cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Passive Recovery of Vegetation after Herbivore Eradication on Santa Cruz Island, California

Understanding how insular ecosystems recover or are restructured after the eradication of an invasive species is crucial in evaluating conservation success and prioritizing island conservation efforts. Globally, herbivores have been removed from 762 islands, most with limited active restoration actions following eradication. Few studies have documented the effects of invasive herbivore removal after multiple decades of passive recovery. Here we evaluate recovery of vegetation on Santa Cruz Island, California, after the removal of feral sheep (Ovis aries) in 1984. We repeat a study conducted in 1980, and examine vegetation changes 28 years after the eradication. Before eradication, grazed areas were characterized by reduced plant cover, high exposure of bare ground, and erosion. After 28 years of passive recovery, transect data showed a 23% increase in woody overstory, whereas analysis of photographs from landscapes photographed pre- and post-eradication showed a 26% increase in woody vegetation. Whole island vegetation maps similarly showed a transition from grass/bare ground (74.3% of cover) to woody plants (77.2% of cover), indicating the transition away from predominantly exotic annual grassland toward a community similar to the overstory of coastal scrubland but with an understory dominated by non-native annual grasses. We estimate that replacement of grasses/bare ground by native woody vegetation has led to 70 and 17% increases in the stored carbon and nitrogen pools on the island, respectively. Our results demonstrate that these island ecosystems can experience significant recovery of native floral communities without intensive post-eradication restoration, and results of recovery may take decades to be realized.
Use of Phenytoin for the Long-Term Treatment of Partial Seizures: Results of a Survey Conducted During the 2004 Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology

Background: Epilepsy is a chronic disorder that typically requires lifelongpharmacologic treatment. The choice of an antiepileptic drug (AED), therefore, requires careful consideration of efficacy and tolerability. However, the majority of patients with new-onset seizures are initially treated by physicians in the emergency department (ED) or by non-ED physicians (primary care physicians or internists), with phenytoin being the most common AED prescribed for initial therapy, and the long-term adverse effects of AEDs are often overlooked.
Overt colon ischemia after endovascular aneurysm repair: The importance of microembolization as an etiology

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the incidence, severity, and etiologic factors of the development of colon ischemia after endovascular aortoiliac aneurysm repair (EVAR). Methods: During the last 9 years we performed 278 elective EVARs using a variety of grafts. To facilitate these repairs, one hypogastric artery (HA) was coil embolized in 109 patients and both HAs were coil embolized in 13 patients. The preprocedural status of the inferior mesenteric, hypogastric, and iliac arteries as well as anatomical characteristics of the abdominal aortic aneurysm were determined arteriographically and by computerized tomographic scans. Postoperative colon ischemia was documented by colonoscopy or operative findings. Results: Colon ischemia occurred in eight patients (2.9%). Three patients with colon ischemia died and had evidence of widespread (cutaneous, renal, small bowel, and/or lower extremity) microembolization. One of these three had a colectomy and microscopic emboli were present. One other patient who required a colectomy also had pathologic evidence of colonic microembolization but survived. Four other patients with colon ischemia were treated conservatively and survived. In one patient, previous colectomy with interruption of mesenteric collaterals may have been a contributory cause of colon ischemia. Of the eight patients with colon ischemia, only one had unilateral HA occlusion, and none had bilateral HA occlusion. The other 121 patients with unilateral and bilateral HA occlusion had no evidence of colon ischemia. Conclusions: Colon ischemia occurs after EVAR with an incidence approximating that of open repair. Colon ischemia was unrelated to HA interruption. Embolization appears to be a major cause of colon ischemia, although inadequate mesenteric collateral circulation may also play an etiologic role. Mortality with colon ischemia accompanied by widespread embolization was high, whereas colon ischemia without it was often mild and amenable to nonoperative management. (J Vasc Surg 2001;34:986-96.)
Quantification of plasmid DNA copies in the nucleus after lipoplex and polyplex transfection

Nuclear uptake of plasmid DNA is one of the many cellular barriers that limit the efficiency of non-viral gene delivery systems. We have determined the number of plasmids that reach the nucleus of a transfected cell using an internally standardized quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay. We isolated nuclei using two different protocols: a density gradient technique and a detergent-based method. The density gradient procedure yielded nuclei with substantially less adhering plasmids on the outside of the nuclei. Using the density gradient protocol we determined that cells transfected with Lipofectamine lipoplexes or polyethylenimine polyplexes contained between 75 and 50,000 plasmids/nucleus, depending on the applied plasmid dose. Any increase above 3000 plasmids/nucleus resulted in only marginal increases in transgene expression. Furthermore, lipoplex-delivered plasmids were more efficiently expressed, on the basis of protein expression per plasmid number in the nucleus, than polyplex-delivered plasmids. This indicates that polymer may remain bound to some plasmids in the nucleus. Lastly, by sorting transfected cells into high- and low-expressing sub-populations, we observe that a sub-population of cells contain 3x greater plasmids/nucleus but express nearly 100x more transgene than other cells within a single transfection reaction. Taken together these results suggest the importance of considering the processes downstream from nuclear entry for strategies to improve the efficiency of gene transfer reagents.
Neonatal iron status is impaired by maternal obesity and excessive weight gain during pregnancy

Neonatal iron status is impaired by maternal obesity and excessive weight gain during pregnancy
Steroid secretion in vivo in rats bred for high and low juxtaglomerular granularity.

