cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transport of Tritium Contamination to the Atmosphere in an Arid Environment

Soil–plant–atmosphere interactions strongly influence water movement in desert unsaturated zones, but little is known about how such interactions affect atmospheric release of subsurface water-borne contaminants. This 2-yr study, performed at the U.S. Geological Survey9s Amargosa Desert Research Site in southern Nevada, quantified the magnitude and spatiotemporal variability of tritium ( 3 H) transport from the shallow unsaturated zone to the atmosphere adjacent to a low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) facility. Tritium fluxes were calculated as the product of 3 H concentrations in water vapor and respective evaporation and transpiration water-vapor fluxes. Quarterly measured 3 H concentrations in soil water vapor and in leaf water of the dominant creosote-bush [ Larrea tridentata (DC.) Coville] were spatially extrapolated and temporally interpolated to develop daily maps of contamination across the 0.76-km 2 study area. Maximum plant and root-zone soil concentrations (4200 and 8700 Bq L −1 , respectively) were measured 25 m from the LLRW facility boundary. Continuous evaporation was estimated using a Priestley–Taylor model and transpiration was computed as the difference between measured eddy-covariance evapotranspiration and estimated evaporation. The mean evaporation/transpiration ratio was 3:1. Tritium released from the study area ranged from 0.12 to 12 μg d −1 and totaled 1.5 mg (8.2 × 10 10 Bq) over 2 yr. Tritium flux variability was driven spatially by proximity to 3 H source areas and temporally by changes in 3 H concentrations and in the partitioning between evaporation and transpiration. Evapotranspiration removed and limited penetration of precipitation beneath native vegetation and fostered upward movement and release of 3 H from below the root zone.
Correlates of N-terminal prohormone brain natriuretic peptides in African Americans with hypertensive chronic kidney disease: the African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension.

Background/Aims: The N-amino-terminal fragment of the prohormone B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a marker of cardiac stress and elevated levels are indicative of heart fai
5HT antagonists attenuate MK801-impaired radial arm maze performance in rats.

Abstract Glutamatergic hypofunction occurs in Alzheimer's disease (AD). MK801, a noncompetitive blocker of glutamate N -methyl- d -aspartate receptors, was used to disrupt the cognitive performance of rats trained on a delayed nonmatching to sample radial maze task. Drugs which act by blocking serotonin (5-HT) receptors were evaluated for their ability to reduce the cognitive impairment produced by MK801. Specifically, WAY-100635, a selective 5-HT 1A receptor antagonist, buspirone, a 5-HT 1A partial agonist, ritanserin, a 5-HT 2 antagonist, and ondansetron, a 5-HT 3 antagonist, were assessed. In addition, the muscarinic agonist arecoline was evaluated for its potential cognitive benefit in this model. It was found that WAY-100635 significantly reduced the cognitive impairment induced by MK801. Treatment with single doses of ritanserin, ondansetron, or arecoline in combination with MK801 did not result in a cognitive impairment, indicating that these drugs attenuated the MK801 impairment. The combination of buspirone and MK801 resulted in an inability of the animals to complete the task. These results suggest that interactions between 5-HT and glutamate may mediate the beneficial effects of reducing cognitive impairment and that 5-HT antagonists, especially selective 5-HT 1A antagonists, may be useful in treating AD. Further, it is indicated that the MK801 model of cognitive impairment may add to the armamentarium of tools available to predict treatment efficacy in AD.
Familial resemblance for general cognitive ability in the Hawaii Family Study of Cognition

Familial correlations for general cognitive ability wer estimated for three ethnic groups tested in the Hawaii Family Study of Cognition (Americans of European, Japanese, and Chinese ancestry). Assuming multivariate normality of family data, separate observed covariance matrices were computed for families of different size, ethnicity, and child's gender and then equated to their expectations using a log-likelihood ratio statistic. Resulting maximum-likelihood estimates of familial correlations are highly similar to previously reported product-moment and intraclass correlations; however, standard errors for the maximum-likelihood estimates are somewhat smaller. More importantly, the estimation procedure employed in the present study facilitates tests of alternative hypotheses. Using this approach, hypotheses of homogeneity of familial correlations among the three ethnic groups and of homogeneity among the various parent-offspring correlations (mother-son, mother-daughter, father-son, father-daughter) and sibling correlations (son-daughter, son-son, and daughter-daughter) were rejected.
THE FINE STRUCTURE OF STROMALYTIC FORMS PRODUCED BY OSMOTIC HEMOLYSIS OF RED BLOOD CELLS.

