cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tenancy in the Southern States

Number of farms and farm area of the South; size of farms in North and South, 482. — Value of the southern farm contrasted to that of the North; value of equipment, 483. — Tenancy conditions affected by the negro, 484. — Terminology on tenancy different in South from that in the North, 485. — Percentage of tenancy by States, 188O–1910; tenancy and colored farmers predominate in the cotton belt, 486. — Negroes gain over white farmers in possession of farms, 487. — Changes in proportion of cash and share tenancy; cash and share tenancy in relation to intensivity of cultivation, 488. — Tenancy and its relation to value of land, 490. — Relations to character of crops, to amount of live stock, to value of buildings, 491. — The negro tenant in the white districts, 492. — The "Renters' Union of America," 494. — Length of lease, 495. — Forces which will counteract tenancy, 496.
Gas composition and respiration of water oak (Quercus nigra L.) and green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.) roots after prolonged flooding

We compared the effects of 9.5 months of a continuous flooding treatment with a drained control treatment on one year-old seedlings of green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.) and water oak (Quercus nigra L.), two tree species common to the bottomland-hardwood forests of eastern North America. The internal root gas composition of the more flood tolerant species, green ash, maintained higher oxygen and lower carbon dioxide concentrations under the flooding treatment than water oak. This apparently resulted in differences in rhizosphere oxidation. The amounts of Fe and Mn and the Fe/Mn ratio of the root coating extracted from trees in reduced soil conditions were much higher for the green ash than the water oak. It is argued that this reflects differences in the ability of these two species to maintain rhizosphere oxidation under prolonged periods of flooding and to prevent the accumulation of reduced potentially phytotoxic compounds. Alcohol dehydrogenase activity increased in the green ash and decreased in the water oak in the flooded treatment. This indicated that the better adapted species was able to rely upon increased anaerobic respiration in order to compensate for the decreased root oxygen supply, but the water oak was unable to maintain previous levels of respiration, probably as the result of sulfide toxicity.
Investigation of clustered actuation in tensegrity structures

As tensegrity research is moving away from static structures toward active structures it is becoming critical that new actuation strategies and comprehensive active structures theories are developed to fully exploit the properties of tensegrity structures. In this paper a new general tensegrity paradigm is presented that incorporates a concept referred to as clustered actuation. Clustered actuation exploits the existence of cable elements in a tensegrity structure by allowing cables to be run over frictionless pulleys or through frictionless loops at the nodes. This actuation strategy is a scalable solution that can be utilized for active structures that incorporate many active elements and can reduce the number of actuators necessary for complex shape changes. Clustered actuation also has secondary benefits, specifically reducing the force requirements of actuators in dynamic structures, reducing the number of pre-stress modes to potentially one global mode and relieving element size limitations that occur with embedded actuation. Newly formulated clustered equilibrium equations are developed using energy methods and are shown to be a generalization of the classic tensegrity governing equations. Pre-stress analysis, mechanism analysis and stability of clustered structures are discussed. Lastly, examples compare the mechanics of a clustered structure to an equivalent classic structure and the utility of clustering is highlighted by allowing for actuation throughout a class 1 (no bar-to-bar connections) tensegrity while not embedding the actuators into the structure.
Stresses Around a Pin-loaded Hole in Orthotropic Plates

A compact analytical solution of stresses around a pin-loaded hole in orthotropic plates is obtained by the complex stress functions which satisfy the displacement boundary conditions along the hol...
The use and interpretation of ponderal index and other weight-height ratios in epidemiological studies

Abstract Criteria for an index of weight corrected for height are presented and used to investigate, both theoretically and practically, the properties of three weight-height ratios: weight height , weight height 2 and ponderal index. The data on height, weight and skinfold thickness used in the analysis were collected during the fourth examination of the Framingham Study. Based on the criterion that the ratio should be independent of height, the best of the three proposed ratios depends on the value of the intercept and the coefficient of the regression of weight on height for the population under consideration. The most likely best ratio in Western male populations is weight height 2 and it seems probable that in Western female populations it is weight height : the least likely for both sexes is ponderal index. Evidence is also given to show that all three indices are poor measures of adiposity.
THERMOMECHANICAL POSTBUCKLING OF GEOMETRICALLY IMPERFECT SHEAR–DEFORMABLE FLAT AND CURVED PANELS ON A NONLINEAR ELASTIC FOUNDATION

The postbuckling behavior of flat/curved panels resting on a Winkler linear/nonlinear foundation, subjected to compressive edge loads and exposed to a nonuniform temperature field is investigated. Effects played by transverse shear, initial geometric imperfections, panel curvature and Winkler's foundation moduli are highlighted and a number of pertinent conclusions are outlined.
Effects of alloy modification and thermomechanical processing on recrystallization of Al-Mg-Mn alloys

