cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Explaining the use of online agricultural decision support tools with weather or climate information in the Midwestern United States.

Abstract Agricultural decision support tools (DSTs) with weather or climate information can provide useful information to help stakeholders make operational farming decisions and adapt to increasingly variable weather or climate in the context of climate change. However, many of these DSTs are still not fully utilized. Understanding the use of DSTs can help identify strategies to promote their usage to more end-users. This study surveyed farmers (n = 2,633) and advisors (n = 2,719) across 12 states in the Midwest to draw comparisons on their usage of DSTs and factors influencing the usage. The advisors are more likely to take advantage of free and publicly available sources than farmers. Advisors are also more likely to agree on the usefulness of DSTs, feel social pressure to use DSTs, be concerned and perceive risks from variable weather, believe in climate change, and show positive attitudes towards climate change adaptation than farmers. Concerns about weather or climate, descriptive social norms, greater farm size, and general propensity to adopt a new technology are positively associated with higher adoption rate of DSTs for both farmers and advisors. Higher level of perceived behavioral control to deal with weather-related risks, injunctive social norms, gender (male), and age are positively associated with higher adoption rate of DSTs for only advisors. Positive adaptation attitude towards climate change and higher education level are positively associated with higher adoption rate of DSTs for only farmers. Unlike advisors, age is negatively associated with higher adoption rate of DSTs for farmers. Implications of our findings include DST educators leveraging social networks and reinforcing social norms to promote usage among current non-users, building up both farmers' and advisors’ confidence and knowledge in using DSTs, understanding the role of advisors as “change agents” to promote DST usage among farmers, and connecting networks of “innovators” and “early adopters.” With more and more DSTs developed, future scholarship can draw upon our findings to understand how to encourage DSTs adoption among current non-users and extend to other regions.
Investigating the Associations of Everyday Discrimination and Inflammation in Latina Women: A Pilot Study:

Introduction:Discrimination is associated with negative health outcomes among Latinos. Research on the link between discrimination and inflammation in adults has focused on pro-inflammatory markers...
Unmet Expectations About Work at Age 62 and Depressive Symptoms.

OBJECTIVES Exiting the labor force earlier or later than planned is common, with predictable economic consequences. However, the mental health ramifications of such off-time events are not known but are important to promoting well-being in retirement. METHODS Using the Health and Retirement Study (1992-2016), we created six groups based on the alignment of expectations about full-time work at age 62 (reported at ages 51-61) with realized labor force status after reaching age 62 (N=10,421). Negative binomial models estimated the adjusted association between unmet expectations about work and depressive symptoms. RESULTS Unexpectedly not working was associated with higher depressive symptoms than working as expected after adjusting for sociodemographic, economic, and health factors at the time of expectations (IRR=1.35, 95% CI:1.17, 1.56). Additionally adjusting for health declines and marriage dissolution between expectations and age 62 partially attenuated the association, but unexpectedly not working remained significantly associated with a 1.16 increase in the incidence rate of depressive symptoms. Unexpectedly working at 62 was not associated with depressive symptoms. Race/ethnicity interacted with expectation alignment (F(15,42)=2.44, p=0.0118) in that Hispanic respondents experienced an increase in depressive symptoms when working after unmet and unsure expectations compared to met expectations, whereas white respondents did not. DISCUSSION Unlike working longer than expected, unexpectedly not working at 62 was associated with depressive symptoms, even after accounting for health declines. Public and employer policies should assist workers in remaining in the labor force as long as planned and offer mental health supports for unexpected work exits.
Revisiting a null hypothesis: exploring the parameters of oligometastasis treatment

Purpose In the treatment of patients with metastatic cancer, the current paradigm states that metastasis-directed therapy does not prolong life. This paradigm forms the basis of clinical trial null hypotheses, where trials are built to test the null hypothesis that patients garner no overall survival benefit from targeting metastatic lesions. However, with advancing imaging technology and increasingly precise techniques for targeting lesions, a much larger proportion of metastatic disease can be treated. As a result, the life-extending benefit of targeting metastatic disease is becoming increasingly clear. Methods and Materials In this work, we suggest shifting this qualitative null hypothesis and describe a mathematical model that can be used to frame a new, quantitative null. We begin with a very simple formulation of tumor growth, an exponential function, and illustrate how the same intervention (removing a given number of cells from the tumor) at different times affects survival. Additionally, we postulate where recent clinical trials fit into this parameter space and discuss the implications of clinical trial design in changing these quantitative parameters. Results Our model shows that although any amount of cell kill will extend survival, in many cases the extent is so small as to be unnoticeable in a clinical context or is outweighed by factors related to toxicity and treatment time. Conclusions Recasting the null in these quantitative terms will allow trialists to design trials specifically to increase understanding of the circumstances (patient selection, disease burden, tumor growth kinetics) that can lead to improved overall survival when targeting metastatic lesions, rather than whether targeting metastases extends survival for patients with (oligo-) metastatic disease.
IL-6 enhances CD4 cell motility by sustaining mitochondrial Ca2+ through the noncanonical STAT3 pathway.

