cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Salmon Restoration in the Umatilla River: A Study of Straying and Risk Containment

Abstract The use of artificial propagation may produce unexpected results and the need for risk containment. Stray chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from Umatilla River releases put the threatened Snake River stock at risk, caused conflict between two plans, altered management, and greatly increased the costs for hatchery-based restoration. Stray Umatilla returns captured or observed in the Snake River averaged more than 200 fish annually and comprised up to 26% of the escapement. The risk to the threatened population stimulated a series of containment actions, including wire tagging 2–3 million fish annually, use of acclimation ponds, altering release locations, flow enhancement, and broodstock management changes. Actions for the use of artificial propagation where straying or unexpected results are a concern include marking or tagging most or all fish, limiting the number of fish initially released, recognizing environmental variables that influence straying, ensuring that funding for risk conta...
Quantum reflection from an atomic mirror

We calculate the reflection probability for ultracold atoms incident on an evanescent-wave atomic mirror, and analyze the optimum conditions to observe quantum reflection. We find that averaging over the Gaussian profile of the laser beam dramatically reduces the quantum signature, and consider the effects of an appropriate aperture that limits the variation of beam intensity. We show that quantum reflection is particularly sensitive to details of the atom-surface potential, and could be used to resolve retardation effects.
Robotic-Assisted Vesicovaginal Fistula Repair

Vesicovaginal fistula is a challenging condition to manage. Traditionally, repair techniques have been limited to transvaginal and abdominal approaches. More recently, laparoscopic approaches have been utilized in order to combine the advantages of abdominal approach while minimizing post-operative recovery. Robotic technology offers a minimally invasive approach to fistula repair with advantages that make adherence to the traditional principles of fistula repair less technically challenging. Robotic technology allows for increased operative range of motion and more facile pelvic dissection to better develop tissue planes. Improved visualization has helped decrease the morbidity of this procedure by making use of less invasive extravesical repairs. Lastly, intracoporeal suturing is more easily accomplished with the use of robotic technology, facilitating tissue closures. Robotic-assisted vesicovaginal fistula repair appears to be a safe procedure and provides advantages over laparoscopic repair. Most importantly, it appears to have outcomes as successful as other operative approaches.
The next phase in human genetics

Experimental haplotyping of whole genomes is now feasible, enabling new studies aimed at linking sequence variation to human phenotypes and disease susceptibility.
Gene-environment interactions in geriatric depression

In older adults, several environmental challenges can potentially trigger the onset of an episode of major depression. Vulnerability to these challenges can be influenced by genetics. There is accumulating evidence for an interaction between stress and a serotonin transporter polymorphism, though there is also heterogeneity among studies. Other relevant genes include those encoding for the neuroendocrine stress axis, growth factors, and other monoaminergic systems. Each of these may interact with either predisposing traumas in early childhood or precipitating events later in life.
Carbon cycle: Checking the thermostat

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels greatly influence the Earth's climate. Evidence from ice cores and marine sediments suggests that over timescales beyond the glacial cycles, carbon fluxes are finely balanced and act to stabilize temperatures.
Evaluation of the effects of diagnostic radiation on titanium dental implant osseointegration in the micropig

The effect that diagnostic radiation may have on peri-implant supporting alveolar tissues is not well understood. Fifty-four (54) titanium dental implants were inserted into the posterior mandible of nine micropigs. At implant placement surgery, 18 implants were exposed to either 2 (diagnostic) or 10 (excessive) doses of diagnostic radiation; the remaining 36 implants served as controls. Fourteen weeks after implant placement, standardized clinical radiographs were taken, pigs were euthanized, and implants with supporting alveolar tissues were prepared and examined by light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Ninety-seven sections were evaluated by SEM for morphometric and morphologic analyses. The mean percent of implant length in contact with bone was 47% for the controls and 53% for the implants receiving radiation. Five implants were lost during the initial healing phase and four implants were clinically mobile at time of euthanasia, giving a success rate of 83% (45/54). Correlative light microscopy of peri-implant supporting tissues revealed no distinct differences between the microvasculature of controls versus implants exposed to radiation. Standardized clinical radiographs revealed crestal saucerization in both control and radiated implants. This study revealed no statistically significant difference for the percent of implant length in contact with alveolar bone for controls or implants exposed to 2 or 10 doses of diagnostic radiation at implant placement time.
Vulnerabilities and migration in Small Island Developing States in the context of climate change

The unique characteristics of Small Island Developing States and structural vulnerabilities they face in terms of development have earned them particular consideration in the development agenda. This article sheds light on some of the vulnerabilities that these countries face, making particular reference to their environmental and economic vulnerabilities. It then highlights the ambiguous role that international migration plays in the recreation of those vulnerabilities.
Reported Participation in Case-Control Studies: Changes over Time

