cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Axonal Organization in the Cat Medial Superior Olivary Nucleus

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of axonal organization in the cat medial superior olivary nucleus. Axons of elongate cells in the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) have a similar brush-like arborization pattern in the dorsomedial periolivary nucleus. Studies have confirmed that the horizontally oriented candelabra like spread of axons of anterior ventral cochlear nucleus spherical cells and the interrelationships of branches of these axons with more than one adjacent, horizontally oriented sheet of cells. These studies also identified four additional Golgi patterns: one of intrinsic collaterals of axons of medial superior olive (MSO) neurons, two of axons of periolivary neurons, and one belonging to axons of unknown origin. Rostrocaudally running axons ramifying in the MSO fiber zones are observed in both neonatal and adult cats. From their location, they probably make contacts primarily on dendrites or on rostrocaudally elongated cell bodies that have a similar orientation and location. The arborization pattern that has been traced to central cell band cells involves branching within a restricted area within the central band that might be associated with one or more somata and proximal dendrites. Further studies have demonstrated that an efficient mechanism for accumulating label after glycogen incubations in a specific population of synaptic terminals in both the MSO and lateral superior olivary nucleus (LSO). The morphological characteristics of these terminals are consistent with the features known to characterize endings of cochlear nucleus projections.
Adopting IT for effective management of social welfare programs

In North Carolina, welfare programs are state supervised and county administered. To properly manage welfare programs in such an environment, efficient timely communication of a comprehensive set of data analysis customized to each county is required between the state and the 100 counties in North Carolina. Consequently a dynamic website that tracks the experiences of families and individuals on Work First by county was built to assist county DSS (Departments of Social Services) program managers in evaluating their local program. The information technology not only provides a means for efficient dissemination of information, but also shows social workers a new way of thinking by presenting complex information in a user friendly manner. The information provided through the website allows many counties to evaluate their performance in terms of outcomes. It has provided a common set of measures that can be compared over time and across counties.
Introducing the Urdu Short Story in Translation

This brief essay has been adapted for Pakistaniaat from the introduction to my forthcoming translation of an Urdu short story collection. The collection, entitled Do You Suppose It's the East Wind: Stories from Pakistan, is being published by Penguin Books, India.
Monteverdi's Early Seventeenth-Century‘Harmonic Progressions’

The seemingly tonal harmonic markers in Monteverdi's music, identified by many previous analytical investigations, appear side by side with tonally unconventional progressions in Monteverdi's oeuvre, particularly the sacred polyphony composed for San Marco. These unique ‘harmonic progressions’ which so clearly distinguish Monteverdi's music sonorously from that of both his contemporaries and his successors exhibit instead a peculiarly seventeenth-century experimentation with counterpoint. Monteverdi's harmonic practice, like that of his contemporaries, is firmly embedded in a few basic contrapuntal principles: using the bass as the fundamental part, always preferring the fifth (rather than the sixth) and third above the bass, creating sequences of melodic motives to give impetus for harmonic motion and employing diminished note values to mask consecutive perfect consonances. Consequently, the counterpoint against a melodic bass line which moves by step or by thirds also creates sequential harmonic motion by those intervals, often resulting in juxtapositions of unrelated harmonies. In the Selva Morale (1640) and Messa et Salmi (1650) collections, these adventurous progressions help express affect and provide dramatic contrast to the harmonically static and conventional sections for solo voice or small ensembles.
Works and Lives: The Anthropologist as Author

The article presents a review of the book “Works and Lives: The Anthropologist As Author,” by Clifford Geertz.
Water-quality benefits of having cattle manure deposited away from streams

Abstract A series of runoff and infiltration studies with bovine feces placed 0.0, 0.61, 1.37, or 2.13 m from a collection point were used to assess effectiveness of vegetative filter strips. Effectiveness was evaluated on the ability of the separation distance to reduce the number of fecal coliform (FC) bacteria being transported from the manure to the edge of the plots. Bacterial transport was evaluated under conditions of variable distance, soil permeability, and rainfall intensity. The FC bacteria yields were 40–115 million at the edge of the manure pile. This is only 17% of the FC in the manure. FC concentrations and yields were further reduced as the separation increased. The analysis of data did not indicate significant differences of bacteria transport in relation to rainfall intensities of 5 cm/h versus 10 cm/h at the 0.61, 1.37, or 2.13 m distances.
AN EXAMINATION OF OFFICIAL HATE CRIME OFFENSE AND BIAS MOTIVATION STATISTICS FOR 1991-1994

