cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Penetration of radioactive sodium and chloride into cerebrospinal fluid and aqueous humor.

1. Experiments were performed on six dogs to determine the rate of penetration of Cl(33) and Na(24) across the blood-aqueous humor and blood-cerebrospinal fluid barriers after intravenous injection of the radioactive ions. The radioactivity measurements were made with an immersion type of Geiger-Muller counter. 2. The concentrations of the labelled ions in the anterior chamber and the cisterna magna increase slowly to approach that of plasma. The rate of penetration k is calculated from a simple exponential equation with the half-value interval t(0.5) or the time required for the labelled-ion concentration in the fluid to reach 50 per cent of that of plasma. The average t(0.5) for Cl(38) and Na(24) in aqueous humor are 34.3 +/- 9 and 27.3 +/- 9 minutes, respectively, while those for cerebrospinal fluid are 90 +/- 6 and 95 +/- 6 minutes, respectively. 3. A study of the radioactivity in plasma was made to determine the per cent remaining after a steady state was reached. By means of this determination the sodium and chloride space was calculated to be 33 +/- 5 per cent.
Multitask Agency, Modular Architecture, and Task Disaggregation in SaaS

We examine contract choices in the provision of "software-as-a-service" (SaaS), which is a business innovation that transforms information technology (IT) resources into a continuously provided service. We draw upon agency theory and modularity theory to propose that one of the central challenges in service disaggregation is that of knowledge interdependencies across client and provider organizations. The resulting lack of verifiability of certain tasks results in a multitask agency problem. Our key research questions involve (1) the suitability of high-versus low-powered incentives in SaaS contracts when the outsourced tasks involve business analytics that are difficult to verify, and (2) how such contract choices are affected by the modularity of interfaces between the client and the provider. Analysis of data collected from 154 providers of SaaS offering a range of IT services supports our contention that when contracting for business analytics characterized by knowledge interdependencies across clients and providers, incentives should be "low powered." Modularity in the interfaces of the service provider increases the desirability of high-powered incentives in such situations. Our results are robust after accounting for endogeneity issues arising from unobserved matching between service providers and the nature of IT services outsourced by clients. With the increasing importance of information systems in services, this paper suggests that arm's-length relationships and high-powered incentives may be ineffective in incentivizing providers to perform on complex business analytic tasks, unless accompanied by the modularization of interfaces.
Received Signal Level Measurements on a 160 km Line-of-Sight Radio Link

This paper discusses measurement of signals received over a 160-km (100-mi) line-of-sight microwave radio link operating at 8.4 GHz. Signals were recorded at both ends of the path at various times over a period of about 18 months. The effects of macroscale meteorological conditions are mentioned, particularly those which are peculiar to the central European location of the path. The data obtained from this measurement effort are presented both in terms of radio link availability, which includes the effects of diversity improvement, and in terms of long-term propagation performance, which considers only single receiver signal level variability. The data were also analyzed to obtain distributions of fade duration for single receivers and for both receivers in a diversity configuration. The study supports the idea that it is possible to achieve reliable propagation at 8 GHz on a link as long as 160 km, and with less than normal or conventional vertical diversity spacing.
Delayed increase of tyrosine hydroxylase expression in rat nigrostriatal system after traumatic brain injury

Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the key enzyme for synthesizing dopamine (DA) in dopaminergic neurons and its terminals. Emerging experimental and clinical evidence support the hypothesis of a disturbance in dopamine neurotransmission following traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, the effect of controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury on TH in the nigrostriatal system is currently unknown. To determine if there is an alteration in TH after CCI injury, we examined TH levels at 1 day, 7 days, and 28 days post-injury by utilizing a commercially available antibody specific to TH. Rats were anesthetized and surgically prepared for CCI injury (4 m/s, 3.2 mm) or sham surgery. Injured (N=6) and sham animals (N=6) were sacrificed and coronally sectioned (35 microm thick) through the striatum and substantia nigra (SN) for immunohistochemistry. Additionally, semiquantitative measurements of TH protein in striatal and SN homogenates from injured (N=6) and sham (N=6) rats sacrificed at the appropriate time post-surgery were assessed using Western blot analysis. TH protein is bilaterally increased at 28 days post-injury in nigrostriatal system revealed by immunohistochemistry in injured rats compared to sham controls. Western blot analysis confirms the findings of immunohistochemistry in both striatum and SN. We speculate that the increase in TH in the nigrostriatal system may reflect a compensatory response of dopaminergic neurons to upregulate their synthesizing capacity and a delayed increase in the efficiency of DA neurotransmission after TBI.
Lunar mascons: a near-surface interpretation.

