cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of chromosomal instability in melanoma

A systems biology approach was applied to investigate the mechanisms of chromosomal instability in melanoma cell lines. Chromosomal instability was quantified using array comparative genomic hybridization to identify somatic copy number alterations (deletions and duplications). Primary human melanocytes displayed an average of 8.5 alterations per cell primarily representing known polymorphisms. Melanoma cell lines displayed 25 to 131 alterations per cell, with an average of 68, indicative of chromosomal instability. Copy number alterations included approximately equal numbers of deletions and duplications with greater numbers of hemizygous (−1,+1) alterations than homozygous (−2,+2). Melanoma oncogenes, such as BRAF and MITF, and tumor suppressor genes, such as CDKN2A/B and PTEN, were included in these alterations. Duplications and deletions were functional as there were significant correlations between DNA copy number and mRNA expression for these genes. Spectral karyotype analysis of three lines confirmed extensive chromosomal instability with polyploidy, aneuploidy, deletions, duplications, and chromosome rearrangements. Bioinformatic analysis identified a signature of gene expression that was correlated with chromosomal instability but this signature provided no clues to the mechanisms of instability. The signature failed to generate a significant (P = 0.105) prediction of melanoma progression in a separate dataset. Chromosomal instability was not correlated with elements of DNA damage response (DDR) such as radiosensitivity, nucleotide excision repair, expression of the DDR biomarkers γH2AX and P-CHEK2, nor G1 or G2 checkpoint function. Chromosomal instability in melanoma cell lines appears to influence gene function but it is not simply explained by alterations in the system of DDR. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 55:457–471, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Apyrase, ascorbic acid and aprotinin ameliorate the storage lesion in pelleted platelet preparations.

To evaluate the effect of apyrase, ascorbic acid and aprotinin (AAA) in preventing platelet activation during storage, 12 sets of platelet concentrates (PCs), were treated with AAA and evaluated at days 1, 3, and 5 utilizing platelet functional and morphological assays. Platelets treated with AAA demonstrated significantly enhanced response to ADP-induced platelet aggregation, higher morphology scores, and elevated ATP levels compared to control samples after 5 days of storage. Similarly, platelet specimens treated with AAA had significantly reduced PF4 secretion and P-selectin expression compared to controls. Finally, Western blots of aggregated platelets at day 5 demonstrated that AAA-treated PCs continue to express the platelet membrane GPIb whereas specimens from control PCs do not. These results show that PCs treated with AAA have reduced platelet activation and enhanced functional platelet activity.
Ultrasonic gas-body activation in Drosophila

The role of gas bodies in the interaction of Drosophila eggs and larvae with ultrasonic fields has been studied (1) by direct microscopic examination, (2) by observation of gas body activation during sonation with a special microscope, (3) by direct measurement of the volume fraction of gas in eggs and (4) through the absorption of ultrasound. All approaches provide support for the postulate that these organisms contain a rich distribution of gas bodies which play a dominant role in the acoustic properties of eggs and are the most probable site of action for ultrasonic biological effects on these organisms.
Slowed conduction with antiarrhythmic drugs reduces high frequency energy of the signal-averaged electrocardiogram

Background: We have previously demonstrated that high frequency QRS energy decreases after experimental myocardial infarction (Ml) and is lower in patients who have had MI compared to controls. The mechanism for this decrease in high frequency QRS energy is unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of slowed myocardial conduction on high frequency QRS energy measured on the signal-averaged SAECG. We hypothesized that slowed conduction in the infarcted ventricle may be responsible for the decrease in high frequency QRS energy. In order to test this hypothesis, we examined antiarrhythmic drug therapy known to slow conduction (propafenone) compared to drug therapy with minimal effects on conduction (sotalol). Methods: In patients with sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias undergoing serial drug testing, SAECGs were obtained before and after antiarrhythmic therapy. After filtering the leads with a spectral band-pass (15–40 Hz, 40–80 Hz, and 80–300 Hz) filter, the vector magnitude was con structed, and the energy (in μV sec) was calculated for the entire QRS by integrating the area under the filtered QRS complex. Results: Propafenone significantly prolonged QRS duration (+17%, P > 0.001) and significantly reduced QRS energy (-16.1% to 21.8%, P > 0.0001) in all three band widths. Sotalol did not have either effect (P = ns). There was a strong correlation between the prolongation of the filtered QRS and the drop in QRS energy for all three band widths (r values ranging from 0.64–0.90, all P > 0.05). When the changes in QRS energy were corrected for QRS duration, the results did not change. Conclusion: The Class IC antiarrhythmic drug propafenone, known to decrease myocardial conduction velocity, significantly reduced QRS energy in all three band widths, whereas the Class III drug sotalol did not. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that decreases in low and high frequency QRS energy after Ml result in part from slowed conduction.
An algorithm for matrix symmetrization

Abstract In this paper we characterize a symmetrizability property using the theory of output sets. Employing the basic properties of symmetric matrices and an efficient algorithm for systematic generation of output sets, an algorithm for testing the symmetrizability of a matrix is presented and illustrated.
Social Assistance Under Capitalist Authoritarian Rule: Two Management Models in Chinese Municipalities

