cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CD25(+) Bcl6(low) T follicular helper cells provide help to maturing B cells in germinal centers of human tonsil

The majority of CXCR5+PD1+CD4+ T follicular helper (Tfh) cells (>90%) are CD25−Bcl6hi, while a small subpopulation (<10%) are CD25+Bcl6low but do not express FoxP3 and are not T regulatory cells. We purified T:B-cell conjugates from tonsils and found they were enriched for the CD25+Bcl6low Tfh-cell subpopulation. In response to IL-2, these CD25+ Tfh cells increased expression of costimulatory molecules ICOS or OX40, upregulated transcription factor cMaf, produced cytokines IL-21, IL-17, and IL-10, and raised the levels of antiapoptotic protein Bcl2. Conjugates formed with CD25+BCl6low Tfh cells included B cells expressing higher levels of activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), memory marker CD45RO, surface IgG or IgA, and MHC class II compared to B-cell conjugates including CD25−Bcl6hi Tfh cells. While IL-2 suppresses early Tfh-cell differentiation, Tfh-cell recognition of antigen-presenting B cells and signaling through the T-cell receptor likely triggers expression of the high-affinity IL-2 receptor and responses to IL-2 including downregulation of Bcl6. CD25 expression on Tfh cells and local production of IL-2 in tonsil or lymph node may support B helper T-cell function during later stages of B-cell maturation and the development of immune memory.
Quantization error analysis of second order bandpass Delta-Sigma modulator with sinusoidal inputs

The exact analysis of second order bandpass Delta-Sigma modulator with sinusoidal inputs is performed. The results indicate that quantization error is neither uniformly distributed nor white. The quantization error spectrum is purely discrete and symmetric with one forth of sampling frequency, and the locations of these discrete frequency components are strongly dependent on input amplitudes. Similar results are also observed for passband communication signals, such as quadrature amplitude modulation. From the analysis, crosscorrelation between quantization error and sinusoidal input was shown to exist but can be cancelled out by proper design of the noise shaping function. Crosscorrelation can degrade the performance of the delta-sigma system. Hence, the exact analysis is another method to enable design for high performance.
Continuous Coordination Tools and their Evaluation

This chapter discusses a set of co-ordination tools (the Continuous Co-ordination (CC) tool suite that includes Ariadne, Workspace Activity Viewer (WAV), Lighthouse, Palantir, and YANCEES) and details of our evaluation framework for these tools. Specifically, we discuss how we assessed the usefulness and the usability of these tools within the context of a predefined evaluation framework called DESMET . For example, for visualization tools we evaluated the suitability of the level of abstraction and the mode of displaying information of each tool. Whereas for an infrastructure tool we evaluate the effort required to implement co-ordination tools based on the given tool. We conclude with pointers on factors to consider when evaluating co-ordination tools in general.
Surface control of interstitial behavior for improved ultrashallow junction formation

There is increasing evidence that surface proximity effects must be incorporated into models for transient enhanced diffusion (TED). The present work examines the previously unrecognized influence that near-surface band bending can have on dopant profiles. Experiments employ the optical technique of photoreflectance to show that band bending exists at the Si-SiO/sub 2/ interface just after implantation. The effects of such band bending are investigated numerically using a simulator whose rate parameters have been developed from literature data using Maximum Likelihood (ML) estimation together with multivariate statistics to quantify accuracy. The resulting simulator yields excellent fits of SIMS profiles with no freely adjustable parameters, and shows that band bending transforms interfaces into reflectors of charged interstitials (i.e., no flux), even if the interface would otherwise serve as a good sink for these defects. This transformation deepens the junction significantly and also induces the pileup of dopant very close to the interface.
Alismatales (Water Plantains)

The Alismatales comprise an angiosperm order commonly known as ‘water plantain’. All members are aquatic or wetland plants with vegetation totally submersed and flowers floating or emergent, or with floating leaves and floating or emergent flowers, or with emergent vegetation and flowers. Most species have a totally submerged juvenile phase, and some species, for example Baldellia ranunculoides, Luronium natans, Ottelia ovalifolia, Ottelia alismoides, and Blyxa alternifolia, develop submerged cleistogamous flowers. Keywords: aquatic plants; freshwater vegetation; marine vascular plants; water plaintains
Recognition of pathogens by plants.