Lunar mascons, interpreting lunar gravitational field anomalies over maria in terms of near- surface slab-like model for maria structure
Human eIF4E promotes mRNA restructuring by stimulating eIF4A helicase activity

Elevated eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) levels frequently occur in a variety of human cancers. Overexpression of eIF4E promotes cellular transformation by selectively increasing the translation of proliferative and prosurvival mRNAs. These mRNAs possess highly structured 5′-UTRs that impede ribosome recruitment and scanning, yet the mechanism for how eIF4E abundance elevates their translation is not easily explained by its cap-binding activity. Here, we show that eIF4E possesses an unexpected second function in translation initiation by strongly stimulating eukaryotic initiation factor 4A (eIF4A) helicase activity. Importantly, we demonstrate that this activity promotes mRNA restructuring in a manner that is independent of its cap-binding function. To explain these findings, we show that the eIF4E-binding site in eukaryotic initiation factor 4G (eIF4G) functions as an autoinhibitory domain to modulate its ability to stimulate eIF4A helicase activity. Binding of eIF4E counteracts this autoinhibition, enabling eIF4G to stimulate eIF4A helicase activity. Finally, we have successfully separated the two functions of eIF4E to show that its helicase promoting activity increases the rate of translation by a mechanism that is distinct from its cap-binding function. Based on our results, we propose that maintaining a connection between eIF4E and eIF4G throughout scanning provides a plausible mechanism to explain how eIF4E abundance selectively stimulates the translation of highly structured proliferation and tumor-promoting mRNAs.
AUTONOMOUS LEARNING OF THE SEMANTICS OF INTERNAL SENSORY STATES BASED ON MOTOR EXPLORATION

What is available to developmental programs in autonomous mental development, and what should be learned at the very early stages of mental development? Our observation is that sensory and motor primitives are the most basic components present at the beginning, and what developmental agents need to learn from these resources is what their internal sensory states stand for. In this paper, we investigate the question in the context of a simple biologically motivated visuomotor agent. We observe and acknowledge, as many other researchers do, that action plays a key role in providing content to the sensory state. We propose a simple, yet powerful learning criterion, that of invariance, where invariance simply means that the internal state does not change over time. We show that after reinforcement learning based on the invariance criterion, the property of action sequence based on an internal sensory state accurately reflects the property of the stimulus that triggered that internal state. That way, the meaning of the internal sensory state can be firmly grounded on the property of that particular action sequence. We expect the framing of the problem and the proposed solution presented in this paper to help shed new light on autonomous understanding in developmental agents such as humanoid robots.
Role of Wind, Birds, Deer, and Humans in the Dispersal of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Homoptera: Adelgidae)

Studies in Connecticut revealed that wind, birds, deer, and humans can play an important role in the dispersal of hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand. Eggs, crawlers (mobile first instars), and winged adult sexuparae were captured on sticky traps hung in the forest canopy and placed on the forest floor up to 1,350 m (farthest distance tested) leeward of an infested hemlock stand. Greatest numbers of airborne adelgids were trapped at the center and edge of the stand; few were captured 600 m beyond the infestation. Numbers of airborne adelgids trapped at three heights in the forest (5, 10, and 15 m aboveground) did not differ and reflected the uniform vertical distribution of the adelgid source population on the hemlock trees themselves. Examination of birds captured in mist nets revealed that 19 of 22 birds (representing 10 species) trapped in an infested hemlock forest, and 3 of 14 birds (representing three species) captured in an old field 2 km from the nearest known hemlock, were each carrying 1–15 eggs and crawlers of A. tsugae on their bodies. Among these birds were several ground-dwelling species that spend little or no time in hemlock trees. Among seedlings that had been planted at various distances from an infested hemlock stand, significantly more adelgids occurred on hemlock seedlings that had been browsed by deer than on seedlings that had not. The interaction between distance and browsing accounted for a significant amount of variation in adelgid density. Within the heavily infested stand, browsing by deer was inconsequential. However, browsing was increasingly important as a means of adelgid dispersal as distance of seedlings from the infested stand increased. The trunks of all 40 mature hemlock and northern hardwood trees examined within the infested forest had ovisacs of A. tsugae affixed to their bark. These ovisacs, which contained on average> 100 eggs, had been dislodged from the hemlock canopy above. Ovisac density on these trunks at breast height ranged from 0.5 to 3.6 per 616 cm2. Studies revealed that eggs and crawlers removed from hemlock could survive under ambient conditions without sustenance up to 2 wk in the laboratory. These data suggest that logging operations could be important in the long-range dispersal of A. tsugae .
Sertraline in the treatment of anxiety disorders.

Sertraline was first developed and approved for the treatment of depression. However, considerable research has been conducted on its use in anxiety disorders. This paper reviews the data emerging from controlled and open trials of the use of sertraline in anxiety disorders. Sertraline has been tested extensively in the treatment of panic and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Less extensive testing has been completed on social phobia and post-traumatic stress disorder. The reviewed studies show that sertraline is an effective and well-tolerated treatment of all of these disorders. A comparison of sertraline with other pharmacotherapeutic options shows it to be at least equivalent to other medications for anxiety disorders. Depression and Anxiety 11:139–157, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Action of n-benzyl-2-furamide in experimental tuberculosis; comparison with a sulfone and streptomycin.

