cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nitrogen Management Strategies to Reduce Nitrate Leaching in Tile-Drained Midwestern Soils

Balancing the amount of N needed for optimum plant growth while minimizing the NO 3 that is transported to ground and surface waters remains a major challenge for everyone attempting to understand and improve agricultural nutrient use efficiency. Our objectives for this review are to examine how changes in agricultural management practices during the past century have affected N in midwestern soils and to identify the types of research and management practices needed to reduce the potential for nonpoint NO 3 leakage into water resources. Inherent soil characteristics and management practices contributing to nonpoint NO 3 loss from midwestern soils, the impact of NO 3 loading on surface water quality, improved N management strategies, and research needs are discussed. Artificial drainage systems can have a significant impact on water quality because they behave like shallow, direct conduits to surface waters. Nonpoint loss of NO 3 from fields to water resources, however, is not caused by any single factor. Rather, it is caused by a combination of factors, including tillage, drainage, crop selection, soil organic matter levels, hydrology, and temperature and precipitation patterns. Strategies for reducing NO 3 loss through drainage include improved timing of N application at appropriate rates, using soil tests and plant monitoring, diversifying crop rotations, using cover crops, reducing tillage, optimizing N application techniques, and using nitrification inhibitors. Nitrate can also be removed from water by establishing wetlands or biofilters. Research that is focused on understanding methods to minimize NO 3 contamination of water resources should also be used to educate the public about the complexity of the problem and the need for multiple management strategies to solve the problem across agricultural landscapes.
Properties of low-density freejets measured using molecular-beam techniques.

Low density free jet properties, discussing velocity distribution perpendicular to axis and correlation of all terminal parallel Mach numbers for monatomic gases
Within-field nitrogen response in corn related to aerial photograph color

Precise management of nitrogen (N) using canopy color in aerial imagery of corn (Zea mays L.) has been proposed as a strategy on which to base the rate of N fertilizer. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between canopy color and yield response to N at the field scale. Six N response trials were conducted in 2000 and 2001 in fields with alluvial, claypan and deep loess soil types. Aerial images were taken with a 35-mm slide film from ≥1100 m at the mid- and late-vegetative corn growth stages and processed to extract green and red digital values. Color values of the control N (0 kg N ha−1) and sufficient N (280 kg N ha−1 applied at planting) treatments were used to calculate the relative ratio of unfertilized to fertilized and relative difference color values. Other N fertilizer treatments included side-dressed applications in increments of 56 kg N ha−1. The economic optimal N rate was weakly related (R 2 ≤ 0.34) or not related to the color indices at both growth stages. For many sites, delta yield (the increase in yield between control N and sufficient N treatments) was related to the color indices (R 2 ≤ 0.67) at the late vegetative growth stage; the best relationship was with green relative difference. The results indicate the potential for color indices from aerial photographs to be used for predicting delta yield from which a site-specific N rate could be determined.
Do Patient Consent Procedures Affect Participation Rates in Health Services Research

Few studies have examined the effects of Institutional Review Board (IRB) requirements to contact potential research participants.
Nephroprotective drugs from traditionally used Aboriginal medicinal plants

To the Editor: The recent article by Farese et al.1 sheds light on a very important source area of drug development, medicinal plants. People in different cultures, all over the world, have used medicinal plants for a number of diseases. One such traditional medicine system is that of the Canadian Aboriginals. This system has been practiced for centuries and encompasses treating the whole person through mind, body, and spirit. Medicinal plants make up the most important tool in curing a disease. Table 1 lists selected plants used by Aboriginal tribes all over Canada for kidney diseases. Mostly, these are used for diuresis, renal stones and cleansing the kidneys. Plants have also been a major source of new drugs since the inception of modern pharmacology.2 According to a survey, one-third of all the newly approved compounds are derived from plants.2 A brief review of the literature shows different plants being effective in preventing/treating renal diseases either in animal models or in clinical trials.3, 4 Some renal conditions reported to respond to plant therapy are glomerulonephritis, IgA nephropathy, membranous nephropathy, glomerulosclerosis, immune complex nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, lupus, tubulointerstitial nephritis, chronic allograft nephropathy, kidney stones, etc.3, 4 Some pharmacological characteristics seen in plants that may contribute in the above-mentioned conditions are antiinflammation; antioxidation; diuresis; immunomodulation; prevention of acute allograft rejection and drug-induced nephrotoxicity; reduction in proteinuria, renal interstitial fibrosis, renal ischemia/reperfusion injury, tubular and mesangial cell proliferation, blood lipid levels, blood pressure, lipid peroxidation, apoptosis, renal necrosis, and calcium oxalate crystal aggregation; and stimulation of renal repair mechanisms, RNA and protein synthesis.3, 4 Continued efforts are required to identify and develop traditionally used medicinal plants in renal diseases so that more effective treatments are available from plants that have been known for their efficacy for hundreds of years.
Age-related change in personality disorder trait levels between early adolescence and adulthood: a community-based longitudinal investigation.

