cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Webside Manner: A Key to High-Quality Primary Care Telemedicine for All

Evaluation of telemedicine, including videoconferencing, specifically focused on primary care, has demonstrated quality as good as in-person care, reduced cost, elimination of socioeconomic disparities in access, and high levels of patient satisfaction. Distinctly different care models are currently marketed by provider organizations as telemedicine. Inclusion (or not) of videoconferencing capacity constitutes a distinguishing feature that is likely to impact effectiveness, but provider organizations, regulatory agencies, and payers have largely overlooked this distinction. Reassurance reducing patient and family anxiety has long been recognized as essential to both patient satisfaction and value of the medical profession. Interaction that reduces anxiety requires empathic communication. Interpersonal communication involves more than words; also key are intonation of voice, facial expression, body language, and capacity to accurately "read" emotions in others and to respond effectively. Telemedicine with videoconferencing has been shown to redress disparities in access while providing high-quality care that is well accepted by both patients and providers. Technical and practical barriers to inclusion of videoconferencing in telemedicine are minimal. Real-time video interaction, enabling "webside manner," should be the default communication mode as telemedicine is increasingly accepted by patients, clinicians, and provider organizations as a tool to ensure high-quality primary care for all.
Increased type III TGF-β receptor shedding decreases tumorigenesis through induction of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition

The type III TGF-β receptor (TβRIII) is a TGF-β co-receptor that presents ligand to the type II TGF-β receptor to initiate signaling. TβRIII also undergoes ectodomain shedding to release a soluble form (sTβRIII) that can bind ligand, sequestering it away from cell surface receptors. We have previously identified a TβRIII extracellular mutant that has enhanced ectodomain shedding ("super shedding (SS)"-TβRIII-SS). Here, we utilize TβRIII-SS to study the balance of cell surface and soluble TβRIII in the context of lung cancer. We demonstrate that expressing TβRIII-SS in lung cancer cell models induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and that these TβRIII-SS (EMT) cells are less migratory, invasive and adhesive and more resistant to gemcitabine. Moreover, TβRIII-SS (EMT) cells exhibit decreased tumorigenicity but increased growth rate in vitro and in vivo. These studies suggest that the balance of cell surface and soluble TβRIII may regulate a dichotomous role for TβRIII during cancer progression.
Winning Starts at the Top: Estate Planning Considerations for the Modern Day Sports Team Owner

Professional sports team owners need to carefully plan their estates in order to win on and off the field. These individuals are arguably the most important figures in a professional sports team because their actions affect everyone associated with the team, from players to fans. Team owners represent some of the wealthiest people in America and have large estates that often include other business ventures besides their sports teams. When team owners take inadequate estate planning steps, their estates are often forced to sell their teams in order to pay estate taxes. This in turn can lead to team instability or, worst case scenario from a fan’s perspective, a forced relocation of the team. This comment examines some of the ways today’s professional sports team owners can plan their estates in order to not only continue their personal success but their team’s success as well. Federal estate taxes are the largest hurdle for team owners because the tax affects only the wealthiest of estates, and planning one’s estate to avoid these estate taxes is vital for a team owners’ success. The future of the federal estate tax remains to be seen under the Trump administration, which could lead to substantial gain for team owners should the tax be repealed altogether. Team owners also need to consider state estate taxes for the states in which they are domiciled. Over the past few years, notable professional sports team owners’ estates have experienced varying degrees of success. This comment will examine in detail the estates of Tom Benson and the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans, Ralph Wilson and the Buffalo Bills, William Davidson and the Detroit Pistons, and Jerry Buss and the Los Angeles Lakers. This comment also provides many strategies for sports team owners to limit their estate taxes, such as use of gift giving, charitable donations, family limited partnerships, and irrevocable life insurance trusts. A family business plan can also ensure a stable transition of ownership when the owner dies and passes the team to the family.
The Relation Between Eating Disorders and Voice Disorders.

Summary Objective The purpose of this study is to determine the relation between specific eating disorder diagnoses/purging behaviors and voice disorders. Method One hundred-nine participants with eating disorders completed a survey inquiring about eating disorder symptoms, purging behaviors, and voice disorder symptoms. Participants also completed the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire, Voice Handicap Index, and the Reflux Symptom Index. Results The prevalence of voice disorders among the group with eating disorders was 21.88%. Of those with both eating disorders and voice disorders, anorexia nervosa appeared to be more prevalent in this group than bulimia nervosa. In addition, purging behaviors of exercise presented with a higher prevalence of voice problems than vomiting. Conclusion Individuals with eating disorders seem to be at a higher risk for voice disorders than the general population. Anorexia nervosa and exercise as a purging method were identified as the highest risk factors for voice disorders.
Wind turbine performance in natural icing environments: A field characterization

