cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EFFECT OF PORE WATER PRESSURE ON TUNNEL SUPPORT DURING STATIC AND SEISMIC LOADING

Abstract The support of underground structures must be designed to withstand static overburden loads as well as seismic loads. New analytical solutions for a deep tunnel in a saturated poroelastic ground have been obtained for static and seismic loading. The static solution accounts for drainage and no-drainage conditions at the ground–liner interface. Linear elasticity of the liner and ground, and plane strain conditions at any cross-section of the tunnel are assumed. For tunnels in which ground stresses and pore pressures are applied far from the tunnel center, the drainage conditions at the ground–liner interface do not affect the stresses in the liner. The analytical solution shows that the stresses in the liner are exactly the same whether there is drainage or not at the ground–liner interface. Hence, if the drainage conditions in the tunnel are changed from full drainage to no-drainage or vice versa the stresses in the liner are not affected. However, the stresses and displacements in the ground change significantly from drainage to no-drainage conditions. For seismic loading a new analytical formulation is presented which provides the complete solution for the ground and the liner system for both dry and saturated ground conditions. The formulation is based on quasi-static seismic loading and elastic ground response; for a saturated ground, undrained conditions are assumed which indicate that the excess pore pressures generated during the seismic event do not dissipate. The results show that the racking deformations of a liner in dry or saturated ground are highly dependent on the flexibility of the liner.
Effects of Macromolecular Crowding on the Structure of a Protein Complex: A Small-Angle Scattering Study of Superoxide Dismutase

Macromolecular crowding can alter the structure and function of biological macromolecules. We used small-angle scattering to measure the effects of macromolecular crowding on the size of a protein complex, SOD (superoxide dismutase). Crowding was induced using 400 MW PEG (polyethylene glycol),TEG (triethylene glycol), α-MG (methyl-α-glucoside), and TMAO (trimethylamine n-oxide). Parallel small-angle neutron scattering and small-angle x-ray scattering allowed us to unambiguously attribute apparent changes in radius of gyration to changes in the structure of SOD. For a 40% PEG solution, we find that the volume of SOD was reduced by 9%. Considering the osmotic pressure due to PEG, this deformation corresponds to a highly compressible structure. Small-angle x-ray scattering done in the presence of TEG suggests that for further deformation—beyond a 9% decrease in volume—the resistance to deformation may increase dramatically.
Dislocated sequences and word order in French: a processing approach *

This article reports the results of three studies dealing with dislocated sequences in French. A text count of written and spoken French reveals that word order is not entirely free in these sequences but instead obeys certain constraints. Two studies then investigate the use of cues (word order, clitic pronoun type, clitic pronoun agreement and animacy) in the interpretation of dislocated sequences by native speakers of French. Results indicate that the constraints found in the text count, with minor modifications, are also operative in processing.
A framework for modeling uncertainty in regional climate change

In this study, we present a new modeling framework and a large ensemble of climate projections to investigate the uncertainty in regional climate change over the United States (US) associated with four dimensions of uncertainty. The sources of uncertainty considered in this framework are the emissions projections, global climate system parameters, natural variability and model structural uncertainty. The modeling framework revolves around the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Integrated Global System Model (IGSM), an integrated assessment model with an Earth System Model of Intermediate Complexity (EMIC) (with a two-dimensional zonal-mean atmosphere). Regional climate change over the US is obtained through a two-pronged approach. First, we use the IGSM-CAM framework, which links the IGSM to the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Atmosphere Model (CAM). Second, we use a pattern-scaling method that extends the IGSM zonal mean based on climate change patterns from various climate models. Results show that the range of annual mean temperature changes are mainly driven by policy choices and the range of climate sensitivity considered. Meanwhile, the four sources of uncertainty contribute more equally to end-of-century precipitation changes, with natural variability dominating until 2050. For the set of scenarios used in this study, the choice of policy is the largest driver of uncertainty, defined as the range of warming and changes in precipitation, in future projections of climate change over the US.
Heritability of Resistance to Stored-Product Insects in Three Hybrid Populations of Rice

Three varieties of rice ( Oryza sativa L.) in the USDA World Collection were selected as potential sources of host plant resistance to the Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier) and crossed with the susceptible commercial cv. Vista. The resistant varieties were ‘Mutica’ (CI 12273), PI 160849, and CI 7097. The crosses were evaluated through three or five generations for resistance to the Angoumois grain moth and lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) in no-choice tests. In addition to these two species, rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.), red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), and Cryptolestes spp. were included in free-choice tests. Two crosses were studied through the F3 generation. The cross with the most promising resistant parent (‘Mutica’) was studied through the F5 generation. In all cases, resistance was heritable (i.e., insect response in one generation tended to predict a similar response in the next generation). This tendency grew stronger as plants selected for resistance or susceptibility over several successive generations became more homozygous. Resistance to the Angoumois grain moth strongly predicted resistance to the lesser grain borer. The main criterion used to evaluate resistance was insect survival from larva to adult. This was related to the condition of the hulls, but the Angoumois grain moth generally required longer to develop on resistant lines than on susceptible ones.
Transmural gradients of coronary flow reserve with physiologically and morphometrically defined stenoses in dogs.

