cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fayetteville Green Lake, New York, U.S.A.: VII. Varve chronology and sediment focusing

Abstract A varve chronology extending back to 1900 with dated stratigraphic markers has been established for deep-water sediment in the northern part (neck) of meromictic Fayetteville Green Lake and correlated to a similar chronology established earlier in the deeper southern end of the lake (main basin). Precise estimates of net annual varve sedimentation rates are given for each year between 1938 and 1977 for the neck. These rates are 27% higher than those previously reported in the main basin and range between 454 and 1090 g m −2 yr. −1 . Varve sedimentation rates have significantly increased throughout the lake during the last 30 years with no changes in the relative ratio of varve sedimentation rates in the neck and the main basin although there is considerable year-to-year variation in this ratio. Higher varve sedimentation rates occur in shallower portions of the permanently stratified water, probably because resuspension is unlikely in this low-energy environment. Because of basin morphometry and meromixis, sediment focusing creates higher varve sedimentation rates in relatively shallow water near the upper limit of the permanently stratified water rather than in the deepest water.
Pharmacologic role of cysteine in ameliorating or exacerbating mineral toxicities.

Cysteine, via chelation reactions, ameliorates biochemical lesions caused by excessive ingestion of several trace elements. Because oral cysteine per se is considerably more protective than the in vivo metabolic cysteine precursors, methionine or cystine, chelation of cysteine with trace elements likely occurs primarily in the gut, thereby decreasing absorption of both cysteine and the trace element in question. Hence, using copper as an example, orally administered cysteine markedly improves growth and reduces liver copper deposition in chicks or rats fed a high level of inorganic copper. Likewise, excessive copper ingestion impairs sulfur amino acid (SAA) utilization and increases the dietary requirement for SAA. Cobalt and selenium toxicities are also ameliorated by oral cysteine ingestion, with the responses being even more striking than those occurring with copper toxicity. While inorganic arsenic poisonings are generally ameliorated by administering cysteine or a cysteine derivative (e.g., dimercaptopropanol), organic pentavalent arsenic toxicity is exacerbated by cysteine administration. Cysteine in this instance acts as a reducing agent, facilitating conversion of organic pentavalent arsenicals such as roxarsone and arsanilic acid to the more toxic trivalent state.
Immune modulation for treatment of allergic disease

Immune modulation for treatment of allergic diseases aims to decrease the pathologic immune response rather than to cause a return to an immunologically naive or unresponsive state. Our expanding knowledge of innate and adaptive immune responses at the molecular level has led to development of immunomodulators for several allergic diseases, particularly asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eosinophilic esophagitis. Although successful immune modulation in mouse models of allergic disease have often failed to translate into significant results in human clinical trials, much has been learned about the pleotropic nature of cytokines and their effector mechanisms and of the varied phenotypes of allergic disease. We examine strategies of immune modulation in allergic diseases that have undergone human clinical trials, all with the common goal of decreasing the T-helper 2 (Th2) response, but through different mechanisms: blocking critical Th2 cytokines, inhibiting Th2 cytokine synthesis, blocking critical Th2 effector molecules, inhibiting important cells in the Th2 response, and stimulating Th1 responses. Therapies directed against specific effector molecules, such as immunoglobulin E and prostaglandin D2, hold promise in immune modulation of allergic disease, as do targeting the IL-4/IL-13 receptor and augmenting Th1/Th2 balance with Toll-like receptor agonists.
Cloning and Characterization of a Novel Membrane-associated Lymphocyte NAD:Arginine ADP-ribosyltransferase

Mono-ADP-ribosylation is a post-translational modification of proteins in which the ADP-ribose moiety of NAD is transferred to proteins and is responsible for the toxicity of some bacterial toxins (e.g. cholera toxin and pertussis toxin). NAD:arginine ADP-ribosyltransferases cloned from human and rabbit skeletal muscle and from mouse lymphoma (Yac-1) cells are glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored and have similar enzymatic and physical properties; transferases cloned from chicken heterophils and red cells have signal peptides and may be secreted. We report here the cloning and characterization of an ADP-ribosyltransferase (Yac-2), also from Yac-1 lymphoma cells, that differs in properties from the previously identified eukaryotic transferases. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the Yac-1 and Yac-2 transferases are 58 and 33% identical, respectively. The Yac-2 protein is membrane-bound but, unlike the Yac-1 enzyme, appears not to be glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored. The Yac-1 and Yac-2 enzymes, expressed as glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins in Escherichia coli, were used to compare their ADP-ribosyltransferase and NAD glycohydrolase activities. Using agmatine as the ADP-ribose acceptor, the Yac-1 enzyme was predominantly an ADP-ribosyltransferase, whereas the transferase and NAD glycohydrolase activities of the recombinant Yac-2 protein were equivalent. The deduced amino acid sequence of the Yac-2 transferase contained consensus regions common to several bacterial toxin and mammalian transferases and NAD glycohydrolases, consistent with the hypothesis that there is a common mechanism of NAD binding and catalysis among ADP-ribosyltransferases.
Simulations of Metal Oxidation in LBE at a Mesoscopic Level

