cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reductions in net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance vary with time since leaf detachment in three deciduous angiosperms

Compared to in situ measurements, net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance were reduced 3–6 min after leaf detachment in Quercus rubra and Quercus alba, and 9 min after leaf detachment in Juglans nigra. Collecting in situ gas-exchange measurements in canopies of mature trees is challenging, because the crown can be several meters above ground. Thus, we investigated the effect of detaching the leaf from the branch and time since detachment for three deciduous angiosperm species: black walnut (Juglans nigra), northern red oak (Quercus nigra), and white oak (Quercus alba). Results showed that net photosynthesis (A) was significantly reduced 3 min after leaf detachment in Quercus rubra, 6 min after leaf detachment in Q. alba, and 9 min after leaf detachment in J. nigra. Compared to the in situ measurement, a 72 ± 13% reduction (mean ± SE) in A occurred after 3 min in Q. rubra, a 74 ± 27% reduction in A occurred after 6 min in Q. alba, while a 41 ± 14% reduction in A occurred after 9 min in J. nigra. Furthermore, once the significant reduction in A occurred, it was maintained over the remaining time period for each species. Responses for stomatal conductance were similar to those of A. Results highlight the importance of measuring gas exchange in situ whenever possible. Otherwise, these results provide threshold time periods to carry out instantaneous gas-exchange measurements in the field for select hardwood species in which the canopy is difficult to access.
Association Between Community Social Capital and Hospital Readmission Rates.

Abstract Hospital readmissions remain frequent, and are partly attributable to patients' social needs. The authors sought to examine whether local community levels of social capital are associated with hospital readmission rates. Social capital refers to the connections among members of a society that foster norms of reciprocity and trust, which may influence the availability of support for postdischarge recovery after hospitalization. Associations between hospital-wide, risk-stratified readmission rates for hospitals in the United States (n = 4298) and levels of social capital in the hospitals' service areas were examined. Social capital was measured by an index of participation in associational activities and civic affairs. A multivariate linear regression model was used to adjust for hospital and community factors such as hospital financial performance, race, income, and availability of heath care services. Results showed that higher social capital was significantly associated with lower readmission ra...
Defenses, Ecology of

Plant defenses are adaptations that reduce the damage and mortality caused by herbivores and pathogens. Here we describe the diverse array of features that have a defensive role in plants. Most prominent are chemical defenses that plants use to deter or poison their natural enemies. Also important are physical defenses, such as spines and trichomes, that prevent herbivores from feeding on plant tissues, and mutualisms, in which plants feed or house ants, other arthropods, or fungi in exchange for their defensive help. All of these defenses are presumed to cost plants in terms of energy and nutrients, and they only evolve when their benefits outweight these costs. Selection, however, has favored different investments in defenses across habitats, reflecting both underlying costs of defenses and the potential for plant damage. We conclude with a discussion of how humans have used plant defenses, primarily chemical compounds, in their everyday lives, underscoring their importance in both traditional and Western societies.
Sensor-based understanding of daily life via large-scale use of common sense

The use of large quantities of common sense has long been thought to be critical to the automated understanding of the world. To this end, various groups have collected repositories of common sense in machine-readable form. However, efforts to apply these large bodies of knowledge to enable correspondingly large-scale sensor-based understanding of the world have been few. Challenges have included semantic gaps between facts in the repositories and phenomena detected by sensors, fragility of reasoning in the face of noise, incompleteness of repositories, and slowness of reasoning with these large repositories. We show how to address these problems with a combination of novel sensors, probabilistic representation, web-scale information retrieval and approximate reasoning. In particular, we show how to use the 50,000-fact hand-entered Open-Mind Indoor Common Sense database to interpret sensor traces of day-to-day activities with 88% accuracy (which is easy) and 32/53% precision/recall (which is not).
AO as a Philanthropic Force

The conversation about wealth, of all kinds, might give the reader the impression that wealth generation was the end goal of many associated with the AO Foundation. Far from it. As an organization, the AO itself profited from accumulated financial wealth, but always remained dedicated to improving patient lives. Since this wealth was accrued without direct compensation to those who delivered its mission, the AO Foundation qualifies as a social entrepreneurial enterprise; social with regards to its mission and its status as a non-profit organization. Since the AO undertakes surgical development, combined with an immense educational effort that requires considerable management skills, it is also an enterprise. The AO is more than an association, not just a debating club of surgeons, but an organization that undertakes a daunting endeavor to improve fracture care globally.
Elective Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support for High-Risk Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization.

