cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Increased cytotoxicity of CD4+ invariant NKT cells against CD4+CD25hiCD127lo/-regulatory T cells in allergic asthma

CD4+CD25(hi)CD127(lo/-) regulatory T cells (Treg) have been implicated in the resolution of asthma-associated inflammation while the opposite role of CD4+ invariant NKT (iNKT) cells has been the subject of recent investigations. Studies here focused on mechanisms of interaction between CD4+ iNKT cells and Treg to further explore their roles in allergic asthma (AA). Flow cytometry analysis revealed a significant increase in the expression of the natural cytotoxicity receptors NKp30 and NKp46 by CD4+ iNKT cells in AA subjects compared to healthy controls (HC) and non-allergic asthmatics (NA). Subsequent intracellular staining showed that CD4+ iNKT cells also expressed higher levels of granzyme B and perforin in AA than HC. In in vitro killing assays, AA CD4+ iNKT cells selectively killed autologous Treg, but not CD4+CD25- T cells, more potently than HC and NA counterparts. This increased cytotoxicity positively correlated with asthma severity and granzyme B/perforin expression of CD4+ iNKT cells. Furthermore, it could be abrogated by either inhibition of the granzyme B-/perforin-dependent cell death pathway or oral corticosteroid administration. Altogether, these findings suggest that increased cytotoxicity of CD4+ iNKT cells against Treg might contribute to dysfunctional cellular interactions in AA.
Stark structure of barium Rydberg states

Observations of the Stark structure of barium for Rydberg states in the region of n=12 are presented. The Stark manifold includes a valence state which perturbs the 1D2 series. General features of the interaction of the valence and Rydberg states in the presence of the electric field are explained by simple arguments based on configuration mixing.
Prokinetic agents for lower gastrointestinal motility disorders.

Prokinetic agents are currently being investigated as potential therapies for motility disorders of the lower gastrointestinal tract. Cholinergic agonists such as bethanechol are known to improve postoperative ileus but are limited because of side effects. Dopamine antagonists such as domperidone appear to have maximal prokinetic effect in the proximal gastrointestinal tract and are effective for such conditions as gastroparesis and gastroesophageal reflux, but they appear to have little physiologic effect in the colon or in colonic motility disorders. Naloxone, an opioid antagonist, appears to hold promise in patients with irritable bowel syndrome, small intestinal pseudo-obstruction, and constipation. Erythromycin exerts its prokinetic effect by acting as a motilin agonist; it has been used in the treatment of diabetic gastroparesis and appears to improve symptoms of colonic pseudoobstruction and postoperative ileus. Metoclopramide, a combined cholinergic agonist and dopamine antagonist, is currently used exclusively for proximal motility dysfunction. Cisapride appears to hold the most promise for patients with colonie motility disorders. In patients with postoperative ileus, cisapride is associated with an increased return of bowel function compared with placebo. In patients with chronic constipation, cisapride increases stool frequency and decreases laxative abuse in both adults and children. Hopefully, as an understanding of gastrointestinal motility increases, effective prokinetic agents will be developed that will improve symptoms of patients with large bowel motility disorders and may also help to predict those patients who benefit from surgical management for constipation.
The Determinants of Average Trade Size

A central, but largely untested, assumption in the modern literature on financial markets is that investors trade strategically, taking account of the effect of their trades on prices. We use a simultaneous equations approach motivated by theoretical analysis to test this assumption empirically. The results point to a strong and negative cross-sectional relation between the average trade size and estimated fixed and variable costs of transacting per share, consistent with strategic trading. We also find that average trade size is positively related to return volatility, the standard deviation of trading volume, and the proportion of shares held by institutional investors.
Research on Electric Vehicle to Household Electricity Interactive Mode Considering Photovoltaic Power Generation

This template explains and demonstrates the interactive mode between electric vehicle and household electricity including photovoltaic power generation.The paper explores it from background and basic conditions, interaction analysis and control strategy, simulation and benefit calculation.
The Effects of Overlearning on Children's Nonreversal and Reversal Learning Using Unrelated Stimuli.

Abstract The purpose of the present experiments was to show that the response to explicit dimensions is not crucial to the difference in relative difficulty between nonreversal and reversal shifts in children. To eliminate the possibility of the response to explicit dimensions, the shift problems were defined using unrelated stimuli, and a successive discrimination procedure was employed. Grammar school children ages 7, 8, and 9 served as S s. In Experiment I no overlearning was given, and nonreversal shifts were easier than reversal shifts. In Experiment II overlearning was given, and reversal shifts were easier than nonreversal shifts. The studies demonstrated that the response to explicit dimensions was not crucial to the change from easier nonreversal to easier reversal shifts during overlearning. Interpretations were offered in terms of learning mechanisms which rely on an increase in shift discriminability during overlearning and/or the creation of stimulus clusters.
A dynamical systems model of Social Cognitive Theory

Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) is among the most influential theories of health behavior and has been used as the conceptual basis of interventions for smoking cessation, weight management, and other related health outcomes. SCT and other related theories were developed primarily to explain differences between individuals, but explanatory theories of within-person behavioral variability are increasingly needed to support new technology-driven interventions that can adapt over time for each person. This paper describes a dynamical system model of SCT using a fluid analogy scheme. A series of simulations were performed to explore and better understand SCT. The model incorporates a nonlinear feature called habituation, an important feature of behavioral response resulting from continuous stimulus. It also illustrates how control systems engineering principles provide a promising approach for advancing health behavior theory development, and for guiding the design of more potent and efficient effective interventions.
Magnetization and electron-spin-resonance studies of doped NbSe 3

We have performed dc-magnetization and electron-spin-resonance (ESR) measurements on undoped, Ta-doped, and V-doped ${\mathrm{NbSe}}_{3}$, at temperatures ranging from 1.7 to 200 K. The magnetization measurements show that although Ta impurities are nonmagnetic, V impurities are weakly magnetic. In the undoped and Ta-doped samples, the resonance involves unpaired conduction electrons; the ESR spin susceptibility, g factor, and linewidth exhibit maxima near the lower charge-density-wave (CDW) transition. We suggest that this is the result of changes in the non-CDW band structure with induced gap formation. The resonance in the V-doped sample is quite different, mixing the properties of conduction-electron and local-moment resonances.
Effect of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, cholecalciferol, and fluorescent lights on the development of tibial dyschondroplasia and rickets in broiler chickens

Abstract Experiments were conducted to determine whether dietary 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol [1,25-(OH)2D3] will alleviate a cholecalciferol deficiency induced by low dietary cholecalciferol and no fluorescent lighting and to determine cholecalciferol requirements as influenced by fluorescent lighting or 1,25-(OH)2D3. In each study, nutritionally complete basal diets were fed to broiler cockerels from 1 to 16 d of age. Experiment 1 had a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments with 1,25-(OH)2D3 at 0 and 10 micrograms/kg, cholecalciferol at 2.75 and 27.5 micrograms/kg, and fluorescent lights on or off. Experiments 2 to 4 had four levels of dietary cholecalciferol (0, 5.0, 27.5, and 50.0 micrograms/kg) and fluorescent lights on or off (Experiment 2) or 1,25-(OH)2D3 at 0 and 10 micrograms/kg (Experiments 3 and 4). In Experiment 1, fluorescent lighting increased bone ash, and decreased the incidence and severity of rickets at 2.75 micrograms/kg cholecalciferol and 0 microgram/kg 1,25-(OH)2D3 and reduced the severity of TD at both levels of cholecalciferol and 0 microgram/kg 1,25-(OH)2D3. In all cases 1,25-(OH)2D3 improved bone ash. The metabolite also decreased the incidence and severity of TD at both cholecalciferol levels with lights off and decreased the incidence and severity of rickets at 2.75 micrograms/kg cholecalciferol and lights off. In the absence of fluorescent lighting and 1,25-(OH)2D3 27.5 micrograms/kg cholecalciferol reduced the incidence and severity of rickets to levels equivalent to those produced by either fluorescent lighting or 1,25-(OH)2D3 alone (Experiments 2, 3, and 4). However, even 50.0 micrograms/kg cholecalciferol was not as effective as fluorescent lights or 1,25-(OH)2D3 in reducing the incidence and severity of TD.
Formation of Advanced Technology Districts: New England Textile Machinery and Firearms, 1790–1820

: Alternative explanations for the formation of industrial districts stress, on the one hand, that the industrial growth process produces characteristics of the district (labor skills, interindustrial linkages) and, on the other hand, that characteristics of the regions influence the types of industries that emerge. The formation of the cotton textile machinery and firearms industrial districts in New England between 1790 and 1820 demonstrates the importance of initial conditions, including general education and skills levels, a growing economy, prosperous people, and social networks that communicate information and support cooperative ventures. The bridges across social networks of personnel and firms provide the means to acquire new technology. Internal social cohesion within a network supports exchanges, but even more critical to long-term growth of an industrial district are the bridges across social networks that have minimal redundancy. Those types of contacts maximize the diversity of information and open new possibilities for contacts. The cotton textile machinery and firearms industries in New England emerged in a prosperous agricultural economy with a deep set of skills in metalworking. Those preexisting metalworking skills supported growth and technological change in the new industries. At the same time, the new industries added to the richness of metalworking skills and the social networks that tied personnel and firms.
A free rider experiment for the large class

This article describes several classroom activities that are designed to demonstrate the free rider problem. The author gives details for her large classroom activity in which students could allocate an initial hypothetical endowment of $100 to an asset paying a fixed return of 5 percent or an asset paying a return of 10 percent on the total class investment.
GPS, Inc.: A Case of Investment under Uncertainty

