cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Response to "Mutation frequency vs. mutation patterns: a comparison of the results in spleen and Peyer's patches"

The role of DNA polymerase (pol) θ in somatic hypermutation of immunoglobulin genes has been fraught with controversy from the year that two reports were published--each claiming a different role for the polymerase. Casali and co-workers [1] reported that pol θ had a dominant role in hypermutation, since mice deficient for the polymerase had a 60–80% decrease in the frequency of mutations. Wang and colleagues [2] reported that pol θ contributed to mutations of C:G base pairs, and had a 20% drop in the total mutation frequency. Later publications from the Wang group [3, 4] confirmed the 20% decrease in frequency, which now affected mutations of A:T pairs, as well as C:G. What was pol θ doing? Pol θ may extend mismatches created by other polymerases during hypermutation, in accord with biochemical evidence showing its potential in primer extension from mismatches [5]. DNA pol η has been shown by many groups to generate mutations opposite A:T pairs during somatic hypermutation. Thus, one obvious scenario would be for pol θ to extend the mismatches generated by pol η Mice deficient for both polymerases should have a much lower frequency of mutation. Experiments by Masuda et al. [4] and our group [6] found that pol η-deficient mice and pol η/pol θ-double deficient mice had the same frequency of mutation. Therefore, one could hypothesize that either pol η and pol θ work together, or pol η can function by itself and pol θ is unnecessary. If a polymerase is involved in generating mutations in vivo, one would hope to see a more dramatic effect in the absence of the polymerase. This has not been the case with pol θ. B cells from Peyer’s patches, which are located on the small intestine, have similar frequencies of mutation in mice with and without pol θ [6, 7]. These results indicate that pol θ does not play a crucial role in hypermutation. However, pol θ might still contribute to the process in a limited extent, as B cells from immunized spleens have a modest decrease in its absence [3]. Perhaps researchers in the field would be better served by coming to an agreement on the best way to measure mutation frequencies to assess what is relevant. A potential solution would be for everyone to analyze their data the same way. This would involve making the following choices: (1) cells would be from either spleen or Peyer’s patches; (2) if spleen is chosen, one common antigen should be used for immunization and the spleen should be harvested after the primary or secondary boost; (3) a defined number of sequences or mutations should be collected for the data to be significant; (4) mice on the same genetic background—C57BL/6--should be compared; (5) wild type mice should come from the same animal facility as the test mice and preferably be littermates; (6) mice should be the same age and sex, etc. Because antibodies are under intense selection in vivo, it is hard to compare frequencies unless defined criteria are set.
Comparative studies of in vitro renal cephaloridine toxicity between normoglycemic and diabetic rats.

This study investigated if the attenuation in cephaloridine toxicity associated with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes can be attributed to a direct cellular effect. Comparative studies examined the direct toxicity of cephaloridine 14 days after (35 mg kg-1, i.p.) STZ or vehicle injection of male Fischer 344 (F344) rats. In vitro cephaloridine toxicity was assessed by measuring lipid peroxidation, renal gluconeogenesis and organic ion accumulation in renal cortical slices. The in vitro toxicity of cephaloridine was reduced in the diabetic group since lipid peroxidation was not increased following a 120-min exposure to cephaloridine. This was in contrast to a concentration- and time-dependent increase in lipid peroxidation in renal tissue derived from normoglycemic animals pre-incubated with 0-5 mM cephaloridine. Renal gluconeogenesis was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner in the normoglycemic group following a 15-90-min exposure to 0-5 mM cephaloridine. Pyruvate-stimulated gluconeogenesis was diminished in the diabetic group only after a 90-min preincubation. Renal cortical slice accumulation of p-aminohippurate (PAH) and tetraethylammonium (TEA) was decreased in the normoglycemic group. Accumulation of TEA, but not PAH, was decreased (P less than 0.05) in the diabetic group. These results indicate that in vitro cephaloridine toxicity was attenuated by STZ-induced diabetes.
THE ACTIN CYTOSKELETON DIFFERENTIALLY REGULATES NG115-401L CELL RYANODINE RECEPTOR AND INOSITOL 1,4,5-TRISPHOSPHATE RECEPTOR INDUCED CALCIUM SIGNALING PATHWAYS

Abstract Regulation of bi-directional communication between intracellular Ca 2+ pools and surface Ca 2+ channels remains incompletely characterized. We report Ca 2+ release mediated by inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP 3 R) and ryanodine receptor (RyR) pathways is diminished under actin cytoskeleton disruption in NG115-401L (401L) neuronal cells, yet despite truncated Ca 2+ release, Ca 2+ influx was not significantly altered in these experiments. However, disruption of cortical actin networks completely abolished IP 3 R induced Ca 2+ release, whereas RyR-mediated Ca 2+ release was preserved, albeit attenuated. Moreover, cortical actin disruption completely abolished IP 3 R and RyR linked Ca 2+ influx even though Ca 2+ pool sensitivities were different. These findings suggest discrete Ca 2+ store/Ca 2+ channel coupling mechanisms in the IP 3 R and RyR pathways as revealed by the differential sensitivity to actin perturbation.
Insulin Regulation of Rat Growth Hormone Gene Expression

