cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Can archaeologists excavate evidence of malaria

Archaeological excavations by the University of Arizona, USA at the site of Lugnano in Teverina, Umbria, Italy have unearthed evidence of an unusual infant cemetery within the confines of a destroyed Roman villa. The cemetery dates to just after the mid-fifth century and contains forty-seven infant burials accompanied by offerings associated with magic practices including puppies with severed heads, a raven talon, a toad and a pot with bones placed upside down. The site showed evidence of an ancient epidemic which has recently been shown, through DNA analysis, to have been Plasmodium falciparum malaria. The uniqueness of this discovery has led the author to draw up a basic primer for excavating what have been termed abnormal cemeteries. This includes special questions which must be asked when considering the stratigraphy, the positioning of the mass burials, the nature of the material culture deposited with and around the burials, the palynological evidence, various aspects of the skeletons themselves inc...
New evidence for the craniocervical killing bite in primates

New evidence is presented in support of the previously published view that a killing bite to the head and/or neck is an important feature of primate predatory behavior. Evidence for this bite in Papio cynocephalus and three other species is augmented. In addition, the craniocervical bite is newly documented in three genera and eight species. A variant of the bite is described and discussed. Non-supportive evidence is evaluated. It is concluded that recent evidence strengthens the case for an innate killing bite that is widespread and probably homologous among non-human primates.
Involvement of Integrin αvβ3 in the Pathogenesis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection in Monocytes

Attachment of HIV to macrophages is a critical early event in the establishment of infection. In the present study, we demonstrate the involvement of integrin alphavbeta3 (vitronectin receptor) in HIV infection of peripheral blood monocyte-derived macrophages. Culturing monocytes in the presence of M-CSF for 3 days upregulated expression of the alphav-containing integrins, alphavbeta3 and alphavbeta5. The increase in alphavbeta3 expression was accompanied by increased HIV-1 replication by monocytes. Immunoblot analysis showed that purified HIV-gp120 protein interacted with CD4 and alphavbeta3 in immunoprecipitation experiments. Neutralizing antibodies against the alphavbeta3 integrin interfered with the coprecipitation of alphavbeta3 with an anti-gp120 antibody and substantially inhibited HIV infection of monocytes. Neutralizing antibodies against alphavbeta5 or beta1 integrins did not significantly affect HIV infection. These results indicate that HIV infection of primary monocytes requires differentiation of these cells and may involve alphavbeta3 interaction with the HIV-1 envelope protein gp120 for productive infection.
Renal manifestations of tuberous sclerosis complex: Incidence, prognosis, and predictive factors

Tuberous sclerosis complex is a genetic disorder characterized by hamartomatous lesions in multiple organs, frequently involving the kidney. We conducted a retrospective review of the clinical and radiographic records of 167 patients with tuberous sclerosis to determine the frequency of renal disease, the likelihood of significant renal morbidity, and the effects of genotype (TSC1 vs TSC2) and gender on renal phenotype. Renal lesions were seen in 57.5% of patients. Of these, angiomyolipoma (AML) occurred in 85.4%, cysts in 44.8%, and renal cell carcinoma in 4.2%. Both AML and cysts were significantly more common and more numerous in TSC2 than in TSC1. AML was significantly more common in female than in male patients, but cysts showed no correlation with gender. Eleven patients developed renal abnormalities during their care in this practice at an average age of onset of 11.3 years (range 3.8–23 years). The frequency and number of renal lesions were positively correlated with age. Interventions, including arterial embolization and nephrectomy, were performed in 11 (6.6%) patients. Among female patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis, renal AML was universally present. Our findings confirm a high rate of renal involvement; a low rate of serious complications; significant associations between renal involvement, genotype, and gender; and a significant association between renal and pulmonary involvement in female patients.
More evidence on women (and men) in the middle.

A recent article by Rosenthal, Matthews and Marshall (1989) focused on two related questions: How typical is Brody's "woman in the middle" and how "normative" is parent care? This research builds on their work by presenting similar analyses for a somewhat larger probability sample of middle-aged women from a U.S. metropolitan area, by presenting parallel analyses for men in the same age groups, and by presenting data on more active measures for an expanded set of roles and role combinations not included in the original article. The four major roles analyzed by Rosenthal et al. (spouse, paid worker, adult child of aging parent, and parent) are found to be typical of those in their forties and early fifties, but each falls off rapidly after that point. Men are almost as likely to experience each of these as are women, and more likely to be married. When measures of more active involvement in these roles are examined, much smaller percentages of women or men are seen participating at any given age, and the c...
Predictability of gun crimes: a comparison of hot spot and risk terrain modelling techniques