Comments and conclusionsThe favorable results reported by Shpanir for the benzyl furamide were based on experiments in mice. Though the mouse test is currently in use in several laboratories for screening of compounds for possible antitubercular activity we are not impressed with it as a satisfactory test object(8). It is possible that the present results are at variance with those of Shpanir on account of species differences.N-Benzyl-2-furamide has no appreciable activity in experimental tuberculosis in guinea pigs. So far the sulfones alone, next to streptomycin, have been demonstrated to have a definitely suppressive effect on this disease.
Incidence of pubic osteomyelitis after bladder neck suspension using bone anchors.

Abstract Objectives To determine the incidence of pubic osteomyelitis after bladder neck suspension using suprapubic bone anchors. Methods The target population consisted of 290 consecutive women who underwent bladder neck suspension using suprapubic bone anchors between June 1994 and November 1999 at two referral centers. A structured telephone questionnaire was designed to elicit any history of clinical symptoms suspicious for pubic osteomyelitis. Positive responses were followed up by a detailed review of the medical records. Nonresponders were evaluated by chart review, with negative cases included only if the documented follow-up reached 1 year. Results The sample consisted of 225 women, representing 77.6% of the study population, with a mean age of 69.7 years (range 40 to 88) and a mean follow-up of 31.8 months (range 13.4 to 42.2). Of the 225 women, 179 (80%) completed the telephone survey; 46 patients (20%) were evaluated by long-term chart review. Three patients (1.3%) reported positive responses to the screening questionnaire and were confirmed to have developed pubic osteomyelitis. Each had undergone exploratory laparotomy, anchor removal, bony debridement, and prolonged parenteral antibiosis. The most common noninfectious complaints were irritative voiding symptoms and pubic or groin pain responding to “conservative” therapy (3.5%), including 1 case of osteitis pubis. One subject underwent repeated operation because of erosion of the sling sutures into the bladder. Conclusions The estimated incidence of osteomyelitis after bone-anchored bladder neck suspension was 1.3%. Although postoperative osteomyelitis is rare, each case incurs substantial morbidity and a complicated postoperative course.
Tiled Microarray Identification of Novel Viral Transcript Structures and Distinct Transcriptional Profiles during Two Modes of Productive Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68 Infection

We applied a custom tiled microarray to examine murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68) polyadenylated transcript expression in a time course of de novo infection of fibroblast cells and following phorbol ester-mediated reactivation from a latently infected B cell line. During de novo infection, all open reading frames (ORFs) were transcribed and clustered into four major temporal groups that were overlapping yet distinct from clusters based on the phorbol ester-stimulated B cell reactivation time course. High-density transcript analysis at 2-h intervals during de novo infection mapped gene boundaries with a 20-nucleotide resolution, including a previously undefined ORF73 transcript and the MHV68 ORF63 homolog of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus vNLRP1. ORF6 transcript initiation was mapped by tiled array and confirmed by 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The ∼1.3-kb region upstream of ORF6 was responsive to lytic infection and MHV68 RTA, identifying a novel RTA-responsive promoter. Transcription in intergenic regions consistent with the previously defined expressed genomic regions was detected during both types of productive infection. We conclude that the MHV68 transcriptome is dynamic and distinct during de novo fibroblast infection and upon phorbol ester-stimulated B cell reactivation, highlighting the need to evaluate further transcript structure and the context-dependent molecular events that govern viral gene expression during chronic infection.
Task Familiarity: Effects on the Test Performance of Puerto Rican and African American Children

Two studies compared the performance of Puerto Rican and African American Head Start children on presumably familiar (description) and unfamiliar (one-word labeling) test tasks. Results indicated that children performed significantly better on the familiar test task, and that the familiar task was more sensitive in differentiating children who were typically developing from those with low language ability. Implications for the use of standardized tests, local norms, and dynamic assessment with culturally/linguistically diverse children are discussed.
Stool transplants: ready for prime time?

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a leading cause of antibiotic- and healthcare-related diarrhea. Predisposing factors for infection include antimicrobial use, exposure to healthcare settings, inflammatory bowel disease, chemotherapy and advanced age, although CDI is now seen in patients without traditional risk factors. The gut microbiome may hold clues to the pathophysiology of CDI and promoting a ‘healthy’ microbiome has become a focus for CDI therapy. Stool transplant or fecal microbiota transplantation has been shown to be safe and effective for management of recurrent CDI. We offer a protocol for stool transplantation.
Determining laser-induced dissociation pathways of multielectron diatomic molecules: Application to the dissociation of O 2 + by high-intensity ultrashort pulses

A method for determining the laser-induced dissociation pathways of multielectron diatomic molecules is developed. Despite the abundance of possible dissociation pathways inherent to such molecules, this technique allows one to resolve the dissociation pathways that contribute to the measured intensity-dependent three-dimensional momentum distribution. To illustrate this method, the unique dissociation mechanisms and pathways producing a few predominant features in the laser-induced dissociation momentum distribution of ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}^{+}$ are determined.
Rush, Rachel, and Rx: Modeling Partisan Media's Influence on Structural Knowledge of Healthcare Policy

