cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regionalization of Treatment for Subarachnoid Hemorrhage A Cost-Utility Analysis

Background— Previous studies have shown that for the treatment of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), outcomes are improved but costs are higher at hospitals with a high volume of admissions for SAH. Whether regionalization of care for SAH is cost-effective is unknown. Methods and Results— In a cost-utility analysis, health outcomes for patients with SAH were modeled for 2 scenarios: 1 representing the current practice in California in which most patients with SAH are treated at the closest hospital and 1 representing the regionalization of care in which patients at hospitals with <20 SAH admissions annually (low volume) would be transferred to hospitals with ≥20 SAH admissions annually (high volume). Using a Markov model, we compared net quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and cost per QALY. Inputs were chosen from the literature and derived from a cohort study in California. Transferring a patient with SAH from a low- to a high-volume hospital would result in a gain of 1.60 QALYs at a cost of $10 548/QALY. F...
A geological and geophysical appraisal of the Baca geothermal field, Valles Caldera, New Mexico

Abstract The Baca location #1 geothermal field is located in north-central New Mexico within the western half of the Plio-Pleistocene Valles Caldera. Steam and hot water are produced primarily from the northeast-trending Redondo Creek graben, where downhole temperatures exceed 260°C at depths of less than 2 km. Stratigraphically the reservoir region can be described as a five-layer sequence that includes Tertiary and Quaternary volcanic rocks, and Mesozoic and Tertiary sediments overlying Precambrian granitic basement. Production is mainly controlled by fractures and faults that are ultimately related to activity in the Rio Grande Rift system. Geophysically, the caldera is characterized by a gravity minimum and a resistivity low in its western half. A 40-mgal gravity minimum over the caldera is due mostly to the relatively low-density volcanics and sediments that fill the caldera and probably bears no relation to deep-seated magmatic sources. Two-dimensional gravity modeling indicates that the depth to Precambrian basement in Redondo Canyon is probably at least 3 km and may exceed 5 km in eastern parts of the caldera. Telluric and magnetotelluric surveys have shown that the reservoir region is associated with low resistivity and that a deep low-resistivity zone correlates well with the depth of the primary reservoir inferred from well data. Telluric and magnetotelluric data have also identified possible fault zones in the eastern and western sections of the production region that may form boundaries to the Redondo Creek reservoir. These data also suggest that the reservoir region is located at the intersection of lineaments that trend north-south and northeast-southwest. Magnetotelluric results indicate deep low resistivity at the western edge of the caldera which may be associated with deep hot fluids. On the basis of geophysical and well data, we make three estimates of reservoir dimensions. The estimates of the areal extent of the reservoir range from 10 to 30 km 2 , depending on whether the Sulphur Creek or the Valle Seco area is considered to contain deep geothermal resources.
Root Diseases and Blister Rust Associated with Bark Beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in Western White Pine in Idaho

Root systems of western white pine, Pinus monticola Douglas, were excavated with explosives and examined for pathogens. Data were also recorded on portions of the crown killed by blister rust caused by Cronartium ribicola Fisch. Statistical tests revealed a significant association between the bark beetles Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins and Pityogenes fossifrons (LeConte), and the root pathogen Armillariella mellea. (Vahl. ex Fr.) Karst and between beetles and all root diseases. Ninety-two percent of the trees attacked by bark beetles had root diseases, and 97% had either root diseasesor blister rust. A discriminant analysis correctly classified 88% of the sample trees into two categories, trees infested with D. ponderosae or trees not infested with D. ponderosae, using the variables age (stump), diameter at 1.3 m in height, and percentage of the primary roots infected with pathogens. Major pathogenic organisms isolated from the roots included A. mellea, Phaeolus schweinitzii (Fr.) Pat., Resinicium bicolor (Fr.) Parm., Verticicladiella spp., and a Europhium strain. A hypothetical sequence of host tree invasion by blister rust, followed by infection by root diseases, and finally attacks by bark beetles, is postulated.
Gamma-Irradiation Affects Some Physical Properties of Dry Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) Starch

Gamma-irradiated great northern (GN) bean starch (2.5–20 kGy) showed apparent increased susceptibility to central fissures. Bean damage during scanning electron microscopy was observed using ≥400OX magnification on GN bean starch samples. Approximate molecular weights estimated by gel filtration chromatography Sepharose Cl-2B of control GN bean starch were: amylopectin >2×106 and amylose 2×105. Amylose-like fraction of irradiated bean starch (20 kGy) revealed two peaks ∼6.9×104 and 1.5×105 daltons. Differential scanning calorimetry showed an increase in gelatinization enthalpy and a small increase in gelatinization peak temperature at 20 kGy suggesting a reorganization of the crystalline and amorphous phases of the starch granule.
The effect of multivalent cations on the membrane potential of the ehrlich ascites tumor cell.

