cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hypercars: Speeding the transition to solar hydrogen

Abstract A discontinuous transformation now underway in automotive technology may accelerate the transition to transportation powered by solar hydrogen. Even using internal-combustion engines, ultralight, ultraslippery, advanced-composite, hybrid-electric “hypercars” can be severalfold lighter and lower-drag than present steel cars; many times more efficient; and over two orders of magnitude cleaner; yet equally safe, sporty, comfortable, durable, beautiful and (probably) affordable. The required design integration is technically and culturally difficult. Yet important manufacturing advantages permit a free-market commercialization strategy impelled not by government mandates or subsidies but by manufacturers' quest for competitive advantage and customers' desire for superior cars. Proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are promising even for heavy and high-drag hybrid cars because they can convert hydrogen into traction severalfold more efficiently than today's drivelines convert gasoline. But hypercars would need significantly fewer kilowatts of power, and could therefore adopt PEMFCs earlier—before their specific cost, mass, and volume mature. The resulting high production volumes could quickly cut PEMFCs' costs enough to displace a significant portion of thermal power stations, either in stationary applications or by plugging in parked hypercars. This potential break-though for PEMFCs is one new stimuli to early emergence both of distributed electric utilities and of hydrogen fuel as a major output of renewable energy sources.
The prrAB Two-Component System Is Essential for Mycobacterium tuberculosis Viability and Is Induced under Nitrogen-Limiting Conditions

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis prrA-prrB (Rv0903c-Rv0902c) two-component regulatory system is expressed during intracellular growth in human macrophages and is required for early intracellular multiplication in murine macrophages, suggesting its importance in establishing infection. To better understand the function of the prrA-prrB two-component system, we defined the transcriptional characteristics of the prrA and prrB genes during exponential and stationary growth and upon exposure to different environmental stresses and attempted to generate a prrA-prrB deletion mutant. The prrA and prrB genes constitute an operon and are cotranscribed during logarithmic growth, with transcriptional levels decreasing in stationary phase and during hypoxia. Despite the transcriptional differences, PrrA protein levels remained relatively stable throughout growth and in hypoxia. Under conditions of nitrogen limitation, prrAB transcription was induced, while acidic pH stress and carbon starvation did not significantly alter transcript levels. Deletion of the prrAB operon on the chromosome of M. tuberculosis H37Rv occurred only in the presence of an episomal copy of the prrAB genes, indicating that this two-component system is essential for viability. Characterization of the prrAB locus in M. tuberculosis Mt21D3, a previously described prrA transposon mutant, revealed that this strain is not a true prrA knockout mutant. Rather, Tn5367 transposon insertion into the prrA promoter only decreased prrA and prrB transcription and PrrA levels in Mt21D3 compared to those in the parental Mt103 clinical strain. These data provide the first report describing the essentiality of the M. tuberculosis prrAB two-component system and reveal insights into its potential role in mycobacterial growth and metabolism.
A uniqueness result for extending orders; with application to collective choice as inconsistency resolution

Abstract Two axioms about extending a weak ordering of a set Ω to its power set 2 Ω uniquely determine a lexicographic weak ordering of 2 Ω . The solution is applied to collective choice to resolve majority cycle inconsistencies, and also contrasted with Condorcet.
New Findings from Model for Forecasting Project Costs

Abstract This paper presents new findings from a model of project cost forecasting presented earlier in this journal. The model uses a portfolio concept for candidate forecasts, and then applies the central limit theorem to arrive at a final cost at completion (FCAC). The model is applied repeatedly at each reporting period, and the size of the candidate pool keeps increasing with project progress. In this study, use is made of hindsight in arriving at superior confidence values to apply to the central limit theorem. Yardsticks are revealed for the type of confidence value that should be chosen at any reporting period to refine the predictive value. Evaluations are made for nine broad categories of CPI trends for any project at random. It is generally discovered that confidence values touch 100%, 0%, or have a few that remain within 20% and 85% over all reporting periods. Another major discovery is that the dollar value of the project has no influence on the predictive ability of forecast costs. Further, ...
A magnetospheric storm with a nearly constant input rate for about 24 hours

Abstract We examine time variations of the total magnetospheric output UT and the two geomagnetic indices AE and Dst during the magnetospheric storm of 31 December 1967–1 January 1968. A unique feature of this particular storm is that the solar-wind magnetosphere dynamo power e was nearly constant for about 24 h by maintaining a high value of ∼1019 erg s−1. It is found that UT was also nearly constant during that period, indicating that the magnetosphere is primarily a directly driven system. However, during an early epoch of the storm, the electrojet intensity levelled off, while the ring current began to grow during the same epoch. Subsequently, there occurred a sudden surge of the electrojet intensity, while the growth of the ring-current levelled off. Later variations of both the AE and Dst indices were very complex. After the surge, the AE index continued to decline and became as low as ~250 nT during the maximum epoch of this major storm (when the Dst decrease attained the maximum values). This trend can also be seen in many other major storms, but is often masked by changes of e. One possible cause for such features for e ≳ 1019erg/s−1 is that the neutral wind is generated by the ( E × B ) motion in the lower ionosphere, reducing the electrojet intensity and enhancing the ring-current particle-injection rate.
Human/mouse homology relationships.

