cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inbreeding depression and male-mating behavior in Drosophila melanogaster.

There have been relatively few studies designed to investigate the effects of inbreeding on behavioral traits. To study this phenomenon, five experimental lines ofDrosophila melanogaster made isogenic for chromosome 2 were evaluated for their male-mating ability and, subsequently, male courtship behavior. All lines showed significant reductions in overall mating ability, and males from all of these lines displayed impaired mating behavior, with two lines displaying particularly aberrant courtship patterns. Line 16 displayed an inability to successfully initiate copulation following successful courtship, while line 17 displayed significant reduction in locomotor activity, resulting in virtually no successful courtship or copulatory activity. The implications of these findings for competitive mating ability in wildDrosophila populations are presented. Further, the importance of mating success as a fitness component in the management of potentially highly inbred populations of endangered species is discussed.
A student-use: hierarchical data base management system

The use of Data Base Management Systems as a teaching tool in Data Management classes is described. Several alternate student-use DBMS are evaluated including GPLAN, IDBS, WAND, and DL/S. DL/S, developed at Temple University, is a limited subset of IMS designed for classroom use. However, the limitations do not prevent the student from learning how to interface with a DBMS during the implementation of a course project. An overview of the DL/S data definition language (DDL) and data manipulation language (DML) is presented along with a discussion of its implementation and associated limitations.
The thyroid-stimulating hormone of the anterior pituitary as distinct from the exophthalmos-producing substance.

FOR almost two decades it has been known that anterior pituitary extracts when injected into animals produce hyperplasia of the thyroid and exophthalmos. Probably owing to the frequent coexistence of these two features in patients with Graves’ disease, it has been generally assumed that the hyperplasia of the thyroid and the exophthalmos in the experimental animals were caused by the same pituitary factor, the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). From observations (Dobyns, 1946a, 1946b) on the exophthalmos producing activity of a variety of TSH preparations, it has become apparent that more striking exophthalmos was produced by some extracts than others although hyperplasia of the thyroid was produced by all. It has beenreported by Jefferies (1949) that following the iodination of pituitary extract the thyroid stimulating material was inactivated but some exophthalmos producing activity remained. On the other hand, Dobyns and Rawson (1951) have found that an extract rich in TSH when exposed to thyroid tissu...
Comparison of two Odonata communities from a natural and a modified rainforest in Papua New Guinea

Abstract The Odonata fauna of Papua New Guinea is species-rich, but human population growth and resulting modification of primary rainforests may lead to a loss of valuable habitat and species diversity. In this study, I compared the odonate assemblages of a natural tropical rainforest and a modified forest in order to assess the loss that could result from human forest alteration. I collected odonates and recorded habitat use at both study sites for several weeks. The assemblages were compared with similarity indices, and total species richness was estimated using a jackknife procedure. The natural forest community, with 61 species, had both a higher diversity and evenness than the village community, with 38 species. Altogether I found 78 species of 13 families, of which 21 were shared between the two areas. Among the families with more than one species, Megapodagrionidae and Libellulidae had the highest similarity between the two sites, whereas Coenagrionidae and Platycnemididae had fairly dissimilar co...
Genetic complementation between Escherichia coli RNA polymerase mutants

Summary Two RNA polymerase mutations, rif r and T s 103, are independently expressed, regardless of growth conditions or allelic configurations. They are thus presumed to reside in cistrons coding for different subunits of the enzyme.
The mechanism of release of P-TEFb and HEXIM1 from the 7SK snRNP by viral and cellular activators includes a conformational change in 7SK.

Background The positive transcription elongation factor, P-TEFb, is required for the production of mRNAs, however the majority of the factor is present in the 7SK snRNP where it is inactivated by HEXIM1. Expression of HIV-1 Tat leads to release of P-TEFb and HEXIM1 from the 7SK snRNP in vivo, but the release mechanisms are unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings We developed an in vitro P-TEFb release assay in which the 7SK snRNP immunoprecipitated from HeLa cell lysates using antibodies to LARP7 was incubated with potential release factors. We found that P-TEFb was directly released from the 7SK snRNP by HIV-1 Tat or the P-TEFb binding region of the cellular activator Brd4. Glycerol gradient sedimentation analysis was used to demonstrate that the same Brd4 protein transfected into HeLa cells caused the release of P-TEFb and HEXIM1 from the 7SK snRNP in vivo. Although HEXIM1 binds tightly to 7SK RNA in vitro, release of P-TEFb from the 7SK snRNP is accompanied by the loss of HEXIM1. Using a chemical modification method, we determined that concomitant with the release of HEXIM1, 7SK underwent a major conformational change that blocks re-association of HEXIM1. Conclusions/Significance Given that promoter proximally paused polymerases are present on most human genes, understanding how activators recruit P-TEFb to those genes is critical. Our findings reveal that the two tested activators can extract P-TEFb from the 7SK snRNP. Importantly, we found that after P-TEFb is extracted a dramatic conformational change occurred in 7SK concomitant with the ejection of HEXIM1. Based on our findings, we hypothesize that reincorporation of HEXIM1 into the 7SK snRNP is likely the regulated step of reassembly of the 7SK snRNP containing P-TEFb.
Latent structure of intermittent explosive disorder in an epidemiological sample

Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is characterized by distinct periods of impulsive aggression marked by assaultive acts or destruction of property. However, impulsive aggression is also a feature of other disorders, all of which are viewed in diagnostic nomenclature as qualitatively distinct from IED. This state of affairs is problematic for categorical models unless it is demonstrated empirically that IED-related impulsive aggression is qualitatively distinct from impulsive aggression observable in other axis I and II disorders. The current study addresses this question using taxometric methods to examine the latent structure of IED. Participants were respondents on the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiological Surveys, which obtained data on a range of disorders including intermittent explosive disorder (N = 20,013) and a range of psychological variables. Indicator variables used were drawn from the survey items and submitted to select taxometric methods (MAMBAC and MAXEIG) to determine the relative fits of a taxonic versus dimensional model. The results of taxometric analyses provided support for a taxonic, rather than dimensional, structure for IED symptoms in the epidemiological sample. Taxon group membership was associated with treatment seeking, family history of anger attacks, lower age of onset of anger attacks, and male biological sex, providing strong support for the validity of the IED taxon.
Core reconstruction of the 90 ° partial dislocation in nonpolar semiconductors

We investigate the energetics of the single-period and double-period core reconstructions of the $90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ partial dislocation in the homopolar semiconductors C, Si, and Ge. The double-period geometry is found to be lower in energy in all three materials, and the energy difference between the two geometries is shown to follow the same trends as the energy gap and the stiffness. Both structures are fully reconstructed, consisting entirely of fourfold coordinated atoms. They differ primarily in the detail of the local strains introduced by the two reconstructions in the core region. The double-period structure is shown to introduce smaller average bond-length deviations, at the expense of slightly larger average bond-angle bending distortions, with respect to the single-period core. The balance between these two strain components leads to the lower energy of the double-period reconstruction.
"Doing phenomenology, becoming phenomenological: The evolution of person and practice"

This paper revisits the phenomenological method with particular focus on how it is meaningful for the author. The effort is to present this method as a personal journey that has evolved over 13 yea...
Evolution of consumption distribution and model of wealth distribution in China between 1995 and 2012

Abstract We study the evolution of the distribution of consumption of individuals in the majority population in China during the period 1995–2012 and find that its probability density functions (PDFs) obey the rule P c ( x ) = K ( x − μ ) e − ( x − μ ) 2 2 σ 2 . We also find (i) that the PDFs and the individual income distribution appear to be identical, (ii) that the peaks of the PDFs of the individual consumption distribution are consistently on the low side of the PDFs of the income distribution, and (iii) that the average of the marginal propensity to consume (MPC) is large, M P C ¯ = 0.77 , indicating that in the majority population individual consumption is low and strongly dependent on income. The long right tail of the PDFs of consumption indicates that few people in China are participating in the high consumption economy, and that consumption inequality is high. After comparing the PDFs of consumption with the PDFs of income we obtain the PDFs of residual wealth during the period 1995–2012, which exhibit a Gaussian distribution. We use an agent-based kinetic wealth-exchange model (KWEM) to simulate this evolutional process and find that this Gaussian distribution indicates a strong propensity to save rather than spend. This may be due to an anticipation of such large potential outlays as housing, education, and health care in the context of an inadequate welfare support system.
Dynamic interactions between Main Street and Wall Street

Abstract The paper examines the time-varying relationship between Main Street and Wall Street (proxied by the Dow–Jones industrial index and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index) using cointegration and error-correction techniques. Preliminary results reveal that each pair of series is bounded by a long-run, common stochastic trend and is characterized by significant short-run interactions. The results point to significant inverse effects of lagged GDP changes on the stock price index fluctuations but not vice versa. A suggested interpretation of this finding is that when the economy is doing well then increases in interest rates are expected which would, in turn, adversely affect the stock market.
The failure and future of information technology policies in Eastern Europe

Abstract Underlying the collapse of the decades-old socialist regimes of Eastern Europe is their failure, or more specifically the failure of their technology policies, to provide even the hope of parity with the west. This article examines the evidence and reasons for the failure of East European technology policy as well as the likely impact of a systemic transformation. In so doing its primary focus is the development of information technology (IT) in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). This case study permits useful generalizations for understanding both the failure of East European technology policy and the implications for technology development and application inherent in the new trends of marketization, integration, demilitarization, and democratization.
Ranges of circadian period length.

