cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tree die-off in response to global change-type drought: mortality insights from a decade of plant water potential measurements.

Global climate change is projected to produce warmer, longer, and more frequent droughts, referred to here as “global change-type droughts”, which have the potential to trigger widespread tree die-off. However, drought-induced tree mortality cannot be predicted with confidence, because long-term field observations of plant water stress prior to, and culminating in, mortality are rare, precluding the development and testing of mechanisms. Here, we document plant water stress in two widely distributed, co-occurring species, pinon pine (Pinus edulis) and juniper (Juniperus monosperma), over more than a decade, leading up to regional-scale die-off of pinon pine trees in response to global change-related drought. Pinon leaf water potentials remained substantially below their zero carbon assimilation point for at least 10 months prior to dying, in contrast to those of juniper, which rarely dropped below their zero-assimilation point. These data suggest that pinon mortality was driven by protracted water stress,...
Paths of reentry: employment experiences of injured workers.

BACKGROUND: An injury at work can result in a change in jobs or employers, unemployment, or withdrawal from the labor force. Substantial life changes can occur, often mediated by the initial attempt to return to employment. METHODS: This study uses ethnographic interviews of 204 workers injured in Florida. RESULTS: The study describes three paths to reemployment taken by the injured workers. The "welcome back" path provides workers with a sense of being valued by their preinjury employers. This positive effect remains, even for those who are unable to continue working because of limitations imposed by their injuries. Other paths cause workers to feel undervalued, as discarded or damaged goods, and generate hostility and resentment. Females in all groups are less likely to be currently working. White males were more likely than other groups to be employed in skilled jobs and are also the most likely to return to light-duty jobs and to remain in their preinjury jobs over time. CONCLUSIONS: Half of the workers in this study experience employer indifference or hostility in response to their attempts to return to work after an occupational back injury. After injury, there are both commonalities and meaningful disparities in post-injury experiences of White, Black, and Hispanic male and female workers. Language: en
Beliefs and Creative Performance: Relationships across Three Tasks.

Creative work occurs on novel, ill-defined tasks. By virtue of their ambiguity and complexity, however, creative tasks allow the situation to be construed in a number of ways. Accordingly, one might argue that beliefs, as interpretive structures, would be related to performance on creative problem-solving tasks. To test this proposition, a battery of measures was developed to assess people's beliefs. Subsequently, 195 undergraduates were asked to work on three creative problem-solving tasks. When quality and originality ratings, reflecting performance on the creative problem-solving tasks, were regressed on the beliefs, multiple correlations in the low .40s were obtained. It was found that beliefs consistent with the nature of the task were those most likely to be related to performance. The implications of these findings are discussed with respect to the role of beliefs in shaping people's creative problem-solving activities.
Laparoscopic colectomy for diverticulitis

With the success of laparoscopic cholecystectomy and its revolutionary impact on general surgery, an increasing number of surgeons have adopted more advanced minimally invasive procedures such as laparoscopic antireflux surgery and solid-organ extraction. Laparoscopic colorectal surgery, however, has not been as widely accepted by the surgical community. Possible reasons for its lukewarm reception include longer operative times, its technically demanding nature, a relatively high conversion rate to open surgery, early concern over cancer implants, and limited data on “proven benefits.” Still, the advancement and dissemination of minimally invasive surgical techniques appear to have extended to some degree to laparoscopic colorectal surgery for benign diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and diverticulitis. Benefits such as less postoperative pain, quicker return of gastrointestinal function, and shorter hospital stay have been reported with laparoscopic colectomy. This article focuses on basic technical aspects and the role of laparoscopic colectomy for diverticulitis and does not address the limitations or advantages of laparoscopic surgery specific to IBD or cancer.
RNA synthesis of vesicular stomatitis virus. VIII. Oligonucleotides of the structural genes and mRNA.

The single-stranded RNA genome of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV, Indiana serotype, San Juan strain) yields approx. 75 RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotides ranging in size from 10 to 50 bases. Each of the five structural genes, isolated as duplex RNA molecules hybridized to complementary mRNA, contains two or more of these large oligonucleotides. One of the oligonucleotides is identified as part of the non-coding region near the 3′end of the genome. Comparison of these results with others indicate that the RNA sequence of VSV is apparently stable in the laboratory but not in the wild. RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotides are also shown for all five VSV mRNA species. Whether the mRNA for these digestions are isolated from duplex RNA molecules or as single-stranded RNA species, the oligonucleotide patterns for each mRNA are virtually identical, indicating that each mRNA is transcribed from contiguous sequences on the genome. Comparison with published oligonucleotide patterns obtained from other isolates of VSV or from VSV deletion mutants indicate that identity and changes in their genome structure can be correlated with specific structural genes.
A NEW CORRECTION METHOD FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION ENERGY-DISPERSIVE X-RAY ANALYSES IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE

Spurious x-ray signals, which previously prevented high-resolution energy-dispersive x-ray analysis (EDS) in the environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), can be corrected using a simple method presented here. As the primary electron beam travels through the gas in the ESEM chamber, a significant fraction of the primary electrons is scattered during collisions with gas molecules. These scattered electrons form a broad skirt that surrounds the primary electron beam as it impacts the sample. The correction method assumes that changes in the width of the electron skirt with pressure are less important than changes in the skirt intensity; this method works as follows: The influence of the gas on the overall x-ray data is determined by acquiring EDS spectra at two pressures. Subtracting the two spectra provides us with a difference spectrum which is then used to correct the original data, using extrapolation, back to the x-ray spectrum expected under high-vacuum conditions. Low-noise data are required to resolve small spectral peaks; however, the principle should apply equally to x-ray maps and even to low-magnification images.
Contemporary Perspectives on Jane Jacobs: Reassessing the Impacts of an Urban Visionary

Contemporary perspectives on jane jacobs: Reassessing The Impacts of an Urban Visionary. Edited by Dirk Schubert. xix and 254; ills., bibliogs, index. Burlington, Vt.: Ashgate Publishing, 2014. $10...
Preemptive Surgery for Premalignant Foregut Lesions

Preemptive surgery is the prophylactic removal of an organ at high risk for malignant transformation or the resection of a precancerous or “early” malignant neoplasm in an individual with a hereditary predisposition to cancer. Recent advances in molecular diagnostic techniques have improved our understanding of the biologic behavior of these conditions. Predictive testing is an emerging field that attempts to assess the potential risk of cancer development in predisposed individuals. Despite substantial improvement in these forms of testing, all results are imperfect. This information often becomes an important tool that is used by healthcare providers to evaluate the risk–benefit ratio of various risk modifying strategies (i.e., intensive surveillance or preemptive surgery). A systematic literature review was performed using Medline and the bibliographies of all referenced publications to identify articles relating to preemptive surgery for premalignant foregut lesions. In this review, we outline the controversies surrounding predictive risk assessment, surveillance strategies, and preemptive surgery in the management of high-grade dysplasia (HGD) in Barrett’s esophagus (BE), hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC), bile duct cysts, primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), and pancreatic cystic neoplasms. Resection of BE is supported by the progressive nature of the disease, the risk of occult carcinoma, and the lethality of esophageal cancer. Prophylactic total gastrectomy for HDGC appears reasonable in the absence of accurate screening tests but must be balanced by the impact of surgical complications and altered quality of life. Surgical resection of biliary cysts theoretically eliminates the exposed epithelium to decrease the lifetime risk of cholangiocarcinoma. Liver transplantation for PSC remains controversial given the scarcity of donor organs and inability to accurately identify high-risk individuals. Given the uncertain natural history of pancreatic cystic neoplasms, the merits of selective versus obligatory resection will continue to be debated. Preemptive operations require optimal judgment and surgical precision to maximize function and enhance survival. Ultimately, balancing the risk of surgical intervention with less invasive interventions or observation must be individualized on a case-by-case basis.
The Meaning of the Human Genome Project for Neuropsychiatric Disorders

The past 3 years have witnessed a series of replicable, credible, and increasingly useful genetic discoveries in autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. I cannot emphasize enough the significance of this progress. Neuropsychiatric disorders are outsized contributors to global disease burden, yet treatment development has reached a near stand-still. The problem is that the brain, with its myriad cell types and complex circuitry, represents such a difficult scientific frontier. Because genes play powerful roles in neuropsychiatric disorders, identification of causal variation could provide invaluable clues to their pathogenesis. Sadly, the genetic architecture of neuropsychiatric disorders is fiendishly complex, but unlike other areas of medicine wrestling with genetic complexity, psychiatry lacks objective phenotypic markers. When I became director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), NIH, in 1996, I did not foresee quite how complex the genetics would prove, but did recognize that the contemporary technologies were overmatched. (I ruefully joked that I had the only institute with no low-hanging Mendelian fruit to pluck.) With expert advice, I decided that the only rational approach was to amass large collections of patient DNAs with extensive phenotype information. Some investigators resisted sharing of samples, but for most, that day has long passed. I am pleased that these NIMH collections have proven useful, albeit as only a small fraction of the needed sample sizes. It was not, of course, the first human sequence per se that turned the tide for neuropsychiatric disorders. As for much of medicine, the associated technologies and analytic approaches (above all, the availability of ever cheaper and more accurate DNA sequencing) are proving decisive. These advances have given investigators, clinicians, and patients hope that genetics will finally yield tools that neurobiologists have dreamt of to study the brain in health and in illness. ![Figure][1] CREDIT: HEMERA/THINKSTOCK [1]: pending:yes
Transfusion-induced graft-versus-host disease in patients with malignant lymphoma. A case report and review of the literature.