Steroid secretion was studied in adrenal venous blood of rats selectively bred for increased and decreased juxtaglomerular (JG) granularity. The rats bred for higher JG granularity (and increased serum renin) produced more aldosterone per rat than rats bred for low JG granularity. Corticosterone secretion rates were not different between strains with high and low JG granularity. The strain of rats with lowJG granularity index (JGI) produced moi-e 11β- hydroxyprogesterone than the high JGI rats, but the importance of this steroid is unknown. There was suggestive evidence that the low JGI animals formed more deoxycorticosterone than their high JGI counterparts. The macula densa width was found to vary directly with JG granularity. (Endocrinology 85: 909, 1969)
A cross-cultural investigation of time management practices and job outcomes

Abstract The study compared separate monochronic and polychronic time cultures with regard to time management and its influence on key job outcomes. Results support the notion that positive effects of time management practices may not be limited only to Western cultures, and that selected time management dimensions may be more effective in improving job performance perceptions and job satisfaction in certain cultures than in others. Furthermore, the impact that time management practices have on job performance was more evident for individuals who were polychronics as compared to monochronics, regardless of cultural differences. Discussion includes implication for management.
Architecture toward efficient OS support for distributed multimedia

In designing operating system support for distributed multimedia, we target three areas for improvement: reduced copying, reduced reliance on explicit kernel/user interactions, and provision of rate-based flow control. Towards these goals, we propose an architecture that includes the concept of I/O efficient buffers for reduced copying, the concept of fast system calls for low latency network access, and the concept of kernel threads for flow control. Also included is a concept called direct media streaming which is suitable for applications that require limited user processing of media data. These concepts have been implemented as an extension of SunOS 5.3 (the operating system component of Solaris 2.3). We report some experimental results on the performance of our current system.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
THE CO-PRODUCTION OF NARRATIVE IN AN ENTREPRENEURIAL CITY: AN ANALYSIS OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, IN TURMOIL

In April 2001 Cincinnati, Ohio, erupted into violence and protracted unrest after the police shooting of an unarmed African‐American named Timothy Thomas. African‐American interest groups in the ci...
Serial Estimation of Survival Prediction Indices Does Not Improve Outcome Prediction in Critically III Dogs with Naturally Occurring Disease

Objective: The objectives of this study were to test the value of adding serial measurements to the Survival Prediction Index (SPI 2), and to investigate whether time trajectories add predictive information beyond measurements at a single point in time. Design: Prospective clinical trial. Setting: Intensive care unit at a Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Animals: 63 critically ill dogs Interventions: Physiologic data were collected within 24 hours of admission to the ICU (Day 1), and again on Day 3 of hospitalization. Measurements: The first analysis applied the SPI 2 equation on Day 1 and again on Day3. Then a prediction model was re-estimated using Day 1 measurements, and the incremental predictive value of adding Day 1 to Day 3 change scores was evaluated. the third analysis tested the incremental predictive value of change scores in models containing only one prognostic variable. The final analysis compared the re-estimated Day 1 model to an analogously re-estimated Day 3 model. Main Results: Using the SPI 2 equation, the AUC was 7.7% higher using Day 3 measurements than that obtained using Day 1 measurements (P = 0.515). Starting with the re-estimated Day 1 model (AUC = 0.925), forward stepwise addition of the difference score for each variable did not result in an improvement in the AUC. The AUC for the re-estimated Day 1 model was not statistially different from that of the re-estimated model using Day 3 measurements. Conculusion: This study shows no benefit to repeated calculation of the SPI 2 later in hospitalization.
Semi-transparent solar collector window systems☆

Abstract Semi-transparent window solar collectors which can be integrated with opaque wall collectors for space heating and ventilation are described for buildings containing large quantities of glass. Simpler, inexpensive, retractable systems are also described. Such systems can have rapid impact on fuel savings. The achievement of 20 per cent grey-scale light transmission combined with 75 per cent thermal utilization of the total solar energy seems feasible. The collector system works by means of semi-transparent thin absorber and reflector coatings on double-glaze windows. Vents at the top and bottom of the double-coated window system permit convective flow of solar-heated air currents for space heating on cold sunny days, convective room ventilation on warm sunny days, and thermal insulation in the absence of sunshine. An account is given of experimental work on sunlight-absorbing and reflecting materials and coatings for implementation of the window systems. These metallic, (alloy or bilayer) and semi-conductor coatings also have applications to Schottky barrier and conventional solar cells and α ϵ coatings for solar thermal collectors.
Signal processing for land mine detection using a waterjet

This paper applies statistical decision theory to the problem of processing the sound produced by a waterjet penetrating ground. Experimental results based on laboratory measurements are included.
Intra-septal injections of glucose and glibenclamide attenuate galanin-induced spontaneous alternation performance deficits in the rat.