AbstractThis study uses a micro set of Chinese city-level data to understand the varying choices taken by municipal officials in their distribution of a minimum livelihood scheme. It explores the variation in the apportionment of allowances offered to disparate types of poor groups in poor versus wealthy cities. The paper argues that in China, where profits, modernisation, competition and globalisation have become significant to leaders at all levels, there is a logic undergirding welfare allocation that has nothing to do with the calculus that spurs its delivery in democracies, and yet that is more nuanced than stylised models of dictatorship/authoritarianism presume. The paper also demonstrates that, where lower echelons of governmental administration have the authority to make rules about the rationing of social assistance, urban finances appear to have an impact upon (or at least to correlate with) administrators’ allocational decisions to groups among the poor. This influence of municipal financial h...
Sacred Symbols with a Secular Beat? A Content Analysis of Religious and Sexual Imagery in Modern Rock, Hip Hop, Christian, and Country Music Videos

A content analysis of music videos for the 2008 top-rated songs in four musical genres was conducted in order to gauge change in the presence of religious and sexual symbols since the mid-1990s and to determine if sexual and religious images were prevalent in the increasingly popular hip hop genre. Religious images appeared in about one-third of videos across genres, and sexual images appeared in more than half the videos and in all of the hip hop videos. Hip hop and country videos had the highest co-occurrences of religious and sexual imagery, although there was co-occurrence in each genre. The significance and possible interpretations of the symbols and their co-occurrence are discussed.
Intravascular sarcoidosis presenting as pulmonary vein occlusion: CT and pathologic findings.

It is well known that destruction of the distal capillary bed from extensive fibrosis and honeycombing in the setting of sarcoidosis may lead to pulmonary hypertension. However, we report an unusual manifestation of sarcoidosis where pulmonary hypertension resulted from granulomatous involvement of
Blocking the Bullies: Has South Carolina's Safe School Climate Act Made Public Schools Safer?

Abstract Recent news in the national media about two students’ deaths as a result of harassment in school has highlighted a renewed desire for educators to address the culture of bullying and harassment in public schools, especially when the victims are targeted for their real or perceived differences. South Carolina's legislature responded to this need in June 2006 with the passage of the Safe School Climate Act. This statute was designed to limit and punish “harassment, intimidation, or bullying” among public school students, and it required school districts to establish policies to address this issue before January 1, 2007. However, failure to adequately implement the provision may provide an explanation as to why the Safe School Climate Act has failed to significantly change the culture of schools in South Carolina. South Carolina's legislative intentions provide a reference for similar legislation and policy changes nationwide. Current research shows that only quality staff development combined with ...
All-steel and Si3N4-steel hybrid rolling contact fatigue under contaminated conditions

Abstract Ball-on-rod rolling contact fatigue experiments were performed using M50–M50 all-steel and Si 3 N 4 –M50 hybrid components, respectively. Experiments were performed using a jet turbine engine lubricant in the as-received condition or with particulate contaminants added. The added particulate contaminants were Arizona test dust or glycothermally synthesized α-Al 2 O 3 . Wear performance of the all-steel and hybrid rolling systems was evaluated with and without particulate contaminants in the lubricant. Wear surfaces were analyzed using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, surface profilometry, and atomic force microscopy. Wear mechanisms, volume specific wear rates and modes of failure were determined for all systems. The primary wear mechanism produced in rolling contact fatigue experiments is shown to be contact stress fatigue, with secondary mechanisms of indenting, cutting, plowing and embedding occurring as particulate debris passes through the elastohydrodynamic lubricant layer between the ball and rod surfaces.
Volume of summer subsurface intrusions into Onslow Bay, North Carolina

Abstract Onslow Bay, North Carolina is a continental shelf area bounded alongshore by extensive shoals and offshore by the Gulf Stream. Motions of the Gulf Stream often cause the intrusion of deeper, cold Gulf Stream water into the bay, especially during summer. Observations in 1975 and 1976 gave a range of intrusion volumes from 11 to 36%, averaging 20% (84 km3) of the bay volume. The minimum and maximum lifetimes for these intrusions were 14 and 60 days. The intrusions moved through the bay from south to north.
EDEMA AND PRINCIPLES OF DIURETIC USE

Diuretics have changed the approach to many disease and have turned once fatal conditions into tolerable ones. Treatment of salt and water overload and edema can be quite satisfying for the clinician as long as the patient is closely watched for side effects. Thiazide diuretics have their greatest use in hypertension, loop diuretics in edema and congestive heart failure, CA inhibitors in glaucoma and altitude sickness, potassium-sparing diuretics in hypokalemia induced by other diuretics and ascites, and osmotic diuretics in acute renal failure and dialysis. They are among the most widely prescribed medications in the world today and rightly have a prominent place in the armamentarium against disease.
NMDA Receptor Activation Contributes to a Portion of the Decreased Mitochondrial Membrane Potential and Elevated Intracellular Free Calcium in Strain-Injured Neurons

