cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Treatment of refractory low-pressure hydrocephalus with an active pumping negative-pressure shunt system

Low-pressure hydrocephalus is a rare type of hydrocephalus characterized by negative intracranial pressure (ICP) and ventriculomegaly. Given the shortcomings of available methods to treat refractory low-pressure hydrocephalus, we set out to develop a new system for evacuation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the ventricular system where existing shunt systems do not produce the necessary gradient for CSF drainage. We retrospectively reviewed the charts of two patients with the diagnosis of negative-pressure hydrocephalus refractory to traditional treatments. We combined a traditional low-pressure, non-siphoning valve with a pumping chamber placed distal to the valve to create a system that could be actively pumped to remove excess CSF. Treatment of negative-pressure hydrocephalus requires the establishment of a lower ventricular drainage pressure than the drainage pressure in the subarachnoid space. In refractory cases, we propose the use of this active negative-pressure pumping system.
Luxated and severed tendons

Abstract 1. 1. The more common luxations of tendons have been briefly discussed. 2. 2. Severed tendons are briefly discussed from a general standpoint.
Methods of prophylaxis in stress ulcer disease.

Although infrequent, acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding is potentially life-threatening for critically ill patients. Gastric erosions can be detected endoscopically in almost all seriously ill patients. Although gastric acid plays a key role in the pathogenesis of acute gastric erosions, mucosal integrity is very much dependent on mucosal permeability, gastric blood flow, the secretory state of the mucosa, and acid-base balance. Various agents that affect any of these physiological processes such as vitamin A, carbenoxolone, gastrin, vasoactive agents, sodium bicarbonate, and anticholinergic drugs have been used experimentally or clinically in the prevention of stress ulcerations. However, no controlled clinical trials are available. The effectiveness of antacids in the prevention of acute stress ulceration in critically ill patients has been documented in controlled, prospective trials. The effectiveness of the histamine H2-receptor antagonist cimetidine remains controversial; it is less effective in critically ill patients of the type usually encountered in a respiratory-surgical intensive care unit but it may be effective in selected groups of patients with head and thermal injury. Prostaglandins have been evaluated increasingly for their cytoprotective effects on the gastric mucosa. Clinical trials are needed to evaluate their effectiveness in the prevention of stress ulcers.
Radio frequency hyperthermia of advanced human sarcomas

Hyperthermia ⩾ 42°C is tumoricidal in vitro and in many animal models, although such temperatures have only recently been achieved experimentally in some human cancers. A recently developed radio frequency device that provides safe hyperthermia to any depth without surface tissue injury now permits evaluation of the effects of hyperthermia on advanced human sarcomas. Twelve patients with large sarcomas located intraabdominally [7], in the chest wall [2], proximal extremity [2], and the neck [1], were evaluated in this study. Tumor types include liposarcoma [3], rhabdomyosarcoma [2], leiomyosarcoma [2], neurofibrosarcoma [2], and one each malignant mesothelioma, undifferentiated sarcoma, and osteosarcoma. Intratumor temperatures ⩾42°C were observed in all tumors, with virtually no normal tissue injury. Selective tumor heatin ⩾45°C occurred in 9/12 (75%) and ⩾50°C in 6/12 (50%). One to five weekly treatments ⩾50°C and ten daily treatments ⩾45°C resulted in significant tumor necrosis and pain relief in some patients. Hyperthermia of advanced sarcomas is possible with little host toxicity and may be of potential therapeutic benefit.
Lipid trait-associated genetic variation is associated with gallstone disease in the diverse Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III)

Background Gallstone disease is one of the most common digestive disorders, affecting more than 30 million Americans. Previous twin studies suggest a heritability of 25% for gallstone formation. To date, one genome-wide association study (GWAS) has been performed in a population of European-descent. Several candidate gene studies have been performed in various populations, but most have been inconclusive. Given that gallstones consist of up to 80% cholesterol, we hypothesized that common genetic variants associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG) would also be associated with gallstone risk.
Novel cyanide inhibition at cytochrome c1 of Rhodobacter capsulatus cytochrome bc1.

Abstract Oxidized cytochrome c 1 in photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus cytochrome bc 1 reversibly binds cyanide with surprisingly high, micromolar affinity. The binding dramatically lowers the redox midpoint potential of heme c 1 and inhibits steady-state turnover activity of the enzyme. As cytochrome c 1 , an auxiliary redox center of the high-potential chain of cytochrome bc 1 , does not interact directly with the catalytic quinone/quinol binding sites Q o and Q i , cyanide introduces a novel, Q-site independent locus of inhibition. This is the first report of a reversible inhibitor that manipulates the energetics and electron transfers of the high-potential redox chain of cytochrome bc 1 , while maintaining quinone substrate catalytic sites in an intact form.
Temperature tolerances for stems and roots of two cultivated cacti, Nopalea cochenillifera and Opuntia robusta: Acclimation, light, and drought

