cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Social structure and ethanol consumption in the laboratory rat

When mixed-sex groups of rats in established colonies were given free access to 4% and then 8% ethanol solutions, relative ethanol consumption for individual subjects was consistent over the two solutions, with some subordinate males consuming much more ethanol than any of the dominant males. Overall, subordinate male consumption was significantly higher than that of dominants, suggesting that the social stress of subordination may be a factor in ethanol consumption. Offensive attack was reduced under 8% consumption conditions, compared to the pre-ethanol level. The significant negative correlation between initial offense level and the level of offense seen under 8% ethanol consumption agrees with previous work suggesting that more offensive males show a differential decline in offense with ethanol. Female colony members consumed significantly more ethanol than males, with some suggestion of increased drinking in response to social stresses. This pattern of results suggests that the colony situation may provide an important model for investigation of the relationship between social stress and ethanol consumption.
Heavy metal removal by novel CBD-EC20 sorbents immobilized on cellulose.

Heavy metals are major contributors to pollution of the biosphere, and their efficient removal from contaminated water is required. Biosorption is an emerging technology that has been shown to be effective in removing very low levels of heavy metal from wastewater. Although peptides such as metallothioneins or phytotchelatins are known to immobilize heavy metals, peptide-based biosorbents have not been extensively investigated. In this paper, we describe the construction and expression of bifunctional fusion proteins consisting of synthetic phytochelatin (EC20) linked to a Clostridium-derived cellulose-binding domain (CBDclos), enabling purification and immobilization of the fusions onto different cellulose materials in essentially a single step. The immobilized sorbents were shown to be highly effective in removing cadmium at parts per million levels. Repeated removal of cadmium was demonstrated in an immobilized column. The ability to genetically engineer biosorbents with precisely defined properties could provide an attractive strategy for developing high-affinity bioadsorbents suitable for heavy metal removal.
Overview of the 2003 KDD Cup

This paper surveys the 2003 KDD Cup, a competition held in conjunction with the Ninth ACM SIGKDD International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDD) in August 2003. The competition focused on mining the complex real-life social network inherent in the e-print arXiv (arXiv.org). We describe the four KDD Cup tasks: citation prediction, download prediction, data cleaning, and an open task.
Self-adapting workflow reconfiguration

Because web services are highly interoperable, they are capable of providing uniform access to underlying technologies, allowing developers to choose between competing services. Workflow languages, such as BPEL, compose and sequence Web service invocations resulting in meaningful, and sometimes, repeated tasks. Their prevalence means there may be multiple Web services that perform the same operation with some better than others depending on the situation. Their potential for being unavailable at critical workflow execution times forces a reliance on such redundant services. One remedy for unavailability and situational awareness constraints is using quality of service factors and user-directed preferences to assign priorities to workflows and services to perform run-time replacement. In this paper we describe a novel approach to self-adapting workflow reconfiguration. We discuss the implementation of our approach embodied by the Next-generation Workflow Toolkit that supports runtime workflow reconfiguration using BPEL with a commercial workflow engine. A key design feature is the decoupling of user-directed changes regarding service priority from the actual workflow execution, allowing NeWT to effectively manage and recover from workflow changes at any time. We evaluate NeWT by comparing the same example across multiple commercial systems that claim reconfiguration capabilities.
Nosocomial infections due to Pseudomonas.

In order to provide an overview of nosocomial infections due to Pseudomonas by hospital service on which they occur, site of infection, and age of patient, data were analyzed on 544 such infections collected through a collaborative surveillance program in community hospitals. About seven of every 1,000 hospitalized patients developed an infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which accounted for about one-tenth of all nosocomial infections. The urinary tract was the most common site of infection. The highest rates of infection occurred in patients in burn units. Very young and very old patients had higher rates of infection overall than did other age groups, but the risk of infections in different sites changed significantly with age. Exposure and host susceptibility factors appear to underlie the characteristics observed regarding hospital service, site of infection, and age of patients with infections due to Pseudomonas.
From finances to transnational mobility: searching for the global Jihadists' achilles heel

ABSTRACT This article seeks to uncover a primary source of vulnerability in the global Jihadist terrorist network. It offers a critical examination of the traditional money lead for countering global Jihadist terrorism, and concludes that in this case, it is not the most effective method. Rather, the concept of transnational mobility, both as it relates to socialization into and professionalization within the Jihadist network, is identified as the lifeblood of the network, and thus an arguably more appropriate focus for countering strategies. Issues surrounding travel document security are analysed within an overarching dichotomous framework of offensive/defensive counter-terrorism strategies, emphasizing the need for active penetration by intelligence forces into the terrorist networks and relevant mobility-related realms.
Spotting the top male: sexually selected signals in male Polistes dominulus wasps

