cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neuroactive Steroids Protect Against Pilocarpine- and Kainic Acid-induced Limbic Seizures and Status Epilepticus in Mice

Several structurally related metabolites of progesterone (3α-hydroxy pregnane-20-ones) and deoxycorticosterone (3α-hydroxy pregnane-21-diol-20-ones) and their 3β-epimers were evaluated for protective activity against pilocarpine-, kainic acid- and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced seizures in mice. Steroids with the 3-hydroxy group in the α-position and 5-H in the α- or β-configurations were highly effective in protecting against pilocarpine (416 mg/kg, s.c.)-induced limbic motor seizures and status epilepticus (ED50 values, 7.0–18.7 mg/kg, i.p.). The corresponding epimers with the 3-hydroxy group in the β-position were also effective but less potent (ED50 values, 33.8-63.5, i.p.). Although the neuroactive steroids were considerably less potent than the benzodiazepine clonazepam in protecting against pilocarpine seizures, steroids with the 5α,3α-configuration had comparable or higher protective index values (TD50 for motor impairment -4- ED50 for seizure protection) than clonazepam, indicating that some neuroactive steroids may have lower relative toxicity. Steroids with the 5α,3α- or 5β,3α-configurations also produced a dose-dependent delay in the onset of limbic seizures induced by kainic acid (32 mg/kg, s.c.), but did not completely protect against the seizures. However, when a second dose of the steroid was administered 1 hr after the first dose, complete protection from the kainic acid-induced limbic seizures and status epilepticus was obtained. The steroids also caused a dose-dependent delay in NMDA (257 mg/kg, s.c.)-induced lethality, but did not completely protect against NMDA seizures or lethality. We conclude that neuroactive steroids are highly effective in protecting against pilocarpine- and kainic acid-induced seizures and status epilepticus in mice, and may be of utility in the treatment of some forms of status epilepticus in humans. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.
Biogeography in deep time - What do phylogenetics, geology, and paleoclimate tell us about early platyrrhine evolution?

Abstract Molecular data have converged on a consensus about the genus-level phylogeny of extant platyrrhine monkeys, but for most extinct taxa and certainly for those older than the Pleistocene we must rely upon morphological evidence from fossils. This raises the question as to how well anatomical data mirror molecular phylogenies and how best to deal with discrepancies between the molecular and morphological data as we seek to extend our phylogenies to the placement of fossil taxa. Here I present parsimony-based phylogenetic analyses of extant and fossil platyrrhines based on an anatomical dataset of 399 dental characters and osteological features of the cranium and postcranium. I sample 16 extant taxa (one from each platyrrhine genus) and 20 extinct taxa of platyrrhines. The tree structure is constrained with a “molecular scaffold” of extant species as implemented in maximum parsimony using PAUP with the molecular-based ‘backbone’ approach. The data set encompasses most of the known extinct species of platyrrhines, ranging in age from latest Oligocene (∼26 Ma) to the Recent. The tree is rooted with extant catarrhines, and Late Eocene and Early Oligocene African anthropoids. Among the more interesting patterns to emerge are: (1) known early platyrrhines from the Late Oligocene through Early Miocene (26–16.5 Ma) represent only stem platyrrhine taxa; (2) representatives of the three living platyrrhine families first occur between 15.7 Ma and 13.5 Ma; and (3) recently extinct primates from the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola) are sister to the clade of extant platyrrhines and may have diverged in the Early Miocene. It is probable that the crown platyrrhine clade did not originate before about 20–24 Ma, a conclusion consistent with the phylogenetic analysis of fossil taxa presented here and with recent molecular clock estimates. The following biogeographic scenario is consistent with the phylogenetic findings and climatic and geologic evidence: Tropical South America has been a center for platyrrhine diversification since platyrrhines arrived on the continent in the middle Cenozoic. Platyrrhines dispersed from tropical South America to Patagonia at ∼25–24 Ma via a “Parana Portal” through eastern South America across a retreating Paranense Sea. Phylogenetic bracketing suggests Antillean primates arrived via a sweepstakes route or island chain from northern South America in the Early Miocene, not via a proposed land bridge or island chain (GAARlandia) in the Early Oligocene (∼34 Ma). Patagonian and Antillean platyrrhines went extinct without leaving living descendants, the former at the end of the Early Miocene and the latter within the past six thousand years. Molecular evidence suggests crown platyrrhines arrived in Central America by crossing an intermittent connection through the Isthmus of Panama at or after 3.5 Ma. Any more ancient Central American primates, should they be discovered, are unlikely to have given rise to the extant Central American taxa in situ.
A note on homogeneity tests when combining 2×2 tables

This paper examines the use of homogeneity tests prior to tests of overall association among g 2 x 2 tables. When placed in the context of a one-way analysis of variance, hypotheses of overall association and homogeneity can be viewed as hypotheses regarding mean and treatment effects, respectively. In this context, the need for homogeneity tests is presented. What constitutes a relevant test of homogeneity is also examined. The conclusion is that some of the difficulties raised in the literature regarding tests of homogeneity stem from differences in the hypothesis of association being examined.
Toward a (Kin)Aesthetic of Video Gaming The Case of Dance Dance Revolution

