cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exploration of Uncertainty in Glacier Modelling

There are procedures and methods for verification of coding algebra and for validations of models and calculations that are in use in the aerospace computational fluid dynamics (CFD) community. These methods would be efficacious if used by the glacier dynamics modelling community. This paper is a presentation of some of those methods, and how they might be applied to uncertainty management supporting code verification and model validation for glacier dynamics. The similarities and differences between their use in CFD analysis and the proposed application of these methods to glacier modelling are discussed. After establishing sources of uncertainty and methods for code verification, the paper looks at a representative sampling of verification and validation efforts that are underway in the glacier modelling community, and establishes a context for these within overall solution quality assessment. Finally, an information architecture and interactive interface is introduced and advocated. This Integrated Cryospheric Exploration (ICE) Environment is proposed for exploring and managing sources of uncertainty in glacier modelling codes and methods, and for supporting scientific numerical exploration and verification. The details and functionality of this Environment are described based on modifications of a system already developed for CFD modelling and analysis.
From Genotype to Phenotype: Navigating Nature's Information Landscape at NCBI

For several years the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) has provided integrated access to linked DNA, protein, and bibliographic data through the online information retrieval system, Entrez. This information space has now been expanded to include genomic data (physical maps, genetic maps, and sequence alignments) and three dimensional structure data. The "Genomes" division presents genome level views of a large number of complete chromosomes, from organelle, through virus and phage, to completely sequenced chromosomes from yeast or bacteria, to integrated genetic and physical maps and contig'ed sequence islands from eukaryotes such as human and drosophila. Following the Entrez tradition, the chromosome views are tightly linked to DNA and protein sequence records, MEDLINE citations, and the new three dimensional structure division. The structure information in Entrez is from a new NCBI database called MMDB (Molecular Modeling Database), derived from the Brookhaven Protein DataBank 3-dimensional structures (currently over 3,000 biomolecules). MMDB is a database of ASN.1-formatted records, not PDB formatted records. MMDB is capable of archiving conventional structure data as well as future descriptions of biomolecules, such as those generated by electron microscopy (surface models). In addition to the typical text queries and Entrez links from sequence and bibliographic records, structural "neighbors" are also computed using a new algorithm for 3-dimensional structure comparison. Structure data from Entrez may be viewed in 3D, with real-time rotation, using the public domain graphics programs RasMol or Kinemage, and soon with an NCBI-designed 3D viewer which can take advantage of some of the unique features of MMDB.
Chemistry and Biosynthesis of the Poly(γ-d-glutamyl) Capsule in Bacillus licheniformis II. CHARACTERIZATION AND STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF THE ENZYMATICALLY SYNTHESIZED POLYMER

Abstract Results of chemical, physical, and enzymatic analyses have established that the product of a cell envelope-associated polyglutamyl synthetase, isolated from an encapsulated strain of Bacillus licheniformis ATCC 9945A, is poly(γ-d-glutamic acid). Proof that the optical configuration of the glutamyl residues in the enzymatically synthesized polymer and the native capsular polymer is d, has been provided by (a) chromatographic separation of diastereoisomeric dipeptides obtained by derivatization with l-leucine-N-carboxyanhydride, and (b) gas-liquid chromatographic separation of N-trifluoroacetyl-l-prolylglutamyl dipeptide methyl esters. The amide linkage has been shown to be γ by (a) kinetics of mild acid catalyzed hydrolysis and (b) LiBH4 reduction of the methyl ester of the polymer followed by acid hydrolysis which yielded γ-amino-δ-hydroxyvaleric acid. Identical treatment of an authentic poly(α-d-glutamyl) polymer yielded α-amino-δ-hydroxyvaleric acid. Neither the enzymatically synthesized polymers nor the native capsular polymers synthesized in vivo contained any ester, anhydride, or lactone linkages. Detailed ultracentrifugal studies have established that the biosynthetic polymers are polydisperse with weight-average molecular weight distribution values ranging from 1.72 x 105 to 3.63 x 105. Similar studies carried out on native γ-d-glutamyl capsular polymers synthesized in vivo showed a much greater degree of polydispersity with apparent weight-average molecular weight distribution values ranging from 8.4 x 104 to 1.15 x 106. The biosynthetic polymers are susceptible to enzymatic hydrolysis by a poly(γ-d-glutamyl) depolymerase. This enzyme, which readily hydrolyzed the native capsular polymer, showed no activity against authentic α-l-glutamyl polymers. These data provide additional evidence that the product of the membrane-mediated reaction is structurally identical with the native capsular γ-d-glutamyl polymers synthesized in vivo.
An examination of the microbiologic flora of normal lung of the dog.

