cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Host passage effects with plant viruses.

Publisher Summary Host passage is defined as the introduction of a pathogen or parasite into a host and its subsequent transfer from that host. This chapter discusses the examples of host-passage effects in viruses, such as tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), potato X virus, and tobacco necrosis virus. A severe strain of potato virus X decreased in virulence with continued propagation and that the transformation from the severe to the mild form of the disease was complete in the fourth year of propagation. Single-cell clone cultures of tobacco tissue carrying TMV progressively lost virus with each transfer, though a few cultures carried the virus through six transfers. While the nature and direction of host-passage mutants of plant viruses are largely unknown, many independent observations of host-passage effects have shown that heritable changes in the virus are associated with host passage. The documentation of many of the most significant of these is described in the chapter. Tentative interpretations and implications are provided in some cases.
Bodies in crisis in the French literature of the office: Lydie Salvayre’s La Vie commune and Delphine de Vigan’s Les Heures souterraines

AbstractWhen philosophy has dovetailed with the literature of the office in the past, the discussion has usually focused on the crisis of work embodied in Melville’s Bartleby figure, whose mantra ‘I would prefer not to…’ has epitomized the worker who refuses capitalist demands by having no demands of his own. Working beyond this position by focusing on the roman d’entreprise of the past twenty-five years, particularly on two recent narratives of French office life, La Vie commune (1991) by Lydie Salvayre, and Les Heures souterraines (2012) by Delphine de Vigan, I wish to show how these novels articulate a bodily overflow that gestures towards a refusal of the labour culture that they describe. Emerging in the texts through diverse forms such as illness, madness, depression or breakdown, these responses display what I argue is a reclamation of personal affect, and a redemptive refusal of certain cognitive labour infrastructures. What I will argue, further, is that the kinds of personalized corporeal refusa...
Histone deacetylase inhibitor treatment induces postpartum-like maternal behavior and immediate early gene expression in the maternal neural pathway in virgin mice.

The peripartum period is associated with the onset of behaviors that shelter, feed and protect young offspring from harm. The neural pathway that regulates caregiving behaviors has been mapped in female rats and is conserved in mice. However, rats rely on late gestational hormones to shift their perception of infant cues from aversive to attractive, whereas laboratory mice are "spontaneously" maternal, but their level of responding depends on experience. For example, pup-naive virgin female mice readily care for pups in the home cage, but avoid pups in a novel environment. In contrast, pup-experienced virgin mice care for pups in both contexts. Thus, virgin mice rely on experience to shift their perception of infant cues from aversive to attractive in a novel context. We hypothesize that alterations in immediate early gene activation may underlie the experience-driven shift in which neural pathways (fear/avoidance versus maternal/approach) are activated by pups to modulate context-dependent changes in maternal responding. Here we report that the effects of sodium butyrate, a drug that allows for an amplification of experience-induced histone acetylation and gene expression in virgins, are comparable to the natural onset of caregiving behaviors in postpartum mice and induce postpartum-like patterns of immediate early gene expression across brain regions. These data suggest that pups can activate a fear/defensive circuit in mice and experience-driven improvements in caregiving behavior could be regulated in part through decreased activation of this pathway.
Choroidal Lymphoma: Clinical Features and Association with Systemic Lymphoma

Purpose To describe the clinical and histopathologic features of choroidal lymphoma (CL) and its association with systemic lymphoma. Design Observational case series. Participants Fifty-nine patients (73 eyes) with CL. Methods Retrospective chart review. Main Outcome Measures Clinical features, histopathology, and systemic lymphoma. Results Of 59 patients with CL, systemic lymphoma was absent in 41 (primary CL; 69%) and present in 18 (secondary CL; 31%). Of 18 patients with systemic lymphoma at presentation, 14 (78%) had known systemic lymphoma and 4 (22%) were diagnosed with systemic lymphoma shortly after presentation. The most common types of systemic lymphoma in patients with secondary CL were diffuse large cell lymphoma (n = 5, 28%), chronic lymphocytic leukemia/lymphoma (n = 4, 22%), multiple myeloma (n = 2, 11%), Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (n = 2, 11%), extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (n = 2, 11%), plasmablastic lymphoma (n = 1, 6%), and unspecified non–Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 2, 11%). Compared with patients with primary CL, patients with secondary CL had a shorter mean duration of ocular symptoms (5 vs. 17 months), had less often received steroids before referral (11% vs. 46%), and were more likely to have bilateral ocular involvement (33% vs. 20%). Eyes with secondary CL had a higher rate of poor vision (≤20/200) (46% vs. 12%), iris (20% vs. 4%) or ciliary body (30% vs. 8%) lymphoma, episcleral vascular congestion (40% vs. 16%), anterior chamber reaction (30% vs. 14%), hyphema (15% vs. 0%), vitreous cellular infiltration (30% vs. 4%), and severe media haziness (20% vs. 0%). Secondary CL was morphologically more high grade (50% diffuse large cell lymphoma) compared with primary CL (37% low-grade non–Hodgkin lymphoma, 27% extranodal marginal zone lymphoma). None of the 33 patients with primary CL and subsequent follow-up developed systemic lymphoma during a mean follow-up of 50 months (median, 35 months; range, 2–231 months). Conclusions Secondary CL is morphologically high grade and associated with more severe ocular findings. Patients with CL and no known systemic lymphoma at presentation should undergo systemic evaluation to rule out the possibility of undiagnosed concurrent systemic lymphoma. However, none of the patients with primary CL in our study had late development of systemic lymphoma.
P Values and Multiple Endpoints I: Pernicious Abstractions?

