cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cationic gold clusters ligated with differently substituted phosphines: effect of substitution on ligand reactivity and binding.

We present a systematic study of the effect of the number of methyl (Me) and cyclohexyl (Cy) functional groups in monodentate phosphine ligands on the solution-phase synthesis of ligated sub-nanometer gold clusters and their gas-phase fragmentation pathways. Small mixed ligand cationic gold clusters were synthesized using reactions between pre-formed triphenylphosphine ligated (PPh3) gold clusters and monodentate Me- and Cy-substituted phosphine ligands in solution and characterized using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments. Under the same experimental conditions, larger gold–PPh3 clusters undergo efficient exchange of unsubstituted PPh3 ligands for singly Me- and Cy-substituted PPh2Me and PPh2Cy ligands. The efficiency of reaction decreases with an increasing number of Me or Cy groups in the substituted phosphine ligands. CID experiments performed for a series of mixed-ligand gold clusters indicate that loss of a neutral Me-substituted ligand is preferred over loss of a neutral PPh3 ligand while the opposite trend is observed for Cy-substituted ligands. The branching ratio of the competing ligand loss channels is strongly correlated with the electron donating ability of the phosphorous lone pair as determined by the relative proton affinity of the ligand. The results indicate that the relative ligand binding energies increase in the order PMe3 < PPhMe2 < PPh2Me < PPh3 < PPh2Cy < PPhCy2 < PCy3. Furthermore, the difference in relative ligand binding energies increases with the number of substituted PPh3−mMem or PPh3−mCym ligands (L) on each cluster. This study provides the first experimental determination of the relative binding energies of ligated gold clusters containing differently substituted monophosphine ligands, which are important to controlling their synthesis and reactivity in solution. The results also indicate that ligand substitution is an important parameter that must be considered in theoretical modeling of these complex systems.
Situated identities and literacy pratices: to seem and to feel

This article examines the centrality of cultural resources or artifacts in the social process of “doing literacy.” Relying on recent developments in sociocultural theories of continuous identity formation, I argue that people employ cultural artifacts to “seem” literate, or to be seen as literate by others, and to “feel” literate, that is, to develop a sense of themselves as literate. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Brazil, I show how youth and adult literacy students use cultural artifacts in their efforts to perform literacy. In conclusion, I discuss the potential of sociocultural theories of identity formation for the field of literacy studies.
New metallo-β-lactamase: Is its name after New Delhi helpful or harmful?

Sir, We read with great interest the editorial on the new metallo-β-lactamase1. It gives a clear picture of β-lactamases in general and the new one named NDM-1 in particular. It is also an alert on “the disorganized state of antibiotic therapy in India”1. While addressing the lack of evidence for New Delhi as the place of origin of the plasmid encoding the enzyme, the author states that “our national sentiments are tickled” and that its naming (after New Delhi) “is not really objectionable but questionable”1. While several metallo-β-lactamases have been named after cities where they originated or were detected first without deleterious effects, the naming of the new one with our nation’s capital has had much negative impact2,3. It was not detected in New Delhi, and there is insufficient evidence of its place of origin1,2. The name was misused in one paper to warn people to avoid India as a destination for surgical treatment as if the problem was predominantly and almost exclusively in India4. The editor of that journal has even tendered a public apology for publishing it5. The plasmid in question is globally widespread as are many others carrying other β-lactamases6. There is a public appeal on the electronic web, requesting the removal of New Delhi from the name, already signed by over 5000 individuals3. The objection to naming the plasmid after India’s capital actually arose after its misuse for discouraging medical tourism in India which is an economically growing enterprise7. Thus, its naming has become objectionable in addition to being questionable. We propose that the name be changed, although such a step is unprecedented. However, there are already over 30 β-lactamases carrying alternate names8. We also propose that hereafter names of places or persons be avoided for newly discovered biological agents. Has the name helped in increasing public perception of the “disorganized state of antibiotic therapy” in India? The answer is no, but on the other hand the media and even government officials went into a defensive mode, thus missing a good opportunity to publicly discuss the need for organization and discipline of antibiotic availability, choice and clinical use so as to reduce the spread of existing antibiotic-resistant microbes and to prevent others from developing. We know that D. Ragunath is a leader in the area of antimicrobial resistance. We urge him, the Indian Council for Medical Research, the Departments of Health Research and Health & Family welfare and other concerned agencies to take the combat against antibiotic misuse on a ‘war footing’ with enforceable regulations and legislations.
Human trafficking, modern day slavery, and economic exploitation

