cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Length of Prenatal Participation in WIC and Risk of Delivering a Small for Gestational Age Infant: Florida, 1996–2004

Objective To assess the association between length of prenatal participation in WIC and a marker of infant morbidity. By focusing on small for gestational age, we consider one of the possible pathways through which prenatal nutrition affects fetal growth. Design/Methods The study sample consists of 369,535 matched mother-infant pairs drawn from all singleton live births in Florida hospitals from 1996 to 2004. All subjects received WIC and Medicaid-funded prenatal services during pregnancy. We controlled for selection bias on observed variables using a generalized propensity scoring approach and performed separate analyses by gestational age category to control for simultaneity bias. Results Ten percent increase in the percent of time in WIC was associated with 2.5% decrease (95% CI: 2.1–3.0%) in the risk of a full-term an SGA infant. The risk was also significantly decreased for very preterm and late preterm infants (29–33 and 34–36 weeks gestation) but not for extremely preterm infants (23–28 weeks gestation). Conclusions The observed small negative dose response relationship between percent of pregnancy spent in WIC and fetal growth restriction implies that longer participation in the program confers a small measure of protection against delivering an SGA infant.
Consuming the “world”: reflexivity, aesthetics, and authenticity at Disney World’s EPCOT Center

The postmodern marketplace has been marked by the increasing popularity of the past and a contemporary quest for history that are celebrated through consumption. This trend points to the recurring motivational theme of escape from the perceived fragmentation, instability, and inauthenticity of postmodern life. This theme of escape subsequently leads to a search for an “authentic” world of the past. In the process of constructing this “authentic” past, producers of themed attractions, as well as scholars of tourism and consumer research, have begun to recognize the important role of aesthetics. However, much of our understanding about aesthetics and authenticity as they relate to each other, as well as the role their relationship plays in the consumption of themed attractions, remains unexplored. It is also true that there is a relative paucity of consumer research that examines the specific role of aesthetics as it impacts and shapes experiential forms of consumption. Through a reflexive account, the auth...
Seeding, evolutionary growth and reseeding: supporting the incremental development of design environments

We describe an approach to acquiring information during the creation and use of domain-oriented design environments. Our model consists of three phases: seeding, evolutionary growth, and reseeding. A seed for a domainoriented design environment is created through a participatory design process between environment developers and domain designers by incorporating domain-specific knowledge into a domain-independent architecture for design environments. Evolutionary growth takes place as domain designers use the seeded environment to undertake specific projects. Reseeding is a process that reinvolves the environment developers to help domain designers better organize, formalize, and generalize knowledge added during the use phases,
Quantifying Subjective Reactions to Wearing Protective Equipment

Subjective rating scales provide a way of quantifying individual perceptions of sensory and other stimuli making them useful to designers, manufacturers, marketing and safety personnel in product evaluation and certification. Quantification of subjective reactions to wearing protective equipment can lead to improvements in user satisfaction, increased equipment use, and a higher level of personal protection. Subjective responses may also determine the effectiveness of protective equipment since perceived discomfort often reduces usage levels. Unfortunately, development of methods for assessing clinical symptoms and subjective reactions in industrial settings has been slow. Useful to those embarking on such research would be a computerized presentation and data collection system which can also be administered in a paper/pencil format. Therefore, proposed is a rating scale system and procedure called Subjective State Change Measures (SSCM) which has been developed for overall quantification of subjective re...
SIMULTANEOUS PHOTOIONIZATION AND PHOTOEXCITATION OF HELIUM.

A general method is presented for calculating the $f$ values for all permitted dipole transitions involving simultaneous photoionization and photoexcitation of helium. The cross section for ions excited into the $n=2$ state is compared with experiment and with a similar calculation by Salpeter and Zaidi; their result, that the ejected electron is in a $p$ state is confirmed. The probability for the residual ${\mathrm{He}}^{+}$ ion to be excited to a state of principle quantum number $n$ is evaluated for $n=2\ensuremath{-}10$, and the probability for the photoelectron to be in a $p$ state is compared with the probability for it to be emitted in an $s$ state. It is found that the inclusion of contributions from simultaneous photoionization and photoexcitation, and from double ionization in the total helium photoionization cross section, improves the agreement between theory and the experimental data at high energies.
Foreign language learning differences: Affective or native language aptitude differences?