Examining the impact of various media sources on knowledge has a long tradition in political communication. Although much of the extant research focuses on the impact of traditional media on factual knowledge, research is expanding to include a variety of media sources and multiple dimensions of knowledge, in addition to understanding processes that better explain these relationships. Using a nationwide, opt-in online survey (n = 993), we examine the relationship between partisan media and structural knowledge, which assess how interconnected people see political concepts. Utilizing understanding of the Affordable Care Act as the content area of interest, we examine whether exposure to partisan media has differential effects on attitudinal ambivalence—holding both positive and negative attitudes toward an object—based on the political ideology of the respondent, and whether this impact of ambivalence influenced structural knowledge. Our results show that exposure to attitude-consistent media decreased att...
Effect of Citrus Red Mite (Acari: Tetranychidae) and Cultural Practices on Total Yield, Fruit Size, and Crop Value of ‘Navel’ Orange: Years 3 and 4

Direct and interacting effects of four seasons of uncontrolled citrus red mite, Panonychus citri (McGregor), populations with 36 other combinations of grove management practices were examined to seek the existence of long-tenn deleterious consequences of not controlling mite populations on ‘Navel’ orange, Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck. Results from the first 2 yr were published previously. In the 3rd and 4th yr, P. citri populations reached mean peak densities of 7.1 and 2.2 adult female P. citri per leaf at one site and 9.7 adult females per leaf at a second site on trees where effective acaricides were withheld. These populations caused yield reductions of 9, 6.6, and 11.4%, respectively. Simultaneous increases in average fruit size of 2.3 and 2.1% were observed at the first site but not the second. Effects were confined to the season of differential acaricide application and did not carryover into subsequent seasons. Total yield increased with increasing fertilization level in the third and fourth year, as in the first 2 yr. Average fruit size decreased with increasing fertilization level in the third year but not the fourth. Fungicide-nematicide treatments increased total yield and fruit size in both the 3rd and 4th yr. Growth regulator treatments did not significantly affect total yield either year and caused a slight (1.0%) reduction in fruit size in the fourth year. Differential irrigation did not have a consistent, significant effect on total yield, but fruit size consistently increased significantly with increasing irrigation at both sites. Yield reductions from high P. citri populations were greater on nitrogen-stressed trees (16-18%) than on trees that were fertilized conventionally (1-6%) or excessively (0-4%). Total yield and average fruit size did not differ consistently because of any other interactions between effective P. citri treatments and other cultural practices. Marketing conditions continued to favor large fruit; thus, increases in average fruit size on trees where P. citri populations were not effectively suppressed continued to be at least a compensating, if not beneficial, consequence of withholding acaricide applications.
Repair of complex giant or recurrent ventral hernias by using tension-free intraparietal prosthetic mesh (Stoppa technique): Lessons learned from our initial experience (fifty patients)

Background. Giant complex ventral hernias are difficult to repair, and recurrent rates are high (greater than 10%). Our aim was to review our experience with a modified Stoppa technique. Methods. From 1991 to 1995, 50 patients underwent repair with a large panel of prosthetic mesh placed intraparietally posterior to rectus muscle but anterior to posterior rectus sheath ; 27 had undergone one to five previous hernia repairs, and 14 patients had a simultaneous intraabdominal procedure. Mean follow-up (100%) has been 24 months. Results. No operative deaths occurred. Hospital morbidity included four wound infections, 2 of which were serious and required mesh removal ; both occurred in patients in whom the gut was opened for other simultaneous intraabdominal procedures. Late morbidity included two delayed wound infections/limited mesh infections managed by office debridement and open packing, three seromas, and transient abdominal wall pain in seven patients. Long-term follow-up showed no recurrent hernias in the 48 patients without early serious mesh infections requiring mesh removal ; thus the long-term success rate was 96% (48 of 50 patients). Conclusions. Recurrent rates after this modified Stoppa repair of giant complex giant ventral hernias are very low. Early or late mesh infection occurred in four patients. Tension-free prosthetic mesh repair offers a marked improvement in outcome. Because of the possibility of mesh infection, simultaneous, contaminated, or even clean-contaminated intraperitoneal procedures should be avoided if possible.
Identifying and characterizing biological hotspots in the northern California Current

