cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stabilization of organic carbon in chemically separated pools in no-till and meadow soils in Northern Appalachia

Abstract Land use and soil management affects soil organic carbon (SOC) pools, chemical composition of stabilized SOC fractions, and the depth distribution. No-till production of corn ( Zea mays L.) is a recommended management practice that reduces soil losses and increases SOC concentration, but the scientific knowledge of the mechanisms of C sequestration and protection is scanty. Therefore, the objective of this research was to compare the SOC pool, C pool in fine roots, and chemically separated C fractions with depth in three pedons from the same soil series: (i) meadow converted from no-till corn in 1988 (Meadow), (ii) continuous no-till corn since 1970 (NT); and (iii) continuous no-till corn with beef cattle manure since 1964 (NTm) at the North Appalachian Experimental Watershed near Coshocton, Ohio. The SOC pool (Mg ha − 1 ) from 0–69 cm was the highest in NTm (76.2) and progressively smaller in NT (49.3) and Meadow (46.6) pedons. The SOC concentrations and pool sharply decreased with depth, but were always more in NTm than NT soil. Fine root C pool (Mg ha − 1 ) was much larger in the pedon with perennial vegetation (Meadow, 1.28) than in those under corn (NT, 0.21; NTm, 0.09). The pool of chemically separated C fractions and their depth distribution varied depending on the separation technique. The amounts of C preferentially bound to soil minerals in 0–69 cm depth were comparable among pedons, as indicated by treatment with HF to release mineral-bound SOC. The NTm pedon had a larger pool of recalcitrant non-hydrolyzable C (58.4 Mg ha − 1 ), as indicated by HCl treatment. The Meadow pedon stored the smallest pool (3.4 Mg ha − 1 ) of oxidisable C, as was indicated by treatment with disodium peroxodisulfate (Na 2 S 2 O 8 ). The relationship between chemically separated C fractions and turnover time of SOC at depth, however, warrants further studies. Nevertheless, the results indicate that no-till corn with added manure has a high potential for C sequestration by increasing the size of the SOC pool in the subsurface horizons.
Defects in lone-pair semiconductors: The valence-alternation model and new directions

Abstract The valence-alternation model for defects is briefly reviewed. The experimental evidence for defects is examined. Two major areas of current controversy are discussed: The disparity between densities of defects measured by different means and various problems arising from recent photoluminescence experiments.
HSF1 Is Essential for the Resistance of Zebrafish Eye and Brain Tissues to Hypoxia/Reperfusion Injury

Ischemia and subsequent reperfusion (IR) produces injury to brain, eye and other tissues, contributing to the progression of important clinical pathologies. The response of cells to IR involves activation of several signaling pathways including those activating hypoxia and heat shock responsive transcription factors. However, specific roles of these responses in limiting cell damage and preventing cell death after IR have not been fully elucidated. Here, we have examined the role of heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) in the response of zebrafish embryos to hypoxia and subsequent return to normoxic conditions (HR) as a model for IR. Heat shock preconditioning elevated heat shock protein expression and protected zebrafish embryo eye and brain tissues against HR-induced apoptosis. These effects were inhibited by translational suppression of HSF1 expression. Reduced expression of HSF1 also increased cell death in brain and eye tissues of embryos subjected to hypoxia and reperfusion without prior heat shock. Surprisingly, reduced expression of HSF1 had only a modest effect on hypoxia-induced expression of Hsp70 and no effect on hypoxia-induced expression of Hsp27. These results establish the zebrafish embryo as a model for the study of ischemic injury in the brain and eye and reveal a critical role for HSF1 in the response of these tissues to HR. Our results also uncouple the role of HSF1 expression from that of Hsp27, a well characterized heat shock protein considered essential for cell survival after hypoxia. Alternative roles for HSF1 are considered.
Matching health messages to health locus of control beliefs for promoting mammography utilization

This field experiment examined the persuasiveness of matching health messages to individuals’ health locus of control beliefs in an effort to promote screening mammography. Women (N = 499) who called the New England regional office of the Cancer Information Service were stratified by their health locus of control and randomly assigned to receive a telephone message and follow-up print materials matched to either an internal or external health locus of control orientation. As expected, women who received information consistent with their health locus of control beliefs generally were more likely to obtain a mammogram 6 and 12 months after the intervention than women who received information that was not consistent with their health locus of control orientation.
Exploring Server Redundancy in Nonblocking Multicast Data Center Networks