Abstract Coronary angiography permits identification of stenotic lesions but underestimates their severity and does not provide information regarding their physiologic significance. Evaluation of coronary flow reserve by means of selective coronary artery Doppler flow catheters or quantitative arteriography has been proposed to obtain this information. However, these techniques may not accurately reflect transmural gradients in flow. We evaluated the relationship between flow reserve defined with an epicardial Doppler flow probe and the transmural gradient of flow measured with radiolabeled microspheres in 21 dogs with graded stenoses and correlated results with coronary artery geometry measured morphometrically. Four groups of dogs were studied. In five control dogs without stenosis, reactive hyperemia after 20 seconds of complete coronary occlusion was 4.5 ± 1.5 (mean ± SD) times resting flow with an endocardial/epicardial flow ratio at peak flow of 1.0 ± 0.2. When reactive hyperemia was blunted (without affecting resting flow) by 50% (n = 6), 75% (n = 5), or was abolished completely (n = 5) by coronary stenosis, the endocardial/epicardial flow ratio at peak flow was 1.0 ± 0.3, 0.7 ± 0.2, and 0.5 ± 0.1, respectively. Cross-sectional area of the stenosed segment was reduced by 85.6 ± 3.5%, 91.1 ± 2.2%, and 92.8 ± 4.3% in these groups, respectively. Thus in dogs with stenoses exceeding 86% of the cross-sectional area, endocardial flow reserve is compromised disproportionately compared with epicardial flow reserve, suggesting that clinical measurements of coronary flow reserve may underestimate the physiologic significance of coronary stenoses.
Service-Learning Experiences of College Freshmen, Community Partners, and Consumers with Disabilities.

A service-learning component was embedded as the centerpiece in the Culture of Disability Across the Lifespan course, designed for students’ exploration of issues related to the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society. Participants included 19 university freshmen, 6 representatives of community agencies, and 3 consumers with disabilities. Data from focus-group discussions and interviews were triangulated with knowledge surveys, satisfaction questionnaires, reflections, and project artifacts of students. The four projects varied in their quality of implementation along four dominant themes: expectations, communication, impact, and logistics. Comparison of the students’ perceptions to those of the community partners was particularly robust. The results are illustrated by descriptions of the four projects along the dominant themes. Specific implications for future implementation of service learning in special education course work and research are outlined.
N-terminal alpha-methylation of RCC1 is necessary for stable chromatin association and normal mitosis.

Regulator of chromatin condensation 1 (RCC1) is the only known guanine nucleotide-exchange factor for the Ran GTPase and has pivotal roles in nucleo-cytoplasmic transport, mitosis, and nuclear-envelope assembly1. RCC1 associates dynamically with chromatin through binding to histones H2A and/or H2B in a Ran-regulated manner2,3. Here, we report that, unexpectedly, the amino-terminal serine or proline residue of RCC1 is uniquely methylated on its α-amino group. Methylation requires removal of the initiating methionine, and the presence of proline and lysine at positions 3 and 4, respectively. Methylation-defective mutants of RCC1 bind less effectively than wild-type protein to chromatin during mitosis, which causes spindle-pole defects. We propose a bimodal attachment mechanism for RCC1 in which the tail promotes stable RCC1 association with chromatin through DNA binding in an α-N-methylation-dependent manner. These data provide the first known function for N-terminal protein methylation.
Second-order schedules: Manipulation of brief-stimulus duration at component completion

In a second-order schedule, fixed-interval components were reinforced according to a variable-interval schedule. A brief stimulus accompanied the completion of each fixed interval. Brief-stimulus duration was varied across conditions from 0.5 to 8 sec. Patterning was greater the longer the duration of the stimulus. Additionally, exposure to relatively long brief-stimulus durations enhanced patterning upon reexposure to shorter brief-stimulus durations.
The Concept of the Ventral Striatum in Nonhuman Primates

The concept of the ventral striatum was first put forth by Heimer and Wilson to describe the extension of basal ganglia elements into the olfactory tubercle. The ventral striatum includes the conventional nucleus accumbens, which has been closely associated with reward and motivation. This paper uses the afferent connections to the ventral striatum to define this region in monkeys. Furthermore the shell and core subterritories are discussed with respect to their histochemistry and specific connections.
Posterior cervical torticollis caused by birth trauma

A case of posterior cervical torticollis is described. This is an unusual manifestation of this common condition. In addition, evidence is given to support birth trauma as the etiologic factor in this problem.
Mismatch Discrimination and Efficient Photomodulation with Split 10-23 DNAzymes.

