cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multivariate Analysis of Ecological Data using Canoco 5

Preface 1. Introduction and data types 2. Using Canoco 5 3. Experimental design 4. Basics of gradient analysis 5. Permutation tests and variation partitioning 6. Similarity measures and similarity-based methods 7. Classification methods 8. Regression methods 9. Interpreting community composition with functional traits 10. Advanced use of ordination 11. Visualising multivariate data 12. Case study 1: variation in forest bird assemblages 13. Case study 2: search for community composition patterns and their environmental correlates: vegetation of spring meadows 14. Case study 3: separating the effects of explanatory variables 15. Case study 4: evaluation of experiments in randomised complete blocks 16. Case study 5: analysis of repeated observations of species composition from a factorial experiment 17. Case study 6: hierarchical analysis of crayfish community variation 18. Case study 7: analysis of taxonomic data with linear discriminant analysis and distance-based ordination methods 19. Case study 8: separating effects of space and environment on oribatid community with PCNM 20. Case study 9: performing linear regression with redundancy analysis Appendix A. Glossary Appendix B. Sample data sets and projects Appendix C. Access to Canoco and overview of other software Appendix D. Working with R References Index to useful tasks in Canoco 5 Index.
Attachment and Separation: Obstacles for Adoptees

Adoptees face challenges unique to their status as individuals who have been relinquished by birth parents and raised by other persons. They may encounter obstacles when passing through normal stages of development. They may face extra challenges in developing healthy attachments and successfully separating and creating a solid sense of self as an individual. This article will highlight some of these potential obstacles and challenges for adopted persons.
School Administration Manager: Redefining the Principal's Role as an Instructional Leader.

In response to an increasing emphasis on instructional leadership and school achievement, the School Administration Manager (SAM) model was introduced as a change strategy to release principals fro...
Castration Determines the Efficacy of ETAR Blockade in a Mouse Model of Prostate Cancer Bone Metastasis

Bone metastasis is a painful complication of advanced prostate cancer. Endothelin-1 is a tumor-secreted factor that plays a central role in osteoblast activation and the osteosclerotic response of prostate cancer metastatic to bone. Antagonists that block the activation of the endothelin A receptor (ETAR), located on osteoblasts, reduce osteoblastic bone lesions in animal models of bone metastasis. However, ETAR antagonists demonstrated limited efficacy in clinical trials of men with advanced prostate cancer who also received standard androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Previous data from our group suggested that, in a mouse model, ETAR antagonists might only be efficacious when androgen signaling in the osteoblast is lowered beyond the ability of standard ADT. This notion was tested in a mouse model of prostate cancer bone metastasis. Castrated and sham-operated male athymic nude mice underwent intracardiac inoculation of the ARCaPM castration-resistant prostate cancer cell line. The mice were then treated with either the ETAR antagonist zibotentan or a vehicle control to generate four experimental groups: vehicle+sham (Veh+Sham), vehicle+castrate (Veh+Castr), zibotentan+sham (Zibo+Sham), and zibotentan+castrate (Zibo+Castr). The mice were monitored radiographically for the development of skeletal lesions. The Zibo+Castr group had significantly longer survival and a single incidental lesion. Mice in the Zibo+Sham group had the shortest survival and the largest number of skeletal lesions. Survival and skeletal lesions of the Veh+Sham and Veh+Castr groups were intermediate compared with the zibotentan-treated groups. We report a complex interaction between ETAR and androgen signaling, whereby ETAR blockade was most efficacious when combined with complete androgen deprivation.
An Assessment of Environmental Health Measures in the Deepwater Horizon Research Consortia.

Abstract Research consortia play a key role in our understanding of how environmental exposures influence health and wellbeing, especially in the case of catastrophic events such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. A common challenge that prevents the optimal use of these data is the difficulty of harmonizing data regarding the environmental exposures and health effects across the studies within and among consortia. A review of the measures used by members of the Deepwater Horizon Research Consortia highlights the challenges associated with balancing timely implementation of a study to support disaster relief with optimizing the long-term value of the data. The inclusion of common, standard measures at the study design phase and a priori discussions regarding harmonization of study-specific measures among consortia members are key to overcoming this challenge. As more resources become available to support the use of standard measures, researchers now have the tools needed to rapidly coordinate their studies without compromising research focus or timely completion of the original study goals.
The compressive response of octet lattice structures with carbon fiber composite hollow struts

