cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In vivo enhancement of NK cell activity with met-enkephalin and glycyl-glutamine: their possible role in the conditioned response.

These studies investigated the effect of met-enkephalin, glycyl-glutamine, and naltrexone on NK cell activity in vivo and in vitro. It was found that both met-enkephalin (which shares the amino-terminal end of β-endorphin) and glycyl-glutamine (which reflects the carboxyl-terminal end of β-endorphin) can enhance the NK cell activity of mice prestimulated with a low dose (1 μg/mouse) of poly I:C. Naltrexone had no effect. In vivo prestimulation of the mice with 1 μg poly I:C was necessary as mice which were not pretreated with poly I:C did not show enhanced NK cell activity when treated with either met-enkephalin or glycyl-glutamine. In vitro studies however indicate that the drugs when cultured together with the NK cells from mice preactivated with poly I: C did not have a direct stimulatory effect on the NK cells. These studies imply that while β-endorphin released from the pituitary could be involved in enhancement of activated NK cells in vivo other indirect peripheral pathways might be involved. The r...
Effects of neuroleptics on glutaminase from rat synaptosomes

Phosphate-activated glutaminase was isolated from synaptosomes from three areas of rat brain. Glutamine utilization phosphate activation and inhibition by glutamate or ammonia were assessed in the absence or presence of haloperidol, chlorpromazine, or clozapine. All three drugs (at 1 micromolar concentration) elevated theK m for glutamine using preparations from the amygdala, hippocampus, or striatum. They interfered with phosphate activation only in the amygdala preparation. No drug affected end-product inhibition. The data suggest that neuroleptics may depress the release of glutamic acid from synaptosomes by interfering with the activation of glutaminase by phosphate.
Organization and Structure of Clouds and Precipitation on the Mid-Atlantic Coast of the United States. Part II: The Mesoscale and Microscale Structures of Some Frontal Rainbands

Abstract The mesoscale and microscale structures of the clouds and precipitation associated with a frontal system on the mid-Atlantic Coast of the United States are investigated using radar reflectivity and Doppler velocity data, surface mesonet, conventional surface, upper-air and microphysical data. The frontal structure showed similarities to a warm occlusion, with code-air advection aloft preceding cold-air advection at lower levels. Six rainbands were observed in association with the frontal system. All of these rainbands developed within the region of coverage of the NWS WSR-57 radar at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Two were upper-level features, associated with a prefrontal surge of cold air and the main push of cold dry air aloft. These rainbands were similar in structure to prefrontal surge and wide cold-frontal rainbands, respectively, observed on the Pacific Northwest Coast. The microphysical and small mesoscale structures of the wide cold-frontal rainband are examined. Three of the rainbands ...
EFFERENT CONNECTIONS OF THE SUBSTANTIA NIGRA IN THE CAT.

Abstract Stereotaxic lesions were discretely placed in the substantia nigra in five cats. Fiber degeneration was studied using the Nauta-Gygax technique. The findings suggest that the greatest efferent outflow of the substantia nigra is to the ipsilateral midbrain tegmentum and tectum. Other degenerating fibers and preterminal branchings were seen in the ipsilateral nucleus ruber, subthalamic nucleus, inferior colliculus, nucleus of Darkschewitsch, nucleus ventralis anterior thalami and nucleus ventralis medialis thalami. No preterminal degeneration could be seen in the globus pallidus, putamen or caudate; a few degenerating fibers were seen coursing through each of these nuclei.
Hippocrates predicted renal cryoablation bleeding risk in patients receiving anticoagulation.

Hippocrates wrote, ‘‘Cold should be used ... when there is, or is likely to be hemorrhage, but it should be applied not to the parts from whence blood flows, but around them’’ [1]. When faced with the decision of which modality to use for percutaneous ablation of renal masses in patients receiving anticoagulation therapy, the operator should perhaps consider the relative likelihood of periprocedural anticoagulation, which is likely a risk factor for clinically significant bleeding [2]. Cryoablation may have a higher rate of bleeding than radiofrequency ablation [3], which may be because platelets do not function as well at low temperatures. In fact, cold temperatures may actually prolong bleeding times [4]. Conversely, radiofrequency ablation actively cauterizes bleeding tissue and can even be used to control acute bleeding [5]. A patient with rare episodic atrial fibrillation receiving chronic low-dose warfarin underwent cryoablation of an incidentally found 4.5-cm renal cell carcinoma. Anticoagulation therapy had been withheld periprocedurally, and compression boots did not prevent the development of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism with hypoxia, requiring immediate full anticoagulation with heparin. The patient experienced hypotension and a 15-point drop in her hematocrit from 32 to 17%, and hemoglobin from 10.4 to 5.6 g/dl. CT revealed the source of the acute bleeding to be the site of cryoablation (Figs. 1, 2). Interventional radiologists and urologists should consider the risk of subsequent anticoagulation when deciding between cryoablation and radiofrequency ablation because this may influence the risk of bleeding in these patients.
Growth morphology of superconducting Nb-Si: The effects of oxygen and substrate temperature