Biotic interactions. Curr Opin Plant Biol 1999, 2:255–338. Galan JE, Collmer A: Type III secretion machines: bacterial devices for protein delivery into host cells. Science 1999, 284:1322–1328.Jones DA, Jones JDG: The role of leucine-rich repeat proteins in plant defences. Adv Bot Res 1997, 24:89–167.Kobe B, Deisenhofer J: Mechanism of ribonuclease inhibition by ribonuclease inhibitor protein based on the crystal structure of its complex with ribonuclease A. J Mol Biol 1996, 264:1028–1043.Kajava AV: Structural diversity of leucine-rich repeat proteins. J Mol Biol 1998, 277:519–527.Michelmore RW, Meyers BC: Clusters of resistance genes in plants evolve by divergent selection and a birth-and-death process. Genome Res 1998, 8:1113–1130.
A Method to Predict Weekly Strawberry Fruit Yields from Extended Season Production Systems

In major strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) production areas, fruit are harvested continuously for 4 to 6 mo. During the season, weekly yields vary. To improve weekly forecasts, a yield prediction equation was developed for 'Strawberry Festival' using input variables derived from flower counts and temperature data over two seasons in Florida. Weekly yields are dependent on the number, size, and quality of ripe fruit. Variation in the mean fruit number per plant for a 1-wk interval was explained by the equation 1.502 × adjFC + 0.375 × adjFC × (T FDP - T FDP_Harvest week ) with good accuracy (r 2 cent = 0.93), where adjFC = the mean number of flowers per plant counted during a prior 1-wk interval determined from temperature data and (T FDP - T FDP_Harvest week ) is a measure of the temperature trend during the harvest week. The size of fruit and percentage of fruit culled due to poor quality could be predicted from flower count trends, but correlations between actual and predicted values were low (r 2 adj = 0.48 for fruit weight and r 2 adj = 0.18 for fruit culled due to size and shape). No input variables were identified to predict disease or damage. The final yield equation, mean yield (g plant -1 ) = 19.624 x adjFC + 5.343 x adjFC x (T FDP - T FDP_Harvest week)' included only the input variables used to predict fruit number. The coefficient of determination (r 2 cent ) for a regression of actual yields on yields estimated using this equation was 0.89. Based on historic temperatures, an expected value for (T FDP - T FDP_Harvest week) and flower counts from an expected flowering interval were also determined for 1-wk harvests. The coefficient of determination was 0.84 for yield estimates based on these values.
Innominate artery trauma: A thirty-year experience

Abstract Purpose: Injury to the innominate artery may represent a zone I cervical, thoracic outlet, or intrathoracic vascular injury and poses diagnostic, exposure, and management problems for the general, vascular, and thoracic surgeon. This complex injury often becomes a new learning experience with each infrequent encounter. Methods: Between 1960 and 1992 43 patients with innominate artery injuries were treated. Penetrating injuries were from gunshot wounds in 25, stab wounds in 7, and shotgun wounds in 2 patients. Blunt injuries accounted for seven of the patients. In 28 patients there were multiple injuries, including multiple vascular injuries. Median sternotomy was used in all planned operations in the later part of the study, and bilateral transsternal anterolateral thoracotomy was used in patients undergoing urgent or emergency center thoracotomy. Results: Blunt injury resulted in tears near the aortic arch with intimal disruption. Bypass grafting without hypothermia, shunts, or systemic heparinization is now used in all patients. Thirty-two patients survived to leave the hospital with no new complications related to the procedure. Postoperative neurologic complications were associated with preexisting neurologic deficits. Conclusions: Patients with innominate artery injury and stable vital signs can usually be transported without difficulty and treated without complex perioperative adjuncts. These patients can undergo revascularization with simple vascular surgical techniques and should expect an uncomplicated postoperative course unless there has been associated central nervous system injury or related injuries leading to systemic infection. Synthetic conduits have been used with success and have not required systemic heparinization or complex temporary shunting. (J VASC SURG 1993;17:134-40.)
Effects of ecdysones on diapause in the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis

Abstract Ecdysone and 20-hydroxyecdysone were shown to induce apolysis in diapausing European corn borers when the hormone was injected into the haemocoel in very high dosages. The sensitivity to ecdysones could be increased by treating the insects with ammonium acetate or by partial dehydration followed by hydration at the time of hormone treatment. Ecdysone was effective for only a few hours after injection. No evidence was obtained to suggest that experimentally administered ecdysone accelerated normal development leading to pupation. The apolytic response appeared to be pathological, in that only moribund larval-pupal mosaics were obtained. In most, larval characteristics predominated, and none of the responding insects were able to complete the moult.
Large neutrino mixing and normal mass hierarchy: A discrete understanding

We discuss the possibility of flavor symmetries to explain the pattern of charged lepton and neutrino masses and mixing angles. We emphasize what are the obstacles for the generation of an almost maximal atmospheric mixing and what are the minimal ingredients to obtain it. A model based on the discrete symmetry S{sub 3} is constructed, which leads to the dominant {mu}{tau}-block in the neutrino mass matrix, thus predicting normal hierarchy. This symmetry makes it possible to reproduce current data and predicts 0.01 < or approx. {theta}{sub 13} < or approx. 0.03 and strongly suppressed neutrinoless 2{beta}-decay. Moreover, it implies a relation between lepton and quark mixing angles: {theta}{sub 23}{sup q}{approx_equal}2({pi}/4-{theta}{sub 23}). The Cabibbo mixing can also be reproduced and {theta}{sub 13}{sup q}{approx}{theta}{sub 12}{sup q}{theta}{sub 23}{sup q}. S{sub 3} is thus a candidate to describe all the basic features of standard model fermion masses and mixing.
Evaluating Tooth Color Change from Carbamide Peroxide Gel

