cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of environmental conditions on extracellular and intracellular antibiotic resistance genes in manure-amended soil: A microcosm study

Extracellular and intracellular antibiotic resistance genes (eARGs and iARGs) possess significant differences with respect to their mobility and availability to bacteria, thus it is important to understand their partitioning, persistence, and fate in the environment. The objectives of this study were to: (i) modify the protocol of a commercial DNA extraction kit to sequentially extract extracellular and intracellular DNA (eDNA and iDNA) from the same soil sample; and (ii) determine the effect of temperature (5, 20, and 35C), water holding capacity (25, 50, and 75% of WHCmax), and freeze-thaw (-20/20C) on the abundance of two ARGs [sul1 and tet(M)], class 1 integron-integrase gene (intI1), and 16S rRNA gene in soils treated with dairy manure. To assess the efficiency of the eDNA/iDNA method, we performed spiking and recovery experiments with a gene that codes for a green fluorescent protein (gfp). When soils were spiked with a whole-cell preparation of gfp-containing E. coli, the recovery of the gfp gene was on average 0.2% and 1.2% for eDNA and iDNA, respectively. Soils were also spiked with the gfp gene itself, which showed that nearly 80% of the DNA could not be recovered. Results from the microcosm experiments indicate that extracellular and intracellular sul1, tet(X), intI1, and 16S rRNA genes are resilient and not readily affected by temperature, WHC, or freeze-thaw cycles. The intracellular gene levels decreased only slightly during the 56-day incubation period. The extracellular gene levels (when detectable) decreased dramatically by day 7, then leveled off thereafter, which may have been caused by adsorption to soil particles and/or degradation. Absolute gene abundances (per g of dry soil) were one to two orders of magnitude higher in iDNA than in eDNA fractions, but were similar when normalized to the 16S rRNA gene throughout the incubation period, indicating that enrichment of eARGs and iARGs did not occur. It is important for the scientific community to standardize total, as well as, extracellular/intracellular DNA extractions in order to readily compare results between laboratories.
N−H Bond Formation at a Diiron Bridging Nitride

Despite their connection to ammonia synthesis, little is known about the ability of iron-bound, bridging nitrides to form N-H bonds. Herein we report a linear diiron bridging nitride complex supported by a redox-active macrocycle. The unique ability of the ligand scaffold to adapt to the geometric preference of the bridging species was found to facilitate the formation of N-H bonds via proton-coupled electron transfer to generate a μ-amide product. The structurally analogous μ-silyl- and μ-borylamide complexes were shown to form from the net insertion of the nitride into the E-H bonds (E=B, Si). Protonation of the parent bridging amide produced ammonia in high yield, and treatment of the nitride with PhSH was found to liberate NH3 in high yield through a reaction that engages the redox-activity of the ligand during PCET.
Intoxicated driving and riding with impaired drivers: Comparing days with alcohol, marijuana, and simultaneous use.

Abstract Background Young adults who engage in simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use may be more likely to engage in unsafe behaviors including riding with impaired drivers and driving after alcohol and/or marijuana use. Methods Young adult SAM users (N = 408) self-reported their behavior for five 14-day bursts, yielding daily-level responses on a total of 14,675 substance use days. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) estimated the likelihood of riding with an impaired driver and of driving after use on SAM use days compared to alcohol- or marijuana-only use days. Results More frequent SAM users were more likely to ride with an impaired driver and to drive after use than less frequent SAM users (between-persons). On SAM use days, there were greater odds of riding with an impaired driver, compared to alcohol-only days (AOR = 1.28) and marijuana-only days (AOR = 2.22), and of driving after use, compared to marijuana-only days (AOR = 1.25). Driving after use was more likely on days with non-simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use compared to SAM use (AOR = 1.59). Conclusions Riding with an impaired driver is common among young adult substance users, and more likely following simultaneous use of alcohol and marijuana compared to other types of alcohol and marijuana use. Driving after use is more likely after SAM use than marijuana-only use days, but most likely on days when both alcohol and marijuana were used but not simultaneously. Future research on situation-level predictors of riding and driving-related risks among young adults is warranted.
Genome Resource: Draft genome of Fusarium avenaceum, strain F156N33, isolated from the atmosphere above Virginia and annotated based on RNA sequencing data.

