cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Primary production: Freshwater ecosystems

Freshwater bodies include a small fraction of the earth's surface (0.5%) and the biosphere's production. Freshwater productivity is difficult to estimate because of both problems of measurement and the great diversity of water bodies. A total production of 1.3×10 9 tons/year is suggested. Freshwater bodies are now subject to widespread unnatural fertilization or cultural eutrophication. While this process increases their productivity, in many cases it shifts that productivity into forms less suitable for use as human food.
Reading Olive Schreiner Reading W. E. B. Du Bois

In October 1905, the South African novelist Olive Schreiner received a copy of W. E. B. Du Bois’s The Souls of Black Folk. Schreiner, whose thinking about race in South Africa had been developing considerably since the landmark publication of The Story of an African Farm (1883), found herself deeply moved by Du Bois’s book. In a letter to her friend Edward Carpenter she wrote that, “the book makes me feel so much that sometimes I can’t look at it; it seems to come from within me.” In the first decade of the twentieth century, whose central political issue Du Bois had predicted would be “the problem of the color line,” Schreiner found Du Bois’s formulations startlingly apt as she attempted to come to terms with the particular racial crisis South Africa confronted between the end of the South African War (1899–1902) and the formation of the Union of South Africa (1910). Both in content and style, Souls resonated deeply with Schreiner as she wrestled with the “native question” in pre-Union South Africa. Very little notice has been taken of Schreiner’s reading of Du Bois, however, even though her transnational, transracial identification exemplifies the kind of crossnational anticolonial interdiscursivity that Elleke Boehmer and other critics have drawn attention to over the last decade or so. This essay first suggests reasons for the lack of attention to the Schreiner-Du Bois connection and then goes on to analyze the connection’s significance in relation to the com plex discourses of race, class, gender, and nationality and their intersections with systems of imperialism, capitalism, and modernity at the beginning of the twentieth century.
ATP treatment of human monocytes promotes caspase-1 maturation and externalization.

Mechanisms that regulate conversion of prointerleukin-1β (pro-IL-1β) to its mature form by the cysteine protease caspase-1 are not well understood. In this study, we demonstrate that mature caspase-1 subunits are produced when human monocytes are treated with ATP and, like mature IL-1β, are released extracellularly. Characterization of the pharmacological sensitivity of this stimulus-coupled response revealed that some caspase-1 inhibitors allow pro-IL-1β secretion, whereas others do not. Two nonselective alkylating agents, N-ethylmaleimide and phenylarsine oxide, also blocked maturation and release of pro-IL-1β. Two inhibitors of anion transport, glyburide and ethacrynic acid, blocked maturation of both caspase-1 and pro-IL-1β and prevented release of the propolypeptides. Procaspase-3 was detected in monocyte extracts, but its proteolytic activation was not efficient in the presence of ATP. Maturation of procaspase-1 and release of the mature enzyme subunits therefore accompany stimulus-coupled human monocyte IL-1 post-translational processing. Agents that appear to selectively inhibit mature caspase-1 do not prevent ATP-treated cells from releasing their cytosolic components. On the other hand, anion transport inhibitors and alkylating agents arrest ATP-treated monocytes in a state where membrane latency is maintained. The data provided support the hypothesis that stimulus-coupled IL-1 post-translational processing involves a commitment to cell death.
Sentence combining as a technique for increasing adjective use in writing by students with autism

A multiple-baseline across-subjects design was used to determine whether reinforcement alone or in combination with sentence-combining exercises would increase the number of descriptive adjectives used in daily writing samples by three adolescents with autism. The cumulative number of new adjectives (adjectives never before used by a student in the entire study) was also recorded. Experimental conditions were baseline, sentence combining, and maintenance. Writing sessions consisted of a 20-min worksheet period followed by a 20-min writing period. The addition of sentence-combining exercises increased the number of adjectives in the students' writing samples. Maintenance of this increase occurred in the absence of sentence-combining lessons and in the presence of reinforcement for use of adjectives. The addition of sentence-combining exercises also increased the cumulative number of new adjectives, although new adjectives did not occasion reinforcement, and we had not expected their use to increase in students with autism without specific instruction. Maintenance of new adjective use also was demonstrated. Finally, for all three students, minimal terminable unit (T-unit) length, a measure that facilitates comparison with normative data, increased from baseline to maintenance, and independent raters judged writing samples written during maintenance as better than those written during baseline.
Population-based trends in ambulatory surgery for urinary incontinence

Introduction and hypothesis Surgical procedures for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) have become progressively less invasive and easier to perform with the development of new technologies such as the midurethral sling. For these reasons, it seems logical to conclude that midurethral slings would supplant other surgical treatments for incontinence. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of this technology on trends in ambulatory surgery for incontinence over the past decade.
Negative reinforcement as shock-frequency reduction

