cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Species richness along multiple gradients: testing a general multivariate model in oak savannas

A confinnatory structural equation model was built in order to test the generality of Grace and Pugesek's model of species richness. A main feature of their model was that light reaching the soil surface had the strongest effects on species richness, and that disturbance and biomass effects were largely indirect via effects on light. Their model was not confirmed for the understory vegetation of floodplain oak savannas and a new model had numerous fundamental differences. Disturbance history had the strongest direct effects on richness and these were independent of biomass effects. Richness was maximal at intermediate disturbance and biomass. Bivariate relationships between soil quality and species density were very, weak because soil quality simultaneously had negative direct effects and positive indirect effects (through biomass), such that the total effect of soil was negligible. This provides an example of how structural modeling can provide insights that are not possible with other numerical methods. The complex effects of soils support recent findings that some soil components tend to increase richness via a species pool effect while other components tend to reduce richness via biotic interactions. The effects of light were not significant, but canopy trees had weak positive effects, and this contradicts other structural models which have generally shown that shading reduces species richness. Here, species richness increases with shade presumably because of species pool effects, whereby the species pool increases by including prairie, savanna, and some woodland species and indirectly by reducing dominance by warm-season grasses. The results have implications for management because of the overall importance of disturbance history, however the majority of the variation in richness was left unexplained and this suggests other factors such as dispersal limitation, soil fungi, and historical effects may be of overriding importance in these oak savannas.
Size and staff professionalization.

The article presents a study on the relationship between size and professionalization in inpatient psychiatric departments. The importance and impact of staff professionalization are described. Cor...
Equity with Warrants in Private Placements

We examine private equity with warrant (unit) placements and compare them with private equity placements. Firms making unit placements are smaller, younger, riskier, and characterized by higher information asymmetry than equity-placing firms. Furthermore, unit-placing firms experience good pre-placement stock performance; however, their post-placement performance is poor and worse than that of equity-placing firms. We also find that very few of the placed warrants are in the money at expiration. Our results are consistent with the window of opportunity hypothesis and the theory that warrants are especially desirable to a clientele of overoptimistic investors.
Abstract SY10-01: Understanding metabolic heterogeneity in cancer

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Metabolic reprogramming is considered to be a hallmark of malignancy and a consequence of the mutations that cause cancer. Classical components of metabolic reprogramming include enhancements of nutrient uptake, aerobic conversion of glucose to lactate, and biosynthesis of proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. These activities are believed to collaborate to support states of supra-physiological stress resistance and proliferative capacity. However, recent work, primarily performed in cancer cell lines, has revealed an unexpected heterogeneity of metabolic programs that can support cancer cell survival and growth. It is unclear how these heterogeneous metabolic programs are regulated by the oncogenotype, and more importantly, which of the myriad activities observed in culture are relevant to bona fide tumor metabolism in vivo. I will discuss approaches to address these challenges. First, I will discuss ongoing efforts to use systematic analysis of cancer cell lines to link metabolic phenotypes with oncogenotypes, and to identify chemotherapeutic sensitivities associated with particular metabolic preferences. Second, I will describe efforts to probe metabolism in living tumors using a combination of stable isotope tracing and complementary methods. Finally, I will discuss approaches to merge metabolomics with non-invasive imaging to understand the development and consequences of metabolic heterogeneity within individual tumors. Citation Format: Ralph J. DeBerardinis. Understanding metabolic heterogeneity in cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr SY10-01. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-SY10-01
Phaeocystis antarctica blooms strongly influence bacterial community structures in the Amundsen Sea polynya

Rising temperatures and changing winds drive the expansion of the highly productive polynyas (open water areas surrounded by sea ice) abutting the Antarctic continent. Phytoplankton blooms in polynyas are often dominated by the haptophyte Phaeocystis antarctica, and they generate the organic carbon that enters the resident microbial food web. Yet, little is known about how Phaeocystis blooms shape bacterial community structures and carbon fluxes in these systems. We identified the bacterial communities that accompanied a Phaeocystis bloom in the Amundsen Sea Polynya during the austral summers of 2007-08 and 2010-11. These communities are distinct from those determined for the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and off the Palmer Peninsula. Diversity patterns for most microbial taxa in the Amundsen Sea depended on location (e.g., waters abutting the pack ice near the shelf break and at the edge of the Dotson glacier) and depth, reflecting different niche adaptations within the confines of this isolated ecosystem. Inside the polynya, P. antarctica coexisted with the bacterial taxa Polaribacter sensu lato, a cryptic Oceanospirillum, SAR92 and Pelagibacter. These taxa were dominated by a single oligotype (genotypes partitioned by Shannon entropy analysis) and together contributed up to 73% of the bacterial community. Size fractionation of the bacterial community (3 µm (particle-associated bacteria)) identified several taxa (especially SAR92) that were preferentially associated with Phaeocystis colonies, indicative of a distinct role in Phaeocystis bloom ecology. In contrast, particle-associated bacteria at 250 m depth were enriched in Colwellia and members of the Cryomorphaceae suggesting that they play important roles in the decay of Phaeocystis blooms.A
Lamb Wave Propagation Through Off-Axis Media

