cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Remote sensing estimators of potential and actual crop yield

Abstract Spectral-reflectance patterns, vegetative indices of infrared/red, were utilized to signal the beginning and ending times for a stress-degree-day summation. The maximum vegetative index ( mss 7 5 ) corresponded to the beginning of head-emergence in grain sorghum and the boot-stage in wheat. When the vegetative index declined to 0.5 of the maximum, 90% of the reproductive dry matter had been accumulated, delineating the reproductive portion of the growth cycle. In both grain sorghum and wheat, a linear relationship was found between yield and stress-degree-days over the reproductive period defined by the vegetative index. However, in all years, the grain sorghum data did not fit the same linear relationship because of differences in cultural practices. It was found that the maximum vegetative index could be used to define the potential harvestable yield that was encountered during the reproductive stage. A linear relationship was then found between the yield harvested relative to this potential harvestable yield and the summation of the stress-degree-days. In these experiments, there was a wide range in ground covers and yield providing a rigorous test of the relationship. This technique provides a method for defining the interval of the stress-degree-day accumulation and has applicability as a generalized yield model.
Perinatal Depression and Birth Outcomes in a Healthy Start Project

Given the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes associated with a depressive disorder, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) from 2001–2005 devoted resources through the Federal Healthy Start Initiative to screen pregnant women for depression and link them with services. In this report, we present the evaluation of a program that screened for depression and provided services for women with depressive symptoms or psychiatric distress in pregnancy to assess whether the program was associated with a reduction in babies born low birth weight, small for gestational age, or preterm. The program impact was examined among 1,100 women in three cohorts enrolled from 2001–2005 that included: (1) subjects recruited prior to the inception of the Healthy Start Initiative; (2) subjects enrolled in the Healthy Start Initiative; and (3) a comparison group recruited during the project period but not enrolled in the Healthy Start Initiative. After adjustment for covariates, women with probable depression were over one and a half times more likely to give birth to a preterm baby than non depressed women. Neither adjusted nor unadjusted risks for delivery of preterm, low birth weight or small for gestational age infants were significantly lower for women enrolled in Healthy Start as compared to women not enrolled in Healthy Start. However, regardless of enrollment in Healthy Start, women who delivered babies after the Healthy Start program began were 85% less likely to deliver preterm babies than women giving birth before the program began. Depression status conferred increased risk of adverse birth outcomes, results that were not altered by participation in the Healthy Start program. We cannot exclude the possibility that the community activities of the Healthy Start program promoted increased attention to health issues among depressed women and hence enhance birth outcomes.
Application of thin films of conjugated polymers in novel light‐emitting devices and liquid crystal “light‐valves”

Light-emitting electroluminescent diodes and electrochemically-driven electroluminescent devices involving conjugated polymers are described. The effect on the properties of polypyrrole films (deposited from aqueous polymerizing solutions of pyrrole) caused by the hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of the substrate surface is utilized by a microcontact printing technique to form patterned liquid crystal display devices.
Digit-serial processing techniques

An architecture is presented for hard-wired data-flow algorithms which is based on the transmission of arithmetic data one digit at a time serially, and performance of operations digit-serially on that data. It is shown that digit-serial computation gives rise to particularly efficient chip designs, and that choice of digit-size allows the user to match throughput requirements to specifications. Details of the implementation of the individual operators as a cell-library of silicon CMOS circuits are given and mention is made of the software environment (silicon compiler) which allows the rapid translation of algorithms to integrated circuits. >
Contrasting stable isotope behavior between calcite and dolomite marbles, Lone Mountain, Nevada