Fusarium avenaceum is a filamentous fungus commonly associated with plants and soil. It is a causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB) on maize and small-grain cereals, blights on other plant species, and is one of the very few fungal species known to have ice nucleation activity, i.e., it catalyzes ice formation. Here we report the draft genome of the ice nucleation-active F. avenaceum strain F156N33 isolated from the atmosphere above Virginia. The genome assembly is 41,175,306 bp long, consists of 214 contigs, and is predicted to encode 11,233 proteins, which were annotated using RNA-seq data obtained from the same strain.
Protectionism and international banking: Sectorial efficiency, competitive structure and National policy

Abstract This paper deals with barriers to trade in services. More specifically, the paper deals with competition and its absence in the provision of international intermediation services by banks. Section 2 of the paper examines the substitutability of international trade and FDI (foreign direct investment) in the services sector as a basis for international competition. It also considers the overlap between commercial policy measures and regulations governing the entry and operations of foreign affiliates. Section 3 describes the types of restrictions imposed on foreign banks and evaluates their effects. Existing practices in some countries are outlined in the fourth section. The countries are the U.S., the U.K., Switzerland, Australia, Brazil and Taiwan. Section 5 evaluates competitive conditions in offshore banking centers, and compares them with conditions in onshore markets. The last section evaluates the costs and the benefits of an ‘open’ (free-trade) banking system. Such a system will tend to improve world welfare as well as the welfare of those countries who have a comparative advantage in international banking. The results are not clear with regard to the countries who have a comparative disadvantage in banking.
A Fuzzy Visual Query Language for a Domain-Specific Web Search Engine

A?goVista is a web-based search engine that assists programmers to find algorithms and implementations that solve specific problems. A?goVista is not keyword based but rather requires users to provide -- in a very simple textual language -- input?output samples that describe the behavior of their needed algorithm. Unfortunately, even this simple language has proven too challenging for casual users.To overcome this problem and make A?goVista more accessible to novice programmers, we are designing and prototyping a visual language for creating A?goVista queries. Since web users do not have the patience to learn fancy query languages (be they textual or visual), our goal is to make this language and its implementation natural enough to require virtually no explanation or user training.
Switch-Level Timing Simulation

Most modern logic simulators handle the problems specific to MOS integrated circuits by including the notion of signal strength in the logic model. However, the use of strength does not, by itself, solve all the modeling problems inherent to MOS circuits. For example, circuit designers use many combinations of transistors which do not have a direct mapping to a logic gate and therefore cannot be represented conveniently at the gate level. It is also difficult to model the logic operation of dynamic circuits in a convenient form in a standard logic simulator. Transfer gates further complicate the situation because they introduce dynamic loading effects, bidirectional signal flow, and capacitive charge-sharing effects. Many of these problems were resolved with the advent of the switch-level modeling and simulation technique [BRY80].
A redetermination of the Newtonian gravitational constant at the Los Alamos National Laboratory

A redetermination of the Newtonian gravitational constant is nearing completion at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The method used will incorporate both the techniques of Eotvos (1986) and Cavendish (1798), albeit with additional innovations. The philosophy behind the design, the instrumentation and preliminary data will be discussed. >
Influence of physical disruption on growth of attached bacteria.

Attached bacterial populations cultured without an exogenous carbon source or grown in conjunction with attached diatoms incorporated [3H]thymidine at a rate between four and five times lower than that of replicate bacterial populations which were dispersed before being assayed.
Loan loss reserves, regulatory capital, and bank failures: evidence from the recent economic crisis

Using a sample of bank failures over the period 2008-2010, we analyze the role of different types of regulatory capital in providing a buffer against failure risk. We report three key findings. First, we document that bank failure risk is negatively associated with Tier 1 capital, but positively associated with Tier 2 capital, which consists primarily of loan loss reserves. The results suggest that, contrary to the conventional notion of capital, a higher level of Tier 2 capital does not necessarily provide a buffer against deteriorating economic conditions. Second, the quality of Tier 2 capital is weaker (that is, its positive association with failure risk is higher) when banks report unusually large increases in loan loss reserves. Finally, the negative influence of unusually large loan loss reserves on the quality of Tier 2 capital is more pronounced for banks that are less constrained in adding back such reserves as Tier 2 capital, banks that have poorer audit quality and banks in which agency problems are more severe. Overall, our results suggest that Tier 2 capital is of low quality when banks use loan loss reserves to manage regulatory capital upwards.
Multinational Enterprise and Economic Analysis: Multinationals in Developing Countries and Economies in Transition

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) have gone through a cycle in their encounters with host-country governments. They have at times met hostility and resentment in all countries hosting substantial foreign investment, but nowhere more than in the developing countries from World War II through the 1970s. They were blamed for the national economy's manifest shortcomings, not to mention the historical sins of colonial domination, as well as genuine clashes of economic interest. With the waning of socialism and the coming of debt crises in many developing countries, much of the acrimony vanished, but the issues that it raised continue to dominate the research literature. In contrast the Eastern European economies in transition largely welcomed MNEs with open arms, to clear away the wreckage of state-owned enterprises. The normative appraisal of MNEs' activities in developing countries could be controversial even without this political background. Advocates of diverse policies toward development seem to concur on a diagnosis that key markets are malfunctioning, or important prices are misaligned to their shadow equivalents, so that saving and investment, the foreign-exchange rate, wage rates, returns to human capital, and other such important magnitudes can be far off the mark. Appropriate levels for them may therefore differ greatly from what the market signals to private decision-makers, and not necessarily in unambiguous directions. The MNEs' allocative decisions both respond to and affect these imbalances and distortions. Does the MNE's presence mean more capital formation or productivity growth than otherwise?
Asymmetric Epoxidation of trans‐β‐Methylstyrene and 1‐Phenylcyclohexene Using a D‐Fructose‐Derived Ketone: (R,R)‐trans‐β‐Methylstyrene Oxide and (R,R)‐1‐Phenylcyclohexene Oxide