A case of transfusion-induced graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) occurring in a 31-year-old female with Hodgkin's disease in complete remission is reported. Clinical features are similar to 19 other reported cases of transfusion-induced GVHD associated with malignant lymphoma. the lack of relationship with underlying histology or disease stage and the nearly uniformly fatal outcome underscores the importance of prophylactic irradiation of blood products given to patients with malignant lymphoma undergoing therapy.
A dominant‐negative needle mutant blocks type III secretion of early but not late substrates in Yersinia

Summary Yersinia pseudotuberculosis uses a type III secretion system (T3SS) to deliver effectors into host cells. A key component of the T3SS is the needle, which is a hollow tube on the bacterial surface through which effectors are secreted, composed of the YscF protein. To study needle assembly, we performed a screen for dominant-negative yscF alleles that prevented effector secretion in the presence of wild-type (WT) YscF. One allele, yscF-L54V, prevents WT YscF secretion and needle assembly, although purified YscF-L54V polymerizes in vitro. YscF-L54V binds to its chaperones YscE and YscG, and the YscF-L54V–EG complex targets to the T3SS ATPase, YscN. We propose that YscF-L54V stalls at a binding site in the needle assembly pathway following its release from the chaperones, which blocks the secretion of WT YscF and other early substrates required for building a needle. Interestingly, YscF-L54V does not affect the activity of pre-assembled actively secreting machines, indicating that a factor and/or binding site required for YscF secretion is absent from T3SS machines already engaged in effector secretion. Thus, substrate switching may involve the removal of an early substrate-specific binding site as a mechanism to exclude early substrates from Yop-secreting machines.
NPSNET: Real‐time collision detection and response

The Journal of Visualization and Computer Animation, special issue on Simulation and Motion Control, Vol. 4, No. 1, January - March 1993, pp.13-24.
Endothelin antagonism prevents early EGFR transactivation but not increased matrix metalloproteinase activity in diabetes.

Although past studies have demonstrated decreased renal matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity in type 1 diabetes and in mesangial cells grown under high glucose conditions, renal MMP expression a...
CCK-58: A novel reagent for studying the regulation of cholecystokinin bioactivity

CCK-58 has been shown to be the major circulating form of the hormone in the dog and human. To date, there have been no reports on its biological activity in vivo. We report here that CCK-8 and CCK-58 were equipotent in decreasing gastric motor function after bolus doses and in stimulating protein secretion after continuous infusion in urethane-anesthetized rats. The present results are the first on the in vivo activity of CCK-58, and indicate that because CCK-58 is equipotent to CCK-8, and because it is a major released and circulating form, it may be considered as a major contributor to the expression of cholecystokinin bioactivity.
Covalent heme attachment in Synechocystis hemoglobin is required to prevent ferrous heme dissociation.

Synechocystis hemoglobin contains an unprecedented covalent bond between a nonaxial histidine side chain (H117) and the heme 2-vinyl. This bond has been previously shown to stabilize the ferric protein against denaturation, and also to affect the kinetics of cyanide association. However, it is unclear why Synechocystis hemoglobin would require the additional degree of stabilization accompanying the His117–heme 2-vinyl bond because it also displays endogenous bis-histidyl axial heme coordination, which should greatly assist heme retention. Furthermore, the mechanism by which the His117–heme 2-vinyl bond affects ligand binding has not been reported, nor has any investigation of the role of this bond on the structure and function of the protein in the ferrous oxidation state. Here we report an investigation of the role of the Synechocystis hemoglobin His117–heme 2-vinyl bond on structure, heme coordination, exogenous ligand binding, and stability in both the ferrous and ferric oxidation states. Our results reveal that hexacoordinate Synechocystis hemoglobin lacking this bond is less stable in the ferrous oxidation state than the ferric, which is surprising in light of our understanding of pentacoordinate Hb stability, in which the ferric protein is always less stable. It is also demonstrated that removal of the His117–heme 2-vinyl bond increases the affinity constant for intramolecular histidine coordination in the ferric oxidation state, thus presenting greater competition for the ligand binding site and lowering the observed rate and affinity constants for exogenous ligands.
Return and Risk of CBOE Buy Write Monthly Index

Ederington and Guan’s article calls into question the informational efficiency of option pricing in the real world, by showing that easily constructed positions earn higher returns than they should. Whaley’s article adds evidence of a somewhat different kind to this conclusion. The Chicago Board Options Exchange has recently created an index to measure the returns to a basic covered call strategy that is long the S&P 500 index portfolio (SPX) and short an (approximately) at-the-money one-month SPX call option. In this article, Whaley describes the new index and then uses it to examine the returns to a basic covered call strategy from 1988 to 2001. Measuring the risk of a covered call presents some issues, because it is highly non-normal. Dealing with these, Whaley shows that under several standard measures of investment performance, the covered call strategy has been unusually successful, earning almost as much as the S&P index, with substantially lower risk.
Three Patterns of Domestic Violence in Households: Single Victimization, Repeat Victimization, and Co-occurring Victimization

