cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On Justice: Philosophy, History, Foundations

Though much attention has been paid to different principles of justice, far less has been done reflecting on what the larger concern behind the notion is. In this work, Mathias Risse proposes that the perennial quest for justice is about ensuring that each individual has an appropriate place in what our uniquely human capacities permit us to build, produce, and maintain, and is appropriately respected for the capacity to hold such a place to begin with. Risse begins by investigating the role of political philosophers and exploring how to think about the global context where philosophical inquiry occurs. Next, he offers a quasi-historical narrative about how the notion of distributive justice identifies a genuinely human concern that arises independently of cultural context and has developed into the one we should adopt now. Finally, he investigates the core terms of this view, including stringency, moral value, ground and duties of justice.
Analyzing CART

Decision trees with binary splits are popularly constructed using Classification and Regression Trees (CART) methodology. For binary classification and regression models, this approach recursively divides the data into two near-homogenous daughter nodes according to a split point that maximizes the reduction in sum of squares error (the impurity) along a particular variable. This paper aims to study the bias and adaptive properties of regression trees constructed with CART. In doing so, we derive an interesting connection between the bias and the mean decrease in impurity (MDI) measure of variable importance---a tool widely used for model interpretability---defined as the sum of impurity reductions over all non-terminal nodes in the tree. In particular, we show that the probability content of a terminal subnode for a variable is small when the MDI for that variable is large and that this relationship is exponential---confirming theoretically that decision trees with CART have small bias and are adaptive to signal strength and direction. Finally, we apply these individual tree bounds to tree ensembles and show consistency of Breiman's random forests. The context is surprisingly general and applies to a wide variety of multivariable data generating distributions and regression functions. The main technical tool is an exact characterization of the conditional probability content of the daughter nodes arising from an optimal split, in terms of the partial dependence function and reduction in impurity.
What is bitcoin

Many want to know what bitcoin is and how it works. But bitcoin is as complex as it is controversial, and relatively few have the technical background to understand it. In this paper, I offer an ac...
3-Dimensional Hydrothermal Vent Localization Based on Chemical Plume Tracing

This paper presents a 3-dimensional (3-D) chemical plume tracing (CPT) algorithm for using on an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to find a hydrothermal vent in the underwater environment. In the process of tracing hydrothermal plumes, two types of search modes are defined, namely the horizontal and the vertical search mode. Specifically, in the horizontal search mode, the AUV employs the moth-inspired CPT method to trace plumes on a horizontal plane, and when the vertical search mode is activated, the AUV follows 3-D spiral trajectories to detect plumes in deeper water regions. These two search modes are alternated until the hydrothermal vent is located. In experiments, a 3-D hydrothermal plume simulator, which was created based on the plume data collected from real active vents, is employed as the simulation environment. Results from simulation tests verify that the proposed CPT algorithm is valid for locating a hydrothermal vent in a 3-D underwater environment.
The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the Veterans Affairs System toward being a payer and virtual care provider: is it sustainable?

Structured AbstractO_ST_ABSObjectiveC_ST_ABSTo examine how VA shifted care delivery methods one year into the pandemic. Study SettingAll encounters paid or provided by VA between January 1, 2019 and February 27, 2021. Study DesignWe aggregated all VA paid or provided encounters and classified them into community (non-VA) acute and non-acute visits, VA acute and non-acute visits, and VA virtual visits. We then compared the number of encounters by week over time to pre-pandemic levels. Data Extraction MethodsAggregation of administrative VA claims and health records. Principal FindingsVA has experienced a dramatic and persistent shift to providing virtual care and purchasing care from non-VA providers. Before the pandemic, a majority (63%) of VA care was provided in-person at a VA facility. One year into the pandemic, in-person care at VAs constituted just 33% of all visits. Most of the difference made up by large expansions of virtual care; total VA provided visits (in person and virtual) declined (4.9 million to 4.2 million) while total visits of all types declined only 3.5%. Community provided visits exceeded prepandemic levels (2.3 million to 2.9 million, +26%). ConclusionUnlike private health care, VA has resumed in-person care slowly at its own facilities, and more rapidly in purchased care with different financial incentives a likely driver. The very large expansion of virtual care nearly made up the difference. With a widespread physical presence across the U.S., this has important implications for access to care and future allocation of medical personnel, facilities, and resources.
DLLNet: An Attention-Based Deep Learning Method for Dental Landmark Localization on High-Resolution 3D Digital Dental Models

Dental landmark localization is a fundamental step to analyzing dental models in the planning of orthodontic or orthognathic surgery. However, current clinical practices require clinicians to manually digitize more than 60 landmarks on 3D dental models. Automatic methods to detect landmarks can release clinicians from the tedious labor of manual annotation and improve localization accuracy. Most existing landmark detection methods fail to capture local geometric contexts, causing large errors and misdetections. We propose an end-to-end learning framework to automatically localize 68 landmarks on high-resolution dental surfaces. Our network hierarchically extracts multi-scale local contextual features along two paths: a landmark localization path and a landmark area-of-interest segmentation path. Higher-level features are learned by combining local-to-global features from the two paths by feature fusion to predict the landmark heatmap and the landmark area segmentation map. An attention mechanism is then applied to the two maps to refine the landmark position. We evaluated our framework on a real-patient dataset consisting of 77 high-resolution dental surfaces. Our approach achieves an average localization error of 0.42 mm, significantly outperforming related start-of-the-art methods.
Bimetallic Complexes Supported by a Redox-Active Ligand with Fused Pincer-Type Coordination Sites.