Although sexually selected ornaments are common across diverse taxa, little is known about mate choice and sexually selected ornamentation in social insects. Polistes dominulus paper wasps are a good system to study sexual selection, as males have a lek-based mating system as well as sexually dimorphic abdominal spots. Here, we demonstrate that the abdominal spots of male P. dominulus paper wasps function as signals in both inter- and intrasexual selection. Males with smaller, elliptically shaped spots were more dominant over male rivals and were more preferred by females than males with larger, irregularly shaped spots. Furthermore, experimental manipulation of male spots demonstrates that spot morphology acts as a signal. Males with experimentally reduced abdominal spots won a greater proportion of fights and were preferred by females as mates over control males. These results demonstrate that male ornaments are an important mediator of mating dynamics in P. dominulus paper wasps. They also highlight the importance of additional research examining sexually selected ornamentation in social insects.
X-ray diffraction studies of the influence of lattice effects on the metal carbonyl framework of the [Mo2(CO)10(μ-H)]− monoanion

X-ray diffraction studies of the [Et 4 N] + , [(Ph 3 P) 2 N] + , and [K(crypt-222)] + salts of the [Mo 2 (CO) 10 (μ-H)] − monoanion were undertaken to examine the influence of lattice effects upon the anion's solid-state geometry. The outcome of these studies has shown that the [Mo 2 (CO) 10 (μ-H)] − anion can adopt either a linear, eclipsed ([Et 4 N] + salt) or an appreciably bent, staggered ([(Ph 3 P) 2 N] + and [K(crypt-222)] + salts) configuration with the degree of bending dictated by the choice of the cation. For the fully characterized [(Ph 3 P) 2 N] + and [K(crypt-222)] + salts the corresponding dihedral angles between the two equatorial planes in the anion are 15.4° and 29.9°, respectively. This greater bending of the MoHMo bond and the metal carbonyl framework for the latter salts is accompanied by a reduction of the MoMo separation in the three-center, two-electron bond from 3.4219(9) to 3.4056(5) A and a greater displacement of the equatorial carbon atoms out of their equatorial plane. All three salts crystallize in the triclinic space group, P . [Et 4 N] + [Mo 2 (CO) 10 (μ-h)] − is isomorphous with the previously characterized tungsten analogue, whereas the refined lattice parameters for [(Ph 3 P) 2 N] + [Mo 2 (CO) 10 (μ-H)] − are a  11.431(4), b  14.267(4), c  15.260(5) A, α  69.40(2), β  88.03(3), γ  80.18(2)° and for [K(crypt-222)] + [Mo 2 (CO) 10 (μ-H] − are a  10.056(2), b  12.695(4), c  15.946(5) A, α  71.56(2), β  88.78(2), and γ  86.16(2)°. Full-matrix least-squares refinement of the diffractometry data (with contributions included for all hydrogen atoms) led to final discrepancy indices of R (F 0 2 )  0.045 and 0.035 for the ((Ph 3 P) 2 N] + and [K(crypt-222)] + salts, respectively.
Probabilistic Structural Health Monitoring Method Applied to the Bridge Health Monitoring Benchmark Problem

A probabilistic structural health monitoring (SHM) method was identified to detect global damage in a highway bridge while accounting for the variability associated in calculating the desired damage measure. The proposed vibration-based monitoring method is applied to the bridge health monitoring benchmark problem. The benchmark structure is a scaled laboratory model of a typical highway bridge. The associated finite element model of this structure is excited with a simulated traffic excitation. The proposed SHM method is intended to meet the practical requirements of using a small number of sensors and detection of damage in a global sense. As such, accelerations are measured at a single location on the bridge. The bridge natural frequencies for a healthy state and a variety of damaged states are considered to help quantify and detect the potential damage. The natural frequencies are determined from the peaks in the power spectral density functions of the measured acceleration response. These natural frequencies are observed to be random variables with a normal distribution. The probability that the current natural frequency is greater than the previously measured healthy natural frequency can then be calculated from the assumed probability density functions and is used to predict, in a global sense, whether damage has occurred on the bridge structure. The results of this simulation-based study were used to extend and apply this method to actual highway bridges in Connecticut.
Effect of diethylstilbestrol on reproductive function

Abstract Objective: To review the effects of in utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) on mullerian development and subsequent reproductive function. Design: The literature on DES and reproductive function was reviewed and summary data are presented. The studies were identified through the computerized MEDLINE database and a manual search of relevent bibliographies. Result(s): In utero exposure to DES resulted in reduced fertility and increased rates of ectopic pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, and preterm delivery. Conclusion(s): An understanding of the reproductive performance of women who were exposed to DES in utero is useful for counseling these patients regarding their risks and treatment options.
Factors influencing fetal macrophage development: III. Immunocytochemical localization of cytokines and time-resolved expression of differentiation markers in organ-cultured rat lungs.

