cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hydrocarbon polymerization on drift chamber wires

Abstract A drift chamber which serves as a trigger for the time projection chamber (TPC) at the PEP storage ring at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center became inoperative during beam running due to recurring discharges. Visual examination of chamber wires revealed “whisker” growths and numerous black deposits. More detailed examination by mass spectroscopy and ion beam spectroscopy has shown that polymerized hydrocarbons similar to polyethylene are generally present on all wires. A mechanism relating polymerization and whisker formation is suggested.
On a framework for energy-efficient security protocols in wireless networks

Network security is an important issue especially in wireless networks where the network is open and the network perimeter is not exactly known. This makes wireless networks more vulnerable to attacks such as eavesdropping, message interception and modifications. Several security protocols designed for wired-line networks have been adopted for use in wireless networks. However, they may not be suitable for wireless networks and devices since scenarios and capabilities applicable to wired-line networks may not be valid in wireless networks. For example, wireless devices often have limited battery power, and performing several message exchanges used in typical wired-line security protocols may rapidly deplete the devices' battery. Cryptographic primitives consume energy and could degrade the battery performance of wireless networks. In this paper, we classify energy saving mechanisms for security protocols in wireless networks. We apply these energy saving mechanisms to existing security protocols and demonstrate the reduction in energy consumption that is possible with the suggested approaches.
ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation

When a renal transplant candidate's only medically-acceptable living kidney donor is ABO incompatible, the most common practice is to place them on the deceased donor list. Over the past few years, the implementation of paired kidney donor exchange programs and the development of protocols to overcome the ABO blood group barrier have become much more successful and widespread. Here we review the therapeutic options for patients whose only living kidney donor is ABO incompatible, with a specific emphasis on the rationale for and the current outcomes of ABO incompatible living donor kidney transplantation.
Properties of InGaN multiple-quantum-well heterostructures grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

We report the growth and characterization of modulation-doped In x Ga 1-x N/In y Ga 1-y N multiple-quantum-well (MQW) heterostructures on (0 0 0 1) sapphire substrates. The heterostructure layers are grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. A comparison of the 300 K photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the samples indicate that modulation doping of the MQW structure enhances the peak emission intensity and the bandedge-to-yellow-band emission intensity ratio over those of uniformly Si-doped MQW structures. The effect of incorporating AIGaN cladding layers is analyzed with 300 K PL and X-ray diffraction.
Friction and wear of metals in contact with pyrolytic graphite

Sliding friction experiments were conducted with gold, iron, and tantalum single crystals sliding on prismatic and basal orientations of pyrolytic graphite in various environments, including vacuum, oxygen, water vapor, nitrogen, and hydrogen bromide. Surfaces were examined in the clean state and with various adsorbates present on the graphite surfaces. Auger and LEED spectroscopy, SEM, and EDXA were used to characterize the graphite surfaces. Results indicate that the prismatic and basal orientations do not contain nor do they chemisorb oxygen, water vapor, acetylene, or hydrogen bromide. All three metals exhibited higher friction on the prismatic than on the basal orientation and these metals transferred to the atomically clean prismatic orientation of pyrolytic graphite. No metal transfer to the graphite was observed in the presence of adsorbates at 760 torr. Ion bombardment of the graphite surface with nitrogen ions resulted in the adherence of nitrogen to the surface.
Androgyny: The sexist myth in disguise

(1974). Androgyny: The sexist myth in disguise. Women's Studies: Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 171-184.
Breakthrough innovations in the U.S. biotechnology industry: the effects of technological space and geographic origin

How are breakthrough innovations created? Our study suggests that the type of external knowledge sourced determines the likelihood of creation of breakthrough innovation. We characterize the external knowledge utilized on two dimensions: its technological space and geographic origin. We draw on the concepts of local search and national innovation systems to identify critical knowledge inputs. We hypothesize that external knowledge characterized by technological distance or proximity and the national or international context can have a differential impact on breakthrough innovation. This is due to the contradictory implications of its value created by distance and to absorptive capacity limitations in effectively utilizing knowledge from a different context. To test our hypotheses we use patent data from the U.S. biotechnology industry. Our findings suggest that technologically distant knowledge of national origin has a curvilinear effect and technologically proximate knowledge of international origin has a positive effect on breakthrough innovation. However, simultaneous exploration along technologically and geographic dimensions is not useful to generating breakthrough innovation; technologically distant knowledge of international origin does not have a significant impact. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Crisis in Care: Limited Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth

Until two decades ago, children and adolescents were automatically assumed to have insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes. However, type 2 diabetes emerged as a “new type” of childhood diabetes in the 1990s in association with the epidemic of childhood obesity. It quickly became apparent that this new pediatric disease disproportionally affected disadvantaged minority children and was associated with comorbidities that increased the risk of future cardiovascular disease. After more than 20 years, the optimal approach to the treatment of childhood type 2 diabetes remains largely unknown. Besides insulin, metformin remains the only other antidiabetic medication that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for use in youth with type 2 diabetes. Glimepiride and rosiglitazone failed noninferiority tests versus metformin as initial monotherapy in company-sponsored clinical trials. While the primary study results of the randomized phase of the TODAY (Treatment Options for type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth) study showed that combination therapy with metformin plus rosiglitazone was more effective than metformin plus intensive lifestyle intervention and metformin alone (1), rosiglitazone will not be used with any frequency in young patients with type 2 diabetes because of concerns about the cardiovascular and other adverse effects of this class of medications. Once again, pediatric diabetes practitioners are left with just metformin and insulin for adolescents with type 2 diabetes. Why haven’t glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors that have been approved for use in adults with type 2 diabetes been approved for the treatment of adolescents …
The equine spleen: An electron microscopic analysis

The capacity of the equine spleen to store and rapidly release as much as half the circulating blood volume after adrenergic stimulation depends upon the size of the spleen, its muscular capsule, and the distinctive structure of its red pulp. The unit, or lobule, of red pulp is a cylinder of pulp spaces organized in a reticular meshwork, supplied by a peripheral ring of arterial capillaries, and drained by a central venule. Reticular cells, which make up the meshwork of the pulp, contain an extraordinarily large complement of microfilaments and intermediate filaments and are richly innervated by nerves containing both dense and lucent core vesicles typical of adrenergic nerves. The wall of the pulp venule contains large apertures. The capacious red pulp would thus appear capable both of large-scale blood storage and, by the contractile adrenergic innervated reticulum and open venous vasculature, of rapid expression of stored blood into the circulation. Antigen-presenting cells are present not only in B and T cell zones in white pulp but in the periarterial macrophage sheath of red pulp as well. The periarterial macrophage sheath is one of the first sites of antigen capture, and the presence of these cells confers on it an immunological role.
Hospital discharge abstract data on comorbidity improved the prediction of death among patients hospitalized with aspiration pneumonia

Abstract Objective To use diagnoses reported as present at admission in California hospital discharge abstract data to identify categories of comorbid disease and conditions related to aspiration pneumonia and to assess their association with hospital mortality. Study Design and Setting The study population included all persons hospitalized in California from 1996 through 1999, with a principal diagnosis of aspiration pneumonia. Present at admission diagnoses representing comorbid diseases were separated from conditions closely related to aspiration pneumonia by a physician panel through a computer supported Delphi process. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the probability of hospital death after adjusting for these patient characteristics. The statistical performance of this method was compared to the performance of two independent methods for measuring comorbid disease. The practical significance of differences in statistical performance was assessed by comparing the estimated effects of age, race, and ethnicity after adjustments using each method. Results Mortality risk adjustment using present at admission diagnoses resulted in substantially better statistical performance and in different measurements of the adjusted effects of age, race, and ethnicity. Conclusion Reporting present at admission diagnoses in hospital discharge data yields meaningful improvements in hospital mortality risk adjustment.
Nutcracker Phenomenon and Nutcracker Syndrome

Nutcracker phenomenon refers to compression of the left renal vein, most commonly between the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery, with impaired blood outflow often accompanied by distention of the distal portion of the vein. The nutcracker syndrome (NCS) is the clinical equivalent of nutcracker phenomenon characterized by a complex of symptoms with substantial variations. Depending on specific manifestations, NCS may be encountered by different medical specialists. Although it may be associated with substantial morbidity, the diagnosis of NCS is often difficult and is commonly delayed. Diagnostic and treatment criteria are not well established, and the natural history of NCS is not well understood. We performed an initial review of the literature through MEDLINE, searching from 1950 to date and using the keywords nutcracker syndrome, nutcracker phenomenon, and renal vein entrapment. We performed additional reviews based on the literature citations of the identified articles. We attempted to elucidate clinical relevance of these conditions and their prominent features and to summarize professional experience.
Tracking payment card data flow using virtual machine state introspection

Credit and debit card payment processing systems are key elements in financial transactions. Negligence in securing these systems makes them vulnerable to hacking attacks, which may lead to significant monetary losses for both merchants and the financial organizations. To reduce this risk, mandatory security compliance regulations, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), were developed and adopted by the industry. A key pre-requisite of the PCI DSS compliance process is the ability to identify the components of the payment systems directly involved with the card data (i.e. process, transmit, or store). However, existing data flow tracking tools cannot fully automate the process of identifying system components that touch card data, because they either can not examine encrypted communications or they use an instrumentation-based approach and thus require a priori detailed knowledge of the payment card processing systems. We describe the implementation and evaluation of a novel tool to identify the card data flow in commercial payment card processing systems running on virtualized servers. The tool performs realtime monitoring of network communications between virtual machines and inspects the memory of the communicating processes for unencrypted card data. Our implementation does not require instrumentation of application binaries and can accurately identify the system components involved in card data flow even when the communications among system components are encrypted. Effectiveness of this tool is demonstrated through its successful discovery of the card data flow of several open- and closed-source payment card processing applications.
Parallel Architecture of List Sphere Decoders

