cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evidence on the outcome of Say-On-Pay votes: How managers, directors, and shareholders respond

Abstract The economic value of the Say-On-Pay (SOP) provision of the Dodd–Frank Act has been a subject of debate. Proponents of this provision suggest these votes benefit shareholders by increasing investor influence over managerial compensation. Opponents of the SOP provision believe compensation contracting is better done by well-informed and unobstructed boards of directors. Our study provides direct evidence on the impact of the shareholder SOP votes by examining responses to the vote. We find that overcompensated managers with low SOP support tend to react by increasing dividends, decreasing leverage and increasing corporate investment. However, we find no evidence that management's response to the vote affects subsequent vote outcomes, nor do we find a subsequent change in firm value. Finally, we find excess compensation increases for managers that were substantially overpaid prior to the SOP vote, regardless of the outcome of the vote. Thus, it does not appear that the SOP legislation has had the intended effect of improving executive contracting.
Adsorption-desorption processes of redox-active osmium thiol monolayers

Abstract The adsorption and desorption processes of a new series of redox-active transition metal complexes of the type [Os(bpy)2Cl(Py(CH2)nSH)](PF6), with n = 4, 6, or 9, capable of forming adsorbed monolayers on gold and platinum electrodes have been studied using cyclic voltammetry. The adsorption behavior of these osmium thiol complexes appears to be consistent with the Freundlich model. Although more than one equivalent layer of the osmium complex was deposited, the multilayer was found to be porous. Variations in the pH of the deposition solutions from pH 1 to pH 5, as well as variations in the ionic strength of the supporting electrolyte, had no effect on the amount of complex deposited. However, variations in the ionic strength of the supporting electrolyte gave rise to changes in the formal potential of the osmium redox couple which were ascribed to charge screening and Donnan effects. The desorption reaction was described by a simple exponential expression. From the temperature dependence of the desorption rate and the Arrhenius relationship, the activation energies for the desorption processes were determined. The activation energies were found to be dependent on both the length of the alkyl chain and the solvent used during desorption. In addition, it was determined that after an ‘annealing’ time of 24 to 48 h there was a reorganization of the deposited multilayer to a lower energy form with a corresponding 20% increase in the activation energy for desorption, indicative of the multilayer reorganizing into a lower energy, more stable configuration.
Studies of lactic acid producing organisms in a microbiological assay of penicillin

Five nonpathogenic organisms were investigated to determine their applicability to a quantitative assay of penicillin. Various media were investigated to determine the optimum growth conditions for the organisms as evidenced by the amount of acid produced at several pH levels with different periods of incubation. The effects of numerous growth factors upon the acid production of the organisms were determined. The effects of increasing concentrations of penicillin on the growth of the various organisms were observed. It was found that Lactobacillus casei produced a high initial acid concentration with marked decreases at successively higher levels of penicillin concentration, indicating that this organism could be applied to a microbiological assay of penicillin.
Acculturative Strategies and the Psychological Adaptation of Brazilian Migrants to Japan

Acculturative theory proposes 4 psychological strategies available to immigrants: integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization (J. W. Berry, 1997). Theory and research link positive psychological outcomes with integration; however, this work has largely focused on Western multicultural societies. The present study uses online techniques to gather acculturative information from 321 Brazilian immigrants to Japan to address this oversight. Using k-means and hierarchical cluster analysis to locate individuals within Berry's framework, the authors examined the relations among acculturation, subjective well-being, and acculturative stress. Findings link (a) integration and separation with positive well-being and (b) integration and assimilation with lower levels of acculturative stress. To provide a context for the findings, the authors discuss the historical and social experience of Brazilian immigrants to Japan.
Idiopathic fibrosing pancreatitis: a cause of obstructive jaundice in childhood

Idiopathic fibrosing pancreatitis is a chronic process of unknown etiology characterized by extensive infiltration of the pancreatic parenchyma by fibrous tissue. This disease process is uncommon in the pediatric patient and is consequently rarely considered in the differential diagnosis of abdominal pain and jaundice in the child. The sonographic demonstration of a dilated biliary tree and common bile duct compressed by an enlarged pancreas may be the first suggestion of this entity. Two patients with idiopathic fibrosing pancreatitis and obstructive jaundice are reported with a review of the clinical, radiographic, and pathologic findings.
Future Professionals and Managers: Their Attitudes Toward Unions, Organizational Beliefs, and Work Ethic

The authors replicate and extend the research on future workers' union attitudes, organizational beliefs, and work ethic. Selected demographic and attitudinal data were collected from a sample of 644 students at a small, western Pennsylvania university. Compared to earlier research on pre-employment predictors of union attitudes, this study is based on a much larger sample size and includes a cross-section of majors. The results offer additional support for the family socialization process; in general, future professionals and business managers are more sympathetic to labor unions if they were children of union members. In addition, the results show that student major has a significant and systematic impact on both positive and negative union attitudes.
What Can Be Approximated by Polynomials with Integer Coefficients

