cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Roles of the endogenous VEGF receptors flt-1 and flk-1 in astroglial and vascular remodeling after brain injury

Following trauma to the brain significant changes occur in both the astroglial and vascular components of the neuropil. Angiogenesis is required to re-establish metabolic support and astrocyte activation encompasses several functions including scar formation and the production of growth factors. VEGF has seminal involvement in the process of brain repair and is upregulated during many pathological events. VEGF signaling is regulated mainly through its two primary receptors: flk-1 (KDR/VEGF-R2) is expressed on vascular endothelium and some neurons and flt-1 (VEGF-R1) in the CNS, is expressed predominantly by activated astrocytes. Using an injury model of chronic minipump infusion of neutralizing antibodies (NA) to block VEGF receptor signaling, this study takes advantage of these differences in VEGF receptor distribution in order to understand the role the cytokine plays after brain injury. Infusion of NA to flk-1 caused a significant decrease in vascular proliferation and increased endothelial cell degeneration compared to control IgG infusions but had no effect on astrogliosis. By contrast infusion of NA to flt-1 significantly decreased astroglial mitogenicity and scar formation and caused some increase in endothelial degeneration. Neutralization of the flt-1 receptor function, but not flk-1, caused significant reduction in the astroglial expression of the growth factors, CNTF and FGF by 7days. These data suggest that after CNS injury, endogenous VEGF upregulation (by astrocytes) induces angiogenesis and, by autocrine signaling, increases both astrocyte proliferation and facilitates expression of growth factors. It is likely that VEGF plays an important role in aspects of astroglial scar formation.
Risk for breast cancer declined after postmenopausal hormone therapy was stopped

Source Citation Chlebowski RT, Kuller LH, Prentice RL, et al. Breast cancer after use of estrogen plus progestin in postmenopausal women. N Engl J Med. 2009;360:573-87. 19196674
Selection of diploid and screening of polyploid guayule lines for Verticillium tolerance.

Abstract Guayule ( Parthenium argentatum Gray) produces a high quality hypoallergenic latex, that is of interest for use in the medical industry. In order to meet the anticipated demand, guayule will need to be planted in mild climatic zones over a wide geographic area, and often following cotton ( Gossypium sp.) or other crops susceptible to the root-invading fungus Verticillium dahliae Kleb. Since guayule has been shown previously to be susceptible to V. dahliae , the goals of this work were: (1) to develop a diploid guayule line that is tolerant to V. dahliae through mass selection, and (2) to evaluate improved guayule lines for Verticillium tolerance. To achieve the first goal, a diploid guayule population was subjected to three cycles of selection, with only the plants with the greatest tolerance and the highest rubber yields used in the subsequent cycles of selection. Second, fifteen improved polyploid and three diploid lines were evaluated for tolerance to V. dahliae under greenhouse conditions. Cuttings were found to be more tolerant than seedlings, and tolerance increased with age of the plant at the time of inoculation. The Verticillium screened diploids expressed greater tolerance than an unscreened diploid population in both greenhouse and field trials. Among the 18 improved lines, 13 of which had not been previously evaluated, a Verticillium -screened diploid line (418-6) had the highest tolerance ranking, but was not significantly better than four unscreened polyploid lines. Continued evaluation of improved lines will help growers in making informed decisions about which lines to plant for their specific locations. The Verticillium -tolerant diploid germplasm material developed in this study is available to plant breeding programs.
The Current Status of Sentence Completion Methods

(1968). The Current Status of Sentence Completion Methods. Journal of Projective Techniques and Personality Assessment: Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 215-221.
Comments on a critique of the Thomson Reuters journal impact factor

We discuss research evaluation, the nature of impact, and the use of the Thomson Reuters journal impact factor and other indicators in scientometrics in the light of recent commentary.
Source-to-Sink Manipulation Effects on Cotton Lint Yield and Yield Components

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) yields can vary considerably among years and locations, even under levels of water and nutrients considered adequate. Since photosynthesis is one of the principal components in determining reproductive yield, the objectives of this study were to determine how manipulations of the ratio of photosynthetic source to reproductive sink affect cotton lint yield and yield components (boll mass, seed mass, seed per boll, lint percentage, and bolls per square meter). Field studies were conducted in 1991 and 1992 on a Bosket fine sandy loam with six source-to-sink ratio manipulations (partial fruit pruned, partial leaf pruned, reflectors, open canopy, shaded plots, and an untreated control) imposed on three cotton genotypes: 'DES 119', 'DPL 5690', and 'Prema'. White blooms were tagged twice in both years, and fruit were subsequently harvested after bolls had opened [...]
Effects of Heating Rate on Shrinkage of Clays and Shales in Firing

Measurements of progressive shrinkage of a series of shales and fire clays were made while heating at constant rates up to vitrification temperature, and a comparison of shrinkage behavior was made using different heating rates. The results showed that there is a striking similarity in the shrinkage behavior of the shales and fire clays. There are, typically, three intervals of rapidly increasing shrinkage followed by periods during which the shrinkage rate lags. It seems probable that the information obtained may be safely considered as a basis for planned firing procedures in which consideration would be given to the relations between rate of heating and shrinkage behavior during critical stages.
Statistical analysis of firm interdependence using duration data—parametric approach

