cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Radical Arab nationalism and political Islam

Lahouari Addi is rare among social scientists who follow the Middle East and North Africa in having a good command of both Western philosophy and political sociology. This book, although somewhat r...
AUTOMATED CLOSED LOOP CONTROL OF OZONE DISINFECTION USING FLOW-PACED OFF-GAS MEASUREMENT

ABSTRACT Ozone disinfection is an environmentally attractive alternative to chlorine because of the lack of a toxic residual, its excellent virucidal properties, and its reduced potential to form hazardous constituents in the treated effluent. It is, however, energy and capital intensive relative to chlorination, and for this reason it has not been widely accepted yet in the U. S. municipal market. Any method that would reduce the operating cost of ozonation would accelerate its acceptance in that market. In this paper we report an automated control strategy that, when implemented at treatment plants with a daily average flow greater than 8000 m 3 /d, will result in a substantial saving in the electrical cost of production. The method consists of a flow proportional signal and an ozone concentration signal that combine to control the feed gas flow to and the power setting of the ozone generator according to fluctuations in liquid flow and ozone demand. The concentration signal is measured in and transmitted from the off-gas from the ozone contactor. We present an annualized cost comparison of this approach with existing strategies in use today and report a saving of $7,000 to $15,000 per year for a hypothetical treatment plant with a daily average flow of 23,700 m 3 /day.
Cost Effective Evaluation of Chest Pain

The accurate and cost effective evaluation of patients presenting with chest pain can be vexatious because it is a common symptom with an extensive differential diagnosis. Some etiologies are life threatening, others treatable if diagnosed early, and a few are aggravating but not serious. Although thorough attention to the details of the history and a careful examination often provide clues that narrow the diagnostic possibilities, further testing is frequently required. Laboratory studies are appropriately employed to confirm clinical suspicions, eliminate unlikely but dangerous processes, and to delineate the extent and functional severity of disease. However, the cost of pursuing a comprehensive investigation in complex cases can be staggering, rendering a prudent selection of testing modalities mandatory, tailored to the individual case.(1-4)
Boundary Sources of Potential Vorticity in Geophysical Circulations

The global ocean is so heavily density-stratified that forcing is mostly restricted to lie at or near its top and bottom boundaries. The general circulation is determined by mass, heat and momentum exchange with the atmosphere and the solid Earth. The primary conservible tracers, potential vorticity (PV) and potential density, are also forced at these boundaries, and yet it is difficult to assess the rate of PV influx from the other, more ‘natural’ boundary conditions. Here we argue that intersection of surfaces of constant potential density with the boundaries provides reservoirs of large PV, which can be tapped by the circulation. We concentrate on the bottom source, and use a new isopycnal numerical model to examine it. The sloping bottom of the ocean produces a broad region of PV reservoir, and it promotes significant change in both the interior general circulation and the structure of western boundary currents.
Nerve Cells and Animal Behaviour

Nerve Cells and Animal Behaviour is an interesting short book that aims to introduce lecturers to neurophysiology using some vertebrate examples and some invertebrate examples (although from a phylogenetics point of view, it would rather be more correct to say the examples describe vertebrates, ecdysozoa, and few lophotrochozoa). The book begins with a short introduction of key neuroscience concepts such as how a neuron generates action potential or how to define an interneuron. This introduction is easy to read and makes the book accessible to anyone with at least a basic understanding of biology who wants to be introduced to neuroethology. The next seven chapters describe in detail several well-studied behaviors. The first chapter, for instance, describes the toad and cockroach case as a predator and prey example and relates how neurophysiology is involved. The authors begin by explaining how the toad sees the prey, how it is able to project his tongue to catch the cockroach, and how the cockroach reacts. Each step is described in terms of the type and function of the involved neurons, which generates a better understanding of the biology behind such behaviors. Later on, in the fifth chapter, the authors describe the eyes and the vision of insects. In this chapter, one can learn about compound eyes, how photoreceptors function, how the signal is processed in the brain, and finally how the insect will respond. Other chapters feature the startle behaviors in crayfish and fish and the sensory maps used by hunting bats and owls as well as how the nervous system generates and control rhythmic movements, how bees and rats learn to change behavior, and how crickets and birds generate songs. All the chapters are well-written and easy to understand. The only possible problem with this book is that the layout could have been improved; for example, the authors might have included better illustrations. It is, however, truly wonderful that each chapter begins with general observations of animal behavior, which are then reformulated by Peter Simmons and David Young into more scientific questions. The authors subsequently use the details of the neuronal mechanisms to explain the observed behaviour. By doing so, they describe some key experimental results that introduce the lecturer to the development and progression of modern neurophysiology. For these reasons, Nerve Cells and Animal Behaviour is a great introduction to behavioral science.
Pedagogical possibilities for the dice game pig

