cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Route by Which Intranasally Delivered Stem Cells Enter the Central Nervous System

Intranasal administration is a promising route of delivery of stem cells to the central nervous system (CNS). Reports on this mode of stem cell delivery have not yet focused on the route across the cribriform plate by which cells move from the nasal cavity into the CNS. In the current experiments, human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were isolated from Wharton’s jelly of umbilical cords and were labeled with extremely bright quantum dots (QDs) in order to track the cells efficiently. At 2 h after intranasal delivery in immunodeficient mice, the labeled cells were found under the olfactory epithelium, crossing the cribriform plate adjacent to the fila olfactoria, and associated with the meninges of the olfactory bulb. At all times, the cells were separate from actual nerve tracts; this location is consistent with them being in the subarachnoid space (SAS) and its extensions through the cribriform plate into the nasal mucosa. In their location under the olfactory epithelium, they appear to be within an expan...
A Multiple Criteria Analysis Model for Academic Policies, Priorities, and Budgetary Constraints

Resource allocation decisions in universities are normally the result of an analysis of alternatives and a complex array of implicit and explicit value tradeoffs. This paper presents a goal programming model for analyzing resource allocation patterns and decision processes in academic departments. Of particular importance is the use of the goal programming model as a “diagnostic” technique to examine existing departmental budgets and structures. This analysis was accomplished by testing various priority arrangements in the objective function until the model provided a “fit” for actual data from three social science departments.
Instability at chromosomal fragile sites.

Chromosomal fragile sites are loci that are especially prone to forming gaps or breaks on metaphase chromosomes when cells are cultured under conditions that inhibit DNA replication or repair. The relationship of “rare” folate sensitive fragile sites with (CCG)n expansion and, in some cases, genetic disease is well established. Although they comprise the vast majority of fragile sites, much less is known at the molecular level about the “common” fragile sites. These fragile sites may be seen on all chromosomes as a constant feature. In addition to forming fragile sites on metaphase chromosomes, they have been shown to display a number of characteristics of unstable and highly recombinogenic DNA in vitro, including chromosome rearrangements, sister chromatid exchanges and, more recently, intrachromosomal gene amplification. Only one such fragile site, FRA3B at 3p14.2, has been extensively investigated at the molecular level. It extends over a broad region of possibly 500 kb, and no trinucleotide or other simple repeat motifs have been identified in the region. FRA3B has recently been shown to lie within the FHIT gene locus. This region and the FHIT gene are unstable in a number of tumors and tumor cell lines. It thus appears that common fragile sites are also associated with unstable regions of DNA in vivo, at least in some tumor cells, and may cause this instability. Current challenges include determining the mechanism of fragile site expression and instability, and both the environmental and genetic factors that influence this process. Candidate factors include those genes involved in DNA repair and cell cycle and common carcinogens such as those in cigarette smoke.
Three-photon imaging using defect-induced photoluminescence in biocompatible ZnO nanoparticles

Background Although optical spectroscopy promises improved lateral resolution for cancer imaging, its clinical use is seriously impeded by background fluorescence and photon attenuation even in the so-called two-photon absorption (2PA) imaging modality. An efficient strategy to meet the clinical cancer imaging needs, beyond what two-photon absorption (2PA) offers, is to use longer excitation wavelengths through three-photon absorption (3PA). A variety of fluorescent dyes and nanoparticles (NPs) have been used in 3PA imaging. However, their nonlinear 3PA coefficient is often low necessitating high excitation powers, which cause overheating, photodamage, and photo-induced toxicity. Doped wide band gap semiconductors such as Mn:ZnS NPs have previously been used for 3PA but suffer from poor 3PA coefficients. Methods Here, we prepared ZnO NPs with intrinsic defects with high 3PA coefficients using a polyol method. We functionalized them with peptides for selective uptake by glioblastoma U87MG cells and used breast cancer MCF-7 cells as control for 3PA studies. Uptake was measured using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Biocompatibility studies were performed using reactive oxygen species and cell viability assays. Results We demonstrate that ZnO NPs, which have a band gap of 3.37 eV with an order of magnitude higher 3PA coefficients, can facilitate the use of longer excitation wavelengths 950-1,100 nm for bioimaging. We used the presence intrinsic defects (such as O interstitials and Zn vacancies) in ZnO NPs to induce electronic states within the band gap that can support strong visible luminescence 550-620 nm without the need for extrinsic doping. The peptide functionalization of ZnO NPs showed selective uptake by U87MG cells unlike MCF-7 cells without the integrin receptors. Furthermore, all ZnO NPs were found to be biocompatible for 3PA imaging. Conclusion We show that defect-induced luminescence 550-620 nm in ZnO NPs (20 nm) due to 3PA at longer excitation (975 nm) can be used for 3PA imaging of U87MG glioblastoma cells with lower background noise.
Selling the service: veterans’ reflections on their past experience of the military recruitment process