ABSTRACTA pioneer first enters the market as the monopolist and later experiences the competition when a similar product is brought to the market by the competitor. In 2012, Wang and Xie suggested to decompose the pioneer survival to “monopoly” and “competition” durations and estimate the two survivals of the pioneer individually with the competitor's survival via regression analysis. In their article, several regression analyses were performed to study the effect of order entry to the pioneer and the later entrant in different market status. Using the same datasets from their study, our main interest is to investigate the interdependent relationship between two competitive firms and study whether the market pioneer and the later entrant can benefit from the competition. The major contribution of this article is that the interdependence between two competitive firms is explicitly expressed and three survival durations can be estimated in one model. The proposed method relates the survival times of two com...
A multiple channel EEG telemetering system

Abstract A four-channel EEG telemetering system is described. Detailed diagrams of the components of the system and of oscillators used for calibration and adjustment of the demodulators are provided.
Risk/Benefit Strategies Must Be Employed in the Management of Pediatric Crohn's Disease

Clinicians caring for children with Crohn's disease must consider the long-term implications of therapeutic interventions and cumulative diagnostic studies in their patients whose disease duration will be measured in decades. There is evidence of the increased severity of pediatric Crohn's disease compared to its adult counterpart, its frequent co-morbid growth disturbances, and the frequent need for aggressive medical therapies including immunomodulators and biological agents. The initial management of most children diagnosed with Crohn's disease involves enteral nutritional support, corticosteroids, and immunomodulators. Corticosteroids, while initially helpful in decreasing signs and symptoms of disease, are occasionally ineffective, generally do not heal mucosa, impair growth, and are frequently associated with a state of corticosteroid dependency. Immunomodulators are effective maintenance therapies with corticosteroid sparing effects, but have no value in the acutely ill child. The emergence of biological therapy with its impressive record of rapid efficacy and use as maintenance therapy has prompted discussion of its incorporation into initial management, but has also raised concerns about who are the most suitable candidates, which if any medications can be used concomitantly, and long-term safety. The combined use of thiopurines and anti-TNF agents may predispose to a rare and uniformly fatal lymphoma. Identification of children at high risk for complicated disease may allow us to better evaluate risk/benefit in newly diagnosed children, and biologic agents are likely to assume an increasing role in primary therapy in those deemed at highest risk. Long-term observations will determine whether biologics will change natural history and demonstrate adequate safety.
Methods for epidemiologic analyses of multiple exposures: A review and comparative study of maximum‐likelihood, preliminary‐testing, and empirical‐bayes regression

Many epidemiologic investigations are designed to study the effects of multiple exposures. Most of these studies are analysed either by fitting a risk-regression model with all exposures forced in the model, or by using a preliminary-testing algorithm, such as stepwise regression, to produce a smaller model. Research indicates that hierarchical modelling methods can outperform these conventional approaches. I here review these methods and compare two hierarchical methods, empirical-Bayes regression and a variant I call 'semi-Bayes' regression, to full-model maximum likelihood and to model reduction by preliminary testing. I then present a simulation study of logistic-regression analysis of weak exposure effects to illustrate the type of accuracy gains one may expect from hierarchical methods. Finally, I compare the performance of the methods in a problem of predicting neonatal mortality rates. Based on the literature to date, I suggest that hierarchical methods should become part of the standard approaches to multiple-exposure studies.
Reduction of police vehicle accidents through mechanically-aided supervision

Tachograph recorders were installed in 224 vehicles of a metropolitan police department to monitor vehicle operation in an attempt to reduce the rate of accidents. Police sergeants reviewed each tachograph chart and provided feedback to officers regarding their driving performance. Reliability checks and additional feedback procedures were implemented so that upper level supervisors monitored and controlled the performance of field sergeants. The tachograph intervention and components of the feedback system nearly eliminated personal injury accidents and sharply reduced accidents caused by officer negligence. A cost-benefit analysis revealed that the savings in vehicle repair and injury claims outweighed the equipment and operating costs.
Ammonium ion salvage by glutamate dehydrogenase during defence response in maize

Abstract When phytochemical defence response was elicited by treatment of maize with chitosan, the binomial isoenzymes of l -glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH, EC 1.4.1.2) isomerized. The amination electrode potential of the GDH charge isomers decreased by 10 mV in the chitosan-treated maize. GDH isomerization and amination are therefore spontaneous reactions. The free l -Glu and l -Gln were 3.84 and 3.68 μmol, respectively, per 10 g of the chitosan-treated maize. The amination activities of GDH showed that the 10 mV decrease in electrode potential accounted fully for the 3.84 μmol free l -Glu content of the chitosan-treated maize. Therefore the binomial GDH synthesized all the l -Glu, thereby salvaging at least 51% of the NH 4 + liberated during phytochemical defence response, while glutamine synthetase salvaged the remaining NH 4 + . The chitosan-elicited isomerization of maize GDH and the accompanying 10 mV decrease in electrode potential widened the plant-pathogen amination energy barrier, thereby minimizing the amount of NH 4 + the pathogen can absorb from the plant.
Periodic behaviors in the observed vertical column abundances of atmospheric hydroxyl

