cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Isozyme differentiation of Tetranychus pacificus from T. urticae and T. turkestani (Acari: Tetranychidae) in laboratory and field populations

Cellulose acetate electrophoresis is a simple, rapid technique to distinguish among females of three spider mite species, Tetranychus turkestani Ugarov & Nikolski, T. urticae Koch, and T. pacificus McGregor, found on cotton growing in the San Joaquin Valley, Calif. Phosphoglucose isomerase and malate dehydrogenase separated both laboratory-reared and field-collected samples of T. pacificus from the other two species. Methods for testing the spider mites individually and as a group sample are described. Cellulose acetate electrophoresis was sufficiently precise to detect one T. pacificus in a group sample of 29 T. urticae or T. turkestani . Spider mites collected from almonds responded similarly to those collected from cotton. Est erase enzymes only partially differentiated T. turkestani from T. urticae and T. pacificus .
A Cautionary Look at a Cautionary Doctrine

Optimism is an indispensable element of effective salesmanship. It is therefore quite natural for the directors of public companies to want to optimistically tout the potential long-term benefits of investing in their companies. After all, directors of public companies must be empowered to attract the attention and money of American investors. But what happens if these long-term projections fail to come true? Who is to blame for longterm projections that are simply unrealistic? A doctrine called the “bespeaks caution” doctrine has emerged in order to govern these inquiries, and holds that these optimistic forward-looking statements are legally immunized provided that they are sufficiently tempered with “meaningful” cautionary language in accompanying stock offering documentation. Such cautionary language must operate to put investors on notice that their investment is merely speculative, and that returns on investment are not guaranteed. Through this doctrine, public companies are protected against lawsuits brought by disappointed investors scrounging for settlement handouts when their investments fail to yield return. The structure of this doctrine, of course, begs the question: what constitutes “meaningful” cautionary language? In recent years, circuit courts have been split on this issue, and remain divided about whether stock-issuing companies are required to truly believe their optimistic forward-looking statement before they may be protected from shareholder lawsuits in the event that such statements fail to materialize. In other words, it is currently unclear under the law whether these forward-looking statements must be made in good faith in order to merit legal protection. This Note argues that the bespeaks caution doctrine should and must require that optimistic forward-looking statements be made in good faith in order to merit protection under the law. This Note proceeds by analyzing the current state of the bespeaks caution doctrine across various circuit courts, and continues by critiquing certain judicial decisions which applied the doctrine. It then proposes amendments to the doctrine, which aim to preserve the transparency and integrity of U.S. capital markets. 1. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary L. Shapiro, Press Release, U.S. Sec. & Exch. Comm’n, SEC Approves Enhanced Disclosure About Risk, Compensation and Corporate Governance (Dec. 16, 2009), https://www.sec.gov/news/press/2009/2009-268.htm. 522 BROOK. J. CORP. FIN. & COM. L. [Vol. 10
Performance of recurrent neural networks applied to a simplified pattern recognition problem

In this note we present and discuss results of experiments comparing the performance of recurrent networks (Jordan-Elman networks) applied to a simplified multifont recognition problem. The experiments have been run for the increasing number of data elements in the training set and for varying number of nodes in the hidden layer.
Story Work: Non-Proprietary Autonomy and Contemporary Television Writing:

Based on interviews with three dozen working writers in American television, this paper argues that TV writers assert their status as labor to guarantee their shared craft identity with novelists, dramatists, and authors of other conventional literary material. The tension between writers’ desire for literary prestige on one hand, and their recognition that they create at the behest of company executives, on the other, emerges, alternately, in the imagined difference between writers and producers and, most basically, between autonomous creators and corporate hacks. Our novel observation is that writers’ identification with labor, including their commitment to their union, the Writers Guild of America, plays a central role in resolving these tensions. Union membership solves a problem at the heart of contemporary TV writing insofar as it transforms a necessity into a virtue; opposing management as labor, the writer registers her opposition to creative input that might otherwise compromise her sense of arti...
Diabetic neuroarthropathy with spontaneous peritalar fracture-dislocation. A report of two cases.

