cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regulation of interleukin-6 and interleukin-1β gene expression in the mouse deciduum

Abstract Expression and regulation of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1β were examined in the mouse deciduum and in experimentally induced deciduoma from 6 to 8 days postcoitum (1 dpc=vaginal plug), as well as in cultured mouse decidual cell preparations. Levels of these mRNAs in the deciduum and deciduoma were below the limits of detection by Northern blotting. However, enzymatic dispersion and culture of decidual cells and/or exposure to bacterial endotoxin-lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced these mRNAs. IL-6 levels that accumulated in the culture medium (3990 pg/3 × 10 6 cells/day) were about 90-times higher than those of IL-1β (45 pg/3 × 10 6 cells/day). Progesterone (10 −7 M) modestly (40%) reduced the levels of IL-6 mRNA and protein during culture, whereas LPS dramatically (8-fold) and rapidly induced IL-6 and IL-1β mRNAs and proteins. In vivo, few IL-1β immunopositive cells were localized by immunohistochemistry in the 8 dpc deciduum. In contrast, IL-6 mRNA was localized by in situ hybridization in dispersed clusters of a few cells in the mesometrial deciduum near the center of the implantation site. LPS rapidly induced interleukin mRNAs in the deciduum and deciduoma. After LPS injection, IL-1β immunopositive cells were dispersed in the myometrium and mesometrial deciduum. In contrast, after LPS injection (2 h), IL-6 mRNA was abundant in ‘cords' of cells that traverse the mesometrial deciduum longitudinally, as well as in cells dispersed throughout the myometrium. Thus, the IL-1β and IL-6 genes are expressed and regulated in distinct subsets of cells in the decidual bed. The pattern of F4/80 immunostaining is consistent with macrophages as the major, if not only, source of decidual IL-1β. IL-6 is also expressed in these cells. However, IL-6 gene expression is regulated in a distinct subset of cells located in the mesometrial decidual bed of the mouse.
The Metal Enrichment and Temperature of the Intergalactic Medium

Hydrodynamic simulations of Lyα clouds based on ab initio cosmological models have produced results that are in broad agreement with observations. However, further analyses have revealed that, with progressively higher numerical resolution, the median or cutoff line width of the simulated Lyα clouds (i.e., the Doppler parameter) appears to converge to a value significantly below what is observed at z ~ 3 (by about a factor of 1.5). These simulations do not include feedback from star formation. We suggest that, given the observed metallicity in the Lyα clouds, it is possible that supernovae, which presumably polluted the intergalactic medium (IGM) with metals, may have deposited a sufficient amount of energy in the IGM to reconcile the theory with observations. Simple arguments immediately narrow the redshift range of pollution down to 4 < zdep < 9. It seems quite certain that dwarf and subdwarf galaxies with masses in the range of 106.5-109.0 M☉ have to be largely responsible for the pollution. Furthermore, it is implied that either star formation is very efficient or the metal yield is very high for these early dwarf galaxies, if the mean metallicity in the universe at z = 3 is as high as = 10-2 Z☉.
Annealing concept for the design of environmentally stable chemical amplification resists.

Contamination of chemical amplification resists by airborne basic substances can be minimized by reducing the free volume of resist films by annealing. Good annealing requires heating the resist films above their glass transition temperatures. However, it is not usually possible to bake chemical amplification positive resists based on poly(4-hydroxystyrene) above their glass transition temperatures because thermal deprotection typically occurs below their glass transition temperatures. Use of meta- isomers to lower glass transition temperatures is described first to prove the validity of our annealing concept. Furthermore, our high temperature bake process of a new thermally and hydrolytically stable positive resist (ESCAP) is reported. The annealing effectively reduces uptake of airborne contaminants by resist films because the diffusivity of small molecules in polymer films is an exponential function of the free volume and thus stabilizes the latent images.
SYNTHESIS OF NOPALINE AND ISO-NOPALINE

(1977). SYNTHESIS OF NOPALINE AND ISO-NOPALINE. Organic Preparations and Procedures International: Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 99-101.
Does a 20 minute cognitive task increase concussion symptoms in concussed athletes

AbstractObjective: The purpose of the present study was to examine if concussion symptoms worsened immediately (i.e. 20 minutes) following performance on a scomputerized neurocognitive test.Research design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 2.Methods and procedures: A total of 165 athletes with a concussion participated in the study. Participants completed the Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test (ImPACT) and Post-concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS) at baseline, 3 and 10 days post-concussion. Participants completed a second PCSS following the ImPACT test at 3 and 10 days post-injury.Main outcomes and results: Athletes with a concussion exhibited greater symptoms post-neurocognitive test 3 days post-concussion on headache (p = 0.01), nausea (p = 0.03), dizziness (p = 0.03), sadness (p = 0.005), mentally foggy (p = 0.002) and visual problems (p = 0.007). Athletes with a concussion demonstrated increased symptoms on sadness (p = 0.00) and difficulty remembering (p = 0.03) at 10 days po...
Preparation of an ultra-low ash coal extract under mild conditions