A double-blind experiment assessed the efficacy, longevity and safety of a tooth whitener in young adults. Significant color changes occurred after active treatment but were substantially reversed after one week. No permanent changes were found in either pulpal or gingival health.
Parallel algorithms for indefinite linear systems

Saddle-point problems give rise to indefinite linear systems that are challenging to solve via iterative methods. This paper surveys two recent techniques for solving such problems arising in computational fluid dynamics. The systems are indefinite due to linear constraints imposed on the fluid velocity. The first approach, known as the multilevel algorithm, employs a hierarchical technique to compute the constrained linear space for the unknowns, followed by the iterative solution of a positive definite reduced problem. The second approach exploits the banded structure of sparse matrices to obtain a different reduced system which is determined by the unknowns common to adjacent block rows. Although the reduced system in this approach may still be indefinite, the algorithm converges to the solution at an accelerated rate. These methods have two desirable characteristics, namely, robust numerical convergence and efficient parallelizability. The paper presents the performance of these methods for incompressible particulate flow problems on a shared-memory parallel architecture.
Increased kidney glucose utilization induced by cyclosporine: lack of relation to magnesium excretion.

Abstract Cyclosporine enhances d -[5-3H]glucose utilization in homogenates of rat kidney medulla but not kidney cortex or liver. This is true whether cyclosporine is added to fresh tissue homogenates or is given to rats prior to sacrifice. Through the use of isolated perfused rat kidneys, an attempt was made to relate increased glucose utilization by cyclosporine to a possible consequence of cyclosporine nephrotoxicity, viz., loss of magnesium in urine. Although an enhanced rate of glucose utilization by cyclosporine was evident in isolated kidneys, glucose consumption was not related to urinary magnesium loss. In fact, kidneys from cyclosporine-treated rats actually showed a normal or even diminished urinary magnesium loss. The data suggest that cyclosporine-induced magnesium imbalance may be extrarenal in origin and that the kidney medulla may be a primary site of the nephrotoxic action of cyclosporine since the drug increases glucose utilization at this site.
A Method to Study Fatigue Life of Ultrasonically Welded Lithium-Ion Battery Tab Joints Using Electrical Resistance

The fatigue life of ultrasonically welded lithium-ion battery tab joints is studied for electric and hybrid-electric vehicle applications. Similar to metallic materials, the electrical resistance of these ultrasonic welds strongly depends on their quality and the crack growth under fatigue loading. A fatigue life model is developed using the continuum damage mechanics formulation, where the damage variable is defined using the electrical resistance of ultrasonic welds. Fatigue tests under various loading conditions are conducted with aluminum-copper battery tab joints made under various ultrasonic welding conditions. It is shown that the electrical resistance of ultrasonic welds increases characteristically during the fatigue life test. There is a threshold for the damage variable, after which the ultrasound welds fail rapidly. Due to welding process variation, welds made under the same process settings may have different fatigue performance. This quality difference may be classified using two parameters estimated from the fatigue life model. By monitoring the electrical resistance, it is possible to predict the remaining life of ultrasonically welded battery tab joints using only a portion of the fatigue test data. The prediction is more reliable by incorporating data beyond the half-life of the joints during the fatigue test.Copyright © 2014 by ASME and General Motors
Comparing the results of an analytical model of the no-vent fill process with no-vent fill test results for a 4.96 cu m (175 cu ft) tank

The NASA Lewis Research Center (NASA/LeRC) have been investigating a no-vent fill method for refilling cryogenic storage tanks in low gravity. Analytical modeling based on analyzing the heat transfer of a droplet has successfully represented the process in 0.034 m and 0.142 cubic m commercial dewars using liquid nitrogen and hydrogen. Recently a large tank (4.96 cubic m) was tested with hydrogen. This lightweight tank is representative of spacecraft construction. This paper presents efforts to model the large tank test data. The droplet heat transfer model is found to over predict the tank pressure level when compared to the large tank data. A new model based on equilibrium thermodynamics has been formulated. This new model is compared to the published large scale tank's test results as well as some additional test runs with the same equipment. The results are shown to match the test results within the measurement uncertainty of the test data except for the initial transient wall cooldown where it is conservative (i.e., overpredicts the initial pressure spike found in this time frame).
Going Nuclear? Family Structure and Young Women’s Health in India, 1992–2006

Scholars traditionally argued that industrialization, urbanization, and educational expansion lead to a decline in extended families and complementary rise in nuclear families. Some have suggested that such transitions are good for young married women because living in nuclear families benefits their health. However, extended families may also present advantages for young women’s health that outweigh any disadvantages. Using the Indian National Family Health Survey, this article examines whether young married women living in nuclear families have better health than those in patrilocal extended families. It also examines whether young married women’s living arrangements are changing over time and, if so, how such changes will affect their health. Results show that young married women living in nuclear families do not have better health than those in patrilocal extended families. Of eight health outcomes examined, only five differ significantly by family structure. Further, of the five outcomes that differ, four are patrilocal extended-family advantages and only one is a nuclear-family advantage. From 1992 to 2006, the percentage of young married women residing in nuclear families increased, although the majority remained in patrilocal extended families. This trend toward nuclear families will not benefit young women’s health.
Use of aortic valve homografts for aortic valve replacement.