Sphere decoding has been used for maximum likelihood (ML) detection of multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) communication systems. In order to combine the sphere decoder with the outer channel code decoder, researchers have proposed to include a candidate list in the sphere decoder to provide soft information to the channel code decoder. This algorithm is called list sphere decoder (LSD). With LSD, it takes many cycles to decode a vector. In this paper, the architecture of applying parallel processing technique in LSD is presented, with detailed discussions on the individual building blocks.
Estrogen-Dependent and -Independent Estrogen Receptor-α Signaling Separately Regulate Male Fertility

Estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) plays a critical role in male reproductive tract development and fertility. To determine whether estrogen-dependent and -independent ERalpha mechanisms are involved in male fertility, we examined male estrogen nonresponsive ERalpha knock-in mice. These animals have a point mutation (G525L) in the ligand-binding domain of ERalpha that significantly reduces interaction with, and response to, endogenous estrogens but does not affect growth factor activation of ligand-independent ERalpha pathways. Surprisingly, we found that ligand-independent ERalpha signaling is essential for concentrating epididymal sperm via regulation of efferent ductule fluid reabsorption. In contrast, estrogen-dependent ERalpha signaling is required for germ cell viability, most likely through support of Sertoli cell function. By treating estrogen nonresponsive ERalpha knock-in (ENERKI) mice with the ERalpha selective synthetic agonist propyl pyrazole triol, which is able to bind and activate G525L ERalpha in vivo, we discovered male fertility required neonatal estrogen-mediated ERalpha signaling. Thus, our work indicates both estrogen-dependent and -independent pathways play separable roles in male murine reproductive tract development and that the role of ERalpha in human infertility should be examined more closely.
Effects of noise on high-affinity choline uptake in the frontal cortex and hippocampus of the rat are blocked by intracerebroventricular injection of corticotropin-releasing factor antagonist

Acute exposure (20 min) to loud noise (100 dB) decreased sodium-dependent high-affinity choline uptake activities in the frontal cortex and hippocampus of the rat. These effects were blocked by intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) antagonist alpha-helical-CRF9-41 (alpha-HCRF) immediately before noise exposure. Intracerebroventricular injection of CRF (1 microgram) also decreased high-affinity choline uptake in the frontal cortex and the hippocampus of the rat, and these effects of CRF could be blocked by pretreating the animal with the narcotic antagonist naltrexone (1 mg/kg, i.p.). These results indicate that the effects of noise on central cholinergic systems are mediated by CRF and suggest a stressor-CRF-endogenous opioid-acetylcholine sequence of effects in the brain.
"Slight" of hand: the processing of visually degraded gestures with speech.

Co-speech hand gestures influence language comprehension. The present experiment explored what part of the visual processing system is optimized for processing these gestures. Participants viewed short video clips of speech and gestures (e.g., a person saying “chop” or “twist” while making a chopping gesture) and had to determine whether the two modalities were congruent or incongruent. Gesture videos were designed to stimulate the parvocellular or magnocellular visual pathways by filtering out low or high spatial frequencies (HSF versus LSF) at two levels of degradation severity (moderate and severe). Participants were less accurate and slower at processing gesture and speech at severe versus moderate levels of degradation. In addition, they were slower for LSF versus HSF stimuli, and this difference was most pronounced in the severely degraded condition. However, exploratory item analyses showed that the HSF advantage was modulated by the range of motion and amount of motion energy in each video. The results suggest that hand gestures exploit a wide range of spatial frequencies, and depending on what frequencies carry the most motion energy, parvocellular or magnocellular visual pathways are maximized to quickly and optimally extract meaning.
Computational Aerothermodynamic Assessment of Space Shuttle Orbiter Tile Damage: Open Cavities

Computational aerothermodynamic simulations of Orbiter windside tile damage in flight were performed in support of the Space Shuttle Return-to-Flight effort. The simulations were performed for both hypervelocity flight and low-enthalpy wind tunnel conditions and contributed to the Return-to-Flight program by providing information to support a variety of damage scenario analyses. Computations at flight conditions were performed at or very near the peak heating trajectory point for multiple damage scenarios involving damage windside acreage reaction cured glass (RCG) coated silica tile(s). The cavities formed by the missing tile examined in this study were relatively short leading to flow features which indicated open cavity behavior. Results of the computations indicated elevated heating bump factor levels predicted for flight over the predictions for wind tunnel conditions. The peak heating bump factors, defined as the local heating to a reference value upstream of the cavity, on the cavity floor for flight simulation were 67% larger than the peak wind tunnel simulation value. On the downstream face of the cavity the flight simulation values were 60% larger than the wind tunnel simulation values. On the outer mold line (OML) downstream of the cavity, the flight values are about 20% larger than the wind tunnel simulation values. The higher heating bump factors observed in the flight simulations were due to the larger driving potential in terms of energy entering the cavity for the flight simulations. This is evidenced by the larger rate of increase in the total enthalpy through the boundary layer prior to the cavity for the flight simulation.
Coadministration of scrtraline with cisapride or pimozide: an open-label, nonrandomized examination of pharmacokinetics and corrected qt intervals in healthy adult volunteers

