cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Early detection of viable Francisella tularensis in environmental matrices by culture-based PCR

Francisella tularensis is a fastidious, Gram-negative coccobacillus and is the causative agent of tularemia. To assess viability yet overcome lengthy incubation periods, a culture-based PCR method was used to detect early growth of the lowest possible number of F. tularensis cells. This method utilized a previously developed enhanced F. tularensis growth medium and is based on the change in PCR cycle threshold at the start and end of each incubation. To test method robustness, a virulent Type A1 (Schu4) and B (IN99) strain and the avirulent Live Vaccine Strain (LVS) were incubated with inactivated target cells, humic acid, drinking and well water, and test dust at targeted starting concentrations of 1, 10, and 100 CFU mL− 1 (low, mid, and high, respectively). After 48 h, LVS growth was detected at all targeted concentrations in the presence of 106 inactivated LVS cells; while Schu4 and IN99 growth was detected in the presence of 104 Schu4 or IN99 inactivated cells at the mid and high targets. Early detection of F. tularensis growth was strain and concentration dependent in the presence of fast-growing well water and test dust organisms. In contrast, growth was detected at each targeted concentration by 24 h in humic acid and drinking water for all strains. Results indicated that the culture-based PCR assay is quick, sensitive, and specific while still utilizing growth as a measure of pathogen viability. This method can circumvent lengthy incubations required for Francisella identification, especially when swift answers are needed during epidemiological investigations, remediation efforts, and decontamination verification.
Mobile-Edge Computing in the Sky: Energy Optimization for Air–Ground Integrated Networks

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are expected to be deployed as aerial base stations (BSs) in future wireless networks to provide extensive coverage and additional computational capabilities for user equipments (UEs). In this article, we study mobile-edge computing (MEC) in air–ground integrated wireless networks, including ground computational access points (GCAPs), UAVs, and UEs, where UAVs and GCAPs cooperatively provide computing resources for UEs. Our goal is to minimize the total energy consumption of UEs by jointly optimizing users’ association, uplink power control, channel allocation, computation capacity allocation, and UAV 3-D placement, subject to the constraints on deterministic binary offloading, UEs’ latency requirements, computation capacity, UAV power consumption, and available bandwidth. Due to the nonconvexity of the primary problem and the coupling of variables, we introduce a coordinate descent algorithm that decomposes the UEs’ energy consumption minimization problem into several subproblems which can be efficiently solved. The simulation results demonstrate the advantages of the proposed algorithm in terms of the reduced total energy consumption of UEs.
Postcentral Topectomy for Pain Relief: A Historical Review and Possible Improvements

Postcentral topectomy is a neurosurgical procedure, practiced in the mid-20th century, in which surgical ablations of the primary somatosensory cortex were used as a therapeutic means of treating patients suffering from intractable chronic pain. While successful in curing some—but not all—patients, the procedure was poorly understood and eventually became displaced by methods that more consistently stopped patient complaints of pain, such as opiates and frontal lobotomies. However, a more recent discovery of a nociresponsive region in the transitional zone between the primary somatosensory cortex and the primary motor cortex (lying in Brodmann Area 3a anterior to its better known proprioceptive region) raises the possibility that the outcome of postcentral topectomy depended in each patient on whether the ablation extended deep enough into the central sulcus to remove this cortical region. Here we review every postcentral topectomy case we could find in the neurosurgical literature in order to evaluate its past effectiveness and to reassess its potential in light of modern knowledge of the cerebral cortex. We found 17 full-text reports from 16 different surgical teams describing outcomes of the procedure in 27 patients. Among those, in only 5 patients the procedure either failed to abolish the targeted chronic pain or the pain returned to its preoperational levels several weeks or months after the surgery. In the other 22 patients, their pain stayed abolished or at least significantly reduced as of the last evaluation by the treating physician (which was one year or more for 9 patients). We propose that the probability of a successful outcome might be brought to near 100% by selective targeting—guided by functional imaging—of the nociresponsive region in Area 3a.
Adding Physical Impairment to Risk Stratification Improved Outcome Prediction in Low Back Pain.