Every year 180,000 young people are recruited to join the US military. The 1973 shift from the draft to an all-volunteer recruitment model, recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq employing the us...
Analysis of experiments for steam condensation in the presence of noncondensable gases using the RELAP5/MOD3 code

A computational investigation of experiments involving the condensation phenomenon in the presence of noncondensable gases was performed. The RELAP5/MOD3 thermal-hydraulic code was utilized for this analysis. Two separate-effects experiments were studied, which are relevant to actual situations encountered in the industry. The first experiment involved condensation of steam in an inverted U-tube when nitrogen is present. A constant flow of steam was injected into the U-tube and condensed along its surface. The condensing length was a function of the injected nitrogen rate and the secondary temperature. The code predicted an active condensation zone with unimpeded heat transfer and a passive zone with no heat transfer. The lengths of these zones agree with the experimental data. The gas temperatures in the U-tube were favorably predicted except for a discrepancy where the calculated primary temperatures were lower than the secondary temperatures for several cases. Active nitrogen contents in the tube were underpredicted by the code. The second experiment investigated was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's steam condensation experiment. This experiment modeled the proposed containment cooling system for advanced reactors. Steam was generated in a vessel in which air was present. The steam in the steam-air mixture condensed on the surface of amore » cooled copper cylinder. Computational predictions of this experiment revealed that heat transfer coefficients vary with air fraction. Calculated heat transfer coefficients were compared with the data, and it was found that the results were better for higher system pressures than for lower pressures.« less
Renormalization in the Coulomb Gauge

The Coulomb gauge offers a simple confinement scenario. As originally proposed by Gribov [1], and supported recently by detailed arguments [2], D 0,0, the time-time component of the gluon propagator, provides a long-range confining force, while D i,j , the 3-dimensionally transverse propagator of would-be physical gluons is suppressed at low momentum, reflecting the disappearance of gluons from the physical spectrum. This different behavior of spatial and temporal components of the gluon propagator in the Coulomb gauge obviously cannot hold in a covariant gauge. These properties of the Coulomb-gauge propagator are a consequence of the particular shape of the physical configuration space. For in a gauge theory, the physical configuration space must be restricted to the fundamental modular region (FMR), a region that is free of Gribov copies.
Teaching Academically Underprepared Postsecondary Students

Only 25% to 38% of secondary education graduates in the United States are proficient readers or writers but many continue to postsecondary education, where they take developmental education courses...
The Role of Mastoidectomy in Draining Ventilation Tubes.

Objectives:To discuss the indication for performing a mastoidectomy with catheter placement in patients with chronic tympanostomy tube otorrhea.Methods:The Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval...
Temporal precedence of the change in obsessive-compulsive symptoms and change in depressive symptoms during exposure and response prevention for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorders.

Abstract The current study examined the temporal precedence of change in obsessive-compulsive symptoms and change in depressive symptoms during the course of an Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for pediatric OCD. Participants included 142 children and adolescents (7–17 years; mean age = 12.39, SD = 2.92; 51.40% female; 60.40% Non-Hispanic White) with a primary or co-primary diagnosis of OCD who received ERP in a two-site randomized controlled trial on d -cycloserine augmentation of CBT for pediatric OCD. Participants completed clinician-administered assessments of OC symptoms (Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale) and depressive symptoms (Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised) from baseline to post-treatment follow-up. Lagged mediational analyses did not yield evidence in support of a mediating role for the change in OC symptoms in the effect of ERP on the change in depressive symptoms. In contrast, change in depressive symptoms mediated the effect of ERP treatment on the subsequent change in OC symptoms (95% confidence interval for indirect effect = −0.04 to −0.001), though the effect size was small. Controlling for the prior levels of the depressive symptoms this indirect effect became non-significant. Theoretical and clinical implications of the findings for the youth with OCD and comorbid depression are discussed.
Treatment of femoral fractures in children aged two to six

Aims Current American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) guidelines for treating femoral fractures in children aged two to six years recommend early spica casting although some individuals have...
Deep Inelastic Neutrino Interactions

Next-to-leading order QCD corrections, order 1 GeV mass corrections and the role of a strangeness asymmetry and isospin violation in the x dependence of parton distributions are evaluated in the context of the neutrino-nucleon cross section. Their contributions to evaluations of the weak mixing angle using the Paschos-Wolfenstein relation are discussed.
Belatacept as salvage maintenance immunosuppression in a liver transplant recipient

