cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lantana, or red sage (Lantana camara L., [Verbenaceae]), notorious weed and popular garden flower; some cases of poisoning in Florida

Lantana, or red sage (lantana camara, Verbenaceae) is an aromatic shrub with rough, opposite or whorled leaves and four-angled, prickly or smooth stems, showy heads of small flowers (usually pink-and-yellow changing to red-and-orange) and dark-blue or blackish fruits. Native from tropical America north to lower Texas and southern Georgia, the bird-distributed plant has become naturalized in the Caribbean area, the Pacific islands, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and southern Asia. Hundreds of cultivars are grown as ornamentals in temperate climates. In warm regions, L. camara is a pest in farms, pastures and forests, providing breeding places for diseases, detrimental animals and insects, including the tsetse fly. Of 29 named races in Australia, 19 are toxic or gravely pestiferous. Active principles are the triterpenes lantadene A and B. Ingestion of 340-453 g of leaves causes liver and kidney damage, photosensitization, intestinal hemorrhage, paralysis of the gall bladder, and death in 1-4 days in horses, cattle and sheep (not goats). Ripe fruits are edible, but green, unripe fruits have caused illness and one known fatality in children in Florida. Leaves and roots are popular folk remedies. Stems are used as toothbrushes, and the leaves for polishing wood. Prickly races are grown as protective hedges around forest dwellings.
Solution of the Helmholtz-Poincare Wave Equation using the coupled boundary integral equations and optimal surface eigenfunctions

The Helmholtz-Poincare Wave Equation (H-PWE) arises in many areas of classical wave scattering theory. In particular it can be found for the cases of acoustical scattering from submerged bounded objects and electromagnetic scattering from objects. The extended boundary integral equations (EBIE) method1–6 is derived from considering both the exterior and interior solutions of the H-PWE’s. This coupled set of expressions has the advantage of not only offering a prescription for obtaining a solution for the exterior scattering problem, but it also obviates the problem of irregular values corresponding to fictitious interior eigenvalues. Once the coupled equations are derived, they can be obtained in matrix form by expanding all relevant terms in partial wave expansions, including a bi-orthogonal expansion of the Green’s function. However some freedom in the choice of the surface expansion is available since the unknown surface quantities may be expanded in a variety of ways so long as closure is obtained. Out of many possible choices, we develop an optimal method to obtain such expansions which is based on the optimum eigenfunctions related to the surface of the object. In effect, we convert part of the problem (that associated with the Fredholms integral equation of the first kind) an eigenvalue problem of a related Hermitian operator. The methodology will be explained in detail and examples will be presented.
Novel taxol formulations: preparation and characterization of taxol-containing liposomes.

Taxol is a promising anticancer agent under investigation for therapy of ovarian, breast, colon, and head and neck cancer. One problem associated with the administration of taxol is its low solubility in most pharmaceutically-acceptable solvents; the formulation used clinically contains Cremophor EL® (polyethoxylated castor oil) and ethanol as excipients, which cause serious adverse effects. To eliminate this vehicle and possibly improve the antitumor efficacy of taxol, we have formulated taxol in liposomes of various compositions. Liposome formulations containing taxol and phospholipid in the molar ratio 1:33 were prepared from phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) (1:9 molar ratio), and were physically and chemically stable for more than 2 months at 4°C, or for 1 month at 20°C. A method of producing taxol-liposomes by lyophilization has been developed, by which large batches can be prepared reproducibly in a ‘pharmaceutically rational’ manner. Taxol-liposomes retained the growth-inhibitory activity of the free drug in vitro against a variety of tumor cell lines. In mice, taxol-liposomes were well-tolerated when given in bolus doses by both iv and ip routes. The Maximum Tolerated Dose (MTD) was >200 mg/kg; it exceeded that of free taxol, which had a MTD of 30 mg/kg by iv or 50 mg/kg by ip administration. Free taxol administered in the Cremophor vehicle was toxic at doses >30 mg/kg, as was the equivalent volume of vehicle without drug. Taxol-liposomes may prove to be useful not only for eliminating the toxic effects attributed to the Cremophor vehicle, but also for providing opportunities to widen the taxol therapeutic index through alterations in route and schedule of administration.
Hereditary Cerebellar Degeneration in Scottish Terriers

Background: Hereditary cerebellar degeneration is described in several dog breeds. This heterogeneous group of diseases causes cerebellar ataxia associated with cerebellar cortical degeneration. Objective: To report the clinical and histopathological features, and describe the mode of inheritance of hereditary cerebellar degeneration in Scottish Terriers. Animals: Sixty-two affected dogs recruited through the Scottish Terrier Club of America. Materials and Methods: Prospective, observational study: Owners of affected dogs were contacted for a description of clinical signs, age of onset, and disease progression. Medical records, videotapes of gait, and brain imaging were evaluated. When possible, necropsy was performed and the brain examined histopathologically. Prevalence of the disease was estimated and a pedigree analysis was performed to determine mode of inheritance. Results: Gait abnormalities were noted in the 1st year of life in 76% of dogs, and progressed slowly; only 1 of 27 dogs dead at time of writing was euthanized because of cerebellar degeneration. Clinical signs included wide based stance, dysmetria, intention tremor, and difficulty negotiating stairs and running. Cerebellar atrophy was detected on magnetic resonance imaging. On histopathological examination, there was segmental loss of Purkinje neurons, thinning of molecular and granular layers, and polyglucosan bodies in the molecular layer. Prevalence of disease was estimated at 1 in 1,335 American Kennel Club registered Scottish Terriers. Genetic analysis results are consistent with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. Conclusion and Clinical Importance: A hereditary cerebellar degenerative disorder with a relatively mild phenotype has emerged in the Scottish Terrier. Genetic studies are needed.
On computing minimal models