When human red blood cells are hemolyzed by hypotonic salt solutions, many of the cells give rise to long cylindrical tubes which range from 200 A to μ in diameter and may be several microns long. Negative staining of these preparations shows that the tubes are bounded by a membrane 40–60 A in width, are relatively impermeable to PTA, and show no periodic structures in either negative staining or in thin sections. Influenza Virus (PR8) does not attach to the tubes. Reasons are given for supposing that the tubes are not strictly identical to myelin forms, but probably contain a high percentage of hemoglobin.
Risedronate: a new oral bisphosphonate

Abstract Background: Bisphosphonates have been effective in the treatment of osteoporosis and Paget's disease of bone. Risedronate, the newest oral bisphosphonate, is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis and the treatment of Paget's disease of bone. Objective: This article reviews current studies of risedronate in osteoporosis and Paget's disease of bone and, to the extent possible, compares risedronate with other bisphosphonates and other therapies. Information on the pharmacokinetics and adverse effects of risedronate, and the drug's use in other disorders, is also reviewed. Methods: Clinical studies and review articles concerning the use of risedronate published in the English-language literature from 1966 through October 2000 were identified through searches of MEDLINE, PREMEDLINE, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts using the search terms risedronate and NE 58095 . Recent clinical studies, review articles, and consensus statements regarding the use of other bisphosphonates were identified through searches of the same databases for this period using the search terms bisphosphonates, alendronate, osteoporosis, and Paget's disease of bone . Results: The use of risedronate therapy in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis has been shown to increase bone mineral density (BMD) and decrease the incidence of fractures compared with placebo. In glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, risedronate has been shown to increase BMD without having a consistently significant effect on the risk of fractures. Although there are no direct comparisons between bisphosphonates in glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, risedronate appears to be less effective than alendronate and more effective than etidronate in terms of effects on BMD and/or fracture risk. In Paget's disease of bone, risedronate has been reported to be more effective than etidronate in decreasing serum alkaline phosphatase levels and bone pain. Finally, risedronate has been associated with a lower incidence of gastric ulcers than alendronate. Conclusions: In terms of efficacy in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and the treatment of Paget's disease of bone, risedronate is comparable to alendronate, the other orally available bisphosphonate. It appears to have better gastrointestinal tolerability than alendronate and may be preferred for patients in whom this is a concern. However, direct comparative and pharmacoeconomic studies are necessary to determine risedronate's relative place in the therapy of osteoporosis and Paget's disease of bone.
High dynamic range fiber optic relative humidity sensor

We present a fiber optic relative humidity sensor. The sensor was fabricated by coating a thin polyvinyl alcohol/CoCl 2 film on a 200-μm core plastic-cladding fiber; the film was deposited after removing the cladding of the fiber. It was found that bending the fiber leads to drastic changes in the response behavior. The sensor was compared against a commercially available relative humidity sensor and was found to be sensitive to relative humidity ranging from 3 to 90%. The sensor response is usually very fast, but varies at different humidity levels and has a good dynamical range. The sensor response is repeatable and fully reversible, and should be useful for monitoring relative humidity in harsh industrial environments.
Trends and variability in column-integrated atmospheric water vapor

An analysis and evaluation has been performed of global datasets on column-integrated water vapor (precipitable water). For years before 1996, the Ross and Elliott radiosonde dataset is used for validation of European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalyses ERA-40. Only the special sensor microwave imager (SSM/I) dataset from remote sensing systems (RSS) has credible means, variability and trends for the oceans, but it is available only for the post-1988 period. Major problems are found in the means, variability and trends from 1988 to 2001 for both reanalyses from National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and the ERA-40 reanalysis over the oceans, and for the NASA water vapor project (NVAP) dataset more generally. NCEP and ERA-40 values are reasonable over land where constrained by radiosondes. Accordingly, users of these data should take great care in accepting results as real. The problems highlight the need for reprocessing of data, as has been done by RSS, and reanalyses that adequately take account of the changing observing system. Precipitable water variability for 1988–2001 is dominated by the evolution of ENSO and especially the structures that occurred during and following the 1997–98 El Nino event. The evidence from SSM/I for the global ocean suggests that recent trends in precipitable water are generally positive and, for 1988 through 2003, average 0.40±0.09 mm per decade or 1.3±0.3% per decade for the ocean as a whole, where the error bars are 95% confidence intervals. Over the oceans, the precipitable water variability relates very strongly to changes in SSTs, both in terms of spatial structure of trends and temporal variability (with a regression coefficient for 30°N–30°S of 7.8% K−1) and is consistent with the assumption of fairly constant relative humidity. In the tropics, the trends are also influenced by changes in rainfall which, in turn, are closely associated with the mean flow and convergence of moisture by the trade winds. The main region where positive trends are not very evident is over Europe, in spite of large and positive trends over the North Atlantic since 1988. A much longer time series is probably required to obtain stable patterns of trends over the oceans, although the main variability could probably be deduced from past SST and associated precipitation variations.
Developing an Online Counseling Skills Course