The effect of di- and trivalent cations on the membrane potential of the Ehrlich ascites tumor cell has been investigated using micro-electrode techniques. In solutions free of multivalent cations the average membrane potential for 46 cells was 8.3 ± 0.5 mv (SE). However, the potentials were not stable and decayed with a half-time of about six seconds. Addition of Ca++ decreased the rate of decay and concomitantly increased the membrane potential. The magnitude of these effects was a function of the Ca++ concentration. At the optimum concentration (2 mM), the half-time of decay was increased to 12 seconds and the membrane potential was raised to 17.8 ± 1.7 mv (SE). The related alkaline-earth cations, Sr++, Ba++ and Mg++ had similar effects on both the stability and magnitude of the membrane potential. The effect of La+++, which was qualitatively similar to that of the divalent cations, was also concentration dependent. However, 100-fold lower concentrations were adequate to achieve comparable effects. Moreover, membrane potentials were stable for up to ten minutes in La+++-containing solutions. Variations in intracellular Cl− content induced by temperature changes were paralleled by changes in membrane potentials. However, the potentials were not those expected for a simple Cl− electrode.
Inhomogeneity of the ultrafast insulator-to-metal transition dynamics of VO2

The insulator-metal transition (IMT) of vanadium dioxide (VO2) has remained a long-standing challenge in correlated electron physics since its discovery five decades ago. Most interpretations of experimental observations have implicitly assumed a homogeneous material response. Here we reveal inhomogeneous behaviour of even individual VO2 microcrystals using pump-probe microscopy and nanoimaging. The timescales of the ultrafast IMT vary from 40±8 fs, that is, shorter than a suggested phonon bottleneck, to 200±20 fs, uncorrelated with crystal size, transition temperature and initial insulating structural phase, with average value similar to results from polycrystalline thin-film studies. In combination with the observed sensitive variations in the thermal nanodomain IMT behaviour, this suggests that the IMT is highly susceptible to local changes in, for example, doping, defects and strain. Our results suggest an electronic mechanism dominating the photoinduced IMT, but also highlight the difficulty to deduce microscopic mechanisms when the true intrinsic material response is yet unclear.
Carbamylcholine, but not somatostatin or neurotensin, stimulates prostaglandin E2 release from the isolated perfused rat stomach.

Abstract Prostaglandin E2 release by carbamylcholine (10−6 M), somatostatin (10−10–10−8 M) and neurotensin (10−10–10−8 M) has been evaluated in the isolated perfused rat stomach. Carbamylcholine significantly stimulated gastric PGE2 release and increased the perfusion pressure, whereas somatostatin and neurotensin had no effect. Combination of carbamylcholine with somatostatin or neurotensin produced no increase over that found with carbamylcholine alone. The relationship between perfusion-pressure and PGE2 release was not causal. The present findings do not support a role for prostaglandins in the mechanism of somatostatin or neurotensin action in the stomach.
Two-repeat Tetrahymena telomeric d(TGGGGTTGGGGT) Sequence interconverts between asymmetric dimeric G-quadruplexes in solution.

Recently, the two-repeat human telomeric d(TAGGGTTAGGGT) sequence has been shown to form interconverting parallel and antiparallel G-quadruplex structures in solution. Here, we examine the structures formed by the two-repeat Tetrahymena telomeric d(TGGGGTTGGGGT) sequence, which differs from the human sequence only by one G-for-A replacement in each repeat. We show by NMR that this sequence forms two novel G-quadruplex structures in Na+-containing solution. Both structures are asymmetric, dimeric G-quadruplexes involving a core of four stacked G-tetrads and two edgewise loops. The adjacent strands of the G-tetrad core are alternately parallel and antiparallel. All G-tetrads adopt syn·syn·anti·anti alignments, which occur with 5′-syn-anti-syn-anti-3′ alternations along G-tracks. In the first structure (head-to-head), two loops are at one end of the G-tetrad core; in the second structure (head-to-tail), two loops are located on opposite ends of the G-tetrad core. In contrast to the human telomere counterpart, the proportions of the two forms here are similar for a wide range of temperatures; their unfolding rates are also similar, with an activation enthalpy of 153 kJ/mol.
Optical and EPR Studies of [ Na ] 0 and [ Li ] 0 Centers in CaO

We report EPR and optical studies of ${\mathrm{O}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ ions located next to ${\mathrm{Li}}^{+}$ and ${\mathrm{Na}}^{+}$ impurities in calcium oxide. The oscillator strengths of the optical transitions ($f\ensuremath{\sim}0.1$) are larger than expected for the $A({p}_{z})\ensuremath{\rightarrow}E({p}_{x},{p}_{y})$ transitions of these centers. The hyperfine interaction with the impurity nuclei is interpreted as having a negative contact term $a$ and a positive anisotropic term $b$. The results are discussed in terms of admixture of ${\mathrm{O}}^{\ensuremath{-}}|3s〉$ functions into the ground ${p}_{z}$ state.
Semantic integration of environmental models for application to global information systems and decision-making

