cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
“Discrete event models in biology: Problems, solutions, and food for thought”

Discrete event models have become an important tool in theoretical biology. There is, at the same time, a growing awareness of the methodological issues that arise in connection with discrete event systems. Synchronization between discrete event and continuous model components and the handling of simulatenous events are technical issues that many simulation programs must address, and how they are handled can have a substantial impact on the results of a calculation. More fundamental, but not unrelated, is the question of comparing notionally equivalent models. This talk presents particular problems that have been encountered when modeling cell migration with a mix of discrete event and continuous processes. Specific examples are taken from our work on smooth muscle cell migration and similar models that are described in the extent literature.
Slow holes in the triangular Ising antiferromagnet

We consider the problem of the doped Ising antiferromagnet on the frustrated triangular lattice in the limit where the hole kinetic energy is much smaller than the Ising exchange. For a {\it single} hole we prove a ``frustrated Nagaoka theorem'' showing that the ground state is magnetized and breaks translational symmetry, in contrast to the parent insulating state that is unmagnetized and spatially homogenous. The extension of this physics to finite dopings depends on the strength of a density-density coupling that is inevitably present - we find either phase separation of the holes, or a superconducting state that is {\it also} magnetized and breaks translational symmetry in a feat of spatial self-organization. Finally, we derive an effective interaction between dilute holes at temperatures in excess of the hopping and find an oscillatory, long-ranged form reflective of the correlations in the underlying classical magnet which presages the breaking of translational symmetry at zero temperature.
Ion mobility spectrometry for the rapid analysis of over-the-counter drugs and beverages

In the pharmaceutical industry, there are increasing requirements for analytical methods in quality assessment for the production of drugs. In this investigation, ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) was used for the rapid qualitative separation and identification of active ingredients in generic over-the-counter drugs and food additives in beverages. The active ingredients determined in drugs were acetaminophen, aspartame, bisacodyl, caffeine, dextromethorphan, diphenhydramine, famotidine, glucosamine, guaifenesin, loratadine, niacin, phenylephrine, pyridoxine, thiamin, and tetrahydrozoline. Aspartame and caffeine were determined in beverages. Fourteen over-the-counter drugs and beverages were analyzed. Analysis times below 10 s were obtained for IMS, and reduced mobilities were reported for the first time for 12 compounds. A quadrupole mass spectrometer coupled to a mobility spectrometer was used to assure a correct peak assignation. The combination of fast analysis, low cost, and inexpensive maintenance of IMS instruments makes IMS an attractive technique for the qualitative determination of the active ingredients in over-the-counter drugs and food additives in manufacture quality control and cleaning verification for the drug and food industries.
Soil water characteristic determination from concurrent water content measurements in reference porous media

We introduce and verify the use of calibrated reference soils or other porous media having known and reproducible water retention characteristics as a means to determine the unknown water retention properties of soils in situ. Pockets of the reference soil may be buried at experimental soil locations, with embedded time domain reflectometry (TDR) probes in both the target and adjacent reference media. Monitoring changes in water content by TDR allows inference of the soil water characteristic (SWC) properties of surrounding soil in hydraulic equilibrium via the known reference media SWC relationship. An expression relating the van Genuchten retention coefficients of any two paired porous media is used to estimate the unknown coefficients. Advantages include in situ measurements across the entire soil wetness range, an ability to closely match pore-size distributions (hence hydraulic continuity) with a wide range of porous media, and measurement efficiency based on using the same instrumentation for all measurements. Seven different soils were used in experiments conducted in a laboratory pressure plate apparatus, a greenhouse, and the field. Soil water characteristic relationships obtained using the reference soils approach were generally similar to those measured using pressure plate apparatus. Potential operational concerns include realizing consistent bulk densities for the buried reference soil pockets, and ensuring that water content (θ) measurements are obtained near effective saturation in field applications. Practical utility of the proposed method may be enhanced by identification or manufacture of a range of reference porous media having reproducible SWCs, e.g., that are invariant under different packing conditions.
Role of Extracurricular Activities in the Promotion of Cross-Race Contact by White Students from High School to College

A series of school extracurricular activities and types of personal, informal interactions were developed to reflect the various types of interracial contact situations defined by Gordon Allport inThe Nature of Prejudice. These were used to determine whether cross-race contact through participation in extracurricular activities in high school could be used to predict cross-race contact at the university. Canonical correlations indicted that, for whites, frequency of cross-race contact while in high school is a predictor of frequent cross-race contact at the university. Additionally, those who gain experience in cross-racial situations through participation in Supportive Norm or Cooperative Interdependent activities in high school are likely to engage in Equal Status forms of contact at the University.
Determination of and by using a least-squares method with caustics

