cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Basin tectonics and erg response

Abstract The alignment and distribution of facies in the major erg (eolian sand sea) deposits in the Permian and Jurassic systems on the Colorado Plateau show remarkable coincidence with modern tectonic elements. This indicates that subtle tectonic elements, precursors to the present ones, were coeval with ancient eolian deposition and controlled erg geometry and facies distribution. No other known controls or processes were capable of producing the observed patterns. Facies and architectural analysis of the Permian and Jurassic erg deposits define several major trends across the Colorado Plateau. The High Plateaus trend, parallel to and slightly east of the Wasatch line, is defined by a zone of thinning and facies change of several erg deposits. The Zuni trend lies along the Zuni lineament and is coincident with facies changes or erg margins of several units. The Colorado trend lies along the course of the modern Colorado River and a number of erg margins and several facies changes coincide with it. Most erg centers, as defined by facies and thickness, lay within paleobasins that include the Circle Cliffs trough, Holbrook, Black Mesa, and Blanding basins, and southern Cordilleran Miogeocline. Most erg deposits thin or pinch out across paleoarches, which include the Sedona, Monument, Emery and Defiance arches. Although the exact relation between the paleostructures and facies distribution is uncertain, it appears likely that some of the structural elements defined areas of greater and less sand accumulation. Areas of greater sand accumulation would be expected to be dominated by facies typical of erg centers and areas of lesser sand accumulation would be expected to be dominated by facies typical of the erg margin and eolian sand sheets. The structures may have also formed straight margins in aqueous environments such as rivers and marine coasts; straight, vertically stacked facies changes are commonly associated with erg margins in the stratigraphic record. Early post-depositional uplift of some arches may have defined straight, thin edges of some eolian sequences. The knowledge that subtle intrabasinal tectonic elements had an effect on eolian deposition can be used to reconstruct basin history; therefore, the mapping of eolian geometry and facies patterns can provide powerful information concerning the tectonic evolution of a sedimentary basin.
Subcellular oscillations and bursting

Abstract A general class of models for bursting is developed which depends on the interaction of a slowly changing subcellular oscillation and a spiking mechanism. Very few hypotheses are necessary to obtain much of the qualitative behavior of bursting. With further realistic hypotheses on the neural spiking, we derive quantitative characteristics of bursting to be expected if this type of mechanism holds. In particular, predictions are made about spike height, modulation of the interspike intervals, and the response to various tonic inputs. Two specific systems are considered in detail: parabolic bursting in the neurons of the mollusc Aplysia and bursting in mammalian smooth muscle.
Precambrian-Cambrian transition problem in western North America: Part II. Early Cambrian skeletonized fauna and associated fossils from Sonora, Mexico

A skeletonized fauna of possible Tommotian age (earliest Cambrian) has been discovered in the Caborca region, Sonora, in a unit considered approximately equivalent to the basal part of the Wood Canyon Formation of the Death Valley region. Probable metazoan traces occur about 900 m stratigraphically below the shelly fossils and may be among the oldest trace fossils known in the southern Cordillera. About 1,200 m stratigraphically below the shelly fossils, a new filamentous algal microbiota has been found in silicified wackestone from the El Arpa Formation. These new fossil occurrences, found within three stratigraphically correlated upper Proterozoic through Middle Cambrian sections from the Caborca region, have significant paleobiologic and biostratigraphic implications for the “Precambrian-Cambrian boundary” and Proterozoic paleobiology in western North America.
Novel Laser/Water-Jet Hybrid Manufacturing Process for Cutting Ceramics

Laser and water-jet manufacturing processes are independently used to cut monolithic and composite ceramics. While these processes offer many advantages over diamond sawing and other abrasive processes, the energy efficiency, precision, cutting speed, and environmental threats remain as barriers to their continued success. This is partly attributed to the material removal mechanisms, which are melting, and subsequent evaporation (laser) and energy-intensive erosive wear (water jet). In this paper, we describe a novel laser and water-jet (LWJ) hybrid manufacturing process that enables the synergistic effects of CO2 laser and pressurized pure water jet, facilitating precise material removal by thermal shock-induced fracture and overcoming the deficiencies listed above. Experiments of the LWJ effects on the cutting of aluminum nitride, an electronic ceramic substrate, are presented. The most exciting results are very narrow kerf dictated by the crack width; the absence of thermally affected zone, slag formation, chemical decomposition; and controlled thermal cracking, implying that the LWJ process is far superior to conventional laser cutting of ceramics. The LWJ process also improved the surface finish while reducing energy losses in the process. The practical realization of the LWJ manufacturing process could be a potential alternative to diamond saw, high-power laser, and high-pressure abrasive water-jet methods for machining hard and brittle ceramics.
Madingley, Madding, Mad scenarios: an exercise in futurology

