cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Functional impairments as symptoms in the symptom cluster analysis of patients newly diagnosed with advanced cancer.

Abstract Context Symptoms and subsequent functional impairment have been associated with the biological processes of disease, including the interaction between disease and treatment in a measurement model of symptoms. However, hitherto cluster analysis has primarily focused on symptoms. Objectives This study among patients within 100 days of diagnosis with advanced cancer explored whether self-reported physical symptoms and functional impairments formed clusters at the time of diagnosis. Methods We applied cluster analysis to self-reported symptoms and activities of daily living of 111 patients newly diagnosed with advanced gastrointestinal (GI), gynecological, head and neck, and lung cancers. Based on content expert evaluations, the best techniques and variables were identified, yielding the best solution. Results The best cluster solution used a K-means algorithm and cosine similarity and yielded five clusters of physical as well as emotional symptoms and functional impairments. Cancer site formed the predominant organizing principle of composition for each cluster. The top five symptoms and functional impairments in each cluster were Cluster 1 (GI): outlook, insomnia, appearance, concentration, and eating/feeding; Cluster 2 (GI): appetite, bowel, insomnia, eating/feeding, and appearance; Cluster 3 (gynecological): nausea, insomnia, eating/feeding, concentration, and pain; Cluster 4 (head and neck): dressing, eating/feeding, bathing, toileting, and walking; and Cluster 5 (lung): cough, walking, eating/feeding, breathing, and insomnia. Conclusion Functional impairments in patients newly diagnosed with late-stage cancers behave as symptoms during the diagnostic phase. Health care providers need to expand their assessments to include both symptoms and functional impairments. Early recognition of functional changes may accelerate diagnosis at an earlier cancer stage.
Blake's Development of the Number Words “One,” “Two,” and “Three”

A mother tracked her preschooler's number word development daily from 18 to 49 months of age. Naturalistic observations were supplemented with observations during structured (Kumon) training and microgenetic testing. The boy's everyday use of “two” did not become highly reliable and selective for 10 months (at 28 months), emerged later than that of words representing less abstract concepts, and was used in a relatively abstract manner to describe various visible pairs of items. He quickly generalized “two” to partially visible collections and then those that were not visible. Highly reliable use of “one” and “two” appeared to develop simultaneously, before he started using a plural rule, and before he could put out two items upon request. Reliable and accurate use of number words in everyday situations, particularly child-initiated efforts, preceded such use in the contexts of the Kumon training and microgenetic testing, both of which involved adult-initiated tasks. Educational implications include unders...
The Collagen-like Peptide (GER)15GPCCG Forms pH-dependent Covalently Linked Triple Helical Trimers

A collagen-like peptide with the sequence (GER)15 GPCCG was synthesized to study the formation of a triple helix in the absence of proline residues. This peptide can form a triple helix at acidic and basic pH, but is insoluble around neutral pH. The formation of a triple helix can be used to covalently oxidize the cysteine residues into a disulfide knot. Three disulfide bonds are formed between the three chains as has been found at the carboxyl-terminal end of the type III collagen triple helix. This is a new method to covalently link collagen-like peptides with a stereochemistry that occurs in nature. The peptide undergoes a reversible, cooperative triple helix ⇌ coil transition with a transition midpoint (T m) of 17 to 20 °C at acidic pH and 32 to 37 °C at basic pH. At acidic pH there was little influence of the T m on the salt concentration of the buffer. At basic pH increasing the salt concentration reduced theT m to values comparable to the stability at acidic pH. These experiments show that the tripeptide unit GER which occurs frequently in collagen sequences can form a triple helical structure in the absence of more typical collagen-like tripeptide units and that charge-charge interactions play a role in the stabilization of the triple helix of this peptide.
Visualization of Two-Phase Refrigerant Flow Through an Ice-Maker Evaporator

A transparent evaporator plate has been affixed to a commercial ice-maker refrigeration system and high-speed visualization of the two-phase boiling of the R134a has been made as water is frozen on the top of the plate. The startup transient period of the freeze cycle, characterized by superheated vapor throughout the evaporator, can last up to 10 minutes as the water is pre-cooled, and the freeze cycle follows. The two-phase flow patterns have been observed as distance along the evaporator plate during the freeze cycle, and observations about the liquid phase distribution are made. The refrigerant path is a series of spiral turns, which sets up a flow pattern of the liquid phase gathering along the inner wall of the channel and being dragged by the high speed vapor. This is not an optimal flow pattern for heat transfer because the liquid is not distributed to the top of the channel.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Weak neutralino decays of an extra Z boson

Abstract We calculate the decay widths of an extra Z boson (Z 2 ) into a pair of weak neutralinos in superstring inspired SU(2)×U(1)×U'(1) gauge theories. If kinematically allowed, the branching ratio can be as large as about sixteen percent. Subsequent decays of these neutralino pairs give rise to multilepton events (four charged leptons with high p T ) which will be an interesting signal for supersymmetry.
Mexico at the World's Fairs: Crafting a Modern Nation

