cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Post-plant strategies for management of black root rot-related decline of perennial strawberry fields

Abstract Perennial strawberries affected with black root rot generally decline in runner production, yield, and overall plant vigor over time. Several plant pathogens have been implicated in black root rot, including plant-parasitic nematodes, Pythium and Rhizoctonia spp. Pre-plant treatments such as a 3- to 5-year crop rotation or chemical fumigation are the main means of disease management. During 2007 and 2008, five post-plant treatments were evaluated for mitigation of strawberry black root rot in a naturally declining site in Ottawa County in Michigan. Fungicides and nutritional amendments were applied as drenches or foliar sprays. Most treatments increased runner establishment, yield, and overall plant vigor, particularly azoxystrobin and azoxystrobin + potassium phosphite. Root necrosis and incidence of root infection by binucleate Rhizoctonia spp. were reduced. Results were more apparent and significant in 2008 than in 2007, indicating cumulative effects over the 2 years of the trial. During 2008 and 2009, a large-scale demonstration trial was conducted with these treatments in a strawberry field with a history of black root rot in Leelanau County, MI. Improvements in bed fill and average plant weight and reductions in root necrosis and Rhizoctonia isolations were noted. This research represents the first post-plant chemical management strategy capable of slowing or even reversing the decline due to black root rot in established strawberry fields.
A Therapeutic Perspective of Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus/AIDS in 2017

Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS live a far different life today compared with those who were infected in the 1980s and 1990s. Antiretroviral therapy has evolved from a once poorly tolerated, heavy pill burden to the availability of many once-daily single-tablet regimens. The improvements in therapy have necessitated the need to be cognizant of comorbidities as well as drug-drug interactions. Despite the tremendous advances in therapy, newer therapies are in the pipeline and continue to emerge, making care for patients burdened by HIV perhaps easier than it has ever been.
A Systematic Investigation of Rectangular Patch Antenna Bending Effects for Wearable Applications

The emerging applications for wearable electronics have experienced enormous growth over the last decade. Antennas, being one of the critical components in modern wireless devices, thus need to be specifically designed to function while being worn and bent. In this paper, we present a systematic investigation of the effects of bending applied on wearable patch antennas over cylindrical surfaces. The resonant frequency variations and radiation pattern variations have been studied by simulating and measuring patch antennas that are bent by different angles. A frequency shift plot with respect to bending radius has been generated to target antennas for various wearable applications. An analytical approach has been presented to study the effect of resonant frequency shifting for both E- and H-planes bending. A lumped element circuit model is used to interpret the E-plane bending from different perspectives. One of the main objectives of this paper is to develop useful design-oriented charts and provide a better understanding of the effects of antenna bending to assist wearable antenna designers.
M Machines, One Repairman (M/M/1/M)

This chapter explores a system with a limited number of units in the input population, like M machines in a shop that occasionally require service from one repairman. The inter-arrival time per unit and the service times are exponential. This could be a firm with five copy machines and one repairman. The probability on the number of units in the system is derived, and the performance measures of the system are developed. Examples are presented.
Spine Tumors in the Young Athlete

Spine tumors are infrequently encountered in the young athlete population. However, when they are not identified in a timely manner, the consequences can be significant: spinal deformity, neurologic deficits, long-standing pain, etc. It is thus important for all clinicians caring for athletes, to keep neoplasia in their differential when they are evaluating an athlete with a spine complaint.
Septic Necrosis of the Internal Carotid Artery: A Complication of Peritonsillar Abscess

Septic necrosis of the internal carotid artery is a major complication of peritonsillar abscess. Although once a common complication, its occurrence is rare since the introduction of antibiotics. A 12-year-old girl was referred to our institution after a false aneurysm of the internal carotid artery had been entered during routine tonsillectomy for a peritonsillar abscess. Review of the literature and features of the present case demonstrate the following findings suggestive of erosion of the internal carotid artery as a result of peritonsillar abscess: (1) spontaneous hemorrhage from a peritonsillar abscess, (2) persistent peritonsillar swelling after resolution of symptoms of peritonsillar abscess, (3) ipsilateral Horner's syndrome, and (4) otherwise unexplained cranial nerve palsies (nerves IX, X, XI, and XII).
Investigating peripheral sources of speech-in-noise variability in listeners with normal audiograms