OH vertical column abundances measured at Fritz Peak Observatory, Colorado, from 1977 through 1988 reveal semi-annual and annual cycles which are amplitude modulated over the 11-year data base. The modulation of the OH seasonal behavior is in phase with solar activity as described by the sunspot number index. No mechanism for the observed covariance of this OH behavior with solar activity has yet been identified.
A Bioeconomic Analysis of Traditional Fisheries in the Red Sea

Abstract We undertake a bioeconomic analysis of the aggregate traditional fisheries in the Northern and Central areas of Red Sea off the coast of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Results of our analysis using a Fox model and the Clarke-Yoshimoto- Pooley (CY&P) estimation procedure suggest that the aggregate traditional fisheries have been overfished since the early 1990s. The estimated stock size in recent years is as low as 6,400 MT, while the estimated stock size associated with the maximum economic yield (MEY) is 19,300 MT. The socially optimal level of fishing effort is about 139,000 days. Thus, the current effort level of 300,000 to 350,000 days constitutes a problem of overfishing. The estimated current total gross revenue from the traditional fisheries is Saudi Rials (SR) 147 million with zero net benefit. If total fishing effort is reduced to the socially optimal level, then we estimate gross revenue would be SR 167 million and the potential net benefit from the KSA Red Sea traditional fisheries...
Bayesian nonparametric variable selection as an exploratory tool for discovering differentially expressed genes.

High-throughput scientific studies involving no clear a priori hypothesis are common. For example, a large-scale genomic study of a disease may examine thousands of genes without hypothesizing that any specific gene is responsible for the disease. In these studies, the objective is to explore a large number of possible factors (e.g., genes) in order to identify a small number that will be considered in follow-up studies that tend to be more thorough and on smaller scales. A simple, hierarchical, linear regression model with random coefficients is assumed for case–control data that correspond to each gene. The specific model used will be seen to be related to a standard Bayesian variable selection model. Relatively large regression coefficients correspond to potential differences in responses for cases versus controls and thus to genes that might ‘matter’. For large-scale studies, and using a Dirichlet process mixture model for the regression coefficients, we are able to find clusters of regression effects of genes with increasing potential effect or ‘relevance’, in relation to the outcome of interest. One cluster will always correspond to genes whose coefficients are in a neighborhood that is relatively close to zero and will be deemed least relevant. Other clusters will correspond to increasing magnitudes of the random/latent regression coefficients. Using simulated data, we demonstrate that our approach could be quite effective in finding relevant genes compared with several alternative methods. We apply our model to two large-scale studies. The first study involves transcriptome analysis of infection by human cytomegalovirus. The second study's objective is to identify differentially expressed genes between two types of leukemia. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effects of time point alignment on the amplitude of averaged orbital presaccadic spike potential (SP).

Abstract Effects of two time-point selection averaging techniques on orbital SP amplitude were studied on 10 normal subjects performing horizontal saccades. One technique involved averaging from the SP peak, another technique involved averaging from the saccadic onset. The time-point selection methods only affected the magnitude of SP amplitude but did not interact with experimental conditions. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed that SP amplitudes were higher in data aligned on SP peak than those aligned on saccadic onset ( P P >0.05).
Risk and Protective Factors for Homophobic Bullying in Schools: An Application of the Social–Ecological Framework

Homophobic bullying is a serious concern for students, parents, teachers, and school officials. This article reviews evidence on the status of this problem and how it may be addressed in a multilevel and multidisciplinary manner growing out of a social–ecological perspective on homophobic bullying as a social phenomenon. The ecological framework developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner (1977, 1979) is applied to organize this effort, which includes micro-, exo-, and macro-systems in which behavior and development are embedded. The inherent fluidity of experience postulated by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological approach offers hope that as practices and policy to promote diversity move forward, they will reshape the social ecology of sexual minority youth.
Lens cell-to-cell channel protein: I. Self-assembly into liposomes and permeability regulation by calmodulin.

Lens fibers are coupled by communicating junctions which contain a 28-kDalton protein (MIP26) believed to be the main component of the cell-to-cell channel. To study the permeability properties and regulation of these channels, anin vitro system has been developed in which MIP26 isolated from calf lens is incorporated into liposomes and the resulting channels are studied spectrophotometrically by a swelling assay. Liposome vesicles were prepared using a sonication/resuspension method. Incorporation efficiency was monitored by freeze-fracture. Vesicles were resuspended in 6% Dextran T-10. Assay buffer was identical, except for isotonic substitution of sucrose for T-10. MIP26-incorporated (but not control) vesicles swell under isotonic conditions indicating sucrose entry (via channels) followed by water to maintain osmotic balance. In the absence of calmodulin, calcium ion has no effect on channel permeability. On the contrary, vesicles prepared with equimolar amounts of MIP26 and CaM do not swell in the presence of calcium ion, indicating that the channels can be closed. Addition of EGTA to these vesicles reinitiates swelling—evidence that the channel gating mechanism is reversible. Magnesium ion has no effect on either type of vesicle.
Metallothionein 2A interacts with the kinase domain of PKCμ in prostate cancer