Simple examples are teaching treasures. Finding a concise, effective illustration is like finding a precious gem. When such an example is fun and intriguing, it is educational gold. In this paper, we share the jeopardy dice game of Pig, which has extremely simple rules, engaging play, and a complex optimal policy. We describe its historical uses in mathematics, and share ways in which we have used the game to teach basic concepts in CS1, and intermediate concepts in introductory artificial intelligence, networking, and scientific visualization courses. We also describe the rich challenges Pig offers for undergraduate research in machine learning.
An integration formula for the square of moment maps of circle actions

The integration of the exponential of the square of the moment map of the circle action is studied by a direct stationary phase computation and by applying the Duistermaat-Heckman formula. Both methods yield two distinct formulas expressing the integral in terms of contributions from the critical set of the square of the moment map. Certain cohomological pairings on the symplectic quotient are computed explicitly using the asymptotic behavior of the two formulas.
Avoided land use conversions and carbon loss from conservation purchases in California

Conversion of natural lands to residential and agricultural uses can limit carbon (C) storage. Conservation measures, such as purchasing land to prevent development, can preserve stored aboveground...
International Comparisons of Poverty in South Asia

This paper explores the methodological differences underlying the construction of the national consumption aggregates that are used to estimate international poverty rates for all countries in the South Asia region, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The analysis draws on a regional dataset of standardized consumption aggregates to assess the sensitivity of international poverty rates to the items included in national consumption aggregates. A key feature of the standardized aggregate is that it includes the reported value of housing rent for urban Indian homeowners. Using the standardized consumption aggregates reduces the international poverty rate in South Asia by 1.3 percentage points, or about 18.5 million people. Comparing standardized and non-standardized monetary welfare indicators to other nonmonetary indicators suggests that the latter are more consistent with the standardized consumption aggregates. Overall, the results strongly suggest that harmonizing the construction of welfare measures, particularly the treatment of imputed rent, can meaningfully improve the accuracy of international poverty comparisons.
Retroperitoneoscopic Debridement for Acute Necrotizing Pancreatitis

Abstract Introduction: The management of necrotizing pancreatitis with secondary infection has evolved from traditional open necrosectomy to a minimally invasive step-up approach, when feasible.1,2...
Host range of Lepidelphax pistiae (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) and its potential impact on Pistia stratiotes L. (Araceae)

ABSTRACTPistia stratiotes L. (Araceae) is a floating aquatic plant that has become invasive in Florida. It is primarily controlled with herbicides, but two biocontrol agents have previously been re...
Investigation of inner-outer interactions in a turbulent boundary layer using high-speed particle image velocimetry

High-resolution, high-frame-rate particle image velocimetry measurements in a refractive index-matched flow facility are used to explore the spatiotemporal signature of outer, large-scale motions influencing near-wall, smaller scales (so-called inner-outer interactions) in a turbulent boundary layer.
Error-control schemes for broadcast channels

Today's information age has created a virtual explosion in the need for information transfer on a global scale resulting in the mushrooming of data networks. These networks require fast and reliable transfer of information over broadcast (one-to-many) and multiple-access (many-to-one) channels. Historically, almost all the efforts towards error-control in data transmission have been for the point-to-point channel. In this dissertation, we have investigated some error-control schemes for the reliable transfer of data over broadcast channels. Most of the interesting broadcast scenarios in existence also include a multiple-access channel in tandem. Therefore, many of these broadcast channels have a built-in feedback channel. We have proposed several error-control schemes that make use of this feedback channel. The broadcast environments have been classified into two categories: Homogeneous and Non-homogeneous. Homogeneous broadcast (HB) channel is the case where a single source sends messages to all the destinations in the channels. The transmitter tries to deliver the same messages error-free to all the receivers. In the Non-Homogeneous broadcast (NHB) channel, successive messages from the transmitter may be addressed to different subsets (possibly disjoint) of the receivers in the broadcast environment. We have proposed a selective repeat ARQ protocol for the HB channel that uses a dynamic programming optimization technique to obtain the maximum achievable throughput. We have also proposed two hybrid ARQ schemes that use powerful codes combined with parity retransmission for noisier channels. These schemes significantly improve upon the existing schemes both in terms of achievable throughput and reliability. For the NHB channel, we have examined retransmission schemes that are non-time-shared and exploit the broadcast nature of the channel. Time-shared schemes can however be realized as special cases. We have considered two cases of the NHB channel: Finite Broadcast Population and Infinite Broadcast Population. The non-time-shared schemes significantly outperform the time-shared schemes almost always. The NHB channels closely model the computer communications networks so prevalent today. The schemes proposed here achieve much higher throughput than the ones being used today.
A systematic review of research on adolescent solitary alcohol and marijuana use in the United States

