cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Selective uptake and retention of anticancer agents by sensitive cells.

Considerable evidence has been accumulated to demonstrate that sensitive tumor cells in experimental animals take up and retian at least some effective anticancer drugs to a greater extent than normal tissues, thus providing a greater degree of exposure and accounting for the selective effect of the drugs. In sensitive cells, DNA synthesis is inhibited for prolonged periods, whereas in cells less sensitive the time of inhibition is shorter. In those cases examined where a metabolite, formed intracellularly, is the active form of the agent, the metabolite is produced and is retained to a greater extent than in normal tissues.
The role of attention in the perception of the Ponzo illusion

An experiment was performed to test whether the Ponzo illusion is primarily determined by attentional factors. “Attention” was manipulated by varying the similarity of the figural components, that is, the color of the horizontal test lines. Minimizing the similarity between the test lines and the enclosing contours caused a decrement in magnitude but did not eliminate the illusion. Based on the findings reported herein, it appears reasonable to assume that attention plays only a minor role in the actuation of the illusion.
Photoaffinity labeling of three renal cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate-binding proteins.

Abstract Evidence is presented for the presence of multiple cyclic AMP binding components in the plasma membrane and cytosol fractions of porcine renal cortex and medulla. N 6 -(Ethyl-2-diazomalonyl)-3′,5′-adenosine monophosphate, a photoaffinity label for cyclic AMP binding sites, exhibits non-covalent binding characteristics similar to cyclic AMP in membrane and soluble fractions. Binding data for either compound to the plasma membrane fraction yields biphasic Scatchard plots while triphasic plots are obtained with the dialyzed cytosol. When covalently labeled fractions are separated on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the cyclic AMP photoaffinity label is found on 49 000 and 130 000 dalton components in each kidney fraction. DEAE-cellulose and gel filtration chromatography of the labeled cortical cytosol fraction establishes that the three components suggested by the binding data correspond to two 49 000 dalton species and a 130 000 component. The 49 000 species have higher affinities for cyclic AMP than the 130 000 component ( K a(1) = 2.0 · 10 9 , K a(2) = 1.7 · 10 8 , K a(3) = 1.0 · 10 7 ). The 49 000 components are associated with protein kinase activity while the 130 000 component does not exhibit protein kinase, adenosine deaminase, or cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity. Immunologic results and effects of phosphorylation and cyclic GMP on cyclic AMP binding further suggest that the 49 000 components are regulatory subunits of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinases. Cyclic AMP binding to the 130 000 component is markedly inhibited by adenosine and adenine nucleotides, but not cyclic GMP. Thus, this component may reflect an aspect of adenosine control or metabolism which may or may not be a cyclic AMP-related cellular function.
Experimental study of optical properties of porcine skin dermis from 900 to 1500 nm

The weak absorption of near-IR light by skin tissue has offered an important optical window for diagnostic possibilities with optical means including optical biopsy. The strong scattering of the near-IR light by skin tissue, however, presents a great challenge to the modeling of light propagation through and the optical measurement of the tissue. We have measured transmittance and reflectance of fresh porcine skin and performed Monte Carlo simulations to inversely determine the absorption coefficient, scattering coefficient and asymmetric coefficient of tissue samples in the spectral range from 900 to 1500nm. The state of cellular integrity following optical measurements was verified using transmission electron microscopy. These results were correlated with the possible effects on the measurements of the tissue optical properties.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Advances in Fabric and Structural Analyses of Pressure Inflated Structures

Novel methods for analyzing the response of air inflated fabric structures are presented. The first method determines the global structural response of air inflated beam and arch structures. It employs a previously developed specialized finite element. The element was derived by minimizing the strain energy potential for a cylindrical membrane deforming about its pressurized state. Through the use of displacement approximations defining the motion of the beam’s cross section, analogous to classical beam theory, the energy principle is reduced to one dimension. However, the effect of the pressure is included in the formulation. Numerical results compare favorably to experimental data for air beams constructed from Vectran® . The second method is based on the micromechanics of plain-woven fabrics. It employs nonlinear kinematics to predict the load-displacement response of a biaxially loaded fabric. Based on the fabric strip model, this method includes the effects of crimp in nonlinear kinematic material behavior and estimates values of effective material properties in tension and shear.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Different Modes of Feedback and Peak Vertical Ground Reaction Force During Jump Landing: A Systematic Review

Context: Excessive ground reaction force when landing from a jump may result in lower extremity injuries. It is important to better understand how feedback can influence ground reaction force (GRF) and potentially reduce injury risk. Objective: To determine the effect of expert-provided (EP), self-analysis (SA), and combination EP and SA (combo) feedback on reducing peak vertical GRF during a jump-landing task. Data Sources: We searched the Web of Science database on July 1, 2011; using the search terms ground reaction force, landing biomechanics, and feedback elicited 731 initial hits. Study Selection: Of the 731 initial hits, our final analysis included 7 studies that incorporated 32 separate data comparisons. Data Extraction: Standardized effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated between pretest and posttest scores for each feedback condition. Data Synthesis: We found a homogeneous beneficial effect for combo feedback, indicating a reduction in GRF with no CIs crossing zero. We al...
Resolving the Reactor Neutrino Anomaly with the KATRIN Neutrino Experiment

