cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Propagule dispersal and the scales of marine community process

Benthic marine organisms are characterized by a bipartite life history in which populations of sedentary adults are connected by oceanic transport of planktonic propagules. In contrast with the terrestrial case, where ‘long distance dispersal’ (LDD) has traditionally been viewed as a process involving rare events, this creates the possibility for large numbers of offspring to travel far relative to the spatial scale of adult populations. As a result, the concept of LDD must be examined carefully when applied in a marine context. Any measure of LDD requires reference to an explicit ‘local’ scale, often defined in terms of adult population demography, habitat patchiness, or the average dispersal distance. Terms such as ‘open’ and ‘closed’ are relative, and should be used with caution, especially when compared across different taxa and systems. We use recently synthesized data on marine propagule dispersal potential and the spread of marine invasive species to draw inferences about average and maximum effective dispersal distances for marine taxa. Foremost, our results indicate that dispersal occurs at a wide range of scales in marine communities. The nonrandom distribution of these scales among community members has implications for marine community dynamics, and for the implementation of marine conservation efforts. Second, in agreement with theoretical results, our data illustrate that average and extreme dispersal scales do not necessarily covary. This further confounds simple classifications of ‘short’ and ‘long’ dispersers, because different ecological processes (e.g. range expansion vs. population replenishment) depend on different aspects of the dispersal pattern (e.g. extremes vs. average). Our findings argue for a more rigorous quantitative view of scale in the study of marine dispersal processes, where relative terms such as ‘short’ and ‘long’, ‘open’ and ‘closed’, ‘retained’ and ‘exported’ are defined only in conjunction with explicit definitions of the scale and process of interest. This shift in perspective represents an important step towards unifying theoretical and empirical studies of dispersal processes in marine and terrestrial systems.
A method to improve the BO homogeneity of the heart in vivo

A homogeneous static (B 0 ) magnetic field is required for many NMR experiments such as echo planar imaging, localized spectroscopy, and spiral scan imaging. Although semi-automated techniques have been described to improve the B 0 field homogeneity, none has been applied to the in vivo heart. The acquisition of cardiac field maps is complicated by motion, blood flow, and chemical shift artifact from epicardial fat. To overcome these problems, an ungated three-dimensional (3D) chemical shift image (CSI) was collected to generate a time and motion-averaged B 0 field map. B 0 heterogeneity in the heart was minimized by using a previous algorithm that solves for the optimal shim coil currents for an input field map, using up to third-order current-bounded shims (1). The method improved the B 0 homogeneity of the heart in all 11 normal volunteers studied. After application of the algorithm to the unshimmed cardiac field maps, the standard deviation of proton frequency decreased by 43%, the magnitude 1 H spectral linewidth decreased by 24%, and the peak-peak gradient decreased by 35%. Simulations of the high-order (second- and third-order) shims in B 0 field correction of the heart show that high order shims are important, resulting for nearly half of the improvement in homogeneity for several subjects. The T 2 * of the left ventricular anterior wall before and after field correction was determined at 4.0 Tesla. Finally, results show that cardiac shimming is of benefit in cardiac 31 P NMR spectroscopy and cardiac echo planar imaging.
Metabolomics using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)

Abstract: Metabolomics is a holistic study aimed at identifying and quantifying metabolites, which are notably sensitive to systemic variation and altered metabolic pathways. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has made significant contributions to the emerging field of metabolomics. It is a robust, high-throughput analytical platform that is relatively fast, generally non-destructive, and highly reproducible without extensive sample preparation. This chapter will provide a review of the experimental design, preparation, and analysis as well as current applications and future trends utilizing NMR for metabolomics studies.
A Resolution Procedure for Description Logics with Nominal Schemas

We present a polynomial resolution-based decision procedure for the recently introduced description logic \(\mathcal{ELHOV}_{n}(\sqcap)\) , which features nominal schemas as new language construct. Our algorithm is based on ordered resolution and positive superposition, together with a lifting lemma. In contrast to previous work on resolution for description logics, we have to overcome the fact that \(\mathcal{ELHOV}_{n}(\sqcap)\) does not allow for a normalization resulting in clauses of globally limited size.
Development of local circuits in human visual cortex