Conservation of genomic organization in different mammalian species has long been recognized, but only recently has it been possible to examine these relationships systematically on a genome-wide scale in some detail. Mapping of several mammalian species in progressing rapidly, but by far the most detailed information is still to be found in the human and mouse databases. Perhaps the most important aspect of recent progress in genome mapping data. With mapping databases continuing to expand at a greater than linear rate, any attempt at a comprehensive comparative map is doomed to be out of date by the time it is published. However, we feel that it is valuable to provide a summary that is as nearly up to date as possible. We have made a particular effort to include recent human physical mapping data and to identify those mouse genes that have been well-mapped with respect to each other by virtue of having been examined in the same cross. As the human-mouse comparative map becomes more dense, it is not surprising that the observed number of conserved linkage groups continues to increase. Nadeau et al. placed 425 loci on both maps, which delineated over 100 conserved linkage groups. Copeland etmore » al. put a total of 917 markers on both the human and the mouse maps, marking 101 segments of conserved linkage groups. In the present summary, we have placed 1416 loci, and these define at least 181 different conserved linkage groups. 47 refs., 1 fig.« less
Identification of the cellular site of polychlorinated peptide biosynthesis in the marine sponge Dysidea (Lamellodysidea) herbacea and symbiotic cyanobacterium Oscillatoria spongeliae by CARD-FISH analysis

Populations of the sponge Dysidea (Lamellodysidea) herbacea, which host the cyanobacterium Oscillatoria spongeliae, vary in their production of polychlorinated peptides. Peptide natural products previously isolated from D. herbacea are often halogenated and include dysidin, dysidinin, and a series of chlorinated diketopiperazines. Strikingly, the distinctive leucine-derived trichloromethyl signature of these compounds is shared only with metabolites of the marine cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula, and includes such compounds as barbamide and nordysidinin. Genetic information available for the barbamide biosynthetic gene cluster was used to successfully polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplify a barB1 homolog (dysB1) from D. herbacea samples collected in Papua New Guinea. Catalyzed reporter deposition fluorescence in situ hybridization (CARD-FISH) analysis showed that dysB1 oligonucleotide probes hybridized to sequences in the filamentous cyanobacterial symbiont O. spongeliae. Consistent with this finding, a D. herbacea/O. spongeliae collection devoid of the polychlorinated peptides did not contain the barB1 homologs.
Formation mechanisms of nanostructures in stainless steel during high-strain-rate severe plastic deformation

We have investigated the formation mechanisms of nanostructures within adiabatic shear bands formed in stainless steel samples deformed by high-strain-rate forced shear. Twinning is shown to play a critical role in the initiation of nanostructures. Secondary twins directly led to the formation of elongated subgrains. Microtwins inside shear bands promoted division and break-down of the subgrains, which further refined the microstructures.
Cardiac diffusion tensor MRI in vivo without strain correction.

Cardiac diffusion MRI with diffusion encoding that spans a cardiac cycle is complicated by myocardial strains. This paper presents a method to obtain accurate diffusion data without strain correction. Owing to the synchrony of normal cardiac motion, there are time points in the cardiac cycle, "sweet spots," when the cardiac configuration approximates its temporal mean. If the diffusion is encoded then, the net effect of strain on the observed diffusion approximates zero. To test this, MRI diffusion and strain-rate movies are performed on cyclically deformed gel phantoms and in five normal subjects. In phantoms, the sweet spots predicted from the strain time curves agree with the times when the observed diffusion equals the true diffusion. In humans, the strain prediction of the sweet spots and the locations determined by the diffusion trace show a high correlation, r = 0.99. In all subjects, diffusion MRI presents a fiber orientation pattern comparable to that obtained from a stationary specimen. Magn Reson Med 42:393-403, 1999.
7 Optimising Prevention of Pneumococcal Disease with Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines Pfizer Symposium, 23 October 2010, 13:00-14:00

Paediatricians play a critical role in the battle against pneumococcal diseases, with a front-line position in its ongoing surveillance and prevention. The addition of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) to the armamentarium has dramatically changed the landscape in this battle; PCV7 was introduced almost a decade ago, and has been shown to have had a strong impact on all pneumococcal diseases caused by vaccine serotypes. This symposium will open by looking at the burden of invasive and non-invasive pneumococcal disease across Europe, comparing the incidence and prevalence pre- and post-PCV7, and examining the impact of the different vaccination schedules in force. Putting all this into practice, a member of our distinguished faculty will present an interactive case study on paediatric empyema, giving the audience the chance to vote and share their views on treatment strategies for invasive pneumococcal diseases. Finally, we will turn to consider the remaining burden of pneumococcal disease, looking at the broader coverage of the 13-valent PCV formulation, and the practicalities of transitioning from PCV7, as well as the opportunities for providing broader protection to already fully vaccinated children. We very much hope you will join us for what promises to be a lively and educational event as we consider how best to optimise the prevention of pneumococcal diseases with PCVs.
Multistimuli, multiresponsive metallo-supramolecular polymers.