Injection of the neuroactive peptide galanin into the rat hippocampus and medial septal area impairs spatial memory and cholinergic system activity. Conversely, injection of glucose into these same brain regions enhances spatial memory and cholinergic system activity. Glucose and galanin may both modulate neuronal activity via opposing actions at ATP-sensitive K+ (K-ATP) channels. The experiments described in this report tested the ability of glucose and the direct K-ATP channel blocker glibenclamide to attenuate galanin-induced impairments in spontaneous alternation performance in the rat. Intra-septal injection of galanin (2.5 microgram), 30 min prior to plus-maze spontaneous alternation performance, significantly decreased alternation scores compared to those of rats receiving injections of vehicle solution. Co-injection of glucose (20 nmol) or the K-ATP channel blocker glibenclamide (5 nmol) attenuated the galanin-induced performance deficits. Glibenclamide produced an inverted-U dose-response curve in its interaction with galanin, with doses of 0.5 and 10 nmol having no effect on galanin-induced spontaneous alternation deficits. Drug treatments did not alter motor activity, as measured by overall number of arm entries during spontaneous alternation testing, relative to vehicle injected controls. These findings support the hypothesis that, in the septal region, galanin and glucose act via K-ATP channels to modulate neural function and behavior.
Addressing Heterosexist Privilege During Orientation: One Program's Experience

New counseling students often have strong reactions when confronted with the concept of heterosexist privilege, and when expected to address issues of multiculturalism and diversity, personally and professionally. In this program evaluation article, the authors describe a model of new student orientation that focuses on inviting master's-level counseling students to embrace difference, especially regarding sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. Aggregate data regarding students’ evaluation of the program are included.
Enhancement of critical onsets in a bistable system with multiplicative noise

Abstract In this letter, we obtain the stationary state density functions from a Fokker-Planck equation analogous to a cubic, first order differential equation as an example of a simple bistable system. We demonstrate the enhancement of the critical onsets as a characteristic effect of multiplicative noise, and demonstrate the existence of a critical parameter which appears in the deterministic limit.
mineral age record of a polyorogenic evolution within the Seve and Köli nappes, Trøndelag, Norway

Abstract In the central Scandinavian Caledonides, eugeoclinal terranes represented in the Koli Nappes were thrust > 500 km onto the Baltoscandian platform during the early to middle Paleozoic. Immediately underlying thrust sheets of the Seve Nappe Complex are suspected to have been derived from the outer margin of continent Baltica. Hornblende within amphibolite at one locality within westernmost exposures of Seve Nappe units in Trandelag, Norway, displays an internally discordant 40 Ar 39 Ar age spectrum which suggests a polyphase thermal evolution including: 1. (1) initial post-metamorphic cooling through argon retention temperatures at c. 475–480 Ma; 2. (2) partial rejuvenation during a Silurian (c. 400–425 Ma) thermal overprint. Muscovite within the exposure was more extensively rejuvenated during the Silurian overprint. At twelve other Trandelag sample locations, hornblende, muscovite and biotite within both the Seve and Koli Nappe Complexes record post-metamorphic cooling ages between 420 and 435 Ma and display no direct evidence of a pre-Silurian thermal record. However, the widespread occurrence of intracrystalline extraneous argon components and textural complexities clearly point toward a pre-Silurian tectonothermal history. Comparison with 40 Ar 39 Ar mineral ages reported elsewhere in the central Scandinavian Caledonides suggests a polyorogenic evolution consisting of: 1. (1) variable high-pressure metamorphism of distal Baltoscandian miogeoclinal sequences during entrainment in an accretionary wedge which developed in the Late Cambrian-Early Ordovician over a west-dipping subduction zone; related arc volcanic activity occurred in more outboard, western sectors; 2. (2) ductile imbrication of high- and intermediate-pressure sequences within the accretionary wedge (diachronous cooling and/or chronologically distinct tectonic episodes are indicated throughout the Early and Middle Ordovician); 3. (3) ultimate accretion of a variety of eugeoclinal terranes along the Baltica continental margin; 4. (4) imbrication and metamorphism of the eugeoclinal terranes and previously deformed portions of the miogeocline during eastward translation onto the Baltoscandian platform in the Silurian. Crystalline Baltica basement and overlying structural cover units were depressed to significant crustal depths during eastward nappe transport with resultant formation of high-temperature eclogues. Previously reported crystallization ages of c. 425 Ma suggest that the eclogites formed at approximately the same time as minerals within the superencumbent nappe units cooled through argon closure temperatures. Following eastward nappe transport, the basement experienced rapid uplift and resultant adiabatic decompression. This was followed by rapid cooling through argon retention temperatures at 390–400 Ma.
Beyond Persepolis: a bibliographic essay on graphic novels and comics by women

