cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Barriers to coexistence limit the poleward range of a globally-distributed plant

Abstract Species’ poleward ranges are thought to be primarily limited by climatic constraints rather than biotic interactions such as competition. However, theory suggests that a species’ tolerance to competition is reduced in harsh environments, such as at the extremes of its climatic niche. This implies that under certain conditions, interspecific competition near species’ range margins can prevent the establishment of populations into otherwise tolerable environments and results in geographic distributions being shaped by the interaction of climate and competition. We test this prediction by challenging an experimentally-parameterized mechanistic competition model to predict the poleward range boundaries of two widely co-occurring and ecologically-similar aquatic duckweed plants. We show that simple, mechanistic ecological niche models which include competition and thermal response terms best predict the northern range limits of our study species, outperforming competition-free mechanistic models and matching the predictive ability of popular statistical niche models fit to occurrence records. Next, using the theoretical framework of modern coexistence theory, we show that relative nonlinearity in competitors’ responses to temperature fluctuations maintains coexistence at the subordinate competitor’s poleward range boundary, highlighting the importance of this underappreciated fluctuation-dependent coexistence mechanism. Our results demonstrate the predictive utility of mechanistic niche models and support a more nuanced, interactive role of climate and species interactions in determining range boundaries, which may help explain the conflicting results from previous tests of classic range limit theory and contribute to a more mechanistic understanding of range dynamics under global change.
Influence of the lab adopted natural diet and environmental and parental microbiota on life history and metabolic phenotype of Drosophila melanogaster larvae.

Obesity is an increasing worldwide epidemic and contributes to physical and mental health losses. The development of obesity is caused by multiple factors including genotype, hormonal misregulation, psychological stress, and gut microbiota. Our project investigated the effects produced by microbiota community, acquired from the environment and horizontal transfer, on traits related to obesity. The study applied a novel approach of raising Drosophila melanogaster from ten, wild-derived genetic lines (DGRP) on naturally fermented peaches, thereby preserving genuine microbial conditions. Our results indicated that larvae raised on the natural and standard lab diets were significantly different from each other in every tested phenotype. In addition, sterilized larvae raised on the autoclaved peach diet, therefore exposed to natural nutritional stress but lacking natural microbiota community, were associated with adverse phenotypes such as low survival rate, longer developmental time, smaller weight, and elevated triglyceride and glucose levels. Our findings suggested that frozen peach food provided nutritional conditions similar to the natural ones and preserved key microbial taxa necessary for survival and development of Drosophila larvae. The presence of parental microbiota did not produce a significant effect on any of the tested phenotypes when larvae were raised on the lab diet. Contrarily, on the peach diet, the presence of parental microbiota increased the weight and development rate, even if the original peach microbiota were still present. In addition, we found that larvae raised on the peach diet formed a microbial community distinctive from larvae raised on the lab or peach autoclaved diets. The effect that individual microbial taxa produced on the host varied significantly with changing environmental and genetic conditions, occasionally to the degree of opposite correlations.
From Strategic Leaders to Societal Leaders: On the Expanding Social Role of Executives and Boards:

Scholarship on strategic leadership and governance has long operated under the assumption that strategic leaders’ influence and purview are predominantly constrained by organizational boundaries. R...
Recalcitrant Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus in a Patient Discovered to Have Underlying Functional Natural Killer Cell Deficiency.

PURPOSE To report the management of a patient with chronic herpes zoster ophthalmicus with previously undiagnosed natural killer cell deficiency. METHODS A 50-year-old female presented with herpes zoster ophthalmicus that despite appropriate treatment progressed to uveitis and expansion of the lesions. Multiple attempts to wean the patient off therapeutic anti-viral medications continued to result in reoccurrence of the disease. Discovery of underlying natural killer cell deficiency prompted indefinite treatment with therapeutic anti-viral medication. RESULTS After multiple flares of herpes zoster ophthalmicus over 3 years, seven prior to the discovery of the immunodeficiency, she developed unilateral corneal scarring on the affected side. At this time, her visual acuity was measured to be uncorrected at 20/150 with improvement to 20/25-1 with refraction. CONCLUSIONS This case highlights the need for further immunological investigation and unconventional medical management with recurrent viral infections to prevent visual morbidity.
The Impact of COVID-19 on CGM Use in the Hospital

