cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exploring the distribution of online healthcare information

Motivated by the importance of retrieving comprehensive healthcare information, we analyzed how information about 12 concepts related to a widely available healthcare topic is distributed across 145 high-quality webpages. The analysis reveals that the distribution of the concepts follows a power law where a few pages contain many concepts, while the majority contains less than half the concepts. The analysis also reveals the existence of general, specialized, and sparse pages, in addition to the large number of pages that users must visit before they have access to all the concepts. These results provide insights into expert search procedures, and motivate the design of future search systems that guide users in the retrieval of comprehensive information.
Derivation of water vapor fluxes from Lidar measurements

Two techniques are described by which the flux of water vapor can be derived from concentration measurements made by a Raman-Lidar. Monin-Obukhov similarity theory and dissipation techniques are used as the basis for these methods. The resulting fluxes are compared to fluxes from standard point instruments. The techniques described are appropriate for measuring the flux of any scalar quantity using Lidar measurements in the inner region of the boundary layer.
Diabetes-induced elevations in retinal oxidative stress, protein kinase C and nitric oxide are interrelated.

Hyperglycemia results in various retinal metabolic abnormalities that can contribute to the development of retinopathy, but it has been difficult to recognize which abnormalities are critical. In this study, the possible inter-relationship between hyperglycemia-stimulated oxidative stress, protein kinase C (PKC), and nitric oxide (NO) was investigated by examining the effects of inhibitors of oxidative stress, PKC and NO on glucose-induced retinal oxidative stress, PKC activity and NO levels concentrations, both under in vitro conditions in retinal endothelial cells and isolated retina, and in vivo in the retina from diabetic rats. Bovine retinal endothelial cells were incubated in 5 or 30 mM glucose for 3 days in the presence or absence of inhibitors of oxidative stress (N-acetyl cysteine), PKC (LY333531), or NO (L-NAME). Incubation of retinal endothelial cells in 30 mM glucose resulted in an approximately 2-fold elevation in retinal TBARS, PKC and NO. Addition of N-acetyl cysteine, LY333531, or L-NAME significantly inhibited glucose-induced elevation in oxidative stress, NO and PKC. Similar results were obtained when intact retinas from normal rats were incubated with 30 mM glucose for 6 hours. In diabetic rats, elevations in retinal TBARS, PKC and NO were observed at 2 months of diabetes, and administration of N-acetyl cysteine, LY333531 or aminoguanidine prevented diabetes-induced elevation in retinal TBARS and NO levels, and PKC activity. Thus, these results suggest that diabetes-induced metabolic abnormalities, are apparently interrelated in retina; inhibiting a single retinal abnormality may have multiple beneficial effects to correct retinal dysmetabolism and to inhibit the development of retinopathy.
RNA finds a simpler way

Is there no end to the versatility of RNA? The latest feat to be revealed is RNA's ability to switch off genes through a neatly straightforward mechanism. So it isn't only proteins that can repress gene activity.
Toward a more public discussion of the ethics of federal social program evaluation

Federal social program evaluation has blossomed over the past quarter century. Despite this growth, there has been little accompanying public debate on research ethics. This essay explores the origins and the implications of this relative silence on ethical matters. It reviews the federal regulations that generally govern research ethics, and recounts the history whereby the evaluation of federal programs was specifically exempted from the purview of those regulations. Through a discussion of a recent evaluation that raised ethical concerns, the essay poses—but does not answer—three questions: (1) Are there good reasons to hold federal social program evaluations to different standards than those that apply to other research?; (2) If so, what ethical standards should be used to assess such evaluations?; and (3) Should a formal mechanism be developed to ensure that federal social program evaluations are conducted ethically? © 2005 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
Holographic study of non-affine deformation in copper foam with a negative Poisson's ratio −0.8

While conventional foams have positive Poisson's ratios (become smaller in cross-section when stretched and larger when compressed), foam materials have recently been defined which possess 'reentrant' cellular architectures; in these, inwardly-protruding cell ribs are responsible for negative Poisson's ratio behavior, yielding greater resilience than conventional foams. Double-exposure holographic interferometry is presently used to examine the microdeformation of a reentrant copper foam. Attention is given to the nonaffine (inhomogeneous) deformation of this foam.
Toward an improved concept-based information retrieval system

This paper presents a novel information retrieval system that includes 1) the addition of concepts to facilitate the identification of the correct word sense, 2) a natural language query interface, 3) the inclusion of weights and penalties for proper nouns that build upon the Okapi weighting scheme, and 4) a term clustering technique that exploits the spatial proximity of search terms in a document to further improve the performance. The effectiveness of the system is validated by experimental results.
The role of granulocyte transfusions as adjuvant therapy in the treatment of neonatal sepsis