The current study was designed to assess the possible differences in the accuracy and precision of two methodological mapping techniques as predictors of future gun crimes in Little Rock, AR: (1) risk terrain modelling (RTM) and (2) nearest neighbour hierarchical (Nnh), a traditional hot spot technique, which relies on past crime to predict where future crime is likely to occur. Data from the Little Rock Police Department, the Little Rock Treasury Department and the 2000 census were used to examine Nnh hot spot and RTM methods of gun crime prediction. The RTM incorporated measures of crime generators and crime attractors, while Nnh hot spots were constructed from 2008 gun crime data. The two measures were compared using their predictive accuracy index (PAI) and recapture rate index (RRI) values. Six of the seven social and physical environmental measures in the RTM significantly predicted future gun crime locations and the Nnh hot spots predicted 7% of future gun crime. PAI and RRI values suggested the RT...
Critical Points for Civilization, Intelligence, and Value

With only a few thousand years of recorded history behind us, we might, as a species, be said to have just recently emerged from our infancy. About a hundred generations separate us from the time of Socrates, less than two hundred from the beginning of the Xia dynasty in China. Apart from religiously motivated figures with apocalyptic visions and their followers, an admittedly large cohort, most people suppose that we, as a species, have many years ahead, with future human generations to be reckoned in the thousands, if not tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, to continue the course of civilization. There is, however, reason to think that the supposition is wildly wrong and that civilization as we know it may be a flash in the pan. Natural factors external to us that could spell our doom, such as large meteor collisions, multiple volcanic upheavals, or world-wide pandemics, while possible, are too unlikely to take seriously. Dinosaurs may have been done in by a meteor strike, but mammals survived, and dumb ones at that. Krakatoa may have killed forty-thousand people and sparked an anti-Western uprising among Muslims in Jakarta, but despite other volcanic eruptions in the 1880s, the course of human events was hardly affected. Europe recovered rapidly after the fourteenth century plague even without the medical resources readily available today, as was the case for other major plagues. Such natural disasters are simply too small or too unlikely for the scale of cataclysm requisite to undermine human civilization, much less put an end to Homo sapiens. Nor is the currently popular source of global concern, global warming or climate change due to our emissions of carbon dioxide, likely to bring down the curtain. The real reason for concern is more basic. The fault is in ourselves, not in our cars. The end of human civilization will likely result from what
Development of Hazardous Materials Shipper Prioritization Application

In the mid-1990s, an attempt was made to develop a performance-based prioritization program to help the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) during inspection and review of hazardous materials (HM) shippers. During this attempt, it became apparent that there were insufficient performance data to develop such a system (e.g., detailed information on incidents, violations, and shipments). In response, FMCSA developed the HM Package Inspection Program (HMPIP) to focus on inspecting individual shipments of HM at the roadside or on carriers' docks. In response to improvements made over the years to the package inspection data collected during HMPIP inspections, increased HM incident data, and improved departmental data identifying companies involved in shipping HM, FMCSA began a second effort to develop a performance-based HM shipper prioritization program. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute was asked to review, document, and recommend improvements to the program. A thorough review and ex...
Forecasting short-run crude oil price using high- and low-inventory variables

Abstract Since inventories have a lower bound or a minimum operating level, economic literature suggests a nonlinear relationship between inventory level and commodity prices. This was found to be the case in the short-run crude oil market. In order to explore this inventory–price relationship, two nonlinear inventory variables are defined and derived from the monthly normal level and relative level of OECD crude oil inventories from post 1991 Gulf War to October 2003: one for the low inventory state and another for the high inventory state of the crude oil market. Incorporation of low- and high-inventory variables in a single equation model to forecast short-run WTI crude oil prices enhances the model fit and forecast ability.
Central catechol- and indolamine systems and aggression

Abstract Separate groups of rats were treated with alpha-methyl-tyrosine (AMT), para-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA), or saline. Subsequently, inter-species attack and shock elicited aggression (SEA) were assessed. Although neither AMT or PCPA affected SEA, PCPA decreased the latency of frog attack, and had a negligible effect on frog attack frequency. Both drugs increased the frequency of mouse attack. These results suggest a different neurochemical basis for different kinds of aggression.
Orlistat, a New Lipase Inhibitor for the Management of Obesity

Orlistat, a weight-loss agent with a novel mechanism of action, recently was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of obesity. It inhibits gastric and pancreatic lipases in the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract to decrease systemic absorption of dietary fat. In several trials lasting up to 2 years, orlistat was more effective than diet alone for weight reduction and maintenance of lost weight. Orlistat treatment also results in modest improvements in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, blood pressure, and fasting glucose and insulin concentrations. The major adverse effects are gastrointestinal, usually occur early in therapy, and tend to decrease with continued treatment. Because orlistat may decrease the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, a standard multiple-vitamin supplement is recommended daily during therapy to prevent abnormalities in vitamin serum concentrations. The potential for severe gastrointestinal discomfort and the modest degree of weight loss may limit the agent's clinical utility. Its long-term safety and effectiveness for weight maintenance, cost-effectiveness of treatment, and overall reduction in obesity-related morbidity and mortality remain to be determined.
Pitfalls in the Diagnosis of Blunt Diaphragmatic Injury

