cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interactive effects of H2S and O3 on the yield of snap beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Abstract Snap beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris L., cv. GV 50) were grown in a field using standard method, and 7.5 m plots were fumigated with concentrations of ozone ranging from 0.046 to 0.127 ppm and hydrogen sulfide from 0.30 to 7.0 ppm in several combinations. Gas mixtures were introduced into the plant canopy by means of a blower and plastic duct assembly with 60 cm walls around each plot, thus eliminating any serious chamber problems. Fumigations for 4 hr/day began after emergence of the first trifoliate leaf and continued throughout the growing period until pod set (day 40). Leaf injury scores and number of leaves were recorded weekly throughout the experimental period. Pod yield, total plant weight, leaf area, branch, raceme, and pod number were measured on ten plants/plot at market maturity 55 days after emergence; bulk harvests were taken at 62 days. A significant dose-response relationship for H 2 S was found for leaf visible injury during the vegetative growth period, but no interaction with O 3 was observed. Three regression analyses were used to analyze the data: individual plant responses grouped according to fumigation treatment were regressed on dose, individual regressions for each plot were run, and plot response means were regressed on plot dose means. System response was described most accurately by the first method. Plants harvested at 55 days showed a 58% reduction in total pod fresh weight [from 42.4 g to 20.0 g (983-464 g/m 2 )] due to the highest H 2 S + O 3 dose compared tothe unfumigated plants. Plants harvested at 62 days had recovered from the air pollution stress and showed only a 1% reduction in pod fresh weight/plant.
Evaluation of approximate measurements of activation-free-energy spectra of shear transformation zones in metallic glasses

Abstract For many years, the only experimental activation free energy spectrum for shear transformations in metallic glasses had been obtained by quenching from high temperature during creep, followed by temperature stepping (Argon and Kuo, 1980). We show that the approximation associated with attributing a single activation energy to each temperature leads to an artificial drop in the spectrum at high activation energies. The detailed spectra of potential shear transformation zones we have recently obtained, which exhibit an atomically quantized hierarchy and are monotonic, lead to the same spectrum shape as obtained by Argon and Kuo when the approximation inherent to the temperature stepping method is applied.
Effects of random heterogeneity of soil properties on bearing capacity

Abstract This study examines the effect of random heterogeneity of soil properties on bearing capacity. The stochastic soil property considered is the undrained shear strength and two major sources of uncertainty are identified with it: inherent spatial variability (modeled as a non-Gaussian, homogeneous stochastic field) and uncertainty in the estimation of its expected value (modeled as a random variable). The two sources of uncertainty are treated separately, before being eventually combined. A Monte Carlo simulation approach is followed in combination with non-linear finite element analysis. It is demonstrated that the inherent spatial variability of soil shear strength can drastically modify the basic form of the failure mechanism in this bearing capacity problem. Consequently, there is no ‘average’ failure mechanism (surface) in this problem, leading to the conclusion that Monte Carlo simulation is the only methodology capable of providing a solution to this geomechanics problem. It is further demonstrated that this behavior of the failure mechanism translates into a substantial reduction in the ultimate bearing capacity (in an average sense), compared to the corresponding deterministic (homogeneous soil) case. In addition, differential settlements are computed in the stochastic analysis, something impossible in a deterministic analysis of a symmetric problem. A parametric study is performed using fragility curves to investigate the effects of various probabilistic parameters involved in the problem. It is found that the coefficient of variation and the marginal probability distribution of the soil's shear strength (both controlling the amount of loose pockets in the soil mass) are the two most important parameters in reducing the bearing capacity (in an average sense) and producing substantial differential settlements in heterogeneous soils (compared to homogeneous soils). A technique is finally introduced for determining ‘overall’ fragility curves that account for both inherent soil spatial variability and uncertainty in the expected value of soil strength. Based on such ‘overall’ fragility curves obtained at failure (ultimate bearing capacity), nominal values of the bearing capacity of a heterogeneous soil deposit corresponding to an exceedance probability of 5% are established for a range of probabilistic characteristics.
The impact of spinal problems on the health status of patients: have we underestimated the effect?

