cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Crater population and resurfacing of the Martian north polar layered deposits

Present-day accumulation in the north polar layered deposits (NPLD) is thought to occur via deposition on the north polar residual cap. Understanding current mass balance in relation to current climate would provide insight into the climatic record of the NPLD. To constrain processes and rates of NPLD resurfacing, a search for craters was conducted using images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera. One hundred thirty craters have been identified on the NPLD, 95 of which are located within a region defined to represent recent accumulation. High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment images of craters in this region reveal a morphological sequence of crater degradation that provides a qualitative understanding of processes involved in crater removal. A classification system for these craters was developed based on the amount of apparent degradation and infilling and where possible depth/diameter ratios were determined. The temporal and spatial distribution of crater degradation is interpreted to be close to uniform. Through comparison of the size-frequency distribution of these craters with the expected production function, the craters are interpreted to be an equilibrium population with a crater of diameter D meters having a lifetime of ~30.75D^(1.14) years. Accumulation rates within these craters are estimated at 7.2D^(−0.14) mm/yr, which corresponds to values of ~3–4 mm/yr and are much higher than rates thought to apply to the surrounding flat terrain. The current crater population is estimated to have accumulated in the last ~20 kyr or less.
Lead levels in Maryland construction workers

A cross-sectional study of unionized construction workers not currently known to be performing lead work was conducted. Participants completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire obtaining information about demographics, work history, other possible sources of lead exposure and health status (including hypertension, noise-induced hearing loss and renal disease). Blood was then obtained via venipuncture for whole blood lead level, hematocrit and free erythrocyte protoporphyrin determination. Two hundred and sixty-four Maryland construction workers had median whole blood lead determinations of 7 micrograms/dl and mean values of 8.0 micrograms/dl, with a skewed distribution ranging from 2 to 30 micrograms/dl. None were currently engaged in known lead work. Blood lead levels were significantly higher for the 124 who had 'ever' worked in demolition (8.8 micrograms/dl vs. 7.2 micrograms/dl, p = .004), and for the 79 who had ever burned paint and metal and welded on outdoor structures compared to the 48 who had done none of these activities (8.6 micrograms/dl vs. 6.8 micrograms/dl, p = .01). The 58 workers who had ever had workplace lead monitoring performed had higher lead levels (9.7 vs. 7.5 micrograms/dl, p = .003). Blood lead levels increased with age, and cigarette smoking. African Americans (N = 68) had higher lead levels (9.1 vs. 7.5 micrograms/dl, p = .01). There were only two women in the study, one with a lead level of 21 micrograms/dl and one, 7 micrograms/dl. Blood lead levels did not predict either systolic or diastolic blood pressure in this population. However, there was a significant interaction between race and lead as predictors of blood pressure, with blacks demonstrating a trend-significant correlation, and whites showing a nonsignificant but negative association. Demolition and hotwork on outdoor structures are known to cause acute episodes of lead poisoning. They also appear to cause slight but persistent increases in blood lead levels. Future workplace regulation should recognize and seek to maintain the low baseline now apparent even in urban, East Coast, construction workers.
The early events of radiation chemistry

Abstract A critical review of the early events of radiation chemistry is presented with special reference to aqueous solutions and liquid hydrocarbons. It is concluded that a judicious combination of both direct and indirect methods must be used to get a complete picture of the early events. Proper interpretation of scavenging experiments plays a key role in the indirect methods. Contact reactions at very short times (≈ 10 −13 s) must also be considered in concentrated solutions. The aim of the paper is not to develop any particular model in detail but to analyze the natural limitations of model construction. It appears that, for different reasons, there are “barriers” on the short time scale for both direct and indirect ways of investigating early events. The proper use of indirect methods combined with early real-time measurements allows investigation of events behind these barriers.
Use of pamidronate in the management of acute cancer‐related hypercalcemia in children

Purpose To determine whether pamidronate is a safe and effective agent for the treatment of severe hypercalcemia of malignancy in children. Materials and Methods A retrospective review of the charts of five children treated with pamidronate 1–2 mg/kg for severe, refractory hypercalcemia of malignancy. All children failed conventional therapy. Statistical analysis was done utilizing the two-tailed Student's t-test. Results All five children had complete resolution of their hypercalcemia in a predictable pattern within 24–48 hours. The average decrease in serum calcium was 1.63 mmol/L(6.54 mg/dl). (P < .01) The adverse effects were mild and transient, and consisted of hypocalcemia, hypophosphatemia, and hypomagnesemia. Conclusions Pamidronate at a dose of 1 mg/kg is a safe and effective treatment for severe, refractory hypercalcemia of malignancy in children. Med. Pediatr. Oncol. 30:117–121, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Yield, quality and K/(Ca+Mg) ratio of tall fescue breeding lines on amended and nonamended minesoil 1