OBJECTIVE Identifying subgroups of low back pain (LBP) has the potential to improve prediction of clinical outcomes. Risk stratification is one such strategy that identifies similar characteristics indicative of a common clinical outcome trajectory. The purpose of this study was to determine if an empirically derived subgrouping approach based on physical impairment measures improves information provided from the STarT Back Tool (SBT). METHODS At baseline in this secondary analysis of a cohort study, patients (N = 144) receiving physical therapy for LBP completed the SBT and tests (active lumbar flexion, extension, lateral bending, and passive straight-leg raise) from a validated physical impairment index. Clinical outcomes were assessed at 4 weeks and included the Numerical Pain Rating Scale and Oswestry Disability Index. Exploratory hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis identified empirically derived subgroups based on physical impairment measures. Independent samples t testing and chi-square analysis were used to assess baseline subgroup differences in demographic and clinical measures. Spearman rho correlation coefficient was used to assess baseline SBT risk and impairment subgroup relationships, and a 3-way mixed-model ANOVA was used to assessed SBT risk and impairment subgroup relationships with clinical outcomes at 4 weeks. RESULTS Two physical impairment-based subgroups emerged from cluster analysis: (1) low-risk impairment (n = 119, 81.5%), characterized by greater lumbar mobility; and (2) high-risk impairment (n = 25, 17.1%), characterized by less lumbar mobility. A weak, positive relationship was observed between baseline SBT risk and impairment subgroups (rs = .170). An impairment-by-SBT risk-by-time interaction effect was observed for Oswestry Disability Index scores but not for Numerical Pain Rating Scale scores at 4 weeks. CONCLUSIONS Physical impairment subgroups were not redundant with SBT risk categories and could improve prediction of 4-week LBP disability outcomes. Physical impairment subgroups did not improve the prediction of 4-week pain intensity scores. IMPACT Subgroups based on physical impairment and psychosocial risk could lead to better prediction of LBP disability outcomes and eventually allow for treatment options tailored to physical and psychosocial risk.
A Case of a Nonpetrous Cholesterol Granuloma Presenting as a Temporal Mass.

Objective A case of a skull base cholesterol granuloma (CG) of the squamosal temporal bone. This is the first ever reported case of CG in a well-pneumatized squamous temporal bone. Design Case report and review of the literature. Discussion. CG is a cystic mass typically found in the petrous apex and occasionally in the paranasal sinuses and orbit. Experience with the treatment of these expansile and inflammatory processes has largely been garnered from those occurring in the petrous apex, where they are surgically drained, via a transtympanic, transmastoid, or middle fossa approach. We report a case of cholesterol granuloma situated in the temporal fossa presenting as a temporal mass. The accessible location of this particular lesion made it amenable to total excision, avoiding the need for surgical drainage and possibility for recurrence. Conclusion This case supports the theory of pathogenesis of such lesions typically occurring where pneumatized air spaces interface with bone marrow, in this case, where the reaches of pneumatized cells in the squamous portion of the temporal bone meet diploic bone.
A Koopman-operator-theoretical approach for anomaly recognition and detection of multi-variate EEG system

Abstract For most real-life dynamical systems, it is difficult to explicitly identify evolution rules or functions that describe the complex, non-linear, and non-stationary patterns of dynamical systems. Alternatively, it is common to describe and analyze the system dynamics through observations, e.g., electroencephalography (EEG) signals are observed and used for representing the brain system. Even though, the underlying dynamics of the system is still not easily uncovered and displayed as a whole. In this study, we propose a data-driven approach based on the Koopman operator to reconstruct and analyze the underlying dynamics of dynamical systems by representing them in a linear intrinsic space. To demonstrate the applicability, we apply the proposed method to dynamical pattern recognition problems, and validate it with a simulation study of the Lorenz system and a brain disorder of epileptic seizure using multi-variate EEG signals. Furthermore, we introduce a new measurement that is derived from the reconstructed dynamics associated with the attractor of the system in the Koopman intrinsic space. The experimental results conclude the effectiveness of the proposed method for anomaly detection using the reconstructed dynamical information.
A Two-Stage Real-Time Optimized EV Battery Cooling Control Based on Hierarchical and Iterative Dynamic Programming and MPC

The battery thermal management (BTM) system plays an increasingly important role today in the safety of electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) as the battery capacity and power ratings keep growing. The BTM system is commonly coupled with the vehicle passenger cabin HVAC system. This integrated thermal system is a major onboard energy consumer, and its complexity brings challenges to its control. With the planned-ahead speed profile and the corresponding power trajectory obtained from the connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technology, predictive control makes a desirable option for the integrated system to maintain battery safety and passenger comfort while lowering energy consumption. However, in order to achieve both high accuracy and low cost in a wide control range, a very long prediction horizon and high sampling rate are both necessary. This will overwhelm the processing capacity of the onboard electronic control unit (ECU) if using conventional predictive control. In this paper, a two-stage predictive control strategy for the BTM and HVAC coupled system is proposed to solve this problem. In stage 1, based on the integrated cooling system efficiency features, a hierarchical and iterative dynamic programming (HIDP) scheme is designed to derive the optimal battery temperature trajectory to reach the set point at the end of the horizon with a modest computation burden. In stage 2, a control-oriented model is constructed for the cooling system and a model predictive controller (MPC) is accordingly built to track the trajectory from Stage 1 while enforcing the energy saving. A high set-point-tracking performance and as high as 10.61% energy saving for the cooling system in the UDDS cycle are verified by simulation results. The real-time implementation capability of the proposed strategy is demonstrated by the vehicle emulator experiments based on hardware in the loop (HIL) and a rapid control prototyping (RCP) platform.
Introduction to data-driven epidemiology