Abstract Octet lattice structures were designed with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite hollow cylindrical struts to improve the specific compressive strength and stiffness of these lightweight structures. A joint connector was designed and manufactured from balanced [0/90] CFRP laminates to assemble the designed octet lattice structures. The compressive modulus and strength of CFRP cylindrical tube-based octet lattice structures were measured under quasi-static compression. Two competing failure mechanisms were observed. The fiber fracture of CFRP hollow struts dominated the failure of lattice structures with a relative density ( ρ - ) of 2.17%. In contrast, lattice structures with lower relative densities ( ρ - = 1.33% and 0.85%) failed by Euler buckling of the CFRP hollow struts. To gain further insight of the compressive behavior of the lattice structures, an analytical model and a series of finite element (FE) models were developed. The predictions showed good agreement with experimental observations of both the compressive properties and failure behaviors. The results demonstrate that CFRP tube-based octet lattice structures exhibited significantly higher relative strength and stiffness than CFRP laminated strut-based counterparts. These superior properties of CFRP tube-based octet lattice structure show a strong potential in high performance lightweight load-bearing application.
Evaluation of laser scanning confocal microscopy as a method for characterizing reef-building coral tissue thickness and Symbiodiniaceae fluorescence

Predicting the sensitivity of reef-building corals to disturbance, including bleaching, requires an understanding of physiological responses to stressors, which may be limited by destructive sampling and the capacity of common methodologies to characterize early life history stages. We developed a new methodology using laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) to measure and track the physiological condition of corals. In a thermal stress experiment, we used LSCM to track coral condition during bleaching in adults and juveniles of two species, Montipora capitata and Pocillopora acuta. Depth of fluorescence in coral tissues provides a proxy measure of tissue thickness while Symbiodiniaceae population fluorescence relates to both population density and chlorophyll-α content. In response to thermal stress, there were significant shifts in tissue thickness and Symbiodiniaceae fluorescence with differences between life stages. This method is particularly well-suited for detecting shifts in physiological condition of living corals in laboratory studies, especially in small juvenile colonies.
A National Perspective on the Current Educational Environment in Pediatric Community-Based Continuity Clinic.

Abstract Objective To characterize current practices of US pediatric residency programs around use of community-based continuity clinics for residency training. Methods A national, anonymous survey was sent electronically to all US pediatric program directors (PDs) through the Association of Pediatric Program Directors (APPD). The survey assessed preceptor recruitment, faculty development, teaching methods, and PDs’ satisfaction with the experience and teaching at community sites. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi2 Test of Independence. Results A total of 99 of 200 (50%) programs responded. Fifty-six percent (55/99) did not sent any residents into the community. Of the remaining 44 programs, 48% had difficulty recruiting preceptors. Only 34% require preceptors to engage in faculty development around teaching and less than half require community preceptors to work through a formal curriculum. Almost all PDs that sent residents to community-based practices were very to extremely satisfied with resident experiences (84%), but 37% were not satisfied with residents having their own patient panel. Conclusions While the majority of PD's were satisfied with resident experiences in community-based sites, recruitment was challenging, and teaching and faculty development methods varied. Determining incentives to help recruitment, ensuring use of a formal primary care curriculum and providing faculty development around teaching, will be critical for training.
Feedback Dynamics Determine the Structure of Spike-Count Correlation in Visual Cortex

The variable spiking discharge of sensory neurons in response to a fixed stimulus tends to be weakly correlated (spike-count correlation, r sc ), an observation with profound implications for neural coding of sensory information. However, the source of r sc is unclear. It is widely thought to reflect 9bottom up9 stochastic noise in shared sensory afferents. However, it may also be generated by changes over time in feedback from higher-order brain regions. Here we test this alternative directly by measuring spiking activity in populations of primary visual cortical (V1) neurons in rhesus monkeys while the animals performed different visual discrimination tasks on the same set of visual inputs. We found that the structure of r sc (the way r sc varied with neuronal stimulus preference) changed dramatically with task instruction despite identical retinal input, directly implying that r sc structure primarily reflects feedback dynamics engaged by the task, not noise in sensory afferents. These results fundamentally alter our view of the origin and function of r sc in sensory neurons, suggesting that correlated variability may be best described as a signature of neural computation rather than stochastic sensory encoding.
Thermal infrared remote sensing for analysis of landscape ecological processes: methods and applications

Thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing data can provide important measurements of surface energy fluxes and temperatures, which are integral to understanding landscape processes and responses. One example of this is the successful application of TIR remote sensing data to estimate evapotranspiration and soil moisture, where results from a number of studies suggest that satellite-based measurements from TIR remote sensing data can lead to more accurate regional-scale estimates of daily evapotranspiration. With further refinement in analytical techniques and models, the use of TIR data from airborne and satellite sensors could be very useful for parameterizing surface moisture conditions and developing better simulations of landscape energy exchange over a variety of conditions and space and time scales. Thus, TIR remote sensing data can significantly contribute to the observation, measurement, and analysis of energy balance characteristics (i.e., the fluxes and redistribution of thermal energy within and across the land surface) as an implicit and important aspect of landscape dynamics and landscape functioning. The application of TIR remote sensing data in landscape ecological studies has been limited, however, for several fundamental reasons that relate primarily to the perceived difficulty in use and availability of these data by the landscape ecology community, and from the fragmentation of references on TIR remote sensing throughout the scientific literature. It is our purpose here to provide evidence from work that has employed TIR remote sensing for analysis of landscape characteristics to illustrate how these data can provide important data for the improved measurement of landscape energy response and energy flux relationships. We examine the direct or indirect use of TIR remote sensing data to analyze landscape biophysical characteristics, thereby offering some insight on how these data can be used more robustly to further the understanding and modeling of landscape ecological processes.
US/Pacific basin containerized foreign trade