Abstract Surface mineable coal is abundant beneath many farmland areas in Missouri. Presently, 90% of the electricity generated in the state is by coal powered plants. Surface strip‐mining laws now require reclamation of these lands after drastic disturbance. Tall fescue (Festuca arundinancea Schreb) cultivars and breeding lines have been evaluated for yield, nutrient composition and quality on undisturbed lands, but not for these qualities and for adaptability to revegetate drastically disturbed lands. Six breeding lines and 2 cultivars of tall fescue were evaluated for yield, nutrient composition, crude protein and IVDMD on limed and unlisted minesoils in west‐central Missouri. The experimental design was a randomized split‐block with lime treatment the split‐block, 3‐replications, with individual plots 1.21 × 3.05 m. Agriculture lime with ENM index of 291 at rate of 19 mt/ha was incorporated, fescue seeded and the experimental area mulched during August‐September, 1978. The 1979 harvest samples were co...
The deuterium isotope effect on the response of the electron capture detector

This paper describes the measurement of the deuterium isotope effect on the response of an electron capture detector (ECD) to CH3I, CHCl3, C6H5Br and C6H5NO2. The effect of15N substitution was also investigated for nitrobenzene. Measurements were taken at two different ECD temperatures. For both CH3I and C6H5Br, there is a decrease of about 30 % in the ECD response upon deuterium substitution. For chloroform, there is a 15 % increase and for nitrobenzene there is no effect below 500 K.
Towards analysis of growth trajectory through multimodal longitudinal MR imaging

The human brain undergoes significant changes in the first few years after birth, but knowledge about this critical period of development is quite limited. Previous neuroimaging studies have been mostly focused on morphometric measures such as volume and shape, although tissue property measures related to the degree of myelination and axon density could also add valuable information to our understanding of brain maturation. Our goal is to complement brain growth analysis via morphometry with the study of longitudinal tissue property changes as reflected in patterns observed in multi-modal structural MRI and DTI. Our preliminary study includes eight healthy pediatric subjects with repeated scans at the age of two weeks, one year, and two years with T1, T2, PD, and DT MRI. Analysis is driven by the registration of multiple modalities and time points within and between subjects into a common coordinate frame, followed by image intensity normalization. Quantitative tractography with diffusion and structural image parameters serves for multi-variate tissue analysis. Different patterns of rapid changes were observed in the corpus callosum and the posterior and anterior internal capsule, structures known for distinctly different myelination growth. There are significant differences in central versus peripheral white matter. We demonstrate that the combined longitudinal analysis of structural and diffusion MRI proves superior to individual modalities and might provide a better understanding of the trajectory of early neurodevelopment.
Interatomic potentials for Zn2 from the absorption spectra of the 213.8 nm line

Absorption measurements have been made in the near blue wing and over a 75 nm range in the red wing of the 213.8 nm Zn line for nine temperatures between 685 and 1030 degrees C and for Zn pressures between 2.5*10-3 and 1.3 atm. The data are analysed wit the statistical theory of broadening. At the lowest pressures and near the line centre the line is symmetrical and an oscillator strength of 1.502+or-0.044 is obtained. The red wing is assumed to arise from transitions to a single, non-degenerate excited state with a constant oscillator strength that is one-third the value for the isolated atom. The ground-state and excited-state potentials are then obtained as a function of R3-Rref3 where R is the interatomic separation and Rref is not fixed by the authors' experiment. The depth of the minimum in the ground state is 46 meV with a standard deviation of 10 meV. No minimum in the excited-state potential is seen but a lower limit of 1.2 eV for its depth is fixed. Taking one value of R from the calculation of Hay et al. (1976), the authors have constructed the potentials in terms of R between 0.27 and 1.38 nm. The authors' excited state falls below the calculated result at the smallest values of R.
Ultrathin metal film growth on TiO2(110): an overview

Abstract The interface between an oxide substrate and a metal overlayer may crucially influence the macroscopic behavior of technological devices such as sensors, catalysts, ceramics, and semiconductor chips. Hence investigations of adsorption, nucleation and growth of ultrathin metal films on metal oxide surfaces have attracted increasing interest during recent years. Experimental results on the growth of metal overlayers on a model oxide, TiO 2 (110), are reviewed. The emphasis is on the very initial stages of overlayer growth and on extracting general trends on metal/metal-oxide interaction by comparing results from different metal overlayers. The electronic and geometric structure, growth mode, interface formation, and thermal stability of metal films are discussed. The strength of the oxidation/reduction reaction at the interface, the wetting ability and the tendency to form a disordered layer are all related to the reactivity of the overlayer metal towards oxygen. We propose that ‘reactive adsorption’ accounts for the observed trends.
Prediction of mandibular rotation: An empirical test of clinician performance

