cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ecohydrological Controls on the Deposition of Non-rainfall Water, N, and P to Dryland Ecosystems

It is widely recognized that plant canopies can alter their local environment in ways that enhance their own productivity. “Islands of fertility” are associated with plant canopies in a variety of ecosystems (Kellman, J Ecol 67:565–577, 1979; Schlesinger and Pilmanis, Biogeochemistry 42:169–187, 1998; Matson, Oecologia 85:241–246, 1990; Schlesinger et al., Science 247:1043–1048, 1990; McGowan and Ledgard, J R Soc N Z 35:269–277, 2005) and are due in part to ecohydrological feedbacks (Charley and West, J Ecol 63:945–963, 1975; Wilson and Agnew, Adv Ecol Res 23:263–336, 1992; Rietkerk and van de Koppel, Oikos 79:69–76, 1997; Schlesinger et al., Science 247:1043–1048, 1990; D’Odorico et al., J Geophys Res 112:G04010, 2007; DeLonge, Hydrologically influenced feedbacks between phosphorus and vegetation in dry tropical forests, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 2007; Ridolfi et al., Water Resour Res 44:W01435, 2008; Das et al., J Geophys Res 116, 2011; Chap. 17). Plant canopies may enable a positive feedback between vegetation and either fog water or nutrient deposition by acting as a large trapping surface to scavenge moisture, dust, and aerosols from the atmosphere (Rea et al., Environ Sci Technol 34:2418–2425, 2000). In dryland ecosystems, such a phenomenon has been documented whereby moisture was observed on plants and artificial surfaces, yet no visible moistening of the bare soil surface was evident (Kidron, Atmos Res 55:257–270, 2000). Plants have developed many distinct strategies to allow the use of fog water through the canopy (Wang et al., Wiley Interdiscip Rev Water 30:2077–2086, 2017). For example, some bromeliads in Mexico develop specialized trichomes (Andrade, J Trop Ecol 19:479–488, 2003), and several Crassula species located in the Namib Desert take water up through hydathodes and into their leaves (Martin and Willert, Plant Biol 2:229–242, 2000). Besides providing water sources, fog water can also aid in modifying the vegetation’s energy balance (Sudmeyer et al., J Hydrol 154:255–269, 1994), decrease transpiration (Barradas and Glez-MedellUn, Int J Biometeorol 43:1–7, 1999), increase stomata conductance, and increase CO2 uptake (Martin and Willert, Plant Biol 2:229–242, 2000). Thus, changes in land cover have the potential to significantly alter water and nutrient dynamics in some ecosystems.
Low dose- high frequency, case based psychomotor CPR training improves compression fraction for patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest.

Abstract Background High quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is critical to improve survival from cardiac arrest. While low dose- high frequency case-based training enhances CPR skill retention, it is unclear if this training method is feasible in a clinical environment and if it yields improved clinical CPR quality during in-hospital cardiac arrest. We evaluated the implementation of a novel platform providing low dose- high frequency psychomotor CPR training and its impact upon CPR quality. Methods The described training platform was launched on two nursing units (60 beds) in a university teaching hospital. Quarterly utilization of the platform was integrated into normal clinical duties of hospital staff. Simulated CPR performance and staff compliance were evaluated pre- and post-intervention. In addition, clinical CPR performance was evaluated for periods of six months before and after four quarters of implementation (median, IQR). Results The low dose, high frequency CPR training led to retention of simulated CPR skills (compression rate, depth and fraction) during each quarter exceeding high-quality guideline thresholds. Clinical CPR quality, measured by compression fraction (Pre: 83% (73, 95) and Post: 93% (88, 98), p Conclusions Low dose-high frequency case based psychomotor CPR training is feasible in a clinical setting with high compliance. In two nursing units, this method of training resulted in enhanced CPR skill retention and improved in-hospital clinical CPR quality.
Towards a PDE-based large-scale decentralized solution for path planning of UAVs in shared airspace

Abstract Recently, there has been a tremendous increase of interest in utilizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for a number of civilian applications. With this increased interest, it is imperative that these UAVs are able to operate in shared airspace for enhanced efficiency. Multi-UAV systems are inherently safety-critical systems, which means that safety guarantees must be made to ensure no undesirable configurations, such as collisions, occur. This paper proposes a decentralized method based on a Partial Differential Equation (PDE) to generate collision-free 3D trajectories for multiple UAVs operating in a shared airspace. This method exploits the dynamical properties of multi-phase fluids flowing through a porous medium by modeling the porosity values as a function of the risk of collision. To highlight the feasibility for on-board implementation, we propose propose a machine learning technique for obtaining computationally efficient solutions of the PDE describing flow movements in porous medium. This method has been compared via a simulation study to two other path planning strategies, centralized and sequential planning, and the advantages of this method are presented. Furthermore, results from an experiment using three UAVs have been presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method to real-world implementation.
Commentary on 'expressivism at the beginning and end of life'.

