cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Short and long-term changes to bed mobility and bed composition under altered sediment regimes

Altered flow and sediment transport regimes from impoundment can result in significant channel bed composition changes that exacerbate the geomorphic and ecological effects of flow regulation. Using long-term discharge and cross-sectional data in combination with a two-fraction sediment transport model, we assess changes in the downstream bed of two flow-regulated rivers with equivalent dam-induced changes in flow but opposite changes in sediment flux. Supply limitation has led to incision and armoring in one case while supply excess has led to aggradation and embeddedness in the other. Under limited sediment supply, bed elevation variability decreases soon after impoundment, while excess sediment supply results in a decades-long gradual decrease in both bed elevation variability and depth of incision. Although the balance of sediment supply and transport differs between dam management styles, in both cases both the immediate and more gradual changes can be explained within the framework of a two-fraction sediment transport model. Our results demonstrate the importance of considering bed composition on sediment transport predictions and the development of management strategies for ecosystem maintenance.
Improving appropriate use of echocardiography and single-photon emission computed tomographic myocardial perfusion imaging: a continuous quality improvement initiative.

Background Appropriate use criteria for cardiovascular imaging have been published, but compliance in practice has been incomplete, with persistent high rates of inappropriate use. The aim of this study was to show the efficacy of a continuous quality improvement (CQI) initiative to favorably influence the appropriate use of outpatient transthoracic echocardiography and single-photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in a large cardiovascular practice. Methods In this prospective study, a multiphase CQI initiative was implemented, and its impact on ordering patterns for outpatient transthoracic echocardiography and SPECT MPI was assessed. Between November and December 2010, a baseline analysis of the application of appropriate use criteria to indications for outpatient transthoracic echocardiographic studies ( n = 203) and SPECT MPI studies ( n = 205) was performed, with studies categorized as "appropriate," "inappropriate," "uncertain," or "unclassified." The CQI initiative was then begun, with (1) clinician education, including didactic lectures and case-based presentations with audience participation; (2) system changes in ordering processes, with redesigned image ordering forms; and (3) peer review and feedback. A follow-up analysis was then performed between June and August 2012, with categorization of indications for transthoracic echocardiographic studies ( n = 206) and SPECT MPI studies ( n = 206). Results At baseline, 73.9% of echocardiographic studies were categorized as appropriate, 16.7% as inappropriate, 5.9% as uncertain, and 3.4% as unclassified. Similarly, for SPECT MPI studies 71.7% were categorized as appropriate, 18.5% as inappropriate, 7.8% as uncertain, and 1.9% as unclassified. Separate analysis of the two most important categories, appropriate and inappropriate, demonstrated a significant improvement after the CQI initiative, with a 63% reduction in inappropriate echocardiographic studies (18.5% vs 6.9%, P = .0010) and a 46% reduction in inappropriate SPECT MPI studies (20.5% vs 11.1%, P = .010). Conclusions This study demonstrates the effective and persistent positive impact of a CQI initiative to reduce inappropriate ordering of cardiovascular imaging.
Electrogenicity of the frog gastric mucosa proton pump based on polarization responses in the presence of H(+)-secretion inhibitors.

Abstract Recently, we have shown that polarization of an electrogenic H+/K+-ATPase pump located in the secretory (luminal) membrane of the frog gastric mucosa is the major factor contributing to the increase in open circuit potential difference (OCPD) induced by voltage clamping. While this transmucosal polarization was not affected by removal of Cl− and Na+ and minimally affected by increasing the K+ concentration to 79 mM in both nutrient and secretory solutions, it was markedly reduced by 10−3 M famotidine (beta blocker) or 10−4 M omeprazole (H+/K+-ATPase inhibitor) in the nutrient solution. In present experiments, the effects of three other inhibitors of H+ secretion were examined, namely, cimetidine (beta blocker), SCH 28 080 (H+/K+-ATPase inhibitor) and SCN− (non-specific inhibitor). While cimetidine and SCH 28 080 markedly reduced the polarization induced by voltage clamp, SCN− affected the polarization to a lesser extent. These data further support the electrogenicity of the frog gastric mucosa proton pump and the lack of a direct effect of SCN− on the pump.
Launching online education for 911 telecommunicators and EMS personnel: experiences from the North Carolina Rapid Response to Stroke Project.