The remarkable chemistry of mononuclear complexes featuring tridentate, meridionally chelating "pincer" ligands has stimulated the development of ligand frameworks containing multiple pincer sites. Here, the coordination chemistry of a novel pentadentate ligand (L(N3O2)) that provides two closely spaced NNO pincer-type compartments fused together at a central diarylamido unit is described. The trianionic L(N3O2) chelate supports homobimetallic structures in which each M(II) ion (M = Co, Cu, Zn) is bound in a meridional fashion by the bridging diarylamido N atom and O,N-donors of the salicyaldimine arms. The metal centers are also coordinated by a mono- or bidentate auxiliary ligand (L(aux)), resulting in complexes with the general form [M2(L(N3O2))(L(aux))2](+) (where L(aux) = 1-methyl-benzimidazole (1MeBI), 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy), 4,4'-dibromo-2,2'-bipyridine (bpy(Br2)), or (S)-2-(4-isopropyl-4,5-dihydrooxazolyl)pyridine (S-(iPr)OxPy)). The fused nature of the NNO pincer sites results in short metal-metal distances ranging from 2.70 A for [Co2(L(N3O2)) (bpy)2](+) to 3.28 A for [Zn2(L(N3O2)) (bpy)2](+), as revealed by X-ray crystallography. The complexes possess C2 symmetry due to the twisting of the aryl rings of the μ-NAr2 core; spectroscopic studies indicate that chiral L(aux) ligands, such as S-(iPr)OxPy, are capable of controlling the helical sense of the L(N3O2) scaffold. Since the four- or five-coordinate M(II) centers are linked solely by the amido moiety, each features an open coordination site in the intermetallic region, allowing for the possibility of metal-metal cooperativity in small-molecule activation. Indeed, the dicobalt(II) complex [Co2(L(N3O2)) (bpy(Br2))2](+) reacts with O2 to yield a dicobalt(III) species with a μ-1,2-peroxo ligand. The bpy-containing complexes exhibit rich electrochemical properties due to multiple metal- and ligand-based redox events across a wide (3.0 V) potential window. Using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT), it was determined that one-electron oxidation of [Co2(L(N3O2)) (bpy)2](+) results in formation of a S = 1/2 species with a L(N3O2)-based radical coupled to low-spin Co(II) centers.
Sensory ataxia and muscle spindle agenesis in mice lacking the transcription factor Egr3

Muscle spindles are skeletal muscle sensory organs that provide axial and limb position information (proprioception) to the central nervous system. Spindles consist of encapsulated muscle fibers (intrafusal fibers) that are innervated by specialized motor and sensory axons. Although the molecular mechanisms involved in spindle ontogeny are poorly understood, the innervation of a subset of developing myotubes (type I) by peripheral sensory afferents (group Ia) is a critical event for inducing intrafusal fiber differentiation and subsequent spindle formation. The Egr family of zinc-finger transcription factors, whose members include Egr1 (NGFI-A), Egr2 (Krox-20), Egr3 and Egr4 (NGFI-C), are thought to regulate critical genetic programs involved in cellular growth and differentiation (refs 4-8, and W.G.T. et al., manuscript submitted). Mice deficient in Egr3 were generated by gene targeting and had gait ataxia, increased frequency of perinatal mortality, scoliosis, resting tremors and ptosis. Although extrafusal skeletal muscle fibers appeared normal, Egr3-deficient animals lacked muscle spindles, a finding that is consistent with their profound gait ataxia. Egr3 was highly expressed in developing muscle spindles, but not in Ia afferent neurons or their terminals during developmental periods that coincided with the induction of spindle morphogenesis by sensory afferent axons. These results indicate that type I myotubes are dependent upon Egr3-mediated transcription for proper spindle development.
Temporal databases: access structures, search methods, migration strategies, and declustering techniques

Temporal databases maintain the complete history of all the states of a database. This permits users to query the current state of the database, as well as past states, and even future states that are planned to occur. To provide these capabilities and realize the promise of temporal databases, several technical challenges must be first addressed and resolved. One challenge is to develop techniques for storing and searching the very large amounts of data that are often generated by temporal database systems. Another challenge is the effective use of the storage technology that is currently available, such as write-once optical disks and disk arrays. This dissertation presents an in-depth analysis of several access structures and search methods for temporal databases. A formal characterization of an efficient access structure, the time index, is given. This structure permits efficient searches on temporal data that often overlaps and has a non-uniform distribution. The data structures for the time index are defined and efficient search algorithms for point and interval based operations are described. The main drawback of the time index is that it requires a large amount of storage. This dissertation presents a temporal incremental access structure, the time index$\sp+,$ which requires less storage and performs better than the time index. Extensive simulation studies are performed in order to compare the storage requirements and search performance of the time index$\sp+$ with that of the time index, the packed R-tree, and the parameterized R-tree. In addition, an access structure called the monotonic $B\sp+$-tree for append-only temporal databases is presented. Comprehensive archiving techniques for the monotonic $B\sp+$-tree are provided and search algorithms for magnetic-optical storage media are given. Finally, the issue of declustering temporal access structures for a single processor multiple independent disk architecture is addressed. Several disk allocation schemes are described for distributing temporal access structures on multiple disks in order to increase concurrent disk accesses in response to point and range queries. The techniques proposed are validated through extensive simulation studies.
Low energy, highly-associative cache design for embedded processors