The 5083 Al alloy (Al-4.75Mg-0.8Mn) holds potential for superplastic forming (SPF), but slow rates of forming limit its use for many applications. Higher strain rates are believed possible through the development of finer grained microstructures or stabilized subgrain structures. Grain sizes after recrystallization and recrystallization characteristics are known to be dependent on the amount and distribution of second-phase particles in the matrix. In this study, the concentration and sizes of such particles were varied by additions of particle-forming elements of Mn and Zr and by modifications of the rolling and aging schedules (thermomechanical processing (TMP)). The investigation involved studying recrystallization kinetics at different temperatures and correlating the grain sizes with particle sizes and volume fractions. The addition of Mn and Zr, for the composition ranges and TMP methods studied, resulted in a substantial reduction of the recrystallization kinetics, but complete suppression of static recrystallization (or subgrain stabilization) was not observed. However, statically recrystallized grain sizes as small as 6 μm were achieved.
Multiangle, time-resolved spectroscopy of laser-light scattering in underdense, inhomogeneous laser plasmas.

Multiangle, time-resolved, spectroscopic measurements of laser-light scattering from preformed, large, very underdense laser plasmas with finite inhomogeneous flow are reported. Absolutely calibrated spectra of the scattered light were recorded simultaneously at several angles. The variations in the scattering in time and angle indicate that ion-acoustic turbulence, rather than stimulated Brillouin scattering, is dominant in determining the scattering amplitudes.
Geochemistry: When carbon escaped from the sea

A record of boron isotopes in fossils of microscopic plankton provides fresh evidence that some ocean regions were a source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere when Earth warmed at the end of the last ice age. See Letter p.219
Participation in decision‐making by staff in community mental health programs

Staff participation in decision-making was examined in 22 community mental health programs in Michigan. A questionnaire was completed by 164 practitioners employed at least half time. The response rate was 94%. For virtually every work-related decision examined, the practitioners wanted significantly greater participation in decision-making than they currently have. Also, those working in programs where practitioner participation was high reported greater fob satisfaction, less role ambiguity, greater use of their skills, better communication among staff, and greater goal clarity and attainability. Practitioner participation was lowest in programs serving more disturbed, less successful populations, such as inpatient, mental retardation, and drug-abuse programs. Paraprofessional practitioners in all programs reported less participation in their fobs than professional practitioners. Finally, practitioners who typically interact more with clients also reported lower levels of participation.
A principle of linear covariance for quantum mechanics and the electronic structure theory of molecules and other atom clusters

Quantum mechanical equations should look the same in any non-orthonormal or orthonormal basis frame when properly formulated so as to be fully covariant under the largest group indicated. Non-orthonormal frames are crucial especially for the quantum theory of chemistry. Various methods such as valence-bond, localized orbital, molecular orbital, etc. result from a single formulation using the principle of linear covariance which is stated, proved, and exemplified. Molecular quantities with the full inclusion of overlaps are derived with the same ease as without overlaps.
SwimBrowser and beyond

In this paper we describe SwimBrowser, a gestural web browser, and discuss its implications for accessibility, personal fitness, performing arts, and gestural interaction.
Trypsin-resistant forms of human growth hormone have diabetogenic and insulin-like activities

Abstract Although diabetogenic and insulin-like activities are intrinsic properties of the growth hormone (GH) molecule, it has been frequently suggested that the hormone must be proteolytically processed for these activities to be expressed. If this is correct, then derivatives of GH having resistance to appropriate proteolytic attack might not have diabetogenic and/or insulin-like activity. The purpose of the present study was to prepare derivatives of human GH that are resistant to digestion by trypsin and to determine whether they posses diabetogenic or insulin-like activity. Three derivatives were prepared from purified native human GH in which lysine residues were modified with methyl acetimidate, citraconic anhhydride of S -ethylthioltrifluoroacetate, and one in which arginine residues were modified with camphorquinone-10-sulfonic acid. Comparisons of peptide maps of tryptic digests of these derivatives with that of unmodified human GH indicated that all four were resistant to proteolysis by trypsin. All of these trypsin-resistant forms of human GH were found to posses ssignificant growth-promoting, diabetogenic and insulin-like activities, although all activities were attenuated to some extent in each derivative. The relative potencies of the human GH derivatives in a radioimmunoassay for human GH were somewhat similar to their order of potency in the growth-promoting and diabetogenic assays. These results suggest that if proteolytic processing of the GH molecule is involved in the expression of one or more of its biological activities, such processing probably does not involve a trypsin-like proteinase.
Water‐temperatures in reservoirs

Many investigations of water-temperatures at different depths in reservoirs have been made during the last 50 years, particularly in connection with the design of storage-works for municipal water-supply. Hamilton Smith, Jr., published a brief article on the subject in 1884, and Desmond Fitzgerald published a more lengthy article in 1895. Since that time several comprehensive papers on deep-water temperatures have been recorded in scientific literature. The bibliography appended hereto lists some of the more important contributions.
Neuropsychological effects of hostility and pain on emotion perception

In order to examine the neuropsychological effects of hostility on emotional and pain processing, auditory emotion perception before and after cold pressor pain in high and low hostile men was examined. Additionally, quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) was recorded between each experimental manipulation. Results indicated that identification of emotion post cold pressor differed as a function of hostility level and ear. Primary QEEG findings indicated increased left temporal activation after cold pressor exposure and increased reactivity to cold pressor pain in the high hostile group. Low hostile men had a bilateral increase in high beta magnitude at the temporal lobes and a bilateral increase in delta magnitude at the frontal lobes after the cold pressor. Taken together, results from the dichotic listening task and the QEEG suggest decreased cerebral laterality and left hemisphere activation for emotional and pain processing in high hostile men.
Influence of serum protein, serum albumin concentrations and dose on midazolam anaesthesia induction times.

