cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factors Involved in Artificial Caries Induction by Oral Streptococci in Extracted Human Teeth

This study assesses the abilities of S. mutans GS5 and BHT and S. sanguis G9B to produce subsurface lesions on smooth surfaces of extracted human teeth and examines factors which might be responsible for any differences encountered. Teeth were incubated in Brain Heart Infusion broth containing 2% sucrose and a pure culture of the organism to be tested, the media being changed each day for eight days. Surface and media pH's were measured. The mineral content of both the surface enamel and the subsurface lesions was determined by contact microradiography. Significantly deeper and more demineralized lesions were produced by GS5 than by either BHT or G9B. GS5 also produced a lower surface and medium pH and a more dense coating on the teeth. Similar results were obtained with GS5 and G9B when the BHI broth was replaced with FMC synthetic media. It is concluded that the system described is suitable for studying cariogenic potential and will be useful in measuring the anticariogenicity of suspected therapeutic a...
Standards For Measurement Of Acoustic Exposure By Users Of Medical Diagnostic Ultrasound

Currently with the increasing use of medical ultrasonics there is a need for accurate characterization of diagnostic instruments. There are at least five professional societies in the United States actively pursuing some facet of this problem. There are also numerous foreign societies at work and, of course, the world standards organization, the International Electro-technical Commission (IEC). The IEC is the parent world organization and as such national and society standards should comply with the IEC standard.© (1975) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Chronic antipsychotic treatment alters glycine-stimulated NMDA receptor binding in rat brain.

Abstract In this study the chronic effect of antipsychotic drugs (APDs) on N-methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) receptor binding was evaluated. Rats were treated for 21 days with i.p. injections of haloperidol (0.5 mg/kg), pimozide (0.5 mg/kg), clozapine (20 mg/kg), risperidone (1 mg/ kg) or water vehicle (1 ml/kg). Brain tissue sections underwent different [3H]MK-801 assay conditions. Following a short preincubation wash, there were no effects of APDs on either unenhanced or agonist enhanced [3H]MK-801 binding. Following a prolonged preincubation wash, APDs resulted in a reduction in both unenhanced binding and glycine enhanced binding. The attenuation of glycine stimulation in the APD treated animals was selective as neither NMDA nor spermidine enhanced binding was significantly affected. The present data suggest specific actions at the glycine regulatory site on the NMDA receptor as part of the chronic effects of APDs.
Availability of snacks, candy and beverages in hospital, community clinic and commercial pharmacies.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the present study was to measure the availability of energy-dense foods and sugar-sweetened beverages in pharmacies and to examine differences by pharmacy type and presence of a food policy. DESIGN Trained research staff visited pharmacies (n 37) to measure shelf space and variety of snacks, candy and sugar-sweetened beverages available within 10 ft (3·05 m) of the pharmacy register. SETTING Community clinic, hospital and commercial pharmacies in Minneapolis, MN, USA. SUBJECTS Employees were interviewed regarding pharmacy food policies. RESULTS Approximately 60 % of pharmacies had foods and/or sugar-sweetened beverages available for purchase within 10 ft (3·05 m) of the pharmacy register. Total shelf space (P = 0·02) and variety (P = 0·0003) differed significantly by pharmacy type and were greatest among community clinic pharmacies. Over half of pharmacies had no food policy (58·3 %). Pharmacies with food policies were less likely to have foods/beverages available within 10 ft (3·05 m) of the pharmacy register than pharmacies with no food policies (P = 0·03). CONCLUSIONS Candy, snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages are highly available in the pharmacy environment. Presence of a policy is associated with less food availability within 10 ft (3·05 m) of the pharmacy register and represents an important potential intervention strategy.
Making things public: democracy and government-funded videogames and virtual reality simulations

This paper discusses two computer graphics-intensive projects at the University of Southern California that are being developed with funding from the U.S. military: Tactical Iraqi, a computer game designed to accelerate a soldier's acquisition of spoken Arabic to assist in volatile tactical situations, and Virtual Iraq, a virtual reality simulation intended to lessen the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among combat veterans. Both initiatives have received extensive national media coverage and may serve rhetorical as well as pedagogical or therapeutic ends by making individual, private digital experiences aimed to effect the personal education or rehabilitation of military personnel accessible to a wider public. This paper examines the debate in the serious game development community about working on behalf of government-funded projects that support current military efforts. It also considers the potential for what Bruno Latour has called "object-oriented democracy" that these games and simulations could represent.
Discovery of novel and orally active NR2B-selective N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists, pyridinol derivatives with reduced HERG binding affinity

