cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The nature of resistance to Dectes texanus (Col., Cerambycidae) in wild sunflower, Helianthus annuus

The longhorned beetle Dectes texanus LeConte is a serious pest of cultivated sunflowers, Helianthus annuus L. and soybeans, Glycine max (L.), throughout much of the American midwest. Significant yield losses arise from the pre-harvest lodging of plants when mature larvae girdle the base of stalks in preparation for overwintering. We investigated possible reasons why infestation of wild H. annuus by D. texanus is remarkably rare, whereas 80‐90% of plants may be infested in fields of cultivated varieties. When caged on wild sunflower plants in the field, laboratoryreared, gravid females fed less and made significantly fewer ovipositional punctures than they did when subsequently caged on a cultivated plant. Furthermore, only 18.4% of ovipunctures in wild plants resulted in an egg being laid, compared with 44.9% in cultivated plants, suggesting that additional resistance factors reduce the probability of eggs being laid during ovipositor insertion. Female behaviour was not affected by adult diet prior to testing (wild vs. cultivated H. annuus petioles), nor was there any difference in response between females obtained as larvae from cultivated sunflower or from soybean. Petioles of wild H. annuus exuded more than four times the weight of resinous material when severed as did those of cultivated plants, were significantly less succulent as determined by water content, and required significantly more force to penetrate the epidermis in a standardized puncture test. We conclude that a combination of physical and chemical properties of wild H. annuus confers substantial resistance to oviposition by D. texanus and that this natural antixenosis has been inadvertently diminished in the course of breeding cultivated varieties. J. Appl. Entomol.
Modeling Loose Joints in Elastic Structures— Momentum Transfer Model Development

This is the second article in a sequence of four companion articles. In these articles, a hybrid parameter multiple body system methodology is utilized to model the frictional contact/impact of a loose bolted joint between two sections of an elastic cantilever beam undergoing planar slewing motion. In this preliminary model, a “rigid” joint is utilized, which allows the members of the joint to be rigid, each attached to one of the elastic beam sections. Frictional contact/impact is modeled at four contact points. The contact constraints and momentum transfer are modeled using the idea of instantly applied nonholonomic constraints. The momentum transfer equations will be developed herein. A review of the theoretical development is presented, followed by a step by step outline of the process. The novelty of the approach is the use of pseudo-speeds to realize the momentum transfer during the contact and impact events. The dynamical equations, numerical solution scheme, and experimental comparisons are presen...
Temperature-dependent photoelectron spectroscopy of methyl benzoate anions: observation of steric effect in o-methyl benzoate.

Temperature-dependent photoelectron spectra of benzoate anion (C6H5CO2-) and its three methyl-substituted isomers (o-, m-, p-CH3C6H4CO2-) have been obtained using a newly developed low-temperature photoelectron spectroscopy apparatus that features an electrospray source and a cryogenically controlled ion trap. Detachment channels due to removing electrons from the carboxylate group and benzene ring π electrons were distinctly observed. Well-resolved vibrational structures were obtained in the lower binding energy region due to the OCO bending modes, except for o-CH3C6H4CO2-, which yielded broad spectra even at the lowest ion trap temperature (18 K). Theoretical calculations revealed a large geometry change in the OCO angles between the anion and neutral ground states, consistent with the broad ground-state bands observed for all species. A strong steric effect was observed between the carboxylate and the methyl group in o-CH3C6H4CO2-, such that the −CO2- group is pushed out of the plane of the benzene rin...
Fetal and Neonatal Hematologic Parameters in Red Cell Alloimmunization: Predicting the Need for Late Neonatal Transfusions

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the need for late neonatal transfusion can be predicted in fetuses who received intrauterine transfusions. The records of 36 patients who underwent intrauterine transfusion were reviewed. Newborns who required late transfusions had a lower reticulocyte count at their last intrauterine transfusion, a longer duration between their lowest fetal reticulocyte count and delivery, and a higher umbilical cord blood hemoglobin and percent adult red cells on Kleihauer-Betke stain at delivery. The need for late transfusions appears to be related to the extent and duration of fetal bone marrow suppression.
SEX AND SEX-ROLE DIFFERENCES IN LOCUS OF CONTROL'

The relations among of sex, measures of sex-role orientation, and locus of control were examined with 240 undergraduates (150 women and 90 men). Although there were no sex differences on mean locus of control scores, a significant relation between scores on sex-role orientation and locus of control was observed for women but not for men.
Soilscape Analysis of Contrasting Glacial Terrains in Wisconsin

Two Woodfordian glaciated regions in Wisconsin were analyzed to determine the impact of variable loess thickness and contrasting till texture on soil pattern and landscape properties. Each region consisted of a ground moraine/end moraine/outwash plain landform sequence. Data were compiled from soil and topographic maps. In addition to using standard methods of soilscape analysis, I used a natural soil drainage index, calculated from taxonomic data, to determine regional variability and pattern of soil wetness. Results indicate that soilscape variation within each region was large. There were no statistically significant differences, therefore, that could be attributed to known soil-forming processes or to parent material variability. Stratifying the data by geomorphic subregion rather than by region reduced the within-unit soil variability and resulted in numerous significant soilscape differences between subregions. The implication is that soilscape variability is large at the regional scale but converges rapidly with decreasing size of study area.
Call me doctor? Confessions of a hospital philosopher

