cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gene regulation of interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-1 receptor type I, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and -2 in human granulosa-luteal cells.

Objective To investigate the regulation of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 β ), interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor type 1, and plasminogen activator (PA) inhibitor-1 and -2 in cumulus cells, granulosa-luteal cells, and macrophage-depleted granulosa-luteal cells obtained from human preovulatory follicles. Design Prospective longitudinal study. Setting, Patients Patients undergoing assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Stanford University, Stanford, California. Interventions Cumulus cells and granulosa-luteal cells were collected by ultrasound-guided transvaginal aspiration at the time of ART. Main Outcome Measures Northern blot analysis of mRNA levels of IL-1 β , IL-1 receptor type 1, PA inhibitor-1 and -2 in cumulus cells, granulosa-luteal cells and macrophage-depleted granulosa-luteal cells, and indirect immunocytochemical analysis of the IL-1 system and macrophages in granulosa-luteal cell preparations were performed. Results Interleukin-1 β mRNA levels in uncultured cumulus cells were less than those of uncultured granulosa-luteal cells with no differences in IL-1 receptor type 1 mRNA levels between these two cell types. Granulosa-luteal cell IL-1 receptor type 1 mRNA levels were expressed constitutively throughout 24hours of culture with no effect by hCG, whereas IL-1 β mRNA levels increased within 6hours, and then remained elevated for 24hours with no effect by hCG. Interleukin-1 β significantly increased granulosa-luteal cell mRNA levels of IL-1 β (over twofold), IL-1 receptor type 1 (over twofold), PA inhibitor-1 (approximately 1.4-fold), and PA inhibitor-2 (approximately 1.6-fold). In contrast, IL-1 β had no effect on IL-1 β and IL-1 receptor type 1 mRNA levels in macrophage-depleted granulosa-luteal cells. Granulosa-luteal cells, not macrophages, account for the majority of the immunocytochemical staining for IL-1 β and IL-1 receptor type 1 in follicular aspirates. Conclusions These studies suggest that the IL-1 system is regulated in human granulosa-luteal cells during the periovulatory period. Furthermore, the augmentation of PA inhibitor-1 and -2 mRNA levels by IL-1 β suggests a potential role for IL-1 β in remodeling of the human ovary during the periovulatory period.
Mission-adaptive crowd navigation for mobile robots

Recent developments in mobile robotics made feasible the near future scenario of mobile robots assisting individual persons. Such robots must maintain a sufficient distance from their human owners to be able to offer assistance, but otherwise they need to be inconspicuous and observe the prevailing social and cultural norms. We are considering a scenario of mobile robots assisting a peacekeeper soldier patrolling a market with a dense crowd. The robot must balance the costs related to its mission (the danger of loosing contact with its owner) and the social cost of violating the crowd members' personal space. We develop a technique through which we predict the mission cost of different decisions, and use it to adapt the robot's strategies for resolving the micro-conflicts encountered in crowd navigation. We show that this adaptive strategy outperforms strategies of consistent politeness / assertiveness over a variety of scenarios.
Aluminum-induced pneumoconiosis confirmed by analytical scanning electron microscopy: A case report and review of the literature

Aluminum-induced lung injury is an uncommon, yet recognized pneumoconiosis capable of causing severe interstitial fibrosis. Important attention to the clinical history including occupational exposure is an essential component to making the correct diagnosis, despite which careful examination of the lung specimen is necessary to exclude other more common disease entities. We present a case of aluminum-induced pneumoconiosis in the setting of a bilateral lung transplant patient. Additionally, we review the literature on aluminum-induced pneumoconiosis and demonstrate the use of ancillary techniques including backscattered electron imaging and energy-dispersive spectrometry to aid in diagnosis.
The PGK-PCR clonality assay (PPCA).

The PGK-PCR assay offers an accurate method for determination of clonal derivation of cells in females who are heterozygous for the PGKBstXI polymorphism. Techniques to screen for heterozygosity and determine clonality using polymerase chain reaction based techniques are provided.
Putting on weight stigma: A randomized study of the effects of wearing a fat suit on eating, well-being, and cortisol.

Objective Although a considerable amount of research has revealed connections between weight stigma and mental and physical health outcomes, no studies to date have experimentally manipulated the experience of obesity to understand how weight stigma causally affects eating behavior, physiology, and psychological well-being. Research has also not yet identified effective strategies for reducing weight stigma. Methods In this research, the effect of weight stigma on psychological outcomes, unhealthy eating behavior, and the stress hormone cortisol was examined by randomly assigning participants to appear obese by wearing a fat suit or not. It was hypothesized that the physical alteration of participants' apparent body size would lead to similar consequences as those associated with the experience of weight stigma and reduce antifat attitudes. Results Supporting these hypotheses, experimentally manipulating apparent body size led participants to consume more unhealthy foods and report higher levels of negative effect. However, the study did not show any differences in cortisol reactivity or reduction in antifat attitudes as a function of the fat suit manipulation. Conclusions These findings contribute to an understanding of the potentially deleterious psychological and behavioral effects of weight stigma while also informing future interventions to reduce weight stigma.
Highly Selective Halide Receptors Based on Chalcogen, Pnicogen, and Tetrel Bonds

