cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The tomato ethylene receptor gene family: Form and function

Phytohormones are essential for integrating many aspects of plant development and responses to the environment. Regulation of hormonally controlled events occurs at multiple levels: synthesis, catabolism and perception (Trewavas 1983, Bradford and Trewavas 1994). At the level of perception, sensitivity to hormones can be regulated both spatially and temporally during the life cycle. An example of spatial regulation is the differential response to a hormone that occurs during organ abscission. Temporally, sensitivity of an organ to a hormone may change during maturation, as occurs during fruit ripening. In this review, we will focus on the initial event in recognition of one hormone, ethylene. The ethylene receptor was the first plant hormone receptor to be unambiguously identified. Over the last few years, great progress has been made in elucidating the genes involved in ethylene action. Nonetheless, the mechanisms of signal transduction remain to be established. Here, we will address the status of the tomato receptor gene family and the evidence that regulation of receptor gene expression can influence the response of the plant to the hormone.
Defining resistance: Breakpoints and beyond implications for pediatric respiratory infection

Abstract The emergence of isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae with reduced susceptibility to penicillins, cephalosporins, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and macrolide antibiotics requires a re-evaluation of strategies for the treatment of community-acquired respiratory disease. One response has been the consideration of withholding initial antimicrobial therapy for children with acute otitis media (AOM). Review of clinical studies supports a reduction in suppurative complications, and a more rapid resolution of signs and symptoms as well as the course of middle ear disease in children treated with antimicrobial agents. Breakpoints established by the NCCLS for in vitro susceptibility reporting may not reflect clinical efficacy at all sites of disease. Clinical studies of AOM due to penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae report success with both cefuroxime and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, however, microbiologic studies suggest an increase in persistent infection in children with disease due to isolates with reduced susceptibility. Successful therapy for AOM due to highly resistant isolates (MIC ⩾2.0 μg/ml for penicillin) has been reported with clindamycin, ceftriaxone, and high-dose amoxicillin. The current risk of AOM due to a resistant S. pneumoniae remains low in most U.S. communities. Amoxicillin remains appropriate for most children, however, ongoing surveillance for resistance and close monitoring of response to therapy is necessary.
Examining the Varying Influence of Social and Technological Aspects on Adoption and Usage of Knowledge Management Systems

Knowledge management strives for effective capture and application of organizational knowledge, a resource imperative in sustaining organizations. To better achieve knowledge management initiatives, examination of factors influencing adoption and usage of knowledge management systems (KMS) are of great interest. Implementation of technological solutions considered organizational innovation is subject to potential problems of resistance, implying analysis of social factors equally important to technological factors. With Innovation Diffusion, Theory as a foundation, this research examines factors influencing adoption and usage of KMS. The model is extended to include Reciprocity Expectation, an important factor affecting knowledge management processes. Results indicate that some factors are important in determining adoption while others are important for continued usage. This research emphasizes careful consideration and re-evaluation of both social and technological factors throughout all stages of technology implementation; more specifically, Reciprocity Expectation may be an important factor affecting length of adoption, but insignificant in determining continued usage.
Targeted ultrasound imaging using microbubbles

Targeted ultrasound imaging uses acoustically active contrast agents bearing a ligand on the surface that binds to a function-specific molecule. These ultrasound contrast agents are typically gas-filled microbubbles, nongaseous liposomes, or lipid-encapsulated perfluorocarbon emulsions. Binding of the contrast agent to the target results in persistent contrast enhancement during ultrasound imaging. This approach has been applied to the ultrasound imaging of pathophysiologic processes such as inflammation associated with ischemia reperfusion, heart transplant rejection, atherosclerotic plaque, thrombus, and apoptosis.
Ethnicity and pluralism: the politicization of religion in Kenya

(1993). Ethnicity and pluralism: the politicization of religion in Kenya. Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs. Journal: Vol. 14, No. 1-2, pp. 191-201.
Influence of condensed gases on field emission and the performance of superconducting RF cavities

In a program to study the field emission (FE) and to improve the performance of one-cell 1500-MHz superconducting Nb microwave particle accelerator cavities, the authors recently achieved peak surface fields as high as 51 MV/m through the use of 1200 degrees C UHV annealing, methanol rinsing, and high-power He processing. Performance is limited by excess FE from localized points on the cavity walls. Cycling of these cavities to room temperature and admission of He processing gas frequently produce large changes in Q correlating with the appearance or disappearance of the dominant field emitter, suggesting that condensed residual and impurity gases play a significant role in enhancing FE. By intentionally condensing O/sub 2/ into a cold cavity, the authors have produced similar effects, increasing the dissipated power and reducing Q, each by an order of magnitude at the same field level. Preliminary tests have also been carried out with H/sub 2/ and water vapor. These results suggest that improvements in the outgassing and vacuum environment of these cavities may be important. >
Prognostic Value of Complete Blood Count and Electrolyte Panel during Emergency Department Evaluation for Acute Ischemic Stroke