Clos networks and their variations such as folded-Clos networks (fat-trees) have been widely adopted as network topologies in data center networks. Since multicast is an essential communication pattern in many cloud services, nonblocking multicast communication can ensure the high performance of such services. However, nonblocking multicast Clos networks are costly due to the large number of middle stage switches required. On the other hand, server redundancy is ubiquitous in today’s data centers to provide high availability of services. In this paper, we explore such server redundancy in data centers to reduce the cost of nonblocking multicast Clos data center networks (DCNs). To facilitate our analysis, we first consider an ideal fault-free data center with no server failure. We give an algorithm to assign active servers evenly among input stage switches in a multicast Clos DCN where each server has one or more redundant backups depending on the availability requirements of services they provide. We show that the sufficient nonblocking condition on the number of middle stage switches for a multicast Clos DCN can be significantly reduced by exploring server redundancy. Then, to complete our analysis, we consider a practical faulty data center, where one or more active servers may fail at any time. We give a strategy to re-balance the active servers among input stage switches after server failures so that the same nonblocking condition still holds. Finally, we provide a multicast routing algorithm with linear time complexity to configure multicast connections in Clos DCNs.
WE-C-M100F-05: Methodology and Guidelines in Treatment Planning of IMRT for Lung Cancers

Purposes: To review the current clinical outcome of lungcancer patients treated with IMRT; to develop a treatment planning methodology and guideline for using IMRT in treatinglungcancers.Methods:Lungcancer patients treated with IMRT were reviewed with respect to clinical outcome and treatment plans used. Major toxicity including radiation pneumonitis and esophagitis were analyzed. In the process of IMRT inverse planning, methodologies of selecting appropriate beam angles and planning objectives were developed to limit the spread of beam angles and low‐dose radiation in protecting normal lung and other critical structures. Important IMRT planning parameters and their guidelines were derived, e.g. on the number of beams, beam angles, degree of intensity modulation, and DVH constraints for normal tissues.Results: We reviewed 68 locally advanced lungcancer cases treated with IMRT and with adequate clinical followup time. The rate of grade ⩾ 3 TRP at 12 months was reduced to 8% in IMRT patients in contrast to 32% in 3D‐CRT patients treated historically, despite larger GTV sizes in the IMRT cohort. Mean lungdose and the volume of low‐dose radiation to healthy lung may be important factors affecting the risk of radiation pneumonitis. In achieving quality IMRT plans, 6 beams were used in average, with the optimal beam angles being most frequently along the anterior‐posterior direction of the thorax; the number of MLC segments per beam was confined to be less than 15 with the total MU per fraction approximately 3 times of the prescribed tumordose. Conclusions: With proper considerations given to treatment planning methodology and other technical issues involved, IMRT may be an effective and safe modality in radiation therapy of locally advanced lungcancers.
Employee Assistance Programs Among Fortune 500 Firms

Abstract Since their inception fifty years ago, employee assistance programs (EAPs) have undergone fundamental changes. EAPs have widened the scope and deepened the intensity of the services they offer to employees. Currently many EAPs provide a wider range of counseling. As the number of EAPs has grown, their organizational structure has become increasingly more complex. By reviewing major trends, reporting on EAPs in Fortune 500 firms in 1997, and discussing the implication of the most recent developments, this article sets the stage for considering the EAPs as we move into the twenty-first century.
Tyrosines 60, 64, and 101 of Epstein–Barr Virus LMP2A Are Not Essential for Blocking B Cell Signal Transduction

Abstract Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A) is expressed on the membrane of B-lymphocytes and blocks B cell receptor (BCR) signaling in EBV-transformed B-lymphocytes in vitro . The LMP2A amino-terminal domain, which is essential for the LMP2A-mediated block of B cell signal transduction, contains eight tyrosine residues. Three of these tyrosine residues (Y74, Y85, and Y112) have been demonstrated to be essential for the LMP2A-mediated block on protein tyrosine phosphorylation, calcium mobilization, and induction of BZLF1 expression after BCR activation. To investigate the importance of tyrosines at positions 60, 64, and 101 on B cell signaling, EBV recombinants were constructed containing a tyrosine-to-phenylalanine point mutation at amino acid 60, 64, or 101 within LMP2A. Tyrosine phosphorylation, calcium mobilization, and induction of BZLF1 expression were not affected by any of the tyrosine point mutations after BCR activation. In addition, constitutive phosphorylation of LMP2A was unaffected by any of the tyrosine point mutations. These data indicate that tyrosines 60, 64, and 101 are not essential for the LMP2A-mediated block of B cell signal transduction in transformed cell lines.
Pion studies with silicon detectors

Most probable energy loss in silicon for pions with energies from 365 to 50 mev, examining pion beam behavior through different absorption material thicknesses
Rational host country use of a severance tax

This paper addresses the basic question: How should a host country use a constant severance tax to control a foreign-owned mining firm? The basic rule is derived, and comparative static analysis is performed to show the effects of price, cost, and interest changes on the optimal tax policy.
A linear theory of slug tests with annular effects

