cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Immunocytochemical localization of placental lactogen and chorionic gonadotropin in the normal placenta and trophoblastic tumors, with emphasis on intermediate trophoblast and the placental site trophoblastic tumor.

Summary: This report presents preliminary observations on the immunocytochemical localization of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and human placental lactogen (hPL) in placental site trophoblastic tumors, hydatidiform moles, and choriocarcinomas and compares the findings with those of a similar immunocytochemical analysis of the placenta at various stages of development. In addition to cytotrophoblast (CT) and syncytiotrophoblast (ST), a third form of trophoblast designated “intermediate trophoblast” (IT) is present during normal pregnancy and in trophoblastic disease. Intermediate trophoblastic cells are mononucleate, larger than CT, and contain more abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm, resulting in a partial resemblance to ST. Intermediate trophoblast has distinctive immunocytochemical features that distinguish it from CT and ST. The localization of hPL and hCG in both IT and ST varies with the age of the placenta, with the type of trophoblastic neoplasm, and from one specimen to another within each category of tumor. Syncytiotrophoblast may contain both hormones in large amounts, whereas IT contains hPL predominantly and hCG focally. Cytotrophoblast is devoid of hCG and hPL except in choriocarcinoma, which may show focal weak staining for hCG. Immunocytochemical identification of hCG and hPL has proved helpful in clarifying the histogenesis of trophoblastic neoplasms and may also be of value in establishing their diagnosis and in determining their prognosis.
Distribution of plastoquinones in fractionated chloroplasts

Abstract The distribution of plastoquinones A and C has been studied in photochemically active fragments derived from chloroplasts. Fractionation procedures include digitonin and Triton X-100 treatment and sonication. After detergent treatment low levels of plastoquinones A and C are present in fragments which show high indophenol photoreductase activity (reaction 2) whereas high levels of the quinones are found in fragments which show high activity in NADP+ reduction dependent on ascorbate (reaction 1). On the other hand, after sonication a fraction is obtained which has high reaction 2 activity but low levels of plastoquinones A and C. It appears that maximum photoreductase activity can be obtained in fractions which have one-tenth the original level of plastoquinone A and C.
Be a Good Neighbor: Organ-to-Organ Communication during the Innate Immune Response

Local infection in the Drosophila larval intestine elicits a systemic immune reaction in fat bodies. In this issue, Wu and colleagues (2012) show that this is a reactive oxygen species-dependent communication.
The migratory impact of minimum wage legislation: Puerto Rico, 1970-1987.

This study examines the impact of minimum wage setting on labor migration. A multiple time series framework is applied to monthly data for Puerto Rico from 1970-1987. The results show that net emigration from Puerto Rico to the United States fell in response to significant changes in the manner in which minimum wage policy was conducted particularly after 1974. The extent of commuter type labor migration between Puerto Rico and the United States is influenced by minimum wage policy with potentially important consequences for human capital investment and long-term standards of living. (EXCERPT)
FoxP2 Regulation during Undirected Singing in Adult Songbirds

Learned vocal communication, including human speech, is a socially influenced behavior limited to certain animals. This ability requires auditory feedback during vocalization, which allows for on-line evaluation, to achieve the desired vocal output. To date, FOXP2 (forkhead box P2), a transcriptional repressor, is the only molecule directly linked to human speech. Identified FOXP2 mutations cause orofacial dyspraxia accompanied by abnormalities in corticostriatal circuitry controlling voluntary orofacial movements. These observations implicate FOXP2 in the developmental formation of neural circuits used in speech, but whether FOXP2 additionally plays an active role in mature circuitry was unknown. To address this question, we use a songbird, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), whose learned song and underlying circuitry are well characterized. We show that, when adult males sing, FoxP2 mRNA is acutely downregulated within area X, the specific region of the songbird striatum dedicated to song. Furthermore, we find downregulation in males that sing by themselves (undirected singers) but not in males that sing to females (directed singers). This FoxP2 downregulation cannot be a simple consequence of the motor act because birds sang in both directed and undirected contexts. Our data suggest that FoxP2 is important not only for the formation but also for the function of vocal control circuitry. Social context-dependent, acute changes in FoxP2 within the basal ganglia of adult songbirds also suggest, by analogy, that the core deficits of affected humans extend beyond development and beyond basic central motor control.
Size effect tests and fracture characteristics of aluminum

Abstract The recently established approximate size effect law for blunt fracture is shown to agree with test data for aluminum. The data are obtained with three-point bent fracture specimens of depths ranging from 0.25 to 4 in. Non-linear fracture parameters can be obtained by a linear regression based on the size effect law. Thus, the fracture energy can be determined using only the maximum load values from fracture tests, and the R- curve can be obtained as an envelope of fracture equilibrium curves. No measurements of crack length or specimen compliance are needed.
Pressinoic acid: a peptide with potent corticotrophin-releasing activity.

