cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitative Brain PET. Comparison of 2D and 3D Acquisitions on the GE Advance Scanner.

PURPOSE: Recent developments in the design of positron emission tomography (PET) scanners have made three-dimensional (3D) data acquisition attractive because of significantly higher sensitivity compared to the conventional 2D mode (with lead/tungsten septa extended). However, the increased count rate in 3D mode comes at the cost of increased scatter, randoms, and dead time. Several schemes to correct for these effects have been proposed and validated in phantom studies. In this study, we evaluated the overall improvement afforded by 3D imaging in quantitative human brain PET studies carried out at our institution.METHODS: Subjects were studied using sequential/interleaved 2D and 3D data acquisition with a GE Advance scanner. We calculated regional and global cerebral glucose metabolism with [(18)F]flourodeoxyglucose (FDG) and estimated rate constants for striatal [(18)F]fluorodopa (FDOPA) uptake.RESULTS: FDG: Global mean glucose metabolic rates were in almost complete agreement (within 1%) between the two modes whereas the regional differences ranged from -7.7% to +9% for all cortical structures. However, for small regions (<2 cm(2)) like caudate nuclei, the maximum difference was 14.7%. FDOPA: A significant improvement in image quality was evident in 3D mode and there was complete agreement between the estimated parameters in the two scanning modes for the same noise equivalent counts: Striatal-to-occipital ratio (SOR) and striatal FDOPA uptake (K(i)(FD)) had mean differences of less than 2% and 5%, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: 3D FDG studies can be done with either half the injected dose or half the scan duration to a comparable 2D study. 3D PET imaging has distinct advantages over 2D in the quantitative fluorodopa studies.
Direct liquid chromatographic separation of benzodiazepinone enantiomers

Abstract The enantiomers of 46 3-substituted 5-phenyl-1,3-dihydro(2H)1,4-benzodiazepin-2-ones, diazepam (Valium®) analogues, have been chromatographically separated on chiral stationary phases derived from (R)-phenyl-glycine or (S)-leucine. Both analytical and preparative scale separations have been effected. The enantiomers separate readily and elute in a uniform order. Elution order is accommodated by a chiral recognition model.
Potential energy constants and rotational distortion constants for SiH4, SiD4, GeH4, and GeD4

Abstract The potential energy constants for SiH4 and GeH4 have been obtained from the vibrational wave numbers and the Coriolis coupling constants ζ3 and ζ4. As a check, these potential energy constants were then used to calculate the wave numbers and the Coriolis coupling constants for SiD4 and GeD4. Good agreement between the observed and calculated values was obtained. The rotational distortion constants also were evaluated for the four molecules, using the expressions recently derived by Herranz for CH4.
AREAL AND TEMPORAL ANALYSIS OF NEW JERSEY PRECIPITATION USING HARMONIC ANALYSIS

Harmonic analysis provides a unique method of obtaining an objective and simultaneous evaluation of the temporal and areal distribution of precipitation and is applied to precipitation from a network of stations in New Jersey and bordering states. Results show that the first harmonic describing the tendency toward a single annual maximum and minimum of precipitation is most significant in the interior and northwestern sections of New Jersey and diminishes in significance toward the coast. An isochronal plot of phase angle of the first harmonic shows that annual precipitation peaks in July in the interior of the state, while toward the coast a late summer maximum is evident, reaching into September in the Atlantic City area.
Temperature effects on transmembrane potentials of rat ventricle

Summary To elucidate the effects of hypothermia on myocardium, the sensitive parameters of resting and action transmembrane potentials—measured by intracellular glass electrodes—were recorded as the temperature was lowered by 5°C decrements. Slivers of rat ventricle in oxygenated Tyrode's solution at 37°C maintained a normal resting potential (RP) of −80 ± 4 mV and a normal action potential (AP) for at least 6 hrs. On cooling action potential waveforms lengthened—especially phase 2 which corresponds to the ST segment—though phases 0 and 3 were prolonged below 15°C. Below 10°C the AP could no longer be stimulated. Resting potentials fell to −40 mV at 4°C. Recovery was slow, irregular, and incomplete. Myocardium stimulated at 30 beats per min in Tyrode's became inexcitable at 8°C and had higher RP values (−60 mV at 4°C), but incomplete recovery. Low molecular weight dextran (LMD) was detrimental if added at normothermia, but beneficial at lower temperatures. Addition of cool LMD lowered the arrest temperature at 9°C, and the RP values at 4°C averaged −70 mV and were quite stable. Recovery during warmup was prompt. LMD was removed at 25°C, and with continued warming to 37°C the RP and AP values and waveforms were comparable to the controls. These studies demonstrate significant deleterious changes in myocardial cellular function resulting from deep hypothermia even without freezing, which are ameliorated by LMD. Like many cryoprotective agents, LMD is found to have significant though reversible deleterious effects at normothermia.
The effects of chlorpromazine upon fear-motivated behavior in the squirrel monkey