There is concern that participation in case-control studies has declined. To address this question, the author and colleagues reviewed data from 82 US and Canadian case-control studies published in epidemiologic journals during two periods: 1988-1990 and 1997-January 1999. The median year of data collection, which ranged from 1972 to 1996, was the primary independent variable. Reported response among both cases and controls remained constant over this time period. The regression coefficients (beta) were small: For each year, there was a change of 0.15 percentage points for cases (p = 0.56) and -0.16 percentage points for controls (p = 0.54). Possible confounders included the location where the study had been conducted and, for cases, the disease under study (cancer vs. others). After adjustment for these factors in case groups, there was still no association between year of data collection and response: For each year, there was a change of -0.20 percentage points (p = 0.43). After adjustment of results for study location among controls, there was a moderate decline over time: For each year, there was a change of -0.44 percentage points (p = 0.12). Overall, reported response in more recent studies was similar to that in earlier studies; for control groups, this may reflect changes in locations where the studies were conducted.
PMOS device performance improvement by using buried contact implants

An ultra-low energy high dose B-based implant was processed after source and drain region formed and before metal sillicide contact formed for PMOS devices. B beam-line (BL) implant and plasma doping (PLAD) using either B 2 H 6 or BF 3 gases were utilized for this process. PMOS device performance showed significant improvements, including ∼70 percent lower contact resistances, similar threshold and sub-threshold characteristics, and ∼15 percent higher drive currents without degrading off current. PLAD is preferred on this application because of its much higher throughput in this process regime.
A Hydrogen-Evolving Ni(P2N2)2 Electrocatalyst Covalently Attached to a Glassy Carbon Electrode: Preparation, Characterization, and Catalysis. Comparisons with the Homogeneous Analogue

A hydrogen-evolving homogeneous Ni(P2N2)2 electrocatalyst with peripheral ester groups has been covalently attached to a 1,2,3-triazolyllithium-terminated planar glassy carbon electrode surface. Coupling proceeds with both the Ni(0) and the Ni(II) complexes. X-ray photoemission spectra show excellent agreement between the Ni(0) coupling product and its parent complex, and voltammetry of the surface-confined system shows that a single species predominates with a surface density of 1.3 × 10–10 mol cm–2, approaching the value estimated for a densely packed monolayer. With the Ni(II) system, both photoemission and voltammetric data show speciation to unidentified products on coupling, and the surface density is 6.7 × 10–11 mol cm–2. The surface-confined Ni(0) complex is an electroctalyst for hydrogen evolution, showing the onset of catalytic current at the same potential as the soluble parent complex. Decomposition of the surface-confined species is observed in acidic acetonitrile. This is interpreted to refl...
A Case Study of the Emergence of Data Analytics in Health Care

In the era of health care reforms, the executives and CEO of the SBC Company are faced with many questions. They wonder about the impact of these changes on their market share. They also wanted to determine the impact on prices they can charge for their services. The changes in the ways the health care will be bought were causing a rapid transformation in the behavior of the consumers. The executives determined that they need to focus on specific areas to keep abreast of all the changes. These will have a profound impact on the information technology implementation across the company. For example, the need for analyzing a large amount of data and data in real time was becoming acute among many departments; there was a need for different skillsets in the employees in almost all the departments across the company. These changes across the industry were presenting new and unique challenges to the executive team.
Hybrid Optical/Digital Image Pattern Recognition: A Review

The parallel processing, high-speed, compact system fabrication possibility, low power dissipation and size, plus weight advantages of optical processors have achieved great strides in recent years. The architectures, algorithms and system fabrication of hybrid pattern recognition processors are reviewed with attention and emphasis to recent results and to techniques appropriate for distortion-invariant multi-class pattern recognition applications.
The L2E method

Estimation theory and practice is generally focused on maximum likelihood methodology, which boasts of claims of efficiency and widespread availability in software. Likelihood methods occasionally encounter problems with small sample sizes, or if the data are contaminated with outliers. The first problem can be addressed by regularization methods such as Bayesian estimation; the latter problem can be solved by using robust methodology such as the M-estimator, for example. is a particular example of an M-estimator. This article motivates its special properties and provides detailed examples that take advantage of those properties. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Passage of Labeled Cholesterol into the Aortic Wall of the Normal Dog

In the normal dog the rate of movement of cholesterol from the serum into the inner layer of the aortic wall is greatest at the proximal end of the aorta and decreases progressively along the length of the aorta until in the terminal aorta the rate is only about one sixth that in the proximal aorta. A similar gradient of rates was previously demonstrated for albumin which enters the aortic wall about three times as fast as cholesterol. The similarity of the gradients and the relative magnitude of the rates for cholesterol and albumin support the concept that cholesterol is carried into the aortic wall of the normal dog by the passage of the lipoproteins of which it is a part.
Overeducation and earnings: a structural approach to differential attainment in the U.S. labor force (1970-1982).