(R,R) trans-beta-Methylstyrene oxide Trans-Methylstyrene Dimethoxymethane 1,2:4,5-Di-O-isopropylidene-D-erythro-2, 3-hexodiulo-2,6-pyranose Tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate Disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate 1-Phenylcyclohexene oxide Oxone Keywords: asymmetric epoxidation; methyl styrenes; fructose-derived ketone; methyl styrene oxide; phenylcyclohexene oxide; waste disposal
Microcavity-enhanced electron emission from lead zirconate-titanate cathodes

Enhanced electron emission has been observed from lead zirconate- titanate (PZT) surfaces into which arrays of microcavities have been fabricated by nanopowder blasting. Arrays of microcavities, each having an elliptical cross-sectional geometry with major and minor axis lengths of 800 and 600 ?m, respectively, and depths adjustable from 40 to 300 ?m, exhibit a pronounced dependence of the emitter electron current on microcavity depth. For electric field strengths at the emitter surface of ~5-12 V/?m, the RMS current density generated by an array of 250 ?m-deep microcavities with a packing density of 214 + 2 cm -2 ranges from ~3 mA cm -2 to beyond 8 mA cm -2 , or more than a factor of five larger than that produced from a planar PZT surface.
Renal Pressor System and Neurogenic Control of Arterial Pressure

Angiotensin has an effect on the sympathetic nervous system which results in an enhanced response to agents and procedures that cause release of endogenous norepinephrine while having little or no effect on response to exogenous norepinephrine. The effect is peripheral, it does not appear to involve sensitization of norepinephrine receptors, it is dependent upon a functionally intact sympathetic nervous system, and it appears unrelated to the direct vasoconstrictor action of angiotensin. The response to tyramine is increased in both acute and chronic renal hypertension; this suggests that only very small amounts of angiotensin, difficult to detect by present assay methods, continue to have an effect on the sympathetic nervous system in chronic renal hypertension. By intensifying the effect of normal neurogenic vasomotor activity, this action of angiotensin, along with the upward shift of threshold and range of response of the carotid sinus buffer mechanism, might account to a major degree for the large neurogenic component of chronic renal hypertension.
Identifying FDOT’s Physical Transportation Infrastructure Vulnerable to Sea Level Rise

AbstractThe objective of this research was to integrate current data sources to develop a methodology for assessing and mitigating the potential impacts of sea level rise (SLR) on Florida’s transportation infrastructure to assist transportation planning. The proposed approach integrates the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) information system with existing topographical and geological data to facilitate (1) the evaluation of current and projected SLR impacts on Florida’s coastline and low-lying terrain areas, and (2) the identification of the physical transportation infrastructure that is most likely to be affected by frequent to continuous flooding because of SLR so that solutions could be sought. The projection of SLR, and the timing for the same, was outlined using a benchmark approach that brackets time intervals as opposed to specific timing for improvements. Further research to evaluate the impact of sea level rise on ponding and storm surge is a future, more difficult area of investigation.
Which depressed patients respond to cognitive-behavioral treatment?

Objective To identify predictors of remission from major depression in adolescent patients given cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Method The study was based on 50 patients aged between 10 and 17 years who were obtained from two studies of CBT. A wide range of possible predictors was examined. Results Sixty percent remitted by the end of treatment. In multivariate analyses remission was associated with younger age and less social impairment. Conclusions Depressed patients who respond to CBT tend to be younger and less severely impaired than those who do not respond.
Nucleation near the eutectic point in a Potts-lattice gas model

We use the Potts-lattice gas model to study nucleation at and near the eutectic composition. We use rare-event methods to compute the free energy landscape for the competing nucleation products, and short trajectories at the barrier top to obtain prefactors. We introduce a procedure to tune the frequency of semigrand Monte Carlo moves so that the dynamics of a small closed system roughly resemble those of an infinite system. The non-dimensionalized nucleation rates follow trends as predicted by the classical nucleation theory. Finally, we develop corrections that convert free energy surfaces from closed (canonical) simulations into free energy surfaces from open (semigrand) simulations. The new corrections extend earlier corrections to now address situations like nucleation at the eutectic point where two products nucleate competitively.
Visible Light Generation of Iodine Atoms and I-I Bonds: Sensitized I - Oxidation and I3 - Photodissociation

Direct 355 or 532 nm light excitation of TBAI3, where TBA is tetrabutyl ammonium, in CH3CN at room temperature yields an iodine atom, I?, and an iodine radical anion, I2??. In the presence of exces ...
Metal Ion Interactions with Apo-Concanavalin A and Some Observations on Metal Ion Requirements and Sugar Binding by Bandeiraea simplicifolia I Lectin

