cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Scaling-up knowledge of growing-season net ecosystem exchange for long-term assessment of North Dakota grasslands under the Conservation Reserve Program

Scaling-up knowledge of land-atmosphere net ecosystem exchange (NEE) from a single experimental site to numerous perennial grass fields in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) requires appropriate scaling protocols. We addressed this problem using synoptic data available from the Landsat sensor for 10 growing seasons (April 15 to September 30) over a North Dakota field-site, where we continuously measured CO2 exchange using a Bowen Ratio Energy Balance (BREB) system. NEE observed during the growing season at our field-site from 1997 to 2006 vacillated with drought and deluge, with net carbon (C) losses to the atmosphere in 2006. We used stepwise linear regression with 10 years of Landsat and NEE data to construct and validate a model for estimating grassland growing-season NEE from field to landscape scales. Eighty-nine percent of the variability in NEE was explained by year, live biomass, carbon : nitrogen ratio, day of image acquisition, and annual precipitation. We then applied this model on 20 620 ha of North Dakota perennial grass fields enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), including 1272 fields east of the Missouri River and 165 fields west-river. Growing-season NEE for individual CRP fields was highly variable from 1997 to 2006, ranging from −366 to 692 g C m−2 growing season−1. Mean annual growing-season fluxes over 10 years for CRP fields located east-river and west-river were 317 g C m−2 growing season−1 and 239 g C m−2 growing season−1, respectively. Average cumulative growing-season NEE modeled for fields east- and west-river diverged from one another in 2002–2006, when west-river fields received < 70% of the long-term annual average precipitation during these years. Results indicate assessment of conservation practices on grassland CO2 exchange during the growing season can be remotely estimated at field and landscape scales under variable environmental conditions and should be followed up with similar, spatially explicit investigations of NEE during the dormant season.
Uses of the Trojan libration points of the earth-sun system.

TAGRANGE found five points in the plane of revolution -L^ of two mutually gravitating heavy masses where, given the proper initial conditions, a light mass will maintain an almost fixed position relative to the heavy masses. These libration points are labeled LI . . . L$ in Fig. 1, in which the earth and sun are the heavy masses. The collinear libration points (Li, Z/2, and Lz) are unstable; small initial displacements result in ever larger movements away from the point. L4 and L5, at the vertices of equilateral triangles formed with the earth and the sun, are stable; if the initial displacement is small, it merely results in oscillation (libration) about the point. Since astronomers had discovered asteroids near the Z/4 and L$ points of Jupiter's orbit and named them for heroes of the Trojan War, Z/4 and L$ are frequently called Trojan libration points. In this note, some uses are suggested for a space probe at a Trojan libration point of the earth-sun system. But before turning to that, let us consider a family of low-energy transfer orbits to Z/4 and L5 and compute the useful payloads that an Atlas/Centaur can deliver to them.
Ship-based radiometer to measure the aerosol optical depth, sky radiance, and ocean reflection

A ship radiometer is currently being constructed which will make sun, sky and ocean surface multi-wavelength radiance measurements. The measurements will be used to derive aerosol and ocean surface optical properties. This paper describes the basic design of this radiometer.
Isolated Kidney Perfusion: A Model for Testing Platelet Function

SummaryThe isolated, perfused rabbit kidney was developed as a model system for evaluating platelet function. Kidneys perfused without platelets or with stored or clumped platelets showed an increase in weight and perfusion pressure, could not maintain surface hemostasis, and produced bloody urine. Perfusion with nonfunctional adenosine-treated platelets demonstrated similar changes without an increase in kidney weight. By contrast, organs perfused with fresh, acidified platelet concentrates from several species functioned well for the duration of perfusion. Pathologic changes in kidneys perfused under these various conditions were consistent with the functional changes observed.
Effects of N-nitrosopyrrolidine, nitrite and pyrrolidine on tumour development in mice as related to ingestion of cured meat.

Abstract The incidence of tumours in mice fed a standard chow diet and given either N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPyr), nitrite (NO2) or nitrite plus pyrrolidine (NO2 + Pyr) in the drinking water for 12 months at 100mg, 1 g and 1 g plus 100mg/litre, respectively, was compared with that for a control group (C) receiving no additives. Differences between groups in weight gain and feed consumption were not significant. Group 3 (NO2) drank less water (P
Brimonidine in the treatment of glaucoma and ocular hypertension.

