cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genetic Mapping of Vocalization to a Series of Increasing Acute Footshocks Using B6.A Consomic and B6.D2 Congenic Mouse Strains

Footshock response is used to study a variety of biological functions in mammals including drug self-administration, learning and memory and nociception. However, the genetics underlying variability in footshock sensitivity are not well understood. In the current studies, a panel of B6.A consomic mouse strains, two B6.D2 genome-tagged mouse lines, and the progenitor strains were screened for footshock sensitivity as measured by audible vocalization. It was found that A/J (A) mice and C57BL/6J (B6) mice with an A Chromosome 1 (Chr 1) were less sensitive to footshock compared to B6 animals. Furthermore, the offspring of Chr 1 consomic mice crossed with B6 mice had vocalization levels that were intermediate to A/J and B6 animals. A F2 mapping panel revealed two significant QTLs for footshock vocalization centered around D1Mit490 and D1Mit206 on Chr 1. The role of these Chr 1 loci in footshock sensitivity was confirmed in B6.D2 genome-tagged mouse lines.
Urban housing reform in China

Abstract This paper examines urban housing reform in China. It begins with a review of target housing problems and their historical causes. There follows an analysis of reform initiatives, experiments, implementation, theoretical foundations and institutional constraints. The last part explores possible reform choices and outcomes in relation to development, the present housing system, socialist heritage and work units. One likely outcome is that the state, work units and residents share housing responsibility, where private housing is confined to self-occupancy and housing rentals are monopolized by public housing. However, as experiences from other countries show that housing problems reproduce themselves along with industrialization and urbanization and that solving housing problems calls for continuous policy changes, the Chinese housing reform is likely to continue as an open-ended process. It will also provide a valuable reference for new housing policy initiatives in other developing countries.
A Stereospecific Cyclization Catalyzed by an Antibody

A monoclonal antibody elicited by a transition-state analog that is representative of an intramolecular six-membered ring cyclization reaction acted as a stereospecific, enzyme-like catalyst for the appropriate substrate. Formation of a single enantiomer of a delta-lactone from the corresponding racemic delta-hydroxyester was accelerated by the antibody by about a factor of 170, which permitted isolation of the lactone in an enantiomeric excess of about 94 percent. This finding demonstrates the feasibility of catalytic-antibody generation for chemical transformations that require stereochemical control.
Evaluation of double L-values

Abstract In this paper, a theorem of Zagier concerning double zeta evaluations is generalized to the double L -values. In addition, fast computation of the double L -values is demonstrated, extending the method of Crandall. The PARI commands are available electronically.
Robust chirped mirrors

Optimized chirped mirrors may perform suboptimally, or completely fail to satisfy specifications, when manufacturing errors are encountered. We present a robust optimization method for designing these dispersion-compensating mirror systems that are used in ultrashort pulse lasers. Possible implementation errors in layer thickness are taken into account within an uncertainty set. The algorithm identifies worst-case scenarios with respect to reflectivity as well as group delay. An iterative update improves the robustness and warrants a high manufacturing yield, even when the encountered errors are larger than anticipated.
Subresolution imaging: Use of wavelength and angular diversity techniques

We calculate the Fourier transform of the electric field at a point on the image of an object as the angle or wavelength of the illumination on the object is varied and show that this function provides a direct measurement of the amplitude and surface height structure of the object within the resolution cell centered at the corresponding point on the object.
Dignified dying: phenomenon and actions among nurses in India.

Purpose: This study contributes to the ongoing efforts of the International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP®) to describe the phenomenon of dignified dying, to describe nursing actions used to promote dignified dying, and to evaluate the validity of a dignified dying scale among practising nurses in India. Design and sample: This descriptive study surveyed 229 nurses who had cared for dying patients and were currently practising in government and private hospitals in India. Methods: Nurses were recruited to complete a survey in either Hindi or English. The survey included demographic, open-ended questions, and a dignified dying scale of Likert-like items. Nurses also identified nursing interventions used in practice to promote dignified dying. Findings: The descriptions of dignified dying phenomenon fit within the three major areas of the Dignity-Conserving Model of Care. A variety of interventions were reported, with more focusing on spiritual than physical factors. The 14 items selected reliably measured dignified dying, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.79. Factor analysis yielded a 4-factor solution, with 11 items accounting for 56% of the variance. Conclusions: Nurses in India endorsed spirituality as an essential aspect of the phenomenon of dignified dying. Nursing actions to promote dignified dying supported finding spiritual comfort at end of life. These results contribute to an understanding of nursing phenomena and actions worldwide.
Feedback Contributions to Visual Awareness in Human Occipital Cortex