Johnny Williams, president of Global Positioning Solutions, Inc., is considering entering the market for providing remotely sensed imagery and associated prescriptions to farmers. A large initial investment is required and additional investments will be needed if the business expands. Johnny is faced with trying to predict demand for a product that is not currently available in his market area. The case prompts students to discuss the trade-off between losing “first-mover” advantage versus the potential value of waiting for additional information in a highly uncertain market demand.
Practical Challenges in Collecting Head Impact Biomechanics Data in Real-World Scenarios via a Helmet-Based Accelerometer System

Recent studies have shown that mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) can have long-term neurological consequences and may cause permanent damage to the brain [1,2]. Given estimates that millions of these injuries occur each year [3], this knowledge has created a demand for countermeasures to prevent mTBI. In order to create countermeasures, the biomechanical inputs leading to mTBI, which are still a matter of debate, must be better understood in both children and adults.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Exploring the potential benefits of expanded rate limiting in Tor: slow and steady wins the race with Tortoise

Tor is a volunteer-operated network of application-layer relays that enables users to communicate privately and anonymously. Unfortunately, Tor often exhibits poor performance due to congestion caused by the unbalanced ratio of clients to available relays, as well as a disproportionately high consumption of network capacity by a small fraction of filesharing users. This paper argues the very counterintuitive notion that slowing down traffic on Tor will increase the bandwidth capacity of the network and consequently improve the experience of interactive web users. We introduce Tortoise, a system for rate limiting Tor at its ingress points. We demonstrate that Tortoise incurs little penalty for interactive web users, while significantly decreasing the throughput for filesharers. Our techniques provide incentives to filesharers to configure their Tor clients to also relay traffic, which in turn improves the network's overall performance. We present large-scale emulation results that indicate that interactive users will achieve a significant speedup if even a small fraction of clients opt to run relays.
Early Lung Cancer Action Project: overall design and findings from baseline screening

Summary Background The Early Lung Cancer Action Project (ELCAP) is designed to evaluate baseline and annual repeat screening by low-radiation-dose computed tomography (low-dose CT) in people at high risk of lung cancer. We report the baseline experience. Methods ELCAP has enrolled 1000 symptom-free volunteers, aged 60 years or older, with at least 10 pack-years of cigarette smoking and no previous cancer, who were medically fit to undergo thoracic surgery. After a structured interview and informed consent, chest radiographs and low-dose CT were done for each participant. The diagnostic investigation of screen-detected non-calcified pulmonary nodules was guided by ELCAP recommendations, which included short-term high-resolution CT follow-up for the smallest non-calcified nodules. Findings Non-calcified nodules were detected in 233 (23% [95% CI 21-26]) participants by low-dose CT at baseline, compared with 68 (7% [5-9]) by chest radiography. Malignant disease was detected in 27 (2·7% [1·8–3·8]) by CT and seven (0·7% [0·3–1·3]) by chest radiography, and stage I malignant disease in 23 (2·3% [1·5–3·3]) and four (0·4% [0·1–0·9]), respectively. Of the 27 CT-detected cancers, 26 were resectable. Biopsies were done on 28 of the 233 participants with non-calcified nodules; 27 had malignant non-calcified nodules and one had a benign nodule. Another three individuals underwent biopsy against the ELCAP recommendations; all had benign non-calcified nodules. No participant had thoracotomy for a benign nodule. Interpretation Low-dose CT can greatly improve the likelihood of detection of small non-calcified nodules, and thus of lung cancer at an earlier and potentially more curable stage. Although false-positive CT results are common, they can be managed with little use of invasive diagnostic procedures.
Intraclonal variation in pollen germinability in kiwifruit, pistachio and walnut as influenced by tree age

Abstract Germinability in vitro of pollen collected from young (first year of flowering) and older (7 years), ontogenetically mature cultivars of walnut (Juglans regia), pistachio (Pistacia vera) and kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) was evaluated at sub-optimal, optimal and supra-optimal temperatures. Throughout the temperature range that permitted pollen germination, pollen from young walnut and kiwifruit trees/vines had germination percentages consistently lower than those from the older trees/vines growing in the same location. At 20–26°C, germination of pistachio pollen collected from young trees was lower than that collected from older trees, but no differences were evident at higher temperatures. There was no evidence of a shift in the optimum temperature for pollen germination as a function of tree/vine age. The physiological basis for the influence of tree age on intraclonal variation in pollen germinability awaits further experimentation.
Demonstration of differential backscatter absorption gas imaging

Backscatter absorption gas imaging (BAGI) is a technique that uses infrared active imaging to generate real-time video imagery of gas plumes. We describe a method that employs imaging at two wavelengths (absorbed and not absorbed by the gas to be detected) to allow wavelength-differential BAGI. From the frames collected at each wavelength, an absorbance image is created that displays the differential absorbance of the atmosphere between the imager and the backscatter surface. This is analogous to a two-dimensional topographic differential absorption lidar or differential optical absorption spectroscopy measurement. Gas plumes are displayed, but the topographic scene image is removed. This allows a more effective display of the plume image, thus ensuring detection under a wide variety of conditions. The instrument used to generate differential BAGI is described. Data generated by the instrument are presented and analyzed to estimate sensitivity.
An Analytical Solution for the Concentration Profile of a Sublation Process

Abstract The mass balance equations are solved analytically for the solute in the vapor and liquid phases in a batch-type aeration apparatus. The resulting vapor concentration profile can be used to determine the mass of solute trapped by a topping layer of organic liquid. This approach has the potential for favorable comparison with direct numerical analysis both in ease of application and overall problem solving time.
The apical shaft of CA1 pyramidal cells is under GABAergic interneuronal control.

