cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Considerations for epidural blood patch and other postdural puncture headache treatments in patients with covid-19

Background A primary concern in the use of EBP in these patients is the possibility of seeding the virus in the CNS. Another important concern is related to the known hypercoagulable state in COVID-19 positive patients and associated organ dysfunction that may alter the metabolism of anticoagulants. The safety of the providers performing the EBP, the position of the patient and choices for image guidance (blind, fluoroscopic) are also key considerations to review. It is also important to explore the current state of knowledge about using allogenic instead of autologous blood as well as emerging techniques to eliminate the coronavirus from the blood. Objectives In this article we pose the questions of how to manage PDPH in the COVID-19 positive patient and more specifically, the use of epidural blood patch (EBP). Methods Literature review. Results EBP is usually considered after the failure of conservative and pharmacological treatments. Because of the additional risks of EBP in COVID-19 patients it is important to also consider less traditional pharmacological treatments such as theophylinnes and cosyntropin that may offer some additional benefit for COVID-19 patient. Finally, other interventions other than EBP should also be considered including occipital nerve blocks, sphenopalatine ganglion blocks (infratemporal or transnasal). Limitations A narrative review with paucity of literature. Conclusion Going forward, an effective treatment for COVID-19 or a safe vaccine and a deeper understanding of the pathophysiology of the virus will certainly change the risk calculus involved in performing an EBP in a COVID-19 patient.
Evaluation of the effects of sire and dam calving group on age at first calving in Brahman heifers

Abstract This study evaluated the possible effects of sire and dam calving groups on age at first calving in Brahman heifers. A total of 570 heifers born between the years 2004 and 2017 were exposed as yearlings to fertile bulls through time of pregnancy determination. A calving group was determined by calculating the mean (993 d) and standard deviation (187 d) of heifer age at first calving. Heifers considered to calve early (≤899 d; calving group = 1) or late (≥1087 d; calving group = 3) were at least half a standard deviation (94 d) away from the mean. All other heifers were considered to have an intermediate age at first calving (900–1086 d; calving group = 2). Of the 570 heifers, only heifers from a dam (n = 182) with a known age at first calving and from a sire (n = 35) with 5 or more daughters were kept to determine the effect of dam calving group and the effect of sire calving group on age at first calving and calving group in daughters, resulting in a total of 284 heifers available for analysis. Variables included were dam and sire calving groups of the heifer, heifer age at first calving, heifer calving group, heifer season of birth, and heifer year of birth. Data were analyzed using the GLM procedure s of SAS and proportions were tested using Chi-square. Sire calving group did affect (P 0.10) daughter age at first calving or calving group. Analysis of dam calving group and sire calving group effects identified a year of birth effect (P
Constitutional Patriotism as Europe’s Public Philosophy? On the Responsiveness of Post-National Law

This paper scrutinizes Jurgen Habermas's concept of constitutional patriotism—and its basis in his discourse theory of democracy and law—as the substance of a European public philosophy. Drawing on critical theorists' reception of the concept and Habermas's own contemporary writings on Europe's crisis, I reconstruct constitutional patriotism from the analytic perspective of ‘constitutional imaginaries’. A constitutional imaginary emphasizes the relation of law to the broader societal and political meanings that create and interpret it from outside formal legal institutions. This perspective ‘thickens’ our understanding of the meaning of law as an object of public commitment, as well as of the processes through which this meaning changes (constitutional politics). The paper then details the consequences of this shift for the work of the contemporary European judiciary and its constitutional discourse. In the first instance, analysis of constitutional imaginaries reveals the extent to which civic attachment to constitutional law is oriented not merely to a legal principle simpliciter but also to the historical settlement of political conflict the principle reflects. This suggests that the plurality of constitutional imaginaries in the European legal space creates additional difficulties for inspiring civic attachments post-nationally, a problem to which European judiciaries have heretofore been unresponsive. Second, an understanding of Habermas’s work in light of constitutional imaginaries opens new avenues for rethinking the interpretive and structural tasks to which Europe’s juridical institutions should be directed. In particular, the chapter highlights new forms of proceduralism to be recovered in constitutional discourse in order to establish a reflexivity of constitutional imagination adequate to post-national politics.
Radiation-Induced Optic Neuropathy

Radiation-induced optic neuropathy may occur within months to years after radiation to the visual pathways and often results in severe, irreversible vision loss. Anterior involvement is characterized by optic disc swelling, whereas a discrete region of optic nerve enhancement on MRI is seen with posterior involvement. Due to the rarity of this condition, there are no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to guide management decisions. However, multiple treatments have been evaluated in animal studies, case reports and series, and retrospective studies, as well as RCTs for radiation brain necrosis. Anti-VEGF treatment has shown promise for the treatment of radiation-induced optic neuropathy.
Airbnb’s Success: Does It Depend on Who Is Measuring?:

Because individual listing data for Airbnb typically are not publicly available, private companies have emerged to estimate the performance of Airbnb listings. The implicit assumption of a growing ...
Cultivating knowledge of resiliency and reintegration among military youth through a national youth leadership program.