Background Exogenous TNFα, IL-1β, M-CSF, and GM-CSF all stimulate growth of macrophages arising in explanted fetal rat lungs. The present study examines the intrinsic availability of these factors in intact and organ-cultured lungs and utilizes expression of cytokines and marker proteins to explore the differentiation pathway followed by phagocytes in vitro. Methods Factors and markers were localized immunocytochemically in paraffin sections of 14- and 15-day fetal rat lungs and lungs organ-cultured up to 7 days on serum-containing medium solidified with agar. Western analyses for the cytokines were performed on lysates of whole 15-day lungs, and in situ hybridization of M-CSF receptor mRNA was carried out in sections of 14 + 2 day cultured lung. Results IL-1β, M-CSF, and GM-CSF were demonstrated in the stroma of intact and cultured lungs by immunostaining, results confirmed by Western blotting. TNFα appeared to be absent. A few precursors (angular cells) expressed the macrophage lineage marker RM-1 as early as day 14, and immunostaining became stronger and more widespread as the population matured and expanded in cultures. The OX-6 antibody to Ia antigen first reacted with macrophages in 14 + 1 day explants, and within a week 50% of cells were positive. M-CSF and mRNA for its receptor were present at 14 + 2 days, as was PDGF, which had been demonstrated in the stroma and epithelium prior to explantation. Definite reactivity for IL-1β and GM-CSF followed at 14 + 4 and 14 + 5 days. Conclusions M-CSF, GM-CSF, and IL-1β, but not TNFα, are available to replicating angular cells before and during their conversion to phagocytes. Fetal lungs thus qualify as a hematopoietic tissue supportive of macrophages. The path of differentiation pursued in organ cultures involves early expression of structural elements (RM-1, Ia antigen) followed by synthesis of cytokines of the TNFα cascade. Immunostaining for both RM-1 and OX-6 suggests that fetal lung macrophages share a common heritage with antigen-presenting pulmonary dendritic cells. Anat. Rec. 248:93–103, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Dose response curves with varying doses of fibrinolysin.

Abstract The intravenous administration of fibrinolysin to patients induces increased fibrinolytic activity as measured by the euglobulin lysis time. Except as noted doses of 200,000 units every six hours appear to be safe for use for periods up to forty-eight hours. Patients should be closely observed for bleeding and fibrinogen levels should be periodically checked. From our experience we conclude that it is probably not wise to use what we term maximum doses in patients who are receiving anticoagulants. We are unable to explain the differences in response of individual patients; these will require further study.
The structural study of the saphenous vein.

Abstract From November, 1971, to September, 1974, 1,179 patients received aortocoronary saphenous vein bypass grafts at the Cleveland Clinic Hospital. Segments of saphenous vein from each patient were sent for microscopical analysis. These vein segments were classified as normal or abnormal (phlebosclerotic). Four hundred ninety-six normal vein grafts in 295 patients were restudied and had a patency of 87.9%. One hundred forty-four abnormal vein grafts in 86 patients were restudied and showed 89.5% patency. This study suggests that histopathological identification of an abnormal (phlebosclerotic) vein segment does not constitute a determining factor as far as late patency is concerned in a vein segment that is not grossly sclerotic.
School Counselors' Attitudes Regarding Statewide Comprehensive Developmental Guidance Model Implementation

The pilot study in this article identified facilitators and barriers to implementing the Massachusetts Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs. The Concerns-Based Adoption Model served as a framework to understand how school counselors perceive the Massachusetts Model's impact on their professional roles, and how those perceptions indicate varying levels of adoption of the model. The majority of respondents indicated that their concerns were "personal," such as how the model will change their day-today lives and how working under the new model is different from their current roles as school counselors. Results of this study suggest directions for professional development regarding state and ASCA National Model® implementation.
Supersensitivity of substantia nigra pars reticulata neurons to GABAergic drugs after striatal lesions.

Rats were given unilateral, intrastriatal injections of kainic acid in order to destroy striatal and pallidal GABAergic projections to the substantia nigra. Two to 3 weeks after the lesions were made, a population of neurons in the substantia nigra pars reticulata was found to be significantly more sensitive to the inhibitory actions of iontophoretically appled GABA, although their responsiveness to iontophoresed glycine was not significantly altered. The increased sensitivity was reflected by a 48% decrease in the IT50 value for GABA. In addition, pars reticulata cells became more sensitive to the inhibitory actions of i.v. muscimol, a GABA agonist. While the change in sensitivity was not statistically significant at 2–3 weeks, cells were markedly more sensitive to i.v. muscimol by 5–6 weeks after the lesions were made. This increased sensitivity was indicated by a 2.5 fold shift to the left in the cumulative dose-response curve and a significant decrease in the ED50 value for muscimol. These results (1) demonstrate that a population of substantia nigra pars reticulata neurons becomes “functionally” supersensitive to GABAergic agents after destruction of the striatonigral GABA pathway, and (2) support the idea that these cells lie postsynaptic to striatonigral GABAergic fibers. The implications of these findings with respect to the etiology and treatment of tardive dyskinesia are discussed.
Inhibition by collagen chains of lysyl hydroxylase of chick embryo and of WI-38 human lung fibroblasts.