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to encourage and assist collection of adult‐level, graphic novels and book‐length comics by women, and to demonstrate the breadth and depth of such work.Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides a brief history of women and independent comics, tracing the medium's development from the 1970s underground comix movement to the present day. Individual creators and their works are discussed.Findings – In the early years of independent comics, many of the women creating them were consciously reacting to an overwhelmingly male‐dominated profession. There was a high degree of shock value in these early works. As time went on the comics still tended towards the autobiographical, but storytelling gained importance. Most of the women creating comics today are still doing so from a woman's point of view, but their target audience seems more universal.Originality/value – Graphic novels are in increasing demand, both for scholarly and leisure reading. Guides to collecting ...
Aniracetam Does Not Alter Cognitive and Affective Behavior in Adult C57BL/6J Mice

There is a growing community of individuals who self-administer the nootropic aniracetam for its purported cognitive enhancing effects. Aniracetam is believed to be therapeutically useful for enhancing cognition, alleviating anxiety, and treating various neurodegenerative conditions. Physiologically, aniracetam enhances both glutamatergic neurotransmission and long-term potentiation. Previous studies of aniracetam have demonstrated the cognition-restoring effects of acute administration in different models of disease. No previous studies have explored the effects of aniracetam in healthy subjects. We investigated whether daily 50 mg/kg oral administration improves cognitive performance in naive C57BL/6J mice in a variety of aspects of cognitive behavior. We measured spatial learning in the Morris water maze test; associative learning in the fear conditioning test; motor learning in the accelerating rotarod test; and odor discrimination. We also measured locomotion in the open field test, anxiety through the elevated plus maze test and by measuring time in the center of the open field test. We measured repetitive behavior through the marble burying test. We detected no significant differences between the naive, placebo, and experimental groups across all measures. Despite several studies demonstrating efficacy in impaired subjects, our findings suggest that aniracetam does not alter behavior in normal healthy mice. This study is timely in light of the growing community of healthy humans self-administering nootropic drugs.
Improving Student Problem Solving in Genetics.

Genetics has been described as both important and difficult for students to understand. In this paper we make prescriptions for improving student understanding of, and problem-solving performance in, transmission genetics. The prescriptions are derived from research on novice/expert studies in transmission genetics.
Mid-Mesozoic (Mid-Jurassic to Early Cretaceous) evolution of the Georges Bank Basin, U.S. North Atlantic outer continental shelf: Sedimentology of the Conoco 145-1 well

Abstract The Conoco 145-1 exploratory well, located in the southeastern portion of the Georges Bank Basin, was drilled to a total depth of 4303 m below the sea floor. The oldest sedimentary rocks sampled are of Middle Jurassic age (Late Bathonian-Callovian). A dolomite-limestone-evaporite sequence dominates the section below 3917 m; limestone is the predominant lithology in the intervals of 3271–3774 m, 2274–3158 m, and 1548–1981 m. Siliciclastics dominate the remainder of the drilled section. Calcite tightly cements most of the rocks below 1548 m; dolomite, silica, siderite, and diagenetic clay cements are locally important. Restricted inner marine environments, representing lagoonal and tidal flat conditions, prevailed at the wellsite during much of the deposition recorded by the Callovian-Bathonian age Iroquois Formation. These environments gave way to a carbonate platform, which formed part of the > 5,000 km long Bahama-Grand Banks gigaplatform that lasted through the end of the Late Jurassic (encompassing the uppermost portion of the Iroquois Formation and the Scatarie Limestone and Bacarro Limestone Members of the Abenaki Formation). The absence of a skeletal-reef association and the dominance of muddy limestone fabrics are evidence that the 145-1 wellsite was located on the platform interior. Major periods of siticiclastic deposition interrupted carbonate deposition, and they are recorded by stratigraphic equivalents of the Mohican Formation, Misaine Shale Member of the Abenaki Formation, and the Mohawk and Mic Mac Formations. A series of sustained prograding delta systems, the earliest of which is preserved as the Missisauga Formation, buried the carbonate platform following its drowning in the Early Cretaceous (Berriasian-Valanginian). The sparser, primarily allochthonous lignite content and better-sorted, glauconite-bearing sands of the Missisauga strata at the 145-1 wellsite suggest that shallow marine or barrier-bar environments were more prevalent than the low delta-plain facies recorded farther shoreward at the COST G-1 wellsite.
Acute in vivo exposure to ethylcholine aziridinium (AF64A) depresses the secretion of quanta from motor nerve terminals