Abstract The KArlsruhe TRItium Neutrino experiment (KATRIN) combines an ultra-luminous molecular tritium source with an integrating high-resolution spectrometer to gain sensitivity to the absolute mass scale of neutrinos. The projected sensitivity of the experiment on the electron neutrino mass is 200 meV at 90% C.L. With such unprecedented resolution, the experiment is also sensitive to physics beyond the Standard Model, particularly to the existence of additional sterile neutrinos at the eV mass scale. A recent analysis of available reactor data appears to favor the existence of such a sterile neutrino with a mass splitting of | Δ m sterile | 2 ⩾ 1.5 eV 2 and mixing strength of sin 2 2 θ sterile = 0.17 ± 0.08 at 95% C.L. Upcoming tritium beta decay experiments should be able to rule out or confirm the presence of the new phenomenon for a substantial fraction of the allowed parameter space.
Fine structure of the auditory M100 in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

Abstract Background: Several studies have demonstrated anomalous asymmetry of the 100-msec latency auditory-evoked field (M100) in schizophrenia. Recent evidence suggests this may be a compound component, however. Our study examines the localization of two M100 subcomponents in patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Methods: Magnetoencephalographic recordings of auditory-evoked fields were obtained for 14 subjects with schizophrenia, 12 with schizoaffective disorder, and 23 control subjects. Two M100 subcomponents were identified and localized in each hemisphere. Results: Both patient groups exhibited different lateralization compared with control subjects, with the second subcomponent tending to be less lateralized. Conclusions: The second subcomponent may be the major contributor to previously reported laterality differences. Future studies might benefit by separating M100 subcomponents so that specific functions could be addressed.
Application of equivalence classes to the efficient construction of cluster states

We demonstrate a method of constructing L-shape cluster states by exploiting equivalence class properties of graph states. The L-shape cluster state is a primitive which can be used to construct cluster states capable of supporting universal quantum computation. The method is device independent but is shown to be considerably more efficient than previously proposed approaches for photonic cluster construction. Two-dimensional photonic cluster states can be efficiently built via local unitaries and type-I fusion only. To allow for a complete calculation of the cost of two-dimensional photonic cluster-state construction, we also provide a recursion relation relating the length of a photonic cluster chain to the average resources required.
An Approximation for the Distribution of the Wilcoxon One-Sample Statistic

Abstract The logarithm of the average probability of the sign patterns corresponding to a given value w of the Wilcoxon statistic will in many cases vary smoothly with w. This fact, together with the available moments and probabilities for extreme values of w, permits the interpolation of the Wilcoxon distribution underalternative hypotheses. The method is used to investigate the efficiency of the Wilcoxon test for inter mediate sample sizes, the power of the test for heavy-tailed distributions, and the sensitivity of the significance levels to asymmetry.
Reply to Haouzi and Van de Louw

to the editor: We appreciate the perspective Haouzi and Van de Louw ([6][1]) bring from the trauma and pulmonary medicine fields and we acknowledge their contributions to the study of H2S ([4][2], [5][3]). We are aware that, during short exposures, rats do not exhibit the hypometabolic effect of H2S
Staurosporine Activates a 60,000 Mr Protein Kinase in Bovine Chromaffin Cells That Phosphorylates Myelin Basic Protein In Vitro

Bovine chromaffin cells contain a family of renaturable protein kinases. One of these, a 60,000 M(r) kinase (PK60) that phosphorylated myelin basic protein in vitro, was activated fourfold when cells were treated with the protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine. Because staurosporine inhibits protein kinase C, the role of this kinase in the regulation of PK60 activity was investigated. Fifty nanomolar staurosporine produced half-maximal inhibition of protein kinase C activity in chromaffin cells, whereas approximately 225 nM staurosporine was required to induce half-maximal activation of PK60. Other protein kinase C inhibitors, H-7 and K-252a, did not mimic the effect of staurosporine on PK60 activity. Chromaffin cells have three protein kinase C isoforms: alpha, epsilon, and zeta. Prolonged treatment with phorbol esters depleted the cells of protein kinase C alpha and epsilon, but not zeta. Neither activation nor depletion of protein kinase C affected the basal activity of PK60. Moreover, staurosporine activated PK60 in cells depleted of protein kinase C alpha and epsilon; thus, staurosporine appeared to activate PK60 by a mechanism that does not require these protein kinase C isoforms. Incubation of cell extracts with staurosporine in vitro did not activate PK60. Incubation of these extracts with adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate), however, caused a twofold activation of PK60. Although this suggests that PK60 activity is regulated by phosphorylation, the mechanism by which staurosporine activates PK60 is not known. Staurosporine has been reported to promote neurite outgrowth from chromaffin cells. The role of PK60 in mediating the effects of staurosporine on chromaffin cell function remains to be determined.
Elevated nuclear expression of the SMRT corepressor in breast cancer is associated with earlier tumor recurrence