ABSTRACT Since the Hate Crimes Statistics Act of 1990, there has been considerable interest in bias crime measurement. In addition to official sources of bias crime data collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, several unofficial sources have contributed to the available literature. The present study uses secondary data addressing types of offenses and bias motivations supplied by the Uniform Crime Reporting Division of the FBI. The analysis reveals that the available data covering 1991 to 1994 show remarkable stability when examining both bias motivation and type of offense. Additionally, the official data tend to support findings from previous research that bias crimes categorized as harassment and/or intimidation are the most frequently reported and that racial bias is one of the most commonly occurring reasons for hate crime. Discussion centers on these findings, conclusions and recommendations for future researchers.
Wavelength-multiplexed holographic storage by using the minimum wavelength channel separation in a photorefractive crystal fiber

Abstract Estimated is the spectral bandwidth of the holographic channel in a wavelength multiplexed holographic storage in a PR crystal fiber. The effect of the spectral width of the light source of the minimum channel separation and the cross-talk between the adjacent channels have been analyzed. Experimental results have shown the feasibility of using the minimum wavelength separation in wavelength multiplexed fiber holograms. The cross-talk is measured to be about 5%. Also is shown that the reconstructed hologram images are in good fidelity with little cross-talk.
How and why do insects migrate

Countless numbers of insects migrate within and between continents every year, and yet we know very little about the ultimate reasons and proximate mechanisms that would explain these mass movements. Here we suggest that perhaps the most important reason for insects to migrate is to hedge their reproductive bets. By spreading their breeding efforts in space and time, insects distribute their offspring over a range of environmental conditions. We show how the study of individual long-distance movements of insects may contribute to a better understanding of migration. In the future, advances in tracking methods may enable the global surveillance of large insects such as desert locusts.
Characterization of Sensor Performance and Durability for Structural Health Monitoring Systems

A key question that needs to be addressed and answered with regard to successfully implementing Structural Health Monitoring technologies in Air Force systems involves the long-term operability, durability, and survivability of integrated sensor systems and their associated hardware. Whether a sensor system is fully integrated within a structural material, or surface-bonded to the structure, a number of environmental and system level influences will tend to degrade the sensor system’s performance and durability over time. In this effort, an initial sensor durability study was undertaken to better understand the performance and degradation of piezo wafer active sensor (PWAS) systems under adverse mechanical, temperature, and moisture conditions. A novel displacement-field imaging approach was utilized to understand the vibration characteristics of PWAS transducers placed in accelerated vibration, temperature-cycling, and moisture-cycling conditions. The results showed damage in the form of PWAS sensor cracking events, bond degradation and failure, as well as indications of performance variation and reduction due to the accelerated exposure levels. Future activities will focus on identifying critical durability and survivability issues through advanced sensor modeling and additional accelerated testing efforts, with the ultimate goal of improving the robustness of health monitoring systems through improved sensor system design and packaging.
INFLUENCE OF THYROIDECTOMY ON MARE SERUM HORMONE ADMINISTRATION TO IMMATURE RATS

STUDIES in this laboratory1 have shown that the gonadotropic response to prolanwas not reatly influenced by divided dosage or thyroidectomy, in contrast to the response tothe pituitary gonadotropic hormone, which response was markedly influenced by divided dosageor thyroidectomy. Under conditions in which the pituitary hormone was administered so that it was slowly resorbed and hence exerted its maximum effect, thyroidectomy was without influence. It was concluded that when thyroidectomy exerts an augmentation effect, the phenomenon could be explained by the decrease in rate of exchange in body fluids which this procedure brings about so decreasing the rate of resorption of hormone. If this contention is correct then the response to mare serum hormone, which is not affected to any extent by delayed resorption, should not be appreciably affected by thyroidectomy. Data originally presented by Evans et al.2 give no indication of an augmentation to mare serum action in thyroidectomized r ts. However, recently...
Influences of the Antarctic Ozone Hole on Southern Hemispheric Summer Climate Change

AbstractOver the past three decades, Antarctic surface climate has undergone pronounced changes. Many of these changes have been linked to stratospheric ozone depletion. Here linkages between Antarctic ozone loss, the accompanying circulation changes, and summertime Southern Hemisphere (SH) midlatitude surface temperatures are explored. Long-term surface climate changes associated with ozone-driven changes in the southern annular mode (SAM) at SH midlatitudes in summer are not annular in appearance owing to differences in regional circulation and precipitation impacts. Both station and reanalysis data indicate a trend toward cooler summer temperatures over southeast and south-central Australia and inland areas of the southern tip of Africa. It is also found that since the onset of the ozone hole, there have been significant shifts in the distributions of both the seasonal mean and daily maximum summertime temperatures in the SH midlatitude regions between high and low ozone years. Unusually hot summer ext...
Disorder phenomena in β-alumina

Abstract Experimental and theoretical results are reviewed relevant to the conduction plane disorder in the nonstoichiometric fast ion conductor Naβ-alumina. Thermal, dielectric, acoustic, nuclear magnetic resonance and electron spin resonance measurements at low temperatures (
Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Patient With Glucagonoma

