cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of excess methanol addition on the morphology of sonogel-derived silica

Sonochemical processing techniques may be used to create fully miscible sols without the initial addition of a solvent. However, by intentionally adding excess alcohol to a sol produced by sonication, it is possible to manipulate the porosity of the resulting sonogel. Sonogels of systematically varied methanol content were prepared using a two-step process with subsequent drying at 60°C. The as-prepared sol with no excess methanol produced a purely microporous solid. The addition of excess methanol to the sol resulted in the formation of mixed microporosity and mesoporosity as revealed by nitrogen gas adsorption and transmission electron microscopy.
Learning Times Two: Creating Learning Through a Children’s Museum Exhibit

This article describes an innovative lab course in which students designed and constructed five developmentally (and locally) appropriate museum exhibits around the theme “Healthy Living.” They installed these at a local children’s museum, designed a pretest/posttest to assess children’s learning from the exhibit, conducted children through the exhibit and the assessment, analyzed the data, and wrote up their results: The exhibits were effective in increasing children’s knowledge. A content analysis of essays by the student researchers, reflecting on what they had learned from the project, revealed learning at multiple levels, from content knowledge to increased self-understanding, perspective taking, and sense of efficacy, and further suggests that students would enjoy and strongly benefit from similar projects. Lessons and suggestions for future undertakings are offered.
Environmental significance of atmospheric emission resulting from In situ burning of oiled salt marsh

Abstract The environmental significance of atmospheric emissions resulting from in-situ burning used as remediation technique for removal of petroleum hydrocarbons entering Louisiana coastal salt marshes was quantified. Research conducted documented atmospheric pollutants produced and emitted to the atmosphere as the result of burning of oil contaminated wetlands. Samples collected from the smoke plume contained a variety of gaseous sulfur and carbon compounds. Carbonyl sulfide and carbon disulfide were the main volatile sulfur compounds. In contrast, concentrations of sulfur dioxide were almost negligible. Concentrations of methane and carbon dioxide in the smoke plume increased compared to ambient levels. Air samples collected for aromatic hydrocarbons in the smoke plume were dominated by pyrogenic or combustion derived aromatic hydrocarbons. The particulate fraction was dominated by phenanthrene and the C-1 and C-2 alkylated phenanthrene homologues. The vapor fraction was dominated by naphthalene and the C-1 to C-3 naphthalene homologues.
Stress-specific composition, assembly and kinetics of stress granules in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Eukaryotic cells respond to cellular stresses by the inhibition of translation and the accumulation of mRNAs in cytoplasmic RNA–protein (ribonucleoprotein) granules termed stress granules and P-bodies. An unresolved issue is how different stresses affect formation of messenger RNP (mRNP) granules. In the present study, we examine how sodium azide (NaN3), which inhibits mitochondrial respiration, affects formation of mRNP granules as compared with glucose deprivation in budding yeast. We observed that NaN3 treatment inhibits translation and triggers formation of P-bodies and stress granules. The composition of stress granules induced by NaN3 differs from that of glucose-deprived cells by containing eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF)3, eIF4A/B, eIF5B and eIF1A proteins, and by lacking the heterogeneous nuclear RNP (hnRNP) protein Hrp1. Moreover, in contrast with glucose-deprived stress granules, NaN3-triggered stress granules show different assembly rules, form faster and independently from P-bodies and dock or merge with P-bodies over time. Strikingly, addition of NaN3 and glucose deprivation in combination, regardless of the order, always results in stress granules of a glucose deprivation nature, suggesting that both granules share an mRNP remodeling pathway. These results indicate that stress granule assembly, kinetics and composition in yeast can vary in a stress-specific manner, which we suggest reflects different rate-limiting steps in a common mRNP remodeling pathway.
Operative management and outcome of 302 abdominal vascular injuries

Abstract Background: Abdominal vascular injuries incur high mortality rates. The purposes of this study are (1) review institutional experience, (2) determine additive effect on mortality of multiple vessel injuries, (3) determine mortality of combined arterial and venous injuries, and (4) correlate mortality with American Association for the Surgery of Trauma–Organ Injury Scale (AAST-OIS) for abdominal vascular injury. Methods: A retrospective 6-year study was made at an urban level I trauma center of patients with abdominal vascular injuries. Main outcome measure was survival. Results: (1) There was a total of 302 patients, mean age 28, mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) 25 (range 4 to 75). Mechanism of injury was penetrating in 266 (88%), blunt in 36 (12%). Emergency Department thoracotomy was done in 43 of 302 (14%), 504 vessels were injured: arteries 238(47%), veins 266(53%). Surgical management was ligation 245, primary repair 141, prosthetic interposition grafts 24, autogenous 2. Overall mortality was 162 of 302 (54%). (2) Mortality multiple vessels injured: 1 vessel 160 (45%), 2 vessels 102 (60%), 3 vessels 33 (73%), >4 vessels 5 (100%). Mortality arterial injuries: aorta isolated (I) 78% versus combined with other arterial injuries (C) 82.4%, superior mesenteric artery (SMA) I 47.6% versus C 71.4%, iliac I 53% versus C 72.7%, renal I 37.5% versus C 66.7%. Venous injuries: inferior vena cava (IVC) isolated (I) 70% versus combined with other venous injuries (C) 77.7%, superior mesenteric vein (SMV) I 52.7% versus C 65%, IMV I 16% versus C 50%. (3) Specific mortality combined arterial and venous injuries: aorta plus IVC 93%, SMA plus SMV 43%, iliac artery plus vein 45.5%. (4) Mortality versus AAST-OIS: grade II 25%, grade III 32%, grade IV 65%, grade V 88%. Conclusions: Abdominal vascular injuries are highly lethal. Multiple arterial and venous injuries increase mortality. Mortality correlates with AAST-OIS for abdominal vascular injury.
Relation of shunt flow and right ventricular pressure to heart valve structure in atrial septal defect