Human trafficking, as it is defined by international law, subsumes all forms of nonconsensual exploitation. That is, whenever people are forced or lured into exploitation no matter if movement of victims is involved it is considered human trafficking. There is, though, a large overlap with consensual exploitation, namely when economic vulnerabilities force victims to accept exploitative work arrangements. Consensual exploitation is mostly addressed through social and labor law, which is also an area where the World Bank has ample experience, while nonconsensual exploitation is mainly addressed through criminal law. Both types of exploitation have adverse effects on equity and efficiency and are therefore obstacles to development. The World Bank could consider strengthening its efforts on nonconsensual exploitation, in particular in the area of access to justice for the poor and empowering vulnerable groups to demand justice and good governance. In addition, there is a need to enhance the knowledge on prevalence, causes, and consequences of nonconsensual exploitation. In doing so, the World Bank should seek partnerships to complement existing initiatives and expertise, but should also consider providing leadership in the fight against exploitation and human trafficking.
Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in the X-ray Light Curves of Blazars

Any quasi-periodic variations discovered in blazar light curves would contain important information on the location and nature of the processes within the emission regions. In non-blazar active galactic nuclei, particularly Seyfert galaxies, any such fluctuations are very likely to be associated with the accretion disks, but in blazars they would almost certainly have to emanate from jets. This brief review summarizes recent claims for the presence of quasi-periodic variability in the X-ray emission of several AGN, focusing on blazars. Although no individual claim of the presence of a QPO in AGN X-ray light curves is absolutely convincing, there are some good cases for the presence of QPOs, including the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxy, RE J1034+396, the quasar, 3C 273 and the BL Lac, PKS 2155−304.
A Mixed-Methodological Examination of Investment Model Variables Among Abused and Nonabused College Women

Abstract Objective: This study assessed abused and nonabused women's perceptions of Investment Model (IM) variables (ie, relationship investment, satisfaction, commitment, quality of alternatives) utilizing a mixed-methods design. Participants: Participants included 102 college women, approximately half of whom were in abusive dating relationships. Methods: Qualitative content analyses were used to analyze transcribed responses to open-ended questions about abused and nonabused women's perceptions of IM variables. These coding categories were compared with a quantitative measure of IM variables. Results: Overall, abused and nonabused women were not found to differ on qualitative or quantitative measures with regard to overall level of commitment, investment, or perceived alternatives to their relationships. However, abused women reported lower levels of satisfaction, and listed more negative aspects of their relationships than nonabused women. Additionally, a number of factors were identified by women to ...
Broadening the Meaning of Citizenship Education: Native Americans and Tribal Nationhood.

Abstract The reality of tribal nationhood and the dual citizenship that Native Americans carry in their tribal nations and the United States significantly expands the definition and parameters of citizen education. Citizenship education means including and understanding the historical and political contexts of all U.S. citizens—especially, those indigenous to this land. Schools and teachers have the responsibility for students' exposure to and understanding of the complexity of the United States' politically situated past and present relationship with and obligations to tribal nations and their citizens. I contend that if the historical and contemporary context of Native American citizenship is not addressed in schools' citizenship education, then that is evidence of ongoing colonization and practice of cultural imperialism.
DECONVOLUTION AND SPECTRAL ESTIMATION USING FINAL PREDICTION ERROR

Least‐squares, zero‐lag inverse filters may be used for predictive deconvolution of stationary time series and for obtaining autoregressive or maximum entropy spectral estimates. The greatest problem in finding such an inverse filter is determining the optimum operator length for a given finite length of data. The identical problem of determining the correct order of an autoregressive model for the data has been solved by Akaike, whose final prediction error (FPE) statistic is a minimum for the optimum length model. This minimum FPE criterion may be applied to both single and multiple time series. The FPE procedure has been used successfully on simultaneous three‐component seismometer and hydrophone data for the detection of refracted arrivals from explosions up to 1350 km away and for estimation of spectra of microseismic noise observed at the time of each shot. The data were recorded with an ocean bottom seismometer.
RAGE Modulates Hypoxia/Reoxygenation Injury in Adult Murine Cardiomyocytes via JNK and GSK-3β Signaling Pathways

Background Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) have been implicated in diverse pathological settings including diabetes, inflammation and acute ischemia/reperfusion injury in the heart. AGEs interact with the receptor for AGEs (RAGE) and transduce signals through activation of MAPKs and proapoptotic pathways. In the current study, adult cardiomyocytes were studied in an in vitro ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury model to delineate the molecular mechanisms underlying RAGE-mediated injury due to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R).
Laminar burning velocity of propane-air mixtures at high temperature and pressure

The laminar burning velocity of propane-air mixtures has been measured in the pressure range 0.4 to 40 atm and temperature range 298 to 750 K for equivalence ratios from 0.8 to 1.5. The measurements were made in a constant-: volume spherical combustion bomb which could be heated to 500 K. A thermodynamic analysis was used to calculate the laminar burning velocity from a pressure time history of the combustion process. The measured values were correlated using both power law and exponential expressions.
Reaction Cascade in the Anodic Oxidation of Benzyl Silanes in Methanol

Controlled-potential anodic oxidation at carbon of a series of benzyl trialkylsilanes in methanol affords benzyl methyl ether irrespective of the nature of the alkyl groups on silicon. Constant-current oxidation of the same silanes produces the same ether, which is then converted successively to benzaldehyde dimethyl acetal and then to a mixture of methyl orthobenzoate and methyl benzoate.
Mechanisms of fidelity in pre-mRNA splicing