Abstract Pressinoic acid, a synthetic hexapeptide that corresponds to the ring of vasopressin, exhibited corticotrophin-releasing activity in , vitro in doses of 3 and 30 nanograms per ml. The related peptide, deaminopressinamide, released lesser amounts of corticotrophin in doses of 30 to 30,000 ng. Two other hexapeptides, pressinamide and deaminopressinoic acid, were devoid of corticotrophin-releasing activity at doses of 30 to 30,000 ng.
In Vivo Quantitative Study of Sized-Dependent Transport and Toxicity of Single Silver Nanoparticles Using Zebrafish Embryos

Nanomaterials possess distinctive physicochemical properties (e.g., small sizes and high surface area-to-volume ratios) and promise a wide variety of applications, ranging from the design of high q...
Evaluation of the effectiveness of reality orientation classes in a nursing home unit.

: The effectiveness of a geriatric treatment program is determined largely by the extent to which it contributes to enhanced independent functioning. To examine the effectiveness of Reality Orientation (RO) classroom instruction, the verbal orientation and the everyday behavior of 22 residents in a Veterans Administration Nursing Home Care Unit were assessed before and after their participation in RO classes. The classes met five days a week for three months. Participants showed a significant increase in verbal orientation (as measured by the Reality Orientation Questionnaire) and a significant improvement in independent functioning (as measured by the Geriatic Resident Goals Scale). The results provide evidence of the effectiveness of RO as a treatment procedure for disoriented geriatric residents.
Post-reclamation water quality trend in a Mid-Appalachian watershed of abandoned mine lands

Abandoned mine land (AML) is one of the legacies of historic mining activities, causing a wide range of environmental problems worldwide. A stream monitoring study was conducted for a period of 7 years to evaluate the water quality trend in a Mid-Appalachian watershed, which was heavily impacted by past coal mining and subsequently reclaimed by reforestation and revegetation. GIS tools and multivariate statistical analyses were applied to characterize land cover, to assess temporal trends of the stream conditions, and to examine the linkages between water quality and land cover. In the entire watershed, 15.8% of the land was designated as AML reclaimed by reforestation (4.9%) and revegetation (10.8%). Statistic analysis revealed sub-watersheds with similar land cover (i.e. percentage of reclaimed AML) had similar water quality and all tested water quality variables were significantly related to land cover. Based on the assessment of water quality, acid mine drainage was still the dominant factor leading to the overall poor water quality (low pH, high sulfate and metals) in the watershed after reclamation was completed more than 20 years ago. Nevertheless, statistically significant improvement trends were observed for the mine drainage-related water quality variables (except pH) in the reclaimed AML watershed. The lack of pH improvement in the watershed might be related to metal precipitation and poor buffering capacity of the impacted streams. Furthermore, water quality improvement was more evident in the sub-watersheds which were heavily impacted by past mining activities and reclaimed by reforestation, indicating good reclamation practice had positive impact on water quality over time.
Transient data to predict steady-state responses for enzyme-based reactor-sensor systems

Abstract An evaluation of the transient response of a glucose-selective device for the quantification of glucose is described. Data collected during the early parts of the responses were used to compute the signals that would be measured if the responses were monitored to steady state. The time-dependent responses were fitted to diffusion-limited, Michaelis-Menten and parallel-first-order models. The parallel-first-order and Michaelis-Menten models fit the data reasonably well; only the former gave reliable estimates of the steady-state signals. For the three models, plots of computed currents vs. concentration were linear for several fitting ranges. The measurement times were 5- to 10-fold shorter than the time required to reach steady state.
Compliance with inhaled medications: The relationship between diary and electronic monitor

Self-report is a frequently-used method of assessing compliance with prescribed medications in patients with chronic illnesses. Most researchers agree, however, that self-report misrepresents patient adherence to regimen prescription. In this randomized, controlled study evaluating inhaler medication compliance, diary data was compared to electronic monitoring in 55 adults with asthma. Subjects randomized to the treatment group received a six-week self-management program. An electronic monitor, the MDI Chronolog, was used in this study to assess inhaler use. The MDI Chronolog records the date and time of each inhaled activation. The self-report measure used was a daily asthma diary. Subjects were asked to use their inhaled medications as usual and record the date and time they administered their medication over a one-week period.
Diagnostic criteria for carbaryl poisoning in sheep.

Sheep were used to study the effect of carbaryl in liver, heart, and brain and on cholinesterase activity. Carbaryl residues ⩾ 0.01 ppm in the brain were present in all sheep dying after dosing. Sheep dying acutely had higher levels of carbaryl and ⩾50% inhibition of brain cholinesterase activity, while sheep with prolonged death had lower carbaryl levels and less cholinesterase inhibition. Prolonged deaths were associated with pulmonary embarrassment, enteritis, hyperthermia, and metabolic acidosis. Carbaryl was rapidly degraded in stored blood samples but was stable in dead brain tissue.
The emerging role of immunotherapy in the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancers.

Ablative therapies such as cryotherapy, Mohs' micrographic surgery and radiation have long been considered the standard of care for actinic keratoses and superficial basal cell carcinomas, but imiquimod is now approved for these indications in the US and Europe. Daniel Sauder discusses the mechanisms of action and clinical potential of this promising agent.
Trends and disparity in zoster vaccine uptake in a managed care population.