The oxidation process of metals in lead bismuth eutectic (LBE) environment is studied at a mesoscopic scale. An improved stochastic cellular automaton model based on an improved Moore neighborhood is proposed to investigate the development of a continuous oxide layer of metals in LBE. The ionization of metal and the oxidation reaction were simulated with consideration of the transport of oxygen along the grain boundary and the diffusion of metallic ions. The growth of oxide layer in two directions is observed and the volume expansion effect can be realized by changing the volume control parameter. The model was benchmarked with a pure diffusion process, both with the analytical solution and with the previous work. Significant agreement was reached between the data. The developed model is also mapped with the experimental data from an LBE loop. A parametric study was conducted in order to check the importance of the main explicit parameters of the mesoscopic model.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
A new approach for predicting drought-related vegetation stress: Integrating satellite, climate, and biophysical data over the U.S. central plains

Abstract Droughts are normal climate episodes, yet they are among the most expensive natural disasters in the world. Knowledge about the timing, severity, and pattern of droughts on the landscape can be incorporated into effective planning and decision-making. In this study, we present a data mining approach to modeling vegetation stress due to drought and mapping its spatial extent during the growing season. Rule-based regression tree models were generated that identify relationships between satellite-derived vegetation conditions, climatic drought indices, and biophysical data, including land-cover type, available soil water capacity, percent of irrigated farm land, and ecological type. The data mining method builds numerical rule-based models that find relationships among the input variables. Because the models can be applied iteratively with input data from previous time periods, the method enables to provide predictions of vegetation conditions farther into the growing season based on earlier conditions. Visualizing the model outputs as mapped information (called VegPredict) provides a means to evaluate the model. We present prototype maps for the 2002 drought year for Nebraska and South Dakota and discuss potential uses for these maps.
High-responsivity of InP-based photodiodes integrated with 90° hybrid by low excess loss MMI design over wide wavelength range

We demonstrated high-responsivity of InP-based photodiodes integrated with 90° hybrid by the low excess loss multimode interference design over wide wavelength range. These characteristics contribute to realizing high-sensitivity coherent receivers over their whole operating wavelength range.
Generalized Valence-Force-Field Model of (Ga,In)(N,P) Ternary Alloys

We present a generalized valence-force-field (VFF) model for the ternary III-V alloys (III=Ga, In and V=N, P) to predict the formation energies and atomic structures of ordered and disordered alloy configurations. For each alloy (GaInN, GaInP, GaNP, and InNP) the VFF parameters, which include bond-angle/bond-length interactions, are fitted to the first-principles calculated formation energies of 30 ternary structures. Compared to standard approaches where the VFF parameters are transferred from the individual binary III-V compounds, our generalized VFF approach predicts alloy formation energies and atomic structures with considerably improved accuracy. Using this generalized approach and random realizations in large supercells (4096 atoms), we determine the temperature-composition phase diagram, i.e., the binodal and spinodal decomposition curves, of the (Ga, In) (N, P) ternary alloys.
Nuclear techniques for bulk and surface analysis of materials

A review is presented summarizing several nondestructive bulk and surface analysis nuclear techniques developed in the Grumman Research Laboratories. Bulk analysis techniques include 14-MeV-neutron activation analysis and accelerator based neutron radiography. The surface analysis techniques include resonant and non-resonant nuclear microprobes for the depth profile analysis of light elements (H, He, Li, Be, C, N, O, and F) in the surface of materials. Emphasis is placed on the description and discussion of the unique nuclear microprobe analytical capabilities of immediate importance to a number of current problems facing materials specialists.
Magnetic configurations in 160-520-nm-diameter ferromagnetic rings

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA~Received 29 August 2003; revised manuscript received 24 November 2003; published 21 April 2004!The remanent states and hysteretic behavior of thin-ﬁlm magnetic rings has been investigated experimentallyand by micromagnetic modeling. Rings of diameters 160–520 nm, made from Co using lift-off processing,show three distinct remanent states: a vortex state, an ‘‘onion’’ state with two head-on walls, and a ‘‘twisted’’state containing a 360° wall. The range of stability of these states varies with ring geometry, with smaller widthrings showing higher switching ﬁelds and greater variability.DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.69.144421 PACS number~s!: 75.75.1a, 75.60.2d, 85.75.2dI. INTRODUCTION
Proposed pathway for the biosynthesis of serovar-specific glycopeptidolipids in Mycobacterium avium serovar 2

