cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of novel photon detectors at UC Davis

Photosensors are indispensable in many areas of fundamental physics research, particularly in the emerging field of particle astrophysics. They also find widespread use in medical imaging, nuclear radiation monitoring, and defense. To make significant progress in future, virtually all these areas require a new, inexpensive, high-quality industrial mass-production photosensor technology. Our group at UC Davis has been working on innovations along that line.
Ablation of the Mauthner Cell Lateral Dendrite Using Femtosecond Laser Pulses

Femtosecond laser ablation is used to cut the lateral dendrite of the Mauthner cell in the zebrafish hindbrain to study how sensory inputs are integrated by the cell to produce the fast start escape behavior.
Comparative effects of cytokines and cytokine combinations on complement component C3 secretion by HepG2 cells.

Abstract The mechanisms that control complement protein synthesis are incompletely understood. Recent evidence suggests that cytokines are involved in the regulation of hepatic synthesis of circulating complement components. Therefore, we compared the effects of human recombinant IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IFN-γ, and TNF-α individually or in combination, on HepG2 secretion of complement component C3, the major opsonic protein of the complement system. HepG2 cells were incubated with each cytokine alone and with various combinations of the cytokines. At 24, 48, 72, and 96 h of incubation, the C3 and albumin secreted by the HepG2 cells were quantified by a sandwich ELISA. IL-1α and IFN-γ significantly enhanced C3 secretion by the cells (P
The Palestina Fault, Colombia

The Palestina fault is an inactive right-lateral wrench fault more than 350 km long in the largely metamorphic and igneous terrain of the northern Central Cordillera of the Colombian Andes. It strikes north to north-northeast, nearly parallel to the regional Andean structures. Much of the fault is followed by straight canyons 50 to 600 m deep. A zone of breccia and mylonite less than 50 m thick marks the fault. Rock is intensely fractured within 50 m of this breccia zone. Deformational effects of the Palestina include large fault-block slivers of megabreccia and drag “tails” that contain some allochthonous material. A gravity profile across the Palestina shows no associated anomaly. Horizontal displacement on the Palestina of 27.7 km is well documented because the fault has offset ten unique lithologic, metamorphic, and structural features that have been mapped on both blocks. These offset features are: marble, quartzite, feldspathic and aluminous gneiss, diorite, zones of diorite mixed with Precambrian gneiss, hornblende gabbro, Cretaceous shale, metamorphic isograds, a major wrench fault, and several minor faults. The Palestina fault is only one of several recently recognized wrench faults in the northern Central Cordillera, and its documentation should call attention to the possible importance of these features in the tectonics of the area. Published analyses of wrench-fault tectonics in northern Colombia and Venezuela assume a genetic relationship between all the wrench faults: they originated in response to a single unchanging regional stress system. A more meaningful analysis might result from the individual study of smaller geographic areas and consideration of the relative ages of the wrench faults.
The organization of colony defense in the ant Pheidole dentata mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

1. Colonies of Pheidole dentata employ a complex strategy of colony defense against invading fire ants. Their responses can be conveniently divided into the following three phases: (1) at low stimulation, the minor workers recruit nestmates over considerable distances, after which the recruited major workers (“soldiers”) take over the main role of destroying the intruders; (2) when the fire ants invade in larger numbers, fewer trails are laid, and the Pheidole fight closer to the nest along a shorter perimeter; (3) when the invasion becomes still more intense, the Pheidole abscond with their brood and scatter outward in all directions (Figs. 1, 4). 2. Recruitment is achieved by a trail pheromone emitted from the poison gland of the sting. Majors can distinguish trail-laying minors that have just contacted fire ants, apparently by transfer of the body odor, and they respond by following the trails with more looping, aggressive runs than is the case in recruitment to sugar water. Majors are superior in fighting to the minors and remain on the battleground longer. 3. The first phase of defense, involving alarm-recruitment, is evoked most strongly by fire ants and other members of the genus Solenopsis; the presence of a single fire ant worker is often sufficient to produce a massive, prolonged response (Figs. 2, 5, 6). In tests with Solenopsis geminata, it was found that the Pheidole react both to the odor of the body surface and to the venom, provided either of these chemical cues are combined with movement. Fire ants, especially S. geminata, are among the major natural enemies of the Pheidole, and it is of advantage for the Pheidole colonies to strike hard and decisively when the first fire ant scouts are detected. Other ants of a wide array of species tested were mostly neutral or required a large number of workers to induce the response. The alarm-recruitment response is not used when foragers are disturbed by human hands or inanimate objects. When such intrusion results in a direct mechanical disturbance of the nest, simulating the attack of a vertebrate, both minor and major workers swarm out and attack without intervening recruitment.
Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Stimulation of Diacylglycerol Kinase

