cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studying the Activation of Epithelial Ion Channels Using Global Whole-Field Photolysis

The production of saliva by parotid acinar cells is stimulated by Ca(2+) activation of Cl(-) and K(+) channels located in the apical plasma membrane of these polarized cells. Here we provide a detailed description of a flash photolysis experiment designed to give a global and relatively uniform photorelease of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP(3)) or Ca(2+) from caged precursors (NPE-InsP(3) or NP-EGTA) combined with the simultaneous measurement of whole-cell Ca(2+)-activated currents. The photolysis light source can be either an ultraviolet (UV) flash lamp or alternatively the output from a 375-nm diode laser, which is defocused to illuminate the entire field.
Origin of the northern Atlantic's Heinrich events

As first noted by Heinrich, 1988, glacial age sediments in the eastern part of the northern Atlantic contain layers with unusually high ratios of ice-rafted lithic fragments to foraminifera shells. He estimated that these layers are spaced at intervals of roughly 10 000 years. In this paper we present detailed information documenting the existence of the upper five of these layers in ODP core 609 from 50° N and 24° W. Their ages are respectively 15 000 radiocarbon years, 20 000 radiocarbon years, 27 000 radiocarbon years, about 40 000 years, and about 50 000 years. We also note that the high lithic fragment to foram ratio is the result of a near absence of shells in these layers. Although we are not of one mind regarding the origin of these layers, we lean toward an explanation that the Heinrich layers are debris released during the melting of massive influxes of icebergs into the northern Atlantic. These sudden inputs may be the result of surges along the eastern margin of the Laurentide ice sheet.
Simulium Congareenarum (Diptera: Simuliidae), A New Vector of Leucocytozoon Smithi (Sporozoa: Leucocytozoidae) in Domestic Turkeys

Leucocytozoon Smithi (Larveran & Lucet, 1905) Sambon, 1908, a blood protozoan transmitted by black flies (Simuliidae), has been endemic in the southeastern United States for many years and was reported in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Missouri, and Alabama by Travis et al., (1939, J. Parasitol. 25: 278). Leucocytozooniasis of turkeys, often referred to as gnat fever or turkey malaria, is caused by L. smithi and is a parasite of both wild and domestic turkeys and is found in the sand hills and coastal plains areas of the Southeast.
Computer-aided optimal design via modified adaptive random-search algorithm

Abstract A modified adaptive random-search algorithm for the design of helical gears has been developed. The proposed methodology allows for the implementation of nonlinear design functions and constraints without the need for linearization. In addition, the technique has the capability of starting from either feasible regions or infeasible regions of the design domain. Application examples demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed technique as a practical method for design optimization. The viability is further illustrated in a performance test against the conjugategradient search method.
THE REDUCED EXTRACELLULAR CALCIUM REQUIREMENT FOR PROLIFERATION BY NEOPLASTIC HEPATOCYTES

Cells from neonatal rat livers were unable to maintain DNA-synthetic activity in calcium-deficient medium, but neoplastic hepatocytes from Morris hepatomas 5123 tc and 7795 synthesized DNA and proliferated indefinitely in this calcium-deficient medium. The calcium content of fresh hepatoma tissue from which these cultures were derived was as much as 10 times greater than that of normal liver; but this difference could not account for the insensitivity of neoplastic cells to extracellular calcium because it disappeared during subsequent cultivation in vitro.
Dynamic monopoly production, inventory, and price policy under sophisticated demand

Abstract In this paper a dynamic demand surface arises out of a consumer intertemporal utility maximization problem. The monopolistic firm uses this dynamic demand surface to formulate its optimal price, production, and inventory policy.
The catch 22 of condoms in US correctional facilities.

Background Despite the high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV infection in US correctional settings, most jails and prisons in the United States prevent inmates from using condoms to prevent STIs/HIV.
Prolactin and prostate cancer

Abstract The efficacy of treating carcinoma of the prostate with levodopa (L-Dopa), a known inhibitor of prolactin secretion, has been tested in 11 Stage D patients who were refractory to conventional modalities. Relief of bone pain and recovery of mobility was excellent in 6, fair in 2, questionable in 1, and nonexistent in 2. Acid phosphatase, where initially found to be elevated, was reduced to normal limits.
Effects of work and acidosis on pyruvate dehydrogenase activity in perfused rat hearts

Abstract The effects of altered work load and respiratory acidosis on the activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDHa) was examined in rat hearts perfused with 5 m m glucose and 10−2 units/ml of insulin. Under conditions of high work, with an oxygen consumption of 126 μatom/g dry wt/min, pyruvate dehydrogenase was 82 ± 3% in the active form. A decrease of atrial filling rate diminished oxygen consumption to 50 μatom/g dry wt/min and decreased PDHa to 24 ± 6% of total activity. Respiratory acidosis (pH 6.8) decreased oxygen consumption to 56 μatom/g dry wt/min, but PDHa remained 79 ± 1% in the active form. Rates of glucose oxidation were similar under both low work conditions. From a comparison of rates of pyruvate oxidation, the state of phosphorylation of ATP, the degree of reduction of the pyridine nucleotides, and the acetyl-CoA content of hearts perfused under similar conditions, it is concluded that flux through pyruvate dehydrogenase in heart is regulated both by interconversion of the enzyme between active nonphosphorylated and inactive phosphorylated forms and by direct product inhibition. In the low work condition, pyruvate dehydrogenase interconversion is brought about by a rise in the mitochondrial NADH NAD ratio and flux is limited by the amount of active enzyme. In the high work condition, pyruvate dehydrogenase flux is restricted by product inhibition by acetyl-CoA and possibly also by decreased pyruvate availability. In acidosis, increased H+ ion concentration may inhibit PDHa directly.
Bioenergy: in search of clarity

