cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparing DSM-III-R and ICD-10 substance use disorders.

At the present, the DSM-III-R is nearing the final stages of metamorphosis to DSM-IV. A series of field trials has been completed which has focused the attention on coverage of the different systems, the impact of social and legal problems on crossing the diagnostic threshold, the importance of subtyping by tolerance and withdrawal, the exclusionary diagnosis of abuse, the duration criterion, and other nosological comparisons. The focus of Ms Data Note is the comparison of rates between DSM-III, III-R, and both the old and new ICD-10 diagnostic systems, using data from the DSM-IV Substance Use Disorders Field Trials. Especially noteworthy is the inclusion of African Americans, females, and a population with a range of diagnoses and use patterns. Comparisons of DSM-III, III-R and ICD-10 substance use diagnoses among alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, cocaine substance users indicate considerable agreement for dependence but less similarities between systems for abuse and harmful use. These findings suggest that the dependence criteria may be more stable than those chosen to represent abuse and harmful use. Mare work needs to be done to evaluate the differences and similarities of the diagnostic systems.
The sent-down youth of China: The role of family origin in the risk of departure to and return from the countryside

Between 1967 and 1978, over 17million urban youths in China systematically migrated to the rural countryside in a massive relocation movement known as the Sent-Down Movement. The youths who relocated—some by choice, though many forcibly—were part of a grand scheme envisioned by the then ruling Communist Party leader, Mao Zedong, who sought to reeducate urban youth by having them live and labor amongst their rural compatriots. Known as the “sent down youth”, these youths' experiences and struggles of moving to and returning from the countryside offer considerable insight into the ideological importance of family origins. Most notably, the revolutionary movement which swept over China at the height of the sent-down movement in the late 1960s reversed the hierarchical order of society; individuals with higher family origins were now criminalized making them prime targets for relocation to the countryside. In this quantitative analysis, I examine the relationship between family origins and the risk of departu...
High Thermal Conductivity of Diamond Nanofluids and its Effect on the Heat Transport Capability in an Oscillating Heat Pipe

In heat exchangers and liquid cooling devices the thermal conductivity of the liquid is an important factor in their design. Recently it has been shown that adding small amounts of nanoparticles to the liquid can significantly increase the thermal conductivity of the fluid [1]. This study investigates the thermal conductivity of diamond nanofluid. The nanofluid is HPLC grade water with 1% by volume diamond nanoparticles that are 5-50 nm in diameter. The thermal conductivity was measured by the transient hot-wire method. In order to verify the experimental measurement, the thermal conductivity of pure water (HPLC grade) was conducted and the measurement error is 3.6%. The experimental results show that the diamond nanoparticles can enhance the thermal conductivity of nanofluid. At an ambient temperature of 21 °C, the thermal conductivity for nanofluid was determined to be 1.00 W/m-K comparing with the thermal conductivity of 0.60 W/m-K for pure water (HPLC grade). Therefore, the nanofluid provides a significant increase in thermal conductivity. Utilizing this nanofluid, an oscillating heat pipe was developed and tested. Experimental results showed that when the oscillating heat pipe is charged with diamond nanofluids, the increase in heat transport capability can be significant and highly dependent on the operating temperatures.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Chlorococcum pamirum and C. salinum, two new species of the Chlorophyceae from Central Asia

In an initial screening study of 27 algal isolates from the USSR, eight previously described species of Chlorococcum were identified by the author. Further, recent study of 11 of the 27 strains that had been identified as Pseudochlorococcum typicum shows two of them to be new species of Chlorococcum. A taxonomic key based on readily distinguishable morphological traits has been constructed for the 46 currently recognized species of Chlorococcum. This key supersedes the keys prepared for the 36 species described in the original monograph published in 1970.
S-[2-(4-azidosalicylamido)ethylthio]-2-thiopyridine: radioiodinatable, cleavable, photoactivatible cross-linking agent.

S-[2-(4-Azidosalicylamido)ethylthio]-2-thiopyridine (AET) contains a 2-thiopyridyl moiety, which permits cysteine-specific incorporation into protein through a cleavable disulfide bond, and a 4-azidosalicylamido moiety, which permits radioiodination and photoactivatible cross-linking. In contrast to the related compound S-[2-[N-[4-(4-azidosalicylamido)butyl]carbamoyl]ethylthio]-2-thiopyridine [APDP; Zecherle, G., Oleinikov, A., and Traut, R. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 9526], AET contains a relatively short linker arm between the 2-thiopyridyl moiety and the 4-azidosalicylamido moiety. In a previous paper, it was shown that AET could be used in site-specific protein−protein photo-cross-linking to identify nearest-neighbor protein domains within a multiprotein complex [Chen, Y., Ebright, Y., and Ebright, R. (1994) Science 265, 90]. In this paper, the synthesis, radioiodination, and incorporation into protein of AET are described.
Protein phosphokinase activity of rat liver nuclear membrane.