A current initiative in auditory neuroscience research is to better understand why some listeners struggle to perceive speech-in-noise (SIN) despite having normal hearing sensitivity. Various hypotheses regarding the physiologic bases of this disorder have been proposed. Notably, recent work has suggested that the site of lesion underlying SIN deficits in normal hearing listeners may be either in "sub-clinical" outer hair cell damage or synaptopathic degeneration at the inner hair cell-auditory nerve fiber synapse. In this study, we present a retrospective investigation of these peripheral sources and their relationship with SIN performance variability in one of the largest datasets of young normal-hearing listeners presented to date. 194 participants completed detailed case history questionnaires assessing noise exposure, SIN complaints, tinnitus, and hyperacusis. Standard and extended high frequency audiograms, distortion product otoacoustic emissions, click-evoked auditory brainstem responses, and SIN performance measures were also collected. We found that: 1) the prevalence of SIN deficits in normal hearing listeners was 42% when based on subjective report and 8% when based on SIN performance, 2) hearing complaints and hyperacusis were more common in listeners with self-reported noise exposure histories than controls, 3) neither extended high frequency thresholds nor compound action potential amplitudes differed between noise-exposed and control groups, 4) extended high frequency hearing thresholds and compound action potential amplitudes were not predictive of SIN performance. These results suggest an association between noise exposure and hearing complaints in young, normal hearing listeners; however, SIN performance variability is not explained by peripheral auditory function to the extent that these measures capture subtle physiologic differences between participants.
Magnetic-assisted Robotic Surgery to Facilitate Reduced-port Radical Prostatectomy.

Abstract Background Tissue retraction during minimally-invasive urologic surgery currently is achieved by either gravity via patient positioning or placement of additional ports for robotic arms or bedside assistant instrumentation. A novel magnetic retractor system (Levita Magnetic Surgical System, San Mateo, CA) was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in minimally invasive surgery. Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of magnetic-assisted robotic surgery (MARS) to perform a reduced-port radical prostatectomy (RP). Materials Sixteen patients underwent a MARS reduced-port RP in the treatment of prostatic adenocarcinoma at a single institution from June 2018 to September 2018 utilizing the magnetic retraction device in lieu of the 4th robotic arm for tissue retraction. All surgical procedures were completed using the da Vinci surgical system (Intuitive Surgical Inc., Sunnyvale, CA). The magnetic retractor was used to manipulate and retract the colon, peritoneum, seminal vesicles, prostatic capsule during neurovascular bundle dissection, and bladder during lymphadenectomy. Results All cases were successfully completed without placement of a 4th robotic arm or an additional assistant port. The magnetic retractor subjectively provided comparable retraction and exposure to these tools. No intraoperative or immediate postoperative complications were noted. Mean operative time was 236 ± 23 minutes and mean blood loss was 265 ± 88 mL. All patients were discharged to home by postoperative day 2. Conclusion Magnetic-assisted reduced-port robotic prostatectomy is a novel technique that appears to be both safe and effective. Use of the magnetic system avoids the need for a 4th robotic arm, potentially minimizing the morbidity of surgery and improving cosmesis. Further, none of the fundamental steps of the procedure were changed or compromised. Outcomes analysis in larger cohorts and cost analysis is warranted.
Directed Evolution Using Stabilized Bacterial Peptide Display

Chemically stabilized peptides have attracted intense interest by academics and pharmaceutical companies due to their potential to hit currently "undruggable" targets. However, engineering an optimal sequence, stabilizing linker location, and physicochemical properties is a slow and arduous process. By pairing non-natural amino acid incorporation and cell surface click chemistry in bacteria with high-throughput sorting, we developed a method to quantitatively select high affinity ligands and applied the Stabilized Peptide Evolution by E. coli Display technique to develop disrupters of the therapeutically relevant MDM2-p53 interface. Through in situ stabilization on the bacterial surface, we demonstrate rapid isolation of stabilized peptides with improved affinity and novel structures. Several peptides evolved a second loop including one sequence (Kd = 1.8 nM) containing an i, i+4 disulfide bond. NMR structural determination indicated a bent helix in solution and bound to MDM2. The bicyclic peptide had improved protease stability, and we demonstrated that protease resistance could be measured both on the bacterial surface and in solution, enabling the method to test and/or screen for additional drug-like properties critical for biologically active compounds.
Chemogenetic stimulation of mouse central amygdala corticotropin-releasing factor neurons: Effects on cellular and behavioral correlates of alcohol dependence

Abstract Background Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) signaling in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) plays a critical role in rodent models of excessive alcohol drinking. However, the source of CRF acting in the CeA during alcohol withdrawal remains to be identified. In the present study, we hypothesized that CeA CRF interneurons may represent a behaviorally relevant source of CRF to the CeA increasing motivation for alcohol via negative reinforcement. Methods We tested this hypothesis in male mice and used chemogenetics to stimulate CeA CRF neurons in vitro and in vivo. Results We first observed that Crh mRNA expression in the anterior part of the mouse CeA, at the junction with the interstitial nucleus of the posterior limb of the anterior commissure, correlates positively with alcohol intake in C57BL/6J males with a history of chronic binge drinking. We then found that chemogenetic activation of CeA CRF neurons in Crh-IRES-Cre mouse brain slices increases gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) release in the medial CeA in part via CRF1 receptor activation, indicating local CRF release. While chemogenetic stimulation of CeA CRF neurons exacerbated novelty-induced feeding suppression, as seen in C57BL/6J males withdrawn from chronic intermittent alcohol inhalation, it had no effect on voluntary alcohol consumption, following either acute or chronic manipulation. Conclusions Altogether, these findings indicate that hyperactivity of CeA CRF neurons may contribute to elevated CeA GABA levels and negative affect during alcohol withdrawal but is not sufficient to drive alcohol intake escalation in dependent mice.
Sex-specific sagittal and frontal plane gait mechanics in persons post-hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome

Postoperative gait mechanics in persons with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) remain understudied as a treatment outcome despite observed, yet inconclusive, preoperative gait abnormalities. Females with FAIS demonstrate worse preoperative patient-reported hip function and altered hip mechanics when compared with males; it is unknown whether these sex differences persist postarthroscopy. The purpose of this study was to compare sex-specific gait kinematics between persons at least 1 year postarthroscopy for FAIS and healthy comparisons. General linear models with estimating equations were used to evaluate the effect of (a) limb and sex within each group, and (b) limb and group within each sex for peak sagittal and frontal plane trunk, pelvis, and hip kinematics during stance phase of gait. Analyses were covaried by gait speed. Seventeen females and eight males an average 2.5 years postarthroscopy (1.1-7.2 year) for FAIS were compared with healthy females (n = 7) and males (n = 5). Females in the FAIS group presented with an average of 4.6° more anterior pelvic tilt, and 4.8° less hip extension compared with healthy females (P ≤ .03) and 8.6° less trunk flexion, 4.8° more anterior pelvic tilt, 3.1° more pelvic drop, and 7.5° more hip flexion than males with FAIS (P ≤ .03). Males in the FAIS group presented with 2.9° less pelvic drop, and 3.2° less hip adduction than healthy males. Preoperative gait mechanics were not collected and thus changes in mechanics could not be evaluated. This study is significant to clinicians who treat patients postarthroscopy to consider sex-specific gait impairments.
Tailoring Recognition to Fit your Employees’ Needs

Employee recognition plays a key role in the success and continuity of productivity, efficiency, and organizational change. This 2-page document discusses employee recognition practices that you can implement in your workplace. Written by Matt Benge and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, February 2018. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wc298
5 – Multiple Integration

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on multiple integration of polar coordinates. While calculating the centroid of a plane region, it is necessary to assume that the region has a constant area density ρ. However, by using double integrals, one can get away from this restriction. When the centroid of a plane region is calculated, it is necessary to assume that the region has a constant area density ρ. However, by using double integrals, one can get away from this restriction. The density at any point on a semicircular plane lamina is proportional to the square of the distance from the point to the center of the circle. This double integral can be computed without using polar coordinates, but the computation is much more tedious. If f ≥ 0 on surface region S, then the triple integral ∫∫∫π∫(x,y,z) represents the volume in four-dimensional space ℝ4 of the region bounded above by f and below by S.
Risk of Prosthetic Joint Infection Increases Following Early Aseptic Revision Surgery of Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.

Abstract Background It is important to identify risk factors for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) following total joint arthroplasty in order to mitigate the substantial social and economic burden. The objective of this study is to evaluate early aseptic revision surgery as a potential risk factor for PJI following total hip (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods Patients who underwent primary THA or TKA with early aseptic revision were identified in 2 national insurance databases. Control groups of patients who did not undergo revision were identified and matched 10:1 to study patients. Rates of PJI at 1 and 2 years postoperatively following revision surgery were calculated and compared to controls using a logistic regression analysis. Results In total, 328 Medicare and 222 Humana patients undergoing aseptic revision THA within 1 year of index THA were found to have significantly increased risk of PJI at 1 year (5.49% vs 0.91%, odds ratio [OR] 5.61, P Conclusion Early aseptic revision surgery following THA and TKA is associated with significantly increased risks of subsequent PJI within 2 years.
Multi-Scale and Temporal Transfer Learning for Automatic Tracking of Internal Ice Layers

Pragmatic Deep Learning techniques in recent years have greatly influenced our approaches to data analysis. However, in many real-world problems, even when a large dataset is available, Deep Learning methods have shown less success, for the lack of large labeled dataset, presence of noise, or missing data. In this work, our goal is to track internal ice layers in radar images gathered with various sensors in different years. We will show that transfer learning will not generally work well. However, if the Deep Learning model gets trained on noisy images, there would be a significant improvement. Unlike spatial Transfer Learning, our experiments show that temporal Transfer Learning can provide considerably better results.
Visualizing Key Signaling Components of Macropinocytosis and Phagocytosis Using Confocal Microscopy in the Model Organism Dictyostelium discoideum

Macropinocytosis and phagocytosis are the processes by which eukaryotic cells use their plasma membrane to engulf liquid or a large particle and give rise to an internal compartment called the macropinosomes or phagosome, respectively. Dictyostelium discoideum provides a powerful system to understand the molecular mechanism of these two fundamental cellular processes that impact human health and disease. Recent developments in fluorescence microscopy allow direct visualization of intracellular signaling events with high temporal and spatial resolution. Here, we describe methods to visualize temporospatial activation or localization of key signaling components that are crucial for macropinocytosis and phagocytosis using confocal fluorescence microscopy.
Sclerosing Stromal Tumor: A Clinicopathologic Study of 100 Cases of a Distinctive Benign Ovarian Stromal Tumor Typically Occurring in the Young