We examined the hypothesis that normal lung is sterile. A laboratory animal, the dog, was chosen so that sample size could be maximized. Controls were used to eliminate the possible artifactual pre...
Cobalt-based age models of pelagic clay in the South Pacific Gyre

Dating pelagic clay can be a challenge due to its slow sedimentation rate, post-depositional alteration, and lack of biogenic deposition. Co-based dating techniques have the potential to create age models in pelagic clay under the assumption that the flux of non-detrital Co to the seafloor is spatially and temporally constant, resulting in the non-detrital Co concentrations being inversely proportional to sedimentation rate. We apply a Co-based method to the pelagic clay sequences from Sites U1365, U1366, U1369, and U1370 drilled during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 329 in the South Pacific Gyre. We distinguished non-detrital Co from detrital Co using multivariate statistical partitioning techniques. We found that the non-detrital flux of Co at Site U1370 is approximately twice as high than at the other sites, implying that the non-detrital Co flux is not regionally constant. This regional variation reflects the heterogeneous distribution of Co in the water column, as is observed in the present day. We present an improved approach to Co-based age modeling throughout the South Pacific Gyre and determine that the Co-based method can effectively date oxygenated pelagic clay deposited in the distal open-ocean, but is less reliable for deposition closer to continents. When extending the method to geologically old sediment, it is important to consider the paleolocation of a given site to ensure these conditions are met. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Dietary calcium and bone mineral status of children and adolescents.

• We studied 164 healthy, white children aged 2 to 16 years; there were 88 boys and 76 girls. By the method of single photon absorptiometry, we found that age, height, and weight correlated positively with bone mineral content of the radius bone. In the children's diet, most of those aged 2 to 11 years met the recommended dietary allowance (800 mg daily) for calcium. Children older than 11 years had low dietary calcium intake; only 15% met the recommended dietary allowance for calcium (1200 mg daily). Dietary calcium intake was associated with bone mineral status. Children ingesting more than 1000 mg of calcium daily had higher bone mineral content than those ingesting less. Almost all serum determinations of calcium, phosphate, magnesium, alkaline phosphatase, parathyroid hormone, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D were within normal limits and had no correlation with children's bone mineral status. (AJDC. 1991;145:631-634)
Architectural differences in the bony pelvis of women with and without pelvic floor disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the hypothesis that the architecture of the bony pelvis differs between women with and without pelvic floor disorders. METHODS: We designed a case-control study of women who had undergone magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the pelvis at our institution. Records were reviewed to identify women with and without pelvic floor disorders (urinary or anal incontinence, other symptoms of urinary tract dysfunction, or pelvic organ prolapse). Pelvimetry techniques were standardized. Relevant measures included transverse diameter of the inlet, angle of the pubic arch, intertuberous diameter, interspinous diameter, sacrococcygeal length, depth of sacral curvature, anteroposterior conjugate, obstetrical conjugate, and anteroposterior outlet. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify women with pelvic floor disorders as a function of their pelvic dimensions, controlling for potentially confounding variables. RESULTS: Subjects included 59 women with pelvic floor disorders and 39 women without pelvic floor disorders. Women with pelvic floor disorders had a wider transverse inlet, wider intertuberous diameter, wider interspinous diameter, greater sacrococcygeal length, deeper sacral curvature, and narrower anteroposterior outlet. When controlling for the confounding effects of age, race, and parity, we found that a wider transverse inlet (odds ratio 3.425) and a shorter obstetrical conjugate (odds ratio 0.233) were significantly associated with pelvic floor disorders. CONCLUSION: A wide transverse inlet and narrow obstetrical conjugate are associated with pelvic floor disorders. We speculate that these features of bony pelvic architecture may predispose the patient to neuromuscular and connective tissue injuries, leading to the development of pelvic floor disorders.
Sphingolipids are potential heat stress signals in Saccharomyces.

The ability of organisms to quickly respond to stresses requires the activation of many intracellular signal transduction pathways. The sphingolipid intermediate ceramide is thought to be particularly important for activating and coordinating signaling pathways during mammalian stress responses. Here we present the first evidence that ceramide and other sphingolipid intermediates are signaling molecules in the Saccharomyces cerevisiaeheat stress response. Our data show a 2–3-fold transient increase in the concentration of C18-dihydrosphingosine and C18-phytosphingosine, more than a 100-fold transient increase in C20-dihydrosphingosine and C20-phytosphingosine, and a more stable 2-fold increase in ceramide containing C18-phytosphingosine and a 5-fold increase in ceramide containing C20-phytosphingosine following heat stress. Treatment of cells with dihydrosphingosine activates transcription of the TPS2 gene encoding a subunit of trehalose synthase and causes trehalose, a known thermoprotectant, to accumulate. Dihydrosphingosine induces expression of aSTRE-LacZ reporter gene, showing that the global stress response element, STRE, found in many yeast promoter sequences can be activated by sphingolipid signals. TheTPS2 promoter contains four STREs that may mediate dihydrosphingosine responsiveness. Using genetic and other approaches it should be possible to identify sphingolipid signaling pathways in S. cerevisiae and quantify the importance of each during heat stress.
Acute Pulmonary Edema with Respiratory Failure—Newer Concepts in Therapy:

