cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantile regression adjusting for dependent censoring from semicompeting risks

In this work, we study quantile regression when the response is an event time subject to potentially dependent censoring. We consider the semi-competing risks setting, where time to censoring remains observable after the occurrence of the event of interest. While such a scenario frequently arises in biomedical studies, most of current quantile regression methods for censored data are not applicable because they generally require the censoring time and the event time be independent. By imposing rather mild assumptions on the association structure between the time-to-event response and the censoring time variable, we propose quantile regression procedures, which allow us to garner a comprehensive view of the covariate effects on the event time outcome as well as to examine the informativeness of censoring. An efficient and stable algorithm is provided for implementing the new method. We establish the asymptotic properties of the resulting estimators including uniform consistency and weak convergence. The theoretical development may serve as a useful template for addressing estimating settings that involve stochastic integrals. Extensive simulation studies suggest that the proposed method performs well with moderate sample sizes. We illustrate the practical utility of our proposals through an application to a bone marrow transplant trial.
Effect of propentofylline on free radical generation during cerebral hypoxia in the newborn piglet.

Abstract The present study tests the hypothesis that propentofylline, an adenosine re-uptake inhibitor, will reduce free radical generation during cerebral hypoxia. Ten newborn piglets were pretreated with propentofylline (10 mg/kg), five of which were subjected to hypoxia, while the other five were maintained at normoxia. Five untreated control piglets underwent the same conditions. Hypoxia was induced through a decrease in FiO 2 to 0.11 and documented biochemically by a decrease in ATP and phosphocreatine levels. Free radical formation in the cortex was detected directly using electron spin resonance spectroscopy with a spin trap technique. Results demonstrate that free radicals, corresponding to the alkoxyl radical, increased significantly following hypoxia, and that this increase was inhibited by pretreatment with propentofylline. Conjugated dienes, a lipid peroxidation product, also increased following hypoxia and were subsequently inhibited by propentofylline. The administration of propentofylline also significantly limited the hypoxia-induced decrease in tissue levels of ATP and phosphocreatine. These data demonstrate that pretreatment with propentofylline decreased free radical generation and lipid peroxidation as well as preserved high energy phosphates during cerebral hypoxia.
Grinding Mill Power Consumption

Equations and associated procedures for estimating power draw are inconsistent. The various methods are discussed critically. Topics discussed are: diameter exponent; loading; speed correction factors; buoyancy effects; liner wear, and effect of load dilation. Balance between effective load weight and torque-arm length determines direction of power change at critical operating points (e.g. incipient overloading). Consistent procedures for calculating the effect of charge weight on power draw in different mill types are given. Error analysis shows that the accuracy of power estimation and data correlation may depend as much on the accuracy of measurement of mill dimensions and operating variables as on the particular equation used. An equation based on the torque-arm model, and providing a compromise between existing equations, is proposed. It is simple and suitable for correlating data and estimating power draw. A data-base of power related parameters documenting mill scale-up during the past few decades ...
A precipitin for human serum proteins as released into the environment by stressed bait shrimp, Penaeus duorarum.

Abstract 1. 1. A precipitin for human serum proteins is released into the environment by stressed bait shrimp, Penaeus duorarum . 2. 2. Two-dimensional crossed immunoelectrophoresis revealed that the precipitin reacts (a) primarily with proteins belonging to the major group, alpha-1 globulin; and (b) with more proteins than a standard mammalian antiserum. 3. 3. This study extends the variety of species known to liberate precipitins and suggests this response may be widespread among invertebrates. 4. 4. The precipitins are easily collected in saline solution and, by virtue of their unique specificities, are potentially useful in diagnostic testing.
Improving resource allocation in a teenage sexual risk reduction program

Abstract Teenage pregnancy is one of America's greatest social and economic problems. This paper presents and discusses a multiobjective modeling approach to allocating scarce resources to the problem of teenage sexual risk reduction. This model is developed using information from a successful teenage sexual risk reduction program which has been implemented in Bamberg County, S.C. Test results for several resource allocation scenarios are presented and discussed, and implications for use of the model are noted.
Power transitions and great power war from westphalia to waterloo

This study extends recent research on the power transition and hegemonic stability theory to the preindustrial era. It improves on the original power transition theory by relaxing an assumption and by extending the empirical domain. Unlike the original power transition theory, the revised version is not restricted to the period after the industrial revolution and can therefore be applied to the preindustrial era. This study examines the empirical record prior to the industrial revolution to see whether the power transition and hegemonic stability theory holds for that period. The data for 1648 to 1815 indicate strong support for the power transition contention that a rough equality of power between rival sides increases the likelihood of war. That is, when the challenging great power, with its allies' support, catches up with the dominant power, great power war is most likely.
Developing critical skills in technical courses (seminar)