Abstract Whether environmental conditions influence the sensitivity to extreme temperatures, which determines where species occur naturally or can be cultivated, was investigated for Nopalea cochenillifera and Opuntia robusta . These cacti tolerated high-temperatures, as LT 50 (the temperature killing 50% of the cells, based on uptake of the vital stain neutral red) averaged 57 °C for stem chlorenchyma cells and root cortical cells for plants at day/night air temperatures of 25/20 °C; the plants were relatively susceptible to low temperatures, for which LT 50 averaged –7 °C. As air temperatures were reduced by 15 °C (10/5 °C), LT 50 for low temperatures decreased 1.1 °C for stems and roots; as they were raised by 20 °C (45/40 °C), LT 50 for high temperatures increased 4.2 °C for stems and 3.4 °C for roots. This acclimation leads to advantageous seasonal adjustments to ambient temperatures. Variations of the total daily photosynthetic flux density incident on the opaque stems for 35 days did not influence the tolerance to extreme temperatures, nor did shading the plants by 90%, indicating no effect of locally adverse photosynthetic conditions on temperature sensitivity. In contrast, the low-temperatures tolerated decreased 2.1 °C for stems and 1.3 °C for roots during 100 days of drought; concomitantly, the high temperatures tolerated increased 2.5 °C for stems, although roots were unaffected. The increased low-temperature tolerance during drought was accompanied by a decreased stem water potential and water content.
Nonlinear Vibrations of a Beam With Pinned Ends

This paper describes theoretical and experimental investigations of the large-amplitude vibrations of a flexible beam simply supported on a nearly rigid base. The beam is designed to minimize most secondary effects, such as transverse shear flexibility, rotatory inertia, and nonlinearities in curvature and in the stress-strain curve. Detailed attention is given to quantitative verification of the assumptions made in deriving the equation of motion. Three different approaches are used to solve the equation: assumed-space mode, assumed-time mode, and Ritz-Galerkin solutions. In the experiments, the beam was base excited. The resonant frequencies and associated strain distributions, modal shapes, and waveforms were measured for various values of initial tension and amplitude ratios (ratio of maximum amplitude to beam thickness) up to 16. Within experimental accuracy, the experimental results verified all of the assumptions made in the analyses. However, no one method of solution resulted in the best predictions of all of the experimentally observed phenomena.
A u-i approach to retrospective testing for shifting parameters in a linear model

A union-intersection-based procedure for detecting parameter shifts in a linear model is studied. The advantage of this procedure over those in the literature is that it allows unlimited (possibly data-directed) investigation of the nature of any detected shift via testing of sub-hypotheses with a controlled error rate. Weak convergence theory is used to obtain suitable critical values and to study local power. Monte Carlo methods are employed to study fmed-alternative power.
Formation of biogenic amines by isolated kidneys of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Abstract Kidneys form dopamine (DA) from L-dopa and serotonin from L-5-hydroxytryptophan (L-5-HTP) via aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase. We compared the ability of isolated perfused kidneys from adult (20-week-old) spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) to form these biogenic amines. Renal vascular resistance (RVR) was greater in perfused kidneys from SHR (n = 10) than WKY (n = 8) (p
PAIR PROPAGATOR APPROACH TO FLUCTUATION-INDUCED DIAMAGNETISM IN SUPERCONDUCTORS: EFFECTS OF IMPURITIES.

We have obtained, within the ladder approximation, expressions for the electron pair propagator of a dilute superconducting alloy (i.e., subject to the condition ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{D}\ensuremath{\tau}\ensuremath{\gg}1$) in the presence of strong magnetic field and above the transition temperature. We then proceed to calculate microscopically the free energy and the magnetization. The procedure used in an earlier work on pure superconductors is justified, but important additional contributions are found for alloys.
Reinstatement of Ethanol-Seeking Behavior Following Intravenous Self-Administration in Wistar Rats

Background: In animal models of alcoholism, subjects are traditionally trained to self-administer ethanol via the oral route. However, ethanol is also self-administered intravenously (IV), a paradigm which offers several advantages over oral self-administration methods, including immediate delivery to the bloodstream, more rapid onset of pharmacological effects, and elimination of the need to utilize tastants or sweeteners to mask the aversive orosensory properties of ethanol. However, no studies to date have examined reinstatement of ethanol-seeking behavior in animals with a history of IV ethanol self-administration. Methods: Male Wistar rats were implanted with indwelling jugular vein catheters and trained to self-administer ethanol IV (1% v/v solution, equivalent to 1 mg/kg) in an operant lever-pressing paradigm in twice daily 1 hour sessions. Each IV delivery of ethanol was paired with presentation of a light-tone complex stimulus. After stabilization of response patterns, IV self-administration behavior was subjected to extinction procedures. Next, animals were exposed to the three types of stimuli known to reinstate ethanol-seeking behavior: presentation of ethanol-associated cues, a priming dose of ethanol (0.5 g/kg i.p.), or exposure to stress via administration of the anxiogenic compound yohimbine (2.5 mg/kg i.p.) or its corresponding vehicle. Results: During the maintenance phase of self-administration, animals exhibited significantly more presses on the lever that delivered the ethanol solution than the inactive lever, indicating that IV ethanol functioned as a positive reinforcer. Following extinction, it was found that ethanol-seeking behavior could be reinstated by all three types of stimuli (cues, ethanol priming, and yohimbine). Vehicle injection did not affect responding on either lever. Conclusions: Ethanol serves as a reinforcer when self-administered IV, and following extinction, ethanol-seeking behavior can be reinstated by ethanol-associated cues, ethanol priming, or a pharmacological stressor. Thus, reinstatement of ethanol-seeking behavior in animals with a history of IV ethanol self-administration may be a novel animal model of relapse.
Management of Late-onset Angle-closure Glaucoma Associated with Retinopathy of Prematurity

