cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Short- and long-term influence of perinatal dexamethasone treatment on swine growth

Abstract The objective was to evaluate the effects of perinatal dexamethasone (Dex) treatment on postnatal growth in pigs. Experiment 1: 42 piglets were assigned according to birth weight and sex to receive either Dex (1 mg/kg body weight) or sterile saline (Control; equivalent volume) i.m. within 1 h of birth. Body weights were recorded weekly and at sacrifice (day 18). Birth weights (1.43±0.05 kg) did not differ between treatment groups ( P >0.19). At day 18, Dex pigs were heavier than Control pigs (5.46±0.24 and 4.45±0.26 kg, respectively). Serum IGF-1 was 17.3% higher in Dex pigs ( P P P >0.35) between treatment groups or sexes. Dexamethasone increased growth from birth to market weight by 4.15%. Carcass weights were not different ( P >0.34) between Dex (89.9±1.17 kg) and Control pigs (88.6±1.36 kg). Overall, Dex enhanced growth in pigs from birth to market weight with minimal effects on carcass and meat quality.
Surface energies, work functions, and surface relaxations of low index metallic surfaces from first principles

We study the relaxations, surface energies, and work functions of low-index metallic surfaces using pseudopotential plane-wave density-functional calculations within the generalized gradient approximation. We study here the (100), (110), and (111) surfaces of Al, Pd, Pt, and Au and the (0001) surface of Ti, chosen for their use as contact or lead materials in nanoscale devices. We consider clean, mostly nonreconstructed surfaces in the slab-supercell approximation. Particular attention is paid to the convergence of these quantities with respect to slab thickness; furthermore, different methodologies for the calculation of work functions and surfaces energies are compared. We find that the use of bulk references for calculations of surface energies and work functions can be detrimental to convergence unless numerical grids are closely matched, especially when surface relaxations are being considered. Our results and comparison show that calculated values often do not quantitatively match experimental values. This may be understandable for the surface relaxations and surface energies, where experimental values can have large error but even for the work functions, neither local nor semilocal functionals emerge as an accurate choice for every case.
Population Development and Interactions Between Two Species of Bacteriophagic Nematodes

The population dynamics on agar cultures of two species of bacterial-feeding soil nematodes are described. Mesodiplogaster lheritieri populations develop rapidly because they produce eggs early and have a short generation time (4 days). Although Acrobeloides sp. has a longer generation time (11 days), it also has a longer reproductive period. These nematodes respond differently to adverse conditions. Acrobeloides produces an anabiotic form resistant to predation, food limitation, and desiccation. M. lheritieri produces "dauer larvae" or intrauterine juvenile, primarily in response to food shortages. Because M. lheritieri is potentially predatory, it has an advantage when the two species compete. The reproductive strategies of, and food utilization by, the nematodes represent distinctly different grazing patterns in the nematodes. Key words: Bacteriophagic Nematodes, Population Dynamics, Resistant Stages.
Re-discovering voice: Korean immigrant women in group music therapy

Abstract This article discusses group music therapy work with six older Korean immigrant women residing in New York. The women received weekly group music therapy sessions for a 6-month period. With each client belonging to four major subculture groups (Korean, immigrant, older adults, and women), attention was paid to the impact of subculture on group dynamics and the therapeutic process. Particular focus was placed on the influence of clients’ cultural adjustments, their gender role, the types of gender issues which emerged in sessions, and the clients’ use of music as a medium to increase their awareness of and to work through social–political oppression experienced during their cultural adjustment phase. The effective management of acculturative stress using music was also discussed. Music therapists are advised to take into account specific cultural considerations and the gender roles of their clients to better serve them. Clinical recommendations are further discussed in the article.
EFFECTS OF GENERAL-CASE TRAINING, INSTRUCTIONS, REHEARSAL, AND FEEDBACK ON THE REDUCTION OF SIGHT-READING ERRORS BY COMPETENT MUSICIANS

We used general-case training, instructions, rehearsal, and feedback to teach 3 advanced flute students to improve their sight-reading skills. Training resulted in systematic decreases in note errors, rhythm errors, repetitions, and hesitations for each participant. The procedures and outcomes were socially validated through subjective evaluation by the participants and music teachers not involved with the study.
Correlation of microRNA levels during hypoxia with predicted target mRNAs through genome-wide microarray analysis