Objective. We describe the development andimplementation of the North Carolina Rapid Response to Stroke (NCRRS) project—a community-based online education project developed for 911 telecommunicators andEMS personnel. Methods. Two online courses, one for 911 telecommunicators andone for EMS personnel, were designed to provide timely andaccessible continuing education on stroke assessment andcare. Eight county-based emergency management systems, representing 15 agencies, were recruited for participation in a 4-month trial of the online courses in 2003. A total of 150 telecommunicators and208 EMS personnel completed the courses. Results. Results showed high levels of participant satisfaction with the program andimprovements in posttest scores; agency leaders also provided positive feedback on the project. Motivators to complete the education identified by participants included peers, agency support, andmaterials provided by the NCRRS project. Courses were revised on the basis of feedback andsuccessfully sust...
Lateral exchange within Gulf stream warm-core ring surface layers

Abstract The radial exchange of near-surface properties in Gulf Stream anticyclonic, warm-core rings is studied with the use of hydrographic and satellite data in coordination with some simple models. Analysis of physical data is restricted to the salinity field because it is the most conservative property available in the near-surface ring. A calculation of the azimuthal averaged salinity as a function of radius from ring center for cruises in April and June 1982 in ring 82B gives lower bounds on the lateral exchange in the ring of 1.07 × 10 7 kg s −1 . The exchange rate reaches a maximum just inside the location of maximum surface velocities at a radius of 40 km. Similar rates of exchange can be deduced from earlier data taken in ring 81D. This inward flux of low salinity Slope Water enhances the near-surface stratification. Such a transport of fluid can be more important than surface heating in the determination of the near-surface stability except in very strong winter storms. Horizontal transport of fluid into the ring can be explained by a horizontal diffusivity of ≈ 90 m 2 s −1 if adjective effects are ignored. Adjective terms make the actual strength of diffusion uncertain. Shear dispersion or inward radial advection can reduce the necessary diffusivity while an outward radial flow would demand higher diffusivities. The importance of lateral exchange to biological properties is examined with a simple model where the ring, its surrounding frontal zone, and the far field Slope Water make up three interacting components. If the ring frontal zone is assumed to have higher “production”, either due to increased vertical mixing or through active concentration of organisms tied to convergence, the core of the ring can eventually exceed the far field Slope Water concentrations. Edge enhancement in the ring frontal zone is consistent with a time series of Coastal Zone Colour Scanner (CZCS) chlorophyll images over the April–June 1982 period as well as other observations in ring 82B.
Monitoring the Mass Accretion Rate in Scorpius X-1 Using the Optical Johnson B Filter

The emission from low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) arises from the accretion of mass onto a neutron star or black hole. A knowledge of the amount of mass being accreted as well as changes in this value are therefore essential inputs into models of these systems. Despite the need for this information, we currently lack an easily applied method that allows the accretion rate to be measured. X-ray color-color plots and UV observations can be used for this purpose, but these methods require access to oversubscribed satellites. Even if time is granted on these facilities, there is no guarantee that the source will be in a desired state when the observations take place. In this paper we show that an estimate of the ratio of the mass accretion rate to the Eddington rate can be obtained for Sco X-1 by using the Johnson B magnitude. Based on correlated X-ray and ground-based observations, we find that for Sco X-1, /E = -(0.123 ± 0.007)B + 2.543 ± 0.085. This relation is valid when the system is on its normal and lower flaring branches. Based on theoretical models, we suggest that similar relations should also exist for other LMXBs.
9/11 and the Indian Diaspora: Narratives of Race, Place and Immigrant Identity

In this paper, I use narratives from the Indian diaspora to provide a counterargument to models of acculturation that claim that all immigrants undergo a universal psychological process of acculturation and adaptation. More specifically, I show how members from the Indian diaspora re-examined their ethnic and racial identity after the events of 9/11. Given the conceptual nature of this paper, my goal is to present an argument, supported by select autobiographical accounts and cases, to explain why the universal model of acculturation should be re-examined within the context of postcolonial, diaspora cultures. First, I undertake a brief review of the concept of acculturation in cross-cultural psychology. Next, I examine three autobiographical narratives of first-generation Indians living in south-eastern Connecticut in the USA to demonstrate how their discourses about 9/11 contests universal models of assimilation. Finally, I conclude with implications for understanding the construction of racialised ident...
Stability of Epidote Minerals

A NUMBER of silicate minerals have proved difficult to synthesize by the commonly employed methods involving hydrothermal crystallization of glasses or reactive oxide mixes of suitable composition. Failure to synthesize a phase may be caused by the experimental conditions not being within the region where the phase is thermodynamically stable. But, in some cases, failure simply reflects a large nucleation barrier to the formation of the stable phase so that metastable phases which nucleate with ease form, and may persist indefinitely. Several workers1–3 have considered this problem in relation to the epidote minerals, and the consistent failure of low-pressure synthesis could indicate that these phases may be stable only under relatively high-pressure conditions. Geological occurrence does not entirely support this proposition. The results presented here indicate that with these minerals nucleation is a sluggish process at low pressures, and if this step is by-passed, growth is readily achieved from the phases which normally form in synthesis. This sluggish nucleation is possibly related to the structure of the minerals.
Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors on PC12 Cells: Alteration of Binding Properties by Lectins