Prostate cancer (PC) patients die from progression to androgen independence (AI) and chemoresistance (CR). Protein kinase Cmu (PKCmu) a novel member of the PKC family of signal transduction proteins is downregulated in AI PC. Studying PKCmu interactors in the yeast two-hybrid system identified metallothionein 2A (MT 2A) as an interactor of PKCmu kinase domain (KD) in PC, which was quantified by beta-gal assay, confirmed in PC cells by immunoprecipitation, and PKCmu-MT 2A co-localization in vivo by immunofluorescence studies. PKCmu domain interaction studies revealed that MT 2A interacted strongly with KD, relatively weakly with C1, and failed to interact with C2, PH or kinase mutant domains. Peptide library and in silico analysis strongly suggest that MT 2A is a novel substrate of PKCmu and our data indicate that the PKCmu-MT 2A interaction depends on PKCmu kinase activity. Because metallothioneins are associated with cell proliferation and CR, the PKCmu-MT 2A interaction may contribute to CR and/or AI in PC.
Chromosomal rearrangements and the pathogenesis of differentiated thyroid cancer

The majority of thyroid cancers arise from the follicular cells of the thyroid gland, which yield a wide variety of distinct morphotypes, ranging from relatively indolent lesions to the most malignant forms of cancer known. The remaining primary thyroid cancers arise from C cells within the gland and result primarily from mutations of the RET protooncogene, germ line mutations of which give rise to the various forms of multiple endocrine neoplasia. The most common of the follicular cell-derived cancers are papillary carcinomas, (PTC), followed by follicular carcinomas (FTC) and its Hurthle cell variant (HCC) and finally anaplastic carcinomas (ATC). The pathogenesis of many thyroid cancers, of both PTC and FTC morphotype, involves chromosomal translocations. Rearrangements of the RET protoconcogene are known to be involved in the pathogenesis of ca. 50% of PTC. A similar proportion of FTC have been associated with a t(2;3)(q13;p25) translocation, fusing the thyroid-specific transcription factor PAX8 with the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) nuclear receptor, a ubiquitously expressed transcription factor. These rearrangements have analogy with translocations in erythropoetic cells, which form the only other known group of human malignancies that are largely the result of chromosomal translocation events. In this review we compare and contrast the oncogenic properties of thyroid and erythroid chromosomal transformations and speculate on mechanisms leading to their formation.
Mutant huntingtin expression induces mitochondrial calcium handling defects in clonal striatal cells : Functional consequences

Huntington disease (HD) is caused by a pathological elongation of CAG repeats in the huntingtin protein gene and is characterized by atrophy and neuronal loss primarily in the striatum. Mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired Ca2+ homeostasis in HD have been suggested previously. Here, we elucidate the effects of Ca2+ on mitochondria from the wild type (STHdhQ7/Q7) and mutant (STHdhQ111/Q111) huntingtin-expressing cells of striatal origin. When treated with increasing Ca2+ concentrations, mitochondria from mutant huntingtin-expressing cells showed enhanced sensitivity to Ca2+, as they were more sensitive to Ca2+-induced decreases in state 3 respiration and ΔΨm, than mitochondria from wild type cells. Further, mutant huntingtin-expressing cells had a reduced mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake capacity in comparison with wild type cells. Decreases in state 3 respiration were associated with increased mitochondrial membrane permeability. The ΔΨm defect was attenuated in the presence of ADP and the decreases in Ca2+ uptake capacity were abolished in the presence of Permeability Transition Pore (PTP) inhibitors. These findings clearly indicate that mutant huntingtin-expressing cells have mitochondrial Ca2+ handling defects that result in respiratory deficits and that the increased sensitivity to Ca2+ induced mitochondrial permeabilization maybe a contributing mechanism to the mitochondrial dysfunction in HD.
Beneficial actions of amlodipine in the multiple-stunned canine myocardium