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activates formation of the phospholipid signal messenger phosphatidic acid (PA) on ligand binding. We explored the effects of chronic EGF stimulation on cellular PA in NIH3T3 cells expressing intact EGFR a mutant EGFR (EGFRvIII). The presence of EGFRvIII increased PA levels to twice those induced by chronic EGFR activation. Fatty acid methyl ester analysis revealed a marked increase in oleic acid containing PA. No apparent increase in phospholipase D (PLD) activity was detected, and diacylglycerol (DAG) kinase assays demonstrated a marked preference for dioleoyl DAG in the presence of activated EGFR or EGFRvIII. Levels of PA which were lower than would be predicted by DAG kinase activation are explained by increased phosphatidate phosphohydrolase activity. Specific inhibitors of EGFR kinase and DAG kinase suppressed DAG kinase activation and PA production by EGFRvIII. EGFR kinase activation by chronic exposure to ligand or by deletional mutation stimulates formation of a specific form of signalling PA.
E-R modeler: a database modeling toolkit for Eclipse

Eclipse is a Java integrated development environment (IDE) and tool integration platform that offers numerous extension points for customization through a plug-in architecture. This paper describes the design of an Eclipse plug-in called E-R Modeler. As a database design toolkit, the E-R Modeler provides an E-R (Entity-Relationship) diagram development environment that supports XML and DDL (Database Definition Language) generation tools. It also provides database connection and schema creation capabilities. As an Eclipse plug-In, it offers multiple extension points for other applications to build upon.
Evaluating Syndromic Data for Surveillance of Non-infectious Disease

Syndromic surveillance (SS) data has predominantly been used for surveillance of infectious disease and for broad symptom types that could be associated with bioterrorism. This work evaluates several non-infectious disease related syndromes, such as asthma, oral health and hypothermia, by comparing daily syndrome counts and annual hospital syndrome counts based on emergency department (ED) SS data vs. New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) data. SPARCS data are based on clinical diagnoses providing a means for evaluating how well non-infectious disease trends are captured by ED SS chief complaint data.
Evolutionary mining for multivariate associations in large time-varying data sets: a healthcare network application

We introduce a new method for exploratory analysis of large data sets with time-varying features, where the aim is to automatically discover novel relationships between features (over some time period) that are predictive of any of a number of time-varying outcomes (over some other time period). Using a genetic algorithm, we co-evolve (i) a subset of predictive features, (ii) which attribute will be predicted (iii) the time period over which to assess the predictive features, and (iv) the time period over which to assess the predicted attribute. After validating the method on 15 synthetic test problems, we used the approach for exploratory analysis of a large healthcare network data set. We discovered a strong association, with 100% sensitivity, between hospital participation in multi-institutional quality improvement collaboratives during or before 2002, and changes in the risk-adjusted rates of mortality and morbidity observed after a 1-2 year lag. The results provide indirect evidence that these quality improvement collaboratives may have had the desired effect of improving health care practices at participating hospitals. The proposed approach is a potentially powerful and general tool for exploratory analysis of a wide range of time-series data sets.
Wyner-Ziv coding of video with unsupervised motion vector learning

Distributed source coding theory has long promised a new method of encoding video that is much lower in complexity than conventional methods. In the distributed framework, the decoder is tasked with exploiting the redundancy of the video signal. Among the difficulties in realizing a practical codec has been the problem of motion estimation at the decoder. In this paper, we propose a technique for unsupervised learning of forward motion vectors during the decoding of a frame with reference to its previous reconstructed frame. The technique, described for both pixel-domain and transform-domain coding, is an instance of the expectation maximization algorithm. The performance of our transform-domain motion learning video codec improves as GOP size grows. It is better than using motion-compensated temporal interpolation by 0.5dB when GOP size is 2, and by even more when GOP size is larger. It performs within about 0.25dB of a codec that knows the motion vectors through an oracle, but is hundreds of orders of magnitude less complex than a corresponding brute-force decoder motion search approach would be.
Transient photovoltaic response of diffused-junction silicon photodiodes

Abstract The results of an experimental and theoretical study of the transient photovoltaic response of diffused-junction silicon photodiodes are presented. The analysis pertains to a thin p -type layer diffused in an n -type wafer illuminated on the p -type surface. According to an exact solution for the transient response of the photocurrent at the junction, the rise time is limited by minority-carrier storage. Expressions for the external photovoltage rise and fall times indicate that in general the rise time at room temperature with no external bias depends on the light intensity as well as the load resistance, while the fall time depends only on the load resistance. Previous attempts by others to show experimental agreement with theory have not been completely satisfactory. Some experimental difficulties have been overcome by using an extremely fast light chopper. Rise and fall time measurements made on a silicon photodiode (TI Type LS 222) are in very good agreement with analysis. Impedance measurements which are important in showing the effect of load resistance on rise time are also discussed.
The Role of Sadism and Peer Pressure in the Sexual Aggression of Male College Students