One hundred sixty-nine patients underwent replacement of the aortic valve with an aortic valve homograft; of these patients 17 had concomitant commissurotomy or annuloplasty for an associated mitral valve lesion. Homografts were prepared by sterilization with beta-propiolactone solution and stored in Hanks' solution, or were prepared by sterilization with irradiation and stored at -70 C. Operative mortality was 5.3%. Thirty (19%) of the 160 surviving patients had an aortic diastolic murmur at the time of hospital dismissal, and five of these patients had hemodynamically significant homograft incompetence. For 156 patients, follow-up was longer than 6 months; among the 147 patients who survived operation, there were 12 late deaths. Eighty-four per cent (132) of these 156 patients were alive and well 6 to 54 months after operation. Six patients have required reoperation for valve incompetence. An aortic diastolic murmur was present in 43% of patients. Five patients had significant valve incompetence; four of these patients are markedly improved over their preoperative status. Thromboembolism has been a rare complication despite the fact that anticoagulant therapy was not used. Late calcification of the homograft valve has been noted in only one patient.
Investigating flexibility and information technology as key elements for competitive advantage

"Time" has been appointed as a new source of Competitive Advantage (CA) and following this trend flexibility, that is deeply related to quick responses for changes in the environment, becomes a key element for CA Using survey data collected from 212 manufacturing companies in US, we investigate the importance of flexibility and Information Technology (IT) as major elements in achieving CA. We identify CA from performance measures related to market growth, market share and profitability. Flexibility is evaluated using manufacturing and product development perspectives, emphasizing changes in these two business functions. The study also looks at the relationship between the integration of Information Systems (IS) and introduction of Information Technology (IT), and key variables for CA The results support the hypothesis that flexibility is related to the measures of CA and show that IS/IT is primarily related to the service dimension
Mixed-Mode Sorption of Hydroxylated Atrazine Degradation Products to Soil: A Mechanism for Bound Residue

This study tested the hypothesis that sorption of hydroxylated atrazine degradation products (HADPs: hydroxyatrazine, HA; deethylhydroxyatrazine, DEHA; and deisopropylhydroxyatrazine, DIHA) to soils occurs by mixed-mode binding resulting from two simultaneous mechanisms: (1) cation exchange and (2) hydrophobic interaction. The objective was to use liquid chromatography and soil extraction experi ments to show that mixed-mode binding is the mechanism controlling HADP sorption to soils and is also a mechanism for bound residue. Overall, HADP binding to solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbents occurred in the order: cation exchange ≫ octadecyl (C18) ≫ cyanopropyl. Binding to cation exchange SPE and to a high-performance liquid chromatography octyl (C8) column showed evidence for mixed-mode binding. Comparison of soil extracted by 0.5 M KH2PO4, pH 7.5, or 25% aqueous CH3CN showed that, for HA and DIHA, cation exchange was a more important binding mechanism to soils than hydrophobic interaction. Based on diffe...
A “Coca-Cola” Shape: Cultural Change, Body Image, and Eating Disorders in San Andrés, Belize

Eating disorders have been associated with developing nations undergoing rapid social transition, including participation in a global market economy and heavy media exposure. San Andres, Belize, a community with many risk factors associated with the cross-cultural development of eating disorders, has shown remarkable resistance to previously documented patterns, despite a local focus on female beauty. Drawing on longitudinal person-centered ethnography with adolescent girls, this article examines why this community appears exceptional in light of the literature. First, community beauty and body image ideals and practices are explicated. Then, a protective ethnopsychology is proposed as a key mediating factor of the rapid socio-cultural change among young women. Finally, possible nascent cases of eating disordered behavior are discussed in light of their unique phenomenology: that is, having to do more with economic opportunity in the tourism industry and less with personal distress or desire for thinness. Close, meaning-centered examination of eating and body image practices may aid understanding and prevention of eating disorders among adolescents undergoing rapid social change in situations of globalization and immigration.
Demonstration of soft x-ray amplification in nickel-like ions.