To succeed in today's computer information systems (CIS) environment, CIS professionals need far more than traditional technical skills. Managers seek technical staff with the ability to communicate effectively and understand an organization's primary mission. Industry would like CIS professionals to have strong backgrounds in a broad variety of skills such as oral and written communication, team work, and an awareness of international issues. Current computer science and information system curricula often do not provide our students with the opportunity to learn these critical skills.By adding a variety of simple activities to existing technical courses we can provide students with valuable opportunities to develop these critical skills. A variety of teaching techniques can re-enforce skills in both arenas at the same time. Some assignments can assist students in understanding the technical material by requiring them to apply advanced critical thinking skills. Active learning can reach students with different learning styles and increase the understanding and retention of technical material. A mixture of activities also provides a variety of forms of assessment which may more accurately reflect students' understanding of the material. As a bonus, these skills will enable our students to continue to thrive in a field fraught with constant change.The seminar will expand on these themes and provide examples and practice developing assignments that can help prepare well-rounded students for success in computer information systems.
SURFACE CURRENT EXCITATION ON AN INHOMOGENEOUSLY SHEATHED PLASMA-IMMERSED CYLINDER BY ELECTROMAGNETIC AND ELECTROKINETIC WAVES

Inhomogeneous sheath effect on surface currents and scattering cross section of plasma-immersed cylinder in presence of electromagnetic and electrokinetic waves
The development of new-onset type 2 diabetes associated with choosing a calcium channel blocker compared to a diuretic or beta-blocker.

ABSTRACTObjective: It has been acknowledged that patients who receive a beta-blocker or diuretic based regimen are at increased risk of developing new-onset diabetes. Recently, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have been shown to decrease patients’ odds of developing new-onset type 2 diabetes. A number of large placebo-controlled multi-center trials in post-myocardial infarction and heart failure patients have shown the ability of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system medications to reduce the onset of type 2 diabetes. Pharmacologic data has shown improved insulin sensitivity with ACEIs and ARBs. Controversy persists regarding the influence of calcium channel blockers on the development of new-onset diabetes.Research design and methods: Two reviewers conducted a systematic literature search of Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library (1966 to December 2006) to extract a consensus of trial data involving calcium channel blockers versus diureti...
Anomalous energy pathway of vacancy migration and self-diffusion in hcp Ti

An anomalous energy pathway with energetically equivalent double saddle points for vacancy mediated self-diffusion within an hcp-Ti basal plane is unveiled by density functional theory. Examination of migration pathway and phonon force constants suggests that the migrating atom tries to follow the bcc-hcp phase transition via the Burgers shear deformation. We propose that the formed energy local minimum with a bcc-like atomic environment between the two saddle points originates from the existence of high-temperature bcc phase and is a feature of Group IV hcp metals with bcc-hcp phase transition. Computed diffusion coefficients are in favorable accord with experiments for hcp Ti.
Radiation resistance in a multidrug resistant human T-cell leukemia line☆

Abstract In clinical practice, cancers refractory to chemotherapy commonly appear to be comparatively radioresistant. One mechanism by which cancer cells become resistant to chemotherapy is pleiotropic multidrug resistance, characterized by cross resistance to a number of otherwise unrelated heterocyclic antineoplastic agents, including vinca alkaloids, anthracyclines, dactinomycin, and others. We have studied a drug sensitive human leukemia cell line, CEM; a pleiotropic multidrug resistant subline of CEM, CEM/VLB 100 ; VLB-1, a drug sensitive revertant subline arising during in vivo passage of CEM/VLB 100 ; and a methotrexate resistant subline of CEM, CEM-MTX. Using soft-agar colony formation after graded doses of X rays as an endpoint, we found that CEM, CEM-MTX, and CEM/VLB 100 had similar terminal slopes (D 0 = 0.66 Gy). However, the CEM/VLB 100 survival curve had a broader initial shoulder (n = 3.0, D q = 0.75 Gy) than did CEM (n = 1.6, D q = 0.25 Gy) or CEM/MTX (n = 1.0, D q = 0 Gy), suggesting that CEM/VLB 100 has an increased capacity to repair radiation-induced DNA damage. This was tested by comparing the cell lines' abilities to accumulate sublethal damage. In split dose recovery experiments, CEM/VLB 100 demonstrated increased ability to repair sublethal radiation damage following fractionated irradiation compared with the CEM parental line. Although it no longer demonstrated multidrug resistance, VLB-l still displayed diminished radiation sensitivity. On the basis of these and other investigators' results, we suggest that diminished radiation sensitivity is separate from, but can be closely associated with, the multidrug-resistant phenotype.
Nonexponential relaxation in solid C60 via time-dependent singlet exciton annihilation

Abstract We present measurements and detailed modeling of the dynamics of solid C60 following photoexcitation. Optical pulses 60 fs in duration centered at 620 nm are used to excite the lowest optical band, and the relaxation of the photoexcitations is measured using a time-resolved pump-probe technique. The response is shown quantitatively to follow a time-dependent singlet exciton annihilation process consistent with long-range Forster annihilation. This result is supported by measurements of the dependence of the relaxation on excitation density and probe wavelength, by comparison of the response in thin film, crystalline, and solution samples, and by numerical modeling.
Apparent Absence of Amines in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Phenylketonurics