Abstract Background : Severe blunt trauma to the torso can result in diaphragmatic disruption. Prompt recognition of this potentially life-threatening injury is difficult when the initial chest roentgenogram is unrevealing and immediate thoracotomy or celiotomy is not performed. This retrospective study was undertaken to: (1) determine the incidence of missed diaphragmatic injuries on initial evaluation; (2) identify factors contributing to diagnostic delays; and (3) formulate a diagnostic approach that reliably detects diaphragmatic rupture following blunt trauma. Methods : Retrospective review of hospital records and radiographs from our 18-year experience with blunt diaphragmatic injuries. Results : Seven of 57 (12%) blunt diaphragmatic injuries were missed on initial evaluation. Recognition followed 2 days to 3 months later. Two (4%) isolated left-sided injuries initially presented with normal chest roentgenograms. Five patients (9%) (4 with right-sided ruptures) had abnormalities on chest roentgenogram or computed tomography (CT) initially attributed to chest trauma. They were diagnosed by radionuclide, ultrasound, or CT investigations of hemothorax, pulmonary sepsis, and right upper quadrant pain; and, in 1 case, at thoracotomy for a persistent right hemothorax. In the remaining 50 patients (88%), the diagnosis was established within 24 hours. In 21 (42%) of these, the problem was initially recognized at the time of celiotomy for accompanying injuries. Conclusions : Blunt diaphragmatic injuries are easily missed in the absence of other indications for immediate surgery, since radiologic abnormalities of the diaphragm—particularly those involving the right hemidiaphragm—are often interpreted as thoracic trauma. In this setting, a high index of suspicion coupled with selective use of radionuclide scanning, ultrasound, and CT or magnetic resonance imaging is necessary for early detection of this uncommon injury.
Equation of motion in classical electrodynamics. II

With the aid of the principle of equivalence, we extend our development of an equation of motion for a radiating charged particle to include movement in both a gravitational and an electromagnetic field. The rate of electromagnetic radiation is given by the covariant generalization of the Larmor formula for flat space-time. The proposed equation of motion exhibits none of the difficulties that are associated with the covariant extension of the Lorentz-Dirac equation. We apply our results to the simple examples of a charged particle falling in a gravitational field and a charged particle held fixed in a quasiuniform gravitational field.
Immunogenicity of West Nile virus infectious DNA and its noninfectious derivatives

The exceptionally high virulence of the West Nile NY99 strain makes its suitability in the development of a live WN vaccine uncertain. The aim of this study is to investigate the immunogenicity of noninfectious virus derivatives carrying pseudolethal mutations, which preclude virion formation without affecting preceding steps of the viral infectious cycle. When administered using DNA immunization, such constructs initiate an infectious cycle but cannot lead to a viremia. While the magnitude of the immune response to a noninfectious replication-competent construct was lower than that of virus or infectious DNA, its overall quality and the protective effect were similar. In contrast, a nonreplicating construct of similar length induced only a marginally detectable immune response in the dose range used. Thus, replication-competent noninfectious constructs derived from infectious DNA may offer an advantageous combination of the safety of noninfectious formulations with the quality of the immune response characteristic of infectious vaccines.
Magnetohydrodynamic method of injecting charged particles into a magnetic field

Abstract A new scheme of injecting high-energy charged particles into a nuclear accelerator or thermonuclear device such as Astron is described. The injection can be carried out at small or even zero injection angle with a plane being perpendicular to the applied uniform magnetic field. The orbiting particles are estimated not to hit the injection systems which can be kept safely at reasonable radial clearance from the trajectory and orbit envelopes of the charged particles, for instance the location of the cylindrical E-layer. The method can be applied to inject charged particles without much restriction to its energy level. The attachments to the regular injection system such as electron gun are simple, economical and easy to develop.
Byssinosis: scheduled asthma in the textile industry.

