cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Minimizing occupational exposure to pesticides: Closed systems and worker safety

It has long been recognized that the handling of pesticide materials while preparing spray mixtures can be a primary source of worker exposure in field operations. The means most commonly relied upon to minimize such exposures include precautionary warnings on the label and suggestions or requirements for the use of protective clothing or skin coverings, eye shields, and respirators. While effective to the extent that such safety guidelines and provisions are carefully observed and unfailingly used, worker judgments against the need for certain protective measures and the universal tendency to reject inconvenience have resulted in a continuance of poisoning cases related to such work activities. In California, physicians’ reports analyzed by the State Department of Health and the State Department of Food and Agriculture (1974) show that during the early seventies mixing and loading, in relation to other work activities predisposing to pesticide exposures, were among the categories of activity sustaining the highest incidence of serious exposures exceeded only by the involvements of ground applicators as a grouping at risk.
How Different Tissues Process Drug Response

This chapter explains how different tissues process drug response in the body. If a drug possesses the molecular property of efficacy, then it produces a change in the receptor that may be detected by the cell. This can occur only if the stimulus is of sufficient strength and the cell has the amplification machinery necessary to convert the stimulus into an observable response. In this sense, the cellular host system completely controls what the experimenter observes regarding the events taking place at the drug receptor. Drug activity is thus revealed through a “cellular veil” that can, in many cases, obscure or substantially modify drug-receptor activity. Minute signals, initiated either at the cell surface or within the cytoplasm of the cell, are interpreted, transformed, amplified, and otherwise altered by the cell to tailor that signal to its own particular needs. In receptor systems where a drug does produce a response, the relationship between the binding reaction and the observed response can be studied indirectly through observation of the cellular response as a function of drug concentration. A general phenomenon observed experimentally is that cellular response most often is not linearly related to receptor occupancy. The response being measured here is hydrogen ion release by the cells, a sensitive measure of cellular metabolism.
Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia

Red blood cells are responsible for distributing oxygen throughout the body. Under normal circumstances red blood cells are produced in the bone marrow and released into the bloodstream, where they circulate for 110–120 days. Old red cells are destroyed by the spleen and …
Non-parametric regression modeling for stochastic optimization of power grid load forecast

This paper develops a method for building non-parametric stochastic models of multivariate distributions from large data sets. The motivation is stochastic optimization based on time series forecasting models. The proposed non-parametric stochastic modeling approach is based on multiple quantile regressions with inter-quantile smoothing. The models are built using ADMM optimization approach scalable to large datasets. As an application example, the paper considers forecasting of the loads in the electrical power grid. The forecasted load is used for the electricity procurement in the day-ahead power market. The stochastic optimization trades the costs of advance and spot procurements of the electricity. This problem is currently important because the random variability in the grid power load increases with integration of renewable generation.
Capacity Control for Partially Ordered Feature Sets

Partially ordered feature sets appear naturally in many classification settings with structured input instances, for example, when the data instances are graphs and a feature tests whether a specific substructure occurs in the instance. Since such features are partially ordered according to an "is substructure of" relation, the information in those datasets is stored in an intrinsically redundant form. We investigate how this redundancy affects the capacity control behavior of linear classification methods. From a theoretical perspective, it can be shown that the capacity of this hypothesis class does not decrease for worst case distributions. However, if the data generating distribution assigns lower probabilities to instances in the lower levels of the hierarchy induced by the partial order, the capacity of the hypothesis class can be bounded by a smaller term. For itemset, subsequence and subtree features in particular, the capacity is finite even when an infinite number of features is present. We validate these results empirically on three graph datasets and show that the limited capacity of linear classifiers on such data makes underfitting rather than overfitting the more prominent capacity control problem. To avoid underfitting, we propose using more general substructure classes with "elastic edges" and we demonstrate how such broad feature classes can be used with large datasets.
SERENDIP: The Berkeley SETI Program

UC Berkeley’s SERENDIP program is an ongoing effort in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. It searches for stable narrowband spectral features in the radio frequency spectrum which could conceivably be a signaling beacon sent by an alien civilization. SERENDIP is a backronym 1 for the Search for Extraterrestrial Radio Emissions from Nearby Developed Intelligent Populations.
Outcomes and Pharmacoeconomic Analysis of a Home Intravenous Antibiotic Infusion Program in Veterans.

