cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Update on bacterial conjunctivitis in South Florida.

Purpose To report demographics, organism occurrence, and in vitro resistance trends for patients presenting with bacterial conjunctivitis at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida from 1994 to 2003. Design Retrospective cross-sectional study. Participants Two thousand four hundred eight eyes. Methods The microbiology records of all patients with bacterial conjunctivitis seeking treatment at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute from January 1, 1994 through December 31, 2003 were reviewed. Data on age, gender, culture-positive trends, and in vitro susceptibility were collected. In vitro susceptibility data were generated using disc diffusion and minimal inhibitory concentrations. Main Outcome Measures Positive cultures by age, gender, and organism and in vitro resistance. Results During the 10-year period, 1254 culture-positive pathogens were recovered from 2408 consecutive conjunctival swabs (52.1%). The culture-positive rate from 1994 to1998 was 55% and declined to 44% in the second 5 years. Male and female patients contributed equal percentages to the total isolates (50.0%). Females had a higher percentage of gram-positives than males (55.5%; P = 0.033). Gram-positive pathogens accounted for 52.2% of culture positive isolates. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequent isolate overall (37.6%) and in patients older than 6 years (47.8%). Methicillin-resistant S. aureus showed a significant increase in the 10-year period (4.4%–42.9% of S. aureus isolates; P = 0.001). Haemophilus influenzae was the most frequent isolate recovered from patients under 7 years old (59.8%; P = 0.0002). There was a 3-fold increase in resistance of gram-positives to ciprofloxacin and oxacillin ( P = 0.001). Overall, 9.5% of gram-positive isolates were resistant to gentamicin. Trimethoprim/sulfa showed a steady increase in resistance in gram-negative isolates ( P = 0.05). Conclusions Staphylococcus aureus was the most common pathogen isolated. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus showed significant increasing prevalence. There were 2- and 3-fold increases in resistance of gram-positive organisms to erythromycin and ciprofloxacin, respectively. Gentamicin showed good sensitivity toward gram-positive pathogens.
Critical currents and magnetization decay in oxygen deficient YBa2Cu3O7−δ thin films

Abstract In-situ grown c-axis YBa2Cu3O7−δ films deposited onto MgO single crystal substrates were equilibrated at various points in the temperature-oxygen pressure phase diagram to adjust the oxygen stoichiometry. Critical currents, which were 1−4×107 A/cm2 before oxygen removal, were reduced somewhat by oxygen removal, but remained high. An exponential relation between critical current and temperature was observed at low temperature for both as-grown and for de-oxygenated films. Magnetization decay measurements showed stronger relaxation in the oxygen deficient films, indicative of weaker flux pinning.
Altered dopamine signaling in naturally occurring maternal neglect.

Background Child neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment, yet the biological basis of maternal neglect is poorly understood and a rodent model is lacking.
Irony in context

In her book, Barbe discusses verbal irony as an interpretative notion. Verbal irony is described in its various realizations and thus placed within linguistics and pragmatics. From the point of view of an analyzing observer, Barbe provides an eclectic approach to irony in context, a study of how conversational irony works, and how it compares with other concepts in which it plays a role. In addition, by means of the analysis of irony as an integrated pervasive feature of language, Barbe questions some basic unstated, literacy and culture-dependent assumptions about language. Her study of irony complements contemporary research in the area of conversational analysis.
Binding of copper(II) and zinc(II) ions on various lignins

Abstract Lignins formed by the decay of woods are present in rivers, lakes, at estuaries and in swampy coastal waters. Their interactions with copper(II) and zinc(II) ions were studied and were shown to depend on the provenience of lignin. Copper is bound more strongly than zinc. The pH-dependence indicates that COO − may be involved in the binding of Cu(II), whereas phenolate groups in that of Zn(II). The binding is predominantly irreversible indicating that ion-exchange is not the prevailing mechanism. Some specimens of lignin show simple adsorption isotherms indicating the presence of a single type of a binding site, some others show complex adsorption isotherms, with two different binding sites or states of accessibility. The effect of neutral salts on adsorption isotherms may be due to changes in lignin structure, revealing or concealing different adsorption sites and will affect the adsorption ability of lignin in water of varying salinity.
A Philological Approach to the Problem of King So (2 Kgs 17:4)

This paper supports Kitchen's identification of "So" with Osorkon IV and supplements it with philological details. The results of this study, however, demand a modification of Kitchen's suggestion by proposing that the Hebrew word "So" should be seen as a transcription of s3-r in Osorkon's name w3-s3-r-kn, and not just of s3.
Relationship and touch in public settings

Gender differences in touch in U.S. populations have been well demonstrated. The age of participants and the setting in which touch occurs have been shown to affect the gender differences. Some investigators have concluded that a gender asymmetry exists with men touching women more than women touch men. A number of studies have shown that men and women interpret touch differently. Past research has provided little information about the effect of the relationship between a couple and the meaning of their touch. In the present study touch initiation among couples was observed in a variety of public settings and then the couples were asked to identify their relationship. It was found that men were more likely to initiate touch during courtship and women were more likely to initiate touch after marriage. A sex difference in reproductive strategies was suggested as one explanation for the phenomenon.
Selective cyclodextrin inhibition of alfaxolone-induced ataxia