Insulin has been shown previously to inhibit basal and glucocorticoid- or T3-stimulated rat GH (rGH) synthesis, secretion, and mRNA levels in cultured rat pituitary tumor cells (GH3 cells) or pituitaries. The effects of insulin on rGH gene expression in GH3 cells were examined in greater detail in the current studies. Cells were deinduced for 5 days in medium devoid of steroids, T3, and insulin. Cells were then treated for 48 h with insulin (5 × 10-9 M), dexamethasone (Dex; 10-6 M), T3 (10-8 M), insulin plus Dex, or insulin plus T3. When media and hormones were not replaced daily the results were similar to those obtained previously. Insulin decreased both basal and glucocorticoid-stimulated rGH mRNA levels to approximately 70% of control levels, as measured by cytoplasmic dot hybridization. By contrast, when media and hormones were replaced daily, rGH mRNA levels increased by 1.5 to 7-fold in response to insulin in the absence or presence of Dex or T3, measured by both cytoplasmic dot hybridization and R...
Effects of Virtual Manipulatives on Student Achievement and Mathematics Learning.

Effects of Virtual Manipulatives on Student Achievement and Mathematics Learning Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA Arla Westenskow, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA This paper is a meta-analysis that synthesizes the findings from 66 research reports examining the effects of virtual manipulatives on student achievement. Of the 66 reports, 32 contained data yielding 82 effect size scores with effects of virtual manipulatives on student achievement. The 66 reports also contributed to a conceptual analysis of affordances that promote mathematical learning. The results of the averaged effect size scores yielded a moderate effect for virtual manipulatives compared with other instructional treatments. There were additional large, moderate, and small effects when virtual manipulatives were compared with physical manipulatives and textbook instruction, and when the effects were examined by mathematical domains, grade levels, and study duration. The results of the conceptual analysis revealed empirical evidence that five specific interrelated affordances of virtual manipulatives (VMs) promoted mathematical learning. These five specific researcher-reported affordances included focused constraint (i.e., VMs focus and constrain student attention on mathematical objects and processes), creative variation (i.e., VMs encourage creativity and increase the variety of students’ solutions), simultaneous linking (i.e., VMs simultaneously link representations with each other and with students’ actions), efficient precision (i.e., VMs contain precise representations allowing accurate and efficient use), and motivation (i.e., VMs motivate students to persist at mathematical tasks) Moyer, Bolyard and Spikell (2002) define a virtual manipulative as “an interactive, Webbased visual representation of a dynamic object that presents opportunities for constructing mathematical knowledge” (p. 373). Many virtual manipulatives (or dynamic objects) commonly used for mathematics today are movable pictorial representations in the form of applets (in Java) or apps (for the IPad). In addition to virtual manipulatives, which are based on physical objects, some computational media have created new representational forms (e.g., dynamic geometry programs, graphing applets) (Kaput & Roschelle, 1998). Virtual manipulatives, described as dynamic objects, should not be confused with the broader category of digital learning objects. Digital learning objects are defined by Wiley (2000) as “any DOI: 10.4018/jvple.2013070103
The Influence of Parents on the Political Attitudes of Adolescents

The purpose of this paper is to specify the conditions in which parents influence the party identification and certain issue attitudes of their adolescent children (recent high school graduates). The nature and extent of the parent-adolescent attitude correspondence is first established. Next, parental as opposed to environmental explanations for this correspondence are considered. Finally, the effects on parental influence of family interaction, political interest, issue salience to the parent, and accuracy of the adolescent's perception of the parental attitude are analyzed. Issue salience and perceptual accuracy are found to have strong effects; the other variables have lesser or no effect. When issue salience and perceptual accuracy are held constant in a multivariate equation, the beta weights indicating the influence of the parent attitude on the attitude of the adolescent are very similar for all issues and party identification. It is concluded that idiosyncratic variations in successful parent-child attitude transmission can be explained by a general equation.
KEY TO THE FAMILIES AND SUBFAMILIES OF ACANTHOCEPHALA, WITH THE ERECTION OF A NEW CLASS (POLYACANTHOCEPHALA) AND A NEW ORDER (POLYACANTHORHYNCHIDA)

A key to the classes, orders, families, and subfamilies of Acanthocephala based on the Meyer-Van Cleave system as presented by Amin (1985) is provided. A new class (Polyacanthocephala) and a new order (Polyacanthorhynchida) are erected to accommodate members of the monogeneric family Polyacanthorhyn- chidae Golvan, 1956. The classification of the phylum Acanthoceph- ala recently presented by Amin (1985) was based, for the most part, on the concepts proposed by Meyer (1931-1933) as modified by Van Cleave (1936), expanded by Golvan (1959-1962, 1969) and Bullock (1969), and outlined by Amin (1982). This scheme is now widely accepted by most acanthocephalan taxonomists. The schemes of Petrochenko (1956, 1958) and Yamaguti (1963) are not in line with the above system. Petro- chenko (1956) devised a system based heavily on acanthor spination in which the Acantho- cephala were divided into 3 subclasses, Neoechinorhynchinea, Echinorhynchinea, and Gigantorhynchinea; he regarded the Neoechi- norhynchinea as the most primitive group. Ya- maguti (1963) arranged the Acanthocephala into 4 orders, Neoechinorhynchidea, Echinorhynchi- dea, Gigantorhynchidea-which are essentially Petrochenko's subclasses-and the new order
One-Step Preparation of Dimethyl Sulfide Substituted Icosahedral Boranes: The Crystal and Molecular Structures of 1,7-(SMe2)2B12H10, 1,12-(SMe2)2B12H10, and [SMe3][B12H11(SMe2)]·MeCN