Two types of motivational models help explain sexual aggression in college men. Socialization models emphasize imperatives of the male sex role, whereas a sadistic model focuses on increased sexual stimulation from female distress. These models were evaluated by comparing the relationship between a measure of sexual sadism and the frequency of sexually aggressive episodes with the relationship between peer pressure for sexual intimacy and sexual aggression. College men's ratings of sexual attractiveness for a series of female faces registering both pleasant and distressed affects were used to measure sexual sadism. Results showed that 60% of the college men with a sexual sadism pattern reported repeated episodes of sexual aggression since the 10th grade, whereas only 29% of those not showing this pattern did so. Peer pressure was inversely related to repeated aggression; sexual aggressives reported less peer pressure than students who did not have a history of repeated aggression. These results are not on...
Unifying Mechanism of Sustained Idiopathic Atrial and Ventricular Annular Tachycardia

Background— Based on the current understanding of cardiac conduction system development and the observation that arrhythmogenic foci can originate in areas near the atrioventricular annuli, we hypothesized that focal annular tachycardias, whether atrial or ventricular, share a common mechanism. We, therefore, prospectively evaluated this hypothesis in patients with sustained atrial and ventricular tachycardia originating from the peri-tricuspid and mitral annuli. Methods and Results— Forty-nine consecutive patients with sustained, focal annular tachycardia comprised the study group. All underwent electrophysiological evaluation and the mode of tachycardia initiation, termination, sensitivity to catecholamine infusion, and response to adenosine/verapamil were evaluated. Electroanatomical activation maps identified the sites of arrhythmia origin. Tachycardias could be initiated or terminated or both with programmed stimulation in 46 of 46 patients and most (70%) were catecholamine facilitated. Of the 9 patients with sustained annular ventricular tachycardia, 3 were localized to the tricuspid annulus, and 6 to the mitral annulus. All the 9 ventricular tachycardias (100%) terminated with adenosine, 2 of 2 terminated with verapamil, and 2 of 2 terminated with Valsalva. Of the 40 patients with annular atrial tachycardia, 4 tachycardias were localized to the mitral annulus and 37 to the tricuspid annulus (including 9 para-Hisian), and all were adenosine sensitive. Conclusions— Peri-annular atrial and ventricular tissue correspond to a region enriched with arrhythmogenic foci, which may reflect a common developmental origin. Furthermore, the sensitivity of these tachycardias to adenosine provides evidence for a shared arrhythmia mechanism, consistent with intracellular calcium overload and triggered activity.
Immunolocalization of X-arrestin in human cone photoreceptors

X-arrestin is a recently identified retina-specific gene of unknown function. Affinity-purified anti-peptide antibody to human X-arrestin was prepared, and used in Western blot analysis of human retinal proteins and for immunohistochemistry on human retinal sections. By Western blot analysis, the antibody specifically bound to an ≈47 kDa protein, and by indirect immunofluorescence specifically labeled cone photoreceptors with greatest intensity in their outer segments. In single and double label experiments, the localization of X-arrestin immunoreactivity was compared with immunolabelling patterns obtained with antibodies to red/green cone opsin, rhodopsin, and S-antigen. The results showed that X-arrestin is expressed in red-, green- and blue-sensitive cones in the human retina.
Computer simulation of ion beam methods in analysis of thin films

Abstract The application of high energy (MeV) ion beams in thin film analysis has become more and more important in the last few years. With the wide availability of more sophisticated hardware (accelerators, detectors, nuclear electronics), this analysis method has become a routine technique in many laboratories. Therefore, a serious need has arisen for easy-to-use and fast computer programs to evaluate the data. The most accurate evaluation techniques are achieved by comparing a simulated spectrum of the detected ions to the measured spectrum. The methods of simulating the different techniques based on the nuclear interaction (Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA), Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS), Elastic Recoil Detection (ERDA), etc.) are somewhat different, but all of them use the same basic model. In this paper an overview of the different methods will be given with emphasis on their usefulness and their limitations. The role of the different energy spread processes (straggling, geometrical spread, etc.) will be discussed, and examples will be given where these effects can be neglected or have to be taken into account. Since several PC based simulation programs exist nowadays, a brief overview of these programs will be given.
It's a Knuckleball: A Critical Case Study of a Collaborative between a University and the "Real World" of School Leadership.