Byssinosis, an occupational lung disease of textile workers, can be distinguished from asthma and other forms of reversible airway obstruction by its characteristic history of chest tightness, cough, and wheezing on first working days after absence from work. Lung function tests before and after exposure to dust on first working days confirm the occurrence of airway obstruction as an acute effect of dust exposure during work in carding, spinning and other dusty operations in cotton, flax and soft-hemp factories. The dust in these factories contains a water-soluble, heat-stable agent which releases histamine from human lung tissue. In the case of cotton dust, this agent originates in the bracts of the cotton plant. Recent epidemiological studies in U.S. cotton textile workers and in Spanish hemp workers have shown that prolonged exposure to textile dusts often leads to disabling chronic lung disease and to loss of lung function which is irreversible with β-adrenergic drugs. At this stage, the disease may progress even after exposure to dust ceases. This recent work further strengthens the need for adequate control of exposure to respirable dust among textile workers. Implementation of this goal remains elusive because of its economic consequences, in spite of adequate medical documentation of the health risks of textile dust exposure during the past 20 years.
Thirst and behavior in adipsic chickens with hypothalamic lesions before and after intravenous injection of hypertonic NaCl Solution

Abstract Chickens rendered adipsic by hypothalamic lesions were used after adipsia had persisted for 16–20 months. The simple procedure of placing food and water pans side by side induced two out of three adipsic chickens to drink water. This was a learned response, and it took one to two weeks before the chickens voluntarily drank sufficient quantities of water to meet their needs. These chickens did not employ the motor reflexes used by normal chickens in drinking, but instead those normally used in eating i.e. the chickens “ate” water. Although adequate amounts of water were consumed, thirst was not restored, as shown by two tests: (1) dehydration by deprivation of water for two days; and, (2) an intravenous load of hypertonic NaCl. The intravenous salt load in the adipsic chickens provoked dramatic responses: one died of hyperthermia, and the other; (a) became hypothermic and refused food and water for four days after body temperature was restored to normal; and, (b) reverted to its adipsic condition and ceased to consume water voluntarily.
STABILIZING GLASS BONDED WASTE FORMS CONTAINING FISSION PRODUCTS SEPARATED FROM SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL

Abstract A model has been developed to represent the stresses developed when a molten, glass-bonded brittle cylinder (used to store nuclear material) is cooled from high temperature to working temperature. Large diameter solid cylinders are formed by heating glass or glass-bonded mixtures (mixed with nuclear waste) to high temperature (915°C). These cylinders must be cooled as the final step in preparing them for storage. Fast cooling time is desirable for production; however, if cooling is too fast, the cylinder can crack into many pieces. To demonstrate the capability of the model, cooling rate cracking data were obtained on small diameter (7.8 cm diameter) glass-only cylinders. The model and experimental data were combined to determine the critical cooling rate which separates the non-cracking stable glass region from the cracked, non-stable glass regime. Although the data have been obtained so far only on small glass-only cylinders, the data and model were used to extrapolate the critical-cooling rate...
Amyloid Angiopathy of Alzheimer's Disease: Amino Acid Composition and Partial Sequence of a 4,200‐Dalton Peptide Isolated from Cortical Microvessels

The cardinal lesions of Alzheimer's disease are neurofibrillary tangles, senile neuritic plaques, and vascular amyloid, the latter generally involving cortical arteries and small arterioles. All three lesions are composed of amyloid-like, beta-pleated sheet fibrils. Recently, a 4,200-dalton peptide has been isolated from extraparenchymal meningeal vessels, neuritic plaques, and neurofibrillary tangles. The assumption of N-terminal homogeneity in vascular amyloid has been used as an argument for a neuronal (versus blood) origin of the peptide. However, intracortical microvessels from Alzheimer's disease have not been previously isolated. The present studies describe the isolation of a microvessel fraction from Alzheimer's disease and control fresh autopsy human brain. Alzheimer's disease isolated brain microvessels that were extensively laden with amyloid and control microvessels were solubilized in 90% formic acid and analyzed by urea sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The arteriole fraction from the Alzheimer's subject with extensive amyloid angiopathy contained a unique 4,200-dalton peptide, whereas the arterioles or capillaries isolated from two controls and two Alzheimer's disease subjects without angiopathy did not. This peptide was purified by HPLC and amino acid composition analysis showed the peptide is nearly identical to the 4,200-dalton peptide recently isolated from neuritic plaques or from neurofibrillary tangles. Sequence analysis revealed N-terminal heterogeneity. The N-terminal sequence was: Asp-Ala-Glu-Phe-Arg-His-Asp-Ser-Gly-Tyr, which is identical to the N-terminal sequence of the 4,200-dalton peptide isolated previously from extraparenchymal meningeal vessels and neuritic plaques.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Public goods: An ideal concept

Abstract I see the concept of ‘a public good’ as an ideal concept defined by a pair of related characteristics: an opportunity for gain for a collectivity because of nonrivalness in consumption, where the opportunity for gain is difficult to finance because of the nonexclusion possibility. Even at that ideal level, it is impossible to present a solution able to fully realize the opportunity for gain. Given the difficulty of finding a satisfactory solution even at the ideal level, it would be surprising if an analysis of concrete instantiations of public goods would be simple. I will show that economists use at least thirteen concepts to point to economic problems related to public goods. This is more than opponents of the concept ‘public good,’ Malkin and Wildavsky, accuse the economic profession of using. I will reject the conclusion of Malkin and Wildavsky that the concept of a public good is a social construct and thus a purely culturally relative concept. I will concede, nevertheless, that in trying to realize some of the gains presented by goods having public goods aspects, social and cultural preferences play an important role. My conclusion, which justifies the ideal concept ‘public good’, implies that there is potentially a legitimate governmental role in dealing with public goods. Recognizing the socio-political dimension of economics means that one recognizes that the economic reality is complex. It does not justify, however, scepticism about concepts.
Stability of plasma GABA at four-year follow-up in patients with primary unipolar depression

