cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of the invasive seagrass Halophila stipulacea on the native seagrass, Syringodium filiforme, and associated fish and epibiota communities in the Eastern Caribbean.

Abstract The invasion and expansion of the Indian Ocean seagrass Halophila stipulacea into the Eastern Caribbean raises the question of how local seagrass communities respond to this fast-growing, ecologically flexible species. An in situ transplant experiment examining the effect of H. stipulacea within beds of the dominant native seagrass Syringodium filiforme found the invasive seagrass capable of rapid expansion, with the displacement of the native seagrass beginning in 10–12 weeks. Fish traps placed in monocultures of the invasive seagrass yielded statistically similar fish measures as traps in the native seagrass, except for H. stipulacea supporting larger fish and S. filiforme supporting twice the proportion of juvenile-stage fish. The invasive seagrass supported significantly more epibiotic invertebrates than the native seagrass. Evidence suggests H. stipulacea had a negative effect on S. filiforme via displacement, yet supported equal or higher abundances of different trophic groups relative to the native seagrass. Furthermore, the formation of H. stipulacea fragments by locally used fish traps reached 100% frequency when traps were submerged for 7+ days, suggesting local fishing can increase dissemination of the invasive species.
Role of reactive oxygen species in extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase phosphorylation and 6-hydroxydopamine cytotoxicity

A number of reports indicate the potential for redox signalling via extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERK) during neuronal injury. We have previously found that sustained ERK activation contributes to toxicity elicited by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in the B65 neuronal cell line. To determine whether reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a role in mediating ERK activation and 6-OHDA toxicity, we examined the effects of catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD1), and metalloporphyrin antioxidants ('SOD mimetics') on 6-OHDA-treated cells. We found that catalase and metalloporphyrin antioxidants not only conferred protection against 6-OHDA but also inhibited development of sustained ERK phosphorylation in both differentiated and undifferentiated B65 cells. However, exogenously added SOD1 and heat-inactivated catalase had no effect on either toxicity or sustained ERK phosphorylation. This correlation between antioxidant protection and inhibition of 6-OHDA-induced sustained ERK phosphorylation suggests that redox regulation of ERK signalling cascades may contribute to neuronal toxicity.
Synthesis Of Metastable Superconductors By High Dynamic Pressure

High dynamic pressure is used to synthesize metastable superconducting materials and to process superconductors into practical form. Specimens are subjected to shock pressures in the range 0.1-1 Mbar, temperatures up to several 1000 K and quenches at rates up to 1012 bar/s and 109 K/s. Shock waves are generated by impact of projectiles accelerated up to 3.5 km/s by the LLNL two-stage light-gas gun. Recovered specimens are characterized for superconductivity and structural properties. The gas gun, specimen recovery fixture, and phenomenology of the technique are described. Results are reviewed and include a quenched solid-solid phase transition (A15 Nb3Si); amorphous, fine-grained, and multiphase materials produced by shock-induced melting of powders and subsequent rapid solidification; and the shock-compaction in a metal matrix of thin powder layers of high-Tc oxides mixed with metal. The latter is a potential method for fabricating superconducting wire, which could be scaled to long lengths using explosives.
Elastic behavior of simple model networks

The elastic behaviors of simple networks consisting of but a few chains have been calculated on the basis of the James and Guth theory of elasticity. The calculations show that the number of elastically effective chains in a network is less than the actual number of network chains, and that the total number of chain backbone links distribute themselves equally (approximately) among the effective chains. It is also demonstrated that a chain molecular weight distribution could be of consequence in non-Gaussian elasticity. Extrapolation of the findings to a macroscopic network suggests that the number of effective chains is one half the number of network chains, and that each effective chain behaves as if it contained twice as many of backbone links as a network chain.
Applying a Neighborhood Fractions Sampling Approach as a Diagnostic Tool

AbstractThe fractions skill score (FSS) belongs to a class of spatial neighborhood techniques that measures forecast skill from samples of gridded forecasts and observations at increasing spatial scales. Each sample contains the fraction of the predicted and observed quantities that exist above a threshold value. Skill is gauged by the rate that the observed and predicted fractions converge with increasing scale. In this study, neighborhood sampling is applied to diagnose the performance of high-resolution (1.67 km) precipitation forecasts over central Florida. Reliability diagrams derived from the spatial fractions indicate that the FSS can be influenced by small, low-predictability events. Further tests indicate the FSS is subtly affected by samples from points on and near the grid boundaries. Inclusion of these points tends to reduce the magnitude and sensitivity of the FSS, especially at large scales. An attempt to mine data from the set of neighborhood fractions was moderately successful at obtaining...
John Wild, lifeworld experience, and the founding of SPEP