immersing an adult in a foreign language culture would force or motivate that individual to learn the language.' In the same audience sat a woman who admitted to having spent two years in each of three northern European countries with her husband, who had failed to learn any of the languages involved.2 Testimonials continued as conference participants relayed their various frustrating experiences with learning a foreign language. Why the topic of learning a FL was even discussed at a conference on dyslexia is an appropriate question. Its answer forms the springboard for our hypothesis here: namely, that students who experience difficulties learning a FL may have native language problems that impact upon their L2 learning as it is currently taught in schools. In this paper, we use the terms FL and L2 interchangeably to refer to the learning of an unfamiliar language. Dyslexia, a disability associated with reading and writing difficulties in individuals with average to superior intelligence (104; 120; 121), is one such native language disability. Learning disabilities (hereafter LD), defined in Public Law 94-142 (Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975) as ". . . a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written . .. ," is the generic term. For the past five years the authors, both LD specialists, have been studying the native and FL learning characteristics of high school and college s udents who are unable to fulfill FL requirements.3 In reviewing research on LD and dyslexia, we have found numerous references alluding to the difficulties these students have in FL classes. Many of these "at-risk learners" are diagnosed as LD only after college entry and only after failure in FL classes.4 Our recent explorations into the FL research literature indicate that FL educators, too, have been puzzled by the dilemma of why some persons learn a FL quickly and easily while others, given the same opportunities to learn, fail at the task. Among FL educators, these students commonly have been referred to as "underachievers."5 Aptitude and motivation for learning a FL have been issues of concern among FL educators in their search to understand indi-
Animated graphics and computer simulation

This paper discusses the role of animated graphics in computer simulation. Its focus is on low-cost software and hardware, in contrast to the expensive programs and equipment usually available commercially. We see that animated graphics can enhance model development as well as provide a better understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying the system under study.
Note---A Note on the Single-Machine Multi-Product Lot Scheduling Problem

This note develops a procedure for automatically generating feasible solutions for the single-machine multi-product lot scheduling problem.
Fire History of a Relict Oak Woodland in Northeast Texas

Empirical data generated from fire scars are a foundation for understanding fire regimes, designing land-management objectives, and addressing long-term land-use and climate-change effects. We derived precise dates of historic fires from fire-scar injuries occurring on trees growing in a relict post oak woodland in northeastern Texas. The fire-event chronology shows the last three centuries were marked with human influence, with an overall trend of decreasing fire occurrence through time. Thirty different fire events occurred between 1690 and 2007, of which 26 occurred prior to 1856. All fires occurred while trees were dormant. From 1690 to 1820, the mean fire interval was 6.7 yr. A 50-yr period without fire occurred in the latter 19th century (1855–1905) and coincided with the establishment of an oak cohort. A second extended period (80 yr) without fire characterized most of the 20th century. We hypothesize that the absence of fire during much of the last century has resulted in increased tree density and canopy closure, the establishment of fire-intolerant vines, shrubs, and trees, and likely the decline of fire-dependent plant species. Information describing long-term changes of fire regimes in oak woodlands in this region could aid in determining fire-management objectives with respect to prescribed fire implementation and community restoration.
Severe rhabdomyolysis following a viral illness: A case report and review of the literature

Rhabdomyolysis is a syndrome often associated with alcohol and drug abuse. It may also be seen following viral infections, but is a complication not often considered. We report a case of severe rhabdomyolysis following an influenza-like illness. Despite the extreme elevation of creatinine phosphokinase, 230,600 IU/L, this patient did not develop acute renal failure in contrast to most of the previously documented case reports of rhabdomyolysis associated with influenza virus. This case report illustrates the difficulty in predicting which patients are at risk for developing acute renal failure and emphasizes the need for aggressive treatment of any patient suspected of having rhabdomyolysis.
A microstructurally motivated description of the deformation of vertically aligned carbon nanotube structures

Vertically aligned carbon nanotube’s extreme compliance and mechanical energy absorption/dissipation capabilities are potentially promising aspects of their multi-functionality. Mathematical models have revealed that a hardening-softening-hardening material relation can capture the unique sequential, periodic buckling behavior displayed by vertically aligned carbon nanotubes under uniaxial compression. Yet the physical origins of these models remain unknown. We provide a microstructure-based motivation for such a phenomenological constitutive relation and use it to explore changes in structural response with nanotube volume fraction.
Time-Space Tradeoffs for Branching Programs

We obtain the first non-trivial time?space tradeoff lower bound for functions f:{0, 1}n?{0, 1} on general branching programs by exhibiting a Boolean function f that requires exponential size to be computed by any branching program of length (1+?)n, for some constant ?>0. We also give the first separation result between the syntactic and semantic read-k models (A. Borodin et al., Comput. Complexity3 (1993), 1?18) for k>1 by showing that polynomial-size semantic read-twice branching programs can compute functions that require exponential size on any semantic read-k branching program. We also show a time?space tradeoff result on the more general R-way branching program model (Borodin et al., 1993): for any k, we give a function that requires exponential size to be computed by length knq-way branching programs, for some q=q(k). This result gives a similar tradeoff for RAMs, and thus provides the first nontrivial time?space tradedoff for decision problems in this model.
Universal Fluctuations in Spectra of the Lattice Dirac Operator.