Individual variation occurs in time to induction of anaesthesia with intravenous drugs. Less free drug is available to cross the blood-brain barrier when the drug is highly protein bound. Since this may prolong time to sleep, we correlated the induction time, serum albumin and total protein concentrations, and doses of midazolam, which is a highly protein bound intravenous anaesthetic. There is a poor correlation (r = 0.062) between induction time and serum protein, a weak (r = 0.524) but statistically significant (p = 0.026) correlation between induction time and serum albumin, and a highly significant (p = 0.003) negative correlation (r = -0.579) between drug dose and induction time. The administration of the appropriate dose of midazolam for induction, therefore, appears to affect induction time more significantly than does the serum albumin concentration.
Effect magnitude: A different focus

The role of measures of effect magnitude in the research enterprise is examined. Measures of effect magnitude are used for four purposes: (a) to estimate the sample size required to achieve an acceptable power, (b) to integrate the results of empirical research studies in meta-analyses, (c) to supplement the information provided by null hypothesis significance tests, and (d) to determine whether research results are practically significant. The advantage of focusing on effect magnitude and practical significance instead of statistical significance and p values is illustrated with an example.
Faulted dipoles in germanium A high-resolution transmission electron microscopy study

Abstract Faulted dipoles ranging in height from 3 to 12 nm in high-purity Ge have been studied by lattice-fringe and weak-bean transmission electron microscopy techniques. Only intrinsic, Z-shape faulted dipoles were observed. Lattice-fringe images of large faulted dipoles, weak-beam images of faulted dipoles, and weak-beam images of faulted dipoles, and weak-beam images of near-edge dislocations yield stacking-fault energies of 78±14 mJ m−2, respectively. When determined from the height and width of faulted dipoles viewed end-on in lattice-fringe images, the value for the stacking-fault energy calculated from anisotropic elasticity theory increases from 78 to 160 mJ m−2 as the height decreases from 6 to 3nm.
NORMALIZATION FOR ULTRAFAST RADIATIVE TRANSFER ANALYSIS WITH COLLIMATED IRRADIATION

Normalization of the scattering phase function is applied to the transient discrete ordinates method for ultrafast radiative transfer analysis in a turbid medium subject to a normal collimated incidence. Previously, the authors have developed a normalization technique which accurately conserves both scattered energy and phase function asymmetry factor after directional discretization for the Henyey-Greenstein phase function approximation in steady-state diffuse radiative transfer analysis. When collimated irradiation is considered, additional normalization must be applied to ensure that the collimated phase function also satisfies both scattered energy and asymmetry factor conservation. The authors’ technique is applied to both the diffuse and collimated components of scattering using the general Legendre polynomial phase function approximation for accurate and efficient ultrafast radiative transfer analysis. The impact of phase function normalization on both predicted heat fluxes and overall energy deposition in a model tissue cylinder is investigated for various phase functions and optical properties. A comparison is shown between the discrete ordinates method and the finite volume method. It is discovered that a lack of conservation of asymmetry factor for the collimated component of scattering causes over-predictions in both energy deposition and heat flux for highly anisotropic media.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Is radical prostatectomy primarily a surgical debulking procedure

Radical prostatectomy has been considered the gold standard for the curative treatment of clinically localized prostate cancer. After an extensive review of the literature, we concluded that surgery probably functions primarily as a tumor debulking procedure rather than a curative one. Morphometric studies suggest that the majority of patients undergoing surgery have tumors too large for cure. Histologic studies demonstrate that 55% of radical prostatectomy specimens show evidence of extraprostatic disease and approximately 15% have tumors so small that a clinical impact on longevity is unlikely. Thus, only 30% of patients have surgery that is clearly beneficial on a histopathologic basis. Given the rather long doubling time of prostate cancers, many patients with residual cancer following surgery die of other causes, giving the false impression of cure. However, long-term studies in men with positive surgical margins have demonstrated that the majority die from prostate cancer. Furthermore, using prostate specific antigen as a measure of progression, the biochemical disease-free survival rates are substantially lower than the cause-specific survival rates. Although radical prostatectomy may be the best tumor debulking procedure available, it is associated with substantial morbidity and cost. This information is important for both physician and patient when deciding on management of prostate cancer.
ROMA guided conservative management for women diagnosed with an ovarian cyst or pelvic mass