Low levels of oxygen in tissues, seen in situations such as chronic lung disease, necrotic tumors, and high altitude exposures, initiate a signaling pathway that results in active transcription of genes possessing a hypoxia response element (HRE). The aim of this study was to investigate whether a change in miRNA expression following hypoxia could account for changes in the cellular transcriptome based on currently available miRNA target prediction tools. To identify changes induced by hypoxia, we conducted mRNA- and miRNA-array-based experiments in HT29 cells, and performed comparative analysis of the resulting data sets based on multiple target prediction algorithms. To date, few studies have investigated an environmental perturbation for effects on genome-wide miRNA levels, or their consequent influence on mRNA output. Comparison of miRNAs with predicted mRNA targets indicated a lower level of concordance than expected. We did, however, find preliminary evidence of combinatorial regulation of mRNA expression by miRNA. Target prediction programs and expression profiling techniques do not yet adequately represent the complexity of miRNA-mediated gene repression, and new methods may be required to better elucidate these pathways. Our data suggest the physiologic impact of miRNAs on cellular transcription results from a multifaceted network of miRNA and mRNA relationships, working together in an interconnected system and in context of hundreds of RNA species. The methods described here for comparative analysis of cellular miRNA and mRNA will be useful for understanding genome wide regulatory responsiveness and refining miRNA predictive algorithms.
The Missing Globalization Puzzle

The failure of declining trade-related costs to be reflected in estimates of the standard gravity model of bilateral trade might be called the "missing globalization puzzle." This puzzle is most apparent in the estimated distance coefficients found in the literature, which show no evidence of declining in absolute value over time. In contrast, we find evidence of globalization, on both cross-section and panel data, reflected in a variety of measures of geography. Our estimation procedure is consistent with recent theoretical developments that emphasize the importance of relative costs for determining bilateral trade patterns. But the main reason our findings differ from previous studies is our nonlinear specification, which has a number of advantages over the standard log-linear specification.
Arteriovenous Malformation of the Cecum: Report of Six Cases*

Patients who have chronic lower gastrointestinal bleeding with negative conventional work-ups should undergo superior mesenteric arteriography to look for arteriovenous malformations. Once the diagnosis is made, treatment is immediate conventional right hemicolectomy. Six patients with arteriovenous malformations described in this report have had no recurrence of rectal bleeding in one to five years.
A Study on Maintaining Workshop Impact for Employment Counselors.

It is the authors' belief that the skills or knowledge acquired in short-term educational experiences are often rapidly washed-out after returning to a work environment. This article describes an attempt to maintain the skills of employment counselors after they return from a workshop setting to their work environment.
Modification of δ D values in eastern Nevada granitoid rocks spatially related to thrust faults

Stable isotope data have been determined for 13 Mesozoic and Tertiary plutons in eastern Nevada and nearby Utah. In the southern Snake Range of eastern Nevada, where relations are best exposed and have been most intensively studied, δD, δ 18O, and apparent K-Ar ages depend on proximity to the Snake Range decollement. Where stresses resulting from late movement on the decollement have caused cataclasis of Oligocene (37 Ma) granitoid rock, δ 18O, δD, and K-Ar age values as low as −2.5‰, −155‰, and 18 Ma, respectively, have been determined. Where there has been no cataclasis, δ 18O values of Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Oligocene granitoid rocks are apparently unaffected, but both δD values and K-Ar ages have been modified for distances of tens of meters below the decollement. Results similar to those in the southern Snake Range have been observed in other eastern Nevada granitoid rocks spatially related to regional thrust faults, as in the Kern Mountains, the Toana Range, and the northern Egan Range. In each of these areas cataclasis or deformation of granitoid rocks has resulted in lowered δ 18O, δD, and K-Ar age values. Where there has been no cataclasis or deformation, δ 18O values are unaffected, but both δD and K-Ar age values have been lowered by stresses resulting from postcrystallization movement along overlying thrust faults. Many of the plutons discussed have not been deeply eroded, and spatially related thrust faults crop out. Where thrust faults are not in evidence and the granitoid rocks give δD values lower than about −130‰ along with spuriously low K-Ar age results, modification of the δD and K-Ar age values may have been caused by stresses related to late movement along an overlying (now eroded) thrust fault.
Race Riot : Chicago in the Red Summer of 1919

'This book has more lives than a cat because its feet are firmly planted on the bedrock issues of race and class, its analysis goes to the quick of urban-industrial life in the early twentieth century, and its vivid narrative captures the tumultuous riot without ever losing scholarly balance' - Alan Dawley, author of "Struggles for Justice". 'An important contribution to the history of American violence' - Eric Foner, "The New York Times Book Review".
The Rise in Brightness of Infra-Red Sensitive Phosphors

Scott, Thompson, and Ellickson found that the rise in brightness of double activated infra-red sensitive phosphors such as SrS·Eu-Sm shows in some cases a jump, in others not. The jump and the slope of the curves of brightness versus time at the beginning are not proportional to the intensity of the infra-red. A model of such phosphors is described and later used to calculate the curves. The resulting equations contain both the jump and the deviation of the proportionality to the intensity of the infra-red, if the filling of traps is considered. The magnitude of the jump strongly depends on the height of a level.
360 INFLUENZA A AND B VIRUS INFECTION IN INFANTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN DURING THE YEARS 1957–1976