Objective: To investigate change in personality disorder (PD) traits between early adolescence and early adulthood among individuals in the community. Method: PD traits were assessed in 1983 (mean age=14), 1985–86 (mean age=16) and 1992 (mean age=22) in a representative community sample of 816 youths. Results: Overall, PD traits declined 28% during both adolescence and early adulthood. PD traits were moderately stable during the first 2-year interval, and were as stable as they have been reported to be among adults over similar intervals. PD trait stability declined slightly as the inter-assessment interval increased. Adolescents with PDs tended to have elevated PD traits during early adulthood. Conclusion: PD traits tend to decline steadily in prevalence during adolescence and early adulthood. However, adolescents with PDs often have elevated PD traits as young adults, and the stability of PD traits appears to be similar during adolescence and early adulthood.
Properties of a Certain Lyness Equation

We investigate oscillation, cycle length, and extreme values for the difference equationxn + 1 = (a + ∑k − 1i = 0 bixn − i)/xn − k, whereaandbiare nonnegative numbers and (a + ∑k − 1i = 0 bi) > 0. Ifa > 0, it is known from Theorem 2.2.1 of V. L. Kocic, G. Ladas, and I. W. Rodrigues (J. Math. Anal. Appl.173, 1993, 127–157) that every cycle has no more than (2k + 1) terms. Ifa = 0, we show this is not necessarily true. A general statement concerning cycle length ifa = 0 remains an open question.
Proinsulin Disulfide Maturation and Misfolding in the Endoplasmic Reticulum

Upon nonreducing Tris-Tricine-urea-SDS-PAGE, newly synthesized proinsulin from pancreatic islets of normal rodents forms a band fast mobility representing the native disulfide isomer, which is efficiently secreted. In addition at least two slower migrating "isomer 1 and 2" bands are recovered, not discernible under reducing conditions, which represent minor species that exhibit less efficient secretion. Although rats and mice have two proinsulin genes, three distinct migrating species are also produced upon proinsulin expression from a single wild-type human proinsulin cDNA. The "Akita-type" proinsulin mutation, which causes dominant-negative diabetes mellitus due to point mutation C(A7)Y that leaves B7-cysteine without its disulfide pairing partner, is recovered as a form that near quantitatively co-migrates with the aberrant isomer 1 band of proinsulin. Anomalous migration is also demonstrated for several other mutants lacking a single cysteine. In islets from PERK-/- mice, which exhibit premature loss of pancreatic beta cells, hypersynthesis of proinsulin increases the amount of nonnative proinsulin isomers. Such findings appear consistent with an hypothesis that supranormal production of nonnative proinsulin may predispose to pancreatic beta cell toxicity.
5-propynyluracil.diaminopurine: an efficient base-pair for non-enzymatic transcription of DNA.

The Up·D base-pair (5-propynyl uracil·diaminopurine) is found to be more effective at non-enzymatic transcription than the corresponding natural T·A pair; under non-enzymatic reaction conditions where the natural T·A base-pair fails, a DNA template bearing Up efficiently directs the incorporation of D into a product RNA strand.
Identification of linear nonstationary systems from their responses to generalized controls

We suggest a method for reconstructing the coefficients of a linear nonstationary system from its responses to generalized controls (delta functions and their generalized derivatives).
Photodesorption and Trapping of Molecular Oxygen at the TiO2(110)-Water Ice Interface †

By means of temperature programmed desorption (TPD), static secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SSIMS), and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), we have investigated further the states of oxygen adsorbed on rutile TiO2. Previous work has shown that annealing the (110) surface in a vacuum produces isolated bridging oxygen vacancies, and that these vacancies are intimately connected with molecular and dissociative oxygen adsorption channels. We find that at 115 K illumination of the oxygen-exposed surface with 4.1 eV photons results in photodesorption of the oxygen associated with a TPD state centered on 410 K, in contrast to the remaining oxygen destined for a dissociative channel. An unusual effect of water overlayers on the photochemical properties of the O/TiO2(110) system is explored. For thick overlayers, it is possible to generate via UV irradiation a previously unobserved oxygen TPD state. Evidence is presented for this new O2 TPD state originating from the photolysis of an O2−water adduct.
Childhood experience and adult depression: a review of studies.

The authors consider the origins of adult depression through a review of 17 studies that examine the childhoods of adult depressives. Mostly these studies indicate the etiological role of parental overcontrol coupled with relative affectionlessness that dominates in the histories of neurotic depressives.
Water relations of a perennial grass and seedling vs. adult woody plants in a subtropical savanna, Texas.