The effect of the use of a number of popular solubility treatments was examined on alfaxolone- and diazepam-induced ataxia. The effects of diazepam were not significantly altered by solution in cyclodextrin, Alkamuls EL-620 or a mixture of propylene glycol and ethanol. The effects of alfaxolone were not altered by solution in Alkamuls EL-620, but were significantly lessened by solution in cyclodextrin. In a dose-response experiment, the ED50 of alfaxolone increased from 15.3 mg kg-1 (in Alkamuls EL-620) to 25.6 mg kg-1 (in hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin). The results suggest that although cyclodextrins are popular and effective solubilizers, their use must be considered carefully in the context of the experiments in which they are to be used.
Quantification of the Binding Properties of Cu2+ to the Amyloid Beta Peptide: Coordination Spheres for Human and Rat Peptides and Implication on Cu2+-Induced Aggregation

There is no consensus on the coordinating ligands for Cu(2+) by Abeta. However, the differences in peptide sequence between human and rat have been hypothesized to alter metal ion binding in a manner that alters Cu(2+)-induced aggregation of Abeta. Herein, we employ isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), circular dichroism (CD), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to examine the Cu(2+) coordination spheres to human and rat Abeta and an extensive set of Abeta(16) mutants. EPR of the mutant peptides is consistent with a 3N1O binding geometry, like the native human peptide at pH 7.4. The thermodynamic data reveal an equilibrium between three coordination spheres, {NH(2), O, N(Im)(His6), N(-)}, {NH(2), O, N(Im)(His6), N(Im)(His13)}, and {NH(2), O, N(Im)(His6), N(Im)(His14)}, for human Abeta(16) but one dominant coordination for rat Abeta(16), {NH(2), O, N(Im)(His6), N(-)}, at pH 7.4-6.5. ITC and CD data establish that the mutation R5G is sufficient for reproducing this difference in Cu(2+) binding properties at pH 7.4. The substitution of bulky and positively charged Arg by Gly is proposed to stabilize the coordination {NH(2), O-, N(Im)(His6), N(-)} that then results in one dominating coordination sphere for the case of the rat peptide. The differences in the coordination geometries for Cu(2+) by the human and rat Abeta are proposed to contribute to the variation in the ability of Cu(2+) to induce aggregation of Abeta peptides.
A nineteenth century burmese map relating to french colonial expansion in Southeast Asia

L'A. decrit les cartes de la Birmanie au XIX e siecle, qui representent une documentation sophistiquee des routes, du plan urbain, du reseau hydrographique et de l'orographie
Two reciprocating current components underlying slow oscillations in Aplysia bursting neurons

The mechanisms of the slow oscillatory potential in burst firing neurons in the abdominal ganglion of Aplysia californica (L3-L6 and R15) were studied using voltage clamp methods, including a novel tract and hold technique. The steady-state negative resistance characteristic (NRC) of these neurons is attributed to the activation of a moderately fast, persistent, inward current over a range of membrane potential below spike threshold. This inward current is quite sensitive to changes in external sodium concentration (Na)0 and insensitive to potassium (K)0. By contrast, the portion of the I-V curve below the NRC range is insensitive to (Na)0, but highly sensitive to (K)0. The results of 'track and store' voltage clamping show that there are actually two reciprocating currents whose combined action produces the slow oscillation. In addition to the inward current, there is a slow outward current which develops during the depolarized (burst) phase. The slow outward current can also be evoked, and more completely examined, with prolonged depolarizing voltage commands. The extremely slow decay of this current (tau approximately 45 sec) appears to be the factor underlying the slow, ramplike depolarization of Vm during the interburst interval. This slow outward current is insensitive to changes of (Na)0, but changes with (K)0 in a manner consistent with the Nerst equation. We conclude that the burst-inducing slow oscillations are generated as follows: a moderately fast inward sodium dependent current (INa) produces a regenerative depolarization, and this in turn, produces a much slower outward potassium current (IS) which hyperpolarizes the cell. The cycle is completed when IS has decayed sufficiently to allow Vm to depolarize enough to reactivate INa. We have used a quantitative version of this model to determine the time courses of gNa and gK throughout the oscillation, and to explain why different portions of the oscillatory cycle display 'graded' or 'all-or-none' behavior.
A Survey of the Medication Error Experiences of Pharmacy Technicians

Background:Little is known about pharmacy technicians and their experiences with medication errors in community pharmacies.Objective:To document the opinions and self-reported experiences of medica...
Domain nucleation and wall velocity in magneto-optical amorphous thin films

