cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of solid oxygen fertilizers and biochars on nitrous oxide production from agricultural soils in Florida.

Elevated levels of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions are a matter of concern in agricultural soils especially when flooding (hypoxic conditions) results from over irrigation or frequent rains. This study is the first to report the use of two solid oxygen fertilizers (SOFs, calcium peroxide and magnesium peroxide) to reduce N2O production in mineral and organic soils amended with N fertilizer in a short-term laboratory incubation besides two biochars. In general, organic soil had greater N2O production than mineral soil. Soils amended with nitrogen fertilizer exhibited increased N2O production, by 74 times in mineral soil and 2 times in organic soil. Both solid oxygen fertilizers in mineral soil (98-99%) and calcium peroxide in organic soil (25%) successfully reduced N2O production than corresponding N fertilized treatments. Additionally, a greater level of available nitrate-N (52-57 and 225 mg kg-1 in mineral and organic soil, respectively) was recorded with the solid oxygen fertilizers. Corn residue biochar with N fertilizer increased N2O production in mineral soil but decreased in organic soil, while pine bark biochar with N did not affect the N2O production in either soil. Depending on soil, appropriate SOFs applied were able to reduce N2O production and maintain greater nitrate-N levels in flooded soil. Thus, solid oxygen fertilizers can potentially be used as an effective way to reduce N2O emission from hypoxic soil in agricultural production systems.
Assessing corn pollen flow and outcross in seed and grain production fields

Pollen movement and the resulting flow of genes between plant populations have been an integral part of corn evolution. However, the adventitious presence of bioengineered genes in conventional varieties due to gene flow is a serious concern when producing grain for specialty markets, organic products, crops with valued added traits, and seed. An additional concern is the release of corn bioengineered to produce pharmaceutical and industrial compounds. The objectives of this study were to detect the presence of transgenes in corn DNA from pollen and to compare the gene flow and outcross in a seed and grain fields using a combination of three markers genes, seed color, Bt, and RR. Chapter 1 contains a pollen DNA extraction protocol for corn and a comparison of the efficiency of 11 primer pairs at detecting the Bt transgene; Chapter 2 presents the study of outcross in large-scale corn fields with different pollen density, grain and seed fields; and Chapter 3 presents the resulting outcross in large-scale com fields with similar pollen density, grain fields, across environments. The proposed pollen DNA extraction method was very effective in extracting DNA from pollen samples and the primer pair 35S168F/ 35S317R was the most efficient in identifying the CaMV35S promoter sequence in transgenic varieties. There were significant differences of outcross at different distances and directions from the pollen source associated with wind speed and direction. The differences in outcross distribution between grain and seed fields in 2003 were statistically significant, but inconclusive in grain fields in 2003 and 2004. Our results showed that segregation of transgenic and non-transgenic com can not be achieved within the 250 m distance because the outcross level seldom reached zero percent.
A Promised Land, Barack Obama. Book Review

My review of a book by Barack Obama, "A Promised Land," covers a number of fundamental issues that arose during his eight years as President: whether the Supreme Court has the final word on constitutional issues; how partisanship within the Democratic Party complicated passage of the Affordable Care Act; and Obama's decision to use military force against Libya in 2011, with subsequent undermining of the country that continues to this day. The review relies in part on my book, President Obama: Constitutional Aspirations and Executive Actions (2018).
Social Work Services Utilization by Children with Medical Complexity

Children with medical complexity (CMC) are a growing population in pediatric primary care practices, and families caring for these children face increased medical, developmental, education and social needs. The objective of this study was to quantify hospital-wide social work services utilization by CMC compared to non-medically-complex children (non-CMC) to inform the development of family-centered care models that support these vulnerable patients and families. Social work department records from a tertiary children’s hospital were used to compare CMC aged 0–17 (n = 564) with age- and sex-matched non-CMC (n = 1128) over a 16-month retrospective period. The main outcomes measures were the proportion of patients who used social work services and mean number of hours of services provided per patient, both by social work providers in the primary care setting and throughout the hospital. A greater percentage of CMC used social work services than non-CMC (60.3 vs. 18.9 %), and CMC used more hours per child (5.50 h/child vs. 0.69). In multivariate analysis, medical complexity was associated with 6.23-fold greater odds of using social work services (95 % CI 4.94–7.85) and with 8.07 times more hours of services per child (95 % CI 6.30–10.34), independent of primary health insurance, age, or sex. This study confirms that CMC use significantly more social work services in the medical setting. This must be considered when designing proactive medical home models to provide high quality family-centered care for this population, and further research is needed to elucidate the factors that drive this utilization.
Cytosolic Targeting Domains of γ and δ Calmodulin-dependent Protein Kinase II *

