cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Three Human Recombinant Hematopoietic Growth Factors (Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor, Granulocyte Colony- Stimulating Factor, and Interleukin-3) on Phagocyte Oxidative Activity

Hematopoietic growth factors not only modulate blood progenitor cell activity but also alter the function of mature phagocytes. Recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rhGM-CSF; 1 ng/mL for 60 min) did not stimulate luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) in suspension but primed PMN for as much as a 15-fold increase in chemiluminescence in response to f-met- leu-phe (fMLP). Mixed mononuclear leukocytes (monocytes [approximately 20%] and lymphocytes [approximately 80%]; MNL) chemiluminescence was very low even after rhGM-CSF priming, but MNLs added to the PMNs (PMN- MNL) resulted in near doubling of rhGM-CSF-primed PMN fMLP-stimulated chemiluminescence. The enhancing factor(s) from MNLs were inherent rather than induced by the GM-CSF, and purified lymphocytes increased GM-CSF-primed PMN chemiluminescence equal to mixed MNLs. We could not detect cell-free “enhancing factor(s),” but cell-to-cell contact further enhanced rhGM-CSF-primed fMLP-stimulated PMN-MNL oxidative activity by 40%. Polyclonal rabbit anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) (but not preimmune serum) decreased both fMLP-stimulated rhGM-CSF- primed PMNs and PMN-MNL chemiluminescence, suggesting that TNF on the PMN surface is enhancing GM-CSF-primed chemiluminescence. GM-CSF priming markedly increased PMN superoxide release (sevenfold), but PMN superoxide release was not further enhanced by the presence of MNLs. Recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) and interleukin-3 (rhIL-3) displayed much smaller effects on pure PMNs and mixed PMN-MNL chemiluminescence and superoxide release than rhGM-CSF. rhGM-CSF primes PMNs for increased oxidative activity more than rhG-CSF and rhIL-3. Maximal oxidative activity was observed when mixed PMN-MNL were primed with GM-CSF in a cell pellet-promoting cell-to-cell contact. This enhanced activity can be attributed, in part, to both inherent enhancing factor(s) on lymphocytes and PMN-associated TNF induced by GM-CSF.
PubTator central: automated concept annotation for biomedical full text articles

PubTator Central (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/research/pubtator/) is a web service for viewing and retrieving bioconcept annotations in full text biomedical articles. PubTator Central (PTC) provides automated annotations from state-of-the-art text mining systems for genes/proteins, genetic variants, diseases, chemicals, species and cell lines, all available for immediate download. PTC annotates PubMed (29 million abstracts) and the PMC Text Mining subset (3 million full text articles). The new PTC web interface allows users to build full text document collections and visualize concept annotations in each document. Annotations are downloadable in multiple formats (XML, JSON and tab delimited) via the online interface, a RESTful web service and bulk FTP. Improved concept identification systems and a new disambiguation module based on deep learning increase annotation accuracy, and the new server-side architecture is significantly faster. PTC is synchronized with PubMed and PubMed Central, with new articles added daily. The original PubTator service has served annotated abstracts for ∼300 million requests, enabling third-party research in use cases such as biocuration support, gene prioritization, genetic disease analysis, and literature-based knowledge discovery. We demonstrate the full text results in PTC significantly increase biomedical concept coverage and anticipate this expansion will both enhance existing downstream applications and enable new use cases.
Relative stabilities of wild type and mutant glial fibrillary acidic protein in patients with Alexander disease

Alexander disease (AxD) is an often fatal astrogliopathy caused by dominant gain-of-function missense mutations in the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) gene. The mechanism by which the mutations produce the AxD phenotype is not known. However, the observation that features of AxD are displayed by mice that express elevated levels of GFAP from a human WT GFAP transgene has contributed to the notion that the mutations produce AxD by increasing accumulation of total GFAP above some toxic threshold rather than the mutant GFAP being inherently toxic. A possible mechanism for accumulation of GFAP in AxD patients is that the mutated GFAP variants are more stable than the WT, an attribution abetted by observations that GFAP complexes containing GFAP variants are more resistant to solvent extraction. Here we tested this hypothesis by determining the relative levels of WT and mutant GFAP in three individuals with AxD, each of whom carried a common but different GFAP mutation (R79C, R239H, or R416W). Mass spectrometry analysis identified a peptide specific to the mutant or WT GFAP in each patient, and we quantified this peptide by comparing its signal to that of an added [15N]GFAP standard. In all three individuals, the level of mutant GFAP was less than that of the WT. This finding suggests that AxD onset is due to an intrinsic toxicity of the mutant GFAP instead of it acting indirectly by being more stable than WT GFAP and thereby increasing the total GFAP level.
Rhythmic Wave Patterns on Ambient Pressure Tympanometry in Patients With Objective Tinnitus-associated Pathologies