Summary We derive a closed form theory of water level fluctuations caused by slug tests in a well with an annulus that extends to the piezometric surface. This hydraulics can be created by small diameter slug test equipment in a large diameter well, with an annulus established by borehole casing and the riser pipe of the equipment. The conservation of mass equation couples aquifer hydraulics, core hydraulics inside the riser pipe (which include inertia), and annular hydraulics outside the riser pipe (which include inertia and linear friction). The linear friction is needed to attenuate oscillations between the core and annulus, which would otherwise persist indefinitely after damping of aquifer discharge. A characteristic velocity is adopted for the annular friction, so that aquifer permeability is the sole calibration parameter. We calibrate the theory with overdamped and underdamped experiments run in a limestone aquifer at the Hydrogeological Experimental Site of Poitiers in France by Audouin, O., Bodin, J. 2007. Analysis of slug tests with high frequency oscillations. Journal of Hydrology 334, 282–289. The data and analytical theory yield plausible, accurate permeability estimates of 4.1 × 10 −12 and 1.7 × 10 −11 m 2 . Portable, small diameter slug testing devices may accordingly be used in permanent, large diameter cased boreholes to estimate aquifer permeability, although the annular effects can obscure aquifer hydraulics. The annular effects may also occur in slug tests on wells with skins, bypasses, and packers, although different boundary and matching conditions would be needed to model this hydraulics.
Do instructional interventions influence college students’ critical thinking skills? A meta-analysis

Abstract Promoting students’ critical thinking skills is an important task of higher education. Colleges and universities have designed various instructional interventions to enhance students’ critical thinking skills. Empirical studies have yielded inconsistent results in terms of the effects of such interventions. This meta-analysis presents a synthesis of empirical studies designed to promote measurable changes in students’ critical thinking skills using instructional interventions. Findings demonstrated statistically significant but small average effect size and evidence of heterogeneity among studies. Hierarchical linear model was adopted to explore potential predictors of the variance across effect sizes. Results showed that student discipline and treatment length explained part of the variability among treatment effects. Limitations and implications are discussed.
Molecular cloning and characterization of porcine calcineurin-α subunit expression in skeletal muscle

The calmodulin/Ca2+-dependent serine/threonine phophatase, calcineurin (CaN), has been implicated in controlling muscle fiber phenotype. However, little information is available concerning the expression of CaN in porcine skeletal muscle. Therefore, the porcine CaN alpha (CaN-A) was cloned by reverse transcription-PCR and its expression characterized in selected porcine skeletal muscles. We successfully cloned porcine CaN gene using semitendinosus muscle (GenBank accession number AF193515). Sequence analysis showed both the full length and a 30-bp deletion splice variant in coding region of the gene reported in other species. The deduced AA sequence showed 99.4% homology with the rat CaN-A delta isoform gene. Real-time PCR analysis showed CaN is present in all tissues. However, using primers targeting the region containing the 30-bp deletion, the full length sequence is only found in skeletal muscle and brain tissues. Using a CaN-A monoclonal antibody, we localized CaN-A in porcine LM and soleus muscle and the red and white portions of the semitendinosus muscle. The CaN-A protein was abundant in fast fibers and primarily localized in the cytoplasm, whereas slow fibers expressed reduced abundance of CaN-A. Further studies are required to understand the functions of CaN-A isoform in skeletal muscle.
Generation of spike trains in CNS neurons

The membrane potential waveforms to be expected from many asynchronous inputs to CNS neurons are described, along with modes for repetitive firing through which the input waveforms are converted into spike trains. Area beneath a postsynaptic potential (PSP), rather than PSP peak height, is shown to be an important parameter susceptible to modification. Occasional crossings of threshold produce occasional spikes, but a sustained depolarizing waveform which attempts to hold the membrane potential above threshold elicits rhythmic firing. Firing rate is graded with the amount by which the synaptic depolarizing currents exceed the minimum current for rhythmic firing (approximately rheobase). A systematic sequence of alterations in the membrane potential trajectory between spikes, quite different from those of receptors and invertebrate neurons, may control the firing rate and give rise to sudden changes in the "gain" of this conversion of depolarizing current into firing rate. The different implications of synaptic location during the occasional spike mode and the rhythmic firing mode are discussed, as is the role of the antidromic invasion of the soma-dendritic region during rhythmic firing. Less frequently an"extra spike mode" is seen where depolarizing afterpotentials following a spike themselves cross threshold to elicit an extra spike, which may similarly elicit another extra spike, etc., in a regenerative cycle. The character of the underlying depolarizing afterpotentials (or "delayed depolarizations") is reviewed, along with theories for their origin from the antidromic invasion of the dendritic tree. The stereotyped burst firing patterns characteristic of the extra spike mode can also be seen in deafferented neurons and neurons studied in chronic syndromes such as epilepsy and central pain. This raises the question as to whether some disease states may augment extra spike firing, thus multiplying many-fold the response to a normal input.
Energy transfer in a fluid with a uniform density gradient

Abstract Energy transfer via resonance in a stratified fluid with a constant Brunt–Vaisala frequency is studied through the Manley–Rowe relation and direct numerical simulations. The objectives of this study are two-fold. One is to determine if there is a limitation on the lengthscale of small-scale waves to which primary energy can be effectively transferred. The other is to study factors affecting the growth of parametric subharmonic instability. Resonantly interacting modes are classified into three groups: local sum modes, quasi-subharmonic modes and remote parametric subharmonic instability modes (characterized by interaction with very small-scale waves). The latter two involve energy transfer from a primary wave to secondary waves with half the frequency. Most energy transfer is through local sum resonant modes and quasi-subharmonic modes. Energy cannot effectively transfer to higher wavenumber modes since dynamical systems are altered as wavenumbers of excited modes increase. In the remote modes, the solution is sinusoidal with high angular frequency and very small energy capacity. As a consequence, these modes are inactive in energy transfer despite their high energy growth rates. Effects of non-uniform white noise amplitude and primary mode propagation angle on the quasi-subharmonic modes are also investigated. Implications for energy transfer in the ocean are discussed.
Adolescent blood pressure, anger expression and hostility: possible links with body fat