We report the first observation of amplification of spontaneous emission at soft x-ray wavelengths by ions in the nickel-like sequence. The ions are created by high-intensity laser irradiation of a thin foil. Gains of order 1 cm/sup -1/ are observed on J = 0-1, 4d-4p transitions in Eu/sup 35+/ at 65.83 and 71.00 A. There is some evidence for amplification on the analogous lines at 50.26 and 56.09 A in Yb/sup 42+/. The pumping mechanism is believed to be electron collisional excitation from the ground state. The scheme should be readily scalable to produce amplification in W/sup 46+/ at 43.15 A.
VEGF mRNA and protein concentrations in the developing human eye

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a well-characterized regulator of angiogenesis, has been mechanistically implicated in retinal neovascularization and in the pathogenesis of retinopathy of prematurity. However, the ontogeny of VEGF expression in the human fetal retina is not well known. Because retinal vasculature grows with gestational maturation, we hypothesized that VEGF expression also increases in the midgestation human fetal eye as a function of gestational age. To identify changes in VEGF gene expression during normal human development, we measured VEGF mRNA by quantitative PCR and measured VEGF protein by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and western blots in 10–24 wk gestation fetal vitreous, retina, and serum. VEGF mRNA expression in the retina increased with gestational age. VEGF isoform A, particularly its VEGF121 splice variant, contributed to this positive correlation. Consistent with these findings, we detected increasing VEGF121 protein concentrations in vitreous humor from fetuses of 10–24 wk gestation, while VEGF concentrations decreased in fetal serum. VEGF121 mRNA and protein concentrations increase with increasing gestational age in the developing human retina. We speculate that VEGF plays an important role in normal retinal vascular development, and that preterm delivery affects production of this vascular growth factor.
Separation of Membranes from Acid-Solubilized Fish Muscle Proteins with the Aid of Calcium Ions and Organic Acids

Calcium chloride, and to a lesser extent MgCl2, aided in the separation of membranes by centrifugation from cod (Gadus morhua) muscle homogenates solubilized at pH 3 in the presence of citric acid or malic acid but not lactic acid. Adding citric acid and Ca2+ before solubilizing the cod muscle homogenates was needed for the effect. At 1 mM citric acid, 70−80% of the phospholipid and 25−30% of the protein were removed at 10 mM Ca2+. At 8 mM Ca2+, citric acid showed an optimal effect on phospholipid removal at 5 mM with 90% of the phospholipid and 35% of the protein removed. The treatment with citric acid and Ca2+ was also effective in separating the membrane from solubilized herring (Clupea harengus) muscle homogenate. Ca2+ and citric acid might exert their influence by disconnecting linkages between membranes and cytoskeletal proteins. Keywords: Acid-solubilized muscle proteins; membranes; phospholipid; Ca2+; citric acid
Spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking by achiral molecules in a Langmuir-Blodgett film

THE spontaneous breaking of symmetry is responsible for many physical phenomena, including the mass differences of elementary particles and phase transitions in condensed-matter systems. The breaking of mirror symmetry leads to chirality. In general, chiral effects in condensed-matter systems, such as optical activity, are associated with chiral molecular structures. But several recent observations1–3 of domain formation in thin organic films of achiral molecules have suggested that spontaneous separation into regions of differing chirality may occur in these systems. Eckhardt et al.4, meanwhile, have reported the spontaneous resolution of chiral molecules in Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films. Here we present images of LB films of calcium arachidate obtained with the atomic force microscope5, which suggest that these achiral molecules can separate spontaneously into lattices with chiral packing of opposite handedness. We suggest that this symmetry breaking is driven by the interplay between the packing constraints imposed by the alkane tails and the molecular-area requirements set by the calcium ions6–13.
CB3: An Adaptive Error Function for Backpropagation Training

Effective backpropagation training of multi-layer perceptrons depends on the incorporation of an appropriate error or objective function. Classification-Based (CB) error functions are heuristic approaches that attempt to guide the network directly to correct pattern classification rather than using common error minimization heuristics, such as Sum-Squared Error (SSE) and Cross-Entropy (CE), which do not explicitly minimize classification error. This work presents CB3, a novel CB approach that learns the error function to be used while training. This is accomplished by learning pattern confidence margins during training, which are used to dynamically set output target values for each training pattern. On 11 applications, CB3 significantly outperforms previous CB error functions, and also reduces average test error over conventional error metrics using 0---1 targets without weight decay by 1.8%, and by 1.3% over metrics with weight decay. The CB3 also exhibits lower model variance and tighter mean confidence interval.
Groundnut Rust in the United States and the Caribbean

Abstract Groundnut rust, caused by Puccinia arachidis Speg., is endemic in the West Indies and has occurred with increasing frequency in the United States in recent years. Since 1970 this highly destructive fungus has become established throughout Asia and Oceania, in Australia, and in much of Africa. Rust, together with the leaf spots, greatly restricts production of groundnuts in the Caribbean and in Central America. However, it has not been a major cause of crop losses in the USA except in South Texas during 1971. The fungus does not overwinter in the USA but airborne uredospores are blown in from subtropical areas. Several fungicides currently recommended for leaf spot control are also effective against rust. Three distinct groundnut genotypes are known sources of marked resistance: Tarapoto (P.l.s 259747, 341879, 350680, 381622, 405132); Israel Line 136 (P.l.s 298115 and 315608); and DHT 200 (P.l. 314817). The resistance is physiological and apparently bigenic and recessive. Variation in reaction to ...
Prostacyclin and noradrenaline in peripheral nerve of chronic experimental diabetes in rats.

