cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The changing landscape of wildfire: burn pattern trends and implications for California’s yellow pine and mixed conifer forests

Wildfire spatial patterns drive ecological processes including vegetation succession and wildlife community dynamics. Such patterns may be changing due to fire suppression policies and climate change, making characterization of trends in post-fire mosaics important for understanding and managing fire-prone ecosystems. For wildfires in California’s yellow pine and mixed-conifer forests, spatial pattern trends of two components of the post-fire severity matrix were assessed for 1984–2015: (1) unchanged or very low-severity and (2) high-severity, which represent remnant forest and stand-replacing fire, respectively. Trends were evaluated for metrics of total and proportional burned area, shape complexity, aggregation, and core area. Additionally, comparisons were made between management units where fire suppression is commonly practiced and those with a history of managing wildfire for ecological/resource benefits. Unchanged or very low-severity area per fire decreased proportionally through time, and became increasingly fragmented. High-severity area and core area increased on average across most of California, with the high-severity component also becoming simpler in shape in the Sierra Nevada. Compared to suppression units, managed wildfire units lack an increase in high-severity area, have less aggregated post-fire mosaics, and more high-severity spatial complexity. Documented changes in severity patterns have cascading ecological effects including increased vegetation type conversion risk, habitat availability shifts, and remnant forest fragmentation. These changes likely benefit early-seral-associated species at the expense of mature closed-canopy forest-associated species. Managed wildfire appears to moderate some effects of fire suppression, and may help buy time for ecosystems and managers to respond to a changing climate.
Frames and Metaphors for Interreligious Dialog and the Interdisciplinary Study of Religion

Judith Berling taught that it would be wise to consider carefully how we are thinking, to ponder what we are trying to do in religious studies. Bonnie Howe takes on this challenge by exploring how the metaphors and conceptual frames we use to think and talk about religion and interdisciplinary study shape our work. She explains how metaphors and frames open up, guide, constrain, and help validate the interdisciplinary study of religions.
Behavioral correlates of presynaptic events in the cholinergic neurotransmitter system

A quarter century ago in the Epilogue to his critical review of information about “Drug and Chemical Stimulation of the Brain” Myers (215a) stated: “Most impressive is the singular fact that ACh is the only substance that can influence every physiological or behavioral response thus far examined.” The present quarter century has seen our knowledge about the cholinergic neurotransmitter system develop by quantal steps arising from imaginative new concepts and from innovative techniques for testing hypotheses generated by them. The new knowledge is upgrading our basic understanding of the roles of the cholinergic system in functions, both centrally and peripherally, within the organism. It is contributing very significantly to our understanding of ways in which the system may malfunction and enter into abnormal states of the organism. Such information is essential to uncovering the etiology of human behavioral disorders and the invention of treatments for them. These are disorders that affect human health and happiness and may, through illness, incapacitation and demand for health services, have an important impact on a society’s economy. The paragraphs that follow are viewed within this broad context. They focus on how presynaptic events in the cholinergic system are involved as living organisms cope with their physical and psychosocial environments.
Isolation of Axolemma-Enriched Fractions from Mammalian CNS

One goal for the development of systematic fractionation procedures for CNS tissue is to allow a complete description of the biochemical properties of the cellular constituents of the CNS neuron and its supportive cells. As shown in Fig. 1, for a typical CNS neuron to function correctly, the neuron must interact with both the nutrient-supplying astrocytes and the myelin-forming oligodendroglial cells. The oligodendroglial-derived myelin sheath was one of the first CNS cellular fractions isolated (Norton, 1977). The first neuronal cell fraction to be isolated was the pinched-off nerve ending or synaptosome (DeRobertis et al.,1963; Whittaker et al., 1964). Synaptosomes have been further fractionated to yield postsynaptic densities, synaptic vesicles, as well as presynaptic membranes (Cotman, 1974; see also Siekevitz, this volume). A variety of techniques have been devised for the bulk isolation of neuronal perikarya (Norton and Poduslo, 1972). Further developments have made possible the isolation of the majority of the glial cells that support neuronal function including astroglial cells (Norton and Poduslo, 1972; Farooq and Norton, 1977) and oligodendroglial cells (see Poduslo, this volume). The molecular and metabolic properties of the myelinated axon and its cellular constituents were the “missing link” in our understanding of the functional CNS neuron.
Factors That Affect Length of Hospital Stay After Vestibular Schwannoma Surgery.