Abstract Background: Sertraline hydrochloride is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor with demonstrated efficacy and safety for the treatment of the following disorders: major depressive, obsessive-compulsive, panic, premenstrual dysphoric, social anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. Although sertraline is unlikely to cause clinically significant inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 substrates, even modest concentration increases for narrow therapeutic index drugs, such as pimozide or cisapride, are potentially important. Objective: The goal of this study was to determine whether there is a pharmacokinetic interaction, as shown by plasma concentrations and electrocardiographic evidence of QTc intervals, between scrtraline 200 mg QD and cisapride 10 mg QID, and between sertraline 200 mg QD and pimozide (single 2-mg dose). Methods: Patients in group A were administered cisapride on days 1 and2 (10 mg QID), day 3 (10 mg/d), days 25 through 29 (10 mg QID), and day 30 (10 mg/d). Sertraline was administered on days 4 through 29 at a starting dose of 50 mg/d, which was titrated upward in 50-mg increments every third day to a maximum of 200 mg/d. Patients in group B were treated with 2 mg of pimozide on days 1 and 39. Sertraline was administered on days 18 through 46 at a starting dose of 50 mg/d, which was titrated upward in 50-mg increments every third day to a maximum of 200 mg/d. Results: There were 9 males and 6 females in group A (sertraline + cisapride) (mean age, 34.4 years for males, 41.7 years for females; mean weight, 78.7 kg for males, 66.6 kg for females; 14 Hispanic, 1 white), and 8 males and 7 females in group B (sertraline + pimozide) (mean age, 26.1 years for males, 33.4 years for females; mean weight, 70.8 kg for males, 61.4 kg for females; 15 Hispanic). Coadministration of sertraline and cisapride resulted in statistically significant reductions of 29% and 36% in cisapride Cmax and AUC from time 0 to 6 hours, respectively, compared with cisapride alone. Coadministration of sertraline and pimozide resulted in statistically significant increases of 35% and 37% in pimozide Cmax and AUC0−∞, respectively, compared with pimozide alone. No subject exhibited a prolongation of the QTc interval ≥15% with coadministration of sertraline and cisapride, or sertraline and pimozide. Conclusions: This study found that coadministration of sertraline with cisapride resulted in decreases in cisapride concentrations, and no significant effects on QTc intervals. Coadministration of sertraline 200 mg/d and a single dose of pimozide 2 mg produced significant increases in pimozide concentrations but no prolongation of the QTc interval ≥15%. This opposite effect for pimozide compared with cisapride, as well as other previously tested CYP3A4 substrates, suggests that there are mechanisms other than CYP3A4 involved in the sertraline-pimozide interaction.
Embryonic electrical connections appear to prefigure a behavioral circuit in the leech CNS

During development, many embryos show electrical coupling among neurons that is spatially and temporally regulated. For example, in vertebrate embryos extensive dye coupling is seen during the period of circuit formation, suggesting that electrical connections could prefigure circuits, but it has been difficult to identify which neuronal types are coupled. We have used the leech Hirudo medicinalis to follow the development of electrical connections within the circuit that produces local bending. This circuit consists of three layers of neurons: four mechanosensory neurons (P cells), 17 identified interneurons, and approximately 24 excitatory and inhibitory motor neurons. These neurons can be identified in embryos, and we followed the spatial and temporal dynamics as specific connections developed. Injecting Neurobiotin into identified cells of the circuit revealed that electrical connections were established within this circuit in a precise manner from the beginning. Connections first appeared between motor neurons; mechanosensory neurons and interneurons started to connect at least a day later. This timing correlates with the development of behaviors, so the pattern of emerging connectivity could explain the appearance first of spontaneous behaviors (driven by a electrically coupled motor network) and then of evoked behaviors (when sensory neurons and interneurons are added to the circuit).
Controlled Symmetry Breaking in Superconducting UPt 3