This paper addresses the problem of computing the minimal models of a given CNF propositional theory. We present two groups of algorithms. Algorithms in the first group are efficient when the theory is almost Horn, that is, when there are few non-Horn clauses and/or when the set of all literals that appear positive in any non-Horn clause is small. Algorithms in the other group are efficient when the theory can be represented as an acyclic network of low-arity relations. Our algorithms suggest several characterizations of tractable subsets for the problem of finding minimal models.
Activation of Macrophages by P2X7-Induced Microvesicles from Myeloid Cells Is Mediated by Phospholipids and Is Partially Dependent on TLR4

ATP-mediated activation of the purinergic receptor P2X(7) elicits morphological changes and proinflammatory responses in macrophages. These changes include rapid shedding of microvesicles (MV) and the nonconventional secretion of cytokines, such as IL-1beta and IL-18 following priming. In this study, we demonstrate the activation potential of P2X(7)-induced MV isolated from nonprimed murine macrophages. Cotreatment of nonprimed macrophages with ATP and calcium ionophore induced a rapid release of MV that were predominantly 0.5-1 microm in size. Exposure of primary murine bone marrow-derived macrophages to these MV resulted in costimulatory receptor upregulation and TNF-alpha secretion. Cell homogenates or supernatants cleared of MV did not activate macrophages. MV-mediated activation was p38 MAPK and NF-kappaB dependent, and partially dependent on TLR4 activity, but was high-mobility group box 1 independent. Biochemical fractionation of the MV demonstrated that the phospholipid fraction, not the protein fraction, mediated macrophage activation through a TLR4-dependent process. P2X(7) activation is known to induce calcium-independent phospholipase A(2), calcium-dependent phospholipase A(2), and phospholipase D activities, but inhibition of these enzymes did not inhibit MV generation or shedding. However, blocking phospholipase D activity resulted in release of MV incapable of activating recipient macrophages. These data demonstrate a novel mechanism of macrophage activation resulting from exposure to MV from nonprimed macrophages, and identifies phospholipids in these MV as the biologically active component. We suggest that phospholipids delivered by MV may be mediators of sterile inflammation in a number of diseases.
Murine Model of Chemotherapy-Induced Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli Translocation

Escherichia coli is a major cause of life-threatening infections in patients with neutropenia, particularly those receiving chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer. In most cases, these infections originate from opportunistic strains living within the patient's gastrointestinal tract which then translocate to major organ systems. There are no animal models that faithfully recapitulate these infections, and, as such, the host or bacterial factors that govern this process remain unidentified. We present here a novel model of chemotherapy-induced bacterial translocation of E. coli. Oral gavage of BALB/c mice with a clinical isolate of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) leads to stable and long-term colonization of the murine intestine. Following the induction of neutropenia with the chemotherapeutic drug cyclophosphamide, ExPEC translocates from the intestine to the lungs, liver, spleen, and kidneys with concomitant morbidity in infected animals. Translocation can also occur in mice bearing mammary tumors, even in the absence of chemotherapy. Translocation of ExPEC is also associated with an increase of the diversity of bacterial DNA detected in the blood. This is the first report of a chemotherapy-based animal model of ExPEC translocation in cancerous mice, a system that can be readily used to identify important virulence factors for this process.
Shadow Banking System, Derivatives and Liquidity Risks

This paper introduces a theoretical liquidity risk model to explain how the fire-sale price happens by banks' portfolio composition and the liquidity shocks. The model illustrates that the derivatives can serves as Arrow-Debreu securities for banks to share and eliminate the liquidity risks. The shadow banking system serves as the external funds aids banks to absorb the liquidity shocks, and re-enforce their advantage in borrow-short-and-lend-long. The results are helpful to understanding how bank runs among financial institutions occurred during the subprime crisis, and why the $500B subprime mortgage losses could not be fixed by more than $2T government aids, and crashed the prices and led to a frozen market.
Enhancing comprehension through suitability: An analysis of the US Medicare plan handbook