The kinetics of interaction of Ca2+ ions with M ConA (M = Co2+, Mn2+, Ni2+ and Zn2+) were followed by using the quenching of fluorescence of 4-methylumbelliferyl-α-D-mannopyranoside when bound to protein. The kinetic data can be interpreted in terms of a mechanism in which a species (MCaP)1 initially formed (constant K1) transforms slowly (k2) to the final form. Values of k1, ΔH1 and ΔS1 and (particularly) k2, ΔH2≠ and ΔS2≠ are very similar for all metals, but the ΔH2≠-values are much lower than previously reported by other investigators. The kinetics of binding of 4-methylumbelliferyl-α-D-galactopyranoside to Bandeiraea simplicifolia I lectin were studied by stopped-flow fluorescence methods. The formation rate constant (∼ 105 M−1 s−1) is similar to that of sugars with other lectins. EDTA removes the sugar binding ability of B. simplicifolia I lectin with t1/2 = 24 min (pH = 7.2, 25°). The addition of Ca2+ ions to apolectin to give a final product appears controlled by a conformational change.
Spectral changes in cortical surface potentials during motor movement.

In the first large study of its kind, we quantified changes in electrocorticographic signals associated with motor movement across 22 subjects with subdural electrode arrays placed for identification of seizure foci. Patients underwent a 5–7 d monitoring period with array placement, before seizure focus resection, and during this time they participated in the study. An interval-based motor-repetition task produced consistent and quantifiable spectral shifts that were mapped on a Talairach-standardized template cortex. Maps were created independently for a high-frequency band (HFB) (76–100 Hz) and a low-frequency band (LFB) (8–32 Hz) for several different movement modalities in each subject. The power in relevant electrodes consistently decreased in the LFB with movement, whereas the power in the HFB consistently increased. In addition, the HFB changes were more focal than the LFB changes. Sites of power changes corresponded to stereotactic locations in sensorimotor cortex and to the results of individual clinical electrical cortical mapping. Sensorimotor representation was found to be somatotopic, localized in stereotactic space to rolandic cortex, and typically followed the classic homunculus with limited extrarolandic representation.
Simple potentiometric method for the rapid determination of respiration rates of small aquatic organisms

Abstract This paper outlines a simple, rapid, potentiometric method for the determination of respiration rates of aquatic organisms weighing from 10 μg to 10 mg dry weight. The procedure employs the oxygen electrode of a Radiometer Blood Gas Analyzer. Syringes serve as the respirometry chambers. The sample volume of the Blood Gas Analyzer is 200 μl, allowing the determination of respiration rates of small animals in respirometer volumes as small as 1 ml. Since the method is potentiometric, it allows the determination of the oxygen-dependent respiration rate for these small animals.
Effect of DDT on photosynthesis of Selanastrum capricormutum

Abstract The effect of DDT (2,2-bis-(p-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane) on carbon assimilation of a green alga, Selanastrum capricormutum was studied. DDT at concentrations between 3.6 and 36 ppb was inhibitory to the photosynthetic CO2 fixation (ethanol-soluble and/or ethanol-insoluble) and the longer the exposure to DDT, the greater the inhibition. Kinetic studies of photosynthetic CO2 fixation indicated that DDT stimulated the incorporation of carbon-14 into glycolic acid, a major compound of photorespiration and caused the concomittant suppression of flow of carbon-14 into aspartic acid, a major component of the C4-dicarboxylic acid pathway. The shift from an efficient pathway into a nonefficient pathway by DDT was interpreted to be through interruption of cyclic photophosphorylation.
The absence of chemical shift anisotropy in the multiple pulse nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of a solid

Abstract An explanation is provided for the absence of chemical shift anisotropy in the recently reported multiple pulse n.m.r. spectrum of solid perfluorocyclohexane.
Acute fatty liver of pregnancy: An experience in the diagnosis and management of fourteen cases

Objective: Our purpose was to investigate the diagnostic problems and maternal-perinatal outcome in cases of acute fatty liver of pregnancy. Study Design: Fourteen cases with acute fatty liver of pregnancy managed during the past 8-years were studied with emphasis on presenting symptoms, admitting diagnosis, laboratory findings, clinical course, maternal complications, and neonatal outcome. Results: The mean gestational age at onset was 34.5 weeks (range 28 to 39). Only seven patients had acute fatty liver of pregnancy as a definite or suspected diagnosis on admission. Computed tomography of the liver was performed on 10 patients, with only two positive results. There were no maternal deaths; however, maternal morbidity was frequent: four patients had hepatic encephalopathy, three pulmonary edema, three ascites, four respiratory arrest, two diabetes insipidus, and 10 had transfusion of blood or blood products to correct either disseminated intravascular coagulation or excessive bleeding. Coagulation abnormalities were common: hypofibrinogenemia ( Conclusion: Acute fatty liver of pregnancy should be suspected in all patients with symptoms of preeclampsia in the presence of hypoglycemia, low fibrinogen, and prolonged prothrombin time, particularly in the absence of severe abruptio placentae. Computed tomography of the liver has a high false-negative rate in patients with acute fatty liver of pregnancy. In spite of the literature's dismal prognosis, our findings indicate that maternal and perinatal outcomes appear favorable in well-managed patients.
Regenerative cells and the architecture of beetle midgut epithelia.