Against the hegemony of ocularcentrism currently pervading video game theory, the author situates the practice of video gaming for further inquiry by performance studies to account for it as a wholly embodied phenomenon. Personal narratives of players engaging in performances of the game Dance Dance Revolution indicate the necessity of accounting for both the intersubjective and interobjective elements of video game play. The performativity of video gaming insists on a consideration of its material and discursive dimensions that not only refuses to metonymically reduce the gamer's body to a pair of eyes but also complicates popular dualistic understandings of the player—game relationship.
Seismic refraction interferometry with a semblance analysis on the crosscorrelation gather

Crosscorrelating wavefields recorded at two receivers to produce data as if one receiver was a source is commonly referred to as seismic interferometry, or the virtual source method. An artifact in seismic interferometry related to critically refracted waves allowed us to estimate the velocity in the refracting layer. In addition, we devised a new semblance analysis on the crosscorrelation of reflection and refraction energy to robustly estimate the depth and velocity of the slow layer, tested with a numerical example and field data from the Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site.
Self-Reported Beliefs of Community College Students Regarding Their Growth and Development: Ethnic and Enrollment Status Differences.

This study examined whether community college students of differing ethnic backgrounds and enrollment status differed in their perceptions of their growth and development gains as a function of their college experience. The sample consisted of four ethnic groups intending to transfer to four-year institutions. Four gain scales were created to operationalize the student's perceptions of gains. The multivariate test for the interaction of ethnic group and enrollment status was nonsignificant; differences in perceived growth among ethnic groups did not depend on their enrollment status. Significant main effects were found in differences among ethnic groups and between full-time and part-time students.
Retention of posts cemented with various dentinal bonding cements

This investigation evaluated the retention of preformed posts with four different cements: C & B Metabond, Panavia, All-Bond 2, and Ketac-Cem. Sixty intact maxillary canines were selected for the study. The clinical crowns were removed and endodontic therapy done on each root, which was then prepared to receive prefabricated posts. The 60 samples were divided into four groups of 15, and the posts in each group were cemented with one of the four cements. The roots were mounted in acrylic resin blocks and the posts were separated from the canals with an Instron testing machine. Analysis of the forces needed to dislodge the posts with analysis of variance and Student-Newman-Keuls test disclosed that C & B Metabond cement was the most retentive (p < 0.05). No difference in retention was recorded between Ketac-Cem and Panavia cements. All-Bond 2 cement was the least retentive of cements.
RAPID TRANSPORT OF PROTEIN IN THE OPTIC SYSTEM OF THE GOLDFISH

Several amino acids, particularly (3H)proline and (3H)asparagine specifically and efficiently labelled rapidly transported proteins in the goldfish optic nerve and tectum after intraocular injection. Studies with these amino acids showed that the rapidly transported proteins moved as a discrete band at a rate which was temperaturedependent, and was equal to 70-100 mm per day at 20°C. Transported protein in the optic tectum was 80 per cent particulate and was found in synaptosomal, mitochondrial, and myelin fractions, but not in purified nuclei or ribosomes. STUDIES on various mammalian and sub-mammalian species have demonstrated that protein is transported in axons at rates ranging from less than 1 mm per day to several hundred mm per day (LUBINSKA, 1964; WEISS, 1967; KARLSON and SJOSTRAND, 1968; LASEK, 1968; LIVETT, GEFFEN~~~AUSTIN, 1968; OCHS and JOHNSON, 1969; Blisnuw, 1969). Protein is reportedly transported in the optic nerve of the goldfish with at least two discrete rates, about 40 mm per day and 0.4 mm per day (MCEWEN and GRAF- STEIN, 1968). The rapidly transported protein was detected after injection of ('HI- leucine into one eye by observing that within 6-12 h the radioactivity in the protein of the contralateral optic tectum was approximately double that of the ipsilateral optic tectum. Since free leucine apparently does not traverse the optic nerve, the excess of label in the contralateral tectum was presumably in protein transported from retinal ganglion cells in the injected eye to their corresponding nerve endings in the tectum. In the goldfish, the optic tracts are completely crossed and the tectum is a well-defined and easily removable brain area. These factors facilitate the study of transported protein in the nerve ending region. A complicating factor in such experiments is the high background labelling, as represented by the labelled non-transported protein in the ipsilateral tectum. This complication means that all calculations of transported radioactivity require the subtraction of one large number (ipsilateral radioactivity) from another large number (contralateral radioactivity). In the present study this complication was largely overcome by the use of amino acids which favourably label the transported protein, Studies on the kinetics of transport and subcellular distribu- tion of protein labelled in this manner are presented.
Role of gene expression microarray analysis in finding complex disease genes.