How we see the world largely depends on the organization of neuronal circuits in visual cortex. Physiological recordings in mammals indicate that circuits develop over a period that extends well into early postnatal ages (LeVay et al., 1980; Albus and Wolf, 1984). Our understanding of how these circuits are assembled during development is still fragmentary (Katz and Callaway, 1992). Here we describe the development of local connections within visual cortex, using the fluorescent dye 1,1′-dioctadecyl-3,3,3′,3′-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate to trace axonal projections in post-mortem human brains. Vertical (intracolumnar) connections between layers 2/3 and 5, which link neurons representing the same point in the visual field, develop prenatally at 26–29 weeks gestation. In contrast, horizontal (intercolumnar) connections between different points in the visual field develop later. They first emerge prenatally at approximately 37 weeks gestation within layers 4B and 5. After birth (> 40 weeks gestation) the fiber density increases rapidly, showing a uniform plexus of connections at 7 weeks postnatal. The more adult-like patchiness of the projection, however, emerges after 8 weeks postnatal. Long-range horizontal connections within layer 2/3 develop after the connections within layers 4B, 5, and 6. These connections emerge after 16 weeks postnatal, long after cytochrome oxidase blobs have developed, and reach mature from sometime before 15 months of age. Unlike the patchy horizontal projections within layers 4B and 5, which seem to develop through a process of collateral elimination, long-range projections within layer 2/3 are patchy from the outset and seem to develop with greater topographical precision. The finding that intracolumnar connections develop before intercolumnar projections suggests that circuits that process local features of a visual scene develop before circuits necessary to integrate these features into a continuous and coherent neural representation of an image. In addition, the sequential development of horizontal connections within layer 4B before those within layer 2/3 suggests that circuits that may be related to the processing channel for visual motion develop in advance of those that may be more intimately related to the processing of form, color, and precise stereoscopic depth.
Peritoneoscopy and Guided Biopsy in the Diagnosis of Intraabdominal Disease

In 145 cases of intraabdominal disease, a laparotomy was considered the next diagnostic step, but peritoneoscopy was performed instead. In 37 cases with a suspicion of metatastic carcinoma, peritoneoscopy with guided biopsy demonstrated carcinoma in 29. In 32 cases, with biopsy-proven cirrhosis of the liver with high suspicion of a hepatoma, peritonescopy demonstrated the presence of hepatoma in 12. In 28 cases, protracted unexplained jaundice was present; nonsurgical causes for jaundice were found in 15. In 48 cases an exudative (protein greater than 2.5 per 100 ml) ascites was present. In 19 cases, either tuberculosis or carcinomatous implants of the peritoneum were found, and ovarian carcinoma was found in 9. Peritoneoscopy with guided biopsy obviated the need for laparotomy in 90% of these cases.
A simplified method for lymphocyte separation.

. A simple method for separating lymphocytes from peripheral blood is described. Using this technique, 40% of the lymphocytes present in whole blood could be recovered. The cells isolated were all viable and the average composition was 91% mononuclear cells with 87% lymphocytes.
Seed dormancy in the wetland winter annual Ptilimnium nuttallii (Apiaceae)

Seeds (mericarps) ofPtilimnium nuttallii have linear, underdeveloped embryos that must grow from about 0.2 to 1.3 mm in length before the radicle emerges from the seed (fruit); thus, seeds have morphological dormancy (MD). In addition to MD, about 70% of the seeds also have physiological dormancy (PD) at maturity in mid-July; thus, seeds have morphophysiological dormancy (MPD). Whereas fresh seeds with only MD (26–29%) germinated in light during 2 weeks of incubation at 15/6, 20/10, and 25/15 °C, those with MPD required exposure to high temperatures (25/15, 30/15 °C), which broke PD, before they would germinate. The high temperature requirement for loss of PD means that seeds have nondeep simple MPD. Seeds buried in soil in July 1991 and exposed to natural seasonal temperature changes came out of PD during the summers of 1991–1996, and those failing to germinate in autumn of each year re-entered PD during winter. Thus, seeds have an annual dormancy/nondormancy cycle with respect to PD, and MD can be broken only while seeds are not physiologically dormant. Light was required for embryo growth in 55–98% of the seeds, but the light requirement varied with year. Consequently. embryo growth and germination are restricted to autumn, and seeds on the soil surface are more likely to germinate than those buried in soil. Results of this study indicate thatP. nuttallii is a strict winter annual with a long-term soil seed bank. The annual dormancy/nondormancy cycle would prevent germination in spring when high water levels in the habitat might be inhibitory for successful seedling establishment.
Fraud in the training field

Technological, economic, social and political changes since the end of World War II have not only forced business and industry to adapt faster and more extensively than ever before. They have also compelled firms to look more than ever at training as a means of surviving and, hopefully, of becoming more efficient in the process.
Component Analysis of the Visible Absorption Spectra of I2 and Br2 in Inert Solvents: A Critique of Band Decomposition by Least-Squares Fitting

The absorption spectra of I2 and Br2 dissolved in n-heptane and CCl4 are recorded with high precision in the visible-near-IR spectral range, at temperatures between 15° and 50 °C. The spectra are decomposed into the three contributing transitions (1Πu ← X, B0+u3Π ← X, and A 1u3Π ← X) through simultaneous least-squares fitting of the T-dependent data. The main results of the analysis are as follows. (1) In I2 the weakest A ← X band is virtually identical in shape and intensity in these solvents and in the gas phase, but with small blue shifts in solution. (2) The ∼20% increased absorption of I2 in solution appears to be largely attributable to a doubling in the intensity of the weaker of the two main transitions, 1Πu ← X, which is red-shifted in solution. (3) All three transitions in I2 shift to the red with increasing T, with the strongest effect observed for 1Πu ← X. These differences are not explained by the refraction-index-based relations commonly used to relate gas- and condensed-phase spectra. In th...
Increased expression of PSA mRNA during brachytherapy in peripheral blood of patients with prostate cancer.