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMK-II) isozyme variability is the result of alternative usage of variable domain sequences. Isozyme expression is cell type-specific to transduce the appropriate Ca2+signals. We have determined the subcellular targeting domain of δE CaMK-II, an isozyme that induces neurite outgrowth, and of a structurally similar isozyme, γC CaMK-II, which does not induce neurite outgrowth. δE CaMK-II co-localizes with filamentous actin in the perinuclear region and in cellular extensions. In contrast, γC CaMK-II is uniformly cytosolic. Constitutively active δE CaMK-II induces F-actin-rich extensions, thereby supporting a functional role for its localization. C-terminal constructs, which lack central variable domain sequences, can oligomerize and localize like full-length δE and γC CaMK-II. Central variable domains themselves are monomeric and have no targeting capability. The C-terminal 95 residues of δ CaMK-II also has no targeting capability but can efficiently oligomerize. These findings define a targeting domain for γ and δ CaMK-IIs that is in between the central variable and association domains. This domain is responsible for the subcellular targeting differences between γ and δ CaMK-IIs.
The Policy‐Driven Leadership of James K. Polk: Making the Most of a Weak Presidency

James K. Polk, the eleventh president of the United States, provides an object lesson in political effectiveness. The day he entered the White House, Polk remarked that he had four major policy goals for his administration, all of which he accomplished in the course of his one-term presidency. His leadership was enhanced by the clarity of his aims, the tenacity with which he advanced them, and his capacity to identify and employ hitherto unrecognized sources of power. Polk was more effective at bringing his policies into existence than at anticipating their consequences, however. He presided over a 1.2 million-square-mile increase in the nation, but he did not foresee the likelihood that there would be contention between the free and slave states over the status of slavery in the new territory. Not only did such contention occur, it spiraled in the years after Polk left office and came to head with the Civil War.
‘BASTARD MONGREL ARMY ON THE MOVE, URDU’

The Enchantress of Florence essays a modernist and postmodern account of Mughal roots of Urdu that steers clear of uncritical nostalgia for the Mughal empire on the one hand, and avoids the satiric mode of anti-Urdu polemic on the other. Abjuring these novelistic and essayistic conventions, Salman Rushdie's novel constructs a global map of the Renaissance within which Florentine humanism, sensuality, political thought and love poetry has its eastern counterpart in the humanist, syncretic and proto-modern elements in Akbar's court in Sikri. The compound word at the heart of Rushdie's cartographic fiction is an older term for the Urdu language – zubān- e-urdu –e- mŭallā – that literally means the neighbourhood or royal court where Urdu is spoken. Disconnected facts of Urdu's early linguistic history are strung together in the novel into a haunting love story between a European stranger, an exquisite fortress city to which he travelled and wished to live, and a visionary emperor who had the imagination to co...
The effect of monetary policy on real exchange rate misalignment

Abstract In this paper we investigate the relationship between monetary policy and the exchange rate. Our primary goal is to analyze the effect of tight monetary policy on reversing the currency under-valuation. We look at a sample of 19 developing countries for a period of twenty years. We find tight monetary policy to be ineffective in correcting real exchange rate misalignment when governments can engage in devaluation and undertake fiscal policy in addition to monetary policy. I. Introduction IMF’s recommendation to the Asian countries, whose currencies were under attack, was to raise interest rates. IMF’s belief was that higher interest rates would stop capital flight and help rebuild investor confidence. This is a standard IMF prescription for countries experiencing currency and financial crises. Financial assistance from the IMF is usually conditional on implementation of these policies. IMF has been criticized for too quickly prescribing the old recipe without taking into account the differences in the Asian currency crises. Critics of IMF argue that when financial crises are brought about by excessive spending by fiscal authorities, tightening of monetary policies is sensible advice. But Asian countries were characterized by high savings, low inflation and budgets in surplus at the onset of the Asian crises. Their problem was not lax monetary or fiscal policy, but rather investor panic. Furman and Stiglitz (1998), Krugman (1998), Sachs and Radelet (1998), and Stiglitz (1998) provide a review of the channels through which tight monetary policy may affect the exchange rate.
Pharmacokinetics and Tissue Retention of (Gd-DTPA)-Cystamine Copolymers, a Biodegradable Macromolecular Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agent

Purpose. To investigate the pharmacokinetics, long-term tissue retention of Gd(III) ions, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast enhancement of extracellular biodegradable macromolecular Gd(III) complexes, (Gd-DTPA)-cystamine copolymers (GDCC), of different molecular weights.
Epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor-dependent ERK activation by G protein-coupled receptors: a co-culture system for identifying intermediates upstream and downstream of heparin-binding EGF shedding.

"Transactivation" of epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs) in response to activation of many G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) involves autocrine/paracrine shedding of heparin-binding EGF (HB-EGF). HB-EGF shedding involves proteolytic cleavage of a membrane-anchored precursor by incompletely characterized matrix metalloproteases. In COS-7 cells, alpha(2A)-adrenergic receptors (ARs) stimulate ERK phosphorylation via two distinct pathways, a transactivation pathway that involves the release of HB-EGF and the EGFR and an alternate pathway that is independent of both HB-EGF and the EGFR. We have developed a mixed culture system to study the mechanism of GPCR-mediated HB-EGF shedding in COS-7 cells. In this system, alpha(2A)AR expressing "donor" cells are co-cultured with "acceptor" cells lacking the alpha(2A)AR. Each population expresses a uniquely epitope-tagged ERK2 protein, allowing the selective measurement of ERK activation in the donor and acceptor cells. Stimulation with the alpha(2)AR selective agonist UK14304 rapidly increases ERK2 phosphorylation in both the donor and the acceptor cells. The acceptor cell response is sensitive to inhibitors of both the EGFR and HB-EGF, indicating that it results from the release of HB-EGF from the alpha(2A)AR-expressing donor cells. Experiments with various chemical inhibitors and dominant inhibitory mutants demonstrate that EGFR-dependent activation of the ERK cascade after alpha(2A)AR stimulation requires Gbetagamma subunits upstream and dynamin-dependent endocytosis downstream of HB-EGF shedding and EGFR activation, whereas Src kinase activity is required both for the release of HB-EGF and for HB-EGF-mediated ERK2 phosphorylation.
Effects of Inflation on Financial Markets and Agricultural Lending Institutions

