cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modified bases in the DNAs of unicellular eukaryotes: an examination of distributions and possible roles, with emphasis on hydroxymethyluracil in dinoflagellates

The occurrence of small amounts of one or more of several modified bases in the DNA of an organism is widespread in nature. Prominent among these bases are 5-methylcytosine, N6-methyladenine and 5-hydroxymethyluracil. All can be found in varying amounts in DNA of viral, prokaryotic and eukaryotic origin. In some organisms, modified nucleotides comprise a large fraction of DNA nucleotides and in others there is complete replacement of one of the common four nucleotides by a modified one. This article discusses the distributions and possible roles of the several modified bases found in prokaryote and eukaryote DNAs. Emphasis is given (1) methylcytosine in a broad variety of eukaryotes, (2) methyladenine in certain protozoa and protophyta and (3) hydroxymethyluracil in dinoflagellates. Attention is focused on the phenomenology and the possible consequences of the presence of hydroxymethyluracil in DNA.
A conditional property of adaptive estimators

In adaptive estimation, it is often considered that an estimator has made a mistake if the component estimator chosen for use is not the most efficient for the distribution sampled. Theoretical and simulation results point to a fallacy in this line of thought. The Monte Carlo study involves extension of the Princeton Swindle to distributions conditional on a location and scale-free statistic, and to the uniform. The results give a partial explanation for the sometimes surprising robustness of adaptive L-estimators.
Experimental studies of sensitization to beryllium, zirconium, and aluminum compounds in the rabbit

Abstract In a study designed to assess the potential sensitizing and granulomagenic capacities of selected metallic salts, rabbits were inoculated intradermally with zirconium aluminum glycinate (ZAG), sodium zirconium lactate (NZL), aluminum chlorhydrate (ACH), BeSO 4 , and ovalbumin (OVA) by single and multiple injections. Animals immunized with BeSO 4 and with OVA developed delayed skin reactivity as well as antigen-specific alveolar macrophage migration inhibition. Neither single nor multiple injections of ZAG or ACH resulted in clear-cut positive skin reactivity, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) production, or lymphocyte stimulation. Rabbits inoculated with multiple injections of NZL (500 μg) showed some marginally positive macrophage migration inhibition and skin reactivity. Histologically, ZAG and ACH were found to induce well-organized foreign-body granulomas after intradermal injection in both normal and inoculated rabbits. NZL and BeSO 4 also induced skin granulomas, but these were less organized and distinct. Cell viability and ultrastructural studies indicated that BeSO 4 was highly toxic for isolated alveolar macrophages in vitro at concentrations above 10 μg/ml, but NZL and ZAG did not exert such an effect at these dose levels. BeSO 4 also depressed lymphocyte stimulation in sensitized animals which demonstrated delayed skin reactivity and macrophage migration inhibition.
Effects of PCB on interspecific competition in natural and gnotobiotic phytoplankton communities in continuous and batch cultures.

The toxicity of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) to the diatomThalassiosira pseudonana (formerlyCyclotella nana), grown in pure and mixed cultures, was greatest when in competition with other species. Continuous cultures were superior to batch cultures for studying competitive interactions, and PCB caused greater alteration of species composition in continuous cultures than it did in batch cultures. Natural phytoplankton communities from Vineyard Sound, maintained in continuous culture, responded to PCB stress the same as did gnotobiotic communities, withT. pseudonana showing similar responses in both communities.
Rethinking the ‘duplication problem’

This paper reviews arguments regarding the ‘duplication problem’ (DP) in phonology, which is the observation that in many languages a productive alternation coexists with a related static generalization about underlying forms. The DP has been of particular relevance to phonological theory in the era of Optimality Theory (OT) because it has been claimed that derivational models of phonology suffer from the DP while OT with Richness of the Base (OT-ROTB) does not. In this paper, it is argued that there is no DP. An understanding of the diachronic origins of alternations and lexical patterns explains the frequent cooccurrence of the two types of patterns, such that the relation between the two does not necessarily have to be formally captured in the synchronic grammar. A model in which alternations and generalizations about roots are not driven by a single constraint in the grammar is argued to make more accurate empirical predictions than OT-ROTB.
Probabilities for Spearman rank correlation coefficients

program t = 10, and in subsequent programs Lingoes (1973) set t = 5. We have found (on the basis of brief informal experimentation) that t =3 improves speed and efficiency at the cost of only a small number of additional double-phase iterations. Restrictions. The most meaningful restriction on APLIMDA is the response time (not the CPU time) that the user is willing to accept. Unless the IBM 360 user is in a position to use a privileged terminal (or devise a method for inducing this state), the user will often have to wait 60 sec for each iteration with a 25-order matrix on the IBM 360/65. However, since the program is interactive, the user is in a position to quickly determine (with very few iterations) the most appropriate dimensionality for the data set presently under analysis. Program Availability. Program listings of APLIMDA are available from James E. Dannemiller, Acting Director, Survey Research Office, 1914 University Avenue, The University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822. With the listing (which is free of charge), we provide a trial matrix together with the correct output.
Urban Research 1965-1987: A Content Analysis of Urban Affairs Quarterly