The pre-mRNA splicing machinery consists of five small nuclear RNAs (U1, U2, U4, U5 and U6) and more than fifty proteins. Over the past year, important advances have been made in understanding how these factors function to achieve fidelity in splicing. Of particular note were the discoveries that the splicing factor U2AF(35) recognizes the AG dinucleotide at the 3' splice site early in spliceosome assembly, that a DEAD-box ATPase, Prp28, triggers specific rearrangements of the spliceosome, and that the splicing factor hSlu7 functions in the fidelity of AG choice during catalytic step II of splicing.
The Paradox of Implementing the Government Performance and Results Act: Top-Down Direction for Bottom-Up Implementation

Research on the implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act generally has not considered how the strategic plan, annual performance plan, and annual performance report are produced and used. Are the documents good decision and management tools, as the act intends, or are agencies internalizing them to meet the unique needs of their organization? Interviews with representatives of 14 cabinet-level federal agencies suggest that implementation of the act is not standardized. Instead, it is influenced by the unique challenges that agencies face. Further, there is a relationship between the implementation challenges and the overall use of the documents.
Control of excessive aggressive disturbance in a heterogeneous troop of rhesus monkeys

Abstract Aggressive behavior was recorded in a heterogeneous troop of captive rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) that was experiencing excessive aggressive disturbance. Ethological observations revealed that the troop's aggression problem was related to two conspicuously aggressive animals. The removal of these two resulted in a marked decrease (P
Catch-Rate Standardization for Yellow Perch in Lake Erie: A Comparison of the Spatial Generalized Linear Model and the Generalized Additive Model

Abstract Various statistical models have been used to standardize catch rates of fish populations for stock assessment. The generalized linear model (GLM) is one of the most commonly used approaches. However, response variables in fisheries data are often spatially autocorrelated or show a nonlinear relationship with explanatory variables, thus violating the underlying assumption of the GLM. The GLM with spatial autocorrelation (s-GLM) and the generalized additive model (GAM) may be better suited to dealing with autocorrelated variables and nonlinear relationships, respectively. In this study, catch rates of yellow perch Perca flavescens from a fishery-independent gill-net survey in Lake Erie during 1990–2003 were estimated by the s-GLM and GAM. Set duration, gear depth, temperature at gear depth, dissolved oxygen concentration, water transparency, and latitude were selected as significant explanatory variables for these models. By comparing the goodness of fit, reduction of spatial autocorrelation, and p...
Dimensions of control and project-work outcomes☆

Abstract Two questionnaires exploring dimensions of control were administered to 463 Open University students involved in courses containing an element of either structured or unstructured project work. The questionnaires were Rotter's Locus-of-Control Form and Parlett's Syllabus-Orientation Form. Correlations were examined between these scores, the student's attitudes toward project work, and academic outcomes from their courses (scores for project work and scores for non-project work). Locus of Control was found not to correlate with outcomes, but Syllabus Orientation was found to correlate with attitude toward project work. Locus of Control and Syllabus Orientation were not correlated, suggesting that each construct corresponds to different dimensions of control.
Restriction endonuclease mapping of pSC101 and pMB9

A restriction endonuclease analysis of the plasmids pSC101 and pMB9 has allowed a determination of the alterations that occurred in the tetracycline resistance locus during the construction of pMB9 from pSC101. The genes for four of the polypeptides involved in tetracycline resistance have been positioned on the restriction endonuclease map of pSC101.
Magnetic fields in galaxies and beyond

Astronomical magnetic fields are generally strong enough to influence the dynamics of gas in present-day galaxies, and may have played an important role in the formation and early evolution of galaxies. Yet the origin of these magnetic fields remains controversial, and observational tests that could discriminate between competing theories will challenge the capabilities of telescopes now under construction.
Absorption of Barium Sulfate and Chromic Oxide from the Chicken Gastrointestinal Tract

Abstract Barium sulfate (Whitson et al., 1943) and chromic oxide (Cr2O3) (Dansky and Hill, 1952) have been suggested as inert indicators in balance studies with chickens. In the present communication a study has been made of the absorption of 133BaSO4 or 51Cr2O3 from the gastrointestinal tract of chickens. Barium-133 was obtained in the form of BaCl2 from General Radioisotope Processing Co., San Ramon, California. Barium sulfate was precipitated from a solution containing 100 μcuri Ba-133 and 0.64 gm. BaCl2 in 5 ml. H2O with H2SO4. The precipitate was centrifuged and washed with dilute HCl (2% by v/v). repeatedly, until the supernatant had no radioactivity. The precipitate was washed with alcohol and dried under an infra-red lamp. Sodium chromate-Cr-5l was obtained from Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, Ill. It was mixed with a solution containing 3.5 gm. sodium dichromate (about 5 ml.) and evaporated to dryness in a porcelain crucible under an infra-red . . .
Philosophy is its own time comprehended in thought