Objective. To determine whether routine laboratory parameters are predictors of early mortality after acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Methods. The cohort consisted of 522 consecutive patients with AIS presenting to the emergency department (ED) at a tertiary referral center during a 27-month period, residing within the surrounding ten counties. Serum laboratory values were obtained for all patients and categorized according to whether the levels were low, normal, or high. These laboratory results were evaluated as potential predictors of 90-day mortality using Cox proportional hazards models. The associations were summarized by calculating risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results. The presence of elevated white blood cell count (RR 2.2, 95% CI 1.5–3.4), low bicarbonate (RR 4.2, 95% CI 2.6–6.7), low calcium (RR 2.9, 95% CI 1.4–5.9), and high glucose (RR 1.3, 95% 1.1–1.6) were each univariately associated with significantly higher mortality within the first 90 days. Based on fitting a multivariate Cox regression model, elevated white blood cell count, low bicarbonate, and high glucose were each identified as being jointly associated with early mortality (). Conclusion. Early leukocytosis, acidosis, and hyperglycemia and hypocalcemia in AIS appear to be associated with early mortality. Whether addressing these factors will impact survival remains to be investigated.
Using stereoelectronic effects to explain selective reactions of 4-substituted five-membered ring oxocarbenium ions.

The utility of the inside attack model to predict and analyze the stereoselectivities of nucleophilic additions to complex five-membered ring oxocarbenium ions is demonstrated in a systematic study of C-4-substituted acetals.
Basic particulars and the identity thesis

This paper begins with a discussion of the logical apparatus of Frege, where his use ofSinn suggests a modification of Leibniz's Principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles. Then, it turns to Strawson's “basic particulars” with its essentially Kantian orientation. This brings forward the logical ground upon which the Identity Thesis rests. Finally, following Frege with some modifications, the paper suggests that an “ontological list” where concepts can be treated as objective (materially dependent) subsistent entities would be necessary in order to avoid errors of J. J. C. Smart and other analytic philosophers who hold the Identity Thesis.
EFFLUX AND RETENTION OF FOLIAR APPLIED PHOSPHORUS-32 AND SULFUR-35 BY INTACT BEAN ROOTS, AND THE INFLUENCE OF VARIOUS AMBIENT IONS ON THIS RELATIONSHIP

Tests were conducted to learn more about the quantitative aspects of efflux from intact plant roots and of possible influences of ion species in the recipient solutions on the proiess. Tests involved foliar introduction of P/sup 32/ and S/sup 35/ to bean plants and measurement of loss of isotope from roots to various single salt solutions. Comparisons were made the fraction retained by the sup 35/ were found to pass from bean root to surrounding solutions under all experimental conditions, however, less than 1% of what was in the root was lost. The process of exit of isotopes from roots was conditioned by composition of the surrounding medium. Data are tabulated. (C.H.)
A Pilot Study of Acute Stress Symptoms in Parents and Youth Following Diagnosis of Type I Diabetes

The primary aims of this exploratory study were to determine the rate of occurrence of acute stress disorder (ASD) in children newly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and their parents, to examine relationships with demographic and psychosocial factors, and to examine the relationships between ASD symptom clusters and early adherence behavior (clinic attendance). The sample consisted of 102 parents of children ages 0–17 years and 40 youth ages 11–17 who were evaluated within three days of diabetes diagnosis. Eighteen percent of parents and 17% of youth reported subthreshold symptoms of ASD. Acute stress symptoms and demographic variables predicted clinic attendance, with a differential pattern evident in the responses of youth and their parents. These findings reinforce the importance of screening symptoms of ASD in youth with newly diagnosed diabetes and their parents to assist in identifying families who may be in need of additional support.
Osteonecrosis in patients irradiated for head and neck carcinoma

One hundred patients irradiated for cancers of the oral cavity, oropharynx, and nasopharynx were evaluated for the occurrence of osteonecrosis and associated predisposing factors. Selection was based on availability of complete dental records, a minimum of six months follow-up, and treatment fields, which included maxilla and/or mandible. Bone doses were calculated by using radiotherapy treatment records, port films, and isodose distributions. Osteonecrosis developed in 19 of 78 dentulous patients and in 3 of 22 edentulous patients. The time of development of osteonecrosis varied; in 15 cases osteonecrosis occurred more than one year after treatment. The most important risk factor for the development of osteonecrosis was the radiation dose to bone, particularly in the less vascular mandible. Osteonecrosis 7500 rads to the bone. None of the patients who received less than 6500 rads developed osteonecrosis. The risk was significantly greater when teeth were removed after therapy compared with those individuals with extractions before radiation or no extractions at all.
Different levels of soil organic matter in desert soil and nitrogen fertilizer on yields and mineral composition of barley grown in the soil