Quantal release of acetylcholine was evaluated for soleus nerve-muscle preparations removed from mice treated with the cholinergic neurotoxin AF64A. Treatment with two and three times the LD50 (i.p.) of AF64A caused a marked reduction of the frequency of miniature end-plate potentials (mepps) and the amplitude of end-plate potentials (epps). Since the amplitude of mepps was not altered, the reduction of epps was not due to reduction in the number of molecules of acetylcholine (ACh) per quantum or the end-plate sensitivity to ACh, but to a reduction of the number of quanta released in response to a nerve action potential. While this effect was not reversed when preparations were washed for 3 h, exposure to the potassium channel blocker, 3,4-diaminopyridine returned the mean quantal content of epps to normal. These data further support a presynaptic site of action for AF64A, and suggest that it may acutely disrupt the ionic processes underlying transmitter release.
Traditional, complementary and alternative medicine: Policy and public health perspectives

Traditional, complementary and alternative medicine: Policy and public health perspectives, edited by Gerard Bodeker and Gemma Burford, London, Imperial College Press, 2007, 472 pp., including illu...
Udpglucose: α-1,4-glucan α-4-glucosyltransferase in heart regulation of the activity of the transferase in vivo and in vitro in rat. A dissociation in the action of isulin on transport and on transferase conversion

Abstract In the isolated perfused rat heart the nonhormonal control of transferase by glycogen was readily demonstrated. The transferase phosphate converting the D to I form was shown to be inhibited by glycogen in vitro. No hormonal effect of epinephrine, insulin or caffeine on transferase was demonstrated in this preparation although the usual effect of insulin to increase glucoge uptake was presen. In vivo the effect of insulin to increase transferase I activity in heart was readily demonstrated. These findings suggest a ‘dissociation’ in the action of insulin on the prefused rat heart in terms of the control of transport and the control of transferase conversion. This dissociation is discussed in terms of other dissociations of these two parameters noted in the literature, and it is concluded that there is no required temporal sequencing in the action of insulin on glucose transport and glycogen synthesis
Effects of substrate availability on the temperature sensitivity of soil organic matter decomposition

Soil carbon is a major component in the global carbon cycle. Understanding the relationship between environmental changes and rates of soil respiration is critical for projecting changes in soil carbon fluxes in a changing climate. Although significant attention has been focused on the temperature sensitivity of soil organic matter decomposition, the factors that affect this temperature sensitivity are still debated. In this study, we examined the effects of substrate availability on the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration in several different kinds of soils. We found that increased substrate availability had a significant positive effect on temperature sensitivity, as measured by soil Q10 values, and that this effect was inversely proportional to original substrate availability. This observation can be explained if decomposition follows Michaelis‐ Menten kinetics. The simple Q10 model was most appropriate in soils with high substrate availability.
Condition numbers and D-efficiency

Abstract Suppose that experimental designs have comparable A-efficiencies for estimation, the choice among designs then depending on their comparative D-efficiencies. Using the theory of majorization, it is shown that designs having greater D-efficiencies are more ill-conditioned, using condition numbers based on the unitarily invariant matrix norms. Implications are drawn regarding ridge regression, Mauchly (1940) sphericity criterion, and the structure of joint confidence regions for principal functions of the parameters. A case study treats alternative designs for estimating parameters of a second-order response model.
Tracheary element differentiation is correlated with inhibition of cell expansion in xylogenic mesophyll suspension cultures

To test the hypothesis that xylogenesis is coupled to cell growth suppression, cell expansion in Zinnia elegans L. var. Envy mesophyll suspension cultures was manipulated by varying the extracellular osmolarity and the effect on xylogenesis was examined. Cell expansion and tracheary element differentiation were inversely related along a gradient of extracellular osmolarity ranging from 200 to 400 mOsm, supporting the hypothesis that tracheary element differentiation is coupled to cessation of cell expansion. Above 300 mOsm, reduction in the number of cells that differentiated into tracheary elements coincided with an increase in the number of plasmolyzed cells as extracellular osmolarity was increased, indicating that plasmolysis inhibits tracheary element differentiation, although not specifically. Using the plasmolysis method we showed that cellular osmolarity within populations of isolated Zinnia mesophyll cells ranges from 250 to 600 mOsm with a mean of 425 mOsm. The broad range in cellular osmolarity within Zinnia mesophyll cell populations, coupled with inhibition of differentiation in the low range due to cell expansion and in the high range due to plasmolysis, may help explain why tracheary element differentiation in Zinnia suspension cultures is never complete nor perfectly synchronous and enable further optimization of this culture system.
Relativistic motion of a charged particle, the Lorentz group, and the Thomas precession

The equation of motion of a classical charged particle in a homogeneous, static electromagnetic field is solved exactly in terms of a Lorentz transformation. All higher‐order corrections to the motion follow from the Baker–Campbell–Hausdorff formula. Some of these terms, as well as corrections to the Thomas precession, are calculated here for the first time. The derivation is based on an intrinsic formulation of the Lorentz group using
Strain Gage Load Calibration of the Wing Interface Fittings for the Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge Flap Flight Test

