cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chance-Constrained Optimal Path Planning With Obstacles

Autonomous vehicles need to plan trajectories to a specified goal that avoid obstacles. For robust execution, we must take into account uncertainty, which arises due to uncertain localization, modeling errors, and disturbances. Prior work handled the case of set-bounded uncertainty. We present here a chance-constrained approach, which uses instead a probabilistic representation of uncertainty. The new approach plans the future probabilistic distribution of the vehicle state so that the probability of failure is below a specified threshold. Failure occurs when the vehicle collides with an obstacle or leaves an operator-specified region. The key idea behind the approach is to use bounds on the probability of collision to show that, for linear-Gaussian systems, we can approximate the nonconvex chance-constrained optimization problem as a disjunctive convex program. This can be solved to global optimality using branch-and-bound techniques. In order to improve computation time, we introduce a customized solution method that returns almost-optimal solutions along with a hard bound on the level of suboptimality. We present an empirical validation with an aircraft obstacle avoidance example.
Physics of Solid-Phase Epitaxy of Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon for Thin Film Si Photovoltaics

Solid state crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) prepared by hot-wire CVD is studied in solid phase epitaxy mode. By using a novel optical method combined with cross-sectional TEM and SIMS, a reduction of epitaxial growth speed is observed with increase in a-Si:H film thickness. Namely, in films thinner that 0.9 micron, solid phase epitaxy velocity depends linearly on film thickness. As the film thickness increases beyond 1 micron, the average velocity of solid phase epitaxy decreases considerably with respect to that in thinner films. In this regime, its velocity becomes also time-dependent: initial slow propagation of crystallization front gets considerably accelerated after the front has traveled above 400nm. SIMS depth profiles of hydrogen shows considerably more residual hydrogen in thicker films after the start of solid phase epitaxy. In addition, prolonged pre-dehydrogenation at lower temperatures results in the increase in the average epitaxy speed in thicker films. These phenomena are likely related to delayed hydrogen outdiffusion in thicker films, which also leads to time-dependent speed of the solid-phase epitaxy front. Thus, the excess residual hydrogen in CVD films reduces the rate of solid-phase crystalline growth, similarly to earlier results on H-implantation and indiffusion.
Cell sorting out: the self-assembly of tissues in vitro

The question posed by the science of analytical histology is how the properties and interactions of the components of the tissues determine their organization in the organs. The relevant components of the tissues are the cells and the extracellular matrix. The ability of cohering populations of cells to self-assemble structured tissues by cell sorting out offers an important opportunity for the experimental study of the mechanisms by which the cells and extracellular matrix interact to determine structure. The investigator can manipulate the initial organization and the cellular composition of the system and, in favorable situations, the composition of the extracellular matrix and the activities of candidate adhesive molecules. It can reasonably be expected that the recent progress in the characterization of the molecular species involved in cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interaction will allow the analysis of the molecular basis of tissue organization, with study of the self-assembly of tissue structure during sorting out playing an important role in this analysis. The importance of the differential adhesion hypothesis is its success in describing the rules by which macroscopic tissue structure is governed by the adhesive interactions of cell with cell and cell with extracellular matrix. The DAH describes how the physical forces of cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion determine structure. Elucidation of the particular adhesive molecules involved in these interactions (e.g., the CAMs, junctional proteins, and matrix adhesion molecules) will yield an explanation at the biochemical level. A complete understanding of structure requires both levels of explanation.
Q-band e.p.r. spectra of oil shale, spent shale, and shale oil

Abstract Comparison of X-band (9.1 GHz) and Q-band (35.2 GHz) electron paramagnetic resonance (e.p.r.) spectra of oil shale, shale oil, and spent shale indicates that the organic free radical signal observed in all three types of samples is a composite spectrum.
The endonuclease isoschizomers, SmaI and XmaI, bend DNA in opposite orientations

The SmaI and XmaI endonucleases are imperfect isoschizomers that recognize the sequence CCCGGG. SmaI cleaves between the internal CpG to produce blunt end scissions whereas XmaI cleaves between the external cytosines to produce a four base, five prime overhang. Each of the endonucleases forms stable, specific complexes with DNA in the absence of magnesium. Circular permutation analyses of the protein-DNA complexes revealed that each of the endonucleases induces bending of the DNA. Phase sensitive detection analyses verified the existence of the SmaI and XmaI induced bends. Furthermore, bending of the helix axis by the endonucleases appeared to be directed in opposite orientations. The orientation of the SmaI induced bend appeared to be towards the major groove and is reminiscent of the direction of the bend induced by EcoRV which similarly induces blunt end scissions. Conversely, XmaI appeared to bend the DNA towards the minor groove.
Morphogenesis of the eye lens in a mouse strain with hereditary cataracts