Abstract Youth in military families are frequently challenged by the adjustment demands associated with the deployment and reintegration of a parent. A positive youth development approach was undertaken by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America to develop and implement a Military Teen Ambassadors (MTA) training for youth in military families that would facilitate knowledge of resiliency and reintegration and foster leadership skills to build assets for themselves as well as their peers within their local communities. To determine if MTA was functioning as intended and to refine future programming, this preliminary formative study assessed perceived participant learning outcomes associated with MTA on variables pertaining to knowledge acquisition, perceived skill acquisition, and community needs awareness. Data were collected prior to the training, immediately following the training, and 6 months after the training. Repeated measures analysis indicated significant mean increases over time in knowledge and awareness of resiliency and reintegration; perceived leadership skills; and community awareness. Qualitative findings provided triangulation in the aforementioned areas. These findings strengthen the body of knowledge on resiliency by demonstrating that the 7 Cs model may be an effective strategy to incorporate into leadership development programs seeking to build knowledge of resiliency among military youth. Study limitations, lessons learned, and recommendations for further research are delineated.
Environmental Activism on the Ground: Small Green and Indigenous Organizing: edited by Jonathan Clapperton and Liza Piper, Calgary, University of Calgary Press, 2019, 364 pp., CAN $39.99, (paper) ISBN 978-1-77385-004-7

Environmental abuse accelerated tremendously in the 20th century because of population growth, economic development, and technological advancement. Historically, the environment has served as sourc...
Investigating the Impact of Peer-Trainer Delivered Mindfulness Training on Cognitive Abilities and Psychological Health

Mindfulness training (MT) has emerged as a promising tool to promote cognitive functioning and psychological health. As a result, demand for scalable dissemination of MT is increasing across many time-pressured settings. One such setting is the military family. Military spouses face numerous challenges and yet there is a paucity of evidence-based training programs available that are tailored to promote their cognitive functioning and psychological health. In the present study, we examined the impact of a 4-week MT program contextualized for military spouses and delivered via a peer train-the-trainer approach by fellow military spouse instructors (SIs). SIs first participated in an MT teaching practicum to learn how to deliver the program. They then delivered the MT program to military spouse participants (MT group, n = 48). The MT group was tested before (T1) and after (T2) the training interval and compared to a no-training control group (NTC group, n = 58) that did not receive MT but completed both testing sessions. Compared to the NTC group, the MT group showed benefits on measures of cognitive abilities, psychological health, and well-being. Particularly, benefits were reflected in the decrease over time (T1 to T2) in daily cognitive failures and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, correlation analyses revealed that greater MT practice corresponded with greater improvements in objective attentional performance. These findings provide initial evidence for the beneficial effects of a tailored MT program when delivered by peer trainers. Clinicaltrials.gov (NTC03308344).
Applying Design Thinking to Bring More Comfort, Agility, and Safety to the Bulk Products Sector in a Supermarket.

The process of buying items in bulk in a supermarket, such as those in the fruit and vegetable sector, offers some opportunities for improvement, especially when older or very young people have to use this service. In this context, we use the Design Thinking methodology to find a comfortable, agile, and safe journey for people who use this type of service. Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, User Experience/User Interface (UX/UI) approaches focused on people’s needs, visits to supermarkets, interviews with users, among other activities, we were able to design and implement a sustainable and inclusive solution to this problem.
Understanding How Message Receivers' Communication Goals are Applied in Online Persuasion

Prior research demonstrated that message receivers’ primary and secondary communication goals are important predictors of their evaluation of online persuasive messages. The present study was undertaken to illuminate the process by which these communication goals are applied in response to received messages. The findings demonstrate that communication goals are applied immediately upon viewing even a simple message directory listing containing subject, sender, and date information. Once activated, communication goals significantly predict intention to comply with a message request, although predictiveness increases substantially when the complete message is read. Further analysis suggests that message receivers’ communication goals can offer rich explanations of the cognitive processes that are used to evaluate online persuasive messages.
ASIA IN THE EYES OF EUROPE: THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY

One major consequence of Europe's 'discovery' of Asia during the last decade of the fifteenth century was the publication in Europe of numerous descriptions of Asia written by missionaries and traders who had actually and recently travelled to Asian lands. What began as a stream of information about Asia in the sixteenth century became a virtual deluge during the seventeenth. Seventeenth-century European publications treated almost all parts of Asia much more extensively than had been done in the sixteenth century. By the end of the century China was probably the best known part of Asia to European readers. In many instances the inter-Asian trade brought more profit to the companies than the direct trade to Europe. Commerce in eastern waters was dominated by European ships, in part because the great nations of Asia had no navies able to challenge them effectively and in part because the Chinese and Japanese remained officially unconcerned about overseas commerce.
From Mars to Greenland: Charting gravity with space and airborne instruments - Fields, tides, methods, results