Greater recognition of the work and influence of John Wild on the development of what we now call Continental Philosophy is well-deserved and long overdue. It is perhaps not too much to say that there would have been no Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy without him. His pioneering contributions to the field and the movement are much greater than a tally of his articles or a list of friends and former students might suggest. The North American reception of the first generation of European existentialists and phenomenologists was decisively shaped by many of Wild’s early formulations of their problems and projects. And on a personal note, I am happy to declare how deeply affected I was by his seminars on Aristotle, Heidegger, and phenomenology at Northwestern, and by the mentoring I received from him there in less formal settings. The Northwestern Philosophy Department was a good place to be in the 1960s. I begin with an anecdote. A long time ago, at what I believe was the first Lexington Conference on ‘‘Phenomenology Pure and Applied,’’ Wild gave a paper, ‘‘Husserl’s Life-World and the Lived Body.’’ In arranging for commentators, Erwin Straus and his co-convener, Dick Griffith, were pleased to discover that a former student of Wild’s was teaching nearby. Though it undoubtedly seemed like a good idea at the time, inviting him turned out to be something of an embarrassment. The student, it seems, had studied with Wild during his realist period, and having remained a realist himself, he spent about 15 minutes unintentionally demonstrating how far the John Wild of 1963 had moved away from his earlier Aristotelianism. When asked about the event a bit later, Wild assumed a posture very familiar to those who knew him. Lowering his head about 45 degrees and shaking it repeatedly from side to side, he quipped in a raspy voice, ‘‘It’s my old students coming back to haunt me.’’
A biologically inspired password authentication system

Password authentication is very critical for secure access to computing systems/servers as it verifies the identity of users and processes. Most authentication systems use some form of Positive Authentication (PA) to identify legitimate users. Specifically, these systems use a password profile containing all of the user passwords that are authorized to access the system (or the server). The negative counterpart (non-self/anti-password space) represents strings that are not in the password file (which can possibly be exploited by hackers using password guessing or cracking tools). This paper describes a biologically-inspired authentication technique based on the negative (anti-password) concept. The goal is to keep the anti-password checking as the first line of authentication (invisible to users) and be kept in a separate machine (probably outside the secure perimeter), while the PA system should be inside the highly secure region.
Behavior of rhesus monkeys raised in isolation

Abstract A large number of animal studies have demonstrated the important influences of experience acquired during infancy and childhood on later behavior. (For views see Beach and Jaynes 1 , and Denenberg 2 .) In his discussion of parameters relevant to studies concerning the effects of early experience on adult behavior patterns. King 3 recognizes seven variables as particularly significant. Among these are included (a) the duration or quantity of the experience; (b) the type or quality of the experience, and (c) the type of performance measure obtained. This report is primarily concerned with the effects of the second of these factors, the type or quality of the experience, on the social and manipulatory responsiveness of young rhesus monkeys. In previous studies the social behavior of adolescent monkeys raised from infancey in individual wire mesh cages was compared with the behavior of wild-born animals the same age. Laboratory-reared monkeys fought more than feral animals, groomed less and were deficient in their sexual performance 4 . In the present experiment the behavior of pubescent monkeys reared in the ordinary laboratory environment, as were the restricted subjects of the earlier experiment, is compared with the behavior of monkeys exposed from infancy to a more severe form of environmental restriction.
Eulimnadia belki, a New Clam Shrimp from Cozumel, Mexico (Conchostraca: Limnadiidae), with a Review of Central and South American Species of the Genus Eulimnadia

ABSTRACT A new species of Eulimnadia, E. belki, is described from the Chankanaab National Park in Cozumel, State of Quintana Roo, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. The species also occurs in Venezuela. Eulimnadia belki can be distinguished from all other species of the Limnadiidae in the New World by the unusual morphology of the eggs. The morphology of the external egg shell, a promising taxonomic character, is compared to that of all species of Eulimnadia known from Central and South America.
Protein folding and the Paracelsus challenge

A challenge to change one protein into another while retaining 50% of the original protein's sequence has been met and provides a warning to other would-be protein folding/engineering challenges: only offer a prize of a tee-shirt.
An ultrasonic attenuation parameter for investigating the holding power of non-threaded fixation pins in canine femur (in vitro)

External skeletal fixation (ESF) is a widely used method of fracture treatment but often produces medical complications in the patient. The most serious complication, pin loosening, may lead to pain, poor limb usage, pin tract infection, fracture instability and non-union. Studies of pin loosening are based primarily on pin extraction force measurements, which are destructive in nature. This paper will introduce a method for estimating the extraction force of non-threaded fixation pins based on three related parameters obtained from an ultrasonic pulse introduced into the pin. The ultrasonic test takes advantage of the inherent acoustic absorption across the bone-pin interface. A strong interlock between bone and pin results in increased transmission of ultrasound across the bone-pin interface. This is manifested as heavy signal attenuation, whereas a poor interlock results in considerably less attenuation. The parameters proposed in this paper are intended to quantify attenuation resulting from bone-pin interface interactions. One probe-parameter combination in particular showed considerable sensitivity to the conditions of the bone-pin interface (R2 = 0.79). Further research is suggested and may lead to an operational process for non-invasively evaluating pin security.
Transition in the nature of magnetoexcitons in shallow quantum wells