Abstract The Madingley scenarios were created to suggest potential contrasting futures (around year 2020) that could develop from the same driving forces. Those contrasting futures are named ‘Trust their Guidance’ and ‘Find my Way’, respectively. Trust their Guidance depicts a world where institutions have succeeded in adapting to the changing world and have strengthened their power and control on nations. Find my Way depicts a world where empowered individuals have taken responsibility for optimising their own lives. The discussion of these scenarios raised a number of questions including the purpose and role of governments, differences between societies, fundamental vs superficial change and, applied to the area of homeopathy, the role and responsibility of the homeopathic community in shaping the future of this medical approach.
A Compact Double-Crystal Monochromator with a Broad Energy Range

Abstract A compact double-crystal monochromator has been designed for producing energies between 0.3 and 12 keV with a resolution between 1 and 2 eV. This range is to be achieved by a choice of carbon-free synthetic-layer microstructures and different crystal pairs mounted on four-position turrets. This allows energy overlap between crystal pairs. The first turret is fixed in position but rotates to select an X-ray energy from the spectrum produced by the source. The second turret rotates and translates to redirect the selected radiation parallel to its incident direction with a fixed lateral displacement. To increase the angular range, the two main beam directions are between the rotation axes and parallel to the incident and exiting beams. With this geometry, the footprints of the X-ray beams travel over the entire crystal surfaces. The resulting angular range is between 23° and 80°, considering an incident beam width of 10 mm, a spacing of 40 mm between parallel beams, and a translation of about 160 mm. Thus, the present solution is well adapted for synchrotron radiation stations, particularly when inserting a new beam line between existing ones.
ATM concepts, architectures, and protocols

Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) is often described as the future computer networking paradigm that will bring high-speed communications to the desktop. What is ATM? How is it different from today's networking technologies? This article is intended to acquaint readers with this emerging technology and describe some of the concepts embodied within it. In order to understand why ATM was created and how it works, we first need to review a bit of computer networking history.
Suppression of stimulated Raman scattering from microdroplets by seeding with nm-sized latex particles

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in laser-irradiated microdroplets is suppressed by the addition of nm-sized latex particles. The microdroplets consist of either pure ethanol or a solution of Rhodamine 6G dye in ethanol, seeded with latex particles having diameters 50 < d < 500 nm. SRS emission occurs at droplet morphology-dependent-resonances (MDR's) following either direct pumping by the incident 532 nm laser, or indirectly whereby the pump laser first initiates dye lasing which in turn pumps SRS. It is noteworthy that no Raman emission is observed from the corresponding bulk sample. For large latex, we observe SRS suppression at a near-coincident threshold concentration independent of the presence of dye; whereas, for small latex, adding dye reduces the threshold concentration by more than an order of magnitude. These findings are consistent with the interpretation that, for large latex, approximately 1 particle much occupy the MDR mode volume at threshold while for small latex, the addition of particles facilitates Forster-assisted annihilation of both 532 nm- and dye lasing MDR-pump photons.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Experimental robustness analysis of magneto-rheological tuned vibration absorbers subject to mass off-tuning

This paper offers an experimental robustness analysis of a semi-active tuned vibration absorber (TVA) subject to structural mass off-tuning, which occurs frequently in practical applications of TVAs. One of the critical problems of a conventional TVA is off-tuning or miss-tuning because off-tuned TVAs may amplify the vibrations of the primary structure. This study intends to evaluate how well semi-active TVAs are able to adapt to structural mass changes (mass off-tuning) as compared with passive TVAs. To this end, a test apparatus was built to represent a two-degree-of-freedom structure model coupled with a TVA. The semi-active TVA considered in this study employed a magneto-rheological (MR) damper as its damping element to enhance overall performance. Using this test apparatus, a series of tests were conducted to identify the optimal tuning parameters of the TVAs. After obtaining each TVA 's optimal tuning parameters based on equal peak transmissibility criteria, the mass off-tuning tests were then performed on the optimally tuned TVAs. In order to off-tune the system, the mass of the primary structure varied from -19% to +19% of its nominal mass using a set of steel plates. Overall, the experimental results show that the semi-active MR TVA outper-forms the passive TVA in reducing maximum vibrations. Moreover, the results show that the semi- active TVA is more robust to changes in the primary mass (mass off-tuning) The results further show that the semi-active MR TVA offers larger performance gains as the structure mass increases.
Preservation of the bystander cytocidal effect of irradiated herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) modified tumor cells

