cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anomaly Detection on Web-User Behaviors Through Deep Learning

The modern Internet has witnessed the proliferation of web applications that play a crucial role in the branding process among enterprises. Web applications provide a communication channel between potential customers and business products. However, web applications are also targeted by attackers due to sensitive information stored in these applications. Among web-related attacks, there exists a rising but more stealthy attack where attackers first access a web application on behalf of normal users based on stolen credentials. Then attackers follow a sequence of sophisticated steps to achieve the malicious purpose. Traditional security solutions fail to detect relevant abnormal behaviors once attackers login to the web application. To address this problem, we propose WebLearner, a novel system to detect abnormal web-user behaviors. As we demonstrate in the evaluation, WebLearner has an outstanding performance. In particular, it can effectively detect abnormal user behaviors with over 96% for both precision and recall rates using a reasonably small amount of normal training data.
CONSELHOS DE CLASSE: Um estudo de caso na perspectiva do projeto PIBID

Este trabalho tem como objetivo explanar sobre especificidades dos conselhos declasse levando em conta o ponto de vista dos academicos que fazem parte doprojeto PIBID (Programa Institucional de Bolsa de Iniciacao a Docencia). O grupoassistiu aos conselhos em duas escolas publicas do oeste catarinense. Os dadosforam obtidos por meio de questionario encaminhado aos bolsistas que assistiramaos conselhos nas escolas participantes do programa. Adotamos a abordagemqualitativa pois e a mais adequada para a investigacao dos resultados. Espera-seque esse trabalho possa contribuir para ampliar as discussoes sobre o assunto,proporcionando melhor qualidade no ensino publico.
Range-Dependent Attribute Weighting in Consumer Choice: An Experimental Test

This paper investigates whether the range of an attribute’s outcomes in the choice set alters its relative importance. I derive distinguishing predictions of two prominent theories of range-dependent attribute weighting: the focusing model of Koszegi and Szeidl (2013) and the relative-thinking model of Bushong, Rabin, and Schwartzstein (2020). I test these predictions in a laboratory experiment in which I vary the prices of high- and low-quality variants of multiple products. The data provide clear evidence of choice-set dependence consistent with relative thinking: price increases that expand the range of prices in the choice set lead to more purchases. Structural estimates imply economically meaningful effect sizes: the average participant was willing to pay around 17% more when a seemingly irrelevant option is added to their choice set.
High-fat diet prevents the development of autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice

Aims Type 1 diabetes (T1D) has a strong genetic predisposition and requires an environmental trigger to initiate the beta-cell autoimmune destruction. The rate of childhood obesity has risen in parallel to the proportion of T1D, suggesting high-fat diet (HFD)/obesity as potential environmental triggers for autoimmune diabetes. To explore this, non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice were subjected to HFD and monitored for the development of diabetes, insulitis and beta-cell stress. Materials and methods Four-week-old female NOD mice were placed on HFD (HFD-NOD) or standard chow-diet. Blood glucose was monitored weekly up to 40 weeks of age, and glucose- and insulin-tolerance tests performed at 4, 10 and 15 weeks. Pancreata and islets were analysed for insulin secretion, beta-cell mass, inflammation, insulitis and endoplasmic reticulum stress markers. Immune cell levels were measured in islets and spleens. Stool microbiome was analysed at age 4, 8 and 25 weeks. Results At early ages, HFD-NOD mice showed a significant increase in body weight, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance; but paradoxically, they were protected from developing diabetes. This was accompanied by increased insulin secretion and beta-cell mass, decreased insulitis, increased splenic T-regulatory cells and altered stool microbiome. Conclusions This study shows that HFD protects NOD mice from autoimmune diabetes and preserves beta-cell mass and function through alterations in gut microbiome, increased T-regulatory cells and decreased insulitis. Further studies into the exact mechanism of HFD-mediated prevention of diabetes in NOD mice could potentially lead to interventions to prevent or delay T1D development in humans.
Genome maintenance during embryogenesis

Abstract Genome maintenance during embryogenesis is critical, because defects during this period can be perpetuated and thus have a long-term impact on individual’s health and longevity. Nevertheless, genome instability is normal during certain aspects of embryonic development, indicating that there is a balance between the exigencies of timely cell proliferation and mutation prevention. In particular, early embryos possess unique cellular and molecular features that underscore the challenge of having an appropriate balance. Here, we discuss genome instability during embryonic development, the mechanisms used in various cell compartments to manage genomic stress and address outstanding questions regarding the balance between genome maintenance mechanisms in key cell types that are important for adulthood and progeny.
Conspicuous Consumption in Africa

Conspicuous Consumption in Africa, edited by Deborah Posel and Ilana van Wyk, features thirteen essays that examine conspicuous consumption or, in the editors’ words, “material ‘excess’” (4), in th...
Association Studies to Map Genes for Disease-Related Traits in Humans

