cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The role of domestic timber markets in tropical deforestation and forest degradation in Ecuador: Implications for conservation planning and policy

Abstract Studies about the impact of the timber trade on tropical forests have often oversimplified process complexity and underestimated regional variability. This study shows that forest degradation and clearing in Northwest Ecuador between 1983 and 1992 was closely linked to commercial logging. A key finding is that domestic demand is critical for shaping timber extraction and, hence, forest degradation and deforestation in this region. Low timber prices for roundwood and sawnwood at the origin, which are bolstering unsustainable forest extraction, have not been affected by market liberalization. This suggests that conservation initiatives that target international trade linkages may only be partially successful, even when they do what they are intended to do. Results suggest that market-based incentives are more likely to produce the desired results if they target and support timber producers directly. These findings are also relevant for other regions where domestic markets are a significant drive for deforestation and where local markets are supplied through the activities of small-scale, labor-intensive primary producers. Also, by emphasizing areas where logging is a dominant force, meso-level studies, like this one, not only help to more accurately estimate the impact on local forests, but also identify major resource flows and the factors promoting or hindering sustainable use, and those affecting the effectiveness of policy options.
Reticle for verification of the correct operation of the phase Doppler particle analyzer

A reticle for the verification of the correct operation of the phase Doppler particle analyzer (PDPA) is presented. As an alternative to common calibration devices such as a droplet generator or reticles, we introduce a new reticle that consists of a single polymer microlens affixed to a glass substrate. The microlens reticle, when placed in the measurement volume of the PDPA, scatters light in a manner similar to that of a droplet. We report on results from tests performed using three microlens reticles of the same diameter and two models of the PDPA.
Autosomal Dominant Myocardial Disease Diagnosed by Fetal Presentation of Proband with an Aneurysm of the Muscular Interventricular Septum

We describe an inherited form of a disorder in which four patients spanning three generations were affected with congenital myocardial disease. The youngest member of the family, diagnosed as a fetus with a large aneurysm of the muscular interventricular septum, demonstrates an antenatal pathogenic process. Study of the specific findings in each patient suggests that congenital aneurysms of the muscular interventricular septum may be in some way associated with specific developmental pathways of the heart. We believe that screening family members of patients with muscular interventricular septal aneurysms may be indicated to assess for silent myocardial disease.
On evapotranspiration and shallow groundwater fluctuations: A Fourier‐based improvement to the White method

[1] Evapotranspiration (ET) is a significant component of the water and energy balance in wetlands and riparian zones, yet it is also one of the most challenging components to estimate. Diurnal water table fluctuations can be used to directly measure groundwater consumption by phreatophytes, which are often important contributors to the total ET in riparian systems. Although such methods are cost effective, significant uncertainties usually exist, and more accurate techniques continue to be developed. In this study we present a new “Fourier method” for calculating daily (and longer) groundwater ET consumption using a moving, multiday sine function to capture robust, diurnal water table fluctuations. The technique is tested and calibrated in Tamarix chinensis and Populus deltoids-dominated riparian areas in the Middle Rio Grande region of New Mexico and in a Phragmites australis-dominated riparian wetland in south-central Nebraska (using independent, energy balance estimates of ET). The results show that—at both field sites—the new Fourier technique performs significantly better than the commonly used White method, regardless of the length of the moving window that is employed. The Fourier method presented here provides a step toward increasing the accuracy of ET estimates from diurnal water table fluctuations. Guidelines are defined for applying the new and improved method in the most accurate fashion, based on groundwater hydrographs and solar radiation data (or theoretical clear-sky estimates).
Formulation of topical insect repellent N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET): vehicle effects on DEET in vitro skin permeation

Abstract The broad-spectrum topical insect repellent N , N -diethyl- m -toluamide (DEET) is highly skin permeable, and serious adverse effects associated with the use of commercial DEET products have occurred in users due to extensive DEET skin permeation. In an effort to develop topical DEET formulations with reduced DEET skin permeation and extended repellency, this study investigated the effects of vehicle on DEET in vitro skin permeation from topical DEET solution and gel emulsion formulations prepared with ethanol, polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400), stearic acid and polyacrylic acid polymers Carbopol 940NF and Pemulen TR-2. In vitro skin permeation of DEET was evaluated in Franz diffusion cells using freshly excised abdominal cotton rat skin at 32±1°C. The receiver phase samples were analyzed by HPLC with N , N -diethyl-2-phenylacetamide as reference standard. Relative to technical DEET, 40 and 50% (v/v) aqueous ethanol solutions increased DEET steady-state skin flux ( J ss ) by 157 and 137%, respectively, while 75% (v/v) aqueous ethanol solution, neat ethanol and PEG 400 decreased the J ss by 67, 74 and 59%, respectively. The incorporation of skin humectants glycerol, dimethicone or mineral oil to DEET gel emulsions based on Carbopol 940NF and stearic acid at 15% (w/w) did not significantly reduce the J ss . Compared with a name-brand lotion of 7.125% (w/w) DEET, the use of 20% (w/w) PEG 400 and 1% (w/w) Tween 80, or 75% (v/v) aqueous ethanol in Carbopol 940NF and Pemulen TR-2 based formulations containing 7.5% (w/w) DEET resulted in 22.7, 18.2 and 9.1% reduction in the J ss , respectively. For safety concerns, the incorporation of ethanol in commercial DEET products needs to be reevaluated. The topical formulation vehicle based on PEG 400, Carbopol 940NF and Pemulen TR-2 was effective in reducing DEET skin permeation.
Bifurcating neuron: characterization and dynamics