Abstract This article demonstrates that economic forces rather than political forces have been the controlling factors operating in the US/Pacific Basin containerized foreign trades. Despite gains made by vessels of flag of convenience States, crosstraders have emerged as the dominant carriers in the region. The success of the crosstraders is attributable to their ability to finance, incorporate, and manage container technologies.
Diversity anomalies and spatial climate heterogeneity

Aim Diversity anomalies are differences in species richness between areas that belong to different regions but have similar environments. Some hypotheses addressing the origin of well-known anomalies in plant diversity propose that regions with higher environmental spatial heterogeneity have higher diversity because heterogeneity fosters diversification or coexistence. Arguments supporting these hypotheses emphasize inter-regional comparisons of diversity and assume that spatial environmental heterogeneity is higher in: (1) eastern Asia (EA) than in eastern North America (ENA), (2) western North America (WNA) than in ENA, and (3) the Cape Floristic Region in southern Africa (CFR) than in the Southwest Australian Floristic Region (SWA). Here, we evaluate these assumptions by measuring two kinds of environmental heterogeneity – spatially implicit and explicit – each thought to affect diversity via different mechanisms. The former refers to environmental variation among sites within a region, regardless of site location. The latter refers to the spatial pattern of environmental variation across a region (e.g., monotonic or undulating). Location EA, ENA, WNA, CFR and SWA. Methods Multivariate and univariate analyses of spatially implicit and explicit heterogeneity in 17 climatic variables describing central tendency, variation and extremes of temperature and precipitation. Results Multivariate (spatially implicit and explicit) climate heterogeneity is higher in: (1) EA than in ENA, (2) WNA than in ENA, and (3) CFR than in SWA. However, univariate analysis revealed that the regions thought to be most homogeneous (ENA and SWA) were actually most heterogeneous in three or four climatic variables, including precipitation during the driest (ENA) or wettest (SWA) seasons. Main conclusions The overall inter-regional pattern of spatially implicit and explicit heterogeneity in climate supports the three assumptions listed in the Aim. However, particular climate variables deviate from this overall pattern, implying that hypotheses linking diversity to regional heterogeneity can yield more precise predictions, and thus can be more stringently tested, than previously recognized.
Few Body Studies at Bates: Recent Past and Near Future

A brief review is given of elements of the Bates program of electromagnetic probing of few nucleon systems. A few topics on electron scattering are discussed in some detail at the expense of the rest of the program. The selection is based on the relative amount of laboratory resources used in the recent past and planned for the near future. An attempt is made to provide an adequate list of references for those who wish to find out more about work which is mentioned only in passing.
Psychometrics: Item Response Theory

Item response theory (IRT) comprises a set of generalized latent variable models designed specifically for data arising from educational and psychological tests and questionnaires. IRT is used for item analysis and scale development and provides the statistical underpinnings for computerized adaptive testing. There are IRT models for items with either dichotomous or polytomous response formats on scales that measure one or more dimensions of individual differences.
BRUCE RANDOLPH HIGH SCHOOL: A CASE STUDY OF AN URBAN SCHOOL BECOMING SUCCESSFUL FOR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS

Working in a research collaborative between Denver Public Schools and the University of Colorado Denver, the authors selected Bruce Randolph High School (BRHS) as a case study because of its growth on state academic achievement tests and because of its multilingual learners. After a difficult beginning, BRHS has established an inclusive culture of expectation for learning and community participation, a reciprocal instructional culture emphasizing instructional coaching and continuous improvement, a strong emphasis on language development and literacy across the curriculum, and interventions to prevent course failure. These characteristics, facilitated by the school’s Innovation Status in the district, are central to its emerging success.
Metabolomic imaging of prostate cancer with magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry

Metabolomic imaging of prostate cancer (PCa) aims to improve in vivo imaging capability so that PCa tumors can be localized noninvasively to guide biopsy and evaluated for aggressiveness prior to prostatectomy, as well as to assess and monitor PCa growth in patients with asymptomatic PCa newly diagnosed by biopsy. Metabolomics studies global variations of metabolites with which malignancy conditions can be evaluated by profiling the entire measurable metabolome, instead of focusing only on certain metabolites or isolated metabolic pathways. At present, PCa metabolomics is mainly studied by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and mass spectrometry (MS). With MRS imaging, the anatomic image, obtained from magnetic resonance imaging, is mapped with values of disease condition-specific metabolomic profiles calculated from MRS of each location. For example, imaging of removed whole prostates has demonstrated the ability of metabolomic profiles to differentiate cancerous foci from histologically benign regions. Additionally, MS metabolomic imaging of prostate biopsies has uncovered metabolomic expression patterns that could discriminate between PCa and benign tissue. Metabolomic imaging offers the potential to identify cancer lesions to guide prostate biopsy and evaluate PCa aggressiveness noninvasively in vivo, or ex vivo to increase the power of pathology analysis. Potentially, this imaging ability could be applied not only to PCa, but also to different tissues and organs to evaluate other human malignancies and metabolic diseases.
STABILITIES OF THE FE(III), GA(III) AND IN(III) CHELATES OF N,N',N''-TRIAZACYCLONONANETRIACETIC ACID