Abstract Current techniques that utilize the method of caustics to determine stress intensity factors at a crack tip use only a limited amount of data from the caustic image. This paper presents a non-linear least-squares technique that has been developed to extract K I , K II and the initial curve radius r 0 from an overdetermined set of data. Since the crack tip is obscured by the caustic, the technique presented treats the crack tip location as an unknown. The tip location is determined numerically during an iteration process. The diffraction effect is considered using a digital image-analysis system, EYECOM III. Thin plexiglas specimens with two parallel edge cracks are loaded in tension and used to illustrate the technique.
Meta-analysis of balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) of gastric varices

Purpose Variceal bleeding is a major and potentially fatal complication of portal hypertension. Gastric variceal bleeding is less common than esophageal variceal bleeding, but is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) is an established procedure for the management of gastric varices in Asia over the last 2 decades and has shown promising results. However, to the best of our knowledge, no meta-analyses of the BRTO literature have yet been published. Materials and Methods Systematic review and meta-analysis of BRTO literature were performed to estimate outcomes for BRTO for gastric varices. Separate metaanalyses were performed for technical success rate, survival, gastric variceal recurrence, esophageal variceal exacerbation, and complication rate. Institutional review board approval was not required for this retrospective analysis. Results An extensive literature review resulted in 20 suitable studies which were included. The inclusion/exclusion criteria, patient demographics, outcome measures, and complications will be summarized. Systematic review and meta-analysis was performed on results for BRTO for 734 patients from multiple centers. Cumulative rates of procedural technical success and gastric variceal recurrence were 83.8% (55.5-100%), 2.6% (0-7.2%), respectively. Exacerbation of esophageal varices was reported at a rate of 37.1% (10-67%). Major complication rates were reported at 3.8% (0-15.3%). Long-term preservation of hepatic function was noted. Patient 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates are 92.2% (83.1-100%), 82.6% (71-100%), and 67.9% (53.7-85%). The presence of hepatocellular carcinoma and Child-Pugh class C were factors significantly impacting patient survival. Conclusion BRTO is an effective and relatively safe procedure for the management of gastric varices. BRTO should be considered as a useful procedure in the toolbox of radiologists for the management of gastric varices in the presence of a gastrorenal shunt. BRTO is associated with long-term obliteration of gastric varices and preservation of hepatic function, thus patients with limited hepatic reserve should be considered for BRTO when possible.
How Massless Neutrinos Affect the Cosmic Microwave Background Damping Tail

We explore the physical origin and robustness of constraints on the energy density in relativistic species prior to and during recombination, often expressed as constraints on an effective number of neutrino species, ${N}_{\mathrm{eff}}$. If the primordial helium abundance, ${Y}_{\mathrm{P}}$, follows the prediction of the big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) theory, the constraint on ${N}_{\mathrm{eff}}$ from current cosmic microwave background anisotropy data is almost entirely due to the impact of the neutrinos on the expansion rate, and how those changes to the expansion rate alter the ratio of the photon diffusion scale to the sound horizon scale at recombination. We demonstrate that, as long as the primordial helium abundance is derived in a BBN-consistent manner, the constraint on ${N}_{\mathrm{eff}}$ degrades little after marginalizing over ${A}_{\mathrm{eISW}}$, the phenomenological parameter characterizing the amplitude of the early Integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) effect. We also provide a first determination of ${A}_{\mathrm{eISW}}$. Varying the ${Y}_{\mathrm{P}}$ also changes the ratio of damping to sound horizon scales. We study the physical effects that prevent the resulting near degeneracy between ${N}_{\mathrm{eff}}$ and ${Y}_{\mathrm{P}}$ from being a complete one and find that the early ISW effect does play a role in breaking this degeneracy. Examining light-element abundance measurements, we see no significant evidence for the evolution of ${N}_{\mathrm{eff}}$ and the baryon-to-photon ratio from the epoch of BBN to decoupling. Finally, we consider measurements of the distance-redshift relation at low to intermediate redshifts and their implications for the value of ${N}_{\mathrm{eff}}$.
Kinetics of the oxidation of endocrine disruptor nonylphenol by ferrate(VI)

The kinetics of the oxidation of endocrine disruptor nonylphenol (NP) by potassium ferrate(VI) (K2FeO4) in water as a function of pH 8.0–10.9 at 25°C is presented. The observed second-order rate constants, k obs, decrease with an increase in pH 269–32 M−1 s−1. The speciation of Fe(VI) (HFeO 4 − and FeO 4 2− ) and NP (NP–OH and NP–O−) species was used to explain the pH dependence of the k obs values. At a dose of 10 mg L−1 (50 μM) K2FeO4, the half-life for the removal of NP by Fe(VI), under water treatment conditions, is less than 1 min.
Perceptual symbols: The power and limitations of a theory of dynamic imagery and structured frames