An uncertain relation between health and angry/hostile behaviour exists in the literature on adolescents. With data from a pilot study, one possible reason for this is explored: health measures such as blood pressure as well as angry/hostile behaviours may change with, or depend upon physical maturity, body size and body fatness. The sample consists of 60 African-, Hispanic-, and Anglo-American adolescents (15 to 16 years of age) drawn from a public school in Houston, TX. Using resting diastolic blood pressure as a model, in a sex stratified analysis, the following conclusions were reached: Physical maturity in girls and body height in boys were related to ethnicity in the sample and were confounders of the blood pressure and anger relationship. In girls secretive anger (‘anger-in’) and hostility were associated with increased body fat; expressive anger (‘anger-out’) in boys is associated with increased conicity (central body fat distribution) ( p
Catastrophic spine injuries in American football, 1977-2001.

Objective Cervical spinal cord injuries have been the most common catastrophic football injury and the second leading direct cause of death attributable to football skills. This study looks at the 25-year (1977-2001) experience with catastrophic neck injuries and examines not only the incidence but also the cause of injury and variables that have either increased or decreased these injuries. Methods Data were collected on a national level from all organized football programs, including public school, college, professional, and youth programs, through personal contact and questionnaires on each catastrophic football injury. Funded by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Federation of State High School Associations, and the American Football Coaches Association, data were collected by the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Frederick O. Mueller, Director, and Robert C. Cantu, Medical Director). Results Teaching the fundamental techniques of the game, equipment standards, and improved medical care both on and off the playing field have led to a 270% reduction in permanent spinal cord injury from a peak of 20 per year during the period 1971 to 1975 to 7.2 per year during the past 10 years. Conclusion The type of injury, activity at the time of injury, level of play, and whether the injury was incurred in a game or practice are presented. On the basis of the data, recommendations are given for reducing catastrophic cervical spine injury in football.
Leadership Styles for Foodservice Managers

The purpose of this study was to explore foodservice managers' leadership styles and to investigate the effect of situational leadership styles (supportive, directive, participative, and achievement oriented) on subordinates' motivation for work effectiveness. This is the first test of path–goal leadership theory in the foodservice context. The result of this study indicates that foodservice managers utilize all of the situational leadership styles (supportive, directive, participative, and achievement oriented) employed for this study. The result also indicates that supportive, participative, and achievement-oriented leadership styles are influential in predicting subordinates' motivation for work effectiveness. Implications and suggestions for further study are given.
Cell-cell communication correlates with pattern formation in molting Manduca midgut epithelium

The midgut epithelium of larval Manduca sexta is constructed of single goblet cells surrounded by a one-cell-thick reticulum of columnar cells. This pattern is expanded at each molt by the addition of new cells. Between molts, these epithelial cells are not dye coupled, even though gap junctions are present. Proliferating stem cells are dye coupled in small groups early in the molt. Then, at mid-molt, the whole epithelium temporarily becomes dye coupled. This is when the new (expanded) pattern is being established. Later, at the end of the molt, the epithelium returns to the non-coupled state. These results suggest that cell communication via gap junctions may play a role in cell patterning.
What is international management, and what is its domain?

Abstract We provide a review of the management field and the various meanings given to international when it prefaces the word management. We also review the paradigms associated with international business inquiry and find them helpful for defining the domain of international management inquiry. Finally, we conclude that a distinction needs to be made between management inquiry, one that extends beyond national borders. Internationalized management inquiry seeks to verify culture-bound management theories, concepts, and principles. International management inquiry adds either distinctive or unique knowledge to the body of management knowledge.
Photochemical and thermal reactions of η5-cyclopentadienyltetracarbonylvanadium and bis(pentafluorophenyl)acetylene