Over 52 ? 16% (Mean ? SE) of the seeds of the arborescent legume Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa germinated within two weeks of dissemination in plots dominated by a perennial grass (Chloris cucullata) in July 1984 and 63 ? 7% of those germinating survived through September 1985. Our observations spanned a period of normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation, suggesting the apparent increased abundance of Prosopis on this site in recent times has probably not been episodic with regard to moisture. Over 60% of the herbaceous root biomass occurred in the upper 30 cm of soil. In contrast, tap roots of Prosopis seedlings had penetrated beyond 40 cm within 4 months of germination and their mean proportion of toal biomass belowground increased from 0.27 ? 0.09 in May to 0.52 ? 0.15 in August. Net photosynthesis (Pn) and conductance (g) of Chloris were closely coupled to fluctuations in moisture in the upper soil horizons ( 90 cm.
The interactions of coadsorbed NO and D2 on Ni(100) at 95 K

The coadsorption of deuterium and nitric oxide on Ni(100) at 95 K has been investigated. Presaturation with D2 results in small changes in the behavior of NO(a). The amount of NO adsorbed is reduced slightly and dissociation is inhibited to some extent for low NO coverages. As is the case on the clean Ni(100) surface, two forms of NO(a) are observed. However, backbonding between NO and Ni is reduced in the presence of D(a), particularly for the low-coverage form. For low precoverages of D(a), NO desorption is nearly the same as in the absence of D(a). Desorption of D2 is strongly perturbed by coadsorbed NO(a) and some D2O desorption is observed. Preadsorbed NO strongly blocks D2 adsorption. Postdosed D2 causes some conversion between the two forms of NO(a). A comparison is made with other NO/H2/metal systems and with the CO/H2/Ni(100) system.
Surface and bulk chemistry of chemically amplified photoresists: segregation in thin films and environmental stability issues

The performance of chemically amplified photoresists, including next generation thin film 157 nm fluorinated copolymers and blends, is affected by such phenomena as polymer/substrate and polymer/air interfacial (surface energy) effects, blend miscibility, small molecule diffusion in thin films, permeability of airborne contaminants, and interactions with products from the deprotection reaction. Using near edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy, it is possible to simultaneously probe the surface and bulk chemistry of chemically amplified photoresists to determine possible causes of pattern degradation, including post exposure delay induced material failure, blend component and small molecule diffusion/segregation to the photoresist surface, and interactions between components of the photoresist formulation and developer. The surface and bulk chemistry of model photoresists were analyzed in the NEXAFS vacuum chamber, equipped with in situ processing capabilities for exposure, controlled dosing of a model contaminant gas (NMP or water vapor), and heating, to quantify component segregation and identify surface phenomena that may be responsible for pattern degradation. For model 157 nm blend films, it was found that there is segregation of one component to the surface of the photoresist film, in excess of the composition of that component in the blend. For polymer blends the more hydrophobic or lower surface tension species will typically wet the film surface when heated in air. Segregation of photo-acid generator has also been demonstrated and the effect of reducing film thickness investigated. As photoresist film thickness continually decreases and the photoresists become increasingly sensitive to environmental contaminants, the interfacial and surface regions dominate the behavior of the material and it is crucial to understand both their physical and chemical nature.
Cone-based vision in the aging mouse

People often experience age-related declines in cone-based visual capacities despite an absence of apparent visual pathology. Although mice are used as models of human visual pathologies associated with aging, little is known about how age impacts vision in animals with disease-free retinas since most studies have heretofore examined relatively young mice. We examined the effects of age on cone-based vision by assessing opsin gene transcription, cone densities, the flicker electroretinogram (ERG), and behavioral increment thresholds in mice. ERG measurements of cone function showed age-related declines in maximum voltage (Vmax), while opsin gene transcription, cone density, and increment thresholds were unchanged even in extremely old mice. The age-related decline in Vmax seen in mice is qualitatively similar to that documented for human subjects. It is notable that Vmax, a commonly used index of ERG activity, does not predict behavioral performance in the mouse.
Derivation of isoeffect dose rate for low-dose-rate brachytherapy and external beam irradiation.

Abstract Purpose: The combination of external beam irradiation and brachytherapy has been used effectively in the management of many malignancies. Brachytherapy dose is typically prescribed to an isodose rate line, from which the implant duration is derived. In this study, the linear-quadratic model is used to derive the brachytherapy dose rate at which biological effectiveness is equivalent to that of external beam irradiation. Methods and Materials: Relative effectiveness per unit dose (RE) for brachytherapy was based on Dale’s formalism. Isoeffect dose rate, defined as the brachytherapy dose rate at which the biological effectiveness is equivalent to that of external beam irradiation, was derived. Results: The functional dependencies of brachytherapy RE on dose rate, α/β ratio, and implant duration were investigated. The isoeffect dose rate depends only on the dose per fraction, sublethal damage repair (SLDR) constant, and the implant duration. The isoeffect dose rate does not depend on α/β ratio. For sufficiently long implant duration > 10–15 hours, the value for isoeffect dose rate approaches a constant value around 40 to 50 cGy/hr. Conclusion: The isoeffect dose rate may be useful in treatment planning and optimization for low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy, especially when brachytherapy is used in combination with external beam irradiation.
Strategies for Controlling the Planar Arrangement of Block Copolymer Micelles and Inorganic Nanoclusters