Death can be good— I’ll tell you how. Just have it come Decades from now.1 Full disclosure: The above poem expresses my outlook, and I have trouble empathising with people who want to die. But that does not make me unable to evaluate objections to the expressivist argument against PAS. Reed sets forth the expressivist argument as follows: ‘[W]hen we allow PAS for individuals who are terminally ill or facing some severe disease or disability, we send a message of disrespect to all individuals who face such adversities in that we imply that they are inferior or their lives are not worth living (or at least less worth living than they otherwise would be) precisely insofar as they are diseased or disabled’.2 The passage of mine that Reed quotes, however, was not intended to set forth an expressivist view. Rather than saying the double standard of selective legalisation ‘send[s] a message of disrespect’,3 it says this double standard in fact involves a systematic devaluation of some people’s lives. I will argue that there are conditions under which this double standard does send a message of disrespect, but first I want to disassociate myself from the expressivist formulations of Coleman and Keown that …
Pathophysiology of Type-2 Diabetes

Appropriate treatment of type-2 diabetes is dependent upon the knowledge of the pathophysiology of the disease, the mechanisms underlying hyperglycemia, and the efficacy of various oral agents and insulins to improve fasting or postprandial hyperglycemia.
Cognitive strategies in solution mapping: How engineering designers identify problems for technological solutions

Design processes sometimes begin with solutions rather than problems, particularly when new technologies spur searches for new problems to solve. Previous research on business entrepreneurship describes solution–first processes as a form of “opportunity recognition,” and proposes some strategies for finding technology “match” opportunities. However, few studies have addressed the design process of how to begin with novel technological solutions and identify problem applications. In this study, we investigated this process of solution mapping through an empirical study of engineering designers who had experience in successfully searching for a problem to fit their novel technological solutions. Through the analysis of qualitative interviews with 19 professional engineering designers, we identified stages and cognitive strategies in solution mapping.
Using an ensemble classifier for machine learning applications

We describe an architecture for integrating classification algorithms that have been created by a variety of machine learning methods, trained on the same data set. The ensemble classifier unifies all these classifiers into a single module and uses voting and a reward/punishment system to select the best classifier for a specific data set. In this paper we discuss the theory behind the ensemble architecture, and present its implementation and a set of experiments using a variety of data sets. Our work shows how the ensemble performs as well or better than the best classifier for a specific data set on most occasions.
Complete Genome Sequence of the Naegleria fowleri (Strain LEE) Closed Circular Extrachromosomal Ribosomal DNA Element.

ABSTRACT The circular extrachromosomal ribosomal DNA (rDNA) element of Naegleria fowleri strain LEE was molecularly cloned and fully sequenced. The element comprises 15,786 bp and contains a single copy of the organism’s rDNA cistron. The nonribosomal sequence contains five potential open reading frames, two large direct repeat sequences, and numerous smaller repeated-sequence regions.
National Investment in National Renewal – Three Why’s and Three How’s

I identify one crucial error that accounts for recent American economic decline, three obstacles to rectifying that error, and three reforms to existing institutions that remove the three obstacles. The error is to have thought of ‘national development’ as a one-off achievement, rather than as a perpetual process of ongoing renewal. The three obstacles, all in the nature of classic collective action problems, are how to coordinate the formulation and execution of a regularly updated national development policy, how to capture and incentive-compatibly channel the gains to continuous infrastructural renewal in a mixed public/private economy, and how to control macro-financial conditions in a manner that renders investment in continuous industrial renewal privately rational. The three responsive institutional reforms are a National Reconstruction and Development Council (NRDC) that combines all cabinet-level executive agencies into ‘an FSOC for continuous national development,’ a National Investment Corporation (NIC) that designs price-signal-impounding and equity-stake-justifying financial instruments in connection with national infrastructure projects, and a newly ‘Spread Fed’ that restores the Regional Federal Reserve Banks to their original status as a network of regional development banks. Here is the ‘three-legged stool’ on which Building Back Better – and Beyond’ can succeed.
Researching My Heritage: The Old Leupp Boarding School Historic Site

My research documents the early history of the Old Leupp Boarding School, a U.S. federal Indian boarding school in operation on the Navajo Reservation from 1909-1942. In keeping with Dine (Navajo) ...
Results of Serological Testing of AABP Members for Antibody to M. paratuberculosis

The objective of the research was to determine if humans with a high risk of exposure to M. paratuberculosis had different levels of serum antibody to this infectious agent than persons with low risk of exposure.
DNA Repair Pathways

Our knowledge about DNA repair mechanisms in mammalian cells is reviewed. Ways of measuring excision repair are summarized, and various modes of excision repair are described in terms of mechanisms that yield patch sizes of 0, 1, a few (short patch), and many (long patch) bases. The biological and molecular ways of measuring the effects of replication on a damaged template are presented, as are various models of postreplication repair.
SU-F-207-13: Comparison of Four Dimensional Computed Tomography (4D CT) Versus Breath Hold Images to Determine Pulmonary Nodule Elasticity