Influenza A virus activity was demonstrated in infants and young children from metropolitan Washington, D. C. during each of 19 successive August-July respiratory disease years, and during 17 of these years at least two per cent of hospitalized respiratory disease patients yielded an influenza A or B virus and/or showed an influenza A or B serum complement fixing (CF) antibody response. Between October 1957 and July 1976, 14.3 per cent of 860 croup patients and 5.3 per cent of 5,655 hospitalized respiratory patients showed evidence of influenza A or B virus infection. Serious illness with influenza A virus was 4.5 times more common than with influenza B virus. Influenza A virus infections were seen more than twice as frequently during the era of the H3N2 virus subtype as during the H2N2 era. Patients with serious influenza A virus infections were especially likely to have croup (particularly during the H3N2 era), to be seen during December through February, and to be black male infants. During the peak month of a composite of 13 consecutive influenza A virus outbreaks, influenza A virus infection was demonstrated in 67.6 per cent of croup patients and 35.6 per cent of all hospitalized respiratory patients. During the peak month of a composite of 6 consecutive influenza B virus outbreaks, influenza B virus infection was demonstrated in 36.0 per cent of croup patients and in 10.8 per cent of all hospitalized respiratory disease patients
An Intertemporal Analysis of the Nature of Demand for Food Products

Changes in “taste” are very important in the demand for food products. Most analyses, however, assume taste to be a constant. By utilizing a natural log polynomial function for the Engel curve and examining the resultant income elasticities of demand, certain refinements of standard classifications of commodities are possible. These can then be used to analyze changes in taste over time. The results indicate that taste is highly variable. Further, changes in taste are significantly different for different kinds of food. Recent unprecedented shifts in family income make it imperative that there be better understanding of the nature of demand.
Limiting behaviour for a prey-predator model with diffusion and crowding effects

where a~, ~2, a, b, c, p , q, r are posit ive constants related to diffusion, growth, interaction and death rates of the populations ux, u2. The unknown populat ion functions Ul, u2 are defined for time t > /0 and space x = (xx . . . . . x~) e ~ (f2 is a given bounded open connected subset of R n, n >/ 1). When u~ are functions of t alone, (1.1) reduces to the generalized Volterra-Lotka model for prey-predator interactions, with b, q expressing the crowding effect on the growth of prey ul and predator u2 respectively. The parameters a, r, c , p represent growth, death and interaction rates. (See e.g. Poole [5] or Rescigno and Richardson [7]). With the inclusion of diffusion terms a~Aul, a2Au2, (A _= ~ = 1 ~2/~x2), Williams and Chow [8] studied Eq. (1.1) with no crowding effect (i.e. b = q = 0). Since the effects of crowding tend to occur in realistic biological systems, this article studies Eq. (1.1) with b > 0, q > 0, extending the results in [8].
Fisher information as the basis for Maxwell's equations

Maxwell's equations of classical electrodynamics may be derived on the following statistical basis. Consider a gedanken experiment whereby the mean space-time coordinate for photons in an electromagnetic field is to be determined by observation of one photon's space-time coordinate. An efficient (i.e. optimum) estimate obeys a condition of minimum Fisher information, or minimum precision, according to the second law of thermodynamics. The Fisher information I is a simple functional of the probability law governing space-time coordinates of the “particles” of the field. This probability law is modeled as the source-free Poynting energy flow density, i.e., the ordinary local intensity in the optical sense, or, the square of the four-vector potential. When the Fisher information is extremized subject to an additive constraint term in the total interaction energy, Maxwell's equations result.
Shallow seismic reflection survey across the Meers fault, Oklahoma

A high-resolution seismic-reflection survey over part of the Meers fault scarp in Comanche County, Oklahoma, provides an improved understanding of the shallow structure associated with the fault zone. The objective of this survey was to detect and identify shallow faulting near the Meers fault and to appraise the resolving power of the shallow seismic reflection technique in a structurally complex area. Three reflection profiles were acquired using a downhole . 50-caliber rifle energy source and two 100-Hz geophones per channel connected in series. Field parameters were designed to optimize the recording of seismic reflections from geologic units in the 40- to 200-m-depth range. Severe analog low-cut filters helped to increase the dominant recorded reflection frequencies into the 100- to 250-Hz range, providing minimum bed resolution of about 6 m. Lines 1 and 2 straddle and cross the scarp orthogonally, and line 3 was acquired approximately parallel to the scarp. Seismic data along line 2 show reverse faulting that extends from 250 m southwest to 200 m northeast of the scarp. The CDP stacked seismic data are sufficiently good to interpret an up-to-the-north, vertical to high-angle reverse displacement on the Meers fault. The amount of vertical displacement on the fault associated with the scarp cannot be determined with these seismic data. Maximum vertical displacement is less than 10 m on other secondary faults interpreted on seismic lines 1 and 2. Normal faulting is common on line 3. The major structural feature on line 3 is a graben with net displacement of between 5 and 30 m. The deformation on line 3 may be evidence of strike-slip motion along the main fault. The Meers fault was in a transpressive tectonic setting during Quaternary time as shown by strike-slip motion in conjunction with high-angle, up-to-the-north, reverse faulting. Evidence for angular unconformities within the Permian section exists on individual unprocessed field seismograms, suggesting that some complex bedforms (channel sands?) are present.
Accounting choice in troubled companies