Many embedded processors use highly associative data caches implemented using a CAM-based tag search. When high-associativity is desirable, CAM designs can offer performance advantages due to fast associative search. However, CAMs are not energy efficient. This paper describes a CAM-based cache design which uses prediction to reduce energy consumption. A last used prediction is shown to achieve an 86% prediction accuracy, on average. A new design integrating such predictor in the CAM tag store is described. A 30% average D-cache energy reduction is demonstrated for the MiBench programs with little additional hardware or impact on processor performance. Even better results can be achieved with another predictor design which increases prediction accuracy. Significant static energy reduction is also possible using this approach for the RAM data store.
EBV-induced oncogenesis

The Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is a human herpesvirus that is a ubiquitous infectious agent, infecting greater than 90% of the world’s population (Henle et al., 1969). The majority of infections occur early in life without significant illness. However, EBV is clearly an important factor in multiple human cancers. This dichotomy raises the question as to what are the unique aspects of infection in those who develop cancers. The study of EBV and its associated tumors points to specific interactions between environmental, genetic, and viral factors.
Abstract 16389: Beyond Depression: Benefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Cardiac Surgery Patients

Introduction: Depression after cardiac surgery (CS) is associated with increased pain and decreased sleep quality. We have shown that nurse-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression is effective, but the effect of depression-focused CBT on other post-CS outcomes is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine if CBT for depression influenced postoperative pain, sleep, perceived control, and social support. Methods: After screening positive for clinical depression, 53 post-CS patients (mean age = 64 ± 10 years, 83% male, 28% single) were randomized to usual care (UC) or 8 weeks of CBT by trained nurses. At baseline and post-intervention, patients completed questionnaires for depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory), pain (Brief Pain Inventory), sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), perceived control (Cardiac Attitude Scale-Revised) and social support (Perceived Social Support Scale). Change over time was evaluated by repeated ANOVA controlling for baseline values. Patient characteristics likely to influence CBT outcomes were evaluated by linear regression. Results: Compared to UC, the CBT group showed greater increase in perceived control and reduction in pain interference (Figure), with a trend toward improvement in social support (time x group interaction , p = .11). Improved perceived control was significantly associated with younger age (Std Beta [SB] = -.28, p = .04) and improved sleep quality (SB = -.52, p Conclusions: This study demonstrates that a depression-focused CBT intervention yields benefits in other common postoperative problems. Future studies should investigate the potential of CBT as a broad therapeutic tool in this high risk population.
Mobile applications, cloud and bigdata on ships and shore stations for increased safety on marine traffic; a smart ship project

Today, hundreds of vessels are lost every year with high economical costs, major environmental impacts and unfortunately the loss of lives. This review shows current technologies used on ships and shore stations to avoid wrecks, collisions and contacts between ships. It is also presented that these technologies are not enough to prevent the actual number of maritime accidents. Therefore, governments, naval industry, captains, vessel traffic centers, harbors, search and rescue forces need better tools to prevent accidents and increase safety at sea. On this paper, new smart technologies on vessels and the use of cloud, bigdata and analytic/cognitive real time process are presented as new intelligent tools to improve the safety of sailors. Ships using these technologies are so called Smart Ships. Finally, it is also shown the architecture, initial tests and developments of a novel smart ship project that uses this new approach focused on AIS technology.
Hepatic safety and antiretroviral effectiveness in HIV-infected patients receiving naltrexone

Background—We sought to determine the impact of naltrexone on hepatic enzymes and HIV biomarkers in HIV-infected patients. Methods—We used data from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study-Virtual Cohort, an electronic database of administrative, pharmacy and laboratory data. We restricted our sample to HIVinfected patients who received an initial oral naltrexone prescription, of at least seven days duration. We examined aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and HIV biomarker (CD4 and HIV RNA) values for the 365 days prior to, during, and for the 365 days post-naltrexone prescription. We also examined cases of liver enzyme elevation (LEE; defined as greater than 5 times baseline ALT or AST or greater than 3.5 times baseline if baseline ALT or AST was greater than or equal to 40 IU/L). Results—Of 114 HIV-infected individuals, 97% were male, 65% white, 57% Hepatitis C coinfected, median age was 49 years; 89% of the sample had a history of alcohol dependence and 32% had opioid dependence. Median duration of naltrexone prescription was 49 (interquartile range 30–83) days, representing 9,525 person-days of naltrexone use. Mean ALT and AST levels remained below the upper limit of normal. Two cases of LEE occurred. Mean CD4 count remained stable and mean HIV RNA decreased after naltrexone prescription. Conclusions—In HIV-infected patients, oral naltrexone is rarely associated with clinically significant ALT or AST changes and does not have a negative impact on biologic parameters. Therefore, HIV-infected patients with alcohol or opioid dependence can be treated with naltrexone.
Code Division Multiple Access