Using National Crime Victimization Survey data (1992–2004), this study analyzed the effects of household variables, victim characteristics, and incident characteristics on three household family violence patterns (single victimization, repeat victimization and co-occurrence). Eighty percent of family violence households experienced one victimization; 15% experienced repeat victimization; 5% experienced co-occurrence. The total number of people in the household was positively related to multiple violent victimization households, especially co-occurrence households. Victims with less than a high school education (compared to victims with a high school education) had significantly higher odds of living in a co-occurrence household versus a repeat victimization household. Victims who experienced threatened attacks compared to completed attacks with no injury had higher odds of living in single victimization or repeat victimization households but had lower odds of living in co-occurrence households. Respondents victimized by ex-spouses, parents/stepparents, siblings, and other relatives had consistently higher odds of living in co-occurrence households versus repeat victimization households compared to those victimized by spouses.
Inpatient hemodialysis initiation: reasons, risk factors and outcomes.

Background/Aims: Inpatient initiation of chronic hemodialysis is considered undesirable because of cost and possible harms of hospitalization. We examined the patient characteristic
Feature-aided tracking with GMTI and HRR measurements via mixture density estimation

Tracking ground moving targets with ground moving target indicator and high resolution range (HRR) measurements is becoming increasingly important for many military and civilian applications. We first propose a new HRR information exploitation method using the technique of mixture density estimation. With this technique, features extracted from HRR profiles include not only peak locations and magnitudes, but also the information regarding how energy spreads around peaks. Therefore it is expected to increase significantly the feature discrimination power. We then develop a feature-aided tracking (FAT) algorithm that combines HRR features with traditional kinematic measurements in a probabilistic way. The algorithm does not require any a priori knowledge of target identifications. Simulation results are presented for both the HRR feature extraction method and the FAT algorithm.
HEMICELLULOSE CONSTITUENTS IN ALFALFA ROOTS.

The organic food reserves in the root of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) have been studied by various American investigators, with the object of correlating the findings with sound cultural practices (3, 6, 22). In these studies significant fluctuations in the hemicellulose content, as determined by a dilute acid hydrolysis, were noted. The purpose of this investigation was to subject the hemicellulose constituents of the alfalfa root to a more exact chemical study and thereby compare them to the related polysaccharide components of other plants (5, 11, 23). Recently English and German investigators have studied this class of substances in some detail, with the result that our knowledge of them has been greatly extended and clarified. Noteworthy advances have been made by O'Dwyer (13-17), Norms and Preece (12), Preece (18, 19), and by Schmidt (20) , and Ludtke (8-10) . Particularly valuable are the methods of fractionation and separation introduced by O'Dwyer, and Norris and Preece. Hawley and Norman 's (4) efforts to effect a rational system of nomenclature and classification of this complex group of polysaccharides have been a great aid, while Ludtke/s2 (8-10) studies on the occurrence of these materials in the cell wall and their role and function in cell wall formation and metabolism are outstanding. The hemicelluloses as a class are characterized by their ease of hydrolysis by dilute mineral acids and their solubility in dilute alkali. It is by extraction with alkali and subsequent precipitation that they are usually isolated. The properties of the hemicelluloses prepared by a dilute alkaline extraction are determined to a large extent by the concentration of alkali used, the conditions maintained during the extraction, and by the technique used to precipitate and purify them. Perhaps the most significant factor is the concentration of alkali used and the temperature at which the extraction is conducted. Whether the action of hot dilute alkali has a detrimental effect is determined to a large extent by the original properties and composition of the hemicelluloses in question. It is possible that even very dilute alkali can effect an appreciable
Solid-Phase Extraction in Conjunction with Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization/Quadrupole Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry for the Determination of Benzoylecgonine in Urine

A matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization/quadrupole ion trap/mass spectrometer (MALDI-QIT-MS) system is evaluated for the rapid analysis of benzoylecgonine, a cocaine metabolite, from human urine after solid-phase extraction (SPE). Collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) is utilized to provide unambiguous confirmation of benzyolecgonine. In addition, MALDI-QIT-MS is shown to be a viable, rapid quantitative method of analysis for benzoylecgonine with the inclusion of a deuterated benzoylecgonine internal standard. Linearity was established from 1 to 10 mu g/mL of benzoylecgonine in urine. A clinical urine sample known positive for benzoylecgonine was analyzed by MALDI-QIT-MS. The results indicate a mean concentration of 6.2 mu g/mL [7.4% relative standard deviation (RSD), n = 3] of benzoylecgonine by the MALDI method, which is in good agreement with the result of 7.1 mu g/mL (7.0% RSD, n = 3) obtained by a standard gas chromatography (GC)-MS procedure. Therefore, the MALDI method is demonstrated to be a rapid method for the quantitation of benzoylecgonine without post-SPE derivatization and chromatographic separation. Finally, the MALDI method is briefly extended to another class of analyte, methadone, and [( ± )-2-ethyl-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenyl-pyrrolinium] (EDDP), a methadone metabolite, to demonstrate that the technique holds potential for a wide range of analytes.
Reagan, rhetoric, and the public philosophy: Ethics and politics in the 1984 campaign

