cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
LiveMaps: Learning Geo-Intent from Images of Maps on a Large Scale

Image search is a popular application on web search engines. Issuing a location-related query on an image search engine often returns multiple images of maps among the top ranked results. Traditionally, clicking on such images either opens the image in a new browser tab or takes users to a web page containing the image. However, finding the area of intent on an interactive web map (e.g., Bing Maps) is a manual process. In this paper, we describe a novel system, LiveMaps, for analyzing and retrieving an appropriate map viewport for a given image of a map. This provides annotation of images of maps returned by image search engines, allowing users to directly open a link to an interactive map centered on the location of interest. LiveMaps works in several stages. It first checks whether the input image represents a map. If yes, then the system attempts to identify what geographical area this map image represents. In the process, we use textual as well as visual information extracted from the image. Finally, we construct an interactive map object capturing the geographical area inferred for the image. Evaluation results on a dataset of labeled map images indicate our system constructs precise map representations while also achieving good levels of coverage.
Implications of a Family Life Improvement Project

An examination of studies assessing the outcome of social work intervention in social functioning reveals significant findings for social policy and practice
Association of Biomarker and Physiologic Indices With Mortality in Older Adults: Cardiovascular Health Study

Background A goal of gerontology is discovering aging phenotypes that reflect biological aging distinct from disease pathogenesis. Biomarkers that strongly and independently associated with mortality and that statistically attenuated chronologic age could be used to define such a phenotype. We determined the association of a Biomarker Index (BI) with mortality and compared it with a validated Physiologic Index (PI) in older adults. Methods The indices were constructed in the Cardiovascular Health Study, mean (SD) age 74.5 (5.1) years. The BI incorporated circulating levels of new biomarkers, including insulin-like growth factor-1, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3, amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and interleukin-6, and was built in test (N = 2,197) and validation (N = 1,124) samples. The PI included carotid intima-media thickness, pulmonary capacity, brain white matter grade, cystatin-C, and fasting glucose. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models predicting death were calculated with 10 years of follow-up. Results In separate age-adjusted models, the hazard ratio for mortality per point of the BI was 1.30 (95% confidence interval 1.25, 1.34) and the BI attenuated age by 25%. The hazard ratio for the PI was 1.28 (1.24, 1.33; 29% age attenuation). In the same model, the hazard ratio for the BI was 1.23 (1.18, 1.28) and for the PI was 1.22 (1.17, 1.26), and age was attenuated 42.5%. Associations persisted after further adjustment. Conclusions The BI and PI were significantly and independently associated with mortality. Both attenuated the age effect on mortality substantially. The indices may be feasible phenotypes for developing interventions hoping to alter the trajectory of aging.
Minimal Modeling of Human Respiratory Stability

It is known that periodic breathing (PB), or Cheyne-Stokes respiration, may result from a wide range of pathophysiological, metabolic, or environmental conditions including; congestive heart failure, lesions of the central nervous system, hypoxemia, metabolic alkalosis and prematurity1,2. Klein first suggested that PB may derive from unstable operation of the chemostatic respiratory control system3. It was not until digital computers became widely available, however, that a series of mathematical models was developed to explore Klein’s hypothesis4–11. Early mathematical models of PB were highly-parameterized and non-linear simulation models4–8 which served to support the hypothesis that unstable chemical control of respiration, associated with loop gain magnitudes greater than unity, may be common to the wide range of conditions associated with PB. The large numbers of parameters and the difficulties of their laboratory estimation, however, made these models impractical for correlating respiratory control loop gain with observed breathing patterns in individual patients or subjects. More recently, attempts have been made to linearize9–11 and minimize the parameterization10–11 of mathematical models of PB.
Melt Extruded Controlled Release Dosage Forms

Hot-melt extrusion is a proven pharmaceutical processing technology, enabling the formation of matrices and structures designed to control drug release. Controlled drug release formulations are important for reducing side effects, improving bioavailability, and patient compliance. Melt extrusion has been applied in the production of various controlled-release dosage forms: including pellets, tablets, films, and drug reservoirs. Controlled-release dosage forms prepared by extrusion have been demonstrated for oral delivery as well as in producing implants and transmucosal devices. This chapter reviews extruded controlled-release dosage forms, highlighting the importance of material properties and structure. The mechanisms by which drugs are released from different materials and structures are reviewed using examples from current literature.
Comparison of conventional and collapse-mode CMUT in 1-D array configuration