In 1995 the movie Outbreak was released, and we shivered but were amused. The fictional virus “Motaba” was soon replaced by the very real H1N1, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV, which causes SARS), and Ebola. Fortunately, the overall devastation of these potential pandemics, with the concern of deaths in the thousands or millions, never materialized. However, now the world is faced with SARS-CoV-2, the virus known to cause coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and the 2020 “Outbreak” movie is not fictional. This virus is real, and we are racing to find ways to save lives from this deadly disease while protecting the health and well-being of frontline health care workers. There is now a strong body of evidence that diabetes, established cardiovascular disease, and other metabolic risk factors (particularly visceral fat accumulation) are associated with increased risk of need for mechanical ventilation, acute kidney injury, and mortality (1–4). Hyperglycemia during hospitalization for COVID-19 has also been established as a poor prognostic indicator (4,5). Some studies report that those with previously poorly controlled diabetes tend to have higher morbidity and mortality (4). However, another recent study found that previous insulin use, not HbA1c, was a predictor of mortality (6). More recently reported was that COVID-19 survivors had lower mean glucose during hospitalization than nonsurvivors (7). This finding brings some of the old controversy about glycemic management in the hospital to light, raising the question of whether lowering glycemic goals may help mitigate the acute on top of chronic inflammatory response and improve outcomes. A report in 2001 on critically ill surgical patients gained wide attention (8). Intensive insulin therapy in the intensive care unit (ICU) improved morbidity and mortality, and much of the diabetes world extrapolated these findings to all patients in all hospitals. Unfortunately, …
Use of the Hypotension Prediction Index During Cardiac Surgery.

Objective The hypotension prediction index (HPI) is a novel parameter developed by Edwards Lifesciences (Irvine, CA) that is obtained through an algorithm based on arterial pressure waveform characteristics. Past studies have demonstrated its accuracy in predicting hypotensive events in noncardiac surgeries. The authors aimed to evaluate the use of the HPI in cardiac surgeries requiring cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Design Prospective cohort feasibility study. Setting Single university medical center. Participants Sequential adult patients undergoing elective cardiac surgeries requiring CPB between October 1, 2018, and December 31, 2018. Interventions HPI monitor was connected to the patient's arterial pressure transducer. Anesthesiologists and surgeons were blinded to the monitor output. Measurements and Main Results HPI values and hypotensive events were recorded before and after CPB. The primary outcomes were the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, and specificity of HPI predicting hypotension. The AUC, sensitivity, and specificity for HPI lead time to hypotension five minutes before the event were 0.90 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.853-0.949), 84% (95% CI: 77.7-90.5), and 84% (95% CI: 70.9-96.8), respectively. Ten minutes before the event AUC, sensitivity, and specificity for HPI lead time to hypotension were 0.83 (95% CI: 0.750-0.905), 79% (95% CI: 69.8-88.1), and 74% (95% CI: 58.8-89.6), respectively. Fifteen minutes before the hypotensive event AUC, sensitivity, and specificity for HPI lead time to hypotension were 0.83 (95% CI: 0.746-0.911), 79% (95% CI: 68.4-89.0), and 74% (95% CI: 58.8-89.6), respectively. Conclusion HPI predicted hypotensive episodes during cardiac surgeries with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity.
Adult ADHD and romantic relationships: What we know and what we can do to help

It has been widely maintained that enduring and healthy romantic relationships are critical to quality of life in adulthood, and can buffer the impact of adversity, including psychological disorder. Unfortunately, much research points toward adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) having short-lived and discordant romantic relationships. Despite this ample evidence, relatively little research has focused on identifying specific factors that may strengthen or explain their relational difficulties, which would have obvious relationship distress prevention and intervention implications. The current study reviews the state of the literature on romantic relationships in adults with ADHD, including differences that have been established between ADHD and non-ADHD populations as well as distal and proximal factors that appear to increase risk of relationship distress of adults with ADHD. Finally, notable gaps in the literature are identified and implications are raised with regards to prevention and intervention efforts designed to address functional impairment in adults with ADHD.
Resistance Gene Pyramiding and Rotation to Combat Widespread Soybean Cyst Nematode Virulence.

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is an important pathogen of soybean causing >$1 billion in yield losses annually in the United States. Planting SCN-resistant soybean cultivars is the primary management...
Effect of shunt type on rates of tube-cornea touch and corneal decompensation after tube shunt surgery in uveitic glaucoma

To evaluate the effect of tube shunt type [Ahmed (AGV) versus Baerveldt (BGI)] on the frequency of tube-cornea touch and corneal decompensation after tube shunt surgery. This retrospective comparative study included 145 eyes of 130 patients with uveitic glaucoma who underwent AGV (75 eyes) or BGI (70 eyes) implantations. Electronic medical records were reviewed to document demographic factors, intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction, frequency of tube-cornea touch, corneal decompensation, and need for subsequent corneal transplantation. The mean follow-up was 27.7±3.3 months for AGV and 32.8±3.8 months for BGI (p=0.30). Tube-cornea touch was observed in 5 eyes after BGI and 1 eye in the AGV group (p=0.08). The BGI group reported a significantly higher rate of corneal decompensation (9 versus 0; p=0.001) and transplantation (6 versus 0; p=0.01) compared to the AGV group. Previous trabeculectomy was a significant risk factor for corneal complications in eyes undergoing BGI implantation (odds ratio [OR]= 8.17, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.78–37.45, p=0.007). Similar rates of tube-cornea touch were observed in both shunt types; BGI shunts were associated with a greater incidence of corneal complications and transplantation as compared to AGV in this retrospective series of uveitic glaucoma cases.
Een onderzoek naar de emotionele ervaring van moeders die een bewezen effectieve opvoedingsinterventie afronden: een ‘grounded theory’-analyse

