cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surveying the damage: the challenges of developing nucleic acid biomarkers of inflammation

Epidemiological evidence points to a cause and effect relationship between chronic inflammation and human maladies such as cancer, atherosclerosis and autoimmune disease. A critical link between inflammation and disease may lie in the secretion of highly reactive oxygen and nitrogen species by macrophages and neutrophils, including hypohalous acids, nitrous anhydride, and nitrosoperoxycarbonate. Exposure of host epithelial cells to the resulting oxidation, nitration, nitrosation and halogenation chemistries leads to damage of all types of cellular molecules. Since nucleic acids sustain damage representative of the full spectrum of different chemistries and the damage likely plays a causative role in disease etiology, DNA and RNA damage products can serve as surrogates for the short-lived chemical mediators of inflammation, and as markers that provide both mechanistic understanding of the disease process and a means to quantify risk of disease. However, the very small quantities of the damaged molecules pose a challenge to the simultaneous quantification of the spectrum of lesions in the manner of proteomics or metabolomics. The goal of this Highlight is to provide an update on the chemistry of inflammation and the development of biomarkers of inflammation in the age of -omics technologies.
Comparative advantage in manufacturing as a determinant of industrialization: The Korean case

Abstract This paper provides appropriate empirical evidence to test competing hypotheses regarding Korean industrialization — has Korea followed the neoclassical path of comparative advantage or did Korea anticipate comparative advantage? By calculating “revealed comparative advantage” (RCA) indexes of Korean manufacturing sectors for 1965–1992, my empirical results support the hypotheses of Blumenthal and Amsden that Korea gained dynamic comparative advantage by forcing capital-intensive industry within a labor-surplus economy. The results also show, however, that comparative advantage of labor-intensive industries should not be underestimated. My results show that Korea rapidly gained competitiveness in some heavy or medium industries through antineoclassical political behavior, while it maintained competitiveness for a relatively long time in some light industries through neoclassical market behavior.
The limits of the global community: The Nixon administration and global environmental politics

This article presents the rise and decline of the Nixon administration's commitment to international environmental policies. It argues that administration officials pursued environmental issues to garner domestic political support and to revive interest in institutions in the wake of 1968.Though common interests among Western industrialised nations helped to promote cooperation on new environmental programmes, serious divisions arose between the industrialised North and the developing South. These divisions were most evident at the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, where issues of wealth distribution, power in the international system, and ideology suffused environmental politics. In the end, Nixon and Kissinger's waning commitment to environmental protection coupled with their repudiation of the global South's concern for increasing developmental aid ultimately limited the breadth and scope of the United States' role in attempting to reconcile the tensions between desires for conti...
Government spending and the exchange rate

This paper investigates the effects of govenment spending on real and nominal exchange rates within the context of an open economy equilibrium rational expectations model. The model predicts that both real and nominal exchange rates appreciate in response to anticipated and unanticipated increases in government spending. Empirical evidence from Germany for the period 1975:2–1989:4 provides some weak support for the predictions of the model.
Blue-sensitive cones in the primate retina: microspectrophotometry of the visual pigment.

Direct absorbance and bleaching absorbance- difference spectra were obtained using a photon-counting microspectrophotometer from the outer segments of ten blue-sensitive cones of macaque monkeys. The peak wavelength (λmax) of the direct measurements was 426±3.4 nm, whereas the λmax of the bleaching difference was 434±6.6 nm. We consider these values to be upper and lower bounds since both measurements may be shifted in opposite directions by wavelength-dependent effects. Therefore, the true peak sensitivity must be close to 430 nm.
Pigments of some flavobacteria, xanthomonads and corynebacteria.

A study of the spectral properties of intracellular pigments in clarified cellular suspensions of 11 flavobacteria, 9 xanthomonads and 2 corynebacteria showed that the flavobacteria are most heterogeneous in their absorption maxima (390, 400–410, 420–424, 476–478 mμ). The corynebacteria absorbed strongly at 400–404 mμ, indicating some similarity to the flavobacteria. The xanthomonads generally absorbed strongly at 404–406 mμ. In these genera, the general absorption properties removed from the procedure the anticipated taxonomic application, although after establishing other features, such study might be of profit especially in the case of designation ofXanthomonas.
Interpretation of specific heat and spontaneous magnetization anomalies at the re-entrant superconducting-ferromagnetic transition in (Ho0.6Er0.4)Rh4B4

Abstract Analysis of neutron diffraction data on the compound (Ho0.6Er0.4)Rh4B4 indicates that the Curie temperature is depressed by about 0.2 K, due to the occurrence of superconductivity, in agreement with theoretical predictions. The temperature dependence of the specific heat in the vicinity of the first-order re-entrant superconducting-ferromagnetic transition was computed by means of a simple model from the temperature dependence of the spontaneous magnetization of the Ho ions and was found to be in good agreement with the experimental data.
Increased aortic root stiffness associated with osteogenesis imperfecta