1. Two cases of diabetic subtalar neuropathy with spontaneous fracture-dislocation have been described. 2. Successful triple arthrodesis in a diabetic neuroarthropathic foot, with occupational rehabilitation of a practical nurse during a forty-month follow-up, is reported.
Biomarker validation of a decline in semantic processing in preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

Objective Differentially worse performance on category versus letter fluency suggests greater semantic versus retrieval difficulties. This discrepancy, combined with reduced episodic memory, has widespread clinical utility in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our objective was to investigate whether changes in semantic processing, as measured by the discrepancy between category and letter fluency, was detectable in preclinical AD: in clinically normal older adults with abnormal β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition on positron emission tomography (PET) neuroimaging. Method Clinically normal older adults (mean Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) score = 29) were classified as Aβ+ (n = 70) or Aβ- (n = 205) using Pittsburgh Compound B-(PET) imaging. Participants completed letter fluency (FAS; word generation to letters F-A-S) and category fluency (CAT; word generation to animals, vegetables, fruits) annually (mean follow-up = 2.42 years). The effect of Aβ status on fluency over time was examined using linear mixed models controlling for age, sex, and education. To dissociate effects related to semantic (CAT) versus retrieval processes (CAT and FAS), we repeated models predicting CAT over time, controlling for FAS and likewise for CAT controlling for FAS. Results At baseline, the Aβ+ group performed better on FAS compared with the Aβ- group but comparably on CAT. Longitudinally, the Aβ+ group demonstrated greater decline on CAT compared with the Aβ- group (p = .0011). This finding remained significant even when covarying for FAS (p = .0107). Aβ+ participants similarly declined compared with Aβ- participants on FAS (p = .0112), but this effect became insignificant when covarying for CAT (p = .1607). Conclusion These findings provide biomarker validation for the greater specificity of declines in category versus letter fluency to underlying AD pathology. Our results also suggest that changes in semantic processing occur earlier in the AD trajectory than previously hypothesized. (PsycINFO Database Record
Role of PIP2-Dependent Membrane Interactions in Vinculin Activation, Motility and Force Transmission

Vinculin is an essential and abundant cytoskeletal protein localized to focal adhesions and cell-cell contacts, where it participates in the linkage of transmembrane receptors to the actin cytoskeleton to control cell survival and migration. Loss of vinculin results in increased cell migration, apoptotic resistance, and the acquisition of tumorigenic properties. Mutations in vinculin and its splice variant, metavinculin, are associated with cardiac disease. Vinculin consists of a head domain (Vh) and a tail domain (Vt) that form autoinhibitory interactions in its inactive state, but release upon activation, exposing phosphorylation, protein and phosphoinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) binding sites. The interaction of vinculin with PIP2 is believed critical for its function, however, it is currently unclear how vinculin specifically recognizes PIP2 and regulates vinculin. Vt forms an antiparallel five-helix bundle with amino-terminal (NT) and carboxyl terminal (CT) extensions. While a crystal structure of an oligomerized Vt mutant complexed to a short chain PIP2 has recently been published (Chinthalapudi et al. (JCB, 2014)), the structure is incompatible with membrane insertion. We propose an alternative model using experimental data, molecular docking and dynamics simulations and provide validation of the model through biophysical and biochemical analyses. In our model, the PIP2 head group binds to the Vt basic collar, and promotes release of Vt's strap and CT to facilitate membrane insertion. The role of vinculin/PIP2 interaction in mediating vinculin activation, localization, cell migration, force sensing and transmission has also been characterized using cell microscopy, including super-resolution microscopy approaches, by examining WT and PIP2-deficient full length vinculin in knockout cells. Information derived from these analyses will result in an unprecedented understanding of vinculin function from the molecular to the cellular level and will enable us to build more comprehensive models of vinculin membrane interactions.
Outcomes of Organizational Commitment of Retail Salespersons

This is an empirical study of the outcomes of organizational commitment and overall job satisfaction within the conceptual framework of the Michaels (1986) model. A sample of 464 retail salespersons employed by a nationwide operating chain which markets phonograph records is used.
A Berlin Education

Ferdinand Georg Frobenius was born in Berlin on 26 October 1849. He was a descendant of a family stemming from Thuringen, a former state in central Germany and later a part of East Germany. Georg Ludwig Frobenius (1566–1645), a prominent Hamburg publisher of scientific works, including those written by himself on philology, mathematics, and astronomy, was one of his ancestors. His father, Christian Ferdinand, was a Lutheran pastor, and his mother, Christiane Elisabeth Friedrich, was the daughter of a master clothmaker.
The evolution of geodesign as a design and planning tool

As the latest evolution of Geographic Information System (GIS) in environmental design, geodesign has attracted multidisciplinary effort from academia, design professions and geospatial industries to define and contribute to its future. For its further development, whether as transdisciplinary collaboration or methodological advancement in specific disciplines, it is critical to elaborate more explicitly the historical context and interactive evolvement of geodesign in relevant disciplines or professions. As response, this article focuses on addressing how key theories, methods, and practical tools evolve over time in landscape architecture and contribute to the emergence of contemporary geodesign along with the advancement of geospatial sciences and technologies. To construct a clear and essential historical transect of the evolving relationship between geodesign and landscape architecture, the discussion is organized into four major eras, i.e., the analogue era, the poor data era, the small data era, and the big data era, from 1850s to present. The article ends with the authors’ prospect on opportunities and challenges toward geodesign in landscape architecture in the big data era.
Error Analysis for Localizing Egocentric Multimodal Cues in the Presence of Helicopter Noise