The treatment for pulmonary edema with the adult respiratory distress syndrome is aimed at the early supportive management of hypovolemic shock. The addition of massive corticosteroid dosage, Methylprednisolone Succinate, of 30 mg/kg body wt/dose ever six hours for a 24-48 hour period has been shown in our investigation to be efficacious, particularly in the traumatic and septic shock groups of patients but not in patients with multiple system diseases. Ventilator care utilizing constant positive pressure breathing or constant positive airway pressure in the patient who has spontaneous respirations is of prime importance. The recent utilization of hyperalimentation has also been very effective as an adjunctive therapy and should be used in the management of this problem in the future in conjunction with the steroids. Hemodynamic monitoring employing the specific parameters as delineated in our discussion are all major steps that should be pursued on a routine basis in the vast majority of these patients. The most important factor in the prognosis of this condition is the severity and number of injuries that have occurred at the time of the initial trauma. Other factors affecting the outcome are age, prolonged shock, associated degenerative cardiovascular disease, metabolic imbalance, severe multiple system involvement, and sepsis. We now feel that the utilization of massive corticosteroid therapy is indicated with the first earliest clinical signs of this condition in order to attempt to prevent complications and probably improve survival rate.
Genetics of dilated cardiomyopathy conduction disease

Abstract In approximately 30 to 50% of cases, dilated cardiomyopathy is the result of mutations in various genes of the cytoskeletal, sarcomeric, ion channel, signaling and desmosomal pathways. The disease can be complicated by additional problems including cardiac conduction disease and arrhythmia. This is the case of nucleoskeletal genes, in particular the lamin A/C gene, usually associated with autosomal dominant inheritance, and the emerin gene associated with X-linked inheritance. Nucleoskeletal gene mutations can result in supraventricular arrhythmias, atrioventricular block, ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death, frequently requiring a pacemaker or an implantable defibrillator. Up to 30% of patients with atrioventricular block and dilated cardiomyopathy have lamin A/C gene mutations. Cytoskeletal and sarcolemmal genes, such as desmin and dystrophin, have also been associated with specific conduction defects. Desmin cardiomyopathy is characterized by atrioventricular block, whereas X-linked dilated cardiomyopathy due to dystrophin gene mutations frequently shows intraventricular conduction defects, especially right bundle branch block, associated with deep Q waves in the inferior or lateral leads. In the group of ion channels, SCN5A gene mutations cause an autosomal dominant cardiac conduction disorder, progressive atrioventricular and intraventricular conduction delay, sinus node dysfunction, supraventricular arrhythmia, and right and bi-ventricular dilatation and dysfunction. Desmosomal gene mutations (desmoplakin) have been associated with arrhythmogenic left ventricular cardiomyopathy, which, like arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, are also characterized by ventricular arrhythmias. Finally, storage diseases can cause phenocopies of dilated cardiomyopathy with arrhythmia and conduction defects. Danon disease is typically characterized by Wolff–Parkinson–White pre-excitation, and this can be the first sign of disease particularly in young female carriers. The identification of conduction defects and arrhythmias in the setting of a dilated cardiomyopathy is important clinical clue for the identification of the gene defect.
Growth hormone enhances follicle-stimulating hormone-induced differentiation of cultured rat granulosa cells

Suppression of serum GH levels in immature rats is associated with delayed onset of puberty and decreased ovarian steroidogenic responsiveness to FSH. To investigate possible direct effects of GH on the differentiation of ovarian cells, granulosa cells from hypophysectomized estrogen-treated rats were cultured with FSH in the presence or absence of GH for 3 days. FSH stimulated granulosa cell LH receptor formation and steroid production in a dose-dependent manner. Concomitant treatment with GH increased LH receptor content by enhancing the action of low doses of FSH without substantial increases in the maximal response. This increase was due to an elevation in the receptor number rather than changes in their affinity for hCG. At 3 ng/ml FSH, concomitant treatment with ovine or bovine GH increased LH/hCG binding in a dose-dependent manner, with 300 ng/ml GH increasing the FSH action by about 3-fold. LH receptors in the GH-treated cells were functional, as indicated by the enhanced cAMP production of these cells in response to LH treatment. The cellular protein content in the FSH-treated cultures was slightly increased by GH (18%), but cell number and viability were unaffected. The change in cell protein content could not account for the increases in the amount of LH receptors. In addition to its effects on LH/hCG receptor content, GH also augmented FSH-stimulated progesterone and 20 alpha-hydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one production in a dose-dependent manner, with 100 ng/ml GH causing significant increases in FSH-induced progesterone production. In contrast, GH treatment did not significantly affect FSH-stimulated estrogen production. The augmentating effects of GH on LH receptor formation and progestin biosynthesis were associated with an enhancement of FSH-stimulated cAMP production. In addition, GH increased forskolin- and 8-bromo-cAMP-induced LH receptor formation and progestin production. Thus, GH-augmented LH receptor induction and progestin biosynthesis may be due to both increased cAMP production and enhanced action of cAMP. The present data have demonstrated that GH augments gonadotropin-stimulated differentiation of ovarian granulosa cells, suggesting an important regulatory role of GH in follicular growth and pubertal development.
Some artificial lines and networks associated with the uniform telephone transmission line

