cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Suicidal thoughts and behaviors in psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents pre- and post- COVID-19: A historical chart review and examination of contextual correlates

Abstract Background: Psychiatrically vulnerable adolescents may be at heightened risk for suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study characterizes suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempts (SA) in a sample of adolescents psychiatrically hospitalized during COVID-19. Rates of SI and SA are compared to a historical hospital sample from a matched period in the year prior. Associations between specific stressors and COVID-related SI are also explored. Methods: This cross-sectional chart review utilizes hospital intake data, including self-reports of SA, SI (general and COVID-related), and COVID-specific stressors. Results: SA and SI ratings were higher in the COVID-19 sample compared to the historical sample. Stressors related to missing special events, financial problems, in-home conflict, and changes in living circumstances were associated with COVID-related SI. Among first-time admissions, several interpersonal stressors were linked to COVID-related SI. Limitations: Analyses were cross-sectional, limiting our ability to draw conclusions about causality. Conclusions: This study offers preliminary evidence that COVID-19 may be contributing to suicidal thoughts and behaviors in high-risk adolescents.
Safe and effective use of nivolumab plus ipilimumab in a patient with metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma with sarcomatoid dedifferentiation and end stage renal disease on hemodialysis

Targeting the programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein-4 (CTLA-4) pathways using the combination immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) nivolumab and ipilimumab is an approved frontline therapy for patients with metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (mccRCC). Certain populations pose clinical challenges due to exclusion from large clinical trials that established the safety and efficacy of these treatments, including patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). While there are reports successfully administering single-agent ICI in patients with ESRD, we present herein a case of safe and effective use of combination nivolumab plus ipilimumab in a 53-year-old man with mccRCC with sarcomatoid dedifferentiation and ESRD on hemodialysis.
Assessing Agricultural Malmquist Total Factor Productivity and Environmental Efficiency for Some Arab Countries Via Data Envelope Analysis (A Non Parametric Approach) تقدير مؤشر مالمکويست للإنتاجية الکلية للعوامل الزراعية و الکفاءة البيئية لبعض الدول العربية مستخدماً طريقة مغلف البيانات: المنهج الا معلمى

The paper aims to assess the relative efficiency of agriculture and agricultural growth change in productivity, as well as, environmental efficiency over the past decade (2007-2017) for ten of the largest Arab agricultural producers. Namely are Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Syria, Morocco, Yemen, Tunisia, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. The analysis employs data envelope analysis (DEA) a nonparametric approach employing non- radial and non-oriented slacks-based model (SBM) based on the assumption of a constant return to scale with the consideration of agricultural greenhouse gases emissions (CO2-eq) as an undesirable (bad) output. Moreover, it adopts Malmquist technique to estimate TFP index numbers. Technical efficiency results show that excluding agricultural emissions from consideration leads to overestimated scores and thus spurious estimates. TFP results show that average annual growth rate throughout the period 2007-2017 reached -0.12% in general. Efficiency changes attributed by a mere -0.49% while the rest (0.37%) was contributed by technical change. Moreover, the countries with the highest average annual growth in TFP are Syria and Morocco with an impressive 6% each on average, while for Yemen and Algeria about 3.5% (on average), Sudan and Saudi Arabia 0.6% (on average). Whereas, Tunisia achieved the least negative score estimated at -0.3%, Egypt and United Emirates about -2.4% (on average) and Iraq (-15%).
The three-component helicase/primase complex of herpes simplex virus-1.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is one of the nine herpesviruses that infect humans. HSV-1 encodes seven proteins to replicate its genome in the hijacked human cell. Among these are the herpes ...
Lay understandings of drug-gene interactions: The right medication, the right dose, at the right time, but what are the right words?

As pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing increases in popularity, lay concepts of drug-gene interactions set the stage for shared decision-making in precision medicine. Few studies explore what recipients of PGx results think is happening in their bodies when a drug-gene interaction is discovered. To characterize biobank participants' understanding of PGx research results, we conducted afocus group study which took place after pharmacogenomic variants conferring increased risk of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency were disclosed to biobank contributors. DPD deficiency confers an increased risk of adverse reaction to commonly used cancer chemotherapeutics. Ten focus groups were conducted, ranging from two to eight participants. 54 individuals participated in focus groups. A framework approach was used for descriptive and explanatory analysis. Descriptive themes included participants' efforts to make sense of PGx findings as they related to: (1) health implications, (2) drugs, and (3) genetics. Explanatory analysis supplied a functional framework of how participant word choices can perform different purposes in PGx communication.. Results bear three main implications for PGx research-related disclosure. First, participants' use of various terms suggest participants generally understanding their PGx results, including how positive PGx results differ from positive disease susceptibility genetic results. Second, PGx disclosure in biobanking can involve participant conflation of drug-gene interactions with allergies or other types of medical reactions. Third, the functional framework suggests a need to move beyond a deficit model of genetic literacy in PGx communication. Together, findings provide an initial evidence base for supporting bi-directional expert-recipient PGx results communication.
Adenosine triphosphatase from rat liver mitochondria. III. Subunit composition