For groups like the elderly who are at risk for low levels of health literacy, documents must be easily comprehensible, particularly as the information becomes increasingly complex. The current research focused on a multilevel examination of a procedural excerpt of a handbook on Medicare, the US government program providing financial assistance to senior citizens for healthcare. Complementing assessments of readability, syntax, and verb mood were content analysis and the validated SAM (suitability of materials) instrument. The research focused on techniques used within this document excerpt (excluding hyperlinks), along with suggested actions for improvement. The excerpt targeted an audience with average to low levels of literacy in terms of shorter words and paragraphs; proportions of complex sentences, conditional mood, and the subordinating conjunction ‘if’ signal potential difficulty in comprehension. Results from the SAM analysis identified specific improvements within the broad categories of organiz...
HIV/AIDS/STD/HCV, Coinfection, Seroprevalence and Education in Severe Mental Illness: Health Education Pilot

HIV/AIDS among the severely mentally ill (SMI) population exceeds the held belief that man to man contact is the leading type of, rate of transmission and infection placing an emphasis on high risk behavior management, education and testing as key in reducing the epidemic in psychiatric facility inpatient/outpatient populations (Rothbard, Psychiatric Services 54(9):1240-1246, 2003). The Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model (IMB) is an integrative framework to explain HIV risk reduction most often used and tested with the SMI population (Carey et al. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 72(2), 2004; Donenberg AIDS Education and Prevention 17(3):200-216, 2005; Meade and Sikkema Clinical Psychology Review 25(4):433-457, 2005; Rosenberg et al. Comprehensive Psychiatry 42(4):263-271, 2001). This education pilot program was developed for the Department of Texas State Health Services (DSHS) Austin State Hospital (ASH) Education and Rehabilitation Adult Psychiatric Services (APS) acute and forensic inpatient units.
Ergodicity of Probabilistic Cellular Automata: A Constructive Criterion

We give a sequence of criteria (of increasing complexity) for the exponential ergodicity of discrete time interacting particle systems. Each criterion involves estimating the dependence on initial conditions of the process on finite space-time volumes. It generalizes and improves the existing single site condition and is the analog of the Dobrushin-ShlosmanC v condition in equilibrium statistical mechanics. Our “dynamic” criterion may also be used to prove the uniqueness of Gibbs state in situations where theC v condition fails. As a converse we prove that if there is a certain form of convergence to the stationary measure faster thann −d , wheren is the time andd is the dimension of the lattice, then our condition holds for some space-time volumes and hence the convergence must be exponentially fast.
Thermal consequences of mantled gneiss dome emplacement

Abstract Bodies of rock within the crust that have higher thermal conductivities than surrounding rocks serve as conduits for the diffusive flow of heat. The resultant focusing of heat creates an apparent “contact metamorphic aureole” in the surrounding rocks, without the high-conductivity rocks being a heat source themselves. Two-dimensional thermal models of mantled gneiss domes are used to consider these effects, and their role in the thermal histories of metamorphic belts. The complex metamorphic histories and patterns observed around gneiss domes may be the result of the emplacement of relatively high thermal conductivity rocks (dome cores) into lower thermal conductivity metasediments (mantling strata). The degree of the thermal anomaly is primarily affected by the conductivity contrast, but is also dependent upon the velocity of emplacement, crustal level, and heat flux. Many of the metamorphic isograd features and pressure-temperature-time paths that are observed around mantled gneiss domes can be explained merely by the emplacement of high-conductivity rocks into low-conductivity rocks without invoking additional heat sources or significant post-metamorphic deformation.
Out of New Orleans Race, Class, and Researching the Katrina Diaspora

The torrential rains from Hurricane Katrina, the breaking of the levees, and the subsequent flooding of New Orleans resulted in another Black Diaspora. This article focuses on Black children and families who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina but now reside in cities, towns, and suburbs outside of the Crescent City. Informed by the author's ongoing investigation in a predominantly Black suburb in the U.S. South, this article puts forth the need for the scholarly community to develop more robust conceptual frameworks that interrogate the interconnectedness of race, social class, and place in researching and understanding the Katrina Diaspora.
The Association Between Prenatal Care and Birth Weight Among Women Exposed to Cocaine in New York City

Objectives. —Although the association between antenatal cocaine use and adverse birth outcomes has been well documented, relatively little is known about interventions that may ameliorate these consequences. We therefore examined the relationship between prenatal care and birth weight among a population of prenatal cocaine users. Design. —Population-based retrospective analysis. Patients. —All single-gestation live births to white non-Hispanic, black non-Hispanic, and Hispanic residents of New York City who gave birth between 1988 and 1990 with a positive indication for cocaine recorded on birth certificates (N=7923). Main Outcome Measures. —We contrasted mean birth weight and rates of low birth weight ( Main Results. —Adjusted odds ratios of low birth weight for cocaine users with four prenatal care visits or more as compared with those who had none were 0.51 for blacks (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.44 to 0.59), 0.39 for whites (95% CI, 0.23 to 0.66), and 0.37 for Hispanics (95% CI, 0.28 to 0.48). Adjusted mean birth weight differences between users with four visits or more and those with none were 262 g for blacks ( P P P Conclusions. —The receipt of prenatal care among cocaine users is associated with significant improvements in birth weight. Enrollment of cocaine users in prenatal care may be an effective start to a more comprehensive approach to this problem. ( JAMA . 1993;270:1581-1586)
A coupled momentum method for modeling blood flow in three-dimensional deformable arteries