We discuss the concept of bifurcating neuron and show it combines functional complexity, comparable to that of the living (biological) neuron, with structural simplicity and power efficiency which are important attributes for its hardware realizations, both optoelectronic or electronic. The functional complexity of the bifurcating neuron is key to removing many limitations of present-day neural networks which employ predominantly sigmoidal neurons that can not account for the temporal relations of firing instances of neurons in a network. In the language of information processing, accounting for such temporal relations is synonymous with retention of phase information. The complex behavior of the bifurcating neuron is characterized. It is shown to be capable of exhibiting phase-locking and synchronization, and that it exhibits a host of firing modalities that parallel those observed by neurophysiologists in the living neuron including chaotic firing and that it is capable of bifurcating between these firing modalities depending on the nature of its input. The implications of this complex behavior for the introduction of a new generation of bifurcating neural networks, that are capable of using chaos as adaptive intrinsic noise, for self-annealing and directed intelligent search of the phase-space of bifurcating networks are discussed. It is argued that the bifurcating neuron concept is key to building new physical structures (bifurcating networks) in which one can study the roles of bifurcation, synchronicity, and chaos in collective nonlinear dynamical signal processing and is moreover key to modeling and understanding higher-level cortical signal processing such as feature-binding and cognition, and that its ease of implementation in analog hardware promises to offer important technological benefits.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The Effect of Demographic Shifts and Changes in the Income Distribution on Food-Away-from-Home Expenditure

The sociodemographic structure of the American population has been changing rapidly in recent years. In addition, although the income distribution based on income groupings has remained fairly constant, the distribution of income among sociodemographic subgroups of the population has almost certainly changed considerably. Little attention has been given to the possible impact of demographic shifts, and even less to that of income distribution
On the role of indirect processes in the inelastic excitation of low lying 0+ states

Abstract Using simple microscopic form factors, we have studied the indirect excitation of low lying 0 + states by inelastic scattering through the lowest 2 + states in the case of α scattering from 24 Mg and 28 Si and 3 He scattering from 46 Ti. Scaling amplitudes according to the inelastic scattering and B (E2) data we found that only for α scattering from 24 Mg was the indirect excitation small. For the other cases studied, our estimate yields indirect cross sections which were significant in comparison with the data, although this has been well described by the direct one-step process alone. The shape of the indirect cross section may be either strongly oscillatory or flat, depending on the radius of the real optical potential.
Knowledge and Practice in Mayotte: Local Discourses of Islam, Sorcery, and Spirit Possession

Knowledge and Practice in Mayotte: Local Discourses of Islam, Sorcery, and Spirit Possession. MICHAEL LAMBEK. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1993. xxx + 468 pp., photographs, notes, glossary, references, index.
Rapid variability of 10–140 keV X-rays from Cygnus X-1

On five occasions in 1977 and 1978, Cygnus X-1 was observed using the Low-Energy Detectors of the UCSD/MIT Hard X-Ray and Low-Energy Gamma-Ray Experiment on the HEAO-1 satellite. Rapid (0.08 s ≤ t ≤ 1000 s) variability was found in the 10 – 140 keV band. The power spectrum was “white” for 10−3 Hz < f ≤ 5 × 10−2 Hz and was proportional to f−1 for 5 × 10−2 Hz ≤ f < 3 Hz, indicating correlations on all time scales < 20 s. If the emission is produced by Comptonization of a soft photon flux in a hot cloud, the heating of the cloud cannot be constant; it must vary on time scales up to ∼ 20 seconds. A variable accretion rate could cause the observed effects.
Structure and mechanical properties of corn kernels: a hybrid composite material

The mechanical properties of corn kernels were evaluated at three levels of kernel structure, varying in the proportions of horny endosperm, and six levels of moisture content in the range of 6 to 34% (wet basis) under a compression mode of loading. The observed values of ultimate stress, modulus of elasticity, modulus of toughness and modulus of resilience varied from 8 to 82 MPa, 20 to 480 MPa, 0.8 to 4.4 MJ m−3 and 0.2 to 0.8 MJ m−3, respectively, within the experimental range. Each of these properties decreased in magnitude as the moisture content increased. The microscopic study revealed that the resistance of kernels to fracture was predominantly influenced by the kernel structure. The size of cracks increased with increasing strain or decreasing proportion of the horny endosperm in the kernels. The viscoelastic behaviour of the kernels was determined at two levels of kernel structure, five levels of kernel moisture (12 to 34%) with three deformation rates (1.27, 5.08 and 12.7 mm min−1) by means of stress relaxation tests. The analysis of the test data suggested that the hybrid composite kernels were hydrorheologically simple materials.
Markers for processing sites in eukaryotic proteins: Characterization with amino acid analogs