Abstract This paper studies accounting choice in 76 NYSE firms with persistent losses and dividend reductions (40% forced by binding covenants). We find that managers' accounting choices primarily reflect their firms' financial difficulties, rather than attempts to inflate income. Firms with and without binding covenants exhibit minor accrual differences in the ten years before the dividend reduction. In the dividend reduction and following three years, the full sample exhibits large negative accruals that likely reflect the fact that 87% of sample firms engage in contractual renegotiations -with lenders, unions, government, and/or management-that provide incentives to reduce earnings.
High-order methods for computing distances to implicitly defined surfaces

Author(s): Saye, RI | Abstract: Implicitly embedding a surface as a level set of a scalar function Φ: ℝd → ℝ is a powerful technique for computing and manipulating surface geometry. A variety of applications, e.g., level set methods for tracking evolving interfaces, require accurate approximations of minimum distances to or closest points on implicitly defined surfaces. In this paper, we present an efficient method for calculating high-order approximations of closest points on implicit surfaces, applicable to both structured and unstructured meshes in any number of spatial dimensions. In combination with a high-order approximation of Φ, the algorithm uses a rapidly converging Newton's method initialised with a guess of the closest point determined by an automatically generated point cloud approximating the surface. In general, the order of accuracy of the algorithm increases with the approximation order of Φ. We demonstrate orders of accuracy up to six for smooth problems, while nonsmooth problems reliably reduce to their expected order of accuracy. Accompanying this paper is C++ code that can be used to implement the algorithms in a variety of settings. © 2014 Mathematical Sciences Publishers.
Iraq after Saddam

The removal of Saddam Hussein from power is, correctly, one of the U.S. government's primary regional goals. Yet removing Saddam is not a panacea for Iraq's woes. The greatest benefits would come from a change in Iraq's elites, not just Saddam's fall.
Filicide: A gendered profile of offender, victim, and event characteristics in a national sample of reported incidents, 1995–2009

Filicide is the intentional act of a parent killing their own child. Encompassing both neonaticide (victims less than a day old), and infanticide (victims less than a year old), filicide is often defined to include biological and stepparents as offenders with victims under the age of 18. As the risk of becoming a victim of homicide is greatest during the first year of life, and parents or stepparents are the most likely perpetrators, there is a pressing need for further research in this area. Existing work has been limited by definitional variation, small sample sizes, and inconsistent or conflicting findings. Furthermore, there is a notable lack of research incorporating a comparison of maternal versus paternal filicide. The present exploratory and descriptive study examines a large sample of reported incidents, using 15 years of National Incident-Based Reporting System data (1995 to 2009), to provide a much needed and more comprehensive source of aggregate-level baseline information on this understudied...
Low sensitivity feedback law implementation for 2-d digital systems

Abstract The problem analyzed and studied in this paper refers to a general class of the linear time-invariant multivariable two dimensional (2-D) digital systems using state feedback. A growing interest has developed over the past few years into problems involving signals and systems that depend on more than one variable. In order to be able to give a quantitative formulation of the problem, the mathematical model is either assumed or derived. In either case there is always a discrepancy between the actual system and its mathematical model. However, once a realistic model is chosen, sensitivity plays an important role in assessing the behavior of the system or its components under varying conditions. It is shown here that using matrix minimization techniques we can derive a set of non-linear matrix equations which constitute the necessary conditions that must be satisfied for an optimal low sensitivity solution for a general class of multivariable systems. The initial conditions of the system are assumed to be random processes with known mean and covariance and the low sensitivity input vector is implemented via state feedback.
Buffer sizing results for RCP congestion control under connection arrivals and departures

Buffer sizing has received a lot of attention recently since it is becoming increasingly difficult to use large buffers in highspeed routers. Much of the prior work has concentrated on analyzing the amount of buffering required in core routers assuming that TCP carries all the data traffic. In this paper, we evaluate the amount of buffering required for RCP on a single congested link, while explicitly modeling flow arrivals and departures. Our theoretical analysis and simulations indicate that buffer sizes of about 10% of the bandwidth-delay product are sufficient for RCP to deliver good performance to end-users.
Sampling Error Study for Rainfall Estimate by Satellite Using a Stochastic Model

In a parameter study of satellite orbits, sampling errors of area-time averaged rain rate due to temporal sampling by satellites were estimated. The sampling characteristics were studied by accounting for the varying visiting intervals and varying fractions of averaging area on each visit as a function of the latitude of the grid box for a range of satellite orbital parameters. The sampling errors were estimated by a simple model based on the first-order Markov process of the time series of area averaged rain rates. For a satellite of nominal Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (Thiele, 1987) carrying an ideal scanning microwave radiometer for precipitation measurements, it is found that sampling error would be about 8 to 12 pct of estimated monthly mean rates over a grid box of 5 X 5 degrees. It is suggested that an observation system based on a low inclination satellite combined with a sunsynchronous satellite simultaneously might be the best candidate for making precipitation measurements from space.
Low self-control and parole failure: An assessment of risk from a theoretical perspective

