cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biological Basis of the Sterile Insect Technique

In principle, the sterile insect technique (SIT) is applicable to controlling a wide variety of insect pests, but biological factors, interacting with socio-economic and political forces, restrict its practical use to a narrower set of pest species and situations. This chapter reviews how the biology and ecology of a given pest affect the feasibility and logistics of developing and using the SIT against that pest insect. The subjects of pest abundance, distribution, and population dynamics are discussed in relation to producing and delivering sufficient sterile insects to control target populations. Pest movement and distribution are considered as factors that influence the feasibility and design of SIT projects, including the need for population- or area-wide management approaches. Biological characteristics, that affect the ability of sterile insects to interact with wild populations, are presented, including the nature of mating systems of pests, behavioural and physiological consequences of mass production and sterilization, and mechanisms that males use to block a female’s acquisition and/or use of sperm from other males. An adequate knowledge of the biology of the pest species and potential target populations is needed, both for making sound decisions on whether integration of the SIT into an area-wide integrated pest management (AWIPM) programme is appropriate, and for the efficient and effective application of the technique.
Spatial Variability in Sedimentation, Carbon Sequestration, and Nutrient Accumulation in an Alluvial Floodplain Forest

We measured soil properties, vertical accretion, and nutrient (organic C, N, and P) accumulation across a range of habitats to evaluate spatial variability of soil properties and processes of alluvial floodplain wetlands of the Altamaha River, Georgia, USA. The habitats vary in elevation and distance from the river channel, creating differences in the depth and duration of inundation. Habitats closer to the river had lower bulk density and higher total P than habitats further removed. 137Cs and 210Pb accretion rates were also greater at sites closer to the channel. Mineral sediment deposition and nutrient accumulation were greater in sloughs closer to the channel and lower in elevation relative to other habitats. We found distance to be a significant predictor of mineral soil properties across the floodplain. Bulk density increased whereas TP and silt content decreased with distance from the river channel. 137Cs accretion, P accumulation, and mineral sediment deposition also decreased with distance from the main channel. Elevation was not a significant predictor of soil properties or processes measured. Long-term (100 year) sediment accumulation rates based on 210Pb were significantly higher than 50-year rate of sedimentation based on 137Cs, perhaps as the result of greater land clearing for agriculture and lack of best management practices in the southeastern USA prior to 1950. Distance from the main channel is the driving force behind the spatial variability of soil properties and processes measured; however, slough habitats closest to the channel and lowest in elevation relative to other habitats maintain distinct vegetation patterns and are hotspots for N, P, and sediment accumulation. Characterization of soil properties and processes of alluvial floodplain forests and other wetlands should take into consideration microtopographic and spatial variation across the wetland.
Reconfiguration of π-conjugated superstructures enabled by redox-assisted assembly.

We show that n-doping supramolecular assemblies built from perylene diimide units provides a means to modulate the structure–function properties of these materials. In addition to highlighting the design principles, a combination of spectroscopic and microscopic characterization correlates an increase in the free-exciton bandwidth with the formation of mesoscale hierarchical superstructures.
Psychological Assessment in Medical Settings

The majority of physicians who note emotional problems among their patients act on an idiosyncratic set of beliefs regarding optimal psychological assessments and interventions. Most will rely heavily on their personal experience with psychologists and psychiatrists rather than on a particular theoretical orientation. Most commonly, the physicians’ attitudes toward psychological services largely derive from their frustrations and limitations in managing difficult patients. This stems in part from the fact that the traditional medical disease model, which developed along with the great advances of medicine in the past half-century, no longer appears fully effective or relevant in managing many problems now seen in medical practice. Physicians have turned to psychology out of frustration, hoping that it will offer a successful method for maximizing their treatment effectiveness, largely through improved patient compliance.
A Reciprocal and Longitudinal Investigation of Peer and School Stressors and Depressive Symptoms Among Mexican-Origin Adolescent Females

In adolescence, Mexican-origin females are at higher risk for depressive symptoms, peer and school stressors are associated with depressive symptoms, and parental support continues to show a protective nature. However, it is unclear how peer and school stressors are associated with depressive symptoms across time, whether parental support moderates the link between stressors and depressive symptoms, and whether differences in patterns of associations differ for early-middle and middle-late Mexican-origin adolescents. This study contributes to existing knowledge by examining the longitudinal and reciprocal associations among peer and school stressors, depressive symptoms, and parental support as a moderator across four years (three time points) with a cohort of Mexican-origin early adolescent (n = 170, Mage = 12.27 at baseline) and middle adolescent (n = 168, Mage = 15.21 at baseline) females. The cross-lagged model showed that for the early adolescent cohort prior peer stressors were associated with later depressive symptoms in mid-adolescence whereas for the middle-adolescent cohort earlier depressive symptoms were associated with subsequent peer stressors in late adolescence. Parental support moderated the link between peer stressors and depressive symptoms for mid-adolescents and the link between depressive symptoms and school stressors for late adolescents. Findings suggest that associations among peer and school stressors, depressive symptoms, and parental support may be more prevalent during middle-late adolescence.
The Third Disestablishment: Church, State, & American Culture, 1940-1975

Steven K. Green is the Fred H. Paulus Professor of Law and Affiliated Professor of Religious Studies and History at Willamette University. His interests lie primarily in First Amendment Constitutio...
Blockchains, Smart Contracts and Connected Sensors: Substitutes or Complements?

