cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Novelty transmittal and innovative species

Captive or experimental studies may be of greater utility than field studies in documenting novel behaviors. Social hierarchy affects the spread of innovations. Innovative species should also be found in cases where sociality is low or absent.
Incongruent perceptions of pain and physical function among families living with lung cancer.

The purpose of the study was to examine the roles of concealment and communication in incongruence in perceptions of the lung cancer patient’s physical function and pain severity. Lung cancer patients and their family members (N = 108 family care dyads) rated the patient’s physical function and pain severity. Multilevel modeling revealed that family members, on average, rated patient physical function significantly worse than patients; incongruence did not significantly differ from 0, on average, for pain severity. However, there was significant variability across family care dyads in how much incongruence existed within dyads. Controlling for depressive symptoms, family member role overload, family member physical function, the patients’ cognitive impairment, relationship type, and stage of lung cancer, the patients’ level of concealment was significantly associated with incongruence for both physical function and pain severity. Additionally, the family members’ perceptions of communication problems in the dyad were significantly associated with incongruence for pain severity. Models accounted for 23 and 30 % of the incongruence in physical function and pain severity, respectively. Open communication and disclosure play important roles in the appraisal of symptoms within the lung cancer patient–family member dyad. These interpersonal factors may be promising targets for interventions to maximize patient and family member outcomes.
A comparison of the behavioral and physiological changes accompanying sleep deprivation and chlorpromazine administration in man

Abstract 1. 1. Eight normal subjects were studied under control conditions, after 66–70 h of sleep deprivation, and after the administration of 200 mg of chlorpromazine. Simultaneous recordings were made of behavior on a test of attention, the EEG, respiration and finger plethysmograph under all conditions. 2. 2. Both sleep deprivation and chlorpromazine produced marked impairment in the performance of the attention test. 3. 3. Errors in performance in the sleep deprivation condition were accompanied by slowing of the EEG, increased respiratory cycle length and increased finger pulse amplitude, as compared with periods when the subjects were performing correctly. Such differences in the physiological accompaniments of performance were far less marked in the chlorpromazine condition. 4. 4. Of the three physiological measures, the EEG appeared to be the least accurate in reflecting variations in alterness. 5. 5. The significance of these findings was discussed in relation to the possible existence of separate, although closely related, mechanisms within the reticular activating system which mediate behavior on the one hand, and the EEG, respiration and peripheral vasomotor tone on the other .
Topological soliton model calculation of the proton-proton parity-violating interaction.

We present a calculation of the parity-violating analyzing power in proton-proton scattering using weak coupling constants predicted by the topological chiral soliton model of the nucleon. The results are compared with the predictions using quark-model parity-violating parameters. We also perform a calculation using weak and strong vertex functions obtained consistently from the chiral soliton model. Within the framework of that model, we can justify the use of the same form factors for the weak and strong meson-nucleon vertices. We discuss the predictive power of a planned experiment at {ital T{sub lab}}=222 MeV.
Arterial Traffic Signal Coordination Utilizing Vehicular Traffic Origin-destination Information

Traditional arterial traffic signal coordination methods are focused on providing uninterrupted flow along the arterial direction. This paper proposes a more versatile arterial traffic signal coordination method that can take into consideration of major turning traffic flows from and to cross streets. This new method is formulated as a mixed-integer linear program and solved by CPLEX. A case study based on AIMSUN simulation is conducted to demonstrate the proposed method's superiority compared to Synchro and Transyt-7F.
Sensitization to locomotor effects of methylphenidate in the rat.

A computerized activity monitoring system was used to investigate whether repeated exposure to methylphenidate (MPD) could produce sensitization to its locomotor effects in the rat. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were housed in test cages and activity was recorded continuously for 16 days as follows: Baseline activity (Day 1-2), recording following saline injection (Day 3), MPD Challenge Doses--either 0.6, 2.5, or 10 mg/kg of MPD (Day 4); five days of a repeated dose of 2.5 mg/kg (Day 5-9), five additional recording days of no treatment (Days 10-14), and MPD Re-Challenge (Day 15). Each group was re-challenged with the same doses as on day 4. Recording was resumed for an additional post-treatment day (Day 16). All injections were at 14:00. Horizontal activity, total distance, vertical activity, stereotypic activity, and number of stereotypic movements were recorded and analyzed. An augmented response (i.e., sensitization) was observed only to the lower MPD doses of 0.6 and 2.5 mg/kg. The sensitized response was more pronounced for forward ambulation than for rearing, with a complete lack of sensitization to the stereotypic effects of MPD.
On circulation in relativistic hydrodynamics