The biology of mood disorders involves gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter whose levels in plasma likely reflect brain GABA activity. Previous research has shown that a subset of patients with primary unipolar major depression have low plasma GABA levels, which parallels findings from studies of cerebrospinal fluid. We have completed a 4-year follow-up on 46 male patients with primary unipolar depression. Plasma levels of GABA were stable over this time. For the group, mean plasma GABA levels on follow-up did not change significantly from entry levels. Plasma GABA levels measured on follow-up were significantly (p or = 100 pmol/ml) at entry similarly remained in this category (chi 2 = 7.23, p = .007). This was true whether or not the patient had recovered from depression on follow-up. Levels of plasma GABA did not significantly correlate with severity of depression at either entry (p = .40) or follow-up (p = .52), nor was there a significant correlation between change in plasma GABA and change in the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score from entry to follow-up (p = .89). These data are consistent with the notion that plasma GABA is independent of clinical state in patients with primary unipolar depression. Low plasma GABA may be a trait marker of illness in a subset of patients with mood disorder.
Effects of the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01 on employee attitudes.

Much has been stated in the popular press about the effects of the events of 9/11/01 on employee attitudes about work. This study examined a large sample (N = 70,671) of employees of a multinational manufacturer whose annual employee survey data collection was interrupted by the events. After demonstrating measurement equivalence across time and countries, changes in attitudes pre- and post-9/11 were examined. Only negligible differences were found in Job Satisfaction, Supervisor Evaluation, Stress, and Organizational Commitment to Diversity for U.S. employees or for employees worldwide. Demographic differences in response to events were not found. Implications for understanding effects of stressful external events on employee perceptions of work are discussed.
Gene transfer agents, bacteriophages, and bacteriocins of Rhodopseudomonas capsulata.

Thirty-three wild type strains of Rhodopseudomonas capsulata were examined for ability to engage in genetic recombination through mediation by “gene transfer agent” (GTA) particles. The genetic exchange assays were based on capacity of strains to produce or receive GTA required for restoration of photosynthetic growth competence to a non-photosynthetic “white” mutant or for acquisition of resistance to rifampicin. A majority of the strains could either produce or receive GTA, and it was demonstrated that the agent is species specific. Possible relations between GTA and bacteriophages or bacteriocins were investigated. Sixteen types of virulent phages active on Rps. capsulata were isolated and their host ranges determined. Tests for transduction by the phages gave uniformly negative results. The viruses showed strict species specificity, but there was no apparent correlation between capacity of the Rps. capsulata strains to donate or receive GTA and susceptibility to the phages. A comparable survey disclosed that most of the bacterial strains were sensitive to or capable of producing bacteriocins; the latter also appear to be unrelated to GTA activity. The collection of bacterial strains was also screened for detection of lysogenic properties. None of the isolates is a “true” lysogen, but phages were detected in cultures of two strains, which may be “phage carriers” or pseudolysogens.
Synthetic peptides based on motifs present in human band 3 protein inhibit cytoadherence/sequestration of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

Abstract Synthetic peptides patterned on the amino acid sequences found in two exofacial regions of band 3 protein (residues 824-829 of loop 7 and residues 547-553 of loop 3) blocked, in a dose-dependent fashion, the in vitro adherence of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes to C32 amelanotic melanoma cells. Intravenous infusion of these synthetic peptides into Aotus and Saimiri monkeys infected with sequestering isolates of P. falciparum resulted in the appearance of mature forms of the parasite in the peripheral circulation. The finding that the peptides were effective as adhesion blockers in the micromolar range suggests that cerebral malaria could be managed through antiadhesion therapy.
Endotracheal tube lumen compromise from cuff overinflation.

A chest roentgenogram demonstrates lumen collapse as the cause of ventilatory obstruction in an intubated patient This problem is not restricted to defective tubes but may be caused by overinflation of the cuff in normal tubes.
Two-particle continuous-time random walks and binary reactions in disordered media

The relation between unary-(trappihg) and binary (mutual annihilation) reactions in disordered systems is studied in the framework of the continuous-time random walk. It is found that if the waiting-time distribution of the walk has infinite moments, a time-independent binary rate constant may exist even though a unary one does not.
Drugs that show protective effects from ricin toxicity in in vitro protein synthesis assays.