Accustomed as many of us have become in the era of clinical bioethics to the idea of a “hospital philosopher”, on reflection the historical novelty of the role is astonishing, as are its ambiguities. As a result of considering my own experience I found myself writing this miniature intellectual autobiography. In the course of this essay I raise two specific questions: what can the Western philosophical tradition contribute to the clinical setting; and (a question that is rarely asked), what are the implications of this experience for that tradition?
Urea transport in the toad bladder; Coupling of urea flows

Urea transport across amphibian membranes is influenced by interactions with the membrane, the solvent and other solutes. One case of solute interaction, that in which the two species are chemically identical, is investigated here. Because of the effects of hypertonic urea on permeability, the demonstration of interaction required consideration of the ratior of bidirectional tracer permeabilities. Mucosal-to-serosal (M→S) and serosal-to-mucosal (M←S) tracer urea fluxes were determined in paired toad urinary bladders, in the absence and presence of abundant urea. In the control state,r was 1.0. Addition of 0.3m urea toM increasedr, and toS decreasedr. These results indicate coupling of abundant and tracer urea flows (isotope interaction), probably occurring in specialized regions. The effects persisted after the addition of antidiuretic hormone, despite the opposing influence of osmotic water flow. Quantitatively different effects of mucosal and serosal hypertonicity, both with and without antidiuretic hormone, are explicable in terms of heterogeneous parallel and series permeability barriers.
Surface Core-Level Photoelectron Diffraction of Surface Reconstructions

Experimental surface core-level shifts (SCLSs) aid in understanding the roles of altered electronic and screening properties at reconstructed semiconductor surfaces.1 Because of unresolved theoretical issues, the assignment of SCLSs has often remained controversial even though the surface geometry has been completely determined with traditional probes. Angular- and energy-dependent x-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPD) of each chemically resolved surface core-level electron can be used to discriminate the structure around each chemically shifted species. However, this technique requires tunability, high energy resolution to separate the SCLSs from the bulk core-levels, and high photon flux in order to gather large amounts of data in a reasonable time. Using the newly commissioned spectromicroscopy beamline 7.0 at the Advanced Light Source, we have acquired chemically-resolved XPD data for Si(111) 7×7 for several photon energies, and by examination of forward-focusing peaks we can draw tentative conclusions about the atomic origins of each core-level shifted peak.
Anaerobic digestion of cattle waste at mesophilic and thermophilic temperatures

Methanogenesis was studied using stirred, bench-top fermentors of 3-1 working volume fed on a semi-continuous basis with waste obtained from cattle fed a high grain, finishing diet. Digestion was carried out at 40 and 60°C. CH4 production was 11.8, 18.3, 61.9 and 84.5% higher in the thermophilic than the mesophilic digestor at the 3, 6, 9 and 12 g volatile solids (VS) l−1 reactor volume loading rates, respectively. When compared on an energetic basis CH4 production was 7.4, 18.3, 72.9 and 107.3 kJ day higher in the thermophilic than the mesophilic digestor. CH4 production decreased more rapidly with each increase in VS loading rate and decrease in retention time (RT) in the mesophilic than the thermophilic digestor. When expressed as l g−1 VS fed or as kJ kJ−1 fed, the amount of CH4 was 49% less at the highest compared to the lowest loading rate in the mesophilic digestor. In the thermophilic digestor the decrease was only 16%. Propionate accumulated in the mesophilic digestor at the two highest loading rates, reaching concentrations of about 50 mM, but were only about 13 mM in the thermophilic digestor. Isobutyrate, isovalerate plus 2-methylbutyrate, and valerate also accumulated at the higher loading rates.
Combination Therapy of Imatinib Mesylate and Interferon-α Demonstrates Minimal Activity and Significant Toxicity in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: Results of a Single-Institution Phase II Trial

Abstract Background Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is characterized by increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)–β, both of which contribute to its angiogenic phenotype. Interferon-α (IFN-α) improves survival in patients with metastatic RCC, perhaps partly because of its antiangiogenic properties. Imatinib mesylate inhibits PDGF-mediated signal transduction and might thus have antiangiogenic activity as well. Patients and Methods Patients with metastatic RCC were treated with IFN-α (9 × 10 6 IU subcutaneously 3 times weekly) and oral imatinib mesylate (600 mg daily starting on day 8). Therapy was continuous, and response was evaluated at 8-week intervals using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Baseline plasma PDGF-AA, PDGF-AB, and PDGF-BB levels were obtained. Results Between January 2003 and January 2005, 17 patients were treated. One patient (6%) had a partial response, 4 (24%) had stable disease, 7 (41%) had progressive disease, and 5 (29%) were unevaluable because of early withdrawal secondary to toxicity. Median time to progression (TTP) using the Kaplan-Meier method was 8 weeks, and median overall survival was 17.8 months. Six patients (35%) withdrew from therapy because of toxicity, and 9 patients (53%) experienced ≥ 1 grade 3/4 toxicity. Platelet-derived growth factor AA, AB, and BB plasma levels did not correlate with TTP or overall survival. Conclusion Based on a response rate of only 6%, a median TTP of 2 months, and significant toxicities, further study of IFN-α in combination with imatinib mesylate is not recommended in patients with metastatic RCC.
The therapeutic potential of focal cooling for neocortical epilepsy.