In Part 1, it is shown that the problem of constructing a network the impedance of which shall be equal to the impedance of an infinite uniform telephone line, can be solved exactly by the use of a number of sections of simple artificial lines. The artificial lines described are intended entirely for use in this way, and since their propagation constants are widely different from that of the uniform line, they cannot be used as ?artificial transmission lines? to which any terminal apparatus might be added. Some of the artificial lines can be used for attenuation correction. In Part 2, it is shown that related networks can be obtained such that when placed in series or in parallel with the infinite uniform line, the impedance of the combination is a pure resistance
Integration of clearance mechanisms: the proteasome and autophagy.

As described in previous articles on this subject, cells count on a complex network of molecular chaperones that assist proteins in folding and help stabilize the transient conformations that proteins adapt for trafficking across membrane and during their assembly and disassembly into functional complexes (Large et al. 2009; Willis et al. 2009; Koga et al. 2010). However, different physiological and pathological conditions may overwhelm the homeostatic capability of the chaperone network and favor protein aggregation. For example, conditions resulting in massive protein unfolding such as acute oxidative stress or heat shock, chronically proaggregating conditions that deplete cells of critical chaperones, and abnormal high levels of prone-to-aggregate pathogenic proteins can all make the refolding activity of chaperones insufficient to maintain proteome stability and prevent proteotoxicity (Morimoto 2008; Douglas et al. 2009; Koga et al. 2010). Under these conditions and for those proteins in which refolding is no longer possible, cells count on proteolytic systems to eliminate the unstable protein(s) and to recycle their amino acids (Willis et al. 2009). The lysosomal system and the ubiquitin/proteasome system (UPS), the two main proteolytic systems in cells, along with the molecular chaperones, constitute essential components of the cellular quality control systems (Ciechanover 2005). In this article, we briefly summarize the current knowledge regarding the molecular components of each of these proteolytic systems and expand on recent evidence supporting the critical participation of both systems in the cellular defense against proteotoxicity. We also describe recently established connections between malfunctioning of these proteolytic systems and the pathogenesis of common protein conformational disorders with main emphasis on neurodegenerative diseases.
Triiodothyronine potentiation of tricyclic antidepressant treatment in patients with panic disorder.

We therefore evaluated the efficacy of T 3 augmentation in a single-blind pilot study of 8 consecutive patients with PD who showed an inadequate response to TCA treatment alone at maximally tolerated doses
Effects of chronic alcohol consumption on the steady-state kinetics properties of cytochrome oxidase in rat liver.

Abstract The effect of chronic alcohol consumption on steady-state kinetic characteristics of cytochrome oxidase in rat liver was studied using submitochondrial particles prepared from ethanol-fed and control rats. Preparations from both control and alcoholic rats had equivalent apparent Km values for cytochrome c of 13 μM in the presence of phenazine methosulfate or 19 μM with N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylphenylene diamine as oxidation-reduction mediators at physiological ionic strength. Both preparations showed comparable stimulation (approx. 3-fold) of oxidase activity following detergent solubilization of the membrane and similar temperature dependence for oxidase activity. Under all conditions, preparations from alcohol-fed rats displayed 30 to 50% lower rats of cytochrome oxidase activity per unit membrane protein than those from control rats. The diminution in specific activity per mg protein was accompanied by a similar decline in heme aa3 content, as has been noted in previous studies. When expressed on a turnover number basis, the molecular activity of cytochrome oxidase (natoms O / min per nmol heme a) was equivalent in both alcoholic and control preparations. The results indicate that the intrinsic kinetic characteristics of cytochrome oxidase are not changed by alcohol consumption. The data suggest that the characteristic decline in heme aa3 content and cytochrome oxidase specific activity seen in ethanol-fed rats does not arise from alterations in the accessibility of the oxidase towards cytochrome c, or from changes in bulk phase lipid composition or physical properties. The results support the conclusion that ethanol consumption decreases the membrane content of functionally active oxidase molecules, but does not change the catalytic properties of these oxidase molecules.
Computer Program For Tabulation Of Mid-Year Discount Factors

(1964). Computer Program For Tabulation Of Mid-Year Discount Factors. The Engineering Economist: Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 36-39.
Journal clubs--science as conversation.

