cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Affinity-Based Methods for the Analysis of Emerging Contaminants in Wastewater and Related Samples

The presence of emerging man-made contaminants in wastewater and water sources in the environment is a growing problem worldwide. Affinity chromatography is one approach that has been explored for the detection and analysis of such compounds. This approach is a chromatographic technique in which target analytes are captured based on their selective interactions with a biologically related binding agent that has been immobilized onto a support and placed within a column. Various forms of affinity chromatography have been utilized for the analysis of emerging contaminants in wastewater and the environment. Binding agents such as antibodies, molecularly imprinted polymers, and chiral stationary phases have been employed in this work, with the latter including macrocyclic antibiotics, proteins, and polysaccharide derivatives. Each of these binding agents is considered in this chapter with regards to their applications for emerging contaminants in water. Formats in which these binding agents have been used will also be described, such as off-line or online extraction, chromatographic immunoassays, and methods in which affinity chromatography has been combined with liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Other binding agents, such as aptamers and boronates, will also be briefly described that may be employed in future work with affinity-based separations for the analysis of emerging contaminants in water.
The association between smoking and dizziness in U.S. adults: a population-based survey study

Smoking is a risk factor for several conditions associated with dizziness, such as cardiovascular disease and emphysema. However, little is known about the specific association between smoking and ...
Exploring the best sequence LSTM modeling architecture for flood prediction

Accurate and efficient models for rainfall–runoff (RR) simulations are crucial for flood risk management. Recently, the success of the recurrent neural network (RNN) applied to sequential models has motivated groups to pursue RR modeling using RNN. Existing RNN based methods generally use either sequence input single output or unsynced sequence input and output architectures. In this paper, we propose a synced sequence input and output long short-term memory (LSTM) network architecture for hydrologic analysis and compare it to existing methods (sequence input single output LSTM). We expect the model will improve RR prediction in terms of accuracy, calibration training time, and computational cost. The key idea is to efficiently learn the long term dependency of runoff on past rainfall history. To be more specific, we use the indigenous ability of the LSTM network to preserve long term memory instead of artificially setting a time window for input data. In this way, we can avoid losing long term memory of the input, the calibration of the time window length, and excessive computation. The whole procedure mimics the traditional process-driven methods and is closer to the physics interpretation of the RR process. We conducted experiments on real-world hydrologic data from the Brays Bayou in Houston, Texas. Extensive experimental results clearly validate the effectiveness of our proposed method in terms of various statistical and hydrological related evaluation metrics. Notably, our experiment shows that some rainfall events could affect the runoff process in the test watershed for at least a week. For fine temporal resolution prediction, this long term effect needs to be carefully handled, and our proposed method is superior in this case.
Cognitive Processing Speed Impairment Does Not Influence the Construct Validity of Six-Spot Step Test Performance in People With Multiple Sclerosis.

Objective There is evidence supporting the construct validity of Six-Spot Step Test (SSST) performance as a functional mobility measure in people with multiple sclerosis (MS); however, it is unknown if cognitive processing speed impairment confounds the construct validity of SSST performance in MS, as this test seemingly requires intact cognitive processing. The objective of this study was to examine the influence of cognitive processing speed impairment on the construct validity and precision of SSST performance as a functional mobility measure in MS. Methods Participants (N = 213) completed the SSST, timed 25-foot walk, 6-Minute Walk Test, Timed "Up and Go" Test, Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale-12, device-measured steps per day, and Late-Life Function and Disability Inventory, Patient-Determined Disease Steps, and the Symbol-Digit Modalities Test as a cognitive processing speed measure. The overall sample was divided into subsamples with (n = 75) and without (n = 138) cognitive processing speed impairment based on normative Symbol-Digit Modalities Test data. Correlations between SSST performance with other mobility outcomes in the overall sample and cognitive processing speed impairment subsamples were examined and compared. SSST performance was compared relative to other mobility measures for differentiating MS walking function levels in people with and without cognitive processing speed impairment. Results SSST performance was significantly and strongly correlated with most mobility outcomes in the overall sample and cognitive processing speed impairment subsamples. The magnitudes of correlations between SSST performance with most mobility outcomes were not statistically different among subsamples. Cognitive processing speed impairment did not diminish the relative precision of SSST performance for differentiating walking function levels. Conclusion The presence of cognitive processing speed impairment is not a source of invalidity or imprecision when interpreting SSST performance as a functional mobility measure among people with MS. Impact The SSST is a high-quality endpoint for inclusion in interventions targeting mobility in MS, regardless of cognitive processing speed status. This information is critical for rehabilitation research and clinical practice given that mobility and cognitive impairment are highly prevalent, co-occurring, and disabling in MS.
Technical Note—Consumer Choice and Market Expansion: Modeling, Optimization, and Estimation

The growth of market size is crucially important to firms, although researchers often assume that market size is constant in assortment and pricing management. I develop a model that incorporates t...
Castro’s Cuba: An Economic, Social, and Political Evaluation