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is known to regulate the CD4 T cell function by inducing gene expression of a number of cytokines through activation of Stat3 transcription factor. Here, we reveal that IL-6 strengthens the mechanics of CD4 T cells. The presence of IL-6 during activation of mouse and human CD4 T cells enhances their motility (random walk and exploratory spread), resulting in an increase in travel distance and higher velocity. This is an intrinsic effect of IL-6 on CD4 T-cell fitness that involves an increase in mitochondrial Ca2+. Although Stat3 transcriptional activity is dispensable for this process, IL-6 uses mitochondrial Stat3 to enhance mitochondrial Ca2+-mediated motility of CD4 T cells. Thus, through a noncanonical pathway, IL-6 can improve competitive fitness of CD4 T cells by facilitating cell motility. These results could lead to alternative therapeutic strategies for inflammatory diseases in which IL-6 plays a pathogenic role.
Studies on The Reproductive Biology of Gastropods: Part 1. The Systematic Distribution of Egg Retention in the Subclass Pulmonata (Gastropoda)

Summary Thus far, no pulmonate snail has been unequivocally demonstrated to be viviparous. Most pulmonate snail are oviparous, i.e. they release each egg immediately after its formation On the basis of several years of observations and literatute search, a list of known ovoviviparous pulmonates (here defined sensu lato, as those animals which retain their eggs instead of releasing them right away) is presented. Ovoviviparity is apparently rare compared with oviparity; it is absent from the entire freshwater order Basommatophora and from all families of slugs. Ovoviviparous reproduction is most common in such families as the Achatimdae, Subulinidae, as well as in several groups of the suborder Orthurethra. On the basis of this survey. it appears that while approximately one-half of the more than sixty families of stylommatophoran families contain at least one ovoviviparous species, the total number of species involved is small.
A temperature-programmed desorption study of olefin oligomerization in H-ZSM-5

Abstract We have used temperature-programmed desorption and thermogravimetric analysis (TPD-TGA), with gas chromatographic analysis of products, to examine the low-temperature reaction of ethene, propene, and 2-methyl-2-propanol in HZSM-5. Propene reacts rapidly inside the zeolite at 295 K to form large oligomer chains, while the zeolite must be heated to above 370 K for ethene oligomerization to occur. In both cases, reaction does not stop until a coverage of 7.8 g/100 g is reached on a zeolite with a SiO 2 Al 2 O 3 , ratio of 70. This is a substantial fraction of the zeolite pore volume, > 50% assuming that the density of the oligomers is similar to that of polypropylene, suggesting that reaction stops only when blocking prevents reactants from approaching the acid sites. In TPD carried out under vacuum, the oligomer chains from both ethene and propene are completely removed in two desorption features centered at 420 and 550 K. Analyses of the products from both ethene and propene show a similar mixture of olefin products ranging from C2 to C7, with no noticeable preference for monomer, dimer, or trimer products. Analysis of the butene isomers in the products indicates that the concentrations are close to that obtained for equilibrium mixtures. With 2-methyl-2-propanol, adsorption and dehydration occur at 295 K. On a zeolite sample with a SiO 2 Al 2 O 3 ratio of 70, concentrations of the olefin desorption products formed in TPD are essentially identical to those observed for propene and ethene, suggesting that they are due to the formation and cracking of oligomeric species very similar to that observed following olefin adsorption. On a zeolite with a SiO 2 Al 2 O 3 , ratio of 520, this oligomerization with 2-methyl-2-propanol can be minimized and methylpropene is a major product. These results are discussed in relation to previous studies of oligomerization and alcohol dehydration reactions.
A Note on Tax Shelters

This article describes the ongoing legislative and administrative efforts to curtail tax shelters. It concludes that these efforts, which rely largely on disclosure requirements and penalties, cannot succeed as long as taxpayers continue to win many of the litigated shelter cases. It also concludes that the recent proposal of the Joint Committee on Taxation, to codify the economic substance doctrine, is unlikely to solve the problem. Although the proposal would have the salutary effect of preventing courts from deciding that the economic substance doctrine does not exist, courts would remain free to conclude that the doctrine is not applicable in particular situations, or to find that the doctrine is satisfied in highly dubious circumstances. Narrowly tailored legislative responses to particular types of shelters are also not adequate as a solution to the overall shelter problem; since the legislative fixes are prospective only, taxpayers merely move on to new types of shelters not yet legislated against. Accordingly, the article suggests a new approach to the shelter problem, based on the general disallowance of noneconomic losses. This could be accomplished by either (1) the enactment of a Code provision flatly disallowing noneconomic losses, subject to an exception for noneconomic losses the deduction of which is clearly contemplated by Congress, or (2) a legislative grant of authority to the Treasury to promulgate regulations retroactively disallowing noneconomic losses, as necessary to prevent abuse.
Spinal cord injury induced arrest in estrous cycle of rats is ameliorated by S-nitrosoglutathione: novel therapeutic agent to treat amenorrhea.