In vitro and animal experiments have demonstrated the potential efficacy of using the bystander effect alone in the treatment of brain tumors. A known problem in some in vitro and in vivo experiments is that a fraction of cells engineered to express the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) gene survive ganciclovir (GCV) treatment and undergo cell division. To prevent the recurrent growth of HSV-tk+ cells in the presence of GCV we examined the potential use of lethal or sublethal irradiation of Walker 256 carcinosarcoma cells selected for expression of the HSV-tk gene (Walker-tk+). Western blot analysis of Walter-tk+ cells showed similar levels of HSV-tk protein expression at 0, 1, 3, 6 and 9 days after lethal gamma-irradiation. In vitro, there was no difference in the bystander effect exerted by non-irradiated, sublethally irradiated or lethally irradiated Walker-tk+ cells on wild-type Walker cells in the presence of GCV. In vivo experiments demonstrated long-term survival (100 days) in rats implanted intrathecally with sublethally or lethally irradiated Walker-tk+ cells with GCV treatments. Intrathecal implantation of irradiated Walker-tk+ cells either pre-mixed with Walker cells or used in in situ treatment of established Walker tumors resulted in prolonged animal survival compared to controls (p < 0.05). These experiments suggest that the bystander tumoricidal effect is preserved despite gamma-irradiation of the HSV-tk modified tumor cells and that irradiation could be an effective method to prevent long-term resistance to GCV in HSV-tk+ tumor cells.
Development of structural and functional specializations for export protein synthesis by the accessory gland of the male cricket, Acheta domesticus L. (Orthoptera : Gryllidae)

The male accessory gland of the adult cricket, Acheta domesticus, produces a complex mixture of proteins. The protein population made by the late last-instar nymph gland appears to be less complex than that of the adult when analysed on SDS-polyacrylamide gels. However, detailed study of the nymph gland secretory proteins, using SDS-micro gel electrophoresis, iso-electric focusing and immunodiffusion indicates that regional specialization for export protein synthesis exists in the nymph as well as in the adult gland, and differences between the 2 stages may be largely quantitative. Ultrastructural studies show that after the final molt the gland rapidly assembles large quantities of rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER). Differences in the timing of membrane appearance may exist between adjacent cells. In some secretory cells of the glands isolated from animals immediately after the imaginal molt, RER forms near the nucleus, where the RER membranes take on a whorl-like configuration. The development of the RER reaches a peak in the glands of 2–3-week-old adults, with the membranes and their enclosed cisternae arranged in parallel arrays. Apical and basal Golgi complexes of similar morphology have been observed, with poorly developed cisternal elements, large vacuoles and numerous small vesicles.
The physical, insemination, and reproductive quality of honey bee queens (Apis mellifera L.)

Understanding the reproductive potential ("quality") of queens bees can provide valuable in- sights into factors that influence colony phenotype. We assayed queens from various commercial sources for various measures of potential queen quality, including their physical characters (such as their degree of parasitism), insemination number (stored sperm counts), and effective paternity frequency (number of drone fathers among their offspring). We found significant variation in the physical, insemination, and mat- ing quality of commercially produced queens, and we detected significant correlations within and among these various measures. Overall, the queens were sufficiently inseminated (3.99 ± 1.504 million sperm) and mated with an appropriate number of drones (effective paternity frequency: 16.0 ± 9.48). Importantly, very few of the queens were parasitized by tracheal mites and none were found with either Nosema species. These findings suggest possible mechanisms for assessing the potential fitness of honey bee queens without the need for destructive sampling. honey bee queens / reproductive potential / insemination / parasitism / effective mating frequency
Role of a New Intimin/Invasin-Like Protein in Yersinia pestis Virulence

A comprehensive TnphoA mutant library was constructed in Yersinia pestis KIM6 to identify surface proteins involved in Y. pestis host cell invasion and bacterial virulence. Insertion site analysis of the library repeatedly identified a 9,042-bp chromosomal gene (YPO3944), intimin/invasin-like protein (Ilp), similar to the Gram-negative intimin/invasin family of surface proteins. Deletion mutants of ilp were generated in Y. pestis strains KIM5(pCD1+) Pgm− (pigmentation negative)/, KIM6(pCD1−) Pgm+, and CO92. Comparative analyses were done with the deletions and the parental wild type for bacterial adhesion to and internalization by HEp-2 cells in vitro, infectivity and maintenance in the flea vector, and lethality in murine models of systemic and pneumonic plague. Deletion of ilp had no effect on bacterial blockage of flea blood feeding or colonization. The Y. pestis KIM5 Δilp strain had reduced adhesion to and internalization by HEp-2 cells compared to the parental wild-type strain (P < 0.05). Following intravenous challenge with Y. pestis KIM5 Δilp, mice had a delayed time to death and reduced dissemination to the lungs, livers, and kidneys as monitored by in vivo imaging using a lux reporter system (in vivo imaging system [IVIS]) and bacterial counts. Intranasal challenge in mice with Y. pestis CO92 Δilp had a 55-fold increase in the 50% lethal dose ([LD50] 1.64 × 104 CFU) compared to the parental wild-type strain LD50 (2.98 × 102 CFU). These findings identified Ilp as a novel virulence factor of Y. pestis.
Precipitation retrievals using radiometric and spatial information of passive microwave radiometers