The performance of autocracies relative to democracies and to each other is of increasing interest to political scientists. In this article I attempt a contribution to that literature by evaluating the performance of Castro’s Cuba in relation to three dictatorships (Franco’s Spain, Pinochet’s Chile, and Brazil’s military regime) and two democracies, Cuba’s 1940-52 period and the post-Trujillo Dominican Republic. The peer dictatorships, though not coterminous, overlapped with Castro’s in time, while the Dominican democracy emerged only seven years after Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba. It offers us a glimpse of what “might have been” if Batista’s flight had ushered in a restoration of democracy as Castro had promised he would do before he came down from the Sierra Maestra.
Gray and White Matter Correlates of Dysphagia in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

BACKGROUND Dysphagia is a common symptom of progressive supranuclear palsy often leading to aspiration pneumonia and death. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine how impairments of the oral and pharyngeal phases of the swallow and airway incursion during liquid swallows relate to gray and white matter integrity. METHODS Thirty-eight participants with progressive supranuclear palsy underwent videofluorographic swallowing assessment and structural and diffusion tensor head magnetic resonance imaging. Penalized linear regression models assessed relationships between swallowing metrics and regional gray matter volumes and white matter fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity. RESULTS Oral phase impairments were associated with reduced superior parietal volumes and abnormal diffusivity in parietal and sensorimotor white matter, posterior limb of the internal capsule, and superior longitudinal fasciculus. Pharyngeal phase impairments were associated with disruption to medial frontal lobe, corticospinal tract, and cerebral peduncle. No regions were predictive of airway incursion. CONCLUSIONS Differential patterns of neuroanatomical impairment corresponded to oral and pharyngeal phase swallowing impairments. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
Algebraic Shells and the Interacting Boson Model of the Nucleus

It is well known that, for the simplest possible case of a shell (spin s=1/2, orbital angular momentum I=0), the four shell states transform according to the smallest spin representation (1/2,1/2) of the algebra so(5). In this article it is shown that, within the (space of the) Clifford algebra associated with the fernnion operators, an algebraic shell can be found which is a generalization of the standard shell. The algebraic shell states go over into the standard shell states on the quotient space of the Clifford algebra with respect to a left ideal generated by the identity operator 1 (which corresponds to the standard vacuum state).
Numerical Modeling and Experiments of Creep Crack Growth Under Cyclic Loading

This paper presents a summary of some recent studies of creep crack growth under history dependent load conditions. The effect of a proper constitutive law is illustrated. Moreover, the asymptotic fields are reconsidered under cyclic creep conditions. In addition, several experiments are modeled and the behavior of integral parameters is discussed.
10 Procedures and Prospects for DNA-Mediated Transformation of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi

Publisher Summary This chapter presents procedures and prospects for DNA-mediated transformation of ectomycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi represent an integral component of the root-soil ecosystem or rhizospher and, if genetically altered to further benefit the plant, offer potential to improve the establishment and yield of many crop plants. Research with ectomycorrhizal fungi involves the use of protoplasts as starting material for genetic manipulation through DNA mediated transformation. Transformation procedures are expected to extend more traditional approaches to genetic study and thus enhance the potential for selective breeding and strain improvement of these fungi. Through the use of protoplasts and procedures of molecular genetics it should be possible to decipher the complex genetic behavior of ectomycorrhizal formation and to identify traits which affect that symbiosis. The goal of such research is to develop improved fungal strains for use as inocula in sylvicultural practices related to tree seedling production, forest productivity, and reafforestation. To accomplish this goal it will be necessary to obtain fundamental information on relevant genes and their expression to carry out genetic manipulations leading to improved ectomycorrhiza. In considering control strategies to improve symbiosis, it will be important to avoid non-target effects that could disrupt the balance among rhizosphere components.
Modeling and Extracting Deep-Web Query Interfaces

Interface modeling & extraction is a fundamental step in building a uniform query interface to a multitude of databases on the Web. Existing solutions are limited in that they assume interfaces are flat and thus ignore the inherent structure of interfaces, which then seriously hampers the effectiveness of interface integration. To address this limitation, in this chapter, we model an interface with a hierarchical schema (e.g., an ordered-tree of attributes). We describe ExQ, a novel schema extraction system with two distinct features. First, ExQ discovers the structure of an interface based on its visual representation via spatial clustering. Second, ExQ annotates the discovered schema with labels from the interface by imitating the human-annotation process. ExQ has been extensively evaluated with real-world query interfaces in five different domains and the results show that ExQ achieves above 90% accuracy rate in both structure discovery & schema annotation tasks.
Intrastromal Corneal Ring Segments: Reversibility of Refractive Effect