Is a conditioned aversive stimulus necessary in avoidance conditioning? Or is a reduction in the rate of aversive stimulation alone sufficient to generate and maintain an avoidance response? Rats were subjected to an avoidance procedure in which shocks occurred randomly in time, but a response could reduce the overall rate of shock. Fifteen acquisition curves, obtained from 16 animals, showed both immediate and delayed, rapid and gradual increases in response rate; there was no representative acquisition curve. Response rates were directly related to the amount by which the response reduced shock frequency. In extinction, when shock rates were not affected by responding, the response total was inversely related to the amount by which the response had reduced shock frequency during prior conditioning, with as many as 20,000 extinction responses when the shock frequency reduction had been relatively small. Responding on this procedure shows that avoidance conditioning can occur without benefit of either classical exteroceptive stimuli or covert stimuli inferred from the temporal constancies of a procedure. It also shows that reduction in shock rate is alone sufficient to maintain avoidance.
COLORIMETRIC ASSAY OF I7'KETOSTEROIDS IN URINE. A SURVEY OF THE USE OF THIS TEST IN ENDOCRINE INVESTIGATION, DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPY1

AS POINTED OUT by Callow (1) biological assays for urinary androgenic and estrogenic steroids are specific neither for any one substance nor for the steroids originating from a single gland. There is a chemical test for steroids, however, sufficiently promising to warrant a survey of its biological and clinical significance. This is the color reaction intro-duced by Zimmermann (2, 3) as a test for ‘androgens,’ which has been further developed by Wu and Chou (4) and by Callow, Callow, and Emmens (5) for application to urinary extracts, and shown by the latter to parallel, at least roughly, the biological assay. These authors state: “In spite of the series of assumptions which must be made in attributing significance to the results of colorimetric assay the advantages of this method over the biological method are very great with respect to ease of operation, sensitivity, high reproducibility and low error.” The present paper is based on the results of over 1500 such urinary assays in a study of a selected g...
An Alternative to Incarceration: The Fortune Society of New York

ABSTRACT This is a study of the Fortune Society, a non-residential anti-incarceration facility in New York City. Some 320 case records, interviews with offenders and the staff, and general observation of the facility were analyzed. Results revealed that successful graduates had the least serious criminal records; most had positive attitudes toward Fortune; a great deal of individual attention was given to each offender; employment, motivation, cooperation, and attendance were important for acceptance; and there were no tight rules for either acceptance or success. Policy recommendations are suggested.
Behavioral contrast in multiple schedules with equal reinforcement rates

After responding was maintained on multiple fixed-interval schedules of reinforcement, a cuing procedure was added to one component. Cuing was accomplished by illuminating a lamp just prior to reinforcement availability. This procedure produced positive behavioral contrast. The rate of responding in the cued component decreased, and the rate of responding in the uncued component increased. When the cue was removed, negative behavioral contrast occurred. Rate of responding in the component from which the cue had been removed increased, and rate of responding in the other component decreased. Throughout the experiment, rates of reinforcement in both components were held constant.
IL-33-induced alterations in murine intestinal function and cytokine responses are MyD88, STAT6, and IL-13 dependent

IL-33 is a recently identified cytokine member of the IL-1 family. The biological activities of IL-33 are associated with promotion of Th2 and inhibition of Th1/Th17 immune responses. Exogenous IL-33 induces a typical “type 2” immune response in the gastrointestinal tract, yet the underlying mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated. In addition, the role of IL-33 in the regulation of gastrointestinal function is not known. The present study investigated IL-33-dependent intestinal immunity and function in mice. Exogenous IL-33 induced a polarized type 2 cytokine response in the intestine that was entirely MyD88 dependent but STAT6 and IL-13 independent. Mice injected with recombinant IL-33 exhibited intestinal smooth muscle hypercontractility, decreased epithelial responses to acetylcholine and glucose, and increased mucosal permeability. IL-33 effects on intestinal epithelial function were STAT6 dependent, and both IL-4 and IL-13 appeared to play a role. The effects on smooth muscle function, however, were attributable to both STAT6-dependent and -independent mechanisms. In addition, IL-13 induction of insulin-like growth factor-1 was implicated in IL-33-induced smooth muscle hypertrophy. Finally, alternative activation of macrophages induced by IL-33 revealed a novel pathway that is IL-4, IL-13, and STAT6 independent. Thus manipulating IL-33 or related signaling pathways represents a potential therapeutic strategy for treating inflammatory diseases associated with dysregulated intestinal function.
String-net condensation: A physical mechanism for topological phases

We show that quantum systems of extended objects naturally give rise to a large class of exotic phases---namely topological phases. These phases occur when extended objects, called ``string-nets,'' become highly fluctuating and condense. We construct a large class of exactly soluble 2D spin Hamiltonians whose ground states are string-net condensed. Each ground state corresponds to a different parity invariant topological phase. The models reveal the mathematical framework underlying topological phases: tensor category theory. One of the Hamiltonians---a spin-$1∕2$ system on the honeycomb lattice---is a simple theoretical realization of a universal fault tolerant quantum computer. The higher dimensional case also yields an interesting result: we find that 3D string-net condensation naturally gives rise to both emergent gauge bosons and emergent fermions. Thus, string-net condensation provides a mechanism for unifying gauge bosons and fermions in 3 and higher dimensions.
The impact of HMG-CoA reductase inhibition on the incidence and severity of graft-versus-host disease in patients with acute leukemia undergoing allogeneic transplantation.

