cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transposable elements generate novel spatial patterns of gene expression in antirrhinum majus

The pallida gene of A. majus encodes a product required for the synthesis of red flower pigment. We have shown that the unstable pallida(recurrens) mutation is due to the insertion of the Tam3 transposable element near the promoter of the gene. Imprecise excision of Tam3 alters pallida gene expression and generates new spatial patterns or different intensities of flower pigmentation. Distinct spatial patterns may also result from rearrangements induced by Tam3 that alter the relative position of the pallida gene. Changes in Tam3 structure or position result in new unstable phenotypes. These findings suggest that genes may be rendered genetically hypervariable as a consequence of transposable element insertion and excision.
Contact dermatitis in the textile industry: a review of 72 patients

Abstract Background: Occupational skin disease can cause significant morbidity in textile industry workers. Both allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) and irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) have been reported. Objective: The purpose of this study was to characterize and determine the relative frequency of work-related ACD and ICD in textile workers. Methods: Seventy-two textile industry workers seen during a 5-year period were evaluated for possible work-related contact dermatitis. All patients underwent patch testing with a screening series. Many patients (70%), depending on occupational exposures, also underwent testing with a textile dye and finish series and additional patch tests of specific workplace materials. Results: Twenty-one patients (29%) were diagnosed as having a predominantly work-related ACD. Relevant allergens included textile dyes, textile finishes, and rubber allergens. Twenty-seven patients (38%) were diagnosed as having primarily a work-related ICD. Five patients (7%) were believed to have combined work-related ACD and ICD. Nineteen patients (26%) were believed to have purely non-work-related allergens, irritants, atopy, or other dermatoses as the major factors in their skin disease. The hands were the most common site of involvement. Of the 40 patients with occupational exposure to raw textile products, 36 (90%) had a work-related dermatitis and only 4 (10%) had a non-work-related dermatitis. Conclusion: In the 72 textile workers evaluated in our clinic, occupational exposures were an important cause of skin disease (74% in our series). Textile workers with job exposures to raw textile materials are at highest risk for work-related dermatitis. Textile industry workers with essentially no textile product exposure were more likely to have non-work-related dermatoses. ICD was only slightly more frequent than ACD. The hands were the most common site of involvement. Because relevant allergens (work-related and non-work-related) were more common than expected, we emphasize the importance of patch testing with standard screening allergens in the diagnostic evaluation of patients with dermatitis who work in the textile industry. In addition, textile dye and finish allergens should also be tested in this patient population, particularly those patients with any textile product exposure.
Mutated recombinant human heavy-chain ferritins and myelosuppression in vitro and in vivo: a link between ferritin ferroxidase activity and biological function

Human heavy-chain (H-) ferritin muteins obtained by oligonucleotide site-directed mutagenesis, together with wild-type recombinant human H- and light-chain (L-) ferritins, were evaluated for in vitro effects on the suppression of human bone marrow myeloid progenitor cells and for in vivo effects on marrow and splenic myelopoiesis in C3H/HeJ mice. The 10 H-ferritin muteins exhibited alterations of various regions of the molecule, including ones exposed on the outer surface, on the inner cavity, and on the hydrophilic and hydrophobic channels and of the four-alpha-helix bundle forming the subunit structure. They were stable and were electrophoretically analogous to wild-type H-ferritin. The muteins showed in vitro and in vivo myelosuppressive activity analogous to wild type, except for mutein 222, which was totally inactive and which lacked ferroxidase activity. Recombinant human L-ferritin, devoid of ferroxidase activity, was also inactive as a suppressor. The results demonstrate that H-ferritin myelosuppressive and ferroxidase activities are linked. One possibility is that ferroxidase activity may interfere with the cellular uptake of transferrin iron that is needed for cell proliferation, an interpretation consistent with the presently described ability of hemin to overcome H-ferritin suppressive effects.
KATP channel therapeutics at the bedside

The family of potassium channel openers regroups drugs that share the property of activating adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels, metabolic sensors responsible for adjusting membrane potential-dependent functions to match cellular energetic demands. KATP channels, widely represented in metabolically-active tissue, are heteromultimers composed of an inwardly rectifying potassium channel pore and a regulatory sulfonylurea receptor subunit, the site of action of potassium channel opening drugs that promote channel activity by antagonizing ATP-induced pore inhibition. The activity of KATP channels is critical in the cardiovascular adaptive response to stress, maintenance of neuronal electrical stability, and hormonal homeostasis. Thereby, KATP channel openers have a unique therapeutic spectrum, ranging from applications in myopreservation and vasodilatation in patients with heart or vascular disease to potential clinical use as bronchodilators, bladder relaxants, islet cell protector, antiepileptics and promoters of hair growth. While the current experience in practice with potassium channel openers remains limited, multitude of ongoing investigations aims at defining the benefit of this emerging family of therapeutics in diverse disease conditions associated with metabolic distress.
Controllability properties of constrained linear systems