Abstract Lysyl hydroxylase from chick embryos was strongly inhibited by heat-denatured collagens from various vertebrate sources, and by separated a chains and β components of rat tail tendon collagen. The kinetics exhibited with this enzyme when heat-denatured calf or rabbit skin collagens was used showed a mixed type of inhibition. On the other hand, a preparation of homologous heat-denatured 4,5- 3 H-L-lysine-labeled collagen, in itself an extremely poor substrate for the hydroxylase, showed non-competitive inhibition with a K i of about 8–9 μM. Finally, the lysyl hydroxylase preparations from WI-38 fetal human lung fibroblasts and from transformed WI-38 cells (WI-38 VA 13) were also inhibited by heat-denatured collagens or, where tested, by separated collagen chains.
An Empirical Comparison of Discrete Ratings and Subjective Probability Ratings

Abstract Rationale and Objectives The authors compared receiver operating characteristic (ROC) data from a five-category discrete scale with that from a 101-category subjective probability scale to determine how well the latter categories define the ROC curve. Materials and Methods The authors analyzed data from a pilot study performed for another purpose in which 10 radiologists provided both a five-point confidence rating and a subjective probability rating of abnormality for each interpretation. ROC operating points were plotted for a five-category scale and a 101-category scale to determine how well the observed points covered the range of false-positive probabilities. ROC curves were fitted to the subjective probability data according to the standard ROC model. Results For these data, subjective probability ratings were somewhat more effective in populating the range of false-positive probability with ROC points. For three observers, the ROC curves inappropriately crossed the chance line. For another four, prevention of such crossing seemed to depend on one or two ROC points near the upper right corner of the ROC space, points based on discriminations within the discrete category “no abnormality to report.” Conclusion Subjective probability rating should provide substantially better coverage of the ROC space with operating points, preventing inappropriate crossing of the chance line. Unfortunately, the protection offered by subjective probability ratings was unreliable and depended on ROC points derived from discriminations not directly related to apparent abnormality. The use of proper ROC models to fit data may offer a better solution.
How to get an exact sample from a generic Markov chain and sample a random spanning tree from a directed graph, both within the cover time

This paper shows how to obtain unbiased samples from an unknown Markov chain by observing it for O(T{sub c}) steps, where T{sub c} is the cover time. This algorithm improves on several previous algorithms, and there is a matching lower bound. Using the techniques from the sampling algorithm, we also show how to sample random directed spanning trees from a weighted directed graph, with arcs directed to a root, and probability proportional to the product of the edge weights. This tree sampling algorithm runs within 18 cover times of the associated random walk, and is more generally applicable than the algorithm of Broder and Aldous.
Multiple measures of rapid response as predictors of remission in cognitive behavior therapy for bulimia nervosa

Bulimia nervosa (BN) treatment studies consistently observe that substantial reductions in purging frequency after four weeks of treatment predict outcome. Although baseline levels of other variables have been compared to change in purging, measures of early change in other domains have not been examined. This study aimed to compare percentage change in purging, depression, and cognitive eating disorder (ED) symptoms for associations with BN remission post-treatment and at six months follow-up. Data from N = 43 patients with BN in a clinical trial comparing the broad and focused versions of enhanced cognitive behavior therapy (CBT-E; Fairburn, 2008) were utilized. Measures included self-reported purging frequency, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score, and a mean of items from the Eating Disorder Inventory Body Dissatisfaction and Drive for Thinness subscales. Results indicated that both percentage change in purging frequency and percentage change in BDI score at week four/session eight were significantly associated with remission at termination. The optimal cutoffs for purging change and BDI score change were 65% decrease and 25% decrease respectively. Only change in BDI score at week four significantly predicted remission at six-month follow-up. These data suggest that change in depressive symptoms may be as important as ED symptom change to predict outcome in some groups.
Attachment site recognition and regulation of directionality by the serine integrases

Serine integrases catalyze the integration of bacteriophage DNA into a host genome by site-specific recombination between 'attachment sites' in the phage (attP) and the host (attB). The reaction is highly directional; the reverse excision reaction between the product attL and attR sites does not occur in the absence of a phage-encoded factor, nor does recombination occur between other pairings of attachment sites. A mechanistic understanding of how these enzymes achieve site-selectivity and directionality has been limited by a lack of structural models. Here, we report the structure of the C-terminal domains of a serine integrase bound to an attP DNA half-site. The structure leads directly to models for understanding how the integrase-bound attP and attB sites differ, why these enzymes preferentially form attP × attB synaptic complexes to initiate recombination, and how attL × attR recombination is prevented. In these models, different domain organizations on attP vs. attB half-sites allow attachment-site specific interactions to form between integrase subunits via an unusual protruding coiled-coil motif. These interactions are used to preferentially synapse integrase-bound attP and attB and inhibit synapsis of integrase-bound attL and attR. The results provide a structural framework for understanding, testing and engineering serine integrase function.
DISCREPANCIES IN THE MEASUREMENT OF SPECTRAL SOURCES