1,7-(SMe2)2B12H10, 1,12-(SMe2)2B12H10, and [SMe3][B12H11(SMe2)] were prepared and isolated from the self-condensation reaction of BH3·SMe2 in the absence of a solvent. At 150 °C the reaction yields, primarily, two isomers: 1,7-(SMe2)2B12H10, the major component, and 1,12-(SMe2)2B12H10 the minor component, that are separated by thin layer chromatography. Single-crystal X-ray structure determinations were performed for both isomers, confirming the structures inferred from 1H, 11B, and 11B{1H}-11B{1H} (COSY) NMR spectra. Crystal data for 1,7-(SMe2)2B12H10: trigonal P3221, a = 12.901(10) A, b = 12.901(10) A, c = 23.73(2) A, γ = 120°, Z = 9. Crystal data for 1,12-(SMe2)2B12H10: orthorhombic Pbca, a = 10.101(2) A, b = 11.220(2) A, c = 13.464(2) A, Z = 4. At 60 °C, the self-condensation of BH3·SMe2 is very slow, but yields [SMe3][B12H11(SMe2)] as the major product. Multinuclear and 2-dimensional NMR spectra are in full accord with the structure determined by X-ray methods. Crystal data for [SMe3][B12H11(SMe2)...
Structure and catalytic activity of POSS-stabilized Pd nanoparticles

Abstract Palladium nanoparticles stabilized with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes have been characterized and determined to function as a heterogeneous catalyst. TEM and SEM studies indicate the material comprises 2–5 nm diameter Pd crystallites in a POSS layer, which aggregate to form spherical secondary structures of about 50 nm in diameter. Solid-state NMR reveals that the primary interaction between Pd and POSS is through the alkyl-amino functional groups on the POSS cage, in addition to some weak interactions with the cage itself. This material is observed by microbalance measurements to efficiently catalyze the direct hydrogenation of 1,4-diphenylbutadiyne.
Decreases in Dopamine Receptors but not in Dopamine Transporters in Alcoholics

It has been hypothesized that ethanol's actions on the dopamine (DA) system may participate in addiction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the DA system in the brain of alcoholics. We evaluated 10 alcoholics and 17 nonalcoholics using positron emission tomography and [11C]raclopride to measure DA D2 receptors. In addition, in 5 of the alcoholics and 16 of the nonalcoholics, we also measured DA transporters with [11C]d-threo methylphenidate. The ratio of the distribution volumes in striatum to that in cerebellum, which corresponds to Bmax/Kd + 1, was used as model parameter of DA D2 receptor and transporter availability. Dopamine D2 receptor availability (Bmax/Kd) was significantly lower in alcoholics (2.1 +/- 0.5) than in nonalcoholics (2.7 +/- 0.6) (p < 0.05) and was not correlated with days since last alcohol use. Alcoholics showed DA transporter values similar to those in nonalcoholics. The ratio of DA D2 receptor to transporter availability was significantly higher in nonalcoholics (1.4 +/- 0.1) than in alcoholics (1.1 +/- 0.1) (p < 0.005). Alcoholics showed significant reductions in D2 receptors (postsynaptic marker) but not in DA transporter availability (presynaptic marker) when compared with nonalcoholics. Because D2 receptors in striatum are mainly localized in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) cells these results provide evidence of GABAergic involvement in the dopaminergic abnormalities seen in alcoholics.
Molecular-based quantum magnets: the isotropic spin ladder Cu(quinoxaline)Br 2

Abstract The structure, susceptibility, and high-field magnetization of μ-quinoxalinecopper(II) dibromide are reported. The compound crystallizes in the space group C2/c as a coordination polymer of neutral Cu2Br4 dimers bridged into chains by quinoxaline molecules forming a ladder structure. The susceptibility data are well described by a spin-ladder model with two antiferromagnetic exchange strengths 2J⊥=35.0 K within the dimers, and 2J=30.3 K through the quinoxaline groups. The ratio of exchange strengths, R J⊥/J=1.16, is the closest to unity yet found for a spin ladder. The magnetization study shows the compound at low temperatures to be in a non-magnetic singlet state for low fields, but that a phase transition to a magnetized state occurs near 14 T, indicating the presence of an energy gap Δ≈20 K.
Real Spinor Fields and the Electroweak Interaction