The architectural ground plan of beetle and other insect midguts is represented by a monolayer of epithelial cells arranged in a cylindrical configuration. Proliferation and differentiation of regenerative cells maintain the integrity of this monolayer in the face of continual losses of individual cells through cytoplasmic budding and/or expulsion of entire epithelial cells. Peritrophic membranes have conventionally been considered universal features of insect midguts that function to protect vulnerable microvillar surfaces of the midgut epithelium from abrasion by ingested food; however, peritrophic membranes were found in only a small fraction of the adult beetle species examined in this study. In adult beetles, midgut epithelial cells are continually replaced by cells recruited from populations of mitotic regenerative cells that are interspersed among the differentiated epithelial monolayer. To remain contiguous with the other cells in the midgut monolayer, some of these proliferating populations have adopted evaginated configurations of cells that extend for varying distances from the basal surface of the monolayer. These configurations are referred to as regenerative crypts or pouches and consist of progenitor cells and stem cells. The presence, the relative densities, and the relative lengths of these regenerative pouches vary considerably among families of beetles. Placement of longitudinal muscles of the midgut relative to the proximodistal axes of these regenerative pouches also varies among species of beetles. The presence, the size, and the density of regenerative cell populations are related to 1) feeding habits of adult beetles, 2) presence of peritrophic membranes, and 3) expulsion of entire midgut epithelial cells or fragments of these epithelial cells into midgut lumens. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The NPS Applied Ethnography Program: An Agency Outsider's Perspective

Miki Crespi joined the National Park Service (NPS) in 1981, the year I completed a technical report on cultural resources for the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in Tennessee and Kentucky. This kind of research on contemporary culture had been unusual when the Southeast Archeological Center of NPS commissioned my project in 1979. I was lucky that its novelty and serendipitous timing brought my work to Miki's attention when she was beginning to lay groundwork for what became the NPS Applied Ethnography Program. The Big South Fork project exemplified how ethnography and oral history could contribute to park planning and resource management. Because of this I was privileged to observe the process of policy and program development as it unfolded in the 1980s and 1990s. By the 1990s, because of Miki's work, ethnographic and oral history projects like mine had become recognized as standard components of parks research.
Fulvic acid and the growth of the ectomycorrhizal fungus, Pisolithus tinctorius

Abstract The effect of soil fulvic acid (FA) on growth and dry matter production of the ectomycorrhizai fungus, Pisolilhus tinctorius was investigated. No response from FA treatments was obtained until the second week of growth when colony sizes became larger than the controls at 320, 640 and 1600 parts FA/10 6 , while 3200 parts FA/10 6 showed a tendency (statistically not significant) to reduce colony size. The differences in colony sizes were more apparent with the use of FA at pH 4.0. Results of dry weight measurements showed an effect of pH, since the use of FA at pH 7.0 was more beneficial to dry weight increase than pH 4.0. At pH 7.0 dry weight contents were larger than the control at 320, 640 and 1600 parts FA/10 6 . The conclusion was made, that FA, being mostly polysaccharide, was absorbed at pH 7.0.
Immunohistochemical localization of cathechol-O-methyltransferase in circumventricular organs of the rat: Potential variations in the blood-brain barrier to native catechols

Abstract Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) was localized in the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis, subfornical organ, subcommissural organ and area postrema of rat brain using an indirect immunofluorescence technique. COMT immunofluorescence was apparent in neuroglia within the organum vasculosum and was most intense in the ependyma between this structure and the optic recess of the third ventricle. In both the subfornical organ and the area postrema, COMT was localized in a neuroglial network, but was noticeably absent in the ependymal layer. COMT immunofluorescence in the ependyma of the subcommissural organ was continuous with the more intense immunofluorescence of the cuboidal ependyma of the third ventricle. Each of the circumventricular organs studied, with the exception of the subcommissural organ, lies outside the blood-brain barrier. However, the unique pattern of COMT immunofluorescence in the area postrema and the subfornical organ suggests that these two structures, of all the circumventricular organs, are most likely to permit the entry of peripherally circulating catechols to the cerebrospinal fluid.
On the mechanism of action of phytohemagglutinin in cellular immunity.

SummaryTo study the mechanism of action of phytohemagglutinin in cellular immunity, preparations of phytohemagglutinin were made to separate its mitogenic, erythroagglutinating, and immunogenic pro...
End-organ testing for allergic rhinitis with fungi is poorly correlated with fungal sensitivity.