PURPOSE To evaluate the reversibility of refractive effect following removal of the ICRS (intrastromal corneal ring segments; Intacs). METHODS Data from 34 eyes from which ICRS were removed during United States FDA Phase II and III clinical trials were evaluated with regard to segment size, loss or change of best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), any change of uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), manifest spherical equivalent refraction, manifest cylinder refraction, stability of manifest cylinder refraction, and subjective visual symptoms. RESULTS Out of 725 initial or contralateral eyes placed with the ICRS during Phase II and III clinical trials, segments were removed from 34 eyes (4.7%). Other than one (1/725, 0.1%) safety related ICRS removal, 30/725 (4.1%) were due to visual symptoms. ICRS removal was accomplished under topical anesthesia without complications in all eyes. The mean length of time the segments remained in the cornea after initial surgery was 10.3 +/- 5.4 months. At 3 months after ICRS removal, 21 eyes had monitored data available and were within +/-1 line or 10 letters of their preoperative BSCVA. Twenty eyes (20/21, 95%) returned to within +/-1.00 D of their preoperative manifest spherical equivalent refraction. All eyes had a stable refraction at the 3-month examination after removal, and a manifest spherical equivalent refraction within +/-1.00 D of their 1-month examination after removal. Nineteen eyes (19/21, 90%) returned to within +/-2 lines and 16 eyes (16/21, 76%) returned to within +/-1 line of preoperative UCVA. CONCLUSION The ICRS (Intacs) was easily and safely removed, and eyes returned to preoperative refractive status within 3 months.
Mutation analysis of the 5′ noncoding regulatory region of the BCL-6 gene in non-Hodgkin lymphoma: evidence for recurrent mutations and intraclonal heterogeneity

The BCL-6 proto-oncogene is involved in the genesis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Rearrangements due to chromosomal translocations and somatic mutations of the 5' noncoding regulatory region of the BCL-6 gene are potential mechanisms for altering its expression in NHL. To further elucidate the nature of the somatic mutations in the regulatory region of this gene, we have studied 10 healthy donors and 11 NHL biopsy samples by extensive molecular cloning and sequencing. In addition, we analyzed the BCL-6 genes of tumor and nontumor cells from 2 of the cases. The germ line sequence of this region was defined, which differs in 7 positions from that previously reported. In addition, 1 polymorphic variation at position 397(G or C) was identified. Deletions, insertions, and repeated substitution mutations were detected among the molecular isolates in 8 tumor specimens, with a mutational incidence ranging from 1.3 x 10(-3) to 1.3 x 10(-2)/bp (base pair). A total of 20 distinct substitution mutations, 1 insertion and 3 deletions were observed. One of these deletion mutations and 2 of the substitutions were observed in more than 1 tumor specimen from different individuals. In 3 tumor samples, identical mutations affecting both alleles were observed. These findings suggest the presence of mutational hot spots and hot specific events, a finding supported by our compilation of previously published data. In 6 samples, the nucleotide sequences showed evidence of intraclonal heterogeneity, consistent with a stepwise ongoing mutational process affecting the BCL-6 gene in the tumor cells. These mutations accumulating in the regulatory region of the BCL-6 gene could play a role in lymphoma progression and in the transformation of follicular lymphomas to more aggressive large cell lymphomas. (Blood. 2000;95:1400-1405)
Recent measurements of the gravitational constant as a function of time

Newton's gravitational coupling, $G$, is a fundamental quantity that has been experimentally determined by many groups over the years. This paper not only provides a comprehensive compilation of the results of these measurements, but also, using the dates of the measurements, considers whether $G$ is in fact a constant or if, instead, there is evidence for its variation with time.
Relationship between Degradation Rates of Proteins in Vivo and Their Susceptibility to Lysosomal Proteases

Abstract The pool of soluble proteins of rat liver has been labeled with [3H]leucine and [14C]leucine in such a way that the 3H is predominantly in the slowly turning over proteins and the 14C is predominantly in the rapidly turning over proteins. This doubly labeled pool of proteins has been subjected to proteolysis by lysosomal extracts. From the differential rate of release of the isotopes into trichloroacetic acid-soluble form, it is evident that there is a direct correlation between protein degradation rates in vivo and their susceptibility to lysosomal proteolysis.
A Multicolor Search for Forming Galaxies

Some results from a search for forming galaxies are described. The search uses a five color (U′BVIK) deep survey to look for galaxies with the sharp breaks and the nearly flat spectrum (f v ) regions of wavelength space which should be present in high-redshift young star-forming galaxies. Such a population with a flat spectrum in the BVI bands is found at I magnitudes fainter than 23. Based on the presence of breaks in the U′ band most of the members lie in the range 2.8 < z < 3.6. Model-invariant analysis suggests that this population could easily be responsible for almost all of the early star formation in massive galaxies.
Distributed source coding authentication of images with contrast and brightness adjustment and affine warping