I had forgotten about it amidst the other tasks of medical-student life: exams, patient write-ups, the shirt I needed to iron. But an e-mail from my fellow student John reminded me that it was my turn to lead the journal club for our HIV–AIDS interest group. I had no idea what article I would bring. I bumbled through PubMed in search of a paper, wandering through several topics before landing on an article about the high prevalence of chlamydia in China,1 along with an editorial2 arguing for a particular strategy for preventing a new explosion of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) . . .
Dynamic environ analysis of compartmental systems: A computational approach

Abstract Ecosystems are often modeled as stocks of matter or energy connected by flows. Network environ analysis (NEA) is a set of mathematical methods for using powers of matrices to trace energy and material flows through such models. NEA has revealed several interesting properties of flow–storage networks, including dominance of indirect effects and the tendency for networks to create mutually positive interactions between species. However, the applicability of NEA is greatly limited by the fact that it can only be applied to models at constant steady states. In this paper, we present a new, computationally oriented approach to environ analysis called dynamic environ approximation (DEA). As a test of DEA, we use it to compute compartment throughflow in two implementations of a model of energy flow through an oyster reef ecosystem. We use a newly derived equation to compute model throughflow and compare its output to that of DEA. We find that DEA approximates the exact results given by this equation quite closely – in this particular case, with a mean Euclidean error ranging between 0.0008 and 0.21 – which gives a sense of how closely it reproduces other NEA-related quantities that cannot be exactly computed and discuss how to reduce this error. An application to calculating indirect flows in ecosystems is also discussed and dominance of indirect effects in a nonlinear model is demonstrated.
Extraosseous osteogenic sarcoma: A review of 48 patients

The clinical records and histologic material of 48 patients with extraosseous osteogenic sarcoma were reviewed. Most patients developed their tumors in the fifth or sixth decades of life. Five patients (10%) developed neoplasms in an area of prior radiation therapy, a median of 15 years after their exposure. Six patients (13%) related a history of trauma to the area where their extraosseous osteogenic sarcoma developed. The course of most patients was that of multiple local recurrences (69%) followed by pulmonary metastases (80%) and death (76%). Amputation or wide resection followed by irradiation appeared to be the most effective types of therapy, with median survivals greater than 60 months for patients receiving these treatments, compared to 28 months for patients initially treated with resection alone. Chemotherapy was not effective for patients with advanced disease; however, adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery may have been of value. Four of five patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery are alive and disease-free; the only two survivors after development of pulmonary metastases received adjuvant chemotherapy after surgical resection of visible pulmonary metastases.
The coalescent in an island model of population subdivision with variation among demes.

A simple genealogical structure is found for a general finite island model of population subdivision. The model allows for variation in the sizes of demes, in contributions to the migrant pool, and in the fraction of each deme that is replaced by migrants every generation. The ancestry of a sample of non-recombining DNA sequences has a simple structure when the sample size is much smaller than the total number of demes in the population. This allows an expression for the probability distribution of the number of segregating sites in the sample to be derived under the infinite-sites mutation model. It also yields easily computed estimators of the migration parameter for each deme in a multi-deme sample. The genealogical process is such that the lineages ancestral to the sample tend to accumulate in demes with low migration rates and/or which contribute disproportionately to the migrant pool. In addition, common ancestor or coalescent events tend to occur in demes of small size. This provides a framework for understanding the determinants of the effective size of the population, and leads to an expression for the probability that the root of a genealogy occurs in a particular geographic region, or among a particular set of demes.
Radical prostatectomy for clinical stage T3a disease.

BACKGROUND Men with clinical stage T3a disease are at high risk and are often encouraged to undergo radiation therapy with concomitant hormonal therapy. The long-term outcomes among men treated with radical prostatectomy for clinical stage T3a disease were examined. METHODS Among 3397 men treated by radical prostatectomy by 1 surgeon between 1987 and 2003, 62 (1.8%) men were identified who had clinical stage T3a disease. Among the 56 men not treated with neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapies before prostate-specific antigen (PSA) recurrence, the long-term outcomes of PSA-free survival, metastasis-free survival, and prostate cancer specific survival were examined. Median and mean follow-up after surgery were 10.3 and 13 years, respectively (range, 1–17). RESULTS Ninety-one percent of men in this group had pathological T3 disease. PSA-free survival at 15 years after surgery was 49%. Metastasis-free survival and cause-specific survival at 15 years after surgery were 73% and 84%, respectively. Among men with a PSA recurrence, 46% received secondary therapy before metastasis. The only preoperative or pathological feature that predicted risk of prostate cancer death was lymph node metastasis (hazard ratio [HR]: 9.22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06–80.02, P = .044). Among the 28 men with a PSA recurrence, PSA doubling time (PSADT) data were available for 23, of which 11 (48%) has a PSADT ≥9 months. No patient with a PSADT ≥9 months died of prostate cancer. A PSADT <9 months was significantly associated with increased risk of prostate cancer death (log-rank, P = .004). CONCLUSIONS In a select cohort of men with clinical stage T3a disease, radical prostatectomy alone provides long-term cancer control in about half of the men and results in a prostate cancer-specific survival of 84%. Among men with a PSA recurrence, PSADT at the time of recurrence is a useful determinant of risk of prostate cancer death. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society.
Autonomic Nervous System and Gut-derived Endotoxin: Involvement in Activation of Kupffer Cells after In Situ Organ Manipulation