We report several strategies for varying the diameter, the center-to-center spacing, and the areal density of block copolymer micelles, or inorganic nanoclusters synthesized in the cores of the micelles, on planar substrates. The amphiphilic block copolymer, poly(styrene-b-acrylic acid) (PS/PAA), forms micelles in toluene solution that can be spin-coated onto a substrate to create quasi-hexagonal arrays of spherical PAA domains within a PS matrix. The carboxylic acid groups within the PAA domains can be utilized in a nanoreactor synthesis scheme to create inorganic nanocluster arrays, or the PAA domains can be cavitated to expose the carboxylic acid groups to the surface for possible covalent coupling reactions. The strategies we use to vary the planar arrangements include variation of the molecular weight of PS/PAA, variation of the amount of metal loaded into the micellar solution, addition of PS homopolymer into the micellar solution, and the mixing of different micellar solutions. Through these routes...
Pregnant, donor oocyte recipient women describe their lived experience of establishing the "family lexicon".

Objective To describe the lived experience of pregnant women who used donor oocytes for conception. Design Qualitative, using a descriptive phenomenologic approach. Setting Interviews were completed at a location and setting selected by the participant. Of the 16 interviews, 13 were conducted at the participant’s home, 1 was conducted at a private office, and 2 were conducted by telephone. Participants Eight women, between the ages of 33 and 46 years, were recruited at a large urban infertility center. The women were between 9 and 23 gestational weeks pregnant at the time of data collection. Each of the women participated in two open‐ended, in‐depth, audiotaped interviews and answered a demographic questionnaire. Results Four themes emerged from the women’s description of their experience, which were (a) acknowledging the desire for motherhood, (b) accepting and coming to terms with donor oocytes as a way to achieve motherhood, (c) navigating an intense period of decision making, and (d) living with the lasting legacy of achieving motherhood through oocyte donation. Conclusion Clinical practice can be improved by incorporating recognition, support, and communication of the experience to women contemplating or undergoing donor oocyte treatment.
Lymphocyte Subsets in Children with Aplastic Anemia

Twenty-four patients with aplastic anemia (AA) were evaluated with immunologic studies. Patients with posthepatitis AA had decreased proportions of T4 cells, increased proportions of T8 cells, and decreased T4:T8 ratios. Patients with constitutional AA had varied immunologic findings. There were no significant abnormalities in lymphocyte subsets in patients with idiopathic AA. Of the 12 patients who were treated with antithymocyte globulin (ATG), six (50%) responded. Nine of these patients are living 3–27 months after treatment; three of the nine are transfusion dependent. T-cell subsets were not helpful in predicting the response to ATG. Measurements of other immunologic mediators may be more useful with regard to pathophysiology and prognosis in AA.
Some surprising findings on the involvement of the parietal lobe in human memory

The posterior parietal lobe is known to play some role in a far-flung list of mental processes: linking vision to action (saccadic eye movements, reaching, grasping), attending to visual space, numerical calculation, and mental rotation. Here, we review findings from humans and monkeys that illuminate an untraditional function of this region: memory. Our review draws on neuroimaging findings that have repeatedly identified parietal lobe activations associated with short-term or working memory and episodic memory. We also discuss recent neuropsychological findings showing that individuals with parietal lobe damage exhibit both working memory and long-term memory deficits. These deficits are not ubiquitous; they are only evident under certain retrieval demands. Our review elaborates on these findings and evaluates various theories about the mechanistic role of the posterior parietal lobe in memory. The available data point towards the conclusion that the posterior parietal lobe plays an important role in memory retrieval irrespective of elapsed time. However, the available data do not support simple dichotomies such as recall versus recognition, working versus long-term memory. We conclude by formalizing several open questions that are intended to encourage future research in this rapidly developing area of memory research.
Genomic Survey of Gene Expression Diversity in Arabidopsis Thaliana

Differential gene expression controls variation in numerous plant traits, such as flowering time and plant/pest interactions, but little is known about the genomic distribution of the determinants of transcript levels and their associated variation. Affymetrix ATH1 GeneChip microarrays representing 22,810 genes were used to survey the transcriptome of seven Arabidopsis thaliana accessions in the presence and absence of exogenously applied salicylic acid (SA). These accessions encompassed ∼80% of the moderate- to high-frequency nucleotide polymorphisms in Arabidopsis. A factorial design, consisting of three biological replicates per accession for the two treatments at three time points (4, 28, and 52 hr post-treatment), and a total of 126 microarrays were used. Between any pair of Arabidopsis accessions, we detected on average 2234 genes (ranging from 1428 to 3334) that were significantly differentially expressed under the conditions of this experiment, using a split-plot analysis of variance. Upward of 6433 genes were differentially expressed between at least one pair of accessions. These results suggest that analysis of additional genetic, developmental, and environmental conditions may show that a significant fraction of the Arabidopsis genome is differentially expressed. Examination of sequence diversity demonstrated a significant positive association with diversity in gene expression.
Optimal folding of a paging drum in a three level memory system