Loss of situation awareness (SA) remains a problem in aviation and can result in spatial disorientation (SD). Attempts to remedy the problem through non-visual displays have used 3-dimensional (3D)...
A game-theoretic approach for integrity assurance in resource-bounded systems

Assuring communication integrity is a central problem in security. However, overhead costs associated with cryptographic primitives used toward this end introduce significant practical implementation challenges for resource-bounded systems, such as cyber-physical systems. For example, many control systems are built on legacy components which are computationally limited, but have strict timing constraints. If integrity protection is a binary decision, it may simply be infeasible to introduce into such systems; without it, however, an adversary can forge malicious messages, which can cause significant physical or financial harm. To bridge the gap between such binary decisions, we propose a stochastic message authentication approach that can explicitly trade computational cost off for security. We introduce a formal game-theoretic framework for optimal stochastic message authentication, providing provable guarantees for resource-bounded systems based on an existing message authentication scheme. We use our framework to investigate attacker deterrence, as well as optimal stochastic message authentication when deterrence is impossible, in both short-term and long-term equilibria. Additionally, we propose two schemes for implementing stochastic message authentication in practice, one for saving computation only at the receiver and one for saving computation at both ends, and demonstrate the associated computational savings using an actual implementation.
Design of a distance, 2+2, IT curriculum in Linux system administration

This paper discusses the design of an articulated program between Polk Community College (PCC) and the University of South Florida Lakeland (USFL) Department of Information Technology (IT). This blended program (distance-education and face-to-face) is meant to train "advanced Linux technicians" to both meet the workforce demands and have the potential to engage in graduate academic pursuits. We discuss the curricular and technical challenges of this endeavor with a focus on how this work leverages previous results obtained with a NSF-sponsored grant.
TRIBOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF IMPREGNATED GLOVES FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE APPLICATIONS

Intervention during an unintentional fire puts a tremendous weight on the shoulders of the heroic first responder—and while his/her safety equipment is often overlooked supposedly for practicality, fire-resistant gloves with better insulation and increased dexterity would help dramatically. We are developing gloves using two kinds of glove materials—each impregnated with a ternary material containing a flexible matrix and two fillers, one with very high thermal conductivity and the other surviving high temperatures. Extant first fire responder gloves contain Kevlar and/or leather, while our materials allow gloves ‘survival’ at temperatures significantly higher than that of the Kevlar or organic material thermal decomposition. Essential here also are low water absorption and high scratch resistance of the gloves. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15544/balttrib.2017.12
A Normalized Trace Geometry Modeling Method with Bulge-Free Analysis for Direct Ink Writing Process Planning

Abstract Direct ink writing (DIW) is an additive manufacturing technology that has been widely used in many fields, including soft electronics, ceramic structures, and flexible biomedical applicati...
A method evaluation decision chart (MEDx chart) for judging method performance.

Objective To introduce a new graphical tool that improves the process of making decisions about method performance. Data sources Scientific literature, mathematical models, and the author's experience. Study selection Not applicable. Data extraction Not applicable. Data synthesis Relationship to charts of operating specifications (OPSpecs charts) provides guidance for classification of performance as poor, marginal, good, or excellent. Conclusion Objective decisions on the performance of methods can be made quickly and easily with the aid of a Method Evaluation Decision Chart.
Capillary electrophoresis platforms for DNA sequence analysis

Commercial availability of multicapillary DNA sequencing instruments can significantly impact the existing paradigm in high-throughput DNA sequencing facilities, shifting the rate-limiting step away from the electrophoresis and detection step. These instruments, although novel and poorly understood, represent a significant capital investment.This review informs the reader about the state-of-the-art instruments, although capillary sequencers are in a state of almost constant flux, with improvements emerging rapidly.
The Use of Current Content Management Systems for Accessibility

Accessibility tries to avoid introducing in web pages any kind of barriers that might prevent their being understood by disabled users. Content Management Systems are a widespread class of products that enable the creation, archiving and publishing of information on web. This paper discusses how to relate accessibility with CMS, starting from some key functions of this family of products. This requires analysing some aspects which are sometimes very remote from a technological perspective, but closer and more related to the environment in which they are used. Many of them are suggested by experience, and need to be correctly reformulated in order to be included in the life cycle of a CMS.
Confusion in the Classroom about the Natures of Science and Technology