This paper examines the hypothesis that overeducated workers receive lower earnings returns to a year of educational attainment than those who are not mismatched. Data from the Current Population Survey reveal that those who are mismatched actually receive higher overall earnings as well as higher absolute returns to a year of college. A structural model of earnings determination shows that the primary impact of advanced education among occupationally mismatched workers is through the attainment of jobs which offer higher pay. Among workers not mismatched the main influence of schooling is direct rather than through job characteristics. However the analysis also suggests the difference between mismatched and non-mismatched workers narrowed between 1972 and 1982. (authors)
Global positioning system surveying to monitor land subsidence in Sacramento Valley, California, USA

Abstract A subsidence research program began in 1985 to document the extent and magnitude of land subsidence in Sacramento Valley, California, an area of about 15 600 km2, using Global Positioning System (GPS) surveying. A brief description of GPS surveying is followed by a summary of each of four surveys between 1985 and 1989. In addition to periodic conventional spirit levelling, an examination was made of the changes in GPS-derived ellipsoidal height differences (summary differences) between pairs of adjacent bench marks in central Sacramento Valley from 1986 to 1989. The average rates of land subsidence in the southern Sacramento Valley for the past several decades were determined by comparing GPS-derived orthometric heights with historic published elevations. A maximum average rate of 0.053 m year−1 (0.90 m in 17 years) of subsidence has been measured.
Comparison of changes in ocean chemistry in the early triassic with trends in diversity and ecology

The end-Permian mass extinction resulted in the demise of ∼90% of marine genera. Recent work on the Early Triassic using carbon isotopes, ammonoids, conodonts, and some benthic fauna shows that this supposed recovery period was almost as turbulent as the extinction itself. Carbon isotope records from China, India, and Italy portray a global signal with major perturbations at stage boundaries in the Early Triassic most likely as a result of fluctuating environmental conditions. Comparison of global cycles of extinction and radiation of ammonoids and conodonts to the global carbon signal suggests that the two are related. In order to investigate the ubiquity of the connection between the carbon signal and biological changes, the benthic diversity and ecological structure of the western USA was examined. Instead of the fluctuating patterns that were expected, evidence for gradual increases in both taxonomic and guild diversity was found. The lack of evenness in the recovery suggests ecological stagnation; dominance of a few genera and a few life habits. The prolonged benthic recovery, and trends of pelagic boom and bust, both point to environmental instability in the Early Triassic as the probable cause for the protraction of the biotic crisis.
Occupational Hazards: Palestine Ethnography

One of the first days after I had moved to Nablus, in November 1984, I had an experience that has now become a daily routine for Israeli settlers in the West Bank. I was driving downtown, when suddenly, bam! the car shook under the impact of a heavy blow to its side. A Palestinian youth, whom I never saw, had darted out of an alley, hurled a large stone, and rapidly vanished. He only managed, luckily, to put a large dent above my gas cap and did not break the windshield, the usual goal of hurled stones. I guess he singled out my car as a target from all the others on that busy street because its yellow license plates and my appearance led him to believe I was an Israeli settler. (As the holder of a tourist visa, I had to register my car in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, so its yellow plates stood out amidst the distinctive blue-plated vehicles driven by West Bank Palestinians.) I was so shaken that I was ready to give up fieldwork and go straight home. My immediate thought was that I, of all people, should never have been stoned. After all, unlike those other Westerners one saw in the West Bank-the settlers, tourists, and embassy officials-I was a good foreigner, working in the best interests of the Palestinians. My response was typical of a mentality I shared with other Westerners who worked as teachers, journalists, or researchers in the occupied territories and sympathized with the Palestinians. This was a frame of mind that I shared but also, in calmer moments, criticized. We "good foreigners" practiced constant rituals of self-purification, designed to guarantee that we-unlike the settlers, tourists, and diplomats-were part of the Palestinian community. We spoke Arabic, dressed modestly (no shorts, low-cut blouses or wild haircuts), avoided tourist haunts, rarely ventured into Israel proper and, whenever possible, purchased Palestinian rather than Israeli products. We were often more obsessive about these latter practices than our Palestinian friends. My point is not that these actions were incorrect, but that insomuch as they demonstrated our radical difference from "other" Westerners, they allowed us to disavow our real connections to the centers of power. My response to the stoning was emblematic of a reluctance to acknowledge my implication in the forces of domination in the West Bank. My Palestinian friends' reaction to the incident, which was much less sympathetic than I had ex-
Impulsiveness and anxiety: Information processing and electroencephalograph topography