Quantitative Untersuchungen zur Haufigkeitsverteilung circadianer Periodenlangen der SchabeLeucophaea maderae zeigen, dass diese Art ein sehr enges Periodenspektrum besitzt. Die lichtbedingten Abweichungen von 24 h betragen im Mittel nur±0,35 h oder 1,5%. Die Befunde werden mit Angaben der Literatur verglichen.
ANATOMY OF IMMATURE GRAINS OF EIGHT MATERNAL EFFECT SHRUNKEN ENDOSPERM BARLEY MUTANTS

The anatomical basis for the shrunken endosperm phenotype of eight recessive maternal effect mutants (segl-seg8) of barley (Hordeum valgare L.) is described. Plants which are homozygous recessive for these nuclear genes produce only shrunken seeds regardless of pollen source. Light microscopy revealed that four of the mutants, segl, seg3, seg6, and seg7, exhibited premature termination of grain filling because of the necrosis and crushing of the chalaza and nucellar projection of the pericarp early in the grain-filling period, resulting in thin, wrinkled seed. Endosperm growth of these mutants before the occurrence of chalazal necrosis seemed normal. The other four mutants exhibited characteristic abnormalities in the endosperm growth pattern but normal development of maternal-origin tissues. Endosperm size was severely reduced in seg2, in which two flat columns of tissue were present with no central endosperm. Seg4 and seg5 developed distorted, disorganized endosperms of variable size. Endosperms of seg8 developed as two well-filled lobes with no central endosperm, resulting in a distinct dorsal crease. We suggest that the mutants are useful as probes to study maternal effects on endosperm development. THERE EXISTS a series of eight maternal effect, spontaneous, shrunken endosperm mutants of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) designated seglseg8 which has been studied genetically but without reference to the detailed anatomy of the phenotypes (Jarvi and Eslick, 1975; Ra
Trends in US Women's Use of Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Services, 1995–2002

I examined the 1995 and 2002 National Survey of Family Growth for patterns and trends in the use of sexual and reproductive health care services by US women according to type of provider. The percentage of women reporting receipt of contraceptive services rose between 1995 and 2002 (from 36% to 41%), and the level and mix of services received varied considerably according to type of provider. Women visiting publicly funded providers received a broader mix of services than did clients of private providers.
Poststructuralism, cultural studies, and the composition classroom: Postmodern theory in practice

The uses of postmodern theory in rhetoric and composition studies have been the object of considerable abuse of late. Figures of some repute in the field-the likes of Maxine Hairston and Peter Elbow-as well as anonymous voices from the Burkean Parlor section of Rhetoric Review-most recently, TS, a graduate student, and KF, a voice speaking for "a general English teacher audience" (192)-have joined the chorus of protest. The charges have included willful obscurity, selfindulgence, elitism, pomposity, intellectual impoverishment, and a host of related offenses. Although my name usually appears among the accused, I am sympathetic with those undergoing the difficulties of the first encounter with this discussion. (I exclude Professor Hairston in her irresponsible charge that its recent contributors in College English are "low-risk Marxists who write very badly" [695] and who should be banned from NCTE publications.) I experienced the same frustration when I first encountered the different but closely related language of rhetoric and composition studies some fifteen years ago. I wondered, for example, if I would ever grasp the complexities of Aristotle or Quintilian or Kenneth Burke or I. A. Richards, not to mention the new language of the writing process. A bit later I was introduced to French poststructuralism, and once again I found myself wandering in strange seas, and this time alone. In reading rhetoric, after all, I had the benefit of numerous commentators to help me along-the work of Kinneavy and Lauer and Corbett and Emig, for example. In reading Foucault and Derrida in the late seventies, on the other hand, I was largely on my own since the commentaries were as difficult as the originals, and those few that were readable were often (as even I could see) wrong. Nonetheless, with the help of informal reading groups made up of colleagues and students, I persisted in my efforts to come to terms with this difficult body of thought. I was then, as now, convinced that both rhetorical studies and postmodern speculation offered strikingly convergent and remarkably compelling visions for conducting my life as a teacher and a citizen. It is clear to me that rhetoric and composition studies has arrived as a serious field of study because it has taken into account the best that has been thought and said about its concerns from the past and the present, and I have found that postmodern work in historical and contemporary rhetorical theory has done much to further this effort.
Coregistration of Magnetic Resonance and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography Images for Noninvasive Localization of Stem Cells Grafted in the Infarcted Rat Myocardium

This paper demonstrates the application of mutual information based coregistration of radionuclide and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in an effort to use multimodality imaging for noninvasive localization of stem cells grafted in the infarcted myocardium in rats. Radionuclide imaging such as single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) or positron emission tomography (PET) inherently has high sensitivity and is suitable for tracking of labeled stem cells, while high-resolution MRI is able to provide detailed anatomical and functional information of myocardium. Thus, coregistration of PET or SPECT images with MRI will map the location and distribution of stem cells on detailed myocardium structures. To validate this coregistration method, SPECT data were simulated by using a Monte Carlo-based projector that modeled the pinhole-imaging physics assuming nonzero diameter and photon penetration at the edge. Translational and rotational errors of the coregistration were examined with respect to various SPECT activities, and they are on average about 0.50 mm and 0.82 degrees , respectively. Only the rotational error is dependent on activity of SPECT data. Stem cells were labeled with (111)Indium oxyquinoline and grafted in the ischemic myocardium of a rat model. Dual-tracer small-animal SPECT images were acquired, which allowed simultaneous detection of (111)In-labeled stem cells and of [(99m)Tc]sestamibi to assess myocardial perfusion deficit. The same animals were subjected to cardiac MRI. A mutual-information-based coregistration method was then applied to the SPECT and MRIs. By coregistration, the (111)In signal from labeled cells was mapped into the akinetic region identified on cine MRIs; the regional perfusion deficit on the SPECT images also coincided with the akinetic region on the MR image.
Acute Pancreatitis Secondary to Hemobilia after Percutaneous Liver Biopsy