Global information systems have the potential of providing decision makers with timely spatial information about earth systems. This information will come from diverse sources, including field monitoring, remotely sensed imagery, and environmental models. Of the three the latter has the greatest potential of providing regional and global scale information on the behavior of environmental systems, which may be vital for setting multi-governmental policy and for making decisions that are critical to quality of life. However, environmental models have limited prootocol for quality control and standardization. They tend to have weak or poorly defined semantics and so their output is often difficult to interpret outside a very limited range of applications for which they are designed. This paper considers this issue with respect to spatially distributed environmental models. A method of measuring the semantic proximity between components of large, integrated models is presented, along with an example illustrating its application. It is concluded that many of the issues associated with weak model semantics can be resolved with the addition of self-evaluating logic and context-based tools that present the semantic weaknesses to the end-user.
Ten lectures on wavelets

Introduction Preliminaries and notation The what, why, and how of wavelets The continuous wavelet transform Discrete wavelet transforms: Frames Time-frequency density and orthonormal bases Orthonormal bases of wavelets and multiresolutional analysis Orthonormal bases of compactly supported wavelets More about the regularity of compactly supported wavelets Symmetry for compactly supported wavelet bases Characterization of functional spaces by means of wavelets Generalizations and tricks for orthonormal wavelet bases References Indexes.
MediSyn: a synthetic streaming media service workload generator

Currently, Internet hosting centers and content distribution networks leverage statistical multiplexing to meet the performance requirements of a number of competing hosted network services. Developing efficient resource allocation mechanisms for such services requires an understanding of both the short-term and long-term behavior of client access patterns to these competing services. At the same time, streaming media services are becoming increasingly popular, presenting new challenges for designers of shared hosting services. These new challenges result from fundamentally new characteristics of streaming media relative to traditional web objects, principally different client access patterns and significantly larger computational and bandwidth overhead associated with a streaming request. To understand the characteristics of these new workloads we use two long-term traces of streaming media services to develop MediSyn, a publicly available streaming media workload generator. In summary, this paper makes the following contributions: i) we model the long-term behavior of network services capturing the process of file introduction and changing file popularity, ii) we present a novel generalized Zipf-like distribution that captures recently-observed popularity of both web objects and streaming media not captured by existing Zipf-like distributions, and iii) we capture a number of characteristics unique to streaming media services, including file duration, encoding bit rate, session duration and non-stationary popularity of media accesses.
The relationship between concept attainment and level of maturity

Evidence supporting instructional sequences for and grade placements of concepts relating to the biological cell is given in this report on a pilot study. Is replication possible?
Susceptibility of Clostridium ramosum to antimicrobial agents.

Abstract The susceptibility of 49 strains of Clostridium ramosum to 10 antibiotics was determined by agar dilution and disk diffusion tests. Results showed that, among the anaerobes, C. ramosum is second only to Bacteroides fragilis in its resistance to antimicrobial agents. All strains were susceptible to penicillin, carbenicillin, chloramphenicol, vancomycin, and metronidazole at readily achievable blood levels. Most strains (83%) were susceptible to erythromycin. There was a high level of resistance to clindamycin in 16% of the strains. All isolates were resistant to rifampin and gentamicin, and most were resistant to lincomycin. Assessment of susceptibility by measurement of inhibition zone diameters with disk diffusion tests was not satisfactory.
Large strains in the epitaxy of Cu on Pt\{001\}

Epitaxial pseudomorphic films of Cu have been grown on Pt{l brace}001{r brace} to thicknesses of 15--17 layers. A quantitative low-energy electron-diffraction intensity analysis of a ten-layer film reveals that the in-plane lattice constant is that of the Pt{l brace}001{r brace}1{times}1 net ({ital a}{sub 0}=3.93 A), and that the bulk interlayer spacing is 1.62{plus minus}0.04 A. Strain analysis shows that this structure is derived from the fcc structure of Cu with a plane strain of about 9%, similar to Cu films grown on Pd{l brace}001{r brace}.
Counterflow pipelining: architectural support for preemption in asynchronous systems using anti-tokens

This paper introduces a novel approach to efficiently implement several useful architectural features in asynchronous application-specific ICs (ASICs). These features include speculation, preemption, and eager evaluation, which have so far only been available on CPUs, and have not been adequately investigated for custom ASICs. For the efficient implementation of the new architectural features, a radically new approach inspired by Sproull's counterflow pipelines (1994) is proposed. The key idea is to allow special commands, called anti-tokens, to be propagated in a direction opposite to that of data, allowing certain computations to be killed before they are completed, if their results are no longer required. The net impact is a significant improvement in the throughput of a certain class of systems - e.g., those involving conditional computation - where a bottleneck pipeline stage can often be preempted if its result is determined to be no longer needed. Experimental results indicate that our approach can improve the system throughput by a factor of up to 2.2times, along with an energy savings of up to 27%
Outcome Measures of Collegiate Business Curricula: A Comparison of Two Instruments

Abstract In response to the current need for outcomes assessment in collegiate business programs, two instruments have recently been developed. The Core Curriculum Assessment Program (CCAP) instrument was developed by the American College Testing Program (ACT) in 1987, and the Business Test was developed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in 1989. This article (a) describes both instruments, (b) compares the two in terms of content, types of scores available, reliability, availability of national comparative data, and cost, and (c) describes one institution's field experience with each instrument. The author's assessment is that the Business Test has definite advantages over the CCAP instrument, particularly in terms of logistics and cost.
Electrocatalytic Voltammetry of Succinate Dehydrogenase: Direct Quantification of the Catalytic Properties of a Complex Electron-Transport Enzyme

Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), the membrane-extrinsic component of Complex II, adsorbs at a pyrolytic graphite edge electrode and catalyzes interconversion of succinate and fumarate depending on the electrochemical potential that is applied. The catalytic activity is measured over a continuous potential range, leading to a quantitative description of the interlinked energetics and kinetics of catalyzed electron transport, including the degree to which the enzyme is intrinsically tuned, at a particular pH, to function either in the direction of succinate oxidation or fumarate reduction. It is revealed that under reversible conditions (i.e. near the reduction potential of the fumarate/succinate couple) and at the physiological temperature of 38 °C, SDH is biased to catalyze fumarate reduction (reversal of the tricarboxylic acid cycle) at pH values below 7.7. Subtle effects which gate electron transport are detected. First, the sharp drop in catalytic activity observed as the potential is made more negative ...
Some Problems and Principles of Development

Synopsis. Certain supracellular aspects of embryonic differentiation, illustrated by studies of young chick blastoderms, are discussed. Specifically, the following principles and guidelines seem to be involved in early development of the chick: egg organization, relative movement, differential growth, regulation, restriction of regulative capacities, synonomy of regulation and growth, gradients and fields, developmental centers, domi? nance, integration, environmental control, and induction.
Shaky Palaces? Analyzing Property Values and their Appreciation in Minority First Suburbs

While property values and their appreciation in inner-city neighborhoods with high proportions of minorities have been analyzed, not much systematic research has been undertaken on property values and their appreciation in minority suburbs. This article investigates differences among First Suburban census tracts, including property values, factors that have influenced property values and appreciation rates, by analyzing census tracts within select counties across the United States with Weighted Least Squares (WLS) regressions. Based on the results of this investigation, it is concluded that the assumption that homeownership in the First Suburbs automatically leads to a high appreciation rate needs to be differentiated. Resume La valeur et la reevaluation des biens immobiliers ont ete analysees dans les quartiers centraux ou vivent de fortes proportions de minorites, mais les etudes systematiques sur ces aspects sont rares dans les banlieues habitees par les minorites. Cet article etudie les secteurs de recensement des premieres couronnes suburbaines et leurs differences liees notamment aux valeurs immobilieres, aux facteurs qui affectent ces valeurs, et aux taux de reevaluation. Pour ce faire, il utilise une regression des moindres carres ponderes et analyse les unites geostatistiques de certains comtes americains. D'apres les resultats obtenus, il convient de moduler l'hypothese selon laquelle la propriete du domicile dans les premieres couronnes suburbaines entraine automatiquement un taux de reevaluation eleve.
The Diagnosis, Management, and Postnatal Prevention of Intraventricular Hemorrhage in the Preterm Neonate

Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) occurs in 20% to 25% of very low birthweight preterm neonates and may be associated with significant sequelae. Infants who have IVH are at risk for posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus and periventricular leukomalacia; as many as 75% of those who have parenchymal involvement of hemorrhage suffer significant neurodevelopmental disability. Because of the prevalence of IVH and the medical and societal impact of this disease, many postnatal pharmacologic prevention strategies have been explored. Randomized clinical prevention trials should provide long-term neurodevelopmental follow-up to assess the impact of preterm birth, injury, and pharmacologic intervention on the developing brain.
Total-dose radiation effects on sol-gel derived PZT thin films

Sol-gel derived PZT (lead zirconate-titanate) thin films were irradiated to a total-dose of 1 Mrad(Si) or 86 krad(PZT) under open-circuit bias. An asymmetric distortion in the hysteresis curves was observed. The distortion depends on the polarization state of the capacitor before irradiation. Postirradiation electrical cycling makes the hysteresis loops symmetric initially, but results in fatigue effects. The leakage and switching current behavior after irradiation and post-rad cycling were studied using a static current versus voltage measurement. Retention and fatigue properties are not worsened after irradiation except for the polarization reduction. The radiation effects are consistent with the sheet charge model. The fatigue effects due to post-rad cycling are consistent with an increase in the space-charge regions near the electrodes or oxygen-deficient dendrite growth. >
Relationship of skin target site free drug concentration (C) to the in vivo efficacy: An extensive evaluation of the predictive value of the C concept using acyclovir as a model drug