Objective The utility of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as an elective support modality for high-risk cardiac procedures is extensively described in adults, but its use in children is limited to isolated reports. The objective of this study was to analyze the outcomes of patients who underwent elective cannulation to ECMO for this purpose. Design Single-center, retrospective chart review. Setting Free-standing pediatric tertiary care center. Participants Patients who underwent elective cannulation to ECMO for cardiorespiratory support during a high-risk cardiac catheterization procedure. Interventions Elective ECMO cannulation for high-risk percutaneous cardiac interventions or electrophysiology procedures. Measurements and Main Results Survival to discharge was 71.4% compared with 30% for patients who required extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. The mean duration of cannulation was 137.43 hours (range 27-615 h, median 55 h). There were no major neurologic sequelae, but ECMO circuit thrombosis (57%) was relatively common. Conclusion The use of elective ECMO support for high-risk pediatric cardiac catheterizations can be accomplished safely and may allow for an improved rate of survival with lower rates of severe adverse events compared with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation as rescue therapy.
Factors related to prenatal smoking among socioeconomically disadvantaged women.

Socioeconomically disadvantaged pregnant women are especially at risk for smoking. To understand better this health behavior disparity, this systematic, integrative, comprehensive review aimed to i...
Normal D-dimer levels in cancer patients with radiologic evidence of pulmonary embolism

Accurate and expeditious diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary embolism in cancer patients improves patient outcomes. D-dimer is often used to rule out pulmonary embolism. However, this test is less accurate in cancer patients, and it is unclear whether cancer patients with normal D-dimer levels can present with pulmonary embolism. All consecutive patients who presented to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, USA, between May 2009 and November 2015 who underwent computed tomography pulmonary angiography and plasma D-dimer level measurement were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with suspected pulmonary embolism and normal D-dimer levels were identified. Among the 8023 cancer patients identified, 1156 (14%) had pulmonary embolism. Only 35 patients with pulmonary embolism (3%) had normal plasma D-dimer levels. Twenty-six of these patients had acute pulmonary embolism and the other nine had subacute or chronic pulmonary embolism. Thirteen of the 26 acute cases were in patients with hematological cancer. Most patients (23/35, 66%) had subsegmental or segmental pulmonary embolism. Only one patient had pulmonary embolism in the main pulmonary arteries. Although it is uncommon (3%), cancer patients with radiologic evidence of pulmonary embolism can present with normal D-dimer levels. Recognizing the possibility of this uncommon occurrence is critical in the decision process for ordering diagnostic tests for evaluation of suspected pulmonary embolism.
Two Semigroup Elements Can Commute With Any Positive Rational Probability

SummaryWe construct semigroups with any given positive rational commuting probability, extending a Classroom Capsule from November 2008 in this Journal.
Toward the Development of a Culturally Humble Intervention to Improve Glycemic Control and Quality of Life among Adolescents with Type-1 Diabetes and Their Families

Type-1 Diabetes (T1D) is a prevalent and costly disorder associated with substantial morbidity that differentially impacts low-income and/or minority adolescents and their families. The primary study objective was to develop a guiding model to inform culturally humble interventions for Mid-southern youth with T1D presenting with multiple correlates of suboptimal glycemic control and their families. In order to develop a clinic specific guiding model, conceptualizations of health, the need/type of intervention thought to be most helpful, the optimal structure, and strategies to improve the cultural/regional fit was ascertained from (A) youth with T1D (n = 13) and caregivers (n = 11) via qualitative interviews and, (B) pediatric endocrinologists and nurse practitioners (n = 6), and (C) nurses, diabetes educators, dietitians, and social workers (n = 9) via focus groups. Qualitative themes were synthesized to guide the treatment development model whereby Quality of Life and Glycemic Control would be directly enhanced by interventions to promote Coping, Support, Education, and Improved Psychosocial Functioning and indirectly through improved Adherence and T1D Autonomy delivered in a culturally humble way that affirms youths' T1D identify. These finding suggest that existing evidence-based treatments may provide a great fit for low-income, and/or minority youth with T1D and their families living in the mid-south, provided these interventions are delivered in culturally humble manner.
The Physics of Ultraviolet Photodeposition

