cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stratification: An approach to cost-effectiveness for farming systems research and development

Abstract Forming systems research and development is a new approach aimed at meeting the needs of farmers with limited resources in the less developed countries. The cost-effectiveness of the approach rests with identifying enough farmers operating under similar conditions who will adopt the proposed technological improvements. An important way of doing so is through stratification of environmental and farmers' conditions to develop what is called a recommendation domain. This paper reports on current stratification efforts, involving (1) descriptive schemes (classification of farming systems, agricultural growth stages, and an ecological systems approach), (2) stratification by components (agroclimatic zones, soil and land classifications, cropping and biological environments, farmers' cultural practices, and economic and socio-cultural conditions), and (3) stratification strategies used by four major research centers. The paper closes by asserting the need for further methodological work and offers some suggestions.
Guatemala's Genocide Determination and the Spatial Politics of Justice

This paper focuses on the Guatemalan Commission for Historical Clarification's (CEH) determination that state violence in Guatemala between 1981 and 1983 constituted acts of genocide. The construct...
Factors associated with methotrexate dosing and therapeutic decisions in veterans with rheumatoid arthritis

The purpose of this study is to explore patient factors associated with differences in methotrexate (MTX) dosing and to compare patient factors and MTX-dosing patterns between those who remained on MTX monotherapy and those who were switched or had additional therapy. A retrospective cohort of 7,017 patients with newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was identified in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs administrative databases between 1 October 1999 and 30 September 2009. Regression analyses were used to study the association of MTX start and maximum dose attained with various patient characteristics and compare differences between groups who had therapeutic change (having switched to or added another anti-rheumatic agent or having steroids increased by 2.5 mg of prednisone or equivalent) with those remaining on MTX monotherapy. Abnormal serum creatinine (>1.5 mg/dL) was associated lower start and peak MTX doses (p < 0.01). Older RA patients were less likely to attain peak MTX dose of 15 mg or more (p < 0.01). Males and patients 75 and older (compared with <45) had lower risk of therapeutic change (hazard ratio, [HR] 0.80, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.72–0.90, and HR 0.42, 95% CI 0.42–0.36–0.50, respectively). Patients who attained higher peak MTX dose had lower risk of therapeutic change compared with those dosed at less than 15 mg/week (HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.77–0.92 for 15 to <20 and HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.72–0.86 for 20 or more). Injectable MTX use conferred lower risk of therapeutic change (HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.52–0.78). Two thirds did not attain a maximum MTX dose of 20 mg/week or more before therapeutic change occurred. Older age and renal insufficiency were barriers to the use of higher MTX maximum dosages. Use of injectable MTX and higher maximum MTX dose were independently associated with higher likelihood to remain on MTX monotherapy. Further studies are needed to explore targeted interventions that may optimize MTX dosing to improve success rates of MTX monotherapy.
Time-insensitive fluorescent sensor for human serum albumin and its unusual red shift.

The concentration of human serum albumin (HSA) indicates the health state of individuals and is routinely measured by UV spectroscopy with bromocresol. However, this method tends to overestimate HSA, and more critically, depends highly on the timing, in seconds, of the measurements. Here, we report an analog of 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein that can be used as a fluorescent sensor to quantify HSA in human sera. The accuracy of this new method proved superior to that of bromocresol when an international standard serum sample was analyzed. This method is more convenient than the bromocresol method because it allows for fluorescence measurements during a >15 min period. Colorimetric analysis was also performed to further investigate the effects of the binding of the sensor to HSA. These spectroscopic studies suggest that absorption and emission changes upon HSA binding may be due to the dehydration of the dye and/or stabilization of the tritylic cation species.
Faculty Perceptions of the Quality and Usefulness of Three Types of Evaluative Information.

The purpose of the study was to investigate faculty perceptions of student evaluative information collected by three methods: objective questionnaire items, open-ended questions, and group interviews. Faculty rated three simulated evaluation reports on their potential for accuracy, trustworthiness, usefulness, comprehensiveness, believability, interpretability, and value as information used for self-improvement and promotion purposes. Faculty, in general, regarded the evaluative information to be more credible, useful, and accurate for their own self-improvement than for promotion purposes. Faculty also desired more than one type of evaluative information regardless of the purpose of evaluation.
Uncertainty Quantification for Systems with Random Initial Conditions Using Wiener–Hermite Expansions

A number of engineering problems, including laminar-turbulent transition in convectively unstable flows, require predicting the evolution of a nonlinear dynamical system under uncertain initial conditions. The method of Wiener–Hermite expansion is an attractive alternative to modeling methods, which solve for the joint probability density function of the stochastic amplitudes. These problems include the “curse of dimensionality” and closure problems. In this paper, we apply truncated Wiener–Hermite expansions with both fixed and time-varying bases to a model stochastic system with three degrees of freedom. The model problem represents the combined effects of quadratic nonlinearity and stochastic initial conditions in a generic setting and occurs in related forms in both classical dynamics, turbulence theory, and the nonlinear theory of hydrodynamic stability. In this problem, the truncated Wiener–Hermite expansions give a good account of short-time behavior, but not of the long-time relaxation characteristic of this system. It is concluded that successful application of truncated Wiener–Hermite expansions may require special adaptations for each physical problem.
Broadband microstrip junction circulators

Two microstrip junction circulators have been designed and built. Bandwidths of 25 percent at S-band and 32 percent at X-band have been obtained for a VSWR less than 1.25. The maximun insertion loss is 0.4 dB at S-band and 0.6 dB at X-band.
Electron Triplet Production by High-Energy Photons in Hydrogen.