Background and aims Alcohol use and marijuana use tend to be social activities among adolescents. Some youth use alcohol or marijuana while alone. This article provides a framework for examining the risk factors for and consequences of solitary alcohol and marijuana use, grounded in a motivational model that emphasizes coping with negative emotions, and provides the first systematic review of research on solitary alcohol and marijuana use among middle school- and high school-aged adolescents in the United States. Methods PubMed, PsycINFO and Web of Science were searched. Articles were included if they mention solitary alcohol or marijuana (or illicit drug) use among adolescents aged 12-18 years. Studies on non-human animals, college students, non-English language publications and articles exclusively about solitary tobacco or inhalant use were excluded. Overall, 22 articles were selected. Results Prevalence of adolescent solitary alcohol and marijuana use was relatively high (e.g. 14% life-time solitary drinking in the general adolescent population), particularly in high-risk subgroups (e.g. 38.8% life-time solitary drinking in a sample of youth recruited from clinical and community settings). Risk factors for solitary alcohol and marijuana use include earlier onset and heavier use, coping motives, negative emotions and positive expectancies about use. Solitary alcohol and marijuana use are prospectively associated with later substance use disorder (SUD) symptoms, diminished academic performance and perceived health. Conclusions Approximately 1 in 7 adolescents in the US appear to have engaged in solitary alcohol and marijuana use at some point. It is positively associated with extent of drinking and marijuana use, cop;ing motives, negative emotions, and positive expectancies, as well as subsequent SUD symptoms and poor academic and health-related outcomes.
Development of a checklist for the detection of degenerative joint disease-associated pain in cats.

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to develop an evidence-based, clinically expedient checklist to identify cats likely to have degenerative joint disease (DJD)-associated pain.MethodsData were co...
UTILITY OF CARDIAC MRI IN CONSTRICTIVE PERICARDITIS

Cardiac MRI can identify patients with chronic permanent constrictive pericarditis who would benefit from pericardiectomy. A 26-year-old male with a history of previously treated pericarditis presented with jaundice. Initial laboratory evaluation demonstrated hyperbilirubinemia and thrombocytopenia
The prevalence of social care in US health care settings depends on how and whom you ask.

Despite unprecedented enthusiasm for integrating social risk screening and related interventions into US health care settings, we know relatively little about the extent to which these activities occur. We reviewed results from multiple national surveys that reported on the prevalence of social care activities. We used snowball sampling to solicit input from 29 expert informants who were asked to share any knowledge about survey instruments that included questions on the prevalence of social care-related activities conducted in health care settings. We subsequently ran web searches on recommended surveys to identify those fielded with a national sample and conducted between Jan 1, 2007 and May 31, 2019. Finally, we analyzed and compared results across surveys. We reviewed 23 total survey events (19 individual surveys and 4 that had been re-administered) that included questions on the extent of social care activities across health care disciplines and settings. Samples included a wide range of health care stakeholders (including payers, health care executives, providers, and patients.) Sample sizes ranged across the types of respondents: 95–120 respondents in surveys of payers; 44–757 in surveys of health care delivery leaders; 484–2333 in surveys of clinicians; and 500–7002 in surveys of patients. In eight cases, survey reports did not include response rates; another four reports described response rates under 25%. Fifteen of the 23 surveys incorporated questions on the prevalence of social risk screening; 17 included questions on social care intervention activities. Responses about the prevalence of both screening and interventions varied widely: between 15 and 100% of respondents reported their organization conducts screening for at least one social risk; 18–100% of respondents reported providing social care interventions. Between 3 and 22% of surveyed patients reported being screened or assisted with a social risk. In the four surveys that were administered in different years, we found no significant differences in results between survey administrations. Findings suggest that caution is warranted in interpreting survey findings from any single survey since existing surveys report a wide range of prevalence estimates for social risk screening and interventions.
Enhancement of parvalbumin interneuron-mediated neurotransmission in the retrosplenial cortex of adolescent mice following third trimester-equivalent ethanol exposure

Prenatal ethanol exposure causes a variety of cognitive deficits that have a persistent impact on quality of life, some of which may be explained by ethanol-induced alterations in interneuron function. Studies from several laboratories, including our own, have demonstrated that a single binge-like ethanol exposure during the third-trimester equivalent of human pregnancy leads to acute apoptosis and long-term loss of interneurons in the rodent retrosplenial cortex (RSC). The RSC is interconnected with the hippocampus, thalamus, and other neocortical regions and plays distinct roles in visuospatial processing and storage and retrieval of hippocampal-dependent episodic memories. Here we used slice electrophysiology to characterize the acute effects of ethanol on GABAergic neurotransmission in neonates, as well as the long-term effects of neonatal ethanol exposure on parvalbumin-interneuron mediated neurotransmission in adolescent mice. Mice were exposed to ethanol using vapor inhalation chambers. In postnatal day (P) 7 mouse pups, ethanol unexpectedly failed to potentiate GABAA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission. Binge-like ethanol exposure of P7 mice expressing channel rhodopsin in parvalbumin-positive interneurons enhanced the peak amplitudes, total charge, decays, and decreased rise-times of optically-evoked GABAA receptor-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents in adolescent animals. These effects could partially explain learning and memory deficits caused by developmental ethanol exposure.
NOSTALGIA FOR THE NEW: VIDEO GAME "REMAKES" AND THE LIMITS OFREFLECTION

