cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vascular Dysfunction in Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Microvascular dysfunction mediates many of the local and systemic consequences of ischemic-reperfusion (I/R) injury, with a spectrum of changes specific to arterioles, capillaries, and venules. This review discusses the specific changes in the endothelium during I/R injury; describes the differential responses of the various levels of the vasculature including arterioles, capillaries, and venules; and explores mechanisms for remote organ injury. Vascular dysfunction is largely a consequence of changes in the endothelial cells themselves, affecting the integrity of barrier function, cytokine and adhesion molecule expression, and vascular tone. The bioavailability of nitric oxide, an important mediator of vasodilation, is profoundly decreased during the reperfusion period, resulting in impaired vasodilation of arterioles. Release of inflammatory mediators and increased expression of adhesion molecules initiate inflammatory and coagulation cascades that culminate in the occlusion of capillaries, known as the “no-reflow’’” phenomenon. In postcapillary venules, the recruitment and transmigration of leukocytes further compromise the integrity of the endothelial barrier and increase the oxidative burden, resulting in leakage and tissue edema. I/R injury can have significant and untoward consequences beyond the affected tissue, with such conditions as systemic inflammatory response syndrome. This review highlights recent progress in understanding of the varied phenomena of vascular dysfunction in I/R injury and some promising advances in the understanding and application of ischemic preconditioning and other potential therapies.
Two biochemical types of Duchenne dystrophy: sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane proteins.

The sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane proteins were studied in 10 patients with Duchenne dystrophy by acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Two distinctly abnormal patterns in the distribution of six proteins were identified. Although the patients could be separated biochemically into two groups, no such distinction could be made from the clinical or clinical laboratory findings. The syndrome of Duchenne dystrophy may include at least two biochemically distinct diseases.
Brevity and speed of message delivery trade-offs in augmentative and alternative communication

This report is the first in a series of investigations designed to test a theory identifying the effects of conversational trade-offs between selected maxims on public attitudes toward augmentative...
The role of angiotensin in the pressor response to propranolol and the hypotensive response to phentolamine.

Summary Experiments were conducted to determine the cause of the pressor response to propranolol in phentolamine-treated rats. Adrenal-demedullation prevented both the hypotensive response to phentolamine and the pressor response to propranolol. Both effects could be restored if the drugs were administered during the concomitant infusion of threshold pressor concentrations of epinephrine. The hypotensive effect of phentolamine in adrenal-demedullated rats also could be restored by prior bilateral nephrectomy or administration of either captopril (SQ14,225) or saralasin. In adrenal-intact rats the hypertensive response to propranolol could be inhibited by either nephrectomy or prior administration of captopril.
The temporal relationships between P450E protein content, catalytic activity, and mRNA levels in the teleost Fundulus heteroclitus following treatment with β-naphthoflavone

P450 induction occurs in some marine organisms following chemical exposure. The mode of 3-methylcholanthrene (MC)-type induction was evaluated by examining hepatic isozyme P450E content, catalytic activity, and mRNA levels in the marine teleost Fundulus heteroclitus after exposure to a single dose of beta-naphthoflavone (BNF). P450E is the major teleost P450 induced by MC-type compounds and is the catalyst for aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) and ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activities. In a 20-day experiment, EROD activity was elevated in BNF-treated animals from Day 4 through Day 20. Increases in immunodetectable P450E showed the same trend as EROD activity, with consistently low control values and at least a 19-fold increase in the BNF-treated fish. Precipitation of liver RNA in vitro translation products with anti-P450E antibody gave no detectable signal from control fish, while the BNF-treated animals showed incorporation of [3H]leucine in a single 6,000 Mr band. In a shorter term experiment, EROD activity and P450E levels were again coordinately increased in response to BNF treatment, and immunoprecipitation of translation products from these fish showed a clear trend of increased P450E mRNA levels for all time points 6 h or more post-treatment. Hybridization of RNA from BNF-treated Fundulus with a trout P450IA1 cDNA also showed increases in a single band with time. The increases in P450E mRNA preceded increases in P450E protein and enzyme activity by about 25 h. However, P450E mRNA declined rapidly, reaching control levels by 5 days, while protein levels remained elevated for at least 13 days. The results support a hypothesis that transcriptional enhancement is involved in induction of MC-inducible P450s in fish, but indicate that P450E induction is also under other forms of regulatory control.
The three faces of European Union health policy: Policy, markets, and austerity

European Union health policy has long had two faces. One face was its most visible: its support for data, networks, agencies and research that promoted shared practice and health objectives in fiel...
Speech Intelligibility of Pediatric Cochlear Implant Recipients With 7 Years of Device Experience