Recently, Kalkreuter obtained the complete Dirac spectrum for an SU(2) lattice gauge theory. We performed a statistical analysis of his data and found that the eigenvalue correlations can be described by the Gaussian symplectic ensemble. Long range fluctuations are strongly suppressed: The variance of a sequence of levels containing $n$ eigenvalues on average is given by $(1/2{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{2})(\mathrm{ln}n+\mathrm{const})$. Our findings are in agreement with the antiunitary symmetry of the lattice Dirac operator for ${N}_{c}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}2$ with staggered fermions. For ${N}_{c}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}3$ we predict that the eigenvalue correlations are given by the Gaussian unitary ensemble.
Early detection of myocardial infarction with magnetic resonance imaging in a canine model

Study objective: To determine the effectiveness of magnetic resonance imaging in detecting early myocardial infarction in vivo after coronary artery occlusion. Design: A prospective, controlled canine study using a left anterior descending coronary artery ligation model. Interventions: After thiopental anesthesia, nine mongrel dogs underwent cardiac-gated magnetic resonance imaging with a 2.35-T magnet with a 40-cm bore before and four hours after ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Measurements and main results: Hemodynamic and left ventricular blood flow changes were determined. The mean image intensity ratio of the suspected infarct region to the normal myocardium was determined in the four-hour postocclusion images and compared with the ratio from the same anatomic region obtained at baseline. The area of necrotic and ischemic myocardium was determined using fluorescein and triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining immediately after four-hour images. All animals were noted to have necrotic (range, 1.8% to 20.4% of ventricles) and ischemic (range, 9.2% to 36.6% of ventricles) myocardium with histochemical staining. The mean intensity ratio of infarcted myocardium four hours after left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion was significantly higher than baseline (four hours, 2.31 ± 0.82; baseline, 1.02 ± 0.09, P Conclusion: Magnetic resonance imaging can distinguish myocardial edema associated with acute infarcting myocardium in vivo as early as four hours after left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion. Magnetic resonance imaging may be clinically useful in identifying thrombolytic therapy candidates among acute myocardial infarction patients presenting with atypical symptoms.
JAK-STAT signaling activated by Abl oncogenes

The Abl oncoproteins v-Abl and BCR-Abl can activate member of the signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) family of signaling proteins. The mechanisms by which these oncoproteins activate STATs appear to differ. In cells transformed by v-Abl, Janus kinase (JAK) tyrosine kinases are constitutively activated. In these cells, the v-Abl oncoprotein and the JAK kinases physically associate. Mapping of the JAK interaction domain in v-Abl demonstrates that amino acids within the carboxyl terminal region of v-Abl bind JAKs through a direct interaction. A mutant of v-Abl lacking this region does not bind or activate JAK 1 in vivo, fails to activate STAT proteins, does not induce cellular proliferation, and is less efficient in cellular transformation. Kinase inactive mutants of JAK 1 inhibit the ability of v-Abl to activate STATs, to induce cytokine-independent proliferation, and to transform bone marrow cells. Interestingly, these effects correlate with defects in the activation of several pathways by v-Abl including Akt, PI3-kinase, STATs, and Ras. These data suggest that Jak kinases may play an important role in v-Abl induced transformation.
The magnitude of nonelectrolyte selectivity in the gallbladder epithelium

The permeability of the rabbit gallbladder epithelium to nonelectrolytes was determinted by radioactive tracer techniques and by a rapid osmotic procedure. As expected from empirical and theoretical considerations, there was a good agreement between the selectivity sequences obtained by the two methods for the sixteen compounds used in this study. Although the permeability coefficients are directly related to their bulk-phase partition coefficients, the gallbladder behaves as if the membranes controlling selectivatity are more hydrophilic than isobutanol. The relation between permeability coefficients and molecular weight also show that these membranes are less viscous than other single cell membranes. Small polar solutes exhibit lower apparent activiation energies for permeation than larger solutes, and this is taken as support for the view that small polar molecules permeate across this tissue via a polar pathway. Inutin and sucrose permeability coefficients are in the ratio of their free-solution diffusion coefficients, and the apparent surcose activation energy is indistinguishable from that reported for diffusion in aqueous solution. These latter observations may be explained by the presence of a few large “pores” in the epithelium.
Holomorphic solutions of singular functional differential equations