Inflation, one of the most misused words in the English language, is defined here as a continuing rise in the average level of prices for real goods and services. The following price changes thus do not constitute inflation: (a) a price increase for an individual good or service, (b) a once-and-for-all increase in the average level of prices, and (c) a temporary increase in the average level of prices. For example, a price increase for an individual good may affect the average price level. But by itself, this price increase is not inflationary since it is self-limiting; either producers will increase their production and hence drive the price down or else consumers will substitute for other goods in response to the higher price. Inflation of the "steady pace" variety which can be forecasted with little or no error will have one set of effects on an economy. Inflation of the "fits and starts" variety which cannot be forecasted with a reasonably low error will have another set of effects. The generalization that inflation transfers wealth from
Reflection of guided modes in a semiconductor nanowire laser

We analyze the waveguiding properties of semiconductor (GaN, ZnO, CdS) single nanowire lasers which were recently demonstrated experimentally. In particular, we compute the reflectivity for a few lowest-order guided modes (HE11, TE01, and TM01) from the nanowire facets. The reflectivity is shown to depend strongly on the mode type, lasing frequency and radius of the nanowire. By using the computed reflectivities, we make realisic estimates of the threshold gain and quality factor for the nanowire lasers. Our results shed light on the lasing mechanism of the nanowire lasers.
Adsorption ofn-Dodecyl-β-d-maltoside on Solids

Adsorption of a typical sugar-based surfactant,n-dodecyl-β-d-maltoside (DM), on hydrophilic solids, silica, alumina, titania, and hematite, and a hydrophobic solid, graphite, was studied. Effects of salts and pH on the adsorption on alumina as well as the electrokinetic potential of the particles after surfactant adsorption were studied to determine the adsorption mechanisms. Hydrophobicity and settling rate were measured to explore the surfactant conformation on the particle surfaces. For hydrophilic solids, DM was found to adsorb strongly on alumina, titania, and hematite but weakly on silica. While hydrogen bonding is postulated to be the major driving force for the adsorption on hydrophilic solids, for hydrophobic solid, the adsorption is mainly due to the hydrophobic interactions. The different behaviors of surfactant on hydrophilic and hydrophobic solids were attributed to the different interactions between surfactant and solids. Also, the surfactant is estimated to form a bilayer on alumina while on graphite it forms a monolayer. The surface hydrophobicity and stability of the solids are discussed in terms of the adsorbed monolayer/bilayer formation on the particles.
Poly(vinyl alcohol)-gelatin interpenetrating network hydrogels for tissue engineering applications

Erosion of articular cartilage results in subsequent destruction of subchondral bone, generating an osteochondral defect. Osteochondral tissue engineering would benefit from the use of multi-phasic biomimetic scaffolds to promote simultaneous regeneration of articular cartilage and subchondral bone.
The cosmological argument, sufficient reason, and why-questions

To sum up the main results of this study: I have disentangled two distinct patterns of argument that Taylor runs together in his attempt to show that there is a reason or explanation for the world as a whole. The first is based on the causal dependency of things in the world, the second is based on their logical contingency. It seems to make the most sense of Taylor's discussion if we interpret him not as invoking the principle of sufficient reason at the crucial juncture, but as using these arguments to give backing to that principle by showing that it applies to the world in its totality. However, these arguments do not succeed in doing that. The first fails because it depends on a remote analogy between the world as a whole and the physical objects in the world. Concerning the second, an analysis of the logic of why-questions about the existence of things has revealed that the logical contingency of something is not a ground for thinking it has an explanation. The only promising interpretation of the principle of sufficient reason that we have found is as a causal principle pertaining to things in nature.
Paleomagnetic Investigation of the Bonneville Alloformation, Lake Bonneville, Utah☆

Paleomagnetic secular variation in a portion of the Bonneville Alloformation is compared with secular variation in lacustrine sediments in the Mono Basin, California, and with secular variation in Lake Lahontan sediments in the northwestern Great Basin. The comparison places an age of about 18,000 yr B.P., and a span of 1000 to 3000 yr, on part of a transgressive stage of Lake Bonneville near Delta, Utah, that is coeval with a wet period in the Lahontan Basin.
Effects of reserpine and chlorpromazine on rats subjected to experimental stress