Ultraviolet photodeposition is a technique for direct laser writing of submicrometer metal patterns on solid substrates. The process involves a wealth of unexplored physical phenomena including micrometer-scale ultraviolet photochemistry and surface and interface chemical dynamics. This paper briefly reviews the current developments in understanding the process physics. In addition, the applications of the technique to microelectronics fabrication are briefly discussed.
Digital image analysis of the distribution of proliferating cell nuclear antigen in hepatitis C virus-related chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Viral dynamic studies in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection indicate a significantly shortened survival of virus-infected cells. Since at the steady state of chronic viral infection, the rate of infected cell elimination equals new cell regeneration, this would imply a high rate of hepatocyte turnover in chronic HCV liver disease. We estimated the fraction of regenerating hepatocytes in liver biopsy sections in chronic HCV liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We used antibodies to proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) to detect proliferating cell nuclei in liver biopsy specimen from controls and patients with chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and HCC. We also used bis-benzimide to label fluorescently all hepatocyte nuclei simultaneously. Using digital image analysis, we calculated the area occupied by PCNA-stained hepatocyte nuclei, as a fraction of the total area occupied by fluorescently labeled hepatocyte nuclei (labeling index; LI). Antibody staining was negligible in the control specimen. The mean ± SE PCNA LI increased from 0.21 ± 0.1 in chronic hepatitis to 0.63 ± 0.15 in HCC. There was no significant difference between chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis. The fraction of cells undergoing regeneration is increased in chronic HCV liver disease, HCV-related cirrhosis, and HCC. Increased hepatocyte turnover could provide the link between chronic HCV liver disease and HCC.
Kinetic model for competitive condensation of vapor between concave and convex surfaces in a soot aggregate

Atmospheric soot is an air pollutant and a climate forcer. Its environmental impacts are altered when fractal soot particles change their composition and morphology during atmospheric processing by...
Influences on teacher efficacy of preservice music educators

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that influence preservice music teacher efficacy. Participants in this study were undergraduate music education students (N = 124), a convenienc...
Remote Rehabilitation: A Field-Based Feasibility Study of an mHealth Resistance Exercise Band

Sarcopenia is the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength that is associated with adverse health outcomes. Resistance-based exercises are effective for mitigation and enhancement of strength; however, adherence is low and challenging to measure when patients are at home. In a single-arm, pilot study of seven older adults, we conducted a field-based usability study evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of using a system consisting of a Bluetooth-connected resistance exercise band and tablet-based app which together we call BandPass in completing four different home-based exercises. The system measured a total of 147 exercises by participants with a mean duration of 94±66 seconds, completing an average of 30±20 repetitions. Though not all patients completed each exercise type, patients were positive about use: patient activation measure: 80.7±14; system usability scale: 6.9±2.9; and confidence in use: 7.7±2.7. The BandPass system demonstrated its ability to collect data on exercise type, force during an exercise, and duration of exercise when older adults use it for monitoring exercise at home.
Novel Autoantibodies to the β-Cell Surface Epitopes of ZnT8 in Patients Progressing to Type-1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing β -cells in pancreatic islets. Seroconversions to islet autoantibodies (IAbs) precede the disease onset by many years, but the initial factors driving the chronic phase, especially the role of humoral autoimmunity in the disease progression are unknown. In the present study, we identified a new IAb directed to the extracellular epitopes of ZnT8 (ZnT8ec) exposed on the β -cell surface. We further demonstrated immunofluorescence staining of ZnT8ec-specific autoantibodies (ZnT8Ab) on cell surface and epitope spreading from ZnT8ec to multiple intracellular or secretory self-antigens during the progression of islet autoimmunity in newly diagnosed patients with T1D. The identification of ZnT8ec as a cell surface target of humoral autoimmunity in the early phase of IAb responses opens a new avenue of investigation into IAb-mediated T1D etiology and progression. Funding Statement: This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, R56 DK123435, RO1 DK032083, and RO1DK032493. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests. Ethics Approval Statement: Signed written informed consents were obtained from participants and the studies were approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Colorado.
Discovering and balancing fundamental cycles in large signed graphs

Computing consensus states via global sign balancing is a key step in social network analysis. This paper presents graphB+, a fast algorithm for balancing signed graphs based on a new vertex and edge labeling technique, and a parallel implementation thereof for rapidly detecting and balancing all fundamental cycles. The main benefits of graphB+ are that the labels can be computed with linear time complexity, only require a linear amount of memory, and that the running time for balancing a cycle is linear in the length of the cycle times the vertex degrees but independent of the size of the graph. We parallelized graphB+ using OpenMP and CUDA. It takes 0.85 seconds on a Titan V GPU to balance the signs on the edges of an Amazon graph with 10 million vertices and 22 million edges, amounting to over 14 million fundamental cycles identified, traversed, and balanced per second.
Photothrombosis-induced Focal Ischemia as a Model of Spinal Cord Injury in Mice