Members of the Mycobacterium avium complex are distinguished by the presence of highly antigenic surface molecules called glycopeptidolipids (GPLs) and the oligosaccharide portion of the serovar-specific GPL defines the 28 serovars. Previously, the genomic region (ser2) encoding the enzymes responsible for the glycosylation of the lipopeptide core to generate the serovar-2-specific GPLs has been described. In this work, the ser2 gene clusters of M. avium serovar 2 strains 2151 and TMC 724 were fully sequenced and compared to the homologous regions of M. avium serovar 1 strain 104, M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis and M. avium subsp. silvaticum. It was also determined that 104Rg, a mutant of strain 104 that produces truncated GPLs, lost several GPL biosynthesis genes by deletion. This comparison, together with analysis of protein similarities, supports a biosynthetic model in which serovar-2-specific GPLs are synthesized from a serovar-1-specific GPL intermediate that is derived from a non-specific GPL precursor. We also identified a gene encoding an enzyme that is necessary for the biosynthesis of serovar-3- and 9-specific GPLs, but not serovar-2-specific GPLs, suggesting that the different serovars may have evolved from the acquisition or loss of genetic information. In addition, a subcluster of genes for the biosynthesis and transfer of fucose, which are needed to make serovar-specific GPLs such as those of serovar 2, is found in the non-GPL-producing M. avium subspecies paratuberculosis and silvaticum.
Identification of neural crest and glial enhancers at the mouse Sox10 locus through transgenesis in zebrafish.

Sox10 is a dynamically regulated transcription factor gene that is essential for the development of neural crest–derived and oligodendroglial populations. Developmental genes often require multiple regulatory sequences that integrate discrete and overlapping functions to coordinate their expression. To identify Sox10 cis-regulatory elements, we integrated multiple model systems, including cell-based screens and transposon-mediated transgensis in zebrafish, to scrutinize mammalian conserved, noncoding genomic segments at the mouse Sox10 locus. We demonstrate that eight of 11 Sox10 genomic elements direct reporter gene expression in transgenic zebrafish similar to patterns observed in transgenic mice, despite an absence of observable sequence conservation between mice and zebrafish. Multiple segments direct expression in overlapping populations of neural crest derivatives and glial cells, ranging from pan-Sox10 and pan-neural crest regulatory control to the modulation of expression in subpopulations of Sox10-expressing cells, including developing melanocytes and Schwann cells. Several sequences demonstrate overlapping spatial control, yet direct expression in incompletely overlapping developmental intervals. We were able to partially explain neural crest expression patterns by the presence of head to head SoxE family binding sites within two of the elements. Moreover, we were able to use this transcription factor binding site signature to identify the corresponding zebrafish enhancers in the absence of overall sequence homology. We demonstrate the utility of zebrafish transgenesis as a high-fidelity surrogate in the dissection of mammalian gene regulation, especially those with dynamically controlled developmental expression.
Induction of maturation of atlantic croaker oocytes by 17α,20β,21‐trihydroxy‐4‐pregnen‐3‐one in vitro: Consideration of some biological and experimental variables

Abstract We characterized the in vitro control of germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) by 17 alpha,20 beta,21-trihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (20 beta-S) in intact ovarian follicles of gonadotropin-primed Atlantic croaker. 20 beta-S-induced GVBD was determined in relation to ovarian (oocyte) morphology, duration of incubation, steroid metabolism, and interaction with other steroids. The rate of GVBD in vitro in the absence of exogenous steroid was positively correlated with initial stage of ovarian morphological development. Maximal responsiveness to 20 beta-S was seen in ovaries with oocytes showing the first signs of morphological maturation. Dose-response experiments with 20 beta-S and 17 alpha,20 beta-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17 alpha,20 beta-P) over a range of incubation times yielded similar results for both steroids, suggesting that conversion of 17 alpha,20 beta-P to 20 beta-S is not required for 17 alpha,20 beta-P-induced GVBD. The ED50 of these steroids markedly decreased with increasing incubation times. Comparisons between patterns of follicular transformation of various radiolabelled steroids to 20 beta-S and their respective activities (using unlabelled steroids) in the GVBD bioassay suggested that, in addition to 17 alpha,20 beta-P, progesterone has some intrinsic maturational activity. However, the maturational effects of 11-deoxycortisol and pregnenolone may be explained by their conversion to 20 beta-S. For the first time in any vertebrate, we showed that the proposed maturation-inducing steroid (20 beta-S) is not significantly transformed to any extractable, potentially active metabolite by intact, maturing ovarian follicles. These findings strongly suggest that 20 beta-S is the terminal product of the MIS biosynthetic pathway in Atlantic croaker ovaries. Estradiol had no acute effects on 20 beta-S-induced GVBD. However, testosterone decreased and cortisol augmented the maturational activity of 20 beta-S. Excess progesterone reduced the activity of a maximally effective dose of 20 beta-S, but pregnenolone was without effect. The effects of these steroids on 20 beta-S-induced GVBD are discussed in relation to their possible interactions with 20 beta-S at the MIS receptor level.
Postmortem transition in the dynamic mechanical properties of bone

Measurements of dynamic shear compliance versus dead time at room temperatures are reported for a sample of rabbit bone and several samples of human bone, including an extracted wisdom tooth. In all cases an abrupt, second-order transition is observed in one or both components of the audio-frequency complex shear compliance, J*b = Jb; - iJb", at about 5 hours after death; this is considered to be an indication of the life-to-death transition in bones.
Fluvial sedimentation on a quivering craton: Influence of slight crustal movements on fluvial processes, upper Jurassic Morrison formation, western Colorado plateau

