cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SAT0373 Preventing a large majority of incident gout cases by modifying key risk factors: findings from a prospective cohort of 44,629 men over 26 years

Background Many modifiable risk factors have been found to be independently associated with the risk of developing gout, including dietary factors (e.g., intakes of red meat and fructose), adiposity, alcohol intake, and diuretic use. Conversely, healthy dietary patterns (e.g., Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension [DASH]) and a high intake of vitamin C have been shown to be independently associated with lower gout risk. However, the potential combined impact of these factors on the risk of developing gout is unknown. Objectives We aimed to estimate the proportion of incident gout cases that could theoretically be avoided through the simultaneous adoption of multiple low-risk behaviours, including low body mass index (BMI), consumption of a DASH-style eating pattern, no alcohol intake, vitamin C supplementation, and no diuretic use. Methods From 1986 to 2012, we prospectively followed 44 629 men free from gout at baseline in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Lifestyle, anthropometric, and medical information was collected at baseline and updated biennially. Dietary data were obtained using validated food frequency questionnaires at baseline and approximately every 4 years during follow-up. We ascertained incident cases of gout using the American College of Rheumatology survey criteria for gout. We defined low-risk groups according to combinations of the following five factors: a low BMI ( Results During 9 50 086 person-years of follow-up, incident gout developed in 1687 participants. All five modifiable risk factors were independently associated with incident gout. Obesity was the single most important predictor of gout; all other risk factors were also associated with a statistically significant increased risk of gout, even after adjustment for BMI. As compared with the rest of the cohort, men in the low-risk group (comprised of all five low-risk factors; 4.4% of men) had a relative risk of gout of 0.30 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.12 to 0.72) (table 1). Accordingly, the PAR% for all five risk factors combined was 70% (table 1). The PAR% for four and three risk factors was 64% and 50%, respectively (table 1). Conclusions Five modifiable risk factors accounted for 70% of incident gout cases in this large prospective cohort of male health professionals. Assuming a causal relation, our findings support the hypothesis that the vast majority of cases of gout could be prevented by modifying key risk factors. Acknowledgements This study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (R01AR065944). Disclosure of Interest None declared
Racializing politics, validating race: racial consciousness and vote choice in Puerto Rico

Racial inequality in Puerto Rico is not only a taboo subject in the public sphere, it is a concealed one. Despite the national denial, nonwhite Puerto Ricans are racially marginalized, experience r...
Enhancing Explainability of Deep Reinforcement Learning Through Selective Layer-Wise Relevance Propagation

Modern deep reinforcement learning agents are capable of achieving super-human performance in tasks like playing Atari games, solely based on visual input. However, due to their use of neural networks the trained models are lacking transparency which makes their inner workings incomprehensible for humans. A promising approach to gain insights into the opaque reasoning process of neural networks is the layer-wise relevance propagation (LRP) concept. This visualization technique creates saliency maps that highlight the areas in the input which were relevant for the agents’ decision-making process. Since such saliency maps cover every possible cause for a prediction, they are often accentuating very diverse parts of the input. This makes the results difficult to understand for people without a machine-learning background. In this work, we introduce an adjustment to the LRP concept that utilizes only the most relevant neurons of each convolutional layer and thus generates more selective saliency maps. We test our approach with a dueling Deep Q-Network (DQN) agent which we trained on three different Atari games of varying complexity. Since the dueling DQN approach considerably alters the neural network architecture of the original DQN algorithm, it requires its own LRP variant which will be presented in this paper.
What's Wrong with Public Service Loan Forgiveness and How to Fix it

In the first two years of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program almost 100,000 student loan borrowers have applied, and the Department of Education’s contractor has denied roughly 99,000 of those applications. The administration blames Congress for an unduly complex program design, and borrowers for applying without understanding the eligibility rules. Given that PSLF has only four basic eligibility tests, and that applicants are college graduates who can presumably read and count, this narrative seems implausible to explain a 99% denial rate. Evidence from oversight agency reports, state attorney general and class action lawsuits, and thousands of borrower complaints logged by the CFPB tell a different story, a story of agency failure to implement and oversee the program, and of widespread contractor errors and misrepresentations. Until Congress, the Department or an independent agency (such as the CFPB) does a comprehensive audit of the program it is impossible to know the rate of erroneous denials or discharge failures caused by servicer misrepresentations and bad practices. Proper implementation of PSLF will require a combination of contract oversight and design, regulatory, and legislative fixes. In particular, USED must adequately compensate its servicer, relax its unduly strict on-time payment rule, make better use of technology and data sharing with the I.R.S. to confirm eligible public service employment, and offer borrowers effective audit and appeal rights to review servicer errors. Congress should allow all borrower payments under all payment plans on all types of Federal loans to count.
The one-pot synthesis of amidonapthoquinones from aminonaphthoquinones