Abstract The photolysis of (η5-C5H5)V(CO)4 in the presence of one or two equivalents of bis(pentafluorophenyl)acetylene yields (η5-C5H5)V(CO)2(C6F5CCC6F5). One carbon monoxide ligand in this acetylene adduct can be photochemically displaced by triphenylphosphine to yield (η5-C5H5)V(CO)[P(C6H5)3](C6F5CCC6F5). This complex is also obtained by the photolysis of (η5-C5H5)V(CO)3P(C6H5)3 in the presence of bis(pentafluorophenyl)acetylene. In vacuo, melt-phase thermolysis of (η5-C5H5)V(CO)2(C6F5CCC6F5) and bis(pentafluorophenyl)acetylene produces (η5-C5H5)V(CO)(C6F5CCC6F5)2. This diacetylenic complex as well as the perfluorinated organic compounds 2,3,5,6-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)-1,4-benzoquinone, 2,3,4,5-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)cyclopentadienone and 2,3,4,5,6,7-hexakis(pentafluorophenyl)cycloheptatrienone are also obtained from thermal reactions of (η5-C5H5)V(CO)4 and bis(pentafluorophenyl)acetylene in solution. Photolysis of (η5-C5H5)V(CO)(C6F5CCC6F5)2 in the presence of carbon monoxide produces (η5-C5H5)V(CO)2(C6F5CCC6F5). The photochemical and thermal reactions of bis(pentafluorophenyl)acetylene and (η5-C5H5)V(CO)4 are compared and contrasted with similar reactions of diphenylacetylene and (η5-C5H5)V(CO)4.
Female choice linked to male dorsal fin height in a shortfin molly

Sexual selection is a possible mechanism of speciation. This could be true even in systems where female mate choice has not been clearly observed, because pre-existing biases may be expressed if female decision-making results in male trait evolution. In some mollies, males have enlarged dorsal fins and courtship display is the prevailing mating process. In others, male dominance is thought to play a greater role. We tested females of a species in the latter group, Poecilia mexicana, for consistent preference related to dorsal fin morphology. We found that females were biased toward larger dorsal fins. This latent preference could be an important driver in trait evolution.
Sequential Analysis A Tool for Monitoring Program Delivery

The sensitivity and simplicity of Wald's sequential analysis test in monitoring a preventive health care program are dis cussed in this paper. The technique has had widespread application in industry. The common element between monitoring industnal output and program evaluation is the needforprompt reliablefeedback of information. Sequential analysis was designed to test an hypothesis following each observation or each set of observations (herein differentiating it from classical hy pothesis testing of fixed-size samples). Predictors of "program success" can be ascertained within the short term and hard data can be available for progress reports or continuation proposals and funding re quests. We present the method along with illustrative data from the surveillance of a contract which provides breast cancer screening services to low-income minority women in Central Harlem. These data exemplify the usefulness and expedience of employing sequential methods to program monitoring.
Prehistoric human impact on the environment in the upland North American Southwest

Some early Anasazi (prehistoric Puebloan) agricultural practices tended to be land-extensive and made substantial impact on the forests, primarily through clearing by burning. Later agriculture tended to be more land-intensive, but longer duration occupations by larger populations also had significant local effects on the forests, through both clearing for fields and through intensive harvest of firewood. Strategies of early Anasazi agriculture that resulted in forest depletion probably also tended to maximize the power output of the economic systems, and therefore must have had considerable selective value. Depletion of various wild resources was an important impetus to culture change, leading, in conjunction with population growth, to more intensive farming practices, and contributing to the tendency to aggregate in large villages at various times in the prehistoric period.
Bovine babesiosis in Colombia

Abstract Babesiosis is a tick-borne disease of cattle which occurs in many tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Despite the extensive investigations which have been carried out since the discovery of the organism (Babes, 1888) many problems of major importance remain to be solved in Babesia spp. — host complex. In Colombia (South America) the experiments were carried out to identify the existing Babesia spp. by morphologic and immunoserologic methods. The immunoserologic relationship of Babesia spp. were studied by several serologic techniques. Attempts were made to develop a sensitive and practical serologic test for diagnosis of latent Babesia spp. infections. Several groups of intact and splenectomized calves were inoculated with various antigens isolated from Babesia spp. infections and the response to vaccination, premunition and tick-borne challenge were studied. The second part of this investigation was mainly concerned with evaluating the system of chemoprophylaxis against Babesia spp. infections under actual field conditions.
Epidemiological Study Design and the Advancement of Equine Health

Summary The primary purposes of epidemiological investigations are to learn about causal mechanisms related to disease incidence and identify factors for therapy and prevention. Epidemiological studies can be observational — further categorised as descriptive or analytical — or experimental. Investigators performing experimental studies, or randomised controlled trials (RCTs), randomly assign treatments or exposures to study participants for the expressed purpose of the study. The most frequently encountered observational epidemiological studies employed to investigate issues of equine health are cohort, case-control, cross-sectional and case series. A cohort study is an investigation in which the researcher follows (observes) a group, termed the cohort, over time to measure incidence of a particular outcome. A case-control study is an investigation in which the researcher selects a group of affected individuals (cases) and a comparison group (controls) to investigate factors associated with being a case. A cross-sectional study investigates a group of individuals for study that is often defined by membership in a target population and data concerning outcome and exposure are either collected related to the same time-point or data are collected by investigators at the same time. Case series are descriptive studies used to generate hypotheses concerning predictors of disease or recovery that can be performed retrospectively or prospectively. The best evidence for clinical practice is often derived from patient-centred observational epidemiological studies and it is imperative that equine veterinarians become familiar with study designs for the appropriate interpretation of epidemiological findings.
Hope Is an Evil