Abstract One of the most important challenges facing the fluvial sedimentologist is identification of processes outside the stream channel that influence deposition of fluvial sediments. Detailed studies in the lower sequence of the Salt Wash Member (Morrison Formation, Upper Jurassic) demonstrate that crustal deformation at the site of deposition may considerably influence braided-stream processes. Late Jurassic crustal movements in the western part of the Colorado Plateau are interpreted largely from thickness variations and facies distribution, but other features such as vertical repetition of facies, coincidence with at least parts of present-day folds, and the geographic distribution of bedding parameters measured in the fluvial deposits, are also used as corroborating evidence of syndepositional tectonism. These features indicate that several of the large uplifts and basins in the region as well as some of the smaller folds within them were actively moving during deposition of the lower sequence. Tectonic activity altered the stream gradients, which in turn governed sinuosity, flow regime, energy levels, and sediment distribution. Cross-bedding studies indicate that reduced gradients within downwarped areas led to slight increases in sinuosity of the braided-stream channels and of the small sub-channels within them. The lowered gradients apparently resulted in a decrease in the depth of the channels and allowed the streams to flood more readily, producing abundant upper-flow regime horizontal laminations in the channel deposits. In addition, greater quantities of sediment containing higher proportions of sand were deposited in downwarped areas than in positive localities. The inability of the streams to transport bed load through downwarped areas indicates loss of stream energy. However, an increase in the quantity of upper-flow regime horizontal laminations in the same downwarped areas suggests that an increase in flow regime is not necessarily accompanied by an increase in energy levels, at least in regions of slight tectonic activity where the local configuration of the stream channels may change appreciably. Strata presently dip less than 2° throughout most of the region, and this relatively small amount of deformation reflects the combined effects of Late Jurassic, Cretaceous and Tertiary tectonism. This demonstrates that the amount of structural deformation at the site of deposition may appear to be insignificant, yet it can cause appreciable changes in the nature of braided-stream deposits.
Removal of pentachlorophenol from wastewater by combined anaerobic-aerobic treatment

Abstract In this research, the feasibility of combined anaerobic-aerobic biotreatment of pentachlorophenol (PCP) was studied. PCP at 15 mg l−1 caused inhibition to both batch and continuous anaerobic systems. However, the recovery time was reduced significantly with higher biomass. With proper acclimation, an acetate-fed anaerobic column could degrade 93% of PCP with influent concentration of 15 mg l−1. With an aerobic process (a conventional activated sludge system) alone, only 74% of 7.5 mg l−1 of PCP was removed. Using an activated sludge system as a polishing unit following the upflow anaerobic column up to 97% of 15 mg l−1 of PCP was removed.
Synthesis and Characterization of Iodine-123 Labeled 2β-Carbomethoxy-3β-(4‘-((Z)-2-iodoethenyl)phenyl)nortropane. A Ligand for in Vivo Imaging of Serotonin Transporters by Single-Photon-Emission Tomography

2β-Carbomethoxy-3β-(4‘-((Z)-2-iodoethenyl)phenyl)nortropane (ZIENT) (6) and 2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4‘-((E)-2-iodoethenyl)phenyl)nortropane (EIENT) (10) were prepared and evaluated in vitro and in vivo...
Systems analysis of seed filling in Arabidopsis: using general linear modeling to assess concordance of transcript and protein expression

Previous systems analyses in plants have focused on a single developmental stage or time point, although it is often important to additionally consider time-index changes. During seed development a cascade of events occurs within a relatively brief time scale. We have collected protein and transcript expression data from five sequential stages of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seed development encompassing the period of reserve polymer accumulation. Protein expression profiling employed two-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with tandem mass spectrometry, while transcript profiling used oligonucleotide microarrays. Analyses in biological triplicate yielded robust expression information for 523 proteins and 22,746 genes across the five developmental stages, and established 319 protein/transcript pairs for subsequent pattern analysis. General linear modeling was used to evaluate the protein/transcript expression patterns. Overall, application of this statistical assessment technique showed concurrence for a slight majority (56%) of expression pairs. Many specific examples of discordant protein/transcript expression patterns were detected, suggesting that this approach will be useful in revealing examples of posttranscriptional regulation.
Correlation of the Hydrolysis of Benzoyl-Arginine Naphthylamide (BANA) by Plaque with Clinical Parameters and Subgingival Levels of Spirochetes in Periodontal Patients

