cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Specific Insect-Virus Interactions Are Responsible for Variation in Competency of Different Thrips tabaci Isolines to Transmit Different Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus Isolates

Local adaptation between sympatric host and parasite populations driven by vector genetics appears to be a factor that influences dynamics of disease epidemics and evolution of insect-vectored viruses. Although T. tabaci is the primary vector of Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) in some areas of the world, it is not an important vector of this economically important plant virus in many areas where it occurs. Previous studies suggest that genetic variation of thrips populations, virus isolates, or both are important factors underlying the localized importance of this species as a vector of TSWV. This study was undertaken to quantify variation in transmissibility of TSWV isolates by T. tabaci, in the ability of T. tabaci to transmit isolates of TSWV, and to examine the possibility that genetic interactions and local adaptation contribute to the localized nature of this species as a vector of TSWV. Isofemale lines of Thrips tabaci from multiple locations were tested for their ability to transmit multiple TSWV isolates collected at the same and different locations as the thrips. Results revealed that the probability of an isofemale line transmitting TSWV varied among virus isolates, and the probability of an isolate being transmitted varied among isofemale lines. These results indicate that the interaction of T. tabaci and TSWV isolate genetic determinants underlie successful transmission of TSWV by T. tabaci. Further analysis revealed sympatric vector-virus pairing resulted in higher transmission than allopatric pairing, which suggests that local adaptation is occurring between T. tabaci and TSWV isolates.
Comment by James Turner Johnson

Comments on: “Just War Theory in Comparative Perspective: AReview Essay” by Simeon O. Ilesanmi Journal of Religious Ethics 28.1 (Spring 2000)
Phases and patterns of group development in virtual learning teams

With the advancement of Internet communication technologies, distributed work groups have great potential for remote collaboration and use of collective knowledge. Adopting the Complex Adaptive System (CAS) perspective (McGrath, Arrow, & Berdhal, Personal Soc Psychol Rev 4 (2000) 95), which views virtual learning teams as an adaptive and self-organizing entity, this study examined group development processes of seven intact virtual learning teams over 12 weeks using the multiple case study design. Content analysis revealed seven temporal group development phases: orientation, scheduling, exploration, work and decision, progress check and evaluation, refinement and formatting, and termination. The development pattern of each virtual learning team could be described as either Linear Progression, a straight movement through those phases, or Adaptive Progression, a backward movement to a previous phase for adaptation before proceeding. We also identify the factors that caused each team to develop in one way or the other and conclude with the implications of conceptualizing virtual teams as a CAS.
In Situ Target Strength of Alewives in Freshwater

Abstract Acoustic estimation of absolute fish abundance depends on knowledge of the relationship between target strength (TS) and size for the species of interest. We have derived a relationship between in situ TS and both length (L, cm) and mass (W, g) for alewives Alosa pseudoharengus in Lake Ontario and eight inland lakes in New York to provide equations for predicting one variable from the other. The pelagic fish community in these lakes was dominated by alewives (≥80% numerically). Target strength distributions from fish populations investigated in 25 surveys were multimodal, whereas those for individual fish were unimodal, indicating that each mode for the populations corresponded to a size-group of alewives (range, 2.5-15.2 cm). The positive relationship between mean TS and mean length was highly significant (TS = 20.53 log10 L− 64.25), as was the relationship between mean TS and mean mass (TS = 6.98 log10 W− 50.07). These equations are similar to one often-used TS-length relationship but differ su...
Human or Cylon? Group testing on ‘Battlestar Galactica’

As in the real world, statistics could have played a significant role in solving the sci-fi problem in “Battlestar Galactica.” However, the consequences for implementing these procedures might have prematurely stifled fans’ enthusiasm for the show because the humanoid Cylons would have been identified earlier. While the series ended in 2009, a prequel, “Caprica,” premieres in 2010. “Caprica” will investigate topics such as how Cylons were first developed by humans. Of course, this makes one wonder if the use of statistical science could have played a role in preventing the Cylon attack on the humans in the first place. One can only hope the producers will ask a statistician to serve as a consultant in the writing of the new show.
Kinetics of pepsin-initiated coagulation of κ-casein

The kinetics of pepsin initiated coagulation of kappa-casein have been studied at pH 5.8. The primary and secondary phases of coagulation are shown to proceed simultaneously. The theory of enzymatically initiated clotting reactions proposed by Payens (Payens, T.A.J. (1976) Neth. Milk Dairy J. 30, 55--59) has been applied to this clotting system and has been used to obtain rate constants for the secondary phase of coagulation. As expected, clotting rate constants for kappa-casein increase with pepsin concentration. An activation energy of 30.6 kcal/mol has been obtained for the secondary phase of coagulation. Turbidity measurements are a convenient means for studying the secondary phase of coagulation but do not provide an unambiguous means for studying the primary phase of the reaction.
Harnessing cloud computing with Galaxy Cloud.