As quantum wells become shallow, excitons change from 2D- to 3D-like. We show that, with extremely shallow wells and in-plane magnetic fields, truly two-body effects determine the exciton confinement properties. This can be observed experimentally via the changes in magnetoexciton linewidth, electroabsorption behavior, and dynamics for different magnetic field orientations.
Soil Texture Drives Responses of Soil Respiration to Precipitation Pulses in the Sonoran Desert: Implications for Climate Change

Climate change predictions for the desert southwestern U.S. are for shifts in precipitation patterns. The impacts of climate change may be significant, because desert soil processes are strongly controlled by precipitation inputs (“pulses”) via their effect on soil water availability. This study examined the response of soil respiration—an important biological process that affects soil carbon (C) storage—to variation in pulses representative of climate change scenarios for the Sonoran Desert. Because deserts are mosaics of different plant cover types and soil textures—which create patchiness in soil respiration—we examined how these landscape characteristics interact to affect the response of soil respiration to pulses. Pulses were applied to experimental plots of bare and vegetated soil on contrasting soil textures typical of Sonoran Desert grasslands. The data were analyzed within a Bayesian framework to: (1) determine pulse size and antecedent moisture (soil moisture prior to the pulse) effects on soil respiration, (2) quantify soil texture (coarse vs. fine) and cover type (bare vs. vegetated) effects on the response of soil respiration and its components (plant vs. microbial) to pulses, and (3) explore the relationship between long-term variation in pulse regimes and seasonal soil respiration. Regarding objective (1), larger pulses resulted in higher respiration rates, particularly from vegetated fine-textured soil, and dry antecedent conditions amplified respiration responses to pulses (wet antecedent conditions dampened the pulse response). Regarding (2), autotrophic (plant) activity was a significant source (∼60%) of respiration and was more sensitive to pulses on coarse- versus fine-textured soils. The sensitivity of heterotrophic (microbial) respiration to pulses was highly dependent on antecedent soil water. Regarding (3), seasonal soil respiration was predicted to increase with both growing season precipitation and mean pulse size (but only for pulses between 7 and 25 mm). Thus, the heterogeneity of the desert landscape and the timing or the number of medium-sized pulses is expected to significantly impact desert soil C loss with climate change.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa 1244 Pilin Glycosylation: Glycan Substrate Recognition

The pilin of Pseudomonas aeruginosa 1244 is glycosylated with an oligosaccharide that is structurally identical to the O-antigen repeating unit of this organism. Concordantly, the metabolic source of the pilin glycan is the O-antigen biosynthetic pathway. The present study was conducted to investigate glycan substrate recognition in the 1244 pilin glycosylation reaction. Comparative structural analysis of O subunits that had been previously shown to be compatible with the 1244 glycosylation machinery revealed similarities among sugars at the presumed reducing termini of these oligosaccharides. We therefore hypothesized that the glycosylation substrate was within the sugar at the reducing end of the glycan precursor. Since much is known of PA103 O-antigen genetics and because the sugars at the reducing termini of the O7 (strain 1244) and O11 (strain PA103) are identical (β-N-acetyl fucosamine), we utilized PA103 and strains that express lipopolysaccharide (LPS) with a truncated O-antigen subunit to test our hypothesis. LPS from a strain mutated in the wbjE gene produced an incomplete O subunit, consisting only of the monosaccharide at the reducing end (β-d-N-acetyl fucosamine), indicating that this moiety contained substrate recognition elements for WaaL. Expression of pilAO1244 in PA103 wbjE::aacC1, followed by Western blotting of extracts of these cells, indicated that pilin produced has been modified by the addition of material consistent with a single N-acetyl fucosamine. This was confirmed by analyzing endopeptidase-treated pilin by mass spectrometry. These data suggest that the pilin glycosylation substrate recognition features lie within the reducing-end moiety of the O repeat and that structures of the remaining sugars are irrelevant.
Myocardial creatine kinase expression after left ventricular assist device support.