Abstract Purpose The use of outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) programs has become more frequent because of benefits in costs with equivalent clinical outcomes compared with inpatient care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of our program. A modified pharmacoeconomic analysis was performed to compare costs of our program with hospital or rehabilitation facility care. Methods This was a retrospective chart review of 96 courses of OPAT between April 1, 2011, and July 31, 2013. Clinical failures were defined as readmission or death due to worsening infection or readmission secondary to adverse drug event (ADE) to antibiotic therapy. This does not include those patients readmitted for reasons not associated with OPAT therapy, including comorbidities or elective procedures. Baseline characteristics and program-specific data were analyzed. Statistically significant variables were built into a multivariate logistic regression model to determine predictors of failure. A pharmacoeconomic analysis was performed with the use of billing records. Findings Of the total episodes evaluated, 17 (17.71%) clinically failed therapy, and 79 (82.29%) were considered a success. In the multivariate analysis, number of laboratory draws ( P = 0.02) and occurrence of drug reaction were significant in the final model, P = 0.02 and P = 0.001, respectively. The presence an adverse drug reaction increases the odds of failure (OR = 10.10; 95% CI, 2.69–44.90). Compared with inpatient or rehabilitation care, the cost savings was $6,932,552.03 or $2,649,870.68, respectively. Implications In our study, patients tolerated OPAT well, with a low number of failures due to ADE. The clinical outcomes and cost savings of our program indicate that OPAT can be a viable alternative to long-term inpatient antimicrobial therapy.
The Simplex Method

In this chapter we present the simplex method as it applies to linear programming problems in standard form.
Primary extradural meningioma presenting as a neck mass: Case report and review of the literature.

Background Primary extradural meningiomas (PEMs) are rare, particularly those involving the paraspinal cervical area, so little is known about them. We identified a new case and compared it with 10 previous cases, addressed the diagnostic challenges, and highlighted the clinical and pathologic characteristics. Methods We conducted a case report and literature review of PEM cases reported since 1976. Results A 59-year-old man presented with right neck stiffness and discomfort that was present over the last several months, which is consistent with other cases. CT scan and MRI revealed a paraspinal cervical mass. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) and core biopsy revealed spindle cells with whorling consistent with meningioma. The patient underwent complete en bloc resection of the tumor. The PEM was histologically benign. Conclusion Cervical PEMs should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a deep neck mass. These tumors are typically benign and are surgically resected. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 37: E92–E95, 2015
Simulations of transient n-heptane and n-dodecane spray flames under engine-relevant conditions using a transported PDF method

Abstract Time-dependent Reynolds-averaged CFD is performed for transient turbulent spray flames in a high-pressure, constant-volume chamber for two single-component fuels using skeletal chemical mechanisms. The simulations span a range of initial pressures, temperatures and compositions that correspond to conventional and advanced (e.g., low-temperature) compression-ignition engine combustion. The objectives are to establish the extent to which turbulent fluctuations in composition and temperature influence ignition delays and lift-off lengths and turbulent flame structure under engine-relevant conditions, and to provide insight into turbulence-chemistry interactions. This is done by comparing results from a model that accounts for turbulent fluctuations using a transported composition probability density function (PDF) method with those from a model that ignores the influence of turbulent fluctuations on local mean reaction rates (a locally well-stirred reactor – WSR – model). For robust diesel combustion conditions, the WSR and PDF computed ignition delays and lift-off lengths are close to each other, and both are in good agreement with experiment. For lower initial temperatures, ignition delays and lift-off lengths from the two models are significantly different, and the results from the PDF model are in better agreement with experiment. The differences are especially striking for n-dodecane. There the PDF-model computed ignition delays and lift-off lengths are within 10% of measured values for initial temperatures of 900 K and higher (for 22.8 kg/m3 density, 15% oxygen), while the WSR model predicts an ignition delay that is three times the measured value at 900 K. At an initial temperature of 800 K, the WSR model fails to ignite, whereas the PDF model computed ignition delay and lift-off length are within 30% of the measured values. In all cases, the WSR and PDF models produce significantly different turbulent flame structures, and the differences increase with decreasing initial temperature and oxygen level. The WSR model produces a thin laminar-like flame, while the PDF model gives a broadened turbulent flame brush that is qualitatively more consistent with what is expected for these highly turbulent flames and what is observed experimentally. Thus, while it may be possible to reproduce some global ignition characteristics using a WSR model (depending on the choice of chemical mechanism), turbulent fluctuations play an increasingly important role at lower initial temperatures and oxygen levels.
A new high-sensitivity organic photoconductor for electrophotography

A new organic photoconductor has been developed, consisting essentially of a 1:1 molar ratio of one molecule of 2, 4, 7- trinitro-9-fluorenone (TNF) to one monomer unit of poly-N-vinylcarbazole (PVCz). This photoconductor (1:l TPC) is nearly panchromatic int he visible range of the spectrum and has white-light sensitivity approximately equal to that of amorphous selenium when used for electrostatic imaging. The photosensitivity, which is due mainly to the TNF-PVCz complex, is greater for negative corona charging than for positive charging. Charge acceptance of the 1:1 TPC is high, ≅ 1200 volts for a 13µm film, indicating good dielectric strength. Dark decay of the charge is affected by substrate materials and substrate surface conditions. In general dark decay is slower for negative charging than for positive charging. Quantum efficiency (Q. E.) is nominally about 0.15 in the range of 400 to 500 nm but decreases somewhat for shorter and longer wavelengths. The Q.E. increases rather markedly with field strength, but decreases somewhat at high light intensities. Field-controlled photogeneration of carriers is indicated, and thermal measurements show a field-dependent activation energy in the range of 0.06 to 0.20 eV. The absence of residual potentials in light decay curves and the lack of a thickness effect in photodischarge currents indicate that no deep traps are present in the 1:1 TPC layers.
Generalizations of classical Poisson brackets to include spin

