independent methods (eigenfunction expansions) and is effective in cases not previously analyzed, e.g. V(r) = sin r r and many others.
Politics of economic liberalization in India

Abstract Attempts at “liberalizing” India's import-substitution model of development have had a mixed record. Some success in changing the policy regime highlights the role of a new technocratic leadership that has received support from both Indian business groups and from external aid agencies. Conversely, “popular sectors” within India—including the rank and file of the ruling party, the organized workers in the public sector, and the numerically significant middle and lower peasantry — have registered their opposition. While the government remains committed to liberalizing the economy, the momentum has slowed down and, given the pressures of electoral politics, a populist economic program has been simultaneously readopted. It appears that the marriage of political and economic liberalism may not be an easy one in countries like India.
Reference models for network data anonymization

Network security research can benefit greatly from testing environments that are capable of generating realistic, repeatable and configurable background traffic. In order to conduct network security experiments, researchers require isolated testbeds capable of recreating actual network environments, complete with infrastructure and traffic details. Unfortunately, due to privacy and flexibility concerns, actual network traffic is rarely shared by organizations. Trace data anonymization is one solution to this problem. The research community has responded to this sanitization problem with anonymization tools that aim to remove sensitive information from network traces, and attacks on anonymized traces that aim to evaluate the efficacy of the anonymization schemes. However there is continued lack of a comprehensive model that distills all elements of the sanitization problem into a functional reference model.In this paper we offer such a comprehensive functional reference model that identifies and binds together all the entities required to formulate the problem of network data anonymization. We also build a new information flow model that illustrates the overly optimistic nature of inference attacks on anonymized traces. We also provide a probabilistic interpretation of the information model and develop a privacy metric for anonymized traces.
The role of transglutaminase in human erythrocyte endocytosis.

Abstract Receptor mediated endocytosis appears to depend on the action of a transglutaminase (TGase). Endocytosis can be induced in intact human RBC by the action of several classes of drugs. We tested the hypothesis that drugs acted by stimulating TGase activity. Of the endocytosis inducing drugs tested, neither primaquine nor vinblastine nor chlorpromazine enhanced TGase activity. We next tested the hypothesis that TGase activity was required for drug endocytosis in RBC by adding known TGase inhibitors. Paradoxically, m-Dansyl cadaverine, the most potent TGase inhibitor, produces endocytosis in human RBC. Therefore despite apparent striking morphologic similarities, drug induced endocytosis in RBC appears to proceed via different mechanisms from those involved in receptor mediated endocytosis in other cells. In the receptor-mediated endocytosis of some hormones and growth factors, it appears that the receptor-ligand complex forms clusters over clathrin coated pits which are then internalized as endocytic vacuoles. Both the clustering and internalization of ligands are inhibited by a variety of agents shown to inhibit transglutaminase (TGase) and it is therefore proposed that TGase participates in receptor-mediated endocytosis (1–3). Human erythrocytes undergo endocytosis when exposed to drugs like primaquine, chlorpromazine, and vinblastine (4), all of which are amphipathic cations (4). However, the mechanism of drug action is not known nor is it clear that this is a form of receptor-mediated endocytosis (4). Furthermore, clustering of receptors can occur in neonatal but not adult human RBC (5). TGase has been measured in human red cells (6) although its physiologic role is unknown. Like all TGases, it is calcium dependent (6,7), and primaquine induced red cell endocytosis is enhanced by Ca ++ addition (8). Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that TGase participates in drug induced endocytosis in intact human red cells.
Deep level transient spectroscopy in Hg1−xCdxTe

