cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The expression of an alcohol deprivation effect in the high-alcohol-drinking replicate rat lines is dependent on repeated deprivations.

Background: The alcohol deprivation effect (ADE) is a temporary increase in the ratio of alcohol/total fluid intake and voluntary intake of ethanol (EtOH) solutions over baseline drinking conditions when EtOH access is reinstated after a period of alcohol deprivation. The ADE has been posited to be an animal model for alcohol craving. In the current study, we examined the effects of initial deprivation length and number of deprivation exposures on the ADE in the replicate lines of the high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) rats. Methods: Adult male HAD-1 and HAD-2 rats received 24 hr free-choice access to 10% (v/v) EtOH and water for 6 weeks. Rats were then assigned to groups deprived of EtOH for 0 (control), or 2 to 8 weeks. All deprived groups were then given 24 hr access to EtOH for 2 weeks before being deprived of EtOH for another 2 weeks. This cycle of 2 weeks of access and 2 weeks of deprivation was carried out for a total of four deprivations. Results: After the initial EtOH deprivation period, EtOH consumption in HAD-1 and HAD-2 rats returned to baseline levels but failed to exhibit either an early onset ADE (initial 2 hr) or prolonged ADE (24 hr). An ADE was observed in two of the four deprived groups for the HAD-1 rats (2 week and 6 week groups) and in all deprived groups for the HAD-2 rats after a second deprivation, and in all deprived groups of both lines after a third deprivation. In the HAD-2 line, but not in the HAD-1 line, the duration of the ADE was prolonged into the second reinstatement day after the fourth deprivation. Conclusions: The expression of an ADE was observed only after repeated deprivation periods in the HAD lines. The duration of the ADE was prolonged in the HAD-2 line, but not in the HAD-1 line, with repeated deprivations, which suggests a dissociation between selection for alcohol preference and the effects of repeated deprivations on the duration of the ADE.
Construct Validity of the MCDI-I Receptive Vocabulary Scale Can Be Improved: Differential Item Functioning between Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Typically Developing Infants.

Purpose To evaluate whether the validity of the Receptive Vocabulary scale of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory for Infants (MCDI-I; L. Fenson et al., 1991), a parent-report measure of early vocabulary, could be improved for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) by removing items that are biased. Method Logistic regression was used to identify biased items. Items are considered biased if characteristics other than those being measured by the instrument change the probability that a person will get an item correct. Participants in the current study included 272 typically developing infants younger than 18 months of age and 209 toddlers with ASD older than 18 months of age. The age difference between the 2 groups is a result of matching on total size of the receptive vocabulary. Results Twenty-five items were identified as showing large bias. Conclusion Deletion of these items from the test should increase the degree to which the authors are measuring the size of the respondent’s men...
Molecular Cloning and Characterization of the Rat Ovarian 20α-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Gene

Abstract The rat 20α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (20α-HSD) is an enzyme responsible for the catabolism of progesterone to the inactive 20α-hydroxyprogesterone. We have previously shown that the expression of this enzyme is not regulated by post-translational modification, but at the level of transcription. In this study we have established that the 20α-HSD gene contains nine exons and have isolated a 2.5 kb promoter region. The transcription start site was identified and a TATA box was found. 5′ deletions of this promoter significantly decreased basal promoter activity. Treatment with forskolin led to a dose dependent inhibition of the 2.5kb-20α-HSD-luciferase construct. Computer analysis identified one CRE, two Nur77 response elements, two putative AP1 sites and one progesterone response element half-site. In summary, we have identified and partially characterized the promoter region of the rat ovarian 20α-HSD and demonstrated that the regulatory elements for 20α-HSD are present within a 2.5 kb 5′ flanking region of the gene.
Cerebral Hemorrhage in Recipients of Renal Transplantation

Objective The causes and circumstances of intracerebral hematoma after kidney transplantation have been poorly studied. No data are available on its impact on outcome after a successful renal grafting. Patients and Methods We used the Mayo Clinic medical diagnostic index to identify the patients with a diagnosis of intracerebral hematoma among the 1573 patients who received a renal transplant at the Mayo Clinic between 1966 and 1998. Results Ten intracranial hematomas occurred in 9 patients and were the cause of death in 6 (1 %) of the 530 patients known to have died. The interval from renal transplantation to intracranial hematoma ranged from 12 to 114 months (average, 57 months). All patients with intracranial hemorrhage had poorly controlled hypertension. Intracranial hematoma was more frequently and significantly associated with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (4/146 [2.7%]; P P Conclusion In this preliminary study, the risk of cerebral hemorrhage may have increased to-fold in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and 4-fold in patients with diabetes mellitus, when compared with the population of patients having other causes of renal failure. Most cerebral hemorrhages were catastrophic and fatal but appeared to be responsible for only 1 % of the deaths after renal transplantation.
Fiber-optic measurement of high temperatures with sub-millimeter spatial resolution