Mice carrying the gene “Shrivelled, ” also known as “Cataract-Fraser” or “Cataracta hereditaria subcapsularis, ” invariably develop lens opacities which are visible when the animals open their eyes on the fourteenth postnatal day. Lens development in normal and mutant embryos is the same until day 14 of gestation. At this stage the nuclei of the lens fibers in the controls are large and vesicular with prominent nucleoli. In the mutants the centrally located nuclei are smaller and darker with indistinct nucleoli. The nuclei of normal fibers remain large and open even after birth; those in the mutants continue to undergo pyknosis after passing through the equatorial zone in the regular fashion. The nuclear degeneration is followed, with a delay of about 24–48 hours, by swelling and vacuolization of the fibers concerned. In the adult the lens core forms an amorphous eosinophilic mass or may partly be resorbed. The cortical fibers remain normal. Anterior polar cataracts develop: the epithelial cells proliferate to form multiple layers of atypical cells, surrounded by lens capsule-like material. The fiber degeneration may be caused by precocious cessation of protein synthesis after the cell nucleus becomes defunct. The late epithelial aberrations may be secondary to the changes in the underlying fibers and are possibly related to the reactivation of cell replication in the central part of lens epithelium seen after traum.
Geographic Variation in Alarm Calls of Gunnison's Prairie Dogs

Geographic variation in alarm calls of Gunnison's prairie dogs ( Cynomys gunnisoni ) was analyzed at regional and local scales. Alarm calls in response to a common stimulus (the same human) were recorded at four colonies near Flagstaff, Arizona, and at six sites throughout the southwestern United States. The acoustic structure of calls was analyzed for seven call variables. Regional differences fit the prediction of greater differences with increased geographical separation. Differences between colonies at a local scale were not related to geographical distance, suggesting that local dialects exist within a region. Differences in the level of predation by humans between colonies or habitat effects on sound propagation may explain variation in calls at the local level.
Preliminary isotopic studies of fluids from the Cerro Prieto geothermal field

Abstract Preliminary isotopic studies of Cerro Prieto geothermal fluids and earlier studies of Mexicali Valley ground waters suggest local recharge of the geothermal system from the area immediately to the west. Oxygen isotope exchange of water with reservoir rock minerals at temperatures increasing with depth has produced fluids with oxygen-18 contents increasing with depth, and pressure drawdown in the southeastern part of the field has allowed lower oxygen-18 fluids to invade the production aquifer from above. The contents of tritium and carbon-14 in the fluid suggest only that the age of the fluid is between 50 and 10,000 years. The isotopic compositions of carbon and sulfur are consistent with a magmatic origin of these elements but a mixed sedimentary-organic origin appears more likely for carbon and is also possible for sulfur. Investigations of the isotopic compositions of geothermal and cold ground waters continue and are being expanded as fluids become available and as separation and analysis methods are improved.
The rate and anisotropy of impulse propagation in the postnatal terminal crest are correlated with remodeling of Cx43 gap junction pattern

Background: Disruptions to intermyocyte coupling have been implicated in arrhythmogenesis and development of conduction disturbances. At present, understanding of the relationship between the microscopic organization of intercellular coupling and the macroscopic spread of impulse in the normal and diseased heart is largely confined to theoretical analyses. Methods and results: The abundance and arrangement of gap junctions, as well as conduction properties, were assessed in terminal crest preparations isolated from the atria of neonate, weanling, and adult rabbits. We report that the connexin composition of terminal crest was uncomplicated, with Cx43 being the most prominent isoform detectable by Western blotting and immunostaining. Terminal crest myocytes showed little change in total Cx43-gap junction per cell during postnatal growth as assessed by stereology. However, marked non-uniformities emerged in the sarcolemmal distribution of Cx43-gap junctions. Cx43-gap junction area at myocyte termini increased 3.5-fold from birth to adulthood. Correlated with this change in Cx43, impulse propagation velocity parallel to the myofiber axis, as assessed by multi-site optical mapping using voltage-sensitive dye (di-4-ANEPPS), increased 2.4-fold. Conversely, the amount of Cx43-gap junctions on myocyte sides, and the conduction velocity transverse to the myofiber axis, remained relatively invariant during maturation. Hence, the increasing electrical anisotropy of maturing terminal crest was wholly accounted for by increases in conductance velocity along the bundle. This increase in longitudinal conduction velocity was correlated with changes in the sarcolemmal pattern, but not the overall density, of Cx43-gap junctions. Conclusions: This study provides the first correlative structure/function analysis of the relationship between the macroscopic conduction of impulse and the microscopic cellular organization of gap junctions in a differentiating cardiac bundle. Confirmation is provided for theoretical predictions which emphasize the importance of the cell-to-cell geometry of coupling in determining the spread and pattern of myocardial activation.
Current Status and Distribution of the Coati in the United States