Recent studies have shown that the extent of hydrolysis by plaque of the trypsin substrate, N-benzoyl-DL-arginine-2-naphthylamide (BANA), correlates with the numbers and proportions of spirochetes in subgingival plaque samples, and appears to be an indicator of clinical disease. In this study, BANA hydrolysis by subgingival plaque was evaluated in a blind manner for its ability to reflect both clinical parameters and subgingival levels of bacteria and spirochetes. Subgingival plaque samples were collected from periodontally healthy and diseased sites in 23 untreated periodontal patients and in 13 treated and maintained periodontal patients. In untreated patients, BANA hydrolysis was statistically associated with the total number of spirochetes and bacteria in the plaque sample, but in the treated patients BANA hydrolysis was statistically associated only with the spirochetes. Most BANA-positive reactions in both patient groups were from the sites which were clinically diseased and high in spirochetes. The...
Pulse compression in line defect photonic crystal waveguide

The dispersion properties of a membrane-type line-defect photonic crystal waveguide were investigated using short optical pulses. Group velocity dispersion larger than 10 ps/(mm/spl times/nm) were measured and pulse compression of approximately 60% was demonstrated.
Characterization of downflowing high velocity fluidized beds

A downer-riser circulating high velocity fluidization apparatus was developed to study the fundamentals of downflowing gas-solid particle mixtures. The acceleration and deceleration of solids due to the influences of the entrance and exit sections result in a relatively uniform axial solids distribution. Radial solid density profiles detected with an X-ray imaging system in the downer show the existence of a core-annulus flow with a dilute core surrounded by a denser wall region. Local solids flux profiles were obtained with an aspirating probe device and the solid velocity profile obtained from the two measured quantities. These confirm that the majority of solids segregates in a wall region that flows faster than the dilute core region. Thus, the shorter residence time in the high-speed downer wall region is coupled with faster reaction rates due to the accompanying high concentration of catalyst, while the dilute core has slower reaction rates with longer residence time due to the lower catalyst concentration and flow velocity. This results in much more uniform reaction extent over the cross-sectional area of the downer and, therefore, should improve the product selectivity.
Anion-modified zirconia: effect of metal promotion and hydrogen reduction on hydroisomerization of n-hexadecane and Fischer–Tropsch waxes

Abstract The effect of metal promoters on the activity and selectivity of tungstated zirconia (8 wt.% W) for n -hexadecane isomerization in a trickle bed continuous reactor is studied by using different metals (Pt, Ni, and Pd) and, in one case, by varying metal loading. Platinum is found to be the best promoter. The effect of hydrogen reduction is investigated using platinum-promoted tungstated zirconia catalysts (Pt/WO 3 /ZrO 2 , 0.5 wt.% Pt and 6.5 wt.% W). Pretreatment at temperatures between 300 and 400°C for 3 h in hydrogen is found to be slightly beneficial for achieving high yields of isohexadecane. A platinum promoted sulfated zirconia (Pt/SO 4 /ZrO 2 ) is compared with a Pt/WO 3 /ZrO 2 catalyst for the hydroisomerization of n -hexadecane in the same reactor at the same n -hexadecane conversion. The former is a good cracking catalyst and the latter is suitable for use as a hydroisomerization catalyst. In a 27-ml microautoclave reactor, studies of the hydroisomerization and hydrocracking of two Fischer–Tropsch (F–T) wax samples are carried out. Severe cracking can be effectively suppressed using a Pt/WO 3 /ZrO 2 catalyst so as to obtain branched isomers in the diesel fuel or lube-base oil range.
Wetpaint: scraping through multi-layered images

We introduce a technique for exploring multi-layered images by scraping arbitrary areas to determine meaningful relationships. Our system, called Wetpaint, uses perceptual depth cues to help users intuitively navigate between corresponding layers of an image, allowing a rapid assessment of changes and relationships between different views of the same area. Inspired by art diagnostic techniques, this tactile method could have distinct advantages in the general domain as shown by our user study. We propose that the physical metaphor of scraping facilitates the process of determining correlations between layers of an image because it compresses the process of planning, comparison and annotation into a single gesture. We discuss applications for geography, design, and medicine.
Why Lakoff still matters: Framing the debate on copyright law and digital publishing

In 2004, linguist and cognitive scientist George Lakoff popularized the idea of using metaphors and “frames” to promote progressive political issues. Although his theories have since been criticized, this article asserts that his framing is still relevant to the debate over copyright law as applied to digital publishing, particularly in the field of scholarly journals. Focusing on issues of copyright term extension and the public domain, open access, educational fair use, and the stewardship and preservation of digital resources, this article explores how to advocate for change more effectively — not by putting a better “spin” on proposed policies — but by using coherent narratives to frame the issues in language linked to progressive values.
Indexing transaction time databases