Abstract Newborn host defense is characterized by an immaturity in phagocytic immunity and thereby predisposes the newborn to an increased incidence of overwhelming bacterial sepsis. Both qualitative and quantitative myeloid dysfunction are characteristic of neonatal host defense. Animal studies have suggested a possible role of granulocyte transfusions to immunomodulate neonatal host defense and reduce the high mortality associated with bacterial sepsis. Recently, we have demonstrated that granulocyte transfusions improve the survival rate of newborns with overwhelming bacterial sepsis. Adult donor granulocytes, 15 mL/kg/day twice a day for 2 days and once a day on day 3, administered to 31 septic newborns, were associated with a 97% survival rate compared to supportive care alone with or without IVIG (1000 mg/kg/day × 3 days) (52%) ( P
35Cl-NMR studies on zinc-pyruvate kinase complexes

Abstract 35Cl NMR is used to study the interaction of zinc with pyruvate kinase. The number of zinc ions bound per molecule of pyruvate kinase is determined to be 4.17 ± 0.2 and all four sites apparently have the same association constant of 0.81 ± 0.07 × 105 m −1. Decreases in the 35Cl-NMR line width are observed upon addition of HCO3−, ATP, or ADP to the zinc-pyruvate kinase binary complex. These effects could be explained by ternary complex formation or conformational changes effecting the environment of the bound zinc ion.
Grating resolution and refraction in the cat estimated from evoked cerebral potentials

Abstract The amplitude of summed cerebral potentials recorded from anesthetized cats in response to phase-reversing grating stimuli was found to be affected by degree of focus and grating size. Refraction was accurately corrected when the lens producing the shortest latency, largest amplitude response was used. A linear relation between amplitude of the response and log grating frequency was found which permitted extrapolation to the zero response point. This procedure yielded threshold grating frequency estimates that agree closely with behavioral acuity data and the resolution limits imposed by the optics of the cat eye.
Th17 cytokines and mucosal immunity

The T-helper 17 (Th17) lineage is a recently described subset of memory T cells that is characterized by its CD4(+) status and its ability to make a constellation of cytokines including interleukin-17A (IL-17A), IL-17F, IL-22, and, in humans, IL-26. Although most extensively described in the autoimmunity literature, there is growing evidence that the Th17 lineage plays a significant role in mediating host mucosal immunity to a number of pulmonary pathogens. This review highlights our current understanding of the role of the Th17 lineage and Th17 cytokines in mediating mucosal immunity to both pulmonary and gastrointestinal pathogens. While we have the strongest evidence that the Th17 lineage is centrally involved in mediating the host response to Gram-negative extracellular pulmonary pathogens, this literature is rapidly evolving and demonstrates a central role for Th17 cytokines both in primary infection and in recall responses seen in vaccine studies. In this review, we summarize the current state of this literature and present possible applications of Th17-targeted immunotherapy in the treatment and prevention of infection.
Syringoma presenting as milia

We present two unrelated patients with numerous infraocular milium-like lesions that histologically revealed syringoma with many overlying keratin cysts in the papillary dermis. A Fontana-Masson stain revealed no Melanin-containing cells in the keratin cyst walls, suggesting that they originated from eccrine ductal structures. A classification of the clinical variants of syringoma is presented.
Trapping forces in a multiple-beam fiber-optic trap

Transverse and axial trapping forces are calculated in the ray optics regime for a multiple-beam fiber-optic light-force trap for dielectric microspheres located both on and off axis relative to the beam axis. Trap efficiencies are evaluated as functions of the effective index of refraction of the microspheres, normalized sphere radius, and normalized beam waist separation distance. Effects of the linear polarization of the electric field and of beam focusing through microlenses are considered. In the case of a counterpropagating two-beam fiber-optic trap, using microlenses at the distal ends of the fiber to focus the beams may somewhat increase the trapping volume and the axial stability if the fiber spacing is sufficiently large but will greatly reduce the stiffness of the transverse force. Trapping forces produced in a counterpropagating two-beam fiber-optic trap are compared with those generated in multiple-beam fiber-optic gradient-force traps. Multiple-beam fiber-optic traps use strong gradient forces to trap a particle; therefore they stabilize the particles much more firmly than do counterpropagating two-beam traps.
Testing m(u)=0 on the lattice

A massless up quark is an intriguing possible solution to the strong CP problem. We discuss how lattice computations can be used in conjunction with chiral perturbation theory to address the consistency of mu = 0 with the observed hadron spectrum and interactions. It is not necessary to simulate very light quarks - three flavor partially quenched computations with comparable sea and valence quark masses on the order of the strange quark mass could suffice.
DIET-MEDIATED INTER-COLONIAL AGGRESSION IN THE FORMOSAN SUBTERRANEAN TERMITE Coptotermes formosanus