Ethical analysis of Ronald Reagan's rhetorical practice enables us to bring order to our recent political history. His 1984 campaign for re‐election is especially fitting as a vehicle for this analysis because Reagan is fundamentally a campaigner and because the campaign centered on normative issues. Appropriate ethical standards are grounded in the values and procedures of democratic decision making. When appraised by these standards—rules of disclosure, argument, confrontation, and public competence—the Reagan campaign is found deficient in upholding principles that undergird the political system within which he operated, and upon which the election process depends for its legitimacy and efficacy.
Participation of noncatalytic 'carrier' protein in the metabolism of kaurene in cell-free extracts of pea seeds

Abstract Kaurene- 14 C, when synthesized from mevalonate-2- 14 C in reaction mixtures containing ATP, Mg 2+ , Mn 2+ and 100 000 g supernatant of extracts of cotyledons of immature pea ( Pisum sativum L. cv. Alaska) seeds, became bound in a large proteinaceous aggregate (estimated > 15 × 10 6 daltons). The kaurene-protein complex was readily produced also by incubating exogenous kaurene directly with 100 000 g supernatant. The complex served as a substrate for carbon monoxide-sensitive oxidation by heat-labile preparations of pea seed microsomes under conditions where free exogenous kaurene- 14 C did not undergo enzymic oxidation. These results suggest that a noncatalytic 'carrier' protein fraction, possibly solubilized from endoplasmic reticulum, combine with kaurene and render the lipophilic diterpene accessible to oxidation by mixed function oxidases in the microsomal fraction. The kaurene-protein complex fractions isolated on columns of agarose also contained squalene, which underwent enzymic oxidation under the same conditions as did kaurnene.
Breast-feeding Pattern Among Indochinese Immigrants in Northern California

• A sharp decline in the rate of breast-feeding was documented among Indochinese mothers who migrated from Cambodia and Laos to a city in northern California. While 97.0% of the mothers breast-fed their last infant born in Indochina, only 26.1% and 22.4%, respectively, breast-fed their first and last infant born in the United States. Furthermore, only 3.8% of the mothers who were pregnant at the time of the study intended to breast-feed. The duration of breast-feeding decreased from an average of 20.4 months for the last infant born in Indochina to 8.7 months for the last infant born in the United States. After controlling for several sociodemographic variables, only formula samples distributed at hospital discharge had a significant association with formula feeding (odds ratio, 2.02). However, data on intention to breast-feed suggested that a clear cause-and-effect relationship may not exist. Factors related to cultural traditions and acculturation are offered as possible explanations for the decline in breast-feeding. Breast-feeding education for mothers and training for health professionals is recommended. ( AJDC . 1989;143:804-808)
Salt-Induced Polymer Gelation and Formation of Nanocrystals in a Polymer−Salt System

Salt-induced polymer gelation and nanocrystal fabrication in a polymer−salt system of Pluronic surfactant L35 (E11P16E11) and saturated CdCl2 aqueous solution were studied by means of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The symbols E11 and P16 denote the ethylene oxide end block with 11 segments and the propylene oxide middle block with 16 segments, respectively. The L35 surfactant started to form a gel-like polymer network with only 2 wt % of the saturated CdCl2 solution (weight ratio of CdCl2:H2O = 50:50) in the system. When the amount of salt solution was further increased to 5 wt %, nanocrystals composed mainly of CdCl2 were formed in the gel matrix. In this system, the minimized water content was not the driving force for polymer gelation and microphase separation. The poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) block in the EPE surfactant could not crystallize by itself, but it could be strongly bonded with salt. The formation of unifo...
Nonlinear electronic transport in semiconductor systems with two types of carriers: Application to GaAs.

The balance-equation approach for hot-electron transport previously developed is extended to systems composed of two groups of carriers, each of different effective mass. This is the simplest model for a real band structure of a multivalley semiconductor. The separation of the center-of-mass (c.m.) motion from the relative motion of the electrons is incomplete due to the possibility of exchange of particle number between the two systems and thus is taken into account in the Liouville equation for the density matrix. General expressions for the rates of change of the c.m. momenta, electron system energies, and particle numbers are obtained. These equations in their classical forms are used for a model calculation for the high-field steady-state transport in GaAs and the calculated results show reasonably good agreement with experiments.
Regulation of the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-activated Ca2+ channel by activation of G proteins.