Late Proterozoic to Cambrian carbonate rocks from Lone Mountain, west central Nevada, record multiple post-depositional events including: (1) diagenesis, (2) Mesozoic regional metamorphism, (3) Late Cretaceous contact metamorphism, related to the emplacement of the Lone Mountain granitic pluton and (4) Tertiary hydrothermal alteration associated with extension, uplift and intrusion of silicic porphyry and lamprophyre dikes. Essentially pure calcite and dolomite marbles have stable isotopic compositions that can be divided into two groups, one with positive δ13C values from+3.1 to +1.4 ‰ (PDB) and high δ18O values from +21.5 to +15.8 ‰ (SMOW), and the other with negative δ13C values from –3.3 to –3.6‰ and low δ18O values from +16.9 to +11.1‰. Marbles also contain minor amounts of quartz, muscovite and phlogopite. Brown and blue luminescent, clear, smooth textured quartz grains from orange luminescent calcite marbles have high δ18O values from +23.9 to +18.1‰, while brown luminescent, opaque, rough textured quartz grains from red luminescent dolomite marbles typically have low δ18O values from +2.0 to +9.3‰. The δ18O values of muscovite and phlogopite from marbles are typical of micas in metamorphic rocks, with values between +10.4 and +14.4‰, whereas mica δD values are very depleted, varying from −102 to −156‰. No significant lowering of the δ18O values of Lone Mountain carbonates is inferred to have occurred during metamorphism as a result of devolatilization reactions because of the essentially pure nature of the marbles. Bright luminescence along the edges of fractures, quartz cements and quartz overgrowths in dolomite marbles, low δD values of micas, negative δ13C values and low δ18O values of calcite and dolomite, and depleted δ18O values of quartz from dolomite marbles all indicate that meteoric fluids interacted with Lone Mountain marbles during the Tertiary. Partial oxygen isotopic exchange between calcite and low 18O meteoric fluids lowered the δ18O values of calcite, resulting in uniform quartz-calcite fractionations that define an apparent pseudoisotherm. These quartz-calcite fractionations significantly underestimate both the temperature of metamorphism and the temperature of post-metamorphic alteration. Partial oxygen isotopic exchange between quartz and meteoric fluids also resulted in 18O depletion of quartz from dolomite marbles. This partial exchange was facilitated by an increase in the surface area of the quartz as a result of its dissolution by meteoric fluids. The negative δ13C values in carbonates result from the oxidation of organic material by meteoric fluids following metamorphism. Stable isotopic data from Lone Mountain marbles are consistent with the extensive circulation of meteoric hydrothermal fluids throughout western Nevada in Tertiary time.
The tribulations and successes on the road from DSC to TMDSC in the 20th century the prospects for the 21st century

All started with the invention of differential thermal analysis, DTA at the beginning of the 20th century. The tool was qualitative in the measurement of heat, but quantitative in measuring temperature. The differential scanning calorimetry, DSC, became popular in the 1970s. In certain temperature regions, it could replace even the more precise, but cumbersome, classical technique of adiabatic calorimetry. A large volume of quantitative thermodynamic information was accumulated. Both equilibrium and non-equilibrium data were collected. Unfortunately, the qualitative applications of the DSC grew even faster and overshadowed the quantitative capabilities of measurement of heat. The newer temperature-modulated DSC, TMDSC, makes use of the same instrumentation and seems to follow the same fate, despite the fact, that it can distinguish equilibrium from non-equilibrium, a key information needed in the thermodynamic description of materials. Seeing the growth of these efficient techniques, one could conclude that all questions one might have wanted to ask in 1900 can be answered now. A new question, however, has become important in the 21st century: What happens at the nanophase level and in the description of very fast processes? Are we able to learn from the past, or are we again to stay at the level of qualitative DTA?
Review of Recent Advances in Detection of Organic Markers in Fine Particulate Matter and Their Use for Source Apportionment

Fine particulate matter is believed to be more toxic than coarse particles and to exacerbate health problems such as respiratory and cardiopulmonary diseases. Specific organic compounds within atmospheric fine particulate material can be used to differentiate specific inputs from various emissions and thus is helpful in identifying the major urban air pollution sources that contribute to these health problems. Particular marker compounds that carry signature information about different emission sources (i.e., gasoline or diesel motor vehicles, wood smoke, meat cooking, vegetative detritus, and cigarette smoke) are reviewed. Aerosol organic types (e.g., from mass spectrometry data, which can also help in elucidation of carbonaceous material sources) are also discussed. Apportionment of the primary source contributions and atmospheric processes contributing to fine particulate matter and fine particulate organic material concentrations are outlined. This review provides an overview of the latest developments in chemical characterization approaches for identification and quantification of compounds in complex organic mixtures associated with fine atmospheric particles and their use in chemical mass balance (CMB) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) source apportionment models.
Total Synthesis of Rhazinilam: Axial to Point Chirality Transfer in an Enantiospecific Pd-Catalyzed Transannular Cyclization

A total synthesis of rhazinilam based on a transannular cyclization strategy is described. Using a Heck reaction, the axial chirality of a halogenated 13-membered lactam can be exploited to create the quaternary chiral stereogenic center in the target molecule with high enantiospecificity.
Facial feature variation: Anthropometric data II

Facial feature variability as a function of age and gender was explored by using published anthropometric data (adopted by Goldstein, 1979) collected from several samples of faces of three racial groups. In addition, feature variability was compared to feature importance in face identification. Gender differences in variability were small except for Japanese women’s faces, which displayed more variability than other samples in survey. Infants’ faces might be more variable than adults’ faces, but measurement problems cloud the issue. Whether feature variability is related to feature saliency is still unknown because essential information is still missing.
Variation in Estrual Cycles of Holstein-Friesian Cattle