THE mechanism by which mental defect is produced in phenylketonuria is unknown. No correlation has been found in patients having this disorder between the degree of mental defect and blood-levels of phenylalanine or phenylpyruvate, or urinary excretion of phenylalanine, phenyllactate, phenylpyruvate or o-hydroxyphenylacetate1. The possible implication of biologically active amines has been examined in several papers. Mitoma et al. 2 administered o-tyrosine and m-tyrosine to experimental animals and observed conversion to the corresponding amines in brain, with attendant central nervous system stimulation and convulsions. Association of the mental defect in phenylketonuria with an excessive production of o-tyramine was suggested. It also seems possible that overproduction of phenylethylamine may be responsible for the disturbance in cerebral metabolism. Jepson et al. 3 have recently shown that administration of a monoamine oxidase inhibitor to phenylketonuric individuals results in an increase much greater than normal in the urinary excretion of phenylethylamine, but not of o-tyramine. The mental defect in phenylketonuria may also be due to an underproduction of amines vital to normal brain function. Pare et al. 4 have reported low serum serotonin-levels and decreased urinary excretion of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in phenylketonuria. They suggest that one or more aromatic acid metabolites of phenylalanine inhibit 5-hydroxytryptophan de-carboxylase, the enzyme responsible for the production of serotonin.
Magnetic anomalies over the continents

By far most of the magnetic coverage over continents has been made via aircraft. The obvious advantages of the airborne method over ground measurements are the speed and economy of the survey, the coverage of areas that are inaccessible on the ground, and the nature of the data, which are displayed continuously rather than as discrete points along a profile. Much aeromagnetic work both in the United States and abroad has been conducted by private companies exploring for ore and petroleum. Unfortunately almost none of the data have been published, nor have they been made available to the public.
Arteriographic evidence of pseudoocclusion of the popliteal artery: Don't be fooled

Individuals with chronic lower extremity pain or lifestyle limiting claudication often undergo angiography prior to intervention. Occasionally initial angiographic findings are not indicative of a true pathologic process. Described below are two such cases. Both of the patients described had iliofemoral atherosclerotic disease with arteriographic suggestion of popliteal artery occlusion. However, their medical histories, noninvasive vascular studies, and arteriograms were not consistent with chronic popliteal artery occlusion. On subsequent arteriogram with knee flexion, the occlusions were found to be positional or pseudooccluded. Pseudoocclusion of the popliteal artery (POPA) does not require intervention, and therefore it is necessary to differentiate it from other pathologic processes. Discrimination of POPA from atherosclerotic occlusion, popliteal artery entrapment syndrome, cystic adventitial disease, and vasculitis is possible through history and exam. Arteriography is helpful because a lack of contralateral disease or collateral circulation may indicate a positional occlusion. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A Tree Matching Algorithm and VLSI Architecture for Real-Time 2D Object Classification

This paper presents a real-time classification algorithm for two-dimensional (2D) object contours using a tree model which is implemented in a modular very large scale integration (VLSI) architecture. The hardware implementation takes advantage of pipelining, parallelism, and the speed of VLSI technology to perform real-time object classification. Using the multiresolution tree model, the classification algorithm is invariant under 2D similarity transformations and recognizes the visible portions of occluded objects. The VLSI classification system is implemented in 0.8 mm CMOS and is capable of performing 34000 matchings per second.
Evidence for the Accessibility of Paired Distinctiveness in Distinctiveness-Based Illusory Correlation in Stereotyping

A study was designed to examine the mechanism underlying the illusory correlation phenomenon. Previous evidence indicates that the salience of the paired distinctive information leads to greater accessibility of that information when later judgments are required. To test this idea, response latencies were measured as subjects performed the group assignment decision task used to measure illusory correlation. The results supported the paired-distinctiveness account for illusory correlations: Subjects over-attributed the rarer undesirable behaviors to the smaller group; they were quicker in making assignment decisions for small group/rare behavior events; and the assignment decision latencies for the small group/rare behavior events correlated the most strongly with the extent of illusory correlation.
Cultural Clusters: The Implications of Cultural Assets Agglomeration for Neighborhood Revitalization

Cultural districts have attracted increased attention as an urban economic development strategy. Yet for the most part, cities have focused on the agglomeration of cultural assets to increase tourism or lure wary suburbanites downtown. This article examines an alternative use of the arts for community development: cultivating neighborhood cultural clusters with modest concentrations of cultural providers (both nonprofit and commercial), resident artists, and cultural participants. The article presents innovative methods for integrating data on these indicators into a geographic information system to produce a Cultural Asset Index that can be used to identify census block groups with the highest density of these assets. The article then demonstrates the association between the concentration of cultural assets in Philadelphia in 1997 with improved housing market conditions between 2001 and 2006. The article concludes by exploring the implications of a neighborhood-based creative economy for urban policy, pl...
Cystic pelvic pathology presenting as falsely elevated postvoid residual urine measured by portable ultrasound bladder scanning: report of 3 cases and review of the literature