This article surveys urban affairs research as it has evolved from 1965 through 1987, principally by analyzing the content of all articles that have appeared in Urban Affairs Quarterly during this period. The survey focuses on the subject matter of the research, its relevance to problems in the contemporary city, its concern with policy, its use of quantification, its interdisciplinary character, and the extent to which its interests and priorities have shifted. The urban-research agenda has undergone significant but not radical changes in content and direction during the 22-year span analyzed, and these changes have reflected developments in the cities themselves.
SMJ's analysis of Ising model correlation functions

Abstract In a series of recent publications Sato, Miwa, and Jimbo (SMJ) have shown how to derive multispin correlation functions of the two-dimensional Ising model in the continuum, or scaling, limit by analyzing the behavior of the solutions to the two-dimensional version of the Dirac equation. The major purpose of the present work is to describe SMJ's analysis more discursively and in terms closer to that used in previous studies of the Ising model. In addition, new and more compact expressions for their basic equations are derived. A single new answer is obtained: the form of the three-spin correlation function at criticality.
Regulating Race in the California Civil Rights Initiative: Enemies, Allies, and Alibis

This essay presents an analysis of the California Civil Rights Initiative, a ballot measure that won 54% of the popular vote in November 1996 to end affirmative action in California. Themes within the public campaign organized by supporters of the measure reveal an ‘individual rights’ framing of the issues, an emphasis on racialized ‘internal enemies’, and the appointment of ‘allies’ within the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The essay analyzes these themes to interrogate the ways in which the policy process operates as an important site for the production of knowledge about affirmative action, Black Americans, and racial history.
STIMULUS ADAPTATION AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO LATENT LEARNING

The experiment investigated the hypothesis that latent learning effects may be based on simple stimulus adaptation. Three groups of rats were reinforced for left-turning responses on an elevated T-maze. Prior to the onset of reinforcement, a latent-learning group was given a number of nonreinforced trials on the T-maze, and an adaptation group was given the same number of nonreinforced trials on the maze segments assembled as a runway. A regular learning group was given reinforcement from the outset. Both of the former groups showed a typical latent learning effect, reaching criterion in fewer reinforced trials than the regular learning group (Ps < .05). It was suggested that stimulus adaptation increases responsiveness to the reinforcer and thus promotes rapid learning. Such adaptation may be considered the basis of latent learning effects in most cases.
Wolves–coyotes–foxes: a cascade among carnivores

Due to the widespread eradication of large canids and felids, top predators in many terrestrial ecosystems are now medium-sized carnivores such as coyotes. Coyotes have been shown to increase songbird and rodent abundance and diversity by suppressing populations of small carnivores such as domestic cats and foxes. The restoration of gray wolves to many parts of North America, however, could alter this interaction chain. Here we use a 30-year time series of wolf, coyote, and fox relative abundance from the state of Minnesota, USA, to show that wolves suppress coyote populations, which in turn releases foxes from top-down control by coyotes. In contrast to mesopredator release theory, which has often considered the consequence of top predator removal in a three-species interaction chain (e.g., coyote-fox-prey), the presence of the top predator releases the smaller predator in a four-species interaction chain. Thus, heavy predation by abundant small predators might be more similar to the historical ecosystem before top-predator extirpation. The restructuring of predator communities due to the loss or restoration of top predators is likely to alter the size spectrum of heavily consumed prey with important implications for biodiversity and human health.
Non-Contact Eddy Current Excitation Method for Vibration Testing

When a conductive material is subjected to a time changing magnetic field, eddy currents are induced in that structure. The eddy currents circulate inside the conductor resulting in a magnetic field that interacts with the applied field. The eddy current field is such that it opposes the change in flux resulting in a force between the source and conductor. The time changing magnetic field necessary to induce an electrometric force in the materials can be generated through a variety of different ways. In the present study, a permanent magnet will be mounted to the tip of an electromagnetic shaker such that the motion of the magnet relative to the structure will cause a time changing field and the formation of eddy currents. The actuator will be demonstrated to be beneficial due to its ability to apply actuation forces without contacting the structure. This study will show that the non-contact nature of the system eliminates mass loading and added stiffness which are downfalls of traditional excitation techniques. Additionally, it will be shown that the use of a non-contact device preserves the mode shapes of the structure, whereas a stinger results in distortions due to the added constraint. Using this concept, a model of the actuation system will be developed, allowing the beams response to be simulated. The actuation system will then be used to excite a cantilever beam to obtain the modal parameters without contacting the structure. The novel non-contact actuation system developed in this paper provides a new method performing vibration testing of on lightweight or flexible structures while preserving their dynamics.
Cellular cytoskeleton dynamics modulates non-viral gene delivery through RhoGTPases