Percutaneous liver biopsy (PLB) is a valuable diagnostic tool. Complication rates vary depending on the technique used, experience of the physician, number of passes, bleeding parameters and other factors. Hemorrhage is a common complication after PLB and can present as intraperitoneal bleeding, intrahepatic or subcapsular hematoma, or rarely as hemobilia. Acute pancreatitis is a rare complication of hemobilia. We describe a single case of acute pancreatitis caused by biliary obstruction due to hemobilia following PLB. The obstruction was successfully managed with biliary stent drainage.
Primary adrenal lymphoma with choroidal metastases

Abstract PURPOSE: To describe a 71-year-old man with bilateral primary adrenal lymphoma with metastases to the choroid. DESIGN: Interventional case report. METHODS: A 71-year-old man presented with decreased visual acuity in his left eye secondary to an exudative retinal detachment. Abdominal computed tomography and percutaneous biopsy revealed non-Hodgkin large-cell lymphoma involving both adrenal glands. RESULTS: Ocular and adrenal lesions resolved after six cycles of chemotherapy with cytoxan, adriamycin, vincristine, and prednisone. Seven years after his initial diagnosis, the patient reported no recurrence of either ocular or systemic lymphoma. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first case report of bilateral primary adrenal lymphoma with apparent metastases exclusively to the eye.
Adults with ADHD. An overview

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common, genetically transmitted neurological disorder, with onset in childhood, probably mediated by decreased brain dopaminergic functioning. The first author was one of the earliest to describe the persistence of symptoms into adulthood. Prevalence and natural history data suggest that of the 3 to 10% of children diagnosed with ADHD, one- to two-thirds (somewhere between 1 and 6% of the general population) continue to manifest appreciable ADHD symptoms into adult life. This paper describes how ADHD in adults can be readily diagnosed and treated, despite resembling or coexisting with other psychiatric disorders. The Wender Utah diagnostic criteria address adult characteristics of the disorder. Informant and patient interviews and rating scales are used to determine the psychiatric status of the patient as a child, make a retroactive diagnosis of childhood ADHD, and establish the current diagnosis of the adult. Stringent diagnosis is key to determining effective treatment. Dopamine agonist stimulant medications appear to be the most effective in treating ADHD. About 60% of patients receiving stimulant medication showed moderate-to-marked improvement, as compared with 10% of those receiving placebo. The core symptoms of hyperactivity, inattention, mood lability, temper, disorganization, stress sensitivity, and impulsivity have been shown to respond to treatment with stimulant medications. Non-dopaminergic medications, such as the tricyclic antidepressants and SSRIs have generally not been useful in adults with ADHD in the absence of depression or dysthymia. Pemoline is no longer approved for use in these patients, despite early favorable reports. Appropriate management of adult patients with ADHD is multimodal. Psychoeducation, counseling, supportive problem-directed therapy, behavioral intervention, coaching, cognitive remediation, and couples and family therapy are useful adjuncts to medication management. Concurrent supportive psychosocial treatment or polypharmacy may be useful in treating the adult with comorbid ADHD.
Mechanical properties of human tendon and their age dependence

There are no previously published data on changes in the mechanical behaviors of human tendon from maturation in the second decade to senectitude in the seventh decade or thereafter. In this study, 44 tendons from individuals ranging in age from 16 to 88 yr were subjected to an extensive series of mechanical tests which included preconditioning, extensions at strain rates of 100 percent/s, 1 percent/s, and 0.01 percent/s, and stress relaxation with cyclic and constant extensions. Pairs of extensions at 1 percent/s were run throughout the protocol to evaluate the repeatability of tissue response. It was found that these responses changed little for any single sample within a pair of such tests; however, throughout the protocol, the peak stresses and moduli decreased. Extensions at different rates revealed a definite rate dependency of tendon responses with sample modulus being directly related to extension rate and slightly less hysteresis at 1 percent/s than at 100 percent/s or 0.01 percent/s. The load relaxation in samples subjected to either cyclic or constant extensions was generally best described by a linear function of the logarithm of time. The rate of relaxation with constant extension varied little with extension magnitude. The rate of relaxation in the cyclic tests was greater at 10 Hz than at 0.1 Hz. The results indicate that subject age has no effect on tendon modulus and a very small effect on hysteresis and relaxation. Extensive information on subject history was not available in this study for correlation with mechanical responses so that an age effect may have been masked by other variables, possibly health, diet, disease, or exercise.
Identification of 2-amino-2-methyl-4-phosphonobutanoic acid as an antagonist at the mGlu4a receptor