— Comparison of spectroradiometric and meter measurements of a series of ultraviolet radiation sources indicates that a wide divergence between readings can occur. We found that with a xenon are filtered as a solar simulator producing UV-A (320–400 nm) and UV-B (290–320 nm) radiation, the meter can either over-or underestimate the emission of the source when different cutoff filters are used. The most severe discrepancy appears with the UV-B meter reading, although the UV-A reading can also be problematic. Meters should be calibrated against the specific sources they will be used to measure.
Multi-Axial Fatigue Life Assessment of Wind Turbine Structural Components

Modern wind turbines, which are usually made of composite materials, are fatigue critical structures that are subjected to variable multi-axial fatigue loading. Therefore, they should be designed as safely as necessary to withstand the fatigue loads over the designed life time. Path-Dependent Maximum Range (PDMR) is a multi-axial fatigue life assessment tool developed by Battelle researchers. PDMR has been successfully applied to fatigue analysis of isotropic structures under general variable amplitude, multi-axial fatigue loading histories. The effectiveness of the PDMR method has been validated by its ability to correlate a large amount of fatigue data available in the literature. For uniaxial loading data, PDMR gives exactly the same results as ASTM standard Rainflow cycle counting method. In this paper, the PDMR method is extended to composite materials, such as glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) and carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). The proposed multi-axial fatigue damage model effectively correlates fatigue lives of unidirectional composites for various off-axis ply angles under cyclic tensile loading. With this extended capability, the PDMR can now be used to assess the multi-axial fatigue life of composite structures used in wind energy industry.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Physical formulation and numerical algorithm for simulating N immiscible incompressible fluids involving general order parameters

We present a family of physical formulations, and a numerical algorithm, based on a class of general order parameters for simulating the motion of a mixture of N ( N ? 2 ) immiscible incompressible fluids with given densities, dynamic viscosities, and pairwise surface tensions. The N-phase formulations stem from a phase field model we developed in a recent work based on the conservations of mass/momentum, and the second law of thermodynamics. The introduction of general order parameters leads to an extremely strongly-coupled system of ( N - 1 ) phase field equations. On the other hand, the general form enables one to compute the N-phase mixing energy density coefficients in an explicit fashion in terms of the pairwise surface tensions. We show that the increased complexity in the form of the phase field equations associated with general order parameters in actuality does not cause essential computational difficulties. Our numerical algorithm reformulates the ( N - 1 ) strongly-coupled phase field equations for general order parameters into 2 ( N - 1 ) Helmholtz-type equations that are completely de-coupled from one another. This leads to a computational complexity comparable to that for the simplified phase field equations associated with certain special choice of the order parameters. We demonstrate the capabilities of the method developed herein using several test problems involving multiple fluid phases and large contrasts in densities and viscosities among the multitude of fluids. In particular, by comparing simulation results with the Langmuir-de Gennes theory of floating liquid lenses we show that the method using general order parameters produces physically accurate results for multiple fluid phases.
Reactions of 1,1,2,2-tetramethyldisilane with group VIII metal carbonyls

1,1,2,2-tetramethyldisilane reacts with Fe2(CO)9 to yield bis9μ-dimethylsilylene)-μ-carbonyls bis(tricarbonyliron)(FeFe). Reaction with octacarbonyldicobalt analogously gives bis-(μ-dimethylsilylene)bis-(tricarbonylcobalt)(CoCo) as stable product; spectroscopic results also indicate inter alia the formation of (tetramethyldisilyl)tetracarbonylcobalt, μ-(dimethylsilylene)-μ-carbonyl-bis(tricarbonyl)cobalt(CoCo), and cobalt cluster compounds. Reactivity of zerovalent transition metal compounds towars SiSi bonds seems to be greatest for the nickel triad and to decrease as one moves from right to left across the transition series.
Experimental Simulation of Winter Anaerobiosis in a Senescent Lake

The ability of certain benthic organisms to resist seasonal anaerobiosis in lake bottoms has long excited the curiosity and admiration of biologists. A process analogous to "holding one's breath for several months" enables these forms to thrive in the periodically stagnated ooze of eutrophic lakes, which might otherwise support only micro-anaerobes. Summer stagnation of eutrophic lakes is believed to result in complete absence of profundal oxygen for as long as three months or more. A shorter period of benthic anaerobiosis often occurs during winter stagnation. In more shallow lakes and ponds with soft ooze bottoms the latter stagnation period is far more important. In this type of lake thick ice and a heavy snow-cover effectively shut out the light necessary for photosynthesis; bacterial decomposition and respiration of aquatic organisms exhaust the dissolved oxygen; and very often the entire aquatic habitat becomes anaerobic. Such conditions are often accompanied by spectacular "fish-kills." During a study of seasonal population dynamics in a senescent eutrophic lake of this type near Minneapolis (Lindeman, '41), it was believed highly desirable to
Parasites and Cyclopoid Predators of Age-0 Fish in the Roanoke River, North Carolina