Purpose: Elasticity may distinguish malignant from benign pulmonary nodules. To compare determining of malignant pulmonary nodule (MPN) elasticity from four dimensional computed tomography (4D CT) images versus inhale/exhale breath-hold CT images. Methods: We analyzed phase 00 and 50 of 4D CT and deep inhale and natural exhale of breath-hold CT images of 30 MPN treated with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR). The radius of the smallest MPN was 0.3 cm while the biggest one was 2.1 cm. An intensity based deformable image registration (DIR) workflow was applied to the 4D CT and breath-hold images to determine the volumes of the MPNs and a 1 cm ring of surrounding lung tissue (ring) in each state. Next, an elasticity parameter was derived by calculating the ratio of the volume changes of MPN (exhale: inhale or phase50: phase00) to that of a 1 cm ring of lung tissue surrounding the MPN. The proposed formulation of elasticity enables us to compare volume changes of two different MPN in two different locations of lung. Results: The calculated volume ratio of MPNs from 4D CT (phase50: phase00) and breath-hold images (exhale: inhale) was 1.00 ± 0.23 and 0.95 ± 0.11, respectively. It shows the stiffness of MPN and comparably bigger volume changes of MPN in breath-hold images because of the deeper degree of inhalation. The calculated elasticity of MPNs from 4D CT and breath-hold images was 1.12 ± 0.22 and 1.23 ± 0.26, respectively. For five patients who have had two MPN in their lung, calculated elasticity of tumor A and tumor B follows same trend in both 4D CT and breath-hold images. Conclusion: We showed that 4D CT and breath-hold images are comparable in the ability to calculate the elasticity of MPN. This study has been supported by Department of Defense LCRP 2011 #W81XWH-12-1-0286.
Caching and Replication in Mobile Data Management.

Replication increases the availability of data in mobile and distributed systems. For example, if we copy calendar data from a web service onto a mobile device, the calendar can be accessed even when the network cannot. In peer-based data sharing systems, maintaining a copy of the shared data on a local node enables query answering when remote peers are offline, guarantees privacy, and improves performance. But along with these advantages, replication brings complications: whenever one replica is updated, the others also need to be refreshed to keep the whole system consistent. Therefore, in systems built on replication, synchronization mechanisms are critical. In simple applications, the replicas are just that—carbon copies of each other. But often the copied data needs to be transformed in different ways on each replica. For example, web services and mobile devices represent calendars in different formats (iCal vs. Palm Datebook). Likewise, in data sharing systems for scientific data, the peers usually have heterogeneous schemas. In these more complicated systems, the replicas behave like views, and so mechanisms for updating and maintaining views are also important. The mapping between sources and views defined by a query is not generally one-to-one and this loss of information is what makes view update and view maintenance difficult. It has often been observed that provenance— i.e., metadata that tracks the origins of values as they flow through a query—could be used to cope with this loss of information and help with these problems [5, 6, 4, 23], but only a few existing systems (e.g., AutoMed [11]) explicitly use provenance in this way, and only for limited classes of views. This article presents a pair of case studies illustrating how provenance can be incorporated into systems for handling replicated data. The first describes how provenance is used in lenses for ordered data [2]. Lenses define updatable views, and are used to handle heterogeneous replicas in the Harmony synchronization framework [22, 12]. They use a simple form of provenance to express the complex update policies needed to correctly handle ordered data. The second case study describes ORCHESTRA [16, 18], a collaborative data sharing system [21]. In ORCHESTRA, data is distributed across tables located on many different peers, and the relationship between connected peers is specified using GLAV [15] schema mappings. Every node coalesces data from remote peers and uses its own copy of the data to answer queries over the distributed dataset. Provenance is used to perform incremental maintenance of each peer as updates are applied to remote peers, and to filter “incoming” updates according to trust conditions.
Derivation of rate equations for multisite ping-pong mechanisms with ping-pong reactions at one or more sites.

Rate equations are derived for three-site ping-pong mechanisms in which one or two of the individual sites have a ping-pong rather than random sequential mechanism, and the expected kinetic patterns are discussed.
MOBILE PHASE EFFECTS IN REVERSED-PHASE CHROMATOGRAPHY VII. DEPENDENCE OF RETENTION ON MOBILE PHASE COMPOSITION AND COLUMN TEMPERATURE*

The relationship between logarithmic retention factor, K, in reversed-phase chromatography and operating conditions including mobile phase composition and column temperature is still controversial. Earlier, the following analytical relationship was proposed for use with alkyl benzenes: K = A1 o(1 - Tc/T) + A2/T + A3 where o is volume fraction organic co-solvent of the hydro-organic mobile phase, T is absolute temperature and A1-A3 are parameters appropriate to the eluite and stationary phase. Insofar as its use had not been tested with polar eluites that are retained by only one mechanism, its description of the retention of 54 polar and apolar eluites was examined and compared to equations with other, usually more complex, relationships between retention and operating conditions. The following four-parameter equation described best most data: K = A1 o(1 - Tc/T) + A2/T + A3 + A4o. But neither this nor any other four-parameter equation under examination here emerged solely as the best expression for the dependence of retention on the eluent composition and temperature. The average relative errors were 7.8% and 6% with use of the three- and the four-parameter equations which were found to be best for a given eluite, respectively. In view of the small decrease in error but significant increase in complexity and in data points with the use of the four-parameter equation, the three-parameter equation is recommended for general use.
Measurement of the 1S-2S frequency in atomic hydrogen.