Understanding how marine animals utilize their environment and identifying important habitats are crucial for understanding how marine ecosystems function. The goal of the present study is to identify biologically rich areas within the northern California Current and to determine the environmental characteristics occurring within these areas. We analyzed how surface nekton are distributed in the northern California Current, not only in space and time but also with reference to species assemblages, habitat characteristics, and environmental factors. Sampling was conducted during June and August of 2000 and 2002 as part of the US GLOBEC mesoscale surveys from Newport, Oregon, in the north to Crescent City, California, in the south. A geostatistical approach was used to create surfaces to be used in a GIS to determine the presence or absence of biological hotspots throughout the region. Two biological hotspots were identified and determined to persist in space and time, yet differed with respect to biological and physical features and in the amount of area covered. We used indicator species analyses (ISA) and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS) to explore patterns in community structure. Results indicate that although the locations of the biological hotspots persisted over the course of the study, the habitat characteristics and nekton community composition within each hotspot varied over time. The most consistent environmental parameters explaining the distributions were sea-surface temperature, salinity, and density, indicating the likely structuring mechanism of the hotspots is related to the flow through the region and differing patterns of circulation.
Dexamethasone-coated neural probes elicit attenuated inflammatory response and neuronal loss compared to uncoated neural probes.

Glial scar formation around implanted silicon neural probes compromises their ability to facilitate long-term recordings. One approach to modulate the tissue reaction around implanted probes in the brain is to develop probe coatings that locally release antiinflammatory drugs. In this study, we developed a nitrocellulose-based coating for the local delivery of the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone (DEX). Silicon neural probes with and without nitrocellulose-DEX coatings were implanted into rat brains, and inflammatory response was evaluated 1 week and 4 weeks post implantation. DEX coatings significantly reduced the reactivity of microglia and macrophages one week post implantation as evidenced by ED1 immunostaining. CS56 staining demonstrated that DEX treatment significantly reduced chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) expression one week post implantation. Both at one week and at four week time points, GFAP staining for reactive astrocytes and neurofilament (NF) staining revealed that local DEX treatment significantly attenuated astroglial response and reduced neuronal loss in the vicinity of the probes. Weak ED1, neurocan, and NG2 positive signal was detected four weeks post implantation for both coated and uncoated probes, suggesting a stabilization of the inflammatory response over time in this implant model. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the nitrocellulose-DEX coating can effectively attenuate the inflammatory response to the implanted neural probes, and reduce neuronal loss in the vicinity of the coated probes. Thus anti-inflammatory probe coatings may represent a promising approach to attenuate astroglial scar and reduce neural loss around implanted neural probes.
Location, substructure, and composition of basal laminar drusen compared with drusen associated with aging and age-related macular degeneration.

Abstract PURPOSE: To determine whether basal laminar drusen differ in their location, ultrastructure, or composition from drusen associated with aging and age-related macular degeneration. METHODS: A paraffin-embedded block from an eye of a patient with basal laminar drusen was obtained. Sections were examined immunohistochemically using a battery of antibodies and lectins directed against drusen-associated proteins and glycoconjugates, respectively. Thin sections were examined by electron microscopy and compared with eyes with age-related macular degeneration. RESULTS: Drusen in the eye with basal laminar drusen are located between the basal lamina of the retinal pigment epithelium and the inner collagenous layer of Bruch membrane, just as they are in age-related macular degeneration. Two distinct ultrastructural phenotypes are observed in the eye with basal laminar drusen; their substructure is indistinguishable from drusen phenotypes in age-related macular degeneration. Both basal laminar drusen and drusen associated with age-related macular degeneration are bound by the lectins Ricinis communis agglutinin and Arachis hypogea agglutinin (after neuraminidase digestion) and by antivitronectin, anti–HLA-DR, anti–serum amyloid P, and anti-C5 antibodies, but not by antibodies directed against basement membrane–associated heparan sulfate proteoglycan, laminin, fibrinogen, or collagen type IV. CONCLUSIONS: These data support the notion that cuticular or basal laminar drusen are similar to, and perhaps indistinguishable from, drusen associated with age-related macular degeneration and are not nodular or diffuse thickenings of Bruch membrane, as previously suggested. Thus, we suggest basal laminar drusen is a misnomer. This clinical phenotype should be identified as "early adult onset, grouped drusen" or by the eponym "Gass syndrome." Features of basal laminar drusen, such as uniform drusen size, clustered distribution, and angiographic features, do not appear to be related to differences in drusen location, composition, or substructure.
Quantitative Structural Steganalysis of Jsteg

Quantitative steganalysis strives to estimate the change rate defined as the relative number of embedding changes introduced by steganography. In this paper, we propose two new classes of quantitative steganalysis methods for the steganographic algorithm Jsteg. The first class obtains the change-rate estimate using a maximum likelihood estimator equipped with a precover model. While this approach provides better accuracy than existing structural attacks, it becomes computationally intractable with increasing complexity of the cover model. The second class of methods computes the change-rate estimate by minimizing an objective function constructed from a heuristically formed zero message hypothesis. The advantage of this heuristic approach is a low implementation complexity and modular architecture that allows flexible incorporation of higher order statistics of discrete cosine transform coefficients. The proposed methods are experimentally compared with current state-of-the-art methods.
Distributed Hydrologic Forecast Reliability Using Next-Generation Radar