Two-band differential luminescence thermometry is enabled by a 760-μm long section of Yb3+, Er3+-codoped fiber in a fully integrated fiber-optic system. Temperature measurements up to 1100 °C with sensitivities of up to 1.4×10−3 K−1 are demonstrated.
Daily Variation in Concentration of Cortisol in Plasma in Intact and Hypophysectomized Gulf Killifish

A daily variation in concentration of cortisol in plasma is synchronized by a 12-hour daily photoperiod in intact as well as in hypophysectomized fish. The daily rhythm in concentration of the adrenal steroid does not depend on a daily rhythm in the concentration of pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone.
Improvement in oxidation resistance of the leading edge thermal protection for a space shuttle

To improve the oxidation resistance of a carbon-carbon composite, impregnations were performed using pitches, polyfurfuryl alcohols, and phenolic resins, including a silicon-doped phenolic resin. Oxidation resistance and strength increased for all of the composites as the impregnant-carbon residue increased. The properties of the composites impregnated with the nonsilicon-bearing resins were nearly identical and depended only on the amount of impregnant residue present. However, for equivalent residue concentrations, composites produced with the silicon-bearing resin gave higher strengths and at least 100% better oxidation resistance than was observed for the other composites or for a prototype control material.
Experiences with self-organizing, decentralized grids using the grid appliance

"Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime"--Lau Tzu. Large-scale grid computing projects such as TeraGrid and Open Science Grid provide researchers vast amounts of compute resources but with requirements that could limit access, delay results due to potentially long job queues, and involve environments and policies that might affect a user's work flow. In many scenarios and in particular with the advent of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) cloud computing, individual users and communities can benefit from less restrictive, dynamic systems that include a combination of local resources and on-demand resources provisioned by one or more IaaS provider. These types of scenarios benefit from flexibility in deploying resources, remote access, and environment configuration. In this paper, we address how small groups can dynamically create, join, and manage grid infrastructures with low administrative overhead. Our work distinguishes itself from other projects with similar objectives by enabling a combination of decentralized system organization and user access for job submission in addition to a web 2.0 interfaces for managing grid membership and automate certificate management. These components contribute to the design of the "Grid Appliance," an implementation of a wide area overlay network of virtual workstations (WOW), which has developed over the past six years into a mature system with several deployments and many users. In addition to an architectural description, this paper contains lessons learned during the development and deployment of "Grid Appliance" systems and a case study backed by quantitative analysis that verifies the utility of our approach.
Moral rights protection for the visual arts

Beginning in 1979, certain states extended extra copyright protection, known as “moral rights” protection, to visual artists. Moral rights protection, which was incorporated into U.S. copyright law in 1990, ensures that works cannot be altered in a manner that would negatively impact the reputation of the artist. Using difference-in-differences regression strategies, we compare artists and non-artists in states with moral rights laws to those in states without these laws, before and after the laws are enacted. This enables us to test the impact of the laws on the behavior of artists, consumers, and policy makers. Our analysis reveals that the average artist’s income falls by around $4000 per year as a result of moral rights legislation, but we find no impact of the laws on artists’ choices of residence or on state-level public spending on the arts.
Persuasion as a function of varying amounts of distraction

Ss in four conditions heard the same communication. No slides were shown in a nondistraction condition; irrelevant slides shown in one condition were intended to be moderately distracting, and those in the others to be strongly distracting. Significantly more persuasion occurred in the moderate distraction condition than in the nondistraction condition and in one strong distraction condition. Suspicion of persuasive intent was greater for nondistracted Ss.
Theological Higher Education in Cuba. Part 4: The Historical Roots and Milestones of the Eastern Cuba Baptist Theological Seminary

This article presents an overview of the Eastern Cuba Baptist Theological Seminary. The seminary was founded in the city of Santiago de Cuba, on October 10, 1949, by the Eastern Baptist Convention. The seminary exists to provide training for pastors in the Eastern Baptist Convention. The school offers a four-year program leading to a bachelor in theology degree. Economic resources are the primary need of the Eastern Cuba Baptist Theological Seminary. The seminary has been through many difficulties. Nevertheless, these days represent the best time in the seminary's history. This paper concludes the series about Christian Higher Education in Cuba with a summary of the research findings and recommendations.
Electrooptic diffraction modulation in Ti-diffused LiTaO(3).