This symposium on space and airborne techniques for measuring gravity fields, and related theory, contains papers on gravity modeling of Mars and Venus at NASA/GSFC, an integrated laser Doppler method for measuring planetary gravity fields, observed temporal variations in the earth's gravity field from 16-year Starlette orbit analysis, high-resolution gravity models combining terrestrial and satellite data, the effect of water vapor corrections for satellite altimeter measurements of the geoid, and laboratory demonstrations of superconducting gravity and inertial sensors for space and airborne gravity measurements. Other papers are on airborne gravity measurements over the Kelvin Seamount; the accuracy of GPS-derived acceleration from moving platform tests; airborne gravimetry, altimetry, and GPS navigation errors; controlling common mode stabilization errors in airborne gravity gradiometry, GPS/INS gravity measurements in space and on a balloon, and Walsh-Fourier series expansion of the earth's gravitational potential.
Effect of fibre misalignment on the fracture behaviour of fibre-reinforced composites

Deviations from ideal parallel packing in a unidirectional fibre-reinforced composite affect its resistance to splitting. In order to relate, quantitatively, the failure processes to such misorientation, it is necessary to characterize the departure from ideality and to measure the resistance to failure. Experimental observations are presented relating to: (i) a tendency for the carbon fibres in a tow to group into bundles that deviate somewhat from being parallel with each other, and (ii) the fracture toughness for the splitting of several imperfectly aligned composites. Statistical representations are offered for quantifying or modelling the degree of misalignment.
Intranuclear inclusions in multiple myeloma and macroglobulinemia.

Inclusion bodies in plasma cell nuclei of six patients with multiple myeloma and of three patients with macroglobulinemia have been studied histochemically. In three cases they have been studied with the electron microscope. The inclusions are readily identified in Giemsa stained smears of bone marrow and in paraffin sections. Their PAS positivity may be related to the hexose content of the patient’s abnormal serum protein. Evidence is presented that the inclusions are true nuclear inclusion bodies, that they represent nuclear elaboration of glycoprotein, and that they may be found in all three immunoelectrophoretic varieties of multiple myeloma, as well as in macroglobulinemia.
Width Variations along Coronal Loops Observed by Trace

We have measured width variations along coronal loops observed by TRACE in the 171, 195, and 284 A bandpasses. The loops are not significantly thicker in the middle compared to near the footpoints, and there is no correlation between the footpoint-to-midpoint expansion and the loop length. This applies to both post-flare and non-flare loops. The observations conflict with our present understanding of active region magnetic fields, and they have important implications for the structure and heating of the corona.
Dna nanotechnology: A cascade of activity

Enzymatic reactions can be coupled together by carefully organizing the enzymes on DNA scaffolds.
Analysis of stimulus-related activity in rat auditory cortex using complex spectral coefficients

The neural mechanisms of sensory responses recorded from the scalp or cortical surface remain controversial. Evoked vs. induced response components (i.e., changes in mean vs. variance) are associated with bottom-up vs. top-down processing, but trial-by-trial response variability can confound this interpretation. Phase reset of ongoing oscillations has also been postulated to contribute to sensory responses. In this article, we present evidence that responses under passive listening conditions are dominated by variable evoked response components. We measured the mean, variance, and phase of complex time-frequency coefficients of epidurally recorded responses to acoustic stimuli in rats. During the stimulus, changes in mean, variance, and phase tended to co-occur. After the stimulus, there was a small, low-frequency offset response in the mean and modest, prolonged desynchronization in the alpha band. Simulations showed that trial-by-trial variability in the mean can account for most of the variance and phase changes observed during the stimulus. This variability was state dependent, with smallest variability during periods of greatest arousal. Our data suggest that cortical responses to auditory stimuli reflect variable inputs to the cortical network. These analyses suggest that caution should be exercised when interpreting variance and phase changes in terms of top-down cortical processing.
Pathogenicity of ocular isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii in a mouse model of bacterial endophthalmitis.

Purpose. To determine the virulence properties of ocular isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii in causing endophthalmitis in a mouse model.
First Report of Bacterial Blight on Conventionally and Organically Grown Arugula in Nevada Caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. alisalensis.