Described here is a one-pot method of synthesizing amidonaphthoquinones from the corresponding aminonaphthoquinones. The scope of amides that can be synthesized using this methodology is relatively broad and the yield of product is higher than the traditional methods of synthesizing these substrates.
Flexible, Thin-Layer Solid-State Supercapacitor Based on V 2 O 5 -Graphene Composite Electrode and Ionic Liquid Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Portable Electronic Systems

Electrochemical and energy storage properties of vanadium oxide-graphene composite electrode based solid state supercapacitor using ionic liquid gel electrolyte over flexible stainless-steel foil substrates are discussed. The composite electrode was deposited by a simple technique of spin coating of nano-size graphene dispersed vanadium sol gel followed 300°C -6h air annealing. Graphene mitigates the low electrical resistance limitation of faradaic V2O5 while contributing double layer capacitance to the overall pseudocapacitance. The BMIMBF4 ionic liquid gel with 0.2M LiClO4 dopant acts as high ionic conductivity electrolyte and source of counter ions for redox reactions. The flexible symmetrical V2O5/graphene supercapacitor shows high specific capacitance of 650 Fg-1 and energy and power density values of 30 Wh.kg-1 and 3kW kg-1, respectively at charging potential of 1.5V. The linear charge-discharge, high Coulomb efficiency ~90% and low internal resistance support its use as power source for portable electronics with high energy storage capability.
Understanding the economic impact of mastitis therapy

Mastitis occurs on all dairy farms, and veterinarians can help producers reduce losses and promote more judicious antimicrobial usage. In the US, 7 intramammary (IMM) antibiotics are approved for treatment of mastitis, but no antibiotics are approved for systemic treatment of mastitis. Most cases of clinical mastitis present with mild or moderate clinical signs and there is no evidence that use of systemic antimicrobials is of benefit. Farmers typically underestimate costs associated with treatment of clinical mastitis, and about 75% of costs are associated with milk discard. Selection of drugs and duration of treatment are both areas that can have significant impact on economic losses associated with mastitis therapy. The distribution of etiologies is associated with the value of antimicrobial therapy, and use of intramammary antibiotics should be determined based on knowledge of etiology. Clinical outcomes of most mastitis cases that are culture-negative or caused by E. coli are not improved by use of antimicrobials, and considerable losses can be incurred when longer-duration therapy is used as the standard protocol. When etiology of non-severe clinical mastitis is unknown, use of narrow-spectrum IMM antimicrobials for short duration results in optimal economic outcomes.
Activation of MAP3K DLK and LZK in Purkinje cells causes rapid and slow degeneration depending on signaling strength

The conserved MAP3K Dual-Leucine-Zipper Kinase (DLK) and Leucine-Zipper-bearing Kinase (LZK) can activate JNK via MKK4 or MKK7. These two MAP3Ks share similar biochemical activities and undergo auto-activation upon increased expression. Depending on cell-type and nature of insults DLK and LZK can induce pro-regenerative, pro-apoptotic or pro-degenerative responses, although the mechanistic basis of their action is not well understood. Here, we investigated these two MAP3Ks in cerebellar Purkinje cells using loss- and gain-of function mouse models. While loss of each or both kinases does not cause discernible defects in Purkinje cells, activating DLK causes rapid death and activating LZK leads to slow degeneration. Each kinase induces JNK activation and caspase-mediated apoptosis independent of each other. Significantly, deleting CELF2, which regulates alternative splicing of Map2k7, strongly attenuates Purkinje cell degeneration induced by LZK, but not DLK. Thus, controlling the activity levels of DLK and LZK is critical for neuronal survival and health.
Multielectrode array sensors to enable long-duration corrosion monitoring and control of concentrating solar power systems

Abstract Molten mixtures of MgCl2-KCl-NaCl are promising heat transfer fluid (HTF) candidates for the next generation of concentrating solar power systems (Gen3 CSP), because of their low cost, high decomposition temperature, and favorable heat transfer characteristics. However, if the chemistry of the salts is not properly controlled, molten chlorides can cause corrosion of high-temperature metal alloys, such as Inconel®, in CSP systems. Here we demonstrate a corrosion monitoring system that can be used to monitor the health of the structural alloys over long durations. The monitoring system includes a multielectrode array voltammetry sensor that measures the redox potential of molten MgCl2-KCl-NaCl mixture as well as the presence of corrosion products and impurities. The sensors have been successfully operated in static molten salt environments for long durations, and are capable of detecting corrosion products, such as Cr2+ and Fe2+, quantitatively at low concentrations (i.e., approximately 100 ppm) with less than 4% error.
The low velocity impact response of sandwich panels with lattice core reinforcement

Abstract This study presents the experimental and simulation results for the low velocity impact response of sandwich panels reinforced with a lattice core structure. Two different core material and architecture combinations are investigated; a UV-cured photopolymer lattice, produced from a network of self-propagating waveguides, and an aluminum alloy lattice cast from an initial polymer template. For each of these sandwich panel configurations, impact tests were performed with a drop-weight hemispherical impactor under four different energy levels. The applied impact force, impactor velocity and residual damage in the sandwich panel were all measured and used for comparison against finite element simulations of the impact tests. These simulations employed a homogenized continuum constitutive model, designed to replicate the deformation response of the lattice core without requiring explicit representation of the geometric features of the lattice. For both sandwich panel designs at all impact energy levels, excellent correlation was observed between the experimental measurements and impact simulations. Additionally, each sandwich design was shown to be effective at absorbing the kinetic energy of the impactor with minimal damage to the back (non-impacted) face of the panel. Implementation of these lattice core sandwich panels and extension of the homogenized constitutive model to other sandwich applications are also discussed.
Association between childhood eczema and headaches: An analysis of 19 US population-based studies.