While philosophers, historians, sociologists, cognitive scientists, and practitioners of science and technology have laboured to explicate differences between the natures of science and technology, those distinctions are not typically understood or recognized by students (Constantinou, Hadjilouca, & Papadouris, 2010; Gardner, 1994; Roy, 1990). The resultant confusion poses unique challenges for science and technology teachers who seek to have students understand and utilize science and technology in ways that are consistent with their particular natures and purposes.
Beneficial Effect of Potato Consumption on Gut Microbiota and Intestinal Epithelial Health

Diet plays an important role in shaping the gut microbiota, which has been called “a separate organ” due to its profound effects on host health. Potato, being a rich source of phytonutrients and bioactive food components, becomes a functional food for improving gut microbiota and gut health. Potato phytonutrients and bioactive food components contribute to gastrointestinal health through direct interactions with the epithelium or indirectly through modulation of the gut microbiota, and microbially derived metabolites, such as short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). In addition, gut microbiota degrade polyphenols and phytonutrients, and increase their bioavailability and thus the functionality of complex macronutrients. This review discusses the potential role of potato in shaping gut microbiota, strengthening intestinal epithelial barrier function, and thereby improving gastrointestinal health.
Blood Failure: Pathophysiology and Diagnosis

Hemorrhage is the leading cause of preventable death in both civilian and military environments. It is now known that impaired coagulation in the setting of traumatic shock that increases hemorrhage has been identified in 20–30% of trauma victims shortly after injury and when present can increase the incidence of organ failure, intensive care utilization, and even death. New insights into the field of traumatic shock have led to a recent and growing concept that blood and its endothelial interface should be considered an organ system and that when injured sufficiently can fail. This chapter will define the critical elements and pathophysiology of trauma-induced hemorrhagic blood failure including the physiology of shock and oxygen debt, reperfusion injury, the role of the endothelium, and resulting hemostatic dysfunction including its diagnosis. This framework will assist in understanding the process by which blood failure develops and also offer a base from which to work to develop new prevention, diagnostic, and treatment strategies for blood failure as they apply to the challenges of remote damage control resuscitation and other settings.
Severe antepartum hypertension and associated peripartum morbidity among pregnant women in an urban tertiary care medical center.

Abstract Objectives Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Although acute severe hypertension carries with it a poor prognosis, treatment is often delayed and not universal. Study design A total of 654 patients were assessed for the impact of hypertensive disorders of pregnancies on maternal and fetal morbidity and divided into three groups: normotensive (Group I, N = 306), non-severe hypertension (Group II, N = 248) and severe-range hypertension with blood pressure (BP) episodes ≥160 systolic or ≥105 diastolic (Group III, N = 100). Retrospective demographic and medical information was abstracted from patients’ medical records to collect study data. Main outcome measures The main outcomes assessed were composite maternal adverse events,fetal adverse events, and time to treatment. Results Patients in Group III had higher systolic (182 vs 155 vs 133) and diastolic (106 vs 95 vs 81) BPs compared to patients in Groups II and I. Patients in Group III had a significantly higher incidence of maternal adverse events (26.0% vs 6.5% vs 2.0%, respectively; p Conclusions Patients with severe hypertension antepartum have higher associated maternal and fetal adverse events while treatment is often delayed. Further studies should evaluate the effects of adequate time to treatment for severe hypertension. Steps should also be taken to standardize identification and reporting of severe maternal morbidity.
Ventilator Withdrawal in Anticipation of Death: The Simulation Lab as an Educational Tool in Palliative Medicine.

Abstract Simulation is a growing model of education in many medical disciplines. Withdrawal of mechanical ventilation is an important skill set for palliative medicine practitioners who must be facile with a variety of end-of-life scenarios and is well suited to the simulation laboratory. We describe a novel approach using high-fidelity simulation to design a curriculum to teach Hospice & Palliative Medicine fellows the practical aspects of managing a compassionate terminal extubation. This simulation session aims to equip palliative fellows with a knowledge base of respiratory physiology and mechanical ventilation as well as the practical experience of performing a terminal extubation. We designed a three-hour simulation session which includes a one-hour didactic followed by two hours of simulation, with four cases that focus on different teaching points regarding symptom management and practical aspects of removing the endotracheal tube. The session was designed as an annual session for Hospice & Palliative Medicine fellows in our region during a collaborative educational conference. Based on feedback, the session is scheduled for the beginning of the academic year and each fellow is given the opportunity to physically remove the endotracheal tube. Simulation can be effectively used to teach practical and complex bedside skills such as withdrawal of mechanical ventilation to palliative medicine trainees. This method of teaching could be expanded to teach other advanced hospice and palliative care skills.
Utilization of 4-Factor Prothrombin Complex Concentrate for Reversal of Oral Factor Xa Inhibitor-Associated Acute Major Bleeding: A Case Series.