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating clinical condition causing permanent changes in sensorimotor and autonomic functions of the spinal cord (SC) below the site of injury. The secondary ischemia that develops following the initial mechanical insult is a serious complication of the SCI and severely impairs the function and viability of surviving neuronal and non-neuronal cells in the SC. In addition, ischemia is also responsible for the growth of lesion during chronic phase of injury and interferes with the cellular repair and healing processes. Thus there is a need to develop a spinal cord ischemia model for studying the mechanisms of ischemia-induced pathology. Focal ischemia induced by photothrombosis (PT) is a minimally invasive and very well established procedure used to investigate the pathology of ischemia-induced cell death in the brain. Here, we describe the use of PT to induce an ischemic lesion in the spinal cord of mice. Following retro-orbital sinus injection of Rose Bengal, the posterior spinal vein and other capillaries on the dorsal surface of SC were irradiated with a green light resulting in the formation of a thrombus and thus ischemia in the affected region. Results from histology and immunochemistry studies show that PT-induced ischemia caused spinal cord infarction, loss of neurons and reactive gliosis. Using this technique a highly reproducible and relatively easy model of SCI in mice can be achieved that would serve the purpose of scientific investigations into the mechanisms of ischemia induced cell death as well as the efficacy of neuroprotective drugs. This model will also allow exploration of the pathological changes that occur following SCI in live mice like axonal degeneration and regeneration, neuronal and astrocytic Ca(2+) signaling using two-photon microscopy.
The effects of chlorpyrifos on cholinesterase activity and foraging behavior in the dragonfly, Anax junius (Odonata)

We examined head capsule cholinesterase (ChE) and foraging behavior in nymphs of the dragonfly, Anax junius, exposed for 24 h to 0.2, 0.6 and 1.0 μg l−1 of the organophosphorus (OP) insecticide, chlorpyrifos [O,O-diethyl O-(3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyl) phosphorothioate]. The invertebrate community is an important component of the structure and function of wetland ecosystems, yet the potential effects of insecticides on wetland ecosystems are largely unknown. Our objectives were to determine if exposure to environmentally realistic concentrations of chlorpyrifos affected foraging behavior and ChE activity in head capsules of dragonfly nymphs. Nymphs were exposed to different concentrations of chlorpyrifos and different prey densities in a factorial design. ChE activities and foraging behaviors of treated nymphs were not statistically different (p ≥ 0.05) from control groups. Prey density effects exerted a greater effect on dragonfly foraging than toxicant exposures. Nymphs offered higher prey densities exhibited more foraging behaviors but also missed their prey more often. High variability in ChE activities within the control group and across treated groups precluded determination of relationships between ChE and foraging behaviors. It appears that A. junius is relatively tolerant of chlorpyrifos, although the concentrations we tested have been shown in other work to adversely affect the prey base; therefore the introduction of this insecticide may have indirect adverse affects on top invertebrate predators such as Odonata.
Reply to Espenshade

I would like to thank Professor Espenshade for his extended discussion of my modest little "note." His thoroughness has indeed disclosed an error in the computation of Equation 1 which might otherwise have escaped us. Fortunately, its magnitude has negligible effect on the conclusions reached. Readers of the "note" cannot have neglected to notice that I purposely eschewed any test of statistical significance in my evaluation of the data. This was not only in keeping with the current controversy regarding the substantive meaning of such tests but out of respect for the very small sample size and the peculiar nature of the data themselves. Readers familiar with the 17th century London population problem will recognize that each datum is so biased and the contemporary methods of enumeration so variable, that these data contain more than simple sampling error. The work of Petty, reported only a few years before that of King, for example, has long been suspect. The foremost authority on these populations, Professor D. V. Glass, of the London School of Economics, writes me, "As for King's estimate, which is probably nearer the truth than any of the others, this was admitted by him to be incorrect, because of the way in which the numbers of hearths were arrived at" (italics mine). The problem I sought to address in the "note" was simply whether any sense could be made of these data at all. Both the French and English referees seemed to understand my intention here; indeed, I believe it is made quite clear in both the Abstract and third paragraph. Rather than abandon the data entirely, I suggested that perhaps an "average" population might serve literary and historical researchers sufficiently well. What is the best "average" population one may compute that takes into account the vagaries of the data, the declining growth rate of the 18th century, and the 1801 census? Following Eversley's suggestion, I assumed a linear model and systematically dropped the most questionable data points, one at a time, recalculating the regression each time a point was dropped. The 1801 datum was not, of course, included in the regression, buit only served as a target which the "best" line would have to overshoot-not, it must be noted, intercept, as Professor Espenshade suggests-to take into account the declining growth rate. The line that gave a reasonable overshoot of the 1801 datum while providing minimum error for all data points save one-as it turned out, Petty's-was to be selected as "making inost sense" of the admittedly bad data. This line turns out to be that given by Equation 2. The problem is a substantive one, not merely methodological. Among other things, the line of Equation 2 does bring us quite close to the estimates made by Wilson, which historians, Shakespeareans, and other researchers in the humanities have relied upon since 1927. Wilson, therefore, is not to be abandoned. This is in itself a small but tidy contribution of so thin a little line as that proposed by Equation 2. In addition, it provides one more bit of encouragement to those who believe Petty's estimate to be the most grossly in error.
Satire in an Age of Realism

1. Augustan satire and Victorian realism 2. Terminal satire and Jude the Obscure 3. George Gissing's ambivalent realism 4. The English critics and the Norwegian satirist 5. Truth and caricature in The Secret Agent Epilogue.
Potential carbon flux from timber harvests and management in the context of a global timber market.