Abstract Over 30% worldwide installations of wind turbines in cold climate regions are threatened with icing risks. The current study presents a systematic characterization of the turbine operation, power production, and blade/tower structural responses of a utility-scale wind turbine (2.5 MW, variable-speed variable-pitch regulated) under natural icing environments, by leveraging the unique facilities at the Eolos Wind Energy Research Field Station. A representative icing event that lasts 51 h is selected and divided into pre-icing, operational-icing, stopped-icing, and post-icing phases based on the variation of turbine operational conditions (i.e., power, rotor speed, and pitch angle) for the detailed evaluation. The results show that ice accretion can lead to appreciable reductions in the rotor speed and pitch angle before the turbine reaches its operational limits. Such reductions increase correspondingly as the inflow wind speed increases, which may accelerate the airfoil stall process and result in more severe power loss. The 51-h icing event yields a total energy loss of ~25 MWh, and the post-icing phase contributes a second-largest share of 17%, on the heel of the stopped-icing phase of 71%, associated with the long duration of natural ice melting process. Besides, blade structural response is highly sensitive to the ice accretion due to its fast reaction to the ice-induced lift penalties. The tower response also provides concrete evidence for the increase of the structural imbalance with ice accretion. Our findings can provide insights into the development of advanced control strategies for a more efficient and safer operation of wind turbines in natural icing environments.
Tribracket Polynomials.

We introduce a six-variable polynomial invariant of Niebrzydowski tribrackets analogous to quandle,rack and biquandle polynomials. Using the subtribrackets of a tribracket, we additionally define subtribracket polynomials and establish a sufficient condition for isomorphic subtribrackets to have the same polynomial regardless of their embedding in the ambient tribracket. As an application, we enhance the tribracket counting invariant of knots and links using subtribracket polynomials and provide examples to demonstrate that this enhancement is proper.
Regulatory Pluralism and the Interests of Migrants

This essay begins with the premise that the interests of migrants in migration itself ought to be taken into account in the formulation of states' admissions and exclusion laws and policies. With out purporting to answer the question of how these interests ought to be weighed in relation to those of citizens and and already resident populations, it then poses the question of which political and bureaucratic forms will be most responsive to those interests. It critiques the growing calls for global governance mechanisms, not because global migration doesn't warrant inter and trans-national solutions, but because deep ambivalence the world over concerning the legitimacy of labor migration (and irregular migration) confound such governance. Instead, this essay argues that the politics of migration should remain focused primarily at the level of the (democratic) nation-state; the power of co-ethnic citizens, contested but strong humanitarian norms, and the porosity of bureaucratic institutions in major receiving states all combine to make migrants' interest in migration relevant to myriad decisionmakers. These dynamics may be under particularly acute pressure today from immigration skeptics and cultural nationalists, but they remain vital dynamics to nurture and exploit in service of the essay's opening premise.
The hammerhead self-cleaving motif as a precursor to complex endonucleolytic ribozymes.

Connections between distinct catalytic RNA motifs through networks of mutations that retain catalytic function (neutral networks) were likely central to the evolution of biocatalysis. Despite suggestions that functional RNAs collectively form an interconnected web of neutral networks, little evidence has emerged to demonstrate the existence of such intersecting networks in naturally occurring RNAs. Here we show that neutral networks of two naturally occurring, seemingly unrelated endonucleolytic ribozymes, the hammerhead (HH) and hairpin (HP), intersect. Sequences at the intersection of these networks exhibit catalytic functions corresponding to both ribozymes by potentially populating both catalytic folds and enable a smooth cross-over between the two. Small and structurally simple endonucleolytic motifs like the HH ribozyme could, through mutational walks along their neutral networks, encounter novel catalytic phenotypes, and structurally flexible, bifunctional sequences at the intersection of these networks could have acted as nodes for evolutionary diversification in an RNA World. Considering the simplicity and small size of the HH ribozyme, we propose that this self-cleaving motif could have been a precursor to other more complex endonucleolytic ribozymes. More generally our results suggest that RNAs that possess distinct sequences, structures, and catalytic functions, can potentially share evolutionary history through mutational connections in sequence space.
A computational approach for identification of core modules from a co-expression network and GWAS data

This protocol describes the application of the "omnigenic" model of the genetic architecture of complex traits to identify novel "core" genes influencing a disease-associated phenotype. Core genes are hypothesized to directly regulate disease and may serve as therapeutic targets. This protocol leverages GWAS data, a co-expression network, and publicly available data, including the GTEx database and the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium Database, to identify modules enriched for genes with "core-like" characteristics. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Sabik et al. (2020).
SIMULATION OF CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON WATER BALANCES IN THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES

Climate change is simulated using a stochastic weather generator model forced to simulate an increase in temperature of 2.5°C and in precipitation of 10 percent over a 50-year period. Output from the climate simulations are input into a water balance model. Simulations are performed for five climate divisions along a transect from semiarid western Kansas to humid eastern Missouri. Results show that even under a scenario of increasing precipitation all divisions suffer decreased summer soil moisture, with the driest divisions in Kansas suffering the largest decrease. Total runoff decreases in all divisions with the largest percentage decrease occurring in central Kansas. The largest absolute decreases in total runoff, however, occur in the humid climates. The increase in the water deficit in the drier divisions is more than twice that of the humid divisions. When attempting to detect the climate change signal in hydroclimatic variables, temperature and potential evapotranspiration are the most sensitive wh...
The binding of precursor proteins to chloroplasts requires nucleoside triphosphates in the intermembrane space

Protein import into chloroplasts is initiated by a binding interaction between a precursor protein and the surface of the outer envelope. The binding step was previously shown to be energy-dependent (Olsen, L. J., Theg, S. M., Selman, B. R., and Keegstra, K. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 6724-6729). We took advantage of the broad nucleotide specificity of the energy requirement for binding to investigate the site of the nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) requirement. GTP supported precursor binding to chloroplasts. It was not converted to ATP, as determined by direct ATP measurements, and was not transported across the inner envelope. Thus, GTP supported binding from either the intermembrane space or outside the outer membrane. To distinguish between an intermembrane space and an external NTP requirement, we experimentally manipulated the NTP levels inside and outside chloroplasts. Internally generated ATP was able to support binding in the presence of an external membrane-impermeant ATP trap. Therefore, since GTP supported binding from either the intermembrane space or outside the chloroplast, and ATP supported binding from either the intermembrane space or the stroma, we concluded that the site of NTP utilization for precursor binding to chloroplasts was the intermembrane space between the two envelope membranes.
Accelerated improvement of alcoholic liver disease with enteral nutrition

This prospective study compared the effects of tube-fed nutrition with those of a regular diet in alcoholic liver disease. The high prevalence of malnutrition in patients with alcoholic liver disease requires clarification of the benefits of aggressive nutritional support. Patients were randomly assigned a regular diet without or with tube-fed supplementation, delivering 1.5 g/kg protein and 167 kJ/kg daily. Comparisons of encephalopathy, antipyrine clearance, metabolic rate, and biochemical parameters were performed weekly for 4 weeks. Sixteen patients receiving enteral supplementation had antipyrine half-life (50% vs. 3% reduction), serum bilirubin (25% vs. 0% reduction), and median encephalopathy scores that improved more rapidly than those of controls. Initially, 15 controls did not consume adequate calories to meet measured resting energy expenditure. Aggressive nutritional intervention accelerated improvement in alcoholic liver disease. Adverse effects did not offset the demonstrated benefits of a 2-cal/mL, casein-based tube-fed supplement. These findings support the use of standard, casein-based solutions in the treatment of alcoholic liver disease and as the control condition for future studies.
Chronic ethanol diet increases regulatory T-cell activity and inhibits hepatitis C virus core-specific cellular immune responses in mice.

Aim Chronic ethanol consumption is associated with persistent hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection. This study explores the role of the host cellular immune response to HCV core protein in a murine model and how chronic ethanol consumption alters T-cell regulatory (Treg) populations. Methods BALB/c mice were fed an isocaloric control or ethanol liquid diet. Dendritic cells (DC) were isolated after expansion with a hFl3tL-expression plasmid and subsequently transfected with HCV core protein. Core-containing DC (1 × 10(6) ) were s.c. injected (×3) in mice every 2 weeks. Splenocytes from immunized mice were isolated and stimulated with HCV core protein to measure generation of viral antigen-specific Treg, as well as secretion of interleukin (IL)-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-4. Cytotoxicity was measured by lactate dehydrogenase release from HCV core-expressing syngeneic SP2/19 myeloma cells. Results Splenocytes from mice immunized with ethanol-derived and HCV core-loaded DC exhibited significantly lower in vitro cytotoxicity compared to mice immunized with HCV core-loaded DC derived from isocaloric pair-fed controls. Stimulation with HCV core protein triggered higher IL-2, TNF-α and IL-4 release in splenocytes following immunization with core-loaded DC derived from controls as compared to chronic ethanol-fed mice. Splenocytes derived from mice immunized with core-loaded DC isolated from ethanol-fed mice exhibited a significantly higher CD25(+) FOXP3(+) and CD4(+) FOXP3(+) Treg population. Conclusion These results suggest that immunization with HCV core-containing DC from ethanol-fed mice induces an increase in the CD25(+) FOXP3(+) and CD4(+) FOXP3(+) Treg population and may suppress HCV core-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell immune responses.
Renewable in distribution networks: Centralized vs. decentralized integration

The problem of integrating renewable generation in a distribution network is considered under two integration models: a centralized utility-based model in which the utility owns and operates the renewable generation as part of its portfolio of energy resources, and a decentralized consumer-based model in which each consumer owns and operates the renewable generation and is allowed to sell surplus electricity back to the utility in a net-metering setting. Interactions between the utility and its consumers are captured by the retail price of electricity set by the utility. Under the day ahead hourly pricing scheme, the Pareto frontier of the tradeoff between consumer surplus and retail profit is characterized under the two models. It is shown that, depending on the level of regulated utility profit, the consumer-based decentralized integration may lead to lower consumer surplus than that when no renewable is integrated. On the other hand, the utility based centralized integration always improve consumer surplus.
Una etnohistoria poco étnica: Nociones de lo autóctono en una comunidad campesina peruana