Abstract Novel NR2B antagonists with an amide tether were found by an approach to avoid pharmacophoric similarity to dofetilide. Structure–activity relationship investigation led to N-[cis-4-hydroxy-4-(5-hydroxypyridin-2-yl)cyclohexyl]-3-henylpropanamide 14e as an orally active NR2B-subtype selective N-methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist with very weak HERG (human ether-a-go-go related gene) binding (IC50 > 30 μM). This compound exhibited potent in vivo anti-allodynic activity in the mouse partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSL) model (minimum effective dose = 10 mg/kg, po).
Successive incorporation of force-generating units in the bacterial rotary motor

Mot mutants of Escherichia coli are paralysed: their flagella appear to be intact but do not rotate. The motA and motB gene products are found in the cytoplasmic membrane; they do not co-purify with flagellar basal bodies isolated in neutral detergents. Silverman et al. found that mot mutants could be ' resurrected ' through protein synthesis directed by lambda transducing phages carrying the wild-type genes. Here, we have studied this activation at the level of a single flagellar motor. Cells of a motB strain carrying plasmids in which transcription of the wild-type motB gene was controlled by the lac promoter were tethered to a glass surface by a single flagellum. These cells began to spin within several minutes after the addition of a lac inducer, and their rotational speed changed in a series of equally spaced steps. As many as 7 steps were seen in individual cells and, from the final speeds attained, as many as 16 steps could be inferred. These experiments show that each flagellar motor contains several independent force-generating units comprised, at least in part, of motB protein.
Chronic Stress, Drug Use, and Vulnerability to Addiction

Stress is a well-known risk factor in the development of addiction and in addiction relapse vulnerability. A series of population-based and epidemiological studies have identified specific stressors and individual-level variables that are predictive of substance use and abuse. Preclinical research also shows that stress exposure enhances drug self-administration and reinstates drug seeking in drug-experienced animals. The deleterious effects of early life stress, child maltreatment, and accumulated adversity on alterations in the corticotropin releasing factor and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (CRF/HPA), the extrahypothalamic CRF, the autonomic arousal, and the central noradrenergic systems are also presented. The effects of these alterations on the corticostriatal-limbic motivational, learning, and adaptation systems that include mesolimbic dopamine, glutamate, and gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA) pathways are discussed as the underlying pathophysiology associated with stress-related risk of addiction. The effects of regular and chronic drug use on alterations in these stress and motivational systems are also reviewed, with specific attention to the impact of these adaptations on stress regulation, impulse control, and perpetuation of compulsive drug seeking and relapse susceptibility. Finally, research gaps in furthering our understanding of the association between stress and addiction are presented, with the hope that addressing these unanswered questions will significantly influence new prevention and treatment strategies to address vulnerability to addiction.
AMPA receptors unbound: membrane cycling and synaptic plasticity.

Postsynaptic receptor cycling is a complicated cell biological process that is poorly understood. While it is clear that interfering with interactions between many of the dozens of proteins mediating exo- and endocytosis can disrupt synaptic function and plasticity, interpreting these results unambiguously will require a much more complete understanding of the role these proteins play in postsynaptic function. While proteins like NSF, synaptobrevin, and amphiphysin serve well-characterized roles in presynaptic vesicle cycling, little is currently known about the postsynaptic localization or function of these proteins. The unexpected finding that NSF interacts directly with AMPARs raises the possibility that other proteins involved in vesicle fusion or endocytosis may also serve dual functions as receptor chaperones, or may have other vital roles in maintaining the integrity of the PSD.While there is as yet no consensus on the rate of AMPAR cycling and the direct role of constitutive turnover in rapid forms of synaptic plasticity, it seems likely that regulated endo- and exocytosis will emerge as an important mechanism for rapidly influencing synaptic strength. It may turn out that constitutive AMPAR cycling is too slow to play a role in LTP and LTD (as suggested by half-life studies). On the other hand, long-term modulation of the relative rates of exo- and endocytosis could play an important role in homeostatic forms of plasticity such as synaptic scaling (14xO'Brien, R.J, Kambol, S, Ehlers, M.D, Rosen, K.R, Kischback, G.D, and Huganir, R.L. Neuron. 1998; 21: 1067–1078Abstract | Full Text | Full Text PDF | PubMed | Scopus (404)See all References, 19xTurrigiano, G.G, Leslie, K.L, Desai, N.S, Rutherford, L.C, and Nelson, S.B. Nature. 1998; 391: 892–895Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (1088)See all References, 18xTurrigiano, G.G and Nelson, S.B. Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 2000; in pressSee all References), or activity-dependent or developmental changes in receptor localization (Craig 1998xCraig, A.M. Neuron. 1998; 21: 459–462Abstract | Full Text | Full Text PDF | PubMed | Scopus (87)See all ReferencesCraig 1998), that operate over a time scale of hours to days. Finally, it remains to be seen what role regulation of AMPAR binding proteins plays in both rapid and slow forms of central synaptic plasticity. It is not clear that inserting more receptors into the membrane is useful without the resources to trap those receptors at the synapse. It may very well turn out that producing a long-lasting change in receptor number at a synapse requires both delivery of more receptors to the membrane and an increased capacity to bind and immobilize those receptors.*E-mail: turrigiano@brandeis.edu.
Protecting the Health of the Public — Institute of Medicine Recommendations on Drug Safety