The promise of gene expression studies using microarray technology has inspired much new hope for finding complex diseases genes. It has become clear that complex diseases result from collective actions of many genetic and nongenetic factors. Therefore, genetic dissection of complex diseases should be carried out in a global context. The technology of gene expression microarray analysis (GEMA) can provide such global information on transcription activities of essentially all genes simultaneously. It is hoped that this promising technology can be applied to samples drawn from large-scale, well-defined genetic epidemiological studies and help us untangle the web of pathways leading to complex diseases. However, extremely noisy GEMA data pose serious challenges in terms of the statistical methodologies needed. Extensive work is needed in order to respond to the challenges before one can fully utilize the potential power provided by GEMA. We begin in this paper by identifying several statistical problems related to the application of GEMA to genetic epidemiological analysis, and consider study designs that might benefit from this promising new technology. While it is still too early to tell how much of the enormous potential of GEMA will be realized ultimately, its success will probably depend most critically on the ability of statistical genetics to rise to the challenge of mining information from a sea of noise.
Fall-grown oat to extend the fall grazing season for replacement dairy heifers1

Our objective was to assess the pasture productivity and forage characteristics of 2 fall-grown oat (Avena sativa L.) cultivars, specifically for extending the grazing season and reducing reliance on harvested forages by replacement dairy heifers. A total of 160 gravid Holstein heifers (80 heifers/yr) were stratified by weight, and assigned to 1 of 10 identical research pens (8 heifers/pen). Initial body weights were 480 ± 43.5 kg in 2011 and 509 ± 39.4 kg in 2012. During both years of the trial, four 1.0-ha pasture replicates were seeded in August with Ogle oat (Schumitsch Seed Inc., Antigo, WI), and 4 separate, but similarly configured, pasture replicates were seeded with Forage Plus oat (Kratz Farms, Slinger, WI). Heifer groups were maintained as units, assigned to specific pastures, and then allowed to graze fall-oat pastures for 6h daily before returning to the barn, where they were offered a forage-based basal total mixed ration. Two heifer groups were retained in confinement (without grazing) as controls and offered the identical total mixed ration as pasture groups. During 2011, available forage mass increased with strong linear and quadratic effects for both cultivars, peaking at almost 9 Mg/ha on October 31. In contrast, forage mass was not affected by evaluation date in 2012, remaining ≤ 2,639 kg/ha across all dates because of droughty climatic conditions. During 2012, Ogle exhibited greater forage mass than Forage Plus across all sampling dates (2,678 vs. 1,856 kg/ha), largely because of its more rapid maturation rate and greater canopy height. Estimates of energy density for oat forage ranged from 59.6 to 69.1% during 2011, and ranged narrowly from 68.4 to 70.4% during 2012. For 2011, responses for both cultivars had strong quadratic character, in which the most energy-dense forages occurred in mid November, largely due to accumulation of water-soluble carbohydrates that reached maximum concentrations of 18.2 and 15.1% for Forage Plus and Ogle, respectively. Across the 2-yr trial, average daily gain for grazing heifer groups tended to be greater than heifers remaining in confinement (0.85 vs. 0.74 kg/d), but both management strategies produced weight gains within reasonable proximity to normal targets for heifers in this weight range. Fall-grown oat should be managed as stockpiled forage for deferred grazing, and good utilization of fall-oat forage can be accomplished by a one-time removal of standing forage, facilitated by a single lead wire advanced daily to prevent waste.
Brefeldin A inhibits protein synthesis in cultured cells

The fungal metabolite brefeldin A (BFA) is known to disrupt the Golgi apparatus resulting in redistribution of Golgi proteins to the endoplasmic reticulum and inhibition of protein secretion. BFA was found to inhibit protein synthesis in rat glioma C6 cells by up to 70% between 0.1 and 1,μg/ml. Inhibition was both time-dependent and reversible. BFA inhibited protein synthesis to varying degrees in a number of other cell lines but not in BFA-resistant marsupial kidney cells. The same concentrations of BFA which inhibited protein synthesis, also blocked the inhibitory effects of Pseudomonas exotoxin and ricin on BFA-sensitive cells. BFA, however, was unable to block the inhibition of protein synthesis by the toxins in the resistant marsupial kidney cells.
Parent and child weight status predict weight-related behavior change

AbstractWith the continued childhood obesity epidemic, it is vital to understand how family members influence health-related behavior change.ObjectiveAssess associations between parent/child weight-related variables and health-related behavior change.MethodsSchool-based screening of child weight and parent-reported health survey.ResultsChild behavior change was influenced by accuracy of parent perceived child weight. Parent behavior change was primarily influenced by concern about own weight. Parents accurately perceiving their children as overweight were more likely to make changes than parents with inaccurate perceptions.ConclusionsHealth promotion programs should incorporate parent accuracy of child and concern for own weight.
Sonochemical removal of nitric oxide from flue gases