It has traditionally been assumed that processing within the visual system proceeds in a bottom-up, feedforward manner from retina to higher cortical areas [1]. In addition to feedforward processing, it is now clear that there are also important contributions to sensory encoding that rely upon top-down, feedback (reentrant) projections from higher visual areas to lower ones [2]. By utilizing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in a metacontrast masking paradigm [3], we addressed whether feedback processes in early visual cortex play a role in visual awareness. We show that TMS of visual cortex, when timed to produce visual suppression of an annulus serving as a metacontrast mask, induces recovery of an otherwise imperceptible disk. In addition to producing disk recovery, TMS suppression of an annulus was greater when a disk preceded it than when an annulus was presented alone. This latter result suggests that there are effects of the disk on the perceptibility of the subsequent mask that are additive and are revealed with TMS of the visual cortex. These results demonstrate spatial and temporal interactions of conscious vision in visual cortex and suggest that a prior visual stimulus can influence subsequent perception at early stages of visual encoding via feedback projections [4].
The Effect of Reducing Agents on the Apparent Molecular Weight of the Myelin P0 Protein and the Possible Identity of the P0 and “Y” Proteins

: During sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of sciatic nerve myelin proteins, the P0 protein migrated to two different positions on the gels. The distribution of P0 between the two forms depended on the concentration of mercaptoethanol (ME) or dithiothreitol (DTT) in the sample solvent. At >1% ME or 3.5% DTT, P0 was almost entirely in a form with an apparent molecular weight of 30,000, whereas in the absence of ME or DTT all the P0 migrated with an apparent molecular weight of 25,000. The distribution of the P0 protein between the two bands was independent of whether proteinase inhibitors were used during preparation of myelin. Furthermore, in a sample containing the more rapidly migrating form of P00, the P0 could be converted to the slower-migrating form by addition of mercaptoethanol. These data show that interconversion of the two forms of P0 does not involve proteolytic degradation, but suggest rather that ME cleaves one or more intramolecular disulfide bonds in P0 unfolding the amino acid chain and thereby converting the form with a lower apparent molecular weight to that with a higher apparent molecular weight. We postulate that the “Y” protein band, which has been observed, in variable quantities, migrating slightly ahead of P0, may represent its oxidized form.
Assessing breast tissue oxygenation using inspired gas stimulation with NIR tomography

The dynamic vascular change in the breast induced by prospectively targeted and sustained end-tidal partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide are imaged by a fast frame rate frequency domain tomographic system. The results of a particular normal subject case show that under the inhaled gas stimuli the maximum changes of deoxy-hemoglobin, oxygen saturation, oxy-hemoglobin and total hemoglobin in the breast are 20%, 9%, 7% and 3%, respectively.
A Structured Avian Influenza Model with Imperfect Vaccination and Vaccine-Induced Asymptomatic Infection

We introduce a model of avian influenza in domestic birds with imperfect vaccination and age-since-vaccination structure. The model has four components: susceptible birds, vaccinated birds (stratified by vaccination age), asymptomatically infected birds, and infected birds. The model includes reduction in the probability of infection, decreasing severity of disease of vaccinated birds and vaccine waning. The basic reproduction number, \(\mathcal R_0\), is calculated. The disease-free equilibrium is found to be globally stable under certain conditions when \({\mathcal {R}}_0 1\), existence of an endemic equilibrium is proved (with uniqueness for the ODE case and local stability under stricter conditions) and uniform persistence of the disease is established. The inclusion of reduction in susceptibility of vaccinated birds, reduction in infectiousness of asymptomatically infected birds and vaccine waning can have important implications for disease control. We analytically and numerically demonstrate that vaccination can paradoxically increase the total number of infected, resulting in the “silent spread” of the disease. We also study the effects of vaccine efficacy on disease prevalence and the minimum critical vaccination coverage, a threshold value for vaccination coverage to avoid an increase in total disease prevalence due to asymptomatic infection.
Use of activated carbon coated with bentonite for increasing the sensitivity of pcr detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Canadian oyster (Crassostrea gigas) tissue.