The PC12 cell line displays cell surface receptors for both nerve growth factor (NGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF). It has been previously shown that the lectin wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) alters the properties of NGF receptors on these cells. We now report that preincubations with either WGA or concanavalin A (Con A) decrease the binding of 125I-EGF to PC12 cells by greater than 50%. The inhibition of binding occurred at 37 degrees C and 4 degrees C and could be blocked or reversed by the addition of sugars which bind specifically to WGA or Con A. Scatchard analysis revealed that these lectins decreased binding primarily by lowering the affinity of the receptor and to a lesser extent by decreasing receptor number. Succinylation of Con A (sCon A) produced a derivative that was less effective than the native lectin in decreasing EGF binding; however, addition of an antibody against Con A restored the ability of sCon A to decrease binding. Similar to results obtained with 125I-NGF binding, WGA but not Con A was found to increase, by severalfold, the proportion of 125I-EGF binding that is resistant to solubilization by Triton X-100 detergent. A potential association of the EGF receptor with cytoskeletal elements is discussed which could account for such results.
Notes on central American aristolochiaceae

Aristolochia pfeiferi, from Panama, andA. cruenta, from Costa Rica, are described.A. chapmaniana Standl. is placed in synonymy underA. tonduzii Schmidt,A. belizensis Lundell is placed in synonymy underA. ovalifolia Duchartre, andA. petenensis Lundell is placed in synonymy underA. bullata Pfeifer. The status ofA. steyermarkii Standl. is reevaluated.
A Parabolic–Hyperbolic Quasilinear System

We prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions of the parabolic–hyperbolic system for unknown (u,φ) = (u(x,t),φ(x,t)), where Ω is a bounded domain in ℝ n with smooth boundary. The system is solved subject to no-flux boundary condition for φ and given initial conditions for u and φ. Structural conditions on F and G are assumed to ensure L ∞ a priori estimates on u and φ. The key for global in time existence is the Lipschitz continuity of ∇φ in the spatial variable x, an intrinsic requirement for the existence of classical solutions to the hyperbolic equation u t + ∇φ · ∇ u = Q. A new method, worked specifically for hyperbolic-parabolic or hyperbolic-elliptic systems, is developed here to establish an L ∞ bound for the Hessian . In the final part of the paper we prove the asymptotic stability of stationary solutions.
Area and Power-efficient Innovative Network-on-Chip Architecurte

This paper proposes a novel Network-on-Chip (NoC) architecture that not only enhances network transmission performance while maintaining implementation cost feasible, but also provides a power-efficient solution for interconnection network scenarios. Diagonally-linked mesh (DMesh) NoC that uses wormhole packet switching technique implements a high-performance NoC platform to meet both cost and power consumption requirements. The proposed architecture uses an adaptive quasi-minimal routing algorithm so that DMesh can improve average latency and saturation traffic load owing to its flexibility and adaptiveness. In addition, implementation results show that employing diagonal links is a more area-efficient way for improving network performance than using large buffers. Simulation results also reveal that power consumption in DMesh networks outperforms traditional Mesh networks.
On the Synthesis and Adsorption Properties of Single‐Unit‐Cell Hierarchical Zeolites Made by Rotational Intergrowths

The preparation of hierarchical zeolites usually involves hard or soft templates and multiple synthesis steps, which often prohibit their industrial uses. One way to overcome these issues is to build hierarchical zeolites using repetitive branching, where the intrinsic growth patterns of zeolites, instead of porogenic templates, are utilized. This paper expands on an earlier report to unravel the sequence of events leading to this repetitive branching process for the framework type MFI zeolite structure using small-angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy. Moreover, adsorption and transport properties of the hierarchical zeolite are probed using 2,2-dimethylbutane, n-hexane, and n-nonane.
Ionic liquid marbles

Liquid marbles have been reported during this decade and have been argued to be potentially useful for microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip applications. The liquid marbles described to date have been composed of either water or glycerol as the liquid and hydrophobized lycopodium or silica as the stabilizing particles. Both of these components are potentially reactive and do not permit the use of organic chemistry; the liquids are volatile. We report the use of perfluoroalkyl particles (oligomeric (OTFE) and polymeric (PTFE) tetrafluoroethylene, which are unreactive) to support/stabilize a range of ionic liquid marbles. Ionic liquids are not volatile and have been demonstrated to be versatile solvents for chemical transformations. Water marbles prepared with OTFE are much more robust than those prepared with hydrophobized lycopodium or silica.
Feature selection optimized by discrete particle swarm optimization for face recognition

This paper proposes a new discrete particle swarm optimization (DPSO) algorithm with a multiplicative likeliness enhancement rule for unordered feature selection. In this paper, the pool of features for face recognition are derived from direct fractional-step linear discriminant analysis (DFLDA). Each particle is associated with a subset of features, and their recognition performance on the validation set influences the particle's fitness with randomness. Features are selected by their assigned likeliness, which is enhanced by the agreement between a particle and its attractors (its previous location, pbest and gbest). The new DPSO double-asserts or triple-asserts the selection if the attractors share common features. The feature selection technique proposed in this paper is a modular procedure and thus can be applied to other features if a separate validation set is available for fitness evaluation. This DPSO algorithm is successfully applied on the FERET database. The recognition performance is improved for both L1 and L2 norm distance metrics. The cumulative matching score (CMS) is improved for higher ranks, which indicates that this performance improvement is beneficial for identification task. In overall comparison, the multiplicative updating rule achieves higher fitness and smaller standard deviation than the additive likeliness enhancement rule.
Alcohol use and misuse in older adults