Gentle in situ organ manipulation rapidly causes disturbances in the hepatic microcirculation, hypoxia, and activation of Kupffer cells. Because the mechanisms of Kupffer cell activation after organ manipulation remain unclear, the possible role of the autonomic nervous system and gut-derived endotoxin were assessed. To mimic what occurs with major abdominal surgery, livers from female Sprague-Dawley rats (200–230 g) underwent minimal dissection for 12 minutes and were manipulated gently or were left alone for 13 subsequent minutes. Kupffer cells were activated 2 hours after manipulation, reflected by a significant increase in intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) from about 90 nM in unmanipulated controls to more than 180 nM in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS 100 ng/ml). Furthermore, Kupffer cells from manipulated rats produced about threefold more tumor necrosis factor-α after LPS (100 ng/ml) than did the unmanipulated controls. Moreover, O2 uptake of ex situ perfused liver was increased from about 110 μmol/g/hr in unmanipulated controls to more than 160 μmol/g/hr 2 hours after organ manipulation. Binding of pimonidazole (120 mg/kg IV), a 2-nitroimidazole hypoxia marker given 2 hours after manipulation, increased about 2.5-fold, and hepatic glycogen was depleted. Two hours after organ manipulation gut permeability to horseradish peroxidase was elevated and endotoxin in the portal venous blood was increased twofold. Microsurgical hepatic denervation, ganglionic blockade, adrenalectomy, and antibiotics to sterilize the gut before manipulation prevented activation of Kupffer cells by organ manipulation. Hexamethonium and adrenalectomy prevented increases in gut permeability caused by manipulation. Although antibiotics blunted the increase in portal venous endotoxin significantly, there was no effect on gut permeability. These data indicate for the first time that both the autonomic nervous system and gut-derived endotoxin are involved in activation of Kupffer cells after organ manipulation.
Sex differences in heterosexuals' attitudes toward homosexuals: It depends upon what you ask

During the past decade and a half, a great deal of research has been focused on the personaUty and demographic factors related to heterosexuals' attitudes toward homosexuaUty (e.g., Herek, 1984). One demographic factor that has been consistently Unked to these attitudes is sex of respondent. In her metaanalysis of 24 studies of sex differences in attitudes toward homosexuals, Kite (1984) found that men score an average of .21 standard deviations more negatively than do women. However, Kite also noted that most researchers did not distinguish between male and female homosexuals as targets of these attitudes and that the few that did make the distinction suggested that people hold more negative attitudes toward homosexuals of their own sex. Another issue related to the assessment of attitudes toward homosexuals is
Overcoming elders' misconceptions about accurate written medical information

The authors investigated long-term memory for true written information about osteoarthritis that disconfirms the reader's erroneous prior beliefs. Independent variables included informa tion type (text affirms the reader's correct belief or disconfirms the reader's erroneous belief), signaling (disconfirming information either signaled or not signaled in the text), and belief repetition (target beliefs either assessed or not assessed immediately after reading the passages). The relation between the reader's attitudinal fiexibility and long-term memory was also exam ined. Participants were 85 adults (65-80 years old) who self-reported having osteoarthritis for at least 2 years. The authors found (a) disconfirming information was less accurately recognized and recalled than affirming information, (b) repetition ofbeliefs enhanced accurate recognition of disconfirming information and interacted with signaling to increase revision of misconcep tions, and (c) attitudinal flexibility was significantly (p < .05)...
Entropy bounds and dark energy

Abstract Entropy bounds render quantum corrections to the cosmological constant Λ finite. Under certain assumptions, the natural value of Λ is of order the observed dark energy density ∼10−10 eV4, thereby resolving the cosmological constant problem. We note that the dark energy equation of state in these scenarios is w≡p/ρ=0 over cosmological distances, and is strongly disfavored by observational data. Alternatively, Λ in these scenarios might account for the diffuse dark matter component of the cosmological energy density.
Performance-based assessment of expertise: How to decide if someone is an expert or not

Abstract The identification of an expert is vital to any study or application involving expertise. If external criterion (a “gold standard”) exists, then identification is straightforward: Simply compare people against the standard and select whoever is closest. However, such criteria are seldom available for domains where experts work; that's why experts are needed in the first place. The purpose here is to explore various methods for identifying experts in the absence of a gold standard. One particularly promising approach (labeled CWS for Cochran–Weiss–Shanteau ) is explored in detail. We illustrate CWS through reanalyses of three previous studies of experts. In each case, CWS provided new insights into identifying experts. When applied to auditors, CWS correctly detected group differences in expertise. For agricultural judges, CWS revealed subtle distinctions between subspecialties of experts. In personnel selection, CWS showed that irrelevant attributes were more informative than relevant attributes. We believe CWS provides a valuable tool for identification and evaluation of experts.
A survey of propulsion options for cargo and piloted missions to Mars.

