cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing the implications of live claw removal on Jonah crab (Cancer borealis), an emerging fishery in the Northwest Atlantic

Abstract In the Northwest Atlantic fisheries management is adapting to emerging fisheries. The fishery for Jonah crab (Cancer borealis) is rapidly expanding resulting in a quadrupling of landings over the past 20 years. In response to this increased fishing effort, management plans have begun adopting a suite of regulatory measures, one of which allows the live removal of claws at-sea. The overall goal of this project was to determine if claw removal has an impact on crab mortality. Results from a series of laboratory trials with individual crabs (n = 240) indicate that double-claw removal incurs markedly more mortality (70 %) compared with single-claw removal (51 %). Mortality was significantly correlated with wound size, temperature, and shell condition (GLM, p
Comparison of Perioperative Outcomes and Parental Satisfaction Outcomes of Strip Craniectomy with Postoperative Helmet versus Spring-Mediated Remodeling in Sagittal Craniosynostosis.

INTRODUCTION We sought to compare outcomes and parental satisfaction between 2 approaches for sagittal craniosynostosis: strip craniectomy with spring-mediated skull remodeling (SMSR) and strip craniectomy with postoperative helmet (SCH). METHODS Perioperative and outcome data for SMSR or SCH patients between September 2010 and July 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. A telephone survey was administered to parents of children who underwent both procedures. RESULTS A total of 62 children were treated for sagittal craniosynostosis by either SMSR (n = 45) or SCH (n = 17). The SCH group had a lower estimated blood loss (27 vs. 47.06 mL, p = 0.021) and age at surgery (13.0 vs. 19.8 weeks) than the SMSR group. Three patients underwent early springs removal due to trauma or dislodgement, all of whom converted to helmeting. Of the 62 children initially identified, 59 were determined to have an adequate follow-up time to assess long-term outcomes. The mean follow-up time was 30.1 months (n = 16) in the SCH group and 32.0 months in the SMSR group (n = 43, p = 0.39). Two patients in the SCH group and one in the SMSR group converted to open cranial vault reconstruction. Thirty parents agreed to respond to the satisfaction survey (8 SCH, 22 SMSR) based on a Likert scale of responses (0 being most dissatisfied possible, 4 most satisfied possible). Average satisfaction was 3.86/4.0 in the SCH group and 3.45/4.0 in the SMSR group. No parents in the SCH group would change to SMSR, while 3 of the 22 SMSR survey responders would have changed to SCH. CONCLUSIONS Perioperative outcomes and average parental satisfaction were similar in both groups. Importance of helmet wear compliance and risk of spring dislodgement should be discussed with parents.
How to Respond to a Ransomware Attack? One Radiation Oncology Department's Response to a Cyber-Attack on Their Record and Verify System

Abstract Purpose The digitization of healthcare for patient safety and efficiency introduced third party networks into closed hospital systems increasing the probability of cyberattacks and their consequences(1). In April 2021, a major vendor of a Radiation Oncology (RO) record and verify system (RVS) suffered a ransomware attack, affecting our department and many others across the United States. This article summarizes our response to the ransomware event including workflows, team member roles, responsibilities, communications and departmental recovery. Methods and Materials The RVS created or housed accurate patient dose records for 6 locations. The immediate response to the ransomware attack was to shut down the system including the ability to treat patients. With the utilization of the hospital EMR and pre-existing interfaces with RVS, the department was able to safely continue patient radiotherapy treatments innovatively utilizing a direct DICOM transfer of patient data to the linear accelerators and implementing paper charting. Human capital costs included communication, outreach, workflow creation, quality assurance and extended clinical hours. Results No patients were treated in the first 24 hours of the attack. Within 48 hours of the ransomware event, 50% of patients were treated, and within 1 week, 95% of all patients were treated using direct DICOM transfer and paper charts. The RVS was completely unavailable for 2.5 weeks and full functionality was not restored for 4.5 weeks. A phased approach was adopted for re-introduction of patient treatments back into the RVS. Conclusions Key lessons learned were to have a back-up of essential information, employ ‘dry run' emergency training, having consistent parameter requirements across different vendor hardware and software, and having a plan for the recovery effort of restoring normal operations once software is operational. The provided report presents valuable information for the development of cyber-attack preparedness for RO departments.
Children's behavior problems, caregivers' trauma history, and membership in latent physical abuse trajectory classes: An approach of latent class growth analysis to dating violence victimization.