In this paper it is shown that the relativistic analogue of the circulation in classical hydrodynamics is the integral $$C = \int {\left( {{\text{1 + }}\frac{i}{{c^{\text{2}} }}} \right)} {\text{ }}U_\alpha dx^\alpha ,$$ where i is the specific enthalpy of the fluid, U∝ are the covariant components of the four velocity of the fluid and the integral is taken around a closed curve traveling with the fluid. This integral is similar to an integral given by Lichnerowicz, but differs in the factor multiplying U∝ in the integrand.
Student perceptions of instructor immediacy in conventional and distributed learning classrooms

The purpose of this investigation was to examine whether perceptions of instructor immediacy differed between students enrolled in conventional and distributed learning classrooms. Students enrolled in conventional and distributed learning classrooms did not perceive a significant difference in instructor verbal immediacy, but they did perceive a significant difference in instructor nonverbal immediacy.
On the role of extracellular loops of opioid receptors in conferring ligand selectivity

Based on an analysis of results taken from site-directed mutagenesis studies performed on opioid receptors, a role for the extracellular loops in conferring opioid subtype selectivity is proposed. It is suggested that the extracellular loop regions (which represent the region of highest sequence variability among opioid subtypes) interact with opioid ligands in a primarily non-specific fashion. Although these interactions are non-specific, they appear to play a discriminatory role in ligand binding and, in certain cases, prevent particular ligands from binding among receptor subtypes. We propose that selectivity may be imparted through a mechanism of exclusion, rather than specific pharmacophore recognition within the extracellular loops and N-terminal domain. This hypothesis is supported by a careful analysis of the binding profiles of several selective and non-selective ligands to a variety of chimeric mutants. These results, when combined with results taken from single-point mutation experiments point to the existence of a high affinity binding pocket within the transmembrane region which may be common among the opioid subtypes.
Effects of stoichiometric dietary mixing on Daphnia growth and reproduction

Herbivores often encounter nutritional deficiencies in their diets because of low nutrient content of plant biomass. Consumption of various diet items with different nutrient contents can potentially alleviate these nutritional deficiencies. However, most laboratory studies and modeling of herbivorous animals have been done with diets in which all food has uniform nutrient content. It is not clear whether heterogeneous versus uniform food of equal overall nutrient content is of equivalent nutritional value. We tested the effects of dietary mixing on performance of a model organism, Daphnia. We fed two species of Daphnia ( D. galeata, D. pulicaria) with diets of equivalent bulk stoichiometric food quality (C:P) and studied whether they would produce equivalent performance when C:P was uniform among cells or when the diet involved a mixture of high C:P and low C:P cells. Daphnia were fed saturating and limiting concentrations of a uniform food of moderate C:P (UNI) or mixtures (MIX) of high C:P (LOP) and low C:P (HIP) algae prepared to match C:P in UNI. Daphnia were also fed HIP and LOP algae separately. Juvenile growth rate and adult fecundity were measured. D. galeata performance in UNI and MIX treatments did not differ, indicating that partitioning of C and P among particles did not affect dietary quality. Similarly, D. pulicaria's performance was similar in the MIX and UNI treatments but only at low food abundance. In the high food treatment, both growth and reproduction were higher in the MIX treatment, indicating some benefit of a more heterogeneous diet. The mechanisms for this improvement are unclear. Also, food quality affected growth and reproduction even at low food levels for both D. pulicaria and D. galeata. Our results indicate that some species of zooplankton can benefit from stoichiometric heterogeneity on diet.
Comparison of lymphatic absorption of dihydrocholesterol and cholesterol in the rat.

Abstract The comparative absorption of cholesterol and dihydrocholesterol (DHC) was studied in lymph fistula rats. DHC was absorbed less efficiently than cholesterol at two dietary levels. For all experimental groups, absorbed cholesterol and DHC were esterified from 84 to 100%. In mixtures of sterols, cholesterol absorption was inhibited more than DHC absorption.
Chartists, fundamentalists and exchange rate dynamics†

This paper develops two models in which chartist and fundamentalist asset holders interact to produce exchange rate movements in response to monetary expansion. In the first model, with two groups of asset holders, the dynamic behavior of the system is the same as in the Dornbusch model even though risk-neutral chartist asset holders with destabilizing extrapolative expectations are operating there. However, in the model with a homogeneous group of asset holders maintaining both chartist and fundamentalist expectations, the exchange rate will most likely move to an unstable path, and a speculative bubble that is likely to be temporary will develop. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Market Driven Schools and Educational Choices.