Alcohol misuse among older people has now been investigated for over 30 years. Schonfeld and Dupree previously described studies of alcohol use and abuse in the USA and UK, categories of older problem drinkers, age-inappropriate assessments, and examples of age-specific treatment. This review addresses more recent studies on drinking behaviour across several countries, screening assessment for older adults, alcohol problems in primary care medical settings, current age-specific treatment programmes, and treatment recommendations by expert panels, as well as in-home detoxification and use of the medication naltrexone as adjuncts to treatment.
The neurobiological consequences of early stress and childhood maltreatment

Abstract Early severe stress and maltreatment produces a cascade of neurobiological events that have the potential to cause enduring changes in brain development. These changes occur on multiple levels, from neurohumoral (especially the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal {HPA} axis) to structural and functional. The major structural consequences of early stress include reduced size of the mid-portions of the corpus callosum and attenuated development of the left neocortex, hippocampus, and amygdala. Major functional consequences include increased electrical irritability in limbic structures and reduced functional activity of the cerebellar vermis. There are also gender differences in vulnerability and functional consequences. The neurobiological sequelae of early stress and maltreatment may play a significant role in the emergence of psychiatric disorders during development.
Simple 1-D image enhancement for head-mounted low vision aid

High-contrast binary images (black and white without shades of gray) were demonstrated to improve face recognition performance by the visually impaired using static images (Peli et al., Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 1991;32:2337-2350). A binary head-mounted display device has now been adapted to present video in real time for testing as a low vision mobility aid (an electronic telescope). When used for text presentation (as a head-mounted CCTV), a single threshold produces satisfactory performance. However, binarization of a video signal through a single threshold results in high-contrast but extremely poor image detail. A more detailed binary image can be obtained by applying bandpass filtering prior to thresholding. The application of the adaptive 2-D enhancement technique used by the DigiVision device enables such live bandpass processing and provides substantial improvement. To reduce the cost, weight, and power consumption of a portable low vision aid, a one dimensional (1-D) analog video processing alte...
Habitat characteristics of Eurasian pine martens Martes martes in an insular Mediterranean environment

Eurasian pine martens are considered habitat specialists, associated primarily with mature stands of mesic mixed wood forest habitats, and avoid areas without overhead cover The species is found throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the continent but on the Mediterranean island of Minorca, introduced pine martens thrive in a competitor- and predator-free environment I test the prediction that because of evolved prey-capture and predator avoidance strategies Minorcan martens should select habitats most similar to temperate and northern parts of their range Scat index routes were used to quantify pine marten habitat selection Marten did not demonstrate any habitat type preferences although observed use of pine forests and coastal shrublands was slighly greater than expected Marten were indifferent to overhead cover whereas mesic sites and areas of tall high shrub density were favored Small mammal trap indices and preferred prey suggested that martens commonly used non-forested areas My results demonstrated that on Minorca pine martens were habitat generalists In the absence of predators open non-forested habitats were equally important to pine marten as were forested ones
The diagnosis and detection of urogenital cancers.

Previously, histologic precision in the diagnosis of urologic cancers had, for some time, remained stable. More recently, variations in classifications of testis tumors, prostate cancer, and to some degree, bladder tumors, have been introduced. Most systems have in concurrence a desire or an attempt to infer better prognostic assessment in the overall results to treatment. With the advent of additional biological markers or direct enzymatic measurements, e.g., in prostate cancer, further improvements in identifying at risk populations, responses to treatment, and possible indications for variations in treatment, have ensued. These developments alone unquestionably mark the greatest area of change in the recent decade. The extent of disease assessment prior to definitive therapy, whether by arteriography, ultrasound, CAT scanning, or an occasional lymphangiography, has also influenced or modified treatment decisions. For continuing care and follow-up, several of these noninvasive techniques are now becoming included in the more standard approaches. Noninvasive techniques have been introduced for the therapy of renal tumors such as inducing infarction of the primary tumor. Endoscopic ultrasonic techniques have been particularly useful in assessing the size of pelvic tumors and response to treatment, even in detection of unexpected multiple primaries or metastatic extensions. Overall, the precision in urologicmore » cancer, both for diagnostic and detection purposes, has been increased with these introductions.« less
Organization and morphological characteristics of cholonergic neurons: an immunocytochemical study with a monoclonal antibody to choline acetyltransferase