Silencing mediator of retinoic acid and thyroid hormone receptor (SMRT), also known as nuclear corepressor 2 (NCOR2) is a transcriptional corepressor for multiple members of the nuclear receptor superfamily of transcription factors, including estrogen receptor-α (ERα). In the classical model of corepressor action, SMRT binds to antiestrogen-bound ERα at target promoters and represses ERα transcriptional activity and gene expression. Herein SMRT mRNA and protein expression was examined in a panel of 30 breast cancer cell lines. Expression of both parameters was found to vary considerably amongst lines and the correlation between protein and mRNA expression was very poor (R2 = 0.0775). Therefore, SMRT protein levels were examined by immunohistochemical staining of a tissue microarray of 866 patients with stage I–II breast cancer. Nuclear and cytoplasmic SMRT were scored separately according to the Allred score. The majority of tumors (67 %) were negative for cytoplasmic SMRT, which when detected was found at very low levels. In contrast, nuclear SMRT was broadly detected. There was no significant difference in time to recurrence (TTR) according to SMRT expression levels in the ERα-positive tamoxifen-treated patients (P = 0.297) but the difference was significant in the untreated patients (P = 0.01). In multivariate analysis, ERα-positive tamoxifen-untreated patients with high nuclear SMRT expression (SMRT 5-8, i.e., 2nd to 4th quartile) had a shorter TTR (HR = 1.94, 95 % CI, 1.24–3.04; P = 0.004) while there was no association with SMRT expression for ERα-positive tamoxifen-treated patients. There was no association between SMRT expression and overall survival for patients, regardless of whether they received tamoxifen. Thus while SMRT protein expression was not predictive of outcome after antiestrogen therapy, it may have value in predicting tumor recurrence in patients not receiving adjuvant tamoxifen therapy.
Timing quantum particles from the perspective of Bohmian mechanics

Abstract According to Bohm's causal alternative to conventional quantum mechanics a quantum ‘particle’ such as an electron is at all times a point-like particleandan accompanying wave that guides the particle along a well-defined continuous trajectory. This paper focuses on the Bohm trajectory approach to the determination of various characteristic times associated with the motion of the particle component of a quantum ‘particle’. An attempt is made to relate this approach to those based on conventional quantum theory with its very different concept of wave/particle duality.
Evaluation of potential role of Atp5g3 in modulating alcohol preference and obesity

Background Mitochondrial ATP synthase, subunit c, isoform 3 (Atp5g3), encodes subunit 9 of a multisubunit enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of ATP during oxidative phosphorylation. Each ATP synthase complex has multiple copies of subunit 9 in its transmembrane portion (Fo). While much is known about the molecular mechanisms and function of this complex in the mitochondrial membrane, the impact of variants in this complex and its connection to other pathways and human diseases and disorders is unknown.
Modeling antimicrobial contaminant removal in slow sand filtration

Slow sand filters are used in rural regions where source water may be subjected to antimicrobial contaminant loads from waste discharges and diffuse pollution. A numerical model (LETA) was derived to calculate aqueous antimicrobial concentrations through time and depth of a slow sand filter and estimate accumulating contaminant mass in the schmutzdecke. Input parameters include water quality variables easily quantified by water system personnel and published adsorption, partitioning, and degradation coefficients. Simulation results for the tetracycline, quinolone, and macrolide classes of antimicrobials suggested greater than 3-log removal from 1 microg/L influent concentrations within the top 40 cm of the sand column, with schmutzdecke antimicrobial concentrations comparable to other land-applied waste biosolids. A 60-day challenge experiment injecting 1 microg/L tylosin to a pilot slow sand filter showed an average 0.1mg/kg of the antimicrobial remaining in the schmutzdecke layer normally removed during filter maintenance, and this value was the same order of magnitude as the sorbed concentration predicted by the LETA model.
Brain arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acid cascades are selectively altered by drugs, diet and disease

Metabolic cascades involving arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) within brain can be independently targeted by drugs, diet and pathological conditions. Thus, AA turnover and brain expression of AA-selective cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)), but not DHA turnover or expression of DHA-selective Ca(2+)-independent iPLA(2), are reduced in rats given agents effective against bipolar disorder mania, whereas experimental excitotoxicity and neuroinflammation selectively increase brain AA metabolism. Furthermore, the brain AA and DHA cascades are altered reciprocally by dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) deprivation in rats. DHA loss from brain is slowed and iPLA(2) expression is decreased, whereas cPLA(2) and COX-2 are upregulated, as are brain concentrations of AA and its elongation product, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA). Positron emission tomography (PET) has shown that the normal human brain consumes 17.8 and 4.6 mg/day, respectively, of AA and DHA, and that brain AA consumption is increased in Alzheimer disease patients. In the future, PET could help to determine how human brain AA or DHA consumption is influenced by diet, aging or disease.
Lateral Violence: The Real Nurse Curse