The perceptual symbol approach to knowledge representation combines structured frames and dynamic imagery. The perceptual symbol approach provides a good account of the representation of scientific models, of some types of naive theories held by children and adults, and of certain reconstructive memory phenomena. The ontological status of perceptual symbols is unclear and this form of representation does not succeed in accounting for all forms of human knowledge.
Role of phospholipid hydrolysis in the mechanism of toxic cell death by calcium and ionophore A23187

Abstract Manganese chloride inhibits the hydrolysis of arachidonate-containing phospholipids stimulated in 3T3 mouse fibroblasts by ionophore A23187 in the presence of extracellular calcium. The inhibition is reduced by increasing extracellular calcium concentrations. Stimulation by A23187 of this phospholipid hydrolysis and cell killing are inhibited at similiar concentrations by (i) manganese chloride or (ii) reduced extracellular calcium. These results indicate an important role for the phospholipid hydrolysis in the mechanism of cell killing by A23187 plus calcium. Analysis of the rates of the two processes indicates that phospholipid hydrolysis triggers cell killing, but it is not itself the membrane permeabilizing step.
Transforming growth factor β type 1 binds to collagen IV of basement membrane matrix: Implications for development

Abstract The interaction of transforming growth factor β (TGF β) with extracellular matrix macromolecules was examined by using radiolabeled TGF β and various matrix macromolecules immobilized on nitrocellulose. TGF β bound to collagen IV with greater affinity than to other extracellular matrix macromolecules tested. Neither laminin nor fibronectin, both of which bind type IV collagen, interfered with the binding of TGF β to type IV collagen. TGF β2 competed effectively with TGF β1 for binding to type IV collagen. The biological effect of TGF β was tested by an assay based on inhibition of proliferation of an osteoblast cell line, MC3T3-E1. The results demonstrated that the effect of TGF β1 was sustained when cells were grown on type IV collagen compared to cells grown on laminin, collagen type I, and plastic. These results demonstrate that extracellular matrix components may function as an affinity matrix for binding and immobilizing soluble growth and differentiation factors. In view of the demonstrated role of basement membranes in development the present results imply an important function for transforming growth factor β bound to collagen IV in local regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation.
F-actin is a helix with a random variable twist

Image analysis of isolated F-actin filaments shows that the actin helix can be described by a constant rise per subunit but a considerably variable and randomized twist (number of units per turn). The ability of actin subunits to rotate through angles of the order of 10 degrees from their helically ideal positions helps to explain actin's capacity to form many different polymorphic structures.
Implications of Seed Dispersal by Animals for Tropical Reserve Management

A BS TRA C T Man), tropical trees bear fruits adapted for consumption by animals, and many tropical animals depend on fruits for food for at least part of the year. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the potential importance of." (1) uneven species abundance distributions; (2) the imperative of local seed dispersal for plant recruitment," and (3) seasonality of fruit production for managing small tropical reserves. Some mutualistic seeddispersal systems are 'pivotal" for forest communities. Although most species of trees produce when other fruits are readily available in the forest, others (e.g. Casearia corymbosa in Costa Rican rainforest and Virola sebifera in Panamanian rainforest) bear fruits during annual periods of j?uit scarcity, and consequently maintain species o f fruit-eating birds and mammals which are critical for the dispersal and ultimate recruitment of many tree species at other times of the year. The question of relative abundance presents particular problems when ~pivotal' plant species are rare or confined to special habitats. This paper considers ecological relationships which accelerate species loss from habitat islands over and above "random" loss of ecologically independent species predicted from biogeographic theory, and suggests management methods" that can reduce such excessive loss.
Interactions of water, methanol and diethyl ether molecules with the surface of oxidized activated carbon

Two samples of oxidized activated carbon of wood origin were used as adsorbents of water, methanol, and diethyl ether. Structural and chemical characteristics of the samples' surfaces were obtained using adsorption of nitrogen and Boehm titration. The adsorption isotherms of water and methanol were measured using a volumetric apparatus whereas the adsorption of diethyl ether was studied by means of inverse gas chromatography at finite concentration. Then the isotherms at three different temperatures were used to calculate the isosteric heats of adsorption. The results showed that the strength of interaction depends on the porosity of the sample and its surface chemistry. The effect of surface chemistry and the presence of oxygenated groups are predominant in the case of water and the least important in the case of diethyl ether. This is the result of the chemical nature of the molecules, their sizes, and the relative strengths of the dispersive interactions in small pores in comparison with hydrogen bondi...
Nanopatterning with conformable phase masks

Abstract This paper describes an approach for using conventional photoresist materials to pattern structures with dimensions as small as 50 nm. This method, known as near field phase shift lithography (NFPSL), is an experimentally simple approach to nanofabrication that relies on ultraviolet exposure of a layer of resist while it is in conformal, atomic scale contact with such an elastomeric phase mask. This paper presents some representative structures produced with this method; it illustrates an example of its use in patterning the critical dimensions of organic transistors; and it outlines some new modeling results of the optics associated with this technique.
Histopathologic evidence of capecitabine corneal toxicity in dogs.