Objectives: PTEN mutations are frequently observed in endometrioid uterine cancer and lead to hyperactivation of the PI3K/Akt pathway. However, the role of BRCA1 and 2 mutations, leading to homologous recombination deficiency, is not known in this disease. We sought to determine the frequency and clinical significance of BRCA mutations in patients with uterine cancer and PTEN mutations. Methods:We assessed PTEN, BRCA1, and BRCA2mutation status for 248 uterine tumor samples using level 3 data fromThe Cancer GenomeAtlas (TCGA). We performed mutation analysis for PTEN, BRCA1, and BRCA2 for an additional 251 samples from TCGA using ANNOVAR. A total of 499 patientswere included in the analysis. Clinical data, including stage, tumor histology, and overall survival, were also extracted. Fisher's exact tests were used to identify the association betweenmutation status and histologic subtype. Kaplan–Meier plots were constructed to demonstrate survival differences between groups. Results: Among the samples analyzed, 335 (67%) had endometrioid histology, 76 (15%) had serous histology, 18 (44%) had mixed histology, and histology was unknown in the remainder of cases. Of the patients with endometrioid histology, 260 (78%) had a PTEN mutation, 23 (7%) had both BRCA1 and 2 mutations, 4 (1%) had mutations in BRCA1 only, and 25 (8%) hadmutations in BRCA2 only. A total of 52/335 patients (16%) had mutations in either BRCA1 or 2; 18/52 (35%) of these had stage II or above disease and the remainder had stage I disease. No survival advantage was detected in patients with BRCA1 mutations over wildtype BRCA1, independent of PTEN mutation status (P=0.16 and 0.19, respectively). Patients with both PTEN and BRCA2 mutations had improved overall survival compared to patients with wild-type PTEN and BRCA2 (P=0.03). A singlemutation in BRCA1, BRCA2, or PTEN did not confer a significant survival advantage compared towild-type (P=0.15). Conclusions: BRCA1 and 2 mutations are prevalent in patients with endometrioid uterine cancer, and PTEN/BRCA2 double mutations are associated with prolonged patient survival. These findings may have significant clinical and treatment implications.
Solid phase synthesis of amides using Mukaiyama's reagent

A new solid-phase synthetic method using Mukaiyama's reagent under mild conditions is reported to prepare amides in high purity without purification after cleavage from the resins.
Grand unification and proton stability based on a chiral SU(8) theory

We present a grand unified model of the strong, electromagnetic, and weak interactions based on a local $\mathrm{SU}{(8)}_{L}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{SU}{(8)}_{R}$ gauge theory which possesses a global $\mathrm{U}{(8)}_{L}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{U}{(8)}_{R}$ invariance. The model is spontaneously broken by the recently introduced neutrino-pairing mechanism, in which a Higgs field which transforms like a pair of right-handed neutrinos acquires a vacuum expectation value. This neutrino pairing breaks the model down to the standard Weinberg-Salam phenomenology. Further, the neutrino pairing causes the two initial global currents of the model, fermion number and axial fermion number, to mix with the non-Abelian local currents to leave unbroken two new global currents, namely, baryon number and a particular lepton number which counts charged leptons and left-handed neutrinos only. The exact conservations of these two resulting currents ensure the absolute stability of the proton, the masslessness of the observed left-handed neutrinos, and the standard lepton-number conservation of the usual weak interactions. A further feature of our model is the simultaneous absence of both strong $\mathrm{CP}$ violations and of observable axions. The model has a testable prediction, namely, the existence of an absolutely stable, relatively light, massive neutral lepton generated entirely from the right-handed-neutrino sector of the theory.
Formation of roll waves in laminar sheet flow

The formation of'a series of roll waves in laminar sheet flows in a smooth channel is examined both theoretically and experimentally. Roll waves were observed in subcritical flows at a Froude numbe...
Corneoscleral laceration caused by air-bag trauma.

Purpose To report a case of a corneoscleral laceration sustained as a direct result of inflation of a driver-side air bag. Methods A patient who sustained a severe ocular injury in a low-speed motor vehicle accident underwent clinical and radiologic examination and subsequent treatment. Results The left eye underwent primary repair of a complex corneoscleral laceration. Two weeks postoperatively, visual acuity in the left eye remained at bare hand motion. Conclusion Although air-bag-related eye trauma may be relatively infrequent, the severity of the injuries incurred warrant research efforts to explore new air-bag designs that minimize the risk of ocular injury.
Action of mammalian collagenases on type I trimer collagen.

Abstract Type 1 trimer is a collagen species, which is synthesized by many cell types under abnormal conditions or when derived from pathologically altered tissues, and by embryonic cell types. In order to investigate the susceptibility of type I trimer to mammalian collagenases, renatured type I trimer and type I collagens were incubated with human fibroblast and neutrophil enzymes and enzyme degradation was followed by viscometry and by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A comparison of reaction rates determined by viscometry revealed that the type I trimer was degraded at less than onefifth the rate of type I collagen by both enzymes. The human fibroblast collagenase had K m values of 8.4 ± 1.6 and 6.3 ± 0.7 μM for the type I trimer and type I collagens, respectively. These values were not significantly different. However the type I trimer had a k cat value of 10.6 ± 2.0/hour which was only one fifth of 51.2 ± 5.5/hour obtained for the type I collagen. From these results we conclude that the type I trimer collagen is a poor substrate for the skin and PMN collagenases relative to type 1.
Sensation-seeking predicts initiation of daily smoking behavior among American Indian high school students.