Answers to “Could we” and “Must we” questions would provide much-needed clarity on the desirability and feasibility of large-scale bioenergy utilization.
Synthesis and Microstructural Characterization of Barium Titanate Nanoparticles Decorated SiCN-MWCNT Nanotubes – “nanoNecklace”

In this paper, we report synthesis and characterization of flexible polymer-derived ceramic silicon carbon nitride nanotubes decorated with barium titanate (BTO) nanoparticles where multi-walled carbon nanotubes act as a template. The synthesis was achieved by controlled pyrolysis of polyurea (methylvinyl) silazane and BTO metal-organic precursor. Structural characterization by advanced microscopy techniques revealed 10–50 nm BTO nanoparticles uniformally covering the nanotubes. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to confirm the BTO perovksite phase. Possible application of this novel structure—nanoNecklace—is in nanocapacitors (NCs) where high dielectric material BTO is arranged on SiCN layer.
Allergic contact gingivostomatitis due to gold

The sixth case of an allergic contact gingivostomatitis to gold crowns previously misdiagnosed as erosive lichen planus is reported. Patch tests to gold chloride (0.5%) and 0.05 cm3 intradermal gold sodium thiomalate (Myochrysine 50 mg/cm3) were positive at 48–72 h. Histopathology of the allergic contact gingivitis revealed a pseudolymphomatous inflammatory dermal reaction with a dense lymphohistiocytic and plasma cell infiltrate. Removal of the gold crowns resulted in a gradual resolution of the gingivostomatitis in 4–6 months, and the patient has remained free of clinical disease for over 3 years. A review of the reported cases of allergic gingivostomatitis to gold crowns revealed that each patient clinically presented with an erosive and ulcerative inflammatory response was usually associated with a clinical history of gold jewelry intolerance.
The development of CD4+ T effector cells during the type 2 immune response.

Multiple pathways may be involved in the development of interleukin 4 (IL-4) producing T helper (Th) cells and the associated type 2 immune response. Increasing evidence suggests that the strength of signals delivered to the T cell may favor the development of the type 2 response. In contrast, antigen-presenting cell-(APC) derived stimuli produced following pattern recognition receptor binding during the innate response promotes the development of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) producing cells and the associated type 1 immune response. In many cases, the balance between increased signaling strength and the innate response may determine whether the type 2 response develops. T cell receptor (TCR), CD4, and costimulatory molecule interactions may all contribute to signal strength, but the type 2 immune response may be particularly dependent on the availability of coreceptor and costimulatory molecule interactions. B7 ligand interactions are required for the development of the type 2 immune response and interaction of CD28 with either B7-1 or B7-2 can provide sufficient signals for its initiation. In B7-2-deficient mice, the initial type 2 immune response is intact, but the response is not sustained, suggesting that B7-2 is important at later stages of the type 2 immune response. The roles of CD28 and CTLA-4 during the type 2 response remain unclear. The type 2 response to infectious pathogens is pronounced in CD28-/-mice, suggesting that other costimulatory molecule interactions can substitute for CD28 for the development of IL-4 producing T cells and the associated type 2 immune response.
Rectal Prolapse: An Overview of Clinical Features, Diagnosis, and Patient-Specific Management Strategies

Rectal prolapse can present in a variety of forms and is associated with a range of symptoms including pain, incomplete evacuation, bloody and/or mucous rectal discharge, and fecal incontinence or constipation. Complete external rectal prolapse is characterized by a circumferential, full-thickness protrusion of the rectum through the anus, which may be intermittent or may be incarcerated and poses a risk of strangulation. There are multiple surgical options to treat rectal prolapse, and thus care should be taken to understand each patient's symptoms, bowel habits, anatomy, and pre-operative expectations. Preoperative workup includes physical exam, colonoscopy, anoscopy, and, in some patients, anal manometry and defecography. With this information, a tailored surgical approach (abdominal versus perineal, minimally invasive versus open) and technique (posterior versus ventral rectopexy +/- sigmoidectomy, for example) can then be chosen. We propose an algorithm based on available outcomes data in the literature, an understanding of anorectal physiology, and expert opinion that can serve as a guide to determining the rectal prolapse operation that will achieve the best possible postoperative outcomes for individual patients.
Perchlorate in wet deposition across North America.