Summary The lengths of intervals between estrual periods were studied in a herd which consisted of six sire lines of breeding and in which four systems of mating were practiced. The distribution and mean lengths of 766 estrual cycles and 191 return intervals from 221 heifers differed significantly (P An analysis of variance showed estrual-cycle length in heifers to be affected significantly by the season of birth and the system of mating. The summer- and spring-born heifers had the longest cycles, 25.0 and 25.2 days, whereas the winter- and fall-born had cycles averaging 22.2 and 20.9 days, respectively. Daughters of inbred dams had the longest mean cycle lengths, 24.9 days for the outbred daughters and 25.6 days for the inbred; daughters of outbred dams averaged 20.6 for those that were outbred and 22.2 for those that were inbred. An analysis of variance of the first estrual-cycle length following calving in outbred and inbred cows showed a significant interaction of sire line and system of mating. Repeatability estimates of the first estrual-cycle length following calving from one calving interval to another of 0.11 (P
An accurate parallel genetic algorithm to schedule tasks on a cluster

Recent breakthroughs in the mathematical estimation of parallel genetic algorithm parameters are applied to the NP-complete problem of scheduling multiple tasks on a cluster of computers connected by a shared bus. Numerous adjustments to the original method of parameter estimation were made in order to accurately reflect differences in the problem model. The parallel scheduler used m-ary encoding and included a shared communication bus constraint. Fitness was an indirect computation requiring an evaluation of the meaning and implications (i.e., effect on communication time) of the encoding. The degree of correctness was defined as the "nearness" to the optimal schedule that could be obtained in a limited amount of time. Experiments reveal that the parallel scheduling algorithm developed very accurate schedules when the modified parameter guidelines were used. This article describes the scheduling problem, the parallel genetic scheduler, the adjustments made to the mathematical estimations, the quality of the schedules that were obtained, and the accuracy of the schedules compared to mathematically predicted expected values.
Behavioral and biochemical evidence for serotonergic actions of tetrahydro-β-carbolines

Abstract In two groups of rats trained to discriminate LSD (0.1 mg/kg or 0.24 mg/kg) from saline, tetrahydro-β-carboline (THBC; 1–12 mg/kg as free base) and its derivative 6-methoxy-THBC (1–12 mg/kg as free base) substituted partially for LSD. The substitution of THBC for 0.1 mg/kg of LSD was analyzed further with antagonism tests in 16 animals and was attenuated by the serotonin (5-HT) antagonist BC-105 (pizotifen; 3 mg/kg) but not by the dopamine (DA) antagonist haloperidol (0.1 mg/kg). It was abolished by pre-treatment with the 5-HT synthesis inhibitor p-chlorophenylalanine (100 mg/kg/day for 3 days). In addition, THBC was found to inhibit 3 H-LSD binding to homogenates of rat frontal cortex with an IC 50 value of 4 μM which is similar to that previously reported for other 5-HT agonists. These data indicate that THBCs exert potent 5-HT agonist actions. Since THBCs have recently been found in mammalian brain and other tissues, the present results are of interest in relation to a possible role of these substances in endogenous psychosis.
Strategies for postmarketing surveillance of drugs for rare diseases.

Rare diseases are an important part of the public health, affecting 6–8% of the population, and drugs intended for rare diseases comprise the fastest growing subcategory of new drug approvals in the United States. However, clinical study of therapeutics in these populations is limited by the low prevalence of these diseases, and the natural history or pathogenesis of the disease may be poorly described. In addition, commonly used strategies for evaluation of postapproval safety and effectiveness, such as meta-analyses and review of spontaneous adverse event reports, may not be applicable. Alternative methodological approaches, including natural history studies, adaptive clinical trial designs, and epidemiological studies using patient-organized registries, show substantial promise for the study of rare disease therapeutics. Bayesian trials and distributed networks of large electronic databases are the most promising strategies for active and prospective monitoring of clinical interventions for rare diseases. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2014); 95 3, 265–268. doi:10.1038/clpt.2013.218
Lithium Toxicity Secondary to Lithium—Losartan Interaction

Objective:To report a case of lithium toxicity following lithium and losartan coadministration in a diabetic patient.Case Summary:A 61-year-old white male with a history significant for bipolar disorder, hypertension, and diabetes was admitted to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center—based Nursing Home Care Unit for long-term intravenous antibiotic therapy for osteomyelitis. He developed lithium toxicity at a dose previously tolerated (1,350 mg/day) following administration of losartan 50 mg on the day before and day of evidence of toxicity. The drugs had been used concurrently prior to admission without evidence of toxicity; however, adherence to treatment could not be confirmed and concurrent dehydration may have been a contributing factor. Lithium toxicity was evidenced by irritability, tremors, confusion, and disorientation. Results of laboratory studies were significant for an elevated lithium concentration, hyponatremia, and slight elevations of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen. All other labo...
Stability determination of soy lecithin-based emulsions by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