Outlined here is the development and implementation of an online counseling skills course at a Rocky Mountain University in the western United States. Techniques were used in reference to how a traditional counselor education classroom operates to teach counseling skills and were modified to fit an online setting. The design of this course used best practices from research regarding online learning, as well as techniques specific to online learning environments. Additionally, the course implemented a learning community utilizing peer collaboration and the encouragement of positive student and instructor relationships. Finally, the course underscored the uniqueness of the individuals enrolled in the context of community membership with careful consideration of diverse backgrounds.
Interactive Annotation Learning with Indirect Feature Voting

We demonstrate that a supervised annotation learning approach using structured features derived from tokens and prior annotations performs better than a bag of words approach. We present a general graph representation for automatically deriving these features from labeled data. Automatic feature selection based on class association scores requires a large amount of labeled data and direct voting can be difficult and error-prone for structured features, even for language specialists. We show that highlighted rationales from the user can be used for indirect feature voting and same performance can be achieved with less labeled data. We present our results on two annotation learning tasks for opinion mining from product and movie reviews.
Equilibrium Thermodynamics of Urea Denaturation of Trp-cage Miniprotein

Urea is a denaturant commonly used in protein folding studies. Simulation studies of the effect of urea on protein stability have concentrated on how urea unfolds proteins - not on how urea affects the folding/unfolding equilibrium. Here we report the first simulation studies of the reversible folding and unfolding equilibrium of a protein - the Trp-Cage miniprotein. Replica exchange MD was performed in all atomic detail, starting from an unfolded (extended) configuration in three different solvent conditions viz. 2M, 4M and 6M in Urea. The Kirkwood-Buff model for Urea was employed. Fifty replicas of the system at each concentration were simulated for 150 ns per replica per urea concentration (22.5 microseconds total simulation time), enabling us to obtain folding-unfolding equilibrium data in the temperature range of 283 K to 579 K. In addition, we have performed REMD simulations in 0 M urea i.e pure water (4 microseconds total simulation time). During these simulations we observe all replicas to fold and unfold multiple times. The equilibrium properties, as a function of T and [Urea], show a clear shift in equilibrium towards the unfolded state with increasing urea concentration. Details of the solvent structure around the protein backbone and side chains will be presented.This work was supported by the NSF MCB-0543769.
Optimized CdS quantum dot-sensitized solar cell performance through atomic layer deposition of ultrathin TiO2 coating

Here we demonstrate a CdS quantum dot (QD) sensitized solar cell with significantly enhanced stability and depressed recombination in I−/I3− electrolyte. The CdS QDs were deposited in a mesoporous TiO2 film using chemical bath deposition. Following the coating of an ultrathin TiO2 protection layer using atomic layer deposition (ALD), the performance and stability of CdS QD sensitized solar cells were pronouncedly enhanced. Current–voltage measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis show that the ALD-TiO2 coating slows down the charge recombination and protects the QDs from the photocorrosion of the I−/I3− electrolyte. A systematic study shows that a ∼2 nm ALD-TiO2 layer can best promote solar cell efficiency by balancing protection with charge transfer. We have obtained a photoconversion efficiency of 1.41% and stable operation (no degradation in photocurrent) for at least 20 min under full sun illumination on CdS QD solar cells. The photocurrent gradually decreased down to ∼70% of its original value after 1 h of operation.
Path Loss inside human body using Electrically Coupled Loop Antenna at different frequency bands

In-body communication channels are of increasing interest for a number of telemetry applications such as Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN). Knowledge of the propagation media is a key step towards a successful transceiver design, and such information is typically gathered by physical experiments. In the case of medical implants, this could be extremely difficult if not impossible. In this paper, the Path Loss (PL) between implanted antennas will be investigated using High Frequency Structure Simulation (HFSS). The PL will be studied using Electrically Coupled Loop Antenna (ECLA) with dimensions (5×5×3mm 3 ), (3×3×3 mm 3 ), and (2×2×2 mm 3 ) at the Medical Implanted Communication Services (MICS) band (402-405 MHz), Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) band (2.4-2.5 GHz), and Ultra Wide Band (UWB) communication band (3.5-3.6 GHz) respectively.
Energy savings achievable through liquid cooling: A rack level case study

Largely due to cooling power consumption needed for their thermal management, data centers consume over 2% of the electricity produced in the United States. A fundamental understanding of data center energy management is both environmentally and economically important. This paper develops a model of data center energy utilization for thermal management based on thermo-fluid first principles. The model is applied to a single rack system that can be used as an experimental platform for its validation. Models are developed for conventional air-cooling and hybrid cooling, where microprocessors are liquid cooled and other components are air cooled. The air-cooling model considers a single chiller with a variable speed compressor and an intermediate air-to-water heat exchanger. The hybrid model considers cold plates rather than air-cooled heat sinks on the microprocessors and includes an additional chiller. Compiled results quantify the power consumption of the two cooling schemes over ranges of key variables, such as ambient temperature. For example, the air-cooling model shows a 10% reduction in energy consumption for thermal management when the chiller setpoint is raised by 5°C, and the water flow rate pumped through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger is increased to accommodate this change. Hybrid model results show that energy consumption decreases as much as 40% over the parametric ranges investigated relative to air-cooling. The models can be utilized for future system design and trade-off studies. These models do not include variations in air flow rates or power consumption by the server as part of the sensitivity study.
A new iterative method to calculate radar cross section of complex objects