Abstract The presence of protein phosphokinase activity in a purified nuclear-membrane preparation from adult rat liver was demonstrated by measuring the incorporation of 32 P from γ- 32 P-ATP into endogenous nuclear-membrane proteins as well as into the exogenous protein substrates, dephosphophosvitin (DPV) and lysine-rich histone (LRH). The activity of this enzyme toward DPV was 60 times greater than that toward LRH. cAMP and cGMP did not appear to affect the phosphorylation of endogenous-membrane proteins.
Nonlinear Analysis of Steel and Concrete Composite Beams Strengthened with Prestressed FRP Bars

Steel and concrete composite beam is a kind of composite beam which the steel and the concrete are connected by shear connectors. Now, many experts and scholars have carried out many experimental research and theoretical analysis about it. But, steel and concrete composite beams strengthened with prestressed FRP bars have not been studied. Based on the structure, the nonlinear analysis mode of steel and concrete composite beams strengthened with prestressed FRP bars is proposed, the calculating program is researched. The relationships between moment and curvature, also between load and deformation of steel and concrete composite beams strengthened with prestressed FRP bars are obtained. The results show that the moment-curvature curve and load-deformation curve of steel and concrete composite beams strengthened with prestressed FRP bars can be separated to elastic stage, elastic-plastic stage and plastic stage.
Scalable video requirements for surveillance applications

An example of a distributed video surveillance system is presented and the requirements on the video codec for such a system are developed. An overview of scalable video coding technologies is then provided which concludes that a wavelet based video codec offers many advantages for a distributed video surveillance system. In addition, wavelet based coding technologies offer significant error resilience properties, making them particularly robust for use on mobile networks.
Improved gauge driver for the generalized harmonic Einstein system

A new gauge driver is introduced for the generalized harmonic (GH) representation of Einstein's equation. This new driver allows a rather general class of gauge conditions to be implemented in a way that maintains the hyperbolicity of the combined evolution system. This driver is more stable and effective and, unlike previous drivers, allows stable evolutions using the dual-frame evolution technique. Appropriate boundary conditions for this new gauge driver are constructed, and a new boundary condition for the “gauge” components of the spacetime metric in the GH Einstein system is introduced. The stability and effectiveness of this new gauge driver are demonstrated through numerical tests, which impose a new damped-wave gauge condition on the evolutions of single black-hole spacetimes.
Heme oxygenase-1 induction by hemin protects against gut ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Abstract Background We have shown that both intraischemic hypothermia and hypertonic saline resuscitation provide dramatic protection against gut ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury that is in part mediated by heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). We therefore hypothesized that induction of HO-1 by hemin would lessen damage and improve function after gut I/R. Materials and methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with 50 μmol/kg hemin (HO-1 inducer ferric protoporphyrin IX chloride) sq or vehicle 2 h before superior mesenteric artery occlusion for 60 min or sham laparotomy. After 6 h of reperfusion, transit was determined by quantitation of percentage of tracer in 10 equal segments of small intestine 30 min following injection into the duodenum (expressed as mean geometric center). Ileum was harvested for assessment of mucosal histologic injury (Chiu score 0–5 by blinded observer), myeloperoxidase activity (MPO, index of inflammation), and HO-1 protein expression. Results Hemin treatment was associated with increased HO-1 protein expression, lessened mucosal injury, decreased MPO activity, and improved intestinal transit following gut I/R. Conclusion These data corroborate that HO-1 plays an important role in protecting the gut against I/R-induced injury.
Experimental phenocopy of a minute maternal-effect mutation alters blastoderm determination in embryos of Drosophila melanogaster.

Abstract Maternal haploinsufficiency for a third chromosome Minute, M(3)i55, lowers rates of protein synthesis by ∼30% during the syncytial nuclear cycles of early embryogenesis. The maternal effect of Mi55 also produces segmentation defects (denticle belt fusions) in the posterior abdomen of larvae. Furthermore, embryos from Minute mothers show abnormal expression patterns of the segmentation gene fushi tarazu (ftz) at the cellular blastoderm stage of embryogenesis. We developed a computer-aided analysis to describe the deviations in ftz expression which demonstrates that abnormally narrow ftz stripes occur in segment primordia that become fused in the larva. Unexpectedly, an abnormally wide ftz stripe occurs in segment primordia which do not develop abnormally. In addition, Mi55 produces a general narrowing of all ftz− interstripes. We phenocopied the Minute mutation by injecting wild-type embryos with cycloheximide concentrations which decreased protein synthesis rates to levels comparable with those of Minute embryos. Thus, a general decrease in protein synthesis during early embryogenesis leads to abnormal determination of posterior abdominal segment primordia.
What factors control mechanical erosion rates