Classical compartment models in epidemiology are idealized deterministic models that neglect randomness in the analysis of disease data. However, in reality disease data are inherently stochastic; they are incomplete, include noise, and contain systemic uncertainty. Here we integrate data-driven modeling and computational epidemiology to explore disease data and compartment models using a probabilistic approach and quantify the uncertainties of our analysis. To set the stage, we briefly introduce the basic concepts of data-driven modeling using Bayesian statistics and illustrate Bayes’ theorem for discrete and continuous parameter values. To demonstrate the basic elements of a Bayesian analysis, we discuss the concepts of likelihood, prior, marginal likelihood, and posterior by means of the simple SIS model and apply Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods to compute them. We generate synthetic data for the SIS model, infer the posterior distribution of its parameter values, and illustrate the result using means and credible intervals. The learning objectives of this chapter on data-driven modeling are to
Gyroidal titanium nitride as nonmetallic metamaterial

We have synthesized gyroidal TiN metamaterials, studied their optical properties, and compared them with the optical properties of the TiN thin films fabricated using reactive magnetron sputtering. The plasma frequency, ωp, and the corresponding free carrier concentration, N, in the gyroid samples were found to be much lower than those in thin films. Furthermore, the plasma frequency in TiN gyroids was comparable to or smaller than the damping rate, γD. This makes the studied TiN gyroid a poor plasmonic material. At the same time, TiN gyroidal samples have demonstrated bright rainbow pattern in the optical microscopy reflectance study. This phenomenon is tentatively explained by different orientations of the gyroid domains.
Delivery of Melanoma-associated Immunoglobulin Monoclonal Antibody and Fab Fragments to Normal Brain Utilizing Osmotic Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption

Iodinated monoclonal antibodies (IgG 96.5 and two monomeric Fab fragments 96.5 and 48.7) to melanoma-associated antigens were administered after osmotic blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening in normal rats. Osmotic BBB disruption significantly ( P <0.0001) increased monoclonal antibody delivery to the brain. Following BBB opening and intracarotid administration, there was no difference in the disrupted brain concentration integral area under the curve between Fab and IgG over the 72-h experimental period. However, Fab concentration in the disrupted brain was initially higher than IgG, and the clearance was more rapid ( P < 0.001), decreasing 50% by approximately 4.5 h compared to 25.5 h for IgG. Plasma clearance was also more rapid for the Fab than IgG. The levels decreased 50% by 1.5 h for Fab and 15 h for IgG. The route and timing of antibody infusion had a significant effect on delivery to the disrupted brain with the Fab fragments but not with the intact IgG. Antibody recovered from disrupted brain retained its immunological reactivity as measured by a cell binding assay for at least 24 h. IgG and Fab delivery to the ipsilateral brain after BBB disruption increased ( P < 0.001) with increasing dose over a more than 3-log dose range. These data provide information applicable to the therapeutic use of monoclonal antibodies in brain tumor treatment.
Correlates of Participation and Willingness To Participate in Anti-Tobacco Activities among 4th-7th Graders.

The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with participation and willingness to participate in anti-tobacco community activities in 4–7th grade students. A probability sample was drawn from seven regions in Florida (n = 1219). Telephone interviews assessed socioeconomic status, tobacco use, knowledge, and attitudes, and exposure to anti-tobacco school education and media campaigns. Factors related to both participation and willingness included: parental discussion of tobacco use, exposure to school courses with anti-tobacco curricula and a belief that youth could convince their friends to stop smoking. Additional participation correlates included: parental smoking status and student government activity participation. Additional willingness correlates included: exposure to anti-tobacco television campaigns, liking school, and several tobacco-related knowledge and attitudinal questions. These findings suggest that exposure to community-based tobacco control programs and family discussion of tobacco use is associated with regular participation and/or willingness of youth to participate in anti-tobacco activities.
Changes in hamster hepatic cytochrome P-450, ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase, and reduced NAD(P): menadione oxidoreductase following treatment with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin: partial dissociation of temporal and dose-response relationships from elicited toxicity

The temporal and dose-related characteristics of hepatic enzymes induced in the hamster by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) were examined. Male Syrian golden hamsters received a single intraperitoneal injection of TCDD at a dose of 0-500 micrograms/kg. At various times up to 35 days, a number of variables were determined and compared: whole body, liver, and thymus weights; hepatic concentrations of cytochrome P-450 (P-450); and activities of 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase (ECOD) and reduced NAD(P): menadione oxidoreductase (NMOR). Increased liver weights and decreased thymus weights were observed to be dose related. At day 7 following treatment, the approximate ED50 values for these responses were 15 and 100 micrograms/kg respectively. The ED50 values for the increase in hepatic P-450 concentrations and activities of ECOD and NMOR ranged from 0.5 to 2.0 micrograms/kg. At 10 and 500 micrograms/kg, NMOR activity remained maximally induced for up to 35 days. This was also the case for P-450 and ECOD activity at a dose of 10 micrograms/kg. At 500 micrograms/kg, both P-450 and ECOD demonstrated an induction up to day 4 followed by a decrease to near control levels by day 14. This decrease appeared to correlate with changes in hepatic morphology. These results demonstrate a dissociation of the induction of these hepatic enzymes from TCDD-induced lethality, in this species.
Robust, risk-sensitive, and data-driven control of markov decision processes

Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) model problems of sequential decision-making under uncertainty. They have been studied and applied extensively. Nonetheless, there are two major barriers that still hinder the applicability of MDPs to many more practical decision making problems: (1) The decision maker is often lacking a reliable MDP model. Since the results obtained by dynamic programming are sensitive to the assumed MDP model, their relevance is challenged by model uncertainty. (2) The structural and computational results of dynamic programming (which deals with expected performance) have been extended with only limited success to accommodate risk-sensitive decision makers. In this thesis, we investigate two ways of dealing with uncertain MDPs and we develop a new connection between robust control of uncertain MDPs and risk-sensitive control of dynamical systems. The first, approach assumes a model of model uncertainty and formulates the control of uncertain MDPs as a problem of decision-making under (model) uncertainty. We establish that most formulations are at least NP-hard and thus suffer from the ''curse of uncertainty.'' The worst-case control of MDPs with rectangular uncertainty sets is equivalent to a zero-sum game between the controller and nature. The structural and computational results for such games make this formulation appealing. By adding a penalty for unlikely parameters, we extend the formulation of worst-case control of uncertain MDPs and mitigate its conservativeness. We show a duality between the penalized worst-case control of uncertain MDPs with rectangular uncertainty and the minimization of a Markovian dynamically consistent convex risk measure of the sample cost. This notion of risk has desirable properties for multi-period decision making, including a new Markovian property that we introduce and motivate. This Markovian property is critical in establishing the equivalence between minimizing some risk measure of the sample cost and solving a certain zero-sum Markov game between the decision maker and nature, and to tackling infinite-horizon problems. An alternative approach to dealing with uncertain MDPs, which avoids the curse of uncertainty, is to exploit directly observational data. Specifically, we estimate the expected performance of any given policy (and its gradient with respect to certain policy parameters) from a training set comprising observed trajectories sampled under a known policy. We propose new value (and value gradient) estimators that are unbiased and have low training set to training set variance. We expect our approach to outperform competing approaches when there are few system observations compared to the underlying MDP size, as indicated by numerical experiments. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Sialic Acids XVII. A URIDINE DIPHOSPHATE N-ACETYLGLUCOSAMINE:GLYCOPROTEIN N-ACETYLGLUCOSAMINYLTRANSFERASE FROM GOAT COLOSTRUM

Abstract A procedure is described for the partial purification (up to 200-fold) of an N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase from goat colostrum. The enzyme catalyzes the transfer of N-acetylglucosamine from uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine to glycoprotein acceptors containing terminal mannose residues. The most effective substrate was α1-acid glycoprotein (orosomucoid) from which terminal sialic acid, galactose, and N-acetylglucosamine residues were enzymatically removed. The transferase was inactive with a wide range of low molecular weight acceptors. It exhibited a broad pH optimum, between pH 6.1 and 8.2, required divalent cations for activity (Mn2+ being more effective than Mg2+), and gave Km values for UDP-N-acetylglucosamine and the modified orosomucoid of 0.8 mm and 2 to 4 mm, respectively. The enzyme was detected in a variety of rat tissues. The mode of action of the transferase and its relationship to the formation of glycoproteins are discussed.
Multiwavelength Ring Architectures and Protection Schemes

This paper describes different types of wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) ring architectures and the protection mechanisms that can be used to restore traffic in the event of failures. It points out why optical layer protection schemes are needed, and compares these architectures and protection mechanisms to those used in SONET.
2.5.4 Using an Integrated Capability Maturity Model® – The FAA Experience

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) developed an integrated Capability Maturity Model (CMM), known as the FAA-iCMM®, that integrates the Systems Engineering CMM, the Software Acquisition CMM and the CMM for Software. The FAA-iCMM was released in 1997 and is the first major integrated CMM in existence. Since 1997, it has been successfully guiding the systematic improvement of FAA-wide processes used to manage, acquire, and engineer systems, products, and services. This paper describes FAA's pioneering experience pursuing integrated process improvement using the FAA-iCMM. Lessons learned are presented regarding model representation, goal setting, the improvement infrastructure, training, transitioning, and appraisal. Plans to evolve the model and relationships with the government-industry-SEI CMM Integration (CMMI) effort are also discussed. The paper will be of interest to any organization that seeks enterprise-wide process improvement and that might consider using an integrated capability maturity model to guide that effort.
Sequence of amino acids in the major and minor β chains of the diffuse hemoglobin from BALB/c mice

