cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Radiosynthesis of 6-[18F]fluoro-PBR28, a candidate for imaging brain peripheral benzodiazepine receptors with PET

1901 Objectives [11C]PBR28 is a recently reported compound displaying exceptional properties for the in vivo imaging of the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (or TSPO 18 kDa) using PET (Briard et al., J Med Chem. 2008, 51:17-30 ; Fujita et al., Neuroimage2008, 39:1289-98 and Imaizumi et al., Neuroimage2008, 40:43-52). This meta/para-bi-substituted pyridine leaves open the option of fluorine introduction at an ortho position, and therefore offers an opportunity for labeling with the longer half-life positron-emitter fluorine-18, which is the subject of the work presented herein. Methods 6-Fluoro-PBR28 (N-(2-methoxybenzyl)-N-(6-fluoro-4-phenoxypyridinyl-3-yl)acetamide) and its 6-bromo analog were synthesized from commercially available 4-chloro-3-nitropyridine. Fluorine-18 labeling involves: (A) reaction of K[18F]F-Kryptofix®222 with 2-3 mg of the bromo derivative at 165°C for 5 min in DMSO, (B) C-8 PrepSep cartridge pre-purification, (C) semi-preparative HPLC purification and (D) SepPak®Plus-based formulation. Results 6-Fluoro-PBR28 and its bromo analog were both synthesized in six chemical steps, respectively in 16% and 19% overall yield. Ready-to-inject 6-[18F]fluoro-PBR28 (>95% radiochemically pure) was prepared using our Zymate-XP robotic system, in 90 minutes and 10% non-decay-corrected yield. SRA ranged from 74 to 111 GBq/micromole. Conclusions 6-Fluoro-PBR28 was labeled with fluorine-18 in one single step using a bromine-for-fluorine heteroaromatic substitution. Dynamic µPET studies are currently underway in our rodent model of neuroinflammation (unilaterally AMPA-induced striatum-lesioned rats).
Metathesis Step-Growth Polymerizations in Ionic Liquid

Metathesis step-growth polymerizations in ionic liquids (ILs) was explored to take advantage of the high boiling points of ILs, thereby permitting the use of low pressures at high temperatures. Optimization reactions found that high polymers form efficiently using small amounts of catalyst and short reaction times. For example, high molecular weight main-chain triptycene polymers with high triptycene incorporation were synthesized. This new methodology is applicable to various metathesis reactions that require removal of volatile byproducts as a driving force, including acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET).
Dissociative-electron-attachment dynamics near the 8-eV Feshbach resonance of CO 2

We present experimental results for dissociative electron attachment to carbon dioxide near the 8-eV Feshbach resonance. In particular, the dissociation channel leading to O${}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ production has been investigated with a momentum imaging technique that utilizes a supersonic gas jet to form a low-temperature, confined molecular target. Angular fragmentation and kinetic energy release distributions are compared to recent results by Slaughter et al. [J. Phys. B 44, 205203 (2012)] and Wu et al. [Phys. Rev. A 85, 052709 (2012)] using similar techniques. We show that careful attention to weighting of the O${}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ fragmentation momentum space is required to interpret the kinetic energy release observations and that there is no appreciable change in the angular distribution of O${}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ fragments at different energies around the resonance peak, as previously reported by Wu et al. The present O${}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ momentum distribution and kinetic energy release differ from previous results and provide alternative guidance for the theoretical consideration of potential energy surface dynamics that takes place during attachment.
5'-CMP stimulates phospholipase A-mediated hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol in permeabilized pituitary GH3 cells.

Abstract We showed previously that 5'-CMP activates PtdIns-Ins base exchange and reversal PtdIns synthase in permeabilized rat pituitary GH3 cells. Here we report another effect of 5'-CMP on PtdIns metabolism in these cells. In permeabilized GH3 cells prelabelled with [3H]Ins and incubated in buffer with LiCl and a free Ca2+ concentration of 0.1 microM but without added Ins, 5'-CMP stimulated formation of glycerophospho[3H]inositol (GroP[3H]Ins) after a lag period of at least 5 min. This effect was concentration-dependent; the apparent Km was 0.30 +/- 0.02 mM. CDP and CTP stimulated GroPIns formation less effectively than did 5'-CMP, but cytidine, 2'-CMP, 3'-CMP, 5'-AMP and 5'-GMP had no effect. 5'-CMP stimulated formation of lysoPtdIns also. In permeabilized GH3 cells prelabelled with [3H]arachidonic acid, 5'-CMP stimulated release of [3H]arachidonic acid without a measurable lag period. These data show that 5'-CMP stimulates a phospholipase A activity in permeabilized GH3 cells that hydrolyses PtdIns.
Reengineering the Physical Examination for the New Millennium

This Viewpoint discusses ways to improve the physical examination using principles of measurement science and technology development.
Renormalization Group Theory for Fluids to Greater Density Distances from the Critical Point

A recently developed renormalization group (RG) theory for fluids begins with an expression for the free energy for repulsive interactions only, then employs an RG procedure to take into account contributions to the free energy that come from fluctuations of all wavelengths in the presence of attractive inter-molecular interactions of limited range. The theory has had some success in describing volumetric properties of real fluids at the critical point and out to distances within approximately ±50% of the critical point density. In the calculations, the density dependence of the radial distribution function for the repulsive interactions was ignored. The theory has now been modified to take that density dependence into account. Predictions of the theory as thus amended are compared with volumetric measurements made in argon near the critical point temperature for densities from zero to more than twice the critical point density.
U.S. case definition of chronic fatigue syndrome : Diagnostic and theoretical issues.