Most societies view hope as a virtue. But those who do so ignore the writings of Hesiod and Seneca. In the Greek poet's accounts of the quarrel between Zeus and Prometheus, hope and other evils swirl in the same cesspool. While in his epistles, the Roman stoic thinker shares with his friend Lucilius the insight of Hecato of Rhodes, "Cease to hope, and you will cease to fear." In this article the author presents arguments supporting the thesis that hope is an evil and that wishing is better than hoping.
Inhibition of stimulation of DNA synthesis by isoproterenol in submandibular glands of mice

Harks (1) has shown that a single injection of isoproterenol (IPR) in rate produces, 24 hours later, a 10-fold increase in DNA synthesis in the salivary glands . The increase in DNA synthesis is followed, a few hours later, by mitotic activity, indicating that IPR stimulates cell proliferation in salivary glands in a manner comparable to liver regeneration after partial hepetectomy. In addition to confirming Barka's findings in mice, I have determined the effect that certain metabolic inhibitors have on the subsequent stimulation of DNA synthesis, when injected a short time before administration of IPR. The results indicate that some of these metabolic inhibitors may be profitably used as tools to elucidate the mechanism of stimulation of DNA synthesis by IPR.
Error correction and convex programming

This article discusses a recently proposed error correction method involving convex optimization [1]. From an encoded and corrupted real-valued message, a receiver would like to determine the original message. A few entries of the encoded message are corrupted arbitrarily (which we call gross errors) and all the entries of the encoded message are corrupted slightly. We show that it is possible to recover the message with nearly the same accuracy as in the setting where no gross errors occur. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
A controlled trial of methylprednisolone in the early emergency department treatment of acute asthma in children.

Asthma continues to be a leading cause for pediatric hospitalizations. A study using high-dose intravenous (i.v.) steroids early in the emergency department (ED) care of adults with acute asthma reported a 60% reduction in hospitalization rate. Limited data are available for children. We hypothesized that the addition of early administration of high-dose methylprednisolone (MP) in routine ED care of asthmatic children would reduce the need for hospitalization by 50%. Eighty-eight children with asthma, aged four to 18 years, were enrolled into a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of MP given within 45 (mean 23) minutes of arrival to the ED. After initial evaluation, children received either 2 mg/kg of MP IV or an equivalent amount of placebo (P). Patients then received the usual ED management of their acute exacerbation. Groups were similar in age, sex, and severity of illness (by asthma scoring, respiratory rate, and peak flow). ED treatment (number of aerosols and the use of theophylline) was similar for both groups. The mean time to disposition was 2.9 hours. Sixty-four percent of the children were discharged from the ED. No significant differences were found between the admission rates of the MP and P groups (41% MP vs 33% P, P = 0.44, chi 2, 95% CI for decrease in MP vs P groups -28 to +12%). The average hospital stay was shorter for those children treated with MP (79 hours vs 90 hours). We conclude that IV methylprednisolone given as an adjunct to routine ED care of children with acute asthma is unlikely to markedly reduce hospitalization rates.
Nanoscale structural and mechanical characterization of the cell wall of bamboo fibers

Abstract Bamboo is a natural biological composite with superior mechanical strength and toughness. What is the secret recipe that Mother Nature uses to fabricate bamboo? Here we report discovery of cobble-like polygonal cellulose nanograins with a diameter of 21–198 nm in the cell wall of bamboo fibers. These nanograins are basic building blocks that are used to construct individual bamboo fibers. Nanoscale mechanical tests were carried out on individual fiber cell walls by nanoindentation. The nanograin-structured bamboo fibers are not brittle in nature but somewhat ductile. The bamboo fiber reinforcing mechanisms are discussed with reference to the hierarchical structure and mechanical properties of individual bamboo components.
EFFECTS OF ELASTICITY ON THE SPRAYING OF A NON-NEWTONIAN FLUID

The effects of elasticity on the breakup of liquid filaments and the spray drop distribution are investigated for low viscosity elastic liquids that have a constant shear viscosity. The spray characteristics are observed in multiple positions within the spray. We find that the increase in elasticity in the moderate to high molecular weight polymer solutions) hinders the breakup of fluid exiting the nozzle, reducing the spray angle and the coverage and resulting in liquid filaments. With an increase in elasticity, the distance from the nozzle where the fluid breaks up, and the filament length before breakup, increases. The suppression of fine spray drops is observed with elastic non-Newtonian fluids in vertical as well as horizontal locations within the spray. We also study the effects of airflow and a shield, coupled with elasticity, on spray characteristics and find that the use of a shield stabilizes the motion of the spray and reduces the drift of the satellite drops.
Control of Heart Rate in Cecropia Moths; Response to Thermal Stimulation

1. The site for regulation of heart rate is the pterothoracic ganglia. 2. Heart rate increases when the animal goes from an inactive to an active state. At low air temperatures the transition is from torpor to warm-up and above 35°C the transition is from torpor directly to flight. 3. The heart of Cecropia moths isolated from neural connexions to the thoracic ganglia responds directly to temperature changes. 4. In actively flying animals the heart rate increases in response to thoracic heating.
Sampling-based roadmap of trees for parallel motion planning