Background Atopic dermatitis (or eczema) is a chronic inflammatory disorder associated with sleep disturbances and quality-of-life impairment. Sleep disturbances have been shown to cause headaches in childhood. However, an association between eczema and headaches is not well established. Objectives We sought to determine whether childhood eczema is associated with increased headaches and whether such association is related to fatigue or sleep disturbance. Methods We analyzed data from 401,002 children and adolescents in 19 US population-based cross-sectional studies from the National Survey of Children's Health 2003/2004 and 2007/2008 and the National Health Interview Survey 1997-2013. Results In multivariate models controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, household income, highest level of education in the family, insurance coverage, number of persons in the household, birthplace in the United States, ever history of asthma, hay fever, and food allergy, eczema was found to be associated with headaches in 14 of 19 studies. In a pooled analysis of all 19 studies, children with eczema compared with those without eczema had a significantly higher prevalence (10.7% [95% CI, 10.3% to 11.0%] vs 5.4% [95% CI, 5.3% to 5.5%]) and odds (1.52 [95% CI, 1.45-1.59]) of headaches. Mild (1.79 [95% CI, 1.07-2.98]) and severe (2.72 [95% CI, 1.33-5.57]) eczema were associated with significantly higher odds of headaches. In particular, eczema associated with atopy, fatigue, excessive daytime sleepiness, insomnia, and only 0 to 3 nights of sufficient sleep had even higher odds of headache than eczema alone. Conclusions Eczema is associated with increased headaches in childhood, particularly in patients with severe disease accompanied by atopy, fatigue, and sleep disturbances.
Gene Machine© – A Hardware/Software Platform for Analyzing Genome Data

Gene Machine© is a reconfigurable hardware/software architecture which can be used in studying a variety of problems in the field of computational biology. The key architectural features of Gene Machine© are a) hardware implementation of nth order left-to-right Markov Model where the user ca n specify the number of states of the model and the order of the Markov model; b) cache memory for data input/output; c) shift, and logical instructions which operate at the singleton or set level, and d) floating point and integer arithmetic operations, and variable length operands whose lengths are based on the semantics of the input data. Gene Machine© can be programmed to perform a diverse set of computations such as nucleotide and protein sequence comparisons, pair wise and multiple sequence alignments, and secondary and tertiary structure predictions for DNA, RNA and protein sequences.
Catalytic Properties of Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) Binding Protein TRANSFER OF LPS TO SOLUBLE CD14

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding protein (LBP) is a lipid transfer protein that catalyzes transfer of LPS monomers from micelles to a binding site on soluble CD14 (sCD14) and transfer of LPS from LPS.sCD14 complexes to HDL particles. To characterize the first of these two reactions, LPS covalently derivatized with the fluorophore, boron dipyrromethene difluoride (BODIPY), was used to monitor LBP-catalyzed movement of LPS in real time. The fluorescence efficiency of micelles of BODIPY-LPS was low but was strongly increased upon dissolution in detergent or upon binding to sCD14. Spontaneous binding of BODIPY-LPS to sCD14 was very slow but was accelerated by substoichiometric concentration of LBP, and the rate of binding was measured under a variety of conditions. LBP-catalyzed transfer was first order with respect to both sCD14 and LPS concentration, and the apparent Km values were 1 approximately 2 microg/ml for sCD14 and 100 ng/ml for LPS. The maximum turnover number for LBP was approximately 150 molecules of LPS min-1 LBP-1. LBP alone caused a small but measurable increase in the fluorescence of BODIPY-LPS, suggesting that it bound LPS aggregates but did not readily remove LPS monomers. The subsequent addition of sCD14 caused a large fluorescence increase, suggesting transfer of BODIPY-LPS to sCD14. These and other observations suggest that LPS is transferred by an ordered ternary complex reaction mechanism in which LBP transfers LPS monomer from LPS aggregates to sCD14 without dissociating from the LPS aggregate.
Contribution of spinal N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptors to control of sympathetic outflow by the paraventricular nucleus.