Abstract A novel method for directly increasing the recovery of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and efficiently eliminating PCR inhibitors in oyster tissue without preenrichment was developed with the use of activated carbon coated with bentonite. The recovery of E. coli O157:H7 was significantly affected by the amount of bentonite used to coat the activated charcoal and the pH value of sample preparations. When 4.2 g of activated carbon were coated with 0.4 g of bentonite and seeded oyster samples were adjusted to a pH of 5.0, a high recovery of E. coli O157:H7 (91.6 ± 4.4%) was obtained. Activated carbon, coated with bentonite, allowed the PCR detection of 1.5 × 102 CFU/g of oyster tissue which was equivalent to 30 genomic targets per PCR reaction. Without the use of activated carbon coated with bentonite, the minimum level of detection was 1.5 × 105 CFU/g of oyster tissue, which is equivalent to 3.0 × 104 genomic targets per PCR reaction. Three commercial DNA purification systems were used for comparison. The limit of detection with the Wizard® DNA Clean-Up System and the Chelex®100 Resin was 1.5 × 103 CFU/g of oyster tissue which was equivalent to 3.0 × 102 CFU/PCR reaction. The QIAamp® DNA Mini Kit resulted in a detection limit of 5 × 102 CFU/g of oyster tissue which was equivalent to 5 × 102 genomic targets per PCR reaction. The use of activated carbon coated with bentonite is an inexpensive method for removal of PCR inhibitors from tissue samples prior to the release of DNA from target cells resulting in relatively low numbers of target cells detected without enrichment.
Clinical correlation with anti-peripheral-nerve myelin antibodies in Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Anti-peripheral-nerve myelin antibodies (anti-PNM Ab) can be detected in the serum of all patients with acute-phase Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) thus far tested. Correlation of the titer of this antibody with the clinical course would help to establish a role for the humoral immune system in the pathophysiology of GBS. In this study, anti-PNM Ab levels were measured in serial serum samples of 7 patients with GBS with an assay that detects antibodies bound to peripheral nerve myelin antigens by fixation of the first component of complement. Although the titers of anti-PNM Ab detected in these patients varied between 0 and 256 U/ml, the antibody titer was always highest on admission (35 to 256 U/ml) and rapidly declined during a one-to-three-week period. Disappearance of antibodies or very low levels of them correlated with cessation of progression and considerable clinical improvement as documented by increased pulmonary vital capacity and muscular strength. Low but measurable antibody titers (5 to 12 U/ml) were frequently found up to four months following the acute neurological deficit. The close temporal relationship between anti-PNM Ab titer and the clinical course in GBS suggests that antibody most likely participates through complement activation in peripheral nerve demyelination.
The role and image of the library and librarians in discipline-specific pedagogical journals

Abstract A search of 29 discipline-specific pedagogical journals in the ERIC database, and a page-by-page review of 13 such journals, for library-related material shows that librarians, library instruction, and libraries, in general, are seldom mentioned or discussed.
Evidence for non-inclusional association between α-cyclodextrin and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons

Abstract The temperature dependence of formation constants for polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) complexes with cyclodextrin (CDx) has been used to determine the heat of formation (ΔHf) for the complexes. The ΔHf values are larger for α-CDx complexes than for β- and γ-CDx complexes for most PAHs, whereas the formation constant values show the opposite trend. This contradiction suggests that formation constants calculated for α-CDx—PAH complexes using the solubility method contain contributions from processes other than complexation. Together with the thermodynamic data, microenvironmental studies of pyrene within the α-CDx cavity are used to show that non-inclusional associations may contribute to the formation constants determined by solubility measurements.
Probing the efficacy of peptide-based inhibitors against acid- and zinc-promoted oligomerization of amyloid-β peptide via single-oligomer spectroscopy.

One avenue for prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease involves inhibiting the aggregation of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ). Given the deleterious effects reported for Aβ dimers and trimers, it is important to investigate inhibition of the earliest association steps. We have employed quantized photobleaching of dye-labeled Aβ peptides to characterize four peptide-based inhibitors of fibrillogenesis and/or cytotoxicity, assessing their ability to inhibit association in the smallest oligomers (n = 2–5). Inhibitors were tested at acidic pH and in the presence of zinc, conditions that may promote oligomerization in vivo. Distributions of peptide species were constructed by examining dozens of surface-tethered monomers and oligomers, one at a time. Results show that all four inhibitors shift the distribution of Aβ species toward monomers; however, efficacies vary for each compound and sample environment. Collectively, these studies highlight promising design strategies for future oligomerization inhibitors, affording insight into oligomer structures and inhibition mechanisms in two physiologically significant environments.
Effect of titanium dioxide nanomaterials and ultraviolet light coexposure on African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis)

Titanium dioxide nanomaterials (nano-TiO2) exhibit stronger photochemical oxidation/reduction capacity compared with their bulk counterparts, but the effectiveness of nano-TiO2 interaction with ultraviolet (UV) light strongly depends on particle size. In this study, the dependence of nano-TiO2 toxicity on particle size and interaction with UV light were investigated. Toxicity tests with Xenopus laevis included eight concentrations of nano-TiO2 in the presence of either white light or UVA (315–400 nm). We quantified viability and growth of Xenopus laevis. Results showed that, regardless of UV light exposure, increasing TiO2 concentration decreased X. laevis survival (p < 0.05). Coexposure to 5-nm TiO2 and UVA caused near-significant decreases in X. laevis survival (p = 0.08). Coexposure to 10-nm TiO2 and UVA significantly decreased X. laevis survival (p = 0.005). However, coexposure to 32-nm TiO2 and UVA had no statistical effect on X. laevis survival (p = 0.8). For all three particle sizes, whether alone or with UV light, the nano-TiO2 concentrations significantly affected growth of tadpoles as determined by total body length, snout–vent length, and developmental stage. High-concentration TiO2 solutions suppressed tadpole body length and delayed developmental stages. Further research to explore reasons for the growth and mortality in tadpoles is still underway in our laboratory. Given the widespread application of nano-TiO2, our results may be useful in the management of nano-TiO2 released from industrial, municipal, and nonpoint sources. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2012;31:176–183. © 2011 SETAC
Rate formulations of nonlinear solid mechanics for the finite element method