Domain nucleation and growth kinetics were investigated in sputter-deposited amorphous thin films of Tb 20.2 Fe 67.8 Co 12.0 . After magnetically saturating the films, a reverse external field was applied and the specimens were pulse-heated by an excimer laser. During this heat treatment the reversal of the magnetization was observed in-situ using the magneto-optical Kerr effect. In addition the domain nucleation was studied using a polarizing microscope. Combining the nucleation and magnetization reversal measurements the domain wall velocity was determined as a function of temperature at three different applied external fields. The results are discussed with reference to existing models for domain wall motion.
Dating volcanic ash by use of thermoluminescence

The fine-silt-sized (4-11 {mu}m) grains of glass separated from four samples of independently dated, 8 to 400 ka, tephra beds provide accurate thermoluminescence (TL) ages. This demonstration of reliable TL dating of volcanic glass provides a new tephrochronometer for deposits spanning the Holocene to middle Pleistocene age range.
Inhibitory Region of Troponin I: Ca2+-Dependent Structural and Environmental Changes in the Troponin−Tropomyosin Complex and in Reconstituted Thin Filaments†

In muscle thin filaments, the inhibitory region (residues 96-117) of troponin I (TnI) is thought to interact with troponin C (TnC) in the presence of Ca(2+) and with actin in the absence of Ca(2+). To better understand these interactions, we prepared mutant TnIs which contained a single Cys-96 or Cys-117 and labeled them with the thiol-specific fluorescent probe N-(iodoacetyl)-N'-(1-sulfo-5-naphthyl)ethylenediamine (IAEDANS). We characterized the microenvironments of the AEDANS labels on TnI in the presence and absence of Ca(2+) by measuring the extent of acrylamide quenching of fluorescence and lifetime-resolved anisotropy. In the troponin-tropomyosin (Tn-Tm) complex, the AEDANS labels on both Cys-96 and Cys-117 were less accessible to solvent and less flexible in the presence of Ca(2+), reflecting closer interactions with TnC under these conditions. In reconstituted thin filaments, the environment of the AEDANS on Cys-96 was not greatly affected by Ca(2+), while the AEDANS on Cys-117 was more accessible but significantly less flexible as it moved away from actin and interacted strongly with TnC in the presence of Ca(2+). We used fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to measure distances between AEDANS on TnI Cys-96 or Cys-117 and 4-?[(dimethylamino)phenyl]azo?phenyl-4'-maleimide (DABmal) on actin Cys-374 in reconstituted thin filaments. In the absence of Ca(2+), the mean distances were 40.2 A for Cys-96 and 35.2 A for Cys-117. In the presence of Ca(2+), Cys-96 moved away from actin Cys-374 by approximately 3.6 A, while Cys-117 moved away by approximately 8 A. This suggests the existence of a flexible "hinge" region near the middle of TnI, allowing amino acid residues in the N-terminal half of TnI to interact with TnC in a Ca(2+)-independent manner, while the C-terminal half of TnI binds to actin in the absence of Ca(2+) or to TnC in the presence of Ca(2+). This is the first report to demonstrate structural movement of the inhibitory region of TnI in the thin filament.
NanoPen: Dynamic, Low-Power, and Light-Actuated Patterning of Nanoparticles

We introduce NanoPen, a novel technique for low optical power intensity, flexible, real-time reconfigurable, and large-scale light-actuated patterning of single or multiple nanoparticles, such as metallic spherical nanocrystals, and one-dimensional nanostructures, such as carbon nanotubes. NanoPen is capable of dynamically patterning nanoparticles over an area of thousands of square micrometers with light intensities <10 W/cm2 (using a commercial projector) within seconds. Various arbitrary nanoparticle patterns and arrays (including a 10 × 10 array covering a 0.025 mm2 area) are demonstrated using this capability. One application of NanoPen is presented through the creation of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy hot-spots by patterning gold nanoparticles of 90 nm diameter with enhancement factors exceeding 107 and picomolar concentration sensitivities.
Exercise and academic performance among nursing and kinesiology students at US colleges

Context: Lack of physical activity is a contributor to the obesity epidemic and is speculated to relate to reduced academic performance; however, this link has yet to be examined within the college population. Aims: The purpose of this study in a group of undergraduate students, was to determine if aerobic exercise activity was related to academic performance. Materials and Methods: The participants for this study included 740 students at multiple universities enrolled in nursing and kinesiology studies. The participants completed the Leisure and Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results: Pearson's χ2 analysis revealed differences in grade point average with aerobic activity (χ2 = 44.29 , P ≤ 0.001) as well as a trend toward differences in grade point average with weightlifting activity (χ2 = 22.69, P = 0.61). Conclusions: Based on these findings it can be suggested that college students engage in greater aerobic exercise.
Diffusion of zinc tracer in silver chloride