Abstract Objectives Zoster vaccine is recommended for prevention of herpes zoster among adults aged 60 years and older. We examined the zoster vaccination rates during 2007–2011 and assessed association with age, sex, race/ethnicity, neighborhood income and education attainment in eligible adults at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, a managed care organization in the US. Methods We calculated annual zoster vaccination rate among members ≥60 years without documented contraindications. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to examine factors associated with zoster vaccine uptake in an open cohort of 819,466 adults. Results The zoster vaccination rates increased annually in all groups and the overall rate reached 21.7% in 2011 ( P -trend 75% vs. Conclusion The zoster vaccine coverage is higher in this insured population than previously reported in the US general population, but it remains low. Significant racial/ethnic disparity was observed and worsened even among individuals with relatively equal access to zoster vaccination.
Assessment of apoptosis-inducing effects of docetaxel combined with the proteasome inhibitor PS-341 in human lung cancer cells

The proteasome inhibitor PS-341 (Bortezomib, Velcade) is currently being combined with taxanes in several clinical trials for treatment of patients with various solid tumors including lung cancers. It has been shown that the combination of Docetaxel (DTX) and PS-341 generates either enhanced or antagonized antitumor effects in different types of cancer in preclinical settings. However, the preclinical evaluation of the DTX and PS-341 combination in human lung cancer cells has not been reported. In this study, the effects of DTX combined with PS-341 on cell survival and apoptosis induction in a panel of human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines were assessed. We found that PS-341 when combined with DTX led to either enhanced or antagonistic effects on the decrease of cell survival and the induction of apoptosis depending on cell lines and treatment schedules. In general, a treatment schedule administering DTX first followed by PS-341 works better than other schedules in decreasing cell survival a...
Transcriptional profile of right ventricular tissue during acute pulmonary embolism in rats

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is the third leading cause of cardiovascular death in the United States. Moderate to severe PE can cause pulmonary arterial hypertension (PH) with resultant right vent...
Focal pancreatitis mimicking pancreatic mass: magnetic resonance imaging (mri)/magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (mrcp) findings including diffusion-weighted mri

Background: Focal pancreatitis (FP) is a confined inflammation that mimics a pancreatic mass. Its imaging diagnosis is important to avoid unnecessary procedures.Purpose: To describe the spectrum of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) findings of focal pancreatitis mimicking pancreatic masses.Material and Methods: Findings of MRI/MRCP including DWI with a b value of 0 and 600 s/mm2 in 14 patients with pancreatic masses on MRI were retrospectively reviewed and compared to normal pancreas in 14 patients as a control group.Results: FP revealed hypointense signal intensity (SI) (3/14), hypo- to isointense SI (7/14), or isointense SI (4/14) on T1-weighted images, and hypointense SI (1/14), isointense SI (5/14), iso- to hyperintense SI (7/14), or hyperintense SI (1/14) on T2-weighted images compared to remaining pancreas (RP). MRCP images revealed dilatation of the common bile duct (CBD) and main pancreatic duct (MPD) (5/14), dilata...
Solid-Phase Extraction Method for the Quantitative Analysis of Organochlorine Pesticides in Wildlife Urine

A gas chromatographic method for the analysis of nine organochlorine pesticides in wildlife urine is described. Reversed-phase solid-phase extraction is utilized to extract the organochlorine pesticides from urine. The pesticides are recovered by elution with hexane-ethyl ether (1:1) and quantified by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection. Method detection limits range from 1.4 to 2.7 micrograms/L. Mean recoveries for all pesticides are 90.6%.
Comparison of Ophthalmic Sponges for Measurements of Immune Markers from Cervical Secretions

Measurements of cervical immunity are important for evaluating immune responses to infections of the cervix and to vaccines for preventing those infections. Three ophthalmic sponges, Weck-Cel, Ultracell, and Merocel, were loaded in vitro with interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-15, IL-18, gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), immunoglobulin A (IgA), or IgG, and sponges were extracted and evaluated for total recovery by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). There was excellent (>75%) recovery for all immune markers from all three devices except for IL-6, which was poorly recovered (<60%) for all sponge types, IFN-gamma, which was poorly recovered from both Weck-Cel and Ultracell sponges but was completely recovered from Merocel sponges, and IL-4, which was poorly recovered from Weck-Cel sponges but was completely recovered from Ultracell or Merocel sponges. We then compared the absolute recovery of selected markers (IL-10, IL-12, IgG, and IgA) from cervical secretion specimens collected from women using each type of sponge. There were no significant differences in the recoveries of IL-10, IL-12, and IgG from cervical specimens collected by any type of ophthalmic sponge, but there was reduced IgA recovery from Merocel sponges. However, the variability in these measurements attributable to sponge types (1 to 3%) was much less than was attributable to individuals (45 to 72%), suggesting that differences in sponge type contribute only in a minor way to these measurements. We infer from our data that the three collection devices are adequate for the measurements of IL-1 beta, IL-2, IL-5, IL-12, IL-15, IL-18, and IgG. Merocel may be a better ophthalmic sponge for the collection of cervical secretions and measurements of IL-4, IL-8, IL-10, GM-CSF, and IFN-gamma, but our data from clinical specimens, not in vitro-loaded sponges, suggested the possibility of reduced recovery of IgA. These findings require confirmation.
Piedmont Mill Workers and the Politics of History