The sections in this article are 1 Signal Generation and Mathematical Modeling 2 Despreading and Detection 3 Synchronization 4 Interference 5 Near-Far Problem and Power Control 6 Channel Effects 7 Interference-Dispersive Channel 8 Rake Receiver
Lipid Synthesis and Surfactant Turnover in the Lungs

The sections in this article are: 1 Lipid Composition of Lung Tissue 1.1 Parenchyma 1.2 Alveolar Type II Cells 1.3 Pulmonary Surfactant 2 Metabolic Pathways of Lipids in Lung Tissue 2.1 Phosphatidylcholine 2.2 Phosphatidylglycerol 2.3 Other Lipids in Surfactant 2.4 Enzymes of Lipid Synthesis 3 Regulation of Surfactant Metabolism 3.1 Regulation of Synthesis and Storage of Surfactant Components 3.2 Regulation of Secretion of Surfactant Components 3.3 Regulation of Clearance of Surfactant Components 3.4 Relationship Between Protein and Lipid Metabolism 4 Compartmental Analysis in Studies of Surfactant Turnover
The effect of deflectors on Air Diffusion Performance Index of adjustable diffusers: Cooling condition (RP-1546)

Diffuser selection guidance listed in ASHRAE Handbook—Fundamentals (ASHRAE 2009b) includes Air Diffusion Performance Index values for horizontal high sidewall grills and ceiling linear slot diffusers. However, grills are adjustable at various angles, which generate different airflow patterns in a space and therefore might greatly affect Air Diffusion Performance Index values. Also, complaints of draft generated by ceiling slot diffusers are common because of inappropriate adjustment of diffuser deflectors. This study measures the Air Diffusion Performance Index values of three widely used adjustable diffusers—adjustable-blade grills, fixed-blade grills, and ceiling linear slot diffusers—at various deflector configurations in a test room with 25- and 50-W/m2 (7.9- and 15.8-Btu/hr/ft2) cooling loads. The study explores how deflector adjustments affect diffusers, with performance represented by Air Diffusion Performance Index values. The results show that upward blade deflectors can increase Air Diffusion Pe...
Toward sub-wavelength lithography with atomic coherence

The inverse of magnetic resonance imaging is used to develop a simple approach to super-resolution lithography that can write arbitrary patterns with high contrast. In this approach a thin layer of material that exhibits optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) is used to transfer 2D spatial information that has been encoded in spin sublevel populations of the ODMR material into an optical emission pattern that can expose photoresist. To create the pattern in spin sublevels, coherent excitation is performed using either microwave or radiofrequency fields in the presence of a controllable magnetic field gradient. To better illustrate the technique, a simulation is presented based on nitrogenvacancy (NV) color centers in diamond which is a popular room temperature ODMR material. In this simulation it is shown how a simple 2D pattern can be written using predefined optical and microwave pulses. The advantage to using this comparatively simple approach to super-resolution lithography is that more emphasis can be on solving the practical implementation issues rather than just striving to demonstrate the basic physics.
Human development and adversity in ecological perspective, part 2: Three patterns

This article, part 2 of a study that sought to delineate processes leading to good and poor outcomes among individuals who have experienced childhood adversities, uses a life-history interview meth...
Vacuum Decay Constraints on a Cosmological Scalar Field

If the potential of a scalar field o which currently provides the "dark energy" of the Universe has a minimum at o = -M 4 0 < 0, then quantum-mechanical fluctuations could nucleate a bubble of o at a negative value of the potential. This bubble would then expand at the speed of light. Given that no such bubble enveloped us in the past, we find that any minimum in V(o) must be separated from the current o value by more than min{1.5M 0 , 0.21M P 1 }, where M P 1 is the Planck mass. We also show that vacuum decay renders a cyclic or ekpyrotic universe with M 4 0 ≥ 10 - 1 0 M 4 P 1 untenable.
Postnatal ontogeny of uridine kinase in the cerebellum, hypothalamus, and cerebral cortex of the rat.

Postnatal developmental patterns of uridine kinase were determined in crude subcellular fractions of the rat cerebellum, hypothalamus and cerebral cortex at ages 3 through 60 days. The highest specific activity and predominant distribution of enzyme was in the 105,000g supernatant of the 3 brain regions. Enzyme activity in hypothalamus and cerebral cortex was maximum at 3 days and decreased with age; in cerebellum it increased through 13 days and decreased thereafter. Thus, the pattern of activity in hypothalamus and cerebral cortex paralleled changes in DNA and RNA synthesis through age 60 days; in cerebellum, it more closely approximated changes in DNA synthesis during early development. Changes inK m with aging suggest that the brain regions contain more than one form of enzyme. The highest particulate activity was in the microsomal fraction of the cerebellum and hypothalamus at all ages and in the cortex at 35 and 60 days. Relative specific activity for microsomal fractions of the brain regions at 60 days indicate a concentration of the enzyme which may be relevant in the maintenance of RNA activity in adult brain.
Preferential retention of the human chromosome C-7 in human-(thymidine kinase deficient) mouse hybrid cells.