The development of diabetic ketoacidosis is an unusual complication of a glucagon-secreting pancreatic islet cell neoplasm, with only four reported cases in the literature. In this article, the authors report on a 46-year-old woman with a glucagonoma cosecreting pancreatic polypeptide, somatostatin, and serotonin diagnosed 8 months before the onset of diabetic ketoacidosis. She was treated with hydration, insulin, and octreotide, with improvement in her clinical course and a decrease in the glucagon, pancreatic polypeptide, and chromogranin A plasma levels. With the addition of weekly 5-FU, she has maintained a partial radiographic response and has had no further episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis for a 4.5-year period. Diabetic ketoacidosis can develop in the presence of a glucagonoma, and the pathophysiology remains unknown.
A Virtual Honey Net as a Teaching Resource

The Honeynet Project is the open source contribution of computer security professionals focused on making the Internet community a more aware and safer place. It defines the purpose of the honeypot, the basic component of a honeynet, as "an information system resource whose value lies in unauthorized or illicit use of that resource". The objective of a honeynet is to attract malicious attackers, study their offensive strategy, and track every movement they make. The honeynet becomes a useful tool as one analyzes the data gathered from it to build new security into their system. Including a honeynet project in a Brigham Young University IT security curriculum provides hands-on experience with the dynamic Internet and all of the security components that go into securing a network. A VMware environment was used to create a virtual honeynet (Virtual) and compare its effectiveness to a network of physical computers (Real). This allowed students to learn the strengths and weaknesses of both Real and Virtual systems, and better prepare them to work with both. The areas in which Virtual and Real were compared are setup, deployment, maintenance, data collection, and data analysis. Virtual required only one computer whereas Real required one for each honeynet function. Setup was the area of greatest difference as Virtual dealt with virtual components whereas Real involved physical components. The issue of not being able to disguise a virtual network to appear "real" is the major concern as a honeynet is only as effective as it appears to be a real, functioning network. Likewise, it is only as good as the data it collects. Maintenance of the networks is where Virtual gained the advantage over Real. One must constantly rebuild the honeypots as they get attacked and trashed. This returning to a base build is much more efficient in the Virtual realm. Gaining experience with a Virtual honeynet, also, was found to be most effective to train teams to more efficiently implement a Real honeynet
Hepatocyte culture on carbohydrate-modified star polyethylene oxide hydrogels

We describe the synthesis and in vitro biological characterization of a new class of carbohydrate-modified hydrogels based on radiation-cross-linked star polyethylene oxide (PEO). Hydrogels were synthesized from either of two types of PEO star molecules in order to vary the terminal hydroxyl content of the gels while keeping other gel properties such as molecular weight between cross-links and water content constant. The resulting gels were covalently modified with monosaccharide ligands and the behaviour of primary rat hepatocytes on the modified gels was evaluated under culture conditions. Hepatocytes exhibited a sugar-specific adhesion to the modified gels, adhering to gels bearing galactose but not glucose. Cell spreading was observed on both types of galactose-modified PEO star gels; moreover, the gels supported long-term (6 d) culture and differentiated function of primary hepatocytes. Further, on comparing the cell spreading behaviour observed on the PEO star gels with that reported previously for galactose-modified polyacrylamide, we find that our gels elicit spreading at ligand concentrations lower by an order of magnitude. A simple mechanistic analysis indicates that this enhanced ability of PEO star gels to support spreading of primary hepatocytes on low concentrations of immobilized galactose derives from freedom of the immobilized ligands to come within sufficiently close proximity to mimic a high-affinity branched oligosaccharide.
First-principles treatment of disorder effects in complex alloys: A study of BaxK1-xBiO3 and BaPb1-xBixO3.

We have developed a self-consistent Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker coherent-potential-approximation (KKR-CPA) approach to treat multiatom-per-unit-cell systems in order to study disorder effects in complex materials on a first-principles basis. Electronic structure of the high-{ital T}{sub {ital c}} superconducting perovskites Ba{sub {ital x}}K{sub 1{minus}{ital x}}BiO{sub 3} and BaPb{sub 1{minus}{ital x}}Bi{sub {ital x}}O{sub 3} is discussed. KKR-CPA results for {ital x}=0.1,0.2,...,0.9, as well as for the limiting single-impurity cases {ital x}=0.0 and {ital x}=1.0 are used to delineate rigid-band and non-rigid-band effects in the spectrum. McMillan-Hopfield parameters over the entire composition range are presented.
The evolution of the darwinian research tradition