The objective of this work is to present a new iterative method to solve electromagnetic field problems using the method of moments formulation. The new method is conceptually simple and requires much fewer mathematical operations per iteration when compared to other available methods. Further, the method can easily handle multiple right hand side vectors much the same way as direct solution techniques. Several numerical examples are presented to illustrate the applicability and accuracy of the new method.
The effect of notching and citric acid on healthy root surfaces in dogs.

The purpose of this study was to determine the following on healthy root surfaces: (1) the effect of placement of a notch within dentin on the formation of cementum and/or connective tissue attachment and (2) the effect of citric acid on the notched root surface on the formation of cementum and/or connective tissue attachment. Five young adult dogs were used in the study. Full thickness buccal flaps were reflected on canines, P3, P4, and M1, 4 mm of buccal bone was removed, and the roots carefully planed. One, two, or three parallel notches were placed in the exposed root surface of each tooth. The root surfaces were then treated with either citric acid or saline, and the flaps were replaced and sutured. Animals were sacrificed at intervals of 5 weeks, 9 weeks, 10 weeks, and 12 weeks. Block specimens were examined in step-serial fashion via light microscopy. The data pool consisted of 19-matched paired teeth, including 72 roots. Healing responses in a specific notch or on an isthmus varied, including epithelium-root, connective tissue-cementum-root, bone-connective tissue-root, ankylosis, or any combination. There was a statistically significant increase in the formation of connective tissue attachment, cementum, and bone toward the apical part of the notches and isthmuses. Epithelium interfaces were significantly higher in notches compared with isthmus surfaces (α= 0.05). The frequency of connective tissue attachment on isthmuses was statistically greater than in notches (α= 0.05). When citric acid was used, in comparison to saline, cementum was observed significantly more often in the coronal portion of the lesions (α= 0.05). This study indicates that citric acid applied to healthy root surfaces in dogs enhances cementum formation in areas farther coronally to the alveolar process than areas treated with saline. Notching per se does not enhance cementum and/or connective tissue attachment. There was no difference in the incidence of ankylosis between saline and citric acid treated specimens.
Comparison of Enterococci and Coliform Microorganisms in Commercially Produced Pecan Nut Meats.

Pecan nut meats in the unbroken shell are sterile for enteric microorganisms. Recovery of coliform microorganisms or enterococci from finished pecan nut meats indicated contact contamination, assuming the tempering procedures to be satisfactory. Results of specific studies, designed toward developing background data on the sanitary significance of enterococci and coliform microorganisms in the production of pecan meats are reported. Unbroken pecan nuts or nut meats from various stages of shelling operations were diluted with a phosphate-buffered diluent. Serial dilutions were inoculated into Lactose Broth and Azide Dextrose Broth. The lactose fermentors were carried through indole, methyl red, Voges-Proskauer, and citrate reactions; the positive Azide Dextrose cultures were confirmed in Ethyl Violet Azide Broth and microscopically. Viable plate counts were obtained. Enterococci were found resistant to many deterrent factors affecting coliforms. Recoveries of enterococci were detected long after pollution had occurred. Little correlation was found between enterococcal recovery and observed insanitary practices in commercial shelling operations. Using the coliaerogenes group and, specifically, Escherichia coli as a sanitation index, microorganisms allowed accurate appraisal of tempering, personnel practices, and contact surface contaminating factors. It is felt this was due, in part, to the more delicate growth characteristics of E. coli. The fact that other pathogenic microorganisms, capable of causing gastrointestinal upsets, are associated with the presence of E. coli introduces a health factor which is important to regulatory agencies concerned with consumer protection.
Chicago, Post-Chicago, and Neo-Chicago

This essay reviews Bob Pitofsky's 2008 essay compilation, How Chicago Overshot the Mark: The Effect of Conservative Economic Analysis on U.S. Antitrust. The essay critically evaluates the book's rough handling of the Chicago School and suggests a path forward for a Neo-Chicago approach to antitrust analysis.
Update on the American Academy of Pediatrics Activities to Achieve Universal Access to Health Care for All Children