This intriguing study of Mexico's participation in world's fairs from 1889 to 1929 explores Mexico's self-presentation at these fairs as a reflection of the country's drive toward nationalization and a modernized image. Mauricio Tenorio-Trillo contrasts Mexico's presence at the 1889 Paris fairwhere its display was the largest and most expensive Mexico has ever mountedwith Mexico's presence after the 1910 Mexican Revolution at fairs in Rio de Janeiro in 1922 and Seville in 1929. Rather than seeing the revolution as a sharp break, Tenorio-Trillo points to important continuities between the pre- and post-revolution periods. He also discusses how, internationally, the character of world's fairs was radically transformed during this time, from the Eiffel Tower prototype, encapsulating a wondrous symbolic universe, to the Disneyland model of commodified entertainment. Drawing on cultural, intellectual, urban, literary, social, and art histories, Tenorio-Trillo's thorough and imaginative study presents a broad cultural history of Mexico from 1880 to 1930, set within the context of the origins of Western nationalism, cosmopolitanism, and modernism."
Coolant flow in surface grinding with non-porous wheels

Abstract A parameter that is often used in the assessment of cooling efficiency in grinding is the amount of fluid that flows through the grinding zone. This paper shows that when grinding with wheels possessing no bulk porosity, only a portion of the flow through the grinding zone is effective. Even at the highest wheel speeds employed, it is observed that ample fluid travels on the wheel surface and is re-directed into the grinding zone — a phenomenon that may adversely affect cooling and wheel cleaning. Therefore fluid rejection off the wheel is important. A theoretical model for fluid rejection is proposed, that describes the drop formation process, presents the operating instabilities, identifies characteristic time and length scales, and predicts the amount of rejected fluid. Although the surface roughness of the wheel is important in quantifying coolant flow rates, a smooth wheel is employed in this work to study first order effects. Preliminary experimental results obtained for a rough grinding wheel are in conformance with those for a smooth wheel.
Targeting Prostate Cancer Cells In Vivo Using a Rapidly Internalizing Novel Human Single-Chain Antibody Fragment

Human antibodies targeting prostate cancer cell surface epitopes may be useful for imaging and therapy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the tumor targeting of an internalizing human antibody fragment, a small-size platform, to provide high contrast in a mouse model of human prostate carcinoma. Methods: A prostate tumor–targeting single-chain antibody fragment (scFv), UA20, along with a nonbinding control scFv, N3M2, were labeled with 99mTc and evaluated for binding and rapid internalization into human prostate tumor cells in vitro and tumor homing in vivo using xenograft models. For the in vitro studies, the labeled UA20 scFv was incubated at 37°C for 1 h with metastatic prostate cancer cells (DU145) to assess the total cellular uptake versus intracellular uptake. For the animal studies, labeled UA20 and N3M2 scFvs were administered to athymic mice implanted subcutaneously with DU145 cells. Mice were imaged with small-animal SPECT/CT with concomitant biodistribution at 1 and 3 h after injection. Results: The UA20 scFv was labeled in 55%−65% yield and remained stable in phosphate buffer within 24 h. The labeled UA20 scFv was taken up specifically by prostate tumor cells. Internalization was rapid, because incubation at 37°C for less than 1 h resulted in 93% internalization of total cell-associated scFvs. In animal studies, SPECT/CT showed significant tumor uptake as early as 1 h after injection. At 3 h after injection, tumor uptake was 4.4 percentage injected dose per gram (%ID/g), significantly greater than all organs or tissues studied (liver, 2.7 %ID/g; other organs or tissues,
Molecular Dynamics Studies of the Transmembrane Domain of Gp41 from HIV-1

Helix-helix interactions in the putative three-helix bundle formation of the gp41 transmembrane (TM) domain may contribute to the process of virus-cell membrane fusion in HIV-1 infection. In this study, molecular dynamics is used to analyze and compare the conformations of monomeric and trimeric forms of the TM domain in various solvent systems over the course of 4 to 23-ns simulations. The trimeric bundles of the TM domain were stable as helices and remained associated in a hydrated POPE lipid bilayer for the duration of the 23-ns simulation. Several stable inter-chain hydrogen bonds, mostly among the three deprotonated arginine residues located at the center of each of the three TM domains, formed in a right-handed bundle embedded in the lipid bilayer. No such bonds were observed when the bundle was left-handed or when the central arginine residue in each of the three TM helices was replaced with isoleucine (R_I mutant), suggesting that the central arginine residues may play an essential role in maintaining the integrity of the three-helix bundle. These observations suggest that formation of the three-helix bundle of the TM domain may play a role in the trimerization of gp41, thought to occur during the virus-cell membrane fusion process.
Chronic intrathecal infusions after spinal cord injury cause scarring and compression.