Abstract To support temporal operators and to increase the efficiency of temporal queries, indexing based on temporal attributes is required. We consider a temporal database with two states: the past state contains the temporal data that has once been valid, but is not valid anymore (i.e. historical data), and the current state contains only the data that is valid at the current time. Considering that the current and the past states have different domain requirements (i.e. size, frequency of being queried, etc.), we propose to use different index structures for these two states. All insertions into the database are actually insertions to the current state, while a deletion from the database is just a migration of data from the current state to the past state (deletion from the current state and an insertion to the past state). Very old data (data that has been valid a long time ago) can also be vacuumed from the past state to tertiary storage devices to keep the size of the past state in reasonable limits. This separation of the two states also facilitates tuning indexing structures for each of them individually. We propose an indexing scheme where the current and past states are indexed by different structures. We put the emphasis on indexing transaction time intervals in transaction time databases in our scheme. For indexing the current state, we suggest using the Modified B+-tree (MB+ -tree), a hybrid of Monotonic B+ -tree and regular B+ -tree that is tuned up to work efficiently where insertions come ordered in time. For the past state, we consider two different index structures, namely, IB+-tree and AD∗-tree. IB+-tree (Interval B+-tree) is an augmented B+-tree to support interval search queries. Similarly, AD∗-tree is an augmented Append-Delete tree (AD-tree) which is a one-dimensional tree structure specifically designed for FIFO domains. Depending on the application and the type of queries asked, either IB+-tree or AD∗-tree may be the one to choose for indexing the past state. We also consider R-trees for comparison purposes. We analyzed these structures and provided some analytical and experimental results that demonstrate their efficiency.
A Novel Synthesis Design Approach for Continuous, Inhomogeneous Structures

This paper presents a novel approach for the design synthesis of continuous inhomogeneous structures. The objective of this research is to mimic biological principles of growth and evolution in order to explore a set of novel design configurations identified by high complexity both in topology and mechanical properties. The ability to synthesize novel structures is explored from an engineering point view, where the use of inhomogeneous properties can increase the ability of a structure to support external loads and minimize weight. Based on the observation that biological structures are inhomogeneous, in the sense that different cells have different properties, an artificial environment has been created which models the biological growth procedure with cells that serve as building blocks of the structure. Cell differentiation is expressed only in the sense of mechanical properties. Each cell contains an identical artificial DNA sequence which is executed during the growth procedure and stops once the structure meets desired engineering requirements, such as supporting loads. The DNA contains sets of rules which are encoded as a gene string. A relatively simple DNA sequence can give rise to complex inhomogeneous structures; small changes in the rules can lead to a significantly different structures with different properties. The representation of these rules is ideally suited for evolution, which will be applied in the future to evolve rule-sets that grow and develop high-performance inhomogeneous structures.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Bid, a Bcl2 Interacting Protein, Mediates Cytochrome c Release from Mitochondria in Response to Activation of Cell Surface Death Receptors

We report here the purification of a cytosolic protein that induces cytochrome c release from mitochondria in response to caspase-8, the apical caspase activated by cell surface death receptors such as Fas and TNF. Peptide mass fingerprinting identified this protein as Bid, a BH3 domain-containing protein known to interact with both Bcl2 and Bax. Caspase-8 cleaves Bid, and the COOH-terminal part translocates to mitochondria where it triggers cytochrome c release. Immunodepletion of Bid from cell extracts eliminated the cytochrome c releasing activity. The cytochrome c releasing activity of Bid was antagonized by Bcl2. A mutation at the BH3 domain diminished its cytochrome c releasing activity. Bid, therefore, relays an apoptotic signal from the cell surface to mitochondria.
The calculus of profit and labour‐time in Sudanese peasant agriculture

In this article I argue that discourse on peasants and social change has tended to rest on unwarranted evolutionist assumptions embedded in oppositional models of past and present. Through an examination of recent changes in Sudanese peasant agriculture, I seek to show that these changes cannot adequately be grasped in terms of transitions from domestic to commodity production or pre‐capitalist to capitalist modes of production. Rather, these changes have been internal to capitalism and reflect changes in the dynamics of capital accumulation in Sudan and the ways in which peasants have responded to the intrusive logic of capitalist calculation.
The absence of chronic rejection in pediatric primary liver transplant patients who are maintained on tacrolimus-based immunosuppression: a long-term analysis.

BACKGROUND: Although the outcome of liver transplantation has improved significantly during the past two decades, graft loss caused by chronic rejection after liver transplantation still occurs in 2% to 20% of recipients. The overall incidence of chronic rejection is also reported to be low in adult recipients, and risk factors have been identified. Chronic rejection is associated with the inability to maintain baseline immunosuppression. Additionally, the diagnoses of primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, autoimmune hepatitis, hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus, common indications for liver transplantation in adults, are associated with a higher incidence of chronic rejection. Fortunately, these diagnoses are rarely seen in children. Little is known about chronic rejection in long-term pediatric liver transplant survivors. The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the incidence of biopsy-proven chronic rejection in long-term survivors of primary pediatric liver transplantation under tacrolimus-based immunosuppression. METHODS: From October 1989 to December 1992, 166 children (boys=95, girls=71; mean age=5.0+/-2.9 years) received a primary liver transplant. These patients were followed until March 2000 with a mean follow-up of 9+/-0.8 (range, 7.4-10.4) years. All liver biopsy specimens and explanted grafts were evaluated for evidence of chronic rejection using the International Banff Criteria. RESULTS: The mortality rate during the follow-up period was 15% (n=25). Retransplantation was required in 11% (n=18) of recipients. Actuarial patient and graft survival rates at 10 years were 84.9% and 80.1%, respectively. There were 535 liver biopsy samples available for evaluation, including the 18 explanted allografts. Biopsy specimens of three other functioning allografts showed evidence of chronic rejection. Immunosuppression had been discontinued or drastically reduced in these recipients because of life-threatening infections, noncompliance, or both. On restoring baseline immunosuppression, all three children had normalized liver function and the allografts were maintained; the liver transplant patients who are alive currently have normal liver functions. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that chronic rejection does not occur in pediatric liver transplant recipients receiving tacrolimus-based immunosuppression, provided baseline immunosuppression is maintained.
Measurement of ultrasonic absorption in a gel by light diffraction and resonator methods

