cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Statistical parametric models and inference for biomedical signal processing: applications in speech and magnetic resonance imaging

In this thesis, we develop statistical methods for extracting significant information from biomedical signals. Biomedical signals are not only generated from a complex system but also affected by various random factors during their measurement. The biomedical signals may then be studied in two aspects: observational noise that biomedical signals experience and intrinsic nature that noise-free signals possess. We study Magnetic Resonance (MR) images and speech signals as applications in the one- and two-dimensional signal representation. In MR imaging, we study how observational noise can be effectively modeled and then removed. Magnitude MR images suffer from Rician-distributed signal-dependent noise. Observing that the squared-magnitude MR image follows a scaled non-central Chi-square distribution on two degrees of freedom, we optimize the parameters involved in the proposed Rician-adapted Non-local Mean (RNLM) estimator by minimizing the Chi-square unbiased risk estimate in the minimum mean square error sense. A linear expansion of RNLM's is considered in order to achieve the global optimality of the parameters without data-dependency. Parallel computations and convolution operations are considered as acceleration techniques. Experiments show the proposed method favorably compares with benchmark denoising algorithms. Parametric modelings of noise-free signals are studied for robust speech applications. The voiced speech signals are often modeled as the harmonic model with the fundamental frequency, commonly assumed to be a smooth function of time. As an important feature in various speech applications, pitch, the perceived tone, is obtained by way of estimating the fundamental frequency. In this thesis, two model-based pitch estimation schemes are introduced. In the first, an iterative Auto Regressive Moving Average technique estimates harmonically tied sinusoidal components in noisy speech signals. Dynamic programming implements the smoothness of the fundamental frequency. The second introduces the Continuous-time Voiced Speech (CVS) model, which models the smooth fundamental frequency as a linear combination of blockwise continuous polynomial bases. The model parameters are obtained via a convex optimization with constraints, providing an estimate of the instantaneous fundamental frequency. Experiments validate robustness and accuracy of the proposed methods compared with some current state-of-the-art pitch estimation algorithms.
Selective Recovery of 16S rRNA Sequences from Natural Microbial Communities in the Form of cDNA

Cloning of cDNA obtained from 16S rRNA (16S rcDNA) selectively retrieves species-specific sequence information useful for analyzing the composition and structure of natural microbial communities. With this technique we obtained recombinant 16S rcDNA libraries from Escherichia coli and from a model hot-spring cyanobacterial-mat community. The recombinant plasmids contained exclusively 16S rRNA-derived inserts. This selective approach is independent of biasing culture techniques and eliminates the laborious screening required to locate 16S rRNA gene-bearing recombinants in genomic DNA libraries obtained from natural communities.
EFFICACY OF GABAPENTIN ON PRURITUS INDUCED BY INTERLEUKIN-2 (IL-2) TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC RENAL CELL CARCINOMA AND MELANOMA

3056 Background: IL-2 treatment causes pruritus, but the pathogenic mechanism is not well understood. Its relation to histamine is controversial, and it does not seem to correlate with the eosinophilia induced by IL-2. Direct stimulation of pain nerve fibers, such as A-delta and C fibers by the cytokines induced by IL-2 treatment has been proposed as a possible cause of pruritus. Stabilizing the nerve membrane or nerve synapses by pharmacologic means may improve pruritus, and we have used gabapentin for this purpose. Here we evaluate its efficacy. Methods: 54 patients, 34 Male, 20 female, were treated with IL-2 from January, 2005 to December, 2006. Among 30 patients who complained of pruritus, 17 patients were given gabapentin. Concurrent follow up notes of these 17 patients were reviewed. They were interviewed immediately following IL-2 treatment and retrospectively using a specific IRB approved questionaire, which quantified pruritus according to CTCAE 3.0 criteria, before and after the administration o...
Bounds for cylindrical projection codes

Some methods for analyzing the error performance of cylindrical projection codes are proposed. The main features of these methods are the use of combinatorial generating functions to obtain the weight distribution of a cylindrical projection code, and the use of the weight distribution of a cylindrical projection code to obtain the upper bound and lower bound of the code. It is suggested that the same procedure could also be used to obtain the error performance of an ordinary block projection code with only a little change in the computer program. >
Boceprevir: a novel NS3/4 protease inhibitor for the treatment of hepatitis C.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects millions of people worldwide; however, standard therapy with peginterferon and ribavirin has resulted in suboptimal responses. Thus, new anti-HCV drugs with novel mechanisms of action are being studied. In particular, new drugs are being developed that target the NS3/4A protease complex. We evaluated the literature on telaprevir, a new, oral, covalent, reversible NS3/4A HCV protease inhibitor. A MEDLINE search (January 1996-July 2011) was performed to identify relevant clinical trials, and abstracts from hepatology and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) conferences were reviewed. In large clinical trials, the addition of telaprevir to peginterferon and ribavirin resulted in high sustained virologic response rates in both treatment-naive and treatment-experienced patients infected with HCV genotype 1. Clinical data with telaprevir in the HIV-HCV coinfected population are emerging, as well as data on potential drug-drug interactions with this agent. Preliminary data describe the resistance profile of telaprevir; however, more information is needed in this evolving area. Telaprevir's most common adverse events included rash, pruritis, and anemia. Based on available data, this new anti-HCV drug will likely be widely used and may revolutionize the treatment of HCV-infected individuals.
Antiracist Solidarity in Critical Education: Contemporary Problems and Possibilities