Abstract DNA enzymes (DNAzymes) that catalyze the degradation of complementary RNA molecules have been investigated for many biochemical and sensing applications. Here, we investigated a 10–23 DNAzyme that has been shown previously to possess cellular activity. We determined that it has very low Mg 2+ ion dependence, with DNAzyme activity observed at [Mg 2+ ] = 0.01 mM. This metal ion dependence is much lower than is typical for DNAzymes studied to date, and suggests that DNAzymes may be engineered for many additional biological applications. Recently, we demonstrated that this 10–23 DNAzyme can be divided into two parts, which assemble into an active oligonucleotide complex. We investigated in more detail the functionality of the split 10–23 DNAzyme and found that dividing the 15-nucleotide catalytic loop after the 7th or 8th base maximized its activity. The split DNAzymes required higher metal ion concentrations ([Mg 2+ ] = 5 mM), and as we anticipated due to their lower hybridization activity, the split enzymes had the advantage of being more sensitive to single base mismatches in the DNAzyme–RNA duplex. Finally, we demonstrated facile photomodulation of split DNAzyme activity by incorporating a photocleavable biotin moiety bound to streptavidin.
THE SYNTHESIS AND THERMAL DECOMPOSITION OF THE SODIUM SALTS OF SOME N-(P-TOSYL) HYDRAZIMIDOCARBOXYLATE ESTERS.

Abstract : A convenient synthesis of N'-(p-tosyl)hydrazimido carboxylate esters (CH3PhSO2NHN=C(R)2) is described and results of studies on the thermal decomposition of the sodium salts of three of these esters are given. The compounds are of possible value for the generation of carbenes.
Difficulties in the study of adverse fetal and neonatal effects of drug therapy during pregnancy

This article reviews the difficulties in studying adverse effects of drugs during pregnancy on the fetus and newborn. A study design should strive for prospective recording of drug intake during pregnancy, comparison to appropriate control groups adjusted for inherited traits, and single drug exposures for evaluation of specific syndromic causation, such as the Fetal Hydantoin Syndrome. Animal models are best used in mechanistic study of adverse drug effects on the fetus rather than for screening for adverse effects. Careful conclusions about causation of drug-induced adverse effects are needed to avoid false associations while providing appropriate safeguards to the fetus and newborn.
Current trends in leisure: the changing face of leisure provision

(1992). Current trends in leisure: the changing face of leisure provision. Leisure Studies: Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 81-86.
The cosmeceutical realm.

The cosmeceutical realm is composed of functional cosmetics designed to adorn face and body without changing the structure of the human form. Although this may seems confusing, indeed cosmeceuticals have never been well defined. Cosmeceuticals developed for facial application typically claim to induce more even skin tone, improve skin texture, increase skin radiance, decrease the appearance of skin wrinkling, and provide antiaging benefits. Nondrug active ingredients are usually incorporated into moisturizing vehicles designed to accomplish the aforementioned claims. There is no doubt that cosmeceuticals represent the most rapidly expanding frontier in dermatology.
Modeling intercellular interactions during carcinogenesis.

Abstract Sachs, R. K., Chan, M., Hlatky, L. and Hahnfeldt, P. Modeling Intercellular Interactions during Carcinogenesis. Radiat. Res. 164, 324–331 (2005). By modulating the microenvironment of malignant or premalignant cells, inhibitory or stimulatory signals from nearby cells can play a key role in carcinogenesis. However, current commonly used quantitative models for induction of cancers by ionizing radiation focus on single cells and their progeny. Intercellular interactions are neglected or assumed to be confined to unidirectional radiation bystander effect signals from cells of the same tissue type. We here formulate a parsimoniously parameterized two-stage logistic (TSL) carcinogenesis model that incorporates some effects of intercellular interactions during the growth of premalignant cells. We show that for baseline tumor rates, involving no radiation apart from background radiation, this TSL model gives acceptable fits to a number of data sets. Specifically, it gives the same baseline hazard funct...
Lord Brock--the direct approach.

Abstract The contributions of Sir Russell Brock to the early development of cardiac surgery are multiple. However, one of the most telling was his description of 3 cases of pulmonary stenosis in 1943 treated by direct transventricular valvulotomy. His subsequent treatise, The Anatomy of Congenital Pulmonary Stenosis , published in 1957, outlined this direct approach to cardiac lesions, a philosophy commonly adopted in modern care of cardiac lesions and a major contribution to cardiac surgical thinking.
Perturbation analysis of the analytic hierarchy decision method

The input set for the Analytic Hierarchy Process consists of the integers less than ten and their reciprocals. A perturbation in the input may cause significant change in the output vector, particularly when the dimension of the input matrix is small (n @? 4) and the inputs are close together. We examine that change using numerical computational schemes. The cardinal values of the output vector are seen to suffer significant perturbation due to small integral changes on all the inputs. Ordinal perturbations are less pronounced and can be better quantified by a numerical scheme. Known indices of consistency provide an indicator of truly poor input data. For an unskilled modeler, they can provide a false sense of assurance, but these consistency measures do not protect the modeler from consistently inaccurate inputs.
Politics, Civil Rights, and Disproportional Identification of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.