The conceptual development of evolutionary theory is examined from the perspective of scientific research traditions whose core (natural selection for the Darwinian tradition) is preserved by changing auxiliary assumptions. For the Darwinian tradition, there have been three phases to this process. The original Darwinism defined natural selection in terms of a dynamic equilibrium between population growth and scarcity. Selection acts on individual organisms and returns to equilibrium. The conceptual challenge of Mendelian genetics was accommodated in neo-Darwinism by shifting to a statistical formulation via population genetics, in which natural selection and equilibrium were redefined statistically and thereby preserved. Current ferment in evolutionary theory has come from attempts to integrate self-organizing systems dynamics, such as the origin of life, development, and ecology, into an adequate theoretical framework. This can be accomplished by changing to non-equilibrium background assumptions guided by the principles of irreversible thermodynamics. Natural selection is reconceived in terms of process and pattern of energy flow guided by internalized information. What is selected are differential patterns of energy flow that contribute to the stability and coherence of the whole systems of which they are a part.
Loss of diversity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria correlates with increasing salinity in an estuary system

Summary Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) play an important role in nitrogen cycling in estuaries, but little is known about AOB diversity, distribution and activity in rela- tion to the chemical and physical changes encoun- tered in estuary systems. Although estuarine salinity gradients are well recognized to influence microbial community structure, few studies have examined the influence of varying salinity on the diversity and sta- bility of AOB populations. To investigate these rela- tionships, we collected sediment samples from low-, mid- and high-salinity sites in Plum Island Sound estuary, MA, during spring and late summer over 3 years. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria distribution and diversity were assessed by terminal restriction frag- ment length polymorphism (TRFLP) analysis of the ammonia monooxygenase ( amo A) gene, and frag- ments were identified by screening amo A clone librar- ies constructed from each site. Most striking was the stability and low diversity of the AOB community at the high-salinity site, showing little variability over 3 years. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria at the high-salin- ity site were not closely related to any cultured AOB, but were most similar to Nitrosospira spp. Ammonia- oxidizing bacteria at the mid- and low-salinity sites were distributed among Nitrosospira- like sequences and sequences related to Nitrosomonas ureae/ oligotropha and Nitrosomonas sp. Nm143. Our study suggests that salinity is a strong environmental control on AOB diversity and distribution in this estuary.
Quantification of Survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on Plants Affected by Contaminated Irrigation Water

Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157: H7 (EHEC) is a major foodborne pathogen capable of causing diarrhea and vomiting, with further complications such as hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). The aim of this study was to use the real-time PCR method to quantify the survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7/pGFP in phyllosphere (leaf surface), rhizosphere (volume of soil tightly held by plant roots), and non-rhizosphere soils (sand and clay) irrigated with contaminated water and compare the results obtained between real-time PCR method and conventional plate counts. The real-time PCR probe was designed to hybridize with the (eae) gene of E. coli O157:H7. The probe was incorporated into real-time PCR containing DNA extracted from the phyllosphere, rhizosphere, and non-rhizosphere soils irrigated with water artificially contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The detection limit for E. coli O157:H7 quantification by real-time PCR was 2.3 × 103 in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere samples. E. coli O157:H7 survived longer in rhizosphere soil than the non-rhizosphere soil. The concentration of E. coli O157:H7/pGFP in rhizosphere soils was ≥ 104 CFU/g in both soils at day 12 based on both plate count and real time PCR, with the clay soil significantly (P = 0.05) higher than the sandy soil. This data showed that E. coli O157H:7 can persist in the environment for more than 50 d, and this may pose some risk for both animal and human infection and provides a very significant pathway for pathogen recontamination in the environment.
A salvage technique for continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis catheters with exit-site infections

Catheter infection is a major complication of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) therapy for end-stage renal disease. Catheter exist-site infections were treated with a new surgical technique consisting of dissection and removal of the existing catheter in the subcutaneous layer, insertion of a catheter connector and new catheter piece, and creation of a new subcutaneous tunnel. The new surgery can be performed on an outpatient basis and allows for the continuation of CAPD, thereby avoiding the cost associated with inpatient admission and interim hemodialysis.
Rasburicase in the prevention of laboratory/clinical tumour lysis syndrome in children with advanced mature B‐NHL: a Children's Oncology Group Report

Laboratory (LTLS) and clinical (CTLS) tumour lysis syndrome (TLS) are frequent complications in newly diagnosed children with advanced mature B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). Rasburicase, compared to allopurinol, results in more rapid reduction of uric acid in paediatric patients at risk for TLS. However, the safety and efficacy of rasburicase for the treatment or or prevention of TLS has not been prospectively evaluated. Children with newly diagnosed stage III–IV, bone marrow+ and/or central nervous system+ mature B-NHL received hydration and rasburicase prior to cytoreductive therapy. Rasburicase was safe and well-tolerated and there were no grade III–IV toxicities probably or directly related to rasburicase. Patients with an initial lactate dehydrogenase ≥2x upper limit of normal had a significantly elevated uric acid level (P=0.005), increased incidence of TLS (p-0.005) and lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR; p<0.001). Following rasburicase, there was only a 9% and 5% incidence of LTLS and CTLS, respectively. Furthermore, there was a significant improvement in estimated GFR from Day 0 to Day 7 following rasburicase (p=0.0007) and only 1.3% of patients required new onset renal assisted support after rasburicase administration. A TLS strategy incorporating rasburicase prior to cytoreductive chemotherapy proved safe and effective in preventing new onset renal failure and was associated with a significant improvement in GFR.
Reps2: A cellular signaling and molecular trafficking nexus