Abstract Modification of protein sequences by incorporation of various amino acid analogs inhibits specific types of protein processing. These effects identify structural features within proteins which contribute to selecting specific polypeptides and the appropriate sites within them for processing.
Alzheimer’s Disease Management Guideline: Update 2008

Abstract Background Frequent review and update of guidelines are necessary for them to remain current and useful for clinical practices. This second revision of the postdiagnostic management of Alzheimer's disease (AD) guideline by the California Workgroup was prompted by significant advances in knowledge about appropriate care management, including pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches to treatment of the disease, accompanying behavioral problems, and functional decline. The focus remains explicitly on primary care, where the majority of it occurs for those with AD and other dementias. Methods In all, 40 experts in dementia care were recruited from a variety of disciplines across California. Four workgroups were created that reviewed recent research findings from a total of 569 publications since 2002. The revised Guideline incorporates 305 new references, including 11 state and federal laws, in addition to 78 references from the previous version. Results The Guideline is divided into four sections that address postdiagnostic management: (1) assessment, (2) treatment, (3) patient and family education and support, and (4) legal considerations associated with AD. Significant revisions and changes in each area and the underlying research to support the recommendations are presented in this article. New topics related to early stage and end-of-life were identified and recommendations were developed for these specific populations. Conclusions The Guideline recommendations provide a framework to inform and improve medical care for AD by primary health care providers.
Chiral Confinement: An Exact Solution of the Massive Thirring Model

We investigate the possibility of fermion confinement in a manifestly chiral-invariant theory. In particular we study the nonlinear $\ensuremath{\sigma}$ model in one time and one space dimension, and demonstrate that it is equivalent to the massive Thirring model plus a free massless scalar field. We find an exact, time-independent, classical solution to the massive Thirring model. This solution is characterized by a fermion confined in a self-generated potential. In the $\ensuremath{\sigma}$-model analog of this solution, the chiral phase changes rapidly in the region of the confined fermion, and has two different constant limits on either side of this region. We also consider the case in which the mass of the pseudoscalar meson is small but finite, and find an approximate solution which displays both partial conservation of axial-vector current and fermion confinement.
Dimethyl sulfoxide: a review of its use in the rheumatic disorders

D IMETHYL SULFOXIDE (DMSO) first appeared on the medical scene 20 years ago, accompanied by considerable public awareness and controversy. Even now, DMSO continues to be the subject of various media reports that emphasize conflicts between its advocates and authorities in government and the medical establishment. It has been estimated that total illicit expenditures for DMSO by the general public exceed one billion dollars.’ Within the medical profession there is much uncertainty and skepticism concerning the efficacy of DMSO in various maladies. At present, the only formulation approved for human use in the United States is a 50% solution for intravesical instillation in the treatment of chronic idiopathic interstitial cystitis.* In Canada DMSO is also approved in a 70% solution for topical use in scleroderma.* In this review we will discuss the literature pertinent to the therapeutic efficacy of DMSO in the rheumatic diseases.
Frequency Domain Design for Maximizing the Allowable Size of a Step Disturbance in Linear Uncertain Systems

A design methodology is developed for a linear, uncertain, SISO system for maximizing the size of a step disturbance in the presence of hard time domain constraints on system states, control input, output and the bandwidth. It is assumed that the system dynamics can be represented by a combination of structured uncertainty in the low frequencies and unstructured uncertainty in the high frequencies. The design procedure is based on mapping the time domain constraints into an equivalent set of frequency domain constraints which are then used to determine an allowed design region for the nominal loop transfer function in the plane of amplitude-phase. Once such a region is found, classical loop shaping determines a suitable nominal loop transfer function. The pole-zero structure of the compensator is a natural consequence of loop shaping and is not preconceived. An illustrative example demonstrates the trade-off between controller bandwidth, or the cost of feedback, and the tolerable size of step disturbance
Truncal duplication: a case report

Truncal duplication represents one of the rare forms of conjoined twins. We observed a male infant with a truncal duplication; in the host twin no pathology was found except an atrial septal defect and a large omphalocele. The parasitic twin was attached to the xiphoid region (xiphopagus) in an opposite and "horseriding" manner, was acephalic, and had multiple gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and skeletal anomalies. The junction site consisted of lipoid and muscular structures. Surgical separation was done without any difficulty. The abdominal defect was repaired primarily. The host twin is doing well.
THE STATES' ROLE IN LAND USE POLICY