RARELY IS A HISTORIAN presented with such an opportunity to reflect on the deepest matters of historical method and analysis. These two books have a remarkable amount in common — subject, sources, origin in a collaborative project, and even a leftist politics rooted in a shared generational experience — and yet they offer profoundly different interpretations of the history of southern cotton mill workers and their world. The pedagogical allure is irresistible. Like a Family and Habits of Industry both originated in collective research for the project on Piedmont working people and regional industrialization organized in 1978 by the Southern Oral History Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Jacquelyn Dowd Hall and Allen Tullos were among the four project founders and shared from the outset a dual commitment to oral history as a method and to working-class history as a legitimate perspective on southern industrialization: those commitments remain evident in the finished books, both of which are exemplary models of politically-engaged scholarship. Although the geographical parameters of each study are drawn slightly differently (Tullos deals only with the Carolinas while Hall et ai, include parts of Tennessee), both retain the project's original focus on the region called the southern Piedmont. A wide strip extending from central Virginia through the central Carolinas and into northern Georgia and Alabama, the Piedmont emerged, by the early 20th century, as the industrial heartland of the South. The process by which that was accomplished—the transformation of an impoverished staple agricultural economy into the center of the South's and, eventually, the nation's textile industry
Real-time path planning procedure for a whole-sensitive robot arm manipulator

We consider the problem of sensor-based motion planning for a three-dimensional robot arm manipulator operating among unknown obstacles. When every point of the robot body is subject to potential collision. The corresponding planning system must include these four basic components: sensor hardware; real-time signal/sensory data processing hardware/software; a local step planning subsystem that works at the basic sample rate of the arm; and finally, a subsystem for global planning. The arm sensor system developed at Yale University presents a proximity sensitive skin that covers the whole body of the arm and consists of an array of discrete active infrared sensors that detect obstacles by processing reflected light. The sensor data then undergoes low level processing via a step planning procedure, which converts sensor information into local normals at the contact points in the configuration space of the robot. This paper presents preliminary results on the fourth component, a real-time algorithm that realizes the upper, global level of planning. Based on the current collection of local normals, the algorithm generates preferable directions of motion around obstacles, so as to guarantee reaching the target position if it is reachable. Experimental results from testing the developed system are also discussed.
E-mail Use Among a Sample of Intimate Partner Violence Shelter Residents

Although it is estimated that approximately 75% of U.S. adults have e-mail access, the proportion of battered women's shelter residents who use e-mail is currently unknown. Remaining in contact with residents following shelter stays is challenging. E-mail might hold promise for follow-up contact if a sufficient number of survivors use e-mail and safety concerns can be addressed. Among a convenience sample of residents of 11 Massachusetts shelters (N = 57), the authors find that 47% had a current e-mail account. Among those with e-mail accounts, 89% used e-mail in locations other than their own homes; 81% reported that, to their knowledge, their e-mail accounts had never been accessed by unauthorized dating partners; and 88% reported that they thought it would be safe for the shelter to e-mail them following their departure. Additional research assessing the feasibility (i.e., safety, acceptability, and cost benefit) of remaining in contact with shelter residents via the Internet would be beneficial.
Mechanisms of Global Teleconnections Associated with the Asian Summer Monsoon: An Intermediate Model Analysis*

The Indian summer monsoon (ISM) and western North Pacific summer monsoon (WNPSM) are two subsystems of the Asian summer monsoon, and they exhibit different global teleconnection patterns. The enhanced ISM strengthens the South Asian high and Mascarene high, and the WNPSM excites a meridional tripolar wave train in the Northern Hemisphere and affects the Australian high in the Southern Hemisphere. To understand the dynamics behind these global teleconnections, especially the processes responsible for the cross-equatorial teleconnection, an intermediate model, describing a two-level troposphere and a steady planetary boundary layer (PBL), is linearized from the background horizontal wind field. The model results indicate that the ISM heating, located under the strong easterly vertical shear (VS) and close to the westerly jet in the Northern Hemisphere, can excite a barotropic Rossby wave that emanates northwestward and then propagates downstream along the westerly jet. Since the WNPSM heating is far away from the westerly jet over the North Pacific, it only excites a weak Rossby wave train, which cannot explain the meridional tripolar teleconnection associated with the WNPSM. It is found that both the ISM and WNPSM heating excite strong teleconnections in the SouthernHemisphere via an advectionmechanism;that is, the background upper-level northerly winds can transport energy across the equator from the Northern Hemisphere summer monsoon to the Southern Hemisphere westerly jet. In addition, the PBL enhances monsoon teleconnections by trapping more energy in the upper troposphere. The elevated maximum monsoon heating also reinforces upper-level perturbations and enhances the teleconnection pattern.
Review Essay: Focus Group Practices: Studying Conversation