Poster Presentation Objective Lateral violence (LV) or workplace bullying is a longstanding problem within the healthcare field, so much so that the Joint Commission addressed the subject in 2008. Nurses consider bullying a normal rite of passage, just how it has always been . The current practice of enabling bullying among peers, allowing incivility to go unchecked, and having no accountability needed to be addressed. Thus, an LV workgroup was developed to decrease the incidences of LV and measure its effect on nurse retention. Design Plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycles were used to isolate perceived LV behaviors and develop strategies to reduce their occurrence of or enhance the ability to manage them. Sample Registered nurses (more than 400) from the following units: labor & delivery, postpartum, nursery, neonatal intensive care, antepartum, gynecologic surgery/post anesthesia care. Methods One metric used to measure our efficacy was a monthly/quarterly anonymous survey to track the perception how often LV behaviors occurred. This survey was used after the implementation of each educational piece. The human resources department tracked LV complaints and job loss/resignation due to LV. Implementation Strategies The PDCA cycles involved educating staff, supervisors, and managers through PowerPoint presentations, posters, e-mails, tip sheets, and meetings. Administrators sent a clear message to the staff in support of this initiative; we were now a no bully zone . Recognizing and appropriately handling LV in conjunction with accountability was a top priority especially for supervisors/managers. Another cycle included a questionnaire asking charge nurses how they made patient/nurse assignments. This led to the creation of a unit-specific tip sheet that showed how assignments were made. Staff could now see the complexities involved in making assignments. Results By the end of our second PDCA cycle, we were seeing a decrease in LV on the units. The end result of this project was an impressive decrease in LV and an increase in nurse retention. Conclusion/Implications for Nursing Practice Education and accountability are paramount when tackling LV. The education must equip supervisors and managers with tools to effectively deal with bullies, witnesses, and victims of LV. This project is being reproduced in our hospital and will spread system wide. The benefits of reducing LV are far reaching and include patient safety and satisfaction, job retention, effective communication, decreased stress, healthy work environments, and better Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores.
Asset stocks and sustained competitive advantage: a comment

In their paper, Dierickx and Cool suggest that the strategic factor markets model developed in Barney Barney, J. B. 1986a. Strategic factor markets: Expectations, luck, and business strategy. Management Sci. October 1231-1241. cannot be applied in the analysis of sustained competitive advantages due to asset stocks accumulated over time. In this comment, it is shown that the discussion of asset stocks extends and complements, rather than limits, the strategic factor markets model. This is done by analyzing how the strategic factor markets model can be used to examine the cost of accumulating asset stocks over long periods of time, and how these costs will compare to the value of strategies that are implemented exploiting these asset stocks.
Effects of Host Plant on Development and Body Size of Three Haplotypes of Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Triozidae)

Potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc) (Hemiptera: Triozidae), is an economic pest of solanaceous crops in North and Central America, and in New Zealand. Four genetic haplotypes of the psyllid have been identified in North America. Three of these haplotypes (Central, Western, and Northwestern) are common on potato crops within the major potato-growing regions of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Within this growing region, a weedy perennial nightshade, Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet nightshade), has been identified to be an important overwintering host and spring or summer source of psyllids colonizing potato fields. It is unclear whether bittersweet nightshade is a highly suitable host plant for all three haplotypes known to occur in the Pacific Northwest. The objective of the present study was to examine developmental traits and adult body size of all three haplotypes of psyllids reared on potato and bittersweet nightshade. Averaged over haplotype, development times were longer for psyllids reared on nightshade than potato. Duration of the preoviposition period, egg incubation requirements, nymphal development time, and total developmental time averaged 7.4, 5.9, 23.5, and 29.5 d on nightshade and 4.9, 5.5, 22.3, and 27.9 d on potato, respectively. The largest host effects were found for the Central haplotype, which exhibited a substantially extended (by over 5 d) preoviposition period on nightshade compared with potato. Averaged over host plant, nymphal and total development times of the Northwestern haplotype were longer (25.5 and 31.1 d, respectively) than those of the Western and Central haplotypes. The Northwestern haplotype was largest in overall body size, while the Central haplotype had the smallest overall body size, irrespective of host plant. Both sexes exhibited this trend.
Fractal-Based Pattern Recognition And Its Applications To Cell Image Analysis