Abstract The basic equations of the finite element method are derived for nonlinear mechanics of solids using an arbitrary reference configuration, arbitrary strain measure, and conjugate stress measure. All materials with instantaneous modulus are covered by this theory, including elastic, plastic, and viscoelastic solids.
Teachers' Expectations for Black Males' and Black Females' Academic Achievement

Expectancy effects for Black males and Black females and a suspected cause of these effects were studied. Teachers responded to a questionnaire containing 12 case histories of hypothetical Black fourth-grade males and females. Teachers predicted students' academic performance far the current school year and in the future and rated their preference for having the students in their classes. Results indicated that even when students had equivalent qualities, teachers consistently held more negative expectations for Black males and gave them lower ratings. Teachers had the lowest expectations for nonsubmissive, in independent Black males and preferred them least. Fear of Black males who are nonsubmissive and independent may be the cause of this bias.
Fructose-induced Hyperuricemia: Observations in Normal Children and in Patients with Hereditary Fructose Intolerance and Galactosemia

After the infusion of fructose, 0.25 g/kg body wt, the mean peak plasma uric acid level was 5.4 +/- 0.7 (SEM) mg/100 ml in six normal children and was not significantly increased compared with that of the mean basal value of 4.1 +/- 0.5 mg/100 ml. The mean blood inorganic phosphate (Pi) levels were significantly less than the mean fasting value after fructose. Blood glucose, lactic acid, and fructose levels were significantly increased after fructose, but serum magnesium levels did not change. In two patients with hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI) the peak blood uric acid levels were 12.1 and 7.6 mg/100 ml, respectively, after fructose. In both patients the blood glucose concentrations decreased 69 and 26 mg/100 ml below the fasting levels after fructose. The serum Pi level decreased 2.3 and 1.2 mg/100 ml below fasting values, decrements greater than the mean decrement in serum Pi of 0.8 +/- 0.2 mg/100 ml which occurred in six normal children. The mean uric acid excretion, expressed as milligrams per mg urinary creatinine, was 0.6 +/- 0.1 (SEM) before fructose in the normal children and increased significantly to 1.0 +/- mg/mg creatinine after fructose. In two patients with HFI the uric acid excretion increased four- to fivefold after fructose administration; the increased uric acid excretion in HFI exceeded that of normal children. In three patients with galactosemia, increases in blood uric acid levels after galactose ingestion were similar to those in normal children after fructose, but less than those in patients with HFI after fructose. The serum Pi levels decreased less in galactosemic patients after galactose administration than in patients with HFI after fructose infusion. These studies support the hypothesis that fructose-induced hyperuricemia results from degradation of adenosine monophosphate. This effect appears to be specific for fructose. The lack of hyperruricemia in galactosemia patients after galactose ingestion may be explained by the observation that galactose is phosphorylated more slowly than fructose.
Robust Stability Analysis for State-Space Model of Discrete-Time Systems

A sufficient condition for robust stability of discrete-time systems with structured uncertainties is presented. By constructing a convex set of uncertain parameters within which the robust stability is guaranteed, a procedure for stability bound estimation is proposed, which is suitable for the case that the nominally unstable systems. The more the computational points increase, the more this stability bound obtained is close to this convex set. It is also shown that when the nominal system is stable, the existing bounds for robust stability are subsets of our bounds.
Study on Intumescent Flame Retarded Polystyrene Composites with Improved Flame Retardancy

The flame retardancy and thermal stability of ammonium polyphosphate/tripentaerythritol (APP/TPE) intumescent flame retarded polystyrene composites (PS/IFR) combined with organically-modified layered inorganic materials (montmorillonite clay and zirconium phosphate), nanofiber (multiwall carbon nanotubs), nanoparticle (Fe2O3) and nickel catalyst were evaluated by cone calorimetry, microscale combustion calorimetry (MCC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Cone calorimetry revealed that a small substitution of IFR by most of these fillers (≤2%) imparted substantial improvement in flammability performance. The montmorillonite clay exhibited the highest efficiency in reducing the peak heat release rate of PS/IFR composite, while zirconium phosphate modified with C21H26NClO3S exhibited a negative effect. The yield and thermal stability of the char obtained from TGA correlated well with the reduction in the peak heat release rate in the cone calorimeter. Since intumesence is a condensed-phase flame process, the MCC results showed features different from those obtained from the cone calorimeter.
Therapeutics for Duchenne muscular dystrophy: current approaches and future directions

