cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relative contribution of brainstem afferents to the cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) innervation of thyrotropin-releasing hormone synthesizing neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN).

To determine the relative contribution of the brainstem to the CART innervation of the TRH neurons in the PVN, the major ascending brainstem axonal pathways to the PVN were unilaterally transected in the hypothalamus. After 2 weeks survival time, hypothalamic sections were prepared for immunocytochemistry. PNMT-IR axon density decreased 76.0 ± 3.8% on the side of the knifecut compared to the contralateral side, demonstrating satisfactory disconnection of the ascending brainstem pathways. In contrast, the density of CART-IR axons in the PVN on the lesioned side was reduced by only 26.9 ± 2.7%. Disconnection of brainstem pathways reduced the total number of TRH neurons contacted by CART from 99.4 ± 0.9% on the intact side to 74.3 ± 9.4% on the lesioned side, as well as the number of CART varicosities on the surface of TRH neurons from 6.0 ± 0.9 to 2.3 ± 0.4 CART-IR varicosities/cell. These data indicate that CART-IR neurons residing in the brainstem give rise to only approximately one third of the CART input to the PVN as a whole, but serve as a major source of the CART-IR innervation of hypophysiotropic TRH neurons.
Optimal design of columns.

Optimization procedure to minimize volume in design of columns of given cross sectional style and equal buckling load
Energy transfer in poly-l-tyrosine as a function of the degree of ionization of the phenolic hydroxyls. IV. Calculations of theoretical transfer rates

Abstract Rates of energy transfer in poly- l -tyrosine are calculated on the basis of the Forster “very-weak coupling” model and a right-handed α-helical conformation of the molecule. The validity of the very-weak coupling case is demonstrated, and both tyrosyl-tyrosyl and tyrosyl-ionized tyrosyl transfers are considered. The diffusive migration of energy by the first-mentioned transfers is less effective than is the direct trapping of the energy by the acceptor, i.e. by means of tyrosyl-ionized tyrosyl transfers. The theoretically predicted effectiveness of transfers agrees well with experimental observations when the two mechanisms of transfer are considered together.
Quick deals and raw deals: A perspective on abuses of public ADR principles in Texas resource conflicts

Abstract Comparing the recent Texas Copper Company smelter controversy with the celebrated Homestake open-pit mine case a decade ago illustrates that opportunities exist for resolving difficult siting and resource development conflicts, but that such opportunities can be misused, and sound dispute resolution principles abused. The route to failed siting efforts is to ignore the established evidence of the need for processes that acknowledge all stakeholders and the need for treating environmental analysis as a joint effort among parties instead of as a battle over facts. Unfortunately, cases continue to exist where a narrow focus on the settlement, however creative it may be, is leading to failure because of contempt for or ignorance of the importance of pre-negotiation and in-negotiation process requirements. In short, the “quick deal” may be no bettern than “no deal” in environmental conflicts.
Use of 1.5-μm Porous Ethyl-Bridged Hybrid Particles as a Stationary-Phase Support for Reversed-Phase Ultrahigh-Pressure Liquid Chromatography

A new ethyl-bridged hybrid packing material was evaluated in terms of its suitability for ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC). The 1.5-μm particles were obtained and packed into 30-μm-i.d. fused-silica capillary columns up to 50 cm in length. The particles were evaluated by isocratic reversed-phase UHPLC at pressures up to 4500 bar (65 000 psi). The chromatographic performance of these particles was found to be similar to the performance of 1.0-μm nonporous silica particles. The mechanical strength of the ethyl-bridged hybrid material was evaluated by running a 15-cm-long column at pressures up to 4500 bar. No breakdown of the particles in the packed bed was observed. The sample loading capacity of the hybrid material was evaluated and compared to 1.0-μm nonporous silica material by observing analyte peak width versus amount injected. The observed improvement in loading capacity for the hybrid material versus nonporous silica was consistent with the improvement predicted by comparing the phas...
Bacteremia in Febrile Children Seen in a Walk-in Pediatric Clinic

Abstract In an effort to identify high-risk children blood for culture was obtained in children whose temperature was 38.3°C or higher when they were seen in the pediatric "walk-in" clinic. Clinically important bacterial pathogens were identified in the blood from 31 of 708 children in a three-month period. Diplococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae were the most frequent of seven species identified. The data suggest that in this setting, a blood culture provides valuable help in establishing the specific bacteriologic diagnosis in febrile children without focal signs of infection. Bacteremia was most frequent in children seven to 12 months old (p<0.001) and was associated with a white-cell count of 20,000 or more (p<0.01)and a temperature of 39.4°C or higher (p<0.01). (N Engl J Med 288:1309–1312, 1973)
Integrated structural analysis and design using 3-D finite elements