The civil rights movements involving skin tone, gender or gender orientation, disability, and other physiognomic features remain important in securing the legal rights of individuals to equal treatment and equal opportunities regardless of their personal characteristics of color, origin, gender, and so on. Unfortunately, these welcome civil rights movements have led to a misunderstanding of unfairness in another group of individuals whose rights and opportunities have often been abridged—students with disabilities. Individual rights and opportunities must be insured, but doing so requires the discrimination of differences among differences. That is, not all differences require the same remedy to insure equal rights and opportunities. Misunderstanding of differences and their implications have led to political concerns about disproportional representation, particularly of students with emotional or behavioral disorders, which place unwarranted constraints on special education services.
The relationship between the use of personal, cultural examples in international teaching assistants' lectures and uncertainty reduction, student attitude, student recall, and ethnocentrism

Abstract This article reports the results of an intercultural study that examined the relationship between the use of personal cultural examples by an international teaching assistant (ITA) and uncertainty reduction, student attitude, student recall, and ethnocentrism. The experimental design included two conditions in which the same ITA was videotaped giving a lecture. In one condition, personal cultural examples were used to illustrate the major points in the lecture, whereas in the other, hypothetical examples were used. American university students (N = 160) viewed the 10-minute videotape and then completed a recall of lecture material and questionnaires on uncertainty, attitude, and ethnocentrism. Results demonstrated that the use of personal examples by the ITA significantly reduced student uncertainty and improved student attitude toward the ITA, and increased student recall of lecture material. In addition, certainty correlated positively with attitude, thus providing support for Berger and Calabrese's 1975 Axiom 7 of uncertainty reduction theory … decreases in uncertainty levels produce increases in liking. Ethnocentrism did not correlate significantly with attitude or recall.
Analysis of proenkephalin A, proopiomelanocortin and protachykinin neuropeptides in human lumbar cerebrospinal fluid by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, radioimmunoassay and enzymolysis.

Abstract A comprehensive high-performance liquid chromatographic, radioimmunoassay, and enzymatic degradation scheme has been developed to analyze several intact neuropeptides and the corresponding peptides created by in vivo enzymolysis of precursors to study neuropeptides in human lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and to test the hypothesis that defects in the metabolism (synthesis, degradation) of neuropeptide precursors, neuropeptides, and metabolites play a role in low back pain. CSF samples were obtained from three different patient groups: controls (C), whose low back pain was relieved without lidocaine; pharmacological responders (PR), whose pain was relieved by lidocaine and who were candidates for surgery; and pharmacological non-responders (PNR), whose pain was not relieved by lidocaine and a mid-thoracic anesthetic, and who were not candidates for surgery. The metabolic activity involved during synthesis and degradation of the peptides was assessed by measuring intact, native neuropeptide immunoreactivity in pre-incubated and post-incubated CSF samples, where samples were incubated at 37°C for 1 h. Pre-incubation radioimmunoassay measurements reflected the content of intact peptides present in lumbar CSF at the time of sampling, and post-incubation measurements assayed the amount of peptide that had remained embedded within its precursors [cryptic methionine enkephalin (ME)] and that had been released by the action of CSF peptidases. Significant differences were found in post-incubation samples for the amount of proenkephalin A [ME, leucine enkephalin (LE)] and tachykinin [substance P (SP)] peptides. For example, significant differences were observed for ME-like immunoreactivity (C versus cryptic), SP-like immunoreactivity (PNR versus PR), and LE-like immunoreactivity (PR versus C). No significant differences were observed among the peptides within the pre-incubation samples. The significant differences observed within the post-incubation samples demonstrated that the neuropeptides that had remained encrypted within their precursors in the corresponding pre-incubated samples may reflect an altered metabolism of the proenkephalin A (ME, LE) and tachykinin (SP) systems, and therefore those neuropeptide families may be significant factors in idiopathic low back pain.
The mode of action of tedisamil on voltage-dependent K+ channels

The mechanism of the interaction of tedisamil with voltage-dependent K+ channels was studied using whole-cell and single-channel recordings in a variety of species and cell types. In K+ channels with rapid activation kinetics (Ito of rat ventricular myocytes; IA of mouse astroglial cells), tedisamil enhanced the kinetics of inactivation of the current without significantly suppressing the amplitude of the initial current. In K+ channels with slower activation/inactivation kinetics, tedisamil had a divergent effect. On IK of the glial cells, which have slow activation and inactivation kinetics, the kinetics of inactivation were enhanced and the initial peak current was reduced. On the other hand, in IK of guinea-pig ventricular myocytes, which have even slower activation kinetics with no inactivation, tedisamil slowed or completely suppressed the activation of the current. Finally, in K+ channels with rapid activation but slow inactivation kinetics (pedestal-type current of rat ventricular myocytes), tedisamil accelerated the inactivation without affecting the initial current. Thus, the prime determinant of the blocking mode of tedisamil appeared to be the kinetics of activation of the K+ channel; that is, the slower the kinetics of activation of the channel, the greater the initial block by the drug. Unitary Ito currents recorded in rat ventricular myocytes showed that tedisamil induced a rapid flicker block of the open channel and prolonged the time between the burst of openings without any effect on the unitary conductance. These effects were modeled by assuming that the drug bound to the open channel at a finite rate. Thus, tedisamil appears to decrease K+ currents by interacting uniformly with the open state of the channel.
Metabolizable Energy and Digestibility Evaluation of Fish Meal for Chickens