Despite the increase in appropriations for children's programs in fiscal year 1993, funding fell short of what was recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP; Elk Grove Village, Ill) (Table). An example of how budget reductions affect children is apparent in the immunization program. The $341 726 000 appropriated for immunizations in fiscal year 1993 provided funding for the diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and pertussis vaccines, the polio vaccine, and the first dose of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, but only partial funding for the second dose of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, the Haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine, and the hepatitis B vaccine. The AAP's recommendation called for full funding of immunizations for children cared for in the public sector. Continued underfunding of children's programs could have a devastating effect on the health of the nation's children. The AAP is dedicated to the principle that every child has a right to medical
Near-Optimal Feedback Strategies for Optimal Control and Pursuit-Evasion Games: A Spatial Statistical Approach

This paper presents a new extremal-field approach for synthesizing nearly-optimal feedback controllers for optimal control and two-player pursuit-evasion games described by general non-linear differential equations. The proposed method utilizes a spatial statistical technique called universal kriging to construct the surrogate model of a feedback controller, which is capable of quickly predicting an optimal control estimate based on current state (and time) information. The kriging framework estimates an unknown function by observing its input-output behavior at a number of neighboring “training” sites. In universal kriging, a feedback map is considered to be the linear combination of a deterministic regression polynomial model and Gaussian random function. The parameters of the kriging model are computed based on data from offline-computed open-loop extremals, generated by a direct or indirect method. Numerical examples involving both autonomous and nonautonomous systems are presented to evaluate the effectiveness of this methodology. For each solved problem, the performance of the feedback controller is ascertained by comparing the feedback solutions with open-loop ones. The numerical accuracy of the feedback solutions is very encouraging, and the low computational overhead of this approach makes it a suitable candidate for real-time applications.
Effects of Protein Phosphatase and Kinase Inhibitors on the Cardiac L-type Ca Current Suggest Two Sites Are Phosphorylated by Protein Kinase A and Another Protein Kinase

We previously showed (Frace, A. M. and H. C. Hartzell. 1993.Journal of Physiology. 472:305-326) that internal perfusion of frog atrial myocytes with the nonselective protein phosphatase inhibitors microcystin or okadaic acid pro- duced an increase in the L-type Ca current (/ca) and a decrease in the delayed rec- tifier K current (IK). We hypothesized that microcystin revealed the activity of a protein kinase (PKX) that was basally active in the cardiac myocyte that could phosphorylate the Ca and K channels or regulators of the channels. The present studies were aimed at determining the nature of PKX and its phosphorylation tar- get. The effect of internal perfusion with microcystin on /Ca or I K was not attenu- ated by inhibitors of protein kinase A (PKA). However, the effect of microcystin on Ica was largely blocked by the nonselective protein kinase inhibitors staurospo- rine (10-30 nM), K252a (250 nM), and H-7 (10 I,M). Staurosporine and H-7 also decreased the stimulation of Ica by isoproterenol, but K252a was more selective and blocked the ability of microcystin to stimulate Ica without significantly reduc- ing isoproterenol-st imulated current. Internal perfusion with selective inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC), including the autoinhibitory pseudosubstrate PKC peptide (PKC~xg-~a/) and a myristoylated derivative of this peptide had no effect. External application of several PKC inhibitors had negative side effects that pre- vented their use as selective PKC inhibitors. Nevertheless, we conclude that PKX is not PKC. PKA and PKX phosphorylate sites with different sensitivities to the phos- phatase inhibitors calyculin A and microcystin. In contrast to the results with Ica, the effect of microcystin on IK was not blocked by any of the kinase inhibitors tested, suggesting that the effect of microcystin on IK may not be mediated by a protein kinase but may be due to a direct effect of microcystin on the IK channel.
Attenuation correction for the NIH ATLAS small animal PET scanner

We evaluated an analytic attenuation correction method for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Advanced Technology Laboratory Animal Scanner (ATLAS) small animal positron emission tomography (PET) scanner. This method is based on the body outline of emission images and an average empirical /spl mu/ (linear attenuation coefficient) value. We evaluated this method using a computed tomography (CT)-based attenuation correction (ACs) as the "gold standard." A specially fabricated attenuation calibration phantom with cylindrical inserts that mimic different body tissues was used to derive the relationship to convert CT values to /spl mu/ for PET. The methods were applied to three test data sets: 1) a uniform cylinder phantom, 2) the attenuation calibration phantom, and 3) a mouse injected with [/sup 18/F]FDG. CT-based correction achieved activity restorations expected for all three data sets. The analytic method showed similar correction factors for the cylinder phantom and the mouse for which the attenuation medium volume matches the detectable emission source distribution. The correction factor for the attenuation calibration phantom was smaller because the emission image outline underestimated the attenuation medium volume.
A Joint Model of Text and Aspect Ratings for Sentiment Summarization

Online reviews are often accompanied with numerical ratings provided by users for a set of service or product aspects. We propose a statistical model which is able to discover corresponding topics in text and extract textual evidence from reviews supporting each of these aspect ratings ‐ a fundamental problem in aspect-based sentiment summarization (Hu and Liu, 2004a). Our model achieves high accuracy, without any explicitly labeled data except the user provided opinion ratings. The proposed approach is general and can be used for segmentation in other applications where sequential data is accompanied with correlated signals.
Sublethal effects of multiwalled carbon nanotube exposure in the invertebrate Daphnia magna.

