cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Teaching with the Beauty and Joy of Computing AP CSP and More

The Beauty and Joy of Computing (BJC) is a CS Principles (CSP) course created at UC Berkeley to reach high school and university non-majors in computer science. It was chosen for the CSP pilot and endorsed by the College Board as an AP CSP curriculum and PD provider since the first AP CSP exam sitting in 2017. In this workshop, we will provide an overview of the BJC curriculum including course materials, teacher resources, and an introduction to Snap!, the chosen visual programming language of BJC. We will not only cover curriculum updates, Snap! updates, BJC for middle school, BJC in other languages, but also dive into labs with hands-on programming. Some of our experienced BJC Lead Teachers will provide support and answer questions based on personal classroom experience. This workshop is intended to be an introduction and update to the Beauty and Joy of Computing curriculum (bjc.edc.org) and community. This is not intended to be an in-depth experience, but an overview. Note: It is recommended to use least a Chromebook during the workshop in order to achieve the learning outcomes. Also, having Multiple/dual monitors will make for a better experience.
Stereotypes of nihilists are overwhelmingly negative

Existential nihilism is on the rise in modern societies, but no previous work has investigated the social psychology of seeing no meaning in life. In the current research, five studies (N = 1,634) ...
Economic inequality and socioeconomic ranking inform attitudes toward redistribution

Abstract Economic inequality in the United States has reached historic highs. Although one may intuit that rising inequality would predict increased support for inequality-reduction strategies, the relationship between economic inequality and attitudes toward redistribution remains unclear. The current research sought to better understand the impacts of economic inequality and socioeconomic rank on attitudes toward redistribution. Importantly, this research uses experimental methods to disentangle the effect of one's socioeconomic rank from the level of inequality in the system. Across three experiments, we found causal evidence suggesting that both economic inequality and socioeconomic rank uniquely influenced overall support for redistributive policies. Moreover, we investigated psychological mechanisms for these effects, finding evidence that beliefs about the fairness of inequality and redistribution mediated the relationship between inequality and support for redistribution, while perceived deservingness and beliefs that inequality is fair mediated the relationship between socioeconomic ranking and support for redistribution.
Soybean Yield Formation Physiology – A Foundation for Precision Breeding Based Improvement

The continued improvement of crop yield is a fundamental driver in agriculture and is the goal of both plant breeders and researchers. Plant breeders have been remarkably successful in improving crop yield, as demonstrated by the continued release of varieties with improved yield potential. This has largely been accomplished through performance-based selection, without specific knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underpinning these improvements. Insight into molecular mechanisms has been provided by plant molecular, genetic, and biochemical research through elucidation of the function of genes and pathways that underlie many of the physiological processes that contribute to yield potential. Despite this knowledge, the impact of most genes and pathways on yield components have not been tested in key crops or in a field environment for yield assessment. This gap is difficult to bridge, but field-based physiological knowledge offers a starting point for leveraging molecular targets to successfully apply precision breeding technologies such as genome editing. A better understanding of both the molecular mechanisms underlying crop yield physiology and yield limiting processes under field environments is essential for elucidating which combinations of favorable alleles are required for yield improvement. Consequently, one goal in plant biology should be to more fully integrate crop physiology, breeding, genetics, and molecular knowledge to identify impactful precision breeding targets for relevant yield traits. The foundation for this is an understanding of yield formation physiology. Here, using soybean as an example, we provide a top-down review of yield physiology, starting with the fact that yield is derived from a population of plants growing together in a community. We review yield and yield-related components to provide a basic overview of yield physiology, synthesizing these concepts to highlight how such knowledge can be leveraged for soybean improvement. Using genome editing as an example, we discuss why multiple disciplines must be brought together to fully utilize the promise of precision breeding-based crop improvement.
Viruses of the acute communicable diseases.

THE GROUP of acute and extremely common communicable virus infections has been greatly enlarged in recent years since the recognition of the Coxsackie and ECHO viruses. The clinical manifestations of infections with this large group of agents are gradually being sorted out, and include aseptic meningitis, pleurodynia, herpangina, diarrhea, various minor illnesses and a variety of exanthems. The observation that several of them produce diseases with rash has greatly complicated the diagnostic problems of the pediatrician. This group of illnesses is of great interest and importance, but will not be discussed here. Rather, the scope of this presentation will be limited to three infections, namely, measles (rubeola), rubella, and those due to the viruses of varicella and herpes zoster. The purpose is to review briefly the present status of our knowledge concerning them and to point out some of the problems yet to be solved. No attempt will be made at exhaustive coverage. MEASLES Experimental Considerations As the result of the work of Enders and his associates, it is now possible to study the virus of measles in the laboratory, and control of this disease by active immunization would appear to be a real possibility within the near future. From the historic point of view measles has been the subject of a great deal of attention from the clinician, epidemiologist and virologist. The early workers, such as Anderson and Goldberger in 1911, Blake and Trask in 1921, and others at about the same time, were able to produce measles in monkeys by inoculating them with blood and other materials from patients.
Case 21: Occluded Reinforced (Armored) Endotracheal Tube