Abstract Objectives. To determine the extent of iatrogenic tumor cell dissemination during brachytherapy by assessing prostate-specific antigen (PSA) mRNA expression in circulating prostate tumor cells using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. The instrumentation used in the radioisotope seed placement of the prostate causes trauma to blood vessels and provides a vascular access for tumor cells that can lead to potential iatrogenic dissemination and systemic failure. Methods. Twenty-five patients treated for brachytherapy were recruited in the study. Controls included 4 normal men and 1 woman; case controls included 4 patients who underwent prostate biopsy for prostate cancer diagnosis. Peripheral blood (10 mL) was collected before, during, and after the brachytherapy procedure. Total RNA was isolated from mononuclear cells and phosphorus-32 RT-PCR was performed to analyze the mRNA expression of PSA and G6PDH genes. Results. Of 25 patients, 23 were negative for PSA mRNA expression and 2 were positive for PSA mRNA expression before brachytherapy. Of the 23 patients who were negative for PSA mRNA expression before treatment, 15 patients (65%) turned positive during or after brachytherapy and the remaining 8 patients remained negative throughout the treatment. Eight of the 25 patients developed rising serum PSA levels. Of these 8 patients, 1 (12.5%) did not have PSA mRNA expression in the peripheral blood before, during, or after brachytherapy; the remaining 7 patients who developed rising serum PSA levels had PSA mRNA expression after brachytherapy (P = 0.03). Conclusions. These findings strongly suggest that iatrogenic shedding of prostate cells occurs as a result of brachytherapy and raises the concern that these cells liberated at the time of brachytherapy increase the risk of metastatic deposits and results in systemic failure, as measured by serum PSA levels.
An Emerging O(N) Model and Algorithm for Virtual Prototyping of Dynamics of Molecular Conformation

Molecular dynamics is effective for nano-scale phenomenon analysis. There are two major computational steps associated with computer simulation of dynamics of molecular conformation and they are the calculation of the interatomic forces and the formation and solution of the equations of motion. Currently, these two computational steps are treated separately, but in this paper an O(N) (order N) procedure is presented for an integration between these computational steps. For computational costs associated with calculating the interatomic forces, an internal coordinate method (ICM) approach is used for determining potentials due to both the bonding and non-bonding interactions. Thus, the potential gradients can be expressed as a combination of the potential in absolute and relative coordinates. For computational costs associated with the formation and solution of the equations of motion for the system, a constraint method that is used in computational multibody dynamics is utilized. This frees some degrees of freedom so that Kane’s method can be applied for the recursive formation and solution of equations of motion for the atomistic molecular system. Because the inclusion of lightly excited high frequency degrees of freedom, such as inter-atomic oscillations and rotation about double bonds would force the use of very small integration step sizes, holonomic constraints are introduced to freeze these “uninteresting” degrees of freedom. By introducing these hard constraints the time scale can be appropriately sized for to provide a less computationally intensive dynamic simulation of molecular conformation. The algorithm developed improves computational speed significantly when compared with any traditional O(N3 ) procedure.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Parametric Study of Hybrid Cooling Solution for Thermal Management of Data Centers

The power trend for Server systems continues to grow thereby making thermal management of Data centers a very challenging task. Although various configurations exist, the raised floor plenum with Computer Room Air Conditioners (CRACs) providing cold air is a popular operating strategy. The air cooling of data center however, may not address the situation where more energy is expended in cooling infrastructure than the thermal load of data center. Revised power trend projections by ASHRAE TC 9.9 predict heat load as high as 5000W per square feet of compute servers’ equipment footprint by year 2010. These trend charts also indicate that heat load per product footprint has doubled for storage servers during 2000–2004. For the same period, heat load per product footprint for compute servers has tripled. Amongst the systems that are currently available and being shipped, many racks exceed 20kW. Such high heat loads have raised concerns over limits of air cooling of data centers similar to air cooling of microprocessors. A hybrid cooling strategy that incorporates liquid cooling along with air cooling can be very efficient in these situations. A parametric study of such solution is presented in this paper. A representative data center with 40 racks is modeled using commercially available CFD code. The variation in rack inlet temperature due to tile openings, underfloor plenum depths is reported.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Perspective : issues in CHF modeling : the need for new experiments

Nucleate boiling and critical-heat-flux (CHF) phenomena have been studied extensively for several decades. However, a satisfactory mechanistic description remains elusive. Although the influences of some system parameters such as heater geometry, body forces, etc., have been elucidated, the influences of several others remain in dispute. In this paper, we present our perspective on the current state of CHF modeling. We list possible parameters that are relevant in the process and discuss the interactions among these parameters. The consequences of such interactions are also discussed. We focus on the simplest configuration-saturated pool boiling on flat heaters. Additional complexities such as orientation effects, flow effects, enhanced surfaces, etc., are not addressed We highlight specific areas on which we believe experimental efforts should focus to obtain improved mechanistic models of CHF. Experimental techniques used in previous studies are evaluated, and recommendations for new or modified techniques are discussed We believe CHF must be looked at in the boiling plane (q and {Delta}T) rather than merely as a single heat-flux point. Mechanistically, this leads us to view CHF as the limiting point of the nucleate boiling region rather than as an independent entity. Experimentally, this means that issues related to the high-heat-flux region mustmore » be studied and their effects on CHF investigated. 54 refs., 1 fig.« less
Comparison of Anterior Tooth Width in Natural and Artificial Dentitions