(2006). What Can Be Approximated by Polynomials with Integer Coefficients. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 113, No. 5, pp. 403-414.
Cointegration among Asian currencies: Evidence of the increasing influence of the Japanese yen

Abstract This is a study of the stochastic properties of Asian exchange rates and of cointegration between the Japanese yen and two sets of Asian currencies, i.e., currencies of the ‘Tigers’, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan; and currencies of the ASEANs, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore. Using a longer time horizon than other cointegration studies and accounting for deviations from normality, non-stationarity, and the presence of unit roots, it is documented that (in contrast to the findings for the major currencies) both sets of Asian currencies are found to be cointegrated, with the influence of the Japanese yen increasing relative to the US dollar in recent years. This evidence of cointegration between the Yen and other Asian currencies has important implications for understanding Asian financial integration, the increasing international role of the Japanese yen, and for developing asset allocation and crosshedging strategies for investments denominated in these Asian currencies.
Pearson-Type Goodness-of-Fit Tests: The Univariate Case

Abstract Chi-squared tests are proposed for testing goodness of fit when the data may or may not be subject to random censoring. Both the simple and compositive null hypotheses are considered. For the simple null hypothesis the resulting test statistic in the uncensored case differs from Pearson's statistic only in that the expected frequency for cell Aj is taken to be , where is the empirical distribution function, instead of n ∫ A j d F o ; this results in k df instead of the usual k − 1. The theoretical justification lies in the behavior of the corresponding modified version of the usual empirical process: It converges weakly to a Brownian motion process instead of a tied-down Brownian motion. Under censoring, the tests require no restrictive assumptions on the censoring distribution and the statistic has the same simple form. For the composite null hypothesis the tests' development is based on the weak convergence of the modified empirical process when parameters are estimated. The raw-data maximum li...
Small mammal diversity loss in response to late-Pleistocene climatic change

Communities have been shaped in numerous ways by past climatic change; this process continues today. At the end of the Pleistocene epoch about 11,700 years ago, North American communities were substantially altered by the interplay of two events. The climate shifted from the cold, arid Last Glacial Maximum to the warm, mesic Holocene interglacial, causing many mammal species to shift their geographic distributions substantially. Populations were further stressed as humans arrived on the continent. The resulting megafaunal extinction event, in which 70 of the roughly 220 largest mammals in North America (32%) became extinct, has received much attention. However, responses of small mammals to events at the end of the Pleistocene have been much less studied, despite the sensitivity of these animals to current and future environmental change. Here we examine community changes in small mammals in northern California during the last 'natural' global warming event at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition and show that even though no small mammals in the local community became extinct, species losses and gains, combined with changes in abundance, caused declines in both the evenness and richness of communities. Modern mammalian communities are thus depauperate not only as a result of megafaunal extinctions at the end of the Pleistocene but also because of diversity loss among small mammals. Our results suggest that across future landscapes there will be some unanticipated effects of global change on diversity: restructuring of small mammal communities, significant loss of richness, and perhaps the rising dominance of native 'weedy' species.
Relationship of protease action and hydrodynamic shearing to cleavage of thymus deoxyribonucleoprotein.

Abstract 1. 1. Thymus cell nuclei have been found to contain the following proteolytic enzymes: cathepsin A (pepsin-like); cathepsin C (chymotrypsin-like); cathepsin B (trypsin-like), and a proteolytic enzyme acting at pH 9.0 which has not been characterized. 2. 2. The above proteases act on urea-denatured hemoglobin (at a pH of 5.6 or lower) and on bovine serum albumin (at pH 6.0 and above), as well as on synthetic peptides or amino acid amides or esters used for purposes of characterization. No activation by metallic ions of any of the proteases was noted, but reducing agent (cysteine or glutathione) was needed to bring out the full activity of the trypsin-like enzyme. 3. 3. Autolytic proteolysis of protein present in thymus nucleus can be easily measured at pH's 3.8 and 5.6 at 37 °C. after incubation for a period of 2 hr. At neutrality at a temperature of 2–4 °C. autolytic proteolysis goes on slowly, reaching a maximum in about 12 days. At this time the nuclei are no longer capable of forming gels in dilute alkali or in concentrated saline at neutrality. 4. 4. Gels formed by isolated thymus nuclei are destroyed by the shearing action of a Waring blendor. Such shear brings about a rupture of hydrogen bonds in the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and also probably transverse scission of DNA fibers and protein fibers. The lower degree of shear caused by a ball-type homogenizer used with a loosely fitting pestle leaves the DNA more or less intact but probably causes transection of peptide chains attached to the DNA molecules (residual protein). 5. 5. It is concluded that lack of gelability of the nucleoprotein of Doty and Zubay (5) is primarily due to Waring blendor shear but partly due to protease action, the latter becoming the more important the lower the blendor shear. Support is given for the concept of firm binding of DNA to residual protein in undegraded cell nuclei.
Neutrino pair bremsstrahlung by nucleons in neutron-star matter