The use of metal ion-induced polymerizations of a ditopic ligand offers a facile route to the preparation of organic/inorganic hybrid materials. Such metallo-supramolecular polymers potentially offer the functionality of the metal ion along with the processibility of a polymer. We report, herein, the preparation of gellike metallo-supramolecular polymers prepared from a monomer unit, which consists of a 2,6-bis-(benzimidazolyl)-4-hydroxypyridine unit attached to either end of a polyether chain, mixed with a transition metal ion (e.g., Co(II) or Zn(II)) and a small percentage of a lanthanoid metal (e.g., La(III), Eu(III)). Such materials show dramatic reversible responses to a variety of stimuli, including thermal, mechanical, chemo, and photo. The nature of the response can be controlled by the nature of the combination of transition metal ion and lanthanide metal ion used.
Modified dissolved organic matter fractionation technique for natural water.

Abstract A technique to fractionate dissolved organic materials (DOMs) from low DOM water (
Attachment, loss, and complicated grief

Bereavement is a highly disruptive experience that is usually followed by a painful but time-limited period of acute grief. An unfortunate minority of individuals experience prolonged and impairing complicated grief, an identifiable syndrome that differs from usual grief, major depression, and other DSM IV diagnostic entities. Underlying processes guiding symptoms are not well understood for either usual or complicated grief. We propose a provisional model of bereavement, guided by Myron Hofer's question "What exactly is lost when a loved one dies?" We integrate insights about biobehavioral regulation from Hofer's animal studies of infant separation, research on adult human attachment, and new ideas from bereavement research. In this model, death of an attachment figure produces a state of traumatic loss and symptoms of acute grief. These symptoms usually resolve following revision of the internalized representation of the deceased to incorporate the reality of the death. Failure to accomplish this integration results in the syndrome of complicated grief.
Sensitivity-enhanced phase-corrected ultra-slow magic angle turning using multiple-echo data acquisition.

Abstract The increase in the sensitivity of the phase-corrected magic angle turning (PHORMAT) experiment at ultra-slow spinning rates by means of multiple-echo data acquisition (ME-PHORMAT) is evaluated. This is achieved by replacing the acquisition dimension in the original experiment with a train of equally spaced π-pulses. It is shown that the echoes following the odd and even π-pulses in the CPMG train must be processed differently in order to avoid spectral distortions. The method is illustrated for 13 C CP-ME-PHORMAT on solid 1,2,3-trimethoxybenzene and for 1 H ME-PHORMAT on excised rat liver tissue, both at a sample-spinning rate of 1.3 Hz. Sensitivity enhancements of a factor 4 for the solid and 2.3 for the liver were obtained. Finally, it is shown that with ME-PHORMAT one of the two RF pulse sequences, in standard PHORMAT used to obtain a pure absorption mode 2D spectrum, can be eliminated, thus reducing the usually long measuring time by a factor 2.
Infrared study of the formation of Rh+ (CO)2 over RhCl3/SiO2 and its reactivity with NO

Abstract The formation of gem-dicarbonyl from CO adsorption on RhCl3/SiO2 and RhCl3·0.7H2O/SiO2 and the reactivity of gem-dicarbonyl on these catalysts toward NO have been investigated by in situ infrared spectroscopy at 298 and 373 K. In the absence of H2O, Rh3+ + 3CO + OH− → Rh+ (CO)2 + H+ + CO2 is the dominant pathway for the formation of gem-dicarbonyl from RhCl3/SiO2. In the presence of H2O, the formation of gem-dicarbonyl proceeds by Rh3+ + 3CO + H2O → Rh+ (CO)2 + 2H+ + CO2. The reaction involving H2O is significantly faster than that involving the OH group. Exposure of Rh gem-dicarbonyl to the NO pulse leads to the dissociation of CO from Rh gem-dicarbonyl and results in the adsorption of NO as NO+ and NO− species. Increasing NO exposure pressure produces the infrared bands which may be assigned to cyanide, carbonate or bidentate nitrato species.
Herpes lymphadenitis in association with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

BACKGROUND Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections range in severity from common cutaneous outbreaks to life-threatening central nervous system and deep organ involvement. HSV lymphadenitis is extremely rare but occurs both as a component of widely disseminated disease and as a localized, mild illness. METHODS Five patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) underwent lymph node biopsy and were found to have histologic and immunophenotypic evidence of HSV infection in association with CLL. RESULTS The patients were 3 males and 2 females ranging in age from 50 to 86 years. Only 1 patient had clinical evidence of cutaneous herpes at any time; in that patient, herpes lymphadenitis preceded the cutaneous herpes by 3 years. Four patients received no therapy for herpes at any time, whereas one was treated with intravenous and oral acyclovir. One patient died of CLL approximately 20 months after herpes lymphadenitis was diagnosed. The remaining four patients are alive with CLL. No patient had a fulminant clinical course related to HSV or developed disseminated infection. CONCLUSIONS Herpes lymphadenitis may not have a fulminant course even in immunosuppressed CLL patients, even if they receive no antiviral therapy. Cancer 1999;86:1210–5. © 1999 American Cancer Society.
19F and 199Hg NMR of trimeric perfluoro-ortho-phenylenemercury