In 2007, leaf spots were observed on arugula (Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa cv. My Way) grown under sprinkler irrigation for fresh market in conventional and organic production fields located above 1,200 m (4,000 feet) in Nevada (NV). Approximately 30% of each planting was affected. Initially, symptoms consisted of small ( 0.80) to P. syringae. Amplification of DNA between repetitive bacterial sequences (rep-PCR) using the BOXA1R primer resulted in identical banding patterns for the NV arugula strains and P. syringae pv. alisalensis from arugula in California (1). Koch's postulates were completed by confirming pathogenicity of the isolated strains on the arugula cvs. Italian and Astro. Strains were grown on nutrient agar for 48 h at 27°C, adjusted to 108 CFU/ml in sterile 0.01 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), and spray inoculated until runoff onto 2- to 3-week-old plants. Control plants were similarly sprayed with sterile phosphate buffer. Plants were held for 2 days in a mist chamber and 7 days on a greenhouse bench (24 to 26°C). Angular lesions similar to symptoms observed on the original plants developed on leaves of all inoculated arugula plants. In addition, some plants developed blackening of the smaller veins accompanied by chlorosis of the surrounding interveinal tissue in 10- to 20-mm diameter areas of the leaves. Small black lesions (as much as 10 mm long) were also observed on the petioles. Bacterial strains reisolated from the symptomatic tissue were identical to P. syringae pv. alisalensis by rep-PCR. Control plants remained symptomless. Similar inoculation and incubation methods confirmed that the host range of the NV arugula isolates was identical to that of known strains of P. syringae pv. alisalensis. The arugula and P. syringae pv. alisalensis isolates caused leaf spots on broccoli raab (Brassica rapa subsp. rapa cv. Sorento) and oats (Avena sativa cv. Montezuma). Pathogenicity tests were repeated. This confirms that the leaf spot observed on conventionally and organically grown arugula in NV was caused by P. syringae pv. alisalensis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of this disease on arugula in NV. References: (1) C. T. Bull et al. Plant Dis. 88:1384, 2004. (2) R. A. Lelliott. J. Appl. Bacteriol. 29:470, 1966.
Transcriptional silencing of glucocorticoid-inducible phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase expression by sequential signaling events

Specific arrays and timing of environmental cues including glucocorticoids, neurotrophic factors and intracellular messengers influence phenotype expression in developing chromaffin cells or sympathetic neurons. Although the two lineages are closely related, only adrenergic chromaffin cells express phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT), the enzyme that synthesizes epinephrine, while neurons and noradrenergic chromaffin cells are PNMT-negative. It remains unclear to what extent the ability to express PNMT is determined by environmental cues versus intrinsic heterogeneity already present in ganglionic and adrenal precursors. Mouse pheochromocytoma (MPC) cell lines are a model for studying adrenergic differentiation. In two MPC lines that exhibit up to 1000-fold induction of PNMT mRNA by dexamethasone, pretreatment with glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and/or the cyclic AMP analog cpt-cAMP markedly blunts or abrogates PNMT inducibility. PNMT suppression occurs without apparent neuronal differentiation in one of the MPC lines and in normal adult mouse chromaffin cell cultures. Our results establish transcriptional suppression by cAMP as a mechanism for regulating PNMT expression in both normal and neoplastic mouse chromaffin cells. However, contrast between large increases in PNMT mRNA levels and low stimulation of promoter activity suggests that modulation of mRNA degradation also plays an important role. Clarification of mechanisms that regulate these two processes in MPC cells may provide insight into developmental mechanisms governing expression and maintenance of the adrenergic phenotype.
Modeling of defect tolerance of IMM multijunction photovoltaics for space application

Reduction of defects by use of thick sophisticated graded metamorphic buffers in inverted metamorphic solar cells has been a requirement to obtain high efficiency devices. With increase in number of metamorphic junctions to obtain higher efficiencies, these graded buffers constitute a significant part of growth time and cost for manufacturer of the solar cells. It's been shown that ultrathin 3 and 4 junction IMM devices perform better in presence of dislocations or/and radiation harsh environment compared to conventional thick IMM devices. Thickness optimization of the device would result in better defect and radiation tolerant behavior of 0.7ev and 1.0ev InGaAs sub-cells which would in turn require thinner buffers with higher efficiencies, hence reducing the total device thickness. It is also shown that for 3 and 4 junc. IMM, with an equivalent 10 15 cm -2 1 MeV electron fluence radiation, very high EOL efficiencies can be afforded with substantially higher dislocation densities ( 7 cm -2 ) than those commonly perceived as acceptable for IMM devices with remaining power factor as high as 0.85. The irregular radiation degradation behavior in 4-junc IMM is also explained by back photon reflection from gold contacts and reduced by using thickness optimization of 0.7ev and 1.0ev InGaAs sub-cells.
Abnormally elevated blood pressure in the trypan blue-treated chick embryo during early morphogenesis

Treating chick embryos with trypan blue at 48 hours of incubation was previously shown to lead to: (1) distension of the caudal dorsal aortae to twice the normal cross-sectional area by 12 hours posttreatment; (2) rupture of one or both of the dorsal aortae, with hemorrhage into the surrounding tissue spaces by 16 hours posttreatment; and (3) structural damage due to expanding caudal hematomas by 24 hours posttreatment. An increase in blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac output, or circulating fluids, or a selective weakening of the caudal tissues were proposed as possible causes of vessel rupture and hematoma formation. Our present experiments were designed to measure mean ventricular blood pressure (MVBP) and heart rate in treated and control embryos to determine what role these factors may have in the induction of caudal hematomas. Our major findings were: (1) Treated embryos had a significantly elevated MVBP, but no significant change in heart rate when compared to saline-treated and unopened controls at 12–16 hours after treatment. (2) Treated embryos without hematomas had a slightly elevated MVBP and a significantly lower heart rate when compared to both control groups at 24 hours after treatment. (3) Treated embryos with hematomas had a significantly lower MVBP and heart rate when compared to the treated embryos without hematomas and both control groups at 24 hours after treatment. We conclude that the rupture of the dorsal aortae in trypan blue-treated embryos is due, at least in part, to increased blood pressure.
Integrated approach to understanding consumer behavior at bottom of pyramid