This paper argues that antiracist solidarity in education remains urgent, but that in framing solidarity projects critical educators have not been sufficiently attentive to the shape and extent of racism as a global ordering of social life. We describe the paternalism that has determined historical efforts at solidarity between African Americans and Whites and then extend our analysis of whiteness to the contemporary context, outlining its expressions in schooling and the challenges they pose for solidarity projects. Drawing on recent work in cultural studies and philosophy, we describe whiteness as a basic ordering of human being as well as a system of material and cultural oppression, and suggest that antiracist solidarity has to involve a reorganization of ways of being and knowing as well as a vision of global coexistence that respects epistemological difference and autonomy. On this basis we identify several key principles that should guide projects of antiracist solidarity in the present. The paper describes the most important implications of these principles for teaching, focusing in particular on the differing costs to teachers of color and White teachers of participation in antiracist activism, and outlining a form of solidarity without guarantees that can orient critical work in schools.
Nucleotide polymorphism at the alcohol dehydrogenase locus of Drosophila melanogaster

The sequencing of eleven cloned Drosophila melanogaster alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) genes from five natural populations has revealed a large number of previously hidden polymorphisms. Only one of the 43 polymorphisms results in an amino acid change, the one responsible for the two electrophoretic variants (fast, Adh-f, and slow, Adh-s) found in nearly all natural populations. The implication is that most amino acid changes in Adh would be selectively deleterious.
Cigarette Smoking and Upper Respiratory Infection among Recruits in Basic Combat Training

Abstract Study Objective:To determine the relation between cigarette smoking and upper respiratory infection or viral syndrome. Design:A prospective cohort study of soldiers during 13 weeks of basi...
Developing a Marketing Plan for Religious Organizations

Abstract While marketing planning has become a major activity in most firms, religious organizations have been very slow in developing and utilizing marketing plans. The purpose of this paper is three-fold. First, to argue why it is critical for religious organizations to begin utilizing marketing plans. Second, to discuss the inherent benefits of marketing plans. Third, to offer a general marketing plan format that would be appropriate for religious organizations.
The Prostitute, the Prodigy, and the Private Past

Melvin v. Reid and Sidis v. F-R Publishing are among the best-known cases involving the tort of public disclosure of private facts. Each arose over the disclosure of humiliating information from the plaintiff's past—information once well-publicized but largely forgotten in the intervening years. Gabrielle Darley Melvin sued a filmmaker for dramatizing her past as a prostitute who killed her pimp. William James Sidis sued the New Yorker for exposing his past as a child prodigy. Melvin won and Sidis lost. This article argues that, for a variety of reasons, both courts erred. Archival materials, untapped by most scholars who have written about the cases, point to one factor behind the wrong outcomes: Both Melvin and Sidis withheld highly relevant facts from the courts. In a variety of ways, in addition, both courts misapplied the law.
Characterization of Parameters Influencing Receptor-Mediated Endocytosis in Cultured Soybean Cells

In a recent publication, we were able to demonstrate that biotin enters plant cells by receptor-mediated endocytosis and that impermeable macromolecules can be cotransported into cells by the same pathway if they are first covalently linked to biotin. In the present study, we have exploited the biotin endocytosis pathway to evaluate the variables in the cell wall and surrounding growth medium that influence the efficiency of endocytosis in plants. Under normal growth conditions, the major constraint limiting macromolecule endocytosis was found to be the size of the internalized macromolecule. Thus, a log-linear relationship with a negative slope exists between the molecular weight of the biotin-conjugated macromolecule and its rate of internalization by cultured soybean cells. This relationship, which extends from insulin (Mr approximately 5700) to immunoglobulin G (Mr approximately 160,000), is characterized by a slope of −1.04 × 105 molecules/cell/min per log Mr unit and an x intercept (no endocytosis detectable) of approximately log 160,000 daltons. Unfortunately, mild digestion with cell wall-degrading enzymes is unable to increase significantly the upper size limit of molecules that can be internalized, but uptake of lower molecular weight proteins can be enhanced by mild cell wall digestion. The optimal extracellular pH for endocytosis was found to be 4.6, i.e. near the normal pH of the cell culture medium. Furthermore, the osmotic strength at which endocytosis occurs most rapidly was observed to be isotonic to slightly hypotonic, suggesting that turgor pressure within the plant cell must not be a major determinant of endocytosis rates by cultured soybean (Glycine max) cells. Finally, cell age was found to impact significantly on the rate of macromolecule internalization, with maximal uptake rates occurring during early exponential growth and decreasing by a factor of 2 when the cells reach stationary growth phase.
Marrow-dependent cell function in early stages of infection with Listeria monocytogenes.