ObjectiveTo evaluate optical rhinometry (ORM) using nasal provocation testing (NPT) as an objective tool to diagnose fungal allergic rhinitis (AR).Study DesignProspective.SettingTertiary academic center.MethodsWe prospectively enrolled healthy controls (HCs) and subjects with a clinical history of AR and positive skin prick test to Alternaria or Aspergillus antigens. Baseline measurements with an optical and acoustic rhinometer (AcR) were taken, and all subjects underwent NPT with increasing concentrations of Alternaria and then Aspergillus in each nasal cavity. Optical density (OD), nasal mean cross-sectional area (MCA), visual analog scale (VAS), and nasal allergen provocation scale (NAP) were measured after each provocation. A NAP score ≥3 was considered positive. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed on measured parameters.ResultsEleven HCs and 11 AR subjects were enrolled. Of the 8 AR patients with an Alternaria-positive skin test, 50% had a positive NAP score (4/8) vs ...
THROMBOCYTOPENIA IN NEONATAL SEPSIS: TIME RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CLINICAL SIGNS, DETECTION OF THROMBOCYTOPENIA AND POSITIVE BLOOD CULTURE

Thrombocytopenia is a common manifestation of bacterial sepsis in children. A prospective study was designed to investigate the time relationship between the clinical manifestations of sepsis, detection of thrombocytopenia and the confirmation of a positive blood culture. Three groups of neonates admitted to special care were studied. Group I (16 pts) had sepsis confirmed by positive blood cultures. Group II (63 pts) were suspected to be septic but blood cultures were negative. Group III (28 pts) were randomly selected sick neonates without suspected or confirmed sepsis. Platelet counts by phase microscopy were done at the time of septic work-up and at 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours in Groups I and II and at similar intervals in Group III. Thrombocytopenia, platelets < 100,000/mm3, were found in 63% of Group I, none in Group II and in 18% of Group III. At the above time intervals comparisons of platelet counts between Groups I and II, and I and III showed statistically significant differences at all times (p < 0.05). In Group I thrombocytopenia was detected at 8 ± 12 hours while the positive blood cultures were confirmed at 43 ± 27 hours with p<0.005. This study confirms that thrombocytopenia is frequently associated with bacterial sepsis in neonates, although less frequently it may be present in clinical entities other than sepsis. The rapid appearance of thrombocytopenia, long before the confirmation of a positive blood culture, makes this test a valuable adjunct to management of septic neonates.
Board ownership and IPO returns

This study examines the role of the board of directors for IPO pricing irregularities. Theory suggests that initial underpricing may be the result of asymmetric information and the long-run underperformance may be the result of managerial mismanagement of new funds due to agency conflicts. A strong board of directors can potentially reduce both asymmetric information and agency problems. We find that the structure of the board is related to IPO pricing anomalies. Initial returns are directly related to share ownership by insiders and the percentage of independent outsiders, and long-run returns are directly related to share ownership by insiders.
Nitrogen-Treated Graphite and Oxygen Electroreduction on Pyridinic Edge Sites

On the basis of literature reports, some nitrogen-treated graphite electrodes have been found to catalyze the four-electron electroreduction of O2 to water in acid. In this study the linear Gibbs e...
Mastery learning and assessment: Implications for students and teachers in an era of high‐stakes testing

Federal efforts to improve American students' achievement through high-stakes testing have led to significant concerns about the fairness and effectiveness of standardized tests. We attribute these concerns to the use of summative tests to assess academic progress without the benefits of an effective formative model of assessment and instruction, such as mastery learning. Historically, mastery learning models emerged as a reaction to the misuse of psychometric models of assessment for instructional purposes. Differences between these models are discussed along with a more recent form of mastery assessment, curriculum-based measurement. Apprehensions about the summative testing requirements of No Child Left Behind are considered along with efforts to make these tests fairer, such as the inclusion of a growth provision. Finally, we identified a mastery learning intervention program in mathematics in a high school that achieved national recognition, and we interviewed participating teachers and students. They reported the positive academic and motivational outcomes expected of a mastery learning approach and a few concerns about drawbacks associated with high-stakes testing. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of level and source of dietary selenium on maternal and fetal body weight, visceral organ mass, cellularity estimates, and jejunal vascularity in pregnant ewe lambs

