cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improved pregnancy rates and outcome with gamete intrafallopian transfer when follicular fluid is used as sperm capacitation and gamete transfer medium

Follicular fluid (FF) is a dynamic medium rich in steroids, polypeptide hormones, and growth factors. Preovulatory FF can stimulate spermatozoal acrosome reaction. Moreover, short preincubation of washed sperm with FF improves sperm performance in the hamster egg penetration assay. In the current study, FF was used to capacitate sperm and as a transfer medium in 131 gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) procedures. Ham's F-10 medium (GIBCO, Grand Island, NY) with 50% maternal serum was used in another 29 GIFT procedures. In the Ham's F-10 group, 29 GIFT procedures were performed in 25 patients with a pregnancy rate of 21% per laparoscopy and 24% per patient. In the FF group, 131 GIFT procedures were performed in 100 patients with a pregnancy rate of 50% per laparoscopy and 66% per patient, with a 59% ongoing pregnancy rate per patient. The most significant improvement was in the male factor group with a pregnancy rate of 0% in the Ham's F-10 group and 44% per procedure in the FF group. We conclude that the use of FF for sperm capacitation and as a gamete transfer medium significantly improves GIFT pregnancy rates and outcome.
Application of TiC in Vanadium-Based Hydrogen Membranes

Transition metal carbide coated vanadium membranes for hydrogen permeation have the unique ability to operate at both high temperatures and pressures. Titanium carbide deposited by magnetron sputte...
In vitro investigation of chitosan-polygalacturonic acid polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) biomaterials as anti-adhesive substrates for preventing adhesion formation

Adhesions are an abnormal union of membranous surfaces. They are a painful and expensive consequence of abdominal surgeries, specifically in the peritoneal cavity. This complication requires a seco...
A Simplified Parallel Power System Restoration for Large-Scale Transmission Grids

Restoring a power transmission system after a complete blackout is very crucial. A parallel restoration is an efficient approach that can be planned out to recover the grid quickly. This approach is initiated with a network partitioning which is a challenge within the restoration process. The most desired outcome is to find the best-interconnected lines while minimizing the restoration time and maximizing the supplied power. Having a large-scale grid would make this process much harder to handle. In this study, the power system restoration is done through a multi-objective optimization model, while a network simplification is applied prior to the restoration planning. This method reduces the computational complexity of the solution for the large transmission grids. The performance of the proposed approach is analyzed by IEEE 14-, 39-, and 118-bus test systems.
White matter microstructural development and cognitive ability in the first 2 years of life.

White matter (WM) integrity has been related to cognitive ability in adults and children, but it remains largely unknown how WM maturation in early life supports emergent cognition. The associations between tract-based measures of fractional anisotropy (FA) and axial and radial diffusivity (AD, RD) shortly after birth, at age 1, and at age 2 and cognitive measures at 1 and 2 years were investigated in 447 healthy infants. We found that generally higher FA and lower AD and RD across many WM tracts in the first year of life were associated with better performance on measures of general cognitive ability, motor, language, and visual reception skills at ages 1 and 2, suggesting an important role for the overall organization, myelination, and microstructural properties of fiber pathways in emergent cognition. RD in particular was consistently related to ability, and protracted development of RD from ages 1 to 2 years in several tracts was associated with higher cognitive scores and better language performance, suggesting prolonged plasticity may confer cognitive benefits during the second year of life. However, we also found that cognition at age 2 was weakly associated with WM properties across infancy in comparison to child and demographic factors including gestational age and maternal education. Our findings suggest that early postnatal WM integrity across the brain is important for infant cognition, though its role in cognitive development should be considered alongside child and demographic factors.
Dispersion relations in non-relativistic two-dimensional materials from quasinormal modes in Ho\v{r}ava Gravity

We compute dispersion relations of non-hydrodynamic and hydrodynamic modes in a non-relativistic strongly coupled two-dimensional quantum field theory. This is achieved by numerically computing quasinormal modes (QNMs) of a particular analytically known black brane solution to 3+1-dimensional Hořava Gravity. Hořava Gravity is distinguished from Einstein Gravity by the presence of a scalar field, termed the khronon, defining a preferred time-foliation. Surprisingly, for this black brane solution, the khronon fluctuation numerically decouples from all others, having its own set of purely imaginary eigenfrequencies, for which we provide an analytic expression. All other Hořava Gravity QNMs are expressed analytically in terms of QNMs of Einstein Gravity, in units involving the khronon coupling constants and various horizons. Our numerical computation reproduces the analytically known momentum diffusion mode, and extends the analytic expression for the sound modes to a wide range of khronon coupling values. In the eikonal limit (large momentum limit), the analytically known dispersion of QNM frequencies with the momentum is reproduced by our numerics. We provide a parametrization of all QNM frequencies to fourth order in the momentum. We demonstrate perturbative stability in a wide range of coupling constants and momenta.
Expenditure variations analysis using residuals for identifying high health care utilizers in a state Medicaid program

