cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Human lung tumor sensitivity to difluoromethylornithine as related to ornithine decarboxylase messenger RNA levels.

Summary The differential response to polyamine depletion has been studied in two types of human lung tumor cells. Small cell lung carcinoma cells die following polymaine depletion by difluoromethylornithine treatment while non-small cell lines demonstrate a typical cytostatic response. We now report that a small cell line, NCI H82, has a lower apparent capacity for polyamine biosynthesis than does a representative non-small cell, NCI H157. In subconfluent cultures, the ornithine decarboxylase activity is 25 times lower in the small cell than the non-small cell and by comparison, the polyamines in the small cell line are markedly reduced. Most significantly, levels of mRNA coding for ornithine decarboxylase are approximately 100-fold lower in the small cell than the non-small cell line, and this difference does not appear to be a result of gene rearrangement. These results suggest that differential sensitivity to polyamine depletion is related to different steady-state levels of ornithine decarboxylase mRNA.
Increased ionic strength: effects on DNA fragmentation and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity in HeLa nuclei

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity was measured in a crude nuclear fraction isolated from HeLa cells. It was found that the addition of ammonium sulfate or other salts to the standard incubation medium inhibited the formation of poly(ADP-ribose). Through the use of alkaline sucrose density gradients it was also noted that this same increase in ionic strength inhibited the in vitro breakdown of the HeLa DNA. Additional experiments with alkaline sucrose density gradients and deoxyribonuclease I showed that the in vitro activity of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase is largely dependent upon DNA fragmentation but that DNA fragmentation at least in vitro is not dependent upon the formation of poly(ADP-ribose). These observations imply that this nuclear enzyme is not extremely sensitive to changes in the ionic strength of the reaction media but is affected indirectly, supposedly through changes in the endonuclease activity of the HeLa nuclei. If this proves to be true, then the addition of salt to the incubation medium for poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase could prove to be a valuable tool for the study of ADP-ribosylation reactions.
Impaired Global, and Compensatory Local, Biological Motion Processing in People with High Levels of Autistic Traits

People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are hypothesized to have poor high-level processing but superior low-level processing, causing impaired social recognition, and a focus on non-social stimulus contingencies. Biological motion perception provides an ideal domain to investigate exactly how ASD modulates the interaction between low and high-level processing, because it involves multiple processing stages, and carries many important social cues. We investigated individual differences among typically developing observers in biological motion processing, and whether such individual differences associate with the number of autistic traits. In Experiment 1, we found that individuals with fewer autistic traits were automatically and involuntarily attracted to global biological motion information, whereas individuals with more autistic traits did not show this pre-attentional distraction. We employed an action adaptation paradigm in the second study to show that individuals with more autistic traits were able to compensate for deficits in global processing with an increased involvement in local processing. Our findings can be interpreted within a predictive coding framework, which characterizes the functional relationship between local and global processing stages, and explains how these stages contribute to the perceptual difficulties associated with ASD.
Asynchronous regional development

Abstract This paper discusses the implications of asynchronous regional development for the study of pre-industrial environmental conditions. It suggests that while recent exponential growth in global population has swamped the effects of regional technology differences, those differences are relevant when studying the pre-industrial past. It develops a simple population/environmental impact model to show that an assumption of uniform global development may understate long-lived irreversible anthropogenic environmental impacts, relative to a more realistic assumption of asynchronicity.
Recent Trends in Satellite Vegetation Index Observations Indicate Decreasing Vegetation Biomass in the Southeastern Saline Everglades Wetlands

We analyzed trends in time series of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from multitemporal satellite imagery for 2001–2010 over the southeastern Everglades where major changes in vegetation structure and type have been associated with sea-level rise and reduced freshwater flow since the 1940s. Non-parametric trend analysis using the Theil-Sen slope revealed that 84.4 % of statistically significant trends in NDVI were negative, mainly concentrated in scrub mangrove, sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense) and spike rush (Eleocharis cellulosa) communities within 5 km of the shoreline. Observed trends were consistent with trends in sawgrass biomass measurements made from 1999 to 2010 in three Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) sites within our study area. A map of significant trends overlaid on a RapidEye high-resolution satellite image showed large patches of negative trends parallel to the shoreline in and around the “white zone,” which corresponds to a low-productivity band that has moved inland over the past 70 years. Significantly positive trends were observed mainly in the halophytic prairie community where highly salt tolerant species are typically found. Taken as a whole, the results suggest that increased saline intrusion associated with sea-level rise continues to reduce the photosynthetic biomass within freshwater and oligohaline marsh communities of the southeastern Everglades.
Using Analytical Network Process Decision Methodology to Analyze and Allocate Resources in the U.S. Army Training Support System