Abstract Dendrites of pyramidal cells perform complex amplification and integration (reviewed in 5. , 9. , 12. , 20. ). The presence of a large proximal apical dendrite has been shown to have functional implications for neuronal firing patterns 13 and under a variety of experimental conditions, the largest increases in intracellular Ca2+ occur in the apical shaft. 4. , 8. , 15. , 16. , 19. , 21. , 22. , 23. An important step in understanding the functional role of the proximal apical dendrite is to describe the nature of synaptic input to this dendritic region. Using light and electron microscopic methods combined with in vivo labeling of rat hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells, we examined the total number of GABAergic and non-GABAergic inputs converging onto the first 200 μm of the apical trunk. The number of spines associated with excitatory terminals increased from
Epimerization, diastereoselectivity and hemilability in dicationic chiral ruthenium complexes with bidentate (P∧S) bisphosphine monosulfide ligands

Abstract The binding of heterobidentate P ∧ S ligands introduces metal-centered chirality to the planar chiral parent complex Ru(η 6 :η 1 -NMe 2 C 6 H 4 C 6 H 4 PCy 2 )Cl 2 . Observed diastereomeric ratios for the kinetic product vary dramatically depending upon ring size of the chelate formed with the P ∧ S ligand. The complexes epimerize very slowly to thermodynamic product ratios that are substantially different from the kinetic product ratios.
Studies on the nature of the bound cobamide in E. coli N5-methyltetrahydrofolate-homocysteine transmethylase

Abstract N 5 -methyl-H 4 -folate-homocysteine transmethylase, purified 100-fold from E. coli , was studied with respect to the content and the chemical nature of its cobamide prosthetic group. Extraction of the enzyme with hot ethanol in the absence of alkaline cyanide removed 50% of the bound eobamide. A light-sensitive cobamide containing 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole and exhibiting the spectrophotometric, Chromatographic, and electrophoretic characteristics of sulphito-B 12 was obtained. In addition, various cobamides protected the apoenzyme form of the enzyme from inactivation by parachloromercuribenzoate.
Social Change and the Symbolism of Dress in Kalabari Women's Societies

In this article, the author examines Kalabari women's contemporary progression from an iria-related social identity associated with procreation to one reflecting greater social, economic, and political achievement. Such social stratification is symbolically displayed in the dress of women's societies. Women's societies are voluntary associations of women not based on kinship that are social, cultural, and sometimes philanthropic. The Kalabari people reside in three towns of the Niger River delta of southeastern Nigeria. Two case studies of Kalabari women in the 19th century are presented to promote an appreciation of the social development of women in Kalabari society. Dress is also examined as a symbolic reflection of cultural conflict, regarding issues of power and social control, between males and females.
Pricey privacy: Framing the economy of information in the digital age

As new information technologies become ubiquitous, individuals are often prompted rethinking disclosure. Available media narratives may influence one’s understanding of the benefits and costs related to sharing personal information. This study, guided by frame theory, undertakes a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of media discourse developed to discuss the privacy concerns related to the corporate collection and trade of personal information. The aim is to investigate the frames — the central organizing ideas — used in the media to discuss such an important aspect of the economics of personal data. The CDA explored 130 articles published in the New York Times between 2000 and 2012. Findings reveal that the articles utilized four frames: confusion and lack of transparency, justification and private interests, law and self-regulation, and commodification of information . Articles used episodic framing often discussing specific instances of infringements rather than broader thematic accounts. Media coverage tended to frame personal information as a commodity that may be traded, rather than as a fundamental value.
Live Instruction for Distance Students: Development of Synchronous Online Workshops.

This paper examines the Regent University Library's effort to reach online students by incorporating online library workshops using the Live Classroom software from Horizon Wimba. The paper explains the need for synchronous online library instruction which arose from the university's changing clientele and curriculum. It also analyzes participant feedback regarding strengths and weaknesses of the online workshops. The paper concludes by considering the future for this type of instruction in light of Regent University's increasing emphasis on online education.
Our language, ourselves

Derogatory language is common in medicine. “Objectifying” because it treats people as objects, it reflects an attitude toward patients, who are overwhelmingly seen as wrong, abnormal, and other. I discuss examples of objectifying language and its results; writers have attempted to explain demeaning jargon, but their attempts glorify doctors without admitting how destructive this language is. Legitimale concerns, such as limit-setting, are insufficient explanation. Medical training can be humiliating and shameful, and real responsibility cannot develop under such threat. Doctors-in-training turn on patients and gain a potent, childish sense of security. Recommendations for doctors to change their behavior are discussed.
A finite algorithm for the least two-norm solution of a linear program 1