The classical spin of a particle is essentially its angular momentum of rotation about an axis passing through its center of mass. The classical Poisson brackets are generalized to include spin for any system for which the rate of change of spin is given by $\frac{d\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{s}}{\mathrm{dt}}=\ensuremath{-}\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{s}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}(\frac{\ensuremath{\partial}H}{\ensuremath{\partial}\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{s}})$ where $H$ is the Hamiltonian. In a previous paper, we showed that this equation is satisfied by the Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian for a molecular system of electrons and nuclei interacting with an electromagnetic field. This Hamiltonian contains all of the fine-structure terms with the exception of the Lamb shift. Thus, our generalized Poisson brackets should apply to almost all molecular problems. Our generalized Poisson brackets are the same as those which Sudarshan and Mukunda derived by group-theoretic arguments for the direct product of a pure spin group with the group of transformations of generalized coordinates and their conjugate momenta.
Mixed-culture assays for analyzing neuronal synapse formation

The assembly of synapses in the vertebrate central nervous system requires bidirectional signaling across the synaptic cleft that directs the differentiation of pre- and postsynaptic membrane domains. Biochemical and genetic studies have identified several adhesion and signaling molecules that localize to synapses and might participate in organizing synaptic structures. Understanding how individual proteins contribute to synaptic organization is complicated by the fact that there are significant numbers of separate signals that cooperate in this process. This protocol describes an assay system that permits examination of synaptogenic activities of individual cell-surface proteins in isolation. Besides the time needed for preparation and growth of primary neuronal cultures (6-14 days), the execution and analysis of the assay is rapid, requiring approximately 2 days. Using this assay, recent studies revealed that single synaptic adhesion complexes can direct a remarkable degree of synaptic differentiation and provided new insights into the cell biological mechanisms of synaptogenesis.
de Haas van Alphen measurements of the electronic structure of LaSb 2

We report the results of de Haas--van Alphen measurements in high magnetic fields on the anisotropic compound ${\mathrm{LaSb}}_{2}.$ Our measurements reveal three extremal orbits of the Fermi surface. One is very small and ellipsoidal, while the remaining two are larger and have a nearly cylindrical shape indicating a quasi-two-dimensional Fermi surface. We compare these measurements with the results of energy band calculations and find reasonable agreement with the measured Fermi surface areas, though the calculations show other multiconnected regions of the Fermi surface not observed in the de Haas--van Alphen spectra. The implications of our calculated and measured Fermi surfaces on the mechanisms proposed for the extraordinary large linear magnetoresistance in ${\mathrm{LaSb}}_{2}$ are discussed.
Why we have free will.

The author discusses his belief that free will exists and the impact that conscious reasoning and intentions have on decision making in humans. Topics include the influence of unconscious neural activity on decision-making and adjustments made to behavior, the influence of environment and emotional or cognitive biases on decision-making, and philosophical theories regarding free will.
The synthesis of folic acid-like compounds by Lactobacillus arabinosus.

Abstract In the presence of p -aminobenzoic acid (PABA), Lactobacillus arabinosus synthesizes one or more compounds with folic acid (FA)-like activity during growth. The total FA activity formed is proportional to the amount of PABA added, up to 200 mμg./tube. Most of the FA activity is in a bound form which is present chiefly in the cells, and the remainder is present in free form which is mainly in the culture medium. Increasing levels of sulfanilamide in the medium competitively inhibit the utilization of PABA for growth of L. arabinosus and decrease the amount of free and combined FA compounds formed. Equimolecular amounts of p -aminobenzoylglutamic acid and PABA have approximately the same growth-promoting and antisulfanilamide activities for L. arabinosus under the conditions employed, and lead to the synthesis of similar amounts of the FA-like compound by L. arabinosus . Thymidine can replace PABA for growth of L. arabinosus and its activity is inhibited very little by sulfanilamide. Thymine and thymidylic acid are much less effective than thymidine. Crystalline vitamin B c conjugate and vitamin B 12 cannot replace PABA for growth of L. arabinosus and do not augment the antisulfonamide activity of PABA. The growth-promoting and antisulfanilamide activities of synthetic folid acid (pteroylglutamic acid), citrovorum factor, and formylfolic acid preparations for L. arabinosus are much poorer than those of equimolecular amounts of PABA. The possibility that the compound(s) with FA-like activity produced by L. arabinosus may differ from pteroylglutamic acid, citrovorum factor, or formylfolic acid is discussed.
Surface behavior of axolemma monolayers: Physico‐chemical characterization and use as supported planar membranes for cultured Schwann cells