Abstract Belatacept is a novel fusion protein that blocks signal two of T cell activation. Belatacept was approved in 2015 for the prevention of acute rejection in kidney transplant recipients. Results from a 2014 phase II clinical trial in liver transplant recipients was terminated early due to an increased risk of death and graft loss, leading to a black box warning for its use in liver transplant recipients. Here we describe the clinical course of a 55 year old male patient who underwent a liver transplant for cholestatic liver disease. His post-transplant course was complicated by multiple episodes of severe acute cellular rejection as well as multiple complications from maintenance immunosuppression including chronic kidney disease (CKD), steroid-induced diabetes, mycophenolate-associated colitis, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor-induced lung injury. Belatacept was initiated 5 years post-transplant as a last-line option for maintenance immunosuppression. Six months post-initiation, the patient has had stabilization of his CKD, improvement in lung function, and remains without evidence of acute or chronic rejection.
Integrated geophysical imaging of rare earth element-bearing iron oxide-apatite deposits in the Eastern Adirondack Highlands, New York

ABSTRACTThe eastern Adirondack Highlands of northern New York host dozens of iron oxide-apatite (IOA) deposits containing magnetite and rare earth element (REE)-bearing apatite. We use new aeromagn...
Introduction to Clinical Engineering, 1st ed.

This text, in seven chapters (167 pages), gives an overview of the field of clinical engineering as generated by two practitioners in the field. Five reprints, each with a “questions to consider” section, comprise an additional 91 pages and serve to give a modicum of historical information regarding the field. An overview of the body of the text follows.
IoT Checker Using Timing Side-Channel and Machine Learning

In the recent era, the adoption of IoT technology can be seen in nearly every other field. However, with its fast growth rate, the IoT brings several advanced security challenges. To alleviate these problems, we propose an inventive framework introduced into the IoT package to gather side-channel information (execution timing) for inconsistency and attack location. We observed that the applications running on the gadget would need more time to execute during the attack as the resources such as memory, I/O, CPU will get drained. This timing information under normal and attack mode will be extracted, processed, and utilized to construct a fingerprint. The support vector machine method will then be used to identify if the device is under attack utilizing the fingerprint.
Course Remediation Within a First-Year Integrated Medical Curriculum

The integration of basic science courses throughout the first two years of medical education has introduced complications to assisting students who struggle academically within a program comprised ...
Micro-Macro Linkages Between Gender, Development, and Growth: implications for the Caribbean Region

Over the last two decades, scholars have investigated the two-way relationship between gender inequality on the one hand, and economic development and growth on the other. Research in this area offers new ways to address the economic stagnation and crisis developing countries have experienced over the last two decades. This paper contributes to that literature, exploring the channels by which gender inequality affects, and in important ways, constrains economic development and growth in the Caribbean region. It further explores the endogeneity of gender inequality to the macroeconomic policy environment. The paper concludes with a discussion of economic policies that can promote a win-win outcome—greater gender equality and economic development and growth.
"Frogs in a Pot": An Agent-Based Model of Well-Being versus Prosperity

Surveys of rapidly-developing countries have shown that huge increases in average personal wealth are frequently accompanied by little or no increase in average (self-reported) happiness. We propose a simple agent-based model that may help to explain this phenomenon. The model shows that under certain conditions, the cumulative effect of individuals’ free choices of employment that maximizes their (self-perceived) personal well-being may actually produce a continuing decrease in the population’s average well-being. Like the proverbial “frog in a pot”, the eventual effect is worse when the onset of the decrease is more gradual. More generally, the model indicates that there is a natural tendency in free-market societies for well-being to become defined in increasingly materialistic terms. We discuss the implications of our model on the issue of incentive pay for teachers, and argue that our model may also provide insight into other situations where individuals’ free-market choices lead to progressive worsening of the population’s average well-being.
Information Acquisition in the Presence of Asymmetries in Risk Aversion

Abstract In the presence of two groups of agents, each exhibiting different degrees of risk aversion, we study a simple model of information acquisition. We find the unique equilibrium, which is characterized by a unique cutoff that separates the investors in two endogenously determined groups (one choosing optimally to be informed, the other uninformed) if all are ordered along the real line by degree of risk aversion. Furthermore, while the informativeness of the price system does not change with the share of high-risk aversion investors in the population, it does change with the degree of risk aversion (of either group and even if that group as a whole decides optimally to stay uninformed), the cost of information and the quality of information.
Tracking and Following a Tagged Leopard Shark with an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

This paper presents a prototype system that enables an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to autonomously track and follow a shark that has been tagged with an acoustic transmitter. The AUV's onboard processor handles both real-time estimation of the shark's two-dimensional planar position, velocity, and orientation states, as well as a straightforward control scheme to drive the AUV toward the shark. The AUV is equipped with a stereo- hydrophone and receiver system that detects acoustic signals transmitted by the acoustic tag. The particular hydrophone system used here provides a measurement of relative bearing angle to the tag, but it does not provide the sign (+ or −) of the bearing angle. Estimation is accomplished using a particle filter that fuses bearing measurements over time to produce a state estimate of the tag location. The particle filter combined with a heuristic-based controller allows the system to overcome the ambiguity in the sign of the bearing angle. The state estimator and control scheme were validated by tracking both a stationary tag and a moving tag with known positions. Offline analysis of these data showed that state estimation can be improved by optimizing diffusion parameters in the prediction step of the filter, and considering signal strength of the acoustic signals in the resampling stage of the filter. These experiments revealed that state estimate errors were on the order of those obtained by current long-distance shark-tracking methods, i.e., manually driven boat-based tracking systems. Final experiments took place in SeaPlane Lagoon, Los Angeles, where a 1-m leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) was caught, tagged, and released before being autonomously tracked and followed by the proposed AUV system for several hours. C
"Too Human" versus the enthusiast press: Video game journalists as mediators of commodity value