Treatment in glaucoma aims to lower intraocular pressure (IOP) to reduce the risk of progression and vision loss. The alpha2-adrenergic receptor agonist brimonidine effectively lowers IOP and is useful as monotherapy, adjunctive therapy, and replacement therapy in open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension. A fixed combination of brimonidine and timolol, available in some countries, reduces IOP as effectively as concomitant therapy with brimonidine and timolol and offers the convenience of 2 drugs in a single eyedrop. Brimonidine is safe and well tolerated. Its most common side-effects are conjunctival hyperemia, allergic conjunctivitis, and ocular pruritus. The newest formulation of brimonidine, brimonidine-Purite 0.1%, has a higher pH to improve the ocular bioavailability of brimonidine. This formulation contains the lowest effective concentration of brimonidine and is preserved with Purite® to enhance ocular tolerability. Brimonidine-Purite 0.1% is as effective in reducing IOP as the original brimonidine 0.2% solution preserved with benzalkonium chloride. Recent results from preclinical and clinical studies suggest that brimonidine may protect retinal ganglion cells and their projections from damage and death independently of its effects on IOP. The potential for neuroprotection with brimonidine is an added benefit of its use in glaucoma and ocular hypertension.
A PACS-1, GGA3 and CK2 complex regulates CI-MPR trafficking

The cation-independent mannose-6-phosphate receptor (CI-MPR) follows a highly regulated sorting itinerary to deliver hydrolases from the trans-Golgi network (TGN) to lysosomes. Cycling of CI-MPR between the TGN and early endosomes is mediated by GGA3, which directs TGN export, and PACS-1, which directs endosome-to-TGN retrieval. Despite executing opposing sorting steps, GGA3 and PACS-1 bind to an overlapping CI-MPR trafficking motif and their sorting activity is controlled by the CK2 phosphorylation of their respective autoregulatory domains. However, how CK2 coordinates these opposing roles is unknown. We report a CK2-activated phosphorylation cascade controlling PACS-1- and GGA3-mediated CI-MPR sorting. PACS-1 links GGA3 to CK2, forming a multimeric complex required for CI-MPR sorting. PACS-1-bound CK2 stimulates GGA3 phosphorylation, releasing GGA3 from CI-MPR and early endosomes. Bound CK2 also phosphorylates PACS-1Ser278, promoting binding of PACS-1 to CI-MPR to retrieve the receptor to the TGN. Our results identify a CK2-controlled cascade regulating hydrolase trafficking and sorting of itinerant proteins in the TGN/endosomal system.
Dislocations in extruded Co-49.3at% Al

Polycrystalline Co-49.3at% Al which had been extruded at 1505 K was examined using transmission electron microscopy. Diffraction contrast analysis showed that b = 〈100〉 as well as b = 〈111〉 dislocations contribute to elevated temperature deformation in CoAl. Therefore, it was concluded that sufficient slip systems exist in CoAl to allow for general plasticity in the absence of diffusional mechanisms. Since no examples of b = 〈110〉 dislocations were found, the importance of 〈110〉{1¯10} slip in CoAl at 1505 K is unclear. Dislocations of the type b = 〈001〉 were observed on both {110} and {100} planes while b = 〈111〉 dislocations were observed on {1¯10} planes.
Effects of intestinal antisepsis on experimental bile peritonitis

Summary 1. Experimental bile peritonitis has been studied in dogs. 2. Reduction of the intestinal flora by an orally administered, nonabsorbed, intestinal antiseptic significantly reduced the mortality in experimental bile peritonitis. 3. The source of the bacterial contamination in bile peritonitis has been discussed.
Chronic opioid antagonist treatment selectively regulates trafficking and signaling proteins in mouse spinal cord

Chronic opioid antagonist treatment produces functional supersensitivity and μ-opioid receptor (μOR) upregulation. Studies suggest a role for G-protein receptor kinases (GRKs) and dynamin (DYN), but not signaling proteins (e.g., Giα2), in regulation of μOR density following opioid treatment. Therefore, this study examined μOR density, agonist potency, and the abundance and gene expression of GRK-2, DYN-2, and Giα2 in mouse spinal cord after opioid antagonist treatment. Mice were implanted with a 15 mg naltrexone (NTX) or placebo pellet and 8 days later pellets were removed. At 24 and 192 h following NTX treatment, mice were tested for spinal DAMGO analgesia. Other mice were sacrificed at 0 or 192 h following NTX treatment and Giα2, GRK-2, and DYN-2 protein and mRNA levels determined. [3H] DAMGO binding studies were also conducted. Immediately following NTX treatment (0 h), μOR density was increased (+ ≈135%), while 192 h following NTX treatment μOR density was unchanged. NTX increased DAMGO analgesic potency (3.1-fold) 24 h following NTX treatment, while there was no effect at 192 h. NTX decreased protein and mRNA abundance of GRK-2 (−32%; −48%) and DYN-2 (−25%; −29%) in spinal cord at 0 h. At 192 h following 8-day NTX treatment, GRK-2 protein and mRNA were at control levels, while DYN-2 protein remained decreased (–31%) even though DYN-2 mRNA had returned to control levels. Giα2 was unaffected by NTX treatment. These data suggest that opioid antagonist-induced μ-receptor upregulation is mediated by changes in abundance and gene expression of proteins implicated in receptor trafficking, which may decrease constitutive receptor cycling. Synapse 50:67–76, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Kinetics of interlayer formation on polycrystalline α -Al 2 O 3 /copper-titanium alloy interface