In a classical paper, F. Lettenmeyer [8] showed that a linear ordinary differential system with an irregular singular point at z = a,, may have several linearly independent solutions holomorphic at za , and estimated the number of such solutions. The Lettenmeyer theorem was extended to nonlinear systems by R. W. Bass [l], who effected a change of variables in order to apply Wintner’s fixed-point theorem for analytic mappings in a separable Hilbert space. Recent work of W. A. Harris, Jr., Y. Sibuya, and L. Weinberg [4, 61 has greatly simplified the proofs of the theorems of Lettenmeyer and Bass and has, in addition, yielded several theorems on systems of Briot-Bouquet type as corollaries. In a recent note [2], we developed analogues of some of these results for neutral functional differential systems (NFDS) of the form
Gastroenteritis in US Marines during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Background. Approximately 83,000 US Marines participated in the opening phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom in Spring 2003. A Navy Preventive Medicine laboratory was set up in Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, to provide clinical diagnostic support for Marine medical units during a period of repositioning in south-central Iraq. Methods. Specimen collection boxes were sent to >30 primary care medical stations handling 500-900 personnel each. The laboratory had capability to detect many different disease agents, especially those causing febrile illness. Diarrheal stool diagnostic evaluation included plating and biochemical identification, antigen serologic testing, fluorescent antibody antigen detection, disk diffusion antimicrobial susceptibility testing, enzyme immunoassay, and reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for norovirus (NV). Confirmation and sequencing work for NV was done at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (Ohio). Results. By far the most common reason for infectious disease sick call visits was gastrointestinal illness; no other symptoms had equivalent impact. An enteropathogen was detected in 57 (44%) of 129 stool samples, with NV detected in 30 stool samples (23%) obtained from 14 different battalion or similar-sized units; next in frequency were Shigella flexneri and Shigella sonnei, which were isolated from 26 stool samples (20%) obtained from 15 units. Sequencing the NV RNA polymerase gene demonstrated that NV strains represented 7 genetic clusters, including 2 strains from genogroup I and 5 from genogroup II. Ciprofloxacin was effective in vitro against most bacterial agents, but neither doxycyline (which was taken daily as the antimalarial prophylaxis dose) nor trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole were effective. Conclusions. Multiple strains of Shigella species and NV predominated, probably because they do not require a large inoculum to cause infection. Otherwise, personnel remained free of infectious illness during this phase of the conflict, because other infectious agents were rare or absent.
Spreading Characteristics and Thrust of Jets from Asymmetric Nozzles

The spreading characteristics of jets from several asymmetric nozzles are studied in comparison to those of an axisymmetric jet, over the Mach number (M(sub J)) range of 0.3 to 1.96. The effect of tabs in two cases, the axisymmetric nozzle fitted with four tabs and a rectangular nozzle fitted with two large tabs, is also included in the comparison. Compared to the axisymmetric jet, the asymmetric jets spread only slightly faster at subsonic conditions, while at supersonic conditions, when screech occurs, they spread much faster. Screech profoundly increases the spreading of all jets. The effect varies in the different stages of screech, and the corresponding unsteady flowfield characteristics are documented via phase-averaged measurement of the fluctuating total pressure. An organization and intensification of the azimuthal vortical structures under the screeching condition is believed to be responsible for the increased spreading. Curiously, the jet from a 'lobed mixer' nozzle spreads much less at supersonic conditions compared to all other cases. This is due to the absence of screech with this nozzle. Jet spreading for the two tab configurations, on the other hand, is significantly more than any of the no-tab cases. This is true in the subsonic regime, as well as in the supersonic regime in spite of the fact that screech is essentially eliminated by the tabs. The dynamics of the streamwise vortex pairs produced by the tabs cause the most efficient jet spreading thus far observed in the study.
A new species of Mosiera (Myrtaceae) from the Sierra de Nipe, Cuba

A new species, Mosiera nipensis (Myrtaceae), from the crest of the Sierra de Nipe, Cuba, is described and illustrated. This species is readily distinguished from all other species of Mosiera by two diagnostic characters: four-angled, slightly four-winged young twigs, and calyx lobes that are valvate in the bud. We suspect that this species grows on a serpentine substrate. It is known only from the holotype, a collection made in 1941. An assessment of its conservation status is urgently needed.
Calculation of the Quantum-Mechanical Tunneling in Bound Potentials

The quantum-mechanical tunneling is often important in low-energy reactions, which involve motion of light nuclei, occurring in condensed phase. The potential energy profile for such processes is typically represented as a double-well potential along the reaction coordinate. In a potential of this type defining reaction probabilities, rigorously formulated only for unbound potentials in terms of the scattering states with incoming/outgoing scattering boundary conditions, becomes ambiguous. Based on the analysis of a rectangular double-well potential, a modified expression for the reaction probabilities and rate constants suitable for arbitrary double- (or multiple-) well potentials is developed with the goal of quantifying tunneling. The proposed definition involves energy eigenstates of the bound potential and exact quantum-mechanical transmission probability through the barrier region of the corresponding scattering potential. Applications are given for several model systems, including proton transfer in a HO–H–CH3 model, and the differences between the quantum-mechanical and quasiclassical tunneling probabilities are examined.
A Cultural Perspective on the Structure and Implementation of Global Environmental Agreements.

This article introduces the concept of management frameworks as institutional cultures. Nations and organizations tend to favor one or another of a variety of decision-making styles composed of unique combinations of only three basic types known as hierarchies, markets, and collectives. The decision styles systematically constrain discourse and lead decision makers to frame problems in specific, sometimes incompatible ways. Such constraints affect the selection ofissues for attention, perceptions of urgency, recognition of other stakeholders as legitimate participants in decisions, and preferences for different instruments of policy implementation. The article explores the implications of these decision styles for climate decision making, especially in the context of polycentric management regimes. The article concludes that greater attention to nongovernmental institutional contacts across national boundaries may provide opportunities to conclude and implement global agreements for environmental management.
Drought Resistance and Wheat Breeding