Abstract A new sample cell construction for a light diffraction method permits absolute measurements of the ultrasonic absorption coefficient for a strongly absorbing transparent gel. By means of this cell the absorption coefficient at 6.2 MHz has been measured as a function of the temperature in the gelling temperature range for a 25% (w/w) aqueous solution of the ABA polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene block copolymer PLURONIC R F 127. The resonator method has been used under the same experimental conditions. The strongly absorbing gel causes overlapping of the resonance signals. A calibration based on resonance experiments compared with the absolute measurements yields a solution to that problem and thus makes the resonator method applicable to a strongly absorbing gel.
Sandstone petrographic evidence and the Chugach-Prince, William terrane boundary in southern Alaska

The contact between the Upper Cretaceous Valdez Group and the Paleocene and Eocene Orca Group has been inferred to be the boundary between the Chugach and the Prince William tectonostratigraphic terranes. Sandstone petrographic data from the Prince William Sound area show no compositional discontinuity across this contact. These data are best explained by considering the Valdez and Orca Groups to be part of a single terrane—a thick flysch sequence derived primarily from a progressively unroofing magmatic arc with increasing input from subduction-complex sources through time.
Scientist, socialist: The enduring appeal of Alfred Russel Wallace

Faced with writing Alfred Russel Wallace’s obituary for Science in 1913, Theodore Cockerell identified the challenge posed by Wallace: “It is impossible for any man to discuss adequately the life work of Alfred Russel Wallace. His activities covered such a long period, and were so varied, that no one living is in a position to critically appreciate more than a part of them.” Wallace is best known for his discovery, with Charles Darwin, of evolution by natural selection, but Cockerell recognized that this was just one chapter in the sprawling Wallace epic.
Doing well enough: Toward a logic for common-sense morality

On the traditional deontic framework, what is required (what morality demands) and what is optimal (what morality recommends) can't be distinguished and hence they can't both be represented. Although the morally optional can be represented, the supererogatory (exceeding morality's demands), one of its proper subclasses, cannot be. The morally indifferent, another proper subclass of the optional-one obviously disjoint from the supererogatory-is also not representable. Ditto for the permissibly suboptimal and the morally significant. Finally, the minimum that morality allows finds no place in the traditional scheme. With a focus on the question, “What would constitute a hospitable logical neighborhood for the concept of supererogation?”, I present and motivate an enriched logical and semantic framework for representing all these concepts of common sense morality.
GENE DUPLICATION UNDERLIES COLD ADAPTATION IN ANTARCTIC FISH

![Figure][1] For the past 10–15 million years, the Southern ocean has experienced sub-freezing temperatures. The fishes of the Southern ocean are dominated by a single suborder, the notothenioids, which evolved to survive at– 1.86°C. The extreme cold that these fish endure has driven a
Effects of iron enrichment on phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean during late summer: active fluorescence and flow cytometric analyses

Abstract Eight shipboard iron-enrichment experiments were carried out during the late summers of 1997 and 1998 in the Ross Sea and the Polar Front, respectively, as part of the US JGOFS Southern Ocean program. Using active fluorescence techniques (pump-during-probe flow cytometry/microfluorometry and fast repetition rate fluorometry) and flow cytometry, we examined responses of phytoplankton to iron enrichment over time scales of days. Results of both individual cell and bulk water measurements suggest that physiological iron limitation was widespread in the Ross Sea gyre in the late summer, but that in the region just south of the Polar Front other factors were limiting phytoplankton growth. In the five experiments in which responses to enrichment occurred, all the phytoplankton groups we examined, with the exception of cryptophytes, responded to iron enrichment by increasing normalized variable fluorescence (Fv/Fm) over several days. Normalized variable fluorescence of cryptophyte cells was typically higher than that of other cells and often near the maximum observed. Significant correlations were observed between ambient iron concentrations and normalized variable fluorescence at the beginning of each experiment, and also between ambient iron and the response of normalized variable fluorescence to enrichment. These relationships, which have not been previously documented, support the use of ambient active fluorescence measurements to predict iron-limiting conditions without conducting incubations.
On subdynamics in quantum mechanics