The design and fabriction of electrooptic Bragg diffraction modulators in Ti-diffused LiTaO3 waveguides are reported. The modulators developed have demonstrated 98% deflection efficiency for visible and near-ir operation with extinction ratios of at least 250:1 for both deflected (m = 1) and nondeflected (m = 0) beams.
Corn Response to Nitrogen Fertilization in a Soil with High Residual Nitrogen

County, a major fruit- and vegetable-producing area. High N fertilizer rates (100 to 300 kg N ha 1 ) are applied High levels of residual NO3–N are present in the soils of the Arkanby onion growers to optimize yields without regard for sas River Valley in Colorado where alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), grains, fruits, and vegetable crops are produced. This study evaluated soil test NO3–N levels (Bartolo et al., 1995, 1997). the use of continuous corn (Zea mays L.) to reduce residual N levels Soil test results from the Colorado Arkansas Valley in a furrow-irrigated, silty clay soil. Fertilizer N needed to maintain area and Otero County indicate high levels of residual optimum corn yields following watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) soil NO3–N (Dr. Lorenz Sutherland, USDA-NRCS, LaMatsum. and Nakai], and its impacts on NO3–N leaching potential Junta, CO, personal communication, 1998). Producers were also evaluated. Treatments evaluated from 2000 through 2003 in the area often think that the soils are just inherently included two N sources (urea and Polyon) and six fertilizer N rates. high in available N and do not associate the high level Corn grain yields were not significantly increased by N fertilization of residual soil N with past and current N management the first year following watermelon but increased with increasing practices. Halvorson et al. (2002) found 355 kg NO3–N residual soil NO3–N levels the second year without additional N fertilha 1 in the 0- to 60-cm soil profile and 785 kg NO3–N ization and increased by N fertilization in the third and fourth years. Nitrogen source did not significantly affect corn grain yields, residual ha 1 in the 0- to 180-cm soil depth before planting onion soil NO3–N, or N fertilizer use efficiency (NFUE). Nitrogen use effi- near Rocky Ford, CO in a furrow-irrigated, moldboard ciency generally decreased with increasing level of available N. Aver- plow tillage production system. Most soils in this area age NFUE based on grain N removal over 4 yr was 55% at the lowest are generally well drained (no need for tile drainage fertilizer N rate and 30% at the highest N rate. Excluding the first system) but often have water tables within 4 m of the corn crop, grain yields and gross economic returns less N costs were soil surface. Because of high residual soil NO3–N levels, maximized with about 265 and 258 kg ha 1 of available N (soil plus high N fertilization amounts applied to shallow-rooted fertilizer N), respectively. Soil residual NO3–N levels declined follow- crops like onion, the short distance to water tables, and ing the second, third, and fourth corn crops. Reducing N application excess water application to control soil salinity, there is rates (based on credits for residual soil NO3–N and previous crop) a high NO3–N leaching potential in this area (Ceplecha
Lessons about nation-building and civil society

The concepts “nation-building” and “civil society” have extensive roots in positive social theory, but both have been reborn as important prescriptive concepts in the context of foreign aid. Even as a normative concept, the term “civil society” means quite different things, as at least four models can be distinguished in the foreign aid context. More to the point, today's normative notions of nation-building also vary, seemingly by the model of civil society that is being used. However it is construed, nation-building faces serious problems that are both external and internal to those efforts. Externally, there is a problem of scale, as globalisation tends to outflank nation-building; internally, the result of civil interactions do not always facilitate nation-building efforts.
Some neutral constituents of a natural tar originating from the LaBrea pits.

Abstract The neutral fraction of an investigated natural tar of marine origin (from the LaBrea Tar Pits) is composed essentially of hydrogenated polycyclic hydrocarbons but also contains some nitrogen and sulfur. Aromatic structures are absent.
Bi-directional transmission of 8x10Gb/s DPSK signals over 80km of SMF-28 Fiber using in-line semiconductor optical amplifier.

We report the bi-directional transmission of 8×10Gb/s signals using an in-line SOA over 80km SMF-28 with matching DCF for the first time. Our results suggest very promising applications for bi-directional transmission in metro and access networks with simple configuration and low cost.
Cost and survival outcomes assessment of gastric bypass surgery

undergone a bariatric procedure. When survival was compared beginning 1 year after the procedure, the adjusted hazard for death was 33% lower for the patients who underwent surgery than for those who did not (hazard rate [HR] 0.67; 95% CI 0.54–0.85). In summary, there is ample evidence demonstrating that bariatric surgery that produces sustained weight loss not only improves quality of life and corrects or prevents comorbidity, but also actually reduces the relative risk of death by 89%. The current data clearly indicate that the disease of morbid obesity responds well to bariatric surgery and that its treatment prolongs life.
Visual Mashup of Text and Media Search Results

There is a growing trend of enabling users to view diverse sources of data in an integrated manner, called visual mashups. This paper addresses the problem of how to visualize diverse data sources in a single integrated display when geographical meta-data is not available or advisable to use to combine the data sources. A visual mashup of web, image, video, news, blog and tagging search results is introduced. The presented solution makes it possible to visualize relationships between the different data sources, which would be difficult to show in a series of mini-displays arranged in a grid layout.
Triangulating System Requirements for Users With Severe Motor Disabilities

By giving a voice to users in the design process of information systems, they often feel more empowered and engaged. The inclusion of users with disabilities in the design process, however, can be markedly more difficult. User profiling allows a user's preferences and interests to be captured and represented. However, for a user with severe motor disabilities, information related to his or her user profile must be obtained through a variety of means. Because feedback from a person with a severe motor disability may be limited and, at times, unreliable, system requirements must be triangulated using multiple sources to help ensure that an accurate representation of the user's input is obtained. A process for triangulating system requirements is presented, which starts with identifying the user and people closely related to the user, then interviewing the user, recording interactions with the user, interviewing others, and finally confirming captured preferences through a questionnaire.
Utilization of splicing elements and polyadenylation signal elements in the coupling of polyadenylation and last-intron removal.