Films of electron-beam-evaporated Nb100−xSix (x<25) were studied using transmission electron microscopy. The effects of varying the substrate temperature and the partial pressure of oxygen were investigated. With no oxygen added, a deposition at 550°C produced an amorphous phase, while depositions at 800 and 875°C led to a mixture of the A15 and Ti3P-type structures. However, the initial growth of one film grown at 800°C was studied and found to be purely A15. With oxygen added, films made at 800°C are amorphous, while at 900°C films can be made single-phase A15. The growth morphologies observed are discussed in terms of the role of oxygen in stabilizing the A15 phase.
Assessment finds more natural gas resources but less oil

The latest report on undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources outside the United States estimates that there are more undiscovered and technically recoverable natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs) but less oil than had previously been thought. The 18 April report, issued by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as part of its World Petroleum Resource Project, estimates that there are 5606 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, compared with 4669 trillion cubic feet in the previous assessment, in 2000, and 167 billion barrels of NGLs compared with an earlier 207 billion barrels. The assessment also estimates that there are 565 billion barrels of oil compared with an earlier 649 billion. About 75% of those resources outside the United States are located in four regions: South America and the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and the Arctic provinces portion of North America, according to the new assessment.
Biodegradable alanine and phenylalanine alkyl ester polyphosphazenes as potential ligament and tendon tissue scaffolds

New polyphosphazenes were designed, synthesized, and characterized to determine their potential as scaffolds for ligament and tendon tissue engineering. The carboxylic acid moiety of the amino acids L-alanine and L-phenylalanine were protected with alkyl esters with increasing chain length from 5 to 8 carbon atoms. This combined the hydrolytic sensitivity of the amino acid ester polyphosphazenes with the elastomeric characteristics induced by the long chain alkoxy polyphosphazenes. Test side group substitution reactions were performed on the cyclic small molecule model, hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene (NPCl2)3, to determine if steric hindrance would inhibit the degree of chlorine replacement by the amino acid ester units. Counterpart polymers were then synthesized by replacement of the chlorine atoms in poly(dichlorophosphazene) (NPCl2)n by the same amino acid esters. The glass transition temperatures of the polymers decreased with increasing alkyl ester chain length, ranging from 11.6 to −24.2 °C. Polymer hydrolysis was studied for solid samples in deionized water at physiological temperature for 12 weeks. The starting pH was 6.3 and the final pH ranged between 5.2 and 6.8. Polymer film mass decreased between ∼8.7 and 26 percent during the 12 week period, while the molecular weights decreased ∼57 to 99 percent.
Minimizing quality control costs for laboratory instruments using information delays

This paper proposes the use of a cost-based statistical process control system for monitoring the quality of an unreliable analytical machine. In this environment the accuracy of the process cannot be determined by inspecting the output, but must be verified by analyzing standards of known values. The results demonstrate that a significant cost savings can be obtained if analytical results are placed in a “buffer” and their release delayed until the accuracy of the test can be assured. Results suggest the approach not only dramatically improves the quality of results reported but also significantly reduces the expected total cost of testing. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Online CReSIS and Polar Resources for Education

CReSIS is a science and technology center with the mission of developing new technologies and computer models to measure and predict the response of sea level change to the mass balance of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. This workshop includes an introduction to the ice, ice, baby lessons and activities designed for K-8 and introduce teachers to the K-12 data portal which offers both data collected by CReSIS as well as by the broader scientific community including data on climate change and the cryosphere.
Going Beyond the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: An Index System of Human Well-Being

Understanding the linkages between ecosystem services (ES) and human well-being (HWB) is crucial to sustain the flow of ES for HWB. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) provided a state-of-the-art synthesis of such knowledge. However, due to the complexity of the linkages between ES and HWB, there are still many knowledge gaps, and in particular a lack of quantitative indicators and integrated models based on the MA framework. To fill some of these research needs, we developed a quantitative index system to measure HWB, and assessed the impacts of an external driver – the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake – on HWB. Our results suggest that our proposed index system of HWB is well-designed, valid and could be useful for better understanding the linkages between ES and HWB. The earthquake significantly affected households' well-being in our demonstration sites. Such impacts differed across space and across the five dimensions of the sub-index (i.e., the basic material for good life, security, health, good social relations, and freedom of choice and action). Since the conceptual framework is based on the generalizable MA framework, our methods should also be applicable to other study areas.
Inhibitory effect of gonadotropin releasing hormone upon cultured testicular cells.