Opvoedingsinterventies zijn een goed onderzochte behandeling voor het aanpakken van gedragsproblemen van kinderen, en deze blijken daarnaast ook een positief effect te hebben op de psychosociale gezondheid van de ouders. Toch is er nog weinig bekend over de veranderingen die in de loop van zo’n interventie optreden in de emotionele ervaring van verzorgers die deze behandeling volgen. Daarom hebben we voor deze studie de emotionele ervaringen onderzocht van moeders na afloop van hun deelname aan een bewezen effectieve opvoedingsinterventie. De onderzoekers voerden daarvoor een secundaire analyse uit van bestaande kwalitatieve data. De steekproef bestond uit 17 moeders die eerder de opvoedingsinterventie GenerationPMTO hadden gevolgd, en bij wie semigestructureerde interviews werden afgenomen. De data-analyse volgde de grounded theory-benadering (gefundeerde theoriebenadering, red.) en deze bestond uit een procedure met achtereenvolgens open, axiale en selectieve codering, waarbij gebruik werd gemaakt van de methode van constante vergelijking. De bevindingen geven aan dat de emotionele ervaringen van de moeders drie afzonderlijke, maar onderling samenhangende fasen doorliepen: voor PMTO werden hun ervaringen gekenmerkt door ‘opvoeden in tijden van crisis’ (fase 1); tijdens PMTO trad er bij de moeders een overgang naar crisisstabilisatie op (fase 2), en na afloop van PMTO beschreven ze ervaringen van beginnend herstel en veerkracht (fase 3). De emotionele ervaringen van de moeders tijdens die drie fasen deden zich voor in drie contextuele domeinen: (a) het individuele (intrapersoonlijke) niveau, (b) het niveau van de ouder-kindrelatie, en (c) het bredere, systemische niveau. De resultaten benadrukken de dynamische en evoluerende aard van de emotionele ervaring van moeders tijdens de verschillende stadia van het interventieproces, en suggereren hoe die ervaringen mogelijk samenhangen met de bevordering van effectieve opvoedingsmethoden en positieve uitkomsten bij kinderen.
Expanding MPEx Hydropathy Analysis to Account for Electrostatic Contributions to Protein Interactions with Anionic Membranes

Hydropathy plots are a crucial tool to guide experimental design, as they generate predictions of protein–membrane interactions and their bilayer topology. The predictions are based on experimentally determined hydrophobicity scales, which provide an estimate for the propensity and stability of these interactions. A significant improvement to the accuracy of hydropathy analyses was provided by the development of the popular Wimley–White interfacial and octanol hydrophobicity scales. These scales have been previously incorporated into the freely available MPEx (Membrane Protein Explorer) online application. Here, we introduce a substantial update to MPEx that allows for the consideration of electrostatic contributions to the bilayer partitioning free energy. This component originates from the Coulombic attraction or repulsion of charges between proteins and membranes. Its inclusion in hydropathy calculations increases the accuracy of hydropathy plot predictions and extends their use to more complex systems (i.e., anionic membranes). We illustrate the application of this analysis to studies on the membrane selectivity of antimicrobial peptides, the membrane partitioning of ion-channel gating modifiers, and the amyloid proteins α-synuclein and Tau, as well as pH-dependent bilayer interactions of diphtheria toxin and apoptotic inhibitor Bcl-xL.
Concurrent bronchopulmonary foregut malformations: a rare case of right-sided extralobar pulmonary sequestration and bronchogenic cyst

Bronchopulmonary foregut malformations are rare congenital malformations. It is extremely rare to have malformations that occur simultaneously. There is literature to show that extralobar sequestration is associated with other congenital anomalies, most commonly diaphragmatic hernias, and also with other bronchopulmonary foregut malformations (e.g., extralobar sequestration and congenital pulmonary airway malformations). However, very few case reports were found that reported extralobar sequestration and foregut duplication cysts and only one report of a right-sided complex foregut malformation with pulmonary sequestration. We present a case of a 3-month-old male infant with a prenatal diagnosis of a cystic lung lesion who, after developing symptoms of respiratory distress, was found to have concurrent right-sided extralobar pulmonary sequestration and a mediastinal bronchogenic cyst. The concurrent occurrence of these malformations in one patient could help support the theory that these malformations result from an early error in development during the time when both the lung buds and foregut are developing simultaneously.
Fault Lines Among Asian Americans: Convergence and Divergence in Policy Opinion

Sociologists have long argued that a racial and ethnic category can be made under certain circumstances and remade under anothers. The panethnic category of Asian American was in fact devised to mobilize different immigrant-origin groups in the 1960s. Today’s Asian Americans have diverse opinions on numerous issues. Given this divergence, it is possible that the category will be subject to remaking or unmaking. Using survey questions from the 2016 pre-election National Asian American Survey, this article analyzes where respondents’ policy opinions converge and diverge. Using latent class models, it shows that though many Asian Americans support government interventions in health care, education, climate change, and racial justice, some diverge sharply in regard to Muslim immigration. Logistic regression models show that different experiences of immigration and differences in national origins undergird such divergence. I discuss the implications of these fault lines for the future of the Asian American category.
Increased seminal root number associated with domestication improves nitrogen and phosphorus acquisition in maize seedlings.