Abstract Hemoglobin from strain BALB/c mice contains two kinds of β-chain polypeptides. The relative amounts of the major and minor components are approximately 80 and 20%, respectively. These polypeptide chains differ from one another at six positions: the major chain has alanine, glycine, serine, alanine, aspartic acid and histidine and the minor chain has serine, alanine, proline, proline, glutamic acid and lysine at Residues 9, 16, 20, 58, 72, and 76, respectively. Both the major and minor β chains of BALB/c hemoglobin differ from the β chain of C57BL hemoglobin at three positions: C57BL β chain has glycine, alanine, and alanine and BALB/c β chains have cysteine, serine or proline, and threonine at Residues 13, 20, and 139, respectively. The two kinds of β chains in BALB/c mice appear to be controlled by two tightly-linked genes; one probably arose by gene duplication during the evolution of Rodentia .
The Mesoscale and Microscale Structure and Organization of Clouds and Precipitation in Midlatitude Cyclones. III: Air Motions and Precipitation Growth in a Warm-Frontal Rainband

Abstract Doppler radar data and airborne cloud microphysical measurements obtained in the CYCLES PROJECT indicate that a warm-frontal rainband in an extratropical cyclone was characterized by a precipitation process in which clouds at low levels were enhanced by a mesoscale updraft. Ice particles, apparently formed in shallow convective cells aloft and then drifted downward, undergoing aggregation just above the melting layer. This study demonstrates the crucial role of the low-level mesoscale updraft in condensing a sufficient amount of cloud water for particles to accrete as they fell through the lower portion of the frontal cloud.
Negro Residential Segregation: Trends and Measurement

Residential segregation of whites and nonwhites effects their separation in schools, hospitals, libraries, parks, stores, and other institutions without legal or direct discrimination. Reviewing these interrelations, Myrdal noted that "residential segregation is basic in a mechanical sense."' The differentiation of residential areas according to the skin color or racial designation of the occupants is but one particular form of the differentiation and segregation of urban land uses. It is necessary to distinguish carefully between this perspective and the more customary approaches in the race relations literature. To over-
Critical examination of growth rate for magnesium oxide (MgO) thin films deposited by molecular beam epitaxy with a molecular oxygen flux

The authors report a study of molecular beam deposition of MgO films on amorphous SiO2 and (0001) GaN surfaces over a large range of temperatures (25–400 °C) and molecular oxygen growth pressures (10−7–10−4 Torr). This study provides insight into the growth behavior of an oxide with volatile metal constituents. Unlike other materials containing volatile constituents (e.g., GaAs, PbTiO3), all components of MgO become volatile at normal epitaxial growth temperatures (=250 °C). Consequently, defining which species is the adsorption controller becomes ambiguous. Different growth regimes are delineated by the critical substrate temperature for Mg re-evaporation and the Mg:O flux ratio. These regimes have impact on phase purity, quartz crystal microbalance calibration, and film microstructure. The universal decay in deposition rate above growth 10−5 Torr O2 is also considered. By introducing a third flux of inert argon gas, rate reduction is attributed to increased molecular scattering and not oxidation of the metal source.
Quinclorac resistance: a concerted hormonal and enzymatic effort in Echinochloa phyllopogon.

BACKGROUND: Quinclorac (3,7-dichloro-quinoline-carboxylic acid) is a selective herbicide widely used to control annual grasses and certain broadleaf weeds. Echinochloa phyllopogon (Stapf) Koss. is the most noxious grass weed in California rice fields and has evolved resistance to multiple herbicides with different modes of action. A quinclorac-resistant (R) E. phyllopogon biotype found in a Sacramento Valley rice field where quinclorac has never been applied was investigated. RESULTS: Resistant to susceptible (S) GR50 (herbicide rate for 50% growth reduction) ratios ranged from 6 to 17. The cytochrome P450 inhibitor malathion (200 mg L−1) caused R plants to become as quinclorac susceptible as S plants. Quinclorac rapidly (6 HAT) stimulated ethylene formation in S plants, but only marginally in R plants. Malathion pretreatment did not reduce ethylene formation by quinclorac-treated S and R plants. Activity of β-cyanoalanine synthase (β-CAS) in tissue extracts was 2-3-fold greater in R than in S plants, and incubation of shoot extracts with 1 mM malathion reduced β-CAS activity by 40% in both biotypes. CONCLUSION: Resistance to quinclorac in R E. phyllopogon involved at least two mechanisms: (a) insensitivity along the response pathway whereby quinclorac induces ethylene production; (b) enhanced β-CAS activity, which should enable greater HCN detoxification following quinclorac stimulation of ethylene biosynthesis. This unveils new resistance mechanisms for this multiple-resistant biotype widely spread throughout California rice fields. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Discussion of “Relation of potential evapotranspiration to environment and kind of plant”

The authors cite the need for re-examination of methods because of inconsistencies and indicate that they have followed Mather's [1951] method of installing and operating modified evapotranspirometers. While it is stated that two plants were grown in each of the corn and celery tanks, no mention is made of tank size or how the number of plants was selected. It is believed that the results would have been quite different had one or three plants been grown in each tank. Suomi [1953] and King and others [1956] have shown that the effective area of an evapotranspirometer cannot be assumed to equal the actual area, even when great care has been exercised with respect to plant density. It was of interest to note that the authors chose to derive solar radiation from black-minus-white atmometer values in preference to sunshine duration. Since the correlation analysis (Table 1) indicates that sunshine duration per se is the better index, radiation data derived therefrom [Hamen and others, 1954] would undoubtedly be superior.
Individualization of bypassing agent treatment for haemophilic patients with inhibitors utilizing thromboelastography.