Study Design. A prospective study of 17,774 patients who consulted spine centers in which the impact of spinal disorders and comorbidities on physical functional status were evaluated. Objectives. To quantify the effect spinal diagnoses have on patients' physical functional status (SF-36 Physical Component Summary [PCS] score) compared with other common conditions and to quantify the effects of comorbidities on physical functional status in spine patients. Summary of Background Data. The burden of spinal conditions on a patient's function and the role that comorbidities play in this affliction are poorly quantified in the literature. Methods. Data from the Health Survey Questionnaire were prospectively gathered through the National Spine Network, a nonprofit consortium of spine-focused practices. Each patient's SF-36 score was summarized into a single PCS score. The correlation between diagnosis and comorbidity and PCS score was assessed using multivariate linear regression. Results. The study patients were a mean of 47.5 years of age, 54.7% were female, 52.3% had lumbosacral diagnoses, and 82.0% had had 3 or more months of pain. The population had a mean PCS score of 30.4 ± 9.95 (SD) compared with 50.0 ± 10.00 for the general United States population. The more comorbidities in a patient, the lower the PCS score (Spearman rank correlation = -0.27). The five comorbid conditions that lowered the PCS the most included congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), renal failure, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus (all P <0.001). In multiple linear regression analysis, age, gender, diagnosis, and comorbidity explained 12.1% of the variance in PCS score. Conclusions. The PCS score is greatly affected in patients with spinal problems. The study population's PCS (30.4) was lower or similar to the PCS for patients with other illnesses reported in the literature: CHF (31.0), COPD (33.9), SLE (37.1), cancer (38.4), primary total hip arthroplasty (29.0), primary total knee arthroplasty (32.6), and glenohumeral degenerative joint disease (35.2). Further, the presence of comorbidity in spine patients adds to the burden of spinal conditions on functional status.
Multiple endoscopic biopsies in research subjects: safety results from a National Institutes of Health series.

Background Routine endoscopic mucosal biopsies are generally considered safe. However, the outcomes of performing large numbers of biopsies in subjects enrolled in research protocols have not been reported. Objective Our purpose was to assess the safety of taking numerous mucosal biopsy specimens during endoscopic procedures (eg, >20/endoscopic procedure) in research subjects. Design Single-center retrospective chart review. Setting Research hospital: National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center. Patients Volunteers who underwent research protocol endoscopies with large numbers of biopsies during 2001 to 2008 at the NIH. Main Outcome Measurements Charts were reviewed for the occurrence of procedure-related major/minor complications. Results A total of 253 research endoscopies were performed on 133 patients: 169 colonoscopies, 64 sigmoidoscopies, and 20 upper endoscopies. A total of 9,661 biopsy specimens were obtained for research and histopathologic examination (mean 38.2 ± 15.6 per procedure). No major complications were identified. Minor complications occurred with 13 (5.1%) lower endoscopic procedures and included self-limited bleeding (4), pain (5), or both (4). There was no statistically significant association between the number of biopsies, type of procedure, location of research biopsies, operator, polypectomy, or the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and the risk of complications. Limitations Retrospective design, modest sample size. Conclusions This is the first report on the safety of performing large numbers of endoscopic biopsies in research subjects. This practice is well tolerated and appears to have no more than minimal risk without appreciably increasing the risk of otherwise routine endoscopy.
New directions in antiarrhythmic drug therapy

Cardiac arrhythmia causing sudden cardiac death is a serious worldwide public health problem. Antiarrhythmic agents have been available for therapy, but the conventional agents cause a high degree of intolerable side effects. The recent development of many new experimental antiarrhythmic agents has increased our capacity to effectively treat cardiac arrhythmias. Using a multifaceted approach of programmed electrical stimulation studies, drug level determinations, exercise testing and 24-hour ambulatory Holter monitoring, it can reasonably be decided which patient needs therapy and if therapy is going to be effective. Both aspects of the sudden death equation, ectopy frequency (triggering mechanism) and the ability to propagate sustained ventricular tachycardia (substrate), may be examined. Careful follow-up is needed to determine continued drug efficacy and the presence of side effects that may compromise patient compliance with therapy. If side effects intervene that may cause continued therapy to be intolerable, changing the antiarrhythmic agent, as opposed to decreasing the dosage to an ineffective range, may be appropriate. A comprehensive approach to arrhythmia management may begin to reduce the high incidence of sudden death due to fatal arrhythmias.
Detailed Analysis of Sequence Changes Occurring during vlsE Antigenic Variation in the Mouse Model of Borrelia burgdorferi Infection

Lyme disease Borrelia can infect humans and animals for months to years, despite the presence of an active host immune response. The vls antigenic variation system, which expresses the surface-exposed lipoprotein VlsE, plays a major role in B. burgdorferi immune evasion. Gene conversion between vls silent cassettes and the vlsE expression site occurs at high frequency during mammalian infection, resulting in sequence variation in the VlsE product. In this study, we examined vlsE sequence variation in B. burgdorferi B31 during mouse infection by analyzing 1,399 clones isolated from bladder, heart, joint, ear, and skin tissues of mice infected for 4 to 365 days. The median number of codon changes increased progressively in C3H/HeN mice from 4 to 28 days post infection, and no clones retained the parental vlsE sequence at 28 days. In contrast, the decrease in the number of clones with the parental vlsE sequence and the increase in the number of sequence changes occurred more gradually in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice. Clones containing a stop codon were isolated, indicating that continuous expression of full-length VlsE is not required for survival in vivo; also, these clones continued to undergo vlsE recombination. Analysis of clones with apparent single recombination events indicated that recombinations into vlsE are nonselective with regard to the silent cassette utilized, as well as the length and location of the recombination event. Sequence changes as small as one base pair were common. Fifteen percent of recovered vlsE variants contained “template-independent” sequence changes, which clustered in the variable regions of vlsE. We hypothesize that the increased frequency and complexity of vlsE sequence changes observed in clones recovered from immunocompetent mice (as compared with SCID mice) is due to rapid clearance of relatively invariant clones by variable region-specific anti-VlsE antibody responses.
The amino acid sequence of the light chain variable region of a canine myeloma immunoglobulin: evidence that the VK subgroups predated mammalian speciation.