Abstract The direct inhibitory effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) upon testicular androgen production was studied in cultured testicular cells. Enzyme-dispersed testicular cells from immature hypophysectomized rats were cultured for 6 days in a serum-free medium with or without various hormones. Culture media were changed every 2 days and media concentration of androgens was measured by radioimmunoassay. The testis cultures from immature rats secrete predominately 5α-androstane-3α,17β-diol (A-diol) and androsterone but negligible amounts of androstenedione, testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. Incubation of testicular cells with hCG and FSH increased A-diol and androsterone production as compared to control cultures. In contrast, treatment with GnRH or a GnRH agonist (des-Gly10,D-Leu6(NαMe)Leu7, Pro9NHEt-GnRH) inhibited the gonadotropin effect in a dose-dependent manner; 10−8 M GnRH inhibited A-diol production by 20% on day 4 and 6 of culture whereas 10−6 M GnRH inhibited A-diol production by > 80%. The observed effect of GnRH upon testicular cells in primary culture demonstrates that the hypothalamic peptide directly inhibits testicular steroidogenesis.
Open Access and Libraries

SUMMARY This chapter examines the major open access movement statements, analyzes the open access concept based on these statements, examines the two major open access strategies (self-archiving and open access journals), discusses the rationale behind the open access movement, discusses the impact of open access on libraries, looks at open access funding issues, and considers whether open access will transform electronic resources librarians jobs.
Body Composition in 995 Acutely ill or Chronically ill Patients at Hospital Admission: A controlled population Study

Abstract Objective To determine if fat-free mass and fat mass in acutely ill and chronically ill patients differed from healthy controls at hospital admission and if prevalence of malnutrition differed by body mass index (BMI) or fat-free mass percentile. Subjects/Setting 995 consecutive patients 15 to 100 years of age admitted to the hospital were measured in the hospital admission center and compared with 995 healthy age- and height-matched subjects Design Cross-sectional study. Fat-free mass, fat mass, and percentage fat mass were determined by 50 kHz bioelectrical impedance analysis. Prevalence of malnutrition was determined by BMI 2 or fat-free mass in the 10th percentile. Statistical Analysis Analysis of variance was used to examine differences between acutely ill and chronically ill patients and controls and between age groups. Results Fat-free mass was significantly lower in patients than controls ( P 2 . Applications/Conclusion Weight and BMI do not evaluate body compartments and therefore do not reveal if weight changes result in loss of fat-free mass or gain in fat mass. In spite of minimal differences in BMI between patients and controls, we found that fat-free mass was lower and fat mass was higher in acutely ill and chronically ill patients than controls. The objective measurement of body composition, as part of a comprehensive nutritional assessment, helps to identify subjects who have low fat-free mass or high fat mass. J Am Diet Assoc. 2002;102:944–948,953–955 .
Using global knowledge of users' typing traits to attack keystroke biometrics templates

Research in the field of keystroke dynamics (KD) has traditionally assumed impostor attacks to be originated by humans. However, recent studies have revealed that bots and various categories of malware have the capacity to implement intelligently crafted synthetic attacks against KD systems. In this paper we make a large-scale study of human typing traits, and then use the general observed statistical trends to train a tool that breaks password-KD templates. Our aim is to investigate how a synthetic attack designed with general knowledge about users' typing habits would perform against a password-KD co-authentication system in practice. Our initial results indicate that in the wake of synthetic impostor attacks, the incorporation of KD into regular password-based systems may not necessarily lessen the burden of users having to maintain strong passwords for guaranteed security.
The Benefits of Groundwater Protection: Discussion

The topic of this session has two components: (i) what do we know about the benefits from protection of groundwater quality, and (ii) what are the implications of this knowledge for the design of public policy. The first two papers, by Boyle, Poe, and Bergstrom and by Abdalla, focus primarily on the first component, while the main goal of the Allee and Powell paper relates to the second component. To the extent that the first two papers discuss implications of previous benefit estimates, they are implications for research rather than for policy design or implementation. While Allee and Powell's paper does consider the implications of information about groundwater benefits, it deals only with positive implications (i.e., how does the information affect decisions) and does not address the normative implications (i.e., how should policies be designed, given the information). Nonetheless, the papers reflect the state of the art. The lack of conclusions regarding the normative implications of information about groundwater benefits may simply reflect our inability to say much about those implications at this point. The conventional wisdom with respect to groundwater contamination is that it is a very site-specific problem, a point that is emphasized by Abdalla and seems consistent with the range of values for willingness to pay (WTP) reported by Boyle, Poe, and Bergstrom. Nonetheless, valuation exercises are generally expensive. It would be useful for the design of public policy if information about the benefits of groundwater protection could somehow be obtained without the need for an original survey for every policy context. This is, of course, the reason for the interest in what has come to be known as "benefits transfer."
Marked increases in cathepsin B and L activities distinguish papillary carcinoma of the thyroid from normal thyroid or thyroid with non‐neoplastic disease