(1994). Market Driven Schools and Educational Choices. Theory Into Practice: Vol. 33, Financing Education, pp. 112-117.
A retrospective study of the usefulness of acid secretory testing

Background: Gastric analysis is useful for diagnosing and monitoring the control of hypersecretory conditions and to distinguish appropriate from inappropriate causes of hypergastrinaemia. Pentagastrin, used to measure maximal acid output (MAO), is no longer available in the USA. Methods: We examined the University of Pennsylvania Health System gastric analysis database, which includes demographic data, study indications, gastric analysis, and serum gastrin and secretin testing results according to referral indications, paying specific attention to discordant basal acid output (BAO) and MAO measurements. Results: One hundred and twenty-four gastric analyses were performed in 103 patients (42 males, mean age 47.5 years, 14 with prior acid-decreasing surgery). Recurrent ulceration or pain unresponsive to antisecretory therapy was the indication in 42 patients. Twelve were hypersecretory, including three each with isolated elevations of BAO or MAO. Hypergastrinaemia was the indication in 35 patients. Five were hypersecretory (four with Zollinger–Ellison syndrome), three had isolated MAO elevations and 16 were hypo- or achlorhydric, indicating appropriate hypergastrinaemia. Of the seven patients with isolated MAO elevations, two had clear benefit from the stimulated portion of the study (four additional patients had equivocal benefit). Conclusions: Gastrin concentrations cannot be interpreted without knowledge of acid secretory capacity. MAO measurement has a small but significant benefit over measuring BAO alone.
Sorption and desorption in raw and parboiled paddy

Experiments on the drying and remoistening of raw and parboiled paddy are described. The different effects of remoistening with water or water vapour are discussed and also the effects of fast and slow drying. The absorption of liquid water causes cracking of the grain up to 15% moisture content. Above 15% there is no further cracking. On absorption, the drier the paddy the greater is the degree of cracking. Slow drying does not cause cracking but fast drying does so when the moisture content is below 15%. With fast drying, cracking is not only caused when passing the 15% point but also when drying, e.g., from 13.0 to 12.0% moisture content. The importance of temperature in causing cracking is discussed. Parboiled paddy dries faster than raw paddy, because the husk is more loosely attached in the former; raw dehusked paddy and parboiled dehusked paddy dry at approximately the same rate. These results are discussed in relation to work on other starchy seeds and particularly to Fish's recent work on sorption and desorption in potato starch. It is suggested that the changes observed in paddy can be related to the peculiar properties of starch which obtain below 15% moisture content.
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Celebrating the Centennial Through the Lens of the Johns Hopkins Hospital Surgical Pathology Records

Hashimoto's thyroiditis is now considered the most prevalent autoimmune disease, as well as the most common endocrine disorder. It was initially described in 1912, but only rarely reported until the early 1950s. To celebrate this centennial, we reviewed the surgical pathology archives of the Johns Hopkins hospital for cases of Hashimoto's thyroiditis, spanning the period from May 1889 to October 2012. Approximately 15,000 thyroidectomies were performed at this hospital over 124 years. The first surgical case was reported in 1942, 30 years after the original description. Then, 867 cases of Hashimoto's thyroiditis were seen from 1942 to 2012, representing 6% of all thyroidectomies. Hashimoto's thyroiditis was the sole pathological finding in 462 cases; it accompanied other thyroid pathologies in the remaining 405 cases. The most commonly associated pathology was papillary thyroid cancer, an association that increased significantly during the last two decades. The most common indication for thyroidectomy was a thyroid nodule that was cytologically suspicious for malignancy. Hashimoto's thyroiditis remains a widespread, intriguing, and multifaceted disease of unknown etiology one century after its description. Advances in the understanding of its pathogenesis and preoperative diagnosis will improve recognition and treatment of this disorder, and may one day lead to its prevention.
Compromised axonal functionality after neurodegeneration, concussion and/or traumatic brain injury

Axonal swellings are almost universal in neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Concussions and traumatic brain injuries can also produce cognitive and behavioral deficits by compromising neuronal morphology. Using a spike metric analysis, we characterize computationally the effects of such axonal varicosities on spike train propagation by comparing Poisson spike train classes before and after propagation through a prototypical axonal enlargement, or focused axonal swelling. Misclassification of spike train classes and low-pass filtering of firing rate activity increases with more pronounced axonal injury. We show that confusion matrices and a calculation of the loss of transmitted information provide a very practical way to characterize how injured neurons compromise the signal processing and faithful conductance of spike trains. The method demonstrates that (i) neural codes encoded with low firing rates are more robust to injury than those encoded with high firing rates, (ii) classification depends upon the length of the spike train used to encode information, and (iii) axonal injuries reduce the variance of spike trains within a given stimulus class. The work introduces a novel theoretical and computational framework to quantify the interplay between electrophysiological dynamics with focused axonal swellings generated by injury or other neurodegenerative processes. It further suggests how pharmacology and plasticity may play a role in recovery of neural computation. Ultimately, the work bridges vast experimental observations of in vitro morphological pathologies with post-traumatic cognitive and behavioral dysfunction.
Right ventricular myocardial infarction with ventricular septal rupture