Este ensayo es un ejercicio de reacomodo de la etnohistoria academica frente al pensamiento etnohistorico vernaculo de dos maneras. Primero, cuestionando la oposicion de las versiones vernaculas transhistoricas y la version de los blancos que conforman una premisa unica-e-incuestionable de la mayoria de los paradigmas etnohistoricos emparejada a los paradigmas locales; y una segunda manera, a traves de la comparacion de la "particular" forma academica de obtener informacion sobre problemas coloniales y poscoloniales con la paleografia (y arqueologia) no oficial por medio de la cual los pobladores de la region exploran lo mismo. En la provincia de Huarochiri (Peru) la etnohistoria popular sirve no para revivir el concepto de lo autoctono, sino para relativizarlo e independizarlo del paradigma nacional dominante sobre la etnicidad. Su vocacion es para explicar como los pobladores pueden ser "autenticos" herederos de la tierra y sin embargo, no incurrir en la categoria racial inaceptable de "indios". La colaboracion de un paleografo local ejemplifica como la experiencia colonial es construida -a traves de la leyenda de un suicidio colectivo indigena- como una trascendencia mas que la materializacion de categorias "etnicas"
The complex relationship between microbial growth rate and yield and its implications for ecosystem processes.

Growth rate and efficiency are fundamental traits of microbes that significantly influence how communities and ecosystems function. However the microbiological literature shows an apparent contradiction in the relationship between growth rate and yield (defined as the portion of consumed substrate that is converted into biomass or ATP). Pirt (1965) defined maintenance energy in growing bacterial cultures and predicted that slow growth rates would be associated with inefficient growth. This idea is consistent with studies of bacterial growth efficiency (BGE) in marine and aquatic ecosystems. However, a separate body of literature supports a negative relationship between growth rate and yield, and finds that this rate-yield tradeoff is central in evolution and the coexistence of species. The concept of yield arises in the terrestrial biogeochemical literature, but under the term, carbon use efficiency (CUE), where researchers are concerned with the rates of carbon dioxide (CO2) lost from the ecosystem through microbial respiration, and how the partitioning of plant litter into soil carbon (C) and CO2 is affected by climate change. Here the rate-yield tradeoff also has important implications. I believe the seemingly contradictory points of view expressed in the literature can be reconciled by considering the growth conditions, ecological strategies and level of organization treated by these various studies. This opinion article is not intended as a comprehensive review. Excellent reviews and analyses of various aspects of this literature exist (Russell and Cook, 1995; Del Giorgio and Cole, 1998; Ferenci, 1999; Carlson et al., 2007; Van Bodegom, 2007; Wang and Post, 2012; Sinsabaugh et al., 2013). These works have resolved much of the perceived ambiguity in the field, but to my knowledge no one has directly addressed the apparent paradox mentioned above.
Music genre classification via likelihood fusion from multiple feature models

Music genre provides an efficient way to index songs in a music database, and can be used as an effective means to retrieval music of a similar type, i.e. content-based music retrieval. A new two-stage scheme for music genre classification is proposed in this work. At the first stage, we examine a couple of different features, construct their corresponding parametric models (e.g. GMM and HMM) and compute their likelihood functions to yield soft classification results. In particular, the timbre, rhythm and temporal variation features are considered. Then, at the second stage, these soft classification results are integrated to result in a hard decision for final music genre classification. Experimental results are given to demonstrate the performance of the proposed scheme.© (2005) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Thermal kinetics of protective oxide layer formation in the dry sliding of metallic tribo-specimens

Abstract This article investigates the kinetics of friction-induced-heat flux within the contact layers of a rubbing solid. It is shown that nominally isotropic solids may exhibit anisotropic thermal behavior due to the mechanical dilatation exhibited during sliding. Depending on the degree of anisotropy the local flow of the thermal flux may be congested. This leads to the accumulation of thermal energy within the mechanically affected zone (MAZ) of the solid and may contribute toward a thermal environment that is conducive to protective layer formation. Depending on the evolution of mechanical dilatation, and the associated congestion of thermal flow, lateral accumulation of heat may take place. This, in turn, under favorable conditions causes the formation of a soft zone of low resistance to shear, thus leading to a transition in the mechanism of wear (e.g. from oxidative to delaminating). These effects are studied within the context of the sliding of a mild steel couple, and the results are subsequently applied to investigate the transition in the wear regime of a titanium (Ti–6Al–4V)–tool steel (AISI M2) sliding pair.
Impact of Geometric Changes on the Oxidation of Catechol by Copper(II) Complexes

