cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of populations and physiological characterization of microorganisms in rhizospheres of plants with antagonistic properties to phytopathogenic nematodes

Populations of rhizosphere microflora of plants which have demonstrated an antagonism toward phytopathogenic nematodes, including velvet bean (Mucuna deeringiana), castor bean (Ricinus communis), sword bean (Cannavalia ensiformis), and Abruzzi rye (Secale cereale)., were compared to the rhizosphere microflora of soybean. Population densities of total bacteria were significantly lower for young Abruzzi rye, mature velvet bean, and mature castor bean, and fungi from mature velvet bean than for soybean. Population densities of spore-forming bacilli were significantly higher for Abruzzi rye than for soybean. Population densities of coryneform bacteria for mature sword bean and velvet bean were significantly higher than for soybean. All seedling test poants supported significantly higher population densities of chitinolytic fungi than soybean. On mature plants, chitinolytic bacteria were significantly higher on all test plants except velvet bean. Populations of endophytic root bacteria for three of the four test plants were significantly higher than for soybean. Fifty randomly, selected bacterial strains from seedlings and mature plants of soybean and each test plant were characterized for various physiological traits associated with rhizosphere competence, including chitinolytic activity, gelatin hydrolysis, production of hydrogen cyanide, starch hydrolysis, phenol oxidation, siderophore production, and production of antifungal compounds (inhibition ofPythium ultimum and/orRhizoctonia solani). There was a strong trend to increased frequency in each of the physiological tests with bacteria from test plants in comparison to those from soybean. The frequency of starch hydrolysis was up to 24 times greater for strains from test plants than for soybean strains, and siderophore production was up to 22 times more frequent for test plants. These results demonstrate that, compared to soybean, plants with properties antagonistic to phytopathogenic nematodes have a distinct rhizosphere microflora.
The Relationship Between Conditioning and Higher Learning

(1955). The Relationship Between Conditioning and Higher Learning. The Journal of General Psychology: Vol. 53, No. 2, pp. 221-229.
Surface water quality and land use in Wisconsin, USA – a GIS approach

To explore effective water pollution mitigation, it is essential to study the complex relationship between surface water quality and land-use patterns in different regions under various spatial scales. A geographic information system (GIS) based approach together with statistical analysis was used to examine this complex relationship in the State of Wisconsin, USA. The data on watershed, land use/cover and water quality of 1988–1996 were collected and integrated from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Wisconsin Initiative for State-wide Cooperation on Landscape Analysis and Data, and the US EPA, respectively. Nonparametric statistical analysis techniques were employed to analyse the relationship between land-use categories and surface water quality variables such as calcium, total phosphorus, lead and fecal coliform at the watershed level. Then a GIS-based spatial analysis was further conducted for variables that were significantly related to land use. The results showed that 14 out of 21 ...
Seismic risk analysis of the North Sea

Abstract Seismic risk is evaluated in the North Sea using areal and tectonic models. The procedures used are applied to California to determine their accuracy. In California, expected peak ground accelerations are computed for the northwest coast, the San Francisco Bay area, and the Imperial Valley, with a return period of 100 years. Using a return period of ten thousand years, expected peak ground accelerations are calculated in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. In all cases, the results depend significantly on the choice of attenuation coefficients.
1717 THE ROLE OF CARDIOPULMONARY RECEPTORS IN NEURAL LOBE AUTOREGULATION

Cerebral autoregulation (AR) is not influenced by baroreceptor activity. However, neural lobe blood flow (NLQ) may be regulated differently. In this study we examine the relationships between arterial pressure (AP), NLQ and arginine vasopressin (AVP) after bilateral vagotomy (V). Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured by the microsphere method in 4 pentobarbital anesthetized, V dogs. Measurements were made at normotension and 3,5,10,15 and 30 minutes after reducing AP to 80 mmHg. AVP was measured by radioimmunoassay. Measurements previously obtained in intact dogs served as control (C). In C dogs, NLQ and AVP increased (591 ± 110 to 1832 ± 176 ml/min/100g and 2± 1 to 102 - 25 pg/ml, respectively) within 3 minutes. Other brain areas showed typical AR. V abolished the NLQ spike (871 ± 176 to 1000 ± 186 ml/min/100gm), but left the AVP spike intact (72 ± 5 to 147 ± 37 pg/ ml). No other rCBF differences were seen. We conclude that NLQ and neural lobe function are transiently coupled and that this couple affects NLQ AR. The couple does not appear to be meta-bolically mediated since: 1) AVP remains high during hemorrhage, whereas NLQ returns to C, and 2) V obliterates the NLQ spike leaving the AVP spike intact. Such findings suggest that the afferent pathways affecting the NLQ spike are carried by the vagi and are different from the pathways affecting AVP release.
Is AMH a regulator of follicular atresia