Abstract Within a general systems model of personality, we are currently studying impulsiveness and other personality traits using multitrait-multimethod multivariate designs. The research involves a wide spectrum of techniques in an effort to find consistent relationships among biological, cognitive, behavioral, and environmental correlates of the personality traits. The goal is to develop unique profiles of personality traits based on these four classes of measurements. Our research has demonstrated that impulsiveness and anxiety are personality traits that have loadings on two orthogonal higher order personality factors that we have labeled action-oriented and mood-feeling. From both an empirical research and a clinical viewpoint, we have identified three subtraits of impulsiveness: cognitive (Ic), motor (Im), and nonplanning (Inp). Inp is hypothesized to relate to frontal lobe brain processes, while Ic and Im are more related to neural mechanisms that (1) control performance on tasks with “timing-and-rhythm” demands and/or (2) are related to seizure disorders. High-impulsive subjects (especially when high on Ic and Im) are less efficient at performing a wide range of psychomotor tasks. We hypothesize that this inefficiency relates to the information-gating properties of the nervous system being out of “synch” with efficient performance of selected tasks. High-impulsive subjects are visual N100 event-related potential augmentors, which would be consistent with this dyssynchrony occurring in the early stages of information processing. We also hypothesize that impulsiveness is related to serotonin (high impulsiveness related to low serotonin levels). Our psychopharmacological-psychophysiological studies of information processing would be consistent with the latter hypothesis.
Volunteer orthopaedics overseas training programmes

There is a need to raise the level of orthopaedic care in the developing countries and the obligation lies with the orthopaedic profession. An outline of one method of attempting to resolve this problem using short-term orthopaedic volunteer teachers in the developing countries is described.
Electronic structures of tetragonal nitrido and nitrosyl metal complexes

The standard oxidation states of central metal atoms in C4v nitrido ([M(N)(L)5]z) complexes are four units higher than those in corresponding nitrosyls ([M(NO)(L)5]z) (L=CN: z = 3−, M = Mn, Tc, Re; z = 2−, M = Fe, Ru, Os; L = NH3: z = 2+, M = Mn, Tc, Re; z = 3+, M = Fe, Ru, Os). Recent work has suggested that [Mn(NO)(CN)5]3− behaves electronically much closer to Mn(V)[b2(xy)]2, the ground state of [Mn(N)(CN)5]3−, than to Mn(I)[b2(xy)]2[e(xz,yz)]4. We have employed density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory to calculate the properties of the ground states and lowest-lying excitations of [M(N)(L)5]z and [M(NO)(L)5]z. Our results show that [M(N)(L)5]z and [M(NO)(L)5]z complexes with the same z value have strikingly similar electronic structures.
Parents' decision-making preferences in pediatric oncology: the relationship to health care involvement and complementary therapy use.

This study investigated how parents' preferred level of control in treatment decision-making is related to their personal health care involvement and to their decision to use complementary therapies (CTs) for their child. One hundred-eighteen parents of pediatric oncology patients completed an anonymous CT survey. The Krantz Health Opinion Survey (KHOS) was used to determine parents' preferred involvement in personal health care, and the Control Preferences Scale for Pediatrics (CPS-P) measured preferred role in pediatric treatment decision-making. Unlike previous studies of adult cancer patients, most parents preferred active or collaborative decision-making. The KHOS and CPS-P were significantly correlated, indicating that parents' preferred role in children's treatment decisions was related to their own personal health care involvement. Forty-six percent of parents used CTs for their child, and 33% began using a new CT after diagnosis. The hypothesized relationship between CT use and parents' own health care involvement was partially supported. Preference for control in decision-making was not associated with CT use. These findings provide validation for the newly developed CPS-P and indicate that parents' decisions to use CT for their child are related in part to individual health care preferences.
A Josephson array voltage standard at 10 V

The technology of Josephson voltage standards has been extended to an array of 14 184 junctions which is capable of generating over 150 000 quantized voltage levels spanning the range from -12 to +12 V. This makes possible the direct calibration of 10-V Zener reference standards without the use of a voltage divider.
THE EFFECT OF ESTROGEN ON PLASMA LUTEINIZING HORMONE (LH) ACTIVITY IN THE RAT1

Using the ovarian ascorbic acid assay for LH, detectable quantities of LH were found in plasma of ovariectomized donor rats. The LH activity of ovariectomized rat plasma was decreased by single subcutaneous injections of cstradiol benzoate (Eb). This effect was demonstrable within a day after injection of a large dose of Eb (50 μg); the minimal effective dose of Eb to cause a decrease in LH activity 3 days after injection was about 0.1 μg. A slight decrease in LH activity was demonstrable within an hour of intravenous injection of a large dose of estradiol (E) or Eb. Decreased LH activity was found in the absence of proestrous or estrous smears but was always found if the smear was in proestrous or estrous stage. It was concluded that E exerts a negative feed-back on the LH controlling area(s).
A proposal for computer-assisted instruction in vocabulary