The stability of soy lecithin-stabilized emulsions was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Oilin-water (o/w) emulsions were prepared with 6% (vol/vol) medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), 94% (vol/vol) water, and 4% (wt/vol) Lecigran and Lecimulthin soy lecithin. There were little or no differences between the 4% Lecigran and 4% Lecimulthin emulsions for all vibrational regions studied (OH at 3348 cm−1, C=O at 1741 cm−1, PO and C−O−C at 1157 cm−1, and P−O−C at 1101 cm−1), but the control emulsion, without emulsifier, had increased vibrations as the emulsion separated. The weaker vibrations of the more stable emulsions were probably due to reduced molecular interaction at the interface. However, added magnesium or calcium chloride enhanced the vibration of these groups, probably by disrupting the lecithin interaction at the emulsion interface.
Fast‐response liquid‐crystal displays using crossed fringe fields

— A fast-response and wide-view liquid-crystal display (LCD) using the crossed fringe-field-switching (CFFS) mode is proposed, where the fringe-field electrodes exist on both the top and bottom substrates. The bottom fringe field is used to turn on the LC directors and the top fringe field is used to assist in the LC decay process. The decay time is reduced by ∼2× compared to that of the conventional FFS mode between the full bright and dark states, and more than a 2× improvement is obtained for other gray-scale transitions. This CFFS mode also preserves the wide-view characteristics as the conventional FFS mode. Its applications to LCD TVs and monitors for reducing image blur are addressed.
Spinal anesthesia for Cesarean delivery following pre-existing epidural labour analgesia.

reporting the safe use of spinal anesthesia forCesarean delivery following a pre-existing labour epiduralblock. The authors attribute a ‘‘poorly justiﬁed reputation’’to a high or total spinal following a pre-existing epiduralblock. Spinal administration after a suboptimal labourepidural analgesia remains highly controversial,
Intercultural Couples: Coping With Culture-Related Stressors:

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify potential culture-related stressors in intercultural marriages and uncover some of the conscious and unconscious strategies applied by couples to cope with these stressors. In-depth ethnographic interviews were conducted with five intercultural couples. Interview data were then analyzed using a phenomenological reduction process to synthesize the meanings and essences of participant experiences. Results revealed that the intercultural couples studied used similar coping strategies to manage marital stressors that might be attributed to or accentuated by cultural differences. Six primary coping strategies were identified: (a) gender-role flexibility; (b) humor; (c) cultural deference by one partner; (d) recognition of similarities; (e) cultural reframing or the development of blended values and expectations that redefined the intercultural relationship; and (f) a general appreciation for other cultures. These intercultural coping strategies were su...
Design and Synthesis of Small Molecule Inhibitors against the Protective Antigen of Bacillus anthracis

Bacillus anthracis carries a special type of bacterial toxin and is considered to be a potential biological weapon. The highly lethal spores of B. anthracis cause severe diseases such as cutaneous, gastrointestinal, and inhalation anthrax. The multicomponent binary toxin (AB-type) of B. anthracis consists of two separate components: component A with enzymatic activity (edema factor and lethal factor) and component B (protective antigen, PA—the binding portion). Component B is essential for the formation of transmembrane channels (PA pores) that translocate component A from endosomes to the cytoplasm, thereby causing lethal effects in the target cells. We have designed and synthesized small molecule inhibitors belonging to a novel class of aminoquinolinium substances that block the entry of the enzymatic components through the PA pore.
All-optical CDMA and switching

This paper proposes and demonstrates all-optical CDMA and switching technologies. In particular, we investigate and achieve optical CDMA encoding and decoding on integrated InP microsystems. Experimental results indicate successful optical CDMA encoding and detections.
Analysis of vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser multimode behavior

This paper investigates problems associated with multimode oscillation in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). The multimode rate equations for transverse mode were formulated. These equations take into account carrier diffusion and gain nonuniformity in the lateral direction. It was shown that multimode transverse mode excitation is due to carrier spatial hole burning, but many factors affect the number of lasing modes. The role of gain nonuniformity distribution, carrier diffusion, and modal loss compared with mirror loss in a cavity were demonstrated by numerical solution of the multimode rate equations.
Global implications of lower to middle Eocene sequence boundaries on the New Jersey coastal plain: The icehouse cometh

Wedocumentninelower-middleEocenesequencesontheNewJerseycoastalplainand comparethemwithglobal d 18 OandHaqetal.records.EarlyEocenehiatusesdonotmatch d 18 Ochanges,anditisunlikelythattheyaretheresultofglacioeustasy,consistentwithan ice-free early Eocene. Early-middle Eocene (49‐43 Ma) evidence for a link between sequencesand d 18 Oisequivocal,andthepresenceoflargeicesheetsisuncertain.Beginning in the late-middle Eocene (43‐42 Ma), concomitant increases in planktonic and benthic d 18 O records coincide with the timing of hiatuses on the New Jersey coastal plain and a change from carbonate-dominated to siliciclastic-dominated sedimentation. These represent the development of the Antarctic ice cap and the beginning of the “icehouse” world. Of the 14 sequences predicted by Haq et al. for this interval, 9 are resolvable on the New Jersey margin, and the other 5 appear to be combined with others. We conclude that although ice-volume changes controlled sequences since at least 42 Ma, mechanisms for sea-level change prior to then are still not fully understood.
Latent multicast monitoring