High utilizers receive great attention in health care research because they have a largely disproportionate spending. Existing analyses usually identify high utilizers with an empirical threshold on the number of health care visits or associated expenditures. However, such count-and-cost based criteria might not be best for identifying impactable high utilizers. We propose an approach to identify impactable high utilizers using residuals from regression-based health care utilization risk adjustment models to analyze the variations in health care expenditures. We develop linear and tree-based models to best adjust per-member per-month health care cost by clinical and socioeconomic risk factors using a large administrative claims dataset from a state public insurance program. The risk adjustment models identify a group of patients with high residuals whose demographics and categorization of comorbidities are similar to other patients but who have a significant amount of unexplained health care utilization. Deeper analysis of the essential hypertension cohort and chronic kidney disease cohort shows these variations in expenditures could be within individual ICD-9-CM codes and from different mixtures of ICD-9-CM codes. Additionally, correlation analysis with 3M™ Potentially Preventable Events (PPE) software shows that a portion of this utilization may be preventable. In addition, the high utilizers persist from year to year. After risk adjustment, patients with higher than expected expenditures (high residuals) are associated with more potentially preventable events. These residuals are temporally consistent and hence may be useful in identifying and intervening impactable high utilizers.
The Consequences of Start-ups' Organizational Structure

How start-ups design their organizational structure is an important question that every entrepreneur must answer yet has received little attention in the literature. As a step towards addressing th...
This is More of a Comment than a QuestionJPMS Field Notes Plenary Transcript

Field Notes is the section in The Journal of Popular Music Studies devoted to chronicling and reflecting on the numerous ways people write about our subject. In that spirit, the journal convened a Field-Notes-themed plenary session at the 2019 IASPM-US meeting to discuss the current state of popular
Assessing the Performance of Farmland Preservation in America’s Farmland Preservation Heartland: A Policy Review

Farmland preservation has been an important issue in the United States for over 40 years. Since 1977, 28 states and over 95 local governments have formed farmland preservation programs to acquire d...
Comprehensive Optimization of Culture Conditions for Production of Biomass-Hydrolyzing Enzymes of Trichoderma SG2 in Submerged and Solid-State Fermentation

Lignocellulose biomass contain large macromolecules especially cellulose and hemicelluloses that can be converted to fuel and chemicals using microbial biocatalysts. This study presents comprehensive optimization of production of biomass-hydrolyzing enzymes (BHE) by a high β-glucosidase-producing Trichoderma SG2 for bioconversion of lignocellulose biomass. Overall, a mixture of paper powder and switchgrass was most suited for production of BHE in submerged fermentation (SmF). BHE production was significantly different for various organic and inorganic nitrogen sources. The combination of peptone, yeast extract, and ammonium sulfate resulted in the highest activities (Units/mL) of BHE: 9.85 ± 0.55 cellulase, 38.91 ± 0.31 xylanase, 21.19 ± 1.35 β-glucosidase, and 7.63 ± 0.31 β-xylosidase. Surfactants comparably enhanced BHE production. The highest cellulase activity (4.86 ± 0.55) was at 25 °C, whereas 35 °C supported the highest activities of xylanase, β-glucosidase, and β-xylosidase. A broad initial culture pH (4–7) supported BHE production. The Topt for cellulase and xylanase was 50 °C. β-xylosidase and β-glucosidase were optimally active at 40 and 70 °C, respectively; pH 5 resulted in highest cellulase, β-glucosidase, and β-xylosidase activities; and pH 6 resulted in highest xylanase activity. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize major medium ingredients. BHE activities were several orders of magnitude higher in solid-state fermentation (SSF) than in SmF. Therefore, SSF can be deployed for one-step production of complete mixture of Trichoderma SG2 BHE for bioconversion of biomass to saccharide feedstock.
Time-resolved ion velocity measurements in a high-power Hall thruster using laser-induced fluorescence with transfer function averaging

We present time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence measurements of ion velocity distributions in a 12.5 kW Hall Effect Rocket with Magnetic Shielding (HERMeS) operating in both quasi-periodic and aperiodic oscillation regimes. Transfer function averaging in Fourier space is used to obtain useable signal-to-noise ratios and synchronize data traces taken at different laser wavelengths, measurement axes, and positions in the plasma, achieving a measurement bandwidth of ∼ 100 kHz. For breathing-mode like global oscillations, the results are shown to be robust to the choice of either discharge current I d ( t ) or cathode-to-ground voltage V c g ( t ) as the reference waveform input to the transfer function. At discharge voltage V d = 600 V, a nearly periodic, impulsive oscillation in the acceleration zone position was accompanied by a ≳ 100 V peak-to-peak oscillation in the near-plume plasma potential. Smaller amplitude, aperiodic oscillations in the mean ion velocities were detected at V d = 300 V.
Feasibility Study of Vascularized Composite Urinary Bladder Allograft Transplantation in a Cadaver Model

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to establish the feasibility of performing a urinary bladder vascularized composite allograft transplantation for either bladder augmentation or neobladder cre...
Inhibitoren von LBQ und Gegenmaßnahmen