Abstract The stability constants of the complexes of Fe(III), Ga(III) and In(III) ions with the sexadentate macrocyclic ligand 1,4,7-triazacyclonane- N , N ′, N ″-triacetic acid (NOTA) have been determined in KCl supporting electrolyte (0.100 M) at 25.0 °C. The stability constants (K ML =[ML]/[L 3− ][M 3+ ] of the Ga(III) and Fe(III) complexes with NOTA are high, 10 30.98 and 10 28.3 , respectively, and indicate preferential interaction of these small metal ions with NOTA. The stability constant of the In(III)NOTA complex is somewhat lower (10 26.2 ). Species distribution curves are presented to illustrate the conversion of the Ga(III) and In(III) chelates to the monohydroxo forms at p[H] 9.3 and 6.5, respectively. The Fe(III)NOTA complex dissociates to form ferric hydroxide at and above p[H] 7.5, while the hydroxo In(III)NOTA complex is converted to indium hydroxide at and above p[H] 7.5. The Ga(III)NOTA system is soluble at all p[H] values, as a consequence of conversion of the hydroxo complex to the tetrahydroxo gallate ion at p[H] 10.4 and above.
Radioreceptor Assay for 1α,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3

A competitive protein binding assay with a sensitivity of 80 picograms has been developed for 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, the hormonal form of vitamin D3. lα,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 displaced tritiated hormone from a cytosol-chromatin receptor preparation isolated from chick small intestine, providing a simple assay for the hormone. The concentration of lα, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in human plasma, as determined by this assay, is approximately 6 nanograms per 100 milliliters; in patients with renal disease the concentration of this kidney-produced hormone is significantly lower.
Natural Frequencies of a Conducting Sphere With a Circular Aperture

The natural frequencies of a hollow, perfectly conducting sphere with a circular aperture are calculated. The trajectories of the poles in the complex plane reveal an intriguing behavior which depends on whether the poles originate from internal or external sphere resonances. It is found that the modal degeneracy of the complete sphere is removed by the addition of the aperture.
The burden of otitis media

Otitis media is the most frequent reason that children go to the doctor for illness. In developing countries, where children have limited access to medical care, suppurative complications of otitis media (OM) are frequent and permanent hearing loss results. In developed countries, the most common morbidity of OM is conductive hearing loss due to middle ear effusion. Infants with severe and recurrent OM and persistent middle ear effusion are at risk for problems in behavior and development of speech, language and cognitive abilities. Parent stress is frequent. The cost of otitis media is large (>$5 billion in the United States). Selection and spread of multi-drug resistant bacterial pathogens arising from extensive use of antimicrobial agents for OM is a problem for management of all diseases due to the pathogens. The incidence and severity of OM may diminish with introduction of new bacterial and viral vaccines.
NEW SPECIES OF YEASTS RESEMBLING CANDIDA KRUSEI (CAST.) BERKHOUT

Seventy-six strains of Candida krusei and allied species obtained from culture collections and newly isolated from various natural sources were studied taxonomically. The strains employed in this work were classified into 12 groups representing 14 species mainly on the basis of carbon assimilation pattern, vitamin requirement, maximum growth temperature, and guanine- cytosine content in DNA. Three new species, Candida citrea, Candida sorboxylosa, and Candida rugopelliculosa, were described.
Evaluating the Accuracy of an Aneroid Sphygmomanometer in a Clinical Trial Setting