Objective To identify perioperative factors that influence hospital length of stay (LOS) after resection of vestibular schwannoma (VS). Study design Retrospective case review. Setting Tertiary skull base referral center. Patients Patients who underwent acoustic neuroma resection between January 1, 2007 and January 1, 2014. Interventions Approaches used for VS resection included translabyrinthine and retrosigmoid. Main outcome measures LOS and several perioperative factors that may delay hospital discharge were examined. Factors included were patient demographics (age and sex), tumor characteristics (size), surgical factors (operative time, approach, revision surgery, date of surgery), and immediate postoperative factors (presence of vertigo or immediate postoperative complications). Results Two hundred eighty-eight patients underwent VS resection during the study period. Two hundred fifty-five patients had complete charts available for review. LOS ranged from 1 to 10 days with an average of 2.66 days and mode of 2 days. One hundred thirty-one patients were admitted for ≤2 days and 124 patients stayed longer. Of the perioperative factors examined with univariate analysis, female gender (p = 0.0266) and presence of postoperative vertigo (p 2 days. On multivariate logistic regression analysis with odds ratios (OR), older patient age (OR = 1.028, p = 0.0177), female gender (OR = 1.810, p = 0.0314), longer operative time (OR = 1.424, p = 0.0007), and presence of postoperative vertigo (OR = 4.904, p 2 days. Conclusions VS surgery and postoperative care can be carried out efficiently with a minimal LOS. Identifying factors that may prolong LOS may help the operative team anticipate and address needs to optimize LOS.
Beware Intradialytic Hypotension: How Low Is Too Low?

Intradialytic hypotension (IDH) is a long-recognized complication of the hemodialysis procedure. Although numerous definitions exist to define IDH, the 2005 National Kidney Foundation Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative definition (a decrease in systolic BP [SBP] by ≥20 mm Hg or a decrease
Thematic Minireview Series: Metals in Biology 2014

This thematic series, the sixth in the Metals in Biology collection beginning in 2009, addresses the issue of why certain metals are used by particular enzymes, as well as the consequences of using the wrong metal. This prologue introduces the 2014 Metals in Biology thematic series. The first minireview in the series deals with general aspects of metal specificity, and the next two deal with specific cases, the enzyme ribonucleotide reductase and iron/manganese homeostasis in the bacterium Bacillus subtilis. The fourth discusses metal selection in oxidative stress, and the final minireview discusses lysosome-related organelles as mediators of metal homeostasis.
Measuring Multidimensional Well-Being and Deprivation with Discrete Ordinal Data

This paper studies the measurement of multidimensional well-being and deprivation when every attribute is discretely and ordinally measurable. In this context, we propose an axiom, Non-dominance, and use it together with some other standard axioms from the existing literature to characterize a class of measures of social well-being and also a class of social deprivation measures.
Nucleation of quark-gluon plasma from hadronic matter

Abstract The energy densities achieved during central collisions of large nuclei at Brookhaven's AGS may be high enough to allow the formation of quark-gluon plasma. Calculations based on relativistic nucleation theory suggest that rare events, perhaps one in every 10 2 or 10 3 , undergo the phase transition. Experimental ramifications may include an enhancement in the ratio of pions to baryons, a suppression of deuteron production and a larger source size as seen by hadron interferometry.
Risk factors for externalizing behavior among adolescents: Does level of risk matter?

Abstract Few studies have examined differences in risk factors for adolescent externalizing behavior (i.e., delinquency and aggression) based on level of risk (i.e., community vs. Teen Court samples). The purpose of the current study was to explore the relationship between perceived peer/community social norms and externalizing behavior for two samples of rural youth (N = 4,461): a community sample and a sample of rural youth who were referred to a juvenile justice diversion program (Teen Court). Using multiple regression, results indicated that individual factors (i.e., internalizing symptoms, susceptibility to peer pressure, parent-child conflict) and social norms factors (i.e., perceived peer delinquency, perceived community criminal behavior) were significantly associated with externalizing behavior. Further, sample (i.e., community vs. Teen Court samples) moderated the impact of social norms factors such that the relationship between perceived peer delinquency and externalizing behavior was stronger for Teen Court youth and the relationship between internalizing symptoms and externalizing behavior was stronger for the community sample.
VARIABLE POINT SOURCES IN SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY STRIPE 82. I. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND INITIAL CATALOG (0 hr ⩽α⩽ 4 hr)

