cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reference-compensated biosensing using a dual-channel surface plasmon resonance sensor system based on a planar lightpipe configuration

Abstract We present the design and experimental verification for a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) bio-sensor system using a second sensor channel for reference compensation during antibody–antigen binding experiments. Using a lightpipe configuration SPR sensor with two sensor surfaces and flow cell volumes, we demonstrate the use of the second sensor channel, with functionalisation different than the primary sensor channel, to compensate for changes in the refractive index of the bulk solution caused by analyte concentration or temperature differences.
Influenza immunization: intranasal live vaccinia recombinant contrasted with parenteral inactivated vaccine.

To compare the efficacy and duration of the immune response to local and systemic vaccination, Balb/c mice were vaccinated either intraperitoneally (i.p.) with an inactivated A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) vaccine or intranasally (i.n.) with a vaccinia recombinant containing the H1 gene of influenza. The i.p. inactivated vaccine stimulated high serum IgG anti-influenza titres and protected the lungs against viral challenge for the duration of the experiment (17 months). Little nasal wash IgA was induced and the noses were susceptible to challenge. Animals vaccinated i.n. with the recombinant had lower serum IgG titres and the lungs showed poor protection against challenge. Nasal wash IgA titres were higher, however, and the noses were largely protected from viral challenge for 17 months.
Comparison of quarter-wave retarders over finite spectral and angular bandwidths for infrared polarimetric-imaging applications

We compare three technological approaches for quarter-wave retarders within the context of polarimetric-imaging applications in the long-wave infrared (LWIR) spectrum. Performance of a commercial cadmium sulfide (CdS) crystalline waveplate, a multilayer meanderline structure, and a silicon (Si) form-birefringent retarder are evaluated under conditions of 8–12 μm broadband radiation emerging from an F/1 focusing objective. Metrics used for this comparison are the spectrally dependent axial ratio, retardance, and polarization-averaged power transmittance, which are averaged over the angular range of interest. These parameters correspond to the characteristics that would be observed at the focal-plane array (FPA) detector of an LWIR imaging polarimeter.
Fast and low voltage-driven solid-state electrochromics using 3-D conductive FTO nanobead electrodes

A solid-state electrochromic device using 3-D conducting fluorinated tin oxide nanobeads (roughness factor >500) as electrodes enables fast electron transport and concentrates the voltage drop at the interfaces. This method reduces the driving voltage to 0.9 V and the response time to ∼272 ms, far exceeding the performance of conventional 2-D flat FTO film-based counterparts.
Test of high-angular-resolution X-ray photoelectron diffraction and holographic imaging for c(2 × 2)S on Ni(001)

Abstract We have obtained azimuthal X-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPD) data with a high angular resolution of ± 1.5° for S2p emission from the well-defined surface structure of c(2 × 2)S on Ni(001). The relatively high position of the adsorbate with respect to the substrate makes this a stringent test case of the structural sensitivity of forward-scattering-dominated XPD. With this higher resolution, the data are nonetheless found to be sensitive to atomic structure, including in particular both the vertical height of S above Ni ( z ) and the first-to-second layer Ni interplanar spacing ( d 12 ). A single scattering cluster (SSC) theoretical analysis using R -factors to judge goodness of fit yields z = 1.39 ± 0.05 A and d 12 = 1.86 ± 0.05 A , in excellent agreement with other recent experimental and theoretical studies. This analysis also indicates that clusters of up to at least 25 A in radius (200–250 atoms) are needed to accurately describe all of the diffraction fine structure observed; thus, although XPD is primarily a short-range order probe, high-resolution data provides sensitivity to order that may go out as far as 10–15 neighbor shells. For takeoff angles with respect to the surface of less than about 10°, multiple scattering effects appear to become more important, as verified by fully converged multiple scattering cluster (MSC) calculations; however, for takeoff angles larger than 10°, these effects fall away rapidly, making a single-scattering analysis of such data still a useful approach. Finally, we have analyzed our experimental data and SSC simulations of it using recently suggested Fourier-transform holographic inversion methods. Although our data are too limited to permit fully accurate holographic imaging, features associated with the nearest neighbor S atoms in the adsorbate overlayer are seen in both experimental and theoretical images. In addition, the theoretical calculations indicate that the atomic images can be improved if: the solid angle of the hologram is limited so as to exclude the strong forward scattering features at low takeoff angles; effects due to non-constant scattering factor amplitudes and phases are corrected out using the scattered-wave-included Fourier-transform method of Saldin et al., and/or the hologram range is further limited so as to avoid the overlap of twin and real images. Several interesting directions for further study with such high-resolution data, SSC R -factor analyses, and holographic imaging, are thus suggested.
Experimental observation of the finite relaxation time at the zero field transition point of magnetically impure superconductors