Polyadenylation (PA) is the process by which the 3′ ends of most mammalian mRNAs are formed. In nature, PA is highly coordinated, or coupled, with splicing. In mammalian systems, the most compelling mechanistic model for coupling arises from data supporting exon definition (2, 34, 37). We have examined the roles of individual functional components of splicing and PA signals in the coupling process by using an in vitro splicing and PA reaction with a synthetic pre-mRNA substrate containing an adenovirus splicing cassette and the simian virus 40 late PA signal. The effects of individually mutating splicing elements and PA elements in this substrate were determined. We found that mutation of the polypyrimidine tract and the 3′ splice site significantly reduced PA efficiency and that mutation of the AAUAAA and the downstream elements of the PA signal decreased splicing efficiency, suggesting that these elements are the most significant for the coupling of splicing and PA. Although mutation of the upstream elements (USEs) of the PA signal dramatically decreased PA, splicing was only modestly affected, suggesting that USEs modestly affect coupling. Mutation of the 5′ splice site in the presence of a viable polypyrimidine tract and the 3′ splice site had no effect on PA, suggesting no effect of this element on coupling. However, our data also suggest that a site for U1 snRNP binding (e.g., a 5′ splice site) within the last exon can negatively effect both PA and splicing; hence, a 5′ splice site-like sequence in this position appears to be a modulator of coupling. In addition, we show that the RNA-protein complex formed to define an exon may inhibit processing if the definition of an adjacent exon fails. This finding indicates a mechanism for monitoring the appropriate definition of exons and for allowing only pre-mRNAs with successfully defined exons to be processed.
Front Tracking for Shear Bands in an Antiplane Shear Model

In this paper we describe a numerical algorithm for the study of shear band, formation and growth in two-dimensional antiplane shear. The constitutive model uses a non-associative flow rule. The numerical scheme is based on a Godunov method for updating the velocity, while the stress is updated via integration along particle paths. The scheme is coupled with a front tracking algorithm for careful evolution of the shear bands. The main challenges are the non-hyperbolicity of the shear band formation and growth (front tracking avoids the catastrophic effects of the loss of hyperbolicity in the Godunov-type numerical scheme), the existence of endpoints for the shear band (the tracked front does not separate the computational domain into disconnected regions), and the non-hyperbolic rate of growth of the shear band. We give examples of the success of the algorithm and show convergence tests.
Decoding the Newest “Metropolitan Regionalism” in the USA: A Critical Overview

This article provides a critical overview of contemporary debates on metropolitan governance and region-wide cooperation in US city-regions. Many commentators have interpreted the recent proliferation of metropolitan reform experiments in US city-regions as evidence that a new “regional coalition” is being consolidated or as the expression of a singular, unified and internally coherent political agenda. In contrast to such assumptions, it is argued that contemporary metropolitan regionalist projects in the USA are extremely heterogeneous, both institutionally and politically, and are permeated by significant internal conflicts and contradictions. Contemporary metropolitan regionalist projects are interpreted here as place-specific political responses to the new forms of sociospatial polarization and uneven geographical development that have been crystallizing in US city-regions under conditions of postfordist urban restructuring and neoliberal (national and local) state retrenchment. From this perspective, the current explosion of debates on metropolitan cooperation represents not a movement towards a putative “new regionalism” but rather a “new politics of scale” in which local, state-level and federal institutions and actors, as well as local social movements, are struggling to adjust to diverse restructuring processes that are unsettling inherited patterns of territorial and scalar organization within major US city-regions. A concluding section suggests that such metropolitan rescaling projects are redefining the geographies of urban governance throughout the advanced capitalist world.  2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Acquiring ontological knowledge from query logs

We present a method for acquiring ontological knowledge using search query logs. We first use query logs to identify important contexts associated with terms belonging to a semantic category; we then use these contexts to harvest new words belonging to this category. Our evaluation on selected categories indicates that the method works very well to help harvesting terms, achieving 85% to 95% accuracy in categorizing newly acquired terms.
Pastoral politics in the northeast periphery in Uganda: AK-47 as change agent

Our aim in this article is to contribute to understanding the effects of firearms on the relationship between the state and pastoral communities in contemporary northeast Uganda. The Karamoja region has from early colonial times been a peripheral zone. Although successive post-colonial regimes have made episodic efforts to incorporate this zone more fully into Ugandan national space, relations between Karamoja and the centre remain distant and distrustful. The transformation of local modes of conflict by large-scale infusion of the AK-47 has had far-reaching effects both on relationships with the Ugandan state and its local representatives, and within Karamoja societies. The younger men who possess these weapons elude the authority of the elders, and entertain ambiguous relations with the state authorities, whom they may serve as auxiliaries or resist.
Coxibs were not cost-effective for arthritis pain in patients with average risk for ulcer complications.