The use of elastic wave based Structural Health Monitoring has shown its usefulness in both characterizing and diagnosing composite structures. Techniques using elastic wave SHM are being developed to allow for improved efficiency and assurance in all stages of space structure development and deployment. These techniques utilize precise understanding of wave propagation characteristics to extract meaningful information regarding the health and validity of a component, assembly, or structure. However, many of these techniques focus on the diagnostic of traditional, isotropic materials, and questions remain as to the effect of the orthotropic properties of resin matrix composite material on the propagation of elastic waves. As the demands and expectations placed upon composite structures continue to expand in the space community, these questions must be addressed to allow the development of elastic wave based SHM techniques that will enable advancements in areas such as automated build validation and qualification, and in-situ characterization and evaluation of increasingly complex space structures. This study attempts to aid this development by examines the effect of cross ply, off-axis fiber orientation on the propagation characteristics of lamb waves. This is achieved by observing the result of symmetric and anti-symmetric wave propagation across materials in cases containing both off-axis and axially-aligned elements. In both cases the surface plies of the test specimen are axially aligned with the wave propagation direction. Using these results, the relative effect of core ply orientation on lamb wave propagation, and lamb wave sensitivity to bulk properties, or alternatively, the dominance of surface properties on propagation characteristics, can be seen, and this information can be used to aid in future research and application of lamb waves for interrogation of advanced, high-strain composite space structures. It was found that the core orientation caused significant variation in the S0 wave velocity, while yielding little influence on the A0 wave velocity.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Assembly and Dynamics of Liquid Phase Protein Droplets Comprised of the DEAD-Box RNA Helicase, LAF-1

Liquid-liquid phase separation has emerged as a key process underlying intracellular organization, including the regulation of RNA/protein assemblies, and their dysregulation in disease. However, the molecular mechanisms that drive these phase transitions, the biophysical properties of the resulting droplets, and the way their properties impact biological function, remain poorly understood. Here, we focus on LAF-1, an essential DEAD-box RNA helicase associated with P granules in the C. elegans germline. We find that purified LAF-1 can phase separate into liquid droplets at near physiological (low μM) concentrations. LAF-1 droplet formation is driven by its disordered N-terminal RGG domain, which is both necessary and sufficient for droplet formation. We combine microrheology, FRAP, and single molecule imaging approaches to reveal the local viscoelastic properties and molecular dynamics inside the droplets. Our results provide mechanistic and structural insight into the phase transition-driven assembly of liquid-like organelles, and suggest that the biophysics of intracellular phase separation can sensitively control molecular dynamics and function.
Visual Rating and Strength Testing of 40-Year-Old Precast Prestressed Concrete Bridge Piling

The rating of bridge piles is primarily visual and requires judgment to quantify damage levels and, ultimately, to estimate the pile's remaining structural capacity. A series of tests was run to evaluate the existing capacity of piles that have been in service in a harsh saltwater environment for more than 40 years. In 2004, the Bryant Patton Bridge over Apalachicola Bay in the Florida Panhandle was replaced with a new bridge. The original bridge, which was demolished as part of the construction project, was constructed in 1963. During demolition, 12 prestressed concrete piles with varying levels of corrosion damage were recovered. Two of the selected piles were equipped with cathodic protection at the time of their installation in 1994 as part of a repair project that involved most of the pilings supporting the bridge. Visual inspections were conducted by Florida Department of Transportation divers on the selected piles before they were removed. After recovery of the piles, they were cleaned and flexural...
A randomized controlled trial of a pediatric asthma outreach program

Abstract Background: Previous studies have shown that asthma education and case management may reduce asthma emergency care, hospitalizations, and expenditures. Objective: We sought to study the effect of an asthma outreach program (AOP), a team-based, case-management intervention, on emergency ward (EW) and hospital use. Methods: Fifty-seven patients aged 1 to 15 years with the diagnosis of asthma based on the usual clinical practice criteria who were continuously enrolled in a staff-model health maintenance organization for a period of at least 2 consecutive years were randomized into 2 intervention groups. The control group received a single intensive asthma education intervention, and the AOP group received the same initial education but then was followed-up by an asthma case management nurse throughout the intervention period. Results: EW visits, hospitalizations, and total outside-of-health-plan expenditures (consisting of EW and hospital expenses, as well as miscellaneous costs, such as ambulance, durable medical equipment, tertiary referrals, and home care) were assessed from claims filed for a year before and after enrollment. Control group patients experienced significant reductions in EW visits (39%), hospitalizations (43%), and outside-of-health-plan costs (28%), possibly as a result of the baseline educational intervention received by all enrolled patients, in conjunction with regression to the mean. AOP group patients experienced significant reductions in EW visits, (73%, P = .0002), hospitalizations (84%, P = .0012), and outside-of-health-plan use (82%, P P P P Conclusions: Asthma patients in a staff-model health maintenance organization decreased their resource use between 57% to 75% by participation in an AOP as compared with a randomized control group receiving only an educational intervention. Substantial savings were achieved compared with the cost of the AOP nurse. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999;103:436-40.)
How health care providers help battered women: the survivor's perspective.