In our previous studies, we have shown that in vitro biaxial strain (stretch) injury of neurons in neuronal plus glial cultures increases intracellular free calcium ([Ca2+]i) and decreases mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm). The goal of this study was to determine whether strain injury, without the addition of exogenous agents, causes glutamate release, and whether NMDA receptor antagonists affect the post-strain injury rise in [Ca2+]i and decrease in Δψm. [Ca2+]i and Δψm were measured using the fluorescent indicators fura-2 AM and rhodamine-1,2,3 (rh123). Strain injury of neuronal plus glial cultures caused an immediate 100-200 nM elevation in neuronal [Ca2+]i and a decline in neuronal Δψm by 15 min post-injury. Pretreatment with the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 (10 μM) attenuated the [Ca2+]i elevation after mild, but not moderate and severe injury. MK-801 pretreatment reduced the decline in Δψm after mild and moderate, but not after severe injury. The NMDA receptor antagonist D-2-amino-5-phosphon...
The temperature coefficient of the duration of life in Tubularia Crocea

Der Temperaturkoeffizient fur die Lebensdauer vonTubularia crocea wurde fur das Temperaturintervall 36°−25° C. bestimmt. Es wurde gefunden, das derselbe etwa 2 fur einen Temperaturunterschied von 1° betragt. Das ist derselbe Temperaturkoeffizient, denLoeb fur die Lebensdauer der Seeigeleier fur das Temperaturintervall 32°−20° C. gefunden hat.
Capillary electrophoretic enzyme immunoassay for digoxin in human serum

The combined use of capillary electrophoretic (CE) separation and homogeneous enzyme immunoassay for analyzing drugs in hemolyzed, lipemic, or icteric serum samples was investigated. An FDA-approved EMIT assay kit for digoxin in human serum was used. After the enzyme immunoassay, the enzymatic reaction product (NADH) and remaining substrate (NAD+), together with internal standard (p-nitrophenol, NP), were electrokinetically injected into a polyacrylamide-coated electrophoresis capillary and separated under applied potential. Detection was made by monitoring the UV adsorption at wavelength of 260 nm. The digoxin level in human serum was determined by comparing the peak area ratio of NADH and NP to the ratios established by the known digoxin standards. In this study, the factors that influence the CE separation were also investigated. Under the optimum conditions, NADH, NAD+, and NP were separated at electric field strength of 438 V/cm in the coated capillary (100 microns x 57 cm) with 200 mM Tris-borate buffer (pH 7.9) containing 0.2% hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. CE analyses of serum samples spiked with NADH standards at concentrations of 100 and 400 microM resulted in detection variabilities of less than 2% and analytical recoveries of 98-102%. Both an internal calibration plot for NADH and a dose-response curve for digoxin in serum were constructed. Calibrator serum, patients' sera with hemolyzed, lipemic, and icteric interference factors, and other pigmented blood components (e.g., serum albumin, bilirubin, hemoglobin, uric acid, coproporphyrin, melanin, protoporphyrin IX, and uroprophyrin) demonstrated no interference in this method. The authors believed that this method is useful for analyzing digoxin in hemolyzed, lipemic, and icteric blood samples that are known to create problems in conventional EMIT assays and may be applicable to other EMIT-based assays for monitoring drugs in complex biological matrices.
Complements of subanalytic sets and existential formulas for analytic functions

We show that the complement of a subanalytic set defined by real analytic functions from any subalgebra closed under differentiation is a subanalytic set defined by the functions from the same subalgebra. This result has an equivalent formulation in logic: Consider an expression built from functions as above using equalities and inequalities as well as existential and universal quantifiers. Such an expression is equivalent to an existential expression involving functions from the same class, provided that the variables approach neither infinity nor the boundary of the domain.
A Quadrilateral Mixed Finite Element with Two Enhanced Strain Modes

SUMMARY An improved plane strain/stress element is derived using a Hu-Washizu variational formulation with bilinear displacement interpolation, seven strain and stress terms, and two enhanced strain modes. The number of unknowns of the four-node element is increased from eight to ten degrees of freedom. For linear and non-linear applications, the two unknowns associated with the enhanced strain terms can be eliminated by static condensation so that eight displacement degrees of freedom remain for the proposed element, which is denoted by QE2. The excellent performance of the proposed element is demonstrated using several linear and non-linear examples.
On Leif Johansen's classical model of growth

Abstract I present a variation on Johansen's classical growth model that incorporates the functional distribution of income and relates the ‘long run’ to the ‘natural’ rate of unemployment. I show that steady state solutions exist.
Wideband analog photonic links: some performance limits and considerations for multi-octave implementations

High-performance analog photonic links are discussed and the prevalent modulation formats are highlighted. Because of its multi-octave and millimeter-wave potential, special attention is given to intensity modulation with direct detection (IMDD) employing an external Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM). The theory for IMDD is reviewed and some experimental results are discussed. Two limiting factors in multi-octave IMDD implementations are quantified. The MZM bias requirements in order to remain third-order limited are shown to be very stringent in high-performance links. Photodiode nonlinearities, perhaps the most inhibiting factor in present-day wideband analog photonics, are cast in terms of output intercept points and tied to the IMDD link performance.
Biochemical detoxication: mechanism of differential tiger swallowtail tolerance to phenolic glycosides