Since the original description of Cohn et al.,’ the syndrome of right ventricular myocardial infarction (RVMI) complicating inferior myocardial infarction has been the focus of extensive investigation. Various noninvasive techniques have been applied to aid in early diagnosis,2 and a characteristic hemodynamic profile of central venous pressure elevation with a noncompliant pattern in the right atria1 pressure record and close proximity of right atrial and pulmonary capillary wedge pressures has been described.3 Although RVMI has been reported in association with myocardial rupture’ and right-to-left shunting through a patent foramen ovalet associated ventricular septal rupture (VSR) has received relatively little attention.6 We report the hemodynamic profile and clinical course of four patients with VSR complicating RVMI seen at our institution over the past 4 years. The clinical characteristics of these four patients are shown in Table I. All patients demonstrated acute inferior myocardial infarction on the ECG and in one case, new right bundle branch block was noted. All patients had balloon-tipped, flow-directed pulmonary arterial catheters inserted, and measurements of right atrial and pulmonary capillary wedge pressures, thermodilution cardiac outputs, and pulmonary-systemic shunt ratios (Qp/Qs) by oximetry immediately following the diagnosis of septal rupture are listed in Table II. In each case, evidence of severe right ventricular (RV) dysfunction was demonstrated. The clinical and hemodynamic findings of RVMI were confirmed by noninvasive evaluation in each patient as illustrated in Fig. 1. The time from symptomatic onset of myocardial infarction to the development of VSR ranged from 1 to 4 days. Septal rupture was heralded by the occurrence of new pansystolic murmur at the left sternal border and was associated with palpable thrill in two cases. Two patients underwent preoperative coronary angiography. In both patients, the right coronary artery was occluded proximally. Patient No. 2 had associated significant stenoses of the left anterior descending and circumflex coronary arteries, and patient No. 4 had an associated stenosis of the circumflex coronary artery.
Disruption of the Retinal Parafoveal Capillary Network in Type 2 Diabetes before the Onset of Diabetic Retinopathy

Purpose. To establish, using adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO), that the retinal parafoveal capillary network is altered before the onset of diabetic retinopathy in adult patients with type 2 diabetes.
In vitro ligation of oligodeoxynucleotides containing C8-oxidized purine lesions using bacteriophage T4 DNA ligase.

Ligases conduct the final stage of repair of DNA damage by sealing a single-stranded nick after excision of damaged nucleotides and reinsertion of correct nucleotides. Depending upon the circumstances and the success of the repair process, lesions may remain at the ligation site, either in the template or at the oligomer termini to be joined. Ligation experiments using bacteriophage T4 DNA ligase were carried out with purine lesions in four positions surrounding the nick site in a total of 96 different duplexes. The oxidized lesion 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine (OG) showed, as expected, that the enzyme is most sensitive to lesions on the 3‘ end of the nick compared to the 5‘ end and to lesions located in the intact template strand. In general, substrates containing the OG·A mismatch were more readily ligated than those with the OG·C mismatch. Ligations of duplexes containing the OA·T base pair (OA = 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroadenosine) that could adopt an anti−anti conformation proceeded with high efficiencies. An OI...
Fuzzy set computational processes in risk analysis

An article by R. Kangari and L.S. Riggs (see ibid., vol.36, no.2, p.126-31, 1989), which dealt with the use of fuzzy sets in construction risk analysis, contains a number of errors and inconsistencies, most of which appear in examples given to clarify the concepts involved in computations related to fuzzy sets. The errors and inconsistencies are identified, and the computational results are clarified by providing the correct results for enough computations to ensure an understanding of the processes involved. >
New approach for liveness detection in fingerprint scanners based on valley noise analysis

Recent research has shown that it is possible to spoof a variety of fingerprint scanners using some simple techniques with molds made from plastic, clay, Play-Doh, silicon, or gelatin materials. To protect against spoofing, methods of liveness detection measure physiological signs of life from fingerprints, ensuring that only live fingers are captured for enrollment or authentication. We propose a new liveness detection method based on noise analysis along the valleys in the ridge-valley structure of fingerprint images. Unlike live fingers, which have a clear ridge-valley structure, artificial fingers have a distinct noise distribution due to the material’s properties when placed on a fingerprint scanner. Statistical features are extracted in multiresolution scales using the wavelet decomposition technique. Based on these features, liveness separation (live/ nonlive) is performed using classification trees and neural networks. We test this method on the data set, that contains about 58 live, 80 spoof (50 made from Play-Doh and 30 made from gelatin), and 25 cadaver subjects for 3 different scanners. We also test this method on a second data set that contains 28 live and 28 spoof (made from silicon) subjects. Results show that we can get approximately 90.9– 100% classification of spoof and live fingerprints. The proposed liveness detection method is purely software-based, and application of this method can provide antispoofing protection for fingerprint scanners.
The enigmatic cytochrome b-559 of oxygenic photosynthesis.