Abstract Spinal NMDA receptors contribute to control of the cardiovascular system by the ventrolateral medulla. However, little is known about the contribution of these receptors to suprabulbar regulation of hemodynamics and sympathetic outflow. Hence, the involvement of spinal NMDA receptors in regulation of the cardiovascular system by the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus was investigated. In urethane-anesthetized rats, the change in mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and renal nerve activity (RNA) produced by electrical or chemical activation of the PVN was determined before and after intrathecal administration of the NMDA receptor antagonist, 2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (AP5). Intrathecal AP5 decreased resting MAP, HR, and RNA, but had no effect on the increase in RNA produced by electrical or chemical stimulation of the PVN. The presser and renal vasoconstrictor effects resulting from electrical, but not chemical, stimulation of the PVN were significantly reduced by intrathecal AP5. These data show that much of the cardiovascular control exerted by the PVN does not depend on a spinal NMDA receptor mechanism.
Government capital and private output in the United States: Additional evidence

Abstract Aggregate production functions for private output are estimated from annual U.S. data for the period 1948–1985. The estimates indicate government capital has an important positive effect on private output. The effect of state and local governments' capital is large and significant whereas the effect of federal capital appears small and statistically insignificant.
Identification of unrecognized tundra fire events on the north slope of Alaska

[1] Characteristics of the natural fire regime are poorly resolved in the Arctic, even though fire may play an important role cycling carbon stored in tundra vegetation and soils to the atmosphere. In the course of studying vegetation and permafrost-terrain characteristics along a chronosequence of tundra burn sites from AD 1977, 1993, and 2007 on the North Slope of Alaska, we discovered two large, previously unrecognized tundra fires. The Meade River fire burned an estimated 500 km2 and the Ketik River fire burned an estimated 1200 km2. Based on radiocarbon dating of charred twigs, analysis of historic aerial photography, and regional climate proxy data, these fires likely occurred between AD 1880 and 1920. Together, these events double the estimated burn area on the North Slope of Alaska over the last ~100 to 130 years. Assessment of vegetation succession along the century-scale chronosequence of tundra fire disturbances demonstrates for the first time on the North Slope of Alaska that tundra fires can facilitate the invasion of tundra by shrubs. Degradation of ice-rich permafrost was also evident at the fire sites and likely aided in the presumed changes of the tundra vegetation postfire. Other previously unrecognized tundra fire events likely exist in Alaska and other Arctic regions and identification of these sites is important for better understanding disturbance regimes and carbon cycling in Arctic tundra.
NEW ELECTROPHORETIC PROTEIN ZONE IN PREGNANCY.

Abstract 1.1. An electrophoretic protein band (pregnancy zone) appears in the blood of pregnant women. It was found in 10 per cent of those studied in the first trimester, in 69 per cent of those evaluated during the second trimester, and in over 80 per cent of the women studied during the third trimester. 2.2. As shown by two dimensional electrophoretic studies, the pregnancy zone protein is an alpha 2 globulin. 3.3. This globulin was not seen in the blood of pregnant women prior to the ninth week of gestation. 4.4. The time of appearance of the pregnancy zone varies in different pregnant patients. Of 138 patients studied at repeated intervals during pregnancy, it appeared prior to the twenty-fourth week in 50 patients, after the twenty-fourth week but prior to labor in 66, during labor in 6, just after delivery in 3, and in 13 it was never demonstrated. 5.5. The presence of the pregnancy zone in the blood of pregnant women does not reflect fetal welfare. However, its absence in some patients delivering babies with congenital anomalies seems more than coincidental. 6.6. The pregnancy zone protein is distinct from transcortin, thyroxin binding protein, ceruloplasmin, and the oxytocinases. 7.7. The pregnancy zone was not demonstrated in two patients with hydatid mole and one with choriocarcinoma. The appearance of this protein in the circulating blood does not seem to be related to chorionic gonadotropin. 8.8. An increase in alpha 2 globulin occurs in patients with gynecologic cancer, but the specific globulin, pregnancy zone, which is associated with the normal growth of pregnancy does not contribute to the increase of the alpha 2 fraction in neoplastic growth. 9.9. Further characterization, isolation, and identification of the function of the pregnancy zone globulin is being pursued.
PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Evolution Emerging: A Survey of Changing Patterns from Primeval Lqe t o Man, WILLIAM KING GREGORY.

Evolution Emerging: A Survey of Changing Patterns from Primeval Life to Man, William King Gregory.
Dendritic Cells (DCs) in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Progenitor Cells and Soluble Factors Contained in RA Synovial Fluid Yield a Subset of Myeloid DCs That Preferentially Activate Th1 Inflammatory-Type Responses