We report the first results of a study of variable point sources identified using multi-color timeseries photometry from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82, including data from the SDSS-II Supernova Survey, over a span of nearly 10 years (1998-2007). We construct a light-curve catalog of 221,842 point sources in the R.A. 0-4 hr half of Stripe 82, limited to r = 22.0 mag, that have at least 10 detections in the ugriz bands and color errors < 0.2 mag. These sources are then classified by color and by cross matching them to existing SDSS catalogs of interesting objects. Inhomogeneous ensemble differential photometry techniques are used to greatly improve our sensitivity to variability and reduce contamination by sources that appear variable due to large photometric noise or systematic effects caused by non-uniform photometric conditions throughout the survey. We use robust variable identification methods to extract 6520 variable candidates from this data set, resulting in an overall variable fraction of ~2.9% at the level of ~0.05 mag variability. Despite the sparse and uneven time sampling of the light-curve data, we discover 143 periodic variables in total. Due to period ambiguity caused by relatively poor phase coverage, we identify a smaller final set of 101 periodic variables with well-determined periods and light curves. Among these are 55 RR Lyrae, 30 eclipsing binary candidates, and 16 high-amplitude Delta Scuti variables. In addition to these objects, we also identify a sample of 2704 variable quasars matched to the SDSS Quasar Catalog, which make up a large fraction of our variable candidates. An additional 2403 quasar candidates are tentatively identified and selected by their non-stellar colors and variability. A sample of 11,328 point sources that appear to be nonvariable given the limits of our variability sensitivity is also briefly discussed. Finally, we describe several interesting objects discovered among our eclipsing binary candidates, and illustrate the use of our publicly available light-curve catalog by tracing Galaxy halo substructure with our small sample of RR Lyrae variables.
The Evolution of European Data Law

This new chapter for the next edition of Paul Craig and Grainne de Burca’s Evolution of EU Law conceptualizes European data law as an area of EU law that gravitates around but transcends data protection law. It traces the origins of the EU’s data protection law to national and international antecedents, stresses the significance of recognizing data protection and privacy in the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, and explores the gradual institutionalization of data protection law through exceptionally independent data protection authorities, firmly embedded data protection officers, and emergent structures for supranational coordination. It then contrasts the EU law on personal data with the EU law on non-personal data and scrutinizes two other domains of European data law that intersect in complicated ways with data protection law: data ownership laws and access to data laws. European data protection law has been globally diffused through extraterritorial application, conditionalities for transfers of personal data, international agreements, and the “Brussels Effect” but whether the EU will retain its role as global data regulator is far from certain. As the European Commission is executing its data strategy, it needs to move beyond simplistic understandings of data as a resource, recognize the salience of data infrastructures, and confront the reality that data is more than a regulatory object.
Last Matter: Introducing infographics to Methodology Matters.

Abstract Visual summaries are gaining momentum in the health sciences literature. The Journal is introducing a new article type—Last Matter (LM). These will consist of infographics that quickly summarize and visually describe topics typically addressed in more detail within Methodology Matters reviews. The primary goal is to provide readers with clear guidance related to one or two common issues, pitfalls, or points of confusion when conducting pharmacy education scholarship. In addition to a graphical summary, a key element of each LM is a list of recommended resources for readers interested in more detailed information. The first Last Matter published in this issue summarizes key concepts related to quality in qualitative research. The Journal hopes these infographics may be helpful to for readers to comprehend and share, as well as to influence future contributions to the pharmacy education literature.
A Retrospective 5-Year Single Center Study Highlighting the Risk of Cancer Predisposition in Adolescents and Young Adults.

The knowledge of inherited cancer susceptibility opens a new field of cancer medicine. We conducted a retrospective single-center cohort study. Data of AYA cancer patients registered between January 2014 and December 2018 were analyzed. The median age at cancer diagnosis of 704 patients (343 males, 361 females) was 32 years (range, 15–39 years), median follow-up was 181 days (range, 1–1975 days). Solid tumors were diagnosed in 575 (81.7%) patients, hematologic malignancies in 129 (18.3%) patients. Multiple primary cancers were reported in 36 (5.1%) patients. Malignancies that may be indicators of inherited cancer susceptibility were diagnosed in 2.6% of patients with cancers of the endocrine system, in 73% of cancers of the gastrointestinal system, in 88% of tumors of the central nervous system, in 92% of cancers of the urinary tract, and in 59% of head and neck tumors. In addition, all patients with breast cancer, sarcoma, and peripheral nerve sheath tumor were in need of genetic counselling. In sum, at least 181 of 704 (25.7%) AYA cancer patients presented with malignancies suspicious of harboring pathogenic germline variants. Evaluation of AYA cancer patients for hereditary cancer predisposition needs to be integrated into daily practice.
Analyzing the Epidemiological Outbreak of COVID-19: Real-time, Visual Data Analysis, Short-term Forecasting, and Risk Factor Identification

The COVID-19 outbreak was initially reported in Wuhan, China, and it has been declared as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 30 January 2020 by WHO. It has now spread to over 180 countries, and it has gradually evolved into a world-wide pandemic, endangering the state of global public health and becoming a serious threat to the global community. To combat and prevent the spread of the disease, all individuals should be well-informed of the rapidly changing state of COVID-19. To accomplish this objective, I have built a website to analyze and deliver the latest state of the disease and relevant analytical insights. The website is designed to cater to the general audience, and it aims to communicate insights through various straightforward and concise data visualizations that are supported by sound statistical methods, accurate data modeling, state-of-the-art natural language processing techniques, and reliable data sources. This paper discusses the major methodologies which are utilized to generate the insights displayed on the website, which include an automatic data ingestion pipeline, normalization techniques, moving average computation, ARIMA time-series forecasting, and logistic regression models. In addition, the paper highlights key discoveries that have been derived in regard to COVID-19 using the methodologies. Doi: 10.28991/HIJ-2021-02-03-09 Full Text: PDF
A nonlinear viscoelastic–viscoplastic constitutive model for adhesives under creep