The 323-Mev hardened bremsstrahlung beam from the Berkeley synchrotron was used to produce electron-positron pairs and triplets in a 4-in.-diam liquid hydrogen bubble chamber. It was found that the experimental triplet cross sections for detectable recoils (momentum greater than 0.27 Mev/c) and for recoils with momentum greater than $\mathrm{mc}$ rise logarithmically with photon energy to 100 Mev, then level off at approximately 2.8 mb and 1.5 mb, respectively. The total triplet cross section agrees with that of Borsellino above 20-Mev photon energy. No contribution due to exchange terms was found. The positron energy distribution agrees with that of Wheeler and Lamb. The recoil momentum distribution agrees substantially with that of Suh and Bethe. Approximately one event due to multiple pair production was expected. None was found.
Theory and Method in Comparative Research: Two Strategies

We examine the comparative strategies of Durkheim and Weber and link them to specific presuppositions. While both are compatible with goals of explanation and generalization in sociological analysis, they use different types of explanation and different degrees of generalization to produce variable-based (Durkheimian) and case-based (Weberian) studies. Several authors (e.g., Kapsis; Smelser, b) suggest that these two strategies converge. We show that these strategies are neither congruent nor convergent in their (1) units of analysis, (2) conception of causality, (3) conception of adequate explanation, or (4) logic of analysis. We examine contemporary comparative studies and trace lines of filiation between them and the strategies of Durkheim and Weber. Finally, we suggest how these strategies can be combined in complementary ways to take advantage of the unique strengths of each. One of the few priorities Durkheim and Weber shared was to establish a balance between competing claims of complexity and generality in sociological analysis. They both saw comparative research as the means to do this because such research avoided problems associated with older styles of inquiry. Comparative analysis separated sociology from traditional historical research with its atheoretical attention to detail; it also separated sociology from social philosophy and the philosophy of history with their emphasis on sweeping generalizations (see Zaret, a). These concerns shape Weber's conception of sociology as a science of historical reality. According to Weber, sociology uses ideal types to enable limited generalization about historical divergence (see Zaret, b). Limited
A study of the anatomical effects produced in the leaves of Datura stramonium L. by the action of 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid

The anatomical changes in the leaves of Datura stramonium L. following the application of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid are described. Trichomes were found to be increased with abnormal bizarre forms occurring and the vascular tissue highly proliferated. The quantity of calcium oxalate crystals was significantly decreased in areas of the leaves showing severe injury. The relationship of these formative effects with adenine, auxin, and calcium uptake are briefly discussed.
Autoradiographic tracings utilizing Ca45-labeled ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid

Abstract Etheylenediaminetetraacetic acid appears to be a useful drug in the practice of endodontics. The self-limiting properties of the compound appear questionable. There is a possibility that some of the solution might inadvertently find its way into the periapical tissues, as demonstrated by our in vivo monkey sections.
The relationship of soluble and mitochondrial isocitrate dehydrogenases in metabolic regulation

Abstract It has been shown that the soluble NADP+-specific isocitrate dehydrogenases from both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells are inhibited by oxalacetate and glyoxylate in a concerted manner. We have now compared the mitochondrial and soluble isocitrate dehydrogenases from N. crassa and S. cerevisiae with respect to their inhibition by these compounds. The NAD+-linked mitochondrial enzymes were not inhibited, whereas the NADP+-linked enzymes were. The significance of this inhibition is discussed with respect to the regulatory role of these two enzymes.
Effect of Added Alcohols or Carboxylate on the Preparation of 7,7-Dichlorobicyclo[4.1.0]Heptane

The phase transfer base catalyzed generation of dichlorocarbene and its subsequent addition to cyclohexene is markedly influenced by the introduction of an alcohol or carboxylate. Generally an added alcohol will facilitate the reaction while carboxylate ion retards the reaction.
Discussant’s Remarks: Reviving Ethnology to Understand the Rice Neolithic