To the editor: Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is the major cause of morbidity and mortality after allogeneic stem-cell transplantation (SCT).[1][1] In the December 15, 2007, issue of Blood , Zeiser and colleagues[2][2] reported protective effects of atorvastatin against acute GVHD in a
Numerical and experimental prediction of the thermomechanical performance of pebble beds for solid breeder blanket

In this paper, recent numerical modeling and experiment work for predicting the effective thermal and mechanical properties of solid breeder blanket pebble bed materials is presented. The numerical modeling is based on the micro-mechanics displacement method in conjunction with an iterative process of successive releasing of the contact force of particles. Initial and final packed states for particle assembly and the contact forces for particles have been studied. In addition, a test article has been constructed to measure the thermal stress induced by the thermal expansion of the solid particle and to estimate the characteristic properties of particle materials. Corresponding experiments are carried out with aluminum and Li2ZrO3 pebble beds. Empirical correlations for the moduli of deformation are presented. These experiment data are compared with the numerical modeling results. © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Disability and health care spending among medicare beneficiaries.

ABSTRACT: This paper forecasts the impact of changing disability rates on spending by Medicare beneficiaries. We adjust for differential changes in spending by the disabled because the composition ...
Effect of prior morphine-3-glucuronide exposure on morphine disposition and antinociception

Morphine-3-glucuronide (M3G), the primary metabolite of morphine in humans and rats, has been reported to antagonize morphine-induced pharmacologic effects. The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of prior systemic M3G exposure on morphine disposition and antinociceptive response in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Saline (N = 6), low dose M3G (0.15 mg/hr, N = 7), or high dose M3G (0.30 mg/hr, N = 6) was infused for 720 min prior to the administration of morphine by i.v. bolus (2 mg/kg). Tail-flick latencies in response to hot water (50 degrees) were assessed prior to and for 180 min after the morphine test dose. M3G exposure had no significant effect on morphine pharmacokinetics, although a disproportionate increase in M3G concentrations was observed following the morphine i.v. bolus dose in rats infused with high dose M3G. Morphine-induced antinociception, expressed as the percent of maximum response (%MPR), was maximum 15 min after morphine administration and returned to baseline by 180 min. A pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model was constructed to relate tail-flick latencies to morphine serum concentrations. In saline-exposed rats, the antinociceptive response to morphine was characterized by a sigmoidal Emax model, with an EC50 of 328 ng/mL, a Hill coefficient (gamma) of 4.5, and a half-life for the offset of pharmacologic effect of 11 min. No statistically significant differences in the intensity or duration of morphine-induced response were detected between saline- and M3G-exposed animals. These results suggest that systemic formation of M3G is unlikely to contribute significantly to the development of tolerance to morphine antinociception.
Cultivating human culture

In Foragers, Farmers, and Fossil Fuels , Ian Morris asks why human values—including our attitudes toward equality, hierarchy, and violence—have changed so dramatically, and not always linearly, during the past 20,000 years. His argument—that our values have been shaped by the way we harvest energy—is bold and thought-provoking. Though reviewer Peter Turchin ultimately disagrees with Morris, he commends him for putting forth a clearly formulated, testable hypothesis, which Turchin believes will help advance the budding field of scientific history.
Can coronary artery anomalies be detected on CT calcium scoring studies

Purpose To determine whether coronary artery anomalies can be detected on noncontrast computed tomography (CT) coronary artery calcium scoring (CCS) studies. Materials and Methods A total of 126 patients (mean age 62 years; 35 women) underwent noncontrast CCS and contrast enhanced coronary CT angiography (cCTA). Thirty-three patients were diagnosed with a coronary anomaly on cCTA, whereas coronary anomalies were excluded in 93. Two observers (reader 1 [R1] and reader 2 [R2]), blinded to patient information independently evaluated each CCS study for: 1) visibility of coronary artery origins, 2) detection of coronary anomalies, and 3) benign or malignant (ie, interarterial) course. Using cCTA as the reference standard, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of CCS studies for detecting coronary anomalies were calculated. Results Of the 33 coronary anomalies, 16 were benign and 17 malignant. Based on noncontrast CCS studies, R1 and R2 correctly identified the left main origin in 123/126 (97.6%) and 121/126 (96%) patients; the left anterior descending origin in 125/126 (99.2%) and 122/126 (96.8%); the circumflex origin in 120/126 (95.2%) and 105/126 (83.3%); and the right coronary artery origin in 117/126 (92.9%) and 103/126 (81.7%), respectively. R1 and R2 identified 34 and 27 coronary anomalies and classified 19 and 15 as malignant, respectively. Interobserver reproducibility for detection of coronary anomalies was good (k = 0.76). Interobserver agreement for detection of malignant variants was even stronger (k = 0.80). On average, coronary artery anomalies were diagnosed with 85.2% sensitivity, 96.4% specificity, 90.5% PPV, and 94.1% NPV on noncontrast CCS studies. Conclusion Benign and malignant coronary artery anomalies can be detected with relatively high accuracy on noncontrast-enhanced CCS studies. CCS studies should be reviewed for signs of coronary artery anomalies in order to identify malignant variants with possible impact on patient management.
Multiple Excitation and Ionization of Inner Atomic Shells by X Rays