This paper shows how to effectively combine a sampling-based method primarily designed for multiple-query motion planning [probabilistic roadmap method (PRM)] with sampling-based tree methods primarily designed for single-query motion planning (expansive space trees, rapidly exploring random trees, and others) in a novel planning framework that can be efficiently parallelized. Our planner not only achieves a smooth spectrum between multiple-query and single-query planning, but it combines advantages of both. We present experiments which show that our planner is capable of solving problems that cannot be addressed efficiently with PRM or single-query planners. A key advantage of our planner is that it is significantly more decoupled than PRM and sampling-based tree planners. Exploiting this property, we designed and implemented a parallel version of our planner. Our experiments show that our planner distributes well and can easily solve high-dimensional problems that exhaust resources available to single machines and cannot be addressed with existing planners.
DE 1 observations of theta aurora plasma source regions and Birkeland current charge carriers

Detailed analyses of the DE 1 high-altitude plasma instrument electron and ion data have been performed for four passes during which theta auroras were observed. The data indicate that the theta auroras occur on what appear to be closed field lines with particle signatures and plasma parameters that are quite similar to those of the magnetospheric boundary plasma sheet. The field-aligned currents computed from particle fluxes in the energy range 18-13 keV above the theta auroras are observed to be generally downward on the dawnside of the arcs with a narrower region of larger (higher density) upward currents on the duskside of the arcs. These currents are carried predominantly by field-aligned beams of accelerated cold electrons. Of particualr interest in regions of upward field-aligned current are downward electron beams at energies less than the inferred potential drop above the spacecraft.
Metabolic Flux Analysis

Metabolic pathways are sequences of enzyme-catalyzed reaction steps, converting substrates to a variety of products to meet the needs of the cell. Metabolic pathways can interact to create complex networks. Manipulation of metabolic pathways to improve the cellular properties is an old concept in biological sciences. This approach initially relied on random mutagenesis and creative selection techniques to identify superior strains with respect to a certain objective. Despite impressive successes in many biological areas, the mutations that played important role in achieving the desired cellular properties were poorly characterized and the strain development process remained random, combining science with elements of art [1]. Recombinant DNA technology introduced a new dimension to pathway manipulation, because it allowed precise modifications of enzymatic reactions in metabolic pathways. Metabolic engineering emerged then as the scientific field aiming at the directed modification of the enzymatic, regulatory, or transport activities of the cell to improve cellular properties, with the use of recombinant DNA technology [2-4].
Skeletal muscle mass and the reduction of VO2max in trained older subjects.

The role of skeletal muscle mass in the age-associated decline in maximal O2 uptake (VO2max) is poorly defined because of confounding changes in muscle oxidative capacity and in body fat and the difficulty of quantifying active muscle mass during exercise. We attempted to clarify these issues by examining the relationship between several indexes of muscle mass, as estimated by using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and treadmill VO2max in 32 chronically endurance-trained subjects from four groups (n = 8/group): young men (20-30 yr), older men (56-72 yr), young women (19-31 yr), and older women (51-72 yr). VO2max per kilogram body mass was 26 and 22% lower in the older men (45.9 vs. 62.0 ml.kg-1.min-1) and older women (40.0 vs. 51.5 ml.kg-1.min-1). These age differences were reduced to 14 and 13%, respectively, when VO2max was expressed per kilogram of appendicular muscle. When appropriately adjusted for age and gender differences in appendicular muscle mass by analysis of covariance, whole body VO2max was 0.50 +/- 0.09 l/min less (P < 0.001) in the older subjects. This effect was similar in both genders. These findings suggest that the reduced VO2max seen in highly trained older men and women relative to their younger counterparts is due, in part, to a reduced aerobic capacity per kilogram of active muscle independent of age-associated changes in body composition, i.e., replacement of muscle tissue by fat. Because skeletal muscle adaptations to endurance training can be well maintained in older subjects, the reduced aerobic capacity per kilogram of muscle likely results from age-associated reductions in maximal O2 delivery (cardiac output and/or muscle blood flow).
The power of relationships

The Deliberative Democracy Handbook: Strategies for Effective Civic Engagement in the 21st Century, edited by John Gastil and Peter Levine. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2005. 336 pp., $36.00 cloth. Politics Is About Relationship: A Blueprint for the Citizens' Century, by Harold H. Saunders. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. 242 pp., $35.00 cloth. Going Public: An Organizer's Guide to Citizen Action, by Michael Gecan. New York: Anchor, 2002. 224 pp., $12.00 paper. The Civic Renewal Movement: Community-Building and Democracy in the United States, by Carmen Sirianni and Lewis A. Friedland. Dayton, Ohio: Kettering Foundation Press, 2005. 260 pp., $9.95 paper.
War Aims and War Outcomes Why Powerful States Lose Limited Wars

Why are states with tremendous advantages in capabilities and resources often unable to attain even limited objectives vis-a-vis much weaker adversaries? The theory I develop focuses on how the nat...
New Immunosuppressive Agents