LBM will ja die ganze Welt bildlich gesprochen von echtem Rum in Rumverschnitt uberfuhren. Die meisten Menschen versuchen leider, selbst wieder so etwas wie echten Rum zu produzieren, obwohl doch nicht jeder etwas davon verstehen kann.
Monte Carlo Sampling Methods

Abstract In this chapter we discuss Monte Carlo sampling methods for solving large scale stochastic programming problems. We concentrate on the “exterior” approach where a random sample is generated outside of an optimization procedure, and then the constructed, so-called sample average approximation (SAA), problem is solved by an appropriate deterministic algorithm. We study statistical properties of the obtained SAA estimators. The developed statistical inference is incorporated into validation analysis and error estimation. We describe some variance reduction techniques which may enhance convergence of sampling based estimates. We also discuss difficulties in extending this methodology to multistage stochastic programming. Finally, we briefly discuss the SAA method applied to stochastic generalized equations and variational inequalities.
The immunohistochemistry of Hodgkin's disease

Abstract Immunohistochemistry is a valuable adjunct to the identification of Hodgkin's disease (HD) Reed-Stemberg (RS) cells, and in the differential diagnosis between HD, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, and nonlymphoid neoplasms containing RS-like cells. The characteristic phenotype of RS cells in different subtypes of HD is described, with an emphasis on routine immunohistochemical stains. Some of the conflicting literature on this subject is reviewed to highlight pitfalls and controversies in the field.
Vital dye mapping of the gastrula and neurula of Xenopus laevis: II. Prospective areas and morphogenetic movements of the deep layer

Abstract The prospective areas in the deep layer of the early gastrula were mapped and their morphogenetic movements during gastrulation and neurulation were followed by vital dye marking of cells. It was found that the deep layer of the early gastrula consists of prospective mesoderm and prospective neural and epidermal ectoderm. At Stage 10+ the prospective mesoderm lies deep to the suprablastoporal endoderm in the form of a thick collar which has already begun involution in the dorsal sector. The prospective notochord is located middorsally and is followed laterally, in turn, by prospective somite and lateral mesoderm. Prospective anterior mesoderm involutes first, followed in succession by prospective mesoderm of more posterior regions. The relative movements of the neural and epidermal ectoderm and the underlying mesodermal mantle during neurulation were mapped by simultaneous marking of both layers. These movements show the highly coordinated nature of the thickening of somite mesoderm and folding of the neural plate. Strong dorsal convergence and ventral divergence occur in both the prospective mesoderm and ectoderm. In the ectoderm, dorsal convergence of cells results in anteroposterior extension; however, such dorsal movement in the mesoderm is absorbed in the thickening of the somite region. The extension of the dorsal mesoderm is brought about during neurulation by addition of cells posteriorly from the uninvoluted circumblastoporal mesoderm. The significance of the location and movements of the mesoderm in Xenopus laevis is discussed.
Preventing infection in elders with long‐term indwelling urinary catheters

Purpose: To explore selected factors related to the prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (UTIs) in older adults. Data sources: This review of the literature examined multiple studies regarding UTIs, and UTIs in relation to silver-tipped catheters, cranberry juice/extract, and the bacterial lysate Escherichia coli OM-89. Conclusions: Silver-tipped catheters retarded the development of the biofilm. The use of cranberry juice/extract showed few if any adverse reactions and avoided the problems of induced antibiotic resistance or introduction to supra-infections, such as Clostridium difficile infection. The immune stimulant OM-89 shows promise and may lead to simple and inexpensive preventive measures. Further research is needed to include elders, both men and women, and elders with long-term indwelling catheters. Implications for practice: Nurse practitioners (NPs) can assure that basic nursing principles regarding long-term indwelling catheter care are upheld, measures such as proper assessment and insertion, as well as the appropriate use of silver-tipped catheters. NPs can prescribe cranberry juice/extract and incur no apparent harm while possibly reducing infection rate. NPs must be aware of the dangers of administering prophylactic antibiotics that increase resistant microorganisms and can also increase susceptibility to C. difficile infection.
The Prison and the Gallows: Unlocking the Past: The Nationalization and Politicization of Law and Order

“History is like waves lapping at a cliff. For centuries notunlocking the pasthing happens. Then the cliff collapses.” – Henry See C riminal justice politics and policies have been a major, not a minor, theme in American political development. It is striking how often public officials throughout U.S. history have latched on to the crime and punishment issue to further their own political agendas and fortunes. Numerous national figures and presidential aspirants, from Thomas Jefferson to Theodore Roosevelt to Joseph McCarthy, played the crime card long before Barry Goldwater highlighted the issue in the 1964 presidential campaign. Furthermore, while direct federal involvement in crafting penal policy was minor and intermittent for much of U.S. history, the federal government did step in at key junctures (often by orchestrating or responding to national campaigns organized around crime-related concerns) that had important long-term consequences for the development of the carceral state. These periodic campaigns, undertaken when criminal justice and law enforcement institutions were undeveloped, habituated Americans to indulge rhetorically in a politics of moralism that was not that costly for a long time. Americans could use penal politics to indulge their moralism and express their fears and anxieties because, while their law-and-order campaigns had enormous symbolic significance, the skeletal law enforcement apparatus checked their actual consequences. This is not to minimize the enormous consequences these campaigns had for some individuals, be they the 20 people hanged in the Salem witch trials in 1692 or the 30,000 women rounded up during World War I on suspicion of prostitution.
BACTERIAL ENDOCARDITIS IN CHILDREN WITH HEART DISEASE A Review Based on the Literature and Experience with 58 Cases