Abstract From the measurements of surface microwave resistance of superconductors in the vortex state, we have observed that the relaxation time of the order parameter remains finite at the zero field phase transition point for magnetically impure superconductors. Experimental data are well explained by the multiple pair breaking theory of Fulde and Maki, and the flux flow resistivity calculation of Baba and Maki.
An Auxiliary Silencer and a Boundary Element Maintain High Levels of Silencing Proteins at HMR in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Heterochromatin is notable for its capacity to propagate along a chromosome. The prevailing model for this spreading process postulates that silencing proteins are first recruited to silencer sequences and then spread from these sites independently of the silencers. However, we found that in Saccharomyces cerevisiae silencers also influence the extent of silenced chromatin domains. We compared the abilities of two different silencers, HMR-E and a telomeric repeat, to promote silencing and found that the HMR-E silencer contributed to an increased steady-state association of Sir proteins over a region of several kilobase pairs compared to the telomeric repeat, even though both silencers recruited similar levels of Sir proteins. We also discovered that, although the HMR-E silencer alone was sufficient to block transcription of the HMR locus, a secondary silencer, HMR-I, boosted the level of Sir proteins at HMR, apparently beyond the level necessary to repress transcription. Finally, we discovered that a tRNAThr gene near HMR-I helped maintain silenced chromatin and transcriptional repression under conditions of reduced deacetylase activity. This study highlights the importance of auxiliary elements, such as HMR-I and the tRNAThr gene, in enhancing the association of Sir silencing proteins with appropriate genomic locations, thereby buffering the capacity of silenced chromatin to assemble under suboptimal conditions.
Duplicate Elimination in Space-partitioning Tree Indexes

Space-partitioning trees, like the disk-based trie, quadtree, kd-tree and their variants, are a family of access methods that index multi-dimensional objects. In the case of indexing non-zero extent objects, e.g., line segments and rectangles, space-partitioning trees may replicate objects over multiple space partitions, e.g., PMR quadtree, expanded MX-CIF quadtree, and extended kd-tree. As a result, the answer to a query over these indexes may include duplicates that need to be eliminated, i.e., the same object may be reported more than once. In this paper, we propose generic duplicate elimination techniques for the class of space-partitioning trees in the context of SP-GiST; an extensible indexing framework for realizing space-partitioning trees. The proposed techniques are embedded inside the INDEX-SCAN operator. Therefore, duplicate copies of the same object do not propagate in the query plan, and the elimination process is transparent to the end-users. Two cases for the index structures are considered based on whether or not the objects' coordinates are stored inside the index tree. The theoretical and experimental analysis illustrate that the proposed techniques achieve savings in the storage requirements, I/O operations, and processing time when compared to adding a separate duplicate elimination operator in the query plan.
Effect of the dietary supplement Meltdown on catecholamine secretion, markers of lipolysis, and metabolic rate in men and women: a randomized, placebo controlled, cross-over study

We have recently reported that the dietary supplement Meltdown® increases plasma norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (EPI), glycerol, free fatty acids (FFA), and metabolic rate in men. However, in that investigation measurements ceased at 90 minutes post ingestion, with values for blood borne variables peaking at this time. It was the purpose of the present investigation to extend the time course of measurement to 6 hours, and to include women within the design to determine if sex differences to treatment exist. Ten men (24 ± 4 yrs) and 10 women (22 ± 2 yrs) ingested Meltdown® or a placebo, using a randomized, cross-over design with one week separating conditions. Blood samples were collected immediately before supplementation and at one hour intervals through 6 hours post ingestion. A standard meal was provided after the hour 3 collection. Samples were assayed for EPI, NE, glycerol, and FFA. Five minute breath samples were collected at each time for measurement of metabolic rate and substrate utilization. Area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. Heart rate and blood pressure were recorded at all times. Data were also analyzed using a 2 (sex) × 2 (condition) × 7 (time) repeated measures analysis of variance, with Tukey post hoc testing. No sex × condition interactions were noted for AUC for any variable (p > 0.05). Hence, AUC data are collapsed across men and women. AUC was greater for Meltdown® compared to placebo for EPI (367 ± 58 pg·mL-1·6 hr-1 vs. 183 ± 27 pg·mL-1·6 hr-1; p = 0.01), NE (2345 ± 205 pg·mL-1·6 hr-1 vs. 1659 ± 184 pg·mL-1·6 hr-1; p = 0.02), glycerol (79 ± 8 μg·mL-1·6 hr-1 vs. 59 ± 6 μg·mL-1·6 hr-1; p = 0.03), FFA (2.46 ± 0.64 mmol·L-1·6 hr-1 vs. 1.57 ± 0.42 mmol·L-1·6 hr-1; p = 0.05), and kilocalorie expenditure (439 ± 26 kcal·6 hrs-1 vs. 380 ± 14 kcal·6 hrs-1; p = 0.02). No effect was noted for substrate utilization (p = 0.39). Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p 0.05). Ingestion of Meltdown® results in an increase in catecholamine secretion, lipolysis, and metabolic rate in young men and women, with a similar response for both sexes. Meltdown® may prove to be an effective intervention strategy for fat loss, assuming individuals are normotensive and their treatment is monitored by a qualified health care professional.
Plant growth, biomass partitioning and soil carbon formation in response to altered lignin biosynthesis in Populus tremuloides