Deciding on an appropriate training solution mix at the strategic level of U.S. Army training support system enterprise to support warfighter preparation is a complex matter. One of the most important problems is integrating qualitative and quantitative multiple sources of influential information. There are many goals to accomplish while they are constantly changing. However, the best training solution mix option that both minimizes resource impact and maximizes training throughput must be selected. The objective of this paper is to introduce a decision-making methodology based on the Analytical Network Process (ANP) for the U.S. Army Training Support System (ATSS). The methodology assists in the evaluation of training alternatives to help strategic decision makers to select the best mix of training components and strategies. An application of the proposed methodological framework is performed in real world example. The problem involves deciding the right mix of training solutions for urban operation training among a group of selected options.
Testing the Youth Physical Activity Promotion Model: Fatness and Fitness as Enabling Factors

As the prevalence of childhood obesity increases, it is important to examine possible differences in psychosocial correlates of physical activity between normal weight and overweight children. The study examined fatness (weight status) and (aerobic) fitness as Enabling factors related to youth physical activity within the Youth Physical Activity Promotion Model (YPAP). Youth ages 9–11 years (N = 1,103) completed the Children’s Physical Activity Correlates survey and the Children’s Physical Activity Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the relationships among variables. Overweight children reported lower scores on global self-esteem, perceived competence, attraction to physical activity, and parental influence (Cohen’s d ranging from .23 to .45 for girls; Cohen’s d ranging from .31 to .43 for boys). Weight status showed a small positive direct effect on physical activity (standardized path coefficient = .11), but did not show effects on psychosocial correlates (p > .05). Furtherm...
Stress-Induced Drinking in Parents of Boys with Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder: Heterogeneous Groups in an Experimental Study of Adult-Child Interactions

Research on whether parents of children with externalizing disorders are at elevated risk for alcohol problems is equivocal. To reduce this ambiguity, we examined how individual differences in stress reactivity might moderate the drinking behavior of such parents. Parents (119 mothers, 44 fathers) of ADHD sons interacted with different child confederates during each of two counter-balanced sessions. In one, the confederate portrayed a friendly, cooperative, "normal" boy; in the other, the confederate portrayed a "deviant" boy who exhibited behavior characteristic of externalizing disorders. Following each interaction, parents were given an opportunity for ad lib consumption of alcohol while anticipating a second interaction. Latent class analysis identified three subgroups of parents using distress scores and alcohol consumption: minimal stress reactivity; reacts to child deviance with increased distress, but not increased drinking; marked stress-induced drinking. Decisions about the nature and proper treatment of parents raising children with ADHD may be compromised by failure to attend to individual differences in stress reactivity and inclinations to use drinking to cope.
Osteonal effects on elastic modulus and fatigue life in equine bone.

Abstract We hypothesized that recently formed, incompletely mineralized, and thus, relatively deformable osteons in the equine third metacarpus enhance in vitro load-controlled fatigue life in two ways. Macroscopically, there is a compliance effect, because reduced tissue elastic modulus diminishes the stress required to reach a given strain. Microscopically, there is a cement line effect, in which new osteons and their cement lines more effectively serve as barriers to crack propagation. We studied 18 4×10×100 mm beams from the medial, lateral, and dorsal cortices of metacarpal bones from 6 thoroughbred racehorses. Following load-controlled fatigue testing to fracture in 4 point bending, a transverse, 100 μm thick, basic fuchsin-stained cross-section was taken from the load-bearing region. The number and diameter of all intact (and thus recently formed/compliant) secondary osteons in a 3.8×3.8 mm region in the center of the section were determined. The associated area fraction and cement line length of intact osteons were calculated, and the relationships between these variables, elastic modulus ( E ), and the logarithm of fatigue life (log N F ) were analyzed. As expected, log N F was negatively correlated with E , which was in turn negatively correlated with intact osteon area fraction and density. (Log N F )/E increased in proportion to intact osteon density and nonlinearly with cement line density (mm/mm 2 ). These results support the hypothesis that remodeling extends load-controlled fatigue life both through the creation of osteonal barriers to microdamage propagation and modulus reduction.
Web Accessibility Assessment of Urban Public Library Websites

In an age of ubiquitous information and communication technologies, urban public libraries are some of the only places to provide free Internet access for all members of the community regardless of ability or disability. This study provides a website accessibility assessment of the 127 U.S. public library members of the Urban Library Council, using the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines to establish the level of Web readiness of urban public libraries to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities. Findings suggest these libraries require additional and ongoing maintenance to be digitally inclusive.
Bootstrapping survival times in stochastic systems by using saddlepoint approximations

Summary. The single bootstrap is implemented by using a saddlepoint approximation to determine estimates for the survival and hazard functions of first-passage times in complicated semi-Markov processes. The double bootstrap is also implemented by resampling saddlepoint inversions and provides BCa confidence bands for these functions. Confidence intervals for the mean and variance of first-passage times are easily computed. A new characterization of the asymptotic hazard rate for survival times is presented and leads to an indirect method for constructing its bootstrap confidence interval.
Variation in the salivary proteomes of differentially virulent greenbug (Schizaphis graminum Rondani) biotypes