Reinvestigation of the region of the argon $K$ absorption edge has revealed a new resonance absorption structure followed by a new continuum. These new features may be interpreted as arising from double-electron-excitation processes involving an $M$ electron as well as the $K$ electron. The first new resonance line lies about 22 eV above the first line in the previously observed single-electron-excitation resonance structure. No additional resonance structure was found in the region from zero to about 50 eV.
Fitness Analyses of Vesicular Stomatitis Strains with Rearranged Genomes Reveal Replicative Disadvantages

Gene expression of the nonsegmented negative-strand RNA viruses is determined by the position of each gene relative to that the single 3' promoter. The general order of genes among all of the viruses of the order Mononegavirales is highly conserved. In previous work we generated recombinant viruses in which the order of the three central genes of the prototypical rhabdovirus, vesicular stomatitis virus, was rearranged to all six possible permutations. While some of these viruses replicated less well than the wild type when assayed by single-step growth analyses in BSC-1 cells, others replicated as well or slightly better. In the work reported here, we used competition assays to compare the fitness of the viruses with alternative gene orders to that of the wild-type (wt) virus. We found that the relative fitness of these recombinant viruses depended on the multiplicity of infection (MOI) but not on the population size. However, during competitions at low MOI, when complementation cannot compensate for the defects of the populations with rearranged genomes, the virus with the wt gene order was always the most fit.
Very high-power 1310nm InP single mode distributed feed back laser diode with reduced linewidth

High power single mode InGaAsP/InP DFB laser diodes with narrow linewidth and emitting near 1310nm are key devices for Analog transmission and Sensor applications since they can be rugged and compact sources more suited to harsh environment than solid-state or fiber-based lasers. Typically, the useful output power of DFB sources is limited to about 100mW when sub-MHz linewidth is required Ref [1] by the so-called "re-broadening effect" which causes the spectral linewidth to increase due to spatial-hole burning and other effects. We report here sub-MHz linewidth at output power levels exceeding 500mW resulting from cavity design that successfully addresses the concerns of linewidth re-broadening. Single-frequency operation can be maintained from threshold to the high power operating point without mode hops.
Consideration of system of systems and service systems as complimentary approaches for healthcare problems

The purpose of this paper is to consider key features of a system of systems and service systems approach in the context of healthcare service. The investigation is motivated by the increasing demand for improvement in patient outcomes in terms of quality, reliability and cost of care. We hypothesize that an integration of system of systems and service systems approaches may yield benefits in terms of both correct and complete representation of healthcare services and applicability of associated modeling tools to solve problems. The paper shows an initial mapping of this integration after the salient features of the two bodies of knowledge are described in the context of an information intensive healthcare delivery system.
“Chlorine-based Reactive Ion Etching Process to Pattern Platinum for MEMS Applications”

We have developed platinum (Pt) deposition and chlorine-based Reactive Ion Etch (RIE) processes that are needed to deposit, pattern and embed electrodes deep within a MEMS process flow. Various combinations of chlorinebased gases were tested to find the optimum gas mixture for RIE. A 1: 0.4 mixture ratio of pure chlorine to argon and 100-150 Watts of RF microwave power were found to be optimum conditions for the RIE of platinum metal. The addition of argon gas to chlorine was found to contribute to the anisotropic etching of platinum, obtaining vertical shaped sidewall patterns. A simple model of the platinum etching mechanism is proposed. Following the plasma enhanced formation of platinum and chlorine ions, volatile products of platinum chlorides were formed and driven away at elevated temperature. As a demonstration of our RIE process, micron-sized platinum patterns with vertical sidewalls were fabricated. Etch chemistry was investigated using ToF SIMS analysis. This etch technique will be useful to device developers intending to use the unique properties of platinum metal as an electrode that is deeply embedded within a MEMS process flow.
Glucose regulates transcription in yeast through a network of signaling pathways

Addition of glucose to yeast cells increases their growth rate and results in a massive restructuring of their transcriptional output. We have used microarray analysis in conjunction with conditional mutations to obtain a systems view of the signaling network responsible for glucose-induced transcriptional changes. We found that several well-studied signaling pathways—such as Snf1 and Rgt—are responsible for specialized but limited responses to glucose. However, 90% of the glucose-induced changes can be recapitulated by the activation of protein kinase A (PKA) or by the induction of PKB (Sch9). Blocking signaling through Sch9 does not interfere with the glucose response, whereas blocking signaling through PKA does. We conclude that both Sch9 and PKA regulate a massive, nutrient-responsive transcriptional program promoting growth, but that they do so in response to different nutritional inputs. Moreover, activating PKA completely recapitulates the transcriptional growth program in the absence of any increase in growth or metabolism, demonstrating that activation of the growth program results solely from the cell's perception of its nutritional status.
Fever of unknown origin (FUO) due to cyclic neutropenia with relative bradycardia