We used an in-vitro, inhibition of protein synthesis assay (PSI) to test a wide variety of drugs for possible therapeutic use against ricin, a toxic glycoprotein that causes death in animals by inhibiting protein synthesis. Selection of test drugs was based on possible interference with ricin activity at different stages of the toxic process. Most of the drugs tested had no effect on ricin-induced PSI, were toxic when tested alone, or enhanced the toxicity of ricin. The only ones showing protection were galactose, lactose, and several derivatives of these sugars, Brefeldin A (BFA), 3′-azido-3′-deoxythymidine (AZT), and a purine derivative (BM33203). The sugar derivatives provided 50% protection against a PSI ED99 of ricin (0.1 μg/ml). Concentrations of BFA greater than 0.5 μM caused about 50% PSI by itself, but blocked any further inhibitory effects of ricin. AZT, at optimum concentrations, reached a maximum protection level of about 40% in the presence of an ED99 dose of ricin, while the nucleoside derivative, BM33203, at concentrations above 0.1 mM, showed minimal protection (up to 30%) from ricin toxicity. The combination of BM33203 and AZT appeared to have an additive effect, showing up to 80% protection from an ED dose of ricin. Drugs showing protection in the PSI cell assay showed no protection from ricin in a cell-free translation assay used to determine if they would block ricin at the protein synthesis site. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Everyday Geography: 365 Reflections on Why Geography Matters.

Geography matters. … And there is a year's worth of daily postings to explain why. Last year, beginning on New Year's Day, as president of the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE), I wr...
Thin Window Si(Li) Detectors for the ISEE-C Telescope

Special detectors have been developed for the NASA ISEE-C Cosmic Ray Telescope. These are Lidrifted silicon detectors 5 mm thick and 1500 mm2 area with the criteria that thickness variations on the whole area be less than ±10 ?m and that the Li-diffused contact dead-layer not exceed 15 ?m. Techniques used to fabricate and test these detectors are presented.
An overview of shadowed fading wireless channels in terms of a cascaded approach

Wireless channels suffer from short term fading and shadowing simultaneously. While simple models of short term fading are based on the Nakagami-m distribution, short term fading can also be described as a cascading process allowing the modeling of wireless channels having worse fading than what exists in Nakagami-m channels. Shadowing, on the other hand, has been traditionally modeled as a lognormal process, making the analysis of shadowed fading channels cumbersome. Taking note of the fact that the lognormal density arises out of a multiplicative process, it was shown that shadowing can also be modeled as a cascading process. Utilizing such a vision of shadowing, this work provides an overview of a unified cascaded approach to model wireless channels when short term fading and shadowing are simultaneously present. The degradation in such shadowed fading channels is estimated in terms of error rates and outage probabilities. Results are compared to those of the exact model based on lognormal density as well as random number simulation. Analysis demonstrates that error rates and outage probabilities obtained using the exact model (lognormal model for shadowing) agree very well with those obtained through the composite cascaded model as well as random number simulations.
Abundance and colonization potential of artificial hard substrate-associated meiofauna

Meiofauna are known to live on hard substrates in association with periphytic and epiphytic algae and attached epibiota; however, the abundance, diversity and colonizing abilities of hard-substrate meiofauna have been poorly documented. We quantified meiofauna living on microalgal-covered pilings associated with a wood pier in a shallow (<2 m deep) estuarine embayment with the use of a suction sampler, and compared colonization of pier-piling and sediment-dwelling meiofauna onto collectors that capture suspended meiofauna from the water column. Collectors were small mesh pads (159 cm3) suspended at mid-water depth, and their size and structural complexity were similar to floating or drifting masses of macroalgae that may be colonized by meiofauna. Sediment was collected by coring, and copepod (to species) and nematode (to genera) colonists on mesh pads were compared with pier-piling and sediment communities. Abundance of total meiofauna averaged 124±13.6 (S.E.) on pier pilings, compared to 2092±274.6 individuals 10 cm−2 in surrounding sediment. Phytal copepods (free-living copepods with prehensile first legs and dorsoventrally and laterally compressed body forms) and copepod nauplii dominated pier-piling collections, but nematodes were dominant on faunal collectors and in sediment. Phytal copepods also were abundant on faunal collectors but were rare in sediments. Copepod and nematode diversities were similar, but species composition was largely nonoverlapping, in pier pilings and sediments. Net recruitment of meiofauna to faunal collectors averaged about 900 individuals collector−1 day−1 during the 1-week experiment. Nematode and copepod colonists on faunal collectors were both much more similar to pier-piling than to sediment assemblages. These data suggest that meiofauna are abundant and diverse on algal-covered pier pilings, and they may become more important to marine ecology as artificial hard substrates increase with increasing urbanization. Furthermore, pier-piling meiofauna appear to readily migrate into the water column and probably contribute to a rapidly dispersing pool of meiofauna in estuaries.
Use of a photosimulation laboratory for estimating vehicle detection probability