Purpose American Indian (AI) youth have a high risk of smoking initiation. Sensation-seeking, defined as the tendency to seek novel and thrilling experiences, has been associated with smoking initiation in other groups but has never been examined in AI youth.
A new similarity principle for cardiac energetics.

Similarity criteria of the functional design of the mammalian cardiovascular system are scant. For the analysis of mammalian cardiac energetics physiological parameters such as mean arterial blood pressure, stroke volume, heart rate, metabolic rate and heart and body weights are considered pertinent. Based on these parameters, a new similarity principle is established via allometric equations, dimensional analysis and Buckingham's pi-theorem. The principle states that the ratio of left ventricular external work to metabolic rate is inversely proportional to resting heart rates of mammals. The proportionality constant is dimensionless and is invariant of mammalian body weights.
Phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol interactions in model membranes

Various phosphatidylcholines differing either in the stereochemistry around their chiral center or in the position of a cis double bond along the acyl chains were synthesized in order to study critical contact regions in the phospholipid molecule with adjacent cholesterol in model membranes. Microviscosities calculated from fluorescence depolarization of diphenylhexatriene and chain order from spin label studies were measured to monitor physical membrane properties. The enhancing effect of cholesterol on the microviscosity of membranes containing phosphatidylcholines with comparable acyl chain length was largest when the two acyl chains were saturated and smallest when both were unsaturated. Membranes prepared from phosphatidylcholines having a single cis double bond at different positions along the sn-2 acyl chain showed roughly the same changes of microviscosity or chain order upon incorporation of cholesterol. No discrimination was evident in the interaction between cholesterol and enantiomeric phosphatidylcholines or between the enantiomeric phosphatidylcholine molecules themselves. We conclude that the rigidifying effect of cholesterol in membranes does not depend on specific sites of interaction and that with respect to physical membrane properties phosphatidylcholine behaves as an achiral molecule.
X-ray transition radiation from 50 GeV electrons

Abstract X-ray transition radiation from electrons up to 50 GeV traversing lithium foils was studied with xenon-filled proportional wire chambers. The X-ray yield up to the Lorentz factor 105 is consistent with theory. Excellent electron-hadron discrimination was achieved.
Social Justice Advocacy Readiness Questionnaire

Summary Social service providers of consultation, counseling, and education can benefit from determining their social justice awareness, knowledge, and skills to ensure culturally competent practice and to challenge the multiple oppressions facing clients and staff on individual, cultural, and institutional/systemic levels. The Social Justice Advocacy Readiness Questionnaire (SJARQ) provides a means to advocate for social justice with persons of multiple cultural identities, including all sexual orientations and gender identities. The SJARQ instrument contains three areas of self-assessment for social services staff: individual social justice advocacy awareness, comfort, and values; cultural social justice advocacy knowledge; and institutional/systemic social justice advocacy skills.
The inverse dose-rate effect for oncogenic transformation by neutrons and charged particles: a plausible interpretation consistent with published data.

SummaryThe enhancement of oncogenic transformation in the C3H10T½ system by protraction of a high-LET irradiation has been widely reported. Prima facie, the results are inconsistent in that some but not all experiments have shown an enhancement. That the reported data follow a clear pattern is shown, and a model whose predictions are quantitatively consistent with these trends is discussed. The model, developed from that originally suggested by Rossi and Kellerer (1986), postulates that cells are especially sensitive to radiation during some period of their cycle. A sensitive period of about 1 h is shown to yield predictions consistent with all available data. If the suggested model is realistic and applicable to human cells in vivo, little enhancement would be expected for high-LET radiations such as from radon daughters or HZE cosmic rays, though an effect might be expected from trapped protons on astronauts in earth orbit. For fission neutrons a time-dependent factor of N = 2 in the formula for dose eq...
Factor VIII expression in azoxymethane-induced murine fulminant hepatic failure

Fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) in humans produces a bleeding diathesis due in large part to a reduction in the biosynthesis of liver-derived coagulation factors. Remarkably, factor VIII procoagulant activity is elevated in most of these patients despite widespread liver cell death. FHF can be modeled in mice by administration of azoxymethane, the active ingredient found in cycad palm nuts. We compared the expression of factor VIII to other hepatic hemostatic factors in azoxymethane-induced murine FHF. Mice displayed dose-dependent decreases in all coagulation factor activities measured, including factors V, VII, VIII, and IX. At the highest dose of azoxymethane (50 μg/g body weight), factor VIII activity in plasma decreased by 98% within 36 hours after treatment, which was associated with an 80% reduction in hepatic factor VIII messenger RNA (mRNA). In contrast, factor VIII mRNA levels in spleen, kidney, and lung tissue of azoxymethane-treated mice were unchanged. Cellular damage in these mice appeared to be limited to hepatocytes as evident by histologic examination. This finding is supported by 2 observations. First, hepatic mRNA levels of von Willebrand factor, which is synthesized by liver sinusoidal endothelial cells but not hepatocytes, were unchanged. Second, von Willebrand factor was detected antigenically in liver sections of azoxymethane-treated mice by immunofluorescence. These results indicate that the contribution of the liver to factor VIII biosynthesis is not replaced or significantly supplemented by other tissues in this model of FHF.
Selective p38α MAPK deletion in serotonergic neurons produces stress resilience in models of depression and addiction