An 8-year-old boy is presented for a major ear, nose, and throat (ENT) procedure. A reinforced endotracheal tube (ETT) (Mallinckrodt, St. Louis, MO) is used to secure the airway after induction of general anesthesia. Normally, these tubes are removed at the end of the procedure once the tracheostomy has been performed. In this case, however, due to surgical reasons, a tracheostomy is not done, and the patient is taken to the intensive care unit (ICU) with the reinforced ETT in place. You decide to leave the ETT in the trachea and to ventilate the child mechanically overnight because he exhibits marked head and neck edema after 10 h of surgery. The possibility of potential severe laryngeal edema makes you decide not to change the reinforced ETT with a standard ETT over a tube changer. The next morning, on awakening from the sedation, the patient bites down vigorously on the reinforced ETT. Due to the nature of the reinforced ETT, the lumen becomes completely occluded and will not re-expand. The patient cannot breathe nor can the lungs be ventilated. This results in oxygen desaturation to 80 %. Cyanosis becomes evident. The jaw can easily be opened.
Estrogen storage in fat.

Abstract When 14 C-labeled estradiol is injected intravenously into obese women, unconjugated labeled estrogens will be found in their body fat, the amount roughly proportional to the weight of the fat. The half-life of these stored hormones is about 10 hours. Rabbits implanted with pellets of estradiol occasionally develop carcinoma of the endometrium (4 of 20 in 219 to 597 days), but this continuous type of stimulation seems no more effective than intermittent injections as used by Meissner, Sommers, and Sherman. 11 CBA mice made obese by injection of gold thioglucose go into constant estrus and show hypertrophied uteri. They do not stay in estrus any longer, however, than do normal controls following castration. Obese Vob mice show no evidence of chronic estrogenic stimulation. Pregnant women at term have no evidence of stored estrone, estradiol, or estriol in their body fat. The level of these hormones appear to be somewhat less gram for gram than those found in their serum. Our observations suggest that obesity is a concomitant phenomenon and not a cause of cancer of the endometrium.
Near-Real-Time Hybrid System Identification Framework for Civil Structures with Application to Burj Khalifa

AbstractThis study proposes a near-real-time hybrid framework for system identification (SI) of structures using data from structural health monitoring systems. To account for both stationary/weakly nonstationary response under normal conditions (e.g., extratropical winds and/or ambient excitations) and transient/highly nonstationary response under transient events (e.g., earthquakes, windstorms, or time-varying traffic loadings), a hybrid framework is introduced by integrating a new nonstationary SI scheme based on wavelets in tandem with transformed singular value decomposition, and a robust stationary SI scheme called covariance-driven stochastic subspace identification. Extensive numerical simulations as well as analysis of full-scale data are conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the scheme. To facilitate expeditious and convenient utilization of this framework in a practical application, a web-enabled approach and its workflow concerning measurements of the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, ar...
Picosecond-Pulse Damage Studies of Diffraction Gratings

Diffraction gratings are frequently used in dye-laser cavities as wavelength-tuning elements. These gratings often limit the maximum laser output energy because of their low damage thresholds. We have measured the damage characteristics of both ruled and holographically produced gratings, under a variety of conditions. Using the single-shot-per-site mode, the samples were irradiated by 30-ps, 1.064-..mu..m pulses having a spot size of 0.5-mm radius. It was found that holographic gratings have damage thresholds from 1.5 to 5.0 times higher than similar ruled gratings. Thresholds for S-polarized light (E parallel to grooves) were higher by factors of 1.5 to 6. For the same type grating, gold coatings yielded higher threshold than aluminum, although this is wavelength dependent. For holographic gratings, replicas have slightly higher thresholds than masters. Dependence upon groove spacing was weak. Data are presented to show a variety of comparisons between different types of gratings, including two different manufacturers and usage at higher orders of incidence.
Inspection of Metal Plate-Connected Wood Trusses in Residential Construction

AbstractThe engineered nature of metal plate–connected wood trusses may not be well understood by installers and other trade professionals, which can result in installation errors. Truss manufacturing, handling, and installation specifications are included in national design standards and truss misinstallation is therefore a code violation. Through use of the Delphi method, an expert-validated inspection methodology was developed by interviewing code officials, home inspectors, and truss manufacturers. The results included (1) identification of truss installation errors most likely to occur, (2) best practices for inspection methods, (3) determination of authoritative documentation, and (4) validation of the research methods. The inspection should begin at the top of the structure and move in a circular, systematic pattern downward through each level, and should concentrate on the identified high-risk aspects of truss installation. Installation problems include the following: broken or cut webs and chords...
Neuropsychological correlates of forgiveness