Phenolic glycosides, commonly occurring allelochemicals in the plant family Salicaceae, are differentially toxic to subspecies of the eastern tiger swallowtail and responsible for striking differences in the abilities of Papilio glaucus canadensis and P.g. glaucus to utilize the Salicaceae as food plants. This research was designed to test the hypothesis that particularly high esterase activity confers resistance to phenolic glycosides in P.g. canadensis. I conducted larval survival trials in which the phenolic glycosides salicortin and tremulacin were administered with and without inhibitors of the major detoxication enzymes. Results for P.g. canadensis showed that when esterases were inhibited, toxicity of the phenolic glycosides increased greatly. None of the inhibitors significantly increased toxicity of the compounds to P.g. glaucus. I also conducted in vitro assays of the major detoxication enzymes (polysubstrate monooxygenases, esterases, and glutathione transferases) in larval midguts. Soluble esterase activity was 3-fold higher in P.g. canadensis than in P.g. glaucus. Moreover, esterase activity was inducible by prior consumption of phenolic glycosides in P.g. canadensis but not in P.g. glaucus. Glutathione transferases may also be involved in the terminal metabolism of phenolic glycosides. This is the first verified case of detoxication of an allelochemical by esterase enzymes in herbivores. The biochemical adaptation has played an important role in the evolution of food plant preferences in P. glaucus subspecies.
Cell surface exposure of the outer membrane cytochromes of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1.

Aim: To determine if the outer membrane (OM) cytochromes of the metal-reducing bacterium Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 are exposed on the cell surface. Methods and Results: MR-1 cells were incubated with proteinase K or buffer and the resulting degradation of the OM cytochromes was examined by Western blotting. The periplasmic fumarate reductase (control) was not degraded. The OM cytochromes OmcA and OmcB were significantly degraded by proteinase K (71 and 31%, respectively). Immunofluorescence confirmed a prominent cell surface exposure of OmcA and a partial exposure of OmcB and the noncytochrome OM protein MtrB. Conclusions: The cytochromes OmcA and OmcB are exposed on the outer face of the OM. Significance and Impact of the Study: The cell surface exposure of these cytochromes could allow them to directly contact extracellular insoluble electron acceptors (e.g. manganese oxides) and is consistent with their in vivo role.
Impact of Solvent on Photocatalytic Mechanisms: Reactions of Photodesorption Products with Ice Overlayers on the TiO2(110) Surface

The effects of water and methanol ice overlayers on the photodecomposition of acetone on rutile TiO2(110) were evaluated in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) using photon-stimulated desorption (PSD) and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). In the absence of ice overlayers, acetone photodecomposed on TiO2(110) at 95 K by ejection of a methyl radical into the gas phase and formation of acetate on the surface. With ice overlayers, the methyl radicals are trapped at the interface between TiO2(110) and the ice. When water ice was present, the ejected methyl radicals reacted either with each other to form ethane or with other molecules in the ice (e.g., water or displaced acetone) to form methane (CH4), ethane (CH3CH3), and other products (e.g., methanol) with all of these products trapped in the ice. The new products were free to revisit the surface or to depart during desorption of the ice. Using isotopic labeling, we show that a significant portion (∼50%) of methane formed resulted from reactions of methyl radicals...
Relation between students’ problem-solving performance and representational format

An analysis is presented of data on students’ problem-solving performance on similar problems posed in diverse representations. Five years of classroom data on 400 students collected in a second-semester algebra-based general physics course are presented. Two very similar Newton’s third-law questions, one posed in a verbal representation and one in a diagrammatic representation using vector diagrams, were given to students at the beginning of the course. The proportion of correct responses on the verbal question was consistently higher than on the diagrammatic question, and the pattern of incorrect responses on the two questions also differed consistently. Two additional four-question quizzes were given to students during the semester; each quiz had four very similar questions posed in the four representations: verbal, diagrammatic, mathematical/symbolic, and graphical. In general, the error rates for the four representations were very similar, but there was substantial evidence that females had a slightly higher error rate on the graphical questions relative to the other representations, whereas the evidence for male students was more ambiguous. There also was evidence that females had higher error rates on circuit-diagram problems in comparison with males, although both males and females had received identical instruction .
Securing publish-subscribe overlay services with EventGuard

A publish-subscribe overlay service is a wide-area communication infrastructure that enables information dissemination across geographically scattered and potentially unlimited number of publishers and subscribers. A wide-area publish-subscribe (pub-sub) system is often implemented as a collection of spatially disparate nodes communicating on top of a peer to peer overlay network. Such a model presents many inherent benefits such as scalability and performance, as well as potential challenges such as: (i) confidentiality & integrity, (ii) authentication, and (iii) denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. In this paper we present EventGuard for securing pub-sub overlay services. EventGuard comprises of a suite of security guards that can be seamlessly plugged-into a content-based pub-sub system. EventGuard mechanisms aim at providing security guarantees while maintaining the system's overall simplicity, scalability and performance metrics. We present an implementation which shows that EventGuard is easily stackable on any content-based pub-sub core. Finally, our experimental results show that EventGuard can secure a pub-sub system with minimal performance penalty.
Soluble spiroperidol binding factors from bovine caudate nucleus.