Although it is well accepted that the constituents of the cellular microenvironment modulate a myriad of cellular processes, including cell morphology, cytoskeletal dynamics and uptake pathways, the underlying mechanism of how these pathways influence non-viral gene transfer have not been studied. Transgene expression is increased on fibronectin (Fn) coated surfaces as a consequence of increased proliferation, cell spreading and active engagement of clathrin endocytosis pathway. RhoGTPases mediate the crosstalk between the cell and Fn, and regulate cellular processes involving filamentous actin, in-response to cellular interaction with Fn. Here the role of RhoGTPases specifically Rho, Rac and Cdc42 in modulation of non-viral gene transfer in mouse mesenchymal stem (mMSCs) plated in a fibronectin microenvironment was studied. More than 90% decrease in transgene expression was observed after inactivation of RhoGTPases using difficile toxin B (TcdB) and C3 transferase. Expression of dominant negative RhoA (RhoAT19N), Rac1(Rac1T17N) and Cdc42 (Cdc42T17N) also significantly reduced polyplex uptake and transgene expression. Interactions of cells with Fn lead to activation of RhoGTPases. However, further activation of RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42 by expression of constitutively active genes (RhoAQ63L, Rac1Q61L and Cdc42Q61L) did not further enhance transgene expression in mMSCs, when plated on Fn. In contrast, activation of RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42 by expression of constitutively active genes for cells plated on collagen I, which by itself did not increase RhoGTPase activation, resulted in enhanced transgene expression. Our study shows that RhoGTPases regulate internalization and effective intracellular processing of polyplexes that results in efficient gene transfer.
Tissue distribution and subcellular localization of mammalian myosin I.

Myosin I, a nonfilamentous single-headed actin-activated ATPase, has recently been purified from mammalian tissue (Barylko, B., M. C. Wagner, O. Reizes, and J. P. Albanesi. 1992. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 89:490-494). To investigate the distribution of this enzyme in cells and tissues mAbs were generated against myosin I purified from bovine adrenal gland. Eight antibodies were characterized, five of them (M4-M8) recognize epitope(s) on the catalytic "head" portion of myosin I while the other three (M1-M3) react with the "tail" domain. Immunoblot analysis using antiadrenal myosin I antibody M2 demonstrates the widespread distribution of the enzyme in mammalian tissues. Myosin I was immunolocalized in several cell types including bovine kidney (MDBK), rat kidney (NRK), rat brain, rat phaeochromocytoma (PC12), fibroblast (Swiss 3T3), and CHO cells. In all cases, myosin I was concentrated at the cell periphery. The most intense labeling was observed in regions of the cell usually associated with motile activity (i.e., filopodia, lamellipodia and growth cones). These results are consistent with earlier observations on protozoan myosin I that suggest a motile role for the enzyme at the plasma membrane.
Splenosis: a rare cause of gastrointestinal bleeding successfully treated with transarterial embolization

Splenosis, the ectopic implantation of splenic tissue, most commonly occurs in the peritoneal cavity following traumatic splenic injury with subsequent splenectomy. This entity is asymptomatic in a vast majority of patients. Occult gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a relatively rare presentation of splenosis. Previous cases of splenosis resulting in refractory GI bleeding have been treated with surgical excision of the ectopic splenic implant. We report a case of splenosis presenting as occult GI bleeding that was eventually treated with transarterial embolization. This presents an alternative minimally invasive approach to treating a patient with refractory GI bleeding secondary to splenosis.
Thermal Parametric Pumping of Air–-SO2

Abstract The separation of air-SO2 mixtures in a specially prepared silica gel column has been accomplished using a direct mode thermal parapump. The effect of the number of cycles, pumping cycle time, and operating temperature range and level on the extent of separation has been studied over a wide range of operating conditions. The separation factors obtained were several orders of magnitude greater than those typically reported in the literature for gas-solid systems, and compare favorably with those obtained in liquid-solid systems.
Discriminative delay Pavlovian eyeblink conditioning in veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder.

Abstract Background Impaired eyeblink (EB) classical conditioning using a delay paradigm has previously been shown in combat veterans, as well as in a group of depressed adults, compared to normal individuals. Significant deficits in immediate memory (IM) in combat PTSD+ veterans, compared to normal controls, have also been previously shown, but these differences became non-significant after controlling for level of self-reported depression. Furthermore, EB conditioning has been shown to be significantly correlated with heart rate variability (HRV) in normal adults. The present study examined how depression (self-reported), IM, and resting HRV are related to discriminative delay classical EB conditioning in veterans with and without PTSD. Method Three groups of subjects (combat PTSD+, combat PTSD−, and non-combat PTSD−) were assessed for self-report of depression and anxiety, as well as IM and HRV. Subjects received a single session of discriminative EB classical conditioning in which the conditioned stimulus (CS) was a light signal (either red or green) compounded with a tone. On CS+ trials, the light-tone compound stimulus co-terminated with a corneal airpuff (unconditioned stimulus, US), thus producing a delay paradigm. On CS− trials the appropriate light-tone stimulus was presented but not followed by the airpuff US. EB amplitude and frequency were recorded. Results PTSD+ subjects had greater self-reported depression and anxiety scores than the two control groups, as well as lower scores on a measure of IM. However, the IM difference was not significant after the effects of self-reported depression and anxiety were controlled. EB CR amplitude was significantly greater to CS+ than CS− for all three groups. EB amplitude to both the US (airpuff) and the CS+ declined over trials, but was significantly lower in the combat PTSD+ group compared to the combined PTSD− groups. Subjects who reached an EB CR acquisition criterion had significantly greater scores on IM than those who did not reach criterion. Factor analysis of the entire data set revealed four factors corresponding to (1) self-reported depression and anxiety, (2) IM, (3) HRV, and (4) EB amplitude. EB frequency was significantly predicted by IM and HRV. Conclusions These data extend our previous results by showing deficits in EB conditioning among combat PTSD+ veterans that were associated with lower IM and resting HRV, but were not associated with self-report of depression.
Scanning tunneling microscopy of electrodeposited thallium monolayers on Au(111) in alkaline solution