Late-onset angle-closure glaucoma secondary to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) occurred in ten eyes of ten patients. The age at presentation ranged from 12 to 45 years (mean, 32 years). Eight eyes had nonneovascular mechanisms for the angle closure while two had neovascular angle closure. Treatment of eyes with this form of secondary angle closure included medical management alone, peripheral iridectomy, trabeculectomy, lensectomy, alloplastic tube shunt implantation, and cilioablative procedures. Three eyes required more than one of these treatments. The choice of therapy was based on the initial intraocular pressure and vision, degree of lens opacity and intumescence, presence of anterior segment neovascularization, and the gonioscopic appearance of the anterior chamber angle. The clinical features of this condition are described and a proposed mechanism and therapeutic approach are presented.
Arginine‐Enhanced Enteral Nutrition Augments the Growth of a Nitric Oxide‐Producing Tumor

Background: Arginine-enhanced diets have been shown to be beneficial in tumor-bearing hosts, but no data exist regarding their effects in hosts bearing nitric oxide (NO)-producing tumors. Objective: To examine the effect of arginine supplementation on the growth of a NO-producing murine breast cancer cell line. Methods: EMT-6 cells were grown in various concentrations of arginine in the presence or absence of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitor, aminoguanidine (1 mmol/L). Forty-eight hours later, nitrite accumulation and viable cell number were assessed. BALB/c mice were then pair-fed basal purified diets (n = 10), 4% casein diets (isonitrogenous control, n = 5), or 4% arginine-enhanced diets (n = 10). One week later, 10 5 EMT-6 cells were implanted subcutaneously into the dorsal flank. After tumor implantation, five mice fed basal purified diets and five mice fed arginine-enhanced diets also received aminoguanidine (100 mg/kg subcutaneously twice daily). Two weeks after tumor cell implantation, tumor size (mean diameter), animal weight, serum and tumor nitrite and nitrate levels were measured. Results: There was minimal nitrite accumulation in arginine-free media, while increasing the arginine concentration increased nitrite levels. Viable cell number did not increase in arginine-free media, but increased nearly twofold in 100 and 1000 CL moVL arginine. In 5000 and 10,000 n mol/L arginine, the difference in viable cell number was not statistically different than that seen in arginine-free media, whereas the addition of aminoguanidine blocked nitrite accumulation and increased viable cell number at these arginine concentrations. Arginine-enhanced diets stimulated tumor growth in vivo more than twofold over tumor growth in mice fed isonitrogenous control or basal purified enteral diets. Mice fed arginine-enhanced diets also had increased serum nitrite and nitrate levels over mice fed basal purified enteral diets, whereas tumors from mice fed arginine-enhanced diets had nitrite and nitrate levels similar to mice fed basal purified enteral diets. Aminoguanidine blocked the increase in serum nitrite and nitrate, but failed to block the increased tumor growth in mice receiving the arginine-supplemented diets. Conclusions: Arginine concentration influences the growth of EMT-6 tumor cells in vitro and dietary arginine supplementation augments tumor growth in vivo. The mechanism of the growth modulation in vitro is NO-dependent whereas the enhanced tumor growth in vivo is NO-independent.
Systemic Treatment of Small Cell Lung Cancer

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for 20–25% of all lung cancer and is characterized by an aggressive clinical course with early dissemination and extremely high risk of recurrence. Chemotherapy has been the cornerstone of treatment, with high response rates including complete responses. Despite the sensitivity of this disease to cytotoxic drugs, the majority of patients will face recurrence and die of the disease within two years. For more than thirty years, investigators have conducted numerous trials using different drug regimens and schedules, as well as different therapeutic modalities. The combination of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin (adriamycin) and vincristine (CAV) was one of the first widely accepted regimens for the treatment of SCLC. Later, CAV and its hybrids were replaced by the similarly effective but less toxic regimen of cisplatin and etoposide (PE). Clinical investigators have tried different approaches to improve the efficacy of these regimens, such as alternating CAV/PE; consolidation and maintenance therapy; intensive treatment with high-dose chemotherapy; increased frequency of drug administration; or high dose therapy with stem cell support — all with no definitive successes, leaving PE as the standard treatment for patients with SCLC. The recent arrival of new chemotherapy agents such as topotecan, irinotecan, and taxanes may represent a step forward in the treatment of this disease. The most promising regimen is the combination of irinotecan and cisplatin which, according to Japanese investigators, achieves a significantly better survival than standard PE. If validated by confirmatory trials, this combination could well become the new standard treatment for extensive chemotherapy-naive SCLC. Biological agents are also being widely investigated, including vaccines, matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors, anti-sense therapy, and monoclonal antibodies. Advances in molecular biology will hopefully contribute to progress in the treatment of this lethal disease.
Development of Polymorphic Genic-SSR Markers by cDNA Library Sequencing in Boxwood, Buxus spp. (Buxaceae)