The diffusion of Zn2+ tracer in AgCl has been found to proceed substitutionally over the entire temperature range of measurement (209 to 441 °C). The contribution from an interstitial mechanism, expectedon the basis of a previous correlation between diffusion mechanisms in AgCl and the d-shell structure of the diffusing cation, is, if present, here masked by the extraordinarily large substitutional component. This verylarge substitutional diffusivity appears to be the result of an unusually large solute ion-vacancy binding energy, perhaps of the order of 0.6 eV. As a consequence, the diffusion activation energy is only 0.77 eV. Es wird gefunden, das die Diffusion von Zn2+-Tracern in AgCl uber den gesamten Temperaturmesbereich (209 bis 441 °C) substitutionell erfolgt. Der Beitrag eines Zwischengitter-Mechanismus, der auf Grund einer bereits bekannten Korrelation zwischen dem Diffusions-mechanismus in AgCl und der d-Schalen-Struktur des diffundierenden Kations erwartet wurde, ist, wenn uberhaupt aktiv, hier durch die auserordentlich grose substitutionelle Komponente uberdeckt. Diese uberaus grose substitutionelle Diffusivitat scheint das Ergebnis einer ungewohnlich grosen losliches-Ion-Leerstellen-Bindungsenergie zu sein, wahrscheinlich von der Grosenordnung 0,6 eV. Dies hat zur Folge, das die Aktivierungs-energie der Diffusion nur 0,77 eV betragt.
Manipulation of aggressive behavior in adult DBA/2/Bg and C57BL/10/Bg male mice implanted with testosterone in Silastic tubing.

Abstract Adult DBA/2/Bg and C57BL/10/Bg male mice were orchidectomized and implanted subcutaneously with one of two doses of testosterone (T) in Silastic tubing. Steroid doses which resulted in significant atrophy and hypertrophy of accessory sex tissues were determined for each strain. Relative to sham-castrated vehicle-implanted controls, both hypophysiological and hyperphysiological implants caused augmentation of aggression in C57BL/10/Bg males. In DBA/2/Bg mice, the hypophysiological dose reduced and the hyperphysiological implant increased aggression scores. The results demonstrate that agonistic behavior in male mice is influenced by the titer of circulating T and emphasize the importance of genetic variance in the study of hormones and behavior.
Regioselectivity of Pictet–Spengler cyclization reactions to construct the pentacyclic frameworks of the ecteinascidin–saframycin class of tetrahydroisoquinoline antitumor antibiotics

The regiochemical outcome of Pictet-Spengler cyclization reactions directed toward the preparation of the pentacyclic core of the ecteinascidin class of antitumor antibiotics has been investigated on two different phenolic substrates. In one substrate, the assistance of an incipient benzylamine group at C-4 is postulated to direct the cyclization in favor of the pentacyclic framework of ET-743, which bears a hydroxyl group at C-18. Conversely, cyclization of an alternative substrate lacking a heteroatom at C-4 favors the opposite regiochemical outcome, primarily affording an unnatural pentacyclic core bearing a hydroxyl group at C-16.
Epitaxial Growth of Spinel by Reaction in the Solid State

The condensed-state reaction between single crystals of Al2O3 and MgO was conducted in air at 1560°C. Spinel formed as two product layers which were shown to agree with the proposed mechanism. The crystallographic orientation of the parent crystals had no effect on the rate of spinel growth. The orientation of the spinel grown from sapphire was the same as that found by other investigators for isomorphic crystals. The orientation of spinel grown from periclase was largely dependent on the transport mechanism across the periclase-spinel interface.
Ionic and osmotic regulation in the king crab and two other North Pacific crustaceans

Abstract 1. 1. King crab hemolymph was 5 to 20 m-osmoles hyperosmotic to the sea-water medium. The hemolymph of coon-striped shrimp and tanner crab was isosmotic to sea water. 2. 2. Magnesium (36.9 m-moles/l.) in king crab hemolymph was lower and chloride (577 m-moles) higher than in sea water. 3. 3. The coon-striped shrimp was the strongest ion regulator of the three species studied, the hemolymph concentrations of magnesium (5.8 m-moles) and chloride (466 m-moles) were lower, and calcium (12.3 m-moles) higher than in sea water. 4. 4. Chloride (462 m-moles) was the only ion regulated by the tanner crab.
Spray freezing into liquid nitrogen for highly stable protein nanostructured microparticles

The objectives of this study were to produce nanostructured protein microparticles with the spray freezing into liquid (SFL) cryogenic process and to demonstrate a smaller degree of protein denaturation and aggregation than observed in spray freeze drying (SFD). Nanostructured microparticles were formed by atomization of an aqueous buffer solution containing bovine serum albumin (BSA) with and without excipients beneath the surface of a cryogenic liquid. Lyophilization was used to sublime the water in the frozen particles. The resulting BSA dry powder was characterized by size exclusion chromatography, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), light scattering, and specific surface area analysis. SEM revealed highly porous microparticle with features smaller than 500 nm. The specific surface area of the BSA microparticles ranged from 19.2 to 97.7 m(2)/g as a function of the total protein and excipient content in the aqueous feed solution. SFL produced less denaturation and aggregation of protein monomer than SFD, despite the extremely high surface areas in both processes. The intense atomization and ultra-rapid freezing in the SFL process lead to nanostructured BSA microparticles with high surface areas. Protein denaturation and aggregation are reduced in SFL relative to SFD. The more rapid freezing in SFL lowers the time for proteins to aggregate or diffuse to water-air and water-ice interfaces where they may be denatured.
Short-term effects of biocorrodible iron stents in porcine coronary arteries.

