cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Numerical Methods for Analyzing Optical Waveguides

Analytical solutions of the wave equation exist for only a few waveguide structures. Direct numeric solution of the wave equation is possible for many structures, although this usually involves iteration to find the approximate eigen-value. In this chapter we will discuss two methods used to study modes of structures which are not amenable to analytic or approximate solution. These methods are the Beam Propagation Method (BPM) and the Finite-Difference Time Domain method (FDTD). Numerical simulations are needed to evaluate special structures such as waveguides with bends or reflective mirrors, split Y couplers, and coupled adjacent waveguides [1, 2, 3], or structures which have reflections, such as a grating. A Y-coupler, shown in Fig. 9.1, is a simple device that connects one waveguide to two waveguides. Since the mode dynamically changes as it enters the structure, it is very difficult to calculate the answers to questions such as “How much loss will the mode encounter?”, “What is the optimum angle to split the waveguide?”, and so forth. The numerical simulation methods allow us to determine these answers.
Rhesus pieces: genotype matching of RBCs.

As Chou et al have elegantly shown in this issue of Blood , 1 RH genetic diversity in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) is prevalent, and matching of donor and recipient red blood cell (RBC) antigens at the molecular level for transfusion is feasible. The Rh blood group system is highly complex, with many antigens defined at the serologic level encoded by the RHD and RHCE genes. Genetic exchange between RHD and RHCE is especially common in individuals of African descent, including those with SCD. In fact, ∼90% of studied patients with SCD have at least 1 RH allele that differs from those found in individuals of European descent. 2 Because most blood donors in the United States are not of African descent, each RBC transfusion thus exposes recipients with SCD to many “nonself” blood group antigens.
Dermatologic Adverse Events from Cancer Treatments

The incidences of adverse events to cancer treatments have increased as new treatments are being developed. Dermatologic adverse events (dAEs) strongly impact patients’ quality of life (QoL). Severe dAEs can result in dose reduction or discontinuation, which may compromise clinical outcomes and even lead to life-threatening conditions. Prevention, early diagnosis, and proper management of dAEs are crucial for optimizing anticancer response and maintaining QoL. This chapter addresses dAEs induced by cytotoxic and targeted therapies, radiotherapy, stem cell transplantation, immunotherapies, and CAR-T cell therapy. Proposed underling mechanisms and recommended treatment approaches for these dAEs are presented.
The causal influence of brain size on human intelligence: Evidence from within-family phenotypic associations and GWAS modeling

Abstract There exists a moderate correlation between MRI-measured brain size and the general factor of IQ performance (g), but the question of whether the association reflects a theoretically important causal relationship or spurious confounding remains somewhat open. Previous small studies (n 〈100) looking for the persistence of this correlation within families failed to find a tendency for the sibling with the larger brain to obtain a higher test score. We studied the within-family relationship between brain volume and intelligence in the much larger sample provided by the Human Connectome Project (n = 1022) and found a highly significant correlation (disattenuated ρ = 0.18, p
The use of social services by older males

SummaryIn the fields of social work and social welfare, there have been many studies which have examined the use of social services. Few studies, however, have specifically explored the use of soci...
Anterior Sensorimotor Subthalamic Nucleus Stimulation Is Associated With Improved Voice Function.

BACKGROUND Despite the impact of Parkinson disease (PD) on speech communication, there is no consensus regarding the effect of lead location on voice-related outcomes in subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS). OBJECTIVE To determine the relationship of stimulation location to changes in cepstral analyses of voice following STN DBS. METHODS Speech pathology evaluations were obtained from 14 PD subjects, before and after STN DBS, including audio-perceptual voice ratings (overall severity, loudness, hoarseness changes), measured indices of dysphonia (cepstral peak prominence and cepstral spectral index of dysphonia), and phonatory aerodynamics. The contact locations used for active stimulation at the time of postoperative voice evaluations were determined and assessed in relation to voice outcomes. RESULTS Voice outcomes remained relatively unchanged on average. Stimulation locations in the anterior portion of the sensorimotor region of the left STN, however, were associated with improvements in voice severity scores, cepstral spectral index of dysphonia, shortness of breath, and phonatory airflow during connected speech. Posterior locations were associated with worsening of these outcomes. Variation in the medial-lateral or dorsal-ventral position on the left, and in any direction on the right, did not correlate with any voice outcome. CONCLUSION Active contact placement within the anterior sensorimotor STN was associated with improved perceptual and acoustic-aerodynamic voice-related outcomes. These findings suggest an STN topography for improving airflow for speech, in turn improving how PD patients' voices sound.
Usefulness of Icare Home in Telemedicine Workflow to Detect Real-World Intraocular Pressure Response to Glaucoma Medication Change

Abstract Icare® HOME allows intraocular pressure (IOP) sampling by the patient. This technology addresses the barrier of limited IOP data from clinic visits and provides a telemedicine workflow for glaucoma care.
The Effect of University Research on Industrial Innovation: Evidence from China