Noradrenaline levels in the superior cervical ganglion and sciatic nerve were significantly reduced in chronic streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats. Sciatic nerve sheath in vitro biosynthesis of 6-keto prostaglandin F12 (6KPGF1a; the stable metabolite of prostacyclin) was significantly reduced but not in acute experimental diabetes Nerves with reduced 6KPGF1a had an excessive response to arachidonic acid stimulation We suggest that the reduced endogenous biosynthesis of prostacyclin is due to reduced substrate availability, possibly due to the reduced noradrenaline The implications of these findings on the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy are discussed. Neuropathy was found to involve all fibre populations studied (motor, sensory and sympathetic) and progressed with duration of diabetes.
Processes influencing seasonal hypoxia in the northern California Current System

[1] This paper delineates the role of physical and biological processes contributing to hypoxia, dissolved oxygen (DO) < 1.4 mL/L, over the continental shelf of Washington State in the northern portion of the California Current System. In the historical record (1950–1986), during the summer upwelling season, hypoxia is more prevalent and severe off Washington than further south off northern Oregon. Recent data (2003–2005) show that hypoxia over the Washington shelf occurred at levels previously observed in the historical data. The year 2006 was an exception, with hypoxia covering ∼5000 km2 of the Washington continental shelf and DO concentrations below 0.5 mL/L at the inner shelf, lower than any known previous observations at that location. In the 4 years studied, upwelling of low DO water and changes in source water contribute to interannual variability, but cannot account for seasonal decreases below hypoxic concentrations. Deficits of DO along salinity surfaces, indicating biochemical consumption of DO, vary significantly between surveys, accounting for additional decreases of 0.5–2.5 mL/L by late summer. DO consumption is associated with denitrification, an indicator of biochemical sediment processes. Mass balances of DO and nitrate show that biochemical processes in the water column and sediments each contribute ∼50% to the total consumption of DO in near-bottom water. At shorter than seasonal time scales on the inner shelf, along-shelf advection of hypoxic patches and cross-shelf advection of seasonal gradients are both shown to be important, changing DO concentrations by 1.5 mL/L or more over 5 days.
ApbA, the Ketopantoate Reductase Enzyme of Salmonella typhimurium Is Required for the Synthesis of Thiamine via the Alternative Pyrimidine Biosynthetic Pathway

The apbA gene of Salmonella typhimurium was shown to encode ketopantoic acid reductase. ApbA was purified from crude cell-free extracts to greater than 95% homogeneity after two chromatographic steps. N-terminal amino acid sequencing (first 15 amino acids) and Western blot analysis confirmed the isolated protein was ApbA. The functional protein was a monomer with a molecular mass of 31.1 kDa. Optimal reaction conditions for the reduction of ketopantoic acid were established at a pH of 6.25, and a temperature of 42 degreesC. The preferred electron source was NADPH, and the apparent Km constants of the enzyme for NADPH and ketopantoic acid were determined to be 0.776 +/- 0.09 mM and 0.742 +/- 0.01 mM, respectively. The homogeneous enzyme had a specific activity of 64.3.
Effect of halothane on CO2 production from glucose, fructose and pyruvate in rat cerebral cortical slices.

— The effect of halothane on rat cerebral cortical metabolism was studied by measuring 14CO2 production from various [14C]-labelled substrates. Glucose metabolism was depressed by clinically-used concentrations of halothane (0.35 mm; 1.65 MAC) which did not significantly affect the metabolism of fructose or pyruvate. We concluded that halothane blocked an early step(s) in glycolysis preceding phosphofructokinase. Hexokinase was considered unlikely as the site of blockade, leaving glucose uptake or the glucose phosphate isomerase step as the most likely site(s). Higher concentrations of halothane (0.7 mm; 3.3 MAC) were required to block the metabolism of fructose or pyruvate to CO2. This action of halothane was attributed to the known inhibition by halothane of electron transport processes.
The socioeconomic aspects of information technology for health care with emphasis on radiology1

Rationale and objectives Information technology is the key to cost effective and error free medical care in the United States and the only problem is that there is not enough of it yet. During the past 15 years, billions of dollars have been spent on information technology for health care with very little benefit but significant adverse effects on patients, physicians, and nurses. The truth about health care information technology (HIT) probably lies somewhere between these extreme statements, representing technophile and skeptical views, respectively. Materials and methods There is no doubt that computer and communication hardware has reached a state of sophistication and availability in which any and all necessary information can be generated, stored, and distributed to health care workers in support of their patient care tasks. The barriers to rapid and widespread development and diffusion of cost effective and practically useful HIT are exclusively related to human factors. Results This article explores some of the organizational, cultural, cognitive, and economic forces that interact to influence success of HIT initiatives in health care organizations. A key point to be recognized is that the intrinsically handcrafted nature of health care work combined with high degrees of complexity and contingency make it impossible to “computerize” with the same ease and completeness of other industries. The major thrust of the argument is that designers of information systems and health care informatics managers must meet needs of patients and care providers. The software they create and implement should promote, support, and enhance the existing processes of health care rather than seeking to dictate how direct care providers should do their work. Conclusions Instead of looking for “buy in” from physicians and nurses, the informatics community must return the authority over functional specification of patient care information systems to them—where it belonged in the first place. This same lesson about computer technology and organizational politics is also being learned in the business community, where executives are reclaiming responsibility for mission critical informatics decisions.
Crop pests eaten by bats in organic pecan orchards