Background: Biocorrodible iron stents carry the potential to overcome limitations, such as chronic inflammation and premature recoil, posed by biodegradable polymer and magnesium alloy stents. This study aimed to test the safety and efficacy of biocorrodible iron stents in porcine coronary arteries. Methods: Iron stents and cobalt chromium stents were randomly deployed in the coronary arteries of juvenile domestic pigs. Animals were sacrificed at 28 days, and the vessels were fixed and processed for histochemistry. Results: At 28 days, iron stents started to show signs of degradation without evidence of stent particle embolization or thrombosis without traces of excess inflammation, or fibrin deposition. At 28 days, the surface of the iron stent struts was black to brown and the vascular wall adjacent to the iron stent had a brownish tinge. There were no statistically significant differences in any of the measured parameters between segments implanted with iron and cobalt chromium stents. There were also no adverse effects in the persistent areas. Conclusion: The current study demonstrates that stents made of biocorrodible iron are safe. In some of the measured parameters, such as intimal thickness, intimal area, and percentage occlusion, there was a trend in favor of the iron stents.
GLYCEMIC RELAPSE IN TYPE 2 DIABETES

Objective: To characterize the occurrence of glycemic relapse after initial improvement in blood glucose levels and to describe predictors of relapse in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: Occurrence of glycemic relapse was analyzed in 393 consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes after participation in a 3-month intensive outpatient intervention. All patients had hemoglobin A1c (A1C) values ³7% before the intervention and had achieved adequate glycemic control (nadir A1C <7%) afterward. The median follow-up time was 26.5 months. Relapse was defined as a subsequent increase in A1C to ³7%. Results: The probability of glycemic relapse was 45% at 1 year after the intervention and was 76% at 3 years. The median time to relapse was 15.2 months. Cox multivariate regression analysis indicated that treatment with insulin was associated with a greater risk of relapse-- hazard ratio = 1.5 (95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 2.2), after controlling for the patient's age, sex, race, body mass index, duration of diab...
Ultrastructural findings in epidermolysis bullosa.

Background and Design: Electron microscopy of skin provides diagnostic criteria for distinguishing the simplex, junctional, and dystrophic forms of inherited epidermolysis bullosa (EB). The plane of cleavage in blister formation indicates the localization of structural weakness within the epidermis and basement membrane zone, and, together with ultrastructural changes in affected skin, these are clues to the underlying genetic bases for these disorders. Skin biopsy specimens from individuals with EB were evaluated by electron mocroscopy to identify structural changes and determine the subtype of EB. Results: Discrete, circumscribed clumps of keratin filaments present in the basal keratinocytes are pathognomonic for EB simplex Dowling-Meara. These and other observations of keratin filament disruption have led to the identification of mutations in keratin genes in DowlingMeara and Koebner forms of EB simplex. Changes in the density and structure of anchoring fibrils and the relative amount of type VII collagen detected by immunostaining of the dermoepidermal junction in dystrophic EB have led to sequencing of mutations in the type VII collagen gene. Although mutations in junctional EB have not been reported, findings of structural alterations in hemidesmosomes and immunohistochemical studies of kalinin (BM600 and epiligrin), and in junctional EB with pyloric atresia alterations in the integrin α6β4, indicate molecules involved in basal keratinocyte adhesion to the basement membrane that are candidate genes for junctional EB. Conclusions: Electron microscopy of skin when correlated with mutations in EB will help us understand the significance of these structural molecules in normal skin and the pathogenesis of EB.
RNA editing and the mitochondrial cryptogenes of kinetoplastid protozoa

Le RNA editing est une modification post-transcriptionnelle des mRNA. Il consiste en une addition de residus de base unidine a differentes positions du messager. Il est observe sur le RNA mitochondrial des trypanosomes au niveau de leur kinetoplaste. On peut le constater aussi sur 3 autres especes: L. tarentolae, T. brucei et C. fasciculata. 2 enzymes seraient les responsables: par modification de la structure primaire codante, elles sont obligatoirement impliquees dans la regulation du metabolisme
On the self-consistent treatment of the two-impurity s-d Hamiltonian

Abstract We suggest a technique which, in principle, enables one to evaluate the impurity spin correlation in dilute magnetic alloys based on the Green function technique. It also resolves the difficulty recently raised by Devlin and Vertogen on the self-consistency of the two-impurity Kondo Problem.
Nonparametric validation of parametric models

Abstract The enterprise of system modelling is comprised of two tasks: the model specification and the model or parameter estimation. The model specification task borrows on our understanding of the system workings, as they can be manifested in a formal mathematical way. Therefore, it is liable to the risks of partial knowledge or incorrect understanding of some facets of the system function. This necessitates objective and exhaustive tests for the validity of the postulated models. Such an effective and universal test can be found in the nonparametric formulation of Wiener's theory for the identification of nonlinear systems. This paper discusses the “whys” and the “hows” of this model validation procedure, that offers, in addition, constructive suggestions for model alternatives.
Long-term evaluation of micropropagated apple trees : vegetative growth, cropping, and photosynthesis