The optimum design of the shape of a hole in a plate in tension is obtained with a design algorithm based on partially converged analysis. The plate is modeled by three-dimensional finite elements, and an EBE PCG iterative solution algorithm is used for solving the equations of equilibrium. Several parametrizations of the optimum shape are considered, and it is found that a sine series can describe the optimum shape with only three design variables. The optimum shape compares well with an experimental optimum obtained by Durelli.
Mineralogy and chemistry of the earth's upper mantle based on the partial fusion-partial crystallization model

Consideration of phase diagrams, mineralogical and chemical data, and textural evidence suggests that ultramafic and mafic nodules found in basaltic rocks at Kilbourne Hole, New Mexico, were formed by the interaction of partial fusion-partial crystallization processes. The olivine compositions of the nodules vary from 7 to 32 mol percent fayalite. Very few nodules were found with olivine compositions in the Fa 12 percent to Fa 14 percent interval, and significant mineralogical and chemical differences are found on either side of this compositional range. The model proposes that the original undepleted upper mantle composition falls in this range, and that it may be calculated from the modal and chemical data. Comparison of the chemical composition of the Earth9s mantle by models based on extraterrestrial data to the Earth9s unaltered upper mantle by Ringwood9s pyrolite model and Nicholl9s model, and to the partial fusion-partial crystallization model reveals convergence toward a similar over-all composition for the Earth9s undepleted upper mantle. The averaged undepleted upper mantle mineralogical composition for the major phases in volume percent under Kilbourne Hole, New Mexico, is: olivine, 50.9 ± 10.9; orthopyroxene, 21.7 ± 6.2; clinopyroxene, 23.0 ± 6.7; and spinel, 4.3 ± 1.2. The averaged undepleted, vapor-free, upper mantle chemical composition in weight percent under Kilbourne Hole, New Mexico, is: SiO 2 , 42.86 ± 0.32; TiO 2 , 0.33 ± 0.07; A1 2 O 3 , 6.99 ± 0.28; Cr 2 O 3 , 0.18 ± 0.04; total iron as Fe, 7.22 ± 0.17; MnO, 0.14 ± 0.01; NiO, 0.20 ± 0.01; MgO, 35.07 ± 0.24; CaO, 4.37 ± 0.11; Na 2 O, 0.45 ± 0.08; K 2 O, 0.003 ± 0.002; CoO, 0.014 ± 0.001; CuO, 0.0012 ± 0.0005; and ZnO, 0.0087 ± 0.0008.
More on the Eguchi-Kawai reduction at finite temperature☆

Abstract I consider the Eguchi-Kawai reduction in d dimensions only of the SU( N → ∞) gauge theory on a d + 1 dimensional lattice. Then I discuss reduced models at finite temperature both with or without reduction of the link variables of the remaining dimension.
Morphine-reserpine interactions in the adrenal medulla

Abstract The interactions of morphine and reserpine were evaluated in the rat adrenal medulla by measurements of catecholamines (CA), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH), and the number and function of isolated storage vesicles (determined by capability to take up [ 3 H]epinephrine and [ 3 H]metaraminol). Administration of chronic morphine alone resulted in elevations in CA, TH, DBH, and the number of vesicles and inhibition of the vesicular uptake system for [ 3 H]epinephrine, reflecting in part long-term sympathoadrenal stimulation. Subsequent administration of a single dose of reserpine to morphine-dependent rats (M + R) resulted in CA depletion to an extent greater than that seen in rats who received reserpine alone (R), accompanied by a greater decline in the number of vesicles in M + R rats. In M + R rats, induction of TH and DBH appeared to be additive of the elevations seen in rats given either drug alone. The remaining storage vesicles in M + R rats were depleted of CA to a greater extent than in R rats, probably as a result of morphine-induced increases in CA turnover. One week after reserpine, CA and vesicular uptake had returned to normal, but in M + R rats, the conditions prior to reserpine (elevated CA, inhibited epinephrine uptake) were not reestablished. These data indicate that chronic morphine enhances the adrenal CA-depleting effect of reserpine by a combination of increased reflex secretion, accelerated CA and vesicle turnover, and blockade of the CA-uptake system; prolonged reversal by reserpine of some of the effects of chronic morphine may reflect a common site of action in the vesicle membrane.
Personality dimensions in mothers and sons: Relationship to adolescent substance misuse

Abstract The purpose of this study was to assess whether personality dimensions in mothers and in their sons predict alcohol and/or substance misuse (ASM) in severely disturbed adolescent boys who were largely from father-absent homes. The sample consisted of 42 adolescent male treatment probands and their mothers. The youths mean age was 15.8 years. All were placed in a residential center and all had conduct disorder diagnosis by DSM III-R criteria. Of the total, 86% met DSM III-R criteria for substance dependence. Alcohol and substance use and criminality were assessed through direct interview, selfreport and family interview. Maternal and adolescent personality dimensions were assessed through an abbreviated version of Cloninger's Tri-Dimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ; Cloninger, 1987b). The results indicated that maternal novelty seeking (NS) predicted adolescent alcohol and drug symptoms, but was not significantly related to the mother's own ASM. Probands' NS predicted their own alcohol and drug dependence symptoms. In general, maternal ASM, maternal NS and proband NS all played some role in proband ASM. At the most severe level of adolescent drug dependence, the adolescent's own NS, when coupled with high maternal NS, rendered the youth most vulnerable to increased alcohol and drug dependent symptoms. The assessment of personality dimensions adds new perspectives to the study of families of adolescents with ASM. Maternal NS appears to contribute significantly to adolescent male ASM in largely father-absent homes.
Late glacial stage and holocene tropical ice core records from huascaran, peru.