A recent study of individuals with traumatic brain injury suggests that forgiveness is a neurologically based function related to decreased self-orientation associated with decreased right parietal lobe (RPL) functioning. The current study attempted to replicate these results using 23 individuals with diagnosed seizure disorders. Neuropsychological tests of bilateral frontal, temporal, and parietal lobe functioning were used as indices of cerebral integrity and correlated with a self-report measure of forgiveness. Results indicated that frontal lobe and RPL functions were significantly and negatively correlated with forgiveness. A forward linear regression indicated that only RPL functions predict unique variance in forgiveness. The results support a neuropsychological model of forgiveness that suggests it is related to: (1) decreased self-orientation associated with decreased RPL function, which is experienced as a decreased focus on the perceived wrong to the self; and (2) decreased attention associated...
Crepuscular Mating Aggregations in Certain Ormia and Sitophaga

The tachinid species Ormia dominicana , Ormia lineifrons , and Sitophaga aurigera were observed to aggregate atop 2 towers in central Florida shortly after sunset. The activity period for each species was brief, and that of O. dominicana was temporally separated from that of S. aurigera . Aggregations occasionally exceeded 100 individuals of a species and were predominantly composed of males. Although no matings were seen, it is presumed that this behavior facilitates mating. The behavior of these flies was typical of insects at a waiting station. Eucelatoria rubentis and the anthomyiids Pegomyia affinis and Pegomyia gopheri were occasionally collected from the towers.
A low-energy crossed-beam study of the hydride abstraction and charge transfer reactions of C+ with CH3OH

Abstract We present a study of the hydride abstraction and charge transfer reactions of C+ with CH3OH in the relative energy range from 1.2 to 2.8 eV. Both reaction processes are direct in this collision energy range. The charge transfer reaction proceeds through large impact parameter collisions; the kinetic energy distributions indicate that the final product vibrational states are energy resonant with the recombination energy of the carbon cation. The hydride abstraction channel is a stripping reaction in which the product kinetic energy distributions have an unusual Gaussian shape, suggestive of the projection of the ground vibrational state wavefunction for the breaking C-H bond onto the continuum wavefunction associated with separation of the nascent products.
Chronic ear surgery in irradiated temporal bones.

Objective: To analyze outcomes of chronic ear surgery in patients with irradiated temporal bones. Study Design: Retrospective case review. Methods: Fifteen patients who received radiation involving the temporal bone underwent 21 surgical procedures from 1977 to 1997. Intraoperative findings, long-term complications, and hearing outcomes were analyzed. Results: Over 50% of cases involved abnormal intraoperative findings including facial nerve dehiscence, labyrinthine fistulas, or dural exposure. Audiologic data revealed that these patients suffered from conductive, mixed, and sensorineural hearing loss. Long-term complications included tympanic membrane perforation and recurrent cholesteatoma. All patients had dry, non-draining ears at the end of the study. Conclusions: Irradiated temporal bones present difficult intraoperative anatomy and often require multiple procedures to cure otologic disease. Although radiation significantly reduces vascularity and hampers healing, vascularized reconstruction flaps are not necessary for good outcomes.
Kisspeptin activation of TRPC4 channels in female GnRH neurons requires PIP2 depletion and cSrc kinase activation.

Kisspeptin signaling via its Gαq-coupled receptor GPR54 plays a crucial role in modulating GnRH neuronal excitability, which controls pituitary gonadotropins secretion and ultimately reproduction. Kisspeptin potently depolarizes GnRH neurons primarily through the activation of canonical transient receptor potential (TRPC) channels, but the intracellular signaling cascade has not been elucidated. Presently, we have established that kisspeptin activation of TRPC channels requires multiple membrane and intracellular signaling molecules. First, phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) hydrolysis by phospholipase Cβ is required because whole-cell dialysis of Dioctanoylglycerol-PIP2 (DiC8-PIP2) inhibited the kisspeptin activation of TRPC channels, and the phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase inhibitor wortmannin, which attenuates PIP2 synthesis, prolonged TRPC channel activation. Using single cell RT-PCR, we identified that the mRNA for the PIP2-interacting TRPC channel subunit, TRPC4α, is expressed in GnRH neuron...
67-kDa laminin receptor promotes internalization of cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1-expressing Escherichia coli K1 into human brain microvascular endothelial cells.

Escherichia coli K1 is the most common Gram-negative organism causing meningitis, and its invasion of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC) is a prerequisite for penetration into the central nervous system. We have reported previously that cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 (CNF1) contributes to E. coli K1 invasion of HBMEC and interacts with 37-kDa laminin receptor precursor (37LRP) of HBMEC, which is a precursor of 67-kDa laminin receptor (67LR). In the present study, we examined the role of 67LR in the CNF1-expressing E. coli K1 invasion of HBMEC. Immunofluorescence microscopy and ligand overlay assays showed that 67LR is present on the HBMEC membrane and interacts with CNF1 protein as well as the CDPGYIGSR laminin peptide. 67LR was up-regulated and clustered at the sites of E. coli K1 on HBMEC in a CNF1-dependent manner. Pretreatment of CNF1+ E. coli K1 with recombinant 37-kDa laminin receptor precursor reduced the invasion rate to the level of Δcnf1 mutant, and the invasion rate of CNF1+ E. coli K1 was enhanced in 67LR-overexpressing HBMEC, indicating 67LR is involved in the CNF1+ E. coli K1 invasion of HBMEC. Coimmunoprecipitation analysis showed that, upon incubation with CNF1+ E. coli K1 but not with Δcnf1 mutant, focal adhesion kinase and paxillin were recruited and associated with 67LR. When immobilized onto polystyrene beads, CNF1 was sufficient to induce internalization of coupled beads into HBMEC through interaction with 67LR. Taken together, this is the first demonstration that E. coli K1 invasion of HBMEC occurs through the ligand-receptor (CNF1-67LR) interaction, and 67LR promotes CNF1-expressing E. coli K1 internalization of HBMEC.
On the uniform approximation of Laplace's prior by t-priors in location problems