Focus Group Practice beschaftigt sich mit fur den Erfolg von Fokusgruppen forderlichen Interaktionsprozessen und Moderationstechniken. Gestutzt auf theoretische und methodologische Ansatze aus der Diskurs- und Konversationsanalyse werden die fur Fokusgruppen charakteristischen "Mikropraktiken" untersucht. In sieben Kapiteln werden Empfehlungen fur Moderator(inn)en und Forscher(innen) gegeben, die sich fur die Methodologie von Fokusgruppen interessieren. Dabei ist das Buch, in dessen Zentrum die Analyse von Gesprachsprozessen steht, nicht als "Rezeptur" fur die Gestaltung von Fokusgruppen konzipiert, sondern es handelt sich vielmehr um ein vorsichtiges Herausarbeiten der Choreographie, die fur erfolgreiche Gruppeninterviews notwendig ist. Zusatzlich enthalt Focus Group Practice eine Reihe kurzer Beispiele zu Fokusgruppen in der Marktforschung sowie Definitionen zur Konversationsanalyse und von Schlusselbegriffen der diskursiven Psychologie. Ein – in jedem Kapitel vorhandener – Satz an Grundregeln bezieht sich darauf, was wirkungsvolle Fokusgruppeninteraktionen ausmacht (formaler/informeller Charakter von Interaktion, Partizipation, Meinungen, usw.). Auch werden einige zusatzliche Informationen geboten z.B. zu Transkriptionen in der Konversationsanalyse. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs050293
Decentralized control for coordinated flow of multi-agent systems

Describes a distributed algorithm for coordinating the flow of a mass of vehicles approaching a highway exit or a tollbooth. We provide the problem formulation, a general methodology for distributed control and an instantiation of this methodology to the coordinated flow problem. We analyze our algorithm and provide experimental data.
Women in Adult Education: An Analysis of Perspectives in Major Journals:

The purpose of this study was to clarify dominant perspectives on women in adult education publications. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze 112 articles in four major adult education ...
Akt Maintains Cell Size and Survival by Increasing mTOR-dependent Nutrient Uptake

In multicellular organisms, constituent cells depend on extracellular signals for growth, proliferation, and survival. When cells are withdrawn from growth factors, they undergo apoptosis. Expression of constitutively active forms of the serine/threonine kinase Akt/PKB can prevent apoptosis upon growth factor withdrawal. Akt-mediated survival depends in part on the maintenance of glucose metabolism, suggesting that reduced glucose utilization contributes to growth factor withdrawal-induced death. However, it is unclear how restricting access to extracellular glucose alone would lead to the metabolic collapse observed after growth factor withdrawal. We report herein that growth factor withdrawal results in the loss of surface transporters for not only glucose but also amino acids, low-density lipoprotein, and iron. This coordinated decline in transporters and receptors for extracellular molecules creates a catabolic state characterized by atrophy and a decline in the mitochondrial membrane potential. Activated forms of Akt maintained these transporters on the cell surface in the absence of growth factor through an mTOR-dependent mechanism. The mTOR inhibitor rapamycin diminished Akt-mediated increases in cell size, mitochondrial membrane potential, and cell survival. These results suggest that growth factors control cellular growth and survival by regulating cellular access to extracellular nutrients in part by modulating the activity of Akt and mTOR.
Victor C. Strasburger and Barbara Jan Wilson. Children, Adolescents, & the Media. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2002, 560 pp., ISBN 9780761921257 (paperback)

Studies of children and media have drawn considerable attention since the Payne Fund studies of the 1930s (e.g., Holaday & Stoddard, 1933). This research signaled the beginning of a now decades-lon...
Interruption of the gpxA gene increases the sensitivity of Neisseria meningitidis to paraquat.

Antioxidant enzymes are thought to be important for the survival of pathogenic Neisseria species. We have further characterized the glutathione peroxidase homolog gene (gpxA), which we recently isolated from Neisseria meningitidis FAM20 (T.D.E. Moore and P.F. Sparling, Infect. Immun. 63:1603-1607, 1995). GpxA was found to be produced constitutively in vivo. An isogenic, omega insertion mutant in the gpxA gene was constructed and characterized. The gpxA insertion mutant was much more sensitive to the oxidative stress caused by paraquat and slightly more sensitive to hydrogen peroxide. This is the first demonstration of a phenotype arising from a mutation of a glutathione peroxidase homolog gene in a prokaryotic organism. Protection of the cell by GpxA from the effects of oxidative stress caused by aerobic metabolism may contribute to the ability of Neisseria meningitidis to cause disease in the human host.
EVOLUTION FOR BIOINFORMATICIANS AND BIOINFORMATICS FOR EVOLUTIONISTS1