Purpose – It is estimated that the poorest of the world, termed as being economically at the bottom of the pyramid (BoP), have a purchasing power of $5 trillion. This paper aims to study what and why they consume, and how firms can best address those needs, an area that is relatively new.Design/methodology/approach – The authors categorize the products and services people at the bottom of the pyramid consume with specific examples of both products and companies in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and look at the theoretical frameworks that could explain those consumption patterns.Findings – The authors find that despite income and resource constraints, BoP consumers are sophisticated and creative. They are motivated not just by survival and physiological needs but seek to fulfill higher order needs either to build social capital, for cultural reasons or as a compensatory mechanism. They also find that when firms offer products that also fulfill these higher order needs, especially through linkages to educ...
Global Continuation in Displacement Problems of Nonlinear Elastostatics via the Leray-Schauder Degree

We obtain global solution continua of forced displacement problems of nonlinear elastostatics via a Leray-Schauder scheme. We adopt strong ellipticity as a bsic constitutive hypothesis. The usual Leray-Schauder approach, based in part upon the reduction of the boundary value problem to an operator equation for the zeros of a compact vector field, apparently fails. On the one hand, strong ellipticity alone is not enough to insure “invertibility/rdquo; of the principal, quasilinear part of the differential operator. More importantly, the physical requirement of local injectivity of the deformation and the associated growth of the stored-energy function dictate that ellipticity is not uniform. We demonstrate how to overcome these difficulties. Finally, with additional, physically reasonable restrictions on the stored-energy function, we obtain unbounded branches of classical, globally injective solutions.
A Column Chromatographic Method for the Determination of Sulfanilamide in Pharmaceutical Preparations Containing Sulfacetamide or Its Sodium Salt

Abstract A simple and rapid method, using column‐adsorption chromatography on alumina and UV spectrophotometry, has been developed for the separation and determination of sulfanilamide in ophthalmic solutions and tablets containing sulfacetamide or its sodium salt.
Enjoying life in the face of death: East-West differences in responses to mortality salience.

Five experiments explored the hypothesis that thinking about one's own death activates thoughts about enjoying one's life as moderated by culture. Given that Eastern cultures, relative to Western ones, are more holistic and endorse notions of "yin and yang" (e.g., where "good" and "bad" coexist in all things), we hypothesized that East Asians would be more likely than European Americans to think about life and strive more to enjoy life when mortality salience (MS) is evoked. As predicted, MS led East Asians, but not European Americans, to (a) activate more life-related thoughts (Study 1); (b) express greater interest in enjoyable daily life activities (Study 2); and (c) report enjoying daily life activities more (Study 3). Cultural differences in holism mediated the tendency to enjoy life in the face of death (Study 4), and experimental induction of holism caused greater life enjoyment in response to MS (Study 5). Implications for terror management theory and culture are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved). Language: en
An investigation of the thermodynamic interactions of oligomeric cyclic methylphenylsiloxanes in siloxane melts and blends

Abstract The miscibility of cyclic poly(methylphenylsiloxanes) (PMPS) with molar masses less than 1000 g mol −1 have been studied in mixtures with either cyclic or linear poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). In all cases, an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) was observed and interaction parameters were determined from the phase boundaries. The results were compared with those from our previous studies of linear–linear PDMS–PMPS and cyclic–linear PDMS–PMPS polymer blends. The cyclic–linear PMPS–PDMS and cyclic–cyclic PMPS–PDMS blends in this investigation were found to have higher interaction energy density parameters than the corresponding linear–linear PDMS–PMPS homopolymer blends that we have reported elsewhere. An isomer effect upon the phase separation behavior was also seen for the isolated pure stereoisomers of cyclic PMPS in mixtures with linear PDMS.
Is venus concentrating interplanetary dust toward its orbital plane

By use of observations of zodiacal light, the symmetry plane or plane of maximum density of interplanetary dust at elongations of 32 deg to 50 deg from the sun has been found to be closer to the orbital plane of Venus than to the invariable plane. This suggests that the plane of maximum density in this region is being gravitationally perturbed closer to the orbital plane of Venus.
Focusing effects in the synthetic aperture radar imaging of ocean waves