In this paper, we present results on constrained controllability for linear control systems. The controls are constrained to take values in a compact set containing the origin. We use the results on reachability properties discussed in Ref. 1. We prove that controllability of an arbitrary pointp inR n is equivalent to an inclusion property of the reachable sets at certain positive times. We also develop geometric properties ofG, the set of all nonnegative times at whichp is controllable, and ofC, the set of all controllable points. We characterize the setC for the given system and provide additional spectrum-dependent structure. We show that, for the given linear system, several notions of constrained controllability of the pointp are the same, and thus the setC is open. We also provide a necessary condition for small-time (differential or local) constrained controllability ofp.
The Megaparsec Environments of Radio Galaxies

This paper presents an analysis of the Mpc environments of powerful radio galaxies (with z 1026 W Hz-1, using H0 = 50 km s-1 Mpc-1 and q0 = 0.0). We find that most radio galaxies reside in rather poor clusters (or loosely groups) that have three to 10 members (whose magnitudes are brighter than -19 and that lie within 0.5 Mpc of the radio galaxy). Although there is a possibility that up to 5% of all radio galaxies are field galaxies (and up to 13% are pairs), our result is consistent with all radio galaxies being in groups. The distributions in group richness and Bautz-Morgan (BM) class of radio-selected groups are different from those of optically selected groups. Radio-selected groups are preferentially of BM type I, while optically selected groups are preferentially of BM type III. The richness distributions are comparable for rich groups (with N -->0.5−19>12); however, poor radio-selected groups are ~1.5 times less abundant. A second result is that the environments of FR I and FR II radio galaxies are different. FR I galaxies are found on average in richer groups than FR II galaxies. At low redshifts, FR II galaxies avoid rich groups; however, they do exist in rich groups at high redshifts. Most groups surrounding FR I galaxies (FR I groups) are of Bautz-Morgan class I, while most groups surrounding FR II galaxies (FR II groups) are of Bautz-Morgan class III. FR I groups have relatively fewer blue members than FR II groups. FR I galaxies are relatively closer to the nominal group centers than FR II galaxies. About twice as many FR II galaxies as FR I galaxies show either signatures of galaxy interactions and/or have a neighbor within 50 kpc. Together with the results presented in the first paper in this series, we argue that FR I sources are associated with centrally dominant cD-like galaxies that have been exposed to galactic cannibalism while FR II sources are more often associated with galaxies that are involved with galaxy interactions. Finally, we show that the high- and low-redshift FR I and FR II groups belong to separate subsets of groups and that each subset is different from optically selected groups. We propose that FR I groups are dynamically more evolved and FR II groups less evolved than normal groups. Since no correlations exist between the properties of group members and the radio activity of the FR I and FR II sources, radio-selected groups can still be used to study the general evolution of galaxies in groups. Since radio-selected groups are richer at high redshifts, they provide a good method of finding distant groups.
Crystal growth of alkali metal molybdenum bronzes by a temperature gradient flux technique

Abstract Single crystals of alkali metal molybdenum bronzes of the type: A 0.9 Mo 6 O 17 with A = Na, K and A 0.3 MoO 3 where A = K, Rb, Cs have been grown by the temperature gradient flux technique. Impure polycrystalline specimens of K 0.33MoO 3 and MoO 3 like phases which may be sodium and potassium intercalates respectively, have also been observed. Optimal growth conditions determined for each of the phases are reported. Na 0.9Mo 6 O 17 is monoclinic and a quasi two-dimensional metallic conductor at room temperature, similar to Li 0.9 Mo 6 O 17 and K 0.9 Mo 6 O 17 . A mechanism for the formation of bronze phases is proposed based on X-ray powder diffraction and DTA results.
The Effects of Elicitation Techniques on Repertory Grid Outcomes: Difference, Opposite, and Contrast Methods

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a new method of personal construct elicitation that preserves the advantages associated with the standard “difference” method and the “opposite” method, without incurring their documented disadvantages. Results of a mixed-sex sample of 84 participants supported the potential value of this new “contrast” method of elicitation. Overall, in comparison with the opposite method, the contrast method preserved the relatively high levels of differentiation associated with the traditional “difference” method of elicitation. Like the opposite method the contrast method yielded personal constructs that were more genuinely bipolar, but without incurring the greater negativity associated with the contrast poles of constructs elicited by way of the opposite method. The theoretical and operational implications of these findings are discussed within the context of the broader personal construct psychology literature that documents the substantial effects associated with e...
Ion Milling of Sapphire

The ion milling of sapphire is a complicated operation due to several characteristics of the material itself. It is a relatively hard transparent nonconductive crystalline material that does not transfer heat nearly as well as metals that have been successfully ion milled in the past. This investigation involved designing an experimental arrangement, using existing ion milling equipment, as the precursor to figuring the surface of sapphire and other insulating optical materials. The experimental arrangement employs a laser probe beam to constantly monitor the stresses being induced in the material, as it is being ion milled. The goal is to determine if the technique proposed would indeed indicate the stress being induced in the material so that these stresses can be managed to prevent failure of the optic.
Networking to improve community resiliency in disaster planning and response

This paper discusses the application of networking as a global governance tool to improve community resiliency in preparedness-oriented disaster response. The perspective presented here challenges the trend of humanitarian aid allocation to affected individuals after disaster. Preemptive strengthening of community resiliency via local, government and international network development may do far more to mitigate disaster impact and aid sustainable recovery for people and communities than any amount of donated monies or supplies.
Assessment of the kappa opioid agonist, salvinorin A, as a punisher of drug self-administration in monkeys.