Smart contracts existed before blockchain technology, but blockchains have been a key reason for their recent popularity and their emerging use in areas such as Decentralized Finance (DeFi). Smart contracts critically depend on digital inputs that inform them whether their triggering conditions have occurred, typically provided by connected sensors (such as ``IoT'') that supply certified signals to the blockchain. If there is a dispute, evidence from these sensors can be shown to a court or an arbitrator, making the corresponding states ``verifiable.'' The two technologies are thus intricately linked but have distinct functionality. We develop a model that distinguishes the impact of smart contracts and connected sensors. We show that connected sensors and smart contracts have different implications for contracting outcomes and efficiency, and depending on the setting, can substitute for or complement each other. Specifically, smart contracts restrict the strategy space by allowing the contracting parties to commit not to hold-up each other; this typically increases the contracting region where trade occurs and thus increases efficiency, but for certain parameter values it surprisingly can decrease social welfare. Connected sensors expand the state space over which the contract can be specified by creating finer partitions of the verifiable states of nature. This typically leads to more efficient trades when they occur. Finally, when applied together, smart contracts and connected sensors enable all efficient trades, including certain trades that neither technology can enable individually. The preferred combination for deployment is determined by the tradeoff between efficiency gains and technology cost.
An Atlas of Transcription Factors Expressed in Male Pupal Terminalia of Drosophila melanogaster

During development, transcription factors and signaling molecules govern gene regulatory networks to direct the formation of unique morphologies. As changes in gene regulatory networks are often implicated in morphological evolution, mapping transcription factor landscapes is important, especially in tissues that undergo rapid evolutionary change. The terminalia (genital and anal structures) of Drosophila melanogaster and its close relatives exhibit dramatic changes in morphology between species. While previous studies have identified network components important for patterning the larval genital disc, the networks governing adult structures during pupal development have remained uncharted. Here, we performed RNA-seq in whole Drosophila melanogaster male terminalia followed by in situ hybridization for 100 highly expressed transcription factors during pupal development. We find that the male terminalia are highly patterned during pupal stages and that specific transcription factors mark separate structures and substructures. Our results are housed online in a searchable database (https://flyterminalia.pitt.edu/) as a resource for the community. This work lays a foundation for future investigations into the gene regulatory networks governing the development and evolution of Drosophila terminalia.
Electrical switching in a magnetically intercalated transition metal dichalcogenide

Advances in controlling the correlated behavior of transition metal dichalcogenides have opened a new frontier of many-body physics in two dimensions. A field where these materials have yet to make a deep impact is antiferromagnetic spintronics – a relatively new research direction promising technologies with fast switching times, insensitivity to magnetic perturbations, and reduced crosstalk. Here, we present measurements on the intercalated TMD Fe1/3NbS2 which exhibits antiferromagnetic ordering below 42K. We find that remarkably low current densities of order 10KA/cm2 can reorient the magnetic order, which can be detected through changes in the sample resistance, demonstrating its use as an electronically-accessible antiferromagnetic switch. Fe1/3NbS2 is part of a larger family of magnetically intercalated TMDs, some of which may exhibit switching at room temperature, forming a platform from which to build tunable antiferromagnetic spintronic devices.
Nesting Ecology of a Range-Edge Population of Veeries in the Southern Appalachian Mountains

Very little is known about the nesting ecology of Catharus fuscescens (Veery) breeding at a low-latitude range limit in the southern Appalachians. Between 2017 and 2018, we monitored 34 Veery nests in the mountains of North Carolina. Veery nests were generally placed low to the ground in a variety of substrates, predominantly Rhododendron maximum (Rhododendron) and Gaylussacia spp. (huckleberry); however, estimates of daily nest survival did not vary by the nest-site characteristics we measured. The daily nest survival estimate of 0.925 and estimated overall success rate of 13% are lower than most reports from farther north in the Veery's range, but the reasons for the low nest survival at the southern edge are unclear. This study provides the first report of the nesting ecology of Veeries in the southern Appalachians, and our work suggests the need to determine why Veeries in this region are declining and moving upslope.
Discussion on “Laboratory investigation of the discharge coefficient of flow in arced labyrinth weirs with triangular plans” by Monjezi et al. (2018)