The IOM committee assessed the U.S. drug-safety system and identified a number of serious problems, including a lack of clear regulatory authority, chronic underfunding, organizational difficulties, and a scarcity of post-approval data. Dr. Bruce Psaty and Sheila Burke discuss the recommendations of the IOM.
Biofluorescent substances for rapid assessment of toxicants on invertebrates

The recently developed 1 h fluorescent test with Daphnia magna was further evaluated. The assay is based on the in vivo observation of enzymatic activity using a fluorogenic substrate that, after cleavage by the corresponding enzyme, releases a fluorescent dye. Influences interfering with the test evaluation were determined and eliminated. It was investigated as to whether new fluorescent tests can be developed for Ceriodaphnia dubia and Hyalella azteca. Also, other fluorescent substrates were tested for their applicability as fluorogenic substrate in combination with D. magna, C. dubia, and H. azteca.
Mechanical and biological properties of keratose biomaterials

Abstract The oxidized form of extractable human hair keratin proteins, commonly referred to as keratose, is gaining interest as a biomaterial for multiple tissue engineering studies including those directed toward peripheral nerve, spinal cord, skin, and bone regeneration. Unlike its disulfide cross-linked counterpart, kerateine, keratose does not possess a covalently cross-linked network structure and consequently displays substantially different characteristics. In order to understand its mode(s) of action and potential for clinical translatability, detailed characterization of the composition, physical properties, and biological responses of keratose biomaterials are needed. Keratose was obtained from end-cut human hair fibers by peracetic acid treatment, followed by base extraction, and subsequent dialysis. Analysis of lyophilized keratose powder determined that it contains 99% proteins by mass with amino acid content similar to human hair cortex. Metallic elements were also found in minute quantities. Protein oxidation led to disulfide bond cleavage and drastic reduction of free thiols due to conversion of sulfhydryl to sulfonic acid, chain fragmentation, and amino acid modifications. Mass spectrometry identified the major protein constituents as a heterogeneous mixture of 15 hair keratins (type I: K31–35 and K37–39, and type II: K81–86) with small amounts of epithelial keratins which exist in monomeric, dimeric, multimeric, and even degraded forms. Re-hydration with PBS enabled molecular assembly into an elastic solid-like hydrogel. Highly-porous scaffolds formed by lyophilization of the gel had the compression behavior of a cellular foam material and reverted back to gel upon wetting. Cytotoxicity assays showed that the EC50 for various cell lines were attained at 8–10 mg/mL keratose, indicating the non-toxic nature of the material. Implantation in mouse subcutaneous tissue pockets demonstrated that keratose resorption follows a rectangular hyperbolic regression with 92% degradation by an 8-week time point. Keratose was shown to integrate with the host tissue as evidenced by infiltration of leukocytes and fibroblasts, bulk material angiogenesis, and minimal fibrous encapsulation. Tissue response benchmarks were superior in keratose compared to the control PLGA 90:10 mesh. Finally, the degraded keratose was observed to remodel with the natural collagen extracellular matrix, verifying the benefit of using keratose as a temporary matrix for regenerative medicine applications.
MDSP: a modular DSP architecture for a real-time 3D laser range sensor

As electronic documents are becoming more and more popular, variety of objects, including 2D and 3D objects such as articles, books and 3D-shapes, can be easily contained in a document. Conventional systems cannot capture these objects as a 3D form. We developed a new image capturing system with 3D information for deskwork. It is an assemblage of a normal digital camera and its docking station designed for easy operation. The docking station swings the attached camera tilting step by step. Within a few steps, it covers the whole object automatically. Then each frame is combined together into one complete image with full resolution. In order to get precise 3D structure, stripe patterns are projected by a modified flash light attached on the camera. The resolution rises by means of the swing to be slipped the patterns on the object. Using the obtained 3D data we can reconstruct a correct image from a splay surface image such as a book. Experimental Results of image mosaicing and 3D reconstruction shows that the system is practical.
Hurricane “Rainfall Potential” Derived from Satellite Observations Aids Overland Rainfall Prediction

Abstract The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission–based National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) product is used to quantify the rainfall distribution in tropical cyclones that made landfall in the United States during 1998–2004. A total of 37 tropical cyclones (TC) are examined, including 2680 three-hourly MPA precipitation observations. Rainfall distributions for overland and overocean observations are compared. It is found that the TC rainfall over ocean bears a strong relationship with the TC maximum wind, whereas the relationship for overland conditions is much weaker. The rainfall potential is defined by using the satellite-derived rain rate, the satellite-derived storm size, and the storm translation speed. This study examines the capability of the overocean rainfall potential to predict a storm’s likelihood of producing heavy rain over land. High correlations between rain potentials before landfall and the maximum storm total rain over land a...
Theory Of Multioscillator Laser Gyros