The past decade has seen great improvements in biological and computational technology. These improvements have allowed for association mapping studies, which were previously restricted to small genomic regions, to be conducted on a genome-wide basis. Genome-wide association studies have identified variants that might underlie many human diseases and related traits. While tremendous progress has been made with current genome-wide arrays, given the next wave of technological improvements, low-cost whole genome sequencing has the potential of becoming routine, and investigators will need to develop appropriate association algorithms to analyze such data. This chapter provides in-depth discussions on the aforementioned topics and also covers important concepts related to genetic association studies including significance testing, population stratification, and follow-up analyses to confirm association results.
Resisting the sacred canopy over U.S. ways of war

This article explores the “omnipotent sacrificial sacred canopy” in US war-culture. I argue that sacrificial linguistic habits and patterns of logic in the US successfully discipline citizens, such that the violence of our current wars remains mystified, and clear analysis of the wars' true costs is disabled. Rather than attempt to arrive at one universal theory of sacrifice to analyze and better understand sacrificial US war-culture, I demonstrate that diverse theoretical methods of analysis better help us to understand the pluralistic nuances and permutations of these smothering dynamics. I further argue that increased awareness of the sacrificial sacred canopy over war and militarism in the US finally must lead to self-examination on the part of Christians regarding the way in which sacrificial civil religious admonishments regarding war merge with and are mutually reinforced by theological and ecclesial soteriological habits of Christians in the US Lastly, I advocate a two-fold approach for addressing...
Retinal hemorrhages in accidental and nonaccidental injury.

To the Editor .— Bechtel et al1 are to be commended for their study regarding retinal hemorrhages in children with accidental and nonaccidental injury. Retinal findings are critically important in evaluation of these children. Although a small number of dot or …
Deoxynucleotide polymerization by HIV-1 reverse transcriptase is terminated by site-specific styrene oxide adducts after translesion synthesis

In an effort to integrate an understanding of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase (RT) structure with its function, the action of HIV-1 RT was examined in vitro on DNA templates modified with a model bulky DNA adduct. Styrene oxide was site-specifically and stereospecifically coupled to the N6 position of adenine to form six different adducted templates. Primer extension assays were conducted under conditions defining both single and multiple encounters between the polymerase and the damaged template-primer. The extent of polymerization observed for each adduct was found to depend on both the chirality of the damage and the lesion sequence context. When HIV-1 RT polymerization was limited by single encounters with damaged DNA, the SO lesions were readily bypassed as evidenced by minimal pausing at the adducted base. However, RT replication of all SO-modified templates was significantly terminated 3-5 nucleotides after translesion synthesis but before reaching the end of the template. These truncated products could be readily extended when additional encounters between enzyme and template-primer were permitted. A model is presented to explain these results in the context of HIV-1 RT structure during DNA replication.
Race and the social contract: Charles Mills on the consensual foundations of white supremacy

This essay argues that Charles W. Mills's The Racial Contract can enrich our understanding of the relationship between white supremacy and the foundations of the American polity. It begins with the text's central thesis before making three claims. First, I argue that Mills's work can deepen our thinking about the place of de jure white supremacy in American political history. His concept of a “racial contract” brings to the fore the consensual basis of slavery and Jim Crow. Second, I argue that Mills should be considered, along with Judith N. Shklar and Rogers M. Smith, as among the very few who identify racial oppression as a constitutive feature of the American polity and its civic culture. Third, I suggest why social contract theory, even Mills's revisionist application, may not advance Mills's normative goals.
Nuclear pumping mechanisms in atomic carbon and in excimers

Results of atomic carbon and XeF* nuclear pumping experiments are briefly discussed. Features of escimer lasers important for nuclear pumping are included.
Thermal analysis of the MC-1 chamber/nozzle

This paper will describe the thermal analysis techniques used to predict temperatures in the film-cooled ablative rocket nozzle used on the MC-1 60K rocket engine. A model was developed that predicts char and pyrolysis depths, liner thermal gradients, and temperatures of the bondline between the overwrap and liner. Correlation of the model was accomplished by thermal analog tests performed at Southern Research, and specially instrumented hot fire tests at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Infrared thermography was instrumental in defining nozzle hot wall surface temperatures. In-depth and outboard thermocouple data was used to correlate the kinetic decomposition routine used to predict char and pyrolysis depths. These depths were anchored with measured char and pyrolysis depths from cross-sectioned hot-fire nozzles. For the X-34 flight analysis, the model includes the ablative Thermal Protection System (TPS) material that protects the overwrap from the recirculating plume. Results from model correlation, hot-fire testing, and flight predictions will be discussed.
Transport properties of oxygen

Tables of viscosity, thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusivity of oxygen as a function of temperature and pressure from the triple point to 320 K and at pressures to 100 MPa are presented. Auxiliary tables in engineering units are also given. Viscosity and thermal conductivity are calculated from published correlations. Density and specific heat at constant pressure, required to calculate thermal diffusivity, are obtained from an equation of state. The Prandtl number can be obtained quite easily from the values tabulated.
Development of a Predictive Method for Quantifying Vortex-Shedding Pulsation Amplitudes in Compressor Piping Systems