This paper describes a drum space allocation and accessing strategy called “folding”, whereby effective drum storage capacity can be traded off for reduced drum page fetch time. A model for the “folded drum” is developed and an expression is derived for the mean page fetch time of the drum as a function of the degree of folding. In a hypothetical three-level memory system of primary (directly addressable), drum, and tertiary (usually disk) memories, the tradeoffs among drum storage capacity, drum page fetch time, and page fetch traffic to tertiary memory are explored. An expression is derived for the mean page fetch time of the combined drum-tertiary memory system as a function of the degree of folding. Measurements of the MULTICS three-level memory system are presented as examples of improving multi-level memory performance through drum folding. A methodology is suggested for choosing the degree of folding most appropriate to a particular memory configuration.
Aerodynamic and Acoustic Optimization for Fan Flow Deflection

This investigation seeks to optimize the implementation of fan flow deflection for jet noise suppression from a supersonic turbofan nozzle with bypass ratio 2.7. The design objective is to maximize reduction of noise perceived by the community while minimizing aerodynamic losses. An adjoint method for shape optimization is used to obtain deflector vane designs with sufficient flow deflection and minimum thrust penalty. A NACA0012 airfoil is used as the initial shape for the vane airfoil. Optimization leads to reduction in specific-thrust loss and a thicker airfoil which is beneficial for structural reasons. The optimal vane airfoil is used in a parametric acoustic study of 50 deflector configurations with variable vane chord length, angle of attack and azimuth angle. The best configuration leads to reductions in effective perceived noise level (EPNL) of 2.8 dB in the downward direction and 2.5 dB in the sideline direction. Addition of a porous wedge-shaped fan flow deflector increases the EPNL reductions to 5.0 dB and 3.9 dB in the downward and sideline directions, respectively.
Circadian integration of sleep-wake and feeding requires NPY receptor-expressing neurons in the mediobasal hypothalamus

Sleep and feeding rhythms are highly coordinated across the circadian cycle, but the brain sites responsible for this coordination are unknown. We examined the role of neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptor-expressing neurons in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) in this process by injecting the targeted toxin, NPY-saporin (NPY-SAP), into the arcuate nucleus (Arc). NPY-SAP-lesioned rats were initially hyperphagic, became obese, exhibited sustained disruption of circadian feeding patterns, and had abnormal circadian distribution of sleep-wake patterns. Total amounts of rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) and non-REMS (NREMS) were not altered by NPY-SAP lesions, but a peak amount of REMS was permanently displaced to the dark period, and circadian variation in NREMS was eliminated. The phase reversal of REMS to the dark period by the lesion suggests that REMS timing is independently linked to the function of MBH NPY receptor-expressing neurons and is not dependent on NREMS pattern, which was altered but not phase reversed by the lesion. Sleep-wake patterns were altered in controls by restricting feeding to the light period, but were not altered in NPY-SAP rats by restricting feeding to either the light or dark period, indicating that disturbed sleep-wake patterns in lesioned rats were not secondary to changes in food intake. Sleep abnormalities persisted even after hyperphagia abated during the static phase of the lesion. Results suggest that the MBH is required for the essential task of integrating sleep-wake and feeding rhythms, a function that allows animals to accommodate changeable patterns of food availability. NPY receptor-expressing neurons are key components of this integrative function.
Effects of Stimulant Medication on Cognitive Performance of Children with ADHD

The effect that treatment with stimulant medication has on the intellectual performance of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was examined. Thirty-one children diagnosed with ADHD were given a WISC-III before any treatment was implemented. At least 1 year later, children were retested. At this time, 24 of the children were taking stimulant medications. Children receiving medications had significant increases in IQ scores, but no changes were found for those not taking medications. Changes in IQ scores were moderately related to parents' perceived efficacy of the medication and parent-reported compliance with medication but were not strongly related to changes in parent-reported ADHD symptoms.
Individual pericentromeres display coordinated motion and stretching in the yeast spindle

The mitotic segregation apparatus composed of microtubules and chromatin functions to faithfully partition a duplicated genome into two daughter cells. Microtubules exert extensional pulling force on sister chromatids toward opposite poles, whereas pericentric chromatin resists with contractile springlike properties. Tension generated from these opposing forces silences the spindle checkpoint to ensure accurate chromosome segregation. It is unknown how the cell senses tension across multiple microtubule attachment sites, considering the stochastic dynamics of microtubule growth and shortening. In budding yeast, there is one microtubule attachment site per chromosome. By labeling several chromosomes, we find that pericentromeres display coordinated motion and stretching in metaphase. The pericentromeres of different chromosomes exhibit physical linkage dependent on centromere function and structural maintenance of chromosomes complexes. Coordinated motion is dependent on condensin and the kinesin motor Cin8, whereas coordinated stretching is dependent on pericentric cohesin and Cin8. Linking of pericentric chromatin through cohesin, condensin, and kinetochore microtubules functions to coordinate dynamics across multiple attachment sites.
Generation of a 1 picosecond soft x-ray laser pulses from an injection-seeded plasma amplifier