In this paper I consider comments posted on the official trailers of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Yakuza Kiwami (from the verified Playstation YouTube channel) as iterations of nostalgia within the context of fifth- and sixth-generation digital game “remakes,” where the narrative and characters (Mayra’s (2008) “shell”) of the original game have been retained, but the game’s engine and mechanics (Mayra’s “core”) have been wholly replaced with modern technology. Using these comments, I attempt to place responses to these games into Garda’s (2013) nostalgia continuum as a way of testing the possibilities and limitations of “nostalgia” as a framework for understanding AAA remakes.
Abstract 14742: Deep Learning of Intracardiac Electrograms in Atrial Arrhythmia

Introduction: Intracardiac devices detect atrial fibrillation (AF) by rate and regularity, but any inaccuracies may cause inappropriate use of anticoagulants or anti-arrhythmic medications. Hypothe...
3-D Transcranial Microbubble Cavitation Localization by Four Sensors

Cavitation is the fundamental physical mechanism of various focused ultrasound (FUS)-mediated therapies in the brain. Accurately knowing the three-dimensional (3-D) location of cavitation in real-time can improve the targeting accuracy and avoid off-target tissue damage. Existing techniques for 3-D passive transcranial cavitation detection require the use of expensive and complicated hemispherical phased arrays with 128 or 256 elements. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using four sensors for transcranial 3-D localization of cavitation. Differential microbubble cavitation detection combined with the time difference of arrival algorithm was developed for the localization using the four sensors. Numerical simulation using k-Wave toolbox was performed to validate the proposed method for transcranial cavitation source localization. The sensors with a center frequency of 2.25 MHz and a 6 dB bandwidth of 1.39 MHz were used to locate cavitation generated by FUS (500 kHz) sonication of microbubbles that were injected into a tube positioned inside an ex vivo human skullcap. Cavitation emissions from the microbubbles were detected transcranially using the four sensors. Both simulation and experimental studies found that the proposed method achieved accurate 3-D cavitation localization. When the cavitation source was located within 30 mm from the geometric center of the sensor network, the accuracy of the localization method with the skull was measured to be 1.9±1.0 mm, which was not significantly different from that without the skull (1.7 ± 0.5 mm). The accuracy decreased as the cavitation source was away from the geometric center of the sensor network. It also decreased as the pulse length increased. Its accuracy was not significantly affected by the sensor position relative to the skull. In summary, four sensors combined with the proposed localization algorithm offer a simple approach for 3-D transcranial cavitation localization.
Association Between Pitch Break on the 4-Seam Fastball and Slider and Shoulder Injury in Major League Baseball Pitchers: A Case-Control Study.

Background:Few specific risk factors are known for shoulder injury in professional pitchers. New pitch-tracking data allow for risk stratification based on advanced metrics.Purpose/Hypothesis:The p...
Vector Spaces for RLS Filters

This chapter introduces a very important and mathematically elegant approach to recursive least squares adaptive filtering. This approach employs the very powerful mathematics of linear vector spaces. Through the use of vector space concepts, many intuitive geometrical interpretations result that will enable the reader to understand many approaches currently used in the literature. Both the least squares lattice (LSL) and the least squares transversal filter may be derived once this vector space interpretation has been obtained. The LSL is derived in detail in Chapter 10 and the fast transversal filter is the subject of Chapter 11. The current chapter introduces and develops applicable vector space relations and geometrical concepts that are necessary for either fast filter derivation.
Definition of Postoperative Anatomy and Placement of PEJ

In this chapter, we will address two topics that will be useful for any endoscopist performing small bowel enteroscopy. First we will review some basic principles to keep in mind when scoping patients with altered small bowel anatomy. We will review the expected anatomy for the most common small bowel surgeries and discuss some tips that might be useful for navigating through the small bowel of these patients. The second half of the chapter will focus on the indications, technique, and adverse events of percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy placement.
Equilibrium Theory of Bidensity Particle-Laden Flows on an Incline

The behaviour of inhomogeneous suspensions in a viscous oil is relevant in the context of oil spill and other oil-related disasters which may lead to the unwanted mixture of sand grains and oil. This warrants the fundamental study of the dynamics of solid particles in a thin film of viscous fluid. Specifically, sheared concentrated suspensions in a viscous fluid are subject to a diffusive mechanism called shear-induced migration that consists of “drift diffusion” and “self or tracer diffusion”. Drift diffusion causes particles to move from high to low concentrations, while tracer diffusion dictates mixing between particles of the same size. The latter mechanism becomes important in polydisperse slurries. In this chapter, we incorporate the effects of shear-induced migration and sedimentation to develop a model for the gravity-driven thin film of bidensity suspensions. We use this mathematical model to validate recent experimental results.
Isolation of enterococcal antigen-encoding genes from genomic libraries