Abstract One of the critical issues in designing laboratory experiments is considering the scale effects. This paper is a discussion on Monjezi et al.'s [1] paper, which violated the presented criteria for a significant part of their experimental tests. Discussers also suggested appropriate equations to modify the results obtained from experimental tests. In addition, the necessity of a comparative analysis is discussed in the present paper.
Planning for change? Assessing the integration of climate change and land-based livelihoods in Colorado BLM planning documents

Many western communities are surrounded by public lands that support land-based and local economies. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) decision-making affects the vulnerability of those land-based livelihoods, especially in the context of climate change. We analyzed Colorado BLM planning documents to evaluate how they are considering climate change, sensitive resources, impacts, and land-based livelihoods in their planning processes using both quantitative word counts and qualitative coding. Documents published in recent years (2011–2015) include more mentions of climate change than older documents (1985–1997). However, the review showed that while climate change is discussed within the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) planning documents, the final Resource Management Plans contain few mentions of climate change. Further, there is minimal consideration of how climate change may impact land-based livelihoods. These results prompt questions about the planning process, how climate change considerations are integrated into the final documents, and how that impacts on-the-ground management. The review suggests a need for increased consideration of climate change throughout the BLM’s planning process so that landscapes can be managed with more attention and awareness to climate change and the associated impacts to resources and dependent communities.
A priori analysis of reduced description of dynamical systems using approximate inertial manifolds

Abstract The treatment of turbulent flows as finite-dimensional dynamical systems opens new paths for modeling and development of reduced-order descriptions of such systems. For certain types of dynamical systems, a property known as the inertial manifold (IM) exists, allowing for the dynamics to be represented in a sub-space smaller than the entire state-space. While the existence of an IM has not been shown for the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations, it has been investigated for variations of the two-dimensional version and for similar canonical systems such as the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation (KSE). Based on this concept, a computational analysis of the use of IMs for modeling turbulent flows is conducted. In particular, an approximate IM (AIM) is used where the flow is decomposed into resolved and unresolved dynamics, similar to conventional large eddy simulation (LES). Instead of the traditional approach to subfilter modeling, a dynamical systems approach is used to obtain the closure terms. In the a priori estimation of the AIM approach for the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation, it is shown that the small-scale dynamics are accurately reconstructed even when using only a small number of resolved modes. Further, it is demonstrated that the number of resolved variables needed for this reconstruction is dependent on the dimension of the attractor.
Order-disorder versus displacive transitions in Jahn-Teller active layered materials

Large anharmonic vibrations often play a crucial role in dynamically stabilizing crystalline phases whose structures are unstable at low temperature. Although the average structure of such phases can be measured through diffraction experiments, their local structure remains a challenge to characterize and understand. Dynamically stabilized phases are often classified as order/disorder or displacive based on the qualitative nature of their local structure. A robust understanding of how chemistry determines this distinction in behavior, however, is lacking. This article presents a parametric study of an anharmonic vibrational model that describes the transition from a cooperative to a noncooperative Jahn-Teller distortion in layered oxides---a class of materials widely used in Li-ion and Na-ion batteries. The results illustrate how the shape of the energy landscape determines the extent to which the high-temperature phase has order/disorder vs displacive character. We find that the nature of the high-temperature phase is determined by a competition between the strength of the elastic coupling between Jahn-Teller distortions at nearby sites and the energy scale driving the Jahn-Teller distortion. A comparison of the model to energy landscapes calculated with density-functional theory suggests that the high-temperature phases of the Jahn-Teller active layered compounds $\mathrm{LiNi}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$, $\mathrm{NaNi}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$, $\mathrm{LiMn}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$, and $\mathrm{NaMn}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ exhibit order/disorder character.
University Online Courses: Correlation between Students' Participation Rate and Academic Performance

It has been generally believed that higher participation in discussion forums in online classes would result in better student performance. To better understand this correlation on a large scale, we have studied 291 distinct online courses offered during Summer 2019 at Georgia Gwinnett College. Several studies in the literature have focused on analyzing the data from the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). However, in this research, we have focused on University-based Online Courses (UOCs) for undergraduate students, where the curriculum enforces students to take these courses. Although a higher participation rate in online forums has a direct correlation with a higher grade in MOOCs, in OUCs, students with top grades are not necessarily the most active students. Our analysis shows a consistent pattern in UOCs where during the first two-thirds of the semester, students who belong to the GPA range of ~70 to ~80 percentile of the class have the highest rate of participation, while during the last one-third of the semester, the ones who belong to the GPA range of ~87 to ~93 percentile, contribute the most. On the other hand, we found out that the common characteristic of top students in all classes, is their consistency in participation throughout the semester, regardless of the number of their posts.
Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Chemotherapy for Leukemia in Pregnancy