Mechanical erosion rates are important factors in understanding how continents evolve. Mechanical erosion is much faster than chemical erosion, especially for highly elevated regions of the Earth's surface. It is a principal way in which mountain ranges are removed, exposing deep metamorphic roots, which comprise much of the older portions of the continental masses. In addition, there has to be a long-term balance between erosion and mountain building. A new data set allows us to explore in greater detail some of the many factors which control mechanical erosion rates. The most important factors are some expression of the average slope of a drainage basin, some measurement of the amount of water available for erosion, some environmental measurements, and also a measurement of basin length, for which we have no good explanation. The estimate of global mechanical erosion rate obtained here is considerably lower than those obtained by some other workers, some of whom have concentrated on the fact that smaller river basins tend to get eroded faster than larger basins, and it is mainly smaller basins which have not been measured and which are therefore not allowed for by simple arithmetic averaging of observed erosion rates. It is shown here that although smaller basins are eroded faster, this is mainly because they are steeper than larger basins. We also show that extrapolation of current data to smaller basins does not work because the observed continental area which is draining to the ocean cannot be attained by the simplest extrapolation scheme.
The World Social Forum: Social Forums as Resistance Relays

This article examines the World Social Forum and the global social forum process it has spurred by encouraging the creation of autonomous social forums on various levels, from the local to the global. The article argues that social forums, these “open spaces” for groups, movements, and networks opposed to neoliberalism, start to function as “resistance relays.” On the basis of their common opposition to capitalism, social forums provide a catalytic context for generating exchanges, linkages, convergences and mobilizations. As such, they are strategic instruments of alter-globalization movements. While social forums seek to forge novel practices and visions over social change that point to a novel logic of social movement based resistance, they are riddled with tensions and challenges.
Failure of exogenous prostaglandin to afford complete protection against acetaminophen‐induced hepatotoxicity in the rat

The protective effect of 16,16‐dimethylprostaglandin E2 (dm‐PGE2) against acetaminophen‐induced hepatotoxicity was determined in the rat. The dm‐PGE2 was administered at two dose levels both before and after acetaminophen administration. The hepatotoxicity was evaluated by a rise in serum transaminases 24 h after acetaminophen administration and by histological examination of liver preparations. The urinary acetaminophen and its metabolites were determined by high‐pressure liquid chromatography. The results suggest that exogenous dm‐PGE2 administration had a modest protection against acetaminophen‐induced hepatotoxicity, in contrast to its well established cytoprotective effect against many noxious agents in the gastrointestinal tract. Prosta‐glandin treatment had little effect on acetaminophen metabolites excretion in the urine, suggesting that it did not affect the cytochrome P‐450‐dependent mixed‐function oxidase drug‐metabolizing enzyme system. The livers from dm‐PGE2‐acetaminophen‐treated rats showed...
The Effects of Intimate Partner Violence Chronicity on Personal‐ and Partner‐Mediated Sexual Risk Behaviors

Paper Presentation Objective To explore the relationship between the chronicity of intimate partner violence (IPV) and personal‐ and partner‐mediated sexual risk behaviors that may increase women's risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV. Design A retrospective review of existing medical record data. Setting Four reproductive health clinics in the northeast United States. Sample The final sample size was 2,000. The majority of the participants were between the ages of 15 and 26. Methods A bio‐behavioral conceptual model exploring the relationship between IPV, coercion, control, and reproductive health provided the framework for the study and guided the selection of study variables. Data were extracted from a random sample of 2,000 charts. Inclusion criteria were female, reproductive age (menarche through menopause), and seeking reproductive health services. Two standardized questions from the medical record were used to assess for experiences of violence and create a chronicity of violence variable. Adjusted logistic regression models examined the associations between chronicity of IPV and personal sexual risk behaviors (number sexual partners, drug/alcohol use, anal sex) and partner‐influenced sexual risk factors (nonmonogamy, STI risk, condom nonuse). Institutional Review Board approval was granted for the study. Results Approximately 29% ( n = 570) of women reported a history of partner violence. Number of sexual partners during the past year, history of STIs, drug and/or alcohol use prior to intercourse, and anal sex were all significantly associated with partner violence and chronicity of violence. All lifetime experiences (as measured by chronicity) of partner violence were significantly associated ( p ≤ .05) with partner‐mediated sexual risks (condom nonuse, partner nonmonogamy, and partner at risk for having an STI). Violence during the past year (OR = 5.37, CI 2.7‐10.8), past 5 years (OR = 9.01, CI 2.2‐37.7), and distant violence only (OR = 5.57, CI 3.4‐9.2) all increased the odds of having sex without a condom. Conclusion/Implications for Nursing Practice IPV is associated with STI/HIV risk among women, but less is known about mechanisms of this association and whether chronicity of violence is a factor. The study findings extend the knowledge related to partner violence as a risk factor for STIs/HIV and highlight the effects of partner violence chronicity on the health of women. Assessing for lifetime experiences of violence and current IPV will improve outcomes for women and their families. The study findings will guide future inquiry in the long‐term consequences of IPV and improve our understanding how partner violence, and specifically chronicity of partner violence, relates to types of sexual risk behaviors/factors.
Re-sampling procedures for reducing bias of error rate estimation in multinomial classification

Abstract The bias in estimating the error rate of a multinomial classification problem is addressed. The cross-validation, jackknife and bootstrap procedures are introduced to obtain the bias-reducing estimates of error rate. The performance of these procedures is examined by Monte Carlo simulation under different population structures. It is found that all three procedures are effective in reducing bias under small sample situations.
Microtubule Length Control, a Team Sport?