This paper presents carbon flux estimates arising from the effect of increasing demand on harvests and management of industrial forests in a global timber market. Results are presented for specific regions and the globe. Harvests and management of forests are predicted to store an additional 184 Tg (1 Tg = 1012 grams) of carbon per year in forests and wood products over the next 50 years, with a range of 108 to 251 Tg per year. Although harvests in natural boreal and tropical forest regions will cause carbon releases, new plantation establishment in subtropical emerging regions more than offsets these losses. Unlike many existing studies, these results suggest that harvests and management of North American forests will lead to carbon emissions from that region over the next 50 years. The results are quantitatively sensitive to the assumed growth in demand although the results are qualitatively similar in the sensitivity analysis.
Sinusoidal stimulation of myocardial tissue: effects on single cells.

Sinusoidal Stimulation of Cardiac Cells. Introduction: Cardiac tissue subjected to sinasoidal stimulus Is characterized by action potentials (APs) that have extended plateau phases, sustained for the duration of the stimulus. Extended action potential durations (APDs) are beneficial because they disrupt wandering wavelets in the fibrillating heart. To investigate the mechanisms by which periodic stimulus affects cardiac tissue, particularly the development of sustained depolarization, computer simulations of single cardiac cells exposed to alternating current (AC) are performed. Methods and Results: Two modes of stimulation of the cell are examined: external field stimulation and transmembrane current injection. Several membrane models, including Luo-Rudy I and II, are used in the simulations. External AC field stimuli increase the APD of the single cell. The extended plateau of the cellular AP is characterized by periodic oscillations that are 1:2 phase locked with the applied stimulus. This specific behavior is due to the variations in stimulus magnitude and polarity along the cell border, which elicit opposite electrical responses from the cell sides. These pointwise responses are averaged in the macroscopic cellular response and result in sustained oscillatory depolarization that lasts for the duration of the stimulus. In contrast, the cell undergoing current injection does not develop an extended APD. Conclusion: The simulations demonstrate that variation of membrane potential within a cell is of paramount importance to the formation of an extended AP plateau in response to AC stimulation.
Differential expression of two vesicular monoamine transporters

Specific transport proteins package classical neurotransmitters into vesicles so that their release can be regulated by neural activity. Previous studies have suggested that a single activity mediates the vesicular transport of monoamines in the adrenal gland, brain, and other tissues such as mast cells and platelets. However, molecular cloning has recently identified two vesicular transporters for monoamines. Although the predicted proteins are closely related in sequence, they show a range of differences in their physiologic and pharmacologic properties. To clarify further the biological significance of the observed functional differences, we have generated anti-peptide antibodies to the C-termini of the two transporters and used them to determine the distribution and localization of the proteins in the rat. We have detected expression of vesicular monoamine transporter 1 (VMAT1) in adrenal chromaffin cells but not in neural cells. Interestingly, some adrenal chromaffin cells also express VMAT2 but the amount of VMAT2 relative to VMAT1 appears much lower than in the bovine adrenal gland. In contrast, sympathetic ganglion cells express only VMAT2, as do enteric neurons and enterochromaffin-like cells of the stomach. Thus, although adrenal chromaffin cells, sympathetic and enteric neurons derive from the neural crest, they express different vesicular amine transporters. In the CNS, dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, 5-HT, and histamine cell groups all express VMAT2. These findings are consistent with the functional characteristics of VMAT1 and VMAT2 and help to explain several classic pharmacological observations. VMAT2-immunoreactivity is generally stronger in cell bodies, proximal dendrites and axonal processes, indicating the potential for monoamine storage at each of these sites. Surprisingly, dopaminergic interneurons in the olfactory bulb show no detectable immunoreactivity for either VMAT1 or VMAT2.
Nuclear Orientation of 253 Es in Neodymium Ethylsulfate

Einsteinium-253 nuclei were oriented at low temperatures in a neodymium ethylsulfate lattice. From the temperature-dependent $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-particle angular distribution a nuclear magnetic moment $|\ensuremath{\mu}|=(2.7\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.3){\ensuremath{\mu}}_{N}$ was deduced. From the values for the angular distribution function at the lowest temperatures it was possible to test the predictions of the Mang shell-model theory for the relative phases and amplitudes of the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-partial waves. As predicted, the waves of angular momentum $L=0 \mathrm{and} 2$ are in phase, and the $L=0 \mathrm{and} 4$ waves are out of phase. The predicted wave amplitudes are in error, especially that of the $L=4$ wave. The predicted relative intensities (which are proportional to the amplitudes squared) for the $S$, $D$, and $G$ waves are 1.000:0.179:0.0052, whereas the relative intensities that best fit the experimental angular distribution are 1.000:0.216:0.0078.
Process-induced damage in a dual-oxide (3.5/6.8 nm) 0.18-/spl mu/m copper CMOS technology