Altered river flow has been suggested as a cause for the low recruitment of striped bass,Morone saxatilis, in the Roanoke River (North Carolina) because of its effect on the proximity of zooplankton and larval striped bass. This results in unsuccessful feeding and subsequent starvation, which was considered to be a major mortality factor. Other mortality factors, such as parasitism and copepod predation on age-0 fish, may also be regulated to some extent by changes in river flow. The relationship of cestode plerocercoids, trematode metacercaria, mussel glochidia, and cyclopoid copepod predators with age-0 fish was evaluated in the lower Roanoke River and western Albemarle Sound from plankton net collections made in 1984 to 1986 and 1988. Plerocercoid prevalence was higher under low river flow conditions than under high flow conditions in darters (Percidae; 16.7% vs. 9.2%), minnows (Cyprinidae; 28.8% vs. 4.7%), andMorone (1.9% vs. 0%). Gut analysis of the age-0 fish revealed that copepods (source of the plerocercoids) were a major diet component ofMorone and darters but not of minnows or herring (Clupeidae). Decreases in river flow were associated with increases in copepod density (Pearson r=−0.62; p=0.0001) and plerocercoid prevalence inMorone (Pearson r=−0.29; p=0.03). The low correlation value forMorone may be quite strong considering the complexity of the variables associated with prevalence. Metacercaria were found only inMorone and minnows, and prevalence and mean intensity were less than that found for plerocercoids. Mussel glochidia prevalence was less than 0.5% for all affected taxa, an order of magnitude less that that found in other studies. The low value may indicate that the mussel population in the Roanoke River is declining. Prevalence of attacks by the predatory copepodMesocyclops edax on age-0 fish was similar to that in Chesapeake Bay, and striped bass was the primary prey. Spatial and temporal proximity of copepods and fish prey may be the key factors in regulating copepod attacks. The low prevalence of parasites and copepod predators seen in this tudy would suggest that mortality from these sources may not be a major factor in age-0 recruitment in this system. Confirmation of these conclusions would require a more controlled experimental approach.
Regulatory T cells in health and disease

The healthy host does not normally develop tissue destructive autoimmunity in part because of the presence of natural regulatory T cells. These cells are best identified by their expression of a unique transcription factor forkhead box transcription factor (Foxp3) that controls their regulatory function. Several other types of regulatory T cells also occur most of which are induced in response to antigen stimulation. Some of these express the Foxp3 transcription factor but many do not. The role of natural T-regulatory cells as well as induceable regulatory cells in autoimmunity, cancer, allergy and infectious disease is described. The current status of therapeutic approaches that modulate regulatory T-cell responses on the outcome of experimental animal and human disease is also discussed.
Postoperative diuresis renography and ultrasound in patients undergoing pyeloplasty : predictors of surgical outcome

The authors reviewed 50 pediatric patients (56 renal units) who underwent pyeloplasty and had serial preoperative and postoperative diuresis renogram and ultrasound studies. Of those patients that clinically improved with surgery, 73% and 91% showed improved renographic patterns in postoperative studies at 3 and 12 months, respectively. Ultrasound demonstrated more gradual improvement in grade and pelvic diameters over longer study intervals. Diuresis renography is an excellent predictor of surgical outcome within 3 months of pyeloplasty and showed change well in advance of that seen on ultrasound. Sonography is better suited to longer term evaluation of grade, pelvic diameter, and renal size.
Outcome after spinal reirradiation for malignant epidural spinal cord compression

Radiotherapy is effective for most cases of spinal cord compression. Although recurrent spinal cord compression is a common problem, little is known about whether reirradiation preserves neurologic function and what risk of radiation myelopathy it carries. To investigate this question, we reviewed patients at the Mayo Clinic between 1975 and 1992 undergoing two or more courses of radiotherapy to the same segment of the spinal column with radiographically documented epidural disease at the time of reirradiation to determine outcome as measured by the ability to walk and by survival. Fifty-four patients met the study criteria. Radiation doses for the first course ranged from 2,250 to 5,400 cGy (median, 3,000 cGy), and total dose for all courses to the reirradiated spinal segment ranged from 3,650 to 8,089 cGy (median, 5,425 cGy). All patients were ambulatory following the first course of radiation, 40 (74%) were ambulatory at the onset of reirradiation, and 42 (78%) were ambulatory at the end of reirradiation. Thirty-seven patients (69%) remained ambulatory at their last follow-up 6 days to 80 months following reirradiation (median, 4.7 months). Five patients eventually became nonambulatory 6.5 to 35 months following reirradiation. Median survival for all patients following reirradiation was 4.2 months. We conclude that for cancer patients with progressive epidural disease following radiotherapy, reirradiation frequently preserves ambulation and carries minimal risk of radiation myelopathy during the patients' lifetime.
Broader utilization of origins of DNA replication in cancer cell lines along a 78 kb region of human chromosome 2q34.