One of the design criteria for centrifugal compressor piping systems is the prevention of piping and valve failures from high pulsation amplitudes and vibration caused by vortex-shedding induced (VSI) pulsations of gas flow past closed piping branches (stubs). Most vortex-shedding analyses are performed on the basis of frequency avoidance. If a coincidence is predicted between the acoustic natural frequency of a piping segment and the flow induced vortex shedding frequency, piping changes must be made to avoid the coincidence, since there is currently no known method for accurately predicting the severity of the resulting pulsation amplitudes and, therefore, the possibility of piping failures. Often, these piping changes are expensive and time consuming and likely unnecessary for smaller bore piping (10-inch or less), assuming the flow-acoustic coincidence does not coincide with a mechanical resonance.The majority of research performed to date on vortex-shedding excitation of piping stubs focuses on predicting the frequencies of excitation using an experimentally determined Strouhal number or range of numbers for a given geometry or piping feature. However, to properly design a piping system using a combination of support structures and piping changes, reliable prediction of the pulsation amplitude is essential for determining the shaking forces acting on the piping system and the resulting vibration and stress amplitudes. Due to the expense of experimental testing and availability of equipment, it is difficult to obtain accurate amplitude measurements of VSI pulsations of fluids at Reynolds numbers typically associated with natural gas transmission.This paper describes a series of experimental tests performed to record vortex-shedding induced pulsation amplitudes in three test facilities. Three different process fluids were utilized varying the operating conditions to obtain gas flows with Reynold’s numbers between 1e5 and 2e7. Steady state flow, temperature and pressure data was recorded with ASME PTC-10 compliant instrumentation. Transient pressure data was taken with dynamic pressure transducers installed at each stub end as well as in the main piping near the tee. The geometry configurations, pulsation amplitudes, and calculated Strouhal numbers associated with each test configuration are presented. Comparison was made between the test results and several previously published formulas. From the test results, a predictive method was developed to best represent the limit of the pulsation amplitudes.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Fostering Sustainable Livestock Production: A Tool for Community Economic Development

Livestock.production represents.an important economic development opportunity in many communities. It is a major,-economic activity, providingjobs while converting lower value raw materials such as forages and grains into highenvalue products'such as livestock and livestock, products. For many rural communities livestock.production is an importantingredient.for . enhanced econornic activity and yiability.-i For others,livestock productionmay not be a key^ development focus. Communities will need an aggressive approach in.determining,their competitive advantages and areas for development ofsustainable and expanding economic growth. A commonality for all communities.isjthat.sustainability will be needed. Sustainable industries will be built on cornerstones such as economic vitality, impact on quality of life, environmental (waste, odors,â€¢etc.)iimpacts,.and animal and worker welfare and health. All will need consideration when identifying strategies.for a sustainable and. competitive livestock industry . whichis integrated into the community environme
Assessing Interactions between Lipophilic and Hydrophilic Antioxidants in Food Emulsions

Dietary lipids containing high concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids are considered to be beneficial to human health, yet their incorporation within formulated foods is complicated by their susceptibility to oxidation. Lipid oxidation in foods is inhibited through the incorporation of antioxidants, yet the list of antioxidants approved for food use is small, and consumers frequently demand foods without synthetic additives. As a consequence, food processors are now tasked with improving the efficacy of approved, “natural” (i.e., nonsynthetic) antioxidants; a rational strategy for doing so involves localizing the antioxidants at the interface where oxidation usually occurs and regenerating the consumed antioxidants after the oxidation event has occurred. The present study describes a procedure to evaluate antioxidant interactions in oil-in-water food emulsions, which is based on controlled oxidation reactions induced in the dispersed oil phase by the lipophilic radical generator, 2,2′-azobis(2,4-di...
Recent Advances in the Numerical Calculation of Ionization Amplitudes

Publisher Summary This chapter presents recent advances in the numerical calculation of ionization amplitudes. The chapter focuses on directly solving the stationary Schrodinger equation thus overcoming the limitations of wave packets. In particular, it is possible to probe the threshold region in great detail without analytic approximations. The chapter presents the simplest case where the target is a hydrogen atom. At impact energies below about 50 eV, the dynamics of two electrons moving freely in a correlated fashion is described. The formal apparatus needed to calculate scattering amplitudes, which is no more than a generalization of the theory of Frauenhofer diffraction in elementary optics, is also described. The chapter also provides an overview of the boundary function method and path integral and semiclassical methods. Several calculations on a two-dimensional model and calculations in three dimensions are also explained.
Comparative analysis of bed resistance partitioning in high‐gradient streams

[1] Total flow resistance can be partitioned into its components of grain (ffgrain), form (ffstep), wood (ffwood), and spill (ffspill) resistance. Methods for partitioning flow resistance developed for low-gradient streams are commonly applied to high-gradient systems. We examined the most widely used methods for calculating each component of resistance, along with the limitations of these methods, using data gathered from 15 high-gradient (0.02 < S0 < 0.195) step-pool, cascade, and plane-bed reaches in Fraser Experimental Forest. We calculated grain resistance using three equations that relate relative submergence (R/Dm) to ffgrain as well as using an additive drag approach. The drag approach was also used for calculating ffwood and ffstep. The ffgrain contributed the smallest amount toward all reaches at all flows, although the value varied with the method used. The Parker and Peterson (1980) equation using D90 best represented ffgrain at high flows, whereas the Keulegan (1938) equation using D50 best characterized ffgrain at base flows, giving a lower bound for grain resistance. This suggests that ffgrain may be better represented if two grain sizes are used to calculate this component of resistance. The drag approach, which is used to calculate wood resistance, overestimated the significance of individual logs in the channel. The contribution of ffspill was reduced at higher flows when form drag around the step is accounted for at higher flows. We propose a method for evaluating the contribution of ffstep that accounts for form drag around the steps once they are submerged at higher flows. We evaluated the potential sources of error for the estimation of each component of resistance. Determination of the drag coefficient was one of the major sources of error when calculating drag around wood, steps, or boulders.
Weed seedbank community composition in a 35-yr-old tillage and rotation experiment