Abstract The synthesis of transition metal complexes which can serve as catalysts for the oxidation of organic molecules involves the search for both more efficient and more selective catalysts.1 The design of complexes in which structural and electronic features are selectively varied allows the analysis of structure/activity relationships in the study of their oxidation chemistry. Successful probing of these features would therefore allow a more fundamental understanding of the catalysts' properties. We are particularly interested in the air oxidation of catechol to quinone (shown below), since this is one of the reactions catalyzed by the copper-containing enzyme tyrosinase.2
Cooling Energetic α Particles in a Tokamak with Waves

Alpha particles, the by-products of the deuterium-tritium reaction in a tokamak fusion reactor, might be cooled through interactions with waves. Numerical simulations employing two waves, one with frequency about the alpha cyclotron frequency and one at much lower frequency, show the existence of parameter regimes where more than half of the {alpha}-particle power can be diverted to the waves. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Selective binding by the RNA binding domain of PKR revealed by affinity cleavage.

The RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) is regulated by the binding of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) or single-stranded RNAs with extensive duplex secondary structure. PKR has an RNA binding domain (RBD) composed of two copies of the dsRNA binding motif (dsRBM). The dsRBM is an alpha-beta-beta-beta-alpha structure present in a number of proteins that bind RNA, and the selectivity demonstrated by these proteins is currently not well understood. We have used affinity cleavage to study the binding of PKR's RBD to RNA. In this study, we site-specifically modified the first dsRBM of PKR's RBD at two different amino acid positions with the hydroxyl radical generator EDTA.Fe. Cleavage by these proteins of a synthetic stem-loop ligand of PKR indicates that PKR's dsRBMI binds the RNA in a preferred orientation, placing the loop between strands beta1 and beta2 near the single-stranded RNA loop. Additional cleavage experiments demonstrated that defects in the RNA stem, such as an A bulge and two GA mismatches, do not dictate dsRBMI's binding orientation preference. Cleavage of VA(I) RNA, an adenoviral RNA inhibitor of PKR, indicates that dsRBMI is bound near the loop of the apical stem of this RNA in the same orientation as observed with the synthetic stem-loop RNA ligands. This work, along with an NMR study of the binding of a dsRBM derived from the Drosophila protein Staufen, indicates that dsRBMs can bind stem-loop RNAs in distinct ways. In addition, the successful application of the affinity cleavage technique to localizing dsRBMI of PKR on stem-loop RNAs and defining its orientation suggests this approach could be applied to dsRBMs found in other proteins.
Agricultural policy implementation in Alaska

Abstract This paper discusses the implementation of public policy supporting an aggressive, agricultural development in Alaska, a state of the United States. Three development projects emphasizing large-scale agriculture were proposed and initiated during the period 1976-82. In this evaluation, the implementation process was related to the major events of the development activity. Implementation of the agricultural projects was split off from an existing government agency and given to a new council. However, a key activity, that of land disposal remained with the agency. Much of the ensuing controversy concerning implementation stemmed from this split in authority. In addition, public participation and internal government interaction in the implementation process had substantial impact on policy outcomes. This case study demonstrates that policy-making goes beyond the jurisdiction of elected representatives and members of cabinet. It involves many participants, including the bureaucracy, in a continuous process of implementation. Success in achieving the goal of a new agricultural policy depends, to a large degree, on the ability of power groups to force change. In the situation discussed here, a mechanism was necessary to ensure cooperation between those groups directing the development process. However, as the power of this mechanism, the aforementioned council, diminished, the rate of development slowed. As such, the council became less effective as it was rendered increasingly impotent politically.
Census Peek: Collaboration in the New York City Catskill/Delaware Watershed: Case Study 1990–2000

Because watershed collaborations connect economic and environmental concerns, they are of interest to students of sustainable economic development. The economic outcomes of such collaborations are difficult to study because socio-economic data collection areas do not generally correspond to collaboration boundaries and also because of the simultaneity of economic stimuli and restrictions in collaborative arrangements. This case study of New York City’s Watershed Collaboration in its Catskill Delaware Watershed used a mapping program to create a database of Watershed residents from the 1990 and 2000 census. It provides a heretofore unavailable socioeconomic portrait of the Watershed and trends in indicators relevant to Collaboration effectiveness such as age, demographic pressures, and economic welfare. Through the use of national, state, regional and rural controls, the study also explores the impact of the agreement on the Watershed. Results do not provide evidence of a net negative impact and are consistent with a net positive impact. Several trends which work against agreement effectiveness are identified.
Moving targets and ghosts of the past: outcome measurement in brain tumour therapy.