Abstract Preparations of mitochondrial ATPase from rat liver mitochondria contain five classes of polypeptide chains. Consistent with previous results, the three major classes of polypeptide chains, designated subunits A, B, and C, have apparent molecular weights of 62,500, 57,000, and 36,000, respectively, as determined by gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate. These subunits have been isolated in purified form. They comprise approximately 97% of the mass of the enzyme preparation and are present in the enzyme complex in the stoichiometry A3B3C. The two minor classes of polypeptide chains have molecular weights of 12,500 and approximately 7,500 as determined by gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate. They appear to comprise less than 3% of the mass of the enzyme preparation.
Motivation and Distraction Factors Associated with Student Performance in Advanced Level Undergraduate Accounting Courses: An Empirical Study

No prior study the author is aware of has considered the associations between motivation and distraction factors and student performance in advanced level undergraduate accounting courses. This study considers the associations between these two factors and student performance in Advanced Accounting, Auditing, and Contemporary Issues in Financial Accounting courses. The author conducted this study in a highly diversified, commuter, public university. Using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson, and Spearman correlation statistical tests, the study shows that some of the motivation factors are significantly associated with student performance in the above-mentioned three courses. However, the distraction factors have no significant negative association with student performance. One important implication of this study is that accounting faculty need to find ways to motivate their students, but need not discourage them to take more courses per semester or work more hours per week outside of school.
Second-look surgery in the management of epithelial ovarian carcinoma

Abstract The constructs for incorporating second-look surgery (SLL) in the treatment schema for ovarian epithelial carcinoma are being challenged. Although second-look surgery remains the hallmark for assessing disease status at the completion of adjuvant chemotherapy, its continued utility must demonstrate potential benefits in both the presence and absence of disease. While critics cite as unacceptable the recurrence rates (20-50%) after negative SLL, the patients so identified have demonstrated chemosensitivity and harbor optimal tumor volumes if present and possibly more biologically favorable tumors. These very characteristics should render negative SLL patients ideal candidates for consolidation therapy. Furthermore, age, histologic grade, and residual volume stratifies patients into high- and low-risk categories for recurrence after negative second look and should further facilitate consolidation therapy selection. Similarly, longevity following positive SLL is correlated adversely to advancing age and the histologic grade and the residuum of the tumor identified at reexploration. Recognizing that age and grade are predetermined factors, aggressive secondary cytoreduction has the potential of extending longevity. The latter is supported by mathematical tumor kinetic models and several focused, large, single-institution retrospective analyses. Therefore, the value of SLL is apparent but the criteria for its continued utilization in advanced ovarian cancer should include its performance by appropriately trained surgeons and the availability of (and preferably prospective trials for) both consolidation and salvage therapy to which all patients would optimally be afforded access.
A Framework for Developing Evaluation Tools Used in Washington State’s Healthy Communities Projects

Washington State's Healthy Communities pilot projects were developed to test approaches and recommendations of the Washington State Nutrition and Physical Activity Plan and to provide a statewide model for implementation. The Healthy Communities program included plans for ongoing process evaluation to ensure implementation. Two years into the first project, however, the evaluation team recognized that data for evaluation were inadequate to explain the experiences of the pilot community partnership. The team sought a framework through which to better understand how the community partnership functioned, including what worked well and how guidance and technical assistance could best be provided. The evaluation team identified the community health governance model of Lasker and Weiss through a literature search and applied this model to existing Healthy Communities project evaluation data. The team also designed a new survey tool based on the model and used it in the second pilot community. The new tool provides feedback to community partners to help guide project implementation and tests the applicability of a theoretical model to public health practice.
Risk of colorectal adenomas in patients with coeliac disease.

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2010; 32: 1037–1043 Summary Background Coeliac disease is associated with an increased risk of lymphoma and small bowel malignancy, but most studies have found no increased risk of colorectal cancer. Aim To compare the prevalence of colorectal adenomas in coeliac disease patients with that in non-coeliac disease controls. Methods We identified all coeliac disease patients who underwent colonoscopy at our institution during a 44-month period. We matched each patient with non-coeliac disease controls by age, gender and endoscopist. We compared the adenoma prevalence between these groups, and used multivariate analysis to assess the independent association of coeliac disease with adenomas. Results We identified 180 patients with coeliac disease and 346 controls. At least one adenoma was present in 13% of coeliac disease patients and 17% of controls (P = 0.20). On multivariate analysis, age (OR per year 1.04, 95% CI 1.02–1.07) and male gender (OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.36–3.98) were associated with adenomas, while the relationship between coeliac disease and adenomas remained null (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.41–1.34). Conclusions Coeliac disease is not associated with an increased risk of colorectal neoplasia. The lack of increased risk of colorectal cancer observed in population studies is related to a true average risk of colorectal neoplasia, rather than artifactually reflecting increased colonoscopy and associated polypectomies in the coeliac population.
Robotic lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): Multi-center registry study of long-term oncologic results.