Introduction Amenorrhea following spinal cord injury (SCI) has been well documented. There has been little research on the underlying molecular mechanisms and therapeutics.
Synthetic lipids and their role in defining macromolecular assemblies

Lipids have a variety of physiological roles, ranging from structural and biophysical contributions to membrane functions to signaling contributions in normal and abnormal physiology. This review highlights some of the contributions made by Robert Bittman to our understanding of lipid assemblies through the production of synthetic lipid analogs in the sterol, sphingolipid, and glycolipid classes. His contributions have included the development of a fluorescent cholesterol analog that shows strong functional analogies to cholesterol that has allowed live imaging of cholesterol distribution in living systems, to stereospecific synthetic approaches to both sphingolipid and glycolipid analogs crucial in defining the structure-activity relationships of lipid biological targets.
Knowledge spillovers and alliance formation

Our study examines the conditions under which firms enter into strategic alliances subsequent to knowledge spillovers. We propose that spillovers serve as signals of knowledge dependence and potential complementarity, encouraging alliance formation to enable better learning and limit appropriation. We posit that the likelihood of a knowledge alliance subsequent to a spillover is contingent on the specialization of each of the firms in the knowledge involved in the spillover. We also hypothesize that the effects of such specialization on knowledge alliance formation are moderated by technological ties and geographic distance between the dyad involved in the spillover. Our results demonstrate significance for the effects of specialization, supporting learning and appropriation motivations. Technological ties strengthen while geographic distance weakens the relationship between specialization and alliance formation.
Resources and Readings in Positive Psychology

This chapter presents a variety of resources for higher education professionals interested in applying appreciative education principles to their work.
Isolation, Characterization, and Genetic Analysis of Mutator Genes in Escherichia coli B and K-12

Twenty-one Mut mutants were obtained from Escherichia coli B (B/UV) and K-12 (JC355) after treatment with mutagens. These Mut strains are characterized by rates of mutation to streptomycin resistance and T-phase resistance which are significantly higher than the parental (Mut+) rates. Mutator genes in 12 strains have been mapped at three locations on the E. coli chromosome: one close to the leu locus; five close to the purA locus; and six close to cysC. In addition, eight mutator strains derived from E. coli B/UV are still unmapped. Some effort was made to deduce the mode of action of the mutator genes. These isolates have been examined for possible defects in deoxyribonucleic acid repair mechanisms (dark repair of ultraviolet damage, host-cell reactivation, recombination ability, repair of mitomycin C damage). By using transductional analysis, it was found that the ultraviolet sensitivity of NTG119 and its mutator property results from two separate but closely linked mutations. PurA+ transductants that receive mut from NTG119 or NTG35 are all more sensitive to mitomycin C than is the PurA recipient. Unless transduction selects for sensitivity, a probable interpretation is that defective repair of mitomycin C-induced damage is related to the mode of action of mut in these transductants and the donor. Abnormal purine synthesis may be involved in the mutability of some strains with cotransduction of the mutator properly and purA (100% cotransduction for NTG119). Three mutators are recombination-deficient and may have a defective step in recombination repair. One maps near three rec genes close to cysC.
Multi - jet physics at hadron colliders

Abstract We discuss four-jet and six-jet events at the SSC, LHC and Tevatron. First, the QCD backgrounds to non-standard physics are presented. Then we investigate multi-jet signals for hadronically-decaying color-octet pseudoscalars and color-sextet or octet fermions. Finally, the discovery potential of each collider is estimated.
Degradable alkoxide-crosslinked hydrogels

Degradable acrylate hydrogels have been synthesized by using hydrolytically unstable crosslinkers which break down with prolonged exposure to water. Chelated zirconium alkoxide compounds were used to crosslink poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels which degraded within days to weeks as the crosslinkers hydrolyze. Several types of crosslinkers were synthesized by varying the zirconium alkoxide and the number of crosslinking vinyl groups attached to the alkoxide cluster. UV spectroscopy and rheological measurements were used to follow the degradation of these gels. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Disciplinary differences and undergraduates' information-seeking behavior

This study applied the Biglan model of disciplinary differences to the information-seeking behavior patterns of 5,175 undergraduates responding to questions on the College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ). The Biglan model categorizes academic disciplines along three dimensions: (1) hard-soft, (2) pure-applied, and (3) life-nonlife systems. Using t-tests, this model proved to be valid for distinguishing differences in undergraduates' information-seeking behavior patterns among various academic disciplines. The results indicate that the Biglan model has implications for the redesign of academic library services and use as a valid theoretical framework for future library and information science research.
Dopamine mercapturate can augment dopaminergic neurodegeneration.