Abstract The complete amino acid sequence of the variable region of a kappa light chain derived from a canine myeloma immunoglobulin is presented. The sequence is more than 80% homologous to the human kappa variable region Cum the prototype of the human V K II subgroup and is the first example of a non-human kappa chain which can be easily classified as a subgroup other than V K I. The finding confirms a previous prediction that genes encoding kappa subgroups predated mammalian speciation.
Low rate of prenatal diagnosis among neonates with critical aortic stenosis: insight into the natural history in utero

Objectives To better understand the natural history and spectrum of fetal aortic stenosis (AS), we aimed to (1) determine the prenatal diagnosis rate of neonates with critical AS and a biventricular (BV) outcome, and (2) describe the findings at fetal echocardiography in patients diagnosed prenatally. Methods A multicenter, retrospective study was performed on neonates who presented with critical AS and who were discharged with a BV outcome from 2000 to 2013. The prenatal diagnosis rate was compared with that reported for hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). We reviewed fetal echocardiographic findings in patients who were diagnosed prenatally. Results In only 10 (8.5%) of 117 neonates with critical AS and a BV outcome was the diagnosis made prenatally, a rate significantly lower than that for HLHS in the contemporary era (82%; P < 0.0001). Of the 10 patients diagnosed prenatally, all had developed left ventricular dysfunction by a median gestational age of 33 (range, 28–35) weeks. When present, Doppler abnormalities such as retrograde flow in the aortic arch (n = 2), monophasic mitral inflow (n = 3) and left-to-right flow across the foramen ovale (n = 8) developed late in gestation (median 33 weeks). Conclusion The prenatal diagnosis rate of critical AS and a BV outcome among neonates is very low, probably owing to a relatively normal four-chamber view in mid-gestation with development of significant obstruction in the third trimester. The natural history contrasts with that of severe mid-gestation AS with evolving HLHS and suggests that the gestational timing of development of significant AS has an important impact on subsequent left-heart growth in utero. Copyright © 2014 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Infrared absorption signature on laser-damaged optical thin films

Optical coating degradation under laser irradiation can take several forms. Perhaps the most common that is not due to particulates is thermal breakdown, caused by heating of the coating to a catastrophic failure induced by local melting, delamination, evaporation, or some other change. We demonstrate that micromachined dielectric membranes show strong differences in their hydroxyl signatures as measured by Fourier-transform IR spectroscopy. The changes correspond to regions of high fluence (3200 J/cm2) from a Nd:YAG laser. It is found that the absorption peaks associated with OH decrease after laser treatment, indicating a reduction in the number of film hydroxyl groups.
Profiling Consumers of Personal Color Analysis Systems

Summary.-70 undergraduate women and their mothers indicated whether they had received commercial color analysis. A discriminant analysis showed that no combination of 31 variables successfuUy separated the sample into those who had had coloranalysis and those who had not. Several studies have examined the effects of various dimensions of color on person perception (3, 4, 6) and consumers' preferences (5). Analyses have provided evidence that certain dimensions of color, particularly value (the lightness or darkness of a color), influence person perception. A secondary purpose has been to assess the effectiveness of commercial personal color analysis in person perception. However, no study has been conducted to develop a profile of consumers of commercial personal color analysis. Identi- fying possible differences between consumers and nonconsumers of commercial personal color analysis would be valuable in designing and interpreting the results of further work of the effects of color on person perception. The purpose of the present study was to develop a profile of consumers of commercial personal color analysis systems. A questionnaire was developed to measure experience with personal color analysis, attitudes toward clothing and shopping adapted from Creekmore (1) and Slama and Tashchian (7), means of clothing acquisition, method of payment for clothing purchases, store patronage, average annual clothing expenditures, store services used, and over-all clothing satisfaction. Three factors, generated previously based on the clothing and shopping attitude items, were used in subsequent analyses: Factor 1: Fashion Involvement, Factor 2: Wardrobe Management, and Factor 3: Comparative Shopping (2). Subjects were 70 university undergraduate women and their mothers, so the sample consisted of 140 consumers. The median education of the mothers was some college or university work. The median household income reported by the mothers was $40,000-$49,000. Sixty (43%) of the consumers reported having been color analyzed and 80 (57%) had not. A discriminant analysis used to identify variables that could be used to distinguish between consumers who had not been color analyzed and those who had, was not significant. One discriminant function had an eigenvalue
Thermolysis of vic-dihydroxybacteriochlorins: a new approach for the synthesis of chlorin-chlorin and chlorin-porphyrin dimers.