This paper addresses the problem of monitoring packet loss in multicast networks. The proposed approach consists of monitoring a latent factor which is supposed to stand for and cause the observed network behavior. Our paper proposes a scheme based on principal component analysis in order to extract monitoring information and statistical process control in order to provide a methodology for monitoring multicast communication.
New approaches to eliciting protective immunity through T cell repertoire manipulation: the concept of thymic vaccination

Conventional vaccines afford protection against infectious diseases by expanding existing pathogen-specific peripheral lymphocytes, both CD8 cytotoxic effector (CTL) and CD4 helper T cells. The latter induce B cell maturation and antibody production. As a consequence, lymphocytes within the memory pool are poised to rapidly proliferate at the time of a subsequent infection. The "thymic vaccination" concept offers a novel way to alter the primary T cell repertoire through exposure of thymocytes to altered peptide ligands (APL) with reduced T cell receptor (TCR) affinity relative to cognate antigens recognized by those same TCRs. Thymocyte maturation (i.e. positive selection) is enhanced by low affinity interaction between a TCR and an MHC-bound peptide in the thymus and subsequent emigration of mature cells into the peripheral T lymphocyte pool follows. In principal, such variants of antigens derived from infectious agents could be utilized for peptide-driven maturation of thymocytes bearing pathogen-specific TCRs. To test this idea, APLs of gp33–41, a Db-restricted peptide derived from the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) glycoprotein, and of VSV8, a Kb-restricted peptide from the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) nucleoprotein, have been designed and their influence on thymic maturation of specific TCR-bearing transgenic thymocytes examined in vivo using irradiation chimeras. Injection of APL resulted in positive selection of CD8 T cells expressing the relevant viral specificity and in the export of those virus-specific CTL to lymph nodes without inducing T cell proliferation. Thus, exogenous APL administration offers the potential of expanding repertoires in vivo in a manner useful to the organism. To efficiently peripheralize antigen-specific T cells, concomitant enhancement of mechanisms promoting thymocyte migration appears to be required. This commentary describes the rationale for thymic vaccination and addresses the potential prophylactic and therapeutic applications of this approach for treatment of infectious diseases and cancer. Thymic vaccination-induced peptide-specific T cells might generate effective immune protection against disease-causing agents, including those for which no effective natural protection exists.
MULLITIZATION OF KAOLINITE

The thermal behavior of kaolinite was studied by electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. This study has shown that hexagonal-shaped particles persist far above the dehydration temperature of kaolinite. It was concluded that two stages of reaction represent the steps in the firing of kaolinite. First, the chemically combined water is removed, resulting in the formation of a uniquely organized, noncrystalline compound. Second, the noncrystalline compound collapses into crystalline mullite nuclei which exhibit normal growth.
Exploiting microarrays to reveal differential gene expression in the nervous system

Microarrays have been used in a wide variety of experimental systems, but realizing their full potential is contingent on sophisticated and rigorous experimental design and data analysis. This article highlights what is needed to get the most out of microarrays in terms of accurately and effectively revealing differential gene expression and regulation in the nervous system.
Role of calcium in the thermal inactivation of calcium transport proteins.

Using purified sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes as model systems, the role of calcium ion in the thermal inactivation of membrane calcium transport was investigated. Hyperthermia induces calcium release from the heavy fraction of sarcoplasmic reticulum. This calcium channel related calcium release was inhibited by the presence of glycerol and enhanced by the presence of ethanol. Calcium was found to protect the thermal-induced calcium transport inactivation of CaATPase in the light fraction of sarcoplasmic reticulum. Both glycerol and cholesterol protect the thermal inactivation of CaATPase. Yet their effects on the calcium-induced protection kinetics were rather different, i.e. , the glycerol inserts its protection effect by increasing the degree of cooperativity of calcium binding, while cholesterol increases the calcium-binding affinity. The calcium protection effect was attributed to the ability of calcium to enhance the thermal stability of the protein. This was demonstrated by an upshift (30–39°C) of the transition temperature of the rotational parameter of the native tryptophans of CaATPase in the presence of calcium.
Feed Manufacture and Feeding of Rations with Graded Levels of Added Moisture Formulated to Different Energy Densities