There is evidence that mature dendritic cells (DCs) present in the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) joint mediate immunopathology in RA. In this study, we indicate that early myeloid progenitors for DCs and DC growth factors existing in RA synovial fluid (SF) are also likely participants in the RA disease process. A fraction of cells lacking markers associated with mature DCs or DC precursors and enriched in CD34(negative) myeloid progenitors was isolated from RA SF. These cells proliferated extensively when cultured in vitro with cytokines that promote the growth of myeloid DCs (GM-CSF/TNF/stem cell factor/IL-4) and, to a lesser degree, when cultured with monocyte/granulocyte-restricted growth factors (M-CSF/GM-CSF). Mature DCs derived from RA SF progenitors with CD14-DC cytokines known to be prevalent in the inflamed RA joint (GM-CSF/TNF/stem cell factor/IL-13) were potent stimulators of allogeneic T cells and inflammatory-type Th1 responses and included CD14-DC subtypes. Cell-free RA SF facilitated DC maturation from myeloid progenitors, providing direct evidence that the inflamed RA joint environment instructs DC growth. Enhanced development of CD14-derived DCs was correlated with the presence of soluble TNFR (p55), raising the possibility that soluble TNFR also regulate CD14-derived DC growth in vivo. SF from patients with osteoarthritis contained neither myeloid DC progenitors nor DC growth factors. The existence of DC progenitors and myeloid DC growth factors in RA SF supports the concept that RA SF may be a reservoir for joint-associated DCs and reveals a compelling mechanism for the amplification and perpetuation of DC-driven responses in the RA joint, including inflammatory-type Th1 responses.
Estimating and comparing entropies across written natural languages using PPM compression

Summary form only given. The measurement of the entropy of written English is extended to include the following written natural languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Spanish. It was observed that translations of the same document have approximately the same size when compressed even though they have widely varying uncompressed sizes. In the experiment, an efficient compression algorithm was used. It utilized PPMD+, PPMZ, and BZIP2 to compress the given texts and compare the resulting sizes. Similar experiments with machine translations were also performed. Based on the findings, it suggests that compression can be used as a tool to find poor translations. The results of these experiments, while preliminary, support the hypothesis that translation preserves information content. This analysis opens new horizons for future research concerning the relationship between compression and translation.
Future possibilities in the prevention of breast cancer: Role of genetic variation in breast cancer prevention

Risk factors for breast cancer are related to endogenous hormonesand reproductive events. As such, traditional cancer prevention strategies arenot easily applicable. Tamoxifen and other selective estrogen receptormodulators (SERMs) offer a new preventive strategy for some high-risk women,but have not yet been shown to be efficacious for all women. New tools toidentify high-risk women are needed. One such tool is the development of amultigenic model of breast cancer susceptibility that can be used to screenwomen in order to identify those who carry a combination of alleles that putsthem at significantly increased risk.
Mechanical Connections for Structural Plastics

A survey of existing literature on mechanical connections of structural plastic components reveals a dearth of hard data available for civil engineering type materials. The largest body of quantitative information discovered was for bolted connections of fiberglass (E-glass) reinforced polyester laminates. A more limited amount of data was found for riveted and screwed connections of these laminates. These data are summarized herein. Qualitative criteria to be considered in the design of bolted, riveted, and screwed connections of any structural plastic components are presented. Also the general relationships of mechanical connections to welded and adhesive bonded connections of plastics are considered. It is recommended that additional experimental work be carried out to broaden the quantitative design data available for the practicing engineer.
METEOR-S web service annotation framework with machine learning classification

Researchers have recognized the need for more expressive descriptions of Web services. Most approaches have suggested using ontologies to either describe the Web services or to annotate syntactical descriptions of Web services. Earlier approaches are typically manual, and the capability to support automatic or semi-automatic annotation is needed. The METEOR-S Web Service Annotation Framework (MWSAF) created at the LSDIS Lab at the University of Georgia leverages schema matching techniques for semi-automatic annotation. In this paper, we present an improved version of MWSAF. Our preliminary investigation indicates that, by replacing the schema matching technique currently used for the categorization with a Naive Bayesian Classifier, we can match web services with ontologies faster and with higher accuracy.
Decorrelating detector with diversity combining for single user frequency-selective rayleigh fading multipath channels

Diversity combining techniques are applied in mobile radio communications as a means of performance improvement in a fading multipath environment. Adaptive equalizers which incorporate diversity combining were shown to combat intersymbol interference (ISI) caused by multipath provided that the fading is sufficiently slow. However, for fast fading rates, noncoherent techniques are often desirable. In this paper, we examine the performance of several coherent and noncoherent detectors that make use of diversity combining. In particular, the decorrelating filter is shown to provide reliable performance for a frequency-selective Rayleigh fading multipath channel with ISI. Numerical and simulation results are presented for a channel with two independent Rayleigh fading paths. Signal design issues which arise in the implementation of the decorrelating detector and the zero-forcing equalizer are discussed.
Stability of a viscous flow between two rotating coaxial cylinders

Abstract The stability of a viscous flow between two rotating coaxial cylinders with large ratio of gap-width to cylinder-radius is investigated. The mathematical characteristic value problem is solved approximately. Numerical calculations for the radius-ratio equal to 1.71 are carried out to determine the critical Taylor numbers at the onset of instability for different values of the ratio of the rotational speed of the outer cylinder to that of the inner cylinder. The calculated results are compared to Lewis' experiments.
Brain-derived TNFα mediates neuropathic pain