Intrathecal infusions are used in a number of rodent studies to deliver substances to the injured spinal cord. Whereas this method has been successful in certain paradigms, two potential limitations of this model have not been extensively reported: (1) scar formation at the catheter tip, which can lead to infusion failure, and (2) damage to the spinal cord caused by the catheter itself. Thus, the purpose of the present study was threefold: (1) to determine intrathecal infusion efficiency over 14 days following spinal cord injury; (2) to examine possible secondary damage caused by intrathecal tubing; and (3) to explore whether alternative protocols that avoid such damage are effective. Adult Fischer 344 rats were subjected to spinal cord lesions at T7, followed by placement of an intrathecal catheter attached to an Alzet minipump. Seven or 14 days following injury and catheter placement, tube patency was evaluated by diffusion of Evans Blue dye from the minipump. Results indicate that infusion was efficient 7 days following injury but was markedly reduced after 14 days. Further, histology and immunocytochemistry 14 days after injury demonstrated compression damage to the cord where the tubing rested. Alternative protocols, including intrathecal infusions through metal cannulae, or “drip” infusions directly over the lesion, did not improve delivery. These data suggest that results from rodent studies using infusion from catheters placed adjacent to lesion sites may be attributable to acute or subacute effects of the delivered substance. Future rodent studies using intrathecal infusions should include rigorous evaluation of infusion efficiency and possible secondary tissue damage. Microsc. Res. Tech. 54:317–324, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Set theoretic estimation by random search

An adapted random search algorithm is shown to be a feasible method for the synthesis of set theoretic estimates. It circumvents the theoretical and computational shortcomings of existing deterministic methods and does not place any geometrical restrictions on the sets. The proposed method can handle arbitrarily complex property sets in applications for which the number of unknown parameters is typically low (e.g. parametric multidimensional spectral estimation, system identification, blur identification, and filter design). >
Silencing of drpr Leads to Muscle and Brain Degeneration in Adult Drosophila

Mutations in the gene encoding the single transmembrane receptor multiple epidermal growth factor-like domain 10 (MEGF10) cause an autosomal recessive congenital muscle disease in humans. Although mammalian MEGF10 is expressed in the central nervous system as well as in skeletal muscle, patients carrying mutations in MEGF10 do not show symptoms of central nervous system dysfunction. drpr is the sole Drosophila homolog of the human genes MEGF10, MEGF11, and MEGF12 (JEDI, PEAR). The functional domains of MEGF10 and drpr bear striking similarities, and residues affected by MEGF10 mutations in humans are conserved in drpr. Our analysis of drpr mutant flies revealed muscle degeneration with fiber size variability and vacuolization, as well as reduced motor performance, features that have been observed in human MEGF10 myopathy. Vacuolization was also seen in the brain. Tissue-specific RNAi experiments demonstrated that drpr deficiency in muscle, but not in the brain, leads to locomotor defects. The histological and behavioral abnormalities seen in the affected flies set the stage for further studies examining the signaling pathway modulated by MEGF10/Drpr in muscle, as well as assessing the effects of genetic and/or pharmacological manipulations on the observed muscle defects. In addition, the absence of functional redundancy for Drpr in Drosophila may help elucidate whether paralogs of MEGF10 in humans (eg, MEGF11) contribute to maintaining wild-type function in the human brain.
Characterization of North American Armillaria species: genetic relationships determined by ribosomal DNA sequences and AFLP markers

Phylogenetic and genetic relationships among 10 North American Armillaria species were analysed using sequence data from ribosomal DNA (rDNA), including intergenic spacer (IGS-1), internal transcribed spacers with associated 5.8S (ITS + 5.8S), and nuclear large subunit rDNA (nLSU), and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. Based on rDNA sequence data, the nLSU region is less variable among Armillaria species than the ITS + 5.8S and IGS-1 regions (nLSU < ITS + 5.8S < IGS-1). Phylogenetic analyses of the rDNA sequences suggested Armillaria mellea, A. tabescens and A. nabsnona are well separated from the remaining Armillaria species (A. ostoyae, A. gemina, A. calvescens, A. sinapina, A. gallica, NABS X and A. cepistipes). Several Armillaria species (A. calvescens, A. sinapina, A. gallica, NABS X and A. cepistipes) clustered together based on rDNA sequencing data. Based on the isolates used in this study, it appears that techniques based on IGS-1, ITS + 5.8S, and/or D-domain/3' ends of nLSU are not reliable for distinguishing A. calvescens, A. sinapina, A. gallica and A. cepistipes. However, AFLP data provided delineation among these species, and AFLP analysis supported taxonomic classification established by conventional methods (morphology and interfertility tests). Our results indicate that AFLP genetic markers offer potential for distinguishing currently recognized North American Biological Species (NABS) of Armillaria in future biological, ecological and taxonomic studies.
The efficacy of daclizumab for intestinal transplantation: preliminary report.