The paper gives an overview of multioscillator laser theory. As an example, we discuss the application of multioscillator laser theory in ZLAG (Zeeman laser gyro) investigations.
Electric and magnetic field dyadic Green's functions and depolarizing dyad for a magnetic current immersed in a uniaxial dielectric-filled parallel plate waveguide

The dyadic Green's functions and depolarizing dyad for the electric and magnetic fields due to a magnetic current immersed in a uniaxial dielectric-filled parallel plate waveguide with perfect electric conducting (PEC) boundaries are developed here. The Green's functions are derived directly from Maxwell's equations using the superposition of a particular (i.e., principal) and complementary (i.e., reflected) solution based upon a spectral domain analysis. It is shown that the magnetic current maintains both ordinary and extraordinary waves which are TEz and TMz, respectively, and that these field sets do not couple at the parallel-plate PEC boundaries. The physical meaning of the various terms in the Green's functions is provided as well as a simple formulation for computing the magnetic field Green's function from the electric field Green's function. A simple approach for computing the depolarizing dyad term due to the source point singularity in the principal magnetic field representation is presented and consequently leads to a Green's function expression that is valid both externally and internally to the source region. Applications which motivate the need for these Green's functions, such as the measurement of hexagonal honeycomb core composites and uniaxial crystals, are also discussed.
An estimate of the U.S. government's undercount of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in agriculture

Abstract Background Debate surrounds the accuracy of U.S. government’s estimates of job-related injuries and illnesses in agriculture. Whereas studies have attempted to estimate the undercount for all industries combined, none have specifically addressed agriculture. Methods Data were drawn from the U.S. government’s premier sources for workplace injuries and illnesses and employment: the Bureau of Labor Statistics databanks for the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, and the Current Population Survey. Estimates were constructed using transparent assumptions; for example, that the rate (cases-per-employee) of injuries and illnesses on small farms was the same as on large farms (an assumption we altered in sensitivity analysis). Results We estimated 74,932 injuries and illnesses for crop farms and 68,504 for animal farms, totaling 143,436 cases in 2011. We estimated that SOII missed 73.7% of crop farm cases and 81.9% of animal farm cases for an average of 77.6% for all agriculture. Sensitivity analyses suggested that the percent missed ranged from 61.5% to 88.3% for all agriculture. Conclusions We estimate considerable undercounting of nonfatal injuries and illnesses in agriculture and believe the undercounting is larger than any other industry. Reasons include: SOII’s explicit exclusion of employees on small farms and of farmers and family members and Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages’s undercounts of employment. Undercounting limits our ability to identify and address occupational health problems in agriculture, affecting both workers and society.
Multiple classes of MSL binding sites target dosage compensation to the X chromosome of Drosophila

MSL complexes bind hundreds of sites along the single male X chromosome to achieve dosage compensation in Drosophila. Previously, we proposed that approximately 35 "high-affinity" or "chromatin entry" sites (CES) might nucleate spreading of MSL complexes in cis to paint the X chromosome. This was based on analysis of the first characterized sites roX1 and roX2. roX transgenes attract MSL complex to autosomal locations where it can spread long distances into flanking chromatin. roX1 and roX2 also produce noncoding RNA components of the complex. Here we identify a third site from the 18D10 region of the X chromosome. Like roX genes, 18D binds full and partial MSL complexes in vivo and encompasses a male-specific DNase I hypersensitive site (DHS). Unlike roX genes, the 510 bp 18D site is apparently not transcribed and shows high affinity for MSL complex and spreading only as a multimer. While mapping 18D, we discovered MSL binding to X cosmids that do not carry one of the approximately 35 high-affinity sites. Based on additional analyses of chromosomal transpositions, we conclude that spreading in cis from the roX genes or the approximately 35 originally proposed "entry sites" cannot be the sole mechanism for MSL targeting to the X chromosome.
Preparation of α and β anomers of various isomeric methyl O-d-galactopyranosyl-d-galactopyranosides. Standards for interpretation of 13C-n.m.r. spectra of d-galactopyranans