SummaryIn 1994, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed a revised case definition of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) (1), a complex illness characterized by debilitating fatigue and a number of accompanying flu-like symptoms. Although Fukuda and associates intended to resolve complexities surrounding the classification of individuals with CFS stemming from previous definitional criteria (1), significant problems with the revised criteria endure. This article highlights reliability issues and other conceptual and operational difficulties inherent in the current U.S. definition of CFS (1). We employ case studies derived from a community-based epidemiological study of chronic fatigue syndrome (2) to illustrate examples of the potential for misclassification of individuals with CFS using the current U.S. criteria (1). Moreover, we suggest alternative approaches to classification and ways to operationalize specific concepts embedded in the current U.S. criteria (1).
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Known as the Overlap Syndrome: Indications for CPAP and BiPAP. Evidence and Key Practical Recommendations

The coexistence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), called the “overlap syndrome” (OS), is associated with an increased morbidity and mortality burden. Although the management of the OSA component is based on positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy, the treatment benefit seems to extend to the COPD part of the syndrome. PAP therapy in overlap syndrome is associated with an improvement in lung function, arterial blood gases, vascular function, COPD exacerbations, mortality, and quality of life.
The Effect of Timing on Breast Reconstruction Outcomes in Diabetic Women.

BACKGROUND This study examines the effect of timing (immediate vs delayed) on postoperative morbidity in diabetic women undergoing breast reconstruction after mastectomy. METHODS We reviewed the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) databases from 2005 to 2012 for all diabetic women undergoing breast reconstruction. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the risk of 30-day overall complications in the immediate versus delayed cohorts. Additionally, we retrospectively reviewed outcomes for all Johns Hopkins Hospital diabetic patients undergoing breast reconstruction from 2005 to 2014. RESULTS In the NSQIP, 1,408 diabetic women underwent breast reconstruction: 958 (68%) immediate and 450 (32%) delayed. In the immediate group, 10.75% of patients developed a 30-day overall complication, compared with 7.78% of patients in the delayed group. On multivariable analysis, the odds of developing 30-day overall complications were significantly higher (adjusted odds ratio = 1.68; P = 0.033) for the immediate compared with the delayed cohort. In the Johns Hopkins Hospital cohort, 114 reconstructions were performed in 52 diabetic women: 59 (51.8%) immediate and 55 (47.2%) delayed. On long-term follow-up (median = 16.5 months), 41.0% of immediate reconstructions developed a surgical complication compared with 27.8% of delayed reconstructions. Deep infections (P = 0.026), seroma formation (P = 0.003), reconstruction failure (P = 0.001), and reoperation rates (P = 0.001) were significantly increased in the immediate cohort. CONCLUSIONS Among diabetics seeking breast reconstruction, delaying the reconstructive surgery from the mastectomy is associated with decreased postoperative morbidity. It also appears that the 30-day postoperative time point available in the NSQIP does not fully reflect the magnitude of the long-term complications these diabetic patients will develop.
Trust Establishment in Wireless Body Area Networks

Security and privacy bear paramount importance for wireless body area networks (WBAN) that collect and transmit vital signs of patients and provide continuous health monitoring. Security mechanisms successful in conventional networks and systems may not work in WBAN due to hardware constraints, device heterogeneity, system usability, and compatibility. Recent research on security and privacy in WBAN has been focused on lightweight and non-intrusive solutions that utilize resources widely available to most WBANs. This chapter provides an overview of the state-of-the-art technologies in this area. In particular, we emphasize recent techniques for device authentication and secret key extraction. Pros and cons of these techniques are analyzed and compared. Future directions in this area of research are also discussed.
On Computing Systems and Their Environment

Analysis of the relation between representation and reality depends on the kind of representation under investigation. Computing systems taken by themselves can always be interpreted as computing more than just one function. The most popular response to the problem of multiple inter-pretability attempts to anchor a system’s content in its environment. While this approach would reinforce a number of pretheoretic intuitions about the nature of mental representation, it presupposes that the computed function is defined over a system’s environment. The main tenant of this paper is to argue that this assumption is false. Instead, the computed function may turn out to be defined over states of the computing system itself.
Examining Multiple Dimensions of Word Knowledge for Content Vocabulary Understanding.