Objective To introduce the concept of ambient pressure tympanometry (APT) and its association with pathologies that may present with objective tinnitus. Study design Retrospective case series. Setting Tertiary referral center. Subjects and methods Audiologists performed APT on adult patients as part of routine audiological testing. Ears with myoclonus and patulous Eustachian tube (PET) were identified via review of patient history and physical examination. All other conditions were verified via computed tomography (CT) temporal bone imaging. Ears with conditions that could impair tympanic membrane compliance, such as otosclerosis or tympanic membrane perforation, were excluded. APT findings were analyzed via a novel algorithm. Results A radiographic finding associated with objective tinnitus was confirmed in 67 ears that underwent CT imaging; 45 (67%) of these ears displayed rhythmic APT wave patterns. These included 28 ears with superior semicircular canal dehiscence, 4 ears with sigmoid sinus dehiscence, 6 ears with internal carotid artery dehiscence, 4 ears with glomus tumor, and 3 ears with encephalocele. In addition, we identified three ears with myoclonus and one ear with PET. In a subset of 30 ears with objective tinnitus symptoms that underwent CT imaging, 22 displayed rhythmic waves; of these 22 ears, 20 (91%) had a radiographic finding associated with objective tinnitus. Conclusions Rhythmic APT wave patterns are common and may be associated with numerous temporal bone pathologies that may present with objective tinnitus. APT is a simple, rapid, and widely available tool that warrants further study to determine its value in screening of these otologic conditions.
A novel and clinically useful dynamic conformal arc (DCA)-based VMAT planning technique for lung SBRT.

PURPOSE Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is gaining popularity for stereotactic treatment of lung lesions for medically inoperable patients. Due to multiple beamlets in delivery of highly modulated VMAT plans, there are dose delivery uncertainties associated with small-field dosimetry error and interplay effects with small lesions. We describe and compare a clinically useful dynamic conformal arc (DCA)-based VMAT (d-VMAT) technique for lung SBRT using flattening filter free (FFF) beams to minimize these effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ten solitary early-stage I-II non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients were treated with a single dose of 30 Gy using 3-6 non-coplanar VMAT arcs (clinical VMAT) with 6X-FFF beams in our clinic. These clinically treated plans were re-optimized using a novel d-VMAT planning technique. For comparison, d-VMAT plans were recalculated using DCA with user-controlled field aperture shape before VMAT optimization. Identical beam geometry, dose calculation algorithm, grid size, and planning objectives were used. The clinical VMAT and d-VMAT plans were compared via RTOG-0915 protocol compliances for conformity, gradient indices, and dose to organs at risk (OAR). Additionally, treatment delivery efficiency and accuracy were recorded. RESULTS All plans met RTOG-0915 requirements. Comparing with clinical VMAT, d-VMAT plans gave similar target coverage with better target conformity, tighter radiosurgical dose distribution with lower gradient indices, and dose to OAR. Lower total number of monitor units and small beam modulation factor reduced beam-on time by 1.75 min (P < 0.001), on average (maximum up to 2.52 min). Beam delivery accuracy was improved by 2%, on average (P < 0.05) and maximum up to 6% in some cases for d-VMAT plans. CONCLUSION This simple d-VMAT technique provided excellent plan quality, reduced intermediate dose-spillage, and dose to OAR while providing faster treatment delivery by significantly reducing beam-on time. This novel treatment planning approach will improve patient compliance along with potentially reducing intrafraction motion error. Moreover, with less MLC modulation through the target, d-VMAT could potentially minimize small-field dosimetry errors and MLC interplay effects. If available, d-VMAT planning approach is recommended for future clinical lung SBRT plan optimization.
Does Preoperative Smoking Cessation Reduce Surgical Morbidity After Lung Resection

Delayed surgical resection for non-small-cell lung cancer is associated with decreased survival. For patients who smoke, tobacco use at the time of surgery is a risk factor for pulmonary and overall surgical complications. While smoking cessation decreases the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications, there is no ideal time cut-off past which the risk of morbidity significantly decreases. Therefore, smoking cessation should be encouraged as early as possible for all patients, but delaying surgery for active smokers to extend preoperative smoking cessation is unnecessary.
Ultra-Sensitive and High Figure of Merit Interferometric Biosensors using Dispersion Effects in Porous Waveguides

We report an interferometric biosensor that theoretically and experimentally exceeds the sensitivity predicted by bulk effective medium theory. The devices are realized by engineering dispersion effects in high confinement factor multilayer porous silicon rib waveguides.
Synthetic Trades and Calendar Day Patterns: The Case of the Dollar/Sterling Markets