Summary. The treatment of bleeding for haemophilic patients with inhibitors relies on the use of the bypassing agents, recombinant factor VIIa and factor eight inhibitor bypass activity (FEIBA). While both therapies are effective in the majority of bleeding episodes, there is a significant amount of interindividual variability when it comes to the response to therapy. As of yet, there is no reliable laboratory parameter that can predict the response to therapy in the same manner that factor VIII and factor IX levels predict response in non-inhibitor patients. Developing such a laboratory parameter is vital in order to maximize the clinical efficacy of these agents. Thromboelastography (TEG) is a device, which assesses clot formation over time in whole blood and has several characteristics which suggest it may be an effective way to monitor bypass agent therapy. We studied the ability of TEG to individualize the treatment regimens of three patients with high titre inhibitors assessing the response to recombinant factor VIIa, FEIBA, and when both were used sequentially. The TEG allowed for individualization of treatment for each of the three patients and resulted in more effective, convenient and less expensive treatment regimens. We thus believe that TEG is a promising device for monitoring of bypass agent therapy and should be studied further.
GIS and redistricting

The evolving technology known as geographic information systems (GIS) and the changing political environment have transformed the way in which electoral maps are drawn. In particular, technological...
Antarctic climate cooling and terrestrial ecosystem response

The average air temperature at the Earth's surface has increased by 0.06 °C per decade during the 20th century1, and by 0.19 °C per decade from 1979 to 19982. Climate models generally predict amplified warming in polar regions3,4, as observed in Antarctica's peninsula region over the second half of the 20th century5,6,7,8,9. Although previous reports suggest slight recent continental warming9,10, our spatial analysis of Antarctic meteorological data demonstrates a net cooling on the Antarctic continent between 1966 and 2000, particularly during summer and autumn. The McMurdo Dry Valleys have cooled by 0.7 °C per decade between 1986 and 2000, with similar pronounced seasonal trends. Summer cooling is particularly important to Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems that are poised at the interface of ice and water. Here we present data from the dry valleys representing evidence of rapid terrestrial ecosystem response to climate cooling in Antarctica, including decreased primary productivity of lakes (6–9% per year) and declining numbers of soil invertebrates (more than 10% per year). Continental Antarctic cooling, especially the seasonality of cooling, poses challenges to models of climate and ecosystem change.
Adnexal Torsion: Review of the Literature

Adnexal torsion is one of a few gynecologic surgical emergencies. Misdiagnosis or delay in treatment can have permanent sequelae including loss of an ovary with effect on future fertility, peritonitis, and even death. A PubMed search was performed between 1985 and 2012 for reviews, comparative studies, and case reports to provide a review of the epidemiology, risk factors, clinical presentation, common laboratory and imaging findings, and treatments of adnexal torsion. Common symptoms of torsion include pain, nausea, and vomiting, with associated abdominal or pelvic tenderness, and may differ in premenarchal and pregnant patients. Laboratory and imaging findings including ultrasound with Doppler analysis, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging can assist in making the diagnosis but should not trump clinical judgment; normal Doppler flow can be observed in up to 60% of adnexal torsion cases. Treatment depends on the individual patient but commonly includes detorsion, even if the adnexae initially seem necrotic, with removal of any associated cysts or salpingo-oophorectomy, because recurrence rates are higher with detorsion alone or detorsion with only cyst aspiration.
Comment on "When to Use Random Testing"

This correspondence indicates a weakness in forming the criteria used to decide when random testing is practical. The use of average fan-in based on total gate count is an oversimplification and results in too low a threshold for use of random testing in lieu of a complete test of 2N patterns. A modification is given to avoid this difficulty.
Strategies reported used by instructors to address student alternate conceptions in chemical equilibrium

This study explores general-chemistry instructors' awareness of and ability to identify and address common student learning obstacles in chemical equilibrium. Reported instructor strategies directed at remediating student alternate conceptions were investigated and compared with successful, literature-based conceptual change methods. Fifty-two volunteer general chemistry instructors from 50 U.S. colleges and universities completed an interactive web-based instrument consisting of open-ended questions, a rating scale, classroom scenarios, and a demographic form. Survey respondents who provided responses or described remediation strategies requiring further clarification were identified (n = 6); these respondents amplified their views in separate, researcher-led semistructured phone interviews. All 52 responding chemistry instructors reported and identified common student areas of difficulty in chemical equilibrium. They reported employing a variety of strategies to address and attempt to remediate students' alternate conceptions; however, these self-reported strategies rarely included all four necessary conditions specified by Posner, Strike, Hewson, and Gertzog (Science Education, 66, 211–217, 1982) to stimulate conceptual change. Instructor-identified student alternate conceptions were congruent with literature-reported alternate conceptions of chemical equilibrium, thus providing validation support for these compilations. Implications for teaching and further research are also highlighted. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 42: 1112–1134, 2005
Coupling Constant pH Molecular Dynamics with Accelerated Molecular Dynamics