19F and 199Hg high-resolution solution NMR spectra were acquired for cyclic trimeric perfluoro-ortho-phenylenemercury. Even with the high superconducting magnetic fields currently available, the 19F spectrum was not interpretable with a simple first-order analysis. Spectroscopic parameters for chemical shift and scalar coupling interactions in the NMR spectra were extracted from four- and five-spin simulations. Differential line widths in the 19F spectrum result from scalar coupling to the 199Hg.
Reducing Skin Breakdown in Patients Receiving Extracorporeal Membranous Oxygenation

This article describes three strategies a cardiovascular-thoracic intensive care unit implemented to decrease the rate of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers in patients on extracorporeal membranous oxygenation support. These strategies include increased staff awareness of physiologic factors placing a critically ill patient on extracorporeal support at increased risk for development of pressure ulcers, development of a turning guideline and a skin care bundle, and use of coaching by a clinical nurse specialist to promote pressure ulcer prevention.
An adaptive statistical method for the discriminant problem

Abstract This paper proposes an adaptive statistical method for the discriminant problem. The method selects Fisher's linear or Smith's quadratic discriminant function or the nearest neighbor method for use on the holdout sample, depending upon which method minimizes the sum of overall accuracy and balance on the estimation sample. A simulation study examines the two group discriminant problem with variables generated from both bivariate normal and nonnormal distributions. The resulting misclassification rates indicate that the adaptive method is an effective alternative to existing statistical and linear programming methods.
Adaptation and transmission of a duck-origin avian influenza virus in poultry species

A duck-origin avian influenza virus (AIV) was used to study viral adaptation and transmission patterns in chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) and Pekin ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus). Inoculated birds were housed with naive birds of the same species and all birds were monitored for infection. The inoculating duck virus was transmitted effectively by contact in both species. Viruses recovered from infected birds showed mutations as early as 1 or 3 days after inoculation in chickens and ducks, respectively. Amino acid substitutions in hemagglutinin (HA) or deletions in neuraminidase (NA) stalk regions were identified in chicken isolates, but only substitutions in HA were identified in duck isolates. HA substitution-containing viruses replicated more efficiently than those with NA stalk deletions. NA deletion mutants were not recovered from contact chickens, suggesting inefficient transmission. Amino acid substitutions in HA proteins appeared in pairs in chickens, but were independent in ducks, indicating adaptation in chickens. In addition, our findings showed that a duck-origin virus can rapidly adapt to chickens, suggesting that the emergence of new epidemic AIV can be rapid.
Visions of the Archipelago: Michel Leiris, Autobiography and Ethnographic Memory

Michel Leiris is known in this country chiefly as the author of L'Afrique Fantome (Phantom Africa), an ethnographic diary, in the style of Bronislaw Malinowski, the author kept during his two years as a member of the first Dakar-Djibouti trans-African ethnographic expedition in 1931-33. For most anthropologists, this hefty volume remains what it was when Leiris submitted it to Andre Malraux at Gallimard, a fascinating, if only hybrid, example of fieldwork against the grain. The author spends as much time exploring his own motives and emotions as he does the customs and rites, the physical and medical conditions of the various people he and his colleagues visit and live with for long periods at a time. It is significant that the rest of Leiris's oeuvre, ranked today with that of Proust, Gide, Sartre, and Camus at the very top of modem French literature, remains, except perhaps for Manhood, written but not yet published by the time Leiris set out for Africa, and other fragments recently translated, largely unknown in the United States.2 The linguistic difficulty in translating a text full of puns, idioms, and intracultural references probably makes Leiris, like Joyce, one of the most untranslatable authors around. The problem lies as much with Leiris's idiosyncratic poetic prose as with his new approach to the literary text combining in the field of autobiography, or rather of self-portrait, a very powerful form of ethnographic memory with a thorough investigation of all the cultural dimensions of natural language. However, as I'll try to show, this cultural uniqueness of Leiris's more properly literary work not only poses linguistic and literary problems for the translator; it also stands as a powerful example of the challenge the anthropologist must face in the field and upon his return home, when he must pore over a mountain of notes and inscribe into an authoritarian narrative of fixed vignettes, schemas, and tables, what was originally but a lived continuum in the life of a community including himself.
Programmed Cell Death in Cerebral Ischemia