We calculate neutrino pair bremsstrahlung from nucleons in neutron-star matter via weak neutral currents. We find bremsstrahlung in neutron-neutron collisions to be unimportant, but find that the bremsstrahlung emissivity in neutron-proton collisions is of the same order as that for the modified URCA process.
Multiple Measurements of Gene Expression in Single, Living Cells Enable Molecular Analysis of Endocrine Cell Heterogeneitya

The last decade has witnessed an unprecedented emergence of new techniques in the field of molecular biology accompanied by the parallel development of more sophisticated and sensitive analytical tools. This combination has allowed investigators to answer questions at levels heretofore unattainable due to technical limitations. Taking advantage of such progress, our group has devised a strategy that enables the dynamic monitoring and quantification of hormonal gene expression in single, living pituitary cells.1,2 This has been feasible through the combined use of luciferase reporter gene methodologies and ultrasensitive low-light detector devices. Owing to its configuration, our approach can be applied concurrently with other “single-cell” techniques. This provides a more complete understanding of the relationship between gene expression and other parameters involved in the process of hormone secretion within individual endocrine cells.3,4 Here, we review the most relevant aspects of this technique as well as some of the results obtained by its application to the study of prolactin (PRL) gene expression in rat lactotropes.
Toward a Cognitive-Historical Understanding of Michael Faraday's Research: Editor's Introduction

It has become common to acknowledge Thomas Kuhn as a seminal agure in bringing history into science studies, and to credit him for introducing sociological concerns that broadened both history and philosophy of science. Kuhn also freely used psychological constructs, for example using early cognitive experiments by Jerome Bruner and others to interpret the discoveries of oxygen, X-rays, and the development of the Leyden Jar (Kuhn 1970, pp. 62–64). Ironically, however, Kuhn’s own reliance on both psychology and sociology to understand science in its historical context remained an unusual effort. For most in science studies (and even in the history and philosophy of science), psychological approaches and those rooted more broadly in cognitive science, have seemed unnecessary, or even perniciously reductive. However, in recent years, a speciacally cognitive historical approach to science studies has reawakened Kuhn’s vision (see, for an overview, Nersessian 1995). Drawing upon theories and andings in cognitive science since Kuhn’s time, cognitive historical accounts have deepened understanding of the cognitive practices of scientists, enlarged our view of the nature of scientiac representations, and shed new light on the relationship between scientiac thought and the social and cultural dynamics of history. In this special issue four such studies illustrate the range of possible approaches by presenting complementary analyses of the work of one historical agure, Michael Faraday. Each paper deals with a different aspect of Faraday’s work and adopts a different chronological “grain,” ranging from the very molecular to the very broad. Each author exempliaes a cognitive historical approach, but each in slightly differing ways. Each paper makes clear the need for such approaches, if we are to obtain a full understanding
Approach to the Immunocompromised Host with Infection in the Intensive Care Unit

Despite significant advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infection in the immunocompromised host, it remains a major cause of morbidity, increased length of stay, total costs, and of course mortality. Intensive care mortality rates are significantly higher among immunocompromised hosts in part due to the higher incidence of infection severity. The superimposition of the compromised host defenses and critical illness makes the detection and management of infections in such patients more difficult, but crucial toward salvaging patient outcome. Moreover, although there is a rapidly increasing evidence base in intensive care medicine, many interventional trials for the management of severe sepsis (activated protein C, adjunctive corticosteroids, goal-based resuscitation), acute lung injury (low stretch ventilation), and other organ failures have excluded immunocompromised hosts.
On diophantine approximation along algebraic curves

Let F(x, y) ∈ Z[x, y] be a quadratic form such that the associated algebraic curve C: F(x,y) = 1 contains a rational point. Here we show that there exists a domain D C R such that for almost all ξ ∈ D, there exists an infinite sequence of nonzero integer triples (x n , yn, Zn) satisfying the following two properties: (i) For each n, x n /y n is an excellent rational approximation to ξ, in the sense that lim |ξy n -x n | = 0; and (ii) (x n /z n , y n /z n ) is a rational point on the curve C. In addition, we give explicit values of ξ for which both (i) and (ii) hold, and produce a similar result for a certain class of cubic curves.
Diversity at Works A Case Study of Using Videotape Training to Enhance Performance

According to Thomas Exter (1992), the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics projections show that between 1990 and 2005, a steady stream of White men will leave the labor force. New workers who are more likely to be minorities and women will replace them. This demographic change in the workforce has caused American businesses to develop training programs that address this issue. As Badi Poster, Gerald Jackson, William Cross, Bailey Jackson, and Rita Hardiman (1988) observed, “The future of American industry will rely in large measure on our human resource potential, and business will have no choice but to learn how to use workforce diversity constructively.” This study discusses what diversity is, where, when and why it developed, and where it is going. It also applies semiotic analysis to a trend-setting corporate training video that addresses diversity issues. The results of critically viewing this media text display training material that could hinder-not aid-in dealing with diversity at work. A semiotic analysis critically views this media text.
Effect of gravitational sedimentation on simulated aerosol dispersion in the human acinus