The past decade has seen an explosion of information in many disciplines of biology, particularly in genetics and genomics. For example, as of June 2005, the total number of nucleotides in the DNA sequences available at the GenBank exceeds 89 billion, and this number doubles approximately every 1.5 years. The analysis of this and other large datasets of biological information often involves professional computational scientists and tools, whereas the interpretation of the obtained results usually requires biologists. Bioinformatics was thus born to bridge the gap between computer science and biology. In essence, it uses computational methods to study biological data. Bioinformatics is such a popular subject that a simple Google search gives about 20 million hits of web pages. In comparison, systematics and phylogenetics together gets less than 2.5 million hits, and evolution, our favorite subject, receives about 87 million hits. It is thus not surprising that almost every major research university in the United States offers graduate and/or undergraduate bioinformatics degrees, although the first papers with the word bioinformatics in abstracts or titles are only 12 years old (Bains 1993; Beltrame and Tagliasco 1993; Franklin 1993). Because ‘‘nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution,’’ bioinformaticians need to be enlightened by evolution too. Paul Higgs of McMaster University in Canada and Teresa Attwood of Manchester University in the United Kingdom have now written a book just for this purpose. As stated in the preface, Bioinformatics and Molecular Evolution is written for ‘‘people who want to understand bioinformatics methods and who may want to go on to develop methods for themselves.’’ (p. xi) However, the book can also be used by evolutionists to learn bioinformatics, as it will soon be impossible to circumvent bioinformatics in almost any study of evolutionary genetics. The book has 13 chapters, starting with two beautifully written introductory chapters. Chapter 1 reviews the revolution in biological information and explains why bioinformaticians should know about evolution, especially molecular evolution. Just to give one reason, the single most used tool in bioinformatics is probably the basic local alignment search tool (BLAST), which is employed to identify DNA or protein sequences that are so similar to a query sequence that the similarity is unlikely to be due to chance. This criterion implies that the similarity is most likely due to common ancestry. Hence, BLAST effectively looks for
Arteriosclerotic Calcification: A Serpi(n)ginous Path to Cardiovascular Health?

Cardiovascular sclerosis increasingly afflicts our aging, dysmetabolic population, and this hardening of our hearts and arteries has significant physiological consequences.1 Myocardial stiffening reduces diastolic ventricular filling and function necessary for robust cardiac output during systole.2 Arterial stiffening impairs Windkessel physiology—the rubbery elasticity of conduit vessels that ensures smooth distal tissue perfusion throughout the cardiac cycle. Thus, in addition to the diastolic heart failure associated with cardiac sclerosis, a type of diastolic perfusion failure occurs with arteriosclerotic conduit vessel stiffening. The inability to store kinetic energy as potential energy in elastic conduit vessels during systole reduces the sustained pressure differential necessary to drive smooth distal perfusion throughout diastole and is manifested by increased arterial pulse wave velocity during systole.1 Article, see p 758 One clinical consequence of diastolic vascular perfusion failure can be well appreciated in the central nervous system. In the Dallas Heart Study, increased aortic stiffness as quantified by pulse wave velocity strongly portends increased brain magnetic resonance imaging white matter hyperintensity volume,3 a signature of ischemic (not hemorrhagic) histology,4 independent of other cardiovascular risk factors, including systolic blood pressure.3 Cognitive decline is a clinical feature of conduit vessel stiffness5,6 and white matter hyperintensity volume.4 Large conduit artery biomechanics reflect the composite contributions of mural material properties, geometric properties, and dynamic endothelial and neuroendocrine inputs that control global and regional tissue perfusion.7 Arterial calcification, an active form of …
Localization of Enzymes in Certain Secretory Cells of Helix Tentacles

Summary Secretory cells in the optic tentacles of the snails, Helix aspersa and H. pomatia, have been investigated for the cytoplasmic localization of certain enzymes. The collar cells, considered to be neurosecretory, and the lateral oval cells, were those examined. Acid phosphatase activity is found in the cytoplasm of both cells, in scattered spheroids called the/8-bodies. This enzymatic activity indicates that the /?-bodies may be lysosomes, as does their ultrastructural appearance. In the 2 cell types, the activity of both alkaline phosphatase and thiamine pyrophosphatase is localized in crescentic bodies considered to correspond to the Golgi lamellae, and in some of the j8-bodies. The latter enzyme also exists in the cortices of the ct-bodies which, like the /S-bodies, are lipid-containing globules. The activity of both cytochrome oxidase and succinate dehydrogenase is found, not only in granules, rods, and filaments interpreted as the mitochondria, but also on the cortices of some or all of the /5-bodies. It is concluded that in invertebrates, the lipochondria may be the sites of activity of many different enzymes which in vertebrates are restricted to distinct cell organelles.
Data Management for the International Registry of Reproductive Pathology Using SNOMED Coding and Computerization

The International Registry of Reproductive Pathology contains more than 19,000 case records. It is indexed with the aid of Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine (SNOMED) codes and the MUMPS-11 interactive computer language. A package of programs was developed to maintain an index file of cases in the collection and to produce for each species a printed list of case numbers for every combination of topography, morphology and etiology. The printed disease data from the computer are in English with corresponding SNOMED code numbers and relevant case numbers.
Thermoregulatory, cardiovascular, and psychophysical response to alcohol in men in 40 degrees C water