ABSTRACT The fractal dimension of a surface is a useful measure of the roughness of the surface. A method ofestimating fractal dimension using mathematical morphology is derived and is applied to cell imageanalysis. By utilizing the fractal dimension property, the cells can be automatically classified as labeled or unlabeled cells. 1. INTRODUCTION In cell image analysis, one kind of routine work is to sort cells into special categories (e.g. dead cellsor labeled cells). It is usually tedious work, especially when the sample sets are large. The need formore efficient analysis methods has led to computerized image analyzers. Usually, cell detection andclassification are directly based on pixel value (i.e. intensity).1 Since the image may contain scores ofdifferent cells, plus additional noise, intensity -based thresholding techniques may not be able todistinguish different kinds of cells. We need more features which describe the property of cells toclassify them. Besides morphometric information, "roughness," which is measured by fractal dimension,may provide such a feature.Mandelbrot has introduced the term fractal specifically for temporal or spatial phenomena that arecontinuous but not differentiable, and that exhibit partial correlations over many scales.2 The termfractal is defined as a set for which the Hausdorf- Besicovitch dimension exceeds the topologicaldimension, i.e. a set for which the only consistent description of its metric properties requires adimension value larger than our standard intuitive definition of the set's dimension. Here we will refer tothe Hausdorf- Besicovitch dimension as the fractal dimension. For a one dimensional fractal function,the fractal dimension D may vary between 1 (completely differentiable) and 2 (so rough and irregularthat it effectively takes up the whole of a two -dimensional topological space). For surfaces, thecorresponding range of D lies between 2 (absolutely smooth) and 3 (infinitely crumpled).Fractal dimension provides a good texture parameter for image analysis. There are several methodsdeveloped for the estimation of fractal dimension: variance method and power spectrum method.1.1 Variance MethodThe variance method is based on the stability of fractal dimension over transformations of scale and
Augmentation of the synthesis of plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 by precursors of insulin. A potential risk factor for vascular disease.

BACKGROUND Both vascular disease and elevated concentrations in plasma of plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) are prominent in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). We and others have hypothesized that the increased PAI-1 may contribute to acceleration of atherosclerosis in this condition and in other states characterized by insulin resistance as well. Surprisingly, however, elevations of PAI-1 decrease when type II diabetic patients are treated with exogenous insulin, as do circulating concentrations of the precursor of insulin, proinsulin, in plasma. Accordingly, the increased PAI-1 in patients with NIDDM may reflect effects of precursors of insulin rather than or in addition to those of insulin itself. To assess this possibility directly, this study was performed to identify potential direct effects of proinsulin and proinsulin split products on synthesis of PAI-1 in liver cells, thought to be the major source of circulating PAI-1 in vivo. METHODS AND RESULTS Hep G2 cells (highly differentiated human hepatoma cells) were exposed to human proinsulin, des(31,32)proinsulin and des(64,65)proinsulin (split products of proinsulin), or C-peptide. Accumulation of PAI-1 in conditioned media increased in a time- and concentration-dependent fashion in response to the two des-intermediates [3.3-fold with des(31,32)proinsulin and 4.5-fold with des(64,65)proinsulin]. C-peptide elicited no increase. Stimulation was transduced at least in part by the insulin receptor as shown by inhibition of stimulation by insulin receptor antibodies, mediated at the level of PAI-1 gene expression as shown by the 2.2- to 2.9-fold increases in steady-state concentrations of PAI-1 mRNA, and indicative of newly synthesized protein as shown by results in metabolic labeling experiments. CONCLUSIONS Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that precursors of insulin (proinsulin and proinsulin split products), known to be present in relatively high concentrations in plasma in patients with NIDDM and conditions characterized by insulin resistance, may directly stimulate PAI-1 synthesis, thereby attenuating fibrinolysis and accelerating atherogenesis.
Type I interferons modulate vascular function, repair, thrombosis, and plaque progression in murine models of lupus and atherosclerosis.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with a dramatic increase in atherothrombotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) not explained by the Framingham risk equation(1–3). To date, no drug has been proven effective in decreasing CV risk in SLE. Therefore, it is crucial to establish the key drivers of vascular insult and atherosclerosis progression in lupus, to identify effective therapeutic and preventive targets. While immune dysregulation may play a major role in premature CVD in SLE, the etiology of accelerated atherosclerosis in this disease remains unclear. Nevertheless, in vitro studies from our group and others indicate that type I Interferons (IFNs) could play crucial roles in CVD development in SLE. This may be due to the capacity of IFN-α, and potentially other type I IFNs, to impair vascular repair(4), enhance foam cell formation(5), and activate platelets through changes in the megakaryocyte transcriptome(6). IFN-β, another type I IFN, may promote atherosclerosis by promoting macrophage (MO) recruitment to arteries(7). IFN-α leads to an imbalance of vascular damage and repair by impairing the phenotype and function of bone marrow (BM)-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs)(4) and by inducing transcriptional repression of angiogenic factors(8). However, while a prominent role for IFN-α in lupus pathogenesis and clinical manifestations is supported by human and murine studies(9), it is unclear if type I IFNs are major inducers of vascular damage in vivo in SLE. Increased endothelial cell (EC) damage in SLE is associated with perturbations in endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation(10), an established predictor of atherosclerosis progression(11). While most mouse strains (including lupus-prone mice) are resistant to diet-induced atherosclerosis(12), endothelial dysfunction develops in various models, including lupus-prone New Zealand Black/New Zealand White F1 (NZB/W) strain(13). Therefore, impairments in endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation can be used as a surrogate marker of vascular damage in murine models. Here, we demonstrate a prominent in vivo role for type I IFNs in the development of endothelial dysfunction, aberrant vascular repair and atherothrombosis in murine models of lupus and atherosclerosis.
Biodehalogenation: Oxidative and reductive metabolism of 1,1,2‐trichloroethane by Pseudomonas Putida—Biogeneration of vinyl chloride