ABSTRACT Schmidt, J.W., 1983. Drought resistance and wheat breeding. Agric. Water Manage. , 7: 181–194. The breeding of wheat ( Triticum species) for drought resistance has been indirect for the most part. The most direct approach has been identifying an appropriate crop maturity that maximizes growth and the accompanying yield component development. Beyond that, the improvement of response to drought has been rare. This is due, in great part, to the complexity of the problem and the lack of techniques and facilities that can be used to screen thousands of genotypes in practical plant breeding programs. Yield improvement is the prime goal in most wheat breeding programs. Unfortunately, many of the favourable plant responses to moisture stress leave negative effects on grain yield. An impressive number of research reports in the 1970's relating to the various aspects of drought resistance in wheat bodes well for directed selection for improved genotypic performance under moisture-stress conditions. Cooperative research between plant breeders and plant physiologist is the key to accomplishing this goal. This should begin with careful choices of parental and germplasm materials. Regional cultivar-yield-testing was initiated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and cooperating state experiment stations in the early 1930's. This program has been eminently successful in identifying cultivars that had the desired adaptation characteristics. This guideline for a successful testing program for advanced lines needs to be introduced early in the breeding program. Therefore, breeding procedures should include as much early generation multilocational testing and selection as feasible. This may include early generation bulks, F 2 - or F 3 -derived lines, and F 2 selection composites. High average-yield and stability of performance are still the best criteria for selection. The earlier in the breeding program that adaptive (high average) yield can be identified the better. Variability of selected phenotypes, within limits, may provide populational buffering in moisture-stress situations that are variable in their location, intensity, duration and seasonal appearance.
A simplified and accurate photovoltaic module parameters extraction approach using matlab

This paper presents a novel approach to extract accurately the photovoltaic (PV) module single-diode model five parameters I ph , I sat , A, R s , and R p . The parameters extraction method incorporated a new equation dP/dI=0 at the maximum power point replacing the typically used equation in the literature dI/dV=−1/R p . The new equation avoids the dependence on the value of R p , and it also does not require any complex calculation and tedious combination of other equations to extract the five parameters for a PV module. The PV module behavior at different temperature and irradiance is also forecasted.
Tracking bacterial growth in liquid media and a new bacterial life model.

By increasing viscosity of liquid media above 8.4 centipoise (cp) i.e. 0.084 g * cm(-1) * s(-1), individual growth and family formation of Escherichia coli was continuously observed in real-time for up to 6 h. The observations showed primarily unidirectional growth and reproduction of E. coli and suggested more than one reproduction in the observed portion of E. coli life span. A new bacterial life model is proposed: each bacterium has a stable cell polarity that ultimately transforms into two bacteria of different generations; the life cycle of a bacterium can contain more than one reproduction cycle; and the age of a bacterium should be defined by its experienced chronological time. This new bacterial life model differs from the dominant concepts of bacterial life but complies with all basic life principles based on direct observation of macroorganisms.
Normal- and reverse-phase HPLC separations of fluorescent (NBD) lipids

Abstract We have developed two high-performance liquid chromatography methods for separating a number of fluorescent 4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD) analogs of glycerolipids and sphingolipids. Samples of fluorescent lipid analogs containing NBD-aminocaproyl (C 6 -NBD) or NBD-aminododecanoyl (C 12 -NBD) acyl chains were synthesized and analyzed by the following HPLC methods. (i) An isocratic normal-phase method permitted resolution of a mixture of the 1,2-(palmitoyl, C 6 -NBD)-analogs of triacylglycerol, diacylglycerol, phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylcholine in less than 10 min, while a mixture of the (C 6 -NBD)-labeled analogs of ceramide, glucocerebroside, and sphingomyelin was separated in approximately 15 min. This method also detected various (C 6 -NBD)-phosphatidylcholine and -phosphatidylethanolamine molecules which differed only in their nonfluorescent acyl (oleoyl or palmitoyl) chains, and readily separated nonfluorescent dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine from both (C 6 -NBD)- and (C 12 -NBD)-phosphatidylcholine derivatives. (ii) An isocratic reverse-phase system permitted separation of isomers of fluorescent phosphatidylcholine, -ethanolamine, -glycerol, -inositol, -serine, and phosphatidic acid in which the NBD-fatty acid was present in either the sn -1 or sn -2 position of the glycerol backbone.
Spin and statistics of gravitational anyons

We determine the spin and statistics of a particle in 2 + 1 dimensions coupled to linearized gravity with a Chern-Simons term. The model and the results are compared to those of the corresponding abelian vector theory. The statistics emerge from the effective particle-particle interaction, while the spin is computed using the symmetric stress tensor of the system. We find that the spin-statistics relation is satisfied. In the gravitational case we show that while stress tensors are never gauge invariant, the Poincare generators are; in particular, despite subtleties peculiar to two spatial dimensions, there are no “superpotential” ambiguities in these generators.
Normal food at will and nil-by-mouth enteral feeding after major upper GI surgery did not differ for mortality or morbidity.

