cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Constitution of the tin-antimony system

Examination of powder samples using thermal analysis and XRD confirms the basic features of the Sn−Sb phase diagram revisions proposed by Predel and Schwermann. In-situ x-ray diffraction analysis of the phase equilibria at temperatures above 200 o C shows evidence for the presence of an intermetallic phase exhibiting a cubic NaCl-type structure, and earlier work suggests that this phase exhibits a stoichiometric composition of approximately Sn 3 Sb 2 . Analysis of single-phase SnSb alloys shows no evidence for a structural transition of this phase near 320 o C predicted by the diagram of Hansen and Anderko. This investigation illustrates some of the difficulties which may be encountered in analyzing phase equilibria in peritectic systems (e.g. segregation effects) and presents a novel experimental approach to overcoming these difficulties
Reduced-complexity decoding algorithm for low-density parity-check codes

A new reduced-complexity decoding algorithm for low-density parity-check codes that operates entirely in the log-likelihood domain is presented. The computationally expensive check-node updates of the sum-product algorithm are simplified by using a difference-metric approach on a two-state trellis and by employing the dual-max approximation. The dual-max approximation is further improved by using a correction factor that allows the performance to approach that of full sum-product decoding.
Inhalant sensitization and shock in guinea pigs under controlled atmospheric conditions: III. The possible effects of changing meteorologic circumstances; A four-year summary☆

Abstract 1. 1. Statistics are presented of reactions of 350 guinea pigs sensitized and shocked by inhalation of horse dander in various controlled weather conditions. More than 1,500 shock exposures were made. 2. 2. The conditions under which the greatest number and most severe anaphylactic reactions occurred were: (a) shifting from hot dry air to low barometric pressure, (b) shifting from low pressure to hot dry air, and (c) shifting from hot moist to cold dry air without the allergen and back to hot moist with the allergen. 3. 3. The single weather conditions, in the order of the number of severe reactions which occurred in each were: (a) hot dry, (b) room air, (c) cold dry, (d) hot moist, and (e) cold moist air. 4. 4. The single weather conditions, in the order in which the greatest number of all types of reactions occurred were: (a) hot moist, (b) cold dry, (c) hot dry, (d) room air, and (e) cold moist air. 5. 5. The single weather conditions, in the order in which the most severe reactions in the first shock exposure occurred were: (a) hot dry, (b) hot moist, (c) cold dry, (d) room air, and (e) cold moist air. 6. 6. In one well controlled experiment the experimental low pressure condition was conducive to a significantly higher number of reactions than was that of high pressure.
Nonperturbative renormalization and the QCD vacuum

We present a self-consistent approach to Coulomb gauge Hamiltonian QCD which allows one to relate single gluon spectral properties to the long range behavior of the confining interaction. Nonperturbative renormalization is discussed. The numerical results are in good agreement with phenomenological and lattice forms of the static potential.
Effect of Increased Production per Cow on Economic Returns

Abstract A budgeting procedure using a micro computer-based electronic spreadsheet program was used to determine the effect of increased milk production on income over feed and variable costs, income over total costs, and marginal returns and marginal costs of large and small breeds. Feed costs were calculated from the nutrient requirements of cows using six feed cost scenarios. Variable and fixed costs were estimated using current Ohio Cooperative Extension Service budget data. Milk production per cow ranged from 6363 to 11,818 kg/cow per yr for large breeds and from 4546 to 10,000 kg for small breeds. Milk price ranged from $9 to $15 per 45.4 kg milk sold. Feed costs ranged from 20.1 to 43.4% of total cost at the extreme feed prices. Income over total costs was positive at either 1) high milk prices and all feed prices or 2) a combination of moderate milk prices and medium or low feed prices. Whenever the income over total costs was positive, the ratio of marginal returns over marginal costs was above 1, indicating it was profitable to feed and manage for higher milk production. The results applied to both small and large breeds.
Caustics and caustic-diffraction in laser shadowgraphy of a sessile drop and identification of profile near contact line

This paper presents an optical method based on the caustics and caustic-difraction in laser shadowgaphy of a sessile drop to identify and estimate the drop profile near the contact line. A parallel laser beam passes through a liquid sessile drop placed on a transparent substrate to produce a shadowgraphic image of the drop on the screen far from the substrate. Along the inflection line of the drop the Gaussian curvature of the wavefront deformed by the drop vanishes, and therefore the inflection line gives caustics in the far field of the wave, which can be seen on the screen. The neighboring light rays at both sides of the inflection line interfere with each other to form interference fringes at the inner side of the caustics. According to the pattern of the caustics, the drop-profile shape can be identified and estimated.
Fluorocarbon—hydrocarbon interactions in micelles and other lipid assemblies, at interfaces, and in solutions