Abstract A technique whereby substantial portions of bituminous coal are extracted, non-destructively, is demonstrated by treating raw coal with N -methylpyrrolidone (NMP). An ultra-clean, coal-derived solid material with as little as 0.1% ash and containing no pyritic sulfur was derived by following the extraction step with precipitation of the coal-based material in water and subsequent filtration. The unextracted residue and recovered extracted material were dried under vacuum to allow the determination of overall and elemental mass balances. Amounts extracted were found to be as high as 74% (m.a.f.). The operating conditions are mild at 202°C and atmospheric pressure. Solvent recovery from the NMP-water mixture using conventional distillation on a lab scale was in excess of 97%. Ultimate and proximate analyses of three different H.V. Bituminous coals, and their residues and extracts are reported.
Scores on liking and solidarity in interpersonal relationships.

This study examined liking and solidarity in interpersonal relationships. Participants were 226 undergraduates (89 men, 137 women: M age=27.0) who identified (by initials) an individual with whom they had a recent interaction and referenced that interaction when completing Rubin's Liking Scale and Wheeless's Interpersonal Solidarity Scale. A correlation of .73 (p<.0001) was obtained between the scores on these scales, suggesting when individuals like one another, they report feelings of solidarity also.
Data Analysis: Statistical Analysis and Use of Historical Control Data

Abstract Survival-adjusted methods for the statistical analysis of tumor data from long-term rodent carcinogenicity studies are described. Although most of these methods require knowledge of whether individual tumors are "fatal" or "incidental," such determinations may be difficult. Several methods for dealing with this and with other data analysis issues are discussed. Historical control tumor data may be useful in the interpretation of rodent carcinogenicity studies, particularly for rare tumors and for borderline effects. Although statistical methods are available for using historical control data in a formal testing framework, the primary difficulty is establishing a database that is truly comparable to the study under evaluation with respect to those factors known to influence tumor occurrence. Major sources of variability in tumor incidence include the animal room environment, dietary factors/body weight, gross necropsy and slide preparation procedures, and histopathology diagnosis. The National Toxicology Program′s use of historical control data is briefly described and illustrated.
Fiber-Optic RF Filter

This paper describes a fiber-optic RF bandpass filter consisting of a multimode fiber cavity. Performance equations are derived and test results are presented. The filter is capable of high Q, low loss operation up to frequencies beyond 10 GHz. It is expected to be useful in a variety of systems applications to reduce noise bandwidths and remove unwanted out-of-band signals.
Linear Time-Varying Dynamic Systems Optimization via Higher-Order Method: A Sub-Domain Approach

A new procedure for optimization of linear time-varying dynamic systems has been proposed that uses transformations to embed the dynamic equations explicitly into the cost functional. This leads to elimination of Lagrange multipliers and characterization of the optimality equations by high-order differential equations in the same number of variables as number of control inputs. This procedure requires that the transformation matrix be nonsingular at all time within the domain. This paper extends this procedure to problems where a single nonsingular transformation matrix does not exist over the entire domain. In this paper, the time domain is partitioned into intervals such that a nonsingular transformation exists over each interval. The transformations are used to embed the dynamic equations into the cost functional. Variational analysis of the unconstrained cost functionals results in the optimality equations, which are solved efficiently by weighted residual methods.
Structural pattern recognition, homomorphisms, and arrangements☆☆☆

Abstract This paper discusses the general supervised pattern discrimination problem from a structural point of view. We show that both the problem of determining a decision rule and the problem of applying a decision rule are problems of finding homomorphisms, whether the pattern data structure is an N -tuple as in statistical pattern recognition, or a string or its generalizations as in syntactic pattern recognition. We then introduce the concept of an arrangement, which is a labeled N -ary relation, as a more complex pattern data structure and show how decision rules can be constructed and applied to arrangements using the homomorphism concept. The methodology suggested in the paper provides a structural pattern recognition generalization to phrase-structured syntactic pattern recognition.
THE THAYER SCALE RESPONSE PATTERNS OF TYPE A AND TYPE B COLLEGE STUDENTS

