cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Geographical Approaches for Integrated Pest Management of Arthropods in Forestry and Row Crops

With the proper technology and access to geographical information, it is more important to spend time developing an excellent classification scheme of a remotely sensed attribute of crop and forest vigor than to spend that time collecting multiple samples of insect counts . The ability to define zones from remote sensing images of crop or forest systems provides a vastly improved capacity to assess the sample variability of insect counts. Perspectives on defining zones from remote sensing information, including an examination of some relationships between these zones and insect sample counts, are discussed.
The nonstructural proteins of Pneumoviruses are remarkably distinct in substrate diversity and specificity.

Interferon (IFN) inhibits viruses by inducing several hundred cellular genes, aptly named ‘interferon (IFN)-stimulated genes’ (ISGs). The only two RNA viruses of the Pneumovirus genus of the Paramyxoviridae family, namely Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Pneumonia Virus of Mice (PVM), each encode two nonstructural (NS) proteins that share no sequence similarity but yet suppress IFN. Since suppression of IFN underlies the ability of these viruses to replicate in the host cells, the mechanism of such suppression has become an important area of research. This Short Report is an important extension of our previous efforts in defining this mechanism. We show that, like their PVM counterparts, the RSV NS proteins also target multiple members of the ISG family. While significantly extending the substrate repertoire of the RSV NS proteins, these results, unexpectedly, also reveal that the target preferences of the NS proteins of the two viruses are entirely different. This is surprising since the two Pneumoviruses are phylogenetically close with similar genome organization and gene function, and the NS proteins of both also serve as suppressors of host IFN response. The finding that the NS proteins of the two highly similar viruses suppress entirely different members of the ISG family raises intriguing questions of pneumoviral NS evolution and mechanism of action.
The utilization of fluorescent cholangiography during robotic cholecystectomy at an inner-city academic medical center.

In recent years, fluorescent cholangiography using Indocyanine green (ICG) dye has been used to aid identification of structures during robotic cholecystectomy. We sought to compare cholecystectomy with ICG dye versus laparoscopic cholecystectomy at an inner-city academic medical center. Between January 2013 and July 2016, we identified 287 patients of which 191 patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy and 96 patients underwent robotic cholecystectomy with ICG dye. Preoperative risk variables of interest included age, sex, race, body mass index (BMI), and acute cholecystitis. Primary outcome of interest was conversion to open procedures while secondary outcome was length of stay. The two groups were similar in their BMI (31.98 vs. 31.10 kg/m2 for the laparoscopic and robotic, respectively, p = 0.32). The laparoscopic group had a greater mean age compared to the robotic group (47.77 vs. 43.61 years, p = 0.04). There was no significant difference in sex and emergency surgery between the two groups. Fewer open conversions were found in the robotic than the laparoscopic group [2 (2.1%) vs. 17 (8.9%), p = 0.03]. In multiple logistic regression, robotic cholecystectomy with ICG also showed a lower risk of conversion compared to laparoscopic cholecystectomy, but the difference did not reach statistical significance (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.11–1.65, p = 0.22). ICG fluorescent cholangiography during robotic cholecystectomy may contribute to proper identification of biliary structures and may reduce the rates of open conversion. The preliminary results of fewer open conversions are promising. Further studies with a large randomized prospective controlled study should be taken for further evaluation.
Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) Study of Seven Heavily Metamorphosed Chondrites: Deformation Systematics and Variations in Pre-shock Temperature and Post-shock Annealing

Abstract We used electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) methods to study the crystallography of olivine and other minerals in seven heavily metamorphosed (petrographic type 6 or 6/7) but variably shocked ordinary chondrites from the H (Kernouve, Portales Valley), L (Leedey, Bruderheim, Morrow County, Park) and LL (Miller Range (MIL) 99301) groups. MIL 99301 contains a large clast that was analyzed separately. Mesoscale (EBSD) data support and extend inferences based on microscale (TEM) observations and provide good evidence that chondrites were shock-deformed at different temperatures and were variably annealed (sintered) after deformation. Various EBSD deformation intensity metrics adequately and quantitatively represent olivine deformation in meteorites on different scales and in different ways. Mean Grain Orientation Spread (GOS, the average misorientation in a grain) is a robust statistic for overall deformation. We developed an EBSD deformation temperature metric based on olivine misorientation rotation axis data, and an EBSD post-shock annealing metric based on the skewness of olivine GOS distributions. The two parameters together define three groups among the meteorites studied, and these are related to shock stages and 40Ar/39Ar ages that record impact times. Group 1 includes cold-deformed and little-annealed but high-shock-stage (S4 and S5) chondrites (Leedey, Bruderheim, Morrow County) that were affected by impacts at a time ( 4425 Ma, assuming the older of two published ages for MIL 99301 corresponds to host). Group 3 chondrites must have been shocked while warm at the time of impact, at temperatures estimated as >700–800 °C and up to ∼1000 °C, i.e., at conditions generally corresponding to thermal metamorphism associated with petrographic type 6 grade, and were subsequently buried and annealed in warm parent bodies. Impact at elevated pre-shock temperature resulted in partly recrystallized troilite in Park and metallic liquids that crystallized as coarse troilite interstitial to silicates in Portales Valley. For Group 3, data are consistent with impact-redistribution on warm parent bodies that were hot at depth, and support a model of early collisional processing of endogenically-heated chondritic planetesimals. In general, EBSD deformation signatures in each of the meteorites studied are dominated by the effects of the prevailing impact, although there is some evidence for multiple impact effects.
Activist, Entrepreneur, or Caretaker? Negotiating Varieties of Women in Development:

Most studies examining gender and development programs in international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) consider how these organizations construct global policy agendas, or how such policies ...
Population net benefit of prostate MRI with high spatiotemporal resolution contrast-enhanced imaging: A decision curve analysis.

Background The value of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) sequences in prostate MRI compared with noncontrast MRI is controversial. Purpose To evaluate the population net benefit of risk stratification using DCE-MRI for detection of high-grade prostate cancer (HGPCA), with or without high spatiotemporal resolution DCE imaging. Study type Decision curve analysis. Population Previously published patient studies on MRI for HGPCA detection, one using DCE with golden-angle radial sparse parallel (GRASP) images and the other using standard DCE-MRI. Field strength/sequence GRASP or standard DCE-MRI at 3 T. Assessment Each study reported the proportion of lesions with HGPCA in each Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2 (PI-RADS v2) category (1-5), before and after reclassification of peripheral zone lesions from PI-RADS 3-4 based on contrast-enhanced images. This additional risk stratifying information was translated to population net benefit, when biopsy was hypothetically performed for: all lesions, no lesions, PI-RADS ≥3 (using NC-MRI), and PI-RADS ≥4 on DCE. Statistical tests Decision curve analysis was performed for both GRASP and standard DCE-MRI data, translating the avoidance of unnecessary biopsies and detection of HGPCA to population net benefit. We standardized net benefit values for HGPCA prevalence and graphically summarized the comparative net benefit of biopsy strategies. Results For a clinically relevant range of risk thresholds for HGPCA (>11%), GRASP DCE-MRI with biopsy of PI-RADS ≥4 lesions provided the highest net benefit, while biopsy of PI-RADS ≥3 lesions provided highest net benefit at low personal risk thresholds (2-11%). In the same range of risk thresholds using standard DCE-MRI, the optimal strategy was biopsy for all lesions (0-15% risk threshold) or PI-RADS ≥3 on NC-MRI (16-33% risk threshold). Data conclusion GRASP DCE-MRI may potentially enable biopsy of PI-RADS ≥4 lesions, providing relatively preserved detection of HGPCA and avoidance of unnecessary biopsies compared with biopsy of all PI-RADS ≥3 lesions. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;49:1400-1408.
Picking Up Good Vibrations

One of my favorite places to be in nature is near water. The sound of running water is soothing and, if I am alone, can produce a Zen-like meditative state. Staring at the ripples on the water’s surface and the constantly changing distorted reflections of the surrounding terrain is all that is needed for a meditative pause. Often though, the sounds and sights of rivers and streams aren’t enough for me. For some reason, I am drawn to touch the water’s surface. I don’t feel the need to plunge my hand into the water but just to run my fingers along the surface of the river.
Effect of Radiation Doses to the Heart on Survival for Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy for Early-stage Non-Small-cell Lung Cancer: An Artificial Neural Network Approach.

Abstract Introduction The cardiac radiation dose is an important predictor of cardiac toxicity and overall survival (OS) for patients with locally advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, radiation-induced cardiac toxicity among patients with early-stage NSCLC who have undergone stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) has been less well-characterized. Our objective was to assess the associations between cardiac radiation dosimetry and OS in patients with early-stage NSCLC undergoing SABR. Materials and Methods From 2009 to 2014, 153 patients with early-stage NSCLC had undergone SABR at a single institution. The maximum dose, mean dose, V10Gy, V25Gy, and V50Gy to 15 cardiac substructures and the whole heart were analyzed for their association with OS using the Kaplan-Meier method. An artificial neural network (ANN) analysis was performed to modulate confounding behaviors of dosimetric variables to predict for OS. Results A total of 112 patients were included in the present analysis. The right ventricle (RV) V10Gy most negatively predicted for OS, such that patients who had received a RV V10Gy dose 4% (5.3 years vs. 2.4 years). On ANN analysis, 74 input features, including cardiac dosimetry parameters, predicted for survival with a test accuracy of 64.7%. A repeat ANN analysis using dosimetry to dose neutral structure confirmed the predictive power of cardiac dosimetry. Conclusion Cardiac dosimetry to subvolumes of the heart was associated with decreased OS in patients with early-stage NSCLC undergoing SABR. These data support the importance of minimizing the radiation dose to cardiac substructures. Further prioritizing the heart as an organ at risk might be warranted. Additionally, cardiac follow-up should be considered.
Classification Shifting and Special Items: Evidence of Earnings Management or a Research Design Consequence?