Significant day of the week patterns are shown to exist in the dollar/sterling market. These patterns are associated with the returns to synthetic and actual forward trades as well as to spot trades. These trading strategies, geared to buying or selling sterling, reflect different timing, if not valuation, considerations on the part of traders. Nevertheless, pronounced calendar patterns are observed on Wednesdays for all the trading strategies evaluated. This is attributable to significantly different risks on Wednesdays. The observed end-of-the-week patterns in forward returns persist and reinforce the returns at the start of the next week of trading. Furthermore, the overall returns to forward speculation on Fridays and Mondays are of opposite signs. Our results on calendar day patterns are thus supported by both parametric and non-parametric tests. We provide evidence that the frequency of synthetic trading opportunities is inversely related to maturity. We also find that the period of market turbulence analyzed did not trigger abnormal opportunities for covered interest arbitrage.
Congenital Nasal Pyriform Aperture Stenosis: Evidence of Premature Fusion of the Midline Palatal Suture.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Various etiologies have been theorized for the development of congenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis (CNPAS). Imaging possibly implicates abnormal fusion of the midline palatal suture and deficient lateral growth of the midface in affected neonates. MATERIALS AND METHODS A single-center, retrospective study was performed at a tertiary care pediatric hospital involving neonates and infants between 0 and 90 days of life. Maxillofacial CT scans of patients were reviewed. Abnormality of the palatal suture and midface transverse dimensions were measured and analyzed in patients with and without CNPAS. RESULTS A total of 109 patients between 0 and 90 days of life had maxillofacial CT scans. Thirteen patients were classified as having CNPAS, 27 patients had normal scans (control group), and 69 patients were excluded because of the presence of other craniofacial anomalies. All patients with CNPAS had evidence of abnormal fusion of the midline palatal suture. Zero patients without CNPAS had a midline palatal suture abnormality. The mean widths of the pyriform aperture were 5.7 mm (SD, 1.7) in the CNPAS group and 13.1 mm (SD, 2.7) in the control group (P < .0001). The mean distance between the superior portions of the nasolacrimal ducts was 9.1 mm (SD, 2.1) in the CNPAS group, and the mean of the control group was 13.4 mm (SD, 2.2) (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS Patients with CNPAS have abnormal fusion of the midline palatal suture and exhibit lateral growth restriction of the midface. This may implicate synostosis of the midline palatal suture and abnormal midface growth.
Behavioral Nudges Increase COVID-19 Vaccinations: Two Randomized Controlled Trials

Fighting the COVID-19 pandemic requires quick and effective strategies to maximize vaccine uptake. We present two sequential randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that tackle this challenge with behavioral science insights. We deliver text-based nudges to UCLA Health patients one day (first RCT; N=113,229) and eight days (second RCT; N=90,662) after they receive notifications of vaccine eligibility. In the first RCT, text messages designed to make vaccination salient and easy to schedule boost appointment and vaccination rates by 86% and 26%, respectively. Nudges that make patients feel endowed with the vaccine heighten these effects, but addressing vaccine hesitancy via a video-based information intervention does not yield benefits beyond simple text. These results hold across ethnicity and age groups. By contrast, online experiments (N=2,003) soliciting hypothetical responses to the same messages reveal the opposite patterns, underscoring the importance of pilot-testing behavioral nudges in the real world before scaling them up. In the second RCT, we further find that receiving a second reminder boosts appointment and vaccination rates by 52% and 16%, respectively. Our findings suggest that text-based nudges can substantially increase and accelerate COVID-19 vaccinations at almost zero marginal cost, highlighting the promising role of behavioral science in addressing a critical component of the COVID-19 pandemic response.
Affective Response to Binge Eating as a Predictor of Treatment Outcomes for Binge-Eating Disorder:

This report examined baseline affective response to binge eating as a predictor of binge-eating disorder (BED) treatment outcome. Baseline affective response was defined as: (1) each individual's average net change (i.e., area under the curve [AUC]) of positive affect (PA) or negative affect (NA) before and after binge-eating episodes and (2) post-binge eating slope of PA or NA across seven-days of ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Adults with BED completed Integrative Cognitive-Affective Therapy (ICAT-BED) or cognitive behavioral therapy guided self-help (CBTgsh). Individuals with greater net increases in PA (AUC) following binge eating at baseline exhibited better treatment response in ICAT-BED at end-of-treatment and follow-up. NA affective response was only significant at end-of-treatment; individuals with less rapid post-binge improvements in NA (slope) did better in ICAT-BED, while individuals with lower net improvements in NA (AUC) did better in CBTgsh. Affective response to binge eating may be a marker of BED treatment response.
Terrace: A Hierarchical Graph Container for Skewed Dynamic Graphs