Drugs can function as punishers. However, work on the study of drugs as punishers is limited, as is the range of compounds known to function as punishers. Kappa opioid agonists, which have received much experimental attention as potential therapeutics for drug abuse, reportedly produce aversive effects. However, kappa agonists have yet to be tested as punishers of behavior. The goal of the current study was to determine if a kappa agonist could function as a punisher of drug self-administration. In separate experiments, monkeys were allowed to choose in a two-lever choice design between intravenous injections of equal doses of either cocaine (0.1 mg/kg/injection on each lever) or remifentanil (0.1 μg/kg/injection on each lever) when one of the two options was mixed with various doses of the kappa agonist, salvinorin A. Choice for the cocaine and remifentanil options that were combined with salvinorin A decreased as a function of salvinorin A dose in all monkeys. However, operant response rates were not systematically affected by salvinorin A administration. The present findings demonstrate that the kappa agonist, salvinorin A, can punish self-administration of a psychotimulant, cocaine, and a mu opioid, remifentanil. In consideration of these findings, it may be possible to curtail the abuse of some drugs by contingently delivering kappa agonists (e.g., as combination formularies for prescription medications).
Deletion and insertion in vivo somatic mutations in the hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt) gene of human T-lymphocytes

Deletion and insertion mutations have been found to be a major component of the in vivo somatic mutation spectrum in the hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt) gene of T-lymphocytes. In a population of 172 healthy people (average age, 34; mutant frequency, 10.3 x 10(-6)), deletion/insertion mutations constituted 41% (89) of the 217 independent mutations, the remainder being base substitutions. Mutations were identified by multiplex PCR assay of genomic DNA for exon regions, by sequencing cDNA, or sequencing genomic DNA. The deletion and insertion mutations were divided among +/- 1 to 2 basepair (bp) frameshifts (14%, 30), small deletions and insertions of 3-200 bps (13%, 28), large deletions of one or more exons (12%, 27), and complex events (2%, 4). Frameshift mutations were dominated by -1 bp deletions (21 of 30). Exon 3 contained five frameshift mutations in the run of 6 Gs, the only site in the coding region with multiple frameshift mutations, possibly caused by strand dislocation during replication. Both endpoints were sequenced for 23 of the 28 small deletions/insertions including two tandem duplication events in exon 6. More small deletions (8/28), possibly mediated by trinucleotide repeats, occurred in exon 2 than in the other exons. Large deletions included total gene deletions (6), exon 2 + 3 deletions (4), and loss of multiple (9) and single exons (8) in genomic DNA. The diverse mutation spectrum indicates that multiple mechanisms operated at many different sequences and provides a resource for examination of deletion mutation.
Use of Oligonucleotide Conjugates in Creating Self-Assembling Supramolecular Systems

The chemistry of two types of oligonucleotide conjugates containing novel chromophores are described. One, containing a stilbenedicarboxamide bridge, generates unusually stable hairpin structures that are useful in assessing rates of electron transfer through the π system of a DNA double helix. The other, containing gold nanoparticle conjugates, provides a highly selective system for detecting nucleotide sequences in oligonucleotides.
Group B Streptococcal Sepsis With Osteomyelitis and Arthritis: Its Occurrence With Acute Heart Failure

• In a 20-day-old female infant, bacteremia, osteomyelitis, and pyogenic arthritis developed due to infection with group B streptococcus, type Ic. She had an unusual clinical presentation with overwhelming sepsis and acute congestive heart failure. ( Am J Dis Child 133:919-920, 1979)
Photo-cross-linked PLA-PEO-PLA hydrogels from self-assembled physical networks: mechanical properties and influence of assumed constitutive relationships.