Background and aims Domesticated maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) generally forms between two and six seminal roots, while its wild ancestor, Mexican annual teosinte (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis), typically lacks seminal roots. Maize also produces larger seeds than teosinte, and it generally has higher growth rates as a seedling. Maize was originally domesticated in the tropical soils of southern Mexico, but it was later brought to the Mexican highlands before spreading to other parts of the continent, where it experienced different soil resource constraints. The aims of this study were to understand the impacts of increased seminal root number on seedling nitrogen and phosphorus acquisition and to model how differences in maize and teosinte phenotypes might have contributed to increased seminal root number in domesticated maize. Methods Seedling root system architectural models of a teosinte accession and a maize landrace were constructed by parameterizing the functional-structural plant model OpenSimRoot using plants grown in mesocosms. Seedling growth was simulated in a low-phosphorus environment, multiple low-nitrogen environments, and at variable planting densities. Models were also constructed to combine individual components of the maize and teosinte phenotypes. Key results Seminal roots contributed about 35% of the nitrogen and phosphorus acquired by maize landrace seedlings in the first 25 days after planting. Increased seminal root number improved plant N acquisition under low-N environments with varying precipitation patterns, fertilization rates, soil textures, and planting densities. Models suggested that the optimal number of seminal roots for nutrient acquisition in teosinte is constrained by its limited seed carbohydrate reserves. Conclusions Seminal roots can improve the acquisition of both nitrogen and phosphorus in maize seedlings, and the increase in seed size associated with maize domestication may have facilitated increased seminal root number.
The Role of Culture in Advocating for Accurate Diagnosis and Rating of Veterans’ Psychological Disabilities

A lawyer assisting a veteran with a psychological disability claim will be a better advocate if she is first aware of the veteran’s cultural background and identity and how it might impact the way the veteran communicates with the gatekeepers in the system, most importantly medical examiners. Her awareness will make her a more effective advocate for the veteran at all stages of the disability claim and appeal process; it will enable her to identify ways she can make her client’s cultural background and identity a part of the record and a part of the diagnostic and rating procedures. Lawyers who appreciate cultural background and identity in their veteran clients and themselves will be agents of positive change in the VA disability system, moving it toward more culturally-sensitive and appropriate assessment, treatment, and compensation of all veterans.We have steadily advanced in our understanding of culturally competent approaches to lawyering. This article builds on our ever-increasing understanding by focusing on the specific context of advocating for veterans who have psychological disability claims in the VA disability system, a context in which cultural competence can be of critical importance to the outcome of a veteran’s claim and future livelihood. To do this, I first provide a brief overview of psychological disability claims in the Department of Veterans Affairs Compensation and Pension system, and second explore how culture interacts with mental health and the implications of this interaction on psychological diagnosis and treatment. Then I identify points in the VA disability claims process where veterans’ advocates who are aware of and educated in their clients’ cultural background and identity may advocate for culturally-sensitive psychological diagnosis, disability rating, and treatment. Finally, I consider questions we should more fully explore to advance our understanding of culturally-competent lawyering in the VA claims process.
Persuading the implicit mind: Changing negative implicit evaluations with an 8-minute podcast

Implicit evaluations can be malleable via reinterpretation of previously encountered evidence. Here, we report three studies (N = 1,007) investigating the robustness of this updating modality using...
Mind over Matter

In order to understand the whole picture, we depend on reductionism as an important tool. For example, we break time into hours, minutes, seconds, etc., and materials into atoms and fundamental particles. This process has led us to believe the world is material in nature, and we are the non-biased observers of the material dynamics. For a moment, let’s think the other way. Imagine the mind is the creator of the material world, and it exists irrespective of the state of the matter. Such an approach demands a paradigm shift in our scientific approach, but this is not as easy to do as one might think.
Design of multi-objective control systems with optimal failure tolerance

The selection of the control structure, which is a specification of the interconnection of measurements, exogenous inputs, and manipulated variables, is a critical step in the design of a control system. This paper presents a general internal model control structure with multiple degrees-of-freedom in which each controller can be independently designed for stable systems. The control system is shown to remain optimal when controllers are taken off-line due to component failures, without requiring re-design of any of the on-line controllers. The optimality of the proposed approach is demonstrated for the control of a simulated thin-film process for a variety of component failures.
Inescapable Coexistence: Animals and Humans in The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden serves as a strong example of the inescapable coexistence of animals and humans and the importance of that coexistence as it relates to children. The manner in which Frances Hodgson Burnett brings to light the interconnectedness of animals and humans is a testament to the importance of writers using every device available to deepen their chosen themes. She creates vivid settings and reinforces emotional states through animal correlatives, anthropomorphism, and zoomorphism, as well as by utilizing what Le Guin calls the "animal helper" to draw the reader's attention to—and sing out—the community of all living things. By drawing upon Le Guin's study, I hope to support her assertions regarding the interconnectedness of human and animal communities, while at the same time, further contemporary discourses about Burnett's "classic" children's novel.
Policy generation for continuous-time stochastic domains with concurrency