Source Citation Spiegel BM, Targownik L, Dulai GS, Gralnek IM. The cost-effectiveness of cyclooxygenase-2 selective inhibitors in the management of chronic arthritis. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:795-8...
Probability Cuing of Target Location Facilitates Visual Search Implicitly in Normal Participants and Patients with Hemispatial Neglect

We explored how variability in the probability of target lo- cations affects visual search in normal individuals and in patients with hemispatial neglect, a deficit in attending to the contralesional side of space. Young and elderly normal participants responded faster when targets appeared in the more probable region than when targets ap- peared in the less probable region. Similarly, patients were sensitive to the distribution of targets, even in the neglected field. Although the at- tentional gradient that characterizes neglect was not eliminated, the response facilitation due to the probability distribution was propor- tionate to that of control participants and equal in magnitude across the neglected field. All participants exploited the uneven distribution of targets to enhance task performance without explicit instructions to do so or awareness of biases in their behavior. These results suggest that attentional orientation and sensitivity to external probabilities are possibly dissociable. An early sensory and a late motor mechanism are postulated as possibly being involved in the observed probability- matching behavior of participants.
Update on Treatments for Dystonia

Oral medication, botulinum toxin injections, and deep brain stimulation are the current mainstays of treatment for dystonia. In addition, physical and other supportive therapies may help prevent further complications (eg, contractures) and improve function. This review discusses evidence-based medical treatment of dystonia with an emphasis on recent advances in treatment. We will also review the current treatment approaches and suggest ways in which these therapies can be applied to individuals with dystonia.
Quarantine glasshouse pests in Poland and their control

The new Polish quarantine list has been operative since 1995. It consists of two parts: list A comprises organisms prohibited for import; list B consists of plants, plant products and harmful articles and organisms whose import is prohibited. Some of the pests in list A have occurred in Poland. Methods of controlling these species are presented in this paper.
Proteomic profiling of cerebrospinal fluid identifies biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterized by degeneration of motor neurons. We tested the hypothesis that proteomic analysis will identify protein biomarkers that provide insight into disease pathogenesis and are diagnostically useful. To identify ALS specific biomarkers, we compared the proteomic profile of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from ALS and control subjects using surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS). We identified 30 mass ion peaks with statistically significant (p < 0.01) differences between control and ALS subjects. Initial analysis with a rule-learning algorithm yielded biomarker panels with diagnostic predictive value as subsequently assessed using an independent set of coded test subjects. Three biomarkers were identified that are either decreased (transthyretin, cystatin C) or increased (carboxy-terminal fragment of neuroendocrine protein 7B2) in ALS CSF. We validated the SELDI-TOF-MS results for transthyretin and cystatin C by immunoblot and immunohistochemistry using commercially available antibodies. These findings identify a panel of CSF protein biomarkers for ALS.
Chemical and Biological Terrorism: Current Updates for Nurse Educators

Abstract Schools of nursing need to adapt curricula and continuing education programs to provide nursing students, as well as nurses who are currently employed, with the knowledge and skills required to respond to a chemical or biological terrorist attack. This article addresses eight topic areas suitable for a one-semester elective course offering or for incorporation into the existing curriculum as assessment and management lectures: surveillance systems; identification, communication, and response; chemical agents; biological agents; recognizing covert exposure in a population; patient decontamination and mass triage; the availability and safety of therapies; and immunization and prophylactic antibiotics.
Noise in GPS displacement measurements from Southern California and Southern Nevada

[1] Time series of position changes estimated from data from 236 continuously recording GPS receivers operating in Southern California and Southern Nevada are evaluated for noise models that characterize their temporal correlations. The lengths of the time series range between 3.5 and 10 years. After adjusting these data for postseismic deformation, offsets, and annual periodicities, I find that about one-half of the time series have temporal correlations that are categorized as either flicker or random-walk noise. The remaining time series can be best categorized as either a combination of flicker and random-walk; power law noise; first-order Gauss-Markov plus random-walk noise; or power law plus broadband, seasonal noise. A variety of geodetic monuments are used in Southern California and Nevada, including deeply braced designs, cement piers, pins drilled in outcrop, and buildings. When I evaluate the noise for each time series in terms of an estimate of the standard error in velocity, I find that the sites with the smallest errors are those located in Nevada using deeply braced monuments. Sites that are installed within regions of active pumping, both for groundwater and oil, had the largest standard errors in velocity. Comparison of monument stability, as measured by standard error in rate, with average, annual rainfall nearby indicates a marginally significant correlation. In addition, even though regional filtering removed much of the common-mode signals in these time series, there still remains a common-mode seasonal signal which can and should be removed.
Seed treatment and its implication for fungicide exposure assessment