Fever of unknown origin (FUO) is the diagnosis associated with a variety of infectious, neoplastic, or rheumatic/inflammatory disorders. FUOs are associated with fevers of > or = 101 degrees F for > or = 3 weeks that remain undiagnosed after intensive in-hospital or ambulatory investigation. Many FUOs caused by rheumatic/inflammatory disorders are particularly difficult to diagnose because of the lack of specific diagnostic tests for many of these disorders. Several causes of obscure rheumatic/inflammatory fevers with a genetic ethnic or geographic disposition can be eliminated by history alone. Among the obscure rheumatic/inflammatory causes of FUO is cyclic neutropenia. Cyclic neutropenia is a rare disorder that may occur with autosomally dominant transmission or sporadically. As a cause of FUO, cyclic neutropenia is exceedingly rare. The clinical diagnosis of cyclic neutropenia is made by recognizing fever cycle periodicity as multiples of 7 days, that is, most commonly at 21 or 28-day intervals. The severity of cyclic neutropenia symptoms varies; a severe attack may be preceded by 1 or more less-severe attacks. If cyclic neutropenia is suspected and attacks occur at 21 or 28-day intervals, then the clinician should try to relate leukopenia to symptoms. Patients with cyclic neutropenia may have myalgias, fever, pharyngitis, oral ulcers, or bilateral anterior cervical adenitis. Fever may be accompanied by a pulse-temperature deficit, that is, relative bradycardia, which may provide an additional clue to the diagnosis of cyclic neutropenia. The diagnosis of cyclic neutropenia is straightforward if leukopenia is present when the patient is symptomatic. With cyclic neutropenia, clinicians should keep in mind that neutropenia may precede the patient's symptoms by 3 to 5 days and a complete blood cell count should be obtained to detect neutropenia 3 to 5 days before episodes and at the onset of symptoms. We believe this is the first reported case of FUO caused by cyclic neutropenia with relative bradycardia.
Roles of individual domains in the function of DHX29, an essential factor required for translation of structured mammalian mRNAs

On most eukaryotic mRNAs, initiation codon selection involves base-by-base inspection of 5′ UTRs by scanning ribosomal complexes. Although the eukaryotic initiation factors 4A/4B/4G can mediate scanning through medium-stability hairpins, scanning through more stable structures additionally requires DHX29, a member of the superfamily 2 DEAH/RNA helicase A (RHA) helicase family that binds to 40S subunits and possesses 40S-stimulated nucleoside triphosphatase (NTPase) activity. Here, sequence alignment and structural modeling indicated that DHX29 comprises a unique 534-aa–long N-terminal region (NTR), central catalytic RecA1/RecA2 domains containing a large insert in the RecA2 domain, and the C-terminal part, which includes winged-helix, ratchet, and oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding (OB) domains that are characteristic of DEAH/RHA helicases. Functional characterization revealed that specific ribosomal targeting is required for DHX29’s activity in initiation and is determined by elements that map to the NTR and to the N-terminal half of the winged-helix domain. The ribosome-binding determinant located in the NTR was identified as a putative double-stranded RNA-binding domain. Mutational analyses of RecA1/RecA2 domains confirmed the essential role of NTP hydrolysis for DHX29’s function in initiation and validated the significance of a β-hairpin protruding from RecA2. The large RecA2 insert played an autoinhibitory role in suppressing DHX29’s intrinsic NTPase activity but was not essential for its 40S-stimulated NTPase activity and function in initiation. Deletion of the OB domain also increased DHX29's basal NTPase activity, but more importantly, abrogated the responsiveness of the NTPase activity to stimulation, which abolished DHX29's function in initiation. This finding suggests that the OB domain, which is specific for DEAH/RHA helicases, plays an important role in their NTPase cycle.
Perampanel: newly approved, novel antiepileptic medication for partial-onset seizures

Evaluation of: French JA, Krauss GL, Steinhoff BJ et al. Evaluation of adjunctive perampanel in patients with refractory partial-onset seizures: Results of randomized global Phase III study 305. Epilepsia doi:10.1111/j.1528-1167.2012.03638.x (2012) (Epub ahead of print).Epilepsy is characterized by two or more unprovoked seizures. The number of individuals burdened by recurrent seizures in the USA alone is approximated at around 2 million, with the vast majority of patients maintained on chronic medical management for appropriate seizure control. Perampanel is an oral, noncompetitive antagonist of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid-type glutamate receptor that has been approved by the European Medicines Agency and the US FDA under the trade name Fycompa® (Eisai Medical Research Laboratories, Hatfield, UK) as an adjunct treatment of partial-onset seizures in patients aged ≥12 years. The article under review is a Phase III randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study that demonstrat...
The Definition of the Supernatural