The goals of the study were to test the hypotheses that ethyl alcohol (ETOH) in low-to-moderate doses would alter thermo-regulation and/or disrupt the normal relationship between physiological and psychophysical indexes of heat stress during 40 degrees C water immersion and to characterize the cardiovascular response to the combined stimuli of heat, water immersion, and ETOH. Six healthy men underwent three trials of 21 min of immersion in water at 40.0 +/- 0.1 degrees C after consuming 0, 0.27, or 0.54 g ETOH/kg. Esophageal temperature (Tes) rose by approximately 1.0 degrees C during immersion for each trial. Per unit of Tes rise, changes during immersion in skin temperature, sweat rate, heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and psychophysical assessments of comfort and overheating did not differ significantly by trial. Across trials, there was an apparent threshold for activation of thermoregulatory responses at an approximately 0.5 degrees C increase in Tes occurring after approximately 9 min of immersion. This threshold was identified psychophysically by increased ratings of overheating and decreased comfort. Above the threshold, there was an attenuation of the rate of increase of Tes. Cardiovascular stress was mild (rate-pressure product approximately 12,000) and not significantly increased by ETOH. Hypotension and tachycardia when subjects stood to exit the tub were observed. The data suggest that ETOH at the doses administered does not affect thermoregulatory, cardiovascular, or psychophysical indexes of heat stress during 40 degrees C water immersion.
Is the Endangered Species Act Eco-Pragmatic?

The Article evaluates the Endangered Species Act using Dan Farber's theory of eco-pragmatism. Eco-pragmatism employs environmental baselines, a moderated precautionary principle, and adaptive management to mediate environmental policy issues. I conclude that the ESA reflects some of these attributes, but does not coherently assemble a truly eco-pragmatic framework.
National trends in female arrests, 1960–1990: Assessment and recommendations for research

Trends in female criminality from 1960 to 1990 are examined. The main focus is UCR arrest statistics but other sources of evidence are also used. Major findings include the following: (1) relative to males, the profile of the female offender has not changed; and (2) the principal change in the female percentage of arrests involves the overall rise in property crime, especially minor thefts and frauds. The effects of broad-based legal and societal trends on female criminality are discussed and an agenda for research on the issue of female crime trends is proposed.
RESIDUAL RISK AND ON-STATIN REDUCTIONS IN TRIGLYCERIDES, REMNANT CHOLESTEROL, AND VLDL LIPOPROTEINS: AN ANALYSIS FROM THE JUPITER TRIAL

Elevated remnant cholesterol (RC) and remnant VLDL lipoproteins are associated with CVD risk, but it is unclear whether on-statin reductions confer benefit. We examined data from 4,995 participants in the JUPITER trial ([NCT00239681][1]) randomly allocated to rosuvastatin 20 mg daily with baseline
Effects of Force Feedback and Distractor Location on a CDTI Target Selection Task

Abstract New flight deck technologies need to be implemented in order to support the projected rises in traffic levels. Future cockpit displays of traffic information (CDTIs) shall accommodate the altered responsibilities of pilots by facilitating more efficient routes and minimizing conflicts. However, the unstable nature of the cockpit may present challenges when precise inputs are required. The present study investigated the effects of force feedback and distractors on point-and-click movement times in a CDTI environment. Participants performed target selection tasks with multiple levels of force feedback and distractor location. Results implied that force feedback failed to benefit movement times relative to the standard computer mouse. However, substantial interactions between distractor effects, force levels, and other target characteristics are explored.
FLEA BEETLE AND APHID CONTROL ON FLUE-CURED TOBACCO WITH FOLIAR SPRAYS, 2001

This experiment was conducted at the Virginia Tech Southern Piedmont AREC, Blackstone, VA, to evaluate various foliar insecticides for GPA and TFB control and to assess the resulting effects on the value of fluecured tobacco. Tobacco 'K 326' was transplanted into experimental plots on 2 May. Plots, 4 by 40 ft (1 row by 24 plants), were separated by single untreated guard rows. Normal production practices were followed for weed and disease control, fertilization and topping, and sucker control. Nine treatments and an untreated check were established in a RCB design with 4 replications (Table 1). Treatments for TFB control were applied as foliar sprays using a CO2-pressurized backpack sprayer that delivered 15.5 gpa at 50 psi through a TX-18 nozzle (1 per row) on 25 May. The sprayer was also used to deliver 30 gpa at 50 psi through TX10 nozzles (3 per row) for the second applications on 29 Jun. The 3rd application was applied on 3 Aug with a CO2-pressurized DeCloet high clearance sprayer operated at 40 psi and delivering 24 gpa through TX-12 tips (3 nozzlses/row) at 3.5 mph. After the 25 May application, 0.05 and 1.32 inches of rainfall fell at 0 and 1 DAT. No significant rainfall occurred within the first wk after the 29-Jun application, and 0.94 inch of rain fell 1 d after the 3-Aug treatments. Temperatures on the application dates ranged from 78-82 oF on 25 May, 86-90 oF on 29 Jun, and 85-88 oF on 3 Aug. TFB and TFB feeding holes were counted on 10 plants/plot at 2, 10, and 20 d after the 25-May applications. GPA counts were made on the upper 4 leaves of 10 plants/plot 3 d before treatment at 3, 7, 14, and 20 DAT after the 29-Jun application, and 1 d before treatment at 3, 7, and 19 DAT the 3-Aug application. On 29 Aug, GPA damage was rated on a scale of 0 to 10 where 0 = no damage and 10 = extensive damage from sooty mold, honeydew, necrotic tissue, and caste skins. Tracer 4L was applied at 2 fl oz/acre to the entire test for control of tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta L. on 29 Aug. Tobacco was harvested as it ripened. It was cured, weighed, and graded by a USDA/AMS inspector and gross economic value in /acre was calculated based on market prices for the assigned market grades in 2001. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and significantly different means were separated by WD (k-ratio = 100). Data for GPA and TFB feeding hole counts were transformed to Log10(x+1) before analysis. Actual means are presented in the tables.
The Normativity of Globalization