Abstract Streptolysin O-permeable pancreatic acini were used to study the regulation of the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP)-activated Ca channel (IPACC) by agonists and antagonists. Measurements of the apparent affinity for IP (KIP) showed that the IPACC is dynamically controlled during cell stimulation and inhibition, i.e. agonists decreased and antagonists increased KIP. KIP was also independently regulated by thimerosal, Ca content of the stores, the incubation temperature, activation of protein kinases, and inhibition of protein phosphatases, but none of these mechanisms contributed to the regulation by agonists and antagonists. Incubating the cells with low concentration of GTPS or AlF reproduced the effect of the agonist on KIP. Moreover, low [GTPS] allowed activation of the IPACC by agonists at basal levels of IP and markedly impaired channel inactivation by antagonists. Channel sensitization by GTPS also restored the ability of thimerosal to mobilize Ca from internal stores with no change in cellular IP levels. The combination of low [GTPS] and thimerosal locked the channel in an open, antagonist-insensitive state. All modulatory effects of GTPS are independent of phospholipase C activation and IP production. We propose that the dynamic regulation of the IPACC by a G protein-dependent mechanism can play a major role in triggering and maintaining Ca oscillations at low agonist concentrations when minimal or no changes in IP level take place.
Optical trapping of metal-dielectric nanoparticle clusters near photonic crystal microcavities

We predict the formation of a stably trapped metal-dielectric nanoparticle cluster near a photonic crystal cavity. The cavity mode traps a gold particle, which provides a secondary trapping site for a pair of dielectric particles.
Transient solution of a thermoelastic instability problem using a reduced order model.

Above a certain critical speed, slidingsystems with frictional heatingsuch as brakes and clutches can exhibit thermoelastic instability in which non-uniform perturbations develop in the pressure and temperature .elds. A method is described in which the transient thermomechanical behaviour of such systems is approximated by a reduced order model, describing one or more dominant perturbations or eigenfunctions. The goal is to construct a mathematical model of the system with a modest number of degrees of freedom. If a single dominant perturbation is used, an integral expression can be written for the evolution of the perturbation with time. A more accurate description involvingseveral terms requires that the transient behaviour be generated by a sequence of operations in which the sliding speed is piecewise constant. Both models are evaluated by comparison with a direct numerical simulation and prove to give good accuracy with a dramatic reduction in computingtime. ? 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
An efficient integrity-preserving scheme for hierarchical sensor aggregation

Sensor networks have proven to be useful in many application domains. Having the sensor nodes aggregate their results inside the network before sending the results to a base station has been shown to increase the lifetime of the network. However, sensor networks that are deployed in hostile environments need aggregation protocols that protect the integrity of the result. Recently, Chan et al. [3] introduced such a scheme that requires O(Δlog2n) communication per node, where Δ$ is the degree of the aggregation tree for the network and n is the number of nodes in the network. In this paper, we introduce modifications of this approach that reduce the maximum communication per node to O(Δlog2n).
Low activity of LSD1 elicits a pro-inflammatory gene expression profile in riboflavin-deficient human T Lymphoma Jurkat cells.

Mono- and dimethylation of lysine (K)-4 in histone H3 (H3K4me1, H3K4me2) create epigenetic gene activation marks that are enriched near the transcription start site of genes. Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) is a flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent demethylase that catalyzes the demethylation of H3K4me1 and H3K4me2, thereby mediating gene repression. This study tested the hypothesis that LSD1 activity depends on the concentrations of the FAD precursor, riboflavin, in cell culture media, and that riboflavin deficiency causes derepression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Human T lymphoma Jurkat cells were cultured in riboflavin-defined media, representing plasma levels of riboflavin in moderately deficient, sufficient, and supplemented humans. The expression of LSD1 mRNA and protein followed the pattern riboflavin-deficient > riboflavin-sufficient > riboflavin-supplemented cells. However, the increase in LSD1 expression was insufficient to compensate for FAD depletion, and LSD activities were more than 30 % higher in riboflavin-supplemented cells compared with the other treatment groups. The enrichment of H3K4me2 marks was 11–137 % greater in riboflavin-deficient cells compared with sufficient cells in exon 1 of genes coding for the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α. Consistent with the enrichment of gene activation marks, the expression of mRNA coding for pro-inflammatory cytokines was 62–487 % higher in riboflavin-deficient cells compared with sufficient cells. These findings support the hypothesis that riboflavin deficiency contributes toward a pro-inflammatory gene expression pattern through a loss of LSD1 activity.
Adenosine antagonists prevent hypoxia-induced depression of excitatory but not inhibitory synaptic currents

Hypoxia induces depression of excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) in CA1 neurons of the hippocampus. The effect of antagonists that act at the A1 adenosine receptor on hypoxia-induced depression of EPSCs and IPSCs were examined in hippocampal slices with the patch clamp technique (whole-cell configuration). The A1 receptor antagonists 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (DPCPX) (200 nM) and 8-phenyltheophilline (8-PT) (10 microM) significantly prevented depression of EPSCs by hypoxia but failed to protect IPSCs. This result suggests that the hypoxia-induced depression of the EPSC involves the activation of adenosine receptors (possibly of the A1 subtype), whereas depression of the IPSC results from a different mechanism.
Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) adaptively monitor uncertainty while multi-tasking.