Abstract Graded levels of moisture were added to corn-soybean based formulations to create pelleted diets that differed in energy density. The pelleted diets were assessed using feed manufacturing parameters, pellet quality, performance, and energy metabolism of broilers during the growing phase. Treatments consisted of a factorial arrangement of three levels of added moisture (0, 2.5, and 5%) and two levels of energy density [NRC-recommended levels and 5% less than NRC recommended levels (low energy)]. NRC diets demonstrated increased pellet production rate, decreased pellet starch gelatinization, and decreased pellet durability compared to low energy diets during manufacture. Moisture addition, independent of dietary energy density, increased pellet production rate, decreased relative electrical energy usage, decreased pellet starch gelatinization, and increased pellet durability. These results suggest that moisture addition to broiler diets may increase economic returns of pellet manufacturing while simultaneously increasing pellet quality. In subsequent feeding experiments, broilers fed NRC diets in general demonstrated decreased feed intake and increased feed efficiency (FE) compared to broilers fed lower energy diets. However, broilers fed lower energy diets that included moisture additions demonstrated statistically similar FE compared to broilers fed NRC diets without added moisture. Broiler live weight gain and mortality were not affected by any treatment combination. In addition, broiler-derived true metabolizable energy values did not differ among treatments. These findings imply that feeding lower energy formulations that incorporate moisture can produce broiler FE equivalent to broilers fed NRC corn-soybean formulations, presumably due to benefits associated with improved pellet quality, which do not include increased metabolizable energy.
Drought limitations to leaf-level gas exchange: results from a model linking stomatal optimization and cohesion-tension theory

We merge concepts from stomatal optimization theory and cohesion-tension theory to examine the dynamics of three mechanisms that are potentially limiting to leaf-level gas exchange in trees during drought: (1) a 'demand limitation' driven by an assumption of optimal stomatal functioning; (2) 'hydraulic limitation' of water movement from the roots to the leaves; and (3) 'non-stomatal' limitations imposed by declining leaf water status within the leaf. Model results suggest that species-specific 'economics' of stomatal behaviour may play an important role in differentiating species along the continuum of isohydric to anisohydric behaviour; specifically, we show that non-stomatal and demand limitations may reduce stomatal conductance and increase leaf water potential, promoting wide safety margins characteristic of isohydric species. We used model results to develop a diagnostic framework to identify the most likely limiting mechanism to stomatal functioning during drought and showed that many of those features were commonly observed in field observations of tree water use dynamics. Direct comparisons of modelled and measured stomatal conductance further indicated that non-stomatal and demand limitations reproduced observed patterns of tree water use well for an isohydric species but that a hydraulic limitation likely applies in the case of an anisohydric species.
Some mechanisms underlying actions of ketamine on electromechanical coupling in skeletal muscle

The effects on excitation contraction coupling (ECC) of ketamine (a dissociative general anesthetic) were investigated using the sartorius muscle of the frog. Extracellular studies revealed that ketamine depressed action potential production in a concentration-dependent manner. Ketamine decreased both the conduction velocity and the compound action potential while concomitantly increasing the threshold current. Intracellular studies showed that ketamine caused a slight non-significant decrease in the membrane potential and also decreased the threshold potential (mechanical threshold). Ketamine (1.5 X 10(-4) M and 3.0 X 10(-4) M) initially potentiated and then blocked the twitch response elicited by direct muscle stimulation. Both of these effects were statistically different from control values. These findings suggest that ketamine alters action potential production in frog skeletal muscle. This property of ketamine contributes in part to the disruption of ECC observed with this drug. The results suggest the ketamine probably interferes with calcium binding, its release and/or its fluxes which may contribute to the intial potentiation and subsequent depression of twitch tension.
Managed care: income to outcome.

None of us has seen before a revolution like the one now increasingly being experienced in health care delivery. The millennium, or Armageddon, arrived a little early. Managed care encompasses a broad array of types and levels of management. I apologize that I do not have the space to make the differentiations that are there. I do assume we are bumping along a network of roads which because of its complexities and inequalities will eventually lead to a federal single-payer system, but that will be in the next millennium. All types of managed care espouse better care for less money, a concept that is a not-too-distant kin of perpetual motion and turning lead into gold. None of these has been done yet, but not for the lack of trying. Health maintenance organizations (HMO) are an important form of prepaid managed care. They began with a big advantage since they were federally subsidized and had positively selected patient pools. They cut health costs for participating businesses and delivered relatively good care, except for mental health, which almost all of them underfinanced. In response, businesses began to use in-house employee assistance programs (EAPs) and to "carve out" the mental health care from their HMOs and contract it to newly forming for-profit managed behavioral health care companies. These companies managed costs, some with a vengeance, and became darlings ofWall Street and generators of huge, some would say obscene, incomes for their leaders. Now, after burgeoning corporate mergers, the recognition that the financial incentive to underserve patients is a powerful given, and probably because of the swelling of unsavory publicity about executives' incomes, there is growing interest in studying managed care clinical outcomes. The term "outcome," like the word "quality," comes off the tongue easily and soothingly, but the more one thinks about its definition the more vexingly complex it becomes. Whose outcome is it, anyway? Is it defined by the average patient, a specific patient, the clinician, the family, the school, society, the plan managers, the plan stockholders, etc? How is outcome measured, when should it be measured, and against what should it be measured? What impact do the misdiagnosed
Force calculations in automated docking: enzyme-substrate interactions in Fusarium oxysporum Cel7B.