Abstract In hearts with atrial septal defect of the fossa ovalis type, antemortem catheterization data corresponded to consistent differences in both the distribution and composition of tricuspid and pulmonic valve thickenings. High shunt flows and relatively low right ventricular pressures corresponded to extensive confluent fibrosis of the tricuspid chordae tendineae, leaflets, and annulus fibrosus, probably due to markedly elevated stretching tensions, and to fibroelastosis of the atrialis, probably due to increased flow. High ventricular pressures and relatively small shunts corresponded to characteristic sclerosis about the line of closure related to increased compression of the coapted portions of the leaflets. Pulmonic cusps showed similar distinctive changes attributable to differences in pressure and flow. A striking defcrmity about the posterior commissure of the mitral valve was characteristic of various types of atrial septal defect, providing the valve was generally intact and the shunt was predominantly left to right; the degree of the change increased with age and is probably a consequence of disproportionate enlargement of the septal wall of the left ventricle and modification of atrioventricular flow by the atrial septal defect. There was no evidence that either the right-sided or mitral valve changes were due to previous endocarditis or thrombosis. The findings indicate that the valve changes described represent secondary proliferative and degenerative responses to mechanical stresses resulting from altered flow patterns associated with atrial septal defect.
Agent causation as the solution to all the compatibilist’s problems

In a recent paper I argued that agent causation theorists should be compatibilists. In this paper, I argue that compatibilists should be agent causation theorists. I consider six of the main problems facing compatibilism: (i) the powerful intuition that one can’t be responsible for actions that were somehow determined before one was born; (ii) Peter van Inwagen’s modal argument, involving the inference rule (β); (iii) the objection to compatibilism that is based on claiming that the ability to do otherwise is a necessary condition for freedom; (iv) “manipulation arguments,” involving cases in which an agent is manipulated by some powerful being into doing something that he or she would not normally do, but in such a way that the compatibilist’s favorite conditions for a free action are satisfied; (v) the problem of constitutive luck; and (vi) the claim that it is not fair to blame someone for an action if that person was determined by forces outside of his or her control to perform that action. And in the case of each of these problems, I argue that the compatibilist has a much more plausible response to that problem if she endorses the theory of agent causation than she does otherwise.
Nuclear analysis for a flowing Li2O particulate blanket without structural first wall

Abstract Neutronics and activation calculations have been performed for a Li2O particulate blanket concept without structural first wall. The concept has the potential for achieving tritium self-sufficiency with a lifetime structure and reweldable vacuum vessel. It has attractive safety features resulting from the significant reduction in radioactivity and decay heat generation in the structural material.
Pairing Research Questions and Theories of Genre: A Case Study of the Hodayot

No single model of genre is adequate to inform all types of research questions. In this article six approaches to genre are briefly described. Then each is discussed in relation to how it has been or might be used in investigating the Qumran Hodayot.
Multicenter Randomized Trial of the Effects of Inhaled Nitric Oxide Therapy on Gas Exchange in Children with Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure • 189

Multicenter Randomized Trial of the Effects of Inhaled Nitric Oxide Therapy on Gas Exchange in Children with Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure • 189
Photoacoustic ultrasound: Pulse production and detection in 0.5% Liposyn

Theoretical predictions and experimental measurements of photoacoustic pulse production within a 0.5% solution of Liposyn, a highly scattering, optical propagation medium, are reported. A simple model for photoacoustic energetics is developed that predicts photoacoustic signal pressure as a function of depth within a turbid medium following surface irradiation from an infrared source. The model is valid for very short irradiation duration. The model predicts that the acoustic pressure produced at a distance r from the center of a small, highly absorbing sphere of radius R consists of two, opposite polarity pulses, one originating from the near and one from the far side of the sphere. The magnitude of these biphasic pulses is expected to be proportional to the energy fluence (E) incident on the surface of the sphere and to the ratio, R/r. Furthermore, the energy fluence (E) that reaches the sphere is roughly proportional to e-mu effZ, where mu eff is the effective attenuation coefficient of the turbid medium and Z is the depth of the embedded sphere below the irradiated surface. The variation of E with depth within the absorber and biphasic acoustic pulse production have been verified experimentally. Further experiments demonstrate that a small (3-mm diameter), highly absorbing sphere can be detected and localized at a depth of 37.5 mm within a 0.5% solution of Liposyn with a spatial resolution of 1 x 6 mm2, using a biologically safe level of infrared irradiation (lambda = 1064 nm) and a conventional ultrasound transducer (frequency = 2.25 MHz). These results suggest that photoacoustic ultrasound imaging may have application to biologic systems such as the human breast.
The stability and structure of high miller index platinum crystal surfaces in vacuum and in the presence of adsorbed carbon and oxygen