First, the biases of language pedagogy reflect the biases of much of modern linguistics. Phonology and syntax form patterns that linguists find appealing, and it has been tempting to apply our expanding theoretical knowledge of these topics to practical language teaching. The lexicon, by comparison, seems to form a relatively disorganized heap that is resistant to orderly patterning. Linguistic analysis of vocabulary has yielded relatively little that might inspire derivative pedagogical applications.
Meeting the Needs of Global Companies Through Improved International Business Curriculum

The global workplace requires specific knowledge, skills, and abilities on the part of workers. There is a growing body of research indicating a gap between the global industry demand for skills and the higher education system's ability to supply that demand. Leveraging the work from Yu, Guan, Yang, and Chiao (2005) and Prestwich and Ho-Kim (2007), this study investigated this gap. The sample included global leaders of Fortune 500 companies. Exploratory in nature, the primary purpose of this study was to understand the needs of global business organizations that form the hiring market for international business graduates. The findings highlight the gap between the topics being taught by educators and the skills actually needed by the target international businesses. This information is relevant to the challenges facing global businesses as well as higher education institutions and provides insights into improvements for the good of both industries and especially the students aiming for careers in global o...
Effect of age on transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract: presentation, treatment, and outcomes.

Objectives To determine the effect of age on the disease characteristics, treatment administered, and disease-specific survival (DSS) for patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma. The effect of advancing age on the disease extent and survival has not been well delineated in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma. Methods Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from the National Cancer Institute, we identified patients diagnosed with UTUC from 1984 to 2004. The data were analyzed for age (40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, and ≥80 years), sex, race, disease extent, treatment type, and cause of death. Relationships among age, clinicopathologic features, and treatment were tabulated. The effect of age on overall and DSS were calculated using Cox proportional hazards ratio analyses. Results The final cohort consisted of 12 639 patients. Advancing age was associated with greater T stage and grade at presentation. Of those 40-49 years old, 41% presented with invasive tumors (T2-T4) compared with 50% of octogenarians. Poor or undifferentiated tumors increased in frequency from 42% among those 40-49 years old to 59% among those ≥80 years old. Extirpative surgery was less likely among those with Stage T1 or less disease (88.3% vs 92.8%). Octogenarians were less likely to have undergone extirpative surgery than those 40-49 years old (86% vs 95%). Despite adjustments for T stage, grade, and treatment, DSS (hazard ratio 2.64) worsened with increasing age. Conclusions With advancing age, we found a corresponding increase in stage and grade at presentation. After adjustment for stage, grade, and treatment type, older patients still had worse DSS.
Lawrence's 'The Odor of Chrysanthemums

(2002). Lawrence's the Odor of Chrysanthemums. The Explicator: Vol. 60, No. 3, pp. 154-154.
K+ production in baryon-baryon and heavy-ion collisions

Kaon production cross sections in nucleon-nucleon, nucleon-{Delta}, and {Delta}-{Delta} interactions are studied in a boson exchange model. For the latter two interactions, the exchanged pion can be on-mass shell; only contributions due to a virtual pion are included via the Peierls method by taking into account the finite {Delta} width. With these cross sections and also those for pion-baryon interactions, subthreshold kaon production from heavy-ion collisions is studied in the relativistic transport model. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
Evolution of convection in water toward steady state, studied by ultrasonics

Abstract Using ultrasonics as a local probe we have measured the onset, initial transients, and evolution to steady state of Rayleigh-Benard convection in water. Following step heating, we observe features in the attenuation which occur at Rayleigh number dependent times τ after heater turn-on. τ exhibits critical slowing down near the convective threshold. The system goes through several distinct modes en route to steady state.
Evaluation and management of the “New” lymphoma entities: Mantle cell lymphoma, lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue, anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, and primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma

Abstract Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) represent a major health problem worldwide, and incidence has been on the rise continuously for the last few decades. It is estimated that approximately 55,000 new cases of NHL will be diagnosed in the United States in 1998 and that slightly fewer than 25,000 patients will die of treatment failure or recurrent disease. The rising incidence of NHL is related not only to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome epidemic but to also a steady increase in the number of cases diagnosed in older patients without immunosuppression. The new pathologic classification of NHL (revised European-American lymphoma classification, REAL) developed by the International Lymphoma Study Group (ILSG) is already resulting in more accurate disease-specific epidemiologic and clinical investigations. These studies have brought a new awareness of the existence and the relative prevalence of discrete NHL subtypes that appear to predominate among patients in different populations according to age, sex, geographic distribution, and predisposing conditions. This developing database has also the potential to result in the discovery of specific environmental causes, predisposing genetic factors, and therapeutic approaches. Some of the entities defined in the REAL classification, such as follicular lymphomas, diffuse B large-cell lymphomas, and T-cell lymphoblastic lymphomas, were already well described in the older classification systems (Kiel and Working Formulation). Others, such as mantle cell lymphoma, (MCL) anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL), lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma), and primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) are relatively new members of the family, and accurate data on their clinicopathologic features and natural histories have only recently begun to emerge. This review presents in detail the most recent data on the clinical presentation of, diagnostic evaluation of, and treatment options for the most common of the new NHL entities: MCL, MALT lymphoma, CD30 + (Ki-1 + ) ALCL, and PMBCL. These four entities combined represent approximately 20% of all cases of NHL and exemplify well the broad clinicopathologic spectrum of NHL and the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges facing those who care for patients affected by these conditions.
Calcium requirement for assembly of the lipid-containing bacteriophage PM2