Abstract Objectives We examined whether unloading of the left ventricle with a ventricular assist device (LVAD) can result in normalization of the creatine kinase (CK) abnormalities in the failing human heart. Background Left ventricular failure is associated with a decrease of myocardial total CK activity and a fetal shift in CK isoform expression that results in an increase in the cytosolic brain type homodimeric-creatine kinase (CK-B) subunit and decreases of the cytosolic muscle-creatine kinase (CK-M) and CK-mitochondrial (CK-Mt) isoforms. The mechanisms of this abnormality are not known. Methods Total CK activity and CK protein isoform expression (Western blotting) were examined in 11 patients with end-stage cardiomyopathy. In 7 patients, myocardial tissue was also obtained after 4.1 ± 1.1 months of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support. Results Left ventricular unloading produced by LVAD implantation resulted in a 270% ± 114% increase in total CK activity (p Conclusions Systolic and diastolic unloading provided by the LVAD resulted in increases of total CK activity as well as CK-Mt and CK-M protein expression. The failure of CK-B expression to decrease suggests that abnormalities other than increased loading are responsible for the increase in CK-B expression in the failing heart.
Realist Constructivism and Realist-Constructivisms

“Realist Constructivism” (Barkin 2003) endeavored to make the case that classical realist theory and constructivist approaches to the study of international relations are not implacably opposed, as has been claimed by self-described realist and constructivist scholars of international relations theory. As such, the goal of the article was to create a set of permissive conditions for a realist constructivism (unhyphenated, understood as a general approach rather than as a specific theory)—that is, a footnote that future students of international relations could use rather than have to make the case themselves that the two are not incompatible. In creating a set of permissive conditions, my hope was that a variety of specific realist-constructivisms (hyphenated, understood as more specific theories of international relations within the general approach of realist constructivism) could be created, each suitable to particular research questions and each contributing to a broader conversation on realist constructivism in the study of international relations. This Forum constitutes the beginning of such a conversation. The four theoretical formulations in this Forum suggest at least two axes on which specific realist-constructivisms might differ: (1) how to understand power, and (2) how to deal with the relationships among power, idealism, and liberalism. These questions provide two fruitful areas for a discussion of the potentialities and limits of realist constructivism in general. Power as a concept is involved in this conversation in two ways. The first is the status of power in a realist constructivism. Three of the four essays in this Forum argue that power cannot be transcended in international relations. The outlier, Richard Ned Lebow's essay, suggests that power is central to the study of international relations, but it is only one necessary focus among many. But even among the three essays that argue that power cannot be transcended, disagreement exists about the …
Open user profiles for adaptive news systems: help or harm?

Over the last five years, a range of projects have focused on progressively more elaborated techniques for adaptive news delivery. However, the adaptation process in these systems has become more complicated and thus less transparent to the users. In this paper, we concentrate on the application of open user models in adding transparency and controllability to adaptive news systems. We present a personalized news system, YourNews, which allows users to view and edit their interest profiles, and report a user study on the system. Our results confirm that users prefer transparency and control in their systems, and generate more trust to such systems. However, similar to previous studies, our study demonstrate that this ability to edit user profiles may also harm the system.s performance and has to be used with caution.
Curcumin inhibits proliferation of colorectal carcinoma by modulating Akt/mTOR signaling.

Background: Curcumin, a natural polyphenol product of the plant Curcuma longa, has been shown to inhibit the growth and progression of colorectal cancer; however, the anticancer mechanism of curcumin remains to be elucidated. Materials and Methods: Colorectal cancer cells were treated with curcumin and changes in proliferation, protein and mRNA levels were analyzed. Results: Curcumin inhibited proliferation of colorectal cancer cells. This effect was mediated by inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling as evidenced by decreased phosphorylation of downstream effectors of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1), p70S6K and 4E- BP1. Curcumin decreased total expression of mTOR, Raptor and Rictor protein and mRNA levels. Surprisingly, curcumin induced phosphorylation of Akt(Ser 473); this effect may be attributed to a decrease in levels of the PHLPP1 phosphatase, an inhibitor of Akt. Conclusion: Our data suggest that curcumin, a natural compound, may exert its antiproliferative effects by inhibition of mTOR signaling and thus may represent a novel class of mTOR inhibitor. Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a component of the spice turmeric derived from the roots of the plant Curcuma longa, has been used through the ages for its antioxidant, anti- inflammatory, chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic effects (1). Curcumin can suppress tumor initiation (by reducing proliferation and inducing apoptosis), promotion and metastasis in a variety of malignant cells (2, 3). We have previously shown that one mechanism for the chemotherapeutic effects of curcumin on colorectal cancer (CRC) is through inhibition of
Parent Reports and Laboratory Assessments of Child Temperament: A Comparison of Their Associations With Risk for Depression and Externalizing Disorders.