Abstract The surface structures of twenty-two high Miller Index crystal faces of platinum were studied in ultrahigh vacuum (uhv) when clean and in the presence of a monolayer of chemisorbed oxygen or carbon by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). Besides the low Miller index planes [the (001), (011), and (111)], only a few of the surfaces [the (112), (113), (133), (122) and (012)] were stable under all conditions of the experiments. The stable surfaces are characterized by a very high density of periodic steps of one atom in height or a complete lack of steps. The other platinum crystal faces restructure as the surface composition is changed. Some of the surface structures that are stable in uhv and in oxygen reconstruct in the presence of carbon while others are stable when clean and when carbon covered but restructure when covered with oxygen. In addition to the one atom high step-terrace configuration there are atomically clean surface structures with multiple height steps and structures in “hill and valley” configuration consisting of large facet planes detectable by LEED. The implications to heterogeneous catalysis of the observed stability and restructuring of the various crystal planes in changing reaction conditions are discussed.
DOPA and amino acid levels in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with parkinson's disease before and during treatment with L-dOPA

Abstract Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of DOPA and various amino acids were studied in the same groups of patients with Parkinson's disease before and during treatment with l -DOPA after 2–3 weeks. Peak levels of plasma DOPA were obtained usually 2–3 h after L -DOPA administration and average peak concentrations were 0.7 ± 0.4 μg/ml after the first and 0.6 ± 0.6 μg/ml after the optimal dose which was between 2 and 6 times higher than the initial dose. No correlation was observed between plasma DOPA levels and the dose administered or the clinical response of the patient. Before treatment plasma and CSF levels of various amino acids were not different from those found in a control group with the exception of plasma ornithine which was lower in the patient group. Treatment with l -DOPA for 2–3 weeks produced no changes in the amino acid pattern in plasma and CSF except for a significant increase in plasma proline and decrease in methionine in the CSF.
Growth of aerosol particles in a steam environment and its effect on removal

Abstract In the present work, growth of cesium iodide aerosols in a mixture of steam and air (non-condensable) is investigated. The condensation rates are calculated including the Kelvin and solute effects. Particle growth to its equilibrium size, with and without energy conservation, is calculated for a range of particle size, temperature and surrounding relative humidity. The time required for the particles to grow to their equilibrium sizes is reported. Finally, the effect of particle growth on the removal of cesium iodide aerosols by gravitational sedimentation is presented.
Optimal Storage and Marketing Over Space and Time

Borrowing from the theory of optimal resource extraction, we develop the mechanism guiding efficient commodity storage and marketing over producing regions through the crop year. Optimal storage occurs at producing areas, and time in storage varies directly with distance to market. Prices grow with interest rates in locations where storage is efficient but more slowly elsewhere, which explains why market prices (i.e., prices at the market) grow more slowly than interest rates. The model is empirically supported by examining storage in the Corn Belt, rates of price growth at various points, and quarterly grain marketings.
Development of the inverse Jacobian for the Kraft slave, and its use in force reflecting teleoperation

The development of the symbolic inverse of a manipulator Jacobian and its use in controlling the manipulator is discussed. The ease of symbolically inverting a matrix is directly related to the simplicity of the expressions in the matrix. Therefore, a general method for obtaining a simplified form of the Jacobian of a manipulator in any of the intermediate link frames is developed and presented using an example. Also, a general method is presented for the verification of a manipulator Jacobian using the forward kinematics. A hand-waving discussion of the inversion of the Kraft slave Jacobian using symbolic manipulation software is given and the final form of the inverse is presented. An approximate solution to the inverse Jacobian problem for the Kraft slave using symbolic inverses is presented. This solution is used in dealing with the only reachable singularity of the Kraft slave. Finally, a teleoperational control system using the inverse Jacobian to calculate the inverse kinematics is discussed.
Basement membrane changes in myocardial and skeletal muscle capillaries in myxedema.

Nineteen dogs were given 131I and later administered appropriate amounts of methimazole or propylthiouracil daily. Over a period of 4-7 years several developed severe clinical features of myxedema. The myocardium and skeletal muscle of these severely myxedematous dogs displayed an array of morphologic changes on an ultrastructural level. Particularly interesting was the two- to threefold increase in the thickness of the myxedematous capillary basement membranes over those of normals. Increased tortuosity, lamination, and perivascular fibrosis were also observed as part of the myxedematous changes. These studies also demonstrated severe microcellular modifications, such as mitochondrial disruption, loss of cristae, lipid inclusions, and the presence of myelin figures, all a part of the diffuse systemic cardiovascular connective tissue pathology in myxedema.
Toxic radiation exposure and the epidemiology of violent death: confronting obstacles to productive inquiry.