In a large clinical trial, thousands and sometimes tens of thousands of patients are followed for years. This effort generates hundreds of thousands of data points, carefully collected, verified, entered and analyzed by many workers, themselves committing thousands of hours to this task. Is all of this effort for just a single p value?
Senescence impacts reproduction and maternal investment in bottlenose dolphins.

Reproductive senescence is evident across many mammalian species. An emerging perspective considers components of reproductive senescence as evolutionarily distinct phenomena: fertility senescence ...
The Primate Placenta as an Agent of Developmental and Health Trajectories Across the Life Course

The significance of the intrauterine environment extends beyond the fetal and postnatal phases of growth into adulthood and across generations, as addressed by the developmental programming research paradigm. Much of this paradigm hinges on interpretations of birth weight as a proxy of this dynamic environment. However, the key player in this environment and more direct driver of birth weight is often overlooked and poorly understood in this context. The placenta is an incredible organ, existing in obscurity for a relatively short time, but performing myriad functions at the complex genomic intersection of three individuals: mother, father, and fetus. Regulation of placental function and structure is complex; just as fetal growth is a variable and plastic phenomenon depending on maternal condition, so does placental function respond sensitively to external ecological inputs. The goal of this chapter is to introduce the reader to the placenta as an extrasomatic fetal organ that interacts directly with maternal ecology, describe some of the mechanisms that underlie fetal development, explore the morphological and functional plasticity of the placenta in relation to fetal growth variation particularly in humans, and relate these observations to programming of adult function. Further, I present lessons about placental plasticity in a litter-bearing anthropoid primate, the common marmoset monkey, with special attention paid to life history and reproductive programming to suggest that placental function may serve as a driver of evolutionary change. Finally, I argue that including the placenta in primate research will lead to important evolutionary and clinically-relevant discoveries.
CMOS Compatible Hermetic Packages Based on Localized Fusion Bonding of Fused Silica

Hermetic packages compatible with complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) processes and capable of transmitting RF and optical energy are in high demand. A hermetic packaging process based on the localized fusion bonding of patterned and stacked fused silica wafers to encapsulate a CMOS chip has been successfully demonstrated. The process also allows for feedthroughs to be fabricated within the package for wired interconnection to encapsulated devices. A carbon dioxide laser is applied to achieve localized fusion bonding of the fused silica stack. Exploiting vector motion of the laser, simultaneous bonding and dicing is achieved within 2 s. The low thermal conductivity of fused silica thermally isolates the CMOS chip from the bond area. The heat diffusion during the process is examined both experimentally and using finite element analysis. The temperature falls to CMOS compatibility levels (under 400°C) within a distance of 660 $\mu \text{m}$ from the bond line. The viability of the packaging process and the hermeticity of the package are simultaneously evaluated by encapsulating a commercial MEMS humidity sensor within the package and monitoring the internal package humidity as a function of time. The packaged sensor was placed in an external relative humidity environment of 85% at 24°C and the relative humidity change inside the package was measured over a time span of 300 days. A water vapor leakage rate less than $4.6\times 10^{-14}$ atm $\cdot $ cm3/s was observed. These preliminary results suggest that the hermeticity of the package can meet the criterion of implantation in human body for more than 70 years for a package with an inner volume of 0.0012 cm3. [2018-0280]
Maximum Likelihood Estimation of a Two-Segment Weibull Distribution for Fatigue Life

A two-segment distribution is proposed for representation of the fatigue life of modern high-performance composite materials. Each segment is a two-parameter Weibull distribution. Equations of the maximum likelihood method in estimating parameters are derived, and an iterative solution scheme is presented. Several example problems are included.
Physical and biological fixation of CO2 with polymeric nanofibers in outdoor cultivations of Chlorella fusca LEB 111.

Abstract The objective of this study was to cultivate Chlorella fusca LEB 111 with nanofibers indoors and outdoors to verify the effect on CO2 biofixation and macromolecule production. The microalgae were cultured with 10% (w v−1) polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/dimethylformamide (DMF) nanofibers containing 4% (w v−1) iron oxide nanoparticles (NPsFe2O3), which were added to the cultivations at concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 g L−1. The CO2 biofixation was higher in outdoor assays (270.6 and 310.9 mg L−1 d−1) than in indoor assays (124.6 and 131 mg L−1 d−1) with 0.1 and 0.3 g L−1 nanofibers, respectively. The outdoor assays with 0.3 g L−1 nanofibers had 10.9% greater lipid production than the assays without nanofibers. Thus, this first study of outdoor cultivations with nanofibers as physical adsorbents of CO2 showed the effect of nanostructures in maximizing gas biofixation and producing biomolecules that can be used to obtain bioproducts.
Exoskeletal-Assisted Walking During Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Leads to Motor and Functional Improvement in Persons With Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study.