We adopt the framework of Younes, Musliner, & Simmons for planning with concurrency in continuous-time stochastic domains. Our contribution is a set of concrete techniques for policy generation, failure analysis, and repair. These techniques have been implemented in TEMPASTIC, a novel temporal probabilistic planner, and we demonstrate the performance of the planner on two variations of a transportation domain with concurrent actions and exogenous events. TEMPASTIC makes use of a deterministic temporal planner to generate initial policies. Policies are represented using decision trees, and we use incremental decision tree induction to efficiently incorporate changes suggested by the failure analysis.
Counterfactuals and Causal Inference: Methods and Principles for Social Research, by Stephen L. Morgan and Christopher Winship

Several themes of information systems and information technology (IS/IT) fall in the realm of social sciences research. Researchers in IS/IT heavily rely on several research methodologies developed...
Improved Motion Correction in fMRI by Joint Mapping of Slices into an Anatomical Volume.

Motion correction in fMRI time series is essential for accurate statistical analyses. Typically motion correction is applied in a rigid fashion between time series volumes. Such corrections assume no relative motion between slices. An improved motion correction scheme, map-slice-to-volume (MSV), was developed previously using mutual information (MI) to register individual fMRI slices onto an anatomical volume to account for inter-slice motion [6]. As each slice’s orientation represents a statistically independent sampling of the patient’s motion at multiple intervals throughout the acquisition, a smoothed estimate of the patient’s trajectory in time can be computed by jointly estimating each slice’s orientation while minimizing the implied acceleration of the patient’s head subject to applying a priori, slice-related weights based on known registration reliabilities. The results of this joint mapping of slices into a volume (JMSV) show further substantial improvement in slice registration and subsequent motion estimation.
Preparing cancer patients to administer medication

Leucovorin calcium is given to cancer patients receiving high-dose methotrexate to retard the onset of serious side effects. Precise adherence to dose and schedule is essential, and it is necessary that patients who self-administer their drug know how to open the ampules and withdraw the correct amount without wastage. Educational resource materials were developed to be given to patients when the leucovorin calcium was dispensed. This paper describes the development and evaluation of the resource materials.
Procainamide Induces a Transitory Impairment of b Cell Mitogenesis in Beagle Dogs

ABSTRACTBeagle dogs (3 to 6 years old) were treated with 100–150 mg procainamide HCl/kg/day. After 2, 5, and 9 months of treatment, peripheral blood lymphocytes were isolated and stimulated with pokeweed mitogen. The data demonstrated a suppression of mitogenesis only at 2 and 5 months after procainamide treatment. The lymphocytes from dogs treated for 9 months had a normal response to pokeweed mitogen. At no time during this experiment were any significant levels of serum antinuclear antibodies detected nor was any change in the number of cycling lymphocytes apparent in the experimental versus control groups. The resting membrane potential of both control and experimental groups was similar and pokeweed mitogen depolarized the cells from both groups.
The physiological microphone (PMIC): A competitive alternative for speaker assessment in stress detection and speaker verification

Interactive speech system scenarios exist which require the user to perform tasks which exert limitations on speech production, thereby causing speaker variability and reduced speech performance. In noisy stressful scenarios, even if noise could be completely eliminated, the production variability brought on by stress, including Lombard effect, has a more pronounced impact on speech system performance. Thus, in this study we focus on the use of a silent speech interface (PMIC), with a corresponding experimental assessment to illustrate its utility in the tasks of stress detection and speaker verification. This study focuses on the suitability of PMIC versus close-talk microphone (CTM), and reports that the PMIC achieves as good performance as CTM or better for a number of test conditions. PMIC reflects both stress-related information and speaker-dependent information to a far greater extent than the CTM. For stress detection performance (which is reported in % accuracy), PMIC performs at least on par or about 2% better than the CTM-based system. For a speaker verification application, the PMIC outperforms CTM for all matched stress conditions. The performance reported in terms of %EER is 0.91% (as compared to 1.69%), 0.45% (as compared to 1.49%), and 1.42% (as compared to 1.80%) for PMIC. This indicates that PMIC reflects speaker-dependent information. Also, another advantage of the PMIC is its ability to record the user physiology traits/state. Our experiments illustrate that PMIC can be an attractive alternative for stress detection as well as speaker verification tasks along with an advantage of its ability to record physiological information, in situations where the use of CTM may hinder operations (deep sea divers, fire-fighters in rescue operations, etc.).
Cytoplasmic male sterility and fertility restoration in wheat are not associated with rearrangements of mitochondrial DNA in the gene regions for cob, coxII, or coxI.