Poly(lactide)-block-poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(lactide) (PLA-PEO-PLA) triblock copolymers are known to form physical hydrogels in water as a result of the polymer’s amphiphilicity. Their mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and biodegradability have made them attractive for use as soft tissue scaffolds. However, the network junction points are not covalently cross-linked, and in a highly aqueous environment these hydrogels adsorb more water, transform from gel to sol, and lose the designed mechanical properties. In this article, a hydrogel was formed by the use of a novel two-step approach. In the first step, the end-functionalized PLA-PEO-PLA triblock was self-assembled into a physical hydrogel through hydrophobic micelle network junctions, and in the second step, this self-assembled physical network structure was locked into place by photo-cross-linking the terminal acrylate groups. In contrast with physical hydrogels, the photo-cross-linked gels remained intact in phosphate-buffered solution a...
Gold Dreams, Gold Nightmares: The Social Construction of Inflation as Delegitimation Discourse

Using archival data from the four most popular gold investment websites, this study is a content analysis of gold investment enthusiast ('gold bug') commentaries over a six-month time period, from November 2007 to April 2008. We examine gold bug discourse as a conspiracy narrative whose central tenet is the criticism of inflationary monetary policy. Gold bugs argue that the continual presence of inflation demonstrates the fundamental flaws of global capitalism and the illegitimacy of the administrative system that operates it. The invocation of inflation is the primary way in which gold bugs forecast economic conditions and the inevitable failure of those who control global monetary policy. Based upon the ontological claim that gold is the only 'true' store of value, gold bugs posit a sharp rebuke of monetary policy, predicting a drastic increase in the price of gold and a consequent collapse of the world's fiat currencies.
Informetric distributions, part I: Unified overview

This article is the first of a two-part series on the informetric distributions, a family of regularities found to describe a wide range of phenomena both within and outside of the information sciences. This article introduces the basic forms these regularities take. A model is proposed that makes plausible the possibility that, in spite of marked differences in their appearance, these distributions are variants of a single distribution; heuristic arguments are then given that this is indeed the case. That a single distribution should describe such a wide range of phenomena, often in areas where the existence of any simple description is surprising, suggests that one should look for explanations not in terms of causal models, but in terms of the properties of the single informetric distribution. Some of the consequences of this conclusion are broached in this article, and explored more carefully in Part II. © 1990 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A further demonstration of the learned safety effect in food-aversion learning

Using Kalat’s procedure, a group of rats exposed twice to a novel food, once 4h and again 1/2 h before poisoning, showed no more aversion to the food than comparable rats exposed just once 4 h before poisoning. This finding, together with the results from various control animals, indicates that food-aversion learning is reduced by prior learning that the food is safe.
Reinforcement by orally delivered methadone, cocaine, and methadone-cocaine combinations in rhesus monkeys: are the combinations better reinforcers?

Rationale: Polydrug abuse is a problem that has been infrequently examined. In the present study, drug self-administration procedures were used to investigate the reinforcing effects of drug combinations. Objectives: To determine the absolute and relative response rates maintained by orally delivered methadone, cocaine, and their combinations under sequential and concurrent access. Choice between drug combinations containing different concentrations of cocaine was also determined. Methods: Oral intake of methadone, cocaine, and their combinations was studied with rhesus monkeys during daily 3-h sessions. Lip contact (the operant response) was reinforced by delivery of liquid contingent upon completion of a fixed-ratio schedule. In one series, the drugs and drug combinations were studied sequentially with the water vehicle concurrently available. In the next series, the drugs and drug combinations were concurrently available. In the third series, pairs of drug combinations containing different concentrations of cocaine were also concurrently available. Results: Methadone, cocaine and their combinations functioned as reinforcers. Under sequential access, response rates for the drug combinations and the component drugs were often similar. However, under concurrent access, response rates for the drug combinations were greater than response rates for the component drugs at the highest FR size for each condition. Also, drug combinations containing higher cocaine concentrations were preferred to combinations containing lower cocaine concentrations. Conclusions: Combinations of methadone and cocaine have relatively greater reinforcing effects than the component drugs, and these greater reinforcing effects are better detected with concurrent measures than with sequential measures.
Pursuing Value in Art-Science Collaborations

Over decades and centuries, the practices of art and science have diverged as separate disciplines and, driven by scrutiny and opinions, have sought to define what makes a great artist or scientist. It is not surprising, therefore, that many scientists remain unfamiliar with the many and varied artistic contributions to scientific advancement. Art-science case studies aren't encountered in our everyday work, but they can be highly suggestive of approaches for creative thinking and innovation. Today you can readily find scientists whose work could be shared with the general public more effectively. By introducing an Art on Graphics department to CGaA, the department editors aim to expose the work of teams that draw on the skills of art, science, and technology professions to make rigorous innovative contributions to the domain of computer graphics and applications.
Relaxometry of lens homogenates. II: Temperature dependence and comparison with other proteins