AIMS Since the sclerosing stromal tumour (SST) of the ovary was first described in 1973, few studies have expanded upon its histological features or overlap with other tumours. We thus investigate these aspects based on our experience with 100 cases. METHODS AND RESULTS The patients, 14 of whom were pregnant, ranged from 12 to 63 years (median = 26 years). Ten patients had hormonal manifestations (seven oestrogenic, three androgenic). Bilateral ovarian involvement was present in two cases. Size ranged from 1 to 23 cm (mean = 8.4 cm). Most tumours were solid and white with focal yellow areas; oedema with cystic degeneration (seen in 25 cases) resulted in eight being predominantly cystic. On microscopic examination, alternating cellular and paucicellular areas (pseudolobulation) were prominent in 94 cases but seen to a limited degree in the remaining neoplasms. Admixed spindled and luteinised cells were present in all tumours, but 13 demonstrated mainly spindled cells and 19 demonstrated mainly lutein cells; 14 of the latter were from pregnant patients. The stroma was typically oedematous or collagenous, but in 14 cases was prominently hyalinised and, in four, myxoid. Prominent vascularity was present in most cases. The mitotic rate ranged from 0 to 8/10 high-power fields (HPF), but most demonstrated <1/10 HPF. CONCLUSIONS The differential diagnosis of SST is broad, including fibromas, thecomas, solitary fibrous tumours, pregnancy luteomas, myxomas, other ovarian sex cord-stromal tumours with sclerosis and, rarely, Krukenberg tumours. Strict adherence to the requirement of pseudolobulation, prominent (usually ectatic) vessels, and lutein cells and fibroblasts admixed in a jumbled manner, will distinguish the neoplasm from others in the differential.
Enhanced thermal transport across the interface between charged graphene and poly(ethylene oxide) by non-covalent functionalization

Abstract Interfacial thermal transport between electrodes and polymer electrolytes can play a crucial role in the thermal management of solid-state lithium-ion batteries (SLIBs). Modifying the electrode surface with functional molecules can effectively increase the interfacial thermal conductance (ITC) between electrodes and polymers (e.g., electrolytes, separators); however, how they influence the interfacial thermal transport in SLIBs during charge/discharge remains unknown. In this work, we conduct molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the ITC between charged graphene electrodes and solid-state polymer electrolytes (SPEs) mixed with ionic liquids (ILs). We find that ILs could self assemble at the graphene electrode surface and act as non-covalent functional molecules that could significantly enhance the interfacial thermal transport during charge/discharge because of the formation of a densely packed cationic or anionic layer at the interface. While the electrostatic interactions between the charged graphene electrode and the IL ions are responsible for forming these dense interfacial layers, the enhancement of ITC is mainly contributed by the increased Lennard-Jones (LJ) interactions between the charged graphene electrodes and ILs. This work may provide valuable insights into the understanding of interfacial thermal transport between electrodes and electrolytes of SLIBs during charge/discharge.
4HE CONFINED IN 0.0483 MU M PLANAR GEOMETRY, SPECIFIC HEAT AND SCALING NEAR TLAMBDA

We report new specific heat data for4He confined between two silicon wafers at 0.0483 μm separation. This extends our work by a factor of two in the range of confinements studied, and allows us a better check on scaling predictions. The present data have been obtained with a new design for the SiO2pattern which is used to achieve the wafer's separation. With this, we have obtained reliable data in the region where the confined helium becomes superfluid. We find that for T > Tλthe new data collapse well onto a universal function. Below Tλ, but above the specific heat maximum, the data also collapse well. Near the maximum, however, there is lack of collapse which persists into the superfluid region. It seems likely that this is connected with the two-dimensional crossover for the geometry of these cells
Academic Achievement in First Generation College Students: The Role of Academic Self-Concept.

This study examined whether verbal and math self-concepts could help explain the academic performance of first generation college students. Participants were 167 ethnically diverse students at an inner city, commuter, open-enrollment, four-year university in the southwestern United States. Results indicated that students with lower verbal and math self-concepts had lower grade point averages. Furthermore, there were ethnic differences among first generation college students in GPA with Whites performing better than African Americans and Latinos. In addition, Asians and Latinos had higher math self-concept than African Americans. The potential for academic self-concept as an important factor in increasing the academic performance of first generation students is discussed.
Perfluoro and chloro amide derivatives of aniline and chloroanilines: a comparison of their formation and gas chromatographic determination by mass selective and electron-capture detectors

Abstract The preparation of the amide derivatives of aniline and 16 chloroanilines by reaction with trifluoroacetic, pentafluoropropionic, heptafluorobutyric, chloroacetic, and dichloroacetic anhydrides is described. Separation of these derivatives by capillary columns was investigated and mass spectral data of 85 derivatives obtained by mass selective detector were summarized. Electron-capture relative response factors of the amides were also obtained. A comparison of the five derivatization reactions indicated that the heptafluorobutyryl derivatives were most suitable for the analysis of the present group of anilines.
Millennium Development Goals and Global Health of Women and Newborns