Resting cell suspensions of the camphor-grown soil organism Pseudomonas putida PpG-786, ATCC culture 29607, dehalogenate 1,1,2-trichloroethane by two pathways under aerobic conditions. The dominant pathway (85%) is oxidative (kox, 4 × 10−19 L/org/sec) and leads in sequence to chloroacetic acid and glyoxylic acid. A competitive reductive pathway (15%) (kred, 0.7 × 10−19 L/org/sec) occurs simultaneously and yields vinyl chloride exclusively. Glucose-grown cells are ineffective in these reactions, and carbon monoxide completely inhibits these transformations. These findings implicate cytochrome P-450 cam as the responsible enzyme in vivo. Overall rates of conversion of 1,1,2-trichloroethane by the organism and the isolated enzyme correspond to those obtained previously with ethylene dibromide. The results suggest that reductive microbial dehalogenation can occur in the environment even under aerobic conditions.
A survey of approaches to three-dimensional face recognition

The vast majority of face recognition research has focused on the use of two-dimensional intensity images, and is covered in existing survey papers. This survey focuses on face recognition using three-dimensional data, either alone or in combination with two-dimensional intensity images. Challenges involved in developing more accurate three-dimensional face recognition are identified.
Endogenous Ligands of Imidazoline Receptors: Classic and Immunoreactive Clonidine‐Displacing Substance and Agmatine

1. There are several endogenous ligands that bind to I-receptors of both the I1 and I2 subclass. These include: (a) classic CDS, a partially purified entity isolated by the criteria that it displaces binding ligands to alpha 2- and I-receptors; (b) immunoreactive (ir)-CDS, a moiety that binds to antibodies raised against clonidine, para-amino-clonidine, or idazoxan; and (c) agmatine. 2. Classic-CDS, not yet defined structurally, binds to I1, I2, and alpha 2-adrenergic receptors, is neither a peptide nor a catecholamine, and has purportedly a molecular weight of 588 Da. By ligand binding assays, it was found in brain, serum, CSF, and placenta and in a neural-glial cell line. Partially purified classic CDS is bioactive. Like clonidine, it contracts aorta and vas deferens and inhibits platelet aggregation, effects largely attributable to agonism at alpha 2-adrenergic receptors. Unlike clonidine, it contracts rat gastric fundus and releases catecholamines from chromaffin cells, effects attributable to actions at I-receptors. Injected into the RVL, classic CDS alters arterial pressure, but the direction of change of pressure has differed between groups of investigators. However, in the absence of structure, it is possible that ligand binding and bioactivity may be attributable to different molecules. 3. Ir-CDS, also of unknown structure, is a material(s) that binds to antibodies raised against clonidine, PAC, or idazoxan. Ir-CDS, measured by radioimmunoassay, is unevenly distributed in brain with highest concentrations in the hypothalamus, midbrain, and dorsal medulla. It is contained in the gastric fundus, adrenal gland, heart, kidney, and serum in amounts substantially higher than found in brain. Ir-CDS may be elevated in the serum of some patients with hypertension and in the CSF of patients with structural brain disease. The concentration of ir-CDS and bioactivity on gastric fundus directly correlates, suggesting that it may share similarities with classic-CDS. However, until the structure of classic and ir-CDS is determined, the possibility that ligand binding and antibody recognition are properties of different molecules must be considered. 4. Agmatine (decarboxylated arginine) is the only endogenous molecule that, like CDS, binds to alpha 2- and I-receptors of both classes. It and its biosynthetic enzyme arginine decarboxylase are present in brain, and agmatine is widely distributed throughout the body. However, the distribution of agmatine and ir-CDS differs, whereas the biological actions of agmatine do not mimic those of classic CDS. Its presence raises the possibility of an alternative pathway for polyamine biosynthesis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Analysis of volatiles evolved during high-temperature treatment of thermally stable polymers. II. Polybutadiyne

Polybutadiyne samples were heated at 20°C/min up to 1200°C in a pyroprobe attached to a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS). Analysis of the volatiles evolved during heating identified carbon dioxide (adsorbed on polymer surface), methane, ethylene, benzene, toluene, and traces of higher aromatics. Correlations have been made between sample temperature and evolution (onset, maximum, and end temperatures) of each of the five listed volatiles. Average polybutadiyne weight loss at 1200°C was 14 ± 2%. Two cure studies were performed in the pyroprobe, and it was shown that both weight loss and volatile evolution were affected. The results were consistent with a higher degree of polymer cross-linking as cure time and temperature increased. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
TU‐D‐204C‐02: Machine Learning in Real‐time Tumor Localization