We discuss the hypothesis that AMH is an intraovarian regulator that inhibits follicular atresia within the human ovary. Several indirect lines of evidence derived from clinical and basic science studies in a variety of different patient populations and model systems collectively support this hypothesis. Evidence presented herein include 1) timing of onset of menopause in women with polycystic ovary syndrome, 2) site of cellular origin and timing of AMH production, 3) AMH’s influence on other critical growth factors and enzymes involved in folliculogenesis, and 4) AMH’s inhibition of granulosa apoptosis. If this hypothesis is true, it may provide insight for treatment strategies for prevention and treatment of premature ovarian insufficiency, slowing natural ovarian aging, and/or delaying eventual ovarian failure. Such findings may lead to the development of 1) AMH agonists for retarding the onset of menopause and/or as a chemoprotectant prior to cancer therapy and 2) AMH antagonists for the treatment of PCOS.
A user interface development tool for space science systems Transportable Applications Environment (TAE) Plus

The Transportable Applications Environment Plus (TAE PLUS), developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, is a portable What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) user interface development and management system. Its primary objective is to provide an integrated software environment that allows interactive prototyping and development that of user interfaces, as well as management of the user interface within the operational domain. Although TAE Plus is applicable to many types of applications, its focus is supporting user interfaces for space applications. This paper discusses what TAE Plus provides and how the implementation has utilized state-of-the-art technologies within graphic workstations, windowing systems and object-oriented programming languages.
Determining utility allowances for US public housing tenants

In the USA, as in most parts of the world, rapidly-rising energy costs are having a severe impact on the poor and elderly. Existing at the margin, the poor and elderly must often sacrifice consumption of basic necessities to pay for energy consumption. In the USA, problems are exacerbated by a lack both of government experience with energy assistance programmes and of coordination among levels of government. As a result, programme regulations are often not only contradictory but also inadvertently exclude important segments of the population from assistance. One striking example of such a group is the US public housing population. On the mistaken assumption that public housing tenants receive adequate allowances from housing authorities to cover their utility costs, energy assistance programmes have not focused on the needs of public housing tenants. As will be discussed in this paper, however, public housing utility allowances are often woefully inadequate to meet tenant needs. The result has been severe hardship for tenants. The purpose of this article is to examine both the adequacy of and procedures for establishing utility allowance schedules for public housing tenants. Although the analysis is based on utility consumption data collected for two public housing authorities in the USA, the concerns, issues and policy recommendations are relevant to the establishment of utility allowance schedules for authorities both in other parts of the USA as well as in other countries.
Bone remodeling III: uniqueness and stability in adaptive elasticity theory

A uniqueness theorem for infinitesimal adaptive elasticity is proved. Two theorems establishing sufficient conditions for stability are demonstrated.
Clinical and Radiographic Results of the Total Condylar III and Constrained Condylar Total Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract The Total Condylar III (Johnson and Johnson, Braintree, MA) and Constrained Condylar (Zimmer, Warsaw, IN) knee prostheses are nonlinked, semi-constrained prosthetic alternatives to rigid or rotating hinge prostheses for use in complex knee reconstructions. Forty-six Total Condylar III or Constrained Condylar prostheses were implanted with cement in 36 patients and followed for a mean of 5 years (range, 2–9 years). There were 25 primary total knee arthroplasties and 21 revision total knee arthroplasties. The knees were evaluated using The Hospital for Special Surgery 100-point knee rating system. Overall, 40 knees (87%) had a good or excellent clinical result, 2 knees (4%) had a fair result, and 4 knees (9%) had a poor result. There was one revision for loosening of a cemented, nonmodular Constrained Condylar prosthesis, and one knee had a debridement for a late, metastatic infection, but the components were retained. There were no mechanical failures in those knees that were primary arthroplasties, but two mechanical failures occurred in those knees that were revision arthroplasties. Radiographic review showed one asymptomatic loosening of a Constrained Condylar tibial component with an uncemented press-fit stem, and only 8 knees had scattered nonprogressive tibial bone—cement radiolucent lines. The Total Condylar III and Constrained Condylar semiconstrained prostheses are successful when used in complex knee reconstructions.
Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction Findings From the Get With The Guidelines–Coronary Artery Disease Program

Background— Racial/ethnic differences in cardiovascular care have been well documented. We sought to determine whether racial/ethnic differences in evidence-based acute myocardial infarction care persist among hospitals participating in a national quality improvement program. Methods and Results— We analyzed 142 593 acute myocardial infarction patients (121 528 whites, 10 882 blacks, and 10 183 Hispanics) at 443 hospitals participating in the Get With the Guidelines–Coronary Artery Disease (GWTG-CAD) program between January 2002 and June 2007. We examined individual and overall composite rates of defect-free care, defined as the proportion of patients receiving all eligible performance measures. In addition, we examined temporal trends in use of performance measures according to race/ethnicity by calendar quarter. Overall, individual performance measure use was high, ranging from 78% for use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors to 96% for use of aspirin at discharge. Use of each of these improved s...
γ-Aminobutyric acid modulation of acetylcholine-induced contractions of a smooth muscle from an echinoderm ( Sclerodactyla briareus )