Abstract It is well known that interactions of fluorocarbons and hydrocarbons in liquids are highly nonideal. Some evidence is presented which indicates that the expression of hydrophobicity of fluorocarbon compounds, when compared to that of hydrocarbon compounds, is significantly different because of the greater participation of water-structure pertubation effects in the case of fluorocarbon compounds. The nonideality of the interactions of fluorocarbons and hydrocarbons is manifested in a great variety of systems involving interfaces, micelles and other lipid assemblies and in solution. Results from a number of different systems are briefly summarized. These discussions include (a) nonideality effects expressed in surface tensions and interfacial tensions against water of mixtures of fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon liquids, (b) a comparison of relative affinities of fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon surfactants at the air—water, hexane—water, and perfluorohexane—water interfaces, (c) differences in the nature of the adsorption of fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon surfactants to low energy solids and the effects of such differences on the wetting properties of surfactants, (d) nonideality in mixed micelles, microscopic phase separation in mixed micelles and the coexistence of mixed micelles of different compositions, (e) unusual properties of partially fluorinated amphiphiles, and (f) possible problems in the use of fluorine-labeled groups as spectroscopic probes. In addition some counterion effects in the micelle formation of perfluoroalkanoates are reviewed. Hydrogen ions as counterions confer greater stability on perfluoroalkanoates as opposed to dodecyl sulfonates. The hydrophobic stabilization of the micelles of perfluorooctanoic acid salts when the tetraethylammonium ion is used as the counterion has been shown recently to be superior to the stabilization of the dodecyl sulfate system. This observation suggests that nonideal fluorocarbon—hydrocarbon interactions may not be of great importance in hydrophobic processes in which contact is the primary event, as opposed to hydrophobic processes in which chain mingling is important, e.g. micelle formation. For contact hydrophobic interactions water-structure effects play a more significant role, and this factor may increase the effective hydrophobicity of fluorocarbons.
Exploring Biotic Interactions Within Protist Cell Populations Using Network Methods

The study of diseased human cells and of cells isolated from the natural environment will likely be revolutionized by single cell genomics (SCG). Here, we used protein similarity networks to explore within- and between-cell DNA differences from SCG data derived from six individual rhizarian cells related to Paulinella ovalis and proteins from the complete genome of another rhizarian, Bigelowiella natans. We identified shared and distinct DNA components within our SCG data and between P. ovalis and B. natans. We show that network properties such as assortativity and degree effectively discriminate genome features between SCG assemblies and that SCG data follow the power law with a small number of protein families dominating networks.
Seasonal change in the optical properties of the permanent ice cover on Lake Bonney, Antarctica: Consequences for lake productivity and phytoplankton dynamics

Geophysical and ecological dynamics within lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, are controlled by the presence of permanent ice covers. Despite the importance of the permanent ice cover, there have been no studies that have examined specific couplings between changes in the geophysical properties of the ice covers and dynamic ecological processes within the underlying water column. Herein we present seasonal irradiance and primary production data from Lake Bonney, Taylor Valley, and we show that the phenomena of “ice whitening” is caused by changes in the scattering properties within the upper meter of the ice column and that the timing and extent of this phenomena exerts a predominant constraint on primary production and overall phytoplankton dynamics.
Thermoreflectance observation of exciton-phonon states in CdS

Abstract Thermoreflectance spectra of CdS from 2–6 eV are presented. The data are discussed in terms of recent theoretical treatments of the exciton-phonon interaction.
Flash-photolytic kinetic studies of the quenching of tetracene triplets by tetracene radical anions

Abstract The kinetics of quenching of tetracene triplets by tetracene radical ions was investigated in dioxane and in THF for variable concentration of the radicals and was found to be governed by bimolecular rate constants of 6.8 and 6.6 × 10 9 M −1 s −1 , respectively.
Transplantation: Pairing of Donor and Recipient: Lymphocyte typing and stimulation of leukocytes in mixed cultures are used to select donors for transplants

In Table 1 of "Transplantation: Pairing of donor and recipient" by F. H. Bach (p. 1170, 5 June), sibling No. 1 should be positive (+) for antigen 10 rather than negative (-).
Safety of labor epidural anesthesia for women with severe hypertensive disease

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether epidural anesthesia during labor increased the frequencies of cesarean delivery, pulmonary edema, and renal failure among women with severe hypertensive disease. Study Design: We performed a secondary retrospective analysis of a subgroup population within a multicenter double-blind trial of low-dose aspirin therapy for women at high risk for development of preeclampsia. Subjects in whom severe hypertensive disease developed were selected. The primary outcomes were the overall frequencies of cesarean delivery among women with severe hypertensive disease who had labor with and without epidural anesthesia. Other maternal and neonatal outcomes were also compared between women who did and did not receive epidural anesthesia. Results: Among the women with severe hypertensive disease (n = 444) 327 had labor. Among the women with severe disease who had labor there was no difference in either the overall cesarean delivery rate (32.1% vs 28.0%; P = .44) or the rate of cesarean delivery for fetal distress or failure to progress (27.8% vs 22.0%; P = .26) between women who did and did not receive epidural analgesia. Women with chronic hypertension were more likely to have a cesarean delivery overall if they received epidural anesthesia, but there was otherwise no difference in the frequencies of cesarean delivery for these indications between women with and without epidural anesthesia within each of the high-risk groups. Pulmonary edema was rare and acute renal failure did not develop in any women. Conclusion: Epidural anesthesia use did not increase the frequencies of cesarean delivery, pulmonary edema, and renal failure among women with severe hypertensive disease. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1999;181:1096-1101.)
Development of low cost production technologies for polycrystalline silicon solar cells