Abstract The structure of electrodeposited Tl adlayers on Au(111) in 0.1 M NaOH has been investigated using in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Incommensurate rotated hexagonal Tl adlayers exist over a wide potential region between the bulk deposition and −0.38 V. The Tl monolayer is closely packed with a TlTl spacing of 3.4 ± 0.2 A and is rotated from the substrate axis by 6° ± 1°. Its coverage is 0.74. Between −0.36 and −0.18 V, an incommensurate aligned hexagonal phase is observed in which the TlTl spacing is 3.8 ± 0.2 A and the coverage is 0.56. The first-order transformation between these two phases at −0.37 V involves the coadsorption of OH − which facilitates the existence of this unusual low coverage incommensurate Tl phase. At more positive potentials, a new hexagonal adlayer is observed without atomic resolution. The adlayer at E > −0.04 V is disordered and appears to be formed during the oxidation of the Tl adsorbate with additional Tl adsorption from solution. There is an excellent agreement between the STM results and surface X-ray scattering results obtained earlier.
Reduction of degenerate two-level excitation to independent two-state systems

Examining the dynamics of a degenerate two-level system excited by coherent resonant light, we exhibit a transformation of basis states which reduces the problem to a set of independent nondegenerate one- and two-state systems. More generally, reduction of multilevel Hamiltonians requires only that the states can be collected into two sets; within each set the states are degenerate, unlinked by Hamiltonian matrix elements. The remaining Hamiltonian linkages must share the same time dependence, but are otherwise arbitrary. We apply this method to reduction of the angular momentum degeneracy of a two-level atom excited by elliptically polarized light and to multiple-laser resonant excitation of multiple levels into a common level.
The Fallacy of Differencing to Reduce Multicollinearity

It is shown analytically that differencing time-series data for the purpose of reducing multicollinearity in the data set for the independent variables of a regression equation cannot possibly succeed when its effect on the disturbance term is taken into account. In addition, the intuitive basis used to justify first differencing of multicollinear data is demonstrated to contain a flaw, even when the effects of differencing the disturbance term are ignored.
SU-E-I-11: A Novel High Resolution CT Imager for a Breast SPECT-CT System.

Purpose: To evaluate the intrinsic characteristics of a new high resolution, large area, small bezel, digital imager developed for a dedicated SPECT‐CT system for fully‐3D mammotomographic imaging applications. Methods: A new flat panel digital imager was developed having 127μm pixels (identical to those in the Paxscan 2520) with an active 40×30cm area and 3200×2304 total pixels, which is well suited for pendant breast imaging close to the chest wall. The readout and driver ASIC TAB bonding pads were arranged on only two sides of the imager plate, to eliminate dead edge spacing. A special housing was developed to accommodate this imaging plate providing very narrow 8mm edges (bezels) on two orthogonal sides The TFT array imager was coated with 600μm thick micro‐columnar CsI, which provides >90% absorption in the breast CT (60–80kVp) x‐ray energy range. It provides better than 70% absorption for RQA5 (70kVp 21mm Al filter) x‐ ray radiation. The readout ASICs are connected to 14 bit A/D converters, and special readout ASICs with gain switching feature, which provide an additional 4bit virtual (2–3 effective) dynamic range. Results: The MTF is ∼7.5% at the 3.9 lp/mm Nyquist frequency. The NPS curves continuously decrease with increasing spatial frequencies, characteristic of scintillator based imagers. The excellent DQE (0) measured at RQA5 is ∼75% in the 0.1–1mR dose range and ∼10% at the Nyquist frequency. The imager has excellent linearity over the full dynamic range, and high contrast images are readily acquired. Conclusions: The new 4030 flat panel imager is a high resolution, state of the art detector, ideal for breast imaging and other applications. This detector is included in the SPECT‐CT device in development.
BER Analysis of BPSK Modulation Over the Weibull Fading Channel with CCI