We report the application of Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS) in Hg1-xCdxTe, demonstrating for the first time the utilization of DLTS techniques in a narrow band-gap semiconductor, Eg < 0.40 eV. DLTS measurements performed on an n+-p diode with Eg (x=0.21, T=30 K) =0.096 eV have identified an electron trap with an energy of Ev + 0.043 eV and a hole trap at Ev + 0.035 eV. Measurements of trap densities, capture cross sections, and the close proximity of the electron and hole trap locations within the band-gap suggest that DLTS may be observing both the electron and hole capture at a single Shockley-Read recombination center. The trapping parameters measured by DLTS predict minority carrier lifetime versus temperature data to be comparable with the experimentally measured values.
Modulation-aware energy balancing in hierarchical wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) with hierarchical organizations have recently attracted a lot of attention as effective platforms for pervasive computing. With power efficiency and lifetime awareness becoming critical design concerns, a significant amount of research has focused on energy-aware design of different layers of the WSN protocol stack. However, much less has been done in way of incorporating physical layer characteristics at the system deployment stage and analyzing the effects on spatial energy balancing across the network and the resulting overall network lifetime. Our focus is on improving the lifetime of each cluster of sensors in a hierarchical WSN using optimization techniques at the physical layer. Specifically, we study how the location-aware selection of the modulation schemes for sensors can affect their energy efficiency. Furthermore, we show how the energy in the network can be distributed more evenly by proper selection of the modulation schemes for different sensors.
Velocity effects in emulsion flow through porous media

Abstract Velocity plays an important role in the flow behavior of dispersed drops in underground media. Its magnitude designates whether a drop is captured, breaks up, or percolates through the medium. A quantitative description of these effects is lacking. This work investigates the possible roles of velocity in the transport of dilute, stable oil-in-water emulsions through underground porous media from the viewpoint of deep-bed filtration. A wide range of capillary number is considered. Theoretical analyses are presented for droplets having sizes corresponding to the two capture regimes of straining and interception. For the straining capture regime, the effect of velocity is important when capillary number is on the order of 10 −4 or above. For the interception capture regime, velocity effects are important when capture is in the secondary-minimum energy well and the velocity is close to a critical re-entrainment value. In both capture regimes drop breakup occurs only when the capillary number is about unity. The theoretical findings are verified by new experimental studies on the flow of oil-in-water emulsions at velocities of 0.005 to 0.08 cm/s in sandpacks with permeabilities of 0.7 and 2 μm 2 .
Bayesian functional ANOVA modeling using Gaussian process prior distributions

Functional analysis of variance (ANOVA) models partition a func- tional response according to the main efiects and interactions of various factors. This article develops a general framework for functional ANOVA modeling from a Bayesian viewpoint, assigning Gaussian process prior distributions to each batch of functional efiects. We discuss the choices to be made in specifying such a model, advocating the treatment of levels within a given factor as dependent but exchangeable quantities, and we suggest weakly informative prior distributions for higher level parameters that may be appropriate in many situations. We discuss computationally e-cient strategies for posterior sampling using Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithms, and we emphasize useful graphical summaries based on the posterior distribution of model-based analogues of traditional ANOVA decom- positions of variance. We illustrate this process of model speciflcation, posterior sampling, and graphical posterior summaries in two examples. The flrst consid- ers the efiect of geographic region on the temperature proflles at weather stations in Canada. The second example examines sources of variability in the output of regional climate models from a designed experiment.
Gamma-Radiation from Arsenic 77

Two previously unreported gamma-rays have been observed in the decay of ${\mathrm{As}}^{77}$.
Nodal solutions of boundary value problems with boundary conditions involving Riemann–Stieltjes integrals

Abstract We study the nonlinear boundary value problem consisting of the equation − y ″ = ∑ i = 1 m w i ( t ) f i ( y ) and a boundary condition involving a Riemann–Stieltjes integral. By relating it to the eigenvalues of the corresponding linear Sturm–Liouville problem with a two-point separated boundary condition, we obtain results on the existence and nonexistence of nodal solutions of this problem. The shooting method and an energy function are used to prove the main results.
Mutations Are Not Uniformly Distributed throughout theOCRL1Gene in Lowe Syndrome Patients