Various applications model problems as streaming graphs, which need to quickly apply a stream of updates and run algorithms on the updated graph. Furthermore, many dynamic real-world graphs, such as social networks, follow a skewed distribution of vertex degrees, where there are a few high-degree vertices and many low-degree vertices. Existing static graph-processing systems optimized for graph skewness achieve high performance and low space usage by preprocessing a cache-efficient graph partitioning based on vertex degree. In the streaming setting, the whole graph is not available upfront, however, so finding an optimal partitioning is not feasible in the presence of updates. As a result, existing streaming graph-processing systems take a "one-size-fits-all" approach, leaving performance on the table. We present Terrace, a system for streaming graphs that uses a hierarchical data structure design to store a vertex's neighbors in different data structures depending on the degree of the vertex. This multi-level structure enables Terrace to dynamically partition vertices based on their degrees and adapt to skewness in the underlying graph. Our experiments show that Terrace supports faster batch insertions for batch sizes up to 1M when compared to Aspen, a state-of-the-art graph streaming system. On graph query algorithms, Terrace is between 1.7X--2.6X faster than Aspen and between 0.5X--1.3X as fast as Ligra, a state-of-the-art static graph-processing system.
Compounding hazards and intersecting vulnerabilities: experiences and responses to extreme heat during COVID-19

Extreme heat is a major threat to human health worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its complexity and global reach, created unprecedented challenges for public health and highlighted societal vulnerability to hazardous hot weather. In this study, we used data from a three-wave nationally representative survey of 3,036 American adults to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected extreme heat vulnerability during the summer of 2020. We used mixed effects models to examine the roles of socio-demographic characteristics and pandemic-related factors in the distribution of negative heat effects and experiences across the United States. The survey findings show that over a quarter of the U.S. population experienced heat-related symptoms during the summer of 2020. Mixed effects models demonstrate that among all socio-economic groups, those who were most vulnerable were women, those in low-income households, unemployed or on furlough, and people who identify as Hispanic or Latino or as other non-white census categories (including Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and multi-racial U.S. residents). The study findings indicate that millions of people in the U.S. had difficulty coping with or responding to extreme heat because of the direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Limited access to cooling as well as COVID-19 related social isolation played a major role in adverse heat health effects. Geographically, the South and the West of the U.S. stood out in terms of self-reported negative heat effects. Overall, the study suggests that the intersection of two health hazards – extreme heat and coronavirus SARS-CoV2 - amplified existing systemic vulnerabilities and expanded the demographic range of people vulnerable to heat stress.
The Language of Law and Economics: A Dictionary

From a historical perspective, 'law and economics' constituted one of the most influential developments in legal scholarship in the twentieth century; the discipline remains today one of the dominant perspectives on the law, generating a tremendous quantity of new research and discussion. Unfortunately, one consequence of applying the analytical methods of one highly technical field to the historically layered substance of another has been the accumulation of considerable technical overhead, requiring fluency in both the language of economics and the language of the law. Further complicating matters, the field of law and economics has sometimes developed independently, creating new terms, while recasting others from their original economic or legal meanings. In this dictionary of law and economics, Francesco Parisi provides a comprehensive and concise guide to the language and key concepts underlying this fecund interdisciplinary tradition. The first reference work of its kind, it will prove to be an invaluable resource for professionals, students and scholars.
Period-doubling route to chaos in a two-degree-of-freedom flexibly-mounted rigid plate placed in water

Abstract Flow-induced instabilities of a flexibly-mounted rigid flat plate placed in water were investigated experimentally, when the plate had either one degree of freedom in the torsional direction or two degrees of freedom in the torsional and transverse directions. Tests were conducted in a re-circulating water tunnel and bifurcation diagrams were used to summarize the system behavior. The 1DoF system became unstable by divergence at a critical flow velocity after which the plate buckled. At higher flow velocities, periodic oscillations were observed and the amplitude of oscillations increased with increasing flow velocity. No other instability was observed at higher flow velocities. In the 1DoF system, the variations in the response frequency were related to the added mass moment of inertia. For the 2DoF system, the plate׳s original stability was lost at a critical flow velocity by divergence followed by a dynamic instability resulting in periodic oscillations, which in turn became unstable giving rise to period-2, period-4 and eventually chaotic oscillations.
Technical note: Comparison of Raman, mid, and near infrared spectroscopy for predicting the amino acid content in animal meals

The objective of this study was to compare three infrared spectroscopy techniques for routine evaluation of AA in animal meals. Animal meals (n = 54) with known AA contents were scanned with a near (NIRS), mid (FTIR), and Raman infrared spectrometer. For NIRS and Raman, samples were scanned "as is", whereas for FTIR, samples had to be finely ground before scanning to obtain reasonable spectra. Both FTIR and Raman data suffered from noise; for Raman, this prevented the development of calibrations. Using derivatized spectral data and a standardized outlier removal procedure, calibrations for nutritionally relevant AA could be developed that were equivalent for both NIRS and FTIR. The variation across AA tested explained (r2) by these calibrations was 70% for NIRS and 68 + 3% for FTIR. Removing spectral data between 4,000 and 2,000 cm(-1) from the FTIR data improved calibrations (P = 0.09) and explained an average of 77% of the variation with prediction errors lower than obtained with NIRS (P < 0.01). However, FTIR calibrations based on the entire or the shortened spectrum contained fewer samples than did NIRS calibrations (41 and 39 vs. 48, respectively; P < 0.01) because more samples were removed as outliers. In conclusion, Raman did not yield acceptable spectra for animal meals. For FTIR, sample preparation was more time-consuming because the samples required grinding before analysis. Using the entire mid-infrared range, FTIR calibrations were comparable to NIRS calibrations. Calibrations for FTIR were improved by eliminating wave numbers that exhibited more noise, resulting in prediction errors better than those for NIRS. Thus, FTIR has the potential to yield better calibrations for AA in animal meals than NIRS, but it requires greater care in sample preparation and scanning.
Mitochondrial import of the ADP/ATP carrier protein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sequences required for receptor binding and membrane translocation