Abstract Due to high levels of probation and parole failure, a substantial body of research in criminology, psychology, and criminal justice focused on pinpointing those factors that indicate the highest risk of recidivism and recommitment. The majority of the risk assessment tools that were currently utilized, however, were not theoretically based. This research was an attempt to examine parole failure from a theoretical perspective–that of Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general theory of crime. Results showed that low self-control was a significant, although not the only, predictor of parole failure. Low self-control, however, did not appear to significantly impact the length of time before the failure occurred. Future research suggestions and policy implications are provided.
Proteomic Analysis Demonstrates Activator- and Chromatin-specific Recruitment to Promoters

In-depth characterization of RNA polymerase II preinitiation complexes remains an important and challenging goal. We used quantitative mass spectrometry to explore context-dependent Saccharomyces cerevisiae preinitiation complex formation at the HIS4 promoter reconstituted on naked and chromatinized DNA templates. The transcription activators Gal4-VP16 and Gal4-Gcn4 recruited a limited set of chromatin-related coactivator complexes, namely the chromatin remodeler Swi/Snf and histone acetyltransferases SAGA and NuA4, suggesting that transcription stimulation is mediated through these factors. Moreover, the two activators differentially recruited the coactivator complexes, consistent with specific activator-coactivator interactions. Chromatinized templates suppressed recruitment of basal transcription factors, thereby amplifying the effect of activators, compared with naked DNA templates. This system is sensitive, highly reproducible, and easily applicable to mapping the repertoire of proteins found at any promoter.
Congenital bronchogenic cyst of the mediastinum

Summary The clinical and postmortem findings of a case of a bronchogenic cyst of the mediastium in a female infant seven months and two weeks old, are presented. Pathologically the cyst caused distinct compression stenosis of the left major bronchus at its orifice. As a result of the occlusion the child showed difficulty in breathing and developed pulmonary emphysema. Death was caused by lobular pneumonia.
Short-Duration Grazing in Retrospect—A Practitioner’s Experience

“Short-duration grazing” (SDG) is a common- sense approach to rangeland management that has been implemented, criticized, lauded, altered, and renamed since it was exposed to world scrutiny over 40 years ago. We now call this South Af- rican/Rhodesian–originated method of matching herbivores to plants “holistic planned grazing” (HPG). It has become an economic, environmental, and social improvement to the way land owners and managers approach animal use of grazing lands. Here I offer my own account of its history and my per- sonal viewpoint as to its current and future utility for range managers faced with the task of contributing to world food production in the face of climate uncertainties. DOI: 10.2458/azu_rangelands_v35i5_goodloe
Early Responders, Late Responders, and Non-responders: The Principal-Agent Problem in Board Oversight of Nonprofit CEOs

Although scandals involving nonprofit executives occur frequently, these episodes follow different trajectories. In some cases, boards take immediate action to dismiss the executive; in others, boards delay action or attempt to rehabilitate the executive; in a final set, boards fail to act, and outside authorities and/or funders step in. In this last event, agencies close or lose their independence. Despite the prevalence of scandals and the differences in their outcomes, examinations of the factors that contribute to this variation are lacking. Here, we develop such a study, using principal agent theory to examine the way in which CEOs’ abilities to create informational asymmetries interact with characteristics of nonprofit boards to affect the outcome of these episodes. We use data obtained from case studies of nonprofit CEO malfeasance.We hypothesize that specific characteristics of the nonprofit environment and of nonprofit boards interact with one another to exacerbate the principal agent problem by ...
Natural Product Synthesis via Biocatalysis: An Essay on the Merits of Multidisciplinary Ventures

A critical opinion is advanced on the merits of multidisciplinary ventures in synthetic organic chemistry. In particular, the concept of a "tool box" of methodologies available for effective solutions to problems in organic synthesis is analyzed in the context of available examples from the literature as well as from the ongoing projects in our research group. The discussion of several cases of recently accomplished total syntheses offers evidence that the introduction of biocatalytic methods greatly improves the overall process of preparation of target compounds. Some examples of such projects form also the topic of the authors lecture at the 8th Brazilian Meeting on Organic Synthesis in September 1998.
A national approach for mapping and quantifying habitat-based biodiversity metrics across multiple spatial scales