A novel approach for the preparation of symmetrical (chlorin−chlorin), and unsymmetrical (chlorin−porphyrin) dimers joined with carbon−carbon linkages as models to study the “intramolecular” charge transfer is discussed.
Hormonal control of the cervix in pregnant gilts. IV. Relaxin promotes changes in the histological characteristics of the cervix that are associated with cervical softening during late pregnancy in gilts.

We recently described relaxin-induced changes that occur in both the physical properties and the biochemical composition of the uterine and vaginal portions of the cervix during the last third of gestation in the gilt. This study employed morphometric analysis to examine both the changes that occur in the histological characteristics of the uterine and vaginal portions of the cervix between days 80 and 110 of pregnancy in intact gilts and the effects of relaxin on these changes in ovariectomized gilts given progesterone to maintain pregnancy. There were four treatment groups: intact day 80 control gilts, sham-ovariectomized day 110 control gilts, ovariectomized progesterone-treated day 110 gilts, and ovariectomized progesterone- plus relaxin-treated day 110 gilts. The histological characteristics of the uterine portion of cervices obtained from intact controls on day 110 differed markedly from those of intact controls on day 80; there was a reduction in the density and organization of collagen fiber bundl...
Nature of chromosome aberrations induced in pre-DNA- synthesis period in human leukocytes by daunomycin

Abstract Chromosomes from human leukocytes cultured in vitro were exposed to anti- leukemic antibiotic daunomycin during G 0 and G 1 periods of interphase. Chromosomal aberrations were rare or absent in cells treated with up to 0.15 μg/ml of the drug during the first 12 h of culture initiations indicating the relative insensitivity of the cells during early part of G 1 to the concentrations studied. All types of aberrations (chromosome and chromatid types of breaks and exchanges) were observed in cells treated between 12–16 h of culture and later. The data indicate that reunions take place in absence of detectable DNA synthesis and thus perhaps depend upon protein synthesis. The presence of chromatid types of exchanges in cells treated before initiation of S phase is explained on the basis of chromosome aberrations being translated into chromatid-type aberrations or resolution of unreplicated G 1 structure of chromosomes into functional two-stranded by “loosening” of the bonds holding the two sister structures together. A new type of chromosome aberration, monocentric triradials—apparently originating by the manipulation of a single chromosome—is described in relation to chromosome-type aberrations being translated into chromatid- type aberrations.
Band structure limits for anthracene triplet excitons from magnetic resonance

Abstract A general expression for NMR relaxation relates the anthracene triplet exciton band-structure to magnetic resonance data. Limiting ranges for the exciton band breadth, B ex , are thereby specified: 1.6 × 10 9 sec -1 B ex 9 sec -1 or B ex > 1.7 × 10 11 sec -1 .
Prognosis of thick cutaneous melanoma

Abstract Background: Ten percent of all patients with melanoma present with thick primary tumors (≥ 4 mm or Clark level V). To determine factors associated with outcomes, we performed a retrospective analysis of 120 patients who had definitive primary treatment of their thick cutaneous melanomas at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center between January 1986 and April 1995. Study Design: Data were collected via chart review and patient interview. Association between factors was determined by chi-square analysis. Survival analysis was performed by the method of Kaplan and Meier. Univariate analysis by log-rank testing and multivariate analysis using the Cox regression model were used to identify factors associated with disease-free and overall survival. Results: Median age was 61 years (range 19 to 87 years). There were 80 males and 40 females. Median Breslow thickness was 6 mm (range 1.8 to 25.0 mm). Ninety-three patients (78%) underwent lymphadenectomy (52 elective and 41 therapeutic). Twenty-one percent (11 of 52) of the elective dissections were positive. Median followup was 3.8 years (5.2 years for patients no evident disease and 2.0 years for those dead of disease). Overall survival for the entire group was 62% at 5 years and 43% at 10 years. Age, gender, and anatomic site (axial versus extremity) were not factors predictive of overall survival. Increasing thickness, nodal status at presentation (American Joint Commission on Cancer stage II versus III), and the presence of ulceration were significant predictors of both disease relapse and disease-specific mortality in both univariate and multivariate analyses. There was no difference in postrelapse survival between patients suffering local, nodal, or distant relapse (p = 0.63). Conclusions: Patients presenting with thick cutaneous melanomas are expected to have more than 50% 5-year survival, and they should not be denied the opportunity for aggressive locoregional management. Thickness, positive nodal status, and ulceration are associated with a higher mortality rate. The fact that patients with local or nodal recurrences fare as poorly as those with overt distant metastases implies that the former events are predictors of subclinical systemic disease.
Composition and synthesis during G1 and S phase of a high mobility group-E/G component from Chinese hamster ovary cells.