Pathological and biochemical studies have consistently associated endogenous catechol oxidation with dopaminergic neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD). Recently, it has been proposed that products of catechol oxidation, the catechol thioethers, may contribute to dopaminergic neurodegeneration. In other organ systems, thioether cytotoxicity is influenced profoundly by the mercapturic acid pathway. We have pursued the hypothesis that endogenous catechol thioethers produced in the mercapturic acid pathway contribute to dopaminergic neurodegeneration. Our results showed that the extent of in vitro metal-catalyzed oxidative damage by catechol thioethers varied with the structures of the parent catechol and thioether adduct. Catechol mercapturates uniquely produced more oxidative damage than their parent catechols. In dopaminergic cell cultures, dopamine induced apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner from 5 to 50 μM. The apoptotic effect of dopamine was greatly enhanced by subcytotoxic concentra...
Fabrication of grouped magnetic heads

A new magnetic transducer has been developed for use in the measurement of mechanical displacement. Experiments suggest that the transducer could be used for various purposes: for instance, readout information from magnetic drums or disks of computers, nondestructive readout from thin-film memories, magnetic pattern recognition, and an unconventional flux sensor. The transducer is composed of flux-sensitive magnetic heads which are fabricated from a sheet of ferromagnetic thin film by photoetching process. By using the etching process, a large number of heads are produced simultaneously, and the heads are operated in a group. The characteristics, performances, and an application of grouped magnetic heads are described in this paper.
Measurement of plasminogen activator activity from human fibrosarcoma cells by a new microassay.

Elevated levels of plasminogen activator (PA) activity have been correlated with neoplasia and may have an important role in tumor-cell invasion and metastasis. We have developed a new caseinolytlc assay that uses an immunochemical approach to measure the activity of PA elaborated by malignant tumor cells. The highly sensitive assay consists in incubating a source of PA (viable tumor cells, cell extracts, or conditioned medium) with purified plasminogen in micro titer plates pre-coated with a suitable protein substrate such as casein. Clearance of the immobilized protein substrate by PA-generated plasmin is then measured by a technique based on the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In experiments using uro-kinase as a source of PA, the assay displayed near linearity over several log units of urokinase activity and could detect is little as 10−2 Ploug units of PA activity. Besides successfully measuring PA activity produced by the human HT1080 fibro-sarcoma cell line, the assay permitted detection of significant plasminogen-independent proteolytic activity generated by intact tumor cells cultured in direct contact with immobilized protein substrates.
The Need to Understand the Dynamic Interaction Between Wellbore and Reservoir in Liquid Loaded Gas Wells

Liquid loading in gas wells is a phenomenon where the liquid content of the well is sufficient to create a back pressure (usually dominated by gravitational pressure changes) which restricts, and in some cases even stops, the flow of gas from the reservoir. Liquid loading is an all too common problem in mature gas fields around the world. It is estimated that in the U.S.A. alone, at least 90% of the producing gas wells are operating in liquid loading regime. The phenomenon is more detrimental in tight wells than in prolific wells and it poses a serious problem in subsea tie-backs, where back pressure effects through the risers and the flowlines may have an important role. Such is the importance of liquid loading; the oil and gas industry has devoted a lot of attention to the alleviation of the problem using various measures. However, the fundamental understanding of the associated phenomena is still surprisingly weak. This applies not only to the flows in the wells, but also to how these flows interact with those in the reservoir. It is this latter dynamic interaction that has received the least attention by the industry. Reliable predictive models to link the well dynamics with the intermittent response of a reservoir, that is typical of liquid loading in gas wells, remain unavailable. This paper introduces the complexity of liquid loading and critically reviews recent attempts to model liquid loading and the dynamic interactions between reservoir and wellbore. The paper then illustrates the need for a better understanding of the transient flow phenomena taking place in the near-wellbore region of the reservoir. This includes re-injection of the heavier phase, a phenomenon that has yet to be proven by fluid mechanics.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Contra damnationis filios: the Visconti in fourteenth-century papal diplomacy

This article seeks to reappraise the relationship between the Avignon papacy and the Visconti lords of Milan during the fourteenth century. Avignon popes generally viewed the Visconti as the major obstacle to papal temporal power in Italy and thus fashioned propaganda that demonised them. This mythic portrayal, that was re-framed by Florence to justify its own imperialistic ambitions in Tuscany, has been accepted uncritically by modern historiography. Documents from the Vatican archive reveal a more complicated diplomacy. Papal policy toward the Visconti was far from consistent, as the curia welcomed Visconti money and Avignonese popes regularly granted the Visconti papal vicariates. This article demonstrates that the papal-Visconti struggle was a key factor in the creation of the strategic alliance between Florence and the Visconti that made the War of Eight Saints possible and ended the Guelph alliance. This study further suggests that the political ambitions of Giangaleazzo Visconti were stoked in grea...
Gamma ray spectroscopy in astrophysics

Experimental and theoretical aspects of gamma ray spectroscopy in high energy astrophysics are discussed. Line spectra from solar, stellar, planetary, and cosmic gamma rays are examined as well as HEAO investigations, the prospects of a gamma ray observatory, and follow-on X-ray experiments in space.
Effect of Progesterone on Formation of Estrogen‐Induced Intranuclear Inclusions in Mammotrophs of the Mongolian Gerbil