Abstract The problem of deriving robust and classically acceptable Bayesian inference on location parameters is considered in this paper. The main result of the paper allows one to obtain uniform posterior approximation starting with likelihood functions with heavy tails, e.g., t-distributions with unknown location. The approximations of the relevant Bayes quantities are obtained as Well.
Topographic Mapping of EEG and Evoked Potentials in Psychiatry: Delusions, Illusions, and Realities

This paper reviews the utility of topographic mapping of EEG and evoked potentials in psychiatry. Further, a wide variety of caveats related to this technique are reviewed including cerebral and extracerebral sources of artifact. Moreover, both questionable and legitimate uses of mapping in psychiatry are addressed and possible future applications of this technique are considered. Finally, multidisciplinary approaches to the study of the brain are discussed.
Simulations of Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillations with the Climate Forecast System, version 2, over India and the Western Pacific: Role of Air–Sea Coupling

AbstractIn this study, we examine the characteristics of the boreal summer monsoon intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) using the second version of the Climate Forecast System (CFSv2) and revisit the role of air–sea coupling in BSISO simulations. In particular, simulations of the BSISO in two carefully designed model experiments are compared: a fully coupled run and an uncoupled atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) run with prescribed sea surface temperatures (SSTs). In these experiments an identical AGCM is used, and the daily mean SSTs from the coupled run are prescribed as a boundary condition in the AGCM run. Comparisons indicate that air–sea coupling plays an important role in realistically simulating the BSISO in CFSv2. Compared with the AGCM run, the coupled run not only simulates the spatial distributions of intraseasonal rainfall variations better but also shows more realistic spectral peaks and northward and eastward propagation features of the BSISO over India and the western Pacific. This...
Staying connected: Student teachers' perceptions of computer‐mediated discussions

Abstract This qualitative study examined the perspectives of 4 student teachers who used computer‐mediated discussion (CMD) during their school‐based field practicum. Five types of data were collected for this study: interviews, focus group transcripts, concept maps, e‐mail correspondence, and archived online messages. Analysis of the data suggests that using an online discussion forum can give student teachers professional and personal support and encourage close relationships with peers and can be used as a tool to construct content knowledge about teaching and learn ing. However, 1 participant did not engage freely online and believed CMD unnecessary. This lack of engagement exemplifies limits of using CMD with student teachers. Conclusions focus on the possibilities and limits of using an online discussion forum for supporting student teachers during their school‐based field practicum.
SURFACE PROTEIN ABNORMALITIES IN LYMPHOCYTES AND PLATELETS FROM PATIENTS WITH WISKOTT-ALDRICH SYNDROME

Abstract Lymphocytes from three patients with the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome were subjected to surface radioiodination and their 125 I-labelled surface proteins were analysed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. Autoradiographs demonstrated the absence in all three patients of an 125 I-labelled protein, molecular weight 115 000, that was present in normal individuals. In addition, one patient had an additional labelled protein, molecular weight 135 000, not found in normal individuals. The platelets from one patient were radioiodinated and the 125 I-labelled membrane proteins were analysed. Glycoproteins Ia and Ib were reduced in amount and restricted in heterogeneity while glycoproteins IIb and IIIa were normal. These results suggest that the primary defect in the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome may be abnormalities of (glyco)proteins normally present on the surface of lymphocytes and platelets.
Representation of nonideality in concentrated electrolyte solutions using the Electrolyte NRTL model with concentration-dependent parameters

Abstract The Electrolyte NRTL model proposed by Chen et al. [C.-C. Chen, H.I. Britt, J.F. Boston, L.B. Evans, AIChE Journal 28 (1982) 588–596.] and Chen and Evans [C.-C. Chen, L.B. Evans, AIChE Journal 32 (1986) 444–454.] has been modified to include concentration dependence of interaction parameters in order to enhance the capability of the model in representing the nonideality of concentrated electrolyte solutions. The concentration-dependent interaction parameter is based on the concept that the multi-body effect should be considered in determining the local composition when the electrolyte concentration is high. In this work, a linear concentration dependence is assumed and the activity-coefficient expressions for cations, anions and molecular species are derived from the excess Gibbs energy expression through the thermodynamic relationship. Therefore, the activity-coefficient expressions are consistent and satisfy the Gibbs–Duhem equation. The experimental mean-ionic-activity-coefficients of highly soluble aqueous electrolyte systems have been used to regress the concentration-dependent parameters. The calculated values and experimental data are in excellent agreement. The deviations are usually within experimental uncertainty and significantly smaller than those using the original model. The modified model is completely compatible with the original model because it reduces to the original model when the concentration-dependent term is zero.
Evaluation of acute scrotum pain with testicular scanning