Natural perchlorate is believed to be of atmospheric origin, yet no systematic study has been conducted to evaluate perchlorate deposition rate and possible seasonal or spatial variations. This study evaluated perchlorate concentrations in weekly composite wet deposition samples acquired through the National Atmospheric Deposition Program from 26 sites across the continental United States, Alaska, and Puerto Rico for a 1-3 year period. Perchlorate concentrations varied from 0.5; p < 0.001) with Ca2+, K+, NH4+, NO3(-), Cl(-), and SO4(-2). Wet deposition rate of ClO4(-) in the conterminous United States (excluding Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico) while diffuse, represents a potential annual net mass flux of 51,000 kg, a value comparable to the estimated annual environmental releases from other known ClO4(-) sources.
Impact of the removal of light and mild descriptors from cigarette packages in Ontario, Canada: switching to "light replacement" brand variants.

Abstract Objective This study assessed cessation and brand switching among smokers in Ontario, Canada after tobacco companies' voluntary removal of ‘light’ and ‘mild’ descriptors from cigarette packages. Method We analyzed longitudinal data on brand preference and cessation from a cohort of smokers (n = 632) in the Ontario Tobacco Survey in Canada from 2006 to 2008 with a longitudinal regression model. Results While cessation differed by brand variant prior to the ban (7% light vs. 3% regular; P Conclusions Even after removing misleading descriptors from cigarette packs, smokers continued to report using light brand variants, and many switched to newly introduced light replacement brand variants. After full implementation of the ban, cessation did not vary by brand variant.
Ocean-color inversion: a combined approach by analytical solution and neural networks

In an earlier ocean-color algorithm, water’s optical properties are classified into two categories. The major properties, such as the absorption and backscattering properties, vary widely and have significant influence on ocean color. The minor properties, such as the spectral slope of the gelbstoff absorption and the spectral power of particle backscattering, affect the ocean color modestly. The main objective of ocean-color remote sensing is to derive the major properties from water color. In model-based inversion algorithms, it is required to know the values of the minor properties. In this study, neural networks (NN) are used to estimate the minor properties. The NN-estimated minor properties are further used in a quasi-analytical algorithm to analytically derive the major properties. Significant improvements are found in the derivation of absorption and backscattering coefficients of coastal waters. The results here indicate an advantage of the neural network approach in inexplicitly linking a water property with water color, especially when there is no apparent relationship that can be explicitly expressed. The results further demonstrate the capability of the quasi-analytical algorithm to analytically derive major water properties from water color.
Telemetry receiver and acoustic command system

A shipboard Telemetry Receiver Acoustic Command System (TRACS) was designed to be used for twoway acoustic communication with and relocation of underwater instruments. The design objectives were compact size, low cost, multi-purpose capabilities, and ease of operation and maintenance of the system. The telemetry receiver system utilizes a four-hydrophone array, bandpass filters and amplifiers, precision time-base for synchronization, a writing amplifier, and a helix, wet-paper recorder. The Acoustic Command System (ACS) incorporates an adjustable digital acoustic command generator, a power amplifier, an underwater sound transducer and an adjustable ACS test output circuit useful for alignment of underwater acoustic receivers. Two systems have been used successfully at sea on four cruises.
The environmental protection agency: Structuring motivation in a green bureaucracy

Robert McMahon Brighton, Sussex Academic Press, 2006, £55.00, (hb) ISBN 1903900697 All credible scholars recognize that the development of knowledge is necessarily a cumulative exercise and that we...
Activated protein C up-regulates procoagulant tissue factor activity on endothelial cells by shedding the TFPI Kunitz 1 domain

Thrombin and activated protein C (APC) signaling can mediate opposite biologic responses in endothelial cells. Given that thrombin induces procoagulant tissue factor (TF), we examined how TF activity is affected by APC. Exogenous or endogenously generated APC led to increased TF-dependent factor Xa activity. Induction required APC's proteolytic activity and binding to endothelial cell protein C receptor but not protease activated receptors. APC did not affect total TF antigen expression or the availability of anionic phospholipids on the apical cell membrane. Western blotting and cell surface immunoassays demonstrated that APC sheds the Kunitz 1 domain from tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI). A TFPI Lys86Ala mutation between the Kunitz 1 and 2 domains eliminated both cleavage and the enhanced TF activity in response to APC in overexpression studies, indicating that APC up-regulates TF activity by endothelial cell protein C receptor-dependent shedding of the Kunitz 1 domain from membrane-associated TFPI. Our results demonstrate an unexpected procoagulant role of the protein C pathway that may have important implications for the regulation of TF- and TFPI-dependent biologic responses and for fine tuning of the hemostatic balance in the vascular system.
Transforming Growth Factor-β/Smad3 Signaling Regulates Insulin Gene Transcription and Pancreatic Islet β-Cell Function