) were greatest in the no-tillage system, where the soil was disturbed only by the coulter units of the planter. Differences in weed seedbank community composition among tillage and rotation treatments were examined using two multivariate analyses. Using a multiresponse permutation procedure and canonical discriminant analysis, results suggest that the weed seed community in a corn‐oat‐hay rotational system differs in structure and composition from communities associated with continuous corn and corn‐soybean systems. Additionally, germinable weed seed communities in no-tillage differed in composition from those in conventional and minimum tillage. Crop sequence and tillage system influenced weed species density and diversity and therefore community structure. Manipulation of these factors could help reduce the negative impact of weeds on crop production.
Profiling and quantification of Drosophila melanogaster lipids using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

We present here the findings of global profiling of Drosophila lipids using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) on an LTQ-Orbitrap instrument. In addition, we present a multiple reaction monitoring (LC-MRM) method for the absolute quantification of the major phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) lipids of Drosophila. Using both normal- and reversed-phase LC followed by accurate mass analysis and MS/MS on an LTQ-Orbitrap instrument, we evaluated the lipid composition of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. A total of 74 lipid species were identified consisting of glycerphospholipids belonging to the PE, PC, phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylserine (PS) classes including several plasmanyl PE species, as well as triacylglycerides, cardiolipins, ceramides, and PE ceramides. Individual PE and PC phospholipids were then quantified using an LC-MRM approach. Reversed-phase chromatography followed by monitoring on a QTrap 4000 instrument of 21 MRM transitions combined with calibration curves constructed using internal standards enabled the absolute quantification of 28 PE and PC lipid species with limits of quantification of 3 and 5 pg/μL, respectively. Internal standards accounted for the differences in ionization efficiencies of PE and PC phospholipids, facilitating more accurate lipid abundance measurements. The method presented here builds on previous Drosophila work by making the quantification of absolute lipid abundance possible and will be of interest to scientists who study variation and changes in the degree of unsaturation, fatty acid carbon length, and head-group concentration among individuals of different genotypes in response to environmental, genetic, or physiological perturbation in small insects. It will also be particularly useful to biologists interested in adaptation and acclimation of cellular membranes in response to thermal heterogeneity.
AN ANALYSIS OF THE OPSONIC AND TROPIC ACTION OF NORMAL AND IMMUNE SERA BASED ON EXPERIMENTS WITH THE PNEUMOCOCCUS

1. In normal unheated human serum, virulent pneumococci may be prepared for phagocytosis by two separate antibodies, acting in conjunction with complement. One of these is the type-specific anticarbohydrate antibody reacting with the carbohydrate fraction of the pneumococcus. The other is probably also a type-specific antibody, but quite distinct from the former, and therefore must react with a different antigenic constituent of the bacterium. 2. In the normal human serum heated to 56°C., these two antibodies may, after prolonged contact with the organism, promote phagocytosis of the pneumococcus without the adjuvant action of complement. 3. Although these two antibodies are equally effective in the phagocytosis of 24 hour culture organisms by normal blood, the anticarbohydrate antibody tends to become the predominant factor as the pneumococci approach the state in which they exist in the animal body. 4. In so far as we have been able to show, the anticarbohydrate antibody is the only antibody in immune serum which can induce phagocytosis. This substance by itself is active in a phagocytic system, but just as in the normal serum, complement enhances its effect. The failure to demonstrate the presence in the immune serum of an antibody, distinct from the anticarbohydrate antibody, analogous to that found in the normal serum, may be due to the experimental difficulty of removing all the anticarbohydrate antibody from a concentrated immune serum. 5. Thus it is seen that a single well defined antibody (the anticarbohydrate antibody) may be responsible for the phagocytic action of normal unheated serum, normal heated serum, inactivated immune serum, and immune serum activated by complement. These facts appear to us to invalidate Neufeld's division of the phagocytic antibodies into ( a ) bacteriotropins (antibodies, the phagocytic titre of which is not raised by the addition of complement); ( b ) opsonic antibodies (antibodies, comparable to the lysins, which are only active in the presence of complement). 6. Complement alone is incapable of inducing phagocytosis of the pneumococcus. In the phagocytic process, it appears simply to increase the speed at which the reaction takes place. Its role may be compared to that of a catalyst in a chemical reaction. 7. On the basis of these findings, it is proposed that the term "tropin" be discarded as misleading and unnecessary, and that the term "opsonin" be retained to denote any heat-stable antibody which prepares bacteria for phagocytosis. Contrary to current usage, it would not suggest a combination of antibody with complement.
Identifying acoustic scattering sources in normal renal parenchyma in vitro by varying arterial and ureteral pressures