Parent reports and laboratory assessments of child temperament traits were compared in terms of their associations with 2 indices of risk for future maladjustment: maternal history of depression and disruptive school behavior. A community sample of 99 pre-school-aged children completed a standardized battery of laboratory tasks designed to tap positive emotionality (PE) and anger. Parent reports of child temperament were collected, and maternal history of depression was assessed using structured clinical interviews. An average of 18.5 months after the initial laboratory assessment, teacher reports of disruptive school behavior were collected. Structural equation models were used to test the association between the 2 assessment approaches of child temperament and maternal history of depression and disruptive school behavior. Laboratory measures and parent reports of anger were equally good at predicting disruptive school behavior, while laboratory measures of PE showed stronger associations with maternal history of depression than parent report.
Oogenesis in the suppressor2 of hairy-wing mutant of Drosophila melanogaster. I. Phenotypic characterization and transplantation experiments

Cytological studies of ovaries from Drosophila melanogaster homozygous for the female sterile gene, su2-Hw, demonstrate that the nurse cell components of the egg chambers are primarily affected. The chromosomes of these endopolyploid cells remain condensed, whereas the normal polytene chromosomes of wild type nurse cells uncoil and fall apart prior to vitellogenesis. Vitellogenesis is greatly inhibited in the mutant, and the egg chambers eventually degenerate. Reciprocal transplantation experiments show autonomous behavior of + and su2-Hw ovaries. Therefore the ovarian phenotype is due to the action of the mutant gene in the ovarian cells themselves.
Real Options and Escalation of Commitment: A Behavioral Analysis of Capital Investment Decisions

ABSTRACT: This study uses experimental methods to explore whether incorporating real options into net present value analysis can reduce escalation of commitment, or the tendency of decision makers to continue to commit resources to a project after receiving negative feedback. This reduction in escalation behavior should occur because the incorporation of real options offers the user greater cognitive accessibility to the possibility of project abandonment. Findings indicate that users of real options exhibit less escalation of commitment than do users of net present value analysis alone. The main result demonstrates that the use of real options in capital budgeting can affect the behavior and decisions of the user even in an experimental setting that controls for the informational advantage of using real options.
Fast conversion techniques for binary-residue number systems

An easy and efficient procedure for converting a binary number into a residue number on moduli 2/sup n/-1, 2/sup n/, /sup 2/n+1 is presented. The procedure presented reveals an inversion technique. The paper also includes a systematic method to compare the magnitudes of two residue numbers on the above moduli. The conversion procedure does not depend on Chinese remainder theorem. >
Theory of organic magnetoresistance in disordered organic semiconductors

The understanding of spin transport in organics has been challenged by the discovery of large magnetic field effects on properties such as conductivity and electroluminescence in a wide array of organic systems. To explain the large organic magnetoresistance (OMAR) phenomenon, we present and solve a model for magnetoresistance in positionally disordered organic materials using percolation theory. The model describes the effects of singlettriplet spin transitions on hopping transport by considering the role of spin dynamics on an effective density of hopping sites. Faster spin transitions open up `spin-blocked' pathways to become viable conduction channels and hence produce magnetoresistance. We concentrate on spin transitions under the effects of the hyperfine (isotropic and anisotropic), exchange, and dipolar interactions. The magnetoresistance can be found analytically in several regimes and explains several experimental observations
Why brain death is considered death and why there should be no confusion

Neurologic determination of brain death is a complex assessment that may be misunderstood by nonspecialists and families. Recent guidelines clarify how to proceed with such an examination and are available to physicians, with the time of death in adults and children being determined by the last defining test—the apnea test. This core principle in neurology has been challenged recently in court and resulted in an unprecedented continuation of care in a 13-year-old child declared dead. This review comments on the medical, legal, and ethical quandaries introduced by this case and highlights the major elements of consensus on matters related to brain death that have been forged over 3 decades of sustained medical and societal debate. A clear appreciation by physicians and the public of the diagnostic determination of death following loss of brain function will help to prevent similar conflicts from occurring in the future.
Androgen Receptor (AR) Coregulators: A Diversity of Functions Converging on and Regulating the AR Transcriptional Complex

Androgens, acting through the androgen receptor (AR), are responsibleforthedevelopmentofthemalephenotypeduring embryogenesis, the achievement of sexual maturation at puberty,andthemaintenanceofmalereproductivefunctionand behavior in adulthood. In addition, androgens affect a wide variety of nonreproductive tissues. Moreover, aberrant androgen action plays a critical role in multiple pathologies, including prostate cancer and androgen insensitivity syndromes. The formation of a productive AR transcriptional complex requires the functional and structural interaction of theARwithitscoregulators.Inthelastdecade,anoverwhelming and ever increasing number of proteins have been proposed to possess AR coactivating or corepressing characteristics. Intriguingly, a vast diversity of functions has been ascribed to these proteins, indicating that a multitude of cellular functions and signals converge on the AR to regulate its function. The current review aims to provide an overview of the AR coregulator proteins identified to date and to propose a classification of these AR coregulator proteins according to the function(s) ascribed to them. Taken together, this approach will increase our understanding of the cellular pathways that converge on the AR to ensure an appropriate transcriptional response to androgens. (Endocrine Reviews 28: 778–808, 2007)
Maximalist Cryptography and Computation on the WISP UHF RFID Tag