Cathepsin B (CB) and cathepsin L (CL) are cysteine endopeptidases involved in the processing of thyroglobulin (Tg) in the normal thyroid. As thyroglobulin expression is frequently altered in thyroid carcinomas, we have analyzed 42 human thyroid tissues from 40 patients to study the effect of malignant transformation on the expression of these endopeptidases. Our samples included 18 cases of papillary carcinoma (of which 10 also had matched adjacent normal thyroid tissue), 6 cases of normal thyroid from autopsy patients, I case of follicular carcinoma, 2 cases of medullary carcinoma, 2 cases of follicular adenoma, 3 cases of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) and 10 samples from 8 patients with multi-nodular goiter (MNG). Enzyme-specific activities were increased 15-fold for CB and 9-fold for CL in papillary carcinoma compared with normal adjacent thyroid tissue or normal thyroid from autopsies. CB mRNA content was also markedly increased in papillary carcinoma compared with normal thyroid, primarily due to elevated levels of the 2.2-kb CB mRNA transcript. In thyroids with nonneoplastic diseases, including MNG and HT, there was no significant increase in either CB or CL enzyme activities nor CB mRNA levels compared with normal thyroids from non-cancer cases. lmmunohistochemical studies on papillary carcinomas revealed increased CB staining in papillary carcinoma cells, with prominent staining close to the basement membranes of many of the neoplastic cells. Our observations suggest that CB and CL enzyme activities are potentially useful new biochemical markers for distinguishing papillary carcinoma of the thyroid from non-neoplastic thyroid disease. o 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The functions of plastic injection moulding features

Abstract The design of products requires engineers to be knowledgeable about basic features and their functions. This paper develops function/feature relation information used by designers in the plastic injection moulding domain. The basis for the findings are interviews with 27 industrial designers, mechanical design engineers, tool designers and plastics process engineers. These individuals discussed the design of 79 plastic parts with the first author. In doing so they used 11 different features to describe 53 basic functions.
The behavioral complications of pallidal stimulation: a case report

We report a case of recurrent manic episodes associated with chronic deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting globus pallidus (GP) in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). Cardinal PD symptoms and dyskinesia improved with DBS, and neuropsychological testing found improvements in visuospatial measures associated with left DBS and in verbal memory with right DBS when compared to the patient's preoperative baseline. Under conditions of right, left, and bilateral DBS, the patient experienced bouts of mania and hypomania lasting several days at a time. Positron emission tomography (PET) with (15)O-labeled water was performed after his first manic episode under four conditions: no stimulation, right DBS, left DBS, and bilateral DBS. Although no manic switch occurred during the course of the PET study, all three DBS conditions were associated with decreases in regional flow in the left parahippocampus and hippocampus and right mid-cingulate gyrus. Increases in flow in left inferior frontal area, bilateral insula, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and cuneus were common to all DBS conditions. GP stimulation in PD may be associated with behavioral and cognitive effects. Distributed blood flow changes observed with pallidal DBS support a role for the pallidum in cognition and affective regulation.
Development of HOFC Work Roll Curve for Strip Rolling Mill

The HOFC (High Order Flatness Control) work roll curve was designed using Matlab. It has great flatness control ability, for the roll diameter in the position of the 1/4 roll length can be altered with the changing of angle and index parameters. Combined with the data from a hot strip factory, the elastic deformation of the HOFC work roll was analyzed following the influence coefficient method. The distribution curves of the exit thickness, roll force, work roll bending, pressure between rolls, roll flatting, and roll gap geometry were given under the conditions of different roll parameters. Results show that the HOFC work roll curve can eliminate the high flatness defects, reduce the edge drop, improve the lateral thickness uniformity, and maximize the available cross section of the strip effectively.
Section Review Central & Peripheral Nervous Systems: New antidepressant agents: Recent pharmacological developments leading to improved efficacy

The disadvantages of the standard tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), in terms of side-effects and fatal overdose, led to the development and release of seven new antidepressants in the USA in the past eight years with approximately another ten in various stages of development. This paper will focus on how recent advances in biochemistry and kinetics have led to improved efficacy. In particular, the more specific 5-HT agents appear effective for ‘typical’ depression and pain; the less specific ones for depression associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are particularly suited for treatment of depression associated with diabetes mellitus; the serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), venla-faxine, for resistant depression; and bupropion, for atypical depression. The serotonin receptor modulator (SRM), nefazodone, in contrast, is particularly suited for the treatment of depression associated with ...
Variations of water vapor concentration in the Shuttle environment

A quadrupole mass spectrometer was used on STS-4 to measure the water vapor concentration in the Shuttle's vicinity. During the flight, the water concentration varied by at least a factor of 100, and correlated very well with the temperature of the bay. Water dumps and Shuttle attitude had little effect on the measured water signals. Estimates of total water concentration can be made from both the ion mode and the neutral mode data. Though the two types of data show qualitatively similar behavior, there is not enough ion mode data to confirm the detailed trends observed in the neutral mode. The ion mode and neutral mode estimates appear to bracket the true water concentration. A lower limit estimate of the highest water concentration at the instrument is 5 x 10 ~ Torr.
Tradeoffs between power management and tail latency in warehouse-scale applications