In an experimental model of transplant rejection, renal transplants were performed on 6 mixed-breed dogs. Capecitabine (CPC) was administered as an oral immunosuppressive agent. All recipients received systemic CPC, cyclosporine (CSA), prednisolone, and famotidine throughout the study. Two dogs developed superficial keratitis, which was characterized by multifocal geographic erosions, superficial corneal epithelial pigmentation, and corneal neovascularization. These clinical signs correlated with the dose of CPC given, whereas other drug doses remained unchanged. After euthanasia, routine histologic sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and with alcian blue periodic acid— Schiff for light microscopic evaluation. Ocular histopathologic abnormalities were limited to neovascularization and inflammatory infiltrate of the anterior corneal stroma and abnormal basal cell morphology, disorganization, thinning, and pigmentation of the corneal epithelium. The purpose of this communication is to describe the clinical and histopathologic evidence of CPC corneal toxicity in dogs.
Joshua Lederberg 1925–2008

It is painful to start writing an article destined to be an Obituary for a dear friend and a great scientist. To describe Joshua Lederberg as a “polymath” would be an enormous understatement. He made seminal contributions to the fields of microbiology and molecular biology and also to artificial intelligence, organic chemistry, exobiology, and many other disciplines.
Multilocus Species Delimitation in a Complex of Morphologically Conserved Trapdoor Spiders (Mygalomorphae, Antrodiaetidae, Aliatypus)

Species are a fundamental unit for biological studies, yet no uniform guidelines exist for determining species limits in an objective manner. Given the large number of species concepts available, defining species can be both highly subjective and biased. Although morphology has been commonly used to determine species boundaries, the availability and prevalence of genetic data has allowed researchers to use such data to make inferences regarding species limits. Genetic data also have been used in the detection of cryptic species, where other lines of evidence (morphology in particular) may underestimate species diversity. In this study, we investigate species limits in a complex of morphologically conserved trapdoor spiders (Mygalomorphae, Antrodiaetidae, Aliatypus) from California. Multiple approaches were used to determine species boundaries in this highly genetically fragmented group, including both multilocus discovery and validation approaches (plus a chimeric approach). Additionally, we introduce a novel tree-based discovery approach using species trees. Results suggest that this complex includes multiple cryptic species, with two groupings consistently recovered across analyses. Due to incongruence across analyses for the remaining samples, we take a conservative approach and recognize a three species complex, and formally describe two new species (Aliatypus roxxiae, sp. nov. and Aliatypus starretti, sp. nov.). This study helps to clarify species limits in a genetically fragmented group and provides a framework for identifying and defining the cryptic lineage diversity that prevails in many organismal groups. (California; cryptic species; multispecies coalescent model; mygalomorph spiders; species delimitation.) Species are fundamental units of study in evolutionary biology, ecology, and conservation research. Inaccurate understanding of species diversity may lead to errors in analyses that use species as units (e.g., phylogenetic community structure analyses), and may hinder conservation efforts (Wiens 2007). However, the question of what defines a species is contentious, as evident by the large number of species concepts invoked by evolutionary biologists (summarized in de Queiroz 2007). Although multiple types of data can be used for species delimitation (e.g., morphology, ecology, behavior, etc.), multilocus genetic data are increasingly easy to gather for nonmodel taxa. Additionally, genetic data provide potential evidence of divergence at an early stage of diversification; this evidence is contained within the shared ancestral polymorphisms and allows species to be delimited before individual loci acquire monophyly (Knowles and Carstens 2007). This approach to species delimitation
Effect of Training Pediatricians and Family Physicians in Early Childhood Caries Prevention

Objectives To analyze the effect of postresidency early childhood caries prevention training on physicians' oral health knowledge, confidence, and practice patterns and to identify variations by type of training. Study design We conducted pre- and post-training surveys of pediatricians and family physicians in Florida. Paired t test and repeated-measures ANOVA analyses were used to compare physicians with no oral health training, those with applied in-office training, and those with another type of training on 5 composite measures: fluoride knowledge, nonfluoride oral health knowledge, confidence in advising parents, confidence in conducting oral health screening and caries risk assessment, and frequency in performing recommended oral health practices. Results The final sample included 229 physicians (162 pediatricians and 67 family physicians). The interaction in the repeated-measures ANOVA between group (training category) and time (pre- and post-training) was significant for the nonfluoride knowledge [ F (2, 225) = 4.1, P = .02] and confidence in screening [ F (2, 224) = 4.1, P = .02] composite measures, lending support for a positive treatment effect of training on these domains. Greater gains were observed among physicians with in-office training compared with those who received another type of training. A statistically significant treatment effect on oral health practices was not detected. Conclusions Efforts to engage physicians in oral health training and to incorporate applied components in training curricula may improve physicians' oral health knowledge and increase their confidence in conducting oral health screenings and caries risk assessments. Additional research is needed to evaluate the relative costs and benefits of different training modalities on specific oral health practices.
Irreversible Adsorption of Polymer Melts