The absorption of nitric oxide (NO) into water with simultaneous oxidation induced by ultrasonic irradiation at a fixed frequency of 20 kHz has been studied in a bubble column reactor at about room temperature. Factors studied include the flow rate of flue gas, intensity of ultrasound, and effect of sulfur dioxide (SO2) on the fractional conversion of NO. The concentration of NO in the inlet gas studied ranged from 50 to 1040 ppm, while that of SO2 ranged from about 52 to 4930 ppm. The fractional conversions of NO were found to range from 60% to 85%, while complete removal of SO2 was observed for all the inlet gas concentrations studied. In addition, the presence of low to moderate concentrations of SO2 in the inlet gas stream was found to enhance NO removal. Also, increasing the ultrasonic intensity was observed to improve NO removal. Sonochemical oxidation pathways leading to nitrite, nitrate, and sulfate formation are discussed. The results of this study suggest the feasibility of developing an innovat...
THE EXPORT‐FINANCE INADEQUACY CONFRONTING U.S. SMALL BUSINESS

The case is strong for declaring an inadequacy of export finance for small business. In 1988–90, the documentation has expanded beyond that of academic research and claims by the Small Business Administration to Congressional testimony by exporters and bankers, surveys by trade associations of manufacturers and bankers, and investigations by the Government's export finance agency as well as our central bank. Nonetheless, small business is exhorted to look abroad in its marketing efforts and so to participate in reducing the U.S. trade deficit. As one means of alleviating this international marketing challenge, the Export‐Import Bank of the United States (Eximbank) has moved to convert a pilot program of 1988–89 into a fall‐fledged decentralized effort to deliver export finance to qualified small firms. The intention is that carefully trained administrators in selected states will be able to match qualified exporters with financial institutions and thereby assure that the small firms receive working capital in adequate quantity to meet terms and conditions of an export contract. While Eximbank's staff is poised to support the marketing and credit analysis work of the state/local administrators, this paper examines the need for a fully cooperative effort among four parties or groups in the face of a national retrenchment by many banks in the provision of export finance for small firms.
Testing Generational, Life Cycle, and Period Effects of Age on Agenda Setting

This study explores the relationship between age and the media's agenda-setting effects both by cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis. Using American National Election Studies surveys and the New York Times Index data from 1960 to 2004, we test three possible effects of age on the agenda-setting process: generational, life-cycle, and period effects. Findings show the public agenda is fairly stable across generations and age cohorts despite increasing signs of media diversification and audience specialization. More important, different generations’ agendas were overall correlated with the media agenda in each year, indicating robust agenda-setting effects of the media on the public, except for baby boomers. The findings generally support the hypothesis of period effects. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Fluid and porous media property effects on dense nonaqueous phase liquid migration and contaminant mass flux.

The effects of fluid and porous media properties on dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) migration and associated contaminant mass flux generation were evaluated. Relationships between DNAPL mass and solute mass flux were generated by measuring steady-state mass flux following stepwise injection of perchloroethylene (PCE) into flow chambers packed with homogeneous porous media. The effects of fluid properties including density and interfacial tension (IFT), and media properties including grain size and wettability were evaluated by varying the density contrast and interfacial tension properties between PCE and water, and by varying the porous media mean grain diameter and wettability characteristics. Contaminant mass flux was found to increase as grain size decreased, suggesting enhanced lateral and vertical DNAPL spreading with higher fluid entry pressure. Mass flux showed a slight increase as the DNAPL approached neutral buoyancy, likely due to enhanced vertical spreading above the injection point. DNA...
Analysis of equilibrium shift in isothermal reactors with a permselective wall

The objective of this study is to obtain a fundamental understanding of the behavior of reactors with a permselective wall (membrane reactors) in terms of: design parameters (reactor length, membrane thickness); operating variables (pressure ratio, feed flow rate); physical properties (rate constant, permeability of fast gas, permselectivity, equilibrium constant); and flow patterns (recycle, cocurrent, countercurrent). Pure feed reacts on the high-pressure side of the membrane, and the product(s) formed are continuously removed to the low-pressure side so that thermodynamic equilibrium is never reached. It is shown by simulation that equilibrium shift can be enhanced by: recycling unconverted reactant; shifting feed location to separate products; and maintaining high permeation rates to reduce backreaction. It is also shown that the choice between cocurrent flow and countercurrent flow depends on the system parameters.
Interests and Foreign Policy: The Cuban Revolution and US Response, 1959–1961†

In this article, we test one explanation of the causes of adoption of destabilization as a foreign policy. Destabilization, a risky policy which targets the political leadership of another sovereign state, is a widely-used foreign policy practice. But under-conceptualization, specifically around the causes of destabilization, has thus far limited its use in scholarly analysis of foreign policy. This paper aims to remedy that deficiency. Building on Taliaferro's (2004) balance-of-risk theory, we examine the rapid decay and adoption of destabilization in relations between the US and Cuba as a critical empirical test of this theory. We argue that the risky decision to adopt destabilization is the result of perceived crisis of security, economic and ideological interests. Our findings have implications for other scenarios and times, because they provide a better understanding of destabilization as a practice of governments against one another.
THE MEASUREMENT OF CHANGES IN QUALITY