Pregnant Targhee ewe lambs (n = 32; BW = 45.6 +/- 2.2 kg) were allotted randomly to 1 of 4 treatments in a completely randomized design to examine the effects of level and source of dietary Se on maternal and fetal visceral organ mass, cellularity estimates, and maternal jejunal crypt cell proliferation and vascularity. Diets contained (DM basis) either no added Se (control) or supranutritional Se from high-Se wheat at 3.0 ppm Se (SW) or from sodium selenate at 3 (S3) or 15 (S15) ppm Se. Diets were similar in CP (15.5%) and ME (2.68 Mcal/kg of DM) and were fed to meet or exceed requirements. Treatments were initiated at 50 +/- 5 d of gestation. The control, SW, S3, and S15 treatment diets provided 2.5, 75, 75, and 375 microg of Se/kg of BW, respectively. On d 134 +/- 10 of gestation, ewes were necropsied, and tissues were harvested. Contrasts, including control vs. Se treatments (SW, S3, and S15), SW vs. S3, and S3 vs. S15, were used to evaluate differences among Se levels and sources. There were no differences in ewe initial and final BW. Full viscera and liver mass (g/kg of empty BW and g/kg of maternal BW) and maternal liver protein concentration (mg/g) and content (g) were greater (P < 0.04) in Se-treated compared with control ewes. Maternal liver protein concentration was greater (P = 0.01) in SW vs. S3 ewes, and content was greater (P = 0.01) in S15 compared with S3 ewes. Maternal jejunal mucosal DNA concentration (mg/g) was greater (P = 0.08) in SW compared with S3 ewes. Total number of proliferating cells in maternal jejunal mucosa was greater (P = 0.02) in Se-fed compared with control ewes. Capillary number density within maternal jejunal tissue was greater (P = 0.08) in S3 compared with SW ewes. Selenium treatment resulted in reduced fetal heart girth (P = 0.08). Fetal kidney RNA (P = 0.04) and protein concentrations (mg/g; P = 0.03) were greater in Se-treated compared with control ewes. These results indicate that supranutritional dietary Se increases cell numbers in maternal jejunal mucosa through increased crypt cell proliferation. No indications of toxicity were observed in any of the Se treatments.
Modeling the effect of environmental factors on evaporative water loss in asphalt emulsions for chip seal applications

Abstract This paper proposes a methodology to determine the total amount of evaporative water loss of an emulsion before the aggregates are placed. An algorithm is presented that can be used by field inspectors and practitioners for the optimal timing of chip placement. Evaporation of water from the emulsion was modeled as a two stage process. The first stage involves the emulsion losing water as it cools down from its application temperature until it is in a state of thermal equilibrium with the surrounding environment while the latter involves determining the amount of moisture loss due to the vapor pressure deficit in the ambient air and the turbulence in the surrounding environment. Finally, based on the observations from field construction programs, moisture loss thresholds were determined to calculate the optimal time to place the aggregates.
Feather Meal in Hen Nutrition

Abstract IT HAS been estimated that sufficient poultry feathers are available in the United States for an annual production of 50,000 tons of hydrolyzed feather meal. As feather meal contains approximately 87 percent protein it has been considered as a possible source of protein in poultry feeds. Wilder (1953) reported that a combination of 3 percent feather meal, 3 percent blood meal and 14 percent soybean oil meal produced growth in chicks equivalent to 25 percent soybean oil meal. In a later report Wilder et al. (1955) showed that feather meal supplying 2.4 percent protein along with an equal amount of protein derived from meat and bone scrap and the remainder from soybean oil meal, alfalfa meal and corn resulted in excellent chick growth. Romoser (1955) showed that 2.5 percent feather meal was a desirable protein concentrate in a broiler feed when adequate amounts of the essential amino acids were present… .
Knockdown of the gene encoding Drosophila tribbles homologue 3 (Trib3) improves insulin sensitivity through peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) activation in a rat model of insulin resistance

Insulin action is purportedly modulated by Drosophila tribbles homologue 3 (TRIB3), which in vitro prevents thymoma viral proto-oncogene (AKT) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) activation. However, the physiological impact of TRIB3 action in vivo remains controversial. We investigated the role of TRIB3 in rats treated with either a control or Trib3 antisense oligonucleotide (ASO). Tissue-specific insulin sensitivity was assessed in vivo using a euglycaemic–hyperinsulinaemic clamp. A separate group was treated with the PPAR-γ antagonist bisphenol-A-diglycidyl ether (BADGE) to assess the role of PPAR-γ in mediating the response to Trib3 ASO. Trib3 ASO treatment specifically reduced Trib3 expression by 70% to 80% in liver and white adipose tissue. Fasting plasma glucose, insulin concentrations and basal rate of endogenous glucose production were unchanged. However, Trib3 ASO increased insulin-stimulated whole-body glucose uptake by ~50% during the euglycaemic–hyperinsulinaemic clamp. This was attributable to improved skeletal muscle glucose uptake. Despite the reduction of Trib3 expression, AKT2 activity was not increased. Trib3 ASO increased white adipose tissue mass by 70% and expression of Ppar-γ and its key target genes, raising the possibility that Trib3 ASO improves insulin sensitivity primarily in a PPAR-γ-dependent manner. Co-treatment with BADGE blunted the expansion of white adipose tissue and abrogated the insulin-sensitising effects of Trib3 ASO. Finally, Trib3 ASO also increased plasma HDL-cholesterol, a change that persisted with BADGE co-treatment. These data suggest that TRIB3 inhibition improves insulin sensitivity in vivo primarily in a PPAR-γ-dependent manner and without any change in AKT2 activity.
Transient Temperature Response of a Power Transistor