As next-generation sequencing becomes an indispensible tool for biomedical research, it is crucial to provide analysis solutions that are usable and cost effective for biomedical researchers. Galaxy Cloud addresses this by combining the accessible Galaxy interface with automated management of cloud computing resources. Unlike purpose-built solutions, Galaxy allows users either to use existing tested best practices in the form of workflows or to construct their own analyses for novel tasks. Galaxy Cloud instances are owned and controlled entirely by the user who created them and can be used effectively in secure private clouds. Thus, Galaxy Cloud provides a solution that retains user control and privacy, makes complex analysis accessible and enables the use of practically limitless on-demand computing resources.
A Dynamics-based Method for Crack Detection and Estimation

Presented is a dynamics-based boundary effect evaluation (BEE) method for pinpointing crack locations and estimating crack sizes using only operational deflection shapes (ODSs) measured by a scanning laser vibrometer. An ODS consists of central and boundary solutions. Central solutions are periodic functions, and boundary solutions are exponentially decaying functions due to boundary constraints. The BEE method uses a sliding-window curve-fitting technique to extract boundary solutions from an experimental ODS. Because cracks introduce localized small boundaries to a structure, boundary solutions exist around cracks as well as structural boundaries. Since crack-induced boundary solutions show characteristics different from those of actual boundaries, cracks can be easily located. A local strain energy method is derived for estimating crack sizes. In the method, the crack-induced strain energy extracted from an ODS is compared with the one calculated using stress intensity factors to determine the crack si...
Mere presence, gender, and reactions to computers: Studying human-computer interaction in the social context

Abstract The effects of mere presence, expectations for success, gender, and level of computer experience on reactions to computers were examined. In Study 1, 80 male and female college students completed a difficult computer task and a series of questionnaires in the presence or absence of another person. Men and women were differentially affected by the presence of another person. For women with little previous computer experience, those who worked in the presence of another performed less well, expressed more negative attitudes toward computers, and reported higher anxiety than did women who worked alone. For men, mere presence had the opposite effect. Performance and reactions of subjects high in computer experience were unaffected by gender or mere presence. In Study 2, expectations for success were manipulated, and interacted with the presence of another person, resulting in facilitation for positive expectancy subjects and impairment for negative expectancy subjects, relative to those working alone. Men and women were not differentially affected by the presence of another person. Gender differences in expectations for success seem to have determined whether mere presence resulted in facilitation or impairment effects.
Deconstructing the externalizing spectrum: growth patterns of overt aggression, covert aggression, oppositional behavior, impulsivity/inattention, and emotion dysregulation between school entry and early adolescence.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether five subcomponents of children's externalizing behavior showed distinctive patterns of long-term growth and predictive correlates. We examined growth in teachers' ratings of overt aggression, covert aggression, oppositional defiance, impulsivity/inattention, and emotion dysregulation across three developmental periods spanning kindergarten through Grade 8 (ages 5–13 years). We also determined whether three salient background characteristics, family socioeconomic status, child ethnicity, and child gender, differentially predicted growth in discrete categories of child externalizing symptoms across development. Participants were 543 kindergarten-age children (52% male, 81% European American, 17% African American) whose problem behaviors were rated by teachers each successive year of development through Grade 8. Latent growth curve analyses were performed for each component scale, contrasting with overall externalizing, in a piecewise fashion encompassing three developmental periods: kindergarten–Grade 2, Grades 3–5, and Grades 6–8. We found that most subconstructs of externalizing behavior increased significantly across the early school age period relative to middle childhood and early adolescence. However, overt aggression did not show early positive growth, and emotion dysregulation significantly increased across middle childhood. Advantages of using subscales were most clear in relation to illustrating different growth functions between the discrete developmental periods. Moreover, growth in some discrete subcomponents was differentially associated with variations in family socioeconomic status and ethnicity. Our findings strongly affirmed the necessity of adopting a developmental approach to the analysis of growth in children's externalizing behavior and provided unique data concerning similarities and differences in growth between subconstructs of child and adolescent externalizing behavior.
Platelet-derived Growth Factor Induces Interleukin-6 Transcription in Osteoblasts through the Activator Protein-1 Complex and Activating Transcription Factor-2

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) BB, a mitogen that stimulates bone resorption, increases the expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6), a cytokine that induces osteoclast recruitment. The mechanisms involved in IL-6 induction by PDGF BB are poorly understood. We examined the effect of PDGF BB on IL-6 expression in cultures of osteoblasts from fetal rat calvariae (Ob cells). PDGF BB increased IL-6 mRNA and heterogeneous nuclear RNA levels, the rate of transcription, and the activity of base pairs (bp) -2906 to +20 IL-6 promoter fragments transiently transfected into Ob cells. Deletion analysis revealed two responsive regions, one containing an activator protein-1 (AP-1) site located between bp -276 and -257, and a second, less well defined, downstream of -257. Targeted mutations of a cyclic AMP-responsive element (CRE), and nuclear factor-IL-6 and nuclear factor-kappaB binding sites in a bp -257 to +20 IL-6 construct that was transfected into Ob cells, revealed that the CRE also contributed to IL-6 promoter induction by PDGF BB. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay revealed AP-1 and CRE nuclear protein complexes that were enhanced by PDGF BB. Supershift assays revealed binding of Jun and Fos to AP-1 and CRE sequences and binding of activating transcription factor-2 to CRE. In conclusion, PDGF BB induces IL-6 transcription in osteoblasts by regulating nuclear proteins of the AP-1 complex and activating transcription factor-2.
A VLSI neural monitoring system with ultra-wideband telemetry for awake behaving subjects