Two ice cores from the col of Huascaran in the north-central Andes of Peru contain a paleoclimatic history extending well into the Wisconsinan (Wurm) Glacial Stage and include evidence of the Younger Dryas cool phase. Glacial stage conditions at high elevations in the tropics appear to have been as much as 8° to 12°C cooler than today, the atmosphere contained about 200 times as much dust, and the Amazon Basin forest cover may have been much less extensive. Differences in both the oxygen isotope ratio ζ18O (8 per mil) and the deuterium excess (4.5 per mil) from the Late Glacial Stage to the Holocene are comparable with polar ice core records. These data imply that the tropical Atlantic was possibly 5° to 6°C cooler during the Late Glacial Stage, that the climate was warmest from 8400 to 5200 years before present, and that it cooled gradually, culminating with the Little Ice Age (200 to 500 years before present). A strong warming has dominated the last two centuries.
Nanomaterial Labels in Electrochemical Immunosensors and Immunoassays

This article reviews recent advances in nanomaterial labels in electrochemical immunosensors and immunoassays. Various nanomaterial labels are discussed, including colloidal gold/silver, semiconductor nanoparticles, and markers loaded nanocarriers (carbon nanotubes, apoferritin, silica nanoparticles, and liposome beads). The enormous signal enhancement associated with the use of nanomaterial labels and with the formation of nanomaterial-antibody-antigen assemblies provides the basis for ultrasensitive electrochemical detection of disease-related protein biomarkers, biothreat agents, or infectious agents. In general, all endeavors cited here are geared to achieve one or more of the following goals: signal amplification by several orders of magnitude, lower detection limits, and detecting multiple targets.
Structural Nested Cumulative Failure Time Models to Estimate the Effects of Interventions

In the presence of time-varying confounders affected by prior treatment, standard statistical methods for failure time analysis may be biased. Methods that correctly adjust for this type of covariate include the parametric g-formula, inverse probability weighted estimation of marginal structural Cox proportional hazards models, and g-estimation of structural nested accelerated failure time models. In this article, we propose a novel method to estimate the causal effect of a time-dependent treatment on failure in the presence of informative right-censoring and time-dependent confounders that may be affected by past treatment: g-estimation of structural nested cumulative failure time models (SNCFTMs). An SNCFTM considers the conditional effect of a final treatment at time m on the outcome at each later time k by modeling the ratio of two counterfactual cumulative risks at time k under treatment regimes that differ only at time m. Inverse probability weights are used to adjust for informative censoring. We a...
Clustering of galaxies near damped Lyman-alpha systems with (z) = 2.6

The galaxy two-point correlation function, xi, at (z) = 2.6 is determined by comparing the number of Ly-alpha-emitting galaxies in narrowband CCD fields selected for the presence of damped L-alpha absorption to their number in randomly selected control fields. Comparisons between the presented determination of (xi), a density-weighted volume average of xi, and model predictions for (xi) at large redshifts show that models in which the clustering pattern is fixed in proper coordinates are highly unlikely, while better agreement is obtained if the clustering pattern is fixed in comoving coordinates. Therefore, clustering of Ly-alpha-emitting galaxies around damped Ly-alpha systems at large redshifts is strong. It is concluded that the faint blue galaxies are drawn from a parent population different from normal galaxies, the presumed offspring of damped Ly-alpha systems.
Effect of PAMAM Dendrimer Size and pH on the Electrostatic Binding of Metal Complexes Using Cyclic Voltammetry

Cyclic voltammetry was employed to investigate the extent of electrostatic binding for metal complexes such as ferrocyanide, [Fe(CN)6]4-, to full generations of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers (G1.0−G5.0) as a function of size and pH. Addition of dendrimer solutions to metal complexes caused a large net positive shift in E1/2 and reduced peak currents that varied with the size of the dendrimer. Binding ratios, K4-/K3-, calculated from the potential shifts changed from a ratio of five with small dendrimers (G1.0−G3.0) to 10 for G4.0 and G5.0, consistent with known structural changes in PAMAM dendrimers. Conditional binding constants for [Fe(CN)6]4-, calculated from the diffusion-limited oxidation currents, also increased from G3.0 (8.8 × 104 M-1) to G4.0 (31 × 104 M-1). At pH 5, the binding ratios increased dramatically at all generations, suggesting that the interior amine sites in the dendrimer are easily accessible to metal complexes and that dendrimers show some charge selectivity.
For low platelets, how low is dangerous?