Kinesin-8 family members function in microtubule length control and exhibit highly processive plus-end directed motility in conjunction with microtubule dissassembly activity. In a recent issue of Cell, Varga and colleagues describe how these two activities may be used to simultaneously measure and adjust the length of cellular microtubules.
Edge function analysis of anisotropic materials with holes and cracks

Abstract The edge function method for anisotropic elasticity is based on the complex variable formulation and on the superposition of analytical solutions to the field equations. Herein the method is used in the study of anisotropic materials with holes and cracks. Several examples are studied in order to provide confidence in the model through literature comparisons. The effects of anisotropy and ellipticity of the cavities are examined. The potential of the method for assessing complex stress states is demonstrated through a numerical investigation of a sheet with several cracks and cavities.
STEROID HORMONE FORMATION IN THE HUMAN OVARY. II. ACTION OF GONADOTROPINS IN VITRO IN THE CORPUS LUTEUM.

Steroidogenesis in human corpora lutea obtained from women during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and from women with ectopic pregnancy is stimulated by the addition in vitro of hormones of human origin with luteinizing action. Human chorionic gonadotropin and human pituitary luteinizing hormone (LH) were active; no effect was observed with ovine luteinizing hormone or prolactin. The stimulation of steroidogenesis was assessed by the increase in incorporation of acetate-1-14C into progesterone, 20α-hydroxy-Δ4-pregnen-3-one, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, Δ4-androstene-3,17-dione, estradiol-17β and estrone. The corpora lutea from ectopic pregnancy showed a higher incorporation of radioactivity into all steroids than corpora lutea of the menstrual cycle.
Characterization of a methanogenic consortium enriched from a coalbed methane well in the Powder River Basin, U.S.A.

Abstract Well-bore water samples from the Fort Union Formation in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming tested positive for the presence of living microbial communities capable of generating methane from Wyodak coal under laboratory conditions. The methanogens in this consortium produced methane from acetate and methanol, but did not produce methane from a H2–CO2 headspace. This was consistent with a phylogenetic analysis of archaeal 16S ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA) sequences from the enrichment culture, which revealed just two phylotypes, both closely related to Methanosarcina mazei. Phylogenetic analysis of bacterial 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) genes revealed phylotypes similar to the acetogens Acidaminobacter hydrogenoformans and Syntrophomonas sp., and to known fermentative species. This methane-producing consortium was maintained on a defined microbial medium supplemented with Wyodak coal plus 50 mg/L yeast extract as the sole carbon substrates. At 22 °C, the maximum methane production rate was 0.084 m3/t coal/day (2.7 scf/ton/day); in comparison, total methane reserves in the Powder River Basin are approximately 1.6 to 2.2 m3/t (50 to 70 scf/ton). When the incubation temperature was increased from 22 °C to 38 °C, the rate of methane production increased by 300%; similarly, when the culture medium pH was lowered from 7.4 to 6.4, the methanogenesis rate increased by 680%. Increasing the coal particle surface area by 890% via smaller particle size increased methane production rates by over 200%. Microbial methane production in coal slurries was also enhanced by the addition of the solvent N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). These results suggest an opportunity to enhance coalbed methane reserves by stimulating the activity of existing methanogenic consortia in-situ; in particular, reservoir treatments that enhance coal solubility and dissolution rates may be beneficial.
Microporous polysaccharide hemospheres do not increase synechiae after sinus surgery: randomized controlled study.

BackgroundMany surgeons use absorbable packing materials after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). Despite their popularity, some of these agents have been shown to contribute to synechiae formation. M...
Random diode arrays and mesoscale physics of large-area semiconductor devices

Large-area, thin-film semiconductor devices often exhibit strong fluctuations in electronic properties on a mesoscale level that originate from relatively weak microscopic fluctuations in material structures such as grain size, chemical composition, and film thickness. Amplification comes from the fact that electronic transport through potential barriers is exponentially sensitive to the local parameter fluctuations. These effects create new phenomena and establish the physics of large-area, thin-film devices as a distinctive field of its own, quite different from that of microelectronics. We show that (i) large-area semiconductor thin-film devices are intrinsically nonuniform in the lateral directions, (ii) the nonuniformity can span length scales from millimeters to meters depending on external drivers such as light intensity and bias, and (iii) this nonuniformity significantly impacts the performance and stability of, e.g., photovoltaics, liquid crystal displays, and light emitting arrays. From the theoretical standpoint our consideration introduces a new class of disordered systems, which are random diode arrays. We propose a theory describing one class of such arrays and derive a figure of merit that characterizes the significance of nonuniformity effects. Our understanding suggests some methods for blocking the effects of nonuniformities.
Biomineralization, paleoceanography, and the evolution of calcareous marine organisms