Abstract Greenbug ( Schizaphis graminum Rondani) biotypes are classified by their differential virulence to wheat, barley, and sorghum varieties possessing greenbug resistance genes. Virulent greenbug biotypes exert phytotoxic effects upon their hosts during feeding, directly inducing physiological and metabolic alterations and accompanying foliar damage. Comparative analyses of the salivary proteomes of four differentially virulent greenbug biotypes C, E, G, and H showed significant proteomic divergence between biotypes. Thirty-two proteins were identified by LC–MS/MS; the most prevalent of which were three glucose dehydrogenase paralogs (GDH), lipophorin, complementary sex determiner, three proteins of unknown function, carbonic anhydrase, fibroblast growth factor receptor, and abnormal oocyte (ABO). Seven nucleotide-binding proteins were identified, including ABO which is involved in mRNA splicing. Quantitative variation among greenbug biotypes was detected in six proteins; two GDH paralogs, carbonic anhydrase, ABO, and two proteins of unknown function. Our findings reveal that the greenbug salivary proteome differs according to biotype and diverges substantially from those reported for other aphids. The proteomic profiles of greenbug biotypes suggest that interactions between aphid salivary proteins and the plant host result in suppression of plant defenses and cellular transport, and may manipulate transcriptional regulation in the plant host, ultimately allowing the aphid to maintain phloem ingestion. Biological significance Greenbug ( Schizaphis graminum Rondani, GB) is a major phytotoxic aphid pest of wheat, sorghum, and barley. Unlike non-phytotoxic aphids, GB directly damages its host, causing uniformly characteristic symptoms leading to host death. As saliva is the primary interface between the aphid and its plant host, saliva is also the primary aphid biotypic determinant, and differences in biotypic virulence are the result of biotypic variations in salivary content. This study analyzed the exuded saliva of four distinct Greenbug biotypes with a range of virulence to crop lines containing greenbug resistance traits in order to identify differences between salivary proteins of the examined biotypes. Our analyses confirmed that the salivary proteomes of the examined greenbug biotypes differ widely, identified 32 proteins of the greenbug salivary proteome, and found significant proteomic variation between six identified salivary proteins. The proteomic variation identified herein is likely the basis of biotypic virulence, and the proteins identified can serve as the basis for functional studies into both greenbug-induced phytotoxic damage and into the molecular basis of virulence in specific GB biotypes. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: SI: Proteomics of non-model organisms.
Excitation of a surface wave along an infinite yagi-uda array

The fundamental integral equations defining the current along the dipoles of an infinitely long Yagi-Uda array excited by a single delta function voltage source are reduced to a system of simultaneous algebraic equations by the use of the King-Sandler array theory. This system is solved by identifying it with a summation equation and applying a technique analogous to the use of Fourier transforms on integral equations. The resulting solution is made up of a term associated with a surface wave, and terms which decay with increasing distance from the source dipole. The wave term is found explicitly from this summation equation solution and the remaining terms are evaluated approximately by reverting back to the original matrix equation. Finally, a variational procedure is developed and yields an accurate stationary solution for the input impedance when the approximate dipole currents are used as trial functions.
Mixed Pneumoconiosis: Silicosis, Asbestosis, Talcosis, and Berylliosis

Mixed pneumoconiosis is pulmonary disease due to two or more inhaled mineral irritants. Chronic disease due to beryllium has not been a component of any described mixed pneumoconiosis. A man with occupational exposure to a combination of dusts developed severe pulmonary disease. Silicosis, talcosis, asbestosis, and berylliosis were all documented by an open biopsy of the lung. The varieties of mixed pneumoconiosis are summarized.
Optimized Catalytic Enantioselective Aryl Transfer Process Gives Access to mGlu2 Receptor Potentiators

An asymmetric enantioselective aryl transfer reaction was developed to give access to the diarylmethanol 7 and ultimately acetate 2 which is useful for the preparation of mGlu2 receptor potentiators (Scheme 3). The aryl transfer chemistry involved the preparation of a proposed arylalkylzinc species 14 from boroxine 16 and diethylzinc (DEZ), and reacting this mixture with aldehyde 5 in the presence of chiral ligand 15. During the course of optimizing the preparations of proposed intermediate 14 and diarylmethanol 7, an understanding of optimal stoichiometry and reaction times was gained through empirical observation, the use of solution IR, and analyzing off-gases via real time gas analysis/mass spectroscopy. The preparation of diarylmethanol 7 and subsequent conversion into acetate 2 required carefully selected workups, selective extractions, and azeotropic distillations to generate a series of stock solutions to accommodate oil intermediates that finally gave acetate 2 as a crystalline solid with >99% ee.
Asymptotic behavior of stability regions for Hill's equation