Speech intelligibility of 24 prelingually deaf pediatric cochlear implant (CI) recipients with 84 months of device experience was investigated. Each CI participant's speech samples were judged by a panel of 3 listeners. Intelligibility scores were calculated as the average of the 3 listeners' responses. The average write-down intelligibility score was 71.54% (SD = 29.89), and the average rating-scale intelligibility score was 3.03 points (SD = 1.01). Write-down and rating-scale intelligibility scores were highly correlated (r = .91, p<.001). Linear regression analyses revealed that both age at implantation and different speech-coding strategies contribute to the variability of CI participants' speech intelligibility. Implantation at a younger age and the use of the spectral-peak speech-coding strategy yielded higher intelligibility scores than implantation at an older age and the use of the multipeak speech-coding strategy. These results serve as indices for clinical applications when long-term advancemen...
Computational studies using a novel simplicial-approximation based algorithm for MINLP optimization

Abstract Significant advances have been made in the last two decades for the effective solution of mixed integer non-linear programming (MINLP) problems, mainly by exploiting the special structure of the problem that results under certain convexity assumptions. This paper discusses the computational experience with a novel decomposition algorithm which is based on the idea of closely approximating the feasible region defined by the set of constraints by a convex polytope using the simplicial approximation approach (Goyal and Ierapetritou, 2003b). A variety of problems are solved including structural flowsheet optimization, design of batch processes and trim-loss minimization to illustrate the applicability and efficiency of the proposed approach.
Differential Modulation of Detergents on Single Channel Activity of TRPC4/C5

The effects of detergents on ion channel modulation have been studied before. Specifically, it has been noted that detergents used in the preparation of subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins can differentially modulate channel activity. A detailed analysis of the modulation, however, has not been performed. Here we show that detergents typically used in G protein subunit preparations, in sub-critical micelle concentrations, can affect the ion channel under consideration. TRPC4 and TRPC5 are closely homologous members of the Canonical Transient Receptor Potential family of non-selective cation channels. Activation of TRPC4 and TRPC5 elicits membrane depolarization and intracellular calcium signaling in neurons, vascular endothelium and smooth muscle cells. Both channels have been previously shown to be synergistically regulated by Gq-coupled receptor pathways and pertussis toxin sensitive Gi/o-coupled receptor pathways. The zwitterionic detergent CHAPS (3-[(3-cholamidopropyl) dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate, 14-50 μM) and nonionic surfactant lubrol (C12E10, 0.001-0.004%), which are typically used in G protein subunit preparations, were applied to the cytosolic side of inside-out membrane patches excised from HEK293 cells expressing TRPC4 or TRPC5. Although both CHAPS and lubrol caused ∼40-60% reduction in Popen under basal non-stimulated conditions, only CHAPS resulted in an increase in frequency of transitions between the open and closed states of the single channel activity. Therefore, the effects of detergents, especially at a single channel resolution, are significant and can affect results where proteins dissolved in these detergents are used. The mechanisms behind these phenomena have yet to be elucidated; however, it is likely that these detergents modify membrane elasticity in different ways, resulting in either partial solubilization of the ion channel or enhanced rigidity of the membrane surrounding the channel.
Volumetric characterization of human coronary calcification by frequency-domain optical coherence tomography.

Background Coronary artery calcification (CAC) presents unique challenges for percutaneous coronary intervention. Calcium appears as a signal-poor region with well-defined borders by FD-OCT, which might enable full quantification of CAC. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the accuracy of intravascular frequency-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) to determine distribution of CAC.
Quality of life self-reports from 200 brain tumor patients: comparisons with Karnofsky performance scores.

To test a method of assessing quality of life, 200 primary brain tumor patients in an outpatient clinic answered a 20-minute questionnaire covering ten aspects of quality of life. These results were compared with Karnofsky performance scale (KPS) scores, taking age into account. Among patients with KPS 90–100 (two-thirds of the patients), the KPS alone was difficult to interpret. The questionnaire, with its specific questions related to the key dimension of well-being, provided a more definitive assessment of status. The central importance of well-being was supported by its strong statistical relationships with other dimensions. Particularly, well-being was related to freedom from depression (p < 0.0001), active social life (p < 0.0001), energy (p < 0.01), and fewer symptoms (p < 0.05). The KPS was more useful in differentiating the other one-third of the patients (KPS 50–80) but was highly sensitive to age. KPS scores, therefore, may have been unreliable. Depression, reported by half of the patients, was not predicted by the KPS when age was excluded from the regression analysis but was related to the scores in well-being and socializing. Neither depression, well-being, nor socializing was influenced by age. Thus, the questionnaire directly assessed these central, emotionally based variables, particularly among patients with satisfactory KPS. Such an assessment is especially crucial as a supplement to the KPS in evaluating brain tumor survivors, whose emotional well-being is often severely challenged by treatment after surgical excision.
Does variation in either age at start of therapy or duration of therapy make chemoprevention with finasteride cost-effective?

Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) of finasteride for prostate cancer prevention are consistent with estimates beyond $100 000 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). The majority of these analyses are based on chemoprevention starting in men aged 50–55 years. We sought to evaluate the impact of varying both age at commencement of therapy and length of therapy on the cost-effectiveness of finasteride. A probabilistic Markov model was designed to estimate lifetime prostate health-related costs and quality-adjusted survival for men receiving or not receiving chemoprevention with finasteride. ICERs across scenarios varying age at start of therapy and duration of chemoprevention were compared. The ICER for men starting chemoprevention at age 50 and continuing to age 75 was $88 800 per QALY when assuming finasteride causes a constant risk reduction across all tumor grades (base case 1) and $142 300 per QALY when assuming a differential treatment effect according to Gleason score (base case 2). When starting age is increased, the ICERs trend downward and nadir at 65 years to $64 700 per QALY (base case 1) and $118 600 per QALY (base case 2). Altering duration of therapy had minimal impact. Patient-level experiences with finasteride and BPH significantly influenced the cost-effectiveness of chemoprevention. Initiating chemoprevention at ages when prostate cancer incidence is higher improves its cost-effectiveness profile. Only when assuming a constant risk reduction for all tumor grades, did finasteride fall below $100 000 per QALY, but this finding was not upheld when accounting for side effects associated with the drug.
New bounds on exponential sums related to the Diffie–Hellman distributions

Given θ∈Fp∗ (p prime) of multiplicative order t>pδ, we obtain nontrivial bounds on exponential sums ∑s′=1t∑s=1tepaθs+cθss′ as well as the corresponding incomplete sums. These estimates are of relevance to several issues, such as the Diffie–Hellman distributions in cryptography, prime divisors of ‘sparse integers’, the distribution modp of Mersenne numbers Mq=2q−1 (q prime). The method is closely related to that of Bourgain and Konyagin (C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 337 (2) (2003) 75–80). To cite this article: J. Bourgain, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 338 (2004).
Estimating erosional exhumation on Titan from drainage network morphology

[1] Drainage networks on Titan, Earth, and Mars provide the only known examples of non-volcanic fluvial activity in our solar system. The drainage networks on Titan are apparently the result of a methane-ethane cycle similar to Earth’s water cycle. The scarcity of impact craters and the uneven distribution of fluvial dissection on Titan suggest that the surface may be relatively young. The purpose of this study is to assess the importance of erosion relative to other plausible mechanisms of resurfacing such as tectonic deformation, cryovolcanism, or deposition of aerosols. We present a new method, based on a measure of drainage network shape known as the width function, to estimate cumulative erosion into an initially rough surface. We calibrate this method with a numerical landscape evolution model, and successfully test the method by applying it to river networks on Earth with different exhumation histories. To estimate erosional exhumation on Titan, we mapped fluvial networks in all Synthetic Aperture Radar swaths obtained by the Cassini spacecraft through T71. Application of our method to the most completely imaged drainage networks indicates that for two of four regions analyzed, Titan’s fluvial networks have produced only minor erosional modification of the surface. For the best-constrained region in the northern high latitudes, we find that fluvial networks reflect spatially averaged erosion of more than 0.4% but less than 9% of the initial topographic relief. This result implies either a recent, non-fluvial resurfacing event or long-term fluvial incision rates that are slow relative to the rate of resurfacing.
Recombinant immunoblot and polymerase chain reaction testing in volunteer whole blood donors screened by a multi-antigen assay for hepatitis C virus antibodies.

The purpose of this study was to compare the results of supplementary testing of volunteer whole blood donors who had been screened by the first hepatitis C virus antibody assay licensed in the United States with results from donors screened by a newer, more sensitive, multi- antigen assay. In contrast to the earlier assay, the multi-antigen assay incorporates a recombinant hepatitis C virus antigen, c22-3, which is encoded by a structural region of the viral genome. Supplementary testing included a second-generation recombinant immunoblot assay and a highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction assay for evidence of hepatitis C virus genomic RNA. A comparison of supplementary test results reveals a higher percentage of donors screened by the newer assay to be indeterminate on recombinant immunoblot (34.4% vs. 6.4%, p < 0.05). Furthermore, polymerase chain reaction testing of donors with indeterminate blot results shows that 14 percent have evidence of viral RNA. For this reason, counseling of donors with indeterminate patterns on immunoblot must include informing them of the possibility that they are infected.
Conformation of human calcitonin gene-related peptide (8–37) in aqueous solution as determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy

Abstract Circular dichroism (CD) studies on CGRP(8–37) indicate that there is some latent α-helical structure in aqueous solution. However, the amount is quite small (∼ 10% at 5°C), which is substantially less than for CGRP itself (∼ 15–20%). Upon addition of helix-promoting materials, such as trifluoroethanol and sodium dodecyl sulphate, the helix content increases dramatically. No evidence for helix stabilization upon the addition of zinc was observed.
Optical constants in the extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray region