This paper presents a comparison between two types of capacitive micromachined transducers (CMUTs), one operating in the conventional mode and the other one in the collapse-mode. Both types of devices are designed to have the same membrane properties (silicon, 1-μm thick), the same peak frequency (10 MHz) and similar operating bias voltages (100 V 130 V). In the finite element analysis (FEA) of transmit pressure, both types of devices have similar fractional bandwidth (FBW) more than 120%, whereas, the collapse-mode CMUT has higher output pressure (46.5 kPa/V) than that of the conventional CMUT (13.1 kPa/V). To validate the FEA results, these two devices are fabricated using LOCOS/wafer-bonding process. The fabricated devices have a phased array configuration with an element pitch of 75 μm. The output pressure and the FBW of the conventional CMUT is 110% and 12.7 kPa/V, respectively, which match well with FEA results. The collapse-mode CMUT has a FBW of 102.5% and output pressure of 26.4 kPa/V. With a large AC excitation and high DC bias, the conventional CMUT has an output pressure of 1.25 MPap-p with 56.4-Vp-p AC and 180-V DC. The collapse-mode CMUT has an output pressure of 2.37 MPap-p with 56.2-Vp-p AC, and 150-V DC. Keywords; CMUT, Collapse-mode, LOCOS, MEMS
Molecular Effects of Calcineurin Inhibitors

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the cellular and molecular mechanisms that have recently been discovered regarding the bone loss associated with calcineurin inhibitors. Calcineurin inhibitors are widely used in the management of auto-immune disorders and have revolutionized organ transplantation. A direct causative role for calcineurin inhibitors has been difficult to demonstrate in clinical studies as a result of the concomitant use of glucocorticoids. The rapid and severe bone loss that occurs after organ transplant is likely to be attributable not only to glucocorticoids, but also to calcineurin inhibitors, CsA and FK506. These agents block T-cell proliferation by inhibiting the Ca++++-calmodulin-sensitive phosphatase calcineurin. These drugs have been shown to cause high-turnover bone loss in both human and animal studies. Animal studies have demonstrated acute increases in bone remodeling, consisting of both osteoclast activation and, in some circumstances, increases in osteoblastic bone formation. There is limited but persuasive evidence that T cells may mediate the action of both CsA and FK506, but again, this needs further confirmation.
Problems in Muroid Phylogeny: Relationship to Other Rodents and Origin of Major Groups

The Muroidea include most of the diverse mouse-like rodents living today. The extant families of muroid rodents recognized by us are Muridae (true rats and mice), Cricetidae (hamsters, diverse hypsodont groups, and many American lineages), Gerbillidae (gerbils, sand rats and jirds) and several smaller groups, most of which have been given familial rank elsewhere. These are Nesomyidae (including Afrocricetodontinae), Rhizomyidae, Dendromuridae, Petromyscidae, Spalacidae, Cricetomyidae, Platacanthomyidae, and Lophiomyidae. Arvicoline (microtine) genera are not considered to constitute a family because they are late derivatives of advanced cricetids and because they form a polyphyletic group (C. A. Repenning, personal communication).
Assessing consistency of spring phenology of snow-covered forests as estimated by vegetation indices, gross primary production, and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence

Abstract Accurate phenology characterization is of great importance for measuring ecosystem dynamics, especially for carbon and water exchange between land and the atmosphere. Vegetation indices (VIs), calculated from land surface reflectance, are widely used to estimate phenology from the leaf and canopy structure perspective. Gross Primary Production (GPP) and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) are used to estimate phenology from the canopy functional (physiological) perspective. To what degree are the spring phenology estimated from these different perspectives consistent with each other? In this study, we evaluated the consistency of the start of the growing season (SOS) in spring for snow-covered evergreen needleleaf forests (ENF) and deciduous broadleaf forests (DBF) using three vegetation indices, in-situ GPP data from the eddy covariance flux towers (GPPEC), GPP data from the Vegetation Photosynthesis Model (GPPVPM), and SIF data from the GOME-2. Results showed that SOSNDVI dates were much earlier than SOS dates from EVI (SOSEVI), land surface water index (LSWI) (SOSLSWI), GPP (SOSGPP; SOSGPP-EC, SOSGPP_VPM) and SIF (SOSSIF) for both snow-covered evergreen needleleaf forest (ENF) and deciduous broadleaf forest (DBF). SOSLSWI dates were more linearly correlated with SOSGPP and SOSSIF than SOS dates from NDVI and EVI. At ENF sites, SOSLSWI dates were 17 (± 27) days later and SOSEVI were 25 (± 34) days later than SOSGPP_EC dates. At DBF sites, SOSLSWI and SOSEVI dates were 1-week (± 13 days) later than SOSGPP_EC dates. In the snow-covered regions at mid- to high-latitude in the Northern Hemisphere, SOSLSWI dates were 2˜3 weeks (± 5 days) later than those of SOSGPP_VPM and SOSSIF for both ENF and DBF. Our results clearly highlight the need for further investigation of NDVI-based SOS dates, which were likely affected by snowmelt in snow-covered forests, and the potential of LSWI for tracking the effects of snow on SOS dates. Estimations of SOS dates in snow-covered forests should consider the effects of both snow cover and temperature on leaf emergence (green-up) and gross primary production.
Scaling ecological resilience