The answer depends on the cause of the thrombocytopenia and on whether surgery or childbirth is planned.
The Vascular Flora of the Little River National Wildlife Refuge, McCurtain County, Oklahoma

ABSTRACT The Little River National Wildlife Refuge (6,070 ha) is located on the west Gulf Coastal Plain in southeastern Oklahoma, a region of high plant diversity for the state. An inventory of the refuge yielded 708 taxa of vascular plants in 688 species, 410 genera, and 128 families. The largest families were the Asteraceae (n = 88 taxa), Poaceae (n = 76), Cyperaceae (n = 49), and Fabaceae (n = 44). Sixty-seven nonnative taxa were collected, representing 9.5% of the flora. Sixty-two taxa were present that are tracked by the Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory, including the Oklahoma endemic, Leavenworthia aurea var. aurea. In addition, we report the first Oklahoma collection of Polygonum glabrum.
Personal telepresence: an interactive multimedia workstation

Personal Telepresence is an interactive multimedia tool that allows individuals or groups to, affordably, meet with remotely located individuals or groups--from their desktop--as if they were all in the same location. A Personal Telepresence workstation would include telephony, computer, desktop videoconferencing, groupware, and graphics capability on a single platform. The user interface presented will allow natural, face-to-face interaction between all those involved in `virtual' meeting, classroom, office or manufacturing problem solving sessions. Files could be opened and placed on a virtual `conference table' where changes could be made interactively by any or all the `meeting' participants. `Copies' of the files can be made, `stapled' together, and given to each of the attendees. The desktop would include a `whiteboard' for brainstorming sessions and a `projector screen' to display movies, video mail, and/or the results of a simulation program. This paper discusses desktop collaboration needs and the Personal Telepresence project at LLNL.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Piezoresistive cantilevers and measurement system for characterizing low force electrical contacts

Abstract The continued miniaturization of integrated circuits (ICs), interconnects, relays, and packaging critically depends on the electrical properties of low force electrical contacts. This paper presents the design, fabrication, and characterization a micro-mechanical force sensor integrated with a four-wire electrical contact characterization capability to evaluate low force and small area electrical contacts comprised of thin films. The sensor consists of a silicon cantilever beam with a piezoresistive force sensor suitable for high-accuracy force measurements in the nanoNewton to milliNewton range. The work presented expands the characterization capabilities for the electromechanical properties of such contacts over what is currently available, using instrumented micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) force sensors. The effects of varied contact tip dimensions and different gold films manufactured using standard semiconductor processing techniques are studied. The cantilevers are evaluated for force sensitivity, range, noise and sensitivity of four-wire contact resistance measurements. The piezoresistors have a gage factor of about 35 and noise of
Distal radius strength: a comparison of DXA-derived vs pQCT-measured parameters in adolescent females.

Abstract Although quantitative computed tomography (QCT) is considered the gold standard for in vivo densitometry, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans assess larger bone regions and are more appropriate for pediatric longitudinal studies. Unfortunately, DXA does not yield specific bone architectural output. To address this issue in healthy, postmenarcheal girls, Sievanen's distal radius formulae [1996] were applied to derive indices of bone geometry, volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), and strength from DXA data; results were compared to peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) output. Contemporaneous scans were performed on the left, distal radii of 35 gymnasts, ex-gymnasts, and nongymnasts (aged 13.3–20.4yr, mean 16.6yr). For 4% and 33% regions, pQCT measured cross-sectional areas (CSAs) and vBMD; comparable DXA indices were generated at ultradistal and 1/3 regions. Index of structural strength in axial compression was calculated from 4% pQCT and DXA output for comparison; 33% pQCT strength-strain index was compared to 1/3 DXA section modulus. Sievanen DXA indices were significantly, positively correlated with pQCT output ( R =+0.61 to +0.98; p
Effects of social setting on the friendship formation of young children differing in developmental status

This study examined the effects of social setting on the friendship formation of preschool-aged children differing in developmental status. Normally developing children (ND), children with communication disorders (CD), and children with developmental (cognitive) delays (DD) participated in a series of short-term play groups. Each of the 21 play groups consisted of children similar in developmental status (ND, CD, or DD play groups; specialized social settings) or contained primarily ND children with a small number of either CD or DD children (mainstreamed social settings). All children initially were unacquainted with one another and were carefully matched on a variety of family demographic and child characteristic measures. Results revealed that high proportions of unilateral friendships were established for all developmental status groups, but proportions were smaller when employing an index of reciprocal friendships. The proportions of unilateral and reciprocal friendships varied in accordance with a child's developmental status, but were not affected by social setting. In mainstreamed settings, the friendship choices of ND children were affected by peers' developmental status. Moreover, children with reciprocal friends were more socially interactive overall than children without reciprocal friends. The implications of these results for arranging social settings that support friendship formation for children with and without disabilities are discussed.
'Welcome to Old Times': Inserting the Okie Past into California's San Joaquin Valley Present