Abstract THE COEFFICIENTS of digestibility of protein, ether extract, and nitrogen-free extract in fish meal fed to chickens have been reported by Fraps (1928 Fraps (1944), Axelsson (1937), Olsson (1950) and Titus (1955). From the reported coefficients of digestibility, the average composition of fish meal, and the Calories of productive or metabolizable energy per gram of effective digestible nutrients, the productive and metabolizable energy values of fish meal have been estimated by Fraps and Carlyle (1942), Fraps (1946) and Titus (1955). The metabolizable energy values of fish meal samples have been determined from the heats of combustion of diets containing different levels of fish meal and of excreta samples of chicks fed these diets (Olsson, 1955; Anderson, 1955; Hill et al., 1956; Hill and Renner, 1957; Hill, 1959; Potter and Matterson, 1960). The experiment to be reported deals with the determination of the metabolizable energy values and the coefficients of digestibility of …
The inhibition of luminol-dependent chemiluminescence of lipoxygenase, myeloperoxidase, and human neutrophils by dipyridamole

Abstract The observation that dipyridamole inhibits lipoxygenase has been confirmed and extended to soybean lipoxygenase using a luminol endpoint. The ID 50 (50% inhibitory concentration) was 3.3 × 10 −7 M . Dipyridamole inhibits luminol-dependent Chemiluminescence of human myeloperoxidase (ID 50 = 9 × 10 −7 M ). Dipyridamole inhibits luminol-dependent Chemiluminescence from human neutrophils.
Work in progress: Empowering teaching assistants to become agents of education reform

In an effort to create education reform by promoting students' intrinsic motivation (EVI) to learn, we are developing a program to train IM-supportive teaching assistants (TAs). We present our preliminary analysis of the first two TAs' reflective teaching journals and discuss what IM-supportive instruction looks like and how we can improve our training program.
Three new species of saddled loricariid catfishes, and a review of Hemiancistrus, Peckoltia, and allied genera (Siluriformes)

Three new species of saddled hypostomine loricariids are described. According to a recent phylogenetic analysis, these species are members of the genus Peckoltia. The species differ from all described Peckoltia except Peckoltia furcata and Peckoltia sabaji by having the dentaries meet at an angle greater than 90°. The species also have similarities to Hemiancistrus, and can be separated from all described species by having dorsal saddles. We discuss the taxonomy of Peckoltia, Hemiancistrus, and allied genera and recognize Ancistomus as valid for Peckoltia feldbergae, Hemiancistrus micrommatos, Ancistrus snethlageae, Hemiancistrus spilomma, and Hemiancistrus spinosissimus. We recommend descriptions of genera for several clades of Hemiancistrus and restriction of Hemiancistrus to the type species of the genus, Hemiancistrus medians. Chaetostomus macrops is transferred to Pseudancistrus and recognized as a junior synonym of Pseudancistrus megacephalus. The Hemiancistrus annectens group of species (Hemiancistrus annectens, Hemiancistrus argus, Hypostomus aspidolepis, Hemiancistrus fugleri, Hemiancistrus holostictus, Hemiancistrus maracaiboensis, Hemiancistrus panamensis, Hemiancistrus wilsoni) are recognized in Hypostomus. Multivariate analysis reveals that the newly described species differ from one another in shape space, but overlap broadly with other Peckoltia (Peckoltia lujani), narrowly with other Peckoltia (Peckoltia greedoi), or broadly with Etsaputu (Peckoltia ephippiata).
Direct analysis of mixtures by double quadrupole mass spectrometry