Abstract The bacteriophage PM2 requires extracellular Ca 2+ at concentrations greater than 3 · 10 −4 M for the production of viable virus, whereas the host cell Pseudomonas BAL-31 grows normally in medium containing 3 · 10 −5 M Ca 2+ (low calcium). Virus attachment occurs normally in low calcium, the infected cultures partially lyse, but no infectious virus particles are released. Sucrose gradient analysis shows that lysates made in low calcium contain no PM2-like particles. The addition of calcium very late in the infectious cycle completely restores virus production to cultures infected in low calcium, whereas removal of calcium after infection prevents virus production. Our experiments indicate that Ca 2+ is essential for some process late in the lytic cycle, such as the final assembly of stable, infectious PM2 particles.
Betaine supplementation and blood lipids: fact or artifact?

Betaine supplementation in humans has been shown to lower plasma homocysteine concentrations in modestly hyperhomocysteinemic patients. Betaine treatment is associated with increased plasma low-densitylipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, suggesting that although betaine supplementation lowers homocysteine, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, changes in blood lipids may have a counterbalancing effect. However, whether the betaine effect on LDL concentration is a clinically significant problem that should change treatment options or is simply an artifact needs further study.
Can't kick that oncogene habit

One of the most exciting developments in recent cancer treatment has been the move away from crude cytotoxic agents toward drugs that inhibit specific targets in specific cellular pathways. One assumption of this strategy is that maintenance of human cancers is dependent upon a limited cadre of therapeutically tractable oncogenic lesions. In this issue of Cancer Cell, an intriguing paper from Sharma et al. endorses this approach by showing that evolution appears to be working for us. They show that an innate asymmetry in the dynamics of intracellular signaling biases pathway inhibition in favor of cell death. This bias may significantly potentiate targeted cancer therapies.
Methylation of CASP8, DCR2, and HIN-1 in neuroblastoma is associated with poor outcome.

Purpose: Epigenetic aberrations have been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of most cancers. To investigate the clinical significance of epigenetic changes in neuroblastoma, we evaluated the relationship between clinicopathologic variables and the pattern of gene methylation in neuroblastoma cell lines and tumors. Experimental Design: Methylation-specific PCR was used to evaluate the gene methylation status of 19 genes in 14 neuroblastoma cell lines and 8 genes in 70 primary neuroblastoma tumors. Associations between gene methylation, established prognostic factors, and outcome were evaluated. Log-rank tests were used to identify the number of methylated genes that was most predictive of overall survival. Results: Epigenetic changes were detected in the neuroblastoma cell lines and primary tumors, although the pattern of methylation varied. Eight of the 19 genes analyzed were methylated in >70% of the cell lines. Epigenetic changes of four genes were detected in only small numbers of cell lines. None of the cell lines had methylation of the other seven genes analyzed. In primary neuroblastoma tumors, high-risk disease and poor outcome were associated with methylation of DCR2, CASP8 , and HIN-1 individually. Although methylation of the other five individual genes was not predictive of poor outcome, a trend toward decreased survival was seen in patients with a methylation phenotype, defined as ≥4 methylated genes ( P = 0.055). Conclusion: Our study indicates that clinically aggressive neuroblastoma tumors have aberrant methylation of multiple genes and provides a rationale for exploring treatment strategies that include demethylating agents.
Horton-Strahler ordering of random binary trees

We study the Horton-Strahler ordering for random binary trees, which are statistically self-similar branching structures. Extending previously obtained results, we show that near the top of these trees, the expected bifurcation ratios tend strongly to the value 4. But at the root of the tree, the expected bifurcation ratio is less than 4, becoming asymptotically a periodic function of log4 n.
Assessment of chamber pressure oscillations in the Shuttle SRB

Combustion stability evaluations of the Shuttle solid propellant booster motor are reviewed. Measurement of the amplitude and frequency of low level chamber pressure oscillations which have been detected in motor firings, are discussed and a statistical analysis of the data is presented. Oscillatory data from three recent motor firings are shown and the results are compared with statistical predictions which are based on earlier motor firings.
A learning and assessment tool for web-based distributed education