We report on a first precise measurement of the 1S-2S energy interval in atomic hydrogen. Observing the 1S-2S transition in an atomic beam by pulsed Doppler-free two-photon spectroscopy and using an interferometrically calibrated absorption line of $^{130}\mathrm{Te}_{2}$ at 486 nm as the reference, we measure the frequency f(1S-2S)=2 466 061 395.6(4.8) MHz. Using the calculated 1S Lamb shift, we obtain a value for the Rydberg constant, ${\mathrm{R}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\infty}}}$=109 737.314 92(22) ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$, which is not in good agreement with the most recent previous measurement.
A Passive Positioning and Supporting Device for Surgical Robots and Instrumentation

The recent development of compact surgical robots and instrumentation raise the need of a suitable mechanism for positioning and support in the proximity of the operative field. The accuracy of the surgical instrument and surgical procedure heavily relies on the ability of the supporting device to provide a sturdy base under the payload and dynamics of the instrument.
Dominating set algorithms for sparse placement of full and limited wavelengthconverters in WDM optical networks

Optical wavelength converters are expensive, and their technology is still evolving. Deploying full conversion capability in all nodes of a large optical network would be prohibitively costly. We present a new algorithm for the sparse placement of full wavelength converters based on the concept of a k-minimum dominating set (k-MDS) of graphs. The k-MDS algorithm is used to select the best set of nodes that will be equipped with full-conversion capability. To allow placement of full wavelength conversion at any arbitrary number of nodes, we introduce a HYBRID algorithm and compare its performance with the simulation-based k-BLK approach. We also extend the k-MDS algorithm to the case of limited conversion capability by using a scalable and cost-effective node-sharing switch design. Compared with full search algorithms previously proposed in the literature our algorithm has better blocking performance, has better time complexity, and avoids the local minimum problem. The performance benefit of our algorithms is demonstrated by simulation.
Photometric stereo under dichromatic reflectance framework dealing with non-Lambertian surfaces

Photometric stereo is well-established to estimate surface orientations for Lambertian surfaces, while it remains challenging for surfaces with non-Lambertian reflectance. This paper presents a new framework of photometric stereo (PS) using the dichromatic reflectance theory with color images in separating diffuse and specular components in order to better estimate local surface orientations for non-Lambertian surfaces. These local surface orientations can be further integrated via surface normal integration (SNI) to reconstruct the surface in 3D. This framework opens a door to tackle specularities separately as meaningful signals rather than outliers as most of the previously proposed techniques did. Experiments on synthetic and real images demonstrated the state-of-the-art performance.
Exaggerated Neurogenic Inflammation and Substance P Receptor Upregulation in RSV-Infected Weanling Rats

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in adult rats causes exaggerated inflammation after sensory nerve stimulation in the extrapulmonary, but not in the intrapulmonary airways. The goal of this study was to analyze neurogenic inflammation in weanling F-344 rats infected with RSV 18 ± 2 d after birth. Five days after RSV inoculation, the extravasation of Evans blue-labeled albumin after nerve stimulation was significantly greater in the intrapulmonary airways of RSV-infected weanling rats than in pathogen-free control rats. In contrast, no difference was found in the extrapulmonary airways. The level of messenger RNA (mRNA) encoding the substance P (SP) receptor (neurokinin 1 [NK1]) increased fourfold in RSV-infected lungs, whereas mRNA encoding the VIPR1 receptor for the antiinflammatory vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) increased to a much lesser degree. mRNAs encoding the other neurokinin (NK2) and VIP (VIPR2) receptors were not affected by the virus. Selective inhibition of the NK1 receptor ab...
Binding and cell intoxication studies of anthrax lethal toxin

Anthrax lethal toxin (LT) is a major virulence factor of Bacillus anthracis. The vast majority of the anthrax toxin-related literature describes the assembly of LT as a cell-dependent process. However, some reports have provided evidence for the existence of a fully assembled LT, either in vitro or in the bloodstream of anthrax-infected animals. To follow up on this work, we present studies on fully-assembled LT. We first demonstrate facile and cell-free assembly and purification of LT. We then show that fully assembled LT binds an anthrax toxin receptor with almost 100-fold higher affinity than the protective antigen (PA) alone. Quantitative cell intoxication assays were used to determine the LD50 (lethal dose 50) for LT. The cell-binding studies revealed that LT binds mammalian cells using a different mode from PA. Even when PA-specific receptors were blocked, fully assembled LT was able to bind the cell surface. Our studies support the existing evidence that LT fully assembles in the blood stream and can bind and intoxicate mammalian cells with very high affinity and efficacy. More importantly, the data presented here invoke the possibility that LT may bind cells in a receptor-independent fashion, or recognize receptors that do not interact with PA. Hence, blood borne LT may emerge as a novel therapeutic target for combating anthrax.
Involvement of a Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenase in Thaxtomin A Biosynthesis by Streptomyces acidiscabies