Abstract Objective To explore the potential effects of incorporating exoskeletal-assisted walking (EAW) into spinal cord injury (SCI) acute inpatient rehabilitation (AIR) on facilitating functional and motor recovery when compared with standard of care AIR. Design A quasi-experimental design with a prospective intervention group (AIR with EAW) and a retrospective control group (AIR only). Setting SCI AIR facility. Participants Ten acute inpatient participants with SCI who were eligible for locomotor training were recruited in the intervention group. Twenty inpatients with SCI were identified as matched controls by reviewing an AIR database, Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation, by an individual blinded to the study. Both groups (N=30) were matched based on etiology, paraplegia/tetraplegia, completeness of injury, age, and sex. Intervention EAW incorporated into SCI AIR. Main Outcome Measures FIM score, International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury Upper Extremity Motor Score and Lower Extremity Motor Scores (LEMS), and EAW session results, including adverse events, walking time, and steps. Results Changes from admission to discharge LEMS and FIM scores were significantly greater in the intervention group (LEMS change: 14.3±10.1; FIM change: 37.8±10.8) compared with the control group (LEMS change: 4.6±6.1; FIM change: 26.5±14.3; Mann-Whitney U tests: LEMS, P Conclusions Incorporation of EAW into standard of care AIR is possible. AIR with incorporated EAW has the potential to facilitate functional and motor recovery compared with AIR without EAW.
Noncummutative band offset at α-Cr 2 O 3 /α-Fe 2 O 3 (0001) heterojunctions

We have measured the valence-band discontinuity at artificially structured, epitaxial heterojunctions of $\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{-}{\mathrm{Cr}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}(0001)$ and $\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{-}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}(0001).$ Layered film structures of these two materials maintain the in-plane lattice parameter of $\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{-}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}(0001).$ Thus the $\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{-}{\mathrm{Cr}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}(0001)$ layers are under a 2.4% tensile stress. A partial inward relaxation in $\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{-}{\mathrm{Cr}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}(0001)$ layers along the c axis is also observed, revealing the presence of artifically structured epilayers with a $c/a$ ratio of 2.70, compared to 2.78 in bulk $\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{-}{\mathrm{Cr}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}(0001).$ The valence-band offsets are $\ensuremath{-}0.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1$ and $+0.7\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1\mathrm{eV}$ when the top layer is ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ and ${\mathrm{Cr}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3},$ respectively. The noncommutativity in the band offset is not due to either anisotropic strain or quantum confinement, but rather appears to be due to a growth-sequence-dependent interface dipole.
Cannabis use in delusional infestation with folie à deux

Delusional infestation (DI) occurs when individuals falsely believe their skin or body is infested with insects or parasites, and is sometimes associated with shared psychotic disorders. Previous s...
Rainfall Algorithms Using Oceanic Satellite Observations from MWHS-2

This paper describes three algorithms for retrieving precipitation over oceans from brightness temperatures (TBs) of the Micro-Wave Humidity Sounder-2 (MHWS-2) onboard Fengyun-3C (FY-3C). For algorithm development, scattering-induced TB depressions (ΔTBs) of MWHS-2 at channels between 89 and 190 GHz were collocated to rain rates derived from measurements of the Global Precipitation Measurement’s Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) for the year 2017. ΔTBs were calculated by subtracting simulated cloud-free TBs from bias-corrected observed TBs for each channel. These ΔTBs were then related to rain rates from DPR using (1) multilinear regression (MLR); the other two algorithms, (2) range searches (RS) and (3) nearest neighbor searches (NNS), are based on k-dimensional trees. While all three algorithms produce instantaneous rain rates, the RS algorithm also provides the probability of precipitation and can be understood in a Bayesian framework. Different combinations of MWHS-2 channels were evaluated using MLR and results suggest that adding 118 GHz improves retrieval performance. The optimal combination of channels excludes high-peaking channels but includes 118 GHz channels peaking in the mid and high troposphere. MWHS-2 observations from another year were used for validation purposes. The annual mean 2.5° × 2.5° gridded rain rates from the three algorithms are consistent with those from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) and DPR. Their correlation coefficients with GPCP are 0.96 and their biases are less than 5%. The correlation coefficients with DPR are slightly lower and the maximum bias is ∼8%, partly due to the lower sampling density of DPR compared to that of MWHS-2.
The relation between thyroid dysregulation and impaired cognition/behaviour: An integrative review

