cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
From Sanitary to Sustainable to Sacred: Metro Nature Experiences and Engagement

The expression of nature and ecology in cities is adaptive, as planners and managers address multiple urbanization challenges and pursue multiple goals. Human health and wellness are benefits of nearby nature experiences, elevating the importance of natural areas and urban ecology for health promotion. Engineered and gray infrastructure systems can address the sanitary needs of residents such as hygiene and disease prevention. More recent innovations that integrate built and natural systems for green infrastructure provide necessary services by relying more on ecological functions. While addressing practical needs, the reintroduction of nature in cities can also be planned to offer places that reduce human stress, provide solace, and promote community—the civic sacred. Sacred spaces are often socially constructed. They may be distinctive natural features that are culturally revered outdoor spaces, or are sites created and consecrated as secular memorials, or places that take on meaning through community engagement. The health benefits of such spaces extend from individuals to entire communities, and positive experiences can lead to place attachment and environmental stewardship commitments. Local government policies, programs, and research are needed to better understand and implement sacred spaces in cities, including attention to equity to assure that all residents have access.
Hepatic transcriptional responses to fasting and feeding

Mammals undergo regular cycles of fasting and feeding that engage dynamic transcriptional responses in metabolic tissues. Here we review advances in our understanding of the gene regulatory networks that contribute to hepatic responses to fasting and feeding. The advent of sequencing and -omics techniques have begun to facilitate a holistic understanding of the transcriptional landscape and its plasticity. We highlight transcription factors, their cofactors, and the pathways that they impact. We also discuss physiological factors that impinge on these responses, including circadian rhythms and sex differences. Finally, we review how dietary modifications modulate hepatic gene expression programs.
Detection of Chronic Hypoventilation Among Infants With Robin Sequence Using Capillary Blood Gas Sampling.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To describe the use of capillary blood gas (CBG) sampling to detect and quantify hypoventilation in infants with Robin sequence (RS). METHODS Case series with chart review at two institutions. Infants with RS presenting over a 10-year period were identified using departmental databases. CBG values obtained during infancy or until airway intervention (AI) were reviewed. RESULTS From 2008 to 2018, 111 infants with RS were identified as having had been assessed and managed from birth or transfer until discharge home and having CBG data available. In most cases, CBG sampling was obtained every other day until intervention or discharge. A total of 81 (73%) infants required AI: 72 (89%) underwent mandibular distraction osteogenesis, five (6%) underwent tracheotomy, and four (5%) were discharged home with a nasopharyngeal airway. The mean PCO2 at day of life (DOL) 7-30 for the AI group was 52.7 mmHg (95% confidence interval: 51.7-53.7) and for the no AI group was 45.9 mmHg (44.8-47.0; P < .0001). The mean HCO3 at DOL 7-30 for the AI group was 29.8 mEq/L (29.4-30.1) and for the no AI group was 27.0 mEq/L (26.5-27.4; P < .0001). Receiver operating characteristic curves were created for maximum PCO2 and HCO3 values and cutoffs were established by optimizing a balance of sensitivity and specificity. Infants requiring AI surpassed the PCO2 and HCO3 cutoff at a median of DOL 9. CONCLUSIONS Among infants with RS and hypoventilation, objective measures of respiratory acidosis may be apparent by DOL 9. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 131:2789-2794, 2021.
On the crystallography and reversibility of lithium electrodeposits at ultrahigh capacity

Lithium metal is a promising anode for energy-dense batteries but is hindered by poor reversibility caused by continuous chemical and electrochemical degradation. Here we find that by increasing the Li plating capacity to high values (e.g., 10–50 mAh cm−2), Li deposits undergo a morphological transition to produce dense structures, composed of large grains with dominantly (110)Li crystallographic facets. The resultant Li metal electrodes manifest fast kinetics for lithium stripping/plating processes with higher exchange current density, but simultaneously exhibit elevated electrochemical stability towards the electrolyte. Detailed analysis of these findings reveal that parasitic electrochemical reactions are the major reason for poor Li reversibility, and that the degradation rate from parasitic electroreduction of electrolyte components is about an order of magnitude faster than from chemical reactions. The high-capacity Li electrodes provide a straightforward strategy for interrogating the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on Li —with unprecedented, high signal to noise. We find that an inorganic rich SEI is formed and is primarily concentrated around the edges of lithium particles. Our findings provide straightforward, but powerful approaches for enhancing the reversibility of Li and for fundamental studies of the interphases formed in liquid and solid-state electrolytes using readily accessible analytical tools. Lithium metal batteries offer high-capacity electrical energy storage but suffer from poor reversibility of the metal anode. Here, the authors report that at very high capacities, lithium deposits as dense structures with a preferred crystallite orientation, yielding highly reversible lithium anodes.
Implications of stable or increasing adenoma detection rate on need for continuous measurement.