Abstract Lowe syndrome (OCRL) is an X-linked disorder involving the eyes, kidney, and nervous system that is caused by loss of function in theOCRL1gene.OCRL1contains 24 exons (23 of which are coding) and encodes a 105-kDa enzyme with phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bisphosphate (PtdIns[4,5]P2) 5-phosphatase activity. We published previously (1,2) 13 different mutations in 15 patients. Here we report another 8 mutations in 10 families. Four are missense mutations in highly conserved PtdIns(4,5)P25-phosphatase domains, two are premature terminations caused by nonsense mutations, and three others are premature terminations caused by frameshift mutations. One frameshift, a GT deletion in exon 21, has been observed previously in two unrelated Lowe syndrome patients, suggesting that it may be a relative “hotspot” for mutation in a disorder marked otherwise by allelic heterogeneity. We have also seen two other recurrent mutations. One is a nonsense mutation C GA > T GA in exon 22 observed in two patients and the second is a missense mutation C G A > C A A in exon 15 present in two unrelated patients. These 21 distinct mutations we have found in 25 Lowe syndrome patients occur in only 9 of the 24 exons: 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 21, and 22. Interestingly, missense mutations have occurred only in exons 12 through 15 in highly conserved residues among the phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphatases. These observations suggest useful strategies for mutation screening in OCRL.
Effects on the Offspring of Chronic Low Exposure Carbon Monoxide during Mice Pregnancy

This research is primarily concerned with the effects of chronic low doses of carbon monoxide on fetal development. Carbon monoxide was administered daily by inhalation to female Swiss Webster mice from the beginning of gestation until term. Daily weights were recorded and carbon monoxide blood levels determined every 4 days. The number of offspring in each litter was recorded. At weaning, two males and two females from each litter were randomly picked for maze running studies. When the mice were 6 weeks old, they were tested daily, ten trials per day, in the maze until learning had occurred. The number of days required to learn the maze and the number of incorrect trials were recorded. While there was no significant increase in the number of days needed to learn the maze, there was a significant increase in the number of errors made by the experimental group during this time. This indicated that an increased effort was needed to learn the maze.
The Specie Standard and Central Banking in the United States Before 1860

Central banking institutions during the past quarter-century have been almost free of the constraints that inhibited their actions during the nineteenth century. The special conditions under which earlier central banking institutions were formed and operated frequently have been lost to view; and while contemporary observers have come to regard the first two Banks of the United States sympathetically, the functional evolution of these institutions within the framework of specie standards has been largely neglected. The period between the end of the Second Bank and the organization of the Federal Reserve System is subsequently treated as the Dark Ages of monetary policy, better forgotten than deplored.
Vibrations of sandwich panels and beams with matrix cracks in the facings

The paper presents the solution of the vibration problem for sandwich panels and beams with matrix cracks in transverse layers of cross-ply facings. The closed-form solution is obtained by assumption that the panels can be characterized by the first-order shear deformation theory. The analysis accounts for a difference in the response of the facings with open and closed matrix cracks. Extension of the solution to the case of multi-skin panels is also discussed in the paper. In addition, the problem of vibration of sandwich beams with matrix cracks in the transverse layers and delaminations generating from the tips of transverse cracks is considered. As shown in this paper, although the presence of delaminations results in a larger reduction of the stiffness and free vibration frequencies than transverse cracking by itself, the changes in the frequencies remain relatively small.
Haemolytic and Conglutinating Complement in Bovine Perinates

Summary Haemolytic complement activity against sensitized guinea pig erythrocytes was detected in all 33 samples of bovine fetuses (95 to 225 days of fetal age) and newborns. Conglutinating complement activity against sensitized sheep erythrocytes was detected in all samples of fetuses older than 150 days. The results indicate that complement is formed within the first one third of fetal life and its concentration increases steadily during the prenatal period of life. The high sensitivity of guinea pig cells to the lytic activity of bovine complement was confirmed. Zusammenfassung Hamolytisches und konglutinierendes Komplement bei Rinderfoeten und Neugeborenen Hamolysierende Komplementaktivitat gegenuber sensibilisierten Meerschweinchen-Erythrocyten wurde in allen 33 Proben von Rinderfoeten (95 bis 225 Tage alt) und Neugeborenen nachgewiesen. Konglutinierende Komplementaktivitat gegenuber sensibilisierten Schaferythrocyten wurde in allen Foeten, die alter waren als 150 Tage, entdeckt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, das Komplement wahrend des ersten Drittels des foetalen Lebens gebildet wird und das seine Konzentration wahrend des pranatalen Lebens stetig zunimmt. Bestatigt wurde die hohe Empfindlichkeit von Meerschweinchen-Erythrocyten gegenuber der lytischen Aktivitat von Rinderkomplement.
Gamma band activity and the P3 reflect post-perceptual processes, not visual awareness