Most distributed education environments provide lecture notes/slides and synchronous/asynchronous channels to facilitate student learning. These methods are not robust enough on their own, especially in the computing field where students learn programming theories and languages by viewing others' codes and by producing their own. Instructors need a tool to help easily generate meaningful descriptions of code examples and make comments directly related to students' code submissions. Similarly, students need access to an environment that allows them to view code descriptions and comments regarding submitted code assignments.The Learning and Assessment Tool for web-based distributed education is a semi-automatic aid that facilitates personalized learning. The instructor uses the embedded description feature of the tool to tailor comments to an individual student's coding assignment as well as to deliver examples of code with embedded descriptions that can be explored later by the student. The student, reading examples of code, will see visual cues in the form of colored text linked to embedded descriptions. Mouseovers of the text bring the instructor-provided descriptions into view which reduces the visual clutter that occurs when static descriptions are inserted between lines of code. Students are able to review only those descriptions needed to increase their knowledge about a particular section of the code. Experimental use of the tool was conducted in a graduate level Perl/CGI course being offered in a distributed education environment. Quizzes were administered to measure students' learning process. Results showed that tool-generated code description examples enhanced student learning. The best performance occurred when students were exposed to both tool-generated code description examples and to tool-generated instructor feedback.
Enamel surface evaluations after clinical treatment and removal of orthodontic brackets

Methods for the removal of resins attached to acid-etched enamel are receiving increased attention. An evaluation method which permitted convenient statistical comparisons of the effectiveness of various removal procedures was used. The method was based on ranking of SEM photomicrographs of epoxy replicas of teeth from clinical cases. Forty-five orthodontically treated teeth were evaluated after removal of brackets and a heavily filled bonding resin, using three basic procedures. Eleven raters ranked photomicrographs on the basis of the apparent smoothness of the replicated enamel surface. There was no significant difference in the judgment of smoothness by the raters. Significant differences were found between the three removal techniques. Enamel roughness decreased with removal technique in the following order: (1) hand scaler, (2) twelve-fluted carbide bur, and (3) ultrafine bur. A final pumicing treatment was also found to be beneficial, although it did not remove any deep scratches.
HYDROPHILIC AND HYDROPHOBIC COLLOIDS AND THE INFLUENCE OF ELECTROLYTES ON MEMBRANE POTENTIALS AND CATAPHORETIC POTENTIALS

1. In order to be able to compare the effects of electrolytes on membrane potentials and cataphoretic potentials it seems necessary to distinguish between the charging and depressing effect of electrolytes on these potentials. Only low concentrations of acids and alkalies have a charging effect on the membrane potentials of proteins, while low concentrations of neutral salts have only a depressing effect; in the case of the cataphoretic potentials, low concentrations of salts have a charging effect as have also low concentrations of alkalies and in some cases low concentrations of acids. This difference finds its explanation in the difference of the origin of the two potentials and there can therefore be no common theory for the charging effect of electrolytes in the two cases. 2. There exists, however, an analogy in the depressing action of electrolytes on the two types of potentials inasmuch when the maximal P.D. is reached, all three kinds of electrolytes, acids, alkalies, and neutral salts, have a depressing effect on both types of potentials (taking into due consideration the effect of changes in the hydrogen ion concentration). 3. This depressing effect is adequately explained for the membrane potentials of protein solutions and protein gels on the basis of the Donnan equilibrium, and the question arises whether the same explanation may also hold for the cataphoretic potentials. 4. The active ion in the depressing action of electrolytes on membrane potentials as well as on cataphoretic potentials has the opposite sign of charge from that of the colloidal particle. It had been shown before that only the valency but not the chemical nature of the active ion determines the depressing effect in the case of membrane potentials and it is shown in this paper that the same is true for the cataphoretic potentials of particles of collodion, mastic, Acheson9s graphite, and denatured egg albumin. 5. It is shown that the same valency rule holds also for the effect of acids on the cataphoretic potentials of collodion particles coated with gelatin, and that the ratio of the effect of dibasic to that of mono-basic acids is approximately 0.66, as Donnan9s theory of membrane potentials would demand. 6. If we have a right to conclude from the validity of the valency rule for cataphoretic potentials that the depressing effect of electrolytes on the cataphoretic P.D. is determined by the Donnan equilibrium, we can understand the analogy between the depressing action of electrolytes on membrane potentials of hydrophilic colloids and on the cataphoretic potentials of hydrophobic colloids. We can also understand the analogy between the influence of electrolytes on the precipitation of hydrophobic colloids and on the depression of the values of all those properties of hydrophilic colloids which depend on the Donnan equilibrium, since the precipitation of hydrophobic colloids occurs when the cataphoretic P.D. is depressed below a critical value.
Emotion, Cognition, and Mental State Representation in Amygdala and Prefrontal Cortex