In most social insects, intercolonial and interspecific aggression are expressions of territoriality. In termites, cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) have been extensively studied for their role in nestmate recognition and aggressive discrimination of nonnest-mates. More recently, molecular genetic techniques have made it possible to determine relatedness between colonies and to investigate the influence of genetics on aggression. In the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus, however, the role of CHCs and genetic relatedness in inter-colony aggression has been ambiguous, suggesting the involvement of additional factors in nest-mate recognition. In this study we assess the range of aggression in this termite species and characterize the influence of genetic relatedness, CHC profiles and diet on aggression levels. We collected four colonies of C. formosanus, feeding either on bald cypress or birch, from three locations in Louisiana. Inter-colony aggression ranged from low to high. Differences in CHC profiles, as well as genetic distances between colonies determined by using microsatellite DNA markers, showed no significant correlation with aggression. However, termite diet (host tree) played a significant role in determining the level of aggression. Thus, two distantly related colonies, each feeding on different diets, showed high aggression that significantly diminished if they were fed on the same wood in the laboratory (spruce). Using headspace solid phase microextraction, we found three compounds from workers fed on birch that were absent in workers fed on spruce. Such diet-derived chemicals may be involved in the complex determination of nest-mate recognition in C. formosanus.
P300 and long-term physical exercise

Abstract Electrophysiologic effects of physical exercise were investigated by comparing groups of individuals who engage in relatively low amounts of physical exercise ( 5 h/week). Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded using auditory and visual stimuli in separate oddball task conditions. P300 amplitude was affected by exercise frequency, such that increased amounts of exercise were associated with increased amplitude and somewhat more so for visual stimuli. No reliable exercise effects for P300 latency were observed, with little effect found for the other components. The findings suggest that a history of intensive physical exercise affects P300 amplitude. Theoretical mechanisms are discussed.
Phase II study of hyperfractionated radiotherapy and concurrent weekly alternating chemotherapy in limited-stage small cell lung cancer

Abstract Despite recent advances in combined modality therapy, long-term survival remains elusive in most patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The present study was designed to evaluate the activity and toxicity of concurrent hyperfractionated radiotherapy and weekly, alternating-regimen chemotherapy. Twelve patients with limited-stage SCLC and performance status 0-1 were treated with cyclophosphamide 250 mg/m 2 , etoposide 100 mg/m 2 , and cisplatin 50 mg/m 2 on day 1 every other week, and vincristine 1 mg/m 2 on day 8, and ifosfamide 1.2 mg/m 2 on days 8 and 9 every other week. Hyperfractionated thoracic radiotherapy, consisting of three daily doses of 1.1 Gy for 20 days to a total dose of 66 Gy, was started on day 1 of chemotherapy. Ten patients (83%) exhibited an objective response (9 CRs and 1 PR) with a median duration of response of 8.6 months. Two complete responders died at 50 and 53 months without evidence of progression and two remain alive and free of SCLC at 73 and 87 months. Median survival was 19.8 months with 2- and 5-year survival rates of 50 and 17%, respectively. Severe toxicity, including grade 3–4 esophagitis (67%) and granulocytopenia (83%), as well as debilitating fatigue and pneumonitis, prompted early termination of the trial. Hyperfractionated radiotherapy and concurrent weekly alternating-regimen chemotherapy resulted in promising response and survival rates, but induced excessive toxicity, in patients with limited-stage SCLC.
Induction of Apoptosis by Influenza Virus

Abstract It has been postulated that virus-induced apoptosis is an important factor in pathogenesis caused by cytopathogenic viruses. Apoptosis is induced by both influenza A and influenza B viruses, which are cytopathogenic negative-strand RNA viruses. The importance of influenza viruses as worldwide pathogens in humans and domestic animals is well recognized. In this report, we review the current state of knowledge of the mechanism(s) of influenza virus-induced apoptosis. Several cellular factors and at least one virus-specific protein, the nonstructural protein NS1, have been implicated in influenza virus-induced apoptosis. However, the mechanism(s) of influenza virus-induced apoptosis are not well understood at the present time.
Mass Spectral Identification of Residues in the Totle Diet Program

Abstract The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) monitors residues of pesticides, industrial chemicals, metals, and nutrients in the nation's food supply through several programs. One of these, the Total Diet Program, is one of FDA's oldest surveillance studies, having been in operation since June 1964 [1].
Review article: Effector role of epithelia in inflammation--interaction with bacteria.

SUMMARY The common response to infection is infiltration of the affected tissue by inflammatory cells. It is now recognized that the epithelium plays a crucial role in this immunological process by producing an array of proinflammatory cytokines including interleukin-8, tumour necrosis factor-α, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, granulocytemacrophage colony-stimulating factor, extractable nuclear antigen-78 and others. The response of the intestinal epithelium to bacterial pathogens is particularly intriguing because it is literally bathed by normal bacterial flora and bacterial components/products yet remains immunologically quiescent despite this potentially hostile environment. In contrast, when challenged by bacterial pathogens, intestinal epithelial cells exhibit a vigorous immunological response. Our laboratory has, therefore, focused on the immune response of intestinal epithelial cells when confronted by a specific bacterial pathogen, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli.
MEMBRANE THIAMINE TRTPHOSPHATASE FROM RAT BRAIN: INHIBITION BY ATP AND ADP