The space of real spinor fields of a given massm>0 in Minkowski space is the direct sum of two irreducibly invariant subspaces under the connected Poincare groupP. These subspaces admit uniqueP-invariant positive-energy complex unitarizable structures, in terms of which they are unitarily and canonically equivalent to the conventional “left electron” and “right positron” subspaces defined by the Dirac equation. Space reversalPand time reversalTactP-covariantly as antiunitary operators on the real fields. They also extend to the complex fields, in terms of whichPexchanges the two subspaces, whileTacts separately on each. Whenm=0, the identical formalism produces a (rigorous) version of the conventional neutrino formalism. The restriction to the real context of the conventional spinor-vector interaction is equivalent to the conventionalV−Ainteraction together with a computationally equivalent form of quantum electrodynamics in which the right electron and left electron are redundant.
PEDIATRIC VULVO-VAGINITIS

Vulvo-vaginal inflammation is the most common gynecologic complaint in the prepubertal girl. The vast majority of cases of vulvo-vaginitis in the pediatric population are cared for by pediatricians, family practitioners, and pediatric nurse practitioners. Although most obstetrician/gynecologists
Housing cost and married women's labor force participation in 1980

Abstract Regional patterns in married women's labor force participation rates have been durable over time as have regional patterns in housing costs. Over the decade of the 1970s rates of married women's labor force participation rose dramatically as did the cost of housing. This article is an empirical exploration of the relationship between intertemporal and intratemporal patterns of housing costs and the corresponding patterns of married women's labor force participation. Using individual data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics for 1980 and Census data from 1970 and 1980, this study shows that married women's labor force participation is related to patterns of housing costs in 1970 and 1980, but not the growth of housing costs over the decade. One can conclude that women are more likely to be employed where amenities valued by families such as good schools, and low crime rates are costly. One cannot conclude that substantial inflation of housing costs “pushed” married women into the labor force at greater rates during the 1970s.
Environmental predictors of pre-European deforestation on Pacific islands

Some Pacific island societies, such as those of Easter Island and Mangareva, inadvertently contributed to their own collapse by causing massive deforestation. Others retained forest cover and survived. How can those fateful differences be explained? Although the answers undoubtedly involve both different cultural responses of peoples and different susceptibilities of environments, how can one determine which environmental factors predispose towards deforestation and which towards replacement of native trees with useful introduced tree species? Here we code European-contact conditions and nine environmental variables for 81 sites on 69 Pacific islands from Yap in the west to Easter in the east, and from Hawaii in the north to New Zealand in the south. We thereby detect statistical decreases in deforestation and/or forest replacement with island rainfall, elevation, area, volcanic ash fallout, Asian dust transport and makatea terrain (uplifted reef), and increases with latitude, age and isolation. Comparative analyses of deforestation therefore lend themselves to much more detailed interpretations than previously possible. These results might be relevant to similar deforestation-associated collapses (for example, Fertile Crescent, Maya and Anasazi) or the lack thereof (Japan and highland New Guinea) elsewhere in the world.
Extinction effects following interpolation of instrumental trials among response prevention periods

Abstract Two experiments evaluated the effectiveness of response prevention when prevention periods were interpolated with instrumental trials which permitted performance of the originally trained instrumental behavior. In Experiment 1, interpolation of instrumental escape trials under shock and nonshock procedures reliably reduced prevention's influence on performance and yielded extinction responding similar to that of pseudo-prevention controls. In Experiment 2 interpolation of instrumental escape trials under nonshock conditions yielded passive avoidance performance similar to that of pseudo-prevention controls but reliably different from that of a regular prevention group.
Levator ani defect scores and pelvic organ prolapse: is there a threshold effect?

The goal of this study was to use a well-described system of quantifying levator ani defect (LAD) severity using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine the relationship between defect severity and the presence or absence of prolapse. This is a secondary analysis of two case–control studies comparing 284 cases (with prolapse) to 219 controls (normal support) defined by using Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) exams. LAD were assessed on MRI, with scores from 0 (no defects) to 6 (complete, bilateral defects). The number of cases and controls at each score were compared. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were used to quantify relationships between LAD and prolapse. The proportion of cases exceeds the overall prolapse rate in this study at LAD scores ≥3, with higher rates of prolapse at higher LAD scores (p < 0.0000001). Prolapse risk stratifies into low risk at LAD scores 0–2, moderate at 3–5, and high at 6. ROC analysis for classification of prolapse based on LAD scores has an area under the curve of 69.9 % (p < 0.001), suggesting LAD alone can discriminate between normal support and prolapse for nearly 70 % of patients. Logistic regression identified higher parity and higher LAD scores as independent predictors of prolapse. There are three clusters of prolapse risk: low (0–2), moderate (3–5), and high (6). Although LAD have a dose-response-like effect for prolapse, other factors are clearly involved.
Switching on the lights: the use of optogenetics to advance retinal gene therapy.