The history of zoning illustrates the reluctance that all levels of government have shown to push social responsibility at the expense of private property rights. First introduced in the 1920s as a way to protect real estate investment, zoning was turned over to local governments with little oversight and what was effectively an abrogation of planning authority by the state. A shift in land-use policy began in the 1960s to involve states in growth management procedures, siting legislation, and natural areas legislation. The states vary in the degree of control and involvement they assume, with Oregon having the most comprehensive role. Advocates of national land-use policy point to the jumble of federal regulations that make up a de facto policy, but state and local resistance, particularly from the private business sector, prevents a compromise. (DCK)
Interexciton-State Relaxation and Exciton Localization in Allophycocyanin Trimers

We have employed dynamic absorption, transient hole-burning, and discrete two-color pump−probe femtosecond spectroscopic methods to obtain a time-resolved view of exciton dynamics in trimers of allophycocyanin, the major component of the core of the phycobilisome in cyanobacteria. Allophycocyanin trimers contain a C3-symmetric array of phycocyanobilin (open-chain tetrapyrrole) dimers. The femtosecond time-resolved pump−probe spectra and single-wavelength transients observed in allophycocyanin preparations were interpreted with the aid of a series of calculated spectra, which are based on an assignment of the ground-state absorption spectrum in terms of exciton-coupled chromophore dimers. The observed and calculated time-resolved pump−probe spectra indicate that interexciton-state relaxation, a radiationless transfer of population between dimer exciton states, is responsible for a red shift of the spectra on the ∼30-fs time scale. The time evolution of the pump−probe spectra is inconsistent with a model ac...
Some roundness characteristics of centreless grinding

Abstract Experimental and theoretical results are compared to show that the computer method of Rowe and Barash [1] allows a qualitatively realistic simulation of the centreless grinding process. It is suggested that tendencies of a given centreless grinding geometrical configuration may be conveniently determined by grinding workpieces on which there is a flat. Two workplates are compared with respect to their rounding ability both by the experimental method and by the computer method.
Summer activity pattern and Field Metabolic Rate of adult male sea otters (Enhydra lutris) in a soft sediment habitat in Alaska

Abstract Individual follows and instantaneous sampling were used to examine the behavior of adult male sea otters ( Enhydra lutris ) in Simpson Bay, Prince William Sound, Alaska, during the summer (May to August) of 2005 and 2006. Six behaviors (foraging, grooming, interacting with other otters, patrolling, resting, and swimming at the surface) were observed during four time periods (dawn, day, dusk, and night) to create 24-h activity budgets. Adult male sea otters were observed during 190 focal follows, representing 98 h of observation. Male otters allocated 27% of their time (over a 24-h period) to resting, 26% to swimming, 19% to grooming, 14% foraging, 9% to patrolling and 5% to interacting with other otters. Field Metabolic Rate (FMR) was estimated by combining the energetic costs for foraging, grooming, resting, and swimming behavior of captive otters from Yeates et al. (2007) with our activity budgets. Our study considered ‘patrolling’ to be energetically similar to ‘swimming’ and therefore the two categories were combined. This combined category accounted for the greatest percentage (43%) of energy expended each day followed by grooming (23%), resting (15%), feeding (13%) and other (5%). The estimated weight specific FMR for all activities was 686.7 kJ day − 1 kg − 1 and the total FMR was 19.04 MJ day − 1 . The FMR was 6.6 times the resting metabolic rate and 2.2 times greater than the allometric prediction for terrestrial mammals of similar size but similar to other marine mammals. With a peak summer sea otter density in 5.6 otters km − 2 , the low percentage of time spent foraging (even after correction for possible sampling biases) indicates that Simpson Bay is still below equilibrium density.
Training Needs in Corporate Takeovers

This article reports the impact on training of threatened and actual takeovers in three corporations. Observations were made and data were gathered in these manufacturing firms during the process of conducting training needs assessments. The information was analyzed for the purpose of developing a better understanding of the impact of takeovers. Three major types of changes were observed: staff and financial reductions, newly assigned training goals, and the perspective toward the takeover of those who were directing training.
An Extender Solution for the Short-Term Storage of Sturgeon Semen

Abstract An extender solution was developed to prolong the time that semen from sturgeons could be stored in the refrigerator, thus greatly improving the artificial propagation of these species for purposes of conservation and commercial aquaculture. Semen from Gulf of Mexico sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi and shortnose sturgeon A. brevirostrum was used to develop the extender media. Fresh semen from sturgeon is traditionally stored whole and undiluted in the refrigerator along with pure oxygen. The fertilizing capacity of semen stored in this manner is usually maintained for 12– 36 h. The mixing of fresh semen with an artificial extender solution significantly (P < 0.05) prolonged the refrigerated storage time of spermatozoa and maintained sperm motility for up to 21–28 d at 4°C. No significant differences in fertilization capacity were observed between fresh semen and semen diluted with the extender and stored from 3 to 18 d.
A new approach to modeling non‐force free coronal magnetic field