Premise of the study: Genic microsatellites or simple sequence repeat (genic-SSR) markers were developed in boxwood (Buxus taxa) for genetic diversity analysis, identification of taxa, and to facilitate breeding. Methods and Results: cDNA libraries were developed from mRNA extracted from leaves of Buxus sempervirens ‘Vardar Valley’ and sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq system. Approximately 11.9 million base pairs of sequence data were examined and 845 genic-SSRs were identified, including 469 dinucleotide, 360 trinucleotide, seven tetranucleotide, one pentanucleotide, and eight hexanucleotide repeats. Primer pairs were designed for 71 selectively chosen genic-SSRs containing trinucleotide repeat motifs and were used to amplify the corresponding loci in 18 diverse boxwood accessions. Twenty-three primer pairs amplified polymorphic loci, with two to 10 alleles per locus. Conclusions: These novel polymorphic genic-SSR markers will aid in evaluating genetic diversity of boxwood germplasm and allow verificat...
On the Gerchberg - Papoulis algorithm

In this paper, iterative procedures for band-limited signal extrapolation are considered. Specifically, we will show that the well-known Gerchberg-Papoulis algorithm [1], [2]: g_{n} = \sin c_{\Omega} \ast (g + (I - T)g_{n-1}) , can be considered a special case of an iterative procedure given by Landweber in 1951 131.
Courtship effort is a better predictor of mating success than ornamentation for male wolf spiders

Female mate choice decisions are often based on a variety of male characteristics, some of which may reflect male quality via condition-dependent trait expression. Here, we explore the condition dependence of a male secondary sexual trait in a wolf spider and examine its influence on female mate choice. In the wolf spider Schizocosa uetzi, mature males possess a multimodal courtship display (visual 1 seismic) in which they slowly raise and lower their dark colored forelegs. Foreleg color is highly variable among S. uetzi males with respect to both total amount and darkness. Using diet manipulations in conjunction with color quantifications, we demonstrate condition-dependent foreleg color. High-nutrient diet males had significantly higher body condition indices and possessed more and darker foreleg color than low-nutrient diet males. However, using multiple mate choice designs, we were unable to demonstrate a female preference for male foreleg color. Using both single and 2-choice mating designs as well as using females from a range of ages, we found that copulation success was consistently independent of male foreleg color. Instead, we found courtship intensity to be the only aspect of male courtship that influenced copulation success—males that copulated displayed more leg raises per second than those that did not copulate. Key words: condition dependent, honest indicator, mate choice learning, mate choice, performance, Schizocosa, sexual selection. [Behav Ecol]
Chicken Flavor: the Identification of Some Chemical Components and the Importance of Sulfur Compounds in the Cooked Volatile Fraction

SUMMARY Meat and water slurries of both leg and breast muscle from heavy hens were cooked in a nitrogen atmosphere. Some of the chemical components in the volatile fraction were identified by solubility classification, derivative preparation, and/or functional group analysis in combination with gas chromatography and/or qualitative chemical analyses and odor evaluation. Twenty-nine compounds in the volatiles from leg muscle and 25 compounds from breast muscle were identified by the functional-group trapping technique followed by gas chromatography of the effluent fractions. Qualitative chemical tests revealed 19 major classes of compounds and a few specific compounds. Removal of sulfur compounds resulted in an almost complete loss of “meaty odor” in both dark and light meat. Removal of the carbonyls from the volatile fraction resulted in a loss of “chickeny-flavor” and intensification of the “meaty or beef-like odor.”
Characteristics of a two-stage screen for incident dementia

Abstract Background and objectives To avoid costly evaluation of healthy individuals, efficient methods of screening for incident dementia must combine adequate sensitivity and high specificity. Two-stage screening may offer improvements over single-stage methods. We therefore investigated a two-stage screening protocol for incident dementia among 3,308 elderly. Methods We administered the Modified Mini-Mental-State (3MS) or, rarely, Jorm's IQCODE, to a validation sample of 441 high-risk respondents. Informants then completed the Dementia Questionnaire (DQ). Finally, all 441 sample members underwent physical, neurologic, and neuropsychologic assessment. We studied the sensitivity and specificity of the 3MS/IQCODE and DQ using Receiver-Operating Characteristic analyses. Results A 3MS cut point of 82/83 (of 100) yielded sensitivity and specificity of 91.5 and 90.1%. With 3MS scores of ⩽82, a DQ cut point of 2/3 (of five) yielded conditional sensitivity and specificity of 90.2 and 55.3%. Combining these instruments yielded sensitivity and specificity of 82.5 and 95.6%. Age stratification and use of longitudinal decline score criteria did not materially improve these figures. Conclusions The improved specificity of the two-stage approach offers economies that are attractive, particularly if sensitivity can be enhanced, for example, by examination of a high-risk validation sample.
Acute lung injury and the role of histones