The axolemma membrane forms a stable and reproducible monomolecular layer at the air-aqueous interface. The major lipids and proteins are present in this monolayer in molar ratios similar to the original membrane. Acetylcholinesterase and Na-K-ATPase activities are preserved in the monolayer to levels of 64% and 25%, respectively. The total lipid fraction forms a homogeneously mixed phase. The presence of proteins in the monolayer introduces surface inhomogeneties. Among other features, this is revealed by the presence of two values of lateral pressure at which the monolayer shows partial or total collapse: a broad partial collapse at surface pressures between 13 to 30 mN/m and a sharp collapse point at 46 mN/m. The average molecular areas, the broad collapse point, and the variation of the surface potential per molecule suggest the relocation of protein components at surface pressures between 13 to 30 mN/m. The behavior is consistent with the extrusion and exposure of proteins toward the aqueous medium that depends on the lateral pressure. Schwann cells grown on coverslips coated with axolemma monolayers at 13 mN/m (beginning of the broad collapse) and 34 mN/m (above the broad collapse) recognize the difference in the surface organization of axolemma caused by the lateral pressure which affects their proliferation, morphology, and spatial pattern of organization. Our results show for the first time that response of Schwann cells depends on the intermolecular organization of the axolemma surface with which they interact. These results suggest that the local expression of putative surface molecules of axolemma that may mediate membrane recognition and the signalling of morphological and proliferative changes can be modulated by long range supramolecular properties. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Containerless undercooling and solidification in drop tubes

A containerless low-gravity environment, produced within a 32 m drop tube apparatus, has been used to undercool and solidify metals, alloys or glasses by eliminating crucible induced nucleation processes. Niobium droplets with diameters in the range of 2 to 5 mm have been undercooled by 525 K which corresponds to the maximum undercooling reported by Turnbull and others on fine dispersions of low melting point metals. Solidification at large undercooling resulted in single crystalline spheres with the formation of interdendritic shrinkage channels on the sample surface rather than interior shrinkage cavities. The grain refinement as observed for Ni samples undercooled and solidified in fused silica crucibles does not occur in free-falling drops of Nb. A calculated solidification speed of undercooled Nb is compared to Ni. A solidification speed of 320 m/s is found for the Nb drops. This solidification speed is greater than or comparable to the solidification speeds calculated in splat cooled samples. Thus, a drop tube apparatus can be useful in the preparation and study of high temperature metastable compounds or alloys in bulk form.
A RICH Detector for CLAS12 Spectrometer

Abstract The upgrade of the Jefferson Lab accelerator to 12 GeV electron beam energy, combined with that of the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS12) located in Hall B, will provide the unique combination of wide kinematical coverage, high beam intensity (luminosity), high energy, high polarization, and advanced detection capabilities required to study Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) in greater details. A Ring Imaging Cherenkov (RICH) will signiﬁcantly enhance CLAS12 particle identiﬁcation capabilities by providing clean separation between pions, kaons and protons over momenta from 2 to 8 GeV/c. A detailed simulation of a preliminary design of the RICH detector for CLAS12 using GEANT-4 Monte-Carlo will be presented. A reconstruction algorithm based on a likelihood approach will be discussed.
A note on yield point phenomenon in wave propagation

Abstract The propagation of stress pulses in a plastic material which exhibits delayed yielding and upper and lower yield points is considered by the method of expansion behind the wave front. The material model includes an evolutionary equation the presence of which is responsible for the yield phenomena and it is shown that it also leads to a very pronounced negative stress gradient behind the wave front.
Laryngeal mask airway use in otologic surgery.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) compared with oral endotracheal tube (ETT) in general anesthesia in patients who underwent otologic surgery. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective review. SETTING Military tertiary care teaching hospital. PATIENTS A retrospective chart review study was conducted on 484 patients who underwent otologic surgery at a large military tertiary care teaching hospital from January 2002 to August 2005. A review of otologic surgical cases using the LMA (n = 167) was compared to a similar cohort managed with an oral ETT (n = 317). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The patient's age, weight, indication for surgery, comorbid conditions, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, duration of surgery, and adverse events were recorded. Specific data reviewed included airway complications, intraoperative times, anesthetic medications, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and time spent in the postanesthesia care unit. RESULTS There were no major airway complications in either group requiring an emergency airway. A significant decreased use of neuromuscular blocking agents was noted in the LMA group. Statistical analysis of variances was performed using 2-sample Wilcoxon rank-sum (Mann-Whitney U) test and Fisher's exact test. The time in the operating room to the start of surgery and the time from completion of surgery to patient exiting the operating room were shorter for the LMA group than for the ETT group. There were no statistical differences in postanesthesia care unit time or postoperative nausea and vomiting. CONCLUSION The LMA offers a safe alternative in children and adults to endotracheal intubation with no observed increased risk of airway complications in patients undergoing otologic surgery.
A Transcript Profiling Approach Reveals an Abscisic Acid-Specific Glycosyltransferase (UGT73C14) Induced in Developing Fiber of Ligon lintless-2 Mutant of Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Ligon lintless-2, a monogenic dominant cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) fiber mutation, causing extreme reduction in lint fiber length with no pleiotropic effects on vegetative growth, represents an excellent model system to study fiber elongation. A UDP-glycosyltransferase that was highly expressed in developing fibers of the mutant Ligon lintless-2 was isolated. The predicted amino acid sequence showed ~53% similarity with Arabidopsis UGT73C sub-family members and the UDP-glycosyltransferase was designated as UGT73C14. When expressed in Escherichia coli as a recombinant protein with a maltose binding protein tag, UGT73C14 displayed enzymatic activity toward ABA and utilized UDP-glucose and UDP-galactose as the sugar donors. The recombinant UGT73C14 converted natural occurring isoform (+)-cis, trans-ABA better than (+)-trans, trans-ABA and (-)-cis, trans-ABA. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants constitutively overexpressing UGT73C14 did not show phenotypic changes under standard growth conditions. However, the increased glycosylation of ABA resulted in phenotypic changes in post-germinative growth and seedling establishment, confirming in vivo activity of UGT73C14 for ABA. This suggests that the expression level of UGT73C14 is regulated by the observed elevated levels of ABA in developing fibers of the Li2 mutant line and may be involved in the regulation of ABA homeostasis.
Peroxidase-catalyzed cross linking of proteins