Media authentication is important in content delivery via untrusted intermediaries, such as peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing. Many differently encoded versions of a media file might exist. Our previous work applied distributed source coding not only to distinguish the legitimate diversity of encoded images from tampering but also to localize tampered regions in an image already deemed to be inauthentic. In both cases, authentication requires a Slepian-Wolf encoded image projection that is supplied to the decoder. We extend our scheme to authenticate images that have undergone contrast, brightness, and affine warping adjustment. Our approach incorporates an ExpectationMaximization algorithm into the Slepian-Wolf decoder. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can distinguish legitimate encodings of authentic images from illegitimately modified versions, despite arbitrary contrast, brightness, and affine warping adjustment, using authentication data of less than 250 bytes per image.
Computer-aided design of filters with variable bandwidth

Abstract This paper considers the design of linear time-varying lowpass filters whose bandwidth varies according to a prescribed slowly-varying time function. The method is based on minimizing the mean square of the difference between the weighting functions of the time-varying and the corresponding frozen filter. The optimization is carried out by using a steepest descent method and a seventh order example is worked out.
The contributions of cavity and iceberg formations to hydrophobic bonding

Abstract Simple thermodynamic arguments are used to demonstrate that hydrophobic bonding, while primarily due to the free energy of cavity generation, also contains a non-negligible, negative contribution due to iceberg formation.
Feeding and fate of wild larval razorback sucker

The razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus) is disappearing throughout its native range in the Colorado River basin of western North America. The largest remaining wild population in Lake Mohave, Arizona-Nevada, has shown no recruitment since the 1950s. Although annual spawning is successful and larvae are seasonally abundant, no juveniles have been collected in recent decades. To evaluate the potential role of food availability in determining fate of larvae, fish and zooplankton samples were taken in 1985 from the reservoir and an adjacent, isolated backwater in which larvae were naturally produced. Food availability and primary dietary constituents were similar in both habitats. Reservoir larvae selectedBosmina spp. (Cladocera) and apparently avoided Copepoda, while larvae from the backwater selectedBosmina, but avoided Rotifera. Larvae from both places showed evidence of selection for certain sizes of zooplankters, but preferred sizes differed between habitats. These differences were neither attributable to larval size nor zooplankton community structure. Nutritional factors such as type, number, or size of available foods do not explain disappearance of larval razorback suckers from Lake Mohave, since larvae survive to far greater ages and size in the backwater. Predation by introduced fishes appears a significant cause of larval mortality.
Interleukin-22 and CD160 play additive roles in the host mucosal response to Clostridium difficile infection in mice

Our previous work has shown the significant up-regulation of Il22 and increased phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) as part of the mucosal inflammatory response to Clostridium difficile infection in mice. Others have shown that phosphorylation of STAT3 at mucosal surfaces includes interleukin-22 (IL-22) and CD160-mediated components. The current study sought to determine the potential role(s) of IL-22 and/or CD160 in the mucosal response to C. difficile infection. Clostridium difficile-infected mice treated with anti-IL-22, anti-CD160 or a combination of the two showed significantly reduced STAT3 phosphorylation in comparison to C. difficile-infected mice that had not received either antibody. In addition, C. difficile-infected mice treated with anti-IL-22/CD160 induced a smaller set of genes, and at significantly lower levels than the untreated C. difficile-infected mice. The affected genes included pro-inflammatory chemokines and cytokines, and anti-microbial peptides. Furthermore, histopathological and flow cytometric assessments both showed a significantly reduced influx of neutrophils in C. difficile-infected mice treated with anti-IL-22/CD160. These data demonstrate that IL-22 and CD160 are together responsible for a significant fraction of the colonic STAT3 phosphorylation in C. difficile infection. They also underscore the additive effects of IL-22 and CD160 in mediating both the pro-inflammatory and pro-survival aspects of the host mucosal response in this infection.
RECONSTRUCTING A RETAIL TRADE AREA: TUCKER'S GENERAL STORE, 1850‐1860

This paper outlines a historical trade area reconstruction methodology using daybooks, contemporary plat maps. and manuscript censuses. From limited extant data, historical trade areas of an 1850s Massachusetts general store can be defined by patronage frequency maps and the simple Reilly's Law of Retail Gravitation model. Historical trade areas can clarify the development of retailing, customer mobility, and the role of general stores in central places and their hinterlands.
Supreme Court Decision Making: The Impact of Court Composition on State and Local Government Litigation

This article examines the participation and success rates of state and local governments before the U.S. Supreme Court during 1953-1989. We find that they have experienced greater access to the Court over time, and that they have been winning an increasingly higher proportion of cases when appearing as direct parties, with some interesting variations depending on the type of case and litigants. Time-series analysis indicates that the most important factor in state and local success is the increasingly conservative ideology of the Court from the Warren years to the Rehnquist Court. An exception to improved performance is federalism cases. The findings have implications for the future character of American federalism and the development of a general model of judicial decision making.
Gender and Family Status Across the Life Course: Constraints on Five Types of Leisure

