cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synaptic influences on rat ganglion‐cell photoreceptors

The intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) provide a conduit through which rods and cones can access brain circuits mediating circadian entrainment, pupillary constriction and other non-image-forming visual functions. We characterized synaptic inputs to ipRGCs in rats using whole-cell and multielectrode array recording techniques. In constant darkness all ipRGCs received spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs. Light stimulation evoked in all ipRGCs both synaptically driven (‘extrinsic’) and autonomous melanopsin-based (‘intrinsic’) responses. The extrinsic light responses were depolarizing, about 5 log units more sensitive than the intrinsic light response, and transient near threshold but sustained to brighter light. Pharmacological data showed that ON bipolar cells and amacrine cells make the most prominent direct contributions to these extrinsic light responses, whereas OFF bipolar cells make a very weak contribution. The spatial extent of the synaptically driven light responses was comparable to that of the intrinsic photoresponse, suggesting that synaptic contacts are made onto the entire dendritic field of the ipRGCs. These synaptic influences increase the sensitivity of ipRGCs to light, and also extend their temporal bandpass to higher frequencies. These extrinsic ipRGC light responses can explain some of the previously reported properties of circadian photoentrainment and other non-image-forming visual behaviours.
Asymmetric information and the predictability of real estate returns.

This article examines the relation between systematic price changes and the heterogeneity of investors' information sets in real estate asset markets. The empirical implications rely on a theoretical economy in which information asymmetry alters the dynamic relation between returns and trading volume. We employ a filter-rule methodology to determine predictability in returns and augment the return-based conditioning set with trading volume. The additional conditioning information is necessary since the model is underspecified when predictability is based on returns alone. Our results provide new insight into the coexistence of informational and noninformational exchange in the speculative markets for real estate assets. Specifically, we find that the predictability of real estate returns is generally more indicative of portfolio rebalancing effects than an adverse-selection problem. These results are unique in addressing the time-variation in information asymmetry.
Social Power and Education

The focus of this essay is the concept of social power. The phrase “social power” has been used by political scientists and philosophers to refer to the power that is exercised by individuals or groups within society. The question of power in the social context has troubled philosophers, off and on, for centuries. Ambitious attempts by several contemporary political theorists to rework liberal political thought have once again thrust this issue to the forefront of philosophical debate.
Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn

A. Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) is a condition in which pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) is elevated, usually from a failure of its normal postbirth decline. This leads to a variable degree of rightto-left shunting through persistent fetal channels, the foramen ovale and ductus arteriosus, and severe hypoxemia. A similar clinical picture can arise from decreased systemic vascular resistance or any condition where the PVR:SVR ratio is >1. Originally, a diagnosis reserved for term babies with “clear” lungs, profound cyanosis, and a structurally normal heart, so-called secondary PPHN now occurs in babies with primary pulmonary parenchymal disease or with left ventricular dysfunction. B. PVR may be elevated as a result of an “appropriate” response to an underlying acute pathologic state (e.g., alveolar hypoxia), where decreased perfusion would serve to match decreased ventilation (an appropriate response for a functioning lung). In addition, increases in PVR can occur with acute pneumothorax or as a result of structural abnormalities of the pulmonary vascular bed. C. Although the disorder is also referred to as persistent fetal circulation (“PFC”), this is a misnomer, since the fetal organ of respiration, the placenta, has been removed, and the infant is dependent upon the lungs for gas exchange.
Web-based data management and sharing of bottlenose dolphin photographic identification information

The photo identification of bottlenose dolphins is a non-invasive technique of tracking individual animals. It can provide data on the social affiliations, habitat usage, population structure, behavior, and birth/death rates of bottlenose dolphin in a study area. The Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) has been conducting a long-term photo-ID program in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Previously, the data were managed in a desktop database, which was limited in capability in terms of data backup, security (e.g., computer virus), access to multiple users within the organization, and information sharing among peers with data from adjacent study areas. Information sharing can enhance our knowledge on the migration, habitat association, and population structure of the animals in a larger geographic area. To improve data management and access of bottlenose dolphin photo-ID information in the SEFSC database, and to facilitate efficient data sharing with other photo-ID research groups, we have developed an Oracle database application to enable data entry, update, categorization, search, and download of dolphin photo-ID information collected by SEFSC and our partners in south Florida. The data include scanned digital photos and associated attributes. The system has multiple levels of access rights: system administrator, partners, and the general public. These users access the system through Web browsers. Routine tasks such as data backup and virus protection are managed by the Oracle database administrator, thus allowing the fisheries researchers to focus on data quality control and analysis. The system also minimizes the effort experienced by fisheries researchers to maintain the Web site because information (images and attributes) submitted to the system can be shared instantly by the designated user community.
Fourth generation fluoroquinolones: new weapons in the arsenal of ophthalmic antibiotics.