Abstract Barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cultivar Atlas 57) was grown in desert soil from bare areas (low soil organic matter) and in soil from beneath long established shrubs (moderately high soil organic matter). The plants were grown in pots with three replicates and with and without N fertilizer. Nitrogen fertilizer overcame only part of the yield decrease resulting from the low organic matter soil in that plants grown in soil from under shrubs produced three times as much dry weight as the low organic matter soil with N added. Plants in the high organic soil also responded to N. Silicon levels in barley were decreased by N fertilizer and were higher in the plants from the low organic matter soil with and without N. Iron, Al, and Zn concentrations in the shoots were positively correlated with N concentrations and negatively with those of Si. The plants grown in the low organic matter soil were high in Ma. Calcium was positively correlated with Ba concentrations in shoots. Calcium and Mg were negatively cor...
Genetic basis of creatine kinase isozymes in skeletal muscle of salmonid fishes.

The genetic basis of isozyme phenotypes of creatine kinase (CK) from extracts of skeletal muscle of salmonids has been resolved through breeding data including double heterozygous crosses and backcrosses of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri), and backcrosses of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). The two-, three-, or four-banded phenotypes of homozygous individuals and all heterozygous and hybrid phenotypes of ten salmonid species are readily explained by the following model: (1) there are no detectable heterodimers either between allelic products at a single locus or between loci; (2) each allele is represented electrophoretically by two bands, presumably a reflection of stable posttranslational modification of a single polypeptide unit; (3) CK of salmonid muscle is encoded by two loci—CK-1 and CK-2. The distance separating the paired bands reflecting each allele provides a basis for two groupings—a broad-spaced group (including all species of Oncorhynchus tested excepting O. masou) and a narrow-spaced group (including all species of Salmo tested and O. masou). The relationships among species suggested by the relative mobilities and spacings of these CK bands are consistent with taxonomic schemes inferred from morphological, cytogenetic, and other isozymic data.
Recent Advances in Molecular Mechanisms of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Formation

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an increasingly common clinical condition with fatal implications. It is associated with advanced age, male gender, cigarette smoking, atherosclerosis, hypertension, and genetic predisposition. Although significant evidence has emerged in the last decade, the molecular mechanisms of AAA formation remain poorly understood. Currently, the treatment for AAA remains primarily surgical with the lone innovation of endovascular therapy. With advances in the human genome, understanding precisely which molecules and genes mediate AAA development and blocking their activity at the molecular level could lead to important new discoveries and therapies. This review summarizes recent updates in molecular mechanisms of AAA formation, including animal models, autoimmune components, infection, key molecules and cytokines, mechanical forces, genetics, and pharmacotherapy. This review will be helpful to those who want to recognize the newest endeavors within the field and identify possible lines of investigation in AAA.
Extremity soft tissue sarcomas: analysis of prognostic variables in 300 cases and evaluation of tumor necrosis as a factor in stratifying higher-grade sarcomas.

From July 1975 to February 1985, 300 patients with extremity soft tissue sarcomas (STS) were entered into treatment protocols at the National Cancer Institute. Using the Cox proportional hazards model, the STS were analyzed for independent prognostic variables that had significant association with disease-free and overall survival. The effects of adjuvant treatment were also included in the analysis. Percent tumor necrosis was the basis for separating intermediate and high-grade STS (less than 15% necrosis = grade 2; greater than 15% necrosis = grade 3). The most important prognostic variable was histologic grade, which was highly associated with relative risk of metastasis and fatal outcome (P less than .0001). Histologic type of STS was not a significant prognostic variable in predicting metastases. Patients with tumors located on the proximal or middle part of the extremity had a fivefold increased risk of death (P = .02) compared with patients who had STS located more distally. Mitotic activity (P = .0005) and vascular invasion (P = .0034) were also associated with malignant behavior, but histologic grade was the most significant predictor of outcome. Histologic grade of malignancy was based upon a combination of tumor typing and visual estimation of extent of tumor necrosis; using these two features, one can reliably separate low-grade (i.e., grade 1) from high-grade STS and also stratify the more aggressive (i.e., grade 2 and 3) tumors. Over the 9.5-year period of study, the tumor-related mortality was as follows: grade 1 (1/38), 3%; grade 2 (19/142), 13%; and grade 3 (45/120), 38%.
Degradation of surface-water dissolved organic matter: influences of DOM chemical characteristics and microbial populations

The degree to which biodegradation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) depends on microbial community structure and source remains unknown. In this study, we concentrated the microbial biomass from two streams in northern Michigan and a dystrophic ‘bog’ lake in northern Wisconsin with varying initial DOM concentration (6.7–78.8 mg C l )1 ) and DOM chemical characteristics (e.g. DOM average molecular weights from 808–1887 Da). Each of the three microbial inocula was added to each of the three DOM sources at in situ population levels for a total of nine treatments. Changes in DOM concentration and bacterial productivity, along with chemical characteristics, were examined over 308 h. The [ 3 H]-leucine incorporation method was used to measure microbial production. In two of three sampling sites, bacterial communities were most productive when metabolizing DOM in their native waters. A variable peak in productivity was seen between 16–48 h after inoculation, followed by a drop in productivity in most treatments, with periods of DOM production most likely due to microbial turnover. These data suggest that microbial communities are better able to degrade the DOM of their native habitats, suggesting that biodegradation of DOM is influenced by source-specific microbial species and DOM chemical characteristics.
The mechanisms of gastrointestinal loss of iron