This article examines the role of mediators in the production of commodity value, arguing that there is a rise in a kind of immaterial labor, shaped by contemporary conditions of late capitalism, that functions explicitly as a mediating force. In this example, video game journalists are understood as actively engaged in producing and negotiating the value and meaning of video games for both producers and consumers. By specifically examining a moment of value contestation, a podcast debate between a journalist and a game developer, this article traces the mediating practices of the enthusiast gaming press and examines the way their history with and relationship to the video game industry continue to structure their ability to filter knowledge and shape desires.
Final Results from the BIMA CMB Anisotropy Survey and Search for a Signature of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect

We report the final results of our study of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) with the BIMA array. Over 1000 hours of observation were dedicated to this project exploring CMB anisotropy on scales between 1' and 2' in eighteen 6'.6 FWHM fields. In the analysis of the CMB power spectrum, the visibility data is divided into two bins corresponding to different angular scales. Modeling the observed excess power as a flat band of average multipole l(sub eff)= 5237, we find deltaT(sup 2)(sub 1) = 220(sup +140)(sub -120) mu K(sup 2) at 68% confidence and deltaT(sup 2)(sub 1) greater than 0 muK(sup 2) with 94.7% confidence. In a second band with average multipole of l(sub eff) = 8748, we find deltaT(sup 2)(sub 2) consistent with zero, and an upper limit 880 muK(sup 2) at 95% confidence. An extensive series of tests and supplemental observations with the VLA provide strong evidence against systematic errors or radio point sources being the source of the observed excess power. The dominant source of anisotropy on these scales is expected to arise from the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect in a population of distant galaxy clusters. If the excess power is due to the SZ effect, we can place constraints on the normalization of the matter power spectrum sigma(sub 8) = 1.03(sup +0.20)(sub -0.29) at 68% confidence. The distribution of pixel fluxes in the BIMA images are found to be consistent with simulated observations of the expected SZ background and rule out instrumental noise or radio sources as the source of the observed excess power with similar confidence to the detection of excess power. Follow-up optical observations to search for galaxy over-densities anti-correlated with flux in the BIMA images, as might be expected from the SZ effect, proved to be inconclusive.
Tandem catalytic conversion of glycerol using solid catalysts followed by transesterification to produce alkyl lactate

This study investigated alkyl lactate production from glycerol by tandem processes which included glycerol conversion to calcium lactate using solid catalysts and subsequent transesterification of calcium lactate to alkyl lactate using methanol/ethanol and carbon dioxide. The effect of reaction conditions on alkyl lactate production was systematically investigated. A central composite design (CCD) and response surface methodology were used to design the experiments and evaluate the optimum process conditions. At the optimum conditions, the methyl lactate yield reached 57 mol% with a glycerol conversion of 94 mol% using refined glycerol. A yield of approximately 42 mol% for ethyl lactate was obtained using refined glycerol at the optimum conditions. Similar glycerol conversion and alkyl lactate yields were obtained using crude glycerol, indicating that the impurities in the crude glycerol had no significant effects on alkyl lactate production. The examination of regenerated catalysts that had been reused twice showed no negative effects on glycerol conversion and methyl lactate production. Compared to the traditional lactic acid and alkyl lactate production, this two-step process for alkyl lactate production from glycerol is both economical and environmentally benign since no gypsum was produced and the solid catalysts can be regenerated and reused.
Deficit of HLA homozygotes in a Caucasian isolate

Deficits of HLA-A, -B homozygotes observed many years ago in two inbred populations suggested negative selection against HLA homozygotes. To determine whether a similar deficiency would be observed in the S-leut Hutterites, a well-characterized Caucasian isolate of European ancestry, and to determine whether selection operated at the allele, locus, or haplotype level, observed and expected numbers of homozygotes were compared in 852 adult Hutterites. Deficits ranging from 11% to 24% were observed for all five loci examined (HLA-A, -B, -C, -DR, and -DQ). However, these deficits were secondary to, and almost completely accounted for by, a 64% loss of individuals homozygous for the haplotype. There was no evidence of deficits affecting only a single allele or locus. The data indicate strong negative selection against HLA homozygotes. This could be due, at least in part, to decreased fecundability among couples sharing HLA-DR. However, these data suggest that additional selective factors acting at the level of the haplotype also operate in this population.
Direct effect of cocaine on epigenetic regulation of PKCɛ gene repression in the fetal rat heart