Pancreatic islet β-cell dysfunction is a signature feature of Type 2 diabetes pathogenesis. Consequently, knowledge of signals that regulate β-cell function is of immense clinical relevance. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling plays a critical role in pancreatic development although the role of this pathway in the adult pancreas is obscure. Here, we define an important role of the TGF-β pathway in regulation of insulin gene transcription and β-cell function. We identify insulin as a TGF-β target gene and show that the TGF-β signaling effector Smad3 occupies the insulin gene promoter and represses insulin gene transcription. In contrast, Smad3 small interfering RNAs relieve insulin transcriptional repression and enhance insulin levels. Transduction of adenoviral Smad3 into primary human and non-human primate islets suppresses insulin content, whereas, dominant-negative Smad3 enhances insulin levels. Consistent with this, Smad3-deficient mice exhibit moderate hyperinsulinemia and mild hypoglycemia. Moreover, Smad3 deficiency results in improved glucose tolerance and enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in vivo. In ex vivo perifusion assays, Smad3-deficient islets exhibit improved glucose-stimulated insulin release. Interestingly, Smad3-deficient islets harbor an activated insulin-receptor signaling pathway and TGF-β signaling regulates expression of genes involved in β-cell function. Together, these studies emphasize TGF-β/Smad3 signaling as an important regulator of insulin gene transcription and β-cell function and suggest that components of the TGF-β signaling pathway may be dysregulated in diabetes.
Swallowing after unilateral stroke of the cerebral cortex: Preliminary experience

In an attempt to impose an organizational format on the specific effects that isolated stroke syndromes have on swallowing ability, we have developed a systematic approach to investigating the underlying neural control mechanisms in patients with clinical and computed tomographic evidence of unilateral ischemic stroke involving the cerebral cortex. When compared to findings in normal controls, initiation of the pharyngeal response was delayed in all stroke subjects. Left cortical stroke dysphagia was characterized primarily by impaired oral stage function, difficulty initiating coordinated motor activity, and apraxia. Right cortical stroke dysphagia was characterized primarily by pharyngeal pooling, penetration, and aspiration. Thus, these preliminary data indicate distinct patterns of dysphagia after unilateral cortical stroke and challenge the traditional classification of swallowing as a bilateral and brainstem-mediated activity.
The latest pharmacologic ventilator.

As anesthesiologists, we routinely administer drugs that compromise a patient's ability to breathe, and dealing with the consequences can be a challenge. However, our jobs may be getting easier. In this issue, Roozekrans et al. present two small, human studies on male volunteers conducted in The Netherlands on a promising new breathing stimulant compound, GAL021, being developed by Galleon Pharmaceuticals (Horsham, PA).1Additional first-in-human safety and pharmacokinetic studies of GAL021 conducted in Belgium are to be published in an upcoming issue of the British Journal of Anaesthesia. Opioids are the most effective drugs for acute pain management. However, they cause opioid induced respiratory depression (OIRD), which is a significant contributor to many adverse perioperative respiratory events.2Opioid sensitivity is unpredictable and impacted by polypharmacy, age, and co-morbidities including obesity and sleep apnea. Opioids, along with analgesia, cause sedation, hypoventilation, loss of responsiveness to hypoxia and to hypercapnia, irregular breathing with periods of apnea, and loss of upper airway muscle tone. A drug that minimizes OIRD would have significant clinical utility. Naloxone is effective, reliable, and widely-available to reverse OIRD, but, unfortunately, it reverses analgesia, as well. GAL021 is being developed as an agent to treat OIRD with no effect on opioid analgesia. In this well-conducted, two-part study, patients received steady-state drug infusions of low- or high-dose alfentanil co-administered with steady-state infusions of placebo or low- or high-dose GAL021. Study 1 tested GAL021 efficacy in reversing established OIRD. Study 2 addressed non-respiratory end points such as hemodynamics, analgesia, and sedation. In short, without altering analgesia, sedation, or hemodynamics, GAL021 reversed some of the hypoventilation induced by alfentanil. GAL021 was well tolerated with "sweating and feeling warm" and "infusion site pain" as its main adverse effects.
Ballistic Energy Transport in Oligomers.

ConspectusThe development of nanocomposite materials with desired heat management properties, including nanowires, layered semiconductor structures, and self-assembled monolayer (SAM) junctions, attracts broad interest. Such materials often involve polymeric/oligomeric components and can feature high or low thermal conductivity, depending on their design. For example, in SAM junctions made of alkane chains sandwiched between metal layers, the thermal conductivity can be very low, whereas the fibers of ordered polyethylene chains feature high thermal conductivity, exceeding that of many pure metals. The thermal conductivity of nanostructured materials is determined by the energy transport between and within each component of the material, which all need to be understood for optimizing the properties. For example, in the SAM junctions, the energy transport across the metal-chain interface as well as the transport through the chains both determine the overall heat conductivity, however, to separate these con...
Synchronization techniques for distributed systems: An overview

Abstract This paper discusses various synchronization mechanisms and primitives which have been introduced for distributed systems and their concurrent programming languages. Distributed systems originated in the need to increase computing power through the technique of breaking a large problem into a number of smaller components (processes), running these smaller processes on separate processors, and recombining their results to solve the original larger problem. The main issues of such techniques are the splitting, interaction and recombining of these smaller processes. Each of these issues has two major components: mutual exclusion and synchronization between resources and/or processes. Generally, synchronization includes the issue of mutual exclusion. This paper provides an overview for individuals who are not overly familiar with distributed systems. The paper will then focus on synchronization primitives, and a few proposed implementations of languages utilizing these primitives.
Catheter-associated bloodstream infections in general medical patients outside the intensive care unit: a surveillance study.