KEYWORDS This qualitative study aimed to describe, from the perspective of domestic violence survivors, what helped victims in health care encounters improve their situation and thus their health, and how disclosure to and identification by health care providers were related to these helpful experiences. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of survivors in the San Francisco Bay Area. Data were analyzed using constant comparative techniques and interpretative processes. Twenty-five women were interviewed, the majority being white and middle-class, with some college education. Two overlapping phenomena related to helpful experiences emerged: (1) the complicated dance of disclosure by victims and identification by health care providers, and (2) the power of receiving validation (acknowledgment of abuse and confirmation of patient worth) from a health care provider. The women described a range of disclosure and identification behaviors from direct to indirect or tacit...
IMMUNOLOGIC STUDIES OF HEART TISSUE III. OCCURRENCE OF BOUND GAMMA GLOBULIN IN AURICULAR APPENDAGES FROM RHEUMATIC HEARTS. RELATIONSHIP TO CERTAIN HISTOPATHOLOGIC FEATURES OF RHEUMATIC HEART DISEASE

Using fluorescent antibody methods, deposits of bound gamma globulin, as determined in unfixed washed sections of auricular appendages from rheumatic hearts, were noted in a significant number (18 per cent) of 100 specimens studied. Such deposits were observed in myofibers, sarcolemma, interstitial connective tissue, and vessel walls. Albumin and fibrin were generally found absent from these sites. Control hearts from normal and pathologic material, including postmortem and biopsied specimens, in general, did not reveal such deposits. These various tissue sites which contained bound gamma globulin frequently exhibited evidence of alteration as indicated both by enhanced affinity for eosin and by strongly positive reaction with the periodic acid-Schiff reagent, and appeared comparable in some cases to "fibrinoid." Bound gamma globulin was not observed in cellular or stromal components of Aschoff lesions, nor was the occurrence of Aschoff lesions correlated with presence of bound gamma globulin. It is suggested that deposition of gamma globulin and the eosinophilic alteration associated with such deposition are related to certain of the pathologic changes of rheumatic heart disease. The nature of such deposits of gamma globulin was considered from immune and non-immune points of view.
Public transgression of environmental law: A preliminary study

Environmental crime, a relatively new category of criminality, has recently attracted the attention of criminologists. While large corporations and criminal organizations have been viewed as the major environmental violators and subjected to study, other groups involved in environmental crimes have been generally overlooked. The present study interviewed both offenders and investigators involved in environmental crime, reviewed a sample of case reports of environmental crimes and surveyed a sample of the general public. The results indicate that ordinary citizens also engage in environmental lawbreaking, although their violations are basically trivial in nature. The findings of this study suggest that education, instead of criminal law enforcement, would be an effective way of preventing this widespread environmental criminality of the public.
High Energy Gamma Spectroscopy

Gamma ray energies from 50 mev to 2 bev have been measured with a total absorption method. The gamma rays produce electron showers in a transparent, high Z material. A photomultiplier views the visible light produced, due either to Cerenkov radiation or scintillation. Limits on the energy resolution of this device are the loss of part of the shower from the sides and end, varying efficiency of light collection from different parts of the material, and pauclty of Cerenkov photons when that technique is used. Factors involved in choosing the material and shape of the shower producer will be discussed. Because of the small size and high efficiency, this type of spectrometer is very useful for experiments with high energy accelerators. Descriptions and characteristics of several versions of this instrument are given.
β-Amyloid induces the production of active, matrix-degrading proteases in cultured rat astrocytes

The senile and neuritic plaque neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is accompanied by an inflammatory response that includes activated astrocytes and microglia. Activated mononuclear phagocytes and reactive astrocytes, in response to inflammatory cytokines, secrete a set of extracellular matrix (ECM)-degrading enzymes that include the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). The major peptide component of senile plaques of AD, beta-amyloid (Abeta), stimulates the production of several MMPs from cultured rat astrocytes and microglia. The purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) to compare the pattern of MMP induction in rat astrocytes on treatment with 'soluble' and 'fibrillar' Abeta(1-40) and Abeta(1-42), and (2) to examine whether treatment of astrocytes with Abeta results in degraded fragments of ECM. Abeta aggregation differentially affected the production of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in astrocyte cultures. Activation experiments with amino phenyl mercuric acetate suggested that the 52-54 kDa gelatin-degrading activity was an activated form of MMP-2. In addition, Abeta peptide induced both MMP-3 and plasminogen activator-like activity from astrocytes. When medium from Abeta-treated, astrocyte cultures was immunoblotted for fibronectin, several immunopositive, lower molecular weight bands were observed as compared to untreated conditioned medium, suggestive of the presence of an active fibronectin-degrading protease. Thus, Abeta induces the secretion of several matrix-degrading proteases and stimulates matrix degradation in rat astrocytes. Since matrix-degrading proteases are elevated in AD brain, these proteases may influence the stability of ECM or other MMP substrates and thus may play a role in the neurotrophic/neurotoxic events associated with AD.
Nucleophilic reactivity of amines with an α-formylglycyl enol-tosylate fragment