—The hydrolysis of ThTP by rat brain membrane-bound ThTPase is inhibited by nucleoside diphosphates and triphosphates. ATP and ADP are most effective, reducing hydrolysis by 50% at concentrations of 2 × 10−5m and 7·5 × 10−5m respectively. Nucleoside monophosphates and free nuclcosides as well as Pi have no effect on enzyme activity. ThMP and ThDP also fail to inhibit hydrolysis in concentrations up to 5 × 10−3m. Non-hydrolysable methylene phosphate analogs of ATP and ADP were used in further kinetic studies with the ThTPase. The mechanism of inhibition by these analogs is shown to be of mixed non-competitive nature for both compounds. An observed Ki, of 4 × 10−5m for the ATP analog adenosine-PPCP and 9 × 10−5m for the ADP analog adenosine-PCP is calculated at pH 6·5. Formation of the true enzyme substrate, the [Mg2+. ThTP] complex, is not significantly affected by concentrations of analogs producing maximal (>95%) inhibition of enzyme activity. Likewise the relationships between pH and observed Km and pH and Vmax are not shifted by the presence of similar concentrations of inhibitor.
Suppression of Alzheimer-Associated Inflammation by Microglial Prostaglandin-E2 EP4 Receptor Signaling

A persistent and nonresolving inflammatory response to accumulating Aβ peptide species is a cardinal feature in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In response to accumulating Aβ peptide species, microglia, the innate immune cells of the brain, generate a toxic inflammatory response that accelerates synaptic and neuronal injury. Many proinflammatory signaling pathways are linked to progression of neurodegeneration. However, endogenous anti-inflammatory pathways capable of suppressing Aβ-induced inflammation represent a relatively unexplored area. Here we report that signaling through the prostaglandin-E2 (PGE2) EP4 receptor potently suppresses microglial inflammatory responses to Aβ42 peptides. In cultured microglial cells, EP4 stimulation attenuated levels of Aβ42-induced inflammatory factors and potentiated phagocytosis of Aβ42. Microarray analysis demonstrated that EP4 stimulation broadly opposed Aβ42-driven gene expression changes in microglia, with enrichment for targets of IRF1, IRF7, and NF-κB transcription factors. In vivo, conditional deletion of microglial EP4 in APPSwe-PS1ΔE9 (APP-PS1) mice conversely increased inflammatory gene expression, oxidative protein modification, and Aβ deposition in brain at early stages of pathology, but not at later stages, suggesting an early anti-inflammatory function of microglial EP4 signaling in the APP-PS1 model. Finally, EP4 receptor levels decreased significantly in human cortex with progression from normal to AD states, suggesting that early loss of this beneficial signaling system in preclinical AD development may contribute to subsequent progression of pathology.
Learning To Care During Storytime in the Current Context: Moral Education From the Perspective of Care Ethics

Through an examination of storytelling in the present context, this study addresses the teaching of moral education from the standpoint of care ethics. Through observations, interviews, and surveys in one school committed to care ethics, this study aims to show how the philosophical perspective of care ethics can inform practice. Teachers engaged their students in dialogue over stories to (1) provide opportunities for students to put themselves “in the shoes of” characters, in particular the perpetrator, (2) connect to students' experiences in relationships, and (3) allude to students' realizations during relational challenges or altercations. Throughout their experiences, students explained in rich detail how stories cultivate their learning to care for one another.
It Ain't Broke: The Past, Present, and Future of Venture Capital

This article presents a selective history of the U.S. venture capital (VC) industry, a discussion of the current state of the market, and some predictions about where the market is going. There is no doubt that the U.S. venture capital industry has been very successful. The VC model has provided an efficient solution to a difficult problem—that of enabling people with promising ideas but often limited track records to raise capital from outside investors. A large fraction of IPOs, including many of the most successful, have been funded by venture capitalists, and the U.S. VC model has been copied around the world. Armed with this historical perspective, the authors view with skepticism the recent claims that the VC model is broken. In the past, VC investments in companies have represented a remarkably constant 0.15% of the total value of the stock market; and commitments to VC funds, while more variable, have been consistently in the 0.10% to 0.20% range. Both of these percentages have continued to hold in recent years. And despite the relatively low number of IPOs, the returns to VC funds this decade have largely maintained their historical relationship to the overall stock market. To be sure, VC investment and returns continue to be subject to boom-and-bust cycles. But if the recent period has most of the features of a bust, the authors view today's historically low level of commitments to U.S. VC funds as a fairly reliable indicator of relatively high expected returns for the 2009 and (probably) 2010 vintage years. Perhaps the most promising future role for venture capital, as the authors suggest in closing, is to increase the productivity of the corporate research and development function through various kinds of partnerships and outsourcing arrangements.
Revised Sequence Stratigraphic Interpretation of the Eocene-Oligocene Boundary Interval, Mississippi and Alabama, Gulf Coast Basin, U.S.A.