: Several properties of soluble spiroperidol binding factors separated from bovine caudate nucleus have been investigated by a previously unreported procedure. Data consistent with high particle weight and rapid binding equilibration are reported for high-affinity (+)butaclamol-sensitive components of a digitonin extract. A slower sedimenting component is found that also exhibits high affinity for spiroperidol but is not sensitive to (+)butaclamol. Centrifugation of a caudate nucleus homogenate yields a supernatant that appears to contain a component that exhibits spiroperidol binding that is more sensitive to displacement by (-) than by (+)butaclamol. The procedure used effects rapid separation of bound from unbound tritiated ligand on short columns of Sephadex G-15 followed by extrusion and sectioning of the Sephadex. The radioactivity remaining with each section is determined. The procedure is very rapid; the addition of active phases or the changing of the ionic environment, which may disturb the equilibrium, is avoided; and recovery of the protein free of bound ligand is easily affected.
Assessment of the Role of the Bleomycin A2 Pyrimidoblamic Acid C4 Amino Group

The preparation and examination of 3 and 4 and their unnatural epimers 6 and 7 by following a new and alternative synthesis of 2 was conducted to assess the role of the pyrimidine C4 amine of bleomycin A2 (1) and deglycobleomycin A2 (2). The agent 3 bearing a pyrimidine C4 dimethylamino substituent exhibited a substantially diminished DNA cleavage efficiency (10−15×) relative to 2 and the loss of the characteristic 5‘-GC/5‘-GT cleavage selectivity. The agent 4 in which the pyrimidine C4 amino group was removed exhibited an even greater diminished DNA cleavage efficiency (30×) relative to that for 2. For this agent, the characteristic cleavage selectivity is either slightly or significantly reduced depending on the assay conditions. Even in the instances where it was not substantially altered, the ability to detect it required a temperature of 4 versus 25−37 °C. This information and temperature dependence suggest a reduced binding interaction and are consistent with the participation of the pyrimidine C4 a...
A Brillouin scattering investigation of NiO

Abstract Brillouin scattering from single crystals of NiO show that, apart from the expected phonon peaks, there is a broad central peak. The phonon peaks have Fano-like lineshapes, indicating a strong coupling between them and the broad feature, and lead to elastic constants that differ considerably from ultrasonic values. The broad feature is probably ‘magnetic’ in origin since it disappears at the Neel temperature. We speculate that it may be the lower of the two AFMR modes predicted for easy-plane antiferromagnets but which has previously been observed only in EuTe and MnO. The interaction between the phonons and the ‘magnetic’ excitation provides a phenomenological explanation for the differences in the elastic constants determined by different techniques.
Consistent properties reconstruction on adaptive Cartesian meshes for complex fluids computations

An efficient reconstruction procedure for evaluating the constitutive properties of a complex fluid from general or specialized thermodynamic databases is presented. Properties and their pertinent derivatives are evaluated by means of an adaptive Cartesian mesh in the thermodynamic plane that provides user-specified accuracy over any selected domain. The Cartesian grid produces a binary tree data structure whose search efficiency is competitive with that for an equally spaced table or with simple equations of state such as a perfect gas. Reconstruction is accomplished on a triangular subdivision of the 2D Cartesian mesh that ensures function continuity across cell boundaries in equally and unequally spaced portions of the table to C^0, C^1 or C^2 levels. The C^0 and C^1 reconstructions fit the equation of state and enthalpy relations separately, while the C^2 reconstruction fits the Helmholtz or Gibbs function enabling EOS/enthalpy consistency also. All three reconstruction levels appear effective for CFD solutions obtained to date. The efficiency of the method is demonstrated through storage and data retrieval examples for air, water and carbon dioxide. The time required for property evaluations is approximately two orders of magnitude faster with the reconstruction procedure than with the complete thermodynamic equations resulting in estimated 3D CFD savings of from 30 to 60. Storage requirements are modest for today's computers, with the C^1 method requiring slightly less storage than those for the C^0 and C^2 reconstructions when the same accuracy is specified. Sample fluid dynamic calculations based upon the procedure show that the C^1 and C^2 methods are approximately a factor of two slower than the C^0 method but that the reconstruction procedure enables arbitrary fluid CFD calculations that are as efficient as those for a perfect gas or an incompressible fluid for all three accuracy levels.
Local dynamic stability of treadmill walking: intrasession and week-to-week repeatability.