We studied the effect of gravitational sedimentation on the dispersion of 0.5 and 1 micrometer-diameter particle boluses within a two-dimensional symmetric six-generation model of the human acinus. Boluses were introduced at the beginning of a 2-s inspiration immediately followed by a 4-s expiration, in normal gravity (1 G) and in the absence of gravity (0 G). The flow corresponded to a flow rate at the mouth of 500 ml/s. In 0 G, simulated dispersion (Hsim) was 16 ml for both particle sizes. In 1 G, Hsim was 71 and 242 ml for 0.5 and 1 micrometer-diameter particles, respectively, showing the effect of gravitational sedimentation. The difference between experimental data (J. Appl. Physiol. 86 (1999) 1402) and simulations was independent of particle size. This suggests that the residual dispersion was independent of the intrinsic properties of the particles and was more likely due to other mechanisms such as ventilation inhomogeneities, cardiogenic oscillations and alveolar wall motion. c2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Phonetic-to-acoustic and acoustic-to-phonetic mapping using recurrent neural networks

This paper describes the application of artificial neural networks for two `typical'' problems in speech processing: acoustic-to-phonetic mapping, and phonetic-to-acoustic mapping. The acoustic-to-phonetic mapping task considered is that of determining the initial and final consonants and the middle vowel in CVC'' syllables from the trajectories of the first three formants. The phonetic-to-acoustic mapping task considered is the converse: mapping CVC'' syllables to the corresponding formant values at different speech tempos. The recurrent network described by Elman for performing the mapping is used. The results of this study indicate that the Elman recurrent network is capable of learning both mappings by developing the appropriate dynamic behavior using the context units.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Electro-mechanical modes in plasma waveguides

In addition to increasing the cut-off frequencies of TM-modes in a waveguide, the introduction of a plasma column into the waveguide also introduces new modes of propagation. The properties of these modes, including the effect of an axial d.c. magnetic field but neglecting ion motion, have been studied by solving the field equations considering the electron plasma as a dielectric. The new modes generally have phase velocities much less than the velocity of light; one type exists down to zero frequency and another type is a backward wave. Neither the metallic conductor nor the axial magnetic field is essential to the existence of slow modes. Angular-dependent modes can exhibit Faraday rotation of polarization. A qualitative explanation of these modes is given in terms of an equivalent electrical circuit for the transmission line. Many of the properties of these modes have been verified experimentally by measuring phase velocity of waves along a mercury-arc discharge in an axial magnetic field. These modes are closely related to spacecharge waves in electron beams, and several interesting microwave applications are suggested.
Self-help for binge eating disorder in primary care: a randomized controlled trial with ethnically and racially diverse obese patients

Abstract Objective The objective was to examine the effectiveness of a self-help treatment as a first line primary care intervention for binge eating disorder (BED) in obese patients. This study compared the effectiveness of a usual care plus self-help version of cognitive behavioral therapy (shCBT) to usual care (UC) only in ethnically/racially diverse obese patients with BED in primary care settings in an urban center. Method 48 obese patients with BED were randomly assigned to either shCBT (N = 24) or UC (N = 24) for four months. Independent assessments were performed monthly throughout treatment and at post-treatment. Results Binge-eating remission rates did not differ significantly between shCBT (25%) and UC (8.3%) at post-treatment. Mixed models of binge eating frequency determined using the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) revealed significant decreases for both conditions but that shCBT and UC did not differ. Mixed models of binge eating frequency from repeated monthly EDE-questionnaire assessments revealed a significant treatment-by-time interaction indicating that shCBT had significant reductions whereas UC did not during the four-month treatments. Mixed models revealed no differences between groups on associated eating disorder psychopathology or depression. No weight loss was observed in either condition. Conclusions Our findings suggest that pure self-help CBT did not show effectiveness relative to usual care for treating BED in obese patients in primary care. Thus, self-help CBT may not have utility as a front-line intervention for BED for obese patients in primary care and future studies should test guided-self-help methods for delivering CBT in primary care generalist settings.
From prison to integration: applying modified labeling theory to sex offenders

This research examines social–psychological consequences associated with being stigmatized as a sex offender. Surveys administered to 150 sex offenders were analyzed using modified labeling theory to examine the effect of a sex offender’s perception of devaluation and/or discrimination on his ability to successfully rejoin society following conviction of a sex offense. Findings indicate that the more an offender fears being devalued and/or discriminated against, the more likely he is to avoid activities that could facilitate social reintegration, suggesting that the stigmatizing label placed on sex offenders may lead to unintended consequences.
1014 BACTERICIDAL EFFECT IN VITRO OF IRON DEPRIVATION AND HIGH TEMPERATURE ON A CLASSIC PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA RECOVERED FROM A PATIENT WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS

Recent studies suggest that fever acts in concert with nutritional deprivation to aid the host in coping with certain bacterial infections (See Kluger: Pediatrics 66:720, 1980). We studied the effects of high temperature and iron deprivation on the growth of a classic Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from the sputum of a patient with cystic fibrosis. Organisms grew well at both 37 C and 41 C in glucose minimal medium containing 1000 μg iron/ml medium. When desferrioxamine was added, however, growth ceased at 41 C, but was virtually unaffected at 37 C. After 34 hours of incubation at 41 C in medium containing desferrioxamine, the organisms were then unable to grow at 37 C. The inability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to survive at 41 C in the presence of desferrioxamine may be due to inability to synthesize iron transport compounds at this temperature. This finding of increased need for easily obtained iron at high temperature may have clinical importance in the management of Pseudomonas aeruginosa pulmonary infection in patients with cystic fibrosis.
The inner boundary of a neutron-star crust

Abstract The phase boundary between the liquid matter of the interior of a neutron star and the solid matter that comprises the crust is studied. The matter is assumed to consist of electrons and non-relativistic neutrons and protons in beta equilibrium. The characteristic used to identify the phase boundary is the onset of instability of the uniform matter against proton clustering, and it is examined for four interactions either used previously in astrophysical studies — Skyrme 1′, SkM and FPS - or proposed here as an improvement — FPS21. The relationship of this important property of neutron-star matter to the neutron-matter character of each interaction is explored. Characteristic densities associated with proton drip and with the liquid-gas boundary of one- and two-fluid models of the matter are compared with the instability density. Properties of some other effective interactions, relativistic and non-relativistic, are compared with those of the interactions discussed. The desirability of more calculations of neutron-matter properties, and of the utilization of those that do exist when formulsting dense-matter equations of state, is emphasized. For the improved interaction FPS21, the crust fraction of the moment of inertia of a neutron star is estimated.
A fluorimetric enzymic method for the assay of mixtures of organic acids.

Abstract Rapid fluorimetric methods are described which involve six enzyme systems for the determination of mixtures of 21 organic acids. Lactate (Types II and IV), malate, glutamate, isocitrate, and β-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenases are used, coupled with NAD, phenazine methosulfate and resazurin, in a fluorimetric procedure for the determination of acetic, adipic, benzilic, butyric, D-α - and D-β-hydroxybutyric, chloroacetic, DL-citric, formic, L-glutamic, glutaric, glycolic, threo-D-isocitric, L-lactic, L-malic, malonic, oxalic, phthalic, DL-succinic and L-tartaric acids in the approximate concentration range of 0.1–500 μg with an accuracy and precision of about 2%. The rate of production of the highly fluorescent resorufin is equated to the concentration of the acid.
The Causes of Deforestation in Developing Countries

Abstract Developing nations are faced with a two-edged sword in the field of energy. On the one hand the rising price of oil has reduced the potential for fossil fuel energy and eroded foreign exchange reserves in oil-importing countries. At the same time deforestation may be causing increased prices or shortages of fuels such as fuelwood and charcoal. This paper reviews the most recent and sometimes controversial estimates of deforestation in developing countries and analyzes the relationship between deforestation and its probable causes. Three recent estimates of the rate of deforestation in developing countries between 1968 and 1978 are compared using rank order correlation. Two of the estimates, of closed forest and moist tropical forest, are in significant agreement but differ from a third estimate that includes open woodland and regenerating forest. Agreement is strong among all three sources for a restricted group of countries. A cross-national analysis confirms the most frequently cited causes of ...
Synthesis and reactivity of rhenium carbonyl thiolate complexes, Et4N[Re2(μ-SR)3(CO)6]

Abstract Compounds of the formula Et 4 N[Re 2 (μ-SR) 3 (CO) 6 ], (R  Me, Bu t , Ph, C 6 F 5 ) may be prepared in good yields from reactions between various halocarbonylrhenate anions and either the thiolate anion or (n-Bu) 3 SnSR. These stable, white or off-white, Crystalline species undergo reactions with [Me 3 O]BF 4 in the presence of phosphines to form cis -Re 2 (μ-SR) 2 (CO) 6 (L) 2 (L  PMe 3 , PPh 3 , 1 2 dppm). When heated in benzene, these compounds are converted to the trans isomers; in contrast, when they are heated in tetrahydrofuran, carbon monoxide is lost and the species Re 2 (μ-SR) 2 (μ-CO)(CO) 4 (L) 2 are isolated as products.
Ethical Identity and Moral-Related Variables: Spotlight on Darcia Narvaez, Tonia Bock, and Anna Gomberg

Liddell talks with scholars Narvaez, Bock, and Gomberg about their research on the relationship of moral judgment development to various aspects of moral focus and identity.
Indigenous patterns of conserving biodiversity: pharmacologic implications.