M-mode echocardiograms obtained from 31 patients with types I and IV osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) were evaluated for increased aortic root dilatation and wall stiffness. Four patients were observed to have dilated aortic roots. The pressure-strain elastic moduli (Ep) of the majority of OI patients studied were significantly different from those of age-matched controls; the observed values of Ep were both greater and less than that of controls. At high strain in the circumferential direction, nine of 31 OI patients had aortic roots that were significantly stiffer than those of controls. Increased stiffness in the circumferential direction was associated with decreased aortic pumping efficiency. The increased stiffness observed in the circumferential direction is consistent with increased accumulation and crosslinking of collagen within the aortic wall and may reflect premature aging of OI patients.
Effect of interleukin-2 on cell proliferation, sister-chromatid exchange induction, and nuclear stress protein phosphorylation in PHA-stimulated Fischer 344 rat spleen lymphocytes: modulation by 2-mercaptoethanol.

The effect of interleukin-2 (IL-2) on cell proliferation, sister-chromatid exchange (SCE) frequency, and the phosphorylation of nuclear stress proteins was evaluated in phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated spleen lymphocytes isolated from Fischer 344 rats. In addition, the ability of 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) to modulate the induction of these biological responses was characterized. Cell proliferation, as measured by the mitotic index, increased significantly (P less than .003) from a range of 3-4% in PHA-stimulated cultures to a range of 8-11% in PHA-stimulated cultures exposed to IL-2. The average generation time (AGT) did not respond to IL-2 in a concentration-dependent manner and decreased significantly (P less than .05) when 20 microM 2-ME was included with IL-2 in the culture medium. The number of SCE increased significantly (P less than .004) from control frequencies, which ranged from 13.1 to 15.6 SCE per cell, to frequencies of 18.5 to 21.5 SCE per cell as the concentration of IL-2 in the culture medium increased to 50 half-maximal units per ml. A reduction in SCE frequency was observed when cells were cultured with 20 microM 2-ME and IL-2 compared to IL-2 alone. Three nuclear proteins, with relative molecular masses of approximately 13,000-18,000, 20,000, and 80,000, were phosphorylated in IL-2-exposed G1-phase nuclei. Elicitation of these nuclear proteins in IL-2-exposed cells was not affected by exposure to 2-ME.
A patent searcher looks at the American Inventors Protection Act

Abstract The system of rapid publication of patent applications prior to grant, with deferred examination, has been increasingly common since the Netherlands changed its patent law in 1964. By the start of the 21st century nearly all major patenting authorities had adopted this practice. One might have supposed that the switch to pregrant publication (PGP) by the United States, brought about by the American Inventors Protection Act, would not have changed things very much, aside from increasing the availability of patent documents in the English language. Observations since the advent of US pregrants in March 2001 have shown quite a number of differences and complications, which are explored in this article. Typical areas highlighted include the lack of a printed Official Gazette, the limited assignee data, and the lack of citation data for PGPs. The author also highlights a wide range of specific bibliographic problems, as well as major errors such as PGPs in which data from entirely independent applications are included within a single PGP.
Enhancing tissue structures with iterative image reconstruction for digital breast tomosynthesis

We design an iterative image reconstruction (IIR) algorithm for enhancing tissue structure contrast. The algorithm takes advantage of a data fidelity term, which compares the derivative of the DBT projections with the derivative of the estimated projections. This derivative data fidelity is sensitive to the edges of tissue structure projections, and as a consequence minimizing the corresponding the data-error term brings out structure information in the reconstructed volumes. The method has the practical advantages that few iterations are required and that direct region-of-interest (ROI) reconstruction is possible with the proposed derivative data fidelity term. Both of these advantages reduce the computational burden of the IIR algorithm and potentially make it feasible for clinical application. The algorithm is demonstrated on clinical DBT data.
Second nonocular tumors in survivors of heritable retinoblastoma and prior radiation therapy