Abstract Mice were infected with either Listeria monocytogenes (LM) or Yersinia pestis EV 76 stain ( YP ), which are facultative intracellular and extracellular organisms, respectively. Bacterial growth in spleen was determined at various intervals following challenge, focusing particularly on the critical period prior to the emergence of specific immunity. Natural resistance to LM during the first 2 days was diminished by treatment of adult mice with 80 Sr or silica particles, but not by treatment with lethal total-body irradiation, cortisol, or cyclophosphamide (CY). Early stages of resistance to YP were unaffected by 80 Sr, but were reduced by lethal total-body irradiation, silica particles, cortisol, and (CY). Infant mice manifested no resistance comparable to that of adults against LM prior to 19 days of age, whereas resistance against YP was attained by 14 days of age. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that marrow-dependent (M) cells function in host defense against early stages of infection with LM but not with YP.
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and survival in human epithelial ovarian carcinomas

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and microvessel density were studied in cases of advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma to evaluate their usefulness as prognostic variables. Tumor samples from 18 patients with advanced stage serous epithelial ovarian cancer were evaluated for VEGF expression by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. Immunohistochemical study of corresponding archival tissues with an antibody to von Willebrand factor (vWF; FVIII-RA) was used for tumor microvessel count determinations. The correlation of VEGF expression and mean microvessel counts was determined by an unpaired t-test. Survival analysis for known prognostic factors and VEGF expression was performed. Survival distributions were calculated by the product limit of Kaplan and Meier and significant differences between distributions were analyzed with a log rank test. From the RT-PCR analysis of tumor VEGF expression, 12 samples were found to be strongly positive, whereas six samples had low/negative VEGF expression. The median survival was 60 months for the VEGF-low/negative group and 28 months for the VEGF-positive group (P = 0.058). Other prognostic variables had minimal impact on survival, i.e. age < 65 years (P = 0.873), FIGO stage (P = 0.06), grade (P = 0.236) and debulking status (P = 0.842). Fourteen of 18 tumor specimens were suitable for microvessel counting. The mean microvessel counts of the VEGF-positive group and the VEGF-negative group were 27/hpf and 35/hpf, respectively (P = 0.16). In this preliminary analysis, high VEGF expression in epithelial ovarian carcinomas was associated with poor overall survival. Further study will be necessary to elucidate the lack of association of VEGF expression and tumor microvessel counts.
Conserved helix 7 tyrosine functions as an activation relay in the serotonin 5HT2C receptor

Abstract The function of the helix VII Tyr in the conserved Asn-Pro-X-X-Tyr segment of rhodopsin-like G protein coupled receptors has been investigated in many receptors. Various effects of site-directed mutation of this locus have been found, including altered coupling, sequestration and agonist affinity. We report the first constitutively active mutations of this Tyr. In the serotonin 5HT 2C receptor, substituting Ala or Cys for Tyr resulted in a marked increase in the basal level of inositol phosphate accumulation in transfected COS-1 cells. This constitutive signaling was abolished by the inverse agonist SB206553. Introducing Phe at this locus eliminated both basal and agonist-stimulated signaling. All three mutant receptors showed an increase in binding affinity for the structurally dissimilar agonists 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT), (±)-1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI), and quipazine, suggesting that both the activating and inactivating mutations stabilize a high affinity state. These results implicate the conserved Tyr in the conformational rearrangements that occur during agonist complexing and receptor activation.
A generic ontology development framework for data integration and decision support in a distributed environment

Data inconsistency and data mismatch are critical problems that limit data interoperability and hinder smooth operation of a distributed business. An ontology represents a semantic model that explicitly describes various entities and their properties of a domain of discourse and acts as a vehicle for seamless data integration and exchange. The existing methodologies for ontology development fail to provide a comprehensive coverage for different steps, e.g. pre-development, development and post-development, which are necessary for successfully developing ontologies. We propose a generic and comprehensive methodology that puts ontology engineering on a firm scientific foundation and at the same time provides a collaborative environment for effective knowledge sharing and reuse. Furthermore, our approach also provides a way for automatically extracting frequent terms from the data to construct an ontology in a bottom-up fashion. The performance of our methodology has been evaluated by developing different ontologies to solve the real life applications, e.g. fault diagnosis and root cause investigation and spare parts maintenance.
Relation of CO2 Compensation Concentration to Apparent Photosynthesis in Maize

Significant differences in CO(2) compensation concentration measured in the field among varieties of the species Zea mays L. are reported for the first time. CO(2) compensation concentrations were significantly (P</= 0.01) and negatively correlated with apparent photosynthesis at 300 mul CO(2)/liter air. The Michaelis constant (as defined) for a leaf was significantly (P</= 0.01) and positively correlated with apparent photosynthesis among varieties. While the first correlation is similar to behavior of CO(2) compensation among species of different photosynthetic efficiency, the latter correlation is the converse of the behavior of Km among species.
Diastolic murmurs in the newborn of benign nature.