Emergency room physicians frequently are faced with the evaluation of the patient with acute testicular pain. The rapid differentiation between testicular torsion and acute epididymitis is necessary although frequently difficult due to an atypical presentation. We describe four patients with testicular pain in whom testicular scanning provided useful adjunctive information regarding diagnosis. This technique clearly differentiates acute torsion, acute epididymitis, testicular rupture, and missed torsion with absces formation, prompting appropriate therapy in each case. Testicular scanning provides a rapid, noninvasive method to assist in the evaluation of testicular pain.
Social Psychology in a Postmodern Age: A Discipline Without a Subject

This article reconsiders the question of the crisis of social psychology. I argue here that there is a crisis in social psychology but it is not one of a growing separation between the discipline’s psychological and sociological wings. Instead, the crisis is the result of structural transformation and associated cultural shift. It involves the gradual displacement of an earlier concept of the strong, autonomous ego by the postmodern production of the imaginary self. The self in the unfolding era of postmodernism increasingly resembles a composite of commercially produced images rather than a self-directed ego. The displacement of the self-concept by the self-image produced what has been a vaguely apperceived but, as yet, not adequately conceptualized, crisis in social psychology. I conclude with an argument on behalf of a personality and social structure approach to social psychology as the only form of social psychology conceptually able to deal with the real crisis within social psychology, that is, the erosion of the self.
Is Educational Intervention Research on the Decline

The authors examined intervention studies that appeared in 4 educational psychology journals (Cognition & Instruction, Contemporary Educational Psychology, Journal of Educational Psychology, Journal of Experimental Education) and the American Educational Research Journal (AERJ) in 1983 and from 1995 to 2004. The majority of studies included adults (age 18 and older) as participants, administered brief (less than 1 day) interventions, assessed intervention effects immediately following the intervention, and did not report treatment integrity. Most studies included multiple outcome measures and exhibited an increase in effect-size reporting from 4% in 1995 to 61% in 2004. The percentage of total articles based on randomized experiments decreased over the 21-year period in both the educational psychology journals (from 40% in 1983 to 34% in 1995 to 26% in 2004) and AERJ (from 33% to 17% to 4%). Limitations of the study and future research issues are discussed.
Differences in low pH tolerance among strains of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

Survival time of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis Mitchill) at low pH was directly related to size, and inversely related to temperature. Between pH 2.50 and 3.25 an increase in pH by increments of 0.25 each led to a 2–3 fold increase in survival time. At higher pH's (3.25–3.75) elevations in pH by the same increments each produced a 3–5 fold increase. Brook trout tested at pH 3.35 and 3.50 showed maximum survival times in June-August. Members of seven inbred lines of brook trout were tested for acid tolerance; the lines differed markedly providing strong evidence that acid tolerance is hereditary. Tests involving either intercrossed or backcrossed offspring of tolerant or intolerant parentals demonstrated intermediate survival in 12.5% of all experiments and heterosis in 66.7% of the tests. Differences in survival of inbred lines were the most marked at pH 3.25. Exposure for 1 week at pH 3.75 resulted in a 20–25% decrease in survival time of 18 fish tested at pH 2.50 and 3.00. Out of a total of 24 trout (17 g) tested at pH 3.75 two highly tolerant individuals were still alive after 6.1 weeks. Thus it is likely that a strain resistant to a pH below 4.1, the previously recorded lower limit, can be developed by selective breeding.
A spectrometer for inelastic scattering using neutrons from 1 eV to 186 eV

Abstract A Filtered Beam Spectrometer (FBS) has been developed at the spallation neutron source at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. It has been demonstrated that this spectrometer can measure inelastic neutron scattering using neutrons from 1 eV to 186 eV. In the FBS, a filter having a strong and narrow resonance is used to define the energy of neutrons before (or after) scattering and time of flight is used to measure the energy after (or before) scattering. In this paper, the FBS is described and examples of data are given.
Hippocampal synaptic transmission enhanced by low concentrations of nicotine

Nicotine obtained from tobacco can improve learning and memory on various tasks and has been linked to arousal, attention, rapid information processing, working memory, and long-term memories that can cause craving years after someone has stopped smoking. One likely target for these effects is the hippocampus, a centre for learning and memory that has rich cholinergic innervation and dense nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) expression. During Alzheimer's dementia there are fewer nAChRs and the cholinergic inputs to the hippocampus degenerate. However, there is no evidence for fast synaptic transmission mediated by nAChRs in the hippocampus, and their role is not understood. Nicotine is known to act on presynaptic nAChRs within the habenula of chick to enhance glutamatergic transmission; here we report that a similar mechanism operates in the hippocampus. Measurements of intracellular Ca2+ in single mossy-fibre presynaptic terminals indicate that nAChRs containing the alpha7 subunit can mediate a Ca2+ influx that is sufficient to induce vesicular neurotransmitter release. We propose that nicotine from tobacco influences cognition by enhancing synaptic transmission. Conversely, a decreased efficacy of transmission may account for the deficits associated with the loss of cholinergic innervation during Alzheimer's disease.
Chemotherapy of Tuberculosis