Evaluation of novel therapies for brain tumours should logically consider quality and quantity of patient survival as primary endpoints. The urgency of the problem, however, frequently leads investigators to use surrogate endpoints and historical controls in order to more rapidly evaluate outcome. To examine the impact of the use of surrogate endpoints and historical controls on the evaluation of innovative brain tumour therapy, selective literature review of three content areas (intraarterial chemotherapy for malignant glioma, interstitial brachytherapy for malignant glioma and stereotactic radiosurgery for cerebral metastasis and malignant glioma) was carried out. The impact of surrogate outcome measures and use of historical controls was assessed by comparing the results of trials using these methods and randomised clinical trials. In the evaluation of both intraarterial chemotherapy and interstitial brachytherapy, promising results in early phase trials were not confirmed in randomised clinical trials. This result can be explained by selection bias and predicted by the use of controls carefully selected from large treatment data bases. In the evaluation of stereotactic radiosurgery, early phase trials are promising, but randomised clinical trials have not yet been done. Prior experience suggests that the early promising results with stereotactic radiosurgery should be subjected to randomised clinical trial validation before being considered proven. Careful selection of controls for early phase trials is necessary if erroneous conclusions are to be avoided.
Effect of propylthiouracil upon thyroidal I-131 release in the methimazole-thyroxine treated rat.

Propylthiouracil (PTU) in doses of 0.05, .15, 1 or 10 mg/day quickly accelerated the rate of thyroidal I131 release in 15 of 21 adult rats whose recycling of I131 was prevented by methimazole and whose initial thyroidal I131 release was slowed by exogenous thyroxine. The magnitude of the response was independent of PTU dose. One or 2 rats failed to respond to each dose of PTU administered. Rats whose thyroidal I131 release rates were accelerated by PTU had significantly higher plasma levels of radioactivity than rats whose thyroidal I131 release slopes were unaffected by PTU. The percentages of protein-bound I131 and inorganic I131 in the plasma, however, were unchanged. These data confirm the thesis that PTU administration promptly causes an increased thyrotrophin secretion by the pituitary.
Optimal controller synthesis for a class of LTI systems via switched feedback

We develop a switched feedback controller that optimizes the rate of convergence of the state trajectories to the origin for a class of second order LTI systems. Specifically, we derive an algorithm which optimizes the rate of convergence by employing a controller that switches between symmetric gains. As a byproduct of our investigation, we find that, in general, the controllers which optimize the rate of convergence switch between two linear subsystems, one of which is unstable. The algorithm we investigate will design optimal switching laws for the specific case of second order LTI plants of relative degree two.
What can e-Commerce and e-Government learn from each other?

Comparative studies of the phenomena of e-Commerce/e-Business and e-Government have not yet emerged. However, such studies would most likely be instrumental in fostering cross-fertilization between the two evolutionary trajectories. They would further deepen the understanding of the sector-specific similarities and differences. Comparative research would also help establish performance measures and success criteria. This poster develops a vantage point for such a study.
Dual-beam ultrasound versus transit-time flow meter for intraoperative graft flow measurement during coronary artery bypass grafting.

ObjectiveAssessment of graft flow during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is increasingly practiced as a quality measure, particularly in patients undergoing minimally invasive or “off-pump” ...
Factors Associated with Early Sexual Activity among Urban Adolescents

This study uses lifespan and ecological frameworks to investigate the factors associated with early adolescent sexual activity. Data from a longitudinal study of urban teenagers of color address three issues: (1) the prevalence and pattern of sexual activity among boys and girls ages 15 and younger, (2) the link between early sexual activity and high-risk sexual behavior, and (3) the life contexts linked with early sexual activity. Results from 803 African American and Hispanic adolescents suggest a high prevalence of early sexual activity, which is associated with higher rates of childbearing and risky sexual behavior than sexual activity initiated in later adolescence. Somewhat different factors are associated with early sexual activity for boys and girls, although family composition, parent attachment, and substance use are important for both genders. Implications for intervention are discussed.
Student Teachers' Conceptions of Teaching Biology.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate prospective biology teachers’ conceptions of teaching biology and identify how these conceptions revealed their strategies for helping their future students’ learning of biology. The study utilized drawings, narratives and interviews to investigate the nature of the prospective biology teachers’ conceptions in a secondary science teacher education programme, in a university located in the south-west of the USA. Data analysis revealed that three conceptions of teaching biology were common among the participants: (1) teaching biology is an interactive process; (2) teaching biology is a lecture-based process; and (3) learning biology is a visual process. A common theme that underpinned the three conceptions was the simple perspective of using lectures, apparatus and models within interactive processes and lectures as reference points to help students to attach onto biology concepts rather than relating the reference points to prior knowledge and to cog...
High-intensity effects on slow potentials and ganglion cell activity in the area centralis of cat retina

Abstract The local electroretinogram (LERG), the late receptor potential (late RP), S-potentials, and the activity of ganglion cells were recorded with microelectrodes from the area centralis of cat retina in order to study the effects of high-intensity flashes. At relatively high intensities both the d.c. component of the LERG and the late RP increased in duration and their rates of decay were slowed. S-potentials showed similar effects. Ganglion cells exhibited an increase in on-response duration, which was accompanied by a weakening of the off-response. Intracellular recordings from the ganglion cell layer showed that at high intensities the steady-state post-synaptic potential persisted into the off-period as the rate of repolarization was slowed.
Compound stimulus transfer