Real‐time tumor localization is an essential step to achieve conformai lungcancerradiotherapy. In practice, tumors may be localized either directly (e.g., in fluoroscopy) or indirectly by some type of surrogate. Direct localization with implanted markers poses the risk of pneumothorax to lungcancer patients, while indirect localization is limited by its accuracy. Direct localization in fluoroscopy without implanted markers achieves a reasonable tradeoff between accuracy and risk to the patients. However, due to the poor soft tissuecontrast and superposition of different anatomical structures, it is generally very difficult to localize the tumor in fluoroscopy with conventional methods in computer vision and image processing. Recently, machine learning has gained great popularity in many aspects of radiation therapy. In this lecture, we will demonstrate the applications of various machine learning techniques in the context of real‐time tumor localization in lungcancerradiotherapy. These cover a wide range of well established machine learning techniques, including principal component analysis (PCA), artificial neural networks, and support vector regression, etc.. We will distinguish between two different paradigms when applying these techniques: one in a two‐dimensional (2D) framework and the other in a three‐dimensional (3D) framework. In the 2D framework, a (supervised) regression model is built between a parametric representation of the fluoroscopic images. and the tumor locations of the fluoroscopicimag fluoroscopic images. Because the representation of the fluoroscopic images is implicit in the 2D framework, it is difficult to account for deformational and large translational changes in the tumor. In the 3D framework, by incorporating the prior information in 4DCT or 4DCBCT, a PCA model is constructed to explicitly represent the entire lung motion in a realistic and efficient way. This model allows one to use a single x‐ray projection image to not only derive the 3D tumor location, but also reconstruct the corresponding volumetric image of the patient. With the aid of graphics processing units, this computationally intensive task can be achieved within half a second given one projection. This lecture provides an overview of the different machine learning techniques used in real‐time tumor localization. A detailed description of these machine learning techniques is also presented. Finally, extensions to the current framework as well as some future directions are discussed. Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the benefits and challenges of real‐time tumor localization without implanted markers. 2. Understand the principles of different types of machine learning techniques for real‐time tumor localization. 3. Understand how machine learning techniques are used to achieve accurate real‐time tumor localization. Conflict of Interest: This work is partially supported by Varian Master Research Agreement.
Conductivity perpendicular to the plane of multilayered structures

Due to the inhomogeneous nature of multilayered structures, the measured conductivities for currents parallel and perpendicular to the layers are different, even if the local conductivity is isotropic. The perpendicular conductivity is derived and compared to the parallel conductivity which has been calculated previously. When our formalism is applied to Fe/Cr superlattices, interesting features of the magnetoresistance are found that can be verified by experiments.
Succinate potentiates the action of platelet agonists.

Abstract Succinate potentiated the actions of ADP, epinephrine, and the endoperoxide analog U46619 on platelets in plasma. Potentiation was observed at concentrations as low as 400μM. Potentiation occurred immediately and did not change during incubations as long as five min. It was also observed with maleate and malonate but not with fumarate, oxalate, glutarate or succinate analogs with one or both carboxyls blocked. Succinate was able to reverse the inhibition of platelet activation due to elevated cAMP, and succinate and maleate were comparable to ADP in their ability to inhibit PGI 2 -induced synthesis of cAMP.
Toxicological aspects of cyclohexanone.

Abstract A toxicity evaluation of cyclohexanone was conducted using oral, intraperitoneal, dermal, intradermal, ophthalmic, and/or inhalation exposure to various species of animals. Cyclohexanone induced diverse reactions by virtue of a general vascular or tissue reaction and CNS depression. The ip LD50 for mice, rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits ranged from 0.93 to 1.54 g/kg, with guinea pigs being most sensitive. Intragastrically, the LD50 values were about 1.8 and 2.1 g/kg for rats and mice, respectively, with no significant differences between sexes. Inhalation exposure of mice to cyclohexanone (∼ 19 mg/liter) resulted in a mean time to death (LT50) of 99.9 min. Histological examination of lungs revealed acute congestion and edema with focal to diffuse hemorrhage of the lung parenchyma. Cyclohexanone behaved as a primary irritant intradermally, dermally, and ophthalmically. It was cytotoxic to mouse fibroblast cells in culture and produced a negative inotropic effect upon the isolated perfused rabbit heart. Three-day pretreatment with cyclohexanone did not significantly alter pentobarbital sleeping time of mice. Repeated ip administration exhibited a cumulative toxic effect in mice.
Demonstration of probabilistic ordinal optimization concepts for continuous-variable optimization under uncertainty