Abstract The family context is considered as it impacts involvement in culturally defined categories of leisure: active, passive, entertainment, social leisure and TV-viewing as well as total leisure are considered. How does family context, which varies across the life course, constrain leisure? Does family context have the same impact for men and women and for married and unmarried? These issues are examined for a subset of a national sample of adults (N=782) who provided behavioral data through multi-day time budget diaries. Using comparable samples of time from each individual, analysis of variance is used to test for differences in means. Family structure is examined as it constrains and facilitates various types of leisure. Women, and in particular, single mothers, are expected to be disadvantaged in terms of leisure time and involvement. Results indicate a more complex interplay of family context, gender-and-marital status and types of leisure. Women in general are not disadvantaged in terms of leis...
Debridement of the Diabetic Foot: A Podiatric Perspective

High plantar pressures are a risk factor for diabetic foot ulcers that are common chronic wounds. In patients with peripheral neuropathy, plantar ulcers may be managed by debridement of callus, a process that has been shown to reduce peak plantar pressures. Callus debridement is clearly an important ulcer prevention strategy. The scalpel skills used by the podiatrist to remove callus are best suited to achieve safe, local sharp wound debridement. Current podiatric practice in the United Kingdom is based on sound theoretical principles. However, good scientific data recommending its efficacy are scarce. The role of podiatry in debridement and wound management needs careful examination, a major aim of this article.
From national to topophilic attachments: Continuities and changes in Chicago's Mexican migrant organizations

The study of early transnational connections between Chicago-based Mexican organizations and the Mexican government is important for understanding the roots of contemporary practices of civic binationality in the city of Chicago. This article presents a historical analysis of Mexican migrant organizations in the city of Chicago and the metropolitan area to understand continuities, similarities and differences between contemporary Mexican hometown associations and early-twentieth-century organizations. Using original archival sources to map the historical evolution of Mexican migrant organizations, the article demonstrates that contemporary Mexican hometown associations established in the 1980s are not an entirely new phenomenon. While every migratory wave had its unique transnational characteristics, early-migrant organizations engaged in transnational practices with the Mexican state through the consulate and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; neither established working collaborations with state governments and municipalities nor used topophilic identities as organizing banners.
Characterization of circulating osteoblast lineage cells in humans

We recently identified circulating osteoblastic cells using antibodies to osteocalcin (OCN) or alkaline phosphatase (AP). We now provide a more detailed characterization of these cells. Specifically, we demonstrate that 46% of OCN positive (OCN(pos)) cells express AP, and 37% also express the hematopoietic/endothelial marker CD34. Using two different anti-OCN antibodies and forward/side light scatter characteristics by flow cytometry, we find that OCN(pos) cells consist of two distinct populations: one population exhibits low forward/side scatter, consistent with a small cell phenotype with low granularity, and a second population has higher forward/side scatter (larger and more granular cell). The smaller, low granularity population also co-expresses CD34, whereas the larger, more granular cells are CD34 negative. Using samples from 26 male subjects aged 28 to 68 years, we demonstrate that the concentration of circulating OCN(pos) cells increases as a function of age (R=0.59, P=0.002). By contrast, CD34(pos) cells tend to decrease with age (R=-0.31, P=0.18); as a consequence, the ratio of OCN(pos):CD34(pos) cells also increase significantly with age (R=0.54, P=0.022). These findings suggest significant overlap between circulating cells expressing OCN and those expressing the hematopoietic/endothelial marker CD34. Further studies are needed to define the precise role of circulating OCN(pos) cells not only in bone remodeling but rather also potentially in the response to vascular injury.
Ultraviolet-B dose-response curves for local and systemic immunosuppression are identical.

Irradiation of mice with UVB suppresses contact hypersensitivity either "locally", i.e. when sensitizer is applied to the UV irradiated site, or "systemically", i.e. when sensitizer is applied to a site distal to the site of irradiation. It has been suggested that local suppression requires lower doses of UV than does systemic suppression, and that different mechanisms are therefore responsible. We undertook a detailed analysis of the dose-response and kinetics of UV-induced local and systemic suppression of contact hypersensitivity to trinitrochlorobenzene in two strains of mice, C57BL/6 and BALB/c. We found that the UV dose-responses for systemic and local suppression were identical within the same strain. Comparison, however, of UV dose-responses between strains indicated that C57BL/6 mice required 6.4 times less UV than did BALB/c mice to generate an equivalent amount of suppression. In both strains, local suppression was initiated if sensitizer was applied immediately, or 1 or 3 days after completion of a single dose of UV. In contrast, systemic suppression was initiated only if sensitizer was applied 3 days after UV irradiation. Thus local suppression was generated in the absence of significant systemic suppression (but not vice versa), and this was dependent on time of application of sensitizer after UV irradiation, not on the dose of UV administered. Filtration of the UV source with Mylar indicated that UVB was responsible for initiating both local and systemic suppression. In summary, these results indicate that (1) genetically determined differences in susceptibility to UV suppression exist, (2) the time courses of generation of local and systemic suppression are identical, and therefore use of the terms "low dose" and "high dose" to refer respectively to local and systemic suppression by UV irradiation are incorrect. We conclude that a common mechanism initiates UV-induced local and systemic suppression of contact hypersensitivity by the immediate formation, at the site of UV irradiation, of an immunosuppressive signal which takes between 1 and 3 days to act systemically.
Comment on “Heavy iron isotope composition of granites determined by high resolution MC-ICP-MS”, by F. Poitrasson and R. Freydier [Chem. Geol. 222 132–147]