A method is described for using a photosimulation laboratory environment to evaluate the effectiveness of camouflage for military vehicles. There are distinct advantages to acquiring images at the field site and then bringing them back to a laboratory environment for observer testing versus taking the subjects out to the field for estimating detection probability. Laboratory testing using field-acquired imagery provides a repeatable, secure, and relatively low-cost way to generate consistent data for the measurement of the effectiveness of camouflage relative to a baseline vehicle, and the calibration and validation of target acquisition models. A laboratory test procedure is described in which a baseline light armored vehicle (LAV) is compared to a treated LAV in the Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) Visual Perception Laboratory (VPL) using imagery collected from the field in the manner prescribed by an experimental design.
Characterization of the sickness response in young and aging rats following E. coli infection

To more fully characterize the sickness response in young (3 mo) and older (24 mo) rats, we measured core body temperature (CBT), activity level, and body weight changes for 7 days following a peripheral immune challenge with Escherichia coli. CBT increases were delayed and blunted during the 12 h following infection in older rats. Indeed, in aging subjects the initial response was hypothermia, but this was followed by a significant and prolonged elevation in CBT lasting 3 days. Young rats, in contrast, generated a rapid and robust CBT elevation lasting just over a day. Activity level was significantly reduced only on the day of E. coli administration in both young and older rats. Body weight loss was equivalent in both age groups one day after E. coli administration, although there was a trend for older rats to continue losing more weight across the next 6 days than in young rats. This is the first study to examine CBTs in young and older rats for a protracted amount of time, thereby revealing that aging rats do have an exaggerated, albeit delayed, fever which is in keeping with other exaggerated sickness behavioral responses observed in aging rodents.
Initiation of Lactation in Rats with Hypothalamie or Cerebral Tissue.

SummaryRat tissue containing the hypothalamus, cerebral tissue, kidney or liver were injected subcutaneously in saline suspension into rats for 5 days, after they had previously been injected with estradiol for 10 days to develop their mammary glands. Saline alone was injected into control rats. The tissue containing the hypothalamus initiated lactation in 12 out of 15 rats; cerebrum in 4 out of 15 rats; and liver, kidney or saline in none out of 5 rats each. Tissue containing the hypothalamus was injected intradermally over crop sacs of 5 pigeons for 5 days and failed to induce a response, indicating that the active principle is not prolactin. It is suggested that rat hypothalamus and possibly cerebral tissue produce release of prolactin and probably ACTH from the anterior pituitary in amounts sufficient to initiate lactation.
A direct reading capacitance plethysmograph.

An improved capacitance system for blood flow measurement by venous occlusion plethysmography is described. It is shown both theoretically and experimentally, that the change in the capacitance between the surface of the segment and an encircling flexible screen cuff at a fixed distance from the skin is related to the fractional change in volume of the part by a simple constant which can be determined from the initial capacitance. Thus, neither calibration nor measurement of segment volume is needed.
Decay of the Pi Meson

A quantitative study of π→μ+ν decay is presented using the techniques of dispersion theory. The discussion is based on a model in which the decay occurs through pion disintegration into a nucleon-antinucleon pair, the latter annihilating via a Fermi interaction to produce the leptons. The weak vertex contains effectively both axial vector and pseudoscalar couplings even if one adopts the point of view of a universal axial vector and vector Fermi interaction. The pion-nucleon vertex which enters our model is also calculated using dispersion techniques. Under the assumption that this vertex is damped for large momentum transfers, we obtain a result for the pion lifetime largely independent of the detailed properties of the vertex and one which is in very close agreement with experiment. The precise prediction of our theory depends on the energy dependence of the complex phase shift for nucleon-antinucleon scattering in the 1S0 isotopic triplet state.
There and back again : A semantic analysis

This paper presents a cross-linguistic survey of the interpretations that decomposition adverbs like again permit. The survey distinguishes two different types of predicates that are combined with again: lexical accomplishments like 'open the door', on the one hand, and combinations of a motion verb with a directional Prepositional Phrase (PP) on the other (for example, 'walk to the summit'). There is systematic cross-linguistic variation with the latter type of predicate: a language only permits a restitutive reading of again with such a predicate if the language has resultative constructions. I argue that in these languages the PP can function as a result phrase. In languages without resultatives, the PP cannot be a result phrase, and a restitutive reading is impossible. The data support an analysis of restitutive again that is sensitive to the presence of a result phrase in the syntax.
Vanets: Case Study of a Peer-to-Peer Video Conferencing System