The asymptotic behavior of the solutions of Hill’s equation $u'' + [ E - \lambda ^2 q( x ) ]u = 0$ is determined for large positive real values of the coupling constant $\lambda ^2 $ and large real values of the energy E. The locations and widths of the stability bands and instability gaps are found. The band widths are shown to decrease exponentially as $\lambda $ increases when $\lambda^{ - 2} E$ lies between the minimum and maximum values of the periodic potential $q( x )$. The gap widths decrease exponentially with $\lambda $ when $\lambda ^{ - 2} E$ is greater than the maximum of $q( x )$. For $\lambda ^{ - 2} E$ asymptotically equal to the maximum of $q( x )$, the width of the nth band is asymptotically half the width of the nth gap. The exponentially small band and gap widths are related to the exponentially small transmission and reflection coefficients, associated with one period of $q( x )$. The present results extend previous ones of Meixner and Schafke, Harrell, and the authors, in which $\lam...
Clinical and Bacteriological Evaluation of Cefoxitin Therapy in Children

Cefoxitin, a parenteral cephamycin β-lactam antibiotic, was evaluated for safety and efficacy in children with bacterial infections other than meningitis. Twentysix patients between 3 months and 7 years of age were treated with 80 to 160 mg/kg per day. The most common diagnoses were cellulitis (13 patients), pneumonia (5 patients), and bone and joint infection (4 patients). Nine patients were bacteremic. The most frequently recovered pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus (six patients), Haemophilus influenzae (four patients), and Streptococcus pneumoniae (three patients). All organisms were susceptible to cefoxitin. All 26 children were considered improved or cured. No severe adverse reactions were encountered. Phlebitis (4%), eosinophilia (12%), and elevated liver function tests (4%) were associated with therapy. Cefoxitin appears to be a safe, effective, and well-tolerated antibiotic when used in children with susceptible bacterial infections other than meningitis.
ON THE UNITS OF THE INTEGRAL GROUP RING Z[G × Cp]

Describing the group of units U(ZG) of the integral group ring ZG, for a finite group G, is a classical and open problem. In this paper, it is shown that U(Z[G × Cp]) = M ⋊ U(ZG), a semi-direct product where M is a certain subgroup of U(Z[ζ]G) and p prime. For p = 2, this structure theorem is applied to give precise descriptions of U(ZG) for a non-abelian group G of order 32, G = C10, and G = C8 × C2.
Self-sealing, large bore arterial punctures: a counterintuitive new phenomenon.

The human femoral artery can bleed dangerously following the removal of a catheter during cardiac catheterization. In this study, a modified technique of needle insertion, simply inserting the needle bevel-down instead of the standard bevel-up approach, was tested as a means to reduce bleeding after catheter removal. Large bore needle punctures were made in surgically exposed arteries of anesthetized pigs using either a standard technique (45 degree approach, bevel up) or a modified technique (25 degree approach, bevel down). For half the punctures, topical phenylephrine solution (1 mg/ml) was applied to the adventitia of the artery to cause constriction. Median bleeding rates were reduced from 81 to less than 1 ml/min/100 mmHg intraluminal pressure by the modified technique with application of phenylephrine. In most cases zero bleeding, that is self-sealing, of the arteries occurred. It is postulated that a flap-valve of tissue created by the modified technique produced this set-sealing behavior. Sophisticated modeling studies are needed to fully understand this new phenomenon.
The role of model-based methods in the development of single scan techniques

Single scan techniques are highly desirable for clinical trials involving radiotracers because they increase logistical feasibility, improve patient compliance, and decrease the cost associated with the study. However, the information derived from single scans usually are biased by factors unrelated to the process of interest. Therefore, identification of these factors and evaluation of their impact on the proposed outcome measure is important. In this paper, the impact of confounding factors on single scan measurements is illustrated by discussing the effect of between-subject or between-condition differences in radiotracer plasma clearance on normalized activity ratios (specific to nonspecific ratios) in the tissue of interest. Computer simulation based on kinetic analyses are presented to demonstrate this effect. It is proposed that the presence of this and other confounding factors should not necessarily preclude clinical trials based on single scan techniques. First, knowledge of the distribution of plasma clearance values in a sample of the investigated population allows researchers to assign limits to this potential bias. This information can be integrated in the power analysis. Second, the impact of this problem will vary according to the characteristic of the radiotracer, and this information can be used in the development and selection of the radiotracer. Third, simple modification of the experimental design (such as administration of the radiotracer as a bolus, followed by constant infusion, rather than as a single bolus) might remove this potential confounding factor and allow appropriate quantification within the limits of a single scanning session. In conclusion, model-based kinetic characterization of radiotracer distribution and uptake is critical to the design and interpretation of clinical trials based on single scan techniques.
Longitudinal epiphyseal growth after replantation and transplantation in children