Abstract Background Child abuse is a serious social problem in the USA as many children suffer from child abuse and its negative consequences are severe. To prevent future victimization, it is essential to understand unique patterns of child abuse trajectories over time and the factors associated with their victimization. Objective The primary goal of this study was to identify individual differences in developmental trajectories of alleged physical abuse between the ages of 2 and 12. Participants and setting The sample included all children drawn from Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), which is a consortium of five study sites (South, East, Midwest, Northwest, and Southwest). Methods Using the high-risk sample with Child Protective Service record reviews prior to age 4, significant variability in trajectory class membership was observed in the unconditional Latent Class Growth Analysis. Results Three trajectory classes were obtained from the data: Early Onset, Late Peak and Non-Victims. The findings showed that children who had an attention problem at age 4 were more likely to become members of both the Early Onset and Late Peak groups, relative to Non-victims. Also, membership in the Late Peak group was predicted by caregivers' childhood physical abuse, supporting for the cycle of physical abuse across generations. Finally, children in the Late Peak group were at the highest risk of being physically, psychologically, and sexually abused in a dating relationship at age 14. Conclusions These results suggest that children's internal and external behavior problems and caregivers' childhood physical abuse are predictive of child abuse trajectory class membership. Parental education programs that increase their knowledge about children with special needs and intervention programs targeting caregivers with a history of physical abuse would be beneficial to prevent child abuse (re)victimization.
Distributional Forms of Financial Accounting Ratios: Pearson's and Johnson's Taxonomies

Knowledge of the cross-sectional distributional forms of financial accounting ratios can be important to users of accounting information. But previous studies of the cross-sectional distributional forms of accounting ratios have been limited to examining for normality. In this paper, the crosssectional distributions of forty-one common financial accounting ratios are classified according to the Pearson and Johnson systems for each year of a ten-year period. Ninety-seven percent of the distributions are J-shaped, reverse J-shaped, skewed, or U-shaped. The vast majority of the distributions are bounded. Also, thirty-five of the forty-one ratios have distributions with the same general form for at least eight years of the ten-year period.
Sources and sinks of carbon from land-use change in China

[1] Changes in land use contribute to the current terrestrial carbon sink in most regions of the northern midlatitudes but are poorly documented for China, the world's third largest country. We attempted to reconstruct the last 300 years of land-use change in China, emphasizing changes in the area of forests. Changes in the area of croplands were inadequate for reconstruction of forest loss because the long-term loss of forest area was more than twice the current area of croplands. We used historical information to reconstruct changes in forest area over time and the ecological literature to estimate the carbon stocks of the major natural ecosystems (vegetation and soil). We used a bookkeeping model to calculate the flux of carbon to or from living vegetation, dead vegetation, soils, and wood products under different types of land use. According to the data and assumptions, 180 (range: 80–200) × 106 ha of forest were lost, and 17–33 PgC were released to the atmosphere between 1700 and 2000. About 25% of the loss was from soils. The accelerated clearing and logging of forests in northeastern and southwestern China led to emissions of carbon that reached peaks of 0.2–0.5 PgC yr−1 from the late 1950s through the 1970s. Lower rates of deforestation since then, as well as expanding areas of tree plantations, reversed the net flux of carbon from a source to a sink during the 1990s.
Parameterized Algorithms for Feedback Vertex Set

We present an algorithm for the parameterized feedback vertex set problem that runs in time \(O((2\lg{k}+ 2\lg{\lg{k}+ 18})^k n^2)\). This improves the previous \(O(max\{12^k, (4\lg{k})^k\}n^{\omega})\) algorithm by Raman et al. by roughly a 2 k factor (n w ∈ O(n 2.376) is the time needed to multiply two n × n matrices). Our results are obtained by developing new combinatorial tools and employing results from extremal graph theory. We also show that for several special classes of graphs the feedback vertex set problem can be solved in time c k n O(1) for some constant c. This includes, for example, graphs of genus \(O(\lg{n})\).
Oxygen diffusion measurements in porous

Abstract The ion microprobe mass analyzer was used to measure oxygen diffusivity in porous hyperstoichiometric uranium dioxide. The effect of porosity on diffusivity is discussed in terms of percolation theory. The limited data reported herein indicate a diffusivity threshold when the volume fraction of pores is 0.3. At this porosity, the oxygen diffusion changes from solid-like to gas-like behavior.
Helping Secondary Learning Disabled Students Study a Science Text

(1987). Helping Secondary Learning Disabled Students Study a Science Text. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 61, No. 3, pp. 119-121.
Moving Stills: portraiture and superficial ties in two Visconti films

Este ensayo se centra en dos peliculas dirigidas por Luchino Visconti, La terra trema (1948) y Rocco e i suoi fratelli (1960) estudiadas bajo la lente de discursos sobre la Cuestion Meridional (la subyugacion del sur por el norte propia del proceso de consolidacion nacional italiana). Analizo dos cuestiones concomitantes: la configuracion de lazos de parentesco y cuerpos sociales meridionales mediante retratos fotograficos; y la relacion de estos ultimos con imagenes en movimiento y narrativa filmica . Consecuentemente en mi analisis estilistico pongo en duda afirmaciones de realismo documental en ambas peliculas consideradas paradigmas del cine neorrealista , resaltando en ellas el uso sistematico de convenciones melodramaticas . Subrayo el car acter sinestesico del melodrama, que toca al espectador mientras este mira la pantalla. Visconti sistematicamente presenta relaciones sinestesicas y emocionales entre tomas, fotos e imagenes para transmitir su propia solucion a la Cuestion Meridional. Palabras clave: Neorrealismo; Melodrama ; Luchino Visconti; La cuestion meridional; Estudios italianos Abstract This essay focuses on two films directed by Luchino Visconti, La terra trema (1948) and Rocco e i suoi fratelli (1960) under the light of Southern Question discourses–the subjugation of the South to the North inscribed in the process leading to Italian national affirmation. I address two related issues: the fabrication of southern kinship and social bodies via portraiture, and the latter’s relationship to moving images and filmic narrative. Consequently, analyzing film style I question claims of documentary realism in these films, paradigms of neorealist filmmaking, by foregrounding their systematic use of melodramatic conventions. I stress the synesthetic side to melodrama. Spectators look at the screen while in their turn are touched by its moving images. Visconti systematically presents once and again this synesthetic emotional relationship between shots, photographs, and pictures to forward his solution to the Southern Question. Key words: Neorealism; Melodrama; Luchino Visconti; Southern Question; Italian Studies
Global Run-On Sequencing (GRO-seq) Library Preparation from Drosophila Ovaries