We have developed a biaxial-stress calorimeter for use at milli-Kelvin temperatures to study the nature of the double superconducting transition in single crystal UPt_3. We suppress the basal-plane antiferromagnetism and merge the two transitions through c-axis stress, and then break the hexagonal symmetry of the basal plane in a regulated manner through stress along â. We recover a double superconducting transition, but with a shift in the relative sizes of the specific heat jumps for the upper and lower transitions, as well as a different measure of the strength of the symmetry-breaking field.
Temporal and Spatial Features of Waves and Electron Holes Driven by Double Layers and Their Relevance to VLF Saucers

[1] Motivated by the observations of electron holes (EHs) strongly correlated with VLF saucers, the basic idea explored here is that when the parallel potential drop in a developing diverging electrostatic shock encounters a localized density cavity, a set of plasma processes are triggered including (i) formation of an upward-moving double layer (DL), (ii) setting up of potential gradients in which counterstreaming of electrons occurs on the DL's high-potential side, and (iii) generation of wave packets containing linear and nonlinear waves, such as the EHs. We specifically examine here the temporal and spatial evolution of such wave packets (WPs) in a one-dimensional Vlasov simulation. If such evolution persists in multi-dimensional treatments, the frequency dependent angular dispersion of the WPs could generate VLF saucers. A rapid growth of the wave packets to large amplitudes within a distance of about hundred Debye lengths gives an effective mechanism for the localization of the source for the saucers. Estimates show that the electrostatic energy stored in a wave packet containing just a few large-amplitude EHs is sufficient to power typical VLF saucer events.
The perception of linear self-motion

VR lends itself to the study of intersensory calibration in self-motion perception. However, proper calibration of visual and locomotor self-motion in VR is made complicated by the compression of perceived distance and by unfamiliar modes of locomotion. Although adaptation is fairly rapid with exposure to novel sensorimotor correlations, here it is shown that good initial calibration is found when both (1) the virtual environment is richly structured in near space and (2) locomotion is on solid ground. Previously it had been observed that correct visual speeds seem too slow when walking on a treadmill. Several principles may be involved, including inhibitory sensory prediction, distance compression, and missing peripheral flow in the reduced FOV. However, though a richly-structured near-space environment provides higher rates of peripheral flow, its presence does not improve calibration when walking on a treadmill. Conversely, walking on solid ground still shows relatively poor calibration in an empty (though well-textured) virtual hallway. Because walking on solid ground incorporates well-calibrated mechanisms that can assess speed of self-motion independent of vision, these observations suggest that near space may have been better calibrated in the HMD. Near-space obstacle avoidance systems may also be involved. Order effects in the data from the treadmill experiment indicate that recalibration of self-motion perception occurred during the experiment.
Geometrical Constraints and Equations of Motion in Extended Supergravity

Consequences of geometrical constraints from integrability along all super lightlike lines are examined in N-extended supergravity theories. It is shown that these constraints give rise, through Bianchi identities, to equations of motion of the conformal type for all forms of physical fields, with Ng4. Our results point to an integrability program for Ng4 supergravity similar to that for Ng2 supersymmetric Yang-Mills fields.
Child μ-opioid receptor gene variant influences parent-child relations.

Variation in the μ-opioid receptor gene has been associated with early social behavior in mice and rhesus macaques. The current study tested whether the functional OPRM1 A118G predicted various indices of social relations in children. The sample included 226 subjects of self-reported European ancestry (44% female; mean age 13.6, SD=2.2) who were part of a larger representative study of children aged 9–17 years in rural North Carolina. Multiple aspects of recent (past 3 months) parent–child relationship were assessed using the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment. Parent problems were coded based upon a lifetime history of mental health problems, substance abuse, or criminality. Child genotype interacted with parent behavior such that there were no genotype differences for those with low levels of parent problems; however, when a history of parent problems was reported, the G allele carriers had more enjoyment of parent–child interactions (mean ratio (MR)=3.5, 95% CI=1.6, 8.0) and fewer arguments (MR=3.1, 95% CI=1.1, 8.9). These findings suggest a role for the OPRM1 gene in the genetic architecture of social relations in humans. In summary, a variant in the μ-opioid receptor gene (118G) was associated with improved parent–child relations, but only in the context of a significant disruption in parental functioning.
The Sv40 Enhancer - Transcriptional Regulation through a Hierarchy of Combinatorial Interactions

The simian DNA tumor virus SV40 regulates synthesis of early and late viral transcripts from two divergent and overlapping promoters. The SV40 early promoter exhibits all the hallmarks of eukaryotic promoters, containing elements that function when positioned near the start site of transcription and other positionally flexible elements that constitute a transcriptional enhancer. The architecture of the SV40 enhancer has been elucidated by four complementary approaches: (1) saturation mutagenesis in vitro; (2) viral genetic selection in vivo; (3) synthetic multimerization of its component parts; and (4) detailed protein binding studies. The SV40 enhancer represents a cluster of cell-specific regulatory elements that cooperate with one another in a functional hierarchy. The basic units of enhancer structure, enhansons, are the building blocks and represent protein binding sites. The functional units are proto-enhancers, which consist of one or more enhansons. Proto-enhancers serve as regulatory modules that can cooperate with one another or duplicates of themselves in flexible arrangements to create a potent enhancer.
Temporal and spatial patterns of redox potential (Eh) in three tidal marsh communities