The interactions of halides with a number of bipodal receptors were examined by quantum chemical methods. The receptors were based on a dithieno thiophene framework in which two S atoms can engage in a pair of chalcogen bonds with a halide. These two S atoms were replaced by P and As atoms to compare chalcogen with pnicogen bonding, and by Ge which engages in tetrel bonds with the receptor. Zero, one, and two O atoms were added to the thiophene S atom which is not directly involved in the interaction with the halides. Fluoride bound the most strongly, followed by Cl−, Br−, and I−, respectively. Replacing S by the pnicogen bonds of P strengthened the binding, as did moving down to As in the third row of the periodic table. A further large increment is associated with the switch to the tetrel bonds of Ge. Even though the thiophene S atom is remote from the binding site, each additional O atom added to it raises the binding energy, which can be quite large, as much as 63 kcal mol−1 for the Ge⋅⋅⋅F− interaction. The receptors have a pronounced selectivity for F− over the other halides, as high as 27 orders of magnitude. The data suggest that incorporation of tetrel atoms may lead to new and more powerful halide receptors.
Solution Associations in Hydrophobically-Modified Polyethylene Oxides

The solution associations of some hydrophobically modified polyethylene oxides have been investigated. It was found that as the hydrophobe level increased in the polymers, the apparent molecular weight and intrinsic viscosity increased, indicative of increased intermolecular association. Additionally, the solution associations appear to be augmented in salt solution.
Can interactivity make a difference? Effects of interactivity on the comprehension of and attitudes toward online health content: Research Articles

The Internet is increasingly being recognized for its potential for health communication and education. The perceived relative advantage of the Internet over other media is its cost-effectiveness and interactivity, which in turn contribute to its persuasive capabilities. Ironically, despite its potential, we are nowhere nearer understanding how interactivity affects processing of health information and its contribution in terms of health outcomes. An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of Web interactivity on comprehension of and attitudes towards two health Web sites, and whether individual differences might moderate such effects. Two sites on skin cancer were designed with different levels of interactivity and randomly assigned to 441 undergraduate students (aged 18–26) at a large southeastern university. The findings suggest that interactivity can significantly affect comprehension as well as attitudes towards health Web sites. The article also discusses insights into the role of interactivity on online health communications, and presents implications for the effective design of online health content. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Abstract 305: E2F1 Suppresses Cardiac Fibrosis

E2F1 transcription factor is best known for regulation of cell cycle; its role in the cardiovascular system is not well understood. In a transcriptome analysis, we detected a significantly elevated level in the expression of collagen I and alpha-smooth muscle actin in the E2F1-null (E2F1-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) as compared to wild-type (WT) MEFs. Levels of Smad 2 and Smad 3 were also significantly higher in E2F1-/- MEFs. In addition, treatment with TGF-beta (10 ng/ml) induced a greater degree of Smad 2 and Smad 3 phosphorylation in E2F1-/- MEFs than in WT MEFs. Interestingly, these in vitro observations were corroborated with our results obtained from mouse heart samples: the basal levels of both total and phosphorylated Smad 2 were significantly higher in the E2F1-/- heart than in the WT heart (n=3). To understand the significance of these findings in the pathogenesis of cardiac fibrosis, we administered Angiotensin II (3 mg/kg/day) to animals for 7 or 14 days with a subcutaneous osmotic minipump. The total area of cardiac fibrosis was significantly greater in the E2F1-/- mice than in WT littermates (E2F1-/- vs. WT: 17+/-3.8% vs. 6+/-2.6%, p
Parathyroid hormone: chemistry, biosynthesis, and mode of action.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the chemistry, biosynthesis, and mode of action of parathyroid hormone (PTH), and focuses on the role of PTH in mineral ion metabolism through consideration of the basic protein chemistry of the hormone as well as its biosynthesis, metabolism, and mode of action. The physiological function of PTH is to maintain extracellular fluid calcium concentration and prevent hypocalcemia. The hormone acts directly on bone and kidney and indirectly on intestine to increase the flow of calcium into blood. The biosynthesis of PTH requires knowledge of the specific steps in hormone biosynthesis and secretion. Interest in physiological control mechanisms of hormone production has led to adapt the techniques of cell-free protein synthesis and recombinant DNA to the study of PTH biosynthesis. The process of PTH biosynthesis can be viewed as one of information transfer. The metabolism of PTH refers to the proteolysis of the native polypeptide into two or more fragments. The proteolysis appears to occur at two sites, within the gland and in peripheral organs. PTH's critical role in the physiology of calcium homeostasis results from its multiple actions on kidney and bone. PTH interacts with hormone-specific receptors on the plasma membrane of target tissue cells.
“I Want to Know the Answer! Give Me Fish ’n’ Chips!”: The Impact of Curiosity on Indulgent Choice