Neuropathic pain is a chronic pain state that develops a central component following acute nerve injury. However, the pathogenic mechanisms involved in the expression of this central component are not completely understood. We have investigated the role of brain-associated TNF in the evolution of hyperalgesia in the chronic constriction injury (CCI) model of neuropathic pain. Thermal nociceptive threshold has been assessed in rats (male, Sprague-Dawley) that have undergone loose, chromic gut ligature placement around the sciatic nerve. Total levels of TNF in regions of the brain, spinal cord and plasma have been assayed (WEHI-13VAR bioassay). Bioactive TNF levels are elevated in the hippocampus. During the period of injury, hippocampal noradrenergic neurotransmission demonstrates a decrease in stimulated norepinephrine (NE) release, concomitant with elevated hippocampal TNF levels. Continuous intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) microinfusion of TNF-antibodies (Abs) starting at four days, but not six days, following ligature placement completely abolishes the hyperalgesic response characteristic of this model, as assessed by the 58 degrees C hot-plate test. Antibody infusion does not decrease spinal cord or plasma levels of TNF. Continuous i.c.v. microinfusion of rrTNF alpha exacerbates the hyperalgesic response by ligatured animals, and induces a hyperalgesic response in animals not receiving ligatures. Likewise, field-stimulated hippocampal adrenergic neurotransmission is decreased upon continuous i.c.v. microinfusion of TNF. These results indicate an important role of brain-derived TNF, both in the pathology of neuropathic pain, as well as in fundamental pain perception.
The B-Cell Specific Transcription Factor, Oct-2, Promotes Epstein-Barr Virus Latency by Inhibiting the Viral Immediate-Early Protein, BZLF1

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent-lytic switch is mediated by the BZLF1 immediate-early protein. EBV is normally latent in memory B cells, but cellular factors which promote viral latency specifically in B cells have not been identified. In this report, we demonstrate that the B-cell specific transcription factor, Oct-2, inhibits the function of the viral immediate-early protein, BZLF1, and prevents lytic viral reactivation. Co-transfected Oct-2 reduces the ability of BZLF1 to activate lytic gene expression in two different latently infected nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines. Furthermore, Oct-2 inhibits BZLF1 activation of lytic EBV promoters in reporter gene assays, and attenuates BZLF1 binding to lytic viral promoters in vivo. Oct-2 interacts directly with BZLF1, and this interaction requires the DNA-binding/dimerization domain of BZLF1 and the POU domain of Oct-2. An Oct-2 mutant (Δ262–302) deficient for interaction with BZLF1 is unable to inhibit BZLF1-mediated lytic reactivation. However, an Oct-2 mutant defective for DNA-binding (Q221A) retains the ability to inhibit BZLF1 transcriptional effects and DNA-binding. Importantly, shRNA-mediated knockdown of endogenous Oct-2 expression in several EBV-positive Burkitt lymphoma and lymphoblastoid cell lines increases the level of lytic EBV gene expression, while decreasing EBNA1 expression. Moreover, treatments which induce EBV lytic reactivation, such as anti-IgG cross-linking and chemical inducers, also decrease the level of Oct-2 protein expression at the transcriptional level. We conclude that Oct-2 potentiates establishment of EBV latency in B cells.
Ubiquitinating a Phosphorylated Cdk Inhibitor on the Blades of the Cdc4 β-Propeller

Substrate binding by the SCFCdc4 ubiquitin ligase is regulated by phosphorylation. In this issue of Cell, Orlicky et al. describe the crystal structure of the Cdc4 subunit bound to a high-affinity substrate phosphopeptide. This structure provides insights into the binding interaction and how a precise mechanism involving multiple regulatory phosphorylations may be mediated by a single binding site.
Standard model parameters and W, Z properties measured at CERN by UA1

Abstract The W, Z masses, measured at the CERN p p collider by the UA1 collaboration, are used to determine the Standard Model parameters. In addition the W, Z production and decay properties, studied by UA1, are presented. The UA1 results are compared with those of UA2 and with theoretical expectations from the Electroweak Standard Model and QCD.
Network news construction of homelessness: 1980–1993

Through an extensive content analysis of 14 years of television nightly news stories, evidence is presented showing coverage of homelessness corresponded more to seasonal variations than actual changes in the plight of the homeless. In addition, news coverage appeared to reify boundaries between the acceptable and the unacceptable while masking socioeconomic factors central to homelessness during the 1980s and early 1990s. Finally, implications are drawn concerning the likely effects of news portrayal of homelessness as an individual problem requiring individual acts of kindness rather than a systemic problem demanding institutional and societal change.
Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis: Effect of Halides and Potassium Addition on Activity and Selectivity of Cobalt