Copper-titanium alloys are known to wet an alumina surface. Traditionally, contact angles are used as measurable parameters to monitor the progress of wetting. Contact angle is a measure of the thermodynamic equilibrium at the interface. For reactive wetting systems, it is well known that the interfacial properties vary as a function of time. In the present study, kinetics of reaction were studied by monitoring the rate of interfacial phase formation. An immersion apparatus was built for this purpose. The extent of reaction was measured both by a simple surface compositional analysis and by interfacial reaction layer thickness measurements. The reaction layer exhibited a parabolic growth with an associated activation energy of 180 to 230 kJ/mole. A speculative growth mechanism is proposed based on the experimental observations and the information available in the literature.
Wealth Maximization and Judicial Decision Making: The Issues Further Clarified

We welcome Richard Posner’s response1 to our article,2 which surveyed and interpreted his first 120 appelate opinions. His response has helped clarify the issues between him and those who find that the wealth maximizing criterion is not precisely what he thinks it is; that is, that the content of judicial decision involves something quite different from what he thinks it does — even though he now sits on the bench and we are laymen.
Rotten boroughs and the connecticut legislature

The Connecticut system of representation by local units of govenment rather than on a basis of population is bad in theory but has practical compensating advantages.
Role of calcium ions in the structure and function of pulmonary surfactant

Pulmonary surfactant isolated by centrifugation in buffers containing ions contains at least three different morphologic structures. The presence of one of these, tubular myelin, is dependent on calcium ions, since chelation of the calcium ions causes disruption of this structure. Addition of EDTA also decreases the ability of the surfactant to absorb rapidly to air-water interfaces and lower surface tension. Titration with calcium ions (2.5 or 5 mM) restores rapid surface adsorption and restores the tubular myelin structural forms. Magnesium ions cannot substitute for calcium ions in these processes. The reversibility of structure and function induced by calcium ions and EDTA is also accompanied by reversible isopycnic density shifts probably related to aggregation and disaggregation of the lipid-protein complex with calcium ions and EDTA, respectively.
Assessment of rectal tumor infiltration utilizing endorectal MR imaging and comparison with endoscopic rectal sonography

Background: The preoperative assessment of depth of invasion of rectal carcinoma is increasingly important as new treatment methodologies are developed. Accuracy of preoperative endorectal MR imaging was therefore compared with that of the endoscopic rectal sonography in determining depth of invasion of rectal carcinomas. Method: From March 1993 to April 1994. 10 consecutive patients with biopsy-proven rectal carcinomas were imaged with both endorectal MR imaging and endoscopic rectal sonography. These two studies were performed an average of 2.7 days apart in each patient. All 10 patients had surgical resection of the rectal carcinoma within days of imaging studies. TNM staging of each malignant lesion was correlated with the imaging reports. Result: Staging accuracy was 80% for endorectal MR imaging and 70% for endoscopic rectal sonography. With MR imaging, one T2 lesion was overstaged and one T3 lesion was understaged. With sonography, two T2 lesions were overstaged and one T3 lesion was understaged. One MR error resulted from misinterpretation. All other staging errors occurred in patients with tumor spread into, but not through, the muscularis propria or with microscopic spread through this layer. Conclusions: Endorectal MR imaging and endoscopic rectal sonography have similar accuracy for assessing depth of invasion of rectal carcinoma.
Coherent optical imaging and guided interventions in breast cancer: translating technology into clinical applications

Breast cancer continues to be one of the most widely diagnosed forms of cancer in women and the second leading type of cancer deaths for women. The metastatic spread and staging of breast cancer is typically evaluated through the nodal assessment of the regional lymphatic system, and often this is performed during the surgical resection of the tumor mass. The recurrence rate of breast cancer is highly dependent on several factors including the complete removal of the primary tumor during surgery, and the presence of cancer cells in involved lymph nodes. Hence, developing means to more accurately resect tumor cells, along with the tumor mass, and ensure negative surgical margins, offers the potential to impact outcomes of breast cancer. The use of diffuse optical tomography has been applied for screening optical mammography applications as an alternative to standard x-ray mammography. The use of coherence ranging and coherent optical imaging in breast tissue has also found numerous applications, including intra-operative assessment of tumor margin status during lumpectomy procedures, assessment of lymph node changes for staging metastatic spread, and for guiding needle-biopsy procedures. The development, pre-clinical testing, and translation of techniques such as low-coherence interferometry (LCI) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) into clinical applications in breast cancer is demonstrated in these feasibility studies.
Desorption of hydrogen from GaN(0001) observed by HREELS and ELS

Abstract The bare and hydrogenated GaN(0001) surfaces were characterized using high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS), electron energy loss spectroscopy (ELS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and low energy electron diffraction (LEED). AES and LEED show that the GaN surface is clean but faceted. Changes in the surface electronic structure are characterized using ELS. Exposure to atomic hydrogen produces a merging of the double peak centered near 20 eV and a leveling of the region from 10 to 15 eV. These hydrogen-induced changes begin to decrease after briefly heating to 260°C and are completely reversed after heating to 380°C. Atomic hydrogen exposure produces HREELS loss peaks at 2580, 3280 and 3980 cm −1 due to combinations of the Ga–H stretching vibration at 1880 cm −1 and Fuchs–Kliewer phonons. Briefly heating to 260°C or above produces a decrease in the intensity of Ga–H vibrations. Heating to 380°C results in a complete disappearance of adsorbate vibrational peaks. Observation of desorbing molecular hydrogen by mass spectrometry confirms that the disappearance of Ga–H features in HREEL and ELS spectra is due to recombinative desorption of hydrogen. Overall this work demonstrates desorption of hydrogen from surface Ga sites between 250 and 450°C.
Polyamines are intracellular messengers in the β-adrenergic regulation of Ca2+ fluxes, [Ca2+]i and membrane transport in rat heart myocytes