Charging behaviour for three antenna types (polysilicon, contact array, and via array) is investigated for two oxide thicknesses in a copper back-end-of-line (BEOL) technology. We find that both the thick (6.8 nm) and the thin oxide (3.5 nm) devices are similarly susceptible to charging damage for various processes, except that damage manifests itself as gate leakage on the thin oxide devices, while the thick oxide device shows degradation to hot electron immunity as well as gate leakage.
Extraction from natural planktonic microorganisms of DNA suitable for molecular biological studies.

We developed a simple technique for the high-yield extraction of purified DNA from mixed populations of natural planktonic marine microbes (primarily bacteria). This is a necessary step for several molecular biological approaches to the study of microbial communities in nature. The microorganisms from near-shore marine and brackish water samples, ranging in volume from 8 to 40 liters, were collected on 0.22-μm-pore-size fluorocarbon-based filters, after prefiltration through glass fiber filters, to remove most of the eucaryotes. DNA was extracted directly from the filters in 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate that was heated to 95 to 100°C for 1.5 to 2 min. This procedure lysed essentially all the bacteria and did not significantly denature the DNA. The DNA was purified by phenol extraction, and precautions were taken to minimize shearing. Agarose gel electrophoresis showed that most of the final preparation had a large molecular size (>23 kilobase pairs). The DNA was sufficiently pure to allow complete digestion by the restriction endonuclease Sau3AI and ligation to vector DNA. In a sample in which the extracted DNA was quantified by binding to the dye Hoechst H33258, DNA was quantitatively extracted, and 45% of the initially extracted DNA was recovered after purification. Final yields were a few micrograms of DNA per liter of seawater and were roughly 25 to 50% of the total bacterial DNA in the sample. Alternatives to the initial harvest by filtration method, including continuous-flow centrifugation and thin-channel or hollow-fiber concentration followed by centrifugation, were less efficient than filtration in terms of both time and yield, largely because of the difficulty of centrifuging the very small bacteria typical of marine plankton. These methods were judged to be less appropriate for studies of natural populations as they impose a strong selection for the larger bacteria. Images
Fantasizing the Feminine In Indonesia./"Male" and "Female" In Developing Southeast Asia

Fantasizing the Feminine In Indonesia. Laurie J. Sears. ed. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1996. xvi. 349 pp., illustrations, notes, selected bibliography, contributors, index. "Male" and "Female" In Developing Southeast Asia. Wazir Jahan Karim. ed. Oxford: Berg Publishers, 1995. xiv. 267 pp., notes, references, contributors, index.
On Information-Content in Patterns

Abstract When a planar, k -colored pattern is sampled using a square grid, assigning a single color to each grid square, the area miscolored can be made arbitrarily small by reducing the grid size, but more information is then required to specify the pattern. This paper gives bounds on the required information as functions of the pattern area, fraction miscolored, and border length, under various assumptions about the shapes of the borders between colors.
Beliefs as motivational influences at stages in behavior change.

A problem for health education practice is how to interest people in making a health behavior change and maintain that interest throughout the behavior change process. Beliefs can provide motivatio...
Effect of irradiation on acrylic cement with special reference to fixation of pathological fractures.

Abstract The use of acrylic cement in orthopaedic surgery has expanded the surgeon's ability to achieve a rigid and immediate fixation in some difficult pathological fractures. The term ‘pathologica’ in this context indicates a fracture occurring through an area of bone with loss of substance as the result of invasive process (Ball et al., 1973; Enis et al., 1973; Harrington, 1972; Sim et al., 1973). Self-curing cement is generally used in conjunction with conventional metallic devices. If the acrylic cement was supplemented, the primary goal would be a rigid immobilization of the fracture to alleviate the pain; usually, however, the final aim is toward osteosynthesis. During the course of rehabilitation, it is often desirous to supplement the treatment by irradiation. Although the industrial, dental and surgical literature has adequately dealt with many aspects of bone cement; for example, physical and chemical properties in joint replacement, and so on, the effect of irradiation on the acrylic cement has not been previously reported. It is the purpose of this paper to analyze the experimental studies conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties of the polymethylmethacrylate when subjected to irradiation within a maximum range of a therapeutic dose.
Controlling Interfacial Curvature in Nanoporous Silica Films Formed by Evaporation-Induced Self-Assembly from Nonionic Surfactants. II. Effect of Processing Parameters on Film Structure