Our symposium’s rationale, “rapid advances” in genetics, linguistics, and archaeology, makes no mention of my field, cultural anthropology. Nor should it. It’s regress, not progress —at least on these matters. As Fiskesjo said on the first day, the discipline dismisses origins. Immersed in the moment, today’s cultural anthropology studies each group in itself and by itself. That’s ethnography. What the rice/language puzzle needs is ethnology, a comparative approach. Yet there is no full-scale, culture-crossing, in-depth analysis of how rice-growinggroupsdoanddon’t differ.Culturalanthropology has tools for that task but no inclination. We’ll tell you how rice is‘culturally constructed,’ not how cultures might be rice-constructed. An ethnology of rice might begin by studying crop/culture interdependence. Once scholars debated whether the distinctive labor conditions of wet rice explained the better condition of women in Southeast Asia (Goldschmidt and Kunkel 1971 ;M oore1973; Winzeler 1974) but that thought disappeared once gender became culturally constructed. Then there’s how the small-scale intricacy of wet rice turns Wittfogel’ s( 1957) oriental despotism on its head. Here local autonomies that Bray (1986: 27, 173–79) documents for South China under the Han appear in the coastal American South under slavery. Allowed to manage what overseers couldn’t control, rice-growing slaves fared better than their cotton- and sugar-growing counterparts. While rice-growers developed local subsistence activities, kept more of their African heritage and held on to a Creole, those suffering cotton and sugar regimens had no such buffers.
Effects of Drugs and Drug Combinations in Pigeons Trained to Discriminate among Pentobarbital, Dizocilpine, a Combination of These Drugs, and Saline.

Drugs with multiple actions can have complex discriminative-stimulus properties. An approach to studying such drugs is to train subjects to discriminate among drug combinations and individual drugs in the combination so that all of the complex discriminative stimuli are present during training. In the current experiments, a four-choice procedure was used to train pigeons to discriminate among dizocilpine (noncompetitive NMDA receptor blocker), pentobarbital (GABAA receptor agonist), a fixed-dose combination of these two drugs, and saline. Following extended training, low doses of pentobarbital or dizocilpine administered alone produced saline-appropriate responding. Higher doses of pentobarbital produced responding on the pentobarbital-appropriate key and higher doses of dizocilpine produced responding on the dizocilpine key. Administering the lowest doses of pentobarbital and dizocilpine together resulted in responding on the saline-appropriate key. Increasing the dose of pentobarbital in the presence of low doses of dizocilpine produced responding primarily on the pentobarbital-appropriate key; increasing the dose of dizocilpine in the presence of the lowest dose of pentobarbital produced responding primarily on the dizocilpine-appropriate key. Combining the higher doses of pentobarbital and dizocilpine resulted in responding primarily on the drug-combination key. Low doses of phencyclidine or ethanol produced responding on the saline-appropriate key, but intermediate doses resulted in individual subjects responding predominately on either the pentobarbital key, the dizocilpine key, or the drug-combination key depending on the subject. After the highest dose of phencyclidine or ethanol, most subjects responded predominantly on the drug-combination key. Low doses of other drugs tested produced responding on the saline-appropriate key. With the highest diazepam doses responding was largely confined to the pentobarbital-appropriate key. The highest doses of dextromethorphan or dextrorphan resulted in responding on the dizocilpine key more frequently than on other keys. Across a range of doses, morphine produced responding predominantly on the saline key. The results using the four-key procedure emphasized the role of both GABAA and NMDA receptors in the complex discriminative stimulus properties of phencyclidine and of ethanol.
Required critical aspect ratio of fibers intended for stress-rupture applications

The observed critical aspect ratio for pullout specimens of tungsten wire in a copper matrix tested in stress rupture at 649 and 816 C was slightly greater than for tension tests at the same temperature. Time for failure of the stress rupture specimens was controlled by the properties of the fiber (tungsten) at aspect ratios greater than the critical aspect ratio and by the properties of the matrix (copper) at aspect ratios less than the critical ratio.
2-Chloro N6-methyl-(N)-methanocarba-2′-deoxyadenosine-3′,5′-bisphosphate is a selective high affinity P2Y1 receptor antagonist

1. We reported previously that bisphosphate derivatives of adenosine are antagonists of the P2Y(1) receptor and that modification of the ribose in these analogues is tolerated in the P2Y(1) receptor binding pharmacophore. 2. Here we delineate the pharmacological activity of one such non-nucleotide molecule, 2-chloro N(6)-methyl-(N)-methanocarba-2'-deoxyadenosine-3',5'-bisphosphate (MRS2279), in which the ribose is replaced by a cyclopentane ring constrained in the (N)-conformation by a cyclopropane moiety. 3. MRS2279 antagonized 2MeSADP-stimulated inositol phosphate formation in turkey erythrocyte membranes with competitive kinetics (pK(B)=7.75). High affinity competitive antagonism by MRS2279 was also observed at the human P2Y(1) receptor (pK(B)=8.10) stably expressed in 1321N1 human astrocytoma cells. Antagonism was specific for the P2Y(1) receptor since MRS2279 had no effect on activation of the human P2Y(2), P2Y(4), P2Y(6), or P2Y(11) receptors by their cognate agonists. 4. MRS2279 also did not block the capacity of ADP to act through the Gi/adenylyl cyclase linked P2Y receptor of platelets to inhibit cyclic AMP accumulation. 5. In contrast, the P2Y(1) receptor is known to be obligatory in the process of ADP-induced platelet aggregation, and MRS2279 competitively inhibited ADP-promoted platelet aggregation with an apparent affinity (pK(B)=8.05) similar to that observed at the human P2Y(1) receptor heterologously expressed in 1321N1 cells. 6. Taken together these results illustrate selective high affinity antagonism of the P2Y(1) receptor by a non-nucleotide molecule that should prove useful for pharmacological delineation of this receptor in various tissues.
Crack propagation near cylindrical voids

Stress intensity factorsKI andKII are presented for a planar, sharp-ended crack subjected to nearby line forces and line force doublets. The resulting near crack tip stress field is used to predict the influence of such singularities upon the crack propagation direction. The concept of the criticality of the angle of crack departure from symmetric propagation is introduced and used to compare computer predictions with experiments performed on double cantilever beam (DCB) specimens of 7075 aluminum alloy. The form of the near crack tip elastic equations and the criticality are verified. The critical angle parameter is found to be a material and experimental constant, independent of the strength of the centers of stress.
Validity of the substance abuse subtle screening inventory-adolescent version (SASSI-A).