Abstract Blood velocity and pressure fields in large arteries are greatly influenced by the deformability of the vessel. Moreover, wave propagation phenomena in the cardiovascular system can only be described considering wall deformability since blood is usually described as an incompressible fluid. However, computational methods for simulating blood flow in three-dimensional models of arteries have either considered a rigid wall assumption for the vessel or significantly simplified or reduced geometries. Computing blood flow in deformable domains using standard techniques like the ALE method remains a formidable problem for large, realistic anatomic and physiologic models of the cardiovascular system. We have developed a new method to simulate blood flow in three-dimensional deformable models of arteries. The method couples the equations of the deformation of the vessel wall at the variational level as a boundary condition for the fluid domain. We consider a strong coupling of the degrees-of-freedom of the fluid and the solid domains, and a linear membrane model (enhanced with transverse shear) for the vessel wall. The effect of the vessel wall boundary is therefore added in a monolithic way to the fluid equations, resulting in a remarkably robust scheme. We present here the mathematical formulation of the method and discuss issues related to the fluid–solid coupling, membrane formulation, time integration method, and boundary and initial conditions. Implementation is discussed and results with simple geometries as well as large subject-specific models are presented.
Amphetamine releases dopamine from synaptic vesicles by dual mechanisms.

Abstract Low concentrations of d -amphetamine (AMPH) released [3H]dopamine (DA) from purified, rat brain synaptic vesicles with exponential kinetics and a half-time of 4 min. Slight alkalinization of the vesicles by AMPH seemed unable to account for this release. Instead, it is likely that AMPH partially inhibits DA uptake after which DA escapes by an uptake-independent pathway. At high concentrations the proton gradient was severely reduced by AMPH and DA was released with a half-time of
Immunological characterization of the haemoglobins of Chironomus thummi (Diptera)

Abstract The major fourth instar-specific haemoglobin (Hb) of Chironomus thummi was purified to homogeneity as assessed by five analytical systems. This Hb was further resolved by isoelectric focussing into two variants, differing only slightly in their isoelectric points. These variants proved to be immunologically identical in each of three antigenically distinct components. Cross-reactivity studies indicated the presence of two or more antigenic components in other Hbs of C. thummi and of C. tentans , a related species. The data exclude the possibilities that non-haeme protein contaminants or that Hb (globin) fragments were present in our preparations. Therefore, multiple precipitin lines on double diffusion plates must have arisen from differentially antigenic sub-populations which are not separable by routine purification procedures.
The use of laparoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of blunt and penetrating abdominal injuries: 10-year experience at a level 1 trauma center.

Abstract Background Diagnostic laparoscopy (DL) has decreased the rate of nontherapeutic laparotomy for patients suffering from penetrating injuries. We evaluated whether DL similarly lowers the rate of nontherapeutic laparotomy for patients with blunt injuries. Methods All patients undergoing DL over a 10-year period (ie, 2001–2010) in a single level 1 trauma center were classified by the mechanism of injury. Demographic and perioperative data were compared using the Student t and Fisher exact tests. Results There were 131 patients included, 22 of whom sustained blunt injuries. Patients suffering from blunt injuries were more severely injured (Injury Severity Score 18.0 vs 7.3, P = .0001). The most common indication for DL after blunt injury was a computed tomographic scan concerning for bowel injury (59.1%). The rate of nontherapeutic laparotomy for patients sustaining penetrating vs blunt injury was 1.8% and nil, respectively. Conclusions DL, when coupled with computed tomographic findings, is an effective tool for the initial management of patients with blunt injuries.
Low-temperature Polymer Deposition in Ambient Air Using a Floating-electrode Dielectric Barrier Discharge Jet

For many applications some high-temperatureprocessing techniques, such as the conventional heatactivated chemical vapor deposition (CVD), are no longersuitable due to the temperature-sensitive properties inmost of these materials. Plasma-enhanced chemical vapordeposition (PECVD) is a mature technique which caneffectively lower the processing temperature by usingnon-equilibrium plasma.
A note on calculating the optimal risky portfolio

Given a number of risky assets and a riskless asset, the set of efficient portfolios in the mean-variance optimization sense are combinations of the riskless asset and a unique optimal risky portfolio. This note shows how a simple modification of Markowitz' method of critical lines can be used to determine the optimal risky portfolio in a faster, more reliable, and more memory-efficient way than the standard approaches.
Impact-parameter dependent K-shell ionization in ion-atom collisions, I. experiment

Abstract Impact-parameter dependent differential K-shell ionization cross sections for excitation by 0.7 to 2.6 MeV O, Ne and S projectiles are determined from characteristic X-ray-particle coincidence measurements on thin aluminum foils.
Differential transport requirements of HLA and H-2 class I glycoproteins.