With continuous improvements in the ef?ciency of microelectronics, it is now possible to power a general-purpose microcontroller wirelessly at a reasonable range. Our implementation of RC5-32/18/16 on the WISP UHF RFID tag shows that conventional cryptography is no longer beyond the reach of a general-purpose UHF tag. In this paper, (1) we provide preliminary experimental data on how much computation is available on a TI MSP430F2132 microcontroller-based RFID tag containing approximately 8 KBytes of ?ash and 512 bytes of RAM, and (2) we show that symmetric cryptography is feasible on an RF-powered, general-purpose RFID tag — providing the ?rst implementation of conventional cryptography on an RF-powered UHF RFID tag as far as we are aware
Raman Spectra of Some Ionic Conductors

The compounds Cu2HgI4, Ag2HgI4 and Tl2HgI4 all exhibit an intense Raman feature around 123 cm−1, which corresponds to a totally symmetric HgI4 stretching mode. For the copper and silver compounds, transformation to the conducting α phase is accompanied by considerable broadening of the 123 cm−1 band. This feature remains narrow right up to the melting point of Tl2HgI4, which is not a good solid state ionic conductor. These results suggest that Raman linewidth measurements should provide a useful technique for screening potential ionic conductors. The origins of the line broadening will be discussed and vibrational assignments will be given for the above compounds as well as MAgI3, MAg2I3, and MAg4I5.
Staphylococcal enterotoxin B induces fever, brain c-Fos expression, and serum corticosterone in rats

The paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH) occupies a pivotal point within the network of brain nuclei coordinating critical host-defense responses. In mice, T cell-dependent immune stim...
Reevaluating the Supercrip

The article assesses the term supercrip and its use in disability studies scholarship. The traditional use of the term encompasses a wide variety of representations. Therefore it is argued that in order to understand and analyze these different manifestations with specificity and nuance, we must theorize supercrip as a collection of narrative types created by different mechanisms which vary by medium and genre. The conclusion is that by attending to narrative mechanisms, type, and context in this way, disability studies scholars will be better able to differentiate and understand the production, consumption, and appeal of supercrip narratives in popular and mainstream culture.
Behavioral Activation for Major Depression in Adolescents: Results From a Pilot Study

This study evaluated the treatment effects of Behavioral Activation (BA) on adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD). A total of 28 adolescents (M age = 15.43) participated in this 18-week study. Semi-structured diagnostic interviews were used to determine depression status. Multiple informant methods (participants, parents, therapists, independent assessors) evaluated clinical change. Assessments were conducted at baseline, midpoint, end of treatment, and 3- and 6-month follow-ups. Results suggested that BA was an effective treatment for depressed adolescents. At the end of treatment, 90.9% of completers no longer met criteria for MDD, with 54.5% classified as fully remitted, 36.4% classified as responders, and only 9.1% classified as nonresponders. Follow-up assessments indicated that treatment effects were sustained. Conclusions and future directions are discussed.
An Extension of Me

Studies describe the human-canine relationship as a long and complex one in which both parties have developed complementary physical skills and communication techniques. Current extensive exploration of the human-canine bond commonly examines the objective value of dogs to people, whether as service or therapy dogs, or valued companions. Dogs have been found to enhance our mental and physical health, learning aptitude, and social confidence. Few studies have investigated the collaborative relationship between handler and working dog, an intersubjective relationship contingent upon mutual trust, communication, learning, and cooperative action between individual subjects. Interviewing bird-dog handlers provides an opportunity to understand how people experience this complex interspecies relationship. Study findings illustrate that the human-canine bond, with its rich history of coevolution stemming from a past of shared hunting efforts, contributes to human experience of the natural world, learning, behavior, and communication.
Rapid Thermal Annealing of Be Implanted in 0.53Ga 0.47As

Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) techniques have been developed to activate shallow, high dose implants in InGaAs. Activation of deep, multiple energy high dose beryllium implants was also investigated. Two-step RTA cycles which peaked at a high temperature momentarily and then held at a lower temperature for 3 to 10 seconds were used to activate the implanted dopants. Over 80% activation was achieved. The results are superior to furnace anneal results, and at least comparable to graphite strip heater results. Increasing the anneal temperature on higher dose implants, however, type conversion was observed when the peak temperature exceeded a certain value.
Effects of Rationales for Therapy on Perceptions of Clinical Depression