Summary Progesterone caused a significant reduction in the number of estradiolinduced membranous intranuclear inclusions within the mammotrophs of the hypophysis as compared to controls. The same effect was caused by progesterone-estrogen as compared to estrogen alone. A type of inclusion was observed in which cisternae of rough ER was located in close proximity to the smooth ER of a typical membranous inclusion, and is considered to be an intermediate stage in the transformation of rough ER of cytoplasmic origin into smooth ER. Zusammenfassung Progesteroneinflus auf die Bildung von ostrogenbedingten Kerneinschlussen in den mammotropen Hypophysenzellen des mongolischen Gerbil Progesteron verursachte im Vergleich zu Kontrolltieren einen deutlichen Ruckgang der Anzahl ostrogenbedingter membranumsgebener Kerneinschlusse. Dasselbe bewirkte auch Progesteron-Ostrogen im Vergleich zu Ostrogen allein. Es wurde eine Einschlusart beobachtet, in welcher Zisternen des rauhen ER eng benachbart zum Einschluart wird als Zwischenstadium einer Transformation von rauhem ER zytoplasmatischer Herkunft in glattes ER gedeutet. Resume Effect de la progesterone sur la formation des inclusions intranucleaires induites par les oestrogenes dans les mammotrophes de la Gerbille de Mongolie La progesterone determine une reduction significative du nombre des inclusions membraneuses intranucleaires induites par l'oestradiol dans les mammotrophes de l'hypophyse, comme le montre la comparaison avec les temoins. Le meme effet est produit par l'association progesterone-oestrogene comme le montre la comparaison avec l'oestrogene seul. On a observy un type d'inclusion particulier dans lequel des citernes de ER granulaire se trouvaient a proximite immediate du ER lisse d'une inclusion membraneuse typique. On le considere comme un stade intermediaire dans la transformation de ER granulaire d'origine cytoplasmique en ER lisse. Resumen La influencia de progesterona en la formacion de inclusiones intranucleares inducidas por estrogenos en las celulas mamotropas de la hipofisis del jerbo mongylico En comparacion con animales de control, la aplicacion de progesterona causo una reduccion significative en el numero de las inclusiones intranucleares rodeadas por membranas, inducidas por estrogenos. El mismo resultado se obtuvo tambien con la combinacion progesterona - estrogeno en comparacion con estrogeno solo. Se observo un tipo de inclusion, en el cual cisternas de ER aspero se encontraron cerca del ER liso con inclusiones tipicas rodeadas por membranas. Este tipo de inclusion se considera como una fase intermedia de la transformacion del ER aspero de origen citoplasmatico, en ER liso.
Polymer-based electro-optic modulators: fabrication and performance

A wide bandwidth Mach-Zehnder modulator with on/off switching powers of 20 dBm, a bandwidth of up to 20 GHz, and insertion losses around 5 dB is presented which is based on HCC-1232 polymer. Attention is given to material properties of HCC-1232, the modulator design, and preliminary test results.
The Effect of Collision-Ionization Space-Charge on High Field Conduction in Solids

Calculations are presented for the high-field conduction characteristics of a simple dielectric model. The cathode is assumed to emit electrons following a Fowler-Nordheim law, and the anode blocks the emission of holes. The electrons are assumed to have a much greater mobility than the holes, and to be capable of causing collision ionization. The basic equations then permit computation of the steady state conduction characteristics. For sufficiently large current, the results show a region of negative resistance that depends significantly on the electrode geometry. Identification of the current-controlled instability with dielectric breakdown is beset with several severe difficulties. In the first place, significant collision ionization probably occurs in random bursts rather than in a steady, continuous manner. Secondly, the space charge associated with deep traps must contribute significantly to the field strength variation. A discussion is given of the way in which these complexities affect the problem in hand.
Simultaneous modulation of TRH and opioid receptor binding in rat spinal cord after chronic naloxone administration.

[3H]MeTRH binds to crude membranes prepared from the spinal cord with high affinity, K = 3.13 (± 0.29) × 108 L/M. After chronic treatment with naloxone (2 mg-kg/h), the density of spinal opioid (μ) receptors increased 100% at the same time as the following changes in MeTRH binding were observed: the affinity of [3H]MeTRH decreased 58% (K = 1.32 (± 0.17) × 108 L/M; p < 0.005), and binding capacity increased 71%, from 28 (± 4) × 10−12 M/L or 56 fmol/mg protein to 48 (± 9) × 10−12 M/L or 96 fmol/mg (p < 0.05). The relative potencies of TRH and MeTRH in competition for the binding of [3H]MeTRH changed from a high IC50 ratio of 10 in control rats to a low IC50 ratio of about 3 only after naloxone treatment. The results of this study show for the first time that the opiate antagonist-induced upregulation of opioid receptors is associated with modulation in binding of TRH receptors.
Evaluation of systemic acquired resistance inducers for control of Phytophthora capsici on squash