Purpose This study characterizes the distribution of the mesiodistal widths of maxillary anterior natural teeth for comparison with the widths of the most commonly used artificial denture teeth. Materials and Methods The width of the six maxillary anterior teeth was measured on a curve defined by the facial surfaces of the teeth. Four hundred fifty-one casts of completed orthodontic patients (154 men and 297 women) were measured separately by gender. The width of the maxillary anterior natural teeth was compared to that of artificial denture teeth (Bioblend, Dentsply International, York, PA). Results The mean ± standard deviation (SD) width of the six anterior teeth for men and women (55.6 ± 3.1 mm and 53.6 ± 3.0 mm, respectively) differed significantly (P < .05). The mode (most frequent size) was 55 mm for both men and women; however, 40% of the women and 67% of men had anterior teeth that measured 55 mm or wider. In contrast, the mean width of the most widely distributed artificial maxillary denture teeth (Bioblend) is 50.1 mm, with a range of 44 to 58 mm. Of the 42 molds available, only 5 have a width of 55 mm or greater. Conclusions These findings suggest that one reason for the inappropriate selection of comparatively small maxillary denture teeth is the lack of physiologically sized tooth molds.
Phi photoproduction near threshold with Okubo-Zweig-Iizuka evading phi NN interactions

Existing intermediate and high energy $\ensuremath{\varphi}$-photoproduction data is consistent with purely diffractive production (i.e., Pomeron exchange). However, near threshold $(1.574 \mathrm{GeV}l{E}_{\ensuremath{\gamma}}^{\mathrm{lab}}l~2.0 \mathrm{GeV})$ the energy dependence of the diffractive amplitude is not well known and nondiffractive amplitudes such as ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}$ and $\ensuremath{\eta}$ exchange, $s\overline{s}$ knockout, and nonzero $\ensuremath{\varphi}\mathrm{NN}$ couplings can give sizable contributions to the cross section and polarization density matrix elements of the $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\ensuremath{\varphi}}{K}^{+}{K}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ decay angular distribution. We stress the importance of measurements with linearly polarized photons near the $\ensuremath{\varphi}$ threshold to separate natural and unnatural parity exchange mechanisms. Approved and planned $\ensuremath{\varphi}$ photoproduction and electroproduction experiments at Jefferson Lab will help establish the relative dynamical contributions near threshold and clarify outstanding theoretical issues related to apparent Okubo-Zweig-Iizuka violations.
Early Pubertal Timing and the Union Formation Behaviors of Young Women

This study examined whether the transition into adolescence, proxied by pubertal timing, shaped the transition into adulthood, proxied by union formation behaviors, among contemporary American women. In a sample drawn from Add Health ( n = 7,523), early maturing girls reported an accelerated transition to marriage and cohabitation in young adulthood, net of family structure history, academic achievement in high school, and parental education. The link between pubertal timing and cohabitation was strongest among socioeconomically advantaged women; no socio-economic differences were identified for marriage. The tendency for early maturers to have more pronounced romantic orientations during adolescence partially explained their transitions to marriage. In all, the persistence of the pubertal timing effect into young adulthood suggests that early maturers accelerated entrance into the romantic market in adolescence has a cascading, long-term impact on the shape of their lives in young adulthood.
Clinical analysis on the treatment of nerve root sciatica by stuck needle method

Fifty-six cases of nerve root sciatica patients were treated by stuck needle method at Ashi and Jiaji points (Ex-B 2) at the waist region, Huantiao (GB 30), Zhibian (BL 54), Weizhong (BL 40), Yanglingquan (GB 34), Chengshan (BL 57) and Kunlun (BL 60) in the diseased region. 40 cases were treated as control by routine even reinforcing-reducing manipulation with above acupoints. The curative effects were 96.4% and 90.0% respectively.
Immiscible-fluid displacement: Contact-line dynamics and the velocity-dependent capillary pressure

The dynamics of immiscible-fluid displacement is studied in the simple geometry of a capillary tube. Here the interesting physics lies in the breakdown of the no-slip boundary condition near the contact line, defined as the intersection of the fluid-fluid interface with the solid wall. Through numerical hydrodynamic calculations, we link macroscopic-flow behavior to the microscopic parameters governing the contact-line region. It is shown that the moving contact line generates two types of frictional forces. One, the viscous stress, is responsible for the observed deformation of the fluid-fluid interface as the flow velocity U increases. Our calculation is in excellent agreement with prior analytic works on this aspect. In particular, our results reproduce Hoffman's scaling relation as well as the logarithmic dependence of the viscous friction on slipping length. Identical macroscopic-flow behaviors are also found to result from three different slipping models provided that their slipping lengths are each renormalized by a model-dependent constant. Besides the viscous stress, however, comparison with experiments revealed a second frictional force that varies as ${\mathit{U}}^{\mathit{x}}$, with 0x\ensuremath{\le}0.5, which is dominant at capillary numbers ${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3}$. We propose that the source of this new friction is the excitation of damped capillary waves at the fluid-fluid interface due to contact-line motion over wall roughness. Consideration of this mechanism yields not only the correct range of x values, but also good agreement with the measured magnitude of the second frictional force. The paper concludes with an analysis of the frequency-dependent pressure response to an imposed ac velocity perturbation. An expression is derived for the critical frequency that separates the low-frequency behavior from that of the high-frequency regime.
Cohen on Corroboration