This study traces the development of a vocabulary measure designed to assess multiple types of word knowledge. The assessment, which was administered in conjunction with a science unit about weathe...
Public Sector Shared Services Move Out of the "Back-Office": The Role of Public Policy and Mission Criticality

Shared service providers typically host routine and administrative business processes as a way to standardize company practices and increase efficiency. In the public sector, however, its application to functions critical to an organization"s central mission is moving shared services out of the "back-office." This research employs and extends Bergeron"s (2003) framework to case analysis of two public safety networks within the United States, and prompts the addition of two new characteristics for public sector shared services, Public Policy and Type of Service. In this sector, we find that legislative controls, i.e. policy, manage information and communications technology (ICT) investment to meet efficiency and especially effectiveness goals, while mission criticality serves to trump cost considerations. Recommendations resulting from this research should lead to improvements in the cost and performance of public-sector shared services and their role in ICT-supported, mission-critical, shared services.
Thinking as a Student: Stimulating Peer Education in the Humanities with an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

In this article, I argue that peer educational experiences should be incorporated into the undergraduate humanities classroom by providing a case study of a successful Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) pilot. In keeping with Topping & Ehly’s (2001) criteria for successful peer education, I assigned the UTA a significant role in direct instruction. Partly owing to the UTA’s active classroom role, the experience enhanced learning for students and helped me create a dynamic, critically-engaged class environment. The experience also provided an opportunity for the UTA to engage in deep learning and develop a professional identity; near the end of this article, the UTA shares his reflection about the experience.
Paradoxical Activation in the Cerebellum During Language fMRI in Patients with Brain Tumors: Possible Explanations Based on Neurovascular Uncoupling and Functional Reorganization

The original version of this article unfortunately contained mistake in Funding information section.
Design considerations for a future portable multimedia terminal

Recently, the concept of “personal communications” has come to the forefront of communications research, in which individual users will have portable, private access to fixed computing facilities. The ultimate goal is to provide a personal communications system (PCS), which will move information of all kinds to and from people in all locations, through an advanced wireless network supporting a wide range of services. As a step beyond today’s portable computers, a high-speed wireless link allows the advent of small, lightweight, multimedia graphics terminals, whose primary function would be to connect the user instantaneously and transparently into powerful fixed processing units and data storage. It would be capable of providing speech communication, data transfer and retrieval, computing services, and high-quality, full-motion video. Since traditional keyboard or mouse interfacing is unwieldy in a portable unit, control will be provided through speech recognition. Of course, the success of the network concept hinges upon the capability of the system to provide sufficiently high data rates. Even with the best compression schemes known today, fullmotion, high-resolution digital video alone requires data rates upwards of 1Mbit/sec[12]; the terminals and network must be designed to achieve this throughput (figure 1), taking advantage of the 1+ GBit/sec capabilities of the fixed fiber-optic backbone.
Adaptive Data Quality for Persistent Queries in Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks are emerging as a convenient mechanism to constantly monitor the physical world. The volume of information in such networks can be extremely large. And, to be meaningful to applications, this information must be processed at the right level of accuracy. However, there is an inherent trade-off between achieving a high degree of data accuracy and the communication overhead associated with achieving it. We present a simple mechanism for spatially approximate query processing. We present a protocol that leverages gossip based routing to collect network data from a randomly selected set of nodes at a user-defined level of accuracy. We extend this protocol to address persistent queries, long running queries where network data is collected periodically, by treating a persistent query as a temporal aggregate of individual queries. Finally, we provide a novel protocol that dynamically adapts its accuracy based on the quality of the responses to individual requests in the persistent query. We describe this protocol in detail and evaluate its performance through simulation.
Estimation of the alkaline earths metals by sequential titration with sodium tetraphenylborate

Alkaline earths metals were titrated potentiometrically in the presence of polyethylene glycol with sodium tetraphenylborate. The sensor was a coated-graphite rod. The method can be used for the sequential estimation of barium, strontium, and calcium. The solubility of the precipitated species decreases with increasing atomic weight of the metals.
Medium-based design: supporting bricoleur designers

Designing systems that foster significant inquiry, enable meaningful artifact construction, and encourage useful interaction is fundamental to the field of learning sciences. In education, these types of environments have a substantial history going back to Frobel's gifts and Montessori's prepared environment. In this article, we put forth a design method, medium-based design, to create such systems. We do not believe that MBD is a completely new approach to designing learning environments. Rather, we believe that designers have intuitively used similar methods, and that, by describing details of medium-based design and providing guidelines that follow this approach, we are showing support and value for this approach. Although other methods are effective in designing learning environments, these have concentrated on a top-down approach, neglecting the bricoleur designer. The bricoleur style of design is different from, but not worse than, other approaches (Turkle and Papert, 1991). Our method, MBD, is a well-formed method grounded in theory that offers designers an alternative approach to designing learning environments.
IVIG-Induced Coombs-Positive Hemolytic Anemia in a Critically Ill Adolescent Male