This paper is concerned with the theoretical problems of devising indexes of quality change and with some of the practical problems of constructing such indexes from market data, relating these to the various attempts to construct such indexes in the past. The general conclusion is that, while quality is inherently ordinal, there are three different indexes which might be taken as “measures” of quality change. If changes are sufficiently small, the values of all three indexes will coincide and then, only, can we consider any one of them to be an unambiguous measure of the change.
A case-control study of cancer mortality at a transformer-assembly facility

To address earlier reports of excess cancer mortality associated with employment at a large transformer manufacturing plant, each plant operation was rated for seven exposures: Pyranol (a mixture of poly chlorinated biphenyls and trichlorobenzene), trichloroethylene, benzene, mixed solvents, asbestos, synthetic resins, and machining fluids. Site-specific cancer deaths among active or retired employees were cases; controls were selected from deaths (primarily cardiovascular deaths) presumed to be unassociated with any of the study exposures. Using job records, we then computed person-years of exposure for each subject. All subjects were white males. The only unequivocal association was that of resin systems with lung cancer (odds ratio = 2.2 at 16.6 years of exposure, P = 0.001, in a multiple logistic regression including asbestos, age, year of death, and year of hire). Certain other odds ratios appeared larger, but no other association was so robust and remained as distinct after considering the multiplicity of comparisons. Study power was very limited for most associations, and several biases may have affected our results. Nevertheless, further investigation of synthetic resin systems of the type used in the study plant appears warranted.
INTESTINAL MICROFLORA OF NEWBORN INFANTS IN ADDIS; ABEBA AND STOCKHOLM

AIMS: To compare the aerobic and anaerobic intestinal microflora of newborn infants with and without antibiotic treatment and also to describe any relationships between presence of anaerobic bacteria and colonization by potentially pathogenic gramnegative aerobic bacteria. METHODS: Fresh faecal specimens were obtained from 61 infants in Addis Abeba and 21 infants in Stockholm. All infants were breastfed. The specimens were frozen for 0-20 days, thawed and transported in anaerobic athmosphere to the laboratory in Stockholm. RESULTS: In Stockholm, the dominating aerobe was S.epidermidis: and the dominating anaerobe was Bacteriodes fragilis. Bifidobacteria were only rarely isolated. In Addis Abeba E.coli and lactobacilli dominated. Antibiotic treatment produced no consistent change of the intestinal microflora of Addis Abeba infants, as opposed to the dramatic impact seen in Sweden. There was an inverse relationship between colonization by potentially pathogenic Gramnegative aerobic bacteria and occurrence of bifidobacteria but not of lactobacilli. CONCLUSIONS: The intestinal flora of breastfed newborn infants in Stockholm differs from what has previously been reported, whereas in Addis Abeba it is more “classical”. Bifidobacteria, but not lactobacilli, might produce some resistance to colonization by Gramnegative bacteria from the hospital environment.
Why Japan Will Not Go Nuclear (Yet): International and Domestic Constraints on the Nuclearization of Japan

Japan's status as a nonnuclear weapons state remains of ongoing interest to policy analysts and scholars of international relations. For some, Japanese nuclearization is a question not of whether b...
Ordering and self-organized growth of Si in the Si/SiO2 superlattice system

Abstract We have observed self-organization in Si nanocrystals fabricated by high temperature annealing of nanometer-thick layers of amorphous Si confined between thin SiO 2 layers. Silicon nanoparticles larger than ∼8 nm spontaneously form brick-shaped crystallites oriented along the [1 1 1] direction while smaller nanocrystals adopt a more spherical geometry. The observed ordering and self-organization are important steps towards reproducible maskless Si nanofabrication and the consequent construction of Si/SiO 2 quantum devices.
Projecting disk usage based on historical trends in a cloud environment

Provisioning scarce resources among competing users and jobs remains one of the primary challenges of operating large-scale, distributed computing environments. Distributed storage systems, in particular, typically rely on hard operator-set quotas to control disk allocation and enforce isolation for space and I/O bandwidth among disparate users. However, users and operators are very poor at predicting future requirements and, as a result, tend to over-provision grossly.For three years, we collected detailed usage information for data stored in distributed filesystems in a large private cloud spanning dozens of clusters on multiple continents. Specifically, we measured the disk space usage, I/O rate, and age of stored data for thousands of different engineering users and teams. We find that although the individual time series often have non-stable usage trends, regional aggregations, user classification, and ensemble forecasting methods can be combined to provide a more accurate prediction of future use for the majority of users.We applied this methodology for the storage users in one geographic region and back-tested these techniques over the past three years to compare our forecasts against actual usage. We find that by classifying a small subset of users with unforecastable trend changes due to known product launches, we can generate three-month out forecasts with mean absolute errors of less than 12%. This compares favorably to the amount of allocated but unused quota that is generally wasted with manual operator-set quotas.
A pilot study of a method for assessing the reach capability of wheelchair users for safety belt design