Coatis have been in the montane border country of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico for more than 80 years. Their numbers and range in the United States have fluctuated. The highest known population occurred in the late 1950's, followed by a precipitous decline caused apparently by canine distemper or a similar disease. Since that time there has been a slow, irregular recovery. The biology of coatis in the U.S. is similar to that described previously in Panama, but with important differences in the much drier and cooler habitat. Coatis are opportunistic omnivores in all habitats, eating whatever fruits, invertebrates, and small vertebrates are easily obtained. Females and immature males live in bands whereas the adult males are usually solitary, but at the northern margin of the species' range, adult males may more often accompany bands. Coatis in the U.S. have relatively large home ranges and may be semi-nomadic. They have been seen most commonly at elevations of 1400 to 2000 meters. Coatis are preeminently woodland and forest inhabitants, and their distribution in the U.S. coincides almost exactly with that of the Madrean Evergreen Woodland which extends into the mountains of southern Arizona and New Mexico from the Sierra Madre of Mexico. Coatis breed from the Animas Mountains in southwestern New Mexico west to the Baboquivari Mountains in Arizona, and north as far as the Gila River. Marginal records from north of the Gila are from occasional wanderers or released captives. There is no evidence that coatis in the U.S. are currently expanding their breeding range or approaching the population levels of the late 1950's. Their numbers and spread are limited by some combination of aridity, cold, disease, and unsuitable plant cover and food resources. Discovering the coatis' role in the natural environment of the southwestern U.S. will require the combined efforts of many people; the Coati Study Project has been formed to coordinate these studies.
Analysis of the steady motions of complex rotating systems

Abstract This paper develops a practical computational framework for analyzing the steady motions of complex rotating systems. Ignorable coordinates corresponding to the translational or rotational invariances of a closed system can always be used in order that the effective potential functional W for the relative motion depends only upon the relative configuration. However, the stationary values (steady motions) of W can be determined by an essentially unconstrained calculational procedure even when W is expressed most simply with Cartesian coordinates. It is shown that the angular velocity of any fixed rotating configuration (FRC) must paralled a principal axis when some mild assumptions about the nonrigidity of the system are fulfilled. This property implies that every distinct FRC corresponds to a stationary value of W . The discussion includes examples of N- body problems and a spin-stabilized kilometer-wave orbiting telescope. Random or systematic searching and a quasi-Newton algorithm are used to compute minima of W .
“Constrained by Zeal”: Women in Mid‐NineteenthCentury Nonconformist Churches

In the nineteenth century, women discovered that nonconformist churches provided a third, intermediate sphere between private and public life in which they could ﬁnd a variety of roles. Churches provided a supportive environment where, as “Angels out of the House” they found an extension of their role in the home. In some cases, however, they clearly moved beyond that to the public sphere. Women taught in Sunday schools, visited the poor and sick, distributed tracts, were instrumental in fundraising, led Methodist class meetings, prayed with other women, and some even preached. Despite the importance of women within Nonconformity, and the signiﬁcance of religion in many women’s lives, few historians of either Nonconformity or women’s history have concentrated on women’s lives within these churches. This paper seeks to add to our limited knowledge of their activities within the “intermediate sphere” in four denominations.
Human papillomavirus infection

Of porri, verucae, and eondylomata of the pudenda. There remains a fourth species of venereal disease to be added to those which we have already described, viz, warty excrescences of the genitals, which sometimes succeed impure coition, but for the most part follow other porky disorders that have been iU managed. Sometimes they wither of themselves and fall off, leaving a root behind them, from whence they spring up afresh; sometimes they are permanent, but are flaccid, soft, and almost void of sense; sometimes hard, dry, rigid, horny, destitute of sense, and perfectly callous; but sometimes they are painful, having an ichorous discharge from their heads, and seem to be of a cancerous nature.--dohn Astruc (Treatis of Venereal Diseases in Nine Books, 1737)
Nitric oxide attenuates leukocyte-endothelial cells interactions in the mesenteric microcirculation seen with acute hypoxia. † 885

The purpose of this study was to determine if nitric oxide reduces the increased leukocyte-endothelial interactions observed with acute hypoxia in the mesenteric microcirculation. We studied the effects of the NO donor nitrosylated glutathione (GSNO) in a murine model of acute hypoxia. The microcirculation of two groups of Sprague-Dawley rats was observed via intravital microscopy. After 20 minutes of baseline observation, rats received an intravenous bolus of either GSH (n=3) or GSNO (n=3) at a dose of 20μg/kg followed by continuous infusion of 20 μg/kg/hr via external jugular venous catheter. After 10 minutes, rats were then acutely exposed to 30 minutes of 12% oxygen via hood and then returned to 21% oxygen for an additional 60 minutes. Serial video recordings with play back analysis off-line were taken for data recording. Statistical analysis was via two-way repeated measures ANOVA. Exposure to acute hypoxia caused increased rolling and adherence of leukocytes to the post-capillary venule in the GSH group similar to rats exposed to hypoxia, without intravenous administration of GSH(data not shown). However, when compared to the GSH group, the addition of GSNO significantly attenuated leukocyte rolling during and after hypoxic exposure (during hypoxia 96±14.8 vs. 20±14.8 cells/minute; after hypoxia: 88±14.8 vs. 45.4±14.8 cells/minute; mean±SEM; GSH vs. GSNO; p=0.02). Leukocyte adherence in animals treated with GSH increased during and after hypoxic exposure; this increase was inhibitted in animals given GSNO (during hypoxia 4±1 vs. 0.23±1 cells/100μm; after hypoxia: 5.4±1 vs. 0.23±1 cells/100μm; mean ±SEM; GSH vs. GSNO; p=0.003). There was no difference in systemic mean arterial blood pressure (p=.928) or shear stress (p=.14) between the two groups throughout the experiment. We speculate that the increased interaction of leukocytes with the endothelial cell of the post-capillary venule seen during and after acute exposure to hypoxia may be, in part, due to a loss of NO.
Functional limitations and workdays lost associated with chronic rhinosinusitis and allergic rhinitis.

BackgroundChronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and allergic rhinitis are associated with functional limitations, but these impacts are not known on a population basis. Our objective was to epidemiologicall...
A Chemical Inhibitor of DRP1 Uncouples Mitochondrial Fission and Apoptosis

DRP1, a member of the dynamin family of large GTPases, mediates mitochondrial fission. In a recent issue of Developmental Cell, Cassidy-Stone et al. (2008) identified mdivi-1, a new DRP1 inhibitor that prevents mitochondria division and Bax-mediated mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization during apoptosis.
Infinite-dimensional family of vacuum cosmological models with Taub-NUT (Newman-Unti-Tamburino)-type extensions

We show that the Gowdy metrics on ${T}^{3}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}R$ contain an infinite-dimensional subfamily of solutions which each admit a Taub-NUT (Newman-Unti-Tamburino)-type extension. However we also show that the generic (diagonal) Gowdy solution develops curvature singularities along the boundary of its maximal Cauchy development and thus is inextendible.
Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins Can Act at the E-Box within the Serum Response Element of the c-fos Promoter to Influence Hormone-Induced Promoter Activation in Sertoli Cells

The Sertoli cell is a terminally differentiated testicular cell in the adult required to maintain the process of spermatogenesis. Previously basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) factors and c-fos have been shown to influence Sertoli cell-differentiated functions. The induction of Sertoli cell differentiation appears to involve the serum response element (SRE) of the c-fos promoter to activate c-fos and intermediate bHLH factor(s) that regulate down-stream Sertoli cell-differentiated genes (e.g. transferrin expression). The SRE of the c-fos promoter is influenced through the serum response factor (SRF). Interestingly, an E-box nucleotide sequence is present within the SRE. bHLH proteins act through E-box elements, and the current study investigates the possibility that bHLH proteins may directly influence the SRE of the c-fos promoter. The activation of the c-fos promoter in Sertoli cells was found to be inhibited with the overexpression of the inhibitory HLH protein Id. Analysis of major response elements within the c-fos promoter demonstrated that the expression of Id specifically inhibited the activation of SRE in Sertoli cells and no other elements tested. Mutations in the E-box of the SRE also inhibited the activation of SRE, suggesting the direct role of bHLH proteins in regulating SRE activity in Sertoli cells. In contrast, the activation of SRE containing a mutated E-box was comparable to wild-type SRE in control stromal cells. Analysis of SRE oligonucleotide gel mobility shift assays with nuclear extracts from Sertoli cells demonstrated the presence of both the SRF and the ubiquitously expressed bHLH protein E12/E47. In contrast, no E12/E47 was detected in the SRE oligonucleotide gel shift using control stromal cell nuclear extracts. Observations suggest the binding of E12/E47 to SRE may be a cell-specific event. The SRF and bHLH proteins appear to bind to the SRE and activate the c-fos promoter in Sertoli cells. Observations provide evidence that a bHLH protein can interact with the SRE of the c-fos promoter to influence hormone-induced promoter activation. Cross-talk between these nuclear transcription factors appears to be instrumental in the control of Sertoli cell-differentiated functions.
Conformational Dynamics of Mismatch Recognition By E. coli Muts

DNA mismatch repair protects the genome from spontaneous mutations by recognizing and repairing DNA synthesis errors in a pathway that is highly conserved. The MutS family of proteins initiate DNA mismatch repair by specifically binding mismatched or extrahelical bases and communicating the presence of damage to downstream repair proteins in an ATP-dependent manner. Previous structural studies have implied that MutS-induced conformational changes on DNA are central to damage recognition. Because the conformational changes occur on the timescale of seconds, it is difficult to obtain kinetic information on this highly dynamic process with traditional ensemble techniques. In this work, we use single molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) to investigate the conformational dynamics of DNA in the presence of MutS from E. coli. FRET can measure changes in the relative distances between two fluorophores that are sufficiently close together (20-80 A). In our experiments, DNA conformational dynamics are observed by detecting changes in the end to end distance of fluorescently labeled oligonucleotides with milliseconds time resolution. We present quantitative kinetic information on the rates of MutS binding and dissociation and the effect of nucleotides on the conformational dynamics of the mismatched DNA-protein complexes. Our results are discussed in the context of current models for DNA mismatch recognition.
Rhetoric, Rite of Passage and the Multilingual Poetics of Arabia: A Thematic Reading of the Mahri Tribal Ode