2-Amino-2-methyl-4-phosphonobutanoic acid (MAP4) was tested for interactions with the mGlu4a receptor which when expressed in baby hamster kidney (BHK570) cells couples to inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cAMP production. MAP4 had no agonist activity at this receptor and caused a concentration-dependent inhibition of the reduction in forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP formation elicited by L-2-amino-4-phosphonobutanoic acid (L-AP4). Inhibition by MAP4 was consistent with a competitive mechanism of action (Schild slope = 1.2) with a Ki of 190 microM. MAP4 is the first antagonist identified for the mGlu4a receptor.
Similarity of cytochrome c oxidases in different organisms

Most of biological oxygen reduction is catalyzed by the heme-copper oxygen reductases. These enzymes are redox-driven proton pumps that take part in generating the proton gradient in both prokaryotes and mitochondria that drives synthesis of ATP. The enzymes have been divided into three evolutionarily-related groups: the A-, B-, and C-families. Recent comparative studies suggest that all oxygen reductases perform the same chemistry for oxygen reduction and comprise the same essential elements of the proton pumping mechanism, such as the proton loading and kinetic gating sites, which, however, appear to be different in different families. All species of the A-family, however, demonstrate remarkable similarity of the central processing unit of the enzyme, as revealed by their recent crystal structures. Here we demonstrate that cytochrome c oxidases (CcO) of such diverse organisms as a mammal (bovine heart mitochondrial CcO), photosynthetic bacteria (Rhodobacter sphaeroides CcO), and soil bacteria (Paracoccus denitrificans CcO) are not only structurally similar, but almost identical in microscopic electrostatics and thermodynamics properties of their key amino-acids. By using pKa calculations of some of the key residues of the catalytic site, D- and K- proton input, and putative proton output channels of these three different enzymes, we demonstrate that the microscopic properties of key residues are almost identical, which strongly suggests the same mechanism in these species. The quantitative precision with which the microscopic physical properties of these enzymes have remained constant despite different evolutionary routes undertaken is striking. Proteins 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A self-organizing system for automatic information classification and retrieval

In Cybernetics, Norbert Wiener presents his thoughts on self-organizing systems as they react and adapt to their environment. In his chapter on Information, Language, and Society, he points out the “well-known tendency of libraries to become clogged by their own volume” and notes the limitations of classification schemes, largely because of the problem of integrating new subject matter into a predetermined classification code. This paper introduces a self-organizing system that builds on Norbert Wiener's thoughts. It addresses the problem of information overload we are all currently experiencing in “big data” environments. Analyses of command information flows during military crises have suggested an approach to ontogenetic learning that avoids both the problem of describing the subject covered in a document and the problem of integrating new subject matter into a predetermined classification code. “Reference-connected sets” are constructed from message traffic dealing with a crisis and have been found to uniquely identify operational events during the crisis. Such sets (and subsets if further refinement is desired} can be obtained in real-time and a method is demonstrated that automatically classifies messages as they enter the system. The system thus focuses on the evolution of subjects as represented by referenced documents upon which any “new” information is based, in a manner similar to Norbert Wiener's “emergent behavior”. The paper then develops measures of effectiveness and shows how reference-connected sets can be used in filtering and organizing information in both hierarchical and non-hierarchical organizations across local, national, and international boundaries.
Aerosol penetration through surgical masks.

Abstract Background: Surgical masks are used in hospitals to reduce postoperative infection in patients. The presence of aerosols containing pathogens makes it desirable to protect the medical staff as well. Methods: The collection efficiencies of surgical masks were measured with two aerosol-size spectrometers. The flow rates through the masks were varied from 5 to 100 L/min to study the flow dependency. For comparison, several industrial-type respirators were also tested. Results: A surgical mask consisting of filter material performed better than did a surgical mask consisting only of a shell with a coarse pore structure. The latter passed 80% of submicrometer-sized aerosols with little flow dependency, whereas the penetration of submicrometer-sized aerosols through the mask made of filter material ranged from 25% at a flow rate of 5 L/min to 70% at 100 L/min. Conclusions: The mask that has the highest collection efficiency is not necessarily the best mask from the perspective of the filter-quality factor, which considers not only the capture efficiency but also the air resistance. Although surgical mask media may be adequate to remove bacteria exhaled or expelled by health care workers, they may not be sufficient to remove the submicrometer-sized aerosols containing pathogens to which these health care workers are potentially exposed.
Volume scattering regions in the eastern tropical Pacific

Abstract Measurements at 12 kHz indicate that there are at least three regions in the eastern tropical Pacific that can be distinguished by volume sound scattering profiles. These regions are consistent with the known distribution of midwater fishes.
The pathologies of online display advertising marketplaces

Display advertising marketplaces place "banner" ads on all manner of popular sites. While these services are widely used, they suffer significant challenges, including weak user response and low accountability for both advertisers and web site publishers. I survey a few major challenges, flagging possible areas for future research.
Neutrophils and Wound Repair: Positive Actions and Negative Reactions