By perturbing properly a linear program to a separable quadratic program it is possible to solve the latter in its dual variable space by iterative techniques such as sparsity-preserving SOR (successive overtaxation techniques). In this way large sparse linear programs can be handled. In this paper we give a new computational criterion to check whether the solution of the perturbed quadratic program provides the least 2-norm solution of the original linear program. This criterion improves on the criterion proposed in an earlier paper. We also describe an algorithm for solving linear programs which is based on the SOR methods. The main property of this algorithm is that, under mild assumptions, it finds the least 2-norm solution of a linear program in a finite number of iteration.s
On Colby's Review of Time and the Highland Maya

social scientists are generally ignorant of the research carried out by Latin American professionals and seldom have an in-depth understanding of the societies they write about. Consequently, they are apt to apply models of social process in a spirit of "simplistic reductionism" and in "the blissful illusion that their findings can remove from history all its ambiguities, conjectures, and surprises" (Cardoso 1977:21). In my experience, Latin American intellectuals overwhelmingly believe that the work of North American anthropologists is of major value to the anthropologists themselves, and to their departments and institutions. All of us can benefit from such criticism: the
A Well-Ordered Feature Space Mapping For Sensor Fusion

An approach is presented for mapping a multisensor feature space into a space that is well-ordered for vision tasks. A new statistic, the tie statistic (TS), is introduced for measuring the difference between two probability density functions (pdfs). The TS is related to the Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic (KS) to demonstrate its ability to decide whether or not a sample came from a known pdf. The TS is used to map the measured feature space into a simplified decision space. In the mapping process, the tie statistic is itself a random variable that has a distribution that can be parametrically approximated by the Beta distribution. The tie mapping process is presented and applied to solve two important vision problems.
Low temperature measurements of the dielectric constant and loss of boron doped silicon

Abstract We have measured the capacitance of a silicon wafer contained between two bulk metallic electrodes. The capacitance has a prominent feature which is frequency and magnetic field dependent at a temperature of about 5K for a 0.2ω-cm nominal resistance sample, and which is seen to be replicated at higher temperature for a 100ω-cm sample.
Re-Imagining Punishment: An Exercise in “Intersectional Criminal Justice”

Over the last 40 years a number of scholars have called upon fellow criminologists to rethink the field’s priorities and methods, as well as the American criminal justice system and current punishment practices. Drawing on alternative criminologies, including constitutive and peacemaking criminologies, as well as the practice of reintegrative shaming, this paper presents a new model of criminal justice that combines aspects of adversarial, restorative, social, and transformative justice frameworks. The resulting “intersectional criminal justice” offers a holistic harm-reduction model that moves the focus of our criminal justice system away from “rough justice” and towards collective restorative healing and positive social change.
Preparing IT for a new product launch

Website crashes during an online product launch are a frequent occurrence—but the fallout can be tremendous and widespread. The authors of this article show you how to identify IT risks for companies launching online products—and a strategy to reduce those risks. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Quantifying portion sizes for selected snack foods and beverages in 24-hour dietary recalls

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine individual recall accuracy for selected snack foods and beverages using various measurement aids and to investigate the cognitive strategies associated with aid selection for snacks and beverages in a 24-hour recall. Individuals (n=202) estimated the amounts of snack foods and beverages consumed the previous day while watching a 30-minute videotaped television program. Individuals were provided ad libitum amounts of snacks (potato chips, tortilla chips, or popcorn alone or with salsa or mixed nuts) in various sizes bags and or bowls. Beverages were provided with snacks in either standard 20 oz bottles or 8, 10, or 16 oz glasses. During consumption estimation, a variety of aids including aids used in previous National Health and Nutrition Examination Studies (NHANES) were provided. Average recall errors, by weight, for each of the 10 snack/container groups were within 16 g with percentage recall errors for these groups ranging from −36.8 to +38.7%. Bowls were selected to estimate consumption at least eight times more than any other aid and provided an accurate average recall estimation. Beverage consumption was consistently overestimated. Respondent confidence in estimation accuracy did not correlate with actual error for either snacks or beverages. Results suggest that average recall errors for groups consuming snacks are likely to be within one-half of a standard portion size and that bowls provide a means by which individuals can accurately estimate snack consumption in a 24-hour recall.
Chinese teachers' attributions and coping strategies for student classroom misbehaviour

In this study, we investigated Chinese teachers' attributions and coping strategies for classroom misbehaviour across grade levels. A total of 244 teachers (Grades 1–12) from the Chinese mainland participated in this survey. Results indicated that Chinese teachers first attributed misbehaviour to student characteristics, such as being “lazy, not making enough effort”, and second to “bad learning habits”. Looking across grade levels, elementary teachers first blamed student learning habits while secondary teachers blamed student effort. With regard to coping strategies, inconsistencies were found across grade levels and between teachers' perceptions and actions. The majority of sampled elementary teachers tended to choose “praising good students” as the most effective and often-used strategy, while secondary teachers believed in “talking after class”. In fact, “talking after class” was viewed to be more effective as grade level increased. However, teachers reported that they did not actually use the strate...
Relationship of relative weight (Wr) to proximate composition of juvenile striped bass and hybrid striped bass

Abstract The relative weight (W r ) index is commonly used to assess fish condition. However, little is known about the relationship of W r to physiological condition. Whole-body proximate analysis quantifies the general chemical composition of fish but is impractical and too costly for large-scale application to natural populations. Relative weight may offer an alternative method to estimate body composition. We raised juvenile striped bass Morone saxatilis and hybrid striped bass M. saxatilis ♀ × M. chrysops ♂ under controlled conditions for a 12-week period and then determined their proximate compositions. Analysis of relationships between W r and proximate components indicated that W r may be used for estimating body composition and gross energy in juvenile striped bass and hybrid striped bass; W r was correlated with percent crude fat, crude protein, ash, visceral fat, and ash-free dry-weight gross energy. Additionally, W r was correlated with relative growth and the change in total length for the ex...
Design of the multiwire proportional detectors for the PEP-4 time projection chamber

Abstract We present the essential features of the design of the multiwire proportional detectors used in the PEP-4 Time Projection Chamber
Guiding parents seeking testing

For parents the IQ controversy begins with the decision to seek testing. This decision is one rarely wade easily as the parent's fears, embarrassment, guilt, and concern for their child's best inte...
Identification and molecular mapping of quantitative trait loci for Fusarium head blight resistance in emmer and durum wheat using a single nucleotide polymorphism-based linkage map

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum, threatens durum wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum) production in many durum-growing regions. It is critical to identify useful sources of FHB resistance for durum wheat. A domesticated emmer wheat (T. turgidum subsp. dicoccum) accession, PI 41025, was previously shown to be moderately resistant to FHB. This study aimed to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with FHB resistance in PI 41025. A population of 200 recombinant inbred lines were developed from a cross between the durum cultivar ‘Ben’ and PI 41025 and evaluated for reactions to F. graminearum in one field nursery and three greenhouse experiments. The disease severity data and a single nucleotide polymorphism marker-based linkage map from this population were used for QTL analysis. The results showed that one QTL on chromosome 2A from Ben and one QTL each on 3A and 5A from PI 41025 were associated with FHB resistance. The 2A and 3A QTL each explaining 8 % of the phenotypic variation were detected only in the greenhouse experiments. The QTL on 5A, which mapped near the domestication gene Q, explained 11 and 35 % of phenotypic variation in greenhouse and field evaluations, respectively. The identification of the 2A QTL from Ben confirmed the presence of FHB resistance in North Dakota durum cultivars, which have been successfully used for developing new cultivars with improved FHB tolerance. This study indicates that combining the QTL from related tetraploid species with native durum QTL will be useful for improving FHB resistance in durum.
How Not to Refute Quine: Evaluating Kim's Alternatives to Naturalized Epistemology

This paper offers an interpretation of Quine's naturalized epistemology through the lens of Jaegwon Kim's influential critique of the same. Kim argues that Quine forces a false choice between traditional deductivist foundationalism and naturalized epistemology and contends that there are viable alternative epistemological projects. However it is suggested that Quine would reject these alternatives by reference to the same fundamental principles (underdetermination, indeterminacy of translation, extensionalism) that led him to reject traditional epistemology and propose naturalism as an alternative. Given this interpretation of Quine, it is essential that a successful critic of naturalism also examine Quine's aforementioned principles. The divide between naturalist and nonnaturalist epistemology turns out to be defined by the divide between more fundamental naturalist and nonnaturalist approaches to semantics.
Human blastocyst grown in vitro in ovulation cervical mucus.

An ovum was taken from a 34-year-old patient undergoing laparotomy for fibromyomata on Day 14 of a regular 28-day menstrual cycle and kept in follicular fluid at body temperature while 1.2 ml of cervical mucus was aspirated from the patients midcervical canal. The ovum and follicular fluid was expressed into the mucus in a sterile Petri dish. A drop of semen from the husband was added to the preparation and finally small pieces of the fimbriae bimbriae were added. The dish was covered and kept in a moist chamber at 37 degrees C with 20% oxygen. After 5 days the ovum in the blastocyst stage was transferred to a slide and photographed in phase contrast which revealed approximately 100 cells. Since the patient had just undergone multiple myomectomies the blastocyst was not transferred in utero. It was concluded that this technique may be useful for patients with ligated or excised fallopian tubes who may want a child.
Relationship Between Habitual Physical Activity and Insulin Area Among Individuals With Impaired Glucose Tolerance: The San Luis Valley Diabetes Study

OBJECTIVE To determine whether higher levels of physical activity are associated with lower fasting insulin levels and lower insulin areas under the oral glucose tolerance curve in individuals with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in a community setting. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Data from a cross-sectional study of a population consisting of 219 Hispanic and non-Hispanic white men and women with IGT (by World Health Organization criteria) in two rural Colorado counties were analyzed. Total physical activity was assessed by a 7-day physical activity recall, from which metabolic equivalents (METs) were estimated (expressed as MET h/week ). Relationships of MET h/week with fasting insulin levels and insulin areas were assessed while considering obesity, age, and other risk factors known to influence fasting insulin level and insulin area. RESULTS Among all subjects, univariate analyses showed that higher physical activity levels were associated with lower mean insulin areas and fasting insulin levels (both P ≤ 0.05). Multiple linear regression showed that higher levels of physical activity were significantly associated with lower values of of the insulin area ( P CONCLUSIONS On the basis of cross-sectional data, we conclude that higher levels of habitual physical activity are associated with lower insulin areas in a population of individuals with IGT. Understanding the impact of physical activity on markers of insulin action in individuals with IGT is important because of the greatly enhanced risk of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and, hence, cardiovascular disease in this population.
Multifunctionality of the FA pathway

In this issue of Blood , Kim and colleagues demonstrate that the Fanconi anemia protein FANCP/SLX4 is multifunctional by identifying molecular domains that uniquely effect repair of DNA damage inflicted by either DNA cross-linkers or topoisomerase and PARP inhibitors.[1][1] Fanconi anemia (FA) is
Revisiting the Outsiders: Innovative Recruitment of a Marijuana User Network via Web-Based Respondent Driven Sampling

This study uses an innovative, network-based recruitment strategy (non-monetary, web-based respondent driven sampling) to gather a sample of il/legal marijuana users. Network-driven effects amongst marijuana users are examined to test the explanatory validity of several theories of social deviance. The study finds that respondent driven sampling techniques lack effectiveness without primary monetary incentives, even when meaningful secondary incentives are utilized. Additionally, the study suggests that marijuana user networks exhibit strong homophilic attachment tendencies.
Primary adenocystic carcinoma (cylindromatous carcinoma) of the esophagus

A rare primary adenocystic carcinoma (cylindromatous carcinoma) of the esophagus, removed at autopsy from a 72-year-old Caucasian man, is described in histologic detail. Only eight previous cases have been reported. The tumor was highly aggressive although morphologically identical to the salivary gland cylindroma.
Controlling the Orientation of Hexapole-Selected Hydroxyl (OH) Radicals

Recently, Hain, Toby D.; Weibel, Michael A.; Backstrand, Kyle M.; and Curtiss, Thomas J. J. Phys. Chem. A 1997, 101, 7674 reported the production of intense, rotationally state-selected, supersonic beams of hydroxyl radicals via electric hexapole focusing. Here, a detailed description of the lab frame orientation of selected radicals is provided. The distribution of orientations can be systematically varied with the electric field strength in a post-hexapole scattering region. This control of orientation results from the field-dependent mixing of the different parity states comprising the OH Λ-doublets. Calculated fluorescence yields show polarization-dependent LIF measurements probe the alignment terms of the orientation distribution, and field-dependent measurements probe the parity state composition.
Pressure-induced water flow through model nanopores

This paper describes nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of pressure induced transport of liquid water through model nanopores. We consider a simple model for a porous membrane consisting of a slab of water molecules held in a rigid ice structure and penetrated by a pore of nanometer scale dimensions. Both hydrophilic membranes composed of conventional TIP3P water and hydrophobic membranes consisting of modified water with the model partial charges set to zero are treated. Molecular dynamics simulation is employed to investigate the rate of water flow through the pore induced by a pressure difference across the membrane. The results are compared with the predictions of continuum hydrodynamics. We find that the flow rate of water through hydrophilic pores is much less than the continuum predictions, while the flux through hydrophobic pores can significantly exceed the continuum theory. Finally, we show asymmetric behavior in the flux vs. pressure difference for a conical nanopore, which thus acts as a Brownian ratchet.
Aggregate Formation of Binary Nonionic Surfactant Mixtures on Hydrophilic Surfaces

Adsorption of surfactant mixtures on hydrophilic solid surfaces is of considerable theoretical and practical importance. Cooperative adsorption of nonionic surfactant mixtures of nonyl phenol ethoxylated decyl ether (NP-10) and n-dodecyl-β-d-maltoside (DM) on silica and alumina was investigated in this study with a view to elucidate the nanostructures of their aggregates. In the mixed system, DM is identified to be the “active” component and NP-10 is the “passive” one for the process of adsorption on alumina, while their roles are reversed for silica. The difference in the adsorptive interactions of the surfactants with the above minerals is attributed to the differences in the molecular structures of the surfactants. To better understand the interaction between surfactants at solid/solution interface from a molecular structure point of view, the nanostructures of mixed surface aggregates have been quantitatively predicted for the first time using a modified packing parameter: the structures are spherica...
PRE-EXISTENT PATTERN IN XENOPUS ANIMAL POLE CELLS REVEALED BY INDUCTION WITH ACTIVIN

ACTIVIN, a peptide growth factor related to tumour growth factor-β, has been implicated in early inductive interactions in vertebrates1–4 and can induce Xenopus blastula ectodermal explants to develop a rudimentary axial pattern with anteroposterior and dorsoventral polarity4,5. Here we demonstrate that prospective dorsal and ventral regions of the ectoderm respond differently to the same concentration of activin. Thus, activin does not seem to endow ectodermal cells with polarity but rather reveals a pre-existent pattern. Our results suggest that patterning of mesoderm is determined not only by a localized inducer, but also by the differential competence of cells in the responding tissue.
Toward a generalization of the Clough-Lutz-Jirgensons effect: Chiral organic acids with alkyl, hydroxyl, and halogen substituents.

The optical rotation of natural amino acids becomes more positive when the medium is changed from approximately neutral to strongly acidic (Clough–Lutz–Jirgensons (CLJ) effect). In this work, it is shown by time–dependent density functional computations that the effect can be generalized to other α–substituted chiral carboxylic acids. The physical origin of the generalized CLJ effect is similar to that in amino acids, linking the absolute configuration directly to the sign of CLJ. For conformationally flexible molecules with small magnitudes of the optical rotation, the presence of a CLJ effect might aid the assignment of absolute configurations based on comparing experimental data with computed chiroptical responses. Chirality, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Effects of Subfornical Organ Lesions on Sympathetic Nerve Responses to Insulin

Although insulin exerts potent excitatory effects on the sympathetic nervous system, the mechanisms of insulin-induced activation remain unclear. To demonstrate a central nervous system site of sympathoexcitation, we recently found that destruction of tissues surrounding the anteroventral third ventricle region abolishes elevations in sympathetic nerve activity to intravenous insulin administration. Anteroventral third ventricle lesions may eliminate sympathoexcitation by destroying cell bodies in the lesioned area or by interrupting fibers of passage from the subfornical organ. To determine whether the lesions abolish sympathetic increases by disrupting efferent fibers from the subfornical organ, we measured lumbar sympathetic activity in anesthetized anteroventral third ventricle-lesioned (n = 4) and subfornical organ-lesioned (n = 12) rats before and during intravenous insulin at 0.13 U/h while maintaining euglycemia. Additional sham-lesioned rats received infusion of insulin (n = 10) and the vehicle for insulin (n = 10). Insulin administration in sham-lesioned rats elevated lumbar activity from 100% to 171 +/- 14% (+/-SE), whereas vehicle infusion did not alter sympathetic activity (100% to 113 +/- 11%). In anteroventral third ventricle-lesioned rats, insulin failed to increase sympathetic nerve activity (100% to 119 +/- 14%). Importantly, rats with subfornical organ lesions had increases in nerve activity that were indistinguishable from increases observed in insulin-infused sham-lesioned rats (100% to 163 +/- 21%). These findings indicate that whereas the anteroventral third ventricle region itself is crucial for sympathoexcitation to insulin, the subfornical organ and fibers originating from the subfornical organ traversing the anteroventral third ventricle area are not essential in mediating elevations in lumbar sympathetic nerve activity to hyperinsulinemia.
Simulation and modeling of p-n-p-n optical switches

A one-dimensional semiconductor device simulation program (FARDEV) with current boundary conditions is developed to study the steady-state and the transient characteristics of heterostructure four-layer p-n-p-n optical switches. Avalanche effect, radiative recombination, and band-gap discontinuities are included in the model. To demonstrate the use of the simulator, the modeling results are studied for both InP-In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As and Al/sub 0.3/Ga/sub 0.7/As-GaAs devices, and compared with experimental results in the latter case. The effects of optical generation and carrier lifetime on electrical characteristics of p-n-p-n switches are investigated. Simulation and experiment agree on holding current and voltage and on high-current on-state characteristics, while the limitation and simplification of the numerical model leads to discrepancy in the low-current off-state. The simulator is shown to be useful in evaluating the effects of device geometry, material parameters, avalanche mechanism, heterostructure spacing, and light generation on key switching parameters of four-layer p-n-p-n switches. >
Temporal Analysis of the Cocaine Metabolite Benzoylecgonine in Wastewater to Estimate Community Drug Use

Indirect estimation methods of cocaine consumption may not reflect the real extent of cocaine use. Another approach is sewage epidemiology. This direct approach is based on analysis of a stable cocaine metabolite, benzoylecgonine (BE), in wastewater. Influent to the Lubbock (Texas) Water Reclamation Plant was sampled twice a week to assess weekly variations in estimates of cocaine consumption over a 5-month period. BE was extracted from influent wastewater samples using solid phase extraction and analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Measured concentrations of BE were converted to cocaine equivalents; the estimated average daily consumption of cocaine during the study period was 1152 ± 147 g. Based on BE concentrations and sewage epidemiology, higher cocaine consumption was observed on weekends compared to weekdays (p < 0.0003). This method was effective in monitoring BE in wastewater and could be used to complement survey data in estimating cocaine use at a local level.