This is a look at the political games within games that are enmeshed in a high-profile, heavily funded, politically charged collaborative focused on preparing new school leaders between a large prestigious university and a circle of school leaders and policymakers. This case specifically considers how power and money corrupt the original vision and mission of a collaborative, in terms of its consideration of school and its purpose in society.
Oceanic Internal Waves Are Not Weak Waves

Abstract It is shown that the oceanic internal wave field is too energetic by roughly two orders of magnitude to be treated theoretically as an assemblage of weakly interacting waves. This may be seen both from recent weak wave theoretical calculations which contradict their premises and also from inspection of magnitudes of advection and wave propagation terms. Thus, much recent discussion of results of implications of weak wave theory should be questioned critically. Scaling arguments based on buoyant turbulence are reviewed briefly. The role of vertical mass flux as distinguishing weak wave interactions from stronger turbulence is discussed. Possible progress by renormalization of wave interaction equations is considered.
Distributional convergence of BDF approximations to solutions of descriptor systems

It has been observed that the backward differentiation approximation to the solutions ofEx′+Fx =f can fail to converge even pointwise in an initial boundary layer. This paper shows that the approximations converge in a distributional sense even if the exact solution is also distributional.
A Bayesian approach for the estimation of pharmacokinetic parameters in children

A Bayesian method is proposed for the first-time assessment of pharmacokinetic parameters (area under the curve [AUC], maximum concentration [C(max)], half-life [T(1/2)]) in children after a single oral dose. Pharmacokinetic parameters were compared using sparse sampling (three blood samples) with extensive sampling (nine blood samples). Two different therapeutic classes of drugs were evaluated in this study. The population pharmacokinetic parameters and the blood sampling time points were obtained from adult data. The results indicate that the Bayesian approach can be used to estimate pharmacokinetic parameters in children with fair degree of accuracy. The Bayesian method described here can be used to assess pharmacokinetic parameters in children, provided there is a prior knowledge of the pharmacokinetics of a drug in adult population.
Type I Interferon Production by Tertiary Lymphoid Tissue Developing in Response to 2,6,10,14-Tetramethyl-Pentadecane (Pristane)

Lymphoid neogenesis is associated with antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases such as Sjogren's syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis. Although systemic lupus erythematosus is the prototypical B-cell-mediated autoimmune disease, the role of lymphoid neogenesis in its pathogenesis is unknown. Intraperitoneal injection of 2,6,10,14-tetramethyl-pentadecane (TMPD, pristane) or mineral oil causes lipogranuloma formation in mice, but only TMPD-treated mice develop lupus. We report that lipogranulomas are a form of lymphoid neogenesis. Immunoperoxidase staining of lipogranulomas revealed B cells, CD4+ T cells, and dendritic cells and in some cases organization into T- and B-cell zones. Lipogranulomas also expressed the lymphoid chemokines CCL21, CCL19, CXCL13, CXCL12, and CCL22. Expression of the type I interferon (IFN-I)-inducible genes Mx1, IRF7, IP-10, and ISG-15 was greatly increased in TMPD- versus mineral oil-induced lipogranulomas. Dendritic cells from TMPD lipogranulomas underwent activation/maturation with high CD86 and interleukin-12 expression. Magnetic bead depletion of dendritic cells markedly diminished IFN-inducible gene (Mx1) expression. We conclude that TMPD-induced lupus is associated with the formation of ectopic lymphoid tissue containing activated dendritic cells producing IFN-I and interleukin-12. In view of the increased IFN-I production in systemic lupus erythematosus, these studies suggest that IFN-I from ectopic lymphoid tissue could play a role in the pathogenesis of experimental lupus in mice.
The fast atom bombardment mass spectra of glucosinolates and glucosinolate mixtures

The behaviour of glucosinolates and desulphoglucosinolates under fast atom bombardment conditions has been investigated. Relatively little fragmentation was noted in the mass spectra of these compounds. The positive ion fast atom bombardment mass spectra of glucosinolates exhibited abundant cationized and protonated molecula ions, thus complementing the previously reported electron impact and chemical ionization mass spectra of these compounds. Desulphoglucosinolates yield only the protonated molecular ion. Under negative ion conditions the spectra of glucosinolates were dominated by the molecular anion and this has been used as a means of analysing a crude plant extract containing a complex mixture of glucosinolates.
Presettlement land survey records of vegetation: geographic characteristics, quality and modes of analysis

Presettlement land survey records (PLSRs) of North America provide insights into the landscape before European disturbance and have been used in various ecological studies. The usefulness of the data, however, varies with their characteristics and qualities. The purpose of this paper is to examine the geographic characteristics of PLSRs, to review PLSR studies in the last five decades and trends in these studies based on the geographic characteristics that have been analysed, and to investigate data quality issues concerning the PLSRs. The framework used in this examination is that of Geographic Information Science (GIScience), including geographic characteristics of space, theme and time, and data quality components of lineage, positional accuracy, attribute accuracy, logical consistency and completeness. The results show that different types of PLSRs have distinct geographic characteristics, especially regarding the spatial characteristics of shape and size/resolution. Prior studies have used PLSRs in s...
Counterexamples to the nonorientable genus conjecture for complete tripartite graphs

In 1976, Stahl and White conjectured that the minimum nonorientable genus of Kl,m,n (where l ≥ m ≥ n) is ⌈(l-2)(m+n-2)/2⌉. We prove that K4,4,1, K4,4,3, and K3,3,3 are counterexample to this conjecture. We also show that all other complete tripartite graphs Kl,m,n with l ≥ m ≥ n and l ≤ 5 satisfy the conjecture. Moreover, all complete tripartite graphs with l ≤ 5 satisfy the similar conjecture for orientable genus.
Women's speech: Separate but unequal?