Maladaptive responses to stress adversely affect human behavior, yet the signaling mechanisms underlying stress-responsive behaviors remain poorly understood. Using a conditional gene knockout approach, the α isoform of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) was selectively inactivated by AAV1-Cre-recombinase infection in specific brain regions or by promoter-driven excision of p38α MAPK in serotonergic neurons (by Slc6a4-Cre or ePet1-Cre) or astrocytes (by Gfap-CreERT2). Social defeat stress produced social avoidance (a model of depression-like behaviors) and reinstatement of cocaine preference (a measure of addiction risk) in wild-type mice, but not in mice having p38α MAPK selectively deleted in serotonin-producing neurons of the dorsal raphe nucleus. Stress-induced activation of p38α MAPK translocated the serotonin transporter to the plasma membrane and increased the rate of transmitter uptake at serotonergic nerve terminals. These findings suggest that stress initiates a cascade of molecular and cellular events in which p38α MAPK induces a hyposerotonergic state underlying depression-like and drug-seeking behaviors.
Inhibition of Bacterial Mevalonate Diphosphate Decarboxylase by Eriochrome Compounds

Mevalonate diphosphate decarboxylase (MDD; EC 4.1.1.33) catalyzes the irreversible decarboxylation of mevalonate diphosphate in the mevalonate pathway to form isopentenyl diphosphate, which is a precursor in the biosynthesis of many essential polyisoprenoid natural products, including sterols. In low G/C Gram-positive bacteria, which utilize the mevalonate pathway, MDD is required for cell viability and thus is a potential target for development of antibiotic drugs. To identify potential inhibitors of the enzyme, the National Cancer Institute's Mechanistic Diversity Set library of compounds was screened for inhibitors of Staphylococcus epidermidis MDD. From this screen, the compound Eriochrome Black A (EBA), an azo dye, was found to inhibit the enzyme with an IC50 value<5μM. Molecular docking of EBA into a crystal structure of S. epidermidis MDD suggested binding at the active site. EBA, along with the related Eriochrome B and T compounds, was evaluated for its ability to not only inhibit enzymatic activity but to inhibit bacterial growth as well. These compounds exhibited competitive inhibition towards the substrate mevalonate diphosphate, with Ki values ranging from 0.6 to 2.7μM. Non-competitive inhibition was observed versus ATP indicating binding of the inhibitor in the mevalonate diphosphate binding site, consistent with molecular docking predictions. Fluorescence quenching analyses also supported active site binding of EBA. These eriochrome compounds are effective at inhibiting S. epidermidis cell growth on both solid media and in liquid culture (MIC50 from 31 to 350μM) raising the possibility that they could be developed into antibiotic leads targeting pathogenic low-G/C Gram-positive cocci.
Coliform bacteria, fabrics, and the environment.

Background People come into contact with coliform bacteria at recreational sites. Previous research on bacteria adhering to fabrics and surfaces focused on the viability of clinically significant microbes, but did not examine the quantity of bacteria. This study examined the viability and quantity of coliform bacteria adhered to common fabrics. Methods The fabrics of 100% cotton, blended cotton, and silk were exposed to a mixture of environmental coliform isolates. Fabrics were incubated in the dark at 25°C or 37°C or in direct sunlight at room temperature for 30, 60, 90, and 120 days. The quantity and viability of the bacteria were determined by the Most Probable Number technique using Colilert reagent (IDEXX Laboratories, Westbrook, ME) and eosin methylene blue agar, respectively. Results The highest numbers of bacteria were detected for each type of fabric when stored in the dark at 25°C, whereas the lowest numbers of bacteria were detected when fabrics were stored in the dark at 37°C. Low numbers of bacteria were detected on silk and blended cotton exposed to sunlight at room temperature, but not 100% cotton. Conclusion It appears that coliform bacteria can survive on fabrics longer than previous studies have reported. Coliform bacteria survive better in the dark, at lower temperatures, and on fabrics that can retain moisture. These findings can be applied directly to the viability of bacteria on clothing and potential human exposure to fecal pathogens.
Thermomechatronics of Power Electronics

The coupled effects of mechanical stress and thermal expansion on the electrical function of power electronic circuits are explored within a new analytical framework called thermomechatronics. The problem of interest is the progressive performance degradation of the power electronics owing to the growth of thermomechanically induced fatigue cracks within the die-attach interlayer between power devices and substrates. Building on previous efforts, the present analysis focuses on experimentally confirming the system-level degradation of a simple power electronics circuit subject to variations in junction temperature of the electronics that would result from variations in interlayer damage.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
The relationship of central foveal thickness to urinary iodine concentration in retinitis pigmentosa with or without cystoid macular edema.