Abstract The E -enol-tosylate of S -3-benzyl-6-formylpiperazine-2,5-dione reacts with 1°- and 2°-amines to yield its respective 3 S -benzyl-6 E -endiamine products while a 3°-amine, DABCO, exclusively yields a bis-3,6-ylidenepiperazine-2,5-dione product. These competitive reaction pathways with amine electron donors are shown to arise mechanistically via the same intermediate, or its tautomers, with an H-bond assisted nucleophilic substitution process being operative in the former case and an elimination reaction pathway in the latter instance.
CELLS-IN-SERIES METHOD FOR SIMULATION OF HEAT REGENERATORS IN PERIODIC OPERATION

A new method has been developed for simulation of heat regenerators in periodic operation. The procedure is based on describing the system by a number of backmixed cells in series, in contrast to the differential equation formulation used in earlier studies. The method is highly efficient computationally and the calculation of thermal efficiency and temperature profiles in the system is reduced to the solution of a simple set of linear algebraic equations. The validity of the method is established by comparing it with other solution procedures. Finally, some illustrative results are presented to show the effect of switching time, normalized variance of the system, and mode of operation.
Oocyte growth in the sheepshead minnow: Uptake of exogenous proteins by vitellogenic oocytes

Abstract The structure of the vitellogenic follicle of the sheepshead minnow, Cyprinodon variegatus , is described. Follicles enlarge primarily by protein yolk accumulation (vitellogenesis) and subsequently increase in size by hydration. This study uses the electron-dense tracer, horseradish peroxidase, and a larger heterologous protein, Xenopus laevis [ 3 H]vitellogenin, to follow the fate of exogenous proteins from the maternal circulation to yolk spheres of the growing oocyte. Materials appear to leave the perifollicular capillaries via an interendothelial route, traverse the theca and the patent intercellular channels of the follicular epithelium and the pore canals of the vitelline envelope. At the oocyte surface they are incorporated via micropinocytosis and translocated to growing yolk spheres in the peripheral ooplasm. In contrast to other studies on oocyte growth in teleosts which suggest that yolk is an autosynthetic product, this study substantiates the importance of heterosynthetic processes during oocyte growth in C. Variegatus .
Auger spectroscopy studies of natural and synthetic zeolites: I. Surface and bulk compositions☆

Abstract It has previously been reported that the surface composition of various zeolites is quite different from that of the bulk (1,2) as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The selectivity of a zeolite for a particular catalytic reaction may be strongly influenced by the surface chemical composition. Consequently, we have studied the elemental surface composition of various single crystalline and powdered natural and synthetic zeolites using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Quantitative analyses were performed using peak-to-peak heights from conventional derivative spectra of zeolites A, X, Y, and ZSM-5. Auger depth profiles of single-crystal natural zeolites were obtained using 1 keV Ar+ ion sputtering to compare surface and bulk compositions. Electron dose effects were studied to assess the extent of beam damage during analysis. Our results indicate that the surface silicon-aluminum ratio (Si/Al) for the zeolites invesitgated is very similar to that of the bulk in contrast to the XPS studies.
Homocysteine: to measure or not to measure? Focus on “Functional NMDA receptors in rat erythrocytes”

the study by Makhro and colleagues, published in this issue ([11][1]), shows presence of N -methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in different cell types and tissues from the rat: UT-7/Epo cells, bone marrow cells, and cerebellar tissue. Interestingly, peripheral blood also expressed NMDA receptors,
Raman and resonance-Raman scattering by erythrocyte ghosts

Abstract 1. 1. We present the laser-Raman spectra of human erythrocyte ghosts, isolated by standard condition and compare these with the spectra of lecithin liposomes and fat-free serum albumin. 2. 2. The hydrocarbon stretching modes of membrane lipids are temperature sensitive and may serve as an index of hydrocarbon chain motion. 3. 3. The Amide I and Amide III bands of ghosts in H2O and 2H2O, indicate a mixture of α-helical and unordered conformation, but do not allow a quantitative estimate of secondary structure. 4. 4. Strong, scattering bands at 1530 and 1165 cm−1 are attributable to conjugated double bond systems, probably of membrane-associated carotenoids. Their high intensity is due to resonance enhancement.
Adjoint machines, state-behavior machines, and duality☆