The growth in datacenter computing has increased the importance of energy-efficiency in servers. Techniques to reduce power have brought server designs close to achieving energy-proportional computing. However, they stress the inherent tradeoff between aggressive power management and quality of service (QoS) — the dominant metric of performance in datacenters. In this paper, we characterize this tradeoff for 15 benchmarks representing workloads from Google's datacenters. We show that 9 of these benchmarks often toggle their cores between short bursts of activity and sleep. In doing so, they stress sleep selection algorithms and can cause tail latency degradation or missed potential for power savings of up to 10% on important workloads like web search. However, improving sleep selection alone is not sufficient for large efficiency gains on current server hardware. To guide the direction needed for such large gains, we profile datacenter applications for susceptibility to dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS). We find the largest potential in DVFS which is cognizant of latency/power tradeoffs on a workload-per-workload basis.
How you know you are not a brain in a vat

A sensible epistemologist may not see how she could know that she is not a brain in a vat (BIV); but she doesn’t panic. She sticks with her empirical beliefs, and as that requires, believes that she is not a BIV. (She does not inferentially base her belief that she is not a BIV on her empirical knowledge—she rejects that ‘Moorean’ response to skepticism.) Drawing on the psychological literature on metacognition, I describe a mechanism that’s plausibly responsible for a sensible epistemologist coming to believe she is not a BIV. I propose she thereby knows that she is not a BIV. The particular belief-forming mechanism employed explains why she overlooks this account of how she knows she is not a BIV, making it seem that there is no way for her to know it. I argue this proposal satisfactorily resolves the skeptical puzzle.
CREATING A MEANINGFUL WORKING CAPITAL GUARANTEE PROGRAM FOR THE SMALL EXPORTER: THE CASE OF THE U.S. EXIMBANK

Small exporters often confront a reluctance of financial institutions to extend short‐term credit lines needed to meet the manufacturing and related marketing costs associated with an overseas order. This problem has been particularly acute in the United States in the last decade as many regional banks sought to avoid such “international” risk as accepting foreign receivables as collateral for such a working capital loan. This paper examines the evolution and success of a newly‐enhanced Working Capital Guarantee Program instituted by the Export‐Import Bank of the United States (Eximbank) that encourages local financial institutions to extend lines that selectively enable smaller firms to meet export orders.
Little ROCK is a ROCK1 pseudogene expressed in human smooth muscle cells

Sequencing of the human genome has identified numerous chromosome copy number additions and subtractions that include stable partial gene duplications and pseudogenes that when not properly annotated can interfere with genetic analysis. As an example of this problem, an evolutionary chromosome event in the primate ancestral chromosome 18 produced a partial duplication and inversion of rho-associated protein kinase 1 (ROCK1 -18q11.1, 33 exons) in the subtelomeric region of the p arm of chromosome 18 detectable only in humans. ROCK1 and the partial gene copy, which the gene databases also currently call ROCK1, include non-unique single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Here, we characterize this partial gene copy of the human ROCK1, termed Little ROCK, located at 18p11.32. Little ROCK includes five exons, four of which share 99% identity with the terminal four exons of ROCK1 and one of which is unique to Little ROCK. In human while ROCK1 is expressed in many organs, Little ROCK expression is restricted to vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) lines and organs rich in smooth muscle. The single nucleotide polymorphism database (dbSNP) lists multiple variants contained in the region shared by ROCK1 and Little ROCK. Using gene and cDNA sequence analysis we clarified the origins of two non-synonymous SNPs annotated in the genome to actually be fixed differences between the ROCK1 and the Little ROCK gene sequences. Two additional coding SNPs were valid polymorphisms selectively within Little ROCK. Little ROCK-Green Fluorescent fusion proteins were highly unstable and degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome system in vitro. In this report we have characterized Little ROCK (ROCK1P1), a human expressed pseudogene derived from partial duplication of ROCK1. The large number of pseudogenes in the human genome creates significant genetic diversity. Our findings emphasize the importance of taking into consideration pseudogenes in all candidate gene and genome-wide association studies, as well as the need for complete annotation of human pseudogenome.
Characterizing phosphorus dynamics in tile-drained agricultural fields of eastern Wisconsin