Abstract Background and Aims Measurement of adenoma detection rate (ADR) is resource intensive and the benefit of continuous measurement for colonoscopists with high ADR is unclear. We examined the ADR trends at our center to determine whether continuous measurement for consistently high ADR is warranted. Methods Among colonoscopies performed between January 1999 and November 2019 at a tertiary center, we analyzed data from colonoscopists performing at least 50 screening colonoscopies annually for 5 consecutive years. ADR trends for individual colonoscopists were examined using Joinpoint regression models. Results Eleven colonoscopists performed screening colonoscopies on 14,047 patients, and 5,912 among them had at least 1 conventional adenoma removed (42.0%). Of 25,829 polyps, 13,585 (52.6%) were conventional adenomas or adenocarcinomas and contributed to ADR calculation. All but 1 colonoscopist included met the recommended minimum threshold ADR of 25% continuously over the study period. Of the 11 colonoscopists, 5 had an increase in their ADR and the remaining 6 had stable ADRs over the study period. Conclusion For colonoscopists consistently performing above the minimum threshold, diversion of resources toward improvement of quality measures other than ADR is justified.
Chapter 3: Superfluid Turbulence

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews critical analysis of the particular dissipative phenomenon known as “superfluid turbulence.” This type of dissipation is responsible for the large and nonlinear thermal resistance of liquid subjected to a large heat flux. Varieties of experimental data have been variable for over three decades. The chapter surveys vast accumulation of experimental data to identify common characteristics and to associate these features with the particular geometrical aspects of superfluid turbulence. The quantitative comparison of theory and experiment involves assumptions about the homogeneity and isotropy of the turbulence present in the particular experiments. The chapter also identifies features of the data analysis with assumptions.
Notes on the Analysis and Interpretation of Electrical Signals

One of the biggest problems encountered by investigators who are beginners in electrophysiology is the interpretation of results. Often the first aspect of the problem centers on whether the output of whatever read-out device is used is, indeed, related to biological phenomena. Therefore, one of the first considerations is to determine whether the output signals are biological phenomena related to the experiment or some sort of artifact. This sounds fundamental, but it cannot be overstressed. One thing that will be extremely helpful if it is constantly in mind is the analysis of the axes of the read-out device. The approach of electrophysiology is fundamentally to make an electrographic analysis or recording. Consequently, whether one uses a CRO, a camera, digital voltmeter, or tape recorder, one axis (usually the vertical) is always a voltage axis. In addition, since most signals vary as a function of time, the other axis is a time axis. Again, most instruments are set up such that the horizontal axis is a time axis, but a digital voltmeter, of course, would be an exception. Since we have the two axes (voltage and time) as an output, the first consideration is to examine the signal critically with respect to these two parameters. Does the output make sense? Even the novice investigator has a good idea of the amplitude and temporal dimensions of the signals he expects to find. Therefore, a critical examination of the voltage and time axes will help determine whether the signal is reasonable for the experimental conditions. It is not by accident that editors demand clearly labelled axes on electrographic records published in their journals.
On the Poetry of Ruth Stone: Selections and Commentary

In those remote times caUed the Fifties (the rhetoric of our on-going Cultural Revolution has speeded up the historical process so that events more than five years in the past seem to have occurred in the Pleistocene Era) Uterary critics speculated on The Death of the Novel. It now seems the critics went into pre mature mourning; the genre, while suffering some loss in vigor, is aUve and weU. Not that genres don't grow senile. Lyric poetry in the eighteenth century, modern tragedy and epic, the piano sonata after Beethoven: aU suffered an ex haustion of their conventions and a d?biUtating loss of stylistic coherence. Of course, resurrection may foUow entombment; on a Third Day or in a New Era what once no longer seemed possible may emerge structuraUy transformed and spirituaUy transfigured. I propose, then, The Death of Poetry. This observation is purely voluntaristic and probably based on insufficient evidence. I should rather say A Death of Poetry: after the end we doub?ess wiU have a new beginning. Our apocalypse (in the marvelous term of Frank Kermode) will be "disconfirmed" and the world of poetry wiU go on. But what I currently see in the journals and hear on the poetry-reading circuits testifies to the moribund condition of the art. The most distressing feature is that poetry?at least the kind now possessing norma tive status?has simply become another phenomenon of the media. Subject mat ter, technique, the style of oral deUvery: all exhibit a depressing uniformity paraUeled by "sitcom" on television, by happenings on the poUtical Left, and by other heavings and groanings on the Masscult scene. Subject matter? We have aU the paUid echoers of Sylvia Plath's deadly Schrei and Angst. Technique? A Visit ing Poet at the university where I teach tells students that "prosody is shit." Con fronted by writers of blank prose, by new imitators of imagism, by tin ears which know nothing of the music locked up in the EngUsh language, I agree. For them prosody is indeed shit. Metaphor (usuaUy of the violent kind) and startling images replace rhythm as the ground of poetic being; our current period style is based on the old heresy of the "visual-in-the verbal."1 We are re-Uving the various movements of the teens and twenties which insisted that poetry was a spatial art, more akin to sculpture than music. Oral deUvery? We have poets who wear funny hats, who dovinn or say prayers to Siddhartha; poets who give us a pennyworth of poems and several poundsworth of their sexual experience, their
Mismatch repair status plays a role in radiosensitization by gemcitabine