A primary goal in cognitive neuroscience is to identify neural correlates of conscious perception (NCC). By contrasting conditions in which subjects are aware versus unaware of identical visual stimuli, a number of candidate NCCs have emerged; among them are induced gamma band activity in the EEG and the P3 event-related potential. In most previous studies, however, the critical stimuli were always directly relevant to the subjects' task, such that aware versus unaware contrasts may well have included differences in post-perceptual processing in addition to differences in conscious perception per se. Here, in a series of EEG experiments, visual awareness and task relevance were manipulated independently. Induced gamma activity and the P3 were absent for task-irrelevant stimuli regardless of whether subjects were aware of such stimuli. For task-relevant stimuli, gamma and the P3 were robust and dissociable, indicating that each reflects distinct post-perceptual processes necessary for carrying-out the task but not for consciously perceiving the stimuli. Overall, this pattern of results challenges a number of previous proposals linking gamma band activity and the P3 to conscious perception.
Assessing the landscape context and conversion risk of protected areas using satellite data products

Abstract Since the establishment of the first national park (Yellowstone National Park in 1872) and the first wildlife refuge (Pelican Island in 1903), dramatic changes have occurred in both ecological and cultural landscapes across the U.S. The ability of these protected areas to maintain current levels of biodiversity depend, at least in part, on the integrity of the surrounding landscape. Our objective was to quantify and compare the extent and pattern of natural land cover, risk of conversion, and relationships with demographic and economic variables in counties near National Park Service units and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges with those counties distant from either type of protected area in the coterminous United States. Our results indicate that landscapes in counties within 10 km of both parks and refuges and those within 10 km of just parks were more natural, more intact, and more protected than those in counties within 10 km of just refuges and counties greater than 10 km from either protected area system. However, they also had greater human population density and change in population, indicating potential conversion risk since the percent of landscape protected averaged 2) in 76% of counties near both parks and refuges, 81% of counties near just parks, 91% of counties near just refuges, and 93% of distant counties. Thirteen percent of counties in the coterminous U.S. had moderate to high amounts of natural land cover (> 60%), low protection ( 20%). Although these areas are not the most critically endangered, they represent the greatest conservation opportunity, need, and urgency. Our approach is based on national level metrics that are simple, general, informative, and can be understood by broad audiences and by policy makers and managers to assess the health of lands surrounding parks and refuges. Regular monitoring of these metrics with satellite data products in counties surrounding protected areas provides a consistent, national level assessment of management opportunities and potentially adverse changes on adjacent lands.
PERSPECTIVE: The Current State of Environmental Education

The complexities of environmental challenges stress our understandings because current theory and research tools are often too discipline-bound to permit holistic assessment of the interrelationshi...
Surface warming by the solar cycle as revealed by the composite mean difference projection

[1] By projecting surface temperature data (1959–2004) onto the spatial structure obtained objectively from the composite mean difference between solar max and solar min years, we obtain a global warming signal of almost 0.2°K attributable to the 11-year solar cycle. The statistical significance of such a globally coherent solar response at the surface is established for the first time.
Central Disorders of Vision in Humans