This study provides pharmacological evidence for the presence of GABAergic neurons innervating the longitudinal muscle of the body wall (LMBW) of holothurians. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) A and B receptor subtypes were both present in this system and regulated spontaneous contractions as well as responses to acetylcholine (ACh) that stimulated contraction of the LMBW. GABA dose-dependently relaxed the resting tone of the LMBW. GABA (10−5 M) inhibited ACh-induced (10−4 M) contractions by 20%. The GABA B agonist, baclofen, relaxed the LMBW, an effect potentiated by GABA. Pretreatment with baclofen (10−4 M) inhibited ACh (10−4 M) contractions of the LMBW by 50%. Phaclofen, a GABA receptor B antagonist, caused a dose-dependent increase in resting tension. Phaclofen-induced (10−5 M) contractions were reversed by the addition of GABA or baclofen (10−4 M) and potentiated by the addition of another GABA B receptor antagonist, 2-hydroxy-saclofen (10−5 M). Pretreatment with phaclofen (10−5 M) caused a marked potentiation of ACh-induced (10−4 M) contractions by 101%. 2-Hydroxy-saclofen (10−5 M) had a toxic effect on the LMBW, rendering it completely unresponsive either to ACh or to a second exposure to GABA, and so exhibiting cross-desensitization. Muscimol, a GABA A receptor agonist, had no effect on the resting tension of the LMBW. Curiously, pretreatment of the muscle with muscimol (10−5 M) potentiated ACh-evoked (10−4 M) contractions by nearly 20%. Bicuculline (10−5 M), a GABA A receptor antagonist, generated large, sustained contractions and partially blocked GABA-induced (10−4 M) relaxation. Like 2-hydroxy-saclofen, bicuculline (10−5 M) had a profound cross-desensitizing effect on the LMBW to subsequent exposures to GABA and ACh. ACh was unable to potentiate the sustained contractions induced by bicuculline.
Cataloging Matters for Digital Preservation

A serials cataloger reflects on the challenges posed by digital preservation and the availability of bibliographic metadata outside of the traditional library catalog.
TU‐EE‐A4‐04: 4D CT Image‐Based Modeling the Deformation and Sliding Motion of Lungs

Purpose: To develop a novel method for registration of different phases of 4D CT with consideration of lung volume deformation and sliding motion. Method and Materials: Sliding motion of the lung against chest wall during breathing presents a challenging problem in image registration. The motion range of diaphragm during respiration is about 3 cm and the displacement vectors of tissue on the two sides of pleura are discontinuous. To register different phases of 4D CT, the lungs on these phases were first automatically segmented. A Scale Invariance Feature Transformation (SIFT) descriptor was used to find feature points shared by the template phase and target phases on the lung contours. A Fourier transformation of displacements of featured points was carried out. The low spatial frequency component of the displacement represents the sliding motion, whereas the high frequency component of the Fourier transformation represents the contribution from deformation and can be modeled by a conventional deformable model. After shifting the lungs on the target phase according to the filtered sliding displacements, a thin plate spline (TPS) deformable registration was applied between the template phase and shifted phases to obtain the displacement vector for each voxel. Results: We calculated the average diaphragm sliding distance between phase 1 and other phases with and without inclusion of lung sliding using patient data. It is demonstrated that the accuracy of the proposed method is three times better than that of conventional TPS method. With inclusion of sliding motion, the overlapped ratio of tumor contour is increased to 84.3% as compared to 78.0% using conventional approach. Conclusion: A hybrid method of deformable registration in spatial domain and low‐pass filter in frequency domain seems to model the lung breathing motion well. The combination provides a robust and computationally efficient method for registration of 4D CT thoracic images.
A multivariate clustering approach to display repertoire analysis: headbobbing in Anolis equestris

Display repertoire analysis requires and unbiased estimate of the number of different displays. Anolis lizards, with easily quantifiable visual displays, provide a system amenable to determining display repertoire size. We used multivariate clustering techniques to classify Anolis equastris headbobbing displays. Forty displays, to conspecifics and mirrors, were graphed and 23 variables from each were used in a cluster analysis. Displays were classified into four distinct groups and a single odd display. The most important variables for classifying displays, assessed with a stepwide discriminant analysis, were associated with the general cadence, number of headbobs, and location of large and small headbobs. Most headbobbing displays ended in lateral head movements, possibly arising from ritualized mouth-wiping. All displays analyzed were apparently aggressive ("threat") displays, suggesting a rich display repertoire for this species but leaving unexplained the reasons so many display types are used. Social and defensive displays, while sharing a number of motor patterns, are readily distinguished by the long duration of dewlap extension and gaping in defensive behavior.
Neural control of light emission in Photuris larvae: Identification of Octopamine-Sensitive adenylate cyclase†

Octopamine, a putative phenylethylamine neurotransmitter present in the firefly, has been found to be a potent stimulator of cyclic AMP synthesis in the larval light organ. In the same tissue, octopamine causes a small inhibition of phosphodiesterase activity. Because of the relatively simple anatomical relationships present in the larval light organ, compared with that of the adult, this preparation should offer an attractive model for studying the biochemistry of neurohumoral control of light emission.
Patient priorities in colorectal cancer screening decisions.