Previous investigators have shown that epiphyses are unlikely to grow after free grafting although there have been rare reports of good and even normal growth. However, growth has usually continued whenever the epiphyseal vascular supply has been maintained by microanastomosis. Of 25 growing epiphyses in our series that were transferred, 17 by replantation and eight by free tissue transfer supported by microvascular anastomosis, over an interval varying from 27 to 81 months, average length attained was 89% of normal in elective transfer, 93% of normal in replanted digits, and 92% overall. Maximum growth attained in any digit in our series was 102% of the length of the normal contralateral digit; the minimum attained was 70%.
Does lung aging have an impact on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory airway disease. It has become one of the commonest diseases worldwide and a major global healthcare problem. The disease progresses very slowly and, in contrast to asthma, the majority of affected patients are middle-aged or elderly. There is increasing evidence of a direct relationship between aging and an increased incidence of chronic inflammatory disease. Thus, in this review, the link between aging of the lung and the progression of COPD is discussed. Aging, or senescence, is defined as the progressive decline in homeostasis that occurs after the reproductive phase of life is completed, leading to an increasing risk of disease or death. This is the result of a failure of organ maintenance resulting from DNA damage, oxidative stress and telomere shortening. During aging, pulmonary function progressively deteriorates and inflammation of the lung increases, and these changes are accompanied by structural changes. Environmental stimul...
Incidence of Additional Primary Malignancies in Patients with Pancreatic and Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine Tumors

The incidence of secondary malignancies is increased in patients with malignant and premalignant conditions. Although neuroendocrine tumors (NET) are uncommon, their incidence is increasing. We evaluated the rate of additional malignancies in patients with NET. Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, we identified a cohort of patients with pancreatic NET (PNET) or gastrointestinal NET (GINET). We determined the incidence of additional cancers diagnosed either before or after the diagnosis of PNET or GINET, by comparing these rates with the general population. Using multivariable regression, we evaluated factors that increased the risk of an additional malignancy. A cohort of 9,727 NET patients was identified. A total of 3,086 additional cancers occurred in 2,508 patients (25.8 %). The most common sites of additional malignancies included colorectal (21.1 %), prostate (14.5 %), breast (13.3 %), and lung (11.6 %). Among patients with PNET, the incidence of breast, lung, uterine, lymph, and pancreatic cancers was less than expected in the general population, whereas in patients with GINET, the observed incidence of nearly all malignancies exceeded that expected. Increasing age, marital status, and localized NET were associated with increased risk. Our study shows that the incidence of additional malignancies in patients with PNET and GINET is 25.8 %. Patients with GINET are at increased risk of additional malignancies, whereas patients with PNET have a decreased risk compared with the general population. More vigilant surveillance for secondary malignancies should be performed in patients with GINET. Studies investigating potential etiologic oncogenic pathways are warranted.
Caldesmon and Tropomyosin Synergistically Regulate Actin Dynamics

Our preliminary experiments suggest that actin undergoes a conformational transition during polymerization. Both caldesmon (CaD) and nonmuscle tropomyosin (Tm) arrest actin filaments at an intermediate state if added initially, but stabilize “matured” filaments when added after the transition. We have tested this hypothesis by making use of the calmodulin (CaM)-dependent dissociation of a CaD fragment, H32K, from F-actin. When CaM was added to H32K-arrested, pyrene-labeled F-actin in the presence of Ca2+, the pyrene-actin emission increased, reflecting the maturation of actin filaments upon dissociation of H32K. When free Ca2+ was removed by EGTA and H32K became re-associated with F-actin, we observed an accelerated increase in pyrene fluorescence. These results are consistent with the hypothesized conformational transition and a differential effect of CaD on the two states of actin filaments. The combined effect of CaD and Tm on the actin conformational transition was also tested during polymerization. H32K and Tm5a were first incubated with actin before polymerization was initiated. Shortly after polymerization started, CaM was added to dissociate H32K. Since Tm5a alone was sufficient to inhibit the maturation process, the transition corresponding to the conformational change was not observed, and the pyrene-actin emission jumped to the level of F-actin•Tm5a. At a later time when CaD fragment re-associated with the addition of EGTA, we saw an instant decrease, instead of a further increase, in pyrene fluorescence to the level of actin with both H32K and Tm5a, indicating that F-actin was still kept at the intermediate state by Tm5a. Since the actin cytoskeleton at the cell leading edge is extremely dynamic, it is expected that actin filaments there are kept at a less stable configuration. CaD and Tm5a may therefore function to maintain such a configuration by binding to nascent actin filaments as they are assembled.
Optimization of fast acquisition methods for whole-brain relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) mapping with susceptibility contrast agents.