Farmers may be exposed to fungicides through both personal application and use of treated seed. Most epidemiology studies rely on personal application to assess exposure. We explored the extent of potential exposure via use of treated seed using data from a large cohort of licensed pesticide applicators from Iowa and North Carolina. Potential secondary fungicide exposure due to treated seed was calculated by crop by multiplying the average percent of seed treated by those reporting raising that crop but not applying fungicide. This potential exposure was present for every crop with treated seed (corn, soybean, wheat, cotton, potato, and peanut), and was highest for corn (71%) and soybean farmers (19%). Potential secondary fungicide exposure was more common in Iowa than in North Carolina since most Iowa farmers plant corn and soybeans and few report applying fungicides. Owing to its widespread use on corn, potential secondary captan exposure may occur among the 90% of the individuals planting corn. The relative intensity of secondary fungicide exposure associated with planting treated seed is anticipated to be lower than actively applying fungicide. Limited data suggest that exposure during planting may be approximately 4% of actively applying fungicide; while seed transfer operations may have similar levels of exposure to personal application (80-200%). Measurement data are necessary to characterize the patterns of exposure related to the use of fungicide-treated seed and to determine whether this route of exposure is an important contributor to fungicide exposure among farmers.
Overview of Real-Time Java Computing

This paper presents a complete survey of recent techniques that are applied in the field of real-time Java computing. It focuses on the issues that are especially important for hard real-time applications, which include time predictable garbage collection, worst-case execution time analysis of Java programs, real-time Java threads scheduling and compiler techniques designed for real-time purpose. It also evaluates experimental frameworks that can be used for researching real-time Java. This overview is expected to help researchers understand the state-of-the-art and advance the research in real-time Java computing. Category: Embedded computing
Intrapartum maternal lumbosacral plexopathy

There are many conflicting theories regarding the mechanism and prognosis of acute foot drop during labor. We report seven women who had arrested labor and foot drop. Six had short stature and one had a large newborn. All had weakness of ankle dorsiflexion, eversion, and inversion, and sensory loss in the L-5 dermatome. Superficial peroneal sensory nerve action potentials (SNAPs) were small or absent in six patients, and the sural SNAP was attenuated in one. Peroneal compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude (recording from extensor digitorum brevis) was low in five, whereas the tibial CMAP was normal in all patients. Peroneal CMAP amplitude (recording from the tibialis anterior) was normal in three and small in three. Needle electromyography revealed decreased recruitment and fibrillation potentials in L-5-innervated muscles, mostly below the knee. We conclude that intrapartum foot drop occurs mostly in short women and is caused by lumbosacral trunk compression by the fetal head at the pelvic brim. The primary pathology is predominantly demyelination and recovery is complete in up to 5 months.
The mechanical behavior of multiphase nanocrystalline materials

Most commercial structural materials are multiphase and it is expected that multiphase nanocrystalline materials will also eventually be the materials of choice for applications. There has been limited research so far on the influence of second-phase particles in a nanostructured matrix. More studies have been carried out on nanoscale second phases in an amorphous matrix. This paper will review the examples from the literature of mechanical properties in nanocrystalline materials as influenced by second-phase particles. Work from the authors’ laboratory on nanoscale particles in nanocrystalline aluminum and iron will be emphasized. These particles include both “hard” and “soft” phases and exhibit a wide range of hardness behavior. Mechanisms for the observed effects will be suggested.
Case Report: Successful non-operative management of spontaneous splenic rupture in a patient with babesiosis

Background: Babesiosis is a zoonotic disease transmitted by the Ixodes tick species. Infection often results in subclinical manifestations; however, patients with this disease can become critically ill. Splenic rupture has been a previously reported complication of babesiosis, but treatment has always led to splenectomy. Asplenia places a patient at greater risk for overwhelming post-splenectomy infection from encapsulated bacteria, Lyme disease, Ehrlichia as well as Babesia microti. Therefore, avoiding splenectomy in these patients must be considered by the physician; particularly, if the patient is at risk for re-infection by living in an endemic area. Case Presentation: A 54 year-old male from the northeast United States presented with left upper quadrant abdominal pain associated with fever, chills, night sweats and nausea. A full evaluation revealed active infection with Babesia microti and multiple splenic lacerations. This patient was successfully treated with appropriate pharmacological therapy and non-operative observation for the splenic injury. Conclusion: Patients diagnosed with Babesia microti infection are becoming more common, especially in endemic areas. Although clinical manifestations are usually minimal, this infection can present with significant injuries leading to critical illness. We present the successful non-operative treatment of a patient with splenic rupture due to babesiosis infection.
In-situ FTIR study of atomic layer deposition (ALD) of copper metal films