Abstract A process X : K → K is output if Dyn( X )→ K has a right adjoint; state-behavior if Dyn( X )→ X has both left and right adjoints; and adjoint if X has a right adjoint and K has countable coproducts. Output processes provide the proper setting for a general theory of state observability. We give a minimal realization theory using image factorization of a total response map. We give an adjointness theory for state-behavior machines and a duality theory for adjoint machines which clarifies classical linear system duality and yields an improved duality for nondeterministic automata. Adjoint machines (machines with adjoint input processes) provide the first integration of classical sequential machines (the only state-behavior machines in the category, Set, of sets), metric machines, topological machines, linear systems, nondeterministic automata and Boolean machines. There exist state-behavior machines which are not adjoint (but not in Set).
The influence of glucose and insulin pretreatment upon morphine analgesia in the rat.

A study was made of the effect of glucose and of insulin pretreatment on the analgetic action of morphine in rats as determined by the D'Amour-Smith method. Both glucose and insulin in certain doses were found to potentiate and prolong significantly the analgetic action of morphine. Rats pretreated with 0.6 Gm./Kg. of glucose showed a peak analgetic response 57 per cent greater than their response to morphine alone. Rats pretreated with 0.5 u./Kg. of insulin showed a peak anal-getic response 30 per cent greater than their response to mor hine alone. The potentiation produced by glucose was not proportional to the Z g r e e of hyperglycemia. Probably neither hyperglycemia nor hypoglycemia per se are the direct mechanisms of these effects. Possible mechanisms are discussed.
High-order concept discovery in functional brain imaging

Many spatiotemporal medical image datasets exhibit “high-order” structure, in which many independent variables exist (e.g. space and time) or features are not scalar at all. We analyze these datasets as tensors (high-order generalizations of matrices), preprocessing our dataset using wavelets to improve efficiency and performing latent concept discovery using parallel factor analysis. Both our method and naive tensor approaches discovered concepts representing handedness in an 11 subject motor task fMRI dataset. However, our method compressed the dataset by 98% and completed in 2 hours vs. 8 days, suggesting that a wavelet and tensor approach gains the benefits of high-order analysis while preserving the efficiency of low-order techniques.
Sensor-enhanced mobile web clients: an XForms approach

This paper describes methods for service selection and service access for mobile, sensor-enhanced web clients such as wireless cameras or wireless PDAs with sensor devices attached. The clients announce their data-creating capabilities in "Produce" headers sent to servers; servers respond with forms that match these capabilities. Clients fill in these forms with sensor data as well as text or file data. The resultant system enables clients to access dynamically discovered services spontaneously, as their users engage in everyday nomadic activities.
Long-wavelength lattice vibrations of MoS2 and GaSe

Abstract The long-wavelength lattice vibrations of MoS2 and GaSe are interpreted by means of a linear-chain model that includes both intralayer and interlayer force constants.
Hydration energies of zinc(II): threshold collision-induced dissociation experiments and theoretical studies.

The first experimentally determined sequential bond dissociation energies of Zn2+(H2O)n complexes, where n = 6−10, are measured using threshold collision-induced dissociation in a guided ion beam t...
Two-dimensional magnetoexcitons in the presence of spin-orbit coupling

We study theoretically the effect of spin-orbit coupling on quantum well excitons in a strong magnetic field. We show that in the presence of an in-plane field component, the excitonic absorption spectrum develops a double-peak structure due to hybridization of bright and dark magnetoexcitons. If the Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit constants are comparable, the magnitude of splitting can be tuned in a wide interval by varying the azimuthal angle of the in-plane field. We also show that the interplay between spin-orbit and Coulomb interactions leads to an anisotropy of exciton energy dispersion in the momentum plane. The results suggest a way for direct optical measurements of spin-orbit parameters.
Divide et Impera: Public health and urban reform in Protectorate-era Tunis

By the late nineteenth century, Jews and Muslims increasingly shared the neighbourhoods of Tunis; however, the enforcement of colonial segregationist practices under the guise of public health and urban reforms halted and reversed this trend between the First and Second World Wars. French officials stymied what they perceived as the two greatest threats to their supremacy in Tunisia: inferior numbers and indigenous unity. As a direct result of policies to combat these threats, French urban reforms erased the continuities of multi-cultural Tunis and rehoused the population into discrete zones based on ethnic, religious, and class distinctions. While Tunisian Jews were recast as French subjects and their former neighbourhoods destroyed, Muslim neighbourhoods were preserved as representative of indigenous Maghribi tradition.
THIRTY YEARS WITH AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