Male Wistar rats were subjected to a variable stress program 6 days per week, 4 hours per day. The blood pressure of all animals markedly increased with the peak pressor response occurring during the 11th week. There was no significant difference between the blood pressures of rats receiving saline, 1.0 ml/kg, i.p.; reserpine phosphate, 0.1 mg/kg, i.p.; and chlorpromazine hydrochloride, 4 mg/kg, i.p. Both compounds not only failed to decrease the pressor effects induced by the stressors but also appeared to potentiate the lethal effects of the Stressors. Reserpine increased mortality to stress by over 200% and chlorpromazine increased the mortality rate by approximately 100%. All stressed animals dying during the experiment demonstrated marked vacuolization of the three layers of the adrenal cortex with severe congestion of the sinusoids of the zona reticularis. The reserpine treated animals also demonstrated possible necroses of the outer layers of the zona fasciculata.
Segmentation of the geographic atrophy in spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and fundus autofluorescence images.

PURPOSE Geographic atrophy (GA) is the atrophic late-stage manifestation of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which may result in severe vision loss and blindness. The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable, effective approach for GA segmentation in both spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and fundus autofluorescence (FAF) images using a level set-based approach and to compare the segmentation performance in the two modalities. METHODS To identify GA regions in SD-OCT images, three retinal surfaces were first segmented in volumetric SD-OCT images using a double-surface graph search scheme. A two-dimensional (2-D) partial OCT projection image was created from the segmented choroid layer. A level set approach was applied to segment the GA in the partial OCT projection image. In addition, the algorithm was applied to FAF images for the GA segmentation. Twenty randomly chosen macular SD-OCT (Zeiss Cirrus) volumes and 20 corresponding FAF (Heidelberg Spectralis) images were obtained from 20 subjects with GA. The algorithm-defined GA region was compared with consensus manual delineation performed by certified graders. RESULTS The mean Dice similarity coefficients (DSC) between the algorithm- and manually defined GA regions were 0.87 ± 0.09 in partial OCT projection images and 0.89 ± 0.07 in registered FAF images. The area correlations between them were 0.93 (P < 0.001) in partial OCT projection images and 0.99 (P < 0.001) in FAF images. The mean DSC between the algorithm-defined GA regions in the partial OCT projection and registered FAF images was 0.79 ± 0.12, and the area correlation was 0.96 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS A level set approach was developed to segment GA regions in both SD-OCT and FAF images. This approach demonstrated good agreement between the algorithm- and manually defined GA regions within each single modality. The GA segmentation in FAF images performed better than in partial OCT projection images. Across the two modalities, the GA segmentation presented reasonable agreement.
Olga Taussky, a torchbearer for mathematics and teacher of mathematicians

Olga Taussky-Todd's mathematical and personal life (1906-1995), her achievements and obstacles, her scientific reasoning and teaching all have served as inspiration to many mathematicians. We describe her role in the mathematics world of the previous century as a torchbearer for mathematics and mathematicians, bearing the “torch of scientific truth” that burns inside of mathematics and its applications. Besides her many deep math contributions – too many to elaborate – she excelled at distilling and presenting mathematical concepts and ideas in her work and gave us many visionary papers and math talks. By sharing her mathematical vision freely she has inspired many of us. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Direct molecular interactions between HMGB1 and TP53 in colorectal cancer

Tumorigenesis and the efficacy of cancer therapeutics are both defined by the balance between autophagy and apoptosis. High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a DNA chaperone and extracellular damage-associated molecular pattern molecule (DAMP) with pro-autophagic activity. TP53/p53 plays a transcription-dependent and -independent role in the regulation of apoptosis, autophagy, metabolism, cell cycle progression, and many other processes. Both HMGB1 and TP53 are tightly linked with the development of cancer, associated with many of the hallmarks defining the altered biology of cancer. We have demonstrated that TP53-HMGB1 complexes regulate the balance between apoptosis and autophagy through regulation of the cytosolic localization of the reciprocal binding partner, whereby increased cytosolic HMGB1 enhances autophagy and increased cytosolic TP53 enhances apoptosis in colon cancer cells. We found that HMGB1-mediated autophagy promotes cell survival in TP53-dependent processes, and that TP53 inhibits autophagy through negative regulation of HMGB1-BECN1 complexes. Nuclear localization of TP53 and HMGB1 in tumors from patients with colon adenocarcinoma had a positive trend with survival time from diagnosis. Thus, HMGB1 and TP53 are critical in the cross-regulation of apoptosis and autophagy and central to colon cancer biology.
Large scale purification of alpha-1 trypsin inhibitor from human plasma.