We have reviewed the literature and our experience with 58 patients with bacterial endocarditis superimposed upon pre-existing heart disease, observed during the 30-year period, January 1930 through December 1959. There has been no change in the relative incidence of bacterial endocarditis in children with heart disease observed at the Babies Hospital since the introduction of antibiotics. Twenty-one patients (0.49/1,000 admissions) were observed from 1930 through 1943 and 37 patients (0.52/1,000 admissions) from January 1944 through December 1959. In the majority (40) infection was superimposed upon a congenital malformation of the heart, while in 17 there was evidence of rheumatic heart disease. In one, a rheumatic infection complicated a congenital anomaly. The history usually revealed unexplained fever and fatigue in a child known to have heart disease. Additional symptoms often reflected the nature of the underlying cardiac pathology. Patients with tetrad of Fallot developed symptoms secondary to hypoxia which in some instances was later shown to be attributable to vegetations at sites resulting in obstruction to pulmonary blood flow. The pathogenesis of bacterial endocarditis is defined in terms of bacteremia superimposed upon abnormal endocardial or endothelial surfaces; the further role of hemodynamic trauma secondary to congenital or acquired lesions is discussed. The results of bacteriologic studies were as vital in confirming the diagnosis and planning treatment as in the management of patients with meningitis. Blood cultures were usually positive in the first sample obtained (86%) and always by the sixth. Bacterial endocarditis is uncommon in the presence of sterile blood cultures providing an adequate number (six), each of sufficient quantity (10 ml), are obtained sufficiently long after antibiotics have been discontinued and providing they are incubated in aerobic and anaerobic media for 3 weeks. In children, the most important prognostic features were (1) recognition of the disease, (2) the nature of the infecting organism, and (3) adequate antibiotic treatment. In seven instances in our experience the correct diagnosis had not been considered prior to necropsy examination. Among the patients with bacterial endocarditis treated with antibiotics, recovery occurred in each of the 20 due to viridans streptococci, in 1 due to gamma-streptococci, and in 3 of the 8 due to Staphylococcus aureus. The principles of management are discussed and suggestions outlined for antibiotic therapy of children with bacterial endocarditis. Penicillin alone is recommended for infection due to viridans streptococci, if the organisms are highly sensitive, whereas for infection due to Staphylococcus coccus aureus a combination of chloramphenicol, erythromycin and penicillin is advocated as initial therapy. The importance of the use of antibiotics in therapeutic dosage for prophylaxis in patients with heart disease prior to dental manipulation or other surgical procedures is stressed.
Statistical parametric study of non-parallel inductive reactors

Summary form only given. Parametrization of new plasma processing is a very time consuming process. By combining statistical techniques with computer simulation, one can construct a "numerical design of experiment" (NDOE), which minimizes the time required for the investigation. We present the results of such an NDOE, applied to a generic non-parallel inductively coupled reactor, as there has recently been interest in inductive reactors with a dome shaped quartz top. We use a statistical design of experiment software too, Echip(C), to construct the experiment and then perform the experiment with the Hybrid Plasma Equipment Model (HPEM). Echip(C) is also used in the post-experiment analysis. The goal is to determine functional relationships between ion and neutral flux uniformity to the wafer and geometrical parameters such as focus ring height, reactor height, and reactor radius. Additionally, we consider several non-geometrical variables such as substrate bias and pressure. By combining numerical modeling with statistics software we have been able to determine optimal parameters sets for different gas systems.
A test of competition in Chinese banking

We apply the Bresnahan–Lau model (1982) to test the degree of competition of China’s banking industry over the period 1986 to 2011. Results strongly reject monopoly power and indicate perfectly competitive behaviour. China’s entry into the WTO did not cause any measurable shift in banking competition.
Folk Explanations of Behavior A Specialized Use of a Domain-General Mechanism

People typically explain others’ behaviors by attributing them to the beliefs and motives of an unobservable mind. Although such attributional inferences are critical for understanding the social world, it is unclear whether they rely on processes distinct from those used to understand the nonsocial world. In the present study, we used functional MRI to identify brain regions associated with making attributions about social and nonsocial situations. Attributions in both domains activated a common set of brain regions, and individual differences in the domain-specific recruitment of one of these regions—the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC)—correlated with attributional accuracy in each domain. Overall, however, the DMPFC showed greater activation for attributions about social than about nonsocial situations, and this selective response to the social domain was greatest in participants who reported the highest levels of social expertise. We conclude that folk explanations of behavior are an expert use of a domain-general cognitive ability.
Improvement of the crown-root ratio by endodontic endosseous implants