[1] We propose a new approach to deriving the local three-dimensional (3D) non-force free coronal magnetic field structure from photospheric vector magnetograph measurements. Based on the Principle of Minimum Dissipation Rate, a general non-force free magnetic field can be expressed as the superposition of two linear (constant-α) force free field. The parameter, α, for each of the two linear force free field, can be determined by optimizing the requirement that the recovered transverse magnetic field components as the superposition of the corresponding components of the two linear force free field agree with the observed ones at the photospheric level. A preliminary test case study of an analytic non-force free field model is presented to illustrate the method. We discuss the difficulties associated with the linear force free field extrapolation and the feasibility of our method.
P‐112: A Novel LTPS Transflective TFT LCD Driving by Double Gamma Method

A novel method to realize the good performance of transflective LCD is indicated. In one pixel, two LTPS (Low-temperature poly-Si) TFT devices control the optical intensity of the transmissive and reflective regions respectively. We call this way as double gamma method (DGM). Uni-gap transflective LCD attached the DGM will have both merits of simplifying processes and good legibility. Meanwhile, we show the experimental results of optical characteristics with uni-gap homeotropic panel design. It obviously shows that high contrast ratio and wide viewing angle have been achieved.
Disrupted gamma-band neural oscillations during coherent motion perception in heavy cannabis users.

Previous work in animals and humans has shown that exogenous cannabinoids disrupt time-locked, evoked gamma oscillations (30–80 Hz). However, no studies to date have examined the effect of cannabis on non-time-locked, induced gamma oscillations during more complex Gestalt perception. The current study therefore utilized electroencephalography (EEG) to examine gamma oscillations during coherent motion perception in heavy cannabis users and controls. Chronic cannabis users (n=24; 12 h abstinence before study; positive 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol urine levels) and cannabis-naive controls (n=23) were evaluated. Stimuli consisted of random dot kinetograms (RDKs) that subjects passively viewed during three different conditions: coherent motion, incoherent motion, and static. Time × frequency analysis on EEG data was performed using Fourier-based mean trial power (MTP). Transient event-related potentials (ERPs) to stimulus onset (visual N100 and P200 components) were also evaluated. The results showed that the coherent motion condition produced a robust increase in neural activity in the gamma range (induced power from 40 to 59 Hz) as compared with the incoherent motion and static conditions. As predicted, the cannabis group showed significant reductions in induced gamma power in the coherent condition relative to healthy controls. No differences were observed between the groups in the N100 or P200 components, indicating intact primary sensory processing. Finally, cannabis users showed a trend toward increased scores on the Chapman Perceptual Aberration Scale (PAS) that was positively correlated with total years of active cannabis use. These data suggest that cannabis use may interfere with the generation of induced gamma-band neural oscillations that could in part mediate the perceptual-altering effects of exogenous cannabinoids.
Direct Interaction of the EpsL and EpsM Proteins of the General Secretion Apparatus in Vibrio cholerae

The general secretion pathway of gram-negative bacteria is responsible for extracellular secretion of a number of different proteins, including proteases and toxins. This pathway supports secretion of proteins across the cell envelope in two distinct steps, in which the second step, involving translocation through the outer membrane, is assisted by at least 13 different gene products. Two of these components, the cytoplasmic membrane proteins EpsL and EpsM of Vibrio cholerae, have been purified and characterized. Based on gel filtration analysis, both purified EpsM(His)6 and wild-type EpsL present in an Escherichia coli Triton X-100 extract are dimeric proteins. EpsL and EpsM were also found to interact directly and form a Triton X-100 stable complex that could be precipitated with either anti-EpsL or anti-EpsM antibodies. In addition, when the L and M proteins were coexpressed in E. coli, they formed a stable complex and protected each other from proteolytic degradation, indicating that these two proteins interact in vivo and that no other Eps protein is required for their association. Since EpsL is predicted to contain a large cytoplasmic domain, while EpsM is predominantly exposed on the periplasmic side, we speculate that these components might be part of a structure that is involved in bridging the inner and outer membranes. Furthermore, since EpsL has previously been shown to interact with the autophosphorylating cytoplasmic membrane protein EpsE, we hypothesize that this trimolecular complex might be involved in regulating the opening and closing of the secretion pore and/or transducing energy to the site of outer membrane translocation.
Fabrication and characterization of a micro turbine/bearing rig

This paper reports on a process to build, package, and instrument a 5-level wafer-bonded micromachined turbine/bearing rig. The process flow involves the use of 5 wafers, 16 masks, and 9 deep silicon etching steps, as well as utilizing aligned wafer bonding, double-sided deep reactive ion etching and laser-assisted-etching. This paper also shows experimental results on flow characteristics of the hydrostatic thrust bearings and the preliminary rotational performance of the device.
Propofol increases agonist efficacy at the GABAA receptor

Using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique, we have determined that propofol, but not midazolam, increases the efficacy of piperidine-4-sulphonic acid (P4S), a partial agonist at alpha1beta1gamma2s, GABA(A) receptors expressed in HEK 293 cells. These findings are consistent with the idea that propofol facilitates receptor gating, while midazolam increases receptor occupancy by the agonist.
Gestational exposure to methylmercury retards choice in transition in aging rats.