We derive the properties of the image obtained for an ocean wave whose cross-section may be given byσw(x,y,y) and surface profile byh(x,y,t).σw andh are functions representing the wave phenomena, but whose exact properties are determined by the ocean wave surface properties, for an ocean wavelength ofλw, heightH, and orbital frequency ω. We calculate the effect of defocusing of the wave image due to its temporal motion, and derive both the resolution of the radar system if no focus compensation is provided in the processor and the necessary distance the azimuth telescope has to be moved to provide diffraction-limited imaging. We illustrate these results for data taken by the JPL synthetic aperture radar over Hurricane Gloria on September 30, 1976, and the ERIM radar over Marineland, Florida, on December 15, 1975.
Detection of individual Peyer's patch T cells that produce interleukin-5 and interferon-γ

A method was developed to detect individual interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)- and interleukin-5 (IL-5)-producing cells among freshly isolated T cell populations and long term lines of CD4+ Peyer's patch T cells using frozen semi-thin sections of paraformaldehyde fixed-T cells and immunofluorescence techniques. Using this method, individual CD4+ Peyer's patch T cells could be shown to produce IFN-gamma, characteristic of the T helper 1 (Th1) T cell type, IL-5, characteristic of the T helper 2 (Th2) T cell type, as well as both IFN-gamma and IL-5. These data support the notion that Th1 and Th2 cells derive from a common T cell precursor.
Duality and corrections to the van Royen-Weisskopf formula

Abstract We propose that duality can be used in conjunction with QCD calculations of the cross section for e + e − → qq to evaluate relativistic and radiative corrections to the leptonic widths of the ψ and ϒ states. We use this method to discuss relativistic corrections to the van Royen-Weisskopf formula for leptonic widths. We also point out that this formula is in error by an important factor 4 m 2 q / M 2 n .
Microeconomic Impacts of Inflation on the Food and Agriculture Sector: Discussion

might be beneficial. The first set of results suggests that the real growth rate of equity reaches a maximum as inflation reaches 3% to 7% and then declines for higher rates of inflation. The rates of growth are somewhat greater when a higher leverage ratio is used, but the peak occurs in the same inflation rate range. The author indicates the reduction in growth at higher inflation rates occurs because the greater interest rates reduce income in the earlier years, causing negative cash flows during the first fifteen years. However, the rather surprising result (of lower real rates of growth with inflation rates above 3% to 7%) appears to be caused in large part by the zero real rate of growth assumed for land values. Including a real growth rate of 3% to 4% for land values (which recent studies such as Melichar's would tend to support) would result both in larger equity gains and increased borrowing possibilities. Through the compounding effect, the addition of real rates of growth in land values would increase the cash flow each period, with the amount of the increase being greater for higher rates of inflation. Thus it cannot be argued that this effect would be uniform for all rates of inflation. The sensitivity of the model to this factor should be considered before concluding that real rates of equity growth decline as inflation rates move above 3% to 7%. The second section considers the effect of alternative farm sizes under two levels of inflation. The relatively favorable showing of the small farm is largely dependent on the availability of off-farm work and the manner in which the annual net cash flow is calculated (which I comment on below). Further, the author notes that a high off-farm wage could have a dramatic effect on the farmer's growth rate-not a surprising result. The results for alternative tenure situations suggest that the full-renter grew at a faster rate, but that the full-owner added considerably more equity to his farm in thirty years. Inclusion of a positive real rate of growth in real estate values (as noted above) would enable the full-owner both to grow at a faster rate and to add to equity more rapidly than the O'Carroll results indicate. This would make the full-tenant less competitive relative to the full-owner.
Approaches to the accurate characterization of high purity metal fluorides and fluoride glasses

Abstract The analytical challenges posed by the measurement of trace contaminants in high purity metal fluorides require that innovative chemical preparation procedures be used to enhance existing instrumental techniques. The instrumental techniques used to analyze these difficult matrices must be sensitive enough to detect extremely low levels of trace impurities, and the background interferences derived from the matrix (metal fluoride or glass) must be minimized. A survey of analytical techniques that have the necessary characteristics to analyze these materials will be given. In addition, means of controlling the chemical blank will be presented. Mass and atomic spectrometric techniques will be discussed, specifically graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Analytical procedures using GFAAS and ICP-MS have been developed to determine sub ppb (part per billion) levels of contaminants in high purity fluoride materials.
Chloride and potassium ions and turgidity in the grass stigma

Summary The osmolality of the expressed sap from mature, turgid stigmas of the grass Pennisetum americanum L. (Leeke) is estimated at 325 mmol/kg, and analysis suggests that KCl could contribute 60% of this. The possibility that the rapid expansion of the grass stigma at the time of anthesis is driven by a water flux induced by the ion pumping from reservoirs in contiguous tissues is considered.
Colorectal cancer in patients aged 30 years or younger