As researchers explore animals’ capacity for metacognition and uncertainty monitoring, some paradigms allow the criticism that animal participants—who are always extensively trained in one stimulus domain within which they learn to avoid difficult trials—use task-specific strategies to avoid aversive stimuli instead of responding to a generalized state of uncertainty like that humans might use. We addressed this criticism with an uncertainty-monitoring task environment in which four different task domains were interleaved randomly trial by trial. Four of five macaques (Macaca mulatta) were able to make adaptive uncertainty responses while multi-tasking, suggesting the generality of the psychological signal that occasions these responses. The findings suggest that monkeys may have an uncertainty-monitoring capacity that is like that of humans in transcending task-specific cues and extending simultaneously to multiple domains.
Comparison of counterelectrophoresis and hemagglutination inhibition tests for hepatitis-associated antigen.

Summary Comparison of testing for hepatitis-associated antigen (HAA) by a commercial counter-electrophoresis system and a semiautomated hemagglutination inhibition technique shows the latter to be a practical and sensitive procedure for screening voluntary blood donors.
Debt, Democratization, and Development in Latin America: How Policy Can Affect Global Warming.

The environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis conjectures a nonlinear relationship between pollution and economic growth, such that pollution per capita initially increases as countries economically develop, but then reaches a maximum point before ultimately declining. Much of the EKC literature has focused on testing this basic hypothesis and, in studies that find evidence of an EKC, estimating the “turning point” level of development at which the per capita pollution-growth relationship changes sign. This approach has not emphasized the policy relevance of specification issues or the potential role of policy variables. This research explores a modified EKC specification which conditions the pollution-growth relationship on a country's level of debt and degree of democratization. These variables turn out to be significant, implying that different political and economic contexts can shift EKCs and their turning points. These findings suggest that policies to relieve debt burdens and institute political reform, in addition to their usual justifications, also could be used as a strategy to reduce carbon emissions from developing countries. © 2008 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.
Multi-point bearing cage wireless temperature sensor

In this article, a multi-point bearing cage wireless temperature sensor for mechanical health monitoring applications is presented for the first time. Two insulated inductive coils and two temperature sensitive capacitors are attached along the circumference of the cage. The resonant frequencies of these LC circuits shift linearly with temperature as sensed by the capacitors. An interrogator coil placed axially at 3-mm distance is then able to detect the individual resonant frequencies corresponding to a localized temperature sensed by the individual capacitors on the cage. This allows the user to have a more detailed knowledge of the temperature profile along the bearing circumference and allows the detection of localized faults caused by defects such as shaft imbalance, misalignment, and spalls on individual balls.
The Dynamic Expression Pattern of frzb-1 Suggests Multiple Roles in Chick Development

The Wnt family of secreted proteins has been shown to have multiple roles in embryonic development. Wnt signals are thought to be propagated by binding to the cysteine-rich extracellular domain (CRD) of Frizzled, a seven-transmembrane-domain cell surface receptor. Secreted Frizzled-related proteins (generally denoted Frzb or Sfrp) possess a domain with a high degree of sequence identity and structural similarity with the CRD of Frizzled. Current data indicate that the cysteine-rich domain of secreted Frzb proteins can bind Wnt proteins, suggesting the possibility that Frzbs compete with membrane-bound Frizzled for Wnt binding and consequently act as competitive inhibitors of Wnt signaling. In order to gain a better understanding of the potential roles of Frzb-1 in chick development, we utilized the polymerase chain reaction to isolate a partial cDNA of the chick orthologue of frzb-1, cfrzb-1, and compared its expression pattern to that of Wnt-1, Wnt-3a, Wnt-5a, Wnt-7a, and Wnt-8c. Whole-mount in situ hybridizations have revealed three major phases of expression for cfrzb-1 in the developing chick. The earliest expression of cfrzb-1 is in cells fated to become neural ectoderm in streak-stage embryos. Expression of cfrzb-1 in the neural ectoderm continues up through stage 8. After stage 8, cfrzb-1 expression is gradually attenuated in the closing neural tube of the trunk and is concomitantly up-regulated in neural crest cells. Finally, cfrzb-1 appears in the condensing mesenchyme of the bones in both the limb and the trunk in stage 25+ embryos. Comparative analysis of the cfrzb-1 and the Wnt gene expression patterns suggests possible interactions between cFrzb-1 and all of the Wnt family members examined.
X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Studies of the Effects of Water Vapor on Ultrathin Nitrate Layers on NaCl

Understanding the reactive chlorine cycle in the troposphere is of importance to the ozone balance and oxidation of organics in marine regions. Sea salt particles, containing NaCl as the main constituent, are believed to be the major source of reactive tropospheric chlorine. To develop a fundamental understanding of the processes involved, we have carried out studies which utilize X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to follow the surface composition of NaCl single crystals as a function of sequential exposures to gaseous nitric acid and water vapor at room temperature. The uptake of HNO3(g) on NaCl was found to saturate the substrate surface, forming a metastable nitrate layer with a thickness on the order of 1−2 monolayers. Subsequent exposure of the nitrate layer to water at various pressures, well below the deliquescence points of NaCl and NaNO3, induced surface ionic mobility in a quasi-liquid layer. Phase separation occurred, with microcrystallites of NaNO3 recrystallizing three-dimensionally on t...
Minimum-Drag Axisymmetric Bodies in the Supersonic/Hypersonic Flow Regimes