Abstract Phytophthora blight induced by Phytophthora capsici is a major constraint in vegetable production worldwide. Limited information is available regarding potential systemic acquired resistance (SAR) inducers that may provide protection of squash ( Cucurbita pepo ) plants against the disease and the direct effect of the products on the pathogen. In this study, the effect of DL-3-aminobutyric acid (BABA), 2,6-dichloroisonicotinic acid (INA), Saver (a.i. salicylic acid), Syrup (nutrient supplement), and acibenzolar- S -methyl (ASM) on mycelial growth, zoospore germination and sporangium production of P. capsici was evaluated. The products were tested in in vitro studies at concentrations ranging from 25 to 2000 μg ml −1 . Mycelial growth and zoospore germination were generally not significantly affected by BABA and ASM and sporangium production was not significantly affected by BABA. INA and Saver reduced mycelial growth and sporangium production significantly at 100 μg ml −1 or higher concentrations and zoospore germination at 500 and 1000 μg ml −1 . In greenhouse studies, all the products applied as a soil drench or foliar spray at 25 or 50 μg ml −1 significantly reduced disease severity on squash, compared with the pathogen-only control, and zoospores at a concentration of 10 3 spores ml −1 were used to inoculate the leaves. INA, BABA, and ASM also reduced disease significantly when zoospores at 10 3 spores ml −1 were used to inoculate the root. The results indicated that most of the SAR inducers did not inhibit the growth of the pathogen at concentrations generally recommended for use but had the potential to suppress the disease on squash significantly.
Efficient FORTRAN subprograms for the solution of elliptic partial differential equations (abstract)

The purpose of this paper is to describe technical note, NCAR TN/IA-109, which is intended to provide scientists with a package of computer programs which make use of current methods for solving elliptic partial differential equations. Computer models of geophysical processes often require the numerical solution of elliptic partial differential equations. This is particularly true for models which make use of stream functions, velocity potentials, or vorticity equations, or in which the pressure of an incompressible fluid is computed. The numerical solution of elliptic equations can be a formidable programming task. Also, the equations are often time-dependent, requiring repeated solutions and, hence, considerable computing resources. Efficient, reliable, and well-documented computer subroutines for solving such equations are needed. With recent advances in computing methods, it became apparent to the authors that a very large class of elliptic equations (separable) could be solved rapidly and with minimal storage. Of particular importance was the fact that, as a result of work on singular problems, this class was free of special cases for which solutions could not be obtained numerically.
Transformed BHK cells exhibiting normal or subnormal sugar uptake.

The uptake of deoxyglucose was compared in BHK cells and in DMN4B cells, a conditionally transformed line of BHK cells which exhibits transformed behavior at 38.5° but not at 32°. At 32°, DMN4B cells took up deoxyglucose more slowly than BHK cells, reflecting a higher Km for uptake of this sugar. When both cell lines were grown at 38.5°, the Km for DMN4B cells was reduced to a level only slightly greater than for BHK cells, and deoxyglucose uptake became similar in the two cell lines. Growth in glucose-free medium for 22 hours stimulated deoxyglucose uptake in both BHK and DMN4B cells; under these conditions, uptake was equal in the two cells lines, both at 32° and 38.5°. Glycolysis, as measured by lactic acid production, was slower in DMN4B than BHK cells, but in contrast to deoxyglucose uptake, this difference was observed at 38.5° rather than 32°. The observation that the subnormal deoxyglucose uptake of DMN4B cells in the untransformed state (32°) can be normalized by growth at 38.5°, a temperature permissive for transformation, suggests that membrane changes facilitating sugar uptake, which have been found in other transformed cells, are associated with transformation in DMN4B cells as well. However, the failure of uptake to exceed normal in these cells indicates that their transformed behavior is not attributable to excessive sugar uptake per se.
The significance of chemical markers in the bioprocessing of fossil fuels

Abstract Biochemical conversion of crude oils is a multi-step process proceeding through a series of biochemical reactions. These reactions can be characterized by a set of chemical markers which are associated with the chemical composition of crude oils. Reactions with heavy crude oils indicate that there is an overall decrease in the concentration and chemical speciation of organic sulfur compounds, and a redistribution of hydrocarbons and organometallic species. The contents of trace metals in the crude oils, such as nickel and vanadium, also decrease. Further, heavy ends of crudes, containing the asphaltenes and the polar nitrogen, sulfur, and oxygen containing fractions, as well as the organometallic compounds and complexes, are biochemically converted to lower molecular weight chemical species. In the studies reported in this paper, microorganisms used to mediate such reactions were thermophilic (> 60°C) and pressure tolerant (up to 2500 psi). These organisms are also capable of biochemical conversion of bituminous and lignite coals in an analogous manner to their action on crude oils and follow similar trends characterized by chemical markers. For example, X-ray absorption near-edge structural (XANES) analyses of biotreated crude oils and low grade coals show that biochemical reactions lead to decreases in organic sulfides and thiophenes with a concurrent increase in sulfoxide contents. Chemically related constituents present in heavy crude oil fractions and low grade coals are the asphaltenes. Asphaltenes are complex structures containing heteroatoms and metals involved in inter- and intra-molecular bridges and stereochemical configurations. The chemical markers associated with the biochemical conversion of oils and coals indicate multiple biochemical processes involving chemical reactions at sites containing heteroatoms and metals leading to a breakdown of the structure(s) to smaller molecular weight units. Thus, using chemical markers as diagnostic tools, the extent and the efficiency of fossil fuel bioconversion may be predicted and monitored, allowing for better cost-efficient field trials. Recent results in this area will be presented and discussed in this paper.
Coke chemistry under vacuum gasoil/bio-oil FCC co-processing conditions