Background Colorectal cancer screening guidelines in the United States recommend that decisions about screening should incorporate patient preferences, but little is known about how patients make the trade-offs inherent in choosing one of the five currently recommended screening programmes. Study population Forty-eight primary care patients at average risk for colorectal cancer who completed an experimental shared decision-making intervention based on a multicriteria decision analysis. Methods Descriptive analysis of priorities assigned to decision criteria describing the advantages and disadvantages of the five currently recommended colorectal screening programmes in the United States. Criteria were divided into four major criteria – avoid cancer, avoid screening side-effects, avoid false positive test results and the combined importance of other considerations – and three subcriteria: the number of screening tests, test preparation and the test itself. Cluster analysis was used to identify common combinations of priorities within each set of criteria. Results Patients assigned widely variable priorities to both the criteria and subcriteria: the average range of priorities was 46 on a 100 point priority scale. Cluster analysis identified six different combinations of priorities for the major criteria and four for the subcriteria. The differences in priorities assigned to both the criteria and subcriteria in the clusters were statistically significant with P < 0.0001. Conclusions Even within a small group of patients, preferences vary widely regarding trade-offs involved in choosing among the currently recommended colorectal cancer screening programmes in the United States. These results provide empiric support for recommendations to utilize a shared decision-making process when making colorectal cancer screening decisions and highlight the need for additional research into how average risk patients view the trade-offs inherent in choosing a colorectal cancer screening programme.
VIP down-regulates the inflammatory potential and promotes survival of dying (neural crest-derived) corneal endothelial cells ex vivo: necrosis to apoptosis switch and up-regulation of Bcl-2 and N-cadherin

J. Neurochem. (2009) 109, 792–806. Abstract The neuropeptide vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is anti-inflammatory and protective in the immune and nervous systems, respectively. This study demonstrated in corneal endothelial (CE) cells injured by severe oxidative stress (1.4 mM H2O2) in bovine corneal organ cultures that VIP pre-treatment (0, 10−10, 10−8, and 10−6 M; 15 min), in a VIP concentration-dependent manner, switched the inflammation-causing necrosis to inflammation-neutral apoptosis (showing annexin V-binding, chromatin condensation, and DNA fragmentation) and upheld ATP levels in a VIP antagonist (SN)VIPhyb-sensitive manner, while up-regulated mRNA levels of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and the differentiation marker N-cadherin in a kinase A inhibitor-sensitive manner. As a result, VIP, in a concentration-dependent and VIP antagonist-sensitive manners, promoted long-term CE cell survival. ATP levels, a determining factor in the choice of apoptosis versus necrosis, measured after VIP pre-treatment and 0.5 min post-H2O2 were 39.6 ± 3.3, 50.8 ± 6.2, 60.1 ± 4.8, and 53.6 ± 5.3 pmoles/μg protein (mean ± SEM), respectively (p < 0.05, anova). VIP treatment alone concentration-dependently increased levels of N-cadherin (Koh et al. 2008), the phosphorylated cAMP-responsive-element binding protein and Bcl-2, while10−8 M VIP, in a VIP antagonist (SN)VIPhyb-sensitive manner, increased ATP level by 38% (p < 0.02) and decreased glycogen level by 32% (p < 0.02). VPAC1 (not VPAC2) receptor was expressed in CE cells. Thus, CE cell VIP/VPAC1 signaling is both anti-inflammatory and protective in the corneal endothelium.
Positioning jig for implant abutments: Procedures and clinical applications

Abstract A custom-milled abutment may be positioned in six different orientations on a hexed implant. When more than one implant abutment is to be placed, the number of possible orientations increases and makes this step time consuming. It is imperative that the abutment be held in a fixed position while the abutment screw is tightened. Occasionally without making a new impression is required. This article describes a procedure for making and using a positioning jig to alleviate these problems.
Work Motivation: Identifying Use-Inspired Research Directions

The study of work motivation progresses through the inspiration that comes from creating new alignments between scientific understanding and considerations of practical use (cf. D. E. Stokes, 1997). Using the 3 C’s framework for work motivation (Kanfer, Chen, & Pritchard, 2008a, b), I coordinate 5 practical concerns related to work motivation with recent scientific trends in order to encourage the development of new research agendas in the field.
Fast Implementations of Nonparametric Curve Estimators

Abstract Recent proposals for implementation of kernel-based nonparametric curve estimators are seen to be faster than naive direct implementations by factors up into the hundreds. The main ideas behind the two different approaches are made clear. Careful speed comparisons in a variety of settings and using a variety of machines and software are done. Various issues on computational accuracy and stability are also discussed. Our speed tests show that the fast methods are as fast or somewhat faster than methods traditionally considered very fast, such as LOWESS and smoothing splines.
Student Entrepreneurs as Agents of Organizational Change and Social Transformation: a Grassroots Leadership Perspective