Susan Mattson, RNCOB, CTN, PhD, FAAN, is professor emerita in the College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ. At the 18th International Congress on Women’s Health in April 2010, Dr. Julio Frenk, dean of Harvard School of Public Health, asserted that global health should not be thought of as diierent from or opposed to domestic health; global includes the United States (Frenk, 2010). Global health transcends national boundaries, and health disparities can be between nations, within a nation, or between populations within that nation. Researchers usually compare ‘‘mainstream’’ populations with those in minority groups (Marsiglia, 2010). A recent article in the Arizona Republic newspaper reported that nearly one half of all children in the United States and 90% of Black children will be on food stamps at some point during childhood, and children on food stamps are at risk for malnutrition and other ills linked to poverty (Tanner, 2009).
Trait Self-Control Predicts Adolescents’ Exposure and Reactivity to Daily Stressful Events

The current study used an influence model of personality and stress processes to examine the association between individual differences in trait self-control and daily stress exposure and reactivity in adolescent youth. A total of 129 adolescents (Mage = 14.7 years, 59% female) completed individual difference measures of self-control, neuroticism, and measures of responses to stress. Participants then reported on daily stressful events, stress severity, mood, coping, and mindlessness (a predictor of acting on impulse) for 14 consecutive days. Self-control predicted less exposure to daily stress, less reactivity to daily stress, and more adaptive responses to stress. Specifically, adolescents with higher self-control experienced fewer daily stressors and reported lower stress severity, particularly when daily mindlessness was high. Second, adolescents with higher self-control reported less mindlessness in response to daily stress relative to those with lower self-control, but they did not show differences in emotional reactivity to stress. Finally, results also offered evidence for an indirect effect of problem-focused coping strategies between self-control and emotional reactivity to stress. The current investigation illustrates the importance of trait self-control in daily stress processes among adolescents and suggests possible mechanisms through which self-control confers these positive effects.
Reservoirs of Meaning: Engaging Students in Historical Inquiry at Museums

Marcus, Alan S., Stoddard, Jeremy D., & Woodward, Walter W. (2012). Teaching History With Museums: Strategies for K–12 Social Studies. New York, NY: Routledge. 192 pp., $46.95, paperback, ISBN: 978...
The ethnomedicine of the waorani of Amazonian Ecuador

The Waorani Indians of eastern Ecuador are one of the least acculturated tribes in South America and hence provide a unique opportunity for studying the role of medicinal plants in an isolated Amazonian people. Biomedical studies conducted by a team from Stanford and Duke Universities have revealed a surprising dearth of endemic disease among recently contacted Waorani. An intensive ethnobotanical study in the spring of 1980 found a perspicacious knowledge of ethno-ecology among all adult Waorani, but discovered relatively few medicinal plants. Partial results of this survey and a discussion of Waorani disease concepts are presented. The implications in terms of the origin of plant medicines among indigenous peoples are discussed. Are the Waorani unique because of their isolation or do they represent a pattern of medicinal plant use closer to the aboriginal situation before the impact of Western disease? The conclusions challenge the orthodox view of the native and the origins of his prodigious knowledge of medicinal botany.
Schadensfälle durch unsachgemäßen Betrieb von Kreiselpumpen

In der petrochemischen und chemischen Industrie und damit in verfahrenstechnischen Anlagen sind Pumpen ein wichtiges Element. Die Zuverlassigkeit der Pumpe in so einem System ist auserst wichtig, da die Kosten bei einem Produktionsausfall sehr hoch sind. Durch z. B. Umstrukturierungen oder Ruhestandsregelungen ist innerhalb von Unternehmen beim Personal in Produktion und Technik ein Ruckgang an Kompetenzen festzustellen. Auswirkung, Ursache und Abhilfe werden in dieser Arbeit exemplarisch an zwei Beispielen von Pumpenschaden aufgezeigt.
Organizational Justice: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

The present article chronicles the history of the field of organizational justice, identifies current themes, and recommends new directions for the future. A historical overview of the field focuses on research and theory in the distributive justice tradition (e.g., equity theory) as well as the burgeoning topic of procedural justice. This forms the foundation for the discussion offive popular themes in contemporary organizational justice research: (a) attempts to distinguish procedural justice and distributive justice empirically, (b) the development of new conceptual advances, (c) consideration of the interpersonal determinants of procedural justice judgments, (d) new directions in tests of equity theory, and (e) applications of justice-based explanations to many different organizational phenomena. In closing, a plea is made for future work that improves procedural justice research methodologically (with respect to scope, setting, and scaling), and that attempts to integrate and unify disparate concepts...
Theory of Plasma Oscillations. B. Excitation and Damping of Oscillations