Photoreceptors carry a high number of mitochondria necessary to maintain their high metabolic rate. This allows them to respond rapidly to small changes in illumination. However, the metabolically demanding role of light reception appears to render photoreceptors particularly vulnerable to mutations; this is manifested in the many clinical forms of hereditary retinal degeneration (RD).1 Remarkably, in many cases the remainder of the retinal circuitry remains capable of firing despite the death of the photoreceptor cells.2,3 In this issue of Molecular Therapy, Caporale et al. exploit this residual capacity for signal transmission so as to endow retinal ganglion cells with the ability to take over the task of light detection from the photoreceptors in conditions of RD.4
Hypolipidemic Activity of Trimethylamine-Carbomethoxyborane and Related Derivatives in Rodents

A number of substituted amine-carboxyborane esters were examined for their hypolipidemic activity in rodents. Trimethylamine-carbomethoxyborane, Me3NBH2C(O)OMe, was observed to be the most effective hypolipidemic agent in the rodent at the low dose of 8 mg/kg/d. This agent effectively increased the high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol content and lowered the low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglyceride contents of rat lipoproteins. Furthermore, the agent accelerated cholesterol excretion from the body of the rat and reduced the activity of the rate-limiting enzyme involved in the de novo synthesis of lipids in the liver. The agent has a safe therapeutic index, and appeared to have more promise as a therapeutic agent than other borane esters.
Value of the Electrocardiogram in Determining Cardiac Events and Mortality in Myotonic Dystrophy

Electrocardiograms were recorded at baseline and regular intervals in 53 patients with myotonic dystrophy who were followed for a mean of 6.3 +/- 4.0 years. Patients with cardiac events had a significantly prolonged PR interval (p <0.001), a later age of onset of neuromuscular symptoms (p <0.05), and were older (p <0.005).
“It Made Me Think, Seeing Myself like That”: Affective Literary Representations of the Inferior Masculine Self, or Good-Bye, Billy Pilgrim

Stories that strongly attract or repel us can reveal a hidden and more authentic aspect of a man's masculinity that has become darkened by his adaptations to the culture's masculine gender-role paradigms. Stories can raise our consciousness about pathologies of masculinity that we unwittingly live out, and even serve, in a limited capacity, as mentors.
Cost estimation and modeling for space missions at APL/JHU

Abstract Cost estimation of space science missions at APL over the past two decades has been singularly successful in arriving at program costs that are within a few percent of the actual costs at program completion. The most recent example is the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) mission which was estimated at approximately 112 million FY-92 dollars and came in at approximately three percent under the estimated cost. This demonstrated performance has been achieved without the benefit of a formal cost model, such as those used in government and industry (GSFC, MSFC, SAIC, etc.). In light of this performance, it is important to understand the parameters that are used in the cost estimating process in an effort to quantify those elements in a program that are most important to the final cost. We have identified a number of areas which contribute to eventual cost performance; these include: (a) spacecraft and mission complexity; (b) use of already-developed (facility- class) instruments versus “to be developed” new instruments; (c) synergism among programs being implemented concurrently; (d) program implementation length; (e) design-to-cost practice for all major subsystems and instruments without contingency; (f) lead engineer responsibility throughout design, layout, fabrication, test, integration, and initial flight operations; (g) designed-in quality and testability to minimize rework; (h) incorporation of reliability and quality assurance engineering within the program structure; (i) minimization of documentation and encouragement of oral and electronic communication as required. We have found that gross parametrization of costs such as the traditional weight, power, and length of the program commonly included in typical models do not reliably predict actual costs. A methodology will be presented, whereby, the elements identified above plus others are used to describe the process implemented by APL in previous missions to generate cost estimates and to control costs. Actual data over several missions during the past two decades will also be presented that illustrate APL's cost performance while utilizing this methodology.
Sub-picogram assay of biogenic materials: theoretical application of interactions with isotopes that yield heavy ionizing particles upon neutron exposure and use of radiographic dielectric track registration techniques.

Abstract A method of devising an assay for the sub-picogram measurement of biogenic agents is described. The analytical procedures involve the formation of stable complexes or derivatives from the interaction of biogenic agents and isotopes that yield heavy ionizing particles upon neutron bombardment, separation of the derivatives or complexes from interfering substances by electrophoresis and/or paper or thin layer chromatography, and quantitation of the agent by measuring the neutroninduced particle tracks (from the isotope) in dielectric films. The basic techniques of the assay would be applicable to a variety of biological agents or chemical substances that form complexes or derivatives with isotopes that emit heavy ionizing particles upon neutron exposure. Theoretically, the new method of assay for biological agents would be sensitive in the femtogram (10−15 g) range.
Hierarchy and Heterarchy: The Unity of Opposites

The significance of the concepts of heterarchy and hierarchy are discussed with reference to the first and second millennium AD cultures of the Nilgiri Hills of southern India. The nineteenth century ethnographic evidence of multiple, ethnically defined, isolated communities is compared with archeological evidence of earlier, morestratified and more-centralized polities. Archeological evidence includes inscriptions, megalit hie tombs, and carved pictorial representations of warfare, armed horsemen, and other figures. A linear, evolutionary model cannot account for the complexity seen in the Nilgiri Hills, while heterarchy better illuminates the socio-political developments in this region.
Doppler spectral characterization of flow disturbances in the carotid with the Doppler probe at right angles to the vessel axis