Long term monitoring of neuronal activity in awake behaving subjects can provide fundamental information about brain dynamics for both neuroscience and neuroengineering applications. Recent advances in VLSI systems has focused on designing wireless neural recording systems which can be mounted on animals and acquire neural signals in real time. These advances provide an unparalleled opportunity to study phenomenon such as neural plasticity in both a basic science setting (learning and memory), and also a clinical setting (injury and recovery). Here we present an integrated VLSI system for wireless telemetry of the entire spectrum of neural signals, spikes, local field potentials, electrocorticograms (ECoG) and electroencephalograms (EEG). The system integrates two custom designed VLSI chips, a 16 channel neural interface which can amplify, filter and digitize neural data up to 16 kS/sec and 12 bits and a low power ultra-wideband (UWB) chip which can transmit data at rates up to 14 Mbps. The entire system which includes these VLSI circuits, a digital interface board and a battery, is small, 1.2×1.2×2.6 in3, and light weight, 33 grams, so it can be chronically mounted on a rat. The system consumes 32.8 mA at 3.3V and can record for 6 hours running from the 200 mAh coin cell battery. Bench-top and in vitro characterization of the system showed comparable performance to the wired recording system.
Completely monotone regression estimates of software failure rates

A new method for estimating the present failure rate of a program is presented. A crude nonparametric estimate of the failure rate function is obtained from past failure times. This estimate is then smoothed by fitting a completely monotonic function, which is the solution of a quadratic programming problem. The value of the smoothed function at present time is used as the estimate of present failure rate. A Monte Carlo study gives an indication of how well this method works.
Retropharyngeal edema, airway obstruction, and caval thrombosis.

A 3#{189}-month-old boy, previously healthy, was seen by his local physician with insidious onset of ‘ ‘crouplike’ ‘ symptoms. He had a thick neck, prominent scalp veins, an enlarging head, and bluish discoloration of the head, neck, and upper chest. In retrospect the mother believed that thickening of the neck was present as far back as age 7 weeks. Because of these findings, the patient was referred to our institution for further evaluation. A lateral view of the neck demonstrated diffuse retropharyngeal soft-tissue thickening and anterior displacement of the upper airway (fig. 1 ). Because a retropharyngeal tumor was suspected, CT was performed, but no tumor was defined; only diffuse soft-tissue thickening was present. Because of the distended veins, a radioisotope venogram using technetium-99m pertechnetate was performed. With injection into the left arm, there was normal venous flow to the chest wall; beyond this point, only collateral circulation was noted (fig. 2). There was no flow through the left innominate vein and superior vena cava. Subsequent arteriography revealed obstruction of the brachiocephalic veins on drainage films (fig. 3). The superior vena cava and innominate veins were not opacified. Since there were no compressive lesions, it was concluded that obstruction was secondary to thrombosis. Surgical exploration 8 days later demonstrated that no mass was present in the retropharyngeal space and that only edema was the problem. No further therapy was instituted and eventually retropharyngeal edema and respiratory distress disappeared.
Fluorescence-guided resection of intracranial tumor (Presentation Video)

In this Hot Topics presentation, David Roberts describes recent work in image-guided neurosurgery. Gliomas can present a challenge for surgical removal because they invade normal brain tissue that may be highly functional, so it is crucial to develop techniques for improved visualization of the tumor's margins. Surgical removal of a brain tumor can be aided using a technique in which tumor tissue is fluoresced during surgery. Roberts received an A.B. degree from Princeton University, an M.A. degree from Oxford University, and an M.D. degree from Dartmouth Medical School. He interned in surgery at the University of Utah and did his neurosurgical residency at Dartmouth. In 1982, he jointed the staff of the Hitchcock Clinic and the faculty of Dartmouth Medical School, at the rank of Assistant Professor. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1988 and Professor in 1994. In 1997 he became Chair of the Section of Neurosurgery at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Director of the neurosurgical residency training program. While retaining those responsibilities, he was appointed in 2000 to the position at Dartmouth Medical School of Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, and the following year to the Alma Hass Milham Distinguished Chair in Clinical Medicine. His present research interests are in epilepsy, stereotaxy and computer-assisted surgery. He has been the author or co-author of more than 100 publications and has co-edited six books and monographs.
Beyond the Web Tutorial: Development and Implementation of an Online, Self-Directed Academic Integrity Course at Oakland University