An experiment was conducted in an attempt to determine empirically how effective a number of expert clinicians were at differentiating "backward rotators" from "forward rotators" on the basis of head-film information which might reasonably have been available to them prior to instituting treatment for the correction of Class II malocclusion. As a result of a previously reported ongoing study, pre- and posttreatment head films were available for 188 patients treated in the mixed dentition for the correction of Class II malocclusion and for 50 untreated Class II subjects. These subjects were divided into 14 groups (average size of group, 17; range, 6 to 23) solely on the basis of type of treatment and the clinician from whose clinic the records had originated. From within each group, we selected the two or three subjects who had exhibited the most extreme backward rotation and the two or three subjects who had exhibited the most extreme forward rotation of the mandible during the interval between films. The sole criterion for classification was magnitude of change in the mandibular plane angle of Downs between the pre- and posttreatment films of each patient. The resulting sample contained 32 backward-rotator subjects and 32 forward-rotator subjects. Five expert judges (mean clinical experience, 28 years) were asked to identify the backward-rotator subjects by examination of the pretreatment films. The findings may be summarized as follows: (1) No judge performed significantly better than chance. (2) There was strong evidence that the judges used a shared, though relatively ineffective, set of rules in making their discriminations between forward and backward rotators. (3) Statistical analysis of the predictive power of a set of standard cephalometric measurements which had previously been made for this set of subjects indicated that the numerical data also failed to identify potential backward rotators at a rate significantly better than chance. We infer from these findings that the ability of clinicians to identify backward rotators on the basis of information available at the outset of treatment is poor. Hence, we believe that it is unlikely that such predictions play any consequential operational role in the planning of successful orthodontic therapy at the present state of the art.
Temporal analyses of children's comprehension during oral reading

Second- and fourth-grade children read aloud one normal story then two stories that contained an anomalous phrase in the third of five sentences. The anomalies were produced by reversing the order of two predicate nouns. The rate of articulation was slower and total pause time was greater when children read the anomalous sentences than when they read the normal sentences. While the anomalous sentences were read literally, all but a few children restored the anomalous phrase to its original meaning or changed some of the words to make the anomalous event more plausible. The results of the study suggest that temporal measures are highly sensitive to comprehension processes and that children comprehend the story as they read and compare what they read with what they know about the world.
Testability explorer: using byte-code analysis to engineer lasting social changes in an organization's software development process.

Testability Explorer is an open-source tool that identifies hard-to-test Java code. Testability Explorer provides a repeatable objective metric of "testability." This metric becomes a key component of engineering a social change within an organization of developers. The TE report provides actionable information to developers which can be used as (1) measure of progress towards a goal and (2) a guide to refactoring towards a more testable code-base.
Toxicogenomics and systems toxicology: aims and prospects

Toxicogenomics combines transcript, protein and metabolite profiling with conventional toxicology to investigate the interaction between genes and environmental stress in disease causation. The patterns of altered molecular expression that are caused by specific exposures or disease outcomes have revealed how several toxicants act and cause disease. Despite these success stories, the field faces noteworthy challenges in discriminating the molecular basis of toxicity. We argue that toxicology is gradually evolving into a systems toxicology that will eventually allow us to describe all the toxicological interactions that occur within a living system under stress and use our knowledge of toxicogenomic responses in one species to predict the modes-of-action of similar agents in other species.
Clothing and Changing Sex Roles: Comparison of Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses

The main objective of this exploratory study was to compare qualitative and quantitative data collection methods and results via an investigation of sex role changes and clothing. Clothing and other appearance variables from videotaped episodes of situation comedies aired from 1953 to 1988 were analyzed for mas culinity and femininity. The results of both analyses were remarkably similar. The increasing masculinity of working women's appearance as depicted in the sitcoms over time was found to be related to concomitantly changing sex roles, from highly differentiated roles in 1953–1957, when the least masculinity was found in women's appearance, to modestly differentiated roles in 1986—1988, when the most masculinity was found in women's appearance. Further, the clothing and appearance of working men and working women became less differentiated as sex roles became less differentiated. This was primarily due to the fact that wom en's appearance came to incorporate more, and men's appearance came to in corporate fewer, masculine elements. However, men's appearance did not come to incorporate more feminine elements.
Psychoses: diagnosis and treatment in the elderly.

With our aging population it is important to understand the risk factors, causes, differential diagnoses, and treatment modalities related to psychotic disorders in elderly patients.
Robust controls for traffic networks: The near-Bayes near-Minimax strategy

Abstract Traffic signals allocate scarce capacity at roadway junctions and, as such, influence the level of service both locally and in the corresponding traffic network. This paper addresses the problem of determining robust signal controls in a traffic network which (a) consider the interdependency of signal controls and traffic flow patterns and (b) account for the variability or uncertainty in the origin–destination demands. The approach taken is to model the uncertainty in terms of constraints on the possible origin–destination (OD) demands concurrently with the signal controls to produce a “best” strategy that accounts for this uncertainty. To develop this strategy solutions for two extreme cases are considered. One is the Bayes case in which we assume a probability density on the possible OD matrices. The second is the Minimax solution which seeks to minimize the worst possible costs that may occur. The strategy employed is a compromise between the Bayes and the Minimax solutions and is termed the near-Bayes near-Minimax (NBNM) strategy. It is designed to provide performance that is close to the best that can be obtained under Bayes conditions, yet does not depart too far from the most beneficial controls under the most costly origin–destination demands. As such, this is a conservative approach whose controls can provide robust or risk-averse performance. Application of the methodology is illustrated in three case studies.
Late embryonic ritanserin exposure fails to alter normal responses to immune system stimulation in young chicks.