Abstract Bats are generalist predators of night flying insects, including many crop pests. Attracting bats to agricultural areas using bat houses may reduce the numbers of these pests and, consequently, their economic impact. We use real time polymerase chain reaction of mitochondrial DNA found in the guano of bats living in bat houses on organic pecan orchards to document the consumption of pest moth species: pecan nut casebearer, Acrobasis nuxvorella Neunzig (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), hickory shuckworm, Cydia caryana Fitch (Lepidoptera: Torticidae), and corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea Boddie (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). We also use direct sequencing of insect remains in bat fecal pellets to identify stink bugs consumed by bats in bat houses. Evidence that bats prey upon crop pests is the first step in showing that bats are beneficial to pecan farmers and provides incentives for bat conservation.
An Analog Approach to Computer Diagnosis

The problem of diagnostic computation has been approached by defining each disease in terms of its symptoms and their relative significance in the characterization of that particular disease. These ``definitions'' were then converted into analogous resistive networks and were used as standards against which a group of symptoms representing an unknown disease could be compared. The specialized computer constructed for this purpose compares the unknown with each of the standards stored in the machine, and if there is a match it indicates with which standard or disease there is a match and to what extent a correlation exists between them. The machine compares the unknown with all of the standards even if a match is found early in the process so that if two or more possibilities exist they will all be indicated.
Stress changes and aftershock distribution of the 1994 and 2006 Java subduction zone earthquake sequences

[1] The Mw = 7.8 1994 and the Mw = 7.7 2006 interplate thrust mechanism earthquakes that occurred in the Java subduction zone produced dominantly normal-faulting aftershocks, unusual for large megathrust main shocks. Various models proposed for these earthquake sequences invoke main shock rupture on an isolated portion of a decoupled plate boundary fault, with updip and outer-rise extension leading to the normal faulting. Other models suggest that these aftershocks occurred in a zone of the subduction zone where usually earthquakes cannot propagate or initiate, leading to the occurrence of normal-faulting aftershocks in the outer rise, overriding and subducting plates. Here we examine a simpler possibility, one in which Coulomb stress changes (ΔCFS) imparted by slip during the two large subduction events led to normal-faulting events on favorably oriented planes within the slab and near trench region of the subduction zone. We compute stress changes resulting from both events and subsequent large aftershocks using both uniform and variable slip models for main shock slip, resolved onto both aftershock nodal planes. We find that there is not a clear pattern of aftershock occurrence in areas of stress increase due to main shock slip. This implies that these aftershocks are not simply triggered by the static stress changes from the main shock and additional complexity should be considered to explain these unusual earthquake sequences.
NATO Expansion: Strengthening the Alliance?

The Future of NATO Expansion: Four Case Studies. By Zoltan Barany. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003. 278 pp., $65.00 (ISBN: 0-521-82169-X). Despite the outwardly placid front associated with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) expansion in the post-Cold War era, many strategic and political issues simmer behind the facade of consensus among alliance members and designated new members. In The Future of NATO Expansion , Zoltan Barany sets out to evaluate systematically and in considerable detail the preparedness of four states for full NATO membership in the second enlargement round. The emphasis is on comparative analysis with no attempt at constructing or testing theory. The book is a contribution to scholarship on alliance operations and politics, offering much for an understanding of NATO's challenging project to reconfigure itself and its mission in the altered security environment that emerged after 1989. Barany argues in broader terms that NATO should indeed expand into Eastern Europe but that the prospective states should satisfy the alliance's membership criteria before acquiring full member status. NATO's first round of expansion came in 1999 with the accession of three erstwhile Warsaw Pact members—the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland—forming a nineteen-state alliance. Barany admits that, at that time, he had criticized the expansion because it was not essential to the alliance and potentially provocative for Russia. However, Barany shifted his stance once the process had commenced, advocating further enlargement. The second round of expansion, announced at NATO's Prague Summit in November 2002, slated Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania for membership. Barany has chosen to focus his study on the first …
Energy dependence of the reactions KLop→KSop,π+Λ, π+Σo from 1540 to 1610 MeV☆

Abstract The reactions K L o p→K S o p, π + Λ , π + Σ o have been measured for center-of-mass energies from 1540 to 1610 MeV. Channel cross sections and coefficients of the Legendre polynomial expansion of the differential cross sections and hyperon polarizations are presented. We see no evidence in the πΛ channel for the suggested 3 2 − resonance at 1580 MeV. The cross section for the K S o p channel shows an energy dependence which is not predicted by the existing phase shift solutions based on charged kaon data.
A LOW-STORAGE CURVILINEAR DISCONTINUOUS GALERKIN METHOD FOR WAVE PROBLEMS ∗