Objective:In cases of oral factor Xa (FXa) inhibitor–associated acute major bleeding, several reversal strategies are available. Current guidelines recommend a dose of 50 U/kg if using 4-factor pro...
Antibodies, Immunoglobulins and Complement in Oviductal Fluid of Rhesus Monkeys

Abstract In this study, specific antibodies, immunoglobulins and hemolytic complement in oviductal fluid of rhesus monkeys were investigated. Their changes under the influence of sex steroid hormones were also studied. Special emphasis is focus on the levels of these immune factors at midcycle period.
LDL and HDL in Human Arteries — Role in Atherogenesis

Plasma low density lipoproteins (LDL) are considered to be the major source of cholesterol in atherosclerotic lesions (Adams, 1967; St. Clair, 1967). Since deposition of cholesterol is a hallmark of atherosclerosis and positive correlations have been shown between plasma LDL levels and atherosclerosis (Heinle, et al., 1969), the deposition of LDL in arteries has to be considered a critical event in atherogenesis. By contrast, even though containing a major fraction of total plasma cholesterol (Havel, et al., 1955), plasma high density lipoproteins (HDL) are considered to be anti-atherogenic, based to a large degree on epidemiological studies demonstrating a negative correlation between plasma HDL levels and atherosclerosis of coronary arteries (Gordon, et al., 1977), and on a number of in vitro studies demonstrating that HDL can remove excess cholesterol from membranes of cultured cells (Stein, et al., 1975; Ho, et al., 1980).
Microbiome-by-ethanol interactions impact Drosophila melanogaster fitness and physiology

The microbiome can modulate the interaction between animals and their environment. In particular, intestinal microbes play a strong role in shaping how animals respond to their diets, and especially dietary toxins. In this study, we investigated how the microbiome affects the interaction between the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and ingested ethanol. D. melanogaster naturally feeds on fermenting fruits and therefore commonly ingests ethanol. This dietary ethanol is generally considered to be a toxin, but its effect on adult fly fitness has yet to be shown. We found that the reproductive output of bacterially-colonized flies remains high with low amounts of dietary ethanol, while that of bacteria-free flies decreases precipitously after ethanol ingestion. This shows that bacteria protect D. melanogaster from the damaging effects of ingested ethanol, which has important implications for fitness under natural conditions. We also observed that bacterial colonization and ethanol both negatively affect fly lifespan. In particular, bacteria play a dominant role on fly lifespan and therefore the negative effects of ethanol are only observed in bacteria-free flies. We next asked how the bacterial microbiota changes in response to dietary ethanol. Contrary to our expectations, we found that total bacterial abundance stays relatively constant with increasing ethanol. In vivo survival of bacteria was well above the in vitro toxic dose of ethanol, demonstrating that the host is shielding the microbiome from the negative effects of ethanol. Next, we investigated several aspects of host physiology that may underlie bacterially-modulated fitness changes. We found that regardless of bacterial colonization, ethanol ingestion decreases the prevalence of intestinal barrier failure and increases fly body fat content, suggesting these mechanisms are not directly responsible for bacteria-dependent fitness differences. Finally, measurements of dietary ethanol content suggest that bacterial metabolism can only partially explain the observed fitness effects. Overall, we found significant bacteria-by-ethanol interactions on D. melanogaster and that bacteria ameliorate the negative effects of ethanol on host fecundity. Because of the central role of ethanol in the ecology of D. melanogaster, these results have important implications for our understanding of fruit fly natural history. More generally, they underscore the importance of the microbiome in shaping an animal9s interaction with its environment.
Case studies: Public domain, multiple mining tasks systems: 49er

49er is a knowledge discovery system that conducts large-scale searches for regularities in many forms and combines them into multidimensional theories. The system works on data in one relational tables. Regularities are defined as "pattern P holds in range R." 49er starts from two-dimensional contingency tables. Other patterns are recognized as special cases of contingency tables by simple tests. They include functional and multifunctional relations, approximate equivalence, and preference and subset relations. The costly search in a space of equations, for instance, is conducted only when a functionality test shows the presence of an approximate functional relation. When many regularities in one category are detected, an automated method combines them into a concise multidimensional theory, such as a taxonomy, preference graph, or inclusion graph. Taxonomy construction applies when a large number of two-dimensional patterns represent an approximate equivalence relation. 49er combines several searches. Users can selectively turn them off and can set search parameters to direct the exploration and fit computational resources. The system has been applied to many databases in domains such as engineering, science (biology, neurophysiology), medical insurance, education, public opinion questionnaires, juvenile crime, and personnel recruitment and retention.
Crowdsourcing the Public's Perception and Systematic Review of Nipple Inversion and Its Repair.

Background: Nipple inversion is a common condition seen in 10% of females. Patients often present with physical insecurities and difficulty breastfeeding and would be best counseled initially by a ...
Predicting lubricants effect on tablet sticking using ketoprofen as model drug and evaluating sticking propensity using different metals and powder rheology.