ABSTRACT The biosynthesis of the thaxtomin cyclic dipeptide phytotoxins proceeds nonribosomally via the thiotemplate mechanism. Acyladenylation, thioesterification, N-methylation, and cyclization of two amino acid substrates are catalyzed by the txtAB-encoded thaxtomin synthetase. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the region 3′ of txtAB in Streptomyces acidiscabies 84.104 identified an open reading frame (ORF) encoding a homolog of the P450 monooxygenase gene family. It was proposed that thaxtomin A phenylalanyl hydroxylation was catalyzed by the monooxygenase homolog. The ORF was mutated in S. acidiscabies 84.104 by using an integrative gene disruption construct, and culture filtrate extracts of the mutant were assayed for the presence of dehydroxy derivatives of thaxtomin A. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and HPLC-mass spectrometry indicated that the major component in culture filtrate extracts of the mutant was less polar and smaller than thaxtomin A. Comparisons of electrospray mass spectra as well as 1H- and 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of the purified compound with those previously reported for thaxtomins confirmed the structure of the compound as 12,15-N-dimethylcyclo-(l-4-nitrotryptophyl-l-phenylalanyl), the didehydroxy analog of thaxtomin A. The ORF, designated txtC, was cloned and the recombinant six-His-tagged fusion protein produced in Escherichia coli and purified from cell extracts. TxtC produced in E. coli exhibited spectral properties similar to those of cytochrome P450-type hemoproteins that have undergone conversion to the catalytically inactive P420 form. Based on these properties and the high similarity of TxtC to other well-characterized P450 enzymes, we conclude that txtC encodes a cytochrome P450-type monooxygenase required for postcyclization hydroxylation of the cyclic dipeptide.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is common in children. Gut flora and intestinal mucosal immunity can be altered in IBS. Probiotic therapies can influence gut flora and gut mucosal immunity. Several adult studies, but not all, show efficacy of probiotic preparations in relieving specific symptoms of IBS. Pediatric data to support the use of probiotics in IBS are scarce and less compelling.
Estimated Cost Savings from Reducing Errors in the Preparation of Sterile Doses of Medications

BackgroundPreventing intravenous (IV) preparation errors will improve patient safety and reduce costs by an unknown amount.ObjectiveTo estimate the financial benefit of robotic preparation of steri...
Porous Siloxane Linked Phenylacetylene Nitrile Silver Salts from Solid State Dimerization and Low Polymerization

Three 3-fold symmetric rigid backbone phenylacetylene nitrile molecules have been prepared to which one to six hydroxy side chains have been attached. These molecules were cocrystallized with silver(I) trifluoromethanesulfonate (triflate) to form microcrystalline porous solids. X-ray powder data show that all three crystal structures are isotypic to the crystal structures found in previous single crystal studies on related systems. Structural models based on these earlier single crystal structures have theoretical powder patterns in reasonable agreement with the experimentally observed patterns. These crystalline materials were allowed to react with silyl triflates. 1H NMR and X-ray powder studies show that the silyl triflate groups react with the alcohol terminated side chains to form siloxane linkages with retention of the initial crystal structure. In the case of 1,3,5-tris(4-((4-cyanophenyl)ethynyl)-2-((4-hydroxybutoxy)methyl)phenylethynyl)benzene, a phenylacetylene nitrile molecule with three alcohol...
The tyrosine ring of oxytocin undergoes hindered rotation when the hormone is bound to neurophysin

Abstract Tyrosine specifically enriched with 13C in the meta positions has been chemically synthesized and incorporated into oxytocin via solid phase peptide synthesis. The 13C nmr spectrum of a 1:1 mixture of the enriched hormone complexed to neurophysin was obtained. The spectrum consisted of three peaks. The two outer peaks, representing 85% of the total intensity, were of equal area, had shifts of −0.9 and +2.4 parts per million relative to the free peak, and each had a linewidth of 100 hz at 20°C, with increasing linewidths at higher temperatures. These two peaks arise from a binding mode in which tyrosine ring rotation is hindered by interaction with neurophysin. The rotation rate at 20°C is 130s−1, and at 42°C is 900s−1. The central peak occurred at the position of the resonance due to free hormone, had a temperature independent linewidth of 30–40 hz, and represented about 15% of the total intensity. We believe this peak is due to a binding mode in which tyrosine ring rotation is rapid, 104–108s−1.
Correlation between carotid area calcifications and periodontitis: a retrospective study of digital panoramic radiographic findings in pretreatment cancer patients.

Objectives The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of carotid area calcifications retrospectively detected on digital panoramic radiographs of pretreatment cancer subjects, and to correlate the finding of such calcifications with radiographic evidence of periodontal bone loss in the same subjects. Study design Digital panoramic radiographs of 201 subjects were evaluated for calcifications projected in the carotid artery bifurcation area as well as for alveolar bone loss as a result of periodontal disease. Inclusion criteria were unobscured carotid artery bifurcation regions bilaterally and sufficient index teeth present with a definable cemento-enamel junction and alveolar crest. Radiographs were independently observed for carotid area calcifications and for periodontal status. Image enhancements permitted for detection of calcifications projected in the carotid area included window/level, inverse, and emboss. Periodontal measurements were made on index teeth using proprietary imaging software and a mouse-driven measurement algorithm. A 3-factor analysis of variance was performed with 3 between-subjects comparisons. Percentage of bone loss was the dependent variable. Independent variables were age, subject sex, and the presence or absence of carotid area calcifications. Results Differences measured in percentage of bone loss between sexes were not statistically significant. While bone loss did increase with age, comparison of the mean bone loss of each age category revealed no statistical significance. There was a highly significant correlation between carotid artery area calcifications visible on panoramic radiographs and percent alveolar bone loss. Radiographs showing unilateral and bilateral calcifications had a mean percent bone loss of 24.2% ± 12.6% and 25.7% ± 13.0% respectively, compared to those with no calcification at 10.4% ± 9.9%. Conclusions Nearly 1 in 4 subjects in this study evidenced calcifications projected in the carotid bifurcation region. The finding of such calcifications was significantly related to the calculated percentage of alveolar bone loss.
Equilibrium problems with equilibrium constraints via multiobjective optimization