A very general and robust approach to solving optimization problems involving probabilistic uncertainty is through the use of Probabilistic Ordinal Optimization. At each step in the optimization problem, improvement is based only on a relative ranking of the probabilistic merits of local design alternatives, rather than on precise quantification of the alternatives. Thus, we simply ask the question: “Is that alternative better or worse than this one?” to some level of statistical confidence we require, not: “HOW MUCH better or worse is that alternative to this one?”. In this paper we illustrate an elementary application of probabilistic ordinal concepts in a 2-D optimization problem. Two uncertain variables contribute to uncertainty in the response function. We use a simple Coordinate Pattern Search non-gradient-based optimizer to step toward the statistical optimum in the design space. We also discuss more sophisticated implementations, and some of the advantages and disadvantages versus other approaches to optimization under uncertainty.
Servilla: A flexible service provisioning middleware for heterogeneous sensor networks

Device heterogeneity in wireless sensor networks is rendering such networks increasingly difficult to program. To address this problem, we present Servilla, a novel middleware that enables applications to be both platform-independent and efficient despite executing over a diverse and dynamic set of devices. It achieves this by using service-oriented computing and requiring all platform-specific functionality be encapsulated behind services, which are dynamically discovered by applications. Novel forms of service bindings and invocation semantics enable flexible yet energy-efficient in-network collaboration among heterogeneous devices. To support a wide range of devices, Servilla introduces the concept of middleware asymmetry, enabling resource-constrained devices to only provide services that can be leveraged by more powerful devices running applications. Servilla has been implemented and evaluated on two disparate hardware platforms, the Imote2 and TelosB. Microbenchmarks demonstrate Servilla's feasibility while a structural health monitoring application case study demonstrates its efficacy.
The impact of legislator attributes on union PAC campaign contributions

Unions are shown to have a sophisticated understanding of the political process, and to allocate their political resources based on this understanding. Two different tests of this hypothesis are presented. First, using a chi-square test, we show union contributions go disproportionately to members of committees with legislative and regulatory jurisdiction over their activities. Second, using logistic regression analysis, we demonstrate that this result is robust with respect to the inclusion of other institutional variables such as seniority, voting record, party, and electoral competitiveness.
Amino acid preferences for specific locations at the ends of alpha helices

A definition based on alpha-carbon positions and a sample of 215 alpha helices from 45 different globular protein structures were used to tabulate amino acid preferences for 16 individual positions relative to the helix ends. The interface residue, which is half in and half out of the helix, is called the N-cap or C-cap, whichever is appropriate. The results confirm earlier observations, such as asymmetrical charge distributions in the first and last helical turn, but several new, sharp preferences are found as well. The most striking of these are a 3.5:1 preference for Asn at the N-cap position, and a preference of 2.6:1 for Pro at N-cap + 1. The C-cap position is overwhelmingly dominated by Gly, which ends 34 percent of the helices. Hydrophobic residues peak at positions N-cap + 4 and C-cap - 4.
The contractile vacuole of paramecium multimicronucleata

Each contractile vacuole system of Paramecium multimicronucleata is made up of a number of components, some temporary and others permanent. The contracting vacuole with its membrane is a temporary structure as are the vesicles which fuse to form it. The vacuole discharges its contents to the exterior leaving a vestige closing the pore. The pore, with its discharging tubule and the feeding canals are permanent cell organelles. The feeding canals end in injection tubules which extend up to the pore. The vesicles, which later fuse to form the vacuole, are formed at the proximal end of the injection canals, leaving a membrane closing the canal, much as a food vacuole is formed at the gullet. The canal-fed contractile vacuole of Paramecium is very similar to the vesicle-fed vacuole of Euplotes both as to its origin and its fate. The Nassonov homology is rejected.
IMPROVING THE ACCURACY OF SEMICLASSICAL WAVEPACKET PROPAGATION USING INTEGRAL CONDITIONING TECHNIQUES

Abstract An initial value representation semiclassical wavepacket propagation procedure is tested numerically for the two dimensional Henon-Heiles system. It has been shown in previous calculations on this system that the accuracy of semiclassical wavepacket propagation significantly degrades with time, due to the presence of chaotic trajectories. We find that the accuracy of the semiclassical propagation is greatly improved by the use of the integral conditioning technique of Filinov for preaveraging the phase space integral over frozen Gaussians in the semiclassical method.
Applications of medical information: Using an enhanced likelihood measured approach based on intuitionistic fuzzy sets

Similarity measure is a key role in the analysis and research of medical diagnosis, pattern recognition, machine learning and clustering analysis in uncertainty environment. In this paper, we take a simple and intelligent approach, called intuitionistic fuzzy likelihood-based Measurement (IFLM), towards the medical diagnosis and bacteria classification problems. The proposed approach considers the information carried by the membership degree and the non-membership degree of intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs) to examine its capability in encountering uncertainty in the medical pattern recognition. The observation from the results shows the usefulness of the proposed IFLM approach, it can provide the preliminary diagnosis for the doctors.
DDE in eggs and embryos of brown pelicans.

HAZELTINE1 claims to have demonstrated that DDE residues are metabolized by developing embryos of brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis). This conflicts with experimental work2 on Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix), in which incubation did not seem to affect total residue levels in eggs, except for some conversion of p, p′-DDT to p, p′-DDE.