The ubiquitous and obligatory association of cytochrome b-559 with the photosystem II reaction center of oxygenic photosynthesis is a conundrum since it seems not to have a function in the primary electron transport pathway of oxygen evolution. A model for the cytochrome structure that satisfies the cis-positive rule for membrane protein assembly consists of two short, non-identical hydrophobic membrane-spanning polypeptides (α and β), each containing a single histidine residue, as ligands for the bridging heme prosthetic group that is on the side of the membrane opposite to the water splitting apparatus. The ability of the heterodimer, but not the single α-subunit, to satisfy the cis-positive rule implies that the cytochrome inserts into the membrane as a heterodimer, with some evidence implicating it as the first membrane inserted unit of the assembling reaction center. The very positive redox potential of the cytochrome can be explained by a position for the heme in a hydrophobic niche near the stromal aqueous interface where it is also influenced by the large positive dipole potential of the parallel α-helices of the cytochrome. The requirement for the cytochrome in oxygenic photosynthesis may be a consequence of the presence of the strongly oxidizing reaction center needed for H2 O-splitting. This may lead to the need, under conditions of stress or plastid development, for an alternate source of electrons when the H2 O-splitting system is not operative as a source of reductant for the reaction center.
Colossal positive Seebeck coefficient and low thermal conductivity in reduced TiO(2).

Reduced (oxygen deficient) single crystal TiO2 exhibits a very large positive Seebeck coefficient S at low temperature. S as large as 60 000 µV K−1 was observed near 10 K for the least reduced sample, which gives a thermoelectric power factor of 170 µW K−2 cm−1. This value is about four times higher than the power factor of Bi2Te3-based materials near room temperature. As the temperature increases the Seebeck coefficient becomes negative. The magnitude of the room temperature Seebeck coefficient, thermal conductivity and electrical resistivity decrease with the reduction of the samples. The thermal conductivity is as low as 0.83 W K−1 m−1 for the heavily reduced sample at 390 K due to phonon scattering by defect planes. The colossal Seebeck coefficient found in the materials is discussed in terms of the phonon drag of the holes.
Mapping of related and nonrelated sequences of RNA from wooly monkey virus and gibbon ape leukemia virus

Abstract RNAs from woolly monkey virus (SSV) and various isolates of gibbon ape leukemia virus (GaLV) are 60–80% homologous. In order to determine if the nonhomologous sequences are concentrated within a distinct region of the genome, poly(A)-containing subgenomic fragments of 35 S RNA were prepared from woolly monkey virus (SSV-1). The fraction of the whole viral genome which each fraction represented was determined by several criteria. These included the ability of RNA fragments to compete with the hybridization of labeled SSV 35 S 125 I-labeled RNA to proviral DNA, the degree of protection of SSV 35 S 125 I-labeled RNA from RNase digestion by hybridization to cDNA specific for subgenomic fragments, and the kinetics of hybridization of cDNA representative for the entire viral genome to the subgenomic fragments. The RNA fragments were labeled and used in competition hybridization experiments with complete RNA from SSV-1 and from two different isolates of GaLV (the Hall's Island and San Francisco strains) in order to determine the position with respect to the poly(A) (3′) end of RNA sequences in the SSV genome which are not shared with these GaLV isolates. The bulk of the unshared sequences is concentrated in the 20–40% of the RNA closest to the 3′ end of the RNA.
IBM system z10 open systems adapter ethernet data router

The IBM Open Systems Adapter (OSA) is a family of integrated hardware features that enables direct connection between IBM System z10™ hosts and clients on local area networks (LANs). The OSA provides a virtual interface to the LAN that may be shared by hundreds of host operating systems. The newest OSA generation employs a hardware-based Ethernet virtualization offload engine to significantly increase throughput and reduce latency in line with the latest 1-Gb and 10-Gb Ethernet adapters. The router is embodied in the OSA Ethernet data router ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) chipset and is packaged in several configurations. This paper describes the function of the OSA Ethernet data router, its hardware architecture, and the implementation of the design.
Some Laboratory Studies On the Use of Polyurethane Rigid Foam as a Thermal Insulation Material in Low Temperature Service

Polyurethane rigid foam is widely used as a thermal insula tion material in low temperature service because of its low thermal conduc tivity. This paper describes the results of laboratory studies ...
"Decadose" effects of cisplatin on squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract. II. Clinical studies.

There is evidence that solid tumors rapidly acquire cellular resistance to cisplatin. This resistance is usually mild to moderate and could be circumvented with higher concentrations of drug exposure if ancillary methods were available to avoid systemic cytotoxicity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a tenfold increase in dose (decadose) would overcome cisplatin resistance. In a clinical trial, response effects of cisplatin at dose intensities ranging from 32.5 to 200 mg/m2 per week, which were delivered by highly selective intra-arterial infusions with a simultaneously administered intravenous neutralizing agent, were measured in 31 patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the upper aerodigestive tract (UADT). The overall response rate (complete response [CR] and partial response [PR]) to cisplatin therapy at dose intensity intervals of 0 to 74, 75 to 149, and 150 to 200 mg/m2 per week were 45.5%, 72.7%, and 100%, respectively. The average received dose intensities for nonresponders and responders (CR and PR) were 57.8 and 120.7 mg/m2 per week, respectively (P = .031). The results indicate that resistance to standard doses of cisplatin by SCC of the UADT, both previously untreated and recurrent, can be substantially overcome with “decadose” cisplatin therapy. Progress toward improving survival of patients with head and neck cancer, and possibly other site-specific malignancies, may be achieved by incorporating decadose cisplatin therapy into a multimodality treatment plan.
Long-term micro- and macrocirculatory measurements in conscious rats