We conducted a glasshouse mesocosm study that combined (13)C isotope techniques with wild-type and transgenic aspen (Populus tremuloides) in order to examine how altered lignin biosynthesis affects plant production and soil carbon formation. Our transgenic aspen lines expressed low stem lignin concentration but normal cellulose concentration, low lignin stem concentration with high cellulose concentration or an increased stem syringyl to guaiacyl lignin ratio. Large differences in stem lignin concentration observed across lines were not observed in leaves or fine roots. Nonetheless, low lignin lines accumulated 15-17% less root C and 33-43% less new soil C than the control line. Compared with the control line, transformed aspen expressing high syringyl lignin accumulated 30% less total plant C - a result of greatly reduced total leaf area - and 70% less new soil C. These findings suggest that altered stem lignin biosynthesis in Populus may have little effect on the chemistry of fine roots or leaves, but can still have large effects on plant growth, biomass partitioning and soil C formation.
Analysis of the nonlinear dynamics of daily broiler growth and feed intake

Daily BW velocity (BWV) and acceleration (BWA) of individual birds have been demonstrated to be oscillatory. Daily feed intake velocity (FIV) and acceleration (FIA) were hypothesized to be oscillatory and to have a positive relationship with BWV and BWA, respectively. Forty-eight male broiler chicks were individually caged and provided a commercial starter feed ad libitum for 49 d. BW and feed intake (FI) were measured daily. Experiment 1 confirmed that, on a daily basis, BWV, BWA, FIV, and FIA were oscillatory. There was a positive correlation between BW and FI, BWV and FIV, and BWA and FIA. A Kohonen neural network (KNN) clustered BWV and FIV into two and three sequential phases. BWA and FIA analysis did not make definitive clusters. In experiment 2, it was hypothesized that correlation between BWV and FIV would increase with feeding of grower and finisher rations. It was hypothesized that KNN three phase clusters may provide more biologically ideal times of ration change (TORC) for starter, grower, and finisher rations. For 49 d, five treatments, nine birds per treatment, were fed starter, grower, and finisher rations singly or together with dietary changes according to an industry or KNN-determined TORC. Evaluation was made of BW, FI, and carcass characteristics. No significant mean differences were found. Compared to the industry group, the KNN group demonstrated significantly improved uniformity (i.e., smaller SD) of BW (bled out), FI, dressing percentage, and some of the carcass characteristics. Differences between KNN and industry TORC results might have been related to the length of time the birds were fed the starter, grower, and finisher diets.
Dexamethasone inhibits small intestinal growth via increased protein catabolism in neonatal pigs

Our objective was to determine how dexamethasone (Dex) affects gastrointestinal protein metabolism and growth in neonatal pigs. Two-day-old pigs were given daily subcutaneous injections of either Dex (1 mg/kg body wt, n = 7) or saline (control, n = 6) for 7 days. In vivo protein synthesis was measured after 7 days with a bolus of [3H]phenylalanine. Tissue protein contents were measured in an initial control group of 2-day-old pigs and in control and Dex pigs after 7 days to estimate protein accretion and degradation. In control pigs, the protein accretion in the ileum was nearly sixfold greater than in the jejunum during the 7-day period. Dex nominally altered stomach growth but completely blocked the accretion of protein and DNA in the jejunum and ileum, with reduced villus height in the ileum. Dex increased the fractional protein degradation rate in the ileum (28%) and decreased the absolute protein synthesis rate in the jejunum and ileum by 17 and 21%, respectively. Dex resulted in a 40% lower total intestinal lactase activity compared with controls via reductions in both specific activity and tissue mass, especially in the ileum. Dex significantly decreased the circulating concentrations of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I and IGF-binding protein (IGFBP)-1, -2, and -3. However, the tissue abundance of the IGF-I receptor in the stomach and ileum was greater in Dex pigs than controls. Our results suggest that Dex significantly inhibits small intestinal growth via both increased degradation and decreased synthesis of protein. Furthermore, the inhibition of intestinal growth resulted in significantly decreased lactose digestive capacity.
Executive functioning deficits in cocaine-dependent individuals