With the ultimate purpose of helping to clarify thought on the subject of the supernatural, the present essay is a study of usage mostly in Christian history and particularly of today. It therefore notes the meanings which seem to be assigned to the word and to its synonyms and associates; and it includes some criticism of usage, according to the accepted laws of thought, such as may contribute to the purpose of clarification.
Serological Types among Thirty-one Strains of the Ciliated Protozoan Tetrahymena pyriformis*

SYNOPSIS. Unabsorbed, complement-inactivated antisera produced in rabbits were used in an immobilization system to study the serology of 31 strains of Tetrahymena pyriformis grown in axenic cultures at 26°C. Fourteen serological “groups” were found: 1. “H”: H, E, S, GC, L3, W, T, GHH, G1-R and sublines W-P and T-P; 2. “PR”: PR; 3. “GL”: GL; 4. “LR”: LR; 5. “L1”: L1 and L2; 6. “GP”: GP and Ch-S; 7. “WH”: WH6, WH14 and WH52; 8. “N”: N and HS; 9. “Y”: Y and TC; 10. “AA”: AA1, AA2 and AA4; 11. “F”: F and BF; 12. “Gf-J”: Gf-J; 13. “EZ”: EZ; 14. “Lava”: Lava. Not all of these “groups” were completely distinct; weak or variable cross-reactions occurring for particular cultures and antisera during the course of several years of observation suggested a relationship in terms of serotype potentialities, for strains in groups 1 and 2, and in groups 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Non-reciprocal cross-reactions are tentatively explained in terms of population fluctuations of serotype within particular cultures; several other suggested explanations remain possible. On the whole, however, the strains remained remarkably stable in dominant serotype. Observations on Tetrahymena in paralyzing antisera, with respect to the extrusion of a gelatinous exudate, in general confirmed previous observations by others. “Chain” formation was noted upon recovery, under conditions suggesting that the chains do not always derive entirely from incomplete cytokinesis of dividing organisms but that at least sometimes an aggregation of separate individuals is also involved. Synchronized division was observed for recovering organisms. A gelatinous material was obtained by centrifugation of a large number of individuals; this material provided a degree of protection to the organisms against antiserum effects while other colloidal materials did not, but the protective effects proved nonspecific in the sense that they were not confined to particular strain-antiserum combinations.
Assessing quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer: cross-validation of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Head and Neck module (QLQ-H&N35).

Objective To evaluate the reliability and validity of a new, disease-specific quality-of-life measure for patients with head and neck cancer: the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire—QLQ-H&N35. Design Cross-sectional study using questionnaire data and medical chart review. Setting Academic tertiary care otolaryngology clinic. Participants One hundred twenty ambulatory patients, including 30 patients with advanced head and neck cancer in each of the following stages of treatment: (1) prior to treatment, (2) during active treatment, (3) within 6 months of completing treatment, and (4) more than 6 months after completing treatment. In addition, (5) a comparison group of 40 patients without malignant disease was included (total sample, N=160). Main Outcome Measures Scores on EORTC Quality of Life Core Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and head and neck module (QLQ-H&N35), Profile of Mood States, and Impact of Events Scale. Results The QLQ-H&N35 demonstrated acceptable reliability (internal consistency). It successfully discriminated between cancer patients and the comparison group, and among subgroups of cancer patients at different phases of treatment (construct validity). The instrument was sensitive to the effects of radiation treatment and to site of disease. Its low-to-moderate correlations with the EORTC core questionnaire indicated that the QLQ-H&N35 provided unique information (discriminant validity). Scores were significantly associated with a number of demographic variables. Conclusion Results support the use of this disease-specific measure to assess quality of life among patients with advanced head and neck cancer.
Total Evidence Versus Relevant Evidence: A Response to O'Leary et al. (2003)

THEWISSEN, J. G. M., E. M. WILLIAMS, L. J. ROE, AND S. T. HUSSAIN. 2001. Skeletons of terrestrial cetaceans and the relationships of whales to artiodactyls. Nature 413:277–281. TUCKER, A. S., K. L. MATHEWS, AND P. T. SHARPE. 1998 Transformation of tooth type induced by inhibition of BMP signaling. Science 282:1136–1138. TUCKER, A. S., AND P. T. SHARPE. 1999. Molecular genetics of tooth morphogenesis and patterning: The right shape in the right place. J. Dent. Res. 78:826–834. WAGNER, G. P. 1989. The origin of morphological characters and the biological basis of homology. Evolution 43:1157–1171.
New adaptive algorithms in Liapunov synthesis