A method was developed to assess the reach capability of people seated in wheelchairs for purposes of establishing design and placement requirements for safety belts used by vehicle occupants who are seated in wheelchairs. The method uses simple technology and is intended to be readily implemented in the field. Participants use a marker to draw their acceptable reach zone on a vertical surface placed adjacent to the wheelchair. A pilot study with 10 wheelchair users showed that the method generates easily interpreted data quickly. Even with a small number of participants, the results from the pilot study provide useful information for designers of restraint systems for wheelchair-seated vehicle occupants.
Mothers’ Socialization of Emotion Regulation: The Moderating Role of Children’s Negative Emotional Reactivity

During the toddler period, children begin to shift from being primarily dependent on parents to regulate their emotions to managing their emotions independently. The present study considers how children’s propensity towards negative emotional arousal interacts with mothers’ efforts to socialize emotion regulation. Fifty-five low income mothers and their 2-year-old children completed observational assessments measuring mothers’ socialization of emotion regulation, children’s reactivity propensity, and children’s emotion regulation. Children’s propensity towards negative reactivity significantly interacted with mothers’ use of physical soothing. That is, mothers with less reactive children who used more soothing had children who were more likely to use interactive, distraction-based regulatory behaviors during a frustration situation. Theoretical and child care implications of the finding are discussed.
The Protestant Israelites of Sancerre: Jean de Léry and the Confessional Demarcation of Cannibalism

AbstractThis article explores how Jean de Lery understood Protestant, Catholic, and Brazilian acts of cannibalism. It argues that Lery constructed a new Huguenot confessional identity in the wake of the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre by equating his own besieged community in Sancerre with the anthropophagous Israelites of the Hebrew Bible. He counts his own people as the worst of all cannibals, for like the ancient Israelites, the Huguenots of Sancerre possessed a superior understanding of God’s will but ate each other nonetheless. Lery makes these judgments by invoking examples of man-eating from the Bible and Josephus, as well as contemporary acts of cannibalism. His identification of the Huguenots with unfaithful Israel represents a break from the more optimistic conceptions of Israelite identity held by Jean Crespin and others prior to the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. By equating the inhabitants of Sancerre with the cannibals of ancient Israel, Lery extends John Calvin’s sacramental reasoning concerning the linguistic relationship between the sign and the thing signified far beyond its original scope. He does this in order to come to grips with the new reality that the Huguenots, whose fortunes were ascending prior to the Massacre, were now witnessing a decidedly dark turn in what they perceived to be God’s providence.
Pressure dependence of the compressibility of a micelle and a protein: insights from cavity formation analysis

We present results from molecular dynamics simulations of a spherical micelle comprising 80 non-ionic C8E5 surfactants in water, a protein staphylococcal nuclease in water, and bulk n-hexane and water liquids over a range of hydrostatic pressures. We focus specifically on the pressure dependence of the volumetric properties—the partial molar volume and partial molar compressibility—of the micelle, the protein, and bulk liquids. We find that the micelle interior displays properties similar to liquid alkanes over a range of pressures and has a compressibility of ∼100−110×10−6 bar−1 under ambient conditions, which is more than twice that of liquid water. In contrast, the pressure dependence of the protein interior resembles that of solid organic polymeric materials and has a compressibility of ∼ 5−10×10−6 bar−1. We performed extensive analysis of cavity formation in all systems. Interestingly, it is not the average cavity size but the width of the cavity size distribution in a given medium that correlates wi...
ANTAGONISTIC COEVOLUTION OF TWO IMPRINTED LOCI WITH PLEIOTROPIC EFFECTS

At a locus subject to genomic imprinting, the expression pattern of an allele depends on its parent of origin. Typically, one allele is expressed while the other is transcriptionally silent, and natural selection at the locus will be driven by the inclusive fitness of the active allele. For some aspects of phenotype, the relevant fitness function differs between maternally and paternally derived alleles, so that maternally and paternally expressed imprinted loci become involved in an intragenomic, interlocus conflict. Here I consider the consequences of such a conflict between loci with pleiotropic effects and show that phenotypes are driven away from their optimal values, resulting in a maladaptive, but selectively favored, evolutionary trajectory. The extent to which the evolutionarily stable state departs from the optimal phenotype depends only linearly on the magnitude of the conflict, but is extremely sensitive to the relationship between the pleiotropic effects of the two loci. Thus, even a small intragenomic conflict can have significant deleterious consequences for multiple aspects of phenotype. This result has potential consequences for our understanding of disease states that occur at high frequency in the population, including several common psychological and behavioral disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, and autism.
Structural and Magnetic Analysis of Nanocrystalline Lead Europium Sulfide (PbxEuyS)