Abstract We report, for the first time to our knowledge, isolated diastolic murmurs in 3 infants with no identifiable cardiac abnormalities. Diastolic murmurs, with rare exception [1], are considered indicative of significant cardiovascular pathology.
Cubilin expression is monoallelic and epigenetically augmented via PPARs

Cubilin is an endocytic receptor that is necessary for renal and intestinal absorption of a range of ligands. Endocytosis mediated by cubilin and its co-receptor megalin is the principal mechanism for proximal tubule reabsorption of proteins from the glomerular filtrate. Cubilin is also required for intestinal endocytosis of intrinsic factor-vitamin B12 complex. Despite its importance, little is known about the regulation of cubilin expression. Here we show that cubilin expression is under epigenetic regulation by at least two processes. The first process involves inactivation of expression of one of the cubilin alleles. This monoallelic expression state could not be transformed to biallelic by inhibiting DNA methylation or histone deacetylation. The second process involves transcriptional regulation of cubilin by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) transcription factors that are themselves regulated by DNA methylation and histone deacetylation. This is supported by findings that inhibitors of DNA methylation and histone deacetylation, 5Aza and TSA, increase cubilin mRNA and protein in renal and intestinal cell lines. Not only was the expression of PPARα and γ inducible by 5Aza and TSA, but the positive effects of TSA and 5Aza on cubilin expression were also dependent on both increased PPAR transcription and activation. Additionally, 5Aza and TSA had similar effects on the expression of the cubilin co-receptor, megalin. Together, these findings reveal that cubilin and megalin mRNA expression is under epigenetic control and thus point to new avenues for overcoming pathological suppression of these genes through targeting of epigenetic regulatory processes.
The Wild Yam Question: How Well Could Independent Hunter-Gatherers Live in a Tropical Rain Forest Ecosystem?

It has been generally assumed until recently that tropical rain forests are food-rich biomes for human foragers, and that prehistoric hunter-gatherers once lived completely independent of cultivated foods in such environments. An alternative hypothesis that such forests are actually food-poor for humans is proposed here. Specifically, that wild starch foods such as yams were so scarce and so hard to extract that human foragers could not have lived in such biomes without recourse to cultivated foods. The symbiotic relationship found today between tropical forest hunter-gatherers and farmers is not a recent phenomenon, but evolved long ago as an adaptive strategy for successfully exploiting the tropical forest.
Development and validation of a mental health subscale from the Quality of Well-Being Self-Administered

Purpose The purpose of this study was to create and validate a mental health subscale for the Quality of Well-Being Self-Administered (QWB-SA).
The Fine Structure of the Nucleolus Organizers of Lilium longiflorum During Meiosis

Nucleolus organizers in meiotic prophase of Lilium longiflorum microsporocytes were studied with the electron microscope and found to be less electron-dense than the majority of the chromatin and the nucleolus. The structural units of the nucleolus organizers were observed to be loosely arranged fibrils, 75-125 A in diameter. This organization was interpreted as an intermediate stage in chromatin condensation, indicating decreasing synthetic activity, as was suggested by previous workers on mitotic nucleolus organizers.
Cell migration in tumors

Invasion of cancer cells into surrounding tissue and the vasculature is an initial step in tumor metastasis. This requires chemotactic migration of cancer cells, steered by protrusive activity of the cell membrane and its attachment to the extracellular matrix. Recent advances in intravital imaging and the development of an in vivo invasion assay have provided new insights into how cancer cell migration is regulated by elements of the local microenvironment, including the extracellular matrix architecture and other cell types found in primary tumors. These results, combined with new findings from in vitro studies, have led to new insights into the molecular mechanisms of cell protrusive activity and chemotactic migration during invasion and metastasis.
Serving the young adult chronic patient in the 1980s: Challenge to the general hospital

The impact of the size and nature of the young adult patient population on the general hospital system is illustrated by recent research reports.
Increase in Single L-Type Calcium Channels in Hippocampal Neurons During Aging

Voltage-activated calcium (Ca 2+ ) influx is increased in mammalian CA1 hippocampal neurons during aging. However, the molecular basis for this elevation is not known. The partially dissociated hippocampal (“zipper99) slice preparation was used to analyze single Ca 2+ channel activity in CA1 neurons of adult and aged rats. Total L-type Ca 2+ channel activity in patches was found to increase with aging, primarily because of an increase in the density of functional channels. Learning in aged animals was inversely correlated with channel density. This increase in functional Ca 2+ channels with aging could underlie the vulnerability of neurons to age-associated neurodegenerative conditions.
Prototype electrolyzer for oxygen generation from water vapor

Prototype electrolyzer for generating oxygen from water vapor under various atmospheric conditions, noting spacecraft cabin application
Epigenetic centromere specification directs aurora B accumulation but is insufficient to efficiently correct mitotic errors

The nearly ubiquitous presence of repetitive centromere DNA sequences across eukaryotic species is in paradoxical contrast to their apparent functional dispensability. Centromeric chromatin is spatially delineated into the kinetochore-forming array of centromere protein A (CENP-A)–containing nucleosomes and the inner centromeric heterochromatin that lacks CENP-A but recruits the aurora B kinase that is necessary for correcting erroneous attachments to the mitotic spindle. We found that the self-perpetuating network of CENPs at the foundation of the kinetochore is intact at a human neocentromere lacking repetitive α-satellite DNA. However, aurora B is inappropriately silenced as a consequence of the altered geometry of the neocentromere, thereby compromising the error correction mechanism. This suggests a model wherein the neocentromere represents a primordial inheritance locus that requires subsequent generation of a robust inner centromere compartment to enhance fidelity of chromosome transmission.
Genetic predictors of susceptibility to cutaneous fungal infections: a pilot genome wide association study to refine a candidate gene search.