Neuroscientists have often described cognition and emotion as separable processes implemented by different regions of the brain, such as the amygdala for emotion and the prefrontal cortex for cognition. In this framework, functional interactions between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex mediate emotional influences on cognitive processes such as decision-making, as well as the cognitive regulation of emotion. However, neurons in these structures often have entangled representations, whereby single neurons encode multiple cognitive and emotional variables. Here we review studies using anatomical, lesion, and neurophysiological approaches to investigate the representation and utilization of cognitive and emotional parameters. We propose that these mental state parameters are inextricably linked and represented in dynamic neural networks composed of interconnected prefrontal and limbic brain structures. Future theoretical and experimental work is required to understand how these mental state representations form and how shifts between mental states occur, a critical feature of adaptive cognitive and emotional behavior.
Twilight of the idylls: Wilde, Tennyson, and fin-de-siècle anti-idealism

Copyright © 2015 Cambridge University Press. In the climactic finale to the first act of Oscar Wilde's 1895 play An Ideal Husband, Gertrude Chiltern convinces her husband, a Member of Parliament, not to support the construction of a boondoggle Argentinean canal. Gertrude, not her husband, is the ostensibly moral character here, since the canal's only purpose is to create wealth for its stockholders, but the language she uses in this impassioned speech quotes Guinevere, the contrite fallen wife in Alfred Tennyson's Idylls of the King. Near the end of the Idylls, recognizing that her infidelity has occasioned war, turmoil, and the end of Arthur's reign, Guinevere laments: Ah my God, What might I not have made of thy fair world, Had I but loved thy highest creature here? It was my duty to have loved the highest: It surely was my profit had I known: It would have been my pleasure had I seen. We needs must love the highest when we see it (G 649-56) Repeating these words and ideas under drastically different circumstances, Lady Chiltern tells her husband in the finale to Wilde's first act: I don't think you realise sufficiently, Robert, that you have brought into the political life of our time a nobler atmosphere, a finer attitude towards life, a freer air of purer aims and higher ideals - I know it, and for that I love you, Robert.. I will love you always, because you will always be worthy of love. We needs must love the highest when we see it! (Ideal 69).
Cyclic AMP and Photoreceptor Function

Our recent work (1,2,3,4) has indicated that rod outer segment preparations from a number of different vertebrate retinas contain adenyl cyclase with a specific activity significantly higher than any previously recorded in any tissue. This photoreceptor cyclase is inactivated by light with the inactivation proportional to the bleaching of rhodopsin. There are also, in photoreceptor preparations, a phosphodiesterase (not regulated by light) and a cAMP activated protein kinase (with characteristics similar to its counterpart in brain). Other photoreceptors (ground squirrel cones, and the rhabdoms of gypsy moth, crayfish and lobster) exhibit a high specific activity of cyclase which does not however show sensitivity to illumination.
Identification of a complex that binds to the CD154 3' untranslated region: implications for a role in message stability during T cell activation.

CD154 expression is regulated throughout a time course of CD3-dependent T cell activation by differential mRNA decay. To understand the molecular basis of the “stability” phase of this pathway, experiments were conducted to identify sequences and specific complexes important in this regulation. Gel retardation assays using extracts from both Jurkat T cells and CD3-activated CD4 + T cells revealed a major complex (complex I) that bound a 65-bp highly CU-rich region of the CD154 3′ untranslated region. The specificity of the CU-rich element for complex-I formation was confirmed by disruption of this complex by oligo(dCT) competition. Formation of complex I strongly correlated with CD154 mRNA stability across a time course of T cell activation. UV cross-linking identified a major oligo(dCT)-sensitive species at ∼90 kDa that showed induced and increased expression in extracts from 24- and 48-hr anti-CD3-activated T cells, respectively. This protein was absent in equivalent extracts from resting or 2-h-activated T cells. Using an in vitro decay assay, we found that a CD154-specific transcript was more rapidly degraded in 2-h-activated extract and stabilized in the 24- and 48-h extracts compared to extracts from resting T cells. Disruption of complex I resulted in the rapid decay of a CD154-specific transcript demonstrating a functional role for complex I in mRNA stabilization in vitro. These studies support a model of posttranscriptional regulation of CD154 expression being controlled in part by the interaction of a poly(CU)-binding complex with a specific sequence in the 3′ untranslated region.
Talking Your Way to the Top with Style

Health educators are communicators. The heart and soul of what we do is done through some form of communication. A recent survey of employers revealed that writing and public speaking were the top two most desirable skills for entry-level practitioners. Although a great resume, references, and interviewing skills may get you the job, being able to communicate effectively will go a long way in helping you keep the job and advance to a higher position. It probably would be safe to assume that most health educators, given a choice, would rather develop materials than give a speech or presentation. Public speaking creates anxiety for most people. However, by following a few basic principles of speech preparation and delivery, your level of anxiety can be diminished and your performance improved.