McVay (2006, 2008) report compelling evidence that firms reclassify ordinary expense items as special item in order to boost benchmark core earnings numbers. We show that another far more innocuous explanation exists for this evidence. The effects that McVay attributes to classification shifting activities can arise as an artifact of the approaches used in deriving expected core earnings values. This can happen because expected core earnings and expected change in core earnings values are determined, in part, by special item accruals. When we focus on either subsamples where this special item accrual effect on the expected core earnings values is a priori expected to be small or incorporate controls for it into the analysis, there is no reliable evidence of widespread classification shifting activities by managers.
The Relationship Between Insurance Coverage and Use of Prescription Contraception by Race and Ethnicity: Lessons From the Affordable Care Act

Abstract Background We describe contraception use by race and ethnicity before and after the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and assess the relationship between insurance coverage and prescription contraception use in both periods. Study Design Using data for women ages 15 to 45 at risk of unintended pregnancy from the 2006–2010 and 2015–2017 National Surveys of Family Growth, we examined changes in patterns of contraception use over time by race and ethnicity. We also examined changes in insurance coverage over the same period and considered how the relationship between insurance coverage and prescription contraception use has changed over time within each racial and ethnic group using both descriptive and multivariate regression methods. Results Before the ACA, Black and Hispanic women were less likely than White women to use prescription contraception by 13.2 and 9.9 percentage points, respectively. After the ACA Medicaid and Marketplace coverage expansions, all groups experienced a decrease in uninsurance, but only Black women experienced a significant increase in prescription contraception use. As a result, the post-ACA Black–White difference in prescription contraception use narrowed to 3.9 percentage points, and the Hispanic-White gap remained unchanged. Conclusions Our results suggest that, despite significant declines in uninsurance under the ACA, there was no increase in use of prescription contraception for White or Hispanic women. Moreover, the decrease in uninsurance among Black women did not fully explain the large increase in use of prescription contraception for this population.
Parker Solar Probe: A Mission to Touch the Sun

On August 12, 2018, Parker Solar Probe (PSP) began its seven-year exploration of the inner heliosphere and the Sun's corona. Using specially designed systems to protect from the Sun's intense environment and power the spacecraft, PSP has already provided game-changing insights into coronal heating, the source of the solar wind, and how the solar wind is propagated into the interplanetary medium to interact with Earth. More than a decade in the making, PSP was designed, built, operated and managed by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) as part of NASA's Living With a Star program. PSP launched into a solar orbit, and used a Venus gravity assist to lower the orbit perihelion to complete the planned solar encounters (where the solar distance is less than 0.25 AU), currently with perihelion as close to the Sun as 0.17 AU. PSP will use six more Venus gravity assists over the next six years to reduce its perihelion from 0.17 AU to 0.046 AU in the last three encounters. During solar encounter, measurements to characterize the in situ environment will be made by four instrument suites: FIELDS (electromagnetic fields), SWEAP (solar wind plasma), IS⊙IS (energetic particles) and WISPR (imaging of the coronal structure). We discuss the scientific motivation for PSP and the instrument suite used to make these ground-breaking measurements. We describe the development of PSP since inception in 2007, the extreme environments to which the observatory is exposed and how these environments drove design, technologies that enable the mission, and the final configuration of both the mission and the observatory. Finally, we give an account of post-launch commissioning and operations in early orbits, and an assessment of observatory performance over these first orbits.
Airdropping sensor networks from drones and insects

We present the first system that can airdrop wireless sensors from small drones and live insects. In addition to the challenges of achieving low-power consumption and long-range communication, airdropping wireless sensors is difficult because it requires the sensor to survive the impact when dropped in mid-air. Our design takes inspiration from nature: small insects like ants can fall from tall buildings and survive because of their tiny mass and size. Inspired by this, we design insect-scale wireless sensors that come fully integrated with an onboard power supply and a lightweight mechanical actuator to detach from the aerial platform. Our system introduces a first-of-its-kind 37 mg mechanical release mechanism to drop the sensor during flight, using only 450 μJ of energy as well as a wireless communication link that can transmit sensor data at 33 kbps up to 1 km. Once deployed, our 98 mg wireless sensor can run for 1.3-2.5 years when transmitting 10-50 packets per hour on a 68 mg battery. We demonstrate attachment to a small 28 mm wide drone and a moth (Manduca sexta) and show that our insect-scale sensors flutter as they fall, suffering no damage on impact onto a tile floor from heights of 22 m.
What’s in a Name? Symbolic Racism, Public Opinion, and the Controversy over the NFL’s Washington Football Team Name