So much philosophy is so unavoidably guided by intuitions, and such intuitions are so formed by examples, and such examples must of necessity present so cropped and abstract a picture of an instance or event or decision, that, left to its traditional methods, philosophy might be ill-equipped on its own to answer a question about the true content of an historical ideal like ``autonomy'', or authenticity or ``leading a free life''. One needs to bring so many factors into play at once that one non-traditional but more promising path might be through reflection on the modern novel—or modern drama or poetry or film or even modern painting.
Evidence for division of labor in the social caterpillar Eucheira socialis (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

The caterpillars of Eucheira socialis westwoodi cooperatively spin and maintain a hollow silken nest and an elaborate network of silken foraging trails on their host plant, madrone (Arbutus spp.: Ericaceae). Nests typically contain several hundred larvae. Two populations are known to harbor a sex ratio distorter. The primary sex ratio in these two populations for four generations has been exceedingly male biased (64–79% male). Lepidoptera larvae are easily sexed using external morphology, allowing us to uniquely mark male and female larvae and to assemble larval groups of particular sex ratios. We report here the results of experiments on sex-specific larval behavior and physiology and the effect of colony sex ratio on individual behavior. We found that male larvae spent more time spinning silk on the nest and less time feeding than female larvae. Males were the first to emerge from the nest and the first to venture out along trails to feed. Male-biased nests had a significantly greater amount of silk deposited on their surfaces than female-biased nests. In the field, male-biased nests produced heavier male and female pupae than female-biased nests. Male and female larvae in 75% male nests became active earlier than males and females in other sex ratio treatments.
Treatment behind bars: the effectiveness of prison-based therapy for sex offenders

The purpose of this evaluation was to examine the effectiveness of prison-based treatment for sex offenders to reduce recidivism. The study compared a group of 95 inmates who received sex offender treatment, with 67 treatment completers and 28 non-completers, to a comparison group of 64 inmates who did not receive treatment. The results demonstrated that offenders who completed sex offender treatment had the lowest prevalence of post-release sex re-arrests followed by treatment non-completers and control group subjects. Furthermore, survival analysis results showed that average time to first re-arrest after release from incarceration was longest for treatment completers in comparison to the treatment non-completers and the control group but this difference was not statistically significant. Study limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.
Children's comprehension of grammatical structures in context.

Children from nursery school, kindergarten, and first grade were asked to select pictures which correctly represented the propositional content of six grammatical structures-active, passive, cleft-agent, cleft-patient, prepositional beneficiary, indirect object presented under three context conditions-appropriate, inappropriate, isolation. In the appropriate-context condition the relationship between the target structure and its prior context sentence followed known discourse regularities about the allocation of given and new information, while in the inappropriate-context condition the relationship between the target structure and prior context violated these discourse regularities. Comprehension of two of the grammatical structures tested—the passive and the cleft-patient—was better under the appropriate-context treatment than under the inappropriate-context treatment, indicating that young children are in fact sensitive to discourse regularities about the allocation of given and new information.
STRUCTURAL PLAN OF THE JAPAN-OKHOTSK GEOSYNCLINAL PROVINCE AND THE POSITION OF SAKHALIN

The tectonic framework of the Japan-Okhotsk geosyncline is described in detail. The region contains complicated folds and faults which developed during regional geosynclinal subsidence and seems clearly to exemplify contemporaneous deformation during geosynclinal subsidence. B. N. Cooper
Pyrrolidin-3-yl- N -methylbenzamides as potent histamine 3 receptor antagonists

On the basis of the previously reported benzimidazole 1,3'-bipyrrolidine benzamides (1), a series of related pyrrolidin-3-yl-N-methylbenzamides were synthesized and evaluated as H(3) receptor antagonists. In particular, compound 32 exhibits potent H(3) receptor binding affinity, improved pharmaceutical properties and a favorable in vivo profile.
Marching along ridges. Efficient location of energy-minimized conical intersections of two states using extrapolatable functions

A conical intersection is a singular point in nuclear coordinate space. As a result of this singularity the parameters used to search for energy-minimized conical intersections, energy gradients, energy difference gradients, and coupling vectors vary irregularly along the search path. This irregular variation precludes the efficient use of extrapolation procedures to speed convergence. This impediment may be overcome by the use of extrapolatable functions, that is, functions that vary smoothly along the search path. From a topographical perspective this approach amounts to walking along a path parallel to the ridge of conical intersections. In this work an algorithm based on these functions is introduced and its performance discussed.
An Intergenerational E-mail Pal Project on Attitudes of College Students Toward Older Adults

Intergenerational interactions have demonstrated some success at improving attitudes of college students toward older adults. This quasiexperimental study involved undergraduate college students paired with older adults for a six-week e-mail exchange. Student attitudes toward older adults were measured pre- and posttest with Polizzi's revised version of the Aging Semantic Differential (ASD). Students were assigned to an intervention group (n = 23) or a control group (n = 20). The intervention group demonstrated significant improvement in attitude toward older adults as compared to the control group (F 14.694, p < .05). This educational approach holds promise for using readily accessible technology to connect the generations.
A study of hematic barriers in peripheral nerves of albino rabbits.