Growth mechanisms of atomic layer deposition of copper films on various substrates using a novel metal precursor [Cu( s Bu-amd)]2 and molecular H2 are investigated by in-situ transmission Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The Cu-precursor reacts with SiO2 and Al2O3 surfaces by forming chemical bonds with the surface. Upon reduction by H2, Cu atoms agglomerate, yielding additional reactive sites for more Cu-precursors. Cu agglomeration is relatively weaker on nitrided Si surfaces. H-terminated Si surfaces show a minimal reaction with the Cu precursor. The growth rates of the Cu films on all these surfaces are all less than 1 A per cycle.
Cooperative self-assembly of cyanines on carboxymethylamylose and other anionic scaffolds as tools for fluorescence-based biochemical sensing*

We recently found that certain cyanines form tight complexes with carboxymethyl- amylose (CMA) in aqueous solutions and that in these complexes the cyanine exists as a strongly fluorescent and stable J-aggregate. Cyanine dyes are characterized by their ability to form J-aggregates showing very narrow absorption and fluorescence spectra relative to the monomer. Although they have found uses in sensing applications, the practicability has been limited in many cases due to the low quantum efficiencies for J-aggregate fluorescence. The CMA-cyanine complex is formed by a cooperative self-assembly in which both components undergo conformational changes during the association. The CMA exists as a random coil in solution prior to complex formation; helix formation is prevented due to repulsion of the charges on the carboxymethylated glucose units. The cyanine exists as a nonfluorescent monomer in the same solutions. A helical atomic force microscopy image and large induced circular dichroism (CD) spectra of the cyanine J-aggregate indicate that the self-assembly is a superhelix scaffold of CMA decorated with J-aggregates of the cyanine. Similar behavior was also observed with carboxymethylated cellulose (CMC). Enzymatic disruption of the helical structures (e.g., by the use of amylase to disrupt the structure of CMA helix) leads to the disappearance of the J-aggregate-associated fluorescence. The photophysical behavior and applications of this complex for sensing are discussed.
Eosinophils in glioblastoma biology

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor in adults. The development of this malignant glial lesion involves a multi-faceted process that results in a loss of genetic or epigenetic gene control, un-regulated cell growth, and immune tolerance. Of interest, atopic diseases are characterized by a lack of immune tolerance and are inversely associated with glioma risk. One cell type that is an established effector cell in the pathobiology of atopic disease is the eosinophil. In response to various stimuli, the eosinophil is able to produce cytotoxic granules, neuromediators, and pro-inflammatory cytokines as well as pro-fibrotic and angiogenic factors involved in pathogen clearance and tissue remodeling and repair. These various biological properties reveal that the eosinophil is a key immunoregulatory cell capable of influencing the activity of both innate and adaptive immune responses. Of central importance to this report is the observation that eosinophil migration to the brain occurs in response to traumatic brain injury and following certain immunotherapeutic treatments for GBM. Although eosinophils have been identified in various central nervous system pathologies, and are known to operate in wound/repair and tumorstatic models, the potential roles of eosinophils in GBM development and the tumor immunological response are only beginning to be recognized and are therefore the subject of the present review.
Vapor‐liquid equilibrium in ammonia complex systems

The vapor-liquid equilibrium in ammonia complex systems has been studied with a view toward design methods for separational and leaching processes. It is felt that the previously reported equilibrium constants for these systems are subject to considerable question with regard to the method used to measure the activity of the free ligand, or coordinating species. It is shown how this difficulty can be surmounted by the use of ammonia vapor pressure measurements and fugacities. A method of correlating complex equilibrium data from measurements of over-all metal concentration and free metal ion concentration is proposed. Vapor liquid equilibrium measurements have been made on the systems copper hydroxide, ammonia, water, nitrogen and nickel hydroxide, ammonia, water, nitrogen at 40° and 60°C. under 1 atm. total pressure with a continuously recirculating batch contactor. The correlation method is illustrated with the data of these measurements.
Evidence of Stimulus-Dependent Correlated Activity in the Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus of Decerebrate Gerbils

Davis, Kevin A. and Herbert F. Voigt. Evidence of stimulus-dependent correlated activity in the dorsal cochlear nucleus of decerebrate gerbils. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 229–247, 1997. Cross-correlation...
Data Mining: How Popular Is It?