The ADP/ATP carrier of yeast (309 amino acids) is an abundant transmembrane protein of the mitochondrial inner membrane whose import involves well-defined steps (Pfanner, N., and Neupert, W. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 7528-7536). Analysis of the in vitro import of gene fusion products containing ADP/ATP carrier (AAC) sequences at the amino terminus and mouse dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) at the carboxyl terminus indicates that the first 72 amino acids of the soluble carrier protein, a hydrophilic region of the protein, are not by themselves sufficient for initial binding to the AAC receptor on the mitochondrial surface. However, an AAC-DHFR gene fusion containing the first 111 residues of the ADP/ATP carrier protein exhibited binding to mitochondria at low temperature (2 degrees C) and internalization at 25 degrees C to a mitochondrial space protected from proteinase K in the same manner as the wild-type ADP/ATP carrier protein. The AAC-DHFR protein, in contrast to the wild-type AAC protein imported into mitochondria under optimal conditions, remained extractable at alkaline pH and appeared to be blocked at an intermediate step in the AAC import pathway. Based on its extraction properties, this AAC-DHFR hybrid is proposed to be associated with a proteinaceous component of the import apparatus within mitochondria. These data indicate that the import determinants for the AAC protein are not located at its extreme amino terminus and that protein determinants distal to the first 111 residues of the carrier may be necessary to move the protein beyond the alkali-extractable step in the biogenesis of a functional AAC protein.
Two suppressor loci for gene 49 mutations of bacteriophage T4: II. DNA and capsid maturation

Abstract Introduction into T4 am 49-defective phage of secondary mutations at either of two loci on the T4 chromosome results in suppression of the inability of these phage to grow on E. coli B. These mutations alter certain aspects of the 49-defective phenotype while not affecting others. The unusually rapid sedimentation rate of 49-defective replicative DNA is almost completely suppressed by mutations at either site. Likewise, the abnormal accumulation of incompletely filled phage capsids due to the 49-mutation is also suppressed, although the suppressor mutations themselves lead to a similar but less drastic phenotype. In contrast, the loss of a hydrolytic activity in 49-defective infections is not restored by the suppressor mutations. This lends some weight to the suggestion that the absence of that activity is not the result of the 49-phenotype but rather the cause of it. These secondary mutations also result in the production of a heterogeneous population of DNA molecules similar to but generally shorter than mature phage DNA. The molecules fail to become stably associated with phage capsids. This and the DNA arrest phenotype of these phages described previously account for the low yield of the pseudorevertant and suppressor phages.
Progress in Dye and Excimer Laser Sources for Remote Sensing

In laser based remote sensing, atmospheric constituents are identified and their concentration is determined through observation of the characteristic interaction of the laser radiation with specific atmospheric constituents. Techniques such as resonance fluorescence and resonance Raman scattering involve tuning the laser to a frequency characteristic of the sample and observing the radiation from the sample at the same or a slightly different frequency. The temporal behavior of the observed signal contains the information on the spatial distribution of the sample and the intensity indicates its concentration. For general application of this method, the laser radiation must be tunable over a wide range.
Approximation of plurisubharmonic functions by multipole Green functions

For a strongly hyperconvex domain D C C n we prove that multipole pluricomplex Green functions are dense in the cone in L 1 (D) of negative plurisubharmonic functions with zero boundary values.
Fatigue of Materials: Retardation and transients in fatigue crack growth

The discussions presented in Chapters 9–12 focused on constant amplitude cyclic loading situations where the nominal stress intensity factor amplitude (for fixed load ratio and environmental conditions) and/or the maximum stress intensity factor uniquely govern the rates of crack advance in ductile and brittle solids. There are, however, a variety of situations where the local or effective stress intensity factor range or peak value at the crack tip, which is responsible for fatigue crack growth, can be markedly different from the nominal imposed value. These differences between the apparent and actual ‘driving force’ for fatigue fracture may stem from such effects as (i) premature closure of the crack faces even under fully tensile far-field cyclic loads, (ii) periodic deflections in the path of the crack due to mcirostructural impediments to fracture or changes in local stress state and mode mixity, (iii) shielding of the crack tip from the far-field, applied loads by the residual stress fields generated within the cyclic plastic zone or stress-induced phase transformations, and (iv) by the bridging of the faces of the crack by fibers, particles, intact grains or corrosion products. These processes, many of which are applicable to crystalline and noncrystalline as well as brittle and ductile solids, can lead to an apparent retardation of the fatigue crack growth and hence can possibly enhance the damage-tolerance characteristics of fatigue-prone materials and structures.
On Pattern and Evolution