Hematic barriers were studied in femoral and sciatic nerves and their peripheral branches in male albino rabbits by means of fluorescence microscopy and ultra-freezing and drying technics. The fluorescent tracer used was a diaminoacridine, acriflavine neutral, which is non-toxic at the 20 mg/kg dose administered intravenously, has a low molecular weight (259.7), and has a unique quality of chemically binding in vivo with nuclear DNA and RNA. This latter property of acriflavine neutral permitted the observation of fluorescent nuclei where the substance penetrated and no fluorescence where it did not penetrate. The interface between the two regions was identified as a locus of a hematic barrier. Three hematic barrier loci were observed in spinal nerves and their branches: (1) in the plasma membranes of the cells forming inner lamellae of the “perineurial epithelium,” (2) in the luminal face of the plasma membrane of endothelialcellsforming the wall of endoneurial capillaries, and (3) in the “perineurial epithelial” sheath which surrounds endoneurial precapillaries. These barriers appeared to be dependent on normal living physiologic processes for their proper maintenance. In addition, they were very similar to some of the hematic barriers associated with the central nervous system.
GENE‐BASED EVOLUTIONARY THEORIES IN CRIMINOLOGY *

In the past 20 years, several theories of criminal (and antisocial) behavior have been proposed from an evolutionary perspective, some of which specifically stipulate that people vary in their genetic dispositions toward criminality. It is these theories, herein called gene-based evolutionary theories, that are the focus of this article. Two categories of gene-based evolutionary theories are described. One category is crime specific, pertaining to the offenses of rape, spousal assault/murder, and child abuse neglect. The second category consists of two general theories of criminal and antisocial behavior: the cheater (or cad vs. dad) theory, and the r/K theory. In addition to assuming that genes contribute to variation in criminal (and antisocial) behavior, all five of these theories assume that natural selection has acted on human populations to open up reproductive niches for individuals and groups who victimize others. While the theories are still far too new to have been fully tested, we derive some of the most obvious hypotheses from each theory and explore the relevant empirical evidence. We show that while gene-based evolutionary theories open make predictions similar to strictly environmental theories, they also lead to unique hypotheses, several of which have at least some support.
Effect of reduction on the topographic and electronic structure of TiO2(110) surfaces

The effect of reduction on the topographic and electronic structure of TiO2(110) surfaces was investigated in ultra-high vacuum using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS), in conjunction with conventional surface analytical techniques. The structures and electronic properties of hydrogen-annealed, vacuum-annealed, and ion-sputtered surfaces were compared with those of the stoichiometric surface. Both the hydrogen- and vacuum-annealed surfaces exhibited significant spatial inhomogeneity, on the nanometer scale, associated with the reduction mechanisms. The observed surface defect structures, resulting from different reduction sequences, are discussed.
An integrated design of a satellite-based navigation system for air traffic control

Abstract This paper focuses on the microprocessor-based computer architecture necessary to integrate the Department of Defense's Global Positioning System into the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) main frame computers. It incorporates what is defined as an Automated Dependent Surveillance (ADS) concept for air traffic control. The ADS system is dependent upon receiving position information from the aircraft's equipment as opposed to the independent ‘skin paint’ received from a radar. After a brief introduction and background, the authors' detailed design is presented depicting the distinctive manner in which the hardware and software were committed and modified in the main frame computer and the design approach for the avionics equipment to permit the Global Positioning System to be employed for air traffic control.
Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone (TRH) Inhibits Fetal Pulmonary Antioxidant Enzyme Activity (AOE) Maturation Via Extra Thyroidal Mechanisms

Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone (TRH) Inhibits Fetal Pulmonary Antioxidant Enzyme Activity (AOE) Maturation Via Extra Thyroidal Mechanisms
Changes in brain CCK concentrations with peripheral CCK injections in Zucker rats

Abstract Evidence suggests that the satiety responses to peripherally administered CCK are mediated by a CNS component(s). Since CCK concentrations in the hypothalamus can change with degree of hunger, they may also be involved in the feeding response to peripherally administered CCK. Six-hr fasted rats were administered saline or 2 μg/kg CCK-8 and half were allowed to eat a meal. They were sacrificed after a meal or after the fast and hypothalamic content of CCK was measured by RIA. In rats injected with CCK, compared with those injected with saline, CCK concentrations were decreased in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH, 39 vs. 47 pg/mg tissue, p p p p p p p
Dynamics of social nesting in overwintering meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus): possible consequences for population cycling