Significance: Neutrophils are one of the most abundant cells of the immune system and they are extremely active during the repair of cutaneous wounds. In general, the antimicrobial activity of neutrophils is effective and allows these cells to carry out their primary function of preventing wounds from becoming infected. Recent Advances: It is now known that in addition to sterilizing the wound, the weapons used by neutrophils to kill potential pathogens can also cause significant tissue damage to the host. This additional damage can lead to delayed healing and excessive scar formation. Critical Issues: Much of the host damage caused by neutrophils results from the activity of proteases secreted by these cells. The clinical significance of this problem is highlighted by numerous studies showing that high levels of neutrophil-derived proteases are associated with chronic, non-healing wounds. Future Directions: Studies are currently being performed to evaluate new ways of counteracting protease activity in c...
Water, temperature, and vegetation regulation of methyl chloride and methyl bromide fluxes from a shortgrass steppe ecosystem

Temperate grasslands are considered to be a significant sink for CH 3 Br, although large uncertainties exist about the magnitude of this sink because of a paucity of field measurements. Here, we report the results of a combined field and laboratory study that investigated the effects of water, temperature, and plant community composition on CH 3 Cl and CH 3 Br fluxes in a semiarid temperate grassland. A novel stable isotope tracer technique was also employed to deconvolute simultaneous production and oxidation of CH 3 Cl and CH 3 Br. Net and gross fluxes were measured from different land forms (ridges, floodplains) and cover types (grass-dominated, shrub-dominated) to capture a representative range of hydrologic regimes, temperatures, and plant communities. In field experiments, net CH 3 Cl and CH 3 Br uptake was observed at all grass-dominated sites (-400 ± 77 nmol CH 3 Cl m -2 day -1 and -3.4 ± 0.9 nmol CH 3 Brm -2 day 1), while net CH 3 Cl emission (439 ± 58 nmol CH 3 Cl m -2 day -1 ) was observed at sites dominated by the shrub Atriplex canescens, indicating that this plant is a strong CH 3 Cl producer. Gross CH 3 Cl and CH 3 Br oxidation were comparable with estimates from other dryland ecosystems (507 ± 115 nmol CH 3 Clm -2 day -1 and 9.1 ± 2.2 nmol CH 3 Br m -2 day 1), although CH 3 Br oxidation rates were at least five times lower than those observed in more mesic temperate grasslands. We suggest that estimates of the temperate grassland CH 3 Br sink should be reduced by >19% (≥ 1.8Ggyr -1 ) to account for the weaker sink strength of semiarid environments. Identification of A. canescens as a 'new' CH 3 Cl source may have important ramifications for the global atmospheric budget of CH 3 Cl, given the global distribution of this plant and its congeners and their widespread presence in many dryland ecosystems. Laboratory experiments revealed that soil water was the chief regulator of CH 3 Cl and CH 3 Br oxidation, while temperature had no observed effect between 14 and 26°C. Oxidation rates rose most rapidly between 0.4% and 5% volumetric water content, suggesting that methyl halide-oxidizing bacteria respond strongly to small inputs of water under the very driest conditions. Soil drying and rewetting experiments did not appear to affect the oxidation of CH 3 Cl and CH 3 Br by soil microorganisms, which are presumably adapted to frequent wet/dry cycles.
Prediction of absolute infrared intensities for the fundamental vibrations of H2O2

Absolute infrared intensities are predicted for the vibrational bands of gas‐phase H2O2, using a hydrogen atomic polar tensor transferred from the hydroxyl hydrogen atom of CH3OH. These predicted intensities are compared with intensities predicted using a hydrogen atomic polar tensor transferred from H2O. The predicted relative intensities agree well with published spectra of gas‐phase H2O2, and the predicted absolute intensities are expected to be accurate to within at least a factor of 2. Among the vibrational degrees of freedom, the antisymmetric O–H bending mode ν6 is found to be the strongest with a calculated intensity of 60.5 km mole−1. The torsional band, a consequence of hindered rotation, is found to be the most intense fundamental with a predicted intensity of 120 km mole−1. These results are compared with the recent absolute intensity determinations for the ν6 band.
Natural and Artificial Photoprotection

A solar simulator is described with collimated filtered radiation incorporating an optical integrator to more evenly diffuse the xenon 2.5 KW light source. Populations can be catogorized into skin types I-VI and the minimal erythema dose (MED) in each skin type measured in Joules/cm2 was compared to give a relative suntan photoprotection factor or SPF compared with type I (1.0) so that type II had an SPF of 1.67, type III SPF of 2.5, type IV V had an SPF of nearly 4, whereas the darker Negroid skin (type VI) had an SPF of 9.68, or nearly 10 times that of type I. In addition, various studies were performed to determine the natural protection factor after natural sunlight (3 1/2 mo of summer sun). In 21 subjects the mean SPF was 2.33 when compared to the MED on unexposed skin on the buttocks. Five subjects who had received a mean total dose of 3.49 J/cm2 of UVB within a 4-week period had a mean SPF of 8.01 and 5 subjects who had received a mean total dose of 20 J/cm2 of UVA with PUVA therapy within 2 weeks had a mean SPF of 2.7. These studies were compared with the photoprotection ability of topical chemical protective agents with a range of 4-15.
Advanced Modulation Formats and Digital Signal Processing in Optical Communications