Abstract Ultrasonic backscatter properties of normal dog kidney parenchyma are examined in vivo to determine sources of acoustic scattering. We systematically varied the renal perfusion and ureteral pressures to obtain detailed information about scattering sources that could not be seen under in vitro conditions. These data suggest that in normal parenchyma the principal sources of backscatter are Bowman's capsule at low frequencies (2.5–5.0 MHz) and glomerular arterioles at high frequencies (5.0–15.0 MHz). We found that the integrated backscatter coefficient (IBC) in normally perfused kidney cortex is approximately half that measured in the ischemic organ at all frequencies. Ischemia was found to reduce scatterer size estimates ( D ) by 10% at low frequencies and increase D 54% at high frequencies. Acute obstruction of the kidney, under diuresis, produced an 11% increase in D at low frequencies, and no significant change in D at high frequencies. These variations in backscatter measurements are explained in terms of changes in the microscopic anatomy of the kidney.
A microstructure examination of trading activity following stock splits

In a study of 1,131 stock splits spanning the period 1983–1989 we observe an increase in the number of trades as well as a reduction in the mean trade size following the split. Combined with earlier reported findings of an increase in the number of shareholders postsplit, we conclude that the number of liquidity traders increases after a split. We confirm the previously observed increase in the bid-ask spread following a split, and upon decomposition of the spread find an increase in its adverse selection component in the postsplit period. This is consistent with the finding by Brennan and Hughes (1991) of an increase in the number of analysts following a stock after a split. Further, observing a decrease in market depth following a split we determine that Kyle-type models incorporating diverse private information for informed traders most correctly describe the nature of security trading. Since this decrease in postsplit market depth is not related to the trading volume or the split factor, we reject price correction explanations for stock splits.
Reconstituting Selves in the Karachi Conflict: Mohajir Women Survivors and Structural Violence

The article focuses on the efforts of two Mohajir women survivors to reconstitute themselves in the wake of violence in Karachi, Pakistan. For disempowered women in urban society, the reconstructio...
EDWARD O. WILSON'S THEORY OF CONSILIENCE: A HERMENEUTICAL CRITIQUE

ABSTRACT This paper is a hermeneutical critique of Edward O. Wilson's theory of consilience which attempts to understand “human nature” and unify all knowledge under the aegis of biology and genetics. His pansophic endeavor based on “gene-culture coevolution” is deeply and one-sidedly embedded in genetics. By reducing the human order merely to the organic and ultimately to the physical, furthermore, Wilson's theory is not only a specimen of physicalism whose paradigmatic model is physics but also is fundamentally rooted in a mechanistic or materialistic ontology. Hermeneutics is introduced and proposed here as the alternative to Wilson's reductionistic theory of consilience. It is capable of untying the Gordian knot of Wilson's scientism which has a monochromatic and short leash on human culture and society because both the social and natural sciences are socio-cultural phenomena and products. Hermeneutical inquiry becomes an indispensable tool for learning and teaching the social sciences in particular b...
Bridging the Gap Between First and Second Semester General Chemistry: A Laboratory Exercise

A simple yet challenging exercise that reviews many fundamental chemical concepts and laboratory techniques from first semester general chemistry is offered for use in the first laboratory period of the second semester general chemistry course. This exercise is easy to do and involves a minimal amount of equipment and reagents. Students at the author’s school like this exercise because they get good results, yet feel challenged because they have to think for themselves.
Electron microscopic characterization of DNAs of non-defective deletion mutants of bacteriophage Mu.

We have discovered that the Mu prophage in Escherichia coli strain DK445, a λcIts857 Sam7 lac5: :Mu cI+ dilysogen (in which Mu is integrated in the lacZ gene of the plac5 prophage in the E. coli chromosome) contains a 2600 base-pair long insertion of unknown nature. The DNAs of seven independent phage Mu isolates recovered from induced DK445 have been studied by electron microscopic heteroduplex methods. All were found to contain either a deletion or a substitution in the G and/or beta regions of the chromosome. All seven mutants have growth rate, burst size and plaque morphology indistinguishable from wild-type Mu. Thus, they are the first non-defective deletion mutants of Mu. The regions deleted in these mutants are non-essential. They span the right-hand 1.3 kilobases of the G segment in the lytic orientation and the entire beta region except the rightmost 0.15 kilobase on the S (right) end. The mechanism which generates these Mu deletion mutants with high efficiency (77) is not known. The lengths of the bacterial DNA on the S end vary according to the amount of DNA inserted into or deleted from the Mu genome. Therefore, the model of headful encapsidation of Mu DNA from the c (left) end (Bukhari & Taylor, 1975) is substantiated. None of the mutants has lost the right-hand end of beta, as would have been anticipated by straight-forward headful packaging from the c end of prophage with a sizeable insertion. Therefore, the right-hand end of beta, one of its normal attachment sites, is probably essential for Mu viability. The identification of a Mu mutant with a substitution in beta which is incapable of promoting inversion of the G segment suggests that part of the G segment inversion system might be located on the left portion of the beta region. The G segment inverts normally in the Mu prophage in DK445. Yet, all seven deletion mutants have the G segment arranged in the lytic orientation. These observations suggest that the orientation of Mu G DNA may affect the phage viability and that there may be essential functions encoded within the left-hand 1.7 kilobases of the G segment in the lytic orientation.
Some correlates of test-taking anxiety.