The present study assessed the effects of rationales for therapy on perceptions of a problem of clinical depression by 46 male and 38 female college students who were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups varied as to the therapeutic rationale presented for a problem of severe non-reactive depression in a middle-aged woman. One rationale was in accord with classical psychoanalysis with the cause of the depression described in terms of unresolved unconscious conflicts and the recommended treatment involving insight. The second rationale was tailored according to rationalemotive therapy depicting long-standing habits of faulry thinking as the cause of the problem and describing the necessity of learning more reasonable interpretations of events as the recommended treaunent. The third experimental group was exposed to a norationale condition. All subjects listened to an audio recording of the case hiscoty and a simulated intake interview between the client and the treating psychologist (JPW). Neither rationale was labeled as psychoanalysis or rational-emotive therapy in the audio recordings or in subsequent rating scales although each had been reviewed and modified by a licensed clinical psychologist of that orientation. Following these taped presentations, subjects completed 28 Likert-type rating scales pertaining to the client's problems and adjustment and in the two therapeutic groups nine additional ratings concerning the rationales and treating psychologist. In a posttest-only control-group design data were analyzed via one-way analyses of variance and Newman-Keuls tests for significant differences, among means. A considerable number of significant resulrs emerged (all ps < .05 or .01). In scoring the questionnaires, various ratings pertaining to similar areas were combined. In all, of a total of 27 comparisons made, 14 attained statistical significance. In general subjects exposed to a treaunent rationale tended to view the client's problem as more understandable than subjects hearing no rationale. While both treatments were perceived favorably, subjects hearing the rationale of rational-emotive therapy indicated more faith in ueatment, saw the client as more likely to improve and likely to improve in a significantly shorter time period than did subjects hearing a psychoanalytic rationale. While clients undergoing actual ueatment might perceive these rationales differently, these results are consistent with others (1, 2) which demonstrate that rationales for therapy influence credibility and expectanq regarding treatment.
Bacterial overgrowth and mucosal changes in isolated (Thiry-Vella) ileal loops in rabbits. Effects of intraluminal antibiotics

Atrophy of villi, with increases in crypt depth and Paneth cell number and size, occurs in chronically isolated (Thirty-Vella) ileal loops in rabbits. These loops are known to be heavily colonized with aerobic bacteria. To study the possible effect of the bacterial overgrowth, 2 experiments were performed. In the first study, two isolated ileal loops were created in each of 14 rabbits. The antibiotic loop was flushed with nonabsorbable antibiotics (neomycin, bacitracin, and gentamycin), whereas the control loop was flushed with saline. The antibiotic solution achieved a reduction in bacterial growth as compared to the loops flushed with saline. In the second study, a single ileal loop was created in each of 20 rabbits. Loops of 11 animals were flushed with an absorbable antibiotic (cefoxitin) and gentamycin, whereas those in 9 other rabbits were flushed with saline. This antibiotic combination achieved an essentially sterile loop. In both experiments, the Paneth cell population and crypt depth were less in antibiotic loops as compared to saline loops, whereas the degree of villus atrophy was nearly equal. These studies suggest a link between the overgrowth of bacteria seen in these isolated loops and the morphologic changes in the crypts.
Latent Semantic Indexing with selective Query Expansion.

This thesis outlines research and experiments in Information Retrieval, specifically with the search method Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI). The design and implementation of a framework for performing LSI queries on large text databases with a focus on machine learning is documented. Also described and analyzed is our participation in TREC in 2010 and 2011. Finally, we describe our next LSI-based task, Cyberbullying detection, which involves applying our system to Internet-chat-based datasets to discover instances of online harassment. The results of our research show that EDLSI is an effective technique for E-Discovery. Preliminary observations also show promise for EDLSI’s effectiveness in Cyberbullying detection. We have shown that selective query expansion can be a useful mechanism for improving retrieval results when a specific initial query is provided. We believe that queries that are stated in general terms, however, may suffer from “expansion in the wrong direction” when certain iterative approaches to incorporating relevance feedback information are added into the search process.
Precision and Accuracy of Electronic Images

AbstractThe use of a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera for monitoring the condition of valuable documents, such as the U.S. COnstitution, is described. The behaviour of the CCD, characteristics of illumination, and camera positioning are accurately controlled to produce images that can be compared with other images obtained in precisely the same way. Comparisons of these images provide the basis for determining if any changes have taken place. The control of variables for precision and accuracy provide examples of quality control criteria for electronic images.
Does Naturalism Imply Utilitarianism

Etude du lien entre l'utilitarisme et le naturalisme soutenu par R. Brandt et J. Harsanyi dans le sens de la compatibilite entre la notion de bien individuel et la metaphysique naturaliste. Examinant les raisons de la poursuite d'un bien rationnel au sein du modele de l'action motivee par la croyance et le desir, herite de Hume, d'une part, et examinant les axiomes de la preference morale et de la rationalite individuelle chez Harsanyi, d'autre part, l'A. montre que l'utilitarisme s'appuie sur la theorie du choix rationnel et sur la conception de la raison pratique defendues par D. Gauthier.
Genotypic variation in biomass allocation in response to field drought has a greater affect on yield than gas exchange or phenology