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common X-linked neuromuscular disorder. The devastating nature of DMD has led to an intense effort toward finding a cure for this disease, dating back to the time when Duchenne first initiated clinical trials using faradic stimulation for DMD patients. Unfortunately despite the passage of some 150 years the disease remains incurable, and its medical management is largely supportive. However, the discovery of the DMD gene about 20 years ago has allowed a change in the focus of therapeutic strategy dramatically toward delivery of the missing gene/protein. Indeed, some degree of success has been achieved in preclinical animal studies using such strategies, and gene therapy trials are currently underway in humans. Pharmacological approaches for DMD are also being developed since they can circumvent some of the technical problems associated with gene and cell based therapy. This review explores developments in therapeutic approaches for DMD.
A generalized multi-strain model of HIV evolution with implications for drug-resistance management

Since 1996, the National Institutes of Health and other organizations have recommended offering Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) to all patients infected with HIV. Although HAART provides a powerful strategy for HIV treatment, it does not prevent completely the development of multi-drug resistant strains, and drug resistance is the primary reason for treatment failure. A better control of drug-resistance risk is critical for the success of long-term antiviral therapy in HIV patients. Recent research focuses on how to develop new drugs, but little has been done to control resistance risk by using an appropriate treatment regime. In this paper, we propose a generalized multi-strain model of HIV evolution with viral mutations. Based on this model, we suggest a drug switching strategy to minimize resistance risk and preserve long-term control of the HIV infection for the case in which the patient only has one kind of drug-resistance virus. Though simulations, this model can also be used for detecting and minimizing the resistance risk for the patients who develops multiple drug-regimen resistance.
Development of an electrode cell impedance method to measure osteoblast cell activity in magnesium-conditioned media.

Magnesium (Mg) as a biodegradable metal has potential advantages as an implant material. This paper studies the effect of magnesium ions on osteoblast (U2-OS) behavior since magnesium implants mainly dissolve as divalent magnesium ions (Mg2+). A real-time monitoring technique based on electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) was used for measuring cell proliferation, migration, adhesion, and cytotoxicity in magnesium-conditioned media. The impedance results show that U2-OS proliferation and adhesion were inhibited in not only a magnesium-free medium but also in a medium with a high concentration of magnesium. The impedance method produced more sensitive results than the output of an MTT assay. Other standard bioanalytical tests were conducted for comparison with the ECIS method. Immunochemistry was carried out to study cell adhesion in magnesium-conditioned media by staining using F-actin and α-tubulin and correlated cell density on the electrode with impedance. Bone tissue formation was studied using von Kossa staining and indicated the mineralization level of cells in magnesium-conditioned media decreased with the increase of magnesium ion concentration. Real-time PCR provided gene expression indicators of cell growth, apoptosis, inflammation, and migration. Compared to the bioanalytical methods of immunochemistry and MTT assays, which need preparation time and post-washing step, ECIS was able to measure cell activity in real time without any cell culture modification. In summary, ECIS might be an effective way to study biodegradable magnesium implants.
Assessing the Usefulness of Health-Related Quality-of-Life Trials: A Clinician's Perspective Using Two COPD Examples:

Objective:To empower clinicians to discern when health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) evidence from a single trial, or from constituent trials within a systematic review or meta-analysis, is compelling enough to after clinical practice.Data Sources:To determine the criteria that would be most useful in assessing the quality of HRQoL data, recommendation statements or consensus guidelines that offer guidance to those conducting HRQoL trials were located through a MEDLINE search (1950–April 2009) using the search terms health-related quality of life and recommendations or guidelines.Study Selection and Data Extraction:Recommendation statements or consensus guidelines that offer guidance to investigators conducting HRQoL trials were evaluated to determine what criteria would be the most useful in assessing the quality of HRQoL data.Data Synthesis:We discuss how quality of HRQoL data may be assessed by evaluating the following broad questions: (1) Is the HRQoL analysis hypothesis-driven? (2) How is HRQoL bei...
Accelerated testing of anodically bonded glass-silicon packages in salt water

This paper reports long-term accelerated test results of glass-silicon packages in aqueous solutions including phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and de-ionized water. An analysis of the dominant failure mode and the long term biocompatibility of the packages is also performed. Using the accelerated data at 85 and 95/spl deg/C in saline with an Arrhenius model we calculate an activation energy of 1.26 eV and an expected lifetime of 177 years at 37/spl deg/C in saline. After an analysis of the failed samples, we find that the main failure mechanism is the dissolution of the polysilicon layer at elevated temperatures in saline, which causes premature failure of the package. In animal models the package is consistently found to be biocompatible and robust after implantation periods of up to a year.
Phytochrome B affects responsiveness to Gibberellins in Arabidopsis