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006 4641 The chemotherapeutic drug gemcitabine (2’,2’-difluroro-2’-deoxycytidine;dFdCyd) is a potent radiosensitizer in tumor cells and in vivo . Incorporation of dFdCTP into DNA correlates with cytotoxicity and inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase (RR) by dFdCDP results in the depletion of dATP which is strongly correlated to radiosensitization. We hypothesized that radiosensitization by dFdCyd is the result of incorrect nucleotide incorporation into DNA, produced by DNA replication in the presence of imbalanced dNTP pools, which, if not repaired, augments cell death following irradiation. This hypothesis was supported by the finding that mismatch repair (MMR)-deficient HCT116 cells were better radiosensitized by dFdCyd compared to isogenic MMR-proficient cell lines. The plasmid shuttle vector pSP189 was used to examine the ability of dFdCyd to produce nucleotide misincorporations by measuring plasmid mutation rates in the MMR-deficient and MMR-proficient cell lines. Only the MMR-deficient cells showed significant nucleotide misincorporations after incubation with dFdCyd, with a ≥ 2-fold increase in mutation rate (p ≤ 0.01). Furthermore, the increased mutation frequency occurred only at dFdCyd concentrations that produced radiosensitization. Treatment with dFdCyd for 24 hr + 5 Gy produced a ≥ 2-fold increase in the plasmid mutation rates. However, 72 hr after treatment this increase persisted only in the group that received both dFdCyd and 5 Gy (p < 0.05). While MMR-proficient HCT116 cells and A549 cells cannot be radiosensitized with dFdCyd at concentrations ≤ IC50 or ≤ IC10, respectively, these concentrations produced excellent radiosensitization following siRNA directed knockdown of hMLH1 protein. Furthermore, plasmid mutation rates observed in A549MLH1- cells with 10 nM dFdCyd (IC10) were 2.5-fold greater than observed in the A549MLH1+ control cells. To further evaluate the relative roles of RR inhibition by dFdCDP vs. dFdCTP incorporation into DNA as the cause of the increase in mutation frequency with dFdCyd, we treated cells with the RR inhibitor hydroxyurea (HU) or the nucleoside analog cytosine arabinoside (araC). When HCT116 cell lines were treated with the IC50 for HU, only the MMR-deficient cell lines were radiosensitized and produced increased nucleotide misincorporations. Treatment with araC, which can be incorporated into DNA but does not inhibit RR, failed to produce radiosensitization in MMR-deficient cell lines and did not increase plasmid mutation frequency. However, the combination of HU and araC produced a 2-fold increase in mutation frequency (p< 0.05). These results support earlier correlative studies that suggest the action of dFdCDP on RR as the mechanism underlying radiosensitization by dFdCyd. Finally, these data provide evidence that the mismatched nucleotide lesion is integral to radiosensitization by dFdCyd and support a role for MMR status in eliciting the radiosensitizing effect.
Estimates of Whole Lake Metabolism: Hypolimnetic Oxygen Deficits and Carbon Dioxide Accumulation

Measurements of the supply of organic matter to aquatic ecosystems are complex and require an elaborate research program continuing over at least a year. The inputs from the products of photosynthesis of autotrophic phytoplankton and of littoral flora must be evaluated, as well as the inputs from allochthonous organic matter entering the aquatic ecosystem from the atmosphere and from the drainage basin.
Device testing for the development of an HBT IC process

A description is presented of the DC and microwave testing required for the development of an HBT (heterojunction bipolar transistor) integrated circuit process. Process control monitoring structures have been designed to allow device testing at several stages in processing. Wafer mapping of device parameters shows patterns which can help one to understand the process and improve yield. A database has been set up of device parameters. Examining the relation between various transistor parameters has led to experiments to understand the device current gain and has shown some unexpected results. >
Evaluation of a homeless mentally ill outreach program:: Differential Short-term Effects

Abstract Previously published research on interventions for persons who are homeless and mentally ill has exhibited marked limitations in attrition, sample sizes, generalizability and outcome measures. This report presents results from an outreach and linkage project wherein the research design has better addressed these limitations. Successful outcomes in terms of the number housed were documented. However, significant changes in participant functioning levels were not. Multinomial logistic regression indicated that three variables were significant predictors of 4 month residential setting: recruitment source (shelter, psychiatric hospital or community mental health agency), client functioning cluster type, and hours of service from the homeless project. The latter finding suggests that project interventions contributed to positive changes in clients' residences. Implications of the results for future service and research efforts are discussed.
Evaluation of methods for the isolation of Salmonella and Arizona organisms from pet turtles treated with antimicrobial agents.