Abstract On karyotyping human—mouse hybrid cells derived from various parental crosses, we found that if the mouse parental cells were thymidine-kinase deficient, the hybrid clones retained not only the human chromosome E-17 containing the thymidinekinase gene, but a high proportion (82%) also contained the human C-7 chromosome. Other human chromosomes were also found in these clones.
The high throughput assessment of aluminium alloy corrosion using fluorometric methods. Part II – A combinatorial study of corrosion inhibitors and synergistic combinations

Abstract The discovery of new corrosion inhibition systems remains dependent on experimental methods for screening and characterization. This paper examines a new method to rapidly assess aluminium alloy corrosion and inhibitor performance through quantification of aluminium ion concentration using fluorometric probes. The fluorometric probes, lumogallion and morin, were used in conjunction with a plate reader to rapidly assess fourteen corrosion inhibitors and their combinations for AA2024-T3. AA2024-T3 wire electrodes were exposed to 3.4 mM total inhibitor concentration in 0.6 M NaCl adjusted to pH 2, 4, 7, 10, and 12 for 1–7 days. Corrosion inhibition provided by mixtures of lanthanum and molybdate, cerium and molybdate, and metavanadate with phosphate was found to be superior to the equivalent concentration of sodium chromate.
Attenuation of rat diaphragm low-frequency fatigue by vanadate in vitro

Sodium vanadate inhibits protein tyrosine phosphatases, including in skeletal muscle. Vanadate increases contractile force of airway, vascular and gastrointestinal smooth muscle. The present study tested the hypothesis that vanadate augments skeletal muscle contractility. Rat diaphragm muscle strips (n=26 from 12 animals) were studied in vitro at 37°C. Muscles contracted isometrically while stimulated supramaximally with one of two protocols: 30 min of continuous 0.1 Hz stimulation, or 5 min of intermittent 20 Hz stimulation (duty cycle 0.33). Vanadate (500 μM)-treated muscle strips were compared with untreated muscle. Vanadate did not affect force or isometric twitch kinetics of otherwise quiescent muscle. During prolonged 0.1 Hz stimulation, force of control muscles declined by 17±4% over 30 min, whereas muscles incubated with vanadate maintained force virtually unchanged. Force over time was significantly greater with than without vanadate (P=0.03), with values being significantly different during the last 10 min of the 30 min stimulation period. In the absence of vanadate force declined at a rate of ∼0.6% per min, whereas with vanadate the rate of force decline was less than 0.1% per min (P<0.02). During intermittent 20 Hz stimulation, the degree of force decline was not affected by vanadate at any time over a course of 5 min. Isometric contractile kinetics were not altered by vanadate during either 0.1 or 20 Hz stimulation. These data suggest that vanadate ameliorates low- but not higher-frequency fatigue in diaphragm, suggesting a role for protein tyrosine phosphorylation in the regulation of muscle fatigue resistance.
The Chronically Reserpinized Rat as a Model for Cystic Fibrosis: Abnormal Cl − Transport as the Basis for Reduced Salivary Fluid Secretion

ABSTRACT: Saliva secretion induced by 10−6 M acetylcholine was reduced 74% in isolated, perfused submandibular glands of control rats when the gland was perfused with solutions containing either furosemide (10−3 M) or sulfate (instead of chloride) as the major anion. In regular (Cl-containing) perfusates without furosemide, saliva secretion was reduced 74 % in isolated glands of rats treated with seven intraperitoneal doses of reserpine (0.5 mg/kg body weight). In the latter, addition of furosemide or replacement of perfusate Cl− with SO=4 caused a further 35% drop in saliva volumes. Salivary Cl− concentrations were lower in saliva from the treated animals and were reduced further by furosemide, which also reduced the Cl− concentrations of control saliva. In submandibular acini isolated from control glands, acute exposure to 36Cl (1 μCi/ ml) resulted in a rapid uptake of tracer so that a constant content of isotope (approximately 9.5 nM/mg protein) was attained in 4–5 min and maintained for 30 min. This basal uptake reached 8.4 nM/mg protein in acini isolated from glands of reserpine-treated rats and attainment of a steady state of tracer content was delayed and required 8–10 min. Exposure to acetylcholine reduced uptake and steady state tracer content by 35% in control acini, but had no effect in acini of reserpine-treated rats. Acetylcholine caused a rapid decrease (42% in 1 min) in 36CI content of control acini which were preloaded with tracer for 12 min, but only a 23% decrease in acini of reserpine-treated rats. Exposure to furosemide at zero time caused a 50% reduction in 36Cl uptake in control acini and a 41% reduction in acini of the treated animals. Addition of the diuretic to acini preloaded with tracer caused a slower reduction in 36Cl content of control acini (48% in 7 min) and a similarly slow and smaller reduction (26%) in acini of reserpine-treated rats. These findings indicate that: 1) Salivary fluid secretion requires the transepithelial movement of CI− in salivary acinar cells. This involves both entry of Cl−, which occurs in part by a furosemide-sensitive transport system, and efflux of CI. 2) Both steps of this mechanism are abnormal in salivary glands of reserpine-treated animals. Cl− uptake is delayed and shows a somewhat reduced sensitivity to furosemide, while Cl− efflux is inhibited. The resulting decrease in overall transepithelial Cl− transport can explain, therefore, the reduced saliva secretion observed in reserpine-treated animals. 3) Since the reserpine-treated rat has been used as an animal model for cystic fibrosis, similar abnormalities in Cl− transport could exist in salivary cells of patients with this disease and, similarly, explain the reported disturbances in saliva secretion.
The Effect of Length of Day on Egg Production of Geese and Guineas