The mercury sphygmomanometer has historically served as the “gold” standard for measurement of blood pressure. Recently, because of environmental concerns about the disposal of mercury-contaminated medical waste and the risk of spills from mercury sphygmomanometers, the mercury sphygmomanometer is being phased out in clinical settings. In 1998, the Environmental Protection Agency and American Hospital Association agreed to eliminate mercury containing waste from the health-care industry by 2005 (ref. 1). In response, many institutions began switching from mercury to aneroid sphygmomanometers. The Diabetes Prevention Program was a controlled, multi-center clinical trial designed to compare the effect of intensive lifestyle change or medication on delay of diabetes onset in a prediabetic population.2 The study ended in 2001 with the conclusion that intensive lifestyle change reduced diabetes risk by 58% and metformin medication by 31% over a period of 3 years.3 Participants continue to be followed in a long-term study: the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS)—designed to investigate longer-term complications of diabetes such as cardiovascular and microvascular outcomes (nephropathy, neuropathy, and diabetic retinopathy) over 10 years of follow-up. Starting in October 2005, DPPOS clinics began to fall under state legislature mandates to eliminate mercury from health-care facilities. With the understanding that eventually all mercury sphygmomanometers will be replaced, the DPPOS study group investigated what effects such a conversion might have on the study's longitudinal blood pressure measurements. Although the published studies4-6 showed that aneroid devices could be accurate, several issues remained unanswered in relation to clinical trial studies. These prior aneroid validation studies were done by connecting aneroid sphygmomanometers to a reference unit and comparing the readings from the aneroid to the static pressure measurements set at fixed points. In real clinical trials, sources of variation in blood pressure measurements could include participant factors such as arm circumferences, technician factors such as measurement technique or interaction with participants. All of the above may affect the accuracy of aneroid models. In DPPOS 1−4 research staff collected measurements in each of 26 US clinics. To ensure the quality and consistency of our blood pressure data across clinics and over time, and to determine whether the shift to aneroid manometers would cause a systematic shift in measured blood pressure, the study group designed and implemented a study of its selected aneroid sphygmomanometer.
A critical evaluation of theories for predicting microcracking in composite laminates

We present experimental results on 21 different layups of Hercules AS4 carbon fiber/3501-6 epoxy laminates. All laminates had 90 deg plies; some had them in the middle, while some had them on a free surface. During tensile loading, the first form of damage in all laminates was microcracking of the 90 deg plies. For each laminate, we recorded both the crack density and the complete distribution of crack spacings as a function of the applied load. By rearranging various microcracking theories, we developed a master-curve approach that permitted plotting the results from all laminates on a single plot. By comparing master-curve plots for different theories, it was possible to critically evaluate the quality of those theories. We found that a critical-energy-release-rate criterion calculated using a 2D variational stress analysis gave the best results. All microcracking theories based on a strength-failure criteria gave poor results. All microcracking theories using 1D stress analyses, regardless of the failure criterion, also gave poor results.
Current status of cytotoxic chemotherapy in patients with metastatic prostate cancer

Despite efforts at early detection with prostate specific antigen-based screening, more than 25,000 patients in the United States will die this year of metastatic prostate cancer. As a consequence both of screening and increased use of androgen deprivation therapy, patients commonly present with low volume, asymptomatic, metastatic disease. Over the past 2 decades chemotherapy for advanced prostate cancer has evolved from a frightful, toxic experience to one that frequently provides clinically meaningful palliation and a modest, but real survival benefit. With the establishment of docetaxel-based chemotherapy as initial therapy, efforts are underway to evaluate the role of second-line systemic therapy options.
An application of high-performance reconfigurable computing in radio astronomy signal processing

Reconfigurable Computing has been making inroads in the front-end digital signal processing systems deployed at radio telescopes around the world. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) at Green Bank has developed a signal processing system expressly for pulsar search and timing observations. These observations are among the most demanding experiments in terms of real-time computational and data rate requirements. In this paper, we describe the application domain, the challenges in designing a system to meet these demands, and the resulting heterogeneous computing system.
Comment on Perinbanayagam's “The Significance of ‘Others’ in the Thought of Alfred Schutz, G. H. Mead and C. H. Cooley”

(1978). Comment on Perinbanayagam's “The Significance of ‘Others’ in the Thought of Alfred Schutz, G. H. Mead and C. H. Cooley”. The Sociological Quarterly: Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 141-145.
A High-Speed GCD Chip: A Case Study in Asynchronous Design

This paper presents the design of a greatest common divisor (GCD) chip as a case study in asynchronous or clockless design. The design uses fine-grain asynchronous pipelining to achieve fairly high performance. At the same time, the use of robust asynchronous handshaking in lieu of clocking allows the design to gracefully adapt its operation to voltage and temperature variations, without the need for clock recalibration.The design was fabricated in a 0.13$\mu$m CMOS process, using standard cells and with full testability support. Resulting chips were evaluated for performance and robustness, using a large set of test vectors for good fault coverage. Under nominal operating conditions (1.5V and 27C), the fabricated parts were able to deliver up to 8 giga GCD algorithmic iterations per second (equivalent to 1 GHz clock speed). Moreover, they were functionally correct across a wide range of voltages (0.5V to 4V) and temperatures (-45C to 150C). This case study bolsters our confidence in the potential of aynchronous design techniques to help produce reliable ASICS that are fast, testable, and that operate under a wide range of conditions.
Unbiased estimation of the rates of synonymous and nonsynonymous substitution