Background Trichophyton tonsurans is the foremost fungal pathogen of minority children in the U.S. Despite overwhelming infection rates, it does not appear that this fungus infects children in a non-specific manner.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS, STOCK PRICE PATHS, AND TRADING VOLUME †

We examine the relation between the trading volume of a stock and the past stock price trading range. Volume is strikingly higher, in both economical and statistical terms, when the current price is above (below) the previous fifty-two week high (low). Results are robust to a wide range of controls, including returns and news events. An event study shows that volume spikes in the week when price leaves the prior trading range, then gradually returns to normal levels. The results suggest that psychological factors are pervasive and strong enough to be an important determinant of equities market volume.
In vivo protein phosphorylation and labeling of ATP in sea urchin eggs loaded with 32PO4 via electroporation.

Protein phosphorylation was examined in sea urchin eggs in which the ATP was labeled with 32P over a brief period of time using reversible electrical poration to gain access to the cytoplasm. Unfertilized eggs from two species, Lytechinus pictus and Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, were electrically permeabilized and incubated in the presence of [32P]H3PO4, under conditions allowing label uptake. After a 5-min loading period the eggs were resealed and the fate of the label was monitored. The label had equilibrated with the cellular ATP pool within the 13-min period required for loading and resealing the eggs. Furthermore, this equilibrium was maintained for at least 2 hr beyond the loading period in either unfertilized or fertilized eggs (i.e., the specific activity of ATP was the same for fertilized and unfertilized eggs). We also examined the position of the label within the ATP and found that 40-45% of the label isolated with the ATP was in the gamma phosphate of ATP and hence was immediately available for protein phosphorylation. The label was maintained in this position in the ATP for at least 2 hr following the loading period and was not affected by fertilization (determined for L. pictus only). The phosphoprotein banding pattern was determined by gel electrophoresis and autoradiography at various time points following the loading period. There was a continuous increase of label incorporated into protein over time; however, the banding pattern did not change. This pattern was not affected by fertilization. Furthermore, inhibition of protein synthesis (with emetine) had no effect on this phosphoprotein banding pattern. Although the loading period was brief there was sufficient incorporation of label into protein during this time to obscure potential regulatory phosphorylation events.
The Long-Term Impact of Phosphorus and Potassium Fertilization on Alfalfa Yield and Yield Components

Addition of P and K fertilizer can increase alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) yield and stand persistence, but the yield components associated with P- and K-induced variation in agronomic performance are not clear. Our objectives were: (i) to determine the impact of P and K nutrition on productivity of a relatively old alfalfa stand; and (ii) determine which yield components are associated with changes in alfalfa forage yield. Treatments were a factorial combination of four P and fi ve K rates replicated four times. Forage harvests occurred four times annually. Plant populations were determined in early December and late May each year. When compared to unfertilized plots, addition of P and K increased forage yield each year. Fertilization with P decreased plants m −2 at all K application rates, but especially in plots fertilized with P, but not K. By comparison, plots fertilized with K, but not fertilized with P, had the higher plant population densities. Although regression analysis eventually revealed a positive association between forage yield and shoots m −2 in 2003 and 2004, the greatest forage yields were not obtained in plots with the greatest plant population densities, shoots plant −1 or shoots m −2 . Regression and path analysis revealed that improved forage yield in P- and K-fertilized plots was consistently associated with greater mass shoot −1 .
Effects of Trap Density and Diel Harvesting Frequency on Catch of Crawfish

Abstract The relationship of trap density and diel (24-hour) harvest frequency to catch of crawfish (Procambarus clarkii and Procambarus acutus acutus) was evaluated in a 20-hectare commercial crawfish pond. The catch of crawfish in the baited traps at 100, 75, and 50 traps per hectare was 3.3, 2.8, and 1.6 times greater, respectively, than at 25 traps per hectare (standard commercial density). Two 6-hour trapping intervals per 24 hours caught 1.2, 1.9, 2.0, and 2.1 times more crawfish than did three 4-hour, one 12-hour diurnal, one 12-hour nocturnal, and one 24-hour trapping interval, respectively. A maximum catch of crawfish was obtained by fishing 100 traps per hectare three times (two 6-hour diurnal sets plus one 12-hour nocturnal set) per 24 hours. Crawfish catch was lowest at 25 traps per hectare with traps emptied once every 24 hours.
Brahmā: An Early and Ultimately Doomed Attempt at a Brahmanical Synthesis