The construct and convergent validity of the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Instrument-Adolescent (SASSI-A) were examined in a population of suburban youth offenders. The analysis was conducted on archived data of 490 adolescent offenders from a suburban Circuit Court-Juvenile Division. Exploratory factor analysis results best supported a 5-factor solution that accounted for a modest 32.5% of the total variance. This 5-factor solution had a poor goodness of fit with the purported factor structure upon which the formal SASSI-A scoring is based. The relationship between the SASSI-A and variables with known relationships to adolescent substance abuse (i.e., lack of religious involvement, single parent household, learning disability, early onset of use, conduct problems) was examined. Results revealed moderately strong relationships between the SASSI-A and these variables, indicating reasonable convergent validity. It is concluded that the SASSI-A face valid scales have moderate utility for identifying substance dependence within this sample, while the subtle scales do not.
A New Standard-Based Polynomial Interpolation (SBPIn) method to address gel-to-gel variability for the comparison of multiple denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis profile matrices

The Standard-Based Polynomial Interpolation (SBPIn) method is a new simple three-step protocol proposed to address common gel-to-gel variations for the comparison of sample profiles across multiple DGGE gels. The advantages of this method include no requirement for additional software or modification of the standard DGGE protocol.
Marked enhancement of diplococcus pneumoniae competence for transformation by tryptic peptides of casein.

Competence development in cultures of Diplococcus pneumoniae is markedly different in the presence of tryptic peptides of casein. Three effects are discernible following the addition of tryptic peptides; a change to a less complex pattern of competence, a shift in the peak competence range to a cell concentration which is 20- to 25-fold higher and a 10-fold increase in the overall percentage of competent cells.
Purification of three forms of chromatographically distinct protein kinase C from the swine ovary.

Abstract A calcium-sensitive, lipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C) modulates physiological function in a variety of cells. In certain tissues, multiple forms of this key regulatory enzyme exist. To examine the nature of ovarian protein kinase C, swine luteal cytosol (1000 mg protein) was applied and eluted from DE-52 cellulose. The pooled active fractions were sequentially purified further by threonine- (TS) and phenyl-Sepharose (PS) affinity chromatography in a buffer of 20 mM Tris, 0.5 mM EDTA, 0.5 mM EGTA, 5 mM dithiothreitol and 250 μg/1 leupeptin. Protein kinase C activity was eluted with NaCl gradients of 0.075–125 M (DE-52), 0.1–1 M (TS) and 0.6-0.0 M (PS). This purification scheme yielded three distinct peaks of highly purified protein kinase C activity and an overall enrichment in protein kinase C activity of approximately 1000-fold. Inasmuch as control of steroidogenesis or peptide hormone production in the ovary via the Ca 2+ -protein kinase C pathway could occur at several different levels, we postulate that the demonstrated presence of isoforms of this enzyme in ovarian tissue offers a means for selective spatial and temporal compartmentalization of the endocrine stimulus with correspondingly distinct changes in cellular function.
Assessing exertions: How an increased level of immersion unwittingly leads to more natural behavior

This paper utilizes muscle exertions as a means to affect and study the behavior of participants in a virtual environment. Participants performed a simple lifting task both physically using an actual weight and virtually. In the virtual environment participants were presented with two different types of virtual presentation methods, one in which the weights were shown as a 3D model in the Immersive Visuals scenario and one in which the weights were shown as a simple line in the bland scenario. In the virtual scenarios, the object is only lifted when the participant's muscle activity, measured by surface EMG, exceeds a calibrated minimum level as described in previous literature. We found that while participants were able to perceive the difference for various weights both physically and virtually, we found no significant differences in the perceived efforts between the presentation methods. However, while the participants subjectively indicated that their effort was the same for each of these presentation methods, we found significant differences in the muscle activity between the two virtual presentation methods. For all primary mover muscle groups and weights, the more immersive virtual presentation method led to exertions that were much more approximate to the exertions used for the physical weights.
Solution of the mean field equations for spontaneous fission

A new iterative method is used to solve the self-consistent periodic mean field equations governing nuclear fission. A general filter method is introduced to interactively refine an initial approximation, and its stability and convergence are analyzed. The basic ideas are illustrated for the familiar static Hartree equations and generalized to address the unique aspects of the mean field tunneling problem. The method is applied to an illustrative self-consistent fission problem.
Effects of FSH and LH on incorporation of [3H]thymidine into follicular DNA.