The effects of the long-acting dihydropyridine calcium-entry blocker, amlodipine, on subendocardial segment shortening (%SS), regional myocardial blood flow (radioactive microspheres), and tissue high-energy phosphate levels were compared with those of a saline-treated group of barbital-anesthetized dogs subjected to nine 5-minute coronary artery occlusions interspersed with 15 minutes of reperfusion and finally by 1 hour of reperfusion (multiple stunned myocardium). Saline or amlodipine (200 micrograms/kg, IV) were administered 15 minutes prior to the first coronary occlusion. There were no major differences between groups in ischemic bed size or hemodynamics throughout the experiment. Subendocardial collateral blood flow was significantly increased in the amlodipine-treated group during coronary occlusion 1; however, tissue blood flow in the ischemic region was not significantly different between groups during occlusion 9. Following each occlusion, %SS in the ischemic region was equally reduced in both groups and passive systolic lengthening resulted. In spite of similar decreases in %SS during occlusion, the amlodipine-treated dogs showed a marked improvement in myocardial segment function (%SS) of the ischemic-reperfused region at 15 minutes following each occlusion (1-9) and at 15, 30, and 60 minutes of reperfusion following occlusion 9, as compared to saline-treated animals. In addition, amlodipine attenuated the loss of adenine nucleotides in the ischemic-reperfused area at 1 hour of reperfusion. These results suggest that amlodipine has a favorable effect on the functional and metabolic recovery of the multiple-stunned myocardium and may have potential as a cardioprotective agent for the treatment of myocardial reperfusion injury.
Changes in macrophyte community structure in Lake Christina (Minnesota), a large shallow lake, following biomanipulation

Macrophyte community structure in Lake Christina, a large shallow lake in west-central Minnesota, changed in response to a biomanipulation treatment in 1987. Three years of pre-treatment and 11 years of post-treatment data were analyzed. Using a combination of cluster analysis and indicator species analysis, three distinct macrophyte communities were identified: a pre-treatment community of low plant abundance, an early post-treatment community dominated by Najas flexilis, N. marina, Myriophyllum sibiricum and Ruppia maritima, and a late post-treatment community characterized by Chara vulgaris, C. canescens, Potamogeton pectinatus, and P. pusillus. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that these changes in plant community structure are associated with improvements in water clarity and annual variation in abundance of filamentous algae.
Surviving in Urban Schools: A Collaborative Model for a Beginning Teacher Support System:

The goals of a collaboration between a large urban school district and a state university school of education included increasing the retention of beginning teachers, providing them with systematic...
Impact Dynamics of Oxidized Liquid Metal Drops

With exposure to air, many liquid metals spontaneously generate an oxide layer on their surface. In oscillatory rheological tests, this skin is found to introduce a yield stress that typically dominates the elastic response but can be tuned by exposing the metal to hydrochloric acid solutions of different concentration. We systematically studied the normal impact of eutectic gallium-indium (eGaIn) drops under different oxidation conditions and show how this leads to two different dynamical regimes. At low impact velocity (or low Weber number), eGaIn droplets display strong recoil and rebound from the impacted surface when the oxide layer is removed. In addition, the degree of drop deformation or spreading during impact is controlled by the oxide skin. We show that the scaling law known from ordinary liquids for the maximum spreading radius as a function of impact velocity can still be applied to the case of oxidized eGaIn if an effective Weber number We${}^{\ensuremath{\star}}$ is employed that uses an effective surface tension factoring in the yield stress. In contrast, no influence on spreading from different oxidations conditions is observed for high impact velocity. This suggests that the initial kinetic energy is mostly damped by bulk viscous dissipation. Results from both regimes can be collapsed in an impact phase diagram controlled by two variables, the maximum spreading factor ${P}_{m}={R}_{0}/{R}_{m}$, given by the ratio of initial to maximum drop radius, and the impact number $K={\mathrm{We}}^{\ensuremath{\star}}/{\mathrm{Re}}^{4/5}$, which scales with the effective Weber number We${}^{\ensuremath{\star}}$ as well as the Reynolds number Re. The data exhibit a transition from capillary to viscous behavior at a critical impact number ${K}_{c}\ensuremath{\approx}0.1$.
Politically credible social insurance

Abstract This paper considers the political credibility of allocations in settings with dynamic private information. It embeds a benchmark dynamic moral environment into political economy games which feature repeated voting over mechanisms. Optimal politically credible allocations are shown to solve virtual planning problems with social discount factors in excess of the private one.
Techniques in Endourology Hand-Assisted Laparoscopic Nephrectomy

The introduction of hand-assisted laparoscopy should benefit every laparoscopic urologist. Hand assistance will shorten the learning curve for many urologists interested in performing laparoscopic renal procedures, including nephrectomy and nephroureterectomy. Advanced laparoscopists will be able to undertake more challenging procedures, including nephrectomies for inflamed, infected kidneys and live-donor nephrectomies. A step-by-step approach is presented for hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy.
Nanotechnology: public concerns, reasoning and trust in government:

Public perceptions of emergent technologies have become increasingly important to understand, in part due to the worldwide backlash against genetically modified foods, which effectively stalled a n...
Effects of nitrogen additions on above- and belowground carbon dynamics in two tropical forests

Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition is increasing rapidly in tropical regions, adding N to ecosystems that often have high background N availability. Tropical forests play an important role in the global carbon (C) cycle, yet the effects of N deposition on C cycling in these ecosystems are poorly understood. We used a field N-fertilization experiment in lower and upper elevation tropical rain forests in Puerto Rico to explore the responses of above- and belowground C pools to N addition. As expected, tree stem growth and litterfall productivity did not respond to N fertilization in either of these N-rich forests, indicating a lack of N limitation to net primary productivity (NPP). In contrast, soil C concentrations increased significantly with N fertilization in both forests, leading to larger C stocks in fertilized plots. However, different soil C pools responded to N fertilization differently. Labile (low density) soil C fractions and live fine roots declined with fertilization, while mineral-associated soil C increased in both forests. Decreased soil CO2 fluxes in fertilized plots were correlated with smaller labile soil C pools in the lower elevation forest (R2 = 0.65, p < 0.05), and with lower live fine root biomass in the upper elevation forest (R2 = 0.90, p < 0.05). Our results indicate that soil C storage is sensitive to N deposition in tropical forests, even where plant productivity is not N-limited. The mineral-associated soil C pool has the potential to respond relatively quickly to N additions, and can drive increases in bulk soil C stocks in tropical forests.
Second Thoughts: Toward a Critique of the Digital Divide

This article introduces critical perspective into the discussion of the digital divide, which is commonly defined as the gap separating those individuals who have access to new forms of information technology from those who do not. The analysis is distinguished from other undertakings addressing this matter, insofar as it does not document the empirical problems of unequal access but considers the terminology, logical structure, and form that define and direct work on this important social and ethical issue. The investigation employs the tools of critical theory and targets extant texts, reports, and studies. In this way, the analysis does not dispute the basic facts gathered in recent empirical studies of computer usage and internet access. On the contrary, its purpose is to assist these and other endeavors by making evident their common starting point, stakes, and consequences.
Autoinflammatory Pustular Neutrophilic Diseases

This article provides a new categorization of inflammatory pustular dermatoses in the context of recent genetic and biological insights. Monogenic diseases with pustular phenotypes are discussed, including deficiency of interleukin 1 receptor antagonist, deficiency of the interleukin 36 receptor antagonist, CARD14-associated pustular psoriasis, and pyogenic arthritis, pyoderma gangrenosum, and acne. How these new genetic advancements may inform how previously described pustular diseases are viewed, including pustular psoriasis and its clinical variants, with a focus on historical classification by clinical phenotype, is also discussed.
Completion and parsing Chinese sentences using cogent confabulation

Among different languages' sentence completion and parsing, Chinese is of great difficulty. Chinese words are not naturally separated by delimiters, which imposes extra challenge. Cogent confabulation based sentence completion has been proposed for English. It fills in missing words in an English sentence while maintains the semantic and syntactic consistency. In this work, we improve the cogent confabulation model and apply it to sentence completion in Chinese. Incorporating trained knowledge in parts-of-speech tagging and Chinese word compound segmentation, the model does not only fill missing words in a sentence but also performs linguistic analysis of the sentence with a high accuracy. We further investigate the optimization of the model and trade-offs between accuracy and training/recall complexity. Experimental results show that the optimized model improves recall accuracy by 9% and reduces training and recall time by 18.6% and 53.7% respectively.
Role of pleated septate junctions in the epithelium of miracidia of Schistosoma mansoni during transformation to sporocysts in vitro.

Abstract The surfaces of miracidia of Schistosoma mansoni were examined ultrastructurally during in vitro transformation to sporocyts. Before transformation, the surface was composed of ciliated epithelial plates (EP) that were set into a reticulum of narrow syncytial ridges (SR). The EP were attached to SR by extensive pleated septate junctions that had 18–24 strands of intramembrane particles (IMP) on the protoplasmic faces and complementary pits on the ectoplasmic faces. These junctions also appeared to separate the EP plasma membrane into apical and basolateral domains with a larger number of IMPs on the latter. Transformation was induced by placing the miracidia in salt containing medium which also halted ciliary beating. In 2–5 hr, the SR expanded until they formed a syncytium covering the parasite surface, while the EP retracted and rounded up. During this time, the EP and SR were held in contact with one another by the septate junctions which became progressively convoluted. Subsequently, the EP detached from the parasite. When transforming miracidia were returned to fresh water, the cilia resumed beating and the EP detached from the parasite surface and exposed the underlying basement membrane. Those EP that remained attached were connected only by septate junctions to the expanded SR. These studies demonstrate that the formation of the syncytium occurs gradually with contact maintained between EP and SR via the septate junctions. Further, the septate junctions are similar to occluding junctions in mammalian epithelia since they segregate the plasma membrane of the EP and they have an adhesive function.
Oxidation behavior of aqueous contaminants in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and filter media