The low-storage curvilinear discontinuous Galerkin (LSC-DG) method reduces the storage requirements for solving symmetric and linear linear symmetric conservation laws in curvilinear domains when compared to the standard discontinuous Galerkin method. We perform a semidiscrete, a priori convergence analysis of LSC-DG and determine sufficient conditions on sequences of meshes to guarantee the same rate of convergence as the original upwind DG method on curvilinear domains. Computational results confirm the optimal order convergence on sample mesh sequences that satisfy the sufficiency conditions. Additional results show that the sufficient conditions for optimal order convergence of LSC-DG may also be necessary conditions.
Human iliac artery endothelial cells express both genes encoding the chains of platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF) and synthesize PDGF‐like mitogen

In human umbilical vein and bovine aortic endothelial cells in culture c-sis gene expression and secretion of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) has been previously demonstrated. We now report the presence of PDGF-1 and PDGF-2/sis mRNA transcripts in primary cultures of human iliac artery endothelial cells (HIA-EC). Concomitantly, these cells synthesize and secrete PDGF-like proteins identified by direct immunoprecipitation with specific PDGF antiserum. The PDGF proteins secreted by HIA-EC have molecular weights of 31 and 35 kd under nonreducing conditions. Upon reduction these proteins are converted to the monomeric 15- and 16-kd forms. Conditioned media derived from HIA-EC stimulated the incorporation of 3H-thymidine by 3T3 cells and competed with 125I-PDGF for its binding to 3T3 cell membrane receptors. The biologic activity was stable to heating at 100 degrees C for 10 min and sensitive to reducing agents, properties similar to those of authentic PDGF. Production of PDGF-like mitogen by the human arterial endothelial cells may play an important role in the paracrine modulation of arterial wall regeneration following vascular injury.
Sharing inventory risk in supply chain: The implication of financial constraint

A supply chain may operate under either preorder mode, consignment mode or the combination of these two modes. Under preorder, the retailer procures before the sale and takes full inventory risk during the sale, while under consignment, the retailer sells the product for the supplier with the supplier taking the inventory risk. The combination mode shares the risk in the supply chain. The existing research has examined the supply chain modes from various operational aspects. However, the impact of financial constraint is neglected. This paper examines the impact of financial constraint and investigates the supply chain efficiency under each mode. Based on a Stackelberg game with the supplier being the leader, we show that without financial constraint the supplier always prefers the consignment mode, taking full inventory risk. Whereas, in the presence of financial constraint, the supplier will sell part of the inventory to the retailer through preorder, which shares the inventory risk in the supply chain. We show that with financial constraint, the combination mode is the most efficient mode even if the retailer earns zero internal capital.
Flat-histogram dynamics and optimization in density of states simulations of fluids

We analyze the dynamics of flat-histogram Monte Carlo algorithms that determine the density of states as a function of potential energy. In contrast to conventional Boltzmann sampling, these methods aid equilibration by enforcing a flat energy distribution, which enables a system to escape local energy minima. For two model fluids, we perform an extensive characterization of flat-histogram dynamics, that is, the dynamical behavior when the sampling is such that the system makes a random walk in energy. We show that the tunneling time, defined as the average number of steps required for the system to move between its low- and high-energy bounds, correlates uniquely with the entropy range of the energy window sampled, independent of system size and of the particular system investigated. We also demonstrate that the rate of statistical improvement of flat-histogram calculations scales with the tunneling time, and hence we propose that an optimal workload distribution in parallel implementations of these methods should divide the total entropy range equally among each processor.
Re-thinking eating disorder prevention: The case for prioritizing the promotion of healthy identity development

But whom would I be without my eating disorder? This common apprehension—an understandable response to the threat of forsaking one’s eating disorder—is immediately recognized by clinicians as a pro...
Average Daily Gains of Brahman-Crossbred and English × Exotic Feeder Heifers Exposed to Low, Medium, and High Levels of Stable Flies (Diptera: Muscidae)

Brahman-crossbred and English x Exotic feeder heifers were exposed to low (5 per leg), medium (12 per leg), and high (30 per leg) stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), population levels to test relative tolerance of these cattle breeds to stable flies. The Brahman-crossbred heifers were tolerant to stable flies only when they were 12-13 mo old. At the same age, the English x Exotic heifers sustained reductions in average daily gain (ADG) at all three stable fly population levels of 0.22 kg/d (11.2%). At 14-15 mo of age, both breeds were affected only by the high stable fly level. The reduction in ADG was approximately 0.16 kg/d (10.6%) for both breeds. Stable fly numbers on the heifers varied with time of day. Both breeds appeared equally attractive to stable flies. With or without stable flies, the Brahman-crossbred heifers consistently gained less weight than the English x Exotic heifers by 0.24 kg/d (15%).