Programmed cell death (PCD) is an ordered and tightly controlled set of changes in gene expression and protein activity that results in neuronal cell death during brain development. This article reviews the molecular pathways by which PCD is executed in mammalian cells and the potential relation of these pathways to pathologic neuronal cell death. Whereas the classical patterns of apoptotic morphologic change often do not appear in the brain after ischemia, there is emerging biochemical and pharmacologic evidence suggesting a role for PCD in ischemic brain injury. The most convincing evidence for the induction of PCD after ischemia includes the altered expression and activity in the ischemic brain of deduced key death-regulatory genes. Furthermore, studies have shown that alterations in the activity of these gene products by peptide inhibitors, viral vector-mediated gene transfer, antisense oligonucleotides, or transgenic mouse techniques determine, at least in part, whether ischemic neurons live or die after stroke. These studies provide strong support for the hypothesis that PCD contributes to neuronal cell death caused by ischemic injury. However, many questions remain regarding the precise pathways that initiate, sense, and transmit cell death signals in ischemic neurons and the molecular mechanisms by which neuronal cell death is executed at different stages of ischemic injury. Elucidation of these pathways and mechanisms may lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for brain injury after stroke and related neurologic disorders.
Expression of Npc1 in glial cells corrects sterility in Npc1(-/-) mice.

Niemann-Pick type C1 (NPC) disease is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder. One feature of the mouse model of NPC1 is it’s infertility. We have made transgenic mice which express the Npc1 protein exclusively in fibrillary astrocytes, using the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) promoter. This selective expression ofNpc1 corrects sterility in GFAP-Npc1E,Npc1-/- mice. Counts of acidophils in the pituitary of GFAP-Npc1E,Npcl-/- mice, as compared toNpcl-/- mice, and measurements of dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) mRNA in the pituitary, suggest mechanisms for fertility enhancement. We conclude that the correction of sterility in GFAP-Npc1E,Npc1-/- mice is a result of restoring hypothalamic control of the pituitary.
Energetics and atomic transport at liquid metal/Al2O3 interfaces

Abstract The objective is to study interfacial mass transport mechanisms and to estimate interfacial energies for metal/Al2O3 systems. Experiments have been performed with molten drops of Ni, Cu, or Au on pure, polycrystalline alumina at oxygen partial pressures for which no adsorption is expected and with Al to determine the effect of extremely low p(O2). After removing the metal drops, grain boundary grooves at the interface and oxide surface have been analyzed using AFM and SEM. Several sources of error are assessed, and corrections are proposed for large systematic errors that occur for root angles. These experiments yield higher grain boundary energies and lower M/Al2O3 interfacial energies than previously reported. Transport rates near the metal/ceramic interface are two to four orders of magnitude faster than on the oxide surface and the results suggest that diffusion through the liquid metal is usually the main atomic transport mechanism. Experiments with Al indicate that, at the far lower oxygen activities, transport is faster at both the interface and alumina surface and that the interfaces are more anisotropic and have lower energy.
Graduate education in computer science and its relationship to industry

There are a number of different focal points which characterize various graduate programs in computer science. Some of these programs are theoretical and mathematically oriented. Some programs are organized around management or business applications, some around computer systems, some around information storage and retrieval, and so forth. Many examples of these and other orientations for graduate computer science programs can easily be provided.
The Effect of Type of Written Exercise on L2 Vocabulary Retention

The present study used a within-subjects design to examine the effect of the type of written exercise on L2 vocabulary retention. Using input for the meaning and usage of the new words from a specially prepared minidictionary, university intensive English program students (n = 154) practiced target vocabulary in three types of written exercises conditions: one fill-in-the-blank exercise, three fill-in-the-blank exercises, and one original-sentence-writing exercise. An unannounced posttest using a modified version of the vocabulary knowledge scale tested the meaning of the word (L1 translation or L2 synonym) and usage of the word in a student-written sentence. A repeated measures ANOVA revealed that mean scores for the three exercise types were significantly different from each other, with words practiced under the three fill-in-the-blank exercises condition retained much better than those practiced under either of the other two exercise conditions. The findings suggest the important feature of a given L2 vocabulary exercise is not depth of word processing but number of word retrievals required. This result has implications for language teachers, curriculum designers, and, in particular, materials writers of traditional workbooks and CALL materials.
Edema Mechanisms in the Patient with Heart Failure and Treatment Options

Volume overload is a common accompanying feature of heart failure. The mechanistic basis for volume overload in heart failure is incompletely worked out. An important component of heart failure treatment remains diuretic therapy. Diuretic dosing remains as much an art as a science with multiple environmental and disease state–related factors influencing the efficiency with which a diuretic works. In heart failure, diuretics should always be given in the lowest possible dose with careful attention to reducing dietary sodium intake.
The Effect of Photochemical Stress Upon the Lenses of Normal and Glutathione Peroxidase-1 Knockout Mice