AbstractStorm water runoff can significantly affect flooding in urban areas. Flood prediction depends on model structure uncertainties and the accurate determination of rainfall. Three aspects of hydrologic forecasting in real time and hydrologic predictions in off-line modes include the following: (1) distributed model reliability, (2) accuracy of radar-derived rainfall, and (3) scaling of basin input and response. The existing flood alert system (FAS) that is operational for Brays Bayou in Houston, Texas, forms the basis for testing the relative magnitudes of these effects on prediction accuracy. The importance of gauge-corrected radar input was demonstrated through a probabilistic approach and by comparison to events with streamflow observations. The difference in discharge, called dispersion, obtained from corrected and uncorrected radar input scales with drainage area, but at a nonlinear rate, and it differs from storm to storm. An additional comparison was made between the existing flood alert syste...
Community Orientations of Higher-Status Women Volunteers

This study examines how class, gender, socialization, and member selectivity relate to the importance members of a higher-status women's organization attach to community problems. Most members come from the traditional, business-oriented middle class and politically moderate upper class. They see child welfare and health, education, substance abuse, adolescent issues, economic well-being and environment as the most important issues, but adopt establishment-oriented approaches to solving them. Lowest ratings go to issues associated with confrontational activism or the liberal agenda — citizen involvement, urban revitalization, and race relations — and cultural enrichment. Class standing, personal characteristics, and length of membership are little related to importance ratings, nor do newer members have more diverse views. The organization evidently achieves consensus by attracting members with similar views rather than by socialization.
Changing attitudes toward prison reform: Effects of similarity to prisoners on attraction and rejection.

Human-rights organizations and prisoner advocacy groups try to create positive attitudes toward liberal prison reform by emphasizing similarities between the public and prisoners. Theories of similarity and attraction, however, suggest that this strategy can backfire. Although it commonly increases liking, similarity can increase rejection when the similar other is stigmatized. An experimen1 tested the efficacy of appeals to similarity in changing prison reform attitudes. Republicans and Democrats listed aspects of themselves that made them similar to or different from prisoners, and then they completed a measure of prison reform attitudes (Silvia, 2003). Emphasizing similarity between the participant and prisoners did not always cause positive attitudes. After focusing on similarity to prisoners, Democrats reported more liberal prison reform attitudes, and Republicans reported more punitive attitudes. Implications for changing attitudes toward prison reform are discussed.
Compression of morbidity in the elderly

The Compression of morbidity paradigm envisions reduction in cumulative lifetime morbidity through primary prevention by postponing the age of onset of morbidity to a greater amount than life expectancy is increased, largely by reducing the lifestyle health risks which cause morbidity and disability. Recent data document slowly improving age-specific health status for seniors, indicate that postponement of the onset of disability by at least 10 years is feasible, and prove effectiveness of some lifestyle interventions by randomized controlled trials. Human aging is increasingly represented by frailty, with declining reserve function of many organ systems, including the immune system. Enhancement of immune function in this setting raises medical, ethical, and social issues which are sometimes in conflict.
Intracellular acidification-induced alkali metal cation/H+ exchange in human neutrophils.

Pretreatment of isolated human neutrophils (resting pHi congruent to 7.25 at pHo 7.40) with 30 mM NH4Cl for 30 min leads to an intracellular acidification (pHi congruen to 6.60) when the NH4Cl prepulse is removed. Thereafter, in 140 mM Na+ medium, pHi recovers exponentially with time (initial rate, approximately 0.12 pH/min) to reach the normal resting pHi by approximately 20 min, a process that is accomplished mainly, if not exclusively, though an exchange of internal H+ for external Na+. This Na+/H+ countertransport is stimulated by external Na+ (Km congruent to 21 mM) and by external Li+ (Km congruent to 14 mM), though the maximal transport rate for Na+ is about twice that for Li+. Both Na+ and Li+ compete as substrates for the same translocation sites on the exchange carrier. Other alkali metal cations, such as K+, Rb+, or Cs+, do not promote pHi recovery, owing to an apparent lack of affinity for the carrier. The exchange system is unaffected by ouabain or furosemide, but can be competitively inhibited by the diuretic amiloride (Ki congruent to 8 microM). The influx of Na+ or Li+ is accompanied by an equivalent counter-reflux of H+, indicating a 1:1 stoichiometry for the exchange reaction, a finding consistent with the lack of voltage sensitivity (i.e., electroneutrality) of pHi recovery. These studies indicate that the predominant mechanism in human neutrophils for pHi regulation after intracellular acidification is an amiloride-sensitive alkali metal cation/H+ exchange that shares a number of important features with similar recovery processes in a variety of other mammalian cell types.
Cenozoic exhumation of the northern Sierra Nevada, California, from (U-Th)/He thermochronology