In the 1990’s, many new small and large molecules have been discovered and developed for use as immunosuppressants in transplantation. This chapter focuses on those small molecules that have shown to have immunosuppressive activity in patients1,2 (Fig.1). Two monoclonal antibodies are also included as examples of a resurgence of development in this area.
Defining Hepatoblastoma Responsiveness to Induction Therapy as Measured by Tumor Volume and Serum α-fetoprotein Kinetics

Abstract Purpose Hepatoblastoma is commonly unresectable at presentation, necessitating induction chemotherapy before definitive resection. To refine the paradigm for timing of resection, we questioned whether a plateau in hepatoblastoma responsiveness to neoadjuvant therapy could be detected by calculating tumor volume (TV) and serum α -fetoprotein (sAFP) kinetics. Methods To calculate TV and sAFP as measures of treatment responsiveness over time, infants having initially unresectable epithelial-type hepatoblastomas were identified at a single institution (1996-2008). Effects of therapy type, therapy duration, and lobe of liver involvement on TV, sAFP, margin status, and toxicity were analyzed. Results Of 24 infants treated for epithelial-type hepatoblastoma during this interval, 5 were resected primarily, and 15 had complete digital films for kinetics analysis. Both TV and sAFP decreased dramatically over time ( P P = .005), although no statistically significant differences in TV existed between liver lobes. Resection margins did not change with therapy duration. Conclusions Measuring TV and sAFP kinetics accurately reflects hepatoblastoma responsiveness to induction therapy. Treatment toxicities may be reduced by earlier resection and tailoring of chemotherapeutic regimens.
Single cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-release channel: activation by caffeine

Caffeine is thought to affect excitation-contraction coupling in cardiac muscle by activating the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+-release channel. The effect of caffeine at the single channel level was studied by incorporating canine cardiac SR vesicles into planar lipid bilayers. Cardiac Ca2+-release channels were activated in a steady-state manner by millimolar cis-caffeine and displayed a unitary conductance (77 pS in 50 mM Ca2+ trans) similar to that previously observed for the Ca2+-activated cardiac channel. The caffeine-activated channel was moderately sensitive to the voltage applied across the bilayer, was sensitive to further activation by ATP, and was inhibited by Mg2+ and ruthenium red. Kinetic analysis showed that at low Ca2+ concentration, caffeine activated the channel by increasing the frequency and the duration of open events.
High School Soccer Players With Concussion Education Are More Likely to Notify Their Coach of a Suspected Concussion

Previously published studies have found that concussion symptoms are underreported in youth athletics. This study evaluated the likelihood high school soccer players would identify themselves as having concussion related symptoms during game situations. A questionnaire inquiring about past concussion education and the likelihood of notifying their coach of concussion symptoms was administered to 183 high school soccer players. Of the 60 (33%) who completed the survey, 18 (72%) athletes who had acknowledged receiving concussion training responded that they would always notify their coach of concussion symptoms, as compared with 12 (36%) of the players who reported having no such training (P = .01). The results of this study suggest that athletes with past concussion training are more likely to notify their coach of concussion symptoms, potentially reducing their risk for further injury. Concussion education should be considered for all high school soccer players.
Inositol and Phosphate Regulate GIT1 Transcription and Glycerophosphoinositol Incorporation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Glycerophosphoinositol is produced through deacylation of the essential phospholipid phosphatidylinositol. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the glycerophosphoinositol produced is excreted from the cell but is recycled for phosphatidylinositol synthesis when inositol is limiting. To be recycled, glycerophosphoinositol enters the cell through the permease encoded by GIT1. The transport of exogenous glycerophosphoinositol through Git1p is sufficiently robust to support the growth of an inositol auxotroph (ino1Δ). We now report that S. cerevisiae also uses exogenous phosphatidylinositol as an inositol source. Evidence suggests that phosphatidylinositol is deacylated to glycerophosphoinositol extracellularly before being transported across the plasma membrane by Git1p. A genetic screen identified Pho86p, which is required for targeting of the major phosphate transporter (Pho84p) to the plasma membrane, as affecting the utilization of phosphatidylinositol and glycerophosphoinositol. Deletion of PHO86 in an ino1Δ strain resulted in faster growth when either phosphatidylinositol or glycerophosphoinositol was supplied as the sole inositol source. The incorporation of radiolabeled glycerophosphoinositol into an ino1Δ pho86Δ mutant was higher than that into wild-type, ino1Δ, and pho86Δ strains. All strains accumulated the most GIT1 transcript when incubated in media limited for inositol and phosphate in combination. However, the ino1Δ pho86Δ mutant accumulated approximately threefold more GIT1 transcript than did the other strains when incubated in inositol-free media containing either high or low concentrations of Pi. Deletion of PHO4 abolished GIT1 transcription in a wild-type strain. These results indicate that the transport of glycerophosphoinositol by Git1p is regulated by factors affecting both inositol and phosphate availabilities and suggest a regulatory connection between phosphate metabolism and phospholipid metabolism.