Abstract Ecosystem services, i.e., services provided to humans from ecological systems have become a key issue of this century in resource management, conservation planning, and environmental decision analysis. Mapping and quantifying ecosystem services have become strategic national interests for integrating ecology with economics to help understand the effects of human policies and actions and their subsequent impacts on both ecosystem function and human well-being. Some aspects of biodiversity are valued by humans in varied ways, and thus are important to include in any assessment that seeks to identify and quantify the benefits of ecosystems to humans. Some biodiversity metrics clearly reflect ecosystem services (e.g., abundance and diversity of harvestable species), whereas others may reflect indirect and difficult to quantify relationships to services (e.g., relevance of species diversity to ecosystem resilience, cultural value of native species). Wildlife habitat has been modeled at broad spatial scales and can be used to map a number of biodiversity metrics. In the present study, we present an approach that (1) identifies mappable biodiversity metrics that are related to ecosystem services or other stakeholder concerns, (2) maps these metrics throughout a large multi-state region, and (3) compares the metric values obtained for selected watersheds within the regional context. The broader focus is to design a flexible approach for mapping metrics to produce a national-scale product. We map 20 biodiversity metrics reflecting ecosystem services or other aspects of biodiversity for all vertebrate species except fish. Metrics include species richness for all vertebrates, specific taxon groups, harvestable species (i.e., upland game, waterfowl, furbearers, small game, and big game), threatened and endangered species, and state-designated species of greatest conservation need, and also a metric for ecosystem (i.e., land cover) diversity. The project is being conducted at multiple scales in a phased approach, starting with place-based studies, then multi-state regional areas, culminating into a national-level atlas. As an example of this incremental approach, we provide results for the southwestern United States (i.e., states of Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado) and portions of two watersheds within this region: the San Pedro River (Arizona) and Rio Grande River (New Mexico). Geographic patterns differed considerably among metrics across the southwestern study area, but metric values for the two watershed study areas were generally greater than those for the southwestern region as a whole.
Effects of conductor passivation on bubble propagation in contiguous disk devices

The present work investigated the impact of conductor passivation on 1 μm bubble propagation in contiguous disk devices. Without conductor passivation, devices with overlying AlCu stripes showed good propagation margins. When the devices were passivated with a thick layer of SiO2, the elastically ’’hard’’ dielectric material imposes a constraint to AlCu deformation and increases the conductor edge force. Furthermore, the edge force of the SiO2 passivation at the conductor edges, being in the same sign as that of the AlCu stripe, contributes to the total force acting on the underlying garnet. This intensifies the lcoal stress fields in the magnetic devices and seriously reduces the bubble propagation margin. To alleviate this passivation‐enhanced stress problem, contiguous disk devices were passivated by elastically ’’soft’’ polyimide instead of sputtered SiO2.
Sensitivity of Diesel Particulate Material Emissions and Composition to Blends of Petroleum Diesel and Biodiesel Fuel

A number of investigations have examined the impact of the use of biodiesel on the emissions of carbon dioxide and regulated emissions, but limited information exists on the chemical composition of particulate matter from diesel engines burning biodiesel blends. This study examines the composition of diesel particulate matter (DPM) emissions from a commercial agriculture tractor burning a range of biodiesel blends operating under a load that is controlled by a power take off (PTO) dynamometer. Ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel was blended with soybean and beef tallow based biodiesel to examine fuels containing 0% (B0), 25% (B25), 50% (B50), 75% (B75), and 100% (B100) biodiesel. Samples were then collected using a dilution source sampler to simulate atmospheric dilution. Diluted and aged exhaust was analyzed for particle mass and size distribution, PM2.5 particle mass, PM2.5 organic and elemental carbon, and speciated organic compounds. PM2.5 mass emissions rates for the B25, B50, and B75 soybean oil bio...
LMP step pattern detection based on real-time data

Locational marginal pricing (LMP) methodology has been widely adopted by most independent system operators (ISOs) and regional transmission organizations (RTOs) in today's electricity markets. Previous studies show that LMP has a step change characteristic with varying load. This can be used by market participants to predict the future electricity price and potential step change of LMP. In this paper, an effective algorithm using quality threshold (QT) clustering is proposed to detect the step change pattern of the hourly LMP. A set of indices to differentiate various patterns is introduced. Furthermore, a web-based tool is built to demonstrate the price behavior of different locations based on the 5 minutes real-time LMP data from ISOs/RTOs. The user friendly design with clustering functionality ensures easy statistical study over a large amount of historical data.
Quadratic approximations for pipe friction

This paper develops quadratic approximations to the classical models of Darcy–Weisbach and Hazen–Williams for frictional head loss in water pipes. Key elements of the technique are selecting the approximation domain and minimizing the relative error. A comparison for individual pipes over a range of diameter, roughness, and Reynolds number showed that the approximation provides accuracy consistent with the experimental error in the classical equations. Two benchmark water distribution networks are also considered. In these systems, flows and pressures computed using the approximation were consistent with simulations using the classical models. Applications of the approximation include mathematical optimization problems where polynomial expressions are desirable.
Expression of cellular genes in CD4 positive lymphoid cells infected by the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV-1: evidence for a host protein synthesis shut-off induced by cellular mRNA degradation.