This paper reports on a new method intended to detect early flow disturbances generated by small lesions, using conventional clinical instrumentation. In vitro experiments on models of stenotic vessels are presented which prove that ultrasound Doppler, with the beam directed at right angles to the vessel axis can detect vortices and other flow disturbances caused by wall irregularities. These disturbances characterized by small velocity components first toward and then away from the transducer correlate with the spectrum of vortices caused by small artificial lesions. We found these disturbances in flow to be too small to cause detectable broadening in the Doppler spectrum acquired in the traditional way (i.e. with the beam at an angle less than 90 degrees). The detected flow disturbances were found to depend on the surface roughness, the profile of the obstructive lesion and the narrowing of the vessel. Similar flow disturbances to those detected in vitro were demonstrated in vivo for this new beam orientation in regions of the carotid, such as the bulb and the beginning of the common carotid, where vortex-like flows are expected.
Yield Response to Russian Wheat Aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae) in Mixtures of Resistant and Susceptible Winter Wheats

This study was designed to evaluate the effect of Russian wheat aphid Biotype 1 on yield to determine how pure a resistant wheat cultivar needs to be to avoid significant yield loss. The study was conducted during the 2002–2003 growing season at Akron, Fort Collins, and Lamar, Colorado and consisted of five levels of resistance (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%) in mixtures of the resistant wheat cultivar, Prairie Red, and the susceptible wheat cultivar, TAM 107. Yield loss was found to be linear, and proportional to percentage of resistant plants. At Fort Collins and Lamar, mixtures with any level of resistance supported fewer Russian wheat aphids than the pure susceptible stand, with the least number of aphids found on the pure resistant stand at the 10X infestation level. At Fort Collins, yields were lower when mixtures contained 0 to 25% of the resistant cultivar at the 1X and 10X infestation levels. Yields at the 10X infestation level were greater in the pure resistant stand. As expected, when Russian wheat a...
cDNA cloning, DNA binding, and evolution of mammalian transcription factor IIIA

Abstract cDNA for rat transcription factor IIIA (TFIIIA) was cloned by degenerate PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends. This cDNA coded for a protein with nine Cys 2 His 2 zinc fingers and a non-finger C-terminal tail; 63% amino acid (aa) sequence identity was observed with the Xenopus TFIIIA zinc finger region. Recombinant rat protein containing only the nine fingers afforded DNase I protection of the identical nucleotides protected by Xenopus laevis native TFIIIA on the Xenopus 5S RNA gene internal control region. A putative mouse TFIIIA clone was identified in an expressed sequence tag database by sequence similarity to rat TFIIIA. Recombinant nine-finger protein from this clone afforded DNase I protection of the Xenopus 5S rRNA gene like the native frog protein as did a recombinant nine-finger form of a putative human TFIIIA clone. These DNA binding results demonstrate that these clones code for the respective mammalian TFIIIAs. Rodent and human TFIIIAs share about 87% aa sequence identity in their zinc finger regions and have evolved to about the same extent as X. laevis and Xenopus borealis TFIIIAs. A monoclonal antibody against human p53 tumor suppressor bound to rat and mouse TFIIIA but not to human TFIIIA in Western blots. The N-terminal regions of rodent and human TFIIIA do not contain the oocyte-specific initiating Met and accompanying conserved residues found in fish and amphibian TFIIIAs. In their non-finger C-terminal tails, mammalian and amphibian TFIIIAs share a conserved transcription activation domain as well as conserved nuclear localization and nuclear export signals.
Effective bandwidth of 2-D functions that can be expressed as a linear combination of orthogonal functions

The authors investigate bounds on the two-dimensional function f(x,y) that can be expressed as a linear combination of an orthogonal set of functions (q/sub nm/(x,y)) in the mean. Each function q/sub nm/(x,y) has the property of being separable. Each of these functions is bandlimited. Effective bandwidth expressions are derived on the basis of a given error criterion. >
Gas transport properties of solution-cast perfluorosulfonic acid ionomer films containing ionic surfactants

Abstract We have made solution-cast films of perfluorosulfonic acid ionomer (PFSA) that included ionic surfactants in the casting solution. Gas transport measurements were made, using mixtures of CO 2 and CH 4 , through both solution-cast and commercial PFSA films that contained either NA + or HEDA + (monoprotonated ethylenediamine) counterions. The HEDA + provides facilitated transport of CO 2 at low partial pressures. For all the films with the NA + counterion the difference in permeability was greater at lower feed total pressures than at the higher pressures (∼11 MPa). We interpret this result as a mechanical pressure effect on the free volume around the ionic clusters. Additional observations include a “hindering” effect of the HEDA + counterion on both CO 2 and CH 4 permeation rates but more so for the CO 2 . We discuss these results in the context of separate diffusional paths for the two solutes. In general, all of these membranes exhibit CO 2 /CH 4 separation factors that are economically attractive at all the pressures studied. However, the permeability of the membranes was below economic targets by a factor of 100 considering the fact that they are 30 μm thick.
Provisioning Security and Performance Optimization for Dynamic Cloud Environments

Security and resource optimization are two of the most critical concerns in cloud computing. A cloud provider must ensure customers with appropriate security, while optimizing the use of cloud resources. In this paper, we present a framework which optimizes both the use of cloud resources and security provided to the customers in an infrastructure as a service (IaaS) cloud. Our framework offers secure usage control of sensitive data within secure virtual machines (VMs), which are dynamically instantiated while optimizing both security and resources allocated to the VMs. These resources are then allocated to the VMs using an optimization model based upon randomized algorithms. We demonstrate that both security and resources can be efficiently optimized within a cloud setting using our formal mathematical model and usage management framework.
Policing Chinese Politics: A History