Abstract Developmental exposure to methylmercury has behavioral effects that extend into adulthood and aging. In this study, methylmercury's prolonged effects on the acquisition of choice and sensitivity to changes in reinforcement rates were studied. Pregnant female rats were exposed to drinking water containing 0, 0.5, or 6.4 ppm Hg as methylmercury, resulting in about 40 and 500 μg/kg/day of mercury intake. Maternal exposure began at least 4 weeks before mating, and continued to postnatal day 16. Then all mercury exposure ended. The behavior of 1.7- and 2.3-year-old offspring was maintained under various concurrent schedules of reinforcement. Thus, one reinforcement schedule maintained left-lever responding and a separate one maintained right-lever responding. The animal could switch (“changeover”) between the two levers at any time. For the first 30 min of a 3-h session, the left and right levers each produced reinforcement at the same rate and left:right response ratios were about 1:1. After 30 min, either the left lever became richer than the right; the right lever became richer than the left, or there was no change. Terminal reinforcer ratios (left:right) used were 9:1, 4:1, 3:1, 1:1, 1:3, 1:4, and 1:9. Response rates on the two levers were tracked continuously through a session. This novel procedure for examining choice, and its acquisition, in a single session, was validated through many comparisons with the extant literature. Both response rates and changeover rates were influenced by the reinforcer ratios for the 1.7-year-olds. Changeover rates were not influenced by reinforcement rate for their 2.3-year-old littermates. For the 1.7-year-olds, there was no effect of methylmercury on changeover or response rates and there was no interaction between exposure and reinforcer ratio. In controls and most methylmercury-exposed rats, response ratios (the measure of choice) approximately matched reinforcer ratios by the end of the single session. This is commonly interpreted as reflecting sensitivity to reinforcement rates. Methylmercury exposure did not affect this measure systematically. The single-session transition from baseline (response ratios about 1:1) to terminal performance was retarded in many methylmercury-exposed rats relative to controls, especially in the older rats. The 2.3-year-old control rats required about 20 to 25 reinforcers to complete one half of the 9:1 and 4:1 transitions, respectively, and exposed rats required about twice as many. Thus, prenatal methylmercury exposure specifically retarded the acquisition of choice in older rats. Methylmercury did not interfere with the final expression of choice. Moreover, two rate measures, lever-press rates and changeover rates, were not systematically affected by methylmercury. The acquisition of choice appears to be very sensitive to subtle consequences of developmental methylmercury exposure. The specific tactics greatly reduced the time required to study behavior in transition from a month in previous reports to a single session here.
What Constrains Spread Growth in Forecasts Initialized from Ensemble Kalman Filters

Abstract The spread of an ensemble of weather predictions initialized from an ensemble Kalman filter may grow slowly relative to other methods for initializing ensemble predictions, degrading its skill. Several possible causes of the slow spread growth were evaluated in perfect- and imperfect-model experiments with a two-layer primitive equation spectral model of the atmosphere. The causes examined were the covariance localization, the additive noise used to stabilize the assimilation method and parameterize the system error, and the model error itself. In these experiments, the flow-independent additive noise was the biggest factor in constraining spread growth. Preevolving additive noise perturbations were tested as a way to make the additive noise more flow dependent. This modestly improved the data assimilation and ensemble predictions, both in the two-layer model results and in a brief test of the assimilation of real observations into a global multilevel spectral primitive equation model. More gener...
Skin allograft and xenograft rejection in the snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina.

The immune response of the snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina, to skin allografts and xenografts at several environmental temperatures was studied. Xenografts were supplied by the painted turtle, Chrysemys picta, and the Blanding turtle, Emys blandingii. Gross and microscopic manifestations of rejection were observed. Beginning of graft death and total graft death marked two survival end points. The first of these events was used in statistical comparisons of mean survival times of grafts of the various series, which included a total of 107 host animals involving 74 allografts and 76 xenografts. Skin autografts survived through the periods of observation with no morphological evidence of incompatibility. Using gross and histological survival end points, which indicated the beginning of graft death, first-set allografts were rejected in about 40 days; second-set in about 21 days, at 25 ± 1°C. Allografts from young snappers survived slightly longer. Xenografts from both donor species were rejected after nearly the same survival times. First-set xenografts were rejected in about 24 days; second-set xenografts in about 16 days, at 25 ± 1°C. Painted turtle skin xenografts on snappers which had previously received painted turtle tissue in transplantation between embryos, survived significantly longer, about 36 days. There was no morphological evidence of rejection of first-set allografts of xenografts for the observation period of 100 days, at 10 ± 1°C. Allografted snappers that were transferred to 25 ± 1°C, rejected the grafts about 30 days after the transfer. First-set allografts were rejected much faster at 33 ± 1°C, in about 24 days, as were first-set xenografts, in about 17 days.
Interior Egg Quality: Improvement by Distillers Feeds and Trace Elements