Abstract Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the acetylcholine (ACh) synthesizing enzyme, has been localized immunocytochemically with a monoclonal antibody inlight and electron microscopic preparations of rat central nervous system (CNS). The antibody was an IgG1 subclass immunoglobulin that removed ChAT activity from solution. The specificity of the antibody and immunocytochemical methods has been confirmed by the demonstration of ChAT-positive neurons in a number of well-characterized cholinergic systems. For examples, ChAT-positive reaction product was present in the cell bodies of spinal and cranial nerve motoneurons, as well as in their axons and terminations as motor end-plates in skeletal muscle. In addition, the somata of preganglionic sympathetic and parasympathetic neurons were ChAT-positive. The specificity of staining was further supported by a lack of reaction in several groups of neurons thought to use neuroactive substances other than acetylcholine. No specific staining was observed in control specimens. The findings indicated that ChAT had an extensive intraneuronal distribution in many cholinergic neurons, being present in cell bodies, dendrites, axons and axon terminals. ChAT-positive somata were found in the medial septum and diagonal band, the medial habenula, and the basal nucleus of, the forebrain, 3 regions that are sources of cholinergic afferents to the hippocampus, interpeduncular nucleus and cerebral cortex, respectively. In addition, positively stained cell bodies were present within the cerebral cortex. ChAT-positive punctate structures were observed in the ventral horn of the spinal cord, where electron microscopic studies demonstrated that some of these structures were synaptic terminals. Other regions containing numerous ChAT-positive puncta included the hippocampus, the interpeduncular nucleus and the cerebral cortex. The light microscopic appeaance of these putative cholinergic terminals varied among different brain regions. Large punctate structures related to well-defined postsynaptic elements were characteristic of some regions, such as the ventral horn of the spinal cord, while smaller punctate structures and varicose fibers with a diffuse pattern of organization distinguished otther regions, such as the cerebral cortex.
Critical behavior induced by quenched disorder

Abstract Domain arguments and renormalization-group calculations indicate that all temperature-driven symmetry-breaking first-order phase transitions are converted to second order by quenched bond randomness. This occurs for infinitesimal randomness in d ⩽2 or d ⩽4 respectively for discrete or continuous ( n = 1 or n ⩾2 component) microscopic degrees of freedom. Even strongly first-order transitions undergo this conversion to second order! Above these dimensions this conversion still occurs but requires a threshold bond randomness, presumably with an intervening new tricritical point. For example, q -state Potts transitions can be made second order for any q in any d , via bond randomness. Non-symmetry-breaking “temperature-driven” first-order transitions are eliminated under the above conditions. These quenched-fluctuation-induced second-order phase transitions suggest the possibility of new universality classes of criticality and tricriticality.
Seasonal fluctuations in the secretory response of neuroendocrine cells of Aplysia californica to inhibitors of protein kinase A and protein kinase C.

Abstract The neuroendocrine bag cells of Aplysia provide an excellent model system for exploring the roles of second-messenger pathways regulating peptide hormone secretion. Both the cAMP and diacylglycerol second-messenger systems and their associated protein kinases (PKA and PKC) are involved in regulating membrane excitability in bag-cell neurons of Aplysia. The purpose of the present set of experiments was to determine if PKA and PKC also play roles in regulating egg laying hormone (ELH) secretion from bag-cell neurons. Abdominal ganglia with attached bag-cell clusters and connective nerves were dissected from reproductively mature Aplysia, and ELH secretion in response to electrically stimulated afterdischarges was measured by RIA. ELH secretion from bag cells treated with protein-kinase inhibitors (Rp-cAMPS to inhibit PKA; H-7 to inhibit PKC) was compared to that from untreated controls. Our experiments showed that 100 μM Rp-cAMPS significantly attenuated ELH secretion during the nonbreeding seasons (winter and spring) of 2 consecutive years. This suggested a role for PKA in regulating ELH secretion. However, Rp-cAMPS had no effect on ELH secretion during the breeding seasons (summer and fall) of 2 consecutive years, even when the dose of Rp-cAMPS was increased to 200 μM. These findings indicate that there is a seasonal fluctuation in responsiveness to PKA inhibition. We also investigated if there was a seasonal fluctuation in the ability of the PKC inhibitor H-7 to suppress ELH secretion. During the nonbreeding season, 10–100 μM H-7 significantly inhibited ELH secretion, but during the breeding season, only the highest dose (100 μM) of H-7 inhibited ELH release. These results confirm that PKC plays a role in regulating ELH secretion and indicate that there is a seasonal fluctuation in responsiveness to PKC inhibition. Overall, our findings suggest that both the cAMP and diacylglycerol second-messenger pathways are regulated on a seasonal basis.
Particle sieving in a random fiber network

Abstract An idealized fiber network model is developed to study particle sieving by percolation. The model is based on a Poisson line field in two dimensions, whereby the fibers are modeled as infinite length strips of finite width, while particles are modeled as circular disks. The probabilistic sieving problem is equivalent to percolation of disks through convex polygons of the Poisson line field. The area-based probability of retention (equivalently, percolation) is described by an equation which depends on a single non-dimensional number that is proportional to the number of fiber per unit area and the particle size. The physical meaning and the applicable range of this number are discussed. Finally, using a Monte Carlo simulation, the model is generalized to anisotropic Poisson line fields.
The origins of multicellularity