Turtles infected with and actively excreting Salmonella-Arizona organisms were treated with various concentrations of both Neo-Terramycin (N-Te) and Terramycin (Te) (Pfizer) for various periods of time and then tested for the presence of these pathogens by two methods, excretion and blending. Turtles treated with 200 μg of Te per ml of container water for 9, 12, or 14 days did not excrete detectable numbers of Salmonella-Arizona for 6 to 8 weeks, whereas when representative turtles from treatment groups were blended 72 h post-treatment these organisms were isolated from the whole turtle homogenate. Salmonella and Arizona could be recovered from homogenate prepared from turtles treated for 7 and 14 days with 400, 800, or 1,000 μg of Te or N-Te per ml. These findings suggest that the blending method is more sensitive than the excretion method for the detection of Salmonella-Arizona in the treated turtle.
Membrane-Associated Replication Complex in Arbovirus Infection

Abstract Cytoplasmic extracts of chicken embryo fibroblast cells infected with Semliki Forest virus were subjected to isopycnic centrifugation in discontinuous sucrose gradients. Seven distinct bands were usually formed. The four upper bands contained predominantly smooth membranes and the lowest band was enriched in rough endoplasmic reticulum. One fraction (fraction 5), banding at a density of 1.16 g/cm3, was found to be heavily enriched in pulse-labeled ribonucleic acid (RNA), viral RNA polymerase, and viral RNA forms associated with RNA replication. Thus, fraction 5 evidently contained a membrane-associated viral replication complex of a type previously defined in picornavirus infections. Fraction 5 was also consistently enriched with unique membranous structures previously observed in intact cells as type 1 cytopathic vacuoles (CPV-1). When the CPV-1 in fraction 5 were isolated from cells briefly incubated with 3H-uridine and 3H-adenosine prior to cell disruption, a large proportion was found to be labeled by high-resolution autoradiography. Thus, ultrastructural, biochemical, and biological evidence were all consistent with the interpretation that the CPV-1 membranes represent a significant element of the viral replication complex.
Calcium movement, graviresponsiveness and the structure of columella cells and columella tissues in roots of Allium cepa L.

Roots of Allium cepa L. cv. Yellow are differentially responsive to gravity. Long (e.g. 40 mm) roots are strongly graviresponsive, while short (c.g. 4 mm) roots are minimally responsive to gravity. Although columella cells of graviresponsive roots are larger than those of nongraviresponsive roots, they partition their volumes to cellular organelles similarly. The movement of amyloplasts and nuclei in columella cells of horizontally-oriented roots correlates positively with the onset of gravicurvature. Furthermore, there is no significant difference in the rates of organellar redistribution when graviresponsive and nongraviresponsive roots are oriented horizontally. The more pronounced graviresponsiveness of longer roots correlates positively with (1) their caps being 9-6 times more voluminous, (2) their columella tissues being 42 times more voluminous, (3) their caps having 15 times more columella cells, and (4) their columella tissues having relative volumes 4.4 times larger than those of shorter, nongraviresponsive roots. Graviresponsive roots that are oriented horizontally are characterized by a strongly polar movement of 45Ca2+ across the root tip from the upper to the lower side, while similarly oriented nongraviresponsive roots exhibit only a minimal polar transport of 45Ca2+. These results indicate that the differential graviresponsiveness of roots of A. cepa is probably not due to either (1) ultrastructural differences in their columella cells, (2) differences in the rates of organellar redistribution when roots are oriented horizontally. Rather, these results indicate the graviresponsiveness may require an extensive columella tissue, which, in turn, may be necessary for polar movement of 45Ca2+ across the root tip.
Genetic and anatomic relationships among three morphotypes of the echinoid Echinocrepis rostrata

. Three morphotypes—purple, tan, and white—of an irregular echinoid of the genus Echinocrepis are commonly observed in the deep North Pacific Ocean. Mitochondrial (mt) 16S DNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) DNA sequences were amplified from gonadal tissue samples from specimens of each morphotype. These portions of the mitochondrial genome are commonly used in species barcoding, and their similarities were compared and placed in 95% connection limit parsimony networks. All three morphotypes have similar 16S mtDNA and COI mtDNA sequences, and are thus likely representatives of the same species, Echinocrepis rostrata. Specimens of the white morphotype were smaller than the specimens of the other two morphotypes, had less gonad tissue, and had a different body shape, suggesting that it represents the juvenile form of E. rostrata. Resolving the three morphotypes into one species simplifies the identification of E. rostrata from photographs and leads to a greater understanding of the life history and reproductive cycle of a species vital to deep-sea bioturbation and carbon sequestration.
Activity of doramectin against nematode endoparasites of cattle

A series of 28 controlled anthelmintic studies, involving 634 cattle, was conducted throughout North America and Europe to evaluate the efficacy of doramectin against a broad range of gastrointestinal parasitic nematode species and lungworms in naturally and experimentally infected animals. Within each study, one or two groups were treated with doramectin at 200 micrograms kg-1 and another group received no drug treatment. Worm burdens were estimated by standardised techniques, and efficacy assessed on reduction of worm burdens in doramectin-treated animals. Doramectin was at least 99.6% effective (P < 0.0002) in eliminating the immature and adult stages of the following 14 species of nematodes: Ostertagia ostertagi (including inhibited), Ostertagia lyrata, Haemonchus placei, Trichostrongylus axei, Trichostrongylus colubriformis, Cooperia oncophora (including inhibited), Cooperia pectinata, Cooperia punctata, Cooperia spatulata, Cooperia surnabada, Bunostomum phlebotomum, Strongyloides papillosus, Oesophagostomum radiatum and Dictyocaulus viviparus. Efficacy against adult Trichostrongylus longispicularis, Nematodirus spathiger and Trichuris spp. was 93.1%, 96.5% and 94.6%, respectively. Efficacies against adult and fourth-stage larvae of Nematodirus helvetianus, the dose-limiting species, were 73.3% and 75.5%, respectively.
Reaction norms of Arabidopsis. V. Flowering time controls phenotypic architecture in response to nutrient stress