In contrast to modern shallow-marine ooids and carbonate muds, which are composed for the most part of aragonite, Paleozoic counterparts probably were deposited with a primary calcite mineralogy, owing to significantly lower Mg/Ca ratios in Paleozoic seas. Although evidence supporting a postulated calcite mineralogy for ancient micrites is equivocal, the fabric of coeval oolites supports such an interpretation. The fabric of carbonate invertebrate remains from Phanerozoic sequences also demonstrates a concurrent, albeit gradual, shift from calcite to aragonite in calcified marine metazoans. This suggests that changing ocean chemistry has been an important factor not only in controlling the primary mineralogy of ooids, but also in influencing the evolution of major carbonate-mineralizing groups. Organisms that secreted calcite were dominant during most of Paleozoic time, whereas groups that progressively evolved the ability to precipitate aragonite were better adapted to changing ocean chemistry, have largely replaced calcite forms, and now dominate in modern shallow-water marine communities.
SEXUALITY'S UNCERTAIN HISTORY: OR, “NARRATIVE DISJUNCTION” IN DANIEL DERONDA

In between writing Middlemarch (1872) and her final novel, Daniel Deronda (1876), George Eliot recorded in her notebook that she wanted her fiction to explore “great turning points” in history by depicting “in detail” not only “the various steps by which a political or social change was reached” but also “the pathos, the heroism often accompanying the decay and final struggle of old systems, which has not had its share of tragic commemoration” (Essays 402). Indeed, by writing Daniel Deronda, the only one of her novels set in her contemporary moment, Eliot seems intent on examining shifts, presumably incomplete ones, taking place during her life. The incomplete nature of change may be echoed in the novel's unusual bifurcation: famously, its two plots address the title character, Daniel Deronda, who searches for a way to serve humanity, and Gwendolen Harleth, a beautiful woman who must address the narcissism she has been encouraged to develop. Deronda's story traces his gradual discovery and acceptance of his Jewish heritage, while Gwendolen has a story line that is only indirectly related to Deronda: she suffers in a tragic marriage and only partially comes to terms with the position of femininity in late Victorian England. Many readers hope, or simply expect, that the two stories will be joined in Daniel and Gwendolen's romance and marriage. Dismayed, however, by a double plot where Deronda and Gwendolen have separate trajectories and endings without marriage, readers and critics have frequently commented on the plot's structural problems, often noting “the narrative disjunction” that is one of the novel's most prominent features (Levine 421).
Effective medium theory for elastic matrix composites containing dispersed particulates

We describe a new, effective medium theory to study the wave propagation and mechanical properties of a composite system with dispersed particulates. One main emphasis here is in formulating the theory and in analyzing the structure of the contribution of the fillers to the elastic response. By constructing the elastic propagator (whose fluid mechanical counterpart is known as the Oseen tensor), we show that an analogy between the theoretical description of the particulate system and of suspension rheology exists when the former corresponds to a high-rigidity solid matrix (or, analogously, when the Poisson ratio is close to 1/2) in steady state. The effective Lame constants for this case are derived by combining this analogy with the theory developed by Freed and Muthukumar for the rheology of a suspension of spheres. The analogy is also useful in our new prediction of the phenomenon of elastic screening, the possible existence of a cutoff frequency below which elastic waves cannot propagate in the filler system.
Perception et communication des risques dans le cadre de décisions publiques et environnementales

Les situations qui exigent des decisions publiques ayant des consequences pour l’environnement doivent souvent prendre en compte les risques que ces consequences pourraient poser a la sante humaine, a l’integrite des ecosystemes, ou de certains de leurs composants. Dans plusieurs pays comme ceux de l’Europe Occidentale et les Etats-Unis, de telles decisions impliquent de plus en plus la participation de parties prenantes differant en interets, competences, experience, ressources et capacite civique, qui s’engagent en fait dans un processus de negociation autour de ces decisions.Les debats autour des risques que nos decisions posent a l’environnement sont en general fortement charges de contenu scientifique et technique. Les perceptions des participants sont souvent en contradiction (et parfois etonnement divergentes) avec les evaluations a base scientifique de ces memes risques. Trouver des solutions a ces problemes est donc rendu difficile par la necessite de negocier non seulement les caracteristiques des solutions, mais aussi la base informationelle sur laquelle elles reposent. Cette derniere devient parfois une source de controverses capable de bloquer la negociation ou d’envoyer les participants devant un tribunal.
Alteration of apoptotic signaling molecules as a function of time after radiation in human neuroblastoma cells