Affirmative Discrimination: Ethnic Inequality and Public Policy (1975) criticized government policies requiring goals and timetables from federal contractors in order to implement affirmative action, arguing that this opposed the clear language of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 aiming at a color-blind society, was unnecessary, and threatened a full-scale Balkanization in employment procedures. It also criticized school busing and nascent programs to require publicly supported housing to reach some statistical goal in proportions of Black and White. In time, the author changed his position, as indicated in the introduction to the 1987 edition of Affirmative Discrimination. In particular, he saw the virtue and necessity of race preference in admission to institutions of higher education, recognizing the degree to which slavery and discrimination had placed blacks in a unique position of disadvantage, and the imperative for a democratic society to incorporate in its leading institutions all major elements of the population.
Omega 6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid-Containing Phospholipids Enhance Neuronal Cell Mechanics and Touch in C. Elegans

Mechano-electrical transduction (MeT) channels embedded in neuronal cell membranes are essential for touch and proprioception. Little is understood about the interplay between native MeT channels and membrane phospholipids, in part because few techniques are available for altering plasma membrane composition in vivo. Here, we leverage genetic dissection, chemical complementation, and optogenetics to establish that arachidonic acid (AA), an omega 6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), enhances touch sensation and mechanoelectrical transduction activity while incorporated into membrane phospholipids in C. elegans touch receptor neurons (TRNs). We found that arachidonic acid acts cell autonomously, since we show that enzymes needed for its synthesis are expressed in TRNs. We also established that the membrane viscoelastic properties of TRNs lacking omega 6 PUFAs are altered (i.e., membrane bending and viscosity), yielding less flexible membranes than wild type, as determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) based single-tether extrusion. Our data suggest that the defect in touch sensation likely reflects a loss of mechanotransduction rather than lack of excitability or downstream signaling. These findings establish that polyunsaturated phospholipids are crucial determinants of both the biochemistry and mechanics of mechanoreceptor neurons and reinforce the idea that sensory mechanotransduction in animals relies on a cellular machine composed of both proteins and membrane lipids.
Mushrooms and philosophers.

Abstract The fifth-century philosopher Socrates was satirized by his contemporary, the comic poet Aristophanes, in the Birds as conducting a rite of necromancy in the company of a group of people called the “Shade-foots”, a fabulous tribe from India who were thought to jump about on a single foot that could also be used as a parasol. The historical reference for this imagined scene of necromancy is the scandal that had recently occurred in which it was discovered that many prominent Athenians, including a notorious disciple of Socrates, were guilty of profanely celebrating a secret religious rite with friends in their private homes. This rite was the so-called Eleusinian Mystery, the major religion of the pre-Christian era, and it involved a shamanic ceremony in which initiates, who were sworn to secrecy, drank a special potion and experienced a vision of spirits from the world of the dead. The scandal had uncovered that some people were apparently using the sacred drug for their own entertainment. The Eleusinian Mystery was a Hellenized version of a primordial Indo-European shamanic religion that was carried into Greece and combined with indigenous agrarian traditions when the Indo-Europeans migrated into the Mediterranean lands in the second millennium before Christ. A similar migration brought them and their religion into Iran and India at about the same time. There the religion survived as the ancient Soma cult, which originally also involved shamanic experience induced by the drinking of a sacred drug. R. Gordon Wasson has shown that this drug was a fungal extract and that a similar role was reserved for the fungi in the traditions of the Eleusinian Mystery, both apparently survivals from the primordial religion. The Aristophanic parody of Socrates' supposed rite of necromancy confirms that a fungal drug was indeed used in the Eleusinian Mystery, for the creatures with single, parasol-like feet can be related to a very ancient epithet for Soma and they survive in contemporary Asiatic shamanism and in European folk traditions about mushrooms. Furthermore, the Greek myth about the theft of fire, which is also part of the context for the Aristophanic parody, can be shown to have reference to shamanic experience, with parallels in Indo-Iranian traditions. Thus, in accusing Socrates of profaning the Mystery, Aristophanes was suggesting that the philosopher had derived his theories from drug-induced visions. Such was, in fact, the common presupposition about Socrates and other ancient philosophers.
Marine sediment components: identification and dispersal assessed by diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry

Analysis of deep-sea sediments presents a number of exceptional challenges. Generally, the amount of material available is small and has to be shared among investigators. Also, deep-sea sediment contains a diverse range of components from a variety of sources including lithogenous, biogenous and hydrogenous. Finally, large number of samples is frequently analysed making rapid analysis a necessity. Given these limitations, a technique that is rapid, non-destructive or uses a very little sample, and is capable of identifying a large number of sediment components with a single analysis would be ideal. Diffuse Reflectance Spectrophotometry (DRS) has the potential to meet many of these criteria. In this paper, we discuss the application of DRS to deep-sea sediments from a variety of marine settings. We examine the modern sediment distribution in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Argentine Basin and compare the distribution of modern with the last glacial maximum sediment in the Atlantic Ocean. DRS has also proven useful in times series studies. DRS is especially useful for producing time series from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) holes that require thousands of samples to produce a single time series. In this paper, time series from both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are examined.
Interactive presentation: An FPGA implementation of decision tree classification