In this paper, I argue that, by comparing certain passages from the early Buddhist sūtras and the Mahābhārata, we can find evidence of a late- to post-Vedic “Brahmanical synthesis,” centered on the conception of Brahmā as both supreme Creator God and ultimate goal for transcending saṃsāra, that for the most part did not become a part of the Brahmanical synthesis or syntheses that came to constitute classical Hinduism. By comparing the Buddhist response to this early conception of Brahmā with the way in which Brahmā is treated in certain sectarian portions of the Mahābhārata, I then argue further that the Buddhist critique of Brahmā as supreme deity was in part conceded by the Brahmanical tradition, and sectarian accounts of supreme godhead sought to reconcile pravṛtti and nivṛtti values more subtly than the crude juxtaposition offered by the earlier Brahmanical synthesis offered by Brahmā. The result was that Brahmā was relegated to an inferior position as a fully saṃsāric demiurge, a narrative found first in certain parts of the Mahābhārata and then continued throughout most of the Purāṇas.
Genetic estimates of contemporary effective population size in an endangered butterfly indicate a possible role for genetic compensation

The effective population size (Ne) is a critical evolutionary and conservation parameter that can indicate the adaptive potential of populations. Robust estimates of Ne of endangered taxa have been previously hampered by estimators that are sensitive to sample size. We estimated Ne on two remaining populations of the endangered Miami blue butterfly, a formerly widespread taxon in Florida. Our goal was to determine the consistency of various temporal and point estimators on inferring Ne and to determine the utility of this information for understanding the role of genetic stochasticity. We found that recently developed ‘unbiased estimators’ generally performed better than some older methods in that the former had more realistic Ne estimates and were more consistent with what is known about adult population size. Overall, Ne/N ratios based on census point counts were high. We suggest that this pattern may reflect genetic compensation caused by reduced reproductive variance due to breeding population size not being limited by resources. Assuming Ne and N are not heavily biased, it appears that the lack of gene flow between distant populations may be a greater genetic threat in the short term than the loss of heterozygosity due to inbreeding.
The contribution of specific organelles to side scatter

Knowledge of which cellular structures scatter light is needed to fully utilize the information available from light scattering measurements of cells and tissues. To determine how specific organelles contribute to light scattering, wide angle side scattering was imaged simultaneously with fluorescence from specific organelles for thousands of cells using flow cytometry. Images were obtained with different depth of field conditions and analyzed with different assumptions. Both sets of data demonstrated that mitochondria and lysosomes, contribute similarly to side scatter. The nucleus contributes as much or more light scatter than either the mitochondria or the lysosomes.
Monocytes Induce Reversible Focal Changes in Vascular Endothelial Cadherin Complex during Transendothelial Migration under Flow

The vascular endothelial cell cadherin complex (VE-cadherin, α-, β-, and γ-catenin, and p120/p100) localizes to adherens junctions surrounding vascular endothelial cells and may play a critical role in the transendothelial migration of circulating blood leukocytes. Previously, we have reported that neutrophil adhesion to human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) monolayers, under static conditions, results in a dramatic loss of the VE-cadherin complex. Subsequent studies by us and others (Moll, T., E. Dejana, and D. Vestweber. 1998. J. Cell Biol. 140:403–407) suggested that this phenomenon might reflect degradation by neutrophil proteases released during specimen preparation. We postulated that some form of disruption of the VE-cadherin complex might, nonetheless, be a physiological process during leukocyte transmigration. In the present study, the findings demonstrate a specific, localized effect of migrating leukocytes on the VE-cadherin complex in cytokine-activated HUVEC monolayers. Monocytes and in vitro differentiated U937 cells induce focal loss in the staining of VE-cadherin, α-catenin, β-catenin, and plakoglobin during transendothelial migration under physiological flow conditions. These events are inhibited by antibodies that prevent transendothelial migration and are reversed following transmigration. Together, these data suggest that an endothelial-dependent step of transient and focal disruption of the VE-cadherin complex occurs during leukocyte transmigration.
Levels of keratan sulfate in the serum and synovial fluid of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.

We examined the relationship between serum and synovial fluid (SF) levels of antigenic keratan sulfate (KS) and the clinical, laboratory, and radiologic features of disease in 125 well-characterized patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). KS was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, using an antibody specific for a highly sulfated epitope on KS chains; the results were calculated as equivalents of an international standard of KS from human costal cartilage. The mean level of serum KS (393 ng/ml) was significantly higher than those previously reported for populations of adults without OA. There was a wide scatter of serum KS values (range 156–912 ng/ml), with little correlation with clinical or radiologic features. Men had significantly higher levels than women (456 ± 135 ng/ml versus 368 ± 110 ng/ml, mean ± SD), and there was a statistically significant but weak association with indicators of polyarticular involvement (number of symptomatic joints, Heberden's nodes, hip symptoms) in women. Despite the wide scatter of results in the population as a whole, individual levels of KS were stable for up to 4 consecutive years in the 9 patients studied. Levels of KS were much higher in SF (n = 25) than in serum, but the two were not correlated. There was an inverse correlation between radiographic evidence of cartilage loss and the level of KS in SF. The large variations in serum KS values suggest that this measure may not be of diagnostic significance among populations of patients. However, the stability of serum levels with time and the relationship between cartilage mass and SF levels may be useful for monitoring the individual patient's response to therapy, both systemically (serum KS) and in single joints (SF KS).
Performance of solid oxide fuel cells based on proton-conducting BaCe0.7In0.3-xYxO3-δ electrolyte