Since its discovery in the late 1990s as a signaling molecule in the Ras/Ral pathway, Reps2 has emerged as an important player in receptor-mediated endocytosis. Reps2 contains Eps15 homology (EH) domains, proline-rich regions, and a coiled-coil domain that engage in several protein-protein interactions to coordinate the internalization of various receptors with molecular signaling. Reps2 has clinical importance as it suppresses the ability of its binding partner RalBP1 to transport chemotherapeutic drugs, such as doxorubicin, out of a cell. Reps2 is also dysregulated during the progression of prostate cancer and is a potential biomarker for breast and prostate cancer.
Triple-negative breast carcinoma: current and emerging concepts.

Objectives: Triple-negative breast cancer is regarded as an aggressive disease that affects a young patient population and for which effective targeted therapy is not yet available. Methods: Intense efforts have been made to gain a better understanding of this heterogeneous group of tumors from the histologic to the genomic and molecular levels. Results: Progress has been made, including the ability to subtype these tumors and the discovery of biomarkers toward which current therapeutic efforts are focused. Many novel targets under exploration have the potential to affect the clinical course of this disease. Conclusions: This article reviews the current concepts regarding the clinicopathologic features of triple-negative breast carcinoma, its histologic subtypes, molecular classification, the prognostic and therapeutic potential of biomarkers, and emerging targeted therapies.
In vitro and in vivo studies on development and regeneration of vasopressin neurons

The present paper reviews recent work conducted in our laboratory on vasopressin neurons either grown in culture or transplanted into vasopressin deficient rats. The in vitro model of reaggregated cell culture used the anterior hypothalamus, including vasopressin neurons of the SON from normal timed-pregnant LE rats of similar ages used in our in vivo model. Various cells were co-cultured with their known target tissue, the posterior pituitary to analyze further the influence of the target tissue on hormone production. At a designated end point, cultured cells were fixed and stained immunocytochemically for vasopressin and neurophysin. Radioimmunoassay of the samples was performed for vasopressin quantification. Hypothalamic cells from all ages produced vasopressin (VP). The co-culturing of hypothalamus with posterior pituitary produced a significant increase in VP. Correlative transplantation studies were conducted using timed-pregnant Long-Evans (LE) rats at various days post coitus (dpc) and neonatal tissue from 0- and 5-day old rat pups. Animals survived about 40 days then were perfused and their brains processed for vasopressin and neurophysin thick-section immunocytochemistry. The results showed that the capability for survival of younger grafts was much greater than that of older tissue. With this paper, we have shown that the reaggregation of anterior hypothalamic cells in a culture system can be used for microassay of neurosecretory activity. These data suggest a close correlation between the ability of a neuron to survive transplantation and its stage of development. With the present studies, we have shown that neurons not fully differentiated maintain a greater degree of plasticity than older tissue and are better able to survive the rigors of transplantation and that various manipulations of environmental factors have an effect on brain development at critical times.
Common Sports Injuries in Young Tennis Players

Tennis is a popular racquet sport played by boys, girls, men and women. Tennis players frequently begin playing in childhood and may continue playing into late adulthood. Preadolescent and adolescent players have open growth plates and a reduced muscle power, lower level of coordination and smaller stature compared with adult players. The physical characteristics of the young tennis player mean that unique demands are placed on the developing athlete which can, in turn, be associated with different types and patterns of injury. The most common types of injury in tennis players of all ages are muscle sprains and ligament sprains secondary to overuse. These are a particular problem in the adolescent age group because, in general, this group begin playing with a lower level of physical conditioning. Fortunately, injuries in younger players are usually not longstanding and the overuse (chronic) problems seen in older players, such as patellar tendinosis and tennis elbow, are less common in younger players. Anatomically, lower extremity injuries are twice as common as those to the upper extremity or spine, with ankle injury being the most common. Prevention of injury in young tennis players, or at least a reduction in the incidence, is possible. Some traumatic injuries, including contusions, abrasions, lacerations and fractures, may be unavoidable as a result of aggressive play, but others may be prevented by monitoring equipment and the court surface to ensure a safe field of play. The prime target of prevention in young tennis players should be overuse injuries. The principles of ‘overload’ and staged involvement are of particular importance in this age group. A gradual, progressive increase in the intensity of tennis practice, the slow introduction of new court surfaces and a staged progression in the teaching of tennis skills can help to reduce the incidence of injury in young tennis players.
A Saliency-Based Search Model Application of the Saliency Map for Driver-Vehicle Interfaces