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is believed to carry a grim prognosis in young patients. A retrospective study of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer at age 30 years or less between 1971 and 1994 was conducted. Statistical analyses were performed using non-parametric one way anova tests and logistic regression models. Sixty-eight of the patients evaluated at our institution were suitable for this study. Risk factors were identified in 28% of patients. The median age at diagnosis was 27 years (range 14–30 years). Fifty-six patients (82%) were Stage III or IV at the time of diagnosis. Twenty-two of the 34 patients who underwent potentially curative surgery had recurring disease at a median of 12 months (range 1–43 months). At a median follow-up of 21.5 months, 54 patients had died from disease. At the time of death, abdominal carcinomatosis and distant disease were the most common patterns of failure. Stage of the primary tumour ( P = 0.0006) and recurrence ( P = 0.0001) were the only variables noted to be associated with survival. The stage of the primary tumour and whether the tumour recurred were each associated with survival in patients with colorectal cancer at age 30 years or less.
CS outreach to high school enrollment: bridging the gap

Researchers in CS have heard of disparities between underrepresented groups and the lack of people to ll future jobs. Initiatives focus on strengthening the computing pipeline and getting more students interested. This research goes further by analyzing factors that affect behavioral change and get students to enroll in computing courses. We focus on a middle grades outreach program called SPARCS that has a 84% transfer rate into high school courses. We approach with a lens on identity, social cognitive career theory, and other attitudes and demographics perspectives.
Categorizing BMI may lead to biased results in studies investigating in-hospital mortality after isolated CABG

Objective: To investigate how categorizing body mass index (BMI) into weight classes can impact the assessment of the relationship between BMI and in-hospital mortality after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Study Design and Setting: BMIemortality (in-hospital) relationship was assessed in 5,762 patients who underwent isolated CABG at Baylor University Medical Center (Dallas, TX) from January 1, 1997 to November 30, 2003. Different ways of modeling BMI were used to investigate this association in a propensity-adjusted model, controlling for risk factors identified by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and other clinical/nonclinical details. Results: A highly significant (P 50.003) association between BMI (modeled with a restricted cubic spline) and mortality was found. Reduced risk of in-hospital mortality was observed for subjects with BMI in the low-30s as compared with patients with BMI in the mid20s or over 40 kg/m 2 . Results were strongly affected by the way BMI was specified in the multivariable model. Only five of the 10 BMI categorizations considered produced significant results, and these results did not fully determine the effect of BMI on mortality. Conclusions: BMI categorization critically impacts study results. Conceivably, findings of other studies investigating BMI and adverse outcomes after CABG may be similarly affected. Investigators should consider smoothing techniques to avoid categorization. 2007
Aharonov-Bohm and Aharonov-Casher tunneling effects and edge states in double-barrier structures

The simultaneous occurrence of Aharonov-Bohm (AB) and Aharonov-Casher (AC) effects due to edge states in double-barrier two-dimensional wires formed by an electrostatic confinement potential, in the quantum Hall effect regime, is discussed. The AC effect is manifested via a shift of the AB conductance oscillations, and a method for measurement of the effect is proposed.
ONSET OF INSTABILITY IN HYDROMAGNETIC COUETTE FLOW

The stability of viscous flow between rotating cylinders in the presence of a constant axial magnetic field is considered. The boundary conditions for general conductivities are examined. It is proved that the Principle of Exchange of Stabilities holds at zero magnetic Prandtl number, for all Chandrasekhar numbers, when the cylinders rotate in the same direction, the circulation decreases outwards, and the cylinders have insulating walls. The result holds for both the finite gap and the narrow gap approximation.
Enhancing American Identity and Citizenship in Schools

By examining history-social science learning standards in the state of California, an argument is made that schools should be concerned about more than narrowly defined academic achievement goals. Instead, a review of those standards suggests that schools are responsible for helping to foster democratic citizenship that grows out of a strong American identity. An argument is made that character and civic education offer rich resources for addressing goals of democratic citizenship. However, this argument is qualified by the necessity of informed and sustained principal leadership so that strong programs take hold and grow. The conclusion is drawn that schools can foster democratic citizenship if there are modifications to the standards that call for more active civic practice, policies that allow good principals to stay in place, and greater policy level articulation and support of education for American identity and democratic citizenship.
From culture as organism to organism as cell: historical origins of bacterial genetics.

In 1900, in a short paper stimulated by a lecture on mutations in plants by Hugo de Vries, the great Dutch bacteriologist Martinus Beijerinck recommended the study of microbes in research on heredity and speciation: "Though the culture of microbes, compared to that of higher plants and animals is subject to many difficulties, it cannot be denied that, these once mastered, microbes are an extremely useful material for the investigation of the laws of heredity and variability."' A few years later William Bateson, in his 1907 Silliman Lectures at Yale, summarized the research into the causes of variation in bacteria as follows: "If Istudies] could be coordinated in such a way as to provide some general conception of the types of variation in properties to which bacteria, or any considerable group of them are habitually liable, the knowledge might greatly advance the elucidation of genetic problems."' The cautious optimism of Beijerinck and Bateson about the field of bacterial genetics has been amply rewarded, but it took a gestation period of almost forty years to see its birth. From the earliest investigations of modern bacteriology, the problem of classification was debated. In addition to the major problem of the place of bacteria in various schemes of biological classification, a central issue in the debate was the definition of a "pure culture." It was clear that microscopic and colonial morphology differed between different isolates. Early bacteriologists framed the problem in terms of contemporary ideas of classification: Carl Nageli in 1857 classified all the colorless bacteria as Schizomycetes, while Ferdinand Cohn proposed a classification, derived from Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg's earlier scheme,
Expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase after exposure to perivascular blood.