Rapid climate change and altered disturbance regimes represent increasing stressors to the stability of existing ecosystems. Resilience is a widely used framework for post-disturbance response, but resilient responses are emergent properties resulting from component processes of persistence, recovery and reorganization, with different mechanisms at work in each mode. We present a model of scaled resilience, which allows resilience to be decomposed across scales of space, time, and levels of biological organization. Using case examples of post-fire resilience in dry conifer forests of interior western North America, we illustrate the increased clarity gained by separating scale-dependent mechanisms of persistence, recovery, and reorganization. We conclude by describing how the scaled resilience framework can be applied in land and fire management by distinguishing relevant management actions before, during, and after wildfire.
Overexpression of myeloid angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) reduces atherosclerosis

Abstract Background Macrophages are ubiquitous in all stages of atherosclerosis, exerting tremendous impact on lesion progression and plaque stability. Because macrophages in atherosclerotic plaques express angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), current dogma posits that local myeloid-mediated effects worsen the disease. In contrast, we previously reported that myeloid ACE overexpression augments macrophage resistance to various immune challenges, including tumors, bacterial infection and Alzheimer’s plaque deposition. Here, we sought to assess the impact of myeloid ACE on atherosclerosis. Methods A mouse model in which ACE is overexpressed in myelomonocytic lineage cells, called ACE10, was generated and sequentially crossed with ApoE-deficient mice to create ACE10/10ApoE−/− (ACE10/ApoE). Control mice were ACEWT/WTApoE−/− (WT/ApoE). Atherosclerosis was induced using an atherogenic diet alone, or in combination with unilateral nephrectomy plus deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) salt for eight weeks. Results With an atherogenic diet alone or in combination with DOCA, the ACE10/ApoE mice showed significantly less atherosclerotic plaques compared to their WT/ApoE counterparts (p Conclusion Our data indicate that while myeloid ACE may not be required for atherosclerosis, enhanced ACE expression paradoxically reduced disease progression.
Effect of reef morphology and depth on fish community and trophic structure in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico

Abstract Reef fish resources provide numerous ecosystem services in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM) large marine ecosystem. Artificial reefs (ARs) have been distributed across the nGOM in attempts to enhance reef fish habitat and increase fishery productivity, but few data exist to distinguish ecological from fishery functions of ARs compared to natural reefs (NRs), particularly at the regional scale. Therefore, we conducted remotely operated vehicle surveys of reef fish communities at 47 reef sites within a ~20,000 km2 area of the nGOM shelf and tested the effect of reef type (NR versus AR), depth (≤35 or >35 m), relief (≤2 m or >2 m), and complexity (low or high) on fish diversity and community structure as well as trophic guild- and species-specific densities. Twenty-one species were present at >20%, nine at >50%, and three at >75% of study reefs. Fishery species (i.e., Lutjanus campechanus, Seriola dumerili, and Rhomboplites aurorubens) and invasive Pterois volitans were frequently observed (>50% of sites) or numerically dominant, especially at ARs. Main effects did not significantly affect the presence of specific species or trophic guilds, but interactions among factors significantly affected species- and trophic guild-specific densities. Our results indicate that effects of habitat characteristics on fish communities are more nuanced than previously described. Fish communities are moderately similar at the majority of sites but specific habitat characteristics can interact to dramatically affect densities of some species, particularly those that depend on complex structures for refuge. Simple ARs tend to concentrate high densities of a few important fishery species with low densities of other small demersal reef fishes. Complex NRs with high relief also support high densities of planktivorous fishery species but greatly increase densities of small, demersal, non-fishery species that directly utilize complex reef structure for refuge.
Identifying High-Impact Practices of Learning Communities that Foster Collective Professional Growth

This article explores the collective practice of teacher professional growth. A Delphi study method was used to identify a set of high-leverage practices for building teacher collective capacity fo...
Considering the Purpose of “An Alternative Sense-Making Collective”: A Rhetorical Analysis of the Intellectual Dark Web

This essay examines the role of The Intellectual Dark Web (IDW) in current political discourse. Situated within the context of political polarization and declining institutional trust in the United...
Mechanism and Effects of Coverage and Particle Morphology on Rh-Catalyzed NO–H2 Reactions

Three-way catalysts, which typically include Rh, are used to treat automotive exhaust and reduce nitric oxide (NO) with a combination of CO and H2, although few kinetic and theoretical investigatio...
Rethinking the history of plague in the time of COVID-19

We are currently experiencing one of the most disruptive pandemics in modern history. The outbreak of COVID-19 that was first recorded in Wuhan, China and quickly spread across the globe has resulted in nearly 5 million confirmed cases to date and more than 300,000 deaths. Where we stand now, it is still uncertain how many it will infect or kill worldwide, how long it will continue, and when—if ever—life will return to normal. What we know for sure is that this is a pivotal moment and that we are experiencing a historic event that will transform our societies both profoundly and irreversibly. As we wade into this new age of pandemics, it is critical to rethink how we write the history of pandemics. With a conviction that the past helps us to understand the present and that the present should help us to rethink the past, I turn to the legacy of past plagues. In this essay, I take stock of the lasting legacies of past plagues because they continue to shape the way we think about new pandemics. In particular, I address persistent problems, such as European exceptionalism, triumphalism, and epidemiological Orientalism, that are not only ubiquitous in plague studies, but also staples of public opinion about pandemics, past and present.
Net Drainage as a Novel Metric for Irrigating Drainage Systems in Chronic Subdural Hematoma Management: A Case Report.