Driver distraction is a leading cause of motor vehicle crashes. As more in-vehicle systems are developed, they represent increasing potential for distraction. Designers of these systems require a quantitative way to assess their distraction potential that does not involve time-consuming test track or simulator testing. A critical contribution to driver distraction concerns the search time for items in an in-vehicle system display. This study tests the saliency map’s ability to predict search time, and proposes a potential application of the saliency map in assessing driver distraction. Empirical data for search tasks were collected and used to test a modified driver model based on the saliency map. The results show that the modified saliency map can predict search time, and suggest that the driver model could be used to understand how design features influence the bottom-up visual search process. More broadly, such a model can complement guidelines and user testing to help designers to incorporate human f...
Effects of estrogens on Tilapia aurea: Implications for production of monosex genetic male tilapia

Abstract Three naturally occurring estrogens, estriol, estrone and 17-Beta estradiol, were each administered perorally at three concentrations for 3- or 5-week periods to fry of Tilapia aurea, 8–11 mm long. Estrogen treatment neither affected survival nor altered growth of fry. Post-treatment stocking in outdoor concrete tanks revealed no apparent differences in survival between hormone-treated and untreated fish after 99–148 days. Gonadal examination of treated and untreated groups after growth trials revealed no aberrant sex ratios in the groups treated with estrogen, but in all treatment groups there were significant proportions of males with a female-like urogenital papilla. Greater proportions of such ‘atypical’ males occurred at the higher estrogen dosage levels and in the longer treatment period. No atypical males were found in the control groups. Sexing of fish that died after treatment indicated no difference in the death rate of the sexes. Histological examination of gonads revealed no alteration of normal male and female germ cell development; pseudo-oocytes were present in both treated and untreated groups. No ovotestis condition was observed. Male and female homogamety among different tilapia species and a method for producing monosex genetic males from matings of sex-reversed brood stock are discussed.
Genetic mapping of telomeric DNA sequences in the maize pathogen Cochliobolus heterostrophus

Numerous polymorphic bands were observed when genomic DNA of Cochliobolus heterostrophus was cut with restriction enzymes and hybridized with a telomere-specific probe. Bal31 digestion demonstrated that the majority of the bands were from the chromosome termini and thus constitute telomeres. However, numerous hybridizing sequences in the strain B30.A3.R.45 were Bal31 exonuclease-insensitive and thus located at least 600 bases internal to the chromosome ends. Segregation analysis of the polymorphic bands identified nine telomeres; seven were linked to other markers and thus permitted the proper orientation of linkage groups with respect to their chromosome ends. Three internal, telomere-homologous sequences, at least one of which may be subtelomeric, were also mapped.
Generalized potential formulations for elastostatics of constitutively non-linear structures under general loading

Extremum problem formulations are presented that are applicable for the equilibrium analysis of continuum structures made up of a non-specific, aeleotropic and inhomogeneous, constitutively non-linear material. The formulations are described for linear deformation kinematics, and they amount to generalizations of the classical characterization in terms of potentials for elastostatics with non-linear materials. In one case, a generalized version of the classical minimum potential energy formulation is obtained using a representation of total strain expressed as a linear composition of independent fields. Each such constituent field is to have a separate potential, and the contribution of each constituent is limited by specified constraint. The resulting generalized potential energy formulation for non-linear elasticity provides for the simulation of overall properties for an arbitrary material, in terms of the set of individually specified potential functions. A second formulation provides a generalized model of the classical complementary energy principle. Here total stress is expressed as a composition of independent fields, and there is a separate potential associated with each of these constituent fields. These two problem statements are complementary in concept and in their structure. The net constitutive properites, which are implicit in the models, generally may be non-smooth. In both formulations, load path is represented in terms of a load path (or process) parameter, and this provides for interpretation of the dependence of evolution of response on the form of loading.
Natural variations in uranium isotope ratios of uranium ore concentrates: Understanding the 238U/235U fractionation mechanism

Abstract Precise measurement of the 238 U/ 235 U ratio in geologic samples is now possible with modern techniques and mass spectrometers. Natural variations in this ratio have been shown in previous studies. In this study, data obtained from uranium ore concentrates of mining facilities around the world show clear evidence that the depositional redox environment in which uranium is precipitated is the primary factor affecting 238 U/ 235 U fractionation. Low-temperature uranium deposits are, on average, isotopically ∼ 0.4‰ heavier than uranium deposited at high temperatures or by non-redox processes. 238 U/ 235 U ratios coupled with 235 U/ 234 U ratios in the same sample provide evidence that the redox transition (U VI → U IV ) at low temperatures is the primary mechanism of 238 U/ 235 U fractionation and that aqueous alteration plays a very limited, if any, role in fractionation of the 238 U/ 235 U ratio. The isotopic variation of U is therefore a potential signature that can be used to trace the origin of uranium ore concentrate.
Coexistence of predatoryMuscina stabulans andophyra aenescens [Dipt.: Muscidae] with dipterous prey in poultry manure