Abstract PURPOSE: Fourth generation fluoroquinolones (FQs) will soon be introduced to ophthalmology. In this in vitro study, differences in the susceptibility patterns and the potencies of fourth generation FQs (gatifloxacin-GAT and moxifloxacin-MOX) were compared with third generation (levofloxacin-LEV) and second generation FQs (ciprofloxacin-CIP and ofloxacin-OFX). DESIGN: Experimental laboratory investigation. METHODS: In retrospect, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 93 bacterial endophthalmitis isolates were determined to CIP, OFX, LEV, GAT, and MOX using E-tests. The National Committee of Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) susceptibility patterns and the potencies of the MICs were statistically compared. RESULTS: With in vitro tests, Staphylococcus aureus isolates that were resistant to CIP and OFX were statistically most susceptible ( P = .01) to MOX. Coagulase negative Staphylococci that were resistant to CIP and OFX were statistically most susceptible ( P = .02) to MOX and GAT. Streptococcus viridans were more susceptible ( P = .02) to MOX, GAT, and LEV than CIP and OFX. Streptococcus pneumoniae was least susceptible ( P = .01) to OFX compared with the other FQs. Susceptibilities were equivalent ( P = .11) for all other bacterial groups. In general, MOX was the most potent FQ for gram-positive bacteria ( P = .05) while CIP, MOX, GAT, and LEV demonstrated equivalent potencies to gram-negative bacteria. CONCLUSIONS: This in vitro study indicated that fourth generation FQs appear to cover bacterial resistance to the second and third generation FQs, were more potent than the second and third generation FQs for gram-positive bacteria, and are equally potent for gram-negative bacteria. Clinical studies will need to confirm these results.
Theophylline IMAGEtags (Intracellular Multi Aptamer Genetic tags): the development and evaluation of an RNA reporter system based on the theophylline aptamer

iv CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 Current reporter genes 1 Fluorescent proteins 3 In Vivo Imaging 6 RNA Imaging 8 Aptamers 9 Aptamer structure and stabilization 10 Applications of aptamers 11 Riboswitches natural RNAs with aptamer-like properties 12 Application of aptamers for imaging 13 Sulforhodamine-B and fluorescein aptamers 13 Fluorescence switches and “Light-up” aptamers 14 Theophylline aptamer for imaging 17 Theophylline 17 The theophylline aptamer 19 The IMAGEtag reporter system 22 Collaborator contributions 22 CHAPTER 2. CLONING OF MULTIPLE TANDEM REPEATS OF PROTEIN DOMAINS AND APTAMERS 24 Abstract 24 Introduction 25 Materials and Methods 27 Materials 27 Cloning of initial repetitive sequences from synthetic oligonucleotides 27 Construction of longer repetitive sequences 28 Results and Discussion 28 Repetitive aptamer sequences constructed using oligonucleotides 28 Multiplication of the original repetitive sequences 29 Other repetitive constructs 31 Stability of repetitive constructs 31 Summary 32
Slow fluorescence quenching of type A chloroplasts. Resolution into two components.

Abstract The divalent-cation-specific ionophore A23187 is used to define two components of the slow fluorescence quenching of type a spinach chloroplasts: ionophore-reversible and ionophore-resistant quenching. Ionophore-reversible quenching predominates at relatively low light intensities and approaches saturation as light levels are increased. It is sensitive to uncouplers and to 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU) and is dark reversible. At high light intensities the bulk (> 80%) of slow fluorescence quenching is ionophore-resistant. Ionophore-resistant quenching is stimulated by carbonyl cyanide m -chlorophenyl hydrazone (CCCP) at pH 7.6 and by both CCCP and methylamine at pH 9.0. It is insensitive to DCMU and is not reversed in subsequent darkness. Taken together, the two components account for all quenching observed in Type A chloroplasts. Ionophore-reversible quenching is identified with the Mg 2+ -mediated fluorescence quenching described by Krause (Biochim. Biophys. Acta (1974) 333, 301–313) and by Barber and Telfer (in Membrane Transport in Plants (Dainty, J., and Zimmermann, U., eds.), pp. 281–288, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1974). Ionophore-resistant quenching, a first-order process requiring high light, resembles the quenching reported by Jennings et al. (Biochim. Biophys. Acta (1976) 423, 264–274). The resolution of the fluorescence quenching phenomenon into two distinct components reconciles the apparently contradictory observations of these earlier investigations.
On the Isotope Effect in F + HD Reaction at Ultracold Temperatures†

Isotope branching in the F + HD reaction is investigated at ultracold temperatures. It is found that in the limit of zero temperatures, the rate coefficient for HF formation in the F + HD (v = 0, j = 0) reaction is a factor of 5.5 greater than that of DF formation. The difference is attributed to the more efficient tunneling of the lighter atom. For HD molecules initially in the j = 1 excited rotational level, a clear preference is seen for chemical reaction leading to HF and DF products with an HF/DF branching ratio of 5.2 rather than for nonreactive rotational quenching.
Phase stability in thermally-aged CASS CF8 under heavy ion irradiation