The redox potential (Eh) of three common marsh communities, tall-formSpartina, short-formSpartina, andJuncus roemerianus, was measured during all seasons at depths down to 30 cm. Paired plots were measured in each community type—one in which vegetation was undisturbed and one in which plants had been clipped and killed by surface heating. Redox potential was measured with platinum electrodes following procedures tested in the laboratory that showed electrode equilibrium attained after 15 minutes in wet soils. In general, Eh of marsh soils varied with respect to 1) marsh types (short-formSpartina <Juncus<tall-formSpartina), 2) between vegetated and clipped plots (clipped < vegetated), 3) with season (dormant < growing season), and 4) depth (deep < surface). Spatial variations in Eh were related to the presence or absence of living roots and rhizomes and temporal variations were due to the activity or dormancy of plant root tissues. Even roots of species such asJ. roemerianus, which are not known to oxidize the rhizosphere, raised Eh levels in the soil.
Prenatal detection of restrictive foramen ovale

The foramen ovale is an important communication between the two sides of the heart prenatally, allowing the left ventricle to carry its share of the prenatal circulation and providing flow for growth of left ventricular structures. Restriction of the foramen ovale appears to be a serious disorder of the fetus and can be associated with fetal hydrops, arrhythmias, and other signs of major fetal compromise. This article reviews our experience with restriction of the foramen ovale and provides a summary of the pathologic and echocardiographic literature related to the etiology and effects of restrictive foramen ovale in the fetus.
II.—RULES AND CONSEQUENCES

SIR DAVID Ross has remarked on the " clear antithesis " between ethical systems in which duty is the central theme, and those in which goods or ends are central. It is an antithesis between those philosophers who hold that ' right ', ' ought ', and ' duty ' embodied in certain moral rules, are terms more fundamental to the judgment of what persons do than are 'good' or 'intrinsic good '; and those philosophers who hold that " good ' or ' intrinsic good ', embodied in certain ethical principles is the more fundamental concept. This antithesis has also been expressed as one between deontological and teleological ethical systems. It has, among its other effects, generated the controversy between philosophers who believe that ' right ' can be defined in terms of' good' and those who believe that it cannot. I shall maintain that the traditional teleological-deontological distinction does not mark two fundamentally different theories about what is relevant to the rightness of an action, but instead only distinguishes two alternative ways of saying the same thing, which I shall call the " language of ends " and the " language of rules ". Hence I shall argue that the teleological-deontological distinction is a false dualism which has contributed only confusion to moral philosophy. My point of attack is to examine the common distinction between actions, on the one hand, and the consequences of actions, on the other, with an eye to seeing how or why it is that some events count as parts of actions and others count as consequences of actions. Roughly, my first three sections attack the idea that the appeal to rules and the appeal to consequences are logically distinct and incompatible tests for the rightness of individual actions. In Section IV I argue that Stephen Tounlmin's restricted utilitarianism cannot resolve the difficulties of traditional formalist and teleological (or utilitarian) theories because it reaffirms and indeed glorifies the main source of these difficulties, namely the bifurcation of moral reasoning into deontological and teleological reasoning.
Evaluation of the Escherichia coli threonine deaminase gene as a selectable marker for plant transformation

The initial step in the synthesis of isoleucine (Ile) is the conversion of threonine to α-ketobutyrate. This reaction is carried out by threonine deaminase (TD), which is feedback-regulated by Ile. Mutations in TD that manifest insensitivity to Ile feedback inhibition result in intracellular accumulation of Ile. Previous reports have shown that in planta expression of the wild-type Escherichia coli TD, ilvA, or an Ile-insensitive mutant designated ilvA-466, increased cellular concentrations of Ile. A structural analog of Ile, l-O-methylthreonine (OMT), is able to compete effectively with Ile during translation and induce cell death. It has been postulated that OMT could therefore be utilized as an effective selective agent in plant engineering studies. To test this concept, we designed two binary plasmids that harbored an nptII cassette and either the wild-type ilvA or mutant ilvA-466. The ilvA coding sequences were fused to a plastid transit peptide down stream of a modified 35S CaMV promoter. Tobacco transformations were set up implementing a selection protocol based on either kanamycin or OMT. The ilvA gene was effectively utilized as a selectable marker gene to identify tobacco transformants when coupled with OMT as the selection agent. However, the transformation efficiency was substantially lower than that observed with nptII using kanamycin as the selection agent. Moreover, in a subset of the ilvA transformants and in a majority of the ilvA-466 transgenic lines, a severe off-type was observed under greenhouse conditions that correlated with increased levels of expression of the ilvA transgene.
Resonant photoemission from the 4d → εf shape resonance in Sb(0001)