A model of pattern formation in living systems is presented. The pattern is achieved by the sequential interaction of two signaling pathways. The coupling of the pattern to the (thick) epithelial sheet changes is given, when the Gauss curvature'K'enters. The model suggests a novel point-like placement for organs such as eyes, antennae, limbs, and wings. In the case of plant patterns, 'leaf' outgrowths from a stem are predicted to be under the control of a yet to be discovered "master regulatiory gene", analogous to the animal case, when various outgrowths from the animal body are generally accompanied by activation of the 'distal-less' (Dll) gene.
HUMAN RIGHTS THEORY ROOTED IN THE WRITINGS OF THOMAS AQUINAS

This essay is an analysis of the theory of human rights based on the writings of Thomas Aquinas, with special reference to the Summa Theologiae. The difference between a jus naturale found in Aquinas and the theory of human rights developed by the sixteenth century scholastic philosophers is articulated. The distinction between objective natural rights—“what is right”—and subjective natural rights—“a right”—is discussed noting that Aquinas held the former position and that later scholastic philosophers beginning with the Salamanca School of the Second Scholasticism developed the latter position. The subjective theory of rights evolved into the modern and contemporary account of individual human rights. The essay ends with an argument suggesting that Aquinas’s theory of objective human rights can serve as the ontological foundation for a robust theory of both positive and negative subjective natural rights.
Fusible Data Structures for Fault-Tolerance

We introduce the concept of fusible data structures to maintain fault-tolerant data in distributed programs. Given a fusible data structure, it is possible to combine a set of such structures into a single fused structure, that is smaller than the combined size of the original structures. When any of the original data structures is updated, the fused structure can be updated incrementally using local information about the update and does not need to be entirely recomputed. In case of a failure, the fused structure, along with the correct original data structures, can be used to efficiently reconstruct the failed structure. We show that many commonly used data structures like arrays, hash tables, stacks and queues are fusible and we present algorithms to fuse and recover such structures. This approach often requires significantly less space than conventional backups by replication and still allows efficient operations on the original data structures. For example, our experiments on a distributed system suggests that for a system with k servers, this approach requires k times less space than replication based techniques.
Lethality of a Heat- and Phosphate-Catalyzed Glucose By-Product to Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Partial Protection Conferred by the rpoS Regulon

A by-product of glucose produced during sterilization (121°C, 15 lb/in2, 15 min) at neutral pH and in the presence of phosphate (i.e., phosphate-buffered saline) was bactericidal to Escherichia coli O157:H7 (ATCC 43895). Other six-carbon (fructose and galactose) and five-carbon (arabinose, ribose, and xylose) reducing sugars also produced a toxic by-product under the same conditions. Fructose and the five-carbon sugars yielded the most bactericidal activity. Glucose concentrations of 1% (wt/vol) resulted in a 99.9% decline in the CFU of stationary-phase cells per milliliter in 2 days at 25°C. An rpoS mutant (pRR10::rpoS) of strain 43895 (FRIK 816-3) was significantly (P < 0.001) more sensitive to the glucose-phosphate by-product than the parent strain, as glucose concentrations from 0.05 to 0.25% resulted in a 2- to 3-log10 reduction in CFU per milliliter in 2 days at 25°C. Likewise, log-phase cells of the wild-type strain, 43895, were significantly more sensitive (P < 0.001) to the glucose-phosphate by-product than were stationary-phase cells, which is consistent with the stability of rpoS and the regulation of rpoS-regulated genes. The bactericidal effect of the glucose-phosphate by-product was reduced when strains ATCC 43895 and FRIK 816-3 were incubated at a low temperature (4°C). Also, growth in glucose-free medium (i.e., nutrient broth) did not alleviate the sensitivity to the glucose-phosphate by-product and excludes the possibility of substrate-accelerated death as the cause of the bactericidal effect observed. The glucose-phosphate by-product was also bactericidal to Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella dysenteriae, and a Klebsiella sp. Attempts to identify the glucose-phosphate by-product were unsuccessful. These studies demonstrate the production of a glucose-phosphate by-product bactericidal to E. coli O157:H7 and the protective effects afforded by rpoS-regulated gene products. Additionally, the detection of sublethally injured bacteria may be compromised by the presence of this by-product in recovery media.
Connectivity of the bay scallop (Argopecten irradians) in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