Abstract The stability of the microstructure of a cast austenitic stainless steel (CASS), before and after heavy ion irradiation, was investigated by atom probe tomography (APT). A CF8 ferrite–austenite duplex alloy was thermally aged at 400 °C for 10,000 h. After this treatment, APT revealed nanometer-sized G-phase precipitates and Fe-rich α and Cr-enriched α′ phase separated regions in the ferrite. The thermally-aged CF8 specimen was irradiated with 1 MeV Kr ions to a fluence of 1.88 × 10 19 ions/m 2 at 400 °C. After irradiation, APT analysis revealed a strong spatial/dose dependence of the G-phase precipitates and the α–α′ spinodal decomposition in the ferrite. For the G-phase precipitates, the number density increased and the mean size decreased with increasing dose, and the particle size distribution changed considerably under irradiation. The inverse coarsening process can be described by recoil resolution. The amplitude of the α–α′ spinodal decomposition in the ferrite was apparently reduced after heavy ion irradiation.
On the thermodynamic foundations of strain-dependent creep damage and rupture in three dimensions

Abstract The laws of thermodynamics are employed to clarify the concepts of nonisothermal multi-dimensional creep damage and rupture. By postulating a Gibbs free energy functional in terms of time integrals of functions of stress, temperature and damage. we deduce via the Second Law of Thermodynamics constitutive laws for strain, entropy and damage which are general enough to encompass various existing theories. Then by choosing a more specific form for the Gibbs free energy we obtain the governing constitutive laws of the strain-dependent theory of damage. The formulation of the boundary value problem for stress, displacement, temperature and damage is also discussed, for both the coupled and quasi-static uncoupled cases.
Analysis of a Cartesian PML approximation to acoustic scattering problems in R2

Abstract In this paper, we consider a Cartesian PML approximation to solutions of acoustic scattering problems on an unbounded domain in R 2 . The perfectly matched layer (PML) technique in a curvilinear coordinate system has been researched for acoustic scattering applications both in theory and computation. Our goal will be to extend the results of spherical/cylindrical PML to PML in Cartesian coordinates, that is, the well-posedness of Cartesian PML approximation on both the unbounded and truncated domains. The exponential convergence of approximate solutions as a function of domain size is also shown. We note that once the stability and convergence of the (continuous) truncated problem has been achieved, the analysis of the resulting finite element approximations is then classical. Finally, the results of numerical computations illustrating the theory and efficiency of the Cartesian PML approach will be given.
The Many (Opaque) Echoes of Compromise Crack Sentencing Reform

Federal Sentencing Reporter, Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 167–170, ISSN 1053-9867 electronic ISSN 1533-8363. ©2011 Vera Institute of Justice. All rights reserved. Please direct requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press’s Rights and Permissions website, http://www.ucpressjournals.com/reprintInfo.asp. DOI: 10.1525/fsr.2011.23.3.167. The Many (Opaque) Echoes of Compromise Crack Sentencing Reform
A retrospective analysis of two randomized trials of bupropion for methamphetamine dependence: Suggested guidelines for treatment discontinuation/augmentation

Background Two clinical trials have shown efficacy for bupropion in treating methamphetamine (MA) dependence among those with moderate baseline MA use. However, treatment response is highly variable and it is unclear what duration of treatment is necessary to determine if maintaining the treatment course is indicated or if discontinuation or augmentation is appropriate. The present study assessed the relationship among early bupropion treatment response for moderate MA users and end-of-treatment (EOT) abstinence. These data provide estimates of the duration of treatment and the degree of responsiveness required to persist in bupropion treatment.
Atomic scale structure of alcohol-based zirconia xerogels by X-ray diffraction

The structural evolution of zirconia thin films and gel powders has been evaluated by X-ray diffraction. Maxima (r1 and r2) of the experimental radial distribution function RDF and the bond angles θ were determined and correlated with TGA (thermogravimetric analysis), DTA (differential thermal analysis) and MS (mass spectrometry). The results indicate that the topological short-range structure (<5 A) of amorphous zirconia thin films, independent of drying temperature, resembles that of crystalline tetragonal ZrO2. In contrast, amorphous zirconia powder gels dried at temperatures below 120°C show atomic arrangements similar to that of tetragonal ZrO2. The structure of these gels annealed at temperatures between 165–340°C resembles a distorted tetragonal ZrO2, monoclinic-like structure. Zirconia powders and films contain crystalline tetragonal ZrO2 at 400°C.
Ectopic Lymph Node of the Orbit Simulating a Lacrimal Gland Tumor

A 47-year-old woman had a tumor in the lacrimal gland region of the orbit for 20 years which was histologically diagnosed as a large lymph node. The ectopic lymph node was probably congenital.
Adipokine expression and secretion: a target for pharmacologic treatment