Objective. To determine the incidence of central venous catheter (CVC)-associated bloodstream infection (CA-BSI) among patients admitted to general medical wards outside the intensive care unit (ICU). Design. Prospective cohort study performed over a 13-month period, from April 1, 2002, through April 30, 2003. Setting. Four selected general medical wards at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, a 1,250-bed teaching hospital in Saint Louis, Missouri. Patients. All patients admitted to 4 general medical wards. Results. A total of 7,337 catheter-days were observed during 33,174 patient-days. The device utilization ratio (defined as the number of catheter-days divided by the number of patient-days) was 0.22 overall and was similar among the 4 wards (0.21, 0.25, 0.19, and 0.24). Forty-two episodes of CA-BSI were identified (rate, 5.7 infections per 1,000 catheter-days). Twenty-four (57%) of the 42 cases of CA-BSI were caused by gram-positive bacteria: 10 isolates (24%) were coagulase-negative staphylococci, 10 (24%) were Enterococcus species, and 3 (7%) were Staphylococcus aureus. Gram-negative bacteria caused 7 infections (17%). Five CA-BSIs (12%) were caused by Candida albicans, and 5 infections (12%) had a polymicrobial etiology. Thirty-five patients (83%) with CA-BSI had nontunneled CVCs in place. Conclusions. Non-ICU medical wards in the study hospital had device utilization rates that were considerably lower than those of medical ICUs, but CA-BSI rates were similar to CA-BSI rates in medical ICUs in the United States. Studies of catheter utilization and on CVC insertion and care should be performed on medical wards. CA-BSI prevention strategies that have been used in ICUs should be studied on medical wards.
Application of recyclable, polymer-immobilized iodine(III) oxidants in catalytic C–H bond functionalization

This paper describes the palladium-catalyzed oxidative functionalization of arene and alkane C–H bonds using the polymer-immobilized iodine(III) oxidant poly-4-(diacetoxyiodo)styrene (PS–I(OAc)2) and its derivatives. These transformations have been applied to a wide range of organic substrates, and typically proceed with excellent levels of regio- and chemoselectivity as well as with high functional group tolerance. In addition, the polymer-immobilized iodine(I) byproducts of these reactions are readily recovered (by precipitation with methanol), reoxidized (with inexpensive peracetic acid), and reused in multiple catalytic transformations without significant loss of reactivity. Variation of the substituents at the iodine(III) center allows the installation of diverse functionalities, including carbon–oxygen, carbon–chlorine, and carbon–carbon bonds.
Poly(vinylamine) complexes with f‐block salts from the lanthanide series that exhibit significant glass‐transition temperature enhancement

Six f-block salts from the lanthanide series form complexes with poly(vinyl amine) and increase the glass-transition temperature of the polymer. Results for poly(vinylamine) complexes with EuCl3(H2O)6 and TbCl3(H2O)6 surpass those for d7 cobalt complexes that were studied previously. The glass-transition temperature increases by 49 °C per mol % Eu3+ and 50 °C per mol % Tb3+, up to 2 mol % of the f-block cations. At 5 mol % Eu3+, Tg is slightly higher than 250 °C with no visual evidence of thermal degradation of either component in the complex. This corresponds to a Tg enhancement of almost 200 °C with respect to the undiluted polymer. The increases in Tg for these lanthanide complexes with poly(vinylamine) obey the following trend: up to 2 mol % of the f-block cation. With the exception of Gd(CH3COO)3, which contains different anionic ligands than all of the other trichlorides, this trend correlates inversely with the highest dehydration/dehydrochlorination temperature of each undiluted lanthanide salt, as measured via calorimetry above the melting point and verified by thermogravimetry. Waters of hydration and amino sidegroups undergo ligand substitution in the coordination sphere of the lanthanides. Since lanthanide cations are classified as hard acids, it is not unreasonable that they form complexes with the nitrogen lone pair in the amino sidegroup of the polymer, which is classified as a hard base. Micro-clustering of several amino side groups reduces chain mobility significantly in the vicinity of each metal center, produces coordination crosslinks, and increases Tg. Complementary solution studies reveal that hydrogels form with swelling ratios between 20 and 50 at Eu3+ mole fractions between 0.01 and 0.05 with respect to poly(vinylamine). Infrared spectroscopic observations suggest that the amino nitrogen lone pair in poly(vinylamine) interacts with these lanthanide metal centers. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 1931–1938, 2000
Distributed consensus revisited

Abstract This paper examines a variant of Distributed Consensus that considers agreement on a value that is more than a single bit and requires that the agreed upon value be one of the processors' input values. A solution in a system with arbitrary failures requires that more processors remain correct than for those to Distributed Consensus in which agreement is only on a single bit. The number of processors that must be correct is a function of the size of the domain of values used. Two existing consensus algorithms are modified to solve this stronger variant.
The diversification of eastern South American open vegetation biomes: Historical biogeography and perspectives