Modern creative chemistry has given to modern medicine and surgery man's most valuable weapons with which to combat disease. Only very short intervals of time elapse between the announcements of new compounds. We are all familiar with developments in the sulfonamide group of compounds and have seen the more effective and, at the same time, less toxic derivatives of sulfanilamide replace those previously used. Similarly, we saw (and used) arsphenamine, then witnessed the introduction of neoarsphenami ne and other derivatives of that substance. How eagerly have we watched the work with penicillin—first produced in 1939, lost in the enthusiasm over the sulfonamides, and then rediscovered in the search for something better than the sulfonamides. Today we are on the threshold of an adequate civilian supply of penicillin and this substance is proving to be of utmost value in saving the lives of our fighting men. The time allotted for this discussion will not permit a review of the many attempts, in the past, to control tuberculous disease chemically. However, out of the work with sulfonamide compounds, searching for a substance better than sulfapyradine to combat pneumonia, came another group of compounds referred to as the sulfones. The first compound in this group, namely, diamino diphenyl sulfone, when tested in laboratory animals, demonstrated a striking ability to control the tuberculous disease in these animals. From diamino diphenyl sulfone, referred to as the parent compound, several derivatives were developed and in turn tested in tuberculous guinea pigs. While the parent compound possessed a decided therapeutic effect it was also extremely toxic. The derivatives have been found to be less toxic. Some of the derivatives are somewhat less effective therapeutically and some have shown no ability to control tuberculous disease in animals. Clinical investigations have been carried out and reported in which human tuberculosis was favorably influenced by the administration of promin (P,P'diamino diphenyl sulfone-N,N'dextrose sodium sulfonate). This compound was administered to several groups of patients and recorded observations by Hinshaw and Pfuetze, and others have appeared in the literature.1-2'3
"Tissue need" and limb collateral arterial growth. Skeletal contractile power and perfusion during collateral development in the rat.

Among the factors that might influence collateral arterial growth after arterial occlusion, the capacity to deliver blood flow in relation to metabolic need and work performance are obvious candidates. In this study in rats after superficial femoral artery ligation, we assessed collateral arterial growth (by arteriography), basal and peak limb blood flow during acetylcholine-induced vasodilation (by electronic drop counting), pressure-flow relations, and contractile power of the gastrocnemius muscle (force transduction during sciatic nerve stimulation) at intervals over 3 months after superficial femoral artery ligation. Basal and peak blood flow and muscle contractile power were clearly reduced 1 week after ligation but had returned to normal by 3 weeks. Major collateral arterial growth, however, progressed between 3 weeks and 3 months. The limb perfusion pressure-blood flow relation was still altered at 3 weeks, with blunting of the normal autoregulation, and became more normal by 3 months after superficial femoral artery ligation. Collateral arterial growth continues after blood flow adequate to maintain work performance has been restored and may reflect a response to more subtle abnormalities involving distal pressure delivery, evident in altered pressure-flow relations.
Quantifying Hypoxia Impacts on an Estuarine Demersal Community Using a Hierarchical Ensemble Approach

In coastal marine ecosystems, hypoxia and anoxia are emerging as growing threats whose ecological impacts are difficult to ascertain because of the frequent lack of adequate references for comparison. We applied conventional and hierarchical ensemble analyses to evaluate the weight of evidence in support of hypoxia impacts on local densities of individual and groups of demersal fish and invertebrate species in Hood Canal, WA, which is subject to seasonal hypoxia in its southern reaches. Central to our approach was a sample design and analysis scheme that was designed specifically to consider multiple alternative hypotheses regarding factors that dictate local species’ densities. We anticipated persistent effects of hypoxia (felt even when seasonal hypoxia was absent) on species densities would be most pronounced for sessile species, but that immediate effects (felt only when seasonal hypoxia was present) would dominate for mobile species. Conventional analysis provided strong evidence that densities of sessile species were persistently reduced in the hypoxic-impacted site, but did not indicate widespread immediate density responses during hypoxic events among mobile species. The absence of strong weights of evidence for hypoxia effects was partly a consequence of alternative hypotheses that better explained spatial-temporal variation in species’ densities. The hierarchical ensemble analysis improved the precision of species-specific effect sizes, and also allowed us to make inferences about the response of aggregated groups of species. The estimated mean density reductions during hypoxic events (dissolved oxygen ~2 mg/l) ranged from 73 to 98% among mobile invertebrates, benthic, and benthopelagic fishes. The large reduction in benthic and benthopelagic species suggests substantial effects of hypoxia in Hood Canal even at oxygen levels that were marginally hypoxic. Understanding the full ecological consequence of hypoxia will require a greater knowledge on the spatial extent of distributional shifts and their effects on competitive and predator–prey interactions.
Plasmid pMTL153: a high copy number version of pAT153 and its use to obtain high expression of the Pseudomonas carboxypeptidase G2 gene

High level expression (27% of the cells soluble protein) of the potentially important therapeutic enzyme carboxypeptidase G2 (CPG2) has been achieved by placing the encoding gene under the transcriptional control of the E. coli lac promoter and using a high copy number version of the plasmid pAT153. The high copy number vector, pMTL153, was constructed by replacing the replication region of pAT153 with the equivalent region from pUC8. The resultant 3-fold increase in copy number was due to a previously unreported nucleotide substitution in the RNA I/RNA II region of pUC plasmids. Evidence is also presented that production of β-lactamase from the vector encoded bla gene dramatically reduces the levels of the periplasmically located CPG2 product. Substitution of the vector bla gene with tet (non-periplasmic gene product) resulted in a significant increase in the levels of CPG2 obtained. This finding may be relevant to the expression of other secreted heterologous proteins
Change of Colour in Frogs

AT the commencement of “the rains” (say, beginning of June), in the island of Bombay, after the first showers, when a little water lodges in the depressions of the old-quarry tanks, the frogs issue from the crevices of the trap-rock to spawn, when the ma'es (some of which are 18 inches in length from tip of toe to end of digit) assume a bright mustard-yellow colour, while the females remain brown as usual; and this change of colour takes place so rapidly, and the frogs are so numerous, that, with the falling of the showers, the bottom of the quarry becomes suddenly yellow. I never saw a frog so coloured at any other time, and I witnessed the fact above mentioned for at least two successive seasons in the same old quarry.
Factors associated with poor glycemic control in older Mexican American diabetics aged 75 years and older.

Abstract Objective This study examines the prevalence and correlates of poor glycemic control in Mexican Americans aged 75 years and older with diabetes. Methods Data are from the 5 th wave (2004-05) of the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (H-EPESE). A total of 2,069 Mexican Americans aged 75 and over were interviewed. Six hundred eighty nine subjects (33.5%) reported having been diagnosed with diabetes and 209 (30.3%) subjects agreed to a blood test of their HbA 1 c level. Results Of the 209 diabetic subjects with an HbA 1 c test, 73 (34.9%) had good glycemic control (HbA 1 c 1 c >7%). Bivariate analysis revealed that subjects with poor control had longer disease duration, had lower education, used the glucometer more frequently, and had more diabetes-complications when compared to those in the good glycemic control group. Multivariable logistic regression analysis found the following factors associated with poor glycemic control: Discussion Prevalence of poor glycemic control is very high in this population with very high and rising prevalence of diabetes. Further studies are needed to explore the effect of these and other characteristics on glycemic control among older Mexican Americans and to develop appropriate interventions to improve diabetes outcomes and increase life-expectancy.
Microstructure of Ni3Al ingots containing boron

Abstract The microstructures of nominally stoichiometric ingots of Ni 3 Al with boron contents up to 1.12 at.% were examined in the as-received and in the homogenized states. A second phase was observed in the ingot containing 1.12 at.% boron. The effect of homogenization on this phase is described.
Cell cycle responses of heterogeneous human colon adenocarcinoma subpopulations to X-irradiation.

The cell cycle responses of two exponentially growing subpopulations of cells (clones A and D), originally obtained from a human colon adenocarcinoma to X-irradiation, were studied using centrifugal elutriation. Cell suspensions were separated by changing counter-current flow rate while keeping the rotor speed constant (1600 rpm) and the composition of eluted fractions was determined using flow cytometry. The X-ray sensitivity of unseparated clone D cells was somewhat greater than that of clone A cells (e.g. 10% greater at the 10% level of survival). This difference appeared to be due to a greater value of the alpha parameter (one-hit cell killing), using the linear-quadratic equation in which the relative survival S/S0 = exp - (alpha D + beta D2) with dose (D) in Gy. This finding was confirmed in the cell cycle studies where the alpha parameter was always greater for the clone D cells than for the clone A cells. The beta parameter was essentially the same for both cell lines through the cell cycle.
Inhibition of voltage-dependent sodium channels suppresses the functional magnetic resonance imaging response to forepaw somatosensory activation in the rodent.

Results of recent studies suggest that the glutamate–glutamine neurotransmitter cycle between neurons and astrocytes plays a major role in the generation of the functional imaging signal. In the current study, the authors tested the hypothesis that activation of voltage-dependent Na+ channels is involved in the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) responses during somatosensory activation. The BOLD fMRI and cerebral blood flow (CBF) experiments were performed at 7 Tesla on α-chloralose–anesthetized rats undergoing forepaw stimulation before and for successive times after application of lamotrigine, a neuronal voltage-dependent Na+ channel blocker and glutamate release inhibitor. The BOLD fMRI signal changes in response to forepaw stimulation decreased in a time-dependent manner from 6.7% ± 0.7% before lamotrigine injection to 3.0% ± 2.5% between 60 and 105 minutes after lamotrigine treatment. After lamotrigine treatment, the fractional increase in CBF durin...
Effect of sex steroids on pituitary responses to LH-and FSH-releasing hormone in vitro.