University research is well-recognized as playing an important role in boosting industrial innovation. However, empirical works that causally justify and comprehensively explore this relationship a...
ASSEMBLY-SCALE AND WHOLE-BUILDING ENERGY PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF ULTRA-HIGH-PERFORMANCE FIBER-REINFORCED CONCRETE (UHP-FRC) FAÇADE SYSTEMS

Majority of building energy consumption is used to heat and cool enclosed spaces. An innovative ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHP-FRC) facade system has the potential to reduce building energy consumption. The objectives of this research are (1) to analyze the heat and moisture transfer within the UHP-FRC facade panels, and (2) assess the energy performance of a proposed UHP-FRC facade system in comparison with conventional sandwich panel facade system in commercial building context (large office, medium office, and small office buildings). A transient hygrothermal analysis is conducted to investigate heat and moisture transfer within the UHP-FRC facade system and evaluate the risk of mold growth in internal layers of the facade system for different boundary conditions. A simulation-based building energy performance analysis is conducted to investigate the energy performance of the UHP-FRC panel system in the commercial building context (three DOE prototype commercial buildings are used as building context) in fifteen locations with different climate and weather conditions (45 scenarios). The results of the hygrothermal analysis showed that the UHP-FRC panel assembly’s performance is superior to the conventional panel regarding combined heat and moisture transfer. Although the result of building energy simulations showed that the energy savings of using the UHP-FRC panel depend on the building type and climate condition, in 44 out of 45 scenarios, the total energy savings were positive. It is expected that the results of this research help develop the next generation of high-performance energy-efficient facade systems using UHP-FRC.
Establishing reference intervals of 20 biochemical markers for children in Southwestern Fujian, China based on the UniCel DxC 800 system:

BackgroundTo date, China has no industry standard for reference intervals of paediatric blood biochemical markers. This study aimed to evaluate changes in biochemical markers in the venous blood of...
Iron Metabolism and Related Disorders

Abstract Iron is an essential element for numerous fundamental biological processes, including erythropoiesis; however, in large quantities and when unbound, iron can be highly toxic to cells. Much of iron metabolism involves maintaining a delicate balance between sequestered and available iron by regulating iron movement between compartments where iron can be absorbed, recycled, and stored. A wide spectrum of clinical disorders result from mutations in gene products with key roles in cellular and systemic iron regulation. Mutations in the gene products that encode the master iron regulatory hormone hepcidin or its receptor ferroportin lead to several hereditary forms of hemochromatosis with juvenile or adult onset. Genetic defects that restrict iron availability to erythroid precursors underlie several clinically-distinct forms of microcytic anemia that are also characterized by dysregulated systemic iron balance, including iron-refractory iron deficiency anemia, DMT1 mutation-related hypochromic microcytic anemia, and congenital atransferrinemia. A variety of other inherited conditions, including hereditary hyperferritinemia-cataract syndrome, neuroferritinopathy, aceruloplasminemia, Friedreich ataxia, and X-linked sideroblastic anemia with ataxia, also result from genetic defects that disrupt iron homeostasis at the local or systemic level. Furthermore, several genetic forms of neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation have been described for which the relationship of the underlying mutated gene product to iron metabolism remains to be elucidated. In this chapter, we review the clinical features, molecular genetics, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of the major genetic disorders of iron metabolism.
The History of Design Thinking and its Contributions to Food Experiences and Well-Being

This chapter examines the relationships between three complimentary paradigms: food experiences, food well-being, and design thinking. All three are holistic approaches to improving individual and community well-being – herein, food well-being is the goal, food experiences are the mechanism, and design thinking is the tool. This chapter first defines each concept, which are all relatively new to academic inquiry. Next, it traces the history of design thinking from its roots in 20th century mechanical and industrial engineering, to its modern incarnation of rethinking our approach to effective problem-solving. The chapter simultaneously examines the evolution of food design during the same timeframe, noting when and how food experiences have received greater and less attention from designers and consumers. Next, the chapter examines how a design thinking approach can be used to examine and improve food experiences, and to increase food well-being. Finally, because food experiences and food well-being are, to date, underrepresented in the portfolio of design thinking contexts, we conclude by emphasizing how food-related research can and should be put into practice by applying design thinking, thus increasing our understanding of the utility of all three concepts.
Introduction to the Special Issue on the Sufficiency of Scripture

This article provides an introduction to the special issue on the sufficiency of Scripture. The special issue examines the biblicist approach to the sufficiency of Scripture and offers alternative ...
Mobile Data Collection Networks for Wireless Sensors

Energy consumption is a major limitation of wireless sensor networks, with irreplaceable tiny sensors and multi-hop communication in sensor data aggregation as major contributors to this problem. While existing single hop data collection schemes reduce individual sensor energy consumption, they suffer from longer latency and low data delivery ratio. In face of these problems, we propose a mobile data collection network (MDCNet) as a new paradigm for wireless sensing applications. MDCNet is a fully self-deployed mesh network with virtual mesh nodes (mobile relay nodes), through which sensor data can be collected in a single hop and transmitted to the sinks. Our simulation results, based on NS-2, indicate that this new approach can achieve short latency and high data delivery ratio.
Education of preventive medicine residents: Alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse

Abstract Background Generalist physicians’ addiction training is inadequate, but general preventive medicine residency (PMR) programs have not been studied. We determined PMR programs’ alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse (ATOD) training from 1995 to 2000 and identified barriers to this education. Methods Interviewer-administered telephone survey of program directors (PDs) of accredited PMR programs in the United States. Results We interviewed all 41 PMR PDs. While 78% of PMR PDs reported interest in increasing ATOD education, for 68% it was not a high educational priority. Tobacco ranked in the top third of preventive medicine topics by 58%, while alcohol and other drugs ranked in the bottom third by 48% and 52%, respectively. Twenty-two percent of programs required a clinical ATOD rotation, most commonly smoking-cessation clinics. Only 29% of PMR PDs felt that residents were well prepared in clinical aspects of ATOD, while 60% felt that residents were prepared in ATOD research and public health issues. The most commonly reported barriers to ATOD training were lack of resident interest and defined competencies (64% each); limited faculty time (59%); limited teaching time (54%); lack of available teaching materials (53%); and lack of faculty expertise (51%). Conclusions While the majority of PMR PDs recognize the importance of incorporating teaching about addictions into training, much of the ATOD education in PMRs focuses on tobacco alone. Setting educational standards, defining competencies, investing in faculty development, and creating ATOD curricular modules are important next steps toward preparing preventive medicine physicians to effectively reduce the public health toll of addictions.
Adolescent C57BL/6J Mice Show Elevated Alcohol Intake, but Reduced Taste Aversion, as Compared to Adult Mice: A Potential Behavioral Mechanism for Binge Drinking

Background: Binge alcohol drinking during adolescence is a serious health problem that may increase future risk of an alcohol use disorder. Although there are several different procedures by which to preclinically model binge-like alcohol intake, limited-access procedures offer the advantage of achieving high voluntary alcohol intake and pharmacologically relevant blood alcohol concentrations (BACs). Therefore, in the current study, developmental differences in binge-like alcohol drinking using a limited-access cycling procedure were examined. In addition, as alcohol drinking has been negatively correlated with sensitivity to the aversive properties of alcohol, we examined developmental differences in sensitivity to an alcohol-induced conditioned taste aversion (CTA). Methods: Binge-like alcohol consumption was investigated in adolescent (4 weeks) and adult (10 weeks) male C57BL/6J mice for 2 to 4 h/d for 16 days. Developmental differences in sensitivity to an alcohol-induced CTA were examined in adolescent and adult mice, with saline or alcohol (3 or 4 g/kg) repeatedly paired with the intake of a novel tastant (NaCl). Results: Adolescent mice showed a significant increase in alcohol intake as compared to adults, with adolescents achieving higher BACs and increasing alcohol consumption over successive cycles of the binge procedure. Conversely, adolescent mice exhibited a dose-dependent reduction in sensitivity to the aversive properties of alcohol, as compared to adult mice, with adolescent mice failing to develop a CTA to 3 g/kg alcohol. Finally, extinction of an alcohol CTA was observed following conditioning with a higher dose of alcohol in adolescent, versus adult, mice. Conclusions: These results indicate that adolescent mice consume more alcohol, per kilogram body weight, than adults in a binge-like model of alcohol drinking and demonstrate a blunted sensitivity to the conditioned aversive effects of alcohol. Overall, this supports a behavioral framework by which heightened binge alcohol intake during adolescence occurs, in part, via a reduced sensitivity to the aversive properties of alcohol. Language: en
A flexible and robust direct reconstruction method for magnetospheric radio tomography

[1] We present a flexible and robust direct reconstruction method for magnetospheric radio tomography. We show that for a combined reconstruction of plasma density Ne and magnetic field B, the direct reconstruction method performs as well as popular iterative methods such as algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) and multiplicative algebraic reconstruction technique (MART) for large number of satellites, but it performs significantly better when the number of satellites is small. The main advantages of this method are that extra information, such as in situ measurements, can be easily and flexibly incorporated into the reconstruction; it is relatively robust in the presence of noise; and it is less sensitive than other methods to numerical reconstruction parameters like assumed grid size. We demonstrate the good performance of this method in reconstructing electron density and magnetic field using constellations of relatively few satellites (11 and fewer) in a single orbit in a variety of magnetospheric regions. Although this method is relatively robust to noisy measurements, local measurements can significantly increase the reconstruction accuracy.
Comparison of Results from the Du Pont "ACA" and Technicon "SMA 12/ 60"