Abstract PURPOSE: The principal objectives of this study were to estimate the incidence of second tumors among children treated for heritable retinoblastoma during a 50-year period and to investigate the relationship between these tumors and previous radiation therapy. METHODS: The records of all retinoblastoma patients examined at the Mayo Clinic from 1941 through 1990 were retrospectively reviewed. The therapeutic modality used to manage the tumor, the occurrence of any second malignancy, and current follow-up on all patients were evaluated. RESULTS: Eighty-two (46%) of 180 children with retinoblastoma had bilateral tumors (76 patients) or unilateral disease and a positive family history (six patients) and were followed for an average of 21.8 years (range, 1 month to 53 years). The Kaplan-Meier estimates of second nonocular tumors among the 82 patients with heritable retinoblastoma were 12% at 10 years, 16% at 25 years, and 30% at 40 years. Although 14 of the 15 patients who developed second malignancies had received radiation therapy, only four of the malignancies occurred within the field of irradiation. CONCLUSIONS: The relatively low incidence of second tumors among long-term survivors of heritable retinoblastoma in this series of patients occurred predominantly outside the field of irradiation. The variable incidence of second nonocular malignancies in previous reports may reflect variations in radiation technique and dosage.
Impact of regulation fair disclosure on the information flow associated with profit warnings

By implementing Regulation Fair Disclosure (RFD), the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) intention is to ensure that all market participants have equal access to information, thereby preventing the flow of material information to analysts before other participants. We find that the negative valuation effects of profit warnings are attenuated following the introduction of RFD. This finding implies that since the implementation of RFD, the market appears to rely less on profit warning announcements. We also find that RFD has effectively reduced the leakage of material information to the analyst's favored clients, the market response to profit warnings is less negative when the issuing firm has multiple warnings, and when the warning does not apply beyond the prevailing quarter.
A scientific method of districting.

In 1961 the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that federal courts have jurisdiction cases concerning states' apportionment laws when there is a possible denial of rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Because of this decision, people in some states may for the first time have an opportunity to obtain equality of representation in state and federal legislatures. Reapportionment and redistricting are taking place, but what are the chances for obtaining and maintaining something approaching true equality? The changes may not be sufficient to upset the political power now held by minority political groups in these states, since there is still a possibility of gerrymandering. A scientific method of apportionment which includes automatic changes after every census has been accepted for the apportlonment of the U. S. House of Representatives. As a result it seems that the bitter congressional fights and power struggles and the resulting inequalities representation due to reapportionment have been reduced. But why stop there? Why not do the same for the process of districting? Resented in this paper is one possible scientific or impartial method of districting that the author believes would free, to a certain degree, the process of districting from power struggles and gerrymandering. The method can apply to either the U. S. House of Representatives or to state legislative chambers in states where apportionment is based on population.
Local convergence of the fuzzy c-Means algorithms

Abstract Much understanding has recently been gained concerning global convergence properties of the fuzzy c -Means (FCM) family of clustering algorithms. These global convergence properties, which hold for all iteration sequences, guarantee that every FCM iteration sequence converges, at least along a subsequence, to a stationary point of an FCM objective function. In this paper we prove a local convergence property, that is, a property pertaining to iteration sequences started near a solution. Specifically, a simple result is proved which shows that whenever an FCM algorithm is started sufficiently near a minimizer of the corresponding objective function, then the iteration sequence must converge to that particular minimizer. The result guarantees that once captured by the local neighborhood of a minimizer, the succeeding iterate sequence will not escape—thus, infinite oscillation of such a sequence cannot occur. The rate of convergence of the sequence to such a point is also discussed.
The costs of land degradation in Sub-Saharan Africa

The overriding question that this article addresses is: What are the immediate and future costs of land degradation for a nation? The objectives of the analysis are to find appropriate measures to express the national level costs of land degradation, and suitable methods to estimate such measures. Furthermore, the aim is to document and interpret the results of existing studies. To meet these objectives, a set of 12 studies from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is reviewed, using a consistent, cross-study analytical framework derived from the objectives above. With regard to measures of the cost of land degradation, this article identifies ten different dimensions, which illustrate the importance of qualifying statements about “the costs of land degradation” by rigorous clarification of what type of measure has been used. Furthermore, with regard to methods of deriving costs of land degradation, this article illustrates a spectrum of approaches. One sub-group has used a replacement cost approach, while a productivity loss approach has been used in the majority of the studies reviewed. The latter approach is further sub-divided into five different categories ranging from the most informal to the most rigorous. It is evident that very few original estimates exist of soil loss yield decline functions in Sub-Saharan Africa. Hence, some of the basic work in this area is “recycled” for use in areas that may exhibit quite different conditions. Finally, with regard to study results, there is considerable variance of cost estimates pertaining even to the same country. These differences can be explained, however, and a rational assessment allows a choice of the most appropriate results. Results across countries are reasonably well clustered in terms of their productivity impact per soil loss unit. With local knowledge of soil conditions, but in the absence of local yield loss data, this provides a useful interval of reasonable assumptions. As one would expect, the national costs of land degradation vary considerably across countries. This sometimes leaves room for considerable investment in soil and water conservation, but should not invoke images of a rapidly approaching doomsday.
Electrophoresis and phage susceptibility studies on a filament-producing variant of the E. coli B bacterium.