The therapy of the focal cortical epilepsies remains unsatisfactory. Close to a third of patients fail to gain adequate control with antiepileptic drugs and a portion of those who do, experience unacceptable side effects. Morever, the favorable response rate after surgical resection, approximately 60%, is not nearly as high as the response rate of complex partial seizures caused by mesial temporal sclerosis. The suppressive effect of cooling on neuronal activity has been recognized for over a century. Therefore, we have begun to explore the possible application of cooling as a therapy for focal cortical seizures. In initial brain slice experiments, we found that cooling to 20° C could rapidly terminate paroxysmal activity. Then we developed an in vivo model of focal seizures using a local injection of the convulsant 4-aminopyridine and found that cooling the injected area to less than 24° C with a thermoelectric Peltier device aborted seizures within a few seconds. Other laboratories have independently confirmed our initial observations. More recent experiments from our laboratory have shown that cooling, per se, is not associated with significant cortical damage, even at surface temperatures as low as 5° C. Advances in the fabrication of extremely thin thermoelectric devices, less than a few hundred microns thick, has raised the possibility of incorporating an implantable cooling unit into a closed loop seizure detection and treatment system.
The Effect of Ongoing Exposure Dynamics in Dose Response Relationships

Characterizing infectivity as a function of pathogen dose is integral to microbial risk assessment. Dose-response experiments usually administer doses to subjects at one time. Phenomenological models of the resulting data, such as the exponential and the Beta-Poisson models, ignore dose timing and assume independent risks from each pathogen. Real world exposure to pathogens, however, is a sequence of discrete events where concurrent or prior pathogen arrival affects the capacity of immune effectors to engage and kill newly arriving pathogens. We model immune effector and pathogen interactions during the period before infection becomes established in order to capture the dynamics generating dose timing effects. Model analysis reveals an inverse relationship between the time over which exposures accumulate and the risk of infection. Data from one time dose experiments will thus overestimate per pathogen infection risks of real world exposures. For instance, fitting our model to one time dosing data reveals a risk of 0.66 from 313 Cryptosporidium parvum pathogens. When the temporal exposure window is increased 100-fold using the same parameters fitted by our model to the one time dose data, the risk of infection is reduced to 0.09. Confirmation of this risk prediction requires data from experiments administering doses with different timings. Our model demonstrates that dose timing could markedly alter the risks generated by airborne versus fomite transmitted pathogens.
Which humans behave adaptively, and why does it matter?

Abstract There has long been debate about the relevance of evolutionary theory to the study of humans. To many of us, however, the debate has shifted from whether to proceed with an evolutionary approach to how to proceed. Increasingly, it has been argued that studies of the current reproductive function of human traits make little or no contribution to the understanding of the psyche (e.g., Symons 1989). Here, on the basis of arguments about the relationship between an adaptation and an adaptive outcome, and a review of studies that assess current adaptiveness, I argue to the contrary that knowledge of the contexts in which people do or do not behave adaptively provides important information about the nature of the mechanisms that comprise the human psyche. In particular, studies that indicate that people behave adaptively in at least some contemporary environments cast doubt on many nonevolutionary constructions of human nature, and can be used now to distinguish alternative evolutionary constructions that are at odds over many issues pentaining to the human psyche's ontogeny and evolutionary background, especially the extent to which the human psyche is general purpose.
Comparing different geometries and reconstruction algorithms for multiple pinhole cardiac SPECT using NCAT

Cardiac SPECT is primarily used for myocardial perfusion imaging for an estimated 9–10 million patients in the US (and approximately double the number worldwide). However SPECT in general suffers from low sensitivity because of the necessity for collimation. Recently, new designs have emerged with 5–8 times the sensitivity of the standard gamma cameras currently used in the clinic for estimating myocardial perfusion. Examples are DSPECT and GE Discovery systems. Pin-hole collimation is used in the new Discovery series from GE. The advantage of this particular pin-hole design is that there are no moving parts, thus reducing manufacturing and servicing costs. Funk et al used a multi-pinhole system attached to a NaI crystal detector for SPECT Cardiac application. This author had proposed curved detector fitted to each pin- hole, to obtain improved performance (∼2.25 times sensitivity or 30% better resolution) over that of a flat-detector system for SPECT gamma-cameras. In this work the author implemented voxel-based and detector-based reconstruction algorithms for a multi-pinhole system with flat or curved detectors. Three different geometric configurations with 32, 27, and 21 pinholes were tested and different algorithms compared. The system with 21 pinholes offered similar image quality as the 32 or 27 and was preferred for the reduced number of pinholes. Quantitative analyis was done with the NCAT and a cubic block. The voxel-based reconstruction was preferred from convergence, image quality and speed.
Cofactor activity of dihydroflavin mononucleotide and tetrahydrobiopterin for murine epididymal indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase

Dihydroflavin mononucleotide (FMNH2) and tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) serve as cofactors for indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase isolated from mouse epididymis. The optimal pH was between 7 and 8, and FMNH2-dependent activity was 4 to 5-fold higher than activity with methylene blue as the electron donor. Using FMNH2 with a FMN reductase system, the enzyme exhibited higher efficiency and specificity for L-Trp (an apparent Km of 1 X 10(-5)M and an apparent Vmax of 182 nmol/min/mg of protein). The apparent Km and Vmax for D-Trp were 6.2 X 10(-5)M and 31 nmole/min/mg, respectively. Consequently, these observations appear to present the first evidence for a flavin-dependent mammalian dioxygenase.
Can Individuals with Autism Abstract Prototypes of Natural Faces

There is a growing amount of evidence suggesting that individuals with autism have difficulty with face processing. One basic cognitive ability that may underlie face processing difficulties is the ability to abstract a prototype. The current study examined prototype formation with natural faces using eye-tracking in high-functioning adults with autism and matched controls. Individuals with autism were found to have significant difficulty forming prototypes of natural faces. The eye-tracking data did not reveal any between group differences in the general pattern of attention to the faces, indicating that these difficulties were not due to attentional factors. Results are consistent with previous studies that have found a deficit in prototype formation and extend these deficits to natural faces.
Securing the data path of next-generation router systems

As the technology used to implement computer network infrastructure advances, networking resources are becoming more vulnerable to attack. Recent router designs are based on general-purpose programmable processors, which increase their potential vulnerability. To address this issue, a Secure Packet Processing platform has been developed that can flexibly protect emerging router systems. Both instruction-level operation of embedded processors and I/O operations of router ports are monitored to detect anomalous behavior. If such behavior is detected, a recovery system is invoked to restore the system into an operational state. Experimental results show that processor-based attacks can generally be determined by a processing monitor within a single instruction. I/O anomalies, including unexpected packet broadcast or delay, can be detected by an I/O monitor with limited overhead. Overall, the system overhead for secure monitoring is limited to a fraction of the overall system space, memory, and power budget.
Intrauterine devices in adolescents.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The stubborn epidemic of teen pregnancy remains a major public health problem in the United States. This review discusses the use of intrauterine devices (IUDs) in United States teens as a potential strategy to reduce teen pregnancy. Traditionally the IUD was not thought of as an appropriate teen contraceptive method. RECENT FINDINGS: Recently IUDs have become a recommended contraceptive option for adolescent females. This change reflects an understanding of the safety of modern IUDs the potential for this highly effective method to reduce teen pregnancy and the promotion of this strategy in teens by national organizations/governmental agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the World Health Organization and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Current data do not support that IUDs affect long-term fertility or increase sexually transmitted diseases in teens. SUMMARY: IUDs are now considered by many experts as a first-line contraceptive option for teens in the United States.
Selective excitation of vibrational overtones in an anharmonic ladder with frequency- and amplitude-modulated laser pulses.

We show numerically that the complex hyperbolic secant pulse provides robust selective inversion of vibrational overtones. A density-matrix analysis is performed for a ten-level Morse-oscillator approximation of a diatomic molecule. We also show that in the limit of adiabatic excitation the complex-hyperbolic-secant pulse yields an inversion spectrum that is narrower than its spectral bandwidth.
Reliability of aluminum-bearing ohmic contacts to SiC under high current density

The degradation produced by high current density stressing of a contact to p-SiC consisting of an Al-bearing ohmic contact, a TiW diffusion barrier, and a thick Au overlayer was studied. The test structure allowed for vertical current stressing and the measurement of the specific contact resistance before and after stressing. A threshold current for contact failure was established for the Ti/Al and W/Al contacts, at which a large increase in specific contact resistance was measured and extensive voiding occurred in the ohmic contact region. The high current stressing generated a flux of Al from the ohmic contact layer, through the TiW barrier, to the surface to be oxidized, along with a flux of Au into the ohmic contact layer. The voiding in the ohmic contact layer, caused by the unequal fluxes of Al and Au, decreased the active area of the contact, consequently increasing the current density and the associated effects from electromigration and Joule heating, initiating a runaway event.
Shared oocyte donation: society’s benefits