According to Daniel Snyder, owner of the National Football League Team formerly known as the Washington “Redskins,” “the name really means honor and respect.” For decades, Snyder pointed to polls that suggest majoritarian support among the American public to justify the continued use of the racially contested team moniker. However, Indigenous activists and their allies have long argued that the term “Redskins” is a racial slur. Using data from the 2014 Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES), this paper investigates the role of racial attitudes—specifically symbolic racism directed at Native Americans—in shaping public opinion about the name change during a period of heightened public attention to the debate over the team’s name. Our findings indicate that support for the continued use of the team’s name, though admittedly widespread among the American public, is in part influenced by negative racial attitudes directed at Native Americans. By engaging the literature on the politics of symbolic racism we demonstrate that, rather than “honoring” American Indians, those supportive of Native American mascots and symbols in professional football are significantly likely to begrudge them.
It is Political: Using the Models of Judicial Decision-Making to Explain the Ideological History of Title VII

Scholars and observers often explain or interpret Supreme Court decisions based on the ideology of the sitting Justices. Many offer a similarly political account of the Court’s decisions in actions brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”). Certain events in the history of Title VII do suggest ideological decision-making by the Supreme Court. Dozens of the Court’s Title VII opinions are split between the conservative and liberal Justices. On three separate occasions, including most recently the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, a more liberal Congress amended Title VII in order to override the Supreme Court’s conservative interpretation of the statute. Yet subsequent to each of these amendments, the conservative Justices continued to vote to restrict Title VII, apparently following their political preference over Congressional intent. The full history of Title VII, however, does not conclusively establish that the Supreme Court is deciding cases according to ideological viewpoint. Although numerous split decisions fall along ideological lines, other cases, including a number of unanimous decisions, reflect votes contrary to political viewpoint and potentially indicate a different dynamic. The fifty years of Title VII jurisprudence therefore present the opportunity to assess whether Justices’ votes on issues of employment discrimination are determined by their respective ideology. To answer this question, this article turns to the work of political science scholars, specifically, the models of judicial decision-making developed by political theorists over the past two decades. These models use sophisticated empirical techniques to test whether the Justices of the Supreme Court vote according to their ideology and to explain the circumstances when Justices vote contrary to their viewpoint. Their work can be divided into three predominant models, attitudinal, strategic and integrated, all of which agree that that ideology influences Supreme Court decisions, but offer different explanations for the exceptions when the Court’s ideological pursuit is apparently constrained. The political science models therefore offer the potential to explain Title VII’s varied jurisprudence. This potential, however, is not fully realized. The strategic and integrated models fail to effectively explain a significant portion of the Supreme Court’s Title VII decisions because these models have generally failed to study the effect of statutory overrides on the Court’s decision-making. This article therefore draws on the few studies of overrides that are available, and some of the more context-specific analyses, to draw a more nuanced model for Title VII and to account for the apparent exceptions to ideological decision-making. Ultimately, this article asserts that the history of Title VII is not only political, but particularly so, with the Supreme Court exhibiting strong resistance to any restraint on their ideological voting in the area of employment discrimination.
The Influence of the Swirl Velocity Ratio on the Nature of the Dominant Helical Structures in a Swirling Jet Model

The nonlinear evolution of helical perturbations is investigated in a swirling jet model, consisting of a line vortex along the jet centerline surrounded by a jet shear layer with both azimuthal and streamwise vorticity. Inviscid Lagrangian vortex dynamics simulations demonstrate the nonlinear competition between a centrifugal Rayleigh instability and a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability feeding on both components of the base flow vorticity. The interaction of these two instabilities allows for very different flow behaviors to emerge, depending on (1) the swirl velocity ratio and (2) whether the helical perturbation wave and the vortex lines of the jet shear layer wind around the jet axis in the same or in opposite directions. For very high levels of swirl, large scale vortex helices evolve that can contain azimuthal vorticity either of the same or of opposite sign to that initially present in the jet shear layer. These different evolutions are triggered by the differences in the direction of the strain field set up by the dominant vortex helix. The effect of lowering the level of swirl is most prominent when perturbation occurs in a direction opposite to that of the vortex lines. In this case, both Kelvin-Helmholtz and centrifugal instabilities grow at similar rates leading to pairs of counterrotating helical vortices.
Contextual, Argumentative, and Theoretical Introductions

This chapter will describe the changes and growth of Indianapolis and Shortridge High School around 1900. The introduction will also provide the arguments underlying this book. First, Laura Donnan’s pedagogy influenced the 1916 report, The Social Studies in Secondary Education, for which Arthur W. Dunn was the secretary. Second, Dunn’s time at Shortridge was much more pivotal to his career than other scholars have described. Third, Dunn’s rearticulation of Donnan’s pedagogy failed due to ideological discrepancies and his obligations to social efficiency advocates. Lastly, Donnan’s pedagogy was an articulation of her epistemology, shaped by the gendered ideologies of the Progressive Era. The theoretical framework in this chapter will further situate Donnan’s gender and epistemology in the Progressive Era.
Book Review - The Soul of a Nation: Constitution - Making in South Africa