Carbon nanotubes were previously demonstrated to accumulate on the carapace and in the gut of daphnids in aquatic exposures. The purpose of the present study was to assess the effects of multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) exposure on the sublethal Daphnia magna endpoints swimming behavior, algal feeding, growth, and reproduction and to determine the relative magnitude of difference between lethal and sublethal toxicity thresholds in 48-h and 14-d exposures. A stable dispersion of MWCNTs was prepared using 100 mg/L natural organic matter (NOM), and all treatments were compared statistically to a NOM control. The swimming behavior endpoints of mean velocity and total distance moved were determined using digital tracking software. For the acute (48-h) exposure, a 50% lethal concentration (LC50) of 29.3 (23.6–36.3) mg/L and a 50% effective concentration (EC50) of 6.7 mg/L in the swimming velocity endpoint were determined. When swimming response was nonmonotonic below 2 mg/L, consistent reductions in velocity were observed at 6.9 mg/L and above. Median effect concentrations were lower in the chronic (14-d) bioassay. The 14-d LC50 was 4.3 mg/L (3.3–5.6 mg/L), and the reproduction EC50 was 5.0 mg/L. Lowest-observed-effect concentrations for survival and reproduction were 5.4 mg/L and 1.7 mg/L, respectively. Significantly fewer (23.1%) algal cells were consumed in the 3.9-mg/L treatment relative to the control. No significant effects on swimming behavior were observed for the 14-d bioassay. Less traditional sublethal endpoints such as swimming behavior and feeding rate may be especially important to assess for MWCNTs and other materials expected to be more physically than chemically toxic through mechanisms such as gut clogging. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:200–204. Published 2015 Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of SETAC. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the United States of America.
Engagement with the TeenDrivingPlan and diversity of teens' supervised practice driving: lessons for internet-based learner driver interventions.

Objective Inexperienced, less-skilled driving characterises many newly licensed drivers and contributes to high crash rates. A randomised trial of TeenDrivingPlan (TDP), a new learner driver phase internet-based intervention, demonstrated effectiveness in improving safety relevant, on-road driving behaviour, primarily through greater driving practice diversity. To inform future learner driver interventions, this analysis examined TDP use and its association with practice diversity. Design Posthoc analysis of data from teen/parent dyads (n=107), enrolled early in learner phase and assigned to treatment arm in randomised trial. Methods Inserted software beacons captured TDP use data. Electronic surveys completed by parents and teens assessed diversity of practice driving and TDP usability ratings at 24 weeks (end of study period). Results Most families (84%) used TDP early in the learner period; however, the number of TDP sessions in the first week was three times higher among dyads who achieved greater practice diversity than those with less. By week five many families still engaged with TDP, but differences in TDP use could not be detected between families with high versus low practice diversity. Usability was not a major issue for this sample based on largely positive user ratings. Conclusions An engaging internet-based intervention, such as TDP, can support families in achieving high practice diversity. Future learner driver interventions should provide important information early in the learner period when engagement is greatest, encourage continued learning as part of logging practice drives, and incorporate monitoring software for further personalisation to meet family needs. Trial registration NCT01498575.
ζ−/− Thalassemic mice are affected by two modifying loci and display unanticipated somatic recombination leading to inherited variation

Thalassemia is a disease caused by a variety of mutations affecting both the adult and embryonic alpha- and beta-globin loci. A mouse strain carrying an embryonic zeta-globin gene disrupted by the insertion of a PGK-Neo cassette displays an alpha-thalassemia-like syndrome. Embryonic survival of this zeta-null mouse is variable and strongly influenced by genetic background, the 129/SvEv mouse strain displaying a more severe phenotype than C57BL/6. We have identified two modifying loci on C57BL/6 chromosomes 2 and 5, which affect the penetrance of embryonic lethality in the 129/SvEv mouse. Through this work, we were able to observe an interesting effect on somatic recombination events in thalassemic embryos. We show that these events can occur on multiple chromosomes in very early embryonic cells, prior to their allocation to the germline. Our results demonstrate that somatic recombination events can be transmitted to subsequent generations.
Unique Dimensions of Neurotoxic Risk Assessment

Publisher Summary This chapter explores some unique dimensions of neurotoxic risk assessment. The chapter begins with a discussion on hazard identification and detection. Hazard identification is considered to be the first stage of the conventional model. It is basically a qualitative exercise that asks whether a particular agent is capable of inducing certain types of adverse health effects. To make such a judgment, several types of data are surveyed: clinical reports, epidemiologic studies, animal bioassays, and, in some instances, molecular structure. The complications introduced by neurotoxicity expand hazard identification to such an extent that another stage, labeled hazard confirmation and characterization, needs to be introduced. The chapter then discusses about exposure assessment whose fundamental metrics include route, duration, and magnitude. Cancer modelers assume a monotonic relationship between cumulative exposure and probability of tumor. Exposure pattern is much more critical in neurotoxicology. This chapter also explains the dose-response modeling. The chapter concludes with elaborating risk characterization, as the outcome of the conventional risk assessment process and the step in which population exposure assessment is combined with dose-response assessment to yield a risk estimate.
Conservative variance estimation for sampling designs with zero pairwise inclusion probabilities