The harvest of bay scallops (Argopecten irradians) from Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, U.S.A. undergoes large interannual fluctuations, varying by more than an order of magnitude in successive years. To investigate the extent to which these fluctuations may be due to yearly variations in the transport of scallop larvae from spawning areas to suitable juvenile habitat (settlement zones), a high-resolution hydrodynamic model was used to drive an individual-based model of scallop larval transport. Model results revealed that scallop spawning in Buzzards Bay occurs during a time when nearshore bay currents were principally directed up-bay in response to a persistent southwesterly sea breeze. This nearshore flow results in the substantial transport of larvae from lower-bay spawning areas to settlement zones further up-bay. Averaged over the entire bay, the spawning-to-settlement zone connectivity exhibits little interannual variation. However, connectivities between individual spawning and settlement zones vary by up to an order of magnitude. The model results identified spawning areas that have the greatest probability of transporting larvae to juvenile habitat. Because managers may aim to increase scallop populations either locally or broadly, the high-connectivity spawning areas were divided into: (i) high larval retention and relatively little larval transport to adjoining settlement areas, (ii) both significant larval retention and transport to more distant settlement areas, and (iii) little larval retention but significant transport to distant settlement areas.
Delivery of drugs to the inner ear.

Purpose of reviewInner ear delivery of medicines has been a rapidly expanding field in otolaryngology. This technique provides a minimally invasive way of managing a number of otolaryngologic diagnoses and promises to provide a therapeutic option for previously untreatable disorders. The purpose of
Placement of energy storage coordinated with smart PV inverters

Energy storage (ES) is increasing used in electrical transmission and distribution systems because it can perform many functions. These include peak shaving, voltage regulation, frequency regulation, spinning reserve, and aiding integration of renewable generation by mitigating the effects of intermittency. This work focuses on the usage of energy storage for peak shaving and voltage regulation on a distribution system having a high penetration of photovoltaic (PV) generation. The PV stations considered make use of smart PV inverters as proposed by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). These inverters assist the energy storage with voltage regulation. Additionally, the proposed method includes support for varying energy storage unit (ESU) sizes, non-radial distribution systems, and reverse power flow, both real and reactive. The method is applied to the worst-case voltage regulation scenario. The impact of the placement and voltage regulation on the profitability of energy storage is assessed. This is accomplished by adding voltage regulation as a constraint to the problem scheduling energy storage in order to maximize profit. Applying the method shows that the best place to put an ESU is near the end of a feeder. Validation of the method shows that it does not impact the ability of ES to be scheduled in order to maximize economic benefits with time-ofuse pricing.
Music, Spirit Possession and the In-Between: Ethnomusicological Inquiry and the Challenge of Trance

The recent renewal of interest in trance, within the field of ethnomusicology as well as without, warrants a reconsideration of the particular challenges of studying musics of spirit possession. These include a disciplinary focus on ‘the music’, an approach that runs the risk of artificially abstracting music from the larger ritual and cultural complex of which it is a part. They also involve wrestling with the limits of epistemology and with personal convictions and social biases that influence the encounter with the unseen. Particularly problematic is the tension between native explication of possession trance, which grants agency to supernatural beings, and the parameters of academic discourse, which are shaped by the search for ‘rational’ explanations. These entrenched yet often unacknowledged attitudes, I argue, can be counterproductive, for they prevent us from learning from, or even acknowledging, indigenous understandings of the relations between music, trance, and possession, and ultimately reify...
Gas chromatography with spectroscopic detectors.

Abstract In recent years, capillary gas chromatography (GC) with Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) and/or mass spectral (MS) detection has become a primary analytical tool for qualitative and quantitative analysis of complex mixtures. Because of the wide range of applications, the analytical requirements have motivated a variety of chromatographic and detection developments. This review examines those, illustrating with applications that demonstrate the power of GC and multidimensional GC–MS, GC–FT-IR and GC–FT-IR–MS systems for solving a variety of analytcal problems. In addition, the article discusses the integrated performance of such analytical systems with the aid of recent sample introduction and computer data analysis advances.
Machine vision through optical correlator

For realizing machine vision using optical coherent information processing technique, distance and direction of moving target must first be detected. In our digital-optical hybrid correlation filtering system, a new method of detection distance and direction of moving target was proposed. In the paper, we studied the algorithm of detecting distance and direction of moving target by means of the method and gave the experiment results. Without question, it would have practical application in the study of machine vision.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Automatic, Multimodal Evaluation of Human Interaction

This article outlines an approach for automatically extracting behavioral indicators from video, audio, and text and explores the possibility of using those indicators to predict human-interpretable judgments of involvement, dominance, tension, and arousal. We utilized two-dimensional spatial inputs extracted from video, acoustic properties extracted from audio and verbal content transcribed from face-to-face interactions to construct a set of multimodal features. Multiple predictive models were created using the extracted features as predictors and human-coded perceptions of involvement, tenseness, and arousal as the criterion. These predicted perceptions were then used as independent variables in classifying truth and deception. Though the predicted values for perceptions performed comparably to human-coded perceptions in detecting deception, the results were not satisfying. Thus, the extracted multimodal features were used to predict deception directly. Classification accuracy was substantially higher than typical human deception detection performance. Through this research, we consider the feasibility and validity of the approach and identify how such an approach could contribute to the broader community.
Glucose-stimulated expressed sequence tags from rat pancreatic islets.