BACKGROUND: A well-described but not universally appreciated side effect of IVIG administration is clinically apparent, sometimes severe hemolysis. We describe a severe case of Coombs-positive hemolytic anemia secondary to IVIG. IVIG is a blood derivative manufactured from pools of 5,000 to 10,000 individual plasma donations. IVIG is not ABO-type restricted, so anti-A, anti-B and anti-A,B isoagglutinins are measureable in IVIG. A number of other RBC alloantibodies to minor blood group antigens have also been detected. CASE REPORT: A 16-year-old male with PMH of OSA and obesity was admitted for adenoviral …
Wideband Nonmagnetic Linear Optical Isolator in Thin-Film Lithium Niobate

We introduce a new class of wideband and integrated nonmagnetic linear optical isolators based on nonlinear frequency conversion and spectral filtering with isolation ratio up to 40 dB and bandwidth in excess of 150 nm.
Behavioral effects of tax withholding on tax compliance: Implications for information initiatives

Abstract Using a theory-driven experiment with working adult participants and deliberate tax framing, this paper reports on the effects of tax withholding choices on subsequent individual income tax reporting behavior. We find reporting increases with the level of taxes over-withheld, and decreases with taxes under-withheld, with the latter effect being much larger in magnitude. We explore two information programs designed to influence social norms: compliance information specific to one's income class, and information related to the fairness of the tax system. Increasing either the compliance norm or the fairness measure increases tax reporting but only information on fairness affects the withholding choice. A third information program – a service that resolves uncertainty over tax liability – offsets the undesirable effects of tax under-withholding on reported liability when acquired. Using information from an extensive questionnaire, we find several interesting associations between decision-making in the experiment and the prior tax filing experiences and behaviors of participants.
Women on Top? Governance, Inequality and Institutional Constraints on Women Cabinet Members in Sub-Saharan Africa

Contemporary shifts in governance discourses and practices evidence increased women’s presence in arenas of power and influence, as part remedy to issues of gender inequality. These shifts are informed by the legitimating neoliberal democratic norms of inclusion and good governance. I argue that stressing the empirical dimensions of inclusion and good governance while ignoring the power relations that structure them reproduces inequality. Using the case of women cabinet ministers in sub-Saharan Africa, with primary interview and secondary archival data, this paper contributes to existing attempts to tackle the much asked question of why the increased presence of women in governance and decision-making in the global south have not resulted in significant and comparable reductions in gender inequality - according to gender equality indicators. I argue that top-down governance strategies that results from neoliberal democratic governance paradigms privilege competition, which strengthens the structures of gender differentiation. I suggest that recognizing power relations in the prevailing inclusion and good governance imperatives, through which women engage governance will lead to policy outcomes that may encourage cooperation and bridge institutional constraints to gender inequality.
fNIRS correlates of attentional states in Brodmann Area 10

We examined the localization and function of Brodmann Area 10 to specifically investigate its role in maintaining and switching between attentional states using functional near-fnfrared spectroscopy measurements from 18 healthy human brains.
Hepatitis D virus (HDV): investigational therapeutic agents in clinical trials.

INTRODUCTION Chronic Hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection is a global disease leading to rapidly progressive liver disease with increased liver-related mortality and hepatocellular carcinoma. Therapies are minimally effective; however, an increased understanding of the HDV lifecycle has provided new potential drug targets. Thus, there is a growing number of investigational therapeutics under exploration for HDV with the potential for successful viral eradication. AREAS COVERED This review discusses the clinical impact of HDV infection and offers an in-depth look at the HDV life cycle. The authors examine current and new drug targets and the investigational therapies in clinical trials. The search strategy was based on PubMed database and clinicaltrials.gov which highlight the most up-to-date aspects of investigational therapies for chronic HDV infection.
Assessment of Out-of-Pocket Spending for COVID-19 Hospitalizations in the US in 2020.