The effect of halides and potassium addition on cobalt Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) was studied using 1L CSTR at 493 K, 1.99 MPa and H2/CO of 2.0. The potential catalyst poison was co-fed with syngas after reaching steady-state FTS. Halides were added in an aqueous solution of HX (HF, HCl, HBr) and potassium as aqueous potassium nitrate solution along with syngas at various concentration levels ranging from 500 ppbv to 100 ppmv. Fluoride addition did not affect FT performance of cobalt up to 1.0 ppmv level. However, the presence of other halides (Cl− and Br−) decreased the FT activity proportionally. Addition of potassium decreased cobalt FT activity considerably and increases syngas conversion to methane and CO2 at higher potassium concentrations. The observed poisoning effects for metallic cobalt could be attributed to a blocking effect of cobalt metal sites by halides and potassium in agreement with results of H2 chemisorption on used cobalt FT catalysts.
Lesions of the Intermediate Medial Hyperstriatum Ventrale Impair Sickness-Conditioned Learning in Day-Old Chicks

Lesion studies show that the intermediate medial hyperstriatum ventrale (IMHV), a forebrain visual association area in chicks, is involved in learning and memory for one-trial passive avoidance and imprinting. We examined the effects of IMHV lesions in a one-trial, nongustatory, sickness-conditioned learning task. This task is similar to passive avoidance and imprinting because all three tasks require the chick to remember visual cues in order to respond correctly. However, sickness-conditioned learning differs from imprinting and passive avoidance because it uses sickness as the aversive stimulus and there is a longer conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus interval (30-min delay compared to seconds). Bilateral IMHV lesions given 24 h before training impaired the ability of the chicks to avoid a bead associated with sickness produced by lithium chloride injection, as did pretraining unilateral left or right IMHV lesions. Post-training IMHV lesions given 1 h after training did not impair avoidance of the test bead in the sickness-conditioned learning task. However, lesioned chicks showed generalized avoidance of all test beads. The pretraining lesion results are similar to those found in imprinting and passive avoidance learning; however, the effects of unilateral IMHV lesions differed. Post-training lesion effects are similar to those found in passive avoidance learning. We propose that both left and right IMHV are necessary for sickness-conditioned learning and that post-training IMHV lesions impair the ability of the chick to learn or remember the association between the color of the bead and the aversive consequences of LiCl injection.
Population studies in Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana: Chromosome numbers and sesquiterpene lactone races

Abstract The sesquiterpene lactones and chromosome numbers for three chemical races of Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana have been examined from four populations in western Montana. TLC analysis of the sesquiterpene lactones in the seeds and seed producing parents demonstrated that genetic exchange does occur between sympatric sesquiterpene lactone chemical races. However, other evidence suggests that introgression between these races is restricted to zones of sympatry. There appears to be no correlation between chromosome numbers and sesquiterpene lactone races.
Delta progradation and Neoglaciation, Laguna Parón, Cordillera Blanca, Peru†

The history of Holocene glaciation serves as an important record of glacier mass balance and, therefore, of climatic change. The moraine record of Holocene glaciation in the tropical Andes, however, is fragmentary and poorly dated. In contrast, increases in the rate of accumulation of inorganic sediment in glacier-fed lakes have been linked to periods of Neoglaciation in many mountain regions. The interpretation of such a record of Neoglaciation from sediment cores in glacier-fed lakes in the tropical Andes can provide the continuity and chronologic control that is lacking in the existing moraine record. Unusual exposures of glacial lacustrine sediment in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru, provide a rare opportunity to assess the link between climatic change, glaciation, and lacustrine sedimentation. Intentional lowering of water levels in Laguna Paron (9°S, 77°44′ W, 4200 m a.s.l.) in 1985 resulted in the incision and exposure of at least 20 m of deltaic deposits at the eastern end of the lake. Three deltaic units can be identified: horizontal topset beds, steeply dipping and deformed foreset beds, and horizontally laminated fine-grained sediment. Six radiocarbon ages ranging from 1800 ± 210 to 465 ± 95 14C yr BP on wood indicate that the average rate of delta progradation in the late Holocene has been approximately 290 m per 1000 yr. The lake formed during deglaciation at least 10 000 yr ago and if such a rate of progradation of the delta had prevailed over the entire Holocene, then the delta would be at least three times as extensive as it is today. Thus the rate of delta progradation has varied significantly over the Holocene. We suggest that the rate of delta progradation was at least three times greater when glaciers were in advanced positions. These positions are clearly delimited by Neoglacial moraines, which are within 1–2 km of the exposures studied and within 1 km of modern ice limits. The most recent increase in the rate of delta progradation is evidenced by an increase in sedimentation rate ca. 575 ± 90 14C yr BP, coincident with the onset of the Little Ice Age. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fitting the Viking lander surface pressure cycle with a Mars General Circulation Model