Transport of human and mouse major histocompatibility complex class I glycoproteins has been examined in a transport deficient B-lymphoblastoid cell line X T-lymphoblastoid cell line (B-LCL X T-LCL) hybrid, 174 X CEM.T2 (T2). This cell line expresses no detectable endogenous HLA-B5 and reduced levels of HLA-A2 on its surface although these molecules are synthesized. In order to study this defect further, either HLA-Bw58 or HLA-B7 genomic clones were transfected into T2. Metabolic labeling and immune precipitation demonstrated biosynthesis of the Bw58 or B7 glycoprotein. However, like the endogenous HLA-B5 molecule, neither HLA-Bw58 nor HLA-B7 was expressed at the cell surface. The cloned genes were properly expressed on the surface of C1R, a control B-LCL. To determine if mouse class I alleles had the same transport requirements as the human class I glycoproteins, either mouse H-2Dp or H-2Kb class I genes were introduced into T2. Surprisingly, the H-2 class I glycoproteins were transported to the cell surface normally. These data suggest a fundamental difference between human and mouse histocompatibility antigens in their requirements for intracellular transport.
Unifying without Integrating: The East German Collapse and German Unity

The demise of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) came as a sur prise to most western observers. For historians of modern Europe, its disappearance remains remarkable for at least two reasons. First, East Germany has ceased to exist in an era when new states are constantly being born. Since the French Revolution unleashed the power of national self-deter mination as an ordering principle more than 200 years ago, new sovereign states have continued to emerge across the globe, whether through the breakup of multiethnic and colonial empires or the dissolution of pan-Slavic states in eastern Europe. Illiberal governments have been swept aside, often with the result that new states have been cast out of imperial entities by the centrifugal force of cultural attachment. In the history of European political sovereignty during the twentieth century, the particular has triumphed over the universal. Except in the case of the GDR. Against the tide of European history, the GDR has gone from sovereign state (East Germany) to regional designation (eastern Germany). In this sense, the story of the GDR s absorption by a larger polity is a tale of modern state-building told in reverse. Similarly, the collapse of communist authority that preceded the GDR's dis solution is the story, told backward, of the correlation between economic rationality and political power in modern Europe. Nowhere has the mutually reinforcing, if always potentially repressive, relationship between economic development and bureaucratic control been illustrated in a more striking manner than in the life and death of the GDR. In his masterpiece of modernism,
Understanding basement tectonics of an interior cratonic basin: southern Illinois Basin, USA

Abstract Although the Illinois Basin is one of the world's most studied interior cratonic basins, little is known of its deep structure or seismotectonic framework. In this study, seismic reflection profiles over the major structures of the basin reveal reverse faults that penetrate the upper Precambrian crust, disrupt the surface of Precambrian basement, and accommodate folding of Paleozoic sediments. Observations of deformation indicate concordant folding of the basement surface and overlying strata and/or possible `Laramide-style' basement-controlled folding. Most profiles show evidence of dual fold vergence and some profiles suggest transpression involving lower Paleozoic strata and the basement surface. The moderate seismicity in the southern Illinois Basin, just north of the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ), defines an active deformation regime of interpreted NNE-striking dextral strike-slip and reverse faulting. Upper crustal fault structure, such as shown in this study, could provide a fabric capable of reactivation by stress manifested as contemporary seismicity. A tectonic framework for the possible kinematic linkage of deformation in the NMSZ and the southern Illinois Basin is proposed on the basis of a hypothetical distribution of branched fault (and/or fold) patterns in southern Illinois that broaden northward beyond the NMSZ. Such a dispersive deformation pattern is thought to be associated with the gradual cessation in displacement north of the NMSZ (i.e., displacement is dissipated over many faults). The abrupt change in seismotectonic regime from a relatively discrete, highly seismic NMSZ with infrequent great earthquakes to a multi-stranded fault pattern with more frequent moderate earthquakes in southern Illinois is typical of active strike-slip systems involving a bend or shift in direction.
Evaluation of the effect of food on the pharmacokinetics of axitinib in healthy volunteers

Purpose To evaluate the effect of food on axitinib pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers with two different crystal polymorphs.
DDT/DDE and breast cancer: a meta-analysis.

Abstract The biological basis for investigating dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) exposure and breast cancer risk stems from in vitro and animal studies indicating that DDT has estrogenic properties. The objective of this study was to update a meta-analysis from 2004 which found no association between dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and breast cancer. We searched PubMed and Web of Science for studies published through June 2012 assessing DDT/DDE exposure and breast cancer. Summary Odds Ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for the prevalence of breast cancer in the highest versus the lowest exposed groups for DDT and DDE. Difference of means of exposure for cases versus controls was analyzed for DDT and DDE. From the 500 studies screened, 46 were included in the meta-analysis. Slightly elevated, but not statistically significant summary ORs were found for DDE (1.05; 95% CI: 0.93–1.18) and DDT (1.02; 95% CI: 0.92–1.13). Lipid adjusted difference of means analysis found a significantly higher DDE concentration in cases versus controls (11.30 ng/g lipid; p = 0.01). No other difference of means analysis found significant relationships. The existing information does not support the hypothesis that exposure to DDT/DDE increases the risk of breast cancer in humans.
A conserved system for dorsal-ventral patterning in insects and vertebrates involving sog and chordin