Collective, or social memory describes how societies draw upon the events of the past to make sense of contemporary circumstances. Because collective memory is both temporal and spatial, it tethers the past to place and recognizes that as social circumstances change, collective memory is subject to reinterpretation as the needs of society change. This paper explores how the Okie migrant heritage has been incorporated within the collective memory of California and the San Joaquin Valley. Initially excluded both socially and spatially, Okie migrants to the San Joaquin Valley and their contemporary descendants have since climbed the socio-economic ladder and begun to assert and promote their identity. Key to this identity is the notion of a generalized Okie heritage of migrant success despite adversity. Such a tale has since been adopted by state agencies and has been used in attempts to unify a diversifying population under the banner of ‘the California Story.’ The Okie Story has become the archetypal Calif...
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF APPLES AS A FUNCTION OF MOISTURE CONTENT

The thermal conductivity of apples over the entire range of moisture contents, from bone-dry to full turgor, was measured by means of a thermal conductivity probe. Data are reported, correlated, compared with the scarce information available and discussed from the standpoint of the fruit constituents.
Molecular-Scale Characterization of Uranium Sorption by Bone Apatite Materials for a Permeable Reactive Barrier Demonstration

Uranium binding to bone charcoal and bone meal apatite materials was investigated using U LIII-edge EXAFS spectroscopy and synchrotron source XRD measurements of laboratory batch preparations in the absence and presence of dissolved carbonate. Pelletized bone char apatite recovered from a permeable reactive barrier (PRB) at Fry Canyon, UT, was also studied. EXAFS analyses indicate that U(VI) sorption in the absence of dissolved carbonate occurred by surface complexation of U(VI) for sorbed concentrations ≤ 5500 μg U(VI)/g for all materials with the exception of crushed bone char pellets. Either a split or a disordered equatorial oxygen shell was observed, consistent with complexation of uranyl by the apatite surface. A second shell of atoms at a distance of 2.9 A was required to fit the spectra of samples prepared in the presence of dissolved carbonate (4.8 mM total) and is interpreted as formation of ternary carbonate complexes with sorbed U(VI). A U−P distance at 3.5−3.6 A was found for most samples und...
Abnormal methionine adenosyltransferase in hypermethioninemia.

Abstract Methionine adenosyltransferase activity was reduced in liver from a child with hypermethioninemia. Kinetic studies demonstrated a pattern suggesting negative cooperativity for enzyme derived from rat and human liver. The patient's enzyme was characterized by a decrease in the apparent maximum Km(met). The characteristics of this mutant enzyme could explain the clinical abnormalities.
Improved target detection algorithm using Fukunaga-Koontz transform and distance classifier correlation filter

Often sensor ego-motion or fast target movement causes the target to temporarily go out of the field-of-view leading to reappearing target detection problem in target tracking applications. Since the target goes out of the current frame and reenters at a later frame, the reentering location and variations in rotation, scale, and other 3D orientations of the target are not known thus complicating the detection algorithm has been developed using Fukunaga-Koontz Transform (FKT) and distance classifier correlation filter (DCCF). The detection algorithm uses target and background information, extracted from training samples, to detect possible candidate target images. The detected candidate target images are then introduced into the second algorithm, DCCF, called clutter rejection module, to determine the target coordinates are detected and tracking algorithm is initiated. The performance of the proposed FKT-DCCF based target detection algorithm has been tested using real-world forward looking infrared (FLIR) video sequences.
Evidence of Offshore Lake Trout Reproduction in Lake Huron

Abstract Six Fathom Bank-Yankee Reef, an offshore reef complex, was an historically important spawning area believed to represent some of the best habitat for the rehabilitation of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Huron. Since 1986, lake trout have been stocked on these offshore reefs to reestablish self-sustaining populations. We sampled with beam trawls to determine the abundance of naturally reproduced age-0 lake trout on these offshore reefs during May-July in 1994-1998 and 2000-2002. In total, 123 naturally reproduced lake trout fry were caught at Six Fathom Bank, and 2 naturally reproduced lake trout fry were caught at nearby Yankee Reef. Our findings suggest that this region of Lake Huron contains suitable habitat for lake trout spawning and offers hope that lake trout rehabilitation can be achieved in the main basin of Lake Huron.
Design of Dynamic System Fault-Tolerant Control using IMM Estimation and RBF Neural Network

In this paper, a strategy of failure detection, identification and reconfigurable scheme for a dynamic system is proposed. The proposed scheme provides detection and identification of sensor, actuator and/or system component failures, dynamic system state estimation and system performance recovery. Fault detection and identification is carried out using radial basis function (RBF) neural network and interacting multiple model (IMM) estimation. The RBF-NN is used to form a statistical model of nominal or faulty data and estimate the mode-conditional probability densities as the choice of likelihood function. The IMM mechanism carries out the interaction among mode-based filters, update the mode probability and provide the overall state estimate as the control input. Eigenstructure assignment (EA) technique is used for the reconfigurable controller design. The proposed approach is evaluated using an aircraft example, and the results obtained show that it can reliably and accurately detect, identify the faults and recover the impaired dynamic performance to the desired one.
What Is Missing in Amphibian Decline Research: Insights from Ecological Sensitivity Analysis