This article concerns a new class of optimization-related problems called equilibrium problems with equilibrium constraints (EPEC). One may treat them as two-level hierarchical problems, which involve equilibria at both lower and upper levels. Such problems naturally appear in various applications providing an equilibrium counterpart (at the upper level) of mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints (MPEC). We develop a unified approach to both EPECs and MPECs from the viewpoint of multiobjective optimization subject to equilibrium constraints. The problems of this type are intrinsically nonsmooth and require the use of generalized differentiation for their analysis and applications. This article presents necessary optimality conditions for EPECs in finite-dimensional spaces based on advanced generalized differential tools of variational analysis. The optimality conditions are derived in normal form under certain qualification requirements, which can be regarded as proper analogs of the classical ...
Management of tracheal trauma

Traumatic airway injuries fortunately are rare. Though injuries can be obvious and initial management straightforward, the diagnosis can be difficult. Prompt diagnosis of airway injuries requires a high index of clinical suspicion, complemented by judicious use of endoscopy and radiologic imaging. Initial management can be complicated by associated head, neck, and thoracic injuries. Importantly, a patient’s airway can be lost because of injudicious use of sedation or failure to be properly cautious during attempts at airway management and endotracheal intubation. Mortality rates and the incidence of late complications remain high and have been related to delays in diagnosis and definitive treatment.
Scanning electrochemical microscopy of DNA monolayers modified with Nile Blue.

Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) is used to probe long-range charge transport (CT) through DNA monolayers containing the redox-active Nile Blue (NB) intercalator covalently affixed at a specific location in the DNA film. At substrate potentials negative of the formal potential of covalently attached NB, the electrocatalytic reduction of Fe(CN)63− generated at the SECM tip is observed only when NB is located at the DNA/solution interface; for DNA films containing NB in close proximity to the DNA/electrode interface, the electrocatalytic effect is absent. This behavior is consistent with both rapid DNA-mediated CT between the NB intercalator and the gold electrode as well as a rate-limiting electron transfer between NB and the solution phase Fe(CN)63−. The DNA-mediated nature of the catalytic cycle is confirmed through sequence-specific and localized detection of attomoles of TATA-binding protein, a transcription factor that severely distorts DNA upon binding. Importantly, the strategy outlined here is general and allows for the local investigation of the surface characteristics of DNA monolayers both in the absence and in the presence of DNA binding proteins. These experiments highlight the utility of DNA-modified electrodes as versatile platforms for SECM detection schemes that take advantage of CT mediated by the DNA base pair stack.
Strong Hypercontractivity and Relative Subharmonicity

Abstract A Hermitian metric, g , on a complex manifold, M , together with a smooth probability measure, μ , on M determine minimal and maximal Dirichlet forms, Q D and Q max , given by Q ( f )=∫ M g (grad f ( z ), grad f ( z )) dμ ( z ). Q D is the form closure of Q on C ∞ c ( M ) and Q max is the form closure of Q on C 1 b ( M ). The corresponding operators, A D and A max , generate semigroups having standard hypercontractivity properties in the scale of L p spaces, p >1, when the corresponding form, Q , satisfies a logarithmic Sobolev inequality. It was shown by the author (1999, Acta Math. 182 , 159–206) that the semigroup e − tA D has even stronger hypercontractivity properties when restricted to certain holomorphic subspaces of L p . These results are extended here to A max . When ( M , g ) is not complete it is necessary that the elliptic differential operator A max degenerate on the boundary of M . A second proof of these strong hypercontractive inequalities for both A D and A max is given, which depends on an extension of the submean value property of subharmonic functions. The Riemann surface for z 1/ n and the weighted Bergman spaces in the unit disc are given as examples.
The Effects of Hypothalamic Lesions on the Release of Gonadotropins and Prolactin in Response to Estrogen and Progesterone Treatment in Female Rats

Plasma gonadotropins and prolactin were measured in rats with hypothalamic lesions. In ovariectomized females estrogen lowered plasma FSH and LH and elevated plasma prolactin. Lesions in the median eminence of ovariectomized rats which lowered plasma gonadotropins and elevated plasma prolactin prevented these effects of estrogen. The ability of progesterone to stimulate FSH and LH release in ovariectomized, estrogenprimed rats was also eliminated by these lesions. Lesions in the suprachiasmatic region which induced constant estrus in animals with intact ovaries failed to block the inhibitory effect of estrogen on gonadotropin release and the rise in prolactin evoked by estrogen still occurred. The stimulation of LH release by progesterone was blocked by these lesions, whereas the stimulation of FSH release was unimpaired. The results are discussed in terms of the sites of the feedback actions of gonadal steroids. (Endocrinology 91: 1404, 1972)
Making Technology Familiar: Orthodox Jews and Infertility SUPPORT, Advice, and Inspiration