In comparing the genetic organization and exploring the molecular basis of cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) in wheat, mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNA) from Triticum aestivum, T. timopheevi, CMS alloplasmic wheat with T. aestivum nucleus and T. timopheevi mitochondria, and fertility-restored lines were compared by hybridization analysis with specific probes for three gene regions: CoxII, cob, and coxI. Minor differences between T. aestivum- and T. timopheevi-derived sources were found for gene regions for coxII and cob. For coxI, there are significant differences between T. timopheevi-derived mtDNAs and T. aestivum mtDNA extending beyond an 8 kb distance. All T. timopheevi-derived mtDNA sources have a chimeric gene region (orf256) with part of the upstream coxI gene region, including some coxI-coding region, preceding coxI. The part of orf256 that does not include any of coxI and the 3′-flanking region of CMS coxI are not found in T. aestivum mtDNA. Neither orf256 nor the CMS 3′-flanking region of coxI are found in T. timopheevi or T. aestivum chloroplastic or nuclear DNA. There do not appear to be DNA sequence differences for the three gene regions studied that are related to either CMS or fertility-restored states.
Olfactory Absolute Thresholds and Their Implications for the Nature of the Receptor Process

(1955). Olfactory Absolute Thresholds and Their Implications for the Nature of the Receptor Process. The Journal of Psychology: Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 223-227.
Serotonergic, adrenergic and histaminergic receptors coupled to phospholipase C in cultured cerebellar granule cells of rats.

Abstract Phosphatidylinositol (Ptdlns) turnover has been studied in the primary culture of granule cells dissociated from the cerebellum of postnatal rat. Addition of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) caused an increase (300–600% of control) of [ 3 H]inositol monophosphate (IP 1 ) accumulation in the presence of LiCl in cells prelabeled with [ 3 H]myo-inositol. The EC 50 and saturation concentrations of 5-HT were about 0.1 and 10 μM respectively. Some nonselective 5-HT receptor agonists, MK212, 5-methoxytryptamine, tryptamine and quipazine, were capable of stimulating IP 1 accumulation; a selective 5-HT 1A receptor agonist, 8-OH-DPAT, was ineffective. The 5-HT-induced response was potently blocked by several 5-HT 2 receptor antagonists such as ketanserin, mianserin, spiroperidol and pyzotyline. The 5-HT-induced accumulation was dependent on the culturing time of granule cells with the maximal response seen in an 8-day culture. Norepinephrine (NE) also promoted an increased IP 1 accumulation (300% of the control) with an EC 50 of about 1 μM, while prazosin inhibited this NE-induced response with a K i of about 0.2 nM. The responses induced by NE and 5-HT appeared to be additive. In addition, histamine in a dose-dependent manner enhanced the accumulation by about 100%; this histamine effect was blocked by triprolidine, an H 1 receptor antagonist, but not by cimetidine, an H 2 receptor antagonist. These results suggest that 5-HT, NE and histamine could be part of the neurotransmitter substances present in mossy fibers or other afferent nerve endings which innervate granule cells in vivo and that Ptdlns turnover regulated by their selective receptors on granule cells may play a role in modulating the excitatory function of these neurons.
Vitamin C: newer insights into its biochemical functions.

Ever since the discovery of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), scientists have been intrigued as to how ascorbic acid deficiency can lead to the diverse symptoms exhibited in scurvy. Only in recent years has it been appreciated that ascorbic acid has important functions in many cellular reactions and processes in addition to its role in collagen synthesis. The few such reactions that are understood at the molecular level make it apparent that ascorbic acid does not directly participate in enzyme-catalyzed conversion of substrate to product. Instead, the vitamin regenerates prosthetic metal ions in these enzymes in their required reduced forms. This is in agreement with other antioxidant functions of vitamin C, e.g., scavenging of free radicals. Ascorbate and other antioxidant nutrients are presumed to play a pivotal role in minimizing the damage from oxidative products, including free radicals. This protective function is twofold: the already-oxidized groups in prosthetic centers of enzymes are reduced and the oxidants and free radicals are removed.
Magnetic susceptibility of uniform microcrystals of platinum

Abstract The magnetic susceptibility of uniform platinum microcrystals having a mean diameter of 22.4 A has been measured by the Faraday technique from 1.5–200 K in fields of 2–13 kG. The susceptibility is independent of field, but becomes temperature dependent near 85 K and obeys the Curie law below about 20 K. The observed low-temperature behavior corresponds to about one unpaired electron per particle having spin-only paramagnetism. The results are compared to the theory of Denton et al., and it is concluded that the correct statistical distribution is the canonical, rather than the grand canonical, but that more extensive data are required to clearly differentiate among the various level-distribution ensembles.
Theory, experiment and the federal communications commission spectrum auctions

Abstract The FCC uses the simultaneous multi-round auction (SMA) to assign spectrum licenses. Congress mandated that the SMA be compared to an auction that allows “combinatorial” bids. We review the theoretical and experimental evidence relevant to the SMA procedures and their inherent defects. Results from experiments evaluating the SMA in comparison to a combinatorial auction designed by Charles River and Associates show that several of the SMA rules hinder efficiency and create a trade-off between efficiency and auction length. The combinatorial auction outperforms the SMA when license values are superadditive, but requires more time to complete and is not robust.
Katalyse mit molekularen Metall-Clustern