Coherent detection enables near-ideal compensation of linear channel impairments by linear digital filters. Sampling at twice the symbol rate is sufficient. Digital feedforward carrier recovery can tolerate significantly more laser phase noise than phase-locked loops.
Characterization of OxyR as a Negative Transcriptional Regulator That Represses Catalase Production in Corynebacterium diphtheriae

Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Corynebacterium glutamicum each have one gene (cat) encoding catalase. In-frame Δcat mutants of C. diphtheriae and C. glutamicum were hyper-sensitive to growth inhibition and killing by H2O2. In C. diphtheriae C7(β), both catalase activity and cat transcription decreased ∼2-fold during transition from exponential growth to early stationary phase. Prototypic OxyR in Escherichia coli senses oxidative stress and it activates katG transcription and catalase production in response to H2O2. In contrast, exposure of C. diphtheriae C7(β) to H2O2 did not stimulate transcription of cat. OxyR from C. diphtheriae and C. glutamicum have 52% similarity with E. coli OxyR and contain homologs of the two cysteine residues involved in H2O2 sensing by E. coli OxyR. In-frame ΔoxyR deletion mutants of C. diphtheriae C7(β), C. diphtheriae NCTC13129, and C. glutamicum were much more resistant than their parental wild type strains to growth inhibition by H2O2. In the C. diphtheriae C7(β) ΔoxyR mutant, cat transcripts were about 8-fold more abundant and catalase activity was about 20-fold greater than in the C7(β) wild type strain. The oxyR gene from C. diphtheriae or C. glutamicum, but not from E. coli, complemented the defect in ΔoxyR mutants of C. diphtheriae and C. glutamicum and decreased their H2O2 resistance to the level of their parental strains. Gel-mobility shift, DNaseI footprint, and primer extension assays showed that purified OxyR from C. diphtheriae C7(β) bound, in the presence or absence of DTT, to a sequence in the cat promoter region that extends from nucleotide position −55 to −10 with respect to the +1 nucleotide in the cat ORF. These results demonstrate that OxyR from C. diphtheriae or C. glutamicum functions as a transcriptional repressor of the cat gene by a mechanism that is independent of oxidative stress induced by H2O2.
The Kallikrein/Kinin System in Ocular Function

The kallikrein/kinin system uses two distinct serine proteases, plasma kallikrein and tissue kallikrein, to yield bradykinin and Lys-bradykinin (kallidin) from specific substrate kininogens. The kallikrein/kinin system is known to have a role in contact-activated coagulation mechanisms and in inflammatory responses, and recently has been shown to contribute to homeostatic and protective mechanisms in the cardiovascular and renal systems. This article reviews current knowledge of the ocular kallikrein/kinin system within the context of proposed roles for this system in other important organs and tissues. All components of the kallikrein/kinin system are present in the eye and are positioned to participate in key ocular functions. Plasma kallikrein binds to vascular endothelium and generates bradykinin, which may contribute to regulation of ocular blood flow, and, in excess, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of retinal edema in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Tissue kallikrein is expressed in retina, ciliary muscle, and trabecular meshwork cells and could be a significant factor in the protective mechanism of ischemic preconditioning, and in the modulation of aqueous dynamics. Improved understanding of the role of plasma and tissue kallikreins and kinins in such processes has the potential to identify significant new targets for the therapy of ocular dysfunction.
Radio caustics from localized interstellar medium plasma structures

In a study of, 36 extragalactic radio sources observed over 7 years with the Green Bank interferometer at 2.7 GHz and 8.1 GHz, Fiedler et al.1 have detected unusual variations in the light curves of several sources. The most dramatic event, found in the flux record of the quasar 0954 + 658, showed large modulations at both frequencies. At 8.1 GHz, there are four spikes over a period ∼80 days in each of which the intensity increases roughly threefold. At 2.7 CfHz, two broad maxima of width ∼30 days bracket the high-frequency event, with a total duration of ∼120 days. At least two other sources show similar 2.7-GHz variations. Fiedler et al. argue cogently that these variations are unlikely to be intrinsic to the sources and that refractive scintillation in the interstellar medium is probably responsible. They postulate the existence of large-scale (1013–1014 cm) localized plasma density inhomo-geneities in the interstellar medium (ISM) to explain these observations. Independent evidence for strong local fluctuations in the ISM electron density on these scales comes froin the unusually large amplitude of low-frequency quasar variation2, the presence of periodicities in pulsar dynamic scintillation spectra3 and non-gaussian spikes in pulsar light curves4. All three phenomena have been interpreted as multiple imaging and focusing by large-scale refractors. Here we present a more detailed interpretation of the event in 0954 + 658, propose possible sites for the refracting clouds and suggest some future observations.
Effect of niobium content on the microstructure and thermal properties of fluorapatite glass‐ceramics