In this paper, we analyze the performance of binary phase shift keying (BPSK) in a Weibull fading channel in presence of cochannel interference (CCI). The performance is quantified in terms of the bit error rate (BER). Two expressions are derived for the BER in this case, the first is an exact expression based on a characteristic function (CF) approach, while the second is an approximate expression based on the use of the central limit theorem (CLT). The exact expression reduces to well-known previously obtained expressions for the special case of Rayleigh fading. The validity of the exact expression is further confirmed by comparing its results to those obtained via Monte Carlo simulations. We investigate the effect of such factors as the number of interferers and the fading severity of both the desired as well as the interfering signals on performance.
SPPS: A scalable P2P-based proximity-aware multi-resource discovery scheme for grids

Grids are emerging as a novel approach of employing distributed computational and storage resources to solve large-scale problems in science, engineering, and commerce. Distributed hash table (DHT) middleware overlay has been applied to grids as a middleware for providing scalable multi-resource discovery. However, direct DHT overlay adoption breaks the physical locality relationship between nodes, making it difficult to discover physically close resources to requesters. Moreover, to achieve multi-resource discovery, some approaches relying on multiple DHTs need high DHT maintenance overhead and other approaches lead to imbalanced load distribution, resulting in low scalability. This paper presents a scalable P2P-based proximity-aware multi-resource discovery scheme (SPPS). It collects the resource information of physically close nodes together, and maps resource requests from requesters to the resource information pool of its physically close nodes. In addition, it relies on a single DHT and achieves balanced resource discovery load distribution, enhancing the system scalability. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of SPPS in proximity-awareness, overhead reduction, and balanced load distribution in comparison with other approaches.
Results of a prospective thyroid ultrasound screening program in adenomatous polyposis patients.

Abstract Background Patients with adenomatous polyposis may be at increased risk for developing thyroid cancer (TC). However, screening guidelines for TC in these patients are not well established. Methods Patients with a diagnosis of familial adenomatous polyposis, attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis, and gene mutation-negative adenomatous polyposis enrolled in our Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Family Registry were eligible for a screening thyroid ultrasound (US). Findings were reviewed by the study endocrinologist and intervention and/or follow-up determined. Results Fifty patients underwent screening thyroid US. Thirty-four (68%) patients had abnormal findings on US, including 27 (79%) with thyroid nodules. In 7 patients, US-detected thyroid nodules met established criteria for fine-needle aspiration. Of the 6 patients who underwent fine-needle aspiration, 2 (4%) were diagnosed with papillary TC. Both of these patients were female. Conclusions A large proportion of adenomatous polyposis patients will have abnormal results on thyroid US, including suspicious-appearing thyroid nodules that when biopsied are malignant. Female patients have an apparently greater risk of developing TC. Polyposis patients, especially women, should be offered participation in a thyroid US screening program.
Edge effects in recruitment of trees, and relationship to seed dispersal patterns, in cleared strips in the Peruvian Amazon

We investigated the spatial pattern of tree recruitment 15 years after clear-cutting in two logged strips in the Peruvian Amazon, focusing on differences between seed dispersal modes and cohorts, and relating these to spatial patterns of seed dispersal in the years immediately following clearing. Most trees that recruited in logged strips belonged to taxa dispersed by birds or nonvolant mammals, with smaller numbers dispersed by bats or wind. Seed dispersal patterns differed, with few mammal-dispersed seeds reaching strips, bird-dispersed seeds more abundant near the forest edge than strip centers, and bat- and wind-dispersed seeds more evenly distributed. However, this pattern was not reflected in the tree recruits, except in the deferment cut half of strip 2. Different dispersal modes were differentially represented in different cohorts; for example, in strip 1 bird-dispersed trees predominated in early cohorts, while trees dispersed by nonvolant mammals predominated in later cohorts. Our finding that trees dispersed by mammals (which disperse the majority of commercial trees in Amazonia) successfully regenerate from seed in the interior of logged strips highlights the value of maintaining these animals in forest management systems.
Observations of the Treatment of Hepatic Coma: The Favorable Effect of Corticotropin and Corticoids and the Responsiveness of Adrenal Cortex to Corticotropin during Hepatic Coma

Hepatic coma is the clinical symptom complex, with predominantly central nervous system manifestations, which results from hepatic failure. It is little wonder that the mechanism of the development of hepatic coma is shrouded in mystery, since it is the terminal physiologic aberration of an organ with many scores of complex and poorly understood functions. In the quest for elucidation of the mechanism of hepatic coma, the following possibilities have been entertained: (1) That there is a specific morphologic alteration in the brain. (2) That a toxic metabolic by-product is formed from the disintegrating hepatic cells. (3) That a toxic substance is formed in the course of the meta­ bolic alterations in hepatic failure. (4) That a normally present toxic metabolite is not detoxified by the failing liver. (5) That an exogenous toxic substance is not detoxified. (6) That the production of a substance by the liver necessary for normal brain physiology is halted. The first possibility pointed out above has definitely been abandoned as the cause of the central nervous system abnormalities. 7a • 38a There are still propo­ nents and some unrefuted evidence for the other five, although none of them has as yet been proved to be the sole cause of hepatic coma. The treatment of hepatic coma was hopeless until the introduction of cor­ tisone ll , 12 in the therapy of liver failure. Another recently introduced sub­ stance in the therapy of hepatic coma-glutamic acid 30 , 39. 44-has received considerable attention. This report deals with observations of 10 patients in hepatic coma who were treated with the accepted techniques, including ACTH, corticoids, antibiotics and glutamic acid. The rationale of the use of these agents will be discussed. The question of the responsiveness of the adrenal cortex to stimulation by corticotropin in one of our cases of coma was tested by determination of hy­ droxycorticoid plasma level and excretion in the urine.
Surface interactions of dimethylsiloxy group-modified fumed silica