The β-adrenergic agonist 1-isoproterenol (0.1 μM) evokes an acute ( 45 Ca influx and efflux, decreases [Ca 2+ ] i , and stimulates Ca 2+ -dependent membrane transport (endocytosis, hexose transport, amino acid transport). The β-adrenergic antagonist propranolol blocks isoproterenol-induced membrane transport. The ODC inhibitor α-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO, 5–10 mM) blocks the isoproterenol-evoked increase in ODC activity and polyamine levels and the changes in 45 Ca fluxes, [Ca 2+ ] i and membrane transport. Putrescine (0.5 – 1 mM) replenishes cellular polyamines and reverses the DFMO effect. These data exclude an increase in [Ca 2+ ] i in stimulustransport coupling, and support the hypothesis that polyamines are messengers in β-adrenoceptor-mediated regulation of transmembrane Ca 2+ fluxes, [Ca 2+ ] i , and Ca 2+ -dependent membrane transport.
Expected cost bounds for the selection and ordering procedures based on binary-type questions

Abstract The problems considered in this paper are similar to those studied by Arrow, Pesotchinsky and Sobel (1981). We search for the optimal methods of ordering of a sample or of identifying sample order statistics by asking binary type questions and employing the criterion which defines the cost of a question as the number of responses. The asymptotic results show that our procedures with simple algorithms are comparable (in terms of cost) with the best known methods for ordering by using pairwise comparisons.
Wrong‐way deviation of the tongue with hysterical hemiparesis

Strong deviation of the protruded tongue towards the "normal" side is an old sign of hysterical hemiparesis. The following four cases illustrate that hysterical tongue deviation continues to offer a valuable diagnostic clue.
Sickling hemoglobinopathies; macular and perimacular vascular abnormalities.

Abnormalities in the fine vasculature of the macular and perimacular regions occurred in 7 of 35 consecutive patients with sickling hemoglobinopathies (4 sickle cell anemia, 2 sickle cell hemoglobin C disease, 1 sickle thalassemia). Microaneurysm-like dots, dark and enlarged segments of terminal arterioles, and hairpin-shaped venular loops were visible ophthalmoscopically. Pathologic avascular zones and changes in the normal architecture of both the foveal avascular zone and the surrounding capillary bed were visible only on fluorescein angiography. Four of the seven patients had some loss of central visual functions. These abnormalities are similar to changes described In the retinal periphery of patients with sickling disorders and can be explained by the same pathogenic mechanisms. They, therefore, represent a clinical disease that we have called sickling maculopathy.
Sexual dimorphism in avian hepatic monooxygenases.

Adult white Leghorn chickens exhibited a sexual dimorphism in hepatic microsomal monooxygenases determined from the concentrations of total cytochromes P450 and b5, and the metabolism of drug (hexobarbital, coumarin and ethoxyresorufin) and steroid (androstenedione and testosterone) substrates that were 2- to 4-fold greater in roosters than in hens. Caponizing at 6 weeks of age reduced the activities of the monooxygenases to levels comparable to those found in intact hens. In spite of the fact that testosterone replacement maximally stimulated comb growth in the capons and elevated (i.e. masculinized) hepatic monooxygenase activities in the hens to male-like levels, androgen replacement was ineffective in increasing the subnormal enzyme levels in the capons. While the failure of testosterone administration to restore monooxygenase levels in the capons may be explained by the immaturity of the birds at orchiectomy, the present results demonstrate, that like some mammals, birds may display gender differences in hepatic monooxygenases that are regulated by the testes.
A type-theoretic approach to higher-order modules with sharing

The design of a module system for constructing and maintaining large programs is a difficult task that raises a number of theoretical and practical issues. A fundamental issue is the management of the flow of information between program units at compile time via the notion of an interface. Experience has shown that fully opaque interfaces are awkward to use in practice since too much information is hidden, and that fully transparent interfaces lead to excessive interdependencies, creating problems for maintenance and separate compilation. The “sharing” specifications of Standard ML address this issue by allowing the programmer to specify equational relationships between types in separated modules, but are not expressive enough to allow the programmer complete control over the propagation of type information between modules.These problems are addressed from a type-theoretic viewpoint by considering a calculus based on Girard's system Fo. The calculus differs form those considered in previous studies by relying exclusively on a new form of weak sum type to propagate information at compile-time, in contrast to approaches based on strong sums which rely on substitution. The new form of sum type allows for the specification of equational, as well as type and kind, information in interfaces. This provides complete control over the propagation of compile-time information between program units and is sufficient to encode in a straightforward way most users of type sharing specifications in Standard ML. Modules are treated as “first-class” citizens, and therefore the system supports higher-order modules and some object-oriented programming idioms; the language may be easily restricted to “second-class” modules found in ML-like languages.
Surgical management of traumatic pulmonary injury.