Despite decades of research on the relation between thyroid diseases and cognition, the nature of this relationship remains elusive. An increasing prevalence of cognitive impairment and thyroid dysfunction has been consistently observed with ageing. Also, there appears to be an association between thyroid disorders and cognitive decline. Given the increasing global burden of dementia, elucidating the relationship between thyroid disorders as a potentially modifiable risk factor of cognitive impairment was the main goal of this review. We summarise the current literature examining the relationship between thyroid hormonal dysregulation and cognition or behaviour. We present the available imaging and pathological findings related to structural and functional brain changes related to thyroid hormonal dysregulation. We also propose potential mechanisms of interaction between thyroid hormones, autoantibodies and cognition/behaviour. Effects of gender, ethnicity and environmental factors are also briefly discussed. This review highlights the need for long-term prospective studies to capture the course of brain functional changes associated with the incidence and progression of thyroid dysregulations along with the confounding effects of non-modifiable risk factors such as gender and ethnicity. Moreover, double-blind controlled clinical trials are necessary to devise appropriate treatment plans to prevent cognitive consequences of over or undertreatment of thyroid disorders.
True Crime Consumption as Defensive Vigilance: Psychological Mechanisms of a Rape Avoidance System.

The circumvention of female reproductive choice via rape is a costly and evolutionarily persistent threat to women’s reproductive fitness. This is argued to have generated selection pressure for a precautionary threat management system for rape avoidance among women. Such a system would regulate women’s fear of rape as a functional emotional response to inputs providing information about the current risk and reproductive cost of rape. Fear of rape is expected to subsequently motivate adaptive behavior to avoid threats to one’s reproductive choice. The current research tested key tenets of this proposed system and found that women report greater fear of rape as a function of characteristics that alter the likelihood of being victimized, including being younger, living in a neighborhood perceived as dangerous, living in close proximity to family, and having been the victim of a sexual assault in the past. We also discuss mixed and null results with respect to the role of relationship status and mate value. In turn, fear of rape was associated with behavior expected to reduce one’s risk of being victimized. Specifically, women who were more fearful of rape reported consuming true crime media with greater frequency and indicated that this consumption was specifically motivated by the desire to learn strategies to prevent or escape an attack. Overall, results were fairly consistent with a threat management system approach and may help to explain why fear of rape is a powerful feature of women’s psychology.
A Tale of Two Ironies: in Defense of Tort

Charles Dickens likely never imagined that he would be quoted so often in legal discourse. Yet it is not surprising that he resonates in the world of legal theory, rich as his work is with ironies that operate on personal as well as political levels. Take, for example, A TALE OF Two CITIES, in which a revolution fought in the name of liberty turns to tyranny, and stable, tradition-bound Burkean ideals provide the means to freedom for those terrorized in the name of liberty. The seeds of such ironies have also taken root in the law of our two "cities," the United States and the rest of the common law world; therein we find a study in contrast regarding the question of how to deal with the inherently contentious relationship between free speech rights and the rights traditionally protected by tort law, many of which pertain to speech-based harm. We argue that the overwhelming dominance of constitutional free speech doctrine over common law tort principles that has taken hold in the United States has resulted in significant inconsistencies that are unlikely to crop up in legal systems that have opted to deal with the same conflict from within the common law.
Device-Level Topological Placement with Symmetry Constraints

The traditional way of approaching placement problems in computer-aided design (CAD) tools for analog layout is to explore an extremely large search space of feasible or unfeasible placement configurations (called flat representations of the layout), where the cells are moved in the chip plane by a stochastic optimizer – like simulated annealing or a genetic algorithm. This chapter discusses the possible use in analog placement problems with symmetry constraints of topological representations of the layout, encoding systems that are not restricted to slicing floorplan topologies. First, the chapter gives an overview of several data structures that may be used in the evaluation of various topological representations of the layout – therefore, in building the placement from the layout encoding. Afterwards, the chapter presents a subset of sequence-pairs – called “symmetric-feasible” – that allows to take into account the presence of an arbitrary number of symmetry groups of devices during the exploration of the solution space. Alternatively, the possible use of tree representations instead of “symmetric-feasible” sequence-pairs is also discussed. The computation times exhibited by the topological approaches are significantly better than those of the placement algorithms using the traditional exploration strategy based on flat representations, while preserving a similar quality of the placement solutions.
Discrepancies in the Enumeration of Escherichia coli

Stationary-phase cells of Escherichia coli were enumerated by the pour plate method on Trypticase soy agar containing 0.3% yeast extract (TSYA), violet red-bile agar, and desoxycholate-lactose agar, and by the most-probable-number method in Brilliant Green-bile broth and lauryl sulfate broth. Maximum counts were assumed to be those on TSYA. In general, numbers detected were lower with the selective solid media and higher with the selective liquid media. Inhibitory effects, especially on selective solid media varied with the strains of E. coli. The lower detection on selective solid media was partly due to the stress induced in some cells by the temperature of the melted media used in the pour plate method. These cells apparently failed to repair and form colonies in the selective media. Improved detection on the selective solid media was achieved by using 1% nonfat milk solids, 1% peptone, or 1% MgSO(4).7H(2)O in the dilution blanks. Higher detection on selective agar media was effected by surface plating or by surface-overlay plating of the cells. The surface-overlay method appeared to be superior for the direct enumeration of E. coli in foods.
‘I have a love–hate relationship with ATLAS.ti’™: integrating qualitative data analysis software into a graduate research methods course