A perchloric acid soluble protein from the sedimented chromatin of blended Chinese hamster ovary (line CHO) cells has been isolated by guanidine hydrochloride gradient chromatography on Bio·Rex-70® ion exchange resin. The amino acid composition of the protein (designated as CHO HMG-E/G) is similar to that of mouse HMG-E, but it differs from that of bovine HMG-14 and HMG-17 or any possible mixture of the two. CHO HMG-E/G incorporates [32P]phosphate like HMG-14 and HMG-17 class proteins from other species, but all resolvable molecular species incorporate phosphate, and the more highly-phosphorylated band migrates faster, rather than slower, than the other in acid-urea gel systems. Incorporation of [3H]lysine into HMG-E/G following release from isoleucine deprivation G1 block indicates that the protein is extensively synthesized during both the G1 and S phases of the cell cycle.
Anticonvulsant effects of 6-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline on audiogenic and electroconvulsive seizures in mice☆

Abstract 6-Methoxy-1,2,3,4,-tetrahydro-β-carboline (6-MeO-THBC) was tested for anticonvulsant properties against audiogenic seizures in DBA/2J and primed C57BL/6J mice (i.e., mice given a prior auditory exposure) and against electrovulsive seizures in DBA/2J mice. 6-MeO-THBC (100 mg/kg) was found to attenuate both types of behavioral seizures 2 hr after injection as compared to saline controls. In addition, 6-MeO-THBC increased whole brain serotonin and decreased whole brain 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid 2 hr after injection. These results support previous reports which suggest a serotonergic involvement in behavioral seizures.
Dynamic Imaging of Cerebral Blood Flow Using Laser Speckle During Epileptic Events

We present a method that is capable of imaging cerebral blood flow (CBF) using laser speckle imaging. In vivo images of dynamic relative CBF during seizure onset are obtained using a single-spectral system.
Dung decomposition and pedoturbation in a seasonally dry tropical pasture

Rates of dung decomposition and the associated accumulation of soil transported to the surface were compared for dung deposited during a dry and a wet season in a Costa Rican pasture. Average decomposition rates for the first 140 days after deposition were significantly lower for dung patches deposited at the beginning of the dry season than for patches deposited at the beginning of the wet season (0.73 vs. 1.50 g/day-1 on a dry weight basis). A strong linear relationship was found between dung removal and soil accumulation at the original soil surface, with an average of 2.0 g soil accumulated for every gram of dung which was removed. This relationship was not affected by deposition season. The lack of a seasonal difference, along with the relatively low decomposition rates during the wet season, were explained by the dominance of termites in the dung patches throughout the year. Evidence of dung beetle activity was never recorded during the dry season and was found in only 18 of the 45 dung patches recovered during the wet season.
Drift-barrier hypothesis and mutation-rate evolution

Mutation dictates the tempo and mode of evolution, and like all traits, the mutation rate is subject to evolutionary modification. Here, we report refined estimates of the mutation rate for a prokaryote with an exceptionally small genome and for a unicellular eukaryote with a large genome. Combined with prior results, these estimates provide the basis for a potentially unifying explanation for the wide range in mutation rates that exists among organisms. Natural selection appears to reduce the mutation rate of a species to a level that scales negatively with both the effective population size (Ne), which imposes a drift barrier to the evolution of molecular refinements, and the genomic content of coding DNA, which is proportional to the target size for deleterious mutations. As a consequence of an expansion in genome size, some microbial eukaryotes with large Ne appear to have evolved mutation rates that are lower than those known to occur in prokaryotes, but multicellular eukaryotes have experienced elevations in the genome-wide deleterious mutation rate because of substantial reductions in Ne.
Multimodality treatment of mesenteric desmoid tumours

Abstract Background Desmoid tumours are rare neoplasms characterised by clonal proliferation of myofibroblasts that do not metastasise, but often exhibit an infiltrative pattern and functional impairment. When desmoids arise in the intestinal mesentery, surgical resection is seldom possible without life-altering loss of intestinal function. Methods Retrospective review of the clinical management of 52 consecutive patients treated for desmoids of the intestinal mesentery from January 2001 to August 2006. A multidisciplinary treatment plan was developed based on primary disease extent, tumour behaviour and resectability. Patients with stable but unresectable disease were observed without treatment. Patients with resectable disease underwent surgery, and patients with unresectable progressing disease received chemotherapy, most commonly liposomal doxorubicin, followed by surgery if chemotherapy rendered the disease resectable. Results At a median follow-up of 50.0 months (range 4.6–212), 50 patients (96%) have either no recurrence or radiographically stable disease. No patient requires total parenteral nutrition. Conclusion These data indicate that the extent of disease; tumour behaviour and resectability are the important factors when defining a treatment plan for mesenteric desmoid tumours. A multidisciplinary approach of surgery combined with chemotherapy is an effective and function-sparing strategy for managing this disease.
A long-term comparison of tacrolimus (FK506) and cyclosporine in kidney transplantation: evidence for improved allograft survival at five years.