In this paper, high-power electric propulsion options are surveyed in the context of cargo and piloted missions to Mars. A low-thrust trajectory optimization program (RAPTOR) is utilized to analyze this mission. Candidate thrusters are chosen based upon demonstrated performance in the laboratory. Hall, self-field magnetoplasmadynamic (MPDT), self-field lithium Lorentz force accelerator (LiLFA), arcjet, and applied-field LiLFA systems are considered for this mission. In this first phase of the study, all thrusters are assumed to operate at a single power level (regardless of the efficiency-power curve), and the thruster specific mass and powerplant specific mass are taken to be the same for all systems. Under these assumptions, for a 7.5 MW, 60 mT payload, piloted mission, the self-field LiLFA results in the shortest trip time (340 days) with a reasonable propellant mass fraction of 57% (129 mT). For a 150 kW, 9 mT payload, cargo mission, both the applied-field LiLFA and the Hall thruster seem reasonable choices with propellant mass fractions of 42 to 45 % (7 to 8 mT) . The Hall thrusters provide better trip times (530-570 days) compared to the applied-field LiLFA (710 days) for the relatively less demanding mission. Nomenclature
Harnessing the natural Drosophila-parasitoid model for integrating insect immunity with functional venomics.

Drosophila species lack most hallmarks of adaptive immunity yet are highly successful against an array of natural microbial pathogens and metazoan enemies. When attacked by figitid parasitoid wasps, fruit flies deploy robust, multi-faceted innate immune responses and overcome many attackers. In turn, parasitoids have evolved immunosuppressive strategies to match, and more frequently to overcome, their hosts. We present methods to examine the evolutionary dynamics underlying anti-parasitoid host defense by teasing apart the specialized immune-modulating venoms of figitid parasitoids and, in turn, possibly delineating the roles of individual venom molecules. This combination of genetic, phylogenomic, and ‘functional venomics’ methods in the Drosophila-parasitoid model should allow entomologists and immunologists to tackle important outstanding questions with implications across disciplines and to pioneer translational applications in agriculture and medicine.
Microarray Image Denoising Using Complex Gaussian Scale Mixtures of Complex Wavelets

Microarray images when contaminated with noise may severely affect the detection and quantification of gene expression. In this paper, we propose to use the complex Gaussian scale mixture (CGSM) model in complex wavelet domain for noise reduction in complementary DNA microarray images. Based on the joint information in the red and green channel microarray images, we model the complex wavelet coefficients of the channel images jointly using the CGSM, and subsequently perform image denoising using Bayes least square estimator in complex wavelet domain. The experimental results show that using the CGSM of complex wavelet coefficients provides better noise reduction of microarray images compared to other complex wavelet-based models.
Toxicity of the carbon dioxide and phosphine combination to Tribolium castaneum under different temperatures

The objective of this work was to assess the effect of temperature on the toxicity of the carbon dioxide-phosphine combination for the developmental stages of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). The toxicity of combination of 5% carbon dioxide and 1 g m-3 phosphine in the developmental stages of egg, larvae of 5, 10 and 15 days, pupae and adult of T. castaneum was studied under the temperatures of 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 °C, through the estimation of lethal insect exposure times of 50 and 95% (LT50 and LT95). For that, time-response curves were established through bioassays with increasing periods of exposure to the combination of carbon dioxide and phosphine. A reduction of LT50 and LT95 was observed with temperature increase in all developmental stages of T. castaneum evaluated. The 5-day old larva was the developmental stage most susceptible to the combination of carbon dioxide and phosphine. According to the results, the combination of carbon dioxide with phosphine is a potential alternative to reduce the amount of phosphine applied on stored products, due to high toxicity in all developmental stages of T. castaneum under different temperatures.
Construction of real skew-symmetric matrices from interlaced spectral data, and graph

Abstract A 1989 result of Duarte asserts that for a given tree T on n vertices, a fixed vertex i , and two sets of distinct real numbers L , M of sizes n and n − 1 , respectively, such that M strictly interlaces L , there is a real symmetric matrix A such that graph of A is T , eigenvalues of A are given by L , and eigenvalues of A ( i ) are given by M . In 2013, a similar result for connected graphs was published by Hassani Monfared and Shader, using the Jacobian method. Analogues of these results are presented here for real skew-symmetric matrices whose graphs belong to a certain family of trees, and all of their supergraphs.
Surgical problems in some otosclerosis cases

Abstract The aim of the thesis was the analysis of the anatomical abnormalities and atypical conditions in the middle ear encountered during the surgery for otosclerosis. Among 557 stapedectomies performed in the otosclerotic ears, different abnormalities in the tympanic cavity were found in 122 cases (21.9%). These included: oval window niche narrowed for different reasons in 57 cases, stapes anomalies in 27 cases, obliterate otosclerosis in 20 cases, red otospongiosis of the stapes in 8 cases, increased perilymph pressure in 7 cases and malleus and incus bony fixation in 3 cases. In 28 cases (22.9%), these abnormalities were the reason of some failure during surgery. The most common—16 cases—was premature mobilization of the stapes followed by other consequences. In the other nine cases, the operation was discontinued for different reasons. Another failure was the floating footplate in one ear, facial nerve paresis in one ear and incus subluxation also in one ear. In a few cases in which the operation was stopped, the successful stapedectomy was performed at the second stage. Only in four ears was the stapedectomy totally given up, which makes up 0.7% of the 557 ears operated on.
Transnational Movement Innovation and Collaboration: Analysis of World Social Forum Networks