ABSTRACT Examination of regional stratigraphic relationships and graphic correlation of biostratigraphic data from two important localities has resulted in a new interpretation of the sequence stratigraphy of the Eocene-Oligocene boundary interval in Mississippi and Alabama. The much-studied section at St. Stephens Quarry in southwestern Alabama does not contain all of the components of the depositional sequence. At St. Stephens, the highstand systems tract is missing and is represented by a marine hiatus (condensed section) at the top of the Upper Eocene Shubuta Clay. As a consequence, the surface of maximum starvation and the overlying sequence boundary are merged. Lowermost Oligocene sediments, which were deposited in the lowstand systems tract, rest on this maximum flooding surface / seque ce boundary. These findings agree with those from other parts of the Gulf Coast where the Eocene-Oligocene boundary has been recognized as a sequence boundary associated with a subaerial unconformity and a downward shift in coastal onlap. Revision of the sequence stratigraphic interpretation at St. Stephens Quarry alleviates much of the confusion concerning the relationship between the Eocene-Oligocene boundary and the sequence boundary. This new interpretation shows that not all sections contain all components of a particular depositional sequence and that caution is warranted when sequence stratigraphic interpretations are used to evaluate observations. The sequence stratigraphic interpretation of the section at St. Stephens has undergone revision as new observations have become available.
Lithium ion and water balance in rats.

Abstract Rats were required to drink 15–50 m m lithium chloride instead of water. Profound depletion of the neurosecretory material in the hypophysis and swelling of the cells of the supra-optic nucleus were observed. Serum concentration of lithium ion was 0.3–0.4 m m . These effects were qualitatively similar to those seen on ingestion of 430 m m NaCl; however, an opposite effect on drinking behavior was observed. These changes are interpreted in terms of interference with the normal functions of vasopressin.
Urinary excretion of purines, purine nucleosides, and pseudouridine in adenosine deaminase deficiency

Abstract Previous studies on the urine composition of an adenosine deaminase deficient child have been extended. New analytical procedures have been developed for determination of adenine, deoxyadenosine and adenosine in urine. Of these compounds, deoxyadenosine was the major urinary component. After initiation of a red cell transfusion regimen as treatment for the child, a statistically significant reduction was noted in the excretion of deoxyadenosine and adenosine. Catabolic products (hypoxanthine, xanthine, uric acid) of the major purine bases, as well as excretory products (7-methylguanine, pseudouridine) of some of the minor bases found in nucleic acids, have also been determined by ion exchange analysis. A decrease in the excretion level of 7-methylguanine following initiation of red cell infusions suggested an effect of adenosine deaminase deficiency on nucleic acid methylation. We have discussed the role of adenosine deaminase in adenosylmethionine metabolic pathways and have reviewed the evidence suggesting that increased levels of adenosine might play a major role by altering nucleic acid methylation reactions, particularly those involving methylation of the guanine cap of messenger RNA. We have also contrasted purine excretory patterns of our adenosine deaminase-deficient child with excretory patterns noted by others in a child with purine nucleoside phosphorylase deficiency. Despite similarities in the clinical syndrome, marked differences in purine excretory patterns have been noted.
Transition Needs of Adolescents With Sickle Cell Disease.

Objective This article describes how adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD) perceive their ability to perform everyday tasks required for transition to adult health care and independent living. Method The Adolescent Autonomy Checklist (AAC) was adapted to include skills associated with managing SCD (AAC-SCD) and was administered to adolescents during clinic visits. Participants indicated "can do already" or "needs practice" for 100 activities in 12 categories. Results Of 122 patients, the percentage of adolescents who needed practice was greatest in living arrangements (38.7%), money management (35.8%), vocational skills (29.6%), and health care skills (25.5%). We found a significant effect of age and of cerebrovascular injury on the percentage of those who reported "needs practice" in multiple categories. We found no effect of gender and limited effect of hemoglobin phenotype on any skill category. Conclusion Findings support the need for educational intervention to improve transition skills in adolescents with SCD.
Small-scale horizontal distribution of coastal copepods

The horizontal spatial distribution of four species of coastal copepods was investigated by pumping two continuous series of samples and subjecting the data collected to statistical analysis. Sampling was conducted 1.5 km offshore of Moolack Beach, Oregon, at a depth of 7 m. Two small boats, each equipped with a pump of 280 1 min−1 capacity, were anchored 40 m apart and collected a series of 50 consecutive, paired Zooplankton samples. Current speed and direction were measured at the beginning of each sampling interval. The amplitude and frequency of the fluctuations in copepod densities indicate large changes in density over linear distances of 30 m to a few hundreds of meters. Maxima of abundance occurred simultaneously for most categories of copepods counted. Time series analysis showed that there was a lag of 12 min (equivalent to 159 m) between the occurrence of abundance maxima at the seaward and shoreward boats. This suggests that the variations in zooplankton density occurred in a pattern which is oblique to the direction of the current.
Chewa Women's Songs: A Verbal Strategy in Manipulating Social Tensions

Abstract The paper suggests that work songs as verbal art are not just ordinary creative and expressive behavior that is prevalent during work sessions as a means of entertainment to turn hard work into play. Women's songs are intimately related to women's assessment of their daily experiences within the world of women and men in which they are both actors. While it is assumed that women in many Third World countries are subordinate, it is apparent that the woman in the Chewa society is assertive and the pounding song is one of the most powerful modes of verbal expression for her concerns and her conditions of being. The pounding is a verbal strategy that the woman employs to negotiate with and manipulate others within her environment.
Photosynthetic community responses to upwelling in mesoscale eddies in the subtropical North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