The evolutionary and environmental stability of character correlations has increasingly been the focus of ecological and quantitative genetic studies. Although the genetic stability of character correlations is a central assumption of quantitative genetic models of phenotypic evolution, theoretical considerations suggest that both the genetic and the phenotypic architecture should change in response to selection and to environmental heterogeneity. We investigate genetic (population) differences and plasticity to nutrient availability of the phenotypic architecture describing the whole-plant phenotype of Arabidopsis thaliana (Brassicaceae). We found significant genetic differences among early and late flowering ecotypes in the relationships between several traits, when a path-analytical model was used to estimate character correlations. Furthermore, we found significant plasticity of several path coefficients when nutrient levels were altered. A whole-plant analysis considering all paths in the model simultaneously confirmed that populations of A. thaliana are characterized by distinct phenotypic architectures, and that these are altered in different ways by environmental changes. We discuss the implications of these findings for our understanding of selective pressure on and response by multivariate phenotypes.
A Technique for Quantitative Characterization of Pulmonary Vascular Morphology and Application in a Normal Rat

Congenital heart defects are structural problems with the heart and/or major blood vessels which in the U.S. alone affect as many as 1.3 million people [1]. A common form of abnormality is a stenosis or narrowing of the pulmonary arteries. Chronic pulmonary artery stenosis may lead to differential lung growth and reduced cardiac performance. Treatment, however, may result in no significant improvements in flow distribution or pressure because of the properties of the vascular bed downstream of the stenosis.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Multilayer dielectric gratings for petawatt-class laser systems

Existing Petawatt class lasers today based on Nd:glass architectures operating at nominally 500 J, 0.5 ps use meter-scale aperture, gold-overcoated master photoresist gratings to compress the amplified chirped pulse. Many lasers operating in the >1kJ, >1ps regime are in the planning stages around the world. These will require multilayer dielectric diffraction gratings to handle larger pulse energy than can be accommodated with gold gratings. Models of the electric field distribution in the solid material of these gratings suggest that high aspect-ratio structures used at high incidence angles will have better laser damage resistance. New tooling for transfer etching these submicron-grating patterns and for nondestructive critical-dimension measurement of these features on meter-scale substrates will be described.
Wintering birds avoid warm sunshine: predation and the costs of foraging in sunlight

Wintering birds can gain significant thermal benefits by foraging in direct sunlight. However, exposure to bright sunlight might make birds easier to detect by predators and may also cause visual glare that can reduce a bird’s ability to monitor the environment. Thus, birds likely experience a trade-off between the thermal benefits and predation-related costs of foraging in direct sunlight. To examine this possible thermoregulation-predation trade-off, we monitored the behavior of mixed-species flocks of wintering emberizid sparrows foraging in alternating strips of sunlight and shade. On average, these sparrows routinely preferred to forage in the shade, despite midday air temperatures as much as 30 °C below their thermoneutral zone. This preference for shade was strongest at relatively high temperatures when the thermal benefits of foraging in sunlight were reduced, suggesting a thermoregulation-predation trade-off. Glare could be reduced if birds faced away from the sun while feeding in direct sunlight, but we found that foraging birds tended to face southward (the direction of the sun). We speculate that other factors, such as the likely direction of predator approach, may explain this southerly orientation, particularly if predators use solar glare to their advantage during an attack. This interpretation is supported by the fact that birds had the weakest southerly orientation on cloudy days. Wintering birds may generally avoid foraging in direct sunlight to minimize their risk of predation. However, given the thermal benefits of sunshine, such birds may benefit from foraging in habitats that provide a mosaic of sunlit and shaded microhabitats.
Intracellular calcium, currents, and stimulus-response coupling in endothelial cells.