In the past decade, deep-sequencing approaches have greatly improved our knowledge of the genome's potential and have become a crucial milestone for new discoveries in genomics. Transcription is the first step of gene expression; therefore, the detection and measurement of transcription rates is of great interest. Here, a detailed protocol for global run-on sequencing (GRO-seq) library preparation from Drosophila ovaries is described. The method relies on rapid isolation of nuclei with halted transcription, then restarting transcription in physiological conditions in the presence of a labeled nucleotide. The newly transcribed nascent RNA is then isolated and cloned using a small RNA cloning protocol. Although it is time-consuming, the global run-on method allows the user to profile the position, orientation and amount of transcriptionally engaged RNA polymerases across the genome, therefore providing a snapshot of genome-wide transcription.
Do citation trends reflect epidemiologic patterns? Assessing MRSA, emerging and re-emerging pathogens, 1963-2014.

A rapid rise in PubMed citations on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) occurred after 2000, but the relationship of trends in citation to epidemiologic trends for infectious disease is not known. We queried PubMed(R), for citations to the following: MRSA, HIV/AIDS, Staphylococcus aureus, severe acute respiratory syndrome, Lyme disease, avian influenza, West Nile virus, Chikungunya, Ebola virus and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome. Incidence or mortality data were tabulated. We identified 560,225 citations in 1963–2014. There were two distinct qualitative citation patterns. Type I pathogens showed a decade of initial exponential growth. Type II pathogens showed a sudden spike in citations in a year or two, followed by a relative decline. MRSA most closely resembled a Type I pathogen. The Type I pattern pathogens had varied trends in disease incidence in the years following the exponential growth and subsequent decline in the number of citations. Their differing epidemiologic patterns did not correlate with their pattern of citations. We conclude that citation trends on MRSA cannot be used to determine past epidemiologic trends and also that the citation trend for MRSA in 1995–2011 most closely resembled that for HIV in 1981–1998.
Hindenburg: Power, Myth, and the Rise of the Nazis – By Anna von der Goltz

Few individuals have had a greater impact on the history of the twentieth century than Field Marshall Paul Freiherr von Hindenburg. After serving as army chief of staff and virtual codictator of im...
Mission-Oriented R & D

Mansfield's Section 203 has triggered a searching review by DOD of its research. Using the general budget constraints of the past few years as an effective springboard, Mansfield went on to question and then challenge all of the federal government's policies for R & D. The entire post-World War II institutional machinery and rhetoric for R & D are now in some disarray and, thus, are open to imaginative, constructive change. Mission-oriented R & D, still central to progress toward our national goals, must be comprehensively rethought in order to restore the public confidence necessary for adequate support of science and technology.
Fabrication and Characterization of Large-Area, Semiconducting Nanoperforated Graphene Materials

We demonstrate the fabrication of nanoperforated graphene materials with sub-20-nm features using cylinder-forming diblock copolymer templates across >1 mm2 areas. Hexagonal arrays of holes are etched into graphene membranes, and the remaining constrictions between holes interconnect forming a honeycomb structure. Quantum confinement, disorder, and localization effects modulate the electronic structure, opening an effective energy gap of 100 meV in the nanopatterned material. The field-effect conductivity can be modulated by 40× (200×) at room temperature (T = 105 K) as a result. A room temperature hole mobility of 1 cm2 V−1 s−1 was measured in the fabricated nanoperforated graphene field effect transistors. This scalable strategy for modulating the electronic structure of graphene is expected to facilitate applications of graphene in electronics, optoelectronics, and sensing.
Strategies for rating emotion used by adolescents who show conduct problems.