Four male squirrel monkeys were subjected to a Sidman nondiscriminated avoidance schedule (R-S, S-S—20 sec) that superimposed 3-min conditioned stimuli (CS)/unavoidable shock pairings upon ongoing avoidance behavior. Three of the four animals demonstrated facilitated avoidance and activity rates during the CS, while one animal demonstrated suppressed avoidance and activity rates during the CS. Chlorpromazine (.05,.10,.20 mg/kg) reduced overall response rates and augmented shock rates significantly in a dose-related manner. The facilitation ratios computed to reflect the degree of response facilitation for three of the animals during the aversive CS were not significantly altered by drug administration. The one animal which normally suppressed its rate during the CS, however, demonstrated an attenuation of this suppression under all doses of the drug. These results were interpreted to suggest that the degree of behavioral facilitation noted during an aversive CS cannot be used as a sensitive index of the anxiolytic properties of drugs.
Protection by inhibition of poly (ADP-ribose) synthetase against oxidant injury in cardiac myoblasts In vitro.

Peroxynitrite and hydroxyl radical are reactive oxidants produced during myocardial reperfusion injury. In various cell types, including macrophages and smooth muscle cells, peroxynitrite and hydrogen peroxide cause DNA single strand breakage, which triggers the activation of the nuclear enzyme poly (ADP-ribose) synthetase (PARS), resulting in cytotoxicity. Using 3-aminobenzamide and nicotinamide, inhibitors of PARS, we investigated the role of PARS in the pathogenesis of myocardial oxidant injury in H9c2 cardiac myoblastsin vitro.Peroxynitrite (100–1000μm), hydrogen peroxide (0.3–10μm) and the NO donor compounds S-nitroso-N-accetyl-DL-penicillamine (SNAP) and diethyltriamine NONOate all caused a dose-dependent reduction of the mitochondrial respiration of the cells, as measured by the mitochondrial-dependent conversion of MTT to formazan. Peroxynitrite and hydrogen peroxide, but not the NO donors caused activation of cellular PARS activity. The suppression of mitochondrial respiration by peroxynitrite and hydrogen peroxide, but not by the NO donors, was ameliorated by pharmacological inhibition of PARS. The protection by the PARS inhibitors diminished at extremely high concentrations of the oxidants. Hypoxia (1 h) followed by reoxygenation (1–24 h) also resulted in a significant activation of PARS, and caused a suppression of mitochondrial respiration, which was prevented by inhibition of PARS. Similar to the results obtained with the pharmacological inhibitors of PARS, a fibroblast cell line which derives from the PARS knockout mouse was protected against the suppression of mitochondrial respiration in response to peroxynitrite and reoxygenation, but not to NO donors, when compared to the result of cells derived from wild-type animals. Based on our data, we suggest that activation of PARS plays a role in the myocardial oxidant injury.
Immunology of endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a common condition with a varied phenotype. Symptomatic cases have been associated with progesterone resistance and dysregulated cytokine production in both ectopic and eutopic endometrium. In at least some cases, this seems to be associated with chronic local inflammation and antib
Superconducting properties of Nb/Ge metal semiconductor multilayers

We have made layered superconductors composed of alternating thin films of sputter-deposited Nb and Ge. Individual layer thicknesses range from 5 to 100 A, each sample containing from 50 to 80 Nb/Ge-layer pairs with a fixed thickness ratio, D/sub Nb//D/sub Ge/. As revealed by x-ray analysis, the samples have a distinct superlattice structure consisting of amorphous Ge layers and, except for those with D/sub Nb/<30 A, (110) textured polycrystalline Nb layers. Transport studies reveal that each Nb layer itself consists of a clean central portion with damaged regions at the Nb/Ge interfaces. A proximity-effect analysis of the samples indicates that the presence of this damaged Nb interfacial layer largely governs the observed transition temperatures of these multilayers. Measurement of the upper critical fields and fluctuation conductivity have confirmed both the dimensional and the temperature-dependent dimensional crossover effects expected in Josephson-coupled quasi-two-dimensional superconductors. The observed degree of control over interlayer coupling possible with these multilayers suggests they are a model system for the study of quasi-two-dimensional superconductivity.
Successful Treatment of Aspergillus Brain Abscess with Itraconazole and Interferon-γ in a Patient with Chronic Granulomatous Disease

This report describes the successful treatment of Aspergillus brain abscess in a boy with chronic granulomatous disease.
Multiple Interactions Control Synaptic Layer Specificity in the Drosophila Visual System

Summary How neurons form synapses within specific layers remains poorly understood. In the Drosophila medulla, neurons target to discrete layers in a precise fashion. Here we demonstrate that the targeting of L3 neurons to a specific layer occurs in two steps. Initially, L3 growth cones project to a common domain in the outer medulla, overlapping with the growth cones of other neurons destined for a different layer through the redundant functions of N-Cadherin (CadN) and Semaphorin-1a (Sema-1a). CadN mediates adhesion within the domain and Sema-1a mediates repulsion through Plexin A (PlexA) expressed in an adjacent region. Subsequently, L3 growth cones segregate from the domain into their target layer in part through Sema-1a/PlexA-dependent remodeling. Together, our results and recent studies argue that the early medulla is organized into common domains, comprising processes bound for different layers, and that discrete layers later emerge through successive interactions between processes within domains and developing layers.
CONTRIBUTION TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF NORTH AMERICAN SYRPHIDÆ—II