Fast gradient-echo magnetic resonance scan techniques with spiral and rectilinear (echoplanar) k-space trajectories were optimized to perform bolus-tracking studies of human brain. Cerebral hemodynamics were studied with full brain coverage, a spatial resolution of 4 mm, and a temporal resolution of 2 seconds. The sensitivity of the techniques to detect image signal-intensity changes during the first pass of the contrast agent was studied at a range of TEs using dedicated experiments. For single-shot versions of spiral scanning and echoplanar imaging techniques with a 0.1-mmol/kg injection of gadolinium diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid using a mechanical injector at 10 mL/sec under 1.5 T, the maximum sensitivity was obtained at TEs between 35 and 45 msec. At TEs less than 35 msec, signal-intensity artifacts were observed in the images. Analysis of the point-spread function revealed that susceptibility changes induced by the contrast agent can result in signal shifts to neighboring voxels. These artifacts are attributed to susceptibility-related signal changes during the acquisition window. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 1999;9:233‐239. r 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Experimental constraints on pre-eruptive water contents and changing magma storage prior to explosive eruptions of Mount St Helens volcano

Compositionally diverse dacitic magmas have erupted from Mount St Helens over the last 4000 years. Phase assemblages and their compositions in these dacites provide information about the composition of the pre-eruptive melt, the phases in equilibrium with that melt and the magmatic temperature. From this information pre-eruptive pressures and water fugacities of many of the dacites have been inferred. This was done by conducting hydrothermal experiments at 850°C and a range of pressures and water fugacities and combining the results with those from experiments at temperatures of 780 and 920°C, to cover the likely range in equilibration conditions of the dacites. Natural phase assemblages and compositions were compared with the experimental results to infer the most likely conditions for the magmas prior to eruption. Water contents disolved in the melts of the dacites were then estimated from the inferred conditions. Water contents in the dacites have varied greatly, from 3.7 to 6.5 wt.%, in the last 4000 years. Between 4000 and about 3000 years ago the dacites tended to be water saturated and contained 5.5 to 6.5 wt.% water. Since then, however, the dacites have been significantly water-undersaturated and contained less than 5.0 wt.% water. These dacites have tended to be hotter and more mafic, and andesitic and basaltic magmas have erupted. These changes can be explained by variable amounts of mixing between felsic dacite and basalt, to produce hotter, drier and more mafic dacites and andesites. The magma storage region of the dacitic magmas has also varied significantly during the 4000 years, with shifts to shallower levels in the crust occurring within very short time periods, possibly even two years. These shifts may be related to fracturing of overlying roof rock as a result of magma with-drawal during larger volume eruptions.
Love is a Battlefield: Post-Political Control in an Era of Financial Crisis

Nancy Fraser, Scales of Justice: Reimagining Political Space in a Globalizing World, New York: Columbia University Press, 2009, 224 pp. Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Commonwealth, Cambridge, MA:...
Comparison between left ventricular tissue Doppler strain imaging and the sequential organ failure assessment score (SOFA score) in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock

The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score is a widely used method to describe organ dysfunction/failure in critically ill patients. Although the majority of the studies use the SOFA score in outcome research, little is known about its correlation to left ventricular (LV) function in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation of SOFA score and LV function by tissue Doppler imaging in this patient population.
The importance of rapid insulin secretion: revisited.

259 IN THE PRECEDING ARTICLE ENTITLED, “Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and DoseDependent Relationship of Repaglinide in Type 2 Diabetes” (page 247), Dr. Strange and associates describe some of the characteristics and advantages of the relatively fast acting, oral beta-cell-stimulant, repaglinide. The study illustrates an important principle of insulin/ glucose kinetics that was well recognized in the early 1970s and is just now becoming clinically applicable. This principle emphasizes that the time of insulin provision can be as important for glucose homeostases as the total insulin provided. Insulin and glucose form a closed loop system, in which glucose stimulates insulin secretion and insulin increases glucose uptake and reduces circulating glucose levels, thereby reducing further secretion. However, the time frames for these two phenomena are significantly different. As shown in early studies using the in vitro perfused pancreas,1 insulin secretion increases within 15 seconds of a rise in glucose levels. In contrast, 8–15 minutes are required for insulin to reach its target tissues and activate sufficient glucose uptake and metabolism in muscle and fat (or decrease hepatic output from the liver) to change the circulating glucose level. Predictably, in such a closed loop system, if insulin secretion is regulated only by the concentration of glucose, insulin release increases with a rising glucose before insulin reaches and becomes effective at its target sites. Even when, in time, tissue insulin is adequate to cause a peaking and partial decline in blood glucose, insulin secretion at these elevated glucose levels continues. When glucose levels reach basal, insulin secretion returns to normal, but tissue insulin levels are excessive. Therefore, if the beta cell only recognizes the concentration of glucose, a resulting delayed hypoglycemia is inevitable. Recognition of the inadequacy of a simple relationship between glucose concentration and insulin secretion was shown clearly 25 years ago with the development of an experimental “Artificial pancreas.”2 (This was not a portable sustainable device but a large bedside apparatus to which the subject was briefly connected by intravenous catheters.) Algorithms containing only a glucose concentration dependency, when providing sufficient insulin to produce a normal rise in glucose, overinsulinized the tissues and could not prevent subsequent hypoglycemia. Only when an algorithm was added with a glucose rate-of-change component could near perfect control be achieved. Most interestingly, when insulin was provided rapidly to meet the rising glucose, only one-tenth the amount of insulin was required to achieve control! Although a reliable closed-loop, portable artificial pancreas is not yet available, it is probable that only minor refinements of the algorithms developed decades ago will be adaptable. To avoid overinsulinization, the normal pancreas also utilizes a form of glucose-rate sensitivity. In 1968,1 it was shown that the pancreas Analysis
Food Habits of the Endangered Virginia Big-Eared Bat in West Virginia