Abstract The double quadrupole mass spectrometer is shown to be applicable to differentiation of isomeric C5 ketones and for the detection of camphor in a drug and a cosmetic. Detection limits in the picogram range are demonstrated. The similarity between the low-energy QQ collision-induced dissociations and those of high-energy MIKE spectrometry facilitates use of both techniques for mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry.
Does interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis B reduce the risks of developing cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective: To estimate the cost-effectiveness of interferon-α2B for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B infection who are positive for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg). Design: Meta-analysis of nine randomized controlled trials and cost-effectiveness analysis, projecting the clinical and economic outcomes expected from changes in serologic markers of hepatitis B viral replication. Data Sources: MEDLINE search, expert panel opinion, hospital cost data, and adjusted physician charges. Patients: 552 patients with confirmed chronic hepatitis B infection who were positive for HBeAg. Intervention: Interferon-α2b. Measurements: Lifetime incidence of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma; life expectancy; quality-adjusted life expectancy; and costs and marginal cost-effectiveness ratios from a societal perspective. Results: Interferon-α2b increases the likelihood of becoming negative for HBeAg from 9.1% to 45.6% (difference, 36.5%; 95% CI, 23.7% to 49.2%) and of becoming negative for hepatitis B surface antigen from 1.7% to 7.7% (difference, 6.0%; CI, 2.8% to 9.3%) in the first year. For a 35-year-old person with chronic hepatitis B who is HBeAg positive, our analysis suggests that interferono; α2b will increase life expectancy by 3.1 years or 3.4 quality-adjusted life-years and will decrease projected lifetime costs, even if future savings are discounted; thus, interferon-α2b is the dominant strategy. Even with the model biased strongly in favor of standard care, the marginal cost-effectiveness ratio of interferon did not exceed $12 000 per life-year gained. Conclusions: Interferon-α2b should prolong life and lower costs for patients with chronic hepatitis B who are HBeAg positive.
Non-Darcian fluid flow during the Alleghenian Orogeny

The late Paleozoic remagnetization of rocks in North America may in part related to the expulsion of 22,500 km3 of metamorphic fluids from beneath the Blue Ridge and Piedmont decollement. Fluid inclusions from veins and cements associated with this remagnetization event in the Valley and Ridge give temperatures 50–150°C higher than other indicators of peak temperatures. One explanation for the high temperatures is the passage of hot metamorphic fluids along 1–10 cm wide open fractures, which extended laterally 30–100 km. Using the above thermal constraints and a model for fluid flow in an open fracture, flow is found to be turbulent and to have mean velocities of 1–10 m/s. The duration of the flow ranged from approximately a day to a few years. These fluid velocities are seven orders of magnitude faster than the maximum velocities predicted by Darcian fluid flow models and the duration of flow is four to eight orders of magnitude shorter than those predicted by Darcian models.
Analysis of GAA/TTC DNA triplexes using nuclear magnetic resonance and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The formation of a GAA/TTC DNA triplex has been implicated in Friedreich's ataxia. The destabilization of GAA/TTC DNA triplexes either by pH or by binding to appropriate ligands was analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and positive-ion electrospray mass spectrometry. The triplexes and duplexes were identified by changes in the NMR chemical shifts of H8, H1, H4, 15N7, and 15N4. The lowest pH at which the duplex is detectable depends upon the overall stability and the relative number of Hoogsteen C composite function G to T composite function A basepairs. A melting pH (pHm) of 7.6 was observed for the destabilization of the (GAA)2T4(TTC)2T4(CTT)2 triplex to the corresponding Watson-Crick duplex and the T4(CTT)2 overhang. The mass spectrometric analyses of (TTC)6.(GAA)6 composite function(TTC)6 triplex detected ions due to both triplex and single-stranded oligonucleotides under acidic conditions. The triplex ions disappeared completely at alkaline pH. Duplex and single strands were detectable only at neutral and alkaline pH values. Mass spectrometric analyses also showed that minor groove-binding ligands berenil, netropsin, and distamycin and the intercalating ligand acridine orange destabilize the (TTC)6.(GAA)6 composite function (TTC)6 triplex. These NMR and mass spectrometric methods may function as screening assays for the discovery of agents that destabilize GAA/TTC triplexes and as general methods for the characterization of structure, dynamics, and stability of DNA and DNA-ligand complexes.
Relationship of False Recognition and Paired-Associate Learning Ability with Learning of Reversal and Nonreversal Shift

43 Ss were administered a false-recognition task, and a paired-associate learning task. Half the Ss were given a reversal shift task and the rest a nonreversal task. The paired-associate task was found to be unrelated to both the reversal and nonreversal tasks, whereas the false-recognition task was significantly related to the reversal shift but not to the nonreversal task. False recognition was also significantly related to the initial discrimination learned in the reversal shift, nonreversal shift paradigm. These results are interpreted in terms of a two-stage recognition model.
Competitive algorithm blending for enhanced source separation

This paper proposes to enhance the blind source separation (BSS) solution by running multiple BSS algorithms in parallel and blending the outputs to produce a set of source estimates that is at least as good as any individual method, and potentially better. Although the method is applicable to more general BSS problems, the proposed blending method is described in the case of instantaneous mixtures of stationary, zero-mean, unit-variance, white sources. Experimental results show that the method is able to select a best set of sources with respect to minimum mutual information from an input consisting of source estimates.
Commentary: Electro-, loco-, and otromotor components of electric fish behaviour.