Importance Current treatments for cystoid macular edema (CME) in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) are not always effective, may lead to adverse effects, and may not restore visual acuity. The present research lays the rationale for evaluating whether an iodine supplement could reduce CME in RP. Objective To determine whether central foveal thickness (CFT) in the presence of CME is related to dietary iodine intake inferred from urinary iodine concentration (UIC) in nonsmoking adults with RP. Design, Setting, and Participants We performed a cross-sectional observational study of 212 nonsmoking patients aged 18 to 69 years referred to our institution for RP with visual acuity of no worse than 20/200 in at least 1 eye. Exposure Retinitis pigmentosa with or without CME. Main Outcomes and Measures With the eye as the unit of analysis, the relationship of log CFT measured by optical coherence tomography to UIC measured from multiple spot samples and represented as a 3-level classification variable ( Results Analyses were limited to 199 patients after excluding 11 who failed to return urine samples for measuring UIC and 2 outliers for UIC. Of the 199 patients, 36.2% had CME in 1 or both eyes. Although log CFT was inversely related to UIC based on findings from all eyes ( P = .02), regression of log CFT on UIC separately for eyes with and without CME showed a strong inverse significant relationship for the former group ( P P = .66) as tested. For the eyes with CME, CFT ranged from a geometric mean of 267 µm for a median UIC of less than 100 µg/L to a geometric mean of 172 µm for a median UIC of 200 µg/L or greater. In contrast, we found no significant association between CME prevalence and UIC based on the entire sample as tested (odds ratio, 1.01 [95% CI, 0.38-2.67]; P = .99). Conclusions and Relevance A higher UIC in nonsmoking adults with RP was significantly associated with less central foveal swelling in eyes with CME. Additional study is required to determine whether an iodine supplement can limit or reduce the extent of CME in patients with RP.
Centrifugation in field-aligning capsules: Analytical centrifugation in preparative rotors

Abstract Details are given for the preparation, centifugation, and analysis of field-aligning capsules. A new method of combining scanning with differential absorption analysis utilizing the Beckman spectrophotometer is described for locating and identifying boundaries within capsules. Application of the methods are demonstrated using bushy stunt virus, hemocyanine (Helix aspersa), and bovine serum albumin.
A comparison of AQUAFAC group q-values to their corresponding clogp f-values

Abstract Previous studies1,2 have shown that AQUAFAC is more accurate than the general solubility equation for the estimation of aqueous solubility. The relationship between AQUAFAC group q-values and their corresponding CLOGP f-values is investigated in this study. The q- and f-values are comparable in magnitude for hydrocarbon and halocarbou groups but not for hydrogen bonding groups.
Single-mode fibre-optic components

A large number of single mode fibre components have been developed over the last decade for telecommunication, local area network, and fibre sensor applications. They include passive components, in particular directional couplers, polarizers, polarization controllers, and filters, as well as active components, such as fibre sources and amplifiers and frequency and phase modulators. This paper presents a review of the technologies involved in these various fibre components, emphasizing in particular physical principles of operation, optical characteristics and relative performance.
Comment on “Rain dance”

A recent news brief about cloud seeding work being conducted in Cohuila, Mexico, (“Rain Dance,” Eos, July 23, 1996) contained unfounded, off-hand remarks that are a disservice to many scientists and professionals in the cloud physics and weather modification community. The news brief stated that “most previous attempts to catalyze rainfall by cloud seeding have produced inconclusive results, and almost none of the experiments have had a sound scientific basis.” The inconclusive results are primarily statistical; many outstanding scientific results have developed from the 50-year history of research into weather modification. Also, most of the work that I know about has proceeded on the scientific basis that was developed over the years by the scientific and operational communities, and it is improving with time. It is grossly inaccurate to say that almost none of the experiments have had a sound scientific basis. Improvements in technology are strengthening that scientific basis, and current physical and numerical studies being conducted in many places are improving understanding. (See reviews of the status of weather modification from the American Meteorological Society [1992] and the World Meteorological Organization [1992].)
A procedure for the isolation of cell walls ofFucus furcatus embryos

A method of isolating cell walls from Fucus embryos is described. Clean cell walls were obtained by relatively gentle means and in sufficient quantities for chemical analysis. The wall preparations appeared identical to the walls of whole embryos when compared at the ultrastructural level and by histochemical criteria.
Effects of the Premier Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration on Medicare patient mortality and cost.