Summary.-Using Thayer's Activation-Deactivation Adjective Check List, the activation patterns of 95 Type A and 105 Type B college students were measured. The pattern of the group means suggests that Type A students are higher than Type B students on both energy and tension activation. When the responses of individuals were examined, the Type A students were 2.5 times more likely to exhibit this high activation pattern than was the case for the Type B students. Friedman and Rosenman (1977) described the Type A behavior pattern as an ". . . action-emotion complex that can be observed in any person who is aggressively involved in a chronic, incessant struggle to achieve more and more in less and less time, and is required to do so, against the opposing efforts of other things or other persons" (p. 203). Consistent with this view, Glass (1977) asserted that relative to Type B persons, Type A individuals tend to work closer to their maximum capacity. In his discussion of this issue, he suggested that Type A persons appear to be chronically more activated than their Type B peers but cautioned that ". . . such a conclusion must await theoretical and empirical work" (p. 169). Since Glass made this cautionary remark, a fair amount of empirical work has focused on establishing the relationships between Type A-B behavior and activation. Recently, having reviewed and evaluated many of these studies, Harbin (1989) was only able to conclude that "The results of this meta-analysis hs] provide Limited support for the hypothesis of greater physiological activity in Type A individuals in response to cognitive challenge" (p. 114). Out purpose was to further this line of investigation by assessing the differences in the activation levels of Type A and Type B college students on the dimensions of activation that are measured by the Thayer scale (1978, 1986). We reasoned that, while this scale was designed to measure moment-to-moment fluctuations in activation level, if Type A students are chronically more activated as Glass has suggested, they should, as a group, score higher in activation on the Thayer scale at any glven moment than a group of their Type B peers. In addition to providing for assessment of activation levels at a given moment, we selected the Thayer scale for use because it permitted us to measure the relative activation patterns of Type A and Type B students on the dimensions of activation reflected by this scale.
Stochastic modeling of polymerization in a continuous flow reactor

A stochastic approach, namely, a continuous time Markov chain (Markov process), is employed to analyze and model, in a unified fashion, both polymerization and dispersive mixing in a continuous flow reactor. Results include the distribution of numbers of active and dead polymers with chain length j both inside the reactor and at the exit. This approach can be extended to the determination of the degree of polymerization of a copolymer. Expressions are derived for the mean and variance of the number of monomers of a given type in a copolymer chain. The model can be applied to both the time homogeneous and heterogeneous processes.
The under‐controlled do it first: Childhood personality and sexual debut

The relationship of childhood personality type to the timing of first sexual intercourse was investigated through survival analysis. Participants from the Child Sample of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth were categorized into one of the three personality types at 5 or 6 years of age: under-controlled, resilient, and over-controlled. Those categorized as under-controlled at 5 or 6 years of age were more likely than those resilient or over-controlled to have sexual intercourse before the age of 16. The extent to which three early adolescent factors—team/club membership, church attendance, and peer influence—mediate the association of childhood personality type to the timing of first sexual intercourse was also explored. The association of childhood personality to timing of first sexual intercourse was partially mediated by peer influence at 11 or 12 years of age. The findings are interpreted in light of their implications for researchers and practitioners interested in improving the health and well-being of children and adolescents. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 31:626–639, 2008
Sir Joseph Swan and the invention of the electric lamp

This month, Electronics & Power celebrates the 100th anniversary of the invention of the electric lamp by Sir Joseph Swan. On the 3rd February 1879 in the lecture theatre of the Literary & Philosophical Society at Newcastle, he performed the first practical demonstration of a working lamp. By October of the following year, he was able to light the same auditorium with 20 lamps, the first time any building was lit by incandescent electric lamp.
The Manager's View of Management Education and Training

IN HIS 1887 ARTICLE, "THE STUDY OF ADMINISTRATION," WOODROW WILSON ARGUED THAT PUBLIC MANAGERS AND PROSPECTIVE CANDIDATES FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE NEEDED TRAINING IN A "SCIENCE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATI...
Analysis of Protein Structure-Function in Vivo: ADENOVIRUS-MEDIATED TRANSFER OF LIPASE LID MUTANTS IN HEPATIC LIPASE-DEFICIENT MICE *

Hepatic lipase (HL) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) are key enzymes involved in the hydrolysis of triglycerides and phospholipids present in circulating plasma lipoproteins. Despite their similarities, the role that each of these two lipases play in the metabolism of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and high density lipoproteins is distinct. In order to identify structural domains that may confer the different substrate specificities between HL and LPL, we have utilized a novel approach for performing structure-function analysis of a protein, in vivo, by using recombinant adenovirus vectors to express native and mutant enzymes in an animal model for a human genetic deficiency. HL-deficient mice (n = 19) characterized by increased plasma cholesterol and phospholipid concentrations were injected with adenovirus expressing luciferase (rLucif-AdV), native hepatic (rHL-AdV), and lipoprotein lipase (rLPL-AdV) or lipase mutants in which the lid covering the catalytic site of either enzyme was exchanged (rHL+LPL lid-AdV and rLPL+HL lid-AdV). Mice injected with rLucif-AdV had no changes in post-heparin HL and LPL activities (217 +/- 29 and 7 +/- 2 nmol/min/ml, respectively) as well as plasma lipids. Despite expression of similar levels of post-heparin plasma lipase activity on day 5 post-adenovirus infusion (9806 +/- 915 and 9677 +/- 2033 nmol/min/ml, respectively) mice injected with rHL-AdV or rHL+LPL lid-AdV demonstrated marked differences in the reduction of plasma phospholipids (70% and 32%, respectively, p < 0.005). Similarly, despite post-heparin plasma lipolytic activities of 4495 +/- 534 and 4844 +/- 1336 nmol/min/ml, injection of rLPL-AdV or rLPL+HL lid-AdV resulted in phospholipid reductions of 31% and 81% (p < 0.005). Exchange of the lipase lid did not significantly alter plasma triglyceride concentrations. Thus, preferential in vivo hydrolysis of phospholipids was demonstrated in animals expressing lipases containing the HL lid but not the LPL lid. These studies identify the lipase lid as a major structural motif responsible for conferring the different in vivo phospholipase activities between HL and LPL, a function which may modulate the distinct physiological roles of these two similar lipolytic enzymes in lipoprotein metabolism. The use of recombinant adenovirus to express mutant proteins in animal models for human genetic deficiencies represents a powerful, new approach for performing structure-function analysis of proteins in vivo.
THE INTERACTIONS OF HIGH ENERGY NUCLEONS WITH NUCLEI. II