Background. The 1-year results of the Phase III U.S. Multicenter Trial comparing tacrolimus (FK506)- and cyclosporine (CsA)-based immunosuppressive therapy in kidney transplantation revealed a significant reduction in the incidence and severity of acute rejection episodes among patients maintained on tacrolimus. The present report at 5 years of follow-up focuses on the long-term impact of tacrolimus treatment on kidney allograft outcome. Methods. The study protocol permitted crossover of patients to the alternate treatment arm under stringent conditions. The effect of crossover on graft survival was analyzed. Cardiovascular risk factors and serious adverse events were also monitored over 5 years. Results. Intent-to-treat analysis revealed equivalent patient and graft survival between treatment arms at 5 years of follow-up (79.1% vs. 81.4%; P=0.472 and 64.3% vs. 61.6%; P=0.558 among tacrolimus and CsA-treated patients, respectively). However, the rate of crossover was significantly higher among patients randomized to receive CsA-based therapy (27.5% vs. 9.3%; P<0.001). The incidence of treatment failure (43.8% vs. 56.3%; P=0.008) was significantly lower among tacrolimustreated patients. Graft survival was significantly improved in the tacrolimus treatment arm when crossover due to rejection was counted as graft failure (63.8% vs. 53.8%; P=0.014). Tacrolimus therapy was also associated with a significantly reduced requirement for medications to control hypertension and hyperlipidemia. There was a substantial rate of reversal of tacrolimus-associated insulin dependence. Conclusion. Tacrolimus-based therapy resulted in significantly reduced risk of graft failure, without an increase in the incidence of adverse events associated with long-term immunosuppression.
Self-reported learning strategies and learning from expository text

Abstract Two related studies are presented describing development of the Learning Strategies Survey (LSS) and use of the survey to predict learning from expository text. Factor analysis of items selected to reflect the types of information-processing activities undergraduates might use while studying textbook material yielded two stable factors. The two factors demonstrated high internal consistency reliability estimates across seven samples of undergraduates, and acceptable test-retest reliability. The Covert Cognitive Processes scale, representing internal elaboration and organization, discriminated high from low GPA students in two samples of undergraduates, significantly predicted recall of two expository passages, and was related positively and significantly to college GPA. The Overt Processes scale was unrelated to student GPA or recall performance. Results are discussed in terms of the interrelationships among cognitive processes, overt behaviors, and text learning.
Repeated ingestion of aspartame-sweetened beverage: effect on plasma amino acid concentrations in individuals heterozygous for phenylketonuria.

Abstract It has been suggested that excessive use of aspartame (APM) (N- l -α-aspartyl- l -phenylalanine methyl ester) might grossly elevate plasma aspartate and phenylalanine concentrations in individuals heterozygous for phenylketonuria (PKUH). In study 1 six adult PKUH (three males; three females) ingested three successive 12-oz servings of beverage at 2-h intervals. The study was carried out in two parts in a randomized crossover design. In one arm the beverage was not sweetened. In the other the beverage provided 10 mg AMP/kg body weight per serving. The addition of APM to the beverage did not significantly increase plasma aspartate concentration but did increase plasma phenylalanine levels 2.3 to 4.1 μmol/dL above baseline values 30 to 45 min after each dose. The high mean plasma phenylalanine level after repeated APM dosing (13.9 ± 2.15 μmol/dL) was slightly, but not significantly, above the normal postprandial range for PKUH (12.6 ± 2.11 μmol/dL). In study 2 six different adult PKUH ingested beverage providing 30 mg APM/kg body weight as a single bolus. The high mean plasma phenylalanine concentration and the phenylalanine to large neutral amino acid ratio were significantly higher when APM was ingested as a single bolus than when ingested as a divided dose.
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Study of Pd Thin Film Catalyst .I. Effect of the Adsorbates and Surface Reaction on the Film Structure

A 25-nm Pd thin film catalyst supported on HOPG was used to study the effect of absorbates and surface reaction on the surface microstructure. The effect of the hydrogen and helium treatment at 523 K on the evolution of the film structure with time shows that the reactive hydrogen affects a greater change in the film structure than helium. The effect of C[sub 4] hydrocarbons (n-butane, 1-butene, and 1,3-butadiene) and treatment temperature on the film microstructure was also examined. The hydrocarbons that have a strong catalytic interaction with the Pd film will preferentially dehydrogenate and cause a large change in the film structure. During the reaction of C[sub 4] hydrocarbons with hydrogen over the Pd thin film catalyst, the more reactive hydrocarbons cause a large structural transformation regardless of the reaction, whether it is 1,3-butadiene hydrogenation or n-butane dehydrogenation. The results show that surface reactions and reactive gases have a strong effect on the Pd film structure, and that the activity and selectivity of the film catalyst are strongly dependent on its surface structures. 34 refs., 10 figs., 1 tab.
THE EFFECTS OF HYPOPHYSEAL IMPLANTS FROM NORMAL MATURE GUINEA PIGS ON THE SEX ORGANS OF IMMATURE GUINEA PIGS