In this article we first trace the ideological development and collective framing of the World Social Forum (WSF) as a non-hierarchical gathering for collaboration and networking within the global justice movement. We then analyze the consequences of organizational design, thematic resonance, and technological innovations implemented to produce more open and horizontal collaboration. We do this by conducting two-mode network analysis of organizations that facilitated sessions and workshops during two separate meetings (2003 and 2005) of the WSF in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Our findings indicate that organizational affiliations were less hierarchical in 2005, but we uncover mixed results from analyzing patterns of interaction produced by individual organizations and groups of organizations. Finally, we discuss the implications of such macro-level innovations on the dynamics of multi-organizational fields (collaboration, coalition building, and thematic resonance) and the contributions of such an approach to th...
Ecological Relationships of Recent Foraminifera: ABSTRACT

The author is a marine biologist, formerly with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Johns Hopkins Marine Station. He discusses the paleogeographic factors of foraminiferal ecology, including depth, distance from shore and sedimentary conditions, and attempts to apply these factors in the ecology of living foraminifera to environmental significance of fossil foraminifera. End_of_Article - Last_Page 2241------------
Theory of Oscillatory Photoconductivity in Semiconductors: Boltzmann-Equation Approach

The Boltzmann equation for the distribution function of conduction electrons in an electric field, including generation of electrons due to photon absorption, recombination, elastic scattering, and optical-phonon emission, is constructed and solved with the aid of some simple assumptions about the energy dependences of the various transition rates. The photoconductive current, as a function of photon energy, shows oscillations with minima at multiples of the optical-phonon energy, in agreement with recent observations in the low-temperature photoconductivity of several semiconductors. The oscillations are the result of the strong interaction of electrons with longitudinal optical phonons. An energy variation of either lifetime or elastic scattering is not necessary for the existence of these oscillations, although their exact shape depends on it. The calculated field dependence of the shape of the oscillatory photoconductivity agrees qualitatively with experiments in InSb.
Attitudes and opinions of faculty tutors about problem-based learning.

BACKGROUND. There has been little systematic attention to the opinions of faculty in evaluating problem-based learning (PBL). The purpose of this report is to describe the attitudes and opinions of tutors in PBL programs about the relative merits of PBL and traditional medical education, and to exam
New aids in the diagnosis of dextrocardia.

Abstract The use of new diagnostic techniques in the identification of two types of dextrocardia is discussed. Of the two cases presented, one showed mirror-image dextrocardia associated with situs inversus, sinusitis, and bronchiectasis (Kartagener's Triad). The other was an example of uncomplicated congenital isolated dextrocardia. Careful investigation of the latter patient by standard diagnostic methods, roentgenkymography, catheterization of the right side of the heart, and particularly by unipolar electrocardiography disclosed that the heart lay mostly to the right of the midline and that the left ventricle was substernal in position while the right ventricle lay posteriorly. The stomach and liver were in their usual positions. Inversion of the cardiac chambers and functionally significant cardiac malformations were excluded largely on the basis of evidence obtained by electrocardiography and by catheterization of the right side of the heart.
More on the Interactive Indexing Semantic Theory

This article further explains and develops a recent, comprehensive semantic naturalization theory, namely the interactive indexing (II) theory as described in my 2008 Minds and Machines article "Semantic Naturalization via Interactive Perceptual Causality" (Vol. 18, pp. 527---546). Folk views postulate a concrete intentional relation between cognitive states and the worldly states they are about. The II theory eliminates any such concrete intentionality, replacing it with purely causal relations based on the interactive theory of perception. But intentionality is preserved via purely abstract propositions about the world that index, or correlate with, appropriate cognitive states. Further reasons as to why intentionality must be abstract are provided, along with more details of an II-style account of representation, language use and propositional attitudes. All cognitive representation is explained in terms of classification or sorting dispositions indexed by appropriate propositions. The theory is also related to Fodor's representational theory of mind, with some surprisingly close parallels being found in spite of the purely dispositional basis of the II theory. In particular, Fodor's insistence that thinking about an item cannot be reduced to sorting dispositions is supported via a novel two-level account of cognition--upper level propositional attitudes involve significant intermediate processing of a broadly normative epistemic kind prior to the formation of sorting dispositions. To conclude, the weak intentional realism of the II theory--which makes intentional descriptions of the world dispensable--is related to Dennett's `intentional stance' view, and distinguished from strong (indispensable) intentional realist views. II-style dispositions are also defended.