The Du Pont "Automatic Clinical Analyzer" (ACA) and the Technicon "SMA 12/60" were compared as to precision, range of linearity, and results for sera from patients. Precision of the ACA was equal to or better than that of the SMA 12/60 for all determinations except SGOT in the normal range. The ACA showed a wider range of linearity for BUN, total protein, LDH, alkaline phosphatase, SGOT, and bilirubin, and equal linear ranges for glucose and albumin. Patient’s sera comparisons showed differences for glucose in uremic sera. Albumin values from the ACA did not compare well with those by HABA dye method from the SMA 12/60, but did compare well with values obtained by electrophoresis and by a bromcresol green method adapted to the SMA 12/60. Bilirubin values from the ACA were higher than those from the SMA 12/60. Comparable results were obtained for the enzyme determinations when the SMA 12/60 was calibrated in the same units as the ACA.
Wavelets and multifractals for network traffic modeling and inference

This paper reviews the multifractal wavelet model (MWM) and its applications to network traffic modeling and inference. The discovery of the fractal nature of traffic has made new models and analysis tools for traffic essential, since classical Poisson and Markov models do not capture important fractal properties like multiscale variability and burstiness that deleteriously affect performance. Set in the framework of multiplicative cascades, the MWM provides a link to multifractal analysis, a natural tool to characterize burstiness. The simple structure of the MWM enables fast O(N) synthesis of traffic for simulations and a tractable queuing analysis, thus rendering it suitable for real networking applications including end-to-end path modeling.
Guest Editor Introduction

Why here, why now? What is environmental justice, and why is Contemporary Rural Social Work publishing a special issue focused on environmental justice and rural communities at this time? The Environmental Protection Agency notes in its definition of environmental justice that this concept is about ensuring that we all share “the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn and work” (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2015). Our present context provides ample evidence that we have not achieved this goal. The authors in this special issue make clear that environmental hazards are not equitably distributed, and rural areas are far from immune to disproportionate environmental risks.
Enantioselective Hydrolysis of cis‐3,5‐Diacetoxycyclopentene: (1R,4S)‐(+)‐4‐Hydroxy‐2‐Cyclopentenyl Acetate

Enantioselective hydrolysis of cis-3,5-diacetoxycyclopentene: (1R,4S)-(+)-4-hydroxy-2-cyclopentenyl acetate reactant: 16.70 g (118 mmol) of (±)-cis-4-acetoxy-1-hydroxycyclopent-2-ene [(±)-1] intermediate: cis-3,5-diacetoxycyclopentene (2) product: (1R,4S)-(+)-4-hydroxy-2-cyclopentenyl acetate [(+)-1] Keywords: acylation; enzymatic reactions; esterification, unsubstituted monobasic acids; hydrolysis, esters and lactones; stereoselective reactions, enantioselective; acetic anhydride; assay methods, of enantiomeric purity of alcohols by GLC analysis of mosher ester; buffer solutions, 1.45 M sodium dihydrogen phosphate; dichloromethane (methylene chloride); (±)-cis-4-hydroxy-2-cyclopentenyl acetate, purification
Effects of a divorce group intervention for elementary school children

The study investigated the effectiveness of a primary prevention educational support group for children of divorce. Subjects were 60 children, ages 9–11, paired for sex and time since parental separation. Experimental subjects participated in eight weekly group sessions while their yoked controls attended regular classes. Subjects completed pre-and posttest measures of depression, anxiety, divorce information, and feelings about divorce. The group intervention resulted in significant decreases in depression, anxiety, and negative feelings about divorce. Experimental group scores increased significantly on divorce information. The study suggests that preventive group interventions can result in improved adjustment outcomes for children of divorce.
Flowering, pollination and fruiting in Zostera marina L.

Abstract Sexual reproduction of Zostera marina L. has been observed in vitro. Six different stages can be distinguished: (1) the styles erect from the spadix and (2) bend back after pollination with the thread-like pollen grains; (3) pollen is released from the half anthers under water or at the water surface; (4) after maturation of 4 to 5 weeks, (5) the seeds are released from the fruit, the fruit wall remaining fixed on the spadix; (6) withering starts a few days before the release of the seeds and the flowering shoot is generally uprooted at the end of the flowering season. The time sequence of the stages of sexual reproduction is given.
The Hepatic Microvascular System in Health and Its Response to Toxicants

This review briefly summarizes what is known about the dynamic morphology of the hepatic microvascular system that includes all vessels in the liver with a diameter less than 300 microm and various morphological sites within these vessels that regulate the distribution of blood flow. The latter include the various segments of the afferent portal venules and hepatic arterioles, the sinusoids, and central and hepatic venules. Sinusoids are unique exchange vessels lined by fenestrated endothelial cells which have important endocytotic functions and phagocytic Kupffer cells which are important for host defense. These are encircled by extraluminal stellate cells that are specialized pericytes containing fat droplets that store vitamin A. The principle sites for regulating blood flow are in the sinusoidal network with stellate and endothelial cells playing a major role in regulating the diameters of sinusoids and the distribution of blood flow in individual sinusoids, lobules, or segments of lobules. The sinusoidal endothelial cells are a sensitive and early target for several toxicants. For example, as early as 30 minutes after the administration of acetaminophen, the endothelial cells become swollen and begin to lose the ability to endocytose ligands. Within 2 hr, gaps through the cytoplasm appear formed by the destruction and/or coalescence of fenestrae which permit red blood cells to penetrate into the space of Disse. Subsequently, the sinusoid may collapse or disintegrate reducing blood flow.
A soil map through LANDSAT satellite imagery in a part of the Auranga catchment in the Ranchi and Palamou districts of Bihar, India