Abstract Scrutiny of published Fe isotope data for igneous rocks that have > 71 wt.% SiO 2 reveals that most samples have the same Fe isotope composition as mafic igneous rocks, contrary to the conclusions of Poitrasson and Freydier [Poitrasson, F. and Freydier, R., 2005. Heavy iron isotope composition of granites determined by high resolution MC-ICP-MS. Chem. Geol. 222, 132–147]. The only silicic igneous rocks that have Fe isotope compositions that are significantly different than mafic igneous rocks are 4 granitic samples that have SiO 2 > 75 wt.% analyzed by Poitrasson and Freydier [Poitrasson, F. and Freydier, R., 2005. Heavy iron isotope composition of granites determined by high resolution MC-ICP-MS. Chem. Geol. 222, 132–147]; three silicic igneous rocks analyzed by Beard et al. [Beard, B.L, Johnson, C.M., Skulan, J.L., Nealson, K.H., Cox, L., Sun, H., 2003a. Application of Fe isotopes to tracing the geochemical and biological cycling of Fe. Chem. Geol. 195 87–117] (SiO 2 > 75 wt.%) have Fe isotope compositions that are identical to mafic igneous rocks, but these samples were ignored. Moreover, the Fe isotope composition of upper continental crust as deduced from the 58 sedimentary clastic rocks (shales, loess, modern marine sediments, and suspended load of rivers), reported by Beard et al. [Beard, B.L., Johnson, C.M., von Damm, K.L. and Poulson, R.L, 2003b. Iron isotope constraints on Fe cycling and mass balance in oxygenated Earth oceans. Geology 31 629–632], is the same as the average of igneous rocks. These data suggest that granitic rocks which deviate from the igneous average may be rare.
Transcriptional Activation: Mediator Can Act after Preinitiation Complex Formation

The Mediator complex connects transcriptional activators bound at enhancers with RNA polymerase (Pol) II. Wang et al. (2005) demonstrate that Mediator also has an important role in transcriptional activation after recruitment of the Pol II machinery to promoters.
Effects of antral ethanol on gastric acid secretion, potential difference, and serum gastrin.

SummaryThe possible stimulatory, inhibitory, or absent effect of antral perfusion with ethanol on gastric acid secretion and transmucosal potential difference was studied using an in vivo chambered fundic segment and isolated antral pouch preparation with intact blood supply. The preparation was proven responsive to exogenous gastrin with pentagastrin iv infusion (6 μg/kg-hr) and to endogenous gastrin with acetylcho-line chloride (0.5%) and glycine (1 M) perfusion of the antral pouch. Peripheral venous serum gastrin concentration increased in response to antral perfusion with glycine with a slight increase in fundic acid secretion. A small increase in peripheral serum gastrin without a corresponding increase in acid output occurred during antral perfusion with 20% ethanol. No significant differences were found in either potential difference or acid output between saline and ethanol groups, or between histamine and histamine-plus-ethanol groups. These data suggest that ethanol-stimulated antral gastrin rel...
Comparison of cortically and subcortically controlled motor systems: I. Morphology of intracellularly filled rubrospinal neurons in rat and turtle

The rat and turtle differ markedly in major structural features of the corticocerebellorubrospinal circuitry. Although both species have a well-developed cerebellorubrospinal system, they differ in that a direct cerebral cortical input to the red nucleus is present only in the rat. The aim of the present study was to compare features of the soma and dendritic morphology of rubrospinal neurons that receive cortical input, as in rats, with those that do not, as in turtles. Intracellular Lucifer Yellow injections of neurons retrogradely labeled with Fast Blue in the rat or activity-dependent sulforhodamine-labeled neurons in the turtle were used to fill rubrospinal neurons in 150-200-microm-thick fixed sections. Images of filled neurons were imported into a computer to analyze quantitatively soma and dendritic morphology. The results show that rubrospinal soma size is slightly larger in the rat than in the turtle. However, analysis of the dendritic morphology, including total dendritic length, length of primary, secondary, and tertiary dendritic branches, and a Scholl analysis of dendritic branch intersections across concentric rings, demonstrated no significant differences between the two species. These findings suggest that the basic dendritic morphology of rubrospinal neurons may have been established early in phylogeny, preceding the evolution of cortical inputs. Alternatively, similar dendritic morphologies may have arisen due to the presence of other synapses in the turtle that occupy the sites of the cortical input in the rat. This comparative approach provides insights into the information processing capabilities of cortically versus subcortically controlled motor systems.
Active control of non-linear panel vibration and sound radiation