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in humans involves ≥ 200,000 individuals in the United States, and has a mortality rate (40%) for which no specific drug has been approved for use in humans. We have studied experimental acute lung injury (ALI) in mice following airway deposition of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or the recombinant mouse complement anaphylatoxin, C5a. As ALI developed over 6 hr, extracellular histones appeared in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF). Extracellular histone appearance required both C5a receptors (C5aR, C5L2) as well as neutrophils (PMNs) and lung macrophages, as genetic loss of either C5a receptor or depletion of PMNs or macrophages reduced histone levels found in BALF during ALI. It is possible that extracellular histones were derived from formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in lung after PMN contact with C5a. When purified histones were delivered to lung via the airways, intense inflammatory injury ensued and type II cells developed large blebs indicating cellular damage and apoptosis. Detailed physiological measurements revealed severe disruption of blood/alveolar gas exchange. These data suggest a key role for histones in development of experimental ALI.
Dendro: parallel algorithms for multigrid and AMR methods on 2:1 balanced octrees

In this article, we present Dendro, a suite of parallel algorithms for the discretization and solution of partial differential equations (PDEs) involving second-order elliptic operators. Dendro uses trilinear finite element discretizations constructed using octrees. Dendro, comprises four main modules: a bottom-up octree generation and 2:1 balancing module, a meshing module, a geometric multiplicative multigrid module, and a module for adaptive mesh refinement (AMR). Here, we focus on the multigrid and AMR modules. The key features of Dendro are coarsening/refinement, inter-octree transfers of scalar and vector fields, and parallel partition of multilevel octree forests. We describe a bottom-up algorithm for constructing the coarser multigrid levels. The input is an arbitrary 2:1 balanced octree-based mesh, representing the fine level mesh. The output is a set of octrees and meshes that are used in the multigrid sweeps. Also, we describe matrix-free implementations for the discretized PDE operators and the intergrid transfer operations. We present results on up to 4096 CPUs on the Cray XT3 (ldquoBigBenrdquo), the Intel 64 system (ldquoAberdquo), and the Sun Constellation Linux cluster (ldquoRangerrdquo).
Evaporites and siliciclastics of the Permian Nippewalla Group of Kansas, USA: a case for non-marine deposition in saline lakes and saline pans

The mid-Permian Nippewalla Group of Kansas consists of bedded evaporites, red-bed siliciclastics and grey siliciclastics deposited in a non-marine environment. Lithologies and sedimentary features indicate lacustrine and aeolian deposition, subaerial exposure and palaeosol formation. Grey siliciclastic mudstones characterized by planar and convolute laminations, ostracods, peloids and plant material represent a freshwater-brackish perennial lake facies. Bedded anhydrites containing gypsum-crystal pseudomorphs, clastic anhydrite grains and grey mud drapes and partings suggest deposition in saline lakes. Bedded halites consist of chevron and cumulate crystals, dissolution surfaces and pipes and mudcracked microcrystalline salt crusts, which were deposited in saline pans dominated by flooding, evaporative concentration and desiccation. Chaotic halite, composed of red-bed mudstone and siltstone with displacive halite crystals, formed in saline mudflats. Red-bed mudstone and siltstone with little or no displacive halite, but with abundant cracking, root and plant features, suggest deposition in a dry mudflat. Red-bed sandstone, composed of well-sorted, well-rounded quartz grains cemented with halite, indicate aeolian and rare shallow-water deposition. Most deposition took place in halite-dominated ephemeral saline lakes surrounded by saline and dry mudflats, sandflats and sand dunes. Evaporation, desiccation, flooding and wind played significant roles in this environment. The Nippewalla Group siliciclastics and evaporites represent an evolution from a perennial lacustrine system to a non-marine, acidic saline pan system in the mid-continent of North America. The problem of distinguishing between ancient marine and non-marine evaporites, as well as recognizing those evaporites deposited in acid settings, with detailed field, core and petrographical study of both evaporite deposits and associated sedimentary rocks has successfully been addressed. In addition, interpretations of mid-Permian palaeoclimate data in the form of short-term air temperature proxies within longer-term wet–dry trends have been made. These data provide a new palaeogeographic and palaeoclimatic model for the mid-Permian of western Pangaea.
Biomass and Cellulosic Ethanol Production of Forage Sorghum Under Limited Water Conditions

This study presents results from a 2-year evaluation of biomass and cellulosic ethanol (EtOH) production potential of forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) cultivars differing in brown midrib trait (i.e., bmr12) under dryland (no irrigation) and limited irrigation (2.88 mm day−1; subsurface drip) in the semiarid Southern High Plains of the USA. Commercial cultivar Sorghum Partners 1990 (SP 1990, conventional non-bmr) produced significantly more biomass (29–62 %) than a bmr12 cultivar PaceSetter bmr (PS bmr) under irrigated and dryland conditions during both years of this study. However, PS bmr biomass had higher cellulosic EtOH conversion efficiency than SP 1990 in both years according to simultaneous saccharification and fermentation analysis. Irrigation resulted in 26–49 % more biomass and 28–72 % more cellulosic EtOH production during both growing seasons, indicating that limited irrigation had favorable effects on both biomass and biofuel production. In the first year, when precipitation was below average, both cultivars produced similar amounts of cellulosic EtOH. During the second year, when precipitation was above average, higher biomass production of SP 1990 resulted in 28 % higher cellulosic EtOH production than PS bmr when averaged across both irrigated and dryland conditions. The large range of cellulosic EtOH production (1,600 to 3,380 L ha−1) during the 2 years of this study was primarily driven by differences in water availability that resulted from precipitation and irrigation. Our findings indicates that chemical composition and biomass yield potential of sorghum cultivars are critical factors that affect biomass and biofuel production under limited water conditions.
Synthesis of chiral N-phosphoryl aziridines through enantioselective aziridination of alkenes with phosphoryl azide via Co(II)-based metalloradical catalysis