Dedicated portable ultrasound devices generally offer a rapid, noninvasive, largely operator-independent means of assessing post-void residual urine (PVR) volume. In most published series, PVR measured by portable ultrasound correlates well with catheterized urine volume. We report 3 cases in which follow-up of falsely elevated PVR measurements on ultrasound resulted in comparatively low catheterized volumes. In all 3 cases, the elevated readings were due to cystic ovarian pathology, which was diagnosed by formal radiologic evaluation and ultimately confirmed operatively in 2 cases. Cystic pathology of the pelvis or lower abdomen may present as an elevated PVR on ultrasound and low urine volume on subsequent catheterization and should prompt further evaluation.
Potent Rescue of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Late Domain Mutants by ALIX/AIP1 Depends on Its CHMP4 Binding Site

The release of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and of other retroviruses from certain cells requires the presence of distinct regions in Gag that have been termed late assembly (L) domains. HIV-1 harbors a PTAP-type L domain in the p6 region of Gag that engages an endosomal budding machinery through Tsg101. In addition, an auxiliary L domain near the C terminus of p6 binds to ALIX/AIP1, which functions in the same endosomal sorting pathway as Tsg101. In the present study, we show that the profound release defect of HIV-1 L domain mutants can be completely rescued by increasing the cellular expression levels of ALIX and that this rescue depends on an intact ALIX binding site in p6. Furthermore, the ability of ALIX to rescue viral budding in this system depended on two putative surface-exposed hydrophobic patches on its N-terminal Bro1 domain. One of these patches mediates the interaction between ALIX and the ESCRT-III component CHMP4B, and mutations which disrupt the interaction also abolish the activity of ALIX in viral budding. The ability of ALIX to rescue a PTAP mutant also depends on its C-terminal proline-rich domain (PRD), but not on the binding sites for Tsg101, endophilin, CIN85, or for the newly identified binding partner, CMS, within the PRD. Our data establish that ALIX can have a dramatic effect on HIV-1 release and suggest that the ability to use ALIX may allow HIV-1 to replicate in cells that express only low levels of Tsg101.
The Use of Control Charts to Interpret Environmental Monitoring Data

Abstract Many different methods of synthesizing and analyzing environmental monitoring data exist. Given the diversity of current environmental monitoring projects, and the large number of scientists and policy-makers involved, there is a critical need for a universal format that both summarizes data sets and indicates any potential need for management action. Control charts, originally developed for industrial applications, represent one way of doing this. Control charts indicate when a system is going ‘out of control’ by plotting through time some measure of a stochastic process with reference to its expected value. Control charts can be constructed for many different types of indicators, whether univariate or multivariate. Control charts are simple to interpret, and can easily be updated whenever additional data become available. The relative risks of Type I (i.e., concluding meaningful change has occurred when actually it has not) and Type II (i.e., concluding meaningful change has not occurred when i...
Testosterone and Aggressive Behavior in Man

Atavistic residues of aggressive behavior prevailing in animal life, determined by testosterone, remain attenuated in man and suppressed through familial and social inhibitions. However, it still manifests itself in various intensities and forms from; thoughts, anger, verbal aggressiveness, competition, dominance behavior, to physical violence. Testosterone plays a significant role in the arousal of these behavioral manifestations in the brain centers involved in aggression and on the development of the muscular system that enables their realization. There is evidence that testosterone levels are higher in individuals with aggressive behavior, such as prisoners who have committed violent crimes. Several field studies have also shown that testosterone levels increase during the aggressive phases of sports games. In more sensitive laboratory paradigms, it has been observed that participant’s testosterone rises in the winners of; competitions, dominance trials or in confrontations with factitious opponents. Aggressive behavior arises in the brain through interplay between subcortical structures in the amygdala and the hypothalamus in which emotions are born and the prefrontal cognitive centers where emotions are perceived and controlled. The action of testosterone on the brain begins in the embryonic stage. Earlier in development at the DNA level, the number of CAG repeats in the androgen receptor gene seems to play a role in the expression of aggressive behavior. Neuroimaging techniques in adult males have shown that testosterone activates the amygdala enhancing its emotional activity and its resistance to prefrontal restraining control. This effect is opposed by the action of cortisol which facilitates prefrontal area cognitive control on impulsive tendencies aroused in the subcortical structures. The degree of impulsivity is regulated by serotonin inhibiting receptors, and with the intervention of this neurotransmitter the major agents of the neuroendocrine influence on the brain process of aggression forms a triad. Testosterone activates the subcortical areas of the brain to produce aggression, while cortisol and serotonin act antagonistically with testosterone to reduce its effects.
cAMP-stimulated phosphorylation of diaphanous 1 regulates protein stability and interaction with binding partners in adrenocortical cells