The effect of rainfall inhomogeneity within the sensor field-of-view (FOV), the so-called beam-filling error, affects significantly the accuracy of rainfall retrievals. Observational analyses of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data show that the beam-filling error can be examined in terms of the coefficient of variation (CV, standard deviation divided by mean rain rate) that provides a measure of the spatial variability. Furthermore, the CV of surface rainfall from PR is related to its vertical structure and has some correlation with the TMI 85 GHz brightness temperature (Tb), especially at the high rain rates. Based on these findings, we exploit the 85 GHz spatial variability in the context of a Bayesian-type inversion method for rainfall retrieval. The spatial variability at various domain sizes (thus CV in a vector form) is blended with the sets of multi-channel brightness temperatures (Tb vector) for the Bayesian inversion. The a-priori databases for the inversion are constructed from the collocated TMI and PR observations at the PR resolution. Through synthetic retrievals we demonstrated that the inclusion of CV information of the Tb remarkably improved the rainfall retrieval accuracy by reducing the effect of the rainfall inhomogeneity.
Efficient Wireless Multicast Protocol with Orthogonal CTS Modulation Supporting Video Conferencing

Multicast based video conferencing in wireless networks is recently receiving more and more attention. In this paper, we propose a novel linker-level protocol, Multicast with Orthorgonal CTS (MOCTS) protocol, to provide efficient wireless multicast. Our approach uses orthogonal Walsh code to modulate CTS packets at different receiving nodes. The modulated CTSs are simultaneously transmitted and decoded at the source node, thus considerably reducing multicast CTS collisions. Simulation results show that the MOCTS protocol can reduce more than 20% in total transmission efforts.
MOSCOW'S ECHO: Technologies of the Self, Publics, and Politics on the Russian Talk Show

This essay examines the practices and politics of self-help in Russia. It interrogates the status of “neoliberalism” in Russia as it relates to the remaking of subjectivity 17 years after the collapse of communism by analyzing a radio talk show called For Adults about Adults hosted by a psychotherapist. An analysis of host–caller exchanges reveals a deployment of robust neoliberal technologies. The talk show not only incites autonomous, responsible, self-esteeming subjects but it also advocates alternative social relations, practices of intimacy and visions of “civil” society. Yet at least two factors indicate a more complex discursive field: The host's technologies of self aimed not as much at a rational-choice actor as a liberal-democratic citizen. And caller responses posed competing visions of selfhood, social life, emotions, and politics. These point to the multiple pulls on subjectivity in post-Soviet Russia. Projects that appear to be “neoliberalizing” also articulate with other political rationalities to form particular assemblages. Nonetheless, at the intersection of national politics under the Putin-Medvedev tandem, where political liberalism remains a dirty word, the effects of this particular assemblage appear depoliticizing: The host's pedagogy of self-cultivation dovetails with a federal interest in making Russians into entrepreneurial subjects, although his “autonomized” politics—referring to the forms of community-based politics neoliberal governmentality is supposed to engender—are blunted. A psychotherapeutically inspired, liberal-progressive vision of a future Russia appears to serve the call to sacrifice all for the economy. This anti-political effect attests to the promiscuous and dynamically assembled nature of neoliberalism—an effect that is seen here to take shape inside the subject.
Fine-mapping of the 6q25 locus identifies a novel SNP associated with breast cancer risk in African–American women

The rs2046210 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the 6q25.1 region was identified in a breast cancer genome-wide association study of Chinese women. The SNP has been replicated in European ancestry populations, but replication efforts have failed in African ancestry populations. We evaluated a total of 13 tagging SNPs in the linkage disequilibrium block around rs2046210 in a case-control study of breast cancer nested within the Black Women’s Health Study, which included 1191 cases and 1941 controls. Replication of initial significant findings was carried out in 665 cases and 821 controls of African ancestry from the Women’s Circle of Health Study (WCHS). No significant association was found for rs2046210 in univariate analysis. A new SNP, rs2046211, was significantly associated with reduced risk of breast cancer and was replicated in data from WCHS. In joint analyses that included both SNPs, the rs2046210-A allele was associated with increased risk of breast cancer [odds ratio (OR) = 1.14; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.02–1.28], and the rs2046211-G allele was associated with reduced risk (OR = 0.80; 95% CI = 0.67–0.95). Haplotype analysis confirmed these results and showed that the rs2046210-A allele is present in high-risk (rs2046211-C/rs2046210-A) and low-risk (rs2046211-G/rs2046210-A) haplotypes. Our results confirm the importance of 6q25.1 as a breast cancer susceptibility region. We replicated the rs2046210 association, after accounting for the haplotype background that included rs2046211 in African–American women, and we report the presence of a novel signal that is tagged by rs2046211.
Fludarabine-Mediated Repair Inhibition of Cisplatin-Induced DNA Lesions in Human Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia-Blast Crisis K562 Cells: Induction of Synergistic Cytotoxicity Independent of Reversal of Apoptosis Resistance