Abstract Hydrogen peroxide has been used as an oxidant to degrade contaminants in solutions and soils. A poor understanding of the numerous variables that are involved makes it difficult to determine dominant contaminant removal mechanisms. Our primary objective was to examine the relationship between contaminant (quinoline and nitrobenzene) degradation rate and the rate of hydrogen peroxide decomposition on filter media. Both batch and continuous flow column experiments were conducted. In general, the rate of contaminant degradation was proportional to the rate of hydrogen peroxide decomposition, but the mass of contaminant removed depended on the amount of hydrogen peroxide decomposed, filter medium concentration, and filter medium characteristics. For increasing filter medium concentration and equivalent loss of hydrogen peroxide, the mass of contaminant degraded was found to decrease. In addition, acid-hydroxylamine treatment of the selected filter medium, to examine the role of reducible metal oxide coatings, resulted in greater contaminant removals than the parent material despite a slower hydrogen peroxide decomposition rate. The observed hydrogen peroxide decomposition and contaminant oxidation results are consistent with a reaction scheme whose central elements include: (1) a rate limiting filter medium surface catalyzed reaction initiating hydrogen peroxide decomposition with the formation of a reactive intermediate, (2) a competing reaction of the intermediate with the filter medium surface, and (3) reaction of the same intermediate with the aqueous organic contaminant. Loss of quinoline and nitrobenzene is most likely a solution phase reaction because sorption of these compounds was small over the pH range 7–8 and oxidation efficiency did not increase with increasing filter medium concentration, which would be expected if the reactions were occurring on the surface. Finally, enhanced oxidation of quinoline and nitrobenzene on the treated material is explained by more efficient use of the reactive intermediates for contaminant oxidation due to a reduction in the number of scavenging sites associated with reducible metal oxide coatings.
Structural Integration of Skin Equivalents Grafted to Lewis and Spraque-Dawley Rats

Bilayered skin equivalents, composed of a sheet of epidermal cells overlying a collagen lattice populated with fibroblasts, quickly become structurally integrated with the surrounding host skin after grafting to Lewis rats. Three days after transplantation, the skin equivalent lies on a bed of host granulation tissue and is loosely attached to the adjoining host dermis. Blood vessels begin to invade the collagen lattice by 5 days after grafting. By the 7th day a fully keratinized, hypertrophic epidermis covers the surface of the graft and blood vessels penetrate the lattice to the base of the epidermis. Vascularization of the graft is accompanied by activation and proliferation of the fibroblasts and by a condensation of the collagen matrix. During the 2nd week after grafting, the collagen fibrils become organized into thin fibers that show a basketweave pattern of birefringence when examined using polarized light. By 1 month the structure of the skin equivalent has become stabilized. The fibroblasts now resemble the quiescent fibrocytes of normal, resting dermis and the epidermis remains moderately hypertrophic. One to two years after grafting to Sprague-Dawley rats, the skin equivalents do not appear hypertrophic. The graft lacks secondary derivatives such as hair follicles and sweat glands, presumably because the stem cells are lost during the isolation of the epidermal cells. Grafts that are prepared using epidermal cells overlying a collagen gel without fibroblasts give rise to raised, linear scars within 2 weeks.
Life-History and Developmental Antecedents of Female Vocational Preferences

The purpose of the present study was to assess the relationship among life-history experiences, sex-role orientation, self-esteem, and females' vocational preferences according to Holland's typology. The sample consisted of 296 undergraduate female college students. Data were gathered from the Strong Interest Inventory (SII; Hansen & Campbell, 1985), the Biographical Questionnaire (BQ; Owens, 1971), the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI; Bem, 1981), and the Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI; Coopersmith, 1987). Multiple discriminant analyses revealed that 77.2% of the variance in RIASEC group membership could be explained by the discriminating variables. Life-history information was more predictive of vocational interests than either sex-role orientation or self-esteem. The results were discussed in the context of previous research on predicting the vocational interests of females.
Editorial [new associate editors]

It is the Editor-in-Chief's (EiC's) pleasure to welcome a number of new associate editors to the editorial board of the IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering. They are: Luciano Baresi, Daniela Damian, Robert DeLine, Audris Mockus, Gail Murphy, Mauro Pezze, Gian Pietro Pico, Helen Sharp, and Paolo Tonella. They bring a wealth of expertise in a broad range of research areas within software engineering, consolidating traditional strengths in areas such as software testing, and strengthening areas such as empirical studies of software development, mobile computing, and adaptive systems. Short professional biographies are included. At the same time, the EiC would like to bid farewell to those associate editors whose terms of service have ended: Martin Robillard, Peggy Storey, and Tetsuo Tamai. He thanks them for their distinguished contributions over a number of years, and for continuing to handle submitted manuscripts already on their editorial stack.
Two dimensional echocardiographic quantification of infarct size alteration by pharmacologic agents

In 27 closed chest dogs left ventricular wall motion abnormalities assessed quantitatively with two dimensional echocardiography were used as a measure of myocardial infarct size, and the change in extent of segmental wall motion abnormalities due to drug intervention early after infarction was evaluated. The extent of wall motion abnormalities was measured with echocardiography before and at 20 and 40 minutes and 5 1/2 hours after coronary occlusion. Three subgroups of dogs received, respectively, an infusion of nitroglycerin, phenylephrine or saline solution. Infarct size was measured with technetium pyrophosphate scintigraphy of the excised left ventricle. The infarct size correlated well with the extent of wall motion abnormalities before death. Wall motion was initially similar among the three groups but was significantly improved after treatment with nitroglycerin (P less than 0.025), remained stable with continued saline infusion and worsened significantly (P less than 0.05) after treatment with phenylephrine. Two dimensional echocardiography can be used to quantify experimental canine myocardial infarction and assess the effect of nitroglycerin.
Evaluation of gastrointestinal hemorrhage in patients with neurofibromatosis.