In this study, we consider the nonlinear viscoelastic–viscoplastic behavior of adhesive films in scarf joints. We develop a three-dimensional nonlinear model, which combines a nonlinear viscoelastic model with a viscoplastic model using the von Mises yield criterion and nonlinear kinematic hardening. We implement an iterative scheme for the viscoplastic solution and a numerical algorithm with stress correction for the combined viscoelastic–viscoplastic model into finite element analysis. The viscoelastic component of the model is calibrated using creep-recovery data from adhesive films in scarf joints. The viscoplastic parameters are calibrated from the residual strains of recovered creep tests with varying load durations. A two-dimensional form of the model shows good agreement with the three-dimensional model for the scarf joint considered in this work and is compared with experiment. The numerical results show favorable agreement with the experimental creep and recovery responses of two epoxy adhesive systems. We also discuss the contribution of nonlinear viscoelasticity and viscoplasticity to the stress/strain distribution along the adhesive center lines. Viscoplasticity tends to lower the stress concentration.
Lower serum selenium concentration associated with anxiety in children.

Abstract Purpose Few studies have examined the role of selenium in anxiety. This study aimed to evaluate the association between serum selenium concentrations and anxiety disorders and symptoms in children. Design and methods This study utilized data from 831 children participating in the China Jintan Child Cohort Study (mean age = 12.67 years; 46.1% female). Serum selenium samples were collected and anxiety was assessed using the Chinese version of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders. Six types of anxiety scores were calculated, including total anxiety, panic/somatic, generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, social anxiety, and school phobia. Results Controlling for covariates, children with lower serum selenium concentrations were more likely to meet clinical cutoffs for total anxiety (OR = 0.992, p 0.05). Controlling for covariates, lower serum selenium concentrations were also associated with higher continuous total anxiety, generalized anxiety, and school phobia scores (p Conclusions Lower serum selenium concentrations were associated with higher anxiety. To our knowledge, this was the first study to examine the relationship between serum selenium and anxiety disorders in a sample of children. Results indicate an association between children's micronutrient levels and anxiety disorders. Practice implications Improving child nutrition may be a promising strategy to help reduce childhood anxiety.
Ensuring Eighth Amendment Protection from Excessive Fines in Civil Asset Forfeiture Cases

Civil asset forfeiture is a law enforcement policy frequently abused by federal and state law enforcement agencies. These seizures are preferred because no criminal convictions are required to seize property and the property need only be shown "guilty" of facilitating criminal behavior by a probable cause or a preponderance of the evidence standard. Claimants often seek to avoid these seizures by alleging violation of the Excessive Fines Clause. There are three tests most commonly used by federal courts to determine unconstitutionally excessive civil forfeitures. While "gross disproportionality" is the most popular test, this article argues that gross disproportionality is inappropriate for civil forfeiture cases. Instead, courts should employ the instrumentality-proportionality test developed in Zumirez (a 9th Circuit district court case) since the test considers both proportionality and whether the seized property was integral to the criminal activity. Given the questionable use of civil forfeiture by law enforcement and the American public's souring attitude towards the war on drugs, a test like Zumirez is needed to provide claimants more protections from abusive civil forfeitures.
Drift during overground locomotion in newly hatched chicks varies with light exposure during embryogenesis.

In an earlier study of newly hatched chicks we reported that continuous bright light exposure throughout incubation accelerated locomotor development and continuous dark exposure delayed it, compared to less intense, intermittent light exposure. Commonly studied gait parameters indicated locomotor skill was similar across groups. However, dark incubated chicks walked with a greater step width, raising the possibility of differences in dynamic balance and control of forward progression. In this study, we established methods to retrospectively examine the previously published locomotor data for differences in lateral drift. We hypothesized that chicks incubated in darkness would exhibit more drift than chicks incubated in light. Analyses identified differences in forward progression between chicks incubated in the two extreme light conditions, supporting the study's hypothesis. We discuss the significance of our findings and potential design considerations for future studies of light-accelerated motor development in precocial and nonprecocial animals. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 57: 459–469, 2015.
Classification of Lung Tumors