While research on teaching qualitative methods in education has increased, few studies explore teaching qualitative data analysis software within graduate-level methods courses. During 2013, we required students in several such courses to use ATLAS.ti™ as a project management tool for their assignments. By supporting students’ early experiences with ATLAS.ti™, we anticipated that they might continue using the tool in their future research work. Using a case study and reflective practice approach, we reviewed course materials, including student and instructor reflections, to understand what happened when data analysis software was integrated into an advanced methods course. We identified five major themes: (1) a needed push out of their comfort zones; (2) various forms of support working together; (3) keys to motivation; (4) a new generation educating the current one and (5) use of the software beyond coursework. Implications for practice include ensuring adequate access and support for learning the softwa...
Calcite and aragonite seas and the de novo acquisition of carbonate skeletons

A longstanding question in paleontology has been the influence of calcite and aragonite seas on the evolution of carbonate skeletons. An earlier study based on 21 taxa that evolved skeletons during the Ediacaran through Ordovician suggested that carbonate skeletal mineralogy is determined by seawater chemistry at the time skeletons first evolve in a clade. Here I test this hypothesis using an expanded dataset comprising 40 well-defined animal taxa that evolved skeletons de novo in the last 600 Myr. Of the 37 taxa whose mineralogy is known with some confidence, 25 acquired mineralogies that matched seawater chemistry of the time, whereas only two taxa acquired non-matching mineralogies. (Ten appeared during times when seawater chemistry is not well constrained.) The results suggest that calcite and aragonite seas do have a strong influence on carbonate skeletal mineralogy, however, this appears to be true only at the time mineralized skeletons first evolve. Few taxa switch mineralogies (from calcite to aragonite or vice versa) despite subsequent changes in seawater chemistry, and those that do switch do not appear to do so in response to changing aragonite-calcite seas. This suggests that there may be evolutionary constraints on skeletal mineralogy, and that although there may be increased costs associated with producing a mineralogy not favored by seawater, the costs of switching mineralogies are even greater.
Comparative Biosynthesis of Mevalonic Acid by Mycoplasma

Smith, Paul F. (University of South Dakota, Vermillion), and C. V. Henrikson. Comparative biosynthesis of mevalonic acid by Mycoplasma. J. Bacteriol. 89:146-153. 1965.-Three representative Mycoplasma, M. laidlawii strain B, M. gallisepticum strain J, and M. hominis strain 07, were examined for the presence or absence of enzymes associated with the biosynthetic pathway to mevalonic acid. M. laidlawii served as a control, because it synthesizes carotenoids from acetate. M. laidlawii was shown to contain a specific acetokinase and phosphotransacetylase for the synthesis of acetyl coenzyme A, and a beta-ketothiolase and coenzyme A transferase for the synthesis of acetoacetyl coenzyme A. M. gallisepticum contained a specific acetokinase, phosphotransacetylase, and possibly an aceto coenzyme A kinase forming acetyl coenzyme A; it also contained a beta-ketothiolase, a coenzyme A transferase, and a coenzyme A transphorase forming acetoacetyl coenzyme A directly or indirectly. The beta-ketothiolase of M. gallisepticum was not affected by iodoacetamide, in contrast to the other two strains. M. laidlawii exhibited beta-hydroxy-beta-methylglutaryl coenzyme A condensing enzyme, and M. hominis did not. This activity of M. gallisepticum was masked by thiolase activity. M. laidlawii and M. gallisepticum contained a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-linked beta-hydroxy-beta-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, and M. hominis did not. C(14)-labeled acetate was incorporated into mevalonic acid only by M. laidlawii and M. gallisepticum. The lack of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylglutaryl coenzyme A condensing enzyme and reductase activities in M. hominis explains its growth requirement for sterol. The enzymatic block in M. gallisepticum must occur after mevalonic acid in the biosynthetic pathway to terpenoids.
In vivo evaluation of the antagonist activity of angiotensin I analogs.

The objectives of this study were to identify angiotensin I (ANGI) analogs that antagonize angiotensin II (ANGII) receptors and/or block angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) in vivo, to determine whether any receptor antagonist activity was direct (i.e., mediated by the intact peptide) vs. indirect (i.e., mediated by conversion of the intact peptide to corresponding smaller peptide fragments via ACE) and to determine whether the potency of a given ANGI analog was influenced by circulation through a tissue (lungs) rich in ACE. The effects of six ANGI analogs on mesenteric vascular responses to intramesenteric artery (IMA) infusions of ANGI and ANGII were examined in nephrectomized rats in the absence and presence of captopril. ANGI analogs were infused either intravenously (i.v.) or IMA. It is concluded that: 1) the ANGI analogs did not inhibit ACE sufficiently to attenuate responses to ANGI; 2) Thr8-ANGI does not block ANGII receptors, either directly or indirectly; 3) infused IMA Ile8-ANGI is a weak direct antagonist; however, given i.v., its potency is increased 30-fold due to conversion by pulmonary ACE; 4) Phe4-Tyr8-ANGI is a moderately potent indirect antagonist infused either IMA or i.v.; 5) infused IMA Cys8-ANGI is a moderately potent direct antagonist, and given i.v., its potency is increased 20-fold due to conversion by pulmonary ACE; 6) Val8-ANGI is a highly potent antagonist infused either IMA or i.v. due to both direct and indirect actions; and 7) Leu8-ANGI is a highly potent antagonist infused either IMA or i.v., and its antagonist properties do not require ACE. Possible applications of these findings are discussed.
A high data rate electro-optic phase modulator driver for a coherent optical communications application