Minimally invasive video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy has proven to be feasible and oncologically acceptable for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and a number of other conditions. Multiple studies have demonstrated clear benefits of VATs over a traditional thoracotomy approach, such as decreased length of stay, decreased short-term postoperative pain and fewer complications (1-4). Despite this, however, a VATS approach to anatomic resection is still not the current standard and is only slowly being implemented more widely. The explanation is likely multifactorial including: (I) technical issues, such as two-dimensional imaging and limited maneuverability of instrumentation; (II) lack of adequate training; and (III) concerns about the consequences of major vascular injury with a closed chest approach. In order to address the perceived technical limitations of conventional minimally invasive platforms a master-slave robotic surgical system was developed (da Vinci Surgical System, Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, California). The major advantages were in the three-dimensional visual system that re-establishes binocular vision and instrumentation capable of seven degrees of freedom enabling wristed movement for dissection. The initial intent for this robotic system was for use in closed chest coronary surgery, but this has not eventuated. Instead, the major applications have been for pelvic procedures, such as prostatectomy and hysterectomy. Use of robotics for general thoracic surgical procedures dates back to initial case reports in the early 2000’s, but it was not until 2004 and 2006 that actual series of robotic lobectomies were reported by Melfi and colleagues and Park and coauthors, respectively (5,6). These centers reported the initial technique and experience demonstrating feasibility and concordance of outcomes with the largest series of VATS lobectomies. However, long-term data are lacking in a larger cohort of patients.
The Effect of Industrial Sector Transparency on Bank Risk-taking and Banking System Fragility

We show real effects in the banking sector that emanate from transparency in the industrial sector. Transparent financial reporting by industrial firms facilitates access to arm’s-length financing from capital markets and diminishes these firms’ reliance on banks. Banks, as a result, face increased competition in their product markets and seek to offset their lost rents by – (i) taking on more risk, (ii) reducing their cost structures and (iii) increasing the intensity of intermediation. The net effect of these activities is to lower the likelihood of a banking crisis in countries with greater borrower transparency. Additional tests suggest that risk-taking is channeled more through non-lending than lending activities, pointing to the beneficial role of diversification in reducing bank fragility. Tests using the mandatory adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as a shock to borrower transparency indicate that endogeneity is unlikely to be driving our findings. A difference-in-differences design shows that risk-taking, cost efficiency and bank intermediation in banks of IFRS adopting countries are more salient than those in non-adopting countries. Overall, we provide novel evidence that transparency of the industrial sector strengthens the banking sector.
Spinal Cord Control of Movement: Implications for Locomotor Rehabilitation Following Spinal Cord Injury

In recent years, our understanding of the spinal cord's role in movement control has been greatly advanced. Research suggests that body weight support (BWS) walking and functional electrical stimulation (FES), techniques that are used by physical therapists, have potential to improve walking function in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), perhaps long after the stage of spontaneous recovery. Walking is one of the most desired goals of people with SCI; however, we are obligated to be judicious in our claims of locomotor recovery. There are few controlled studies that compare outcomes of BWS training or FES with those of conventional interventions, and access to services using BWS training or FES may be restricted under managed care.
DINO: Divergent Node Cloning for Sustained Redundancy in HPC

Soft faults like silent data corruption and hard faults like hardware failures may cause a high performance computing (HPC) job of thousands of processes to nearly cease to make progress due to recovery overheads. Redundant computing has been proposed as a solution at extreme scale by allocating two or more processes to perform the same task. However, current redundant computing approaches do not repair failed replicas. Thus, SDC-free execution is not guaranteed after a replica failure and the job may finish with incorrect results. Replicas are logically equivalent, yet may have divergent runtime states during job execution, which complicates on-the-fly repairs for forward recovery. In this work, we present a redundant execution environment that quickly repairs hard failures via Divergent Node cloning (DINO) at the MPI task level. DINO contributes a novel task cloning service integrated into the MPI runtime system that solves the problem of consolidating divergent states among replicas on-the-fly. Experimental results indicate that DINO can recover from failures nearly instantaneously, thus retaining the redundancy level throughout job execution. The cloning overhead, depending on the process image size and its transfer rate, ranges from 5.60 to 90.48 seconds. To the best of our knowledge, the design and implementation for repairing failed replicas in redundant MPI computing is unprecedented.
Interactive networks for sustainable development in Africa