Abstract To develop a technology of forming grooves for low cost cell production, a multi-blade wheel grinding method was investigated. The process time of groove formation on the surface of 10 × 10 cm 2 polycrystalline silicon substrate was reduced to 30 s by a newly developed high-speed groove formation machine. Simultaneous formation of junction and anti-reflection coating by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) technique was also investigated. For electrodes formation process, single firing method for both side electrodes made possible to simplify the firing process and to speed up from a conventional speed of 400 mm/min to 5000 mm/min.
Dermabrasion: Therapy and prophylaxis of the photoaged face

Background: For many years dermabrasion has been used for the treatment of photoaged facial skin. However, there is a paucity of correlative studies that document the beneficial histopathologic effects of dermabrasion with clinical changes. Moreover, long-term follow-up and comparative studies that document these therapeutic results are lacking. Objective: Our purpose was to study patients with photoaged facial skin by comparing the preoperative and postoperative clinical and histopathologic changes that occur as a result of surgical dermabrasion of aged and photodamaged facial skin. Methods: Twelve patients 40 years of age and older with significant photoaging and dermatoheliosis were treated with full-face dermabrasion. Predermabrasion biopsy specimens were compared with matched postdermabrasion biopsy specimens taken at various time intervals from 6 months to 8 years after dermabrasion. Results: Microscopic normalization of the actinically damaged epidermis and papillary dermis was manifested clinically by the replacement of dermatoheliosis with supple, smooth-textured facial skin that remained clinically evident well beyond 8 years after dermabrasion. In addition, the necessity for the continued treatment of premalignant and malignant lesions was virtually eliminated during the 8-year postdermabrasion period. Conclusion: Not only is dermabrasion a beneficial therapeutic option for aged and photo-damaged skin, but it also is a valid means of prophylaxis against neoplastic changes.
Correlation of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry acquired from silver nanoparticle substrates

Applying complementary experiments, like laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) and confocal surface-enhanced Raman microscopy, to the same physical sample location has the potential to elucidate the behavior of complex chemical and biochemical systems in ways that are not available to either method applied in isolation. In these experiments surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and LDI-MS are applied to the same sample spot using a common structure, deposited Ag colloids, both as ionization matrix and simultaneously as enhancing media for surface-enhanced Raman scattering of small organic molecules, dyes and lipids, and the behavior is compared. Three compounds-p-aminothiophenol (ATP), rhodamine 6G and cholesterol-which exhibit different strengths of interaction with Ag are examined in detail by correlated SERS and LDI-MS. The related mechanisms of nanoparticle-assisted desorption-ionization and Raman enhancement are explored by correlating mass and Raman spectra. The correlated spectra highlight the manner in which the different test compounds interact with plasmonic metal nanostructures. These coupled studies yield new insight into the transition of analyte from the metal-solution interface to gaseous ions, including, in the case of organothiols, a rich set of mixed clusters that provide chemical insight into the ion formation process.
Histone deacetylase inhibitors modulate the sensitivity of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand-resistant bladder tumor cells.

Urothelial carcinoma of the bladder accounts for ∼5% of all cancer deaths in humans. The large majority of tumors are superficial at diagnosis and, after local surgical therapy, have a high rate of local recurrence and progression. Current treatments extend time to recurrence but do not alter disease survival. The objective of the present study was to investigate the tumoricidal potential of combining the apoptosis-inducing protein tumor necrosis factor–related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) with histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) against TRAIL-resistant bladder tumor cells. Pretreatment with HDACi at nontoxic doses, followed by incubation with TRAIL, resulted in a marked increase in TRAIL-induced apoptosis of T24 cells but showed no significant increase in toxicity to SV40 immortalized normal human uroepithelial cell-1. HDAC inhibition, especially with sodium butyrate and trichostatin A, led to increased TRAIL-R2 gene transcription that correlated with increased TRAIL-R2 surface expression. The increased TRAIL-R2 levels also resulted in accelerated death-inducing signaling complex (DISC) formation, caspase activation, and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, which all contributed to the increase in tumor cell death. Collectively, these results show the therapeutic potential of combining HDAC inhibition with TRAIL as an alternative treatment for bladder cancer. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(1): 499-507)
Binding of Escherichia coli to Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles

The molecular basis of the diversity of fimbrial lectins dictates the extent of adhesion in different types of Escherichia coli strains to mammalian cells. The mechanism of receptor binding by E. coli in eukaryotic cells differs based on the adhesin domains, patterns in the macromolecular structure and the ligand-binding groove. Current sensor technologies utilize biosensors that are based on the carbohydrate moieties that are involved in pathogen adhesion to host cells. Nanoparticles have been extensively used as carriers for pathogen detection. Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) of 200 nm size were functionalized with two distinct glycoconjugates mannose (Mn–Au NPs) and Neuαc(α2-3)-Gal-(β1-4)Glc–Paa (Sg–Au NPs) in order to investigate primary and fine sugar specificity of uropathogenic E. coli ORN178 and enterotoxigenic E. coli 13762, respectively. The UV-Vis measurement of pristine, 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid (MHDA)/2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol (AEE)/sugar functionalized Au NPs showed a surface plasmon resonance band for Au. Dynamic light scattering analysis showed that the mean averages of the MHDA/AEE/Mn–Au NP samples increased due to aggregation. The negative zeta potentials of the samples were indicative of aggregation. Fine sugar specificity was observed when Neuαc(α2-3)-Gal-(β1-4)Glc–Paa functionalized Au NPs (Sg–Au NPs) specifically showed binding with E. coli 13762 but not with E. coli ORN178. This specificity of E. coli strains to identify and bind to characteristic sugar moieties can be used in the development of biodiagnostic tools with Au NPs as carriers for diagnosis/treatment of human and veterinary diseases. In regards to the growing antibiotic resistance of microorganisms, gold nanoparticles can also be functionalized specifically to reverse adhesion of E. coli to host tissue and can be detected by their optical properties.
A time-convolution approach for modeling heat exchange between a wellbore and surrounding formation

Abstract In oil, gas, and geothermal energy production, as well as geological CO 2 storage, the target formation is typically deeper than 1000 meters. As a result, associated wellbores have a large heat exchange area with the surrounding formation. Large gradients and temporal variations in temperature induced by the injection and production of fluids require accurate and efficient ways to calculate the heat exchange between fluids in the wellbore and the formation. One way to calculate this heat exchange is to fully discretize and numerically model the formation that surrounds the wellbore. However, because only the energy equation needs to be solved (i.e., there is no fluid exchange between the cased wellbore and the formation), this approach is computationally inefficient. In this work, we propose a time-convolution method, where only the wellbore is fully discretized, and heat exchange between fluids in the wellbore and the formation is calculated using semi-analytical solutions of radial conductive heat flow. The time-dependent temperature evolution in the wellbore is calculated numerically using a wellbore simulator for non-isothermal, multiphase fluid mixtures. At each time step, radial heat transfer with the formation is calculated by superposition of analytical solutions of heat flow that are dependent on the temperature differences between subsequent time steps. This coupling scheme is implemented in the TOUGH2 suite of reservoir simulators. To verify the proposed semi-analytical method and demonstrate its applicability, we present examples and compare them to full numerical solutions.
Role of primary human alveolar epithelial cells in host defense against Francisella tularensis infection.

Francisella tularensis, an intracellular pathogen, is highly virulent when inhaled. Alveolar epithelial type I (ATI) and type II (ATII) cells line the majority of the alveolar surface and respond to inhaled pathogenic bacteria via cytokine secretion. We hypothesized that these cells contribute to the lung innate immune response to F. tularensis. Results demonstrated that the live vaccine strain (LVS) contacted ATI and ATII cells by 2 h following intranasal inoculation of mice. In culture, primary human ATI or ATII cells, grown on transwell filters, were stimulated on the apical (AP) surface with virulent F. tularensis Schu 4 or LVS. Basolateral (BL) conditioned medium (CM), collected 6 and 24 h later, was added to the BL surfaces of transwell cultures of primary human pulmonary microvasculature endothelial cells (HPMEC) prior to the addition of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) or dendritic cells (DCs) to the AP surface. HPMEC responded to S4- or LVS-stimulated ATII, but not ATI, CM as evidenced by PMN and DC migration. Analysis of the AP and BL ATII CM revealed that both F. tularensis strains induced various levels of a variety of cytokines via NF-κB activation. ATII cells pretreated with an NF-κB inhibitor prior to F. tularensis stimulation substantially decreased interleukin-8 secretion, which did not occur through Toll-like receptor 2, 2/6, 4, or 5 stimulation. These data indicate a crucial role for ATII cells in the innate immune response to F. tularensis.
electronic Ligand Builder and Optimization Workbench (eLBOW): a tool for ligand coordinate and restraint generation

The electronic Ligand Builder and Optimization Workbench (eLBOW) is a program module of the PHENIX suite of computational crystallographic software. It is designed to be a flexible procedure that uses simple and fast quantum-chemical techniques to provide chemically accurate information for novel and known ligands alike. A variety of input formats and options allow the attainment of a number of diverse goals including geometry optimization and generation of restraints.
A reversing buffer mechanism that enables instances of retrospective activity in hippocampal regions CA3 and CA1