A compact phase modulator driver circuit capable of high data rates has been designed and integrated with a LiNbO/sub 3/ electro-optical (EO) crystal for a coherent optical communications system. The modulator driver demonstrated the capability of producing an output signal of 20 V peak-to-peak (p-p) amplitude with a 3 dB bandwidth of 210 MHz. The input signal is 2 V p-p and the output drives a capacitive load of 3-10 pF, presented by the EO crystal and connecting cable. The driver phase transfer function shows a linear phase shift over the measured frequency range of 10 to 110 MHz, resulting in a constant group delay of 1.92 ns with less than /spl plusmn/2% variation over this range. The rise and fall times for a 20 V p-p pulse are less than 1.8 ns with less than 13% overshoot at the EO crystal terminals. The dc power consumption for the modulator driver increased from 2.85 W at 100 kHz to 4 W at 100 MHz. >
Corporate style, corporate substance, and the sting

The author's requirement of clear and correct written communication from his students is explained to them through this story of a misadventure in business communication.
Enhanced Performance of Methamphetamine Lateral Flow Cassettes Using an Electronic Lateral Flow Reader

Surface contamination from methamphetamine in meth labs continues to be a problem. We had previously developed a lateral flow assay cassette for field detection of methamphetamine contamination that is commercially available and has been used by a number of groups to assess contamination. This cassette uses the complete disappearance of the test line as an end point for detection of 50 ng/100 cm2 of methamphetamine contamination for surface sampling with cotton swabs. In the present study, we further evaluate the response of the cassettes using an electronic lateral flow reader to measure the intensities of the test and control lines. The cassettes were capable of detecting 0.25 ng/ml for calibration solutions. For 100 cm2 ceramic tiles that were spiked with methamphetamine and wiped with cotton-tipped wooden swabs wetted in assay/sampling buffer, 1 ng/tile was detected using the reader. Semi-quantitative results can be produced over the range 0–10 ng/ml for calibration solutions and 0–25 ng/tile for spik...
Refugee families' adjustment and aspirations: A comparison of Soviet Jewish and Vietnamese immigrants

(1983). Refugee families' adjustment and aspirations: A comparison of Soviet Jewish and Vietnamese immigrants. Ethnic and Racial Studies: Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 492-504.
QUANTITATIVE TAPHONOMY OF A TRIASSIC REPTILE TANYTRACHELOS AHYNIS FROM THE COW BRANCH FORMATION, DAN RIVER BASIN, SOLITE QUARRY, VIRGINIA

Abstract The Virginia Solite Quarry occurrence of exceptionally abundant and uniquely preserved specimens of the tetrapod Tanytrachelos ahynis offers an opportunity to quantify multiple aspects of vertebrate taphonomy. Presence or absence of 128 skeletal elements and of 136 skeletal variables were recorded for 99 specimens from two distinct layers within the quarry—lake cycles 2 and 16. Anatomical completeness, or the percent of bones and variables present in a specimen, is low in spite of protection given by anoxic bottom waters from predators and scavengers; the median specimen preserves 14.5% of bones and 11.8% of measured variables. Specimen size, soft-tissue preservation, and postexhumation weathering have no significant effect on specimen completeness; soft-tissue preservation has a significant impact on degree of articulation. Tanytrachelos specimens with heterotopic bones are not significantly more complete than those lacking such bones; this quantitative pattern reinforces independent qualitative...
WSN19-1: Maximizing Broadcast Tree Lifetime in Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

In wireless ad hoc networks (WANETs), e.g. wireless sensor networks, battery-powered devices are constrained by limited amount of energy. Many WANET applications require that the duration (called lifetime) for which the network remains operational - until the first node exhausts its battery energy - is maximized. We study the problem of maximizing the lifetime of WANET broadcast trees under two receiver cost models: 1) the constant receiver power (CORP) model, in which a receiver consumes a fixed amount of energy for receiving an information bit; and, 2) the transmitter-receiver power tradeoff (TREPT) model, in which the amount of energy consumed by a receiver is a function of the received signal power and hence the transmitter power. We propose a graph theoretic solution for CORP model to find a maximum lifetime tree and a binary search based solution for TREPT model to determine power assignment which maximizes the lifetime of a given broadcast tree. Both polynomial- time solutions are formally proved to be optimal.
It really IS the red cell.

In this issue of Blood , Patel and colleagues demonstrate that placental growth factor derived from hemoglobin S erythroid cells upregulates the expression of both ET-1 and ET-BR via HIF-1α in the absence of hypoxia. It has become increasingly clear that the process leading to vaso-occlusion in
Evaluation of a media campaign's effect on reporting patterns of child abuse.