We studied the equilibrium architecture of polymer layers strongly adsorbed from the melt. Immobilized layers of poly-(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were produced by the following method: 1) The polymer was spin-coated onto silanol bearing surfaces of single crystal and fused quartz, and annealed at melt conditions, 2) The annealed layer was quenched to room temperature (below the glass transition temperature) in order to “freeze in” the melt structure near the substrate, 3) Unbound material was leached away in good solvent (benzene) to leave a residual, strongly-adsorbed layer. The architecture of this layer was studied by neutron reflection. Data on dried adsorbed layers indicates a dense PMMA film whose thickness gradually increases with annealing time in the melt from a minimal value. Evidently, annealing gradually relaxes a rather flat non-equilibrium structure produced by spin-coating. The thicknesses, h, in a series of dry layers annealed long enough to achieve equilibrium conditions in the melt scale as h ∼ N1/2. Data on swollen layers suggest a dilute, extended layer, but the preliminary results cannot give a definitive confirmation of the brush structure predicted by Guiselin.11
The stability of countercurrent mixing layers in circular jets

A spatially developing countercurrent mixing layer was established experimentally by applying suction to the periphery of an axisymmetric jet. A laminar mixing region was studied in detail for a velocity ratio R = ΔU/2U between 1 and 1.5, where ΔU describes the intensity of the shear across the layer and U is the average speed of the two streams. Above a critical velocity ratio Rr = 1.32 the shear layer displays energetic oscillations at a discrete frequency which are the result of very organized axisymmetric vortex structures in the mixing layer. The spatial order of the primary vortices inhibits the pairing process and dramatically alters the spatial development of the shear layer downstream. Consequently, the turbulence level in the jet core is significantly reduced, as is the decay rate of the mean velocity on the jet centreline. The response of the shear layer to controlled external forcing indicates that the shear layer oscillations at supercritical velocity ratios are self-excited. The experimentally determined critical velocity ratio of 1.32, established for very thin axisymmetric shear layers, compares favourably with the theoretically predicted value of 1.315 for the transition from convective to absolute instability in plane mixing layers (Huerre & Monkewitz 1985).
Induction of Protein Secretory Pathway Is Required for Systemic Acquired Resistance

In plants, systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is established as a result of NPR1-regulated expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes. Using gene expression profiling in Arabidopsis, we found that in addition to controlling the expression of PR genes, NPR1 also directly controls the expression of the protein secretory pathway genes. Up-regulation of these genes is essential for SAR, because mutations in some of them diminished the secretion of PR proteins (for example, PR1), resulting in reduced resistance. We provide evidence that NPR1 coordinately regulates these secretion-related genes through a previously undescribed cis-element. Activation of this cis-element is controlled by a transcription factor that is translocated into the nucleus upon SAR induction.
New Approaches To Holographic Video

Recent advances in both the computation and display of holographic images have enabled several firsts. Interactive display of images is now possible using the bipolar intensity computation method and a fast look-up table approach to fringe pattern generation. Full-color images have been generated by computing and displaying three color component images (red, green, and blue). Using parallelism to scale up the first generation system, images as large as 80 mm in all three dimensions have been displayed. The combination of multi-channel acousto-optic modulators and fast horizontal scanning continue to provide the basis of an effective real-time holographic display system.
Pain Assessment: An Overview

Pain assessment is an integral part of providing quality patient care. Treatment of pain is driven by the findings of the pain assessment. Pain assessment provides health care professionals with the information necessary to effectively mange a patient's course of treatment and plan of care. To assess and manage pain with the best possible outcomes, the health care provider must depend on the patient's subjective description in addition to objective tools. Barriers, related to the patient's religion or cultural beliefs, and/or lack of knowledge on the part of the health care providers often impede proper assessment and treatment of patients' pain.
Design, fabrication, and characterization of a 1D microcavity for enhanced luminescence from silicon nanocrystals

We present the design of a 1D microcavity with an active silicon nanocrystal (Si-nc) region for enhanced photo- and electro-luminescence. Microcavity enhanced photoluminescence is realized experimentally and incorporation with a presented electroluminescent structure is discussed.
THE SET THEORETIC AMBIT OF ARROW'S THEOREM