Incubation of casein and water-soluble soybean protein, separately or together, at 10 mg/ml with horseradish peroxidase (2.4 or 24 μM) and H2O2 (1.8 or 18 mM) at pH 9.0 (0.2 M borate buffer) for 24 hr at 37°C in air led to formation of higher molecular weight compounds as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis. Incubation under the same conditions with peroxidase alone (in air) gave a smaller amount of higher molecular weight compounds. Incubation of lysozyme separately or with water-soluble soybean protein did not produce detectable amounts of higher molecular weight compounds. These results are discussed in terms of previously observed di- and tertyrosine isolated from peroxidase/H2O2-treated and naturally occurring proteins following acid hydrolysis. Transglutaminase, lipoxygenase, polyphenol oxidase, and lysyl oxidase are examples of other enzymes that can cross link proteins.
The auditor Thaumasius in the Vita Plotini

In his Vita Plotini , Porphyry recounts a colourful episode which, for a brief moment, brings to life the dynamics within the lecture room of Plotinus in Rome. The author explains how he was in the habit of posing questions to Plotinus frequently and persistently while his teacher was conducting his philosophical discourse before a mixed body of listeners. On one occasion, such an exchange between the two over the issue of the connexion between the soul and the body continued intermittently over a period of some three days, with the following outcome (Porph. V. Plot. xiii 12-15):
Corrigendum to “Chemical probes of a trisubstituted pyrrole to identify its protein target(s) in Plasmodium sporozoites” [Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 23 (2013) 1874–1877]

0960-894X/$ see front matter 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2013.03.036 DOI of original article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2013.01.010 ⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 973 972 3273; fax: +1 973 972 8982. E-mail address: bhanotpu@umdnj.edu (P. Bhanot). Tyrell Towle , Isabell Chang , Robert J. Kerns , Purnima Bhanot b,⇑ Division of Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, The University of Iowa, 115 S. Grand Ave., S311 PHAR, Iowa City, IA 52240, USA Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
Spatial pattern formation in biology: I. Dermal wound healing. II. Bacterial patterns

Abstract Although the development of spatial pattern and form is a central issue in biology the mechanisms which generate them are generally unknown. The interdisciplinary modelling challenge is to construct realistic mechanisms which capture the key biological processes and show how they are orchestrated to create the observed pattern. We discuss two specific patterning problems of current widespread interest in biomedicine. In the first, possible mechanisms of dermal wound healing are reviewed with a discussion of what is needed of realistic models for studying wound healing. We then list a series of open problems. In the second problem we describe a model for the complex patterns formed by bacterial colonies, specifically Escherichia coli, and derive and analyse a model firmly based on experimental data. The results from the model compare well with experiment. Mathematically, the class of models discussed gives rise to novel systems of partial differential equations which pose challenging problems, both analytical and numerical. The models have provided the experimentalist with insight as to how such patterns might be formed and have suggested possible experiments to elucidate the underlying biological processes.
Comparisons among Estimators of a Scale Parameter of the Beta-Stacy Distribution

Abstract The Beta-Stacy distribution was defined in [1]. In this distribution X1 has a generalized gamma distribution, while the conditional distribution of X2 given X1 is beta with range 0 to X1. Estimation of a scale parameter of the distribution of X1, using only observations on X2, is discussed. Corrections to formulas in [1] are given.
The bly creek ecosystem study: Phosphorus transport within a euhaline salt marsh basin, North Inlet, South Carolina