Significant relationships between the emergence of adult predatory species,Ophyra aenescens (Wiedemann) andMuscina stabulans (Fallen) and prey,Musca domestica L.,Fannia femoralis (Stein) andF. canicularis (L.) existed on 10 poultry ranches in southern California. Predatory species may function in natural control at intervals throughout the year, especially on predominant prey,F. femoralis andF. canicularis. Dipterous species, especiallyO. aenescens andF. femoralis, were only moderately influenced by the surface area of breeding habitat available. Accuracy in the measurement of population trends in Diptere may be enhanced by increasing the number of samples at any given ranch rather than the addition of study ranches. Parasitism, ranging from 22.6–37.8% of collected puparia, involved principally 3 species,Muscidifurax zaraptor Kogan & Legner,M. raptor Girault & Sanders andSpalangia cameroni Perkins.
Weak-acid transport in the small intestine: discrimination in the lamina propria.

Studies on the intestinal transport of weak acids suggest that the subepithelial tissues exhibit a modest, but significant, ability to discriminate between the ionized and nonionized forms. This suggestion has been tested directly in experiments using anin vitro preparation of rat small intestine from which the epithelial cells were removed, but in which the structural and functional integrity of the subepithelial tissues was maintained. Studies on the effects of potential difference on the fluxes of weak acids in this preparation showed that the ratio of permeabilities for the ionized and nonionized species (Pi/Pni) was indeed less than one, and of a magnitude comparable to the value suggested by analysis of transport in the intact tissue. (Pi/Pni) for the subepithelial tissue decreased as pH was increased, and the discriminatory properties of the tissue were abolished [(Pi/Pni)=1] on treatment with the cationic macromolecule polyethyleneimine (PEI). These observations suggested that the discriminatory properties of the subepithelial tissues were determined by fixed anionic sites, and morphological studies with PEI indicated that such sites were concentrated in the region of the basement membrane.
Synthesis of new copper oxide superconductors at high oxygen pressure

The stability of the copper ion in +1, +2, and +3 oxidation states for oxides synthesized at oxygen activity, 10−6<f(O2)<103 bar, makes possible formation of a wide variety of distinct structures since the copper ion in a particular oxidation state prefers a unique coordination to oxygen. Thus, by controlling the oxygen pressure during the synthesis and annealing, the distribution of metaland oxygen-ions can be modified on atomic scale to optimize the structural and electronic properties. We present several examples of compounds of which the critical structural elements for superconductivity, i.e. the perfectly ordered CuO2-planes, have been obtained and doped with holes by means of high oxygen pressure. These materials, La2CuO4+δ, La2-xCaxCuO4, La2-yCu2O6+° and GaSr2Y1-xCaxCu2O7, offer a unique opportunity to study the relationship between superconductivity and structural, magnetic, and chemical properties.
Fluorocarbon-enhanced mutagenesis of polyaromatic hydrocarbons

The widely used fluorocarbon refrigerant and cleaning solvent 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane (Freon TF), though generally considered biologically inert, enhances the metabolic activation of chemical carcinogens. Liver microsomal extracts from mice given single intraperitoneal injections of this fluorocarbon showed significant increases in their ability to activate carcinogenic polyaromatic hydrocarbons to form mutagens, compared to control mice injected with saline. Polyaromatic hydrocarbons aminofluorene and acetylaminofluorene were activated in this way. Mutagenicity was measured by a microbial assay. Both commercial grade and redistilled fluorocarbons gave similar results, that is, more highly active liver extracts after administration of the fluorocarbon preparation to mice. Neither industrial grade nor redistilled preparation was itself mutagenic. A combined liver microsomal extract from mice breathing Freon TF at 20,000 ppm in air for 8 hr also had enhanced ability to activate aminofluorene as a mutagen. Exposing mice to Freon TF by inhalation more closely matches the normal route of human exposure to fluorocarbons. The results of this study imply that low-molecular-weight fluorocarbons may pose a carcinogenic risk by acting as cocarcinogenic enhancers of carcinogen activation. The possibility that fluorocarbons are cocarcinogens in this way has apparently not been heretofore considered.
Trends in United States ovarian cancer mortality, 1979-1995.