Over the past 20 years, researchers have discovered over 30 separate visual areas in the cortex of the macaque monkey that exhibit specific responses to visual and environmental stimuli. Many of these areas are homologous to regions of the human visual cortex, and numerous syndromes involving these areas are described in the neurologic and ophthalmic literature. The focus of this review is the anatomy and physiology of these higher cortical visual areas, with special emphasis on their relevance to syndromes in humans. The early visual system processes information primarily by way of two separate systems: parvocellular and magnocellular. Thus, even at this early stage, visual information is functionally segregated. We will trace this segregation to downstream areas involved in increasingly complex visual processing and discuss the results of lesions in these areas in humans. An understanding of these areas is important, as many of these patients will first seek the attention of the ophthalmologist, often with vague, poorly defined complaints that may be difficult to specifically define.
Secondary ion mass spectrometry measurements of isotopic ratios: correction for time varying count rate

Abstract In secondary ion mass spectrometry measurement systems, the count rate of isotopes may vary in time as a particle is consumed during the analysis. Since isotopes are measured sequentially, this drift can introduce systematic error into the estimate of the ratio of any two isotopes. We correct the measurements for drift by aligning the time series of isotopic pairs using a linear interpolation approach. We estimate an isotopic ratio for each of two cases. In one case the time series of the more abundant isotope is aligned with respect to the time series of the less abundant isotope. In the second case the less abundant isotope is aligned with respect to the more abundant one. We average both of these estimates to get a drift-corrected estimate. We present an analytical formula for the random uncertainty of the isotopic ratio that accounts for correlation introduced by interpolation. We also present an approximate hypothesis test procedure to detect and quantify possible temporal variation of the measured isotopic ratio during a single analysis. In a Monte Carlo study, the performance of the methods is quantified based on analysis of simulated data with complexity similar to that of real data generated by a secondary ion mass spectrometer.
A semantic proteomics dashboard (SemPoD) for data management in translational research

One of the primary challenges in translational research data management is breaking down the barriers between the multiple data silos and the integration of 'omics data with clinical information to complete the cycle from the bench to the bedside. The role of contextual metadata, also called provenance information, is a key factor ineffective data integration, reproducibility of results, correct attribution of original source, and answering research queries involving "W hat", "W here", "W hen", "W hich", "W ho", "How", and "W hy" (also known as the W7 model). But, at present there is limited or no effective approach to managing and leveraging provenance information for integrating data across studies or projects. Hence, there is an urgent need for a paradigm shift in creating a "provenance-aware" informatics platform to address this challenge. We introduce an ontology-driven, intuitive Sem antic P ro teomics D ashboard (SemPoD) that uses provenance together with domain information (semantic provenance) to enable researchers to query, compare, and correlate different types of data across multiple projects, and allow integration with legacy data to support their ongoing research. The SemPoD platform, currently in use at the Case Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics (CPB), consists of three components: (a) Ontology-driven Visual Query Composer, (b) Result Explorer, and (c) Query Manager. Currently, SemPoD allows provenance-aware querying of 1153 mass-spectrometry experiments from 20 different projects. SemPod uses the systems molecular biology provenance ontology (SysPro) to support a dynamic query composition interface, which automatically updates the components of the query interface based on previous user selections and efficientlyprunes the result set usinga "smart filtering" approach. The SysPro ontology re-uses terms from the PROV-ontology (PROV-O) being developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) provenance working group, the minimum information required for reporting a molecular interaction experiment (MIMIx), and the minimum information about a proteomics experiment (MIAPE) guidelines. The SemPoD was evaluated both in terms of user feedback and as scalability of the system. SemPoD is an intuitive and powerful provenance ontology-driven data access and query platform that uses the MIAPE and MIMIx metadata guideline to create an integrated view over large-scale systems molecular biology datasets. SemPoD leverages the SysPro ontology to create an intuitive dashboard for biologists to compose queries, explore the results, and use a query manager for storing queries for later use. SemPoD can be deployed over many existing database applications storing 'omics data, including, as illustrated here, the LabKey data-management system. The initial user feedback evaluating the usability and functionality of SemPoD has been very positive and it is being considered for wider deployment beyond the proteomics domain, and in other 'omics' centers.
AN INTERVIEW WITH WASSILY LEONTIEF