Abstract Length of day is a major factor controlling egg production of birds. That egg production can be initiated and/or stimulated in the domestic fowl, duck or turkey by increased exposure to light is too well known to require documentation. Sexually dormant adult birds of these species begin to lay about two weeks after the regimen of increased light is initiated. A further observation of interest, although admittedly not particularly to the point, is the precocious sexual development of immature 10 to 12 week-old broiler pullets in late March and April. Numerous follicles of ovulatory size are commonly seen in broilers processed at Gainesville, Ga. The consistent occurrence of this phenomenon in the springtime during the period of increasing day-length suggests that this too is a response to light. Response to increased exposure to light has also been produced in wild birds such as the starling (Bissonnette, 1933; although in this . . .
An efficient algorithm for determining non-overlapping running averages

Abstract A FORTRAN-77 routine is presented that calculates highest and second-highest, non-overlapping running averages. Such averages may be needed in air quality analyses for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and no efficient routines for sorting running averages are known to exist. This routine is designed to be part of a post-processor to analyze hourly concentrations from air quality dispersion models. Since it accounts for missing and invalid data, the routine can also be used with monitoring data and can be adapted to other similar applications. Included in the paper are a description of the algorithm, a FORTRAN source listing of the routine, and results of a test case. The routine has been implemented on IBM-PC, VAX 780, and UNIVAC 1180 computers.
Evidence of Electron Transfer from Peptides to DNA: Oxidation of DNA-Bound Tryptophan Using the Flash-Quench Technique

A flash-quench method has been employed to probe electron-transfer reactions from peptides to DNA. The photoexcited intercalators [Ru(phen)2(dppz)]2+ (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline; dppz = dipyridophenazine) and [Ru(phen)(bpy‘)(dppz)]2+ (bpy‘ = 4-(4‘-methyl-2,2‘-bipyridyl)valerate) are quenched by a nonintercalating and weakly bound electron-transfer quencher to generate the corresponding DNA-bound Ru(III) complexes in situ. Both Ru(III) complexes are powerful ground-state oxidants, capable of oxidizing guanine in DNA or DNA-bound tryptophan of the intercalating peptide, Lys-Trp-Lys. In mixed-sequence oligonucleotide duplexes containing [Ru(phen)(bpy‘)(dppz)]2+ tethered at one end, damage to distant guanines is observed by gel electrophoresis, consistent with the mobility of the electron through the DNA duplex. This damage at guanines is observed in both the presence and absence of Lys-Trp-Lys, but the presence of the peptide affects the distribution. In flash-quench experiments using mixed-sequence oligonuc...
Catalytic promiscuity and the evolution of new enzymatic activities

Several contemporary enzymes catalyze alternative reactions distinct from their normal biological reactions. In some cases the alternative reaction is similar to a reaction that is efficiently catalyzed by an evolutionary related enzyme. Alternative activities could have played an important role in the diversification of enzymes by providing a duplicated gene a head start towards being captured by adaptive evolution.
Angiotensin II Type 2 Receptor–Mediated Gene Expression Profiling in Human Coronary Artery Endothelial Cells

Despite intensive investigation, the molecular mechanism by which the angiotensin II type 2 (AT 2 ) receptor exerts its cellular and physiological actions remains elusive. In the present study, we have used microarray expression analysis to identify genes whose expression was regulated by this receptor and to determine its cellular consequences. Lentiviral vector was used to express the AT 2 receptor in human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs), followed by analysis of expression profiles. We observed ≈5224 genes regulated in an AT 2 receptor ligand-independent manner in HCAECs expressing the AT 2 receptor. In addition, 1235 genes were differentially expressed in response to the AT 2 receptor-specific ligand, CGP42112A. Validity of the expression profiles was demonstrated by real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction quantitation of 5 genes. Because some of these genes could be linked to the regulation of extracellular matrix association, we studied the effect of the AT 2 receptor on cell migration. Expression of the AT 2 receptor resulted in a 2-fold inhibition of HCAEC migration. Taken together, these observations demonstrate that the AT 2 receptor regulates expression of genes relevant to cell migration, protein processing, intracellular signaling, and DNA repair in both ligand-dependent and ligand-independent manners.
New theory of binary alloys with short-range order properties

Abstract A new method for treating the electronic structure of binary alloys is presented. It is based on the study of a finite size cluster connected at its edges to a Bethe-lattice of the same coordination number. An illustrative example is presented. It includes concentration sequences which are (i) random, (ii) with a tendency to segregation and (iii) with a tendancy to form binary compounds. Energy gaps and localized states appear naturally in the method.
Interruption of the NF-κB pathway by Bay 11-7082 promotes UCN-01-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis in human multiple myeloma cells