Abstract The four isomers of methyl O-β- d -galactopyranosyl-β- d -galactopyranoside were prepared by condensation of 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-α- d -galactopyranosyl bromide with appropriate, partially O-substituted derivatives of methyl β- d -galactopyranoside. Reaction of 3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-1,2-O-(1-ethoxyethylidene)-α- d -galactopyranose with the same acceptors, in the presence of mercuric bromide, led to the formation of α and β linkages. Thus, it was possible to assign 13C-n.m.r. resonances of α and β anomers of methyl O- d -galactopyranosyl-β- d -galactopyranosides. In terms of application of these shift values and those of related d -galactobioses to the structural analysis of d -galactopyranans by shift comparisons, some generalizations can be made. For β- d -galactopyranans, the resonances of glycosyloxylated carbon atoms of methyl O-β- d -galactopyranosyl-β- d -galactopyranosides are sensitive to structure and appear to have typical values, whereas limited variation was observed with shifts of C-1′ signals. On the other hand, for assigning structures to d -galactopyranans containing α linkages, the C-1′ shifts (at higher field) of methyl O-α- d -galactopyranosyl-β- d -galactopyranosides are sensitive to linkage position, whereas those of glycosyloxylated carbon atoms vary only a little.
Biosynthesis of N‐Acylethanolamine Phospholipids by Dog Brain Preparations

Dog brain homogenates and subcellular preparations incubated in the presence of Ca2+ produced a new phospholipid that was isolated and identified by its infrared spectrum and by chemical degradation as a mixture of 1,2-diacyl, alkenylacyl, and alkylacyl sn-glycero-3-phospho(N-acyl)ethanolamines, 50, 45, and 5%, respectively. The N-acyl groups consisted almost exclusively of 16:0, 18:0, and 18:1 fatty acids. Formation of N-acylethanolamine phospholipids from endogenous substrates was linear for about 90 min at approximately 4.5 nmol/h/mg protein and exhibited a pH optimum of 10. Biosynthetic activity was associated with particulate fractions, primarily microsomes, synaptosomes, and mitochondria, but not with myelin. In each case, small amounts (approximately 0.5 nmol/h/mg protein) of long-chain N-acylethanolamines were also produced. Incubation of dog brain microsomes with 1,2-di[1'-14C]palmitoyl glycerophosphocholine yielded N-acylethanolamine phospholipids labeled at both N-acyl (55%) and O-acyl (45%) moieties. It appears that dog brain organelles may contain a phosphatidylethanolamine N-acyl transferase (transacylase) analogous to that recently demonstrated in the myocardial tissue.
Activity and flexibility of alcohol dehydrogenase in organic solvents

The oxidation of cinnamyl alcohol to cinnamaldehyde by horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase (LADH) was carried out in nearly anhydrous organic solvents and in solvents containing from 0.1 to 10% added water. In nearly anhydrous solvents containing less than 0.02% water, the oxidation rate increased as the water solubility in the solvent decreased, but the reaction did not require active LADH. Moreover, the highest activity in nearly anhydrous heptane was obtained by lyophilizing the enzyme from a solution of pH 2.0, even though LADH exhibits virtually no enzymatic activity in water at this pH. The catalytic activity of LADH was restored and increased dramatically as small amounts of water were added to each solvent. In conjunction with the activity measurements, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and two active-site directed spin labels were used to examine solvent-dependent structural features of LADH. The EPR spectra indicated that LADH became more rigid as the dielectric constant of the solvent decreased. The degree of rigidity also depended on the pH from which the enzyme was lyophilized, indicating that the ionization state of the enzyme can have an important influence on its dynamics in organic solvents. Finally, adding 1% water to organic solvents had no apparent effect on the enzyme's conformation or flexibility near the spin label, even though enzyme activity was an order of magnitude higher when 1% water was present.
Phenomenon of Local Tissue Reactivity to Bacterial Filtrates Elicited in Heart and Femoral Artery

SummaryTo sum up, the Shwartzman phenomenon of local tissue reactivity was successfully produced in the heart and blood vessels by the use of “agar washings” filtrates of meningococcus. The hemorrhagic and necrotizing feature of the reaction together with altered vascular response at the sites of preparation were consistent findings.
The incentive effects of litigation fee shifting when legal standards are uncertain

Abstract In recent years, various commentators have argued that adopting the British rule for litigation costs, which requires the losing party to pay the winner's reasonable legal expenses, would reduce the cost of litigation in the United States. The economic literature on litigation so far has failed to support this claim. This paper considers the effects of the British rule, not on litigation costs, but on the incentives to engage in efficient primary substantive behavior. To do this, we bring together two branches of the literature that previously have been analyzed separately: the relation between litigation costs and substantive behavior, and the effect of legal uncertainty on substantive behavior, as analyzed by Calfee and Craswell. Our analysis shows that when legal standards are administered imperfectly, the efficiency of fee shifting is a problem of the second best. In some cases, the British rule corrects the distortions created by legal error and improves incentives to take care. In other cases, however, the British rule can exacerbate the inefficiencies created by legal error. We conclude that just as there is no reason to believe that the British rule generally reduces the procedural costs of litigation, there is also no good reason to think that it generally promotes efficient substantive behavior.
The rat as a model in developmental immunotoxicology.