Vascular endothelium appears to be a unique organ. It not only responds to numerous hormonal and chemical signals but also senses changes in physical parameters such as shear stress, producing mediators that modulate the responses of numerous cells, including vascular smooth muscle, platelets, and leukocytes. In many cases, the initial response of endothelial cells to these diverse signals involves elevation of cytosolic Ca2+ and activation of Ca(2+)-dependent enzymes, including nitric oxide synthase and phospholipase A2. Both the release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores, most likely the endoplasmic reticulum, and the influx of Ca2+ from the extracellular space contribute to the [Ca2+]i increase. The most important trigger for Ca2+ release is inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, which is generated by the action of phospholipase C, a plasmalemmal enzyme activated in many cases by the receptor-G protein cascade. Ca2+ influx appears to be related to the activity of receptor-G protein-enzyme complex and to the degree of fullness of the endoplasmic reticulum but does not involve voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. The magnitude of the Ca2+ influx depends on the electrochemical gradient, which is modulated by the membrane potential, Vm. Under basal conditions, Vm is dominated by a large inward rectifier K+ current. Some stimuli, e.g., acetylcholine, have been shown to hyperpolarize Vm, thus increasing the electrochemical gradient for Ca2+, which appears to be modulated by activation of Ca(2+)-dependent K+ and Cl- currents. However, the lack of potent and specific blockers for many of the described or postulated channels (e.g., nonselective cation channel, Ca(2+)-activated Cl- channel) makes an estimation of their effect on endothelial cell function rather difficult. Possible future directions of research and clinical implications are discussed.
Tricrystal tunneling evidence for d-wave pairing symmetry in cuprate superconductors.

Abstract Strong evidence for d-wave pairing symmetry in high-temperature superconductors such as YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 and Tl 2 Ba 2 CuO 6+ δ has been obtained by monitoring the presence or absence of the half-integer flux quantum effect in various controlled—orientation tricrystal superconducting systems. New results of a tricrystal tunneling experiment with Gd Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7 will also be presented.
Attempts to increase tolerance of grapefruit seedlings to the burrowing nematode (Radopholus similis) by application of phenolics

Abstract In tests using burrowing nematode-susceptible grapefruit seedlings, host tolerance (as measured by feeder root and total plant weight) could be increased by exogenous applications of vanillic acid. Burrowing nematode infection reduced total phenolics in the roots of the nontreated seedling by 25 per cent, but total phenolics in the infected root were increased by treatments with hesperidin, ferulic acid and vanillic acid. Only with the latter treatment was total phenolics in the infected root maintained at a level comparable to the healthy control. Quantitative determinations were made in the feeder roots for 13 phenolics which constitute 70–80 per cent of the total phenolics. Treatments of infected seedlings especially manifested increases in: vanillic acid, salicylic acid, p -hydroxybenzoic acid, o -coumaric acid, and gentisic acid. The increase in total and specific phenolics resulting from the vanillic acid treatment could account for the sustained host development in spite of the presence of the pathogen, but that consideration should also be given to other phenolic-mediated effects. No direct relationship could be found between the total phenolic content of the feeder roots and the degree of host tolerance that was produced by the various phenolic treatments.
Characterization of vaccinia virus DNA replication in vitro

Abstract Concentrated cytoplasmic preparations from vaccinia virus strain WR-infected HeLa S3 cells were shown to replicate viral DNA in vitro. Incorporation of [3H]dTTP was linear for about 40 min and reached a plateau suggesting that no new rounds of viral chromosome replication were initiated. The synthesis of viral DNA was sensitive to ultraviolet irradiation and 10 μM N-ethylmaleimide. The ability of the in vitro system to support maximal DNA replication was dependent on the four deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates, ATP, and an ATP-generating system, and was stimulated by ribonucleoside triphosphates. DNA was synthesized in vitro as short chains which elongated to form high-molecular-weight DNA. At least 60% of the DNA was synthesized semiconservatively as evidenced by density shifting in CsCl after BrdUTP incorporation. DNA hybridization experiments showed that in vitro synthesized DNA consisted of virus-specified sequences. Cytoplasmic, or loosely bound factors were necessary for continued replication, since washed inclusions incorporated lower amounts of [3H]dTTP. Activity could be restored by addition of soluble proteins from the cytoplasm of infected cells.
Applications of Computerized Microscopic Image Analysis in Infectious Diseases

Advances in computerized microscopy have resulted in image analysis systems that rapidly and precisely measure various aspects of cellular morphology and physiology. These systems-composed of a microscope and attached photomultiplier tube or camera, an image processor, and a computer-have been used to measure lysosomal enzymes, pH, and calcium within phagocytes; to detect viral nucleic acids in in situ hybridization preparations; and to quantitate rates of cellular movement. These experiments have shown that (1) the intracellular proliferation of virulent microorganisms is associated with reductions in acid phosphatase, beta-glucuronidase, and lysozyme activity; (2) virulent Toxoplasma gondii, Legionella pneumophila, and Nocardia asteroides inhibit phagosomal acidification; and (3) changes in intracellular calcium movement affect phagocytic function. These methods have also been used to detect the AIDS virus within cultured lymphocytes and to measure cellular chemotaxis and chemokinesis. Further advances in technology should produce improved microscopic image analysis systems with wider applications for the investigation of infectious diseases.
Modeling dredging project cost variations