Cancer affects around 1 in 1000 pregnancies; hematological malignancies represent a small portion of malignant diseases, and therefore cases of leukemia during gestation are relatively rare. However, the incidence of pregnancy-related cancers is expected to increase, as women are delaying conception to later age. Pregnancy induces several changes on the mother’s physiology, which can modify the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs, with potential effects on the efficacy of therapy. There is also the concern that a drug therapy may represent a risk for the fetus. Anticancer agents have the potential to cause several complications, including teratogenesis and other perinatal complications like preterm delivery, intrauterine growth restriction, hematopoietic suppression, and stillbirth. In the past, pregnant cancer patients were recommended to interrupt the gestation for optimum treatment, but the current evidence is changing the perception of the safety of chemotherapy. In this way, it is expected that more patients will be treated for cancer during pregnancy based on reports that provide elements for management and surveillance of pregnant women with cancer.
Prescribed fires cause minimal damage to a threatened cactus (Tobusch fishhook cactus, Sclerocactus brevihamatus ssp. tobuschii, Texas, USA)

Abstract The effects of fire on cacti depend on individual plant characteristics, fire intensity, and local conditions. Tobusch fishhook cactus (Sclerocactus brevihamatus ssp. tobuschii) is a small ( 600) in long-term monitoring plots. The fires killed only one cactus and visibly damaged 1 cm), cactus height (>1 cm), and proximity to bunchgrasses (
Increasing the Production of Volatile Fatty Acids from Corn Stover Using Bioaugmentation of a Mixed Rumen Culture with Homoacetogenic Bacteria

Volatile fatty acids (VFA) are industrially versatile chemicals and have a major market. Although currently produced from petrochemicals, chemical industries are moving towards more bio-based VFA produced from abundant, cheap and renewable sources such as lignocellulosic biomass. In this study, we examined the effect of bioaugmentation with homoacetogenic bacteria for increasing VFA production in lignocellulose fermentation process. The central hypothesis of this study was that inhibition of methanogenesis in an in vitro rumen bioreactor fed with lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate increases the hydrogen partial pressure, which can be redirected towards increased VFA production, particularly acetic acid, through targeted bioaugmentation with known homoacetogenic bacteria. In this study, methanogenesis during ruminal fermentation of wet exploded corn stover was initially inhibited with 10 mM of 2-bromoethanesulfonate (BES), followed by bioaugmentation with either Acetitomaculum ruminis and Acetobacterium woodii in two separate bioreactors. During the inhibition phase, we found that addition of BES decreased the acetic acid yield by 24%, while increasing headspace hydrogen from 1% to 60%. After bioaugmentation, the headspace hydrogen was consumed in both bioreactors and the concentration of acetic acids increased 45% when A. ruminis was added and 70% with A. woodii added. This paper demonstrates that mixed microbial fermentation can be manipulated to increase VFA production through bioaugmentation.
Commentary on: Expanded Stem Cells, Stromal-Vascular Fraction, and Platelet-Rich Plasma Enriched Fat: Comparing Results of Different Facial Rejuvenation Approaches in a Clinical Trial.

This study represents an important contribution in the field of regenerative aesthetics and a major advance in our understanding of tissue regeneration for the aging face.1 Since the early 2000s, when adipose tissue was recognized as a large reservoir of stem and regenerative cells,2 clinicians began to explore the potential therapeutic applications of these cells.3-5 In spite of 15 years of largely anecdotal literature, the field is just beginning to deliver clinical evidence that these cells, used alone or added back into fat, produce a range of treatments from soft tissue augmentation to soft tissue regeneration. As a “believer” in the field, I have had the privilege of working closely with leading scientists, clinicians, and industry experts from around the world and have witnessed the difficulty in demonstrating the efficacy of these cell-based approaches. In part, this is related to learning the language of this new field, which is evolving and not yet standardized. In part this is related to the variability of autologous tissues which are complex and still not fully understood. What is remarkable is that we find potent pharmaceutical agents in plants and other sources, but have yet to harness the remarkable repair and immune modulation features that are present in human cells and their interactions. Although there are numerous applications for regenerative cell-based therapies in many areas of medicine, the focus of the present report is their use in the treatment of facial aging. The first aesthetic treatment done in humans with adipocyte-derived stromal vascular fraction was performed by Cohen and Holmes in 8 patients in an IRB-approved study in 2003.5 At that time, two observations were made: 1) there was a more widespread effect than wrinkle augmentation alone and the texture of the surface (as well as the volume …
Understanding financial resilience from a resource-based view: Evidence from US state governments