Abstract For the past few years, our laboratory has been involved in the development of a novel approach for predicting topical in vivo efficacy based on the estimation of skin target site free drug concentration ( C *) from in vitro flux data. We have used acyclovir (ACV) as a model drug in the treatment of cutaneous herpes simplex virus type 1 infections in hairless mice. The goal of this study was to rigorously evaluate the applicability of this approach over the entire range of topical efficacy (i.e., from 0 to 100%). We employed a variety of ACV formulations differing in solvent compositions, enhancers, and excipients (and therefore in their efficacies) to achieve this goal. The C * values were estimated from the in vitro flux data obtained in an in vivo - in vitro experimental design that closely approximated the in vivo treatment protocol. For the in vivo antiviral efficacy studies, a finite dose of ACV formulation was applied twice a day, beginning the day after virus inoculation, for 4 days. The lesions were scored on the fifth day, and the efficacies were calculated as described earlier. 1 Our results indicate that, for a variety of formulations over a wide range of efficacies, the predictions based on C * are in good agreement with the observed in vivo efficacies. These findings strongly demonstrate the predictive value of C * over the entire range of topical efficacy, thereby further strengthening its potential for future studies. The findings also indicate that although the excipients in a formulation may alter the rate and extent of available drug at the target site, in these cases, they do not seem to have any effect on the in vivo potency of the drug.
A Study on the Effects of Argentine Tango as a Form of Partnered Dance for those with Parkinson Disease and the Healthy Elderly

Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths in older adults (Murphy 2000), and they can lead to fear of falling, reduced quality of life, withdrawal from activities, and injury. Changes in joint ranges of motion, strength, sensory processing, and sensorimotor integration all contribute to reduced balance stability with increasing age and these changes are paralleled in those with Parkinson Disease (PD). Interventions, such as traditional exercises tailored specifically for seniors and/or individuals with PD, have addressed balance and gait difficulties in an attempt to reduce fall rates with mixed, undocumented results. Argentine tango dancing has recently emerged as a
Development of a computer simulation model for processing food in a microwave assisted thermal sterilization (MATS) system

The microwave assisted thermal sterilization computer simulation model (MATS-CSM) was developed to improve the previous computer simulation model for the microwave assisted thermal sterilization (MATS) system. Development of the new MATS-CSM included determination of optimum heating time step, evaluation of electromagnetic field distribution and the resulting heating pattern in food, and experimental validation of heating patterns. It was determined that the minimum number of discretization that would not cause immediate divergence of the EM-heat transfer solution was 32 steps corresponding to 97 mm and 5.6 s of displacement and heating time for every step, respectively. Furthermore, this study successfully demonstrated the symmetrical electromagnetic field distribution between top and bottom microwave entry ports and a staggered electric field pattern from one cavity of the MATS to the next. In addition, MATS-CSM confirmed that incorporating heat diffusion in the simulation model reduces the difference in hot spot and cold spot temperature by 65%. It also confirmed that water circulation reduces the edge heating effect, as observed in experiments. The heating pattern generated by MATSCSM was verified experimentally through a chemical marker method. Based on the percent areal cross section of the weighted average temperature, there were no noticeable differences between the heating zones generated by the MATS-CSM and by the chemical marker method. The percent areal cross section of the cold area 1, cold area 2, and hot area by MATS-CSM were 35%, 25%, and 40%, respectively, and the cold area 1, cold area 2, and hot area by chemical marker method were 35%, 30%, and 35%, respectively.
Dasatinib synergizes with JSI-124 to inhibit growth and migration and induce apoptosis of malignant human glioma cells.

Background: Src family kinases (SFK) collectively regulate a variety of cellular functions in many cancer types, including proliferation, invasion, motility, survival, differentiation, and angiogenesis. Although Dasatinib (BMS-354825), an ATP-competitive, small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor, suppresses the activity of SFKs at nanomolar concentrations, IC50 values for antiproliferative effects in glioma cell lines were well above the clinically achievable range, suggesting the need to interfere with other components of receptor-induced downstream signaling in order to achieve an optimal therapeutic effect. Materials and Methods: The cytotoxic effects of combining Src and STAT3 inhibition on glioma cell lines were evaluated using assays to measure cell proliferation, apoptosis and migration. Western blotting and immunocytochemistry was used to monitor its effects on cell signaling and morphology. Results: Silencing Src and STAT3 expression each partially inhibited cell proliferation and migration. In addition, JSI - 124 significantly enhanced the efficacy of dasatinib in vitro. Combination of dasatinib and JSI - 124 achieved significant inhibition of migration in all cell lines, which correlated with the inhibition of Src and downstream mediators of adhesion (e.g. focal adhesion kinase). Cells exposed to dasatinib and JSI-124 exhibited morphological changes that were consistent with an upstream role for Src in regulating focal adhesion complexes. Conclusions: Targeting the Src and STAT pathways may contribute to the treatment of cancers that demonstrate increased levels of these signaling mediators, including malignant human glioma. Clinical studies in these tumor types are warranted.
Effects of Feeding Various Levels of Triticale var. Bogo in the Diet of Broiler and Layer Chickens