Abstract The performances of solid oxide fuel cells with proton conductors BaCe0.7In0.3−xYxO3−δ (BCIY, x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) as electrolytes were investigated in this work. The cell based on BaCe0.7In0.2Y0.1O3−δ electrolyte showed maximum power outputs of 0.114, 0.204 and 0.269 Wcm−2 at 600, 650 and 700 °C, respectively. After operating at a constant cell voltage output of 0.5V for 40h, no obvious degradation in performance was observed for the cells based on BaCe0.7In0.3O3−δ and BaCe0.7In0.2Y0.1O3−δ electrolytes. However, although relatively lower resistances and higher initial power outputs were found for cells based on BaCe0.7In0.1Y0.2O3−δ and BaCe0.7Y0.3O3−δ electrolytes, rapid cell performance degradations were observed for these two cells. The stability under cell operating conditions remained a challenge for cells using BaCe0.7In0.1Y0.2O3−δ and BaCe0.7Y0.3O3−δ electrolytes.
Sleep ontogeny in the chimpanzee: from two months to forty-one months.

Abstract Over a one year period, 14 and 24 h EEG records were obtained with scalp electrodes from 14 infant chimpanzees aged from 2 to 41 months, sleeping on a couch in a soundproof room. They started to crawl at 3 months, sit and stand at 4–5 months, walk at 6–7 months, climb at 8–9 months and run and swing around 15 months. They napped until 9–10 months. The EEG morphology changed constantly until 2–3 years. Each stage had its own individual evolution. The waking EEG was composed of low voltage fast activity. Alpha rhythm appeared at 3 months, increased in amplitude until 20 months and became well stabilized around 30–36 months. Drowsiness with EEG hypersynchrony was seen at 11 months, the hypersynchrony became maximal in amplitude and duration at 18 months and then decreased. Stage 1 increased with age in number of occurrences, duration and EEG frequency. Sharp wave activity was seen in the parieto-occipital areas after 2 months and then increased in incidence and amplitude until around 18 months after which it declined and was rarely seen again. In stage 2 spindles declined in amplitude, occurrence and frequency with age, unlike the V waves and K complexes which increased in occurrence and definition with age. Stage 3 had few spindles, but more K complexes. High voltage sharp waves at 4–5 c/sec occurred in bursts between 1 and 2 years and then disappeared. Slow waves in the delta band marked the pattern of stage 3 after 2 years. Stage 4 was not seen before 4–5 months. High voltage sharp waves were maximal in amplitude and occurrence around 18 months. Delta activity was synchronous and without overriding faster activity after 2 years. REM showed an increase in frequency of background activity with age but decrease in percentage along with decreases in centro-parietal spike activity. The EEG pattern tended to reach maturity around 3 years.
High temperature creep of single crystal strontium titanate (SrTiO3): a contribution to creep systematics in perovskites

Abstract Compression tests were made on single crystals of SrTiO 3 perovskite along the 〈100〉 and 〈110〉 directions at temperatures of 1473–1793 K (0.64–0.78T m ). The results show a power-law creep behavior with a stress exponent of 3.5 ± 0.1 in both orientations. However, a strong plastic anisotropy has been observed: creep along the 〈110〉 orientation is much easier than creep along the 〈100〉 orientation. The activation energy for the 〈100〉 orientation is significantly higher than that for the 〈110〉 orientation. The dependence on oxygen fugacity is also different between the two orientations. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations indicate that gently curved dislocations with b = 〈100〉 are generated in the crystals compressed along the 〈110〉 orientation, whereas very straight dislocations with b = 〈110〉 are generated in the crystals compressed along the 〈100〉 orientation. We interpret the observed plastic anisotropy in terms of structure of dislocations in the perovskite crystal: it is proposed that the 〈110〉 dislocations are more difficult to glide than the 〈100〉 dislocations because of a larger amount of shear and a larger number of strong TiO bonds cut during the glide of 〈110〉 dislocations. Comparison of the present results with data on other perovskites shows that the data for the soft orientation do not converge even after normalization, but the data for the hard orientation do converge into a well-defined trend. Because creep in a polycrystalline aggregate is controlled by the strong slip system(s), we suggest that an analogue materials approach could be useful in the study of creep in perovskite only when the strong slip system(s) is also investigated.
Templated Nanodimple Arrays with Tunable Nanostructures for Sensitive Surface Plasmon Resonance Analysis

This paper reports a simple and scalable colloidal templating technology for fabricating wafer-scale periodic plasmonic nanodimple arrays with tunable nanostructures. A double-layer, non-close-packed colloidal crystal–polymer nanocomposite created by a spin-coating technique is used as structural template in a simple oxygen plasma etching process to fabricate periodic arrays of nanodimples. The resulting plasmonic arrays can sense a small dielectric refractive index change of ∼0.008, and they exhibit high SPR sensitivity of up to ∼520 nm per refractive index unit. The experimental plasmonic performance of the nanodimple arrays matches with the numerical simulations using a finite-difference time-domain model.
Nitrogen-isotope compositions of metasedimentary rocks in the Catalina Schist, California: Implications for metamorphic devolatilization history