L. Jonathan Cohen criticizes the application of the mathematical theory of probability to inductive reasoning in his book, The Probable and the Provable. But at one point he offers to prove a point in favour of its applicability to everyday reasoning. He proves a theorem which he believes establishes that probability theory captures the notion of corroborative testimony increasing the support for a conclusion more than either piece of testimony would by itself. He says he has never seen any such proof presented in the literature on probability. Since the matter is of some importance he devotes three pages to presenting his own proof.' The theorem Cohen establishes, however, has nothing to do with corroboration in the sense he means, when taken just by itself. It is a theorem that shows instead that under certain conditions a probabilistic dependency between two propositions will be maintained after conditionalization on a third proposition. Cohen employs six premisses, but three of them have nothing to do with the proof. Cohen believes they are needed to establish that denominators of certain fractions that occur in the proof are not zero. But these premisses are not needed even for that. It is the presence of these superfluous premisses that creates the 'cognitive illusion' that the theorem concerns corroboration. I present the correct corroboration theorem, and in doing so I vindicate at least Cohen's main intuitions about the matter. The most persuasive way to demonstrate my claims is to do the proofs, commenting on the steps as they are taken. The theorem that Cohen proved I prove from a reduced set of premisses:
Biocatalytic polymer nanofibers for stabilization and delivery of enzymes

Abstract Electrospun water-soluble nanofibers as enzyme supports have potential to overcome limitations of traditional immobilization by increasing the surface area-to-volume ratio, reducing diffusional limitations, and improving storage stability. In this study, β-galactosidase (lactase, Aspergillus oryzae) was electrospun into polyethylene oxide (PEO) nanofibers with Pluronic F-127 (F127) (polyethylene oxide/polypropylene oxide block copolymer) to enable dry storage stability and subsequent rapid dissolution upon use in applications such as sensing, bioactive packaging, and bioprocessing. Nanofibers were cylindrical (average diameter ∼300 nm) and exhibited no beading after spinning or storage. After electrospinning, enzymes retained up to 92% of their native activity. After 4 weeks storage, the immobilized enzyme fiber retained up to 44% of the activity of the original fiber. These results suggest that co-spinning enzymes in a polymer nanofiber matrix can improve activity retention and dry storage stability compared to traditional immobilization methods and enables rapid dissolution for ease of use.
Defining the requirements for Hsp40 and Hsp70 in the Hsp90 chaperone pathway

The Hsp90 chaperoning pathway and its model client substrate, the progesterone receptor (PR), have been used extensively to study chaperone complex formation and maturation of a client substrate in a near native state. This chaperoning pathway can be reconstituted in vitro with the addition of five proteins plus ATP: Hsp40, Hsp70, Hop, Hsp90, and p23. The addition of these proteins is necessary to reconstitute hormone-binding capacity to the immuno-isolated PR. It was recently shown that the first step for the recognition of PR by this system is binding by Hsp40. We compared type I and type II Hsp40 proteins and created point mutations in Hsp40 and Hsp70 to understand the requirements for this first step. The type I proteins, Ydj1 and DjA1 (HDJ2), and a type II, DjB1 (HDJ1), act similarly in promoting hormone binding and Hsp70 association to PR, while having different binding characteristics to PR. Ydj1 and DjA1 bind tightly to PR whereas the binding of DjB1 apparently has rapid on and off rates and its binding cannot be observed by antibody pull-down methods using either purified proteins or cell lysates. Mutation studies indicate that client binding, interactions between Hsp40 and Hsp70, plus ATP hydrolysis by Hsp70 are all required to promote conformational maturation of PR via the Hsp90 pathway.
Speech training alters tone frequency tuning in rat primary auditory cortex

Previous studies in both humans and animals have documented improved performance following discrimination training. This enhanced performance is often associated with cortical response changes. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that long-term speech training on multiple tasks can improve primary auditory cortex (A1) responses compared to rats trained on a single speech discrimination task or experimentally naive rats. Specifically, we compared the percent of A1 responding to trained sounds, the responses to both trained and untrained sounds, receptive field properties of A1 neurons, and the neural discrimination of pairs of speech sounds in speech trained and naive rats. Speech training led to accurate discrimination of consonant and vowel sounds, but did not enhance A1 response strength or the neural discrimination of these sounds. Speech training altered tone responses in rats trained on six speech discrimination tasks but not in rats trained on a single speech discrimination task. Extensive speech training resulted in broader frequency tuning, shorter onset latencies, a decreased driven response to tones, and caused a shift in the frequency map to favor tones in the range where speech sounds are the loudest. Both the number of trained tasks and the number of days of training strongly predict the percent of A1 responding to a low frequency tone. Rats trained on a single speech discrimination task performed less accurately than rats trained on multiple tasks and did not exhibit A1 response changes. Our results indicate that extensive speech training can reorganize the A1 frequency map, which may have downstream consequences on speech sound processing.
The role of murine leukemia virus glycosated Gag protein in virus replication