The authors report the synthesis of nanocrystalline, alloyed PbEuS, a potentially important dilute magnetic semiconductor. The thermolysis of mixed precursors has been adapted for the formation of homogeneous alloyed nanocrystals. X-ray diffraction and magnetization measurements of ternary PbEuS nanocrystals provide convincing evidence that no phase separation occurs in these nanomaterials for europium concentrations up to x = 0.17. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy provides the atomic composition for PbEuS alloy nanocrystals juxtaposed with the ratio of the starting precursors.
Streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats decreases brain tryptophan uptake after portacaval anastomosis☆

Abstract The effect of streptozotocin-induced diabetes on plasma and brain neutral amino acids was studied both in normal rats and in rats with a portacaval anastomosis (PCA). In diabetic animals, plasma leucine, isoleucine, and valine were about threefold higher than control values. High plasma branched-chain amino acids were associated with decreased brain concentrations of aromatic amino acids, although the effect was most pronounced in PCA rats. The brain uptake index (BUI) of tryptophan, which is abnormally high in PCA rats, was significantly decreased in diabetic PCA rats. However, the BUI of tryptophan in diabetic PCA rats was still greater than in diabetic normal rats suggesting that some factor, besides insulin or branched-chain amino acids, affects blood-brain transport after PCA.
Communication interventions for individuals with acquired brain injury

Objective: This review synthesizes studies involving communication interventions for individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI).Methods: Systematic searches of electronic databases, journals and ...
The use of pegorgotein in the treatment of frostbite.

Free oxygen radicals have been postulated to be an important mediator of injury in frostbite. A long-acting version of the endogenous scavenger enzyme, superoxide dismutase, has been created by conjugating it with polyethylene glycol (pegorgotein, formerly known as PEG-SOD). This study evaluated the efficacy of pegorgotein on frostbite tissue survival when administered prior to rewarming. In a prospective study, two groups of nine rabbits received a standardized frostbite injury using a modified Weatherley-White model. A control group received no pharmacologic therapy; the treatment group received 10 000 IU/kg pegorgotein intravenously immediately postinjury. Healing was followed until a clear line of demarcation was apparent (10 days). The percentage of viable ear surface remaining at the end of the study was measured and used to compare the effectiveness of treatment. Student's t -test was used to determine statistical significance. The study was designed to have an 80% ability to detect a 35% difference in tissue survival. No significant difference in frostbite injury (p = 0.967) was observed between the control and treatment groups. The treatment group showed a 9.3 ± 15.5% tissue survival, whereas the control group had 9.6 ± 14.5% tissue survival. These results indicate no significant treatment effect for pegorgotein on tissue survival in a rabbit frostbite injury model when administered immediately postinjury.
Seed tolerance to predation: Evidence from the toxic seeds of the buckeye tree (Aesculus californica; Sapindaceae)

Tolerance, the capacity of plants to withstand attack by animals, as opposed to resistance, has been poorly examined in the context of seed predation. We investigated the role that the seed mass of the large-seeded endemic tree Aesculus californica plays as a tolerance trait to rodent attack by comparing, under greenhouse conditions, patterns of germination, and subsequent seedling growth, of seeds with a wide range of natural damage. Germination percentage was reduced by 50% and time to germination by 64% in attacked compared to intact seeds, and germination probability was negatively correlated with damage. Seedlings that emerged from intact seeds were taller and bore more leaves than those from damaged seeds. This species ’ large seed mass favors tolerance to damage because heavily damaged seeds are able to germinate and produce seedlings. This fi nding is signifi cant given that seeds of this species are known to contain chemical compounds toxic to vertebrates, a resistance trait. We posit that this combination of tolerance and resistance traits might be a particularly effective antipredation strategy when seeds are exposed to a variety of vertebrate predators.
Children's spelling of syllabic /r/ and letter-name vowels: Broadening the study of spelling development

Many previous studies of children's spelling have adopted a narrow approach, examining one linguistic structure at a time and paying little attention to differences among children or changes with development. We broadened the focus by examining two different, but potentially related, patterns (stressed syllabic /r/ and letter-name vowels) and by tracking changes in performance from fall to spring of first grade. The results show how children move from using one letter for each phonological unit (e.g., SR for sir; KON for cone) to appreciating the function of “extra” letters (e.g., the vowel letters i of sir and e of cone). Errors such as SRE for sir may arise during this process, reflecting an overgeneralization of the silent e pattern. The results are generally consistent with the view that spelling becomes more “orthographic” with development. However, the course of development is not always as predicted by existing stage theories.
Mutation of the TERT promoter, switch to active chromatin, and monoallelic TERT expression in multiple cancers

Somatic mutations in the promoter of the gene for telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) are the most common noncoding mutations in cancer. They are thought to activate telomerase, contributing to proliferative immortality, but the molecular events driving TERT activation are largely unknown. We observed in multiple cancer cell lines that mutant TERT promoters exhibit the H3K4me2/3 mark of active chromatin and recruit the GABPA/B1 transcription factor, while the wild-type allele retains the H3K27me3 mark of epigenetic silencing; only the mutant promoters are transcriptionally active. These results suggest how a single-base-pair mutation can cause a dramatic epigenetic switch and monoallelic expression.
Foliar and fungal 15 N: 14 N ratios reflect development of mycorrhizae and nitrogen supply during primary succession: testing analytical models