The stereotype concepts of the way women speak offer a rich variety of hypotheses to test. Some of these hypotheses are that women talk more than men, have a more limited vocabulary, have a more irregular sentence structure, ask more questions, and use more adjectives, adverbs, and hyperbole.
Illustrating the Future Prediction of Performance Based on Computer Code, Physical Experiments, and Critical Performance Parameter Samples

In this paper, we present a generic example to illustrate various points about making future predictions of population performance using a biased performance computer code, physical performance data, and critical performance parameter data sampled from the population at various times. We show how the actual performance data help to correct the biased computer code and the impact of uncertainty especially when the prediction is made far from where the available data are taken. We also demonstrate how a Bayesian approach allows both inferences about the unknown parameters and predictions to be made in a consistent framework.
Human Macrophages Support Persistent Transcription From Unintegrated HIV-1 DNA

Retroviruses require integration of their RNA genomes for both stability and productive viral replication. In HIV infection of non-dividing, resting CD4 T cells, where integration is greatly impeded, the reverse transcribed HIV DNA has limited biological activity and a short half-life. In metabolically active and proliferating T cells, unintegrated DNA rapidly diminishes with cell division. HIV also infects the non-dividing but metabolically active macrophage population. In an in vitro examination of HIV infection of macrophages, we find that unintegrated viral DNA not only has an unusual stability, but also maintains biological activity. The unintegrated linear DNA, 1-LTR, and 2-LTR circles are stable for at least 30 days. Additionally, there is persistent viral gene transcription, which is selective and skewed towards viral early genes such as nef and tat with highly diminished rev and vif. One viral early gene product Nef was measurably synthesized. We also find that independent of integration, the HIV infection process in macrophages leads to generation of numerous chemokines.
Optimizing your documentation with the help of technical support

Maintaining technical support is costly. Better documentation means more successful customers AND lower costs of supporting a product.Most companies have two bodies of technical information that in many organizations remain entire to themselves. The information presented in the company's documentation deliverables and in their technical support data repository are not always consistent. There can be a real issue of redundancy and inaccuracy between these two areas of information.It may be common knowledge that working with Technical Support can improve your documentation deliverables, in theory. But in practice, there is frequently not a seamless integration of technical information, unless mandated by management for documentation groups and technical support groups to work together.This paper is a case study of this situation and presents some ideas on how to improve the probability of ensuring that one unified body of information is presented to customers. It is derived from experiences gained through working with a large body of technical content for a widely-used product, that includes application programming interface (API) reference information in the form of a Help system and a 900 page pdf file that ship with the product and access to a solutions database that is accessible from the Internet, given proper authentication.
An Optimal Capacity Planning Algorithm for Provisioning Cluster-Based Failure-Resilient Composite Services

Resilience against unexpected server failures is a key desirable function of quality-assured service systems. A good capacity planning decision should cost-effectively allocate spare capacity for exploiting failure resilience mechanisms. In this paper, we propose an optimal capacity planning algorithm for server-cluster based service systems,particularly the ones that provision composite services via several servers. The algorithm takes into account two commonly used failure resilience mechanisms: intra-cluster load-controlling and inter-cluster failover. The goal is to minimize the resource cost while assuring service levels on the end-to-end throughput and response time of provisioned composite services under normal conditions and server failure conditions. We illustrate that the stated goal can be formalized as a capacity planning optimization problem and can be solved mathematically via convex analysis and linear optimization techniques. We also quantitatively demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can find the min-cost capacity planning solution that assures the end-to-end performance of managed composite services for both the non-failure case and the common server failure cases in a three-tier web-based service system with multiple server clusters. To the best of our knowledge, this paper presents the first research effort in optimizing the cost of supporting failure resilience for quality-assured composite services.
Calcium Nutrition and the Aging Process: A Review