This communication investigates the effect of oxidative stress upon the lenses of young normal and glutathione peroxidase-1 (GSHPx-1) Knockout mice. Both normal and knockout lenses have similar biochemical and morpholigical characteristics and the elimination of GSHPx-1 only decreases slightly the ability of the lens to degrade H2O2. Examination of the effect of a 4 hr photochemical stress on morphological characteristics indicates that there is comparable damage in the normal and knockout lenses in the epithelial and bow regions while the posterior region remains normal. However, at 24 hrs post-insult, the normal lenses appear to recover somewhat in the bow region while the knockout bow and posterior regions have extensive damage. In contrast to the morphological data, the biochemical parameters (14C)choline transport and (3H)thymidine incorporation are affected to a somewhat greater extent in the knockout lenses than in normal lenses. While both of these parameters are further affected in the 24 hr post-insult period, there is no further change in the relative effects upon normal and knockout lenses. Non-protein thiol is affected in a similar manner in both lens types. The effect upon biochemical parameters of tertiary butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) insult was similar to H2O2 and photochemical stress. The overall conclusion is that young GSHPx-1 knockout lenses handle oxidative stress somewhat less effectively than comparable normal lenses but non-stressed knockout lenses appear normal. These results differ from observations reported by Reddy et al. (1997) under somewhat different conditions.
The editor's roundtable: intravascular ultrasonic imaging of the coronary arteries.

r. Friedewald has no relevant financial relationships to dislose. Dr. Marso has received honoraria for consulting and rants for research from Volcano Therapeutics, Rancho Corova, California. Dr. Roberts has received honoraria for speakng from Merck, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania; Scheringlough, North Wales, New Jersey; Pfizer, Inc., New York, ew York; AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Wilmington, elaware; and Novartis, East Hanover, New Jersey. Dr. Tuzcu has received honoraria for speaking from erck, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania; and Pfizer, Inc., ew York, New York. Dr. Weissman has received honoaria for consulting from Boston Scientific, Natick, Massahusetts; Merck, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania; Takeda, eerfield, Illinois; and grant support from Boston Scientific, atick, Massachusetts; and Lipid Sciences, Inc, Pleasanton, alifornia.
Addition of inorganic radicals to C60: derivatives of PF4C60

Abstract The EPR spectrum of PF3(OtB)C60, a derivative of PF4C60, is described and discussed. It is concluded that, in the trigonal bipyramidal arrangement of bonds around the phosphorus atom, two of the fluorine atoms occupy axial positions, as might be expected from their electronegativity. The C60 and OtB ligands, and the third fluorine atom, occupy equatorial positions. The enthalpy barrier to Berry pseudo-rotation about the PC bond is 9.2±1.1 kcal/mol.
A novel concatenated dimer of recombinant bovine somatotropin.

A novel protein concatenated dimer structure was generated during the folding/oxidation of inclusion bodies of recombinant bovine somatotropin synthesized inEscherichia coli. The structure of this dimeric molecule was determined by peptide mapping with trypsin, and limited proteolysis by thrombin. Peptide mapping demonstrated that the two disulfide pairs in bovine somatotropin dimer were identical to those in monomer. Limited proteolysis with thrombin resulted in the cleavage of only a single peptide bond between arginine-132 and alanine-133 in bovine somatotropin dimer. This single peptide bond cleavage was sufficient to convert this dimer to a monomeric molecular weight species as analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and HPLC. Since the single cleaved peptide bond is present in the large disulfide loop of bovine somatotropin, these data demonstrate that the dimeric molecule exists as a novel concatenated structure through the interlocking of the disulfide loops of this protein.
Long-term species and structural changes after cleaning young even-aged northern hardwoods in New Hampshire, USA

Abstract The effects of four cleaning practices (including a control) on species composition and structural characteristics were studied over a 31-year period following treatment of an even-aged 25-year-old northern-hardwood stand that originated after complete clearcutting in 1933–1935. The treatments consisted of: a heavy and a light crop tree cleaning; a drastic species-cleaning treatment that removed nearly all pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica L.f.), aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx. and grandidentata Michx.), striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum L.), and red maple (Acer rubrum L.) sprout clumps followed by a crop-tree cleaning; and an uncut control. There were no significant differences among treatments in species and structural characteristics in the 56-year-old stand at the end of the study period, except for the presence of a moderate aspen component in the light cleaning and the control. Although previous research shows that cleaning treatments in young northern hardwoods may have silvicultural and economic benefits, the impact of such treatments on long-term stand development is relatively minor.
Neuropeptide Y and Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Concentrations within Specific Hypothalamic Regions of Lean but Not Ob/ob Mice Respond to Food-Deprivation and Refeeding

Leptin is proposed to control food intake at least in part by regulating hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY), a stimulator of food intake, and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), an inhibitor of food intake. Ob/ob mice are leptin-deficient and would thus be expected to exhibit alterations in hypothalamic NPY and CRH. We therefore measured concentrations of NPY and CRH in discrete regions of the hypothalamus (i.e., ARC, arcuate nucleus; PVN, paraventricular nucleus; VMH, ventromedial nucleus; DMH, dorsomedial nucleus; and SCN, suprachiasmatic nucleus) of 6.5-7-wk-old ob/ob and lean mice with free access to stock diet, 24 h after food deprivation, and 1 h after refeeding. Fed ob/ob mice had 55-75% higher concentrations of NPY in the ARC, VMH and SCN than lean mice. Food deprivation increased NPY concentrations approximately 70% in the ARC, PVN and VMH of lean mice, and refeeding lowered NPY concentrations approximately 70% in the PVN of these mice. NPY in these hypothalamic regions of ob/ob mice was unresponsive to food deprivation or refeeding. The most pronounced change in CRH concentrations within the regions examined (i.e., ARC, PVN and VMH) occurred in the ARC of lean mice where refeeding lowered CRH concentrations by 75% without influencing ARC CRH concentrations in ob/ob mice. The hypothalamic concentrations of two neuropeptides involved in body weight regulation (i.e., NPY and CRH) in leptin-deficient ob/ob mice respond abnormally to abrupt changes in nutritional status.
Spatial proximity based subspace decomposition for movement direction decoding of Local Field Potentials