An earlier study examining transfer of conditioned response from compound stimuli to component stimuli was repeated with design changes to emphasize differences among responses to the components. Discrimination conditioning of the GSR to colored light pairs was used with 30 student Ss. The previous results, which showed a lack of transfer of differential responding from acquisition on stimulus pairs to tests on single components, were replicated. Data are presented to show that the results are not due to lack of acquisition training.
Are wolves saving Yellowstone's aspen? A landscape-level test of a behaviorally mediated trophic cascade

Behaviorally mediated trophic cascades (BMTCs) occur when the fear of predation among herbivores enhances plant productivity. Based primarily on systems involving small-bodied predators, BMTCs have been proposed as both strong and ubiquitous in natural ecosystems. Recently, however, synthetic work has suggested that the existence of BMTCs may be mediated by predator hunting mode, whereby passive (sit-and-wait) predators have much stronger effects than active (coursing) predators. One BMTC that has been proposed for a wide-ranging active predator system involves the reintroduction of wolves (Canis lupus) to Yellowstone National Park, USA, which is thought to be leading to a recovery of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) by causing elk (Cervus elaphus) to avoid foraging in risky areas. Although this BMTC has been generally accepted and highly popularized, it has never been adequately tested. We assessed whether wolves influence aspen by obtaining detailed demographic data on aspen stands using tree rings and by monitoring browsing levels in experimental elk exclosures arrayed across a gradient of predation risk for three years. Our study demonstrates that the historical failure of aspen to regenerate varied widely among stands (last recruitment year ranged from 1892 to 1956), and our data do not indicate an abrupt cessation of recruitment. This pattern of recruitment failure appears more consistent with a gradual increase in elk numbers rather than a rapid behavioral shift in elk foraging following wolf extirpation. In addition, our estimates of relative survivorship of young browsable aspen indicate that aspen are not currently recovering in Yellowstone, even in the presence of a large wolf population. Finally, in an experimental test of the BMTC hypothesis we found that the impacts of elk browsing on aspen demography are not diminished in sites where elk are at higher risk of predation by wolves. These findings suggest the need to further evaluate how trophic cascades are mediated by predator-prey life history and ecological context.
Room-Temperature Synthesis and Characterization of Nanocrystalline CdS, ZnS, and CdxZn1-xS

A novel and simple chemical reduction route at room temperature is described to synthesize nanocrystalline CdS, ZnS, and CdxZn1-xS. In the method, anhydrous CdCl2, or ZnCl2, S, and KBH4 powders react at room temperature in various organic solvents, and the effect of the solvent on the quality of the nanoparticle product is investigated. Among the solvents used, tetrahydrofuran is shown to produce the highest quality single-phase nanoparticles. The nanoparticles are characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, UV−vis absorption, and photoluminescence. The particle size ranges from 4 to 8 nm. In the CdxZn1-xS, the lattice structure gradually changes from cubic to hexagonal with increasing percentage of Zn in the ternary compound CdxZn1-xS. The nanoparticles exhibit broad emission peaks that shift to shorter wavelength with increasing percentage of Zn in the ternary compound CdxZn1-xS. The control of the composition of CdxZn1-xS nanoparticles may lead to the development of ideal mate...
Personal Accounts of Exceptionality: An Untapped Resource for Child Services Professionals

First-person nonfiction accounts of exceptionality as a supplement to research-based accounts can be valuable to clinicians and teachers who are working with exceptional children. In this article, an annotated bibliography of 24 book-length accounts is provided. Content areas include gifts and talents, physical health impairments, autism, emotional disorders, learning disabilities, and making the transition to adulthood. Potential limitations and misuses of such narratives also are discussed, along with suggestions for future research on their utility.
Hobbits and orcs: Acquisition of a sequential concept ☆

Abstract Subjects solved the hobbits-orcs problem repeatedly until they made no errors on two successive solutions. Groups varied in the kind of feedback given after errors. Further support was obtained for Thomas' (this journal) conclusion that subjects organize the sequence of moves in small subsequences, rather than individual moves. Differences between feedback groups suggested that the organization is oriented forward in the problem, and this contrasts with GPS' retroactive organization of this problem. Comparison between feedback groups also leads to the conclusion that subjects learned from positive information indicating which response is correct, rather than by a process of eliminating errors or sampling new strategies after errors. Analysis of acquisition data agreed with the hypothesis of all-or-none learning at individual states, except for one state where the additional complexity was related to an ambiguity about backward moves. The general pattern of results was invariant over a change in the characters of the problem (men and elves) designed to produce a reversal of relationship between the characters concerning who was prevented from outnumbering whom.
Non-opsonic attachment of Bordetella bronchiseptica mediated by CD11/CD18 and cell surface carbohydrates