An extension of the constant pH method originally implemented by Mongan et al. (J. Comput. Chem.2004, 25, 2038-2048) is proposed in this study. This adapted version of the method couples the constant pH methodology with the enhanced sampling technique of accelerated molecular dynamics, in an attempt to overcome the sampling issues encountered with current standard constant pH molecular dynamics methods. Although good results were reported by Mongan et al. on application of the standard method to the hen egg-white lysozyme (HEWL) system, residues which possess strong interactions with neighboring groups tend to converge slowly, resulting in the reported inconsistencies for predicted pK(a) values, as highlighted by the authors. The application of the coupled method described in this study to the HEWL system displays improvements over the standard version of the method, with the improved sampling leading to faster convergence and producing pK(a) values in closer agreement to those obtained experimentally for the more slowly converging residues.
Nuclear fusion: Focus on Tokamak: U.S. engineers and physicists will team to attempt commercial demonstration by the year 2000

The general aspects of fusion power systems as well as some approaches to their development, are addressed from the viewpoints of engineering and technology. Focusing on a conceptual fusion power plant design, topics such as structure, materials and maintenance as well as environmental, safety, and economic factors are dealt with. Still in common with all such large-scale undertakings that try to project into the future, fusion power has built-in uncertainties. In this case, they are primarily in the area of plasma physics performance. Within the next five to six years, however, these uncertainties should be resolved and a national commitment could be made to a plan for demonstrating commercial feasibility in this century with a reasonable expenditure of money.
On the heating potential of a single buried pipe using deterministic and intelligent techniques

Abstract The present paper deals with the heating potential of a single buried pipe using real climatic data. The use of buried pipes in buildings for heating and cooling purposes has gained increasing acceptance in recent years. The system’s heating potential was calculated using an accurate, dynamic, deterministic, numerical model. Multiyear ambient air and soil climatic data for the city of Athens have been used as inputs to the deterministic model and the results were compared. Furthermore, a neural network approach was used for estimating the thermal performance of the system in heating for the city of Athens. Moreover, the influence of several climatic parameters used as inputs to the neural model such as the ambient air temperature, the ground temperature and the relative humidity is investigated and analysed.
Matrix Resin Effects on Selected Physicochemical Properties of Amorphous Calcium Phosphate Composites

Amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP)-filled bioactive composites show promise in a number of dental applications. This study focused on polymer-filler bonding as a way to improve physicochemical properties of these composites. Photoactivated resins were formulated from ethoxylated bisphenol A dimethacrylate (EBPADMA), triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and methacryloxyethyl phthalate (MEP) with four different EBPADMA/TEGDMA mass ratios (1.0, 0.67, 0.5 and 0.25) and a constant HEMA/MEP mass ratio of 2.0. Composites were prepared with the zirconia-ACP (mass fraction 40%). Composites and copolymers were evaluated for their biaxial flexure strength (BFS), degree of vinyl conversion (DC) and water sorption (WS). Composites were also assessed for mineral ion release and polymerization shrinkage (PS). Independent of resin composition, the average BFS was 130±24MPa for both the dry and aqueous-immersed copolymers, but was 70±11MPa for the dry composites and 47±7MPa for the...
Differentiating Contemporary Racial Prejudice from Old-Fashioned Racial Prejudice.

The present study addresses the distinction between contemporary and old-fashioned prejudice using survey data from a national sample (n = 600) of self-identified whites living in the United States and interviewed by telephone in 2001. First, we examine associations among indicators of contemporary and old-fashioned prejudice. Consistent with the literature, contemporary and old-fashioned prejudice indicators represent two distinct but correlated common factors. Second, we examine whether belief in genetic race differences uniformly predicts both types of prejudice. As might be expected, belief in genetic race differences predicts old-fashioned prejudice but contrary to recent theorizing, it also predicts contemporary prejudice.
On the Daytime Use of Dome C for Astronomy

I describe aspects of the non-solar astronomy use of Dome C telescopes under daytime/summer conditions. In the thermal IR (TIR) wavelength region, where scattered sunlight is dwarfed by sky and facility radiation, astronomy benefits from the better seeing, continuous sky coverage, a more than doubling of the observing time and the improved site accessibility and logistics. Na-Laser Guide Stars (LGSs) can be used for wavefront sensing in daytime using very narrow band filters to suppress the sky background at visible wavelengths. It enables the use of Adaptive Optics for diffraction limited imaging in the TIR during daytime at Dome C.
Coming Full Circle—From Endless Complexity to Simplicity and Back Again

Cell has celebrated the powers of reductionist molecular biology and its major successes for four decades. Those who have participated in cancer research during this period have witnessed wild fluctuations from times where endless inexplicable phenomenology reigned supreme to periods of reductionist triumphalism and, in recent years, to a move back to confronting the endless complexity of this disease.
Binding of cisplatin to specific sequences of human DNA in vitro