Abstract Background Surgical treatment of traumatic pulmonary injuries requires knowledge of multiple approaches and operative interventions. We present a 15year experience in treatment of traumatic pulmonary injuries. We hypothesize that increased extent of lung resection correlates with higher mortality. Methods Surgical registry data of a level 1 trauma center was retrospectively reviewed from 1984 to 1999 for traumatic lung injuries requiring operative intervention. Epidemiologic, operative, and hospital mortality data were obtained. Results Operative intervention for traumatic pulmonary injuries was required in 397 patients, of whom 352 (89%) were men. Penetrating trauma was seen in 371 (93%) patients. Location of the injuries was noted in the left side of the chest in 197 (50%), right side of the chest in 171 (43%), and bilateral in 29 (7%). Operative interventions included pneumonorraphy (58%), wedge resection or lobectomy in (21%), tractotomy (11%), pneumonectomy (8%), and evacuation of hematoma (2%). Overall mortality was 27%. If concomitant laparotomy was required, mortality increased to 33%. The mortality rate in the pneumonectomy group was 69.7%. Conclusions The majority of lung injuries occurred in males due to penetrating trauma. Surgical treatment options ranged from simple oversewing of bleeding injury to rapid pneumonectomy. Mortality increased as the complexity of the operative intervention increased. Rapid intraoperative assessment and appropriate control of the injury is critical to the successful management of traumatic lung injury.
Range Image Segmentation through Pattern Analysis of the Multiscale Wavelet Transform

This work presents an image segmentation method for range data that uses multiscale wavelet analysis in combination with statistical pattern recognition. A feature-detection framework based on multiscale analysis and pattern recognition has several potential advantages over other feature detection systems. These advantages are detection of features at different scales (i.e., features of all sizes), robustness, and few or no free parameters. Our system creates a fuzzy edge map and derives a segmentation from this edge detection. A scale-space signature is the vector of measurements at different scales taken at a single point in an image. We analyze these 1-D signatures with traditional pattern-recognition methods. We train a pattern-recognition system with scale-space signatures from the edge points of a training image. Once trained, the system determines the degree ofedgenessof points in a new image. The goal is to create a system that exploits the advantages of a multiscale, pattern-recognition framework.
The Respiratory Pattern in the Tomato Fruit and its Alteration by Infiltration with Various Chemicals

Whether the tomato fruit is left to ripen on or off the plant, a marked increase in its respiratory rate known as the climacteric is observed as it passes from the mature green to the ripe stage (4, 7, 15, 19). A number of hypotheses have been advanced to explain this climacteric rise in respiration (3, 10). It has been suggested that the climacteric rise is caused by increased utilization of ATP or endogenous uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation (16). At present there is no data indicative of uncoupling in situ, and tightly coupled mitochondria have been isolated from avocado fruits at the climacteric peak (20). Increased utilization of ATP could result from the onset of energy requiring processes such as protein synthesis (8, 19). Increased turnover of ATP may be related to changes in mitochondrial permeability. Lyons and Pratt (12) reported that ethylene caused swelling in isolated mitochondria. They suggested that ethylene may increase the permeability of mitochondria within intact fruits, allowing more rapid movement of adenine nucleotides through mitochondrial membranes. Most of the hypotheses about respiratory increases during the climacteric and the controlling mechanisms of respiration have been derived from studies on tissue slices and mitochondrial preparations rather than on whole fruit (17, 18, 20). Such inferences would hold true only if the conditions in the tissue slices and mitochondrial preparations are the same as those in the whole fruit. The respiratory patterns of whole tomato, tissue slices, and mitochondrial preparations were compared over a wide range of fruit maturity. The climacteric rise in respiration as well as alterations of the normal respiratory pattern in the fruit brought about by various chemicals was investigated.
Personality and Attitudes Toward the Treatment of Animals

The authors examined the relationship between personality and attitudes toward the treatment of animals by administering the Sixteen Personality Factor Inventory and the Animal Attitudes Scale to 99 college students. The personality scales were only weakly related to attitudes about animal welfare issues. Two personality factors, sensitivity and imaginativeness, were significantly correlated with attitudes towards animals. Gender and sensitivity explained 25% of the variance in attitudes, with most of the variance accounted for by gender.
Complications of Intrauterine Placement of a Vesicoamniotic Shunt

Abstract Background: Fetal obstructive uropathies complicated by severe oligohydramnios can cause neonatal death due to renal dysplasia and pulmonary hypoplasia. Case: A 31-year-old multigravida was referred at 19.6 weeks with sonographic evidence of fetal megacystis and bilateral hydroureteronephrosis, and severe oligohydramnios. A vesicoamniotic shunt was placed for urinary diversion. Complications included shunt migration, intestinal evisceration, amniorrhexis, preterm labor, and preterm delivery. Bowel characteristics were assessed by measuring the intestinal lumen diameter for evidence of obstruction. The lumen diameter remained stable at 3–5 mm, and the luminal wall remained stable at 2.5 mm. After birth at 31 weeks, the infant underwent exploratory laparotomy and extraction of malpositioned shunts, vesicostomy, and closure of abdominal wall defect. He was discharged at 61 days of life after resolution of neonatal pulmonary and infectious complications. Conclusion: Operative management of complete fetal obstructive uropathy is beneficial despite potential complications.
The effect of the α-β phase change on the α phase solubility of hydrogen in palladium