AbstractIn this article, I engage two examples of the Mahri-language tribal ode in a thematic reading. A South Semitic language, Mahri is one of the few surviving remnants of the pre-Arabic linguistic substrate of Yemen and Oman. I argue that the rite-of-passage paradigm shared by Mahri and Arabic poetics points to a common origin at the convergence of language and culture in the Semitic pre-history of the Arabian Peninsula. At their point of convergence lies a conception of human society that is structured around the conflicting obligations of feuding and feud-mediation. Accordingly, a paradigmatic reading of ‘Arabian’ poetics depicts a proto-historic social organization that can be described through the anthropological segmentary-lineage model. The interpolation of a literary-thematic reading of Arabian tribal poetry within a non-coercive, segmentary social framework suggests that the rite-of-passage paradigm is a rhetorical strategy by which tribal poets urge social consensus. By this means, an outlier...
Aftermath of the Permian-Triassic mass extinction event: Paleoecology of Lower Triassic carbonates in the western USA

Paleoecologic study of invertebrate faunas from three successive Early Triassic seaways reveals that biotic recovery from the end-Permian mass extinction event was slow, and that full recovery did not occur until after the Early Triassic. Simple, cosmopolitan, opportunistic generalists, and low-diversity, low-complexity paleocommunities were characteristic of the entire Early Triassic in the Western USA. An increase in guild and taxonomic diversity was observed with the addition of several new higher taxa in the late Early Triassic (Spathian) to the almost exclusively molluscan faunas of the earlier Early Triassic (Nammalian). Potential “disaster forms” (the inarticulate brachiopod, Lingula, and the paper pecten, Claraia) dominated the earliest Early Triassic faunas (Griesbachian) and even occurred in the late Early Triassic (normal marine stromatolites). Comparison with data on faunas from the Permian and Triassic suggests that even the most diverse Early Triassic faunas (in the Spathian) were rather low in guild diversity and species richness. These characteristics of genera and paleocommunities in the Early Triassic may be typical of mass extinction aftermaths.
Current transients caused by potential jumps applied to passivating films on nickel

Abstract Positive and negative potential steps between values well within the passivation range are applied to nickel in borate buffer solution passivated for various times and at various temperatures. The transient cathodic current following a negative potential jump leads to the deduction of the potential dependence of the mean valence of nickel ions in the passivating films. The identity of the magnitudes of charge involved in the up-jumps and down-jumps of potential lead to the inference of reversible behavior at the film-electrolyte interface.
Construction of Vapor Chambers Used to Expose Mice to Alcohol During the Equivalent of all Three Trimesters of Human Development

Exposure to alcohol during development can result in a constellation of morphological and behavioral abnormalities that are collectively known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs). At the most severe end of the spectrum is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), characterized by growth retardation, craniofacial dysmorphology, and neurobehavioral deficits. Studies with animal models, including rodents, have elucidated many molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of FASDs. Ethanol administration to pregnant rodents has been used to model human exposure during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy. Third trimester ethanol consumption in humans has been modeled using neonatal rodents. However, few rodent studies have characterized the effect of ethanol exposure during the equivalent to all three trimesters of human pregnancy, a pattern of exposure that is common in pregnant women. Here, we show how to build vapor chambers from readily obtainable materials that can each accommodate up to six standard mouse cages. We describe a vapor chamber paradigm that can be used to model exposure to ethanol, with minimal handling, during all three trimesters. Our studies demonstrate that pregnant dams developed significant metabolic tolerance to ethanol. However, neonatal mice did not develop metabolic tolerance and the number of fetuses, fetus weight, placenta weight, number of pups/litter, number of dead pups/litter, and pup weight were not significantly affected by ethanol exposure. An important advantage of this paradigm is its applicability to studies with genetically-modified mice. Additionally, this paradigm minimizes handling of animals, a major confound in fetal alcohol research.
Regulation of granulopoiesis: lessons from leukocyte adhesion deficiency

The mechanisms that regulate granulopoiesis, in particular, stress (or “emergency”) granulopoiesis, are incompletely understood. Studies of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) or G-CSF receptor–deficient mice provide strong evidence that G-CSF is the principal hematopoietic cytokine
Continuous presence of rams hastens the onset of estrus in ewes synchronized during the breeding season

Abstract The objective of the study was to investigate whether ram exposure would affect the onset of estrus in synchronized ewes, during the breeding season. Ninety pluriparous ewes (30 White Face, 30 Suffolk and 30 Hampshire) were divided by breed and estrous synchronized with intravaginal sponges. These sponges were impregnated with medroxyprogesterone acetate and inserted for 12 days at unknown stages of the estrous cycle. Half of the females in each breed were exposed to a ram immediately following sponge removal and throughout an 120-h period (group IMM) while the other half was subjected to ram exposure at 48 h after sponge removal (group LAT). The same ram was used for both groups. In the LAT group the male was housed in a pen adjacent to the female pen. Estrus onset for group IMM occurred (mean±S.D.) 32.9±12.3 h after sponge removal while in group LAT estrus occurred at 53.1±19.6 h, respectively ( P P P P >0.05). These results show that immediate exposure to a ram at sponge removal hastens estrus onset in ewes estrous synchronized during the breeding season.
Effects of Elevated Dietary Arginine on Resistance of Channel Catfish to Exposure to Edwardsiella ictaluri