K Lassen Dr K Lassen, University Hospital Northern Norway, Tromso, Norway; lassen@unn.no Does allowing normal food at will increase morbidity compared with “nil-by-mouth” enteral tube feeding (ETF) after major upper gastrointestinal (GI) surgery? ### Design: randomised controlled trial (RCT). ### Allocation: concealed. ### Blinding: {unblinded}.* ### Follow-up period: 8 weeks. ### Setting: 5 referral centres in Norway. ### Patients: 453 patients (mean age 64 y, 59% men, based on 447 patients) who had major upper GI surgery. Exclusion criteria included severe extra-abdominal disease or trauma, life expectancy <3 months, or indications for parenteral nutrition. ### Interventions: normal food at will (n = 220) or ETF by needle-catheter jejunostomy (n = 227) after surgery. ETF consisted of nutrition, 20 ml/h on day 1, increasing by 20 ml/h/d (if tolerated) up …
Substrates for Coincidence Detection and Calcium Signaling for Induction of Synaptic Potentiation in the Neonatal Visual Cortex

Regulation of the efficacy of synaptic transmission by activity-dependent processes has been implicated in learning and memory as well as in developmental processes. We previously described transie...
Drug-induced "arousal" and the effectiveness of CS exposure in the reinstatement of memory.

Previous research has shown that the rapid retention loss in immature rats can be attenuated by various types of reminder episodes. Two experiments here examined the role of arousal in reinstating conditioned fear in young rats. The general paradigm consisted of Pavlovian fear conditioning at 21 days of age, a reinstatement treatment 1 week later, and a retention test at 35 days of age. In Experiment 1, exogenous ACTH in conjunction with fear cues, but not ACTH or cues alone, enhanced later retention. An ancillary experiment found no evidence for a similar reinstatement effect when either strychnine or amphetamine was employed. These results suggest that mimicking the training state during reinstatement may be more important than central nervous system arousal per se.
Consistent Large-Eddy Simulation of a Temporal Mixing Layer Laden with Evaporating Drops. Part 2; A Posteriori Modelling

Large-eddy simulation (LES) is conducted of a three-dimensional temporal mixing layer whose lower stream is initially laden with liquid drops which may evaporate during the simulation. The gas-phase equations are written in an Eulerian frame for two perfect gas species (carrier gas and vapour emanating from the drops), while the liquid-phase equations are written in a Lagrangian frame. The effect of drop evaporation on the gas phase is considered through mass, species, momentum and energy source terms. The drop evolution is modelled using physical drops, or using computational drops to represent the physical drops. Simulations are performed using various LES models previously assessed on a database obtained from direct numerical simulations (DNS). These LES models are for: (i) the subgrid-scale (SGS) fluxes and (ii) the filtered source terms (FSTs) based on computational drops. The LES, which are compared to filtered-and-coarsened (FC) DNS results at the coarser LES grid, are conducted with 64 times fewer grid points than the DNS, and up to 64 times fewer computational than physical drops. It is found that both constant-coefficient and dynamic Smagorinsky SGS-flux models, though numerically stable, are overly dissipative and damp generated small-resolved-scale (SRS) turbulent structures. Although the global growth and mixing predictions of LES using Smagorinsky models are in good agreement with the FC-DNS, the spatial distributions of the drops differ significantly. In contrast, the constant-coefficient scale-similarity model and the dynamic gradient model perform well in predicting most flow features, with the latter model having the advantage of not requiring a priori calibration of the model coefficient. The ability of the dynamic models to determine the model coefficient during LES is found to be essential since the constant-coefficient gradient model, although more accurate than the Smagorinsky model, is not consistently numerically stable despite using DNS-calibrated coefficients. With accurate SGS-flux models, namely scale-similarity and dynamic gradient, the FST model allows up to a 32-fold reduction in computational drops compared to the number of physical drops, without degradation of accuracy; a 64-fold reduction leads to a slight decrease in accuracy.
On m-accretive Schrödinger-type operators with singular potentials on Riemannian manifolds

Abstract We consider a Schrodinger-type differential expression H V = ∇ ∗ ∇ + V , where ∇ is a Hermitian connection on a Hermitian vector bundle E over a complete Riemannian manifold ( M , g ) with metric g and positive smooth measure d μ , and V is a locally integrable section of the bundle of endomorphisms of E . We give a sufficient condition for m -accretivity of a realization of H V in L 2 ( E ) .
SYNTHESIS OF 2,6-DIMETHYLANILINE-14C

(1969). SYNTHESIS OF 2,6-DIMETHYLANILINE-14C. Organic Preparations and Procedures: Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 165-170.
Physico-chemical properties of polyphenol oxidase from d'Anjou and Bartlett pears (Pyrus communis L.).