We have extended our earlier work (C.F. Beaulieu, J.I. Clark, R.D. Brown III, M. Spiller, and S.H. Koenig, Magn. Reson. Med. 8, 45 (1988] on the magnetic field dependence of 1/T1 (NMRD profiles) of calf lens nuclear homogenates, at 25 degrees C, to 5 degrees C, and to other protein systems as well. These include concentrated solutions of myoglobin and bovine serum albumin, both globular proteins, the first compact and roughly spherical, the other extended, flexible, and with weak internal bonding; chicken lens homogenate, for which the dominant crystallins (lens proteins) are approximately 70% alpha-helical compared with calf crystallins, which are essentially all beta-sheet; and hen egg white, both native and heat-denatured. Our earlier conjectures regarding a reversible change in protein organization of the calf lens crystallins as a function of solute protein concentration is given added support. Our findings suggest that cytoplasmic homogenate can be characterized as a heterogeneous and polymorphic solution of crystallins. At high concentrations the NH moieties of the protein backbone become accessible to solvent with water (not NH proton) exchange rates greater than 10(4) s-1. This conclusion is based on two aspects of the observed NMRD profiles. At low crystallin concentration, the profiles of calf and chicken lens homogenates are similar in form to those of myoglobin and native hen egg white, a form that has been studied previously for a range of diamagnetic globular proteins and has been demonstrated to arise from the rotational thermal motion of the solute molecules. At high crystallin concentrations, the NMRD profiles of the lens homogenates develop a monotonic background (high rates at low fields), much like that of the heat-denatured egg-white sample and those of most tissues. In addition, there is a set of peaks in the central part of the profiles of the concentrated crystallins, seen also in the denatured egg white and some tissues but not in the myoglobin sample, which is known to arise from cross-relaxation interactions between the water protons and (through the intermediary of the NH proton) the 14N quadrupolar levels. The magnitude of these peaks, which is larger by an order of magnitude for native calf lens homogenates than for any tissue, requires that the majority of the NH moieties be accessible to water. Finally, going to 5 degrees C for the native calf lens homogenate takes the sample below the temperature of reversible phase separation, and it becomes opaque.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Yuma Proving Grounds GPR signatures in comparison with finite-difference time-domain target models

Barbara L. Merchant and Lynn HappU.S. Army Research LaboratoryMicrowave Sensors BranchAMSRL-SE-RU2800 Powder Mill RdAdelphi, MD 20378-1197ABSTRACTA two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) algorithm is presented for modeling acanonical target (disk) buried in realistic soil at Yuma Proving Grounds (YPG). The buried disk wasmeasured by a ground-penetrating radar. Scattering phenomena observed in the FDTD modelingresults are detailed and sampled fields are compared with measurements.Keywords: finite-difference time-domain (FDTD), ground-penetrating radar1. BACKGROUNDAt the Army Research Laboratory(ARL), we are conducting investigations into the use of our ultrawideband (UWB) radar for the ground penetration role. We just finished extensive field testing ofburied and surface targets of canonical and realistic types at Yuma Proving Grounds (YPG). In orderto obtain accurate ground truth preliminary to these field tests, a Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc.(GSSI) Subsurface Interface Radar System-3 (SIR-3) ground-penetrating radar was used to accuratelymeasure the field areas, producing image profiles, or radargrams of the emplaced targets. In addition,we are building an in-house electromagnetics modeling capability, concentrating initially on the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique. In this paper, we detail scattering phenomenon shown byour FDTD modeling of one of the canonical targets, a disk. We compare the modeling results to theGSSI SIR-3 measurements.
“Hey there Ms. Jones!”: A qualitative study of professional African American males’ perceptions of the selection of African American females as partners

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study is to present heterosexual African American men's perceptions (attitudes, feelings and beliefs of how the acquiring or pursuit of an advanced degree has impacted their mate selection. Ultimately, the purpose is to address the dilemma as perceived by African American women that professional African American men are rarely selecting professional African American women as mates. The author draws from a previous study (Marbley, 2002) that investigated African American women's experiences, perceptions, and interpretations of the effects of acquiring advanced degrees on their interpersonal, heterosexual relationships with professional African American men. The phenomenon (identified in the literature) of African American women consistently having difficulty developing relationships with African American men because they revealed that they have or are pursuing advanced degrees was validated in this study (Marbley, 2002). The women in the previous study (Marbley, 2002) perceived that African American men are threat-
Thermochemistry of Homolytic C−C, C−H, and C−Cl Bond Dissociations in Polychloroethanes: Benchmark Electronic Structure Calculations

G2 and G2MP2 calculations on the C2H6-nCln, C2H5-nCln•, and CH3-nCln• species produce benchmark thermochemical data for homolytic C−C, C−H, and C−Cl bond dissociations in ethane and its chloro derivatives. Without exception, the C−H bonds are found to be stronger than the C−C ones, which turn out to be barely stronger than their C−Cl counterparts. The standard enthalpies of the homolytic C−C, C−H, and C−Cl bond dissociations decrease sharply with the increasing number of chlorine atoms, the C−C bonds being affected the most. Wherever available, experimental data confirm the reliability of the G2 calculations. The G2MP2 predictions are found to follow closely those of the G2 method. At the same time, the present study uncovers a very poor performance of the BLYP and B3LYP functionals for systems with strong repulsions between chlorine atoms. Analysis of the computed enthalpies of bond dissociation in terms of substituent contributions leads to the conclusion that this poor performance is caused by a system...
Cruzan: no rights violated.