Abstract Following the α-β phase change in palladium, there is an enhanced solubility of hydrogen at a given equilibrium pressure within the low hydrogen content α phase. There are marked similarities between the absorption isotherms for hydrogen following the phase change and those exhibited by heavily cold-worked palladium. Partial thermodynamic parameters for hydrogen absorption are reported for palladium plastically deformed by the phase change.
SU‐FF‐T‐350: Dose in Buildup Region of Flash: PBC, AAA Calculation Vs Measurement

Purpose: In this paper, results are presented comparing AAA and PBC dose calculation algorithms with dose measured in the buildup region where flash is of concern. Flash is of primary interest for breast, sarcomas, and whole brainradiotherapy treatments. Method and Materials: A cylindrical phantom was scanned on a GE LightSpeed Advantage Sim with slice thickness of 2.5 mm. On an Eclipse TPS (Version 8.2.24), AAA and PBC (Modified Batho inhomogeneity correction) dose calculation algorithms were used to calculate the dose distribution for photon beam energies of 6 MV and 18 MV and field size 12 × 12 cm2 with a calculation grid size of 2.5 mm. The fields were arranged as parallel opposed pair incident on a cylindrical phantom with 3 cm of flash. Dose profiles were compared at 1.5, 4.0, 6.5, and 9.0 mm depths from the end of the cylindrical phantom. Gafchromic EBT film was exposed, in the same dose planes, on a Varian Trilogy Clinac. Measured and calculated dose profiles were compared using RIT113 V5.0 Radiation TherapyDosimetry Software. Results: Calculations show a difference in excess of 7% in dose between the two algorithms at a depth of 4 mm. The AAA produces dose distributions better resemble the measured dose distribution. Conclusion: Preliminary results indicate that the AAA algorithm more closely calculates dose in the buildup region where flash is of concern.
Interdiffusion at polyimide interfaces

Abstract Interdiffusion at interfaces between deuterated polyamic acid (d-PAA) and polyimide (PI) films was investigated with forward recoil spectrometry, an ion beam analysis technique. The PI films were prepared by spin coating a solution of PAA on a silicon substrate, followed by an anneal at a temperature T i , which produced partial or complete conversion of the PAA to PI. An overlayer of d-PAA was added, in one set of samples by spin coating from solution, and in another set by transferring (in the absence of solvents) a dry d-PAA film onto the PI surface. The bilayer samples were then either annealed at a temperature T d or allowed to stand at room temperature. No interdiffusion occurred in the solventless transfer samples for any combination of temperatures T i or T d from room temperature up to 400°C. Bilayers prepared by spin coating d-PAA from solution directly on partially cured PI films did, however, show significant interdiffusion distances w , which decreased with increasing values of T i to immeasurable levels by T i = 200°C. The decrease in w with increasing T i is thought to be caused by a positive Flory parameter between PAA and PI which increases with the imide fraction in the PI film; the result is an increasing immiscibility between the swollen polymer layers. Subsequent annealing of these spin-coated bilayers at a temperature T d up to 400°C was ineffective in producing any additional interdiffusion. The absence of any thermally activated interdiffusion (even for initially unimidized samples), with either the solventless-transfer or spin-coated preparation methods may be attributed to the rapid increase of the glass transition temperature of the polymer with imidization.
Immune response to gross virus-induced lymphoma cryopreservation of functional activity of rat lymphocytes and tumor cells

Abstract We have previously reported that lymphocytes from W/Fu rats immunized with syngeneic (C58NT)D tumor cells were cytotoxic against these cells in a 4-hr 51 Cr release assay. We have investigated the feasibility of cryopreserving lymphocytes and target cells and have selected freezing conditions which provide good yields of viable cells and functional activity. Lymphocytes from different animals had a recovery of 60–80% viability which resulted in a corresponding 55–75% recovery of cytotoxic activity. Repeated testing of lymphocyte cytotoxicity from a pool of frozen spleen cells against either fresh or frozen (C58NT)D cells gave reproducible cytotoxicity. In addition, recovery of high levels of lymphocyte function was also demonstrated when cryopreserved cells were employed in long-term cytotoxic assays, i.e., 3 H-proline and 125 IUdR release assays, in the lymphoproliferative response to mitogens (PHA and Con A) 3 or tumor cells (MLTI) as measured by 3 H-thymidine incorporation, and in the in vitro generation of secondary cytotoxicity. By employing these cryoprotective techniques it is possible to have: 1) a population of lymphoid cells with known functional activity and 2) a pool of target cells with known susceptibility to lysis and antigenic content. Furthermore, the use of frozen cells as internal standards in each test also permits the analysis of assay variation as well as the study of variation in various cell types.
From John McCain to Abu Ghraib: Tortured Bodies and Historical Unaccountability of U.S. Empire