The nature of optical constants and their measurement by reflection or absorption techniques in the extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray spectral region from 30 to 3000 eV is discussed with emphasis on mirror design. Sources of optical constant data are mentioned and reflectance measurements for SiC and Kanigen between 40 and 200 eV are reported.
A thermodynamic analysis of the deposition of SnO2 thin films from the vapor phase

Abstract A thermodynamic analysis of the hydrolysis reaction between tin tetrachloride and water vapor indicates that the rate of deposition of SnO 2 is a strong function of the temperature and the ratio of the reactants. Good agreement is observed between theoretically derived results and those obtained experimentally; this suggests that the reaction proceeds essentially under equilibrium conditions. Variations in morphology with changes in the growth temperatures are reported with a plausible explanation for the observed results.
The assignment problem: exploring parallelism

The linear assignment problem requires the determination of an optimal permutation vector for the assignment of tasks to agents. Even the backtracking implementation supports a rather powerful bounding function. Since the processing of permutation families (based on low-subscripted vector assignments) can be done independently of each other, one may examine parallel processing strategies, and discovery of instances in which the parallel execution is a very bad idea. Because of article size limitations, this article discusses only backtracking in parallel. A later article will address branch-and-bound in parallel.
Indentation of a viscoelastic rubber covered roll by a rigid plane surface

Abstract Deformations of a viscoelastic rubberlike layer bonded to a rigid cylinder and indented by a rigid plane surface are studied by the finite element method. The constitutive relation assumed for the viscoelastic rubber is that proposed by Boltzman. Some of the assumptions made to simplify the work are that the roll cover is rotating at a uniform angular speed, steady state has reached, the deformations of the rubberlike layer are infinite-simal and the effect of inertia forces is negligible. Results presented include the pressure distribution at the contact surface and the stress distribution near the bond surface.
Effects of anterior and posterior hypothalamic temperature changes on thermoregulation in the rat

Abstract Metabolic heat production and operant thermoregulatory behavior were studied in rats with thermodes implanted into the anterior and posterior hypothalamus. Metabolism was found to be inversely related to anterior hypothalamic temperature (between 32 and 42°C) and not related to posterior hypothalamic temperature. Behavior, on the other hand, was found to be inversely related to both anterior and posterior hypothalamic temperature. Therefore, temperature changes in the anterior hypothalamus affect both autonomic and behavioral thermoregulation, whereas temperature changes in the posterior hypothalamus affect only behavioral thermoregulation.
Surviving the gauntlet: Modern challenges in cardiovascular drug approval and implementation

Despite substantial improvements in outcomes over the past few decades, cardiovascular (CV) disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, accounting for an estimated 9.4 million deaths worldwide annually. As such, it remains a priority to continue to advance novel CV therapeutics from bench through to bedside. We exist in an era that has been marked by numerous advances in high-throughput screening technologies and a deeper understanding of genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Therefore, there exists the opportunity for tremendous therapeutic innovation. Yet, the opposite trend has been observed with a progressive decline in the number of new CV therapeutics that have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the past 2 decades. Between 2000 and 2009, the FDA approved 49 new chemical entities for the treatment or prevention of CV disease, as compared to 74 in the prior decade. It remains challenging to identify a single causal explanation for this trend because it appears to be multifactorial, including a decline in CV product innovation, rapidly rising drug development costs, and a more rigorous regulatory environment. Notably, the attrition rate appears to be rising at every stage of drug development. Currently, CV drug development boasts some of the longest clinical development times and the highest failure rates, as compared to other therapeutic arenas. At the start of the new millennium, the likelihood of successfully bringing a new drug in development to market was 16%, and only 7% for CV therapeutics. Notably, CV drugs approved between 2005 and 2009 spent an average of 6.5 years in clinical development and 1.3 years undergoing regulatory approval, trailing only behind cancer and neurological drugs in total clinical development times. Longer clinical development times mean that a pharmaceutical company only has a limited time frame from drug approval until patent expiration to capitalize on their investment. Therefore, there exist concerns that pharmaceutical company interest in committing resources toward
The Odyssey of the Juvenile Court: Policy Failure and Institutional Persistence in the Therapeutic State

The human services have come to occupy a vital position in the modern welfare state, penetrating nearly all its activities and institutions. Beyond providing a minimum level of support, these services seek to restructure the behavior of their clients so they can better cope with the demands and challenges of modern life. To realize this goal social personnel employ an approach that can most accurately be defined as therapeutic: the situation of the client is viewed as a condition that must be diagnosed; the caseworker establishes a helping relationship; a suitable treatment plan is designed and implemented. Although the middle class voluntarily avails itself of therapeutic services, public intervention by social personnel has a distinctly lower-class bias and an authoritarian character. The middle class purchases therapeutic services from private providers. The state focuses on marginal populations and its subjects usually have no choice about assuming a client status.
Improving on the resolution of the identity in linear R12 ab initio theories