Cruzan: No Rights Violated Cruzan was correctly decided. Not because persons in persistent vegetative state should be sustained indefinitely, but because sustaining them does not violate their own or their family's constitutional rights. Gastrostomy feeding of Nancy Cruzan does notharm her. A permanently vegetative patient does not have interests that can be harmed. Even critics of the decision agree that she does not feel pain and is unaware of her situation. Thus she cannot be harmed by medical treatment. The state is not violating her right to refuse treatment because, in her present condition, she has not refused treatment. Indeed, she is incapable of refusing. Nor does treatment violate a right to decline treatment in advance. If such a right exists, it is a right to choose--to direct--that treatment not occur. A state could violate such a right only if the person when competent had clearly directed that no treatment occur. Surmising that the person probably would have refused, or that nontreatment is consistent with her previous values does not itself establish a violation of the right of decide in advance. Inferences that the patient would have issued such a directive are not evidence that the directive was issued. To trump a state law mandating treatment, the patient must have in fact issued a directive against treatment. The nub of Cruzan is this: May the state require that the past directive be clearly established if treatment is to be withheld on the basis of that directive? The Supreme Cour correctly says yes. Surely a state may require reliable evidence that a past directive was knowingly made. Requiring that it be written or otherwise explicitly made is not an undue burden on persons who wish to issue directives against medical care when incompetent. What if clear evidence of a past directive is lacking (as often occurs)? Treatment in that case does not violate a right to direct future care, for there is no evidence that the patient so directed. Nor does it violate a present right to refuse treatment when the patient lacks the capacity to refuse. Since the patient is comatose treatment would not violate any other constitutional interest. One could argue that an incompetent patient has a right to have a proxy decide for the patient on the basis of her previous values. But that claim cannot be based on the comatose patienths current interest (there are none), nor on a past exercise of autonomy, for no directive against treatment has been issued. Surely there is no constitutional right to be treated "like one once was" now that one is so radically different. The claim in Cruzan thus becomes the family's right to decide the matter because of the impact of continued treatment on their own, not Nancy's interests. Does family privacy, recognized by the Court to include decisions about having children and how they are reared, include the right to terminate medical treatment that is not harming (or helping) their daughter? …
Influence of Phenylalanine and Lysine Deficiencies on Thyroid Morphology in the Chick

Abstract A study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary phenylalanine and lysine deficiencies on thyroid morphology in chicks fed crystalline amino acid diets. Both mean follicle diameter and epithelial cell height were significantly reduced in birds fed either of the deficient diets as compared with controls. These results agree with previous studies on serum T4 and T3 concentrations where the effects of an amino acid deficiency were general and not limited to precursors of thyroxine.
Antioxidative Maillard Reaction Products from Reducing Sugars and Free Amino Acids in Cooked Ground Pork Patties

Fifteen preformed Maillard reaction products (MRP) were prepared by refluxing 0.2M of three individual reducing sugars (glucose, xylose, and dihydroxyacetone) with 0.2M of five free amino acids (arginine, histidine, leucine, lysine, and tryptophan). MRP were added (3% v/w basis) to fresh ground pork patties prior to cooking and cooked to internal temperature 68°C and stored ai 4°C for 10 days. Samples were analyzed for TBA value on dav 0. 5. and 10. MRP were effective inhibitors of lipid oxidation in groind‘pdrk patties. The most effective were xyloselysine, xylose-tryptophan, dihydroxyacetone-histidine, and dihydroxy-acetone-tryptophan when compared to controls. A significant interaction (P < 0.001) existed between reducing sugars and amino acids.
Cytomegalovirus Infection Is Associated With Absence Of Alveolar Epithelial Cell HLA Class II Antigen Expression

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) pneumonia is associated with the development of secondary immunosuppression with resultant bacterial and fungal superinfections. Because class II HLA expression within the lung may be important in normal pulmonary cell-mediated immunity, the association of CMV infection of alveolar epithelial cells (AEC) with an absence of HLA class II antigens was tested. Using dual-labeling immunohistochemistry to detect CMV, AEC, endothelial cells, macrophages, and HLA class II antigens, lung tissue from patients whom died with CMV pneumonia was examined. Seventy-five percent of infected cells were AEC. In contrast to adjacent noninfected AEC, which expressed HLA-DR antigens, 91% of infected AEC were negative. There was no difference in this expression pattern between patients with or without AIDS. The absence of HLA class II antigens on infected AEC may account, in part, for the secondary immunosuppression associated with CMV pneumonia.
Digital storage scopes advance