The first classification of lung tumors was published in 1967 by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer under the auspices of the World Health Organization. It was updated for the first time in 1981. The third edition of the same classification was published in 1997. The last published WHO classification was in 2004. The WHO adopts a policy of making any classification based on methods and criteria that are easy to apply and reproduce in any setting anywhere in the world. For histopathologic diagnosis, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained histologic sections are the standard type of morphology that is followed for classification. The role of ancillary studies such as immunohistochemistry or molecular markers should be to confirm not to make the diagnosis. Differentiation along the epithelial vs. mesenchymal types of tissue would serve as a basis to differentiate most carcinomas from sarcomas. Within the epithelial category, carcinomas would be distinguished according to their further differentiation along glandular or squamous lineage. Undifferentiated carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation is reserved for small carcinoma with specific clinical and molecular implications. Combined or mixed differentiation could also occur. The majority of tumors in the lung are carcinomas (90–95 %), with the remainder 5 % representing bronchial carcinoid and 2–5 % representing mesenchymal or other miscellaneous tumors.
Chronic interleukin-6 exposure alters metabotropic glutamate receptor-activated calcium signalling in cerebellar Purkinje neurons

Chronic central nervous system expression of the cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) is thought to contribute to the histopathological, pathophysiological, and cognitive deficits associated with various neurological disorders. However, the effects of chronic IL-6 expression on neuronal function are largely unknown. Previous studies have shown that chronic IL-6 exposure alters intrinsic electrophysiological properties and intracellular Ca2+ signalling evoked by ionotropic glutamate receptor activation in cerebellar Purkinje neurons. In the current study, using primary cultures of rat cerebellum, we investigated the effects of chronic IL-6 exposure on metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR)-activated Ca2+ signalling and release from intracellular Ca2+ stores. Chronic exposure (6-10 days) of Purkinje neurons to 500 units/mL IL-6 resulted in elevated resting Ca2+ levels and increased intracellular Ca2+ signals evoked by the group I mGluR agonist (S)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) compared to untreated control neurons. Chronic IL-6 treatment also augmented Ca2+ signals evoked by brief 100 mm K+ depolarization, although to a lesser degree than responses evoked by DHPG. Depleting intracellular Ca2+ stores with sarcoplasmic-endoplasmic reticulum ATPase inhibitors (thapsigargin or cyclopiazonic acid) or blocking ryanodine receptor-dependent release from intracellular stores (using ryanodine) resulted in a greater reduction of DHPG- and K+-evoked Ca2+ signals in chronic IL-6-treated neurons than in control neurons. The present data show that chronic exposure to elevated levels of IL-6, such as occurs in various neurological diseases, alters Ca2+ signalling involving release from intracellular stores. The results support the hypothesis that chronic IL-6 exposure disrupts neuronal function and thereby may contribute to the pathophysiology associated with many neurological diseases.
Temporal Aggregation of Lognormal AR processes

We consider temporal aggregation of lognormal autoregressive (AR) processes. More specifically, we develop a novel moment-matching approximation for temporally aggregated lognormal AR processes. In addition, we show that our approximation provides the closest lognormal AR process in terms of Kullback–Leibler divergence. Moreover, we perform a simulation study to compare our proposed approximation with two competing approximations. This study shows that in terms of L1- and L2-norm distances our approximation provides superior results. Our results have an important practical application and one main practical implication. In terms of practical application, our approximation can provide possible candidate solutions for simulation-based algorithms such as the Metropolis–Hastings algorithm. The practical implication gives support to common practice: when the original fine-level process follows a lognormal AR process but only aggregated data are available, then instead of assuming a Gaussian process it is better to assume a lognormal AR process at the aggregated level. Finally, we illustrate the utility of our results with two applications. The first example considers a simulated dataset whereas the second example examines the number of yearly sunspots in the period 1700–1984.
Innate lymphoid cells in the initiation, regulation and resolution of inflammation

A previously unappreciated cell type of the innate immune system, termed innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), has been characterized in mice and humans and found to influence the induction, regulation and resolution of inflammation. ILCs have an important role in these processes in mouse models of infection, inflammation and tissue repair. Further, disease-association studies in defined patient populations have identified significant alterations in ILC responses, suggesting a potential role for these cell populations in human health and disease. In this review we discuss the emerging family of ILCs, the role of ILCs in inflammation, and how current or novel therapeutic strategies could be used to selectively modulate ILC responses and limit chronic inflammatory diseases.
Blood Vessel Signals During Development and Beyond

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the blood vessel signals during development and beyond. The blood vessels perform many rather surprising functions. The endothelium, a single layer of cells that lines the lumen of all blood vessels, regulates a myriad of processes that ensure adult tissue homeostasis, including the control of vascular tone, blood coagulation, fibrinolysis and wound healing, acute inflammation, antigen presentation, and leukocyte recruitment. Recent experimental evidence indicates that blood vessels provide signals that drive the differentiation of organs and tissues in the developing embryo. This chapter places the issue of blood vessel signaling within the wider context of vascular development, and examines the ultrastructure of ECs that reflects their signaling potential. In addition, this chapter provides examples of blood vessel signals identified during embryogenesis and in adult tissues, and offers perspectives on important contradictory observations. The chapter proposes future avenues of investigation that would advance the understanding of vascular signaling potential, and examines its relevance to a wide range of clinical and experimental applications.
A new method for labeling and autoradiographic localization of androgen receptors.