To assess the roles of FSH and LH on follicular growth, after various experimental manipulations, hamster follicles were sorted into 10 stages and incubated for 4 h with [3H]thymidine. Stages 1-4 correspond to follicles with 1-4 layers of granulosa cells, respectively; Stage 5 = 5 or 6 layers of granulosa cells plus theca; Stage 6 = 7-8 layers of granulosa cells plus theca; Stage 7 = early formation of the antrum; Stages 8-10 = small, intermediate and large antral follicles, respectively. Phenobarbitone sodium injected at 13:00 h on pro-oestrus blocked the normal rise of blood FSH and LH concentrations at 15:00 h and prevented the increase of [3H]thymidine incorporation into follicles of Stages 1-9. The optimal treatment to reverse the effects of phenobarbitone was 1 microgram FSH and 2 micrograms LH injected i.p. at 13:00 h which restored DNA replication to follicles of Stages 2-10: FSH acted primarily on Stages 2-5 and LH on Stages 5-10. Injection of phenobarbitone at 13:00 h on prooestrus followed by 2.5 micrograms FSH at 22:00 h restored DNA synthesis by the next morning to follicles at Stages 1-8. In hamsters hypophysectomized at 09:00 h on the day of oestrus (Day 1), injection on Day 4 of 2.5 micrograms FSH restored DNA synthesis 6 h later to Stage 2-6 follicles. Unilateral ovariectomy on Day 3 resulted 6 h later in an acute rise in FSH and LH and change of follicles from Stage 4 to Stage 5 but, paradoxically, there was decreased synthesis of DNA in follicles of Stages 5-10.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Exploring the Influence of Cultural Value Orientations on Motivations of Electronic Word-of-Mouth Communication

This study explores the influence of cultural value orientations on social and personal motivations of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), and examines whether these motivations affect positive versus negative eWOM. Findings from a large-scale panel survey suggest that altruism was a significant predictor of eWOM giving among respondents high in individualism. Web innovativeness was a significant predictor of eWOM giving for respondents relatively low in individualism. Social outcome decision-making was a significant predictor of positive eWOM giving regardless of the respondent's degree of individualism. In addition, for respondents relatively low in individualism, social outcome-decision making was associated more with positive than with negative eWOM giving. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are provided.
Direct determination of source, drain and channel resistances of HEMTs

A novel model describing the distribution of channel current in HEMTs is proposed, yielding a simple way to determine the source, drain and channel resistances of the device. The resistances can be deduced directly from measurement of the device I/V characteristics in three different configurations.
On the weak non-finite cover property and the n-tuples of simple structures

The weak non-finite cover property (wnfcp) was introduced in [1] in connection with “axiomatizability” of lovely pairs of models of a simple theory. We find a combinatorial condition on a simple theory equivalent to the wnfcp, yielding a direct proof that the non-finite cover property implies the wnfcp, and that the wnfcp is preserved under reducts. We also study the question whether the wnfcp is preserved when passing from a simple theory T to the theory T p of lovely pairs of models of T (true in the stable case). While the question remains open, we show, among other things, that if (for a T with the wnfcp) T p is low, then T P has the wnfcp. To study this question, we describe “double lovely pairs”, and, along the way, we develop the notion of a “lovely n -tuple” of models of a simple theory, which is an analogue of the notion of a beautiful tuple of models of stable theories [2].
Effects of ibuprofen on airway vascular response to cotton smoke injury

Abstract We studied the effects of ibuprofen on bronchial blood flow and myocordial function after inhalation injury. Sheep (n = 12) were chronically instrumented with cardiovascular and pulmonary catheters. After 5 days of recovery period, baseline data were collected and the sheep were divided into two groups. Group S (n = 6) were insufflated with 48 breaths of cotton smoke; while group I (n = 6) were pretreated with ibuprofen (12 mg/kg bolus followed by 3 mg/kg/h continuous infusion for 24 h) and challenged with the same dose of smoke. All the animals were studied for 24 h. Bronchial blood flow increased significantly in both groups throughout the experimental period; while stroke volume as well as right and left ventricular stroke work indices of both groups were significantly decreased (group I worse than group S) in the second half of the experimental period. These data suggest that vasodilatory prostaglandins do not play a major role in the bronchial vascular response to smoke inhalation injury and myocardial depression seen post injury is worse in animals treated with ibuprofen.
Long-term swallowing problems after organ preservation therapy with concomitant radiation therapy and intravenous hydroxyurea: initial results.