Abstract Phosphorus transport through the tidal creek linking the Bly Creek basin (North Inlet, South Carolina) and the surrounding water body was studied on 34 tidal cycles between 20 June 1983 and 19 June 1984. Annual estimates of phosphorus input to the basin via streamwater, groundwater, and via streamwater, groundwater, and rain totalled 19.6 kg P·y −1 ; PO 4 export from the basin was not significant. Within the basin, the salt marsh was shown to be an important sink for PO 4 (207 kg P·y −1 ) while the oyster reef community exported a statistically insignificant 7.7 kg P·y −1 . The data suggest that the source of the PO 4 to the salt marsh is the water column or benthic sediments of the tidal creek. The salt marsh was a significant sink for particulate phosphorus, but those uptakes were less than the error on the insignificant fluxes into the basin via the water column. The oyster reef community was a statistically significant sink for total phosphorus (98 kg P·y −1 ).
The Effect of Corona Treatment on Wool Whiteness

Corona treatment in air and air/chlorine atmospheres, does alter the wool fiber so it appears visually significantly more yellow than the untreated wool. The yellowness of wool after corona treatment, particularly that done in the presence of chlorine, may be reduced to the yellowness associated with non-corona treated, unbleached wool by scouring or solvent treatment. The amount of material extractable from wool is not greatly increased by corona treatment, suggesting that corona treatment is restricted to the surface layer of keratin fibers.
Improving automatic cooperation between UAVs through co-evolution

A fuzzy logic resource manager (RM) that enables a collection of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to automatically cooperate to make meteorological measurements will be discussed. The RM renders the UAVs autonomous allowing them to change paths and cooperate without human intervention. Innovations related to the "priority for helping" (PH) fuzzy decision tree (FDT) used by the RM will be discussed. The PH FDT permits three types of automatic cooperation between the UAVs. A subroutine of the communications routing algorithm (CRA) used by the RM is also examined. The CRA allows the UAVs to reestablish communications if needed by changing their behavior. A genetic program (GP) based procedure for automatically creating FDTs is briefly described. A GP is an algorithm based on the theory of evolution that automatically evolves mathematical expressions or computer algorithms. The GP data mines a scenario database to automatically create the FDTs. A recently invented co-evolutionary process that allows improvement of the initially data mined FDT will be discussed. Co-evolution uses a genetic algorithm (GA) to evolve scenarios to augment the GP's scenario database. The GP data mines the augmented database to discover an improved FDT. The process is iterated ultimately evolving a very robust FDT. Improvements to the PH FDT offered through co-evolution are discussed. UAV simulations using the improved PH FDT and CRA are provided.
The great galactic centre mystery

Gamma-ray observations of the center of the Galaxy show a varying positron-electron annihilation radiation emission, while at radio wavelengths a non-thermal compact source surrounded by ionized gas moving at high velocities can be seen. Line emission maps for atomic and ionized hydrogen and molecular gas suggest gas expulsion and a massive collapsed object. IR observations show that ionized gas in the central few parsecs of the Galactic center is concentrated in at least 14 small clouds. Charge-coupled device images show a pair of faint, very red sources within a few arc seconds of IRS 16 and the compact non-thermal radio source. The positron-electron annihilation line emission implies an annihilation rate of 10 to the 43rd per sec, compared with an observed luminosity at IR wavelengths of 10 to the 40 erg per sec. Some models are briefly discussed.
Replacement of Corn Silage with Corn Gluten Feed and Sodium Bicarbonate for Lactating Dairy Cows

Abstract A digestion trial with primiparous, rumen-cannulated Holstein cows and a lactation trial with multiparous Jersey and Holstein cows were done to evaluate effects of replacing NDF from corn silage with NDF from dry corn gluten feed or sodium bicarbonate. The high forage control diet contained 49% forage and 51% concentrate, and three other diets contained 30 to 35% forage and 65 to 70% concentrate. Two of the high concentrate diets had 20% corn gluten feed without or with 1% sodium bicarbonate. The remaining diet contained a typical corn-soybean meal concentrate plus 1% sodium bicarbonate. Due to the relatively high NDF of forages, diets averaged about 37.5% NDF. Cows fed buffer plus corn gluten feed had the highest NDF digestibility. Those fed the high forage control diet produced less milk and milk protein than did cows fed corn gluten feed replacing forage, due partly to a trend for lower DMI. Four percent FCM averaged 33.0kg/d for cows fed corn gluten feed plus buffer; this was higher than for those fed other diets (30.0 to 30.9kg/d). Under the conditions of these trials, the combination of 20% corn gluten feed and 1% sodium bicarbonate was an effective replacement for NDF from corn silage.
Social Protest and Policy Change: Ecology, Antinuclear, and Peace Movements in Comparative Perspective