Background and importance Chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) is a common neurosurgical pathology with a projected increase in prevalence as the elderly population grows. Traditional treatment for cSDH involves burr hole drainage or craniotomy with or without a subdural drain. This case describes a novel irrigation and drainage protocol using IRRAflow dual-lumen catheter system that utilizes early irrigation and measurement of the net fluid output to improve postoperative outcomes. Clinical presentation A 75-yr-old male presented to the emergency department with 2 wk of progressive dizziness, headache, confusion, and left-sided weakness over the past week. Computed tomography (CT) of the head showed 25-mm-thick, right-sided cSDH with 7 mm of right-to-left midline shift. The patient was taken to the operating room for right-sided craniotomy for subdural hematoma evacuation with placement of IRRAflow irrigating drain in the subdural space. The IRRAflow drain irrigated at 100 cc/h for 23 h with net output consistently greater than irrigation rate. Head CT the following day showed a progressive decrease in subdural collection. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 2 and had complete resolution of his neurological symptoms by postoperative day 11. Conclusion As cSDHs become more prevalent in the aging population, development of improved management strategies is imperative. This report describes the use of an IRRAflow dual-lumen catheter with a novel protocol consisting of a high rate of irrigation but net fluid output, which led to rapid recovery and resolution of neurological deficits in a patient with a cSDH.
Evaluating Neural Model Robustness for Machine Comprehension

We evaluate neural model robustness to adversarial attacks using different types of linguistic unit perturbations – character and word, and propose a new method for strategic sentence-level perturbations. We experiment with different amounts of perturbations to examine model confidence and misclassification rate, and contrast model performance with different embeddings BERT and ELMo on two benchmark datasets SQuAD and TriviaQA. We demonstrate how to improve model performance during an adversarial attack by using ensembles. Finally, we analyze factors that effect model behavior under adversarial attack, and develop a new model to predict errors during attacks. Our novel findings reveal that (a) unlike BERT, models that use ELMo embeddings are more susceptible to adversarial attacks, (b) unlike word and paraphrase, character perturbations affect the model the most but are most easily compensated for by adversarial training, (c) word perturbations lead to more high-confidence misclassifications compared to sentence- and character-level perturbations, (d) the type of question and model answer length (the longer the answer the more likely it is to be incorrect) is the most predictive of model errors in adversarial setting, and (e) conclusions about model behavior are dataset-specific.
Examining students’ variational reasoning in differential equations

Abstract In this study, we explored how a sample of eight students used variational reasoning while discussing ordinary differential equations (DEs). Our analysis of variational reasoning draws on the literature with regard to student thinking about derivatives and rate, students’ covariational reasoning, and different multivariational structures that can exist between multiple variables. First, we found that while students can think of “derivative” as a variable in and of itself and also unpack derivative as a rate of change between two variables, the students were often able to think of “derivative” in these two ways simultaneously in the same explanation. Second, we found that students made significant usage of covariational reasoning to imagine relationships between pairs of variables in a DE, and that mental actions pertaining to recognizing dependence/independence were especially important. Third, the students also conceptualized relationships between multiple variables in a DE that matched different multivariational structures. Fourth, importantly, we identified a type of variational reasoning, which we call “feedback variation”, that may be unique to DEs because of the recursive relationship between a function’s value and its own rate of change.
Prospects for daily online adaptive radiotherapy via ethos for prostate cancer patients without nodal involvement using unedited CBCT auto-segmentation.