Abstract The eastern-central South American open vegetation biomes occur across an extensive range of environmental conditions and are organized diagonally including three complexly interacting tropical/sub-tropical biomes. Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests (SDTFs), Cerrado, and Chaco biomes are seasonally stressed by drought, characterized by significant plant and animal endemism, high levels of diversity, and highly endangered. However, these open biomes have been overlooked in biogeographic studies and conservation projects in South America, especially regarding fauna studies. Here I compile and evaluate the biogeographic hypotheses previously proposed for the diversification of these three major open biomes, specifically their distributions located eastern and southern of Andes. My goal is to generate predictions and provide a background for testable hypotheses. I begin by investigating both continental (inter-biome) and regional (within-biome) levels, and I then provide a biogeographical summary for these regions. I also suggest how novel molecular-based historical biogeographic/phylogeographic approaches could contribute to the resolution of long-standing questions, identify potential target fauna groups for development of these lines of study, and describe fertile future research agendas.
Generalizability of an Organizational Commitment Model

A multivariate predictive model of organizational commitment explained a highly significant proportion of the variation in commitment within a combined heterogeneous sample. Subsequent analyses of ...
Accountability and Mis

Lisa Riordan stared across the table at her supervisor, Daniel Cook. They were discussing the results of her interim report on the possibilities for linking various Management Information Systems (MIS) in their state. The research had been funded by the Department of Human Resources for the state, but there was great interest in this project throughout the bureaucracy and particularly the governor's office. As part of his "reinventing government" campaign document, the governor promised to integrate and simplify MIS across agencies as a way of serving clients more effectively and as a way of detecting possible welfare fraud. As employees of a university-based research institute, which obtains a large portion of their grants from the state, Lisa and Daniel were concerned about the outcome of Lisa's research. Lisa's research identified three key problems. First, the systems were very different and some were quite old. Integrating them would be very difficult technically, involving significant costs for the staffing needed to do so. There would also be significant costs in training state employees on how to use a new system. Second, in interviews with many state employees, Lisa encountered considerable resistance to change. Part of this she attributed to a general hostility toward change. But many state employees were genuinely concerned about making their data easily accessible to other agencies. Those who served the poor and immigrants were concerned that enforcement agencies would use their data to unnecessarily harass their clients, for example. The potential for violations to privacy had also been raised by some advocacy groups, who had been holding press conferences about the Big Brother agenda of the current administration. These political problems could exacerbate the cost issues. In some agencies, there may be only one person who really understands the MIS. "There always seems to be one guy who is the gatekeeper," Lisa told Daniel. "Without him nobody knows anything. It is important that that one guy buys in to what is going on, or else things will just drag on forever." But these were not Lisa and Daniel's primary concerns. As researchers, they were content to allow the political establishment to decide how they might resolve the bud-
OXIDATIVE ADDITION OF SOME HALOGENS, INTERHALOGENS AND PSEUDOHALOGENS TO [(n-C4H9)4N]2[Pt(CN)4]

Abstract The results of the treatment of [(n–C4H9)4N]2 [Pt(CN)4] with seventeen oxidizing agents, including halogens, inter halogens, and molecules such as N2O4, ICN, (SCN)2, S(CN)2 and C6 H5SCl, are reported. In cases where the reagents were not symmetrical molecules, two different ligands were added to platinum. The competition between parts of the oxidizing agent and other potential ligands in solution is also examined.
The sum of the intersections of a cone with a linear subspace and of dual cone with orthogonal complementary subspace

Abstract A wedge W=C+K, C ⊥ K, where C is a cone, not necessarily polyhedral, and K a closed linear subspace in Rn. W* is the dual to W in Rn.
Affinity Chromatography of β-Galactosidase Fragments

AFFINITY chromatography has been used extensively for purification of enzymes by specific, reversible binding of the active site to a substrate analogue coupled to an insoluble matrix1. Escherichia coli β-galactosidase has been purified by this method2. The enzyme is composed of four identical subunits of molecular weight 135,000, each containing an active site3. Many Z (β-galactosidase) gene mutant strains are available which produce only a portion of the polypeptide chain. These polypeptides, which are enzymatically inactive, cross-react with antibody prepared to the wild type enzyme4. We have used affinity chromatography to determine whether incomplete polypeptide chains from a variety of Z gene mutants are folded in the conformation necessary for recognition of substrate. Specific alkylation with a substrate analogue was also used as a test for the presence of a substrate binding site. The use of mutant chains containing different regions of the β-galactosidase sequence made it possible to determine which portions of the molecule are most directly involved in the formation of the binding site.
Studies on Calciferol Metabolism. VI. The Renal Production of the Biologically Active Form of Vitamin D, 1,25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol; Species, Tissue and Subcellular Distribution1

The production of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, the biologically active form of cholecalciferol (vitamin D3), was studied using homogenates or subcellular fractions incubated with 25-hydroxy-[26,27-3H]-cholecalciferol. It was found that only the kidney in the chick was capable of producing 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol. Also, kidney tissue obtained from the rat, dog and man produced, under in vitro conditions, a radioactive sterol which cochromatographed with standard 1,2 5-dihydroxycholecalciferol. The enzymatic activity was found to be located in the mitochondrial, but not the nuclear, microsomal or supernatant fractions of chick kidney. In the dog, the enzymatic production of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol was found only in the kidney cortex and not in the medulla. It appears that in organisms utilizing cholecalciferol, the vitamin is converted to its active form by the kidney. Thus, the implication of the kidney in cholecalciferol metabolism may be of relevance to the pathogenesis of disorders of calc...
A new approach to the detection and statistical classification of Ca2+ sparks.