Abstract The accelerating rate at which the world's botanical resources are being depleted today has inspired redoubled efforts on the part of global conservation programs. For the most part, this reflects the actions of outsiders who are culturally and politically detached from the threatened environments, and who identify species for conservation through western economic models. In view of this, ethnopharmacologists—and primarily those representing the social sciences—have drawn attention to the cogency of indigenous knowledge of biotic diversity and its conservation. This paper reviews how local paradigms of plant management promote conservation, and problematizes the issue specifically to the use of plants by Hausa peoples in northern Nigeria. The pharmacologic implications of indigenous patterns of plant use and conservation derive from the manifold and overlapping contexts in which plants, especially wild species, are used by local communities. These applications identify the importance of particular species and should be employed in assigning priority for the conservation of plants.
Randomized Clinical Trial of Imiquimod: An Adjunct to Treating Cervical Dysplasia

Objectives Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a major risk factor for cervical cancer. Imiquimod is a topical medication that enhances the immune response to HPV-induced genital warts. This study evaluated cervical application of imiquimod as an adjunct to standard treatment for cervical dysplasia. Study Design Fifty-six patients were randomized to standard excisional/ablative treatment vs applications of imiquimod followed by standard treatment. The primary endpoint was dysplasia recurrence within 2 years. Results There were no differences in dysplasia recurrence between the 2 groups. Treatment was well tolerated, with side effects being mild but significantly worse in women receiving imiquimod for, chills, fatigue, fever, headache, myalgias, and vaginal discharge. Conclusion This trial does not support the hypothesis that imiquimod, as used in this trial, has an impact on recurrence of cervical dysplasia, but the adequacy of findings are limited by sample size. The trial does support the feasibility and acceptability of the use of imiquimod on the cervix.
Studies of perfume solubilisation

Synopsis The solubilisation of three perfumes has been studied in monoethanolamine lauryl sulphate and sodium lauryl ether sulphate solutions. The effect of the addition of nonionic surfactants have also been followed. A method is described for the olfactive examination of the solutions and results are given for its application to certain of the systems.
Comparison of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase function in human, dog, rabbit, and mouse ventricular myocytes

It has been reported that sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) uptake is more rapid in rat than rabbit ventricular myocytes, but little information is available on the relative SR Ca(2+) uptake activity in others species, including humans. We induced Ca(2+) transients with a short caffeine pulse protocol (rapid solution switcher, 10 mM caffeine, 100 ms) in single ventricular myocytes voltage clamped (-80 mV) with pipettes containing 100 microM fluo-3 and nominal 0 Ca(2+), in 0 Na(+)(o)/0 Ca(2+)(o) solution to inhibit Na/Ca exchange. SR in non-paced human, dog, rabbit, and mouse ventricular myocytes could be readily loaded with Ca(2+) under our experimental conditions with a pipette [Ca(2+)] = 100 nM. Resting [Ca(2+)](i) was similar in four types of ventricular myocytes. Activation of the Ca(2+)-release channel with a 100-ms caffeine pulse produced a rise in [caffeine](i) to slightly above 2 mM, the threshold for caffeine activation of Ca(2+) release. This caused a similar initial rate of rise and peak [Ca(2+)](i) in the four types of ventricular myocytes. However, there were significant differences in the duration of the plateau (top 10%) [Ca(2+)](i) transients and the time constant of the [Ca(2+)](i) decline (reflecting activity of the SR Ca(2+)-ATPase), with values for human > dog > rabbit > mouse. In paced myocytes under physiologic conditions, SR Ca(2+) content was greater in mouse than in rabbit myocytes, while peak I(Ca,L) was smaller in mouse. These findings confirm substantial species difference in SR Ca(2+)-ATPase activity, and suggest that the smaller the animal and the more rapid the heart rate, greater the activity of the SR Ca(2+)-ATPase. In addition, it appears that substantial species differences exist in the degree of SR Ca(2+) loading and I(Ca,L) under physiologic conditions.
A house divided? Cognitive functioning with callosal agenesis.

Abstract An anatomical and behavioral review of 29 reported cases of corpus callosum agenesis is presented. This review addresses itself to two questions: (1) Do acallosals manifest split-brain symptoms? (2) Is the corpus callosum necessary for the establishment of lateralization? Unlike the commissurotomy cases, acallosals show few symptoms of hemispheric disconnection. Behavioral strategies, use of noncallosal commissures, elaboration of ipsilateral pathways, and bilateral representation of function are discussed and evaluated as possible mechanisms of compensation. An impairment in spatiomotor functioning often accompanies callosal agenesis. Results of acallosal lateralization testing are examined and problems in interpretation are discussed. Current evidence does not conclusively establish that the corpus callosum is needed for lateralized development of some functions. However, the corpus callosum may play a role in the satisfactory performance of “lateralized” (i.e., spatial, linguistic) functions.
Accelerator mass spectrometry II: Background reduction with a Wien (velocity) filter; 10Be contents of Central American basalts

Abstract Our limit of detection for 10 Be by accelerator mass spectrometry has been lowered to a few million atoms by the installation of a Wien filter which screens out co-transmitted 9 Be. Analyses of six Central American basalts gave 10 Be contents ranging from 1 × 10 6 to 60 × 10 6 atom/g. The sample richest in 10 Be has been contaminated by sediments. The other samples have 10 Be contents in the range reported in the literature by Brown and co-workers.
Current Concepts of HBV/HCV Coinfection: Coexistence, but Not Necessarily in Harmony

Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are important causes of chronic liver disease globally. Although HBV/HCV coinfection is not uncommon, its epidemiology is poorly defined. Numerous studies provided evidence that coinfection accelerates liver disease progression and increases the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. By applying new cell culture models to examine the interaction of both viruses, investigators concluded that HBV and HCV replicate in the same hepatocyte without interference. The roles of innate and adaptive immunity in determining the viral replication and disease outcomes still need rigorous investigation. To date, no standard-of-care recommendation exists for HBV/HCV coinfection. Pegylated interferon and ribavirin combination therapy demonstrated similar efficacy in suppressing HCV RNA in coinfection and HCV monoinfection. However, HBV reactivation during therapy can be a challenge. Future clinical trials evaluating the addition of a nucleoside/nucleotide analog for selective patients with HBV/HCV coinfection are essential for successful management of HBV/HCV coinfection.
Long-term growth of a valley-bottom gully, western Iowa

Growth of a permanent, valley-bottom gully from 1964 to 2000 was determined annually from survey and sediment-discharge data and compared with runoff and baseﬂow discharges. Data were analysed to test the hypothesis that rates of gully growth decay exponentially with time in response to shrinking catchment area caused by gully enlargement. Also, monthly values of growth rates and runoff, averaged over the 36-year record, were analysed with mass-wasting data to determine the extent to which colluvium availability affected growth rates seasonally. From 1964 to 2000, the gully volume increased by 9200 m3, accounting for 34 per cent of sediment yield from the watershed. There were tight power-law relationships between annual growth rates and annual runoff, with runoff exponents of 1·57 and 1·30 for headward and volumetric growth, respectively. Increases in gully length, area, and volume were ﬁtted successfully assuming an exponential decay in growth rate with time. Rather than being due to a decrease in catchment area, however, the decline in growth rate was caused by a 77 per cent decrease in the ratio of runoff to baseﬂow, which also widened the gully and reduced the mean slope of its banks. Order-of-magnitude seasonal changes in erosion efﬁciency, deﬁned as the fraction of stream power used to evacuate sediment from the gully, were roughly correlated with colluvium availability, as indicated by seasonal changes in the number of bank mass-wasting events. No more than 2·2 per cent of stream power was used to evacuate sediment during any month. This study demonstrates the danger of attributing declining rates of gully growth to a shrinking catchment area if corroborative runoff and baseﬂow data are not available. Moreover, it illustrates that stream power alone provides only a rough and physically indirect measure of erosion potential. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Distribution and excretion of [14C]citrinin in rats

Abstract The distribution and excretion of radioactivity from [14C]citrinin (3 mg/kg, i.v) was determined in male rats. At 0.5 h after administration maximum values of 14.7% and 5.6% of total radioactivity were observed in the liver and kidneys, respectively, and by 6 h decreased to 7.5% in the liver and 4.7% in the kidney. Plasma concentration of 14C decreased from 9.2% at 0.5 h to 4.7% at 6.0 h. 2 plasma elimination rates were observed, with half-lives of 2.6 and 14.9 h, respectively. Approximately 80% of the administered 14C activity was excreted in feces and urine by 24 h after administration. A second group of rats was pretreated with 50 mg/kg of citrinin, i.p., 4 days prior to administration of 3 mg/kg [14C]citrinin, i.v. 30% of the pretreated animals died and the remaining animals were divided into 2 groups on day 4 after pretreatment; rats which were “nephrotoxic” and rats which had “recovered” from the initial insult of citrinin. Proteinuria and glucosuria as well as enhanced urine output were observed in “nephrotoxic” rats 4 days after pretreatment. 24 h after [14C]citrinin, only 13% of 14C activity was detected in the urine of “nephrotoxic” rats. The plasma disappearance curve had 2 elimination rates, with half-lives of 0.6 and 14.1 h. “Nephrotoxic” rats retained 7.5% of the administered radioactivity in the liver compared to 1.3% in the “recovered” rats 24 h after the tracer dose and 47% of the radioactivity was either excreted in feces or in the colon contents after 72 h compared to 17.5% in “recovered” rats. Extraction of urine samples from “nephrotoxic” and “recovered” rats with chloroform suggested increased water soluble metabolites of citrinin in the urine from “nephrotoxic” rats. These data also suggested that in normal rats the kidneys are the major route of elimination of citrinin ans its metabolite(s) while in rats rendered nephrotoxic by citrinin pretreatment, elimination is more dependent on hepatic excretion.
De (Baby) Sitter Overlaps

In this note we employ methods borrowed from spin glass theory to study the phase space structure of fields in an inflating universe. In particular, we compute the overlap distribution of a suitably coarse-grained, massless scalar on a (1+1)-dimensional (hence baby) de Sitter background, and find that (after an appropriate shift and rescaling) it is given by a Gumbel distribution. We also calculate the triple overlap distribution of this system, whose characteristic function turns out to be a product of two Gumbel factors.
Reconstitution of a pentameric complex of dimeric transforming growth factor beta ligand and a type I, II, III receptor in baculoviral-infected insect cells