Phase-coherent soft x-ray laser pulses of 1.13 ± 0.47 ps duration were generated by injection-seeding a solid-target Ne-like Ti plasma amplifier with high harmonic pulses. This is the shortest pulse duration reported to date from a table-top soft x-ray laser amplifier.
Intercomparison of aerosol single‐scattering albedo derived from AERONET surface radiometers and LARGE in situ aircraft profiles during the 2011 DRAGON‐MD and DISCOVER‐AQ experiments

Single-scattering albedo (SSA) retrievals obtained with CIMEL Sun-sky radiometers from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) aerosol monitoring network were used to make comparisons with simultaneous in situ sampling from aircraft profiles carried out by the NASA Langley Aerosol Group Experiment (LARGE) team in the summer of 2011 during the coincident DRAGON-MD (Distributed Regional Aerosol Gridded Observational Network-Maryland) and DISCOVER-AQ (Deriving Information on Surface conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality) experiments. The single-scattering albedos (interpolated to 550 nm) derived from AERONET measurements for aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 440 nm ≥ 0.4 (mean SSA: 0.979) were on average 0.011 lower than the values derived from the LARGE profile measurements (mean SSA: 0.99). The maximum difference observed was 0.023 with all the observed differences within the combined uncertainty for the stated SSA accuracy (0.03 for AERONET; 0.02 for LARGE). Single-scattering albedo averages were also analyzed for lower aerosol loading conditions (AOD ≥ 0.2) and a dependence on aerosol optical depth was noted with significantly lower single-scattering albedos observed for lower AOD in both AERONET and LARGE data sets. Various explanations for the SSA trend were explored based on other retrieval products including volume median radius and imaginary refractive index as well as column water vapor measurements. Additionally, these SSA trends with AOD were evaluated for one of the DRAGON-MD study sites, Goddard Space Flight Center, and two other Mid-Atlantic AERONET sites over the long-term record dating to 1999.
Pleomorphism of stromal eosinophils in murine experimental onchocercal keratitis

Onchocercal keratitis (river blindness) is one of the leading worldwide causes of blindness. Light microscopic analysis of human speci-mens and corneal tissue from experimental models has implicated the eosin-ophil as an important cell in the inflammatory response. Our previous stud-ies in experimental murine onchocercal keratitis have demonstrated that the inflammatory infiltrate is composed primarily of eosinophils displaying ring shaped or bilobed nuclei. However, a number of cells were not character-izable by light microscopy, presumably due to mechanical distortion. To more fully characterize the inflammatory cell infiltrate, we examined corneal specimens by transmission electron microscopy. In addition to typical eosinophils with bilobed and ring shaped nuclei, this approach revealed cells with variable nuclear morphology and cell shape which contained the dense cored granules characteristic of eosinophils. Hence, the degree of pleomor-phsm of eosinophils is broader than appreciated and underscores ...
Low wire count loads

Energetic implosions, using two or three load wires to create a focused axial stagnation of dense wire cores amidst the assembled precursor plasma, are examined with respect to the trade between the implosion mass lost to precursor ablation and the mass or kinetic energy available at stagnation. The calculated kinetic energy at stagnation serves as measure for the output X-radiation.
A Temperature Window for Chemical Vapor Decomposition Growth of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon single-wall nanotubes (SWNTs) grow efficiently from methane on alumina-supported metal catalysts within a fairly narrow temperature window from 680 to 850 °C. An abrupt onset in SWNT growth occurs at the low temperature side of the window, and SWNTs produced at these lower temperatures appear to be relatively free of amorphous or nanocrystalline carbon impurities. Raman spectroscopy shows that SWNT yield drops dramatically at the high-temperature side of the window where most previous chemical vapor decomposition (CVD) studies have been performed. The turn-on at the low-temperature side appears to be controlled by the thermodynamics of SWNT growth, while the turn-off at high temperatures is associated with competitive deposition of amorphous and nanocrystalline carbon. The existence of a temperature window for SWNT growth has not been reported elsewhere, and has important general consequences for CVD growth of SWNTs.
Secured wireless medical data transmission using modified elliptic curve cryptography

With the widespread availability of cost effective wireless devices, the usage of such devices for the monitoring a patient's vital parameters have become ubiquitous. The use of such devices has given rise to Wireless Body Area Sensor Networks (WBASNs) that can enable a healthcare professional to remotely monitor an individual, thereby eliminating costly trips to the hospital. However, since WBASNs carry sensitive patient information, maintaining security is paramount. Public Key Cryptography (PKC) provides robust security than other cryptographic systems. However, PKC requires a substantial computational overhead to be effective which renders them unsuitable for low powered devices used in WBASNs. Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) provides a computationally low overhead for achieving robust security. In this paper we define and propose a Modified Elliptic Curve Cryptography (MECC) technique for use in WBASNs. We also propose to use this method for the secure transmission of data to be used for the wireless monitoring of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease in an indoor environment such as the patient's residence or a hospice. Our system would continuously monitor a patient in real time and detect events that generally precede a fall or a Freezing of Gait (FoG).
Source approach for estimating soil and vegetation energy fluxes in observations of directional radiometric surface temperature