SUMMARY Nontraditional feed grains, particularly from local producers, may offset some of the cost of feeding poultry by reducing transportation costs of commodities. In the Pacific Northwest, the traditional feed grains, corn and soybeans, are not produced in quantities that make them available to poultry. Once identified, some nontraditional feed grains prove to be useful whereas others do not. There is interest by cereal grain growers in the Northwest to produce a relatively new variety of triticale var. Bogo, which was imported from Poland and has a higher yield than the more traditional varieties of triticale. Two trials were conducted to determine the feeding value of triticale var. Bogo for growing broilers and production Leghorns. Diets were formulated to contain 0, 5, 10, or 15% triticale for broilers and 0 or 30% triticale with or without enzyme for layers while maintaining the appropriate nutritional requirements for broilers and layers, respectively. Broilers were not affected by feeding triticale var. Bogo. In layers, only yolk color was affected, becoming slightly paler compared with those produced by hens fed no triticale.
Impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination on HPV 16/18-related prevalence in precancerous cervical lesions

Abstract Background Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 is recommended for girls aged 11 or 12 years with catch-up vaccination through age 26 in the U.S. Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 2 or 3 and adenocarcinoma in situ (CIN2+) are used to monitor HPV vaccine impact on cervical disease. This report describes vaccination status in women diagnosed with CIN2+ and examines HPV vaccine impact on HPV 16/18-related CIN2+. Methods As part of a vaccine impact monitoring project (HPV-IMPACT), females 18–31 years with CIN2+ were reported from pathology laboratories in CA, CT, NY, OR, TN from 2008 to 2011. One diagnostic block was selected for HPV DNA typing with Roche Linear Array. Demographic, abnormal Papanicolaou (Pap) test dates and vaccine status information were collected. The abnormal Pap test immediately preceding the CIN2+ diagnosis was defined as the ‘trigger Pap’. Results Among 5083 CIN2+ cases reported to date, 3855 had vaccination history investigated; 1900 had vaccine history documented (vaccinated, with trigger Pap dates, or unvaccinated). Among women who initiated vaccination >24 months before their trigger Pap, there was a significantly lower proportion of CIN2+ lesions due to 16/18 compared to women who were not vaccinated (aPR = .67, 95% CI: .48–.94). Among the 1900 with known vaccination status, 20% initiated vaccination on/after their trigger screening. Women aged 21–23 years were more likely to initiate vaccination on/after the trigger Pap compared to 24–26 year olds (29.0% vs. 19.6%, p = .001), as were non-Hispanic blacks compared to non-Hispanic whites (27.3% vs. 19.0%, p = .001) and publicly compared to privately insured women (38.1% vs. 17.4%, p Conclusion We found a significant reduction in HPV 16/18-related lesions in women with CIN2+ who initiated vaccination at least 24 months prior to their trigger Pap. These preliminary results suggest early impact of the HPV vaccine on vaccine-type disease, but further evaluation is warranted.
Physical health effects of intimate partner abuse

Although intimate partner violence has been recognized as both a social problem and health issue, the extent to which it is a health issue for both males and females in the general population is largely unknown. This longitudinal research uses data from the National Survey of Family and Households (1987-2003). Random effects logistic regression models are used to assess physical health outcomes of exposure to intimate partner abuse for males and females. Results indicate that females are significantly more likely to report poor health if exposed to intimate partner abuse. The same is not true for males. Findings of this research indicate a need to explore further sex differences in violence outcomes. These findings are likely to be of interest to those who study families, intimate partner abuse, and health.
Maintaining data freshness in distributed real-time databases

Many real-time systems need to maintain fresh views which are derived from shared data that are distributed among multiple sites. When a base data item changes, all derived views that are based on it need to be recomputed. There are two major derived data re-computation strategies - immediate update and on-demand update. However, they both have their advantages and limitations. In this paper, we study the performance of derived data update using immediate and on-demand strategies in distributed real-time databases and identify several criteria for choosing proper update policies. Based on these criteria, we propose a derived data update algorithm. In our algorithm, the update policy of a particular derived data item is determined dynamically by its access frequency, current transaction miss ratio and the system utilization. A thorough simulation study shows that our algorithm outperforms immediate and on-demand update in most cases.
Physicochemical Aspects of the Movement of the Rieske Iron Sulfur Protein during Quinol Oxidation by the bc1 Complex from Mitochondria and Photosynthetic Bacteria

Crystallographic structures for the mitochondrial ubihydroquinone:cytochrome c oxidoreductase (bc1 complex) from different sources, and with different inhibitors in cocrystals, have revealed that the extrinsic domain of the iron sulfur subunit is not fixed (Zhang, Z., Huang, L., Shulmeister, V. M., Chi, Y.-I., Kim, K. K., Hung, L.-W., Crofts, A. R., Berry, E. A., and Kim, S.-H. (1998) Nature (London), 392, 677-684), but moves between reaction domains on cytochrome c1 and cytochrome b subunits. We have suggested that the movement is necessary for quinol oxidation at the Qo site of the complex. In this paper, we show that the electron-transfer reactions of the high-potential chain of the complex, including oxidation of the iron sulfur protein by cytochrome c1 and the reactions by which oxidizing equivalents become available at the Qo site, are rapid compared to the rate-determining step. Activation energies of partial reactions that contribute to movement of the iron sulfur protein have been measured and shown to be lower than the high activation barrier associated with quinol oxidation. We conclude that the movement is not the source of the activation barrier. We estimate the occupancies of different positions for the iron sulfur protein from the crystallographic electron densities and discuss the parameters determining the binding of the iron sulfur protein in different configurations. The low activation barrier is consistent with a movement between these locations through a constrained diffusion. Apart from ligation in enzyme- substrate or inhibitor complexes, the binding forces in the native structure are likely to be eRT, suggesting that the mobile head can explore the reaction interfaces through stochastic processes within the time scale indicated by kinetic measurements.
Time Domain Reflectometry Automatic Bridge Scour Measurement System: Principles and Potentials:

Bridge scour is a major factor contributing to the failures of highway bridges constructed over waterways. During flood events, sediments can be washed away and bridge substructures (piers and abutments) are left inadequately supported. Field monitoring of bridge sour process is necessary to study the scour mechanism, to develop scour-resistant design of bridge piers and abutments, to implement effective scour countermeasures, and to deploy safety warning systems. The current instruments are not completely satisfactory in providing real-time monitoring data during critical flood events. This study introduces the development of an automatic scour monitoring system using time domain reflectometry (TDR) principle. It presents the principles and system design of the TDR sediment scour monitoring system. An analyses algorithm for scour signals has been developed. It was found to be robust and can be implemented to automate scour signal interpretation. Simulated experiments were conducted to validate the perfor...
Localization of Repetitive DNA Sequences on in vitro Xenopus laevis Chromosomes by Primed in situ Labeling (PRINS)

Xenopus laevis is an important reference model organism used in many vertebrate studies. Gene mapping in X. laevis, in comparison to other reference organisms, is in its early stages. Few studies have been conducted to localize DNA sequences on X. laevis chromosomes. Primed in situ labeling (PRINS) is a recently developed innovative tool that has been used to locate specific DNA sequences in various organisms. PRINS has been reported to have increased sensitivity compared to other in situ hybridization techniques. In the present study, PRINS was first used to label the location of telomeres at the ends of in vitro X. laevis chromosomes. The terminal location was as expected from in vivo reports, however, the overall amount seemed to decrease in the in vitro chromosomes. Once the PRINS technique was optimized, this technique was used to determine the chromosomal location of the satellite 1 repetitive sequence, which is an important sequence in X. laevis development. The sequence was observed on the interstitial regions of the majority of the chromosomes similar to the in vivo locations reported. In contrast to the telomeric sequence, the amount of sequence appeared to increase in the satellite 1 sequence. PRINS was found to be useful in the localization of repetitive DNA sequences in the X. laevis genome.
Advances in Windows NT storage management

Windows NT 5.0 introduces fundamental changes to storage management. The new infrastructure in NT 5.0 can adapt to future changes in storage devices and media, brings a more powerful set of management mechanisms, and supports more base services within the system. Most of the changes are transparent to legacy applications and to users, but software producers who want to deploy advanced functionality should realize increased benefits from the underlying infrastructure. Windows NT now supports the dynamic plug-and-play of storage devices and the growth and mounting of storage volumes. It also frees the NT system from drive letter limitations and incorporates several new file system features to aid the development of enterprise-class storage management solutions. The article describes two new mechanisms present in Windows NT 5.0, the reliable change journal and the reparse points. It also presents storage management infrastructure subsystems and services that help administer storage. Both mechanisms are designed to facilitate the robust and efficient administration of an increasing volume of data whose lifetime grows over time.
Using interviews to Identify Student misconceptions in dynamics

There is substantial evidence that most students graduating with engineering degrees do not possess basic scientific knowledge. Assessments of conceptual understanding have shown repeatedly that students are unable to answer qualitative questions about even the most fundamental physical phenomena. One approach to correcting this lack of knowledge is based on addressing what Michelene Chi calls misconceptions. Misconceptions are the set of students' preexisting beliefs about physical phenomena which are persistent and preclude more correct understandings. The purpose of this study is to begin to identify some of the misconceptions held by students in engineering dynamics through individual clinical interviews with a small group of students who received A's or B's in a recently completed dynamics course. By asking students open-ended conceptual questions researchers are able to observe misconceptions in action. The interviews were analyzed qualitatively to discover patterns of thought in each individual student. Although specific misconceptions cannot be identified from the small number of interviews performed, trends in student responses can be used in future interviews to more thoroughly uncover errors in student reasoning.
Environmental Education Within Early Childhood

Teaching quality environmental education (EE) begins in early childhood (ages 4–8). The sense of excitement and wonder that comes with wandering in the woods or playing in a stream must be nourished and developed by teachers. All subject areas can be taught through EE as an integrated curriculum in a theme-based or a more traditional classroom. In curricular contexts, interweaving EE and science education makes sense, as the knowledge, skills, and attitudes being used in both areas overlap. This chapter describes examples of how EE can be infused across the many different disciplinary areas taught in early childhood classrooms. Special emphasis is placed on acquiring knowledge about the environment, developing an environmental ethic, adapting EE activities for inclusion of students with special needs, and the use of assessment techniques.
Effect of sympathectomy on renal and circulatory action of atrial natriuretic peptide