The effects of 17β-estradiol (E), ethinylestradiol (EE), progesterone (P), 5α-dihydroprogesterone (5DHP), 17α-hydroxyprogesterone (17HP), testosterone (T), dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and combinations of P, 5DHP, 17HP with E on the basal release of LH and FSH, as well on the pituitary responses to synthetic LH and FSH-releasing hormone (LH-RH/ FSH-RH), were examined in vitro using isolated rat pituitaries. EE in doses of O.OOO16-O.5 μg/ml suppressed release of LH and FSH in response to LH-RH. E in doses of 0.036-0.08 μg/ml augmented the basal level of LH in the medium and rarely that of FSH, but inhibited the release of FSH in response to LH-RH. Stimulation of LH release induced by LH-RH was not potentiated by the smaller doses of estrogens. E in doses of 0.5-25 μg/ml lowered the basal release of LH and FSH, and inhibited the response to LH-RH, FSH release being much more susceptible to this inhibitory effect than LH release. P in doses of 1.1-10 μg/ml did not affect basal release of LH and FSH and a dose o...
Factors affecting the movement and persistence of nitrate and pesticides in the surficial and upper Floridan aquifers in two agricultural areas in the southeastern United States

Differences in the degree of confinement, redox conditions, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) are the main factors that control the persistence of nitrate and pesticides in the Upper Floridan aquifer (UFA) and overlying surficial aquifer beneath two agricultural areas in the southeastern US. Groundwater samples were collected multiple times from 66 wells during 1993–2007 in a study area in southwestern Georgia (ACFB) and from 48 wells in 1997–98 and 2007–08 in a study area in South Carolina (SANT) as part of the US Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program. In the ACFB study area, where karst features are prevalent, elevated nitrate-N concentrations in the oxic unconfined UFA (median 2.5 mg/L) were significantly (p = 0.03) higher than those in the overlying oxic surficial aquifer (median 1.5 mg/L). Concentrations of atrazine and deethylatrazine (DEA; the most frequently detected pesticide and degradate) were higher in more recent groundwater samples from the ACFB study area than in samples collected prior to 2000. Conversely, in the SANT study area, nitrate-N concentrations in the UFA were mostly <0.06 mg/L, resulting from anoxic conditions and elevated DOC concentrations that favored denitrification. Although most parts of the partially confined UFA in the SANT study area were anoxic or had mixed redox conditions, water from 28 % of the sampled wells was oxic and had low DOC concentrations. Based on the groundwater age information, nitrate concentrations reflect historic fertilizer N usage in both the study areas, but with a lag time of about 15–20 years. Simulated responses to future management scenarios of fertilizer N inputs indicated that elevated nitrate-N concentrations would likely persist in oxic parts of the surficial aquifer and UFA for decades even with substantial decreases in fertilizer N inputs over the next 40 years.
Indexing the great ledger of the community: urban house numbering, city directories, and the production of spatial legibility

Abstract Despite the recent focus on the spatial politics of calculation, few studies have explored the historical geography of house numbering, a spatial practice that has arguably been one of the principal strategies for rationalizing the geographic spaces of everyday life over the course of the last two centuries. This paper provides the beginnings of a critical spatial history of street and house numbering in the gridded cities of the United States since the eighteenth century. City directory publishers were among the leading proponents of numbering houses at a time when many local governments had yet to firmly commit to systematic house numbering as an essential responsibility of the local state. I therefore examine the connection between the publishing of city directories and the development of urban house numbering systems, both of which were integral to the production of spatial legibility and the individualization of the urban population. The notion of viewing the city as a ‘text’ is historicized through a critical analysis of the modernist comparison of urban space to a recordkeeping book. The paper concludes by tracing the institutionalization of house numbering as a practice of spatial governmentality.
Absorption of Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate in Human Connective Tissue Using Iontophoresis

BackgroundIontophoresis ostensibly facilitates the delivery of medications through the skin to underlying tissues using a direct electrical current. Dexamethasone is the most commonly used medication with iontophoresis to treat a variety of connective tissue disorders.HypothesisIontophoresis will facilitate the absorption of dexamethasone into connective tissue compared with diffusion.Study DesignControlled laboratory study.MethodsTwenty-nine adults undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery using the semitendinosus/gracilis autograft were randomly assigned to either a true iontophoresis (TI) or sham iontophoresis (SI). In the TI group, a 40-mA/min dose of iontophoresis using a 0.4% (4 mg/mL) solution of dexamethasone was used targeting the semitendinosus tendon just before surgery. The SI group underwent the same treatment, but the machine was not turned on. Tissue was extracted within 4 hours of treatment and analyzed for dexamethasone. In addition, 2 control samples were sent to the l...