Abstract The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the usefulness of erythrokinetic studies in the evaluation of difficult cases of hypoferremia. Thorough search for causes of chronic blood loss and nutritional history taking are mandatory in these patients before undertaking the erythrokinetic studies. Using erythrokinetic studies in six hypoferremic women, the hypoferremia was the result of incomplete iron absorption in five and complete iron malabsorption in one. The results of the iron absorption studies of these hypoferremic patients were compared to the results of similar studies of patients with simple iron deficiency due to chronic blood loss or to poor nutrition where iron absorption is high. Three of the five patients with incomplete iron malabsorption had in addition, excessive transferrin (Tf) fecal iron loss. Two patients of this group had also increased fecal blood loss. Five patients out of the six responded well to iron therapy but they had to receive it indefinitely, otherwise their hypoferremia would relapse.
Complex networks: A winning strategy

Introducing connections between two distinct networks can tip the balance of power — at times enhancing the weaker system. The properties of the nodes that are linked together often determine which network claims the competitive advantage.
Welfare Implications of Alternative Classified Pricing Policies for Milk

Questions are being raised about the impact of federal regulations throughout our economic system. Some of these questions have focused on regulations in milk marketing. One particular concern is the impact of pricing milk according to its final use (usually referred to as classified pricing), a basic part of current federal milk marketing orders and many state regulations. In this note, a national aggregate model of the U.S. dairy economy is used to estimate the impact of changing the classified pricing policy on consumer prices of fluid and manufactured dairy products, returns to dairy farmers, and a measure of whether society gains or loses by such a policy change. Under federal milk marketing orders or by individual state control, processors of fluid milk products are required to pay at least a minimum price for milk actually used in fluid products. In federal marketing orders, under which about 60% of the U.S. milk is marketed, this minimum class I price is calculated by formula utilizing the price paid for milk used in manufacturing in the Minnesota and Wisconsin area. Grade A milk not used for fluid
Christian theological resources for environmental ethics

This essay examines how selected Christian doctrines may inform contemporary environmental ethics. Particular attention is focused on the doctrines of creation, redemption and eschatology. The ethical models of dominion, stewardship, and co-creatorship are developed based on these theological doctrines. It is also argued that these ethical models must be explicitly rooted in the church’s biblical, creedal and theological tradition if they are to influence the values, virtues and practices of the church. The applicability of these models as resources for developing a public environmental ethic is also assessed.
Dose-response relationship between CPAP compliance and measures of sleep apnea severity.

Abstract Background : Obstructive sleep apnea is a prevalent condition with serious medical and psychosocial consequences. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the treatment of choice and has been shown to reduce the frequency of nocturnal respiratory events, improve sleep architecture, and decrease daytime sleepiness. However, little is known about the dose–response relationship between CPAP compliance and measures of sleep apnea severity. This study examined the relationship between level of CPAP compliance and change in polysomnographic measures of sleep apnea severity. Methods : Twenty-three CPAP-naive OSA patients were studied. None had other major medical illnesses or were receiving antihypertensive medication. Sleep apnea variables were measured at baseline and after 1 week of treatment. Objective CPAP compliance was measured nightly and was defined as the average number of hours of use per night. Results : Higher rates of CPAP compliance were linearly associated with significant reductions in the respiratory disturbance index ( R =0.49, P =0.017), the oxygen desaturation index ( R =0.48, P =0.029), and the arousal index ( R =0.51, P =0.016). Conclusions : These data suggest that increased CPAP compliance is linearly associated with reductions in sleep apnea severity such that greater reductions in apnea were seen with increased CPAP use. It should be noted that all patients were reasonably compliant (i.e. >4h CPAP use/night) and that even within this range of reasonable compliance, there was a significant benefit with more as opposed to less compliance. These findings offer support to the current recommendation that CPAP be used during the total time in bed to optimize treatment of polysomnographic measures of sleep apnea.
Synergistic inhibition in vivo of bone marrow myeloid progenitors by myelosuppressive chemokines and chemokine-accelerated recovery of progenitors after treatment of mice with Ara-C.