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains a database of cost information for competitively bid dredging projects. These data were used to construct linear regression models and radial-basis-function neural networks to predict the completed cost of the dredging projects. The stepwise linear regression procedure was used to construct equations to predict the completed cost based on input of the low bid, government cost estimates, and estimated project-dredging quantities. A data transformation using the natural logarithm enhanced the linear relationships between the variables. An exponential relationship between the low bid and completed cost indicated that large dredging projects could be completed for less than the bid amount. The variables used as inputs to the neural networks were the low bid, the government estimate, estimated quantity, the type of dredge, the method of dredged material disposal, the number of bidders, and the class of work. The addition of categorical variables like the type of dredging and disposal method did not improve the predictive performance of the neural network. The best neural network model was able to predict 40.4% of the test set projects within 10% of the actual cost. The best regression model predicted 51.4% of the projects within 10% of the actual cost.
Surface plasmon resonance of colloidal Au-modified gold films

Abstract The effect of colloidal Au nanoparticle immobilization on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) reflectivity is reported. Immobilization of 25 nm diameter colloidal Au on to an evaporated Au film results in a large shift in plasmon angle, a broadened plasmon resonance and an increase in minimum reflectance. This results in increased SPR sensitivity, demonstrated in several ways, including a sandwich immunoassay for human IgG, enlargement of a 1.4 nm diameter Au cluster, and detection of displacement of surface-bound biotinylated colloidal Au by free biocytin in solution. Similarly large changes in reflectivity are realized upon binding of colloidal Au to electrolessly deposited Au films prepared entirely by wet-chemical methods. These results represent potentially significant advances in the generality and sensitivity of SPR.
Case Study: Model Transformations for Time-triggered Languages

In this study, we introduce a model transformation tool for a time-triggered language: Giotto. The tool uses graphs to represent the source code (Giotto) and the target (the schedule-carrying code) of the transformation, and has been implemented entirely using graph rewriting techniques. The meta-models of the input and the output were specified using standard (UML) technology, and the transformation itself as a programmed graph rewriting system (in GReAT). The approach illustrates how a non-trivial model transformation can be implemented using graph transformations, and how the results obtained here could be used for the formal verification of embedded systems models. The transformation developed here forms the first step towards translating high-level, domain-specific models (that use concepts of the time-triggered language) into analysis models (that use concepts from the language of the analysis, e.g. timed automata). Using a formal approach such as graph transformation helps ensure the correctness of this transformation process.
Regulation of nest construction behaviour inPolybia occidentalis

Nest construction by the waspPolybia occidentalisinvolves the coordination of three groups of specialized workers. Wood-pulp foragers deliver their loads to builders, who use it to construct the nest. Water foragers transfer water to both pulp foragers and builders, who use it to keep the pulp moist during handling. During a round of nest construction or repair, the levels of activity in the three groups are kept in balance, minimizing queuing delays during transfer of these materials. If the operation is perturbed, balance between the groups is restored, indicating that the system self-regulates. The aim of this study was to determine the sources of information used by each of the three task groups to adjust its level of activity to those of the others. Colonies' responses to experimentally-induced increases and decreases in the flow of each material during nest repair were videotaped in the field in Costa Rica. The results showed that only the builders received information about the nest damage directly from the nest. Feedback between builders determines the level of building activity, which in turn sets the size of the entire repair operation. The level of pulp-foraging activity was determined by information about demand for pulp received by pulp foragers from builders. Water foragers similarly adjusted their group's activity rate in response to feedback received from pulp foragers and builders about the demand for water. Such a chained flow of information from one task group to the next, in reverse order of material flow, allows each task group to fine-tune the size of its effort to that of the group it serves, enabling the whole system to respond efficiently to perturbations.
The Exxon Valdez oil spill revisited and the dangers of normative science.

In the July 2006 issue of Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, a paper by Harwell and Gentile was published assessing the present ecological significance of the impacts from the Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS). First, this paper compares the major conclusions of Harwell and Gentile and a paper reviewing the current impacts of EVOS by Peterson et al. as published by Science in 2003. Stark differences exist between the conclusions of the 2 papers regarding continuing impacts. Part of the difference appears to be the infusion of different social values or policy goals into each. Normative science is the use or interpretation of data in support of specific values or policies. Examples of values or policies intertwined with science are constructs such as ecosystem health, ecosystem integrity, ecological significance, and recovery. Examination of the environmental risk assessment and toxicology literature reveals that the symptoms of normative science are common and the implications widespread. Separation of science from policy or at a minimum a transparent acknowledgment of the science–policy interaction is clearly necessary in order to obtain a clear picture of the ecological system under investigation.
Convergent evolution of a reproductive trait through distinct developmental mechanisms in Drosophila.

Convergent morphologies often arise due to similar selective pressures in independent lineages. It is poorly understood whether the same or different developmental genetic mechanisms underlie such convergence. Here we show that independent evolution of a reproductive trait, ovariole number, has resulted from changes in distinct developmental mechanisms, each of which may have a different underlying genetic basis in Drosophila. Ovariole number in Drosophila is species-specific, highly variable, and largely under genetic control. Convergent changes in Drosophila ovariole number have evolved independently within and between species. We previously showed that the number of a specific ovarian cell type, terminal filament (TF) cells, determines ovariole number. Here we examine TF cell development in different Drosophila lineages that independently evolved a significantly lower ovariole number than the D. melanogaster Oregon R strain. We show that in these Drosophila lineages, reduction in ovariole number occurs primarily through variations in one of two different developmental mechanisms: (1) reduced number of somatic gonad precursors (SGP cells) specified during embryogenesis; or (2) alterations of somatic gonad cell morphogenesis and differentiation in larval life. Mutations in the D. melanogaster Insulin Receptor (InR) alter SGP cell number but not ovarian morphogenesis, while targeted loss of function of bric-a-brac 2 (bab2) affects morphogenesis without changing SGP cell number. Thus, evolution can produce similar ovariole numbers through distinct developmental mechanisms, likely controlled by different genetic mechanisms.
Comparing weight gain in the year prior to treatment for overweight and obese patients with and without binge eating disorder in primary care.