Set theoretic formulation of Arrow's theorem, viewed in light of a taxonomy of transitive relations, serves to unmask the theorem's understated generality. Under the impress of the independence of irrelevant alternatives, the antipode of ceteris paribus reasoning, a purported compiler function either breaches some other rationality premise or produces the effet Condorcet. Types of cycles, each the seeming handiwork of a virtual voter disdaining transitivity, are rigorously defined. Arrow's theorem erects a dilemma between cyclic indecision and dictatorship. Maneuvers responsive thereto are explicable in set theoretic terms. None of these gambits rival in simplicity the unassisted escape of strict linear orderings, which, by virtue of the Arrow-Sen reflexivity premise, are not captured by the theorem. Yet these are the relations among whose n-tuples the effet Condorcet is most frequent. A generalization and stronger theorem encompasses these and all other linear orderings and total tierings. Revisions to the Arrow-Sen definitions of 'choice set' and 'rationalization' similarly enable one to generalize Sen's demonstration that some rational choice function always exists. Similarly may one generalize Debreu's theorems establishing conditions under which a binary relation may be represented by a continuous real-valued order homomorphism. Arrow has recounted that an early interest in mathematical logic, piqued by the work of Russell and a course from Tarksi, formed the seedbed for his celebrated impossibility theorem on the 'rational' aggregation of certain binary relations. 1 Arrow's departure from the nomenclature of set theory to some extent clouds the set theoretic compass of the theorem. This point has itself been eclipsed in a rich discussion of related impossibility results and of consequences for economic decisionmaking. The following treatment first casts the theorem and the occurrence of cycles in precise set theoretical terms. It then traces in the same terms responses to the dilemma that the theorem poses. The fruit is the discovery that the theorem is at once uneconomical and unnecessarily restricted in a respect whose cure furnishes a stronger result and generalization. The same is also true of Sen's companion results on the inferability of certain choice functions. These generalizations may seem within economics to enlarge scope only by including relations infrequently exhibited by consumers. Their general theoretical significance lies in the sweep of conclusions across all manner of transitive relations that position each member of a set with respect to each other.
Self-Actuation of Camera Sensors for Redundant Data Elimination in Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks

With the increasing interest in the deployment of wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSNs), new challenges arouse with effective use of camera sensors to provide maximized event coverage with the least amount of redundancy in the collected multimedia data. Given that the processing and transmission of multimedia data are costly in terms of energy, camera sensors should only be actuated when an event is detected within their vicinity. While achieving maximum coverage with such actuation is desirable, multiple camera sensors' field-of-view (FoV) can be covering the same spots and thus redundant multimedia data can unnecessarily be sent to the base-station. In this paper, assuming camera sensors with fixed orientation, we propose a low-cost distributed actuation scheme which strives to turn on the least number of camera sensors to avoid possible redundancy in the multimedia data while still providing the necessary event coverage. The basic idea of this distributed scheme is the collaboration of camera sensors that have heard from scalar sensors about an occurring event in order to minimize the possible coverage overlaps among their FoVs. The scheme requires only 1-hop information for camera sensors and its messaging overhead is negligible. Through simulation, we show how the distributed scheme performs with respect to the cases when all the cameras within the vicinity or the region are actuated and assess the performance under various conditions.
Mitochondrial Genetics of Aging: Intergenomic Conflict Resolution

Mitochondria are the organelles of aerobic respiration. They consume the oxygen we breathe to stay alive and generate energy for cells to function. But oxygen can be dangerous. Indeed, mitochondria...
Comparison of balloon angioplasty and papaverine infusion for the treatment of vasospasm following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

Object. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that balloon angioplasty is superior to papaverine infusion for the treatment of proximal anterior circulation arterial vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Between 1989 and 1995, 125 vasospastic distal internal carotid artery or proximal middle cerebral artery vessel segments were treated in 52 patients. Methods. Blood flow velocities of the involved vessels were assessed by using transcranial Doppler (TCD) monitoring in relation to the day of treatment with balloon angioplasty or papaverine infusion. Balloon angioplasty and papaverine infusion cohorts were compared based on mean pre- and posttreatment velocity at 24 and 48 hours using the one-tailed, paired-samples t-test. Balloon angioplasty alone was performed in 101 vessel segments (81%) in 39 patients (75%), whereas papaverine infusion alone was used in 24 vessel segments (19%) in 13 patients (25%). Although repeated treatment after balloon angioplasty was needed in only one ...
The Influence of Environmental and Processing Conditions on the Physical Carcass Quality Factors Associated with Oily Bird Syndrome