Summary.-30 adolescents who showed many conduct problems used more excreme rating categories and fewer of the available categories than 30 adolescents with few conduct problems when they rated their enjoyment of audiovisual stimuli. Contrary to the predictions of Cleckley's motivation-deficit theory, the strategies for rating emotion used by 15 adolescents with conduct problems were not changed by exposure to a highly arousing stimulus. An alternative explanation of cognitive differentiation is discussed. Clinical studies have often referred to the difficulty that psychopathic individuals have in recognizing the emotional significance of their experiences despite, at least in many cases, adequate verbal ability to label those experiences. Cleckley ( 1) has attributed this difficulty to "semantic dementia," a condition in which the individual is cognizant of the denotative meaning of words that describe emotions but is unable to experience the motivational import of the emotion. The purposes of this study were to examine the strategies for rating emotion used by (psychopathic) adolescents who show problems in conduct and to provide a test of Cleckley's motivation-deficit theory of semantic dementia. One important aspect of making a rating of an emotional experience on a scale with specified categories is the manner in which the rater uses available rating categories. An unmotivated individual who is making multiple ratings of emotional stimuli on a scale will give ratings at either or both ends .of the scale (2). For example, in rating the degree of happiness on a 10-point scale ranging from very unhappy to very happy for multiple emotional experiences, an unmotivated person would use only a few of the possible 10 choice-points and would give responses distributed about the middle of the scale. Numerous studies have demonstrated that when physiological arousal is increased by exposure to a highly arousing situation, adolescents. who show conduct problems will alter that behavior to be more in line with behavior of others (6). If heightened arousal is one component of increased m~tiva~ion, one might find that adolescents whose conduct is problematic and who are exposed to a highly. arousing situation would alter the rating of emotion to be more like that of adolescents who show no such problems. Two sets of hypotheses were examined here. It was predicted that adolescents whose conduct is highly problematic and who show psychopathic char
Workers of the World Unite? The Contemporary Anti-Sweatshop Movement and the Struggle for Social Justice in the Americas:

The contemporary anti-sweatshop movement emerged more than 10 years ago. During that time period, numerous campaigns have challenged sweatshop labor practices (particularly in the garment industry) throughout the Americas. This article examines four such campaigns that primarily involved Central American garment workers and U.S.-based nongovernment organizations. The results of these case studies were relatively mixed. Gains (better wages and working conditions) were usually not broadened or sustained over time. What factors explain these disparate outcomes? Following and expanding on theoretical concepts and models embedded within the globalization and transnational social movement literatures, the author explores that question, describing each campaign’s dynamics and comparatively analyzing all four. The author concludes with some short-term, medium-term, and long-term proposals for addressing the various obstacles that the anti-sweatshop movement currently faces.
Zero tolerance rules in food safety and quality

In this introduction to the special section on zero tolerance rules, we identity examples from the known literature, which focus almost exclusively on deviant behavior. In contrast, we assembled papers that focus on zero tolerance as a characteristic of an increasing number of public and private rules that govern and shape the agrifood system. The contributions to this section illustrate the importance of an interdisciplinary approach for the conceptualization and exploration of zero tolerance rules, as well as an examination of the impact of zero on a range of value chain stakeholders including consumers. A thread running through the articles is that a society’s culture, and the political economy in which it is embedded, matter. Moreover, the authors show that the meaning of “zero” is ambiguous and application of “zero” is problematic at best. Perhaps most important is the argument that absolute safety is simply an illusion.
8.3.2 Using FMEAs to Improve Healthcare Study Design

There is an intense focus in the United States on ways to improve Healthcare Quality. However, the process of measuring quality improvements can be difficult. This paper proposes the use of traditional FMEA techniques on study design, with a goal of improving the quality of the studies themselves. An example study is examined and a FMEA is performed.
Ultrastructure of Pneumocystis carinii

Abstract The ultrastructure of Pneumocystis carinii was studied in two cases of humans with Pneumocystis pneumonia. Emphasis was directed toward determining the nature of the membranous complex structures which appeared contiguous with the concave surface of the organism. It was concluded that these microvillous tubular structures serve to anchor the microorganism to the alveolar wall and to aid in nutritional functions. The demonstration of an occasional microorganism within an alveolar wall indicates an aggressive aspect of this disease. This organism appears to be a protozoan rather than a fungus.
A Prešić type contractive condition and its applications

Abstract We study discrete dynamic systems in a complete metric space ( M , d ) defined by mappings which satisfy Presic type contractive conditions. Their counterparts in an ordered Banach space are investigated and applied to solve the global asymptotic stability of the equilibriums of some nonlinear difference equations.
Audiogenic seizure levels in C57BL/6J mice are related to the priming and testing stimuli.