Objective To examine weight change trajectories among overweight and obese patients with binge eating disorder (BED) versus without (NBO) during the year prior to seeking treatment.
Collisions between atomic systems

Abstract We calculate the scattering amplitude for elastic and inelastic collisions between arbitrary ions or neutral atoms by means of an expansion of a generalization of the Glauber approximation for particle-atom collisions.
Schloegl’s Second Model for Autocatalysis on a Cubic Lattice: Mean-Field-Type Discrete Reaction-Diffusion Equation Analysis

Schloegl’s second model for autocatalysis on a hypercubic lattice of dimension d≥2 involves: (i) spontaneous annihilation of particles at lattice sites with rate p; and (ii) autocatalytic creation of particles at vacant sites at a rate proportional to the number of diagonal pairs of particles on neighboring sites. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations for a d=3 cubic lattice reveal a discontinuous transition from a populated state to a vacuum state as p increases above p=p e . However, stationary points, p=p eq (≤p e ), for planar interfaces separating these states depend on interface orientation. Our focus is on analysis of interface dynamics via discrete reaction-diffusion equations (dRDE’s) obtained from mean-field type approximations to the exact master equations for spatially inhomogeneous states. These dRDE can display propagation failure absent due to fluctuations in the stochastic model. However, accounting for this anomaly, dRDE analysis elucidates exact behavior with quantitative accuracy for higher-level approximations.
Solar thermochemical production of ammonia from water, air and sunlight: Thermodynamic and economic analyses

Abstract Ammonia is an important input into agriculture and is used widely as base chemical for the chemical industry. It has recently been proposed as a sustainable transportation fuel and convenient one-way hydrogen carrier. Employing typical meteorological data for Palmdale, CA, solar energy is considered here as an inexpensive and renewable energy alternative in the synthesis of NH3 at ambient pressure and without natural gas. Thermodynamic process analysis shows that a molybdenum-based solar thermochemical NH3 production cycle, conducted at or below 1500 K, combined with solar thermochemical H2 production from water may operate at a net-efficiency ranging from 23 to 30% (lower heating value of NH3 relative to the total energy input). Net present value optimization indicates ecologically and economically sustainable NH3 synthesis at above about 160 tons NH3 per day, dependent primarily on heliostat costs (varied between 90 and 164 dollars/m2), NH3 yields (ranging from 13.9 mol% to stoichiometric conversion of fixed and reduced nitrogen to NH3), and the NH3 sales price. Economically feasible production at an optimum plant capacity near 900 tons NH3 per day is shown at relative conservative technical assumptions and at a reasonable NH3 sales price of about 534 ± 28 dollars per ton NH3.
Book Review: The Environment and Sustainable Development in the New Central Europe by Zbigniew Bochniarz and Gary B. Cohen

The Environment and Sustainable Development in the New Central Europe, by Zbigniew Bochniarz and Gary B. Cohen. New York, Berghahn Books, 2006. 260pp., ISBN: 1-84545-144-9
Serial back-transfers of nuclei in experiments involving two species of frogs.

Abstract Mid-blastula nuclei of Rana sylvatica (♀) Ч Rana pipiens ♂ androgenetic hybrids were transferred to enucleated ova of Rana pipiens . The maximum stage reached was an early gastrula or an abnormal neurula. In order to test the possibility of recovery by additional exposure of the nuclei to their own species-specific cytoplasm, the nuclei of a blastula of this first back-transfer were transferred once again to enucleated ova of R. pipiens . This was repeated for five back-transfers. There was no improvement in development. The change that occurs in the R. pipiens nucleus during its replication in R. sylvatica cytoplasm is irreversible, when tested in this manner.
WHY REDISTRIBUTION DOESN'T WORK State Educational Reform Policy and Governmental Decentralization in Texas

In 1984, the Texas state legislature passed House Bill 72, which was meant, among other things, to make public school finance among school districts in the state more equitable. The legislation added a billion dollars to state educational funds and created redistributive mechanisms for allocating state aid. In spite of these significant efforts, finances among the districts are found not to have been substantially equalized. This article argues that the barrier to equalization lies in the division of educational funding between the state and the local districts, and the failure to dismantle the local reliance upon the property tax. Data are presented to demonstrate the tendency of wealthy school districts to increase local expenditures when confronted with redistributive programs at the state level. Further analysis indicates the persistence of local property wealth as the best single indicator of district expenditures.