The Co(II) complex of a new D2-symmetric chiral porphyrin 3,5-DiMes-QingPhyrin, [Co(P6)], can catalyze asymmetric aziridination of alkenes with bis(2,2,2-trichloroethyl)phosphoryl azide (TcepN3) as a nitrene source. This new Co(II)-based metalloradical aziridination is suitable for different aromatic olefins, producing the corresponding N-phosphorylaziridines in good to excellent yields (up to 99%) with moderate to high enantioselectivities (up to 85% ee). In addition to mild reaction conditions and generation of N2 as the only byproduct, this new metalloradical catalytic system is highlighted with a practical protocol that operates under neutral and non-oxidative conditions.
Public Opinion and Metropolitan Reorganization in Nashville

R ECENT YEARS have witnessed an enormous outpouring of literature on the nation's metropolitan areas, much of it designed to offer solutions to the problems of governing such areas. In spite of extensive interest in reform, however, few major structural changes have occurred when a vote was required. From 1950 to 1961, for example, there were six failures in seven attempts that contemplated the consolidation of two previously independent governments.' Why have metropolitan area voters been so reluctant to approve reorganization proposals? What kinds of voter attitudes underlie opposition and support? These are the fundamental questions of this study. Its focus is on voter attitudes toward metropolitan reorganization; and the author's purpose is to contribute to an understanding of the conditions under which major reorganizations are probable and the conditions under which they are improbable. It is also hoped that the following analysis will help to meet the objections of those students of metropolitics who are critical of reformoriented research, and who complain that there has been little systematic research into voter attitudes for and against reorganization. On June 28, 1962, the voters of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee attracted nationwide attention by approving a consolidation charter. In 1958 they had rejected a similar charter despite the heavy support of the area's civic and business leaders.3 Following the 1958 defeat the City of Nashville annexed some 85,000 county residents. The city's morning newspaper, the Ten-
REEXAMINING THE ROLE OF EXPLICIT INFORMATION IN PROCESSING INSTRUCTION

The present study sought to observe, through online treatments, whether explicit information assists acquisition in a way that has not been measured in previous processing instruction (PI) studies. Two experiments examined learners' behavior while they processed Spanish sentences with object-verb-subject (OVS) word order and Spanish subjunctive under two treatments: with explicit information (the PI group) and without explicit information (the structured input [SI] group). Participants in both groups worked individually with a computer and processed a series of 30 SI items. They received feedback right after each response, and both accuracy and response time were recorded. It was expected that learners in the PI group would start to process both of the linguistic targets sooner in the sequence of input items and would submit their responses faster than learners in the SI group, because explicit information in the PI treatment would help learners notice the target items early in the series. The results showed no difference between the SI group and the PI group when processing OVS sentences, but the PI group processed subjunctive forms sooner and faster than the SI group. The results suggest that the benefits of explicit information might depend on the nature of the task and the processing problem.
Generation of Oxidants by Hypoxic Human Pulmonary and Coronary Smooth-Muscle Cells

Background Pulmonary vasoconstriction in response to hypoxia is unusual inasmuch as local exposure of nonpulmonary vasculature to hypoxia results in vasodilation. It has been suggested that pulmonary artery smooth-muscle cells may relax in response to intracellular generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and that the production of ROS decreases under hypoxia. However, other workers report increased ROS production in human pulmonary artery smooth-muscle cells (HPASMC) during hypoxia. Methods Using dihydrodichlorofluorescein diacetate, dihydroethidium, and Amplex Red (Molecular Probes; Eugene, OR), we estimated ROS generation by confluent primary cultures of HPASMC and human coronary artery smooth-muscle cells (HCASMC) under normoxia (20%) and acute hypoxia (5%). Results All three assay systems showed that HPASMC production of ROS is decreased under hypoxia and to a greater extent than the decrease in ROS production by HCASMC. A substantially greater percentage of normoxic ROS production by HPASMC is mitochondrial (>60%) compared to HCASMC ( Conclusions These results support the conclusion that ROS generation decreases, rather than increases, in HPASMC during hypoxia. However, as ROS production also decreases in HCASMC during hypoxia, the reason for the opposite change in vascular tone is not yet apparent.
The epidemiology of urinary incontinence in older women: incidence, progression, and remission.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the epidemiology of urinary incontinence (UI) in older women. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Nurses' Health Study. PARTICIPANTS: Incidence of UI was determined in 23,792 women aged 54 to 79 without UI at baseline. Progression or remission of UI was determined in 28,813 women with UI at least monthly at baseline. MEASUREMENTS: UI was ascertained according to questionnaires in 2000 and 2002. Rates of incident UI and progression or remission of prevalent UI were calculated. Logistic regression was used to estimate relative risks of UI associated with risk factors. RESULTS: In women with no urine leakage at baseline, 9.2% reported leakage at least monthly after 2 years. For women with leakage at least weekly, the incidence was 3.6%; of these cases, stress UI had the highest incidence, followed by mixed and urge UI. Relationships between UI and age differed for stress UI, which decreased with age (relative risk (RR)=0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.43–0.92 for aged 70–79 vs 54–59), and urge and mixed UI, which increased with age (RR=2.28, 95% CI=1.09–4.75 and RR=2.11, 95% CI=1.24–3.61, respectively). For prevalent UI in 2000, 32.1% of subjects with leakage once a month progressed to leakage at least once a week over follow-up. Only 8.9% with frequent leakage in 2000 reported improvement to monthly leakage or less, with 2.0% having complete remission. CONCLUSION: The incidence of UI is high in older women, and progression from occasional to frequent leaking is common. Urge UI, for which there are limited effective treatments, increases with age, thus research on UI prevention in older women is particularly important.
How to learn from theory-dependent evidence; or commutativity and holism: A solution for conditionalizers