This paper provides interactive four networks which consist of technology, government, human and policy, and information communication technology (ICT) as tools for meeting the grand challenge of sustainable development in Africa and the global community. It provides also the roadmap of features for the networks which has to be developed by inclusion of the local content. This consists of engineers, technologists, university, and policy makers.
Hypothalamic neuroendocrine correlates of cutaneous burn injury in the rat: i. scanning electron microscopy

Abstract Rats were given a standard scald burn on 60% of the body surface or only a sham burn and were sacrificed at intervals from 6 hr to 14 days later. Serum thyroxine (T 4 ), free thyroxine index (FT 4 I) and triiodothyronine (T 3 ) were depressed compared to values in respective shams as early as 6 hr post-burn. T 4 and FT 4 I were less depressed on post-burn days (PBD) 2–3 than on PBD 1 and then exhibited a further fall. T 3 , remained depressed through PBD 14. Pineal melatonin content was elevated at 6 hr and fell to the normal daytime range in subsequent samples. The ventral portion of the diencephalon was prepared for scanning electron microscopy. Only in the burned rats and beginning on PBD 2, large numbers of supraependymal neurons (SEN) appeared in the ventricular space attached to the inferior walls and floor of the third cerebral ventricle. Transmission electron microscopy was used to confirm the neuronal nature of the SEN. Viewed by scanning electron microscopy, these persisted through PBD 14. SEN were interconnected by cables of their neuntes exhibiting varicosities on individual neuntes as they passed over perikarya of other SEN. Some SEN were seen to be only partially emerged from the underlying tissue and others were seen to send a thick process into the hypothalamic tissue. These observations indicate that after peripheral injury there is marked plasticity of the brain in an area thought to control the endocrine systems that show abnormalities after such a peripheral injury. The timing, location and nature of these anatomic changes indicate the possibility that at least some aspects of central nervous orchestration of the endocrine metabolic response to injury may be related to the emergence of a neuronal system receiving or sending messages through the cerebrospinal fluid and/or through new neurite circuits along the surface of the third ventricular wall. These structures may appear in response to initial primary hormonal changes and/or may play a role in maintaining the post-injury hormonal milieu manifested in part by a subsequent second fall in serum T 4 .
Effects of reinforcement on children's academic behavior as a function of self-determined and externally imposed contingencies

This experiment was designed to compare the effects of contingent reinforcement under conditions of self-determined and externally imposed performance standards. A major purpose was to examine the maintenance of self-imposed performance standards over time. Children in one contingent reinforcement condition self-determined their academic performance standards. The same performance standards were externally imposed upon children in a second contingent reinforcement condition who were yoked to subjects in the first condition. Children in a no-reinforcement control condition performed in the absence of external reward. Behavioral productivity of the self-determination condition was greater than that of the no-reinforcement condition. Further, no attenuation of the efficacy of contingent reinforcement occurred when performance standards were self-determined rather than externally imposed. Over six sessions, children became progressively more lenient in their self-imposed performance demands in the absence of social surveillance.
The Use of Darkfield Illumination for the Study of Stained Blood Films

It is shown that by the proper use of a modern dark-field condenser, it is possible to eliminate the difficulties ordinarily encountered in the examination of stained blood smears under darkfield illumination. For hematological studies the proposed method has the following advantages over the usual brightfield procedure: structures not otherwise seen become visible and resolvable; the greater range of size, refractivity, and color of structures furnishes criteria for a more detailed differentiation of cell types.
Une poétique des figures : Oiseaux de Saint-John Perse

" O. " de S. J. P., a la fois meditation poetique et poesie, souleve le probleme des relations entre representation picturale et ecriture poetique. En nommant son referent, les oiseaux de Braque, le poeme se constitue peu a peu et aboutit a la creation d'un nouveau signifie : les oiseaux de S. J. P.
Mortality rates in a genetically heterogeneous population of Caenorhabditis elegans

Age-specific mortality rates in isogenic populations of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans increase exponentially throughout life. In genetically heterogeneous populations, age-specific mortality increases exponentially until about 17 days and then remains constant until the last death occurs at about 60 days. This period of constant age-specific mortality results from genetic heterogeneity. Subpopulations differ in mean life-span, but they all exhibit near exponential, albeit different, rates of increase in age-specific mortality. Thus, much of the observed heterogeneity in mortality rates later in life could result from genetic heterogeneity and not from an inherent effect of aging.
Direction finding of a compromised node in a spread-spectrum network

When a spread-spectrum receiver in a network discovers that it is processing a jamming signal transmitted by a compromised node, its first response is to attempt to identify the compromised node. In this paper, an adaptive array is used to find the direction to the jamming source despite the presence of interference signals transmitted by both legitimate network nodes and external sources. Unlike other direction-finding algorithms, the desired-signal classification (DESIC) algorithm requires no information or special assumptions about the interference signals to effectively cancel them and find the desired direction. Simulation experiments show that the DESIC algorithm provides an excellent performance in many scenarios, even when the received signals cannot be resolved by the widely used MUSIC algorithm.
Effects of nonylphenol on the gonadal differentiation of the hermaphroditic fish, Rivulus marmoratus.