Data mining techniques are a rapidly emerging class of applications that have widespread use in several fields. One important problem in data mining is Classification, which is the task of assigning objects to one of several predefined categories. Among the several solutions developed, Decision Tree Classification (DTC) is a popular method that yields high accuracy while handling large datasets. However, DTC is a computationally intensive algorithm, and as data sizes increase, its running time can stretch to several hours. In this paper, we propose a hardware implementation of Decision Tree Classification. We identify the compute-intensive kernel (Gini Score computation) in the algorithm, and develop a highly efficient architecture, which is further optimized by reordering the computations and by using a bitmapped data structure. Our implementation on a Xilinx Virtex-II Pro FPGA platform (with 16 Gini units) provides up to 5.58x performance improvement over an equivalent software implementation.
Regulation, Conservation, and Collaboration: Ecological Anthropology in the Mississippi Delta

Overintensification and subsidies have long made American commodity farmers the enemy of conservationists. Yet, environmental conditions are improving in the Mississippi Delta where farmer-based groups, water management districts and conservation organizations have improved environmental quality and redefined the role of agriculture in environmental preservation. This work is all the more remarkable given the region’s deeply conservative politics that discourage regulation. This paper examines this mainstreaming of environmental values in light of debates on the role of the state in fostering environmental subjectivities. Following cultural examinations of the state, we caution that the presence or retreat of the state is insufficient to understanding environmental subjectivities. Instead, an ethnographic focus is necessary to identify connections between the state and particular human-environment relations. In the Delta, this focus shows that local environmentalism is consonant with a politics of unsustainability, one that simultaneously advances radical ecological change and defense of the region’s social hierarchies.
722-5 Dobutamine Echocardiography and Rest SPECT TI·201 Scintigraphy are More Concordant in Detecting Viability in Hibernating than Stunned Myocardium

Perfusion and function are mismatched in stunned myocardium and matched in hibernating myocardium. To determine the relationship between perfusion and functional impairment, 82 patients with stunne...
The Effect of Matrix Microstructure on Thermally Induced Residual Stresses in SiC/Titanium Aluminide Composites

This paper examines the effect of varying the microstructural composition of titanium aluminide on the evolution of residual stresses in titanium aluminide matrix composites. An analytical model is developed to determine residual stresses in fiber and matrix phases of unidirectional, SiC/Ti-Al composites subjected to axisymmetric thermal loading. The model uses elements of the concentric cylinder model and the method of cells to calculate residual thermal stresses in the presence of temperature-dependent and inelastic behavior of the fiber and matrix phases. The concentric cylinder model is employed as a geometric model for the unidirectional composite, whereas the method of cells is employed in modeling the microstructure of the titanium aluminide matrix phase. The titanium aluminide matrix consists of distinct brittle and ductile [alpha] and [beta] phases whose volume content is varied in the present scheme to understand how the resulting residual stresses can be altered. Both spatially uniform and nonuniform variations of the [alpha] and [beta] phases are considered. The results explain the occurrence of radial microcracks in SiC/Ti-Al composites in the presence of a [beta]-depleted region at the fiber/matrix interface, and validate the potential of engineering the matrix phase to reduce residual stresses in these composites.
Study of bubble growth in foam injection molding

The bubble growth in polymeric fluids under nonisothermal conditions has been molded using the viscoelastic constitutive equation of Leonov incorporating the diffusion of gas from the melt to the bubbles. The gas diffusion seems to be the primary mechanism of bubble growth. The theoretical predictions for Han and Yoo's isothermal experiment compare well with the experimental data. The bubble size distribution in a foam molded specimen of NORYL resin has also been determined by measuring the bubble size from micrographs. Theoretical predictions for this specimen are in reasonable agreement with the data. A parametric study indicates that the blowing agent concentration has the strongest influence on the final bubble size, followed by melt and the mold temperature.
The changes in the form of the beating mammalian heart, as demonstrated by high-speed photography

Abstract The mechanics of cardiac contraction, as studied by high-speed photography, have been described. The study has brought forth strong evidence that, although the gross movements of the ventricular wall are related to changes in form, the diminution in volume in systole is roughly a function of changes in spherical size. For the dog's heart, it has been shown that the greatest rotatory torsion movement is clockwise; that is, the right ventricle occupies a greater percentage of the anterior (ventral) aspect of the heart. In these experiments we obtained confirmatory evidence that the right ventricle is composed of two distinct units, namely, the inflow and the outflow tracts. An early diastolic wave over the pulmonary conus which is reflected back from the closed semilunar valves is seen with regularity.
Radiology Residents’ On-call Interpretation of Chest Radiographs for Pneumonia1