Abstract An experiment was conducted to assess the effects of elevated dietary arginine on infection resistance to Edwardsiella ictaluri by juvenile channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. Healthy channel catfish fingerlings were fed casein- and gelatin-based purified diets containing 28% crude protein and supplemented with crystalline L-arginine at 0.5, 1, 2, or 4% of the diet. An intact-protein diet containing 1.3% arginine also was included to investigate the effects of amino acid form (crystalline free amino acids versus intact protein). Each diet was fed to apparent satiation to triplicate groups of fish for 2 weeks. Subsequently, fish were exposed by immersion (1.3 × 108 colony-forming units/mL) to a virulent strain of E. ictaluri. Morbidity, mortality, and cause of death were recorded during a 21-d period. Plasma amino acid concentrations (14 h postprandial) 1 d before and 1 d after the bacterial exposure were analyzed via high-performance liquid chromatography. The dietary concentration of L-arginine...
Corticosteroids: The drugs to beat

Corticosteroids are the most effective anti-inflammatory therapy for asthma and other chronic inflammatory and immune diseases. Recently new insights have been gained into the molecular mechanisms whereby corticosteroids suppress inflammation. Inflammation is characterised by the increased expression of multiple inflammatory genes that are regulated by proinflammatory transcription factors, such as nuclear factor-kappaB and activator protein-1. These transcription factors bind to and activate coactivator molecules, which acetylate core histones and switch on gene transcription. Corticosteroids suppress the multiple inflammatory genes that are activated in asthmatic airways mainly by reversing histone acetylation of activated inflammatory genes through binding of glucocorticoid receptors to coactivators and recruitment of histone deacetylase-2 (HDAC2) to the activated inflammatory gene transcription complex. Activated glucocorticoid receptors also bind to recognition sites in the promoters of certain genes to activate their transcription, resulting in secretion of anti-inflammatory proteins, such as mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase, which inhibits MAP kinase signalling pathways. Glucocorticoid receptors may also interact with other recognition sites to inhibit transcription, for example of several genes linked to their side effects. In some patients with steroid-resistant asthma there are abnormalities in GR signalling pathways. In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and asthmatic patients who smoke HDAC2 is markedly impaired as a result of oxidative and nitrative stress so that inflammation is resistant to the anti-inflammatory effects of corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are likely to remain the mainstay of asthma therapy and new therapeutic strategies may reverse the corticosteroid insensitivity in COPD and severe asthma.
Measuring Project Level Productivity on Transportation Projects

This research study introduces the development of a method for measuring and analyzing the project level productivity (PLP) of all project activity over the life of the project. A key aspect of the measurement method was the development of a process to combine multiple simultaneous work activity productivity into a global productivity value for the project as a whole. Three case studies, including the collection of thousands of productivity values, were performed on highway construction projects to demonstrate the validity of the analysis method. Results indicate that productivity can be measured and analyzed at the project level based upon the field data of construction operations.
Quality-of-Life Tradeoffs for Hepatitis C Treatment: Do Patients and Providers Agree?

Background. Chronic hepatitis C (HCV) treatment is initiated infrequently by patients in urban settings. These patients often decline HCV treatment due to concerns about treatment side effects and have communication problems with their physicians. Methods. The authors investigated differences between how patients and providers evaluate the quality-of-life tradeoffs associated with HCV treatment in computer-assisted interviews. They interviewed 92 treatment-naive HCV patients at gastroenterology, methadone maintenance, and HIV clinics at 3 hospitals in New York City and 23 physicians or nurses experienced in treating HCV at other hospitals in New York City. Subjects completed rating scale and standard gamble evaluations of current health and hypothetical descriptions of HCV symptoms and treatment side effects on a scale from 0 (death or worse than death) to 1 (best possible health). Results .T reatment side effects were rated worse by patients than providers using the rating scale (moderate side effects 0.42 v. 0.62; severe side effects 0.24 v. 0.40) and standard gamble (moderate side effects 0.61 v. 0.91; severe side effects 0.52 v. 0.75) (all P ≤0:01). A year of severe side effects was equivalent to 4.1 years of mild HCV symptoms avoided for patients if they returned to their current health after treatment compared with 2.0 years avoided if they achieved average population health. For patients with depression symptoms, HCV treatment with severe side effects had lower value unless it would also improve their current health. Conclusions. Patients have more concerns about treatment side effects than providers. Further research is warranted to develop HCV decision aids that elicit patient preferences and to evaluate how improved communication of the risks and benefits of HCV treatment and more effective treatment of depression may alter these preferences.
Oncologic imaging. Staging and follow‐up of renal and adrenal carcinoma