Plant responses to red and far-red light are mediated by a family of photoreceptors called phytochromes. Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings lacking one of the phytochromes, phyB, have elongated hypocotyls and other tissues, suggesting that they may have an alteration in hormone physiology. We have studied the possibility that phyB mutations affect seedling gibberellin (GA) perception and metabolism by testing the responsiveness of wild-type and phyB seedlings to exogenous GAs. The phyB mutant elongates more than the wild type in response to the same exogenous concentrations of GA3 or GA4, showing that the mutation causes an increase in responsiveness to GAs. Among GAs that we were able to detect, we found no significant difference in endogenous levels between wild-type and phyB mutant seedlings. However, GA4 levels were below our limit of detectability, and the concentration of that active GA could have varied between wild-type and phyB mutant seedlings. These results suggest that, although GAs are required for hypocotyl cell elongation, phyB does not act primarily by changing total seedling GA levels but rather by decreasing seedling responsiveness to GAs.
Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae

Hypervirulent strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae are associated with abscess formation, commonly hepatic, and metastatic spread, even in healthy patients. We describe a case of this clinical syndrome, genotypic and phenotypic features of the isolate, and briefly review epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and pathogenesis of this underappreciated syndrome.
Chronic electroconvulsive seizure (ECS) treatment results in expression of a long-lasting AP-1 complex in brain with altered composition and characteristics

Gene transcription is likely to play a role in the biochemical adaptations thought to underlie the long-term behavioral changes observed following various chronic treatments. The AP-1 (activator protein-1) complex is a well-studied transcription factor capable of regulating gene transcription. We therefore examined the regulation of the AP-1 complex in rat cerebral cortex and hippocampus following electroconvulsive seizures (ECS), known to induce biochemical alterations in the brain after chronic treatment. We show that 10 d of chronic ECS treatment results in an AP-1 binding complex that persists for at least 7 d in the cortex and hippocampus. In contrast, AP-1 binding returns to control levels within 18 hr of a single acute ECS. Supershift experiments and Western blots show that the chronic AP-1 complex contains two novel Fos-related antigens (Fras) of 35 and 37 kDa that do not appear following a single acute ECS. The chronically induced 35 and 37 kDa Fras and the chronic AP-1 complex show similar time courses for induction by repeated ECS. Moreover, the 37 kDa Fra band persists for at least 7 d following chronic ECS treatment, as observed for the chronic AP-1 complex. Competition experiments indicate that the relative affinities of the acute and chronic AP-1 complexes for several AP-1-like sites are similar, although there was approximately a twofold difference in the affinity for one particular AP-1-like site. The altered composition of the chronic AP-1 complex, and differences in half-life, DNA binding affinity, and possibly transcriptional activating properties are likely to cause changes in the overall pattern of gene expression, which may underlie some of the long-term biochemical adaptations observed following chronic ECS and other chronic perturbations.
A Spaceflight Study of Synaptic Plasticity in Adult Rat Vestibular Maculas

Behavioral signs of vestibular perturbation in altered gravity have not been well correlated with structural modifications in neurovestibular centers. This ultrastructural research investigated synaptic plasticity in hair cells of adult rat utricular maculas exposed to microgravity for nine days on a space shuttle. The hypothesis was that synaptic plasticity would be more evident in type II hair cells because they are part of a distributed modifying macular circuitry. All rats were shared with other investigators and were subjected to treatments unrelated to this experiment. Maculas were obtained from flight and control rats after shuttle return (R + 0) and nine days post-flight (R + 9). R + 9 rats had chromodacryorrhea, a sign of acute stress. Tissues were prepared for ultrastructural study by conventional methods. Ribbon synapses were counted in fifty serial sections from medial utricular macular regions of three rats of each flight and control group. Counts in fifty additional consecutive sections from one sample in each group established method reliability. All synapses were photographed and located to specific cells on mosaics of entire sections. Pooled data were analyzed statistically. Flown rats showed abnormal posture and movement at R + 0. They had statistically significant increases in total ribbon synapses and in sphere-like ribbons in both kinds of hair cells; in type II cells, pairs of synapses nearly doubled and clusters of 3 to 6 synapses increased twelve-fold. At R + 9, behavioral signs were normal. However, synapse counts remained high in both kinds of hair cells of flight maculas and were elevated in control type II cells. Only counts in type I cells showed statistically significant differences at R + 9. High synaptic counts at R + 9 may have resulted from stress due to experimental treatments. The results nevertheless demonstrate that adult maculas retain the potential for synaptic plasticity. Type II cells exhibited more synaptic plasticity, but space flight induced synaptic plasticity in type I cells.
Extraction of local features from image sequences using spatio-temporal independent component analysis

Independent component analysis (ICA) has been used to extract salient features from natural video images. The purpose of this paper is to study how the ICA can be applied to extracting features from a sequence of images of an object taken at different time, from different view angles, or with different spatial structures. Local features are considered as basic building blocks of images. To extract localized features in image sequences, spatio-temporal ICA, which maximizes the degree of independence over space and time, is a suitable method for analyzing such image sequences and extracting local features.
Direct and ecological costs of resistance to herbivory