A small population of meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) in a field enclosure was studied from August to February in Apalachin, New York, USA. Radiotelemetry provided direct measures of intraspecific spacing and social nesting through the fall-winter transition. Data on weather and predation were collected concurrently. A total of 32 voles were radiotracked during 6 tracking sessions, with an average of 17.3 voles (11 to 25 range) tracked per session (Figs. 1, 2a). Discrete social nesting “constellations” first occurred during October, primarily as a result of the formation of extended maternal families (Figs. 1, 2e). Recruitment of adult males and offspring into these early nesting groups was male biased. The average number of voles in these groupings varied from 3.2 (Jan; 3–4 range) to 7.0 (Oct; 4–10 range); but the average number of voles that slept together at any given time, the nesting “cluster,” remained steady at 2.4 (2–5 range) (Fig. 2e). During late December and early January under the protection of snow, many voles shifted their home areas and nesting affiliations with the result that non-lineage nesting constellations formed (Fig. 1, 3). The thermoregulatory benefits of huddling and the threat of predation appear to be important governors of movement, group formation and dispersion. The existence of an optimum group size produces and “Allee Effect” that may contribute importantly to population lows and multi-annual cycles.
Nuclear forensic analysis of thorium

A comprehensive radiochemical isolation procedure and data analysis/interpretation method for the nuclear forensic investigation of Th has been developed. The protocol includes sample dissolution, chemical separation, nuclear counting techniques, consideration of isotopic parent-daughter equilibria, and data interpretation tactics. Practical application of the technology was demonstrated by analyses of a questioned specimen confiscated at an illegal drug synthesis laboratory by law enforcement authorities.
Unique structure and regulation of the nematode detoxification gene regulator, SKN-1: implications to understanding and controlling drug resistance

Nematodes parasitize an alarming number of people and agricultural animals globally and cause debilitating morbidity and mortality. Anthelmintics have been the primary tools used to control parasitic nematodes for the past several decades, but drug resistance is becoming a major obstacle. Xenobiotic detoxification pathways defend against drugs and other foreign chemicals in diverse organisms, and evidence is accumulating that they play a role in mediating resistance to anthelmintics in nematodes. Related antioxidation pathways may also provide filarial parasites with protection against host free-radical-mediated immune responses. Upstream regulatory pathways have received almost no attention in nematode parasites, despite their potential to coregulate multiple detoxification and antioxidation genes. The nuclear eurythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) transcription factor mediates inducible detoxification and antioxidation defenses in mammals, and recent studies have demonstrated that it promotes multidrug resistance in some human tumors. Recent studies in the free-living model nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, have defined the homologous transcription factor, SKN-1, as a master regulator of detoxification and antioxidation genes. Despite similar functions, SKN-1 and NRF2 have important differences in structure and regulatory pathways. Protein alignment and phylogenetic analyses indicate that these differences are shared among many nematodes, making SKN-1 a candidate for specifically targeting nematode detoxification and antioxidation.
A microprocessor-based psychopathology laboratory: III. Hardware

The hardware configuration of a psychopathology research and clinical laboratory is described. Design prerequisites that guided hardware selection include: flexibility in experimental control, ease of data handling, system mobility, operational simplicity, and a method of providing clinical feedback. The microcomputer, mass storage, digital input/output, timers, and the auditory and visual modes of interacting with subjects/patients are described. Component costs are illustrated.
Outposts of science; the knowledge trade and the expansion of scientific community in post-Civil War America.

ABSTRACT By the second half of the nineteenth century, local and regional voluntary societies were among the most widespread, accessible, and familiar public scientific institutions in America. Collectively, they made up an institutional network that converted individuals' private interest in science into a public activity. They played an essential role in the dissemination of scientific information, the growth of a scientifically literate population, and the extension of public support for science in the decades after the Civil War. This essay delineates and maps the spread of these societies throughout the country, as well as the flow of scientific information both among societies and between a society and its regional hinterland. Using the Davenport [Iowa] Academy of Natural Sciences as an example, it demonstrates how local societies were embedded in a national scientific community and mediated between it and local scientific enthusiasts, to the benefit of both.
Failure to Infect the Great Horned Owl with the Sporozoites of Plasmodium cathemerium

SummaryWe have reported here the failure to infect a great horned owl (Bubo virginianus virginianus) with the sporozoites of a strain of Plasmodium cathemerium of known infectivity and virulence.
Technologies to support the creation of complex systems models—using StarLogo software with students

Research on complex, adaptive systems has made significant advances in recent years in the study of natural and social phenomena that exhibit random variation and selection, resulting in learning or evolution. Unfortunately, students (including K-12, undergraduate and graduate) in most biology programs have little opportunity to explore complex systems during the course of their studies. StarLogo and the Adventures in Modeling Curriculum [Adventures in Modeling: Exploring Complex, Dynamic Systems with StarLogo. Teachers College Press, New York] provide an easily accessible entry point into complex systems modeling for students and other novice modelers. These specialized tools can provide powerful insights into the dynamics of systems and create opportunities to explore challenging and meaningful domains in the biological sciences. Specific applications to epidemiological and ecological systems are explored, including the often debated topic of the evolution of reduced attack rates in predator-prey systems.
RENAL TRANSPLANTATION IN CHILDREN