Murine leukemia viruses (MuLVs) encode an alternate form of Gag protein in addition to the standard Gag precursor polyprotein, glycosylated Gag (glyco-gag or gPr80gag). gPr80gag contains additional amino-terminal peptides, and it is glycosylated. Until recently the function of gPr80gag was unclear, but we have recently shown that gPr80gag facilitates viral budding and release through lipid rafts. Glyco-gag mutant virus is less efficiently released from fibroblasts, mutant virus has lower cholesterol content (and higher buoyant density), and less Gag precursor polyprotein (Pr65gag) is associated with detergent-resistant membranes in infected cells. The mechanism by which gPr80gag facilitates virus release is under investigation. The N-terminal 88 amino acids of gPr80gag are sufficient to enhance virus release, indicating that the Gag sequences on this protein are not required. Cellular La protein is involved in gPr80gag function, since over-expression of La phenocopies gPr80gag in facilitating virus release, and knockdown of La abrogates gPr80gag-enhancement of virus release. MuLV glyco-gag can also facilitate release of HIV-1 particles from transfected cells, which suggests that these two viruses may share mechanisms for directing virus release through lipid rafts. gPr80gagalso counteracts the murine APOBEC3 restriction factor (mA3) since gPr80gagmutant virus shows a defect for establishment of infection in wild-type mice, but not in mA3 knockout animals.
Ozonolysis-based route to the in situ formation of aldehyde-bearing self-assembled monolayer surfaces.

While ozonolysis of a terminal carbon−carbon double bond to produce aldehydes is a well-established synthetic strategy for conventional solution chemistry, exposure of vinyl-terminated self-assembled monolayers to ozone has been reported to yield carboxylic acids. By using a cold solution of ozone in methanol and then adding a reducing agent to this solution, acid formation is minimized and near-quantitative aldehyde formation is achieved. The aldehyde-bearing surface is characterized by its physical and chemical properties and by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy showing a characteristic aldehyde C−H peak at 2715 cm-1 and carbonyl peak at 1729 cm-1. The reactivity of the aldehyde-bearing surface is shown by its reaction with amines and amine derivatives to give surface-bound imines and by the reversible cycling between aldehyde and acetal. The acetal also provides a useful way to mask the aldehyde and store readily released aldehyde surface functionality for subsequent surface elaboration.
On selecting the best natural exponential families with quadratic variance function

Abstract We consider a problem of selecting a best of k one parameter exponential families with quadratic variance functions which is associated with the largest mean. It is shown that the minimax value under the “0–1” loss function is 1 − 1/k. Also the Bayes rules are discussed under the “0–1” loss and the other loss functions.
Clinical characteristics of aortic aneurysm and dissection as a cause of sudden death in outpatients

Abstract Objective To describe characteristics of nonhospitalized patients experiencing sudden death from aortic causes and compare with characteristics of patients experiencing nontraumatic, unexpected, outpatient death from other causes. Methods Retrospective case-control analysis of patients aged 18 to 65 years with nontraumatic, unexpected, outpatient cardiac arrest, emergency department (ED) resuscitation attempts, and autopsy-determined cause of death. Demographics, prodromal symptoms, and arrest characteristics were examined, and univariate comparisons between patients with aortic and those with nonaortic causes of death were performed. Results A total of 384 patients met inclusion criteria. Aortic pathology represented 4.4% of patients (12 dissections, 5 aneurysms). Preexisting aortic disease (n = 2) and antemortem suspicion of an aortic cause (n = 3) were uncommon. Patients with an aortic cause of death often had prodromal symptoms (53% 95% CI; 28%-77%) and hemopericardium (47% 95% CI; 23%-72%), were older, and were more likely to have a pulse in the ED, an arrest rhythm of pulseless electrical activity, and an arrest witnessed arrest by a medical provider. Conclusion In this sample of outpatients with cardiac arrest from aortic disease, death was not instantaneous, and hemopericardium was common in many patients with dissection.
Symmetric Gauss-Seidel multigrid solution of the Euler equations on structured and unstructured grids

The efficient symmetric Gauss-Seidel (SGS) algorithm for solving the Euler equations of inviscid, compressible flow on structured grids, developed in collaboration with Jameson of Stanford University, is extended to unstructured grids. The algorithm uses a nonlinear formulation of an SGS solver, implemented within the framework of multigrid. The earlier form of the algorithm used the natural (lexicographic) ordering of the mesh cells available on structured grids for the SGS sweeps, but a number of features of the method that are believed to contribute to its success can also be implemented for computations on unstructured grids. The present paper reviews, the features of the SGS multigrid solver for structured gr0ids, including its nonlinear implementation, its use of “absolute” Jacobian matrix preconditioning, and its incorporation of multigrid, and then describes the incorporation of these features into an algorithm suitable for computations on unstructured grids. The implementation on unstructured gri...
Ocular Penetration of Pilocarpine in Primates