Fumed silica is widely used in industry as a rheological additive. Produced by a flame process, fumed silica consists of aggregates of hydrophilic primary particles. The thickening effect is related to particle-particle interactions leading to agglomerates and particle networks. These particle-particle interactions depend heavily on the liquid medium. Hydrophilic silica, whose surface is covered by silanol groups, shows greatest thickening in low polarity systems owing to strong hydrogen bonds. In polar media, wetting of the hydrophilic surface weakens particle interactions and breaks down thickening. In contrast, silylated hydrophobic silica is an effective rheological additive in high polar media. This effect is related to hydrophobic interactions between silica particles. Additionally, silylation of the silica surface by dimethylsiloxy groups results in greater thickening than silylation by trimethylsiloxy groups. Gas adsorption data reveal particle-particle interactions arising from interpenetration of the polymer-like silylation layer.
Spatially Resolved VUV Spectral Imaging of Pulsed Atmospheric Flashover

The quantitative role of self-produced vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) light on photoionization-dominated gas discharges is currently an area of interest in the aerospace community. In this paper, we present the images of the VUV spectroscopic analysis of a pulsed atmospheric flashover, where the spatial content of emission relative to electrode geometry has been preserved. The observed spatial profile of emission is dependent on radiating species in the range of 120-125 nm and is discussed in relation to the physics of nanosecond discharges.
A framework for distributed multimedia stream mining systems using coalition-based foresighted strategies

In this paper, we propose a distributed solution to the problem of configuring classifier trees in distributed stream mining systems. The configuration involves selecting appropriate false-alarm detection tradeoffs for each classifier to minimize end-to-end penalty in terms of misclassification cost. In the proposed solution, individual classifiers select their operating points (i.e., actions) to maximize a local utility function. The utility may be purely local to the current classifier, corresponding to a myopic strategy, or may include the impact of the classifier actions on successive classifiers in the tree, corresponding to a foresighted strategy. We analytically show that actions determined by the foresighted strategies can improve the end-to-end performance of the classifier tree and derive an associated probability bound. We then evaluate our solutions on an application for hierarchical sports scene classification. By comparing centralized, myopic and foresighted solutions, we show that foresighted strategies result in better performance than myopic strategies, and also asymptotically approach the centralized optimal solution.
Exact Evaluation of Batch-Ordering Inventory Policies in Two-Echelon Supply Chains with Periodic Review

This paper studies a two-echelon supply chain with stochastic and discrete consumer demand, batch order quantities, periodic inventory review, and deterministic transportation times. Reorder point policies manage inventories at every location. Average inventory, backorders and fill rates are evaluated exactly for each location. Safety stock is evaluated exactly at the lower echelon and a good approximation is detailed for the upper echelon. Numerical data are presented to demonstrate the model's utility. It is found that system costs generally increase substantially if the upper echelon is restricted to carry no inventory, of if the upper echelon is required to provide a high fill rate. In many cases it is optimal to set the upper echelon's reorder point to yield near zero safety stock, yet in some cases this simple heuristic can significantly increase supply chain operating costs. Finally, policies selected under the assumption of continuous inventory review can perform poorly if implemented in an environment with periodic review.
RNA viruses and microRNAs: challenging discoveries for the 21st century

RNA viruses represent the predominant cause of many clinically relevant viral diseases in humans. Among several evolutionary advantages acquired by RNA viruses, the ability to usurp host cellular machinery and evade antiviral immune responses is imperative. During the past decade, RNA interference mechanisms, especially microRNA (miRNA)-mediated regulation of cellular protein expression, have revolutionized our understanding of host-viral interactions. Although it is well established that several DNA viruses express miRNAs that play crucial roles in their pathogenesis, expression of miRNAs by RNA viruses remains controversial. However, modulation of the miRNA machinery by RNA viruses may confer multiple benefits for enhanced viral replication and survival in host cells. In this review, we discuss the current literature on RNA viruses that may encode miRNAs and the varied advantages of engineering RNA viruses to express miRNAs as potential vectors for gene therapy. In addition, we review how different families of RNA viruses can alter miRNA machinery for productive replication, evasion of antiviral immune responses, and prolonged survival. We underscore the need to further explore the complex interactions of RNA viruses with host miRNAs to augment our understanding of host-virus interplay.
Minimax confidence intervals in geomagnetism