Nitrogen isotopes (15N/14N ratios, expressed as δ15N values) are useful markers of the mycorrhizal role in plant nitrogen supply because discrimination against 15N during creation of transfer compounds within mycorrhizal fungi decreases the 15N/14N in plants (low δ15N) and increases the 15N/14N of the fungi (high δ15N). Analytical models of 15N distribution would be helpful in interpreting δ15N patterns in fungi and plants. To compare different analytical models, we measured nitrogen isotope patterns in soils, saprotrophic fungi, ectomycorrhizal fungi, and plants with different mycorrhizal habits on a glacier foreland exposed during the last 100 years of glacial retreat and on adjacent non-glaciated terrain. Since plants during early primary succession may have only limited access to propagules of mycorrhizal fungi, we hypothesized that mycorrhizal plants would initially be similar to nonmycorrhizal plants in δ15N and then decrease, if mycorrhizal colonization were an important factor influencing plant δ15N. As hypothesized, plants with different mycorrhizal habits initially showed similar δ15N values (−4 to −6‰ relative to the standard of atmospheric N2 at 0‰), corresponding to low mycorrhizal colonization in all plant species and an absence of ectomycorrhizal sporocarps. In later successional stages where ectomycorrhizal sporocarps were present, most ectomycorrhizal and ericoid mycorrhizal plants declined by 5–6‰ in δ15N, suggesting transfer of 15N-depleted N from fungi to plants. The values recorded (−8 to −11‰) are among the lowest yet observed in vascular plants. In contrast, the δ15N of nonmycorrhizal plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal plants declined only slightly or not at all. On the forefront, most ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi were similar in δ15N (−1 to −3‰), but the host-specific ectomycorrhizal fungus Cortinarius tenebricus had values of up to 7‰. Plants, fungi and soil were at least 4‰ higher in δ15N from the mature site than in recently exposed sites. On both the forefront and the mature site, host-specific ectomycorrhizal fungi had higher δ15N values than ectomycorrhizal fungi with a broad host range. From these isotopic patterns, we conclude:(1) large enrichments in 15N of many ectomycorrhizal fungi relative to co-occurring ectomycorrhizal plants are best explained by treating the plant-fungal-soil system as a closed system with a discrimination against 15N of 8–10‰ during transfer from fungi to plants, (2) based on models of 15N mass balance, ericoid and ectomycorrhizal fungi retain up to two-thirds of the N in the plant-mycorrhizal system under the N-limited conditions at forefront sites, (3) sporocarps are probably enriched in 15N by an additional 3‰ relative to available nitrogen, and (4) host-specific ectomycorrhizal fungi may transfer more N to plant hosts than non-host-specific ectomycorrhizal fungi. Our study confirms that nitrogen isotopes are a powerful tool for probing nitrogen dynamics between mycorrhizal fungi and associated plants.
Mechanisms of intron gain and loss in Cryptococcus

Background: Genome comparisons across deep phylogenetic divergences have revealed that spliceosomal intron gain and loss are common evolutionary events. However, because of the deep divergences involved in these comparisons, little is understood about how these changes occur, particularly in the case of intron gain. To ascertain mechanisms of intron gain and loss, we compared five relatively closely related genomes from the yeast Cryptococcus. Results: We observe a predominance of intron loss over gain and identify a relatively slow intron loss rate in Cryptococcus. Some genes preferentially lose introns and a large proportion of intron losses occur in the middle of genes (so called internal intron loss). Finally, we identify a gene that displays a differential number of introns in a repetitive DNA region. Conclusion: Based the observed patterns of intron loss and gain, population resequencing and population genetic analysis, it appears that recombination causes the widely observed but poorly understood phenomenon of internal intron loss and that DNA repeat expansion can create new introns in a population.
Coupled Path Planning, Region Optimization, and Applications in Intensity-modulated Radiation Therapy

The couple path planning (CPP) problem seeks the motion paths of the leaves of a multileaf collimator, to optimally reproduce the prescribed dose in intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). We study two versions of the CPP problem, constrained and unconstrained CPP, based on whether the starting and ending locations of the sought paths are prespecified. The unconstrained CPP problem models the leaf sequencing problem in dynamic IMRT delivery, while the set of all constrained CPP problem instances, in which all combinations of the starting and ending locations are considered, plays a key role in an emerging IMRT technique called arc-modulated radiation therapy. We give efficient algorithms for both the constrained and unconstrained CPP problems, and for computing the set of all constrained CPP problem instances. Our results are based on several new ideas and geometric observations, and substantially improve the solutions based on standard techniques. Implementation results show that our CPP algorithms run fast and produce better IMRT treatment plans than current methods.