The observation of resonant photoemission at shape resonance energy in Sb(0001) is reported. When the photon energy was tuned to the transition region of the Sb shape resonance (), a Fano-like profile was observed in the photoelectron cross-section from the half-filled 5p valence orbitals. Two new, significant features appeared at photon energies above the 4d threshold: one in the gap between the filled 5s2 and half-filled 5p bands, and the other at the Fermi level. The former is attributed to final state mixing in the autoionization decay of the ef transition state, and the latter to a two-photon photoionization process directly from the ef transition state.
Structural Basis for Lipid-Antigen Recognition in Avian Immunity

CD1 proteins present self- and foreign lipid Ags to activate specific T cells in the mammalian immune system. These T cells play an important role in controlling autoimmune diseases, suppression of tumor growth, and host defense against invading pathogens. Humans use five CD1 isoforms, whereas only two exist in birds. Unlike mammals' CD1, the structure of chicken CD1-2 showed a primitive lipid-binding groove, suggesting that chicken may only recognize single-chain lipids. In contrast, the crystal structure of the second chicken CD1 isoform, chCD1-1, reported in this study at 2.2 A resolution, reveals an elaborated binding groove with a dual-pocket, dual-cleft architecture. The A' and F' deep pockets are separated from each other, but each is connected to a hydrophobic surface cleft, which may participate in lipid binding. The long endogenous ligand found inside the binding groove of chCD1-1, together with binding data on various glycolipids and mycolic acid, strongly suggest that the unique avian CD1 family could bind long dual- and possibly triacyl-chain lipids.
Cooperative Binding of KLF4, pELK-1, and HDAC2 to a G/C Repressor Element in the SM22α Promoter Mediates Transcriptional Silencing During SMC Phenotypic Switching In Vivo

Rationale: We previously identified conserved G/C Repressor elements in the promoters of most smooth muscle cell (SMC) marker genes and demonstrated that mutation of this element within the SM22α promoter nearly abrogated repression of this transgene after vascular wire injury or within lesions of ApoE−/− mice. However, the mechanisms regulating the activity of the G/C Repressor are unknown, although we have previously shown that phenotypic switching of cultured SMC is dependent on Krupple-like factor (KLF)4. Objective: The goals of the present studies were to ascertain if (1) injury-induced repression of SM22α gene after vascular injury is mediated through KLF4 binding to the G/C Repressor element and (2) the transcriptional repressor activity of KLF4 on SMC marker genes is dependent on cooperative binding with pELK-1 (downstream activator of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway) and subsequent recruitment of histone de-acetylase 2 (HDAC2), which mediates epigenetic gene silencing. Methods and Results: Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays were performed on chromatin derived from carotid arteries of mice having either a wild-type or G/C Repressor mutant SM22α promoter-LacZ transgene. KLF4 and pELK-1 binding to the SM22α promoter was markedly increased after vascular injury and was G/C Repressor dependent. Sequential ChIP assays and proximity ligation analyses in cultured SMC treated with platelet-derived growth factor BB or oxidized phospholipids showed formation of a KLF4, pELK-1, and HDAC2 multiprotein complex dependent on the SM22α G/C Repressor element. Conclusions: Silencing of SMC marker genes during phenotypic switching is partially mediated by sequential binding of pELK-1 and KLF4 to G/C Repressor elements. The pELK-1-KLF4 complex in turn recruits HDAC2, leading to reduced histone acetylation and epigenetic silencing.
The role of autacoids and the autonomic nervous system in cardiovascular responses to radio-frequency energy heating

Among the potential effects of exposure to high levels of radio-frequency energy (RFE) (which includes microwaves), an increase in body temperature is the primary consequence. Release of autacoids and activity of the autonomic nervous system may influence (or be directly responsible for) some of the physiological changes that occur in conjunction with this hyperthermia. The main focus of this review is the interaction of autacoids and the autonomic nervous system with cardiovascular changes during heating. Differences between environmental and RFE-induced heating (such as rate of temperature change and degree of skin vs. core heating) may be important when considering these effects. Antihistamines exhibited no beneficial effect on circulatory collapse during RFE-induced heating. The serotonergic blocker methysergide decreased survival time in rats during terminal RFE exposure, despite no effects on heart rate (HR) or blood pressure. Although blockade of platelet-activating factor resulted in lower HR before RFE exposure, there was a lack of effect on the subsequent increase in HR during heating. Nitric oxide did not contribute to the hypotension that occurs due to rapid heating by RFE exposure. There have been either no or very limited studies of effects of prostaglandins, bradykinin, or angiotensin on RFE-induced heating responses. beta-Adrenoceptor antagonism with propranolol resulted in significantly decreased survival times and lower final colonic temperatures during RFE exposure. A lack of effects of nadolol on survival time and temperature, coupled with its poor ability to traverse the blood-brain barrier, suggests that central beta-adrenergic stimulation rather than peripheral stimulation may alter thermoregulation. Effects of the autonomic nervous system (as studied by adrenoceptor blockade) on potassium changes during heating have not been fully investigated. Such changes could be important in animals' responses to RFE and other modalities of heating, and should be studied in future.
Parallel computing in 2010: opportunities and challenges in a networked world