Plant performance in agricultural and natural settings varies with moisture availability, and understanding the range of potential drought responses and the underlying genetic architecture is important for understanding how plants will respond to both natural and artificial selection in various water regimes. Here, we raised genotypes of Brassica rapa under well-watered and drought treatments in the field. Our primary goal was to understand the genetic architecture and yield effects of different drought-escape and dehydration-avoidance strategies. Drought treatments reduced soil moisture by 62 % of field capacity. Drought decreased biomass accumulation and fruit production by as much as 48 %, whereas instantaneous water-use efficiency and root:shoot ratio increased. Genotypes differed in the mean value of all traits and in the sensitivity of biomass accumulation, root:shoot ratio, and fruit production to drought. Bivariate correlations involving gas-exchange and phenology were largely constant across environments, whereas those involving root:shoot varied across treatments. Although root:shoot was typically unrelated to gas-exchange or yield under well-watered conditions, genotypes with low to moderate increases in root:shoot allocation in response to drought survived the growing season, maintained maximum photosynthesis levels, and produced more fruit than genotypes with the greatest root allocation under drought. QTL for gas-exchange and yield components (total biomass or fruit production) had common effects across environments while those for root:shoot were often environment-specific. Increases in root allocation beyond those needed to survive and maintain favorable water relations came at the cost of fruit production. The environment-specific effects of root:shoot ratio on yield and the differential expression of QTL for this trait across water regimes have important implications for efforts to improve crops for drought resistance.
Clustering analysis of proteins from microbial genomes at multiple levels of resolution

Microbial genomes at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) represent a large collection of more than 35,000 assemblies. There are several complexities associated with the data: a great variation in sampling density since human pathogens are densely sampled while other bacteria are less represented; different protein families occur in annotations with different frequencies; and the quality of genome annotation varies greatly. In order to extract useful information from these sophisticated data, the analysis needs to be performed at multiple levels of phylogenomic resolution and protein similarity, with an adequate sampling strategy. Protein clustering is used to construct meaningful and stable groups of similar proteins to be used for analysis and functional annotation. Our approach is to create protein clusters at three levels. First, tight clusters in groups of closely-related genomes (species-level clades) are constructed using a combined approach that takes into account both sequence similarity and genome context. Second, clustroids of conservative in-clade clusters are organized into seed global clusters. Finally, global protein clusters are built around the the seed clusters. We propose filtering strategies that allow limiting the protein set included in global clustering. The in-clade clustering procedure, subsequent selection of clustroids and organization into seed global clusters provides a robust representation and high rate of compression. Seed protein clusters are further extended by adding related proteins. Extended seed clusters include a significant part of the data and represent all major known cell machinery. The remaining part, coming from either non-conservative (unique) or rapidly evolving proteins, from rare genomes, or resulting from low-quality annotation, does not group together well. Processing these proteins requires significant computational resources and results in a large number of questionable clusters. The developed filtering strategies allow to identify and exclude such peripheral proteins limiting the protein dataset in global clustering. Overall, the proposed methodology allows the relevant data at different levels of details to be obtained and data redundancy eliminated while keeping biologically interesting variations.
Meta-Analysis of the Usefulness of Plasma Galectin-3 to Predict the Risk of Mortality in Patients With Heart Failure and in the General Population

Galectin-3 is an emerging biomarker of myocardial fibrosis, inflammation, and immune response. We sought to examine the relation of plasma galectin-3 with cardiovascular (CVD) mortality, all-cause mortality, and incident heart failure (HF). We performed a literature search for all relevant publications using Ovid MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and other databases up to January 2016. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias. We extracted hazard ratios (HRs) from regression models that adjusted for age, gender, race, body mass index, smoking, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, natriuretic peptides, and renal function, when available. A total of 18 studies with 32,350 participants (323,090 person-years of follow-up) met criteria for analysis. The mean age was 57.3 years and 47.2% of participants were women, with a follow-up duration median of 5 years, interquartile range: 2.9 to 10 years. Of the 18 studies, 13 (72%) adjusted for N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide and renal function in the multivariable adjusted models. Using a random-effects meta-analysis, we found an HR of 1.10 (95% CI 1.05 to 1.14) for all-cause mortality, 1.22 (95% CI 1.05 to 1.39) for CVD mortality, and 1.12 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.21) for HF risk for each 1 SD increase in galectin-3 level. In a subgroup analysis of CVD mortality, the HR was 1.44 (1.09 to 1.79) for patients with HF and 1.09 (0.91 to 1.27) for the general population. In conclusion, our results suggest that elevated plasma galectin-3 is associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality, CVD mortality, and HF. It may add prognostic value beyond that provided by traditional CVD risk factors.