Abstract The effects of reversing two audiogenic priming stimuli during testing for audiogenic convulsions were examined in C57BL 6J mice not normally susceptible to audiogenic seizures on the first exposure to an acoustic stimulus. Mice were exposed to either a small (b) or a large (B) bell during audiogenic priming for either 10, 30, or 60 s at 16 days of age. They were then tested using either the same bell or under reversed conditions (bb, BB, bB or Bb) at varying ages thereafter. Responses were graded as expected according to the duration of priming. The low incidences of audiogenic seizures observed during testing were similar for the bb and bB groups, and the high incidences were similar for the BB and Bb groups. Thus, priming conditions determine later seizure levels, not testing conditions.
Genetic correlation between the free-choice oral consumption of nicotine and alcohol in C57BL/6J × C3H/HeJ F2 intercross mice

Previous studies in humans have demonstrated a high co-morbidity between alcoholism and smoking. This co-morbidity between alcohol and nicotine dependence can be attributed, in part, to common genetic factors. In rodents, behavioral and physiological responses to alcohol and nicotine also appear to share common genetic influences. In this report, the genetic correlation between free-choice oral nicotine and oral alcohol consumption was evaluated using an ascending two-bottle choice paradigm in C57BL/6xC3H/HeJ F2 intercross mice. For all concentrations of nicotine (25, 50, and 100 microg/ml) and alcohol (3, 6, and 10%) tested, nicotine consumption was significantly correlated with alcohol consumption. Nicotine consumption at the highest nicotine concentration tested (100 microg/ml) showed low, but significant, correlations with the number of [3H]-cytisine binding sites in the hippocampus (r=0.307) and the number of [125I]-alpha-bungarotoxin binding sites in the cortex (r=-0.328). No significant correlations between alcohol consumption and the number of either [3H]-cytisine or [125I]-alpha-bungarotoxin binding sites was observed. A polymorphism in the nicotinic receptor alpha4 subunit gene, Chrna4, showed a trend with nicotine consumption and a significant association with alcohol consumption in female but not male mice. These results indicate that common genetic factors influence nicotine and alcohol consumption in mice. However, neither individual differences in the expression of [3H]-cytisine or [125I]-alpha-bungarotoxin binding nicotinic receptors nor the polymorphism in Chrna4 likely contribute to the genetic overlap that influences the consumption of both of these drugs of abuse in C57BL/6xC3H/HeJ F2 mice.
High Energy Particle Acceleration in Solar Flares — Observational Evidence

The recent gamma ray and neutron observations made by the SMM Gamma Ray Spectrometer are reviewed. The implication these observations hold for understanding particle acceleration in solar flares are discussed. The data require that both electrons and ions must be accelerated together to relativistic energies and interact with matter in a time scale of seconds.
THE CALCULATION OF INTRARADICAL FUNGAL BIOMASS FROM PERCENT COLONIZATION IN VESICULAR-ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAE

Root colonization as estimated by the line intersect method yields a quantitative value which is related to the extent of intercellular hyphal development and the proportion of the cortex occupied by cells with arbuscules. Hence, by knowing the amount of mycorrhizal colonization, we should be able to predict fungal biovolume provided the relationship (constant) between colonization and fungal biovolume is known. We have used data from morphometric cytological studies of mycorrhiza of Allium cepa and a chitin assay for Agropyron smithii roots to determine how colonization and fungus biovolume are related in order to derive the constant (Kf). We show that by using Kf and measuring root radius and colonized root length, we can calculate fungal biovolume and, hence, fungal biomass for an entire root system. We show that the regression model (P < 0.0001) for the calculated mycorrhizal fungal biomass value (x) and the actual measured value as determined by the chitin method (y) are good predictors of biomass (y = 0.22 + 1.22x; R2 = 0.81). Moreover, we show that when fungal biomass is expressed as percent of the root system, the relationship improves (y = 0.21 + 1.09x; R2 = 0.89). This study indicates that it is possible to calculate intraradical mycorrhizal fungal biomass from colonization data; a preliminary Kf value of 0.06 is proposed.
Mortality and Other Studies Questioning the Evidence for and Value of Routine Anticoagulant Therapy in Acute Myocardial Infarction

This study of 1350 patients with acute myocardial infarction admitted to several hospitals during a 10-year period attempts to answer several questions currently in dispute: the correlation of the patient's condition on admission with the mortality rate, the relation of the patient's age to prognosis, and the value of routine anticoagulant therapy. It presents the major statistical objections to the study by the Committee for the Evaluation of Anticoagulants of the American Heart Association, questions the evidence upon which the Committee made its recommendations and concludes that incontrovertible proof of the advantages of routine anticoagulant therapy in patients mildly ill on admission to the hospital has not been presented thus far.
The relationship of vocal tract shape to three voice qualities.

Three-dimensional vocal tract shapes and consequent area functions representing the vowels [i, ae, ɑ, u] have been obtained from one male and one female speaker using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The two speakers were trained vocal performers and both were adept at manipulation of vocal tract shape to alter voice quality. Each vowel was performed three times, each with one of the three voice qualities: normal, yawny, and twangy. The purpose of the study was to determine some ways in which the vocal tract shape can be manipulated to alter voice quality while retaining a desired phonetic quality. To summarize any overall tract shaping tendencies mean area functions were subsequently computed across the four vowels produced within each specific voice quality. Relative to normal speech, both the vowel area functions and mean area functions showed, in general, that the oral cavity is widened and tract length increased for the yawny productions. The twangy vowels were characterized by shortened tract length, widened lip opening, and a slightly constricted oral cavity. The resulting acoustic characteristics of these articulatory alterations consisted of the first two formants (F1 and F2) being close together for all yawny vowels and far apart for all the twangy vowels.
Electron Microscopic and Histochemical Studies of Sporozoite Formation in Plasmodium berghei