AbstractWeisberg ([2009]) provides an argument that neither conditionalization nor Jeffrey conditionalization is capable of accommodating the holist’s claim that beliefs acquired directly from expe...
ViralVCD: tracing information-diffusion paths with low cost media in developing communities

We describe ViralVCD: a low cost method for tracing paths of information diffusion in developing communities using physical media. We instituted a participatory video framework for creation and dissemination of developmental videos in seven urban slums and peri-urban communities of Bangalore, India. By combining a call-in contest with Video CDs, we were able to measure developmental impact as well as elicit data on social networks and technology usage practices. In particular, our technique was able to extract data from multiple layers-social, technological, and developmental. ViralVCD allowed us to identify key actors and map information diffusion, as well as technology ownership and access. These findings have implications for HCI initiatives targeting low income locales and populations.
Specification and Verification of Artifact Behaviors in Business Process Models

SOA has influenced business process modeling and management. Recent business process models have elevated data representation to the same level as control flows, for example, the artifact-centric business process models allow the life cycle properties of artifacts (data objects) to be specified and analyzed. In this paper, we develop a specification language ABSL based on computation tree logic for artifact life cycle behaviors (e.g., reachability). We show that given a business model and starting configuration, it can be decided if an ABSL sentence is satisfied when the domains are bounded, and if an ABSL-core (sublanguage of ABSL) sentence is satisfied when the domains are totally ordered but unbounded. We also show that if the starting configuration is not given, ABSL(-core) is still decidable if the number of artifacts is bounded with bounded (resp. unbounded but ordered) domains.
Expression of a human, neutralizing monoclonal antibody specific to puumala virus G2-protein in stably-transformed insect cells.

We cloned the heavy- and light-chain antibody genes of a human X (human3mouse) trioma secreting a neutralizing, IgG monoclonal antibody to the G2-protein of Puumala virus. The antibody genes were inserted separately into plasmid transfer vector pIEI-4 such that the genes were under control of the baculovirus immediate early gene promoter, IEI. Trichoplusia ni (TN) cells were co-transfected with these constructs and a selection plasmid containing a neomycin-resistance gene. Cloned transformants expressing the IgG monoclonal antibody were identified by ELISA of transfected TN cell culture supernatants. TN cell lines were established from four selected clones, of which one was chosen for detailed analysis. Specificity of the insect cell-expressed human antibody was determined by ELISA with Puumala virus-infected cell lysates and by immune-precipitation of radiolabeled Puumala virus proteins. The expressed IgG retained the ability to neutralize Puumala virus in plaque-reduction neutralization assays. Using competitive polymerase chain reaction methods, multiple copies of integrated heavy- and light-chain antibody genes were detected in the insect cell genome. The transformed insect cells were stable and continuously expressed biologically active IgG. We conclude that this methodology provides an alternative eukaryotic source for the generation of human antibodies. © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Nitrogen preferences and plant-soil feedbacks as influenced by neighbors in the alpine tundra