We have used a novel receptor labeling and autoradiographic technique to localize androgen receptors in the intact rat ventral prostate at the morphological level. Frozen slide-mounted prostate tissue sections (10 micron thick) were incubated with increasing concentrations of (/sup 3/H)-R1881 in the absence and presence of excess unlabeled R1881. Tissue sections labeled in this way were subjected to concurrent biochemical and autoradiographic analysis. After incubation and washing to remove free (/sup 3/H)-steroid, some of the sections were wiped from the slides for scintillation counting in order to characterize and quantitate (/sup 3/H)-R1881 binding. Androgen receptors could indeed be labeled in slide-mounted tissue sections, and specific (/sup 3/H)-R1881 binding to these receptors was high-affinity (Kd = 1 nM), saturable, and androgen-specific. All cellular androgen receptors appear to be retained, because receptor content in sections was comparable to the sum of receptors in subcellular fractions of homogenized tissue. Replicate labeled slide-mounted tissue sections were dried rapidly, apposed to dry emulsion-coated coverslips, and exposed in the dark for autoradiography. Silver grains were counted over nuclei or cytoplasm of epithelium or stroma to evaluate specific androgen receptor location. Autoradiographic analysis demonstrated androgen receptor localization almost exclusively in the epithelial nuclei, with little or nonemore » in the stroma. We discuss here the unique features and advantages of labeling androgen receptors in slide-mounted frozen tissue sections for autoradiographic localization.« less
Modulation of the cytotoxicity and mutagenicity of benzo[a]pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene 7,8-diol by glutathione and glutathione S-transferases in mammalian cells (CHO/HGPRT assay).

Abstract Biologically reactive metabolites of benzo[ a ]pyrene (BP)and benzo[ a ]-pyrene 7,8-diol (BP-diol), formed by the mixed-function oxidase (MFO) system, are substrates for conjugation and detoxication by glutathione (GSH) when catalyzed by glutathione S -transferases (GSHT). We have investigated the detoxication of BP- and BP-diol-induced cytotoxicity and mutagenicity with GSH by supplementing the S9 mix used in the Chinese hamster ovary cells/hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (CHO/HGPRT) assay with GSH (6.5 mM) of GSH plus GSHT. The addition of GSH to the S9 mix resulted in a reduction of BP- and BP-diol induced cytotoxicity. GSH plus GSHT eliminated BP-induced cytotoxicity and reduced the mutagenicity of BP. GSH inhibited the mutagenicity at low (essentially non-lethal) concentrations of BP-diol, but did not do so at toxic concentrations. GSH plus GSHT inhibited the cytotoxicity and mutagenicity of BP-diol at concentrations not affected by GSH alone. These studies indicate that biochemical mechanisms of detoxication can affect the biological activity of a carcinogen, such as BP or BP-diol as profoundly as bioactivation by the MFO system.
Empowerment evaluation : From theory to practice

This article will focus on the practical application of the principles and methods of empowerment evaluation. Empowerment evaluation, conceptualized by Dr. David M. Fetterman, is described as "the use of evaluation concepts, techniques, and findings to foster improvement and self-determination" (Fetterman 1997). (For a complete description of the empowerment evaluation model, see Fetterman's 2001 book Foundations of Empowerment Evaluation). While that description tends towards the abstract, the practical sum of the debate between proponents and critics appears to be that empowerment evaluation is somewhere between classical evaluation and evaluation training. It is unabashedly "customer-oriented," and it shares the burden of evaluation with the evaluated group. Because it straddles the boundary between evaluation and training, to many empowerment evaluation represents a controversial new twist on established evaluation ideas.
Kjetil Mujezinović Larsen, Camilla Guldahl Cooper and Gro Nystuen (eds). Searching for a ‘Principle of Humanity’ in International Humanitarian Law