There is great interest in the invention of multicellularity because it is one of the major transitions during the course of early evolution.1 Most of the emphasis has been on why it occurred. For instance, recently Gerhart and Kirschner2 have argued that a multicellular organism has gained the advantage of a unicellular ancestor because it can more effectively shield itself from the vagaries of the environment by producing its own internal environment. In broader terms, this is Dawkins'3 argument that a competitively effective way of carrying the genes from one generation to the next is by building a complex soma that safely sees to it that the germ plasm survives. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Recent Advances in Antimicrobial Dendrimers

Recent progress in antimicrobial dendrimers is reviewed. Both specific interactions and non-specific interactions can be utilized to design multifunctional (polyvalent) antimicrobial agents, which might be more potent than their mono-functional counterparts. Dendrimers or hyperbranched polymers can also be used to design novel drug delivery systems
Intermolecular Activation of C−X (X = H, O, F) Bonds by a Ti⋮CtBu Linkage

The transient titanium alkylidyne complex (PNP)Ti⋮CtBu (PNP = N[2-P(CHMe2)2-4-methylphenyl]2-) can readily activate, in some cases regioselectively, the aromatic C−H bond of anisole and fluoro-substituted anisoles to generate titanium alkylidene complexes having a substituted aryl group. Intermolecular C−O bond activation occurs when perfluoroanisole reacts with (PNP)Ti⋮CtBu to afford the disubstituted alkylidene methoxide (PNP)TiC[tBu(C6F5)](OCH3). Likewise, intermediate (PNP)Ti⋮CtBu can also promote the intermolecular C−F activation of C6F6 and CF3C6F5 to generate disubstituted alkylidene fluorides (PNP)Ti[tBu(ArF)](F) (ArF = C6F5, C6F4CF3). In the case of Ar = C6F4CF3, the product resulting from para-aryl C−F activation was isolated. For the latter two C−F bond activation reactions, mixtures of alkylidene rotamers exist in solution. Complexes resulting from C−H, C−O, and C−F (including the rotamers for the latter reaction) activation have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods.
Spore germination in Echinostelium minutum

(1992). Spore Germination in Echinostelium Minutum. Mycologia: Vol. 84, No. 6, pp. 916-920.
Interactive visual exploration of neighbor-based patterns in data streams

We will demonstrate our system, called V iStream, supporting interactive visual exploration of neighbor-based patterns [7] in data streams. V iStream does not only apply innovative multi-query strategies to compute a broad range of popular patterns, such as clusters and outliers, in a highly efficient manner, but it also provides a rich set of visual interfaces and interactions to enable real-time pattern exploration. With ViStream, analysts can easily interact with pattern mining processes by navigating along the time horizons, abstraction levels and parameter spaces, and thus better understand the phenomena of interest.
Tumor Necrosis Factor-induced Nonapoptotic Cell Death Requires Receptor-interacting Protein-mediated Cellular Reactive Oxygen Species Accumulation

The mechanism of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced nonapoptotic cell death is largely unknown, although the mechanism of TNF-induced apoptosis has been studied extensively. In wild-type mouse embryonic fibroblast cells under a caspase-inhibited condition, TNF effectively induced cell death that morphologically resembled necrosis. In this study, we utilized gene knockout mouse embryonic fibroblasts cells and found that tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) I mediates TNF-induced necrotic cell death, and that RIP, FADD, and TRAF2 are critical components of the signaling cascade of this TNF-induced necrotic cell death. Inhibitors of NF-κB facilitated TNF-induced necrotic cell death, suggesting that NF-κB suppresses the necrotic cell death pathway. JNK, p38, and ERK activation seem not to be required for this type of cell death because mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors did not significantly affect TNF-induced necrotic cell death. In agreement with the previous reports that the reactive oxygen species (ROS) may play an important role in this type of cell death, the ROS scavenger butylated hydroxyanisole efficiently blocked TNF-induced necrotic cell death. Interestingly, during TNF-induced necrotic cell death, the cellular ROS level was significantly elevated in wild type, but not in RIP-/-, TRAF2-/-, and FADD-/- cells. These results suggest that RIP, TRAF2, and FADD are crucial in mediating ROS accumulation in TNF-induced necrotic cell death.
Some Asymptotic Properties of the Normal Modes of the Earth

Summary At constant wave number and very high frequency, there are three asymptotic sequences of eigenfrequencies for spheroidal (nSl) modes. Each sequence is formally equivalent to one of the three body waves; PKIKP, ScS or J. Toroidal (nTl) modes have two sequences; ScS or J, and radial (nSo) modes have one; PKIKP. At constant phase velocity and very high frequency the coefficient matrices for spherical stratification and plane stratification are equivalent if the ray parameter, p, in a spherical Earth and the ray parameter, q, in a planar Earth have the relation p=qr.
Abnormal uterine bleeding: the role of ultrasound.