We previously identified rejection as the most significant risk factor for intestinal allograft survival.1 The reported efficacy of daclizumab (Zenapax. Hoffman-LaRoche) prophylaxis with solid organ transplantation2 triggered its use at our center as induction therapy for intestinal transplantation.
A survey of research in North American zoos and aquariums

To assess the current status of research in zoos and aquariums, a 36-item survey, which replicated and expanded upon an earlier survey [Finlay and Maple, 1986], was sent to 173 American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) institutions. A response rate of 71% was achieved after a second mailing. The results show that the role of research in AZA institutions has increased in the last decade. The percentage of zoos and aquariums that report conducting research, that list research as an objective of the institution, and that have a research committee/department have all increased. The number of individuals involved in research per institution has approximately doubled since 1986, and slightly less than half of responding institutions currently have a full-time position dedicated to administering research. Lack of available funds, time, and qualified personnel are the most common reasons reported for not conducting research. Zoo Biol 17:167–180, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Zinc deficiency affects the activity and protein concentration of angiotensin-converting enzyme in rat testes.

AbstractZinc (Zn) deficiency causes hypogonadism in a number of different species. Previous work has shown that Zn deficiency reduces the activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), a Zn-dependent enzyme, in the testes of prepubertal rats. These studies were designed to determine whether this effect was caused by a change in the concentration of ACE protein. Thirty-five male rats at 26 days of age were divided into three groups. One group was fed < ad libitum a Zn-adequate diet (40 mg/kg); another group was fed a similar diet, but deficient in Zn (< 1.0 mg/kg); a third group was pair-fed to the deficient group. After 4 weeks on these regimens, all rats in the <ad libitumfed group and half of the rats in each of the deficient and pair-fed groups were sacrificed, and tissues were collected for analysis. The remaining animals in the Zn-deficient and pair-fed groups were fed a Zn-adequate diet <ad libitum for another 2 weeks, then sacrificed. With the use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for testi...
Static electromigration analysis for on-chip signal interconnects

With the increase in current densities, electromigration has become a critical concern in high-performance designs. Typically, electromigration has involved the process of time-domain simulation of drivers and interconnect to obtain average, root mean square (r.m.s.), and peak current values for each wire segment. However, this approach cannot be applied to large problem sizes where hundreds of thousands of nets must be analyzed, each consisting of many thousands of RC elements. The authors propose a static electromigration analysis approach. They show that the charge transfer through wire segments of a net can be calculated directly by solving a system of linear equations, derived from the nodal formulation of the circuit, thereby eliminating the need for time domain simulation. The authors account for the different possible switching scenarios that give rise to unidirectional or bidirectional current by separating the charge transfer from the rising and falling transitions and also propose approaches for modeling multiple simultaneous switching drivers. They implemented the proposed static analysis approach in an industrial electromigration analysis tool that was used on a number of industrial circuits, including a large microprocessor.
Suppression of drug-induced epileptiform discharges by cyclic AMP in rat hippocampus

The effect of cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cAMP) on epileptiform activity in rat hippocampal slices was investigated. Bathapplied cAMP reversibly decreased the frequency of extracellularly recorded discharges in the CA3 subfield induced by bethanechol- or theophylline-containing solutions. Because cAMP was presumed to be relatively membrane impermeant, we developed and tested the hypothesis that this cAMP-mediated effect occurred extracellularly through the catabolic conversion of cAMP to 5′-AMP and, in turn, to adenosine, a known inhibitory neuromodulator. Three predictions derived from this catabolic hypothesis were tested. First, blockers of the enzymes involved were predicted to antagonize this effect of cAMP. In contrast, the coapplication of a cAMP-phosphodiesterase inhibitor, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), or a 5′-nucleotidase inhibitor, adenosine 5′-[α,β-methylene] diphosphate (AMP-CP), enhanced the cAMP-induced suppressive effect. Second, the nonhydrolyzable cAMP analogs, dibutyryl- and 8-bromo-cAMP, were predicted to be ineffective. Low concentrations (5–40 μM) of these two derivatives, however, also suppressed bethanechol-induced discharges, while, at a higher concentration (100 μM), both analogs increased discharge frequencies. Third, enzymatic catabolism of adenosine was predicted to antagonize cAMP's effect, but coapplying adenosine deaminase (10 U/mL) did not diminish this action. Because these data did not support the catabolic hypothesis, other, as yet undefined, mechanisms must be responsible for the dischargesuppressant effect of cAMP.
Chemotactic Effect of Staphylococcus aureus on Neutrophils Isolated from the Bovine Mammary Gland

Abstract Staphylococcus aureus suspended in milk from mammary glands pretreated with endotoxin were chemotactic for neutrophils from the same quarters. The milk or the organisms individually had little effect.
Metabolic adaptations to dietary fat malabsorption in chylomicron-deficient mice