As de Man (2) has noted in his thoughtful commentary on my recent paper published in this journal ( 4 ) , the task of investigating the extent to which developmentally early exposure to toxic radiation may induce a predisposition to the kinds of criminal violence that contribute to homicide and suicide statistics, will be a challenging one indeed. I-Iopefully, professional dialogue of the sort which he has initiated, will facihtate optimally effective efforts to meet chat challenge. In any event, it is in che spirit of such facilitation that I herein offer my reply to the important issues so capably raised by Dr. de Man. Professor de Man has suggested that exposure to toxic radiation may be "merely a proxy variable for more fundamental processes." H e may be right. My feeling, however, is that it is st111 much too early in development of scientific understanding of the complex, organismic phenomena involved in studying criminally violent behavior, to be sure just which variables are proxies and which are the "real" ones. Correspondingly, I'm inclined to think that the fruitfulness of research along these lines might be enhanced by acknowledging the possibility that radiation exposure is a legitimate variable in its own right, interactively involved with biological and social psychological processes which may be more apparently associated with statistical measures of criminally violent behaviors. As a social scientist, my primary objective in the follow-up paper to which Dr. de Man has responded, was to stimulate interest in programmatic, multivariate analyses oriented to disentangling the relative contributions ol many potential variables, including toxic radiation exposure, to violent crime. The causal modeling method for evaluating hypotheses about "latent variables" as described by Bentler (2), might be particularly appropriate for these purposes. In my judgment, such an approach, using archival data bases the way I did in my preliminary study, is not incompatible with the direction for inquiry recommended by Dr. de Man. If interest in the possible influences of radiation on dimensions of behavior other than criminal violence is stimulated thereby, my more personal motives for doing this work w d also have been satisfied.
Dynamical diffraction of ultrashort X-ray free-electron laser pulses

Calculations are presented for the femtosecond time-evolution of intensities of beams diffracted by perfect Bragg crystals illuminated with radiation expected from X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) operating through the self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) process. After examining the case of transient diffraction of an electromagnetic delta-function impulse through flat, single- and double-crystal monochromators, the propagation of a 280 fs-duration SASE XFEL pulse of 8 keV photons through the same optics is discussed. The alteration of the sub-femtosecond spiky microbunched temporal structure of the XFEL pulse after it passes through the system is shown for both low-order (broad bandwidth) and high-order (narrow bandwidth) crystal reflections. Finally, the shot-to-shot statistical fluctuations of the integrated diffracted intensity is simulated. Implications of these results for XFEL applications are addressed.
THE CORPUS LUTEUM-PITUITARY RELATIONSHIP: THE LACK OF AN INHIBITING EFFECT OF PROGESTERONE ON THE SECRETION OF PITUITARY LUTEOTROPHIN

Neither hemiovariectomy nor the administration of 2.0 or 4.0 mg./day of progesterone for 8 days affected the size of the corpora lutea of pseudo-pregnant rats. The same lack of effect of hemiovariectomy, or of treatment with progesterone (5.0 or 10.0 mg./day for 28 days) on the size of the corpora lutea was seen in hypophysectomized rats bearing auto transplanted pituitaries. These results, in comparison with those of other target organ hormones on the secretion of their pituitary trophins, were interpreted as evidence that the progesterone- LTH relationship is not one of negative feedback.
Small Employer Perspectives On The Affordable Care Act’s Premiums, SHOP Exchanges, And Self-Insurance

Beginning January 1, 2014, small businesses having no more than fifty full-time-equivalent workers will be able to obtain health insurance for their employees through Small Business Health Options ...
Fenoldopam Inhibits Nuclear Translocation of Nuclear Factor Kappa B in a Rat Model of Surgical Ischemic Acute Renal Failure

Objective: Vasoactive compounds are known to modulate gene transcription, including nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), in renal tissues, but the molecular effects of fenoldopam in this setting are not known. The authors used a rat model of surgical acute ischemic nephropathy to test the hypothesis that fenoldopam attenuates ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)–induced NF-κB-mediated inflammation. Design: Prospective, single-blind, randomized, controlled animal study. Setting: Academic Department of Anesthesiology laboratory. Subjects: Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats. Interventions: Rats were anesthetized by intraperitoneal administration of 50 mg/kg of urethane and randomly allocated into 4 groups (n = 6 each): sham operation, sham operation with infusion of 0.1 μg/kg/min of fenoldopam, unilateral renal ischemia (1 hour, left renal artery cross-clamping) followed by 4 hours of reperfusion, and unilateral renal I/R with fenoldopam infusion. Measurements and Main Results: Kidney samples were used to measure NF-κB DNA-binding activity with an electrophoretic mobility shift assay. NF-κB signaling-dependent gene transcription was assessed with microarray analysis, and validated with reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 and nitric oxide synthetase-3 messenger RNA (not included in the array) was studied with RT-PCR. NF-κB DNA binding activity was significantly higher (p Conclusion: Data from this rat model of renal I/R suggest that the mechanism by which fenoldopam attenuates I/R-induced inflammation appears to involve inhibition of NF-κB translocation and signal transduction.
Mesostructure Design with Gemini Surfactants: Supercage Formation in a Three-Dimensional Hexagonal Array