This research examines how incidentally induced consumer curiosity influences subsequent indulgent decisions. Prior research has primarily focused on the effect of curiosity on information seeking in the present domain. The current research goes further to propose that the curiosity effect can spill over to prompt consumers to prefer indulgent options in other, unrelated domains (e.g., food, money). This situation is likely to occur because curiosity motivates individuals to seek the missing information as the specific information reward in the current domain. Such desire to obtain the information reward primes a reward-seeking goal, which in turn leads to increased preferences for indulgent options in subsequent, unrelated domains. Furthermore, the impact of curiosity on indulgent options possesses goal-priming properties as identified by the literature. That is, the effect should (1) persist after a time delay, and (2) diminish when the reward-seeking goal is satiated by the obtainment of a reward before the indulgent task. We conduct a series of studies to provide support for our hypotheses. This research contributes to both curiosity and indulgence decision literature and offers important practical implications.
Fast reconfiguration in real-time transmitter amplifier impedance optimization using S-parameters

Reconfigurable devices in cognitive and adaptive radio and radar transmitters must be able to reconfigure power amplifier load impedance quickly in real-time to accommodate changes in operating frequency and spectral performance. This paper focuses on the use of small-signal S-parameters, which provide the optimum small-signal gain load termination, to calculate an intelligent starting point for the real-time impedance search. Use of the S-parameter calculated starting point is shown to produce good results for optimizing the power-added efficiency of the power amplifier device in its nonlinear operating regime. As such, using only the S-parameters of the device, the search can be initiated at an impedance close to the optimum, reducing the number of measurements necessary for reconfiguration and maintaining high-efficiency device performance during the search.
Applications of High-Field Asymmetric Waveform Ion Mobility Spectrometry for the Certification of Reference Materials

High-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS), is a novel gas-phase separation technique, developed at the Institute for National Measurement Standards (INMS), and commercialized...
The “Fifth” RNA Nucleotide: A Role for Ribosomal RNA Pseudouridylation in Control of Gene Expression at the Translational Level

Posttranscriptional ribosomal RNA (rRNA) modifications are present in all organisms and appear to be essential for the control of protein synthesis in the majority of species. The isomerization of uridine to pseudouridine on rRNA has important implications not only for ribosome structure but also for ribosome function. Structural and functional studies of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic ribosomes have revealed that pseudouridylation may regulate ribosome activity by facilitating extensive rRNA conformational changes. Furthermore, recent findings indicate that pseudouridylation of rRNA has an important regulatory role in modulating gene expression of specific mRNAs at the translational level. In this chapter we will review several biophysical approaches that have been employed to study the role of rRNA pseudouridine modifications in translation control. Additionally, we will provide mechanistic insights into how pseudouridylation of rRNA, when deregulated, may alter the expression of specific mRNAs contributing to certain pathological features of human diseases. Finally, we will discuss our perspectives on several outstanding questions related to the role of rRNA modifications in translational control.
Use of spreadsheets in thermal analysis. Part 5

Abstract Spreadsheet analysis of non-isothermal TG (NITG) data has recently been successfully applied to various organic and inorganic materials using various algorithms. In this paper, this type of analysis will now be applied to isothermal TG (ITG) data. An algorithm will be tested for ITG data which is a modification of one which has been successfully utilized for NITG data. The aim of this paper is to extend the utilization of spreadsheet analysis to the estimation of kinetic parameters from both theoretical and experimental ITG data.
Exploring the utility of "next-generation" sequence data on inferring the phylogeny of the South American Valeriana (Valerianaceae).

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the phylogenetic utility of genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) data in the southern South American subclade of Valerianaceae (Dipsacales). The variety of forms that has arisen in this clade, presumably over the past 5–10 million years, has all the signatures of an adaptive and rapid radiation. While the phylogeny of Valerianaceae has received a great deal of attention in the last decade, species relationships have been hard to resolve using traditional phylogenetic markers. Here, we collected high-throughput genomic sequence data from reduced-representation libraries obtained through GBS protocols. Putative orthologs were identified using within- and among-sample clustering using the computer software pyRAD. We recovered over 3000 loci for 14 species of southern South American Valeriana, with 140 loci present across all samples. We analyzed a set of phylogenetic trees generated from each locus using maximum likelihood methods, as well as multispecies coalescent (∗BEAST) methods. For comparative purposes, we also used a supermatrix approach to infer the phylogeny for these taxa. Across different methods and data sets, we recovered consistent relationships for the southern South American valerians that we sampled with varying degrees of support.
Human Eosinophil Charcot-Leyden Crystal Protein: Cloning and Characterization of a Lysophospholipase Gene Promoter