To sustain government services in times of disruptions, it is important to enhance the financial resilience of the government. This study explains the relationship between an organization’s financi...
The Relationship between the Physical Fitness Ratings of Aviation Cadets and Certain Early Life Experiences Pertaining to Physical Activity

Abstract The Army Air Force Physical Fitness Test and a questionnaire which sought data on certain early life experiences were administered to 1226 aviation cadets during World War II. Findings revealed lack of appreciable differences in physical fitness in later years among the following cadets: (1) attended public, private, and parochial schools; (2) did and did not experience required physical education programs; (3) did and did not attend college; (4) lived in various geographical areas of the United States; and (5) lived in rural as opposed to urban environments. Some substantial differences were noticed relative to elementary school activities and to varsity sports participation.
Feasibility of paramedic treatment and referral of minor illnesses and injuries.

Background. Approximately 40% of Hennepin County Medical Center's (HCMC's) ambulance runs are for minor medical conditions as defined by billing criteria [“ALS minor,” i.e., no advanced life support (ALS) procedures done in the field]. Current metropolitan guidelines mandate that all such patients must be transported to a hospital unless they refuse this service. It has been proposed that some patients with minor medical conditions could be better served by treatment in the field by paramedics and referred to a clinic or hospital for early follow-up care. It is proposed that this approach would save costs and improve paramedic availability for patients with more serious conditions. Objective. To evaluate the feasibility and safety of implementing such a program by identifying high-volume, low-complexity groupings of cases. Such high-volume, low-complexity cases would serve as the topics for curriculum development for paramedic training in field treatment and referral. Methods. Data were obtained from ambu...
Our Agricultural Policy Dilemma: The Omivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, By Michael Pollan (2006)

Michael Pollan's book, THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA: A NATURAL HISTORY OF FOUR MEALS, (2006) (Omnivore's Dilemma), invites readers to follow Pollan as he uncovers the origins of four vastly different meals. The conceit enables Pollan to explore the complicated food systems on which Americans rely for their daily bread. Pollan explores four food supply systems in particular: industrial, big organic, small organic, and hunter-gatherer. This book review focuses on the industrial food supply, and the small organic alternative. In so doing, the review discusses agriculture policy and explores what has become in some ways a national fixation on family farms. The review seeks to expose the disparity between how we eat - most of our calories provided through the industrial agricultural sector, and how we like to think we eat - our food coming fresh from family farms. The review also discusses some of the paradoxes, or absurdities, that Pollan identifies in the food supply system as we have evolved from hunters-gatherers to consumers of convenience. In some ways, THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA is an unquestionable success, and this review duly notes those successes. The review also addresses a topic raised but not exhausted by Pollan: that is, our national romanticism of the family farm, including an explanation of the status of such farms today. The industrial agriculture food system is implicated in what has become known as the hunger-obesity paradox. The review next explores this paradox and concludes where Pollan begins, by asking, though not attempting to answer, What's for dinner?
Studies of monoamine oxidases. Effect of triton X-100 and bile salts on monoamine oxidase in brain mitochondria.

Abstract Triton X-100 and the bile salts, cholate and deoxycholate, detergents often used in the solubilization of monoamine oxidase (MAO) from mitochondria, have been found to cause an inhibition of the enzyme activity. With beef brain mitochondria, it was found that there was a differential effect of Triton X-100 on the putative MAO types A and B, with MAO-A being more susceptible to inhibition by Triton X-100. This was indicated by the greater loss of serotonin-deaminating than of phenyl ethylamine-deaminating activity in the presence of Triton X-100. Although the bile salts also caused substantial inactivation at concentrations above 0.1%, no differentiation between MAO types could be made. Kinetic studies of the inhibition by Triton X-100 indicated two different mechanisms were occurring with the two MAO types. The inhibition was competitive for MAO-A, but uncompetitive for MAO-B. Removal of Triton X-100 by co-polymer beads restored some, but not all of the activity for both MAO-A and MAO-B types. This suggests that the activity loss may have been due in part to inactivation when the enzyme was separated from the mitochondrial membrane.
FastGroup: A program to dereplicate libraries of 16S rDNA sequences