DORSAL-VENTRAL patterning within the ectoderm of the Drosophila embryo requires seven zygotic genes, including short gastrulation (sog)1. Here we demonstrate that sog, which is expressed in the ventrolateral region of the embryo that gives rise to the nerve cord2, is functionally homologous to the chordin gene of Xenopus, which is expressed in the dorsal blastopore lip of the embryo and in dorsal mesoderm, in particular the notochord3. We show by injections of messenger RNA that both sog and chordin can promote ventral development in Drosophila, and that sog, like chordin3, can promote dorsal development in Xenopus. In Drosophila, sog antagonizes the dorsalizing effects of decapentaplegic (dpp)1,2,4, a member of the transforming growth factor-β family. One of the dpp homologues in vertebrates, bmp-4, is expressed ventrally in Xenopus5 and promotes ventral development6,7. We show that dpp can promote ventral fates in Xenopus, and that injection of sog mRNA counteracts the ventralizing effects of dpp. These results suggest the molecular conservation of dorsoventral patterning mechanisms during evolution.
Agent-based control of a DC MicroGrid

A lab-scale hardware DC MicroGrid system has been designed and built as part of a suite of electrical grid simulation environments. It is intended for use as an educational tool and in research as a testbed for control strategy development. The testbed has the capability to rapidly transition between hardware and software simulation of the DC MicroGrid system and consists of three components: Software in the Loop Simulation (SILS), Hardware in the Loop Simulation (HILS), and Hardware. SILS uses a PLC emulator and a Simulink model to simulate the plant and control system. In HILS, the emulator is replaced with an actual hardware controller. In the transition from HILS to hardware, a software switch shifts the PLC I/O from the model to the PLC I/O modules connected to the DC MicroGrid. In tandem with the PLC ladder code, Rockwell Automation's agent-based distributed control software enables the investigation of complex interactions between autonomous decision makers on the grid.
Three-Dimensional Adaptive Grid Method

A three-dimensional solution-adaptive-grid scheme is described which is suitable for complex fluid flows. This method, using tension and torsion spring analogies, was previously developed and successfully applied for two-dimensional flows. In the present work, a collection of three-dimensional flow fields are used to demonstrate the feasibility and versatility of this concept to include an added dimension. Flow fields considered include: (1) supersonic flow past an aerodynamic afterbody with a propulsive jet at incidence to the free stream, (2) supersonic flow past a blunt fin mounted on a solid wall, and (3) supersonic flow over a bump. In addition to generating three-dimensional solution-adapted grids, the method can also be used effectively as an initial grid generator. The utility of the method lies in: (1) optimum distribution of discrete grid points, (2) improvement of accuracy, (3) improved computational efficiency, (4) minimization of data base sizes, and (5) simplified three-dimensional grid generation.
A Friendly Guide to Wavelets

Preface.- Suggestions to the Reader.- Symbols, Conventions, and Transforms.- Part I: Basic Wavelet Analysis. Preliminaries: Background and Notation.- Windowed Fourier Transforms.- Continuous Wavelet Transforms.- Generalized Frames: Key to Analysis and Synthesis.- Discrete Time-Frequency Analysis and Sampling.- Discrete Time-Scale Analysis.- Multiresolution Analysis.- Daubechies' Orthonormal Wavelet Bases.- Part II: Physical Wavelets.- Introduction to Wavelet Electromagnetics.- Applications to Radar and Scattering.- Wavelet Acoustics.- References.- Index.
Sensitivity of monomer nuclear quadrupole coupling constants to hydrogen bond formation

Abstract Ab initio calculations on several representative complexes have been carried out to show the sensitivity of quadrupole coupling constants to hydrogen bond formation, and particularly the sensitivity to orientation in the complex. Spectroscopic structural determinations based on nuclear quadrupole coupling constants are examined for five representative systems. It appears that nuclear quadrupole coupling constants may give orientational angles accurately, but inaccuracy may amount to ≈ 15° in certain instances.
Integral methods for simulating transient conduction in nuclear reactor components

Abstract Integral methods for predicting thermal conduction in complex engineering systems, such as nuclear power plants, are presented. The methods serve to substitute ordinary for partial differential equations. They provide simple formulations that are easy to interpret, easy to integrate, and that yield reliable predictions of thermal response time, transient temperature and heat flux.
Regulation of DNA repair by ubiquitylation

The process of ubiquitylation is best known for its role in targeting proteins for degradation by the proteasome. However, recent studies of DNA-repair and DNA-damage-response pathways have significantly broadened the scope of the role of ubiquitylation to include non-proteolytic functions of ubiquitin. These pathways involve the monoubiquitylation of key DNA-repair proteins that have regulatory functions in homologous recombination and translesion DNA synthesis, and involve the polyubiquitylation of nucleotide-excision-repair proteins.
A Permanent Revolution: The Historiography of 1789