Abstract Here we analyze the use of the resolution of the identity (RI) in approximating many-electron matrix elements in linear R12 theories. A modified standard approximation is proposed that involves expansion in the orthogonal complement to the span of orbital basis set (OBS). The new formulation is labeled complementary auxiliary basis set (CABS) approach. CABS MP2-R12 method has a smaller RI error vis-a-vis the standard ABS approach. Both ABS and CABS approaches are most accurate if the auxiliary basis includes OBS explicitly . The CABS approach found to be more numerically robust than the ABS counterpart.
Manufacture of Metal Microelectrodes with the Scanning Electron Microscope

This communication describes a new method of manufacturing tungsten microelectrodes with finer tip size and more reproducible exposed recording area than has been previously achieved. The tips are dc electroetched to diameters below 500 A and completely covered with polymethyl methacrylate. An electron beam from a scanning electron microscope is then used to expose a precise area on the tip for later removal by chemical methods. Recording results with these electrodes suggest very good isolation properties.
Optimum allocation of plots to years, seasons, locations, and replications, and its application to once-over-harvest cucumber trials

Large experiments and breeding trials are often conducted over years, seasons (or planting dates), and locations, and with replication (blocks). This is costly and time-consuming, but it is usually deemed necessary to sample a range of environments. In this paper, we describe a general approach to optimum allocation of sampling effort, and apply it to once-over-harvest cucumber trials. Two criteria for optimality are considered: minimizing the variance of a genotype (or treatment) mean, and minimizing cost per unit information. Costs could include penalties for delaying a breeding program. Thus, costs may depend on the goal, as well as the size, of the experiment or breeding trial. We found that efficient allocation of resources favors using more years and/or season, with fewer locations and/or replications. Using more years with fewer locations and/or replications is suggested when genotypes are to be evaluated by yield alone. When both yield and quality variables are of interest, as is likely, using more seasons with fewer locations and/or replications is recommended.
Spectral Focal Sweep: Extended depth of field from chromatic aberrations

In recent years, many new camera designs have been proposed which preserve image detail over a larger depth range than conventional cameras. These methods rely on either mechanical motion or a custom optical element placed in the pupil plane of a camera lens to create the desired point spread function (PSF). This work introduces a new Spectral Focal Sweep (SFS) camera which can be used to extend depth of field (DOF) when some information about the reflectance spectra of objects being imaged is known. Our core idea is to exploit the principle that for a lens without chromatic correction, the focal length varies with wavelength. We use a SFS camera to capture an image that effectively “sweeps” the focal plane continuously through a scene without the need for either mechanical motion or custom optical elements. We demonstrate that this approach simplifies lens design constraints, enabling an inexpensive implementation to be constructed with off-the-shelf components. We verify the effectiveness of our implementation and show several example images illustrating a significant increase in DOF over conventional cameras.
An aspect-oriented approach to dynamic adaptation

This paper presents an aspect-oriented approach to dynamic adaptation. A systematic process for defining where, when, and how an adaptation is to be incorporated into an application is presented. Specifically, the paper presents a two-phase approach to dynamic adaptation, where the first phase prepares a non-adaptive program for adaptation, and the second phase implements the adaptation at run time. This approach is illustrated with a distributed conferencing application.
In situ stress orientation near the San Andreas Fault: Preliminary results to 2.1 km depth from the Cajon Pass Scientific Drillhole

Stress-induced wellbore breakouts were analyzed in the Cajon Pass Scientific Drillhole (4.3km NE of the San Andreas fault) to determine the orientation of the principal horizontal stresses, using borehole televiewer digitized data. In the depth interval 1750-2115 m the mean orientation of the maximum horizontal stress is 073°. The scatter in the orientation of breakouts is as much as ±37°, and variations occur with wavelengths of few hundred meters in this interval, reflecting either true changes in stress orientation with depth or the variability of rock anisotropy. All the measured orientations, however, result in left-lateral shear stress resolved onto planes parallel to the San Andreas fault, contrary to its post Miocene right-lateral slip of ∼ 300 km. The stress orientation is consistent, however, with reported left lateral displacement across the Cleghorn fault (3 km northeast of, and possibly subparallel to the San Andreas near Cajon Pass) since the Pleistocene. The Cajon Pass stress orientation may reflect the current state of stress across the San Andreas fault, in which case it should change prior to right lateral slip on this fault, or a shallow local perturbation to the San Andreas stress field, in which case it should rotate couterclockwise with depth. Determination of the stress orientations at greater depths in the Cajon Pass drillhole will better sample the near field of the San Andreas fault and help resolve this question.
Does childhood misfortune raise the risk of acute myocardial infarction in adulthood