Abstract A variant of E. coli B bacterium, which we have called the F variant, has been found to exist in two distinct forms, fast and slow, which differ by a factor of almost two in electrophoretic mobility. The lower mobility of the slow form has been shown to be due to the presence of filaments, visible in electron micrographs, which exert a viscous drag. The filaments can be stripped off by mechanical agitation. De-filamented slow bacteria have the same mobility as non-filamented fast bacteria, indicating that the surface charge density is the same for the two forms. The bacteria are not killed by the stripping process and their progeny are filamented. The F variant appears to be similar to a phage semi-resistant variant, reported by Wahl 10 , which can exist in two states, refractory and receptive. The filamented bacteria are less susceptible to infection by a number of the T phages than de-filamented bacteria, and a preparation of filaments inactivated these phages. Bacteria selected for resistance to T 1 were found to be non-filamented and remained so on subculturing. The transition between the filamented and the non-filamented forms is rapid as is the transition between the refractory and receptive states. The probability of the transition is of the order of IO −3 per bacterium per division and is the same in both directions. It was noted that the filamented bacteria have a greater tendency to agglutinate spontaneously than the non-filamented. The same difference exists between smooth and rough forms. However, no detailed study was made of the colony morphology of the filamented variants.
Trajectory Shaping Rendezvous Guidance

The Space Station will bring a great increase in rendezvous traffic. Formerly, rendezvous has been expensive in terms of time and crew involvement. Multiple trajectory adjustments on separate orbits have been requird to meet safety, lighting, and geometry requirements. This paper describes a new guidance technique in which the approach trajectory is shaped by a sequence of velocity increments in order to satisfy multiple constraints within a single orbit. The approach phase is planned before the mission, leaving a group of free parameters that are optimized by onboard guidance. Fuel penalties are typically a few percent, compared to unshaped Hohmann transfers, and total fuel costs can be less than those of more time-consuming ways of meeting the same requirements.
Ketorolac tromethamine 0.4% to relieve eye pain and inflammation following cataract extraction and keratorefractive surgery

Ketorolac tromethamine ophthalmic solution, a NSAID, demonstrated analgesic activity when administered systemically. The original 0.5% formulation was shown to reduce inflammation and pain, as well as general discomfort after cataract and keratorefractive surgery. A reformulation that contains 20% less active ingredient than the original was approved for the reduction of ocular pain and burning/stinging following corneal refractive surgery. Ketorolac tromethamine 0.4% is as effective as ketorolac tromethamine 0.5% to control inflammation after cataract surgery (including prevention of cystoid macular edema) as shown in different clinical trials. Comparisons to other NSAIDs for pain control after keratorefractive procedures, such as laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis and photorefractive keratectomy, have also been reported. The purpose of this study was to review the action of ketorolac tromethamine 0.4% in the relief of eye pain and inflammation after cataract extraction and keratorefractive surgery.
The Validity of the Graduate Management Admissions Test for Non-U.S. Students

In this study, the author examined the validity of the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) for non-U.S. students (N = 75) through a predictive validation procedure in which applicants were given the predictor test but the test results were not used to admit students. The author's business school admitted students to three overseas MBA programs. The author then gathered academic performance data (MBA grades) and correlated the predictor (GMAT) with the criterion (MBA GPA). The findings showed that the correlation between the two was. 64 (p <.001), meaning that 41% of the variance in MBA academic performance was explained by the GMAT. This number is higher than the corresponding one for U.S. students. The findings indicate that the GMAT was a valid predictor of academic performance in an MBA program for these non-U.S. students.
Dimensions of counseling for career development

Counseling practice has not reflected current thinking about career development and career process. Four types of career counseling are described: Type 1, a traditional vocational counseling approach which helps the client with a specific decision; Type 2, which is concerned with teaching decision-making skills; Type 3, which views career development as a process rather than an end-point toward which all decisions lead; and Type 4, which focuses on creating in the individual the ability to utilize his own strengths to achieve self-determined objectives and to influence the nature of future opportunities.
A Comparative Study of Women Choosing Two Different Childbirth Alternatives

ABSTRACT: This is a report of the differences and similarities between two groups of 30 women each who selected widely divergent types of childbirth care. One group chose to deliver their babies in a tertiary university hospital obstetric service, the other in an out-of-hospital alternative birth center staffed by nurse-midwives. Women choosing the birth center were not demographically different from those choosing the tertiary hospital except that they were somewhat older. However, women choosing the birth center planned to emphasize autonomy and independence rather than intimacy in their child rearing, and they described their partners as much more supportive and involved in the birth, and were much more adaptive in preparation for the birth and the baby's care.
Singular Neurectomy Update