We have devised a procedure using immune sera to identify antigen-encoding genes of strains of Enterococcus faecalis. First, genomic cosmid libraries containing large inserts were constructed and screened with sera from patients with enterococcal infectious endocarditis and with serum from a rabbit immunized with surface proteins of an enterococcal endocarditis isolate. Immunopositive cosmid clones were analyzed by restriction enzyme digestions and clones containing distinct inserts were chosen for subcloning. Sublibraries were screened with one of the five sera, and immunopositive subclones were subjected to DNA sequencing. BLASTX and BLASTN at NCBI were used to search for database similarities.
Governance and Merger Activity in Banking

One method of evaluating the success of management decisions regarding acquisitions is to examine equity price movements as the news of the merger is made public. The price movement of the acquiring firm’s equity around the announcement of the acquisition indicates if shareholders believe management has acted in their interest. In the banking industry, researchers have found that, on average, equity values of the acquiring bank do not display abnormal positive returns upon announcement, and often display statistically significant negative returns.Another line of research has documented that CEOs are better compensated for managing larger organizations, particularly when involved in merger activity. This study investigated the possibility of a linkage between weak firm-level corporate governance structures at banks and their propensity to make acquisitions that produce negative reactions from equity holders. A commercially sold governance index from Institutional Shareholder Services, now part of MSCI Barra, was used to measure governance strength. Acquisition events were from the comprehensive Thomson Reuters SDC merger database and equity values from CRSP. Results indicated that weaker corporate governance is associated with inferior stock market reactions upon announcement of an acquisition, which should be of interest to regulators as they monitor corporate actions for covert motives, and to investors in their investment selection process.
Summary and review: interaction of observations and theory of stellar interiors.

As we move into the next century of stellar astronomy, it is helpful to consider the modes by which stellar astronomy has advanced in the modern era. At this conference, our attention has been focussed on precision measurement of stellar fundamental properties such as mass, luminosity, and radius. This mode of inquiry is one of several that have borne fruit. In this review, I will discuss some of the topics that have arisen here with respect to how our understanding of stellar interiors progresses through interaction between theory and observation.
Paving the Road to a More Free World: ADR as Sustainable Development - A Look at Bangladesh

Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/drlj Part of the Comparative and Foreign Law Commons, Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Commons, Foreign Law Commons, Human Rights Law Commons, Law and Society Commons, Legal Profession Commons, Military, War and Peace Commons, Other Law Commons, Politics Commons, Public Law and Legal Theory Commons, Rule of Law Commons, and the Social Welfare Law Commons
Oral manifestations of Sezary's syndrome: Report of a case

Abstract A case of Sezary's syndrome has been described, with particular emphasis on the oral manifestations. The oral findings are similar to those of the skin, with the additional symptom of pain. So intense was the pain in the case described here that the taking of impressions with an alginate caused the patient to suffer. Also, the intense erythema of the mucous membranes with telangiectasia is a prominent feature. Current opinion is that Sezary's syndrome is a local reticulosis, intermediate in phase between a benign and a malignant state. It must, therefore, be considered a premalignant condition.
Successive cancellation in fading multipath CDMA channels

Given an ordered J group partition of the K simultaneously transmitting users of a CDMA channel, a sequential group detector consists of J group detectors that are connected sequentially. The j/sup th/ group detector uses the decisions from the previous j-1 group detectors and cancels the inter-user interference from those users before it makes joint decisions for the j/sup th/ group. This successive interference cancellation scheme was introduced by M.K. Varasani (see IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory, vol.41, no.4, July, 1995) for the Gaussian CDMA channel. This paper consists of extending that idea to the frequency-selective Rayleigh fading (FSRF) CDMA channel. The two group detectors (I and II) for the FSRF-CDMA channel are considered as the basic building blocks. The resulting sequential group detectors can be regarded as members of two distinct classes (each class parametrized by the ordered partition) of multiuser detectors that satisfy a wide range of complexity constraints. A succinct indicator of the average BER over high SNR regions for the FSRF-CDMA channel is defined via the asymptotic efficiency. In this work, upper and lower bounds on the asymptotic efficiency for the two sequential group detectors are derived. Minimax criteria under which these detectors are optimal are specified. A numerical example illustrates the vast improvements achievable by the sequential group detector based on the group detector II.
Ammonia Synthesis – Biological