Abstract Maternal cocaine administration during gestation caused a down-regulation of PKCɛ expression in the heart of adult offspring resulting in an increased sensitivity to ischemia and reperfusion injury. The present study investigated the direct effect of cocaine in epigenetic modification of PKCɛ gene repression in the fetal heart. Hearts were isolated from gestational day 17 fetal rats and treated with cocaine in an ex vivo organ culture system. Cocaine treatment for 48 h resulted in significant decreases in PKCɛ protein and mRNA abundance and increases in CpG methylation at two SP1 binding sites in the PKCɛ promoter region (− 346 and − 268). Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that CpG methylation of both SP1 sites inhibited SP1 binding. Consistently, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that cocaine treatment significantly decreased binding of SP1 to the SP1 sites in the intact fetal heart. Reporter gene assays revealed that site-directed mutations of CpG methylation at both SP1 sites significantly reduced the PKCɛ promoter activity while methylation of a single site at either − 346 or − 268 did not have a significant effect. The causal effect of increased methylation in the cocaine-induced down-regulation of PKCɛ was demonstrated with the use of DNA methylation inhibitors. The presence of either 5-aza-2′-deoxycytodine or procainamide blocked the cocaine-induced increase in SP1 sites methylation and decrease in PKCɛ mRNA. The results demonstrate a direct effect of cocaine in epigenetic modification of DNA methylation and programming of cardiac PKCɛ gene repression linking prenatal cocaine exposure and pathophysiological consequences in the heart of adult offspring.
The political economy of telecommunications regulation

This paper analyzes the effects of government regulation on the pricing and supply of telecommunications services in the United States. Among other things, it considers the effects of current economically inefficient pricing policies on bypass of the public switched telephone network and the widespread availability of low-cost telephone service, as well as the impact of the Bell System divestiture and other government policies on the economic organization of production in the industry. It examines how the regulatory environment is likely to change over the next decade, the forces making for change (or lack thereof), and the prospects for consumer-welfare-enhancing reform.
Spatial factors affecting primary succession on the Muddy River Lahar, Mount St. Helens, Washington

Primary succession is controlled by a combination of landscape and habitat factors whose actions may be stochastic or deterministic. The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington spawned a massive lahar that now supports a mosaic of vegetation. Our goals were to describe vegetation patterns after 28 growing seasons, determine the factors associated with these patterns, and to contrast the effects of stochastic and deterministic processes. We described species composition and explanatory factors that included location and habitat features in one hundred and fifty one 200-m2 plots. We classified these plots into nine community types (CTs) that were distinguished quantitatively by variations in dominant species. We used multiple regressions, redundancy analysis (RDA), and Mantel tests to compare the vegetation relationships with explanatory factors. Plots in different CTs mingled spatially and in multivariate space. Species patterns were weakly related to explanatory variables by RDA (31.6% of the species variation). RDA indicated that vegetation was most strongly related to elevation, latitude, and isolation, which are primarily landscape factors. Mantel tests confirmed that factors associated with elevation were most closely associated with vegetation. The effects of arrival order were suggested by the dominance of different colonizers in similar environment and by plots with similar vegetation found in different habitats. We concluded that species composition cannot be predicted well from the data available, suggesting that there were no prominent deterministic assembly rules.
Pupillometry system for use in social psychology

It is now relatively easy to implement pupillometry in social psychological research. We describe a system in which a Macintosh computer presents visual and auditory stimuli to subjects while monitoring an infrared pupillometer. The computer records information on subject, task, and pupil diameter into a data file for input into standard statistical analysis programs. Pupil diameter is measured continuously while subjects respond to stimuli that last for several seconds or minutes. A demonstration experiment verifies the usefulness of the system. The ability of the Macintosh computer to easily handle visual and auditory stimuli and to record responses lasting a considerable length of time makes the system well suited for studying pupil responses to complex social stimuli. This system is also well suited for the researcher initiating a research program using pupillometry. Ease of operation makes using a large number of subjects feasible.
Two-component wind fields from scanning aerosol lidar and motion estimation algorithms

We report on the implementation and testing of a new wavelet-based motion estimation algorithm to estimate horizontal vector wind fields in real-time from horizontally-scanning elastic backscatter lidar data, and new experimental results from field work conducted in Chico, California, during the summer of 2013. We also highlight some limitations of a traditional cross-correlation method and compare the results of the wavelet-based method with those from the cross-correlation method and wind measurements from a Doppler lidar.
The Road Less Taken: The Settlement of Chinese Immigrants in Small Towns

The purpose of this paper is to study the settlement process of Chinese immigrants in small towns in the United States. The process includes three stages: initial settlement, adaptation, and permanent settlement. The analytical framework used to analyze these immigrants' experience is based on the concept of "familial-to-familiar." Using a qualitative approach, findings from the study suggest that family ties are one of the main reasons why Chinese immigrants choose to move to small towns. Regardless of how long they have lived in these towns, many interviewees do not feel that they are permanently settled until certain conditions are met: career development, purchase of a house and family reunification. The settlement process also varies by gender and socio-economic background.
An interactive computer-based donor management system.