The results of a poll revealed that 96 singular neurectomies have been performed by ten surgeons in this country. Eighty-eight of these (91.7%) resulted in complete relief of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). In seven patients (7.3%) there was a sensorineural hearing loss as a result of this procedure. The average hospital stay for patients having this procedure ranged from 2-6 days, and the return to work time ranged from 1 to 3 weeks. These results indicate that singular neurectomy is an effective selective vestibular ablation procedure for BPPV and that the risks and disability are comparable to other routine middle ear procedures. The causes for failure of this procedure to relieve positional vertigo are a) misdiagnosis of BPPV and b) failure to recognize the singular nerve in the middle ear. Knowledge of the pathophysiology of the disorder and of the anatomical variation in the location of the singular canal will reduce these causes of failure.
Environment, Corporate Ideology, and Employee Involvement Programs

Corporations are implementing employee involvement programs in both union and nonunion settings in response to growing environmental pressures. This study examines the relationships among environmental pressures, corporate ideology, and participative practices in union and nonunion settings and tests two industrial relations models. Questionnaires measuring environmental pressures, corporate ideology, and participation were completed and returned by the Vice President of Human Resources (or similar corporate executive) in 159 of the largest manufacturing companies in the United States. Multiple regression results show that environmental pressures exert little effect on corporate ideology, but ideology has a significant effect on participative practices in both union and nonunion settings.
Modeling as moral education: Documenting, analyzing, and addressing a central belief of preservice teachers

Abstract This study reports belief survey data from 92 preservice teachers responding to questions about the moral work of teaching. Those data reveal that participants commonly express the belief that modeling is a primary means by which moral education occurs. The survey responses are analyzed to show a number of themes regarding the nature of preservice teachers' beliefs about how modeling works. Recommendations for teacher education practice to prepare preservice teachers for the moral work of teaching, by addressing their beliefs about such work, are discussed, along with ongoing research needs to support effective and responsible teacher education practices.
Segmentation of cerebral cortex MRI images with artificial neural network (ANN) training

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) results in overall quality that usually calls for human intervention in order to correctly identify details present in the image. More recently, interest has arisen in automated processes that can adequately segment medical image structures into substructures with finer detail than other efforts to-date. Relatively few image processing methods exist that are considered accurate enough for automated MRI image processing where the edge-to-pixel ratio is relatively high, largely due to the inherent pixel noise. ANN training, though ideal for non-linear solutions, is generally considered inefficient for most image processing operations based on the limitations of the most commonly known training algorithms and their derivatives. We present a rapid and accurate method for segmentation of a cerebral cortex image using a unique ANN training algorithm that most notably handles the very large sets of associated training patterns (one per pixel) inherent in an image file. This method also operates on intensity image data converted directly from raw RGB MRI images without any pre-processing.
PARTNERING IN LEARNING SCIENCE: A TEACHER PREPARATION PROJECT

According to the U.S. Department of Education's statistics, 2.4 million teachers will be needed over the next eight years. This need is due to a number of factors including the aging of the current...
Biochemical characterization of diverse Stat5b-binding enhancers that mediate growth hormone-activated insulin-like growth factor-I gene transcription

Many of the biological effects of growth hormone (GH) are mediated by insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), a 70-amino acid secreted peptide whose gene expression is rapidly induced by GH via the Stat5b transcription factor. We previously identified multiple evolutionarily conserved GH-activated chromosomal binding domains for Stat5b within the rat Igf1 locus, and proposed that they could regulate IGF-I gene activity. Here we investigate the biochemical and functional characteristics of these putative long-range transcriptional enhancers. Each element contained 2 or 3 individual Stat5b recognition sequences that could bind Stat5b in vitro, but with affinities that varied over a >100-fold range. Full transcriptional responsiveness to GH required that all Stat5b sites be intact within an individual enhancer. Replacement of a single lower-affinity Stat5b sequence with a higher-affinity one increased in vitro binding of Stat5b, and boosted transcriptional potency of the entire element to GH. As enhanced transcriptional activity involved changes in only one or two nucleotides within an enhancer DNA segment, there appears to be remarkable specificity and sensitivity in the ability of Stat5b to transform DNA binding activity into transcriptional function. Stat5b was able to stimulate the transcriptional activity of two enhancers in the absence of GH, indicating that individual Stat5b-regulated elements possess distinct functional features. We conclude that combinatorial interplay among multiple Stat5b-binding response elements with distinguishable biochemical properties is responsible for highly regulated control of IGF-I gene activity by GH.
Cross-correlation analysis of noise radar signals propagating through lossy dispersive media