Abstract Tablet sticking occurrence is a persistent, costly, and time-consuming problem that needs to be resolved. Predicting the sticking tendency of a new formulation has been very difficult during the development batches because of short runs and limited data. A model formulation comprising ketoprofen and microcrystalline cellulose was used to predict the effect of magnesium stearate and sodium stearyl fumarate on the occurrence of tablet sticking relative to different punch metals. Lubricant amounts were varied from 0.0% to 2.0 %w/w. Five different metal coupons were used to represent punch metals. The sticking index (SI) of each formulation relative to each metal coupon was determined by measuring angle of internal friction and angle of wall friction by performing shear cell test and wall friction test, respectively. The SI was used to predict each formulation's sticking tendency rank order relative to metal coupon. Both lubricants show a decrease in the powder blend's sticking propensity with increased lubricant concentration. The predicted sticking propensity rank order was then validated by the compression study. The result suggests that the SI can be used to predict tablet sticking, such as by changing the composition of the formulation or changing the punch metal during tablet compression.
Cyanophages and Viruses of Eukaryotic Algae

The isolation of a virus that infects the blue-green algae (Safferman and Morris, 1963, 1964, a,b) was looked upon with great interest by researchers in a number of fields. The driving force behind Safferman’s search for what we shall call the cyanophages was an interest in underlying factors responsible for algal degeneration. Motivated by an increased concern over eutrophication and associated algal blooms, ecologists thought that the cyanophages may exercise some control over behavioral patterns of algae in nature. Plant virologists looked to the cyanophages as a model system to help resolve discrepancies which had arisen in the study of virus-host interactions. Those interested in photosynthesis and blue-green algal metabolism saw the cyanophages as a potentially useful tool in their studies. Finally, researchers in many diverse disciplines realized that the discovery of the cyanophages opened up the possibility of transduction, whereby the viruses could be utilized in a multitude of genetic experiments.
Relevance of angiotensin II-induced aortic pathologies in mice to human aortic aneurysms

Angiotensin II infusion in mice promotes abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysms, which provides a feasible approach to study the mechanisms of these two distinct diseases.
1 After Gene Therapy: Issues in Long-Term Clinical Follow-up and Care

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the clinical trials of somatic gene therapy that began in 1989 after several decades of debate concerning the biological, ethical, and social implications of genetic engineering. To a large extent, this analysis arose independent of the traditions of clinical investigation and the practical problems associated with clinical research and clinical practice. By the end of 1994, more than 80 clinical trials involving gene transfer into human subjects can be approved by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through its recombinant DNA Advisory Committee and more than 200 patients could have participated in these trials. The chapter discusses various distinct issues related to this. The first is the need to have effective follow-up for patients who receive somatic gene therapy to fully assess potential adverse experiences resulting from these therapies. The second is the need to provide continuous clinical care to patients who are treated with somatic gene therapy. This relates to both the responsibility of investigators and institutions to ensure that patients with adverse experiences receive appropriate care for these complications and to their responsibility to provide continuing therapy to patients who may benefit from clinical trials. Several characteristics of the current clinical activity in the gene therapy make follow-up and the commitment to long-term care particularly difficult.
The Constitutional Convention: Drafting to Charter Future History

Just as counterfactual historians ask how past events shape future history, we ask how successful can historical actors be in trying to chart the course of future history. Specifically, the article examines particular decisions that the deputies to the Constitutional Convention made in drafting provisions of the Constitution. With these drafting decisions, the deputies attempted to permit or prevent certain future histories from occurring.For example, in forbidding ex post facto laws, the deputies were forbidding laws that the international community would have deemed illegitimate, Arguably, they attempted to prevent future Congresses from enacting laws that would have marked the new nation as lawless. This article offers detailed narratives to illustrate four goals that the Convention’s deputies pursued in making various constitutional drafting decisions: to safeguard against lawlessness, to leave open the door for desirable change, to plan for the growth of an empire, and to conceptualize the nature of the new nationExamples include the ban on ex post facto laws, the authority to define international law, the Constitution’s accommodations with slavery, the decision to permit the western territories eventually to become states, and the decision not to include the word “national” in the Constitution. The article provides a detailed narrative of the deliberations on each topic at the Constitutional Convention.The article concludes by offering some insight on the central issue: to what extent can the careful drafting of a constitution enable the drafters to charter the future? It suggests five lessons that derive from the discussion.
Synaptic NMDA receptor channels have a low open probability