Abstract Repetitive falls degrade the quality of life of elderly people and of patients suffering of various neurological disorders. In order to prevent falls while walking, one should rely on relevant early indicators of impaired dynamic balance. The local dynamic stability (LDS) represents the sensitivity of gait to small perturbations: divergence exponents (maximal Lyapunov exponents) assess how fast a dynamical system diverges from neighbor points. Although numerous findings attest the validity of LDS as a fall risk index, reliability results are still sparse. The present study explores the intrasession and intersession repeatability of gait LDS using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and standard error of measurement (SEM). Ninety-five healthy individuals performed 5 min treadmill walking in two sessions separated by 9 days. Trunk acceleration was measured with a 3D accelerometer. Three time scales were used to estimate LDS: over 4–10 strides ( λ 4–10 ), over one stride ( λ 1 ) and over one step ( λ 0.5 ). The intrasession repeatability was assessed from three repetitions of either 35 strides or 70 strides taken within the 5 min tests. The intersession repeatability compared the two sessions, which totalized 210 strides. The intrasession ICCs (70-strides estimates/35-strides estimates) were 0.52/0.18 for λ 4–10 and 0.84/0.77 for λ 1 and λ 0.5 . The intersession ICCs were around 0.60. The SEM results revealed that λ 0.5 measured in medio-lateral direction exhibited the best reliability, sufficient to detect moderate changes at individual level (20%). However, due to the low intersession repeatability, one should average several measurements taken on different days in order to better approximate the true LDS.
Adsorption of CO2 on Model Surfaces of Cesium Oxides Determined from First Principles

Gradient-corrected periodic density functional theory was used to examine the bulk and low index surfaces of several cesium oxides (Cs2O, Cs2O2, and CsO2). The adsorption of CO2 on those surfaces was explored. The cesium-terminated {001} surface of Cs2O had a weak affinity for CO2 with an adsorption strength of only −4.1 kJ mol-1. In contrast, the Cs2O {010} surface exposing both Cs and O atoms adsorbed CO2 with a strength of −284 kJ mol-1. The adsorption of CO2 in the bridged configuration on the {001} and the {100} surfaces of Cs2O2 exhibited adsorption strengths of −101 and −186 kJ mol-1, respectively. The oxygen-rich CsO2 surface failed to adsorb CO2. Results from a Mulliken charge analysis are consistent with the traditional ranking of basicity: Cs2O > Cs2O2 > CsO2.
Short range correlations in high energy heavy ion collisions

We present a technique for including the effects of nucleon-nucleon correlations in the optical phase shift (chi) expansion of the nucleus-nucleus scattering amplitude and present the results for chi to second order. The total and inelastic cross sections are consistently higher than those obtained ignoring correlations, and are in better agreement with the data. Furthermore, the inclusion of correlations leads to second order phase shift functions which do not violate unitarity, in constrast to the case when correlations are ignored in very heavy nuclei (A/sub 1/, A/sub 2/ > or approx. = 200). In elastic scattering differential cross sections, the effects of correlations can be quite large.
Combined free and forced convective heat transfer and fluid flow in a rotating curved circular tube

A study is made of the combined free and forced convective heat transfer and fluid flow in a rotating curved circular tube for the fully developed flow with the thermal boundary condition of constant heat flux per unit length of tube. The heat-transfer and flow-friction characteristics are determined by the five non-dimensional parameters, i.e. the radius ratio B, the Prandtl number Pr, a parameter Ro which represents the effects of Coriolis forces, the Grashof number Gr2 and the Dean number K1. The governing equations are solved by finite difference method, and the results of computations are presented for the axial velocity and temperature distributions, the streamlines and isothermals, the local f and Nu, and the mean f and Nu. The effects of B is minor. Pr has substantially no effect on f, but increases Nu greatly when a strong secondary current is present. The increase in the last three parameters of secondary-flow-inducing forces enhance both f and Nu significantly. The rate of increase in f and Nu due to the force parameters is higher for a circular tube than for rectangular tubes. Their effects commence to be pronounced at smaller values of them which are Ro ≈ 2, Gr2 ≈ 100 and K1 ≈ 100, while those for a square tube are Ro ≈ 10, Gr2 ≈ 1000 and K1 ≈ 100.
Regio- and Stereoselective Glycosylation: Synthesis of 5-Haloimidazole α-Ribonucleosides

We describe the synthesis of novel 5-haloimidazole ribonucleosides as precursors of modified cobalamins. A regio- and stereoselective glycosylation of protected ribose with silylated 4(5)-haloimidazoles produces 5-haloimidazole ribonucleosides predominantly in the α-configuration (60−75%) without any 4-substituted imidazole ribonucleoside. The structure of the 5-fluoroimidazole ribonucleoside was confirmed by X-ray crystallography and 2D NMR spectroscopy.
Nomograms for the Assessment of Farnsworth-Munsell 100-Hue Test Scores

Although the Farnsworth-Munsell 100-hue test is a sensitive means of evaluating congenital and acquired color vision deficiencies, using the data it provides involves complex calculations. We have developed two nomograms that permit the clinician to determine quickly and easily whether a given score is normal for the patient's age and whether the difference between fellow eyes is within the normal range.
Drug Markets, Travel Distance, and Violence Testing a Typology

The factors complicating our understanding of the drugs and violence nexus include the role of community structure and subculture, and situational features of market exchanges. Reuter and MacCoun contribute to the latter by highlighting a typology of market violence. Using distance as a proxy for social ties, the four-market category typology suggests that the mixing of buyers and sellers from various distances has implications for the amount of violence expected to occur within them. This research performs a partial test of that typology using 5 years of arrest and incident data from the Philadelphia Police Department. Multilevel models reveal that compared with markets with local buyers and sellers, those characterized by lengthier travel patterns have significantly higher counts of violent incidents.
Application of the Asthma Phenotype Algorithm from the Severe Asthma Research Program to an Urban Population