Molekulare Metall-Cluster gibt es in mittlerweile kaum noch uberschaubarer Anzahl und Vielfalt. Sie ermoglichen es, spezifische Zwischenprodukte oberflachenkatalysierter Reaktionen modellhaft zu erzeugen, sie dienen als Edukte fur sehr reaktive einkernige Komplexfragmente, und sie konnen Reaktionscyclen in Gang bringen, bei denen der Cluster intakt bleibt. Der letzte Aspekt wird in diesem Fortschrittsbericht behandelt. Der gegenwartige Kenntnisstand der Cluster-Katalyse wird kritisch betrachtet, und Moglichkeiten fur einzigartig an Mehrmetallatomzentren ablaufende Reaktionen werden erortert.
Asymmetric Cyclopropanation of Styrene Catalyzed by Chiral Macrocyclic Iron(II) Complexes

Three chiral tetraaza macrocyclic ligands (4a−c) were synthesized by the cyclization reaction of diamines with dithioaldehydes. The iron(II) complexes of ligands 4a and 4c, as well as two chiral iron(II) porphyrin complexes, FeII(D4-TpAP) and Fe(α2β2-BNP), are efficient catalysts for the cyclopropanation of styrene with diazoacetate reagents. The cyclopropyl esters were produced with high diastereoselectivities and good yields. However, the enantioselectivities were modest at best. The rationalization of the stereoselectivity in these cyclopropanation reactions is presented. The results of a single-crystal X-ray analysis of the ligand 4a are also reported.
The effect of betamethasone on neonatal neutrophil chemotaxis.

ABSTRACT. Antenatal maternal glucocorticoid administration has been widely used to accelerate fetal lung maturation. Glucocorticoids have also been used postnatally selected neonates as antiinflammatory agents. Numerous studies have shown that glucocorticoids inhibit multiple components of the immune system including neutrophil (PMN) function in children and adults. Since PMNs are of critical importance in host defense against bacterial infection, impaired PMN function in newborn infants is thought to be an important cause of their increased morbidity and mortality from bacterial infection. Further compromise of neonatal PMN function by exogenous factors such as glucocorticoids may therefore be of significant clinical importance. A micropore filter chemotactic assay used to determine the in vitro effect of betamethasone on the random migration and directed migration (chemotaxis) of PMNs from 18 neonates. The addition of a concentration of betamethasone (0.01 μg/ml) similar to that found in cord blood following a standard dose administered to the mother resulted in a significant (p < 0.01) inhibition in mean neonatal PMN random migration (–15.0 ± 0.8%) and chemotaxis (–23.5 ± 3.0%). A similar inhibition was not found when PMNs from 14 adults were exposed to the same concentrations of betamethasone. Betamethasone administration to pregnant women or their newborn infants may further impair PMN motility to an increased morbidity and mortality from bacterial infection in neonates.
Fabrication of High-Density Carbon-Nanotube Coatings on Microstructured Substrates

Fabrication and characterization of carbon nanotubes deposited on microstructured Ni substrate are presented. The highly active surface-area of the microstructured Ni substrate provides highdensity nucleation sites for carbon nanotubes. Coated fine Ni powder also serves as a catalyst for the nanotube growth. Hydrocarbon mixtures were used as the carbon source for the chemical vapor deposition process. Carbon nanotubes deposited on the microstructured Ni substrate were examined by SEM. An ultra high vacuum chamber was used to characterize the field emission properties of carbon nanotube coatings.
Natural subordination, Aristotle on

Few passages from the ancients scandalize modern readers as does Aristotle's Politics I, 2-5. Aristotle begins with a distinction he apparently finds obvious: [T]hat which can foresee by the exercise of mind is by nature intended to be lord and master, and that which can with its body give effect to such foresight is a subject, and by nature a slave.
Case Report: Turner’s Syndrome and Cardiovascular Anomalies: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Turner's syndrome is a genetic disease in which many cardiovascular anomalies have been reported, coarctation of the aorta being the most frequent. The most serious complication that can arise from these abnormalities is aortic dissection. The authors present an unusual case of Turner's syndrome with an aortic sinus aneurysm and severe aortic insufficiency in the absence of coarctation of the aorta. The various cardiovascular anomalies seen in Turner's syndrome, such as coarctation of the aorta, bicuspid aortic valve, aortic dissection, aortic sinus aneurysm and ascending aorta aneurysm, can best be understood on a common basis of congenital structural abnormalities involving the aorta and the aortic valve. The only evidence available for such an abnormality is the presence of cystic medial necrosis in the affected vascular tissues.
Study of microbial growth I: by diffraction

Yeast and bacteria growth has been detected by observing light diffracted from specially prepared diffracting screens upon which these organisms were grown. The screens were fabricated by impressing patterns on the surface of a growing medium. As the microbes metabolized, they caused severe changes in the lightdiffracting properties of the patterns as they ate into them. Such changes were detected within twenty minutes for bacteria and ten minutes for yeast.
CAMP SISTER SPIRIT VS. OVETT: CULTURE WARS IN MISSISSIPPI