An interesting part of this paper will be found to deal with some material from Alaska. During the summer of 1896 Prof. L. L. Dyche, of the University of Kansas, the well-known taxidermist, made an expedition to Cook's Inlet, Alaska, and from there inland. A number of species of Syrphidae were taken simply as a side issue, the expedition not being an entomological one at all. Unfortunately, during the long journey back many of these specimens were damaged beyond all hope of recognition. The material that came through, however, without damage, although consisting of only thirteen species, makes quite a contribution to the knowledge of the Dipterous fauna of that interesting region. Although some of the orders of insects, notably the Coleoptera, have been quite assiduously collected in Alaska, and extensive reports written upon them, in the Syrphidae, as is the case in all of the families of Diptera, no collections of importance have been made.
δ13C values of carbonate nodules across the Permian–Triassic boundary in the Karoo Supergroup (South Africa) reflect a stinking sulfurous swamp, not atmospheric CO2

Abstract Paleosol macromorphology, petrography and stable isotope geochemistry of carbonate nodules from Permo–Triassic (P–T) boundary strata of the central Karoo basin, South Africa are presented in order to evaluate their utility as geochemical archives of Permian–Triassic paleoatmospheric chemistry and their potential to provide a terrestrial carbon isotope chemostratigraphy for correlation with contemporaneous global marine δ 13 C records. Paleosol morphologies across P–T boundary strata of the central Karoo basin indicate the region was a poorly drained, seasonally to continuously flooded bottomland. Radiaxial calcite, microspar and micrite microtextures are observed in the calcite nodules associated with P–T paleosol profiles. Micritic calcite is typical of soil carbonate that forms in well-drained soils characterized by open-system gaseous diffusion between the soil and global atmosphere, whereas more coarsely crystalline textures and radiaxial calcite are more typical of crystallization in phreatic environments with limited gaseous diffusion between the soil and global atmosphere. In this regard, only those nodules composed of micritic calcite can be considered as a potentially reliable source of proxy information for paleoatmospheric δ 13 C values across the P–T boundary. The δ 13 C values of all carbonate nodules from two overlapping measured sections near Carlton Heights, South Africa range from − 24.4‰ to − 1.8‰, whereas micritic calcite nodule δ 13 C values range from − 7.0‰ to − 21.3‰. Comparison of calcite δ 13 C values with penecontemporaneous organic matter δ 13 C values indicate that calcite δ 13 C values δ 13 C values. Rather, these more negative carbonate nodule δ 13 C values likely reflect calcite crystallization under poorly drained, swampy conditions characterized by a semi-closed chemical system that evolved independently of Earth's troposphere. Therefore, previously reported negative carbon isotope shift(s) measured from carbonate nodules in the Karoo basin P–T strata do not provide a record of atmospheric δ 13 C, and probably do not provide a viable carbon isotope stratigraphy that can be realistically correlated with global P–T marine carbon isotope stratigraphies.
Expression of TRPM-2 during involution and regeneration of the rat liver.

Abstract Increased message levels of testosteronerepressed prostate message-2 (TRPM-2) have been associated with programmed cell death in many tissues. To study its involvement in the apoptotic elimination of hepatocytes during liver involution and regeneration, levels of TRPM-2 message were evaluated in situ and by the ribonuclease protection assay. Although significant increases in apoptotic bodies were observed in rats 96 h following treatment with lead nitrate and ethylene dibromide, an increase in TRPM-2 message was not detected. Therefore, the expression of TRPM-2 mRNA may be a poor indicator of the extent to which apoptosis occurs during liver involution.
A randomized trial of teen online problem solving: efficacy in improving caregiver outcomes after brain injury.

Objective: To examine the results of a randomized clinical trial (RCT) of Teen Online Problem Solving (TOPS), an online problem solving therapy model, in increasing problem-solving skills and decreasing depressive symptoms and global distress for caregivers of adolescents with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Method: Families of adolescents aged 11-18 who sustained a moderate to severe TBI between 3 and 19 months earlier were recruited from hospital trauma registries. Participants were assigned to receive a web-based, problem-solving intervention (TOPS, n = 20), or access to online resources pertaining to TBI (Internet Resource Comparison; IRC; n = 21). Parent report of problem solving skills, depressive symptoms, global distress, utilization, and satisfaction were assessed pre- and posttreatment. Groups were compared on follow-up scores after controlling for pretreatment levels. Family income was examined as a potential moderator of treatment efficacy. Improvement in problem solving was examined as a mediator of reductions in depression and distress. Results: Forty-one participants provided consent and completed baseline assessments, with follow-up assessments completed on 35 participants (16 TOPS and 19 IRC). Parents in both groups reported a high level of satisfaction with both interventions. Improvements in problem solving skills and depression were moderated by family income, with caregivers of lower income in TOPS reporting greater improvements. Increases in problem solving partially mediated reductions in global distress. Conclusions: Findings suggest that TOPS may be effective in improving problem solving skills and reducing depressive symptoms for certain subsets of caregivers in families of adolescents with TBI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved). Language: en
Impact of Treatment Guidelines on Clinical and Economic Outcomes of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