Abstract Nonylphenol (NP) is an estrogenic degradation product of alkylphenol polyethoxylate surfactants. In this study, the effects of NP on gonadal differentiation and development in Rivulus marmoratus (Osteichthyes, Cyprinodontiformes), a self-fertilizing, hermaphroditic species, were examined. Starting at hatching, fish were exposed to 150 or 300 μg l−1 NP (nominal concentrations) in a static system with daily renewal. The measured concentration of NP in the test water decreased rapidly; half-life was 8.0 h. After 60 d of exposure to NP, fish were kept in uncontaminated water for 20 d and were then preserved for histological examination. No fish exposed to 300 μg l−1 NP (N=8) and only two of nine fish exposed to 150 μg l−1 NP developed testicular tissue, compared with nine of 13 water-control fish and five of nine solvent-control fish. Oogenesis was also significantly inhibited by NP. None of the fish exposed to 300 μg l−1 and only two of nine fish exposed to 150 μg l−1 NP had vitellogenic oocytes, compared with seven of 11 water-control fish (not including males) and six of nine solvent-control fish. Dysplasia of the gonadal lumen also occurred in fish exposed to 300 μg l−1 NP. These changes, including testicular agenesis, have not been previously reported in fish exposed to NP.
Effects of amobarbital and sodium salicylate on the membrane potentials and mechanical activity of cardiac muscle.

Abstract The simultaneous effects of amobarbital and sodium salicylate on the electrical and mechanical characteristics of atrial cells were studied. Membrane potentials were determined with microelectrodes; the mechanical activity was determined with the aid of a strain gauge. Sodium salicylate decreased the duration and are of tthe action potential and amobarbital induced the opposite effects. However, both drugs decreased the contractility of atria without any alteration of the resting or action potential magnitudes. The possibility of correlating these changes in the electrical characteristics with changes in contractility is discussed.
Response to Henry Patterson

I thank the editors for adopting a policy that fosters this opportunity to address an issue raised by Henry Patterson and to offer some final comments on our exchange. In “Provisional IRA Attacks o...
Electrochemically Actuated Mercury Pump for Fluid Flow and Delivery

This paper describes the development of a prototype pumping system with the potential for incorporation into miniaturized, fluid-based analytical instruments. The approach exploits the well-established electrocapillarity phenomena at a mercury/electrolyte interface as the mechanism for pump actuation. That is, electrochemically induced changes in the surface tension of mercury result in the pistonlike movement of a mercury column confined within a capillary. We present herein theoretical and experimental assessments of pump performance. The design and construction of the pump are detailed, and the potential attributes of this design, including the generated pumping pressure, flow rate, and power consumption, are discussed. The possible miniaturization of the pump for use as a field-deployable, fluid-delivery device is also briefly examined.
Rationality and meaning in design

Abstract The author detects a growing popular reaction against rationality in design based on a number of misconceptions concerning the nature of rationality and its assumed role in the Modern Movement in architecture. The author argues that the forms of modern architecture and town planning are the product of aesthetic preferences, not of rational design. Consequently it is incorrect to conclude that the failings of the Modern Movement imply a failure of rationality as such. The author argues further that man's relation to his environment is primarily a ‘thinking’ relation and any approach to design which ignores this dimension is literally meaningless. Following Mead, the author links the uniquely human capacity for thought with the power of human language which enables man to ‘take the role of the other’ and so bring his own social experience into conscious awareness and critical control. The essential criteria for rational design are defined in these terms. The designer, through taking the attitudes of others involved in the social act of building, adjusts his own behaviour as a designer in the light of a critical awareness of the meaning his designs have for other persons. He becomes a self-conscious designer. The products of self-conscious, ie rational design, are significant symbols (in Mead's sense) in built form. Against Mead's criteria for rationality the products of the Modern Movement are revealed as wholly irrational. As example the author quotes Boudon's analysis of Le Corbusier's dwellings at Pessac and his description of the unintended responses of the residents to Le Corbusier's designs. The author concludes by arguing that in an age of social uncertainty efficacy of meaning may only be established in a rational process of design which facilitates the adjustment of design decisions according to the search for social communication.
MULTI INCREMENT® TCE vadose‐zone investigation

MULTI INCREMENT® and discrete sampling strategies were used to estimate the average concentration and the three-dimensional distribution of TCE in a 3,300-m3 zone composed of two decision units (e.g., area of concern, population, exposure unit). Authors of this article and a private contractor (Stanley Consultants Inc.), respectively, implemented these two sampling strategies independently. Compared to discrete sampling, the MULTI INCREMENT sampling strategy identified more locations where percent-level concentrations of TCE have migrated, is more economical, and provided greater data quality. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Clinicopathologic characteristics of incidentally identified pheochromocytoma.