During the past 7 years (Feb. 1967 - Feb. 1974) 96 children received 121 renal allografts from 87 cadaveric, 31 live related and 3 live unrelated donors. Seventy four of the 96 children (76%) are currently surviving with functioning allografts (58 first and 16 second), 12 have died (13%) and 10 are undergoing dialysis (11%) while awaiting a subsequent graft. The primary renal disease was end-stage in 32%, specific glomerulopathies (GN) in 28%, including 11 patients with membrano-proliferative GN; obstructive uropathy in 22%, including 2 patients with an ileal loop and 18% with miscellaneous diseases including 4 patients with cystinosis. Forty seven of the 121 allografts failed, 74% were immunologic failures. No evidence of recurrence of the original disease was present in any of the grafts lost. Medical complications including hepatic dysfunction, cytomegalovirus and unusual bacterial and fungal infections, hypertension, cataracts, orthopedic problems, growth retardation and psychosocial problems leading to noncompliance were frequently encountered. Systematic psychosocial followup documents that despite complications almost all patients who survive at least 1 year with a functioning allograft return to preillness level of adaptation.
Reliability in detecting the auditory evoked response (AER) for audiometry in sleeping subjects.

Abstract Auditory evoked responses (AER) to 1000 c/sec tones at intensities from 10 to 60 dB were recorded during 10 nights of sleep in 4 normal adults, and during 4 recording sessions in 4 normal children sedated with chlorpromazine. Seventy-seven control runs, during which no stimuli were delivered, were recorded in 44 children referred to the laboratory for audiometric diagnosis with AER. Type II errors (false positive scores) were made in 14% of no-stimulus waking records under a three-choice scoring method (+, ?, 0) and in 31% of the sleep records. In sleeping normal adult subjects, 10 dB could not be considered as detectable in view of these results. Twenty dB were detected in only 60% of runs (40% Type I error or false negative scores). Type I errors were somewhat more likely in rapid eye movement sleep than in the other sleep phases and in some subjects than others. Detection was enhanced as intensity increased, and when off-responses were taken into account. A workable means of decreasing Type II errors without increasing Type I errors is to require that 3 out of 4 runs be scored positive before accepting the AER as evidence of hearing at that intensity of a frequency.
International Alliances: Why Now?

Varadarajan and Cunningham (1995) suggest several items for further research, including “Why are strategic alliances more pervasive in some industries relative to others?” (p. 294) and “Which objectives are best pursued using an alliance strategy?” (p. 295). The speculations offered here suggest that such research can be more deeply grounded in the industry structure. For example, one can suggest that the competitive intensity and the degree to which markets are global will help explain why ISAs in distribution and manufacturing are formed. It is also possible to advance the hypothesis that where the objectives of the alliances revolve around R&D, the speed of new product introductions will predict an increasing reliance on ISAs.
Oxidation of Porphyrinogens by Horseradish Peroxidase and Formation of a Green Pyrrole Pigment

When humans or plants are exposed to certain chemicals which interfere with heme biosynthetic enzymes, porphyrinogen intermediates accumulate and are oxidized to cytotoxic porphyrins. Here we have investigated the role of peroxidases in porphyrinogen oxidation. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) rapidly oxidizes uroporphyrinogen to uroporphyrin and this is inhibited by ascorbic acid. HRP also oxidizes deuteroporphyrinogen (a synthetic porphyrin similar to protoporphyrinogen), but the yield of porphyrin is lower than with uroporphyrinogen as substrate. This low yield is in part due to a rapid, HRP-dependent conversion of deuteroporphyrin (but not uroporphyrin) to a green compound with spectral characteristics of a chlorin with a large peak at 638 nm. This reaction requires addition of a sulfhydryl reductant such as glutathione and is inhibited by ascorbic acid. These findings suggest that cellular peroxidases and ascorbic acid levels may play a role in modifying the phototoxic tetrapyrroles which accumulate in plants and humans after certain environmental exposures.
Financial analysis of an inner-city helicopter service: Charges versus collections

Trauma centers are now being perceived as financial burdens because of recent changes in trauma reimbursement for the Medicare Prospective Payment System population and the perception that collection rates are lower among trauma patients. We examined the demographic and clinical factors associated with the collection experience in a series of 114 trauma patients transferred by helicopter from the accident site to an inner-city trauma center. Factors affecting payment at 30, 60, 90, and 180 days included patient age, insurance class, and discharge status. While not as high as the collection rate for the facility as a whole, we found an average 71.2% collection rate for trauma patients at 180 days. As long as trauma reimbursement continues to be cost based for nonMedicare patients, collection rates remain an important consideration in determining the financial viability of trauma centers.
Compostability of polymers