Book review of "The Soul of a Nation: Constitution- Making in South Africa" by Hassan Ebrahim.
People’s Tech for People’s Power: A Guide To Digital Self-Defense & Empowerment

As we progress into the 21st century, digital technology is changing every part of society. With the spread of computers and the internet, enormous amounts of information is being collected by governments and corporations. This guide, which is tailored to the South African context – but applicable to other societies – will equip you with the info needed to protect yourself against government and corporate spying. It provides you with knowledge about People’s Tech for People’s Power: technologies which empower individuals and societies to control their own digital experiences. This guide contextualises the issue of surveillance to its root causes. Problems of privacy, security, and surveillance connect to the broader themes of capitalism and authoritarianism. People’s Tech is essential to creating a more prosperous society that replaces digital capitalism with digital socialism – a society in which the people directly own and control the means of computation, and develop it for the well-being of humanity instead of profit and control. Content is for both beginners and more experienced readers, as well as academic audiences. The material explains some of the fundamentals of 21st century surveillance in South Africa, touch upon themes of digital colonialism, and suggest what people can do to protect themselves from surveillance and empower their society. Drafts were peer reviewed by academics and cybersecurity experts. The author is responsible for all final content. Written for the Right2Know Campaign, this publication is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0 International.
Retributive Parsimony

Retributive approaches to the justification of legal punishment are often thought to place exacting and unattractive demands on state officials, requiring them to expend scarce public resources on apprehending and punishing all offenders strictly in accordance with their criminal ill deserts. Against this caricature of the theory, I argue that retributivists can urge parsimony in the use of punishment. After clarifying what parsimony consists in, I show how retributivists can urge reductions in the use of punishment in order to conserve scarce resources for other valuable social purposes, minimize the foreseeable and adverse effects of legal punishment on the innocent, and accommodate the fact that existing societies fail in numerous ways to satisfy the conditions that make retributive punishment fully justified.
Looking in the medicine cabinet: methods for using real-world data to assess the impact of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) and recombinant adjuvanted varicella-zoster vaccines on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention and case fatality

Background: Analysis of real-world data can be used to identify promising leads and dead ends among products being repurposed for clinical practice for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This paper uses real-world data from Cerner Labs collected from 90 source institutions in the United States to assess the potential impact of two viral vaccines on COVID-19 case fatality rates. Methods: We identified 373,032 polymerase chase reaction (PCR)-positive COVID-19 cases in the Cerner Labs database between 01-MAR-2020 and 31-DEC-2020 and identified patients that had received measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) or a recombinant adjuvanted varicella-zoster vaccine within the previous 5 years. We calculated heterogeneity scores to support interpretation of results across institutions, and used stepwise forward variable selection to construct covariable-based propensity scores. These scores were used to match cases and control for biasing and confounding issues inherent in observational data. Results: Neither the recombinant adjuvanted varicella-zoster vaccine nor MMR showed significant efficacy in prevention of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We could not derive clinically significant results on the impact of MMR for case fatality rates due to persistently high rates of heterogeneity between institutions. However, we were able to achieve acceptable levels of heterogeneity for the analysis of the recombinant adjuvanted varicella-zoster vaccine, and found a clinically meaningful benefit of reduced case fatality rate, with an odds ratio of 0.43 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.38 – 0.48). Conclusions: Using propensity score matching and heterogeneity statistics can help guide our interpretation of real-world data, and rigorous statistical methods are needed to reduce bias or disparities in data interpretation. Applying these methods to the impact of viral vaccines on COVID-19 case fatalities yields actionable findings for further analysis.
Multipactor in Coaxial Geometries

Multipactor breakdown is a long-standing challenge in RF systems, appearing across a wide variety of frequencies, geometries, and power levels. Disruption of space-borne equipment, such as communications satellites, has become a particular concern, as unexpected device failures are extremely costly. Because multipactor is so difficult to model and predict, large safety margins must be built into component design, dramatically increasing the size, weight, and cost of launching these systems into orbit. Coaxial multipactor geometries are of practical interest; due to their divergent electric fields, the theory is substantially more complicated than the planar geometry.
Abstract 197: Metabolic Syndrome Severely Alters Major Metabolic Pathways in the Pig Myocardium

Introduction: Obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) are rapidly expanding worldwide. One of the most concerning implications of this trend is the association between MetS and the increased risk of ...
What Role Should Governments Play in Setting Rewards for Medical Innovation