The present paper uses theory of Donoho (1989) to find lower bounds on the lengths of optimally short fixed-length confidence intervals (minimax confidence intervals) for Gauss coefficients of the field of degree 1-12 using the heat flow constraint. The bounds on optimal minimax intervals are about 40 percent shorter than Backus' intervals: no procedure for producing fixed-length confidence intervals, linear or nonlinear, can give intervals shorter than about 60 percent the length of Backus' in this problem. While both methods rigorously account for the fact that core field models are infinite-dimensional, the application of the techniques to the geomagnetic problem involves approximations and counterfactual assumptions about the data errors, and so these results are likely to be extremely optimistic estimates of the actual uncertainty in Gauss coefficients.
BRCA1 accumulates in the nucleus in response to hypoxia and TRAIL and enhances TRAIL-induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells

A major contributing factor to the development of breast cancer is decreased functional expression of breast cancer susceptibility gene 1, BRCA1. Another key contributor to tumorigenesis is hypoxia. Here we show that hypoxia increased the nuclear localization of BRCA1 in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468 human breast cancer cell lines without changing its steady-state expression level. Nuclear accumulation of BRCA1 was not evident in MCF-12A or HMEC (human mammary epithelial cell) nonmalignant mammary epithelial cells under the same conditions. Hypoxia also increased the cell surface expression of TRAIL on MDA-MB-468 cells. Neutralization of TRAIL precluded the hypoxia-induced accumulation of BRCA1 in the nucleus, whereas exogenously administered TRAIL mimicked the effect. Treatment of MDA-MB-468 cells with TRAIL resulted in a dose- and time-dependent increase in apoptosis. Furthermore, TRAIL-induced apoptosis in HCC1937 cells, which harbor a BRCA1 mutation, increased synergistically when wild-type BRCA1 was reconstituted in the cells, and downregulation of BRCA1 expression in MDA-MB-468 cells reduced the apoptotic response to TRAIL. These data provide a novel link between hypoxia, TRAIL and BRCA1, and suggest that this relationship may be especially relevant to the potential use of TRAIL as a chemotherapeutic agent.
Structural Basis of Preexisting Immunity to the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic Influenza Virus

The 2009 H1N1 swine flu is the first influenza pandemic in decades. The crystal structure of the hemagglutinin from the A/California/04/2009 H1N1 virus shows that its antigenic structure, particularly within the Sa antigenic site, is extremely similar to those of human H1N1 viruses circulating early in the 20th century. The cocrystal structure of the 1918 hemagglutinin with 2D1, an antibody from a survivor of the 1918 Spanish flu that neutralizes both 1918 and 2009 H1N1 viruses, reveals an epitope that is conserved in both pandemic viruses. Thus, antigenic similarity between the 2009 and 1918-like viruses provides an explanation for the age-related immunity to the current influenza pandemic.
Influence of lasalocid and monensin plus tylosin on comparative feeding value of steam-flaked versus dry-rolled corn in diets for feedlot cattle.

Two trials were conducted to characterize the differences in utilization of dry-rolled and steam-flaked corn in a growing-finishing diet for feedlot cattle supplemented with and without ionophores. Ionophore treatments were: 1) no ionophore, 2) 33 mg/kg monensin sodium plus 11 mg/kg tylosin and 3) 33 mg/kg lasalocid sodium. In trial 1, treatment effects on feedlot performance were evaluated in a 239-d growing-finishing trial involving 180 crossbred steers (approximately 25% Brahman with the remainder represented by Hereford, Angus, Shorthorn and Charolais breeds in various proportions) with an average initial weight of 153 kg. In trial 2, treatment effects on characteristics of digestion were evaluated using six steers of similar breeding and background to those used in trial 1, with cannulas in the rumen and proximal duodenum. There were no interactions between corn processing and ionophore supplementation (P greater than .20). Average daily gain was not affected by steam-flaking as opposed to dry-rolling, however, feed intake was decreased 5.4% and feed conversion was improved 6.8% (P less than .01). Steam-flaking increased the estimated net energy value of the diet 7.7% and 8.5% for maintenance and gain, respectively (P less than .01). Steam-flaking increased the digestibility of starch 6.6% (P less than .01). Steam-flaking increased ruminal molar concentrations of propionate and decreased acetate:propionate ratio and estimated methane production (P less than .10). Both monensin-tylosin and lasalocid resulted in reduced feed intake (12.3 and 6.5%, respectively, P less than .01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Improving search efficiency using Bloom filters in partially connected ad hoc networks: A node-centric analysis