Importance Many insurers waived cost sharing for COVID-19 hospitalizations during 2020. Nonetheless, patients may have been billed if their plans did not implement waivers or if waivers did not capture all hospitalization-related care. Assessment of out-of-pocket spending for COVID-19 hospitalizations in 2020 may show the financial burden that patients may experience if insurers allow waivers to expire, as many chose to do during 2021. Objective To estimate out-of-pocket spending for COVID-19 hospitalizations in the US in 2020. Design, setting, and participants This cross-sectional study used data from the IQVIA PharMetrics Plus for Academics Database, a national claims database representing 7.7 million privately insured patients and 1.0 million Medicare Advantage patients, regarding COVID-19 hospitalizations for privately insured and Medicare Advantage patients from March to September 2020. Main outcomes and measures Mean total out-of-pocket spending, defined as the sum of out-of-pocket spending for facility services billed by hospitals (eg, accommodation charges) and professional and ancillary services billed by clinicians and ancillary providers (eg, clinician inpatient evaluation and management, ambulance transport). Results Analyses included 4075 hospitalizations; 2091 (51.3%) were for male patients, and the mean (SD) age of patients was 66.8 (14.8) years. Of these hospitalizations, 1377 (33.8%) were for privately insured patients. Out-of-pocket spending for facility services, professional and ancillary services, or both was reported for 981 of 1377 hospitalizations for privately insured patients (71.2%) and 1324 of 2968 hospitalizations for Medicare Advantage patients (49.1%). Among these hospitalizations, mean (SD) total out-of-pocket spending was $788 ($1411) for privately insured patients and $277 ($363) for Medicare Advantage patients. In contrast, out-of-pocket spending for facility services was reported for 63 hospitalizations for privately insured patients (4.6%) and 36 hospitalizations for Medicare Advantage patients (1.3%). Among these hospitalizations, mean (SD) total out-of-pocket spending was $3840 ($3186) for privately insured patients and $1536 ($1402) for Medicare Advantage patients. Total out-of-pocket spending exceeded $4000 for 2.5% of privately insured hospitalizations compared with 0.2% of Medicare Advantage hospitalizations. Conclusions and relevance In this cross-sectional study, few patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in 2020 were billed for facility services provided by hospitals, suggesting that most were covered by insurers with cost-sharing waivers. However, many patients were billed for professional and ancillary services, suggesting that insurer cost-sharing waivers may not have covered all hospitalization-related care. High cost sharing for patients who were billed by facility services suggests that out-of-pocket spending may be substantial for patients whose insurers have allowed waivers to expire.
Ordering Up the Minimum Thermal Conductivity of Solids

Disorder usually interferes with heat conduction in most materials, but an exception has been found for insulators made from multiple layers of crystalline tungsten selenide.
The Ophthalmic Artery

The pioneer worker in the study of the ophthalmic artery, particularly its branches and their variations, was Meyer [1] (in 1887); his observations on 20 cases were accepted more or less as classical, and most accounts of the ophthalmic artery in the textbooks have been essentially based on his study of those 20 specimens, ever since. Apart from occasional reports of various abnormalities, there was no systematic study of the ophthalmic artery until my systematic anatomical studies in human beings [2–4]. I investigated its origin (in 170 specimens [2]), intracranial and intracanalicular course (in 106 specimens [2]), intraorbital course (in 61 specimens [3]), and its branches (in 59 specimens with satisfactory filling of all branches [4]). My studies revealed several discrepancies in Meyer’s [1] description, particularly about the branches, presumably because of his small number of specimens. A Medline search reveals that no further detailed, systematic anatomical study on a large number of specimens has followed mine, so that the following description is essentially based on my findings, with the addition of some later information.
A Context Dependent Distance Measure for Shape Clustering

We present a new similarity measure between a single shape and a shape group as a basis for shape clustering following the paradigm of context dependent shape comparison: clusters are generated in the context of a reference shape, defined by the query shape it is compared to. Tightly coupled, the distance measure is the basis for a soft k -means like framework to achieve robust clustering. Successful application of the system along with generation of shape prototypes is demonstrated in comparison to latest approaches using elastic deformation.
Adipose tissue linoleic acid as a criterion of adherence to a modified diet

In elderly, institutionalized men on a diet of high linoleic acid content, there was little correlation after 1 yr between adipose tissue linoleic acid concentration and dining room attendance. The correlation improved thereafter, with a correlation coefficient of +0.81 after 5 yr and +0.74 after 6 yr.
Complex interactions with several arms of the complement system dictate innate and humoral immunity to adenoviral vectors

The complement system is known to play critical roles in pathogen identification, initiation of innate immune responses and facilitation of adaptive immune responses. Several studies have suggested that recombinant adenoviruses (rAds) interact with proteins of the complement system within minutes of administration. In this study, we assessed the roles of the alternative (Factor B), classical (C1q and C4) and common (C3) arms of the complement system in the innate and humoral response to systemic rAd administration using mice genetically deficient for each of these functions. Although most plasma cytokines and chemokines induced by Ads appeared to be elicited in a C3-dependent manner, we found that rAd-induced thrombocytopenia was dependent on Factor B and C3, implicating the alternative pathway as responsible for this response. Alteration of the complement-dependent transcriptome response after rAd-induced liver gene expression was also found to be Factor B- and C3-dependent. Ad interactions with the classical and alternative arms of the complement system can also be redundant, as many complement-dependent, Ad-induced innate immune responses appeared to be primarily C3-dependent. We also identified a C3 dependence of Ad-mediated induction of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation pathway. Finally, we confirmed that humoral immune responses to the vector capsid, and the transgene it encodes, are also complement-dependent.
Rationality and Coherent Theories of Strategic Behavior

Abstract A non-equilibrium model of rational strategic behavior that can be viewed as a refinement of (normal form) rationalizability is developed for both normal form and extensive form games. This solution concept is called a τ -theory and is used to analyze the main concerns of the Nash equilibrium refinements literature such as dominance, iterative dominance, extensive form rationality, invariance, and backward induction. The relationship between τ -theories and dynamic learning is investigated. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Number: C72.
Choosing among mobile prey species: Why do gulls prefer a rare subtidal crab over a highly abundant intertidal one?