Inventory, monitoring, and experimental studies have been the primary approaches for document- ing and understanding the problem of amphibian declines. However, little attention has been given to plac- ing human-caused perturbations affecting one or more life-history stages in the context of the overall popula- tion dynamics of particular species. We used two types of ecological sensitivity analysis to determine which vital rates have the strongest influence on the population dynamics of western toads ( Bufo boreas ), red-legged frogs ( Rana aurora ), and common frogs ( Rana temporaria ), pond-breeding amphibians that have declined in all or portions of their ranges. Our results suggest that post-metamorphic vital rates and highly variable vital rates both have a strong influence on the population dynamics of these species and therefore deserve more re- search and management attention. Ecological sensitivity analysis should be more widely applied to the issue of amphibian declines in order to identify the most plausible mechanisms of decline and prioritize which life- history stages should be the focus of research and management efforts. Future experimental studies of pertur- bations in one or more life-history stage should attempt to link the magnitude of the perturbation measured with the overall population-level consequences. Finally, current research, inventory, and monitoring efforts should be supplemented with demographic studies so that quantitative analyses can be applied to a wider range of species and life-history groups.
Increased Incidence of Tumor Metastases in Female Mice

Most of the tumor cells injected into the tail vein of mice fail to survive at the site of arrest in the lungs, but the percentage of surviving cells is higher in females than in males. The surviving cells, however, grow at a similar and constant rate in both sexes.
Transmembrane location of oligosaccharide-lipid synthesis in microsomal vesicles

The oligosaccharide-lipid which is the precursor of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides of eucaryotic glycoproteins is synthesized from sugar nucleotides in the endoplasmic reticulum. The transmembrane location of the assembly of this oligosaccharide-lipid has been studied in vitro in rat liver microsomes. Protease treatment of these sealed vesicles which are derived from the endoplasmic reticulum resulted in the inactivation of a number of enzymes of oligosaccharide-lipid synthesis. Three early steps, the synthesis of dolichol--phosphate--mannose, of dolichol--phosphate--glucose and of dolichol--pyrophosphoryl--di--N--acetylchitobiose, as well as the final steps, the addition of glucose residues to oligosaccharide-lipid, were inactivated under conditions where only the cytoplasmic side of the membrane was accessible to protease. This finding, and the fact that no activities were latent to protease in intact microsomal vesicles, suggest that oligosaccharide-lipid is assembled on the cytoplasmic side of the microsomal membrane. However, the possibility of enzymes spanning the bilayer with their active sites facing the lumen cannot be ruled out. These results are discussed in relation to the segregation of newly made glycoprotein products within the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum.
Manifolds with hyperhopfian fundamental group as codimension-2 fibrators

Abstract Every hopfian n -manifold N with hyperhopfian fundamental group is known to be a codimension-2 orientable fibrator. In this paper, we generalize to the non-orientable setting by considering the covering space N of N corresponding to H , where H is the intersection of all subgroups H i of index 2 in π 1 (N) . First, we will show that if π 1 (N) is hyperhopfian and N is hopfian, then N is a codimension-2 fibrator. Then we get several results about codimension-2 fibrators as corollaries.
Point defect charge determination by ionic polarization of semiconducting oxides with special reference to TiO2−x☆

Abstract A new derivation is presented for the dependence on the charge of mobile ionic species of the ratio between EMF differences measuring oxygen activity in a semiconducting oxide and an applied voltage driving an electronic current. The theory includes cases in which majority defects and the most mobile ionic defects are not the same.
Day versus inpatient treatment for cocaine dependence: an experimental comparison.

This study was designed to explore the question of whether day treatment is a viable alternative to inpatient treatment for cocaine-dependent patients. Inpatient subjects were compared with day-treatment subjects in a randomized, prospective study design. Treatment outcome was evaluated at three and six months posttreatment. At three months posttreatment, the inpatient group had a statistically significant higher rate of total abstinence than the day-treatment group, but the difference at six months was not statistically significant. The two groups also were statistically comparable at six months posttreatment in terms of “current” abstinence and in terms of other measures. Average costs for day-treatment subjects was 48–61% of the cost for inpatient subjects. The results of this study support the use of day treatment as a clinically and economically effective alternative to inpatient treatment for many cocaine-dependent patients, especially when steps are taken to minimize drop out.
Vibrational analysis of the H5O2+ infrared spectrum using molecular and driven molecular dynamics.