Objective To evaluate the long-term effects on swallowing function of concomitant continuous infusion hydroxyurea and hyperfractionated radiation therapy used to treat advanced head and neck carcinoma. Design A prospective evaluation of swallowing function was performed on an inception cohort by analyzing posttreatment videoflouroscopic swallow function studies using radiological descriptors for pharyngeal transport abnormalities and temporal measures of structural movements, as well as by conducting patient interviews to assess alimentation, more than 1 year after tumor treatment (range, 52-124 weeks; median, 70 weeks). Setting Academic tertiary care referral medical center. Patients Ten patients, aged 44 to 71 years, with stage III and IV squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, or hypopharynx. Main Outcome Measure Radiographic and temporal swallow abnormalities, as well as functional status, were documented and compared with published norms and results of earlier swallowing studies when possible. Results Pharyngeal transport dysfunction and anterior segment abnormalities, manifested by epiglottic dysmotility, vallecular residue, laryngeal penetration, or aspiration, were evident in all 10 patients. Posterior segment abnormalities, such as pharyngeal stasis, constrictor dysmotility and piriform residue were documented in 8 patients. Three patients developed late aspiration, and the majority of patients showed persistent or worsened delay in laryngeal movement compared with their earlier posttreatment evaluations. Also, 3 patients developed a hypopharyngeal stricture, and 6 patients continued to require gastrostomy tube supplementation beyond 1 year. There was no association between site of primary, duration to swallowing evaluation, and severity of dysfunction. Conclusion Prolonged and debilitating functional swallowing abnormalities may occur after this aggressive concomitant chemotherapy and radiotherapy regimen.
Systemic venous flow during cardiac surgery examined by intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography.

Abstract Patterns of systemic venous return change after cardiac surgery. However, the exact timing and underlying mechanisms are not well understood. To analyze these changes transesophageal echocardiography was used to evaluate 21 patients (mean age 56 ± 17 years) during cardiac surgery. Eleven patients underwent coronary bypass grafting, 2 had ablation of accessory bundles, 4 had mitral and 4 had aortic valve replacements. All were in sinus rhythm and were undergoing their first cardiac operation. Hepatic and pulmonary venous flow, tricuspid annular motion, and signs of tricuspid regurgitation were recorded sequentially 5 times: (A) with chest closed, (B) with chest open and pericardium closed, (C) with both chest and pericardium open, (D) after cardiopulmonary bypass with chest open, and (E) after cardiopulmonary bypass with chest closed. The hepatic venous Doppler flow velocity integrals (cm) changed, from stage A to stage E: systolic flow decreased from 5.9 ± 5.2 to 2.2 ± 1.4 (p
The younger Oppenheimer

Frank Oppenheimer founded the San Francisco Exploratorium: his charisma and passion for science education made him as influential, if not as famous, as his brother, explains Robert Crease.
β-Catenin–dependent lysosomal targeting of internalized tumor necrosis factor-α suppresses caspase-8 activation in apoptosis-resistant colon cancer cells

The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is constitutively activated in more than 90% of human colorectal cancer. Activated β-catenin stimulates cell proliferation and survival, however, its antiapoptotic mechanisms are not fully understood. We show here that activated β-catenin is required to suppress caspase-8 activation, but only in colon cancer cells that are resistant to tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF)-induced apoptosis. We found that lysosomal delivery of internalized TNF occurred at a faster pace in apoptosis-resistant than in apoptosis-sensitive colon cancer cells. Retardation of endosomal trafficking through vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase) inhibition enhanced caspase-8 activation in apoptosis-resistant but not apoptosis-sensitive cells. Interestingly, knockdown of β-catenin also prolonged TNF association with the early endosome and enhanced caspase-8 activation in apoptosis-resistant but not apoptosis-sensitive colon cancer cells. In a mouse model of inflammation-associated colon tumors, we found nuclear expression of β-catenin, resistance to TNF-induced apoptosis, and reactivation of apoptosis in vivo after cotreatment of TNF with a V-ATPase inhibitor. Together these results suggest that activated β-catenin can facilitate endosomal trafficking of internalized TNF to suppress caspase-8 activation in colon cancer cells.
ECOLECON: An ECOLogical-ECONomic model for species conservation in complex forest landscapes

Abstract An ECOLogical-ECONomic model (ECOLECON) has been developed to simulate animal population dynamics and economic revenues in response to different forest landscape structure and timber management scenarios. ECOLECON is a spatially-explicit individual-based, and object-oriented program. It is coded in Borland C+ + 2.0 and contains 14 classes or subclasses of ecological and economic information which are hierarchically interlinked. ECOLECON can generate artificial forest landscapes or can link with geographic information systems (GIS) to run simulations on real landscapes. The model predicts population dynamics, spatial distribution, extinction probability of a species under consideration as well as future landscape structure, and economic income from timber harvest based on current tax and timber market situation. The model outputs provide valuable information for balancing the conflicts between the generation of economic revenues and the conservation of endangered species. Because ECOLECON is interactive and easy to use, it is a useful tool for both research and education. This paper introduces the methods of model development, presents the model structure, demonstrates a sample simulation using the model, and discusses the validation and utilities of the model as well as means to expand the model in the future.
The Art Needlework Movement: An Experiment in Self-Help for Middle-Class Women, 1870-1900

In the late-nineteenth century American middle-class women often searched for ways to earn money, hoping to discover alternatives to the menial and low-paying jobs usually open to females. Following the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, these women capitalized on growing interest in art, aesthetics, and home beautification. They established Societies of Decorative Art and Schools of Art Needlework, self-help organizations which provided salesrooms to market fashionable needlework, art, and crafts on consignment. The initial success of these efforts helped participants build confidence, but in the final analysis art needlework proved no better a means of self-support than plying the needle in the garment trades. The ultimate failure of the art needlework experiment helped convince women that they would have to push for educational and career opportunities traditionally closed to them.
Metacognitive Judgments and Control of Study