PURPOSE Implementing new online adaptive radiation therapy technologies is challenging because extra clinical resources are required particularly expert contour review. Here, we provide the first assessment of Varian's Ethos™ adaptive platform for prostate cancer using no manual edits after auto-segmentation to minimize this impact on clinical efficiency. METHODS Twenty-five prostate patients previously treated at our clinic were re-planned using an Ethos™ emulator. Clinical target volumes (CTV) included intact prostate and proximal seminal vesicles. The following clinical margins were used: 3 mm posterior, 5 mm left/right/anterior, and 7 mm superior/inferior. Adapted plans were calculated for 10 fractions per patient using Ethos's auto-segmentation and auto-planning workflow without manual contouring edits. Doses and auto-segmented structures were exported to our clinical treatment planning system where contours were modified as needed for all 250 CTVs and organs-at-risk. Dose metrics from adapted plans were compared to unadapted plans to evaluate CTV and OAR dose changes. RESULTS Overall 96% of fractions required auto-segmentation edits, although corrections were generally minor (<10% of the volume for 70% of CTVs, 88% of bladders, and 90% of rectums). However, for one patient the auto-segmented CTV failed to include the superior portion of prostate that extended into the bladder at all 10 fractions resulting in under-contouring of the CTV by 31.3% ± 6.7%. For the 24 patients with minor auto-segmentation corrections, adaptation improved CTV D98% by 2.9% ± 5.3%. For non-adapted fractions where bladder or rectum V90% exceeded clinical thresholds, adaptation reduced them by 13.1% ± 1.0% and 6.5% ± 7.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION For most patients, Ethos's online adaptive radiation therapy workflow improved CTV D98% and reduced normal tissue dose when structures would otherwise exceed clinical thresholds, even without time-consuming manual edits. However, for one in 25 patients, large contour edits were required and thus scrutiny of the daily auto-segmentation is necessary and not all patients will be good candidates for adaptation.
BeamScatter: Scalable, Deployable Long-Range backscatter communication with Beam-Steering.

WiFi backscatter tags can enable direct connectivity of IoT devices with commodity WiFi hardware at low power. However, most state-of-the-art backscatter tag implementations in this area have a limited transmitter to tag range and are not suitable to be deployed in a WiFi mesh network nor take full advantage of today's WiFi networks. In this paper, we present BeamScatter, which can realize a backscatter tag-based onMIMO techniques that can work at a very long separation of 28m from an access point and enables their deployment in WiFi mesh networks. BeamScatter presents a novel technique to perform beam-steering on the MIMO tag at a very low power consumption of 88uW and achieve a peak throughput of 1Mbps. Next BeamScatter creates a novel modeling framework to decide the optimal phase setting on the tag to steer the backscattered signal towards a specific direction of interest.
Neurocognitive Models of Information Processing and Knowledge Acquisition

The quest for a comprehensive and systematic theory of human cognition is a long-established goal of psychology and the neurosciences. However, we are only beginning to acquire sufficient knowledge of brain functional neuroanatomy to comprehend the magnitude of the task, and begin to place some boundary conditions on theory building. The complexity of this quest becomes ever more apparent as additional insights are gained into the neuroanatomy and physiology of the brain. Recent advances in neurophysiology and current interdisciplinary research on neurocognitive processes may improve our understanding of some basic aspects of cognition. Cognition is defined here broadly as perception of sensory input, its transformation, integration into memory, and application during recall. The acquisition of knowledge in a form that enhances its stability in memory, facilitates application to new cognitive tasks, and provides a sound base for further learning is a significant aspect of human information processing. Our understanding of the cognitive processes mediating knowledge acquisition has improved substantially through the application of principles from cognitive psychology and information processing sciences. It is becoming increasingly clear that information acquisition is a dynamic process involving the active participation of the recipient whereby new information is linked to and accommodated within prior existing knowledge structures or schemata1 (Ausubel 1963; Kintsch 1974; Anderson 1976; Novak 1977).
Composition and hygroscopicity of the Los Angeles Aerosol: CalNex

Aircraft-based measurements of aerosol composition, either bulk or single-particle, and both subsaturated and supersaturated hygroscopicity were made in the Los Angeles Basin and its outflows during May 2010 during the CalNex field study. Aerosol composition evolves from source-rich areas in the western Basin to downwind sites in the eastern Basin, evidenced by transition from an external to internal mixture, as well as enhancements in organic O : C ratio, the amount of organics and nitrate internally mixed on almost all particle types, and coating thickness on refractory black carbon (rBC). Transport into hot, dilute outflow regions leads to significant volatilization of semivolatile material, resulting in a unimodal aerosol comprising primarily oxygenated, low-volatility, water-soluble organics and sulfate. The fraction of particles with rBC or soot cores is between 27 and 51% based on data from a Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) and Aerosol Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer (ATOFMS). Secondary organics appear to inhibit subsaturated water uptake in aged particles, while CCN activity is enhanced with photochemical age. A biomass-burning event resulted in suppression of subsaturated hygroscopicity but enhancement in CCN activity, suggesting that BB particles may be nonhygroscopic at subsaturated RH but are important sources of CCN. Aerosol aging and biomass burning can lead to discrepancies between subsaturated and supersaturated hygroscopicity that may be related to mixing state. In the cases of biomass burning aerosol and aged particles coated with secondary material, more than a single parameter representation of subsaturated hygroscopicity and CCN activity is needed.
The implications of travel profiles for transportation investment: The Bronx Center Project

Investment in transportation infrastructure is generally regarded as an effective means for inducing economic growth and employment in a region. However, the ability of such investments to achieve these objectives, to a large extent, depends on the degree to which travel results from these investments support or conflict with present travel patterns and needs in this region. Using this view as a basis, this paper analyzes travel conditions and choices in the Bronx New York, where large scale transportation and other development projects (commonly called the Bronx Center Project) are presently taking place. Using a large data base, composed of census tract information on socio-economic and travel behavior, the paper first examines the travel profile of the Bronx population, by estimating travel choice elasticities. On the basis of these elasticities it then assesses the impact of the Bronx Center Project on travel patterns and trends.
Calibration of laboratory bioassays with results from microcosms and ponds