We simulate temporal context dependent episodic memory with resulting reversed order activity in model hippocampal regions CA3 and CA1, similar to recorded activity recently published by D.J.Foster and M.A.Wilson. Our model supposes that encoding of reversed place associations in CA3 is the cause of that activity. That proposed mechanism is the focus of this paper, and we simulate resulting activity in model layer III of entorhinal cortex, and in hippocampal regions CA3 and CA1. Learning associates spike episodes maintained in a persistent firing buffer in layer II of entorhinal cortex (ECU) with unique temporal context specific representations formed in dentate gyrus (DG), as well as with episodic memory encoded in the CA3 recurrent network. Similarly, spiking representations in DG are associated with episodic memory in CA3. Spike sequences retrieved in CA3 are reversed representations of the original episodic input. As observed by Foster and Wilson, and in more recent electrophysiology, resulting simulated activity in CA1 exhibits some forward and some reversed spiking.
Variability of respiratory mechanics during sleep in overweight and obese subjects with and without asthma

Variability of respiration may provide information regarding disease states. We sought to characterize variability of ventilation and resistance in healthy and asthma, to determine how respiratory control may be altered in sleep and with bi-level positive airway pressure (BPAP). Overweight and obese subjects with and without asthma were studied during sleep at baseline and with BPAP, while measuring respiratory system resistance (Rrs) continuously. Stable periods (>20 min) of wake, NREM, and REM sleep were identified and correlation metrics of respiratory parameters were calculated, including coefficient of variation (CV). Variability of Rrs was also characterized over short time scales (20 breaths) during sleep and defined as either “leading to arousal” or “not leading to arousal”. Data from 10 control and 10 subjects with asthma were analyzed. CV of Rrs was decreased in asthma at baseline (p < 0.001) and decreased on BPAP as compared to baseline (p < 0.001). Long time scale correlations were found in respiratory parameters, but the degree of correlations was decreased from wake to sleep (p < 0.05). The variance and CV of Rrs was increased preceding an arousal from sleep at baseline; however, during BPAP, the CV was decreased and was not increased preceding arousals. At baseline, resistance was greater in those with asthma, but variability was smaller. BPAP reduced both resistance and overall variability. We conclude that the BPAP-induced decrease in variability may indicate that those with asthma are more likely to remain in a low resistance state, and that low resistance variability may reduce arousals from sleep.
Soft-decision decoding of Reed-Muller codes with applications to partial response channels

We propose a new approach to the soft-decision decoding of Reed-Muller codes, which takes direct advantage of the Reed decoding algorithm. The proposed decoder has highly parallel and modularized structure compared to the decoder of the random low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. We apply the new decoding algorithm to the both longitudinal and perpendicular magnetic recording channels.
Varieties of Dialectic Change Processes

Five types of dialectic change processes are compared in the context of a Cadburys case study. The strategic change literature has recognized one type of dialectic process that it inaccurately refers to as Hegelian. Different dialectic processes often can operate simultaneously. Managers can make some choices about which processes to cocreate or work with. Effective intervention, participation, and change can depend on which types of dialectic processes managers choose to work or cocreate with.
Spatially Determined Deficits in Letter and Word Processing

Abstract We describe the performance of a brain-damaged subject, HR, whose reading performance can be described as letter-by-letter reading. On a number of experimental tasks she exhibited deficits in letter and bar detection. Her performance in these tasks indicated that her impairment in nonlexical letter detection tasks is spatially determined. We interpret the results within a multi-stage model of prelexical visual/perceptual processing. Within such a model, the impairments can be attributed to deficits at retino-centric and stimulus-centred levels of representation. We explain HR's letter-by-letter reading performance in terms of these deficits. In addition, we attempt to account for the differences in reading performance among patients with spatially determined deficits in terms of the proposed multi-stage model of word recognition.
Clubbed and Shortened Down in Chicks

Abstract Lepkovsky et al. (1938) described an abnormal down condition, which they designated "clubbed" in embryos subject to a riboflavin deficiency. Hawes and Buss (1965) reviewed previous work on the subject, and were unable to establish a relationship between abnormal down and the inherited riboflavin deficiency factor rd (Maw, 1954). Shortened down in chicks is associated with the gene for extended black, E (Kabystina and Petrov, 1935; Bernier and Cooney, 1955; Hawes and Fox, 1962). Both shortened and clubbed down have been observed in the females from a R. I.R. X B.P.R. cross (Hutt, 1951) and it was concluded that the incidence of the abnormality was influenced by the residual genotype since it did not appear when combined with other traits such as barring. Evidence has also been presented for a clubbed down condition in Leghorns dying from a lethal wing mutation (Waters and Bywaters, 1941). Among the black chicks of…
Comparative Developmental Neurotoxicity of Organophosphates In Vivo: Transcriptional Responses of Pathways for Brain Cell Development, Cell Signaling, Cytotoxicity and Neurotransmitter Systems