Abstract Objective: To assess the efficacy of oocyte donation when a cohort of oocytes is shared between two phenotypically matched recipients. Design: A retrospective analysis of a program using shared anonymous oocyte donation. Setting: Academic infertility center. Patient(s): Recipient women with partial or complete ovarian failure; oocyte donors who have been properly screened. Intervention(s): Each oocyte donor was phenotypically matched with two potential recipients. The cohort of donated oocytes were divided between these two recipients if eight or more mature oocytes were obtained at retrieval. Recipients underwent hormone replacement therapy consisting of down-regulation with a GnRH agonist, transdermal estradiol, and intramuscular progesterone in a dose determined by a previous preparatory cycle. Main Outcome Measure(s): Pregnancy and delivery rates for all transfers originating from a cohort of oocytes obtained by retrieval of a single donor; pregnancy and delivery rates per recipient; rate of conversion of a shared donation cycle to a single recipient. Result(s): A total of 249 donor cycles permitted 241 retrievals. Each recipient received 8.3 ± 3.5 oocytes per donation. There were 424 fresh ETs and 48 frozen ETs performed. For fresh ETs, clinical pregnancy and ongoing or delivery rates per recipient were 56.8% and 49.7%, respectively. For frozen ETs, these rates were 50% and 39.5%. Implantation rates were 31.8% and 26.1% for fresh and frozen ET, respectively. When analyzed per donor retrieval, clinical pregnancy and ongoing or delivery rates were 109.5% and 95.4%. These high pregnancy rates per donor reflect the numerous fresh and frozen ETs that can result from one donor's retrieval. Conversion of a donation cycle from two recipients to one recipient occurred for 26 of 241 cycles (10.8%). Conclusion(s): Shared anonymous oocyte donation provides a very high pregnancy rate per donor retrieval that is not achievable with unshared donation. In addition, there is a diminished risk exposure of donors per total completed recipient transfers. We support shared oocyte donation as the most efficient use of the precious resource of human oocytes.
A Note on Luke II 49

Ούκ ᾒδeιτe ὃτι έν τοῖς τοῦ Πατρός μου δeῖ eἶναί μe; Several recent translators of the New Testament prefer the rendering, in my Father's house , to the alternative, in the things of my Father, about my Father's business . They have very early precedent for this, in Tatian's Diatessaron and the Syriac versions.
Comparing tailored and narrative worksite interventions at increasing colonoscopy adherence in adults 50-75: a randomized controlled trial.

Research has identified several communication strategies that could increase adherence to colorectal cancer screening recommendations. Two promising strategies are tailoring and narrative-based approaches. Tailoring is the personalization of information based on individual characteristics. Narrative-based approaches use stories about similar others to counter perceived barriers and cultivate self-efficacy. To compare these two approaches, a randomized controlled trial was carried out at 8 worksites in Indiana. Adults 50-75 (N = 209) received one of four messages about colorectal cancer screening: stock, narrative, tailored, tailored narrative. The primary outcome was whether participants filed a colonoscopy claim in the 18 months following the intervention. Individuals receiving narrative messages were 4 times more likely to screen than those not receiving narrative messages. Tailoring did not increase screening behavior overall. However, individuals with higher cancer information overload were 8 times more likely to screen if they received tailored messages. The results suggest that narrative-based approaches are more effective than tailoring at increasing colorectal cancer screening in worksite interventions. Tailoring may be valuable as a strategy for reaching individuals with high overload, perhaps as a follow-up effort to a larger communication campaign.
Update on Infection and Antibiotics in Asthma

Asthma pathogenesis seems to be a result of a complex mixture of genetic and environmental influences. There is evidence that Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydophila pneumoniae (formerly known as Chlamydia pneumoniae) play a role in promoting airway inflammation that could contribute to the onset and clinical course of asthma. Evidence also indicates that when antimicrobial therapy can eradicate or suppress these organisms, it may be possible to alter the course of the disease. Certain macrolide antibiotics have been shown to improve control of asthma symptoms and lung function in patients diagnosed with acute C. pneumoniae or M. pneumoniae infection. Positive polymerase chain reaction studies for C. pneumoniae or M. pneumoniae are needed to select asthma patients for chronic treatment. Macrolide antibiotics may also have independent anti-inflammatory activity that may be useful in the management of asthma and other inflammatory diseases.
Comparative antimicrobial activity of enoxacin, ciprofloxacin, amifloxacin, norfloxacin and ofloxacin against 177 bacterial isolates

The in-vitro antimicrobial activity of five new quinolones, enoxacin (CI-919, AT-2266), ciprofloxacin (Bay o 9867), amifloxacin (WIN 49375) norfloxacin (MK 0366), and ofloxacin (ORF 18489), was compared against 104 strains of Enterobacteriaceae, 51 Pseudomonas species, 7 Acinetobacter calcoaceticus var. anitratus, and 15 enterococci. In general the quinolones tested were active against most bacterial strains. Ciprofloxacin was the most active with MIC90 for all genera tested ranging from 0.03 to 4.0 mg/l. The range of MIC90 for enoxacin and amifloxacin was 0.06 to 16.0 mg/l, for ofloxacin 0.25 to 8.0 mg/l, and for norfloxacin 0.06 to 32.0 mg/l. All strains of P. aeruginosa tested were resistant to amikacin (MIC greater than or equal to 16 mg/l); those resistant by virtue of inactivating enzyme production were less susceptible to ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and norfloxacin than those strains exhibiting decreased uptake of amikacin. Susceptibility to enoxacin and amifloxacin was not affected by the mechanism of aminoglycoside resistance. Of 65 strains tested with four quinolones using log and lag phase bacterial growth, the MICs in log phase growth were one to two dilutions higher for 42% of strains tested with amifloxacin, 33% of those tested with norfloxacin, and 23% for those tested with enoxacin and ciprofloxacin.
Evaluation of Laboratory Techniques for Predicting Ruminal Protein Degradation