Abstract This study presents an in depth investigation of the coke chemistry occurring in FCC and USY catalysts during co-processing of fossil feeds (VGO type) blended with various types of upgraded bio-oils produced by fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic bio-mass. It includes a brief survey of previous studies devoted to the effect of co-processing on FCC products yield and quality. A combination of two main processes is proposed to account for the marked increase in coke formation in the presence of oxygenated molecules in the reacting feed: (i) the conventional cracking route for the VGO fossil hydrocarbons leading to essentially graphitic coke deposited preferentially in the USY zeolite micropores, and (ii) the conversion of lignin fragments into hydrocarbons, residual light oxygenates (essentially phenolic type) and finally “bio-coke” which accumulates in mesopores as less structured coke as compared to the harder coke issued from hydrocarbons condensation. These two routes which are monitored by the catalysts structure, texture and acidity are strongly interacting via hydrogen transfer between light hydrocarbons and phenolic type fragments. A tentative mechanistic scheme is proposed.
Lunar atmosphere plasma and fields

Abstract The lunar atmosphere, ionosphere, plasma, and fields form a complex, interactive system with the surface and interior. The Moon is exposed to solar wind plasma and electric and magnetic fields, as well as the Earth's magnetotail where it may encounter rapidly moving plasmoids. The lunar atmosphere is intimately coupled to the lunar surface and interior. Sources of the lunar atmosphere include venting of the interior (e.g. Ar 40 ) as well as lunar surface elements released into the atmosphere by solar wind and magnetospheric sputtering and by micrometeorites. In addition to the solar wind electric fields exist at the lunar surface due to a balance between local charging mechanisms. For the Moon in the solar wind, resulting electric potentials are expected to range from +5 to +10 volts on the dayside to −10's to −100's of volts on the nightside. Ions formed in the atmosphere or at the surface are accelerated by the surface electric fields and solar wind electric and magnetic fields. We show that the result is a strong flux of atmospheric and sputtered ions that readily can be detected by an ion spectrometer in lunar orbit or on the surface, giving comprehensive information about the atmospheric and surface composition.
Use of water spray curtain to disperse LNG vapor clouds

Abstract Effective safety measures to prevent and mitigate the consequences of an accidental release of flammable LNG are critical. Water spray curtain is currently recognized as an effective technique to control and mitigate various hazards in the industries. It has been used to absorb, dilute and disperse both toxic and flammable vapor cloud. It is also used as protection against heat radiation, in case of fighting vapor cloud fire. Water curtain has also been considered as one of the most economic and promising LNG vapor cloud control techniques. Water curtains are expected to enhance LNG vapor cloud dispersion mainly through mechanical effects, dilution, and thermal effects. The actual phenomena involved in LNG vapor and water curtain interaction were not clearly established from previous research. LNG spill experiments have been performed at the Brayton Fire Training Field at Texas A&M University (TAMU) to understand the effect of water curtain in controlling and dispersing LNG vapor cloud. This paper summarizes experimental methodology and presents data from two water curtain tests. The analysis of the test results are also presented to identify the effectiveness of these two types of water spray curtains in enhancing the LNG vapor cloud dispersion.
Incubation and retrograde amnesia studied with various ECS intensities and durations

Abstract The effects of electroconvulsive shock (ECS) intensity (5, 20, or 80 ma) and duration (100, 400, or 1600 msec) on the gradient (from 10–1000 sec) of retrograde amnesia (RA) were studied in a one-trial passive avoidance task with mice. The consolidation curve (i.e. the RA gradient) was compared to the incubation curve determined by retesting mice at times when ECS would have been given. A clear dissociation between the two curves was found, suggesting that there are RA processes which do not depend on incubation. Increases in both ECS intensity and duration from low to intermediate values, but not from intermediate to high values, produced increased RA. Increases in ECS duration were most effective only at the low ECS intensity.
Redox signaling in colonial hydroids: many pathways for peroxide

SUMMARY Studies of mitochondrial redox signaling predict that the colonial hydroids Eirene viridula and Podocoryna carnea should respond to manipulations of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Both species encrust surfaces with feeding polyps connected by networks of stolons; P. carnea is more `sheet-like9 with closely spaced polyps and short stolons, while E. viridula is more `runner-like9 with widely spaced polyps and long stolons. Treatment with the chemical antioxidant vitamin C diminishes ROS in mitochondrion-rich epitheliomuscular cells (EMCs) and produces phenotypic effects (sheet-like growth) similar to uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation. In peripheral stolon tips, treatment with vitamin C triggers a dramatic increase of ROS that is followed by tissue death and stolon regression. The enzymatic anti-oxidant catalase is probably not taken up by the colony but, rather, converts hydrogen peroxide in the medium to water and oxygen. Exogenous catalase does not affect ROS in mitochondrion-rich EMCs, but does increase the amounts of ROS emitted from peripheral stolons, resulting in rapid, runner-like growth. Treatment with exogenous hydrogen peroxide increases ROS levels in stolon tips and results in somewhat faster colony growth. Finally, untreated colonies of E. viridula exhibit higher levels of ROS in stolon tips than untreated colonies of P. carnea. ROS may participate in a number of putative signaling pathways: (1) high levels of ROS may trigger cell and tissue death in peripheral stolon tips; (2) more moderate levels of ROS in stolon tips may trigger outward growth, inhibit branching and, possibly, mediate the redox signaling of mitochondrion-rich EMCs; and (3) ROS may have an extra-colony function, perhaps in suppressing the growth of bacteria.
Three-dimensional image analysis and display by space-scale matching of cross sections