AutoDock is a small-molecule docking program that uses an energy function to score docked ligands. Here AutoDock's grid-based method for energy evaluation was exploited to evaluate the force exerted by Fusarium oxysporum Cel7B on the atoms of docked cellooligosaccharides and a thiooligosaccharide substrate analog. Coupled with the interaction energies evaluated for each docked ligand, these forces give insight into the dynamics of the ligand in the active site, and help to elucidate the relative importance of specific enzyme–substrate interactions in stabilizing the substrate transition-state conformation. The processive force on the docked substrate in the F. oxysporum Cel7B active site is less than half of that on the docked substrate in the Hypocrea jecorina Cel7A active site. Hydrogen bonding interactions of the enzyme with the C2 hydroxyl group of the glucosyl residue in subsite −2 and with the C3 hydroxyl group of the glucosyl residue in subsite +1 are the most significant in stabilizing the distorted1, 4B transition-state conformation of the glucosyl residue in subsite −1. The force calculations also help to elucidate the mechanism that prevents the active site from fouling. Proteins 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Patient Activation and Advocacy: Which Literacy Skills Matter Most?

Attention to the effect of a patient's literacy skills on health care interactions is relatively new. So, too, are studies of either structural or personal factors that inhibit or support a patient's ability to navigate health services and systems and to advocate for their own needs within a service delivery system. Contributions of the structural environment, of interpersonal dynamics, and of a variety of psychological and sociological factors in the relationship between patients and providers have long been under study. Less frequently examined is the advocacy role expected of patients. However, the complex nature of health care in the United States increasingly requires a proactive stance. This study examined whether four literacy skills (reading, numeracy, speaking, and listening) were associated with patient self-advocacy--a component of health literacy itself--when faced with a hypothetical barrier to scheduling a medical appointment. Although all literacy skills were significantly associated with advocacy when examined in isolation, greater speaking and listening skills remained significantly associated with better patient advocacy when all four skills were examined simultaneously. These findings suggest that speaking and listening skills and support for such skills may be important factors to consider when developing patient activation and advocacy skills.
Isotope Effect and Divacancies for Self-Diffusion in Copper

The simultaneous diffusion of 64Cu and 67Cu has been measured in copper single crystals from 890 to 1061 °C. The strength of the isotope effect f ΔK is 0.684 ± 0.014 and is independent of temperature within the experimental error. This indicates that the contribution of divacancies to self-diffusion in copper is small. The diffusion coefficient of 67Cu in copper single crystals was measured from 700 to 1060 °C and is given by . Die gleichzeitige Diffusion von 64Cu und 67Cu wurde im Bereich von 890 bis 1061 °C an Kupfereinkristallen gemessen. Die Grose des Isotopeneffekts f ΔK ergibt sich zu 0,684 ± 0,014 und ist temperaturunabhangig innerhalb der Mesgenauigkeit. Dies bedeutet, das der Beitrag von Doppelleerstellen zur Selbstdiffusion in Kupfer gering ist. Der Diffusionskoeffizient von 67Cu in Kupfereinkristallen wurde im Bereich von 700 bis 1060 °C gemessen und ergibt sich zu ,
A Membrane Abnormality in Lymphocytes from Diabetic Subjects

The fluorescence properties of the hydrophobic probe 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene incorporated in the lymphocytes of 30 diabetic patients and 21 normal control subjects were studied. The mean value of the probe polarization was 0.314 for the control group and 0.294 for the patient group. The difference was significant at p < 0.001. The decreased polarization was correlated with the level of plasma glucose in the patients (p < 0.01). Nanosecond fluorescence results obtained from the lymphocytes of 7 patients and 5 controls indicated that there was no significant difference in the probe lifetimes between the two groups of subjects and suggest that the decreased polarization of the probe in the patient group resulted from a more fluid lipid environment of cell membranes.
Opportunities for Optical Designs in Driving Concentrating Photovoltaic Technology

The photovoltaic industry has grown dramatically; concentrating photovoltaic products are generating interest, but would benefit from optical techniques developed for other industries. This talk will give an overview and highlight the opportunities. Article not available.
Novel hemodynamic events identified by diffuse optical tomography in an animal model of epilepsy

We report an investigation of hemodynamics in an animal model of generalized epilepsy using 3D diffuse optical tomography (DOT). Early hemodynamic responses with heterogeneous patterns were detected several minutes preceding the EEG seizure onset.
A MELUS Interview: Joy Harjo