Abstract Five methods of measuring protein solubility, an in situ method, and an in vitro method for measuring protein degradability were evaluated to determine which procedure most accurately predicted quantity of feed protein escaping ruminal fermentation. Feeds evaluated were soybean meal, blood meal, meat meal, corn gluten meal, distillers dried grains, brewers dried grains, distillers grains plus solubles, dehydrated alfalfa, and soybean meal treated with sodium bentonite. Solubility was measured in .15 M sodium chloride, 10% Burroughs solution, .02N sodium hydroxide, hot water, and bicarbonate-phosphate buffer. In situ procedure was the incubation of feeds in dacron bags suspended in the rumen of cattle. In vitro procedure was incubation of feeds with five proteolytic enzymes. Results from these methods were correlated with protein degradability determined in vivo or calculated from growth trials. Protein solubility in hot water, 10% Burroughs solution, and bicarbonate-phosphate buffer was closely correlated with in vivo protein degradability, .86, .69, and .87. Highest correlation for dacron bag incubations with in vivo degradability were at 12 and 24h, .88 and .84. All proteolytic enzymes yielded highly significant correlations with protein degradability with incubations of 1 and 4h and offer procedural advantages over the dacron bag technique.
Slotting and promotional allowances: red flags in the supply chain

Purpose – This paper seeks to provide an overview of the growing popularity of slotting fees and their potential for abuse that led to congressional hearings as well as investigations by the Federal Trade Commission and the General Accounting Office, respectively. It also aims to discuss the widespread use of promotional allowances and their potential for abuse, leading to accounting irregularities.Design/methodology/approach – It focuses on how promotional allowances have been improperly accounted for at Royal Ahold, Fleming Companies and AmerisourceBergen Corp. By reviewing how the Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB) overhauled the accounting rules, it sheds some light on the magnitude of these practices.Findings – The FASB failed to go far enough in its crack‐down. It reveals that heavy reliance on these allowances by financially weak retailers can be a red flag to current and potential investors, both professional and individual. However, the post‐Enron accounting rule changes and the Sarbanes‐...
Field distributions in a spiral resonator

We present a single model of the fields in a spiral resonator and compare the predicted properties with those from experiment. The model gives a very good representation of the resonant frequency of the cylindrical resonator and of the fields in all regions away from the immediate neighborhood of the midplane spiral. Shunt impedances cannot be accurately predicted because the model simplifies the form of the spiral, which affects the electrical field along the cavity axis.
Helical localized wave solutions of the scalar wave equation

A right-handed helical nonorthogonal coordinate system is used to determine helical localized wave solutions of the homogeneous scalar wave equation. Introducing the characteristic variables in the helical system, i.e., u=ζ-ct and v=ζ+ct, where ζ is the coordinate along the helical axis, we can use the bidirectional traveling plane wave representation and obtain sets of elementary bidirectional helical solutions to the wave equation. Not only are these sets bidirectional, i.e., based on a product of plane waves, but they may also be broken up into right-handed and left-handed solutions. The elementary helical solutions may in turn be used to create general superpositions, both Fourier and bidirectional, from which new solutions to the wave equation may be synthesized. These new solutions, based on the helical bidirectional superposition, are members of the class of localized waves. Examples of these new solutions are a helical fundamental Gaussian focus wave mode, a helical Bessel–Gauss pulse, and a helical acoustic directed energy pulse train. Some of these solutions have the interesting feature that their shape and localization properties depend not only on the wave number governing propagation along the longitudinal axis but also on the normalized helical pitch.
Inverse Determination of Wall Temperature During Constant Energy Input

In engineering applications, it is possible to heat up a solid body with constant input of thermal energy. Two different limiting cases are recognized, one maintaining a spatially constant surface temperature and the other having a constant wall heat flux. For geometries such as parallel plates and circular rods, there are direct solutions. However, for other geometries, the latter case has direct solutions while the former requires inverse estimation of the surface temperature a priori. To demonstrate the solution method for the former case, rectangular bodies with different aspect ratios are selected. Then, numerical data are acquired and their accuracies are discussed.
Post-event spontaneous intrusive recollections and strength of memory for emotional events in men and women

Spontaneous intrusive recollections (SIRs) follow traumatic events in clinical and non-clinical populations. To determine whether any relationship exists between SIRs and enhanced memory for emotional events, participants viewed emotional or neutral films, had their memory for the films tested two days later, and estimated the number of SIRs they experienced for each film. SIR frequency related positively to memory strength, an effect more pronounced in the emotional condition. These findings represent the first demonstration of a relationship between SIRs occurring after an emotional experience and subsequent memory strength for that experience. The results are consistent with the possibility that emotional arousal leads both to elevated SIR frequency and better memory, and that the covert rehearsal associated with SIRs enhances memory for emotional relative to neutral stimuli. Additional evidence of menstrual cycle influences on SIR incidence in female participants appears to merit consideration in future work.
Cognitive influences on self-care decision making in persons with heart failure.