Rationale and objectives This study is designed to assess the performance of radiology residents in interpreting emergency department chest radiographs for pneumonia and to characterize chest radiographic findings in patients for which interpretation was amended by an attending radiologist. Materials and methods We retrospectively reviewed all amended reports for chest radiographs performed on emergency department patients July 2002–June 2003. Reports preliminarily interpreted by residents and amended by a board-certified staff radiologist for the presence or absence of pneumonia were identified. A panel of three experienced radiologists, blinded to reports, jointly reviewed each chest radiograph. If the panel diagnosed pneumonia, the chest radiograph was evaluated for the projection that best showed the pneumonia, its size and location, and the presence or absence of the following features: increased opacity, air bronchograms, loss of vascular markings, silhouette sign, and linear opacities. The resident’s post-graduate year (PGY) training level was noted. Results One percent (134/12,600 reports) of chest radiographic reports were amended for the presence or absence of pneumonia. One hundred chest radiographs were available and comprised the series. There were 56 females and 44 males with a mean age of 45 years (range, 1–99 years). The staff radiologist diagnosed pneumonia in 79% (79/100 radiographs). The panel agreed with the staff in 77% (κ = 0.76) and the resident in 23% (κ = 0.43). The panel diagnosed pneumonia in 60% (60/100 radiographs) with the following chest radiographic findings: 100% (60/60), increased opacity; 37% (22/60), air bronchograms; 72% (43/60), loss of vascular markings; 40% (24/60), silhouette sign; and 20% (12/60), linear opacities. The pneumonia was right sided in 52% (31/60), left sided in 37% (22/60), and bilateral in 11% (7/60). Right-sided pneumonias were equally distributed among the three lobes, and left-sided pneumonias had a lower-lobe predominance of 77% (17/22). Seventy-five percent (45/60) of pneumonias were segmental or smaller, and 82% (49/60) of chest radiographs showing pneumonia had both posteroanterior and lateral projections. The pneumonia was conspicuous on only one projection in 43% (21/49); the posteroanterior view in 22% (11/49), and the lateral view in 20% (10/49). Eighty-one percent (81/100) of interpreting residents were PGY-3. Conclusion Interpretation of chest radiographs for pneumonia by PGY-3 residents has a low error rate. Missed pneumonias often were segmental or smaller and conspicuous on only one projection.
Intra-arterial 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BUR) radiosensitization with external beam radiation in rhesus monkeys: A toxicity study

A primate toxicity study was performed to test the hypothesis that BUdR does not increase the likelihood of unilateral or bilateral central nervous system damage secondary to radiation therapy. BUdR, a halogenated pyrimidine analog is incorporated into DNA of dividing cells and sensitizes them to radiation. It is best given unilaterally, intra-arterially by continuous infusion because of its regional advantage (Rd) estimated to be between 11 and 16. Six rhesus monkeys were implanted with a Model 400 Infusaid pump perfusing the right internal carotid artery. Three of the six monkeys received intra-arterial (IA) BUdR infusion plus whole brain external beam radiation (6000 R over 6 weeks) and three received radiation alone. The two BUdR treated animals completing radiation developed symmetric bilateral high signal aberrations on MRI in the frontal, parietal, and occipital centrum semiovale and corona radiata at nine months. At autopsy, confluent microinfarcts were found to correspond topographically to the MRI abnormalities. In the radiation alone group, two animals had normal MRI and autopsy while the third animal had bilateral MRI high signal aberrations develop sequentially with corresponding microinfarcts at autopsy. These changes were greater in severity than those seen in the BUdR treated animals. We support previous evidence that there is differential intraspecies sensitivity to radiation. We find that BUdR produces no unilateral potentiation of radiation toxicity.
Cognitive Factors That Influence Children's Learning from a Multimedia Science Lesson.

The present study examined the cognitive factors that influence children’s physical science learning from a multimedia instruction. Using a causally coherent text and visual models, we taught 4 th - and 7 th - grade children about the observable and molecular properties of the three states of water. We manipulated whether the text was read by a tutor (which supports simultaneous encoding of the verbal and visual information, i.e., temporal contiguity ) or whether children read the text on their own (which supports self pacing and interpretation of the information). Children in each condition received either static or dynamic graphics. Results showed that, regardless of the type of graphics, children demonstrated the greatest learning gains when the text was read to them by a tutor. This effect was more pronounced for the younger children. Thus, conditions that promote integration of verbal and visual information may provide the greatest support to children’s learning from a causally coherent multimedia science lesson.
The Aborted Restoration of ‘Indigenous’ Law in India*

Traditional law—Hindu, Muslim and customary—has been almost entirely displaced from the modern Indian legal system. Today, the classical dharmaśāstra component of Hindu law is almost completely obliterated. It remains the original source of various rules of family law. But these rules are intermixed with rules from other sources and are administered in the common-law style, isolated from śāstric techniques of interpretation and procedure. In other fields of law, dharmaśāstra is not employed as a source of precedent, analogy or inspiration. As a procedural-technical system of laws, a corpus of doctrines, techniques and institutions, dharmasastra is no longer functioning. This is equally true of Muslim law. 3 The local customary component of traditional law is also a source of official rules at a few isolated points, but it too has been abandoned as a living source of law.