Abstract We have investigated the effects of HIV-1 infection on cellular gene expression in two different human CD4 positive lymphoid cell lines: CEM and C8166 cells. As a prerequisite for this study it was necessary to develop virus-cell culture systems in which >90% of the cells could be near synchronously infected by HIV-1. Further, since HIV-1 is a cytopathic virus, it was essential that cellular gene expression be examined in virus-infected cells which remained viable. After meeting these requirements, we measured cellular RNA and protein levels in virus-infected lymphocytes. In the cell lines examined the levels of cellular protein synthesis markedly decreased at times when viral-specific protein synthesis was increasing. Both Northern and slot blot analysis revealed that the declines in host protein synthesis were due, at least in part, to declines in steady state levels of cellular mRNAs. Runoff assays with nuclei isolated from infected cells demonstrated that the decreases in cellular mRNA levels were not due to declines in cellular RNA polymerase II transcription rates. To determine if the decreases in cellular protein synthesis also might be due to specific translational controls exerted by HIV-1, we compared the polysome association of cellular RNAs in infected and uninfected C8166 cells. The polysome distribution of cellular mRNAs was virtually identical in mock- and HIV-1-infected cells although, as expected, the total amount of cellular mRNAs were significantly lower in virus-infected cells. Taken together, these results suggest that HIV-1 may encode mechanisms to inhibit cellular protein synthesis, likely as a result of cellular mRNA degradation, rather than specific blocks in cellular mRNA translation.
NMR profiling of biomolecules at natural abundance using 2D 1H–15N and 1H–13C multiplicity-separated (MS) HSQC spectra

2D NMR (1)H-X (X=(15)N or (13)C) HSQC spectra contain cross-peaks for all XHn moieties. Multiplicity-edited(1)H-(13)C HSQC pulse sequences generate opposite signs between peaks of CH(2) and CH/CH(3) at a cost of lower signal-to-noise due to the (13)C T(2) relaxation during an additional 1/(1)JCH period. Such CHn-editing experiments are useful in assignment of chemical shifts and have been successfully applied to small molecules and small proteins (e.g. ubiquitin) dissolved in deuterated solvents where, generally, peak overlap is minimal. By contrast, for larger biomolecules, peak overlap in 2D HSQC spectra is unavoidable and peaks with opposite phases cancel each other out in the edited spectra. However, there is an increasing need for using NMR to profile biomolecules at natural abundance dissolved in water (e.g., protein therapeutics) where NMR experiments beyond 2D are impractical. Therefore, the existing 2D multiplicity-edited HSQC methods must be improved to acquire data on nuclei other than (13)C (i.e.(15)N), to resolve more peaks, to reduce T(2) losses and to accommodate water suppression approaches. To meet these needs, a multiplicity-separated(1)H-X HSQC (MS-HSQC) experiment was developed and tested on 500 and 700 MHz NMR spectrometers equipped with room temperature probes using RNase A (14 kDa) and retroviral capsid (26 kDa) proteins dissolved in 95% H(2)O/5% D(2)O. In this pulse sequence, the 1/(1)JXH editing-period is incorporated in to the semi-constant time (semi-CT) X resonance chemical shift evolution period, which increases sensitivity, and importantly, the sum and the difference of the interleaved (1)J(XH)-active and the (1)J(XH)-inactive HSQC experiments yield two separate spectra for XH(2) and XH/XH(3). Furthermore we demonstrate improved water suppression using triple xyz-gradients instead of the more widely used z-gradient only water-suppression approach.
Pruritic dermatitis in asthmatic basenji-greyhound dogs: A model for human atopic dermatitis

A recurrent, nonseasonal pruritic dermatitis manifested as lichenified plaques and as inflammatory nodules and papules in each of fourteen basenji-greyhound (B-G) crossbreed dogs, all of which demonstrated both nonspecific and Ascaris -specific airway hyperreactivity, with changes in pulmonary mechanics of the same order as those seen in symptomatic human asthma. Other features analogous to human atopic disease included blunted cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) responsiveness to beta adrenergic agents and in vivo release of histamine and slow-reacting substance of anaphylaxis in response to antigen aerosol challenge. The dermatitis appears to be a manifestation of the atopic state in these dogs and may provide an animal model for the study of human atopic dermatitis.
Death after chloral hydrate sedation: report of case

A young healthy female died after taking chloral hydrate syrup before surgery to extract third molars. Various aspects of the use of chloral hydrate are discussed, including the metabolism, active moiety, reported side effects, and effects on the heart. Recommendations are made concerning patient supervision, dosage limitations, and degree of sedation.
Activating multi-ethnic youth for smoking prevention: design, baseline findings, and implementation of project SPLASH.