Background:No data exist that demonstrate the impact of comprehensive acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) treatment guidelines on clinical and economic outcomes in hospitalized patients with this condition.Objectives:To compare clinical and economic outcomes before and after implementation of treatment guidelines for ADHF.Methods:A single-center, retrospective, chart review study was conducted in a university hospital. ADHF treatment guidelines were developed and implemented on January 1, 2004. Patients hospitalized for ADHF between January 2003 and November 2004 were identified using the Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Registry. Study periods were 12 months prior to and the 11 months following guideline implementation.Results:This cohort was comprised of 683 ADHF hospitalizations (357 preguideline, 326 postguideline); several patients were admitted more than once. There was a trend toward increased use of intravenous vasoactive drugs (VADs) following guideline implementation (19.9% vs 24.2%; p = 0...
Water Cooled Beam Dumps and Collimators for the Stanford Linear Accelerator

This paper deals with recent developments of power absorbing devices such as beam dumps, slits, and collimators. A brief discussion is given of the heat transfer experiments that have been conducted at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center to establish design heat flux conditions for the various materials to be used for the power absorbing devices. Design concepts of a 2.2 MW, 11 to 25 GeV beam dump, as presently being built at SLAC, are also discussed. Finally, there is a typical analysis which leads to the design of a collimator, with emphasis on beam definition, heat transfer, thermal stress development and material selection.
Distribution, Size, and Origin of Juvenile Chinook Salmon in Shallow-Water Habitats of the Lower Columbia River and Estuary, 2002–2007

Abstract We monitored fish assemblages monthly at estuarine and tidal freshwater sites in the lower Columbia River and estuary from January 2002 through September 2007 in order to identify specific salmon stocks and migration stages that may benefit from habitat restoration initiatives. We report landscape-scale and seasonal variation in abundance, size, hatchery production (based on adipose fin clips), and genetic stock of origin of juvenile Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. From fish implanted with coded wire tags (CWTs), we also determined the sites of release and inferred migration patterns. Chinook salmon were found in diverse life history stages and forms, including fry migrants, fingerlings, and (fewer) yearlings. Abundance increased in February and decreased in August, but salmon were present in all months each year. Spatial gradients in abundance and size were strong, with fewer but larger fish in brackish than in tidal freshwater zones. Overall, 30% of the Chinook salmon measured were fry...
Tensile Creep Behavior of a Gas‐Pressure‐Sintered Silicon Nitride Containing Silicon Carbide

The tensile creep behavior of a gas-pressure-sintered silicon nitride containing silicon carbide was characterized at temperatures between 1375° and 1450°C with applied stresses between 50 and 250 MPa. Individual specimens were tested at fixed temperatures and applied loads. Each specimen was pin-loaded within the hot zone of a split-tube furnace through silicon carbide rods connected outside the furnace to a pneumatic cylinder. The gauge length was measured by laser extensometry, using gauge markers attached to the specimen. Secondary creep rates ranged from 0.54 to 270 Gs−1, and the creep tests lasted from 6.7 to 1005 h. Exponential functions of stress and temperature were fitted to represent the secondary creep rate and the creep lifetime. This material was found to be more creep resistant than two other silicon nitride ceramics that had been characterized earlier by the same method of measurement as viable candidates for high-temperature service.
Some numerical experiments with a three dimensional finite element model of a laterally loaded pile

Abstract This paper describes the results of several numerical experiments performed with a three dimensional finite element model of a laterally loaded pile. The experiments are used to investigate the effect of several factors on the p-y curves derived from the model. The three dimensional finite element model utilizes a plasticity model for soil with interface elements which allow gap formation; the model has been described by Brown and Shie (1). P-y curves are widely used in design because of the relative simplicity of the beam on elastic foundation approach and the ability of design p-y curves to represent nonlinear soil behavior. However, it is recognized that this procedure does not represent the soil as a continuum and that the relative importance of some possibly significant factors may be obscured. The procedures used to develop p-y curves are largely empirical. P-y curves derived from the three dimensional finite element model are used in this study to investigate the effect on the soil response of pilehead fixity, in-situ soil stresses, pile/soil interface friction, and sloping ground. The results provide the type of information needed to intelligently utilize the p-y method in the design process.
The oxidation of 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid by Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase: mechanism and possible consequences.