Realistic estimates of channel-gating parameters of synaptic receptors are essential to an understanding of synaptic transmission and modulation. However, the gating of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) channels appears to differ, depending on recording conditions; thus, it remains unclear what measurements are most relevant to synaptic receptors. To further explore this discrepancy, we examined the open probability (Po) of NMDA channels in whole-cell and outside-out patch recording from cultured hippocampal neurons. Currents were evoked by rapid application of saturating concentrations of NMDA in the presence or absence of the "irreversible" open channel blocker, MK-801 ((+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine) . The reduction of the peak amplitude and the acceleration of the decay of the current in MK-801 were used to derive Po by fitting the current traces to a multistate kinetic model. The Po in whole cell was low (0.04), similar to that previously measured for synaptically activated NMDA channels. In contrast, ensemble average currents from outside-out patches were much more rapidly blocked in the presence of MK-801, indicative of a significantly higher Po. The Po also gradually increased with the duration of recording in both whole-cell and outside-out configurations, suggesting that channel gating is sensitive to mechanical alterations of the patch or that washout of cytoplasmic factors leads to an increase in channel open probability.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Spatial audio through a bone conduction interface

Headphones are the standard presentation device for radio communication in the military. Although bone conduction devices possess several advantages over headphones for some military applications, they are generally considered inappropriate for inclusion in a multi-channel system. The current study tested the feasibility of a multi-channel bone conduction system by measuring the localizability of spatialized auditory stimuli presented through a pair of bone conduction vibrators. Listeners localized a Gaussian noise stimulus spatialized with individualized head-related transfer functions (HRTFs). The sounds were presented from eight virtual locations on the horizontal plane (0, ±45, ±90, ±135, and 180°) through either stereo headphones or a stereo bone conduction system. Localization performance was found to be nearly identical for both audio systems, indicating that bone conduction systems can be effectively used for displaying spatial information.
Tunable, Flashlamp-Pumped Operation of a Cr;Tm:YAG Laser Between 1.945 and 2.014 µm

A tunable, flashlamp pumped, room temperature laser operating in the 1.96 μm wavelength region has been developed in Cr3+ sensitized Tm3+: YAG. Laser action for this system occurs between the lowest Stark level of the 3F4 manifold and various intermediate Stark level splittings of the 3H6 ground state in Tm3+. To date, we have obtained tunable, pulsed operation of the Cr;Tm:YAG laser between 1.945 - 2.014 pm, with maximum output energies of 0.75 J at 1.965 μm.
The Relationships Between Statistics and Other Subjects in the K-12 Curriculum

Sixty years ago, statistics barely touched the school experience of a typical student. In the study of social science, students might encounter data. In a science laboratory experience, students mi...
Adaptive history compression for learning to divide and conquer

An attempt is made to determine how a system can learn to reduce the descriptions of event sequences without losing information. It is shown that the learning system ought to concentrate on unexpected inputs and ignore expected ones. This insight leads to the construction of neural systems which learn to 'divide and conquer' by recursively composing sequences. The first system creates a self-organizing multilevel hierarchy of recurrent predictors. The second system involves only two recurrent networks: it tries to collapse a multi level predictor hierarchy into a single recurrent net. Experiments show that the system can require less computation per time step and much fewer training sequences than the conventional training algorithms for recurrent nets. >
Exposing the Myth of Homo Economicus

The prevalence of the "homo economicus" model of humanity has crowded out considerations of important noneconomic aspects of human nature - most importantly, the moral dimension of human thought and conduct. As a result, our understanding of the present ills besetting the business world and the market economy is incomplete, and the policy prescriptions flowing therefrom are often suboptimal (if not counterproductive).This book review situates "Moral Markets" within this larger debate over human nature generally. I show how, through the presentation of biological evidence and evolutionary theory, "Moral Markets" repudiates the "homo economicus" model of humankind, and supports the Aristotelian position that human beings are fundamentally moral creatures by nature. After demonstrating that free markets cannot thrive in the absence of virtue, "Moral Markets" leaps to the conclusion that free markets must be generally populated by virtuous actors. This book review asks whether another conclusion might be drawn: that the free markets of today lack a critical mass of virtuous actors, hence the current spate of corporate scandals and economic woes.
THE ROLE OF MALE FLOWERS IN ANDROMONOECIOUS SPECIES: ENERGETIC COSTS AND SIRING SUCCESS IN SOLANUM CAROLINENSE L

Two non-mutually exclusive hypotheses regarding the benefits of andromonoecy (producing perfect and female-sterile flowers on the same plant) are tested using Solanum carolinense. Results indicate that (1) staminate flowers are cheaper to produce than perfect flowers, even after correcting for their relative position in the inflorescence; (2) the resources saved by producing staminate flowers are not re-allocated to other fitness enhancing functions; and (3) the main morphological characteristic of staminate flowers, pistil reduction, does not increase either pollinator visitation or siring success of open-pollinated plants. These results indicate that neither the resource savings hypothesis nor the increased pollen donation hypothesis explains the evolution and maintenance of andromonoecy in S. carolinense.
Changing pattern and pathophysiology of cognitive dysfunction with HIV infection in the era of antiretroviral therapy