We consider conservative variance estimation for the Horvitz-Thompson estimator of a population total in sampling designs with zero pairwise inclusion probabilities, known as “non-measurable” designs. We decompose the standard Horvitz-Thompson variance estimator under such designs and characterize the bias precisely. We develop a bias correction that is guaranteed to be weakly conservative (non-negatively biased) regardless of the nature of the non-measurability. The analysis sheds light on conditions under which the standard Horvitz-Thompson variance estimator performs well despite non-measurability and the conservative bias correction may outperform commonly-used approximations.
Paddlers' level of specialization, motivations and preferences for river management practices

Abstract Participation in canoeing and recreational kayaking (paddling) is growing rapidly. In response, this study identified paddlers' ( N =221) motivations for paddling Ohio's Cuyahoga River and paddlers’ preferences for specific river management practices. Next, this study tested whether these variables relate to paddlers' Level of Specialization (LoS). Factor analysis with subsequent reliability testing identified four distinct motivations for paddling the Cuyahoga: intrinsic rewards, experiencing and learning about nature, social, and challenge; and four distinct river management practices: manage river and provide services, provide facilities, provide complementary activities, and ration river use. ANOVA demonstrated that motivations varied by paddlers' LoS ( F ≥4.16, p ≤.017); specifically, motivation increased as LoS increased. However, preferences for specific river management practices were largely independent of LoS ( F ≤0.571, p ≥.566). Indeed, paddlers appeared more similar than disparate in their preferences for the specific river management practices tested. Thus, it may be possible to develop a Cuyahoga River management plan which all paddlers, regardless of LoS, find equally appropriate. Implications for management are discussed. Management implications • Understanding the relationship between motivations and level of specialization is important. In this study, low specialists had different needs related to challenge and adventure than more specialized paddlers. • Motivations with broad appeal can be used in marketing and promoting the river’s paddling opportunities such as enjoyment of paddling, enjoyment of the river and nature, peace, tranquility, and escape from routine. • This study suggests many paddlers have an interest in learning about nature. This may be an opportunity for environmental education and interpretation through ranger led paddle trips. • Paddlers support and may therefore volunteer to implement management practices which encourage greater use of the river. • Paddlers are opposed to rationing use. Therefore, rationing should be accompanied by education and information. • This study suggests that it is possible to identify and develop management practices which are widely accepted, regardless of paddler’s level of specialization.
Abstract 14075: Comparative Effectiveness of Dabigatran versus Warfarin in Patients With Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation

Background: In clinical trials, dabigatran has been shown to be efficacious for stroke prevention in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients. However, the ‘real-world’ effectiveness and risks of dabigatran compared to warfarin in these patients have not been well described. Methods: We used data from the US MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental databases in 2010-2011, which include claims information on >45 million individuals. We selected patients with NVAF initiating oral anticoagulants after their diagnosis, and with at least 6 months of enrollment before first anticoagulant use. Patients initiating dabigatran were matched with up to 5 warfarin users by age, sex, and time since database enrollment. Outcomes of interest (ischemic stroke, intracranial bleeding, and myocardial infarction (MI)) were defined according to validated algorithms. Information on other comorbidities and medication use was obtained from inpatient, outpatient, and pharmacy claims. Propensity score-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the association of dabigatran use vs warfarin with each outcome of interest. Results: The analysis included 28,151 dabigatran and 92,633 warfarin users with NVAF. During an average 7-month follow-up, 368 ischemic strokes, 101 intracranial bleeds, and 381 MIs were identified. Rate of ischemic stroke and MI was similar in patients initiating dabigatran compared to those on warfarin. However, rate of intracranial bleeding was 61% lower in patients using dabigatran compared to warfarin users (Table). Conclusion: In this large patient population, compared to warfarin, dabigatran was associated with lower risk of intracranial bleeding and similar risk of ischemic stroke and MI. These results are comparable to those reported in the RE-LY trial, suggesting that effectiveness of dabigatran in the ‘real-world’ is similar to that described in RE-LY.
Functional Organization of the Rat Head-Direction Circuit