Local Field Potentials (LFP) provides higher spatial resolution and SNR than EEG data and can be used to construct a Brain Computer Interface. In [7], we have shown that movement direction decoding can be done with about 90 % classification accuracy using spatial patterns (CSP) and Error Correction Output Codes (ECOC). However, a major challenge in this study is to make this method more robust to inter-session variability of the LFP data, where state-of-the-art results are in the high 70 percent. In [8], we have demonstrated that LFP features that are recurrent across sessions can be extracted using a subspace learning method and used to improve the CSP +ECOC classifier. In this work, we propose an extension of the subspace learning method that exploits the spatial topology of the channels. This allows us to learn spatially diverse features, while previously the subspaces were being learned independently of the channel layout. We proposed a method where a block of samples from neighboring channels is used to find the subspaces and decode the directions. This approach is analogous to analyzing an 8x8 pixel map in image processing. Furthermore, this method allows a spatio-temporal classification, and it is indeed observed that different directions were providing higher accuracies at different time blocks. The proposed method can boosts the accuracy by at least 6% to bring classification to the mid 80 percent. Furthermore, we show early results where adding a pilot trial from the test session can be used as a calibration to further improve the spatio-temporal classification.
Mean shift based segmentation for time frequency analysis of packet based radio signals

We consider the problem of RF signal analysis where one sensing node observes a frequency band possibly used by multiple packet based radio transmitters producing signals with non-persistent excitation. Since each combination of active transmitted signals results in a composite signal with its distinct statistical properties, the received signal at the sensing node consists of a number of statistically homogeneous segments. First important task in the analysis of this type of signals is to localize these segments in time. We propose a segmentation algorithm for solving this problem. Initial segmentation is obtained using a variant of mean shift algorithm with adaptive scale parameters. We provide a convergence analysis of this algorithm and propose a method for selecting scale parameters. Final segmentation results are obtained after removal of impulse noise from the initial segmentation results. Proposed algorithm is almost completely nonparametric and it finds the number of segments automatically. Performance of the algorithm is studied using simulations involving signals used in 802.11 networks. The algorithm can be applied in a scenario where the sensing node is part of a radio scene analysis network providing information that can be used for achieving efficient utilization of radio spectrum.
Broadband Linear Array With Photoconductive Weights

This letter presents the design, construction, and testing of an eight-element broadband array with photoconductive weights at each element. The photoconductive weights are activated by an IR LED and vary between on and off with a small reflection coefficient and small insertion loss. Test results for the elements and array are presented. A low sidelobe array pattern is demonstrated by tapering the illumination of the photoconductive weights.
Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Illnesses Comparing Older with Young Adults

Abstract Background Study of human coronavirus and other virus-associated respiratory illnesses is needed to describe their clinical effects on chronically ill, older adults. Methods A prospective study during 2009 to 2013 clinically assessed acute respiratory illnesses soon after onset and 3 to 4 weeks later in patients aged ≥60 years with chronic lung and heart diseases (group 1, 100 subjects) and healthy adults aged 18 to 40 years (group 2, 101 subjects). Respiratory secretions were tested for nucleic acids of a panel of respiratory viruses. An increase in antibody titer was assessed for 4 coronavirus strains. Results Virus-associated illnesses (29 [39.1%] of 74 illnesses in group 1 and 59 [48.7%] of 121 illnesses in group 2) occurred in all calendar quarters, most commonly in the first and fourth quarters. Coronaviruses (group 1: 14 [18.9%] illnesses; group 2: 26 [21.5%] illnesses) and enteroviruses/rhinoviruses (group 1: 14 [18.9%] illnesses; group 2: 37 [30.6%] illnesses) were most common. Virus co-infections occurred in 10 illnesses. Illnesses with 9 to 11 symptoms were more common in group 1 (17 [23.0%]) than in group 2 (15 [12.4%]) ( P P P Conclusions Respiratory illnesses were commonly associated with coronaviruses and enteroviruses/rhinoviruses affecting chronically ill, older patients more than healthy, young adults.
Query languages and data models for database sequences and data streams