The current convention in estimating the number of substitutions per synonymous site (K S ) and per nonsynonymous site (K A ) between two protein-coding genes is to count each twofold degenerate site as one-third synonymous and two-thirds nonsynonymous because one of the three possible changes at such a site is synonymous and the other two are nonsynonymous. This counting rule can considerably overestimate theK S value because transitional mutations tend to occur more often than transversional mutations and because most transitional mutations at twofold degenerate sites are synonymous. A new method that gives unbiased estimates is proposed. An application of the new and the old method to 14 pairs of mouse and rat genes shows that the new method gives aK S value very close to the number of substitutions per fourfold degenerate site whereas the old method gives a value 30% higher. Both methods give aK A value close to the number of substitutions per nondegenerate site.
Endogenous peptides associated with MHC class II and selection of CD4 T cells

CD4 T cells undergo positive and negative selection during thymic development mediated by the interaction of T-cell receptors with MHC class II molecules expressed by thymic epithelial cells and bone marrow-derived antigen presenting cells in the thymus. The majority of MHC molecules are occupied with peptides derived from self proteins. Although the role of self peptides in the negative selection of CD4 cells is well established, the influence of peptides on positive selection of CD4 T cells remained elusive. However, some recent results suggest a role of peptides in the positive selection of CD4 T cells.
Investigations into Consumers Preferences Concerning Privacy: An Initial Step towards the Development of Modern and Consistent Privacy Protections around the Globe

Online privacy is becoming an increasingly important topic, and an increasingly controversial one. The EU is imposing strict limitations on the use of data obtained from its citizens' online activities [9], while Big Data advocates and online advertisers in the United States are concerned that this may represent interference in their basic business models or even in international trade [13]. It is clear that laws and regulations are inconsistent across national borders. They are also inconsistent within nations, depending on the industry classification of companies, or even the designation given to specific technologies. ISPs are prohibited from reading subscribers' email, other information services companies can do so legally. Data stored electronically is offered protection that is denied to data stored in the cloud. This paper proposes that regulatory confusion be addressed starting with some basic principles of uniformity. More importantly, it suggests that regulation be driven by what consumers actually want, and provides some preliminary research aimed at determining what consumers want from privacy regulation around the world.
Cues for Interpreting Distortion in Map Projections

Abstract The ability to recognize distortions of, for example, areas, angles, and landmass shapes in global-scale map projections, is an important part of critical map reading and use. This study investigates the cues used by individuals when they assess distortion on global-scale map projections. It was hypothesized that landmass shape would be a dominant cue used by individuals with no formal map projection training and that as projection knowledge increased the cues would become more systematic (e.g., use the graticule). Results indicate a tendency for novices to rely on landmass shape as a cue. Some evidence of a systematic evaluation of projections was also found.
Engineering management in our modern age

The theory and practice of engineering management has developed rapidly in the last forty years to yield a discipline with considerable scope and focus. Educational institutions around the world report significant student interest in this field of study and enrollments are steadily growing as engineers and scientists focus their efforts on developing products and services that produce a business result. The concept of managing engineering and technology has emerged as an area of professional practice that is clearly a career path for many engineers. In this paper a definition of engineering management is presented that links what engineering managers do, how they do it, and for what purpose. Fundamentally, engineering management is the process of envisioning, designing, developing, and supporting new products and services to a set of requirements, within budget, and to a schedule with acceptable levels of risk. The concepts of product and process complexity, systems analysis, risk management, and requirements engineering are used to distinguish the unique features of engineering management that make it a very real discipline of research, study, and practice.
Patients' attitudes about living donor transplantation and living donor nephrectomy

Abstract Background: The growing shortage of organs available for transplantation has resulted in an increased use of living donors for kidney transplantation. The laparoscopic nephrectomy is a new procedure used to remove kidneys from donors. The study objective was to explore the attitudes of recipients and donors toward living donor kidney transplantation and the impact of the laparoscopic donor nephrectomy on donors' and recipients' acceptance of living donor kidney transplantation. Methods: Tailored self-administered questionnaires were mailed to kidney donors, potential donors, recipients and potential recipients who visited the University of Maryland School of Medicine Division of Transplantation between January 1998 and May 2001. Results: The laparoscopic donor nephrectomy helped recipients and potential recipients with their decision to accept a kidney from a living donor (recipients: 53% strongly agreed, 36% agreed; potential recipients: 42% strongly agreed, 46% agreed). To a lesser extent, the laparoscopic donor nephrectomy assisted donors and potential donors with their decision to donate (donors: 19% strongly agreed, 20% agreed; potential donors: 20% strongly agreed, 20% agreed). Potential recipients and recipients identified 2 barriers to accepting living donor kidney transplantation: they were unwilling to accept a kidney if it meant this would financially burden their donors, and they worried that their donors might succumb to a future kidney problem. Conclusion: Overall, the study found a positive attitude toward living donor kidney transplantation and laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. This new surgical procedure seemed to positively influence recipients and potential recipients to accept a kidney. In contrast, it had less impact on donors' and potential donors' willingness to give their kidney.
Increased CD4+ CD25+ T regulatory cell activity in trauma patients depresses protective Th1 immunity.