Two transmembrane serine-threonine kinases (type I and II receptors), a membrane-anchored proteoglycan (type III), and a homodimeric ligand participate in the transforming growth factor beta type on (TGFβ1) signal transduction complex. The expression of recombinant receptors in insect cells co-infected with up to three recombinant baculoviruses was employed to study interactions among the ectodomains of the three types of receptors and the TGFβ1 ligand in absence of uncontrollable extrinsic factors in mammalian cells. Multi-subunit complexes were assembled in intact cells and purified on glutathione-conjugated beads for analysis by tagging one of the subunits with glutathione S-transferase (GST). Intrinsic ligand-independent interactions were observed among receptor subunits as follows: type III–III type I–I, type III-I, and type II-I. The homeotypic complex of type II–II receptors and the heterotypic type III-II interaction was ligand dependent. The type I, but not the type III, subunit displaced about 50% of the type II component in either ligand-dependent homomeric type II-type II complexes or heteromeric type III-type II complexes to form type II-I or type III-II-I oligomers, respectively. The type II subunit displaced type I subunits in oligomers of the type I subunit. Specificity of type I receptors may result from differential affinity for the type II receptor rather than specificity for ligand. A monomeric subunit of the TGFβ1 ligand bound concurrently to type III and type II or type III and type I receptors, but failed to concurrently bind to the type II and type I subunits. The binding of TGFβ1 to the type I kinase subunit appears to require an intact disulfide-linked ligand dimer in the absence of a type III subunit. The combined results suggest a pentameric TGFβ signal transduction complex in which one unit each of the type III, type II, and type I components is assembled around the two subunits of the dimeric TGFβ1 ligand. An immobilized GST-tagged subunit of the receptor complex was utilized to assemble multi-subunit complexesin vitro and to study the phosphorylation events among subunits in the absence of extrinsic cell-derived kinases. The results revealed that (a) a low level of ligand-independent autophosphorylation occurs in the type I kinase; (b) a high level of autophosphorylation occurs in the type II kinase; (c) both the type III and type I subunits aretrans-phosphorylated by the type II subunit; and (d) the presence of both type I and II kinases complexed with the type III subunit and dimeric TGFβ1 ligand in a pentameric complex causes maximum phosphorylation of all three receptor subunits.
Molecular antagonism between X-chromosome and autosome signals determines nematode sex

Sex is determined in Caenorhabditis elegans by the ratio of X chromosomes to the sets of autosomes, the X:A signal. A set of genes called X signal elements (XSEs) communicates X-chromosome dose by repressing the masculinizing sex determination switch gene xol-1 (XO lethal) in a dose-dependent manner. xol-1 is active in 1X:2A embryos (males) but repressed in 2X:2A embryos (hermaphrodites). Here we showed that the autosome dose is communicated by a set of autosomal signal elements (ASEs) that act in a cumulative, dose-dependent manner to counter XSEs by stimulating xol-1 transcription. We identified new ASEs and explored the biochemical basis by which ASEs antagonize XSEs to determine sex. Multiple antagonistic molecular interactions carried out on a single promoter explain how different X:A values elicit different sexual fates. XSEs (nuclear receptors and homeodomain proteins) and ASEs (T-box and zinc finger proteins) bind directly to several sites on xol-1 to counteract each other’s activities and thereby regulate xol-1 transcription. Disrupting ASE- and XSE-binding sites in vivo recapitulated the misregulation of xol-1 transcription caused by disrupting cognate signal element genes. XSE- and ASE-binding sites are distinct and nonoverlapping, suggesting that direct competition for xol-1 binding is not how XSEs counter ASEs. Instead, XSEs likely antagonize ASEs by recruiting cofactors with reciprocal activities that induce opposite transcriptional states. Most ASE- and XSE-binding sites overlap xol-1’s –1 nucleosome, which carries activating chromatin marks only when xol-1 is turned on. Coactivators and corepressors tethered by proteins similar to ASEs and XSEs are known to deposit and remove such marks. The concept of a sex signal comprising competing XSEs and ASEs arose as a theory for fruit flies a century ago. Ironically, while the recent work of others showed that the fly sex signal does not fit this simple paradigm, our work shows that the worm signal does.
NEW HOST ASSOCIATION, DISTRIBUTION, AND MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION IN CAENOCHOLAX FENYESI (STREPSIPTERA: MYRMECOLACIDAE)

Abstract Records of the distribution and host associations of Caenocholax fenyesi continue to increase. Crematogaster laeviuscula is reported for the first time as a host of male C. fenyesi, increasing the number of known male hosts to seven species in three subfamilies of Formicidae. Additionally, the distribution of C. fenyesi continues to become better known, with a first record from Colombia and additional records from Panama and Mexico added herein. Noted variation in aedeagus morphology from this study and previous evidence of genetic differences suggests that C. fenyesi, which is currently recognized as a monotypic species, is most likely a species complex.