Recent evidence indicates that people's judgments of their own learning are causally related to their study behavior and not epiphenomenal. I argue here that people use these metacognitions in an effort to selectively study material in their own region of proximal learning. First they attempt to eliminate materials that are already well learned. Then they progress successively from studying easier to more difficult materials. Successful implementation of this metacognitively guided strategy enhances learning. The necessary components are, first, that the metacognitions be accurate, and second, that the appropriate choices are implemented for study. With these parts in place, the individual is in position to effectively take control of his or her own learning.
Transnational Technology Transfer

Technology transfer has become one of the key elements of international marketing. It opens doors to foreign markets for exports, for direct foreign investments, for licensing and cross-licensing. However, a firm or a nation can ultimately bankrupt itself of the reserves of its technologic pool, if it fails to maintain a balance of this pool through reverse technology transfer from foreign sources, and through R&D efforts of its own.
The origin and paleoecologic significance of the trace fossil Asteriacites in the Pennsylvanian of Kansas and Missouri

The trace fossil Asteriacites, recorded in Cambrian to Recent shallow- and deep-marine facies, is traditionally interpreted as the resting trace of asterozoans. Well-preserved specimens of A. lumbricalis are abundant in Pennsylvanian (Upper Carboniferous) shallow- and marginal-marine siliciclastic deposits of eastern Kansas and western Missouri. Detailed morphologic analysis of these specimens suggests that they record the activities of mobile epifaunal ophiuroids. Evidence of a brittle star (ophiuroid) producer rather than sea star (asteroid) is provided by (1) trace-fossil morphologic features reflecting the anatomy of the producer (e.g., well-differentiated central structure, slender vermiform arms) and ophiuroid burrowing technique (e.g., proximal arm expansion, arm branching), and (2) mode of occurrence (e.g., gregarious behavior, horizontal and vertical repetition). Vertical and horizontal repetition produces complex aggregates of A. lumbricalis that are interpreted either as escape structures (fugichnia) or as feeding structures, respectively. Ophiura texturata is proposed as a modern analogue for the A. lumbricalis producer, based on inferred life habit and feeding behavior. Asteriacites lumbricalis is present in two different intertidal trace-fossil assemblages. The first assemblage is characterized by high diversity and records tidal flats developed outside of embayments under normal marine conditions. The second assemblage consists of A. lumbricalis together with a few other ichnotaxa and represents a depauperate association that developed in restricted tidal flats within an embayment or estuarine setting. This challenges the conventional view of Asteriacites as a normal-marine salinity indicator. Some echinoderms, and particularly asterozoans, penetrate and inhabit modern environments of depressed salinity. The presence of Asteriacites in Pennsylvanian marginal-marine facies of Kansas and Missouri provides evidence that ophiuroids had adapted to brackish-water conditions by the late Paleozoic.
High-Temperature Creep Deformation of Alumina — SiC-Whisker Composites

The creep resistance at temperatures between 1200° and 1300°C in air of alumina—SiC-whisker composites was investigated via four-point flexure to examine (1) the effect of whisker content and (2) the influence of densification additives (i.e., Y2O3 (plus MgO)). The creep resistance of polycrystalline alumina is greatly improved with the addition of ≤ 20 vol% SiC whiskers. The interlocking/pinning of grains by whiskers which limits grain-boundary sliding contributes to the improvement in creep resistance. However, the creep rates of alumina composites in air increase at whisker contents ≥ 30 vol%. Electron microscopy observations suggested that the degradation in creep resistance for whisker content ≥ 30 vol% originated from (1) the promotion of creep cavitation and subsequent microcrack generation from the higher number density of nucleation sites and (2) more extensive formation of grain-boundary amorphous phase(s) associated with an observed increased oxidation rate. Along this one, the excellent creep resistance of alumina composites containing 20 vol% SiC whiskers was significantly degraded by the presence of the intergranular amorphous phases introduced by the addition of the Y2O3 densification additive.
Analysis of macrolide antibiotics by capillary electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis was utilized in the study of the macrolide antibiotics (i.e. pharmaceutical glycoconjugates) clarithromycin, erythromycin, oleandomycin, troleandomycin, and spiramycin. In order to assist in analyte solubilization, two buffer systems using acetonitrile were developed. The first system involved 30 mM sodium cholate and 20% acetonitrile in 80 mM sodium phosphate, pH 6. This buffer permitted the baseline resolution of all five glycoconjugated antibiotics. In addition, erythromycin was separated from its derivatives estolate and ethylsuccinate. In the absence of surfactants, a higher acetonitrile quantity, 65%, was used in the second buffer system, with 35 mM sodium phosphate, pH 6. Selectivity between oleandomycin and clarithromycin was reversed in this system compared to the cholate buffer, indicating solute interaction with the cholate micelles in the previous system. Calibration linearity and detection sensitivity were improved in the high acetonitrile buffer, due to decreased background absorbance. It was demonstrated that both buffer systems can be utilized for the visualization of minor components that may be present in bulk pharmaceuticals.
Maturational costs of reproduction due to clutch size and ontogenetic conflict as revealed in the invisible fraction.