Data Mining is a process used in the industry, to facilitate decision making. As the name implies, large volumes of data is mined or sifted, to find useful information for decision making. With the advent of E-business, Data Mining has become more important to practitioners. The purpose of this paper is to find out the importance of Data Mining by looking at the different application areas that have used data mining for decision making.
IFNγ protects neonatal neuronal precursor cells during measles virus infection of the brain (VIR1P.1007)

In the developing brain, self-renewing neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPC) differentiate into neurons or glia. NSPC survival and differentiation can be altered by neurotropic viruses and by the anti-viral immune response. We hypothesize that interferon-gamma (IFNγ), a pro-inflammatory cytokine required for non-cytolytic clearance of many neurotropic viruses, alters NSPC proliferation and cell fate in measles virus (MV)-infected neonates. Two transgenic mouse lines were used: CD46+ express human CD46, a receptor for MV, under the neuron-specific enolase promoter, thereby restricting MV infection to mature neurons; CD46+/IFNγ-KO lack IFNγ. In our model, NSPCs are not infected, allowing us to evaluate the impact of solely the immune response on NSPCs. Flow cytometry and western blot were used to quantify effects on cell number and IFNγ-mediated signaling, respectively. Mice were mock- or MV-infected on postnatal day 2 and sacrificed 3, 7, and 10 days post-infection. Whole brain isolates were double-labeled with BrdU and markers for NSPCs (nestin), early neuronal lineage (CD24), and glial lineage (GFAP, O4). CD24+ cells showed the greatest cell loss at 7 dpi in both genotypes. NSPCs were reduced in CD46+/IFNγ-KO mice at 3 and 7 dpi, but unaffected in CD46+ mice. Thus, IFNγ may protect against NSPC, but not neuronal, loss. Current experiments aim to address the cell fate of NSPCs exposed to the antiviral immune response and define mechanisms of NSPC loss in CD46+/IFNγ-KO neonates.
Prom week

Prom Week places players in a typical high-school, abuzz with excitement over the upcoming prom. Players indirectly sculpt the social landscape by having these hapless highschoolers engage in social exchanges with each other. The results of these social exchanges are many and varied---ranging from mild fluctuations in respect to characters professing their eternal love for one another---and are informed by over 5,000 sociocultural considerations encoded in first order logic. Through massaging the interpersonal relationships and learning the personal intricacies of the characters, the player can solve a series of social puzzles; such as making the class-nerd the Prom King, or bringing peace between feuding jocks and preppies.
Spatially resolved, in situ potential measurements through porous electrodes as applied to fuel cells.

We report the development and use of a microstructured electrode scaffold (MES) to make spatially resolved, in situ, electrolyte potential measurements through the thickness of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) electrode. This new approach uses a microfabricated apparatus to analyze the coupled transport and electrochemical phenomena in porous electrodes at the microscale. In this study, the MES allows the fuel cell to run under near-standard operating conditions, while providing electrolyte potential measurements at discrete distances through the electrode’s thickness. Here we use spatial distributions of electrolyte potential to evaluate the effects of Ohmic and mass transport resistances on the through-plane reaction distribution for various operating conditions. Additionally, we use the potential distributions to estimate the ionic conductivity of the electrode. Our results indicate the in situ conductivity is higher than typically estimated for PEFC electrodes based on bulk polymer electrolyte m...
Roughness-Induced Transient Growth on a Hypersonic Blunt Cone

The effects of surface roughness on boundary-layer disturbance growth and laminar-toturbulent transition are not well understood, especially in hypersonic boundary layers. The transient growth mechanism that produces algebraic growth of streamwise streaks via decaying streamwise vortices may play a key role in roughness-induced transition but has not previously been deliberately observed in hypersonic flow. To make such measurements, the present work studies the boundary layer of a 5° half-angle smooth cone paired with a slightly blunted nosetip and a ring of periodically-spaced discrete roughness elements. Measurements are made in the low-disturbance Texas A&M Mach 6 Quiet Tunnel. The roughness element height is approximately equal to the boundary-layer thickness, yet no transition to turbulence is observed for freestream unit Reynolds numbers between 8.7 × 10 6
Timing the onset of sulfate reduction over multiple subsurface acetate amendments by measurement and modeling of sulfur isotope fractionation.

Stable isotope fractionations of sulfur are reported for three consecutive years of acetate-enabled uranium bioremediation at the US Department of Energy’s Rifle Integrated Field Research Challenge (IFRC) site. The data show a previously undocumented decrease in the time between acetate addition and the onset of sulfate reducing conditions over subsequent amendments, from 20 days in the 2007 experiment to 4 days in the 2009 experiment. Increased sulfide concentrations were observed at the same time as δ34S of sulfate enrichment in the first year, but in subsequent years elevated sulfide was detected up to 15 days after increased δ34S of sulfate. A biogeochemical reactive transport model is developed which explicitly incorporates the stable isotopes of sulfur to simulate fractionation during the 2007 and 2008 amendments. A model based on an initially low, uniformly distributed population of sulfate reducing bacteria that grow and become spatially variable with time reproduces measured trends in solute conc...