Vital periodontally involved teeth can be individually stabilized by inert chrome-cobalt alloy or stainless steel implants extending beyond the apex.
Analysis of the effects of fatty acids and related compounds on the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine in lymphocytes

Abstract Phosphatidylcholine synthesis in cultured bovine lymphocytes is stimulated by cis-unsaturated fatty acids. This stimulation is correlated with an activation of the enzyme cytidyltransferase (EC 2.7.7.15) and its apparent translocation from the cytosol to the membrane/particulate of cells. In addition, these agents increase the levels of cytidine diphosphocholine — a product of the cytidyltransferase reaction and a precursor to phosphatidylcholine. Retinoic acid and 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid both activate cytidyltransferase activity and raise cytidine diphosphocholine levels, yet they are ineffective as stimulators of overall phosphatidylcholine synthesis. The effects of all of these lipids are reversed by the delayed addition of bovine serum albumin. The data point to the view that cytidyltransferase activation is required but is not sufficient for stimulation of phosphatidylcholine synthesis: regulation at another step is suggested.
Subtype Specific Differences in NS5A Domain II Reveals Involvement of Proline at Position 310 in Cyclosporine Susceptibility of Hepatitis C Virus

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is susceptible to cyclosporine (CsA) and other cyclophilin (CypA) inhibitors, but the genetic basis of susceptibility is controversial. Whether genetic variation in NS5A alters cell culture susceptibility of HCV to CypA inhibition is unclear. We constructed replicons containing NS5A chimeras from genotypes 1a, 2a and 4a to test how variation in carboxy terminal regions of NS5A altered the genotype 1b CsA susceptibility. All chimeric replicons including genotype 1b Con1LN-wt replicon exhibited some cell culture sensitivity to CsA with genotype 4a being most sensitive and 1a the least. The CypA binding pattern of truncated NS5A genotypes correlated with the susceptibility of these replicons to CsA. The Con1LN-wt replicon showed increased susceptibility towards CsA when proline at position 310P was mutated to either threonine or alanine. Furthermore, a 15 amino acid long peptide fused N terminally to GFP coding sequences confirmed involvement of proline at 310 in CypA binding. Our findings are consistent with CypA acting on multiple prolines outside of the previously identified CypA binding sites. These results suggest multiple specific genetic variants between genotype 1a and 1b in the C-terminus of NS5A alter the CsA susceptibility of replicons, and some variants may oppose the effects of others.
Influence of radiant energy exchange on the determination of convective heat transfer rates to Orbiter leeside surfaces during entry

Temperatures measured at the aerodynamic surface of the Orbiter's thermal protection system (TPS), and calorimeter measurements, are used to determine heating rates to the TPS surface during atmospheric entry. On the Orbiter leeside, where convective heating rates are low, it is possible that a significant portion of the total energy input may result from solar radiation, and for the wing, cross radiation from the hot (relatively) Orbiter fuselage. In order to account for the potential impact of these sources, values of solar- and cross-radiation heat transfer are computed, based upon vehicle trajectory and attitude information and measured surface temperatures. Leeside heat-transfer data from the STS-2 mission are presented, and the significance of solar radiation and fuselage-to-wing cross-radiation contributions to total energy input to Orbiter leeside surfaces is assessed.
Real-Time Communication Scheduling in a Multicomputer Video Server

In this paper, we address the problem of scheduling communication over the interconnection network of a distributed-memory multicomputer video server. We show that this problem is closely related to the problem of data distribution and movie scheduling in such a system. A solution is proposed in this paper that addresses these three issues at once. The movies are distributed evenly over all nodes of the multicomputer. The proposed solution minimizes the contention for links over the switch. The proposed solution makes movie scheduling very simple?if the first block of the movie is scheduled, the rest of the movie is automatically scheduled. Moreover, if the first block of the movie stream is scheduled without network contention, the proposed solution guarantees that there will be no network contention during the entire duration of playback of that movie. We show that the proposed approach to communication scheduling is optimal in utilizing the network resources. Extensive simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Surface fuel treatments in young, regenerating stands affect wildfire severity in a mixed conifer forest, eastside Cascade Range, Washington, USA