Effects of an organic contaminant (as synthetic coal-derived crude oil) were measured in outdoor ponds and indoor pond-derived microcosms and compared with results of laboratory bioassays. Ponds and microcosms were treated with the oil continuously for eight weeks. Concentrations of phenolic compounds spanned the range of acute and chronic toxicity concentrations determined in single-species bioassays. Effects were similar in microcosms and ponds, implying that microcosms are suitable models for field studies for some purposes. Significant changes in community metabolism and zooplankton populations occurred in microcosms and ponds exposed to less than 0.05 mg/L phenols, near the 28-day lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC) for Daphnia magna. Ponds and microcosms were seriously damaged at concentrations near acute bioassay mean lethal concentration (LC/sub 50/) values. Indirect effects in the ecosystems occurred at all treatment levels, and included changes in water quality, replacement of sensitive taxa by more tolerant competitors, and changes in abundance of some species because of increases or decreases in their predators or grazers. The safe exposure level determined from the ecosystem experiments was accurately predicted by an application factor of 0.03 in conjunction with the most sensitive acute bioassay result (the D. magna 48-h LC/sub 50/). Less conservative extrapolation methods more » overestimated the safe concentration of this material in these ecosystems. 32 references, 3 figures, 5 tables. « less
Recent DIII-D neutral beam calibration results

The fundamental parameters by which injected DIII-D neutral beam power is calculated have all been recently measured using waterflow calorimetry and target tile thermocouples. The measured neutralization efficiency is 66%, close to the modeled equilibrium value of 70% for a 75 kV deuterium beam. Waterflow calorimetry has proven to be a useful tool to measure the neutralization efficiency, contrary to earlier results. The beamline transmission efficiency has been measured for each beam independently, and averages about 78% among the beams. Finally, the drift duct reionization survival rate is 95%. By making use of the independence of preshot target tile temperature and duct reionization, interpretation of thermocouple data has yielded more accurate results. >
Rabies und andere Viruserkrankungen des Nervensystems, „slow“-Virusinfektionen

Rabies ist eine akute Infektionskrankheit des Zentralnervensystems, die stets todlich verlauft. Das Virus wird auf den Menschen im allgemeinen durch den Bis eines tollwutigen Tieres ubertragen.
A patatin-like protein protects Toxoplasma gondii from degradation in activated macrophages.

The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is able to suppress nitric oxide production in activated macrophages. A screen of over 6000 T. gondii insertional mutants identified two clones, which were consistently unable to suppress nitric oxide production from activated macrophages. One strain, called 89B7, grew at the same rate as wild-type parasites in naive macrophages, but unlike wild type, the mutant was degraded in activated macrophages. This degradation was marked by a reduction in the number of parasites within vacuoles over time, the loss of GRA4 and SAG1 protein staining by immunofluorescence assay, and the vesiculation and breakdown of the internal parasite ultrastructure by electron microscopy. The mutagenesis plasmid in the 89B7 clone disrupts the promoter of a 3.4 kb mRNA that encodes a predicted 68 kDa protein with a cleavable signal peptide and a patatin-like phospholipase domain. Genetic complementation with the genomic locus of this patatin-like protein restores the parasites ability to suppress nitric oxide and replicate in activated macrophages. A haemagglutinin-tagged version of this patatin-like protein shows punctate localization into atypical T. gondii structures within the parasite. This is the first study that defines a specific gene product that is needed for parasite survival in activated but not naive macrophages.
Mapping and Computers

Publisher Summary Computers have become such an integral part of the mapping process that it is now virtually impossible to consider mapping without computers. This is true of all areas involved: production of conventional maps, research on new applications, data processing for the auxiliary systems, and nontechnical or administrative utilization. Although this has happened within the span of a few years, this union of computers and mapping is deep rooted. It is a point of pride within the mapping agencies that the earliest use of computers was not only accepted, but actually encouraged and promoted by their enthusiastic adoption of what was then an original and startling innovation. The various steps that constitute the mapmaking process have been reviewed in this chapter. Each step involves the use of computers, and it has become obvious that their use is constantly expanding. When the programmable desktop calculators became available, many mapping applications were withdrawn from the large general-purpose computers and placed on these small but powerful devices. In some respects this is the completion of a circle, the same computations which had been transferred from the old mechanical desktop calculators to the electronic computers have now returned to desktop instruments. From another viewpoint, particularly of the user, the only similarity is the desktop location. Long tedious strings of arithmetical manipulations are now performed by depressing one button. This analogy holds true for mapmaking in general. Its basic purpose, to present pictorial information about the earth in a measurable format, remains unchanged. The methods and procedures have been irrevocably altered by data reduction via computer. The instrumentation of mapmaking has been redesigned by the same explosion in technology that has spawned generation after generation of computers within a few years. The combination of mapping and computers is both happy and successful.
International Application Of The Fifth Amendment: Where In The World Is Ernesto Miranda?