Abstract Cu,Zn SOD, but not Mn SOD, catalyzes the oxidation of 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (3-HA) under aerobic conditions. In the absence of O 2 , the Cu(II) of the enzyme is reduced by 3-HA. One plausible mechanism involves the reduction of the active site Cu(II) to Cu(I), which is then reoxidized by the O − 2 generated by autoxidation of the anthranilyl or other radicals on the pathway to cinnabarinate. We may call this the superoxide reductase, or SOR, mechanism. Another possibility invokes direct reoxidation of the active site Cu(I) by the anthranilyl, or other organic radicals, or by the peroxyl radicals generated by addition of O 2 to these organic radicals. Such oxidations catalyzed by Cu,Zn SOD could account for the deleterious effects of the mutant Cu,Zn SODs associated with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and of the overproduction or overadministration of wild-type Cu,Zn SOD.
Multiscale modeling of damage and failure in aluminum-matrix composites

A multiscale approach to composite failure, in which detailed information on small-scale micromechanics is incorporated approximately yet accurately into larger-scale models capable of simulating extensive damage evolution and ultimate failure, is applied to the deformation and failure of an aluminum matrix composite reinforced with Al2O3 fibers, Specifically, 3D finite-element models are used to predict the load transfer from broken to unbroken fibers as a function of applied stress and matrix yield strength. The stress concentrations around a single fiber break are then employed in a Green's function model that predicts the evolution of multiple fiber damage under increasing applied load up to failure in moderate-sized composites. These studies explicitly demonstrate the local critical damage level that must be attained to drive global failure. Analytic models for scaling of the tensile strength to large sizes typical of test coupons and components are then employed. The general method is applied to predict failure in an aluminium matrix reinforced with Al2O3 fibers. Good agreement at small composite sizes is obtained, but the scaling of strength with size is weaker than is observed in experiments. Possible reasons for these deviations are discussed, focusing on the appropriate constitutive response for highly constrained metal yielding at small scales. The analytic models for strength also provide information on reliability versus size and are usable in stochastic finite element models. The overall multiscale model can guide the choice of damage metrics and instability points within macroscale damage mechanics models. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Contemporary Neighborhood Housing Dynamics in a Mid-Sized U.S. City: The Policy Consequences of Mismeasuring the Dependent Variable

This paper analyzes median assessed residential property values using three different operationalizations of a tract-level dependent variable for a mid-sized US city: Louisville, Kentucky. We estimated the impacts of accessibility, socio-demographics, and housing characteristics as well as three policy interventions (HOPE VI, historic preservation districts, and university–community partnerships) on median assessed values and changes to them over the 2000–2006 housing bubble. Our interpretation of models employing the three different operationalizations leads to different conclusions about neighborhood health and the efficacy of policy programs. Conventional operationalizations employed by advocates, such as looking at medians or raw dollar changes in median values, are likely to find that policy interventions have less of an impact compared to measuring recent percent changes in property values. Thus, we provide a methodological contribution that shows that percent changes should accompany traditional an...
Genetic variation in two populations of the rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa) assessed using novel tetranucleotide microsatellite loci

Seven novel tetranucleotide microsatellite loci were identified from a partial genomic DNA library, enriched for GATA-motif microsatellites, from the rough-skinned newt ( Taricha granulosa ). All loci were polymorphic, and one displayed a high frequency null allele. A related species, T. rivularis , displays strong site fidelity and detectable population structure over small spatial scales, so we assessed genetic variation in two samples of T. granulosa separated by 16 km. Distributions of allele frequencies differ significantly between our two sites, but small values of F ST and Rho ST suggest that the populations are linked by a large amount of gene flow.
Brain cancer translational research from an academic perspective

Dr Gregory Riggins speaks to Simi Thankaraj, Assistant Commisioning Editor: Gregory J Riggins is the recipient of the Irving J Sherman MD Research Professorship in Neurosurgery and the Director of the Division of Neurosurgery Research. He received his MD and PhD degrees from Emory University (GA, USA) where he graduated from the Medical Scientist Training Program. After graduation, he then trained as a postdoctoral fellow with Bert Vogelstein and Ken Kinzler at the Johns Hopkins University (MD, USA) in the Department of Oncology. Now a Professor of Neurosurgery and Oncology, and Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins, the main goal of his research is to develop and evaluate new brain tumor therapies. A major component of this research is identifying new small molecules.
Monitoring and Managing the Harvest of Tegu Lizards in Paraguay

Despite the ongoing worldwide trade in reptiles, monitoring and management systems are only recently being developed for exploited lizards and snakes. We studied the tegu lizard (Tupinambis spp.) management and harvest monitoring program in Paraguay as a model for commercially exploited reptile management. Tegu lizards are among the most exploited reptiles in the world, with current quotas for Paraguay and Argentina of 300,000 and 1,000,000, respectively. We analyzed demographic data obtained from harvested skins of 2 species of tegu lizards at 2 trade levels (i.e., check stations and tanneries) over an 8-year period. There was significant annual variation in the number, size, and sex ratios of harvested tegus. Sex ratios were consistently male biased. The proportion of small skins in the harvest decreased over time, indicating compliance with the policy to ban commerce of small tegu skins. However, disparities among check stations and tanneries indicated that small skins might have been restretched by middlemen as they were bartered up the trade chain. Our results support the conclusion that tegu lizards are withstanding the harvest in Paraguay. There was no chronological trend of increased take or decreasing size that would indicate overharvest, and there were no indicators of local population decline. However, data on hunter effort are lacking, and it is important to implement a system for quantifying hunter effort and incorporate those data into harvest models. This is the first study to report long-term data on a harvested lizard. The approach we used here can serve as a model for monitoring and management of other commercially exploited terrestrial reptiles.
PGE2 hyperpolarizes gallbladder neurons and inhibits synaptic potentials in gallbladder ganglia