Obesity and insulin resistance are important risk factors for major diseases such as metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Chronic subclinical inflammation appears to underlie these disorders. Increasing evidence suggests that dysregulation of metabolically active adipose tissue contributes to systemic inflammation in part by secreting higher concentrations of pro-inflammatory adipokines (a diverse set of bioactive proteins produced by adipose tissue). Some adipokines act as endocrine factors directly enhancing systemic inflammation. Increased secretion of these adipokines results from local adipose tissue inflammation that is mediated by autocrine and paracrine pathways. Adipokine expression and thus secretion are modulated by intercellular cross talk within adipose tissue, including that between adipocytes and macrophages (and possibly mast cells), as well as by oxidative stress and activation of pro-inflammatory pathways such as nuclear factor kappa B and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. These regulators of adipokine expression and secretion may serve as therapeutic targets for pharmacologic agents that ameliorate the above adipokine-related diseases. These agents include the widely used angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers, inhibitors of angiotensin-converting enzyme, metformin, thiazolidinediones, statins, salicylates, as well as others yet to be developed. Biomedical Reviews 2006; 17: 63-72.
A simple line-source model for dispersion near roadways

Abstract A simple line-source model is proposed to describe the downwind dispersion of pollutants near the roadway. This model avoids the cumbersome integration necessary for conventional Gaussian models. It also allows for plume rise due to the heated exhaust and is therefore potentially more accurate than conventional Gaussian models. The model parameters are estimated from data obtained in the General Motors Sulfate Dispersion Experiment. These parameters can be further refined as data from similar experiments become available.
High incidence of neoplasms in female NZB/NZW mice treated with pulse doses of cyclophosphamide

Abstract The immunosuppressive properties of cyclophosphamide prevent formation of anti-DNA antibodies and prolong lifespans in autoimmune NZB/NZW mice, an animal model of systemic lupus erythematosus. In the current study, NZB/NZW mice were treated with weekly doses of cyclophosphamide to determine if intermittent pulses of the drug were effective therapy. Life-long treatment with cyclophosphamide, 56 mg/kg/week, was started at the mean age of 6 weeks; results were compared with saline-injected control mice. Pulse therapy with cyclophosphamide suppressed anti-DNA antibody levels, prevented severe qlomerulonephritis and prolonged longevity. Seventeen of 19 treated mice developed neoplasms; 7 of these immunosuppressed animals had 2 to 4 separate neoplasms. Examination of earlier studies in this laboratory in which NZB/NZW mice were treated each day with cyclophosphamide showed that daily and weekly therapeutic regimens had similar immunosuppressive and oncogenic effects.
Examination of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory Discrepancy Hypothesis

This study examined the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI) discrepancy hypothesis, which asserts that a discrepancy in score elevations on the ECBI Intensity and Problem Scales is related to problematic parenting styles. The Intensity Scale measures the frequency of child disruptive behavior, and the Problem Scale measures parent perception of their child's behavior as problematic. In a sample of 216 female caregivers of 3-to7-year-old children, the magnitude of discrepancy between T scores on the two ECBI scales was found to predict parental tolerance for child misbehavior. A one-standard-deviation difference in ECBI T scores identified (a) parents intolerant of their child's misbehavior when the Problem score was highest and (b) overly permissive parents when the Intensity score was highest.
Interpreting the literature on lead and child development: The neglected role of the “experimental system”

Controversy over lead's effect on children's cognition rests in part on the assumption that if such an effect exists it can be characterized by a single estimator (e.g., the same rate of decline in IQ with increasing exposure, the same neuropsychological presentation), which will be found by any study that is valid. Accordingly, efforts to resolve inconsistencies in study findings have focused almost exclusively on data analytic issues germane to bias, in particular confounding and its statistical control. Relatively little consideration has been given to the role of effect modification, i.e., the impact on effect estimation of differences in the "experimental systems" employed in human epidemiological studies. Lack of consistency in findings could be due to differences among study cohorts in exposure/toxicokinetic factors (e.g., dose, timing), differences in environmental characteristics (e.g., co-exposures, co-morbidity, developmental supports, assessment setting), or differences in the distribution of genetic characteristics that affect lead metabolism. Recent findings regarding lead's impact on the development of nervous system structure and function are consistent with the hypothesis that contextual factors affect the form in which lead toxicity is expressed and may contribute to the failure to date to identify a lead-associated "behavioral signature." Characterizing the neuropsychological effects of lead might be facilitated by greater use of a clinical "process" approach to assessment, which would permit the type of fine-grained analyses of lead-associated performance differences often employed in studies of behavioral toxicity in animal models.
Two Short-Period Eclipsing Binary Stars in the Field of PG 1047+003

We present extensive time-series photometry confirming that two stars located in the field of PG 1047 + 003 are short-period eclipsing binary systems. One of these stars, published as a photometric standard by Landolt and designated as PG 1047 + 003C, is shown to have eclipse depths on the order of 0.1 mag and a period of ~0.28 days. The other star, located ~2' south-southwest of PG 1047 + 003, exhibits a similar amplitude and light-curve shape, but has a slightly longer period of ~0.35 days. Light-curve solutions for both variables, based on the Wilson-Devinney code, reveal them to be contact binaries with low inclinations and each possessing uneven maxima, which we attribute to the presence of a single hot spot on the surfaces of the primary stars.
The size of aspherical or nonhomogeneous particles in suspension as determined with a transmittance photometer