Correlation detection is an essential ingredient in noise radar. Such detection is achieved via coherent signal processing, which, conceivably, gives the best enhancement in the signal-to-noise ratio. Over the years, much research and progress has been made on the use of noise radar systems as means for effective through-wall detection. Information about a particular target's range and/or velocity are often acquired by comparing and analyzing both transmit and received waveforms. One of the widely used techniques employed to measure the degree of similarity between the two signals is correlation. The aforementioned methodology determines to what extent two waveforms match by multiplying and shifting one signal with respect to a time-lagged version of the second signal. This feature of correlation is very applicable to radar signals since a received signal from a target is delayed on the path of return to the receiving antenna. Transmission and reflection impairments will distort the propagating signals and degrade the correlation. Thus, it is essential that we try to study the effects that such degradations can have on the signals that will be used in the correlation process. This paper presents some concepts of a noise radar system, simulation studies, and an analysis of the results ascertained.
HCN emission from OH infrared sources

Radio line emission of the HCN molecule has been considered to be a tracer of carbon-rich circumstellar environments1. We report here, however, the detection of HCN radio emission from oxygen-rich late type stars. These results relate to the issue of the progenitors for planetary nebulae2. The presence of the HCN molecule in oxygen-rich stars suggests that complex photochemical reactions are proceeding in the outer circumstellar envelope of late type stars.
Expression of the monocytic differentiation/activation factor P48 in Mycoplasma species.

P48 is a 48 kd monocytic differentiation/activation factor previously purified from the conditioned medium of the Reh human pre-B cell leukemia line. It induces differentiation of HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells along the monocytic pathway and production of IL1, TNF-α and IL6 in human monocytes and monocytic cell lines. Recently our laboratory isolated cDNA clones for P48 from Reh cells and genomic clones from Mycoplasma fermentans DNA and showed that P48 is aM. fermentans gene product. In this paper we report the analysis of P48 expression at the DNA, mRNA and protein levels in different Mycoplasma species. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) analysis of extracted DNA using P48-specific oligonucleotide primers revealed P48 sequences in M. fermentans but not M. hominis, M. iowae, M. genitalium orM. capricolum . Southern analysis of Mycoplasma DNAs revealed hybridizing bands in M. fermentans andM. capricolum under low stringency, but only in M. fermentans under high stringency. Consistent with this, Northern blot studies revealed a single hybridizing transcript in M. fermentans but not in other Mycoplasma species tested. However, Western blot studies with anti-P48 antibodies revealed P48 antigenic material in M. fermentans, as well as M. hominis and M. iowae. These studies demonstrate that the gene for P48 is derived from M. fermentans or a closely related species and is absent in these other species tested. However, the P48 protein exhibits shared antigenic determinants among several Mycoplasma species which presently are of unknown function or significance. P48 is aMycoplasma -derived immunomodulatory molecule which may be important in Mycoplasma pathophysiology and may be useful in understanding human haematopoietic differentiation and the control of cytokine biosynthesis.
Phylogenetic Distribution of Potential Cellulases in Bacteria

Many microorganisms contain cellulases that are important for plant cell wall degradation and overall soil ecosystem functioning. At present, we have extensive biochemical knowledge of cellulases but little is known about the phylogenetic distribution of these enzymes. To address this, we analyzed the distribution of 21,985 genes encoding proteins related to cellulose utilization in 5,123 sequenced bacterial genomes. First, we identified the distribution of glycoside hydrolases involved in cellulose utilization and synthesis at different taxonomic levels, from the phylum to the strain. Cellulose degradation/utilization capabilities appeared in nearly all major groups and resulted in strains displaying various enzyme gene combinations. Potential cellulose degraders, having both cellulases and β-glucosidases, constituted 24% of all genomes whereas potential opportunistic strains, having β-glucosidases only, accounted for 56%. Finally, 20% of the bacteria have no relevant enzymes and do not rely on cellulose utilization. The latter group was primarily connected to specific bacterial lifestyles like autotrophy and parasitism. Cellulose degraders, as well as opportunists, have multiple enzymes with similar functions. However, the potential degraders systematically harbor about twice more β-glucosidases than their potential opportunistic relatives. Although scattered, the distribution of functional types, in bacterial lineages, is not random but mostly follows a Brownian motion evolution model. Degraders form clusters of relatives at the species level, whereas opportunists are clustered at the genus level. This information can form a mechanistic basis for the linking of changes in microbial community composition to soil ecosystem processes.
Nonmonotonic sorts for feature structures

There have been many recent attempts to incorporate defaults into unification-based grammar formalisms. What these attempts have in common is that they all lose one of the most desirable properties of feature systems: namely, presentation order independence. This paper describes a method of dealing with defaults that retains order independence. The method works by making a strong distinction between strict and default information. The addition of nonmonotonic sorts allows default information to be carried in the feature structure while retaining a simple, deterministic unification operation. Monotonic feature structures are rederived through a satisfaction relation that is abstract in that it depends only on the ordering information for sorts.
The Search for Habitable Worlds: Planetary Exploration in the 21st Century