Previous studies have debated the flammability of young regenerating stands, especially those in a matrix of mature forest, and no consensus has emerged as to whether young stands are inherently prone to high-severity wildfire. This topic has recently been addressed using spatial imagery, and weak inferences were made given the scale mismatch between the coarse resolution of spatial imagery and the fine resolution of mechanisms driving fire severity. We collected empirical stand and fire-severity data from 44 regenerating stands that are interspersed in mature, mid-elevation forests in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (OWNF) on the eastside of the Cascade Range in Washington, USA. These stands are mixed-species plantations that were established to promote regeneration of seral to late-seral tree species (Douglas-fir, subalpine fir, Engelmann spruce, western larch) in small patches within a larger lodgepole pine forest. In 2006, the 70,925 ha Tripod Fire burned through all the plantations and the surrounding lodgepole pine matrix. To understand what drives fire effects in plantations, especially those that exist in spatially heterogeneous forests, we compared fire severity in plantations with and without fuels-reducing site preparation (i.e., fuel treatments), using three metrics to quantify severity: mortality (%), exposed mineral soil (%), and char height (m). We built generalized linear models for each severity metric and tested for a difference in all severity metrics between treated and untreated units using Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance. Units without fuel treatments have more severe fire effects: mortality is 77% in untreated units and 37% in treated units (p = 0.0005). Other variables contribute to differences in fire severity, including species composition, canopy closure, and canopy base height. Canopy base height and canopy closure both exhibit a reverse relationship with mortality from what was expected: the higher the canopy closure and the lower the canopy base height, the lower the mortality. In other words, stands that have trees closer together with crowns near the ground are more likely to have lower mortality. Overall, the results suggest that young stands in some dry mixed conifer forests can be resilient to wildfire if surface fuel loading is low upon stand establishment.
Naltrexone reduces weight gain, alters “β-endorphin”, and reduces insulin output from pancreatic islets of genetically obese mice

Abstract Naltrexone, an opiate antagonist, was administered to young obese (ob/ob) and lean mice for five weeks. Animals had continuous access to food and received 10 mg/kg SC twice daily with equivalent volumes of saline given to controls. The effects on body weight, and pituitary and plasma levels of β-endorphin-like material were measured. Naltrexone-injected obese animals gained weight more slowly over the first three weeks while the weight gain of lean animals was not affected by naltrexone. Plasma levels of β-endorphin were shown to be significantly higher in untreated ob/ob mice and this difference increased with age (4–20 weeks). With naltrexone treatment, plasma levels in +/? mice rose and exceeded those in ob/ob. Saline treatment appeared to be a stress, and pituitary β-endorphins rose 4–6 fold in ob/ob compared with +/?. While naltrexone reduced the levels in ob/ob pituitary towards normal, no effect on β-endorphin levels in pituitary of lean mice was obtained. In vitro studies of effects of the opiate antagonists, naloxone, on insulin secretion by isolated islets provided additional evidence of resistance of lean mice to naloxone relative to ob/ob. (IRI secretion fell only in naloxone treated ob/ob islets.) These observations support the contention that this form of genetic obesity is characterized by elevated endogenous opiate levels and an increased sensitivity to opiate antagonists such as naltrexone or naloxone.
Evaluating programs for men who batter: Problems and prospects

The uncertainty and controversy that surround batterer programs beg more systematic evaluation of program effectiveness. The current national surveys and limited evaluations of batterer programs point to several methodological improvements that include comparisons of program modalities, observation study of the group interaction, and more sensitive measures of abuse. Therefore, suggestions for future evaluations are posed, and continuing problematic areas, such as access to the victim, sensitized responses, selectivity of clients, and community context, are discussed.
Thalamotomy and pallidotomy for treatment of choreic movements.

Using the stereotaxic method, two new approaches to the treatment of choreic movements have been attempted: lesions of the dorsomedial nuclei of the thalamus (Thalamotomy) and lesions of the globus pallidus (Pallidotomy). Thalamotomy may diminish these involuntary movements, at least temporarily, in selected cases only where the influence of emotions upon these movements is very marked. Pallidotomy seems to be more promising. Involuntary movements inHuntington's Chorea could be nearly completely abolished by extensive lesions in the external segment of the globus pallidus.
Tropical Diversity and Conservation

The superior diversity of the tropics is well known and, for the largest marine and continental areas, there appears to be a positive relationship between area and species diversity (richness). There are certain portions of the tropics, however, in which species diversity has reached unusually high levels. Such areas apparently function as centers of evolutionary origin. In the ocean the largest of the four tropical shelf regions is the Indo-West Pacific, which stretches almost two thirds of the distance around the globe. Within that expanse by far the greatest diversity is found within the relatively small East Indies Triangle. From the Triangle an evolutionary radiation has reached many other parts of the marine world. On land the Neotropical, Ethiopian, and Oriental biogeographic regions demonstrate very high levels of species diversity. Various major groups of animals and plants have originated in these regions and subsequently spread to other parts of the world. There is no accepted scientific agreement on a conservation strategy for these areas. By focusing our attention on centers of origin, we can save the areas containing species that apparently have the greatest evolutionary potential. En los tropicos, la superioridad en diversidad es bien conocida y para las areas marinas y continentales mayores, existe una aparente relacion positiva entre el area y la diversidad de las especies (riqueza). Sin embargo, existen porciones de los tropicos en las cuales la diversidad de especies ha alcanzado niveles altos inusuales. Estas areas aparentemente funcionan como centros de origen evolutivo. De las cuatro placas tropicales existentes en los oceanos, la region del Pacifico Indo-Occidental constituye la mas grande de ellas, abarcando casi dos tercios de la superficie del planeta. Dentro de esta vasta extension, la diversidad mas grande se encuentra dentro del relativamente pequeno triangulo de las Indias del Este. De este triangulo, una radiacion evolutiva ha alcanzado muchas otras partes del mundo marino. En tierra, las regiones biogeograficas Neotropical, Etiopica, y Oriental muestran niveles muy altos de diversidad de especies. Varios grupos de animales y plantas se han originado en estas regiones y subsecuentemente esparcido a otras partes del mundo. Para estas areas no existe una estrategia de conservacion con una base cientifica. Si enfocamos nuestra atencion en los centros de origen, podremos salvar areas que contienen especies que aparentemente tienen el mayor potencial evolutivo.
THE INTRACELLULAR GROWTH OF BACTERIOPHAGES I. LIBERATION OF INTRACELLULAR BACTERIOPHAGE T4 BY PREMATURE LYSIS WITH ANOTHER PHAGE OR WITH CYANIDE