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and phenolics were studied in two pear cultivars, d'Anjou and Bartlett. PPO activity, total phenolics and chlorogenic acid concentration differed significantly with respect to cultivar. PPO activity, total phenolics and chlorogenic acid all decreased in overripe fruits. The pH optimum (d'Anjou, 4.7 and Bartlett, 5.5), and optimum temperature (d'Anjou 40C and Bartlett, 20C) for maximum PPO activity were determined. Among substrates, 4-methylcatechol followed by catechol and dopamine, was the most readily oxidized substrate of PPO from both pear cultivars. The enzyme from both cultivars did not show any activity with any of the monohydroxy substrates. K m of 13.33 and 10.92 mM were determined with 4-methylcatechol for d'Anjou and Bartlett pear PPO, respectively. Benzoic and cinnamic acid series compounds were poor inhibitors of PPO. However, L-cysteine, sodium metabisulfite, ascorbic acid and thiourea proved to be effective inhibitors of this enzyme. Heating at 65C for 30 min resulted in a loss of 60-72% of PPO activity.
Radiotherapy and bleomycin-containing chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced head and neck cancer: Report of six patients and review of the literature

Abstract In an effort to improve the complete remission rate achievable with bleomycin and cisplatin, administered prior to radiotherapy in previously untreated patients with unresectable epidermoid carcinoma of the head and neck, we initiated a pilot study employing simultaneous chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Six patients were treated with bleomycin (B) 15 mg i.m. t.i.w. 30–60 minutes prior to radiotherapy (RT) treatment with conventional fractionation, 180–200 rad/fx, 5 fx/week. During interruptions in B + RT for healing of mucocutaneous reactions, patients received cisplatin 40 mg/m 2 once weekly. Toxicity included severe mucositis within the radiation port in all patients, three episodes of infection, and significant myelosuppression in one patient. Transient mild serum creatinine elevation occurred in four patients. Three patients did not complete treatment because of severity of toxicity. Response was: primary—46 CR, 16 PR; regional nodes—15 CR, 45 PR. Review of the literature of concurrent bleomycin and radiotherapy trials in head and neck cancer indicates that other investigators have encountered severe toxicity using bleomycin dose and radiation fractionation schedules similar to ours. Toxicity may be reduced when lower doses of concurrent bleomycin and/or alternative radiation fractionation schedules are employed. Although results of uncontrolled trials suggest a possible therapeutic advantage to treatment with the combination compared to radiotherapy alone, this has not clearly been established in the four randomized trials reviewed.
Genome-wide high-resolution mapping and functional analysis of DNA methylation in arabidopsis.

Cytosine methylation is important for transposon silencing and epigenetic regulation of endogenous genes, although the extent to which this DNA modification functions to regulate the genome is still unknown. Here we report the first comprehensive DNA methylation map of an entire genome, at 35 base pair resolution, using the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana as a model. We find that pericentromeric heterochromatin, repetitive sequences, and regions producing small interfering RNAs are heavily methylated. Unexpectedly, over one-third of expressed genes contain methylation within transcribed regions, whereas only ∼5% of genes show methylation within promoter regions. Interestingly, genes methylated in transcribed regions are highly expressed and constitutively active, whereas promoter-methylated genes show a greater degree of tissue-specific expression. Whole-genome tiling-array transcriptional profiling of DNA methyltransferase null mutants identified hundreds of genes and intergenic noncoding RNAs with altered expression levels, many of which may be epigenetically controlled by DNA methylation.
Differential resistance among channel catfish strains and intraspecific hybrids to environmental nitrite

Abstract Fifteen strains and intraspecific hybrids of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus were exposed to 76–79 mg nitrite-N/L. After 48 h of exposure, a significant difference (P = 0.0092) was observed in the number of dead fish among groups. The existence of nitrite-resistant and nitrite-susceptible strains of channel catfish provides another management criterion for aquaculturists in localities where nitrite toxicosis is a problem, and perhaps provides a basis for the development of a more nitrite-resistant aquaculture stock.
Histological Evaluation of the Vascular System for the Severity of Atherosclerosis in Hyper and Hypotensive Male and Female Turkeys: Comparison Between Young and Aged Turkeys

Abstract Relationships among age, blood pressure, and atherosclerosis were studied in turkeys genetically selected for high and low systolic blood pressure ranging in age from 2 days to 104 weeks. Relationships between sex and atherosclerosis were studied only at 104 weeks of age. Abdominal aortas were examined in all birds in each age group. The left and right internal, external, and common carotid arteries, cranial and caudal thoracic aortas, area of coeliac orifice, sciatic junction, left and right sciatic arteries, left and right coronary arteries, and left and right deep branches of the coronary arteries were examined in the 104-week-old group. Mean abdominal aortic plaque scores for the different age groups increased linearly to the age of 12 weeks; after this time scores reached a plateau. Except for the first and last time period, the hypertensive group of males showed a significantly greater abdominal aortic plaque score than the hypotensive group. The right sciatic artery was the only other blood vessel in the 104-week-old group that had a significantly greater plaque score in the hypertensive line when compared with the hypotensive line. In the 104-week period, only the left and right sciatic arteries showed significantly higher plaque scores in the males than in the females. Also, only the male turkeys showed an increase in plaque scores with a concomitant rise in systolic pressure. In 104-week-old females there was no evidence of intimal change in either the left and right internal carotids, left and right common carotids, cranial thoracic aorta, or the right coronary artery. The hypertensive line had significantly greater blood pressure and greater ventricular weight, length, and sagittal width than the hypotensive line. The 104-week-old turkeys had more lipid staining material within the plaque than the younger birds, and calcification was evident in two of the older turkeys.
Renal carbonic anhydrase inhibition reduces high altitude sleep periodic breathing.