Gallbladder prostaglandin E2(PGE2) levels are significantly elevated in pathophysiological conditions, resulting in changes in gallbladder motility or secretion that may involve actions of the pros...
Open-Source Software Technology Yields Success in Research Courses

Using technology enhances learning, especially when teaching certain subjects. One such subject is a research class. On any level, teaching research can be particularly challenging because many students fail to grasp the value of it. Students lack previous exposure to research methodology and statistics, they do not recognize the growing need for knowledge workers in the labor market, and they do not connect with esoteric academic research courses in their own practical future opportunities. Given the industry demand for students who can succeed in highly complex positions and the growing demand for educators to produce high-quality research, this article presents the results of a project based pedagogy using open-source software. A research course designed to meet these goals can expose students to the software and technology that can enable them to engage in current and future research projects. It can provide high-quality instruction in research methods and statistics and produce substantive research that meets academic publication standards and provides options for students, teachers, instructors, and professors to present at professional conferences.Presubmission, expanded version attached
Association of Job Satisfaction, Productivity, Motivation, Stress Levels with Flextime

It has been observed that the concept of flextime is very useful but it has not been understood and utilized by many organizations till date in UAE. The flextime concept is suitable to those employees who are willing to work in flexible work shifts with suitable work timings .This research is focused on finding out a relationship between flextime and employee productivity, job satisfaction, work productivity, motivation and reduction in the stress levels of the employees. There is a good scope for implementing flextime in UAE since many such jobs that can be done with flexibility in the work timings are available in the organizations (both in the manufacturing and service oriented industries). To test the hypothesis the researcher used (ANOVA) linear regression test which shows the relationship between independent variable (flextime) and the dependent variable (job satisfaction, work productivity, motivation, and stress levels). The researcher has used frequency table for analysis of the demographic factors and has done the mean and standard deviation analysis. The researcher has used the Pearson correlation test to check the validity of the research questionnaire.
Chromatography of proteins of squamous cell carcinomas and normal epithelium of mice.

SummaryThese results show that the above chromatographic procedure can be used to separate different protein extracts into a number of fractions and to investigate the distribution of various enzyme activities to pick out qualitative enzymic differences between malignant tumors and the normal tissues from which they arise.
Endotoxin toxicity in rats is enhanced by tilorone.

SummaryThe relatively nontoxic drug, tilorone, greatly enhanced the susceptibility of rats to lethal effects of endotoxin. The magnitude of the synergy was similar to that produced by adrenalectomy, but the effect of tilorone was not mediated by the adrenal glands. The histopathologic effects of endotoxin plus tilorone resembled those produced by much larger doses of endotoxin alone, including instances of the generalized Shwartzman reaction.We are indebted to the Merrell-National Laboratories, Cincinnati, Ohio, for the gift of tilorone.
Hemangioblastoma arising from the submandibular gland.

Objective:The objective was to document and describe the clinical features of a hemangioblastoma arising from a submandibular gland.Methods:A case report of a 63-year-old man with a right submandibular gland hemangioblastoma.Results:Submandibular gland excision and histological examination revealed a hemangioblastoma. Subsequent evaluation with imaging studies found no association with von Hippel–Lindau disease.Conclusion:We report the first presentation of a hemangioblastoma arising in a salivary gland. Further evaluation of patients with a hemangioblastoma is recommended given the neoplasms’ association with von Hippel–Lindau disease.
Analysis of pattern visual evoked potential waveforms for different kinds of amblyopia

Objective To investigate the differences of pattern visual evoked potential(PVEP) waves of four kinds of amblyopia what are anisometropic amblyopia,ametropic amblyopia,strabismic amblyopia and high myopia with amblyopia.Methods PVEP waves of 40 asthenopic eyes were respectively analyzed and the amplitude of P100 waves and latencies were observed.Results Amplitude of P100 waves decreased obviously in each types of amblyopia.No direct correlations existed between the decrease of P100 amplitude and the visual acuity in the anisometropic amblyopia.The ametropic amblyopia,anisometropic amblyopia,strabismic amblyopia and high myopia with amblyopia were ordered according to the length of latency time.Conclusion The nerve conduction velocity is delayed in all types of amblyopia.There is less prolongation of P100 latency time in anisometropic amblyopia and ametropic amblyopia than that in optic neuritis,so it can distinguish the amblyopia from the optic neuritis.
Realizing Gravity's Fantasy