Abstract A method was proposed earlier for sizing large homogeneous spheres (diameter 0.2–0.6 μm) in suspension. Visible light transmittances of suspensions are measured with a special photometer and interpreted with the Lorenz-Mie equations. This method recognizes particle size from the angular dependence of scattering. Now the method is extended to aspherical and structured particles. It is tested using human red blood cells (erythrocytes) which are modeled as oblate spheroids and yeast cells which are modeled as hollow spheres. The scattering properties of the spheroid are predicted with the approximate method of P. Latimer and P. Barber (J. Colloid Interface Sci. 63, 310, (1978)), those of the hollow sphere with the exact method of A. L. Aden and M. Kerker (Appl. Phys. 22, 1242 (1951)).
Comments on "A Compilation Technique for Exact System Reliability" - II

The K.K. Lee algorithm incorrectly evaluates system reliability when the system model contains replicated events.
Unfixed action patterns: social behavior and the brain

Abstract The 2000 Karger Workshop: ‘Social Modulation of Brain and Behavior', New Orleans, LA, USA, 3 November 2000.
Transverse vibrations of rotating shafts: Probability density and first-passage time of whirl radius

Abstract Transverse vibrations are considered for a single mass/two-degrees-of-freedom rotating shaft with linear internal or “rotating” damping and nonlinear external damping. The shaft is excited by external random forces. Analysis of resulting random vibrations is based on stochastic averaging method which yields separated (in the linear approximation) equations for complex amplitudes of forward and backward whirling motions. The former of these motions is shown to be dominant at rotation speeds in the vicinity of the instability threshold. Using this approximation an analytical solution is obtained for probability density of squared radius of the shaft's whirl. This solution can be used to detect on-line shaft's instability from its observed response. Solution is also obtained for expected time for reaching given level by the squared whirl radius of the shaft.
Assessment of the results of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty using an integrated ultrasound imaging-angioplasty catheter.

To evaluate the results percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), intra-vascular ultrasound imaging was performed in 32 proximal coronary arterial segments and in 16 atherosclerotic lesions after PTCA in 13 patients using a 5 Fr balloon catheter with an ultrasound transducer mounted just proximal to the balloon. Simultaneous angiographic measurements of vessel diameter were also performed using electronic calipers from contrast cine angiograms. There was good correlation between ultrasound and angiographic minimum luminal diameters of the normal proximal vessel (y = 0.59x + 1.49, r = 0.70, P<0.01, n = 32). However, the luminal diameter measured by intravascular ultrasound was significantly greater than when measured by contrast angiography (2.81±0.10 vs. 2.34±0.12mm, n = 16, P<0.001, mean ±SEM). Post-PTCA, there was good correlation between ultrasound and angiographic minimum luminal diameters of the lesion (y = 0.62x + 1.42, r=0.76, P<0.001, n = 16), but again luminal diameters were significantly greater when measured by intravascular ultrasound compared to contrast angiography (2.61±0.08 vs. 1.89 ± 0.10mm, n = 16, P<0.001). Furthermore, residual stenosis was significantly less when determined by intravascular ultrasound than by contrast angiography (7.3±2.0 vs. 18.1 ± 2.1%, n = 16, P<0.001). Intravascular ultrasound was able to detect coronary calcification that was not evident by contrast coronary angiography in 8 of 16 lesions. Post-PTCA, dissection was evident in four lesions by ultrasound, whereas dissection was appreciated in only three lesions by contrast angiography. We conclude that intravascular ultrasound can accurately measure the luminal diameter of coronary arteries both before and after PTCA and reveals more information about the lesion characteristics than does conventional contrast angiography.
Examining the Influences of Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and Social Capital on the Subjective Health of Adolescents.

We investigate the factors that influence adolescent self-assessed health, based upon surveys conducted between 2000 and 2004 of high-school seniors in Washington State (N=6853). A large proportion of the sample (30%) was first and second generation immigrants from Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. Findings include a robust negative effect of female gender on self-reported health that is largely unmodified by demographic, developmental, social capital, and parental support variables, gender differences in the covariates of self-reported health, and the tendency of male adolescents of Cambodian and Vietnamese origin to report lower levels of self-reported health despite controls for other health-related individual characteristics. Social capital dimensions such as positive school affiliation, social network cohesion, and a safe learning environment were found to covary with the self-reported health of adolescent females.
Modulating tone: the overture of S1P receptor immunotherapeutics.