Rationale Identification and characterization of asthma phenotypes are challenging due to disease complexity and heterogeneity. The Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP) used unsupervised cluster analysis to define 5 phenotypically distinct asthma clusters that they replicated using 3 variables in a simplified algorithm. We evaluated whether this simplified SARP algorithm could be used in a separate and diverse urban asthma population to recreate these 5 phenotypic clusters.
Thyroxine increases the levels of epidermal growth factor messenger ribonucleic acid (EGF mRNA) in the thyroid in vivo, as revealed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction with an internal control EGF mRNA

Treating mice with T4 increases the level of immunoreactive epidermal growth factor (EGF) in the thyroid. In order to establish whether this response might reflect a T4-dependent increase in the levels of messenger RNA (mRNA) in the thyroid, we prepared an internal standard which permits us to quantitate EGF mRNA levels by reverse transcription plus polymerase chain reaction amplification (RT-PCR). Our synthetic EGF mRNA construct contains the same flanking primer sequences used to amplify mature EGF message, but 70 bases were eliminated from the center of the 277-base EGF sequence to permit the PCR product of this internal standard to be distinguished by its smaller size (EGF 207). This synthetic mRNA also contains a poly(A)tail, which permits it to be reverse transcribed. We then added a range of concentrations of this internal standard mRNA to aliquots of total RNA from each pair of thyroid lobes and determined the concentration of EGF 207 at which the PCR primers were incorporated equally into the 277...
Preliminary crystallographic study of aspartate: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase from pig heart

Well-ordered crystals of aspartate: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase have been grown by vapor diffusion from solutions of polyethylene glycol. X-ray diffraction patterns show that they belong to the orthorhombic space group P212121 with unit cell dimensions a = 124·7 , b = 130·9 , and c = 55·7 . The asymmetric unit consists of one dimer of molecular weight 92,688. The diffraction pattern extends beyond 2·8 , indicating that this crystal form is suitable for high resolution X-ray analysis.
Subgame perfect equilibria in stage games

Abstract It is well known that a stage game with infinite choice-sets, unless it contains a public coordination-device in each stage, may have no subgame perfect equilibria. We show that if a game with public coordination-devices has a subgame perfect equilibrium in which two players in each stage use non-atomic strategies, then the game without coordination devices also has a subgame perfect equilibrium. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: C6, C7, D8.
Lipid bilayers: clusters, domains and phases

In the present chapter we discuss the complex mixing behaviour of plasma membrane lipids. To do so, we first introduce the plasma membrane and membrane mixtures often used to model its complexity. We then discuss the nature of lipid phase behaviour in bilayers and the distinction between these phases and other manifestations of non-random mixing found in one-phase mixtures, such as clusters, micelles and microemulsions. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of Gibbs phase diagrams to the study of increasingly complex model membrane systems, with a focus on phase coexistence, morphology and their implications for the cell plasma membrane.
A hierarchical framework for semantic scene classification in soccer sports video

In this paper, we propose a novel hierarchical framework for soccer (football) video classification. Unlike most existing video classification approaches, which focus on shot detection followed by classification based on clustering using shot aggregation, the proposed scheme perform a top-down video scene classification which avoids shot clustering. This improves the classification accuracy and also maintains the temporal order of shots. In the hierarchy, at level-1, we use audio features, to extract potentially interesting clips from the video. At level-2, we classify these clips into field view and non-field view using feature of dominant grass color ratio. At level-3a, we classify field view into three kinds of views using motion-mask. At level-3b, we classify non-field view into close-up and crowd using skin color information. At level-4, we classify close-ups into the four frequently occuring classes such as player of team-A, player of team-B, goalkeeper of team-A, goalkeeper of team-B using jersey color information. We show promising results, with correctly classified soccer scenes, enabling structural and temporal analysis, such as highlight extraction, and video skimming.
Ceramide-induced intracellular oxidant formation, iron signaling, and apoptosis in endothelial cells: protective role of endogenous nitric oxide.

Sphingolipid ceramide (N-acetylsphingosine), a bioactive second messenger lipid, was shown to activate reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial oxidative damage, and apoptosis in neuronal and vascular cells. The proapoptotic effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, hypoxia, and chemotherapeutic drugs were attributed to increased ceramide formation. Here we investigated the protective role of nitric oxide (.NO) during hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2))-mediated transferrin receptor (TfR)-dependent iron signaling and apoptosis in C(2)-ceramide (C(2)-cer)-treated bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs). Addition of C(2)-cer (5-20 microm) to BAECs enhanced .NO generation. However, at higher concentrations of C(2)-cer (> or =20 microm), .NO generation did not increase proportionately. C(2)-cer (20-50 microm) also resulted in H(2)O(2)-mediated dichlorodihydrofluorescein oxidation, reduced glutathione depletion, aconitase inactivation, TfR overexpression, TfR-dependent uptake of (55)Fe, release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into cytosol, caspase-3 activation, and DNA fragmentation. N(w)-Nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME), a nonspecific inhibitor of nitricoxide synthases, augmented these effects in BAECs at much lower (i.e. nonapoptotic) concentrations of C(2)-cer. The 26 S proteasomal activity in BAECs was slightly elevated at lower concentrations of C(2)-cer ( 10 microm). Intracellular scavengers of H(2)O(2), cell-permeable iron chelators, anti-TfR receptor antibody, or mitochondria-targeted antioxidant greatly abrogated C(2)-cer- and/or l-NAME-induced oxidative damage, iron signaling, and apoptosis. We conclude that C(2)-cer-induced H(2)O(2) and TfR-dependent iron signaling are responsible for its prooxidant and proapoptotic effects and that .NO exerts an antioxidative and cytoprotective role.
The Nanomechanics of Polycystin-1 Extracellular Region