In 1966, The United States Supreme Court issued its now legendary decision in Miranda v. Arizona (1), and the practice of criminal law in the United States as was then known, was changed forever. The Miranda Warnings became not only the law of the land in protecting the rights of the accused, but also resulted in evolution and education in the field of law enforcement, processes that continue to this date. Now comes a series of cases involving international terrorism, and Miranda and its old stable-mate Mapp (2) get trotted out again for a new look, to see whether members of an international conspiracy--led by Osama Bin Laden and organized through the al Qaeda terrorist network--to kill American citizens and destroy American facilities across the globe(3), can make a run for the roses using the triple crown of American criminal jurisprudence, The Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the Constitution. Two races have been run, and the al Qaeda horsemen have finished out of the money. They now gear up and don their colors for one last run in their quest for exoneration: a date with the U.S. Supreme Court.
Protective role of wheat bran fiber: preclinical data

Although animal data relating to the effects of dietary fiber on experimentally induced colon tumors are not easily summarized, it appears that wheat bran fiber protects against colon cancer. In a recent direct comparison, an ad libitum diet containing wheat bran fiber led to a 40% lower incidence of colon tumors, compared with a cellulose-containing diet. In addition, the greater protective effect of wheat bran fiber as compared with the cellulose was shown in rats fed 10% or 20% energy-restricted diets containing wheat bran or cellulose.
The effect of individual goal‐setting conferences on academic achievement and modification of locus of control orientation

The study was designed to investigate the effects of individual goal-setting conferences on classroom achievement and locus of control orientation. Subjects were blocked on sex and previous achievement and randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: the goal-setting (GS) group, which received weekly individual goal-setting conferences; the conference (Cf) group, which received weekly individual conferences but set no goals; and the control (C) group, which received no conferences. Analyses of the data showed a significant treatment effect for achievement across treatment groups, with the GS group having significantly higher achievement than the Cf and C groups. Treatment effect across locus of control measures across treatment groups was less clear, although post hoc analyses indicated that the GS group was significantly more internal than either the Cf or C groups on the three intellectually oriented measures.
Homopteran Vector Biomarkers for Efficient Circulative Plant Virus Transmission are Conserved in Multiple Aphid Species and the Whitefly Bemisia tabaci

Abstract Plant viruses in the families Luteoviridae and Geminiviridae are phloem restricted and are transmitted in a persistent, circulative manner by homopteran insects. Using fluorescence 2-D difference gel electrophoresis to compare the proteomes of F 2 genotypes of Schizaphis graminum segregating for virus transmission ability, we recently discovered a panel of protein biomarkers that predict vector competency. Here we used aphid and whitefly nucleotide and expressed sequence tag database mining to test whether these biomarkers are conserved in other homopteran insects. S. graminum gene homologs that shared a high degree of predicted amino acid identity were discovered in two other aphid species and in the whitefly Bemisia tabaci. Selected reaction monitoring mass spectrometry was used to validate the expression of these biomarkers proteins in multiple aphid vector species. The conservation of these proteins in multiple insect taxa that transmit plant viruses along the circulative transmission pathway creates the opportunity to use these biomarkers to rapidly identify insect populations that are the most efficient vectors and allow them to be targeted for control prior to the spread of virus within a crop.
Nursing Assessment of Older Rural Drivers

Fifty rural nurses and 75 rural elders participated in a study to (a) explore the perceptions of nurses regarding their role in assessing the driving abilities of rural elders and (b) to describe the nurse's influence on rural elders' decision to stop driving. Findings suggest that, although driving safety of rural elders is of concern to nurses, they do not discuss these concerns with their clients, and rural elders do not discuss driving with nurses.
Measuring the quality of inpatient obstetrical care

Obstetric admissions are the leading cause of hospitalization for women in the United States, accounting for over 4 million hospital discharges each year. Measuring the quality of inpatient obstetrical care provided to these women is becoming increasingly important to patients, providers, and insure
Interfacial Thermodynamics of Surfactants at the CO2−Water Interface

Measurements of the interfacial tension γ at the water-CO2 interface with the surfactant perfluoropolyetherCOO-NH4+ (Mw = 2500) are utilized to determine the surfactant interfacial area, surface pressure vs area, critical microemulsion concentration, and the thermodynamic properties of microemulsion formation. The measurements were made at equilibrium vs surfactant concentration with a tandem variable-volume pendant drop tensiometer from 25 to 65 °C at a constant CO2 density of 0.842 g·mL-1. The experimental results along with a simple molecular surface equation of state indicate that the area per surfactant at the critical microemulsion concentration is much larger at the water-CO2 vs water−oil interface for two primary reasons. The first reason is that γο (without surfactant) is much smaller for the water−CO2 interface; thus, less surfactant is required to lower γ to a typical value for microemulsions, 1 mN/m. The second reason is the larger entropic contribution to the free energy of the monolayer, due...
INDUCTION OF THE IMMUNE RESPONSE TO CELL SURFACE ANTIGENS IN VITRO