Abstract In New England, Herring Gulls ( Larus argentatus ) and Great Black-backed Gulls ( L. marinus ) are generalist predators that forage on highly mobile prey in intertidal and shallow subtidal zones, including three species of crabs: Cancer borealis , C. irroratus , and Carcinus maenas . Carcinus is more abundant than are C. irroratus and C. borealis and yet both Cancer species are more common in the diet of gulls. In this study we used a series of experiments to examine why gulls exhibit disproportionately higher predation on C. borealis relative to the two other crab species. We found that gulls do not discriminate among crab species when presented crab tissue “patties” indicating that gulls do not select crabs based on differences in palatability. At smaller size ranges ( C. irroratus had lower dry tissue weight than the other two species, thus gulls should prefer similar-sized C. borealis and Carcinus based on their caloric value. At carapace widths greater than 80 mm, C. irroratus had higher available dry tissue weight than C. borealis . However, C. borealis is generally larger than C. irroratus in the intertidal and shallow subtidal zones so this difference is unlikely to contribute to a preference for C. irroratus . Our experiments showed that algal species dominating rocky ledges provide a cryptic refuge for Carcinus thereby reducing the likelihood of attack by gulls. We found that the “lateral merus” display exhibited by C. irroratus appears to deter attacks by gulls; in contrast, C. borealis withdraw their chelae in response to attack, which likely facilitates their capture by gulls. During simulated gull attacks, Carcinus exhibited escape behavior whereas C. borealis remained stationary. Lack of escape behavior likely facilitates capture of C. borealis by gulls. In sum, our findings suggest that gulls have formed a search image for C. borealis , which is likely a result of the relative ease of capture and profitability of C. borealis compared to Carcinus and C. irroratus . Gull preference for C. borealis has important consequences for crab distributions and the structure of rocky intertidal and shallow subtidal zones in New England. In particular, gulls create a refuge for Carcinus in the intertidal zone by reducing densities of C. borealis , a potential predator and competitor, and by avoiding preying upon Carcinus .
Discrete Pulses of Molting Hormone, 20-Hydroxyecdysone, During Late Larval Development of Drosophila melanogaster: Correlations With Changes in Gene Activity

Periodic pulses of the insect steroid molting hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), acting via its nuclear receptor complex (EcR/USP), control gene expression at many stages throughout Drosophila development. However, during the last larval instar of some lepidopteran insects, subtle changes in titers of ecdysteroids have been documented, including the so-called "commitment peak." This small elevation of 20E reprograms the larva for metamorphosis to the pupa. Similar periods of ecdysteroid immunoreactivity have been observed during the last larval instar of Drosophila. However, due to low amplitude and short duration, along with small body size and staging difficulties, their timing and ecdysteroid composition have remained uncertain. Employing a rigorous regimen of Drosophila culture and a salivary gland reporter gene, Sgs3-GFP, we used RP-HPLC and differential ecdysteroid RIA analysis to determine whole body titers of 20E during the last larval instar. Three small peaks of 20E were observed at 8, 20, and 28 hr following ecdysis, prior to the well-characterized large peak around the time of pupariation. The possible regulation of 20E levels by biosynthetic P450 enzymes and the roles of these early peaks in coordinating gene expression and late larval development are discussed.
Unraveling the enigma: progress towards understanding the coronin family of actin regulators

Coronins are a conserved family of actin cytoskeleton regulators that promote cell motility and modulate other actin-dependent processes. Although these proteins have been known for 20 years, substantial progress has been made in the past 5 years towards their understanding. In this review, we examine this progress, place it into the context of what was already known, and pose several questions that remain to be addressed. In particular, we cover the emerging consensus about the role of Type I coronins in coordinating the function of Arp2/3 complex and ADF/cofilin proteins. This coordination plays an important role in leading-edge actin dynamics and overall cell motility. Finally, we discuss the roles played by the more exotic coronins of the Type II and III classes in cellular processes away from the leading edge.
Viscosity effects in rigid PVC

The viscosity of PVC is better understood if the material is treated as a fluid which contains filler. Anomalous effects such as die swell increasing with increasing melt temperature and melting history causing changes to the viscosity can be explained if the PVC primary particles are viewed as filler which disappears during melting. The fusion torque peak is well-described by this approach. The compaction minimum is a free-flowing powder which changes to a filler-containing viscous liquid. If another viscous liquid is added to a PVC compound, then the fusion peak will be at a lower torque, because the effective level of filler is reduced. This reduction helps to explain the fusion curve of PVC compounds that contain chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) impact modifier.
Computer modeling of an electric controlled avalanche O21Δ generator plasma