Herbivores can consume significant amounts of plant biomass in many environments. Yet plants are not defenseless against such attack. Although defenses might benefit plants in the presence of herbivores, herbivore attack varies both spatially and temporally, and the expression of plant resistance to herbivores can be costly in the absence of plant enemies. Costs can be described as allocation costs, resource-based tradeoffs between resistance and fitness, or as ecological costs, decreases in fitness resulting from interactions with other species. Here, we update the seminal 1996 Bergelson and Purrington review of resistance costs and find that many more studies have documented costs of resistance (sensu lato) than found during the 1996 survey. Eighty-two percent of studies in which genetic background is controlled, demonstrate significant fitness reductions associated with herbivore resistance. We categorize studies by type of resistance, induced or constitutive, by type of cost, and also by the degree to which investigators controlled for genetic background. Recent work has commonly detected both direct resistance costs, such as resource-based tradeoffs, and ecological costs, which depend on interactions with other species.
Preclinical toxicity screening of intrathecal oxytocin in rats and dogs.

Intrathecally administered adenosine receptor agonists have antinociceptive effects in animals, suggesting that intrathecal adenosine might provide analgesia in humans. The authors performed preclinical neurotoxicity studies to define the safety of intrathecally administered adenosine in rats and dogs. Eighteen rats with long-term intrathecal catheters received daily injections of saline or 100 μg adenosine for 4 days and were observed for general behavior and thermal nociception before being killed on day 6. Nine beagle dogs were prepared with long-term, lumbar intrathecal catheters and infused continuously with saline or adenosine, 2.4 mg/day for 48 h, then 7.2 mg/day for 26 days. Animals were then anesthetized and perfused with preservative and their spinal cords were examined systematically. No disturbances in neurologic function were detected in either animal species. intrathecal adenosine caused transient sedation in rats and increased muscle tone in dogs, resolving with continued exposure to drug. Neither adenosine- nor saline-treated rats or dogs showed acute thermal analgesia. Adenosine groups did not differ from saline groups regarding histopathology, although a moderate fibrotic and inflammatory reaction was noted in both, and protein concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid were increased in both. The current study in rats and dogs failed to provide behavioral or histologic evidence of neurotoxicity from intrathecal administration of adenosine. This provides evidence for the presumption of safety of adenosine in this dose range, and supports phase I safety trials of acute intrathecal adenosine administration in humans.
Optimal portfolio choice when utility depends on health

This paper examines optimal portfolio choice when health can change the shape of the utility function. If adverse health shocks threaten to increase the marginal utility of consumption, that is, if they are Edgeworth–Pareto substitutes, risky health prompts individuals to lower their risky portfolio shares. Health naturally becomes more uncertain with age, so this theory might help to explain why aging investors gradually decrease their risk exposure even when asset returns display no mean reversion and relative risk aversion is constant.
Evidence for eustasy at the Kinderhookian-Osagean (Mississippian) boundary in the United States: Response to late Tournaisian glaciation

Evidence for eustasy at the Kinderhookian-Osagean boundary is presented here in a new synthesis based on detailed analysis of the boundary in the central Appalachian Basin and regional mapping of the Kinderhookian-Osagean boundary unconformity in the conterminous United States. Detailed stratigraphic analysis within the central Appalachian Basin shows that coarse-grained, fl uvial sandstones (Black Hand, Burgoon, Big Injun, Purslane) are associated with valley incision up to 60 m and a widespread sequence boundary (SB2) that is inferred to have resulted from a forced regression during the Kinderhookian-Osagean boundary interval. The extent of unconformity at the boundary was evaluated by mapping the inferred positions of shorelines during the Kinderhookian, Kinderhookian-Osagean boundary interval, and early Osagean based on stratigraphic data from Correlation of Stratigraphic Units of North America (COSUNA) charts. This analysis shows areas of extensive unconformity at the Kinderhookian-Osagean boundary across the United States inferred to be the result of sea-level fall and recovery during a period of ~2 m.y. or less, based on missing conodont zones. The Kinderhookian-Osagean boundary is equivalent in age to the global Tn2-Tn3 boundary, and supporting evidence for global regression and eustasy at this boundary is also reviewed. The combination of this evidence for eustasy with recently reported middle to early late Tournaisian (Tn2a-Tn3b) diamictites in South America permits the inference of continental glaciation at this time. Previous studies of oxygen and carbon isotope data from marine carbonates and fossils have shown strong positive anomalies suggestive of global cooling at the Kinderhookian-Osagean and Tn2-Tn3 boundary, providing further support for the hypothesis of continental glaciation in the late Tournaisian.
A Spatially Organized Population Model to Study the Evolution of Cooperation in Species with Discrete Life-History Stages