In the summer of 1987 Joy Harjo and I participated in Larry Evers' NEH seminar at the University of Arizona on American Indian Verbal Art and Literature. After reading her poetry, I had looked forward to meeting and talking with her. In the course of seminar discussions and informal conversations I became more aware of the scope of Joy's interests: she is a jazz musician and visual artist as well as a poet, and has been active in human rights work in this country and internationally. Joy gave a reading from her work then in progress, a collection of poems titled In Mad Love and War (Wesleyan University Press, 1990), for the NEH seminar participants. Her introductory remarks at that reading will introduce her in her own words to readers of this interview: "I was born in Tulsa. I'm Creek, Muskogee. We are originally from Alabama, though the Creek Confederacy covered the southeast United States. I'm related to Alexander Posey, the Creek poet; he was my father's father's mother's cousin. So, it makes sense, I suppose, that I'm very much involved right now initiating an Arts Council for the tribe with Helen Chalakee, and beginning with the Alexander Posey Award for poetry for kids. I grew up in Oklahoma until I was about sixteen, when I went to Indian boarding school in Santa Fe, New Mexico. And I've lived in New Mexico much of my life. My son was born in Tahlequah, but I moved back to New Mexico when he was 18 months old. I attended graduate school in Iowa at the Iowa Writers' Workshop-"did time" there. But Oklahoma is my home, and New Mexico is my other home. I'm a poet and a writer because I am curious about this process called living, the transformational aspects of language." Some of the conversation in this interview comes from that reading, and most of the rest from transcriptions of a tape made a day or two later. We began our conversation at a restaurant over lunch, and continued it at the university. After I edited the first transcript I sent it with the tapes to Joy; she went over the text carefully, clarifying her thought at many points, as I did later with the introductory notes, until we were both satisfied with it.
Case records of the Massachusetts General Hospital. Case 17-2011. A 49-year-old woman with a mass in the breast and overlying skin changes.

A 49-year-old woman presented with a 12-cm mass in the right breast, fixed to the chest wall. The overlying skin was erythematous and edematous. A core-biopsy specimen showed infiltrating ductal carcinoma.
Living Wills, Durable Power of Attorney, and Advance Directives

Advance directives (ADs) are legal documents that include both a living will and a durable power of attorney for healthcare, allowing adults to make choices about medical treatment in advance, in preparation for the possibility that physical or cognitive impairment might impair their ability to choose at a later date. They are important because they keep the voice of the patient central to the decision-making process for treatment. They are powerful tools that help individuals and families navigate the challenges of illness and shape the dying process to honor patients' wishes. Major dimensions of ADs are discussed in this entry, including the historical and social context, the importance of ADs, the process of completing ADs and critical issues doing so, current trends and emphases in research and theory, and future directions. Keywords: advance care planning; advance directives; durable power of attorney for healthcare; end-of-life planning; living wills
Uncertainty in Determining Total Dust Concentration in the Air at Workplaces

[Objective]To evaluate the uncertainty in determining total dust concentration at workplace,and find out the critical impacts of experiment on the accuracy of the results.[Methods]National standards of GBZ/T 192.1-2007and JJF 1059-1999 were adopted to evaluate the uncertainty in determining total dust concentration at the post of material adding in a beverage company limited.[Results]The expended uncertainty was U=0.81 mg/m3,Veff=100,P=95%;the result of total dust concentration was (1.1±0.81) mg/m3.The most critical impact during the measurement process on each uncertainty weight was found out to be the uncertainty weight introduced when measuring the quality of samples.It was also the most critical influential factor on the uncertainty.[Conclusion]The measurement results of total dust concentration at the material input section match well with GBZ 2.1-2007.During the measurement process,it is especially important to strictly abide by standardized analysis method to control the experimental conditions and reduce the systematic effects such as electronic balance and air humidity which may cause adverse impacts on the accuracy of the measurement results.
Religious Workers' Density and the Racial Earnings Gap †

We explore differences between Black and White Non-Hispanic workers in the relationship between childhood exposure to religious workers and a worker's labor market outcomes thirty years later. We identify this relationship by exploiting two sources of variation: we use changes in the number of religious workers within states, and we use states' differences by following workers who moved to a different state. Our results suggest that a one percent increase in the number of clergy increases the earnings of Black workers by a range from 0.027 to 0.082 percent relative to the increase in the earnings of White workers.
Hysteroscopy: Present and Potential Applications

Previously bleeding prevented intrauterine endoscopy. Dextran solution now allows the uterine cavity to be distended without injury to the endometrial mucose. This permits inspection photography and some types of surgery. The potential for tubal sterilization is the motivation for this paper. Hysteroscopy may be performed as a diagnostic procedure under local anesthesia in the gynecologists office. Contraindications are acute pelvic inflammatory disease or recurrent chronic upper genital tract infection also recent uterine perforation or pregnancy. Hysteroscopy permits an accurate diagnosis of polyps and small submucus fibroids. Intrauterine adhesions may be diagnosis and with the aid of the laparoscope safely dissected. Of 110 cases so treated 1 perforation occurred during dissection. Bleeding can be located and controlled by cautery if necessary. Tissues may be obtained for histological examination. Transcervical tubel sterilization is the most important application anticipated. Data in this area are promising but remain to be amplified and confirmed.