We present a framework and a set of techniques for the analysis and display of three-dimensional experimental data or images. We assume that the data are available in the form of two-dimensional cross sections of the three-dimensional data set. We describe our approach, which has for goals to extract significant information from the three-dimensional data set and to display this information as objects that can be manipulated in three-dimensional space. The high-contrast transitions of two-dimensional cross sections are extracted first; they define a set of contours to be matched from cross section to cross section. This matching is performed by space-scale analysis of the orientation of contours on adjacent cross sections. By modeling the contours as B splines, we then make use of three-dimensional B-spline patches to generate significant surfaces that can be displayed, rendered, and rotated with standard computer graphics techniques and specialized processors.
Structural relations between DSM-5 PTSD and major depression symptoms in military soldiers.

Abstract Background Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) are frequently comorbid. One explanation for this comorbidity is that PTSD has a constellation of “dysphoria” symptoms resembling depression. Method Using confirmatory factor analysis we tested the role of DSM-5 PTSD׳s dysphoria factor in relation to MDD symptom dimensions of somatic and non-somatic psychopathology. 672 Ohio National Guard soldiers completed DSM-5 measures of PTSD and MDD symptoms in an epidemiological study. Results Results indicated that in contrast to other PTSD factors, PTSD׳s dysphoria factor was more related to MDD׳s somatic and non-somatic factors. Limitations Limitations include generalizability to the epidemiological population of trauma-exposed military veterans rather than civilians, and reliance on self-report measures. Conclusions Implications concerning clinical psychopathology and comorbidity of PTSD are discussed, including whether PTSD should be refined by removing its non-specific symptoms.
269 HYPEROXIA ALTERS ENDOTHELIAL CELL PROLIFERATION

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is characterized by an early vaso-obliterative stage which can be seen experimentally during periods of hyperoxia and a later stage of neovascularization which follows the period of high oxygen exposure. Because endothelial cell proliferation is an important step in neovascularization, we have examined the effects of varying oxygen tensions on endothelial cell proliferation in vitro. Fetal bovine aortic endothelial cells (FBAE) were plated at a density of 40,000 cells/35mm culture dish and maintained in 20% O2/75% N2/5% CO2 at 37°C. After 48 hours, FBAE were exposed to 95% O2/5% CO2 (hyperoxia) or 20% O2/75% N2/5% CO2 (control) at 37°C for 48 hours. Following oxygen exposure, all cells were placed in 20% O2/75% N2/5% CO2 at 37°C and followed for 7 days. pH and PCO2 of the media were maintained at 7.4 and 30-37 torr respectively. Cell counts were performed daily (Coulter Counter). In cells exposed to 48 hours of hyperoxia, FBAE growth ceased (100% inhibition) while control cells continued to proliferate. When oxygen-exposed FBAE were returned to a normoxic environment, they again proliferated, with growth rates now approximating that of control cells. During limited periods of hyperoxia, FBAE growth is arrested. In a normoxic environment, O2-exposed FBAE again proliferate. Direct effects of hyperoxia on vascular endothelial cell proliferation may play a role in the vascular changes of ROP.
The extracellular protein VlsE is destabilized inside cells.

Abstract We use U2OS cells as in vivo “test tubes” to study how the same cytoplasmic environment has opposite effects on the stability of two different proteins. Protein folding stability and kinetics were compared by fast relaxation imaging, which combines a temperature jump with fluorescence microscopy of FRET (Forster resonance energy transfer)-labeled proteins. While the stability of the cytoplasmic enzyme PGK (phosphoglycerate kinase) increases in cells, the stability of the cell surface antigen VlsE, which presumably did not evolve for stability inside cells, decreases. VlsE folding also slows down more than PGK folding in cells, relative to their respective aqueous buffer kinetics. Our FRET measurements provide evidence that VlsE is more compact inside cells than in aqueous buffer. Two kinetically distinct protein populations exist inside cells, making a connection with previous in vitro crowding studies. In addition, we confirm previous studies showing that VlsE is stabilized by 150 mg/mL of the carbohydrate crowder Ficoll, even though it is destabilized in the cytoplasm relative to aqueous buffer. We propose two mechanisms for the observed destabilization of VlsE in U2OS cells: long-range interactions competing with crowding or shape-dependent crowding favoring more compact states inside the cell over the elongated aqueous buffer native state.