Although abundant, the N2 gas in the Earth's atmosphere cannot be metabolized directly by most organisms and, consequently, cellular nitrogen is usually obtained in a “fixed” form, such as ammonia, nitrate, or as part of an organic molecule. These sources of “fixed” nitrogen are relatively scarce and represent the most-often limiting nutrient in agricultural systems. Because organic nitrogen is incompletely recycled in the global ecosystem and because the available ammonia and nitrate are continually metabolized to N2, the biological reduction of N2 occupies a pivotal position in the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle. This process, called nitrogen fixation, is performed only by prokaryotic microorganisms and it is catalyzed by the enzyme, nitrogenase. N2-fixing microorganisms may be either free-living or associated symbiotically with plants (or animals). The most agriculturally significant are the symbiotic microorganisms that live within the plant tissue in nodules, where they “fix” N2 and deliver it to their host. The most commonly encountered nitrogenase is a molybdenum(Mo)-based enzyme complex, but similar vanadium-based and iron-based enzymes are known plus a fourth unique system. The three-dimensional structures of the two component proteins of Mo-nitrogenase are known. Most nitrogenases also catalyze the reduction of many other substrates (e.g., C2H2, N3−, HCN) in reactions that are inhibited by CO. Substrate reduction is accomplished by a series of association–dissociation cycles in which electrons (accompanied by MgATP hydrolysis) are transferred from the Fe-protein component to the MoFe-protein component on which substrates are bound and reduced. Each nitrogenase is genetically distinct and its biosynthesis, maturation, and activity are regulated by many genes, e.g., 20 nif (nitrogen-fixation-related) genes are required for the single Mo-nitrogenase of Klebsiella pneumoniae. A fundamental understanding of the biochemical action and genetic regulation of the nitrogen-fixation components has significant potential for improving the economy of nitrogen fixation, minimizing water pollution, and increasing global food supplies. Keywords: nitrogen-fixation; biological nitrogen-fixation; fertilizer nitrogen; nitrogen; ammonia; nitrogen cycle; nitrogen-fixing organisms; rhizobia; Rhizobium; legume; symbiosis; nitrogenase; molybdenum; vanadium; iron-sulfur; FeMo-cofactor; P-cluster; biosynthesis; Klebsiella; Azotobacter; Rhodobacter; Clostridium; Streptomyces
Noble gases in the earth's mantle

Abstract The abundances and isotopic compositions of noble gases in two samples from ultramafic xenoliths in alkali basalt, a young kaersutitic amphibole separated from a peridotite xenolith from Dish Hill, California and an ancient whole-rock lherzolite xenolith from Baja California, are reported and compared with the results of analyses on other mantle samples. In addition to previously recognized excesses of 3 He and 129 Xe, our results indicate that ambient gases in the mantle show a general enrichment of the lighter-mass nonradiogenic isotopes of Ar, Kr and Xe, and Ar with 40 Ar/ 36 Ar = 3 · 10 2 .
Stromal and epithelial cells of the canine prostate express parathyroid hormone-related protein, but not the PTH/PTHrP receptor.

BACKGROUND Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP), a principal factor in the pathogenesis of humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy, is also widely expressed in many normal tissues, including human prostatic epithelial cells. The role of PTHrP in the prostate is not known, but may include regulation of cell growth and differentiation or calcium secretion into prostatic fluid. The dog is a valuable animal model for human prostatic diseases. The objective was to investigate the expression of PTHrP and the PTH/PTHrP (type 1) receptor in primary cultures of canine stromal and epithelial prostatic cells. METHODS Expression and secretion of PTHrP and the PTH/PTHrP receptor was measured in homogenous primary cultures of canine prostatic stromal and epithelial cells using immunohistochemistry, Northern blots, radioimmunoassay, RT-PCR, and receptor stimulation assays. RESULTS Epithelial and stromal cells expressed and secreted abundant PTHrP, but PTH/PTHrP receptor expression was not detected in either cell type. CONCLUSIONS PTHrP expression by stromal and epithelial prostatic cells and the absence of the PTH/PTHrP (type I) receptor suggest that some functions previously proposed for PTHrP in the prostate are unlikely. The separation procedure presented is a valuable tool for studying the role and regulation of PTHrP in the prostate. Prostate 36:110–120, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
History and the Philosophy of Art

AbstractIn this essay I trace the role of history in the philosophy of art from the early twentieth century to the present, beginning with the rejection of history by formalists like Clive Bell. I then attempt to show how the arguments of people like Morris Weitz and Arthur Danto led to a re-appreciation of history by philosophers of art such as Richard Wollheim, Jerrold Levinson, Robert Stecker and others.
Rapid cure simulation using artificial neural networks

Process simulations based on physical models describing the governing process phenomena have played an important role in improving the fundamental understanding and development of composites fabrication techniques over the last decade. In the several ongoing research efforts directed at improving manufacturing affordability of composite materials, simulation models offer great potential for tasks such as process optimization, robust process design, total quality manufacturing, and model-predictive on-line process control. However, the computational tedium associated with a rigorous numerical process simulation hampers the realization of the complete potential of simulation-assisted materials manufacturing, which calls for the simulation time scales to be comparable to those of the fabrication processes. Towards addressing this need, this paper presents the use of artificial neural networks trained using a physical process model as an effective substitute for rigorous numerical simulations in the simulation-assisted materials manufacturing endeavor. Considering the case of thermosetting-matrix composites fabrication, the use of neural networks trained and validated using the physical models is shown to increase the computational speed by several orders of magnitude. Further, network training in terms of non-dimensional groups formed of the process and product parameters is presented as an effective means of better incorporating the physical relationships among the parameters, generalizing the network training across material systems and product specifications, and reducing the number of training parameters. The accuracy of the neural network-based simulations is assessed for a wide range of practically relevant processing conditions.
Comparison in mice of the amnestic effects of cycloheximide and 6-hydroxydopamine in a one-trial passive avoidance task ☆