On March 10, 2021, our journal partnered with the Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy to host a symposium addressing the role and impact of U.S. innovation policy on access to medicine. Our 2021 Symposium Issue—Volume 11, Issue 1—captures that event. This article represents the first of four panels. This panel considered what role governments should play in setting rewards for medical innovation. It was moderated by Professor Lisa Ouellette of Stanford Law School. The panelists included Professor Michael Abramowicz of George Washington University Law School, Professor Daniel Hemel of the University of Chicago Law School, and Professor Bhaven Sampat of the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.
Population Growth, Nutrition and Food Supply

The world food scene is dominated by four powerful forces: the population growth, the accelerating affluence in the industrialized countries, the rapidly increasing armies of the destitute in the developing countries, and the unrestraint urban growth. The lack of historical and biological perspectives has led to two basic fallacies in the evaluation of the world food problems. Historically Europeans were able to temporarily resolve their food and population problems through emigration. In biological terms all people living now could get an adequate diet if feed crops were not substituted for food crops. It is shown that such metaphors as triage, lifeboat operations and the abuse of the commons are misleading and that they distract from the real nature and magnitude of the world food crisis.
Dosimetric characteristics of the small diameter BrainLab™ cones used for stereotactic radiosurgery.

The purpose was to study the dosimetric characteristics of the small diameter (?10.0 mm) BrainLAB cones used for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) treatments in conjunction with a Varian Trilogy accelerator. Required accuracy and precision in dose delivery during SRS can be achieved only when the geometric and dosimetric characteristics of the small radiation fields is completely understood. Although a number of investigators have published the dosimetric characteristics of SRS cones, to our knowledge, there is no generally accepted value for the relative output factor (ROF) for the 5.0 mm diameter cone. Therefore, we have investigated the dosimetric properties of the small (? 10.0 mm) diameter BrainLAB SRS cones used in conjunction with the iPlan TPS and a Trilogy linear accelerator with a SRS beam mode. Percentage depth dose (PDD), off-axis ratios (OAR), and ROF were measured using a SRS diode and verified with Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. The dependence of ROF on detector material response was studied. The dependence of PDD, OAR, and ROF on the alignment of the beam CAX with the detector motion line was also investigated using MC simulations. An agreement of 1% and 1 mm was observed between measurements and MC for PDD and OAR. The calculated ROF for the 5.0 mm diameter cone was 0.692 ± 0.008 — in good agreement with the measured value of 0.683 ± 0.007 after the diode response was corrected. Simulations of the misalignment between the beam axis and detector motion axis for angles between 0.5°–1.0° have shown a deviation > 2% in PDD beyond a certain depth. We have also provided a full set of dosimetric data for BrainLAB SRS cones. Monte Carlo calculated ROF values for cones with diameters less than 10.0 mm agrees with measured values to within 1.8%. Care should be exercised when measuring PDD and OAR for small cones. We recommend the use of MC to confirm the measurement under these conditions.
INTERRELATIONSHIPS OF SMOOTH AND NONSMOOTH VARIANTS IN THE DISSOCIATION OF PASTEURELLA HAEMOLYTICA

Wessman, G. E. (National Animal Disease Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, Iowa). Interrelationships of smooth and nonsmooth variants in the dissociation of Pasteurella haemolytica. J. Bacteriol. 88:356–360. 1964.—Smooth Pasteurella haemolytica, after rapid growth in statically incubated broth cultures, decreased in numbers rapidly, and were replaced by nonsmooth variants. Upon continued incubation, smooth cells again predominated. The two phenotypes were alike in general biochemical characteristics, but differed in virulence for mice. The presence of nonsmooth cells in mixed cultures severely limited the growth of smooth cells. The inhibition of smooth cells correlated with the establishment of definite population densities, and the critical factor appeared to be limitation of oxygen in the cultural medium. Selective inhibition did not occur in aerated cultures, but was more pronounced in cultures grown under reduced air pressure. Selective death of smooth cells on slant cultures held at 5 C and preferential growth of nonsmooth cells, plus death of smooth cells at room temperature, accounted for population changes in stored cultures.
Strategies and Considerations for Distributing and Recovering Mouse Lines

As more and more genetically modified mouse lines are being generated, it becomes increasingly common to share animal models among different research institutions. Live mice are routinely transferred between animal facilities. Due to various issues concerning animal welfare, intellectual property rights, colony health status and biohazard, significant paperwork and coordination are required before any animal travel can take place. Shipping fresh or frozen preimplantation embryos, gametes, or reproductive organs can bypass some of the issues associated with live animal transfer, but it requires the receiving facilities to be able to perform delicate and sometimes intricate procedures such as embryo transfer, in vitro fertilization (IVF), or ovary transplantation. Here, we summarize the general requirements for live animal transport and review some of the assisted reproductive technologies (ART) that can be applied to shipping and reviving mouse lines. Intended users of these methods should consult their institution's responsible official to find out whether each specific method is legal or appropriate in their own animal facilities.
The Use of Variable Density Self-Assembled Monolayers to Probe the Structure of a Target Molecule