The search for and detailed characterization of habitable environments on other worlds – places where liquid water, heat/energy sources, and biologically important organic molecules exist or could have once existed – is a major twenty-first-century goal for space exploration by NASA and other space agencies, motivated by intense public interest and highly ranked science objectives identified in recent National Academy decadal surveys. Through telescopic observations, terrestrial laboratory and field studies, and a “flyby, orbit, land, rove, and return” strategy for robotic exploration, particular emphasis will be placed on specific worlds already identified as potentially habitable: Mars, Jupiter's ocean moon Europa, and Saturn's icy and organic-bearing moons Titan and Enceladus. However, the potential abounds for surprising discoveries at many of our solar system's other planetary, satellite, and asteroidal destinations, as well as within newly discovered planetary systems around other stars.
Use of recombinase gene fusions to identify Vibrio cholerae genes induced during infection

A complete understanding of host-parasite interactions must necessarily include the identification and characterization of gene products expressed by both parties during the infectious process. We have developed a new screen to identify bacterial genes that are transcriptionally induced during infection of a host animal. The method is based on pre-selection of strains carrying tnpR operon fusions (encoding resolvase, a site-specific DNA recombinase) which are not expressed in vitro, followed by screening for a subset of these strains that subsequently express resolvase within the host environment. The latter subset was recognized as recombinants that had deleted a resolvase-specific reporter construct. Thirteen transcription units of Vibrio cholerae were identified that were induced during infection in an infant mouse model of cholera. Five of these were predicted to encode polypeptides with diverse functions in metabolism, biosynthesis and motility; one encoded a secreted lipase; two appear to be antisense to genes involved in motility; and five are predicted to encode polypeptides of unknown function. Three of the transcripts were shown to be required for full virulence in infant mice, as assessed by competition experiments.
Factors Affecting Egg Quality—A Review

ABSTRACT MANY factors influence some phase of egg quality from shape, color and texture of shell to density and color of albumen to color and mottling of the yolk. A few of the many possible causative factors of various abnormalities are disease, environmental temperature, age and strain of bird, natural feed ingredients and certain drugs. The effect of some of these factors such as disease has been known for a long time while other factors such as certain drugs have been studied only in the past year or two. Certain drugs serve a very useful purpose when used for the purpose for which they were intended but when inadvertently fed to laying chickens may have disastrous effects. This review endeavors to cover some of the more prominent causes of egg quality defects, on the basis of those which have come to our attention. To list all of the references published on . . .
Application of an Ion‐Selective Electrode Method to the Determination of Chloride in 41 International Geochemical Reference Materials

Determinations of trace amounts (with one exception) of chloride are reported for 41 international geochemical reference standards, 12 of which have no previously reported literature values. All determinations were made by the chloride-specific ion-selective electrode method of Aruscavage and Campbell with certain refinements. Chlorine is separated from most other elements in geologic materials by acid-dissolution in a gas diffusion cell, and is subsequently determined as the chloride ion in basic solution. A statistical F-test was applied to 19 of the standards for which three bottles of each were analyzed in triplicate with no failures. All these standards, plus the other 22 for which six analyses were performed on a single bottle, exhibited a relative standard deviation of 1-6% for concentrations of chloride >50 ppm. For most samples chloride values agree well both with available, reported experimental values and with recommended or consensus values.
Complex hydraulic and substrate variables limit freshwater mussel species richness and abundance

We examined how substrate and complex hydraulic variables limit the distribution of freshwater mussels. We sampled mussels and measured substrate and hydraulic variables (at low and high flows) at 6 sites in the Little River, Oklahoma. To test which variables were most limiting to mussel species richness and abundance, we evaluated univariate and multiple 95 th -, 90 th -, and 85 th -quantile regression models using a model selection approach. Across all 3 quantiles analyzed, hydraulic variables related to substrate stability (relative shear stress ratio (RSS) and shear stress) at high flows most limited mussel species richness and abundance. High-flow substrate stability models performed the best, but models that used substrate variables (substrate size and heterogeneity) also performed relatively well. Models that used complex hydraulic variables estimated at low flows performed poorly compared to those using the same variables estimated at high flows, a result suggesting that hydraulic conditions at low flows do not limit mussel habitat in our system. Our results demonstrate that substrate stability at high flows is an important factor governing mussel distributions. Last, our quantile regression approach successfully quantified the limiting-factor relationships of substrate and hydraulic characteristics on mussel habitat, and this approach could be used in other studies investigating habitat requirements of aquatic organisms.
Performance assessment and optimization of fluid viscous dampers through life-cycle cost criteria and comparison to alternative design approaches