Abstract Micropropagated apple ( Malus domestica Borkh.) trees of 20 cultivars, of both standard and spur-type growth habits, were grown for up to 14 years and measurements taken annually of size (trunk cross-sectional area), flowering and yield. For three consecutive years (1988–1990), photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content and specific leaf weight were measured on three trees of each of 16 of these cultivars on at least three dates per year. The data show differences among the cultivars in vegetative vigor, age at which flowering began, fruit yields, photosynthesis and stomatal conductance. Trees did not display intraclonal variation except for one spur type, ‘Redspur Delicious’, in which the spur characteristic was variable from tree to tree. The results document growth and yield data for micropropagated trees of a broad range of apple cultivars; no other data are available in the literature for most of these cultivars.
SOME RECENT PALEOLITHIC DISCOVERIES

The incoming year will witness the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the appearance of Darwin's Origin of Species. The celebration in this country began with the Darwin Anniversary Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science during convocation week. Every one is familiar with the uplift Darwin's work gave to science as a whole. Not the least among the beneficent results was the impetus given to the study of anthropology, particularly prehistoric archeology. By a singular coincidence the very year (1859) that the Darwinian theory was published, Prestwich visited the valley of the Somme and satisfied himself of the authenticity of Boucher de Perthes's discoveries in the river drift at Abbeville. It is therefore just fifty years since the first general recognition of paleoliths as artifacts. In visiting some new paleolithic stations during the past summer it occurred to me that this might be a fitting time to speak of certain recent developments in the European field. One of the most important paleolithic discoveries in recent years is that made by Herr Emil Baichler, Director of the Natural History Museum in St Gallen, Switzerland. The Alpine region had not been considered seriously as a field for paleolithic research, since the latter period closed before the retreat of the glaciers to anything like their present extent. It is true man might have penetrated into the Alps during an interglacial period, but the evidences of his presence would have been destroyed by the succeeding glaciation. Two stations in Switzerland of the Magdalenian epoch have been known for years, viz., Schweizersbild and Kesslerloch, but these are north of the Rhine in Canton Schaffhausen. It remained for Herr Bachler to make the discovery, somed four years ago, of a station of Mousterian age; not in a valley, or even the foot-hills, but in the Siintis mountains which lie between the lakes of Constance and Ziirich. 634
The legacy of Hume's analysis of causation

IN spite of the rejection of various positivist doctrines in philosophical circles today, one finds that there are still many adherents of Hume’s analysis of the causal relation. One reason, I suspect, why this is the case is that so many philosophers and scientists, alike, feel that Hume had once and for all laid to rest the so-called doctrine of necessary connections.2 However, I think if we go back and re-examine Hume’s writings, we shall find that there is a crucial distinction to be made-one, I fear, that many philosophers, including Hume, have overlooked-between his analysis of causation and his refutation of necessity in nature.3 This enterprise will involve revealing an aspect of causation which escapes Hume’s regular succession point of view. It also turns out that his neglect of this aspect of causation leads to incompatibilities between his analysis and certain fundamental empirical principles within the physical sciences. We shall also find that his conception of ‘cause’ renders impossible certain established forms of experimentation. If my contentions are correct, then there is a serious question whether Hume’s analysis lives up to the empiricist
Modal analysis of GRIN-SCH and triangular-well waveguides

An analytic formulation of the eigenvalue problem for GRN-SCH and triangular well waveguides is presented, from which the modal properties can be derived.(AIP)
Approaches to child protection case management for cases involving people with disabilities

Abstract Objectives This exploratory study examines the delivery of child protection services by county child protection agencies involving cases with a family member with a disability. Method Telephone surveys were conducted with the directors or their designees of 89% of the child protection agencies in a Midwestern state. Respondents were asked about the policies and/or procedures for approaching cases involving a person with a disability and the barriers and strengths agencies have in serving people with disabilities. Results Only 6.7% of respondents reported their agency had a written policy related to serving persons with a disability. There were 18 different approaches to serving clients with a disability within child protection, with the most common being informally teaming for information, dual case assignment, and teaming with an outside consultant. Five counties had specialty workers who were experts in both child protection and disability. Barriers reported varied between rural and non-rural counties, with the most important barriers being lack of resources, lack of knowledge regarding disabilities, systems conflicts, and rural issues, such as lack of providers and lack of transportation. Strengths included accessing and coordinating services, individualizing services, good collaboration and creativity. Conclusion While few county agencies had any written policies, both formal and informal collaboration is happening at the individual level. The lack of standardization in providing services indicates a need for more attention to issues regarding disability within child protection, including more training for workers, the development of models of collaborative case management and the removal of systemic barriers.
Dielectronic Recombination Rate Coefficients of Na-like Ions from Mg II to Zn XX Forming Mg-like Systems