The theory of electron oscillations of an unbounded plasma is extended to take into account the effects of collisions and special groups of particles having well-defined ranges of velocities. It is found that as a result of collisions a wave tends to be damped in a time of the order of the mean time between collisions. If beams of sharply defined velocity or groups of particles far above mean thermal speeds are present, however, they introduce a tendency toward instability so that small oscillations grow until limited by effects not taken into account in the linear approximation. An estimate is made of the steady-state amplitude for plasma oscillations in which excitation occurs because of a peak at high velocities in the electron velocity distribution, and in which the main damping arises from collisions. It is also found that in variable density plasmas, waves moving in the direction of decreasing plasma density show even stronger instability.In absence of plasma oscillations, any beam of well-defined velocity is scattered by the individual plasma electrons acting at random, but, when all particles act in unison in the form of a plasma oscillation, the scattering can become much greater. Because of the instability of the plasma when special beams are present, the beams are scattered by the oscillations which they produce. It is suggested that this type of instability can explain the results of Langmuir, which show that beams of electrons traversing a plasma are scattered much more rapidly than can be accounted for by random collisions alone. It is also suggested that this type of instability may be responsible for radio noises received from the sun's atmosphere and from interstellar space.
Radiation and taxol effects on synchronized human cervical carcinoma cells

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of the plant derived chemotherapeutic agent taxol alone and in combination with ionizing radiation on synchronous and asynchronous human cervical carcinoma cells and to define the mechanistic basis for this cytotoxic response. Methods and Materials: Asynchronous and synchronous cells (obtained by modified mitotic shake-off) derived from carcinomas of the human uterine cervix were treated with a range of concentrations of taxol (0, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 nM) for either 8, 24 or 48 h. Synchronized cell cycling was evaluated by counting mitotic indices and by uptake of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd). Cells were irradiated ( 137 Cs 7 rays at 1.12 Gy/min) alone and after taxol treatment and plating efficiencies and radiosensitivity determined. Results: Taxol treatment resulted in a dose time dependent loss of colony forming ability with 10 nM for 24 h producing about 10% cell survival. Irradiating taxol treated cells resulted in a strictly additive response in contrast to previous supra-additive results with astrocytoma and melanoma cells. Mitotically synchronized cells rapidly moved into G 1 phase with a second mitotic peak at 28 h (total cycle time). Taxol treatment resulted in a continued accumulation of mitoses, and a failure and/or delay of entry of a fraction of cells into S phase after a G 1 phase of at least 10 h. That is, taxol effects cell cycling at a stage other than G 2 /M. Irradiating (3 Gy) synchronized cells showed a 10-fold variation in sensitivity, with mitosis as the most sensitive phase with taxol alone resulting in some cytotoxicity and combined effects additive or less than additive. Conclusion: Taxol effects these cervical carcinoma cells at other stages of the cell cycle than G 2 /M. This may explain the failure to obtain taxol radiosensitization with these cells and it may indicate that taxol has a multiplicity of actions with differences in effectiveness likely between cells of different origins.
Ethanol Extraction of Lactose from Nonfat Dry Milk: Production of Protein Raffinate

Abstract The efficiency of extracting lactose from NDM with aqueous ethanol was investigated under conditions where four factors were varied. The experiments were conducted in a complete random block design using three values for each of the variables: ratios of solvent to solids 10:1, 15:1, and 20:1 (wt/wt); solvent ethanol content of 62.4, 72.9, and 84.0% (wt/wt); temperature during extraction of 10, 25, and 50°C; and added divalent metal ion chelator (citrate) in the amount of 0, 10, and 20 mmol/100 g NDM. The results were evaluated statistically using response surface methodology with a multivariate linear regression equation. Optimal extraction efficiency was obtained with high ratio of solvent to solid and low ethanol concentration of the solvent. High temperatures and high citrate concentrations tended to solvate proteins and make separation by filtration difficult. Milk protein with residual lactose of 2 to 4% was obtained using this one-step extraction process under optimal conditions.
Evolution of sodium channels and the new view of early nervous system evolution.

Advances in genomics have revealed that many genes implicated in the nervous systems of bilaterians were already present in the last common ancestor (LCA) of animals, and some even before that.1-5 This new information coincides with a growing reinterpretation of cnidarian nervous systems which holds that they are ‘fundamentally conventional’ with regards to bilaterian nervous systems,6 and do not represent ancient forms. Since in general adult forms are expected to be the most derived features of organisms, the study of non-bilaterian larval forms may be a better way to investigate potential plesiomorphies. We recently showed that voltage-gated sodium channel (Nav) genes, which make action potentials in nerves and muscles, were present in the LCA of animals and choanoflagellates, the closest unicellular relatives to animals.2 This addendum will attempt to put this finding within the context of the new views of nervous system evolution.
Inelastic, nonlinear analysis of stiffened shells of revolution by numerical integration

This paper describes the latest addition to the STARS system of computer programs, STARS-2P, for the plastic, large deflection analysis of axisymmetrically loaded shells of revolution. The STARS system uses a numerical integration scheme to solve the governing differential equations. Several unique features for shell of revolution programs that are included in the STARS-2P program are described. These include orthotropic nonlinear kinematic hardening theory, a variety of shell wall cross sections and discrete ring stiffeners, cyclic and nonproportional mechanical and thermal loading capability, the coupled axisymmetric large deflection elasto-plastic torsion problem, an extensive restart option, arbitrary branching capability, and the provision for the inelastic treatment of smeared stiffeners, isogrid, and waffle wall constructions. To affirm the validity of the results, comparisons with available theoretical and experimental data are presented.
Low-volume ulnar nerve block within the axillary sheath for the treatment of reflex sympathetic dystrophy.