Abstract Prior studies in our laboratory have demonstrated that prenatal treatment with the serotonin 2 (5-HT 2 ) antagonist ritanserin is effective in blocking some of the lethal, dysmorphic, cardiovascular, and behavioral consequences of excessive direct or indirect stimulation of 5-HT 2 receptors in the developing chicken. The efficacious dose range for ritanserin in these studies had very little or no effect on the above measures of toxicity when administered alone. In the present study, we extend our characterization of ritanserin's potential toxicity, or lack thereof, to include the normal behavioral and endocrine responses to immune system stimulation by the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS administration induces a syndrome collectively known as sickness behavior, manifest as altered thermoregulatory processes leading to fever, and increased serum concentrations of neuroendocrine hormones, including corticosterone. These survival-promoting responses to LPS were assessed in young chickens that had been treated with doses of ritanserin ranging from 0 to 2.7 mg/kg on embryonic day 17 (E17). When sickness behavior was assessed in 5–7-day-old chicks 1 h post-LPS injection, E17 ritanserin-treated subjects did not differ from controls. At 4–6 h post-LPS, 4-day-old chicks displayed a robust fever, and E17 ritanserin did not affect the magnitude of this response. Similarly, E17 ritanserin treatment failed to affect corticosterone concentrations 2 h post-LPS in 14-day-old chicks. Thus, ritanserin treatment during late embryogenesis, a time when it is effective against direct and indirect acting 5-HT 2 agonists, failed to modify the survival promoting and beneficial interactions between the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems that are elicited following immunostimulation.
Correlation of Positive Prostate Sextant Biopsy Locations to Sites of Positive Surgical Margins in Radical Prostatectomy Specimens

Objective: To investigate whether sextant location of positive prostate biopsy predicts the site of positive surgical margins (PSM) at the time of radical prostatectomy (RP) in pati
History of obstetric complications, family history, and CT scan findings in schizophrenic patients

It has been proposed that obstetric complications (OCs) are more common in patients with nonfamilial schizophrenia, and associated with lateral ventricular enlargement in such patients. We examined the relations among OCs, family history of schizophrenia or bipolar mood disorder, and lateral ventricular size and cortical sulcal prominence in 44 schizophrenic patients. A history of OCs was not related to an absence of a family history of schizophrenia, ventricle-brain ratio, or cortical sulcal prominence. None of the CT findings was related to family history.
Information needs and gathering patterns of academic social scientists, with special emphasis given to historians and their use of U.S. Government publications

Abstract This paper addresses the information needs and gathering behavior of historians and other members of the academic social science community. In addition, it looks at the competitive information environment and views libraries as one of many providers. The existing research is fragmentary and, by far, too incomplete to be useful to librarians in developing collections and services to meet the information needs of historians and to accommodate their preferences for information gathering. The paper suggests the need for further research, identifies factors to take into account in formulating appropriate research designs, and offers research models worthy of replication or further exploration. Without a more extensive research base, a number of library and information programs and services may well be based on a misunderstanding of the current and future information needs and gathering strategies of possible client groups.
Declining fertility on the frontier: The Ecuadorian Amazon

This paper examines farm and household characteristics associated with a rapid fertility decline in a forest frontier of the Ecuadorian Amazon. The Amazon basin and other rainforests in the tropics are among the last frontiers in the ongoing global fertility transition. The pace of this transition along agricultural frontiers will likely have major implications for future forest transitions, rural development, and ultimately urbanization in frontier areas. The study here is based upon data from a probability sample of 172 women who lived on the same farm in 1990 and 1999. These data are from perhaps the first region-wide longitudinal survey of fertility in an agricultural frontier. Descriptive analyses indicate that fertility has plummeted in the region, which is surprising since it had remained high and unchanging among migrant colonists up to 1990. Thus only half of the women in our sample reported having a birth during the 1990-1999 time period, and most women report in 1999 that they do not want to have any more children. Analyses, controlling for women's age, corroborate hypotheses about land-fertility relations. For example, women from households with a legal land title had fewer than half as many children as those from households without a title. Large cattle (pasture) holdings and hiring laborers to work on the farm (which may replace household labor) are both related to socio-economic status that is traditionally associated with lower fertility. Similarly, distance to the nearest community center is positively related to fertility. Factors negatively related to fertility include increasing temporary out-migration of adult men or women from the household, asset accumulation, and access to electricity.
Ultraviolet mutagenesis of moss cells in vitro