The present report concerns the effects of hypophyseal implants from normal guinea pigs at different stages of the estrous cycle. Since a survey of the literature showed no complete report of the gonadotropic activity of the guineapig hypophysis, this work was a necessary prerequisite to the study of the effects of hypophyses from guinea pigs whose ovaries had been irradiated. Smith and Engle (1) have reported, in an abstract, that the responses to implants of guinea pig pituitaries varied with the stage of the estrous cycle of the donors; there was but slight ovarian response (in immature rats and mice) to an implant from guinea pigs whose vaginae were open, but the response was satisfactory when the donors were in diestrus, from the 5th to the 14th day after stage I of estrus.
POPULATION DYNAMICS AND DISSOLUTION OF FORAMINIFERA IN NUECES BAY, TEXAS

Foraminifers are important lower trophic-level members of oceans and estuaries, and study of their populations provides information about the health of an ecosystem. Replicate cores were taken at five stations in Nueces Bay, Texas, to evaluate living foraminifers in this heavily impacted estuary. A shallow secondary bay, Nueces Bay is naturally stressed and receives point-source and non-point-source effluents from the Nueces River and various industries. Most of the industries are clustered on the south shore of the bay, which also has a power plant and a shipping channel. The north shore, in contrast, is nearly devoid of industry and habitation. Since salinities in the bay vary due to freshwater influence, foraminiferal populations were sampled mid-bay, and spaced on a north-south transect where conditions are most constant. Results show that living densities and species richness are much higher at the south shore, probably due to the proximity of river inflow. In addition, foraminiferal communities are different at the northern and southern shores, as shown by statistical analyses. A high percentage of living foraminifers, almost exclusively Ammonia , have damaged shells, with a few chambers to entire whorls missing. This shell loss is attributed to dissolution. Framboidal pyrite found in living tests in oxygenated sediments is a stress response to heavy metal contamination, and pyritization may contribute to acidic conditions responsible for dissolution. Such dissolution is usually associated with diagenesis, but apparently can occur extensively in living individuals. The study cautions against assuming that lower densities, species richness, and shell dissolution along a transect are due solely to anthropogenic rather than natural causes.
Achievable throughput and queueing delay for imperfect cooperative retransmission MAC protocols

Cooperative retransmission (CR) for cellular uplink employs recovery epochs where colliding packets are retransmitted until all packets are recoverable by the base station. We consider a general class of queueing dynamics, appropriate for cellular uplink MAC protocols, where time slots are grouped into epochs, and each epoch results in some subset of the active nodes completing a transmission to the base station. Employing moment generating functions, we express the queue length in terms of the number of arrivals during each epoch, and from here we obtain general expressions for throughput and delay (queueing plus service). We specialize these general results for four MAC uplink protocols: i) independent queues with no collisions (providing an upper bound on performance), ii) slotted Aloha, iii) perfect cooperative retransmission (each time slot yields a new independent signal combination), and iv) imperfect cooperative retransmission (a time slot gives useful information with probability 1 - q).
Possible neural basis for age-dependent resistance to neurologic disease from herpes simplex virus.

Abstract Twenty-week-old mice are known to be resistant to HSV induced neurologic disease, while 5-week-old mice are susceptible. Although age-dependent resistance to disease has been attributed to immunologic maturation, most immunologic development is complete by about 3 weeks of age. We, therefore, postulated that differences in neural spread were involved and we compared the pathogenesis of viral spread in 5-week- and 20-week-old mice. Following footpad infection with 10 5.3 PFU HSV-1, virus was detected in homogenates of sciatic nerve and spinal cord 3–4 days sooner in 5-week-old versus 20-week-old mice. Virus titers in footpad homogenates were 10 5.2 to 10 6.0 in both groups, thus differences in virus replication or immunologic restriction at the initial site of infection could not account for the difference in neural spread. The rate of virus spread to the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) was assessed by ganglia explant/co-cultivation to detect virus presence at various times after footpad infection and by measuring sciatic nerve length. In 5- and 20-week-old mice the rate of virus spread to DRG was 28 mm/day and 4–12 mm/day respectively. We conclude that neural uptake and/or transport of virus may contribute to the difference in susceptibility to neurologic disease.
Reaction-diffusion patterns in smart sensor networks

We introduced the use of Taring's reaction-diffusion pattern formation to support high-level tasks in smart sensor networks (S-Nets). This has led us to explore various biologically motivated mechanisms. We address some issues that arise in trying to get reliable, efficient patterns in irregular grids with error in inter-node distances.
Lens thiol depletion by peroxynitrite. Protective effect of pyruvate.