We demonstrated previously that the nucleoside of fludarabine (F-ara-A), a clinically effective agent against chronic lymphocytic leukemia and low-grade lymphoma, produces synergistic cytotoxicity against cisplatin-resistant CP2.0 human colon tumor cells when administered in combination with cisplatin. The purpose of this study was 2-fold: (i) to determine whether the synergy occurs in K562 human chronic myelogenous leukemia cells, which, unlike CP2.0 cells, are relatively resistant to drug-induced apoptosis because they express P210(bcr-abl) and (ii) to study the underlying mechanism for the synergy if the enhancement of cytotoxicity occurs in K562 cells. When K562 cells were treated with fludarabine nucleoside and cisplatin as single agents for 4 hr, IC50 values for fludarabine and cisplatin were 3.33 and 2.28 microM, respectively, as measured by a clonogenic survival assay. The simultaneous treatment of K562 cells with the two agents resulted in synergistic cell killing as determined by median-effect analysis. Such synergistic cell killing by combined cisplatin and fludarabine could not be detected in repair-deficient human xeroderma pigmentosum cell lines. Within the range of cytotoxic concentrations, fludarabine (2.5-15 microM) and cisplatin (3-30 microM) as single agents produced no detectable internucleosomal DNA fragmentation as revealed by gel electrophoresis, nor did the combination of the two drugs induce apoptotic DNA degradation. The effects of fludarabine on the repair of cisplatin-induced DNA adducts and interstrand cross-links in K562 cells were analyzed to determine their correlation with the cytotoxic synergy. The interstrand cross-links were measured by the ethidium bromide binding fluorescence assay and quantitative Southern blotting technique. Repair of the intrastrand adducts was detected with whole-cell extracts using a cisplatin-damaged plasmid as the substrate for the in vitro repair assay. Fludarabine at clinically achievable concentrations (1.5-4.5 microM fludarabine nucleoside; 20-100 microM fludarabine triphosphate) inhibited the repair of the DNA lesions induced by cisplatin in a dose-dependent fashion in K562 cells but not in xeroderma pigmentosum cells. Cotreatment with fludarabine preferentially increased the number of interstrand cross-links induced by cisplatin in actively transcribed genes in K562 cells. These data demonstrate the DNA-repair-inhibitory effect of fludarabine and suggest that this effect may contribute to the synergistic cytotoxicity of the fludarabine/cisplatin combination that resulted in decreased clonogenic survival of apoptosis-resistant K562 cells.
A Simple Method for Improved Assay Demonstrates that HIV p24 Antigen Is Present as Immune Complexes in Most Sera from HIV-Infected Individuals

Improved detection and quantitation of p24 antigen of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in sera was obtained by pH 2.5-3.0 pretreatment of samples before using a standard HIV p24 antigen ELISA. Pretreatment dissociated immune complexes and denatured antibodies with little or no compromise of p24 antigen immunoreactivity. For 652 HIV antibody-positive sera, direct comparison of the pretreatment with the conventional assay demonstrated substantial increase in both antigen positivity (50.6% vs. 12.4%) and in the level of p24 antigen in sera. Serum HIV antigen is mainly in the form of immune complexes in most individuals at all stages of HIV infection. Longitudinal study of 1 year (three measurements) on 29 seroconverters demonstrated two main patterns of p24 antigen expression in sera: 34.5% of infected individuals never express any form of detectable HIV antigen and 58.6% persistently demonstrate serum p24 antigen, usually in complex with antibody. Only 6.9% show episodic p24 antigen positivity.
Evaluating visualizations based on the performed task

Describes an ongoing project with the goal of designing and implementing a method to evaluate visualizations based on the tasks supported. The method evaluates time to perform the task and the quality of the user solution. This method is described in detail in this paper. A software tool which uses visualization to support users performing environmental analysis was used to test the first version of this method. The software tool evaluated helps users to perform computations of the environmental impacts of two products. Two versions of the same software tool were used. The first version uses interactive tables and the second version displays the information using different types of interactive visualizations. The software tool was evaluated with users solving a task which consists of selecting a product from two alternatives based on environmental parameters. The users were divided into two groups. Each group of users solved the same task but they used different software tools. A summary of the findings and possible future research is presented at the end of this paper.
Optimal load sharing in soft real-time systems: an online algorithm using likelihood ratio estimates

The likelihood ratio method is studied as a possible approach for sensitivity analysis of discrete event systems. A load sharing problem is considered for a multiqueue system in which customers have soft real-time constraints-if the waiting time of a customer exceeds a given random amount (called the laxity of the customer), then the customer is considered lost. A recursive optimization algorithm is formulated using likelihood ratio estimates to minimize the steady-state probability of loss with respect to the load sharing parameters, and almost sure convergence of the algorithm is proved. The algorithm can be used for online optimization of the real-time system, and does not require a priori knowledge of the arrival rate of customers to the system or the service time and laxity distributions. To illustrate the results, simulation examples are presented. >
The Role of I1-Imidazoline Receptors and a2-Adrenergic Receptors in the Modulation of Glucose and Lipid Metabolism in the SHROB Model of Metabolic Syndrome X