Abstract VP16, a protein encoded by herpes simplex virus, has a well-characterized 78 amino acid acidic activation domain. When tethered to DNA, tandem repeats of an eight amino acid motif taken from this region stimulate the transcription of a nearby gene. This work addresses how these minimal activation motifs interact with a putative target, the general transcription factor TATA box binding protein (TBP), and the biological relevance of this mechanism of action. I developed novel biophysical techniques to discriminate among three possible mechanistic models that describe how reiterated peptide motifs could synergistically effect transcription: 1) the peptide motifs simultaneously bind to quasi-identical sites on TBP, producing a high-affinity bivalent interaction that holds the general transcription factor near the start site of transcription; 2) the binding of one recognition motif causes an allosteric effect that enhances the subsequent binding of additional peptide motifs; or 3) a high-affinity interaction between the peptide repeats and TBP does occur, but rather than being the result of a "bivalent" interaction, it results from the summation of multiple interactions between the target protein and the entire length of the peptide. I generated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) that presented different densities of the activation motif peptide in a two-dimensional array to test for avidity effects. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was used to measure the amount of target (TBP) binding as a function of the peptide density; a marked increase in avidity above a characteristic, critical peptide surface density was found. Competitive inhibition experiments were performed to compare the avidity of peptide motifs, tandemly repeated two or four times, and single motifs separated by a flexible linker. Four iterations of the motif, preincubated with TBP, inhibited its binding to high-density peptide surfaces ∼250-fold better than two iterations. Single peptide motifs joined by a flexible amino acid linker inhibited TBP binding to surface peptide nearly as well as four tandem repeats. The results favor mechanistic model 1: reiterated activation motifs interact with TBP through a high-affinity interaction that is the result of the cooperative effect of single motifs simultaneously binding to separate sites on TBP. This finding is consistent with the idea that DNA-bound activation domains trigger the transcription of a nearby gene by tethering the general transcription factor, TBP, near the start site of transcription.
Gender and Sex Diversity in Sport Organizations: Concluding Comments

This article utilizes the work found within the special issue to note that sport as an institution still serves to produce, reinforce, and perpetuate male hegemony. However, it additionally argues that the collective works point to progress in some areas of sport. It highlights the ideas for future research regarding sex and gender diversity in sport and notes that these concerns are often situated in multi-level, sometimes subtle, and usually taken-for-granted structures, policies, and behaviors embedded in sport organizations. It concludes with a call for continued work in this area.
Daily variations in the concentrations of individual amino acids in rat plasma.

Abstract Daily rhythms have been described in the plasma concentrations of tyrosine and phenylalanine in the rat (1), and of tryptophan and total amino acids in the mouse (2,3). However, no data appear to be available on daily variations in the concentrations of other plasma amino acids except in the chicken and the human (4,5,6,7). The determination of whether diurnal rhythmicity is common to the plasma levels of most amino acids, and most mammals, or whether such temporal changes are associated in rats only with tyrosine and phenylalanine is essential for the characterization of the physiological mechanisms that control plasma amino acid levels. It would also be useful in assessing the significance of changes in plasma amino acid levels observed in rats several hours after particular experimental manipulations. This study describes the daily rhythmic changes that occur in the concentrations of 12 amino acids in rat plasma.
Radiation and collisional energy transfer among the A (2)Pi(i) and X(2)Sigma(+) states of CN.

Laser-photolysis-laser-induced-fluorescence methods are used to characterize the collisional energy transfer between CN (A 2Pi(i) and (X 2Sigma(+)) states and to measure radiative lifetimes of the (A 2Pi(i)) v-prime = 2-7 vibrational levels. In addition, use of the A 2Pi(i) - X 2Sigma(+) system for the laser-induced-fluorescence determination of (X 2Sig(+)) populations is demonstrated and discussed.
The Small-Sample Variance of the Pitman Location Estimators

Abstract For three symmetric distributions and six sample sizes, this article presents estimates of the small-sample variance of Pitman's location-invariant and location-scale-invariant estimators of location. It then compares these two estimators and investigates the closeness of the Cramer-Rao bound when estimators are required to be invariant. Expressions of the form c/(n − d) prove quite effective in fitting variances of Pitman estimators, and d can be interpreted as the amount of Fisher information “lost.” In terms of relative efficiency, maximum-likelihood estimators and linear combinations of order statistics offer computationally attractive alternatives to the Pitman estimators.
Early ammonia release by a polychaete Nereis virens and a crab Carcinus maenas in diluted sea water.