Evidence is presented to demonstrate that the rat is a sensitive rodent species for developmental immunotoxicity testing of chemicals. A battery of immune function assays was performed in adult rats, which were exposed perinatally (i.e., during gestational, lactational, and/or juvenile development) to three different classes of environmental chemicals. The chemicals employed were the following: the organotins di-n-octyltindichloride (DOTC) and tributyltin oxide (TBTO); the polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbon 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD); and the organochlorine pesticides methoxychlor (MXC) and heptachlor (HEP). Suppression of immune function was observed in adult rats exposed to each of these chemicals during immune system development. The duration of immune function suppression in the rats so exposed ranged from three weeks (i.e., DOTC and MXC) to 19 months (i.e., TCDD) after the last exposure to the chemical.
Genus- and group-specific hybridization probes for determinative and environmental studies of sulfate-reducing bacteria

Summary A set of six oligonucleotides, complementary to conserved tracts of 16S rRNA from phylogenetically-defined groups of sulfate-reducing bacteria, was characterized for use as hybridization probes in determinative and environmental microbiology. Four probes were genus specific and identified Desulfobacterium spp., Desulfobacter spp., Desulfobulbus spp., or Desulfovibrio spp. The other two probes encompassed more diverse assemblages. One probe was specific for the phylogenetic lineage composed of Desulfococcus mutlivorans, Desulfosarcina variabilis, and Desulfobotulus sapovorans. The remaining probe was specific for Desulfobacterium spp., Desulfobacter spp., D. multivorans, D. variabilis, and D. sapovorans. Temperature of dissociation was determined for each probe and the designed specificities of each were evaluated by hybridizations against closely related nontargeted species. In addition, each probe was screened by using a “phylogrid” membrane which consisted of nucleic acids from sixtyfour non-targeted organisms representing a diverse collection of eukarya, archaea, and bacteria. The application of these probes to studies in environmental microbiology was evaluated by hybridizations to 16S rRNAs of sulfate-reducing bacteria present in marine sediments.
Organizational Sustainability and Systemic Boundary Processes

Every day, managers work to sustain the organizations wherein they work. In this article, the authors examine certain systemic boundary processes that are intrinsic to organizations and their sustainability. For readers of this journal, whose name points to the inherent connection between organizations and society, the authors present an argument that organizational boundary processes and their influence on organizational sustainability are important considerations for those of us interested in a viable future for our society. The importance of these processes for managers also is indicated.
Technique and results of hyperthermic isolated hepatic perfusion with tumor necrosis factor and melphalan for the treatment of unresectable hepatic malignancies.

Abstract Background: For a variety of histologies, the liver represents the only or the dominant site of metastatic disease. Regional treatment of the liver has the theoretic advantage of maximizing drug delivery while minimizing systemic toxicity. This article describes the technique of isolated hepatic perfusion using tumor necrosis factor and melphalan under conditions of moderate hyperthermia for the treatment of unresectable liver tumors. Study Design: Fifty patients with biopsy-proved unresectable primary or metastatic cancer to the liver were treated. Isolated hepatic perfusion was performed for 60 minutes under conditions of moderate hyperthermia during a laparotomy with inflow through the gastroduodenal artery and outflow through an isolated segment of inferior vena cava. During isolated hepatic perfusion portal and infrahepatic blood flow were shunted externally by a centrifugal pump to the axillary vein. Complete vascular isolation was confirmed intraoperatively using a continuous 131 I-labeled serum albumin leak monitoring system. Operative and perfusion parameters were recorded. Results: By using a standard operative technique to achieve complete vascular isolation of the liver during perfusion, there was no leak of perfusate detected in 48 of 50 patients as determined by the continuous leak monitoring system and absence of detectable systemic tumor necrosis factor levels. Operating time, transfusion requirements, and blood loss were within the range expected for a major operative procedure. Stable hemodynamic and perfusion parameters were achieved consistently and all patients successfully completed the 60-minute perfusion. Two patients (4%) died as a result of treatment and significant tumor regression was observed in 75%. Conclusions: Isolated hepatic perfusion is a technique that can be used to deliver high doses of chemotherapy or biologic therapy regionally and without systemic exposure. By using a standard operative technique, continuous intraoperative leak monitoring, and an external veno-veno bypass circuit, this procedure can be done safely and with acceptable morbidity and mortality. This article demonstrates that sustained and complete vascular isolation of the liver can be achieved and indicates further study is warranted to better define the role of isolated hepatic perfusion in the treatment of unresectable liver tumors.
Fast simulation of background traffic through fair queueing networks

Large-scale network simulation is widely used to facilitate development, testing and validation of new and existing network technologies. To ensure a high-fidelity experimental environment, we often need to embed real devices and have the simulator running faster than real time. Since the generation and movement of background traffic in a network simulation represents so much of the workload, we develop here techniques for modeling background traffic through switches that use Fair Queueing scheduling. Our work is an extension of earlier efforts that assumed all switches use First-Come-First-Serve scheduling. It turns out the the scheduling policy has an important impact on the logic of the earlier technique, and on the performance it delivers. We describe the algorithm and give experimental results that show that like the earlier work, very significant acceleration of background traffic simulation is achieved.
The FCam API for programmable cameras