Cisplatin was reacted with a 184-base-pair sequence, exon 3, of human HPRT DNA in vitro. The binding sites were mapped by a primer extension method with T4 DNA polymerase and radioactive dCTP. Binding sites of cisplatin were indicated by the lengths of synthesized polynucleotides as determined by gel electrophoresis. Neighboring GG dinucleotides were highly preferred sites of binding by cisplatin, while less binding was noted to GXG, GA, AAA, and GXA. Analysis by densitometry revealed a 5-fold difference in binding among the GG sequences. The relative binding to a GGG sequence exceeded that of a GGGGGG sequence, suggesting that the number of Gs in a run did not determine the relative binding.
The deposit size frequency method for estimating undiscovered uranium deposits

The deposit size frequency (DSF) method has been developed as a generalization of the method that was used in the National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) program to estimate the uranium endowment of the United States. The DSF method overcomes difficulties encountered during the NURE program when geologists were asked to provide subjective estimates of (1) the endowed fraction of an area judged favorable (factorF) for the occurrence of undiscovered uranium deposits and (2) the tons of endowed rock per unit area (factorT) within the endowed fraction of the favorable area. Because the magnitudes of factorsF andT were unfamiliar to nearly all of the geologists, most geologists responded by estimating the number of undiscovered deposits likely to occur within the favorable area and the average size of these deposits. The DSF method combines factorsF andT into a single factor (F·T) that represents the tons of endowed rock per unit area of the undiscovered deposits within the favorable area. FactorF·T, provided by the geologist, is the estimated number of undiscovered deposits per unit area in each of a number of specified deposit-size classes. The number of deposit-size classes and the size interval of each class are based on the data collected from the deposits in known (control) areas. The DSF method affords greater latitude in making subjective estimates than the NURE method and emphasizes more of the everyday experience of exploration geologists. Using the DSF method, new assessments have been made for the “young, organic-rich” surficial uranium deposits in Washington and idaho and for the solution-collapse breccia pipe uranium deposits in the Grand Canyon region in Arizona and adjacent Utah.
Analysis of Class 8 truck technologies for their fuel savings and economics

Non-electrification efficiency-improving technologies and powertrain technologies for reducing the heavy-duty truck fuel consumption are studied. The study indicates that improvements in engine efficiency, aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance will benefit fuel economy significantly over the day drive and over-the-road highway driving cycles; 6–13% in fuel savings can be expected from each technology. Hybridization can achieve fuel saving of 16% and is financially attractive for the day drive cycle. Compared to the baseline Class 8 conventional trucks, an improvement of 20–22% and 28–50% in fuel economy by 2020 can be expected using non-electrification efficiency-improving and a combination of non-electrification and hybrid technologies. Fuel economy improvements of a factor of four to five can be achieved by hybridizing the heavy-duty trucks used on ocean ports.
Sex differences in activity of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase from cultured human fetal lung cells despite X-inactivation.

In a previous report, it was noted that glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) specific activity was approximately 45% higher in fibroblasts cultured from female fetal lung than in fibroblasts from male fetal lung. This sex difference was nullified during the first postnatal weeks by an abrupt rise in G6PD activity in cultured male lung rather than by any changes in G6PD activity in cultured female lung. No sex differences for G6PD activity were found in fetal or postnatal cultured skin (Steele and Owens, 1973). In the present report, analysis of the G6PD phenotype of clones derived from skin and lung fibroblasts from a 14-week fetus heterozygous for the AB electrophoretic variants of G6PD indicates that in these fetal cells only one X chromosome is active. Therefore, the sex differences in the specific activity of G6PD in fetal lung cells cannot be attributed to lack of X-inactivation in the female but must result from yet undefined regulatory mechanisms operative in the male.
A monoclonal lewis rat myocyte line that responds to interferon-γ responsiveness with the potential to influence subsequent interactions with the immune system

In order to begin asking questions about immunopathology associated with the model of the neuromuscular disease experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis, a monoclonal myocyte line, LE1, has been prepared from the Lewis rat. The LE1 myocyte clone was selected from among several clones produced based on its ease of maintenance in culture and for the stability of its phenotype, which is very similar to that reported for in vivo muscle and other cultured myocyte lines. Thus, LE1 cells were observed to produce, constitutively, the myocyte-associated neural cell adhesion molecule (CD56), the intracellular adhesion molecule (ICAM-1), and the acetylcholine receptor. LE1 cells were also observed to constitutively secrete relatively low levels of IL-6 and TGF-β. Moreover, the LE1 cell line may be of use for predicting muscle responses to various immune mediators. For example, the inflammatory cytokine interferon-γ (IFN-γ) has been recently reported by others to play a role in experimental myasthenia gravis. Thus, it was of interest that LE1 cells could be activated by IFN-γ to express increased levels of immunopathologically relevant membrane molecules such as ICAM-1 and Class II major histocompatibility molecules (i.e., RT-1B).