Dielectronic recombination (DR) rate coefficients for Na-like ions of elements with 12 ≤ Z ≤ 30 forming Mg-like systems are calculated in the independent-process, isolated-resonance approximation. Both ΔN = 0 and ΔN > 0 core excitation DR channels are included, as well as the inner-shell excitation channels. Convenient analytic fits are given to the calculated rate coefficients, and comparison is made with the existing theoretical and experimental results.
Spirituality and Entrepreneurs

Spirituality in the workplace has become an important issue in recent years. Related research has increased accordingly, but it has primarily involved corporate workers. There has been no focus on employees in entrepreneurial enterprises. The purpose of this preliminary study is to investigate the role of spirituality in such enterprises by administering the Mitroff and Denton questionnaire to a group of entrepreneurs. The results of this study suggest interesting differences in the entrepreneurial and corporate workers' attitudes toward workplace spirituality and these differences deserve further study and defining.
Error bounds for derivative estimates based on spline smoothing of exact or noisy data

Abstract Estimates are found for the L 2 error in approximating the j th derivative of a given smooth function f by the corresponding derivative of the 2 m th order smoothing spline based on an n -point sample from the function. The results cover both the case of an exact sample from f and the case when the sample is subject to some random noise. In the noisy case, the estimates are for the expected value of the approximation error. These bounds show that, even in the presence of noise, the derivatives of the smoothing splines of order less than m can be expected to converge to those of f as the number of (uniform) sample points increases, and the smoothing parameter approaches zero at a rate appropriately related to m , n , and the order of differentiability of f.
Metric-Space Indexes as a Basis for Scalable Biological Databases

Biochemical databases will be best served by the development of new specialized database management systems whose storage managers are based on metric-space indexing techniques and the development a database query languages that embody semantics derived from biochemical models of similarity and evolution. Important biochemical data types cannot be effectively mapped to low dimensional coordinate systems on which O(log n) indexing methods rely. It is clear from an abundance of bioinformatic discoveries that biochemical data is not random and exhibits interesting structure with respect to clustering. Metric-space indexing exploits a data set's intrinsic clustering to speed the execution of similarity queries, even when the data cannot be mapped to a coordinate system. Database management systems that seamlessly integrate semantically rich query languages with a metric-storage and retrieval mechanism will allow biologists to simply and concisely develop informatic studies that have traditionally been large a...
Pecan drying with silica gel

Abstract High moisture in-shell pecans were dried by keeping them in direct and indirect contact with silica gel to investigate their drying characteristics. In-shell pecans were also dried with ambient air from a controlled environment chamber and with air dehumidified by silica gel. Direct contact and dehumidified air drying seemed feasible approaches.
Purification of a Cell-surface Receptor for Surfactant Protein A

In the present report we have characterized the binding of surfactant protein A (SP-A) to bone marrow-derived macrophages, U937 cells, alveolar macrophages, and type II epithelial cells. The binding of SP-A to all cell types is Ca2+-dependent and trypsin-sensitive, but type II cells express distinct Ca2+-independent binding sites. The binding of SP-A to macrophages is independent of known cell surface carbohydrate-specific receptors and of glycoconjugate binding sites on the surface of the cells and is distinct from binding to C1q receptors. Based on ligand blot analysis, both type II cells and macrophages express a 210-kDa SP-A-binding protein. The 210-kDa protein was purified to apparent homogeneity from U937 macrophage membranes using affinity chromatography with noncovalently immobilized surfactant protein A, and was purified from rat lung by differential detergent and salt extraction of isolated rat lung membranes. Polyclonal antibodies against the rat lung SP-A-binding protein inhibit binding of SP-A to both type II cells and macrophages, indicating that the 210-kDa protein is expressed on the cell surface. The polyclonal antibodies also block the SP-A-mediated inhibition of phospholipid secretion by type II cells, indicating that the 210-kDa protein is a functional cell-surface receptor on type II cells. In a separate report we have determined that antibodies to the SP-A receptor block the SP-A-mediated uptake of Mycobacterium bovis, indicating that the macrophage SP-A receptor is involved in SP-A-mediated clearance of pathogens.
A simple ECG marker for the detection of coronary restenosis after successful coronary angioplasty.

Background The dynamic nature of QT dispersion (QTd) and the absence of an acceptable normal value suggest that the relative change not the absolute value of QTd would be a better predicator of coronary restenosis. We sought to examine the usefulness of the relative change in QTd, compared to the absolute value, as a predictor for coronary restenosis after previously successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Methods Ninety-two patients with a history of successful PTCA who were referred for coronary angiography (CA) for exclusion of coronary restenosis were included in this analysis. QTd was calculated as the difference in milliseconds between the maximum and minimum QT interval in the 12-lead ECG. Relative change in QTd was measured as [QTd at the time of angiography (current) - QTd after the successful PTCA (baseline)]/QTd (baseline) %. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was used to detect the best cut-off point and also to compare the diagnostic accuracy of the relative change in QTd vs. the absolute QTd for prediction of coronary restenosis. Results The relative change in QTd showed a significantly larger ROC area under curve (AUC) compared to the absolute QTd [AUC (95% CI): 0.79 (0.698, 0.872) and 0.61 (0.498, 0.703) respectively; p=0.011 for AUCs comparison]. The best cut-off point for the relative QTd was 40%, and for the absolute QTd this was 50 ms. The sensitivity and specificity of ≥40% increase in QTd to detect coronary restenosis was 71% and 83%, with positive and negative predictive values of 90% and 57%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of the absolute value of QTd was much less than this; the sensitivity and specificity of QTd ≥50 ms were 48% and 58%, with positive and negative predictive values of 71% and 34%, respectively. Conclusions Compared to the absolute value, the relative change in QTd is a better predictor of coronary restenosis after a previously successful PTCA. These findings may open the door for rethinking the use of QTd as a simple ECG predictor for cardiovascular outcomes.
OCR correction based on document level knowledge