A lightweight, thermoneutral chamber design is introduced which permits the investigator to study, in vivo, intact skeletal muscle vasculature in the rat. The chamber, combined with established instrumentation (electromagnetic flowmetry and chronic catheterization) for monitoring of central hemodynamic parameters, affords the unique opportunity to correlate hemodynamic changes with alterations in the skeletal muscle microvasculature. Further, the studies may be performed in the unanesthetized animal. This model represents an integrated approach for the simultaneous study of the macro- and microcirculation within the same animal.
Running up the bid: detecting, predicting, and preventing reserve price shilling in online auctions

Online auctions allow the seller to remain anonymous and to easily change identities. Buyers must rely on the seller's description of a product and ability to deliver the product as promised. Internet auction environments make opportunistic behavior more attractive to sellers because the chance of detection and punishment is decreased. In this research, we show how fee structures at eBay, the largest online auction house, motivate shilling behavior. We distinguish between two different types of shilling that exhibit different motivation and behavior: shilling can be used to make the bidders pay more for an item, competitive shilling, and shilling that can be used to avoid paying auction house fees, reserve price shilling. We then use auction data gathered using an Internet-based data collection software agent to examine reserve price shilling using a probit model. We give evidence of reserve price shilling and then show factors that lead to this behavior.
Do policies matter

This chapter provides an overview of nondiscrimination policies that include sexual orientation and gender identity and addresses how such policies might be used to improve campus climates for LGBT students, faculty, and staff.
Towards environmental toxicogenomics -- development of a flow-through, high-density DNA hybridization array and its application to ecotoxicity assessment.

Abstract Assessment of the environmental hazard posed by soils/sediments containing low to moderate levels of contaminants using standard analytical chemical methods is uncertain due (in part) to a lack of information on contaminant bioavailability, the unknown interactive effects of contaminant mixtures, our inability to determine the species of a metal in an environmental matrix, and the relative sensitivity of bioassay species. Regulatory agencies compensate for this uncertainty by lowering cleanup goals, but in this process they effectively exclude otherwise attractive cleanup options (i.e. bioremediation). Direct evaluations of soil and sediment toxicity preclude uncertainty from most of these sources. However, the time and cost of chronic toxicity tests limits their general application to higher levels of tiered toxicity assessments. Transcriptional level (mRNA) toxicity assessments offer great advantages in terms of speed, cost and sample throughput. These advantages are currently offset by questions about the environmental relevance of molecular level responses. To this end a flow-through, high-density DNA hybridization array (genosensor) system specifically designed for environmental risk assessment was developed. The genosensor is based on highly regular microchannel glass wafers to which gene probes are covalently bound at discrete (200-μm diameter spot) and addressable (250-μm spot pitch) locations. The flow-through design enables hybridization and washing times to be reduced from approximately 18 h to 20 min. The genosensor was configured so that DNA from 28 environmental samples can be simultaneously hybridized with up to 64 different gene probes. The standard microscopic slide format facilitates data capture with most automated array readers and, thus high sample throughput (>350 sample/h). In conclusion, hardware development for molecular analysis is enabling very tractable means for analyzing RNA and DNA. These developments have underscored the need for further developmental work in probe design software, and the need to relate transcriptional level data to whole-organism toxicity indicators.
A census-based analysis of racial disparities in lower extremity amputation rates in Northern Illinois, 1987-2004.

Background Given improvements in care for peripheral vascular disease and diabetes over the last two decades, it was of interest whether racial disparities in lower extremity amputation rates had changed. Methods Hospital data for 18 years (1987-2004) were used to compute above, below, and through foot amputation rates for over eight million people living in the Chicago metropolitan area. Three areas were created from zip code level census data. Differences in amputation rates were compared between residents of zip code areas that were >50% African American, 10% to 50% African American, or Results The largely African American area of the South and West sides of Chicago, with less than 15% of the area population, accounted for 27% of all amputation discharges (n = 33,775) over the 18 years. For all residents of northern Illinois, major (above and below knee) amputation rates declined to 17 per 100,000 residents over the last decade, and both inpatient mortality and length of stay fell throughout the period. However, residents of largely African American zip codes had over five times higher per capita amputation rates than residents of primarily white zip codes. Conclusions Racial disparities have remained remarkably constant, despite progress in reducing the overall major amputation rate in northern Illinois. Addressing these disparities will require that low income, medically complex patients at risk of limb loss receive timelier, high performance care, combined with community-based public health and preventive medicine interventions that address the social determinants of health.
Radiofrequency ablation versus partial nephrectomy in patients with solitary clinical T1a renal cell carcinoma: comparable oncologic outcomes at a minimum of 5 years of follow-up.