This is the presentation to follow conference paper of the same name. The adaptive compliant trailing edge (ACTE) flap experiment safety of flight requires that the flap to wing interface loads be sensed and monitored in real time to ensure that the wing structural load limits are not exceeded. This paper discusses the strain gage load calibration testing and load equation derivation methodology for the ACTE interface fittings. Both the left and right wing flap interfaces will be monitored and each contains four uniquely designed and instrumented flap interface fittings. The interface hardware design and instrumentation layout are discussed. Twenty one applied test load cases were developed using the predicted in-flight loads for the ACTE experiment.
Approximating the level probabilities in order restricted inference: The simple tree ordering

SUMMARY Distribution theory for the likelihood ratio statistics for the comparison of several treatments with a control is discussed. These test statistics account for prior information that the treatments are at least as effective as the control. Their null distributions are mixtures of chi-squared or beta distributions and the mixing coefficients, which are 'level probabilities', are intractable for even a moderate number of treatments and unequal weights, which are typically the sample sizes. The distribution corresponding to equal weights is considered as an approximation and an approximation based on the pattern of large and small weights is developed. Both are adequate for moderate variations in the weights, but the approximation based on patterns in the weight set is considerably more accurate for larger variations.
Practical Reason, Instrumental Irrationality, and Time

Standard models of practical rationality face a puzzle that has gone unnoticed: given a modest assumption about the nature of deliberation, we are apparently frequently briefly irrational. I explain the problem, consider what is wrong with several possible solutions, and propose an account that does not generate the objectionable result.
Variations reported in surgical practice for bleeding duodenal ulcers.

Abstract Background To determine the current surgical management of bleeding duodenal ulcers in our program, faculty (FAC) and residents (RES) were surveyed. Methods FAC (n = 33) and RES (n = 42) were surveyed regarding their surgery of choice between oversew (OS) or acid-reducing procedures (ARPs) in 4 scenarios. FAC who had recertified in general surgery (RECERT) were compared with young FAC who had not and RES (RES/young FAC). Two-group comparisons were performed. Results Seventy-three percent of FAC and 62% of RES responded. RES perform more ARPs on hemodynamic (HD), unstable, elderly patients than FAC ( P = .013). On the elderly patient, RES/young FAC perform more ARPs in a HD stable ( P = .07) and unstable condition ( P = .18). HD unstable patients would undergo OS more frequently than stable patients ( P = .016). Conclusions In this survey, the choice of optimal surgical procedure for an acute bleeding ulcer varies among surgeons based on years of surgical experience and individual patient factors.
Characterization of the molt cycle and its hormonal control in Palaemonetes pugio (Decapoda, Caridea).

Abstract The molt cycle of Palaemonetes pugio was divided into stages and substages. Each stage was characterized by cuticle rigidity and setogenesis in the tips of the uropods. Shrimp collected in summer have a shorter molt cycle duration than shrimp collected in winter when the two groups are held under similar laboratory conditions. Eyestalk removal elicits an accelerated proecdysis and precocious ecdysis only if the operation is done before stage 1D o . Injection of an aqueous eyestalk extract into eyestalkless shrimp delayed setogenesis and slowed the molting process until stage 1D o . The duration from ecdysis to stages C and eD o in injected eyestalkless shrimp is similar to the durations of the same stages in uninjected intact animals. The results indicated the presence of molt-inhibiting hormone in the eyestalk.
Distributed programming with intermediate IDL

Several heterogeneous-language distributed programming systems have been developed which either use an explicit Interface Definition Language (IDL) for the specification of distributed objects or which directly translate server language specifications to corresponding client language representations. In this paper, we present a new approach which combines the advantages of these prior systems. Our approach uses an IDL as an implicit intermediate step in the translation from server to client language rather than as an explicit user-provided definition.
Bayesian adaptive combination of short-term wind speed forecasts from neural network models

Short-term wind speed forecasting is of great importance for wind farm operations and the integration of wind energy into the power grid system. Adaptive and reliable methods and techniques of wind speed forecasts are urgently needed in view of the stochastic nature of wind resource varying from time to time and from site to site. This paper presents a robust two-step methodology for accurate wind speed forecasting based on Bayesian combination algorithm, and three neural network models, namely, adaptive linear element network (ADALINE), backpropagation (BP) network, and radial basis function (RBF) network. The hourly average wind speed data from two North Dakota sites are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The results indicate that, while the performances of the neural networks are not consistent in forecasting 1-h-ahead wind speed for the two sites or under different evaluation metrics, the Bayesian combination method can always provide adaptive, reliable and comparatively accurate forecast results. The proposed methodology provides a unified approach to tackle the challenging model selection issue in wind speed forecasting.
Control of Fusion Pore Nucleation and Dynamics by SNARE Protein Transmembrane Domains