The use of color display and data storage techniques that make for more meaningful signal views and complex statistical measurements, using the digital storage oscilloscope (DSO), are discussed. These techniques make good the loss of information about waveform stability, made evident by the varying intensity of traces on an analog scope display, that occurs when switching to a digital scope. Variable persistence techniques used by DSOs are described. Infinite persistence is an extension of variable-persistence techniques. In general, it accumulates waveforms on the DSO display indefinitely, displaying every acquired pixel with the same intensity. It reveals gross signal characteristics, such as long-term drift or worst-case jitter, and captures rare events such as a metastable state. Color grading is like infinite persistence with a colored version of intensity grading thrown in. The process allows waveform points to accumulate indefinitely on the display, with the user deciding when the screen should be cleared. Detailed quantitative analyses of the signal within the instrument itself are also examined. >
Welfare-based ecosystem management: an investigation of trade-offs

Abstract This paper investigates the use of welfare-based trade-offs in environmental management, focussing primarily on wetlands and riverine examples. It outlines methods and challenges in using economic criteria for determining these trade-offs. While economic criteria other than cost may have limited general applicability in determining wetlands banking and total maximum daily loads (TMDL) allocations, the paper suggests several methods for incorporating broad welfare criteria into regulatory methods. In particular, it suggests the use of a technique known as the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in developing community-based trade-off rules for wetlands and riverine management. This technique can be used to establish wetlands banking ratios, source and non-source mitigation techniques, and stream designated uses.
Divergent kinetic control of classical versus ozonolytic lactonization: mechanism-based diastereoselection.

A strategy has been developed in which mechanistically distinct lactonization reactions are used to prepare diastereomeric δ-lactones relevant to the C1−C9 fragment of (+)-peloruside A. Depending upon which of two reaction types is used, the central (C5) hydroxyl group can be directed to differentiate the C1 versus C9 termini of pseudosymmetric substrates to provide diastereomeric lactones. Thus, the 5-hydroxy-1,9-diester substrate 1 (an azelaic ester) cyclizes under classical (acid- or base-catalyzed) lactonization conditions to give a predominance of one diastereomer, whereas the 5-hydroxy-1,10-diene congener 2 provides the opposite sense of diastereoselectivity when subjected to ozonolytic lactonization (O3, MeOH, NaOH, at −78 °C). Thus, this under-utilized oxidative transformation is mechanistically orthogonal to the classical reaction.
Spatial Identification of Statewide Areas for Conservation Focus in New Mexico: Implications for State Conservation Efforts

Landscape scale conservation planning efforts have been in place for the past several decades to maintain biodiversity. Objectives of past efforts have been to identify areas to create reserves based on species diversity, land ownership, and landscape context. Risk analysis has not often been included in these spatial analyses. Datasets such as the Southwest Regional Gap Analysis (SWReGAP) are now available as are processes that allow risk analysis to be viewed in a spatial context in relations to factors that affect habitats over broad scales. We describe a method to include four spatial datasets to provide coarse scale delineation on areas to focus conservation including species numbers, key habitats, land management and factors that influence habitats. We used the SWReGAP management status dataset to identify management categories for long-term intent of management for biodiversity. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish identified a set of 290 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). Species occurrences for these species were associated with hydrologic unit codes from the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). Key habitats were identified by using the SWReGAP land cover dataset and NHD derivatives. Factors that influence habitats were identified and scored for 89 land cover types and 23 aquatic habitats identified by the NMDGF. Our final model prioritizes landscapes that are within key habitats, have high numbers of terrestrial and aquatic Species of Greatest Conservation Need taxa, may be potentially altered by multiple effects that influence habitats, and lack long-term legally-binding management plans protecting them from anthropogenic degradation. Similar to other efforts, riparian and aquatic habitats were identified as the most important for conservation. This information may be displayed spatially, allowing land managers and decision makers to understand the ecological context where multiple effects of potential factors may influence some habitats greater than others, and repeat process with CWCS revisions.
Slack budgeting, information distortion and self‐esteem*

. A week after taking a self-esteem test, subjects were provided with false feedback (either positive or negative) and neutral feedback about their self-esteem score. They were then asked to make two budgeting decisions, one cost estimate first and then one sales estimate for a fictional budgeting decision. In general, the individuals who were provided with information which temporarily caused them to lower their self-esteem were more apt to distort input information than those who were made to raise their self-esteem. It is concluded that, whereas slack budgeting may be consistent with generally low self-esteem feedback, it is inconsistent with generally high or neutral self-esteem feedback. Resume. Une semaine apres avoir subi un test d'estime de soi, on a presente aux sujets un faux “feedback” (soit positif ou negatif) et un “feedback” neutre relativement aux resultats de leur test. On leur a alors demande de prendre deux decisions budgetaires dans une situation fictive: la premiere sur une estimation de couts et la deuxieme sur une estimation de ventes. En general, les individus qui recevaient l'information qui temporairement les amenait a diminuer leur estime de soi, etaient plus aptes a deformer l'information recue que ceux qui etaient amenes a augmenter leur estime de soi. On conclut, qu'un budget qui a du jeu, peut etre compatible avec les “feedback” qui sont generalement du type faible estime de soi, et non compatible avec les “feedback” qui sont generalement du type haute ou neutre estime de soi.
Circadian rhythms in the mitotic index of the basal epithelium and in the uptake rate of 3 H-thymidine by the tongue of the rat.