SYNOPSIS. Observations were made on the differentiation of fine structure during sporogonic development of Plasmodium berghei. The oocyst in the process of sporozoite formation is an encapsulated structure 30-40 μ in diameter. It typically develops while in an extracellular position, attached to the basement membrane of the mosquito midgut and projecting into the mosquito hemocoel. Occasionally, however, ookinetes passing thru the midgut epithelial cells may become impacted within a cell so that the resulting oocyst develops intracellularly. Each oocyst has a large differentiating region, the sporoblastoid body. This body contains large dividing nuclei which are Feulgenpositive, and a cytoplasm which includes mitochondria, dense rodlike structures, cytoplasmic membranes, cisternae and vacuolar structures, Golgi material, and ribosomes which are both free and membrane-associated. Sporozoite budding takes place along the surface of the sporoblastoid body. Bits of a new membrane condense under the plasma membrane which bounds the sporoblastoid body. These 2-membraned sites then bulge out, continue to elongate, and eventually become sporozoites. The various nuclear and cytoplasmic components of the sporoblastoid body are passed into the sporozoites during their elongation. In addition, the sporozoite develops a system of elogate, subpellicular microtubules, possibly contractile in function. The pellicle of the sporozoite is broken by an opening, the cytostome (micropyle). The anterior end is truncate.
A physicist's view of vision.

Visual mechanisms of animals are extremely complex, but, as a physicist, I shall treat them perhaps a bit simplistically. I shall start with two central questions: What is the function of our visual system, and what are the mechanisms by which it works? A little bit of natural history will be useful to begin to answer the first question. In the jungles of South America there is a strange species of jumping spider. The female has on her posterior a red mark in the form of a “V.” The retina of the male is also in the form of a “V.” When the male, wandering through the forest, notices an object of the right dimensions, and recognizes a brilliant red V, he knows he has found a mate. If the V is lacking, he knows it is only an opportunity for a good meal. His visual system is specially designed to fit his needs.
Unusual cycloadditions of o-quinone methides with oxazoles

Unusual reactions between various electron-rich oxazoles and ortho-quinone methides is described. This combination leads to some interesting adducts.
Neurocognitive Effects of Methamphetamine: A Critical Review and Meta-analysis

This review provides a critical analysis of the central nervous system effects of acute and chronic methamphetamine (MA) use, which is linked to numerous adverse psychosocial, neuropsychiatric, and medical problems. A meta-analysis of the neuropsychological effects of MA abuse/dependence revealed broadly medium effect sizes, showing deficits in episodic memory, executive functions, information processing speed, motor skills, language, and visuoconstructional abilities. The neuropsychological deficits associated with MA abuse/dependence are interpreted with regard to their possible neural mechanisms, most notably MA-associated frontostriatal neurotoxicity. In addition, potential explanatory factors are considered, including demographics (e.g., gender), MA use characteristics (e.g., duration of abstinence), and the influence of common psychiatric (e.g., other substance-related disorders) and neuromedical (e.g., HIV infection) comorbidities. Finally, these findings are discussed with respect to their potential contribution to the clinical management of persons with MA abuse/dependence.
c-Jun Potentiates the Functional Interaction between the Amino and Carboxyl Termini of the Androgen Receptor

The transactivation functions of the human androgen receptor (hAR) are regulated by several accessory factors that can be either positive or negative. One factor that has been previously shown to mediate hAR transactivation is the proto-oncoprotein c-Jun. The positive effect is a primary one, can be exerted by both endogenous and exogenous c-Jun, and requires multiple regions of c-Jun. However, the exact mechanism by which c-Jun exerts its enhancing function is unknown. In this study, we have used a mammalian two-hybrid system to ask if c-Jun influences the ligand-dependent amino- to carboxyl-terminal (N-to-C) interaction of hAR, which is thought to be responsible for the homodimerization of this receptor. Our results show that c-Jun enhances both hAR N-to-C terminal interaction and DNA binding in vitro. We have also tested a panel of c-Jun and c-Fos mutants for their activities on the N-to-C interaction, and the data demonstrate that the activities of these mutants parallel their activities on hAR transactivation. A mutation in the hAR activation function-2 (AF-2) abrogates N-to-C interaction, DNA binding, and transactivation, and these activities are not rescued by exogenous c-Jun. Interestingly, the p160 coactivator TIF2 can stimulate hAR N-to-C interaction, a finding consistent with the effect on hAR transactivation. These data strongly suggest that the hAR N-to-C interaction is the target of c-Jun action, and this activity requires a functional receptor AF-2.
Fine-tuning thermoresponsive functional poly(ε-caprolactone)s to enhance micelle stability and drug loading