A mouse model of chylomicron deficiency was recently developed; these mice express a human apolipoprotein (apo) B transgene in the liver but do not synthesize any apoB in the intestine. Despite severe intestinal fat malabsorption, the mice maintain normal concentrations of plasma lipids and liver-derived apoB 100-containing lipoproteins. We investigated the metabolic mechanisms by which plasma lipid levels are kept normal. De novo lipogenesis (DNL) and cholesterogenesis were measured by mass isotopomer distribution analysis (MIDA). Plasma non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) fluxes and hepatic re-esterification of labelled plasma NEFA were also measured. Hepatic and plasma triacylglycerol (TG) concentrations and plasma NEFA fluxes were not different between chylomicron-deficient mice and controls. The contribution from DNL to the hepatic TG pool was only modestly higher in chylomicron-deficient mice [12+/-2.1% (n=7) compared with 3.7+/-1.0% (n=9); means+/-S.E.M.], whereas cholesterogenesis was markedly elevated. The fractional contribution from plasma NEFA to hepatic TG was greatly elevated in the chylomicron-deficient animals (62% compared with 23%). Accordingly, 73% of hepatic TG was neither from DNL nor from plasma NEFA in controls, presumably reflecting prior contribution from chylomicron remnants, compared with only 26% in the chylomicron-deficient group. The long-term contribution from DNL to adipose fat stores reached approximately the same steady-state values (approximately 30%) in the two groups. Body fat accumulation was much lower in chylomicron-deficient animals; thus, whole-body absolute DNL was significantly lower. We conclude that plasma and hepatic TG pools and hepatic secretion of apoB-containing particles are maintained at normal levels in chylomicron-deficient mice, not by de novo fatty acid synthesis, but by more avid re-esterification of plasma NEFA, replacing the normally predominant contribution from chylomicrons, and that some dietary fat can be absorbed by apoB-independent mechanisms.
Self-Reported Copycat Crime Among a Population of Serious and Violent Juvenile Offenders

A unique population of juveniles, serious and violent juvenile offenders (SVJOs), has emergedas a public concern. A corollary concern is the effect of the mass media on juveniles. Addressing both issues, an exploratory study of copycat crime and the media's role in copycat crime's generation among a sample of SVJOs is conducted. The study's goals are to measure the prevalence of self-reportedcopycat crime in SVJOs and examine the correlates of self-reported copycat criminal behaviors. Concerning prevalence, about one fourth of the juveniles reportedthat they have attempteda copycat crime. The correlates of copycat behavior include a set of media and peer-related attitudes. Academic and demographic characteristics are not foundto significantly relate to copycat crime. Additional research on specific media, such as video games, as well as offender/nonoffender comparisons is suggested.
Energetic contribution of non-essential 5′ sequence to catalysis in a hepatitis delta virus ribozyme

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) ribozymes employ multiple catalytic strategies to achieve overall rate enhancement of RNA cleavage. These strategies include general acid–base catalysis by a cytosine side chain and involvement of divalent metal ions. Here we used a trans-acting form of the antigenomic ribozyme to examine the contribution of the 5′ sequence in the substrate to HDV ribozyme catalysis. The cleavage rate constants increased for substrates with 5′ sequence alterations that reduced ground-state binding to the ribozyme. Quantitatively, a plot of activation free energy of chemical conversion versus Gibb’s free energy of substrate binding revealed a linear relationship with a slope of –1. This relationship is consistent with a model in which components of the substrate immediately 5′ to the cleavage site in the HDV ribozyme–substrate complex destabilize ground-state binding. The intrinsic binding energy derived from the ground-state destabilization could contribute up to 2 kcal/mol toward the total 8.5 kcal/mol reduction in activation free energy for RNA cleavage catalyzed by the HDV ribozyme.
Business performance management system for CRM and sales execution

In 2004 the IBM Telesales organization launched a new customer segmentation process to improve profits, revenue growth and customer satisfaction. The challenges were to automatically monitor customer segment status to ensure results are in line with segment targets, and to automatically generate high-quality predictive analytical models to improve customer segmentation rules and management over time. This paper describes a software solution that combines business performance management with data mining techniques to provide a powerful combination of performance monitoring and proactive customer management in support of the new telesales business processes.
Reducing Maintenance and Repair Costs in an Interventional Pulmonology Program

Background: In the current economic climate, hospitals and academic institutions demand that medical departments function in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Detailed business plans are necessary to build new clinical programs, and institutions have learned that new programs are associated with significant costs for purchasing and maintaining equipment. We report our experience with repairs to equipment before and after starting our interventional pulmonary (IP) program, and with the effect of an educational program on reducing these costs. Methods: We retrospectively studied the costs of equipment repair in the 3 years preceding and in the 5 years following the development of an IP program in our institution, a university-based tertiary referral center. We also studied the effect of an educational program that was designed to enhance the skills of physicians and technical staff in handling the equipment. Results: The cost of repairs to the equipment during the 3 years prior to the development of the IP program was $42 (US dollars) per procedure. In the initial 3 years following the start of the IP program, the yearly average cost rose 21% to $51 per procedure. After the introduction of the educational program, the yearly repair costs decreased by 84% to $8 per procedure. Based on our experience, we estimate that a reasonable budget for the cost of repairs is $50 per procedure. Conclusions: An educational program was effective in dramatically decreasing the costs of equipment repair after initiating an IP program. This is the first study to offer budgetary guidelines for equipment repair in an IP program and to demonstrate that an educational program can effectively reduce costs. (CHEST 2005; 127:1382–1387)
Intra-Annual Isotopic Variation in Venericardia Bivalves: Implications for Early Eocene Temperature, Seasonality, and Salinity on the U.S. Gulf Coast