OBJECTIVE Although nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in the development of vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage, little is known regarding the time course of NO synthesis in vessel wall after exposure to perivascular blood. This study measures temporal characteristics of changes in vessel wall NO synthesis. METHODS Rat femoral arteries exposed to perivascular blood for 3, 5, or 7 days were assayed for the endothelial isoform of NO synthase (eNOS) by Western blot testing. Additionally, rat femoral arteries exposed to perivascular blood for intervals from 3 to 14 days were analyzed by means of immunohistochemistry for eNOS. RESULTS Semiquantitative densitometry of femoral artery Western blots demonstrated a biphasic pattern of eNOS expression after exposure to perivascular blood. Compared with control arteries, eNOS expression increased at 3 days (53 +/- 36%), normalized at 5 days (-6 +/- 7%), and decreased by 7 days (-39 +/- 15%). Immunohistochemistry confirmed the changes in expression of immunoreactive eNOS in femoral endothelium during the first week after chronic perivascular blood exposure and apparent reduced eNOS immunostaining, which persisted up to 14 days after application of blood. CONCLUSION The expression of endothelial-derived NO in rat femoral artery exposed to perivascular whole blood does not directly correlate with changes in vessel caliber during this interval. The biphasic expression of eNOS observed in these experiments highlights the complexity of processes occurring in the vicinity of the vessel wall during vasospasm and may be related to several mechanisms that modulate vessel tone and response to injury.
Analysis of hole transport in thin films and nanoparticle assemblies of poly(3-hexylthiophene)

Abstract We report numerical simulation results on hole transport in layers of the organic polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) of different nanostructures based on a deterministic, phenomenological drift–diffusion-reaction model that accounts for hole trapping–detrapping kinetics. The model is used to characterize the various P3HT layers examined in terms of their hole transport dispersivity. The model reproduces well experimental data of photocurrent evolution in P3HT samples ranging from drop cast thin films to surfactant-stabilized nanoparticle assemblies, explains the role of excess surfactant molecules in hole trapping for assemblies of P3HT nanoparticles, and demonstrates quantitatively the potential of using nanoparticle assemblies in organic photovoltaic devices.
Computerized assessment of diabetes patient education

A computerized health education assessment program, designed to capture data on patient's knowledge of diabetes self-care, is described. Feedback to the patient and professional is provided by a computer-generated educational prescription. The data base accumulated on individual patient's responses to test questions can be used to evaluate various aspects of the teaching program. By linking pooled assessment data with clinical parameters, regression studies can be carried out to ascertain the impact the training program has had both on compliance and in preventing or reducing the incidence of complications.
Food restriction neither improves nor exacerbates reproduction in obese female Zucker rats.

Abstract MARIN–BIVENS, C. L. AND D. H. OLSTER. Food restriction neither improves nor exacerbates reproduction in obese female Zucker rats. PHYSIOL BEHAV 66 (5) 893–897, 1999.—Obese female Zucker rats have several reproductive abnormalities, including delayed puberty, abnormal estrous cyclicity, and behavioral hyporesponsiveness to ovarian steroid hormones. To ascertain whether excessive body weight per se causes these reproductive abnormalities, obese Zucker female rats were fed ad lib or were food restricted to match their body weights to those of lean counterparts. Food restriction neither accelerated vaginal opening nor normalized estrous cyclicity in obese female rats. Following ovariectomy, an injection of estradiol benzoate (EB, 15 μg/kg, s.c.) induced extremely low sexual receptivity in all rats, and proceptive behaviors were never observed. After treatment with EB plus progesterone (P, 2 mg/kg, s.c.), lean rats were very receptive (lordosis quotient, LQ = 94 ± 2%) and proceptive (PRO = 12.5 ± 2 events/min) while both ad lib-fed and food-restricted obese rats were only marginally receptive and proceptive (LQ= 19 ± 9%, PRO = 1.8 ± 0.7 events/min; LQ = 31 ± 15%, PRO = 4.7 ± 3 events/min, respectively). A higher progesterone dose (20 mg/kg) elicited vigorous sexual receptivity (LQ = 88–99%) and proceptivity (PRO = 16.5–20.4 events/min) in all EB-treated rats. Adiposity was significantly lower in food-restricted obese rats as compared to ad lib-fed obese rats (36.5 ± 1.7% vs. 69.4 ± 2.7%), but greater than that observed in lean rats (24.4 ± 1.1%). These data suggest that excessive body weight per se does not underlie reproductive abnormalities in obese Zucker rats, but do not rule out the possibility that excessive adiposity may contribute to their infertility.