To test further the hypothesis that cycloheximide (CXM)-induced amnesia is due in part to its effects on the central adrenergic system, a comparison was made in mice of the effects of the antibiotic and of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) on memory of a one-trial passive avoidance task. Both drugs produced anmesia 24 hr after training but unlike CXM, 6-OHDA had no effect on memory 20 min after training.
Mixed messages: fertility signaling interferes with nestmate recognition in the monogynous ant Camponotus floridanus

Chemical communication is crucial for the organization of social insect colonies. However, with the heavy use of one communication modality, problems may arise such as the interference of different types of information. This study investigated how information about fertility and colony membership is integrated in the ant Camponotus floridanus. We introduced into mature, queenright colonies (a) the nestmate queen, (b) a nestmate worker, (c) a foreign, high-fertility queen, (d) a foreign, low-fertility queen, and (e) a foreign worker. As expected, workers did not attack their nestmate queen or a nestmate worker but responded aggressively to foreign workers and foreign, low-fertility queens. Surprisingly, workers did not attack foreign, high-fertility queens. Chemical analysis demonstrated that the cuticular hydrocarbon profile of C. floridanus encodes information about fertility status in queens and workers and colony membership in workers. We suggest that ants respond to this information in the cuticular hydrocarbon profile: individuals with strong fertility signals are accepted regardless of their colony membership, but individuals without strong fertility signals are tolerated only if their cuticular hydrocarbon profile matches that of colony members. Learning how social insects respond to multiple types of information presented together is critical to our understanding of the recognition systems that permit the complex organization of social insect colonies.
Uncorking the Southern Ocean's Vintage CO2

Antarctic ice cores provide a well-documented link between Earth's climate and the CO2 content of the atmosphere over the past 800,000 years ( 1 ). Many hypotheses to explain this relationship envision releases of CO2 to the atmosphere from the deep waters of the Southern Ocean around Antarctica ( 2 ), but there has been limited evidence. On page 1147 of this issue, Skinner et al. ( 3 ) use the radiocarbon (14C) content in the shells of surface- and bottom-dwelling organisms (foraminifera) recovered from the Southern Ocean to track how CO2 moved from the deep sea to the atmosphere during the warming transition out of the last ice age (deglaciation). First, bottom-dwelling foraminifera record the buildup of 14C-depleted CO2 in the deep ocean during the last glacial period, more than 21,000 years ago. Second, the shells of surface dwellers record the transfer of 14C-depleted CO2 to the surface between ∼17,000 and 21,000 years ago.
In vivo and in vitro induction of human cytochrome P4503A4 by dexamethasone

Purpose The aims of these experiments were to determine the effect of a therapeutic regimen of dexamethasone on cytochrome P4503A4 (CYP3A4) activity in healthy volunteers; and the concentration-effect relationship between dexamethasone and CYP3A4 activity in primary human hepatocyte cultures. Methods The effect of dexamethasone (8 mg administered by mouth two times a day for 5 days) on CYP3A4 activity in 12 healthy volunteers was assessed with the erythromycin breath test and urinary ratio of dextromethorphan to 3-methoxymorphinan. Concentration-effect of dexamethasone on CYP3A4-dependent testosterone 6-β-hydroxylation was determined in human hepatocytes treated with 2 to 250 μmol/L dexamethasone. Results The percent of erythromycin metabolized per hour increased from 2.20% ± 0.60% (mean ± SD) at baseline to 2.67% ± 0.55% on day 5 of dexamethasone (mean increase in hepatic CYP3A4 activity 25.7% ± 24.6% P = .004). The mean urinary ratio of dextromethorphan to 3-methoxymorphinan was 28 (4.8 to 109) and 7 (1 to 23) at baseline and on day 5 of dexamethasone (mean decrease = 49% P = .06). Substantial intersubject variability was observed in the extent of CYP3A4 induction. The extent of CYP3A4 induction was inversely correlated with baseline erythromycin breath test (r 2 = 0.58). In hepatocytes, dexamethasone 2 to 250 μmol/L resulted in an average 1.7-fold to 6.9-fold increase in CYP3A4 activity, respectively. The extent of CYP3A4 induction with dexamethasone in hepatocyte preparations was inversely correlated with baseline activity (r 2 = 0.59). Conclusions These data demonstrate that dexamethasone at doses used clinically increased CYP3A4 activity with extensive intersubject variability and that the extent of CYP3A4 induction was, in part, predicted by the baseline activity of CYP3A4 in both healthy volunteers and human hepatocyte cultures. (Clin Pharmacol Ther 2000;68:356-66.) Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2000) 68, 356–366; doi: 10.1067/mcp.2000.110215
Electrical stimulation and lesions of the hypothalamus in alloxan diabetic rabbits.