This paper examines how orthodox Jews use traditional strategies and new media simultaneously to cope with infertility in the age of new reproductive technologies. Not only have they used the Internet to establish support, information, and educational networks, but also they have created frameworks for unique professional collaborations among rabbis, doctors, and clinic personnel in order to ensure that their fertility treatments are conducted with strict attention to Jewish legal concerns, particularly with regard to incest, adultery, and traditional practices regarding bodily emissions. Throughout these processes, they have innovated a hybrid language for describing and explaining infertility treatments that blends Hebrew prayers, Yiddish aphorisms, English slang, Gematria (numerology), and biomedical terminology. By using idiomatic language and folk practice, orthodox Jews construct a unique terrain that shapes and makes familiar their experience and understanding of fertility treatment. Biomedicine in this context is understood as a set of tools and strategies that can be readily appropriated and harnessed to a particular set of individual and collective goals.
Growth Factor-Dependent Trafficking of Cerebellar NMDA Receptors via Protein Kinase B/Akt Phosphorylation of NR2C

Summary NMDA receptor subunit composition varies throughout the brain, providing molecular diversity in NMDA receptor function. The NR2 subunits (NR2A–D) in large part dictate the distinct functional properties of NMDA receptors and differentially regulate receptor trafficking. Although the NR2C subunit is highly enriched in cerebellar granule cells and plays a unique role in cerebellar function, little is known about NR2C-specific regulation of NMDA receptors. Here, we demonstrate that PKB/Akt directly phosphorylates NR2C on serine 1096 (S1096). In addition, we identify 14-3-3ɛ as an NR2C interactor, whose binding is dependent on S1096 phosphorylation. Both growth factor stimulation and NMDA receptor activity lead to a robust increase in both phosphorylation of NR2C on S1096 and surface expression of cerebellar NMDA receptors. Finally, we find that NR2C expression, unlike NR2A and NR2B, supports neuronal survival. Thus, our data provide a direct mechanistic link between growth factor stimulation and regulation of cerebellar NMDA receptors.
Infrared Spectrophotometric Determination of Trace Water in Selected Organic Solvents

A spectrophotometric method of trace water analysis in organic solvents is reported. It is based on the water fundamental at 2.8 μ and has been applied to hexamethylphosphoramide, nitromethane, acetonitrile, oxetane, dimethylsulfoxide, 1,1-dimethoxyethane, dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, 2,5-dimethyltetrahydrofuran, tetrahydropyran, 1,2-dimethoxyethane, n-butylmethylether, and pyridine. Methods for dealing with solvent absorption and water pickup by samples, and the preparation of water-free samples for reference are discussed. Some comments are made on drying these solvents with molecular sieves.
A probabilistic proof of a formula for Jacobi polynomials by L. Carlitz

Let be the Jacobi polynomial as defined by Szego in (7) (see equation (4) below.) Carlitz in (2) presented among others the following formulaAlthough, as Carlitz claims, this formula may be derived directly from the definition of Jacobi polynomials, a probabilistic proof such as presented below may shed some new light on formula (1), as well as suggest probabilistic proofs for other similar formulas of Jacobi polynomials, e.g. those given by Manocha and Sharma in (4) and (5) and by Manocha in (3). In addition, it is quite possible that this method of proof will result in the derivation of some new formulas for Jacobi polynomials.
A flavoprotein may mediate the blue light-activated binding of guanosine 5'-triphosphate to isolated plasma membranes of Pisum sativum L.

— A blue light photoreceptor has not been identified in higher plants. Most proposals for a blue light-absorbing chromophore lack evidence for a direct connection between the putative chromophdre and a biological effect. Fluorescence data for the plasma membrane from etiolated buds of Pisum sativum L. suggest that we are measuring fluorescence emission of flavin species, and probably not pterin species. Fluorescence data indicate that a putative flavin exists associated with a protein or protein complex in the plasma membrane. Excitation of plasma membranes that were boiled in the presence of 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate and treated with blue light yields a fluorescence band with a maximum of approximately 552 nm. This fluorescence emission can be rapidly quenched by the flavin antagonists phenylacetic acid (PAA) and KI. Blue light-enhanced binding of guanosine 5'-[Γ-thio]triphosphate (GTPγS) to a protein in the plasma membrane is strongly inhibited by PAA, KI, and NaN3, all quenchers of flavin excited states, indicating that a chromophore for this photoreaction may be a flavin associated with a plasma membrane protein. The above evidence is consistent with the participation of a flavin as the chromophore for the light-induced GTP-binding reaction in pea plasma membrane.
Bod Dynamics In Small Eutrophic Lakes In Relation To Artificial Mixing