Abstract A two-layer model of turbulent exchange that includes the view geometry associated with directional radiometric surface temperature is developed and evaluated by comparison of model predictions with field measurements. Required model inputs are directional brightness temperature and its angle of view, fractional vegetation cover or leaf area index, vegetation height and approximate leaf size, net radiation, and air temperature and wind speed. One advantage of the approach described in this paper is that directional brightness temperatures are considered so that the model should have wider applicability than single-layer models, and it opens the possibility of a simple solution if directional measurements are available from two substantially different view angles. Comparisons with several hundred measurements from two large-scale field experiments were performed. One study was conducted in a semiarid rangeland environment in Southern Arizona (Monsoon '90) while the other was conducted in a subhumid environment, namely the tall grass prairie in Eastern Kansas (FIFE). For the Monsoon '90 site, root-mean-square-differences (RMSD) between model predictions and measurements were between 35 and 60 W m−2 for soil, sensible and latent heat flux. With the FIFE site data RMSD values were between 50 and 60 W m−2. The larger scatter with the FIFE data was mainly caused by the model having difficulty reproducing the fluxes for the observation period with dormant vegetation. Considerations of the expected variability associated with flux measurements over complex surfaces suggests that model-derived fluxes were in acceptable agreement with the observations. However refinements in formulations of soil heat flux probably would improve agreement between model predictions and measurements.
Design of a 400 MW power supply for a 60 T pulsed magnet

The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Los Alamos designs a magnet that produces magnetic fields of up to 60 T for as long as 100 ms. The power and energy to operate the magnet is provided by a 1430 MVA, 24 kV energy storage generator. Three modular design power supplies convert the AC-power produced by the generator into controlled DC-power needed by the three coil groups of the eight coil magnet. The modules are rated at 4 kV no-load voltage and 20 kA full-load current for up to 2 seconds once every hour, each including a 12-pulse, line-commutated rectifier designed to operate in the 66 Hz to 42 Hz pulse operation range of the generator. A short description of the overall 60 T/100 ms magnet system is given, followed by a detailed description of the the power converter system design. >
Managing a pest with harvest timing: implications for crop quality and price

This article examines a case in which growers' pest management decisions collectively generate a change in price that reduces the losses from infestation for some but further harms others. Olive growers in California control the olive fruit fly not only by spraying insecticides but also by harvesting olives earlier, sacrificing quality and altering the industry's fruit quality distribution. Growers of higher quality fruit alter harvest timing the most, benefiting from the resulting change in the quality premium at the expense of growers of lower quality fruit. Across the industry, the change in the quality premium leads to greater reliance on chemical control. , Oxford University Press.
Picosecond characterization of bent coplanar waveguides

Picosecond electrical pulse propagation on Au coplanar waveguides fabricated on semi-insulating GaAs substrates has been analyzed. Propagation speed and signal distortion between the straight and bent transmission lines of different geometries were measured and compared with the aid of an electrooptic sampling system. The results indicate that the bent coplanar waveguides are capable of linking electronic devices operating in the sub-THz frequency regime. It is also found that smoothing of the bends can considerably improve high-frequency performance of these lines. >
The Site of Insulin Resistance in Acute Uremia

In order to define the mechanism of glucose intolerance in acutely uremic rats, various studies were carried out 24 hours after bilateral nephrectomy. Glucose removal following intravenous glucose was significantly ( p 600 μU./ml.) and threshold (75 μU./ml.) perfusate insulin levels. In contrast, there was a significant decrease in the ability of insulin (mean perfusate level = 225 μU./ml.) to enhance glucose uptake of perfused hindlimbs of uremic as compared with sham-operated rats. These results suggest that the insulin resistance of acute uremia may be due primarily to decreased insulin-mediated uptake of glucose by skeletal muscle without any decrease in sensitivity of the liver to insulin.
Give Memory-Altering Drugs a Chance

Several studies suggest that memories can be pharmaceutically dampened. For example, researchers recently showed that a drug called ZIP causes cocaine-addicted rats to forget the locations where they had regularly been receiving cocaine. Other drugs, already tested in humans, may ease the emotional pain associated with memories of traumatic events. Many are alarmed by the prospect of pharmaceutical memory manipulation. In this brief comment, I argue that these fears are overblown. Thoughtful regulation may someday be appropriate, but excessive hand-wringing now over the ethics of tampering with memory could stall research into promising methods of preventing and treating post-traumatic stress.
A Two Phase Approach for Minimal Diagnostic Test Set Generation