Objectives: We recently reported increased CD4+ CD25+ T regulatory (Treg) activity after burn injury in mice. This study sought to determine if Tregs mediate the reduction in TH1-type immunity after serious injury in man and if Treg function is altered by injury.
Effects of Broiler Litter Source, Treatment with Alkaline Hydrogen Peroxide and Length of Deep-Stacking on Nutrient Composition, Recovery and In Vitro Digestibility

Abstract Mandebvu, P., Goetsch, A.L., Kellogg, D.W., Park, K. K., Patil, A.R., Kouakou, B. and Johnson, Z.B. 1995. Effects of broiler litter source, treatment with alkaline hydrogen peroxide and length of deep-stacking on nutrient composition, recovery and in vitro digestibility. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 8: 29–54. Effects of treating different sources of broiler litter with various levels of alkaline hydrogen peroxide (HP) before deep-stacking for 3 or 9 wk on nutrient composition, recovery and in vitro digestibility were determined with a 4x5x2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Composition before deep-stacking of the four sources of broiler litter was neutral detergent fiber (NDF; ash-free): 46.5, 49.1, 44.1 and 43.1%; acid detergent lignin: 7.1, 4.8, 4.0 and 6.3%; 6-h in vitro organic matter (OM) disappearance: 43.8, 51.5, 51.9 and 54.2%; and 48-h in vitro OM disappearance: 61.0, 73.5, 78.1 and 76.7%. Sodium hydroxide was added to litter so that pH after addition of HP (1, 2, 4 and 6% of litter dry matte...
Photothermoelastic study of stress concentrations in a plate with internal heating

This paper describes a photothermoelastic method for simulating, in a three-dimensional model, the temperature gradients that occur in structural parts subjected to internal heating such as is frequently encountered in certain areas of nuclear-reactor design.
Temporary cell junctions in the developing human renal glomerulus.

Abstract Special cell junctions were found in the visceral epithelium of the human renal glomerulus at determined stages of differentiation. They are characterized by a gap of 180 A containing an intercellular material of low density situated between parallel cell membranes and a thin electron-opaque layer of the subjacent cytoplasm. This simple organization resembles that described for the intermediate junction or zonula adhaerens of the adult junctional complexes. These embryonic cell junctions have a particular distribution and a variable fate depending upon the stage of progress in epithelial differentiation; at one period they cover extensive areas of cellular surfaces, and they disappear at later stages of development. It is likely that further studies of these transient junctions in embryonic tissues may have a bearing upon some controversial points concerning the mechanism of selective cell adhesion.
Metabolism of pamaqueside, a cholesterol absorption inhibitor, in Long-Evans rat : effect of bile duct cannulation on absorption

1. The metabolism of pamaqueside, a cholesterol absorption inhibitor, was studied in the bile duct cannulated and non-cannulated rat after an oral dose (100 mg/kg) and an i.v. dose (6 mg/kg) of [14C]pamaqueside. 2. Faeces was the major route of excretion in all rat. Only 0.1% of the radioactivity was recovered in the urine of the non-cannulated rat. In contrast, ∼ 17% of the total dose was recovered in the bile and urine in the bile duct cannulated rat. Following an i.v. dose, an almost equal percentage of radioactivity was excreted in the bile and urine of the bile duct cannulated rat. 3. The aglycone (M1) was the major metabolite in rat and was present in greater amounts in the faeces of the bile duct cannulated rat. 4. The structural elucidation of metabolites in the bile and urine indicated that M1 was metabolized oxidatively via a novel ring opening, and the oxidative metabolites further underwent sulphate conjugation. 5. The oxidative ring opening of pamaqueside (the cellobioside ring intact) was al...
Soft X-ray microscopy/lithography branch line at SSRL

Abstract A branch line has been proposed at SSRL for the conduct of experiments in soft X-ray lithography and microscopy. It is to be a high flux line, tuneable from 200 eV to 3000 eV, with approximately a 10% energy bandwidth, and capable of exposing a 1 cm2 area with a uniformity of +/−5%. A windowless transition, via differential pumping with a cryogenic assist, is planned to a sample chamber operating at 10−5 Torr. The sample chamber is designed for ease of operation and will have computer controlled manipulation stages and data acquisition. Support for the line will include equipment for sample preparation, resist processing and sample analysis, all in clean surroundings. A major analysis item will be a SEM equipped with picture digitization and processing capability.
The Depolarization of Nearve by Organic Compounds.