Summary: Modulation of complex functions within the immune system has proven to be surprisingly sensitive to alterations in the lysophospholipid sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor-ligand rheostat. This has become increasingly evident from both chemical and genetic manipulation of the S1P system, with pharmacological effects upon lymphoid cells, dendritic cell function, as well as vascular interfaces. The integrated immune system, perhaps as a result of its relatively recent evolutionary ontogeny, has selected for a number of critical control points regulated by five distinct high affinity G-protein-coupled receptor subtypes with a shared ligand, with receptors distributed on lymphocytes, dendritic cells, and endothelium. All of these cellular components of the axis are capable of modulating immune responses in vivo, with the impact on the immune response being very different from classical immunosuppressants, by virtue of selective spatial and temporal sparing of humoral and myeloid elements of host defense. Pharmacological subversion of the S1P rheostat is proving to be clinically efficacious in multiple sclerosis, and both the scope and limitations of therapeutic modulation of the S1P axis in immunotherapy are becoming clearer as understanding of the integrated chemical physiology of the S1P system emerges.
Free-space nondestructive characterization of young mortar samples

The results of early age reflection and transmission properties of young mortar samples with different water-to-cement ratios (w∕c) changing between 0.40 and 0.60 with a 0.05 of increment are presented. Hourly nondestructive and noncontact measurements are conducted during 20–30 and 44–54 hours at X band (8–12 GHz) by free-space method. Two measurement systems are used for comparison and validation of measurements. One is a simple and relatively inexpensive (direct current volt meter and T-meter combination) and the other is expensive and complex in operation (Agilent Technologies power meter). A new approach (relative slope approach for reflection properties) is introduced to predict the history of the hydration process of young mortar samples. It is shown that the difference between the relative slopes of reflection properties of mortar samples with 0.40 and 0.45 w∕c ratios is greater than that of other mortar samples whose w∕c ratio difference is 0.05. This result shows that a mortar with a lower w∕c r...
DEGENERATE EPITAXY, COINCIDENCE EPITAXY AND ORIGIN OF "SPECIAL" BOUNDARIES IN THIN FILMS

Abstract When the substrate crystal is of a higher symmetry than the crystal of the overgrown film, a finite number of differently oriented island-nuclei ( n ) develop, which ensues a finite number of misorientations ( m ) across boundaries in the film where m = C( n ,2). This phenomenon of degenerate epitaxy is observed in the double positioning of the [111] f.c.c. metal films on MoS 2 with (112) twin boundaries and the triple positioning of the tetragonal YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7− x (YBCO) on lattice matched cubic SrTiO 3 with 90°-boundaries of Σ3. The in situ growth of YBCO films on (001) MgO is a good example of coincidence epitaxy , where the lattice misfit is large. Differently oriented island-nuclei form to minimize interfacial energy by maximizing the lattice coincidence according to the Near Coincidence Site Lattice (NCSL) model and minimizing the misfit and strain energy across the film/substrate interface. Thus the number of possible misorientations ( m ) from the number of differently oriented island-nuclei ( n ) is given as m = n 2 /2 when n is even and m = ( n − 1)( n + 1)/4 when n is odd. Only nine misorientations have been observed compared to the calculated value of 64; extensive grain growth and grain annihilation are believed to be responsible for the disappearance of many misorientations. Those [001] tilt boundaries corresponding to Σ5, Σ17, Σ29, off-Σ13 and 45° have all been observed.
A classification scheme for deep seafloor habitats

A standard, universally useful classification scheme for deepwater habitats needs to be established so that descriptions of these habitats can be accurately and efficiently applied among scientific disciplines. In recent years many marine benthic habitats in deep water have been described using geophysical and biological data. These descriptions can vary from one investigator to another, which makes it difficult to compare habitats and associated biological assemblages among geographic regions. Using geophysical data collected with a variety of remote sensor systems and in situ biological and geologic observations, we have constructed a classification scheme that can be used in describing marine benthic habitats in deep water.
Phase II trial of high-dose cisplatin with sodium thiosulfate nephroprotection in patients with advanced carcinoma of the uterine cervix previously untreated with chemotherapy

Cisplatin is one of the most active single agents in the treatment of advanced cancer of the cervix. The concurrent administration of the nephroprotective agent, sodium thiosulfate, has enabled exploitation of the therapeutic potential of cisplatin. To explore the role of cisplatin dose intensity in the treatment of patients with cancer of the uterine cervix, patients with persistent/recurrent measurable disease were treated with cisplatin at 200 mg/m2 as a 2-hr infusion with sodium thiosulfate given at 3.3 g/m2 1 hr prior to cisplatin and 6.6 g/m2 during the cisplatin infusion. Treatment was repeated monthly. Due to the known cumulative toxicity of cisplatin, treatment beyond two cycles (400 mg/m2) was given only to those patients who had at least demonstrated a PR. Audiologic evaluation was done prior to each cycle of treatment. Eleven patients were entered with a median age of 43 years (range, 25-57), a median KPS of 80% (range, 60-90%), and nine epidermoid and two adenocarcinoma, and all patients had received previous pelvic irradiation. Twenty-eight cycles of treatment were given: 1, five cycles; 3, three cycles; 7, two cycles. No greater than or equal to 3+ hematologic, neurologic, or renal toxicity was demonstrated. Ototoxicity was demonstrated in the mild to moderate hearing loss range (3000-8000 Hz). The greatest threshold shift occurred after the first course of cisplatin. There were three PRs with a maximum duration of 4 months. Due to the significant toxicities encountered, the low response rate, and the limited duration of responses, this trial was closed early to accrual.
Updating China’s International Economic Policy after Thirty Years of Reform and Opening: What Position on Regional and Global Economic Architecture?