Membrane fusion is a fundamental biological process, whose initial stages have been observed in hormone-secreting cells and neurons using electrophysiological and electrochemical methods. The initial connection between the plasma membrane and a hormone- or neurotransmitter-filled vesicle -the fusion pore- can flicker open and closed repeatedly before dilating or resealing irreversibly. Pore dynamics determine events such as vesicle recycling and release kinetics, but pore properties are poorly known, because fusion pores are transient, and biochemically defined assays with single-pore sensitivity are lacking. We isolated single flickering pores connecting v-SNARE-reconstituted nanodiscs to cells ectopically expressing cognate, “flipped” t-SNAREs, voltage-clamped in the cell-attached configuration. Currents through such pores directly report sub-millisecond single-pore dynamics. We found that interactions between v- and t-SNARE transmembrane domains (TMDs) observed in a recent crystal structure promote, but are not essential for pore nucleation. Surprisingly, TMD interactions also affected pore lifetimes. Rod-shaped, post-fusion cis-SNARE complexes vacated the highly curved fusion site where they fit poorly, leaving pore properties to be determined largely by lipid bilayers. In contrast, Y-shaped mutants deficient in TMD-zippering lingered at the fusion site, preventing pore resealing for >60 s. Thus, post-fusion geometry of the proteins determines pore stability, analogous to the well-known effects of lipid geometry on highly curved fusion intermediates.
Mechanism of Adsorption of Clindamycin and Tetracycline by Montmorillonite

IR and X-ray analyses of the interaction of clindamycin with montmorillonite indicate that clindamycin is adsorbed by a cation-exchange mechanism under pH conditions favoring the cationic form of the drug and by physical adsorption when the unionized drug is present. This physical adsorption is relatively weak since the drug is readily desorbed by alkaline washing. Tetracycline is adsorbed by cation exchange at low pH values where the +00 species predominates. Complexation with divalent interlayer cations contributes significantly to adsorption at higher pH values where the +-0 and +-- species exist. In a strongly alkaline solution, the 0-- species was not adsorbed in the interlayer space of montmorillonite but rather produced an external calcium-tetracycline complex. This study illustrates the utility of X-ray and IR analyses in elucidating the mechanisms responsible for clay-drug interactions.
Speed of information processing and attention in early Alzheimer's dementia

The speed of information processing was examined in a group of patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and in a group of healthy, age‐and educationally matched controls. Subjects were tested on auditory simple‐reaction time (RT), visual choice‐RT, and combined simple‐ and choice‐RT tasks. The choice‐RT task required elementary linguistic or visuoperceptual matching of successively presented stimuli. AD patients had normal simple RTs but had delayed RTs on the matching tasks, suggesting a slower rate of processing for the component mental operations of the matching tasks. Estimates of the attentional demands or costs of these mental operations—stimulus encoding, decision making, and response selection—were obtained by combining the matching task with the simple‐RT task (probe‐RT). AD patients again showed a significant slowing in choice‐RT, although they exhibited normal accuracy or performance outcome. AD patients also showed increased attentional cost for letter encoding (as reflected in...
The coastal Robinson

Abstract Allan Robinson made important contributions to coastal oceanography in at least two major ways. First, in 1964, he introduced continental shelf waves to the nascent coastal oceanography community, and so initiated a very profitable line of research that remained active for two decades. Second, he had the drive and vision to conceive of, and then direct, the first global synthesis of coastal oceanography.
Activation of a C. elegans Antennapedia homologue in migrating cells controls their direction of migration

ANTERIOR–POSTERIOR patterning in insects, vertebrates and nematodes involves members of conserved Antennapedia-class homeobox gene clusters (HOM-C) that are thought to give specific body regions their identities1–5. The effects of these genes on region-specific body structures have been described extensively, particularly in Drosophila, but little is known about how HOM-C genes affect the behaviours of cells that migrate into their domains of function. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the Antennapedia-like HOM-C gene mab-5 not only specifies postembryonic fates of cells in a posterior body region, but also influences the migration of mesodermal and neural cells that move through this region5–7. Here we show that as one neuroblast migrates into this posterior region, it switches on mab-5 gene expression; mab-5 then acts as a developmental switch to control the migratory behaviour of the neuroblast descendants. HOM-C genes can therefore not only direct region-specific patterns of cell division and differentiation, but can also act within migrating cells to programme region-specific migratory behaviour.
Preferential survival in models of complex ad hoc networks