Niobium oxide has been shown to improve biocompatibility and promote bioactivity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of niobium oxide additions on the microstructure and thermal properties of fluorapatite glass-ceramics for biomedical applications. Four glass-ceramic compositions with increasing amounts of niobium oxide from 0 to 5 wt % were prepared. The glass compositions were melted at 1,525 degrees C for 3 h, quenched, ground, melted again at 1,525 degrees C for 3 h and furnace cooled. The coefficient of thermal expansion was measured by dilatometry. The crystallization behavior was evaluated by differential thermal analysis. The nature of the crystalline phases was investigated by X-ray diffraction. The microstructure was studied by SEM. In addition, the cytotoxicity of the ceramics was evaluated according to the ASTM standard F895--84. The results from X-ray diffraction analyses showed that fluorapatite was the major crystalline phase in all glass-ceramics. Differential thermal analyses revealed that fluorapatite crystallization occurred between 800 and 934 degrees C depending on the composition. The coefficient of thermal expansion varied from 7.6 to 9.4 x 10(-6)/ degrees C. The microstructure after heat treatment at 975 degrees C for 30 min consisted of submicroscopic fluorapatite crystals (200--300 nm) for all niobium-containing glass-ceramics, whereas the niobium-free glass-ceramic contained needle-shaped fluorapatite crystals, 2 microm in length. None of the glass-ceramics tested exhibited any cytotoxic activity as tested by ASTM standard F895--84.
A selective admissions process as a predictor of academic success in health education.

Increasingly, school systems, individual schools and teachers are being called to account for their performance. Just what does this term mean? The American Heritage Dictionary defines accountability as… “having to report, explain or justify.” It is simply a demand for results being issued by the public in return for the tax dollar being spent in support of education. The foremost reason for this accountability report is the rising cost of education. The public wants, and rightfully so, to receive a quality product for the money it is spending.
Potential of second-harmonic power generation in InP Gunn oscillators above 200 GHz

One of the critical challenges facing the progress of millimeter and submillimeter-wave systems is the development of compact, efficient and reliable local oscillators that can generate low-noise and adequate output power levels. Recent theoretical and experimental results have established that fundamental-mode operation of InP Gunn devices could be obtained over much of the D-Band (110 GHz - 170 GHz). Based on these results, second-harmonic power generation could provide the needed local oscillators up to the highest frequency in the millimeter-wave region. This paper reports rigorous computer simulations that estimate the performance of second- harmonic InP Gunn oscillators at frequencies above 200 GHz. The simulation model, based on the ensemble Monte-Carlo technique, has been developed and validated experimentally. It accounts for heat dissipation and incorporates device-circuit interaction through the harmonic-balance technique. Results based on this model predict output power levels of 28 mW at 200 GHz and 7 mW at 310 GHz.
Target Inquiry: Helping Teachers Use a Research Experience to Transform Their Teaching Practices.

Research experiences for teachers (RET) programs report benefits to teachers and students. RET programs aim to give teachers authentic science research experiences based on the premise that these experiences will improve science instruction. Specifically, many programs require teacher development of lessons and units to help translate the teachers’ research experience into classroom practice. However, the design and implementation of activities incorporating proven, inquiry-based practices called for in national science education reform documents require that teachers also understand contemporary models of teaching and learning. Using a lesson plan analysis instrument producing scores found to be reliable and valid in measuring teachers’ instructional approaches, we compared teacher-developed lessons from traditional RET programs with those developed in Target Inquiry, a program that supplements research experiences for teachers with a materials development experience. Traditional RET lessons scored signi...
Downregulation of Corticotropin-Releasing Factor mRNA, But Not Vasopressin mRNA, in the Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus of Rats Following Nutritional Stress

Stress can cause disturbance of homeostasis to result in illness. Stress can also induce various gene expression in different neuronal systems. For example, nutritional stress induced by acute food deprivation upregulates corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) mRNA, whereas osmotic stress increases vasopressin (VP) mRNA. However, it is unknown if nutritional stress induced by chronic food deprivation has synergistic effects on CRF and VP mRNAs. We have used in situ hybridization in conjunction with quantitative autoradiography to demonstrate that nutritional stress induced by a 4-day food deprivation results in a body-weight loss with a significant decrease of CRF mRNAs, but not VP mRNAs in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) of Sprague-Dawley rats. The present study has thus indicated that a chronic nutritional stress does not have synergistic effects on CRF and VP mRNAs. The decrease of CRF mRNAs is obviously related to the body-weight loss induced by food deprivation. This study thus supports a notion that the CRF, but not VP, neurons in the PVN play an important role in their neuroadaptation associated with body weight loss. Thus, it is conceivable that downregulated CRF neurons in the hypothalamus could be involved in pathogenesis of human eating disorder with severe weight loss, whereas upregulated CRF neurons could be associated with an opposite form of the eating disorder that causes obesity.