Abstract A convenient large scale purification of the alpha-1 trypsin inhibitor from human plasma was achieved by conventional salting out and column chromatography methods. The pure inhibitor complexes 0.68 μgs of bovine trypsin per ug inhibitor, and 0.60 μgs human trypsin per μg inhibitor. The inhibitor is homogeneous by equilibrium chromatography, disc electrophoresis, and ultracentrifugation. Conditions for its storage with minimal loss of activity are described. The advantages of the present preparation are higher potency, long-term stability, and large scale.
Effects of working fluid and shaft rotation speed on the performance of HTR plants and the size of CBC turbo-machine

Abstract Investigated are the effects of the molecular weight of the working fluid, reactor exit temperature, and shaft rotation speed on the size and number of stages of the turbo-machine as well as the performance of high temperature reactor (HTR) plants with actively cooled reactor pressure vessel and direct or indirect Closed Brayton Cycles (CBCs). The present analyses for working fluids of helium (4 g/mol) and the 15 g/mol He–Xe and He–N2 binary mixtures are performed for a reactor thermal power of 600 MW, shaft rotation speed of 3000–9000 rpm, and reactor exit temperature from 973 K to 1223 K. For the plants with indirect CBCs, the analyses assume a temperature pinch of 50 K in the IHX. Results show that the CBC compression ratio is relatively low (∼2.6 for He and He–Xe and ∼3.2 for He–N2), increases very little with increasing the reactor exit temperature and near the maximum thermal efficiency of the plant. For the plants with a direct helium CBC, the thermal efficiency increases from 42% to 51% as the reactor exit temperature increases from 973 K to 1223 K, respectively, versus 37% to 47% for the plants with indirect He-CBC. The HTR plants with indirect He–Xe and He–N2 CBCs and operating at a turbine inlet temperature of 1123 K have slightly higher thermal efficiencies (45.9% and 45.8%) than the He plant with indirect CBC (45.6%), generating ∼1.6 MWe more electrical power. The molecular weight of the working fluid has a very small effect on the plant thermal efficiency, but significantly reduces the size and number of stages of the CBC turbo-machine. Increasing the shaft rotation speed also decreases the size and number of stages of the CBC turbo-machine.
Natural Philosophy and the Use of Causal Terminology: A Puzzle in Reid's Account of Natural Philosophy

Thomas Reid thinks of natural philosophy as a purely nomothetic enterprise but he maintains that it is proper for natural philosophers to employ causal terminology in formulating their explanatory claims. In this paper, I analyze this puzzle in light of Reid's distinction between efficient and physical causation – a distinction he grounds in his strict understanding of active powers. I consider several possible reasons that Reid may have for maintaining that natural philosophers ought to employ causal terminology and suggest that the underlying rationale for his views is his understanding of the aims of explanation and their connection to the interests of human agents. The ultimate aim of knowing the causes of phenomena is to mollify the natural intellectual curiosity of human inquirers and provide guidance that insures successful action. The discovery of laws governing phenomena fulfills this aim and, as such, it is appropriate for natural philosophers to employ causal terminology.
Comment on "A third explanation for female infanticide"

When I wrote this paper (Hawkes, 1981) I saw recent developments in evolutionary biology as a source of models and insights which applied to the investigation of form and variation in culture, but only after modification. This modification seemed essential since "culture" has characteristics which distinguish it from "biology." That division, culture vs. biology, now seems more confusing than clarifying for many issues. At least it may be premature, and prevent taking full advantage of a view of behavior which has proven so powerfully clarifying in behavioral ecology. [Alexander's treatment of this (1979a, 1979b) is very instructive.] For example, developments in sex allocation theory (reviewed in Charnov et al., 1981) show the remarkable variety of behaviors produced by the "same genes," e.g., facultative sex ratios as a response to variable environments, which can be accounted for by simple models based on natural selection. Recent research using optimal foraging theory (e.g., O'Connell and Hawkes, in press, Hawkes and Hill 1980) suggests that the anthropological gains from the literal application of "biological models" may be sizable. From the theory that a culture is the cumulative result of the inclusive fitness-maximizing behaviors of all its past and present participants flows a vast array of interesting and testable hypotheses. Careful exploration of these, like Dickemann's, will tell us novel and interesting things about culture even when particular hypotheses fail empirical test. As Dickemann
Calculation of molybdenum sputtering from the limiter in alcator C

Abstract A simple one-dimensional model for sputtering from the surface of a molybdenum limiter has been developed. Sources of sputtering included in this model are due to thermal ions and the subsequent self-sputtering that follows. The resultant molybdenum source rates match those calculated based on molybdenum line emission data from the main plasma coupled with an anomalous impurity diffusion coefficient. A review of the source rate dependence on plasma parameters is also included.
The Pharmacology of Human Information Processing

A serial information processing model provides a rough but useful framework for studying effects of age and drugs on human cognition. Using this approach, one varies both the nature of experimental tasks and the biology of the subjects, and one measures both reaction time and event-related potential latencies. For example, we may change a task by varying the complexity of the stimulus or the complexity of the response. We may change the biology of the subject by giving drugs or by using subjects of different ages. The interactions of the independent variables on reaction time and ERP latencies yield convergent data on the properties of information processing stages and on the actions of biological variables upon them. Using this approach we find that methylphenidate acts late on response-related processes while aging acts on earlier and on stimulus-related processes. A review of other studies shows the value of this approach, but is balanced by illustration of some of its problems and shortcomings.
Fermi-liquid properties of nuclear matter in a dirac-hartree-fock approximation