Background. Achieving significant reductions in tobacco use by youth is an important challenge. There is a pressing need to develop and evaluate innovative strategies that stimulate youth involvement and are effective in multi-ethnic populations. This article describes an innovative tobacco prevention trial, and reports baseline characteristics of participants and findings about implementation of the curriculum.Methods. The aim of Project SPLASH is to evaluate the impact of a school-based smoking prevention intervention that emphasizes active involvement of middle school students, on rates of smoking initiation and regular smoking in a multi-ethnic cohort of youth in Hawaii. Project SPLASH is a group randomized trial that compares a 2-year innovative intervention with a social influence prevention program, in 20 public schools in Hawaii. The main outcome is mean 30-day smoking prevalence rates.Results. The response rate was 78.4%. Approximately 1 in 4 students had tried smoking and 30-day smoking prevalence at baseline was 8%. Intervention and control groups were comparable in terms of tobacco use, gender, ethnicity, behavioral, environmental, and psychosocial characteristics. Differences in ethnic identification, socio-economic status, acculturation, and involvement in prevention activities may be due to chance. The intervention was well implemented by teachers across both the intervention and control school classes.Conclusion. For this study, 20 schools in Hawaii with close to 4000 participating students were recruited. Student smoking behavior and curriculum implementation were comparable by group status. The intervention study has the potential to elucidate how youth respond to an intervention with student involvement that incorporates cognitive and social action components.
Endogenous Peroxidase- and Vimentin-Positive Cells Accumulate at the Corticomedullary Border of the Chicken Thymus

Abstract The granulopoietic activity of the thymus and bursa of Fabricius was analyzed using an anti-vimentin monoclonal antibody and endogenous peroxidase reaction to detect possible hemopoietic precursors and functionally mature cells, respectively. Endogenous peroxidase-positive cells (EPC) and vimentin-positive cells (V9) were located at the corticomedullary zone of the thymus. The cells were grouped, suggesting their clonal expansion. The first EPC appeared in the thymus on Day 15 of embryonic age, 2 and 3 days later than in the bursa of Fabricius and spleen, respectively. They were intermingled with thymocytes. Although the bursal EPC disappeared by Day 7 after hatching, the number of thymic EPC continued to increase. The thymic EPC and V9 cells persisted for more than 12 wk of age. The V9 cells were present either as single cells or grouped cells in the 15-day-old embryos. The V9 cells represented a distinct cell population of the corticomedullary border that may cooperate with the EPC.
Advances in the therapeutic uses of histamine H2-receptor antagonists

The Hz-receptor antagonists are among the most widely prescribed of all drugs. By any standards, they have been an enormous therapeutic and commercial success and have become regarded as standard treatment for peptic ulceration in most countries. At present, there are four members of this class of drugs (cimetidine, ranitidine, famotidine and nizatidine) which are generally available. Others (e.g. roxatidine) have more limited availability. Although the molecular structures of these drugs differ, they have essentially similar pharmacology; all currently available Hz-receptor antagonists are competitive and reversible antagonists for histamine at the Hz receptor and are devoid of activity at the histamine Hi receptor. Although the Hz receptor is widely distributed in the body, the only known physiological action of histamine at this receptor is stimulation of acid secretion by parietal cells in the oxyntic mucosa of the stomach. Therefore, the principal pharmacological action of the Hz-receptor antagonist is inhibition of gastric acid secretion. Acid is of central importance in the pathogenesis of peptic ulceration and pharmacological, or less commonly surgical, reduction of acid secretion is widely used in the management of peptic ulceration. The Hz-receptor antagonists have been extensively studied in the treatment of duodenal ulcer and benign gastric ulcer. There are numerous published double-blind, endoscopically-controlled clinical trials which attest to the efficacy of these agents in healing duodenal and gastric ulcers. In addition, continuous maintenance treatment with Hz-receptor antagonists reduces ulcer relapse after healing, although such treatment is not appropriate or relevant to all patients (Howden, 1988). The clinical pharmacology and therapeutic applications of the Hz-receptor antagonists have been reviewed in detail elsewhere (Feldman and Burton, 1990a, 1990b; Howden and Hunt, 1991). Despite the enormous amount of attention that these drugs have attracted in the past, there continues to be a great deal of interest in new applications, new dosage schedules, adverse effects, drug interactions and complex issues of their human pharmacology, including ‘tolerance’ to continued use and possible rebound hypersecretion of acid after stopping treatment. It is the purpose of this chapter to critically review some of these areas in an attempt
Asymptotically exact a posteriori error estimates for a one-dimensional linear hyperbolic problem

In this manuscript we investigate the global convergence of the implicit residual-based a posteriori error estimates of Adjerid et al. (2002) [3]. The authors used the discontinuous Galerkin method to solve one-dimensional transient hyperbolic problems and showed that the local error on each element is proportional to a Radau polynomial. The discontinuous Galerkin error estimates under investigation are computed by solving a local steady problem on each element. Here we prove that, for smooth solutions, these a posteriori error estimates at a fixed time t converge to the true spatial error in the L^2 norm under mesh refinement.
Using isotope tracers to study metabolism: application in mouse models

The application of isotope tracers for investigating metabolism in mice is discussed. To familiarize the reader, some basic principles regarding the use of tracer methods are outlined. Emphasis is placed on showing how investigators are using isotope tracers to study the regulation of carbohydrate, fat and/or protein turnover in vivo. Finally, some of the advantages of using labeled water (i.e., 2H(2)O and/or H(2)18O) to trace the kinetics of biological processes are considered. The background provided in this report should assist engineers in designing studies that enhance our understanding of conditions in which metabolism is altered (e.g., diabetes, cancer cachexia, failure to thrive and travel at zero-gravity).