With the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (CART), there was a dramatic decline in all forms of neurological complications of HIV infection. In fact, immune suppressed individuals with neurocognitive impairment showed improvement in cognition following treatment with antiretrovirals. However, it is becoming increasingly evident that despite excellent virological control, milder forms of neurocognitive impairment seem to be on the rise. To address this concern, at the request of the editor-in-chief, Kamel Khalili, I undertook the task of putting together a special issue of the Journal of Neurovirology that would address the current epidemiology, clinical manifestations, pathophysiology, and treatment of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). I am grateful to the authors who were invited to submit their research for this issue and to the reviewers, editorial staff, and publishers for getting this issue together in record time. I am particularly grateful to Dr. Khalili for his guidance throughout the process. In this issue, Heaton and colleagues compared the epidemiology and clinical pattern of neurocognitive impairment in a cohort of nearly 900 patients, each from the preand post(CART) era. They found that in the asymptomatic stages of HIV infection (CDC stage A), the rate of neurocognitive impairment increased from 25% to 36% in the post-CART era. There was less motor impairment and more impairment of memory and executive function. There was no longer a correlation with viral load but nadir CD4 cell counts continue to be a risk factor. This suggests that viral entry into the brain during periods of immune suppression may be key to driving this impairment possibly due to immune reconstitution or by viral products that are not impacted by CART. Another symptom that seems to have been under appreciated previously in these populations is fatigue. Schifitto et al. found that 64% of individuals with HAND also have significant fatigue. The presence of fatigue did not correlate with viral load but correlated with lower levels of creatinine in the basal ganglia as determined by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) which suggests impaired energy metabolism. In an autopsy study, Kumar et al., found that dopamine levels were significantly decreased in the substantia nigra and correlated with HAND and increased viral loads in the basal ganglia. Zou et al., studied the mechanism by which HIV-gp120 causes neurotoxicity of striatal neurons. They observed that striatal neurons express both chemokine receptors CXCR4 and CCR5 that interact with gp120 and cause neurotoxicity via phosphorylation of Akt. They suggest that Akt may be a therapeutic target. Consistent A. Nath Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
Failing to self-ascribe thought and motion: towards a three-factor account of passivity symptoms in schizophrenia.

Abstract There has recently been emphasis put on providing two-factor accounts of monothematic delusions. Such accounts would explain (1) whether a delusional hypothesis (e.g. someone else is inserting thoughts into my mind) can be understood as a prima facie reasonable response to an experience and (2) why such a delusional hypothesis is believed and maintained given its implausibility and evidence against it. I argue that if we are to avoid obfuscating the cognitive mechanisms involved in monothematic delusion formation we should split the first factor (1 above) into two factors: how abnormal experience can give rise to a delusional ‘proto-hypothesis’ and how a ‘proto-hypothesis’ in consort with normal experiences and background information, can be developed into a delusional hypothesis. In particular I will argue that a schizophrenic is faced with the unusual requirement of having to identify an introspectively accessible thought as one's own, and that this requirement of identification is the central experiential abnormality of thought insertion, auditory verbal hallucination, and alien control (i.e. passivity symptoms). Additionally, I will consider non-experiential factors which are required for the formation of a delusional hypothesis.
Are we taught how to use a radiology department as medical students

Thirty-six final year medical students and 28 senior house officers answered a questionnaire designed to evaluate their efficacy in requesting common radiological procedures and their knowledge of what the patient experiences during the investigation. Both groups revealed a significant degree of ignorance, though the house officers were better informed than the students. The need for undergraduate teaching in radiology, particularly in the role of diagnostic radiology in clinical management is discussed.
Enjoyment of Euclidean planar triangles

This article adopts the following classification for a Euclidean planar , purely based on angles alone. A Euclidean planar triangle is said to be acute angled if all the three angles of the Euclidean planar are acute angles. It is said to be right angled at a specific vertex, say B, if the angle is a right angle with the two remaining angles as acute angles. It is said to be obtuse angled at the vertex B if is an obtuse angle, with the two remaining angles as acute angles. In spite of the availability of numerous text books that contain our human knowledge of Euclidean plane geometry, softwares can offer newer insights about the characterizations of planar geometrical objects. The author's characterizations of triangles involve points like the centroid G, the orthocentre H of the , the circumcentre S of the , the centre N of the nine-point circle of the . Also the radical centre rc of three involved diameter circles of the sides BC, AC and AB of the provides a reformulation of the orthocentre, resulting i...