For over 10 years, the Information Science Research Institute (ISRI) at UNLV has worked on problems associated with the electronic conversion of archival document collections. Such collections typically have a large fraction of poor quality images and present a special challenge to OCR systems. Frequently, because of the size of the collection, manual correction of the output is not affordable. Because the output text is used only to build the index for an information retrieval (IR) system, the accuracy of non-stopwords is the most important measure of output quality. For these reasons, ISRI has focused on using document level knowledge as the best means of providing automatic correction of non-stopwords in OCR output. In 1998, we developed the MANICURE [1] post-processing system that combined several document level corrections. Because of the high cost of obtaining accurate ground-truth text at the document level, we have never been able to quantify the accuracy improvement achievable using document level knowledge. In this report, we describe an experiment to measure the actual number (and percentage) of non-stopwords corrected by the MANICURE system. We believe this to be the first quantitative measure of OCR conversion improvement that is possible using document level knowledge.
Molecular scale electronics: syntheses and testing

This paper describes four significant breakthroughs in the syntheses and testing of molecular scale electronic devices. The 16-mer of oligo(2-dodecylphenylene ethynylene) was prepared on Merrifields resin using the iterative divergent/convergent approach which significantly streamlines the preparation of this molecular scale wire. The formation of self-assembled monolayers and multilayers on gold surfaces of rigid rod conjugated oligomers that have thiol, -dithiol, thioacetyl, or -dithioacetyl end groups have been studied. The direct observation of charge transport through molecules of benzene-1, 4-dithiol, which have been self-assembled onto two facing gold electrodes, has been achieved. Finally, we report initial studies into what effect varying the molecular alligator clip has on the molecule scale wire's conductivity.
Theoretical links supporting the use of problem-based learning in the education of the nurse practitioner.

Abstract The need to evaluate current strategies in educating the advanced practice nurse, specifically the nurse practitioner, is becoming more and more imperative due to the ever-changing health care environment. This article addresses the role of problem-based learning (PBL) as an instructional strategy in educating and preparing the nurse practitioner for future practice. Two theoretical frameworks supporting PBL, andragogy and constructivism, are presented as important to the use of PBL in the education of the nurse practitioner.
Structural development of high-temperature mylonites in the Archean Wyoming province, northwestern Madison Range, Montana

The Crooked Creek mylonite, in the northwestern Madison Range, southwestern Montana, is defined by several curved lenses of high non-coaxial strain exposed over a 7-km-wide, northeast-trending strip. The country rocks, part of the Archean Wyoming province, are dominantly trondhjemitic to granitic orthogneiss with subordinate amphibolite, quartzite, aluminous gneiss, and sills of metabasite (mafic granulite). Data presented here support an interpretation that the mylonite formed during a period of rapid, heterogeneous strain at near-peak metamorphic conditions during an early deformational event (D1) caused by northwest–southeast-directed transpression. The mylonite has a well-developed L-S tectonite fabric and a fine-grained, recrystallized (granoblastic) texture. The strong linear fabric, interpreted as the stretching direction, is defined by elongate compositional “fish,” fold axes, aligned elongate minerals, and mullion axes. The margins of the mylonitic zones are concordant with and grade into regions of unmylonitized gneiss. A second deformational event (D2) has folded the mylonite surface to produce meter- to kilometer-scale, tight-to-isoclinal, gently plunging folds in both the mylonite and country rock, and represents a northwest–southeast shortening event. Planar or linear fabrics associated with D2 are remarkably absent. A third regional deformational event (D3) produced open, kilometer-scale folds generally with gently north-plunging fold axes. Thermobarometric measurements presented here indicate that metamorphic conditions during D1 were the same in both the mylonite and the country gneiss, reaching upper amphibolite- to lower granulite-facies conditions: 700 ± 50° C and 8.5 ± 0.5 kb. Previous geochronological studies of mylonitic and cross-cutting rocks in the Jerome Rock Lake area, east of the Crooked Creek mylonite, bracket the timing of this high-grade metamorphism and mylonitization between 2.78 and 2.56 Ga, nearly a billion years before the 1.78-Ga Big Sky orogeny, which overprinted the basement rocks exposed in adjacent ranges of the Wyoming province.