Over a 3-year period, two patients with neurofibromatosis were referred to our medical center for evaluation of repeated episodes of melena. Upper endoscopy was unrevealing in each case, as was colonoscopy. Arteriography during active hemorrhage was helpful in localizing the source of bleeding in one patient but not in the other. The source of bleeding in each patient was obvious at surgical exploration. Large neurofibromas protruded from the seorsal surface of a short region of jejunum in both cases and an additional segment of ileum in one case. Hemorrhage had occurred as a result of erosion of mucosa stretched over these tumors. Local resection of the involved segments produced long-term control of the hemorrhage. Since these tumors were grossly visible on the serosal surface of the involved intestinal segments, laparoscopic evaluation could have been used to hasten diagnosis in each case.
Inhibition of transcriptional activation and cell proliferation activities of adenovirus E1A by the unique N-terminal domain of CtBP2

The 243-residue E1A protein of adenovirus induces cellular proliferation, at least partly by regulating the transcription of cellular genes. This E1A function requires E1A N-terminal region and conserved regions 1 and 2 (CR1 and CR2), which interact with histone acetyl transferases, p400 chromatin-modifying complex and the Rb family proteins. A PLDLS motif at the E1A C-terminal (CR4) region, interacts with the C-terminal binding proteins (CtBP1 and CtBP2), and antagonizes some E1A functions. In this report, we discovered that the transcriptional activation function of E1A was specifically repressed by a short N-terminal domain unique to CtBP2. The CtBP2-mediated repression of E1A transcriptional activation activity is independent of histone deacetylases, which can be recruited by CtBP1/2 proteins to inhibit transcription. Fusion of the CtBP2 N-terminal 20 residues to the E1A C-terminal region rendered E1A to be inactive in transcriptional activation without interfering with E1A's ability to interact with major cofactors such as pRb, p400 and p300. Substitution of the N-terminal domain of CtBP1 for the CtBP2 domain in E1A-CtBP2 fusion partially restored the transactivation activity of E1A. In a cell-proliferation model utilizing primary baby rat kidney cells and retrovirally expressed E1A, the ability of E1A to induce cellular proliferation was strongly inhibited when the CtBP2 N-terminal region was fused to E1A. These results are consistent with a hypothesis that CtBP2 may inhibit E1A induced cell proliferation by antagonizing the transcriptional activation function controlled by the N-terminal region of E1A.
Functional Materials in Food Nanotechnology

The Institute of Food Technologists has issued this Scientific Status Summary to update readers on the applications of nanotechnology in the food industry.
Second-order quadrupolar echo

A selective 180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} pulse in the z direction is shown to refocus the second-order broadening of the (1/2)-(1/2) central transition in the spin-(5/2) nucleus $^{27}\mathrm{Al}$. Evidence for this refocusing is the formation of an echo after transverse magnetization is created by a selective 90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} x pulse, and the ${p}_{z}$ pulse following the initial decay leads to a rise and decay of magnetization. Implications for high-resolution NMR of weak quadrupolar nuclei in solids are discussed.
Economic consequences of the Iraq‐Iran war

The Iraq-Iran war which has been going on for nearly six years will perhaps go down in history as one of the costliest conflicts in this century. It is estimated that the first five years of the fighting may have resulted in a toll of war dead approaching one million.' The economic cost of the conflict which may have already exceeded $500 billion is also staggering in terms of its impact on and implications for the economies of the two nations. Following a brief survey of economic conditions prior to the war in both countries, this essay will attempt to deal with three separate but interrelated issues: first, the effects of the war on the Iraqi and Iranian economies, second, the impact of the war on, and the role of Saudi Arabia in, the changing relative positions of Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia itself in the international oil market and third, an assessment of the prospects for economic development in the post-war period.
A statistical model for the genetic origin of allometric scaling laws in biology

Many biological processes, from cellular metabolism to population dynamics, are characterized by particular allometric scaling (power-law) relationships between size and rate. Although such allometric relationships may be under genetic determination, their precise genetic mechanisms have not been clearly understood due to a lack of a statistical analytical method. In this paper, we present a basic statistical framework for mapping quantitative genes (or quantitative trait loci, QTL) responsible for universal quarter-power scaling laws of organic structure and function with the entire body size. Our model framework allows the testing of whether a single QTL affects the allometric relationship of two traits or whether more than one linked QTL is segregating. Like traditional multi-trait mapping, this new model can increase the power to detect the underlying QTL and the precision of its localization on the genome. Beyond the traditional method, this model is integrated with pervasive scaling laws to take advantage of the mechanistic relationships of biological structures and processes. Simulation studies indicate that the estimation precision of the QTL position and effect can be improved when the scaling relationship of the two traits is considered. The application of our model in a real example from forest trees leads to successful detection of a QTL governing the allometric relationship of third-year stem height with third-year stem biomass. The model proposed here has implications for genetic, evolutionary, biomedicinal and breeding research.