Summary.-The relations of anxiety as measured by the Alpert-Haber Achievement Anxiety scale to extroversion, neuroticism, and optimism were explored. Anxiety scores were those derived from the Facilitating (helpful) subscale, the Debilitating (crippling) subscale, and the Facilitating minus the Debilitating subscale. Ss were 134 members of a sophomore social science class. For the total group, significant relationships were found among three measures of anxiety and neuroticism and optimism but none with extroversion. By sex, only the males showed thc same significant correlations as the total sample. Further studies, particularly with the anxiety measures, must be cautious of possible sex differences. Since the relationships found among neuroticism, optimism, and the anxiety types were lo::ical, some construct validity is derived for the AlpertHaber scale. Alpert and Haber (1960) have developed a scale aimed at measuring cwo rypes of test-taking anxiety, facilitating (helpful) and debilitating (crippling). Studies by those two authors and others such as Dember, Nairne, and Miller (1963)' and Walsh, Engbretson, and O'Brien (1766) have indicated that the scores of these two subscales have validity in predicting subsequent test acd class performance. The present study examined the relationship between test-taking anxiety as measured by this instrument and certain attitude and personality characteristics. The first of these was an Optimism-Pessimism dimension as measured by Wipf's (1966) scale. The second and third dimensions were those of Extroversion-Introversion and Neuroticism-Stability as defined by Eysenck's (1963) inventory. Ss were members of a sop:qomore social science class. On one day they were administered the Alpert-Haber (1960) and Eysenck (1963) instruments and a week later Wipf's (1966) scale. The sample sizes for comparison were 134 (70 males, 64 females) and 105 (53 males, 52 females), respectively. Anxiety was defined as Facilitating or helpful (F), Debilitating or crippling (D) and the score of the Facilitating scale minus the score of the Debilitating scnle (F-D). A constant of 40 was added to this latter scale in order to have the signs all in the same direction. The three types were then correlated with the Extroversion (E), Neuroticism (N) and Optimism (0) scales. Table 1 contains the intercorrelations among variables. Because of previous experiences indicating sex differences on the Alperr-Haber, correlations (rs) were also calculated for males and females separately. For the total group F was found to be significantly related to 0 (p = .01) and N (p = .05) but not to E. D and the F-D ratio for the total group was also significantly related to 0 (.01 level) and N 1.01 level) and, again, not with E. Breaking the sample down by sex produced interesting differences. All three indicators of anxiety were sig
The enzymic incorporation of arachidonic acid into ether-containing choline and ethanolam1ne phosphoglycerides by deacylation-acylat1on reactions

Abstract Microsomal preparations and mitochondrial supernatant fractions from rat testes incorporated [ 3 H]arachidonic acid into the 2-position of [ 14 C]alkylacylglycero-phosphorylcholine and endogenous alk-1-enyl-acylglycerophosphorylethanolamine. The reaction required ATP and CoA and was stimulated by Mg 2+ when microsomes washed with EDTA were used. Under the same conditions, only insignificant quantities of [ 3 H]palmitic acid were incorporated into [ 14 C]alkylacylglycerophosphorylcholine or the alk-I-enylacylglycerophosphorylethanolamine. However, both the [ 3 H]palmitic and the [ 3 H]arachidonic acids were incorporated into diacylglycero-phosphorylcholine and diacylglycerophosphorylethanolamine; the palmitate was found predominately in the 1-position and the arachidonate in the 2-position. When α-glycerophosphate was added to the system, incorporation of the 3 H-labeled acids into phosphatidic acid showed little positional selectivity. These findings indicated that the labeled acids were incorporated into the choline- and ethanolamine-containing phospholipids by deacylation-acylation reactions.
Bone and vitamin D metabolism in HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has progressed to a chronic disease and HIV positive individuals are living longer lives. This has lead to an increase in morbidity and mortality due to secondary issues, one being HIV bone disease. HIV infected pediatric and adult populations have a greater incidence in reduction of BMD as compared to the controls. Osteoporosis has been reported to be present in up to 15 % of HIV positive patients. We are starting to understand the mechanism behind the changes in HIV bone disease. Viral proteins interfere with osteoblastic activity either by direct interaction or by the inflammatory process that they induce. Anti-viral management, including highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), protease inhibitors, and nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) also are involved in disrupting proper bone metabolism. Vitamin D levels have strong correlation with bone disease in HIV patients, and are dependent not only to chronic disease state, but interaction of pharmacologic management and inflammatory process as well. Work up of the secondary causes of osteopenia and osteoporosis should be undertaken in all patients. DEXA scan is recommended in all post-menopausal women with HIV, all HIV infected men 50 years of age or older and in those with a history of fragility fractures regardless of age or gender. Preventive measures include adequate nutrition, calcium and Vitamin D intake daily, muscle strengthening and balance exercises to increase BMD and reduce fractures. Bisphosphonates are considered to be the first line for the treatment of HIV associated bone disease. This review will describe how the balanced mechanism of bone metabolism is interrupted by the HIV infection itself, the complications that arise from HIV/AIDS, and its treatment options.
Comparison of reduced volume versus four liters sulfate-free electrolyte lavage solutions for colonoscopy colon cleansing.