Abstract The effect of including distillers dried grains with solubles (DDG/S), additional trace minerals, and other supplements in a corn-soy ration for laying hens on changes in interior egg quality as measured by Haugh units was investigated. In the first experiment, both 10% DDG/S and 10% brewers dried grains significantly increased Haugh units. In the second experiment Haugh units were again significantly increased by 10% DDG/S but this supplement did not counteract a marked depression in Haugh units caused by adding 20 mg/kg vanadium to the diet. Feeding different levels of DDG/S in a third experiment showed that a level of 2.5% significantly increased Haugh units but a level of 10% was needed for a maximum response. Adding extra trace elements, but not doubling the vitamin premix, significandy increased Haugh units. In a fourth experiment, adding extra Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Se significantly increased Haugh units, but V, Sn, Ni, and Mo did not. Neither DDG/S nor distillers dried solubles significantly affected Haugh units in a fifth experiment. The results of these experiments show that feed ingredients such as DDG/S and brewers dried grains contain a factor that generally improves interior egg quality and suggest that the factor may be a trace element(s).
Brain Excitability in Stroke: The Yin and Yang of Stroke Progression

There is no current medical therapy for stroke recovery. Principles of physiological plasticity have been identified during recovery in both animal models and human stroke. Stroke produces a loss of physiological brain maps in adjacent peri-infarct cortex and then a remapping of motor and sensory functions in this region. This remapping of function in peri-infarct cortex correlates closely with recovery. Recent studies have shown that the stroke produces abnormal conditions of excitability in neuronal circuits adjacent to the infarct that may be the substrate for this process of brain remapping and recovery. Stroke causes a hypoexcitability in peri-infarct motor cortex that stems from increased tonic γ-aminobutyric acid activity onto neurons. Drugs that reverse this γ-aminobutyric acid signaling promote recovery after stroke. Stroke also increases the sensitivity of glutamate receptor signaling in peri-infarct cortex well after the stroke event, and stimulating α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate glutamate receptors in peri-infarct cortex promotes recovery after stroke. Both blocking tonic γ-aminobutyric acid currents and stimulating α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptors promote recovery after stroke when initiated at quite a delay, more than 3 to 5 days after the infarct. These changes in the excitability of neuronal circuits in peri-infarct cortex after stroke may underlie the process of remapping motor and sensory function after stroke and may identify new therapeutic targets to promote stroke recovery.
Elwood V. Jensen (1920-2012): father of the nuclear receptors.

Elwood V. Jensen was born in Fargo, North Dakota, in 1920. He was preschooled by his mother, a teacher, and entered grade school in Ohio, where he grew up and later matriculated at Wittenberg College. He received his doctorate in organic chemistry at the University of Chicago in 1944. Jensen entered the faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Ben May Laboratories at University of Chicago in 1947 and later did a sabbatical at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. While in Switzerland, he climbed the Swiss face of the Matterhorn—one of the highest peaks in the Alps—even though he had no mountaineering experience. In 1951, Jensen returned to the Ben May Laboratories for Cancer Research and became Director there in 1969 (Fig. 1). On a leave of absence in 1983 through 1988, he served as worldwide Research Director …
Effects of adrenalectomy and glucocorticoid therapy on enzyme activities in mammary and adipose tissues from lactating rats.

Abstract Several mammary and adipose enzymes were measured in normal, adrenalectomized, adrenalectomized cortisoltreated, and intake-restricted lactating rats. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase, lipoprotein lipase, and triglyceride synthetase complex activities in mammary tissue were unchanged by intake restriction, decreased by adrenalectomy, and increased by glucocorticoid-replacement therapy. Malic dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, and lipoprotein lipase activities in adipose were unchanged after adrenalectomy.
Air embolism and cardiac arrest in a patient with a pulmonary artery catheter: A possible association

This patient with acute mitral insufficiency suddenly developed hemoptysis and electromechanical dissociation. A post mortem chest X-ray demonstrated a large amount of air in the right ventricular cavity. It is postulated that this air embolism resulted from a catheter-induced rupture of the pulmonary artery.
Wait-learning: leveraging conversational dead time for second language education

Second-language learners are often unable to find time for language practice due to constraints in their daily lives. In this paper, we examine how brief moments of waiting during a person's existing social conversations can be leveraged for second language practice, even if the conversation is exchanged in the first language. We present an instant messaging (IM) prototype, WaitChatter, that supports the notion of wait-learning by displaying contextually relevant foreign language vocabulary and micro-quizzes while the user awaits a response from her conversant. The foreign translations are displayed just-in-time in the context of the conversation to promote incidental learning. In a preliminary study of WaitChatter, we found that participants were able to integrate second language learning into their existing instant messaging activities, and that a particularly opportune time to embed foreign language elements may be immediately after the learner sends a chat message.
Responses to incongruent verbal and nonverbal emotional cues.