The stated aim of the book under review, edited by three prominent Scandinavian academics, is to explore whether a "principle of humanity" exists as an independent, binding norm in international humanitarian law (IHL) or whether its legal impact is limited to the norm-creation process. It consists of 11 articles (with an introduction and a conclusion), divided into two principal sections: "theoretical perspectives" and "Nordic experiences". The editors observe that there is currently a lack of clarity with regard to a "principle of humanity" and, accordingly, propose to consider two related questions in order to illuminate the discussion. The first is whether recent developments may have resulted in humanitarian considerations having a greater impact than considerations of military necessity on IHL. This issue is explored in various articles in both sections of the book, and the articles tend to focus in particular on the impact of international human rights law (IHRL) on IHL. Indeed, one of the major themes of IHL has been the growing move towards the rules of human rights law and vice versa. The debate has also gained particular importance from a European perspective as a result of the decisions in Al-Jedda v. United Kingdom and Al-Skeini and others v. United Kingdom. The second question discussed in this book (principally in the second section) is whether certain regions or nations that are not directly affected by armed conflicts are likely to place more emphasis on humanitarian considerations in IHL than are other regions or nations. The issue is addressed from the perspective of Scandinavian nations (referred to as "Nordic" nations), and all of the articles in the second section are written by Scandinavian academics. However, some of these articles not only question whether there is in fact a unified "Nordic perspective" (for ex ample, the article
Cache-conscious buffering for database operators with state

Database processes must be cache-efficient to effectively utilize modern hardware. In this paper, we analyze the importance of temporal locality and the resultant cache behavior in scheduling database operators for in-memory, block oriented query processing. We demonstrate how the overall performance of a workload of multiple database operators is strongly dependent on how they are interleaved with each other. Longer time slices combined with temporal locality within an operator amortize the effects of the initial compulsory cache misses needed to load the operator's state, such as a hash table, into the cache. Though running an operator to completion over all of its input results in the greatest amortization of cache misses, this is typically infeasible because of the large intermediate storage requirement to materialize all input tuples to an operator. We show experimentally that good cache performance can be obtained with smaller buffers whose size is determined at runtime. We demonstrate a low-overhead method of runtime cache miss sampling using hardware performance counters. Our evaluation considers two common database operators with state: aggregation and hash join. Sampling reveals operator temporal locality and cache miss behavior, and we use those characteristics to choose an appropriate input buffer/block size. The calculated buffer size balances cache miss amortization with buffer memory requirements.
Is there coronary artery disease in the cancer patient who manifests with chest pain, shortness of breath and/or tachycardia? A retrospective observational cohort

Objective Cancer therapies lead to chest pain (CP), shortness of breath (SOB), and/or tachydysrhythmias (TACH Y) requiring cardiac risk stratification including coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA). We posit that cancer patients with CP, SOB and/or TACH Y have greater odds of having coronary artery disease (CAD) identified by CCTA than those that do not.
Studies of inertio-gravity waves on midlatitude beta-plane without the traditional approximation

The role of the Rossby parameter β due to the meridional variation of the Coriolis parameter f is investigated for inertio-gravity waves in midlatitudes based on a linear Boussinesq model without the traditional approximation, namely including the role of the horizontal component of the Coriolis vector of the Earth's rotation. Without the β-effect, it is well established that the non-traditional Coriolis effects give rise to an additional mode of inertio-gravity (IG) waves whose frequencies are slightly smaller than the local Coriolis frequency f unlike the traditional IG-mode whose frequencies are larger than f. The addition of the β-effect modifies the properties of the sub-inertial and super-inertial IG-modes. These modifications are examined by calculating the model normal modes for a given vertical profile of the buoyancy frequency N. Inclusion of the β-effect yields the external and internal Rossby modes in addition to the IG-modes. Presence of the external Rossby mode in this model is a new result, since it does not occur in the traditional version with β nor in the non-traditional version without β. The normal-mode properties, including wave frequencies and eigenfunctions, are presented for various values of N. The normal-mode analysis is complemented by the initial-value approach to study the evolution of waves generated by forcing. The results of numerical time-integrations of wave generation in the ocean forced by atmospheric disturbances and by the interaction of tidal flows with bottom topography are presented to reveal a notable role of β for the IG-waves. Application to atmospheric problems is proposed. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society
Newer antithrombin agents in acute coronary syndromes

Thrombin, through its procoagulant and prothrombotic actions, plays a central role in the pathogenesis of unstable angina and acute myocardial infarction. Antithrombin therapy with unfractionated heparin has several important disadvantages, such as a variable anticoagulant effect, sensitivity to platelet factor 4, an inability to inhibit clot-bound thrombin, and the potential to cause thrombocytopenia. Alternative approaches have focused on novel anticoagulants, including direct antithrombins (eg, hirudin) and low-molecular-weight heparins (eg, enoxaparin). Direct antithrombins bind tightly to thrombin without requiring the cofactor antithrombin. Low-molecular-weight heparins display enriched anti-factor Xa activity, improved bioavailability, and facilitated administration versus unfractionated heparin. Recent trials demonstrate that direct antithrombins reduce rates of death and myocardial infarction early in patients without ST elevation, but the treatment effect diminishes over time. In contrast, treatment with enoxaparin shows superiority versus unfractionated heparin, and the treatment effect is durable over time. Whether thrombolysis with adjunctive treatment with low-molecular-weight heparins will show efficacy in patients with ST-segment elevation is the subject of ongoing trials.
Predator–prey interactions in a grassland food chain vary with temperature and food quality