Abstract Observations made at the regional and federal level confirm the urgent need for the application of computer techniques to the automation of blood banks. The increase in heart surgeries due to modernization of techniques has sent the demand for blood to a new high in areas where hospitals perform these types of operations. If whole blood could be stored indefinitely the problem of blood shortages could be alleviated in part; however, whole blood outdates in 21 days from the time it is drawn, making it imperative that blood banks allocate these units “optimally” (if possible) throughout a region of hospitals. There are two ways to partially solve the problem of unit outdating: (1) develop an inventory system that minimizes outdating of units; and (2) develop a donor pool such that all demands for blood can be met. This paper addresses itself to the second method and describes a donor retrieval system that allows for the “creation”, “updating”, “interrogation” and “reporting” of donor characteristics for the purpose of donor recruitment.
Flood duration effects on soybean growth and yield

(...)Flood duration effects on the soybean plant were manifested in yellowing and abscission of leaves at the lower nodes,stunting, and reduced dry weight and seed yield. Canopy height and dry weight decreased linearly with duration of the flood at both growth stages. The growth rates were 25 to 35% less when soybean was flooded at R2 than at V4. The additional 4 wk of vegetative growth after flooding allowed the soybean flooded at V4 to recover to a greater extent than the cultivars flooded at R2 (...)
Biology of Rivellia melliginis (Diptera: Platystomatidae), a Consumer of the Nitrogen-Fixing Root Nodules of Black Locust (Leguminosae)

The life history and feeding habits of larval Rivellia melliginis (Fitch) are presented. Courtship and mating occur on or near the host plant, black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia L.; eggs are placed in clusters of 10–20 in soil below the host plant; larvae attack and destroy the nitrogen-fixing root nodules, each larva destroying up to 6 nodules; overwintering occurs as a fully grown larva in diapause; and puparia are formed in soil. There are two generations a year in northeastern Ohio. It is suggested that larval feeding affects the nitrogen-fixing capability of black locust, a species widely used in reclamation of stripmined lands.
The influence of some polycyclic hydrocarbons on the nucleic acid concentrations in E. coli.

Abstract 1. 1. The influence of some polycylic hydrocarbons on the nucleic acid concentration of E. coli has been examined. 2. 2. A technique is described wherein it is believed that good contact between organism and hydrocarbon is effected. 3. 3. Results of ten separate experiments are given, from which it was shown by determination of RNA and DNA concentrations, and by the establishment of a normal RNA/DNA ratio, that certain of these hydrocarbons affect the nucleic acid synthesis thereby upsetting the RNA/ DNA ratio. This ratio was shown to increase in the presence of carcinogenic hydrocarbons.
Mammalian Tropomodulins Nucleate Actin Polymerization via Their Actin Monomer Binding and Filament Pointed End-capping Activities

Many actin-binding proteins have been shown to possess multiple activities to regulate filament dynamics. Tropomodulins (Tmod1–4) are a conserved family of actin filament pointed end-capping proteins. Our previous work has demonstrated that Tmod3 binds to monomeric actin in addition to capping pointed ends. Here, we show a novel actin-nucleating activity in mammalian Tmods. Comparison of Tmod isoforms revealed that Tmod1–3 but not Tmod4 nucleate actin filament assembly. All Tmods bind to monomeric actin, and Tmod3 forms a 1:1 complex with actin. By truncation and mutagenesis studies, we demonstrated that the second α-helix in the N-terminal domain of Tmod3 is essential for actin monomer binding. Chemical cross-linking and LC-MS/MS further indicated that residues in this second α-helix interact with actin subdomain 2, whereas Tmod3 N-terminal domain peptides distal to this α-helix interact with actin subdomain 1. Mutagenesis of Leu-73 to Asp, which disrupts the second α-helix of Tmod3, decreases both its actin monomer-binding and -nucleating activities. On the other hand, point mutations of residues in the C-terminal leucine-rich repeat domain of Tmod3 (Lys-317 in the fifth leucine-rich repeat β-sheet and Lys-344 or Arg-345/Arg-346 in the C-terminal α6-helix) significantly reduced pointed end-capping and nucleation without altering actin monomer binding. Taken together, our data indicate that Tmod3 binds actin monomers over an extended interface and that nucleating activity depends on actin monomer binding and pointed end-capping activities, contributed by N- and C-terminal domains of Tmod3, respectively. Tmod3 nucleation of actin assembly may regulate the cytoskeleton in dynamic cellular contexts.
Auto-tutorial Instruction in Entomology: Insect Identification