Background Pheochromocytomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors. With the widespread use of cross-sectional imaging, increasing numbers are identified incidentally, but their clinicopathologic traits have been incompletely characterized.
Effect of Diurnally Fluctuating vs. Constant Temperatures on Flower Induction and Sex Expression in the Olive (Olea europaea)

Olive trees must be exposed to a period of winter chilling temperatures in order to form inflorescences the following spring. The effects of diurnally fluctuating and constant temperatures on flower induction and sex expression in the olive were compared under controlled environment conditions. The effect on flowering of diurnally fluctuating temperatures depends upon the length of time at the higher temperatures. While daily exposure to the high temperatures (21° to 26°C) for a short period (four hours) intensified the effectiveness of the low temperatures (7° to 12.5°C), when the high temperature duration was 12 hours it counteracted the low temperature action. Possibly, daily low temperatures act to stimulate reactions leading to floral hormone synthesis, while daily short exposures to high temperatures act to maintain metabolic activity, promote energy-yielding reactions, and possibly stimulate cell-division activity. In the olive, an intermediate constant temperature (12.5°C) favors both types of reactions and induces flowering; however, in this case, the pistils fail to develop. The olive has very specific temperature requirements for flowering and neither the mean temperature nor the accumulated number of hours below a given value, e.g. 7°C, adequately characterizes these requirements.
Synthesis of optical polarization signatures of military aircraft

Focal plane wide band IR imagery will be compared with visual wide band focal plane digital imagery of a camouflaged B-52 bomber. Extreme enhancement is possible using digital polarized imagery. The experimental observations will be compared to theoretical calculations and modeling result of both specular and shadowed areas to allow extrapolations to the synthesis of the optical polarization signatures of other aircraft. The relationship of both the specular and the shadowed areas to surface structure, orientation, specularlity, roughness, shadowing and the complex index of refraction will be illustrated. The imagery was obtained in two plane-polarized directions. Many aircraft locations were measured as well as sky background.
Effect of medullary lesions on coordination of deglutition

Abstract Swallowing involves a complex sequence of excitation and inhibition which is bilaterally symmetrical. To determine where this sequence originates and how the symmetry of action is achieved the brain stem was subjected to longitudinal midline splits or transverse hemisections, or both. Swallowing was elicited by electrical stimulation of the superior laryngeal nerve and defined electromyographically. The controlling center lies in the reticular substance of the medulla about 1.5 mm off the midline, 1–3 mm dorsal and just rostral to the rostral pole of the inferior olive. During swallowing the half-center on each side inhibits the middle and inferior constrictors in cats and dogs, and inferior constrictor in macaques, ipsilaterally and excites them contralaterally, while exciting all other participating muscles ipsilaterally only. The paths conveying excitation to the constrictors cross posterior to the obex. Symmetry is achieved between the half-centers via paths present both at the level of the trapezoid body and posterior to the obex since “unilateral swallowing” following partial splitting of the brain stem can still be coordinated bilaterally to bilateral stimulation if these paths remain. Smaller lesions in the critical area suggest that each half-center is composed of a number of subunits controlling the action in one or another motor nucleus.
Comparative ecology of subtidal actiniarians from the coasts of California and the Gulf of Maine, USA

Shallow subtidal populations of sea anemones occupying hard substrates along the California (Pacific) and Gulf of Maine (Atlantic) coasts of the USA are compared. The diversity of anemones in the southern Gulf of Maine to 35 m is low (4 species) in contrast to similar habitats in California (at least 11 species), but parallel patterns of individual size, distribution and predation impacts occur. Water motion influences depth distribution and size, while predation affects size, population structure and habitat selection. The nudibranch Aeolidia papillosa exerts a similar pressure on population structure in some anemone species in both areas as a size selective predator. The seastar Dermasterias imbricata appears to magnify the selective pressure for large size in the eastern Pacific coastal zone. Interspecific aggression of anemones determines some distribution patterns in areas of overlap.
Deposition signatures in Onondaga Lake, New York: Observations from a 28-year sediment-trap study

We tested paradigms and models that relate deposition of phytoplankton constituents to lake metabolism based on analyses of long-term sediment-trap collections (28 yr of the 1980–2010 period) from a dimictic urban lake, Onondaga Lake, New York. There were major changes in a number of important drivers of deposition, including decreases in the concentration of a divalent cation (Ca2+), nutrient loading and primary production, and variations in food-web effects. The summertime downward fluxes of particulate organic carbon (DFPOC), particulate nitrogen, particulate phosphorus (P), and chlorophyll were greater than values reported in the literature at the start of the program and decreased > 70% in response to decreases in Ca2+ and P loading. Results include (1) the positive dependence of DFPOC on primary production, (2) the positive dependence of the rate of hypolimnetic oxygen depletion on DFPOC, (3) the negative effect of Daphnia grazing on DFPOC under eutrophic and hypereutrophic conditions, and (4) the dependence of the stoichiometry of depositing material on particle origins and nutrient status of the phytoplankton community. The relationship between the export ratio, the fraction of gross primary production lost to deposition, and primary production reported in the literature was extended based on inclusion of Onondaga Lake data, and described by a nonlinear (polynomial function) relationship.
Differential utilization of space and food by the inshore rockfishes (Scorpaenidae: Sebastes) of Carmel Bay, California