Diaphanous homologue 1 (DIAPH1) is a Rho effector protein that coordinates cellular dynamics by regulating microfilament and microtubule function. We previously showed that DIAPH1 plays an integral role in regulating the production of cortisol by controlling the rate of mitochondrial movement, by which activation of the adrenocorticotropin (ACTH)/cAMP signaling pathway stimulates mitochondrial trafficking and promotes the interaction between RhoA and DIAPH1. In the present study we use mass spectrometry to identify DIAPH1 binding partners and find that DIAPH1 interacts with several proteins, including RhoA, dynamin-1, kinesin, β-tubulin, β-actin, oxysterol-binding protein (OSBP)–related protein 2 (ORP2), and ORP10. Moreover, DIAPH1 is phosphorylated in response to dibutyryl cAMP (Bt2cAMP) at Thr-759 via a pathway that requires extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK). Alanine substitution of Thr-759 renders DIAPH1 more stable and attenuates the interaction between DIAPH1 and kinesin, ORP2, and actin but has no effect on the ability of the protein to interact with RhoA or β-tubulin. Finally, overexpression of a DIAPH1 T759A mutant significantly decreases the rate of Bt2cAMP-stimulated mitochondrial movement. Taken together, our findings establish a key role for phosphorylation in regulating the stability and function of DIAPH1.
Deformation of the arterial vasa vasorum at normal and hypertensive arterial pressure

Abstract In a previous paper, a numerical procedure (the finite element method) was presented for the structural analysis of soft biological structures possessing complex geometry and mechanical properties and undergoing large deformations. This method was used here to model a vas vasorum in an arterial cross-section subjected to physiological and hypertensive mean arterial pressure levels. The deformation of the lumen of the model vas vasorum was determined for two cases: an arteriole and a venule. Estimates of hydraulic resistance and flow rate for these model vasa vasorum were calculated and compared with experimental total flow rates in the vasa vasorum reported in the literature. The results indicate that prolonged abnormally elevated arterial pressure could constrict venules of the vasa vasorum thereby impairing arterial wall tissue nourishment. If no compensatory mechanisms exist, tissue degeneration and/or atherogenesis could occur.
Nitric Oxide Emissions from Engineered Soil Systems

Sophisticated laboratory equipment and procedures are developed and used in controlled experi- ments to measure nitric oxide (NO) emissions ranging from 42 to 75 ng N/m 2 ? s from sludge-amended soil of concern to environmental engineers because nitric oxide emitted to the troposphere is a precursor to troublesome ozone formation and also of concern to agricultural engineers because valuable nitrogen as fertilizer is lost from the soil. Water-filled pore space is confirmed to be of critical importance to NO flux, and the upper layers of soil are determined to contribute the larger portion of the NO fluxing from the soil to the troposphere. More than 42% of the total NO flux comes from the top 1 cm of soil, with NO contributions decreasing exponentially with soil depth and very little if any tropospheric NO contributed from soil at a depth of 20 cm or greater. The results are discussed in terms of microbiological, chemical, and soil transport processes that influence NO flux from sludge-amended soil. INTRODUCTION Nitrogen oxide (NO) emissions from unamended and en- gineered soils can adversely impact local and regional air qual- ity in the lower troposphere and can directly impact public health and vegetation as subsequent ozone (O3) formation; ac- cumulation leads to pulmonary congestion, disorientation, al- tered breathing, headaches in humans, and decreased crop yields. In addition, these emissions are a direct economic con- cern because nitrogen valued as fertilizer is lost from the soil. Consequently, these emissions are studied here to gain a better understanding of their net formation, transport, and transfor- mation in the form of NO flux from the soil. With the ability to measure nitric oxide emissions under controlled conditions in the laboratory, it can be possible in the future to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms responsible for NO formation, transport, and transformation with a view to the control of NO emissions from soil into the lower troposphere. Whether or not increased NO emissions lead to ozone prob- lems in the lower troposphere is dependent on other important atmospheric variables, most notably the NO x and volatile or-
Herpesvirus infections in organ transplant recipients.