The double-gyroid phase of nanoporous silica films has been shown to possess facile mass-transport properties and may be used as a mold to fabricate a variety of highly ordered inverse double-gyroid metal and semiconductor films. This phase exists only over a very small region of the binary phase diagram for most surfactants, and it has been very difficult to synthesize metal oxide films with this structure by evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA). Here, we show the interplay of the key parameters needed to synthesize these structures reproducibly and show that the interfacial curvature may be systematically controlled. Grazing angle of incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) is used to determine the structure and orientation of nanostructured silica films formed by EISA from dilute silica/(poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(propylene oxide)-b-alkyl) surfactant solutions. Four different highly ordered film structures are observed by changing only the concentration of the surfactant, the relative humid...
Gene-gene concordance and the phylogenetic relationships among rare and widespread pygmy sunfishes (genus Elassoma).

Pygmy sunfishes (Elassoma) are primarily lowland species with an interesting biogeographic dichotomy: three species have broad geographic distributions, and three are narrowly distributed (and have been recommended for threatened or endangered status). To test phylogenetic predictions derived from the geographic distributions of pygmy sunfishes and possible historical factors contributing to the threatened/endangered status of the rare species, we reconstructed trees for two mitochondrial genes and introns of three nuclear genes. The pattern and rate of nuclear and mitochondrial sequence evolution were heterogeneous within Elassoma, but relationships were generally concordant across gene trees. Elassoma is monophyletic and, as predicted by geographic distributions, E. evergladei, E. okefenokee, and E. zonatum consistently branch from deeper nodes. Phylogeographic structure in mitochondrial and nuclear genes also supports an early origin of E. zonatum. Phylogenetic analyses of the five loci support widely divergent positions for the rare species E. alabamae. Two rare species, E. boehlkei and E. okatie, are sister taxa and are related to a widespread species, E. evergladei.
Attributional Style and Locus of Control in Adults with Epilepsy

Little agreement exists on how attributional style and locus of control relate to one another. Some consider the two to be interchangeable; others say that they overlap but are not identical. This study of the perceptions of control (conceptualized as attributional style and locus of control) of 144 adults with epilepsy, measured via a mailed survey, lends support to the latter notion. Attributional style for bad events, but not for good events, could be predicted by length of time that participants had been seizure free. Locus of control could not be predicted. Differences in the nature of the two concepts and how they develop within individuals are examined to explain how changes in seizure control would effect one but not the other. Implications for other medical conditions are discussed.
Program Closure and Change Among VA Substance Abuse Treatment Programs

OBJECTIVE: The population of Veterans Affairs (VA) substance abuse treatment programs in 1990 and 1994 was examined to determine which factors—program legitimacy or cost—accounted for program closure and change. Legitimacy is a concept in institutional theory that organizations tend to take on a form appropriate to the environment. METHODS: The study had two competing hypotheses. The first was that if external pressures push programs to produce high-quality and efficient treatment, then those that are initially closer to the legitimate form should be less likely to close later, and among surviving programs they should be less likely to experience change. The second hypothesis was that cost is the primary factor in program closure and change. The study used data from administrative surveys of all VA programs (273 in 1990 and 389 in 1994). Program legitimacy variables measured whether programs offered the prevalent type of treatment, such as 12-step groups or behavioral treatment, and had the prevalent type...
Etiologies and molecular mechanisms of communication disorders

Quantitative behavioral genetic studies have made it clear that communication disorders such as reading disability (RD), language impairment (LI), and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) follow some basic principles: 1) Complex disorders have complex causes, in that each clinical disorder is influenced by a number of separate genes; and 2) at least some behaviorally related disorders are influenced by the same genes. Recent advances in molecular and statistical methods have confirmed these principles and are now leading to an understanding of the genes that may be involved in these disorders and how their disruption may affect the development of the brain. The prospect is that the genes involved in these disorders will define a network of interacting neurologic functions, and that perturbations of different elements of this network will produce susceptibilities for different disorders. Such knowledge would clarify the underlying deficits in these disorders and could lead to revised diagnostic conceptions. These goals are still in the future, however. Identifying the individual genes in such a network is painstaking, and there have been seemingly contradictory studies along the way. Improvements in study design and additional functional analysis of genes is gradually clarifying many of these issues. When combined with careful phenotypic studies, molecular genetic studies have the potential to refine the clinical definitions of communication disorders and influence their remediation.
Amino acid metabolism during flight in tsetse flies