Abnormal uterine bleeding is an important clinical concern and accounts for much medical intervention. This article presents an ultrasound-based approach to help exclude endomelrial carcinoma and identify the source of bleeding for better clinical management. Saline infusion sonohysterography can help to triage patients to (1) no anatomic pathology, (2) globally thickened anatomic pathology that may be evaluated with blind endometrial sampling, 01 (3) focak abnormalities that must he evaluated under direct vision.
Sensitivity analysis for knapsack problems: a negative result

We show that, for any pair of knapsack problems, there is a single problem whose optimal solution corresponds to each problem of the pair, for two adjacent right-hand sides.
Divergent Evolution of Enzymatic Function: Mechanistically Diverse Superfamilies and Functionally Distinct Suprafamilies

▪ Abstract The protein sequence and structure databases are now sufficiently representative that strategies nature uses to evolve new catalytic functions can be identified. Groups of divergently related enzymes whose members catalyze different reactions but share a common partial reaction, intermediate, or transition state (mechanistically diverse superfamilies) have been discovered, including the enolase, amidohydrolase, thiyl radical, crotonase, vicinal-oxygen-chelate, and Fe-dependent oxidase superfamilies. Other groups of divergently related enzymes whose members catalyze different overall reactions that do not share a common mechanistic strategy (functionally distinct suprafamilies) have also been identified: (a) functionally distinct suprafamilies whose members catalyze successive transformations in the tryptophan and histidine biosynthetic pathways and (b) functionally distinct suprafamilies whose members catalyze different reactions in different metabolic pathways. An understanding of the structur...
The role of occupational therapy in the management of depression.

This document was prepared at the request of the Depression Panel of the Office of the Forum for Quality and Effectiveness in Health Care within the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, an agency of the U.S. Public Health Service. The panel was charged to develop clinical practice guidelines for the management of depression to be used by general medical and family medicine practitioners in primary care settings. The form of the panel's questions shaped the introductory portion of the document. After receiving the questions posed by the panel (which are stated later in this document), it was necessary to define the context of the use of occupation and occupational therapy to broaden the panel's understanding of these terms.
Calculating resistors in a network

A direct method is presented for calculating the values of resistors in a network from the currents through the boundary nodes due to voltages imposed at the boundary nodes. Some numerical results of tests of this method are given for a simulated resistor network with 10 nodes per side. In all cases the largest relative error occurs near the center. The method is valid for an arbitrary finite network of any dimension greater than one. >
Some terms for the transposition of gardens between countries

A symposium at the University of Pennsylvania in March 2011 took as its theme ‘Foreign Trends on American Soils’, conceived and organized by Raffaella Fabiani Giannetto (an advisor to this journal)...
Developmental aspects of theophylline metabolism in premature infants

The metabolic degradation of theophylline was studied in nine premature infants with postconception ages of 28 to 42 wk. Urinary and plasma metabolites (caffeine; theobromine; 3-methylxanthine; 1,3-dimethyluric acid; and 1-methyluric acid) and unchanged theophylline were analyzed with selected ion monitoring gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The anticipated decrease in plasma caffeine (which is absent in adult human and children) did not occur in the postconception age range studied, but the urinary percentages of unchanged theophylline decreased from 61% at a postconception age of 28 to 32 wk to 43% at 38 to 42 wk. This suggests increasing theophylline metabolism with age due to developing hepatic cytochrome P-450 enzyme systems. The increased degradation of theophylline is largely explained by the production of 1,3-dimethyluric acid (from 20% to 34%). In infants of an older postconception age, theobromine, a caffeine metabolite, was also detected. To explain the difference of caffeine pathway between adults and premature infants, it is hypothesized that the caffeine pathway of theophylline is equally active in both age groups. The absence of caffeine metabolite in adults is due to the maturing caffeine-metabolizing enzymes, which degrade caffeine immediately to its metabolites.
The starmod distributed programming kernel

This paper describes the design and implementation of a kernel for the distributed programming language StarMod. The distributed programming kernel was written in a subset of StarMod supported by a concurrent programming kernel. Kernel issues addressed include process representation, I/O device management, signal semantics, system utilities, network communication and the implementation of high-level language communication primitives. We conclude with a summary of our experiences in the development of a ‘bare machine’ kernel for a network of microprocessors.
A restudy of the Burgess Shale (Cambrian) arthropod Emeraldella brocki and reassessment of its affinities

A restudy of the Burgess Shale arthropod Emeraldella brocki suggests novel interpretations of its morphology. We show that the morphology is more plesiomorphic than previously assumed, particularly regarding tagmosis. The cephalon probably only incorporates three limb-bearing postantennular segments. The trunk is not differentiated and consists of 12 tergite-bearing segments and a styliform telson. Limb structure is generally similar to that of other artiopods except for a tripartite exopod and a high degree of differentiation of podomere proportions along the body. A phylogenetic analysis of 20 fossil arthropod taxa based on 36 characters renders E. brocki as a basal taxon within a monophyletic group that comprises all artiopods included. Autapomorphies of this taxon are a filiform antennula and a bilobate exopod that carries lamellae proximally. Trilobites are nested within a group of artiopods sharing a pygidium. Agnostus pisiformis is retrieved as the sister taxon to the stem-lineage crustacean Oeland...
Investigation of aquifer-estuary interaction using wavelet analysis of fiber-optic temperature data

Fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing (FODTS) provides sub-minute temporal and meter-scale spatial resolution over kilometer-long cables. Compared to conventional thermistor or thermocouple-based technologies, which measure temperature at discrete (and commonly sparse) locations, FODTS offers nearly continuous spatial coverage, thus providing hydrologic information at spatiotemporal scales previously impossible. Large and information-rich FODTS datasets, however, pose challenges for data exploration and analysis. To date, FODTS analyses have focused on time-series variance as the means to discriminate between hydrologic phenomena. Here, we demonstrate the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and cross-wavelet transform (XWT) to analyze FODTS in the context of related hydrologic time series. We apply the CWT and XWT to data from Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts to identify the location and timing of tidal pumping of submarine groundwater.
Arachnoiditis ossificans of the thoracic spine

Arachnoiditis ossificans is a rare disorder characterized by the development of calcifications of the arachnoid membrane of the thoracic and lumbar spines. It is an extremely rare cause of spinal canal stenosis and consequent neurological compromise, and its origins and optimal management remain unclear. We review of the literature that illustrates the challenges of diagnosis and treatment of arachnoiditis ossificans. A patient with arachnoiditis ossificans is discussed to illustrate the presentation, treatment, and prognosis of the disease.
Drug-Eluting Stent Restenosis: Incidence, Predictors, Mechanisms, and Treatment

Drug-eluting stents (DES) represent a major advance in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Clinical trials have shown significant reductions in restenosis with both sirolimus- and paclitaxel-eluting stents, with subsequent revascularization rates in the single digit range in most studies. Predictors of restenosis and target lesion revascularization include diabetes, prior restenosis, smaller post-PCI minimal lumen diameter and complex lesion features, such as long lesions, smaller vessels, ostial lesions, and bifurcations. DES restenosis is most commonly focal (or multifocal) within the stent and less commonly is manifest as a diffuse or proliferative narrowing. The mechanisms of DES include stent under-expansion, nonuniform stent strut distribution or stent malapposition, polymer disruption due to difficult stent delivery, stent fracture, and possibly drug resistance or failure. Although only limited data are available regarding treatment of DES restenosis, reintervention appears to be associated with relatively low subsequent recurrence rates and repeat DES implantation is generally accepted as the treatment of choice for DES restenosis.
Cascaded Hamiltonian equations and dynamic programming

For optimal control problems with a cost functional in a form akin to a Volterra-Wiener series, the author obtains optimality conditions in the form of cascaded Hamiltonian equation and cascaded dynamic programming equations.
Imagined commodities? Analyzing local identity and place in American community newspaper website banners:

American community newspapers, as well as larger daily publications, do little to articulate a sense of local identity or place in the banners of their websites, or their newspaper names atop the web page. Instead, newspapers routinely articulate a professional identity above a local one – often omitting the name of the community entirely, and only occasionally offering a major visual expression of the community. This complicates Benedict Anderson’s sense of ‘imagined communities’, which argues that local identity is constructed through clear articulation by print media; if newspaper websites ignore local identity in their banners, then community newspapers today are imaging commodity rather than community. This qualitative analysis of 40 American community newspapers and 80 daily American newspapers divides that local articulation into four categories (absent identity, secondary identity, equal identity and visual identity) and explores implications for the academy and newspaper industry.
Individualization of drug therapy: an historical perspective

Although therapeutic drug monitoring, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacogenetics/ pharmacogenomics are conventionally considered in isolation, when applied to patient care, they are really three chapters in a continuing story that has as its theme the optimization of pharmacotherapy. This has been variously referred to as "rational drug therapy", "individualization of drug therapy", and "personalized medicine". However, the goal of improved drug therapy has been the same.
New primal SVM solver with linear computational cost for big data classifications

Support Vector Machines (SVM) is among the most popular classification techniques in machine learning, hence designing fast primal SVM algorithms for large-scale datasets is a hot topic in recent years. This paper presents a new L2- norm regularized primal SVM solver using Augmented Lagrange Multipliers, with linear computational cost for Lp-norm loss functions. The most computationally intensive steps (that determine the algorithmic complexity) of the proposed algorithm is purely and simply matrix-byvector multiplication, which can be easily parallelized on a multi-core server for parallel computing. We implement and integrate our algorithm into the interfaces and framework of the well-known LibLinear software toolbox. Experiments show that our algorithm is with stable performance and on average faster than the state-of-the-art solvers such as SVMper f, Pegasos and the LibLinear that integrates the TRON, PCD and DCD algorithms.