Abstract Fermi-liquid properties of nuclear matter described by a relativistic quantum field theory are examined in terms of Landau's Fermi-liquid theory. A relativistic Dirac-Hartree-Fock (DHF) approximation is examined from the point of view of the Hugenholtz-Van Hove (HV) theorem as a check for internal consistency. The retardation which enters through exchange contributions prevents the HV theorem from being satisfied; therefore, the Dirac-Hartree-Fock approximation would have to be modified in order to maintain the HV theorem. The static limit of the DHF approximation obeys the HV theorem exactly, and this approximation is applied to Landau's Fermi-liquid theory. The Landau parameters are derived microscopically from the ground-state energy in the static DHF approximation and are used to describe the thermodynamic properties of the system, such as compressibility, symmetry energy and first sound velocity.
Strategic planning for pollution reduction

Abstract Pollution reduction is one of the most challenging problems confronting corporations in the 1990s. Growing public concern, stricter enforcement of laws and regulations, sky rocketing clean-up costs, and multi-billion dollar liability suits are putting increasing pressures on companies to take action against pollution. This article describes how pollution reduction can be incorporated in the Business Planning process.
Dilations and Commutant Lifting for Jointly Isometric Operators—A Geometric Approach

Abstract A tuple of commuting contractions T =( T 1 , T 2 , …, T n ) is called a joint-isometry if ∑ T * j T j = I . We give a geometric proof that joint isometries have a regular unitary dilation and that its commutant lifts. We also show that T is subnormal and that its minimal normal extension is also jointly isometric.
Dependence of the superconducting transition temperature and lattice parameter on hydrostatic pressure for Rb3C60

Abstract The equation of state (EOS) of polycrystalline Rb3C60 was accurately determined to 1 GPa at 295 K and 14 K using high-pressure neutron diffraction. In a separate experiment on Rb3C60, the variation of the superconducting transition temperature Tc with hydrostatic pressure was also measured. The resulting dependence of Tc on lattice parameter a is almost linear, with initial slope dT c dlna ∼- +520 K , but is less steep than the Tc(a)-dependence obtained at ambient pressure if Rb is substituted with smaller alkali metal cations. Tc(a) for Rb3C60 thus does not follow a universal curve in high pressure and substitution experiments, as previously claimed. Starting with the measured EOS at room temperature, we use a Debye model to estimate the Murnaghan EOS for both NaCl (used here as a pressure calibrant) and Rb3C60 over the entire temperature region below 400 K.
Reproductive biology of a rare cactus, Opuntia spinosissima (Cactaceae), in the Florida Keys: why is seed set very low?

Opuntia spinosissima (Martyn) Mill. (Cactaceae) is an extremely rare taxon with a single remaining wild population of 13 plants located on Little Torch Key, Florida. The plants rarely set viable seeds and most ovaries abscise without initiation of fruits. Pollination and breeding system were examined in Little Torch Key and in plant accessions located at Fairchild Tropical Garden. Four pollination treatments were carried out to test for apomixis, self-pollination, outcrossing, and autogamy; a control treatment was also monitored. Additionally, pollen viability, pollinators, and seed set and viability were investigated. On selfed, crossed, and open (control) stigmas pollen grains germinated, but the tubes usually did not reach the base of the style. This suggests that O. spinosissima has pre-zygotic self-incompatibility. None of the pairwise crosses set seed, so the extant plants were apparently not inter-compatible. Out of 173 manipulated and control flowers, only one set fruit. Although this flower was outcrossed, no pollen tubes germinated on the stigma; this suggests agamospermy, a process common in the Cactaceae. In those flowers where pollen tubes did reach the ovary they failed to penetrate ovules, suggesting ovarian inhibition or that this taxon has lost the ability to be fertilized. Most field-collected seeds were viable, but there is no seedling recruitment under natural conditions, and vegetative reproduction is common. Based on these findings, I hypothesize that O. spinosissima is a sterile polyploid and that the 13 extant plants are asexually derived from a single lineage.
Acculturation, Internalization of Western Appearance Norms, and Eating Pathology Among Japanese and Chinese International Student Women.

In the context of the sociocultural model of eating disorders, this study investigated the hypothesis that Westernization would be positively associated with eating pathology among non-Western wome...
Influence of farmyard manure on the chemical kinetics and growth of rice in a submerged vertisol.

Abstract Farmyard manure (FYM) and urea, alone or in different combinations all equivalent to 100 kg N/ha, were evaluated as nitrogen sources for lowland rice grown on a heavy alkaline vertisol. Their influence on soil chemical and electrochemical properties after submergence was also investigated. Soil solution analysis at various intervals after flooding revealed that water-soluble NH 4 + -N was reduced by increasing the proportion of nitrogen applied as FYM. The build-up of NH 4 + -N with FYM alone was only marginally different from that of the nil-N control. In general, pH, Eh, pCO 2 , Fe 2+ and Mn 2+ were not affected by amending the soil with FYM alone or in combination with urea. The most noticeable effect of FYM was an increase in water-soluble phosphorus. During the four seasons of investigation in the field and one season in pots grain yield responses were reduced as the proportion of N from FYM increased. Grain yields from FYM only and nil-N did not differ significantly. FYM was a poor source of nitrogen for lowland rice.
The effect of light on strobilation in the Chesapeake Bay Sea Nettle Chrysaora quinquecirrha