Objective Selected chemokines suppress proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) in vitro; some of these have demonstrated inhibition of myelopoiesis in vivo. Because myelosuppressive chemokines synergize in vitro with other myelosuppressive chemokines, we sought to determine whether additional chemokines active in vitro were myelosuppressive in vivo and whether combinations of myelosuppressive chemokines synergized in vivo to dampen myelopoiesis. We also evaluated three chemokines in vivo for myeloprotection against Ara-C-induced decreases in HPCs. Methods C3H/HeJ mice were used for analysis of in vivo influence of chemokines, with the end points being effects on absolute numbers and cycling status of HPCs. Results When used alone, CCL2, CCL3, CCL19, CCL20, CXCL4, CXCL5, CXCL8, CXCL9, and XCL1 caused dose-dependent significant decreases in absolute numbers and cycling status of HPCs in vivo. The following combinations of two chemokines resulted in in vivo myelosuppression at concentrations much lower than that induced by each chemokine alone: CCL3 plus either CXCL8 or CXCL4, CXCL8 plus CXCL4, CCL2 plus either CCL20 or CXCL9, CCL20 plus CXCL9, CXCL5 plus either XCL1 or CCL19, XCL1 plus CCL19, and CCL3 plus CCL19. Also, mice injected with CXCL8, CXCL4, or the chimeric CXCL8/CXCL4 protein CXCL8M1 manifested accelerated recovery of absolute numbers of HPCs in response to the toxic effects of Ara-C administration. Conclusions A number of chemokines shown previously to manifest inhibitory effects in vitro for proliferation of HPCs are now demonstrated to also induce myelosuppression in vivo. Moreover, combinations of low dosages of two myelosuppressive chemokines when administered together demonstrate synergistic suppression in vivo. Additionally, chemokines, including a CXCL8M1 chimeric protein previously shown to manifest enhanced suppression of HPC proliferation in vitro and in vivo, accelerate HPC recovery after treatment of mice with Ara-C. These results may be of use for future clinical utility of chemokines in a myelosuppressive/myeloprotective setting.
Effectiveness of two protocols for treating nursing home residents with advanced dementia

Background: Habituation is the simplest form of non-associative learning and has been found to be impaired in neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s disease. Habituation of acoustic startle reflex is the reduction of the response to consecutive acoustic stimuli. Habituation measured after a training of short-term inter-trial intervals (ITIs) can be thought of as a form of sensory working memory. Cannabinoids are compounds, which act on cannabinoid receptors in a similar way as Cannabis sativa. Cannabinioid (CB1) receptors are in high density in the areas of the brain required for higher cognitive functioning such as hippocampus, where they are believed to be involved in learning and memory. However, the role of CB1 receptors in non-associative memory in mice remains unclear. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of the CB1 agonist, CP55940, and the antagonist, SR14716A, on the habituation of startle reflex in C57BL/6J mice. Methods: Forty naive male C57BL/6J mice were used in this study. Ninety-six trials of 115 dB acoustics stimuli with 2 second inter-trial intervals (ITIs) were delivered to the mice using Med-associates startle apparatus. Mice were treated with a cannabinoid agonist and antagonist in a fully-balanced design and tested in the apparatus. Habituation and the acoustic startle response (ASR) were measured. Results: CP 55940 decreased habituation as well as the initial acoustic startle response (ASR). SR141716A reversed the effect of CP55940 on these measures. SR141716A had no significant effects on its own on habituation. Surprisingly, SR141716A decreased ASR in a similar way as CP55940. Conclusions: The present study shows that cannabinoid CB1 receptors do play an important role in the working memory model/ASR habituation as the effects produced by CP55940 were attenuated by SR141716A.
Complexation of Lanthanides with Nitrate at Variable Temperatures: Thermodynamics and Coordination Modes

Complexation of neodymium(III) with nitrate was studied at variable temperatures (25, 40, 55, and 70 °C) by spectrophotometry and microcalorimetry. The NdNO32+ complex is weak and becomes slightly stronger as the temperature is increased. The enthalpy of complexation at 25 °C was determined by microcalorimetry to be small and positive, 1.5 ± 0.2 kJ·mol−1, in good agreement with the trend of the stability constant at variable temperatures. Luminescence emission spectra and the lifetime of Eu(III) in nitrate solutions suggest that inner-sphere and bidentate complexes form between trivalent lanthanides (Nd3+ and Eu3+) and nitrate in aqueous solutions. A specific ion interaction approach was used to obtain the stability constants of NdNO32+ at infinite dilution and variable temperatures.
Protecting the mitochondrial powerhouse.

Mitochondria are the oxygen-consuming power plants of cells. They provide a critical milieu for the synthesis of many essential molecules and allow for highly efficient energy production through oxidative phosphorylation. The use of oxygen is, however, a double-edged sword that on the one hand supplies ATP for cellular survival, and on the other leads to the formation of damaging reactive oxygen species (ROS). Different quality control pathways maintain mitochondria function including mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication and repair, fusion–fission dynamics, free radical scavenging, and mitophagy. Further, failure of these pathways may lead to human disease. We review these pathways and propose a strategy towards a treatment for these often untreatable disorders.
Creep of sandwich beams with metallic foam cores

The steady state creep deflection rates of sandwich beams with metallic foam cores were measured and compared with analytical and numerical predictions of the creep behavior. The deflection rate depends on the geometry of the sandwich beam, the creep behavior of the foam core and the loading conditions (stress state, temperature). Although there was a considerable scatter in the creep data (both of the foams and of the sandwich beams made using them), the data for the sandwich beams were fairly well described by the analysis.
Petrographic, chemical and microprobe analysis of an oxidized iron nodule from Dahr Safra, NW Syria: Is it an iron ore, or a meteorite called shale-ball?