ABSTRACT Seasonal and annual variation in the biochemical oxygen demand of the water column (WBOD) and the sediment (SBOD) are described for two small central Iowa lakes based on sampling over 57 consecutive months, 1977–82. A correlation analysis was done to determine the relationship between WBOD and SBOD to 15 physical and chemical variables using composite values for the whole lake and for the top, middle and bottom-most strata on each sampling date. The best single variable model for predicting volume-weighted WBOD was mean lake chlorophyll a concentration: WBOD = 1.79 + 0.032 (chlorophyll a). There were no significant correlations between SBOD and any of 15 environmental variables, but in the control lake, not artificially destratified, SBOD and chlorophyll a (−) and ammonia (+) showed significant correlations. Artificial destratification increased the vertical distribution of oxygen and chlorophyll a, reduced peaks of algal blooms, increased near-bottom water temperature and oxygen concentration, a...
Tolerated reciprocity, reciprocal scrounging, and unrelated kin: Making sense of multiple models

Four models commonly employed in sharing analyses (reciprocal altruism [RA], tolerated scrounging [TS], costly signaling [CS], and kin selection [KS]) have common features which render rigorous testing of unique predictions difficult. Relaxed versions of these models are discussed in an attempt to understand how the underlying principles of delayed returns, avoiding costs, building reputation, and aiding biological kin interact in systems of sharing. Special attention is given to the interpretation of contingency measures that critically define some form of reciprocal altruism.
The Cdkn1a gene (p21Waf1/Cip1) is an inflammatory response gene in the mouse central nervous system.

Abstract We used high-density cDNA microarray analysis to examine changes in the gene expression profile of the hippocampus of C57BL/6 mice following intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Three hours after injection, the greatest increase in RNA expression was found for an expressed sequence tag subsequently identified as the Cdkn1a gene, coding for the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 Waf1/Cip1 . Northern blot hybridization confirmed the induction of Cdkn1a mRNA in the central nervous system (CNS), and also revealed similar increases in kidney, liver and heart. Induction of Cdkn1a expression was transient, reaching maximal levels in the CNS 3–6 h after LPS administration, and returning to untreated levels by 24 h. Combined use of laser capture microdissection and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction showed that there was a similar change in Cdkn1a expression for the pyramidal cell layer as for total hippocampus.
Selective Nutrient Feeding Induces Maturation of Gastrointestinal Hormone Release in Preterm Infants • 1498

We have previously shown that preterm infants given small enteral feedings have higher plasma concentrations of gastrin and gastric inhibitory peptide(GIP), while plasma concentrations of peptide YY (PYY) are unchanged. In adults, the ingestion of protein stimulates the release of gastrin which, in turn, stimulates the release of acid and stimulates an increase in gastroduodenal motor activity. Carbohydrate stimulates the release of GIP which regulates plasma glucose and inhibits small intestinal motor activity. Fats stimulate the release of PYY which inhibits small intestinal motor activity. We speculated that feeding babies with selective nutrients would induce hormone release in preterm infants as they do in adults, and, thus, enhance gastrointestinal function. Eighty preterm infants 25 to 30 wks gestation admitted to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit at Ben Taub General Hospital were fed 24 ml/kg/d for the first 10 days they received enteral feedings in addition to parenteral nutrition. Infants were given one of 4 formulas: full 24 cal/oz formula (n=20), its carbohydrate (n=20), protein(n=20), or fat component (n=20), all fed in 4 hr cycles consisting of 2 hr infusions interrupted by 2 hrs of fasting. On the tenth study day, blood was drawn to determine fasting plasma concentrations of gastrin, GIP, and PYY. In addition, motor responses to a full strength formula feeding were assessed via a low compliance continuous perfusion manometry. Compared to values seen at birth, fasting plasma concentrations of gastrin increased by feeding day 10 among infants fed protein, fat, or full formula (all p<0.05, paired t test) but not carbohydrate. GIP plasma concentrations increased in babies fed carbohydrate or full formula (both p<0.05) but not fat or protein. Plasma concentrations of peptide YY did not change in any feeding group. No group of study infants displayed the presence of a motor response to feeding before enteral feedings were begun. Babies fed protein or full formula displayed motor responses to feeding after 10 days of feeding while babies fed carbohydrate and fat did not. We conclude that the release of gastrointestinal hormones in response to selective nutrients is present in preterm infants, as well as motor responses to feeding that are mediated by those nutrients. We speculate that designing formulas that trigger intestinal hormonal release may be useful in enhancing the infant's endogenous mechanisms to improve gastrointestinal function.
Laughter Differs in Children with Autism: An Acoustic Analysis of Laughs Produced by Children With and Without the Disorder

Few studies have examined vocal expressions of emotion in children with autism. We tested the hypothesis that during social interactions, children diagnosed with autism would exhibit less extreme laugh acoustics than their nonautistic peers. Laughter was recorded during a series of playful interactions with an examiner. Results showed that children with autism exhibited only one type of laughter, whereas comparison participants exhibited two types. No group differences were found for laugh duration, mean fundamental frequency (F0) values, change in F0, or number of laughs per bout. Findings are interpreted to suggest that children with autism express laughter primarily in response to positive internal states, rather than using laughter to negotiate social interactions.