Interactions between pharmacologic NF-kappaB inhibitors (eg, Bay 11-7082, SN-50) and the checkpoint abrogator UCN-01 have been examined in human multiple myeloma (MM) cells. Exposure of U266 cells to Bay 11-7082 (Bay) in combination with UCN-01 resulted in the abrogation of NF-kappaB/DNA binding activity and the synergistic induction of apoptosis. Comparable synergism was observed in other MM cell lines and patient-derived CD138+ cells and between an inhibitory peptide of NF-kappaB (SN50) and UCN-01. Bay/UCN-01-mediated lethality involved mitochondrial dysfunction, caspase cleavage, and poly adenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase (PARP) degradation. Although Bay modestly blocked UCN-01-induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation, coadministration activated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and cdc2/cdk1 and down-regulated Mcl-1, XIAP, and Bcl-xL. Transfection with a constitutively activated mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK1)/green fluorescent protein (GFP) construct failed to block apoptosis induced by Bay/UCN-01 but significantly attenuated MEK inhibitor (U0126)/UCN-01-induced lethality. Inhibiting JNK activation with SP600125 or D-JNKI1 peptide markedly reduced Bay/UCN-01-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis and the down-regulation of Mcl-1, XIAP, and Bcl-xL but not of cdc2/cdk1 activation. Stable transfection of cells with dominant-negative caspase-9 dramatically diminished Bay/UCN-01 lethality without altering JNK or cdc2/cdk1 activation. Neither interleukin-6 (IL-6)- nor fibronectin-mediated adherence conferred resistance to Bay/UCN-01-induced apoptosis. Together, these findings suggest that a strategy combining UCN-01 with disruption of the IkappaB kinase (IKK)/IkappaB/NF-kappaB pathway warrants attention in MM.
How is the capacity of ad hoc networks improved with directional antennas

The capacity of wireless ad hoc networks is constrained by the interference caused by the neighboring nodes. Gupta and Kumar have shown that the throughput for such networks is only Θ(W/√n) bits per second per node in a unit area domain when omnidirectional antennas are used [1]. In this paper we investigate the capacity of ad hoc wireless networks using directional antennas. Using directional antennas reduces the interference area caused by each node, thus increases the capacity of the network. We will give an expression for the capacity gain and we argue that in the limit, when the beam-width goes to zero the wireless network behaves like the wired network. In our analysis we consider both arbitrary networks and random networks where nodes are assumed to be static. We have also analyzed hybrid beam-form patterns that are a mix of omnidirectional/directional and a better model of real directional antennas. Simulations are conducted for validation of our analytical results.
Synthesis of stable isotopes of auxinic herbicides 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid and 4-amino-3,6-dichloropicolinic acid

Pentachloropyridine serves as a key intermediate in the synthesis of 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid (picloram) and 4-amino-3,6-dichloropicolinic acid (aminopyralid). An M+3 stable isotope of pentachloropyridine (1, pentachloropyridine-1-15N-2,6-13C2) was prepared from K13C15N. Isotopically labeled pentachloropyridine was then carried through a seven-step synthesis to give an M+3 stable isotope of 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid (2, picloram-1-15N-2,6-13C2) in an overall yield of 42%. The chlorine atom in the 5-position of 2 was selectively removed via electrochemical reduction. Carrying out the electrochemical reduction in water provided an M+3 stable isotope of 4-amino-3,6-dichloropicolinic acid (3, aminopyralid-1-15N-2,6-13C2), whereas conducting the reduction in deuterium oxide produced an M+4 stable isotope (4, aminopyralid-1-15N-2,6-13C2-5-2H). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Photocatalytic Carbon Disulfide Production via Charge Transfer Quenching of Quantum Dots

Carbon disulfide, a potentially therapeutic small molecule, is generated via oxidative cleavage of 1,1-dithiooxalate (DTO) photosensitized by CdSe quantum dots (QDs). Irradiation of DTO-QD conjugates leads to λ(irr) independent photooxidation with a quantum yield of ~4% in aerated pH 9 buffer solution that drops sharply in deaerated solution. Excess DTO is similarly decomposed, indicating labile exchange at the QD surfaces and a photocatalytic cycle. Analogous photoreaction occurs with the O-tert-butyl ester (t)BuDTO in nonaqueous media. We propose that oxidation is initiated by hole transfer from photoexcited QD to surface DTO and that these substrates are a promising class of photocleavable ligands for modifying QD surface coordination.
969 SLEEP STATE AND MATURATION OF CO2 SENSITIVITY IN THE PREMATURE PRIMATE

Sleep apnea and altered CO2 sensitivity have been implicated in the pathophysiology of SIDS. To investigate the hypothesis that sleep state and postnatal maturation influence minute ventilation and steady state CO2 sensitivity, 7 healthy premature M. nemestrina were studied serially in the first 3 weeks of life. VE/Kg in room air, 2,3,4, and 5% CO2 was measured via nasal wrongs and hot wire anemometer and arterial gases were sampled in 3 animals after a steady state was attained. Sleep state was assessed from EEG, EOG, EMG and respiratory pattern. Baseline VE/Kg and VT/Kg increased and f decreased in REM and NREM sleep with increasing postnatal age (p .4). The CO2 ventilatory response curve shifted to the left in both states with increasing age. These results suggest that there is a sleep state specific difference in postnatal maturation of CO2 sensitivity - a progressive increase in NREM sleep and no significant change in REM sleep. Failure of this normal maturational increase in NREM sleep may be important to the pathophysiology of SIDS.
Decoding Visual Dominance Among Pakistani College Students