A method using ultraviolet light as a mutagen for moss cells in tissue culture is presented. This method allows for the selection of mutants in the green plant,Physcomitrella patens (Hedw.) BSG, by varying selection techniques to fit the mutants desired and for studying the effect of ultraviolet on a green plant system. The ease by which the system can be manipulated makes it attractive for research, classroom, or demonstration needs.
Methods of communication research [Методы коммуникативных исследований]

Communication research in Russia (or ‘kommunikativistika’, to use the most widespread term) is a vibrant and rapidly developing field. At the same time, conspicuously absent are publications on com...
Circadian Regulation of Kiss1 Neurons: Implications for Timing the Preovulatory Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone/Luteinizing Hormone Surge

The preovulatory GnRH/LH surge depends on the presence of estradiol (E2) and is gated by a circadian oscillator in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) that causes the surge to occur within a specific temporal window. Although the mechanisms by which the clock times the LH surge are unclear, evidence suggests that the SCN is linked to GnRH neurons through a multisynaptic pathway that includes neurons in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV). Recently, Kiss1 neurons in the AVPV have been implicated in the surge mechanism, suggesting that they may integrate circadian and E2 signals to generate the LH surge. We tested whether Kiss1 neurons display circadian patterns of regulation in synchrony with the temporal pattern of LH secretion. Mice housed in 14 h light, 10 h dark were ovariectomized, given E2 capsules (or nothing), and transferred into constant darkness. Two days later, the mice were killed at various times of day and their LH and Kiss1 levels assessed. In E2-treated females, LH levels were low except during late subjective day (indicative of an LH surge). Similarly, AVPV Kiss1 expression and c-fos coexpression in Kiss1 neurons showed circadian patterns that peaked coincident with LH. These temporal changes in Kiss1 neurons occurred under steady-state E2 and constant environmental conditions, suggesting that Kiss1 neurons are regulated by circadian signals. In the absence of E2, animals displayed no circadian pattern in LH secretion or Kiss1 expression. Collectively, these findings suggest that the LH surge is controlled by AVPV Kiss1 neurons whose activity is gated by SCN signals in an E2-dependent manner.
STRADα Regulates LKB1 Localization by Blocking Access to Importin-α, and by Association with Crm1 and Exportin-7

LKB1, a serine/threonine kinase, regulates cell polarity, metabolism, and cell growth. The activity and cellular distribution of LKB1 are determined by cofactors, STRADalpha and MO25. STRADalpha induces relocalization of LKB1 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and stimulates its catalytic activity. MO25 stabilizes the STRADalpha/LKB1 interaction. We investigated the mechanism of nucleocytoplasmic transport of LKB1 in response to its cofactors. Although LKB1 is imported into the nucleus by importin-alpha/beta, STRADalpha and MO25 passively diffuse between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. STRADalpha induces nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of LKB1. STRADalpha facilitates nuclear export of LKB1 by serving as an adaptor between LKB1 and exportins CRM1 and exportin7. STRADalpha inhibits import of LKB1 by competing with importin-alpha for binding to LKB1. MO25 stabilizes the LKB1-STRADalpha complex but it does not facilitate its nucleocytoplasmic shuttling. Strikingly, the STRADbeta, isoform which differs from STRADalpha in the N- and C-terminal domains that are responsible for interaction with export receptors, does not efficiently relocalize LKB1 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. These results identify a multifactored mechanism to control LKB1 localization, and they suggest that the STRADbeta-LKB1 complex might possess unique functions in the nucleus.
The Trouble with Rainbow Boys

Few pieces of GLBTQ fiction have received the popular and scholarly acclaim awarded to Alex Sanchez’s Rainbow Boys series. Although “problem novels” are rarely taken seriously as literature, the books—the first novel in particular—have joined the few pieces of GLBTQ literature incorporated into educational discourse and curriculum. In this article, the author suggests that although the positive nature and surface construction appeals to those seeking “affirmative” representations of GLBTQ youth, the contributions made by the series may be overshadowed by its reliance on heteronormative gender stereotypes that may actually work to perpetuate homophobic attitudes toward gay sexuality.
Thin‐ or Thick‐Skinned Faulting in the Yakima Fold and Thrust Belt (WA)? Constraints from Kinematic Modeling of the Saddle Mountains Anticline