Computed tomography (CT) has emerged from the 1980s to play a dominant role in the pretreatment staging of renal and adrenal carcinomas. For detection, definition (staging), and determination of resectability or recurrence, CT with intravenous contrast enhancement, and more recently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with gadolinium-DTPA, may be the only cross-sectional imaging studies required before institution of appropriate therapy. Carcinoma of the kidney is frequently diagnosed by serendipity or detected on incidental ultrasound or CT examinations. Real-time ultrasound and color flow Doppler offer unique information on tumor vascularity and major venous vascular involvement. Positive predictive values of 96% can be achieved for the diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma using contrast-enhanced CT scanning. For follow-up CT and MRI are the best imaging techniques for evaluation of the retroperitoneum. MRI may distinguish tumor recurrence from fibrosis in selected cases. Because primary neoplasms of the adrenal gland are rare and often exceed 10 cm at the time of initial diagnosis, the functional nature (endocrine) of adrenal carcinoma may be part of the clinical presentation. Because initial stage is critical to survival and extent of surgical therapy, a knowledge of tumor classification is essential to the optimal diagnostic evaluation. Newer imaging tests, CT and MRI, have superseded conventional urography, ultrasound, and radionuclide studies for the diagnosis and staging of adrenal cancer. Early diagnosis and low stage at presentation are critical to survival in patients with adrenal carcinoma. The current concepts for pretreatment imaging evaluation and the role of CT, MRI, and ultrasound are outlined. An oncologic imaging approach based on tumor staging and classification for patients with real or suspected renal cell carcinoma and adrenal carcinoma is essential to optimal patient care.
Effect of lodoxamide ethyl on allergy skin tests

Lodoxamide ethyl is a new cromolyn-like drug which prevents antigen-induced mediator release from mast cells and antigen-induced bronchoconstriction in sensitive animals and man. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a single administration of lodoxamide ethyl on allergy skin tests. The effect of this drug on allergy skin testing was studied in a double-blind design on ten adult subjects allergic to ragweed. Serial end-point titrations with short ragweed extract and with histamine were performed after a placebo and 1- and 3-mg capsules of lodoxamide ethyl. The immediate wheal-and-flare responses as well as the late allergic reaction were recorded. No statistically significant difference was found between lodoxamide ethyl and placebo in the suppression of the allergen-induced immediate wheal-and-flare response or the late allergic reaction. Furthermore, 1 and 3 mg of oral lodoxamide ethyl did not inhibit the histamine-induced cutaneous reactions.
Thermal Ecology of the Lizard, Anolis Limifrons with Comparative Notes on Three Additional Panamanian Anoles

Data on the thermoregulation of Anolis limifrons in Panama suggest that at least some tropical species are less warm adapted than previously thought. Anolis limifrons has a lower minimum voluntary temperature, eccritic temperature, and critical thermal maximum than a majority of the temperate zone lizards thus far studied. Thermoregulatory adjustment is by behavioral mechanisms as indicated by observations on basking and orientation. A seasonality in the preferred temperature is indicated by field data from the wet and dry seasons. It is suggested that the lower preferred temperature in the dry season is an adaptation to conserve water or minimize water loss. Anoles (A. limifrons and A. frenatus) in colsed canopy forests are less warm adapted than the grassland A. auratus, whereas an ecotone species (A. tropidogaster) is intermediate in its thermoregulatory characteristics. Differences in dermal morphology in three species of Panamanian anoles are suggested to be an adaptation to varied capacities of heat gain.
Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering from Silver-Plated Porous Silicon

Silver micro- and nanocrystallites are prepared on porous Si substrates by immersion plating, and their activity toward SERS (surface-enhanced Raman scattering) is assessed. Scanning electron microscopy reveals a rough silver film containing randomly spaced dendritic structures. SERS spectra of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) and adenine are obtained using an 18-mW, 488-nm laser. The SERS signal from these analytes is dramatically improved by pretreatment of the silver-plated porous Si samples (Ag−PS) with a 1 mM mineral acid solution. Detection of R6G and adenine from 1 nM solutions is demonstrated, corresponding to (at most) 9 × 105 molecules in the experimental configuration used in the current study. Ag−PS samples that have been stored in air for 10 days still display high sensitivity. The presence of chloride either in the analyte solution or in the pretreatment solution is found to dramatically reduce the limit of detection for R6G.
High-autonomy control of space resource processing plants

A high-autonomy intelligent command and control architecture developed for unmanned plants that can conduct scientific experiments or process local planetary resources is described. Two applications are discussed: a biotechnology laboratory designed for Space Station Freedom and a working prototype of a plant for producing oxygen from the Martian atmosphere. A distributed command and control architecture designed to teleoperate such plants in a high-level task-oriented mode with supervisory control from one or several remote sites is also described. The architecture integrates advanced network communication concepts and modern man/machine interfaces with recent advances in autonomous intelligent control. A complete testbed has been developed to demonstrate several applications of the architecture. >
Relaxing the upper bound on the mass of the lightest supersymmetric Higgs boson

We present a class of supersymmetric models in which the lightest Higgs boson mass can be as large as a few hundred GeV (200{approx}300 GeV) while the successful minimal supersymmetric standard model prediction for gauge coupling unification is preserved. The theories are formulated on a 5D warped space truncated by two branes, and a part of the Higgs sector is localized on the infrared brane. The structure of the Higgs sector in the four-dimensional effective theory below the Kaluza-Klein mass scale is essentially that of the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model, or related theories. However, large values of the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model couplings at the weak scale are now possible as these couplings are required to be perturbative only up to the infrared cutoff scale, which in general can be much lower than the unification scale. This allows the possibility of generating a large quartic coupling in the Higgs potential thereby significantly raising the Higgs boson mass bound. We present two particularly simple models. In the first model, the quark and lepton fields are localized on the ultraviolet brane, where the grand unified symmetry is broken. In the second model, the quark and lepton fields are localized on the infraredmore » brane, and the unified symmetry is broken both on the ultraviolet and infrared branes. Our theories potentially allow the possibility of a significant reduction in the fine-tuning needed for correct electroweak symmetry breaking, although this is somewhat model dependent.« less
Antibiotic Production by Myxobacteria Plays a Role in Predation