As beginning neuroscience students, we are taught that behaviour is controlled via output to various types of effectors, with different types of muscles and glands being the prime examples. Later, when we discover the world of weakly electric fish, we learn that the electric organ also qualifies as an effector and that the electric organ discharge (EOD) is a form of motor output. Typically, one of the first behaviours that we then learn about in detail is the jamming avoidance response (JAR; Bullock et al., 1972). We soon come to appreciate the beauty of the JAR as a behavioural paradigm for studying a complete sensory-motor loop. Because the JAR involves only electromotor output, the full behaviour can be elicited from immobilized animals in the confines of an electrophysiology rig, allowing both neural activity and behavioural output to be monitored simultaneously. Using this powerful approach, Walter Heiligenberg and colleagues were able to functionally map out the neuronal networks controlling the JAR, from sensory input to motor output, at an unprecedented level of detail (Heiligenberg, 1991). The JAR quickly became one of the most compelling examples of a model system in which behavioural analysis was used to extract both cellular- and systems-level understanding of neurophysiological function (Konishi, 2006). The electromotor component of electric fish behaviour tends to stand out because it is something unique that other fish do not possess. It is easy to overlook the more mundane components of fish behaviour, like the locomotor system. Just because locomotor systems are commonplace, however, does not mean we should discount their to provide unique insights into electrosensory function. Indeed, the seminal experiments by Lissmann and Machin (1958) that first demonstrated a clear sensory role for the EOD were based on locomotor, not electromotor, responses of Gymnarchus. It is via locomotor output that the fish can approach or avoid a target. Lissmann and Machin made use of locomotor responses in a set of conditioning experiments in which fish were trained to choose between objects of different electrical properties (Lissmann and
Expression of Periplasmic Chaperones in Salmonella Typhimurium Reduces Its Viability In Vivo

The efficacy of live attenuated bacterial vectors is dependent upon the fine-tuning of a strain’s immunogenicity and its virulence. Strains are often engineered to deliver heterologous antigens, but soluble expression of recombinant proteins can be troublesome. Therefore, secretion systems or chaperone proteins are routinely used to assist in attaining high levels of functional, soluble protein production. However, the effects of chaperone expression on the virulence of attenuated bacterial vectors have not been previously reported. In anticipation of utilizing periplasmic chaperone proteins to facilitate soluble production of immunomodulatory proteins in an attenuated strain of Salmonella Typhimurium, the production of the chaperones was tested for their effect on both culture growth and bacterial persistence in mouse tissues. Although no effect on growth of the bacteria was observed in vitro, the increased expression of the periplasmic chaperones resulted in over-attenuation of the Salmonella in vivo.
Philacra, a new genus of the ochnaceae

The author in studying the American genera of the tribe Luxemburgieae' encountered in the type genus, Luxemburgia,, two species described by Gleason which do not seem referable to this genus. I propose to place these species, together with a third species herein described, in a new genus of the Luxemburgieae, Philacra.2 Although Philacra and Luxemburgia agree in having the stamens more or less coherent and aggregated into a mass which incompletely surrounds the pistil in a one-half to two-thirds circle and in having the filaments of the stamens persistent at the base of the ovary and the capsule, nevertheless a study of the capsules of both genera substantiates the establishment of the new genus. The capsules of Luxemburgia dehisce from the apex, separating to the base; the carpels of Philacra are subplane, thin-coriaceous, with the surface of the carpels irregularstrigose and at dehiscence having their free margins revolute. Two of the three species of Philacra have the pedicels of the inflorescence articulate at the middle or near the apex, but in Luxemburgita the articulation joint is located below the middle of the pedicel. On the basis of leaf characters the two genera are readily separable; the secondary veins of the leaf-blades of Philacra are somewhat irregular-ascending and crowded, while Luxemburgia, on the other hand, has its secondary veins well-spaced and parallel-ascending. The principal floral difference, as ascertained from a study of the single flowering specimen of P. duidae, is the falsely extrorse dehiscence of the anthers. It is worthy of note that all three species of the new genus have been collected from the Sierra Pacaraima Range of Mountains in northern South America, the home of numerous endemic genera of plants.
Urine proteomics for profiling of human disease using high accuracy mass spectrometry

Knowledge of the biologically relevant components of human tissues has enabled the invention of numerous clinically useful diagnostic tests, as well as non-invasive ways of monitoring disease and its response to treatment. Recent use of advanced MS-based proteomics revealed that the composition of human urine is more complex than anticipated. Here, we extend the current characterization of the human urinary proteome by extensively fractionating urine using ultra-centrifugation, gel electrophoresis, ion exchange and reverse-phase chromatography, effectively reducing mixture complexity while minimizing loss of material. By using high-accuracy mass measurements of the linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometer and LC-MS/MS of peptides generated from such extensively fractionated specimens, we identified 2362 proteins in routinely collected individual urine specimens, including more than 1000 proteins not described in previous studies. Many of these are biomedically significant molecules, including glomerularly filtered cytokines and shed cell surface molecules, as well as renally and urogenitally produced transporters and structural proteins. Annotation of the identified proteome reveals distinct patterns of enrichment, consistent with previously described specific physiologic mechanisms, including 336 proteins that appear to be expressed by a variety of distal organs and glomerularly filtered from serum. Comparison of the proteomes identified from 12 individual specimens revealed a subset of generally invariant proteins, as well as individually variable ones, suggesting that our approach may be used to study individual differences in age, physiologic state and clinical condition. Consistent with this, annotation of the identified proteome by using machine learning and text mining exposed possible associations with 27 common and more than 500 rare human diseases, establishing a widely useful resource for the study of human pathophysiology and biomarker discovery.
Adoptive Parents’ Attitudes Towards Gay and Lesbian Adoption