The FCam API is an open-source camera control library, enabling precise control over a camera's imaging pipeline. Intended for researchers and students in the field of computational photography, it allows easy implementation of novel algorithms and applications. Currently implemented on the Nokia N900 smartphone, and a custom-built "Frankencamera", it has been used in teaching at universities around the world, and is freely available for download for the N900. This paper describes the architecture underlying the API, the design of the API itself, several applications built on top of it, and some examples of its use in education.
The Loyola Seminarian Sentence Completion Test.

Summary The study attempted to create a scoring system for the Loyola Seminarian Sentence Completion Test (LSSCT) that would detect seminarians in need of counseling. Substantial concurrent validity and interscorer and test-retest reliability coefficients were obtained. An attempt to use the scoring system to predict perseverance in the seminary was generally unsuccessful. Subtests were established to measure six variables: attitudes toward self, priesthood, family, women, others, and important issues. Significant concurrent validity coefficients were established for each attitude category and inter-subtest correlations were low to moderate. The test shows promise as an instrument to screen seminarians in need of counseling and to point out specific areas of conflict for those students.
Sparse decomposition of mixed audio signals by basis pursuit with autoregressive models

We develop a framework to detect when certain sounds are present in a mixed audio signal. We focus on the regime where out of a large number of possible sounds, a small but unknown number are combined and overlapped to yield the observed signal. To infer which sounds are present, we attempt to decompose the observed signal as a linear combination of a small number of sources. To encourage sparse solutions with this property, we balance the modeling errors from individual sources against an l 1 -norm penalty of the type used in basis pursuit and regularized linear regression with grouped variables. Our approach can be viewed as a novel generalization of basis pursuit in two ways: first, with a dictionary of fixed size, we attempt to model acoustic waveforms of potentially variable duration; second, for dictionary entries, we do not store basis vectors representing static templates, but the coefficients of autoregressive models that characterize the acoustic variability of individual sources. We derive the required optimizations in this framework and present experimental results on combinations of periodic and aperiodic sources.
Cultural Discourse Analysis: Communication Practices and Intercultural Encounters

The field of intercultural communication has been criticized for failing to produce studies which focus on actual practices of communication, especially of intercultural encounters. Of particular interest have been cultural analyses of social interactions, as well as analyses of the intercultural dynamics that are involved in those interactions. This article addresses these concerns by presenting a framework for the cultural analysis of discourse that has been presented and used in previous literature. Indebted to the ethnography of communication and interpretive anthropology, this particular analytic procedure is one implementation of the theory of communication codes. As such, it takes communication to be not only its primary data but moreover, its primary theoretical concern. The framework responds to specific research questions, addresses particular kinds of intellectual problems, includes five investigative modes, and uses a special set of concepts. In this essay, each of the modes is discussed as an...
Asymmetry, Partial Moments, and Production Risk

Partial-moment functions are proposed as a flexible way to characterize and estimate asymmetric effects of inputs on output distributions. Methods for econometric estimation of partial-moment functions, and tests for input symmetry and location-scale distributions, are presented. A Monte Carlo study demonstrates properties of proposed tests. A study of Ecuadorian potato production illustrates the methods. Hypotheses of input symmetry and location scale are rejected. A risk-value model based on partial moments implies that fertilizer is risk increasing and fungicides and labor are risk reducing in potato production, whereas an expected utility model based on full moments has the opposite implications.
Accessory silicate mineral assemblages in the Bilanga diogenite: A petrographic study

The petrographic relationships in diogenites between orthopyroxene and minor phases such as chromite, troilite, diopside, plagioclase, and silica are often obscured by the intense brecciation that characterizes these meteorites. Although brecciated, Bilanga preserves numerous clasts displaying primary textural relations between orthopyroxene and these minor phases that are large enough to analyze by electron microprobe. In this study, we focus on the distribution, composition, and origin of the minor phases in Bilanga to provide new insights into the crystallization and metamorphic history of these rocks. The samples examined consist mainly of orthopyroxene grains plus five types of assemblages containing diopside + a Fe-rich phase (chromite, troilite, and/or Fe-Ni metal) ± plagioclase ± silica. We interpret type 1 assemblages as being remnants of intercumulus melt trapped in the interstices between orthopyroxene grains after crystal settling in a magma chamber. Type 2 assemblages appear to have formed by heterogeneous exsolution during thermal metamorphism. Type 3 assemblages are believed to be remnants of other assemblages that have been shocked, melted, and rapidly recrystallized by impact events. Type 4 assemblages consist of veins that also appear to have formed from trapped intercumulus melt. Regions of silica-rich mesostasis (type 5) appear to be larger patches of more evolved intercumulus melt that have been significantly affected by late-stage impact melting. Finally, large clasts containing plagioclase diopside are interpreted to be exotic fragments of a different but possibly related rock type incorporated in the Bilanga breccia.
Analyzing Human-Landscape Interactions: Tools That Integrate