The concept of auto-tutorial instruction or self-teaching has become fairly widespread in higher education in recent years, but in the field of entomology there has been comparatively little development of modularized, self-paced materials (Brewer 1974, Keller and Sherman 1974, Kulik et al. 1974, NSF 1973, Pleck and Brown 1975, Postlethwait et al. 1972, Tipton 1973).
Discussion of “Mechanics and Slenderness Limits of Sway-Restricted Reinforced Concrete Columns” by Jostein Hellesland

This technical paper presents: 1 a review of the mechanics ofRC column behavior and moment formulations for braced andunbraced frames, including the effects of moment gradients on thedevelopment of maximum moments between ends and on slen-derness limits; 2 a critical review of the ACI 318-05 slendernesslimits and possible inconsistencies and inaccuracies that may de-tract from the rationale of the code provisions; and 3 an alter-native consisting of a more comprehensive slenderness limitdeﬁned in terms of a normalized slenderness parameter. The au-thor concludes that: 1 the current ACI slenderness limit of
Chip Seal with Lightweight Aggregates for Low-Volume Roads

Chip seal is widely used for preventive maintenance of low-volume roads in many states, including Kansas. Although there are no distinct design guidelines for using lightweight aggregates in chip seals, these aggregates are extensively used in Kansas to limit windshield damage caused by flying chips. Lightweight aggregates were used with polymer-modified asphalt emulsion to determine proper aggregate and emulsion application rates to minimize chip loss in longer-lasting chip seals on low-volume roads. A statistical analysis was conducted to evaluate chip seal performance characteristics that include aggregate retention, aggregate embedment depth, and rutting. Results show that aggregate retention and embedment depth depend on aggregate–emulsion interaction, whereas rutting depends on the type of aggregates used.
Quantitation of Angiogenesis in the Chick Chorioallantoic Membrane Model Using Fractal Analysis

Objective quantitation of new vascular growth in angiogenesis assays has been difficult to achieve. The aim of this study was to test the potential applicability of fractal geometry to objectively quantify angiogenesis in the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). To accomplish this, vascular growth in normal (NC) and tumor grafted (TGC) CAM was compared. Samples of human tumors of various origins acquired from biopsy specimens were grafted to CAMs at Days 6-12 of incubation. Images of 6- to 16-day NC and 10- to 17-day TGC were acquired and the box-counting method was used to estimate fractal dimension (Df). Vascular density (rho v) was derived from box counts. For NC, Df and rho v increased steadily from Days 6 to 14, peaked, and began to decrease by Day 15. Results from TGC showed that Df and rho v surrounding tumor grafts varied from those of NC. Complexity and density indices were calculated as amount of change in Df and rho v between TGC and NC of the same age, respectively. Based on these indices, differences in the angiogenic response elicited by various tumors were readily detected. Our results suggest that differences in Df and rho v, in both the temporal and spatial senses, are accurate and repeatable measures of vascular growth and may be useful for objective quantitation of the angiogenic response.
Second-half-of-the-day headache as a manifestation of spontaneous CSF leak

Orthostatic headache related to spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak (CSF) appears within 2 h of sitting or standing in most patients. However, longer delays to headache onset have been observed, including some patients who have headaches only in the afternoon. The objective of this study is to describe second-half-of-the-day headache as a manifestation of spontaneous CSF leak and propose potential mechanisms. From 142 patients evaluated by one of us (B.M.) during a 10-year period for spontaneous intracranial hypotension, those describing headache occurring exclusively in the afternoon accompanied by typical changes of intracranial hypotension on head MRI were retrospectively identified and their medical records reviewed. Five patients met our pre-defined inclusion criteria (5/142, 3.5%; three women; mean age 50 years). Second-half-of-the-day headache was an initial symptom of intracranial hypotension in one patient, spontaneously evolved from prior all-day orthostatic headache in one patient, and was a residual or recurrent symptom after epidural blood patch in three patients. Head MRI changes due to intracranial hypotension were decreased during second-half-of-the-day-headache compared to typical all-day orthostatic headache in three out of four patients. The timing of second-half-of-the-day headache and orthostatic headache in the clinical course of patients with spontaneous CSF leaks and related MRI findings suggest that second-half-of-the-day headache is likely a manifestation of a slowed or slow-flow CSF leak.
Cryogenic target for a 2H(γ, n) photon spectrometer