Policing Chinese Politics: A History. By Michael Dutton. Durhan, NC: Duke University Press, 2005. 411p. $89.95 cloth, $24.95 paper. This engaging book offers prodigious empirical research on China's police from the 1930s to 2002 and a provocative perspective on Chinese politics. A short introduction and conclusion establish a theory that draws on Carl Schmitt to link Mao's question “Who are our enemies and who are our friends?” to the extraordinary police technologies that united the latter and defeated the former. The first four of five substantive chapters deal with policing politics during the Jiangxi Soviet era, the Yan'an era, the 1950s, and the Cultural Revolution. The last substantive chapter depicts the reform era's transition from politics to economics. The book sheds light on the origins of and prospects for contemporary Chinese politics, but also provides subtle tools for understanding what was more crudely labeled “totalitarianism.” Michael Dutton demonstrates that studying police technologies can yield important insight into politics in general. In an age when important leaders are again casting politics in Manichean terms, Dutton's tale is surely relevant, but how far his police perspective can be extended will remain controversial.
Modulation of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) intestinal immune gene expression following bacterial challenge

The mucosal immune systems of fishes are still poorly understood, and defined models for studying natural host-pathogen interactions are lacking. The objective of this study was to evaluate different challenge models and pathogens to examine the magnitude of change in intestinal immune gene expression. Rainbow trout were exposed by immersion to Yersinia ruckeri or by intraperitoneal injection with Flavobacterium psychrophilum. At 3, 9, or 10 days post-challenge, pathogen load was quantified by plate count and intestinal tissue was removed and immune gene expression measured by real-time PCR. In general, the magnitude of infection was correlated with change in immune gene transcript abundance. We found that messages for the innate immune molecules, SAA, IL-8, INF-γ and TNF-α, as well as the message for IgM, were up-regulated in intestinal tissue in both challenge paradigms. A >250-fold increase was observed in SAA and 20-fold increase of IL-8 gene transcript abundance occurred on day 10 following challenge with F. psychrophilum. Within individual fish, there was a positive correlation between bacteria load in the spleen and the increase of immune gene message between 3 and 10 days post-infection. These findings demonstrate that measurable changes in immune gene expression occur in the intestine of rainbow trout following bath challenge with Y. ruckeri or injection challenge with F. psychrophilum.
Studies on cell division in mammalian cells: VI. A temperature-sensitive mutant blocked in both G1 and G2 phases of the cell cycle.

A temperature-sensitive mammalian cell cycle mutant with blocks in G1 and G2 phases of the cell cycle has been isolated in culture. When shifted from the permissive temperature of 33‡ C to the nonpermissive temperature of 39‡ C, the fraction of cells initiating DNA synthesis as well as the fraction of cells entering mitosis decreased rapidly. Combined cytophotometric and autoradiographic analysis on the cells at 39‡ C showed that G1 cells, with the exception of those in late G1, were arrested in that phase. Cells in S phase at the time of temperature shift, together with the late G1 cells which subsequently entered S, continued through S into G2, but were blocked in that phase of the cell cycle and unable to initiate mitosis. Those cells already in mitosis completed cell division at 39‡ C. The G1 block point of ts-550C was found to be located after the serum starvation and isoleucine deprivation arrest points, approximately 3 h before initiation of DNA synthesis.
Redefining nondiscriminatory access to remote sensing imagery and its impact on global transparency

Global transparency is founded on the Open Skies philosophy and its precept of non-discriminatory access. Global transparency implies that anyone can have anytime, anyplace access to a wide-array of remotely sensed imagery. The custom of non-discriminatory access requires that datasets of interest must be affordable, usable, and obtainable in a timely fashion devoid of political, economic or technical obstacles. Thus, an assessment of the correlation between the availability of satellite imagery and changes in governmental policies, pricing fluctuations of data, and advances in technology is critical to assessing the viability of global transparency. The Open Skies philosophy was originally proposed at the 1955 Geneva Summit to advocate mutually beneficial aerial reconnaissance missions over the USSR and the US as a verification tool for arms control and non-proliferation agreements. However, due to Cold War tensions, this philosophy and the custom of non-discriminatory were not widely adopted in the civilian remote sensing community until the commissioning of the Landsat Program in 1972. Since this time, commercial high-resolution satellites have drastically changed the circumstances on which the fundamental tenets of this philosophy are based. Since the successful launch of the first of this satellite class, the IKONOS satellite, high-resolution imagery is now available to non-US governments and an unlimited set of non-state actors. As more advanced capabilities are added to the growing assortment of remote sensing satellites, the reality of global transparency will rapidly evolve. This assessment includes an overview of historical precedents and a brief explanation of relevant US policy decisions that define non-discriminatory access with respect to US government and US based corporate assets. It also presents the dynamics of the political, economic, and technical barriers that may dictate or influence the remote sensing community's access to satellite data. In conclusion, this analysis considers strategies for balancing the dual-use nature of hyperspectral and high-resolution satellite imagery and discusses the potential impact of these policies on gloal transparency.
Predicting who will major in a science discipline: Expectancy–value theory as part of an ecological model for studying academic communities