Abstract 1. Specimens of the polychaete Nereis virens that had been kept in sea water (SW) of 30–32% salinity were placed directly in diluted sea water of one-half that salinity (S/2), and the rates of release of ammonia (NH3) and free amino acids (FAA) were determined by analyzing the water at 0·5, 1·0, 2·0, 3·5 and 5·0 hr. 2. Specimens of the shore crab Carcinus maenas were treated in a similar manner, and NH3 and FAA of their media and blood were determined at 2, 4 and 6 hr. 3. The rate of NH3 release by Nereis in S/2 was 1·34–3·40 times the release by animals in SW; no FAA release was detected. 4. The rate of NH3 release by Carcinus in S/2 was the same as controls at 2 hr, but 1·75 and 1·65 times control rate at 4 and 6 hr; FAA release was less than 10% of the rate of NH3 loss, and did not vary significantly with time or salinity; average blood concentrations of FAA were near 11 mM and blood NH3 1·6 mM, and did not differ significantly in the two groups. 5. The results suggest that increased NH3 excretion is part of the early response to hypo-osmotic stress in both species, that increased FAA release does not occur, and that movement of FAA from cells into body fluids is not part of the early response in the crab.
Biphasic effect of estradiol on luteinzing hormone response to gonadotropin-releasing hormone in castrated men

Abstract This study was designed to investigate the possibility that in men estradiol (E 2 ) has a stimulatory effect on the gonadotropin response to GnRH. Nine castrated adult men, who presented extremely low testosterone (T) concentrations, received 5 mg/day estradiol benzoate (E 2 B) i.m. every 24 hr for several days, starting 5 days after orchidectomy. During E 2 B treatment the pituitary responsiveness to GnRH (100 μg given as an iv bolus) was tested after 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, and 144 hrs of E 2 B administration. The pituitary responsiveness to GnRH was also tested in untreated men from day 5 to day 10 following bilateral orchidectomy. In the E 2 B-treated subjects the increased serum estradiol concentrations induced an initial decrease and a subsequent increase of the LH response to GnRH. The responses were decreased after 24 hr of treatment; thereafter, the LH responses were progressively increased and were markedly augmented after 120 hr of E 2 B treatment. On the contrary, during treatment the FSH response to GnRH was preferentially blunted. In the untreated castrated men the LH and FSH responses to GnRH increased progressively from day 5 to day 10 after orchidectomy, but decreased responses were never observed during this period of observation. The maximum LH concentrations, which occurred at 30–60 min following GnRH in untreated castrated men, did not occur until 120–150 min in the E 2 B treated men.
Recent developments in regulatory requirements for developmental toxicology

A number of legislative and regulatory changes have occurred over the past 5 years to prompt the re-evaluation of the regulatory requirements for developmental toxicity testing and use of the data for risk assessment. In particular, passage of the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) in the United States required the USEPA to evaluate children's health risks in a more rigorous fashion, and to apply an additional 10-fold safety factor if data were inadequate or children appeared to be more sensitive than adults. A review of the testing protocols required by USEPA led to extension of the dosing period to term in the prenatal developmental toxicity study and the addition of endpoints to the 2-generation reproduction study protocol as indicators of possible neurologic, reproductive, or immune alterations. Revised testing guidelines for pesticides and toxic substances were published by USEPA in 1998, including a developmental neurotoxicity testing protocol. Further review for FQPA implementation resulted in the proposal for a core set of required toxicology studies, including routine developmental neurotoxicity, adult neurotoxicity, and adult immunotoxicity studies. In addition, development of new testing guidelines in several areas was recommended, these guidelines to be used in conjunction with or as follow-up when indicated from standard testing: developmental immunotoxicity, carcinogenesis, specialized neurotoxicity studies, endocrine disruptor studies, pharmacokinetics, and direct dosing of neonates. The impact of these efforts on the policies for toxicity testing of pesticides are discussed, and these issues are currently being reviewed on a broader scale, in particular, by evaluating the adequacy of the methods used for reference values (e.g. chronic RfD, RfC). Three major areas of focus for this review include life stages evaluated, endpoints assessed, and the duration of exposure used in various studies. A major focus of these efforts is to ensure that children's health risks are being adequately addressed in the risk assessment process.
Direct observation of calcium-independent intercellular ATP signaling in astrocytes.

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is assumed to be involved in the regulation of many extracellular signaling systems including calcium wave propagation. So far all supportive evidence is indirect, such as monitoring changes in intracellular calcium on application of extracellular ATP or off-site measurement of ATP from superfusates. Furthermore, the causal relationships among the various signaling agents are still unclear. A novel chemiluminescence dynamic imaging method was developed to monitor ATP release from living biological cells. The assay has linear response over 3 orders of magnitude for fixed concentrations of enzyme and cofactors, with a correlation coefficient of 0.999. The detectability of ATP is down to 10-8 M at millisecond exposure times with an intensified charge-coupled device camera. The direct imaging of ATP waves in astrocyte cultures was performed together with Fluo-3-Ca imaging at millisecond temporal resolution and micrometer-scale spatial resolution. We discovered that extracellular A...