The Charcot-Leyden crystal (CLC) protein is a lysophospholipase expressed exclusively by eosinophils and basophils. During eosinophilic differentiation of eosinophil-committed cell lines, CLC steady state mRNA levels increase significantly. This increased expression is transcriptionally regulated during butyrate induction of an eosinophilic subline (C15) of the promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL- 60, as shown by nuclear run-on assays. The transcriptional start site of the CLC gene was identified 43 bp upstream of the 5′ end of the longest available cDNA sequence. The gene encoding CLC protein was cloned from a chromosome 19-specific library and a fragment overlapping the transcriptional start site was isolated and sequenced. Plasmid constructs (in the pXP2 luciferase expression vector) containing 411 and 292 bp of genomic sequence upstream of the CLC transcriptional start site directed reporter gene expression in transient transfections of HL-60-C15 cells, as well as other myeloid (U937) and nonmyeloid (HeLa and RPMI 8402) cell lines. However, the differential expression of the two CLC promoter constructs in these cell lines suggests that the -292 to -411 bp region of the promoter may confer some specificity for expression in the eosinophil lineage. The CLC promoter sequence contains two consensus GATA binding sites, a purine-rich sequence that presents potential binding sites for PU.1, a member of the ets family of genes, as well as sequences described in other myeloid-specific promoters. This is the first demonstration of a functional eosinophil promoter that could serve as a model for identifying DNA elements and trans-activating factors that regulate gene expression during the commitment and differentiation of the eosinophil lineage.
Thermo-Electric Detection of Early Fatigue Damage in Metals

There are numerous nondestructive inspection methods which can be used to detect and quantitatively characterize advanced fatigue damage following crack initiation. However, crack nucleation occurs at a much smaller microstructural scale following a more or less extended period of gradual material degradation which remains beyond the reach of known eddy current, ultrasonic, and other inspection methods. Before crack initiation, fatigue degradation remains an elusive process leading to distributed crystal defects on the scale of individual grains and grain boundary imperfections. This gradual evolution of early fatigue damage first results in increasing dislocation density, formation of slip bands, microplasticity, cold work, etc., then leads to crack nucleation at multiple sites. Following crack nucleation the growing microcracks ultimately coalesce into larger detectable fatigue cracks, but current NDE methods cannot detect the often quite serious preexisting fatigue damage in the material before this point.
Inter-agent cooperative communication method using TupleSpace for guiding users to alternative actions

We propose an agent construction method that can identify action models from user action histories, propose alternative actions if users encounter situations different from their normal action models, and guide the users to those alternative actions. In addition, to realize an alternative action guidance service, we present a selection of terminal agents and network agents as well as an allocation of their functions and roles. Furthermore, we propose a steadyaction model definition for realizing the service, a tuple classification and element constructions for TupleSpace-based inter-agent cooperative communication, and an alternative-action extraction algorithm. Next, we present a prototype system-based operation check of inter-agent cooperative communication and an evaluation of tuple-matching processing time.
Dynamic service composition and deployment with openrichservices

We present OpenRichServices (ORS) as an Architecture Definition Language (ADL) for the compositional specification, deployment, and reconfiguration of systems of services. Key distinguishing features of ORS are its treatment of services as first-class citizens of the language, a clean separation between application and infrastructure flows to address cross-cutting concerns at the architectural level, and dynamic service binding to facilitate service instantiation, distributed deployment and reconfiguration. ORS specifications are executable --- they can be deployed together with an ORS runtime system, and then coordinate the interactions between subsystems. To evaluate ORS, we developed an implementation of our ADL as a Domain Specific Language (DSL) using the JVM-based Clojure programming language; this allows us to leverage Clojure's lock-free concurrency, high-performance immutable data structures, and dynamic binding capabilities. We compare the ORS ADL and its capabilities with Darwin, Wright, Rapide and SADL using a case study drawn from a mobile sensing platform.
Improved Two-Dimensional Finite Element

Plane elements based on assumed displacement fields are reviewed. A plane element based on the assumed-stress hybrid principle is found to model bending action as well as any of the displacement-based elements. Contrary to many displacement-based elements, the hybrid is valid for arbitrary quadrilateral shape. A modification is introduced to remove the orientation-dependence of the element and improve its stress prediction. The element formulation is detailed so that it may be easily adopted by interested users. Numerical examples suggest that among plane quadrilaterals having four nodes and eight degrees-of-freedom, the modified hybrid is the most effective element currently available.
The Standard Model

Formulated in the 1960s, the Standard Model of particle physics describes subatomic particle interactions with remarkable success. Its prediction of the top quark and the Higgs boson were the most recent triumphs. Over several orders of magnitude in production cross section, the measurements performed at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN precisely confirm the predictions of the Standard Model.
Adoptive Transfer of Fluorescently Labeled Immune Cells in Xenopus