Whereas most research on acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has focused on more proximal influences, such as adult health behaviors, the present study examines the early origins of AMI. Longitudinal data were drawn from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (N = 3032), a nationally representative survey of men and women aged 25-74, which spans from 1995 to 2005. A series of event history analyses modeling age of first AMI investigated the direct effects of accumulated and separate domains of childhood misfortune as well as the mediating effects of adult health lifestyle and psychosocial factors. Findings reveal that accumulated childhood misfortune and child maltreatment increased AMI risk, net of several adult covariates, including family history of AMI. Smoking fully mediated the effects of both accumulated childhood misfortune and child maltreatment. These findings reveal the importance of the early origins of AMI and health behaviors as mediating factors. Language: en
Provisional rejection of three alternative hypotheses on the maintenance of a size dichotomy in males of Dawson’s burrowing bee, Amegilla dawsoni (Apidae, Apinae, Anthophorini)

I examine three alternative hypotheses on the male size dimorphism of Dawson’s burrowing bees (Amegilla dawsoni) in which there are large (major) and small (minor) males. One possibility is that minor males are simply the incidental byproduct of environmental conditions that prevent females from provisioning brood cells optimally. This hypothesis is not supported by the finding that males of intermediate size are consistently rare in populations sampled across years and in different regions, nor can it easily account for the absence of a size dichotomy in females. A second possibility is that minors represent a “best of a bad job” response of those females that are small or otherwise disadvantaged. However, presumptive male siblings sometimes include both majors and minors, a result not predicted from this hypothesis. A third explanation is that female brood provisioning strategy results in the production of minors and majors with equal fitness benefit to fitness cost ratios. However, although it is true that minor males weigh on average about half what a major weighs, and so represent approximately half the provisioning expense of a major, minor males on average appear to secure far fewer than half the number of matings of majors. If the estimate of mating success of minors is accurate, the net gain to females from producing a minor son is unlikely to equal that derived from a major son. Therefore the third hypothesis must also be tentatively rejected, although with caution given the uncertainties in estimating the relative costs and benefits of producing major and minor sons.
Boston Catholics: A History of the Church and Its People

The often difficult but always fascinating and colorful experience of Boston Catholics is recounted in this lively history of the Archdiocese of Boston. Thomas H. O'Connor, the dean of Boston historians, traces the remarkable growth and development of the Church over the course of two centuries.
Effect of precipitation inhibitors on calcium carbonate scale formation

Threshold levels of chemical inhibitors are often used to kinetically prevent scale from forming. No theory exists which predicts the minimum level of scale inhibitor concentration which may be effective under varying aqueous solution conditions. When ionic calcium concentration is much greater than ionic carbonate, a model is proposed based upon the relative diffusion rates of the carbonate and the inhibitor ions from which the following criterion for the minimum concentration of inhibitor, which might be effective, is developed and tested: ZIn(Inz-) > 2(CO2-3), where ZIn is the magnitude of the charge on the inhibitor ion and () denotes molar concentration.
The predictive ability paradox in behavioral accounting research

Abstract The purpose of this brief paper is to illustrate a problem with certain “types” of behavioral experiments predicated on a test of predictive ability. Such studies possess the following common characteristics: (1) They employ the implicit prediction models of individual human subjects; (2) They utilize as criteria for assessing predictive usefulness events whose outcomes cannot be independent of expectations about them (e.g. bankruptcy); (3) They use historical values for both criterion events and treatment factors. The difficulty with such experimental designs lies in the necessity to assume unalterable prior behavior in order to utilize a known value for the criterion event. Such an assumption makes it difficult to demonstrate the predictive usefulness of any information treatment factors.
Lodoxamide tromethamine prevents neutrophil accumulation in reexpansion pulmonary edema.

Reexpansion pulmonary edema (RPE) is an acute, unilateral lung injury initiated by cytotoxic oxygen metabolites and temporally associated with an influx of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs); these toxic oxygen products appear to result from reoxygenation of chronically collapsed lung. Lodoxamide tromethamine (U-42585E) reduces infarct size after reperfusion of ischemic myocardium. The possible protective effects of lodoxamide in RPE were examined. Right lungs of rabbits were collapsed for 7 days by injection of air into the pleural space. Reexpansion was accomplished by chest tube with negative pressure in spontaneously ventilating rabbits. Twelve pairs of animals received either lodoxamide (20 mg/kg/h intravenously (i.v.) from 30 min before reexpansion until they were killed) or an equivalent volume of sterile saline. After 2 h, animals were killed by i.v. pentobarbital. Right and left lungs of six pairs of animals were lavaged with 25 ml saline each; the remaining six pairs of animals were studied by measurement of lung wet/dry weight ratio. Albumin concentrations in lavage fluid (BAL) of lodoxamide-treated animals were 243 +/- 165 micrograms/ml in right lung and 29 +/- 15 micrograms/ml in left lung (p less than 0.03); albumin concentration in right lung BAL of untreated animals was 1,180 +/- 319 micrograms/ml (p less than 0.02 vs. lodoxamide-treated animals). PMN percentages in right BAL (3.8 +/- 3.1) and left BAL (2.9 +/- 2.2) did not differ in lodoxamide-treated animals (p greater than 0.65); PMN percentage in right BAL of untreated animals was 18.7 +/- 2.9 (p less than 0.001 vs. lodoxamide-treated animals).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
GaAs FET demodulator and down-convertor for optical-microwave links