At low temperatures, liquid crystal-like arrays made up of inorganic-cluster and organic molecular units readily undergo reversible lyotropic transformations. Gemini surfactants, with two quaternary ammonium head groups separated by a methylene chain of variable length and with each head group attached to a hydrophobic tail, can be used to control organic charge sitting relative to the bivariable hydrophobic tail configurations. This approach has led to the synthesis of a mesophase (SBA-2) that has three-dimensional hexagonal (P6(3)/mmc) symmetry, regular supercages that can be dimensionally tailored, and a large inner surface area. This mesostructure analog of a zeolite cage structure does not appear to have a lyotropic surfactant or lipid liquid crystal mesophase counterpart. Through the modification of gemini charge separation and each of the two organic tails, these syntheses can be used to optimize templating effects, including the synthesis of MCM-48 at room temperature.
Calcium and vitamin D supplementation and loss of bone mineral density in women undergoing breast cancer therapy

An unintended consequence of breast cancer therapies is an increased risk of osteoporosis due to accelerated bone loss. We conducted a systematic review of calcium and/or vitamin D (Ca±D) supplementation trials for maintaining bone mineral density (BMD) in women with breast cancer using the "before-after" data from the Ca±D supplemented comparison group of trials evaluating the effect of drugs such as bisphosphonates on BMD. Whether Ca±D supplements increase BMD in women undergoing breast cancer therapy has never been tested against an unsupplemented control group. However, results from 16 trials indicate that the Ca±D doses tested (500-1500mg calcium; 200-1000IU vitamin D) were inadequate to prevent BMD loss in these women. Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of mortality in women with breast cancer. Because calcium supplements may increase cardiovascular disease risk, future trials should evaluate the safety and efficacy of Ca±D supplementation in women undergoing breast cancer therapy.
The effects of salinity and other factors on nitrite reduction by Ochrobactrum anthropi 49187

The nitrite reductase (NIR) gene was cloned from Ochrobactrum anthropi 49187 and found to contain an open reading frame of 1131 nucleotides, encoding a polypeptide of 376 amino acids. The O. anthropi NIR gene encodes a copper-type dissimilatory reductase based on sequence homology with other genes. The polypeptide product is predicted to form a trimeric holoenzyme of 37 kDa subunits based on molecular weight estimates of extracts in activity gels. Expression of the enzyme is up-regulated by nitrate, presumably through the intermediate nitrite, and its activity is influenced by inhibitors. Salinity enhances the activity of existing NIR enzyme, but appears to decrease the expression of new enzyme.
Routine Use of Antibiotic Laden Bone Cement for Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty: Impact on Infecting Microbial Patterns and Resistance Profiles

Antibiotic-laden bone cement (ALBC) is used in primary arthroplasties throughout Europe. In North America, ALBC is only FDA approved for revision arthroplasty after periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). No article has evaluated whether infecting microbial profile and resistance has changed with the introduction of ALBC. We hypothesized that prophylactic use of ALBC in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has not had a significant impact on infecting pathogens, and antibiotic resistance profiles. A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted of all PJI patients undergoing primary TKA and total hip arthroplasty (THA) between January 2000 and January 2009. No significant change in the patterns of infecting PJI pathogens, and no notable increase in percentage resistance was found among organisms grown from patients with PJI that had received prophylactic antibiotic-loaded cement in their primary joint arthroplasty. Early findings suggest that routine prophylactic use of ALBC has not led to changes in infecting pathogen profile, nor has led to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance at our institution.
The information milieu of remote sensing: an overview

Purpose – This paper aims to provide an overview of issues relevant to scientific information literacy within the context of the remote sensing, a cross-cutting scientific discipline. The authors examine the range of sources of scientific information, trends in publishing and the characteristics of scholarly articles in the field of remote sensing. They focus on challenges in finding and using information, as well as current trends and emerging issues. Design/methodology/approach – Issues pertinent to teaching information literacy and particularly remote sensing research and lifelong learning are reviewed, drawing on the knowledge and experience of the authors, as well as published resources. Findings – The large and increasing volume of publications in remote sensing suggests that professionals in this field require a contextual understanding of knowledge production and dissemination in remote sensing, as well as specific literature search skills. Research limitations/implications – Just as for the field...
Arthropod associates of the spruce beetle Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby) (Col., Scolytidae) in spruce stands of south-central and interior Alaska

The impact of competitors, parasites and predators on spruce beetle Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby) broods was studied at an endemic population site near Fairbanks, Alaska, as well as at an epidemic area near Summit Lake and Cooper Landing, Alaska. Logs of white spruce, Picea glauca (Bong.) Carr., at the endemic area and Lutz spruce, Picea lutzii Little, at the epidemic site, were infested by spruce beetles. As logs became infested, associated insects were identified and their impact on the development of D. rufipennis broods evaluated. Competing Dryocoetes affaber Mann. broods were the most important interspecific mortality factor of larval D. rufipennis. The impact of dipteran and coleopteran predators and hymenopteran parasites on spruce beetle survival was of less importance than this interspecific competition.
Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography of reduced glutenin, a disulfide-bonded protein of wheat endosperm☆