Standard molecular and driven molecular dynamics are used to analyze prominent spectral features in the H5O2+ infrared spectrum. In the driven method, the molecular Hamiltonian is augmented with a time-dependent term, μ · e0 sin(ωt), where μ is the dipole moment of H5O2+, e0 is the electric field, and ω is the frequency. The magnitude of the electric field determines whether the driving is mild (the harmonic limit) or strong (anharmonic motion and mode coupling). We analyze the spectrum in the wavenumber range from 600 to 1900 cm-1, where recent experimental measurements are available for H5O2+. On the basis of the simulations, we have assigned the broad feature around 1000 cm-1 to the proton transfer coupled with the torsion motion. Intense absorption near 1780 cm-1 is assigned to the H2O monomer bend coupled with proton transfer.
A Converging Consensus of the Structure of a Voltage-Sensing Domain in its Resting State

Understanding the voltage-sensing mechanism of Kv+ channels requires gaining knowledge of the active and resting conformations of the voltage-sensing domain (VSD). However, the lack of structural information remains an obstacle in revealing the activation pathway between conformations. Although crystallographic studies have provided atomic resolution structures of Kv+ channels in their putative open/inactive state, no crystal structure of a Kv+ channel in the resting state is currently available. In the absence of complete atomic resolution structures, experimental and computational studies have sought to complement the structural information of the channel in both conformations. Despite efforts to generate a consistent model of the resting state no consensus has been reached. In the present work, we have probed the accuracy of Khalili-Araghi's model of a VSD in the resting state by subjecting it to experimentally-determined structural constraints. These include metal bridges between transmembrane helices S1/S4, S2/S4, S2/S3, and an interaction between S2/S4 that spatially position the transmembrane helices with respect to each other. Of particular importance, we simulated the actual mutations and interactions that were involved in the referenced experiments. The purpose of these simulations has been to address the compatibility of Khalili-Araghi's VSD model with the available experimental data. The simulations demonstrate that a rough consensus exists on the overall conformation of the resting state of the VSD when all available experimental information is utilized.Support: GM030376, GM062342
Hydrogen and Ascorbate Dilution Curves: A Simplified Method for Routine Use in Detection of Intracardiac Shunt and Valvular Regurgitation

A dual platinum electrode system for recording hydrogen and ascorbate dilution curves has simplified the once-complicated technique to such an extent that it may be used during routine cardiac catheterization for detection of intracardiac shunts and valvular regurgitation. It comprises two flexible platinum probes: one inserted in a peripheral artery and the other placed transvenously either distal to me site of a left-to-right shunt for hydrogen dilution curves or proximal to the site of a right-to-left shunt or to an incompetent cardiac valve for ascorbate dilution curves. No expensive equipment is involved, and no modification of the routine procedure in a cardiac catheterization laboratory is necessary. Demonstration and localization of shunt and valvular regurgitation can be carried out easily, quickly, reliably and safely with the same dual-electrode system. Neither blood withdrawal which all other in vitro indicator dilution studies necessitate nor potential hazard to the patient which selective angiocardiography may carry is involved. Its routine use during diagnostic cardiac catheterization has been rewarded by detection of unsuspected complicating lesions and resolution of difficult diagnostic problems. Among added advantages of using a platinum electrode during cardiac catheterization are intracardiac electrography for diagnosis of complex arrhythmias and temporary endocardiac pacing for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Reproducibility of Soil Moisture Ensembles When Representing Soil Parameter Uncertainty Using a Latin Hypercube-Based Approach with Correlation Control

[1] Representation of model input uncertainty is critical in ensemble‐based data assimilation. Monte Carlo sampling of model inputs produces uncertainty in the hydrologic state through the model dynamics. Small Monte Carlo ensemble sizes are desirable because of model complexity and dimensionality but potentially lead to sampling errors and correspondingly poor representation of probabilistic structure of the hydrologic state. We compare two techniques to sample soil hydraulic and thermal properties (SHTPs): (1) Latin Hypercube (LH) based sampling with correlation control and (2) random sampling from SHTP marginal distributions. A hydrology model is used to project SHTP uncertainty onto the soil moisture state for given forcings. For statistical comparison, we generate 20 ensembles for 7 ensemble sizes. Variance in ensemble moment estimates decreases with increasing ensemble size. The LH‐based approach yields less variance in the estimate of ensemble moments at all ensemble sizes, an advantage greatest with small ensembles. Implications for hydrologic uncertainty assessment, data assimilation, and parameter estimation are discussed.
Relationship Between Fat in Breast and Thigh Muscles and Skin with Abdominal Fat from Mated and Unmated Female Coturnix Quail

Abstract Coturnix quail chicks were hatched from randomly selected eggs and grown to adulthood. Forty-two mated and 13 unmated females were killed at 107 days of age. Correlations between abdominal, fat and fat measured at different locations (breast, thigh, crop collar) were high. Percentage thigh fat was 1.3 times that of breast fat. There was no difference (P>.05) between mated and unmated female quail for percentage fat and moisture content of breast muscle and skin and percentage fat content of thigh muscle. A highly significant difference was found for percentage fat and percentage moisture content of wet thigh skin between mated and unmated birds. The phenotypic correlation between percentage moisture and fat content in the breast muscle was −.76 and was −.94 in the breast skin in both mated and unmated females. Coturnix quail may be used as a pilot animal in body composition research provided due caution is taken because of the difference between species.
From small scales to the big picture: persistence mechanisms of planktonic grazers in the oligotrophic ocean