Pyruvate (PY) is known to be a potent scavenger of H2O2 by undergoing its peroxidative decarboxylation. While doing so, it also inhibits OH generation, in addition to its direct OH scavenging effect. We now hypothesize that PY would also be decarboxylated by cleaving the -O-O- bond in perox- ynitrite (ONOO - ) (PN), with the effect of protecting tissues against NOx induced damage. We have verified this by measuring 14 CO2 formation on incubation of 1- 14 C-PY with 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1). Its protective effect against PN induced thiol depletion was initially assessed by determining its ability to inhibit oxidation of pure GSH. This was further eval- uated by incubating lens homogenate with SIN-1 with or without PY. As conceived, PY did inhibit PN in- duced loss of protein as well as non-protein -SH. The findings therefore appear potentially useful to protect against nitrite induced damage to the lens and other tissues known to occur with aging and certain diseases such as diabetes.
Art in global context: An evolutionary/functionalist perspective for the 21st century

Regarding the arts as something peopledo — as behaviors, rather than the residue or artifacts of behavior — makes possible a theoretical grounding about their nature and importance, an endeavor that current anthropology of art has largely abandoned. A reconsideration of the suspect and largely discarded terms “functionalism” and “evolutionism” is presented in light of current evolutionary thinking. It is suggested that a contemporary reformulation of these concepts, illustrated by the author's Darwinian or “adaptationist” perspective on art, supports aims and claims of current anthropology of art, and contributes new focus and direction to its endeavors.
YOUNG CHILD'S AWARENESS OF SELF

-The study investigated relationships among hypothesized contributors to a differentiated concept of self in 69 kindergarten children: articulation of body concept, affect awareness, and the tendency for make-believe play. A principal component procedure located three unrotated factors. All three self-aware measures load moderately well on a first factor. A child who codes one aspect of his inner experience, such as his body concept, also codes affect and fantasy.
Regulation of interstitial collagenase expression and collagen degradation by retinoic acid in bone cells

In osteoblasts, retinoic acid (RA) modulates the synthesis of various proteins, including collagen. However, little is known about the effects of RA on the regulation of interstitial collagenase synthesis and collagen degradation. After treatment of primary osteoblast-enriched (Ob) cells from fetal rat calvariae with 100 nM all-trans-RA (tRA), collagenase mRNA levels, as determined by Northern blotting, did not change after 2 h, increased by 13- to 18-fold after 6 h, and remained elevated until 48 h. Exposure of Ob cells to 10 nM to 1 microM tRA, 13-cis-RA, and 9-cis-RA induced collagenase mRNA in a dose-dependent manner. Collagenase mRNA induction by RA was blocked by cycloheximide. RA increased the stability of collagenase mRNA in Ob cells, suggesting posttranscriptional regulation. Exposure of Ob cells to RA induced immunoreactive procollagenase in medium, as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting. RA action on collagen degradation was examined in [3H]proline-pulsed intact...
Time asymptotic behavior of the HJB equation associated with a class of mean-field games

We consider the HJB equation arising in mean-field games as in Lasry-Lions [1] but for a more general diffusion matrix, drift vector and running cost, with the data defined on Rd. We examine a class of such problems for which there exists a stationary solution to the HJB, with an associated (unique) stationary probability distribution μ ∊ P(Rd). We show that as t → ∞ the law of the process associated to the solution of the mean-field HJB converges to μ and so does the value functions.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection of Human Mononuclear Leukocytes in Vitro and in Vivo

Recurrent infections with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have been well documented despite serological evidence of prior exposure of the host and the absence of clear evidence of antigenic variation of the virus. Therefore, human mononuclear leukocytes, as well as purified lymphocytes and monocytes-macrophages, were exposed to RSV in vitro and examined for expression of viral antigens by using indirect immunofluorescence with monoclonal antibodies to RSV. RSV infected both human monocytes-macrophages and lymphocytes in vitro. RSV infection resulted in both a decrease in the number of T helper phenotype cells and an increase in T suppressor phenotype cells. RSV proteins were disproportionately expressed by atypical or lymphoblastoid cells, many of which were of the T suppressor phenotype. Circulating mononuclear leukocytes obtained from symptomatic children infected with RSV frequently expressed viral antigens. Viral antigens appeared to be detected more frequently in cells from the younger subjects. The findings suggest that initial or early RSV infections in children include infection of circulating immunocompetent cells. It remains to be determined whether the described RSV-induced alterations in lymphocyte subpopulations contribute to recovery from and/or recurrence of RSV infections.
Dynamic visibility in a forested environment for resource planning and management

The quantification of visibility within a forest environment assists the resource manager and planner to perform a more comprehensive analysis of the potential impacts and effects of various vegetative management practices. Two approaches are presented for the prediction of visibility in a forested setting. One approach deals with the development of probabilities of certain percentages of an animal being visible to an observer at selected distances in the forest. The other approach yields predictions of visibility at specific sites in a forest. The latter approach also produces the time history of visibility between an animal and observed when one or both of them are in motion. It also predicts the time intervals available to the observer for successful detection and identification of moving animals. Suggestions are given for the use of each visibility approach.