Abstract The subunits of glutenin, the disulfide-bonded, high-molecular weight protein fraction of wheat, have been separated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) on large-pore silica-based columns. Glutenin was first isolated from bulk samples, and effects of dissociating, reducing and alkylating agents on subsequent RP-HPLC separations of glutenin subunits were compared. Eight RP-HPLC columns (C 18 , C 8 , diphenyl or cyanopropyl) were compared to achieve optimal resolution of glutenin subunits. Proteins were eluted by a gradient of increasing acetonitrile concentration in the presence of 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid and were detected at 210 nm. Excellent separations occurred when glutenin was dissociated in the presence of 8 M urea or 6 M guanidine hydrochloride, reduced with 5% 2-mercaptoethanol or 0.1 % dithiothreitol, alkylated with 4-vinylpyridine and chromatographed on C 18 or C 8 bonded-phase columns. Using these conditions, fifteen to twenty major glutenin subunits were resolved. Glutenin subunits were then extracted from single kernels of aneuploid lines of the variety Chinese Spring and fractionated by RP-HPLC. Four early eluting peaks were shown to contain major glutenin subunits coded by the long arms of chromosomes 1D and 1B, and thus were assumed to correspond to the high-molecular-weight subunits. Their elution volume indicated that these subunits have lower surface hydrophobicities than do most lower-molecular-weight glutenin subunits which eluted later. Significant differences in glutenin subunit composition among bread wheat varieties suggest possible relationships between specific polypeptides and breadmaking quality, and show that RP-HPLC of glutenin subunits has the potential of identifying most wheat varieties. These results demonstrate that RP-HPLC is a valuable complement to other chromatographic and electrophoretic methods for analysis of glutenin subunits.
Pathogen recognition receptors in channel catfish: IV. Identification, phylogeny and expression analysis of peptidoglycan recognition proteins

Peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs) can recognize bacterial cell wall (peptidoglycan) and activate innate immune system. In addition to its function as pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs), PGRPs are also involved in directly killing bacteria, and regulating multiple signaling pathways. Recently, we have reported catfish PRRs including nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat containing receptors (NLRs), retinoic acid inducible gene I (RIG-I) like receptors (RLRs), and Toll-like receptors (TLRs). In this study, we identified and characterized the PGRP gene family in channel catfish which included two members, PGLYRP-5 and PGLYRP-6. Phylogenetic analysis, syntenic analysis and protein structural analysis were conducted to determine their identities and evolutionary relationships. In order to gain insight into the roles of PGRPs in catfish innate immune responses, quantitative real-time PCR was used to investigate the expression profiles in catfish healthy tissues and after bacterial infection. Both PGLYRP-5 and PGLYRP-6 were ubiquitously expressed in all 12 healthy tissues, and most highly expressed in gill and spleen, respectively. Distinct expression patterns were observed for PGRPs after infection with Edwardsiella ictaluri and Flavobacterium columnare, both Gram-negative bacteria. After infection with E. ictaluri, both PGLYRP-5 and PGLYRP-6 were significantly down-regulated at a certain time-point, while both genes were generally up-regulated in the gill after infection with F. columnare. Collectively, these findings suggested that PGRPs may play complex roles in the host immune response to bacterial pathogens in catfish.
Localization and activity of Na+,K(+)-ATPase in the ductuli efferentes of the rat.

The Na+, K+ -ATPase enzyme through its p-nitrophenyl phosphatase activity was localized in the ductuli efferentes of rats. Enzymatic activity was demonstrated along the cytoplasmic side of the plasmalemma of the ductular epithelial cells. The most intense deposition of reaction products was found on the plasmalemma delimiting the lower lateral and basal regions of the cells. The plasma membranes forming the microvilli, apical junctional complexes were devoid of reaction product while the midlateral membranes showed a weak reaction. The enzyme reaction was potassium-dependent and was abolished by addition of 10 mM ouabain to the incubation media. Enzyme activity decreased significantly from proximal to distal regions of the ductules (8,101.47 ± 274.53, 6,658.95 ± 269.53 and 4,668.10 ± 575.41 pmoles p-nitrophenol/mm/h, respectively in initial, conus vasculosus and terminal zones). A unified model for water absorption is proposed in the efferent ductules based upon this data and that of others.© Willey-Liss, Inc.
Reduced-Intensity Allogeneic Transplantation Provides High Event-Free and Overall Survival in Patients with Advanced Indolent B Cell Malignancies: CALGB 109901