s / Drug and Alcohol Dependence 140 (2014) e86–e168 e155 Executive functioning deficits in cocaine-dependent individuals Lara Moody1, C. Franck2,1, David P. Jarmolowicz3,2, Eldon T. Mueller1, A. Carter1, K. Gatchalian1, Mikhail N. Koffarnus1, W. Bickel1 1 Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Roanoke, VA, United States 2 Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States 3 University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States Aims: Cocaine dependence is associated with deficits in executive functioning. Executive dysfunction may be both an etiological factor and a resulting condition of chronic cocaine use. A prerequisite to targeted corrective interventions is a clear understanding of which of the domains of executive functioning are impaired by cocaine-dependence. We hypothesize that all measures of executive functioning will be impaired. Methods: We compared 79 cocaine-dependent individuals, some of who were also dependent on alcohol, to 61 controls on executive functioning tasks. Each participant completed executive functioning tasks including the Stroop Task, Wisconsin Card Sort Task, Temporal Discounting Task, Conner’s Continuous Performance Task, Tower Task, Letter Number Sequence Task, and Iowa Gambling Task. These tasks were chosen to assess a variety of executive functions including cognitive control, cognitive flexibility, attention, self-monitoring, working memory, planning, decision-making, and valuation of the future. Results: Both cocaine and cocaine and alcohol-dependent individuals performed significantly worse than controls on the executive functioning tasks. The only task that substancedependent individuals did not perform significantly worse than controls was the Tower Task. Conclusions: These results provide evidence that cocaine and cocaine and alcohol-dependence are associated with decreased executive functioning across many domains including cognitive control, attention, working memory, decision-making, and valuation of the future. The absence of a significant effect for the Tower Task, an instrumentused to assess planning, indicates that the association between cocaine dependence and planning may be weaker than other executive functions. These results support the importance of further study regarding the specifics of which aspects of executive functioning are impaired during substance use as well as inform the design and implementation of executive function therapies. Financial support: NIDA and Supplement from NIAAA (R01DA024080). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2014.02.437 Psychiatric diagnoses and treatment outcomes in opioid-dependent individuals receiving buprenorphine and behavioral treatment Larissa Mooney, Maureen P. Hillhouse, A. Ang, K. Miotto, M. Torrington, D. Dickerson, S. MacNicoll, J. Jenkins, S. Reed, Walter Ling University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United
Exploring Identities in a Reading Specialization Program

This qualitative study used theories of language and learning to explore the identities of one preservice teacher in a reading specialization program. Data sources included archived online course responses, interviews, journals, and an electronic portfolio. Analysis indicates that the participant used multiple discourses as an immigrant, multilanguage learner, and writer/poet to make sense of her learning in the program. These discourses shaped her identities as a teacher and influenced how her peers recognized her. Analyzing online responses over time added to the uniqueness of this study because it allowed the researcher to tap into shared discourse related to course readings and field-based experiences. Negotiating multiple discourses within a learning community influenced the participant's instructional decisions as a student teacher and fashioned her identity with other future teachers. Implications include the significance of exploring multiple identities in relation to a clearly identified program ...
Echocardiographic examination of the posterior atrioventricular groove

Abnormalities of the posterior atrioventricular (AV) groove may be mischaracterized or overlooked in the course of routine echocardiographic imaging. Vascular abnormalities in this location include plethora of the coronary sinus and ectasia of the circumflex coronary artery. Excess accumulation of calcium (mitral annular calcification) and of fat (lipomatosis of the posterior AV groove) may also occur in this region. Masses (tumors or thrombus) arising from the floor of the left atrium or extrinsic to it (hiatal hernia, lymph nodes) may occupy the posterior AV groove. Abnormalities of the left ventricle, including aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms may present as masses in the posterior AV groove. This article discusses the echocardiographic features, differential diagnosis, and clinical significance of these abnormalities.
Dicer-related helicase 3 forms an obligate dimer for recognizing 22G-RNA

Dicer is a specialized nuclease that produces RNA molecules of specific lengths for use in gene silencing pathways. Dicer relies on the correct measurement of RNA target duplexes to generate products of specific lengths. It is thought that Dicer uses its multidomain architecture to calibrate RNA product length. However, this measurement model is derived from structural information from a protozoan Dicer, and does not account for the helicase domain present in higher organisms. The Caenorhabditis elegans Dicer-related helicase 3 (DRH-3) is an ortholog of the Dicer and RIG-I family of double-strand RNA activated ATPases essential for secondary siRNA production. We find that DRH-3 specifies 22 bp RNAs by dimerization of the helicase domain, a process mediated by ATPase activity and the N-terminal domain. This mechanism for RNA length discrimination by a Dicer family protein suggests an alternative model for RNA length measurement by Dicer, with implications for recognition of siRNA and miRNA targets.
Robust Fisher Discriminant Analysis

Fisher linear discriminant analysis (LDA) can be sensitive to the problem data. Robust Fisher LDA can systematically alleviate the sensitivity problem by explicitly incorporating a model of data uncertainty in a classification problem and optimizing for the worst-case scenario under this model. The main contribution of this paper is show that with general convex uncertainty models on the problem data, robust Fisher LDA can be carried out using convex optimization. For a certain type of product form uncertainty model, robust Fisher LDA can be carried out at a cost comparable to standard Fisher LDA. The method is demonstrated with some numerical examples. Finally, we show how to extend these results to robust kernel Fisher discriminant analysis, i.e., robust Fisher LDA in a high dimensional feature space.
Programming with VisualAge for Java

Note: Includes glossary and index Reference Record created on 2004-09-07, modified on 2011-09-01
Pain Management in Sickle Cell Disease: Palliative Care Begins at Birth?