OBJECTIVE: In an attempt to improve patient tolerance for colonoscopy cleansing, a reduced volume lavage regimen with 2 L sulfate-free electrolyte lavage solution (SF-ELS, NuLYTELY, Braintree Laboratories, Braintree, MA) plus 20 mg p.o. bisacodyl (Half Lytely, Braintree Laboratories) was compared with standard 4 L SF-ELS lavage for safety and efficacy. METHODS: At two centers, 200 patients undergoing colonoscopy for routine indications were randomized to receive the reduced volume or standard 4 L method. The day before scheduled colonoscopy, study subjects were allowed a normal breakfast and clear liquids for lunch and dinner. Those randomized to receive the reduced volume method received four 5-mg bisacodyl tablets p.o. at noon. Six hours later, they received 2 L SF-ELS given as 10 oz every 10 min. Subjects randomized to receive 4 L SF-ELS also drank their solution at 6:00 PM in a similar fashion. Colonoscopists, unaware as to the randomized preparation received, rated efficacy of cleansing. Patient tolerance and various hematological and biochemical parameters were assessed. RESULTS: Physician assessment of colon cleansing showed no differences between those patients randomized to receive reduced volume (n = 93) or 4 L (n = 93) SF-ELS cleansing (p = 0.16). There was a profound reduction in preparation side effects. The reduced volume preparation had less fullness (p < 0.01), nausea (p < 0.01), vomiting (p = 0.01), and overall discomfort (p < 0.01). There were no clinically significant changes in hematology or blood chemistry associated with either preparation. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced volume preparation with 2 L SF-ELS and bisacodyl is safe and effective. Clinical symptoms from the reduced volume preparation are significantly reduced compared with traditional 4 L gut lavage.
Adjustment for body mass index and calcitrophic hormone levels improves the diagnostic accuracy of the spot urine calcium-to-creatinine ratio

Providers diagnose hypercalciuria using a 24-hour or random urine samples. We compared calcium measurements from paired 24-hour and morning urine samples; measurements correlated poorly. We developed a formula to correct random urine calcium levels. Corrected levels showed excellent agreement with 24-hour measurements. Until validation, providers should diagnose hypercalciuria using 24-hour tests. Hypercalciuria is a risk factor for osteoporosis and nephrolithiasis. The 24-hour urine calcium (24HUC) measurement is the gold standard to diagnose hypercalciuria, but the spot urine calcium-to-creatinine ratio (SUCCR) is more convenient. Although authors claim they are interchangeable, we observed inconsistencies during the conduct of a clinical trial. Therefore, we systematically evaluated agreement between the tests. During a 28-inpatient calcium absorption studies in 16 postmenopausal women, we simultaneously collected paired fasting morning and 24-hour urine specimens. We found moderate correlation between paired SUCCR and 24HUC specimens (r = 0.57, p = 0.002), but the SUCCR underestimated 24HUC by a mean of 83 mg (Bland–Altman). We diagnosed hypercalciuria (24HUC >250 mg) in eight specimens using the 24HUC, but only in two specimens using the SUCCR (25% sensitivity). We developed a regression model to predict 24HUC using SUCCR, parathyroid hormone, body mass index, and 1,25(OH)2D. The model improved diagnostic sensitivity to 100% and decreased Bland–Altman bias of the SUCCR to +0.06 mg/kg/24-hour. We conclude that the SUCCR underestimates urine calcium loss and does not reliably diagnose hypercalciuria. A formula derived from multivariate regression incorporating other readily measurable variables greatly improved the SUCCR’s accuracy. Future studies must verify this correction before clinical implementation.
Teaching Market Mechanisms and Human Capital in Economics Courses: Examples from Jersey Transactions in Professional Sports.

As professional athletes are traded from team to team, various in-kind and monetary transactions for certain jersey numbers are becoming more common. Given the size of some of the recent payments, these stories have transitioned from relative obscurity to mainstream sports news. In this article, the authors provide two areas where these kinds of interactions can enhance the learning experience in undergraduate microeconomics or undergraduate labor and sports economics. These are (a) simple, illustrative ways of discussing the importance of markets (and related concepts), and (b) an interesting extension of G. S. Becker's (1975) human capital theory.
A convenient non-coupling synthesis of bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene

Abstract A new synthesis of bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene ( 5 ; BEDT-TTF) has been developed by an unusual route. 4,5-Bis(benzoylthio)-1,3-dithiole-2-thione ( 1 ) or commercially available 1,3,4,6-tetrathiapentalene-2,5-dione ( 2 ; thiapendione) is directly converted with sodium ethoxide and cis-1,2-dichloroethylene into 1,4,5,8-tetrathianaphthalene ( 3 ; TTN; 1,4,5,8-tetrathiatetralin) in high yield. TTN is then tetralithiated with an excess of lithium diisopropylamide in tetrahydrofuran, and sulfur is inserted into the four carbonlithium ion pairs. Subsequent capping on both ends of the reactive intermediate with 1,2-dibromoethane leads to an appreciable yield of BEDT-TTF after recrystallization. The reaction takes advantage of a smooth intramolecular rearrangement of the tetralithiated TTN intermediate. BEDT-TTF is confirmed by 1 H-NMR, IR and mass spectroscopy, and is characterized by solution 13 C-NMR.
Anticonvulsant and antiepileptic actions of 2‐deoxy‐D‐glucose in epilepsy models

Objective Conventional anticonvulsants reduce neuronal excitability through effects on ion channels and synaptic function. Anticonvulsant mechanisms of the ketogenic diet remain incompletely understood. Because carbohydrates are restricted in patients on the ketogenic diet, we evaluated the effects of limiting carbohydrate availability by reducing glycolysis using the glycolytic inhibitor 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) in experimental models of seizures and epilepsy. Methods Acute anticonvulsant actions of 2DG were assessed in vitro in rat hippocampal slices perfused with 7.5mM [K+]o, 4-aminopyridine, or bicuculline, and in vivo against seizures evoked by 6Hz stimulation in mice, audiogenic stimulation in Fring's mice, and maximal electroshock and subcutaneous pentylenetetrazol (Metrazol) in rats. Chronic antiepileptic effects of 2DG were evaluated in rats kindled from olfactory bulb or perforant path. Results 2DG (10mM) reduced interictal epileptiform bursts induced by 7.5mM [K+]o, 4-aminopyridine, and bicuculline, and electrographic seizures induced by high [K+]o in CA3 of hippocampus. 2DG reduced seizures evoked by 6Hz stimulation in mice (effective dose [ED]50 = 79.7mg/kg) and audiogenic stimulation in Fring's mice (ED50 = 206.4mg/kg). 2DG exerted chronic antiepileptic action by increasing afterdischarge thresholds in perforant path (but not olfactory bulb) kindling and caused a twofold slowing in progression of kindled seizures at both stimulation sites. 2DG did not protect against maximal electroshock or Metrazol seizures. Interpretation The glycolytic inhibitor 2DG exerts acute anticonvulsant and chronic antiepileptic actions, and has a novel pattern of effectiveness in preclinical screening models. These results identify metabolic regulation as a potential therapeutic target for seizure suppression and modification of epileptogenesis. Ann Neurol 2009;65:435–448.
Effects of nutrition and genotype on prion protein (PrPC) gene expression in the fetal and maternal sheep placenta.

Abstract For placental transmission of scrapie to occur, the normal cellular prion protein (PrPC) must be converted to an abnormal infectious form known as PrPSc. PrPC genotype influences susceptibility to contracting scrapie, but we still do not understand whether genotype or expression levels of PrPC are important in transmission of scrapie. Some evidence exists that nutrition affects expression levels of PrPC. Thus, we evaluated the effects of genotype and nutrition on PrPC mRNA and protein expression in adolescent ewes fed at control (100% of National Research Council [NRC] requirements) or restricted (60% of NRC) levels of diet intake during two periods of pregnancy (days 50–90 and days 90–130)]. Gravid uteri ( n =50) from singleton pregnancies were collected at day 130, and placentomes were either separated into caruncular (CAR; maternal) or cotyledonary (COT; fetal) placenta and snap-frozen for PrPC mRNA expression or perfusion fixed for PrPC protein expression. PrPC genotypes were determined (codons 136 and 171) using SNP assay. There were no genotype effects on PrPC mRNA expression in CAR or on PrPC protein expression in either CAR or COT, but PrPC mRNA expression in COT was greater ( P P =0.003) in diet-restricted ewes than in control ewes, but was less uniformly distributed ( P P
Age-related reduction in response of hepatic enzymes to 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine administration.

The relationship of age and responsivity to thyroid hormone of hepatic α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (a- GPD) and malic enzyme (ME) was studied in rats 1, 2, 3, and 6 months of age. Basal enzyme levels as well as enzyme response to T3 administration were correlated with nuclear content of T3, nuclear T3 receptor concentration, and receptor affinity. Basal enzyme levels of α-GPD activity declined from 0.145 ± 0.012 to 0.079 ± 0.008 δOD/min-mg protein (mean ± SD) between 1–6 months of age. ME levels also fell progressively from 28.6 ± 2.4 U/mg protein at 1 month to 6.2 ± 1.9 U/mg protein at 6 months. Comparable reductions in activity of both enzymes were observed when total cellular enzyme was related to DNA concentration. An age-related reduction of enzyme mass was suggested both by a proportional decrease in the Vmax of the enzymes and by the identity of the equivalence point of ME at all ages against a specific anti-ME antiserum. Since the fractional rate of disappearance of both enzymes (t1/2, 3.0 da...