We study the fundamental limitations of relational algebra (RA) and SQL in supporting sequence and stream queries, and present effective query language and data model enrichments to deal with them. We begin by observing the well-known limitations of SQL in application domains which are important for data streams, such as sequence queries and data mining. Then we present a formal proof that, for continuous queries on data streams, SQL suffers from additional expressive power problems. We begin by focusing on the notion of nonblocking (NB) queries that are the only continuous queries that can be supported on data streams. We characterize the notion of nonblocking queries by showing that they are equivalent to monotonic queries. Therefore the notion of NB-completeness for RA can be formalized as its ability to express all monotonic queries expressible in RA using only the monotonic operators of RA. We show that RA is not NB-complete, and SQL is not more powerful than RA for monotonic queries. To solve these problems, we propose extensions that allow SQL to support all the monotonic queries expressible by a Turing machine using only monotonic operators. We show that these extensions are (i) user-defined aggregates (UDAs) natively coded in SQL (rather than in an external language), and (ii) a generalization of the union operator to support the merging of multiple streams according to their timestamps. These query language extensions require matching extensions to basic relational data model to support sequences explicitly ordered by times-tamps. Along with the formulation of very powerful queries, the proposed extensions entail more efficient expressions for many simple queries. In particular, we show that nonblocking queries are simple to characterize according to their syntactic structure.
Identification of SP3 as a negative regulatory transcription factor in the monocyte expression of growth hormone.

A number of studies from different laboratories clearly show that cells of the immune system produce a GH molecule indistinguishable from that produced in the pituitary. A more recent finding from our studies suggests that monocytes use the same first exon and promoter sequence for the expression of lymphocyte GH as that reported for the expression of pituitary GH. In this report we have extended these results by determining that two members of the SP family of transcription factors, SP1 and SP3, bind to the region at −138/−133 bp containing a GGGAGG motif. Confirmation that this region of the monocyte GH promoter-bound SP1 and SP3 was accomplished using electrophoretic mobility shift assays with SP1 consensus and mutant probes as well as specific antibodies to SP1 and SP3. Selective mutation of the SP1/SP3 site increased basal transcription by 73%, indicating that this site is important in transcriptional inhibition. Overexpression of SP1 had no demonstrable effect on the GH promoter, whereas overexpress...
Data analysis and ‘theorizing as ideology’:

In this article the author reviews a segment from a report of a research project that she undertook in 1991. In this initial entry into the research world, the research process used aimed to make a...
Atorvastatin Ameliorates Tubulointerstitial Fibrosis and Protects Renal Function in Chronic Partial Ureteral Obstruction Cases

Purpose: Tubulointerstitial fibrosis, the histological feature of chronic obstructive nephropathy, is delineated in complete unilateral ureteral obstruction models. Histological changes during chronic partial ureteral obstruction are not well studied. We describe changes in a rat model of partial ureteral obstruction. We examined the effects of atorvastatin on histological alterations, fibrosis and function in this model.Materials and Methods: All rats underwent right nephrectomy. To create partial ureteral obstruction the left ureter was incorporated into the psoas muscle, which was split and reapproximated. Excretory urogram, histology, Western blot of α-smooth muscle actin and renal clearance were examined in rats with sham, 14-day or 30-day partial ureteral obstruction. Obstructed rats received a regular or a diet supplemented with 50 mg/kg body weight atorvastatin per day.Results: At 14 days of partial ureteral obstruction pyelogram showed hydronephrosis, which was more pronounced on obstruction day ...
Spatio-temporal cell segmentation and tracking for automated screening

A growing number of screening applications require the automated monitoring of cell populations including cell segmentation, tracking, and measurement. We present general methods for cell segmentation and tracking that exploit the spatio- temporal nature of the task to constrain segmentation. The images are de-noised and segmented by combining wavelet coefficients at various levels, thus enabling extraction of cells in images with low contrast-to-noise ratios. Each track of clustered cells resulting from association of nearby cells in the spatio-temporal volume is then split into individual cells by evolving sets of contours from other slices. The hypothesis whether to split or merge objects making up the cluster is tested using learned features trained from single track cells. Due to the difficult nature of generating ground truth, we also present a framework for edit-based validation whereby the user corrects the edits made by the automatic system rather than generating the truth from scratch. The results show the promise of the approach and demonstrate the ability of the algorithms to provide meaningful measurements of cell response to drug treatment in low-dose Hoechst-stained cells.
Rust fungi causing galls, witches' brooms, and other abnormal plant growths in northwestern Argentina.

Conspicuous galls and witches' brooms frequently are symptoms of rust infections on plant hosts in the ecologically diverse northwestern region of Argentina. These symptoms are caused by systemic or locally systemic spermogonial-aecial infections, although uredinial and telial infections also might be involved. Sixteen species of rust fungi are treated in this paper, most of which cause a plant response that results in enlarged growth. Ypsilospora tucumanensis J.R. Hern. & J.F. Hennen on Inga edulis is described as a species new to science. Puccinia cordiae Arthur is cited as a new record for Argentina. These rusts also are included: Chaconia ingae, Gerwasia imperialis, Kuehneola loeseneriana, Prospodium appendiculatum, Prospodium elegans, Prospodium perornatum, Puccinia bougainvilleae, Puccinia pampeana, Ravenelia argentinica, Ravenelia hieronymi, Ravenelia papillosa, Ravenelia spegazziniana, Uromyces cestri and Uropyxis rickiana. For some of the scientific names, lectotype specimens have been designated.