The therapeutic efficacy of pilocarpine in glaucoma has been well established. How­ ever, documentation of the amount of pilo­ carpine that penetrates into the anterior seg­ ment of the eye has been sparse. Harris re­ ported that 2% of topically administered pi­ locarpine enters the eye while von Muller found as much as 20%. Recent reports have suggested that a soft contact lens can enhance the penetration of pilocarpine into the eye. In the therapy of glaucoma, the Bionite soft contact lens com­ bined with 1% pilocarpine drops was more effective in lowering intraocular pressure than 8% pilocarpine alone. The same lens presoaked for two minutes in pilocarpine without preservative and worn for variable time periods, lowered intraocular pressure for as long as 23 hours and was more effec­ tive than the use of drops alone. A study was undertaken to determine the amount of pilocarpine in the aqueous humor of primates after the topical application of various concentrations of pilocarpine or Bionite lenses presoaked in pilocarpine.
Immunofluorescence and immunocytochemistry of endothelial surface antigens

Endothelial cell properties can be identified by detection of functional activity or by immunologic reactivity. This paper describes immunofluorescence methods for the detection of surface or intracellular antigens of endothelial cells. In addition, methods for the subcellular localization of endothelial antigens at the electron microscope level using peroxidase conjugated secondary antibodies are described. The techniques can be used, with only minor modifications, for localizing any endothelial antigen for which antibodies are available.
Endogenous sulphuric acid production: a method of measurement by extrapolation.

1. Measurement of urinary sulphate is of clinical significance because the amount of endogenous acid production from sulphur-containing amino acid-metabolism can be back extrapolated from the total amount of urinary sulphate anions. 2. A rapid and accurate method for determination of urinary sulphate concentration based on the precipitation of sulphate with barium is presented. 3. Freezing (−20°C) and refrigeration (4°C) are shown to be satisfactory for storage up to at least 30 days.
Regional Changes in Myocardial Acid Production during Ischemic Arrest: A Comparison of Sanguineous and Asanguineous Cardioplegia

Regional differences in myocardial acid production have not been characterized during administration of either asanguineous or sanguineous cardioplegia. To investigate this, miniature glass pH electrodes were placed in the right ventricular (RV) myocardium, the left ventricular subendocardial (LV endo) region, and the subepicardial (LV epi) region in a canine model. Multiple doses of either blood cardioplegia (Group 1; N = 11) or crystalloid cardioplegia (Group 2; N = 11) were administered during 4 hours of aortic cross-clamping. The accumulation of hydrogen ions during the cross-clamp period was greater in Group 2 than Group 1 in the LV endo region (629 +/- 79 nm/L versus 66 +/- 31 nm/L; p less than 0.001), the LV epi region (623 +/- 66 nm/L versus 72 +/- 32 nm/L; p less than 0.001), and the RV myocardium (814 +/- 296 nm/L versus 150 +/- 54 nm/L; p less than 0.05). Within each group, the time course of myocardial pH and the accumulation of hydrogen ions did not differ among the LV endo region, LV epi region, and the RV myocardium (p = not significant). These data indicate that transmural and interventricular differences in myocardial pH and hydrogen ion accumulation are not produced in the vented, arrested canine heart. In addition, when compared with asanguineous cardioplegia, blood cardioplegia globally and transmurally reduces acid accumulation during ischemic arrest.
Optimization of Adrenal Medullary Allograft Conditions for Pain Alleviation

Previous findings in our laboratory have demonstrated that transplants of adrenal medullary tissue into the spinal subarachnoid space can alleviate pain, most likely via sustained local release of pain-reducing neuroactive substances from the transplanted chromaffin cells. The success of this work in animal models has led to preliminary clinical trials with promising results. However, before large-scale clinical studies are undertaken, numerous issues should be resolved, many of which can be readily addressed initially in the laboratory. One of these is the amount of donor adrenal medullary tissue necessary to produce long-term antinociception. Although tissue from two adrenal glands has generally been used, it is unknown whether less would be equally effective, or more could increase analgesic potency. To address this, various amounts of adrenal medullary tissue, ranging from one to ten donor glands, were used. Results showed lowered antinociceptive benefits when only one adrenal medulla was used, but only small and short-lived increases when donor material was increased substantially. In addition, assays of atecholamine and Met-enkephalin release in the host spinal CSF revealed only slight further increases following the transplantation of more than 2-4 glands. These results indicate that a small amount of adrenal medullary tissue is necessary and sufficient to produce sustained antinociception, and suggest that higher amounts may result in tolerance development or feedback inhibition. Another important issue is the ability to retain antinociceptive potency if donor tissue is maintained in culture prior to transplantation, since the coordination of donor harvesting and recipient availability is often difficult. To address this, donor adrenal medullary tissue was maintained in explant culture for various periods following dissection. Results indicated that adrenal medullary tissue can be maintained in culture for up to 30 days prior to transplantation without decrement in antinociceptive potency, and that a period of 7-21 days results in improved graft viability. Results of this study indicate that some of the critical issues for successful neural transplantation outcomes can be initially addressed in pre-clinical studies.
Clinical pharmacy services in a home-based palliative care program.