Summary The effects of hypothalamic stimulation and lesions were studied in alloxan diabetic rabbits. Electrical stimulation of the anterior hypothalamic area increased the severity of diabetes, by further elevation of blood glucose, whereas electrolytic lesions in this area in some animals, produced a marked increase in the response to insulin. Stimulation of the preoptic, supraoptic, posterior and mammillary areas of the hypothalamus did not alter blood glucose levels. The response to insulin in diabetics with posterior hypothalamic lesions was not different from diabetics without lesions. Insulin sensitivity was compared in normal and adrenal demedullated rabbits and no difference was noted. The results indicate that the anterior hypothalamus in the rabbit plays a part in the regulation of blood glucose which is independent of the sympathetico-adrenal system; it more likely involves an alteration of one or more anterior pituitary secretions of ‘diabetogenic’ hormones.
Abstract 3500: Nucleolytic processing of Topoisomerase 2 covalent complexes

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC The generation of elevated levels of enzyme: DNA covalent complexes is the key event in cell killing by many drugs targeting DNA topoisomerases. These agents, termed topoisomerase poisons generate protein linked DNA strand that block transcription and replication, leading to cell death. A critical step in the repair of topoisomerase mediated DNA damage is the removal of protein that is covalently attached to DNA. Several specialized repair enzymes, including Tdp1 (tyrosyl DNA phosphodiesterase I) and TTRAP (TRAF and TNF receptor-associated protein) can hydrolyze phosphotyrosyl: DNA linkages. We previously reported that yeast Tdp1 could hydrolyze 5′ as well as 3′ phosphotyrosyl linkages. Human Tdp1 can also hydrolyze 5′ phosphotyrosyl linkages, although the efficiency of the reaction with the human enzyme is much less than that seen with the yeast enzyme. Interestingly, the human enzyme processes adducts bearing a seven amino acid peptide linked to an oligonucleotide with greater efficiency than a 5′ biotin linked oligonucleotide, suggesting that the nature of the adduct at DNA ends influences Tdp1 reaction kinetics. We also used substrates derived from Top2 trapped covalent complexes to assess the ability of other DNA repair enzymes to remove peptides covalently bound to DNA. We found that the heterodimeric nuclease Slx1/Slx4 is able to remove Top2 peptides that are covalently bound to DNA. This result is consistent with our genetic data from yeast that a mutation in the subunit that includes the nuclease (Slx1) is hypersensitive to Top2 poisons, but not sensitive to other DNA damaging agents. Our results indicate that there are multiple pathways for repairing Top2 covalent complexes and suggest that the Slx1/Slx4 dependent pathway may be particularly relevant to repairing topoisomerase mediated damage at replication forks. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3500.
CONFORMITY OF SKILLED PHYSICIANS' ASSESSMENTS OF GIRLS' GENITAL FINDINGS TO STANDARDS. • 811

Objective: To evaluate the conformity of skilled physicians' assessments to standard descriptions (Descs) and interpretations (Interps) of girls' genital findings.
Phase transition and dynamic structure in the toluene clathrate of t-butylcalix[4]arene

Abstract Variable temperature solid-state 13C NMR and differential scanning calorimetry were used to show that the toluene clathrate of t-butylcalix[4]arene undergoes a symmetry lowering phase transition at 248.0 K. 2H NMR was used to show that the high symmetry of the complex at room temperature is due to dynamic disorder of the toluene guest, which is most easily described as an axial rotor.
Effects of flashing light-emitting diodes on algal biomass productivity

To reduce power consumption and enhance algal biomass productivity in a thin flat-plate bioreactor (called a sliver tank bioreactor), flashing (pulsing) light was used. Biomass productivity and power consumption were monitored in controlled experiments using various photon flux levels, including a constant (non-flashing) flux of 75 μmol photons m−2 s−1 and three flashing experiments with photon fluxes of 375, 275, and 175 μmol photons m−2 s−1. Flashing experiments were performed at 10 kHz and a duty cycle of 20 %. A sliver tank bioreactor with a chamber width of 6.4 mm was used for its short optical path. Data from the experiments where light was flashed with a photon flux of 375 μmol photons m−2 s−1 indicated 9.6 % less power and 2.86 times the biomass productivity compared to the constant photon flux experiments. Similar results were obtained for the other flashing light regimes, which had lower biomass yields but also less input power per unit biomass produced, indicating that a large fraction of the continuously applied photons are shed or wasted, even at levels approximately 1/30th the intensity of full sun.
Permeability to sodium ions of the endolymph-perilymph barrier

The endocochlear potential and Na+ activity in the endolymph were simultaneously measured with a double-barreled Na+ selective liquid membrane electrode. The modified Na+ conductance and permeability coefficient of the endolymph-perilymph barrier were calculated from the rate of change in the endolymph Na+ concentration relative to the Na+ electrochemical gradient across the barrier during permanent anoxia. In normal guinea pigs the Na+ conductance of the endolymph-perilymph barrier is approximately 5 times less than its K+ conductance. Exposure to noise or treatment with kanamycin suppresses the cochlear microphonics but does not result in significant alterations in the Na+ permeability of the endolymph-perilymph barrier. It is likely that the Na+ permeability of the endolymph-perilymph barrier is not involved in the physiological processes which lead to the cochlear damage produced by noise or kanamycin.