Part I of this paper presented an analysis of the experimentally observed interactions of 300-400 Mev protons and neutrons with the nuclei of $G\ensuremath{-}5$ emulsion. General evidence for the nucleonic cascade mechanism of interaction was deduced from these results.Goldberger had previously calculated the interaction of high energy nucleons (\ensuremath{\sim}90 Mev) with heavy nuclei on the basis of an internal nucleonic cascade generated in a Fermi nucleon gas. However, the experimental test of these calculations by Hadley and York was indecisive.Calculations basically similar to the Goldberger type were performed for these interactions, employing the Monte Carlo method to treat the rather complicated cascades involved. The theoretical and experimental results are compared in detail and found to be essentially in agreement within error limits. Hence it is concluded that the nucleonic cascade mechanism can satisfactorily explain these interactions.
Reversibility of (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se2 electrical properties with the addition and removal of Na: Role of grain boundaries

The Na content of (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se2 films was cyclically adjusted using a novel method involving cycles of water rinsing at 60 °C followed by heating in air at 200 °C to remove Na and evaporation of NaF to re-introduce Na back into the film. The low temperatures and short heating times ensure that Na is removed only from grain boundaries while leaving grain interiors unaffected. Cross-grain conductivity and Seebeck coefficient were measured during this removal procedure and both measurements decreased when Na was removed and both recovered upon the re-addition of Na, consistent with an increase in compensating donor defects in the absence of Na. These results demonstrate that Na reversibly affects the electrical properties of grain boundaries. We propose that Na reversibly passivates donor-like defects such as InCu double donors at grain boundaries.
Determinants of predisposition to transfer among community college students: A structural model

Employing aspects of Tinto's (1975, 1987) theoretical framework, the purpose of this study was to test a model of student transfer behaviors and attitudes with a community college student population. More specifically, this study examined the structural relationships among five constructs: (1) student background factors, (2) initial commitments, (3) social integration, (4) academic integration, and (5) predisposition to transfer. Student background factors were examined to determine their direct and indirect effects on community college students' initial commitments, social integration, and academic integration on three multiple indicators of the dependent variable, predisposition to transfer: (1) number of four-year institutions students planned to apply for transfer, (2) transfer behavior, and (3) transfer perceptions. The study supported utilization of factors identified in the retention literature that are based on Tinto's model to examine transfer attitudes and behaviors among community college students. Students with high levels of social and academic integration tended to have high levels of predisposition to transfer. Ethnic background was found to have no relationship to predisposition to transfer.
Intra-tracheal delivery strategy of gentamicin with partial liquid ventilation.

Patients with pulmonary infection often present with ventilation and perfusion abnormalities, which can impair intravenous antibiotic therapy. Intra-tracheal (IT) administration has met with obstacles, such as inadequate delivery to affected lung regions and the disruption of gas exchange. We hypothesized that IT administration of a gentamicin (G)/perfluorochemical (PFC) suspension (GPFC) would effectively deliver and distribute gentamicin to the lung, while maintaining gas exchange and non-toxic serum levels. In addition, we sought to compare serum G and lung levels and distribution of G when GPFC is administered at the initiation of partial liquid ventilation (PLV) vs. during PLV. To test this hypothesis, 17 newborn lambs were ventilated by PLV with perflubron (LiquiVent®) for 4 h using three different G (5 mg kg−1) administration techniques: IT slow-fill (SF) (n=6; GPFC over 15 min at start of PLV), IT top-fill (TF) (n=6; GPFC 10–65 min after start of PLV), intravenous (IV) (n=5, aqueous injection at start of PLV). Serum levels of gentamicin were obtained 1, 15, 30 and 60 min after administration, and hourly thereafter for the remainder of the protocol (4 h). Arterial blood gas and pulmonary function measurements were obtained throughout the protocol. At the conclusion of the protocol, representative samples from each lung lobe, the brain and kidney were homogenized and assayed for gentamicin. All results are presented as the mean ± sem; P < 0·05. Over time, serum gentamicin levels were greatest (P < 0·05) in IV (11·0 ± 2·3 μg ml−1), followed by TF (2·3 ± 0·1 μg m−1) and SF (0·8 ± 0·1 μg ml−1). The percentage of the administered dose remaining in the lungs after 4 h was greater (P < 0·05) following IT delivery (SF 23·8 ± 4·3 %, TF 13·7 ± 2·5 %) as compared to IV (3·7 ± 0·5 %). These findings suggest that for a given dose of G, both SF and TF delivery methods of GPFC can enhance pulmonary, relative to systemic, antibiotic coverage.
Audit of Diagnostic Accuracy of Fna Cytology Specimens Taken By the Histopathologist In A Symptomatic Breast Clinic