Because species interactions are often context-dependent, abiotic factors such as temperature and biotic factors such as food quality may alter species interactions with potential consequences to ecosystem structure and function. For example, altered predator–prey interactions may influence the dynamics of trophic cascades, affecting net primary production. In a three-year field experiment, we manipulated a plant–grasshopper–spider food chain in mesic tallgrass prairie to investigate the effects of temperature and food quality on grasshopper performance, and to understand the direct and indirect tritrophic interactions that contribute to trophic cascades. Because spiders are active at cooler temperatures than grasshoppers in our system, we hypothesized that predator effects would be strongest in cooled treatments, and weakest in warmed treatments. Grasshopper spider interactions were highly context-dependent and varied significantly with food quality, temperature treatment and year. Spiders most often reduced grasshopper survival in the cooled and ambient temperature treatments, but had little to no effect on grasshopper survival in the warmed treatments, as hypothesized. In some years, plants compensated for grasshopper herbivory and trophic cascades were not observed despite significant effects of predators on grasshopper survival. However, in the year they were observed, trophic cascades only occurred in cooled treatments where predator effects on grasshoppers were strongest. Predicting ecosystem responses to climate change will require an understanding of how temperature influences species interactions. Our results demonstrate that changes in daily temperature regimes can alter predator–prey interactions among arthropods with consequences for ecosystem processes such as primary production and the relative importance of top–down and bottom–up processes.
Mathematics Strategies for Secondary Students with Learning Disabilities or Mathematics Deficiencies: A Cognitive Approach.

Identifies specific deficits that secondary students with learning disabilities or mathematics deficiencies may have and outlines a Cognitive Assault Strategy for teaching upper level mathematics such as algebra or calculus to these students
Sulfonamide Resistant Shigella paradysenteriae Flexner and Shigella sonnei

SummaryBacteriostatic and bactericidal concentrations of 6 sulfonamides in vitro after 2, 4 and 7 days for a resistant strain of Shigella paradysenteriae Flexner and 2 resistant strains of Shigella sonnei show that: The 3 resistant strains were not resistant to sulfapyrazine; the Sonnei (Ch) strain was in addition, not resistant to sulfacetamide; the Sonnei (Ma) strain was also not resistant to sulfacetamide according to the bactericidal concentrations, but as judged by the bacteriostatic concentrations was more resistant to sulfacetamide than was its parent strain; these 3 strains were quite resistant to the other sulfonamides.
A comparison of K- and R-matrix parameterizations of s-wave 16O+p elastic scattering

Abstract Values for the reduced proton width of the 1 2 + bound state of 17F are extracted using K- and R-matrix fits to s-wave 16O+p phase shifts. The reduced proton width is also calculated using a potential model which reproduces the elastic scattering data and also the 16O(p, γ) cross section into the 1 2 + state. The fitted K-matrix reduced proton width is inconsistent with the R-matrix value and also the potential model calculation. Investigations using the potential model reveal that the likely cause of the discrepancy is the complicated nature of the K-matrix background. We find that the background cannot be adequately represented by the sum of real-energy pole and a constant.
Cost-threshold analyses of the National AIDS Demonstration Research HIV prevention interventions.

Objective: The goal of the multisite National AIDS Demonstration Research (NADR) program was to reduce the sexual and drug injection-related HIV risks of out-oftreatment injection drug users and their sex partners. Previous analyses have established that the NADR interventions were effective at changing participants’ risky behaviors. This study was to determine whether the NADR program also was costeffective. Methods: Data from eight NADR study sites were included in the analysis. A mathematical model was used to translate reported sexual and injection-related behavior changes into an estimate of the number of infections prevented by the NADR interventions and then to calculate the corresponding savings in averted HIV/AIDS medical care costs and quality-adjusted years of life, assuming United States values for these parameters. Because cost data were not collected in the original NADR evaluation, the savings in averted medical care costs were compared with the cost of implementing a similar intervention program for injection drug users. Results: The eight NADR interventions prevented approximately 129 infections among 6629 participants and their partners. Overall, the NADR program would be cost saving (i.e. provide net economic savings) if it cost less than US$2107 per person and would be cost-effective if it cost less than US$10 264 per person. Both of these estimates are considerably larger than the US$273 per person cost of the comparison intervention. There was substantial cross-site variability. Conclusions: The results of this analysis strongly suggest that the NADR interventions were cost-saving overall and were, at the very least, cost-effective at all eight sites. In the United States and other developed counties, investments in HIV-prevention interventions such as these have the potential to save substantial economic resources by averting HIV-related medical care expenses among injection drug users. & 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins AIDS 2000, 14:1257‐1268