People with sickle cell disease (SCD) are living longer, but their lives are impacted even more by the unpredictable intermittent or constant pain that is often poorly managed over a lifetime. To address this problem, an interdisciplinary team approach is needed that brings the medical professionals together for optimal compassionate care that is coordinated from the beginning of life and throughout the patient's lifespan.The hematologist, whenever possible, should take the lead. Effective models that have been developed to address SCD pain, such as the Day Hospital, The Recidivism Project and various Home Care models, need to be integrated into an overarching plan on a continuum with an underpinning philosophy that will sustain such a program. While the focus of palliative care has been end of life, its philosophies fit the chronic disease model and support an integrated team approach to the SCD pain management dilemma. The patient-focused and family-oriented interventions can be modeled to fit "any place, any time," outpatient, inpatient or the home, with homecare and other support systems. Such are the needs in SCD: appropriate, timely and compassionate care to prevent or relieve suffering and to preserve dignity, meaning, value and quality of life with improvement that is translational from birth until the end of life.
Denaturant Induced Expansion and Compaction of a Multi-Domain Protein: IgG

Abstract It is generally believed that unfolded or denatured proteins show random-coil statistics and hence their radius of gyration simply scales with solvent quality (or concentration of denaturant). Indeed, nearly all proteins studied thus far have been shown to undergo a gradual and continuous expansion with increasing concentration of denaturant. Here, we use fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) to show that while protein A, a multi-domain and predominantly helical protein, expands gradually and continuously with increasing concentration of guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl), the F(ab′)2 fragment of goat anti-rabbit antibody IgG, a multi-subunit all β-sheet protein does not show such continuous expansion behavior. Instead, it first expands and then contracts with increasing concentration of GdnHCl. Even more striking is the fact that the hydrodynamic radius of the most expanded F(ab′)2 ensemble, observed at 3–4 M GdnHCl, is ∼ 3.6 times that of the native protein. Further FCS measurements involving urea and NaCl show that the unusually expanded F(ab′)2 conformations might be due to electrostatic repulsions. Taken together, these results suggest that specific interactions need to be considered while assessing the conformational and statistical properties of unfolded proteins, particularly under conditions of low solvent quality.
The morphology of intracellularly labeled rat subthalamic neurons: a light microscopic analysis.

Light microscopic analysis of rat subthalamic (STH) neurons which were intracellularly labeled with horseradish peroxidase, following the acquisition of electrophysiological data, revealed the following: (1) The somata of STH neurons were polygonal or oval with occasionally a few somatic spines. Uusally three or four primary dendrites arose from the soma. Dendritic trunks tapered slightly and divided into long, thin, sparsely spined branches. Dendrites of some STH neurons extended into the cerebral peduncle. (2) Reconstruction of the dendritic field was made in three different planes. In either sagittal or frontal planes, the dendritic field was usually oval and the long axis was parallel to the main axis of STH. In the horizontal plane, the dendritic field of all neurons was polygonal. (3) The axons of all the neurons analyzed originated from the soma and were traced beyond the borders of STH, thus indicating that they were projection neurons. All the parent axons bifurcated at least once. After bifurcation, one axon branch coursed dorsolaterally within the cerebral peduncle and terminated in the globus pallidus. The other branch coursed caudally or mediocaudally and arborized in the substantia nigra. Frequently, the axon branches projecting toward the globus pallidus emitted fine axon collaterals within the entope-duncular nucleus. (4) About one-half of the analyzed STH neurons had intranuclear axon collaterals. The neurons with intranuclear collaterals had a higher dendritic tips/stems ratio than neurons without intranuclear collaterals. This observation indicated that STH neurons could be divided into two groups according to their axonal morphology. (5) The axonal terminal arborization observed in all the target sites (i.e., globus pallidus, entopeduncular nucleus, STH, and substantia nigra) were formed with varicose collateral branches which also gave rise to short filaments with beaded endings. Some of these projection neurons could therefore communicate with the target neurons in the globus pallidus, substantia nigra, entopeduncular nucleus, as well as STH through their collateral system.
Invasive Insect Abundance Varies Across The Biogeographic Distribution Of A Native Host Plant