We present a systematic attempt to fit the Viking lander surface pressure cycle using a Mars General Circulation Model, MarsWRF. Following the earlier study by Wood and Paige (1992) using a one-dimensional model, high-precision fitting was achieved by tuning five time-independent parameters: the albedo and emissivity of the seasonal caps of the two hemispheres and the total CO_2 inventory in the atmosphere frost system. We used a linear iterative method to derive the best fit parameters: albedo of the northern cap = 0.795, emissivity of the northern cap = 0.485, albedo of the southern cap = 0.461, emissivity of the southern cap = 0.785, and total CO_2 mass = 2.83 × 10^(16) kg. If these parameters are used in MarsWRF, the smoothed surface pressure residual at the VL1 site is always smaller than several Pascal through a year. As in other similar studies, the best fit parameters do not match well with the current estimation of the seasonal cap radiative properties, suggesting that important physics contributing to the energy balance not explicitly included in MarsWRF have been effectively aliased into the derived parameters. One such effect is likely the variation of thermal conductivity with depth in the regolith due to the presence of water ice. Including such a parameterization in the fitting process improves the reasonableness of the best fit cap properties, mostly improving the emissivities. The conductivities required in the north to provide the best fit are higher than those required in the south. A completely physically reasonable set of fit parameters could still not be attained. Like all prior published GCM simulations, none of the cases considered are capable of predicting a residual southern CO_2 cap.
Estimation of Von Bertalanffy growth parameters in the presence of size-selective mortality: a simulated example with red grouper

Abstract Fish lengths back-calculated to all scale or otolith annuli are often used for estimating parameters of the von Bertalanffy growth equation in an attempt to increase sample size and presumably improve the fitted model. Lengths at early ages back-calculated from younger age-groups sometimes are greater than lengths at the same age estimated from older age-groups, referred to as Lee's phenomenon. Lee's phenomenon can be simulated with use of size-selective mortality and moving averages to incorporate error dependency in lengths at age, To evaluate the appropriateness of using back-calculated lengths at formation of all annuli in growth analyses when size-selective mortality is present, we used simulated data based on von Bertalanffy growth parameters and total mortality for red grouper Epinephelus morio from the southeastern U.S. Atlantic coast. Asymptotic length (L∞) and the growth coefficient (K) showed greater bias when estimated with back-calculated lengths at all annuli than when estimated onl...
The influence of associations between elements of structured verbal responses

An operational model was proposed for the generation of sentences. The model was based on the immediate constituent structure of sentences, and it was suggested that sentences are generated by successive decoding of high-order encoding units into their constituents. One of the implications of the model is that if S s use associations in generating sentences they are probably between the hypothetical decoding operations rather than the responses themselves. The implication was tested by establishment of an adjective-noun (A-N) and a noun-verb (N-V) association prior to learning sentences which incorporated these word pairs. The model suggests that the operations involved in generating the adjective and noun are adjacent while those generating the noun and verb are not. Therefore, it was predicted that during the sentence learning the A-N transition should be facilitated by the prior association while the N-V transition should not. The results confirmed the hypothesis.
Polarization dependence of stimulated Brillouin scattering in small-core photonic crystal fibers

Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) generated from noise in small-core photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) exhibits a strong dependence on pump polarization. The polarization dependence of two small-core PCFs is investigated, yielding unexpected results. Both fibers exhibit birefringence resulting in a 90° polarization dependence for the SBS and a 3 dB difference in the SBS threshold between polarizations corresponding to minimum and maximum SBS, respectively. Surprisingly, the transmission of the smaller-core fiber also exhibits a 180° polarization dependence at lower powers due to polarization-dependent loss.
Afterthoughts: Old and New Directions

THEORETICAL DEVELOPMENTS in urban anthropology manifest a continuity with concerns that first emerged nearly three decades ago, which include contextual and holistic analyses. The new theoretical interests extend these frames horizontally, to examine the articulation of processes on a global scale, and vertically, to delineate systemic linkages. Current topical interests broaden the range of ethnographic subjects and focus on contemporary phenomena in the search for interrelated processes that produce such things as gentrification and tourism alongside an increase of homelessness and urban squatters. This enhances the prospects of building theories based on change and process, [contextual analysis, urban economic development, vertical systemic linkages, ethnography of contemporary change]
Lyso(bis)phosphatidic acid: A novel source of arachidonic acid for oxidative metabolism by rabbit alveolar macrophages

Abstract To identify the source of arachidonic acid utilized for eicosanoid production, rabbit alveolar macrophages were challenged with 1.0 μM 12-0-tetradecanyylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) or 3.8 μM Ca+2 ionophore A23187 for 3 h. Upon stimulation with TPA, a loss of [3H]arachidonic acid from phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, lyso(bis)phosphatidic acid, and phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylinositol was observed. Although calcium ionophore stimulated the liberation of arachidonate solely from phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine, it proved to be a poor stimulus for macrophage-synthesis of eicosanoids. Our evidence suggests that degradation of phosphatidylinositol and lyso(bis)phosphatidic acid induced by TPA yields a source of arachidonate which is the preferred substrate for oxidative metabolism by the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways.