cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
“Drug Holidays”: When and How?

The long half-life and persistence of bisphosphonate treatment effect have enabled a “drug holiday,” where treatment is electively stopped, during which anti-fracture benefit might persist and potential adverse effects are minimized. There is good evidence for drug holidays with alendronate and zoledronic acid, while other therapies such as raloxifene, denosumab, teriparatide, abaloparatide, and romosozumab either require ongoing treatment or transition to other medications. Patients who remain at high risk for fracture are not good candidates for a drug holiday and should remain on osteoporosis treatment. The length of time of osteoporosis treatment and subsequent drug holiday depend on a careful balancing of the risk for fracture and the risk for drug adverse effects.
Integrated Operation of Reservoirs

The multiplicity in use of the available dam and reservoir sites requires a complete integration in their operation. The operation of a system of reservoirs in Kansas River Basin is described showing the coordination between state and federal agencies to realize maximum use of the reservoir system. To realize the full protection from flood control structures it is necessary to have a good system of communication. It is also necessary to have a system for flood warning, collection and reporting of meteorological data, recording and reporting streamflow data, and flood forecasting. The planned operation of a reservoir system should be fully considered in the design of the structural components of the system.
Efficient Content Authentication in Peer-to-Peer Networks

We study a new model for data authentication over peer-to-peer (p2p) storage networks, where data items are stored, queried and authenticated in a totally decentralized fashion. The model captures the security requirements of emerging distributed computing applications. We present an efficient construction of a distributed Merkle tree(DMT), which realizes an authentication tree over a p2p network, thus extending a fundamental cryptographic technique to distributed environments. We show how our DMT can be used to design an authenticated distributed hash tablethat is secure against replay attacks and consistent with the update history. Our scheme is built on top of a broad class of existing p2p overlay networks and achieves generality by using only the basic functionality of object location. We use this scheme to design the first efficient distributed authenticated dictionary.
Inhomogeneous waves and faster-than-light propagation in the Yee FDTD grid

The numerical dispersion relation governing the propagation of homogeneous plane waves in the Yee finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) grid is well. known. We present the dispersion relation governing inhomogeneous plane waves and show that the homogeneous dispersion relation is a special case of this more general relation. It is found that, unlike in the physical world, constant amplitude planes are not necessarily orthogonal to constant phase planes for inhomogeneous plane waves in lossless materials. However, the inhomogeneous dispersion relation does converge to the exact one in the limit as the discretization goes to zero. Additionally, we show that, for very coarsely resolved fields, homogeneous waves will experience exponential decay as they propagate and they may propagate faster than the speed of light. Bounds are established for the speed of propagation within the grid, as well as the highest frequency and the shortest wavelength that can be coupled into the grid.
The RNA component of RNase P from the archaebacterium Haloferax volcanii

RNase P, an endoribonuclease responsible for generating the mature 5' termini of tRNA precursors, is composed of both RNA and protein. It has been demonstrated that the eubacterial RNase P RNA will, under the appropriate reaction conditions, exhibit catalytic activity in vitro. Evidence has not been obtained for catalytic activity by the RNAs of eukaryotic RNase P enzymes. Using a cDNA probe prepared from RNA copurifying with RNase P activity from the archaebacterium Haloferax volcanii, we have characterized the gene encoding the RNase P RNA. The proposed transcript from this gene can assume a structure resembling the eubacterial RNase P RNA and includes many of the highly conserved sequences of these RNAs. This RNA was incapable of cleaving pre-tRNA substrates in the absence of protein under a variety of in vitro conditions. Catalytic activity was observed when this RNA was combined with the protein subunit of the Bacillus subtilis RNase P complex. Similarities among the archaebacterial, eubacterial, and eukaryotic RNase P RNA sequences and structures are discussed.
Chapter 3 Animal model systems for the study of prostate cancer

Publisher Summary This chapter presents animal systems for the study of prostate cancer (PCa). The development of improved model systems of PCa can help in the understanding of the biology of PCa progression and can accelerate the development of new therapies targeting discrete biologic processes. Existing experimental models of PCa have been regarded relatively limited with respect to their flexibility and their representation of clinical diseases in humans. Nonetheless, these models have provided an enormous amount of valuable information on many aspects of PCa progression. The Pollard model refers to adenocarcinomas of the prostate vesicle complex in Lobund–Wistar rats, which develop either spontaneously in aging rats or after combined carcinogenic and hormonal manipulation in younger rats. This model may have lost some of its relevance to the study of PCa not only because of its animal origin but also because the majority of tumors are now thought to arise in the rat seminal vesicle. The LNCaP model has proved useful for the study of progression from androgen-dependent PCa to the androgen-independent state. Continued development of the experimental systems that more closely mimic human diseases can open new avenues toward understanding and controlling initiation and progression of human PCa.
Manufacturing Mennonites: Work and Religion in Post-War Manitoba

Mennonite histories have long neglected labor and class relations, and labor histories have long neglected the impact of religion. This gap in the literature, identified by Canadian historian Janis...
Estimating the long-run impact of microcredit programs on household income and net worth

This paper investigates whether the utilization of microcredit programs has a significant impact on the income and net worth of the participants. Several micro finance institutes are optimistic on the beneficial effects of microcredit programs. Others describe microcredit with interest rates in excess of 20 percent as a poverty trap. This paper uses more than 20 years of panel data on households in Bangladesh to estimate bounds on the causal effects of microcredit programs. The analysis rejects the hypothesis that these microcredit programs are a poverty trap. Moreover, the paper finds moderately positive effects of such programs.
Especies nuevas y filogenia de las abejas de fuego, Oxytrigona (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Meliponini)

We describe and illustrate three new species from Central America and northern South America, present descriptions for previously unknown males and queens, and explore the internal phylogeny of Oxytrigona. Oxytrigona chocoana sp. nov., the sister species of O. daemoniaca, is from the Choco biogeographic region; O. huaoranii sp. nov., and O. isthmina sp. nov., from the Eastern Andes of Ecuador and Darien (Panama), are much smaller than their sister species, O. mellicolor. Oxytrigona huaoranii exhibits unusual characters including a short fore femur with carinate inferior margin, and striated basal propodeum. The male of O. isthmina primarily differs from O. mellicolor in having genitalia with an apically enlarged and strongly bent gonostylus. We also described the males of O. daemoniaca and O. mediorufa, and the male and queen of O. mellicolor. The taxonomic status O. mediorufa is revised; as here understood, this species is distributed only from Mexico to El Salvador. We obtained a single tree for Oxytrigona in a cladistic analysis of 18 morphological and five body coloration characters, which did not support the monophyly of the mulfordi and tataira groups. We also found variation in the gradular and distal margin shapes of the worker sixth sternum, which were useful in the taxonomic analysis. Such characters have not yet been used in the systematics of Meliponini, and we hope to draw more attention to and encourage future phylogenetic studies using these characters. We also present an identification key for the species.
The Electrical and Mechanical Events of Neuro-Muscular Transmission in the Cockroach, Periplaneta Americana (L.)

1. A nerve-muscle preparation in the metathorax of the cockroach is described. It consists of the second tergal muscle of the trochantin (muscle 162 of Carbonell) innervated by a branch of nerve 3 A . Electrical changes are recorded from electrodes on the muscle surface, and the onset of contraction is registered by the stylus of a piezo-electric pick-up. 2. With low (3-5 per sec.) stimulation rates at room temperature the neuromuscular delay is less than 1.2 msec., and the latent period of contraction about 3.0 msec. The muscle potential is 4-5 msec. in duration, positive in sign at the muscle surface, and monophasic in form with either monopolar or bipolar recording. During excitation a potential gradient develops along the muscle, the greatest positivity being in the middle near the point of nerve entry. 3. Neither electrical nor mechanical response show gradations with changes in stimulus strength or frequency. No facilitation is evident, and the response appears to be due to stimulation of a single quick motor nerve fibre. 4. In order to study the effects of direct stimulation nerve 3 was sectioned and allowed to degenerate. All trace of the peripheral nerve stump was lost after 3 days, when the muscle became completely inexcitable to all forms of electrical stimulation. There were no gross structural changes which would account for this loss of excitability. 5. It is concluded that the recorded muscle potential in the cockroach is analogous to the vertebrate end-plate potential, being the sum of local muscle potentials developing simultaneously in several fibres, and sequentially at several innervation points along the same fibre. Conduction within the muscle is carried out entirely by motor nerve fibres. 6. Possible causes of the positive sign of the muscle during activity are discussed. Work described in this paper was done under contract between the Medical Division, Chemical Corps U.S. Army and Tufts College. Under the terms of this contract the Chemical Corps neither restricts nor is responsible for the opinions or conclusions of the authors.
Kolorektale Adenome: Pro endoskopische Abtragung

Kolonadenome sind haufig; sie werden beispielsweise bei ca. 20% der Vorsorgekoloskopien gefunden. Die Entfernung kann endoskopisch oder chirurgisch erfolgen. Endoskopische Resektionsverfahren (Schlingenpolypektomie, Mukosaresektion, Submukosadissektion) zeichnen sich durch hohe Erfolgsraten sowie ein akzeptables Komplikationsrisiko aus. Bei grosen Polypen besteht ein relevantes Risiko fur Adenomrezidive, wobei auch diese meist endoskopisch therapiert werden konnen. Aufgrund der geringeren Invasivitat der endoskopischen Resektion sowie auch aus logistischer und gesundheitsokonomischer Sicht besteht zum primaren endoskopischen Therapieansatz bei der Entfernung von Kolonadenomen keine Alternative.
That Old Thing, Copyright..: Reconciling the Postmodern Paradox in the New Digital Age

Much has been made about the so-called "postmodern crisis" in contemporary copyright law — that is, postmodernism's emphasis on deconstruction, mechanization, and willful appropriation in its treatment of artistic subject and work. This Article will attempt to reconcile the postmodern paradox with the Enlightenment-based, Progress-centric ideals of the Copyright Clause by situating postmodernism’s ahistoricism on a broader historical timeline and positing reasons for the paradigm shift in accord with the greater function of art. I argue that in denying or affirming the legal legitimacy of the new art form, contemporary copyright law runs counter to the Constitutional prerogative to promote, rather than halt, the progress of the Sciences, and that greater legal leniency towards the new form of production does not have to, as many fear, result in the end of copyright law as we know it. Rather, it merely involves resituating old, Romantic ideals of forward progress and transformation within the new intellectual paradoxes of the remix, digital age.
The Lapponicum Sea: Matter, Sense, and Affect in the Botanical Exploration of Southwest China and Tibet

In his own mission to versify the planet, or at least an exemplary portion of it, Captain Francis Kingdon-Ward (1885–1958) returned repeatedly, even obsessively, to certain places on the alpine plateaus of Northwest Yunnan and Southeast Tibet, where the vegetation, refracted through the Aleph of what I shall argue was a deliberate, laborious, and disciplined optical practice, became liquid, a sea:
TU-A-301-08: X-Ray Stimulated Fluorescence for Breast Imaging

Purpose: To develop a novel X‐ray stimulated fluorescence (XSF) system for molecular imaging of breast cancer. This new paradigm, used in conjunction with bioconjugated goldnanoparticle (AuNP) imaging agents targeted to breast cancer, will enable molecular imaging with X‐ray selective excitation. These targeted AuNP can emit XSF (a.k.a characteristic X‐ray) photons when excited with a sheet‐beam X‐ray, thereby producing a molecular imaging contrast and providing improved lesion conspicuity .Methods: The novel imaging mechanism used in XSF system consists in selectively irradiating a single slice through the breast using a sheet‐ collimated X‐ray beam, while an ultrahigh resolution dual‐headed pixilated photon countingdetector measures the XSF coming out of the selected slice. The breast can be positioned directly on the dual‐headed planes, and, consequentially, spatial resolution is improved with less distance between breast lesions and the detectors. The transmission X‐ray photons (anatomical image) will be also collected simultaneously with another X‐ray photondetector in this imaging geometry. Simulations of an XSF system were performed using a Monte Carlo simulation software GEANT4 (CERN). A preliminary experiment with physical phantoms was also conducted using a superficial treatment beam and a photon countingdetector. Results: With this design, 1‐D slice spatial information can be obtained via selective excitation with a sheet X‐ray beam (a mechanism similar to the slice selection in MRI). Meanwhile, the dual‐headed pixilated detector localizes the origin of each detected XSF photon to a distinct voxel in the breast, thus providing complementary 2‐D information. As such, this imaging geometry provides 3‐D mapping of the precise location of lesions without the need for rotating the gantry during the acquisition procedure or tomographic reconstruction. Conclusions: The proposed molecular imaging approach represents a paradigm shift in X‐ray breast imaging, which may enable breast cancerdetection at the cellular and molecular level.
Union activity and the decline in American trade union membership

This paper extends recent research on the determinants of the decline in union membership in the United States. Using biennial state-level data for a set of years between 1958 and 1982, my model tests “union organizing,” “structural,” “management opposition,” and “public policy” hypotheses concerning union membership and suggests improved specifications of each of these hypotheses. The paper also examines the relative importance of each factor in explaining the decline in unionization. The results support each of the hypotheses and confirm previous findings that changes in the structure of the labor force are most important in explaining union membership decline.
Preclinical Combination Therapy of Thiarabine Plus Various Clinical Anticancer Agents

Thiarabine is undergoing clinical trials. In support of that effort combination therapy of thiarabine plus six clinical anticancer agents was evaluated using various human tumor xenograft models. The antitumor activity of thiarabine in combination appeared to be greater than additive with irinotecan (DLD-1 colon), paclitaxel (PC-3 prostate), cisplatin (PC-3 prostate), or cyclophosphamide (RL lymphoma), additive with irinotecan (NCI-H460 NSCLC), cisplatin (NCI-H460 NSCLC) or methotrexate (CCRF-CEM leukemia), and less than additive with irinotecan (HT29 colon), paclitaxel (NCI-H460 NSCLC) or cisplatin (NCI-H23 NSCLC). Combining thiarabine with irinotecan, paclitaxel, cisplatin, or cyclophosphamide should receive consideration in the clinical treatment of cancer.
IL-1 receptor antagonist reduces endotoxin-induced airway inflammation in healthy volunteers.

Background Asthma with neutrophil predominance is challenging to treat with corticosteroids. Novel treatment options for asthma include those that target innate immune activity. Recent literature has indicated a significant role for IL-1β in both acute and chronic neutrophilic asthma. Objective This study used inhaled endotoxin (LPS) challenge as a model of innate immune activation to (1) assess the safety of the IL-1 receptor antagonist anakinra in conjunction with inhaled LPS and (2) to test the hypothesis that IL-1 blockade will suppress the acute neutrophil response to challenge with inhaled LPS. Methods In a phase I clinical study 17 healthy volunteers completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study in which they received 2 daily subcutaneous doses of 1 mg/kg anakinra (maximum dose, 100 mg) or saline (placebo). One hour after the second treatment dose, subjects underwent an inhaled LPS challenge. Induced sputum was assessed for neutrophils 4 hours after inhaled LPS. The effect of anakinra compared with placebo on airway neutrophil counts and airway proinflammatory cytokine levels after LPS challenge was compared by using a linear mixed-model approach. Results Anakinra pretreatment significantly diminished airway neutrophilia compared with placebo. LPS-induced IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 levels were significantly reduced during the anakinra treatment period compared with those seen after placebo. Subjects tolerated the anakinra treatment well without an increased frequency of infections attributable to anakinra treatment. Conclusions Anakinra effectively reduced airway neutrophilic inflammation and resulted in no serious adverse events in a model of inhaled LPS challenge. Anakinra is a potential therapeutic candidate for treatment of asthma with neutrophil predominance in diseased populations.
Role of FDG-PET in the Clinical Management of Paraneoplastic Neurological Syndrome: Detection of the Underlying Malignancy and the Brain PET-MRI Correlates

The role of 2-deoxy-2-[F-18]fluoro-D-glucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) imaging in the clinical management of paraneoplastic neurological syndrome (PNS) is in evolution. The initial results are promising, and the potential of this modality in this setting has been demonstrated in the literature. In the setting of PNS, FDG-PET imaging can be of value from the following standpoints: (1) detection of the occult malignant focus and (2) objective assessment of the presence and extent of the functional abnormality in the brain and correlation of the imaging findings with the clinical features and disease activity. For this communication, we have not considered case reports described in the literature, while tabulating the results of the published studies. However, we have referred to important observations made in such reports. In part, this effort has been made because of the relative paucity of the existing literature on this issue. The studies investigating the role of FDG-PET imaging in detecting the sites of malignancy can be divided into two broad categories: (A) studies that incorporated FDG-PET at the initial work up of PNS along with other modalities and (B) studies where FDG-PET was applied after conventional modalities had failed to detect the offending malignancy. While majority of the studies have been of the second category, both categories have demonstrated the incremental role of FDG-PET in the detection of the primary cancer in this setting. Also, it is evident that serial studies at certain intervals should be carried out if the initial FDG-PET scan is negative. The literature describing the central nervous system findings with PET in PNS are primarily restricted to paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis (PLE) and paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD). FDG-PET usually shows hypermetabolism in one or both temporal lobes in the setting of paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis, and the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings correlate with the FDG-PET scan results in only a fraction of cases. The functional-anatomic discordance between PET and MRI in PLE needs to be examined further, which might open up new insights into the disease process and might generate further subgroups within this entity. Both modalities complement each other in PLE, and frequently, abnormalities noted on FDG-PET images can provide additional clinical information which is of great value in further patient management. In the setting of paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration, FDG-PET generally reveals cerebellar hypometabolism similar to the cerebellar atrophy demonstrated by MRI, and FDG-PET tends to show the abnormality more often than MRI.
Trianthema portulacastrum Linn. exerts chemoprevention of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced mammary tumorigenesis in rats.

Abstract Due to limited treatment options for advanced-stage metastatic breast cancer, a high priority should be given to develop non-toxic chemopreventive drugs. The value of various natural and dietary agents to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer is well established. Trianthema portulacastrum Linn. (Aizoaceae), a dietary and medicinal plant, has been found to exert antihepatotoxic and antihepatocarcinogenic properties in rodents. This study was initiated to investigate mechanism-based chemopreventive potential of an ethanolic extract of T. portulacastrum (TPE) against 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-initiated rat mammary gland carcinogenesis, an experimental tumor model that closely resembles human breast cancer. Rats had access to a basal diet supplemented with TPE to yield three dietary doses of the extract, i.e., 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight. Following two weeks of TPE treatment, mammary tumorigenesis was initiated by oral administration of DMBA (50 mg/kg body weight). At the end of the study (16 weeks after DMBA exposure), TPE exhibited a striking reduction of DMBA-induced mammary tumor incidence, total tumor burden and average tumor weight and reversed intratumor histopathological alterations. TPE dose-dependently suppressed proliferating cell nuclear antigen and cyclin D1 expression, induced apoptosis, upregulated proapoptotic protein Bax, downregulated antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 and diminished the expression of nuclear and cytosolic β-catenin in mammary tumors. Our results clearly provide the first experimental evidence that TPE exerts chemopreventive effect in the classical DMBA model of breast cancer by suppressing abnormal cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis mediated through alteration of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Mechanistically, TPE is capable of diminishing activated canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling to exhibit antiproliferative, proapoptotic and oncostatic effects during an early-stage breast cancer. These results may encourage further studies to explore full potential of T. portulacastrum phytoconstituents as breast cancer chemopreventive agents.
Survival of faecal indicator bacteria in bovine manure incorporated into soil.

Aims: Survival of Escherichia coli and enterococci was evaluated in bovine manure incorporated into two Wisconsin soils. Methods and Results: Silty clay loam (SCL) and loamy sand (LS) were mixed with fresh bovine manure, exposed daily to 10 h at 22°C/14 h at 9°C, and watered weekly for 12 weeks. Escherichia coli numbers increased 1–2 log cfu g–1, then decreased < 1 and about 2 log cfu g–1 in SCL and LS, respectively. Enterococci numbers rose less and then declined faster than those of E. coli. Watering intervals of 3, 7 and 14 days were evaluated in weeks 13–19, but did not affect the slow decline in numbers of E. coli or enterococci. Conclusions:Escherichia coli and enterococci may survive at least 19 weeks at 9–21°C in bovine manure/soil, with E. coli surviving better. Significance and Impact of the Study: Quantification of E. coli or enterococci in late spring/early summer soil may be useful in indicating recent application of bovine manure.
Transforming the radiological interpretation process: the SCAR TRIP initiative

The Society for Computer Applications in Radiology (SCAR) Transforming the Radiological Interpretation Process (TRIP) Initiative aims to spearhead research, education, and discovery of innovative solutions to address the problem of information and image data overload. The initiative will foster inter-disciplinary research on technological, environmental and human factors to better manage and exploit the massive amounts of data. TRIP will focus on the following basic objectives: improving the efficiency of interpretation of large data sets, improving the timeliness and effectiveness of communication, and decreasing medical errors. The ultimate goal of the initiative is to improve the quality and safety of patient care. Interdisciplinary research into several broad areas will be necessary to make progress in managing the ever-increasing volume of data. The six concepts involved include: human perception, image processing and computer-aided detection (CAD), visualization, navigation and usability, databases and integration, and evaluation and validation of methods and performance. The result of this transformation will affect several key processes in radiology, including image interpretation; communication of imaging results; workflow and efficiency within the health care enterprise; diagnostic accuracy and a reduction in medical errors; and, ultimately, the overall quality of care.
The tri-nucleotide spacer sequence between estrogen response element half-sites is conserved and modulates ERα-mediated transcriptional responses

Abstract The estrogen response element (ERE) consensus sequence is AGGTCAnnnTGACCT, where nnn is known as the tri-nucleotide spacer sequence. Studying 1017 high-confidence ERα-bound loci, we found that genomic EREs are enriched for spacers composed of C(A/T)G, suggesting that the spacer may influence receptor binding and transcriptional responses. We designed consensus EREs containing variable spacer sequences and compared ERα binding in gel shift assays and enhancer function in reporter assays. We found that ERα-ERE binding affinity is modulated by the tri-nucleotide spacer sequence and is favored by spacer sequences of CTG > GCC > TTT. Similarly, luciferase reporter assays indicated that the estrogen-stimulated transcriptional response is modulated by the spacer and parallels the gel shift data: CTG > GCC > TTT. Reporter assays demonstrated that the spacer sequence also modulates the sensitivity of EREs to repression engendered by the receptor antagonist hydroxytamoxifen. These experiments indicate that the sequence of the tri-nucleotide spacer is non-random at receptor-bound genomic loci, influences ERα-DNA-binding affinity, and modulates transactivation potential of the receptor–ligand–DNA complex. This work has implications for understanding which genomic EREs are targeted by ERα, should improve computational prediction of functional EREs within genomic sequences, and describes novel sequence determinants of the estrogen response.
On knowing one's patient inside out: The aesthetics of unconscious communication∗1

“Knowing one's patient inside out” is a metaphor that is intended to capture the paradoxical quality of the intersubjective field that we call the analytic relationship. The interface among trauma, dissociation, and regression is discussed in the context of unconscious communication as a transferential enactment of unsymbolized experience.The view is offered that for certain patients in particular, past experience is not so much unconscious as “frozen in time” and that a key element of the psychoanalytic relationship is bridging dissociated aspects of self through the creation of a dyadic experiential field that is both “inside” and “outside.” The writings of Michael Balint, D. W. Winnicott, and several other British object relational theorists are explored in the context of a contemporary interpersonal psychoanalytic perspective.
Linear and Nonlinear Thermal Transport in Graphene: Molecular Dynamics Simulations

In this work, we perform molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the linear thermal transport in suspended graphene and the nonlinear thermal transport phenomena in graphene nanoribbons (GNR). We use spectral energy density analysis to quantitatively address the relative importance of different types of phonon in thermal transport in suspended graphene. Negative differential thermal conductance (NDTC) and thermal rectification in graphene nanoribbons have been studied using nonequilibrium molecular dyanmics simulations. Ballistic transport regime, sufficient temperature nonlinearity and asymmetry are found to be necessary conditions for the onset of these behaviors.
If you speak slowly, do people read your prose slowly? Person-particular speech recoding during reading

This paper demonstrates that knowledge of a writer’s speaking speed sometimes affects how quickly people read his prose.
THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF FUNCTIONAL RESPONSES: EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND STATISTICAL INTERPRETATION

Mathematical discussions of models of functional response (predation rate as a function of prey density) have usually emphasized description of the shape of the functional-response curve. However, lack of congruence between experimental design and data analysis and under-utilization of appropriate statistical methods of analysis have hindered an empirical synthetic treatment of such feeding behavior. Here we review existing experimental and statistical procedures with reference to Holling's generalized model of functional response, and describe: (1) an experimental design compatible with the assumptions of the model; (2) a maximum-likelihood method for fitting the model; (3) several methods for statistical comparison of sets of functional-response curves; and (4) an exploratory graphical method for examining patterns of variation among larger numbers of samples.
3D Wire mesh photonic crystals.

We have investigated the electromagnetic properties of a 3D wire mesh in a geometry resembling covalently bonded diamond. The frequency and wave vector dispersion show forbidden bands at those frequencies ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{0}$, corresponding to the lattice spacing, just as dielectric photonic crystals do. But they have a new forbidden band which commences at zero frequency and extends, in our geometry, to $\ensuremath{\sim}\frac{1}{2}{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{0}$, acting as a type of plasma cutoff frequency. Wire mesh photonic crystals appear to support a longitudinal plane wave, as well as two transverse plane waves. We identify an important new regime for microwave photonic crystals, an effective medium limit, in which electromagnetic waves penetrate deeply into the wire mesh through the aid of an impurity band.
A Soft Handoff of Attention between Cerebral Hemispheres

Summary Each cerebral hemisphere initially processes one half of the visual world. How are moving objects seamlessly tracked when they traverse visual hemifields? Covert tracking of lateralized objects evokes a difference between slow-wave electrophysiological activity observed from contralateral and ipsilateral electrodes in occipitoparietal regions. This event-related potentials (ERP) waveform, known as contralateral delay activity (CDA) [1, 2], is sensitive to the number of objects tracked [1, 2] and responds dynamically to changes in this quantity [3]. When a tracked object crosses the midline, an inversion in CDA polarity revealed the dropping of the object's representation by one hemisphere and its acquisition by the other. Importantly, our data suggest that the initially tracking hemisphere continues to represent the object for a period after that object crosses the midline. Meanwhile, the receiving hemisphere begins to represent the object before the object crosses the midline, leading to a period in which the object is represented by both hemispheres. Further, this overlap in representation is reduced if the midline crossing is unpredictable. Thus, this process is sensitive to observer expectations and does not simply reflect overlapping receptive fields near the midline.
Interaction modeling using second-order analysis

After the author has reviewed second-order theory for map-pattern analysis, he sets forth an approach for the study of interaction where spatial structure is implicitly built into various pattern m...
Limbic lesions and the blocking effect

Abstract Rats with bilateral lesions to either the mamillary bodies, dorsomedial nucleus of the thalamus, dorsal hippocampus, or ventral hippocampus and sham-operated controls were tested on Kamin's 2-stage blocking paradigm. When dorsal hippocampal, thalamic, and sham rats trained to a single auditory or visual cue prior to conditioning to a compound stimulus composed of the initial training cue and a novel, but redundant stimulus were later tested to the redundant element, they did not evidence learning to the redundant cue. Conditioning was blocked to the redundant cue. In contrast, blocking was attenuated in rats lesioned in either the ventral hippocampus or the mamillary bodies. The results suggest that different regions of the hippocampus and related structures comprise distinct systems, which mediate dissociably different behaviors. Moreover, it appears that the ventral hippocampus and mamillary bodies may be involved in “time-tagging” motivationally significant events.
Temporal behavior of radiation-pressure-induced RF oscillation of an optical micro-cavity phonon mode

We analyze experimentally and theoretically mechanical oscillation at RF frequency within an optical cavity stimulated by the pressure of circulating optical radiation. Oscillations and chaos were observed in output power.
A Dual-Vector Grating Efficiency Model

A scalar grating efficiency model is developed primarily for use with Echelle gratings when the incident beam does not directly illuminate the antiblaze facet. Relative field intensities are calculated as the square of the vector sum of the direct diffraction field from the blaze facet and the reflected diffraction field from the antiblaze facet. Relative grating efficiency is the ratio of the relative intensity in the desired order to the summation of the relative intensities in all possible orders. Calculated efficiencies are compared with measured efficiencies for Echelle gratings.
Other consumers in service encounters: a script theoretical perspective.

Abstract Hospitality service consumptions often involve sharing the service environment with other consumers. Drawing upon the Script Theory, this research provides a theoretical perspective of consumer responses to behaviors of other consumers in service encounters. The results from an experimental study provide strong support for the dual-mode consumer responses (felt emotions and displayed emotions) and for the moderating effect of psychological closeness on consumer responses. Managerial implications for training, service management and service design in hospitality businesses are also discussed.
W.E.B. Du Bois and the ideology or anthropological discourse of modernity: the African Union reconsidered

Pan-Africanism is usually considered a progressive movement for black socio-political and economic advancement. This focus on activism alone sometimes occludes the profound philosophical issues that inform Pan-Africanist discourse. The last decade has witnessed tremendous changes in the ideological posture of the African Union (AU) as reflected in the change of name from the Organization of African Unity (OAU). This paper explores the historical and philosophical contexts for understanding the agenda of the African Union and highlights the consequences of such an agenda. The paper argues that the establishment of the African Union conforms to certain aspects of W.E.B. Du Bois's philosophy of Pan-Africanism that focuses on economic self reliance, at the same time that it uses Du Bois as a template for critiquing the neoliberal economic dispensation of the African Union implemented through its program, the New Partnership for Africa's Development. This it accomplishes with its emphasis on Du Bois's critique...
CHANGES IN "DROPLET" FRACTIONS FROM RAT KIDNEY CELLS AFTER INTRAPERITONEAL INJECTION OF EGG WHITE

1. Kidney homogenates from rats injected with egg white and from control rats were fractionated simultaneously into six fractions and the content of acid phosphatase, ribonuclease, desoxyribonuclease, cathepsin, and β-glucuronidase in corresponding fractions from treated and untreated animals was compared. These observations were correlated with the amount of dark brown bottom sediments in fractions NDrI, DrII, and DrIII, and with the number of droplets in fraction NDrI. 2. It was found that after injection of egg white the amount of small droplets decreased as indicated by the decrease of the dark brown bottom layer in the sediment of fraction DrIII and by the concomitant decrease of hydrolytic enzymes in the same fraction, and that the number of large droplets increased as indicated by the increase of brown sediment in fraction NDrI and the increase in the number of droplets counted in a bacterial counting chamber in the same fraction. It was concluded that the treatment with egg white induced the transformation of small droplets into large droplets. 3. The decrease of hydrolytic enzymes in the fractions containing the small droplets was accompanied by a marked increase of these enzymes in the supernatant fluid. The enzyme content of fraction NDrI was not increased after treatment, although it contained greatly increased numbers of large droplets. Counting of the droplets in this fraction showed decreased enzymatic activity of the average large droplet after treatment with egg white. It was suggested that during the transformation of small into large droplets, a portion of the hydrolytic enzymes was released into the surrounding cytoplasm, and that this was partly responsible for the increased enzyme content of the supernatant fluid after fractionation of the kidney homogenate. In contrast to the four other hydrolytic enzymes, β-glucuronidase was not increased in the supernatant fluid. 4. Eighteen hours after intraperitoneal injection of egg white, the specific enzymatic activities of kidney homogenates showed a 25 to 35 per cent increase for cathepsin, ribonuclease, and desoxyribonuclease, no change for acid phosphatase and β-glucuronidase, and approximately a 7 per cent decrease for cytochrome oxidase. The increase of cathepsin, ribonuclease, and desoxyribonuclease in the total homogenate was interpreted as an indication of the formation of new enzymes, and it was suggested that this partly accounted for the increase of these enzymes in the supernatant fluid. 5. The activation of the enzymes by osmotic effects was investigated in vitro by incubation of droplet fractions in the presence of different concentrations of sucrose.
Novel roles for TIM-1 in immunity and infection

T cell, immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain-1 (TIM-1) is the nominant member of a small family of related proteins that regulate immune cell activities. TIM-1 was initially characterized in a mouse congenic analysis of Th2 T cell responses and related pathology. Data accumulated to date suggest that TIM-1 regulates effector T cell function, and may play distinct roles in the activities of B cells, invariant NKT cells and epithelial cells. In addition, a variety of ligands for TIM-1 have been proposed. In this review I discuss recent data that have accumulated on the function of TIM-1, propose a model to explain how TIM-1 regulates effector T cell activity through recognition of distinct ligands, and review others functions of this increasingly fascinating protein. Of considerable interest are the novel findings that TIM-1 mediates virus entry and virulence.
Rapid elevations in limbic endocannabinoid content by glucocorticoid hormones in vivo

Summary Functional interactions between glucocorticoids and the endocannabinoid system have been repeatedly documented; yet, to date, no studies have demonstrated in vivo that glucocorticoid hormones regulate endocannabinoid signaling. We demonstrate that systemic administration of the glucocorticoid corticosterone (3 and 10 mg/kg) resulted in an increase in the tissue content of the endocannabinoid N -arachidonylethanolamine (AEA) within several limbic structures (amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus), but not the prefrontal cortex, of male rats. Tissue AEA content was increased at 10 min and returned to control 1 h post-corticosterone administration. The other primary endocannabinoid, 2-arachidonoylglycerol, was found to be elevated by corticosterone exclusively within the hypothalamus. The rapidity of the change suggests that glucocorticoids act through a non-genomic pathway. Tissue contents of two other N -acylethanolamines, palmitoylethanolamide and oleolyethanolamide, were not affected by corticosterone treatment, suggesting that the mechanism of regulation is neither fatty acid amide nor N -acylphosphatidylethanolamine phospholipase D. These data provide in vivo support for non-genomic steroid effects in mammals and suggest that AEA is a mediator of these effects.
Small-business winners and losers under health care reform

Abstract: To meet its goal of universal health insurance coverage, the Clinton health plan requires all employers to offer health insurance to their employees. Using survey data on more than 2,200 ...
Combined ultrasound and transrectal electrical impedance imaging of the prostate

A novel imaging method to detect prostate cancer and the clinical findings is presented in this study. The dual modal imaging system incorporates a transrectal ultrasound system and an electrical impedance tomography (EIT) system. The reconstructed electrical property image (EPI) is correlated with semi-quantitative pathological findings. An example of reconstructed EPI is also presented in this study. Additionally, at lower frequencies of 0.4 kHz, 3.2 kHz and 25.6 kHz, statistical tests suggest that the conductivity of cancerous regions is significantly greater than that of normal region (p<0.0304). The preliminary clinical findings point to potential electrical impedance measuring applications for prostate cancer detecting.
Finite-lattice approximations to renormalization groups

Accurate calculations of the thermodynamic properties of a system near its critical point are now possible using finite-lattice approximations to renormalization groups. In order to investigate some features of such approximations, we introduce a linear-renormalization-group transformation appropriate to a system of continuous spins like the Gaussian model of Berlin and Kac. We solve the renormalization-group equations for the Gaussian model exactly, and then study in detail a finite-lattice approximation to the renormalization group for the three-dimensional case. The renormalization-group transformation contains a parameter $b$. The exact transformation has fixed points only for $b={2}^{\ensuremath{-}\frac{5}{2}}$. The approximate transformation has fixed points for a range of values of $b$ around ${2}^{\ensuremath{-}\frac{5}{2}}$. Eigenvalues of the transformation, which determine critical exponents, depend on the value of $b$ used in the calculation. We study the problem of identifying the correct value of $b$.
Health risk factors and occupation among Iowa workers.

Abstract Background: Health behaviors represent major risks for premature morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to establish whether health risks varied substantially across occupational groups. Methods: We focused on the 2223 Iowa Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) subjects who reported, in 1999, that they were currently working. Results: Even after controlling for age and gender, we found significant associations between occupation and health risk factors. We found these associations among the different categories of health risk factors, including insurance/access, health conditions, preventive behaviors, and screening behaviors. Conclusions: The considerable differences in the prevalence of risk factors for chronic disease and injury across occupational groups in Iowa underscore the need for nationwide ongoing collection of occupational status in the BRFSS. These national data on the distribution of risk factors across occupations will support development of more targeted prevention interventions.
Histological insight into the pathogenesis of severe laryngomalacia

Objective: To correlate clinical and histological findings in patients with laryngomalacia who required surgical intervention. Methods: Retrospective study of all patients undergoing supraglottoplasty by a single surgeon (MEG) for severe laryngomalacia between October, 1999 and November, 2000. Results: Nine patients were identified, of which seven had clinical evidence of GER. Seven patients had co-existing abnormalities or delays of neuromuscular development including seizure disorder, agenesis of the corpus callosum, obstructive sleep apnea, primary aspiration, a history of apparent life-threatening events, and craniosynostosis. Varying degrees of subepithelial edema and significant dilation of the subepithelial lymphatics were noted in all specimens. Submucosal inflammation was minimal to mild, and intraepithelial inflammation was rare to absent in all sections. No submucosal gland hyperplasia was seen in the samples from any patient. Two specimens contained cuneiform cartilage, both of which were histologically characterized as fibrocartilage. Conclusions: In this series, the histopathology of tissue excised during the treatment of severe laryngomalacia was dominated by submucosal edema and lymphatic dilation. Further study is needed to investigate comorbidities that may contribute to the need for intervention in children with laryngomalacia.
Direct monitoring of heat-stressed biopolymers with temperature-controlled electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

The ability to monitor protein aggregation at the molecular level is critical for progress in many areas of life sciences ranging from understanding mechanisms of amyloidosis and etiology of conformational diseases to development of safe and efficient biopharmaceutical products. Despite the spectacular progress in understanding the mechanisms of protein aggregation in recent years, many aspects of the aggregating proteins behavior remain unclear because of the extreme difficulty in tracking evolution of these notoriously complex and heterogeneous systems. Here, we introduce a mass spectrometry-based methodology that allows the early stages of heat-induced aggregation to be studied by monitoring both conformational changes and formation of oligomers as a function of temperature. The new approach allows biopolymer behavior (both reversible and irreversible processes) to be monitored in a wide temperature range. Validation of the methodology is carried out by comparing temperature profiles of model proteins ...