The availability of high-speed, two-dimensional (2-D) confocal microscopes and the expanding armamentarium of fluorescent probes presents unprecedented opportunities and new challenges for studying the spatial and temporal dynamics of cellular processes. The need to remove subjectivity from the detection process, the difficulty of the human eye to detect subtle changes in fluorescence in these 2-D images, and the large volume of data produced by these confocal microscopes call for the need to develop algorithms to automatically mark the changes in fluorescence. These fluorescence signal changes are often subtle, so the statistical estimate of the likelihood that the detected signal is not noise is an integral part of the detection algorithm. This statistical estimation is fundamental to our new approach to detection; in earlier Ca2+ spark detectors, this statistical assessment was incidental to detection. Importantly, the use of the statistical properties of the signal local to the spark, instead of over the whole image, reduces the false positive and false negative rates. We developed an automatic spark detection algorithm based on these principles and used it to detect sparks on an inhomogeneous background of transverse tubule-labeled rat ventricular cells. Because of the large region of the cell surveyed by the confocal microscope, we can detect a large enough number of sparks to measure the dynamic changes in spark frequency in individual cells. We also found, in contrast to earlier results, that cardiac sparks are spatially symmetric. This new approach puts the detection of fluorescent signals on a firm statistical foundation.
Hyperfine Pressure Shift and van der Waals Interaction. II. Nitrogen-Helium System

In continuation of a series of investigations of hyperfine pressure shifts (HPS) in interacting atoms, an investigation of the long-range interaction of nitrogen atoms in a helium atmosphere is reported. The procedure requires wave functions perturbed to first order in the van der Waals and nuclear hyperfine Hamiltonians, respectively. The van der Waals perturbed wave function is obtained through a variational procedure described previously for the H-He system. The first-order hyperfine wave function is a moment-perturbed (MP) function used in an earlier study of the short-range N-He interaction. The theoretical result for the longrange contribution to HPS is 0.22 cps/mm Hg to be combined with a contribution from shortrange of 0.91 cps/mm Hg, as compared with a total experimental HPS of 0.27\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.07 cps/mm Hg. Various factors which might contribute to the difference between theory and experiment are discussed. In particular, the role of correlation at short range is stressed.
THERMAL DEGRADATION OF VINYLIDENE CHLORIDE/(4-(t-BUTOXYCARBONYLOXY)PHENYL)METHYL ACRYLATE COPOLYMERS

Vinylidene chloride polymers containing comonomer units capable of consuming evolved hydrogen chloride to expose good radical-scavenging sites might be expected to display greater thermal stability than similar polymers containing simple alkyl acrylates as comonomer. Incorporation of a comonomer containing the phenyl t-butyl carbonate moiety into a vinylidene chloride polymer has the potential to afford a polymer with pendant groups which might interact with hydrogen chloride to expose phenolic groups. Copolymers of vinylidene chloride with [4-(t-butoxycarbonyloxy)phenyl]methyl acrylate have been prepared, characterized, and subjected to thermal degradation. The degradation has been characterized by thermal and spectroscopic techniques. The degradation of vinylidene chloride/[4-(t-butoxycarbonyloxy)phenyl]methyl acrylate copolymers is much more facile than the same process for similar copolymers containing either [4-(isobutoxycarbonyloxy)phenyl]methyl acrylate or methyl acrylate, a simple alkyl acrylate, as comonomer. During copolymer degradation, [4-(t-butoxycarbonyloxy) phenylmethyl acrylate units are apparently converted to acrylic acid units by extensive fragmentation of the sidechain. Thus, the phenyl t-butyl carbonate moiety does function as a labile acid-sensitive pendant group but its decomposition in this instance leads to the generation of a phenoxybenzyl carboxylate capable of further fragmentation.
Resistance to 16 diverse species of herbivorous insects within a population of goldenrod, Solidago altissima: genetic variation and heritability.

Genetic variation in resistance to 16 species of herbivorous insects was studied in 18 clones of Solidago altissima growing in an old field near Ithaca, New York, USA. Resistance to each insect, defined as the abundance of a species attacking a particular host genotype relative to other genotypes, was measured in both the natural stand and in two experimental gardens. The heritability of resistance was estimated by parent-offspring regression and sibcorrelation. The primary result was that clones differed in resistance to 15 of 16 insect species. The resistance of genotypes to these insect species remained relatively constant over the four years of the study. However, for only 10 of these resistances were the heritability estimates significantly different from zero. Thus the common assumption of plant-insect studies — that phenotypic variation in insect abundance is closely correlated with underlying genetic variation — is only conditionally true. There is heritable variation in resistance to many insects, but not all. The insects for which we observed heritable variation in plant resistance represent five different orders and several functional groups, including leaf chewers, phloem and xylem feeders, and gall formers. There was no apparent pattern between the degree of heritability of plant resistance and the destructiveness, feeding method, breadth of host range, or taxonomic group of the insects. The lack of marked heritable variation in resistance to some insects may be the result of (a) reduced variation caused by strong selection during prolonged or repeated insect outbreaks, and (b) genotype-environment interactions that obscure differences among genotypes.
The opposing forces of the intestinal Microbiome and the emerging pathobiome