Abstract There has been a rich interplay in recent years between (i) empirical investigations of real-world dynamic networks, (ii) analytical modeling of the microscopic mechanisms that drive the emergence of such networks, and (iii) harnessing of these mechanisms to either manipulate existing networks, or engineer new networks for specific tasks. We continue in this vein, and study the deletion phenomenon in the web by the following two different sets of websites (each comprising more than 150,000 pages) over a one-year period. Empirical data show that there is a significant deletion component in the underlying web networks, but the deletion process is not uniform. This motivates us to introduce a new mechanism of preferential survival (PS), where nodes are removed according to the degree-dependent deletion kernel, D ( k ) ∝ k − α , with α ≥ 0 . We use the mean-field rate equation approach to study a general dynamic model driven by Preferential Attachment (PA), Double PA (DPA), and a tunable PS (i.e., with any α > 0 ), where c nodes ( c 1 ) are deleted per node added to the network, and verify our predictions via large-scale simulations. One of our results shows that, unlike in the case of uniform deletion (i.e., where α = 0 ), the PS kernel when coupled with the standard PA mechanism, can lead to heavy-tailed power-law networks even in the presence of extreme turnover in the network. Moreover, a weak DPA mechanism, coupled with PS, can help to make the network even more heavy-tailed, especially in the limit when deletion and insertion rates are almost equal, and the overall network growth is minimal. The dynamics reported in this work can be used to design and engineer stable ad hoc networks and explain the stability of the power-law exponents observed in real-world networks.
Giant sigmoid diverticula.

This is a report of two cases of giant sigmoid diverticular, representing a rare complication of diverticular disease. The diagnosis is usually made on barium enema examination. These large cysts arise from the antimesenteric border of the sigmoid colon and usually communicate with the lumen. Management consists of sigmoid resection with excision of the cyst.
A carrier-current frequency-shift system for protection of transformer banks

Using crystal-controlled frequency-shift techniques, this system provides fast operation with a high degree of reliablity. This discussion describes the design requirements and tells how they were met.
On coincident seismic and radar imaging

Recent advances in understanding near-surface seismicwave phenomena and data-acquisition techniques have allowed seismic P-wave reflections to be collected from depths as shallow as 60 cm. Therefore, shallow seismicreflection (SSR) and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) techniques should no longer be considered mutually exclusive, a bias in which SSR imaging is considered a “deep” tool and GPR a “shallow” one. Because of improvements in ultrashallow (< 3 m) seismic-reflection data collection methods, it has become possible to gather seismic data more routinely from 0.5 to 10 m, which is also the typical working range for GPR. The purpose of this paper is to show empirical relationships between seismic P-wave and EM-wave propagation velocities for various media and suggest how improvements in site analysis may be possible when both SSR and GPR data can be obtained.
Whole Milk Reverse Osmosis Retentates for Cheddar Cheese Manufacture: Cheese Composition and Yield

Abstract The impact of concentrating whole milk by reverse osmosis prior to Cheddar cheese making was studied. Heat treated, standardized, whole milk was reduced in volume by 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% prior to Cheddar cheese manufacture. Milk solids at various milk volume reductions were 11.98, 12.88, 13.27, 14.17, and 15.05%, respectively. Permeates contained only traces of organic matter and would not create a significant by-product handling problem for a cheese plant. Solids content of the whey from cheese making increased with increasing milk concentration. Proximate compositions of reverse osmosis cheeses were comparable to control cheeses. Fat losses decreased, and fat retained in the cheese increased with increasing milk solids concentration. Improved fat recovery in the cheese was related to the amount of mechanical homogenization of milk fat during the concentration process. Actual, composition adjusted, and theoretical cheese yields were determined. Increased retention of whey solids and improved fat recovery gave cheese yield increases of 2 to 3% above expected theoretical yields at 20% milk volume reduction. Water removal from whole milk prior to Cheddar cheese manufacture gave increased productivity and cheese yield without requiring different cheese-making equipment or manufacturing procedures.
Dynamic analysis of seismically excited flexible truss tower with scissor‐jack dampers

SUMMARY In the proposed work, numerical simulations are conducted to investigate scissor-jack dampers for controlling vibrations in a seismically excited flexible truss tower. For the scissor-jack damper, new equations are developed to model the amplification factor that account for large deformations of the damper assembly. The equations are validated using computer-aided design and are used to investigate the influence of vertical deformations on scissor-jack damper amplification. Then, seismic analysis is carried out for scissor-jack dampers installed on a 3D flexible truss tower. To reduce the computational effort, a bi-model method is employed to represent the 3D truss tower as a dynamically equivalent 2D model. To describe the interaction between the structure and scissor-jack dampers, the displacement-dependent amplification factors of the scissor-jack devices and the corresponding damper forces are calculated at each time step. The response of the tower with scissor-jack damper systems is simulated for a range of damping and four major earthquakes and time histories of the displacement and absolute acceleration at each level of the tower are obtained. Results indicate that the system is effective in reducing both the displacement and absolute acceleration response of the tower without exceeding damper stroke capacity in most cases, but that damping level and earthquake intensity are important factors in the consideration of scissor-jack dampers for flexible structures subject to seismic loads. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.