ABSTRACT Stable-isotope compositions were determined for 166 microsamples of aragonite from the bivalve Venericardia hatcheplata collected from the early Eocene Hatchetigbee Formation in southwestern Alabama. These were milled from two transects, one across the left valve hinge plate and one along the growth axis. Amplitude and spacing of about nine years of seasonal variation is very regular, with peaks and troughs occurring at equal intervals and reaching consistent compositions except for some attenuation in both parameters during the last three years of life. Assuming an ice-free world with an ocean 18O value of about -1.0‰, and using the aragonite-water fractionation equation of Grossman and Ku (1986), isotope-derived paleotemperatures are somewhat warmer ( 31 °C) than temperatures presently recorded anywhere on the Earth's surface, and exhibit significantly greater seasonality ( 12 °C) than regions with the warmest mean temperatures. It is therefore likely that these very negative and extremely seasonal 18O values reflect the influence of seasonal discharge of 18O-depleted river water into the Eocene Gulf of Mexico. Comparison of these data with (1) mean annual temperature versus seasonal temperature variation from modern climates, (2) isotopic compositions reported from coeval molluscs, and (3) isotopic compositions of global meteoric precipitation and United States rivers suggest that mean annual temperature along this portion of the Eocene Gulf coast was in fact about 26 °C, and varied seasonally from a winter low of about 25 °C to a summer high of 27 °C. Differences between these temperatures and those derived from direct conversion of oxygen isotope values reflect the influence of seasonal influx of fresh (18O value of -4.7‰) water. During deposition of this portion of the Hatchetigbee Formation, ambient water 18O values varied between winter values of about -1.0‰ to less than -3.5‰ during the summer. Freshwater discharge served to seasonally depress salinity to 10 to 16 ppt along this part of the Gulf coast. The early Eocene was perhaps the warmest time interval of the past 65 million years, primarily manifest as lower equator-to-pole temperature gradients. In this context, an Eocene mean annual temperature of 26 °C is not much higher than modern surface water temperatures of about 24 °C at 29° 30 N, immediately off the modern Alabama coast. Seasonal temperature variation of 2 to 3 °C about a mean of 26 °C, however, is significantly lower than that off coastal Alabama (19 to 30 °C), and occurs only along modern equatorial coasts at latitudes less than 19°. This implies that early Eocene tropical conditions extended well beyond modern latitudinal limits.
A model of dynamic auditory perception and its application to robust word recognition

This paper describes two mechanisms that augment the common automatic speech recognition (ASR) front end and provide adaptation and isolation of local spectral peaks. A dynamic model consisting of a linear filterbank with a novel additive logarithmic adaptation stage after each filter output is proposed. An extensive series of perceptual forward masking experiments, together with previously reported forward masking data, determine the model's dynamic parameters. Once parameterized, the simple exponential dynamic mechanism predicts the nature of forward masking data from several studies across wide ranging frequencies, input levels, and probe delay times. An initial evaluation of the dynamic model together with a local peak isolation mechanism as a front end for dynamic time warp (DTW) and hidden Markov model (HMM) word recognition systems shows an improvement in robustness to background noise when compared to Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC), linear prediction cepstral coefficients (LPCC), and relative spectra (RASTA) based front ends.
Diluters for Bovine Semen. III. Effect of Lactenin and of Lactoperoxidase upon Spermatozoan Livability

Summary Lactenin, an antistreptococcal substance of milk, has been concentrated by acetone fractionation of whey and shown to be highly toxic to bovine spermatozoa. Lactenin prepared by tryptic digestion of whey, dialysis, and alcoholic precipitation also was toxic to spermatozoa, but the results were partially confounded by the difficulty of separating trypsin from the laetenin. Lactoperoxidase, when added to heated skimmilk and used as a semen diluent in a storage trial, exhibited no toxicity for bovine spermatozoa at the concentration used.
The Contingency of Courts: Changing the Experiences and Logics of Publics’ Role in Court-Based ADR

Debate exists about how much alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is used in courts and about the metrics by which to evaluate its impact. Yet on two measures — the volume of rulemaking and the privatization of court-based interactions — the results are unambiguous: courts have promulgated hundreds of rules governing ADR, and those rules rarely protect rights of the public to know much about either the processes or the results. Rather, court-based procedural rules are increasingly becoming contract-promoting rules, encouraging parties to conclude disputes without adjudication.In this essay, in honor of Professor Stephen Subrin, I explore the centrality of “open courts” to judicial legitimacy. Courts provide opportunities for democratic engagements with the production and application of law. The public’s right of access to observe proceedings in courts sustains judicial independence, legitimates public investments in the judiciary, and offers routes to oversight when courts fail to live up to obligations to treat disputants fairly. These constitutional values ought to inform the shape of procedural innovations in courts. Court-based arbitration and court-based settlement programs, like court-based trials, should be subject to regulation insistent on a role for the public.
Unfinished Business: Protecting Voting Rights in the Twenty-First Century