Circadian rhythms are demonstrated in the tongue of adult rats for both the mitotic index of the basal epithelium and the uptake rate of injected 3H-thymidine by the tongue tip. The animals were entrained to a light-dark cycle for four weeks prior to the experiments with the light phase extending from 0600 to 1800 hours (CST). The daily fluctuation is approximately 300% for the mitotic index and 185% for the uptake rate of 3H-thymi-dine. The highest mitotic index occurs at 1100, and the highest uptake of 3H-thymidine occurs four hours earlier at 0700. The least activity for both parameters occurs during the first part of the dark span of the light-dark cycle. Estimates of several other rhythmic parameters are determined by a computerized method.
Evaluation of root-mean-square radius of gyration as a parameter for universal calibration of polysaccharides

Abstract High-performance, size-exclusion chromatography columns were calibrated in average root-mean-square radii of gyration (μ R gz ) by a combination of commercial “narrow” pullulan and “broad” dextran standards. The nonlinear calibration-curves were fitted by a computer-aided, iterative, least-squares procedure. Values of (μ R gz ), obtained from a point-by-point transformation of the respective pullulan and dextran chromatograms by utilizing universal calibration, were compared with inputted μ R gz calibration values. For standards ranging in μ R gz value from 20.1 to 389 A, the accuracy ranged from 1 to 15.3%. Furthermore, from relationships in the literature, μ R gz values were transformed to μ M w . These values of μ M w were comparable to, but generally less accurate than, μ M w values from direct, molecular-weight calibration.
Ecology of urban lawns under three common management programs

Turfgrass lawns are a central part of urban and suburban landscapes throughout North America and are often managed using repeated applications of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These inputs are expensive and may negatively affect ecological processes in lawns. Therefore, we evaluated the influence of three most common lawn care programs on ecological characteristics of turfgrass lawns. Twenty-eight home lawns, separated into 3 groups based on the lawn care program (professional, do-it-yourself [DIY], and no-input), were studied. Data on lawn quality, weed and insect infestation, disease incidence, soil nematode community, soil nitrogen pools, microbial biomass (MBN), and soil organic matter (SOM) were collected. Results indicated that professional lawn care resulted in the highest aesthetic lawn quality mainly due to better weed control, compared to DIY and no-input programs. However, professional and DIY programs negatively affected MBN and SOM pools and enhanced disease (rust) severity. No significant differences in soil nematode population and nematode community indices across the three programs were found, indicating no differences in net ecosystem productivity among the three programs. Overall, soil nematode food web in turfgrass lawns represented a disturbed food web compared to natural grasslands and forest ecosystems, irrespective of the lawn care program used.
The quantitative measurement of changes in EEG frequency spectra produced in the cat by sedative-hypnotics and neuroleptics

Abstract The sedative-hypnotic secobarbital and the sedative-anti-anxiety agent chlordiazepoxide and two neuroleptics, chlorpromazine and haloperidol, were treated for effects on the EEG of the cat using broad-band frequency analysis of 6 brain sites. Dose-related, ‘drug-specific’ effects were abstracted from the data by the use of multivariate statistical techniques. These demonstrated that the two neuroleptic agents produced very similar alterations in the EEG frequency spectrum which were distinctly different from those resulting from the administration of the sedative-hypnotic and the sedative-anti-anxiety agent. The time-course of the central activity of the 4 compounds was also depicted.
Brain tumor segmentation in MRI by using the fuzzy connectedness method

The aim of this paper is the precise and accurate quantification of brain tumor via MRI. This is very useful in evaluating disease progression, response to therapy, and the need for changes in treatment plans. We use multiple MRI protocols including FLAIR, T1, and T1 with Gd enhancement to gather information about different aspects of the tumor and its vicinity- edema, active regions, and scar left over due to surgical intervention. We have adapted the fuzzy connectedness framework to segment tumor and to measure its volume. The method requires only limited user interaction in routine clinical MRI. The first step in the process is to apply an intensity normalization method to the images so that the same body region has the same tissue meaning independent of the scanner and patient. Subsequently, a fuzzy connectedness algorithm is utilized to segment the different aspects of the tumor. The system has been tested, for its precision, accuracy, and efficiency, utilizing 40 patient studies. The percent coefficient of variation (% CV) in volume due to operator subjectivity in specifying seeds for fuzzy connectedness segmentation is less than 1%. The mean operator and computer time taken per study is 3 minutes. The package is designed to run under operator supervision. Delineation has been found to agree with the operators' visual inspection most of the time except in some cases when the tumor is close to the boundary of the brain. In the latter case, the scalp is included in the delineation and an operator has to exclude this manually. The methodology is rapid, robust, consistent, yielding highly reproducible measurements, and is likely to become part of the routine evaluation of brain tumor patients in our health system.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.