Studies of biogeographic variation in species abundances are fundamental to understanding and predicting the impacts of invasive exotic species. We quantified the abundance of the introduced and now invasive biocontrol weevil, Rhinocyllus conicus ,o n a newly adopted native host plant, Cirsium canescens (Platte thistle), across the plant's distributional range. We used regression and structural equation analyses to examine variation in weevil abundance at 92-108 sites over three years in relation to variation in abiotic and biotic parameters hypothesized to be important in insect or plant dynamics and distribution. We found that R. conicus now occurs throughout the majority of the range of C. canescens, even in the center of the native plant's distribution where its coevolved, targeted weed host (Carduus nutans, musk thistle) is absent. In fact, weevil densities were greater in the center of the native plant's distribution in the Sand Hills formation than in peripheral sand patches closer to areas where the targeted exotic thistle is common. None of the macroclimatic variables examined were consistent predictors of the large-scale variation in weevil abundance on C. canescens. In addition to biogeographic position, the only other consistent predictor of weevil densities across sites was the number of flower heads per C. canescens plant. These results exclude the ''spillover'' hypothesis to explain nontarget feeding on this newly adopted native host species. Instead, the results are consistent with the alternative hypothesis that exotic weevil abundance on C. canescens is related to the local availability of native floral resources. Because C. canescens densities have declined with increases in R. conicus at sites central in the plant's distribution, these results suggest that isolated, peripheral populations of C. canescens are likely to be critical for persistence of Platte thistle. More generally, this study suggests that the persistence of a native species that is impacted by an exotic natural enemy may require preservation of populations in habitats outside the optimal portion of the native species' distribution.
Vaccinia Virus Infection during Murine Pregnancy: a New Pathogenesis Model for Vaccinia Fetalis

Vaccinia fetalis, the vertical transfer of vaccinia virus from mother to fetus, is a relatively rare but often fatal complication of primary vaccinia virus vaccination during pregnancy. To date there has been no attempt to develop an animal model to study the pathogenesis of this acute viral infection in vivo. Here we report that infection of gestating BALB/c mice by either intravenous or intraperitoneal routes with the Western Reserve strain of vaccinia virus results in the rapid colonization of the placenta and vertical transfer of virus to the developing fetus. Systemic maternal infections during gestation lead to the death of all offspring prior to or very shortly after birth. Using in situ hybridization for vaccinia virus mRNA to identify infected cells, we show that the virus initially colonizes cells lining maternal lacunae within the trophospongium layer of the placenta. The study of this model will significantly enhance our understanding of the pathogenesis of fetal vaccinia virus infections and aid in the development of effective treatments designed to reduce the risk of vaccinia virus-associated complications during pregnancy.
Log spectra enhancement using speaker dependent priors for speaker verification

We present a variational Bayesian algorithm that enhances the log spectra of noisy speech using speaker dependent priors. This algorithm extends prior work by Frey et al. where the Algonquin algorithm was introduced to enhance speech log spectra in order to improve speech recognition in noisy environments. Our work is built on the intuition that speaker dependent priors would work better than priors that attempt to capture global speech properties. Experimental results using the TIMIT data set and the NIST 2004 speaker recognition evaluation (SRE) data are presented to demonstrate the algorithm's performance.
Pregnancy-Related Venous Thromboembolism

Pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), with a reported incidence ranging from 0.49 to 2 events per 1000 deliveries. Risk factors include advanced maternal age, obesity, smoking, and cesarian section. Women with a history of previous VTE are at a 4-fold higher risk of recurrent thromboembolic events during subsequent pregnancies. Additionally, the presence of concomitant thrombophilia, particularly factor V Leiden (homozygosity), prothrombin gene mutation (homozygosity), or antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), increases the risk of pregnancy-related VTE. Low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) and unfractionated heparin (UFH) are the drugs of choice for anticoagulation during pregnancy. LMWH is preferred due to ease of use and lower rates of adverse events. Women with high thromboembolic risk particularly those with a family history of VTE should receive antepartum thromboprophylaxis. Women with low thromboembolic risk or previous VTE caused by a transient risk factor (ie, provoked), who have no family history of VTE, may undergo antepartum surveillance. Postpartum anticoagulation can be considered in women with both high and low thromboembolic risk.
The treatment of thyroid carcinoma with radioactive iodine

Radioiodine (131I) treatment of well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma is a well-evaluated therapeutic model for nuclear medicine which has never been equaled by subsequent developments. It is still a unique method of treating cancer. The treatment of thyroid cancer begins with a systematic approach to the most common first symptom or sign; a neck mass. Data have accumulated to show that well-differentiated thyroid cancer does kill commonly enough to warrant aggressive treatment, even in young individuals. There is also evidence that the more complete the thyroidectomy, the lower the death and recurrence rate of the thyroid cancer, and the more effective the use of 131I in both detecting and treating metastases. There are now considerable data demonstrating that 131I after surgery decreases both the recurrence rate and death rate from well-differentiated thyroid cancer. After uptake is "ablated", there is a 1%--2% recurrence rate in patients with the most extensive disease at the time of the initial treatment. This recurrence is effectively retreated with another dose of 131I. Surgery and 131I should be used as long as they are effective before resorting to teletherapy. There are now considerable data to show that the morbidity of surgical and 131I treatment is reasonable in contrast to the recurrence and death rate from nonaggressively treated well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Serious consideration should be given to using a low iodine diet before treatment with radioiodine.
On the Pathway to Success: Defining Subtypes of Gliomas for Better Treatment Selection and Refining the Meaning of Success

The treatment for most patients with primary brain tumors remains inadequate. Despite an overwhelming increase in our knowledge of the molecular and genomic changes in these cancers, translation of these findings to effective therapies remains the exception. As evidenced by the series of articles in this issue, the incorporation of molecular signatures and patient-reported outcome measures into clinical trials is becoming increasingly successful. These efforts recently yielded a treatment-determining predictive marker, but challenges remain in optimizing marker-based patient selection and systematic implementation of patient-reported outcomes to maximize the risk-to-benefit assessment, thereby achieving individualized treatment.
Anatomy of Anatomy , by Meryl Levin. New York: Third Rail Press, 2000. 133 pp.