Abstract Background Long-term comparative outcomes for radiofrequency ablation (RFA) versus partial nephrectomy (PN) for the primary treatment of clinical T1a renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have not previously been reported. Objective Report comparative 5-yr oncologic outcomes for RFA versus PN in patients with clinical T1a RCC. Design, setting, and participants Observational single-institution cohort study, involving consecutive patients with a solitary histologically confirmed T1a RCC treated by RFA or PN and followed for a minimum of 5 yr. Those presenting with synchronous multiple, metachronous, bilateral, and/or metastatic disease, a history of hereditary RCC syndromes, a family history of RCC, and with post-treatment follow-up Measurements The Kaplan-Meier method was used to determine 5-yr overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), local recurrence-free survival (local RFS), overall disease-free survival (DFS), and metastasis-free survival (MFS) for RFA versus PN. Survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. A p value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results and limitations A total of 37 patients in each group met the selection criteria. The RFA cohort was significantly older and had more advanced comorbidities, but other patient characteristics were similar. For RFA versus PN, median follow-up was 6.5 yr (interquartile range [IQR]: 5.8–7.1) versus 6.1 yr (IQR: 5.4–7.3) ( p =0.68), respectively. The 5-yr OS was 97.2% versus 100% ( p =0.31), CSS was 97.2% versus 100% ( p =0.31), DFS was 89.2% versus 89.2% ( p =0.78), local RFS was 91.7% versus 94.6% ( p =0.96), and MFS was 97.2% versus 91.8% ( p =0.35), respectively. Study limitations are retrospective data analysis, loss to follow-up, limited statistical power, and limited generalizability of our data. Conclusions In appropriately selected patients, RFA is an effective minimally invasive therapy for the treatment of cT1a RCC, yielding comparable long-term oncologic outcomes to nephron-sparing surgery.
Naturally occurring proteolytic antibodies: selective immunoglobulin M-catalyzed hydrolysis of HIV gp120.

We report the selective catalytic cleavage of the HIV coat protein gp120, a B cell superantigen, by IgM antibodies (Abs) from uninfected humans and mice that had not been previously exposed to gp120. The rate of IgM-catalyzed gp120 cleavage was greater than of other polypeptide substrates, including the bacterial superantigen protein A. The kinetic parameters of gp120 cleavage varied over a broad range depending on the source of the IgMs, and turnover numbers as great as 2.1/min were observed, suggesting that different Abs possess distinct gp120 recognition properties. IgG Abs failed to cleave gp120 detectably. The Fab fragment of a monoclonal IgM cleaved gp120, suggesting that the catalytic activity belongs to the antibody combining site. The electrophoretic profile of gp120 incubated with a monoclonal human IgM suggested hydrolysis at several sites. One of the cleavage sites was identified as the Lys432-Ala433 peptide bond, located within the region thought to be the Ab-recognizable superantigenic determinant. A covalently reactive peptide analog (CRA) corresponding to gp120 residues 421–431 with a C-terminal amidino phosphonate diester mimetic of the Lys432-Ala433 bond was employed to probe IgM nucleophilic reactivity. The peptidyl CRA inhibited the IgM-catalyzed cleavage of gp120 and formed covalent IgM adducts at levels exceeding a control hapten CRA devoid of the peptide sequence. These observations suggest that IgMs can selectively cleave gp120 by a nucleophilic mechanism and raise the possibility of their role as defense enzymes.
Humans as the World's Greatest Evolutionary Force

In addition to altering global ecology, technology and human population growth also affect evolutionary trajectories, dramatically accelerating evolutionary change in other species, especially in commercially important, pest, and disease organisms. Such changes are apparent in antibiotic and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) resistance to drugs, plant and insect resistance to pesticides, rapid changes in invasive species, life-history change in commercial fisheries, and pest adaptation to biological engineering products. This accelerated evolution costs at least $33 billion to $50 billion a year in the United States. Slowing and controlling arms races in disease and pest management have been successful in diverse ecological and economic systems, illustrating how applied evolutionary principles can help reduce the impact of human-kind on evolution.
Streamlined calibration of the ATLAS Muon Spectrometer precision chambers

The ATLAS Muon Spectrometer is comprised of 1150 optically Monitored Drifttube Chambers (MDTs) containing 354,000 aluminum drift tubes. The chambers are configured in barrel and endcap regions. The momentum resolution required for the LHC physics reach (dp/p = 3% and 10% at 100 GeV and at 1 TeV respectively) demands rigorous MDT drift tube calibration with frequent updates. These calibrations (RT functions) convert the measured drift times to drift radii and are a critical component to the spectrometer performance. They are sensitive to the MDT gas composition: Ar 93%, CO 2 7% at 3 bar, flowing through the detector at arate of 100,000 l hr−1. We report on the generation and application of Universal RT calibrations derived from an inline gas system monitor chamber. Results from ATLAS cosmic ray commissioning data are included. These Universal RTs are intended for muon track reconstuction in the LHC startup phase.
Motor Cortical Activity during Interception of Moving Targets