Myxobacteria are predatory and are prolific producers of secondary metabolites. Here, we tested a hypothesized role that secondary metabolite antibiotics function as weapons in predation. To test this, a Myxococcus xanthus Δta1 mutant, blocked in antibiotic TA (myxovirescin) production, was constructed. This TA− mutant was defective in producing a zone of inhibition (ZOI) against Escherichia coli. This shows that TA is the major M. xanthus-diffusible antibacterial agent against E. coli. Correspondingly, the TA− mutant was defective in E. coli killing. Separately, an engineered E. coli strain resistant to TA was shown to be resistant toward predation. Exogenous addition of spectinomycin, a bacteriostatic antibiotic, rescued the predation defect of the TA− mutant. In contrast, against Micrococcus luteus the TA− mutant exhibited no defect in ZOI or killing. Thus, TA plays a selective role on prey species. To extend these studies to other myxobacteria, the role of antibiotic corallopyronin production in predation was tested and also found to be required for Corallococcus coralloides killing on E. coli. Next, a role of TA production in myxobacterial fitness was assessed by measuring swarm expansion. Here, the TA− mutant had a specific swarm rate reduction on prey lawns, and thus reduced fitness, compared to an isogenic TA+ strain. Based on these observations, we conclude that myxobacterial antibiotic production can function as a predatory weapon. To our knowledge, this is the first report to directly show a link between secondary metabolite production and predation.
In vitro reactions of butadiene monoxide with single- and double-stranded DNA: characterization and quantitation of several purine and pyrimidine adducts.

We have previously shown that butadiene monoxide (BM), the primary metaholite of 1,3-butadiene, reacted with nucleosides to form alkylation products that exhibited different rates of formation and different stabilities under in vitro physiological conditions. In the present study, BM was reacted with single-stranded (ss) and double-stranded (ds) calf thymus DNA and the alkylation products were characterized after enzymatic hydrolysis of the DNA. The primary products were regioisomeric N-7-guanine adducts. N-3-(2-hydroxy-3-buten.1-yl)adenine and N-3-(1-hydroxy-3-buten-2-yl)adenine, which were depurinated from the DNA more rapidly than the N-7-guanine adducts, were also formed. In addition,N 6 -(2-hydroxy-3-buten-1-yl)deoxy-adenosine and N 6 -(1-hydroxy-3-buten-2-yl)deoxyadenosine were detected and evidence was obtained that these adducts were formed by Dimroth rearrangement of the corresponding N-1-deoxyadenosine adducts, not while in the DNA, but following the release of the N-1-alkylated nucleosides by enzymatic hydrolysis. N-3-(2-hydroxy-3-buten-1-yl)d-eoxyuridine adducts, which were apparently formed subsequent to deamination reactions of the corresponding deoxycytidine adducts, were also detected and were stable in the DNA. Adduct formation was linearly dependent upon BM concentration (10-1000 mM), with adduct ratios being similar at the various BM concentrations. At a high BM concentration (750 mM), the adducts were formed in a linear fashion for up to 8 h in both ssDNA and dsDNA. However, the rates of formation of the N-3-deoxyuridine and N 6 -deoxyadenosine adducts increased 10- to 20-fold in ssDNA versus dsDNA, whereas the N-7-guanine adducts increased only slightly, presumably due to differences in hydrogen bonding in ssDNA versus dsDNA. These results may contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of mutagenesis and carcinogenesis of both BM and its parent compound, 1,3-butadiene.
Nalbuphine Hydrochloride Dependence in Anabolic Steroid Users

Nalbuphine hydrochloride, a nonscheduled opioid agonist/antagonist analgesic, is currently approved for the treatment of pain. Recently, nalbuphine dependence was reported in three anabolic steroid users in Britain. To further document this phenomenon, we conducted interviews on eleven subjects who reported nalbuphine use. Eight subjects were clinically dependent on nalbuphine, and seven of the subjects who were asked about tolerance and withdrawal with nalbuphine acknowledged these symptoms. Eight subjects, who had never used drugs intravenously before, reported using nalbuphine by this route. Nalbuphine-related morbidity was extensive and included medical complications and psychiatric symptoms. Nalbuphine users also exhibited a high rate of comorbid Axis I disorders, including other substance misuse. Virtually all subjects described widespread nalbuphine use in the gymnasiums they frequented. These observations, together with the recent increase in nalbuphine-related articles in the lay press, suggest that nalbuphine may represent a new drug of abuse among athletes, especially those using anabolic steroids, and that nalbuphine's scheduling status may need to be re-evaluated.