Sympathetic nervous system (SNS) involvement in cardiovascular (CV) and renal actions of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) was examined in eight chronically instrumented rats. Responses to 90-min atriopeptin II infusion (0.03 then 0.3 micrograms.kg-1.min-1) were compared with those to sodium nitroprusside (NP; 2 + 20 micrograms.kg-1.min-1) before and after sympathectomy (SX) with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). The NP-induced drop in blood pressure (BP) was greater after SX (-12 +/- 1% before vs. -24 +/- 2% after SX). In contrast, 6-OHDA altered (blunted) only the bradycardic response to high dose of ANP (-23 +/- 5% before vs. -3 +/- 4% after SX). The decreased BP (-18 +/- 1% before vs. -12 +/- 2% after), depressed cardiac output (CO; -29 +/- 1% before vs. -22 +/- 3% after), and elevated systemic vascular resistance (SVR; 16 +/- 2 vs. 16 +/- 6%) were unchanged (paired t test, P greater than 0.05). The high dose of ANP increased urine flow by 43.2 +/- 7.2 microliters.min-1.100 g body wt-1 and sodium excretion by 1.76 +/- 0.56 mu eq.min-1.100 g body wt-1 but had no effect after SX. These results suggest that while withdrawal of SNS activity contributes to the CO-lowering effect of ANP, it does not mediate its action to elevate SVR. Attenuation of the capacity for reflex sympathoexcitation by SX did not reveal a vasodilator action. The lack of response after SX suggests that ANP's renal excretory actions are mediated in part by withdrawal of SNS activity.
Structural and functional roles of collagen 1 fibers in breast cancer metastasis: collagen 1 fiber density increases in lymph node-positive breast cancers

JHU ICMIC Program, Division of Cancer Imaging Research, The Russell H Morgan Department of Radiology & Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 208C Traylor Building, 720 Rutland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA *Author for correspondence: zaver@mri.jhu.edu The role of collagen 1 (Col1) fibers in breast cancer metastasis is attracting increasing attention based on studies that have observed a clear association between these fibers, the metastatic process [1], hypoxia [2] and macromolecular transport [3]. Interactions between cancer cells and the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) seemingly potentiate the malignant phenotype [4,5]. The tumor ECM comprises of collagens, glycoproteins and proteoglycans [6]. Cancer cells actively secrete a host of proteolytic enzymes that continuously remodel the ECM [7]. Lysosomal cathepsins participate in cleaving fibrillar collagen [8], laminin [9] and fibronectin [10] intracellularly, and also following secretion. A major component of the ECM in tumors is Col1 [6,11,12] that is part of the fibrillar collagen family. Amongst the more than 20 types of collagen proteins, collagen type 1 is the most abundant in the human body and its main role is to provide strength, support and structure to tissues [13]. Mature Col1 fibers can reach up to 500 nm by 1 cm in size [14]. Col1 fiber formation is a multistep process that starts intracellularly and ends with complete mature Col1 fibers formed outside the cell. Inside the cell, pro-collagen 1 forms a triple helix derived from the Col1A1 and Col1A2 genes [15]. Pro-collagen 1 is secreted outside the cell and converted to tropocollagen, which in turn selfassembles and is crosslinked to form mature Col1 fibers. Malignant breast cancers are characterized by significantly higher Col1 fiber density and altered Col1 fiber architecture [12]. Deregulated and dense deposition of collagen fibers is often found surrounding the tumor, which promotes tumor progression and metastasis [12] and affects drug delivery in tumors [16,17]. Second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy is increasingly being used to characterize Col1 fibers [16]. SHG microscopy does not require exogenous labeling and can intrinsically detect molecules like Col1 fibers that have a noncentrosymmetric molecular structure by the phase matching phenomena that gives rise to a second harmonic signal. SHG microscopy has the advantage of detecting Col1 fibers from fresh tissue sections, preserving 3D structural patterns, and can be potentially used in vivo with an intravital endoscope [18]. Novel computational algorithms, including Haralick feature analysis, are being applied to characterize Col1 fiber patterns to relate structural features to functional characteristics [1].
Lead: Understanding the Minimal Toxicity of Lead in Plants

The presence of indigenous lead in the earth’s crust at concentrations averaging 16μg/g soil (De Treville, 1964), its recent deposition near highways and other pollutant sources (Koeppe, 1977), and the knowledge that lead is highly toxic to various physiological processes have brought into focus over the last 15–20 years the question of the effects of lead on higher plants. This has seemed an especially relevant question when consideration has been given to the fact that certain higher plants probably suffer a lead insult that is greater than that imposed on any other living organism. Recent man-effected lead deposits have been near highways through the burning of leaded gasolines by automobiles (Cannon and Bowles, 1962), in soils near buildings painted with leaded paints (Getz et al., 1977), on agricultural lands fertilized with sewage sludge (Hinesly et al., 1972) and in various localized situations near metal ore deposits, mining, smelting and other industrial operations (Antonovics et al., 1971). Pesticides containing lead have, dependent on usage, left substantial lead residues in orchards and other agricultural areas where they have been sprayed (Schuck and Locke, 1970).