Peer-to-peer (P2P) is a powerful platform for a variety of multimedia streaming applications over the Internet such as video-on-demand, video conferencing, live broadcasting, etc. A P2P system is extremely cost-effective since it utilizes the resources (CPU cycles, storage space, and uplink bandwidth) of peer machines. Recently, there has been significant development in desiging video conferencing systems. Video conferencing requires substantial network bandwidth in order to be able to transport high volume video data. This is particularly true for multiparty (MP) video conferencing system. One way to address the demand of high bandwidth is to use a network-based device called Multipoint Control Units (MCU). However, MCUs’ high cost and maintenance complexities make it only feasible for large business enterprises. Alternatively, the low cost P2P video conferencing services allow participants to establish pair-wise video communication. However, using this technology in a MP video conferencing system greatly reduces the video quality experienced by the user. The decentralized and shared bandwidth nature of a P2P network, therefore, makes it an effective choice for implementing video conferencing applications. In this work we present Vanets, a P2P based video conferencing system that takes advantage of transcoding to optimally allocate streaming rates for all participating peers. Our solution distinguishes between active and passive participants and enhances the video quality of the active participant. The remainder of this proposal is organized as follows. In Sec. II, we present an overview of the Vanets interface, network model, tree construction algorithm, and video adaptation procedure. In Sec. III we present our demonstration plan.
Multi-parameter power minimization of synthesized datapaths

As processing technology continues to evolve, power minimization becomes more complex and crucial. Emerging technologies offer an array of different threshold voltages and gate oxide thicknesses. Along with choices of supply-voltage, parallelism, and pipelining, these options complicate the search for energy-optimal architectures. This paper explores the possibility of using convex optimization to solve the multi-parameter optimization problem and presents a case-study of an 8-bit multiply-accumulate block, which is optimized in 250nm and 70nm technologies.
Constructing VEGGIE: Machine Learning for Context-Sensitive Graph Grammars

Context-sensitive graph grammar construction tools have been used to develop and study interesting languages. However, the high dimensionality of graph grammars result in costly effort for their construction and maintenance. Additionally, they are often error prone. These costs limit the research potential for studying the growing graph based data in many fields. As interest in applications for natural languages and data mining has increased, the machine learning of graph grammars poses a prime area of research. A unified graph grammar construction, parsing, and inference tool is proposed. Existing technologies can provide a context-free tool. However, a general context-sensitive tool has been elusive. Using existing technologies for graph grammars, a tool for the construction and parsing of context-sensitive graph grammars is combined with a tool for inducing context-free graph grammars. The system is extended with novel work to infer context- sensitive graph grammars.
Alleviating DRAM Refresh Overhead Via Inter-rank Piggyback Caching

DRAM cells leak charge over time, causing stored data to be lost. Therefore, periodic refreshes are required to ensure data integrity. Modern DRAM usually refreshes cells at rank level, resulting in an entire rank being unavailable during a refresh period. As DRAM density keeps increasing, more rows need to be refreshed during a single refresh operation, which causes higher refresh latency and significantly degrades the overall memory system performance. To mitigate DRAM refresh overhead, we propose a caching scheme, called Rank-level Piggyback Caching, or RPC for short, based on the fact that ranks in the same channel are refreshed in a staggered manner. The key idea is to cache the to-be-read data in a rank (e.g. Rank 1) to its adjacent rank (e.g. Rank 2) before Rank 1 is locked for refresh. Each rank reserves or over-provisions a very small area, denoted as a cache region, to store the cached data. The cache regions from all ranks are organized in a rotated fashion. In other words, the cached data for the last rank is stored in the first rank. When a read request arrives at a rank undergoing refresh, the memory controller first checks the cache region in the next rank in the same channel, if the requested data is cached, the memory controller services the request from the cache without waiting for the refresh operation to complete, which reduces memory access latency and improves system performance. Our experimental results show that RPC outperforms existing Fine Granularity Refresh modes. In a single-core and four-rank system, it improves system performance by 8.7% and 10.8% on average for the PARSEC 2.1 and SPLASH-2 benchmark suites, respectively. In a four-core and four-rank system, the improvement of system performance for these two benchmark suites is 8.6% and 12.2%, respectively.
The Discourse of Dress and Appearance: Identity Talk and a Rhetoric of Review

This article examines how identities are constructed and maintained via talk about personal dress and appearance. In this article, we introduce the concept of rhetoric of review, which is defined as the taken-for-granted rules that guide the evaluations of the appearances of self and others. Three basic components of a rhetoric of review are identified: moral precepts, program neutralizations, and review neutralizations. Data were derived from eight in-depth interviews with eighteen sorority members from a single university in the Southeastern United States. These data were used to expand Stone's (1962) conceptual framework of program and review by including Sykes and Matza's (1957) neutralization techniques. The purpose of this article is to bridge the interactionist perspectives on appearance and identity talk so as to augment our understanding of the discourse of appearance.