Background Despite advances in management, heart failure is associated with high rates of hospitalization, poor quality of life, and early death. Education intended to improve patients' abilities to care for themselves is an integral component of disease management programs. True self-care requires that patients make decisions about symptoms, but the cognitive deficits documented in 30% to 50% of the heart failure population may make daily decision making challenging. After describing heart failure self-care as a naturalistic decision making process, we explore cognitive deficits known to exist in persons with heart failure. Problems in heart failure self-care are analyzed in relation to neural alterations associated with heart failure. As a neural process, decision making has been traced to regions of the prefrontal cortex, the same areas that are affected by ischemia, infarction, and hypoxemia in heart failure. Resulting deficits in memory, attention, and executive function may impair the perception and interpretation of early symptoms and reasoning and, thereby, delay early treatment implementation. Conclusions There is compelling evidence that the neural processes critical to decision making are located in the same structures that are affected by heart failure. Because self-care requires the cognitive ability to learn, perceive, interpret, and respond, research is needed to discern how neural deficits affects these abilities, decision-making, and self-care behaviors.
An Exploration of the Benefits of Student Internships to Marketing Departments.

Numerous studies have assessed the benefits that students and employers gain from participating in and supporting internship programs. Assessment of the benefits that marketing departments receive from supporting internship programs has largely been neglected. This study aims to address this gap by examining the responses of 180 colleges of business deans, associate deans, and faculty members. The results suggest that marketing departments reap certain benefits from internship programs, including improved class-room discussions, increased enrollment, and enhanced department reputation. Also, this study assesses instructor's perceptions of students' benefits, suggesting that student interns are hired sooner by the best organizations into better positions with higher salaries relative to students without internships.
Electrochemical Properties of Carbon Nanoparticles Entrapped in a Silica Matrix

Abstract Carbon-based electrode materials have been widely used for many years for electrochemical charge storage, energy generation, and catalysis. We have developed an electrode material with high specific capacitance by entrapping graphite nanoparticles into a sol-gel network. Films from the resulting colloidal suspensions were highly porous due to the removal of the entrapped organic solvents from sol-gel matrix giving rise to high Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface areas (654 m(2)/g) and a high capacitance density ( approximately 37 F/g). An exponential increase of capacitance was observed with decreasing scan rates in cyclic voltammetry studies on these films suggesting the presence of pores ranging from micro (< 2 nm) to mesopores. BET surface analysis and scanning electron microscope images of these films also confirmed the presence of the micropores as well as mesopores. A steep drop in the double layer capacitance with polar electrolytes was observed when the films were rendered hydrophilic upon exposure to a mild oxygen plasma. We propose a model whereby the microporous hydrophobic sol-gel matrix perturbs the hydration of ions which moves ions closer to the graphite nanoparticles and consequently increase the capacitance of the film.
The role of flame‐retardant chemicals in the thermal degradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate). Studies with the model ester n‐propyl pyrene‐1‐carboxylate

The pyrolysis of n-propyl pyrene-1-carboxylate, a model ester for poly(ethylene terephthalate), has been studied using pyrolysis mass spectrometry. The major mode of decomposition has been identified as the formation of propylene and pyrene-1-carboxylic acid as a result of a cyclic intramolecular rearrangement. When phosphorus or bromine containing compounds are blended with the model ester, no significant changes are observed in the kinetics of the overall pyrolysis, while relatively small changes are observed in the mode of decomposition with the phosphorus compound. The results suggest that the role played by phosphorus and bromine in flame-retarding polyesters is predominately restricted to the gas phase.
Effects of 2‐ and 4‐ hydroxybiphenyl on cultures of the red tide organism Ptychodiscus brevis

Abstract 4‐Hydroxybiphenyl and 2‐hydroxybiphenyl are major and minor metabolites, respectively, in mammals and a number of fungi. Both compounds were tested against cultures of the red tide organism Ptychodiscus brevis (formerly Gymnodinium breve). The LD50 value for 4‐hydroxybiphenyl is slightly lower than 2‐hydroxybiphenyl. The value for either is between 1–2 ppm under the conditions of the assay, i.e. extent of lysis within a 20‐hour period. Both substances appear to exhibit a saturation effect above 2 ppm.
A polymerase chain reaction-based test for the identification of Trichoderma harzianum biotypes 2 and 4, responsible for the worldwide green mold epidemic in cultivated Agaricus bisporus

We describe a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based test that is specific for the pathogenic European biotype 2 (Th2) and North American biotype 4 (Th4) of Trichoderma harzianum, responsible for the green mold epidemic in the cultivated mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. A PCR primer pair was designed that targets a 444-bp arbitrary sequence in the genome of Th4. The primers also amplified the same product with Th2, but showed no reactivity with other biotypes of T. harzianum, several biocontrol Trichoderma, or with 31 other genera and species of fungi. The PCR-based test should have application in disease management programs, and in the evaluation of biocontrol Trichoderma for potential pathogenicity on mushrooms.
Anaesthesia and ventilation strategy in a horse undergoing pulmonectomy