This paper examines the political controversy surrounding the building of Camp Sister Spirit, a feminist cultural and educational retreat for women, on 120 acres of land in rural Jones County, Mississippi. The intensity of the resulting confrontation with individuals and groups in nearby communities quickly raised the scope of conflict and attracted national media and political attention, including intervention by the Clinton administration and hearings by the Subcommittee on Civil Rights of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. In discussing this ongoing controversy, we locate Camp Sister Spirit in the history of the search for alternative community and analyze the nature and rhetoric of the conflict between the camp and some of the citizens of the small town of Ovett, Mississippi, as a complex moment in the tension between the competing languages and value systems of individualism and community in the American political culture.
Martial Arts: An Exciting Addition to the Physical Education Curriculum

(2003). Martial Arts: An Exciting Addition to the Physical Education Curriculum. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 74, No. 4, pp. 29-35.
Ring opening photoreactions of 5-bromouracil and 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine with selected alkylamines.

— Several studies in the literature indicate that histones (lysine rich proteins found associated with DNA in eukaryotic chromatin), as well as poly-L-lysine, can be photocross-linked by ultraviolet (UV) light to DNA in which 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine has been substituted for thymidne. To gain some insight into the possible nature of this cross-linking, we have studied the photoreactions occurring in deoxygenated aqueous solutions containing 5-bromouracil (I) (BrUra) or 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (III) (BrdUrd) and ethylamine, a lysine side chain analog. In the case of I this reaction produced the ring opened compound N-(N′-ethylcarbamoyl)-3-amino-2-bromoacrylamide (Ia). A small amount of N-(N′-ethylcarbamoyl)-3-ethylamino-2-bromoacrylamide (Ic) was also isolated. It was found that purified Ia, standing in the presence of ethylamine, was gradually converted to Ic in a dark reaction. The βandαanomers of N-(N′-ethylcarbamoyl)-3-(2′ deoxyribofuranos-1′-yl)amino-2-bromoacrylamide (IIIa and IIIb respectively) were isolated as products in the photoreaction of III with ethylamine; the α anomer was produced in a dark reaction from the β anomer. The identity of these anomers was established by comparison of their proton NMR spectra with those of the four corresponding α and β furanosyl and pyranosyl isomeric nucleosides of thymine, which are presented in the Appendix. A study was also made of the reaction of I with methylamine; a ring opened product analogous to In, viz. N-(N′-methylcarbamoyl)-3-amino-2-bromoacrylamide(IIa) was formed. A similar study with 5-bromo-1-methyluracil produced N-(N′-methylcarbamoyl)-3-methylamino-2-bromoacrylamide (IIc) as a product. Likewise, the reaction of 5-chlorouracil with ethylamine was studied and N-(N′- ethylcarbamoyl)-3-amino-2-chloroacrylamide (Ie), which is analogous in structure to Ia, was found to be produced. Structural identifications were made through use of UV spectroscopy, high resolution 1H-NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and, in the case of Ia and IIa, 13C-NMR spectroscopy. In the BrUra and BrdUrd reaction systems, described above, dehalogenation reactions accounted for a major portion of the products. The yields of ring opened products, determined at pH 10, ranged from a high of 10.3% in the BrUra-ethylamine system to a low of 1.7% in the MeBrUra-methylamine system. The pH profile of the relative quantum yields for production of total opened ring product (IIIa+IIIb) in the photoreaction of III with ethylamine indicates that this quantity increases rapidly over the pH range between 7.5 and 9.5 and then decreases above 10.5. An additional reaction, a photoinduced halogen exchange process, was found to occur when Ia was irradiated in sodium chloride solution; this reaction converted Ia to Ie.
Real-time PCR assay for rapid detection and quantification of Campylobacter jejuni on chicken rinses from poultry processing plant

Abstract Campylobacter jejuni ( C. jejuni ) is the leading cause of food-borne gastroenteritis in the United States. Detection of Campylobacter in food samples by conventional culture is cumbersome; therefore, there is a need to develop rapid and cost-effective detection and quantification methods. Eighty-four whole chicken rinses were collected at different stages of processing at three poultry processing plants. After chicken wash collection and DNA extraction, the samples were directly subjected to real-time PCR (rtPCR) without enrichment and also culture. The assay specificity was determined with a range of Campylobacter species, related, and unrelated organisms. Of the 84 samples collected 65 (77%) of the samples were positive by the rtPCR assay and 27 (32%) of the samples tested positive by direct plating to selective agar media. The results were positively concordant for 27 (32%) of the samples. The whole rtPCR assay can be completed within 90 min with a detection limit of 1 CFU, compared to 5–7 days for enrichment and sub culturing in selective agar. This assay is the first report of rtPCR method capable of detecting and quantifying C. jejuni from chicken rinses without an enrichment step and could be an important, rapid and quantification model for other food-borne pathogens.