Adequate supply of calcium is essential for proper maintenance of the skeletal system. Recent studies suggest that, in the United States, dietary calcium in most women is inadequate to maintain skeletal integrity. Additionally, postmenopausal women will lose bone mass more rapidly because of estrogen deficiency and possibly tack of exercise. Severe loss of bone mass can result in several serious skeletal diseases, the most frequent of which is osteoporosis. This disease is a major contributor (25–30%) to hip fractures and spinal compression fractures in elderly people. Indirect sequelae of these fractures are responsible for 12% to 15% mortality in these patients within three months. Recent research indicates that osteoporitic bone loss may directly affect alveolar bone and may, in fact, exacerbate existing periodontally-induced bone loss. This article will review the literature concerning physiological and biochemical parameters related to the absorption and metabolism of calcium with special emphasis on calcium alterations in the aging process. The following areas will be discussed: Ingestion, Absorption, Factors Effecting Absorption and Bone Maintenance, Calcium/Protein Interactions Affecting the Aging Process, Altered Bone States Associated with the Aging Person, Osteoporosis, Osteomalacia, Paget's Disease, Calcium Affecting Drug Action, and Calcium Affecting Alveolar Bone.
Variation in local abundance and species richness of stream fishes in relation to dispersal barriers: Implications for management and conservation

SUMMARY 1. Barriers to immigration, all else being equal, should in principle depress local abundance and reduce local species richness. These issues are particularly relevant to stream-dwelling species when improperly designed road crossings act as barriers to migration with potential impacts on the viability of upstream populations. However, because abundance and richness are highly spatially and temporally heterogeneous and the relative importance of immigration on demography is uncertain, population- and community-level effects can be difficult to detect. 2. In this study, we tested the effects of potential barriers to upstream movements on the local abundance and species richness of a diverse assemblage of resident stream fishes in the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia, U.S.A. Fishes were sampled using simple standard techniques above- and below road crossings that were either likely or unlikely to be barriers to upstream fish movements (based on physical dimensions of the crossing). We predicted that abundance of resident fishes would be lower in the upstream sections of streams with predicted impassable barriers, that the strength of the effect would vary among species and that variable effects on abundance would translate into lower species richness. 3. Supporting these predictions, the statistical model that best accounted for variation in abundance and species richness included a significant interaction between location (upstream or downstream of crossing) and type (passable or impassable crossing). Stream sections located above predicated impassable culverts had fewer than half the number of species and less than half the total fish abundance, while stream sections above and below passable culverts had essentially equivalent richness and abundance. 4. Our results are consistent with the importance of immigration and population connectivity to local abundance and species richness of stream fishes. In turn, these results suggest that when measured at appropriate scales (multiple streams within catchments), with simple protocols amenable to use by management agencies, differences in local abundance and species richness may serve as indicators of the extent to which road crossings are barriers to fish movement and help determine whether road-crossing improvements have restored connectivity to stream fish populations and communities.
Decision Support and CKD: Not There Yet

The publication of the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease study equation in 1999 ([1][1]) provided a new clinical tool to improve the identification and monitoring of people with CKD. Beginning in 2002, coordinated efforts were made by the renal and laboratory communities, much of it through the
Relationship between sleep disturbance and depression, anxiety, and functioning in college students.

Background Sleep disturbance (SD) has complex associations with depression, both preceding and following the onset and recurrence of depression. We hypothesized that students with depressive symptoms with SD would demonstrate a greater burden of comorbid psychiatric symptoms and functional impairment compared to students with depressive symptoms without SD. Methods During a mental health screening, 287 undergraduate students endorsed symptoms of depression (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI] ≥ 13) and filled out the following self-report measures: demographic questionnaire, BDI, Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire—intensity and frequency (ASQ), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (QLESQ), and the Massachusetts General Hospital Cognitive and Physical Functioning Questionnaire (CPFQ). SD was measured using the BDI sleep item #16 dichotomized (score 0: no SD; or score > 0: some SD). Results Students with depressive symptoms and SD (n = 220), compared to those without SD (n = 67), endorsed significantly more intense and frequent anxiety and poorer cognitive and physical functioning. Students with depressive symptoms with and without SD did not significantly differ in depressive severity, hopelessness, or quality of life. Conclusions College students with depressive symptoms with SD may experience a greater burden of comorbid anxiety symptoms and hyperarousal, and may have impairments in functioning, compared to students with depressive symptoms without SD. These findings require replication.
Thematic Review Series on the Living History of Lipids.