Abstract The Yakima fold and thrust belt (YFTB) deforms the Columbia River Basalt Group flows of Washington State. The YFTB fault geometries and slip rates are crucial parameters for seismic‐hazard assessments of nearby dams and nuclear facilities, yet there are competing models for the subsurface fault geometry involving shallowly rooted versus deeply rooted fault systems. The YFTB is also thought to be analogous to the evenly spaced wrinkle ridges found on other terrestrial planets. Using seismic reflection data, borehole logs, and surface geologic data, we tested two proposed kinematic end‐member thick‐ and thin‐skinned fault models beneath the Saddle Mountains anticline of the YFTB. Observed subsurface geometry can be produced by 600–800 m of heave along a single listric‐reverse fault or ∼3.5 km of slip along two superposed low‐angle thrust faults. Both models require decollement slip between 7 and 9 km depth, resulting in greater fault areas than sometimes assumed in hazard assessments. Both models require initial slip much earlier than previously thought and may provide insight into the subsurface geometry of analogous comparisons to wrinkle ridges observed on other planets.
Hiding distinguished ones into crowd: privacy-preserving publishing data with outliers

Publishing microdata raises concerns of individual privacy. When there exist outlier records in the microdata, the distinguishability of the outliers enables their privacy to be easier to be compromised than that of regular ones. However, none of the existing anonymization techniques can provide sufficient protection to the privacy of the outliers. In this paper, we study the problem of anonymizing the micro-data that contains outliers. We define the distinguishability-based attack by which the adversary can infer the existence of outliers as well as their private information from the anonymized microdata. To defend against the distinguishability-based attack, we define the plain k-anonymity as the privacy principle. Based on the definition, we categorize the outliers into two types, the ones that cannot be hidden by any plain k-anonymous group (called global outliers) and the ones that can (called local outliers). We propose the algorithm to efficiently anonymize local outliers with low information loss. Our experiments demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of our approach.
Translational Repression by the Bacteriophage T4 Gene 32 Protein Involves Specific Recognition of an RNA Pseudoknot Structure

Abstract An RNA pseudoknot has been shown to form the 5′-end of bacteriophage T4 gene 32 mRNA that is essential to autoregulation of gene 32 (g3g) mRNA by gene product 32 (gp32), a single-stranded nucleic acid binding protein. Structure-mapping of RNA oligonucleotides with structure-specific RNases indicate that two stem regions consisting of nucleotides -67 to -64 base-paired to -52 to -55 (stem-1) and nucleotides -62 to -56 base paired to -40 to -46 (stem-2) can fold into a "pseudoknotted" structure that may be analogous to the semi-continuous a-helical pseudoknot. Our results suggest that the g32 mRNA pseudoknot can form under conditions where specific autoregulation by gp32 is observed. Although the g32 mRNA pseudoknot is stabilized by Mg2+, it exists in equilibrium with a 3′-hairpin structure. Gel mobility studies carried out with defined length oligonucleotides indicate the gp32 does, in fact, bind tightly to the pseudoknot. These studies agree with the proposal of McPheeters et al., that the pseudoknot represents a nucleation site essential for autogenous gp32 translation regulation. Although disruption of tertiary structure interactions in this pseudoknot (with EDTA) significantly reduces the ability of gp32 to specifically recognize its own mRNA, in vitro mutagenesis studies suggest the sequence of stem-2 and of the loop region (nucleotides -47 to -50) also represent important determinants for specific gp32 autoregulation. Based on a competition assay relying on gel mobility shifts, the order of importance of the major elements of the pseudoknot are stem-1 > sequence of stem-2 or loop-2 > stem-2. In this assay, disruption of stem-1 decreased the ability of the resulting structure to compete for gp32 binding by approximately fourfold. Both stem-1 and stem-2 appear to be essential to maintain high-level expression from gp32 mRNA in an in vitro transcription/translation system. Taken together, these results support the translational control model in which the pseudoknot region is a nucleation point for cooperative gp32 binding, which then proceeds in a 3′ direction through a long stretch of single-stranded RNA that includes the initiation codon for gene 32.
“Masters in Our Native Place”: The politics of Latvian national parks on the road from Communism to “Europe”

Abstract On May 1, 2004, eight formerly Communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe consummated their long-desired “return to Europe” by joining the European Union (EU). While popular perceptions of the east European environment center on nightmarish images of pollution hotspots, Communism also bequeathed a wealth of relatively untouched nature that supports far more biological diversity than can be found in Western Europe. The enlargement represents a biodiversity bonanza for the EU, but millions of humans inhabit the post-Communist countryside, too, tending cultural landscapes rich with local and national meanings. EU accession has thus raised profound questions about post-Communist nature management. Should priority be given to biodiversity conservation at the continental scale, or to maintaining peopled landscapes and traditional land-use patterns? This article examines the confrontation between global and local understandings of nature through a case study of two Western-supported initiatives in national park management in Latvia in the late 1990s. Some Latvians, seeing hope for national development only through an internationalist embrace of globalization and regional integration, appropriated the Western narratives of biodiversity and rural economic diversification. But others resisted these narratives as threatening to agrarian notions of the value of rural landscapes: notions rooted in a potent agrarian discourse of national identity. What internationalists saw as a savvy embrace of the globalization of nature, agrarians denounced as a sort of self-imposed neo-colonialism.
Peptide bond synthesis by clostridiopeptidase B