Summary Artificial subsurface drainage provides an avenue for the rapid transfer of phosphorus (P) from agricultural fields to surface waters. This is of particular interest in eastern Wisconsin, where there is a concentrated population of dairy farms and high clay content soils prone to macropore development. Through collaboration with private landowners, surface and tile drainage was measured and analyzed for dissolved reactive P (DRP) and total P (TP) losses at four field sites in eastern Wisconsin between 2005 and 2009. These sites, which received frequent manure applications, represent a range of crop management practices which include: two chisel plowed corn fields (CP1, CP2), a no-till corn–soybean field (NT), and a grazed pasture (GP). Subsurface drainage was the dominant pathway of water loss at each site accounting for 66–96% of total water discharge. Average annual flow-weighted (FW) TP concentrations were 0.88, 0.57, 0.21, and 1.32 mg L −1 for sites CP1, CP2, NT, and GP, respectively. Low TP concentrations at the NT site were due to tile drain interception of groundwater flow where large volumes of tile drainage water diluted the FW-TP concentrations. Subsurface pathways contributed between 17% and 41% of the TP loss across sites. On a drainage event basis, total drainage explained between 36% and 72% of the event DRP loads across CP1, CP2, and GP; there was no relationship between event drainflow and event DRP load at the NT site. Manure applications did not consistently increase P concentrations in drainflow, but annual FW-P concentrations were greater in years receiving manure applications compared to years without manure application. Based on these field measures, P losses from tile drainage must be integrated into field level P budgets and P loss calculations on heavily manured soils, while also acknowledging the unique drainage patterns observed in eastern Wisconsin.
Lead salt quantum well diode lasers

Abstract Lead-salt diode lasers are useful for spectroscopic applications in the 2.5–30 μm wavelength range. These devices have previously required cryogenic cooling
Translational efficiency of heat-induced messages in Drosophila melanogaster cells.

Abstract When Drosophila cells are exposed to elevated temperatures, pre-existing polysomes are depleted and normal cellular protein synthesis is greatly reduced. Polysomes rapidly reform on newly synthesized messenger RNA as the so-called heat shock proteins become the major products of protein synthesis in the cell. These circumstances afford the opportunity to calculate rates of initiation and elongation of protein synthesis directly from measurements of the quantity of actively translated messenger RNA and the quantity of protein produced over a given period. Ribosomes were found to initiate on heat-induced messages in Drosophila with a frequency of between 9 and 14 initiations per minute at 37 °C. This rate is close to that reported for other eukaryotic systems at similar temperatures. Thus, although heat treatment causes a profound change in the patterns of protein synthesis, it does not deleteriously affect the capacity of cells to synthesize protein.
Bladder capacity on preoperative urodynamics may impact outcomes on transobturator male slings.

Aims Stress incontinence is frequently seen after prostate surgery. We sought to evaluate preoperative urodynamic (UDS) parameters on functional outcomes after transobturator male sling placement. Methods 49 male patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) after radical prostatectomy or transurethral resection of the prostate underwent transobturator sling (TOS) placement from December 2008 through June 2011 (AdVance® and Virtue®). A retrospective review was performed of those patients who underwent preoperative UDS and had a minimum of 6 weeks of follow up. In total 38 patients were identified. There were 28 patients considered a success and 10 patients considered a failure. We then evaluated the preoperative UDS parameters between these two groups to identify potential adverse parameters. Results Overall success rate was 74% (28/38) with an average follow up of 3 months. Comparing the success and failure groups there was no difference between the pre-operative parameters. On pre-operative UDS, only bladder capacity was found to be significantly lower in those who failed TOS. Univariate comparisons of sling outcomes stratified by bladder capacity tertiles was performed. These values were chosen as they represented the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles, respectively. All patients (10/10) with bladder capacities in the top tertile experienced success with the sling, compared to only 62% and 50% of patients in the 50th and 25th tertiles, respectively; these differences were significant (Fisher's exact P-value = 0.044). Conclusion TOS is an effective therapy for men with SUI. Bladder capacity based on pre-operative UDS may impact the success of the procedure. Neurourol. Urodynam. 31:1124–1127, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Drosophila researchers focus on human disease.

Barcelona has long been known for its innovation, from the architectural genius of Gaudi to the culinary creations of its world-famous chefs. In recent years, it has reinvigorated Spanish science with the establishment of new, progressive research institutions. From 5 to 7 October 2006, Barcelona was host to a conference focusing on a new approach to human disease.
Modeling the effects of concentration history on the slow desorption of trichloroethene from a soil at 100% relative humidity

Abstract To determine the effects of concentration history on slow sorption processes, desorption kinetic profiles for trichloroethene (TCE) were measured for a soil at 100% relative humidity subject to different exposure concentrations and exposure times. Exposure concentrations ranged from 1% to 80% of the saturation vapor pressure ( P s ) for TCE, and exposure times (i.e., time allowed for sorption before desorption begins) ranged from 1 to 96 days. A spherical diffusion model based on a γ distribution of sorption rates and a γ distribution of desorption rates was developed and applied to the data. At 80% P / P s , the entire γ distributions of sorption and desorption rates were available for TCE. In accordance with a micropore filling mechanism, the fraction of these distributions available for TCE sorption decreased with decreasing P / P s . Experimental results are consistent with a micropore-filling mechanism, where the amount of slow desorbing mass decreased with decreasing exposure time, and the fraction of slow desorbing sites filled decreased with decreasing exposure concentration. Simulation results suggest that diffusion limits the rates that micropores fill, and that rates of sorption and desorption for soil contaminated at smaller values of P / P s are, on average, less than those at larger values of P / P s (i.e., slow desorption rates are a function of exposure concentration). Simulation results also suggest that the model adequately describes the effects of exposure concentration and exposure time on the rates of sorption and desorption, but not on the capacity of the slow sites for TCE. This work is important because contaminant concentrations in the subsurface vary in space and time, and the proposed model represents a new and mechanistically based approach to capture the effects of this heterogeneity on slow desorption.
Resonant atomic diffraction: real versus imaginary potentials