Abstract An attempt has been made to explore various geomorphic units and their related soils in association of series level found to occur in the area with a map.
New mechanisms in DNA cleavage by metal complexes

The chemistry of new families of DNA cleavage agents based on oxoruthenium(IV) or diplatinum pyrophosphite complexes is reviewed. The ruthenium complexes derived from Ru(tpy)(bpy)O2+ (tpy, 2, 2, 2′-terpyridine; bpy, 2, 2′-bipyridine) are effective DNA cleavage agents both electrocatalytically or thermally. The stoichiometric reaction quantitatively produces Ru(II), which also binds to DNA covalently in a slow, follow-up reaction. The cleavage by Pt2(pop)4 4− (pop, P2O5H2) is photoactivated and proceeds via H-atom abstraction by the platinum complex.
Boys' rough‐and‐tumble play, social competence and group composition

The intent of this study was to examine relations between specific aspects of boys' rough-and-tumble play (R&T) and social competence. The prime concern was to test the hypothesis that R&T made contributions to boys' social competence, beyond those made by other forms of reciprocal social interaction. Boys' social competence was measured by their peer nominated popularity and solutions to hypothetical social problems. Forty-two boys, with a mean age of 11:2 years, were observed on their school playground for 20 weeks. They nominated peers whom they liked most and least, rank-ordered peers in terms of dominance, and solved hypothetical social problems. Teachers also completed a temperament questionnaire for each child. Results indicated that neither relative frequency of R&T nor the vigour dimension of R&T accounted for significant variance in boys' popularity beyond other forms of reciprocal social interaction. Further, relative frequency of R&T was negatively, but not significantly, related to popularity. The flexibility dimension of R&T did account for significant variance, above other forms of reciprocal social interaction, in social problem solving. The composition of R&T groups, in terms of size and dominance symmetry, did not differ significantly from other forms of reciprocal social interaction. Lastly, both aspects of temperament measured related to the vigour level of R&T. Results are discussed in terms of specific design features of R&T serving differential functions.
Omega-3 fatty acids and incident type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The relationship between omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) from seafood sources (eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA; docosahexaenoic acid, DHA) or plant sources (alpha-linolenic acid, ALA) and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) remains unclear. We systematically searched multiple literature databases through June 2011 to identify prospective studies examining relations of dietary n-3 PUFA, dietary fish and/or seafood, and circulating n-3 PUFA biomarkers with incidence of DM. Data were independently extracted in duplicate by 2 investigators, including multivariate-adjusted relative risk (RR) estimates and corresponding 95 % CI. Generalized least-squares trend estimation was used to assess dose-response relationships, with pooled summary estimates calculated by both fixed-effect and random-effect models. From 288 identified abstracts, 16 studies met inclusion criteria, including 18 separate cohorts comprising 540,184 individuals and 25,670 cases of incident DM. Consumption of fish and/or seafood was not significantly associated with DM (n = 13 studies; RR per 100 g/d = 1·12, 95 % CI = 0·94, 1·34); nor were consumption of EPA+DHA (n = 16 cohorts; RR per 250 mg/d = 1·04, 95 % CI = 0·97, 1·10) nor circulating levels of EPA+DHA biomarkers (n = 5 cohorts; RR per 3 % of total fatty acids = 0·94, 95 % CI = 0·75, 1·17). Both dietary ALA (n = 7 studies; RR per 0·5 g/d = 0·93, 95 % CI = 0·83, 1·04) and circulating ALA biomarker levels (n = 6 studies; RR per 0·1 % of total fatty acid = 0·90, 95 % CI = 0·80, 1·00, P = 0·06) were associated with non-significant trend towards lower risk of DM. Substantial heterogeneity (I²~80 %) was observed among studies of fish/seafood or EPA+DHA and DM; moderate heterogeneity ( < 55 %) was seen for dietary and biomarker ALA and DM. In unadjusted meta-regressions, study location (Asia vs. North America/Europe), mean BMI, and duration of follow-up each modified the association between fish/seafood and EPA+DHA consumption and DM risk (P-interaction ≤ 0·02 each). We had limited statistical power to determine the independent effect of these sources of heterogeneity due to their high collinearity. The overall pooled findings do not support either major harms or benefits of fish/seafood or EPA+DHA on development of DM, and suggest that ALA may be associated with modestly lower risk. Reasons for potential heterogeneity of effects, which could include true biologic heterogeneity, publication bias, or chance, deserve further investigation.
Identification and regulation of protein components of the apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme. A complex event.