Despite great advances in organ transplantation in the last four decades, herpesvirus infections remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality for a majority of transplant recipients. Central to all herpesvirus infections is the virus’s ability to establish latent, nonproductive infections which can be reactivated at later times in the host’s life, resulting in recurrent infections and associated diseases. While improvements in immunosuppressive drug regimens have decreased the risk of organ rejection, they have not restored the immune competence necessary for the control of primary or reactivated herpesvirus infections. This failure has been offset to a significant degree by the advent of improved techniques for viral diagnosis and monitoring and of new, potent antiviral drugs for prophylaxis and treatment of herpesvirus infections. However, infections caused by the eight human herpesviruses continue to challenge the clinical management of transplant recipients. In this minireview, we focus on recent advances in our understanding of and ability to control herpesvirus infections in organ transplant recipients. CMV. Human cytomegalovirus (CMV; human herpesvirus 5) is a member of the betaherpesvirus subgroup. In developed countries, approximately 40 to 60% of the population has been infected with this virus, and the infection rate increases with age (70). Transmission requires direct contact with infectious virus, which can be shed in the tears, urine, saliva, semen, breast milk, and cervical secretions of infected individuals. The virus can also be transmitted by blood and blood products and by transplantation of infected organs and can be passed vertically from mother to fetus or mother to child (81). In an
Instream cover and shade mediate avian predation on trout in semi‐natural streams

Piscivory by birds can be significant, particularly on fish in small streams and during seasonal low flow when available cover from predators can be limited. Yet, how varying amounts of cover may change the extent of predation mortality from avian predators on fish is not clear. We evaluated size-selective survival of coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii) in replicated semi-natural stream sections. These sections provided high (0.01 m2 of cover per m2 of stream) or low (0.002 m2 of cover per m2 of stream) levels of instream cover available to trout and were closed to emigration. Each fish was individually tagged, allowing us to track retention of individuals during the course of the 36-day experiment, which we attributed to survival from predators, because fish had no other way to leave the streams. Although other avian predators may have been active in our system and not detected, the only predator observed was the belted kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon, which is known to prey heavily on fish. In both treatments, trout >20.4 cm were not preyed upon indicating an increased ability to prey upon on smaller individuals. Increased availability of cover improved survival of trout by 12% in high relative to low cover stream sections. Trout also survived better in stream sections with greater shade, a factor we could not control in our system. Collectively, these findings indicate that instream cover and shade from avian predators can play an important role in driving survival of fish in small streams or during periods of low flow.
Blind(ing) Spots

"Blind(ing) Spots". William Rasch and Cary Wolfe. eds. Observing Complexity: Systems Theory and Postmodernity. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2000. vii. 308 pp.
EVALUATING THE CONCEPT OF ABSENTEE-PRONENESS WITH TWO MEASURES OF ABSENCE

This study addresses the concept of “absentee-proneness,” the notion that a small percentage of employees are responsible for a great percentage of absenteeism. Two uncorrelated measures of absence (paid and unpaid) were recorded for each individual in a sample of 195 employees working in the accounting department of a large public utility. Data were recorded for seven consecutive quarters (e.g., 21 months). The results showed that a core of employees was responsible for the vast majority of absenteeism in any one quarter, but that core changed from quarter to quarter. The distribution of absence data over the full 21 month period did not differ from chance expectancy.
Fibroblasts derived from human embryonic stem cells direct development and repair of 3D human skin equivalents

Pluripotent, human stem cells hold tremendous promise as a source of progenitor and terminally differentiated cells for application in future regenerative therapies. However, such therapies will be dependent upon the development of novel approaches that can best assess tissue outcomes of pluripotent stem cell-derived cells and will be essential to better predict their safety and stability following in vivo transplantation. In this study we used engineered, human skin equivalents (HSEs) as a platform to characterize fibroblasts that have been derived from human embryonic stem (hES) cell. We characterized the phenotype and the secretion profile of two distinct hES-derived cell lines with properties of mesenchymal cells (EDK and H9-MSC) and compared their biological potential upon induction of differentiation to bone and fat and following their incorporation into the stromal compartment of engineered, HSEs. While both EDK and H9-MSC cell lines exhibited similar morphology and mesenchymal cell marker expression, they demonstrated distinct functional properties when incorporated into the stromal compartment of HSEs. EDK cells displayed characteristics of dermal fibroblasts that could support epithelial tissue development and enable re-epithelialization of wounds generated using a 3D tissue model of cutaneous wound healing, which was linked to elevated production of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). Lentiviral shRNA-mediated knockdown of HGF resulted in a dramatic decrease of HGF secretion from EDK cells that led to a marked reduction in their ability to promote keratinocyte proliferation and re-epithelialization of cutaneous wounds. In contrast, H9-MSCs demonstrated features of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) but not those of dermal fibroblasts, as they underwent multilineage differentiation in monolayer culture, but were unable to support epithelial tissue development and repair and produced significantly lower levels of HGF. Our findings demonstrate that hES-derived cells could be directed to specified and alternative mesenchymal cell fates whose function could be distinguished in engineered HSEs. Characterization of hES-derived mesenchymal cells in 3D, engineered HSEs demonstrates the utility of this tissue platform to predict the functional properties of hES-derived fibroblasts before their therapeutic transplantation.
Integrating education into primary care quality and cost improvement at an academic medical center