Ascertaining the time-dependent regulation of induced apoptosis and radioresistance is important to understand the relationship between the level of spontaneous apoptosis in cells and their radiosensitivity. Accordingly, we investigated the time-dependent expression of apoptosis related genes and radioresistance in neuroblastoma cells. Serum-starved human SK-N-MC cells were exposed to low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation (2 Gy) and incubated for 15, 30, 45 min, and 48 h. Radioresistance was investigated by examining the NFκB DNA-binding activity, cellular toxicity, DNA fragmentation, and expression of apoptotic signal transduction molecules. NFκB DNA binding activity was analyzed using electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Cellular toxicity was measured using MTT assay. DNA fragmentation was quantified by labeling with fluorescein-conjugated deoxynucleotides. Microarray analysis was performed using cDNA microarray and relative gene expression was measured as % GAPDH and, subsequently validated using Q-PCR. Induction of NFκB analyzed using EMSA showed an increased DNA-binding activity at all time points investigated. Induced DNA fragmentation was observed after 15, 30, and 45 min post-radiation. Relatively, induced fragmentation was reduced after 48 h. Compared to the untreated controls cellular toxicity was induced with low LET radiation after 15, 30, and 45 min. Conversely, cytotoxicity was relatively less at 48 h after low LET radiation. Microarray analysis after low LET radiation revealed time-dependent modulation of apoptosis-related genes that are involved in radio-adaptation, spontaneous apoptosis-related early-responsive genes and late response genes. These results suggest that the time-dependent regulation of apoptotic response may determine the relationship between the level of spontaneous apoptosis in cells and their radiosensitivity.
Migration policy for whom? A case study of the political context of migration in Sweden

The current debate on Swedish policy for rural-urban migration involves disagreements concerning its economic and social impact on the migrant. From one point of view, rural-urban movement is seen as "economically rational": a natural, efficient adaptation of the population to a centralized economy. Migrant economic and social betterment is seen to follow from such a population movement. Another point of view questions the assumed economic and social benefits of a city movement. Instead, the policy is accused of not taking human social and economic needs into account. It argues that migration policy needs to be decentralized, allowing migrants to preserve social ties to home areas.
Probabilistic graphical model for flash memory programming

Flash memory presents significant advantages over hard drives in terms of read speed and power efficiency; however its lifetime can be several orders of magnitude smaller. Thus increasing lifetime of flash memory via signal processing techniques is an important research area. The first half of the paper presents a statistical method for estimating the health of the cells in a Flash memory, based on which a variable error correction coding scheme can be used to increase lifetime. The second half of the paper proposes a statistical approach to increase lifetime when the flash controller can dynamically vary the program and erase operation strategy. This approach uses Markov Decision Processes (MDP) to choose the optimal program or erase strategy at any given point in the life of a Flash memory based on its current state or health. From a bigger picture stand-point, the paper presents a novel way of flash management using a Markov model for health of the memory at any given point in its lifetime.
A computer model for fatigue crack growth from rough surfaces

The effects of roughness characteristics of machined surfaces on fatigue life were determined using a series of computer simulations. The random surfaces were generated with a wide variation of asperity heights, distance between asperities, asperity radii, and initial crack sizes to account for the presence of intrinsic defects. The growth rates of multiple cracks were determined as a function of stress amplitude and crack length accounting for local stress fields from the asperities, crack closure effects, and crack interaction. The fatigue life was governed by the number of cycles for the first crack to reach a critical length. The simulations were repeatedly conducted to test the effects of the average asperity height, the standard deviation of the asperity heights, the length of the sample, and the material constants. Results showed that fatigue life was a strong function of average asperity heights when the average height exceeded 0.1 μm. The role of the standard deviation of the asperity heights was evaluated, and when its magnitude approached the average asperity height considerable scatter in fatigue lives became evident. The crack growth constants were systematically varied in the simulations, with suitable normalization of results. Finally, the model was applied to ground and rough milled 4340 steel with satisfactory predictions of fatigue lives.
Congenital lead intoxication

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Mechanisms of inhibited liver tissue repair in toxicant challenged type 2 diabetic rats.