Adoptive cell transfer from inbred adult Xenopus to inbred tadpoles is a useful way to study the dissemination of immune cells or pathogen-infected immune cells in tadpoles. For example, Xenopus peritoneal leukocytes (PLs) can be readily infected by pathogens such as Frog virus 3 (FV3) and Mycobacterium marinum (M. marinum). By transferring fluorescently labeled, FV3-infected PLs into tadpoles, we observed infiltration of these cells into the tadpole's brain, which indicates that FV3-infected PLs can cross blood brain barrier. Taking advantage of tadpoles' transparency, fluorescently labeled immune cells can be tracked in real time using fluorescence microscopy.
Small Fatigue Crack Growth Mechanisms and Interfacial Stability in Cold-Spray 6061 Aluminum Alloys and Coatings

Cold-spray-processed aluminum alloys have static mechanical properties superior to those of aerospace cast alloys, and similar to those of their wrought counterparts, making them good candidates for structural applications. However, their broad and confident use relies upon systematic fatigue crack growth studies to investigate and demonstrate the materials’ performance in critical high-integrity components. In this work, the fatigue crack growth behavior in early stages (small crack growth regime) was investigated for cold-spray processed 6061 aluminum alloys and coatings, at stress ratio R = 0.1, in room temperature laboratory air. The effects of the characteristic microstructure and initial flaw size on the fatigue crack growth response were systematically examined, and the crack growth mechanisms at the microstructural scale were established and compared to those of long cracks. The mechanical interfacial stability of coatings was examined in cold-spray 6061–rolled 6061-T6 couples. An original method of quantifying the deposition–substrate interfacial strength, and correlating it to the response under cyclic loading via crack-interface stability maps, was developed. The proposed methodology is based on combined scratch testing and fracture mechanics formulations, and failure at the coating–substrate interface can be predicted for any crack growth scenario under cyclic loading. The method can be broadly used for the design and optimization of cold-spray and other coatings, as well as in structural repair.
Use of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging in prostate cancer active surveillance.

Objectives To review the role of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) for active surveillance (AS) of prostate cancer. Materials and methods We performed a comprehensive search of Medline and Embase databases for relevant articles in the English language. Search terms included 'prostate cancer', 'active surveillance' or 'monitoring', 'expectant management', and 'MRI'. We also reviewed practice guidelines from recognized international associations or societies involved in prostate cancer care. Articles were selected by both authors for relevance to the subject matter. Results The ability of mpMRI to visualize primarily high-grade tumours within the prostate may improve risk stratification for men considering AS for prostate cancer. Multiple mostly single-institution studies have found that the addition of mpMRI and a targeted biopsy strategy can improve AS patient selection over standard TRUS biopsy alone. The high negative predictive value of mpMRI may allow men to avoid early repeat biopsy and may offer the possibility to tailor biopsy strategies. The presence of a radiographically positive lesion on mpMRI at baseline is predictive of higher likelihood of radiographic progression over time while on AS. Conclusions MRI has shown promise in both patient selection and monitoring for men who undergo AS for prostate cancer. There are multiple barriers to the widespread use of mpMRI for AS including quality, cost and access to care.
Progression of probable UIP and UIP on HRCT.

Abstract Purpose To determine patterns of progression of probable Usual Interstitial Pneumonitis (UIP). Methods This HIPPA compliant, IRB-approved study draws patients from our Fibrosis Registry. All patients with a consensus diagnosis of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) were included. Most recent CT scans and all earlier CT scans were reviewed to determine the fibrosis grade in each lobe based on probable UIP (pUIP) findings of ground glass opacities, traction bronchiolectasis and reticulations or UIP findings of subpleural basilar predominant fibrosis with honeycombing (HC) and absence of features that would suggest an alternative diagnosis. Results 103 patients with a working diagnosis of IPF are the focus of this report. Among the 68 with pUIP on the initial CT, 32 (47%) progressed; median time to progression was 51 months. The risk of HC progression, adjusted for gender, of patients with emphysema was 2.53 times higher than patients without emphysema (HR = 2.53, 95% CI: 1.06–6.02). Among the 35 with HC on the initial CT scan, 20 (57%) progressed to more advanced HC; median time to progression was 31 months. Increased pulmonary artery size was significantly associated with an elevated risk for more advanced HC progression (HR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.04–1.31). Conclusion Ground glass opacities, traction bronchiolectasis and reticulations, a “Probable UIP Pattern” by ATS criteria progressed to UIP in 47% of patients on follow-up imaging.
An Economic Inquiry into South Florida's Foliage and Woody Container Nurseries

Abstract South Florida's nursery industry was examined to isolate important factors contributing to a recent loss of market share. Results indicate that a wide range of problems afflict both the fo...
CARDIAC RESYNCHRONIZATION THERAPY IN INOTROPIC-DEPENDENT HEART FAILURE PATIENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Background: Trials have proven cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) to be beneficial in certain subgroups of patients with heart failure (HF). Patients with end-stage inotrope-dependent HF have not been included in these trials. It is currently undetermined if CRT may benefit inotrope-supported
Multi-proxy stalagmite records from northern California reveal dynamic patterns of regional hydroclimate over the last glacial cycle