A single-gate GaAs FET is utilised to simultaneously perform the photodetection and down-conversion functions of an optical-microwave link receiver, with the transistor supplying its own local oscillator signal through self-oscillation and harmonic generation. Operation up through 89 GHz is demonstrated.
Performance evaluation of the WSN routing protocols scalability

Scalability is an important factor in designing an efficient routing protocol for wireless sensor networks (WSNs). A good routing protocol has to be scalable and adaptive to the changes in the network topology. Thus scalable protocol should perform well as the network grows larger or as the workload increases. In this paper, routing protocols for wireless sensor networks are simulated and their performances are evaluated to determine their capability for supporting network scalability.
Behavior of different geographic strains of Schistosoma japonicum as determined by the circumoval test.

Discussion and conclusionAlthough the circumoval reaction is species specific for S. japonicum, the results of the present studies show that with this test, there were cross reactions among the 4 geographic strains. A significantly larger proportion of eggs showing positive circumoval precipitation, however, was seen when the eggs were incubated with the antisera of the heterologous strains. This indicates that the geographic strains of S. japonicum have already become partly distinct in their serological characteristics.
Microstructure of dental porcelains in a laser-assisted rapid prototyping process.

Summary Objectives The goals of this study were to investigate the phase transformation and microstructure of dental porcelain bodies densified via a moving laser beam and to develop an understanding of how the microstructure of the dental porcelain varies with the laser processing condition and the position relative to the center of the laser beam. Methods A moving laser beam was used to scan and densify a commercial dental porcelain powder bed. The porcelain powder compact was also sintered using a furnace at different temperatures. The phase transformation and microstructure of these dental porcelain bodies were compared and investigated using a host of analytical instruments including scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and quantitative image analysis. Results Based on the temperature dependence of the leucite content in the dental porcelain derived from the furnace-sintered samples, the temperature distribution in the dental porcelain body during laser densification was established. The microstructure of the laser-densified porcelain body was found to be dependent of the location relative to the center of the laser beam and the average laser densification temperature. Significance The understanding of how the microstructure of dental porcelain bodies varies with the laser processing condition and the location with respect to the center of the laser beam was developed. Based on this understanding, the laser processing condition has been optimized to achieve the desired microstructure and densification of dental porcelain bodies simultaneously.
Phylogenetic relationships of North American damselflies of the genus Ischnura (Odonata: Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae) based on sequences of three mitochondrial genes.

Relationships of North American damselflies of the genus Ischnura (Odonata: Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae) were investigated using a total of 1205 bp from portions of three mitochondrial genes: cytochrome b, cytochrome oxidase II, and 12S ribosomal DNA. Parsimony and neighbor joining analyses reveal a monophyletic group consisting of I. damula, I. demorsa, I. perparva, I. posita posita, I. posita atezca, I. verticalis, and probably I. denticollis, likely reflecting a recent radiation in North America. Ischnura kellicotti, I. barberi, I. prognata, I. hastata, I. ramburii, and I. capreola appear to represent much earlier divergences in the group. Many previous hypotheses of relationships among North American species of Ischnura are not supported by the molecular-based analyses. However, there is agreement in many respects between the results of the molecular phylogenetic analyses and the morphologically based conclusions of Kennedy (1919, "The Phylogeny of the Zygoptera," Ph.D. Dissertation, Cornell University, Ithaca). Although results of single-gene phylogenetic analyses often differ, there are very few cases in which there is strong support for conflicting relationships using different partitions of the data. Combined analysis of all three genes yields trees with stronger support overall than the single-gene analyses, and the combined data trees that result from diverse data treatments are congruent with one another in most respects.
A Statistical Investigation of the Sensitivity of Ensemble-Based Kalman Filters to Covariance Filtering

This paper investigates the effects of spatial filtering on the ensemble-based estimate of the background error covariance matrix in an ensemble-based Kalman filter (EnKF). In particular, a novel kernel smoothing method with variable bandwidth is introduced and its performance is compared to that of the widely used Gaspari‐Cohn filter, which uses a fifth-order kernel function with a fixed localization length. Numerical experiments are carried out with the 40-variable Lorenz-96 model. The results of the experiments show that the nonparametric approach provides a more accurate estimate of the background error covariance matrix than the Gaspari‐Cohn filter with any localization length. It is also shown that the Gaspari‐Cohn filter tends to provide more accurate estimates of the covariance with shorter localization lengths. However, the analyses obtained by using longer localization lengths tend to be more accurate than those produced by using short localization lengths or the nonparametric approach. This seemingly paradoxical result is explained by showing that localization with longer localization lengths produces filtered estimates whose time mean is the most similar to the time meanof both the unfilteredestimate and the true covariance. This result suggeststhat a better metric of covariance filtering skill would be one that combined a measure of closeness to the sample covariance matrix for a very large ensemble with a measure of similarity between the climatological averages of the filtered and sample covariance.
Purification and characterization of glutathione conjugate reductase: a component of the tetrachlorohydroquinone reductive dehalogenase system from Phanerochaete chrysosporium.