The 30 years of reform and opening have brought great material progress to China. By becoming a big country, China’s actions created huge spillovers on other countries. The result has been a rise in trade tension between China and its trade partners. Recently, some have claimed that China’s prolonged large trade surpluses have undermined global financial stability and tilted the world into a deep recession, if not, a 1930s-style depression. Others have claimed that the greenhouse gases from China’s industrialization would soon cause cataclysmic global climate change. One blunt but effective way to eliminate these negative spillovers is to restrict imports from China.Labor in the rich countries are under considerable stress because of the deep global structural adjustments brought by, one, the integration of the labor force of China, India and the Soviet bloc into the world economy; and, two, the acceleration of technological innovations (as exemplified by the revolution in information technology). The new global equilibrium could be a win-win outcome for the world but the process of moving to it is a painful one. Protectionism to avoid the transitional pains is, however, likely to end up in a lose-lose outcome for the world.China must therefore, in its own interests, help to reduce international tension by updating its strategy of international economic engagement. China has to go beyond being a passive beneficiary of the WTO system to being an active promoter of WTO objectives. China should work with the US to bring Doha Rounds negotiations to a successful conclusion. China must also play a stronger and more constructive role in the forthcoming international talks on global climate change. China and India are simply too big to be exempted for a long time from national ceilings on the emission of greenhouse gases. China will have to face down its internal political opposition to replace the backward state-controlled financial system with a dynamic, but well-regulated, diversified private financial system in order to eliminate the odd phenomenon of a poor country lending to a rich country. For its neighborhood, China should push for an Asian Economic Union that takes the form of a WTO-plus free trade and open investment area that has regional pooling of foreign exchange reserves. Since there is no prospect of free labor mobility within East Asia, monetary integration would produce an economically inefficient outcome. East Asia should therefore be focusing its energy on creating as large a free trade area as possible, and forgo the unrealistic goal of a common Asian currency.
Visible Microdisk and Photonic Crystals Lasers Based on InGaP/InGaAlP System

We describe the performance of submicron microdisk and photonic crystal lasers fabricated within InGaP/InGaAlP quantum well material. The smallest lasers, with diameters of approximately 600 nm, feature ultra-small mode volumes and exhibit single mode operation at low threshold powers. Their small cavity volumes of approximately 0.03 μm 3 for microdisk lasers and 0.01 μm 3 for photonic crystal lasers enable them to be used as spectroscopic sources. Here we demonstrate the fabrication and characterization of visible, monolithically fabricated, submicron mode volume lasers.
Event location for ordinary differential equations

Abstract An initial value problem for y′ = f(t, y) may have an associated event function g(t, y). An event is said to occur at t∗ when g(t∗, y(t∗)) = 0 . We consider problems for which the definition of f(t, y) changes at the time of an event. A number of solvers locate events and restart the integration there so as to deal with the changes in f, but there is little theoretical support for what is done. Here we prove that with reasonable assumptions about the problem and the solver, the error of the numerical solution is qualitatively the same whether or not events occur. Numerical results obtained with a wide range of solvers confirm the theory developed here.
Modeling Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics of Abatacept and Disease Progression in Collagen-Induced Arthritic Rats - A Population Approach

The PK/PD of abatacept, a selective T cell co-stimulation modulator, was examined in rats with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) using a nonlinear mixed effect modeling approach. Male Lewis rats underwent collagen induction to produce rheumatoid arthritis. Two single-dose groups received either 10 mg/kg intravenous (IV) or 20 mg/kg subcutaneous (SC) abatacept, and one multiple-dose group received one 20 mg/kg SC abatacept dose and four additional 10 mg/kg SC doses. Effects on disease progression (DIS) were measured by paw swelling. Plasma concentrations of abatacept were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The PK/PD data were sequentially fitted using NONMEM VI. Goodness-of-fit was assessed by objective functions and visual inspection of diagnostic plots. The PK of abatacept followed a two-compartment model with linear elimination. For SC doses, short-term zero-order absorption was assumed with F = 59.2 %. The disease progression component was an indirect response model with a time-dependent change in paw edema production rate constant (k in ) that was inhibited by abatacept. Variation in the PK data could be explained by inter-individual variability in clearance and central compartment volume (V 1 ), while the large variability of the PD data may be the result of paw edema production (k in 0 ) and loss rate constant (k out ). Abatacept has modest effects on paw swelling in CIA rats. The PK/PD profiles were well described by the proposed model and allowed evaluation of inter-individual variability on drug- and DIS-related parameters.
Improved Respiratory System Compliance with the Addition of Perfluorocarbon to Replacement Surfactant in Preterm Rabbits † 1665

Introduction. Perfluorocarbon (PFC) liquids have been used as a vehicle for gas exchange in liquid and partial liquid ventilation. PFC lowers interfacial surface tension, and thus the pressure needed for lung inflation. PFC ventilation has not been used in conjunction with replacement surfactant. We hypothesized that small quantities of PFC could be an adjunct to surfactant replacement.
The influence of glucocorticoid signaling on tumor progression.