One thousand and two patients with palpable breast lumps have had fine needle aspiration at a surgical symptomatic breast clinic where the pathologist takes, stains and immediately reports the aspiration cytology smears. High levels of complete sensitivity (95.7%) and specificity (100%) have been maintained with a combined complete sensitivity for aspiration cytodiagnosis, mammography and clinical assessment of 99.7%. Significant reductions of unnecessary biopsies and out-patient revisits have allowed major resource savings to be made. In view of the high degree of accuracy obtained by this approach to the investigation of palpable breast lesions, combined clinics with their benefits for the patient, both physical and psychological, should be encouraged.
Band-gap change of carbon nanotubes: Effect of small uniaxial and torsional strain

We use a simple picture based on the $\ensuremath{\pi}$ electron approximation to study the band-gap variation of carbon nanotubes with uniaxial and torsional strain. We find (i) that the magnitude of slope of band gap versus strain has an almost universal behavior that depends on the chiral angle, (ii) that the sign of slope depends on the value of $(n\ensuremath{-}m)\mathrm{mod}3,$ and (iii) a novel change in sign of the slope of band gap versus uniaxial strain arising from a change in the value of the quantum number corresponding to the minimum band gap. Four orbital calculations are also presented to show that the $\ensuremath{\pi}$ orbital results are valid.
Integrated resource scheduling in a distributed scheduling environment

The Space Station era presents a highly-complex multi-mission planning and scheduling environment exercised over a highly distributed system. In order to automate the scheduling process, customers require a mechanism for communicating their scheduling requirements to NASA. A request language that a remotely-located customer can use to specify his scheduling requirements to a NASA scheduler, thus automating the customer-scheduler interface, is described. This notation, Flexible Envelope-Request Notation (FERN), allows the user to completely specify his scheduling requirements such as resource usage, temporal constraints, and scheduling preferences and options. The FERN also contains mechanisms for representing schedule and resource availability information, which are used in the inter-scheduler inconsistency resolution process. Additionally, a scheduler is described that can accept these requests, process them, generate schedules, and return schedule and resource availability information to the requester. The Request-Oriented Scheduling Engine (ROSE) was designed to function either as an independent scheduler or as a scheduling element in a network of schedulers. When used in a network of schedulers, each ROSE communicates schedule and resource usage information to other schedulers via the FERN notation, enabling inconsistencies to be resolved between schedulers. Individual ROSE schedules are created by viewing the problem as a constraint satisfaction problem with a heuristically guided search strategy.
Methodology for siting ambient air monitors at the neighborhood scale.

In siting a monitor to measure compliance with U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM), there is a need to characterize variations in PM concentration within a neighborhood-scale region to achieve monitor siting objectives. A simple methodology is provided here for the selection of a neighborhood-scale site for meeting either of the two objectives identified for PM monitoring. This methodology is based on analyzing middle-scale (from 100 to 500 m) data from within the area of interest. The required data can be obtained from widely available dispersion models and emissions databases. The performance of the siting methodology was evaluated in a neighborhood-scale field study conducted in Hudson County, NJ, to characterize the area's inhalable particulate (PM10) concentrations. Air monitors were located within a 2- by 2-km area in the vicinity of the Lincoln Tunnel entrance in Hudson County. Results indicate the siting methodology performed well, providing a positive relationship between the predicted concentration rank at each site and the actual rank experienced during the field study. Also discussed are factors that adversely affected the predictive capabilities of the model.
Mapping proteinDNA interactions in vivo with formaldehyde: Evidence that histone H4 is retained on a highly transcribed gene

Summary We have used formaldehyde-mediated proteinDNA crosslinking within intact cells to examine the in vivo chromatin structure of the D. melanogaster heat shock protein 70 ( hsp70 ) genes. In agreement with previous in vitro studies, we find that the heat shockmediated transcriptional induction of the hsp70 genes perturbs their chromatin structure, resulting in fewer proteinDNA contacts crosslinkable in vivo by formaldehyde. However, contrary to earlier in vitro evidence that histones may be absent from actively transcribed genes, we show directly, by immunoprecipitation of in vivocrosslinked chromatin fragments, that at least histone H4 remains bound to hsp70 DNA in vivo, irrespective of its rate of transcription. The formaldehyde-based in vivo mapping techniques described in this work are generally applicable, and can be used both to probe proteinDNA interactions within specific genes and to determine the genomic location of specific chromosomal proteins.
Microbial Degradation of the Leachable and Lignocellulosic Components of Leaves and Wood from Rhizophora Mangle in a Tropical Mangrove Swamp