Abstract Despite its importance for California’s water resources, little is known about how precipitation has varied in far northern California beyond the historical record. We present a new, multi-proxy paleoclimate record derived from two coeval stalagmites from Lake Shasta Caverns (LSC), California that covers the end of Marine Isotope Stage 3 through Heinrich Stadial 1 (∼35,000 to 14,000 years BP). At 40.8°N, LSC is situated within the transition zone between regions in the northwestern and southwestern United States that demonstrate different precipitation responses to both modern and paleoclimatic drivers. Stable isotope and trace element proxies from LSC stalagmites indicate the region experienced wet conditions during interstadials (warm periods) associated with Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles, similar to proxy records from southern Oregon and the northern Great Basin, but in contrast to records from the desert southwest. Similar to the northern Cascades and Rocky Mountains, LSC was drier during the Last Glacial Maximum. However, proxies indicate increased rainfall throughout Heinrich Stadial 1, similar to the Great Basin and southwest. Thus, the LSC record demonstrates the non-stationarity of the transition zone location and illustrates a complex pattern of precipitation response to global climate change in the western United States. Covariation of speleothem δ18O, an indicator of moisture source, with δ13C and trace elements, indicators of moisture amount, suggest a higher proportion of Central Pacific precipitation during the Last Glacial Maximum, despite the enhanced aridity. In contrast, periods characterized by increased precipitation amounts, such as early Heinrich 1, are associated with enhanced moisture from the Northern Pacific.
A review of ecological factors promoting road use by mammals

Roads have numerous negative impacts for mammals, but may also serve as attractants due to altered vegetation or provisioning of resources. We reviewed the use of roads and their associated features by mammals, in order to understand the ecological factors contributing to road use. We documented 129 studies that recorded road use by 116 mammalian species, spanning 15 orders and 35 families, in six continents. Carnivora was the most common order (40 species, 34% of all 116 species), followed by Artiodactyla (24 species, 20%) and Rodentia (21 species, 18%). The species were placed in the IUCN categories Least Concern (88 species, 76% of all 116 species), Vulnerable (11 species, 9%), Near Threatened (9 species, 8%), Endangered (6 species, 5%), and Critically Endangered (2 species, 2%). We assigned road use to five ecological categories, reflecting the reason for it, with subcategories where appropriate: (1) communication; (2) foraging (subcategories: anthropogenic food, herbivory, predation, salt, scavenging, water); (3) movement (subcategories: bridges, environmental alterations, habitat connectivity); (4) refuge (subcategories: avoidance, burrowing and denning, cover, roosting); and (5) thermoregulation. Foraging, movement, and refuge were the most common uses. Roads provide a variety of resources to mammals, but road use is highly dynamic in time and space. We suggest that the use of roads by mammals is extensive, both geographically and taxonomically. Road use is likely to influence mammalian ecology while contributing to the risk of collisions with vehicles.
Exacerbation-Prone Asthma: A Biological Phenotype or a Social Construct

Asthma is a complex syndrome with multiple phenotypes and endotypes. Asthma exacerbations are not only the clearest indictor of the morbidity of asthma and of the risk for mortality due to asthma, but also comprise a significant amount of the cost to care for poorly controlled asthma. There continues to be significant disparity in the prevalence, mortality, and morbidity due to asthma. Patients with asthma who suffer recurrent exacerbations are considered to have exacerbation-prone asthma (EPA). Efforts to characterize patients with frequent exacerbations show that the etiology is likely multifactorial. Research to determine the intrinsic risk factors for EPA include studies of both genetic and inflammatory biomarkers. External factors contributing to exacerbations have been extensively reviewed and include viral infection, environmental exposures, air pollution, and psychosocial and economic barriers to optimizing health. It is likely that EPA occurs when patients who have an increased underlying intrinsic/biological risk are placed in a given exposome (environments with a variety of exposures and triggers including allergens, pollution, stress, barriers, and occupational exposures). It is the social construct combined with underlying biology that frequently drives an EPA phenotype.
Focusing Failures in Competitive Environments: Explaining Decision Errors in the Monty Hall Game, the Acquiring a Company Problem, and Multiparty Ultimatums

This paper offers a unifying conceptual explanation for failures in competitive decision making across three seemingly unrelated tasks: the Monty Hall game (Nalebuff, 1987), the Acquiring a Company problem (Samuelson & Bazerman, 1985), and multiparty ultimatums (Messick, Moore, & Bazerman, 1997). We argue that the failures observed in these three tasks have a common root. Specifically, due to a limited focus of attention, competitive decision makers fail properly to consider all of the information needed to solve the problem correctly. Using protocol analyses, we show that competitive decision makers tend to focus on their own goals, often to the exclusion of the decisions of the other parties, the rules of the game, and the interaction among the parties in light of these rules. In addition, we show that the failure to consider these effects explains common decision failures across all three games. Finally, we suggest that this systematic focusing error in competitive contexts can serve to explain and improve our understanding of many additional, seemingly disparate, competitive decision-making failures. Copyright # 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Progress in textual case-based reasoning: predicting the outcome of legal cases from text