Rats, like humans and many other animals, possess a sense of direction that helps them to plan navigational trajectories and calculate bearings to familiar objects and locations (Barlow, 1964; Mittelstaedt and Mittelstaedt, 1980; Mittelstaedt and Mittelstaedt, 1982; Gallistel, 1990; McNaughton, Chen, and Markus, 1991). The rat brain contains a population of neurons called head-direction (HD) cells, which are believed to provide the neural basis for this sense of direction (Ranck, 1984); Taube, 1990a, Taube, 1990b; but see Golob, Stackman, Wong, and Taube, 2001). In this chapter, we describe the functional organization of circuitry in the rat brain that allows HD cells to compute the animal’s directional heading.
The Quality of Partitions Produced by an Iterative Load Balancer

We examine the quality of partitions produced by an iterative load balancer in parallel adaptive finite element calculations. We present several metrics which we use to evaluate the quality of a mesh partitioning, and report statistics generated from our analysis of adaptively refined meshes produced during the solution of computational fluid dynamics problems. Timings from the finite element solution phase for runs involving these meshes on 16 and 32 processors of an IBM SP2 are also presented.
Song Variation in a Population of Oregon Juncos

Besides its contribution to the study of vocal communication, the study of song variation in natural passerine populations is of basic importance for the analyses of comparative, genetic, and developmental aspects of song, just as the study of variation is important in comparative morphology. The song of the Oregon Junco (Junco oreganus) is found to be very suitable material for such analyses, and the developmental aspect has already been considered by Marler, Kreith, and Tamura (1962) and Konishi (1964). Furthermore, with additional reports on song variation we are beginning to see some possibility of objective comparisons and of generalizations about differences between species. METHODS
Antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella enterica isolates from bulk tank milk and milk filters in the United States

Salmonella isolates were recovered from bulk tank milk as part of the National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) Dairy 2002 and 2007 surveys. In-line milk filters were also tested in the 2007 survey. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among Salmonella enterica isolates from bulk milk and milk filters in the NAHMS Dairy 2002 and 2007 surveys and to further characterize resistant isolates. Susceptibilities to 15 antibiotics were determined for 176 Salmonella isolates of 26 serotypes using an automated antimicrobial susceptibility system. Resistant isolates were screened by PCR for the presence of the extended-spectrum β-lactamase (bla(CMY)) gene and class I integrons and further characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Thirty isolates (17.0%) representing six S. enterica serotypes exhibited resistance to at least one antimicrobial agent (serotypes Newport [14 of 14 isolates exhibited resistance], Dublin [7 of 7], Typhimurium [3 of 5], Kentucky [4 of 22], Anatum [1 of 13], and Infantis [1 of 2]). Twenty isolates (11.4%), including all 14 Newport, 3 Dublin, 2 Typhimurium, and 1 Infantis isolate, displayed the typical multidrug-resistant, bla(CMY)-positive (MDR-AmpC) phenotype which included resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfonamide, and tetracycline, plus resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and extended-spectrum cephalosporins. Five of the MDR-AmpC isolates carried class I integrons (2.8%). Two-enzyme (XbaI and BlnI) pulsed-field gel electrophoresis discerned clades within serotypes and, together with the resistance profiles, identified strains that appeared to have persisted temporally and geographically. These results suggest that there is a low but appreciable risk of infection with MDR Salmonella from consumption of nonpasteurized milk and dairy products.
Thermal stability of lactic dehydrogenase from human tissues.

Lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) is present in human and other mammalian tissues in the form of five distinct isoenzymes or isozymes. According to the subunits they contain, the five isozymes of LDH may be designated as H„, HjMi, H2M2, HxMa, and M4. 2 The H4 variety is characteristic of heart muscle and red cells, whereas liver and skeletal muscle are rich in the M4 form. Other tissues exhibiting LDH activity contain two or more isozymes in different and possibly distinctive combinations. These isozymes are soluble, and leak into the blood stream when tissue cell membranes are damaged. Thus the LDH isozyme pattern of serum may be studied to identify the tissue source as an aid in diagnosis. The isozymes of LDH may be detected by electrophoresis and by chromatography. They are immunologically distinct. They are affected differently by certain chemical inhibitors, specifically sulfite, oxalate, and urea. Their activities respond differently to changes of pH and temperature • 6 as well as to different substrates or different concentrations of the same substrate. They exhibit a considerable variation in their ability to survive incubation at high temperatures. Thermal stability and substrate specificity are the simplest of these properties to test for. Thermal stability affords a clearer differentiation between the H4 and M4 forms than does substrate specificity and would seem to be the method of choice. I t has proved useful in the differential diagnosis of myocardial or hepatic injury,' 8 where heat-stable LDH is consistently elevated with significant myocardial damage, whereas the heat-labile fraction increases in the serum with destruction of liver parenchyma. The relative ratio of heat-stable to total
Optical Fiber Reflectance Probe for Detection of Phase Transitions in Multiphase Systems

An optical fiber reflectance probe is developed for fast, in situ detection of phase transitions between heterogeneous and homogeneous states in multiphase systems. Experiments with two binary syst...