Ribosomal 16S DNA sequences are an essential tool for identifying and classifying microbes. High-throughput DNA sequencing now makes it economically possible to produce very large datasets of 16S rDNA sequences in short time periods, necessitating new computer tools for analyses. Here we describe FastGroup, a Java program designed to dereplicate libraries of 16S rDNA sequences. By dereplication we mean to: 1) compare all the sequences in a data set to each other, 2) group similar sequences together, and 3) output a representative sequence from each group. In this way, duplicate sequences are removed from a library. FastGroup was tested using a library of single-pass, bacterial 16S rDNA sequences cloned from coral-associated bacteria. We found that the optimal strategy for dereplicating these sequences was to: 1) trim ambiguous bases from the 5' end of the sequences and all sequence 3' of the conserved Bact517 site, 2) match the sequences from the 3' end, and 3) group sequences >=97% identical to each other. The FastGroup program simplifies the dereplication of 16S rDNA sequence libraries and prepares the raw sequences for subsequent analyses.
The Difference between Mechanisms of Kainate and Glutamate Excitotoxicity In Vitro: Osmotic Lesion Versus Mitochondrial Depolarization

The hypothesis that a destabilization of mitochondrial function during neuronal exposure to excitatory amino acids may be involved in the mechanism of neuronal death was examined. The mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ m ) and the cytoplasmic Ca 2+ concentration ([Ca 2+ ] c ) were monitored simultaneously in single cultured rat cerebellar granule cells (CGCs) loaded with tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester (TMR) and fura-2; CGCs were depolarized with K + , or exposed to excitotoxic doses of glutamate or kainate, and viability of the same neurons was studied for 24-30 h. This approach made it possible to single out the neurons that died, and to describe the changes in ΔΨ m and [Ca 2+ ] c that were characteristic for these neurons. Exposure to glutamate caused an increase in [Ca 2+ ] c that was associated with a decrease in the mitochondrial TMR fluorescence, which indicates a decrease in ΔΨ m . The neurons that failed to restore ΔΨ m following glutamate withdrawal, also failed to restore low [Ca 2+ ] c , and later died. Although a similar number of neurons died following kainate exposure as did after glutamate exposure, the kainate-elicited neuronal death resulted not from the collapse of ΔΨ m but from an excessive neuronal swelling, which led to rupture of the plasma membrane. Depolarization with K + was not neurotoxic and caused only a minor decrease in TMR fluorescence. These results indicate that in vitro glutamate and kainate destroy neurons by different mechanisms: glutamate by a failure to restore ΔΨ m following the exposure, and kainate by an osmotic lesion of the plasma membrane.
Relationships between functional assays and enzyme immunoassays as measurements of responses to acellular and whole-cell pertussis vaccines

• Relationships Between Functional Assays and Enzyme Immunoassays as Measurements of Responses to Acellular and Whole-Cell Pertussis Vaccines (1995;96:595-600): In the introduction, "WCL" is used incorrectly in three instances as an abbreviation for whole-cell pertussis vaccines. On page 595 (15 lines from the bottom of the right-hand column), "WCL pertussis immunization" should have read "whole-cell pertussis immunization." Similarly, on page 596 (in lines 21 through 23 of the left-hand column), "WCL vaccines" twice should have read "whole-cell vaccines." All other references to WCL in this article mean the specific product listed in Table 1 on page 596.
Role of stereotactic radiosurgery in patients with more than four brain metastases

For patients presenting with brain metastases, two methods of radiation treatment currently exist: stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT). SRS is a minimally invasive to noninvasive technique that delivers a high dose of ionizing radiation to a precisely defined focal target volume, whereas WBRT involves multiple smaller doses of radiation delivered to the whole brain. Evidence exists from randomized controlled trials for SRS in the treatment of patients with one to four brain metastases. Patients with more than four brain metastases generally receive WBRT, which can effectively treat undetected metastases and protect against intracranial relapse. However, WBRT has been associated with an increased potential for toxic neurocognitive side effects, including memory loss and early dementia, and does not provide 100% protection against relapse. For this reason, physicians at many medical centers are opting to use SRS as first-line treatment for patients with more than four brain metastases, despite evidence showing an increased rate of intracranial relapse compared with WBRT. In light of the evolving use of SRS, this review will examine the available reports on institutional trials and outcomes for patients with more than four brain metastases treated with SRS alone as first-line therapy.
Structural concepts on new amorphous covalent solids

Abstract Advanced ceramics such as carbides and nitrides have been prepared from metal-organic polymers. After the organic groups are removed, inorganic covalent amorphous solids are first formed. These amorphous solids are stable over a temperature range of a few hundred degrees and constitute a new family of non-crystalline solids. This paper is concerned with the structure and transformation of these materials.
Parts-per-million-phosphorus doping of a − Si : H : Changes in carrier lifetime

We present results that demonstrate the extreme sensitivity of the electron and hole lifetimes in $a\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Si}:\mathrm{H}$ to parts-per-million-phosphorus incorporation.
Marked rapid alterations in nocturnal pineal serotonin metabolism in mice and rats exposed to weak intermittent magnetic fields