Wassily Leontief is one of the central creators and shapers of twentieth-century economics. He invented input-output theory and the techniques for constructing input-output tables from economic and technological data and was responsible for making input-output tables the most powerful and widely used tool of structural economic analysis. The theory of input-output matrices played an important role in the clarification of general equilibrium theory in the 1940's and 1950's as well. Leontief has also made fundamental and seminal contributions to the theories of demand, international trade, and economic dynamics. His research interests include monetary economics, population, econometric method, environmental economics, distribution, disarmament, induced technical change, international capital movements, growth, economic planning, and the Soviet and other socialist economies. Leontief has played a vigorous part in formulating national and international policies addressing technology, trade, population, arms control, and the environment. He has also been a well-informed and influential critic of contemporary economic method, theory, and practice. Leontief received the Nobel Memorial Prize for Economics in 1973.I met Wassily Leontief on April 14, 1997, at his apartment high above Washington Square Park in New York City. Leontief reclined on a sofa in the living room, with Mrs. Leontief going about her business in the background, occasionally asking after Leontief's comfort. Leontief's voice on the tape ranges from an assertive forte to a whispery piano. He is by turns animated, thoughtful, puzzled, inspiring, and charming. A chiming clock marking the passage of quarter-hours and characteristic New York street noise occasionally obscure his words on the tape. I have edited the transcript for continuity and clarity.
Coccidioides species as potential agents of bioterrorism

Coccidioides species are soil fungi endemic to the southwestern USA, and parts of Central and South America. Natural infection occurs as a result of inhalation of airborne arthroconidia. There is a wide spectrum of clinical illness and, although most human cases are self-limiting and inconsequential, infection can result in severe effects and sometimes death. Both Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii are potential bioterrorism agents. As such, in the USA and elsewhere, these organisms fall under stringent regulations that govern their possession, use and transfer. However, the public health consequences of their deliberate release among a susceptible civilian population are uncertain and most probably limited.
Attempts to recover herpes simplex virus from skin sites of recurrent infection.

: We attempted to recover herpes simplex virus from the cutaneous sites of recurrent infections by co-cultivating explants of skin with monolayers of herpes virus susceptible cell lines. We were unable to demonstrate virus in the asymptomatic skin with this technique. Efforts to activate repressed virus in 2 patients by pretreatment of cultures with 5-iodo-2-deoxyuridine and application of the indirect fluorescent antibody technique to skin from 3 patients also failed to reveal evidence of herpesvirus. Our results support the concept that latent herpesvirus resides in nerve tissue but not skin.
The development and applications of chalcogenide infrared optical fibers

The fabrication of IR optical fibers for the 2- to l4-μm region is described. Both cylindrical and square fibers fabricated from extruded rods and tubes are discussed. The physical proper-ties of the GeSbSe glasses and optical fibers are reviewed. Fab-rication of different fiber bundles is also reported. The applications of IR optical fibers and bundles are described, and system performance and parametric analysis are developed for some applications, including thermal imaging, IR sensors, CO 2 laser power guide, and low-loss optical fibers.
Falsely Decreased Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) Results Due to Increased Concentrations of the Free β Subunit and the β Core Fragment in Quantitative hCG Assays

BACKGROUND: Earlier studies have shown that increased concentrations of certain human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) variants can cause false-negative results in some qualitative hCG devices. The objective of this study was to determine if increased concentrations of hCGβ and hCGβ core fragment (hCGβcf) cause falsely decreased results on 9 commercially available quantitative hCG assays. METHODS: Several concentrations of purified hCGβ and hCGβcf were added to 2 sets of 6 serum samples with and without a fixed concentration of intact hCG. We examined 9 widely used immunoassays to measure immunoreactive hCG. Falsely decreased results were defined as those in which the measured hCG concentration was ≤50% of expected. RESULTS: High concentrations of hCGβ (≥240 000 pmol/L) produced falsely decreased hCG measurements in 2 assays known to detect this variant. Similarly, high concentrations of hCGβcf (≥63 000 pmol/L) produced falsely decreased hCG measurements in 3 assays that do not detect purified hCGβcf. Two assays were identified that detected both hCGβ and hCGβcf, and neither produced falsely decreased results in the presence of high concentrations of these variants. CONCLUSIONS: Extremely high concentrations of hCG variants can cause falsely decreased results in certain quantitative hCG assays. Of the 9 assays examined, none exhibited falsely decreased results in the presence of hCGβ concentrations typically associated with hCGβ-producing malignancies. Two assays exhibited decreased (>50%) hCG results in the presence of hCGβcf concentrations found during normal pregnancy.
Catalytic Properties and Kinetic Mechanism of Human Recombinant Lys-9 Histone H3 Methyltransferase SUV39H1: Participation of the Chromodomain in Enzymatic Catalysis†

Histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) methylation is a major component of gene regulation and chromatin organization. SUV39H1 methylates H3K9 at the pericentric heterochromatin region and participates in the maintenance of genome stability. In this study, a recombinant purified SUV39H1 is used for substrate specificity and steady-state kinetic analysis with peptides representing the un- or dimethylated lysine 9 histone H3 tail or full-length human recombinant H3 (rH3). Recombinant SUV39H1 methylated its substrate via a nonprocessive mechanism. Binding of either peptide or AdoMet first to the enzyme made a catalytically competent binary complex. Product inhibition studies with SUV39H1 showed that S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine is a competitive inhibitor of S-adenosyl-l-methionine and a mixed inhibitor of substrate peptide. Similarly, the methylated peptide was a competitive inhibitor of the unmethylated peptide and a mixed inhibitor of AdoMet, suggesting a random mechanism in a bi-bi reaction for recombinant SUV39H1 in wh...
Automated recognition challenges for wide-area motion imagery

Automated pattern recognition has been around for several decades. Generally we have been successful at tackling a large variety of technical problems. This paper presents the challenges inherent in wide area motion imagery, which is problematic to the normal pattern recognition process and associated pattern recognition systems. This paper describes persistent wide area motion imagery, its role as a manifold for overlaying episodic sensors of various modalities to present a better view of activity to an analyst. An underlying framework, SPADE, is introduced and a layered sensing viewer, Pursuer, is also presented to demonstrate the utility of creating a unified view of the sensing world to an analyst.
Taenia saginata (Goeze 1782)

The beef tapeworm Taenia saginata is one of the longest human parasites, capable of growing to 10 m. It lives in the upper half of the small intestine.
Differential Expression of Nuclear Retinoid Receptors in Normal and Malignant Prostates

PURPOSE: To determine (1) whether nuclear retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs) are differentially expressed in normal and in cancerous human prostate tissues and (2) whether oral fenretinide therapy impacts the expression of these receptors in prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In situ hybridization with antisense riboprobes was used to probe for RAR and RXR transcripts in prostate tissues in a two-phased study: (1) expression of retinoid receptors in eight normal prostates was compared with their expression in 10 randomly picked radical prostatectomy specimens (group A); (2) expression of retinoid receptors was determined in 22 radical prostatectomy specimens from participants in a clinical study (group B). Twelve patients received oral fenretinide 200 mg/d, and 10 received placebo pills for 28 days before surgery. RESULTS: RARα, RARγ, RXRα, and RXRγ mRNAs were detected in most normal and cancerous prostates. In group A, RARβ mRNA was expressed in only four of 10 malignant p...
Philosophy of the brain

"What is the mind?" "What is the relationship between brain and mind?" These are common questions. But "What is the brain?" is a rare question in both the neurosciences and philosophy. The reason for this may lie in the brain itself: Is there a "brain problem"? In this fresh and innovative book, Georg Northoff demonstrates that there is in fact a "brain problem". He argues that our brain can only be understood when its empirical functions are directly related to the modes of acquiring knowledge, our epistemic abilities and inabilities. Drawing on the latest neuroscientific data and philosophical theories, he provides an empirical-epistemic definition of the brain. Northoff reveals the basic conceptual confusion about the relationship between mind and brain that has so obstinately been lingering in both neuroscience and philosophy. He subsequently develops an alternative framework where the integration of the brain within body and environment is central. This novel approach plunges the reader into the depths of our own brain. The "Philosophy of the Brain" that emerges opens the door to a fascinating world of new findings that explore the mind and its relationship to our very human brain. (Series A)
Resistance in Blueberries to Feeding and Oviposition by the Sharpnosed Leafhopper, Scaphytopius magdalensis Provancher (Homoptera: Cicadellidae)