In 1995 Professor Anatoly Napartovich of the Triniti Institute in Troisk, Russia developed a powerful computer code specifically tailored to study the electric, controlled-avalanche, ionized, refrigerated O 2 1 Δ generator developed by Plasmatronics. An enormous kinetics rate equation solver was coupled to a Boltzmann electron-energy solver. Both regimes of the process -- the over-volted E/N ionization pulses and the continuous, low E/N excitation field -- were analyzed, but were not time-integrated over a string of successive controlled avalanche pulses. Professor Lowell Morgan of Kinema Research Corporation has prepared a very similar code, except that it tracks the development of O 2 1 Δ continuously over time, starting with the first controlled avalanche pulse, then through the DC excitation phase, and continuing unitl the gas exits from the generator. Both ionization and excitation phases are separately programmed to track E/N and current density in an alternating fashion, where each new segment begins with the initial conditions established by the earlier segment. So now it is possible to test any combination of specified parameters and track all processes over time, wherein a fully developed solution for all gas-species emerges as these exit the generator. This latest Morgan Code has significantly contributed to the development of an electric O 2 1 Δ generator. A number of calculations that address specific issues of particular interest will be presented. Finally, similarities and differences between the Napartovich and Morgan codes will be identified.
Assailing the Competition: Sexual Selection, Proximate Mating Motives, and Aggressive Behavior in Men

Throughout history, men have tended to be more violent than women. Evolutionary theories suggest that this sex difference derives in part from their historically greater need to compete with other men over access to potential mates. In the current research, men and women (Experiment 1) or men only (Experiments 2 and 3) underwent a mating motive prime or control prime, and then performed a task designed to measure aggression toward a same-sex partner. The mating prime increased aggression among men, but not women (Experiment 1). Furthermore, mating-related increases in aggression were directed only toward men who were depicted as viable intrasexual rivals, including a dominant (vs. non-dominant) male partner (Experiment 2) and a man who was depicted as single (versus married) and looking for a mate (Experiment 3). This research provides a picture of male intrasexual aggression as highly selective and aimed strategically at asserting one’s dominance over sexual rivals.
Dipeptidyl aminopeptidase processing and biosynthesis of alkaline extracellular protease from Yarrowia lipolytica

Alkaline extracellular protease (AEP) from Yarrowia lipolytica is synthesized as a precursor with a 157 aa prepro-region. Signal peptide cleavage was shown to occur after Ala15 by N-terminal amino acid radiosequencing of the largest intracellular AEP precursor. AEP proteolytic activity was not required for AEP processing. After a change of the putative active site Ser to Ala, inactive AEP with the same mobility on SDS-PAGE as wild-type mature AEP was secreted. The role of dipeptidyl aminopeptidase (DPAPase) activity in AEP processing was also investigated. Mutations early in the -X-Ala- and -X-Pro- dipeptide stretch (Pro17 to Met which should prevent DPAPase processing and Ala19 to Val which should allow removal of only the first dipeptide) did not prevent synthesis of active mature AEP nor did use of the DPAPase inhibitor Pro-boroPro. Deletion of the entire dipeptide stretch (Ala16 to Pro33) resulted in intracellular accumulation of an AEP precursor, which surprisingly was not glycosylated, and little or no secretion of AEP-related polypeptides. Expression of AEP in wild-type and dpp1 dap2 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains (lacking both the Golgi and vacuolar DPAPases) resulted in secretion of only mature AEP and no AEP precursors. Transit times and levels of AEP secretion were similar for both strains. These results indicate that the KEX2-like cleavage after Lys156-Arg157, which yields mature active AEP can occur in the absence of DPAPase processing and that DPAPase processing is not necessary for secretion of mature active AEP.
Out-of-hospital provider use of epinephrine for allergic reactions: pilot program.

Objective: To describe experience with an out-of-hospital provider program for the recognition and field management of allergic reactions by advanced life support (ALS) and basic life support (BLS) providers. Methods: Data sheets completed between June 1, 1988, and August 31, 1993, and records from receiving sites (physicians' offices or EDs) were reviewed for information regarding the presentation of the allergic reaction, the time course and treatment provided out of hospital, and the clinical outcome at the receiving health care facility. Results: Thirty-seven data sheets were completed during the study period. Fourteen (38%) of the providers were BLS providers. The epinephrine was supplied from the emergency medical services (EMS) provider's personal kit in 35% of the cases, from an EMS vehicle in 57% of the cases, and by the patient in 8% of the cases. Availability of the kits allowed administration of epinephrine prior to the arrival of the first EMS vehicle in 41 % of the instances and prior to physician on-line medical command in 65% of all the instances (predominantly by BLS providers). Overall, 77% of the patients experienced alleviation of their symptoms of respiratory difficulty, swelling, or rash after epinephrine administration, while 20% were unchanged and 3% worsened. All patients receiving epinephrine had an ED diagnosis of allergic reaction, and no adverse event was encountered on follow-up of the patients treated. Conclusions: Severe allergic reactions can be reliably identified and safely managed by out-of-hospital providers, including BLS providers. Providing personal anaphylactic treatment kits and increasing the pool of providers trained to manage allergic reactions (including BLS providers) can often decrease the time to treatment.
A new mechanism for immunologic initiation of asthma