We optimize the full-response diagnostic fault dictionary from a given test set. The smallest set of vectors is selected without loss of diagnostic resolution of the given test set. We give an integer linear program (ILP) formulation using a fault diagnostic table. The complexity of the ILP is made manageable by two innovations. First, we define generalized fault independence. This property identifies many fault pairs that are guaranteed to be distinguished, significantly reducing the number of ILP constraints. Second, we propose a two-phase ILP approach. An initial phase, which uses existing procedures, selects a minimal detection test set. In a final phase, additional tests are then selected for the undiagnosed faults using a new diagnostic ILP. The overall minimized test set may be only slightly longer than that obtained from a one-step ILP optimization, but has advantages of significantly reduced computation complexity and reduced test time. Benchmark results show potential for very small diagnostic test sets.
Plasma polymerization of trimethylsilane in cascade arc discharge

Plasma polymerization of trimethylsilane (TMS) in cascade arc discharge was experimentally investigated. It was found that the deposition rates of methane and TMS plasma polymer were dependent on plasma parameters, and the surface characteristics of plasma polymer were also dependent on plasma variables. The following plasma variables were studied: arc current, argon flow rate, TMS flow rate, chamber pressure, substrate axial, and radial positions. Carbon, silicon, and oxygen were the main elements observed in TMS polymer films obtained by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Powder-like TMS polymer films were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The size distribution of the powder-like particles was strongly dependent on deposition parameters. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 66: 1653–1665, 1997
Effect of insulin-like growth factor I and/or growth hormone on diaphragm of malnourished adolescent rats.

Young growing animals appear to have significantly reduced "nutritional to short periods of unstressed starvation compared with adults, with resultant growth arrest and/or atrophy of diaphragm (Dia) muscle fibers. The aim of this study was to assess in an adolescent rat model of acute nutritional deprivation (ND; 72 h) the impact of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), with or without added growth hormone (GH), on the cross-sectional areas (CSA) of individual Dia muscle fibers. Five groups were studied: 1) control (Ctr); 2) ND; 3) ND given IGF-I (ND/IGF-I); 4) ND given GH (ND/GH); and 5) ND given a combination of IGF-I and GH (ND/IGF-I/GH). IGF-I was given by a subcutaneously implanted osmotic minipump (200 microg/day), whereas GH was administered twice daily by a subcutaneous injection (250 microg every 12 h). Isometric contractile and fatigue properties of the Dia were determined in vitro. Forces were normalized for muscle CSA (i.e., specific force). Dia fiber type proportions were determined histochemically, and fiber CSA was quantified by using a computer-based image-processing system. Total serum IGF-I concentrations were significantly reduced in ND and ND/GH animals, compared with Ctr, and elevated in the groups receiving IGF-I. The provision of growth factors did not alter the contractile or fatigue properties of ND animals. Dia fiber type proportions were similar among the groups. In ND animals, there was a significant reduction in the CSA of types I, IIa, IIx, and IIc Dia fibers compared with Ctr. The administration of IGF-I alone or in combination with GH to ND animals significantly diminished the reduction in Dia fiber size. GH alone had no effect on Dia fiber size in ND animals. We conclude that with acute ND the peripheral resistance to the action of GH appears to be bypassed by the administration of IGF-I alone or in combination with GH.
Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Regulates Peripheral B Cell Receptor Revision, Polyreactivity, and B1 Cells in Lupus

C57BL/6 mice bearing the Sle2(z) lupus-susceptibility congenic interval on chromosome 4 display high titers of polyclonal autoantibodies with generalized B cell hyperactivity, hallmarks of systemic lupus erythematosus. In B6.Sle2(z)HEL(Ig).sHEL BCR-transgenic mice, Sle2(z) did not breach central tolerance, but it led to heightened expression of endogenous Ig H and L chains in splenic B cells, upregulation of RAG, and serological polyreactivity, suggestive of excessive receptor revision. Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), a gene in the minimal subcongenic interval generated through recombinant mapping, was found to be upregulated in Sle2(z) B cells by microarray analysis, Western blot, and functional assays. Pharmacological inhibition of FAAH reversed the increase in receptor revision, RAG expression, and polyreactive autoantibodies in lupus-prone mice. These studies indicate that increased peripheral BCR revision, or selective peripheral expansion of BCR-revised B cells, may lead to systemic autoimmunity and that FAAH is a lupus-susceptibility gene that might regulate this process.
ASSIMILATION AND CONTRAST IN AWARENESS

Assimilation and contrast (context-produced increases and decreases in sensed similarity) in awareness may be basic to understanding vision, audition, cognition, and memory. Key considerations follow.
Anxiety symptomatology and perceived health in African American adults: moderating role of emotion regulation.

Though emotional health has been theoretically and empirically linked to physical health, the anxiety-physical health association in particular is not well understood for African American adults. This study examined anxiety as a specific correlate of perceived health in addition to testing the potential moderating role of emotion regulation, an index of how and when individuals modulate emotions, in the association for anxiety to perceived health. Study participants were 151 community-based African American adults who completed measures of anxiety symptomatology and emotion regulation in addition to responding to a self-report question of perceived health. Results showed that higher levels of anxiety symptomatology were associated with poorer health ratings for those who reported more limited access to emotion regulation strategies but not those who reported having more emotion regulation strategies. The findings suggest that anxiety-related distress and health problems may be interrelated when emotion regulation strategies are limited.