The purpose of this article is to illustrate organizational change that is created through the grassroots leadership of socially-oriented student entrepreneurs. The implications of organizational change created by such student entrepreneurs who act as bottom-up leaders are explored at the institutional level (single university) and at the field level (higher education sector). The empirical point of analysis is the student-led emergence and establishment of the Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC) in the Haas School of Business at the University of California – Berkeley. This competition has led to organizational change not only within the university, but also across the global higher education sector through contributions made to a larger student-led movement to influence social change and the betterment of society through entrepreneurship. Student entrepreneurship is explored in the context of a grassroots student movement that sometimes leverages the market and market-like conditions of colleges an...
Small-angle X-ray scattering on fibres of heteroaromatic polymers

Abstract Fibres of the coil-like molecule poly-2,5-benzoxazole (ABPBO) as well as the rod-like molecules poly(p-phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO) and poly(p-phenylene benzobisthiazole) (PBT) were processed and examined by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). SAXS on thermally annealed ABPBO and PBO fibres consistently showed an off-axis radial four-point intensity pattern. Molecular adjustment due to thermal annealing was believed to cause this unique fibre morphology. The distinct scattering pattern suggested a uniaxial structure of plate-like ordered regions with a tilt-angle off the fibre axis. The tilt-angle was independent of annealing temperature. This fibre morphology is in agreement with complementary evidence from numerical modelling, X-ray diffraction and selected-area electron diffraction. In contrast, SAXS on annealed PBT fibre did not show the radial four-point intensity pattern. This was attributed to the non-colinear and non-coplanar nature of the PBT backbone. For the annealed fibres, the presence of the radial four-point SAXS pattern was not a prerequisite for improvements in tensile properties.
Polarization measurements around the secondary dip in. pi. p elastic scattering

Polarization in ..pi../sup -/p elastic scattering, with emphasis in the region around the secondary dip and also theta/sub c.m./=90degree, has been measured at 2.93 and 3.25 GeV/c. We observe an interesting sign change in this angular region. (AIP)
Shigella infections in the United States, 1974-1980

During the seven-year period 1974-1980, 93,516 Shigella isolates from humans were reported to the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, through a nationwide surveillance system. Over the past 30 years, the reported incidence of shigellosis has been declining in contrast to that reported for salmonellosis. Shigella sonnei (group D) now accounts for approximately 70% of the Shigella isolates reported, since most of the decline has been due to the increasingly less frequent infections caused by Shigella flexneri (group B); Shigella dysenteriae infections are now uncommon. The highest reported rates of shigellosis are from the western states and among children from one to five years of age. Among the total population of the United States, the ratio of S. flexneri to S. sonnei isolates was 0.28 among persons from one to 19 years of age and 0.45 among persons greater than or equal to 20 years of age; among American Indians the proportion of S. flexneri was much greater, the corresponding ratios being 2.1 and 2.9, respectively; in both groups the ratios for children younger than one year of age resembled those obtaining for adults. Age-related acquisition of immunity to S. sonnei may explain these observations.
SU-E-T-613: Dosimetric Consequences of Systematic MLC Leaf Positioning Errors

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the dosimetric consequences of systematic MLC leaf positioning errors for clinical IMRT patient plans so as to establish detection tolerances for quality assurance programs. Materials and Methods: Dosimetric consequences were simulated by extracting mlc delivery instructions from the TPS, altering the file by the specified error, reloading the delivery instructions into the TPS, recomputing dose, and extracting dose-volume metrics for one head-andneck and one prostate patient. Machine error was simulated by offsetting MLC leaves in Pinnacle in a systematic way. Three different algorithms were followed for these systematic offsets, and are as follows: a systematic sequential one-leaf offset (one leaf offset in one segment per beam), a systematic uniform one-leaf offset (same one leaf offset per segment per beam) and a systematic offset of a given number of leaves picked uniformly at random from a given number of segments (5 out of 10 total). Dose to the PTV and normal tissue was simulated. Results: A systematic 5 mm offset of 1 leaf for all delivery segments of all beams resulted in a maximum PTV D98 deviation of 1%. Results showed very low dose error in all reasonably possible machine configurations, raremore » or otherwise, which could be simulated. Very low error in dose to PTV and OARs was shown in all possible cases of one leaf per beam per segment being offset (<1%), or that of only one leaf per beam being offset (<.2%). The errors resulting from a high number of adjacent leaves (maximum of 5 out of 60 total leaf-pairs) being simultaneously offset in many (5) of the control points (total 10–18 in all beams) per beam, in both the PTV and the OARs analyzed, were similarly low (<2–3%). Conclusions: The above results show that patient shifts and anatomical changes are the main source of errors in dose delivered, not machine delivery. These two sources of error are “visually complementary” and uncorrelated (albeit not additive in the final error) and one can easily incorporate error resulting from machine delivery in an error model based purely on tumor motion.« less
Tuberculosis of testis