Six rockfish species were found to be common in the Carmel Bay kelp forests. Five of these occupy spatial zones that are more or less distinct from one another. Three species (S. atrovirens, S. chrysomelas, and S. carnatus) occupy species-specific spatial zones while two others (S. serranoides and S. melanops), although spatially distinct from each other, occupy zones that overlap completely with a sixth species, S. mystinus. Food overlap values (PSI) indicate that S. mystinus has low competitive overlap with all other species, and hence can coexist with two species using the same habitat. Dietary arrays reflect the distinct spatial zones occupied by most of the rockfishes. Structural characteristics associated with feeding (maxillary, intestine, and gill raker length) suggest that these species are differentially adapted in regard to feeding morphology. The coexistence of these rockfishes appears to be the result of the partitioning of food and space resources, rather than the result of stochastic events which appear to be important in the structuring of some coral-reef fish communities. S. mystinus juveniles represent a major trophic link between adult piscivores and the planktonic organisms upon which the juveniles feed. A sustained crash in S. mystinus numbers might have a negative effect on abundance of kelp forest piscivorous species.
States, elites, and social welfare in Southeast Asia

Abstract The political basis of social welfare change is examined for Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Both an ability to implement change (political capacity), and the willingness to do so (political will) are requisites of public policy-initiated welfare changes. Neither capacity nor will, however, are merely attributes of political leaders. Political capacity derives in part from the underlying structure of the political system; political will is rooted in an intraelite struggle over whether change is necessary, and if so, what sort of changes. Together they shape responses in either a welfare-enhancing or welfare-inhibiting manner.
Mediators in the pathogenesis of toxic shock syndrome: overview.

Since toxic shock syndrome (TSS) was formally defined in 1978, much has been learned about the clinical and epidemiologic features of this disease. Furthermore, a specific staphylococcal protein, known as toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1), has been identified as a putative pathogenic agent. Conditions affecting production of TSST-1 have been discussed during other sessions of this symposium. It is evident, however, that toxins other than TSST-1 must be capable of causing TSS, since not all TSS-associated strains of Staphylococcus aureus produce TSST-1. This issue has also been addressed in detail elsewhere. In this overview, I will focus on mechanisms, proposed and documented, by which the TSS toxins cause disease. As indicated in table 1, TSS may be the consequence of the pathogenic effects of several staphylococcal products acting alone or in concert. Moreover, other microbial products, particularly endotoxin of gram-negative bacilli, have been cited as possible contributors to the pathogenic process. These agents may act either by directly exerting toxic effects on host tissues or by inducing the production and release of a variety of endogenous mediators, which in turn combine to sculpt this complex syndrome. Endogenous mediators likely to be involved (on the basis either of investigations performed to date with TSST-1 or of known activities under other circumstances) are also listed in table 1.
Spin configurations of a carbon nanotube in a nonuniform external potential

We study, theoretically, the ground state spin of a carbon nanotube in the presence of an external potential. We find that when the external potential is applied to a part of the nanotube, its variation changes the single electron spectrum significantly. This, in combination with Coulomb repulsion and the symmetry properties of a finite length armchair nanotube, induces spin flips in the ground state when the external potential is varied. We discuss the possible application of our theory to recent measurements of Coulomb-blocked peaks and their dependence on a weak magnetic field in armchair carbon nanotubes. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society.
Factors controlling levels of CD8+ T-cell lymphocytosis associated with murine gamma-herpesvirus infection.

Intranasal infection of mice with murine γ-herpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) elicits a striking CD8+ T-cell lymphocytosis following the establishment of latency, which includes a marked increased frequency of Vβ4+ CD8+ T cells. The Vβ4+ CD8+ T cells do not recognize a conventional viral peptide, but are stimulated by an uncharacterized ligand expressed on latently infected, activated B cells. The selective expansion of Vβ4+ CD8+ T cells after MHV-68 infection is observed in all mouse strains examined, although the fold-increase varies widely, ranging from less than twofold to greater than 10-fold. The factors controlling the variation are currently undefined. In the current study, CD8+ T cell activation and Vβ4+ CD8+ T-cell frequencies were analyzed in 18 inbred strains of mice. The data show that the magnitude of the Vβ4+ CD8+ T-cell response correlates with the degree of CD8+ T cell-activation, and that both major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and non-MHC genes contribute to the magnitude of the activation. Fu...
Immune Response of Trout to Aeromonas Salmonicida Part II. Evaluation of Feeding Techniques