Since Hegel, it has been increasingly evident that modern times have witnessed the weaving of the different strands of history into a unified globalization, producing a unitary world history for the first time. This globalized process does not just set all cultural developments in a reciprocal influence, from which no corner of the globe can long escape. Besides removing all barriers that allowed New and Old World civilizations to rise and fall in parallel isolation, the modern era has unshackled a form of community that is inherently global as none before. This form of community is modern civilization, characterized by a normative drive to make itself world encompassing, as well as by a social and political dynamic that makes that imperative a realizable enterprise.
Mucinous adenocarcinoma of the renal pelvis: discussion of possible pathogenesis.

AbstractA case of mucinous adenocarcinoma of the renal pelvis is reported. The role of infectious agents and the embryologic formation in relation to the malignancy are discussed. Diagnosis of this rare malignancy rests on a high degree of suspicion, coupled with radiologic and cytologic procedures.
Localized Amyloidosis of the Urethra: Report of a Case

A case is presented of distal urethral obstruction caused by localized amyloidosis. Only 10 such cases have been reported previously. Because of the high degree of obstruction immediate biopsy and internal urethrotomy were done.
Differential Equations and Boundary Conditions

Publisher Summary This chapter presents differential equations and boundary conditions. Flow is laminar when the velocities are free of macroscopic fluctuations at any point in the flow field. For steady-state laminar flow, all velocities at a stationary point in the flow field remain constant with respect to time, but velocities may be different at different points. Laminar flow, also referred to as viscous or streamline flow, is characteristic of a viscous fluid flow at low Reynolds number. Laminar flow in a two-dimensional stationary straight duct is designated as hydrodynamically fully developed when the fluid velocity distribution at a cross section is of an invariant form. The fluid particles move in definite paths called streamlines, and there are no components of fluid velocity normal to the duct axis. In a fully developed laminar flow, the fluid appears to move by sliding laminar of infinitesimal thickness relative to adjacent layers. Depending upon the smoothness of the tube inlet and tube inside wall, fully developed laminar flow persists up to Re ≤ 2300 for a duct length L greater than the hydrodynamic entry length Lhy.
The Neurologist Looks at the Non-Verbal Child

This is the third of a series of articles on the nonverbal child. The first two articles appeared in the April and May issues of EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN and dealt with the opinions of a psychiatrist and a speech pathologist respectively. All of the papers were originally presented at the 1958 meeting of the Eastern States Speech Association.
Keep it moving

Gut microbiota exist in a mutualistic relationship with the host and play an important role in normal gastrointestinal physiology, such as gastrointestinal transit, visceral sensation, epithelial barrier, and immune function. The communication between microbes and the host is bidirectional and complex, but the mechanics of signaling between them and the directionality of the effect are just being unraveled. Roager et al. now show that gastrointestinal transit time can influence gut microbiota composition and function. They found that slower colonic transit is associated with an increase in microbial diversity. However, although increased microbial diversity is usually thought to reflect a healthy gut microbial ecosystem, this study sheds doubt on the universality of such a claim. In addition to an increase in microbial diversity, the authors found that the longer transit time was associated with a potentially deleterious switch in microbial metabolism, with increased protein catabolism, decreased polyphenol conversion and mucus secretion, and metabolites reflective of decreased epithelial turnover. However, the shift in metabolism may also represent an adaptation to host function, and it would be interesting to know if these changes help perpetuate the host phenotype and provide an environment conducive for the altered microbial community. In addition, not all protein catabolism is deleterious. For example, the increase in tryptophan metabolism promotes the formation of indole derivatives, which can act as aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands and have anti-inflammatory properties. The study highlights the importance of considering host physiological factors when evaluating changes in the microbiome and paves the way for future studies on mutual reinforcement of host-microbial interactions. This should be especially relevant for research evaluating gut microbiota in patients with inflammatory and functional gut disorders, where transit time is not usually accounted for when describing microbial changes. H. M. Roager et al. , Colonic transit time is related to bacterial metabolism and mucosal turnover in the gut. Nat. Microbiol. 10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.93 (2016). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://www.nature.com/articles/nmicrobiol201693