Abstract Genital tuberculosis usually spreads retrograde from the prostate and seminal vesicles to the vas, epididymis, and testis. Tuberculosis of the testis occurs secondary to direct invasion from a tuberculous epididymis, and rarely has been reported as a solitary occurrence. Two cases of tuberculosis of the testis with and without epididymal involvement are reported.
OVINE PLACENTAL NOREPINEPHRINE TRANSPORTER (NET): DEVELOPMENT, CLONING AND REGULATION. • 450

OVINE PLACENTAL NOREPINEPHRINE TRANSPORTER (NET): DEVELOPMENT, CLONING AND REGULATION. • 450
Investigating the potential of conserved inner core oligosaccharide regions of Moraxella catarrhalis lipopolysaccharide as vaccine antigens: accessibility and functional activity of monoclonal antibodies and glycoconjugate derived sera

We investigated the conservation and antibody accessibility of inner core epitopes of Moraxella catarrhalis lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in order to assess their potential as vaccine candidates. Two LPS mutants, a single mutant designated lgt2 and a double mutant termed lgt2/lgt4, elaborating truncated inner core structures were generated in order to preclude expression of host-like outer core structures and to create an inner core structure that was shared by all three serotypes A, B and C of M. catarrhalis. Murine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), designated MC2-1 and MC2-10 were obtained by immunising mice with the lgt2 mutant of M. catarrhalis serotype A strain. We showed that mAb MC2-1 can bind to the core LPS of wild-type (wt) serotype A, B and C organisms and concluded that mAb MC2-1 defines an immunogenic inner core epitope of M. catarrhalis LPS. We were unsuccessful in obtaining mAbs to the lgt2/lgt4 mutant. MAb MC2-10 only recognised the lgt2 mutant and the wt serotype A strain, and exhibited a strong requirement for the terminal N-acetyl-glucosamine residue of the lgt2 mutant core oligosaccharide, suggesting that this residue was immunodominant. Subsequently, we showed that both mAbs MC2-1 and MC2-10 could facilitate bactericidal killing of the lgt2 mutant, however neither mAb could facilitate bactericidal killing of the wt serotype A strain. We then confirmed and extended the candidacy of the inner core LPS by demonstrating that it is possible to elicit functional antibodies against M. catarrhalis wt strains following immunisation of rabbits with glycoconjugates elaborating the conserved inner core LPS antigen. The present study describes three conjugation strategies that either uses amidases produced by Dictyostelium discoideum, targeting the amino functionality created by the amidase activity as the attachment point on the LPS molecule, or a strong base treatment to remove all fatty acids from the LPS, thus creating amino functionalities in the lipid A region to conjugate via maleimide-thiol linker strategies targeting the carboxyl residues of the carrier protein and the free amino functionalities of the derived lipid A region of the carbohydrate resulted in a high loading of carbohydrates per carrier protein from these carbohydrate preparations. Immunisation derived antisera from rabbits recognised fully extended M. catarrhalis LPS and whole cells. Moreover, bactericidal activity was demonstrated to both the immunising carbohydrate antigen and importantly to wt cells, thus further supporting the consideration of inner core LPS as a potential vaccine antigen to combat disease caused by M. catarrhalis.
Spectrum of light scattered from polydisperse polymer solutions

We examine several methods for analyzing the spectrum of light scattered from polydisperse polymer solutions. General expressions are reviewed for the inelastic scattering spectra and integrated intensities due to the pure translational normal mode of motion, using both heterodyne and homodyne detection, in terms of the molecular weights, concentrations, scattering form factors, and diffusion coefficients of the individual polymeric species, These results are used to obtain general expressions for the limiting slopes and intercepts of various rearranged versions of the equation I(v) = (A/π)2/(v2 + γ2) that permit linear plotting: I(v) is the intensity of light scattered at frequency v, A is the integrated intensity, and γ is the spectral halfwidth, K2D/2π, where K is the scattering vector and D the diffusion coefficient. These results are applied to the special case of a Schulz-Zimm distribution, neglecting form factors, to obtain explicit expressions relating the average diffusion coefficients determined by these procedures to other measurable quantities: the mean polymer radius; the diffusion coefficient of the weight-average species; and, together with the weight-average sedimentation coefficient, the weight-average molecular weight. Numerical calculations for two particular cases indicate the relative merits of the various data analysis procedures. Homodyne detection gives average values that are closer to weight averages than does heterodyne detection.
The interactive effect of social pain and executive functioning on aggression: an fMRI experiment

Social rejection often increases aggression, but the neural mechanisms underlying this effect remain unclear. This experiment tested whether neural activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and anterior insula in response to social rejection predicted greater subsequent aggression. Additionally, it tested whether executive functioning moderated this relationship. Participants completed a behavioral measure of executive functioning, experienced social rejection while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging and then completed a task in which they could aggress against a person who rejected them using noise blasts . We found that dACC activation and executive functioning interacted to predict aggression. Specifically, participants with low executive functioning showed a positive association between dACC activation and aggression, whereas individuals with high executive functioning showed a negative association. Similar results were found for the left anterior insula. These findings suggest that social pain can increase or decrease aggression, depending on an individual's regulatory capability.
Chronic granulomatous disease of childhood.