A study of minimum-drag body shapes was conducted over a Mach range from 3 to 12. Numerical results show that power-law bodies result in low-drag shapes, where the power n = 0.69 (l/d = 3) or n = 0.70 (l/d = 5) shapes have lower drag than theoretical minimum results (« = 0.75 or 0.66, depending on the particular form of the theory). To evaluate the results, a numerical analysis was made, including viscous effects and the effect of a gas model. None of these considerations altered the conclusions. The Hayes minimum-drag body was analyzed and had a higher drag than the optimum power-law body. d i n r T rref x, y, 0 Nomenclature = drag coefficient based on the maximum cross-sectional area = skin-friction coefficient = pressure coefficient = body diameter at the base = marching plane index = unified supersonic-hypersonic similarity parameter, = body length = freestream Mach number = power-law exponent = body radius = temperature at the body surface = freestream temperature z - physical coordinates = circumferential angle
Vibrational Excitation in Ion-Molecule Collisions: H + , H 2 + , He + , N + , Ne + , and Electrons on N 2

A study has been made of the relative band intensities of the $\ensuremath{\Delta}v=\ensuremath{-}1$ sequence of the ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}^{+}$ first negative system excited by ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{He}}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{N}}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{Ne}}^{+}$, and electrons. Projectile ion laboratory velocities from 6 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{6}$ to 1.7 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{8}$ cm/sec (100 eV to 13.5 keV) were used. At ion velocities greater than ${10}^{8}$ cm/sec, the relative band intensities were found to agree with those predicted by the Franck-Condon principle and found in excitation by 150-eV electrons. Below this velocity the relative population of higher (${v}^{\ensuremath{'}}g0$) vibrational states increased monotonically. At the lowest velocity used, the populations of the ${v}^{\ensuremath{'}}=0$ and ${v}^{\ensuremath{'}}=1$ vibrational states of ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}^{+}$ $B{^{2}\ensuremath{\Sigma}_{u}}^{+}$ were found to be equal within experimental error while the higher-state populations increased many orders of magnitude above those predicted by the Franck-Condon principle. The vibrational excitation was found to be solely dependent on the projectile ion's laboratory velocity and independent of its chemical identity. No vibrational excitation was observed in the ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ second positive system excited under similar conditions. It is suggested that the excitation effects in the ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}^{+}$ first negative system occur by a mechanism involving perturbation of the target molecule's vibrational wave functions by the projectile ion. Implications of these results for other collision studies as well as atmospheric phenomena are discussed.
Direct participation in cyber hostilities: terms of reference for like-minded states?

According to its recently published cyber strategy, the U.S. seeks to develop international consensus on how traditional law of armed conflict (LOAC) norms and understandings are modified and applied in cyberspace to help secure this global commons. Although the International Committee of the Red Cross's Interpretive Guidance on Direct Participation in Hostilities and the recent U.S. cyber strategy documents and policy statements are very different in many ways, examination of the relationships between their different aspects could be very useful in setting terms of reference framing the discussions which must occur to develop consensus on how LOAC rules and understandings regarding direct participation in hostilities could be adapted for use in cyberspace. This requires identification of their respective strengths and weaknesses, and potential areas of common ground between them. To be useful, this examination must include consideration of the significance of rules of engagement, formulations of hostile intent, and the proper inferences to be drawn from intelligence analyses as well as the legal standards by which direct participation in hostilities is determined.
Synthesis and characterization of solvated trifluoroacetate alkaline earth derivatives

Abstract The synthesis and characterization of the trifluoroacetic acid (H-TFA) derivatives of a series of alkaline earth congeners was undertaken through the dissolution of the alkaline earth (AE) metal in H-TFA. After drying, the resulting reaction powders were independently crystallized from Lewis basic solvents [pyridine (py) or tetrahydrofuran (THF)] as diverse AE-TFA derivatives. For the smallest cation, an octahedrally bound monomer Mg(TFA)2(py)4 (1) was isolated, wherein the TFA ligands were all terminally (TFA) bound. The remaining compounds were found to adopt polymeric structures with: only bridging (μ-TFA) ligands for {[Ca2(μ-TFA)3(THF)4](μ-TFA)}n (2); a mixture of μ-TFA and chelating bridging (μc-TFA) ligands in {[(μ-TFA)2Sr(μc-TFA)][H-py]py}n (3); and only μc-TFA ligands for {[Ba(μc-TFA)2(μc-TFA)(py)][H-py]}n (4) structure. The later two structures were solved with a pyridinium salt located in the lattice. The trend observed for the TFA ligand was that as the cation increases in size, the ligands transform from bridging to chelating bridging due to the increased coordination sphere of the metals. Elemental analyses, solid-state, and solution multinuclear NMR, and FTIR data confirm the bulk powders were consistent with the X-ray structures.