Introduction: In 1996 the University of Michigan Health System created the Guidelines Utilization, Implementation, Development, and Evaluation Studies (GUIDES) unit to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of primary care for common medical problems. GUIDES’s primary functions are to oversee the development of evidence-based, practical clinical guidelines for common medical conditions; measure and provide feedback on physicians’ performance; and facilitate systemic changes to support appropriate care. Various methods are used to improve care, including evidence reviews, formal education, informal clinical “opinion leaders,” feedback, reminders, and procedure changes. Twenty-four common medical conditions have been addressed through this process. More than 30 measures of clinical performance have been developed and reported. Methods: This case study describes a systematic, multifaceted program to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of primary care. Results: Illustrative results for clinical performance are presented for 2 measures of chronic care, 2 measures of preventive care, and 2 measures of acute care. All 6 measures show general improvement in performance across years, with performance near or above the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s 90th percentile for Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set measures. Discussion: A systematic approach involving all relevant components of a health system integrates the synthesis of information, education about the information and how to implement it, and addressing operational barriers. Benefits include a curriculum that is shared across faculty, residents, and medical students and more uniform quality of care that faculty model for physicians-in-training.
Prognostics health management for a directional drilling system

Directional drilling is the science of directing a wellbore along a predetermined trajectory to intersect a designated subsurface target. Baker Hughes' directional drilling services have earned a worldwide reputation for providing reliable and cost-effective services with precise wellbore placement and faster rate of penetration (ROP) than comparable systems. The rotary steerable system (RSS) optimizes the directional drilling process through precise steering controls for optimal wellbore placement to maximize production.
Influence of Octahedral Subcells on the Electrical Properties and Bonding Characteristics of Molybdenum Carbides

Nowotny and coworkers(1) have demonstrated the importance of the octahedral subcell in the crystal structures of several hundred carbides and nitrides with complex crystal structures and compositions. Molybdenum is unique in that it forms more carbides than any other transition metal and that all these carbides have a common subcell. We have measured the heat capacities of αMoC1-x’, η MoC1-x’, Mo2C, and Mo2BC in the range 1–20°K, as well as the superconducting transition temperatures and superconducting critical fields of these phases and other molybdenum carbides. These measurements demonstrate the importance of the subcell in determining the electrical properties and they also clearly indicate the importance of the molybdenum-carbon interaction in the bonding of the molybdenum carbides.
Microbial Reverse-Electrodialysis Electrolysis and Chemical-Production Cell for H 2 Production and CO 2 Sequestration.

Natural mineral carbonation can be accelerated using acid and alkali solutions to enhance atmospheric CO2 sequestration, but the production of these solutions needs to be carbon-neutral. A microbial reverse-electrodialysis electrolysis and chemical-production cell (MRECC) was developed to produce these solutions and H2 gas using only renewable energy sources (organic matter and salinity gradient). Using acetate (0.82 g/L) as a fuel for microorganisms to generate electricity in the anode chamber (liquid volume of 28 mL), 0.45 mmol of acid and 1.09 mmol of alkali were produced at production efficiencies of 35% and 86%, respectively, along with 10 mL of H2 gas. Serpentine dissolution was enhanced 17–87-fold using the acid solution, with approximately 9 mL of CO2 absorbed and 4 mg of CO2 fixed as magnesium or calcium carbonates. The operational costs, based on mineral digging and grinding, and water pumping, were estimated to be only $25/metric ton of CO2 fixed as insoluble carbonates. Considering the additio...
Performance of IEEE 802 local area networks

Analytical methods which incorporate actual IEEE 802 media access control (MAC) protocol standard requirements for frame structure, propagation delay, medium data rate, access method, etc., are discussed. Equations were derived and implemented in a computer program to compare the performance of the IEEE 802.3, 802.4, and 802.5 protocols. Delay, throughput, and efficiency are used as a metric for the comparison. >
Selection of Retroviral Reverse Transcription Primer Is Coordinated with tRNA Biogenesis

Initiation of retrovirus reverse transcription requires the selection of a tRNA primer from the intracellular milieu. To investigate the features of primer selection, a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and a murine leukemia virus (MuLV) were created that require yeast tRNAPhe to be supplied in trans for infectivity. Wild-type yeast tRNAPhe expressed in mammalian cells was transported to the cytoplasm and aminoacylated. In contrast, tRNAPhe without the D loop (tRNAPheD−) was retained within the nucleus and did not complement infectivity of either HIV-1 or MuLV; however, infectivity was restored when tRNAPheD− was directly transfected into the cytoplasm of cells. A tRNAPhe mutant (tRNAPheUUA) that did not have the capacity to be aminoacylated was transported to the cytoplasm and did complement infectivity of both HIV-1 and MuLV, albeit at a level less than that with wild-type tRNAPhe. Collectively, our results demonstrate that the tRNA primer captured by HIV-1 and MuLV occurs after nuclear export of tRNA and supports a model in which primer selection for retroviruses is coordinated with tRNA biogenesis at the intracellular site of protein synthesis.
Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Therapy for Primary Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death: An Argument for Restraint.