Clostridiopeptidase B was used for peptide bond synthesis with Cbz-ARG-OMe as substrate and 17 amino acid amides as nucleophiles. Synthetic yields ranging from 75 to 98% were obtained for most of the amides.
Standard Reference Materials ® (SRMs) for measurement of inorganic environmental contaminants

NIST has developed an extensive collection of environmental SRMs, starting with fuel and biologically related materials in the late 1960s and now encompassing all sectors of environmental research. Advances in analytical methodology, including multi-element isotope-dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) and expanded instrumental neutron-activation analysis (INAA) capabilities, enable value assignment based on fewer but better-characterized independent analytical techniques. The special advantages of IDMS for determination of S and Hg and for multi-element characterization of small-sample air particulate matter (SRM 2783) by IDMS and INAA are emphasized. Developments in materials production include the issuance of fresh-frozen biological materials and of jet-milled natural-matrix materials with improved homogeneity, including highly homogeneous air particulate matter and sediment SRMs for small-sample analytical techniques.
Adaptable method for estimation of parameters describing bacteria transport through porous media from column effluent data: Optimization based on data quality and quantity

Bacterial transport through porous media is often modeled using the colloid filtration theory with a Langmuirian blocking function (CFT-LB), with experimentally derived transport parameters being the collision efficiency, the blocking parameter, and the clean-bed breakthrough concentration. Research trends are moving towards comparing small variations in these parameters as a function of experimental conditions, and the objective of this study was to determine impact of experimental design, including number of data points and experimental duration, on the suitability of the CFT-LB model to provide sufficient resolution to permit these comparisons. The results indicate that while the CFT-LB model captures the general trends in bacterial transport data, there are cases where the CFT-LB model cannot replicate the details in the column effluent curves, and this results in the estimated transport parameters varying as a function of the experimental duration. Impacts of these variations on interpretation of the transport parameters are discussed, and a recommended procedure is provided when applying the CFT-LB model to column effluent data. Ultimately, when the CFT-LB model is used to estimate bacterial transport parameters, the process should be completely transparent, allowing the general reader to know exactly how the transport parameters were obtained from the experimental data.
An Observational Study of the Relationship Between Cloud, Aerosol and Meteorology in Broken Low-Level Cloud Conditions

Global satellite analyses showing strong correlations between aerosol optical depth and 3 cloud cover have stirred much debate recently. While it is tempting to interpret the results as evidence of aerosol enhancement of cloud cover, other factors such as the influence of meteorology on both the aerosol and cloud distributions can also play a role, as both aerosols and clouds depend upon local meteorology. This study uses satellite observations to examine aerosol-cloud relationships for broken low-level cloud regions off the coast of Africa. The analysis approach minimizes the influence of large-scale meteorology by restricting the spatial and temporal domains in which the aerosol and cloud properties are compared. While distributions of several meteorological variables within 5deg 5deg latitude-longitude regions are nearly identical under low and high aerosol optical depth, the corresponding distributions of single-layer low cloud properties and top-of-atmosphere radiative fluxes differ markedly, consistent with earlier studies showing increased cloud cover with aerosol optical depth. Furthermore, fine-mode fraction and Angstrom Exponent are also larger in conditions of higher aerosol optical depth, even though no evidence of systematic latitudinal or longitudinal gradients between the low and high aerosol optical depth populations are observed. When the analysis is repeated for all 5deg 5deg latitude-longitude regions over the global oceans (after removing cases in which significant meteorological differences are found between the low and high aerosol populations), results are qualitatively similar to those off the coast of Africa.
Direct spectrophotometric assay for reactions producing small pH changes

Abstract The hydrolysis of a dipeptide at pH 8.0 causes a shift in hydrogen ion concentration due to the fact that the α-amino groups of most amino acids are stronger bases than the N -terminal amino groups of peptides. The increase in pH, caused by the hydrolysis of a dipeptide, is small even in an unbuffered solution, but the method here described is sufficiently sensitive to detect changes of 0.01 pH unit with a good spectrophotometer. The method is fast and accurate once standard conditions are established. Very small amounts of enzyme are required at substrate concentrations much lower than ordinarily used. Since no electrodes are involved, neither changes in the junction potentials due to protein absorption nor temperature coefficients need to be considered. This method was used to measure the activity of connective tissue leucine aminopeptidase in 8 and 10 M urea.
Remote-rendered 3D CT angiography (3DCTA) as an intraoperative aid in cerebrovascular neurosurgery.