Abstract Intentional and unintentional plagiarism cases occur frequently and present unique pedagogical challenges for librarians, who often are deemed responsible for ensuring that undergraduates gain a solid understanding of academic integrity issues via information literacy instruction. This article describes the process by which faculty from the Oakland University Libraries and the Oakland University Writing Center developed an online, self-directed academic integrity course aimed at reducing plagiarism on campus. Prior to this course, the library offered a substantially shorter web-based plagiarism tutorial, which was used in course instruction and the Cite Right Program, the writing center's intervention for academic dishonesty. A recent assessment of this tool revealed that it no longer addressed the needs of the campus community. To address its gaps, the library and the writing center collaborated on more substantial content, which is detailed herein.
Graphene fillers for ultra-efficient thermal interface materials

Continuous scaling of Si CMOS devices and circuits, increased speed and integration densities resulted in problems with thermal management of nanoscale device and computer chips [1]. Further progress in information, communication and energy storage technologies requires more efficient heat removal methods and stimulates the search for thermal interface material (TIMs) with enhanced thermal conductivity. The commonly used TIMs are filled with the particles such as silver or silica. The conventional TIMs require high volume fractions of the filler (∼70%) to achieve thermal conductivity of ∼1–5 W/mK. Recently, some of us discovered that graphene has extremely high intrinsic thermal conductivity, which exceeds that of carbon nanotubes [2–4]. To use this property for thermal management of nanoscale electronic devices, we utilized the inexpensive liquid-phase exfoliated graphene and multi-layer graphene (MLG) as filler materials in TIMs (Figure 1). The thermal properties of the obtained graphene-epoxy composites were measured using the “laser flash” technique (Figure 2). It was found that the thermal conductivity enhancement factor exceeded a factor of 23 at 10% of the graphene volume loading fraction [5]. This enhancement is larger than anything that has been achieved using other fillers. We have also tested graphene flakes in the electrically-conductive hybrid graphene-metal particle TIMs. The thermal conductivity of resulting composites was increased by a factor of ∼5 in a temperature range from 300 K to 400 K at a small graphene loading fraction of 5-vol.-% [6]. The unusually strong enhancement of thermal properties was attributed to the high thermal conductivity of graphene, strong graphene coupling to matrix materials and the large range of the length-scale - from nanometers to micrometers - of the graphene and silver particle fillers. Graphene-based TIMs have a number of other advantages related to their viscosity and adhesion, which meet the industry requirements. Our results suggest that graphene can become excellent filler materials in the next generation of TIMs for the electronic, optoelectronic and photovoltaic solar cell applications.
Awards to groups: The university of Wisconsin system's departmental teaching award

The rationale, history, and guidelines of the University of Wisconsin System's teaching award for academic departments and programs serves as a model for other institutions seeking ways to reward group teaching achievements.
Chest pain associated with rate-related left bundle branch block and cardiac memory mimicking ischemia

Background Intermittent left bundle branch block (LBBB) has been linked to chest pain, and causes cardiac memory electrocardiographic (ECG) changes mimicking ischemia.
Effects of holocene climate change on the c4 grassland/woodland boundary in the northern plains, usa

To determine how grassland, woodland, and bordering forests respond to increased aridity, we used paleoecological methods to examine past responses along a transect of three sites at the eastern boundary of the Northern Plains of North America. Our study region corresponds to the confluence of three air streams that control central North American climates and, hence, should be sensitive to climate change. Sediment cores were analyzed for evidence of Holocene vegetation and fire from tall-grass prairie in eastern North Dakota (Moon Lake), from mixed forest near the prairie border in northwestern Minnesota (Deming Lake), and from mixed forest more remote from prairie in western Wisconsin (Dark Lake). Together with pollen and charcoal analysis, we present a new method for determining δ13C of terrestrial (charred) organic matter and, thus, the relative importance of C3 and C4 photosynthetic pathways in past vegetation. Paleorecords were supplemented with surface charcoal accumulation and δ13C from 21 North American lakes that span boreal, deciduous, pine, and mixed forest to tall- and mixed-grass prairie. Surface charcoal and δ13C follow vegetation and climate gradients, with high charcoal accumulation and δ13C (−20‰) in the Plains (Dakotas, Nebraska, and southwest Minnesota) and decreases to the east, west, and north. The δ13C pattern is consistent with observed patterns of C3:C4 dominance across the region. Sediment, pollen, charcoal, and terrestrial δ13C show that vegetation response to climate change varied substantially among tall-grass prairie, bordering woodland, and forest. During maximum aridity (8000;nd4000 yr BP) prairie vegetation in eastern North Dakota showed a demise of woody vegetation followed by a fluctuating dominance of grasses (40% C4) and forbs. Meanwhile, prairie expanded eastward into northwestern Minnesota, where it produced a shifting dominance between mostly C4 grasses and woody vegetation until more humid conditions and mixed forest developed after 4000 yr BP. Mixed forest in southwestern Wisconsin showed little response to mid-Holocene aridity. Elevated δ13C values from 5000 to 3000 yr BP suggest that composition of grasses changed (to increased C4), although pollen data indicate that the total abundance of grasses remained constant. The increase in C4 grasses at this time is consistent with previous studies suggesting a delayed dry interval in eastern Iowa. Reduced aridity of the last 2000 yr brought increased fire to tall-grass prairie as higher primary productivity led to increased fuel load. Meanwhile, forest expanded in northwestern Minnesota, leading to decreased ignition and fine fuels, in turn resulting in decreased fire at the woodland margin.
Distance-regular graphs and (s, c, a, k)-graphs