Abstract The iron nodule DS-S revealed the concentrations of Ni, Co, Ga, Ge, As, Sb, P, S, many trace and rare earth elements, Fe (> 93 wt.%), and 2 wt.% silicates. The plotting of Ga, Ge, Cr, Cu, As, Au, W, and Ir-concentrations vs. Ni/Co in the classes (groups) IIAB, IIIAB, IVA, ungrouped (ung), NBS 809B steel (st), and DS-S, confirmed the meteoritic origin for DS-S. Magnetite–hematite resulted from oxidation during the melting/solidification process of the original meteorite across the atmosphere. The silicates suggested the presence of Ca-rich plagioclase, and traces of opx, cpx, and/or olivine which explained the low concentrations of Ni–Co. The plotting of Ga/Ge vs. Ni/Co; Ni/Co, Ga vs. P; and Ni/Co, Ga/Ge vs. As revealed the affinity of the DS-S nodule with the ungrouped Bellsbank trio. The compositional homogeneity in the DS-S nodule was probably due to O-fugacity. The conformable REE-graphs, for chondrite and DS-S, and the presence of silicates with the same phases suggested a mesosideritic origin for DS-S.
Remote sensing of heart rate using millimeter-wave interferometry and probabilistic interpolation

Using a 94-GHz homodyne interferometer employing a highly-directional quasi-optical lens antenna aimed at a human subject's chest, we can measure chest wall displacement from up to 10m away and through common clothing. Within the chest displacement signal are motions due to cardiac activity, respiration, and gross body movement. Our goal is to find the heart rate of the subject being monitored, which implies isolation of the minute movements due to cardiac activity from the much larger movements due to respiration and body movement. To accomplish this, we first find a subset of the true heartbeat temporal locations (called confident" heartbeats) in the displacement signal using a multi-resolution wavelet approach, utilizing Symlet wavelets. Although the chest displacement due to cardiac activity is orders of magnitude smaller than that due to respiration and body movement, wavelets find those heartbeat locations due to several useful properties, such as shape matching, high-pass filtering, and vanishing moments. Using the assumption that the confident" heartbeats are randomly selected from the set of all heartbeats, we are able to find the maximum a posteriori statistics of an inverse Gaussian probability distribution modeling the inter-heartbeat times. We then analyze the confident" heartbeats and decide which heartbeats are probabilistically correct and which are not, based on the inverse Gaussian distribution we calculated earlier. The union of the confident" set, after pruning, and the interpolated set forms a very close approximation to the true heartbeat temporal location set, and thus allows us to accurately calculate a heart rate.
Large-scale immigration and political response: popular reaction in California.

In the past three years there has been an increasing political debate about the nature and extent of the recent large-scale immigration to the United States generally, and to California particularly. Although the debate had begun well before the California vote on Proposition 187 (to deny welfare benefits to illegal immigrants), it nevertheless brought national attention to the immigration debate, and was certainly a background element in the recent decisions to change significantly the welfare programme in the US. Examining the vote on Proposition 187 provides a window on reaction to large-scale immigration and offers some insights on the recent arguments about anti-immigrant sentiment and ‘nativism’. A spatial analysis of the vote by tracts in Los Angeles County provides a more complex picture of the nature of reaction to immigration than is suggested by media and political rhetoric about racism and immigrant phobia. Using the vote on Proposition 187 as a measure of immigration sentiment, re-emphasizes the widespread popular support across ethnic groups for limiting immigration. The vote also hints at the complex alliances that have formed over continuing high levels of immigration. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
VEP indices of cortical lateral interactions in epilepsy treatment.

Abstract We extend Spekreijse’s strategy for analyzing lateral interactions in visual evoked potentials (VEPs) to clinical neurophysiologic testing of patients with epilepsy. Stimuli consisted of the radial windmill/dartboard pattern [Ratliff, F., & Zemon, V. (1982). Some new methods for the analysis of lateral interactions that influence the visual evoked potential. In: Bodis-Wollner (Ed.), Evoked potentials, Vol. 388. (pp. 113–124). New York: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.] and conventional checkerboards. The fundamental and 2nd-harmonic components of the steady-state responses were used to calculate indices reflecting facilitatory (FI) and suppressive (SI) cortical interactions. We carried out two studies. In the first, VEPs in 38 patients receiving antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy were compared to those of age-matched controls. For three AEDs (tiagabine, topiramate, and felbamate), addition of the drug did not change the FI and SI compared to baseline values or those of normal controls. However, the addition of gabapentin was associated with an increase of the FI, and this change was reversed when the medication was withdrawn. This suggested a medication-specific change in cortical lateral interactions. The second study focused on the effects of neurostimulation therapy. Eleven epilepsy patients receiving chronic vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) treatment were tested. By comparing VEPs recorded with the stimulator on (Stim-ON) and turned off (Stim-OFF) in the same session, we determined that VNS did not have a short-acting effect on lateral interactions. However, when compared with normal controls, the VNS patients had a significantly smaller SI (p
Cellular immunity in children with acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic carditis.