Hypertension is commonly accompanied by obesity, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance in humans, a cluster of abnormalities known as metabolic syndrome X. With the notable exception of inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system, which have mildly beneficial effects on insulin resistance, most antihypertensive agents worsen one or more components of metabolic syndrome X. Second-generation centrally acting antihypertensive agents such as rilmenidine and moxonidine have mixed effects on components of metabolic syndrome X, which might reflect in part actions on two different receptors: I(1)-imidazoline and alpha(2)-adrenergic. Using a rat model of metabolic syndrome X, we sought to separate the influence of these two receptors on glucose and lipid metabolism by using selective antagonists. Rilmenidine and moxonidine acutely raised glucose and lowered insulin, thereby further worsening glucose tolerance. These effects were entirely mediated by alpha(2)-adrenergic receptors. Rilmenidine and moxonidine also lowered glucagon, an effect that was mediated solely by I(1)-imidazoline receptors since it was potentiated by alpha(2)-blockade, but eliminated in the presence of I(1)-antagonists. Lowering of triglyceride and cholesterol levels followed the same pattern as glucagon, implicating I(1)-imidazoline receptors in lipid-lowering actions. Chronic treatment with moxonidine reproduced the beneficial effects on glucagon and lipids while the acute hyperglycemic response did not persist. Thus, alpha(2)-adrenergic receptors mediate an acute deterioration of glucose tolerance, whereas in contrast I(1)-imidazoline receptors appear to mediate the persistent long-term improvements in glucose tolerance. The therapeutic action of I(1)-imidazoline agonists may be primarily mediated through reduced glucagon secretion.
Inhibition of antibody formation by receptor cross-linking: the molecular characteristics of inhibitory haptenated polymers.

Previous studies from this laboratory have reported on the characteristics of a molecule which make it inhibitory. These findings were based on studies using the T cell-independent haptenated polymer, 2,4-dinitrophenyl-polyacrylamide (DNP-PA). The present study was undertaken to determine whether the same molecular properties which defined the inhibitory potentials of DNP-PA were characteristic of other haptenated polymers as well. The molecules studied here consisted of a series of five diverse fluoresceinated polymers with varying molecular mass and hapten valence. In agreement with the previous findings on DNP-PA, definable molecular forms of fluoresceinated dextrans, Ficolls, polyacrylamides, carboxymethyl celluloses and polyvinyl alcohols were each found to be capable of inhibiting the anti-fluorescein response to immunogenic forms of haptenated polymers of either the same or different carrier chemistry. This inhibitory ability was relatively independent of the chemical composition and conformation of the carrier polymer. These studies allow some logical generalizations to be made as to which quantitative molecular properties of haptenated type 2 T cell-independent antigens determine whether they will be stimulatory or inhibitory of an anti-hapten immune response.
Activated THP-1 Cells: an Attractive Model for the Assessment of Intracellular Growth Rates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates

Capacity of certain Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates to grow more rapidly in human macrophages may be indicative of increased virulence. Significant differences were observed in intracellular growth of two isolates from sites of tuberculosis transmission, with an outbreak-associated strain growing faster than a strain causing disease in only one person. Activated THP-1 cells are a suitable alternative to peripheral blood monocyte models.
Eliminating synchronization bottlenecks using adaptive replication

This article presents a new technique, adaptive replication, for automatically eliminating synchronization bottlenecks in multithreaded programs that perform atomic operations on objects. Synchronization bottlenecks occur when multiple threads attempt to concurrently update the same object. It is often possible to eliminate synchronization bottlenecks by replicating objects. Each thread can then update its own local replica without synchronization and without interacting with other threads. When the computation needs to access the original object, it combines the replicas to produce the correct values in the original object. One potential problem is that eagerly replicating all objects may lead to performance degradation and excessive memory consumption.Adaptive replication eliminates unnecessary replication by dynamically detecting contention at each object to find and replicate only those objects that would otherwise cause synchronization bottlenecks. We have implemented adaptive replication in the context of a parallelizing compiler for a subset of C++. Given an unannotated sequential program written in C++, the compiler automatically extracts the concurrency, determines when it is legal to apply adaptive replication, and generates parallel code that uses adaptive replication to efficiently eliminate synchronization bottlenecks.In addition to automatic parallelization and adaptive replication, our compiler also implements a lock coarsening transformation that increases the granularity at which the computation locks objects. The advantage is a reduction in the frequency with which the computation acquires and releases locks; the potential disadvantage is the introduction of new synchronization bottlenecks caused by increases in the sizes of the critical sections. Because the adaptive replication transformation takes place at lock acquisition sites, there is a synergistic interaction between lock coarsening and adaptive replication. Lock coarsening drives down the overhead of using adaptive replication, and adaptive replication eliminates synchronization bottlenecks associated with the overaggressive use of lock coarsening.Our experimental results show that, for our set of benchmark programs, the combination of lock coarsening and adaptive replication can eliminate synchronization bottlenecks and significantly reduce the synchronization and replication overhead as compared to versions that use none or only one of the transformations.
ALENCAR, BLEST GANA Y GALVÁN: NARRATIVAS DE EXTERMINIO Y SUBALTERNIDAD