Abstract Twenty Pakistani college students viewed videotapes of a male stimulus person, whose visual behavior was systematically varied, engaged in a conversation with another male. The experiment attempted to replicate cross-culturally the finding that judgments about status and dominance are consistently related to patterns of visual dominance behavior, defined by the ratio of the proportion of time spent looking while speaking to the proportion of time spent looking while listening. The stimulus person displayed three different visual dominance ratios: 67%/42%, 36%/60%, and 10%/82%. The results indicated no evidence that this group of Pakistani students responded to the differences in gaze patterns in the same manner as the American students in previous studies.
Preservational, paleoecological and evolutionary patterns in the Paleogene of Wyoming-Montana and the Neogene of Pakistan

Abstract Contributions to this special issue have compared the tectonic settings, fluvial systems, paleoclimates, paleofloras and faunas, vertebrate taphonomy, and mammalian paleoecology and evolution from two long, continental records of Cenozoic ecosystems. In this concluding paper, we summarize highlights of earlier papers to provide an overview of similarities and differences between these Paleogene and Neogene records. The relative influences of tectonic, climatic, and fluvial processes on lithofacies, environments of fossil preservation, and the productivity of the fossil record are compared for each sequence. Tectonism was the primary control on sediment accumulation rate and the distribution of major depositional environments in each basin. Fossil productivity, species richness, and the distribution of fossil localities among fluvial environments change across formation boundaries in each sequence. The taxonomic, temporal, and spatial resolution of vertebrate assemblages varies among fluvial environments and differs between the two sequences. As a result, the Paleogene record is better suited for detailed study of evolutionary change within local lineages and the Neogene record for detailed paleocommunity reconstruction. Several aspects of biotic change are considered. (1) The timing and magnitude of mammalian faunal turnover in relation to climatic change are evaluated in terms of three models of evolutionary change within ecosystems: Van Valen's “Red Queen model,” Stenseth and Maynard Smith's “stationary model,” and Vrba's “turnover-pulse model.” In both records, climatic change was accompanied by change in faunal composition and ecological structure, but both pulsed and diachronous biotic change, at a resolution of about 0.5 m.y., also occurred over periods when no significant climatic change was discernible. This pattern best matches the predictions of the Red Queen model. (2) In both records, the rate of mammalian faunal turnover (first and last appearances of taxa) is not highly correlated with standing richness, suggesting that paleocommunities were not a equilibrium richness on these time scales. (3) In the Paleogene record, plant species richness declined while mammalian species richness increased. (4) In each sequence, some episodes of mammalian faunal turnover were in step with changes in size or trophic structure, while other changes in faunal composition entailed no corresponding change in ecological structure. While both records would benefit from improved paleoclimatic, temporal, species-level, and ecomorphological resolution, this initial synthesis suggests that both physical and biotic factors were important influences on faunal composition, the timing and rate of turnover, and ecological structure in these paleocommunities.
Analysis of the observed anomaly in ππ s-wave scattering near KK̄ threshold

Abstract The character of the ππ s-wave scattering amplitude near 980 MeV is determined from the reactions π + p→‡ ++ π + π − and ‡ ++ K + K − at 7GeV/c.
Melanoma × Macrophage Fusion Hybrids Acquire Increased Melanogenesis and Metastatic Potential: Altered N-Glycosylation as an Underlying Mechanism

We recently reported that a majority of hybrids generated in vitro between weakly metastatic mouse Cloudman S91 melanoma cells and human or mouse macrophages showed enhanced metastatic potential. With few exceptions, hybrids with enhanced metastatic potential also had elevated basal melanin content and increased responsiveness to MSH compared to parental cells. Here we investigated the hybrid melanotic phenotype in more detail, comparing the pigmentary systems of hybrids and parental Cloudman S91 cells by several techniques. Cells were studied by electron microscopy, cell lysates were analyzed for tyrosinase (E.C.1.14.18.1) activity, and melanosomal proteins were analyzed by gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting. Melanosomes in parental Cloudman melanoma cells were few in number and relatively amorphous, whereas those in the hybrids were numerous and heavily pigmented, containing highly organized lattice structures. Both basal and MSH-inducible tyrosinase activities were elevated several fold in hybrids compared to parental cells. Tyrosinase, TRP-2, and LAMP-1 from hybrids migrated more slowly on gels compared to the same proteins from parental melanoma cells, consistent with increased glycosylation. Migration of LAMP-1 from hybrids was similar to that from peritoneal macrophages, which also appeared to be more heavily glycosylated than LAMP-1 from Cloudman cells. By using 3H-glucosamine as a marker of N-glycosylation, its incorporation into tyrosinase and LAMP-1 was found to be elevated in hybrids, suppressed by N-glycosylation inhibitors, and stimulated by MSH to a greater degree in hybrids compared to parental cells. These results indicate N-glycosylation as an important regulatory pathway for MSH-induced melanogenesis and further suggest that altered N-linked glycosylation may be an underlying mechanism for regulation of both melanogenesis and metastasis in macrophage x melanoma hybrids.