In a partially connected ad hoc network, two nodes communicate and share data when they are in proximity. For the query based (QB) scheme, a node retrieves data from another node by querying. Search efficiency deteriorates when the query success probability is small. We propose a Bloom filter based (BF) scheme to improve search efficiency. A data holder summarizes its content by a Bloom filter and broadcasts it to the data querier. The data querier then transmits a query only when the requested data is available. We first consider the single neighbor scenario, and derive the long run bandwidth utilization of a connection. More generally, a node may find multiple neighbors and neighbor relationship changes dynamically with time. Querying is more efficient due to the presence of multiple data holders. There may also be multiple Bloom filter transmissions over a busy period, reducing the effective data transmission time of the BF scheme. For a fair comparison of the QB and BF scheme, we characterize the search efficiency, as a function of node density. Numerical study shows that an optimal Bloom filter consumes negligible overhead, even in low bandwidth scenarios. We conclude that the BF scheme is superior for data retrieval. Our performance evaluation makes use of the M/M/~ queue to model mobility, parametrized on node encounter rate and connection time. Moreover, the analysis is node-centric, avoiding the use of discrete locations, unrealistic mobility and interference models. This technique is novel and can be used for studying the impact of mobility in other mobile networks.
Andropause and intima media thickness.

The universal gender difference in coronary heart disease suggests biology rather than environment, and the female advantage has long been attributed to a cardioprotective effect of estrogen ([1][1]). This thesis is now being challenged by observational studies of postmenopausal women that failed to
Modeling and Simulation Applications in Drug Development Process

Modeling and simulation is applied in several areas of drug development, starting from discovery and design of a molecule through Phase 1–3 clinical development and later in postmarketing studies. There are massive amounts of information and data being generated on biomarkers and their correlations with drug exposure, clinical efficacy, and side effects. This data complexity and the size of available data require the use of modeling and simulation to summarize complex information and enables researchers to identify potential therapeutic agents faster and with more confidence at a lower cost. Although modeling and simulation has been used rigorously at the study and project levels in organizations involved in pharmaceutical development, there is still a higher level of use for modeling and simulation that remains relatively untapped. Portfolio management in pharmaceutical organizations can significantly benefit from an integrated approach of analyses that includes research and commercial data together.
Modeling and analysis of fuel injection parameters for combustion and performance of an RCCI engine

Abstract The Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI) is a promising dual-fuel Low Temperature Combustion (LTC) strategy that provides a precise means for controlling the heat release rate and combustion phasing. Optimum RCCI engine operation depends on optimum selection of fuel injection parameters. In this study, a detailed 3D/Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) combustion model in CONVERGE CFD code is developed and validated against experimental data at different engine operating conditions. Next, the effects of fuel injection parameters on the performance and emissions characteristics of an RCCI engine are analyzed. The fuel injection parameters include spray angle, injection pressure, Start of Injection (SOI) timing, and Premixed Ratio (PR). The baseline simulation results show that a proper selection of spray angle can cause significant reduction in HC and CO emissions, while improving combustion and gross indicated efficiencies. Furthermore, decreasing injection pressure and PR along with advancing SOI timing can improve the RCCI engine’s HC and CO emissions productions. The developed CFD model is then used in an extensive computational study to determine optimum fuel injection parameters for the best RCCI engine performance. The optimization results show that spray angle 55°, SOI = −53° aTDC, 580 bar injection pressure, and PR = 0.76 provide the best combination of four major fuel injection parameters for the speed and load conditions studied. By choosing this set of parameters, HC and CO emissions decrease by 23% and 39% from the baseline condition while a notable improvement is observed in gross indicated and combustion efficiencies.
Can You Hear Me Now

Auditory communication is central to the social interactions of many animals. In fruit flies, males sing to court females. Coen et al. (2016) demonstrate that males can dynamically adjust the loudness of their songs according to the distance to a female.
Fatigue Resistance of Prestressed Concrete Beams in Bending

Method to predict fatigue strength based on failure envelope of materials involved; factors influencing fatigue strength, such as percentage of steel, level of prestress, and ratio of dead to live load; recommendations on notion of safety and on safety factors for concrete under fatigue loading.
Antioxidant transport modulates peripheral airway reactivity and inflammation during ozone exposure.

We examined the effects of ozone (O3) and endogenous antioxidant transport on canine peripheral airway function, central airway function, epithelial integrity, and inflammation. Dogs were either un...
How to conduct a "welcome to Medicare" visit.

The author walks fellow physicians though Medicare's new Initial Preventive Pysical Exam, expaining how it differs from a tradiitonal complete physical exam and suggesting screening methods that will make the IPPE effective and efficient.
Visualization of phase evolution in model organic photovoltaic structures via energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy.

The morphology of the active layer in an organic photovoltaic bulk-heterojunction device is controlled by the extent and nature of phase separation during processing. We have studied the effects of fullerene crystallinity during heat treatment in model structures consisting of a layer of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) sandwiched between two layers of [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). Utilizing a combination of focused ion-beam milling and energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy, we monitored the local changes in phase distribution as a function of annealing time at 140 °C. In both cases, dissolution of PCBM within the surrounding P3HT was directly visualized and quantitatively described. In the absence of crystalline PCBM, the overall phase distribution remained stable after intermediate annealing times up to 60 s, whereas microscale PCBM aggregates were observed after annealing for 300 s. Aggregate growth proceeded vertically from the substrate interface via uptake of PCBM from t...