In this review we evaluate whether universal behavioral and metabolic mechanisms exist, which permit marine proto- and metazooplankton to persist in continuously food-limited environments such as the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre and other oligotrophic ocean systems. We re-visit the issue of what processes account for low steady-state abundance of the dominant groups of planktonic grazers: phagotrophic protists and copepods, by examining evidence for the four processes proposed by Strom et al. (2000): grazing thresholds, behavioral response to prey patchiness, top–down control of grazers, and mixotrophy (combination of photosynthesis and phagotrophy in protists) and/or omnivory (switching between alternate prey types). Published observations reveal that grazing thresholds, below which feeders reduce their feeding efforts and, with that, their metabolic expenditures, do exist. There are also studies suggesting that both protistan and small metazoan plankton feeders may take advantage of patchiness of food particles and are frequently mixotrophic and/ or omnivorous. Predator patchiness in response to prey patches may facilitate top–down control of grazers. Finally, we discuss processes, which may lead to low quasi steady-state abundances of food particles and feeders.
Characterization of Urban Atmospheres during Inhalation Exposure Studies in Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan

An inhalation exposure study for particulate matter (PM) investigates links between exposure and observed changes in respiratory function by evaluating the interactions of chemical and physical properties of the PM with physiological mechanisms. Laboratory studies are useful in this regard, but provide limited information because of the difficulty in reproducing real atmospheric PM compositions and processes. To better understand the types of particles to which people are actually exposed in their daily lives, and the human health risks for source-specific PM, a real world assessment of the source-to-receptor pathways for ambient PM is vital. This was accomplished using a unique mobile air research laboratory (AirCARE1) which enables inhalation exposure studies in real-world settings. The overall goal of this study was to determine the effects of concentrated air particulates (CAPs) from 2 different urban atmospheres in Michigan on the lungs of ovalbumin-sensitized rats concurrently challenged with the al...
A Minimally Intrusive Method for Sampling Persons in Random Digit Dial Surveys

To survey a population of persons such as all adults, many studies sample households as an intermediary step to reach this population because directly sampling persons requires a comprehensive list that exists only in specialized situations. In random digit dial (RDD) surveys, the sample of households is obtained by sampling telephone numbers. Within-household sampling is then performed to go from the household to the person level. From the earliest days of conducting RDD surveys, a key research objective has been the development and evaluation of methods of within-household sampling that do not lower response rates. Some sampling methods that do not give probability samples have been proposed and used in practice. Although these methods are subject to selection bias, their use has been justified as necessary to increase response rates by simplifying and improving the flow of the interview. We propose a new and simple method of within-household sampling that is minimally intrusive and, thus, should not have a deleterious effect on response rates. The method results in a probability sample of eligible persons within households. The method is especially simple to implement in computerassisted telephone interview (CATI) RDD surveys. We focus on sampling one adult from each household as this is the primary application, but we also describe how the method can be extended to sample more than one person per household. This paper provides an introduction to the method and results from one study. Experimental comparisons of this approach with other methods of within-household sampling would be a useful next step.
Transient behavior and time lags in binary nucleation

To investigate transient binary nucleation, both qualitatively and quantitatively, we numerically solved the birth-death equations for vapor-to-liquid phase transitions. We found that in its early transient stages, binary nucleation rarely, if ever, occurs via the saddle point. Instead most binary systems pass through a temporary stage in which the region of maximum flux extends over a ridge on the free energy surface before reaching the state of saddle point nucleation. Both the number of particles formed and their composition may be affected, and this could be very important for nucleation in glasses and other condensed mixtures for which timescales are very long. In order to plan experiments, accurate estimates of the time lag are important. We therefore directly calculated the time lag for the saddle point flux using our numerical results and compared it with the available analytical predictions. Although the analytical results over-estimate the time lag by factors of 2-6, the numerical results followed the predicted analytical trends quite closely under most conditions.
An Investigation of Indoor Air Quality in Rural Residential Houses in India - A Case Study

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a matter of public concern these days whereas air pollution is normally monitored outdoors as required under national air quality strategies. In consequence, much less is known about air pollution levels indoors. As 70% of the Indian population lives in villages in rural areas this study attempts to provide information about the present IAQ of rural residential homes in Agra (the city of the Taj Mahal), India, during 3 months of the rainy season from July to September 2003. Measurements were made in the living rooms of the homes and included CO, NO, NO2, SO2 and particulate matter (PM10). The results were analysed statistically and indoor concentrations were correlated with outdoor concentrations for all the houses. It was found that the average indoor concentration of CO was 1.8±0.4ppm, for NO it was 0.12±0.06ppm, for NO2 it was 0.09±0.02ppm, and for SO2 it was 0.06±0.01ppm whereas PM10 was found to be 0.0287ppm. It was seen that the indoor concentrations at all the houses of ...