Social Protest and Policy Change: Ecology, Antinuclear, and Peace Movements in Comparative Perspective. By Marco Giugni. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2004. 320p. 32.95 paper.The same things that provoke social movements also promote institutional pressures for change, shifts in public opinion, and policy change. As a result, disentangling the effects of protest on policy presents an ongoing analytical challenge. If we look, for example, at the volatile and diverse movement against the American war in Vietnam, it is virtually impossible to track clear lines of influence between the volume or disruptiveness of protests covered in the news and spending on the war or casualties produced in battle. At the same time, by reviewing memoirs, archives, and the broader outlines of policy, we know that the movement had longer-term effects, including (minimally), ending military conscription and establishing much stricter political and military tests for long-term commitments of American combat forces overseas. The latter set of constraints, codified as the Weinberger, then the Powell, doctrines, held sway over American military policy from the end of Vietnam until, finally, violated by the current American intervention in Iraq. At the same time, politicians of both parties vigorously try to reassure nervous youth, many of whom are children of the protest generation, that the draft is indeed gone for good. Clearly, the protests against the Vietnam war mattered, though perhaps not exactly in the ways that activists hoped or as much as they dreamed.
Electron spectroscopy of CH2S

Abstract We have studied the photoelectron spectrum of the thioformaldehyde negative ion, CH2S−. The electron affinity is measured to be EA(CH2S)=0.465±0.023 eV. From an analysis of the photodetachment Franck-Condon profile, we extract a geometry for the CH2-S− ion. We find this to be a planar, C2v species with a CS bond length of 1.72±0.02 A. The vibrational frequency for the negative ion CS stretch is ω3=860±220 cm−1, while the frequency of the CH2S− umbrella mode is ω4=450±120 cm−1. Our experimental findings are in excellent agreement with a PNO-CEPA ab initio calculation of the thioformaldehyde ion's geometry and electron affinity.
Atmospheric characterization in the presence of strong additive measurement noise

The phase structure function and the phase-slope structure function have been used to characterize atmospheric-turbulence parameters—parameters that are important in the performance evaluation and ultimately in the design of adaptive optics systems for astronomical imaging applications and for laser beam propagations. We have extended the method to account for the effects of strong beam-path-induced aberrations and additive measurement noise. A stable noise-suppressant algorithm is devised in which the estimation is done sequentially: first the atmospheric-turbulence parameters are estimated independently, and then the noise-variance parameter is estimated. The developed theory is applied to the Shack–Hartmann wave-front-sensor data collected in the recently completed Airborne Laser Extended Atmospheric Characterization Experiment for very-long-horizontal-path (between 60 and 100 km) laser beam propagations. The estimated r0 values are in general agreement with the values obtained from the high-bandwidth scintillometer analysis on data taken in the same experiment. In addition, if the atmospheric turbulence spectrum can be described by a simple power law, then the data reduction with use of the developed estimation equations, which allow arbitrary atmospheric-turbulence power-law values, indicates that deviation from Kolmogorov turbulence is negligible.
CP-index: on the efficient indexing of large graphs

Graph search, i.e., finding all graphs in a database D that contain the query graph q, is a classical primitive prevalent in various graph database applications. In the past, there has been an abundance of studies devoting to this topic; however, with the recent emergence of large information networks, it places new challenges to the research community. Most of the traditional graph search schemes utilize the strategy of graph feature based indexing, whereas the index construction step that often involves frequent subgraph mining becomes a bottleneck for large graphs due to the high computational complexity. Although there have been several methods proposed to solve this mining bottleneck such as summarization of database graphs, the frequent subgraphs thus generated as indexing features are still unsatisfactory because the feature set is in general not only inadequate or deficient for the large graph scenario, but also with many redundant features. Furthermore, the large size of the graphs makes it too easy for a small feature to be contained in many of them, severely impacting its selectivity and pruning power. Motivated by all the above issues we identify, in this paper we propose a novel CP-Index (Contact Preservation) for efficient indexing of large graphs. To overcome the low selectivity issue, we reap further pruning opportunities by leveraging each feature's location information in the database graphs. Specifically, we look at how features are touching upon each other in the query, and check whether this contact pattern is preserved in the target graphs. Then, to tackle the deficiency and redundancy problems associated with features, new feature generation and selection methods such as dual feature generation and size-increasing bootstrapping feature selection are introduced to complete our design. Experiment results show that CP-Index is much more effective in indexing large graphs.
Mechanism and control of class-switch recombination

Class-switch recombination (CSR) occurs by an unusual and intriguing mechanism that has not been clearly elucidated as yet. Currently, we know that this mechanism involves recombination between large and highly repetitive switch (S) regions, is targeted by S-region transcription and requires the activity of the newly discovered activation-induced deaminase (AID). In this review, we discuss the potential role of these factors in CSR, discuss potential relationships between CSR and somatic hypermutation, and speculate how CSR and related mechanisms might contribute to genomic instability.
Brief interstadial events in the Santa Barbara basin, NE Pacific, during the past 60 kyr