Block copolymers synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization of γ-2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethoxy-e-caprolactone (ME3CL), γ-2-methoxyethoxy-e-caprolactone (ME1CL), and e-caprolactone (CL) are reported. Previously, diblock copolymers of PME3CL-b-PME1CL displayed excellent thermoresponsive tunability (31–43 °C) and self-assembled into micelles with moderate thermodynamic stability. In this report, two strategies are employed to enhance thermodynamic stability of PME3CL/PME1CL-type block copolymer micelles while maintaining their attractive thermoresponsive qualities: modification of the end group position and alteration of hydrophobic block composition by using both ME1CL and CL. These new thermoresponsive amphiphilic block copolymers showed lower critical micelle concentration (CMC) values by one order of magnitude and formed thermodynamically stable micelles. Furthermore they demonstrated good biocompatibility and up to 4.97 wt% doxorubicin loading, more than double the amount loaded into the PME3CL-type polymeric micelles previously reported.
Learning Performance of Young Rats Subjected to Convulsive and Sub-Convulsive Electric Shocks

(1950). Learning Performance of Young Rats Subjected to Convulsive and Sub-Convulsive Electric Shocks. The Journal of Psychology: Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 81-84.
A novel pleiotropic effect of statins: prevention of cardiac hypertrophy by cholesterol-independent mechanisms

Cardiac hypertrophy is an initial physiological adaptive response by the heart to pressure overload. However, if pressure overload persists, frequently, the heart decompensates and develops 'pathophysiological' hypertrophy. This leads to increased mortality and morbidity and is an independent risk factor for heart failure. Because cardiac myocytes convert this pressure overload into intracellular biochemical signals, blocking this critical signaling pathway may be an important therapeutic target to prevent cardiac hypertrophy. Small GTP-binding proteins, in particular Rac1, have been suggested to play a key role in the development of cardiac hypertrophy. Recently, 3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, also called statins, have been shown to inhibit cardiac hypertrophy independent of their cholesterol lowering property. Statins block the isoprenylation and activation of members of the Rho family, such as RhoA and Rac1. Rac1 also regulates NADPH oxidase, which is a major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cardiovascular cells. Growing evidence suggests that ROS may be involved in the process of cardiac hypertrophy and recent research has shown that statins attenuate oxidative stress through inhibition of Rac1. Overall, these pleiotropic effects of statins will give new insights into the process of cardiac hypertrophy.
WHY NO NEW PHYLA AFTER THE CAMBRIAN? GENOME AND ECOSPACE HYPOTHESES REVISITED

Considering the implications of the phylogenetic tree, the fossil record suggests that all metazoan phyla had originated by the close of the Early Cambrian. Two hypotheses for the ensuing restriction on body-plan origination are 1) that genomes have become modified so as to preclude the origin of major morphological novelty; and 2) that the environment has become so widely occupied by numbers of distinctive lineages that any evolutionary opportunities are quickly exploited by existing clades. The burgeoning array of findings on the molecular basis of development suggests that the genome hypothesis is unlikely to explain the restriction on evolutionary novelty. Body plans are specified through a system of pattern-formation and selector genes that was in place before the Cambrian explosion; although this system has been modified within different clades as they have diverged, there are no indications that the creative ability of regulatory genomes has been impaired. A model of ecospace occupation involving evolutionary preclusion and access appears to be consistent with the data as now understood.
Adaptation in electric hearing: analysis of level and amplitude modulation encoding

Neural adaptation in sensory systems can potentially improve the efficiency and fidelity of neural encoding (e.g. [1]). In the auditory system, for instance, the firing rates of peripheral and midbrain neurons can shift to better represent the range of most likely stimulus levels [2,3]. Adaptation has long been known to exist throughout the auditory system in response to acoustic stimulation, and now studies have revealed that the auditory nerve exhibits firing rate adaptation in response to electric stimulation [4]. Adaptation may, therefore, have important implications for the function and design of cochlear implants, but there have been few attempts to investigate the relationship between neural adaptation, cochlear implant design, and listening outcomes for cochlear implant users. We hypothesize that it will be possible to identify time scales of adaptation that optimally encode a stimulus, depending on the time scales of the stimulus. The time course of adaptation appears to depend on stimulus parameters [5], so if our hypothesis is true, then it may be possible to design stimulation strategies that induce adaptation in a way that improves encoding of cochlear implant stimuli. To address this hypothesis, we use a point process model to simulate the response of an auditory nerve cell to electric stimulation. The model replicates known features of the auditory nerve’s response to electric stimulation including spike threshold, input/output function, and refractory effects. For this study, we implement firing rate adaptation in the model via a spike-history feedback mechanism. The adaptation component has two parameters that control the time scale and degree of adaptation. We simulate the effect of adaptation on encoding of stimulus level and sinusoidal amplitude modulation. We use the likelihood function associated with the point process model to quantify spike timing information, as well as common measures of spike count information, strength of phase-locking to the amplitude-modulated signal, and signal-to-noise ratio of firing rates. We find that at high stimulus levels, firing rate adaptation prevents saturation and therefore improves sensitivity to level increments and modulation. In response to weaker stimuli, adaptation typically degrades the encoding of level and amplitude modulation. In general, we find that the degree, not time scale, of adaptation is the more important factor in determining the effect of adaptation on encoding. In order to further probe the effects of the time scale of adaptation, we analyze neural encoding of dynamic stimuli that feature multiple time scales and non-stationary levels.
Patterns of sensitization to peanut allergen components in Taiwanese Preschool children