This article summarizes emerging concepts on the role of the intestinal microbiome in surgical patients. Revolutionary research over the past decade has shown that human beings live in close and constant contact with boundless communities of microbes. Recent innovations in the study of the human microbiome are reviewed. To demonstrate the applicability of these studies to surgical disease, the authors discuss what is known about the role of microbes in the pathogenesis of perioperative complications. Enhanced awareness of the human microbiome will empower clinicians to adopt novel practices in the prevention and treatment of a variety of surgical conditions.
PRECLINICAL STUDIES OF ALENDRONATE

Alendronate has been developed for the treatment of diseases characterized by increased bone resorption, such as osteoporosis. It increases metaphyseal bone density, bone volume, femoral bending strength and vertebral compressive strength, in a dose-dependent manner, in growing, intact rats. In ovariectomized (OVX) rats, alendronate increases femoral bone mass and tibial trabecular bone volume in a dose-dependent manner, and increases femoral midshaft bending strength. In rats immobilized by unilateral sciatic neurectomy, it inhibits bone loss and is dose-dependent. In rats, alendronate prevents high-turnover osteopenia induced by hyperthyroidism or by administration of immunosuppressant agent cyclosporin-A. Also in rats, treatment with prostaglandin E2 and alendronate does not inhibit prostaglandin E2-induced stimulation of bone formation on endocortical and periosteal surfaces. It does, however, prevent prostaglandin E2-induced cortical bone porosity as a result of increased bone resorption, leading to an increase in cortical thickness and an increase in three-point bending strength of the femoral midshaft. At up to five times the dose used for treatment of osteoporosis in clinical trials, alendronate causes no abnormalities in bone remodeling, bone structure, or structural mechanical properties of the femur or vertebrae in intact beagles. Treatment with alendronate before or during fracture healing, or both, has no adverse effects on the union, strength, bone formation or mineralization of bone in mature beagle dogs. In intact minipigs, sodium fluoride increases and alendronate decreases bone turnover, while sodium fluoride, but not alendronate, decreases L4 strength and femoral stiffness. Small-angle X-ray scattering and backscattered electron imaging show that the trabecular bone matrix is more uniformly mineralized after alendronate treatment. In OVX baboons, which show bone changes similar to those seen in postmenopausal women, alendronate prevents an increase in bone turnover, and increases both bone volume and strength in vertebrae, in a dose-dependent manner. Alendronate also reduces the bone loss of alveolar support associated with periodontitis in monkeys. Thus, alendronate inhibits bone resorption and bone turnover, increases bone quantity accompanied by improved bone quality in some of the intact animals and in the animal models.
Cardioprotective effects of amlodipine on ischemia and reperfusion in two experimental models

The cardioprotective effect of amlodipine, a long-acting dihydropyridine derivative, was studied in 2 experimental models of ischemia and reperfusion. Isolated and blood-perfused feline hearts were made globally ischemic for 60 minutes and then reperfused for 60 minutes. Alterations of left ventricular developed pressure and compliance were monitored in both amlodipine-treated hearts and saline-treated control animals. Changes in perfusion pressure indicated that amlodipine significantly reduced myocardial oxygen consumption and coronary vascular resistance. Furthermore, a progressive increase in resting left ventricular diastolic pressure indicated that amlodipine, administered before the onset of global ischemia, attenuated the development of ischemic contracture. Return of contractile function 60 minutes after reperfusion and maintenance of tissue concentrations of electrolytes were significantly better in the amlodipine-treated group than in the control animals. In intact canine hearts, regional myocardial ischemia was induced for 90 minutes, followed by 6 hours of reperfusion. Although the hemodynamic variables and the size of the region of risk did not differ significantly between treated animals and control animals, the infarct size was significantly smaller in the amlodipine-treated group than in the control animals, and a gradual reduction in coronary blood flow was observed in the control group that was prevented in the amlodipine group. A comparison of these findings with those observed with oxygen radical scavengers also is discussed. A detailed report of these studies was published in The American Journal of Cardiology (1989;64:101I-116I). This review is included here to maintain continuity of the symposium for the convenience of the reader.
A Computer-Assisted Manual Work-Design Model

Abstract This article describes the development of computerized human simulation models to assist in designing or analyzing manual jobs. The philosophy of computer assisted job design is discussed. Two existing models from The University of Michigan are then presented. One model predicts the normal time to perform a manual task, and the second model predicts the reach capability and preferred body position of the working population when reaching to specific locations in the work-place. Other models that are being developed to predict learning rates, human force capabilities, and physical fatigue rates are briefly described.