Apatite and zircon (U-Th)/He ages from a 100-km-long range-perpendicular transect in the northern Sierra Nevada, California, are used to constrain the exhumation history of the range since ca. 90 Ma. (U-Th)/He ages in apatite decrease from 80 Ma along the low western range flanks to 46 Ma in the higher elevations to the east. (U-Th)/He ages in zircon also show a weak inverse correlation with elevation, decreasing from 91 Ma in the west to 66 Ma in the east. Rocks near the range crest, sampled at elevations of 2200–2500 m, yield the youngest apatite helium ages (46–55 Ma), whereas zircon helium ages are more uniform across the divide. These data reveal relatively rapid cooling rates between ca. 90 and 60 Ma, which are consistent with relatively rapid exhumation rates of 0.2–0.8 km/m.y., followed by a long period of slower exhumation (0.02–0.04 km/m.y.) from the early Paleogene to today. This is reflected in the low-relief morphology of the northern Sierra Nevada, where an Eocene erosional surface has long been identified. A long period of slow exhumation is also consistent with well-documented, widespread lateritic paleosols at the base of Eocene depositional units. Laterites preserved in the northern Sierra Nevada are the product of intense weathering in a subtropical environment and suggest an enduring, soil-mantled topography. We interpret this exhumation history as recording a Late Cretaceous to early Cenozoic period of relatively rapid uplift and unroofing followed by tectonic quiescence and erosional smoothing of Sierran topography through the Neogene. Well-documented recent incision appears to have had little effect on (U-Th)/He ages, suggesting that less than ∼3 km has been eroded from the Sierra Nevada since the early Cenozoic.
An efficient joint source-channel rate allocation scheme for JPEG2000 codestreams

A two-level, hybrid-optimization scheme is proposed for rate allocation of JPEG2000 (J2K) transmission over noisy channels. It combines forward error correction (FEC) and the J2K error resilience modes to minimize the expected end-to-end image distortion. Subject to a total target bit rate, it forms fixed-length channel packets in a straightforward manner. The proposed scheme utilizes the source distortion rate characteristics and the BER statistics of the available channel codes. It has complexity less than 0 (R/sup 2/) for a specific J2K codestream, where R is the number of available channel code rates. Performance results with both RCPC and turbo codes for fixed-length source packets are provided to show the effectiveness of the scheme.
Ethical and Educational Aspects of Participating as a Subject in Psychology Experiments

Results of this study are reassuring for teachers concerned about the ethics involved, except that the instructional value needs more attention.
Rate of CO2 attack on hydrated Class H well cement under geologic sequestration conditions.

Experiments were conducted to study the degradation of hardened cement paste due to exposure to CO2 and brine under geologic sequestration conditions (T = 50 °C and 30.3 MPa). The goal was to determine the rate of reaction of hydrated cement exposed to supercritical CO2 and to CO2-saturated brine to assess the potential impact of degradation in existing wells on CO2 storage integrity. Two different forms of chemical alteration were observed. The supercritical CO2 alteration of cement was similar in process to cement in contact with atmospheric CO2 (ordinary carbonation), while alteration of cement exposed to CO2-saturated brine was typical of acid attack on cement. Extrapolation of the hydrated cement alteration rate measured for 1 year indicates a penetration depth range of 1.00 ± 0.07 mm for the CO2-saturated brine and 1.68 ± 0.24 mm for the supercritical CO2 after 30 years. These penetration depths are consistent with observations of field samples from an enhanced oil recovery site after 30 years of ex...
No Alteration in T Lymphocyte Expression of CD40 Ligand (CD154) in Individuals with or at Increased Risk for Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus

CD40 ligand (CD40L) regulates multiple phases of the humoral and cellular immune response through binding to CD40. Previous investigations have suggested that insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM) in both humans and nonobese diabetic mice may be strongly influenced by similar immunoregulatory molecules. As persons with or at increased risk for the disease are characterized by a number of immunological abnormalities, including that of self-reactive autoantibody production (e.g. islet cell cytoplasmic autoantibodies), we analyzed the expression of CD40L on T lymphocytes (CD3+ cells) in a series of individuals with newly diagnosed IDDM (n = 11), nondiabetic relatives of IDDM probands at increased risk for the disease (n = 21; islet cell cytoplasmic autoantibodies positive; Juvenile Diabetes Foundation titer, ≥20), and healthy controls (n = 13). Both phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-stimulated and unstimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from study subjects were analyzed by flow cytometry with a series of p...
L p boundedness of Marcinkiewicz integrals with H 1 kernels

We establish the L p boundedness of Marcinkiewicz integral operators with kernels in the Hardy space on a compact submanifold of finite type. Previously such boundedness properties were obtained when the submanifold is a sphere. Our result shows that what matters is not the symmetry, but a certain type of curvature property of the submanifold.
Whole-body tissue distribution study of drugs in neonate mice using desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging.