Abstract Objective: To describe the epidemiology of ovarian cancer mortality in the United States from 1979 to 1995. Methods: The mortality data of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were accessed using the Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER). We selected all deaths among women with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 183.0 (ovarian malignant neoplasm). Mortality data for the years 1979–1995 were age-adjusted to the United States 1990 female population, and mortality rates for each year were calculated for females of all ages by age category, by race, and by geographic location. Trends were obtained for the periods 1979–1983 to 1991–1995, and the impact on the number of ovarian cancer deaths was calculated. Results: Age-adjusted ovarian cancer mortality rates have changed little in the United States from 1979 to 1995, but rates are increasing in older women (65 years and older) and decreasing in younger women. Age-adjusted mortality rates are higher among whites than in blacks. Ovarian cancer mortality rates are higher in northern compared with southern states. Conclusion: The trends in ovarian cancer mortality among younger and older women parallel published changes in incidence and may be due to changes in risk factors, such as the use of oral contraceptives. The reasons for the higher ovarian cancer death rates in northern states are unknown. Better understanding of how modifiable risk factors and treatment methods affect ovarian cancer mortality trends is needed.
A simple procedure to improve a token economy.

Abstract A simple procedure to improve a token economy consists of the use of points as tokens backed up by items at an established merchandise store. We list the advantages of this procedure in contrast with the use of a “token store”.
Curriculum 2001 draft found lacking in programming languages

In March, 2000, the ACM-IEEE CS Curriculum 2001 committee released a "strawman" version of their proposed curricular recommendations. Those recommendations give short shrift to programming languages compared to previous curricula, and the material on programming language is also significantly reduced from the Programming Languages Knowledge Area Focus Group's recommendations. This document reports on the recommendations of the focus group and the curriculum committee's proposals on programming languages. We urge those interested in undergraduate computing curricula to write to us and the full Curriculum 2001 Committee to present their views on what programming languages material should be required of all undergraduates. The curriculum report will be finalized by the end of the year, so prompt action is necessary to have an impact on the process.
Disinfection procedures and infection control in the outpatient oral surgery practice

The infection control and disinfection procedures employed by 434 oral surgeons were surveyed. Gloving practices varied substantially, with 55% of respondents wearing gloves during less than or equal to 10% of patient contacts and only 24% wearing gloves routinely. Gloving practices correlated strongly with having been taught in dental school or during residency training to wear gloves. While 100% of participants had received instruction in the use of intravenous fluids in dental school or residency training, usage patterns differed substantially from those currently recommended in hospitals and in outpatient, nondental surgical settings. Of the respondents who used intravenous fluids in an office setting, 68% used a single bag or bottle for more than one patient. The median number of patients receiving intravenous fluid from a single bag or bottle was 12, and the median duration of use of a single unit was three days. It was noted that infection control and disinfection procedures varied significantly by type of practice (private vs. other nonmilitary vs. military practices).
Failure to express the P-selectin gene or P-selectin blockade confers early pulmonary protection after lung ischemia or transplantation

Endothelial P-selectin expression contributes to the first wave of neutrophil (polymorphonuclear leukocyte; PMN) influx in several inflammatory conditions. Although remote tissue ischemia, such as a crush injury to the hindlimb, may result in P-selectin-mediated pulmonary leukosequestration, it is not known whether the lungs exhibit a similar response after hypothermic preservation or when subjected to a direct ischemic insult. To determine if P-selectin may mediate early primary graft failure, left lungs harvested from male Lewis rats were preserved for 6 hr at 4°C and transplanted orthotopically into isogeneic recipients. Recipients immunodepleted of PMNs before transplantation demonstrated improved graft function; pulmonary vascular resistance was reduced ≈6-fold, arterial oxygenation was increased ≈3-fold, and recipient survival was increased ≈4-fold (P < 0.05, 0.05, and 0.005, respectively). Administration of a blocking anti-P-selectin IgG 10 min before reperfusion diminished graft PMN infiltration and resulted in improved graft function and recipient survival compared with controls. To establish the role of P-selectin in normothermic pulmonary ischemia, mice were subjected to temporary left pulmonary artery ligation. After functional removal of the nonischemic right lung, mice deletionally mutant for the P-selectin gene (P-selectin −/−) exhibited reduced PMN infiltration (≈2-fold), improved arterial oxygenation (≈2-fold), and improved survival (≈3-fold) compared with P-selectin +/+ control mice (P < 0.05, 0.01, and 0.05, respectively). These studies isolate and identify the central role of a single gene product (P-selectin) in early PMN recruitment and tissue injury after frank pulmonary ischemia and in the setting of lung transplantation after hypothermic preservation.
Ah receptor pathway intricacies; signaling through diverse protein partners and DNA-motifs

The Ah receptor is a transcription factor that modulates gene expression via interactions with multiple protein partners; these are reviewed, including the novel NC-XRE pathway involving KLF6.
Grade retention among immigrant children

Abstract This paper examines the effects of immigrant status upon grade retention among children in the United States. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we apply survival techniques to describe patterns of retention by immigrant status and event history analysis to model the process of retention over time. Little difference exists between children of different immigrant status in terms of overall retention. However, immigrants of first generation status are at risk of retention for a greater portion of their school careers than are non-immigrants. Furthermore, children of the first generation, especially males, are less likely to experience retention than non-immigrants of similar demographic, family background, and school-related characteristics.