Abstract Apolipoprotein B (apoB) gene expression is regulated by transcriptional, posttranscriptional, and translational mechanisms in both small intestinal enterocytes and hepatocytes of all mammals. This review focuses on the posttranscriptional regulation of apoB gene expression—specifically, an enzymatic modification to the nuclear transcript referred to as C to U RNA editing. C to U RNA editing, the process responsible for the production of apoB-48, is an exquisitely precise process that targets a single nucleotide in over 14,000. RNA editing requires regulated interactions between core enzyme components whose identity is known and regulatory factors, most of which have yet to be fully characterized. This review summarizes information relevant to those transacting factors that are essential for editing activity (core factors) as well as those interacting partners (regulatory factors) whose physiological role in RNA editing is yet to be fully defined.
Quaternary and Tertiary microfossils from beneath Ice Stream B: Evidence for a dynamic West Antarctic Ice Sheet history

Abstract Some glaciologists have suggested that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which is grounded well below sea level, may be susceptible to rapid grounding-line retreat and disintegration. However, until now, geologic evidence of previous ice sheet “collapses” has been lacking. Sediments that have recently been collected from beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet at Ice Stream B contain direct evidence of ice-free conditions in the West Antarctic interior during certain Cenozoic intervals, both prior to and subsequent to the development of grounded ice sheets in West Antarctica. The sediments contain rare but diverse microfossils that represent a wide variety of biostratigraphic ages and depositional environments. Microfossils present include relatively common marine and non-marine diatoms and sponge spicules, plus rare foraminifera, nannofossils, radiolarians, silicoflagellates, chrysophyte cysts and palynomorphs. Clasts of Neogene freshwater diatomite demonstrate the former presence of large lake systems in West Antarctica, possibly as part the Cenozoic West Antarctic rift system. Age-diagnostic marine fossils in the sediment include Late Paleogene calcareous nannofossils and planktonic foraminifera, Miocene marine planktonic diatoms and, significantly, late Pleistocene marine diatoms. Relatively common late Miocene diatoms probably reflect marine deposition prior to initiation of a dominantly glacial phase in West Antarctica. It is likely that Pliocene and early Pleistocene diatoms were deposited in the West Antarctic interior during certain warm interglacials, but these have been eroded and transported toward the continental shelf edge during repeated ice sheet expansions. The late Pleistocene diatoms from Upstream B were deposited in the West Antarctic interior basins during a marine phase, subsequent to an ice sheet collapse, during at least one late Pleistocene interglacial. This discovery provides an indication of the complex history of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, and calls into question some previous interpretations of ice sheet stability based on paleoceanographic proxy data. The results of this study may lend credence to the concern that global warming and rising sea levels in a “greenhouse” earth could lead to collapse of this marine ice sheet during the current interglacial period.
Relative activity of metabolic pathways for norepinephrine in endogenous depression

: Thirteen patients with endogenous depression, compared to 25 normal controls, had a significantly greater ratio of the urinary excretion of norepinephrine plus its metabolitie normetanephrine to either the sum of the two urinary norepinephrine metabolites 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol plus vanillylmandelic acid or to the sum of urinary norepinephrine and all of its metabolites. As urinary levels of norepinephrine and normetanephrine are derived from an extraneuronal metabolic pathway, while levels of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol and vanillylmandelic acid are more representative of total norepinephrine metabolism, these results suggest that there is a shift in endogenous depression to extraneuronal metabolic pathways for norepinephrine and its metabolites.
Analysis of fire events and controlling factors in eastern india using spatial scan and multivariate statistics

Vegetation fires are one of the most serious environmental problems in several ecoregions of India. The purpose of this study is to characterize spatio‐temporal characteristics of fire events in Or...
Fermentation studies with thermophilic Archaea in pure culture and in syntrophy with a thermophilic methanogen

Two heterotrophic, thermophilic, sulfur-reducing archaea were isolated from the Guaymas Basin hydrothermal vent. The fermentation of proteinaceous and carbohydrate substrates was examined at 85°C for each isolate in the presence and absence of elemental sulfur and in coculture with a thermophilic methanogen. The heterotrophic isolates differed with respect to their requirement for sulfur. Both heterotrophic isolates exhibited a mixed organic acid fermentation from proteinaceous substrates; however, acetate was the sole organic acid produced from carbohydrate fermentation. In coculture fermentations with a thermophilic methanogen, the heterotrophic isolates exhibited enhanced growth and fermentation. Interspecies hydrogen transfer and elemental sulfur-reduction may be important microbial processes in deep-sea hydrothermal vent community metabolism.
Multi-hop network localization in multi-radius unit disk graph model