The evolution of cooperation and altruism has been addressed by numerous empirical and theoretical studies. Highlighting the associated theoretical problems and solutions, the simple Prisoner’s Dilemma has developed into the central research paradigm. Numerous variations have been developed to better reflect biological reality, including spatial and temporal aspects. Here, we develop a spatially structured population model to evaluate the impact of life history on the evolution of cooperation under a Prisoner’s Dilemma premise. Individuals occupy nodes of a square lattice and repeatedly interact with neighboring individuals according to fixed cooperation or defection rules. Individuals age and transition through different life history stage until death. Competitive, asexual reproduction occurs according to benefits gained during the Prisoner’s Dilemma interactions. Offspring inherit its parent’s behavioral strategy and the number of cooperators and defectors can be followed over time. Here, we report on the first set of experimental outcomes of this model, reconfirming the benefit of spatial structure for the evolution of cooperation. Secondly, we report that the model’s results present the combined outcome of the intrinsic, relative cost of cooperation and the system’s stochasticity because incipient groups of cooperators may be eliminated from the population by chance even though they enjoy a higher fitness than the predominant defector genotype. This is particularly clear when comparing simulations with neighborhoods of four and eight, which yield different results despite identical fitness payoff matrices and life history structure. In sum, this model presents a realistic tool to systematically evaluate the importance of life history on the evolution of cooperation, which has not been evaluated, but seems important because social species are often longer-lived than asocial species and some even exhibit a post-reproductive lifespan.
Kung Population Structure

Two currently popular approaches to the description and analysis of local genetic variation in human populations may be called the distance approach and the structure approach.
Genomics and Proteomics in Mesothelioma

Advances in molecular biology over the past decade have improved our understanding of genetic, transcriptional, and translational alterations in human cancers. The sequencing of the human genome has resulted in the identification of many known and novel genes. Several groups are engaged in determining the interactions and regulation of all these genes to ascertain their function in early detection and prevention of cancer. Recent advances in functional genomic technology have begun to investigate interactive pathways to elucidate what, where, when, and how these genes are expressed in an orchestrated fashion. Other groups have concentrated on proteomics, or the study of proteins, including their relative amount, distribution, posttranslational modifications, functions, and interactions to address fundamental biologic questions in the progression of a disease from a normal to a cancerous state. This chapter discusses the functional genomics and expression proteomics approaches employed to date in general and their relevance to mesothelioma in particular. It is our attempt to provide both novice and experienced investigators in this field with novel methodologies used in other types of cancers that might ultimately lead to the early detection and treatment of mesothelioma.
Endogenous Growth and Endogenous Business Cycles in an Overlapping Generations Economy With Credit Market Imperfections

We study the dynamic properties of growth rates in an overlapping generations economy with credit market imperfections, constructing a Schumpeterian growth model. The analysis demonstrates that: (i) two steady-state equilibria arise as is usual in overlapping generations models with outside money and the growth rate of each increases as credit market imperfections are resolved; (ii) if credit market imperfections are severe or soft and if sunspots do not appear, the economy converges monotonically to a stable steady state; and (iii) if credit market imperfections are moderate, deterministic cycles or chaos would arise in equilibrium.
A Key to the Forms of the Genus Chlosyne. (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidæ).

Chlosyne, better known by the preoccupied name of Synchloe, is one of the characteristically Neotropical genera, in which the number of well marked species is relatively small, while the number of well marked varieties and races which have received names is very large. It is not possible with the limited material available to bring complete order out of the chaos, but the following key may be of some use as a guide to identification, and suggestive as to the specific or varietal status of the better characterized forms.
Where to Dive? Ranking the World’s Top Scuba Diving Location (presentation)

Rankings of dive destinations in the world are highly idiosyncratic, despite the fact that they influence a large number of dive holiday-making decisions. Among the issues that need to be considered in viewing any list of "top dive sites" are: (1) what is known is highly favored over what is not known, (2) sites that are more accessible to the creator of a top dive site list will receive higher rankings than those that are more distant, (3) tropical sites are favored over non-tropical sites, and (4) the mixing of geographical scales (from a dive site to an entire country) in the same list is probably a good indicator that list maker is not familiar with the variety of sites on their list. That being said, a compilation of several international top dive site lists resulted in the top dive site in the world being shared by the Yolanda Wreck in Australia's Great Barrier Reef and Barracuda Point on the island of Sipadan. The island of Mabul, the gateway to Malaysia's Sipdan Island, is breifly presented as a case study of dive tourism relationships and impacts in the developing world. (All of the photos in the presentation are by the author, Alan A. Lew.)
The Health and Cost Implications of Routine Excretory Urography Before Transurethral Prostatectomy

AbstractAfter critically reviewing 601 patients who had undergone transurethral resection of the prostate we conclude that the routine use of excretory urography is not indicated. In the vast majority of patients with only obstructive symptoms or acute urinary retention excretory urography is an expensive test, with an extremely low incidence of useful information. However, its selective use is indicated in cases in which hematuria or a history of renal disease coexists with obstructive symptoms. The time has arrived for physicians to re-evaluate the practices of the past. We all need to participate actively and to make specific recommendations, not generalities. We believe that if the guide lines suggested herein are considered the annual health costs would be decreased by an estimated $75,000,000 and the quality of urologic care would not be jeopardized.