There are few things in this world as vast as the historiography of the French Revolution. As much as the Russian and Chinese revolutions have shaped our century and served as ideological touchstones for statesmen and scholars alike, the volume of literature on 1789 surely exceeds the writings on the two more recent revolutions combined. The sheer bulk of the French revolutionary historiography accounts for part of its continuing influence, but substantially more important has been the widespread significance of the ideological and theoretical discussion it has spawned. Lenin and Trotsky were avid students of the French Revolution as, of course, was Marx himself. And historians of the Russian Revolution have long viewed that event through the lens of 1789.' Perhaps because the Chinese Revolution seems so clearly to be a phenomenon of the contemporary world, China scholars have not paid as much comparative attention to France. But, as I suggest in this article, a number of developments in the historiography of the French Revolution may be of intellectual and theoretical interest to China scholars searching for new approaches and new paradigms in our current period of ideological uncertainty. These developments include the collapse of the Marxist interpretation in the face of new empirical research; the revival of interest in politics as an independent phenomenon; the shift in emphasis from socioeconomic to cultural explanations of the origins and meaning of revolution; the preoccupation with language and rhetoric, with the idea that power resided in those who controlled the discourse of revolution; and, finally, the use of gender as a category of analysis in the scholarship on 1789.
Quantitative analysis of peptides and proteins in biomedicine by targeted mass spectrometry

Targeted mass spectrometry (MS) is becoming widely used in academia and in pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries for sensitive and quantitative detection of proteins, peptides and post-translational modifications. Here we describe the increasing importance of targeted MS technologies in clinical proteomics and the potential key roles these techniques will have in bridging biomedical discovery and clinical implementation.
Isolation and characterization of macromolecular RNA from yeast.

Abstract A method is described for the preparation of stable, highly polymerized RNA from bakers' yeast. The isolation employs trituration, treatment with phenol and with ether, centrifugation, filtration, fractional precipitation, dialysis, and lyophilization. The final product has 14.8% nitrogen and 8.6% phosphorus, computed on a dryweight basis. Polysaccharide and DNA are present only in trace amounts; protein-contamination is low. The absorptivity per unit molarity at 260 mμ in 0.5 M phosphate (pH 6.8) is 7800; the increase upon alkaline hydrolysis is 47%. Schlieren sedimentation-patterns show two main peaks. Estimates of S020,w are 28 and 20S, representing 22 and 65% of the total, respectively. Stability is indicated by a drop in the reduced specific viscosity, η sp c , of less than 2% at 25 ° over a 22-hour period. A rise of η p c , of about 100% upon addition of urea to a saline solution, and a continuous rise with temperature indicate long-chain molecules rather than hydrogen-bonded aggregates. The intrinsic viscosity, [η], in 0.2 m NaCl at 25 ° is 0.26 dl/gm. Molecular dimensions are estimated. Correlated with these results are absorbance-temperature data.
Conservative dichotomous choice responses in the active policy setting: the case of University Parking

This study presents evidence of strategic behaviour in faculty/staff members' reports of willingness-to-pay at a public university. The results suggest that (1) students have a higher mean willingness-to-pay than faculty/staff and that (2) faculty/staff reject clear gains because they expect a revision to the parking permit fee structure in the future.
Toward a soft X-ray Fourier-transform spectrometer

Abstract The use of Fourier transform spectroscopy in the soft X-ray region is advocated as a possible route to spectral resolution superior to that attainable with a grating system. A technical plan is described for applying Fourier transform spectroscopy to the study of the absorption spectrum of helium in the region of double ionization around 60–80 eV. The proposed scheme includes a Mach-Zehnder interferometer deformed into a rhombus shape to provide grazing-incidence reflections. The path difference between the interfering beams is to be tuned by translation of a table carrying four mirrors over a range ±1 cm which, in the absence of errors generating relative tilts of the wave fronts, would provide a resolving power equal to the number of waves of path difference: half a million at 65 eV, for example. The signal-to-noise ratio of the spectrum is analyzed and, for operation on an Advanced Light Source bending magnet beam line, should be about 330.
Role of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase in Mitochondrial Depolarization and Graft Injury after Transplantation of Fatty Livers

This study investigated the role of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in failure of ethanol-induced fatty liver grafts. Rat livers were explanted 20 h after gavaging with ethanol (5 g/kg) and storing in UW solution for 24h before implantation. Hepatic oil red O staining-positive areas increased from ∼2 to ∼33% after ethanol treatment, indicating steatosis. iNOS expression increased ∼8-fold after transplantation of lean grafts (LG) and 25-fold in fatty grafts (FG). Alanine aminotransferase release, total bilirubin, hepatic necrosis, TUNEL-positive cells, and cleaved caspase-3 were higher in FG than LG. A specific iNOS inhibitor 1400W (5 μM in the cold-storage solution) blunted these alterations by >42% and increased survival of fatty grafts from 25 to 88%. Serum nitrite/nitrate and hepatic nitrotyrosine adducts increased to a greater extent after transplantation of FG than LG, indicating reactive nitrogen species (RNS) overproduction. Phospho-c-Jun and phospho-c-Jun N-terminal kinase-1/2 (JNK1/2) were higher in FG than in LG, indicating more JNK activation in fatty grafts. RNS formation and JNK activation were blunted by 1400W. Mitochondrial polarization and cell death were visualized by intravital multiphoton microscopy of rhodamine 123 and propidium iodide, respectively. After implantation, viable cells with depolarized mitochondria were 3-fold higher in FG than in LG and 1400W decreased mitochondrial depolarization in FG to the levels of LG. Taken together, iNOS is upregulated after transplantation of FG, leading to excessive RNS formation, JNK activation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and severe graft injury. The iNOS inhibitor 1400W could be an effective therapy for primary nonfunction of fatty liver grafts.
Predictors of the peak width for networks with exponential links