The speeds of the adaptive response of Lyapunov-designed adaptive systems are related to some extent to the degree of stability of the system. A generalized quadratic Lyapunov function is constructed to allow several new adaptive algorithms to be synthesized. The new algorithms each improve the degree of stability over previously reported adaptive algorithms. A root-locus analysis substantiates the improvement in response speed. While the framework for this short paper is that of full-state model-reference adaptation, the synthesis is applicable to systems employing output measurement, such as reduced-order model-reference systems [5] or an adaptive observer [20].
Intelligence or Misorientation? Eurocentrism in the WISC-III

Intelligence testing with children of African descent has a turbulent history. Cultural biases in test content, administration, and standardization procedures have resulted in inappropriate diagnostic classifications for many African American children. Yet, intelligence testing continues to enjoy widespread clinical practice, and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Third Edition (WISC‐III) is one of the most popular tests. This article examines the Eurocentric basis of the test and reveals the WISC‐III’s antagonistic and incompatible relationship to an Africentric conception of intellectual and mental health. The dog that learns how to bury bones and to hunt more effectively for meat to feed himself and his family—that dog is educated. When that dog learns how to stand on its two hind legs and wear a dress and dance to music, that dog is simply trained. He is miseducated. He is cute, and you will pay money to see him do it, but he is not an educated dog; he is a trained dog. (Akbar, 1982, p. 3) Akbar’s distinction between education and training is a critical one. It highlights the difference between behaviors that promulgate the growth, well-being, and indeed the survival of an organism, and those that simply give the illusion of a mental acuity. A typical dictionary definition of education might be “the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge and of developing the powers of reasoning and judgment” (Random House College Dictionary, 1988). However, this definition falls short if this general
Uptake, translocation, and metabolism of sulfentrazone in peanut, prickly sida (Sida spinosa), and pitted morningglory (Ipomoea lacunosa)

Abstract Studies were conducted to evaluate uptake, translocation, and metabolism of root-absorbed 14C-sulfentrazone in peanut, prickly sida, and pitted morningglory. Peanut absorbed more than five and three times greater 14C-sulfentrazone than pitted morningglory and prickly sida, respectively. All plant species translocated appreciable amounts (≥ 39%) of radioactivity to the leaves. The three plant species had some capacity to metabolize 14C-sulfentrazone. At 3 h after treatment, 7, 29, and 71% of the radioactivity in the shoots of peanut, prickly sida, and pitted morningglory, respectively, was sulfentrazone. Sulfentrazone levels in the shoots at 3 and 6 h after treatment correspond to reported tolerance levels, with peanut being the most tolerant of the three species, whereas prickly sida and pitted morningglory are moderately tolerant and completely susceptible to sulfentrazone, respectively. Levels of metabolites varied among species, plant part, and harvest timing. On the basis of these data, toler...
Advanced soft magnetic materials for high frequency and high power application

Fundamental principles to develop soft magnetic materials with high permeability, frequency, and power are discussed. With these guidelines, advanced soft magnetic materials for high frequency (>1MHz) and high power applications have been developed based on three materials platforms: soft magnetic nanocomposite (SMNC), modified NiZn ferrites (SMNZ3M), and ferroxplanar ferrites (SMMDFZ). SMNZ3M can be optimized for applications in the frequency range of 1–30MHz, and SMNC and SMMDFZ can be used above 10–500MHz. Our results show SMNZ3M has high frequency properties that are suitable for power electronics applications.
An efficient method for geo-referenced video mosaicing for environmental monitoring

Environmental monitoring applications require seamless registration of optical data into large area mosaics that are geographically referenced to the world frame. Using frame-by-frame image registration alone, we can obtain seamless mosaics, but it will not exhibit geographical accuracy due to frame-to-frame error accumulation. On the other hand, the 3D geo-data from GPS, a laser profiler, an INS system provides a globally correct track of the motion without error propagation. However, the inherent (absolute) errors in the instrumentation are large for seamless mosaicing. The paper describes an effective two-track method for combining two different sources of data to achieve a seamless and geo-referenced mosaic, without 3D reconstruction or complex global registration. Experiments with real airborne video images show that the proposed algorithms are practical in important environmental applications.
Mapping phonemic processing zones along human perisylvian cortex: an electro-corticographic investigation

The auditory system is organized such that progressively more complex features are represented across successive cortical hierarchical stages. Just when and where the processing of phonemes, fundamental elements of the speech signal, is achieved in this hierarchy remains a matter of vigorous debate. Non-invasive measures of phonemic representation have been somewhat equivocal. While some studies point to a primary role for middle/anterior regions of the superior temporal gyrus (STG), others implicate the posterior STG. Differences in stimulation, task and inter-individual anatomical/functional variability may account for these discrepant findings. Here, we sought to clarify this issue by mapping phonemic representation across left perisylvian cortex, taking advantage of the excellent sampling density afforded by intracranial recordings in humans. We asked whether one or both major divisions of the STG were sensitive to phonemic transitions. The high signal-to-noise characteristics of direct intracranial recordings allowed for analysis at the individual participant level, circumventing issues of inter-individual anatomic and functional variability that may have obscured previous findings at the group level of analysis. The mismatch negativity (MMN), an electrophysiological response elicited by changes in repetitive streams of stimulation, served as our primary dependent measure. Oddball configurations of pairs of phonemes, spectro-temporally matched non-phonemes, and simple tones were presented. The loci of the MMN clearly differed as a function of stimulus type. Phoneme representation was most robust over middle/anterior STG/STS, but was also observed over posterior STG/SMG. These data point to multiple phonemic processing zones along perisylvian cortex, both anterior and posterior to primary auditory cortex. This finding is considered within the context of a dual stream model of auditory processing in which functionally distinct ventral and dorsal auditory processing pathways may be engaged by speech stimuli.
Antimicrobial Activities of Ceragenins against Clinical Isolates of Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