Summary A 7-year-old, 430 kg Standardbred gelding was presented to the hospital with severe bilateral purulent pleuropneumonia requiring partial pulmonectomy. Prior to surgery the trachea was intubated through a tracheotomy site using a customised tube (10 mm internal diameter)-in-tube (26 mm internal diameter) endotracheal tube, similar to a bronchial blocker tube in design. The left lung was selectively mechanically ventilated. Thoracotomy was performed and a major lung abscess and surrounding lung tissue were resected. Arterial PO2 and PCO2 remained 79–305 and 43–72 mmHg, respectively, and haemodynamic variables within a range acceptable for general anaesthesia in the horse. A 5 month follow-up revealed complete resolution of the pleuropneumonia without signs of recurrence.
Reducing elevation roundoff errors in digital elevation models

Abstract A smoothing algorithm is presented for the removal of roundoff error, inherent in almost all digital elevation data. Elevation adjustments are kept within the tolerance of roundoff error, so that the resulting terrain model is not over smoothed. After smoothing, the digital elevation model is more suitable for use with algorithms that seek to automatically delineate stream networks and basins of a watershed. The algorithm is specifically intended for use with gridded data, and is particularly effective when used with elevations originating from the 7.5 min quadrangles provided by the United States Geological Survey.
Rooting Around the Eutherian Family Tree: the Origin and Relations of the Taeniodonta

Placing early groups into the overall phylogeny of eutherian mammals can be challenging, particularly when the group does not have extant members. We investigated the relationships of the Taeniodonta, an extinct group from the Late Cretaceous through Paleogene of North America. This group has a few purported close relatives, including Cimolestes, Procerberus, and Alveugena, that may form a sequence of ancestors and descendants. The leading hypothesis is that Procerberus gave rise to taeniodonts through Alveugena. We test this hypothesis and analyze relations to known stem and crown Eutheria to determine the place of taeniodonts in eutherian phylogeny. Cladistic analyses were performed using previously published characters and datasets, namely a taeniodont/cimolestid specific dataset and a reanalysis of Wible and colleagues (2009), with added taxa for both. Our studies suggest that taeniodonts arose from Cimolestes through Alveugena, that Procerberus is more distantly related to taeniodonts, and that taeniodonts and their relatives are stem eutherians. We diagnose the Taeniodonta based on these analyses. Other Paleogene groups, especially those allied with Cimolestes such as tillodonts and pantolestans, merit further study. Our findings indicate that stem eutherians such as the Taeniodonta, in addition to crown eutherians, continued to diversify during the Paleogene.
Silicon hybrid wafer scale integration interconnect performance evaluation at RF frequencies

The RF electrical characteristics of hybrid wafer scale integration (WSI) interconnections on silicon-polyimide-aluminum and silicon-benzocyclobutene-aluminum substrates have been evaluated. The silicon wafer substrates were five inches in diameter, and each contained an identical set of 200 photolithographically patterned dielectric and aluminum interconnect test structures. The aluminum conductors were 2.5- mu m thick, and half of the test structure conductors were 10- mu m wide, while the remainder were 25- mu m wide. Measurements between 5 kHz and 220 MHz confirmed the expected transmission line behavior manifested by the longer interconnections. The coupling levels in the 400 line/cm density structures are low ( >
On the Three-Dimensional Theory of Cracked Plates

This paper discusses a method for solving three-dimensional mixed-boundary-value problems which arise in elastostatics. Specifically, the method is applied to a plate of finite thickness which contains a finite, through the thickness, line crack. The analysis shows that (a) in the interior of the plate only the stresses sigma-x, sigma-y, sigma-z, and tau-xy are singular of order 1/2; (b) in the vicinity of the corner point all the stresses are singular of order ((1/2) plus 2 nu); as the thickness h approaches infinity the plane strain solution is recovered and; (d) as nu approaches o the plane stress solution is recovered. Finally, it is found that in the neighborhood of the corner points, even though the displacements are singular for certain values of the Poisson's ratios, the derived stress field satisfies the condition of local finite energy. /Author/
Bioterrorism: Implications for the Clinical Microbiologist

The specter of bioterrorism has captured the attention of government and military officials, scientists, and the general public. Compared to other sectors of the population, clinical microbiologists are more directly impacted by concerns about bioterrorism. This review focuses on the role envisioned for clinical laboratories in response to a bioterrorist event. The microbiology and clinical aspects of the biological agents thought to be the most likely tools of bioterrorists are presented. The historical background of the problem of bioterrorism and an overview of current U.S. preparedness planning, with an emphasis on the roles of health care professionals, are also included.
A note comparing glover's and young's simplified primal algorithms

Glover and Young, References [4] and [8], respectively, present convergent primal integer programming algorithms. The algorithm outlined in Young's paper (which was deliberately specialized) is shown to be a special case of the Glover algorithm under his acceptable source row selection, Rule 1.