Abstract Two experiments were conducted to determine the influence of dietary energy, environmental temperature, scald water temperature, and batch picking time on the carcass quality factors often associated with oily bird syndrome. In Experiment 1 birds were fed dietary energy levels of 3100, 3400, and 3700 kcal/kg and processed at either 53.3 C scald and 60 sec picking time or a 60 C scald and 25 sec picking time. In Experiment 2 two dietary energy levels (3230 and 3440 kcal/kg) were fed to birds reared in either 23.9 C or 35.0 C environmental temperature pens. Three scalding temperature treatments (50.0 C, 53.3 C, and 56.7 C) and two picking time treatments (30 or 60 sec) were evaluated on birds from each environmental and dietary treatment. Individual live weight, dry eviscerated weight, ready-to-cook weight, and moisture absorption after chilling were determined. Subjective scores for oily, loose, and broken skin were performed on each bird. Results indicated that dietary energy and environmental temperature had little effect, other than those influenced by bird weight, on the carcass quality parameters tested. Scald water temperature had little effect on moisture absorption but did influence the subjective skin scores. Increased scald temperature decreased loose and broken skin scores but increased oily skin scores. The greater picking stress resulted in increased moisture absorption, oily, loose, and broken skin scores.
Corruption, Inequality, and the Rule of Law: The Bulging Pocket Makes the Easy Life. By Eric M Uslaner

Eric Uslaner's ambitious book argues that—across a wide range of countries and contexts—the fundamental underlying engine and explanation for corruption is inequality. Mustering an array of sources, including survey data, comparative literatures, and personal anecdotes, Uslaner makes a compelling case that the faith often placed in relatively simplistic institutional changes as a means for combating corruption is misguided. Such approaches ignore the deeply embedded economic and social underpinnings of corruption, which, he argues, are tied less to political institutions (narrowly conceived) and more to systematic inequality and the economic and cultural processes that support it.
Renal manifestations of genetic mitochondrial disease

Mitochondrial diseases can be related to mutations in either the nuclear or mitochondrial genome. Childhood presentations are commonly associated with renal tubular dysfunction, but renal involvement is less commonly reported outside of this age-group. Mitochondrial diseases are notable for the significant variability in their clinical presentation and the broad spectrum of genes implicated in their etiology. These features contribute to the challenges of establishing a definitive diagnosis and understanding the pathogenetic mechanisms leading to kidney involvement in these diseases. Here, we review the deoxyribonucleic acid variants in the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes that have been associated with a kidney phenotype, and examine some of the possible pathogenic mechanisms that may contribute to the expression of a renal phenotype.
A Review of the Match Technique as Applied to Aase-2/Easoe and Solve/Theseo 2000

Abstract. We apply the NASA Goddard Trajectory Model to data from a series of ozonesondes to derive ozone loss rates in the lower stratosphere for the AASE-2/EASOE mission (January-March 1992) and for the SOLVE/THESEO 2000 mission (January-March 2000) in an approach similar to Match. Ozone loss rates are computed by comparing the ozone concentrations provided by ozonesondes launched at the beginning and end of the trajectories connecting the launches. We investigate the sensitivity of the Match results to the various parameters used to reject potential matches in the original Match technique. While these filters effectively eliminate from consideration 80% of the matched sonde pairs and >99% of matched observations in our study, we conclude that only a filter based on potential vorticity changes along the calculated back trajectories seems warranted. Our study also demonstrates that the ozone loss rates estimated in Match can vary by up to a factor of two depending upon the precise trajectory paths calculated for each trajectory. As a result, the statistical uncertainties published with previous Match results might need to be augmented by an additional systematic error. The sensitivity to the trajectory path is particularly pronounced in the month of January, for which the largest ozone loss rate discrepancies between photochemical models and Match are found. For most of the two study periods, our ozone loss rates agree with those previously published. Notable exceptions are found for January 1992 at 475K and late February/early March 2000 at 450K, both periods during which we generally find smaller loss rates than the previous Match studies. Integrated ozone loss rates estimated by Match in both of those years compare well with those found in numerous other studies and in a potential vorticity/potential temperature approach shown previously and in this paper. Finally, we suggest an alternate approach to Match using trajectory mapping. This approach uses information from all matched observations without filtering and uses a two-parameter fit to the data to produce robust ozone loss rate estimates. As compared to loss rates from our version of Match, the trajectory mapping approach produces generally smaller loss rates, frequently not statistically significantly different from zero, calling into question the efficacy of the Match approach.
An Integrated Model of Gait and Transition Stepping for Simulation of Industrial Workcell Tasks