Camaraderie is what I remember most about my anatomy course in medical school. There were six of us to the cadaver; six strangers who, during the course of endless hours of dissection and study, formed unique bonds. As time went on, we developed closer friendships with others, but none of these included that special sense of having been together at the beginning. We named our cadaver Ernest so we could kid about telling our parents that we were working in dead earnest. I can still visualize the man's sharp, rough face, gray and emaciated. I see his ravaged black lungs. As I write this review, the trenchant odor of formaldehyde reaches out from 36 years in the past and makes my eyes water. Nowadays, I could no more list the skull's foramina than I could speak Sanskrit, but I haven't forgotten most of the lessons that Ernest taught me.
Impact of the Native Water Lily Leaf Beetle, Galerucella nymphaeae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Attacking Introduced Water Chestnut, Trapa natans, in the Northeastern United States

Water chestnut (Trapa natans) is an annual soating aquatic plant native to Asia but invasive throughout northeastern North America. Information about the range of T. natans in Asia suggests that the plant has not reached its potential range in North America. We studied whether herbivory by the water lily leaf beetle, Galerucella nymphaeae, which has adopted T. natans as a new host in North America, can contribute to reductions in plant performance. We released 0, 10, 20, and 50G. nymphaeae Þrst-instar larvae on developingT.natans rosettes and measured larval survival, larval development time, plant growth, plant biomass, and reproductive output. The larval densities we chose in our experiment represent the range of densities we frequently observe in the Þeld, with the highest density exceeding Þeld attack rates. Larval mortality was particularly high for Þrst instars (50% within 1 wk) and not associated with treatment or lack of food. Overall, larval survival was extremely low, with survival rates of 5.1% in the highest (50 larvae) to 11.3% in the lowest (10 larvae) herbivore treatment after 4 wk. We found no signiÞcant differences among plants exposed to different herbivore treatments for the number of leaves, rosette diameter, biomass, or reproductive output. In central New York, it seems thatG. nymphaeae has no impact on water chestnut performance at the herbivore levels we see in the Þeld and chose in our experiments. Water chestnut is a poor (but abundant) food plant forG.nymphaeae in the northeastern United States, but it is unlikely that the leaf beetle can contribute to local or regional control of water chestnut or reduce its spread.
DIET AND PREPARATION FOR SPRING MIGRATION IN CAPTIVE HERMIT THRUSHES (CATHARUS GUTTATUS)

Abstract Seasonal changes in food choice by migratory birds often reflect changes in relative food abundance and increased energetic demand. Hermit Thrushes (Catharus guttatus) in southeastern Louisiana are highly frugivorous during winter but forage exclusively on arthropods just prior to spring migration. We hypothesized that this switch to an exclusively arthropod diet would lead to an increase in fat reserves compared to a frugivorous diet, and that fat birds would initiate migration sooner and display more migratory activity than lean birds. We tested these hypotheses on captive Hermit Thrushes maintained on either an arthropod only diet or a mixed fruit and arthropod diet and measured changes in fat score, body mass, and nocturnal migratory activity (Zugunruhe) from February to April 2000. We found that the arthropod-only treatment led to greater body mass and greater amounts of subcutaneous fat than the mixed fruit and arthropod treatment by the third week of the experiment. Despite those differenc...
A Model of Leaders’ Social Intelligence, Interpersonal Justice, and Creative Performance

The present study was designed to test a structural equations model of supervisors’ social intelligence (SI), interpersonal justice (IJ), and creative performance (CP). Data on SI, IJ, and CP were collected with questionnaires from a collegiate sample of 351 dyads of employed undergraduate business students at a southern university and their colleagues who had the same supervisor. The questionnaires required an observer (subordinate A) to indicate to what extent their supervisor displayed SI and their perceptions of IJ and another observer (subordinate B) to estimate their supervisor’s CP. Data analyses with LISREL provided full support for the model which suggests that socially intelligent supervisors positively contribute to IJ which enhances their own CP. Implications for management, directions for future research, and limitations of the study are discussed.
Teaching Patient- and Family-Centered Care: Integrating Shared Humanity into Medical Education Curricula.