Background/Purpose Peanut allergy is very common in Western countries, although it is seldom encountered in Eastern countries. Peanuts are comprised of at least 11 components, but the contribution to clinical symptoms by each component in each individual is not known. This study investigated the distributions of sensitivity to peanut allergen components among Taiwanese children who were sensitized to peanuts and followed the evolution of sensitization patterns to these components. Methods We enrolled 29 preschool children (age=2.11±1.36 years) who were sensitized to peanuts above class 3. Serum was analyzed for specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to recombinant Ara h 1, Ara h 2, Ara h 3, Ara h 8, and Ara h 9. Allergen component-specific IgE ≥0.35kU A /L was defined as positive. Eighteen children were retested 22.64±5.1 months later. Peanut allergy symptoms were recorded from detailed questionnaires. Results The percentages of children sensitized to Ara h 1, 2, 3, 8, and 9 were, respectively, 51.8%, 65.5%, 62.1%, 13.8%, and 24.1%. Regarding changing patterns of peanut component sensitization at follow-up, children with clinical symptoms to peanuts had persistent elevations of Ara h 2-specific IgE: 12.6±1.01 up to 34.15±19.4kU A /L; p =0.144. In contrast, Ara h 2 concentrations decreased significantly in children without clinical symptoms. Ara h 8 and 9 were nonspecific for children with or without symptoms. Conclusion Ara h 1, Ara h 2, and Ara h 3 were major components contributing to peanut sensitization in Taiwanese children. Ara h 2 was probably the most important component that contributed to clinical symptoms and remained steady in children who had peanut allergy.
Density Functional Characterization of Methane Metathesis in ansa-[Bis(η5-2-indenyl)methane]ML Complexes [M = Sc, Y, Lu; L = CH3, CH2C(CH3)3]

The uni- and bimolecular C−H bond metathesis reactions of ansa-[bis(η5-2-indenyl)methane]ML (M = Sc, Y, Lu; L = CH3, CH2C(CH3)3) with four ansa-indenyl ligands having various degrees of aromatic ring methylation were modeled with the MPW1K density functional and a relativistic effective core potential basis set. Analysis of theoretical trends as a function of metal and ligand indicates that, in contrast to the situation with analogous (Cp*)2 sandwich complexes, unimolecular metathesis reactions proceeding through tuck-in intermediates have significantly higher enthalpies of activation compared to alternative bimolecular pathways, so that the latter dominate metathesis reactivity in every case under typical experimental conditions; taking account of quantum mechanical tunneling through the reaction coordinate does not change this situation. Narrow bite angles enforced by the ansa methylene bridge on the bis(indenyl) ligands cause the steric differences between methyl and neopentyl ligands to have reduced i...
SAR vibrometry using the pseudo-subspace approach based on the discrete fractional Fourier transform

In synthetic-aperture radar (SAR), ground-target vibrations introduce a phase modulation in the returned signals, a phenomenon often referred to as the micro-Doppler effect. Earlier work has shown that the problem of estimating common ground-target vibrations can be transformed into the problem of successively estimating chirp parameters of the returned signal in properly sized subapertures. Recently, a method based on the discrete fractional Fourier transform (DFRFT) was proposed, in conjunction with the subaperture framework, to estimate target vibrations in the absence of noise. In this paper a pseudo-subspace approach is employed to extend the applicability of the DFRFT-based vibration-estimation method to signals that are corrupted by white noise. The new algorithm first calculates the inverse discrete Fourier transform of row and column projections of the magnitude of the DFRFT spectrum of the SAR returned signal to obtain two vectors. Next, covariance matrices are estimated from the sample covariance matrices of the two vectors. A pseudo-subspace approach is then applied to the covariance matrices to yield the pseudo-spectra. The chirp rate of the signal is estimated by finding the principle frequency component in the corresponding pseudo-spectrum. Monte-Carlo simulations demonstrate that the proposed method generally offers improved mean-square-error performance in the presence of noise compared to the direct DFRFT-based method.
Supracricoid partial laryngectomy with cricohyoidopexy

Abstract The supracricoid partial laryngectomy (SCPL) with cricohyoidopexy (CHP) is an alternative to total laryngectomy in the treatment of selected glottic and supraglottic cancers. It consists of the resection of the true cords, false cords, thyroid cartilage and epiglottis, while the cricoid cartilage and at least one of the two arytenoid cartilages are spared. Reconstruction is performed by securing the cricoid cartilage to the hyoid bone. Careful patient selection is of paramount importance for the success of this procedure. In general, the indications for SCPL with CHP include selected supraglottic and glottic tumors that do not involve the subglottis or the arytenoid cartilages. When properly performed, the speech and swallowing function is preserved in a high percentage of patients. The specific indications and the surgical technique are presented here.