Previous work (Loeb, 1972) showed that strobilation could be induced in Chrysaora quinquecirrha (Desor) by subjecting polyps to a period of chilling followed by warming. It is shown here, that the onset of strobilation and the rate at which this process occurs in a population of C. quinquecirrha polyps is positively related to the amount of light received during chilling and in the period following warming. The absence of light during either period delays the onset of strobilation. The intensity of coloration of C. quinquecirrha polyps before strobilation appears to be correlated with the amount of light to which they have been exposed during chilling.
The Early History of Martial Law in England from the Fourteenth Century to the Petition of Right

The period from about 1300 to 1628 witnessed the beginnings of martial law, the establishment of custom governing the situations in which it might be invoked, then a break with that custom followed by a period of widened application, and finally, a reaction, once again restricting the Crown's use of martial law. Although extended, this period needs to be understood as a coherent whole, what might be termed, the first chapter in the history of martial law in England.
Automatic extraction of head and face boundaries and facial features

This paper presents a novel approach for the extraction of human head, face and facial features. In the double-threshold method, the high-thresholded image is used to trace head boundary and the low-thresholded image is used to scan face boundary. We obtain facial features candidates and eliminate noises, and apply x- and y-projections to extract facial features such as eyes, nostrils and mouth. Because low contrast of chin occurs in some face images, its boundary cannot be completely detected. An elliptic model is used to repair it. Because of noises or clustered facial features candidates, we apply a geometric face model to locate facial features and an elliptic model to trace face boundary. The Gabor filter algorithm is adopted to locate two eyes. We have tested our algorithm on more than 100 FERET face images. Experimental results show that our algorithm can perform the extraction of human head, face and facial features successfully.
Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Devices Significantly Unload the Pulmonary Vasculature Regardless of the Severity of Mitral Regurgitation

Purpose Ventricular unloading with continuous flow LVADs (CFLVAD) has been correlated with reduction of pulmonary artery pressures (PAP) during support. The impact of severity of mitral regurgitation on the observed reduction in PAPs has not been defined. The necessity of additional surgical interventions on the mitral valve in patients with moderate or severe MR during LVAD implantation is controversial. Further, the magnitude of improvement in severity of MR in CFLVAD is undefined. Methods and Materials From January 2009 to January 2012, 245 patients underwent placement of CFLVAD (HeartMate2, HeartWare) at our institution. We compared preoperative right heart hemodynamics and echocardiograms to long term post support echocardiography with complete follow-up in 200 patients (82%). Results Average time from implant to long term study was 262±317 days. After CFLVAD placement, 94.5 % of patients had improvement or no change in MR and 5.5% of patient had worse MR. Improvement of ≥ to one grade was seen in 76.5 % (153/200) patients. Furthermore, 61.5 % (123/200) of patients had ≥2 grade improvement and 60% of patients had no MR or a 3 grade improvement (p Conclusions Heart failure patients with moderate to severe MR have significant reductions in MR after CFLVAD. CFLVADs significantly unload the pulmonary vasculature, regardless of the degree of MR. Mitral valve procedures may not be necessary in addition to LVAD implantation to achieve long term pulmonary vascular decompression in the patients with moderate to severe MR. Pre-operative MR Grade Pre-Operative MR (patients) Severe Moderate Mild Trivial/None Pre-op PASP Long Term PASP Severe (65) 9% 15% 40% 35% 58± 14 33± 10 Moderate (60) 5% 18% 33% 45% 59 ±12 31± 11 Mild (58) 0% 9% 33% 59% 57± 15 32± 12 Trivial/None (17) 0% 0% 18% 82% 52 ± 12 30 ± 10 Improvement of MR from baseline in all groups (p
Potentiation of Glucocorticoid-Mediated Induction of the Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus Promoter in Mammary Carcinoma Cells by Activation of Protein Kinase C

Abstract In a mammary carcinoma cell line, the glucocorticoid induction of a stably integrated mouse mammary tumor virus-luciferase reporter gene is potentiated up to ten-fold by treatment of the cells with phorbol ester tumor promoters. This potentiation is stereospecific and is observed with a structurally unrelated tumor promoter that also activates protein kinase C. Another tumor promoter, thapsigargin, that acts via mobilization of intracellular calcium stores, fails to potentiate the hormone response. This potentiation contrasts to the inhibition or lack of effect observed in fibroblasts. Cell specific interactions of different signal transduction pathways with steroid response pathways may play an important role in determining the tissue specificity of steroid hormone.
Association of Leukocytosis with Amphetamine and Cocaine Use