Consider localizing a large number of wireless nodes, none of which has direct connectivity to 3 or more reference terminals. Since no node has enough distance measures to perform trilateration, they cannot determine their locations individually, but must rely on multihop network localization approaches and graph rigidity to get localized altogether. Previous work has modeled this problem as a unit disk graph, where the radius r sets a clear cut on node connectivity - within r two nodes have absolute connection and hence reliable distance measure, and beyond r they have none. Such a black-and-white model is idealistic, and this paper considers a more practical scenario where two nodes, in addition to being absolutely connected or disconnected, may fall in a gray area of random connectivity, and subsequently their distance measure may be available or reliable with some probability p. We propose a network localization scheme that captures this situation via a tree-search algorithm based on a multi-radius unit graph model. Leveraging an interesting philosophy of "no news is good news," the implicit but useful knowledge that two nodes have no connectivity is also exploited to substantially reduce the search space and expedite the localization speed. Although the general problem of network localization is NP-Hard, extensive simulations on randomly-generated graph geometry show that the proposed search algorithm has a very fast average computation time, far less than the worst-case (if the solution exists).
Microporous membranes of polyoxymethylene from a melt‐extrusion process: (II) Effects of thermal annealing and stretching on porosity

A two-part study utilizing polyoxymethylene (POM) was undertaken to investigate a three-stage process (melt-extrusion/annealing/uniaxial-stretching) utilized to produce microporous films. In this report, the thermal annealing (second stage) and subsequent uniaxial-stretching (third stage) results of selected POM films from two commercial resins, labeled D & F, are discussed. Specifically, the annealing and uniaxial stretching effects on film morphology, orientation, and other pertinent film properties are addressed. Additionally, sequential analysis was performed regarding the influence each stage had on the resulting microporosity. It was found that the melt-extruded precursor morphology and orientation, as a consequence of the first stage extrusion parameters and resin characteristics, are crucial to controlling the membrane permeability. The annealing parameters were also deemed critical, where a temperature of 145°C applied for 20 min under no tension was the optimum annealing condition for producing a highly microporous film upon stretching. For the conditions studied, the stretching parameters that were found to be optimum for producing the desired characteristics in the final film were a cold temperature of 50°C and hot stretch temperature of 100°C. The optimum extension levels were concluded to be 90% for both the cold and hot stretch steps, and thus a total overall extension level of 180%. However, these results were only with respect to resin F films. Because the resin D melt-extruded precursors possessed twisted lamellar morphologies and relatively low crystal orientation, their samples could not be produced into microporous films. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 1762–1780, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10587
Design and testing of a debris flow 'smart rock'.

This paper describes the development of a “smart rock,” an instrumented device for the study of debris flows, which is often triggered by earthquakes, heavy rain events, and rising groundwater conditions. Debris flows are very destructive forms of landslide consisting of a mixture of rocks, saturated soil, and debris typically flowing at high rates of speed and over long distances. In an effort to better understand the mechanics of debris flows, the smart rock was developed with a sensor package to be used in U.S. Geological Survey experiments at their flume facility in the Willamette National Forest, OR. The instrumented rock contains an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to measure acceleration and rotation rate about three body fixed axes, and two pressure sensors to measure pore water pressure. The sensors provide information about the movement of the rock and pore water pressures within a debris flow. One of the objectives of the sensor package is to use this information to track the position of a particle in the flow with an accuracy of 1 m over the course of 10 s. Calculation of position using the IMU requires the use of strapdown inertial navigation equations. Unfortunately, noise and bias in the rotation rate sensor introduce significant error in the position calculation. The results from one of the USGS debris flow experiments using the smart rock show that an ad hoc filtering method on the IMU data provides a rough estimate of the rock position in the flume, but far from the desired level of accuracy. Pressure and velocity recorded by the smart rock, while comparable to those measured by the USGS during the debris flow test, cannot be verified. Position accuracy can only be improved by using a better IMU and obtaining known rock positions versus time during the debris flow. Based on the results of this work, it is hoped that improved technology will result in a smart rock that can successfully provide useful and insightful debris flow data.
A New Method to Determine Antigen-Specific CD8 + T Cell Activity in Vivo by Hydrodynamic Injection

Hydrodynamic tail vein (HTV) delivery is a simple and rapid tail vein injection method of a high volume of naked plasmid DNA resulting in high levels of foreign gene expression in organs, especially the liver. Compared to other organs, HTV delivery results in more than a 1000-fold higher transgene expression in liver. After being bitten by malaria-infected mosquitoes, malaria parasites transiently infect the host liver and form the liver stages. The liver stages are known to be the key target for CD8+ T cells that mediate protective anti-malaria immunity in an animal model. Therefore, in this study, we utilized the HTV delivery technique as a tool to determine the in vivo cytotoxic effect of malaria antigen-specific CD8+ T cells. Two weeks after mice were immunized with recombinant adenoviruses expressing malarial antigens, the immunized mice as well as naive mice were challenged by HTV delivery of naked plasmid DNA co-encoding respective antigen together with luciferase using dual promoters. Three days after the HTV challenge, non-invasive whole-body bioluminescent imaging was performed. The images demonstrate in vivo activity of CD8+ T cells against malaria antigen-expressing cells in liver.
Velocity dependence of vibrational branching ratios in electronic energy transfer collisions of metastable argon atoms with nitrogen