A method is described for liberating and estimating intracellular bacteriophage at any stage during the latent period by arresting phage growth and inducing premature lysis of the infected cells. This is brought about by placing the infected bacteria into the growth medium supplemented with 0.01 M cyanide and with a high titer T6 lysate. It was found in some of the later experiments that the T6 lysate is essential only during the first half of the latent period. Cyanide alone will induce lysis during the latter part of the latent period. Using this method on T4-infected bacteria it is found that during the first half of the latent period no phage particles, not even those originally infecting the bacteria, are recovered. This result is in agreement with the gradually emerging concept that a profound alteration of the infecting phage particle takes place before reproduction ensues. During the second half of the latent period mature phage is found to accumulate within the bacteria at a rate which is parallel to the approximately linear increase of intracellular DNA in this system. However, the phage production lags several minutes behind DNA production. When 5-methyltryptophan replaced cyanide as the metabolic inhibitor, similar results were obtained. The curves were, however, displaced several minutes to the left on the time axis. The results are compared with Latarjet9s (16) data on x-radiation of infected bacteria and with Foster9s data (18) concerning the effect of proflavine on infected bacteria. Essential agreement with both is apparent.
Contemporary surgical management of upper urinary tract calculi.

Purpose: Upper urinary tract calculi are treated with multiple technologies including shock wave lithotripsy, ureteroscopy and percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Our knowledge of surgical practice patterns in the treatment of these calculi is limited. We performed a study of the surgical practice logs submitted to the American Board of Urology by candidates for initial certification and recertification to characterize the manner in which renal and ureteral calculi are treated.Materials and Methods: Logs from initial certification, first recertification and second recertification cohorts were reviewed. CPT codes were used as search criteria, and included 50590 (shock wave lithotripsy), 52352 (ureteroscopy, stone removal), 52353 (ureteroscopy, lithotripsy), 50080 (percutaneous nephrolithotomy for stones less than 2 cm) and 50081 (percutaneous nephrolithotomy for stones greater than 2 cm).Results: For the initial certification cohort surgical logs from 2004 to 2008 were reviewed and 1,065 individuals were identif...
Changes in ethnic identity and competence in middle adolescents.

Purpose: Evidence suggests that the construct of ethnic identity (EI) in adolescents changes over time and is related to factors including social connectedness, social competence, coping, and self-worth. Transitional changes of EI in middle adolescence have not been studied. Method: This analysis, part of a longitudinal study of health behaviors, explored how EI changes from the first year of high school to the last, and it examined relationships among EI, social connectedness, indicators of social competence, coping, and self-worth in 602 youth (49% Hispanic, 59% female). Results: EI was significantly related to social connectedness, social competence, coping, and self-worth as adolescents entered and prepared to exit high school. EI increased significantly over time for both genders and for Hispanics more so than for non-Hispanics. Discussion: Findings support and extend the conceptual framework and previous research. Socialization with one’s ethnic group is associated with developing competence and sel...
Exploring domestic partnership benefits policies in corporate America.

ABSTRACT This article examines the domestic partner benefits (DP benefits) movement in corporate America, among Fortune 500 companies. An unprecedented number of Fortune 500 corporations started to extend equal benefits to their employees in the late 1990s. One-third of Fortune 500 companies now extend DP benefits to their gay employees despite national refusal to legally recognize same-sex unions. We provide a macro analysis of the 2002 Fortune 500 companies to explore the characteristics of the corporations that offer the benefits and the impetus for adopting these new gay friendly policies. Findings are that top ranked Fortune 500 and industry leaders act as benchmarkers for the corporate community. Region of the corporate headquarters and commitment to diversity issues also inform these organizational changes. Isomorphisic processes offer viable explanations for the transformation of the corporate climate that touts DP benefit policies as “the right thing to do” and considers these policies as good bu...
Arsenic disrupts cellular levels of p53 and mdm2: a potential mechanism of carcinogenesis.