In an effort to determine what effect a media campaign had on child-abuse reporting patterns, pre-campaign measures were contrasted with post-campaign measures. The mean number of reports/day increased significantly. Reports from one of the three major reporting groups, i.e., professionals, increased significantly. Five basic types of abuse were also examined, and the number of reports in two of the categories, i.e., soft tissue and abuse with neglect, also increased significantly.
The septo-hippocampal system and cognitive mapping

Rats were trained on a rewarded alternation task, run as a spatial working memory task on an elevated T-maze. Experiment 1 tested the effects of fornix-fimbria (FOFI) lesions on the acquisition, and of medial septal (MS) lesions on the acquisition and retention of this task, when the rats had to use information provided by being forced to run to a selected goal arm. The FOFI lesion produced an enduring impairment; the MS rats showed a severe impairment initially, but subsequently showed some behavioural recovery, when tested in acquisition or in retention. Experiment 2 similarly tested the effects of lateral septal (LS) lesions on acquisition of the task, and found an impairment which again showed signs of recovery with further testing. Experiment 3 was a transfer test conducted on the rats which had shown recovery in Experiments 1 and 2. The rats were now forced to use information provided by simply being placed on a selected goal arm. Both control animals and lesion animals showed identical choice accuracy, lower than that seen in Experiments 1 and 2. Experiment 4 tested acquisition of the task used in Experiment 3, and acquisition of a task in which the rat had to use information provided by running to the goal arm via a different route. Control rats again performed poorly, and scarcely differed from MS rats. It was concluded that rats have difficulty in using information about 'places', and that controls and lesion rats learn the tasks in the same way. The implications for 'cognitive mapping' hypotheses are discussed.
Efficiently detecting lack of robustness in finite alphabet logistic networks

This paper is concerned with the problem of verifying robust control invariance and global attractivity in finite alphabet logistic networks. We propose a systematic, computationally efficient scheme to identify instances where robustly control invariant sets and robustly globally attractive sets fail to exist. We provide an illustrative numerical example, demonstrating our approach and the corresponding improvement in computation time.
Ultrasound differentiation of the competent from the incompetent cervix: Prevention of preterm delivery

To evaluate the feasibility of the use of serial ultrasound measurements of cervical length, membrane protrusion, and dilatation to discriminate between the competent and the incompetent cervix, 107 at-risk patients and 30 control subjects were examined prospectively. Patients were divided into five groups based on treatment and method of diagnosis. Epidemiologic, ultrasound, and outcome data were analyzed. Means and standard deviations for ultrasound measurements were established. Highly significant differences between all prediagnostic and postdiagnostic-pretreatment measurements were found (p less than 0.001). Highly significant differences were also found between all postdiagnostic-pretreatment and postdiagnostic-posttreatment measurements (p less than 0.001). No significant differences between prediagnostic and postdiagnostic-posttreatment measurements were noted. The incidence of preterm delivery was significantly higher among untreated diagnosed patients (p less than 0.01). By combined clinical and ultrasound criteria 51 patients (47.7%) were identified as not having cervical incompetency. Fifty-six patients (52.3%) were diagnosed.
Mechanisms of action of interferon- β in multiple sclerosis

Interferon-β-lb (IFN-β-lb, Betaseron) at a dose of 8 million units (8MU) given subcutaneously (s.c.) every other day to patients with the relapsing-remitting form of multiple sclerosis (MS) lessens the overall frequency of MS attacks by 35%, the frequency of major attacks by 50%, and the number of MS-related hospitalizations by 40% [1, 2], Benefit persists for at least 5 years, the last assessable time point in the pivotal clinical trial that led to approval of the agent for the treatment of MS [3] by the United States Food and Drug Administration. The agent drastically curtails accumulating disease burden, as assessed by annual magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, again over at least 5 years [4]. Disease activity as measured by serial MRI scans performed at 6-week intervals, is also markedly reduced by IFN-β-lb treatment [4]. IFN-β-lb is currently approved for the treatment of ambulatory MS patients in the United States and Australia; approval in Europe is expected imminently. Trials to determine whether it is effective in progressive MS are underway currently.
6. Oral Contraceptives

Abstract Based on literature and data in the National Registry of Drug-Induced Ocular Side Effects, the current status of oral contraceptives and adverse ocular effects is presented. The possible relationship of this group of drugs to retinal vascular disorders, color vision, macular or retinal abnormalities, neuro-ophthalmic disorders, and contact lens wear is reviewed. An overview of current guidelines for the management of patients on oral contraceptives from the ophthalmic viewpoint is presented.
Characterization of the plasma membrane of Mycoplasma laidlawii. III. The formation and aggregation of small lipoprotein structures derived from sodium dodecyl sulfate-solubilized membrane components☆