RATIONALE Although Desorption Electrospray Ionization (DESI) Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MSI) is uniquely suited for whole-body (WB) tissue distribution study of drugs, success in this area has been difficult. Here, we present WB tissue distribution studies using DESI-MSI and a new histological tissue-friendly solvent system. METHODS Neonate pups were dosed subcutaneously (SC) with clozapine, compound 1, compound 2, or compound 3. Following euthanization by hypothermia, neonates underwent a transcardiac perfusion (saline) to remove blood. After cryosectioning, DESI-MSI was conducted for the WB tissue slides, followed sequentially by histological staining. RESULTS Whole-body tissue imaging showed that clozapine and its N-oxide metabolite were distributed in significant amounts in the brain, spinal cord, liver, heart (ventricle), and lungs. Compound 1 was distributed mainly in the liver and muscle, and its mono-oxygenated metabolite was detected by DESI-MSI exclusively in the liver. Compound 2 was distributed mainly in the muscle and fatty tissue. Compound 3 was distributed mainly in fatty tissue and its metabolites were also mainly detected in the same tissue. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate the successful application of DESI-MSI in whole-body tissue distribution studies of drugs and metabolites in combination with sequential histology staining for anatomy. The results also identified lipophilicity as the driving force in the tissue distribution of the three Amgen compounds. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Microwave Imager (GMI) instrument: role, performance, and status

The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) microwave imager (GMI) instrument is a multi-channel, conical-scanning, microwave radiometer serving an essential role in the near-global-coverage and frequent-revisit-time requirements of GPM. As a part of its contribution to GPM, NASA will provide a GMI instrument and a spacecraft for the Core observatory and is considering the acquisition of a second GMI instrument for placement aboard a constellation spacecraft with a payload and orbit to be defined. In March 2005, NASA chose Ball Aerospace & Technology Corporation to provide the GMI instrument(s). This paper describes the GMI instrument, the technical performance requirements, its role within the combined passive and active microwave measurements on the Core observatory, and the timeline for GMI development and acquisition.
A stochastic rate-calibrated method for time-scaling phylogenies of fossil taxa

Summary Applying phylogeny-based analyses of trait evolution and diversification in the fossil record generally involves transforming an unscaled cladogram into a phylogeny scaled to geologic time. Current methods produce single time-scaled phylogenies with no indication of the uncertainty in the temporal relationships and, under some methods, artificial zero-length branches. Here, I present a stochastic algorithm for time-scaling phylogenies of fossil taxa by randomly sampling node ages from a constrained distribution, with the ultimate goal of producing large samples of time-scaled phylogenies for a given data set as the basis for phylogeny-based analyses. I describe how this stochastic approach can be extended to consider potential ancestral relationships and resolve polytomies. The stochastic selection of node ages in this algorithm is weighted by the probability density of the total inferable unobserved evolutionary history at single divergence events in a tree, a distribution dependent on rates of branching, extinction and sampling in the fossil record. The combined time-scaling method must be calibrated with explicit estimates of three rates: branching, extinction and sampling, and thus is named the cal3 time-scaling method, included in the r library paleotree. I test the time-scaling capabilities of the cal3 and older time-scaling methods in simulations. cal3 produces samples of time-scaled trees that better bracket the uncertainty in the true node ages than existing time-scaling methods. This is true even in simulations under a ‘terminal-taxon’ model of differentiation that violates many of the assumptions of the cal3 method. The cal3 method provides a new approach for time-scaling palaeontological cladograms, calibrated to estimated sampling and diversification rates, allowing for better estimates of uncertainty in the phylogenetic time-scaling. The cal3 method is robust to relaxation of at least some model assumptions. Additional work is needed to analyse the impact of time-scaling approaches on macroevolutionary analyses and to integrate time-scaling with phylogenetic inference.
High performance adaptive robust control of nonlinear systems: a general framework and new schemes

A general framework is proposed for the design of a new class of high-performance robust controllers based on the recently proposed adaptive robust control (ARC). Robust filter structures are used to attenuate the effect of model uncertainties as much as possible while learning mechanisms such as parameter adaptation are used to reduce the model uncertainties. Under the proposed general framework, a simple new ARC controller is also constructed for a class of nonlinear systems transformable to a semi-strict feedback form. The new design utilizes the popular discontinuous projection method in solving the conflicts between the deterministic robust control design and the adaptive control design. The controller achieves a guaranteed transient performance and a prescribed final tracking accuracy in the presence of both parametric uncertainties and uncertain nonlinearities while achieving asymptotic stability in the presence of parametric uncertainties without using a discontinuous control law or infinite-gain feedback.
A Generic Inflatable Structure for a Lunar/Martian Base

The first steps in the human expansion into space, which inevitably will occur during the next century, consist of the establishment of a human-tended base on the Moon followed by human missions and a human-tended base on Mars. Structures for both lunar and Martian bases face similar requirements and design criteria despite the differences in environmental conditions at these two sites. Consequently, the Moon is a natural testbed for both lunar and Martian structures. In both cases, the internal pressure is the major applied load, as the external pressure at both sites is structurally negligible. An inflatable structure made of a thin membrane is highly efficient in resisting the dominant internal pressure load. A generic modular inflatable structure that can be used on both the Moon and Mars is proposed and described.