Abstract A membrane-bound glutathione S -transferase and a soluble glutathione conjugate reductase constitute the reductive dehalogenase system of P. chrysosporium. This enzyme system reductively removes chlorine substituents from tetrachlorohydroquinone, a metabolite of pentachlorophenol. The membrane-bound glutathione S -transferase converts tetrachlorohydroquinone to S -glutathionyltrichloro-1,4-hydroquinone, which is subsequently reduced to 3,5,6-trichlorohydroquinone by the soluble glutathione conjugate reductase (GCR). This GCR can accept glutathione, dithiothreitol, cysteine, or β-mercaptoethanol as cosubstrates. GCR was purified to apparent homogeneity by ion-exchange and covalent chromatography. The enzyme exhibits optimum activity at pH 6.0 and 55°C and appears to be a homodimer with a M r of ∼60 kDa. Activity increases as the number of chlorine substituents on the hydroquinone ring is increased. GCR has an apparent K m of ∼33 μM and an apparent k cat of ∼3.43 s −1 for 2- S -glutathionyl-3,5,6-trichloro-1,4-hydroquinone. Inhibitors of GCR include Cd 2+ , Fe 2+ , Mn 2+ , iodoacetic acid, and p -chloromercuribenzoic acid, suggesting the presence of a catalytic cysteine thiol(s) at the active site. When glutathione is used as a cosubstrate, reduction of S -glutathionyltrichloro-1,4-hydroquinone is accompanied by the production of trichlorohydroquinone and oxidized glutathione in a 1:1 ratio. A mechanism for this novel enzyme is proposed.
PHARMACOLOGIC CONTROL OF HEART RATE IN ATRIAL FIBRILLATION

The clinical features of the heart rate in untreated atrial fibrillation-a rapid and irregular pulse-are well-known to every medical student. The recognition, more than 200 years ago, that the rapid ventricular response in atrial fibrillation could be controlled by digitalis probably marked the beginning of the era of modern pharmacotherapy,71 and the digitalis glycosides are certainly one of the most durable of any treatments in the history of medicine. Although the relative inefficacy of digoxin for the control of exertional heart rate was recognized more than 70 years ago,l0 it was not until the late 1970s that alternative agents-beta-blocking agents and calcium-channel blocking agents-were investigated for this purpose. In this article, mechanisms responsible for the heart rate response in atrial fibrillation and the anticipated range in the absence of therapy and coexistent disease are reviewed. The effects of individual drugs are then considered in two situations-for the control of heart rate during daily activity (at rest and exercise) in patients with sustained atrial fibrillation and the effect on heart rate at the onset of a paroxysm of the arrhythmia. Finally, the effects of selected antiarrhythmic agents commonly prescribed to maintain sinus rhythm are considered with emphasis on their effect on the ventricular response to atrial fibrillation.
Evaluation of a mechanical dispenser and interplant bridges on the dispersal and efficacy of the predator, Phytoseiulus persimilis (Acari: Phytoseiidae) in greenhouse cut roses

Abstract Adequate distribution of natural enemies is necessary for successful augmentative biological control. In California greenhouse cut roses produced using the bent shoot system, the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimils is widely used for control of the phytophagous mite Tetranychus urticae. One purported advantage of the bent shoot method is that the dense foliage of the lower canopy creates interplant bridges that facilitate predator movement. However, gaps in lower canopy interplant contact can occur in young plants or can result from varietal growth habit or seasonal cessation of growth in established plants. We observed an average of 1.63 ± 0.10 interplant contacts in the lower canopy across five rose varieties, with the average lower canopy gap being 3.52 ± 0.42 cm wide. We evaluated the use of interplant bridges of plastic flagging tape as a method to enhance dispersal of the P. persimilis predator. We determined that about three times as many predators moved from the plant on which they were released to adjacent plants when those plants were connected by bridges compared to those that were not. Finally, we tested the use of interplant bridges and a mechanical dispenser to determine if the use of a dispersal aid could enhance the efficacy of biological control. After 3 weeks in the greenhouse the number of leaves infested with T. urticae was reduced by approximately 50% using interplant bridges or a mechanical dispenser in comparison to controls without dispersal aid, although there was no difference between dispersal methods.