Although it is estimated that a total of 220,000 patients undergo implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation per year, only 10% to 20% of these patients experience life-saving therapy; this leaves up to 90% of the targeted population as "nonresponders," who do not derive clinical benefit but incur all of the risks from ICD implantation. This article reviews the landmark primary prevention trials to assess the incidence of sudden death and the absolute magnitude of benefit derived from ICD therapy. The discrepancy between trial patients and real-world implementation of ICD therapy is examined, and the potential for risks incurred from ICD implantation is presented. The natural history of patients who receive appropriate ICD therapy and the durability of ICD benefit with respect to cost-effective analyses are discussed, to support the authors' position that ICD therapy should not be routinely used for the primary prevention of sudden cardiac death.
Fluorescence-Based Quantitative Methods for Detecting Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1-Induced Syncytia

Cell fusion induced by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is usually assessed by counting multinucleated giant cells (syncytia) visualized by light microscopy. Currently used methods do not allow quantification of syncytia, nor do they estimate the number of cells involved in cell fusion. We describe two fluorescence-based methods for the detection and quantification of HIV-1-induced in vitro syncytium formation. The lymphoblastoid cell lines MT-2 and SupT1 were infected with syncytium-inducing (SI) HIV-1 isolates. Syncytia were detected by DNA staining with propidium iodide using flow cytometry to determine cell size or by two-color cytoplasmic staining of infected cell populations by using fluorescence microscopy. Both methods were able to detect and quantify HIV-induced syncytia. The methods could distinguish between SI and non-SI HIV isolates and could be used with at least two separate types of CD4(+) T-cell lines. Small syncytia can be readily identified by the two-color cytoplasmic staining method. Both methods were also shown to be useful for evaluating antiretroviral compounds, as demonstrated by the accurate assessment of HIV inhibition by azidothymidine (zidovudine), dideoxycytidine (zalcytibine), and hydroxyurea. These fluorescence-based assays allow a rapid and practical method for measuring HIV replication and anti-HIV activity of potential inhibitory compounds.
Evidence for inhibitory substrate interactions during cometabolism of 3,4-dichlorobenzoate by Acinetobacter sp. strain 4-CB1

Abstract Acinetobacter sp. strain 4-CB1 cometabolized 3,4-dichlorobenzoate (3,4-DCB), via 3-chloro-4-hydroxybenzoate (3-C-4-OHB) and 4-carboxy-1,2-benzoquinone, in the presence of 4-chlorobenzoate (4-CB) as a growth substrate. In resting cell incubations, 3,4-DCB acted competitively as an inhibitor with 4-CB metabolism, and as a substrate inhibitor of its own metabolism. The inhibitor constant K i and the affinity constant K m were 800 and 181 μM, respectively with a maximal rate of 3,4-DCB disappearance of 18.8 nmol 3,4-DCB min −1 (mg protein) −1 , in resting cells incubated solely with 3,4-DCB. Resting cells were less tolerant to 3,4-DCB than growing cells, as noted from the inhibition constants ( K i ). Moreover, 3-C-4-OHB competitively inhibited 4-hydroxybenzoate monooxygenase by acting as a pseudosubstrate ( K i = 7.3 μ M). The next sequential intermediate, 4-carboxy-1,2-benzoquinone, uncompetitively inhibited 4-CB metabolism in resting cell incubations. Thus, 3,4-DCB inhibited its own cometabolism as well as metabolism of 4-CB in Acinetobacter sp. strain 4-CB1.
Microsatellites from kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa)

Microsatellite loci were identified from Cornus kousa ‘National’. Primer pairs for 86 loci were developed and of these, eight were optimized and screened using genomic DNA from 22 kousa cultivars. All optimized loci were polymorphic and the number of alleles per locus ranged from three to 17. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0 to 0.3 and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.38 to 0.91. These microsatellites will be useful in population studies, and a breeding programme for cultivar development of Cornus species.
The Final Frontier: Secrecy, Identity, and the Media in the Rise and Fall of the United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors

In 1993, having purchased 476 acres approximately ten miles outside of the town of Eatonton, the United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors (UNNM) moved from Brooklyn to Georgia. Since their arrival, the predominantly African-American community has been embroiled in controversy and tensions with the local authorities over zoning regulations. Through their defense of their beliefs and practices, the Nuwaubians sought at once public acceptance and protection of their sacred knowledge. Secrecy, although seemingly crucial to connecting and maintaining bonds within the fledgling tradition, raised the suspicions of the white residents of Eatonton. This article examines the history of the UNNM as one new religious movement (NRM) that has mediated its public perception in the press, while continually reworking its own "secret" and evolving communal identity. Although employing the survival strategies used by previous NRMs, in the information age of the twenty-first century, the ability to maintain secrecy was never completely under the control of the UNNM.
Agent‐Based Modeling of Growth Processes

Growth processes abound in nature, and are frequently the target of modeling exercises in the sciences. In this article we illustrate an agent-based approach to modeling, in the case of a single example from the social sciences: bullying. Language: en