Abstract A diameter-bound theorem for a class of distance-regular graphs which includes all those with even girth is presented. A new class of graphs, called (s, c, a, k)-graphs, is introduced, which are conjectured to contain enough of the local structure of finite distance-regular graphs for them all to be finite. It is proved that they are finite and a bound on the diameter is given in the case a ≤ c.
Use of the biotic ligand model to predict pulse-exposure toxicity of copper to fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas)

Concentrations of cationic metals (e.g., Ag, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) and other water quality parameters (e.g., pH, alkalinity, hardness, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration) often cycle daily in surface waters, and the toxicity of the metals to aquatic organisms is altered by variations in those water quality parameters. Consequently, a method is needed to predict the LC50s (median lethal concentrations) of dissolved metals in temporally varying water quality. In this study, we combined the biotic ligand model (BLM), which predicts toxicity of cationic metals across a wide range of water quality conditions, with a one-compartment uptake-depuration (OCUD) model, which predicts toxicity of a chemical at any exposure time in either continuous or time-variable exposures, to test whether we could accurately predict pulse-exposure toxicity of Cu to fathead minnow (FHM; Pimephales promelas) larvae. First, we conducted continuous-exposure toxicity tests to calculate 1- to 96-h Cu LC50s for the FHM larvae. Then we re-parameterized the default Cu BLM for FHM until the corresponding predicted Cu LA50s (medial lethal accumulations at the biotic ligand) collapsed together into a narrow band and also fit the generalized pattern of an OCUD model [i.e., a steeply sloping plot of ln(LA50) versus ln(time) at short exposure times, followed by a gradual approach to an incipient lethal level at longer exposure times]. Next, in 72-h tests, we exposed FHM larvae to 2- or 8-h square-wave pulses of elevated Cu concentration followed by recovery in uncontaminated water for the remaining 22 or 16 h in each of three consecutive 24-h pulse-and-recovery cycles, at pH 6 or 7 in water containing either 0.5 or 2 mEq/L hardness and 0 or 20 mg DOC/L. Using the combined BLM-OCUD model developed from continuous-exposure data, we then predicted the Cu LA50s in the pulse-exposure tests and compared those LA50s to the observed pulse-exposure Cu LA50s. Although predicted pulse-exposure LA50s were within approximately 4x of the observed pulse-exposure LA50s, delayed deaths during the recovery phases of the exposures precluded more accurate predictions of pulse-exposure Cu LA50s and, as a consequence, of pulse-exposure dissolved Cu LC50s. We conclude that one global OCUD equation linked to a re-parameterized Cu BLM for FHM can be used to predict the acute toxicity of continuous and pulse exposures of Cu to FHM larvae across a range of water quality conditions; but to improve the accuracy of those predictions, a mechanism must be developed to account for delayed deaths.
Weber on Bureaucracy: Management Consultant or Political Theorist?

Disputing the generally accepted view of Weber's essays on bureaucracy, this paper argues that these writings were not concerned with problems of organizational efficiency or effectiveness. The prevalence of such understanding is attributed to mistranslation of Weber's manuscripts. A more suitable interpretation is presented, and its ramifications are discussed.
SU-GG-T-304: Comparison of Three Commercial MOSFET Dosimeters for Use in Total Body Irradiation

Purpose: To determine the efficacy of three MOSFET dosimeters to perform in vivo measurements of both entrance and exit dose in total body irradiation. Method and Materials: Three commercially available OSFET dosimeters including the Thomson Nielsen Mobile Mosfet (Best Medical) OneDose and OneDose Plus (both from Sicel) were tested under TBI conditions. Measurements were made with two phantoms: a 30cm × 30cm × 21cm solid water phantom and an anthropomorphic phantom. The midlines of the phantoms were placed at 492 cm from the source, the standard TBI condition in our clinic. TBI procedures in our clinic involve irradiation of the patient decubitis with two opposed 6 MV photon beam. To ensure equilibrium, 1.5cm of bolus was used for the Thomson Nielsen MOSFET as well as OneDose. The OneDose Plus system possesses an internal buildup cap. For the solid water phantom, measurements were made at five positions beginning with the central axis. Measurement positions on the anthropomorphic phantom included the head, neck, chest, and umbillicus. Entrance and exit doses were recorded and normalized to an ion chamber reading. Results: All three MOSFET detector measurements were within 2% of the ion chamber measurements when measuring entrance dose on the solid water phantom. When measuring exit dose, OneDose Plus recorded a 40% over response while the other detectors were within tolerance. Entrance and exit dose measurements using the anthropomorphic phantom saw more variation with results deviating from the ion chamber reading as much as 5%. Conclusion: The MOSFET dosimeters provide a convenient method for in vivo dosimetry for total body irradiation. Entrance and exit doses under ideal conditions were accurate, but degraded slightly when placed on an anthropomorphic phantom. OneDose Plus showed an over response when measuring exit dose.
Oral metastasis from hypernephroma.