We investigate optimal predictors of the peak (S) and distance to peak (T) of the width function of drainage networks under the assumption that the networks are topologically random with independent and exponentially distributed link lengths. Analytical results are derived using the fact that, under these assumptions, the width function is a homogeneous Markov birth-death process. In particular, exact expressions are derived for the asymptotic conditional expectations ofS andT given network magnitudeN and given mainstream lengthH. In addition, a simulation study is performed to examine various predictors ofS andT, includingN, H, and basin morphometric properties; non-asymptotic conditional expectations and variances are estimated. The best single predictor ofS isN, ofT isH, and of the scaled peak (S divided by the area under the width function) isH. Finally, expressions tested on a set of drainage basins from the state of Wyoming perform reasonably well in predictingS andT despite probable violations of the original assumptions.
Applications of VLSI circuits to medical imaging

The application of advanced VLSI circuits to medical imaging is explored. The relationship of both general-purpose signal processing chips and custom devices to medical imaging is discussed using examples of fabricated chips. In addition, advanced-aided design tools for silicon compilation are presented. Particular attention is given to the application of VLSI circuits to 3-D image display with ultrasound systems. It is concluded that devices built with these tools represents a possible alternative to custom devices and general-purpose signal processors for the next generation of medical imaging systems. >
Studies in Hatchability: IV. The Effect of Intercrossing Inbred Strains of Chickens on Fertility and Hatchability

Abstract In a previous paper, the author (1929a) presented data showing that as close inbreeding is continued in chickens hatchability decreases. The kind of inbreeding practised was full-brother-and-sister and half-brother-and-sister matings. It was observed that hatchability results are affected to a greater extent in the first year of such close inbreeding than in successive years, though there is a general decline in hatchability each year that such close inbreeding is continued. Similar results were secured in Barred Plymouth Rocks and White Leghorns. In another paper, the author (1929b) determined that hatchability decreases as the coefficients of inbreeding increase. Since the intercrossing of highly inbred strains of corn produces a remarkable state of rejuvenation, as demonstrated by East and Jones (1919), it was decided to determine the effect of intercrossing the inbred strains of Barred Plymouth Rocks and White Leghorns. Originally four pens each of the two breeds mentioned were started in . . .
Relation of study behaviors and employment to academic performance.

Questionnaire data regarding study time, work time, and study habits, as well as transcript data, were gathered for 190 lower division science and engineering majors. A multiple regression analysis...
Gauge transformation to study electronic non-adiabatic coupling terms in molecular systems

Abstract In this Letter we consider the possibility to use the Curl equation as a first-order differential equation to calculate the non-adiabatic coupling terms, τ. For this purpose we treat a planar case characterized by two (polar) coordinates, θ and q and their corresponding non-adiabatic coupling terms, namely, τθ(q,θ) and τq(q,θ). The main difficulty is that we have only one Curl equation and two unknown functions and consequently we cannot get the complete solution. To partially overcome this difficulty we employ gauge transformations which may enable to obtain approximate solutions Aθ(q,θ) and Aq(q,θ). In the present Letter we show how the gauge transformation leads to decoupled (second-order) differential equations for these two functions. Next is shown how these equations are solved subject to boundary conditions obtained from ab initio calculations.
Ethanol induced duodenal lesions in man. Protective effect of prostaglandin.

This study aimed: 1. to investigate quantitatively mucosal changes in the human duodenum after ethanol instillation, 2. to determine the effect of 16,16 dimethyl prostaglandin E2 (dmPGE2) pretreatment on these changes. In 11 healthy subjects we instilled into the postbulbar duodenum solutions of normal saline or dmPGE2 and 15 minutes later 20 ml 40% ethanol. Mucosal changes were evaluated endoscopically and histologically. Thirty minutes after ethanol and saline, hemorrhagic changes involved the entire mucosa (endoscopic lesion index: 4.8 ± 0.2) and all histological specimens showed erosions. Pretreatment with dmPGE2 significantly prevented ethanol-induced mucosal changes (endoscopic lesion index: 2.17 ± 0.17p<0.01) and mucosal biopsies did not show erosions outside endoscopically abnormal areas. In conclusion, direct instillation of ethanol induced consistent damage to duodenal mucosa in man. This damage was significantly reduced by dmPGE2 pretreatment.