ABSTRACT John McCain, once considered a “friend” of Vietnam because of his support for normalized relations with the United States, has since lost his standing. Claims to inhumane treatment and torture while a prisoner in the “Hanoi Hilton” have met with angry denials and calls for more attention to the humanitarian care that McCain and others received. Recent U.S. allegations of human rights abuses in Vietnam following the Abu Ghraib prison scandal have further strained relations, as have charges leveled against Vietnamese small-scale producers of dishonest trade practices. Drawing on these exchanges, I examine competing representations of Vietnamese wartime acts that have permeated the “normalization” process. Neoliberal rhetorics aimed at “saving” the Vietnamese economy and its allegedly blemished human rights record are countered by discourses and images that lay claim to a Vietnamese “tradition” of wartime compassion and humanitarianism that also demands U.S. historical accountability for imperial violence and its aftermaths. [Keywords: neoliberalism, violence, human rights, Vietnam, historical memory]
Dynamic Yield Management When Aircraft Assignments are Subject to Swap

As a practical form of demand driven dispatch at some major airlines in North America, cockpit compatible aircraft of different capacities are paired in the fleet assignment for a possible future swap on the two involved flights. They are paired in such a way that the swap does not affect their aircraft routings on other legs. The swap decision depends on demand realization on the two flights and is made at a predetermined time prior to departure. Yield management on the two flights is studied in this paper. We begin by studying a base problem in which at a certain time before departure, the assignment on a flight is subject to change with a fixed probability. The base problem extends the threshold policy into the case where future capacity is uncertain. Secondly, we propose a heuristic for yield management over two flights with swappable aircraft by repeatedly updating the swap probability as demand unfolds. Our numerical result shows that this policy significantly enhances the airline’s capability to increase revenue under demand driven dispatch. In addition, the base problem may shed lights on derivation of optimal yield management policy in irregular operational settings where final capacity assignment is independent of yield management policy.
High level describable attributes for predicting aesthetics and interestingness

With the rise in popularity of digital cameras, the amount of visual data available on the web is growing exponentially. Some of these pictures are extremely beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, but the vast majority are uninteresting or of low quality. This paper demonstrates a simple, yet powerful method to automatically select high aesthetic quality images from large image collections. Our aesthetic quality estimation method explicitly predicts some of the possible image cues that a human might use to evaluate an image and then uses them in a discriminative approach. These cues or high level describable image attributes fall into three broad types: 1) compositional attributes related to image layout or configuration, 2) content attributes related to the objects or scene types depicted, and 3) sky-illumination attributes related to the natural lighting conditions. We demonstrate that an aesthetics classifier trained on these describable attributes can provide a significant improvement over baseline methods for predicting human quality judgments. We also demonstrate our method for predicting the “interestingness” of Flickr photos, and introduce a novel problem of estimating query specific “interestingness”.
Seed composition is influenced by irrigation regimes and cultivar differences in soybean

In the midsouth USA, soybean is produced either under irrigated or non-irrigated conditions. The objective of this experiment was to show the utility of supplemental irrigation as an alternative to full-season and non-irrigation to achieve high yield and high seed composition. The effects of irrigation and cultivar differences on soybean yield and seed composition were conducted. Two cultivars (Dwight and Freedom) and three irrigation regimes (full-season irrigation, FS; reproductive stage/supplemental irrigation, RI; and non-irrigation, NI) were used. Protein percentage was higher in Dwight under FS and RI than NI. In Freedom, protein percentage was higher under NI than under FS and RI. Under NI, Freedom had higher protein percentage than Dwight, especially in 2004, but lower oil in 2003 and 2004. Cultivars showed significant differences in fatty acids. Yield in Freedom under FS and RI was not significantly different. Nitrogen fixation was substantially higher under NI conditions. The results indicate that irrigation management and cultivar selection significantly affect seed composition and yield. Protein increase in Freedom under non-irrigated conditions may benefit producers for high protein seed under dry-land conditions. Supplemental irrigation at the reproductive stage may be a possible alternative for full season irrigation for the cultivar Freedom.
Reliability evaluation of distribution systems containing renewable distributed generations

Reliability evaluation of distribution networks under grid-tied and islanded microgrid modes is presented. The Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) algorithm is applied to a modified RBTS Bus 2 distribution network. The network includes three types of distributed energy resources, namely, solar photovoltaic (PV), wind turbine (WT), and diesel turbine generator (DTG). These distributed generators contribute to supply part of the load during grid-connected mode, but supply 100% of the load in the islanded microgrid mode. This study shows that the implementation of distributed generations can improve the reliability indices of the distribution network.
Remediation of floating, open water oil spills: Comparative efficacy of commercially available polypropylene sorbent booms

Several complex methods of remediation are applied to open water oil spills. Sorbing the liquid hydrocarbons with polypropylene booms is an effective and less complex means of treating such events. There are, however, a variety of commercially available booms which display different performances in sorbing different viscosity hydrocarbons. There is no acceptable A.S.T.M. protocol to evaluate these booms for performance efficiency in various weather and hydrocarbon viscosity scenarios. The current paper proposes such a protocol and evaluates the most commonly used sorbent products with the new test procedures. Nine specific performance criteria, based on actual field applications, are demonstrated.
Postproduction re-illumination of live action using interleaved lighting