Preparations of uniformly [I4C]labeled mangrove leaves and specifically radiolabeled [14C-lignin]lignocelluloses and [14C-polysaccharide]lignocelluloses from mangrove leaves and wood were used in experiments to determine the microbial rates of mineralization of the leachable and lignocellulosic components of mangrove detritus in aerobic and anaerobic sediments of a tropical mangrove swamp. The bulk of the leachable fraction from mangrove leaves was mineralized relatively rapidly and was assimilated into microbial biomass with high efficiency (30 %). In contrast, rates of mineralization of the lignocellulosic component of mangrove leaves and wood were lOfold lower than mineralization rates of the leachable fraction. The polysaccharide component of the lignocelluloses was mineralized at rates 2 times higher than rates of mineralization of the lignin component, indicating that mangrove detritus becomes relatively enriched in lignin-derived carbon with time. Anaerobic rates of mineralization of the leachable and lignocellulosic components of mangrove leaves and wood were 10 to 30 times lower than respective aerobic mineralization rates, suggesting a very long residence time for mangrove detritus in anaerobic sediments. Comparison of the rates of degradation of mangrove detritus in sediments from a mangrove swamp and a salt marsh demonstrated that the lignocellulolytic potential in sediments of the two marine ecosystems are similar, but that lignocellulose from mangroves is less biodegradable than lignocellulose from the salt-marsh plants, Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemen'anus.
An Automatic Method to Extract Data from an Electronic Contract Composed of a Number of Documents in PDF Format

An electronic contract can encompass a large number of collateral contract documents in PDF format. These contract documents are of different contract document types and converted from different original formats. Data extraction and thus data mining for this kind of electronic contracts is very difficult. In this paper, we present a novel method to automatically extract contract data from this kind of electronic contracts. Our automatic electronic contract data extraction system comprises an administrator module, a PDF parser, a pattern recognition engine and a contract data extraction engine. The administrator module provides templates for inputting document patterns and a list of contract data tags for each contract document type. It also constructs the pattern matrices and stores them in a database. The PDF parser converts the contract PDF document into the contract text document with the insertion of formatting bookmarks, such as a new page, paragraph or line. The pattern recognition engine determines a list of contract document types in the electronic contract by comparing and matching the patterns of all known contract document types with the pattern of the contract text document. The contract data extraction engine retrieves the corresponding list of contract data tags and then extracts contract data accordingly for each contract document type on the list. Our automatic electronic contract data extraction system has found to be very accurate, efficient and useful in extracting contract data for data mining.
Attention to anger-relevant and irrelevant stimuli following naturalistic insult

Summnry-Attentional biases toward mood-congruent, task-irrelevant stimuli have previously been demonstrated in anxious and depressed subjects using the emotional Stroop procedure. We used a variation of this method to investigate basic information processing mechanisms underlying anger arousal. Eightyeight undergraduates classified as high or low trait anger according to the Trait Anger Scale were randomly assigned to insult or no-insult conditions. Subjects’ response latencies to name the colors of computerpresented anger words, positive emotion words, and neutral words were then assessed. An interaction between anger classification, word, and insult was found. Specifically, anger words interfered with the performance of high trait anger-insulted subjects, but not with performance of low trait anger-insulted subjects. There was no effect of word type for all non-insulted subjects. This finding is consistent with Persons and Miranda’s mood-state hypothesis. 0 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd
Foliar symptomology and tissue concentrations of nutrient-deficient vegetative strawflower plants

Abstract Elemental deficiencies of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, or boron (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, or B) were induced in plants of Florabella Pink strawflower [Bracteantha bracteata (Vent.) A. A. Anderberg]. Rooted stem cuttings were planted in 4.87‐L plastic containers and fertilized with a complete modified Hoagland's solution or this solution minus the element that was to be investigated. Plants were harvested for tissue analyses as well as dry weights when initial foliar symptoms were expressed and later under advanced deficiency symptoms. Deficiency symptoms for all treatments were observed within 7 weeks. The most dramatic expression of foliar symptoms occurred with N (chlorotic lower foliage leading to necrotic margins on the mature leaves), Ca (black necrotic spots on the tips of the young leaves), S (uniform chlorosis of young leaves and recently mature leaves), B (thick, leathery, and deformed young leaves), Fe (uniform ye...
Construction, Characterization, and Immunogenicity of an Attenuated Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium pgtE Vaccine Expressing Fimbriae with Integrated Viral Epitopes from the spiC Promoter

Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) is a porcine coronavirus that causes diarrhea, leading to near 100% mortality in neonatal piglets with corresponding devastating economic consequences. For the protection of neonatal and older animals, oral live vaccines present the attractive property of inducing desired mucosal immune responses, including colostral antibodies in sows--an effective means to passively protect suckling piglets. Newly attenuated Salmonella vaccine constructs expressing TGEV S protein epitopes were studied and evaluated for improved humoral immune response to TGEV. The macrophage-inducible Salmonella ssaH and spiC/ssaB promoters were compared for their ability to express the TGEV C and A epitopes in the context of the heterologous 987P fimbriae on Salmonella vaccines. Compared to the ssaH promoter, the Salmonella cya crp vector elicited significantly higher levels of mucosal and systemic antibodies in orally immunized mice when the chimeric fimbriae were expressed from the spiC promoter. The Salmonella spiC promoter construct induced the highest level of chimeric fimbriae after being taken up by the J774A.1 macrophagelike cells. The Salmonella cya crp vaccine vector was shown to incorporate into 987P partially degraded chimeric subunits lacking the TGEV epitopes. In contrast, its isogenic pgtE mutant produced fimbriae consisting exclusively of intact chimeric subunits. Mice immunized orally with the Salmonella pgtE vaccine expressing chimeric fimbriae from the spiC promoter elicited significantly higher systemic and mucosal antibody titers against the TGEV epitopes compared to the parental vaccine. This study indicates that the Salmonella cya crp pgtE vector and the spiC promoter can be used successfully to improve immune responses toward heterologous antigens.
Deformable density matching for 3D non-rigid registration of shapes

There exists a large body of literature on shape matching and registration in medical image analysis. However, most of the previous work is focused on matching particular sets of features--point-sets, lines, curves and surfaces. In this work, we forsake specific geometric shape representations and instead seek probabilistic representations-- specifically Gaussian mixture models--of shapes. We evaluate a closed-form distance between two probabilistic shape representations for the general case where the mixture models differ in variance and the number of components. We then cast non-rigid registration as a deformable density matching problem. In our approach, we take one mixture density onto another by deforming the component centroids via a thin-plate spline (TPS) and also minimizing the distance with respect to the variance parameters. We validate our approach on synthetic and 3D arterial tree data and evaluate it on 3D hippocampal shapes.
Jsb of the Sutter blood group system.

The serum of a Memphis Negress was found to be incompatible with all donors tested. She had had 11 pregnancies and had received 16 pints of blood between 1955 and 1957. She was found to be strongly Js(a+) and her four living children were all Js(a+). Her serum was tested against the red cells of two sisters believed to be homozygous for Jsa because all their ten children are Js(a+). They were found to be compatible. Thirteen of 1,269 Memphis and Milwaukee Negroes were found to be ccmpatible. Twelve of these were tested with anti-Jsa and all were positive. The probability of selecting 12 consecutive Js(a+) Negroes by chance is only four in a billion. The proportion of 0.0102 non-reactors among the 1,269 Negroes tested agrees well with Giblett's estimate of 0.0106. The antibody has therefore been designated as anti-Jsb. No Js(b–) individuals have been found among 1,005 Caucasians tested.
The problem of machine stiffness revisited

The notion of “size effect” is introduced into the problem of machine stiffness by assuming that the rock specimen fails according to the slip-weakening fracture model. Consequently, when the strain energy (stored per unit volume) in the machine and specimen is greater than the fracture energy (dissipated per unit area) of the rock, an unstable response is observed. Theory and experiments demonstrate that machine stiffness is not the sole factor in determining stability of a compression element, once the deformation has localized. In fact, the softening behavior of a rock tested under the same conditions is due to geometry and size. This means that the experimentalist may be able to design compression tests to achieve a stable post-peak response.
Regulation of the Transcriptional Response to Oxidative Stress in Fungi: Similarities and Differences

Fungal cells must deal with a wide variety of potentially toxic environmental challenges during the course of their proliferation. Often these environmental changes are designed to target and eliminate the fungus along with other microorganisms from a specific milieu, such as an animal host. An
Subfoil Stiffness Effects in Gas-Lubricated Foil Journal Bearings

A gas-lubricated foil journal bearing consists of a compliant foil structure that supports a rigid journal by means of a gas film. The foil structure consists of a top foil and a subfoil. The subfoil, which is constructed of one or more corrugated strips of sheet metal, supports the top foil and provides the primary resistance to radial deflection. As such, the radial stiffness of the subfoil has a direct influence on the gas film thickness and pressure distributions in the bearing. A finite element model incorporating the gas film and the foil structure will be used to investigate the effects of axial variations in the stiffness of the subfoil.
Apparatus for Automatically Recording Strains Between Enamel and Metal

The construction and operation of a mechanism for converting the movement of an enameled split ring into a suitable electrical signal to be automatically recorded is described. Strain curves are presented for a single enamel when applied to several metals. These data were used to determine the relationship between the strains recorded and the properties of the metals to which the enamel was applied.
The Behavior-Analytic Origins of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy: An Example of Behavioral Neurorehabilitation