Abstract Porcine atrophic rhinitis associated with Bordetella bronchiseptica is characterized by a severe inflammatory response in the mucosa of the nasal turbinates. Initial infiltrates of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) are followed by accumulations of mononuclear cells. In this report, we have investigated the interaction between porcine PMN and B. bronchiseptica. PMN incubated in PBS with a fluorescently labeled hemagglutinating porcine isolate, but not a non-hemagglutinating variant, had high levels of cell-associated fluorescence as determined by flow cytometry. Light microscopy indicated that most cell-associated bacteria were ingested. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of intracellular bacteria, which were contained within membrane-bound phagosomes. A monoclonal antibody specific for the leukocyte integrin polypeptide CD18 partially inhibited attachment of B. bronchiseptica to normal PMN but not to PMN genetically deficient in CD11/CD18 integrins. Higher levels of inhibition occurred when bacteria and normal PMN were co-incubated in the presence of galactose, N-acetyl-D-galactosamine, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, mannose and methyl α-D-mannopyranoside. D-glucose, L-fucose, α-lactose and sialic acid had no inhibitory effect. We conclude that B. bronchiseptica is readily ingested by porcine PMN in the absence of complement and antibody and that internalization is mediated by multiple adhesion mechanisms, including CD18- and carbohydrate-dependent ones.
Soil feedback drives the mid-Holocene North African monsoon northward in fully coupled CCSM2 simulations with a dynamic vegetation model

We explore climate-vegetation interactions in mid-Holocene North Africa with a suite of community climate system model (CCSM2) simulations. The CCSM includes synchronously coupled atmosphere, ocean, sea ice, land, and vegetation models. The CCSM’s present-day precipitation for North Africa compares well with simulations of other models and observations. Mid-Holocene data reveal a wetter and greener Sahara compared to the present. The CCSM exhibits a greater, closer to the expected, precipitation increase than other models, and in response, grasses advance from 18.75° to 22.5°N in much of North Africa. Precipitation is enhanced locally by the northward advance of grasses, but suppressed regionally mainly due to an insufficient albedo decrease with the expansion of vegetation. Prior studies have always lowered the surface albedo with the expansion of vegetation in North Africa. In the CCSM’s mid-Holocene simulations, the albedo decreases more because wetter soils are simulated darker than drier soils than due to expanding vegetation. These results isolate albedo as the key ingredient in obtaining a positive precipitation-vegetation feedback in North Africa. Two additional simulations support this conclusion. In the first simulation, the desert’s sandy soil textures are changed to loam to represent increased organic matter. Soil water retention and grass cover increase; albedo decreases somewhat. Precipitation responds with a small, yet widespread, increase. In the second simulation, a darker soil color is prescribed for this region. Now the monsoon advances north about 4°. These results illustrate a North African monsoon highly sensitive to changes in surface albedo and less sensitive to changes in evapotranspiration.
Descending modulation of thoracic visceroreceptive transmission by C1-C2 spinal neurons.

Abstract Extracellular potentials of single T 3 neurons were recorded in pentobarbital anesthetized male rats. Thoracic esophageal distension (ED, 0.3–0.4 ml, 20 s) and intrapericardial injection of bradykinin (BK, 10 −5 M, 0.2 ml, 1 min) were used as noxious visceral stimuli. Chemical activation of C 1 –C 2 neurons with glutamate pledgets (1 M, 1–3 min) decreased background activity and/or excitatory responses of 26/35 (74%) neurons to ED and 34/44 (77%) neurons to BK. After spinal transection at rostral C 1 in five animals, glutamate at C 1 –C 2 still significantly reduced excitatory responses of five neurons to BK. Data showed that intraspinal descending modulation of C 1 –C 2 neurons primarily produced descending inhibition of excitatory responses of thoracic spinal neurons to noxious visceral stimuli.
Multiple-scattering enhanced depth sensitivity of angle-resolved photoemission extended fine structure

Abstract We show by analysis of experimental results that, in the structural study of adsorbed surfaces, the angle-resolved photoemission extended fine structure (ARPEFS) technique has a strong depth sensitivity that can yield unique information about adsorbate-induced substrate near-surface relaxation. Furthermore, we show by theoretical calculations that, in contrast to the generally accepted picture, the enhanced depth sensitivity of ARPEFS arises largely from multiple-scattering effects.
Effect of small additions of silver on the eutectic temperature in the lead-tin system

Recent work on the thermodynamic properties and phase diagram of the lead-tin system has provided an excellent opportunity to evaluate the lowering of the eutectic temperature by the addition of a small amount of silver. For these low silver content, ternary solders, the Pb-Sn eutectic temperature is decreased by 3.3 °C owing to the addition of 1 wt pct silver.
A new Bactris (Palmae) from Central America

Bactris neomilitaris, a new species from Central America, is described and illustrated. It is compared toBactris militaris, in which it was formerly included.