Human DNA replication depends on the activation of thousands of origins distributed within the genome. The actual distribution of origins is not known, nor whether this distribution is unique to a cell type, or if it changes with the proliferative state of the cell. In this study, we have employed a real-time PCR-based nascent strand DNA abundance assay, to determine the location of origins along a 78 kb region on Chr2q34. Preliminary studies using nascent DNA strands isolated from either HeLa and normal skin fibroblast cells showed that in both cell lines peaks of high origin activity mapped in similar locations. However, the overall origin profile in HeLa cells corresponded to broad origin activation zones, whereas in fibroblasts a more punctuated profile of origin activation was observed. To investigate the relevance of this differential origin profile, we compared the origin distribution profiles in breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-231, BT-474, and MCF-7, to their normal counterpart MCF-10A. In addition, the CRL7250 cell line was also used as a normal control. Our results validated our earlier observation and showed that the origin profile in normal cell lines exhibited a punctuated pattern, in contrast to broader zone profiles observed in the cancer cell lines. A quantitative analysis of origin peaks revealed that the number of activated origins in cancer cells is statistically larger than that obtained in normal cells, suggesting that the flexibility of origin usage is significantly increased in cancer cells compared to their normal counterparts. J. Cell. Biochem. 113: 132–140, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Burkholderia spp. Alter Pseudomonas aeruginosa Physiology through Iron Sequestration

Pseudomonas aeruginosa and members of the Burkholderia cepacia complex often coexist in both the soil and the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. To gain an understanding of how these different species affect each other's physiology when coexisting, we performed a screen to identify P. aeruginosa genes that are induced in the presence of Burkholderia. A random gene fusion library was constructed in P. aeruginosa PA14 by using a transposon containing a promoterless lacZ gene. Fusion strains were screened for their ability to be induced in the presence of Burkholderia strains in a cross-streak assay. Three fusion strains were induced specifically by Burkholderia species; all three had transposon insertions in genes known to be iron regulated. One of these fusion strains, containing a transposon insertion in gene PA4467, was used to characterize the inducing activity from Burkholderia. Biochemical and genetic evidence demonstrate that ornibactin, a siderophore produced by nearly all B. cepacia strains, can induce P. aeruginosa PA4467. Significantly, PA4467 is induced early in coculture with an ornibactin-producing but not an ornibactin-deficient B. cepacia strain, indicating that ornibactin can be produced by B. cepacia and detected by P. aeruginosa when the two species coexist.
A Review of “Reading, Writing, and Rising Up: Teaching About Social Justice and the Power of the Written Word”

Linda Christensen, in Reading, Writing, and Rising Up: Teaching About Social Justice and the Power of the Written Word (2000) expresses the dire need of schools to integrate a curriculum of social ...
Reading and Misreading the Ancient Evidence for Democratic Peace

In the course of the debate over the existence and possible explanations for democratic peace (the tendency of democracies not to fight wars with one another), some scholars have looked to the world of Classical Greece to bolster their claims about the phenomenon. This article critiques the best of these efforts, looking at the way the ancient evidence has been handled and the conclusions drawn therefrom. It is argued that while the ancient world is an entirely appropriate era to investigate with regard to the issue, the analyses offered thus far have not made a strong case for the existence of a Greek democratic peace. Indeed, contrary to what investigators had hoped to show, the evidence from the period in and around the Peloponnesian war indicates that not only did ancient democracies go to war with each other, they did so with relatively high frequency. Both quantitative and more traditional literary analyses support this conclusion. These results do not so much attack the general notion of democratic peace as offer a more fruitful way of using ancient history to help explain it: by focusing on the differences between ancient and modern democracies and their historical settings, future studies may be able to identify the factors which encourage or discourage democratic peace.
Observations of Nonradial Pulsations in Radio Pulsars

We introduce a model for pulsars in which nonradial oscillations of high spherical degree (l) aligned to the magnetic axis of a spinning neutron star reproduce the morphological features of pulsar beams. In our model, rotation of the pulsar carries a pattern of pulsation nodes underneath our sight line, reproducing the longitude-stationary structure seen in average pulse profiles, while the associated timelike oscillations reproduce drifting subpulses?features that change their longitude between successive pulsar spins. We show that the presence of nodal lines can account for observed 180? phase jumps in drifting subpulses and their otherwise poor phase stability, even if the timelike oscillations are strictly periodic. Our model can also account for the mode changes and nulls observed in some pulsars as quasi-periodic changes between pulsation modes of different l or radial overtone n, analogous to pulsation mode changes observed in oscillating white dwarf stars. We discuss other definitive and testable requirements of our model and show that they are qualitatively supported by existing data. While reserving judgment until the completion of quantitative tests, we are inspired enough by the existing observational support for our model to speculate about the excitation mechanism of the nonradial pulsations, the physics we can learn from them, and their relationship to the period evolution of pulsars.
The role of color in content-based image retrieval

Human color perception is subjective. In addition to RGB or HSV values representing color content, psychological factors, circumstantial factors, environmental factors, and physiological factors play an important role in encapsulating the color content. Typically, only the RGB or HSV values are used in indexing and retrieval of color images. In this paper, we demonstrate the superior retrieval performance of techniques which employ all of the above factors in color retrieval. We first present the variety of factors involved in human color perception and also an evaluation of the existing color indexing methods. Several interesting problems including comparison of images in the color-perceptual domain and retrieval by color affection are illustrated as potential novel image query mechanisms.
LAPAROSCOPIC AUGMENTATION CYSTOPLASTY WITH DIFFERENT BIODEGRADABLE GRAFTS IN AN ANIMAL MODEL