Abstract The efficacy of carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitors in amelioration of periodic breathing during sleep at high altitude is not fully understood. Although CA is present in anumber of tissues, we hypothesized that selective renal CA inhibition without physiologically important inhibition of other tissue CA, may be sufficient alone by its generation of a mild metabolic acidosis to stimulate ventilation and prevent periodic breathing. We studied benzolamide (3 mg/kg), a selective inhibitor of renal CA, in 4 climbers on ventilation and ventilatory responses at sea level and on arterial O 2 saturation (Sa O 2 %) and periodic breathing during sleep at altitude. At sea level, ventilation increased and Pa O 2 rose accompanied by a mild metabolic acidosis. The isocapnic hypoxic ventilatory response was unchanged but the hyperoxic hypercapnic ventilatory response rose 40%. At high altitude (4400 m), daytime Sa O 2 % improved from 81 to 85 and venous plasma HCO 3 fell from 18.9 to 14.8 mM. During sleep, mean Sa O 2 % rose from 76 to 80 and periodic breathing decreased 75%. We conclude that metabolic acidosis occurring with all CA inhibitors is one of the major stimulant actions of these drugs on ventilation while awake and during sleep at high altitude.
A Test of Etzioni's Control-Compliance Model in Israeli Kibbutzim

This empirical study uses Etzioni's control-compliance model to compare the level of personal and social alienation of members of two kibbutzim: 31 members of a kibbutz that employs a normative mod...
Statistical theories of functions and the problem of epidemic disease

Several decades ago, Christopher Boorse formulated an influential statistical theory of normative biological functions but it has often been claimed that his theory suffers from insuperable problems such as an inability to handle cases of epidemic and universal diseases. This paper develops a new statistical theory of normative functions that is capable of dealing with the notorious problem of epidemic and universal diseases. The theory is also more detailed than its predecessors and offers other important advantages over them. It is argued here that statistical theories of biological functions should not be so quickly dismissed.
Convergence rates and asymptotic standard errors for Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms for Bayesian probit regression

Consider a probit regression problem in which Y 1 ,..., Y n are independent Bernoulli random variables such that Pr(Y i = 1) = Φ(x i T β) where x i is a p-dimensional vector of known covariates that are associated with Y i , β is a p-dimensional vector of unknown regression coefficients and Φ(·) denotes the standard normal distribution function. We study Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms for exploring the intractable posterior density that results when the probit regression likelihood is combined with a flat prior on β. We prove that Albert and Chib's data augmentation algorithm and Liu and Wu's PX-DA algorithm both converge at a geometric rate, which ensures the existence of central limit theorems for ergodic averages under a second-moment condition. Although these two algorithms are essentially equivalent in terms of computational complexity, results of Hobert and Marchev imply that the PX-DA algorithm is theoretically more efficient in the sense that the asymptotic variance in the central limit theorem under the PX-DA algorithm is no larger than that under Albert and Chib's algorithm. We also construct minorization conditions that allow us to exploit regenerative simulation techniques for the consistent estimation of asymptotic variances. As an illustration, we apply our results to van Dyk and Meng's lupus data. This example demonstrates that huge gains in efficiency are possible by using the PX-DA algorithm instead of Albert and Chib's algorithm.
Lattice imperfections studied by use of lattice Green's functions.

This paper explores the use of lattice Green's functions for calculating the static structure of defects in lattices, in that the atoms of the lattice interact with their neighbors with an arbitrary nonlinear (short-range) potential. The method is hierarchical, in which Green's functions are calculated for the perfect lattice, for increasingly complicated defect lattices, and finally the nonlinear structure problem is iterated until a converged solution is found. For the case where the defect must be embedded within a very large linear system, and the slip plane, cleavage plane, nonlinear zone, etc., can be made small compared to the system size, Green's functions are a very powerful method for studying the physics of defects and their interactions. As an illustration of the method, we report numerical calculations for an interfacial crack emitting dislocations from an interface between two joined two-dimensional hexagonal lattices. The supercell size was 4{times}10{sup 6}, and the crack length was 101 lattice spacings. After the Green's functions were obtained for the defective lattice, the dislocation and crack structures were obtained in a minute or less, making possible detailed studies of the defects with various external loads, force laws, defect relative positions, etc., with negligible computer time. Withmore » practical supercomputer times, supercell and defect sizes one or two orders larger are feasible, thus making possible a realistic calculation of three-dimensional nucleation events on cracks, etc.« less