In 1997, Zeilinger's group claimed to have observed atomic diffraction from a purely imaginary potential, that is an absorptive grating, made with resonant light waves. In a 1990 summary of their previous research, Kazantsev et al. stated that the diffraction of atoms from resonant light waves is due to a real potential (a resonant phase grating). We resolve this conflict and argue that absorptive gratings of light do not exist for atoms. Analysis of our metastable argon experiments with resonant 801.7 nm light supports this view. We discuss why these issues are important for understanding transverse momentum conservation in diffraction processes.
Lanthanide ion assisted magnetic alignment of model membranes and macromolecules

Orientational and structural properties of membrane peptides and membrane proteins are frequently studied using solid state NMR techniques with aligned samples. Depending on the size of the protein under study, one may choose to employ bicelle or lanthanide-doped bilayer systems, which are known to spontaneously align in magnetic fields with the symmetry axes perpendicular or parallel to the magnetic field, respectively. Using an order matrix formalism, a brief description is given of the anisotropic interactions which are utilized to determine orientational and structural properties of membrane associated macromolecules. The phenomenon of magnetic alignment in these systems is reviewed with particular attention to lanthanide ion assisted alignment. Finally, several examples of lanthanide ion assisted magnetic alignment of macromolecules for high-resolution solution NMR applications are discussed. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson 13: 19–31 2001
Economic Exploitation in Intercollegiate Athletics

This paper investigates philosophically the question of whether or not college and university athletes in the USA are doing something morally wrong should they terminate their college or university experience prior to graduation and enter the professional athletic ranks. Various moral arguments are brought to bear in order to attempt to shed light on this issue. One reason why such athletes ‘turn professional’ before they graduate is the perceived economic exploitation they experience as essentially underpaid workers earning much revenue for their respective institutions. But who is exploiting whom here? Is it just student athletes who are exploited by the system? I expand the reasoning about the exploitation of intercollegiate athletics to include not just student athletes, but their supporting colleges and universities. In the end, it is proposed that the National Collegiate Athletic Association and similar academically related athletic agencies should permit and encourage each of their constituent inst...
Mining Top Issues from Contact Center Logs for Self Help Portals

Self help portals are increasingly popular means for enabling users to find information, resolve problems, and process transactions directly without calling contact centers. Such portals can result in faster problem resolution for users and cost savings for the contact center. However, the effectiveness of self help portals is often limited by the topicality, recency, and relevance of the knowledge (documents, etc.) that users are provided access to. In this paper, we present a system and an architecture for automatically mining the top issues - questions people are calling contact centers for - and presenting corresponding solution documents to users through self help portals. Running the top issues mining regularly (e.g. hourly, daily, etc.) ensures dynamically updated and relevant content on the portals and can greatly reduce costs at contact centers by avoiding calls. Furthermore, top issues mining can highlight the knowledge gap or the issues for which no solution documents currently exist. We describe our end to end system, present algorithms for mining, and discuss the knowledge gap that can prevent self enabling portals from realizing its potential benefits.
Feeding biomechanics in the Great Barracuda during ontogeny

In this study we investigated bite force and functional morphology of the feeding mechanism of the great barracuda Sphyraena barracuda through ontogeny. Theoretical estimates of bite force at two bite points were calculated for a size series of barracuda ranging from 18 to 130 cm TL (n = 27) using a threedimensional static equilibrium model. In addition, electromyography was used to determine the role of the adductor mandibulae subdivisions (A1, A2, A3) in jaw closure. All recorded subdivisions were active during jaw adduction, although onset times and activity durations differed among them. Bite force ranged from 1 to 93 N at the most anterior bite point, and from 3 to 258 N at the most posterior bite point. Mechanical advantage, in lever and posterior out lever, as well as the cross-sectional area of the majority of the adductor mandibulae subdivisions scaled with isometry; consequently bite force at both bite points also scaled with isometry. Bite force in S. barracuda increased in proportion to total length during ontogeny, which may be associated with a piscivorous diet throughout its life. When compared to other fishes, values of bite force in S. barracuda are among the lowest relative to its body size.
Revolution or evolution?: a comparison of object-oriented and structured systems development methods