While minorities have experienced great progress because of the Voting Rights Act, particularly section 5 of the Act, the work to achieve an electoral process free of discrimination remains unfinished. In Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court struck down section 4 of the Act, which provided the coverage formula through which section 5 was implemented. Without section 4, there is no section 5. The historical and contemporaneous discrimination that minorities instates formerly covered under Section 5 continue to face is substantial and outpaces noncovered states. Scholars cannot divorce the debate surrounding section 5’s constitutionality, which continues even after Shelby County, from its historical role in combating discrimination in voting. Using a comparative framework of a section 5-covered jurisdiction and a noncovered jurisdiction, this Article discusses the impact of the loss of section 4 of the Voting Rights Act after the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder and suggests a path forward.
Experimental Study of Micro-Scale Taylor Vortices Within a Co-Axial Mixed-Flow Blood Pump.

Taylor vortices in a miniature mixed-flow rotodynamic blood pump were investigated using micro-scale particle image velocimetry (μ-PIV) and a tracer particle visualization technique. The pump featured a cylindrical rotor (14.9 mm diameter) within a cylindrical bore, having a radial clearance of 500 μm and operated at rotational speeds varying from 1000 to 12 000 rpm. Corresponding Taylor numbers were 700-101 800, respectively. The critical Taylor number was observed to be highly dependent on the ratio of axial to circumferential velocity, increasing from 1200 to 18 000 corresponding to Rossby numbers from 0 to 0.175. This demonstrated a dramatic stabilizing effect of the axial flow. The size of Taylor vortices was also found to be inversely related to Rossby number. It is concluded that Taylor vortices can enhance the mixing in the annular gap and decrease the dwell time of blood cells in the high-shear-rate region, which has the potential to decrease hemolysis and platelet activation within the blood pump.
Maternal B vitamins: effects on offspring weight and DNA methylation at genomically imprinted domains.

Background Inadequate maternal nutrition during early fetal development can create permanent alterations in the offspring, leading to poor health outcomes. While nutrients involved in one-carbon cycle metabolism are important to fetal growth, associations with specific nutrients remain inconsistent. This study estimates associations between maternal vitamins B12, B6 (pyridoxal phosphate [PLP] and 4-pyridoxic acid [PA]), and homocysteine (Hcy) concentrations, offspring weight (birth weight and 3-year weight gain), and DNA methylation at four differentially methylated regions (DMRs) known to be involved in fetal growth and development (H19, MEG3, SGCE/PEG10, and PLAGL1).
Short-Term Total Hip Arthroplasty Outcomes in Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis or Psoriatic Skin Disease Compared to Patients With Osteoarthritis

Objective Outcomes of total hip arthroplasty (THA) in patients with psoriasis have been poorly studied. This study was undertaken to assess whether patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) or those with cutaneous psoriasis (PsC) without evidence of inflammatory joint disease are at an increased risk for worse outcomes after THA as compared to patients with osteoarthritis (OA). Methods Among subjects in a prospective THA registry, PsA and PsC cases were identified by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes, and all cases were matched with patients with OA as controls. Analyses were performed to identify predictors of poor postoperative pain or function. Results Of the 289 potential cases of PsA or PsC, 63 with PsA and 153 with PsC were validated. Self-report data were available postoperatively from 75% of PsA patients, 69% of PsC patients, and 94% of OA controls. In total, 51% of PsA patients and 56% of PsC patients were male, compared to 45% of OA controls (P = 0.04). Body mass index was higher in those with PsA or PsC (P = 0.002 versus controls). There were no differences in race or education between the 3 groups. PsA patients and PsC patients had more comorbidities than OA controls. PsA patients were more likely than PsC patients and OA controls to be current or previous smokers. Moreover, 54% of PsA patients were being treated with biologics or nonbiologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, compared to 8% of PsC patients. There were no significant differences in pre- or postoperative Western Ontario and McMaster Universities OA Index scores for pain or function between the 3 groups. Short-Form 36 mental component summary scores were significantly better in the OA controls, both pre- and postoperatively (P = 0.006 and P < 0.001, respectively, versus PsA or PsC). EuroQol 5-domain health-related quality of life scores were significantly worse postoperatively for those with PsA or PsC (P < 0.0001 versus OA controls). In regression analyses, neither PsA nor PsC were risk factors for worse THA outcomes. Satisfaction with the outcomes of THA was similarly high among all 3 groups (P = 0.54). Conclusion Neither PsA nor PsC are risk factors for poor outcomes after THA. This is important information to convey to patients with either PsA or PsC who are contemplating surgical intervention with THA.
Finding glass

This paper addresses the problem of finding glass objects in images. Visual cues obtained by combining the systematic distortions in background texture occurring at the boundaries of transparent objects with the strong highlights typical of glass surfaces are used to train a hierarchy of classifiers, identify glass edges, and find consistent support regions for these edges. Qualitative and quantitative experiments involving a number of different classifiers and real images are presented.
The Relationship Between Family Communication Patterns and Child Vaccination Intentions