Palliative care is designed to provide pain relief for and improve the quality of life of patients with a life-threatening illness.[1][1] The number of patients with chronic, slowly debilitating illnesses, such as heart disease and end-stage lung disease, is on the rise, and most Americans with
Panel Data and Models of Change: A Comparison of First Difference and Conventional Two-Wave Models

The method of first differences as an approach to modeling change is described and it is compared to more conventional two-wave panel models. Substantial advantages are found to the first-difference approach, especially if there are unmeasured, unchanging predictor variables in the model. It is also argued that there are substantial problems in the interpretation of results from the conventional two-wave models. Some of the analytic results are illustrated with a number of applications to the area of stressful life events.
MODIS imagery of turbid plumes in San Diego coastal waters during rainstorm events

Abstract Data of normalized water-leaving radiance, nLw, obtained from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite at spatial resolution of 250 m (band 1 centered at 645 nm) and 500 m (band 4 at 555 nm) are used to study turbid plumes in coastal waters of southern California during rainstorm events in winter of 2004–2005. Our study area includes San Diego coastal waters, which extend approximately 25 km offshore between Point Loma and 10 km south of the US–Mexican border. These waters are influenced by terrigenous input of particulate and dissolved materials from San Diego and Tijuana watersheds and non-point sources along the shore. Optimum threshold values of satellite-derived normalized water-leaving radiances at both wavebands were established for distinguishing the plume from ambient ocean waters. These threshold values were determined by searching for a maximum correlation between the estimates of satellite-derived plume area calculated using a broad range of nLw values and the environmental variables characterizing rainfall, river discharge, wind, and tides. A correlation analysis involving the amount of precipitated water accumulated during a storm event over the San Diego and Tijuana watersheds was selected as the basis for final determinations of the optimum threshold nLwthr and subsequent calculations of the plume area. By applying this method to a sequence of MODIS imagery, we demonstrate the spatial extent and evolution of the plume during rainstorm events under various conditions of precipitation, river discharge, wind forcing, and coastal currents.
One-Step Synthesis of Size-Tunable Rhodium Nanoparticles on Carbon Nanotubes: A Study of Particle Size Effect on Hydrogenation of Xylene

Size-tunable rhodium (Rh) nanoparticles can be deposited uniformly on surfaces of carboxylate functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) by a simple one-step sonochemical method in an ethanol solution containing RhCl3 and a series of boron-containing reagents of different reducing power. This technique provides a simple and rapid way of making rhodium nanoparticles of different size, which allows us to perform careful studies of particle size effect on catalysis. The hydrogenation of neat o-, m-, and p-xylene catalyzed by the MWNT-supported metallic Rh nanoparticle catalysts reveals a negative particle size effect (antipathetic structure sensitivity). The stereoselectivity of this reaction measured by the ratio of cis-/trans-dimethylcyclohexane increases with decreasing size of Rh nanoparticles.
Multipoint observations of equatorial plasma bubbles

[1] This paper compares evening sector measurements by the Jicamarca unattended long-term studies of the ionosphere and atmosphere (JULIA) radar, the Ancon scintillation monitor, and plasma density sensors on Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites. During more than half of the 110 nights of JULIA operations in 1998 and 1999, backscatter was observed from plumes extending above the layer of bottomside spread F. On 98% of the nights with no plumes, the S4 index measured at Ancon was 0.8. DMSP F14 crossed the magnetic equator within 7.5° longitude of Ancon near the 2100 local time (LT) meridian on 61 nights. During 32 overpasses, DMSP detected no equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs), and JULIA detected no plumes. DMSP encountered EPBs on only 9 of the remaining 29 nights when JULIA observed plumes. Two plumes detected by JULIA on 15 April 1999 did not coincide with nearby EPBs crossed by the two satellites on the same evening. We also compared the seasonally averaged percent of nights with S4 ≥ 0.8 at Ancon with the percent of orbits in which a DMSP satellite detected EPBs. Data were accumulated between May 1994 and the first quarter of 2001. On a global scale at solar minimum, DMSP encountered very few EPBs. In years near solar maximum the two data sets were well correlated. However, there were more nights with S4 ≥ 0.8 at Ancon than EPB encounters by DMSP satellites. This discrepancy reflects the effects of different sampling intervals and the fact that about a third of the plumes fail to reach the DMSP altitude. Still, a correlation coefficient of 0.88 indicates that EPB detection at 840 km is a good indicator that scintillation activity is occurring near the spacecraft's longitude at the Earth's surface. The data also suggest that bubbles are often generated in bursts rather than at nearly uniform intervals.