From the outset, lipids have been diffi cult to study, as exemplifi ed by J. L. W. Thudichum’s often cited naming of sphingosin[e] “in commemoration of the many enigmas which it presented to the inquirer” ( 1 ). Even today, when one can clone, express, and knock out (and in) genes for enzymes that metabolize, transport, and utilize lipids for cell structure, signaling, and other functions, our knowledge about the properties of these compounds in the milieu in which they function, biological membranes, fat droplets, micelles, and lipoproteins, is still rudimentary. Much of what we know about lipids, and might be inclined to assume was easy to discover, arose from incredibly hard work, cleverly designed experiments, astonishing coincidences, and, sometimes, colossal accidents. This series of thematic reviews is intended to give glimpses into these stories. The authors will try to present the events and personalities as living histories where, when possible, read
Thermoregulatory responses to cold transients: effects of menstrual cycle in resting women

Effects of the menstrual cycle on heat loss and heat production (M) and core and skin temperature responses to cold were studied in six unacclimatized female nonsmokers (18–29 yr of age). Each woma...
Temperature-Sensitive Motility of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius Influences Population Distribution in Extreme Environments

A three-dimensional tracking microscope was used to quantify the effects of temperature (50 to 80°C) and pH (2 to 4) on the motility of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, a thermoacidophilic archaeon. Swimming speed and run time increased with temperature but remained relatively unchanged with increasing pH. These results were consistent with reported changes in the rate of respiration of S. acidocaldarius as a function of temperature and pH. Cells exhibited a forward-biased turn angle distribution with a mean of 54°. Cell trajectories during a run were in the shape of right-handed helices. A cellular dynamics simulation was used to test the hypothesis that a population of S. acidocaldarius cells could distribute preferentially in a spatial temperature gradient due to variation in swimming speed. Simulation results showed that a population of cells could migrate from a higher to a lower temperature in the presence of sharp temperature gradients. This simulation result was achieved without incorporating the ability of cells to sense a temporal thermal gradient; thus, the response was not thermotactic. We postulate that this temperature-sensitive motility is one survival mechanism of S. acidocaldarius that allows this organism to move away from lethal hot spots in its hydrothermal environment.
Apnea burden: efficacy versus effectiveness in patients using positive airway pressure

Abstract Background Modern continuous positive airway pressure (PAP) machines track hours of use and residual respiratory events while on treatment. A substantial portion of sleep apnea patients are partially compliant, emphasizing the need to distinguish between PAP efficacy and PAP effectiveness in chronic management of patients with sleep apnea. Methods We used a combination of three data sources to estimate the sleep apnea burden in a convenience cohort of PAP users from our clinics that were compliant based on Medicare criteria: self-reported habitual total sleep time, and PAP usage times with residual apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) from compliance downloads. Results Assuming that the off-PAP time consists of baseline AHI severity, an estimated apnea burden was calculated to estimate PAP effectiveness. Whereas 70% of patients in our cohort showed machine AHI values Conclusion Estimating PAP effectiveness through the concept of apnea burden has implications for clinical care as well as research trials.
Genetic and environmental pathways to complex diseases.

Background: Pathogenesis of complex diseases involves the integration of genetic and environmental factors over time, making it particularly difficult to tease apart relationships between phenotype, genotype, and environmental factors using traditional experimental approaches. Results: Using gene-centered databases, we have developed a network of complex diseases and environmental factors through the identification of key molecular pathways associated with both genetic and environmental contributions. Comparison with known chemical disease relationships and analysis of transcriptional regulation from gene expression datasets for several environmental factors and phenotypes clustered in a metabolic syndrome and neuropsychiatric subnetwork supports our network hypotheses. This analysis identifies natural and synthetic retinoids, antipsychotic medications, Omega 3 fatty acids, and pyrethroid pesticides as potential environmental modulators of metabolic syndrome phenotypes through PPAR and adipocytokine signaling and organophosphate pesticides as potential environmental modulators of neuropsychiatric phenotypes. Conclusion: Identification of key regulatory pathways that integrate genetic and environmental modulators define disease associated targets that will allow for efficient screening of large numbers of environmental factors, screening that could set priorities for further research and guide public health decisions.
Transforming Public Schools: A Synthesis of Research Findings from UCLA'S Center X

This article describes how one university-based center, UCLA's Center X, has worked to prepare and sustain urban educators over the past 16 years. Synthesizing findings from more than 20 articles, papers, books, and dissertations that report on Center X's work, we argue that three key activities are necessary to spur change and ensure a high-quality, stable workforce: (1) Firmly embed teacher learning and development in the context of urban schools and communities; (2) Recruit and prepare a diverse local workforce of social justice educators for urban schools; and (3) Support the continual learning and career development of educators working to make a difference. The article concludes with implications for other university-based teacher learning centers seeking to recruit, prepare, and sustain powerful educators in the schools that need them most.
Chikungunya Vaccine Candidate is Highly Attenuated and Protects Nonhuman Primates Against Telemetrically-monitored Disease Following a Single Dose