Cancer and Leukemia Group B conducted a phase II study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a reduced-intensity conditioning regimen with allogeneic transplantation to treat patients with recurrent low-grade B cell malignancies. Patients over age 18 with a diagnosis of relapsed, chemotherapy-sensitive disease underwent transplantation with a matched sibling donor, and conditioning with cyclophosphamide (1 g/m2/day × 3) and fludarabine phosphate (25 mg/m2/day × 5). Graft-versus-host prophylaxis included cyclosporine or tacrolimus plus low-dose methotrexate. Forty-four evaluable patients with a median age of 53 and median of 2 prior regimens were accrued. Sixteen patients had follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma and 28 had histologies including 7 indolent B cell lymphomas, 4 mantle cell, 15 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and 2 prolymphocytic leukemia (PLL) patients. The 6-month treatment-related mortality (TRM) was 2.4% and 3-year TRM was 9%. Three-year event-free and overall survival were 0.75 and 0.81 for the follicular patients, 0.59 and 0.71 for the CLL/PLL patients, and 0.55 and 0.64 for the other histologies. The incidence of grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was 29%, and extensive chronic GVHD was 18%. This report demonstrates that allogeneic sibling transplantation with a reduced-intensity conditioning regimen is safe and efficacious for patients with advanced indolent B cell malignancies enrolled on a Cooperative Group study.
Interconversion of boranes—IV a kinetic study of the decomposition of tetraborane-10

Abstract The kinetic study of the thermal decomposition of tetraborane-10 in the presence of carbon monoxide revealed that the reaction was approximately first order in tetraborane-10 and zero order in carbon monoxide. The heat of activation of the reaction was found to be 24,560 cal per mole. The close correspondence between the rate constants for this reaction and those previously determined for the conversion of tetraborane-10 to pentaborane-11 in the presence of diborane coupled with the fact that tetraborane-8 carbonyl is the major product of the reaction strongly suggests that tetraborane-8 is the intermediate in both reactions.
Case series discussion of cardiac and vascular events following carfilzomib treatment: possible mechanism, screening, and monitoring.

Carfilzomib is a selective proteasome inhibitor approved in the United States in 2012 for the treatment of relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. Although cardiopulmonary and vascular events have been reported infrequently, they can be potentially serious complications, and their incidence and pathophysiology following carfilzomib treatment remain poorly characterized in a real-world patient population. We retrospectively reviewed the records of 67 patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma treated at our institution. We describe 12 patients who experienced cardiac or vascular-related adverse events subsequent to carfilzomib-based treatment (median age, 59 years [range, 49–77]). Nine patients had prior autologous stem cell transplant, and three had prior anthracycline exposure. Detailed case reports are provided for five representative patients: (1) systemic hypertension in a 65-year-old Caucasian female with a history of hypertension, hypothyroidism, and stage III chronic kidney disease; (2) pulmonary hypertension in a 72-year-old Caucasian male with a history of recurrent respiratory infections and chronic right lower extremity deep venous thrombosis; (3) acute renal insufficiency with increased blood pressure in a 50-year-old Caucasian male with a history of hypertension and stage IV chronic kidney disease; (4) heart failure in a 64-year-old African American female with a history of hypertension; and (5) dyspnea and lung disease in a 58-year-old Asian American male with a history significant for hepatitis B virus infection. While cardiac and vascular-related adverse events were reported in patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma who were treated with carfilzomib, most patients had a history of the specific cardiac or vascular adverse event they exhibited and demonstrated an improvement or resolution in symptoms after the discontinuation of therapy. Appropriate screening and monitoring could potentially allow at-risk patients to benefit fully from treatment with carfilzomib.
Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance as an Alternate Method for Serial Evaluation of Proximal Aorta: Comparison with Echocardiography

Thoracic aortic disease is a known cause of aortic dilatation and poses significant risk of aortic dissection and rupture. Serial assessment of aortic root dimensions is traditionally performed using echocardiography, which is limited with older age and following surgery, due to poor acoustic windows. Although diastolic measurements are utilized as standard practice in decision making of adult aortopathy, systolic diameters are utilized in pediatric practice. Three-dimensional steady-state free precision (3D-SSFP) has shown promise as an alternate method for providing accurate and reproducible aortic measurements. The agreement between proximal aorta measurements by diastolic 3D-SSFP and echocardiography (both systole and diastole) was examined in 40 subjects. The maximum inner diameters at aortic annulus, root and sinotubular junction demonstrated excellent agreement between 3D-SSFP and echocardiography for all the 3 levels. The best agreement was observed for diastolic root dimensions with a mean difference of +0.01 cm, limits of agreement being -0.26 to +0.28 cm. Three D-SSFP can be used interchangeably with echocardiography in the serial assessment of the aortic root size. Careful attention to obtain an imaging plane utilizing 3D multiplanar reformatting is critical to maximize the agreement between the two imaging modalities.
The effects of a strongly temperature-dependent viscosity on Stokes's drag law: experiments and theory