Summary: Cell-mediated immunity (CMI) was examined in 74 children with acute rheumatic fever (ARF) grouped as with or without carditis and inactive disease with valvular lesions and 26 healthy controls of the same age. Absolute lymphocyte count, skin tests with PPD, Candida, and streptokinase streptodornase (SK-SD) antigens were employed. The lymphocyte transformation test was performed by using phytohemagglutinin (PHA), SK-SD, Candida, and cardiac antigens, and incorporation of tritiated thymidine into DNA was measured. Absolute lymphocyte counts in all groups were not significantly different than those of controls. Skin test responses to PPD, Candida, and SK-SD antigens were significantly decreased in patients with rheumatic activity. In contrast, inactive rheumatic patients with valvular lesions showed higher percentages of positive reactions which were not significantly different than those of the healthy controls. The in vitro response to PHA was decreased in active rheumatic fever (RF) patients, whereas patients with inactive RF with valvular lesions showed a hyperactivity to this mitogen. Patients with inactive RF with valvular lesions also exhibited an exaggerated cellular reactivity to SK-SD antigen, but the patients in active groups showed more of a decreased reactivity than did the controls. Patients with evidence of rheumatic carditis exhibited the same degree of cellular reactivity to these antigens and mitogen as did patients without clinical evidence of rheumatic heart disease. Candida did not cause significant stimulation of blastic transformation in any of the study groups. The blastic transformation response to heart homogenates was present in 25% of the cases with active rheumatic carditis, in 15% without carditis, and in 46% of the patients with inactive valvular lesions. Plasma from the patients with active RF caused inhibition of the in vitro response of the normal lymphocytes to PHA. In the last few years, it has become increasingly apparent that, in addition to the well documented alterations in humoral immunity, ARF is also accompanied by abnormalities in cell-mediated immunity (CMI) where the precise significance in pathogenesis of rheumatic carditis remains controversial. Speculation: Patients with active rheumatic fever may have depressed cellular immune responses both in vivo and in vitro to PHA and specific antigens. Observations on the responses to SK-SD and heart homogenate in inactive rheumatic fever patients suggest that patients with rheumatic carditis build up a cellular immune response to the heart. Our findings also suggest that the possibility of lymphocyte sensitization by heart tissue antigens might play a part in the pathogenesis of rheumatic carditis. But the reason for hyporeactivity and the exact link if any between lymphocyte abnormalities and tissue lesions of rheumatic carditis remain to be elucidated.
Hypothermia produced in aged squirrel monkeys by central administration of taurine

Abstract Accidental hypothermia and heatstroke are more common in aged populations. While peripheral factors are undoubtedly important to the high incidence of dysthermia in the aged, alterations in central temperature controls associated with aging may be primarily responsible. It has been shown that the sensitivity of the hypothalamus to neurotransmitters is changed in aged animals, and it may be that similar alterations in central temperature controls underlie the increased susceptibility to dysthermia. As a first step in testing this hypothesis the responsiveness of central temperature controls of aged squirrel monkeys to taurine, a putative inhibitory neurotransmitter or neuromodulator, was tested. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of this sulfonated amino acid (0.5-4.0 mg) produced dose-related hypothermia in squirrel monkeys over nine years of age in a thermoneutral environment (23°C). Younger animals had significantly smaller hypothermias. In a hot environment (30°C) there were no si...
Determination of inorganic phosphorus in the presence of organic phosphorus and high concentrations of proteins

Abstract The phosphorus assay method of Lowry and Lopez has been modified to permit a rapid and accurate determination of inorganic phosphorus in the presence of organic phosphorus without prior deproteinization of the samples. The reduction of ammonium phosphomolybdate to molybdenum blue is carried out with ascorbic acid in the presence of acetate buffer, pH 4.0, containing 10% sodium dodecyl sulfate to prevent protein precipitation. The method is applicable to samples containing up to 30 mg protein per milliter of final reaction volume. Acid-labile phosphorus compounds present in serum are not hydrolyzed, and less than 5% phosphocreatine is split during the time necessary for the assay. The addition of SDS to the buffer does not affect the sensitivity and reliability of Lowry and Lopez's method.
A common cortactin gene variation confers differential susceptibility to severe asthma