Abstract Measurements have been made of the vibrational branching ratio (υ′=0)/(υ′=1) in N * 2 (C 3 Π u ) formed in electronic energy transfer collisions between argon metastable atoms and ground state nitrogen molecules, using crossed molecular beams. In the relative collision energy range, 0.08–0.20 eV, this ratio is 3.5±0.2.
Interactions among Rax1p, Rax2p, Bud8p, and Bud9p in Marking Cortical Sites for Bipolar Bud-site Selection in Yeast

In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, selection of the bud site determines the axis of polarized cell growth and eventual oriented cell division. Bud sites are selected in specific patterns depending on cell type. These patterns appear to depend on distinct types of marker proteins in the cell cortex; in particular, the bipolar budding of diploid cells depends on persistent landmarks at the birth-scar-distal and -proximal poles that involve the proteins Bud8p and Bud9p, respectively. Rax1p and Rax2p also appear to function specifically in bipolar budding, and we report here a further characterization of these proteins and of their interactions with Bud8p and Bud9p. Rax1p and Rax2p both appear to be integral membrane proteins. Although commonly used programs predict different topologies for Rax2p, glycosylation studies indicate that it has a type I orientation, with its long N-terminal domain in the extracytoplasmic space. Analysis of rax1 and rax2 mutant budding patterns indicates that both proteins are involved in selecting bud sites at both the distal and proximal poles of daughter cells as well as near previously used division sites on mother cells. Consistent with this, GFP-tagged Rax1p and Rax2p were both observed at the distal pole as well as at the division site on both mother and daughter cells; localization to the division sites was persistent through multiple cell cycles. Localization of Rax1p and Rax2p was interdependent, and biochemical studies showed that these proteins could be copurified from yeast. Bud8p and Bud9p could also be copurified with Rax1p, and localization studies provided further evidence of interactions. Localization of Rax1p and Rax2p to the bud tip and distal pole depended on Bud8p, and normal localization of Bud8p was partially dependent on Rax1p and Rax2p. Although localization of Rax1p and Rax2p to the division site did not appear to depend on Bud9p, normal localization of Bud9p appeared largely or entirely dependent on Rax1p and Rax2p. Taken together, the results indicate that Rax1p and Rax2p interact closely with each other and with Bud8p and Bud9p in the establishment and/or maintenance of the cortical landmarks for bipolar budding.
Early complications and long-term outcome after open surgical treatment of popliteal artery aneurysms: Is exclusion with saphenous vein bypass still the gold standard?

Background Popliteal artery aneurysms (PAAs) are rare, but thromboembolic complications may result in limb loss. To define complications and outcomes after open surgical repairs, we reviewed our experience. Methods Clinical data of patients with PAA seen between 1985 and 2004 at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, were reviewed and outcomes in 289 patients with open revascularization were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank tests, χ 2 , and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were used for analysis. Results A total of 358 PAAs were treated in 289 patients, consisting of 281 (97%) men and eight (3%) women. There were 133 (46%) unilateral and 156 (54%) bilateral PAAs with a mean diameter of 2.9 cm (range, 1.5 to 9 cm). Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) was more frequent with bilateral than unilateral PAAs (65% [101/156] vs 42% [56/133] P = .001). There were 144 (40%) asymptomatic limbs (group 1), 140 (39%) had chronic symptoms (group 2), and 74 (21%) had acute ischemia (group 3). Great saphenous vein (GSV) was used in 242 limbs (68%), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) in 94 (26%), and other types of graft in 22 (6%). Early mortality was 1% (3/358), all in group 3 (4% [3/74]). Six of seven patients with perioperative myocardial infarctions belonged to group 3 (8%). The 30-day graft thrombosis rate was 4%, with 1% in group 1 (1/144), 4% in group 2 (5/140), and 9% in group 3 (7/74). All six early amputations (8%) were in group 3, five with failed bypass (4 PTFE, 1 GSV). Mean follow-up was 4.2 years (range, 1 month to 20.7 years). The 5-year primary and secondary patency rates were 76% and 87%, respectively, higher with GSVs (85% and 94%) than PTFE (50% and 63%, P P = .03). Five-year limb salvage rate was 97% (85% in group 3). There was no limb loss in group 1 and none in group 2 with GSV. In group 3, preoperative thrombolysis reduced the amputation rate in class II patients with marginally threatened limbs (96% vs 69%, P = .02). Conclusion Acute presentation of PAA continues to carry high mortality and cardiac morbidity; although preoperative thrombolysis appears to improve results, the 8% early and 15% late amputation rates remain ominous. Early elective repair is recommended because these patients had no surgical mortality, a low rate of complications, and asymptomatic patients had no limb loss at 5 years. GSV and endoaneurysmorrhaphy continues to be the gold standard for open repair of PAA.