Abstract In the Catalina Schist subduction-zone metamorphic complex (California), metasedimentary rocks show a decrease in N concentration and an increase in δ15Nair with increasing metamorphic grade. Lowest-grade lawsonite-albite rocks contain 632 ± 185 ppm N with δ 15 N = +1.9 ± 0.6‰ , whereas highgrade amphibolite equivalents contain 138 ± 76 ppm N with δ 15 N = +4.3 ± 0.8‰ . Loss of N accompanied devolatilization reactions that evolved H2O-rich C-O-H-S-N fluids through consumption of chlorite and phengitic white mica and production of mineral assemblages containing muscovite, biotite, garnet and kyanite. Whole-rock N concentrations of up to 200 ppm in veins and pegmatites produced during high- P T metamorphism reflect the redistribution of N during devolatilization and partial melting of the metasedimentary rocks. Bulk fluid-rock N-isotope fractionations (Δ15N = δ15Nfluid − δ15Nrock) of −1.5 ± 1‰ were calculated with the Rayleigh distillation equation, taking into account variability in rock composition by comparison of samples with similar K2O concentrations. These fractionations are similar to but slightly lower than published calculated fractionations for N2-NH4+ exchange at the temperature range of 350–600°C over which most of the devolatilization occurred in the Catalina Schist (approximately −3.4 to −2.25‰). The N systematics appear to be explained by N2-NH4+ exchange and a devolatilization process intermediate in behavior to batch volatilization and Rayleigh distillation. The observed shifts in N concentration and δ15N cannot be explained by NH3-NH4+ exchange at these temperatures using the equilibrium models. The distillation devolatilization process implicated in this study may govern the behavior of other trace elements partitioned into hydrous fluids during devolatilization (e.g., B, Cs, U). Similarity of the calculated fluid δ15N( ~ −1.5 to +5.5‰) with compositions of natural gases inferred to be derived from metasedimentary sources indicates the possibility of using N as a tracer of large-scale volatile transport.
Evolution of starting mantle plumes: a comparison between numerical and laboratory models

Abstract Laboratory experiments on the initiation and development of mantle plumes suggest the formation of a bulbous plume head that grows in time by entrainment of surrounding material, followed by a thin feeder conduit. This type of plume is generally not seen in numerical models of mantle convection. To better determine the possible differences between numerical and laboratory experiments, we have numerically reproduced a published laboratory experiment on plume initiation. Theoretical predictions for the growth of the plume head have been verified and the experiments allowed for a new determination of a similarity constant. Models with a constant viscosity fluid show much less entrainment. Simulations using a plume rising from a thermal boundary layer with an olivine-type temperature-dependence show that most of the source material is contained in the plume head and that the conduit is largely composed of entrained material. Simulations with a more realistic non-Newtonian rheology show that plumes can rise much faster through the mantle, which will lead to higher temperatures of the plume head at the Earth's surface compared to what experiments with Newtonian rheology suggest.
Atraumatic extracranial vertebral artery aneurysm: case report and review of the literature.

Abstract A case of atherosclerotic aneurysm of the extracranial vertebral artery in a 31-year-old woman is reported. The lesion was excised after distal and proximal ligation of the vessel. Review of the literature showed that atraumatic extracranial vertebral artery aneurysm unrelated to systemic illness is rare. Analysis of the reported cases of such lesions disclosed only one comparable case in a 73-year-old man. (J VASC SURG 1986;4:288-93.)
EXPERIMENTS ON THE RÔLE OF LYMPHOID TISSUE IN THE RESISTANCE TO EXPERIMENTAL TUBERCULOSIS IN MICE

Mice either normal or splenectomized after exposure to X-ray are markedly more susceptible to bovine tuberculosis than are normal animals. Animals splenectomized a short time prior to inoculation are also more susceptible than normal, while those splenectomized eight to ten days before inoculation have about the same resistance as normal. The mice splenectomized three to four weeks before inoculation have a resistance increased over the normal, as has already been shown by Lewis and Margot. As X-ray in the doses used apparently affects only the lymphoid tissue and as the hypertrophy of the remaining lymphoid tissue after splenectomy is so rapid that the circulating lymphocytes may be much above the normal by the third week, it is concluded that this evidence, taken with the well known association of the lymphocytes with tuberculous lesions, points strongly to the lymphocyte as an important agent in the defensive mechanism against tuberculosis.
Brain malformations in linear nevus sebaceous syndrome: An MR study

A case is presented of a 16-year-old girl who had unilateral linear nevus sebaceous syndrome and ipsilateral brain malformations. These consisted of unilateral megalencephaly, white matter hypoplasia and excessive gray matter, deficient sulcation, and focal areas of pachygyria of the frontal lobe best seen on magnetic resonance imaging.