In this paper we summarise the photo-physiological responses of phytoplankton to upwelling of macronutrients in mesoscale eddies in the subtropical North Atlantic (EDDIES project, Sargasso Sea) and subtropical North Pacific (E-FLUX project, Hawaii). The observations, obtained on two sets of cruises over 2 years, occupied six cyclonic eddies and two mode-water eddies. The photosynthetic physiological parameters were measured using a bench-top fluorescence induction and relaxation (FIRe) system and a submersible in situ fast repetition rate fluorometer (FRRF) deployed on an undulating towed vehicle. Both of these instruments were used to provide highly sensitive and well-resolved data on community responses. The responses are dependent on both the type of eddy and its stage of development. Our results indicate that, while cyclonic eddies in the Atlantic and Pacific can increase primary photosynthetic production early in their development, mode-water eddies in the subtropical North Atlantic can support patchy blooms of large diatoms for long periods of time (more than 3 months).
Treatment of herpes simplex virus infections

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2 are ubiquitous organisms that cause infections in human populations throughout the world. The clinical manifestations of HSV infections are varied, ranging from asymptomatic disease to life-threatening illness in neonates and immunocompromised hosts. This article will review the common presentations for HSV disease and the current recommendations for the treatment of these infections. A detailed summary of the antiviral drugs used to treat HSV infections is also presented.
Predictive value of HLA antigen for methotrexate-induced liver damage in patients with psoriasis

For an investigation of a possible association between HLA antigens and postmethotrexate liver damage, the A, B, C, and Dr loci of the HLA antigens were determined in thirty-two patients with severe psoriasis who had been treated with methotrexate. There was no association between HLA antigens and increasing severity of liver disease in these patients. HLA-A3 was increased in frequency in the group of patients with the more severe liver damage but was not significant when corrected for the number of antigens tested. There appears to be no predictive value in HLA typing of psoriasis patients prior to starting methotrexate therapy.
Seeking answers, making sense, changing lifestyles: cognitive models of human-information interaction

This presentation will discuss complex human-information interaction problems involving information foraging, sensemaking, and lifestyle change (behavior change), predictive models of human cognition in these contexts, as well as novel interaction techniques inspired by these models.
Exploitation of sorghum nonpreference resistance to sorghum midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) using mixed plantings of resistant and susceptible sorghum hybrids

The effectiveness of sorghum resistance to sorghum midge, Contarinia Sorghicola (Coquillett), was improved in mixed plantings of resistant and susceptible sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, hybrids in 1989 and 1992. Mixed plantings drew sorghum midges from the resistant to the susceptible plants, and damage to resistant plants was lessened. Adult sorghum midge abundance averaged 5.5 and 1.6 sorghum midges per panicle during the flowering period in 1989 and 1992, respectively. Mean sorghum midge damage ratings for susceptible and resistant plants were 5.9 and 2.4, and 7.7 and 1.6 in 1989 and 1992, respectively. Damage to resistant plants decreased and per panicle yield increased as the composition of susceptible sorghum plants in mixed plantings increased. Total grain yield (yield of resistant and susceptible plants combined) was highest when the proportion of susceptible plants was from 10 to 30% in 1989 and was 20 and 30% in 1992 and declined when percentage of susceptible plants was increased further. Total grain yields were less when all plants were resistant than when 10 to 30% and 20% of the plants were susceptible in 1989 and 1992, respectively.
Hepatic Considerations in the Use of Antiepileptic Drugs

Summary: Virtually all of the major antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) can cause hepatotoxicity, although fatal hepatic reactions are rare. The mechanisms, incidences, and risk profiles for such reactions differ from drug to drug. With carbamazepine and phenytoin, hepatotoxicity may be due to drug hypersensitivity. Although the profiles of patients at risk have not been well-defined for these two antiepileptic drugs, it would appear from reports in the literature that older adolescents and adults are at higher risk than children of developing serious or fatal hepatotoxicity. Once hepatotoxicity develops, mortality rates are 10–38% with phenytoin and 25% for carbamazepine. The risk profile for valproate fatal hepatotoxicity has been more clearly defined. Those at primary risk of fatal hepatic dysfunction are children under the age of 2 years who are receiving multiple anticonvulsants and also have significant medical problems in addition to severe epilepsy. The risk is considerably lower for patients over the age of 2 years on valproate monotherapy. In contrast to the risk profile with other AEDs, adults receiving valproate as monotherapy have the lowest risk of hepatotoxicity. Fatal hepatic dysfunction coincident with valproate may be the result of aberrant drug metabolism. Concomitant use of AEDs that induce microsomal P450 enzymes (e.g., phenytoin and phenobarbital) may enhance the production of a toxic metabolite, and hence the greater risk of hepatotoxicity with polypharmacy.
Stacked Late Devonian lowstand shorelines and their relation to tectonic subsidence at the Cordilleran Hingeline, western Utah