The results obtained from a computer-aided thermal analysis of a microwave power transistor are presented. The transistor is somewhat unique in that it has a junction-to-carrier thermal time constant of only about 50µs. The application for which this transistor was desired required that it handle a pulsed power dissipation wherein each pulse has the shape of a fourth power cosine curve with a 7µs on-time add 130 watts peak power. The half-power pulsewidth is, therefore, only about 2.5µs. Although the pulse duration is quilte short, the junction Undergoes temperature excursions of about 30°C during any single pulse. These temperature excursions cannot possibly be detected by either direct electrical measurements or infrared experimental techniques but, nevertheless, have an important effect on the life and reliability of the transistor. The computer-aided analysis technique and the results are discussed in general throughout the paper. Points of interest include the temperature distribution both on and within the chip, the effects of temperature dependent material properties, the use of a heat spreader under the chip, and, finally, the meaning and significance of the thermal time constant for the junction, the chip, the carrier, and other parts of the electronic package.
Emerging directions in lunar and planetary robotics

We overview National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) objectives for future robotic exploration of lunar, planetary and small bodies of the Solar System, and present several examples of supporting robotics R&D. The scope of development spans autonomous surface exploration typified by the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) and sequel Mars surface missions, autonomous aerial and subsurface robotic exploration of the outer planet moons, and recently initiated efforts under the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) toward a sustained human-robotic presence at Earth moon.
Aiding and Abetting — Nursing Crises at Home and Abroad

The shortage of nurses in the United States is a serious and growing problem. However, Dr. Sreekanth Chaguturu and Snigdha Vallabhaneni write that entire public health systems are at risk of collapse because of the shortage of nurses in the developing world.
Recent Sedimentary History of ST. Joseph Bay, FLORIDA1

SUMMARY The history of St. Joseph Bay, on the west coast of Florida, begins with the last rise in sea level about 5,000 years ago. The formation of an extensive cuspate spit has formed a basin which is now in the process of being filled by detrital sands delivered via longshore drift from the eastern Apalachicola River. Prior to or during early stages of spit development, a wedge of fine material was deposited over the old terrace surface from an old distributary of the Apalachicola. Present sedimentation has as yet failed to obscure portions of this older surface within the lagoon. Clean quartz sand and biological carbonates comprise the bulk of the present sediment contribution. The typical East Gulf “kyanite-staurolite” heavy mineral suite is present, as is the kaolinite-montmorillonite-illite clay mineral suite common to this coast. Sediments in this area have an average organic content of about 1.4%. A high organic carbon/organic nitrogen average of 15.4 has resulted from the accumulation of highly carbonaceo us plant debris under the restrictive environment of the lagoon.
Restrained eaters show altered brain response to food odor

Do restrained and unrestrained eaters differ in their brain response to food odor? We addressed this question by examining restrained eaters' brain response to food (chocolate) and non-food (geraniol, floral) odors, both when odor was attended to and when ignored. Using olfactory event-related potentials (OERPs), we found that restrained eaters and controls responded similarly to the non-food odor; however, unlike controls, restrained eaters showed no increase in brain response to the food odor when they focused attention on it. Rather, restrained eaters showed attenuated OERP amplitudes to the food odor in both attended and ignored conditions, suggesting that the brain's response to attended food odor was abnormally suppressed.
Internal carotid artery dissection in a community. Rochester, Minnesota, 1987-1992.

Cervical internal carotid artery dissections are diagnosed with an increasing frequency, but reliable epidemiologic data are not available. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence rate of spontaneous cervical internal carotid artery dissection in a defined population.Using the medical record linkage system used for epidemiologic studies in Rochester, Minn, all patients diagnosed with spontaneous cervical ICA dissection for 1987 through 1992 were identified.A total of 10 patients with spontaneous cervical internal carotid artery dissection (6 women and 4 men; mean age, 44 years) were identified. For the period 1987 through 1992, the average annual incidence rate for all ages was 2.6 per 100,000 (95% confidence intervals, 0.9 to 4.2).This study, for the first time, provides incidence rates for spontaneous cervical internal carotid artery dissections. No diagnoses were made before 1987, probably reflecting an increased awareness of the disorder among physicians.
Tumorous development of in situ and grafted anterior pituitaries in female rats treated with diethylstilbesterol.

Les resultats de cette etude demontrent nettement que la glande pituitaire du rat transplantee repond au stimulus tumeurigenique du diethylstilboestrol, mais dans beaucoup plus faible mesure que la glande pituitaire in situ.
Compiler-generated staggered checkpointing

To minimize work lost due to system failures, large parallel applications perform periodic checkpoints. These checkpoints are typically inserted manually by application programmers, resulting in synchronous checkpoints, or checkpoints that occur at the same program point in all processes. While this solution is tenable for current systems, it will become problematic for future supercomputers that have many tens of thousands of nodes, because contention for both the network and file system will grow. This paper shows that staggered checkpoints---globally consistent checkpoints in which processes perform checkpoints at different points in the code---can significantly reduce network and file system contention. We describe a compiler-based approach for inserting staggered checkpoints, and we show, using trace-driven simulation, that staggered checkpointing is 23 times faster that synchronous checkpointing.