SummaryDepolarization produced by a variety of organic reagents acting on frog sciatic nerve has been measured. With the alcohols, the fact that the lower alcohols depolarize before blocking nerve, whereas higher block conduction before depolarizing, is referable to the, abnormally high activity coefficients of methanol and ethanol in nonaqueous solvents, and hence to the high aqueous mole fractions necessary for narcosis. While the alcohols depolarize at aqueous activities of about 0.15-0.30, other organic substances, of a relatively non-polar nature, depolarize only at activities of about 0.8. Such substances show a surface tension depression similar to that of the alcohols at these elevated thermodynamic activities. The distinction is made between narcosis, which requires a given mole fraction of a substance in the nonaqueous phase of the fiber, and depolarization which requires a given depression of the inter-facial tension.
U.S. URBAN POLICY: THE POSTWAR STATE AND CAPITALIST REGULATION

This paper provides an historically grounded theory of U.S. urban policy which is informed by regulationist theory and recent contributions to the theory of the State. It is shown how the content and form of urban policy in the New Deal, was shaped by the rise of mass-production Fordism and informed by the particular struggles that emerged in the United States during the formative period of the 1930s and 1940s. These struggles produced a particular State policy response, setting in place a limited and constrained mode of State intervention in the economy. In the realm of urban policy, this narrow form of State intervention set limits on further rounds of State policy, leaving the U.S. State unable to respond in an effective way to the mounting economic crises of the 1970s and the 1980s, contributing to the so-called “failure” of urban policy.
Angiotensinogen Gene Polymorphism at −217 Affects Basal Promoter Activity and Is Associated with Hypertension in African-Americans

Abstract Hypertension is a serious health problem in Western society, in particular for the African-American population. Although previous studies have suggested that the angiotensinogen (AGT) gene locus is involved in human essential hypertension, the molecular mechanisms involved in hypertension in African-Americans remain unknown. We show that an A/G polymorphism at −217 in the promoter of the AGT gene plays a significant role in hypertension in African-Americans. The frequency of the −217A allele was increased significantly in African-American hypertensive subjects compared with normotensive controls. We also show that the nucleotide sequence of this region of the AGT gene promoter bound strongly to CAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) family transcription factors when nucleoside A was present at −217. In addition, we show that reporter constructs containing the human AGT gene promoter with nucleoside A at −217 had increased basal transcriptional activity upon transient transfection in HepG2 cells compared with reporter constructs with nucleoside G at −217. Finally, we show that interleukin-6 treatment in the presence or absence of overexpressed C/EBPβ increased the promoter activities of reporter constructs containing nucleoside A at −217 compared with reporter constructs containing nucleoside G at −217. Because the AGT gene is expressed primarily in liver and adipose tissue, and C/EBP family transcription factors play an important role in gene expression in these tissues, we propose that increased transcriptional activity of the −217A allele of the human AGT gene is associated with hypertension in African-Americans.
A comparison of hybrid coronary revascularization and off-pump coronary revascularization.

Evaluation of: Bachinsky WB, Abdelsalam M, Boga G, Kiljanek L, Mumtaz M, McCarty C. Comparative study of same sitting hybrid coronary artery revascularization versus off-pump coronary artery bypass in multivessel coronary artery disease. J. Interv. Cardiol. 25(5), 460–468 (2012).Minimally invasive approaches to treat vascular disease have been accruing significant popularity over the last several decades. Due to progressive advances in technology, a variety of techniques are being now utilized in the field of cardiovascular surgery. The objectives of minimally invasive techniques are to curtail operative trauma and minimize perioperative morbidity without decreasing the quality of the treatment. The standard surgical approach for the treatment of coronary artery disease has traditionally been coronary artery bypass grafting surgery via median sternotomy. Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting surgery offers a less invasive alternative and enables coronary revascularization to be performed without cardio...
STUDIES IN THE COMMON COLD : IV. EXPERIMENTAL TRANSMISSION OF THE COMMON COLD TO ANTHROPOID APES AND HUMAN BEINGS BY MEANS OF A FILTRABLE AGENT.

1. Chimpanzees are highly suitable animals for the experimental study of human upper respiratory infections. 2. Human colds have been successfully transmitted to apes and human volunteers in 44 per cent of instances tried by means of filtered nasal washings obtained from colds. 3. Certain types of infectious colds are caused by a filtrable agent.
Metabolism of Gerbillus pyramidum.

THE genus Gerbillus comprises about thirty species which are distributed throughout Africa. G. pyramidum or the greater Egyptian gerbil, as it is also called, is found in Arabia, across North Africa to Morocco on the west and down eastern Africa through the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan to Kenya and Tanganyika1.
Cigarette Smoking and Intimate Partner Violence Among Men Referred to Substance Abuse Treatment

This study examined differences between alcohol-dependent offenders of intimate partner violence (IPV) with and without current daily cigarette smoking. Eighty-five alcohol dependent men arrested for domestic and referred to substance abuse treatment were evaluated. A total of 71% of the participants reported current cigarette smoking. The groups were divided into daily smokers (n = 52) vs. non-daily smokers (n = 21). Daily smokers had significantly more days of alcohol use in the 28 days prior to starting treatment, significantly more ASI alcohol and legal severity, and significantly more participants with a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder compared to non-daily smoking alcohol dependent offenders of IPV.