An alternate forms test was constructed with each test consisting of 40 20-second segments of tape. Each segment had built into it a conflict in degree of stress between the verbal (V) mode and the nonverbal (NV) mode, in that when V stress was high, NV stress was low, and vice versa. Ss rated the combined audio-video channels on a 9-point scale ranging from calm to stressed. Each S's ratings were correlated with V and NV criteria established by pretest judges as well as with a maximum stress criterion. Results indicated that Ss differed reliably in their preferences for V and NV cues. A difference in general sensitivity to all available cues is suggested by the finding that NV responders were able to detect stress in the V mode also, while the V responders showed little ability to respond to NV cues. A third group also correlated with the maximum stress criterion but had no V or NV mode preference.
Finite horizons, life-cycle savings, and time-series evidence on consumption

Abstract This paper develops an explicitly aggregated life-cycle model which allows for finite horizons and declining individual labor supply. The model can generate a common upward trend in aggregate consumption, labor income, and nonhuman wealth, without relinquishing Hall's random walk at the micro level. Life-cycle factors are shown to imply that consumption changes should be (a) predictable and (b) smoother than in the infinite-horizon model. Econometric evidence using postwar U.S. data suggests that neither consumption's predictability nor its excess smoothness can be fully accounted for by life-cycle considerations.
Regulation of Sexual Dimorphism in Mammals

Haqq, Christopher M., and Patricia K. Donahoe. Regulation of Sexual Dimorphism in Mammals. Physiol. Rev. 78: 1–33, 1998. — Sexual dimorphism in humans has been the subject of wonder for centuries. ...
Twenty‐year follow‐up of bulimia nervosa and related eating disorders not otherwise specified

Objective This study reports 20-year outcome of bulimia nervosa (BN) and related eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS) and point prevalence of BN and EDNOS for a cohort of women and men in late adolescence (mean age = 20 ± 2 years), adulthood (30 ± 2 years), and mid-life (40 ± 2 years). Method N = 654 women and men, 73% of those assessed in 1982, completed 20-year follow-up in a two-stage design including questionnaires and structured clinical interviews. Results Approximately 75% of women with BN were in remission at 20-year follow-up, and outcome did not differ significantly between BN and EDNOS. Eating disorder point prevalence declined in women but not men from late adolescence to mid-life. Discussion Despite patterns of improvement in women, 4.5% reported a clinically significant eating disorder at mid-life, suggesting the need for more research on potential risk factors in this age group, such as pressures for women to maintain a youthful appearance. © 2009 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2010; 43:492–497
Autophosphorylation Within the Atg1 Activation Loop Is Required for Both Kinase Activity and the Induction of Autophagy in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved degradative pathway that has been implicated in a number of physiological events important for human health. This process was originally identified as a response to nutrient deprivation and is thought to serve in a recycling capacity during periods of nutritional stress. Autophagy activity appears to be highly regulated and multiple signaling pathways are known to target a complex of proteins that contains the Atg1 protein kinase. The data here extend these observations and identify a particular phosphorylation event on Atg1 as a potential control point within the autophagy pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This phosphorylation occurs at a threonine residue, T226, within the Atg1 activation loop that is conserved in all Atg1 orthologs. Replacing this threonine with a nonphosphorylatable residue resulted in a loss of Atg1 protein kinase activity and a failure to induce autophagy. This phosphorylation required the presence of a functional Atg1 kinase domain and two known regulators of Atg1 activity, Atg13 and Atg17. Interestingly, the levels of this modification were found to increase dramatically upon exposure to conditions that induce autophagy. In addition, T226 phosphorylation was associated with an autophosphorylated form of Atg1 that was found specifically in cells undergoing the autophagy process. In all, these data suggest that autophosphorylation within the Atg1 activation loop may represent a point of regulatory control for this degradative process.
Life History and Case-Building Behavior of Phylloicus ornatus (Trichoptera: Calamoceratidae) in Two Spring-Fed Streams in Texas

The life history and case-making behavior of Phylloicus ornatus (Banks) from two spring-fed first-order streams in the Edwards Plateau bioregion of Texas were studied from January 1998 to November 1999. Field sampling of larvae, pupae, and adults, and laboratory rearings indicated a multivoltine cycle. Eggs averaged 0.32 mm diameter and have distinctive, ridged chorionic sculpturing. First instars differ from late instars in having fewer labral setae and a unique spur-like claw on each lateral hump. Larval development was asynchronous, with second through fifth instars and pupae present most months. First instars were present April through July, October, and November. Case-making of first instars, and case reconstruction of later instars extracted from their cases, was documented by videotape. The chronological aspects of case-building behavior of first and later instars are documented. Case-building was compared with that of two other species in other families. The near-identical sequences suggest that case-making behavior in all three species represents a recapitulation of evolutionary events leading to larval case-making in Spicipalpia and Integripalpia.
Gating kinetics of Shaker K+ channels are differentially modified by general anesthetics

TheShakerB K+ channel was used as a model voltage-gated channel to probe the interaction of volatile general anesthetics with gating mechanisms. The effects of three anesthetics, chloroform (CHCl3)...