In this work, we present a technique for capturing a time-varying human performance in such a way that it can be re-illuminated in postproduction. The key idea is to illuminate the subject with a variety of rapidly changing time-multiplexed basis lighting conditions, and to record these lighting conditions with a fast enough video camera so that several or many different basis lighting conditions are recorded during the span of the final video’s desired frame rate. In this poster we present two versions of such a system and propose plans for creating a complete, production-ready device.
Identifying Learning Problems in Children Evaluated for ADHD: The Academic Performance Questionnaire

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the usefulness of the Academic Performance Questionnaire (APQ) to identify low reading and math achievement in children who are being evaluated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: Charts of 997 patients who were seen in a multidisciplinary ADHD evaluation program were reviewed. Patients who were in first- through sixth-grade and had complete APQ and Wechsler Individual Achievement Test II Basic Reading and Numerical Operations subtests were enrolled in this study. The 271 eligible patients were randomly assigned to a score-development group (n = 215) and a validation group (n = 56). By using data from the score-development sample, APQ questions that predicted low academic achievement were identified and the scores for these questions were entered into a logistic regression to identify the APQ questions that independently predicted low achievement. RESULTS: Only 2 APQ questions, 1 about reading and 1 about math, independently predicted low achievement. By using these 2 questions, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.834, and the optimal combination of sensitivity and specificity occurred when the total score for the 2 items was >4. This cutoff had a sensitivity of 0.86 and a specificity of 0.63 in the score-development group and a sensitivity of 1.0 and a specificity of 0.53 in the validation sample. CONCLUSIONS: The APQ may be a useful screening tool to identify children being evaluated for ADHD who need additional testing for learning problems. Although the predictive value of a negative screen on the APQ is good, the predictive value of a positive test is relatively low.
Perfect Matchings of Cellular Graphs

We introduce a family of graphs, called cellular, and consider the problem of enumerating their perfect matchings. We prove that the number of perfect matchings of a cellular graph equals a power of 2 times the number of perfect matchings of a certain subgraph, called the core of the graph. This yields, as a special case, a new proof of the fact that the Aztec diamond graph of order n introduced by Elkies, Kuperberg, Larsen and Propp has exactly 2n(n+1)/2 perfect matchings. As further applications, we prove a recurrence for the number of perfect matchings of certain cellular graphs indexed by partitions, and we enumerate the perfect matchings of two other families of graphs called Aztec rectangles and Aztec triangles.
Development of Nitric Oxide and Prostaglandin Mediation of Shear Stress–Induced Arteriolar Dilation With Aging and Hypertension

Abstract —We hypothesized that during hypertension, the impairment of mediation of shear stress–induced dilation by nitric oxide (NO) is due to the prevailing hemodynamic forces, and that mediation of this response by NO should still be present in young spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Thus, responses to increases in perfusate flow eliciting increases in wall shear stress were investigated in pressurized (80 mm Hg), isolated arterioles (≈70 to 100 μm) of the left or right gracilis muscle obtained from the same WKY and SHR at 4 and 12 weeks of age. Flow-induced dilations were similar in WKY and SHR at 4 weeks (maximum, 26.5±1.8 and 24.2±2.0 μm, respectively). Also, the middle of the upward portion of the shear stress–diameter curves was similar in arterioles of the 2 strains. Inhibition of NO synthase with N ω-nitro-l-arginine (L-NNA) or inhibition of synthesis of prostaglandins (PGs) with indomethacin elicited an ≈50% reduction in flow-dependent dilation, whereas their combined administration eliminated the responses in both groups. In arterioles of 12-week-old WKY, flow-induced dilation became significantly greater (maximum, 46.1±2.3 μm) than responses of arterioles of 4-week-old WKY and 12-week-old SHR (maximum, 18.3±5.9 μm), which shifted only the shear stress–diameter curve of the 12-week-old WKY significantly to the left. Also, at 12 weeks of age, flow-dependent dilation of arterioles from SHR is mediated solely by PGs. Thus, shear stress–induced arteriolar dilation is mediated by NO and PGs in 4-week-old WKY and SHR. With aging, the release of NO and PGs increases in normotensive rats, whereas the contribution of NO to the regulation of shear stress disappears in 12-week-old SHR, which suggests that this change is probably caused by the increase in intraluminal pressure as hypertension develops.
Incentive Regulation, Investment Decisions, and Stock Returns

This study investigates the return implications of investment decisions by firms that are subject to incentive regulation (IR). The analysis controls for the mediating effects of regulatory climate and firm size and allows for industry-wide effects by incorporating a control sample of traditional rate-of-return firms. It is shown that the information contents of unexpected capital expenditures and unexpected investment costs derived from the allowance for funds used during construction are positively related to incentive regulation. The results further reveal that differences in IR types are associated with differences in the information contents of unexpected investments. Furthermore, regulatory climate has positive effects on the association between returns and unexpected investments, whereas firm size has negative but weak effects on the association between returns and unexpected investments.