In the nineteenth century, fantasy could be relegated to children's books, and within these books to places like Wonderland, enclosed by and subordinate to Reality. But with the increasing relativism and subjectivism of the twentieth century, fantasy has entered the mainstream, in works by Joyce, Kafka, Borges, Nabokov: if there can be no truly objective account of reality, if all accounts are subjective, then dreamland and invented worlds necessarily inform our versions of reality. Thomas Pynchon is one of these fantasy-realists whose work is shaped by such a conviction. And Gravity's Rainbow in particular describes a land where fantasy increasingly interpenetrates reality. The novel moves from a relatively discrete and discreet indulgence in fantasy, like Lord Blatherard Osmo's fantasy of the Giant Adenoid, to the realm of the postwar Zone, where fantasy has broken the constraints of logic and flowers everywhere, indistinguishable from so-called reality.
Fluorescence Diagnosis of Cancer

The fluorescence of hematoporphyrin-derivative (HpD) or dihematoporphyrin ether (DHE), together with the property of attaining a higher concentration in malignant tumors than in most normal tissues, form a basis for diagnosis of cancer. Malignant tumors exhibit greater fluorescence than the surrounding nonmalignant tissue when excited by light of appropriate wavelength, and the tumor can be detected by a suitable imaging or nonimaging system. This paper discusses the fluorescent agent and background fluorescence, excitation systems, imaging methods, and nonimaging methods for diagnosis of cancer.
Genetic polymorphisms in 5-Fluorouracil-related enzymes predict pathologic response after neoadjuvant chemoradiation for rectal cancer.

Background Many patients with rectal cancer undergo preoperative neoadjuvant chemoradiation, with approximately 70% exhibiting pathologic downstaging in response to treatment. Currently, there is no accurate test to predict patients who are likely to be complete responders to therapy. 5-Fluorouracil is used regularly in the neoadjuvant treatment of rectal cancer. Genetic polymorphisms affect the activity of thymidylate synthase, an enzyme involved in 5-Fluorouracil metabolism, which may account for observed differences in response to neoadjuvant treatment between patients. Detection of genetic polymorphisms might identify patients who are likely to have a complete response to neoadjuvant therapy and perhaps allow them to avoid operation. Methods DNA was isolated from whole blood taken from patients with newly diagnosed rectal cancer who received neoadjuvant therapy ( n = 50). Response to therapy was calculated with a tumor regression score based on histology from the time of operation. Polymerase chain reaction was performed targeting the promoter region of thymidylate synthase. Polymerase chain reaction products were separated using electrophoresis to determine whether patients were homozygous for a double-tandem repeat (2R), a triple-tandem repeat (3R), or were heterozygous (2R/3R). A single nucleotide polymorphism, 3G or 3C, also may be present in the second repeat unit of the triple-tandem repeat allele. Restriction fragment length polymorphism assays were performed in patients with at least one 3R allele using HaeIII. Results Patients with at least 1 thymidylate synthase 3G allele were more likely to have a complete or partial pathologic response to 5-Fluorouracil neoadjuvant therapy (odds ratio 10.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.3–81.6; P = .01) than those without at least one 3G allele. Conclusion Identification of rectal cancer patients with specific genetic polymorphisms in enzymes involved in 5-Fluorouracil metabolism seems to predict the likelihood of complete or partial pathologic response to preoperative neoadjuvant therapy.
From The Standard Linear Solid To The Viscoplasticity Theory Based On Overstress

The overstress concept in viscoplasticity has been introduced in dynamic plasticity by Malvern [1] and for static viscoplasticity by Perzyna [2]. This concept has recently been in use with state variable theories, see Krempl [3]. The usefulness of the overstress concept in explaining unusual and even paradoxical experimental results has been demonstrated by Krempl [4].
Education and Life

The connection between education and experience or life is intimate and mutually effective, for each contributes to the other in significant and profound ways. Experience is educative and can be educational, and education is the cumulative aspect of experience, the character and direction possessed by further experience. It is impossible to isolate education from experience; and it is equally impossible to endeavor to unify them. Education is a dimension of life or experience, and life of necessity is educative. An educational system remote from any practical endeavor is still part of experience, and is still of profound effect on the lives of the individuals who partake of it.
Phylosymbiosis: Relationships and Functional Effects of Microbial Communities across Host Evolutionary History.