Humans have transformed much of Earth’s land surface, giving rise to loss of biodiversity, climate change, and a host of other environmental issues that are affecting human and biophysical systems in unexpected ways. To confront these problems, environmental managers must consider human and landscape systems in integrated ways. This means making use of data obtained from a broad range of methods (e.g., sensors, surveys), while taking into account new findings from the social and biophysical science literatures. New integrative methods (including data fusion, simulation modeling, and participatory approaches) have emerged in recent years to address these challenges, and to allow analysts to provide information that links qualitative and quantitative elements for policymakers. This paper brings attention to these emergent tools while providing an overview of the tools currently in use for analysis of human–landscape interactions. Analysts are now faced with a staggering array of approaches in the human–landscape literature—in an attempt to bring increased clarity to the field, we identify the relative strengths of each tool, and provide guidance to analysts on the areas to which each tool is best applied. We discuss four broad categories of tools: statistical methods (including survival analysis, multi-level modeling, and Bayesian approaches), GIS and spatial analysis methods, simulation approaches (including cellular automata, agent-based modeling, and participatory modeling), and mixed-method techniques (such as alternative futures modeling and integrated assessment). For each tool, we offer an example from the literature of its application in human–landscape research. Among these tools, participatory approaches are gaining prominence for analysts to make the broadest possible array of information available to researchers, environmental managers, and policymakers. Further development of new approaches of data fusion and integration across sites or disciplines pose an important challenge for future work in integrating human and landscape components.
The influence of sex steroids on the sexual size dimorphism in the red-spotted garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis concinnus.

Abstract The red-spotted garter snake exhibits adult size dimorphism in which females are the larger sex. To understand which hormones may influence differential growth in this species, growth curves and hormone profiles of estradiol-17β (E 2 ) and testosterone (T) were constructed in male and female neonates. Growth was manipulated via implantation of exogenous hormones and hormone antagonists. Female neonates are heavier or longer beginning at either 20 or 24 weeks of age, respectively. Although low circulating levels of E 2 and T were present in males and females from birth through 15 weeks of age, these levels were not significantly different between the sexes. Differences in the growth curves of the treated and untreated snakes were significant after 24 weeks of age. Antiestrogen produced male-like growth in females but had no effect on males. Antiandrogen had no effect on either males or females. Exogenous T reduced female growth to that observed in males, and E 2 reduced male growth. These results suggest that a basal level of either E 2 or T is sufficient in males to retain typical male growth patterns. Similar endogenous levels of E 2 appear to have growth-promoting effects in females. Endogenous T does not appear to play a role in female growth.
Agonistic Interactions Between Colonies of the Formosan Subterranean Termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in New Orleans, Louisiana

Our objective was to examine the pattern of agonistic behavior observed among 11 colonies of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, collected from two locations in New Orleans, LA. In 24-h petri dish tests, 13 of the 40 colony pairs displayed agonism in at least one replicate. In 14-d tests conducted in sand-filled foraging arenas, seven of the nine colony pairs tested showed agonism, including three that had showed agonism in the 24-h test and four that had not shown any agonism in the 24-h test. In tests in which individual behavior was observed for 1 h, there was variation in the prevalence of aggressive behavior shown by individual workers. This study shows that interactions between colonies of C. formosanus from the same geographic area are complex and that these interactions could influence strategies for termite control.
The Labor Force Participation Rate: A Rexamination Of The Determinants Of Its Decline

The U.S. Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) is defined as the number of people in the labor force as a percentage of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years and over. In a paper published in November, 2013, we examined the determinants of the decline in the LFPR from a 1998 peak of 67.2% to then, 63.3%. Consensus of a number of economic studies at that time was that the primary determinant of the decline was cyclical and that an improving economy would stop, if not reverse, the downward trend. Since that time the unemployment rate has declined from 7.2% to 5.3%. However, the LFPR has continued its decline to 62.6%. Structural issues in the economy would appear to have far greater effect on LFPR decline than previously believed. In this paper we examine the following classes of structural determinants and their effects on LFPR: demographics, including not only the prime working cohort of ages 25 to 54, but also those of retirement age; the impact of a welfare system that appropriately provides a critical safety net, but one that reduces incentive to work through disability payments, extended unemployment benefits , and other subsidies; education for both those of a higher level of attainment, as well as an underclass that no longer receives training by business, but must rely on both public and private vocational education; and finally the consequences of globalization on the economy, including the virtual disappearance of semi-skilled industries in the United States that heretofore have provided jobs for high school graduates.