Oviposition preference of female sharpnosed leafhoppers, Scaphytopius magdalensis Provancher, was evaluated in an open choice experiment using six cultivars of highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum L., and two cultivars of rabbiteye blueberry, V. ashei Rehder. Nymphs also were reared from first instar on each of the eight cultivars. Reduced growth rate and high nymphal mortality on rabbiteye foliage were significantly correlated with reduced ovipositional preference for these plants. This is the first report documenting host plant resistance to any insect by plants in the genus Vaccinium.
Scattering of electromagnetic waves by thin high contrast dielectrics: effects of the object boundary

We study the scattered field from thin high contrast dielectrics modeled by the full time-harmonic Maxwell equations while accounting for material boundaries. We derive a formulation of Lippmann-Schwinger type for a dielectric scatterer; this formulation has an additional surface term to account for the material discontinuities. The layer potential operator resulting from this surface term is shown to converge in a weak sense to an explicitly computable limit as the thickness of the domain approaches zero. By properly accounting for the boundary effects, we show two results about the thin high contrast limit: First, the normal component of the electric field’s interior trace on the lateral boundary approaches zero. Second, the perpendicular component of the electric field goes to zero inside the slab. We propose a new two-dimensional limiting equation as a first-order computational technique.
Noseleaf Morphology and Ecological Correlates in Phyllostomid Bats

Recent research has demonstrated that the noseleaves function in the echolocation system of phyllostomid bats. Species with different foraging habits would be expected to have different noseleaf morphology. Seven measurements of noseleaves of 46 species of phyllostomids were analyzed by use of multivariate techniques. Principal-components analysis separated desmodontines, brachyphyllines, glossophagines, and another group composed of the stenodermatines, carolliines, and phyllostomines. The first two principal components showed that noseleaf variables can be grouped by size of the horseshoe and size of the spear. Forearm length (a measure of body size) was correlated with general size of the noseleaf, spear size, and horseshoe size, but the correlation was strongest with the last feature, indicating that the spear is a more variable element that may depend on the ecology of the animal. A canonical discriminant analysis failed to separate stenodermatines from phyllostomines. However, it demonstrated an association between feeding habits and noseleaf morphology by creating a derived variable significantly correlated with feeding habits but not with body size among phyllostomines.
High Temperature Growth Effects on Citrus Limon Fruit Tissue as Studied in Vitro

SummaryAlbedo and juice vesicle of lemon fruits exposed to the direct rays of the summer sun showed temperatures as much as 8° C. higher or 2° C. lower than the surrounding air.In fruits damaged by excessive heat not all cells within the injured portion were lethally affected. Tissue cultures of injured parts yielded callus, although in a smaller quantity than uninjured parts.Experiments with cultures of callus established from undamaged albedo or juice vesicle showed that lemon cells were not killed by a single continuous exposure to nearly 50 hours at 45° C., 4 hours at 50° C., and 15 minutes at 55° C. The loss in growth potential following non-lethal exposures to 45° C. or 50° C. was completely restored by reculturing the callus at 30° C. Growth depressions resulting at 55° C., however, were not reversed by a similar reculturing procedure. Callus cultures were also reduced in growth, but not killed, by short daily exposures of 3 or 6 hours to a 45° C. temperature. The reduction was more severe as the n...
20th Century Economic Methodology

The systematic study of political economy begins with the recognition of two seemingly contradictory observations about commercial life. The first observation is that individuals pursue their self-interest and do so as effectively as they are capable of doing. The second observation is that commercial society exhibits a strong tendency to produce outcomes that enhance the public welfare in terms of material progress and betterment of the human condition more generally. Squaring these two observations is how the discipline was born.