Phylosymbiosis was recently proposed to describe the eco-evolutionary pattern, whereby the ecological relatedness of host-associated microbial communities parallels the phylogeny of related host species. Here, we test the prevalence of phylosymbiosis and its functional significance under highly controlled conditions by characterizing the microbiota of 24 animal species from four different groups (Peromyscus deer mice, Drosophila flies, mosquitoes, and Nasonia wasps), and we reevaluate the phylosymbiotic relationships of seven species of wild hominids. We demonstrate three key findings. First, intraspecific microbiota variation is consistently less than interspecific microbiota variation, and microbiota-based models predict host species origin with high accuracy across the dataset. Interestingly, the age of host clade divergence positively associates with the degree of microbial community distinguishability between species within the host clades, spanning recent host speciation events (~1 million y ago) to more distantly related host genera (~108 million y ago). Second, topological congruence analyses of each group's complete phylogeny and microbiota dendrogram reveal significant degrees of phylosymbiosis, irrespective of host clade age or taxonomy. Third, consistent with selection on host–microbiota interactions driving phylosymbiosis, there are survival and performance reductions when interspecific microbiota transplants are conducted between closely related and divergent host species pairs. Overall, these findings indicate that the composition and functional effects of an animal's microbial community can be closely allied with host evolution, even across wide-ranging timescales and diverse animal systems reared under controlled conditions.
Power conversion efficiency and resistance tunability in coil-magnetoelectric gyrators

The power efficiency and resistance tunability of magnetoelectric (ME) gyrators consisting of two-phase magnetostrictive-piezoelectric ME longitudinal-transverse (L-T) mode sandwich laminates and coils, have been studied. The copper wire coil provided an inductance-based coil port (CoilP) and the piezoelectric layer of the ME laminate provided a capacitance-based ME port (MEP). The device behaved as a 2-port 4-wire ME gyrator. The current-to-voltage and voltage-to-current (I-V and V-I, respectively) conversion ratios, resistance-inductance/capacitance tunabilities (TR-L and TR-C, respectively) and direct/converse power efficiencies (PED and PEC, respectively) were measured. Maximum values of 1454 V/A and 0.468 mA/V for the I-V and V-I conversion ratios, 76 μH/Ω and 0.17 pF/Ω for TR-L and TR-C coefficients, and ∼35% for both PED and PEC were found by measuring the performance characteristics. Compared with the electromagnetic and piezoelectric transformers, ME gyrators have good input and output characteri...
Driven to Distraction

(1996). Driven to Distraction. Gifted and Talented International: Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 92-94.
An Exploratory Study of the Description Field in the Digital Public Library of America

This paper presents results of an exploratory quantitative analysis regarding the application of a free-text Description metadata element and data values associated with this element. It uses a dataset containing over 11.6 million item-level metadata records from the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), originating from a number of institutions that serve as DPLA’s content or service hubs. This benchmark study provides empirical quantitative data about the Description fields and their data values at the hub level (e.g., minimum, maximum, and average number of description fields per record; number of records without free-text description fields; length of data values; etc.) and provides general analysis and discussion in relation to the findings.
High Temperature Electrical Conductivity of Aluminum Oxide

The electrical conductivity of polycrystalline and single crystal AI2O3 has been determined between 1000 and 1650°C. Measuring the conductivity between the outside and inside surface of a thin-walled, hollow tube eliminates the adverse effects of gas or surface conduction. An analysis of possible electronic and ionic charge transport mechanisms shows that none of these processes fully accounts for the magnitude of the observed conductivity. Migration of Al3+ ions (or Al3+ vacancies) yields the largest values and offers at present the best explanation for electrical conduction in Al2O3
The Challenge of Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa: The Way Forward.

Nations of the world met in September 2015 at the UN in New York and adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, the successor framework to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which were agreed by governments in 2000 and which came to an end in 2015. The MDGs concentrated largely, though not exclusively, on social outcomes while key development priorities, such as infrastructure and energy, were absent from the list. The SDGs (Table 1) reflect the challenges we face in development, emphasising the underlying drivers of sustainable development and not just measurable outcomes. The SDGs have adopted an all-inclusive approach, taking on board challenges faced by all nations and promoting the cooperation between the private and public sector in the execution of the goals.
GitHub, Tutors, Relatives, and Friends: The Wide Web of Plagiarism (Abstract Only)

Plagiarism is of great concern to faculty in all fields, including computer science as it leads to one certain outcome -- a compromise not just in student learning but also in the entire academic process. Faculty attempt to deal with this epidemic in varied ways such as by writing new course materials each semester, putting a larger or entire grade focus on exams, or even asking individual students to explain their assignments. However, plagiarism remains a source of frustration for both faculty and administrators. This BoF will bring interested faculty together to discuss the various and surprising ways in which students plagiarize, the methods of countering plagiarism, and the currently available tools for detecting plagiarism. Questions we will be discussing include: Do students understand plagiarism in the context of writing software? How can we create an atmosphere that discourages plagiarism, yet fosters collaboration and encourages learning from multiple sources? To what extent can one make an assignment "plagiarism-proof"?
Ground vibrations near dynamite blasts

Summary In general, then, the concentrated energy at the source is actually divided among the principal wave types, which are there added together. Within very short distances, however, these wave types begin to separate because of their different velocities. There are thus two factors working to reduce the maximum shaking to which the ground is subjected. One is the natural decay of each wave with distance, as internal friction exhausts its original energy. The other, which is usually the dominating effect at short distances, is this stringing out of the wave types, each carrying its portion of the initial energy, until there is no longer any concentration where two or more types join forces to produce additive amplitudes.