This paper reports on a project that explored reasoning with textual cases in the context of legal reasoning. The work is anchored in both Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) and AI and Law. It introduces the SMILE+IBP framework that generates a case-based analysis and prediction of the outcome of a legal case given a brief textual summary of the case facts. The focal research question in this work was to find a good text representation for text classification. An evaluation showed that replacing case-specific names by roles and adding NLP lead to higher performance for assigning CBR indices. The NLP-based representation produced the best results for reasoning with the automatically indexed cases.
The United kingdom breast implant registry.

Recent interest in the possible, though unproven, links between the use of silicone breast implants and the development of connective tissue disease has clearly indicated the lack of objective data on the use of such implants. In 1993, the Medical Devices Directorate of the Department of Health (now the Medical Devices Agency, MDA) set up a national registry whose aims are to record the use of such implants in the UK on a prospective basis, to record explantation procedures, and to accept voluntary retrospective registrations. It is the Agency's intention that the database will form a resource for research and evaluation of data in the future. Following a successful tender by the Plastic Surgery Department at Salisbury, the Registry became operational in July 1993.
Upper bounds on the lifetime of sensor networks

We ask a fundamental question concerning the limits of energy efficiency of sensor networks-what is the upper bound on the lifetime of a sensor network that collects data from a specified region using a certain number of energy-constrained nodes? The answer to this question is valuable for two main reasons. First, it allows calibration of real world data-gathering protocols and an understanding of factors that prevent these protocols from approaching fundamental limits. Secondly, the dependence of lifetime on factors like the region of observation, the source behavior within that region, basestation location, number of nodes, radio path loss characteristics, efficiency of node electronics and the energy available on a node, is exposed. This allows architects of sensor networks to focus on factors that have the greatest potential impact on network lifetime. By employing a combination of theory and extensive simulations of constructed networks, we show that in all data gathering scenarios presented, there exist networks which achieve lifetimes equal to or >95% of the derived bounds. Hence, depending on the scenario, our bounds are either tight or near-tight.
Origin and Structure of the Group-Specific, Complement-Fixing Antigen of Rickettsia rickettsii

Rickettsia rickettsii was treated with ether and examined by negative-contrast electron microscopy. Group-specific complement-fixing antigen was seen to be originating from the cell wall. The antigen was composed predominately of round particles 10 to 60 nm in diameter. Intact R. rickettsii and antigen from ether-treated organisms were purified by density gradient centrifugation and analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The whole rickettsial cell was composed of a minimum of 30 proteins which ranged in molecular weight from about 23,000 to 155,000. The “soluble” antigen contained nine proteins ranging in molecular weight from about 28,000 to 150,000. Images
Response to Residential Time-Of-Use Electricity Rates: How Transferable Are the Findings?

Abstract A hybrid demand system, incorporating weather, appliance, demographic and price variables is used to estimate own- and cross-price elasticities for time-of-use electricity rates in three major residential experiments. We find similar, transferable price responses in all sites; predictions of load changes from Los Angeles estimates are broadly consistent with responses in Wisconsin and North Carolina. Load changes due to weather vary by site; local utility load-curve data on weather effects can be incorporated into the hybrid model.
Stereospecific hydroxylation of long chain compounds by a species of Torulopsis.

Abstract A species of yeast of the genus Torulopsis hydroxylates long chain C18 compounds and then converts them to glycosides of 17-l-hydroxy C18 fatty acids. Incubation of methyl [17-18O]hydroxyoleate with whole cells and of methyl oleate in the presence of 18O2 or H218O showed that the oxygen atom, introduced on hydroxylation, is not lost on glycoside formation and that it is derived from molecular oxygen and not from water. Esters of [18-2H3], [16,18-2H5], [17-2H2], [17-d-2H], and [17-l-2H]octadecanoates have been synthesized. On incubation of these compounds no deuterium atoms at C-16 and C-18 are removed but the 17-l-deuterium atom is lost. Unsaturated intermediates are, therefore, most probably not involved and 17-l-hydroxy acid is produced by displacement of an l-hydrogen atom (retention of configuration). The rate of formation of glycoside from l-deuterostearate was less than half of that from d-deuterostearate or from unlabeled stearate, suggesting the operation of a primary isotope effect.
Peptidylprolyl cis-trans-isomerases from plant organelles.