Nonallergic asthma (intrinsic asthma) refers to a population of asthmatics in whom there is no evidence of IgE-mediated hypersensitivity, i.e., skin tests or radioallergosorbent tests (RAST) to a wide variety of common inhalant allergens are negative (1). This form of asthma accounts for ≈40% of adult asthmatics (but only ≈10% of childhood asthmatics) and demonstrates histological and biochemical features that are strikingly similar to asthma that is associated with allergy. Thus, prior studies have suggested that they represent the same “immunopathologic” entity, even though the initiating mechanisms are necessarily different (2). The work by Kraneveld et al. (3) in this issue of PNAS demonstrates that light chains that are antigen-specific can sensitize BALB/c mice via either the cutaneous or intranasal route such that subsequent bronchial challenge with antigen can lead to release of mast cell protease 1 (mMCP-1), a measure of mast cell degranulation, mucosal exudation into the airway lumen, leukocyte accumulation in bronchoalveolar fluid, and increased airway hyperreactivity. Thus, the consequence of antigen challenge leads to all of the key features of asthma. Antigen challenge after passive administration of light chain was shown to lead to the same phenomenon. Further evidence of a requirement for mast cells was shown by performing the same experiments in mast-cell-deficient mice, which did not manifest the changes seen in the BALB/c mice, and reconstituting the response by administration of …
An up-to-date knowledge-based literature search and exploration framework for focused bioscience domains

In domain-specific search systems, knowledge of a domain of interest is embedded as a backbone that guides the search process. But the knowledge used in most such systems 1. exists only for few well known broad domains; 2. is of a basic nature: either purely hierarchical or involves only few relationship types; and 3. is not always kept up-to-date missing insights from recently published results. In this paper we present a framework and implementation of a focused and up-to-date knowledge-based search system, called Scooner, that utilizes domain-specific knowledge extracted from recent bioscience abstracts. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt in the field to address all three shortcomings mentioned above. Since recent introduction for operational use at Applied Biotechnology Branch of AFRL, some biologists are using Scooner on a regular basis, while it is being made available for use by many more. Initial evaluations point to the promise of the approach in addressing the challenge we set out to address.
Test Results from Round Robin on Precracking and CTOD Testing of Welds

A weld fracture toughness round robin test program was initiated by ASTM to evaluate a proposed annex to E1290-93 on fracture toughness testing of ferritic steel weldments. The focus of the round robin was on specimen preparation procedures and their effect on crack tip opening displacement (CTOD). The local compression procedure was used to reduce the influence of residual stress on precrack curvature. Specimens were tested at −196 °C, which is on the lower shelf for this metal, to minimize variability in fracture toughness and maximize influence of residual stress. Seven labs participated in the round robin and among them conducted 51 tests per E1290-93 to measure CTOD. Statistical analysis of the data showed that crack curvature decreased by 5.2 % ±2.1 % for each 1 % increase in local compression, over the range of compressions tested (0–2.9 % with a nominal target value of 1 %). However, mean values of curvature varied significantly between labs, and when results from all labs are considered, local compression of about 1 % did not reliably reduce crack front curvature. It appears that the procedure used is more important than the amount of local compression, as evidenced by the straight cracks obtained by two labs that exercised tight control on local compression. The statistical analysis revealed that the mean value of measured CTOD for all data with less than 10 % curvature was not statistically different than the mean for less than 20 %, as it is in BS7448 (1997). Perhaps the most surprising observation from this round robin is that there does not appear to be a correlation between CTOD measured at −196 °C and amount of local compression or crack front curvature.
Electrical properties of binary semiconducting oxide glasses containing 55 mole % V2O5

Abstract Binary semiconducting oxide glasses containing 55 mole % V2O5 and 45 mole % GeO2, TeO2, PbO, BaO or As2O3 have been prepared. Their electrical properties are shown to be sensitive to microstructure, most notably in the 55V2O5-45GeO2 and 55V2O5-45TeO2 systems. Structural models for electron hopping in these glasses are proposed.
Night vision : Changing the way we drive

A revolutionary new Night Vision System has been designed to help drivers see well beyond their headlights. From luxury automobiles to heavy trucks, Night Vision is helping drivers see better, see further, and react sooner. This paper describes how Night Vision Systems are being used in transportation and their viability for the future. It describes recent improvements to the system currently in the second year of production. It also addresses consumer education and awareness, cost reduction, product reliability, market expansion and future improvements.
High conductivity copper

A round for centuries, copper remains an important metallic element in the world today. Copper's high electrical and thermal conductivity as well as its excellent corrosion resistance makes it ideal for use in the electrical, electronics, telecommunication, and construction industries. Electrical and electronic applications already consume more than 50% of all copper and will probably place further demands in the future. The trend to achieve better performance, with more consistent and improved properties, challenges manufacturers to produce higher-purity copper and higher conductivity copper with the right combination of properties for specific applications.