A cryogenic target facility built for use at the N.R.C. electron linear accelerator is described. It has been designed to provide a 265 ml volume of liquid deuterium in the form of a horizontal cylinder which can be irradiated by bremsalrahlung. It is suitable for liquefaction of hydrogen or neon also, and has been so used. When /sup 2/H( gamma ,n) photoneutrons are detected by the time-of-flight technique with a resolution of 0.4 ns/m or better, the apparatus constitutes a useful spectrometer for photons in the energy range from 5 to 50 MeV. The advantages of using liquid /sup 2/H/sub 2/ are pointed out, and are illustrated by the low background achieved with a polyimide plastic target of light construction cooled to about 20 deg K by means of a commercial He refrigerator. The absence of density changes due to beam-induced boiling of the liquid is demonstrated. For a total power input to the vacuum pump and refrigerator of about 6 kW, a refrigerator power of 12.6 W at 23.6 deg K was obtained. The liquefaction rate of gas supplied at 300 deg K was 2.65 ml of /sup 2/H/sub 2/ per minute, after a cool-down time of less thanmore » 1 h after start-up. The He refrigerator and compressor have given over 1660 h of trouble-free operation to date: 360 h of experimentation with /sup 1/H/sub 2/. 860 h with / sup 2/H/sub 2/, and 450 h with Ne. One target was cooled down 5 times from 300 deg K to below 20 deg K and irradiated with bremsstrahlung for a total of about 200 h over a six-month period, without loss of structural integrity. Results of measuring the bremsstrahlung spectral shape from a Ta radiator 0.51 mm thick irradiated with 25 MeV electrons are described, and are found to agree quite well with the zero-angle, thin-radiator predictions of Schiff. Extensive references to the subject of /sup 2/H photodisintegration are given. The superiority of the /sup 2/H( gamma ,n)/sup 1/H/sub 1/ reaction as a photon spectrometer reaction in the MeV energy range is emphasized. (auth)« less
Leaf chlorophyll content and its relation to the intracellular localization of iron

Abstract Chlorophyll contents of leaves of sugar beets undergoing Fe stress have been shown to be correlated positively with leaf Fe concentration (Plant Physiol. 1980 65:114–120). In the present work, the nature of this quantitative relationship was explored by determining the amounts of leaf Fe associated with whole chloroplasts (isolated nonaqueously) and with EDTA‐washed chloroplast lamellae. The results show that leaf chlorophyll content was quantitatively related to the leaf content of chloroplast Fe and to the leaf content of chloroplast lamellar Fe. Nonaqueously isolated chloroplasts accounted for 79 and 73 percent of the Fe of leaves of Fe sufficient and Fe deficient plants, respectively. The Fe content of EDTA‐washed chloroplast lamellae constituted 58 percent of leaf Fe in control plants; this increased to 75 percent in Fe deficient plants. In contrast with the view that chlorophyll contents may be correlated with a “biochemically active fraction” of leaf Fe (e.g. water or acid soluble fraction...
The Effects of d-Amphetamine on Intake of Food and a Sweet Fluid Containing Cocaine

Abstract Using a laboratory animal procedure designed to measure two aspects of reinforcement (self-administration and location preference), five adult rhesus monkeys each lived in three chambers: oral cocaine self-administration (0.26 mg/kg/delivery cocaine hydrochloride in a sweet fluid) was specific to one end chamber, food self-administration was specific to the other end chamber, and no food cues or fluid cues were available in the middle chamber. Throughout the 10-h experimental day monkeys experienced multiple food, cocaine, and choice (food vs. sweet cocaine fluid), sessions. Oral d -amphetamine (AMPH; 0.5–1.5 mg/kg) or placebo was administered before the sessions to determine if this anorectic drug would differentially alter food and sweet cocaine fluid self-administration. Further, the effects of AMPH on the length of time a monkey spent in each chamber, when the stimulus cues indicating commodity availability were not present (location preference) were determined. AMPH produced dose-dependent decreases in both food and cocaine self-administration without affecting choice behavior. AMPH also increased the length of time monkeys spent in the food chamber, even when no stimuli indicating food availability were present. These results indicate that the relationship between self-administration and location preference measures of reinforcement is not completely concordant. The current procedure may prove useful in studying these two measures of reinforcement.
Interfacial fatigue in a fiber reinforced metal matrix composite

Abstract An experimental investigation of interface fatigue in a fiber reinforced metal matrix composite has been conducted. For this purpose, the cyclic traction law (the relationship between the fiber stress and the pullout displacement) was measured using fiber pullout tests. On the first loading cycle, the traction law was found to be parabolic, in accord with predictions of a micromechanical model based on a constant interface sliding stress. Upon subsequent unloading and re-loading, the relationship changed, following trends which suggest that the sliding resistance degrades with cyclic sliding. Such effects have been confirmed through SEM examinations of the fiber coatings following fatigue testing. Furthermore, the degradation was found to be greatest near the plane of the matrix crack. The results are consistent with the notion that the degradation in sliding stress occurs most rapidly in regions where the relative sliding distance (fiber/matrix) is greatest. A phenomenological model incorporating such degradation is presented and compared with the experimental measurements.