Jose de Alencar' s O Guarani (1857), Alberto Blest Gana's Mariluan (1864) and Manuel deJesus Galvan's Enriquillo (1882) give form to a narrative of extermination that laid down a cultural consensus over Indian genocide in XIX century Latin America. Beyond readings that have underlined the fictional rescue of a native figure, these novels delimitate, organize and naturalize a disappearance. The emptiness left by a native character lost in their final pages, installs the zero degree of a writing that articulates against them the genealogy of a political community. The erasure of native agents opens the entrance to a historical fiction where they can be accepted only as a spectral and subaltern figure, as the mourning for their remote and heroic failure, over a narrative that consecrated its extirpation from a national future.
Immunodominance in Virus-Induced CD8+ T-Cell Responses Is Dramatically Modified by DNA Immunization and Is Regulated by Gamma Interferon

The phenomenon whereby the host immune system responds to only a few of the many possible epitopes in a foreign protein is termed immunodominance. Immunodominance occurs not only during microbial infection but also following vaccination, and clarification of the underlying mechanism may permit the rational design of vaccines which can circumvent immunodominance, thereby inducing responses to all epitopes, dominant and subdominant. Here, we show that immunodominance affects DNA vaccines and that the effects can be avoided by the simple expedient of epitope separation. DNA vaccines encoding isolated dominant and subdominant epitopes induce equivalent responses, confirming a previous demonstration that coexpression of dominant and subdominant epitopes on the same antigen-presenting cell (APC) is central to immunodominance. We conclude that multiepitope DNA vaccines should comprise a cocktail of plasmids, each with its own epitope, to allow maximal epitope dispersal among APCs. In addition, we demonstrate that subdominant responses are actively suppressed by dominant CD8+ T-cell responses and that gamma interferon (IFN-γ) is required for this suppression. Furthermore, priming of CD8+ T cells to a single dominant epitope results in strong suppression of responses to other normally dominant epitopes in immunocompetent mice, in effect rendering these epitopes subdominant; however, responses to these epitopes are increased 6- to 20-fold in mice lacking IFN-γ. We suggest that, in agreement with our previous observations, IFN-γ secretion by CD8+ T cells is highly localized, and we propose that its immunosuppressive effect is focused on the APC with which the dominant CD8+ T cell is in contact.
Children'S Housing Style Preferences Regional, Socioeconomic, Sex, and Adult Comparisons

The effects of region, socioeconomic level, age, and sex in children were examined in a study of housing style preferences using 126 children and 88 adults. Children's samples came from middle-class (n = 34) and lower income (n = 23) schools, and a low-income camp (n = 21) in the Northeast, a middle-class school in the Midwest (n = 23), and a lower income (n = 25) school in the South. Adults were primarily undergraduates from the Northeast. Participants separately ranked for preference two sets of houses, one from Kinzy (Langdon, 1982), the second from McAlester and McAlester (1984). They also ranked the McAlester and McAlester stimuli for cost. Results indicated no socioeconomic and regional differences, but a sizable number of differences when the judgments of children and adults were contrasted and when preferences by sex were compared. As in previous research (Langdon, 1982; Nasar, 1988, 1 989b), adults preferred the Farm and Tudor styles, and significantly more so than children; children liked the Ra...
Panic disorder history in the families of patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries.

Objective: The authors evaluated the diagnostic validity of an interview-based panic disorder diagnosis in cardiology chest pain patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries. Method: Patient probands with normal coronary arteries (N=65) were first contacted immediately after their normal angiogram and were given a structured diagnostic interview. On the basis of the results of the interview, probands were grouped as having panic disorder (N=19), panic attacks that did not meet frequency criteria for panic disorder (N=17), or no panic (N=29). At a later time, patient probands were recontacted and given a structured family-history interview that inquired about psychopathology in their first-degree biological relatives (N=544). Results: As predicted, panic disorder was significantly more prevalent among the first-degree relatives of probands with normal coronary arteries diagnosed with panic disorder or panic attacks than among the family members of probands with normal coronary arteries without panic (17.4% versus 15.7% versus 4.0%). Family members of probands with panic attacks were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with major depression than were the family members of probands with no panic; however, differences did not reach significance for family members of the panic disorder proband group. Groups did not differ significantly in familial alcoholism. Conclusions: These data support the construct validity of an interview-based panic disorder diagnosis among patients with chest pain and normal coronary arteries and suggest that these patients could benefit from treatment for panic disorder. (Am J Psychiatry 1992; 149:1563–1567)
Health care disparity: An analysis of breast, colon, and lung cancer