A case of hypernephroma (renal-cell carcinoma) with oral metastasis is presented. The patient was a 77-year-old man who returned to his physician with a painful mass on his tongue three weeks after a left nephrectomy. He was subsequently referred to the authors with a tentative diagnosis of squamous-cell carcinoma of the tongue. The mass could have been mistaken for another primary tumor but biopsy revealed metastatic hypernephroma. The reporting of cases such as this may help the clinician in the diagnosis of unusual metastatic lesions.
The direct detection of an aryl azide excited state: an ultrafast study of the photochemistry of para- and ortho-biphenyl azide.

Ultrafast laser flash photolysis (266 nm) of para- and ortho-biphenyl azide in acetonitrile produces azide excited states that have broad absorption bands centered at 480 nm. The para-biphenyl azide excited singlet state has a lifetime of 100 fs. The excited-state lifetime of the ortho-azide isomer is 450 ± 150 fs. Decay of the azide excited states is accompanied by the formation of the corresponding known singlet nitrenes (para, λmax = 350 nm, ortho, λmax = 400 nm). Singlet para-biphenylnitrene is born with excess energy and undergoes vibrational cooling with a time constant of 11 ps to form the long-lived (τ ∼ 9 ns) relaxed singlet nitrene. Singlet ortho-biphenylnitrene decays with a lifetime of 16 ps in acetonitrile at ambient temperature.
Selection of a 1.3758-μm channel for remote sensing of cirrus clouds and stratospheric aerosols from EOS/MODIS

Thin cirrus clouds are difficult to detect in visible and thermal infrared images, particularly over land. Using spectral imaging data measured with the airborne visible/infrared imaging spectrometer (AVIRIS) from an ER-2 aircraft, it has been found that narrow channels close to the center of the strong 1.38 micrometers water vapor band are very effective in separating thin cirrus clouds from clear surface areas. Due to the total absorption of solar radiation by atmospheric water vapor, pixels that do not contain cirrus clouds or stratospheric aerosols are black in images around 1.38 micrometers . Pixels containing cirrus clouds appear white in these images because of the scattering of solar radiation by cirrus clouds. We have selected a near- IR channel centered at 1.375 micrometers with a width of 30 nm for the moderate resolution imaging spectrometer (MODIS) for remote sensing of cirrus clouds from space. This channel may also be useful for remote sensing of stratospheric aerosols when cirrus clouds are absent.
The effect of estrogen on epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation in the crypts of the descending colon of the mouse: A radioautographic study

The regulatory role of estrogen on cell population kinetics in the descending colon was studied in intact female and ovariectomized mice. In the colonic crypts from intact mice, the crypt size (the number of epithelial cells per crypt column) and the proliferative activity of epithelial cells fluctuated slightly during the estrous cycle. Peak cellularity per crypt column was exhibted during estrus and early diestrus, whereas peaks in labeling index were seen during estrus and late metestrus. While the population size of mucous cells showed a minimal variation, the number of proliferative vacuolated cells per crypt column varied inversely with that of differentiated columnar cells during estrous cycle. The vacuolated cells were increased in number in the preovulatory phase and the columnar cells in the postovulatory phase. Three weeks after bilateral ovariectomy, the colonic crypt appeared to reach a new steady state, which was characterized by a small crypt size, a decrease in the number of differentiated cells, an increase in the relative number of proliferative cells and a relative increase in the proliferative activity of the crypt as compared to intact mice. When ovariectomized mice were treated with estrogen, the number of 3H-thymidine-labeled cells in the crypt was decreased as compared to untreated ovariectomized mice, the decrease being greater after a single injection than after multiple injections of estrogen, and the vacuolated-columnar cell line being affected more than mucous cell line. Meanwhile, the crypt size as well as the population size of differentiated cells in the crypt failed to return to normal after estrogen treatments. Thus, estrogen did not promote differentiation of epithelial cells in the crypt.
Stability of the boundary separating Antarctic Bottom Water from North Atlantic Deep Water in the western South Atlantic

A comparison of data collected between 1911 and 1937 with those obtained during SAVE (1987–89) and AJAX (1984) expeditions reveals no significant change in the position of the boundary separating Antarctic Bottom Water and North Atlantic Deep Water in the western South Atlantic Ocean.
Crystalline T4 bacteriophage.