(1964). Immune Response of Trout to Aeromonas Salmonicida Part II. Evaluation of Feeding Techniques. The Progressive Fish-Culturist: Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 65-69.
Monoaryl-Substituted Salicylaldoximes as Ligands for Estrogen Receptor β

Salicylaldoximes possess a hydrogen-bonded pseudocyclic A′ ring in place of the typical phenolic A ring that is characteristic of most estrogen receptor (ER) ligands. Monoaryl-substituted salicylaldoximes were obtained by replacing the phenol moiety (ring A) of the ERβ pharmacophore with the pseudocycle A′ ring, which has previously been shown to behave as a bioequivalent of phenols in nonselective ER ligands. In this series, small substituents (CH3, CN, Cl) were introduced into the central phenyl scaffold. An efficient sequential halogen-selective double cross-coupling reaction was developed for the synthesis of the methyl-substituted ER ligand. The measured ERβ affinity proved to be very sensitive to the effect of central core substituents. The binding affinities of the compounds herein reported were in good agreement with the results of computational docking analysis. The chloro-substituted derivative showed the highest β affinity and selectivity, and it also proved to be an ERβ partial agonist with an...
The CD95 (APO-1/Fas) Receptor Activates NF-B Independently of Its Cytotoxic Function

Engagement of the CD95 (APO-1/Fas) receptor induces apoptosis in a variety of cell types. However, the nature of the cytotoxic signal and the intermediate messenger molecules remain to be elucidated. In an effort to understand CD95-mediated signaling, we assessed possible changes in the DNA binding activity of NF-kappaB as a result of CD95 engagement in various tumor cells. By performing electrophoresis mobility shift assays, we show that CD95 can stimulate the DNA binding activity of NF-kappaB in a variety of cells, irrespective of their sensitivity or resistance to CD95-mediated cytotoxicity. Moreover, deletion of 37 carboxyl-terminal residues from the cytoplasmic domain of CD95, which abrogates CD95-mediated apoptosis, only marginally affects NF-kappaB activation. Taken together, these observations indicate that CD95 has a function that involves activation of NF-kappaB and that appears to be unrelated to its role as an inducer of apoptotic cell death.
The iGEM competition: building with biology

Can simple biological systems be built from standard, interchangeable parts and operated in living cells? Or is biology simply too complicated to be engineered in this way? The international Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM) is an open design challenge for student teams that addresses this difficult question. Using a library of standardised parts known as BioBricks, groups of undergraduates from around the world spend their summer designing and assembling biological devices, to build genetic machines.
Monte Carlo Simulation for Particle and γ-Ray Emissions in Statistical Hauser-Feshbach Model

Monte Carlo simulations for particle and γ-ray emissions from a compound nucleus based on the Hauser-Feshbach statistical theory with pre-equilibrium emission are performed. The simulation yields reliable nuclear-reaction-wise energy spectra, or so-called exclusive spectra, for emitted neutrons and γ-rays, which are required in particle transport calculations for nuclear applications. The Monte Carlo method is applied to neutron-induced nuclear reactions on 56Fe, and the results are compared with a traditional deterministic method. The neutron and γ-ray emission correlation is examined by gating on an 847 keV γ-ray that is produced by an inelastic scattering process. The partial γ-ray energy spectra for different γ-ray multiplicities are inferred using this Monte Carlo method. In addition, we investigate a correlation between two neutrons in the (n,2n) reaction.
Application of a Fed‐Batch System To Produce RNA by In Vitro Transcription

A novel fed-batch method is presented for the production of RNA by in vitro transcription performed in a stirred-cell reactor with pH-controlled addition of reaction components. Solution equilibrium analysis is applied to determine the ratios of feed components (including nucleoside triphosphates (NTPs), magnesium salt, and base) which allow the desired NTP concentrations, free magnesium concentration, and pH to be maintained during the reaction. Results are presented for fed-batch and batch reactions performed with two DNA templates encoding a 12mer RNA and a 38mer RNA. For the dodecamer RNA, the fed-batch mode is only modestly better than batch reactions, with no significant increase in the efficiency of NTP incorporation but with 40% improvement in the amount of RNA produced per unit of polymerase or DNA. For the 38mer, fed-batch transcription provides a substantial increase in the efficiency of NTP incorporation and 100% improvement in the production of RNA per unit of polymerase or DNA. Cost analyses are presented which show how optimal NTP concentrations in batch and fed-batch reactions will be dependent on the relative costs of NTPs, T7 RNA polymerase, and DNA templates for the particular application. The use of a fed-batch mode appears to have the potential for substantial improvement in the economics of RNA production for at least some RNA sequences.