6579 Background: Lung cancer patients are associated with feeling of guilt about their disease (Schmidt ASCO 2006) and less likely to be referred to specialists (Wassenaar ASCO 2006). They are also...
Enhanced THz Emission from Te Doped GaSb

Strong enhancement of optically excited THz emission from GaSb due to compensation of native acceptors by tellurium donors has been observed. THz emission of compensated GaSb is an order of magnitude stronger than undoped GaSb.
Multiple identification in the image domain using map modeling and map migration

Summary In seismic imaging, a fundamental assumption is that reflection data only consist of primaries. If multiples are not fully removed, they can be misinterpreted as primaries. The purpose of this study is to identify the multiples in the image domain by map-migrating the modeled multiples. This can be used as an interpretation tool to avoid picking residual multiples as primary events. In this abstract, we first describe the theory and method of map modeling and map migration and test this algorithm with a simple linear velocity model and a dipping reflection horizon. Then, we apply it to a field data from the Gulf of Mexico. The results show that this algorithm accurately predicts the location of the specified multiples, allowing the identification of the residual multiples in prestack depth migrated images. Finally, we discuss the limitations of this method and the future directions for development.
Synthesis of nano ZnO with different morphologies and its influence on organic catalytic reactivity

Zinc oxide is polar crystal along the c-axis.By altering external reaction factors,rodlike,disk-like,sphere-like,flower-like and other different morphologies nano zinc oxide can be synthesized.In recent years,related literatures reported that different morphologies of nanometer zinc oxide as catalyst for methanol synthesis,methanol steam reforming for hydrogen production,hydrogen production by bioethanol steam reforming and other organic catalytic reactions have different catalytic activities.In this paper,research progress of relationship between nano ZnO morphology and preparation conditions,such as reaction solvent,zinc source,surfactant and pH value are reviewed.Moreover,the catalytic activity of nano ZnO with different morphologies as catalyst support or catalyst active component in organic catalysis is summarized.
Kernel-Based Structural Equation Models for Topology Identification of Directed Networks

Structural equation models (SEMs) have been widely adopted for inference of causal interactions in complex networks. Recent examples include unveiling topologies of hidden causal networks over which processes, such as spreading diseases, or rumors propagate. The appeal of SEMs in these settings stems from their simplicity and tractability, since they typically assume linear dependencies among observable variables. Acknowledging the limitations inherent to adopting linear models, the present paper put forth nonlinear SEMs, which account for (possible) nonlinear dependencies among network nodes. The advocated approach leverages kernels as a powerful encompassing framework for nonlinear modeling, and an efficient estimator with affordable tradeoffs is put forth. Interestingly, pursuit of the novel kernel-based approach yields a convex regularized estimator that promotes edge sparsity, a property exhibited by most real world networks, and the resulting optimization problem is amenable to proximal-splitting optimization methods. To this end, solvers with complementary merits are developed by leveraging the alternating direction method of multipliers, and proximal gradient iterations. Experiments conducted on simulated data demonstrate that the novel approach outperforms linear SEMs with respect to edge detection errors. Furthermore, tests on a real gene expression dataset unveil interesting new edges that were not revealed by linear SEMs, which could shed more light on regulatory behavior of human genes.
In vitro antioxidant activities and polyphenol contents of seven commercially available fruits

SUMMARY • All fruit extracts exhibited increasing radical scavenging activities with increased concentrations • Black raspberry extract is enriched in total phenols, flavonoids, and proanthocyanidins and showed the highest 2,2‑diphenyl‑1‑picrylhydrazyl scavenging activity and red raspberry extract showed the highest ferric reducing power and ferric reducing antioxidant potential activity • Jackfruit extract exhibited the highest 2,2′‑azino‑bis (3‑ethylbenzothiazoline‑6‑sulfonic acid) diammonium salt, nitric oxide, O2- scavenging activities
Accurate and Reliable Detection of Traffic Lights Using Multiclass Learning and Multiobject Tracking

Automatic detection of traffic lights has great importance to road safety. This paper presents a novel approach that combines computer vision and machine learning techniques for accurate detection and classification of different types of traffic lights, including green and red lights both in circular and arrow forms. Initially, color extraction and blob detection are employed to locate the candidates. Subsequently, a pretrained PCA network is used as a multiclass classifier to obtain frame-by-frame results. Furthermore, an online multiobject tracking technique is applied to overcome occasional misses and a forecasting method is used to filter out false positives. Several additional optimization techniques are employed to improve the detector performance and handle the traffic light transitions. When evaluated using the test video sequences, the proposed system can successfully detect the traffic lights on the scene with high accuracy and stable results. Considering hardware acceleration, the proposed technique is ready to be integrated into advanced driver assistance systems or self-driving vehicles. We build our own data set of traffic lights from recorded driving videos, including circular lights and arrow lights in different directions. Our experimental data set is available at http://computing.wpi.edu/Dataset.html.