Recent evidence suggests that polycystin-1 (PC1) acts as a mechanosensor, receiving signals from the primary cilia, neighboring cells, and extracellular matrix and transduces them into cellular responses that regulate proliferation, adhesion, and differentiation that are essential for the control of renal tubules and kidney morphogenesis. PC1 has an unusually long extracellular region (∼3000 amino acids) with a multimodular structure. Proteins with a similar architecture have structural and mechanical roles. Based on the structural similarities between PC1 and other modular proteins that have elastic properties we hypothesized that PC1 functions mechanically by providing a flexible and elastic linkage between cells. Here we directly tested this hypothesis by analyzing the mechanical properties of the entire PC1 extracellular region by using single molecule force spectroscopy. We show that the PC1 extracellular region is highly extensible and that this extensibility is mainly caused by the unfolding of its Ig-like domains. Stretching the native PC1 extracellular region results in a sawtooth pattern with equally spaced force peaks that have a wide range of unfolding forces (50-200 pN). By combining single-molecule force spectroscopy and protein engineering techniques, we demonstrate that the sawtooth pattern in native PC1 extracellular region corresponds to the sequential unfolding of individual Ig-like domains. We found that Ig-like domains refold after mechanical unfolding. Hence, the PC1 extracellular region displays a dynamic extensibility whereby the resting length might be regulated through unfolding/refolding of its Ig-like domains. These force-driven reactions may be important for cell elasticity and the regulation of cell signaling events mediated by PC1.
Rolston, Lonergan, and the Intrinsic Value of Nature

In recent metaethical debate over ways to justify the notion of intrinsic natural value, some neopragmatists have challenged realist conceptions of scientific and moral truth. Holmes Rolston defends a critical-realist epistemology as the basis for a metaphysics of "projective nature" and a cosmological narrative - both of which set up a historical ontology of objective natural value. Pure ecological science informs the wilderness experience of Rolston's ideal epistemic subject, the "sensitive naturalist." The author argues that Rolston's account of the relation between knowing and valuing can be clarified and strengthened by appropriating Bernard Lonergan's transcendental method. Conversely, Lonergan's view of moral selftranscendence can be developed further in light of Rolston's virtue epistemology, which is embodied in the figure of the sensitive naturalist.
Brain and lungs at risk after cervical spinal cord transection: intracranial pressure, brain water, blood-brain barrier permeability, cerebral blood flow, and extravascular lung water changes.

Abstract The early physiopathologic responses to transection of the cervical spinal cord (C-4) were studied in the experimental animal. After transection, increases were seen in the mean arterial pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, intracranial pressure, brain water, blood-brain barrier permeability, and extravascular lung water with a marked decrease occurring in cerebral blood flow. Pretreatment with an α-adrenergic blocker, phentolamine (Regitine Ciba-Geigy Corp.), followed by transection blocked the rise in mean arterial blood pressure and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure but did not affect the increases in intracranial pressure, brain water, blood-brain barrier permeability, and extravascular lung water and decreases in cerebral blood flow. Transection of the cervical spinal cord initiates a complex series of events involving intracranial compliance and pulmonary permeability, placing both brain and lungs at risk.
Benthic Invertebrates in Delaware Bay: Animal‐Sediment Associations of the Dominant Species

The purpose of this study was to determine the composition of the benthic fauna near the mouth of Delaware Bay. One hundred and five species were collected and identified from 277 grab samples. A sediment sample was also collected at each of the stations. Faunal density was low with the number of individuals rarely exceeding 10/0.1 m2. Species were ranked according to number of individuals; the nine top species comprised 83.4% of the fauna. The top three species, Tellina agilis, Gemma gemma, and Nucula proxima, comprised 65.2% of all the individuals collected. A high percentage of the species (41.9%) occurred in two samples or less. The six most frequently collected species were compared with six sediment classes based on weight percentage of siltclay. Protohaustorius wigleyi and Trichophoxus epistomus were found mainly in less than 10% silt-clay. Tellina agilis and Ampelisca verrilli were transitional between the pure sand and mud facies. Nucula proxima and Heteromastus filiformis were members of a high silt-clay facies ( 25% silt-clay). The relative dominance (redundancy) was not significantly different in any of the sediment types.