Research on factors that shape recruitment and retention in undergraduate science majors currently is highly fragmented and in need of an integrative research framework. Such a framework should incorporate analyses of the various levels of organization that characterize academic communities (i.e., the broad institutional level, the departmental level, and the student level), and should also provide ways to study the interactions occurring within and between these structural levels. We propose that academic communities are analogous to ecosystems, and that the research paradigms of modern community ecology can provide the necessary framework, as well as new and innovative approaches to a very complex area. This article also presents the results of a pilot study that demonstrates the promise of this approach at the student level. We administered a questionnaire based on expectancy-value theory to undergraduates enrolled in introductory biology courses. Itself an integrative approach, expectancy-value theory views achievement-related behavior as a joint function of the person's expectancy of success in the behavior and the subjective value placed on such success. Our results indicated: (a) significant gender differences in the underlying factor structures of expectations and values related to the discipline of biology, (b) expectancy-value factors significantly distinguished biology majors from nonmajors, and (c) expectancy-value factors significantly predicted students' intent to enroll in future biology courses. We explore the expectancy-value framework as an operationally integrative framework in our ecological model for studying academic communities, especially in the context of assessing the underrepresentation of women and minorities in the sciences. Future research directions as well as practical implications are also discussed.
Abiotic transformation of atrazine in aqueous suspension of four synthetic manganese oxides

Abstract Most of the world water systems are contaminated with the herbicide atrazine, and thus its reactivity with soil minerals is an important issue. We have studied the degradation of atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-s-triazine) on cryptomelane types I and II, pyrolusite and birnessite in the aqueous phase, using a batch reactor, chromatography, and spectroscopy. The reaction was studied at ambient temperature in the dark and from pH 2.3 to 8.3. The order of reactivity of atrazine on the minerals used was found to be birnessite > cryptomelane II > cryptomelane I ⪢ pyrolusite. Hydroxylatrazine (HA), deethylatrazine (DEA), and deisopropylatrazine (DIA) were found as the primary byproducts under every condition. Five new other minor degradation products (DDA, DEHA, DIHA, ammeline, and cyanuric acid) were also detected. Mn(II) evolution is a minor product. The proposed abiotic pathway for the transformation of atrazine on Mn oxides is identical with the reported biotic pathway. Thus, Mn oxides, common soil components, facilitated the efficient N-dealkylation and hydrolysis of the herbicide atrazine, possibly via a non-oxidative mechanism. N-dealkylation has been attributed strictly to a biological process in soils.
Intra-peritoneal administration of potassium and magnesium: a practical method to supplement these electrolytes in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Background. Malnutrition and gastrointestinal (GI) losses are frequently encountered in peritoneal dialysis patients, leading to hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia. Oral supplementation is limited by patients' compliance, as well as GI side effects. Methods. Among the 27 patients on continuous cyclic peritoneal dialysis (CCPD) in whom we had one-year data, 15 (55%) were on oral potassium (K) supplements and 10 (37%) were on oral magnesium (Mg) supplements. Hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia persisted in 3 (11%) patients despite oral supplementation. We examined the efficacy and tolerability of intra-peritoneal (IP) K and Mg administration. Four grams of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) and/or 60–80 mEq of potassium chloride (KCl) were added to a 2 liter, 2.5% peritoneal dialysis solution bag, and it was used as the last dwell in five CCPD patients. We serially measured serum K and Mg concentrations at 2, 4, and 6–8 hour intervals, drained the fluid, and measured serum concentrations at 20–24 hours. Results. Mean serum K...
WELFARE IMPLICATIONS OF FACTOR TAXATION WITH RISING WAGE INEQUALITY

In recent decades, the structure of wages in the U.S. economy has shifted to favor workers with college degrees over those without college degrees. Concurrently, there has been an increase in the share of the workforce that is college educated. We build an overlapping generations model in which skill-biased technological change drives both rising wage inequality and a rising percentage of skilled (educated) workers in the labor force. We explore the implications for agent welfare and for the distribution of income of different factor taxation choices. We find that higher tax rates on capital and lower tax rates on unskilled labor can yield steady-state welfare gains across a heterogeneous population, and that these gains increase as the economy experiences technological change that favors skilled labor. Moreover, these shifts in taxation can lower net wage inequality. Steady-state welfare gains, however, come at the expense of agents alive upon implementation.
Cloud-assisted dynamic spectrum access for VANET in transportation cyber-physical systems

Vehicular networking is regarded as a backbone for transportation cyber-physical systems (CPS). In this paper, we propose a cloud-assisted dynamic spectrum access in vehicular networks where vehicles search the spectrum database for idle channels. Each vehicle queries spectrum database periodically (every other time/distance unit or so) for a route computed by GPS to find idle channels. When two vehicles are within the communication range, they setup a communication link in a channel and exchange their data with the help of software defined radios. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated with the help of numerical results obtained from simulations.