Reproduction is thought to entail costs, but assessing survival costs associated with maturation as organisms express reproductive genes for the first time is problematic because many will die prio...
Transesophageal Echocardiography in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

ASHER, C.R., ET AL.: Transesophageal Echocardiography in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation. Over the past decade transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has become an integral tool in the management of patients with AF. Thrombi can be readily detected and the function of the left atrium and left atrial appendage (LAA) can be easily assessed by this modality. With this knowledge, informed decisions regarding anticoagulation, cardioversion, and the likelihood of restoring and maintaining sinus rhythm can be made. An alternative TEE-guided strategy for achieving sinus rhythm in patients with AF is now available with efficacy and safety similar to the conventional approach. Refinements of this strategy may include the use of low molecular weight heparin to avoid hospitalization in patients planned for cardioversion. Further uses of TEE in patients with AF are in their early stages including evaluation of patients following pulmonary vein radiofrequency ablation and those undergoing percutaneous or surgical closure of the LAA.
Chloride interaction with nitrate and phosphate nutrition in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.)

Abstract Tomato plants were grown in a greenhouse in 100 liter containers containing nutrient solutions. A 4 × 3 × 3 factorial experiment of Cl × N × P was conducted. The Cl‐ concentrations were 0, 10, 35 and 70 meq/1; NO‐ 3 concentrations were 7.5, 15, and 20 meq/1; and H2PO‐ 4 concentrations were 1, 2, and 5 meq/1. Fifteen different plant parameters were analyzed. There was a decline in dry matter yield with increasing Cl‐ concentration in solution at all NO, and H2PO‐ 4 levels. The effect of NO‐ 3 levels on dry matter at each Cl‐level was varied and resulted in a significant Cl‐ x NO‐ 3 interaction. The Cl‐ affected all measured plant parameters but K and P content in the plant. Chloride content in the plant was depressed by increasing NO‐ 3 concentration in the solution at all levels of Cl‐ in the solution. There was a little effect of H2 PO‐ 4 on Cl‐ and Mg content in the plant. The possibility of using NO‐ 3 fertilizers to depress Cl‐ uptake by the plants is discussed. Interaction between solution s...
The inner dynein arms I2 interact with a "dynein regulatory complex" in Chlamydomonas flagella

We provide indirect evidence that six axonemal proteins here referred to as "dynein regulatory complex" (drc) are located in close proximity with the inner dynein arms I2 and I3. Subsets of drc subunits are missing from five second-site suppressors, pf2, pf3, suppf3, suppf4, and suppf5, that restore flagellar motility but not radial spoke structure of radial spoke mutants. The absence of drc components is correlated with a deficiency of all four heavy chains of inner arms I2 and I3 from axonemes of suppressors pf2, pf3, suppf3, and suppf5. Similarly, inner arm subunits actin, p28, and caltractin/centrin, or subsets of them, are deficient in pf2, pf3, and suppf5. Recombinant strains carrying one of the mutations pf2, pf3, or suppf5 and the inner arm mutation ida4 are more defective for I2 inner arm heavy chains than the parent strains. This evidence indicates that at least one subunit of the drc affects the assembly of and interacts with the inner arms I2.
COMPILE TIME PARTITIONING OF NESTED LOOP ITERATION SPACES WITH NON-UNIFORM DEPENDENCES*

In this paper we address the problem of partitioning nested loops with non-uniform (irregular) dependence vectors. Parallelizing and partitioning of nested loops requires efficient inter-iteration dependence analysis. Although many methods exist for nested loop partitioning, most of these perform poorly when parallelizing nested loops with irregular dependences. Unlike the case of nested loops with uniform dependences these will have a complicated dependence pattern which forms a non-uniform dependence vector set. We apply the results of classical convex theory and principles of linear programming to iteration spaces and show the correspondence between minimum dependence distance computation and iteration space tiling. Cross-iteration dependences are analyzed by forming an Integer Dependence Convex Hull (IDCH). Every integer point in this IDCH corresponds to a dependence vector in the iteration space of the nested loops. A simple way to compute minimum dependence distances from the dependence distance vec...
Linear Programming under Uncertainty

(This article originally appeared in Management Science, April-July 1955, Volume 1, Numbers 3 and 4, pp. 197-206, published by The Institute of Management Sciences.)
Studying Native American Culture in an Immersive Virtual Environment

On-a-slant village was inhabited by the Mandan, a sedentary native north American tribe, up until the late18th century. The on-a-slant "virtual village" has been constructed by the Worldwide Web Instructional Committee at North Dakota State University using archaeological records and other source materials to authenticallyre-create that space with 3D-rendered graphics. The environment now serves as an exploratory, immersive environment for teaching middle-school students about long-ago society. This paper describes the construction of the virtual village and its earth lodges, the software agent avatars who inhabit the space, and the role-playing game the students play in order to learn about the Mandan and their culture. Data collected over three years show that significant learning is accomplished through playing the on-a-slant game.