The rise in the rates of glycopeptide resistance among Staphylococcus aureus isolates is concerning and underscores the need for the development of novel potent compounds. Ceragenins CSA-8 and CSA-13, cationic steroid molecules that mimic endogenous antimicrobial peptides, have previously been demonstrated to possess broad-spectrum activities against multidrug-resistant bacteria. We examined the activities of CSA-8 and CSA-13 against clinical isolates of vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA), heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (hVISA), as well as vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) and compared them to those of daptomycin, linezolid, and vancomycin by susceptibility testing and killing curve analysis. We also examined CSA-13 for its concentration-dependent activity, inoculum effect, postantibiotic effect (PAE), and synergy in combination with various antimicrobials. Overall, the MICs and minimal bactericidal concentrations of CSA-13 were fourfold lower than those of CSA-8. Time-kill curve analysis of the VRSA, VISA, and hVISA clinical isolates demonstrated concentration-dependent bactericidal killing. An inoculum effect was also observed when a higher starting bacterial density was used, with the time required to achieve 99.9% killing reaching 1 h with a 6-log 10 -CFU/ml starting inoculum, whereas it was ≥24 h with a 8- to 9-log 10 -CFU/ml starting inoculum with 10× the MIC ( P ≤ 0.001). A concentration-dependent PAE was demonstrated with CSA-13, nearly doubling from 2× to 4× the MIC ( P = 0.03). With respect to the CSA-13 antimicrobial combinations, time-kill curve analysis showed no difference in the log 10 CFU/ml at 24 h for the majority of the organisms tested. However, early synergy at 4 to 8 h was detected against the VRSA Pennsylvania strain (2002) when CSA-13 was tested in combination with gentamicin, while early additivity was demonstrated against all of the other organisms.
Building a Root: The Control of Patterning and Morphogenesis during Root Development

Roots are plant organs adapted to acquire water and nutrients from the environment. The rapid exploratory growth habit of roots makes them well suited for experimental studies of organogenesis in plants. In this regard, one particularly advantageous feature of root development is that tissues and cell types arise from an apical meristem that is relatively simple in structure. Moreover, root development is not complicated by the formation of lateral appendages at the apex (Esau, 1965). The resulting regular arrangement of tissue and cell types simplifies the analysis of pattern formation and enables us to predict accurately the developmental history and fate of each of the tissues and cells from their location. Furthermore, cellular studies of root development are aided by the transparent nature of roots, and genetic analyses profit from the fact that roots of numerous seedlings growing on media of defined composition can be observed. In this review, we describe studies that are beginning to uncover the fundamental mechanisms controlling root development, with particular emphasis on the analysis of tissue and cell-type patterning. These studies point toward the general view that patterning in the root is largely guided by positional cues that are established during embryogenesis and maintained during postembryonic root development. Moreover, recent genetic and physical manipulations of developing root cells have led to new insights into the plasticity of root development.
Antimicrobial stewardship: attempting to preserve a strategic resource

Antimicrobials hold a unique place in our drug armamentarium. Unfortunately the increase in resistance among both gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens coupled with a lack of new antimicrobial agents is threatening our ability to treat infections. Antimicrobial use is the driving force behind this rise in resistance and much of this use is suboptimal. Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) have been advocated as a strategy to improve antimicrobial use. The goals of ASP are to improve patient outcomes while minimizing toxicity and selection for resistant strains by assisting in the selection of the correct agent, right dose, and best duration. Two major strategies for ASP exist: restriction/pre-authorization that controls use at the time of ordering and audit and feedback that reviews ordered antimicrobials and makes suggestions for improvement. Both strategies have some limitations, but have been effective at achieving stewardship goals. Other supplemental strategies such as education, clinical prediction rules, biomarkers, clinical decision support software, and institutional guidelines have been effective at improving antimicrobial use. The most effective antimicrobial stewardship programs have employed multiple strategies to impact antimicrobial use. Using these strategies stewardship programs have been able to decrease antimicrobial use, the spread of resistant pathogens, the incidence of C. difficile infection, pharmacy costs, and improved patient outcomes. Keywords: antimicrobial stewardship; resistance; pre-authorization; audit and feedback (Published: 18 July 2011) Citation: Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives 2011, 1 : 7209 - DOI: 10.3402/jchimp.v1i2.7209