In recent years, biobased polymers have gained attention from industries, consumers and governments as a way to reduce municipal solid waste. Much attention has been given to their production and implementation. However, these materials only reach their potential environmental benefits when they are recovered through recycling or composting and/or their energy is recovered by incineration. These end-of-life scenarios allow closing the carbon cycle loop. A lot of confusion and misunderstanding about these new materials and their end-of-life scenarios, particularly composting, have been generated. This paper addresses definitions and environmental performance of these materials and their compostability. Current methods for measuring biobased content and biodegradability of polymers and factors affecting it, such as exposure conditions and polymer characteristics, are discussed, and the use of life cycle assessment as a tool to evaluate the environmental performance of biopolymers is presented. Although there are some obstacles for the growth and implementation of biobased polymers, such as consumer adoption and available composting facilities accepting these materials, new opportunities are growing due to government regulation and business initiatives in the past five years. However, consumers' understanding of when the use of these materials provides environmental benefits and when not is still missing. Therefore, to adopt and to implement these new biopolymers cooperative work among industry, consumers and government is needed. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
The Effects of Increasing Doses of Ranitidine on Gastric pH in Children

Background Ranitidine is widely used for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in children, but optimal dosing is unclear. We compared effects of weight-based doses of oral ranitidine on gastric pH in children with clinical GERD. Methods Children ages 4-11 years with clinical GERD were enrolled in a multi-center prospective randomized study comparing a fixed dose of ranitidine (Zantac 75) with placebo after an overnight fast; gastric pH was measured for 6 h after the fixed dose (Phase 1). Of the six enrollees from our center, four received active drug during Phase 1; 12 h after the fixed dose, these four children received ranitidine 5 mg/kg (maximum 150 mg) and gastric pH was measured for another 6-12 hours (Phase 2). This report details the effects of two dose ranges (Low Dose, Results The four children were 6.9-11.3 years old and weighed 20.4-49.5 kg. The Low Doses were 1.5-2.7 mg/kg; the High Doses were 3-5 mg/kg. Although the mean percentage of time with gastric pH > 4 during the entire 6 hours following dosing was similar after Low and High Dose (50% vs. 57%, NS), during the last two hours of this interval the mean percentage of time with gastric pH > 4 was only 29% for Low Dose vs. 89% for High Dose (P = 0.006). Moreover, during those two hours, none of the Low Doses kept gastric pH above 4 for > 60% of the time, while all of the High Doses kept pH above 4 for > 60% of the time (P = 0.03). In three of four patients who underwent extended (9-12 h) gastric pH monitoring after High Dose ranitidine, gastric pH was above 4 for more than 40% of total time. Conclusions Doses of ranitidine ≥ 3 mg/kg/dose may be required for acid suppression lasting beyond 6 hours.
Erich Raeder: Admiral of the Third Reich – By Keith Bird

It is odd that we have lacked a biography of Erich Raeder until now. As Germany's naval chief from 1928 to 1943, Raeder was the only service head when Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933 who was sti...
Hyaluronic acid-paclitaxel conjugate inhibits growth of human squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck via a hyaluronic acid-mediated mechanism.

Summary Chemotherapeutic regimens incorporating taxanes significantly improve outcomes for patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN). However, treatment with taxanes is limited by toxicities, including bone marrow suppression and peripheral neuropathies. We proposed that conjugating taxanes to targeting carrier molecules would increase antitumor efficacy and decrease toxicity. The cell surface proteoglycan, CD44, is expressed on most SCCHNs, and we hypothesized that it is an attractive candidate for targeted therapy via its natural ligand, hyaluronic acid (HA). We determined whether HA–paclitaxel conjugates were able to decrease tumor growth and improve survival in orthotopic nude mouse human SCCHN xenograft models. HA–paclitaxel concentration-dependent growth inhibition of human SCCHN cell lines OSC-19 and HN5 in vitro, very similarly to free paclitaxel treatment. Tumor cell uptake of FITC-labeled HA–paclitaxel was significantly blocked with free HA, indicating the dependence of uptake on CD44. HA–paclitaxel administered intravenously once per week for three weeks at 120 mg/kg paclitaxel equivalents, far above the paclitaxel maximum tolerated dose, exerted superior tumor growth control to that of paclitaxel in both orthotopic OSC-19-luciferase and HN5 xenograft models in vivo. Mouse survival following HA–paclitaxel administration was prolonged compared with that of controls in mice implanted with either of these xenografts. Mice treated with HA–paclitaxel displayed increased TUNEL(+) cells in tumor tissue, as well as markedly reduced microvessel density compared to those treated with free paclitaxel. No acute histopathological changes were observed in mice treated with HA–paclitaxel. Thus, we conclude that HA–paclitaxel effectively inhibits tumor growth in human SCCHN xenografts via an HA-mediated mechanism and this conjugate should be considered for further preclinical development for this disease.