Abstract Liver injury initiated by non-lethal doses of CCl4 and thioacetamide (TA) progresses to hepatic failure and death of type 2 diabetic (DB) rats due to failed advance of liver cells from G0/G1 to S-phase and inhibited tissue repair. Objective of the present study was to investigate cellular signaling mechanisms of failed cell division in DB rats upon hepatotoxicant challenge. In CCl4-treated non-diabetic (non-DB) rats, increased IL-6 levels, sustained activation of extracellular regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) MAPK, and sustained phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein (p-pRB) via cyclin D1/cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) 4 and cyclin D1/cdk6 complexes stimulated G0/G1 to S-phase transition of liver cells. In contrast to the non-DB rats, CCl4 administration led to lower plasma IL-6, decreased ERK1/2 activation, lower cyclin D1, and cdk 4/6 expression resulting in decreased p-pRB and inhibition of liver cell division in the DB rats. Furthermore, higher TGFβ1 expression and p21 activation may also contribute to decreased p-pRB in DB rats compared to non-DB rats. Similarly, after TA administration to DB rats, down-regulation of cyclin D1 and p-pRB leads to markedly decreased advance of liver cells from G0/G1 to S-phase and tissue repair compared to the non-DB rats. Hepatic ATP levels did not differ between the DB and non-DB rats obviating its role in failed tissue repair in the DB rats. In conclusion, decreased p-pRB may contribute to blocked advance of cells from G0/G1 to S-phase and failed cell division in DB rats exposed to CCl4 or TA, leading to progression of liver injury and hepatic failure.
Finding and Choosing among Multiple Optima

Black box functions, such as computer experiments, often have multiple optima over the input space of the objective function. While traditional optimization routines focus on finding a single best optimum, we sometimes want to consider the relative merits of multiple optima. First we need a search algorithm that can identify multiple local optima. Then we consider that blindly choosing the global optimum may not always be best. In some cases, the global optimum may not be robust to small deviations in the inputs, which could lead to output values far from the optimum. In those cases, it would be better to choose a slightly less extreme optimum that allows for input deviation with small change in the output; such an optimum would be considered more robust. We use a Bayesian decision theoretic approach to develop a utility function for selecting among multiple optima.
Glutamate receptor plasticity and activity-regulated cytoskeletal associated protein regulation in the phrenic motor nucleus may mediate spontaneous recovery of the hemidiaphragm following chronic cervical spinal cord injury

High cervical spinal cord hemisection results in paralysis of the ipsilateral hemidiaphragm; however, functional recovery of the paralyzed hemidiaphragm can occur spontaneously. The mechanisms mediating this recovery are unknown. In chronic, experimental contusive spinal cord injury, an upregulation of the NMDA receptor 2A subunit and a downregulation of the AMPA receptor GluR2 subunit have been correlated with improved hind limb motor recovery. Therefore, we hypothesized that NR2A is upregulated, whereas GluR2 is down-regulated following chronic C2 hemisection to initiate synaptic strengthening in respiratory motor pathways. Since NMDA receptor activation can lead to the delivery of AMPA receptor subunits to the post-synaptic membrane, we also hypothesized that there would be an upregulation of the GluR1 AMPA receptor subunit and that activity-regulated cytoskeletal associated protein may mediate the post-synaptic membrane delivery. Female rats were hemisected at C2 and allowed to recover for different time points following hemisection. At these time points, protein levels of NR2A, GluR1, and GluR2 subunits were assessed via Western blot analysis. Western blot analysis revealed that there were increases in NR2A subunit at six and twelve weeks post C2 hemisection. At six, twelve, and sixteen weeks post hemisection, the GluR1 subunit was increased over controls, whereas the GluR2 subunit decreased sixteen weeks post hemisection. Immunocytochemical data qualitatively supported these findings. Results also indicated that activity-regulated cytoskeletal associated protein may be associated with the above changes. These findings suggest a role of NR2A, GluR1, and GluR2 in mediating chronic spontaneous functional recovery of the paralyzed hemidiaphragm following cervical spinal cord hemisection.
Selected oxygen transport parameters in captive elk

Abstract Five captive elk (Cervus canadensis) were immobilized with a mixture ofetorphine HCl-aceprom-azine maleate. and measurements were taken of selected oxygen transport parameters. Heart mass/body mass. hematocrit, hemoglobin, blood volume, mean corpuscular volume and airway resistance were measured and the values compared to other ungulates. It was concluded that the O2 transport system of elk is not as well developed as that in pronghorn but is superior to that found-in the goat or ox.
A Mechanism for the Upper Limit of Vulnerability

BACKGROUND The strongest shock that induces reentry in the heart is the upper limit of vulnerability (ULV). In order to understand defibrillation, one must know what causes the ULV. OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to examine the mechanism of the upper limit of vulnerability. METHODS Numerical simulations of cardiac tissue were performed using the bidomain model. An S2 shock was applied during the refractory period of the S1 action potential, and results using a smooth curving fiber geometry were compared with results using a smooth plus random fiber geometry. RESULTS When using a smooth fiber geometry only, no ULV was observed. However, when a random fiber geometry was included, the ULV was present. The difference arises from the fate of the shock-induced break wave front when it reaches the edge of the tissue hyperpolarized by the shock (the virtual anode). CONCLUSION Our numerical simulations suggest that local heterogeneities throughout the tissue may be crucial for determining the fate of the shock-induced wave front at the edge of the virtual anode, and therefore play an important role in the mechanism underlying the ULV.
A novel approach to an old problem: tracking dispersed seeds