Organophosphates affect mammalian brain development through a variety of mechanisms beyond their shared property of cholinesterase inhibition. We used microarrays to characterize similarities and differences in transcriptional responses to chlorpyrifos and diazinon, assessing defined gene groupings for the pathways known to be associated with the mechanisms and/or outcomes of chlorpyrifos-induced developmental neurotoxicity. We exposed neonatal rats to daily doses of chlorpyrifos (1 mg/kg) or diazinon (1 or 2 mg/kg) on postnatal days 1-4 and evaluated gene expression profiles in brainstem and forebrain on day 5; these doses produce little or no cholinesterase inhibition. We evaluated pathways for general neural cell development, cell signaling, cytotoxicity and neurotransmitter systems, and identified significant differences for >60% of 252 genes. Chlorpyrifos elicited major transcriptional changes in genes involved in neural cell growth, development of glia and myelin, transcriptional factors involved in neural cell differentiation, cAMP-related cell signaling, apoptosis, oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, and development of neurotransmitter synthesis, storage and receptors for acetylcholine, serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. Diazinon had similar effects on many of the same processes but also showed major differences from chlorpyrifos. Our results buttress the idea that different organophosphates target multiple pathways involved in neural cell development but also that they deviate in key aspects that may contribute to disparate neurodevelopmental outcomes. Equally important, these pathways are compromised at exposures that are unrelated to biologically significant cholinesterase inhibition and its associated signs of systemic toxicity. The approach used here demonstrates how planned comparisons with microarrays can be used to screen for developmental neurotoxicity.
Electrochemical Cross-Linking and Patterning of Nanostructured Polyelectrolyte#Carbazole Precursor Ultrathin Films

Nanostructured ultrathin films of pendant carbazole-modified polyelectrolytes were fabricated using the layer-by-layer deposition technique in order to correlate the importance of highly ordered structures and well-defined layer composition in electrochemical cross-linking and nanopatterning. Both UV−vis and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy studies indicated differences in the film structure and bilayer formation based on the degree of electrostatic interaction and carbazole content. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and SPR studies confirmed the relationship between film structure and the amount of carbazole units per layer affecting the degree of electrochemical cross-linking. CV in particular was used to determine the mechanism of electron transport and electrochemical cross-linking phenomena. Nanopatterning was demonstrated using current sensing AFM (CS-AFM) in which different applied voltages, writing speeds, and composition of polyelectrolytes were studied together with the formation of a complex ...
Biological pathway prediction from multiple data sources using iterative Bayesian updating

There is a diversity of functional genomics data, such as gene expression data from microarray experiments, phenotypic data from gene deletion experiments, protein-protein interaction data, and data from manually curated databases of gene function. Each data source finds certain types of relationships between genes and misses other types of relationships. A method that can combine multiple data sources might then be able to uncover more relationships than a method that depends on a single data source. This paper presents a method that uses an iterative Bayesian updating technique to combine data from multiple sources, represented as undirected weighted graphs, in order to estimate the probability that a gene is part of a given biological pathway. This method improves performance over a simple neighbor based approach for several well characterized biological pathways.
Improving Collaborative Filtering Recommendations Using External Data

This paper describes an approach for incorporating externally specified aggregate ratings information into certain types of collaborative filtering (CF) methods. For a statistical model-based CF approach, we formally showed that this additional aggregated information provides more accurate recommendations of individual items to individual users. Furthermore, theoretical insights gained from the analysis of this model-based method suggested a way to incorporate aggregate information into the heuristic item-based CF method. Both the model-based and the heuristic item-based CF methods were empirically tested on several datasets, and the experiments uniformly confirmed that the aggregate rating information indeed improves CF recommendations. These results also show the power of theory by demonstrating how the insights gained from theoretical developments can shed light on proper selection of good heuristic methods. We also showed the way to introduce scalability and parallelization into the estimation procedure and reported the running time for steps of the estimation procedure for large datasets.
Picosecond time-scale phase-related optical pulses: measurement of sodium optical coherence decay by observation of incoherent fluorescence

A technique for producing phase-related picosecond optical pulses is described. A sequence of two phase-related pulses, well separated in time, is applied to the D1 line in Na vapor. When the phase between the two pulses is scanned, oscillations in the incoherent fluorescence are observed. This demonstrates the well-defined phase relationship between the pulses. Measuring the amplitude of the oscillations as a function of pulse separation yields the Na optical coherence decay. A beat arising from the ground-state hyperfine splitting is observed, and the results agree well with calculation.
Metabolism and Epilepsy

This chapter will examine some aspects of the metabolic (especially energy ­metabolism) and pharmacologic responses to epileptic seizures. This involves animal models as well as imaging studies in patients. Some results are in conflict, and this is probably linked to the usual differences in methodology, and in definitions and data interpretation.
Landscape influences on climate-related lake shrinkage at high latitudes