Abstract The notion of an independent subdynamics put forward by the Brussels school is explored rigorously and systematically. A new characterization of the creation operator (in the sense of the Brussels school) emerges from this discussion. Also the flow induced by the time-evolution operator in the space of “vacuum state” is discussed from a rigorous point of view. The discussion is limited to nondissipative systems.
Support for Citizen Participation: a Comparison of American and Japanese Citizens, Activists and Elites

HE proper role of mass publics in democratic polities is a central issue of the postindustrial political era (Barnes and Kaase 1979: 13). By some accounts, the demand for direct citizen participation grows out of the affluence and security of the period following World War II (Inglehart 1977). Pressures for enhanced citizen participation would seem most persistent in policy areas featuring scientific and technical complexity (Nelkin 1979). The complexity of such public policy issues serves to cross-pressure the democratic process (Pierce and Lovrich 1986). On the one hand, the increased demand for public involvement reflects the vitality of democratic principles; on the other hand, the difficulty of the issues themselves calls into question the public's capacity for formulating informed choices (Ellul 1964; DeSario and Langton 1984). Moreover, some commentators fear that the proliferation of technically and scientifically complex issues will impede citizen participation because of a "knowledge gap" separating the mass public from a narrow stratum of activists and experts constituting a technocracy (Hughes 1980; Lovrich and Pierce 1984; Green 1985: 90-113). The environmental arena, perhaps more than any other, has seen legal provisions for public involvement become a dominant feature of the policy process (Taylor 1984). One attribute of the link between environmental policy and citizen involvement is the extent to which environmental citizen activism has assumed a cross-national character
Controlling Affinity Binding with Peptide-Functionalized Poly(ethylene glycol) Hydrogels.

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels functionalized with peptide moieties have been widely used in regenerative medicine applications. While many studies have suggested the importance of affinity binding within PEG hydrogels, the relationships between the structures of the peptide motifs and their binding to protein therapeutics remain largely unexplored, especially in the recently developed thiol-acrylate photopolymerization systems. Herein, we employ Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) and thiol-acrylate photopolymerizations to investigate how the architectures of affinity peptides in crosslinked hydrogels affect their binding to diffusible proteins. The binding between diffusible streptavidin and biotinylated peptide immobilized to PEG hydrogel network was used as a model system to reveal the interplay between affinity binding and peptide sequences/architectures. In addition, we design peptides with different structures to enhance affinity binding within PEG hydrogels and to provide tunable affinity-based controlled delivery of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). This study demonstrates the importance of affinity binding in controlling the availability of hydrogel-encapsulated proteins and provides strategies for enhancing affinity binding of protein therapeutics to bound peptide moieties in thiol-acrylate photopolymerized PEG hydrogels. The results presented herein should find useful on the design and fabrication of hydrogels to retain and sustained release of growth factors for promoting tissue regeneration.
EXTERNALIZATION OF CONDUCTOR CABLES IN QUICKSITE AND QUICKFLEX LEFT VENTRICULAR LEADS

We intended to evaluate the incidence of electrical and mechanical failure of QuickSite (QS) and QuickFlex (QF) left ventricular (LV) leads which are a part of a lead advisory. We invited all 154 alive patients who had the QS and QF leads implanted at our center to participate in this prospective
Carnot Geometry and the Resolvent of the Sub-Laplacian for the Heisenberg Group

Abstract We obtain an explicit representation formula for the sub-Laplacian on the isotropic, three-dimensional Heisenberg group. Using the formula we obtain themeromorphic continuation of the resolvent to the logarithmic plane, the existence of boundary values in the continuous spectrum, and semiclassical asymptotics of the resolvent kernel. The asymptotic formulas show the contribution of each Hamiltonian path in Carnot geometry to the spatial and high-energy asymptotics of the resolvent (convolution) kernel for the sub-Laplacian.
Self-reinforcement: appealing misnomer or effective mechanism?

Abstract The purpose of these two experiments was to test the motivational explanation for the effectiveness of self-reinforcement techniques. In each experiment, the classic self-reinforcement procedure (a desirable consequence following a target behavior) was compared with variations. In Experiment 1, undergraduate females ( n = 61) showed no more self-recorded exercise when they performed a classic self-reinforcement procedure (high-probability activities following exercising) than when they only self-monitored exercise or engaged in one of three related procedures (high-probability activities preceding exercise, or low-probability activities following or preceding exercise). Indeed, only this last group produced significantly more self-recorded exercise. In Experiment 2, undergraduates ( n = 62) attempted more workbook questions following a reading session in which they read a page and then ate a chosen food (classic self-reinforcement procedure) or ate a chosen food and then read a page, than when they read and ate in no particular order. More importantly, more workbook questions were answered correctly by the group who ate a chosen food and then read a page than by the other two groups. No differential results were produced by subjects' level of food deprivation. The classic self-reinforcement procedure showed no advantage over the variations in either experiment. These results call into question the motivational explanation for the effectiveness of self-reinforcement techniques. An alternative stimulus or cuing explanation is offered: that self-reinforcement is effective because it cues the long-term environmental consequences that actually control the frequency of the target behavior.