The University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) implemented a major curriculum revision to incorporate patient- and family-centered care concepts.
Decisions Regarding Accelerated Partial-Breast Irradiation in a Population-Based Sample of Early-Stage Breast Cancer Patients

Results: A total of 53,431 articles were screened, with consensus from both investigators on the articles included. In total, 10 clinical studies met inclusion criteria, with 268 patients treated by ablative therapies for MBC. Fourteen patients were treated with metastasectomy, 82 with radioembolization with Yttrium-labelled microspheres, 48 with radiofrequency ablation, 89 with SRS/SBRT, and 35 with a combination of SRS/SBRT and metastasectomy. Median OS was 28 months (range 8.2-60) amongst the reported studies. In 2 studies, median OS was not reached. PFS was poorly reported, but varied from 26% to 80% at 4-5-years. Initial analysis demonstrated improved PFS and OS in patients with limited metastatic lesions, disease confined to a single organ, and management with localized therapies as opposed to systemic treatment alone. Conclusion: MBC patients treated with ablative therapies represent a heterogeneous population that can benefit from long term PFS and OS when presenting with limited disease burden. The best predictors of PFS and OS were the number of metastatic lesions and single organ involvement, encouraging the consideration of these variables in future studies. Comparison of survival estimates versus trials using systemic therapy alone is warranted in order to determine the minimal clinically important differences for future randomized trial design. Author Disclosure: M.J. Kucharczyk: None. A. Swaminath: None.
Breaking out of surveillance silos: integrative geospatial data collection for child injury risk and active school transport

The preponderance of active school transport (AST) and child injury research has occurred independently, yet they are inherently related. This is particularly true in urban areas where the environmental context of AST may pose risks to safety. However, it can be difficult to make these connections due to the often segregated nature in which these veins of research operate. Spatial video presents a geospatial approach for simultaneous data collection related to both issues. This article reports on a multi-sector pilot project among researchers, a children's hospital, and a police department, using spatial video to map child AST behaviors; a geographic information system (GIS) is used to analyze these data in the environmental context of child pedestrian injury and community violence.
The 'New' ECOWAS: Implications for the Study of Regional Integration in Africa

Whereas aspects of the old forms and structures of regional interactions remain important in regional politics in West Africa, evidence points to the emergence of a “new West Africa.” Using the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as a metaphor for articulating the forces transforming the regional landscape for the past three decades, the paper maps the contours of the governance framework for a “new regionalism” that is being co-constructed by multiple-actor, cross-border coalitions of states, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, as well as indigenous business coalitions and multinational firms. The role (as well as the limits) of the private authority of firms and business associations in shaping the changing landscape is highlighted as a lacuna in the huge literature on regional integration in Africa that is over-due for serious scholarly attention. In line with the ambitions of the volume (in which this article is published) as a companion to the study of regionalism, the paper also explores the lessons of the West African experience of indigenous private-sector driven “new regionalism” for comparative regionalism studies and for international relations (IR) scholarship in general.
The Epidemiology and Control of Swine Parasites: Immunity and Vaccines

This article discusses the status of two experimental swine helminthic vaccines and how further knowledge of parasite biochemistry and swine immunology and the application of techniques of modern biotechnology may affect their future development.
Inversion of regional gravity gradient data over the Vredefort Impact Structure, South Africa

We present the results for 3D inversion of gravity gradiometry data over the Vredefort Impact Structure in South Africa. With the rapidly growing field of gravity gradiometry, an investigation into the extraction of information from multiple components is warranted. Though the gradient tensor has five independent components, any combination of the components can be used to invert for a structural representation of the subsurface. In an effort to understand how differing component combinations contribute to the resolution of the model, we use two measured and one calculated gravity gradient component from the Falcon system for inversion. This inquiry focuses on regional geologic features in the context of inversion with select gravity gradient components over the Vredefort impact structure in South Africa.
Symmetry Breaking in an Edgeless Epithelium by Fat2-Regulated Microtubule Polarity.

Planar cell polarity (PCP) information is a critical determinant of organ morphogenesis. While PCP in bounded epithelial sheets is increasingly well understood, how PCP is organized in tubular and acinar tissues is not. Drosophila egg chambers (follicles) are an acinus-like "edgeless epithelium" and exhibit a continuous, circumferential PCP that does not depend on pathways active in bounded epithelia; this follicle PCP directs formation of an ellipsoid rather than a spherical egg. Here, we apply an imaging algorithm to "unroll" the entire 3D tissue surface and comprehensively analyze PCP onset. This approach traces chiral symmetry breaking to plus-end polarity of microtubules in the germarium, well before follicles form and rotate. PCP germarial microtubules provide chiral information that predicts the direction of whole-tissue rotation as soon as independent follicles form. Concordant microtubule polarity, but not microtubule alignment, requires the atypical cadherin Fat2, which acts at an early stage to translate plus-end bias into coordinated actin-mediated collective cell migration. Because microtubules are not required for PCP or migration after follicle rotation initiates, while dynamic actin and extracellular matrix are, polarized microtubules lie at the beginning of a handoff mechanism that passes early chiral PCP of the cytoskeleton to a supracellular planar polarized extracellular matrix and elongates the organ.