ABSTRACT The Upper Devonian (lower Famennian) Cove Fort Quartzite and associated strata of western Utah comprise three stratigraphic sequences, each containing a thick (as much as 65 m) lowstand systems tract. Coarse-grained shoreface quartz arenite and lagoonal dolomicrite of the lowstand systems tracts display the following features characteristic of forced regression: (1) they contain coarse-grained proximal shoreline deposits that overlie an erosional surface (sequence-bounding unconformity) cut into fine-grained distal-marine carbonate facies; (2) they lie seaward of a zone of sediment bypass, and are spatially detached and separated from the previous highstand shoreface; (3) they are confined geographically to a relatively narrow zone less than 30 km wide; (4) they are onlapped and overlain by transgressive systems tract deposits consisting of deep subtidal carbonates (West Range Limestone); and (5) landward of the lowstand shoreline pinch-out, the sequence-bounding unconformity beneath them merges with a transgressive surface of erosion above them. A thick wedge of siliciclastic forced-regression deposits is present at the base of each depositional sequence. The stratigraphic position of each wedge above the basal sequence boundary was controlled by eustatic sea-level fall. The forced-regression deposits are geographically restricted to a narrow strike belt along the eastern margin of the Pilot basin, which coincides with the trace of the Cordilleran Hingeline, a zone of crustal discontinuity. The geographic confinement and unusual stratal thickness of barrier-bar complexes in the lowstand systems tract, as well as the stratigraphic stacking of the forced-regression deposits, were controlled by flexurally induced high subsidence rates focused at the Cordilleran Hingeline.
Effects of temperature pretreatment on propane cracking over H-SSZ-13 zeolites

The effect of thermal treatment of SSZ-13 on catalytic activity has been investigated by using monomolecular propane conversion as a probe reaction. Two samples with Si/Al ratios of 12 and 6 were prepared and characterized by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption, and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). Samples were pretreated at different temperatures: mild activation at 773 K (treatment 1) and high-temperature activation at 823, 873, 973, and 1073 K (treatment 2). The catalysts showed similar catalytic propane reaction rates within the experimental error. On the other hand, after treatment 1 the catalysts showed higher cracking selectivity than dehydrogenation selectivity by a factor of 2, while the selectivity towards dehydrogenation was enhanced for the catalysts treated at high temperatures (cracking-to-dehydrogenation ratio of ~1). The change in selectivity suggests that the generation of different active sites—other than Bronsted acid sites (BAS), typically considered the active sites for hydrocarbon conversion. The SSZ-13-6 treated at 823 and 873 K showed different selectivity, without a notable change in reactivity and activation energies compared to the acid catalyst after treatment 1. After high-temperature treatments, SSZ-13-12 showed gradually decreasing activation energies and increasing selectivity toward dehydrogenation with increasing pretreatment temperature (from 823 to 1073 K). These results lead us to the hypothesis that different types of new active sites are generated in SSZ-13-12 and SSZ-13-6 samples.
Cyanobacteria as agents for the control of pollution by pesticides and chlorinated organic compounds

Cyanobacteria are phototrophic aquatic micro-organisms that are found in a variety of environments, including polluted ones. Fifteen strains of cyanobacteria that belong to three taxonomic groups are able to degrade lindane (λ-hexachlorocyclohexane, a recalcitrant pesticide). The initial degradation pathway has been studied in two filamentous nitrogen-fixing strains of Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 and Nostoc ellipsosporum. These cyanobacteria dechlorinated loindane first to pentachlorocyclohexene and then to a mixture of trichlorobenzenes, and possibly further. Lindane dechlorination by these organisms occurred only in the presence of nitrate in the medium. Both ammonium and darkness inhibited the process. This combination of observations led us to the hypothesis that the nitrate-reduction system of cyanobacteria may be involved in dechlorination. The hypothesis was proven by the analysis of Anabaena sp. transpositional mutants in four genes of the nir operon. The mutants were unable to dechlorinate lindane. However, there was no correlation between lindane dechlorination and activities of individual proteins encoded by this operon. Genetic engineering of Anabaena sp. and N. ellipsosporum that introduced linA lindane dechlorination operon from Psuedomonas paucimobilis allowed us to uncouple dechlorination from nitrate requirement. Introduction, by genetic engineering, of fcABC (the 4-chlorobenzoate dechlorination system from Arthrobacter globiformis) to Anabaena sp and N. ellipsosporum rendered these strains newly capable of 4-chlorobenzoate dechlorination both constitutively and inducible by an environmental factor.
Introduction to computer aided tomography

In recent years, Computer Aided Tomography (CAT) has had a major impact on the medical fields of radiology and neurology and nuclear medicine. This paper introduces the basic physics and mathematics underlying the production of reconstructed tomographic images. It discusses the evolution and philosophies of different possible data collection and reconstruction schemes.
Efficacy of a physical method for control of direct pests of apples and peaches