Publisher Summary The chapter discusses plant peptidylprolyl cis-trans -isomerases (PPIases). Two groups of PPIases are distinguishable on the basis of their binding affinity to immunosuppressants, either cyclosporin A (CsA), or FKS06 and rapamycin. Cyclophilins (immunophilins) specifically bind CsA whereas FK506-binding proteins (FKBPs) bind FK506 and rapamycin. The binding of the immunosuppressants to PPIases results in inhibition of the enzymatic activity. The chapter compiles methods to isolate, assay, and characterize PPlases from plant organelles. The chapter discusses the isolation and subfractionation of chloroplasts and mitochondria and also the fractionation of chloroplast membranes into stromal and granal subfractions routinely used in the author's laboratory. Both chloroplasts and mitochondria contain PPIases that bind the drug CsA and lose a major proportion of PPIase activity in the process. Therefore, CsA-binding ability is a good measure of the presence of PPIases in these tissue extracts. In the process of isolation of mitochondria, etiolated plant tissue is preferred because it decreases interference from chloroplasts; however, green leaf tissue may be used. Peptidylprolyl isomerase assay is based on measuring the interconversion of cis to trans isomerization of the Ala-Pro peptide bond in the substrate peptide cis-N -succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe- p -nitroanilidine (Sigma).
Polycarbosilazane and Related Dendrimers and Hyperbranched Polymers

Linear polysilazanes and polycarbosilazanes are well-known members of the organosilicon polymer family and can be prepared by a variety of methods [1, 2]. These polymers are characterized by having either a –Si–N– backbone (polysilazanes) or a –R–Si–N– backbone (polycarbosilazanes). On the other hand, dendritic analogs are relatively rare. Polysilazane dendrimers are essentially nonexistent, and the syntheses of polycarbosilazane dendrimers have been reported by only two groups. A primary reason for the paucity of examples is the relative reactivity of the Si–N bond. Since many reagents involved in conventional organosilicon dendrimer synthesis would react with Si–N bonds, syntheses of these systems are difficult to design. This problem has been partially circumvented in polycarbosilazane dendrimers in which the nitrogen atoms are bonded to three silicon atoms, a bonding situation that is considerably less reactive than nitrogen bonded to only one or two silicon atoms. Despite the synthetic difficulties, organosilicon dendrimers with nitrogen in the structure are of interest from a fundamental perspective. First, the nitrogen atoms represent potential binding sites, as in the poly(amidoamine), PAMAM, poly(amidoamine-organosilicon), PAMAMOS (see Chapter 11), or poly(ethylene imine), PEI, dendrimer systems. Secondly, the lability of Si–N bonds raises the possibility of controlled degradation of the dendrimers. Furthermore, the presence of planar trisilyl-substituted amine groups [3–5] throughout the structure would impose some rigidity and interesting configurational constraints on the dendrimer. As a consequence, when combining these factors with the underlying synthetic challenges involved, one can see that this field should hold much interest for the synthetic dendrimer chemist. This chapter summarizes the developments in the synthesis of polysilazane and polycarbosilazane dendrimers, and also describes an example of a related silatrane system. Finally, the issue of synthesizing hyperbranched derivatives is also addressed.
Cointegration tests in present value relationships: A Bayesian look at the bivariate properties of stock prices and dividends

Abstract A Bayesian methodology is used to examine the bivariate time series properties of stock prices and dividends. The hypothesis that stock prices and dividends are cointegrated is emphasized. Exact small sample results are calculated using a specific parameterization for the bivariate model. Some commonly encountered problems in conventional cointegration tests based on asymptotic theory are thereby eliminated. We consider three hypotheses whose nonlinear form entails the need for multidimensional Monte Carlo integration. In addition, three data sets are used, two of which are annual U.S. sets over long time periods and one a post-war Canadian set. The intention is to demonstrate that a more accurate understanding of the value and limitations of cointegration tests for investigating present value relationships is possible with a Bayesian methodology, employed over a variety of data configurations.
Discovering Sequential Patterns from Non-Uniform Databases

Databases, when used to collect data in the dynamic world, change over time. As a consequence, different parts of a database that come into the database at different times may contain activities with different characteristics. In other words, the data in the database are "non-uniform". This non-uniformity of the database gives rise to the idea of a Divide and Conquer strategy that divides a very large and non-uniform database into component parts for better mining. Experiments conducted show that the method is effective under various situations.
AACSB Accreditation: Symbol of Excellence or March toward Mediocrity?.

Accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is supposed to be a symbol of excellence for business schools. However, the recent increase in the number of accredited schools and the creation of AACSB’s “professionally qualified” (PQ) designation for faculty raises some concern in the academic community. Why has the AACSB increased the number of accredited institutions by over 75% since 1996? What is the purpose of the PQ designation? Does accreditation by the AACSB promote quality in business education or has accreditation become just a marketing tool? This paper argues that the AACSB needs to reconsider its mission and divide accredited institutions into tiers or classes based on criteria such as the types of degrees granted, research productivity, and financial resources.