High-performance computing is periodically transformed due to exponential changes in underlying technologies; the emergence of commodity clusters is just the latest instance of this phenomenon. I examine two technology trends that seem likely to have such a transforming effect in the next ten years, namely optical networking and web services. I argue that these two trends will both make parallel computing increasingly important and introduce new challenges due to the need for parallel programs to operate in increasingly dynamic and heterogeneous environments. I describe technologies being developed to address these challenges in three projects in which I am involved, namely Globus, GrADS, and Cactus.
Development of Low-Altitude Air Defense Systems

Introduction C pulse radars cannot detect low-flying aircraft because the power reflected from the ground masks the smaller power reflected from the aircraft. Recognition of this fact as far back as World War II provided the impetus to develop "Doppler" radars, which separate the target and ground clutter signals by using the Doppler frequency difference generated by the velocity of the aircraft relative to the ground. The first Doppler radars were continuouswave (CW) radars, pioneered by Raytheon Co. in the Sparrow and Hawk missile systems (and subsequently adopted by the U.S. Navy and the U.S.S.R.). The fundamentals of these techniques were later applied by a variety of contractors to pulsePoppler radars, which combine some of the characteristics of pulse and CW radars. The present paper provides a historical review of key events in the Raytheon CW radar development, with primary concentration on the early 1950's, the period of most rapid progress. The paper is intended to complement the author's paper entitled "The Development of Radar Homing Missiles,''published in this Journal in 1984. In the present paper I have amplified a particular aspect of the air defense problem that is discussed only in general terms in the reference. The reader is referred to the reference for additional background information that provides a more complete understanding of the period covered in this paper, and more detailed discussion of the problems overcome in other missile-design areas. Although this paper is not intended as a technical treatise, it is not possible to review the significant events without discussing the nature of the technical problems and the general approach followed in solving them. I have attempted to do so in a manner that will be understandable to the nonspecialist— i.e., by relating them to well known physical principles and without resorting to mathematics.
PROGRAMMED CELL DEATH IN PLANT DISEASE: The Purpose and Promise of Cellular Suicide

▪ Abstract The interaction of pathogens with plants leads to a disruption in cellular homeostasis, often leading to cell death, in both compatible and incompatible relationships. The mechanistic basis of this cellular disruption and consequent death is complex and poorly characterized, but it is established that host responses to pathogens are dependent on gene expression, involve signal transduction, and require energy. Recent data suggest that in animals, a genetically regulated, signal transduction–dependent programmed cell death process, commonly referred to as apoptosis, is conserved over a wide range of phyla. The basic function of apoptosis is to direct the selective elimination of certain cells during development, but it also is a master template that is involved in host responses to many pathogens. Programmed cell death in plants, while widely observed, has not been studied extensively at either the biochemical or genetic level. Current data suggest that activation or suppression of programmed ce...
Examining Small Town Revenues: To What Extent Are They Diversified?

How diversified are small town revenues? Revenue diversification is analyzed among towns governed by town meetings. Using previously developed diversification measures, the findings confirm that these localities draw from less diverse revenue streams than other state and local governments. The reasons for these variations include differences in home rule status as well as tax and expenditure limitations imposed by states. The authors suggest that revenue allocation in these jurisdictions is substantively different from other forms of local government because these communities rely much less on sales taxation than states and municipalities. Their essay proposes possible options for improvement, along with other criteria by which small towns can assess their revenue diversification.
A toolkit for managing user attention in peripheral displays

Traditionally, computer interfaces have been confined to conventional displays and focused activities. However, as displays become embedded throughout our environment and daily lives, increasing numbers of them must operate on the periphery of our attention. Peripheral displays can allow a person to be aware of information while she is attending to some other primary task or activity. We present the Peripheral Displays Toolkit (PTK), a toolkit that provides structured support for managing user attention in the development of peripheral displays. Our goal is to enable designers to explore different approaches to managing user attention. The PTK supports three issues specific to conveying information on the periphery of human attention. These issues are abstraction of raw input, rules for assigning notification levels to input, and transitions for updating a display when input arrives. Our contribution is the investigation of issues specific to attention in peripheral display design and a toolkit that encapsulates support for these issues. We describe our toolkit architecture and present five sample peripheral displays demonstrating our toolkit's capabilities.