A case is described of reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) of the upper limb following cerebral arteriography via the subclavian artery. The pain started in the hand and forearm but, over several weeks, spread to involve the whole arm. After identifying the ulnar nerve in the axillary bundle with a stimulator, a series of small volume injections (bupivacaine 0.5% with epinephrine 2.5 ml and methylprednisolone 40 mg) was given. These relieved the pain and reversed the trophic changes of RSD. It is suggested that this approach is a useful alternative treatment in cases of RSD of the upper extremity.
Application of degradation-entropy generation theorem to dry sliding friction and wear

The Entropy Generation Theorem recently formulated by Bryant, Khonsari and Ling [1] relates any form of degradation to the irreversible dissipative processes germane to the degradation mechanism. The theorem was formulated and proved [1] based on the first and second laws of thermodynamics In this article, dry sliding wear will be related to dry sliding friction through application of the theorem. The result reproduces the Holm-Archard wear law, but with a wear coefficient based on measurement of temperatures and wear volume lost.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
82 Temperature, THAM, Glucose and Asphyxia in Newborn Puppies

The time of last gasp (TLG) of asphyxiated neonatal puppies increases from 4.3 minutes at 42° C body temperature to 105 minutes at 15° C. Below 15°C survival times decrease. This is true protection; all 15° animals recovered from exposures up to 1 hour (4X TLG of warm littermates) and 50 % of those exposed 9X or 1 OX TLG recovered without assistance. In warm animals artificial respiration with 100 % O2 was only partially successful for animals exposed for 1¼X to 2X TLG and most showed behavioral deficits indicating brain damage. By contrast, cold animals which were exposed to 10X TLG of warm littermates and which recovered spontaneously showed no evidence of brain damage. During asphyxia, blood glucose, potassium, lactate and hydrogen ions increased and pyruvate decreased. In puppies at 15° all of these changes took place at a slower rate than in warm littermates. In coenothermic animals (37°) controlling pH by infusion of Trishydroxyaminomethane (THAM) increased survival times by 18 %, infusion of glucose by 19 %, and combining the two by 68 %. Cooling to 15° C colonic temperature gave survivals of 655 %. Combining THAM and glucose with hypothermia (15°C) gave an average of 1104%. THAM-glucose infusions also permitted recoveries from exposures which were lethal for non-infused animals at the same temperature. Thus, the combination has been the most effective of any tried to date. (SPR)
The proportion of sulfate to sulfur dioxide in Kilauea Volcano fume

Abstract Particles collected from the fume of Kilauea volcano are largely dilute sulfuric acid droplets containing dissolved salts. The concentrations of salts in the droplets vary markedly depending on the volcanic conditions where collection occurs. A technique has been developed for determining the proportion of sulfate to sulfur dioxide in such fume. Very large variations in these proportions have also been found. All of these variations can be explained as being due to varying degrees of oxidation of H 2 S, S and SO 2 at high temperatures by atmospheric oxygen. If such oxidation occurs during extremely explosive eruptions, such as that of Ganung Agung in Bali, large amounts of sulfuric acid droplets containing various sulfates may be injected directly into the stratosphere. Since such droplets are in the micron and submicron size range, they will remain in the stratosphere for long time periods.
Modeling and simulating electronic textile applications

This paper describes our design of a simulation environment for electronic textiles (e-textiles) and our experiences with that environment. This simulation environment, based upon Ptolemy II, enables us to model a diverse range of areas related to the design of electronic textiles, including the physical environment they will be used in, the behavior of the sensors incorporated into the fabric, the on-fabric network, the power consumption of the system, and the execution of the application and system software. This paper focuses on two aspects of the system, modeling the motion of a person wearing the e-textile and modeling the effect of faults in the e-textile system. To partially validate this environment, we compare simulation results against results from two different physical prototypes, a large-scale acoustic beamformer and a pair of shape-sensing pants.
Decision-model estimation of the age-specific disability weight for schistosomiasis japonica: a systematic review of the literature.