The diagnosis of cancer elicits a broad range of well-characterized stress-related biobehavioral responses. Recent studies also suggest that an individual’s neuroendocrine stress response can influence tumor biology. One of the major physiological pathways altered by the response to unrelenting social stressors is the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal or HPA axis. Initially following acute stress exposure, an increased glucocorticoid response is observed; eventually, chronic stress exposure can lead to a blunting of the normal diurnal cortisol pattern. Interestingly, recent evidence also links high primary tumor glucocorticoid receptor expression (and associated increased glucocorticoid-mediated gene expression) to more rapid estrogen-independent breast cancer progression. Furthermore, animal models of human breast cancer suggest that glucocorticoids inhibit tumor cell apoptosis. These findings provide a conceptual basis for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the influence of the individual’s stress response, and specifically glucocorticoid action, on breast cancer and other solid tumor biology. How this increased glucocorticoid signaling might contribute to cancer progression is the subject of this review.
Contact Metamorphism of Pelitic Rock by the Ronda Ultramafic Intrusion, Southern Spain

The Ronda massif is an outcrop of generally unaltered peridotite covering approximately 300 km 2 on the southern coast of Spain west of Malaga. An emplacement age between Triassic and Miocene is indicated from geological evidence. Steeply dipping contacts, vertical gneissocity in contact rocks, a steep gravity-anomaly gradient, and a wide metamorphic aureole suggest that the mass forms a steep-walled ridge through the crust. Associated metamorphic rocks include gneiss, hornfels, marble, and skarn. An undisturbed, prograde metamorphic aureole is present adjacent to one steep margin of the massif. The assemblage sequence ranges from quartz-sericite-chlorite over 6 km from the contact to quartz–K–feldspar–biotite–cordierite–garnet–plagioclase at the contact. Comparison of the observed reactions with published experimental work suggests that the maximum-temperature thermal gradient had a uniform value of approximately 80°C/km; the uniformity of this gradient suggests a dynamic model of origin for this aureole. A contact temperature of 800° C ± 100° C is estimated by extrapolation of the thermal gradient, and a final overburden pressure of 4.3 ± 1 kb is deduced from the coincidence of the andalusite-sillimanite and muscovite plus quartz reactions in the assemblage sequence. The petrogenesis of kyanite suggests that the inner aureole rock was dragged up by the intrusion from depths near the base of the crust. The reaction biotite + sillimanite + quartz = cordierite + garnet + K-feldspar + H 2 O is estimated to have occurred in this aureole sequence at approximately 730° C ± approximately 30° C, 4.3 ± 1 kb (PH 2 O nearly equal to P total ), and the slope was calculated from analytical data to be approximately 12 bars/°C. The reaction that actually took place was strongly influenced by kinetic factors. The placement of this reaction in pressure-temperature space, in conjunction with published experimental work, delimits the range of the pressure sensitive assemblages: quartz–K-feldspar–sillimanite–cordierite–garnet–plagioclase and quartz–K–feldspar–biotite–cordierite–garnet–plagioclase; these assemblages can be used as geobarometers. Rock of the same bulk composition as the marginal aureole rock contains a different assemblage sequence on the roof of the intrusion and shows no mineralogical indication of having experienced higher pressures (for example, no kyanite). The differential metamorphic development of these two sequences is explained by a model incorporating a different pressure history for each sequence. The marginal rock was dragged up from depth during metamorphism and vertical intrusion of the hot solid plug, finally equilibrating at approximately 4.3 kb. The penetration of the intrusion through the crust required that the roof rock be continually displaced outward from the area above the intrusion, and therefore the rock presently forming the roof cooled from maximum temperature at the end of intrusion at pressures of approximately 3.8 kb without experiencing higher pressures.
The Rotifer Trap of Zoophagus

The predacious watermold Zoophagus insidians traps loricate rotifers on short, lateral branches of the main, hyphal axis. These branches or “traps” are packed at their distal ends with a number of vesicles filled with an electron-dense matrix. Electron micrographs of the mycelium disclose a two-layered wall; the outer layer is electron dense and the inner, electron transparent. The outer dense layer on the tip of the “trap” is organized into a number of fine ridges and occasional discontinuities. Thin sections through recently trapped rotifers indicate that the cilia of the animals are stuck to the trap by a glue. This adhesive is derived from secretion of the matrix of the vesicles aggregated in the tip of the trap. The secretion mechanism is triggered by the animal and is accompanied by: 1. The separation of the two layers of the wall, 2. fusion of the vesicles with the cell membrane and 3. extrusion of the glue through pits in the tip of the inner wall of the “trap”. After snaring a rotifer, the previously arrested branch grows as a haustorium into the body cavity of the animal. The host tissues disintegrate within a few hours and appear to be the main nutrient source of the fungus.