Abstract Available evidence suggests that glucose, the most potent physiologic insulin secretagogue, capacitates glucose-induced insulin secretion by stimulating synthesis of various proteins in the beta cell. To obtain more clues about proteins that might be involved in insulin secretion, rat pancreatic cDNA libraries were screened by differential hybridization for non-preproinsulin transcripts that were increased when pancreatic islets were cultured for 1 day at a high (20 mM) versus a low concentration (1 mM) of glucose. More than 100 000 pfu were initially screened. After repeated rescreening, 33 transcripts were 1–3-fold higher in the presence of the high glucose. For comparison, preproinsulin transcripts were 4–8-fold higher at the high concentration of glucose. The sequences of 12 clones were ≥ 85% similar to published sequences. These included annexin, calbindin, protein kinase C receptor, the G protein beta subunit, the guanyl cyclase A/atrial natriuretic peptide receptor and the serotonin 5HT-2 receptor. As previously reported, ferritin H chain transcripts were discovered to be 3–6-fold higher in the presence of the high glucose (MacDonald et al., FASEB J. 8, 777–781, 1994). Unidentified glucose responsive clones have been assigned GenBank accession numbers N55606-N55636, N65938 and N65939. The results implicate the proteins encoded by these mRNAs in insulin secretion.
A Pseudospectral Method for Hammerstein Equations

Abstract This paper considers Hammerstein equations[formula]and presents a pseudospectral method for solving them numerically. The method is applied to approximate the solution not to the equation in its original form, but rather to an equivalent equation z ( t )= g ( t , y ( t )). The function z is approximated by a polynomial z N of degree N , with coefficients determined by collocation at the Legendre–Gauss–Lobatto nodes. We define the desire approximation to y by[formula]and establish that, under suitable conditions, lim N →∞ y N ( t )= y ( t ), uniformly in t . Advantages of the proposed method, compared with existing methods in the literature, are discussed. An illustrative example is included to show the accuracy of the proposed method.
Pressure Effect on the Flow Fields and the Reynolds Stresses in a Bubble Column

The hydrodynamics of bubble columns operated at pressures up to 7.0 MPa are investigated using a laser Doppler velocimetry system. Laser Doppler velocimetry is a noninvasive optical technique, which is used to conduct in situ measurements of velocity, with high spatial resolution, fast dynamic response, and the ability to detect flow. The axial and tangential velocities and the Reynolds shear and normal stresses are analyzed and discussed in relation to large-scale structures present in the flow. This study demonstrates the significance of the pressure effect on the flow field in bubble-column systems.
Retinopathy of prematurity.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW This review highlights recent advances in basic science and clinical research on retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). RECENT FINDINGS The modern concept of ROP pathophysiology is discussed, as are studies investigating anti-angiogenic agents for treatment. Results of the largest clinical trials are summarized. Current screening criteria, potential modifications to them, and telephotoscreening are discussed. SUMMARY ROP is a challenging and involving area of pediatric ophthalmology.
Ethical contexts of healing: Character and ritual

Jesus was asked by what authority did he heal. I suggest that the authority of the healing ministry of Jesus occurred because his work was a part of the inbreaking of God's Reign, was consistent with call to covenantal obedience within the Jewish community and because his life was the incarnation of God's righteousnes. The authority of the contemporary Christian therapist is different in degree not in kind. Our authority emerges when healing occurs that is consistent with the Sermon on the Mount, when the people of God have blessed our service and when our lives approximate the ethic of the Reign of God. It is my hope that an ethic of God's Reign, a normative people and our personal character as disciples of Christ might more significantly shape the therapeutic process.
Wave Gradiometry in the Time Domain

A time-domain approach for solving for the change in geometrical spreading and horizontal wave slowness in wave gradiometry is presented based on the use of the analytic signal. The horizontal displacement gradient of a wave is linearly related to the displacement and its time derivative. The coefficients of this relationship give the change of geometrical spreading, the change in radiation pattern, and horizontal slowness. The new time-domain technique incorporates estimates of the instantaneous amplitude and frequency of the three time series to solve uniquely for the wave-field coefficients. The analysis is simpler and more suited to fast array processing of displacement gradient data sets compared with a spectral ratio method.
Broadband ultra-compact nanophotonic optical modulators and switches

As multi-core processor architectures continue to evolve as a promising platform for high-performance computing, an additional set of challenges emerges for the global interconnects between cores. In particular, the limited throughput and large power consumption of electrical interconnects become dominant factors limiting the continued scaling of power performance. One promising solution is to replace conventional global interconnects with a CMOS-compatible intra-chip optical network, based on Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) nanophotonic integrated circuits.