Small lipoprotein aggregates are formed when sodium dodecyl sulfate-solubilized membrane components are dialyzed against buffer in the absence of divalent cations. These aggregates sediment as a single peak in analytical ultracentrifugation, and their behavior on sucrose density gradient centrifugation indicates that the lipid is bound to the protein. Upon dialysis against buffer containing 0.02 M Mg2+, the small pieces further aggregate to yield structures having a membrane-like appearance in the electron microscope. The collection of larger aggregates has been designated Mr′ (reaggregated membrane prime) and has a buoyant density of 1.18 ± 0.05 g/cm3. Mr′ is similar to the original membrane in having the same protein to lipid ratio and the same magnesium to protein ratio.
Electron-optical characterization of bacterial magnetite

Abstract Magnetic grains isolated from magnetococcoid bacterial cells were studied by means of transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction and electron microprobe analysis. Observed in situ the magnetic grains are each surrounded by an organic membrane and are usually found in a random array although “chains” are also seen. Electron diffraction confirms the magnetite mineralogy and provides additional evidence in favor of vacancies in the structure. Electron microprobe analysis shows the magnetite to be slightly titaniferous. Electron microscopy indicates that the grains, rather than being flake shaped, are parallelepiped crystals with a mean length of99.3 ± 8.7nm, a mean width of62.3 ± 6.1nm yielding a width-to-length ratio of 0.63. These data support the contention that the magnetic bacterial grains are single-domain crystals capable of producing a natural remanent magnetization in sediments.
On the sustainability of the capitalist order: Schumpeter's capitalism, socialism and democracyrevisited

Abstract The present study provides a contemporary reading of Schumpeter's instability-of-capitalism thesis as formulated in Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy (1942). The study of the sustainability of the Western position in capitalism focuses on: (1) the dissociation between private and social objectives in welfare capitalism, (2) the deconstruction of the moral-ethical principles on which the capitalist order was founded, (3) the threat of egalitarianism, (4) the role of the intellectual class, and (5) the cultural contradictions of capitalism. Contrary to claims that the disolution of the state socialist order signals a victory for capitalism it is observed that capitalism remains exposed to powerful challenges. “[B]etween now and the year 2000, the order of money will become universal. From Santiago to Beijing, from Johannesburg to Moscow, all economic systems will worship at the altar of the market” “But capitalism's very success creates the conditions for failure” (Attali, 1991, Millenium , pp. 120, 118).
Regional heterothermy and cardiovascular responses during induced hypothermia in non-hibernated and hibernated woodchucks, Marmota monax

Abstract 1. 1. Immediately prior hibernation enhanced the physiological performance of woodchucks. Marmota monax , during induced hypothermia as compared to non-hibernated woodchucks (NH). 2. 2. Carotid systolic blood pressure was lower in hibernated woodchucks (H) than in NH down to a carotid temperature of 13°C. 3. 3. Carotid temperature at cardiac arrest was lower in H (3.4°C) than in NH (7.3°C). 4. 4. Regional heterothermy was more pronounced in H, with the maximal differential between carotid and colon being 7.8°C in H and 1.5°C in NH. 5. 5. Resistance to cooling was greater in H with a cooling rate (min/kg per °C) of 10.5 for H and 4.3 for NH over a carotid temperature range of 30–10°C.
A thiophosphate substrate for a continuous spectrophotometric assay of phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C: hexadecylthiophosphoryl-1-myo-inositol

Abstract Racemic hexadecylthiophosphoryl-1-myo-inositol was synthesized from a pentaprotected inositol-1-dimethylphosphite and hexadecylthiophthalimide in a Michaelis-Arbuzov reaction. It was shown to be a good substrate for the assay of phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C.
Palaeoclimate: Ancient trees reveal their secrets

Instrumental records show that El Nino is highly variable in space and time. Now a thousand-year-long record from trees in the southwestern United States reveals even greater extremes, and a possible link between El Nino activity and climate warming.
Two notes on mutiplicatively closed sets of ideals and divisors

LetΓ be a mulitiplicatively closed set of nonzero idcals of a Noetherian ring R and for an ideal I of R let IΓ=∪{I:G;G∈Γlcub; Then IΓ is an ideal in R and it is shown that if P is prime divisor of IΓ, then P is a prime divisor of IG:G′ for all G,G′ In $GgR;. Alao, for a given filtration is a filtration on R and when φ is Noetherian several necessary and sufficient conditions are given for φ and φΓ to give linearly equivalent ideal topologies on R .
Diagnosis, staging and treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer for the surgeon

This article covers the risk factors, diagnostic tools, staging methods/modalities and treatment for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Also presented is the new 7th edition American Joint Cancer Committee (AJCC) TNM classification for staging of NSCLC and a recommended treatment algorithm.
Transient phase conjugation in Kerr media, photorefractive media, and plasmas: a comparison

A general solution to a linearized transient problem is presented and is shown to be valid for Kerr materials, photorefractive materials, and plasmas. The solution is expressed in terms of a transfer function that relates the complex frequencies of the probe and the conjugate field. Using this solution, the parameters that govern the overall time behavior are identified and compared. These parameters are then used to discuss the distortion characteristics of the conjugate signal for each of the three materials. >