Abstract Experiments carried out using teneral Glossina pallidipes indicate that flight can continue for at least 4 to 7 min after the thoracic proline reserves have fallen to low levels, suggesting that some other energy source is available. Earlier work suggests that alanine formed during flight is transported from the thorax to the abdomen where proline is resynthesized. Injection experiments using 14 C alanine confirm that the transport mechanism does occur, that it is enhanced by flight, and that alanine is more rapidly incorporated into glutamate and proline in the abdomen than in the thorax. An analysis of published work shows that there is evidence for the involvement of residual blood meal amino acids even in the early stages of flight and supports the suggestion that they are of importance in prolonging flight. A decline in amino nitrogen during the early stages of flight is consistent with the action of glutamate dehydrogenase at this time. The poor flight durations in teneral flies may be due both to the low proline levels and to the absence of the residual blood meal. Very high energy consumptions are noted and appear to be related to the abnormally large musculature necessary for the fly's haematophagous and viviparous habits.
Medical malpractice: can we rescue a decaying system?

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was passed in March 2010 and has now entered the slow process of implementation. It should be remembered that tort reform, although not a central component of the health care bill, was left a small window of opportunity as political maneuvering for acceptance of PPACA neared. In his speech before a joint session of Congress in September 2009, President Obama acknowledged that, although tort reform was not the sole answer to health care costs, he was open to exploring ideas that may better “…put patient safety first and let doctors focus on practicing medicine.”1 Because more than a year has passed since that communique, it is worth visiting where we are now in terms of medical liability reform, including current hurdles to any efforts for change and the direction future plans may need to take to implement a better system. This commentary with review of current literature high-lights the goals set out under the current medical malpractice system, discusses whether those targets are being met to date and whether conventional tort reform measures are situated to properly attain those goals, and suggests why future tort reform measures may better achieve those initial objectives. Challenges to successful implemention of new measures of tort reform in the current political climate are assessed, along with suggestions on how a more focused and concerted effort by both health care professionals and their patients may improve any future chance for success.
Does Anesthesiologist-Directed Sedation for ERCP Improve Deep Cannulation and Complication Rates?

Objectives While some gastroenterologists provide their own sedation for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), others utilize anesthesiologists. There is limited information comparing cannulation success and complication rates between these two approaches. Theoretically, anesthesiologist-directed sedation (ADS) may lead to an improved deep cannulation rate by virtue of using deeper and more constant levels of sedation and by removing the minute-by-minute medication management and physiologic monitoring responsibilities from the endoscopy team. Aims To compare ERCP deep cannulation success and complications between gastroenterologist-directed sedation (GDS) and ADS. Methods All ERCPs completed by senior advanced endoscopists at a tertiary referral center over a 2-year period were reviewed. During the first year, all ERCP sedation was performed with GDS utilizing a narcotic and a benzodiazepine. Due to a change in division policy and practice, during the second year, all ERCP sedation was provided by ADS. Patients with prior papillary interventions were excluded. Demographics, procedure indications, deep cannulation success, sedation provider, and procedural complications were recorded. Results A total of 367 patients were studied: 178 (48.5%) GDS and 189 (51.5%) ADS. There was no difference in the groups with respect to race, age, and gender. Four patients (2.3%) in the GDS group could not be sedated. There were two deaths, one in each group; one death was due to cholangitis/sepsis and the other was due to post-ERCP pancreatitis. The overall cannulation success rates were similar between the two groups (94.4% vs. 95.2%, P = 0.36). Conclusions Deep ductal cannulation rates between GDS and ADS are similar.
On the Question of Induced Spontaneous Supersymmetry Breaking in First Order

Abstract A study of the question of spontaneous breaking of supersymmetry induced by first-order perturbation corrections is presented. It is shown that there is no such breaking in the most general renormalizable supersymmetric model without gauge fields as well as in the supersymmetric extension of Yang-Mills theories with minimally coupled matter fields. The proof of this statement is also given for supersymmetric gauge theories with additional renormalizable and gauge-invariant interactions of the matter fields. Comments on the proposed proofs of the same statement given by different authors are made.
Response to Comment on Chong et al. on Diabetes Reversal in NOD Mice

We failed to detect transdifferentiation of spleen cells into β cells following diabetes reversal in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, thus contradicting a key finding of a 2003 report. We respond to Faustman et al . by justifying the use of mouse insulin promoter–green fluorescent protein transgenic mice as an appropriate system for detecting spleen-derived β cells in the islets of cured NOD mice.
PIC modelling of plasma source ion implantation using metal ion sources

Summary form only given. Plasma source ion implantation (PSII) is a highly promising technique for improving the surface characteristics of materials. In low pressure gaseous discharges, the PSII process has resulted in enhancements in wear rate and hardness and in the reduction of the coefficient of friction. The use of gas discharges restricts the number of types of ions to which the method can be applied. Greater flexibility will result if metal ion sources can be used to supply the plasma into which the implantation target is immersed. We have modeled metal ion PSII in a variety of configurations with an electromagnetic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation code.