By variational method, the active control of sound and vibration of a non linear elastic panel excited by wall pressure fluctuation was studied analytically and numerically
URBAN HOMELESSNESS: AN AGENDA FOR RESEARCH

(1991). URBAN HOMELESSNESS: AN AGENDA FOR RESEARCH. Urban Geography: Vol. 12, Homelessness, pp. 99-104.
COURT CASELOADS, PLEA BARGAINS, AND CRIMINAL SANCTIONS: THE EFFECTS OF SECTION 17 P.C. IN CALIFORNIA

In an effort to relieve its overburdened superior courts, California introduced a statutory amendment which allowed lesser felonies to be dealt with in lower-level courts. Using an interrupted time-series methodology, this study examines the impact of this change in law on caseloads, plea bargaining, conviction rates, and sentencing in the superior courts. After the statutory intervention there was a reduction in superior court caseloads, but the overall rate of plea bargaining remained relatively constant. However, there were substantial changes in types of plea bargains with a decline in fast pleas and a corresponding rise in slow pleas. It was also found that severity of sanctions was related to the changing caseload patterns. Policy and theoretical implications of these and other findings are discussed.
What Makes a Theory Testable, or Is Intelligent Design Less Scientific Than String Theory?

I compare the theory of intelligent design to string theory to see on what basis, if any, only the former can be justifiably excluded as being scientific.We shall see that the classic criterion of testability or falsifiability is sometimes not so straightforward, and that there are other criteria to help us make such a distinction.
Sporogenous midgut bacteria of the leafroller, Pandemis pyrusana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

The composition of the microbial flora within the midgut of Pandemis pyrusana Kearfott was analyzed by using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and culturing techniques. Universal 16S ribosomal RNA gene-specific eubacterial primers were used in PCR, and the resulting products cloned and sequenced. High homology (86-95%) was obtained between the cloned products and Clostridium ramosum and Clostridium spiroforme when compared with computer database sequence information. Initial culturing steps aimed at endospore-forming bacteria yielded reproducible growth from a bacterium that matches most closely with Bacillus licheniformis when analyzed by partial 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing and biochemicals cultural profiling. This isolate was transformed with an Escherichia coli-Bacillus subtilis shuttle vector and reintroduced into the insect, where it remained stable under nonselective conditions for at least 9 d after initial ingestion. This confirmed the ability of the genetically altered bacterium to survive within the leafroller midgut in the midst of competing microorganisms and perhaps to serve as a suitable vehicle for biological control.
Simultaneous active control of flexural and extensional waves in beams

The simultaneous active control of flexural and extensional vibrations in elastic beams is experimentally investigated. The results demonstrate that using pairs of piezoceramic transducers, whose elements are symmetrically located and independently controlled by a multichannel adaptive controller, enables the high attenuation of both flexural and extensional response. This capability is due to the nature of the piezoceramic element, which when bonded to the surface of the structure and electrically excited, exerts a surface strain on the structure. This strain enables input of both shear forces and moments into the structural system. The results are applicable to many situations where extensional vibrations couple to large flexural vibrations and subsequently radiate significant sound levels.
Methodological and Substantive Issues in Substance Abuse Prevention Research An Integration

This article summarizes current issues in drug abuse prevention research through integration of other articles in this journal and by heeding historical trends in prevention science. Recommendations are made for future research directions. For prevention to advance, iterative processes are needed involving both quasi-experimental and experimental designs and involving both small, simple units and large, complex, interactive units. Accuracy of measurement and replication are of paramount importance.
An ex vivo mechanical evaluation of single versus double semitubular plate fixation of a transverse distal-third scapular osteotomy in the dog.

Objective— To compare single versus double semitubular plate fixation for scapular body fractures. Study Design— Ex vivo mechanical study. Sample Population— Eighteen paired cadaveric canine scapulae. Methods— Transverse scapular body osteotomies were created in the distal third of 18 pairs of scapulae. One scapula of each pair was repaired with a single plate, whereas the contralateral scapula was repaired with 2 plates. Initial strength and stiffness of the constructs were measured in 10 pairs of scapulae. Eight pairs of scapulae underwent cyclic loading and then were subjected to failure testing. Results— Double-plate fixation was significantly stronger (3,899 ± 632 N) but not stiffer (614 ± 130 N/mm) than the single-plate fixation (3,238 ± 935 N and 537 ± 202 N/mm, respectively). Cyclic loading variables were not significantly different between the 2 methods of fixation. After cyclic loading, double-plate fixation was significantly stronger (2,916 ± 618 N) than single-plate fixation (2,347 ± 495 N). There was no significant difference (P= .11) in stiffness between double- versus single-plate fixations: 734 ± 247 N/mm and 595 ± 139 N/mm, respectively. Conclusions— Double-plate fixation was generally stronger and stiffer than single-plate fixation. Because all constructs failed at loads that greatly exceeded those estimated to occur clinically, any difference between the 2 methods of fixation probably is not clinically relevant. Clinical Relevance— Single-plate fixation may be of sufficient strength for fixation of scapular body fractures.
Preparation and characterization of the first organoactinide polysulfide (η5-C5Me5)2ThS5: a unique example of the twist-boat conformation of the MS5 ring