Food habits of the endangered Virginia big-eared bat ( Plecotus townsendii virginianus ) were determined by analyzing guano and culled parts of insects collected in 1988 and 1989 from three maternity caves in eastern West Virginia. Food availability was evaluated by lighttrapping at forest edge and forest interior sites in the vicinity of the caves. Lepidoptera was the most important insect order in the diet, followed by Coleoptera, Diptera, and Hymenoptera. Significant differences among bats from the different caves were observed in the percentage volume and frequency of Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, and Hymenoptera. Bats selectively consumed Lepidoptera and avoided Coleoptera. Volume and frequency of Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, and Coleoptera in the diet were positively related to their abundance in the forest interior. Patterns of consumption of Diptera paralleled abundance at the forest edge. Lepidoptera wings accounted for 90% of culled insect parts, 70% of which were from larvae that developed in forests.
Hepatitis C virus infection as a determinant of behavior in type 1 autoimmune hepatitis.

To determine if hepatitis C virus infection influences the behavior of type 1 autoimmune hepatitis and to assess the performance parameters of third-generation immunoassays for viral infection in this disease, 64 patients with different patterns of disease behavior were assessed retrospectively for antibodies to hepatitis C virus by third-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and recombinant immunoblot assay and for HCV RNA by polymerase chain reaction. Hepatitis C virus RNA was detected in seven patients (11%) and antibodies to hepatitis C virus were found in five (8%). All patients who had an acute onset of illness or who sustained remission after therapy lacked HCV RNA in serum. In contrast, four of 31 patients who relapsed (13%) and three of 17 patients who failed treatment (18%) had HCV RNA in serum. Patients with HCV RNA were indistinguishable from those without HCV RNA; in three patients, infection was recognized only by testing for HCV RNA. Four of seven patients with HCV RNA responded fully to corticosteroids, although each relapsed after drug withdrawal. Smooth muscle antibodies (43% versus 91%,P=0.006) and concurrent smooth muscle and antinuclear antibodies (0% versus 60%,P=0.003) occurred less frequently in patients with HCV RNA than in counterparts without HCV RNA. The specificity of the third-generation enzyme immunoassay was 98% and its overall predictability was 94%. Its sensitivity, however, was 57% and false positive results occurred in 20%. Hepatitis C virus infection is an uncommon determinant of disease behavior in type 1 autoimmune hepatitis, but it may be present in relapse or treatment failure. Some patients with HCV RNA may respond fully to corticosteroids, although remission is unsustained.
Probing protein fine structures by wide angle solution X-ray scattering

In this report we have investigated the use of wide angle scattering data not only to resolve overall size and shape of protein molecules in solution, but also to resolve details of fine structure. Methods have been developed for calculating protein solution scattering profiles based on atomic coordinates over a wide range of q with high accuracy in order to compare protein atomic models to wide angle scattering data. Calculations based upon these procedures show that X-ray scattering profiles for X-ray crystal and NMR solution structures for cytochrome c are significantly different, and that these differences can be resolved by high-precision wide angle X-ray scattering measurements. It is also shown that wide angle X-ray scattering profiles are rather sensitive to atomic fluctuations (Debye-Waller temperature factors), suggesting that wide angle scattering data may provide an opportunity for evaluation of protein dynamics.
Detection of a single base mismatch in double-stranded DNA by electrophoresis on uncrosslinked polyacrylamide gel