The antitumor protein p53 plays a critical role in DNA repair. Inorganic arsenic exposure is associated with a wide variety of human tumors, particularly of the skin. To investigate how inorganic arsenic might interfere with DNA repair and lead to greater incidence of hyperkeratosis and skin tumors, we exposed human keratinocytes (HaCaT) to environmentally relevant concentrations of arsenite for 14 days. Arsenite reduced p53 levels while concomitantly increasing the p53 regulatory protein mdm2 levels in a dose- and time-dependent manner. We propose the disruption of the p53-mdm2 loop regulating cell cycle arrest as a model for arsenic-related skin carcinogenesis and it may be important in tumors with elevated mdm2 levels.
Particulate characteristics and emission rates during the injection of class B biosolids into an agricultural field

Abstract A field study was conducted during the summer of 2009 to collect airborne particulate matter emitted during the agricultural activities. The activities surrounding the injection application of class B biosolids were targeted for the sampling. The sampling was carried out before (pre-application), during (application), and after (post-application) the application. This study characterized the particulate emissions deposited on the aerosols spectrometer. The effect of different biosolids related activities was significant on the mass concentration, the number concentration, and the size distribution. The mass concentration of fine (PM 2.5 ) and ultrafine (PM 1.0 ) was highest during the pre-application. The mass concentration of thoracic fraction (PM 2.5–10 ) increased significantly during the application. A bimodal size distribution was observed throughout the sampling. Nuclei mode formation was predominant during the pre-application and the post-application, whereas the accumulation mode was distinctive during the application. The number concentration of ultrafine particles was highest during the entire sampling period. The application of biosolids resulted into a higher number of coarse particle emission. It was also observed that the ultrafine and fine particles traveled longer downwind distances. The emission rates were determined for pre-application, application, and post-application activities.
The effects of infusing quinidine sulfate and potassium chloride, separately and combined, on conduction times of the dog heart

Abstract Normal dogs were infused with potassium chloride solution and with quinidine sulfate solution separately and in combination. Concentrations of serum potassium and of plasma quinidine were determined. Effects upon P waves, together with intra-atrial, atrioventricular, and intraventricular conduction times, were determined. Both quinidine and hyperkalemia produce prolongation of all three parameters of conduction velocity within the heart. These effects are neither additive nor synergistic.
Policy Dilemmas in Urban Education: Addressing the Needs of Poor, At-risk Children

: The changing demographic face of the nation's cities has placed tremendous burdens on urban schools. No consensus on solving the problems of urban education exists. Successful policy alternatives should be: (1) comprehensive (i.e., deal with urban problems beyond education, such as health status and poverty), (2) supported by adequate resources, (3) universal and targeted (i.e., focused on children), (4) value-based (i.e., promoting the value of education), (5) community-based, and (6) research-based. Policy alternatives that will improve urban education include those that (1) reaffirm programs that work (i.e., Head Start), (2) reallocate resources to students in need (e.g., state equalization), (3) restructure the school workplace (e.g., choice/market alternatives and school restructuring), and (4) relink the schools to society (e.g., accelerated schools). Where the nation will get the political and economic will to improve urban schools and the condition of children in the United States is not now apparent.
Effect of substrate structure on coupling ratio for Na + -dependent transport of amino acids.

Abstract We have measured the coupling ratio, i.e. the ratio of the augmentation of Na + entry due to the presence of a substrate amino acid, to the augmentation of the entry of that amino acid due to the presence of Na + , for a characteristic transport system studied in the pigeon red blood cell. The value of this ratio has been shown to be approximately independent of the interval of observation and of the concentrations of the two cosubstrates. It does, however, depend strongly on the structure of the amino acid, varying from about 0.2 for proline to about 4 for threonine and 5 for cysteine. The coupling ratio both for entry and for exodus also depends on the composition of the internal pool of substrate amino acids. The presence of a hydroxyl group on carbons 3 or 4 produces sharp increases in the coupling ratio. A sulfhydryl or carboxamide group on carbon 3 appears to have a similar effect. A model consistent with these features is presented, which indicates that the presence of a hydroxyl group probably acts by disproportionately accelerating the release, displacement or replacement of Na + from the transport complex at the interior surface of the membrane.
FOLIAR INITIATION AND THE FATE OF THE DWARF‐SHOOT APEX IN PINUS MONOPHYLLA

A B S T R A C T The dwarf-shoot apex of Pinus monophylla has a cytohistological zonation typical of pines. Cataphylls are initiated by this apex both before and after the dormant winter period. The needle is initiated in the spring of the same season in which it matures. The cytological details of cataphyll initiation are identical to that of needle initiation; however, the two primordia can be distinguished very early on the basis of their shape and direction of growth. After needle initiation the stem apex becomes inactive, is crowded to one side, and eventually disappears as the base of the needle enlarges. The results of the present work are discussed in relation to earlier conflicting interpretations regarding needle initiation and the subsequent existence of the dwarf-shoot apex of P. monophylla.