Polysulfide chelates (S/sub x//sup 2 -/) are an emerging class of inorganic ligands whose reactions are of interest to transition-metal and main-group specialists alike. Stable derivatives have been synthesized for most of the d-block elements, and a wide range of MS/sub x/ ring sizes (x = 2-7, 9) and bonding modes have been established via X-ray crystallography. The reaction chemistry of these transition-metal derivatives is frequently complex, but there are a number of useful synthetic applications such as the high-yield preparations of cyclo-S/sub 6/ and -S/sub 7/ from Cp/sub 2/TiS/sub 5/ (Cp = eta/sup 5/-C/sub 5/H/sub 5/) and S/sub x/Cl/sub 2/ (x = 1, 2). To date, polysulfido chelates have not been introduced into the coordination spheres of f elements, but this is an obvious extension for the area and an opportunity to study the effects of the larger ionic radii and higher Lewis acidities of f elements on MS/sub x/ ring sizes, conformations, and reactivity patterns. The authors report here the synthesis, properties, and structure of the first actinide polysulfido complex, bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)thorium pentasulfide, and provide some theoretical insight on the nature of the Th(IV)-S/sub 5//sup 2 -/ interactions. 20 references, 1 figure.
Influence of microstructure on high-cycle fatigue behavior of austempered ductile cast iron

Abstract An investigation was carried out to examine the influence of austempering heat treatments and the resultant microstructure of austempered ductile cast iron, on the fatigue crack growth rate, fatigue threshold, and high-cycle fatigue strength of the material. Two different approaches were used to study the fatigue behavior of this relatively new material, that is, a traditional S-N curve approach for determination of fatigue strength and a fracture mechanics-based approach for determination of the fatigue threshold. Compact tension and cylindrical specimens prepared from alloyed nodular ductile cast iron were given three different austempering heat treatments to produce three different microstructures. The fatigue threshold and high-cycle fatigue behavior of these specimens were studied in room temperature ambient atmosphere. The results of the present investigation demonstrate that the fatigue threshold of the material increases with increase in volume fraction of carbon-saturated austenite. The fatigue strength of the material, on the other hand, was found to increase with decrease in austenitic grain size. The crack growth process in the material was a combination of ductile striations and microvoid coalescence, and crack propagation by connecting the graphite nodules along its path.
Rapid PCR-based determination of transgene copy number in rice

We present a simple, rapid, and low-cost method to determine transgene copy number in rice. More than 100 first- and second-generation transgenic rice plants were tested. The plasmid (pRCopy) used for rice transformation contains the specific gene of interest and a partially deleted cytochrome c gene (cyc), a single-copy gene in rice. A 132-bp segment of the cloned ricecyc was shortened to 108 bp by deleting a 24-bp internal fragment. After PCR amplification of the genomic DNA from transgenic rice harboring pRCopy, the 2 expected bands were found. The 121-bp band corresponds to the endogenouscyc; the 97-bp band comes from the integrated pRCopy. Clear distinctions can be made between single and multiple copies of the transgene by comparing band densities.
Magnetic x-ray measurements using the elliptical multipole wiggler

The EMW at the BESSRC beam lines at the APS provides high photon flux at high energies with the capability of producing circular polarization on axis. The authors observe a high degree of circularly polarized x-rays at such energies. The polarization and frequency tunability of the elliptical multipole wiggler (EMW) is an ideal source for many magnetic measurements from X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD) to Compton scattering experiments. They performed Compton scattering measurements to determine the polarization and photon flux at the sample as a function of the deflection parameters K{sub y} and K{sub x}. They used for their measurements a Si (220) Laue monochromator providing simultaneous photon energies at 50 keV, 100 keV and 150 keV. Magnetic Compton Profiles were determined by either switching the magnet polarity or the photon helicity. The results obtained using Fe(110) single crystals were very similar.
Timely reconstitution of immune competence affects clinical outcome following autologous stem cell transplantation

The anti-tumor activity of the immune system in the setting of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has largely been described in the context of the "graft-versus-tumor" effect of allogeneic stem cell transplantation. This article reviews clinical evidence suggesting the existence of an autologous graft-versus-tumor effect in the setting of host immune system recovery following autologous stem cell transplantation resulting in prolongation of survival of cancer patients.