Two studies were conducted to test the feasibility and efficacy of using physical barriers (Maggot Barrier® nylon mesh bags) for control of three internal pests of tree fruit (codling moth (Cydia pomonella L.), apple maggot (Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh)) and peach twig borer (Anarsia lineatella Zeller)) and three groups of external direct pests (stink bugs (Pentatomidae), plant bugs (Miridae) and birds). Two types of Maggot Barrier® were tested (regular and heavy duty), and two methods of securing the bags: knotting the bag on itself (‘self-ties’) and using plastic-coated wire ‘twist-ties’. Bags were applied to eight cultivars of both apples and peaches, selected to give a range of maturity dates. Apples were bagged when fruit was approximately 27 mm in diameter, and peaches when the fruit was approximately 36 mm in diameter. Unbagged fruits served as controls. On apples, bagging had no effect on damage due to birds, stink bugs or apple maggot (which was present only in very low numbers), but reduced codling moth damage by 20–25% compared with unbagged controls; there were no significant differences due to bag type or tie type. In apples, a significantly higher proportion of the heavy duty bags were reusable after harvest, but on peaches, which were bagged for a shorter time, there was no difference between bag types in this respect. Bagging significantly reduced the percentage of peach fruits damaged by twig borer, birds and stink bugs, but increased the percentage of fruit with skin marks; there were no significant differences between bag or tie types. In peaches, there were significant effects on the time taken to apply bags due to both tying method and differences between individual operators. Cultivar affected pest-related damage in both fruit types, underlining the importance of appropriate cultivar choice in pest management, particularly for organic growers and home gardeners.
Physical Forces and Pattern Formation in Limb Development

For those cells of the body whose differentiated cell type is determined while they are at one position, but which then move elsewhere to form their definitive anatomical structures, the geometry of these structures must be explained in terms of whatever physical forces are responsible for moving the cells into their eventual positions. Positional control of gene expression is not enough. The skeletal muscle cells of the limb are a good example: their cells are known to be derived originally from the somites, from which they migrate into the developing limb bud (Chevallier, Kieny and Mauger, 1977). In principle, the forces responsible might include those of growth, adhesion, active cellular locomotion or other processes; but this article is concerned specifically with the ubiquitous locomotory forces called “traction”.
Projection Penalties: Dimension Reduction without Loss

Dimension reduction is popular for learning predictive models in high-dimensional spaces. It can highlight the relevant part of the feature space and avoid the curse of dimensionality. However, it can also be harmful because any reduction loses information. In this paper, we propose the projection penalty framework to make use of dimension reduction without losing valuable information. Reducing the feature space before learning predictive models can be viewed as restricting the model search to some parameter sub-space. The idea of projection penalties is that instead of restricting the search to a parameter subspace, we can search in the full space but penalize the projection distance to this subspace. Dimension reduction is used to guide the search, rather than to restrict it. We propose projection penalties for linear dimension reduction, and then generalize to kernel-based reduction and other nonlinear methods. We test projection penalties with various dimension reduction techniques in different prediction tasks, including principal component regression and partial least squares in regression tasks, kernel dimension reduction in face recognition, and latent topic modeling in text classification. Experimental results show that projection penalties are a more effective and reliable way to make use of dimension reduction techniques.
Decreased melatonin secretion is associated with increased intestinal permeability and marker of endotoxemia in alcoholics.

Chronic heavy alcohol use is known to cause gut leakiness and alcoholic liver disease (ALD), but only 30% of heavy drinkers develop increased intestinal permeability and ALD. The hypothesis of this...
The Post Glacial Evolution of the Minas Basin, N.S. A Sedimentological Interpretation

ABSTRACT Geophysical and vibrocore information was used to interpret the distribution, character and evolution of post-glacial sediments in the Minas Basin, Bay of Fundy. Sedimentological evidence provided information on the environment of deposition of the sediments found. Results show that the Minas Basin seabed has not been subaerially exposed since glacial times and that deposition has taken place under continuously marine conditions. During the approximate period 8,600 years B.P.-6,300 years B.P. the Minas Basin was non-tidal and sedimentation occurred predominantly in the deeper parts of the embayment. From 6300 Y.B.P. to the present tidal activity has been increasing linearly; the present tidal activity is the most energetic condition to have occurred in the system. During this period d position was progressively more predominant in the marginal regions, developing the sandflats, mudflats and salt marshes visible today. The progressive inundation of the Minas Basin margins is a function of an increase in tidal range (50%) and a rise in apparent mean sea-level (50%).
Intelligent Agent Communication and Collaboration for Web Services Management

The increasing domain of service-oriented computing (SOC) and the continued growth of Web services towards globalization create a significant need for the discovery of the most relevant Web services to a business process. As services are abundant, yet scattered, it is unreasonable and impractical to expect an employee to handle the thousands of management tasks desired and/or required on a continual basis. An agent federation might be the best solution for handling the addition of new business processes in a way that would seamlessly integrate the rationality of a human and the speed of a computer. This work introduces an architecture for the communication and collaboration of intelligent agents to enable businesses to share Web services and adjust their systems on the fly. Furthermore, interaction patterns are introduced that define how agents implement this collaborative architecture for the benefit of their human counterparts.