Abstract Concentrated suspensions of T4 phage crystallize spontaneously in the absence of tryptophan. The crystals, in one plane, contain repeated bilayers of phage in head to head and tail to tail contact, probably with tail fibers retracted. In the plane of each layer there is hexagonal packing of the phage.
Powder metallurgy approach for control of microstructure and properties in high strength aluminum alloys

High-strength products made from atomized Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Co alloy powders have good combinations of strength, ductility, resistance to stress-corrosion cracking and fracture toughness. Powder Metallurgy (PJM) methods produce fine metallurgical structures and compositions which cannot be produced by Ingot Metallurgy (IJM) methods.
Optimal assignment of slack due-date and sequencing in a single machine shop

Abstract This paper considers the problem of optimal assignment of slack due-dates to n jobs and sequencing them on a single-machine to minimize a penalty function depending on the values of the assigned slack allowance and maximum job tardiness. It is shown that the result given by Cheng [2] on this problem is incorrect and we give the correct answer to this problem.
Root-Knot Nematode—Directed Expression of a Plant Root—Specific Gene

Root-knot nematodes are obligate plant parasites that induce development of an elaborate feeding site during root infection. Feeding-site formation results from a complex interaction between the pathogen and the host plant in which the nematode alters patterns of plant gene expression within the cells destined to become the feeding site. Expression of TobRB7, a gene expressed only in tobacco roots, is induced during feeding site development. The cis-acting sequences that mediate induction by the nematode are separate from those that control normal root-specific expression. Reporter transgenes driven by the nematode-responsive promoter sequences exhibit expression exclusively in the developing feeding site.
Family planning knowledge, attitudes and practices in women with schizophrenic spectrum disorders.

This study set out to test three hypotheses about family planning in women with schizophrenic spectrum disorders, as compared to demographically comparable non-mentally ill control women: that they...
Wave–Wave Interactions in the Stratosphere: Observations during Quiet and Active Wintertime Periods

Smith (1983) has demonstrated that wave-wave interactions among planetary waves 1, 2, and 3 were important during the month of January 1979, a period characterized by extremely large wave 1 amplitudes in the stratosphere. In the present investigation, the same analysis is applied to the period November 1978 through March 1979 with the aim to determine the conditions under which wave-wave interactions were important. Attention is given to enstrophy budget calculations, the wave 1/wave 2 vacillation, a quantitative measure of wave-wave interactions, and examples of wave-wave interactions during several periods. It is found that the vacillation between waves 1 and 2 has no clear relationship to the tropopause forcing as represented by the 300 mb amplitude.
Reasoning about actions in a probabilistic setting

In this paper we present a language to reason about actions in a probabilistic setting and compare our work with earlier work by Pearl.The main feature of our language is its use of static and dynamic causal laws, and use of unknown (or background) variables - whose values are determined by factors beyond our model - in incorporating probabilities. We use two kind of unknown variables: inertial and non-inertial. Inertial unknown variables are helpful in assimilating observations and modeling counterfactuals and causality; while non-inertial unknown variables help characterize stochastic behavior, such as the outcome of tossing a coin, that are not impacted by observations. Finally, we give a glimpse of incorporating probabilities into reasoning with narratives.
An examination of attitudes involving cash flow accounting: Implications for the content of cash flow statements

Abstract This research surveyed the attitudes of financial analysts, investment advisors, accounting professors and accountants (public and private) towards certain cash flow accounting (CFA) disclosures that extend beyond the requirements of the various international cash flow pronouncements discussed in this paper. In general, the financial analysts and investment advisors were significantly more receptive toward the role of CFA in external financial reporting than were the other two groups. Both the financial analysts and the investment advisors were supportive of the proposal for the disclosure of the accounting number “operating cash flow per share” in annual reports. The findings suggest that perhaps in the U.S., the SEC and the FASB should allow more latitude in the reporting of CFA and permit this disclosure. The results are also relevant on an international level to countries that are either reviewing their cash flow reporting requirements or involved in initial deliberations involving cash flow
Fundamentals of ridge crest topography

A linear relationship between the sea floor depth and the square root of age has been found for ocean lithosphere spreading from mid-ocean ridges. The asymptotic solution of depth as a function of age for the thermally contracting lithosphere predicts a linear dependence of depth ontwith a proportionality involving the initial lithosphere temperature, the thermal diffusivity, and the isostatic expansion coefficient averaged to include any temperature dependent phase changes. Empirical depth observations, when plotted as a function of the square root of age, bear out this prediction well, but there is a variation in the gradient,ht, along the ridge on a fine scale (up to 20% over 200 km). This implies a fundamental variation of the contraction parameter over the same scale, most probably of compositional origin. Details of a more complete cooling model near the ridge crest, including a crust of different thermal parameters than those of the mantle, predict a crestal height about 0.2 km below that of the simplified model. Individual profiles from the southeast Pacific show no such crestal deviation, and it is concluded that by quickly cooling the new crust, hydrothermal circulation may remove any effects of the crust which would be seen in the topography of a lithosphere cooled totally by conduction. The straightness of depth versust for older ocean data (to 80 m.y.) precludes any basal isothermal boundary shallower than 100 km.
On the stability of mesh equidistribution strategies for time-dependent partial differential equations