This paper examines the changes engendered when moving from a structured to an object-oriented systems development approach and reconciles the differing views concerning whether this represents an evolutionary or revolutionary change. Author co-citation analysis is used to elucidate the ideational and conceptual relationships between the two approaches. The difference in conceptual distance at the analysis and design level compared to that at the programming level is explained using Henderson's framework for organizational change. The conceptual shift during analysis and design is considered architectural, whereas for programming it is deemed merely incremental. The managerial implications of these findings are discussed and suggestions for improving the likelihood of success in the adoption of object-oriented systems development methods are provided.
Social class, gender and intrahousehold food allocations to children in South Asia

Abstract In the 1980s research on gender-biased food distribution to children within the household in South Asia yielded important findings. Many studies report evidence of substantial discrimination against daughters, but others do not. This paper reviews research of the 1980s with attention to social differentiation in gender bias. My hypothesis is that different results concerning gender bias in intrahousehold allocations are expectable, given variations in gender hierarchy throughout South Asia. Results of the review indicate that seemingly “contradictory” results are often accurate reflections of social status differences within South Asia that create varying female health and nutritional outcomes.
Importance sampling methodologies for simulation of communication systems with time-varying channels and adaptive equalizers

Two importance sampling (IS) methodologies for Monte Carlo simulation of communication links characterized by time-varying channels and adaptive equalizers are presented. One methodology is denoted as the twin system (TS) method. A key feature of the TS method is that biased noise samples are input to the adaptive equalizer, but the equalizer is only allowed to adapt to these samples for a time interval equal to the memory of the system. In addition to the TS technique, the IA method, a statistically biased, but simpler, technique for using IS with adaptive equalizers that is based on the independence assumption between equalizer input and equalizer taps is presented. Experimental results show run-time speedup factors of two to seven orders of magnitude for a static linear channel with memory, and of two to almost five orders of magnitude for a slowly-varying random linear channel with memory for both the IA and TS methods. >
Regulation of Growth Anisotropy in Well-Watered and Water-Stressed Maize Roots (I. Spatial Distribution of Longitudinal, Radial, and Tangential Expansion Rates)

As a system to study the regulation of growth anisotropy, we studied thinning of the primary root of maize (Zea mays L.) occurring developmentally or induced by water stress. Seedlings were transplanted into vermiculite at a water potential of approximately -0.03 MPa (well-watered) or -1.6 MPa (water-stressed). The diameter of roots in both treatments decreased with time after transplanting; the water-stressed roots became substantially thinner than well-watered roots at steady state, showing that root thinning is a genuine response to water stress. To analyze the thinning responses we quantified cell numbers and the spatial profiles of longitudinal, radial, and tangential expansion rates separately for the cortex and stele. The results showed that there was no zone of isotropic expansion and the degree of anisotropy varied greatly with position and treatment. Thinning over time in well-watered roots was caused by rates of radial and tangential expansion being too low to maintain the shape of the root. In response to low water potential, cell number in both tissues was unchanged radially but increased tangentially, which shows that thinning was caused wholly by reduced cell expansion. Water stress substantially decreased rates of tangential and radial expansion in both the stele and cortex, but only in the apical 5 mm of the root; basal to this, rates were similar in well-watered and water-stressed roots. By contrast, as in previous studies, longitudinal expansion was identical between the treatments in the apical 3 mm but in water-stressed roots was inhibited at more basal locations. The results show that expansion in longitudinal and radial directions can be regulated independently.
Cricoid palpability as a selection criterion for bedside tracheostomy.

Objective To prospectively evaluate the significance of cricoid cartilage palpability as a selection criterion for bedside tracheostomy and to prospectively compare a cohort of patients undergoing bedside tracheostomy with another cohort receiving operating room tracheostomy. Study design/setting Prospective trial comparing 2 cohorts of patients receiving tracheostomies at a tertiary care center (university hospital). In all, 220 consecutive intubated patients selected for elective tracheostomy were enrolled. Of them, 134 patients had palpable cricoid cartilage and underwent open surgical tracheostomy at the bedside. The remaining 68 patients received open surgical tracheostomies in the operating room. Demographic data, patient anatomic features, and perioperative complications were prospectively recorded. There were no statistically significant differences in age, gender, reason for admission, indication for tracheostomy, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, number of days intubated, or time required to perform the procedure for those patients whose tracheostomies were performed in the operating room versus the intensive care unit. Results Patients with a palpable cricoid cartilage had a significantly reduced perioperative complication rate compared with those without a palpable cricoid cartilage (2% vs 22%, P Conclusion This investigation prospectively confirms the safety of bedside tracheostomy placement in properly selected patients. Complication incidences are defined for open surgical tracheostomy at the bedside and in the operating room. Palpability of the cricoid cartilage has significant value as a selection criterion for bedside tracheostomy. Significance These findings will aid in the development of protocols and pathways for surgical airway management in critically ill patients to maximize cost-effective, high-quality care. EBM rating B-2