Uncrosslinked polyacrylamide forms gels in the concentration range of 15-40% acrylamide. Electrophoresis in these gels of a commercially available 350 bp heteroduplex DNA preparation separates it from the homoduplex DNA of the same size. The separation is qualitatively equivalent to that previously achieved in a commercial proprietary gel ("Mutation Detection Gel" of AT-Biochem), or in an equivalent 14% T, 0.15% C (N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide) gel, but the mechanical stability of mutation detection electrophoresis (MDE) gels or 0.15% C gels is better than that of uncrosslinked polyacrylamide gels. The separation in any of these three gel media can be carried out in short gel tubes within a few hours of electrophoresis time. In both uncrosslinked polyacrylamide and MDE gel media, the Ferguson plots [log(mobility) vs. gel concentration] and the plots of effective molecular radius vs. gel concentration ("T-plots") of both the heteroduplex and homoduplex DNA indicate an augmented size but similar flexibility upon passage through the gel than exhibited by the components of a DNA standard ladder. Homoduplex and heteroduplex DNA correspondingly exhibit a parallelism of their Ferguson curves in transverse MDE pore gradient gel electrophoresis, suggesting a surface net charge difference, possibly due to a conformational reorientation too subtle to be detected by a shift in the slope of the Ferguson plot, as has been observed once previously with a "kinked" DNA species. The gel fiber radius or length per unit volume of uncrosslinked polyacrylamide and MDE gels do not differ significantly within confidence limits, which are wide compared to unconventionally crosslinked gels, presumably because of their greater swelling.
Autoregressive rates of return and the variability of pension contributions and fund levels for a defined benefit pension scheme

Abstract A mathematical model is described which facilitates the comparison of different pension funding methods. Real investment rates of return on the pension fund are assumed to be represented by an autoregressive model for the corresponding force of interest. Expressions for the moments of the contribution rate and fund level are then derived. This leads to a discussion of methods of funding which are optimal in the sense of the period for spreading surpluses and deficiencies which should be chosen in order to reduce the variability of both contributions and fund levels.
Fundamental theories and their empirical patches

Many theories require empirical patches or ad hoc assumptions to work properly in application to chemistry. Some examples include the Bohr quantum theory of atomic spectra, the Pauli exclusion principle, the Marcus theory of the rate-equilibrium correlation, Kekule’s hypothesis of bond oscillation in benzene, and the quantum calculation of reaction pathways. Often the proposed refinements do not grow out of the original theory but are devised and added ad hoc. This brings into question the goal of constructing theories derived from first principles and the concept of ranking the merit of theories according to their freedom from empirical contamination.
Some rudimetary ‘duopolity’ theory

Abstract Let there be a pair of jurisdictions whose choices of tax, expenditure, or regulatory policies affect each other. Their strategic interactions can be modelled in various ways. Candidate models of duopolitical equilibrium include Nash equilibria in taxes, expenditures, or regulatory standards. Examples of several of these equilibria are presented and compared. Choosing among them is a game-theoretic problem involving the determination of strategic variables subject to side constraints. The problem can be formulated as a two-stage game, in which governments commit to using certain strategic variables in the first stage, and then determine the values of these variables themselves in the second stage.
Optical system for precision spark chamber spectrometer

Abstract Criteria, design and the performance of an optical system for a large spark chamber spectrometer capable of measuring momenta in the range of 300–1000 MeV/c to about ±2% and the portion of sparks and fiducials in space to ± 1 2 mm is described. The system is equiped with a grid of fiducials made of electro-luminescent panels surrounding the spark chambers The spark location in space is obtained by interpolation between the local fiducials. The optical system has been stable during the course of a year and a half and showed no deterioration in the precision of locating sparks over that period.
Getting more for less: The unusual efficiency of fluid flow in fractures

Although it is recognized that the opening of fractures changes with changing fracture spacing, it is a common practice to consider only the effects of loading and rock properties, and to assume that opening of all fractures is independent of fracture spacing. Thus, one would expect that the more fractures contained in a rock mass, the greater the fluid flow rate. Using the cubic law and the Finite Element Method, we have investigated the volumetric flow rate through a number of equally-spaced fractures in a fractured rock layer as a function of the ratio of fracture spacing to layer thickness, under a remote extension. Results show that there is an optimum value for the ratio of fracture spacing to layer thickness that yields the maximum flow rate. This value is independent of the fluid properties, the head gradient, the applied extension, the internal fluid pressure and the overburden stress.
Elimination of the nodes in problems ofn bodies

In application of the Reduction Theorem to the general problem ofn (>-3) bodies, a Mathieu canonical transformation is proposed whereby the new variables separate naturally into (i) a coordinate system on any reduced manifold of constant angular momentum, and (ii) a quadruple made of a pair of ignorable longitudes together with their conjugate momenta. The reduction is built from a binary tree of kinetic frames Explicit transformation formulas are obtained by induction from the top of the tree down to its root at the invariable frame; they are based on the unit quaternions which represent the finite rotations mapping one vector base onto another in the chain of kinetic frames. The development scheme lends itself to automatic processing by computer in a functional language.