Animals are the principal vectors of dispersal for a large number of plant species. Unfortunately it is not easy to discern their movement patterns or the fate of their dispersed seeds. Many animals transport seeds by consuming them and then, some time later, defecating them. Others gather seeds and then store them for later consumption. Both circumstances lead to a set of seeds that have been dispersed in a clumped pattern, which offers a unique opportunity to assess seed movements. We introduce a novel approach that uses maternally inherited seed tissue to quantify the genetic structure of dispersed seed pools. This direct approach measures the genetic variability within and among seed pools, and estimates the scale of seed movement, without requiring a highly polymorphic battery of markers or the location and genotypes of all possible seed parents. We demonstrate this approach with the specific case of seed transport of valley oak (Quercus lobata) acorns by acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus). These territorial birds store acorns in drilled holes in the bark of trees, called granaries. We sampled stored acorns from different granaries, extracted DNA from the maternally inherited pericarp, and then assessed individuals for three microsatellite markers. We found extremely high genetic structure among granaries, a low number of effective seed donors per granary, and restricted seed movement. A maternity analysis performed on the same sample with seven microsatellites confirms acorn transport is limited to approximately 100-m radius. Our findings provide insight into the foraging and seed-dispersal behaviour of acorn woodpeckers, with an approach that can be widely extended to other systems.
Not For Novices:: Creating Utility Programs with DEBUG

This month, I'd like to share some nifty utility programs I've come across. Every one can be created in just a few minutes, using DEBUG. (Review: DEBUG.COM, which is provided with DOS, provides direct access to the system memory and has facilities for reading from and writing to disk.) For each utility program, I'll provide the sequence of DEBUG commands that will create the program file and a description of how to use the program once you have created it. Let's get to it!
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Global Seasonality of Norovirus

Background: Noroviruses are the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis across all ages worldwide. These pathogens are generally understood to exhibit a wintertime seasonality, though a systematic assessment of seasonal patterns has not been conducted in the era of modern diagnostics. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the Pubmed Medline database for articles published between 1997 and 2011 to identify and extract data from articles reporting on monthly counts of norovirus. We conducted a descriptive analysis to document seasonal patterns of norovirus disease, and we also constructed multivariate linear models to identify factors associated with the strength of norovirus seasonality. Results: The searched identified 293 unique articles, yielding 38 case and 29 outbreak data series. Within these data series, 52.7% of cases and 41.2% of outbreaks occurred in winter months, and 78.9% of cases and 71.0% of outbreaks occurred in cool months. Both case and outbreak studies showed an earlier peak in season-year 2002-03, but not in season-year 200607, years when new genogroup II type 4 variants emerged. For outbreaks, norovirus season strength was positively associated with average rainfall in the wettest month, and inversely associated with crude birth rate in both bivariate and multivariate analyses. For cases, none of the covariates examined was associated with season strength. When case and outbreaks were combined, average rainfall in the wettest month was positively associated with season strength. Conclusions: Norovirus is a wintertime phenomenon, at least in the temperate northern hemisphere where most data are available. Our results point to possible associations of season strength with rain in the wettest month and crude birth rate. Citation: Ahmed SM, Lopman BA, Levy K (2013) A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Global Seasonality of Norovirus. PLoS ONE 8(10): e75922.
Noninvasive measurement of the decrease in left ventricular filling time during maximal exercise in normal subjects.

Abstract Diastole, which includes the ventricular filling period, is preferentially shortened as heart rate increases. 1 Exercise increases both heart rate and stroke volume, thus requiring more filling volume in a shorter time. Constraints on left ventricular (LV) filling may be present during exercise, but filling times are not precisely known. Previous studies using electrocardiograms and external pulse recordings 2 could not address the problem of ventricular filling time per se. Echocardiograms 3 and high-fidelity catheter recordings 4 have recently been used to measure cardiac time intervals in exercising subjects, but values near maximal exercise were not reported. We used M-mode and Doppler echocardiography to measure the interval from mitral valve opening to closure as an estimate of LV filling time, at rest and during exercise up to maximum effort. The importance of the study relates to the constraints on LV filling that may be present during exercise.
Psychomotor stimulant self administration as a function of dosage per injection in the rhesus monkey.

The relationships between drug dosage per injection and response rate, and drug dosage per injection and total daily drug intake were ascertained in Rhesus monkeys which self-administered cocaine, pipradrol, methylphenidate and phenmetrazine intravenously. The study demonstrated the monkeys would self-administer all of these compounds over a wide range of dosages. Furthermore, the magnitude of reinforcement, i.e., dosage per injection, and the rate of responding in self-administering these compounds were inversely related. However, total daily drug intake was independent of the dosage per injection over a wide range of dosages. The results indicate that either the subjects can compensate for large changes in unit dosage so that daily drug intake remains stable or that a direct effect of these compounds functions in limiting their self-administration.