Genomic regions with replicated linkage to asthma-related phenotypes likely harbor multiple susceptibility loci with relatively minor effects on disease susceptibility. The 11q13 chromosomal region has repeatedly been linked to asthma with five genes residing in this region with reported replicated associations. Cortactin, an actin-binding protein encoded by the CTTN gene in 11q13, constitutes a key regulator of cytoskeletal dynamics and contractile cell machinery, events facilitated by interaction with myosin light chain kinase; encoded by MYLK, a gene we recently reported as associated with severe asthma in African Americans. To evaluate potential association of CTTN gene variation with asthma susceptibility, CTTN exons and flanking regions were re-sequenced in 48 non-asthmatic multiethnic samples, leading to selection of nine tagging polymorphisms for case-control association studies in individuals of European and African descent. After ancestry adjustments, an intronic variant (rs3802780) was significantly associated with severe asthma (odds ratio [OR]: 1.71; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20–2.43; p=0.003) in a joint analysis. Further analyses evidenced independent and additive effects of CTTN and MYLK risk variants for severe asthma susceptibility in African Americans (accumulated OR: 2.93, 95% CI: 1.40–6.13, p=0.004). These data suggest that CTTN gene variation may contribute to severe asthma and that the combined effects of CTTN and MYLK risk polymorphisms may further increase susceptibility to severe asthma in African Americans harboring both genetic variants. Genet. Epidemiol. 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Disaster and Diaspora: Mental Health Status of Childbearing Women Living Through Disaster Recovery

Conclusion/Implications for Nursing Practice Study results demonstrated that there were no significant differences in depression levels across ethnic groups, however participants overall reported significantly higher depression levels in the third trimester of pregnancy as compared with 6 to 8 weeks postpartum. These findings support the need for heightened assessment and management of depression not only after delivery, but also during pregnancy. In addition, self-reports of mood changes before pregnancy were significantly related to depression scores during the third trimester of pregnancy and at 6 to 8 weeks postpartum.
Expectancies in decision making, reinforcement learning, and ventral striatum.

Decisions can arise in different ways, such as a gut feeling, doing what worked last time, or planful deliberation. Different decision-making systems are dissociable behaviorally, map onto distinct brain systems, and require different computational demands. For instance, ’model-free’ decision strategies use prediction errors to estimate scalar action values from previous experience, while ’model-based’ strategies leverage internal forward models to generate and evaluate potentially rich outcome expectancies. Animal learning studies indicate that expectancies may arise from different sources, including not only forward models but also Pavlovian associations, and the flexibility with which such representations impact behavior may depend on how they are generated. In the light of these considerations, we review the results of van der Meer and Redish (2009a), who found that ventral striatal neurons that respond to reward delivery can also be activated at other points, notably at a decision point where hippocampal forward representations were also observed. These data suggest the possibility that ventral striatal reward representations contribute to model-based expectancies used in deliberative decision-making.
Promoting mammography screening among Chinese American women using a message-framing intervention.

Abstract Objectives This study examined the role of women's perceptions about the relative pros versus cons (decisional balance) of mammography in moderating Chinese American women's responses to gain- and loss-framed messages that promote mammography. Methods One hundred and forty-three Chinese American women who were currently nonadherent to guidelines for receiving annual screening mammograms were randomly assigned to read either a gain- or loss-framed culturally appropriate print brochure about mammography screening. Mammography screening was self-reported at a 2-month follow-up. Results Although there was not a main effect for message frame, the hypothesized interaction between message frame and decisional balance was significant, indicating that women who received a framed message that matched their decisional balance were significantly more likely to have obtained a mammogram by the follow-up than women who received a mismatched message. Conclusions Results suggest that decisional balance, and more generally, perceptions about mammography, may be an important moderator of framing effects for mammography among Chinese American women. Practice implications The match between message frame and decisional balance should be considered when attempting to encourage Chinese American women to receive mammography screening, as a match between the two may be most persuasive.
Performance characteristics of the electrochemical concentration cell ozonesonde

A large number of electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozonesondes were calibrated in relation to a UV photometric absorption ozone instrument prior to using the ozonesondes in atmospheric soundings. The two methods of measuring ozone were in reasonable agreement on the average, but there was considerable variation from one ozonesonde to another. Averaging the individual linear regressions gives an ECC ozone concentration equal to 0 + or - 8 nbar plus (0.96 + or - 0.10) times the concentration determined with the UV instrument, where uncertainties represent 90% confidence limits. Applying individual calibration corrections to atmospheric sounding data reduced the mean difference between Dobson spectrophotometric measurements of total ozone overburdens and corresponding values obtained from ozonesonde data from -8.5 + or - 8.2 to -1.4 + or - 7.3% for a series of measurements carried out in 1977. Corresponding uncorrected and corrected differences averaged 3.2 + or - 9.7 and 1.9 + or - 10.6%, respectively, for soundings carried out in 1976.