Objective To evaluate the effects of the Premier Inc. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration (PHQID), a public quality reporting and pay-for-performance (P4P) program, on Medicare patient mortality, cost, and outlier classification.
Vitamin A Prophylaxis Programs in Developing Countries: Past Experiences and Future Prospects

Clinical eye signs are estimated to affect 5–10 million children annually in the developing world. Thus most experience with large-scale prophylaxis programs has been with periodic distribution of high-dose vitamin A supplements directed toward preventing ocular problems. However, subclinical vitamin A depletion affects an estimated five- to 10-fold larger population, and evidence is accumulating for a subclinical protective role of vitamin A against risk of mortality, and perhaps morbidity. Current programs aim to integrate prophylaxis with vitamin A supplements into ongoing programs. Decentralization of distribution of supplements and their integration into community-based programs require careful consideration of dosages and frequency to assure safety and broad coverage. Fortification of foods and condiments has not provided adequate prophylaxis in countries with significant vitamin A deficiency. Other strategies recognized as more sustainable, long-term solutions have received less attention, and their potential has not been evaluated. Such strategies aim to increase dietary intake of vitamin A and/or decrease physiologic requirements; these strategies include horticulture, public health, socioeconomic improvement, and nutrition and health education measures.
A quasi-synchronous dependence model for information retrieval

Incorporating syntactic features in a retrieval model has had very limited success in the past, with the exception of binary term dependencies. This paper presents a new term dependency modeling approach based on syntactic dependency parsing for both queries and documents. Our model is inspired by a quasi-synchronous stochastic process for machine translation[21]. We model four different types of relationships between syntactically dependent term pairs to perform inexact matching between documents and queries. We also propose a machine learning technique for predicting optimal parameter settings for a retrieval model incorporating syntactic relationships. The results on TREC collections show that the quasi-synchronous dependence model can improve retrieval performance and outperform a strong state-of-art sequential dependence baseline when we use predicted optimal parameters.
Picosecond fluorescence study of photosynthetic mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardii: origin of the fluorescence decay kinetics of chloroplasts.

— The fluorescence decay kinetics of photosynthetic mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardii which lack photosystem II (PS II), photosystem I (PS I), and both PS II and PS I have been measured. The PS II mutant strain8–36C exhibits fluorescence decay lifetime components of 53, 424 and 2197 ps. The fluorescence decay of a PS I mutant strain12–7 contains two major fluorescence decay components with lifetimes of 152 and 424 ps. The fluorescence decay of mutant strain C2, which lacks both PS II and PS I, is nearly single exponential with a lifetime of 2561 ± 222 ps. In simulations in which it is assumed that wild-type decays are a simple sum of the major decay components of the isolated parts of the photosynthetic unit as measured in the mutants, curves are obtained that fit the wild-type C. reinhardii fluorescence decay data when the absorption cross-sections of PS II and PS I are weighted approximately equally. The 89 ps lifetime component in the wild-type is an average of 53 and 152 ps components arising from excitation transfer to and trapping in PS I and PS II. The single step transfer time in PS I is estimated to be between 100 and 700 fs depending on assumptions about array size. We find that between two and four visits to the PS I reaction center are required before final trapping.
Metrics for the Systematic Evaluation of Community-Based Outreach

There is an extensive literature on the use of community-based outreach for breast health programs. While authors often report that outreach was conducted, there is rarely information provided on the effort required for outreach. This paper seeks to establish a template for the systematic evaluation of community-based outreach. We describe three types of outreach used by our project, explain our evaluation measures, present data on our outreach efforts, and demonstrate how these metrics can be used to inform a project’s decisions about which types of outreach are most effective.
Isoflurane does not cause neuroapoptosis but reduces astroglial processes in young adult mice

Isoflurane, a volatile anesthetic widely used clinically, has been implicated to be both neuroprotective and neurotoxic. The claim about isoflurane causing neural apoptosis remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the effects of isoflurane exposures on apoptotic and anti-apoptotic signals, cell proliferation and neurogenesis, and astroglial processes in young adult mouse brains. Sixty 6-week-old mice were randomly assigned to four anesthetic concentration groups (0 as control and 0.6%, 1.3%, and 2%) with four recovery times (2 h and 1, 6, and 14 d) after 2-h isoflurane exposure. Immunohistochemistry measurements of activated caspase-3 and Bcl-xl for apoptotic and anti-apoptotic signals, respectively, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin for reactive astrocytosis, doublecortin (Dcx) for neurogenesis, and BrdU for cell proliferation were performed. Contrary to the previous conclusion derived from studies with neonatal rodents, we found no evidence of isoflurane-induced apoptosis in the adult mouse brain. Neurogenesis in the subgranule zone of the dentate gyrus was not affected by isoflurane. However, there is a tendency of reduced cell proliferation after 2% isoflurane exposure. VIM and GFAP staining showed that isoflurane exposure caused a delayed reduction of astroglial processes in the hippocampus and dentate gyrus. Two-hour exposure to isoflurane did not cause neuroapoptosis in adult brains. The delayed reduction in astroglial processes after isoflurane exposure may explain why some volatile anesthetics can confer neuroprotection after experimental stroke because reduced glial scarring facilitates better long-term neuronal recoveries.