The performance assessment and optimal design of fluid viscous dampers through life-cycle cost criteria is discussed in this paper. A probabilistic, simulation-based framework is described for estimating the life-cycle cost and a stochastic search approach is developed to support an efficient optimization under different design scenarios (corresponding to different seismicity characteristics). Earthquake losses are estimated using an assembly-based vulnerability approach utilizing the nonlinear dynamic response of the structure whereas a point source stochastic ground motion model, extended here to address near-fault pulse effects, is adopted to describe the seismic hazard. Stochastic simulation is utilized for estimation of all the necessary probabilistic quantities, and for reducing the computational burden a surrogate modeling methodology is integrated within the framework. Two simplified design approaches are also examined, the first considering the optimization of the stationary response, utilizing statistical linearization to address nonlinear damper characteristics, and the second adopting an equivalent lateral force procedure that defines a targeted damping ratio for the structure. These designs are compared against the optimal life-cycle cost one, whereas a compatible comparison is facilitated by establishing an appropriate connection between the seismic input required for the simplified designs and the probabilistic earthquake hazard model. As an illustrative example, the retrofitting of a three-story reinforced concrete office building with nonlinear dampers is considered.
Status of Ka-band TWT transmitter technology

The TWT types that are available for application to SEI are reviewed and evaluated in terms of their level of development and their suitability for use in space. The NASA OAET program for enhancement of efficiency and lifetime of TWT's is reviewed and the application of this technology to Ka-band devices is illustrated.
The Quest to Translate Research Into Classroom Practice: The Emerging Knowledge Base

THIS ARTICLE REVIEWS THE EMERGING KNOWLEDGE BASE ON PROCEDURES AND STRATEGIES THAT APPEAR TO CONSISTENTLY LEAD TO TEACHERS' SUSTAINED USE OF INNOVATIVE RESEARCH-BASED PRACTICES IN CLASSROOMS. IN PARTICULAR, WE FOCUS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PROVIDING BOTH BEHAVIORAL/TECHNICAL SUPPORT AS WELL AS OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEACHERS TO EXPLORE AND UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPTUAL ASPECTS UNDERLYING THE RESEARCH. A CASE STUDY ILLUSTRATING THESE COMPONENTS MAY PROVIDE SOME INSIGHT INTO WHY TEACHERS SOMETIMES REJECT INNOVATIVE PRACTICES EVEN THOUGH GROWTH IN STUDENT LEARNING IS DOCUMENTED.
The Benefits of Standards-Based Grading: A Critical Evaluation of Modern Grading Practices

This paper explores the methodology and application of an assessment philosophy known as standards-based grading, via a critical comparison of standards-based grading to other assessment philosophies commonly employed at the elementary, secondary, and postsecondary levels of education. Evidenced by examples of increased student engagement and more thorough comprehension of course materials, standards-based grading is illustrated as an effective replacement for conventional points-based grading. The analysis also identifies and responds to common issues and concerns inherent in the application of standards-based grading, and includes a review of relevant literature and research in support of standards-based grading as a progressive and successful alternative to more conventional assessment philosophies.
Almost split sequences for dedekind-like rings. II

Let R be a two-pullback ring, that is, the pullback of two Dedekind domains over a common residue field. This paper contains explicit constructions of all the almost split sequences in the category of finitely generated R-modules, under the assumption that the Dedekind domains are local.
A Survey of Eigenvector Methods for Web Information Retrieval

Web information retrieval is significantly more challenging than traditional well-controlled, small document collection information retrieval. One main difference between traditional information retrieval and Web information retrieval is the Web's hyperlink structure. This structure has been exploited by several of today's leading Web search engines, particularly Google and Teoma. In this survey paper, we focus on Web information retrieval methods that use eigenvector computations, presenting the three popular methods of HITS, PageRank, and SALSA.
Communication breakdown: analyzing CPU usage in commercial Web workloads

There is increasing concern among developers that future Web servers running commercial workloads may be limited by network processing overhead in the CPU as 10Gb Ethernet becomes prevalent. We analyze CPU usage of real hardware running popular commercial workloads, with an emphasis on identifying networking overhead. Contrary to much popular belief, our experiments show that network processing is unlikely to be a problem for workloads that perform significant data processing. For the dynamic Web serving workloads we examine, networking overhead is negligible (3% or less), and data processing limits performance. However, for Web servers that serve static content, networking processing can significantly impact performance (up to 25% of CPU cycles). With an analytical model, we calculate the maximum possible improvement in throughput due to protocol offload to be 50% for the static Web workloads.