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne alphavirus that causes major epidemics of rash, fever, and debilitating arthritis. Currently, there are no vaccines or antivirals available for prevention or treatment. We therefore generated 2 live-attenuated vaccine candidates based on the insertion of a picornavirus internal ribosome entry site (IRES) sequence into the genome of CHIKV. Vaccination of cynomolgus macaques with a single dose of either vaccine produced no signs of disease but was highly immunogenic. After challenge with a subcutaneous inoculation of wild-type CHIKV, both vaccine candidates prevented the development of detectable viremia. Protected animals also exhibited no significant changes in core body temperature or cardiovascular rhythm, whereas sham-vaccinated animals showed hyperthermia, followed by sustained hypothermia, as well as significant changes in heart rate. These CHIKV/IRES vaccine candidates appear to be safe and efficacious, supporting their strong potential as human vaccines to protect against CHIKV infection and reduce transmission and further spread.
Irritant action of binary soap mixtures on skin

Evidence is offered in support of the following: (1) sodium laurate-sodium caprylate mixtures appear to be highly irritant to the skin of both sexes, (2) sodium ricinoleate binary mixtures with sodium laurate, sodium caprylate, and sodium oleate show a definite irritant action on human skin, (3) sodium linoleate binary mixtures with sodium laurate, sodium caprylate, and sodium oleate indicate a decreased irritant action, (4) sodium laurate-sodium myristate binary mixtures tend to be much less irritant to skin than can be predicted from their respective irritant powers.
ANTICOAGULANT EFFECTS OF LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT HEPARIN IN HEALTHY CATS

Objectives: 1) Validate a chromogenic assay to measure Factor Xa inhibitory activity (anti-Xa activity) in normal feline plasma and following administration of low molecular weight heparins and unfractionated heparin. 2) Compare the effects of two commercially available low molecular weight heparins (LMWH), unfractionated heparin (UFH), and placebo on TEG, anti-Xa activity, PT/aPTT, PCV/TS and platelet count in healthy cats. Methods: Our study consisted of two phases: 1) the evaluation of a commercially available chromogenic anti-Xa assay (Rotachrom Heparin, Diagnostic Stago) for use in cats, and 2) the evaluation of hemostatic effects of LMWH in healthy cats. Phase 1: The anti-Xa assay was validated for use in cats using feline plasma and serial dilutions of the plasma spiked with UFH, enoxaparin, and dalteparin. Phase 2: Five healthy cats were included in a randomized Latin Squares model crossover-design to compare the effects of UFH and LMWH in cats. The cats then received one of the following subcutaneously: 1) 250 IU/kg UFH QID, 2) 100 IU/kg dalteparin BID, 3) 1 mg/kg enoxaparin BID, 4) 0.25 mL/kg 0.9% saline (placebo) QID. A minimum of a two-week washout period separated each treatment period. Each drug was administered for 5 days. Blood samples were obtained to measure anti-Xa, TEG, PT/aPTT, platelet count, and PCV/TS on Days 1, 3, 5, and 6 of each treatment cycle. Samples were collected at time 0 on each sample day for all parameters and on select days at hours 4, 8, and 12 for anti-Xa and TEG. Results: Preliminary results using the validated anti-Xa assay (from the first part of this study) demonstrate that LMWH treatment results in peak anti-Xa activity at the 4-hour sampling time that returned toward baseline by 8 hours (in 5/6 cats treated with LMWH thus far). Similar anticoagulant effects were noted in the TEG parameters of cats receiving LMWH (i.e., peak effects were noted at 4 hours). Analysis of current data by linear regression identifies a relationship between anti-Xa measurements and TEG parameters for cats treated with all heparin therapies (p<0.001). A similar relationship exists between anti-Xa and aPTT. Conclusions: Preliminary results suggest an anticoagulant effect of LMWH in cats that may not be uniform across individuals. Anti-Xa activity or TEG may provide useful tools for monitoring LMWH.
BER performance and spectral properties of interleaved convolutional time hopping for UWB impulse radio

Interleaved convolutional time hopping (ICTH) is a recently proposed coding/modulation scheme for UWB impulse radio. ICTH is based upon a low-rate convolutional code, with optimized distance properties, combined with multilevel pulse-position modulation (PPM). In this context, bit-interleaved coded modulation (BICM) is used to decorrelate the bit errors and, more importantly, to obtain a flat spectrum. We present analytical bounds for the BER (bit-error-rate) performance of ICTH and an analysis of its spectral properties.
Deformable registration of multi-modal data including rigid structures

Multimodality imaging studies are becoming more widely utilized in the analysis of medical data. Anatomical data from computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are useful for analyzing or further processing functional data from techniques such as positron emission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). When data are not acquired simultaneously, even when these data are acquired on a dual-imaging device using the same bed, motion can occur that requires registration between the reconstructed image volumes. As the human torso can allow nonrigid motion, this type of motion should be estimated and corrected. The authors report a deformation registration technique that utilizes rigid registration for bony structures while allowing elastic transformation of soft tissue to more accurately register the entire image volume. The technique is applied to the registration of CT and MR images of the lumbar spine.