Schistosomiasis is among the most prevalent parasitic infections worldwide. However, current Global Burden of Disease (GBD) disability-adjusted life year estimates indicate that its population-level impact is negligible. Recent studies suggest that GBD methodologies may significantly underestimate the burden of parasitic diseases, including schistosomiasis. Furthermore, strain-specific disability weights have not been established for schistosomiasis, and the magnitude of human disease burden due to Schistosoma japonicum remains controversial. We used a decision model to quantify an alternative disability weight estimate of the burden of human disease due to S. japonicum. We reviewed S. japonicum morbidity data, and constructed decision trees for all infected persons and two age-specific strata, <15 years (y) and ≥15 y. We conducted stochastic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses for each model. Infection with S. japonicum was associated with an average disability weight of 0.132, with age-specific disability weights of 0.098 (<15 y) and 0.186 (≥15 y). Re-estimated disability weights were seven to 46 times greater than current GBD measures; no simulations produced disability weight estimates lower than 0.009. Nutritional morbidities had the greatest contribution to the S. japonicum disability weight in the <15 y model, whereas major organ pathologies were the most critical variables in the older age group. GBD disability weights for schistosomiasis urgently need to be revised, and species-specific disability weights should be established. Even a marginal increase in current estimates would result in a substantial rise in the estimated global burden of schistosomiasis, and have considerable implications for public health prioritization and resource allocation for schistosomiasis research, monitoring, and control.
ERIC Review: Effective Elements of Developmental Reading and Writing Programs.

The author summarizes the literature on developmental reading and writing programs by discussing strategies for addressing remedial needs and obstacles to remediation. Based on the review, the auth...
Gaia's evil twin

The Earth is not the nurturing mother of life of James Lovelock's famous theory. It is far more like murderous Medea, argues biologist Peter Ward
Tripartite control of growth hormone secretion in women during controlled estradiol repletion.

Context: Studies of how aging attenuates GH secretion are confounded by differences in sex-steroid milieus, abdominal visceral fat mass (AVF), and IGF-I concentrations and limited in interpretability by the use of pharmacological doses of secretagogues. Hypothesis: In a controlled estrogenic milieu, near-physiological secretagogue drive will unmask distinct influences of age, AVF, and IGF-I on GH secretion. Location: The study was conducted at an academic medical center. Subjects: Subjects included 10 healthy pre- (PRE) and 10 postmenopausal (POST) women. Procedure: In a defined estradiol (E2) milieu, we compared GH secretion after submaximal stimulation with GH-releasing peptide (GHRP)-2 (ghrelin analog), GHRH, and l-arginine (an inhibitor of somatostatin outflow). Analysis: We related GH responses to age stratum (dichotomous variable) and AVF and IGF-I concentrations (continuous variables). Results: In the face of comparable concentrations of E2, testosterone, and SHBG: 1) age (P < 0.001) and secretagog...
Topographic factor analysis: a Bayesian model for inferring brain networks from neural data.

The neural patterns recorded during a neuroscientific experiment reflect complex interactions between many brain regions, each comprising millions of neurons. However, the measurements themselves are typically abstracted from that underlying structure. For example, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) datasets comprise a time series of three-dimensional images, where each voxel in an image (roughly) reflects the activity of the brain structure(s)–located at the corresponding point in space–at the time the image was collected. FMRI data often exhibit strong spatial correlations, whereby nearby voxels behave similarly over time as the underlying brain structure modulates its activity. Here we develop topographic factor analysis (TFA), a technique that exploits spatial correlations in fMRI data to recover the underlying structure that the images reflect. Specifically, TFA casts each brain image as a weighted sum of spatial functions. The parameters of those spatial functions, which may be learned by applying TFA to an fMRI dataset, reveal the locations and sizes of the brain structures activated while the data were collected, as well as the interactions between those structures.
Feasibility and safety of robot-assisted salvage prostatectomy for recurrent prostate cancer following radiation therapy

We report a comparison of perioperative complications and pathologic outcomes in patients with locally radiorecurrent prostate cancer treated by open radical retropubic or robot-assisted prostatectomy. The results of our study demonstrate that both surgical approaches were feasible and safe without any significant perioperative complications (death, rectal injury) with comparable short-term outcomes.
Long-term educational goals, subgoals, learning strategies use and the academic performance of college students

This study attempted to answer the question: "What are the direct and indirect effects of long-term educational goals on educational subgoals, learning strategies use and academic performance?" Results from the study showed that long-term educational goals had a direct effect on educational sub- goals and an indirect effect on learning strategies use and academic perfor- mance. In addition, the investigation of individual differences related to learning strategies use indicated that when long-term educational goals are accompanied by the accomplishment of educational subgoals and a sufficient number of use- ful learning strategies, academic performance tended to improve.
Echocardiography reveals a high incidence of bicuspid aortic valve in Turner syndrome

The most common cardiac defect in Turner syndrome has been described previously as coarctation of the aorta. We have evaluated 35 consecutive patients with Turner syndrome by clinical examination and by M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiography. Twelve patients (34%) had isolated, nonstenotic bicuspid aortic valve. A high correlation (82%) existed between the presence of a systolic ejection click and echocardiographic evidence of a bicuspid aortic valve. These data indicate that bicuspid aortic valve may be the most common cardiac anomaly in Turner syndrome.