Climate-related declines in lake area have been identified across circumpolar regions and have been characterized by substantial spatial heterogeneity. An improved understanding of the mechanisms underlying lake area trends is necessary to predict where change is most likely to occur and to identify implications for high latitude reservoirs of carbon. Here, using a population of ca. 2300 lakes with statistically significant increasing and decreasing lake area trends spanning longitudinal and latitudinal gradients of ca. 1000 km in Alaska, we present evidence for a mechanism of lake area decline that involves the loss of surface water to groundwater systems. We show that lakes with significant declines in lake area were more likely to be located: (1) in burned areas; (2) on coarser, well-drained soils; and (3) farther from rivers compared to lakes that were increasing. These results indicate that postfire processes such as permafrost degradation, which also results from a warming climate, may promote lake drainage, particularly in coarse-textured soils and farther from rivers where overland flooding is less likely and downslope flow paths and negative hydraulic gradients between surface water and groundwater systems are more common. Movement of surface water to groundwater systems may lead to a deepening of subsurface flow paths and longer hydraulic residence time which has been linked to increased soil respiration and CO2 release to the atmosphere. By quantifying relationships between statewide coarse resolution maps of landscape characteristics and spatially heterogeneous responses of lakes to environmental change, we provide a means to identify at-risk lakes and landscapes and plan for a changing climate.
Clues from bariatric surgery: reversing insulin resistance to heal the heart.

Obesity is a state of metabolic dysregulation of the whole organism and a major contributing factor to the epidemic of insulin resistant diabetes. The nonpharmacologic treatment of obesity with bariatric surgery results in a dramatic and almost instantaneous reversal of insulin resistance. The present review collectively addresses the evidence for this phenomenon in the literature and discusses potential metabolic and neurohumoral mechanisms. We propose that nutrient restriction lowers the cell’s defense mechanisms for nutrient overload in insulin responsive organs.
Exercise as an intervention for cancer-related fatigue.

C ancer-related fatigue (CRF) has been operationally defined by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) as a “persistent, subjective sense of tiredness related to cancer or cancer treatment that interferes with usual functioning.”1(p309) In people with no known pathology or limitations, fatigue is a universal human experience that is regarded as a basic protective mechanism against the depletion of metabolic energy reserves. With adequate rest, nourishment, and sleep, fatigue in these individuals is self-limiting. However, in contrast to exercise-induced fatigue experienced by these individuals, the fatigue experienced by patients with cancer is of greater magnitude and persistence, tends to remain after rest periods, is more disruptive to activities of daily living, and has a more negative affective impact.2 Until recently, medical advice for patients undergoing treatment for cancer was to obtain additional rest and avoid activities that are physically challenging. Currently, the use of exercise as an adjunct therapy for cancer treatment-related symptoms has gained favor in oncology rehabilitation as a promising intervention.3 The purpose of this update is to examine evidence from recent (since 1997) randomized clinical trials (RCTs) regarding the effectiveness of exercise as an intervention for CRF. The sources of data included all those RCTs found from MEDLINE and CINAHL literature searches for the selected time period using the key words “exercise,” “fatigue,” and “cancer.” The effects of exercise on fatigue in patients with cancer, both those in intervention programs and survivors (5-year), are summarized in the Table. We present findings from 8 recent RCTs, 6 of which involved patients with breast cancer, and provide suggestions for exercise program protocols and for future research endeavors. The majority of articles in the literature involve patients with breast cancer, and physical therapists should take note of this point when making clinical judgments based on the …
Effect of substrate concentration and organic and inorganic compounds on the occurrence and rate of mineralization and cometabolism.

Isopropyl N-phenylcarbamate (IPC) at 400 pg and 1 μg/ml was mineralized in samples of sewage, but only the lower concentration was mineralized in lake water samples in a 50-day period. IPC at 1 μg/ml disappeared from lake water, but it was converted to organic products. Mineralization of IPC at 400 pg/ml in lake water was enhanced by additions of inorganic nutrients or a mixture of nonchlorinated water pollutants but not by yeast extract or mixtures containing aromatic compounds or excretions of primary producers. The mineralization of 200 pg of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetate per ml of lake water was not affected by additions of low levels of yeast extract or compounds excreted by primary producers but was enhanced by low concentrations of mixtures of water pollutants. It is suggested that some chemicals that are found to be converted only to organic products, presumably by cometabolism, in tests using the concentrations commonly employed in laboratory evaluations may be mineralized at the lower concentrations prevailing in natural waters.
Trade-Off Considerations in Designing Efficient VLSI Feasible Interconnection Networks

It is well known that the hypercube has a rich set of good properties, and consequently it has been recognized an ideal structure for parallel computation. Nevertheless, according to the current VLSI technology, the implementation feasibility of the hypercube remains questionable when the size of the hypercube becomes large. Recent research efforts have been concentrated on finding good alternatives to the hypercube. The star graph was shown having many desirable properties of the hypercube, and in several aspects, the star graph is better than the hypercube. However, we observe that the star graph as a network has several disadvantages, compared with the hypercube. In this paper, we propose a class of new networks, the star-hypercube hybrid networks (or the SH networks). The SH network is a simple combination of both the star graph and the hypercube. This class of networks contains the star graph and the hypercube as subclasses. We show that the SH network is an efficient and versatile network for parallel computation, since it shares properties of both the hypercube and the star graph, and remedies several major disadvantages of the hypercube and the star graph. This class of networks provide more flexibility in choosing the size, degree, number of vertices, degree of fault tolerance, etc. in designing massively parallel computing structures feasible for VLSI implementations.
Pneumonia and ARDS in patients receiving mechanical ventilation: diagnostic accuracy of chest radiography.