Plant resource partitioning of chemical forms of nitrogen (N) may be an important factor promoting species coexistence in N-limited ecosystems. Since the microbial community regulates N-form transformations, plant partitioning of N may be related to plant–soil feedbacks. We conducted a 15N tracer addition experiment to study the ability of two alpine plant species, Acomastylis rossii and Deschampsia caespitosa, to partition organic and inorganic forms of N. The species are codominant and associated with strong plant–soil feedbacks that affect N cycling. We manipulated interspecific interactions by removing Acomastylis or Deschampsia from areas where the species were codominant to test if N uptake patterns varied in the presence of the other species. We found that Deschampsia acquired organic and inorganic N more rapidly than Acomastylis, regardless of neighbor treatment. Plant N uptake—specifically ammonium uptake—increased with plant density and the presence of an interspecific neighbor. Interestingly, this change in N uptake was not in the expected direction to reduce niche overlap and instead suggested facilitation of ammonium use. To test if N acquisition patterns were consistent with plant–soil feedbacks, we also compared microbial rhizosphere extracellular enzyme activity in patches dominated by one or the other species and in areas where they grew together. The presence of both species was generally associated with increased rhizosphere extracellular enzyme activity (five of ten enzymes) and a trend towards increased foliar N concentrations. Taken together, these results suggest that feedbacks through the microbial community, either in response to increased plant density or specific plant neighbors, could facilitate coexistence. However, coexistence is promoted via enhanced resource uptake rather than reduced niche overlap. The importance of resource partitioning to reduce the intensity of competitive interactions might vary across systems, particularly as a function of plant-soil feedbacks.
Sperm penetration through oocyte investments in mammals

Literature on the interactions between eutherian gametes is reviewed. The oocyte cumulus complex of the female is surrounded by a zona pellucida, corona radiata, and cumulus layer. Sperm undergo an acrosome reaction before penetrating the zona pellucida. The morphological consequences of this reaction and its possible role(s) in penetration of the oocyte cumulus complex are considered. The acrosomal enzyme, hyaluronidase, has been thought to aid sperm in penetrating the cumulus layer and corona radiata. Several recent investigations, including one that shows that motile cells lacking hyaluronidase can penetrate to the zona surface, do not support this idea. Other possible roles of this enzyme in fertilization are discussed. The development of in vitro fertilization systems that employ physiological numbers (1-100) of sperm will be valuable in studying the mechanisms used by sperm to penetrate the oocyte cumulus complex.
Global Pattern of Steady States

What happens to the motions of (2.2.6) or (2.2.6)’ after they have entered ΔL or when they have started from there? How is the conservative reference frame, in particular the energy cups and thresholds, distributed in ΔL for a specified system? Assuming that we aim at stabilizing the system about steady state sets, given a controller, how are the particular attractors and real-time attractors distributed in ΔL both inside and outside the energy cups? Can we find controllers forcing motions from one cup or region of attraction to another?
Assessment of cytotechnologist–cytopathologist interpretative agreement using the Bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology

Background The Bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology was proposed to provide a clinically relevant framework for interpretations to improve interobserver agreement. Limited data is available regarding the level of interobserver agreement between groups of cytotechnologists (CTs) and cytopathologists (CPs) examining the same thyroid fine needle aspirate (FNA) samples. Methods Retrospective review of 1,229 thyroid FNAs from 976 patients between 03/2010 and 08/2012 was performed. FNAs received preliminary evaluation by a CT followed by final interpretation by a CP. We calculated Cohen's Kappa coefficient to measure agreement between CTs and CPs, and analyzed levels of discrepancy using delta analysis. Results Overall Kappa between CTs and CPs was 0.79 (95%CI: 0.76–0.83). Kappa values were higher for the nondiagnostic (0.89), benign (0.83), and malignant (0.91) categories than for other categories. Overall Kappa did not show a trend over time, and inversely correlated with the percentage of intermediate grade lesions (coefficient of −0.8; P < 0.01). CTs overcalled more cases (n = 71) than undercalled (n = 29) (P < 0.001), as compared to CPs, with a Δ1 ratio of 2.2 and Δ2 ratio of 3.5. Most two-level discrepancies were related to follicular lesions (19/21) (P = 0.0002). Differences in sample adequacy assessment occurred in 2% of cases. Conclusion Overall, there was a high level of interpretative agreement between CTs and CPs, which remained stable over time, including judgments regarding specimen adequacy. Agreement was most robust for the benign and malignant categories. Our data supports the current practice of allowing CTs to perform on-site adequacy evaluation of thyroid FNAs. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Deterministic Timed Petri Nets

The need for including timing variables in various types of modeled DEDS’s is apparent since the modeled systems are real time in nature. In the real world, almost every event is time related. When a Petri net contains a time variable, it becomes a Timed Petri Net.
Updates in Tumor Profiling in Gastrointestinal Cancers

In the last decade there has been a focus on biomarkers that play a critical role in understanding molecular and cellular mechanisms which drive tumor initiation, maintenance and progression of cancers. Characterization of genomes by next-generation sequencing (NGS) has permitted significant advances in gastrointestinal cancer care. These discoveries have fueled the development of novel therapeutics and have laid the groundwork for the development of new treatment strategies. Work in colorectal cancer (CRC) has been in the forefront of these advances. With the continued development of NGS technology and the positive clinical experience in CRC, genome work has begun in esophagogastric, pancreatic, and hepatocellular carcinomas as well.
Ionization Yield of Radiations. II. The Fluctuations of the Number of Ions

The ionization produced by individual fast charged particles is frequently used as a measure of their initial energy; fluctuation effects set a theoretical limit to the accuracy of this method. Formulas are derived here to estimate the statistical fluctuations of the number of ions produced by constant amounts of radiation energy. The variance of the number of ionizations is found to be two or three times smaller than if this number were governed by a Poisson distribution. An improved understanding is gained of the statistical treatment of fluctuation phenomena.