Two tissue culture incubation systems are described in which immune responses to cell surface antigens have been demonstrated In the one-way “mixed lymphocyte interaction” system, a specific stimulation of thymidine uptake was induced by a particulate membrane antigen fraction, the microsomal lipoproteins (MLP)when low levels (0.01 to 0.001 μg per ml) were incubated with spleen or lymph node cells from nonsensitized mice. No stimulation was seen when allogeneic MLP was used at high levels, 10 μg per ml, nor at any level with syngeneic MLP. Specific effectors were demonstrated after 72-hr incubation with stimulatory levels of allogeneic MLP in three separate in vitro assays, a plaque-forming cell reduction assay, a tumor target assay, and an antigen-binding cell assay. In the latter assay, [125I]MLP was used as the source of antigen. This system has limited potential inasmuch as mouse spleen cells do not survive in it beyond the 4th day of culture. The second tissue culture system, the Marbrook system, has much greater possibilities because at least 25% of the inoculum is recovered 7days later. In this culture system a cell-free sheep erythrocyte membrane preparation can induce, plaque-forming cells in the absence of macrophages. Using a sensitive radioimmunoassay, frees specific antibody was detected in culture supernatant fluids. With the same culture system, allogeneic lymphocytotoxic cells (killer) have been induced with spleen cells from unprimed mice in strains differing at the major histocompatibility locus (H-2). Allogeneic MLP induced very significant “killer” cell activity with spleen cells from primed mice. In a syngeneic tumor systems, significant amounts of killer cell activity were induced with unprimed spleen cell inocula, and much larger amounts induced with spleen cells from immunized mice.
Rate of Gas Phase Association of Hydroxyl Radical and Nitrogen Dioxide

The reaction of OH and NO_2 to form gaseous nitric acid (HONO_2) is among the most influential in atmospheric chemistry. Despite its importance, the rate coefficient remains poorly determined under tropospheric conditions because of difficulties in making laboratory rate measurements in air at 760 torr and uncertainties about a secondary channel producing peroxynitrous acid (HOONO). We combined two sensitive laser spectroscopy techniques to measure the overall rate of both channels and the partitioning between them at 25°C and 760 torr. The result is a significantly more precise value of the rate constant for the HONO_2 formation channel, 9.2 (±0.4) × 10^(−12) cm^3 molecule^(−1) s^(−1) (1 SD) at 760 torr of air, which lies toward the lower end of the previously established range. We demonstrate the impact of the revised value on photochemical model predictions of ozone concentrations in the Los Angeles airshed.
Mitochondria-Associated MicroRNAs in Rat Hippocampus Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability. However, the molecular events contributing to the pathogenesis are not well understood. Mitochondria serve as the powerhouse of cells, respond to cellular demands and stressors, and play an essential role in cell signaling, differentiation, and survival. There is clear evidence of compromised mitochondrial function following TBI; however, the underlying mechanisms and consequences are not clear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally, and function as important mediators of neuronal development, synaptic plasticity, and neurodegeneration. Several miRNAs show altered expression following TBI; however, the relevance of mitochondria in these pathways is unknown. Here, we present evidence supporting the association of miRNA with hippocampal mitochondria, as well as changes in mitochondria-associated miRNA expression following a controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury in rats. Specifically, we found that the miRNA processing proteins Argonaute (AGO) and Dicer are present in mitochondria fractions from uninjured rat hippocampus, and immunoprecipitation of AGO associated miRNA from mitochondria suggests the presence of functional RNA-induced silencing complexes. Interestingly, RT-qPCR miRNA array studies revealed that a subset of miRNA is enriched in mitochondria relative to cytoplasm. At 12h following CCI, several miRNAs are significantly altered in hippocampal mitochondria and cytoplasm. In addition, levels of miR-155 and miR-223, both of which play a role in inflammatory processes, are significantly elevated in both cytoplasm and mitochondria. We propose that mitochondria-associated miRNAs may play an important role in regulating the response to TBI.
Factors Associated With Recidivism Among Offenders With Mental Illness

This study examined factors that explained or predicted recidivism of offenders who were mentally impaired and were under various correctional interventions. Offenders in a residential treatment program and specialized probation group, specialized probation alone, and mentally ill offenders who had served time in jail were examined. In comparison to the other two groups, the residential treatment offenders had a more extensive criminal history and were thus more likely to fail on supervision as well as to recidivate after supervision ended. Offenders with an alcohol problem were more likely to recidivate earlier and be rearrested for a violent offense than offenders without an alcohol problem.