THE instability of the Northern Hemisphere glacial climate over the past 100 kyr has been revealed by at least 20 brief warm (interstadial) episodes, called Dansgaard–Oeschger events, recorded in Greenland ice cores1–3 and in North Atlantic sedimentary records4,5. A few of these events have been recognized elsewhere6–8. Here we describe a record of ocean oxygenation and circulation from the Santa Barbara basin in the northeast Pacific Ocean which correlates well with the Greenland ice-core records. We see 19 of the 20 Dansgaard–Oeschger events, in the form of laminated sediments deposited under anoxic conditions, and we can correlate at least 16 of these with the 17 ice-core interstadials of the past 60 kyr. Thus, these short-term events were not restricted to the North Atlantic region. The events had substantial ecological and oceanographic effects in the Santa Barbara basin, including changes in benthic faunal populations and in the age and composition of bottom waters. Similar ventilation changes have been seen in the Gulf of California9,10, suggesting that these changes may have been widespread and synchronous along the northeast Pacific margin. These results suggest sensitivity of broad areas of the ocean–atmosphere–cryosphere system to short-term climate change.
Erosion of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.

![Figure][1] A 51-year-old man with previous myocardial infarction received a single-chamber implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) in 2002 for syncope and inducible ventricular tachycardia at electrophysiologic testing. In mid-2008, he noted skin discoloration and pain over his ICD
Emotional Conflicts in the Resident

Excerpt To the editor: I read the recent article by Lichstein (1) with great interest. The subject of emotions generated along the patient-physician interface is of importance not only in internal ...
The low temperature specific heat of the metallic glasses (FexNi80−x)B20 heat of the metallic glasses

The specific heat, CP, between 0.6 K and 60 K has been determined for the metallic glasses (FexNi80−x)B20 for x = 80, 60, 40, 30 and 20 using melt‐spun ribbon samples. The magnetic contribution (CM) is small, enabling analysis of (CP−CM) into electronic and phonon contributions, which are compared with those in related alloy series. The composition dependence of the electronic term provides further evidence for application of the split‐band model to these alloys. The phonon contribution showed marked composition dependent deviations from the Debye model at temperatures above 10 K. No large spin‐glass contribution to CM is observed for the x = 20 composition, in contrast to the previously studied alloy Fe20Ni60P14B6.
Origin of bursting through homoclinic spike adding in a neuron model.

The origin of spike adding in bursting activity is studied in a reduced model of the leech heart interneuron. We show that, as the activation kinetics of the slow potassium current are shifted towards depolarized membrane potential values, the bursting phase accommodates incrementally more spikes into the train. This phenomenon is attested to be caused by the homoclinic bifurcations of a saddle periodic orbit setting the threshold between the tonic spiking and quiescent phases of the bursting. The fundamentals of the mechanism are revealed through the analysis of a family of the onto Poincare return mappings.
CONFORMATIONAL CHANGES IN THE CRYSTAL STRUCTURE OF RAT GLUTATHIONE TRANSFERASE M1-1 WITH GLOBAL SUBSTITUTION OF 3-FLUOROTYROSINE FOR TYROSINE

The structure of the tetradeca-(3-fluorotyrosyl) M1-1 GSH transferase (3-FTyr GSH transferase), a protein in which tyrosine residues are globally substituted by 3-fluorotyrosines has been determined at 2.2 A resolution. This variant was produced to study the effect on the enzymatic mechanism and the structure was undertaken to assess how the presence of the 3-fluorotyrosyl residue influences the protein conformation and hence its function. Although fluorinated amino acid residues have frequently been used in biochemical and NMR investigations of proteins, no structure of a protein that has been globally substituted with a fluorinated amino acid has previously been reported. Thus, this structure represents the first crystal structure of such a protein containing a library of 14 (28 crystallographically distinct) microenvironments from which the nature of the interactions of fluorine atoms with the rest of the protein can be evaluated. Numerous conformational changes are observed in the protein structure as a result of substitution of 3-fluorotyrosine for tyrosine. The results of the comparison of the crystal structure of the fluorinated protein with the native enzyme reveal that conformational changes are observed for most of the 3-fluorotyrosines. The largest differences are seen for residues where the fluorine, the OH, or both are directly involved in interactions with other regions of the protein or with a symmetry-related molecule. The fluorine atoms of the 3-fluorotyrosine interact primarily through hydrogen bonds with other residues and water molecules. In several cases, the conformation of a 3-fluorotyrosine is different in one of the monomers of the enzyme from that observed in the other, including different hydrogen-bonding patterns. Altered conformations can be related to differences in the crystal packing interactions of the two monomers in the asymmetric unit. The fluorine atom on the active-site Tyr6 is located near the S atom of the thioether product (9R,10R)-9-(S-glutathionyl)-10-hydroxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene and creates a different pattern of interactions between 3-fluorotyrosine 6 and the S atom. Studies of these interactions help explain why 3-FTyr GSH transferase exhibits spectral and kinetic properties distinct from the native GSH transferase.