Abstract Chronic granulomatous disease in children is a disease of recurrent sepsis in children which results from a deficiency of a white cell DPNH oxidase. The fatality of the disease has previously been emphasized. However, a spectrum of disease exists with long-term survival possible. The treatment is as yet unestablished, but maintenance antibiotics and conservative surgical management should be utilized.
FACTORS DETERMINING THE SELECTION OF PLANTS FOR OVIPOSITION BY THE TOBACCO HORNWORM MANDUCA SEXTA

A generalized scheme concerning the oviposition behavior of Manduca sexta (Johan.) moths was constructed according to observations and experiments conducted in large cages. There are two phases in the orientation to plants, the approach and the landing. The approach appears non-discriminatory and the moths utilize visual cues during this phase. The landing is discriminatory and is based on fixed or learned responses to olfactory stimuli. After landing, contact chemostimulation elicits deposition of eggs. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG DIE FUR DIE WAHL DER EIABLAGEPFLANZEN DES TABAKSCHWARMERS, MANDUCA SEXTA, BESTIMMENDEN FAKTOREN Auf Grund von Beobachtungen und Versuchen in grosen Kafigen wird ein allgemeines Schema des Eiablageverhaltens von Manduca sexta (Johan.) entvforfen. Es bestehen zwei Phasen in der Orientierung auf die Pflanzen, die Annaherung und die Landung. Die Annaherung scheint unterschiedslos ungerichtet zu erfolgen; die Schwarmer benutzen wahrend dieser Phase visuelle Schlusselreize. Die Landung ist entscheidend gerichtet und beruht auf erlernten Reaktionen auf spezifische Geruchsreize. Nach der Landung lost ein chemischer Kontaktreiz die Ablage der Eier aus.
Exposure to Green Tea Extract Alters the Incidence of Specific Cyclophosphamide-Induced Malformations

BACKGROUND Green tea extract (GTE) has been shown to have antioxidative properties due to its high content of polyphenols and catechin gallates. Previous studies indicated that catechin gallates scavenge free radicals and attenuate the effects of reactive oxidative species (ROS). Cyclophosphamide (CP) produces ROS, which can have adverse effects on development, causing limb, digit, and cranial abnormalities. The current study was performed to determine if exposure to GTE can decrease teratogenic effects induced by CP in CD-1 mice.
Diffusion Limits for Open Networks of Finite-Buffer Queues

This paper presents diffusion limits for congestion in networks of finite-buffer queues. We consider both loss networks, such as those in communication systems, and networks with manufacturing blocking. In both cases, the number in system process, under conditions of approximate balance under heavy traffic and appropriate scaling of buffers, is shown to behave like a multidimensional Brownian motion reflected to stay within a rectangle in the positive orthant. The two limits differ in directions of reflection off the faces representing full buffers. The limits suggest possible diffusion approximations for finitebuffer networks.
Adaptive Wiener filter formulation on the fMRI-EEG integrated spatiotemporal neuroimaging

In response to a need of establishing a high-resolution spatiotemporal neuroimaging technology, tremendous efforts have been directed upon developing multimodal neuroimaging strategies that combine the complementary advantages of high-spatial-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and high-temporal-resolution electroencephalography (EEG) or magnetoencephalography (MEG). A critical challenge to the fMRI-EEG/MEG integration lies in the spatial mismatches between fMRI activations and instantaneous electrical source activities. Such mismatches are fundamentally due to the fact that fMRI and EEG/MEG signals are generated and collected in highly different time scales. In this paper, we propose a new theoretical framework to solve the problem of fMRI-EEG integrated cortical source imaging. The new framework has two principal technical advancements. First, by assuming a linear neurovascular coupling, a method is rigorously derived to quantify the fMRI signal in each voxel as proportional to the time integral of the power of local electrical current source over the period of event related potentials (ERP). Second, the EEG inverse problem is solved for every time instant using an adaptive Wiener filter, in which the prior time-variant source covariance matrix is estimated by combining the quantified fMRI responses and the segmented EEG signals before response averaging. Our preliminary computer simulation results suggest that the proposed method provides a reliable technique for the fMRI-EEG integration and represents a significant advancement over the conventional fMRI-weighted EEG (or MEG) source imaging techniques, and is also applicable to fMRI-MEG integrated source imaging.
Tolerance in the City: The Multilevel Effects of Urban Environments on Permissive Attitudes

Studies on urbanism often suggest a link between urbanites and increased tolerance. While this claim is usually supported in the literature, most research is hampered by several limitations: it focuses almost exclusively on the United States, it neglects classical arguments that phenomena of urbanism are both macro-level and local, and it does not direct attention to the different mechanisms through which urbanism is believed to operate. In this article, the authors reexamine the tolerance-producing capacity of urbanism by addressing these limitations. Drawing on a large cross-national sample, this study uses multilevel modeling to examine urban factors at both the local and societal level, as well as two measures of tolerance to account for the different forms it might take depending on competing conceptualizations. Findings are that local urban environments promote tolerance cross-nationally, and that societal level urbanization is significantly associated with tolerance, but the effect is not always positive. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these patterns and their impact on our understanding of urban tolerance.
Performance and protection in an adaptive transaction model