Adult AMES mice and male Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to an artificial magnetic field, generated by Helmholtz coils. 3.5 hours after the onset of darkness the coils were activated for one hour resulting in an inversion of the horizontal component of the earth's magnetic field. The coils were activated and deactivated at 5 min intervals during the 1 hour exposure period. In both mice and rats, the levels of serotonin in the pineal were markedly increased by the exposure. In rats, an increase of pineal 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid and a decrease of the activity of the pineal enzyme serotonin-N-acetyltransferase also was observed. However, pineal and serum melatonin levels were not altered. The results indicate that the metabolism of serotonin in the pineal is quickly affected by the exposure of animals to a magnetic field.
Base sequence studies of 300 nucleotide renatured repeated human DNA clones

Abstract A band of 300 nucleotide long duplex DNA is released by treating renatured repeated human DNA with the single strand-specific endonuclease S 1 . Since many of the interspersed repeated sequences in human DNA are 300 nucleotides long, this band should be enriched in such repeats. We have determined the nucleotide sequences of 15 clones constructed from these 300 nucleotide S 1 -resistant repeats. Ten of these cloned sequences are members of the Alu family of interspersed repeats. These ten sequences share a recognizable consensus sequence from which individual clones have an average divergence of 12.8%. The 300 nucleotide Alu family consensus sequence has a dimeric structure and was evidently formed from a head to tail duplication of an ancestral monomeric sequence. Three of the remaining clones are variations on a simple pentanucleotide sequence previously reported for human satellite III DNA. Two of the 15 clones have distinct and complex sequences and may represent other families of interspersed repeated sequences.
Development of Polymeric Nerve Guidance Conduits That Contain Anisotropic Cues Including Aligned Microfibers and Gradients of Adsorbed Laminin-1

Structures that direct neurite extension are important for regeneration following spinal cord injury and peripheral nerve injury. Within the spinal cord, neurons encounter a glial scar environment that impedes regeneration. In the peripheral nervous system, endogenous regeneration cannot occur across nerve gaps greater than 2mm. Current repair strategies use guidance conduits to channel axonal growth towards distal targets. While showing promise, conduit walls do not provide a suitable environment for neuronal attachment or extension, and axonal growth within conduits remains tortuous. Hence, there is a need for development of three-dimensional (3D) structures that use contact guidance—rather than confinement—as a means of guided regeneration. Our laboratory has developed aligned, electrospun fiber matrices that have been shown to direct neurite extension in vitro. In addition, a gradient of the glycoprotein laminin-1 has been adsorbed onto aligned microfiber matrices to stimulate directional growth. These matrices were then manipulated into 3D conduit structures. Novel polymeric conduits that utilize contact guidance and contain gradients of molecules that stimulate directional growth have the potential to foster fast, directed regeneration into and through conduit structures.
Linked migration and labor market flexibility in the rural amenity destinations in the United States

This paper reports results from a series of interviews with employers in two high amenity nonmetropolitan destinations: Rabun County, Georgia, and Routt County, Colorado. These communities were selected because both have experienced rapid in-migration of aging baby boomers and Latino immigrants, many of whom are undocumented, over the past two decades. The spending of baby boomers has stimulated expansion in various sectors including construction, property management, household services, and restaurants, and Latino immigrants have been pulled into these areas as a result of the expanding labor demand in these sectors. Interviews with business owners in these sectors reveal how the supply of immigrant workers enables greater labor market flexibility – both numeric and functional. Both documented and undocumented immigrants provide numeric flexibility in that employers can draw on them in periods of high labor demand, and they are functionally flexible in the ways they move between sectors. Such increased flexibility allows employers in amenity destinations to capitalize on rapidly emerging economic opportunities, yet at the same time the interview responses reveal a high degree of internal segmentation within the Latino labor force.
Foundering of Continents and its Relation to Isostasy, Crustal Thinning and Mantle Density Changes: ABSTRACT

Current theories on geosynclinal subsidence and on the disappearance of ancient land masses postulate crustal thinning by subcrustal processes. This idea was a necessary implication of the two premises popular a decade ago, namely: (1) surface elevation is related to crustal thickness according to Airy's model of isostatic compensation; (2) either the crust as defined by the Mohorovicic discontinuity is comparable with the crust envisioned by Airy, who separated a solid crust from a fluid substratum, or there is no significant regional difference in mantle density, and there has been none during the past. Recent geophysical investigations have indicated that isostatic adjustment could result not only from changes in crustal thickness, but also from variation in upper mant e density. This new discovery permits the postulate that thinning of continental crust can be related to removal of surficial sialic material by supracrustal processes, such as erosion, gravity sliding, and overthrusting from elevated regions which owed their surface elevation to an abnormally low mantle density. Subsequent increase in mantle density because of variations in mantle temperature leads to isostatic subsidence of regions of thin crust. Such a combination of crustal thinning by supracrustal processes and isostatic subsidence related to mantle density changes could explain adequately (1) the disappearance of ancient land, (2) the formation of a new geosyncline at the site of an ancient land, and (3) the estimated chemical composition of the earth's crust. The efficacy of supra rustal processes to remove large quantities of sialic materials has been discussed. It is not necessary to postulate subcrustal processes which either must assume lateral transfer of vast quantities of crustal material or that the Mohorovicic discontinuity is a phase change boundary. An isostatic model relating surface elevation, crustal thickness, and mantle density variation during an orogenic cycle is presented. End_of_Article - Last_Page 345------------
The Gelfand-Cetlin system and quantization of the complex flag manifolds