Industrial tasks performed by standing workers are among those most commonly simulated using digital human models. Workers often walk, turn, and take acyclic steps as they perform these tasks. Current human modeling tools lack the capability to simulate these whole body motions accurately. Most models simulate walking by replaying joint angle trajectories corresponding to a general gait pattern. Turning is simulated poorly if at all, and violations of kinematic constraints between the feet and ground are common. Moreover, current models do not accurately predict foot placement with respect to loads and other hand targets, diminishing the utility of the associated ergonomic analyses. A new approach to simulating stepping and walking in task-oriented activities is proposed. Foot placements and motions are predicted from operator and task characteristics using empirical models derived from laboratory data and validated using field data from an auto assembly plant. The motions of the pelvis and torso are predicted from the foot placements, operator characteristics, and task requirements. The lowerextremity motions are then generated using behaviorbased inverse kinematics that relies on laboratory observations to address kinematic redundancy while respecting boundary constraints. This modular approach is highly general and can simulate gait, transition stepping, and stepping for balance maintenance in a single integrated system that can be implemented in any digital human model.
Adenoviral vector-mediated augmentation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr) enhances the radiosensitization properties of anti-EGFr treatment in prostate cancer cells.

Abstract Purpose To determine whether an adenoviral vector approach to the augmentation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr) expression results in increased antiproliferative and radiosensitization properties of anti-EGFr antibody therapy in prostate cancer cells. Methods and materials DU145 and LNCaP human prostate cancer cells were used to test the above question in vitro . An adenoviral vector was utilized to transduce cells with an EGFr transgene (AdEGFr). Immunoblots were performed to measure EGFr expression and EGFr tyrosine phosphorylation. Radiolabeled ligand studies were employed to test binding of epidermal growth factor to EGFr. Scatchard analyses allowed for quantification of the number of EGFrs. Standard immunohistochemistry was performed to assess EGFr expression. Cellular proliferation was assessed after various combinations of treatment. Results Studies of prostate carcinoma cells infected with AdEGFr demonstrated an increase in EGFr expression. This increase in expression correlated with increased function of EGFr. Specifically, increased EGFr expression also resulted in increased ligand binding, ligand-induced internalization of EGFr, and ligand-induced EGFr tyrosine kinase activity that could be blocked with pre-exposure to IMC-C225 (an anti-EGFr monoclonal antibody). Transduction of the LNCaP cells with AdEGFr did not increase the antiproliferative effects of IMC-C225, but did significantly increase IMC-C225–induced radiosensitization as determined by cell proliferation. Conclusions Augmentation of EGFr expression, through an adenoviral vector approach in prostate carcinoma cells, resulted in cells that demonstrated greater IMC-C225–induced radiosensitization compared to cells that were not treated with AdEGFr.
Taxonomy and Phylogeny of Croton Section Heptallon (Euphorbiaceae)

Abstract A taxonomic key, synonymy, and a molecular phylogeny of the nine species and three varieties of Croton section Heptallon (Euphorbiaceae) are presented. Section Angelandra is synonymized with section Heptallon, and the species from outside of North America that had been placed into these two sections are shown to belong in other clades within the genus. As circumscribed here, section Heptallon is a well-supported clade of annual herbs and subshrubs that ranges from central Mexico to the eastern United States. A new combination, Croton heptalon, is made. Lectotypes are designated for C. corymbulosus, C. elliottii, C. ellipticus, C. engelmannii var. albinoides, C. eutrigynus, C. heptalon, C. leucophyllus var. trisepalis, and Heptallon graveolens.
Visual Field Outcomes for the Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Treatment Trial (IIHTT)

The Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Treatment Trial (IIHTT) is a multicenter randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that evaluated the efficacy of a weight reduction and low-sodium diet plus acetazolamide versus the diet plus placebo in reducing or reversing visual field loss in subjects with mild visual loss. We found the acetazolamide group had significantly improved perimetric mean deviation (MD), papilledema grade, quality of life measures, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure.1 It is well known that visual field defects in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) can be improved with treatment2 and can be due to a variety of mechanisms. The main mechanism is thought to be CSF pressure–related disruption of axonal transport3,4 leading to intraneuronal optic nerve ischemia at the level of the optic nerve head. Another common mechanism is enlargement of the blind spot; this type of visual loss, mostly from peripapillary hyperopia, is refractive in origin.5 Less common causes of visual loss are fluid tracking from the optic disc to the fovea (neurosensory detachment) and the refractive visual loss related to choroidal folds.6 A study of patients with highly asymmetric papilledema has suggested a model of visual loss in IIH characterized by a generalized depression of the visual field.7,8 The model predicts visual loss greater in magnitude with increasing visual field eccentricity. This and another study concluded that the amount of visual loss correlates with the severity of optic disc edema— eyes with more optic disc edema generally had more visual loss.7,8 This relationship between degree of papilledema and visual loss suggests that visual loss in IIH occurs due to papilledema and not from a retrolaminar mechanism. Our main outcome measure for the IIHTT was the change in the average perimetric MD from baseline to 6 months. We chose this measure because of evidence that visual loss in IIH occurs across the visual field and increases with eccentricity. Here we report additional visual field outcomes at 6 months in the IIHTT.