Using a cross-sectional sample, this study examined 776 adoptive parents’ attitudes toward gay and lesbian adoption. Analysis was conducted on three subgroups: married fathers, married mothers, and single mothers. Findings include that for married fathers older age, a lower level of education, a Christian religious denomination, higher levels of religiosity, and a conservative political ideology were all factors in a more negative attitude toward gay and lesbian adoption. Factors leading to less tolerant attitudes of married mothers were non-White race, having only technical training or an associate's degree, a Christian religious denomination, a higher level of religiosity, and a conservative political ideology. Single mothers differed somewhat from married couples in that religious affiliation was not a factor, but non-white race, lower levels of education, stay-at-home/retired employment status, higher levels of religiosity, and a conservative political ideology were all identified as significant predi...
Surgery and Treatment with High-Dose Liposomal Amphotericin B for Eradication of Craniofacial Zygomycosis in a Patient with Hodgkin's Disease Who Had Undergone Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

This case report describes craniofacial zygomycosis in a 24-year-old male with Hodgkin's disease who underwent chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, followed by a nonmyeloablative allogeneic transplant. Empirical therapy with itraconazole and amoxicillin-clavulanate failed to resolve the infection. Postdiagnosis, surgery and treatment with high-dose liposomal amphotericin B eradicated the disease.
Immigration, international capital flows, and long run income distribution in Canada.

This study derives long-run income distributional impacts of immigration and capital flows in a general equilibrium model of Canada. While each factor is its own enemy, results indicate that capital and skilled professional labor are enemies as well. Both of these productive inputs are friends of other labor groups, which are common enemies. Factor friendship patterns are useful in evaluating income distributional impacts of a variety of policies designed to influence the international flow of productive labor and capital.
Stability of jets on Jupiter and Saturn

The linear stability of a zonal jet that decays with depth is investigated under the assumption that the thermal stratification is very small. A westerly cosine jet is found to be more stable than it is in a thin fluid shell with two-dimensional flow. This is in agreement with observations of Jupiter and Saturn, where jet curvature exceeds the barotropic stability criterion. This result constitutes an alternative hypothesis to that of Ingersoll and Pollard [Icarus 52 (1982) 62], who showed that deep jets extending through the interior are also more stable than thin shell jets. The flow regime assumed in the present work requires that a small stratification can exist and persist even in the presence of horizontal temperature gradients. Further work will be needed to test whether this is realistic.
Management of infected implantable cardiac defibrillators.

Abstract Background . The implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) was introduced clinically in 1980 for the management of ventricular arrhythmias. Methods . From January 31, 1989, through May 29, 1996, 329 ICD devices were implanted at Allegheny University Hospital, Hahnemann Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. All device-related infections were examined. Results . Fifteen patients (5%) experienced infection of the generator component of the ICD. There were 14 male and 1 female patients with a mean age of 62 years (range, 38 to 79 years). All infections involved the generator with or without other component involvement. Complete removal of the system was performed in 7 patients, partial removal in 5, and the entire system was left intact in 3. In 4 patients (27%), further procedures were performed to remove additional infection. Three patients (20%) died during the hospital stay. Conclusions . Infection of ICD devices is a devastating event. We favor complete removal of the ICD generator and all the components when possible. Partial removal of the ICD unit (ie, generator only) is reserved for patients in whom the risk of complete removal is too high and infection is confined to the generator only.
Modulation of transcriptional activity of collagen genes for the treatment of fibrotic diseases

It is now evident that the persistent overproduction of collagen is responsible for the progressive nature of tissue fibrosis in a variety of diseases, collectively known as fibrotic diseases. Upregulation of collagen gene expression in fibroblasts appears to be a critical event in their pathogenesis. This process appears to be due, in most cases, to increased transcriptional activity of the genes encoding various collagens and other extracellular matrix proteins. The transcriptional activation of collagen genes suggests a fundamental alteration in the regulatory control of their expression. Trans-acting nuclear factors that bind to cis-acting elements in promoter and enhancer (intronic) regions of collagen genes modulate their basal and inducible transcriptional activity. It is highly likely that transcriptional factors are also crucial components of the pathologic process that leads to tissue fibrosis. The identification of transcription factors involved in the regulation of normal collagen gene express...