Objective: To assess the viability and utility of network-based rendering in the treatment of patients with cerebral aneurysms, we implemented an intraoperative rendering system and protocol using both three-dimensional CT'angiopphy (3DCTA) and perspective volume rendering (PVR)Materials and Methods: A Silicon Graphics InfiniteReality engine was connected via a Fast Ethernet network to a workstation in the neurosurgical operating room. A protocol was developed to isolate bone and vessels using an appropriate transfer function. Three-dimensional CT angiogram images were volume rendered and transmitted to the workstation using a bandwidth-mnserving remote rendering system, and were rotated, cut using clipping planes, and viewed using normal and perspective views. Twelve patients with intraa-anial aneurysms were examined at surgery using this systemResults: Rendering performance at optimal operating bandwidths (50–60 Mb/s) was excellent, with regeneration of a high-resolution image in less than 1 s. Network ...
Adaptive Performance Prediction for Distributed Data-Intensive Applications

The computational grid is becoming the platform of choice for large-scale distributed data-intensive applications. Accurately predicting the transfer times of remote data files, a fundamental component of such applications, is critical to achieving application performance. In this paper, we introduce a performance prediction method, AdRM (Adaptive Regression Modeling), to determine file transfer times for network-bound distributed data-intensive applications. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the AdRM method on two distributed data applications, SARA (Synthetic Aperture Radar Atlas) and SRB (Storage Resource Broker), and discuss how it can be used for application scheduling. Our experiments use the Network Weather Service [36, 37], a resource performance measurement and forecasting facility, as a basis for the performance prediction model. Our initial findings indicate that the AdRM method can be effective in accurately predicting data transfer times in wide-area multi-user grid environments.
Comparative toxicology of mercurials in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic metal that can exist in multiple chemical species. Humans are commonly exposed to methylmercury and Hg vapor, which are converted to mercuric species in the body. Despite years of research, little information exists on the similarities and differences in the mechanisms of Hg toxicity. The relative toxicity of mercuric chloride (HgCl2) and methylmercury chloride (MeHgCl) in Caenorhabditis elegans was determined in assays that measured growth, feeding, reproduction, and locomotion. The effect of HgCl2 and MeHgCl on the expression of several archetypal stress-response genes was also determined. There was no significant difference between the EC50s of the two mercurials in terms of C. elegans growth. However, MeHgCl was more toxic to C. elegans than HgCl2 when assessing feeding, movement, and reproduction, all of which require proper neuromuscular activity. Methylmercury chloride exposure resulted in increased steady-state levels of the stress response genes at lower concentrations than HgCl2. In general, MeHgCl was more toxic to C. elegans than HgCl2, particularly when assaying behaviors that require neuromuscular function. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2011;30:2135–2141. © 2011 SETAC
Cell-autonomous notch signaling regulates endothelial cell branching and proliferation during vascular tubulogenesis

The requirement for notch signaling during vascular development is well-documented but poorly understood. Embryonic and adult endothelial cells (EC) express notch and notch ligands; however, the necessity for cell-autonomous notch signaling during angiogenesis has not been determined. During angiogenesis, EC display plasticity, whereby a subset of previously quiescent cells loses polarity and becomes migratory. To investigate the role of notch in EC, we have used a three-dimensional in vitro system that models all of the early steps of angiogenesis. We find that newly forming sprouts are composed of specialized tip cells that guide the sprout and trunk cells that proliferate and rearrange to form intercellular lumens. Furthermore, we find that notch acts cell-autonomously to suppress EC proliferation, thereby regulating tube diameter. In addition, when notch signaling is blocked, tip cells divide, and both daughter cells take on a tip cell phenotype, resulting in increased branching through vessel bifurcation. In contrast, notch signaling is not required for re-establishment of EC polarity or for lumen formation. Thus, notch is used reiteratively and cell-autonomously by EC to regulate vessel diameter, to limit branching at the tip of sprouts, and to establish a mature, quiescent phenotype.
Prostate cancer: a model of cancer in the elderly

Abstract Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in men over 70. Chronic course of the disease and multiple therapeutic options allow a customized management of the patient's individual problems. Prognostic factors are stage, size of primary tumors, serum acid phosphatase levels, number of metastases, ureteral obstruction and patient's age. In localized disease, surgery and radiation therapy are equally effective for patients with a life expectancy ≤10 years. Surgery may be superior to radiation if longer survival is expected. In locally advanced disease radiation therapy is preferred to surgery, due to a lower rate of complications. Management of metastatic disease requires offsetting androgen effects by castration or by antiandrogens. Orchiectomy, the safest way to produce castration, is unacceptable to 50% of patients. LHRH analogs are safer than estrogens, but more expensive; the risk of tumor flare up controindicates these compounds in life-threatening situations. The use of ketoconazole is limited by long-term toxicity, but may be life-saving in life-threatening situations, due to a rapid onset of action. Antiandrogens are as effective as castration, but are not commercially available in the USA. Alternative treatments include Estracyt, intermittent estrogentherapy, progesterone derivative and aminogluthetimide. Radical prostatectomy and radiation therapy to the prostate cause erectile impotence with persistence of orgasmic sensations. These patients are ideal candidates for erection-restoring interventions, such as intrapenile injections or penile implants.