Purpose: Recently a variety of biodegradable organic materials have been used for bladder wall replacement. We sought to study the effectiveness of 4 different types of biodegradable materials for bladder augmentation using laparoscopic techniques.Materials and Methods: Thirty one minipigs underwent successful transperitoneal laparoscopic partial cystectomy and subsequent closure (6 control) or patch augmentation (25): porcine bowel acellular tissue matrix (ATM) (6), bovine pericardium (BPC) (6), human placental membranes (HPM) (6) or porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS) (7). An intracorporeal suturing technique with the EndoStitch device (U.S. Surgical, Norwalk, CT) and Lapra-Ty clips (Ethicon, Enodsurgery Inc. Cincinnati, OH) was used to anastomose the graft to the bladder wall. Postoperatively, a urethral catheter was left for one week. Bladders were evaluated by cystoscopy at 6 and 12 weeks and harvested at 12 weeks.Results: Grafts remained in place in all groups except for the BPC group, where al...
Geochemical Evidence for Modern Sediment Accumulation on the Continental Shelf off Southern New England

ABSTRACT An area of fine-grained sediment approximately 170 km 74 km in size, located in water depths between 60 m and 150 m, south of Martha's Vineyard, Mass., is a site of modern sediment deposition. The 14C ages systematically increase with sediment depth from about 1,300 years B.P. at the surface to 8,000-10,000 years B.P. at the depth of maximum core penetration. The old age for the surface sediments probably results from a combination of deposition of old carbon and faunal mixing. In the finest sediments, the sedimentation rates were approximately 130 cm/1,000 yrs when deposition began and have decreased to about 25 cm/1,000 yrs. The decreasing sedimentation rate reflects a diminishing source of fine sediments, which presuma ly came from the Georges Bank and Nantucket Shoals area. Inventories of excess 210Pb in undisturbed cores average 70 dpm/cm2 (disintegrations per minute per square centimeter), more than two times higher than the flux of 210Pb from the atmosphere and from 226Ra decay in the overlying water. This additional influx of 210Pb either must be with new fine-grained sediment material or from solutions that are stripped of their 210Pb by particulates in the bottom nepheloid layer. Stable Pb concentrations in surface sediments are about 28 ppm, as much as two times higher than concentrations at depth. The high accumulation rates, 210Pb inventories, and trace-metal profiles imply that this area is a modern sink for fine-grained sediments and for pollutants associated with particulate matter in the water column. To our knowledge, this is the only site of present-day natural deposition on the Continental Shelf off the eastern United States, exclusive of the Gulf of Maine. Because the net currents on the outer half of this Continental Shelf flow from northeast to southwest, this fine-grained deposit may receive its sediments and possible contaminants from the Nantucket Shoals and Georges Bank regions.
Cloning and Characterization of a Putative G-Protein Coupled Receptor Potentially Involved in Development

Polymerase chain reaction techniques and medium stringency library screening were used to isolate a rat cDNA ("H218") which encodes a novel guanine nucleotide-binding protein coupled receptor homolog ("pH218"). Northern analysis revealed that brain H218 mRNA is preferentially expressed during embryogenesis. In addition, H218 mRNA is expressed in all developing tissues and rodent cell lines examined with highest levels detected in primitive, transformed cells. H218 mRNA expression in cell lines is rapidly increased by a tumor promoter and rapidly decreased by a differentiation-inducing growth factor. Finally, all of the sequence motifs characteristic of Src homology 2 domains are present in pH218 but in a unique arrangement. We conclude that pH218 may function as a growth factor receptor.
Intense focused ultrasound stimulation can safely stimulate inflamed subcutaneous tissue and assess allodynia

Potential peripheral sources of deep pain can require invasive evocative tests for their assessment. Here we perform research whose ultimate goal is development of a non-invasive evocative test for deep painful tissue. We used a rat model of inflammation to show that intense focused ultrasound (iFU) differentially stimulates inflamed versus control tissue and can identify allodynia. To do so we applied iFU to inflamed and normal tissue below the skin of rats’ hind paws and measured the amount of ultrasound necessary to induce paw withdrawal. iFU of sufficient strength (spatial and temporal average intensities ranged from 100–350 W/cm2) caused the rat to withdraw its inflamed paw, while the same iFU applied to the contralateral paw failed to induce withdrawal, with sensitivity and specificity generally greater than 90%. iFU stimulation of normal tissue required twice the amount of ultrasound to generate a withdrawal than did inflamed tissue, thereby assessing allodynia. Finally, we verified in a preliminary way the safety of iFU stimulation with acute histological studies coupled with mathematical simulations. Given that there exist systems to guide iFU deep to the skin, image-guided iFU may one day allow assessment of patient’s deep, peripheral pain generators.