This is an experimental and theoretical study of the slow translation of a hot sphere through a fluid at rest at infinity. The viscosity depends strongly on temperature, i.e., if Δ T = T 0 − T ∞ is the applied temperature difference and γ = |(d/d T 0 ) lnμ( T 0 )|, then the parameter θ = γ Δ T is large: it is about 6.5 in the experiments and is taken as infinite in the theory. The flow is determined by two large parameters, namely the Nusselt number N and the modified viscosity ratio e −1 = ν ∞ /(ν 0 θ 3 ). The qualitative state of the flow is observed to depend on the relation between N and e. If e −1 → ∞ ( N fixed, possibly large) previous analysis (Morris 1982) shows that all the shear occurs in a thin low-viscosity film coating the sphere; this film and the associated thermal layer separate at the equator, and a separation bubble of low-viscosity fluid trails the sphere. (ii) If N → ∞ (e −1 ) large but fixed) even the most viscous fluid deforms, and both the drag and heat losses are found to be controlled by this highly viscous flow. The present work maps the major asymptotic states which separate these two end-states for small e. The drag and heat-transfer laws are determined experimentally and theoretically: in addition it is shown that separation of the thermal layer ceases when the drag is controlled by the most viscous fluid, even though the heat transfer in this case can be still controlled by the dynamics of the least-viscous fluid. The heat-transfer and drag laws are also given for a sphere moving in a spherical container of finite radius. This model is shown to give a close estimate of wall effects for a sphere moving in a cylindrical container. For state (i) the theory predicts the heat transfer to within 20% and, for the smallest e, the drag to within 30%. In the experiments e is small enough for all limiting states to be evident but, apart from state (i), a design flaw prevents a quantitative test of the theory. For the other states, the theory is compared with numerical results from Daly & Raefsky (1985). Although the values of e in the calculations are not small enough for the limiting states to be achieved, the theory predicts the drag to within 8% and the heat transfer to within 10 %.
Kinematic and Thermodynamic Structures of Sierra Barrier Jets and Overrunning Atmospheric Rivers during a Landfalling Winter Storm in Northern California

AbstractThis study characterizes kinematic and thermodynamic structures of Sierra barrier jets (SBJs), atmospheric rivers (ARs), and their interaction over the period 14–16 February 2011 when a winter storm made landfall in northern California. A suite of scanning and profiling Doppler radars, rawinsondes, and GPS receivers is used to document these structures across the Central Valley and up the western Sierra slope to the crest along an ~200-km segment of the Sierra. The winter storm is grouped into two episodes, each having an AR that made landfall. Low-level winds in the SBJ observed during episode 1 were southeasterly and embedded in a stably stratified air mass. Along-barrier wind speeds U340 reached maximum values of 25–30 m s−1, as low as ~0.2 km MSL over the Central Valley, and as high as ~1.5 km MSL over the western Sierra slope. Southwesterly winds associated with the AR overlaid the SBJ along an interface that sloped upward from southwest to northeast with a southwestern extent at the western ...
Parameter estimation of rainfall-runoff models with heteroscedastic streamflow errors — The noninformative data case

Abstract The use of the weighted least-squares criterion for parameter estimation of rainfall-runoff models has been restricted because of the practical difficulties encountered in obtaining the adequate weight estimates. In this paper an estimation procedure capable of correcting the effect of heteroscedastic (changing variance) streamflow errors is presented. The noninformative data case is assumed and for that a Bayesian formulation is used to automatically estimate the proper weights. The weights are subsequently used in the maximum likelihood estimator to evaluate the model parameters. The new method was tested on a four-parameter model and compared with the simple least-squares criterion and the weighted objective function of the HEC-1 of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, using synthetically generated data. The self-correcting ability of the new procedure was extremely effective in filtering the inconsistencies caused by the heteroscedastic errors. As a result, the parameter estimates were improved and better representative of their true underlying values. The implementation of the new procedure was found to be easy and no convergence problems were experienced.
Private Regard, Identity Protection and Perceived Racism among African American Males

Previous research has documented the negative effects of racism on the psychological health of African American males. However, consideration of racial identity as a potential buffer against racist experiences has received limited attention. This analysis investigates whether one dimension of the Multidimensional Model of Racial Identity, private regard, reduces the effect of racism on internalizing symptoms in 107 African American late-adolescent males. Findings show that racist experiences were positively associated with greater anxiety and depressive symptoms. Results also indicated that private regard reduced the impact of racist experiences, but only for anxiety symptoms. Specifically, males with lower private who also experienced racism had greater anxiety as compared to those with higher private regard. The potential clinical benefits of private regard for African American males are discussed.
The impact of parent behavior-management training on child depressive symptoms.

The present study tested the impact of a parent behavior-management intervention on child depressive and internalizing symptoms. One hundred eighty-one children were randomly assigned to receive a videotape modeling parenting intervention, the Incredible Years, or to a wait-list control group. Children who received the intervention were more likely to have lower mother-rated mood and internalizing symptoms at post-treatment, compared with children in a wait-list control group. The effect sizes observed in the present intervention fell in the small-to-medium range for the sample as a whole, and some evidence supported the authors’ hypothesis that effects would be strongest for children with baseline internalizing symptoms in the clinical range. Subsequent analyses also revealed that perceived changes in parenting effectiveness mediated the effect of treatment on children’s post-treatment internalizing symptoms. The finding was consistent with study hypotheses and social learning explanations of child internalizing symptoms that guided selection of putative mechanisms. Implications for counseling psychologists and for designing interventions and prevention strategies for children with internalizing symptoms are discussed.