The single-unit activity of 831 cells was recorded in the arm area of the motor cortex of two monkeys while the monkeys intercepted a moving visual stimulus (interception task) or remained immobile during presentation of the same moving stimulus (no-go task). The moving target traveled on an oblique path from either lower corner of a screen toward the vertical meridian, and its movement time (0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 sec) and velocity profile (accelerating, decelerating, or constant velocity) were pseudorandomly varied. The moving target had to be intercepted within 130 msec of target arrival at an interception point. By comparing motor cortical activity at the single-neuron and population levels between the interception and no-go tasks, we tested whether information about parameters of moving target is represented in the primary motor cortex to generate appropriate motor responses. A substantial number of neurons displayed modulation of their activity during the no-go task, and this activity was often affected by the stimulus parameters. These results suggest a role of motor cortex in specifying the timing of movement initiation based on information about target motion. In addition, there was a lack of systematic relation between the onset times of neural activity in the interception and no-go tasks, suggesting that processing of information concerning target motion and generation of hand movement occurs in parallel. Finally, the activity in the most motor cortical neurons was modulated according to an estimate of the time-to-target interception, raising the possibility that time-to-interception may be coded in the motor cortical activity.
Family functioning, burden, and reward in the caregiving for chronic mental illness.

The burdens that caregivers for the chronically mentally ill experience are reviewed. Rewards that caregivers might experience have been understudied and the sparse literature is herein reviewed. The concept of expressed emotion, the importance of psychoeducation, and the role of family treatment are also reviewed, as they relate to the experience of the caregivers. Family conflict and family intimacy have been found to reflect the degree of burden or reward experienced and it is suggested that the family system, as the context within which the patient exists, be seen as the mediating environment for caregiving burden and reward. Family assessment, including a measure of the comfort with the role of caregiver and the extent of family support, is recommended in the assessment of caregivers. The family s ability to adapt over time is discussed as a measure of the family's ability to solve the problem of caregiving. Future directions for research are also presented.
Who Recognizes and Chooses Behaviors That Are Best for a Relationship? The Separate Roles of Knowledge, Attachment, and Motivation

Participants made relationship decisions in several Choose Your Own Adventure-type dating story tasks by choosing between two options at each of 20 points throughout the computerized stories. One option was always the relationship-enhancing option; the other option was detrimental to the relationship. Study 1 included two experimental conditions: Participants were either asked to identify the relationship-enhancing option or to report which option they would actually choose. Individuals high in relationship knowledge were more likely to identify relationship-enhancing behaviors but not more likely to actually choose them. Secure individuals and individuals strongly motivated to have supportive relationships were more likely to identify and to choose relationship-enhancing options. In Study 2 partner supportiveness was manipulated; the fictitious partner was either supportive or nonsupportive. Individuals high in relationship knowledge were better at recognizing when a partner was supportive and when not, whereas attachment anxiety lessened the appreciation of having a supportive partner.
Transcriptional networks in the liver: hepatocyte nuclear factor 6 function is largely independent of Foxa2.

A complex network of hepatocyte nuclear transcription factors, including HNF6 and Foxa2, regulates the expression of liver-specific genes. The current model, based on in vitro studies, suggests that HNF6 and Foxa2 interact physically. This interaction is thought to synergistically stimulate Foxa2-dependent transcription through the recruitment of p300/CBP by HNF6 and to inhibit HNF6-mediated transcription due to the interference of Foxa2 with DNA binding by HNF6. To test this model in vivo, we utilized hepatocyte-specific gene ablation to study the binding of HNF6 to its targets in the absence of Foxa2. Chromatin immunoprecipitation using anti-HNF6 antibodies was performed on chromatin isolated from Foxa2loxP/loxP Alfp.Cre and control mouse livers, and HNF6 binding to its target, Glut2, was determined by quantitative PCR. In contrast to the current model, we found no significant difference in HNF6 occupancy at the Glut2 promoter between Foxa2-deficient and control livers. In order to evaluate the Foxa2/HNF6 interaction model on a global scale, we performed a location analysis using a microarray with 7,000 mouse promoter fragments. Again, we found no evidence that HNF6 binding to its targets in chromatin is reduced in the presence of Foxa2. We also examined the mRNA levels of HNF6 targets in the liver using a cDNA array and found that their expression was similar in Foxa2-deficient and control mice. Overall, our studies demonstrate that HNF6 binds to and regulates its target promoters in vivo in the presence and absence of Foxa2.