This study examined the role of family communication patterns in assessing the intentions of individuals to vaccinate their children. Using the theory of planned behavior, we constructed a path model whereby family communication patterns led to perceptions regarding vaccinations and finally to the intentions. The model showed excellent fit, with both communication and conformity orientations inversely related to vaccination beliefs. There were also significant inverse indirect effects between the two orientations and vaccination intentions. The family communication patterns interacted to predict both vaccination control and perceived norms outside the family. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Planning pains? Don't panic: study abroad - undergraduate planning programmes in the USA and Canada

We often have students hoping to cross-credit courses from a ‘study abroad’ semester to their BEPP/BEMP. It is really important to remember that the BEPP is accredited by the New Zealand Planning Institute. Consequently, it may be very hard to find equivalents for core planning courses. The most likely Universities to have courses that can be easily cross-credited to the BEPP degree are those from Universities that offer undergraduate degrees accredited by their own professional planning organisations.
Growth and reproduction of Sclerotinia trifoliorum as influenced by herbicides

This study was conducted to determine the effect of herbicides registered for use on seedling alfalfa (Medicago sativa) on mycelial growth, sclero- tium production and subsequent carpogenic germi- nation, and ascospore germination of Sclerotinia tri- foliorum. One or more growth or developmental stages of S. trifoliorum were affected by each herbi- cide tested. Mycelial growth and sclerotium produc- tion were completely inhibited by pronamide at 10 pg active ingredient (a.i.) mL-~. Pronamide had no effect on ascospore germination at concentrations up to 100 pg a.i. mL-1 but reduced ascospore germ tube length at 1 pLg a.i. mL-1. Mycelial growth was reduced by 2,4-DB at 1 Fig a.i. mL-1. Mycelial growth, sclero- tium production, and ascospore germination were completely inhibited by 2,4-DB at 100 pjg a.i. mL-1. Bromoxynil reduced mycelial growth at 10 pLg a.i. mL-1, and reduced sclerotium weight, ascospore ger- mination, and germ tube length at 100 zLg a.i. mL-1. Mycelial growth and sclerotium production were completely inhibited by bromoxynil at 1000 pJg a.i. mL-~. Sethoxydim reduced mycelial growth at 10 pLg a.i. mL-', and sclerotium weight at 1000 jig a.i. mL-1. Imazethapyr reduced mycelial growth at 1000 Jg a.i. mL-1, had no effect on sclerotium weight and asco- spore germination, but enhanced carpogenic ger- mination at 100 JLg a.i. mL-~. The fungicide vinclo- zolin was more toxic to S. trifoliorum than any of the herbicides tested, in that it completely inhibited my- celial growth and ascospore germination at 1 ug a.i. mL-1.
Timing of Songbird Nest Predation as Revealed by Video Surveillance

ABSTRACT The use of video to monitor nests has increased in frequency over the past 25 years and new research using this technology has shed light on many aspects of the interactions between predators and nesting birds. We used video cameras to describe the timing of nest predation events for Acadian Flycatchers (Empidonax virescens), Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea), and other forest-dwelling songbird species. Seventy-four percent (111 of 151) of nest predation events occurred during diurnal hours for both focal species. Although some of our observations were unexpected (e.g., Barred Owls [Strix varia] were primarily diurnal nest predators), many of the predator-specific temporal patterns we observed were consistent with prior knowledge. Understanding diel patterns of nest predation in conjunction with identification of the suite of predators that contribute to overall predation rates will improve our understanding of how birds recognize and respond to the risk of nest predation across ecological and e...
A new sag calculation method based on the temperature of overhead transmission line

To ensure the security of transmission line capacity-increasing running,research of conductor temperature and sag relationship has a very realistic meaning. Some common methods,like state equation and strain-summation method,are only suitable for conductor with a lower temperature range. Once the conductor temperature is too high,aluminum strands have mutant mechanical characteristics because of radial expansion,which will cause sag calculation results error. Transmission line conductor temperature-sag new model addresses the issues raised. Experimental results show that,while the conductor temperature is high,new model continues to solve sag with steel-core characteristics, the error of sag calculation is less than the other two methods; application of the new model will help ensure safe operation of transmission line capacity-increasing.
Chaucer Through the Years

IT should be an easy matter to characterize Chaucer as a poet, but, as we look back over almost six centuries of allusion to him, doubts assail us. For Chaucer has been many things to many men. Each age since he lived has had its own literary opinion and thus its own opinion of Chaucer. Sometimes the opinion was good and sometimes there was little appreciation for him. And with this in mind, how can we now say that we have arrived at the ultimate truth about him? As Caroline F. E. Spurgeon says: To-day we prize Chaucer above all because he is a great artist, we delight in his simplicity, his freshness, his humanity, his humour, but it is possible that these may not be the only or even the principal reasons why he is liked three hundred years hence. If, as would seem to be the case, the common consciousness of a people becomes enriched with time and experience, enabling them to see ever more and more in the work of a great poet, the lovers of Chaucer three centuries hence will be capable of seeing more in him and will be able to come actually nearer to him than can those who love him to-day.1