Constraint-induced (CI) therapy is a term given to a family of efficacious neurorehabilitation treatments including to date: upper extremity CI movement therapy, lower extremity CI movement therapy, pediatric CI therapy, and CI aphasia therapy. The purpose of this article is to outline the behavior analysis origins of CI therapy and the ways in which its procedures incorporate behavior analysis methods and principles. The intervention is founded on the concept of learned nonuse, a mechanism now empirically demonstrated to exist, which occurs after many different types of damage to the central nervous system (CNS). It results from the dramatic alteration of the contingencies of reinforcement that results from substantial CNS damage and leads to a greater deficit than is warranted by the actual damage sustained. CI therapy produces a countervailing alteration in the contingencies of reinforcement. The intervention has been used successfully to substantially improve motor deficits after stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, with cerebral palsy in a pediatric population, and for language impairment in poststroke aphasia. The protocol of CI therapy consists primarily of standard behavior-analytic methods. It produces a marked plastic brain change that is correlated with its therapeutic effect, and therefore provides an example of the way in which behavior change can contribute to a profound remodeling of the brain. CI therapy may be viewed as an example of behavioral neurorehabilitation.
Patterns of multiple paternity and maternity in fishes

The characterization of patterns of multiple mating is a major facet of molecular ecology and is paramount to understanding the evolution of behaviours associated with parental care and mate choice. Over the last 15 years, fishes have been particularly well studied with respect to multiple maternity and paternity thanks to the widespread application of microsatellite markers. The present review focusses on the impressive literature on genetic parentage in fishes. In studies of natural populations, we find that multiple paternity is extremely common across fish species, whereas rates of multiple maternity are much more variable. In species with nest defence, for example, rates of multiple maternity are strongly bimodal, and the occurrence of multiple dams per brood is either rare or the rule. The sex of the care-giving parent is correlated with the rate of multiple parentage: when males provide uniparental care, rates of multiple paternity are low compared to rates of multiple maternity; when females provide parental care, either alone or assisted by males, rates of multiple paternity are highly variable, whereas rates of multiple maternity are quite low. These patterns may reflect conflicts between the reproductive interests of males and females. We also find that fishes in which females brood the offspring internally display much higher rates of multiple paternity compared to mammals or birds, whereas reptiles are intermediate. Male-nesting fish species, however, show rates of multiple paternity more similar to those found in other vertebrates. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 103, 735–760.
Male quality influences male provisioning in house wrens independent of attractiveness

Female reproductive investment can vary according to their mate’s attractiveness, and males may differentially invest according to their own attractiveness. Thus, when studying female parental investment, male investment must also be considered. We tested the hypothesis that the attractiveness of male house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) influences their investment independent of their own intrinsic quality by manipulating the number of nest sites (one ¼ control; 4 ¼ attractive) in each male’s territory. Treatments (attractive or control) were applied prior to (natural state) or after (imposed state) male settlement, and male investment was determined twice during the nestling stage by the number of trips males made to the nest to provision their nestlings. Males that settled in the attractive territories were significantly older than those that settled in control territories in the natural state. There was a significant interaction effect between state and treatment on male provisioning. Provisioning rates of attractive and control males in the imposed state did not differ, but attractive males in the natural state provisioned at a lower rate than control males late in the nestling stage. Thus, provisioning by males is influenced more by their intrinsic quality than their attractiveness. Key words: attractiveness, house wren, mate choice, provisioning, reproductive allocation, Troglodytes aedon. [Behav Ecol]
A model order selection criterion for the identification of physiologic systems

We propose a model order selection criterion for the identification of a linear regression model which can be an adequate representation of a resting physiologic system. The criterion, which is derived by estimating the mean squared parameter error weighted by the input data covariance matrix, is called WPE and reflects a trade-off between mean squared prediction error and model complexity. We compare the asymptotic performance of WPE with the widely used final prediction error (FPE). We also demonstrate through simulated and physiologic data that WPE minimization provides a more accurate and succinct characterization of system dynamics than FPE minimization. To our knowledge, WPE has not been previously proposed for model order selection.
Serotonin modulates muscle function in the medicinal leech Hirudo verbana

The body wall muscles of sanguivorous leeches power mechanically diverse behaviours: suction feeding, crawling and swimming. These require longitudinal muscle to exert force over an extremely large length range, from 145 to 46 per cent of the mean segmental swimming length. Previous data, however, suggest that leech body wall muscle has limited capacity for force production when elongated. Serotonin (5-HT) alters the passive properties of the body wall and stimulates feeding. We hypothesized that 5-HT may also have a role in allowing force production in elongated muscle by changing the shape of the length–tension relationship (LTR). LTRs were measured from longitudinal muscle strips in vitro in physiological saline with and without the presence of 10 µM 5-HT. The LTR was much broader than previously measured for leech muscle. Rather than shifting the LTR, 5-HT reduced passive muscle tonus and increased active stress at all lengths. In addition to modulating leech behaviour and passive mechanical properties, 5-HT probably enhances muscle force and work production during locomotion and feeding.