Abstract We study the stability of several mesh equidistribution schemes for time-dependent partial differential equations in one space dimension. The schemes move a finite difference or finite element mesh so that a given quantity is uniform over the domain. We consider mesh-moving methods that are based on solving a system of ordinary differential equations for the mesh velocities and show that some of these methods are unstable with respect to an equidistributing mesh when the partial differential system is dissipative. Using linear perturbation techniques, we are able to develop simple criteria for determining the stability of a particular method and show how to construct stable differential systems for the mesh velocities. Several examples illustrating stable and unstable mesh motions are presented.
Simulation and optimization of volume holographic imaging systems in Zemax

We present a new methodology for ray–tracing analysis of volume holographic imaging (VHI) systems. Using the k–sphere formulation, we apply geometrical relationships to describe the volumetric diffraction effects imposed on rays passing through a volume hologram. We explain the k–sphere formulation in conjunction with ray tracing process and describe its implementation in a Zemax®UDS (User Defined Surface). We conclude with examples of simulation and optimization results and show proof of consistency and usefulness of the proposed model.
Desmosomes in the Heart: A Review of Clinical and Mechanistic Analyses

Desmosomes have long been appreciated as intercellular junctions that are vital for maintaining the structural integrity of stratified epithelia. More recent clinical investigations of patients with diseases such as arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy have further highlighted the importance of desmosomes in cardiac tissue, where they help to maintain coordination of cardiac myocytes. Here, we review clinical and mechanistic studies that provide insight into the functions of desmosomal proteins in skin and heart during homeostasis and in disease. While intercellular junctions are organized differently in cardiac and epithelial tissues, studies conducted in epithelial systems may inform our understanding of cardiac desmosomes. We explore traditional and non-traditional roles of desmosomal proteins, ranging from adhesive capacities to nuclear functions. Finally, we discuss how these studies can guide future investigations focused on determining the molecular mechanisms by which desmosomal mutations promote the development of cardiac diseases.
Response Inhibition of rats with medial and lateral septal lesions

Ten male albino rats were shaped to bar press for food pellets and placed on a differential reinforcement of low-rate (DRL) schedule to investigate the effects of lesions in medial septal rats and lateral septal rats on response inhibition. All Ss in both experimental groups, including those that failed to meet the 50% response reinforcement criterion, did show a gradual and distinct acquisition curve. For all groups, as training progressed, an attenuation in response rate was accompanied by an increase in number of reinforcements. Mann-Whitney U tests indicate that the differences between the control group and each experimental group were significant at the.05 level. No significant differences were found between the medial septal group and the lateral septal group.
Dualistic thiourea moiety taste response of methimazole

Determination of the taste responses to phenylthiourea, to propylthiouracil, and to 1-methyl-2-mercaptoimidazole (methimazole) using impregnated filter paper strips on a group of 191 individuals showed that methimazole, contrary to its literature description of “almost no taste,” is quite bitter to 30 per cent of the population studied, and does possess a dualistic taste similar to the other two compounds tested.
Everolimus long-term safety and efficacy in subependymal giant cell astrocytoma

Objective: To report long-term efficacy and safety data for everolimus for the treatment of subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA) in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Methods: This was an open-label extension phase of a prospective, phase 1–2 trial (NCT00411619) in patients ≥3 years of age with SEGA associated with TSC. Patients received oral everolimus starting at 3 mg/m 2 per day and subsequently titrated, subject to tolerability, to attain whole blood trough concentrations of 5–15 ng/mL. Change in SEGA volume, seizures, and safety assessments were the main outcome measures. Results: Of 28 patients enrolled, 25 were still under treatment at the time of analysis. Median dose was 5.3 mg/m 2 /day and median treatment duration was 34.2 months (range 4.7–47.1). At all time points (18, 24, 30, and 36 months), primary SEGA volume was reduced by ≥30% from baseline (treatment response) in 65%–79% of patients. All patients reported ≥1 adverse event (AE), mostly grade 1/2 in severity, consistent with that previously reported, and none led to everolimus discontinuation. The most commonly reported drug-related AEs were upper respiratory infections (85.7%), stomatitis (85.7%), sinusitis (46.4%), and otitis media (35.7%). No drug-related grade 4 or 5 events occurred. Conclusion: Everolimus therapy is safe and effective for longer term (median exposure 34.2 months) treatment of patients with TSC with SEGA. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class III evidence that everolimus, titrated to trough serum levels of 5–15 ng/mL, was effective in reducing tumor size in patients with SEGA secondary to TSC for a median of 34 months.
Amplatzer vascular plug for transcatheter closure of persistent unligated vertical vein after repair of infracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connection.

Repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) involves anastomosing the pulmonary venous confluence with the left atrium and ligating the vertical vein. Sometimes, the vertical vein needs to be left open as a pop off with the idea that it will close over time. Infrequently an unligated vertical vein may remain patent after repair of infaracardiac TAPVC leading to hemodynamic instability. We report an infant in whom an unligated vertical vein remained patent after the repair of infracardiac TAPVC and caused hemodynamically significant left-to-right shunting. A successful transcatheter closure of persistent patent unligated vertical vein was performed using the