This study was done to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of bedside chest radiography for pneumonia, adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), or both in patients receiving mechanical ventilation. The series consisted of 40 patients; diagnostic accuracy was defined as the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Overall diagnostic accuracy for ARDS was 0.84. Overall diagnostic accuracy for pneumonia was 0.52. Review of previous radiographs and knowledge of clinical data did not enhance diagnostic accuracy for ARDS or pneumonia. Diagnostic accuracy for pneumonia was minimally reduced when ARDS was present. There was an increase in false-negative results because the diffuse areas of increased opacity in ARDS obscured the radiographic features of pneumonia. The authors conclude that chest radiography is of limited value for the diagnosis of pneumonia in patients receiving mechanical ventilation. The high false-negative and false-positive ratings for pneumonia resulted in a low diagnostic accu...
A structural smoothing framework for Robust graph-comparison

In this paper, we propose a general smoothing framework for graph kernels by taking structural similarity into account, and apply it to derive smoothed variants of popular graph kernels. Our framework is inspired by state-of-the-art smoothing techniques used in natural language processing (NLP). However, unlike NLP applications that primarily deal with strings, we show how one can apply smoothing to a richer class of inter-dependent sub-structures that naturally arise in graphs. Moreover, we discuss extensions of the Pitman-Yor process that can be adapted to smooth structured objects, thereby leading to novel graph kernels. Our kernels are able to tackle the diagonal dominance problem while respecting the structural similarity between features. Experimental evaluation shows that not only our kernels achieve statistically significant improvements over the unsmoothed variants, but also outperform several other graph kernels in the literature. Our kernels are competitive in terms of runtime, and offer a viable option for practitioners.
Silurian (Llandovery/Wenlock) Foraminiferida in carbonate environments of southeastern Wisconsin

THIS NOTE presents the first stratigraphic, paleoenvironmental, and systematic account of Silurian foraminifers in Wisconsin, which include nine previously described species of Ammodiscus, Glomospirella, Hemisphaerammina, Hyperammina, Lagenammina, Psammosphaera, Stomasphaera, Thurammina, and Webbinelloidea (Appendix 1). Early Silurian carbonates in this area (Fig. 1) were deposited in shelf and ramp environments in the western part of the Michigan Basin (Harris et al., 1998), and the foraminifers are associated with macrofaunal communities that represent Benthic Assemblages BA3 to BA5 of Brett et al. (1993). Silicified agglutinated foraminifers were obtained from acidinsoluble residues processed for conodonts, sponge spicules, and macrofauna (Watkins et al., 1994; Kuglitsch, 1996; Watkins and Kuglitsch, 1997; Watkins and Coorough 1997a, 1997b). Silicification of the specimens, rather than a composition of agglutinated siliceous grains, is indicated by lack of detrital silica in enclosing dolostones, variable detail of preservation, and association with other silicified fossils.
“Mechanics” and Mechanism in William Harvey’s Anatomy: Varieties and Limits

English anatomist William Harvey (1578–1657), and especially his De motu cordis (1628), played a prominent role in the rise of mechanical and experimental approaches to natural philosophy in the seventeenth century. Famously, he compares the expansion of the arteries to the inflation of a glove or the expansion of a bladder; the motion of the heart to that of interlocking gears and the firing mechanism of a gun; and the heart to a pump. Less well known, in unpublished notes he compares the digestive organs to chemical apparatus and devotes an entire section to the artificium mechanicum of the muscles. It is perhaps surprising, then, that Harvey’s was a self-consciously Aristotelian and Galenic approach to anatomy. He understood the goal of anatomy to be final causal Aristotelian scientia of the parts of animals articulated using the Galenic notions of the “actions” and “uses” of the parts. Furthermore, he was critical of Descartes’ mechanistic theory of the heart and, more generally, of the corpuscularianism associated with (e.g.) Descartes, Gassendi, and Boyle. He even criticizes his one-time teacher Hieronymus Fabricius ab Aquapendente (who was no mechanical philosopher!) for being overly influenced by the “petty reasoning of mechanics.” In this chapter, I explore the complex and varied uses of mechanics/mechanical in Harvey’s works. I argue that, despite the apparent diversity, Harvey’s attitude toward mechanism is consistent, stable, and creative, reflecting the seventeenth-century semantic ambiguities of “mechanics” and the “mechanical,” as well as his own Galeno-Aristotelian understanding of anatomy.
‘We disputed every word’: how Kyrgyzstan's moderates tame ethnic nationalism

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