Objective. Determining the etiology of unexplained leukocytosis in asymptomatic patients may incur unnecessary testing, cost, and prolonged emergency department stay. The objective was to delineate if use of amphetamines and/or cocaine is a factor. Methods. For two years we reviewed all psychiatric patients presenting for medical clearance with exclusions for infection, epilepsy, trauma, or other nonpsychiatric medical conditions. Results. With a total of 1,206 patients, 877 (72.7%) amphetamines/cocaine-negative drug screen controls had mean WBC /µL. The 240 (19.9%) amphetamines-positive, cocaine-negative, patients had WBC /µL (). The 72 (6.0%) amphetamines-negative, cocaine-positive, patients had WBC /µL (). The remaining 17 (1.4%) amphetamines/cocaine-positive patients had WBC /µL (). Amphetamines-positive patients had a supranormal WBC ratio significantly higher than controls (23.8% versus 14.8%, ), whereas only one cocaine-positive patient had a supranormal WBC count, with significantly lower ratio (1.4%, ). Conclusion. Use of amphetamines, not cocaine, may be associated with idiopathic leukocytosis. This may be explained by unique pharmacologic, neuroendocrine, and immunomodulatory differences.
Vinblastine, adriamycin, thiotepa, and halotestin (VATH). Therapy for advanced breast cancer refractory to prior chemotherapy

Nineteen postmenopausal patients with metastatic breast cancer refractory to conventional combination chemotherapy were treated with monthly cycles with the combinations of vinblastine, adriamycin, thiotepa and halotestin. Ten patients (52%) responded with a greater than 50% regression of measurable tumor. The median duration of response was 11.5 months, with 5/10 patients still responding at a mean follow-up of 10 months. Only 2/10 responders have died with a mean follow-up of 13.8 months. In contrast, 8/9 nonresponders have died (median survival 6.0 months). Response to therapy was neither influenced by site of disease, time interval from diagnosis to primary chemotherapy nor duration of response to primary chemotherapy. No patient was hospitalized because of drug induced toxicity. This combination of drugs is a tolerable effective regimen for patients relapsing after adjuvant chemotherapy or after primary combination chemotherapy for grossly metastatic disease.
Pseudopterosin A inhibits phagocytosis and alters intracellular calcium turnover in a pertussis toxin sensitive site in Tetrahymena thermophila.

Abstract The free living ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila was chosen as a cellular model in order to investigate the mode of action of the anti-inflammatory marine natural product Pseudopterosin A (PsA). In this paper we present evidence that PsA inhibits phagosome formation (KD = 10.5 μM) and triggers a discrete intracellular calcium release (depletion) from a site in T. thermophila cells (KD = 6.4 μM). Pre-treatment with the Gi/o protein inhibitor, pertussis toxin (PTX), inhibits PsA activity of both responses providing pharmacological evidence that the site of action for PsA is at a PTX sensitive G protein or a G protein coupled receptor (GPCR). Addition of extracellular calcium induced a concentration dependent increase in the incidence of phagosome formation (KD = 30.3 μM) and was blocked by PsA pre-treatment. This particular effect of PsA on extracellular calcium was not blocked by PTX pre-treatment.
Damping and synchronizing torques

THIS ARTICLE presents data on the variation of the synchronizing and damping torque coefficients of a synchronous machine as affected by hunting frequency, reactance and resistance of the system to which the machine is connected, and characteristics of the rotor circuits, load, and field excitations. The data are presented not only as being of value in themselves but also to call attention to a straightforward method of calculation which has been available for a long time.1
Bombesin stimulates mucosal growth in jejunal and ileal Thiry-Vella fistulas.

OBJECTIVE: The authors determined whether the trophic effects of bombesin (BBS) on the small bowel mucosa are mediated by either nonluminal factors or endogenous luminal secretion. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: The gut hormone bombesin stimulates growth of small bowel mucosa. The mechanisms responsible for this trophic effect are not known. METHODS: Rats underwent construction of a Thiry-Vella fistula (TVF) of either the jejunum or ileum. On postoperative day 10, the two groups were subdivided to receive either saline (control) or bombesin (10 micrograms/kg, subcutaneously, three times a day). After 14 days, rats were killed and the TVF was removed. The mucosa was scraped and weighed, and DNA and protein content was determined. RESULTS: Bombesin significantly increased mucosal weight and DNA and protein content of both the jejunal and ileal TVF compared with the control rats. CONCLUSIONS: Bombesin-mediated stimulation of small bowel mucosal growth is mediated by factors that are independent of luminal contents and pancreaticobiliary secretion. Bombesin may prove to be an important enterotrophic factor for gut mucosal proliferation.
DYNAMIC TURBULENCE PROMOTION IN REVERSE OSMOSIS PROCESSING OF LIQUID FOODS

SUMMARY– The phenomenon of concentration polarization operates to reduce the efficiency of solvent-solute separation in the processing of foods by reverse osmosis. The viscous nature of most food concentrates aggravates the problem. Disrupting the boundary layer by mechanically inducing turbulence in the fluid stream improves the permeation efficiency. Flux improvement of up to 3-fold is possible with dynamic turbulence promotion involving plastic spheres moving randomly with the orange juice concentrate. Concentrate (and sphere) movement is pulsed alternately from one end of the membrane flow channel to the other. The spheres are confined within the flow channel to avoid the problem of moving them through the recycling pumps. A net movement of concentrate results when the pump volume is greater in one direction than the other. The permeation rate with dynamic turbulence promotion does not drop off significantly with time. The long-term effects of sphere movement on the membrane surface are not known but are believed not to be serious.