The construction of angle action variables for collective completely integrable systems is described and the associated Bohr-Sommerfeld sets are determined. The quantization method of Sniatycki applied to such systems gives formulas for multiplicities. For the Gelfand-Cetlin system on complex flag manifolds we show that these formulas give the correct answers for the multiplicities of the associated representations.
Determination of cardiac output in critically ill patients by dual beam Doppler echocardiography.

AbstractRecent technology in Doppler echocardiography has produced a dual beam Doppler instrument that is capable of insonating the total cross-sectional area of the ascending aorta. The purpose of...
Political Disagreement in Context: The Conditional Effect of Neighborhood Context, Disagreement and Political Talk on Electoral Participation

Despite scholarly interest in determining how exposure to disagreeable political ideas influences political participation, existing research supports few firm conclusions. This paper argues that these varied findings stem from an implicit model of contextual influence that fails to account for the indirect effect of aggregate social contexts. A model of contextual influ- ence is outlined which implies that the neighborhood partisan context mod- erates the effect of political disagreement in social networks on campaign participation. The evidence shows that network disagreement demobilizes people who are the political minority in their neighborhood, but has no influence on people in the majority. When viewed together, these findings indicate that a person's relationship to the broader political environment sets distinctive network processes in motion.
A finite element solution to turbulent diffusion in a convective boundary layer

SUMMARY A second-order closure turbulence model is used to simulate the plume behaviour of a passive contaminant dispersed in a convective boundary layer. A time-splitting finite element scheme is used to solve the set of partial differential equations. It is shown that the second-order closure model compares favourably with recent findings from laboratories, wind-tunnel experiments and large-eddy simulations. We also compare the second-order closure model with the commonly used K-diffusion model for the same meteorological conditions. Case studies also show the effects of model parameters and turbulence variables on the plume behaviour.
Preparation of monoclonal antibodies to chicken bone phosphoproteins.

Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies were raised against 150k, 60k, 32k, and 15k phosphoprotein components of 14-week chicken bone. Hybridomas were prepared by immunizing Balb/c mice with 150k, 60k, or 32k phosphoproteins followed by fusion of their spleen cells with X63-Ag8.653 myeloma cells. Polyclonal antibodies to the 60k, 32k, and 15k phosphoprotein components were produced in immunized rabbits. Immunological cross-reactivity between antigen and antibody was examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and dot-blotting. There was cross-reactivity between the 150k, 32k, and 15k phosphoprotein components and between the 150k, 90K, and 60k components. The antibodies raised against 60k component do not bind 32k and 15k antigens.
Learning to teach high school mathematics: Patterns of growth in understanding right triangle trigonometry during lesson plan study

Abstract “Lesson plan study” (LPS), adapted from the Japanese Lesson Study method of professional development, is a sequence of activities designed to engage prospective teachers in broadening and deepening their understanding of school mathematics and teaching strategies. LPS occurs over 5 weeks on the same lesson topic and includes four opportunities to revisit one's own ideas and the ideas of others. In this paper, we describe one prospective teacher's growth in understanding right triangle trigonometry as she participated in LPS. This study is part of a much larger study investigating how prospective secondary teachers learn to teach mathematics within the context of LPS. Results of this study indicate that Image Saying, an activity for growth in understanding from the Pirie–Kieren model [Pirie, S., & Kieren, T. (1994). Growth in mathematical understanding: How can we characterize it and how can we represent it? Educational Studies in Mathematics, 26, 165–190], is critical to prospective teachers’ growth in understanding school mathematics. Multiple opportunities and contexts within which to share understanding of school mathematics led to significant growth in understanding of right triangle trigonometry which in turn led to growth in understanding of teaching strategies. That is, the results of this study indicate that growth in understanding school mathematics (what to teach) leads to growth in understanding teaching strategies (how to teach) as prospective teachers participate in LPS.
Individual differences and reproductive success in yellow-bellied marmots

Mirror-image stimulation (MIS) was used to determine the individual behavioral phenotypes of 90 adult, 132 yearling, and 135 young yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris). Linear typal analys...