Explores possibilities for simulating the effects of continuous disruptions to an economy using a multi‐sector social accounting model. The underlying thesis for the model is that disruptions (due to events ranging from potholes to earthquakes) are a constant and unavoidable aspect of development and that all institutions and production activities are structured and adapt over time so as to balance performance and protection. The first sections explain the role of input‐output tables, especially social accounts, as the basic framework for evaluating systemic vulnerability to disaster. The next sections explain the underlying behavioral components of the model: how the profile of protection versus disruption and costs of protection are determined, and how adaptation of the protection profile to changing events and societal discounting affects protection. In the final sections, these elements are integrated into a multi‐sector social accounting model of the Niagara Frontier region of New York State – affected by industrial decline and currency fluctuations is dependent on a major hydro‐electric power facility that is considered vulnerable to a variety of unscheduled events. Results focus on how disruptions and responses to them propagate over time and between actors.
Coxeter–Petrie Complexes of Regular Maps

Abstract Coxeter–Petrie complexes naturally arise as thin diagram geometries whose rank 3 residues contain all of the dual forms of a regular algebraic map M. Corresponding to an algebraic map is its classical dual, which is obtained simply by interchanging the vertices and faces, as well as its Petrie dual, which comes about by replacing the faces by the so-called Petrie polygons. Jones and Thornton have shown that these involutory duality operations generate the symmetric groupS3 , giving in all six dual forms, and whose source is the outer automorphism group of the infinite triangle group generated by involutions s1, s2, s3, subject to the additional relation s1s3 = s3s1. In fact, this outer automorphism group is parametrized by the permutations of the three commuting involutions s1,s3 , s1s3. These involutions together with the involutions2 can be taken to define the nodes of a Coxeter diagram of shape D4(with the involution s2at the central node), and when the original map M is regular, there is a natural extension from M to a thin Coxeter complex of rank 4 all of whose rank 3 residues are isomorphic to the various dual forms of M. These are fully explicated in case the original algebraic map is a Platonic map.
A simple algorithm for surface denoising

We present a simple denoising technique for geometric data represented as a semiregular mesh, based on locally adaptive Wiener filtering. The degree of denoising is controlled by a single parameter (an estimate of the relative noise level) and the time required for denoising is independent of the magnitude of the estimate. The performance of the algorithm is sufficiently fast to allow interactive local denoising.
Risk factors for HIV infection among drug injectors in southern Thailand

Abstract Background: To determine HIV sero-prevalence and risk factors for HIV infection among injecting drug users (IDU) in southern Thailand. Methods: Using a cross-sectional HIV sero-prevalence and behavioral survey, 272 active IDU were interviewed about background, life-style, drug use patterns, and sexual behaviors at six drug-treatment clinics in southern Thailand. Results: Ninety-one percent reported lifetime needle sharing; 96% had tried HIV risk-reduction by either stopping/decreasing visits to sex workers and/or stopping/decreasing needle sharing. Only 5% knew that bleaching needles could reduce transmission risks. Overall, 51% tested HIV-positive (43% ethnic Thai vs. 64% ethnic Malay). HIV seropositivity among ethnic Thai was independently correlated with past history of needle sharing (OR 6.95; 1.89–25.58), injecting immediately at drug onset (OR 2.53; 1.25–5.13), and starting first injection at younger age (OR 2.61; 1.31–5.22). Injecting immediately at drug onset (OR 4.32; 1.23–15.14) and not carrying new needles (OR 4.47; 1.27–15.69) were risk factors among minority ethnic Malay. Conclusion: A high rate of HIV infection persists among southern-Thai IDU. HIV-infected individuals may act as a bridge of HIV transmission to their sex partners. AIDS prevention efforts should more intensely focus on minority ethnic Malays, discouraging needle sharing and increasing protected sex with regular sexual partners.
The Role of Germline Promoters and I Exons in Cytokine-Induced Gene-Specific Class Switch Recombination

Germline transcription precedes class switch recombination (CSR). The promoter regions and I exons of these germline transcripts include binding sites for activation- and cytokine-induced transcription factors, and the promoter regions/I exons are essential for CSR. Therefore, it is a strong hypothesis that the promoter/I exons regions are responsible for much of cytokine-regulated, gene-specific CSR. We tested this hypothesis by swapping the germline promoter and I exons for the murine γ1 and γ2a H chain genes in a transgene of the entire H chain C-region locus. We found that the promoter/I exon for γ1 germline transcripts can direct robust IL-4-induced recombination to the γ2a gene. In contrast, the promoter/I exon for the γ2a germline transcripts works poorly in the context of the γ1 H chain gene, resulting in expression of γ1 H chains that is <1% the wild-type level. Nevertheless, the small amount of recombination to the chimeric γ1 gene is induced by IFN-γ. These results suggest that cytokine regulation of CSR, but not the magnitude of CSR, is regulated by the promoter/I exons.